This game is about as sandbox as it gets. The plot is relatively simple compared to my other campaigns and there are few limits in general placed on the players; so things only get as interesting as the players make them. This gives the players amazing power over the world, which may or may not completely change the plot. Hence the generic title.
"What a frightful event! I barely got an hour of trance in... say, what do you guys think those two beasts were arguing about anyway?"
Hahaha. I think you misunderstood me. We aren't starting yet. I meant like, just post with your avatar in the gameplay thread with a quote (not the literal html "quote" function) of something they would say. Like a quote that captures the soul of your character, ya dig?
I love the picture, by the way. Very happy you went with that style.
"Many things are designed for a specific purpose. Embarrassingly, people commonly think of themselves as such. It's a flawed mindset; a mental paradigm installed by those that govern. This understanding makes it difficult to conform to one purpose. I'll simply make my own."
"You gonna f'nish that?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"I've spent the better part of the last century amongst the dusty tomes and ancient scrolls in the Great Libraries of Mystera, absorbing all the knowledge I could get my hands on. But one cannot contribute to the pool of knowledge merely by reading the works of others. It's high time I experience this world first hand." Ingodra persuading her Foster Father to allow her to undertake his mission of utmost importance.
"I felt bad for her really. Lady Beatrice, that is. She only wanted to break away from her family's incessant need to conform her to nobility; to be who she was not. It's sad that their resistance to her needs drove her to a life of crime, and thus her current fate was sealed. It would seem her and I have more in common than one would think. So, my stout friend, you ask why I pray for her now in her death. I pray for her as I would a kindred soul, so that she finds the peace she wanted all along. For all criminals begin as victims." ~ Campfire talk while en route to Adel between Grayson and Seanalon.
"Ain't got time ta'bleed. When's-a next tussle? Oh, en ya. I'm gonna eat that." ~ Seanalon turning away bandages from Grayson while defending his salted pork from Darryl.
Last time on The Adventures of Black Sparrow....
The original members of the Black Sparrows are given a special quest from their mentor, Barrett Remes. Believing the larval adventurers to be ready for more difficult tasks, he sets them out on an errand for the Count of Ravenhold, Lucian Lokain. For the Black Sparrows to find better paying work, they would have to make a name for themselves, and completing a job for the Count is a guaranteed way to gain renown.
The party must find the thief that stole an artifact from the Count's gallery. Barrett is very cryptic and generic on the details of the job, but he does point the party in the right direction as far as looking for leads go. There is a bandit gang called the Boars that set up residence in the abandoned Fort Darenger nearby. They may know something about their own kind, not to mention a woman was seen leaving Erynport at a late hour the night of the robbery and was heading in that direction.
Following their only lead, they make their way to Fort Darenger, passing through a small forest patch along the way. There the party is ambushed by a weasel, a vulture, and a worg who were trying to take their stuff. Despite Cecil's best efforts to de-grapple the weasel, he fails and is then struck in the eye by the vulture. The worg is quickly subdued by . In a fiendish frenzy, Cecil gave the weasel a vision in its mind it would never forget, for it would be the last thing it saw. Who knows what sick and twisted images the warlock installed in the weasel's brain, and perhaps it's best no one knows less they desire a similar fat. The vulture was probably hammered to death by Grayson.
With the critter-threat subdued, our heroes complete the trek to Fort Darenger. Trying diplomacy first, the Black Sparrows are granted an audience with the leader of the Boars, the Swine Queen a.k.a. Lady Beatrice Kenway. She is the daughter of Edward Kenway, who is a noble in the region, but she has chosen exile and a life of crime to have freedom. Unfortunately, any etiquette she learned as a noble child was forgotten when dealing with the Black Sparrows. She was enraged with a migraine and cramps, making diplomacy difficult.
Luckily there was plan B. The party snuffed the guards outside and retrieved there stuff, then made way to the dungeon via a locked cellar door. There they ruined two other guards and found TREASURE! In addition, they found a strange looking elf "locked" in the last cell on the right before the next room. She worries for the life of her love, a Sir Godrick Young whose fate is completely unknown. The Black Sparrows agree to help her, but lucky for them, this elf named Ingodra is not without her own assets. They also find a secret door with a dead Corvenian soldier inside. He bears a note to a loved one in the capital of Ensolidus. It promises reward to anyone who brings the message to her.
