Wardens of Heroes Gate

Scene Notes – C01.S02.14

Cycle 01 Shield 02 – Scene 14 – Notes

What happens in this scene?

The party discovered the presence of the Red Wizard, Hamun Kost, from a surprising source… Agatha, the banshee of Neverwinter Wood. Kost came to her seeking the location of Bowgentles Spellbook. Whether she was actually honoring the aggreement with Garaelle, or she just loves playing games with mortals, she lead Kost on a wild goose chase, telling him that Bowgentles Spellbook is nearby, in a secret underground location that is only accessible by climbing down the well at Old Owl Well.

The spellbook is indeed far underground… but nowhere nearby. It is in a sunken citadel that once held a lofty seat in the Sunset Mountains, overlooking what is today, Asbravn and Iriaebor.  The mountain shifted one day, now one knows exactly how, and swallowed the ancient monument of a long lost dragon cult. Very few even know of the once famous citadel, and fewer know its location. But Tsernoth did. He used it to hide secrets, and himself when the need arose.

The citadel was also discovered by a tribe of goblin vampires  (The Crookbite Tribe) who had developed a taste for “stinkmeat”… that is… specifically… the blood of Troglodytes. The underground caverns around where the citadel sunk was full of Troglodytes… still is to this day – mostly because the vampires farm them. Kobolds are forced to serve as their “farmers”… they venture into the caverns and trap troglodytes and bring them back to the table for the vampires. They also, and I don’t know how, work to keep the population of food strong and growing. (This way I can run Sunless Citadel almost as is… with some embellishment rather than a rebuild)

But… what is under Old Owl Well?

Lore says nothing… but Agatha says otherwise. What is the truth?

Party arrives at Old Owl Well and first does a little reconn

They see the Red Wizard and 3 orcs (undead ones). The wizard has a tent set up near the well itself and is securing a rope to lower down into the well. They watch as he climbs into the well and begins to descend.

Kill the orcs and cut the rope – easy!

There is a splash from the dark depths. They drop some large rocks to ensure.

Investigate the tent and its contents – as per LMoP

They hear a scratching sound from the well. It echoes and gets louder. Suddenly there is a stench unlike any.

Troglodytes begin pouring out of the well… undead ones – bones and scales without meat

Beneath the waters of the well there was an escape. A cavern had been sealed off but Hamun Kost found a way through and found an ancient Troglodyte battlefield

He raises as many as he can before he runs out of spell slots (???)

Above ground, the battle against the worst smelling undead continues.

Troglodytes used reptilian dogs of war – like a Durzog… throw one or two of these in the mix

Leely will eventually use the Moonglare (double dmg against undead)

At some point, I should dive in and explore all things undead in D&D. The fact is, however, that I dislike zombie movies and vampire movies and most of how the culture defines and describes undead monsters… it is really just a bit too much. However it is, in my imagined possible Sword Coast, a real threat against the living. Not only the incidents of an undead killing the living, but on a  much larger scale, like global warming… several criminal slash evil organizations are ramping up their efforts to control the living by controling the dead and having too many undead in play is also killing the ecosystem.

But there are lots of things I run into… like how to make a bad guy like Hamun Kost powerful enough to raise a dozen or more corpses, how far can they roam from his presence, it is possible to  scry thru undead eyes? Many don’t even have eyes…  What is the difference between sentient and non-sentient undead? A vampire is undead and possesses a will, a skeleton is undead but does not possess a will.. It has a programs, orders, or perhaps just some instinct to destroy the living. I have lots of questions and need to dive in to learn more if I am going to make the undead a central theme of the Iron Aegis shield (which I am)

The Roven’Ris sisters were raised with a deep hatred of necromancy by their monastery. They are to become the Vandor Aegis – the protectors of the forest – but what Mieliki means by the forest is life itself… so they are protectors of life itself and undeath is the greatest looming threat against the forest.

Deynn started with a brief encounter with two corpses. These were members of the Dawnguard – vampire hunters from another dimension – killed and their bodies kicked through a portal like a trash shute.. The Insight emblem he found on their bodies, and now wears, gives him not only the aware of the undead, but a growing conviction that undeath is evil and threatens the thing he holds most dear – goodness.

Roonoo does not have a specific connection to the undead except maybe for the fact that he spent a tenday dead and floating in the sea of swords after the spellplauge shipwrecked him and spellscarred him. He can’t explain what happened, and I don’t think I need to.

Tanala Solo – I keep making plans for how to introduce her… latest thought is that the party finds her in the domains of dread somehow. She is Aasimar. “Aasimar bear within their souls the light of the heavens. They are descended from humans with a touch of the power of Mount Celestia, the divine realm of many lawful good deities. Aasimar are born to serve as champions of the gods, their births hailed as blessed events. They are a people of otherworldly visages, with luminous features that reveal their celestial heritage.” Perhaps she was in Raveloft for a reason – to rescue someone, perhaps an Aasimar who had turned evil… I’ve got time to figure that out.

I plan three cycles leading up to the guild. Iron Aegis is now just two scenes away from cycle two… which is the Sunless Citadel. I am thinking that the end of that cycle  – the gulthias tree – somehow transports them into the domains of dread. Replace Belak the Outcast with a Hobgoblin Vampire. When he fears defeat, he, with the spellbook of Bowgentle, runs into the gulthias tree which transports him to one of the domains of dread… I could probably make up my own domain… the mists seem to make that a distinct possibility… but maybe the vampire masquerade thingy… maybe that is a domain of dread? Or just blend the masquerade domain from ravenloft book with something more vampirey… or use the same, just populate it with vampires? Or maybe not… maybe Tanala is locked away somewhere and prevented from dancing rather than being forced to? At any rate, cycle three – recover Bowgentles Spellbook from one of the domains of dread (hey… maybe it is here that the vampire pirate thing can happen? Maybe… Tanala is somehow forced to become a living figurehead on the prow of a pirate ship. First the party gets the book back and then try to get home. They are told a ship can take them – a specific ship.

Scene Notes – C01.S02.13

Cycle 01 Shield 02 – Scene 13 – Notes

What happens in this scene?

Party plans to split at the Triboar – Deynn, Roonoo, Khi-khi and Dayni will turn West to go have a conversation with the Cragmaw goblins about the location of Gundren (Khi-khi has a language spell for translating) while Leely, Ileel and Garaelle will turn East towards Conyberry to complete the mission of getting information on Bowgentles Spellbook from Agatha the Banshee.

As they near the Triboar Trail, however, they encounter Gundren Rockseeker walking towards Phandalin.Or maybe… maybe much closer to Phandalin… else what? They leave Gundren to walk the rest of the way? They send Khi-khi back with him? No… they would escort him to safety… it makes more sense to discover Gundren walking into town – perhaps as they climb up towards Darkwood Hill, Gundren is just exiting the wood…

Gundren tells his story.

