Our intrepid band of travellers crest Greenfield’s ridge, above the fair town of Greenest only to discover the village being scorched by a blue dragon. Before our friends can do much more than assess the situation, the moltey crew are startled by their bard’s madcap rush into danger. Reluctant to allow the bard to venture into chaos alone, they follow at a more judicious pace, arriving in time to help him dispatch the evil doers. Much hilarity ensues when the dwarf mistakes her Warhammer for her sword, in her excitement, and all who see, are disturbed by Baroness Silmerhelve’s use of magic to defeat her foe.
Once their enemies are vanquished, Open Music, the bard, races off to a burning building to discover villagers being pursued by kobolds. The bard heroically waylays the kobolds, much to his detriment, until his allies come to his aid. The highlight of the battle is the moment Butch Uprise kills a kobold with another kobold, impressing and amusing his compatriots by turn. The Baroness in particular seems to enjoy the bloodshed more than most, perhaps a little too much? Butch Uprise also amuses his friends by referring to the villagers as his ‘fellow rustics’.
When the band speaks to the villagers, they are reassured by the sight of Butch Uprise the folkhero. After a brief discussion, where Butch and the Baroness reassure the people they have rescued, they group decides to make for better shelter, gathering townfolk as they go. The brief respite rejuvenates the bandmates, and they bravely make for the keep.
Once again, our intrepid bard hares off into danger, in a fearless or foolish attempt to draw off the enemy and allow his fellow travellers to make a break for safety. Gildred decides to follow him, not entirely convinced this won’t be her last battle. It’s just the break the villagers, Baedric Helder, Butch Uprise, and the Baroness need to reach safety. Miraculously, Music manages to once again stymie the enemy, with the innocuous but ever so effective SLEEP spell, while Gildred tries to drag the wildly shouting muse away to safety. The band of travellers finally meets up again at the keep, where there is much merriment and relief.
All in all not a bad little dustup.
I have to say... everyone was awesome and very gracious with my learning curve with Roll20. I particularly enjoyed Ghaliyah page's overt creepiness and the bard's utter disregard for his own well being - and the fact that fortune favors the bold. I also have to admit that I was nervous when I saw Iserith character's name, but Butch was very entertaining. I'm really looking forward to next week. 
With his glass eye and iron pot for a helmet, Butch Uprise makes lots of people nervous.
(sorry about the lag in posting... life keeps happening to me. I need to start happening to it!)
The next morning our band of intrepid heroes, fools and erstwhile characters reconvene in the courtyard of the keep. The city is burning, but our heroes are happy enough having rescued 21 villagers and brought them to safety. In the courtyard they meet the castellan of Greenrest, a handsome dwarf in the prime of his life, named Escobar. Escobar informs the band of heroes that he's taking the town back from the enemy but he needs their help. The castellan only has manpower to devote to saving the town mill or villagers trapped at the Temple of Chauntea. After some debate (and much hilarity created by the unique perspectives Open Music and Butch Uprise present) the troop decides to aid those trapped in the temple. Escobar promptly presented Gildred with a key to a secret passage that leaves through the kitchen and opens somewhere close to the Temple.
As they make their way to the tunnel entrance, they wisely load up on sustenance. Open Music has time to appreciate the effort Lady Tessele puts into her appearance, while also noting his own clothing is somewhat lacking or misplaced. Wisely Music moves boxes and barrels into a blockade on the off chance they may have to defend the entrance, while Gildred opens the door. The tunnel is dark and dank, littlered with ugly moss and cobwebs. The troop follows Baedric Helder and his glowing sword into the tunnel, humans in the middle warriors up front and the bard bringing up the rear. For the most part the walk is unremarkable, until they come within sight of the opening. At which point they realize they've stumbled into not one but two rat's nests. They ready themselves for battle! The bard tries soothing the savage beast only to find the animals intent on murder and indifferent to music. Tessele manages to freeze a few, killing them where they run, and Gildred smashes a few more, but the two hordes with almost 20 rats each still keeps coming. Baedric is less successful stabbing furiously but not managing to land a hit while Butch Uprise defends Tessele by batting rats away from her dress. The first horde swarms Gildred, engulfing her before she can react sinking sharp fangs into her. The second horde swarms Baedric coating him in dark furred bodies. Once again Music tries to help, ridding Baedric of some of the rats. Tessele steps in with her dark powers cutting a swathe thru the rats on Gildred and halving their numbers. Gildred throws herself against the tunnel wall rolling against it to crush the rest of them. In the meantime Baedric calls down sacred flame to scorch half the rats of his body. Butch Uprise, farmer and folkhero, wisely threatens the rats nests stomping on them to kill the young, instantly drawing off the ones attacking the others. Tessele kills the last of the ones that had attacked Baedric even as a few stragglers attack Butch. Another blast from Tessele's ebony and silver rod and she annihilates the last of the rats and all without mussing her hair! Butch manages to find a gold token in the rat’s nest and presents it to Tessele. Hmmm a budding romance perhaps or just a futile infatuation? Only time will tell.