The group enters the next area. A guard approaches due to the flickering of disco lights produced by Ingodra. He immediately receives a blast in the face from Cecil's eldritch power, which is quickly followed up with a shank to the bandit's gut. Two other bandits sit at a long table having their lunch break, but their R&R is cut short when Cecil lobs an alchemist fire at them. They flail in their seats while they burn. Immediately following Cecil's assault, Ingodra attempts to add more heat but misses. Dru runs up the stairs and fires two bolts once the bandits are in view. She kills the sandwich and sticks the bandit with a bolt. Grayson follows her and crack his hammer over the back of one of the bandits (who is still sitting, mind you, and on fire) and then bashes his shield in the same spot. Finally, Seanalon comes charging up the stairs yelling at the top of his lungs. He lobs two handaxes at once at the bandit eating a sandwich, lobbing both of his arms off as he finally dies from a combination of causes (third degree burns, asphyxiation, stroke, and simply an unwillingness to live because of the pain). The other bandit simply burned to death.
The next room had more baddies, plus a paddock full of pigs with a very scared Sir Godrick Young strapped to a wooden post in the center. The bandits made little cuts all over him to wet the pigs' appetite. The party quickly dispatches the bandits and utilizes the pigs against them. With Sir Godrick saved, Ingodra decides to help the Black Sparrows with their current tasks as a sign of gratitude.
Diplomacy was attempted a second time to gather information from the Swine Queen. However, given her current state, negotiations were out of the question. A battle broke out. The Black Sparrows utilized the foolish placement of the Boars' supplies, such as a nearby stash of oil barrels. Setting the commander's quarter's ablaze, the Black Sparrows made quick work of the goons and drove Beatrice to the roof. There, Cecil attempted a third set of negotiations. Finally some information was revealed. The alleged crimson cloaked thief passed through Fort Darenger, disposing of five of the Swine Queen's men before heading down the main road toward the capital city of Adel. Despite her helpfulness, Beatrice attempted one last effort to kill her invaders, but due to the cleverness of Cecil and Dru, she was blasted toward the trap door to the roof, which ultimately killed her, but Dru felt one last stab to the chest before plummeting through the door into a fiery puddle of oil was extra insurance of her being dead.
Upon returning to Barrett, the party learns that he knows of Ingodra's foster father, the Archon of Mystera named Elluvean. He adventured with Barrett years ago. It seems since Ingodra was sent by Elluvean to meet a crimson cloaked contact carrying an artifact. Barrett realizes the thief is none other than his other old adventuring buddy, Kalyssa Drovah. Seeming extra concerned over the matter, he rushes the party back to town, but goes his own way to see the Count. Before he leaves though, he tells the party to follow up on the trail and make their way to Adel to find the crimson cloaked thief.
Sir Godrick remains at Black Sparrow Hill. It is a two day trek to Adel by horse and ferry. Once arrived, the party immediately begins gathering information on Kalyssa. They uncover her pseudonym, Kalista Flockheart, and they find out she was into some freaky s&*!. The group split and explored the possible leads.
At the Feral Maiden, Cecil inquired about the delicious beer being served titled No. 2. It prompted the owner/barkeep stir a bit, and she quickly told Cecil she could not discuss the recipe or engage in business because the beer is a family secret.
The trail of Kalyssa brought the party to a room at The Cordial. Outside the room they heard moaning and giggling, like someone was really enjoying themselves. Upon opening the door, a disemboweled crimson cloaked thief hung from the chandelier wearing nothing but her signature cloak. The eerie laughter lingered in the air as the party stared at one of the most violent sites they had ever seen. Even Grayson, a war veteran, was greatly disturbed. The guards were alerted, but they felt it best they had a specialist come in to examine everything. Prior to the guards being alerted, Cecil finds a piece of black fabric that seems to have no glare or reflection. It also appears to have been cut.
The party sleeps uneasy that night. The next morning they meet the specialist, but not before investigating more on their own, which involves Cecil sleeping with a courtesan for information. With the promise of marriage in exchange for information, the party gains enough information to pinpoint the name of her potential attacker - Maren.
Upon returning to The Cordial, they meet Darryl Gritt; a recluse who was once a notorious royal marshal. He scoured the land of Acceltra finding fugitives and bringing them to justice, either in front of a court or in front of his crossbow bolt. However, his reputation does not precede him. It appears he has been away from people for too long and he has become drunk and husky. Still, his investigation skills still seemed rather sharp.