Taken to a decaying castle just a few miles into the wood from the cave.

King Grol the bugbear was trying to read Gundrens maps to the Wave Echo Cave and forced Gundren to detail things.

A drow woman arrived, argued with King Grol about something (in Goblinspeak), and then killed him brutally. She was turning to kill Gundren as well but another drow woman (possibly half-drow?) arrived, intent on killing the first, and nearly succeeded… but she was outwitted. After several rounds of conflict, the second drow was snared somehow, by magic presumably, and the first drow woman grabbed the maps and ran out of the castle.

The half-drow woman freed Gundren and told him his friends are likely on their way to rescue him. She directed him the way towards the Triboar Trial before running off into the wilderness after the first drow woman. He spent all night walking towards Phandalin.

Plans change… Khi-khi stays in town with Sildar. Deynn and Roonoo – their mission completed – agree to help Leely and Ileel complete theirs. Dayni follows Deynn even though her friends are planning a memorial for Wahler.

The five reach the Conyberry ruins well after Last Shadow. They see a forest fire burning to the North of Conyberry, about a mile away.

They see two torch lights moving about the ruins and, as they get closer, hear the name “Grimhorn” being called for.

As refresher…

] Last Shadow is near as you help get Andlen and Nekari strapped to the back of their horses and they depart. The Dragonborn has fallen to the ground and cannot be awoken, even with swifts kicks… the blind Dwarf has agreed to sit with him until he revives.

Stitch took the two wounded to the nearby Butterskull Ranch for help and they remain there in recovery. Stitch returned to find Brin searching for Grimhorn the Dragonborn – and they have been for the past several hours.

Bringing back the Essentials Kit pre-made heroes

Brin Axetooth

Hill Dwarf Fighter (2)

Grimhorn

Dragonborn Fighter (2)

Stitch in a Sock (Stitch)

Tabaxi Bard (College of Swords) (3)

Nekari (The Gale-Hand) (At Butterskull Ranch)

Half Elf Monk (2)

Andlen Roedatch (Grandson of Ransor Roedatch) (At Butterskull Ranch)

Human Fighter (2)

Our party greets them. Brin recognizes Leely as the one who blinded her and gets riled up. Stitch then reminds Brin that they could have killed her and chose not to – even healed the wounds of Andlen and Nekari enough to save their lives.

Party was planning on staying in town ruins until First Shadow passes in the morning – a wise one does not seek out a famous banshee in the midst of dark… they join the search for Grimhorn. At some point, a dryad appears to them… Lysasra. “You are looking for someonr?”

Grimhorn had quite a trial. Brin, who was watching over him, fell asleep herself due to drunkeness. Grimhorn awoke and wandered into the forest where Agatha confronted him. He was feared and began to run wildly away from the ghost. Brin awoke to the horrifying echo of the banshees Wail somewhere in the distance. Grimhorn lays dying there. But Lysasra found him and did what she could to keep him alive.

Lysasra is a Dryad… A Watcher – but also a hunter of sorts in that she actively hunts down dryads who turn destructive … like…

Pyrisis – the Cinder Dryad

Cinder Dryads are a twisted form of nature which feeds on itself like cancer… they have developed an addiction to the cinder of burned tree bark and branch and rather than being a guardian of the forest like all healthy Dryads, the Cinder Dryad actively destroys the forest with destruction through fire. She calls to herself fire Mephits to burn the trees for her. Since her preference is for fresh cinder, she does not burn down more than an acre or two at a time

Lysasra has been hunting Pyrisis for some time now… as both are from another world (Amalao? In the  World_of_Indines – that is really all that is needed) As Lysasra is highly vulnerable to the fire mephits – she asks for help to apprenhend Pyrisis. In exchange for telling the party where they will find Grimhorn.

Notes on Dayni & Deynn

Dayni seems to follow Deynn anywhere at this point, not even realizing she looks like a lost puppy doing so. (I need to find time to bolster this relationship… to endear Dayni to Deynn… am I going to get tired of them having nearly the same name? I thought it would be a fun way to draw a thick-bold-line between them… as if to say, these two were destined to be together… and I want both characters to eventually feel that about each other… but for now, Dayni was recently traumatized and Deynn was her rescuer (at least she sees it that way – of course Roonoo was also there). I also do not want to rush the relationship… let them learn to depend on each other… show that Deynn allows Dayni to heal from her trauma before making any overtures… knowing she is vulnerable and unwilling to do anything but protect her (Protection is an unlying theme of the whole thing).

Also – her past and recent trauma’s may have caused her to have a dodgy perspective on goodness… her rage is just under the surface – Deynn has already seen it a couple of times now. Dayni will become a challenge to Deynn in this way. Deynn is seeking Good but falls in love with someone who, he fears, may not be Good. In truth, she is scarred – and such scars will hide Goodness, distort it… perhaps even, eventually… destroy it. Here is the reason I brought Dayni into the story – to create tension between Goodness and Love.

Travel Notes

I really need to create a travel distance reference somewhere… I spend too much time trying figure things out which I feel like I have already figured out…

From the Triboar Trail it is about 12 miles.

https://lazytravelcalculator.com/ is a nice tool, it is also a nice rule reference – bookmark it somewhere handy

So lets say that the party has rented or purchased mounts – Riding Horses (Except of course Leely and Ileely)

Lets say they all have a travel speed of 50 ft (Normal Pace) – that is just over 5.5 miles per hour

Which means, mounted…. It will take about two hours to reach Triboar Trail

I just realized… my maps of the area around Neverwinter have some conflicting information… One shows 10 miles per hex and another shows 5.

When Leely and Ileel went from Conyberry to Phandalin – I was working with about 100 mile distance… but looking at the map now, it is half that. Researching… it seems I am not alone in my confusion. I am going to go forward with the 5mile per hex map from here (however, this means I might want to go back and adjust the travel time from two days down to one… change the month-day… but then… who besides me is going to notice?)

Another confusion… some maps have Conyberry directly on the Triboar Trail (you have to pass through the ruins) whereas other maps show a 2-3 mile side road leading North from Triboar Trail to reach Conyberry. I have decided to go with the later.

Scene Notes – C01.S02.12

Cycle 01 Shield 02 – Scene 12 – Notes

Our party has Tresendar Manor in their sights.

Deynn and Roonoo have just encountered Leely and Ileel – though there has been no time for introductions.

Dayni joins them. She is a little out of control… the anger and trauma from being abused by Klarg is  with her still, and her time in the Nightmasks had trained a certain ruthlessness into her combat tactics

L’Khyfrey will join the party to the manor.. But will Sildar? He is locking up Redbrands in the town cell. Perhaps he will also hope to gather more numbers to stand against the Redbrands

So our party is 6 strong. HP restored and ready to fight

What will that look like?

