[D&D 5e] DM Asmodeus's "Night Below" Group #2 Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master bwatford

Wolfgang digs into the bottom of his pack and puts on a simple grey scholars robe. It is only notable that the thread count is superb and the cut is overly fashionable for what a mere robe ought to be.

It's the kind of thing one would wear if they've been the best dressed person in any room they entered, but were no longer impressed by gold and other dross.

Von Goethe taste the Elven blush and is unimpressed. In his days, when he cared about material wealth, he had a Marsember Blush that could be called truly fine, though it ruined him for all others wines forever.

Wolfgang catches Alexander's mistrust and replies, lowly. "We are here for the same reason any would invite a stranger to his house and treat him as honored guest: He wants something. Something no other can provide."

He sips his wine.

"Probably has a job for us." Pip whispers back. "The heroic adventurers, working to solve all your problems? Of course he needs something."

Erdann nods, trying a glass of the brandy, the blush likely to be too sweet when compared to the nigh-vemon he was used to drinking in the world below.

Every garment the Slice owns is Black... so he picks out the cleanest, polishes up his boots and hopes for the best. On a whim on the way to the meeting he stops and buys a black hat with a fancy feather.

ooc

Night Below
Act 3: Lurred Into Darkness
Scene 2: Mystery of the New Mire
Active Maps: Milborne Map
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Soon your host arrives from down the stairs, a middle aged man with a woman of about the same age at his side. She straightens his suit as they enter and then quickly is dismissed and sent back up the stairs with a look of disappointment on her face, but she obeys in silence. Before you stands a stern faced man, to say his rough features and dark wrinkled eyes didn't match the fancy tailed tailored suite and coat he was wearing would be an understatement. Dressed in all black, complete with a cane and top hat stood a man that looked to have worked for everything that he had for his face and hands told a tale that his suit did not.

He moved over to the seat at the head of the table but did not sit. Removing his hat and placing it near him on the edge of the table he began to speak. His voice deep, strong and articulate "Welcome to my home, I am Darius Carman, and I apoligize for not having met with you earlier. My family owns the mines north of Milborne and most of the farmsteads around Milborne, together with some properties in the town itself. Which keeps be very busy to say the least but it also puts me in a unique situation where my family is charged, among other things, with maintaining a town militia for defense of Milborne. No standing militias are kept in either Milborne or Thurmaster. These are peaceable communities, and militias are raised as and when necessary. I am sure you have met Garyld so you know he is my eyes and ears in the community."

Not waiting for a response as if he had prepared that statement in advance he has a seat at the table. "But enough about me for now. Let us enjoy our meal." he says as he rings the bell that had been placed on the table. The servants come out and dinner is served and not many words are spoken over the extravagant laid out meal. Some small talk with Darius mostly listening as you tell him of the orcs and the missing girl which he doesn't seem to concerned about. Just nodding at appropriate times.

Once dinner is completed, Darius nods at one of the servants who in turn brings out a small cask and sits it near the head of the table. The oaken cask bears the branded seal of Mirabar on the side and as Darius breaks the seal on the tap and pours himself a small shot glass and he sniffs the aroma which is strong enough to even peak the nose buds of everyone around the table. "Dragon's Blood. Made by the dwarves of Mirabar. The drink is said to have an interesting taste, similar to liquid fire. It is said that ale quenches the burning sensation somewhat, water makes it worse. The kicker to all of this is that it is highly intoxicating. One legend describes a female dwarf who was the only one who could handle the stuff because of having a supernatural tolerance for alcohol. However, four glasses of Dragon's Blood had her blind staggering drunk. Dragon's Blood costs 100 gp per pint elsewhere if you can find it. Got this cask in a land trade. Hadn't tried the stuff myself."

And with that he downs the glass in a single gulp, his face twisted and contorted only momentarily and then it passed as he regained his composure. "Good stuff." then he seemingly got straight down to business as the servant moved the cask offering each of you a shot if you like.

"If you have been in town this afternoon then you probably saw the Denfast family at the exchange. Selling off what they could scavenge because the land west of the Patchwork Hills has become water logged. You've heard about the New Mire?" he says looking around the table.

"Bad business. Some evil magic, I thought. Well, I sent an emissary off to find a decent diviner who could learn something of the matter. The wretched old charlatan charged me a fortune, and all he could tell me was that there was magic involved, but that it was not evil. He could not identify it, but he said that it was something going wrong. Going wrong! I ask you! I could have told him that myself. I would like you to study the area for me. Find out anything you can. I shouldn't be surprised if the trouble lies somewhere in the Patchwork Hills; after all, the farmland itself has been settled a good many years and has always been fertile." he concludes.

"Now I am a man of my word and I expect you to be a man of yours. You understand me? I wish to retain your services for up to two weeks and I will pay you 50gp each for your time to do scouting work in the area of the new mire and the Patchwork Hills. If you find the answer before then, I will still pay you the full rate." he offers.