He was greatly disappointed with the city guard and decided to employ the help of the Black Sparrows with the case. Agreeing to the terms, five became six and they decided to head back to Erynport together to follow up on the murder. They will be just in time for the New Year's Eve festivities taking place.
En route to Erynport, the party's R&R is disturbed by some loud arguing. It's hard to tell, but it appears a hill giant and a troll are at a disagreement over some deal regarding an unidentified creature lying on the ground next to the giant. Darryl tells the party that there is a bounty on Hill Giants and Trolls for 500gp a head. Proof must be brought to the mayor of Erynport for each kill. He says the best form of proof is to collect as much teeth as possible. Regardless of what the rest of the party wanted to do, the troll and the hill giant became aware of them and invaded their campsite. The Black Sparrows did surprisingly well against the dangerous creatures . The hill giant was ultimately hacked to pieces by a frenzied dwarf and the troll was eldritch blasted into a felled pointed log. Darryl was absolutely useless in his drunken stupor.
The party collects the teeth, and all that remains is the mysterious figure lying on the ground just outside the forest line...
... what do you do next?
Ingodra surveys the carnage wrought by the party. The maimed corpse of a Hill Giant is strewn about the woods and large pool of blood is slowly expanding outward from ground zero. Meanwhile, Seanalon seems to be enjoying his trip to the Hill Giant Heart Buffet. She feels a wave of nausea overcome her.
Ugh... I knew I shouldn't have had one of those damned biscuits.
"Blaughhh!!!
Ingodra is reacquainted with her biscuit, though like the Hill Giant, it is no longer recognizable.
Get yourself together, girl!
Casts Prestidigitation
~~~~Waves of magick cleaning remove the vomit from her gown! Ooogey boogey~~~~~
"Ahem. Excuse me... I'll gladly hold on to those teeth, fellas."
Adds Hill Giant Teeth and Troll Teeth to inventory
I can't let them think I don't have the stomach for this life... besides, I don't know if that drunkard detective should hold on to them, and gods know Seanalon might just eat them!
"Should we see what they were arguing over or should we just get the hell out of here?"
Ingodra is curious about that mysterious figure. She's not opposed to the prudent choice, but she'd betray her learned background if she left any stone unturned.
"BLARRRRGH!" Darryl purges his biscuits shortly after Ingodra purges hers. He wipes his mouth with his sleeve and chuckles before making his way over to Ingodra.
"Never know, baby-sister. Could be another hill giant. Nothin' wrong with addin' his teef to the pot." He starts to wobble a bit but catches his footing.
"Well," says Dru as she walks closer to you two, making sure to dodge Darryl's puddle, "I'm never one to turn down more gold. I wouldn't just run over and start pulling teeth, however...." She remains silent for a few moments with a coy look in her eyes.
"...Nose goes!" She quickly places her index finger over the tip of her nose, implying that the one with the last nose visible is the one to examine the creature.
Grayson approaches Ingodra and puts a hand on her shoulder.
"It must be quite a contrast out here compared to Mystera. Violence is an unfamiliar concept there. It pains me to say it, but stick with Seanalon, and you'll get used to it. Make no mistake though; he is not the one to be afraid of. He has always had our well-being in mind."
Grayson realizes what Dru is doing.
"For the sake of the Nine, Dru..." despite his reluctance to play her game, he placed a finger over his nose.
Ingodra isn't familiar with this custom, and does not seem to understand what's transpiring.
"Nose goes where? Or Knows what?"
The heat of battle finally evaporates from Seanalon. He soberly scans the area and realizes what is happening. He spits out a thick mixture of frenzied saliva and blood onto the forest floor.
"F#*% it. I'll go. Yakumin', C? Ore you gon'stare at a dead troll earl night wicha fanger over yer sniffer like-a dandy?"
Nose goes where? Or Knows what?
"It's simple, love. The last person to cover their nose must execute a certain action, less they be ridiculed and claimed a 'pussy' by their friends. It's how we motivate each other in the Black Sparrow company."
Dru self-reflects internally for a moment.
"Life must seem quite aberrant outside of Mystera."