I removed the skeletons from the hideout… they have no explanation. I removed the Nothic as well… Unless Iarno was truly evil, the Nothic would have found him out long before now… or maybe he had?

The Iarno the party will face in the hideout is not truly L’Khifreys father… but the Doppleganger Vhalak. Vhalak found out that Glasstaff was plotting to kill The Black Spider – perhaps it was indeed the Nothic that brokered that knowledge? Maybe the Nothic stays hidden… interacts with some of the party telepathically? He is no challenge for a party of 6… he might not even get a turn… but if he stays hidden or negotiates a bargain… which he would I think…

Scene Notes – C01.S02.10

Cycle 01 Shield 02

Scene 10 – Notes

Daine and Roonoo in Phandalin

What happens in this scene? (Forenight of Day 07)

– Deynn and party meet up with Darsley and Colt where the ambush occurred on Triboar Trail

– They travel to Phandalin

– They enter The Darkwood Hill and encounter a baby Owlbear who follows them – and are soon attacked by Mama Owlbear

– They find the necklace of Garaelle – Darsley will surely recognize it and those three will hurry to the temple of Tymora

– Deynn and Roonoo go to the inn to locate L’Khifrey – they discover what she has learned of Iarno

– They have a Redbrand encounter (but save Tresendar for another scene)

Question:

The party meets each other on Day 08… should that happen in this scene or the next?

Dice say:

(1d20) Decision Roll 5 – Next Scene

After turning off of the Triboar Trail towards Phandalin – the remainder of the journey from where the party was ambushed to the town is about 20 miles. (20 / 3 = 6 hours) Along this stretch, just before one reaches Phandalin, there is a dark wood which the cartway travels through – it is in fact called The Darkwood Hill. Within it feels like perpetual dusk for nearly 2 miles. Also within the Darkwood, near the Phandalin side, is a bridge that traverses a dry river bed that leads up into the foothills of the Sword Mountains.

Tracking time and daylight can get tedious… but I feel it is important in some scenes. Here… I am trying to join two parties who have never met and have no reason to meet unless I give them one… and that reason has everything to do with timing. Our last scene with Deynn and Roonoo opened in the early part of Day 07. The Cragmaw Hideout encounter took probably an hour (ish) so to be general… I’d say they were back on the Triboar Trail before the noon hour with 6+ hours walking to reach Phandalin. It is Mirtul (Month 5) so the days are getting pretty long so they have ~8 hours of daylight to get into Phandalin.

Leely and Ileel leave Conyberry at Last Shadow of Day 06. It is just over a hundred miles between Conyberry and Phandalin (100/3 = 33 hours average or 50 hours slowly) Since they are traveling by night – some travel will be slow… but for the sake of just calling the thing… Leely and Ileel will arrive in Phandalin late in the Forenoon of Day 08. Deynn and Roonoo will have arrived just the night prior… Sister Garaelle would have been on her way out of town long before this. To meet Adalissi in Conyberry on the Forenoon of Day 06, she would have left early on Day 04. This means my original plan of having Deynn and Roonoo see the Sister and then, moments later, hear her abduction, will not work. But they will pass through The Darkwood Hill after she is nabbed from there. Perhaps one of the party steps on a brooch or something while in the Darkwood… something which obviously belongs to Sister Garaelle  (at least obvious to towns folk). Perhaps a carved stone on a necklace with a symbol of Tymora – like this.  Perhaps the leather strap, as luck would have it, wraps itself around Roonoo’s staff as he is walking through The Darkwood Hill and is tossed forward to grab his attention. This happens right before crossing the bridge so it is easy to say where it was found.

There should also be an encounter in The Darkwood Hill… something random… without plot significance. What kinds of creatures lurk in The Darkwood? I would think Owlbears would find this place comfortable… Perhaps I use the scary scenario where hikers happen across a playful bear cub but the encounter strikes fear because they know Mama Bear is not far and will be fierce in the protecting of her young.

This Mama Owlbear will be hunting while Baby Owlbear plays…. And wanders into the cartway which our party will be traveling. Perhaps…. Before entering the forest, while climbing the base of The Darkwood Hill, they will hear the screech of the hunting Mama Owlbear. It will be some distance off so the party will not be too alarmed by it. Nature or Survival check to identify the sound as the hunting cry of an Owlbear.

Well the playful Baby Owlbear will, of course, be curious about the party and begin to follow them. Before long, Mama will show up and attack.

Who will be in the party at this time? Deynn and Roonoo, of course. Sildar whom they just rescued from Cragmaw Hideout. Deyni the Half Elf Rogue is also with them. What of her sister Darsley and her husband Colt? I feel I already have too many missing people to find… and I’ve already determined there is plenty of daylight to reach Phandalin… so either the party finds them dead or they are traveling together. Darsley is a low-level cleric… could be a good NPC to have around later. Colt is a Ranger (?) and knows the area well having spent the last year living in Phandalin. He and Darsley moved to Phandalin shortly after they married – the frontier life appealed to Colt and Darsley… well maybe Darsley is the connection to Sister Garaelle. A Cleric of Tymora and a dear friend of Garaelle. Maybe… Garaelle and Darsley and Deyni were traveling to Phandalin together… Deyni, if I recall, got mixed up with a theives guild. Darsley had been searching for Deyni ever since she was taken from their home in Selgaunt – another victim of the slave trade which has been plauging the area. She escaped into the arms of a thief  – and not just a thief, but a high-ranking member of a Thieves Guild – and not just that either… but secretly a daywalker vampire. The trauma of being shipped across The Sea of Fallen Stars made her vulnerable to the thief and she fell in love and joined the Nightmasks in Westgate to be with him. She spent a year developing the skills and mindset of a Nightmask and was excelling in the art of the Rogue. Her family and lost life was a blank space in her mind, but Darsley had not given up on finding her. Find her she did, and she barely recognized her – so changed in appearance and personality – so hardened by the pursuit of a criminal career… Darsley could not convince Deyni to return home but kept trying. After witnessing her lover feed on a local child, the horror of the revelation that she was to be bound to a vampire, she awoke from the spell of trauma and begged Darsley to help get her away from him and the Nightmasks. Rather than head back to Selguant, they fled to the West.