"Now if you can actually solve the problem of the water logged lands. I will pay you the princely sum of 1,000 gp for your troubles." he says as you realize how ridiculous high that kind of money offer is.

Before you can respond he explains "The loss of income from the farmlands will exceed that within two years, so I reckon it's worth it to have those farmlands operational again. Not to mention the benefit to the farmers themselves. Such as the Denfast family this afternoon."

"So what do you say? Do we have a deal?" he ask.

"Told you." Pip whispers to Alex. He turns to Darius. "I'd be willing."

Erdann will take the shot of dragon's blood and no more. If a pint will put anyone down, an ounce is enough for my whole night.

"I can't argue with the price. I wonder what strange things we will encounter. Magic that is not evil... nature magic?"

"So, to clarify, you mean the farm flooded from the water logged lands. Or it was some other can of trouble. Had trouble following you there."

Alexander, a man who distrusts nobility and burgeosie, could at least respect the man's work hardened hands.

He asks for a glass of Dragon's Blood, and downs it while looking at him straight in the eye, trying to contain even the slightest flinch. "Hot as a forgefire." he says.

As Alex hears the job proposition he tries to discern the true motivation behind it. Even if Darius tried to act as he didn't care for anything but profit, his hands told another story... maybe he did care about the farmers.

"If it is to help the farmers I'm in. But if we solve the problem would you add another glass of Dragon's blood? To celebrate, of course."

Von Goethe smiles as Alexander talks. "You can have mine," he says. He'd never been one to indulge so overly. The farmers that had worked his land made an ethanol that would knock over a dwarven elder, so he had no desire to test his mettle in so base an arena.

He addresses their host. "These seems like it would prove a worthy challenge. With any luck we may stumble upon secrets man is best to not learn. I'm in as well."

Night Below
Act 3: Lurred Into Darkness
Scene 2: Mystery of the New Mire
Active Maps: Milborne Map
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Looking at Erdann, Darius responds "Have no clue about what type of magic is not evil. Not my fortay that is what I pay others for." then turning to Jelly "The entire area has become water logged for some reason, causing the farms to well... be unfarmable and causing the farmers to have to move." Turning to Alexander Darius actually chuckles and says "If you find a fix for those farmland we will find out exactly how much Dragon Blood it takes to put us all down."

"We had better figure out dry sleeping arrangements in advance."

Pip buys a hanging tent, and puts it in the cart.

Jelly is ready.

Night Below
Act 3: Lurred Into Darkness
Scene 2: Mystery of the New Mire
Active Maps: Milborne Map
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

After making some hasty preparations, the group heads out toward the Patchwork hills and a day later they are close enough to begin asking and questioning farm folk and the like. Over the next 5 days you learn the following about the Patchwork Hills:

The Patchwork hills are so called because their appearance in the fall is mottled and patchy, not unlike an irregular patchwork quilt. Heather and bracken coat the hillsides, and the grazing is poor (bracken is virtually inedible). If the weather is good and the prevailing wind from the north in mid-fall, hillsmen burn away the vegetation here to protect the terraces from encroachment by the choking bracken.

The terraces were carved from the northern escarpment nearly a century ago. The terraces are cut in layers, each some 50 yards wide, with the next terrace lying some 20 to 40 feet below, accessed by steps cut into the rock. The soil here is surprisingly good, excellent for roots (carrots, turnips, potatoes) and green vegetables (mostly cabbages). Ownership of a terrace is handed down within families and is jealously prized.

To the southeast, the Patchwork hills merge into lightly wooded hills, eventually blending into the Thomwood. The terrain here is very rocky and wild (movement is reduced by 50%) and the plant growth is scrubby, stunted, and uneven. There are occasional sightings of big cats, notably mountain lions, within the wooded hills: the Pitcher and Pitchfork in Harlaton proudly displays the skin of an especially large male mountain lion over its hearth (rather mangy and moth eaten with age).

After spending a week with nothing useful the group turns there attention to the water soaked lands directly and began asking residence or at least the few that are still left questions about the New Mire:

The area on the map shown as New Mire was, until two years ago, good fanning land. The first year, the soil here grew waterlogged, until the roots of plants rotted in the ground. This year, the problem is even worse. Cutter Brook has not flooded, nor does the water in it seem foul or bad to drink, yet the affected area has almost doubled its size. The cause of the waterlogging is a mystery the locals desperately want solved. Unable to grow crops in the soggy ground, they have been reduced to buying feed for their animals and themselves and are threatened with destitution.