"Ah, I see. Thank you, Drucilla. Everything does seem to move at a faster pace outside the forests of Mystera... and certainly much faster than its libraries. I shall admit it's all a little overwhelming, but highly stimulating nonetheless!"
Ingodra touches her finger to her nose.
These Human customs are so bizarre. What am I even doing? The Dwarf seems to have the right idea.
She clears her throat in anticipation of producing the difficult and guttural Dwarven accent.
"Ahem... Du indeholder modet hos alle dine forfædre! Må vore fjender omkomme på dine fødder, og du kan indynde sig gudernes!"
With a deep breath, she speaks in common once more:
"I'll cover you from afar, my brave new friend!"
Turning her attention to Cecil, who has appeared catatonic since he blasted the Troll to smitherines, Ingodra prods the Warlock for a response.
"How do you fare, Cecil?"
Darryl sits down on a fallen tree and begins to drift to sleep....
"::grumbling::... the bears... the bears eat the honey and the bees make soup.... ::grumbling::... watch for the wood-pussy....::grumbling::..."
Darryl is asleep.
"Behold, the great marshal of Adelis. Lets hope he's more useful in the morning."
Derp!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Last time on the Adventures of Black Sparrow....
The Black Sparrows cautiously approached the huge creature just outside the forest line. To their surprise, it was a huge prime-ape adapted to the tundra, whom of which the party has decided to refer to as "Blizzard" until further notice. Blizzard roused from his state of unconsciousness thanks to a brave Seanalon who decided to kick and poke it with a stick. I true scientific mind indeed. Forever grateful for his freedom, he decided to join the party in celebration. They imbibed in playful hallucinogens and spirits while they made magic and music to entertain themselves with. The party wove many makeshift accoutrements to don their new friend with. In the morning, he bade them farewell in his own ape-like way, and the party woke to Darryl scratching his head over what just happened (for he passed out, 'member, hmmm?).
The Black Sparrows split up, one group heading to see Count Lucian Lokain, and the other heading toward Black Sparrow Hill.
Ingodra, Drucilla, and Darryl entered the count's castle. Lucian Lokain is a collector of artifacts and has an impressive collection equal to that of a substantial museum. The party is granted an immediate audience with him . He is incredibly kind and courteous and offers brunch. The party updates him on the current mission. He is shocked, but somehow is not surprised that Kalyssa was the thief all along. He reserved his tears, though it was clear he mourned her gruesome death. Still, the party completed the task, save for retrieving the artifact, and so they were paid, though he immediately offered them a new job to chase down Kalyssa's assassin and reclaim the artifact. They are to meet Barrett in Swingstar, which is located in the hold of Corvenia; the apparent direction the assassin will be heading.
Cecil, Grayson, and Seanalon went to investigate Barrett's whereabouts at Black Sparrow Hill. They found only his essential traveling gear was taken and no note was left. They met back up with the rest of the Black Sparrows at a local tavern called the Galloping Geezer within the city of Erynport.
At the tavern, they made plans to acquire more information about the assassin, Merren, who is allegedly associated with the cryptic Crescent Sun Adventuring Company. Dru explains that they could probably acquire mail en route to the Crescent Suns, with the hopes of finding a letter from the person who employed the company for the assassination. First, they seek an audience with one of the guild masters themselves. Luckily, the man they spoke with, a drow named Cedeleon Reeve, was very helpful to them. He worries that the guild is veering off course from their mission and have been accepting questionable contracts involving murders. There is not enough evidence to hold against the other guild masters, so he suggesting biding their time while him and the Black Sparrows work together to incriminate them. After gaining a powerful ally within the guild, the party decides to follow up with Drucilla's plan and confiscate the guild's mail, which is a royal offense but they don't care.
Cecil glamours the guild receptionist while Ingodra waits just outside. She uses her magic to take on the appearance of the receptionist, and luckily the current festivities made the "drag queen-like" appearance not as weird as it could be. The courier hands over a pile of mail, most of which were coupons. However, one had a strange seal , which was supposed to be delivered to one of the guild masters. Dru offers to open it, stating that she possesses the proper skill to surgically open and seal it once the contents were read. However, her knife slipped and she ended up cleaving the envelope apart. The Black Sparrows were totally f$~+ed.
Cecil held the rest of the mail, and in response to the situation, decided to just throw the rest in the trash in a fit of "f**$ it all!". Plus, the receptionist pissed him off, so he deprived him of his coupons. There was no turning back now, so they brought the letter back to the Galloping Geezer and read its contents over booze.