Exiting the tunnel finally Music protects the door with a quick spell, then the troop quietly moves towards the temple to assess the situation. They realize the temple is being assaulted from the front by the ugliest of creatures, half dragon-half gods know what! along with kobolds and cultists with a battering ram. Immediately Open Music wishes to have a conversation with the bizarre creatures, Butch concurs. Sensing imminent hijinks Gildred clamps a hand on the bard’s shoulder to keep him from charging off into danger. Sensibly Tessele suggests they try the back entrance of the temple. Baedric agrees noting that dying in futility will not help those trapped in the temple. Music, as usual tries guile, and while the kobolds are unimpressed the cultists draw weapons on our fearless friends. Tessele, however, intervenes and casts a fog of enchantment that drops the kobolds into a deep sleep, and one who just pretends. Music helpfully suggests the cultists should flee but being devoted acolytes they ignore him. Gildred attacks and lands a blow and though the worshippers didn’t appear to be effected by Tessele’s spell they keep missing the dwarf. Baedric Helder has better success, killing the uninjured cultist handily, with one mere strike. Butch, overcome with rage at the loss of his beloved Fanny and his little girl, terrifies the other cultist into surrender, where Tessele promptly ties him up and takes him hostage. Music sees that one kobold is only feigning sleep and takes him into custody, happily naming him Jeff. The group becomes preoccupied momentarily with Jeff the Kobold, and Tessele slips away to take care of some business with the sleeping kobolds. Once the problems are disposed of the band helps those trapped in the temple to reach the secret tunnel. Feeling benign after her interaction with the kobolds, Tessele helps Butch in guiding the villagers to safety.
In the one moment that Gildred’s attention wanders from Open Music he manages to cause more chaos flinging open the front door of the temple to laugh in the face of the enemy, gleefully commenting on how Ugly the creature is. The villagers, Butch and Tessele are well away and heading for safety as Music turns and runs, the enemy hot on his heels. He leads the kobolds, dragonclaw, and cultist into Baedric and Gildred’s teeth. I suspect this was not part of the plan. Our heroes square off with the enemy, avoiding slings and arrows, getting bloodied in the process Music bemoans the fact that being friends with Jeff does not cut them any slack. Music puts down the kobolds with a surprisingly effective ‘sleep’. Baedric attempts to heal Gildred and the dwarf rips the head of one of the dragonclaw’s in a crushing uppercut sending it bouncing.The kobolds faint. The cultists scream like little girls and flee. Our heroes fall on the enemy like wolves with Baedric scoring one last kill before the enemy flees for their worthless lives. Our heroes return to the keep victorious, with a trophy that Music has salvaged. They mount the dragonclaw head on a pike for all to see. The friends rally around and drink to their victory, happy to have survived Music’s chaotic approach to battle.
Star, retweet
Thanks for the recap! Butch Uprise almost totally botched the job in Defiance in Phlan last session...
session three:
The next morning finds our friends on the keep walls with Escobar the Castellan watching as the city burns. A horde comes to the gate, driving four human prisoners before them. A half dragon steps forward and bellows a challenge to our fearless warriors to come and do battle. Our bard is indisposed after a rollicking night of merriment and so only Butch, Baedric, Tessele and Gildred are witness to the creature’s challenge. The blue scaled seven foot tall monster offers the four prisoners’ lives if only one of our heroes will come forth and do battle with him. Tessele considers the course of action foolish, but Butch is eager to do battle with the creature, convinced he can behead the half dragon handily. Gildred regards the offer with suspicion but Baedric reassures them all that the creature simply wants one last good fight and will depart as promised.