Wounded and exhausted, they sought shelter at the Temple to Tymora in Easting. Here they met both Sister Garaelle and Colt Twono. Colt was a young ranger from Iriaebor who had been mauled by a Wereboar (he mistook it for merely a strangely shaped boar and treated it as potential dinner) and left dying in a vast field. Sister Garaelle, as luck would have it, was in that field seeking herbs. Colt was still recovering within the Easting Temple of Tymore when Darsley and Deyni showed up. The four of them have been together in friendship ever since. Garaelle performed the ceremony which married Colt and Darsley. Their life in Easting was near idylic for a time. But then vampire boy (need to name this guy?) tracked Deyni to Easting. They had to flee. Garaelle had secretly been a member of the Harpers and kept this even from her dearest friends. She knew they were seeking someone to be a presence in a newly reformed mining town in the foothills of the Sword Mountains. Using the resources of the Harpers, Garaelle helped Deyni and Darsley escape and relocate to Phandalin. She founded the Temple of Luck there and had built two homes for them. That was nearly two years ago.

Whew…

That ties things together nicely. Deynn and Roonoo will be caught up in the affairs of Sister Garaelle because of Deyni and Darsley and that connect to Leely and Ileel. I think there needs to be  a love interest between Deynn and Deyni (I even made their names similar for this reason). This will tie Deynn to the whole Vampire theme I started at the beginning when he found the Dawnguard bodies and the items they had on them.

On a larger scale of note… I had plans for the Iron Aegis to go through LMoP and portions of Icespire Peak  during this cycle but now I am questioning exactly how long a cycle should be. Cycle One for the Everwelte was based on a one-shot adventure, and Cycle Two as well… Cycle Three I intend to tackle Hoard of the Dragon Queen – which by original plan, would start them at level 5 (one level per cycle). Level 5 I was going to draw out for all PCs. My thought was to run each group through a larger official module for two levels and then at Level 6 they are each, somehow, introduced to the Emberjaws and the Wardens Guild of Heroes Gate. It seems a long road and a long time… But Heroes Gate only accepts famous heroes… that means reknown… (and it means more money)… the guild only accepts high caliber heroes, with high ethics and high visibility among the reams. (although… perhaps there is room for a schooling guild of protectors? )

The first contract for Iron Aegis? Calim Desert and the storyline I had been working on there.

The first for The Everwelte? Why not Raven’s Bluff and the Darkling Kings Warenne?

The first for The Northern Towers? (???)

Back to my question… how long should a cycle be? Do I need to even them out? Perhaps I go back to The Everwelte and include Midnight Revelry in Cycle One rather than use it for Cycle Two? It is currently 12 scenes… and Iron Aegis already at scene 10 with many to go. If I put a goal or a cap on the number – it will be arbitrary… why not just let the story decide, or the dice? The only rules are the ones I invent… so…

Should I include Midnight Revelry in Cycle One of The Everwelte?

(1d20) Decision Roll 4 [Yes]

That leaves Cycle Two open for them…  Waterdeep? Yisi has a possible contact there to learn more about enchanted script. While not a bard in any formal sense, Yisi will gain spells which are accessible to Bards by way of enchanted script. Reading one of his poems directly and verbally from the enchanted script is what casts the spell. He will gain from Nallanemys a scroll case of holding – it appears to hold only a few scrolls but actually can hold hundreds and may not actually have a limit. They could get caught up on the Heist module while in Waterdeep, or delve into the mad dungeon for a bit or I could find another adventure entirely and set it in Waterdeep. This is a long ways off so no need to decide… but I do want Cycle Two to give Yisi his enchanted poetry.

What is Deynn’s thing then? I gave Yisi and Valea special skills to pursue (and Valea actually gained the beginning of hers from Dawndra) What shall I give Deynn and Roonoo? Well… Roonoo has the spellscar and backstory to discover… Leely and Ileel have a few things as well – Firesilk being a thing to accomplish before they join the guild. What is Deynn developing? His key search is for Goodness and his long term goal is to build an Abbey Ironwall. He will develop, like Leely and Ileel, a profound hatred of the undead – especially Vampires. Part of this will be magical – the Dawnguard emblem around his neck is steeped in a hatred for Vampires… but also… Dayni has a history with Vampires that will catch up to her. Deynn needs to develop an overwhelming love for Dayni then…

Dawndra will have Kildar for a mate. It will be a heated but comfortable relationship for them both… fitting of northern giants. (Should Kildar be half-giant? Of course he should… Class is technically Monk… but give him a subclass that mimics the Barbarian somewhat). Yisi seeks to improve his skill with words… Deynn his skill with love… what of Dawndra? She seeks Truth and she seeks her mother (Shavisala)… is there a particular skill I should set before her? (???)

Okay… away from the ramble about future plans and back to the scene at hand…

What is pending in the minds of Deynn and Roonoo?

– Gundren, if alive, remains captive somewhere

– Koza remains a mystery – but there is nothing to do here

– Khi Khi needs to find her father Iarno (as does Sildar)

– Dayni and Darsley (and Colt) need to somehow recover the stolen crates in the Cragmaw Hideout – (but how? They would need a cart to transport them down the mountain to the Triboar. A cart will not traverse the narrow footpath to the cave… One might assume that they have many Hobgoblin hands do the carrying from the trail to the hideout.)

Oh… and

Center Well shrine…

Make it as the roadside shrine outside Treyvigg Monastery… The town does not drink from this well – there is another well behind Barthens which is for regular use… The Center Well Shrine is dedicated to Tymora… when Sister Garaelle answered a call from her order to take residence in Phandalin, it was because of stories of the particular blessings of this well. She was selected to attend the shrine.

They move on to the Alderleaf farm

They need to find someone who speaks Goblin to help them translate a conversatoin with the Cragmaw – to locate where Gundren was taken. Toblen tells them there is a local Druid – Reidoth – who might be able and willing to help. Last seen with Qelline Alderleaf the night before, he may still be in town.

He is not far… Qelline is upset about the Redbrands and about Arlonel leaving the farm to join them. She expressed her anger while Reidoth was visiting and he started asking questions like “Where are these Redbrands when not in town harassing people? How many are they? Who is leading them?” essentially the same questions which Deynn and Roonoo have…

He left in the night, as an alleycat (being a druid) and followed them around. After drinking and rousing much of the night, they went up to the manor on the hill. Reidoth followed them far enough to realize they have taken the cellars as a hideout.

Three possibles

• Reidoth continues to watch the secret entrance hoping to catch sight of a leader
• Reidoth entered the Redbrand Hideout as a cat, found the captives and became one himself
• Reidoth identied the manor as the Redbrand Hideout, discovered the secret entrance and then went back to Qelline to tell her he would help. He left to gather other members of the Emerald Enclave to assist with the raid on the Redbrands.

Unless I choose the third… How am I going to point the party to Tresendar Manor?