The note reads: It seems the deed was discovered sooner than anticipated. Perhaps she left a trail on purpose. There's no more time for subtlety. You must now finish the job entirely. No more delays.
The party assumes the assassin will be targeting the rest of Barrett's old adventuring party, including himself. At first they felt great panic, but then realized that the guild never received the message. Thanks to a small series of minor events, they bought themselves some much needed R&R. They took full advantage of the time given and celebrated the dawn of the new age with the rest of the city.
The jovially imbibed, and downright crunked, Black Sparrows decided to make Ingodra and Darryl honorary members of their company. Barrett would have to make it official, however. It would soon be midnight, and people had their personal telescopes pointed at the sky to see the planets align. Those that were peering through their scopes at the moment of alignment were blinded by bright flash in the Void. Gravity seemed to reverse for a brief moment, as if the grand solar clockwork halted and then started back up again. A bright purple star remains where the flash originated, imposing many questions upon the people. After some time, the city felt this phenomenon was safe, and everyone returned to celebration. However, just half an hour past midnight, something dreadful happened.
A number of orcs and humans, not dressed in any particular uniform, drew weapons and began lobbing explosives, the likes of which the Corvenians used against the Allies during the Great Civil War. They somehow managed to sneak in a weapon unlike anything seen in the Civil War; a type of rotating barrel that shot heated bullets that mowed down groups like a scythe to a wheat field. The city guard quickly responded to the terrorist, however, the party fled Erynport before they could see the results of the fight. Their numbers were in the dozens, but they brought with them terrible weapons that easily thinned the city guard's ranks. The terrorists were also killing people in the same grizzly way as Kalyssa's death. Two would restrain a person's arms and another would run up with a razor sharp dagger and eviscerate them from the throat to the groin.
The party fled with a large group of people toward the eastern gates. Once outside of the city, an abrupt gust of wind blew over the refugees and the moons seemed to have been blacked out for a brief second, as if something enormous just flew by. An intense roar is heard that causes the ground to shake, and the refugees run faster, praying to the gods and questioning what they did to deserve such a fate.
The Black Sparrows successfully fled the city with a large group of refugees (approximately 100 people). They are being escorted by a couple of the city guard, and a small platoon of provincial soldiers. It is the second day since the attack, and the group is moving at a slower pace due to its size. Along the way, some refugees leave the group to stay with relatives nearby, but the majority are continuing east toward Adel, and the other large portion is heading toward Ikarus (the seat of the empire). As of now, the group has approached the crossroads and is making camp for the evening. In the morning, they will split apart.
The Black Sparrows stuck together. Darryl has been without drink and is obviously cranky. Seanalon appears honed and focused, as if survival instincts were kicking in. Since the attack, Dru and Grayson have been sticking closer together, as if comforting each other. It is not unknown to the Black Sparrows that they had shared romance upon Grayson's return from the military, though nothing developed from it.
Your food rations are low, but luckily you all still have your equipment with you. Staying at Black Sparrow Hill was too close to the fight, and you all intended to be back on the road anyway. Still, the group was kind enough to allow a pit stop to gather your belongings.
Seanalon stands up from the fire. "I'm not jest gonna sit'ere. Sick of eatin' gruel. Gonna'go look'fer'some meat."
The trip so far has been smooth. The presence of the soldiers has done a nice job at deterring the usual risk of bandits. However, people's fears are still unsettled, not just because of the attack on Erynport, but because of the location in which they are camped. Located a quarter of a mile south is an infamous stronghold that once belonged to a notorious baron. You gather from the people a variety of rumors about the place, all of which are frightening indeed. However, you all think you may have heard the true story from an actual credible source. It is said that in an attempt to prevent his family from being murdered at the hands of the invaders, the baron himself killed his family. Common folk believe it to be horribly haunted, and that staying the night here is very bad luck. Some are arguing to continue on through the night to Adel, but the guards are strongly advising them not to because smaller groups are more vulnerable to banditry and other dangers on the road.
Casts Detect Magick (to see what's up with hair raising door)
Burns 1 Level 1 Spell (3/4 Remain)
"G-G-G-G-G-GHOST!!!!"
"Good thing we have a priest..." as she looks at Grayson.
Uses 2 Sorc Points,