With no leads to be had directly the group turns its attention to Cutter Brook:

This long, meandering stream leads down to the Chumett river from its source in the Patchwork hills. Occasionally semi-precious stones are found in the stony stream bed. These are green- or blue- tinged copper-containing stones, the size of small pebbles, with delicate whorling and striation. They have a base value of only 5 or 10 sp, so the banks of the stream are hardly thronged with hopeful panners.

Finds are incidental and opportunistic, and often made by young farm children, shepherds, or hopeful fishermen. The brook is never more than six feet deep or so and is forded easily at almost any point.

Having spent the last 12 days scouring the Pathchwork Hills, The New Mire and the Cutter Brook. Asking questions, investigating all they could and have turned up no real useful information. With only 2 days left on their agreement with Darius they had no answers for him or themselves on why the land had flooded.

Sitting around a semi wet campsite on this evening the group gathered to discuss any other options of finding what might be causing the water logging.

Every morning Wolfgang put some soggy logs in the corner of the cart to dry. By evening they're dry enough to start a fire on which moist but not wet might be placed and find heat enough to burn, although with great amounts of smoke.

By puts another dry log on the fire and pauses, snapping his fingers a few times with his odd ritual that he does every thirty minutes to maintain a fine shell of reality-defying armor.

Resuming his place at the group he says, "I regret that I have but little to contribute. I should council us seeking the source of the Cutter Brook in the Patchwork mountains, since that may be the birth of all water, though I say this poor idea simply because no others come to mind."

Von Goethe takes a moment to search his memory for an example in the past which might help them.

"Maybe it was an underground spring? Could have bubbled up from the Underdark."

"Wouldn't surprise me. All manner of foul things down there."

"Well, unless anyone has better ideas, we should do some diving. What do you say? Jelly, you and me should probably be the people who go down. No offense to you Alex, but you won't be able to swim in your armour, and you can't see in the dark. Jelly is tough, so he should be able to hold his breath for a long time."

"Sure I'm up for it.
Jelly leaves all of his stuff with the group while he goes diving. Well, almost all of his stuff. He does have has clothes and armor on. And the only weapon he takes with him is his crossbow and a quiver with only 10 of his bolts. He does cast light on his crossbow as he swims with at least one hand holding the crossbow in case trouble happens.
Oh, and he has a dagger at his side.

Pip follows, with his armour, clothes, light crossbow, and 10 bolts. He tries to find a deep, dark pool, where it seems like water could be bubbling up from.

Night Below
Act 3: Lurred Into Darkness
Scene 2: Mystery of the New Mire
Active Maps: Map of Harenshire
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

As the night fades and the next morning arrives the group made a trip back over to Cutter Creek, planning on searching the bottoms of the deepest sections for any signs that might lead to the cause of the water soaked lands. Each of them knew the effort was probably futile but Darius had paid them for two more days and they had to do something.

Once you arrive at the creek, you find some youths playing and splashing in the waters. One of the boys seem to be telling the others how he saw some blue skinned fiends at the edges of the Patchwork Hills. "They breathed FIRE and wore iron shoes. There was DOZENS of them, they were HUGE almost giant sized, with wide mouths full of HUNDREDS of sharp pointy teeth. They had bright SHINY armor, with SPIKES and HUGE two-handed war axes. They didn't see me, I hid and it was the very DEAD of night, up near the headwaters of this very creek."

As the young boy told the tale that he was trying to embellish with every scary thing that he could, it seemed to frighten the other boys somewhat until a elven lad splashed water at the one recounting the tale "Yeah right!"

In which the boy responded "The tale is true. They even had flat faces with pointed ears. Just like yours!" he says to the elven lad as all the boys laughed.

Alexander walks to the youths smiling. He crouches near them and says "Wow! Amazing story! What else can you tell of them? They seem scary... did you hear them say anything? What does their voices sound like?"

Night Below
Act 3: Lurred Into Darkness
Scene 2: Mystery of the New Mire
Active Maps: Map of Harenshire
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The boys take quite a start from Alexander approaching and seeing the rest of the group.

The boy answers nervously "All four of them made growling sounds and grunted. I guess they were talking."

One of the other boys splashed water on the main one again "I thought there were DOZENS!!!" he laughed as did the others.

"Four... curious. What's your name, boy? I am Alexander, an adventurer that fights orcs and beasts!" says Alexander while standing up and posing, trying to enrapture de boy "Me and my friends are travelling the Mire, looking for the evildoers behind the waterlogging. I do believe you have witnessed them... if you tell us exactly what you saw, you will be part of a tale of the Adventurers that Saved the Mire with the help of the courageous young warrior!"

Night Below
Act 3: Lurred Into Darkness
Scene 2: Mystery of the New Mire
Active Maps: Map of Harenshire
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

As Alexander gives his own tale the other boys around the story telling youth give a resounding "OOhhhhhh"

The main youth answers "I am Perrin, and I swear to you that they were blue skinned. Honest. They were small, around 4 foot tall. With flat faces, wide mouths and pointed ears. They carried shields and old scrappy armor. They had hand axes with them. I saw the creatures at dusk up near the headwaters of this creek."