I kind of like the first option… he remains near the secret entrance even now… but how will the party know to go to the manor? Carp of course…

Next question about Reidoth… when he sees the party enter – will he reveal himself? He does not know them but they are obviously not Redbrands. Also… there is the question of his stats… an old druid and member of the Emerable Enclave  – this is no low-level NPC… Like Adalissi, he should be at least 9th level

Perhaps he is also a member of this Watcher Society I’ve been thinking about… or maybe I just publish his letters to the Emerald Enclave leaders… I’ve got to spend more time with these backstory things – like Grifo’s Gazette… find regular opportunity to write from the point of view of an NPC remembering back on a thing

Tresendar Manor

Deynn and Roonoo join the combat to help Leely and Ileel

More rebrands show up.

Syrinx and Dayni show up. Dayni fights with dual daggers, like Yisi

They question one about Sister Garaelle – in the cellars

Dayni is dressed to kill – literally

Syrinx stays behind but Dayni joins party to the manor… Her anger is raging hit… Trauma finding release

Inside, scratch the undead… They feel out of place… But add something more than Redbrands… The Nothic also feels awkward… Not sure why tho

But what then?

Minions of a powerful wizard, an undercover wizard… He brought minions of his own in case his cover was blown… But what kind? Golems?

Iarno is a powerful wizard… A summoner

https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Summoner_(5e_Class)

https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/5e_Elemental_Monsters

Pick one, or a type…

Iarno is not here as in module… But he left behind guardians… Party tells Khi-khi about the experience and she knows that her father conjured those monsters

Where is Iarno?

Perhaps he was finally granted an audience with Nezznar the Black spider

Wave echo cave will be a grand showdown… Koza is there, Iarno and perhaps his daughter… Dayni just may tag along wherever Deynn goes after this session

Besides the elementals and the Redbrands…. I need a minor boss kind of encounter within the hideout.

But what?

The Nothic does not fit story if Iarno is not actually evil … But one of the Redbrands may actually be something else… Someone suspicious of Iarno… A doppelganger – the other one… The one which actually killed L’Khifeys husband, not the one which Koza is bent on destroying

This session

Clear manor.

Next session

What?

It has been only a day since Koza left… Gundren will take at least 4-5 days to appear in phandalin

So Deynn and Roonoo will help with Agatha…? Perhaps Garaelle speaks goblin? Or agrees to cast a spell? No.. that is Khi-khi… Should I split the party again? Maybe yes

Next session, Leely and Ileel join Garaelle back to Conyberry

Deynn and Roonoo and Khi-khi join Dayni and Co to Cragmaw cave a spell allows comms…

How far is Cragmaw castle?

Perhaps I get to have say

It is only 3hour walk north from cave.

Party gets directions and arrives to find corpses… Gundren is digging thru the castle to find his maps…

Koza freed him and killed King Grol along with many goblins. Gundren saw the the doppelganger change… It mocked Koza and fled. She raced after it

They return to phandalin

Hardly a day has passed… While Leely and Ileel are probably going to be a total of 5-6 days  getting to Conyberry and back. Or maybe longer… maybe they fall into another quest..  shine of savros maybe. So we need another quest for Deynn, Roonoo and Khi-khi and Dayni…

Make something up? Or use essential kit quest?

If essentials… Maybe Dragon Barrow?

If I made up something…

Something in phandalin

They return to a mess of undead maybe? Or?

Perhaps Colt and Darsley never made it back and Dayni insists they search… More goblins?

No…

Something connected to Nezznar?

Something from essentials…

Umbrage hill

Adabra Gywn is a friend to Qelline. But how would she know she is in trouble?

Perhaps Qelline is more than she seems? Or just a dream?

What are priorities for Deynn and Roonoo after rescuing Gundren?

The brothers of Gundren… That is where they will follow… One is in wave echo cave… But the other? Maybe taken with Adabra and trapped with her..

Next session

Party plans to split, when they reach the triboar trail..but meet Gundren on the way out, so all six go to Agatha

Cinder Dryad and her mephitis

Perhaps another section of forest is on fire and they cannot go thru? Encounter dryad

Vhalak is in hideout…

Iarno was found out and the doppelganger took the role of glass staff until another leader is found for the Redbrands

Vhalak does not actually work for Nezznar however… But for the Twisted Rune

So then… Khi khi needs to join the party to tresendar… She will see her father as glass staff, creating conflict and a dramatic question

But she knows her father and her father’s magic

The doppelganger will have the staff, but not Iarnos magic… Maybe she will see thru this?

Wave echo cave

Cold iron ionu stones

The artifact which caused the undead in the docks If scarlet city was created in a location like wave echo cave using the technique Bowgentle write of in spell book

Twisted Rune was behind that… And the threat to calimport

The magicologists , which included Khi-khi were sent to investigate a forge like wave echo cave near calimport

Scene Notes – C01.S02.09

Scene Notes (Spoilers Ahead)

What happens in this scene / session?

I skipped over Yartar and Triboar… perhaps the two large cities were uneventful? Abarissi was to sent a message to the Harpers about the events witnessed in Calling Horns… lets assume that did happen. There is no reason to draw out the journey any further… the mystery has been introduced. Unless… is there reason to have an encounter with Lady Tamalin in Yartar? It is a big city… such an encounter would not be random… but Leely did find evidence that Lady Tamalin and all of her guards were expected in Yartar. It could be innocent enough – why would anyone suspect it was part of a conspiracy to allow the village to be gathered into an army of the undead? I’d say that the guard at Calling Horns was likely well-skilled in fighting off trolls… so the conspiracy makes sense… pay to have the people unprotected – easy fodder for the unwitting killers who would also join the undead. The same scenario will repeat itself. Our party needs to hear of at least one other such occurrence, perhaps two (The Rule of Three Clues) so that when something similar begins to take place in Phandalin, the party recognizes it and fights to prevent it.

What Moogwa is in the Yartar – Evermoors region, Nezznar is to the Triboar – Neverwinter region… and there are others. The Twisted Rune wants the Sword Coast… the entire Sword Coast. And they want an army composed of all its dead inhabitants. Bowgentles Spellbook is critical to their goal as is the Wave Echo Cave. The Harpers are all concerned about the Red Wizards… as they should be perhaps… but it is a red herring to our story. The real threat is the Twisted Rune. Stopping Nezznar and securing both the Wave Echo Cave and the spellbook of Bowgentle is critical to the block – beyond what any of our heroes will be able to discover until much later.

Side note… perhaps there is a tie between Everwelte and Iron Aegis in this dragon of the Twisted Rune? Perhaps Sharpfangs knows Sapphiraktar and goes searching for the dracolich… why? Idk yet… Sharpfangs probably wants a body like she had lost to the stone beneath Treyvigg Monastery. But I was going to tie Sharpfangs to the opening of Hoard of the Dragon Queen, and perhaps I should. Afterwards… in her new Blue Dragon body… Sharpfangs seeks Sapphiraktar in Memnon.

But back to our current scene…

Leely, Ileel and Abarissi arrive in Conyberry to meet Sister Garaelle and then go on to Agatha’s Lair.