Butch goes off to make war upon Cyanwrath the half dragon, as the villagers in the keep cheer on their hero. Their shouts are drowned out by the roar of the horde as Butch plants himself, battle ready in front of the half-dragon. Sadly our hero doesn’t fare so well, going down with the first two strikes the half-dragon makes, not even able to land one blow of his own. Satisfied that he has humiliated and humble the keep and our heroes, the half-dragon frees the prisoneres and leaves with the horde. Baedric and Gildred rush out to retrieve Butch’s body believing him dead. As Butch clings to life, Baedric casts a spell that helps him hang on. A short rest later Butch is once more on his feet and ready to fight alongside his friends.
A short while later, while the friends watch the army’s activity slow, Baedric is overcome with a deep sense of foreboding that something evil comes for him. His distress is visible and his allies soon become concerned too, watching the skies with concern. From the clouds a giant blue dragon comes into view, it’s skin skittering with electric energy, making everyone’s hair stand on end. The beast blasts one of the towers, scorching some of the defenders and killing a man. Our brave friends watch in awe and horror, some - or more precisely Tessele is just a little too delighted by the dragon- too bad no one notices her bizarre reaction. Baedric casts a spell which the dragon dodges easily. Tessele shakes of her distraction to fire ebony blades of magic at the beast, and though the attacks do not seem to hurt the dragon they do dissuade it from it’s initial attack. Butch hurls his axe at the dragon only to find it is impervious to such an attack, however he does fortuitously kill a kobold as the axe hits the ground. Gildred takes aim at the dragon hoping to take an eye out with a crossbow bolt. Alas she fails. Baedric curses the dragon shaking a fist at the monster as it wheels further away. Tessele takes another stab at the dragon only to have her attack deflected. Butch, blessed by Tempus and filled with battle glory fires a bolt from one of the ballistae, managing to wound the dragon. Gildred fires ineffectually at the dragon once more, as it curses Baedric out before wheeling in the sky and flying away. Our intrepid heroes are both relieved and amazed to have gotten off so easily. They tend to the dying. Baedric blesses them and gives them last rites, while Tessele indulges a little morbid curiousity and examines the dead closely. With the battle over, they bury the dead and rest and recover, knowing that more challenges lay before them in the coming days.
Great recaps, Lairenn! I was wondering if you (or perhaps Tia) could post a list of the PCs - who and what they are - as I'm having a little trouble following who is who, especially since it seems like the female dwarf went from being a baroness to a mere lady after the first session.
Here's me:
BUTCH UPRISE
Human Fighter 2 (Folk Hero). Ax and shield (defense), though rarely ever uses his ax...
A simple woodworker trying to make good for his family when the Cult of the Dragon came calling. After they took his family and his eye, Butch Uprise has been among those leading the charge to the undermine the cult's gains. He is best known for organizing and leading a militia to liberate a town from the clutches of the Cult. When he's not deep in his cups, Butch is fighting for the people and trying to find his wife Fanny and his baby girl. He has a glass eye (rolled that as a random trinket) that is never facing the proper direction and wears an iron pot as his helmet (more for luck than anything).
I try to play him as a little slow on the uptake, but with a huge heart. He's drinking and karaoke partners with Open Music (bard). Being a commoner and rustic, in most things he defers to Lady Tessele, a noblewoman (wizard). Butch respects Baedric's (cleric) combat prowess and knightly code as someone to look up to given his vices and troubles. Gildred (fighter) always seems to have Butch's back and helps explain things to him when he gets something wrong.
Open Music, played by yours truly, is a Tiefling Bard & double-agent. On the run for a crime he DID commit, he's been pressed into skullduggery and is now forced to work to undermine particular institutions and people.
He's friendly with most but is something of an experimental sensualist. He cares more for feeling something than calculating the odds.
Best quote so far, "It's Nap Time, muthaf%#*!@s!" before casting Sleep.
session four: Defiance in Phlan
Days have passed since last we caught up with our friends. Music crawled out of his drunken stupor to follow his friends on to Phlan, a place they have ended up because they are following the Cult’s activities. Gildred lingers behind in Greenrest to… pass a little time with the handsome Escobar. Tessele, Butch, Baedric and Open Music settle into Phlan and finally end up at the only place that serves alcohol…. under the table, Freona’s Tea Kettle. Music and Freona revive their old friendship as Music showers Freona’s gaggle of children with sweetcakes and treats. At Freona’s they are approached by a tall, mysterious gentleman who wishes to hire our heroes for a mission.