The others jeered and poked fun at how the boy had stretched the truth. He insists, despite any skepticism, that their skins were blue however.

To determine what the boy is describing. No peaking unless you make the check.

Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (17) + 0 = 17

I rolled without knowing for sure if I can, as in previous editions you couldn't get better than 10 on untrained knowledge checks... but I do believe in 5e you can. Anyway I'll let the others post before continuing, don't want to hog the spotlight!

nature: 2 + 1d20 ⇒ 2 + (12) = 14 that is not the case in 5e. Although in some parts of the game including adventures league models, it will say you do have to be trained in it to attempt. Yes, you can get like 20 total without being trained in it

"I don't know what you are talking about, but a 4 foot tall creature doesn't scare me, unless it would be a 4 foot tall creature with magical abilities, and you didn't say that. No offense Pip"

Nature: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16
"Hmm, I may have an idea... No offense taken Jelly, I'm magical myself." He wiggles his fingers, conjuring a bit of illusory fire floating in the air.

Wolfgang strokes his chin in a pondering manner.

K(Nature): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

The Slice mull over what the boys are talking about, absentmindedly twirling one of his daggers about.

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11 Knowledge: Nature

OOC
[spoiler]
The Slice will purchase a hanging tent, 10-days trail rations, and two more daggers. All but the daggers he stores on the cart.

Wolfgang pipes up and finishes his thought out loud (before the internet decided to start getting all up in its sensitivity :p).

"As I figured. Goblins are not to be feared, save when they, like children playing with fire, set loose powers beyond their ken or control.

I had thought that the problem would be found at the headwaters, and that seems to have panned out. Let us set out there anon and see what is to be found."

"Agreed." Pip will go with the others.

Jelly follows along. One question kid. Did you know how many there were? Or were there way too many to count?

Night Below
Act 3: Lurred Into Darkness
Scene 2: Mystery of the New Mire
Active Maps: Map of Harenshire
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

After spending a few minutes working the crowd of youths into a frenzy with the display of magic and tricks the boy reassured Jelly that he had only saw four of the creatures.

Making their departure the group of adventurers began the hike following the creek upstream for the next several hours. The area is dotted with abandoned farms quickly falling into ruin. The ground becomes increasingly waterlogged as you approach the headwaters, slowing movement by half and making the trek even more miserable.

Once at the location that the boy had described you begin investigating and searching the area over the next two hours, it is around 3pm in the afternoon when you find some boot tracks in ground that is solid enough to have them and begin heading in that direction.

Soon in the distance you can see a small hole in a nearby hillside with two goblins standing guard outside. They are both males wearing ragged studded leather armor and carrying makeshift shields and shortswords. The poor fellows don't even have a bow or javelin between them.

After getting as close as you dare without being seen you notice the goblins, strangely enough, are indeed, blue. At least, their faces are painted with some kind of blue substance. They also have tattoos on their foreheads but from this distance you can not make out the design.

They are doing their guard duty haphazardly and not really paying attention, one seems to be paying more attention to a bug crawling on the ground and the other is using his shield to reflect the sunlight toward the other in a very aggravating way.

"Lets try to take them prisoner. They may know something useful about what is going on around here." Pip attempts to sneak around the back of the hill to ambush them from behind. He also readies his crossbow.

"I'm not sure we need to attack them Pip, these ones don't look dangerous."

Jelly will cast command on one of the goblins "Get over here."

"Damn it, Jelly! Do you have something against plans?!" Pip yells in frustration. "Don't move or we'll kill you!" He yells at the other goblin, aiming his crossbow.

Erdann makes no move to interfere with the plans of his allies, content to see what happens.

I have nothing against plans, but I have everything against your crappy stealth skills this time. Obviously they heard you as you stepped on leaves and brushed up against the trees.

You rolled an 11, I'd be surprised if they weren't all alerted already.

Wolfgang smiles as the party trades some verbal jabs. But as the plan for stealth turns to ash as soon as it was born, he steps forward bodly, coming into vision of the goblin guards. He holds his hands up in a sign of Dominance and speaks to them.

"Watashi wa ōkami no gyangudesu. Kyōryokuna majutsu-shi. Anata wa ressei to watashi no gun ni kakoma rete imasu. Anata ga teishutsu suru ka, hakai sa remasu."

Intimidation: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Goblins respected strength and preferred the straight-forward approach.

Alexander nods at Pip's plan "I'll cover you from here." he says, drawing his bow... when suddenly Jelly does it again.

"Much for surprise..." as he prepares an arrow.

In an instant The Slice's hands are bristling with sharp daggers, as he waits for the outcome of Wolfgang's speech.