Abarissi is carrying a relic for Agatha – it was her asking price for information regarding the whereabouts of Bowgentles Spellbook.

Sister Garaelle is not found. What happened? My first thought is that she had an encounter with the Redbrands and it locked away in the cellar of Tresendar Manor along with a few other townspeople. Perhaps this is where Deynn and Roonoo meet the Roven’ris sisters… Abarissi sends them ahead to Phandalin to find out what happened to Garaelle?

The relic which Abarissi plans to swap for information is the black pearl that goes into the scepter which controls the Taros Hoop –  a relic (thought to be destroyed) that could move someone through the planes of existence. Abarissi and her fellow Harpers had confidence that the Taros Hoop was not functional so they assumed Agatha wanted the pearl for other reasons – perhaps only sentimental ones.

Our party arrives in Conyberry and does not find Garaelle… what do they find? Should I add an encounter here before going on to Agatha’s Lair? If they do not find Garaelle, perhaps they dare not attempt to meet with Agatha?

But the encounter with Agatha must happen. The Spellbook is a critical plot component. Agatha sold the spellbook to Tsernoth the necromancer – perhaps she needs the black pearl relic to peer into the dimensions to see where the spellbook is. He lived in the Iriaebor region. He was a gnome, originally from Silverymoon. He studied the Spellbook for years in an underground lair near the unassuming village of Asbravn and discovered what no one else had… Bowgentles theory of a magic to prevent necromancy could be used to strengthen it beyond reason. A weapon forged of iron and copper with the Wave Echo Cave could be so enchanted that merely being killed by it invoked a necromantic spell. The plot is to produce thousands of such enchanted weapons and equip the army of the undead with them so that anyone they kill joins the ranks within minutes – no necromancer needed to be present.

Tsernoth learned the theory and told someone with connections to the Twisted Rune (or perhaps he himself had connections) what he was working on… but before he could actually implement it he was killed. (The Riders suspected Tsernoth of being a Zhentarim agent and brought him to justice) The knowledge location of his underground lair, and the spellbook hidden there, died with him. The Twisted Rune has been searching for the spellbook ever since. And it is true that the Red Wizards seek it as well… but only because they learned that the Twisted Rune were seeking it. They did not learn why, only that they were investing a lot to find it, which meant it was valuable.

Now about that encounter. I threw in a note about the forest area leading up to Conyberry having been destroyed by fire (I probably need to enhance this… sight, sound, smell, sensation… and more on area of effect.. Forest beyond to the North is intact, likely because of the cliff wall that separates the town from the Neverwinter forest) and so I began wondering what kind of monster might be attracted to a cinder forest… dryad I thought, a twisted dryad… one who fed on the cinder forest like a crack addict on… well… crack. A Cinder Dryad… It is paranoid and highly irritable… perhaps too focused on getting a fix to really notice the party at first. A regular Dryad is only CR1… Like meth can hyper drive the adenaline of a junkie, the Cinder Dryad is amped up… double the HP of a Dryad and an extra attack. Tree stride works on smaller, burned out trees.

It has the ability to summon Mephits to it from other planes (3 or 4 per hour?). Use Dust Mephits (or smoke?) but these are different… they are, of course, Cinder Mephits. (or would Sooty Mephits be better?) or maybe a Smoke Mephit is already the thing… this one in particular.  There are tactics offered for mephits. The Monster Manual characterizes them as “tricksters”. They like to ambush their victims… but…. enjoy combat and rush headlong into it, slashing with their claws. If a smoke mephit can draw its opponents to within 20 feet of its position, it uses its spell-like abilities to create an ember storm. they lead with Cinder Breath, which, like dust mephits’ Blinding Breath, can blind opponents in its cone of effect.

A smoke mephit stands about 4 feet tall and weighs about 2 pounds. They are generally lazy, but quick to anger.

How to introduce? Party looks for Garaelle but does not find her… they will wait for a time… but Adalissi says that they should on their way before Last Shadow. (It is over 100 miles between Conyberry and Phadalin so they will have to sleep outdoors again. )

While they wait… one of them hears a scratching sound, like a critter, perhaps, biting off chunks of cinder bark from the burned trees to the south of town

Maybe… something different?

Maybe another adventuring party arrives – full of false confidence… here to destroy the famed witch ghost of Neverwinter…

Use the cinder dryad later – upon return – but hint at her presence somehow

https://joe.nittoly.ca/dd5e-3rd-level-pre-gens/

Pick 4-5 of these

Maybe all half orcs? Or mostly? Grog Strongjaw!

They show up in Conyberry to kill the ghost of Neverwinter

They are all drunk and brash

Bragging about how they are going to kill the famous Agatha

Adalissi does not want them to jeopardize the mission so a tough choice must be made

They will not listen to reason and one even draws a sword on the high priestess – leely jumps in and initiative gets rolled

Add the tabaxi bard

A sober one, well kinda… He tries to calm things down

Perhaps he will return as npc later? Perhaps several will?

Maybe use a couple of the essentials kit premades?

Ransor’s Rally

A new adventuring party from Triboar. Andlen Roedatch is the Captain. He grew up on stories (mostly false) about the heroic adventures of his grandfather Ransor Roedatch. (While Ransor did indeed have some combative adventures… most they were just with small handfuls of hungry bandits on the Long Road while transporting goods from Waterdeep for his provisions shop in Triboar). Andlen is gifted with charm but is not the brightest lad… and he is even dimmer when he drinks… which he does more often than not. One recent day while lazying about the newly renovated Talking Troll, he somehow managed to gather four adventurers into his drunken reverie and they decide to form Ransor’s Rally. They spent weeks talking about how to make a name for themselves in the Dessarin Valley.

Brin Axetooth

Hill Dwarf Fighter (2)

Grimhorn

Dragonborn Fighter (2)

Stitch in a Sock (Stitch)

Tabaxi Bard (College of Swords) (4)

Nekari (The Gale-Hand)

Half Elf Monk (2)

Andlen Roedatch (Grandson of Ransor Roedatch)

Human Fighter (2)

DM Notes – C01.S02.06

DM Notes – C01.S01.11

[Campaign Note]  [A Note on Notes]

So then… I guess the party will not be going down into the mining site of the deep gnomes who are excavating Red Tears under the monastery… at least not yet.

Originally I had imagined a deep gnome touching the staff of shoon in claw of Sharpfangs sometime after the party went below. From there, some kind of underground chase scene… but then Rasi and Joloobo ended up witnessing the escape of Sharpfangs in the possessed body of Snirla Terrabones.

It left some options for how to reveal things… Elder Thaola wants the Red Tears kept secret even from the party – probably due to the soon debut of her new wine… Red Well… not sure why she feels so secretive about it… but that is for figuring out later.