The hooded stranger informs our heroes that he works for an organization that is focused at the moment on dealing with the Cult of the Dragon. The group suspects that the Cult is using a proxy to purchase a Dragon egg, they have apprehended the buyer, however he knows nothing of what Cult plans. Tessele cleverly divines that the stranger wants them to stand in for the buyer and capture the seller. Music, for once, is suspicious of the stranger’s intent, but realizes that yes the Ranger is on the level. The Ranger explains that Baedric very closely resembles the buyer. He elaborates on the plan noting that our heroes need to pay the buyer with magical gems that will vanish within the hour. He offers our heroes 100 gold pieces if they gain the egg and another 100 if they manage to plan a pin on the seller or a member of his entourage. Both Music and Tessele recognize the pin as a harper pin. Somehow Butch fails the nuances of the plan, insisting they keep the gems and skip the gold. It falls upon Tessele to clear up any confusion, but Butch fails to fully grasp the idea of magic disappearing gems. Music and Baedric work on a plan to plant the pin on the buyer. Tessele prompts the troop to hurry up because the gems will not be there much longer, and reassures Music that she will take care of the problem, herself. Butch offers to carry the magic gems, while Baedric grouses about the plan resigning himself to it.
The group reconvenes at an abandoned barn just outside of town. The seller is a tall elf, travelling with three burly humans. Tessele, acting as Baedric’s emmisary, informs the elf that they wish to inspect the egg before paying for it. The seller agrees displaying the egg for a visual exam, but he grows suspicious when he realizes Baedric does not have a limp, which the real buyer does have. Baedric is quick to reassure him, and fears allayed the elf urges them to hurry up. Nodding Butch tosses the bag of gems to the elf just as the egg is rolled across the floor. Music causes a gust of wind to blow the bag off course spilling stones across the floor. The elf and Music dive for the egg and struggle for it. Before any blood can be spilled Baedric offers the real gems to the elf. The elf accepts and Baedric makes Butch hand them over. Tessele graciously helps the elf up while Butch and Music exchange a few words. Tessele uses the opportunity to flirt with the elf and plant the pin on him. Everyone leaves happy (sort of). After the elf and his lackeys depart, Butch reveals he switched the stones again, how unsurprising.
Our heroes also decide to take their leave, just in case the elf gets wise and returns. However, when Tessele opens the barn door she is confronted by Mert, the half-orc, one of the underbosses of the Welcomers, a gang in Phlan. Mert recognizes Music and greets him cheerfully noting that he hasn’t paid the toll - a dragon’s egg, or alternately four lives and an egg. Tessele is delighted by the threat, lucky thing no one else sees that expression and she offers a threat in return. Music surprises Mert by tossing a bag of stones at his head, casting a spell that puts Mert in stitches of laughter all while singing a song no one has heard from the 80’s… 1980’s. Butch makes a grab for one of the thugs crossbows, it fires harmlessly into the floor. Baedric kills one of the thugs with an impressive two stroke strike. Tessele’s magic knocks out the other two thugs. She kills them quietly while Music negotiates with an exhausted Mert, offering him one of his horns as an offering to his Eminence -apparently someone who is out for Music’s blood - go figure. Butch collects the crossbows from the fallen men while Baedric cleaves one of Music’s horns from his head. Alas our poor brave bard passes out while Baedric patches him up, so our fearless friends leave him to recuperate with some of Butch’s fellow rustics. Finally our brave friends make their way back to the Tea Kettle to meet up the Harper who hired them in the first place.
Once everyone is settled, Tessele renegotiates the deal- much to the surprise of her compatriots- based on the fact that a) they’ve taken injuries and b) the egg is actually priceless. Reluctantly the Harper agrees, upping the price and also throwing in a healing potion for the tielfling. All in all a successful evening for our friends who return to take care of poor Music. Of course perhaps the final victory is that Butch finally understands the plan, when he empties his boot looking for gems and finds nothing at all. Then again maybe not.
I read the chats afterwards... I thought I was going to die laughing. Butch was a freaking genius of idiocy. I didn't think he had it in him. Brilliance. And Tess totally threw me with the hardass haggling lol. You guys must have had a great time. Note to self: no more birthday's on game night.
Next session: Butch Uprise tries to figure out who stole the gems out of his shoe and bring the thief to justice.
begins to believe shoe is a malfunctioning boot of holding...
I think it may have been the bathtub gin-fog Butch was in that gave him a case of the stupids.