Joloobo awakens after nearly being killed by the deep gnome female Snirla. She is also laid out there unconscious and Olilrasi is missing… along with the staff Snirla carried out of the mine. It becomes apparent, if Snirla is believed, that she was possessed of something. The notion that it was an ancient dragon is hinted at but the facts are not certain.

Arrodon, being Rasi’s adoptive father (has that full story been told in gameplay? If not, find a place for it ) is concerned and sends out 3 search parties. At first, the trail of Rasi is easy to follow… she is a blind albino dragonborn teenager after all… but then the trail suddenly just stops. This is due to teleportation… if I had to guess… from the staff of shoon (which is in keeping with canon… and also somehow responsible for Sharpfangs being trapped in solid rock these last 100 years)

When I devised the Vale of Soxolone, I imagined a secluded and peaceful valley tucked safely within high cliff walls – accessible only from the opening where the monastery sits (unless one can fly… or somehow fall from a great height safely). The name Soxolone went through a few variations first – before I even considered it might possbily be someone who still lives in the valley – that sort of came about during game play. Once I “discovered” Soxolone was an ancient Treant who has called this magical place home for a century or more… I was left with the decision on how to encounter Soxolone, if at all. As far as any one knew, Elder Arrodon was the only person to have ever had a direct encounter with Soxolone… so I could have left it all to a off-scene encounter. With the trail of Rasi gone cold… it seemed the right time to introduce the one who sees all in the vale. Being a Treant, I figured conversation might be odd and awkward… of course LotR must come to mind… I thought “how can make the treant difficult to converse with?” turns out… I really just make the encounter difficult to write well… but “what if Soxolone spoke only in questions?” It needs more attention to be certain… and could be extended a bit more to reveal additional details about the Treant NPC and his place in the Small Teeth.

Of course the party is heading back into the crevasse… that seemed an obvious choice. The fire troll sub-plot remains unsolved, and the mining tunnels beyond just the one which trapped Joloobo remained unexplored. The water wight was another possible destination…. But Soxolone gave us a pass. Besides… the Rrellette probably would have lost to the staff anyway… and maybe she did… but Yisi knows better than to get too close to the lake now that he nearly spent his final minutes in it. We are now in our first “dungeon crawl” I found a map of a large mining complex to work through. It obviously has a history… but I need to discover what it might be. I has been there a long while but only recently did the crevasse opening into the Vale of Soxolone happen. That means there is one ore more other entrances… Joloobo was trapped in the room at the far south of the complex with other poor unfortunate souls… an untold number, but at least a few at not all at once.

What else is in this mining complex? Well the spiders had to have a matron of sorts… but Rasi (aka Sharpfangs) would have had to deal with the giant spider had she come through here… and so she did… the beast is all tangled up in its own webbing and quite dead – probably from an Arcane Bolt like that which nearly killed Joloobo. But then, I cannot have every monster in the complex be dead ahead of the parties arrival. There is opportunity for some creatures to have been bypassed by Rasi/Sharpfangs – like a few ooze jellies perhaps. It is also possible, in fact likely that Rasi / Sharpfangs is not navigating the mining complex with a lot of expertise… can the soul of a dragon get lost in a maze while inhabiting the body of a blind girl? One must assume it is possible and even likely. So then I need a few underground monsters to fight and some that have been fought by Rasi. But then that leads to a question… how will party encounter Rasi? Or even… will they? Could I leave that part unresolved for the time being? For some other cycle two or three levels down the road? If there is a combat, 3 against 1 might prove fatal, and party does not want to kill Rasi – they are here to save her. The DM wants to save Rasi as well.

The soul of Sharpfangs just might find another host… maybe even a fire troll (although that seems unsatifying). If another host was found, party would find Rasi unconscious like Snirla was found. However I rather like the idea of leaving that end loose… Rasi escapes the mining complex and is somewhere in the world while party takes on other adventures. I would think Sharpfangs ultimately wants to regain a true dragon form… probably a Blue Dragon specifically… this opens up the possibility of running Tyranny of Dragons for this shield.

But then… a large campaign such as tyranny would advance characters to level 7 or 8… I had other plans for Heroes Gate… I could run Tyranny as an alternate universe thing. Or maybe these characters interact with the tyranny story line in some limited way… taking on just an episode or two without getting sucked into the whole plot. That would allow me to stay on track with Heroes Gate…

Level 3 and 4 are prequels… at the beginning of level 5 each party is formed into a “sheild” and takes their first “contract”. I had previously planned on introducing both Shaggy and Zoony in the next cycle of The Everwelte Shield… Midnight Managerie… Shaggy is actually connected to Dawndra’s backstory, but it is Yisi and Valea who were to  first encounter him.

And Midnight Menagerie was going to be introduced by Rey Ko Toh – a Brownie with some Q-like powers, and traits… he is someone of legend in the feywild… and will interfere when it suits him… though not as a malevolent. I originally imagined Yisi and Valea hitting a dead end in the chase after Sharpfangs, and Rey Ko Toh would appear in time to give aid… at a price… He will continue to be a reoccuring character and quest giver in the future for the Everwelte Shield. Zoony is actually his main motivation to start… Although from another dimension entirely, at least by birth, she was brought into the feywild as an infant by her father – who was a flighty fellow? Or maybe running from something in Theros? Or maybe Rey Ko Toh originally saved him in order to save Zoony… at any rate, Rey Ko Toh has a special vested interest in Zoony which remains to be discovered. He sees into her future shadows and knows she has a place like family with the Wardens Guild – and specifically with Yisi and Valea. Perhaps Zoony is actually the way which Yisi ends up falling into unbridled Sune worship? Don’t quite know yet… Zoony and Sune sound alike – is it cheesy to make such a connection between them? Or expected?

All that to say… within the mining complex I need to create an opportunity for Rey Ko Toh to appear and offer a deal. Perhaps another magical dead end chamber like Joloobo was captured by? What are these chambers about? Certainly they are not part of the original mining group… no they were put in place after the fact – perhaps as a way to capture food. The giant spider only took advantage of the one but was not its creator. Question is… where is the creator of these traps? (I should probably go back to the earlier trap scene and include the bones of monsters in addition to humanoids… whatever is feeding probably intended the traps for creatures of any sort.)

The mining complex…. As I’ve been calling it… what is its story? Was it carved by dwarves? Or by gnomes? Deep gnomes… Murlaasta Marbleye… She lead an expedition here from the underdark (Rrinnoroth) some hundreds of years ago. For a time, it was known as the Marbleye Mithrilfield. Murlassa was a reknown master jeweler and enchanter who made circlets and bracelets of mithril. A thick vein of mithril was discovered in the depths of the Small Teeth and Murlaasta chased it upward until it splintered and spread out into a large field of thin veins. Somewhere in the Marbleye Mithilfield is her workshop. Deep Gnomes have legends about the mystical workshop which has caused many expeditions to be sent out in search of it – particularly any knowledge about how she was able to enchant mithril with illusion magic. A few of her creations are still at large in the world today – most of which are used by the most elite theives because of the magic which allows them to appear as someone or something else… or not appear at all.

But I am way ahead of myself… illusion magic did not create the traps in the Marbleye Mines… something else did, someone else… a caster of some sort… but one who feeds on any sort of creature because the traps are about food. Werewolf of some sort? I previously used werewolves who keep their “food” in a village of cages… what sort of underground creature would eat most anything caught in its trap? Perhaps a drow werewolf?  A drow sorcerer with lycanthropy? And a Murlaasta bracelet…

I need a few encounters before reaching any sort of finale in the Marbleye Mines… minor ones but maybe at least one which hints at a werewolf? Or maybe they need to find the workshop? But they are on a rescue mission… even poking around in crates for left behind gems is bad form when Rasi could be getting further and further away. As they get closer to the center vein of the mine, the monsters get harder… because the center leads into underdark. There are no surface entrances… well there were not any until the crevasse opened up. Why would a fire troll travel all the way out to the valley to eat however? Who knows… do I need to sort that at all? But I do know it came from the center vein which travels deep… players will not need to venture that far to encounter the fire troll… it surfaces for fresh meat.

Before that, however… players get stuck in a trap. Rey Ko Toh appears to inform them that their friend is in grave danger – currently in combat with Mr Something… the Drow Sorcerer Werewolf. He can help free them but favor-for-favor. They need to free a friend of his… in place where he is powerless. (Menagerie). He transports them to another location in the mines where Rasi/Sharpfangs is fighting the werewolf… what will they do? Fight the werewolf I expect – rather than join forces with him. But when the combat turns against him, the werewolf will transform into Rasi… so the party will not know which to fight. He has a magic bracelet and can appear as any form. He also has wild magic… ? Being a sorcerer… Level 6 Sorcerer? Is it worth building out this vNPC that far? Or just a stat block.

At some point, the vNPC transforms into Rasi… he will have a staff but will not actually use it. His eyes will appear blind but he will not behave blind like Rasi does… how to communicate this to the PCs? (or to players?) I know how this battle will end… which raises some interesting thoughts about what I am doing here… in normal tabletop play it is sort of required to leave results to themselves… not plot them out. What I am doing in txtplay is different… I am plotting… I am planning a full story. I might still be able to generate an adventure for tableplay based on this, but I cannot plan and plot the story. Still, this is valuable because I am practicing what I might need to do on the fly as DM.

So I should try the following process

• Outline an adventure
• Txtplay the adventure
• Refine the scenarios
• Cut the plots and publish

DM Notes – C01.S01.10

[Campaign Note]  [A Note on Notes]

I had initially planned on Joloobo encountering a Fire Troll in Scene 08, but the dice rolled differently. And maybe that is for the best because that Fire Troll should come in handy later.

At some point I will fast forward again, maybe that point is here in scene 10

What needs to happen during the fast foward?

• Yisi and Valea needs to earn the Keen Defender feat
• Valea needs to learn the Fierce Mobility feat from Fable
• Yisi needs to learn the art of infused inking for his calligraphy
• Joloobo needs to discuss a few of the items he found in the spider tunnels
• Rasi needs to become more endeared to the party
• Elder Arrodonn needs to return (with Elder Thaola) and a conversation needs to happen about Yisi’s parents? I had the thought to tie Arrodonn to Yisi’s largely unknown past – as if that was a secret reason why Teacher Solomvar sent him here.
• The discovery under the monastery, which happened before party arrived, needs to come to light.

Then – the ground needs to shake – Sharpfangs unleashed into a deep gnome through the enchanted and sentient staff. The deep gnome will speak draconic… as a way to show the possession

Total time planned at Treyvigg Monastery was 6 tendays (2 months). There are 5 remaining. Main encounter happens in the last tenday

So then.. Scene 10… The beginning of the last tenday?

In the recap, give the new feats

Elder Arrodonn returns “You look much like your father” he says to Yisi

Elder Arrodon is actually Prince Lamruil Moonflower… Son of Queen Amlaruil…

He knew Yisi’s parents, Rhidellvhann and Ayllavina. (I think I changed these somewhere… or maybe shortened them as nicknames? Vhann and Vina) They were among those who left Evermeet to establish Auseriel over a 100 years ago, and after it was destroyed they were there helping to rebuild. Last he saw them was in Auseriel. Elder Arrodonn will notice that Yisi bears Rhidellvhans unusual weapon, but it is now somehow duplicated and smaller. (in time, Yisi will be able to morph the magical material of his Trisula – it is a liquid metal that can take any form. Also – the fact will somehow come to light that Valea’s Basto Sticks are in fact the same material and share a backstory somehow) When Rhidellvhan fought with it, the weapon was a single longsword shaped just as the two smaller weapons at Yisi’s side – a long center spike with a needle point and two needle sharp prongs as hilt guard.

Elder Arrondonn will not reveal his secret identity, nor the secret location of Auseriel, but he will mention the name as the last place he saw Yisi’s parents in 1380. Since Yisi is not quite 30, all of Elder Arrodonn’s knowledge of his parents is well before his birth and whatever has befallen his parents. He will recount their bravery and fierceness in battle, also their love for each other – they could not be separated, even on the battlefield, the two were one.

What else?

Praise for Guide Dawndra

Praise for Teacher Solomvar

A hint of the surprising discovery beneath the monastery

Mention of the fire troll? Rrellette?

A sidequest?

A gift? A blessing? A boon?

Mention of the Red Tears being excavated from the mountain?

How to move into action?

Earth quake?

Or maybe just a deep gnome running out of secret entrance with a long staff and racing to the nearest person (Rasi). Rasi changes, maybe even attacks someone, then runs into the Vale of Soxolone. Party can chase after her, or investigate the secret entrance, or just question the deep gnome (perhaps she fell unconscious with the transfer)

Snirla Terrabones

Deep Gnome female.

Part of the crew under Treyvigg Monastery extracting Red Tears from a secret cache.

She was nowhere near the dragon… she thought – but she encountered a giant claw grasping something very unusual… she could not make out what it was but its material was unlike anything she had ever seen (unicorn horn). The last thing she remembers was  touching the material to see what it felt like.

What then?

Pursue Rasi to save her?

Thru the Vale… into the crevice of the Fire Troll… through the spiders and other underground horrors… Will Rasi be an ongoing villian or will party find some way to rescue her? How might they rescue her? Sharpfangs might want to stay in her body… certainly will want to short of something better… Or maybe coax her out into a another dragon? Or maybe kill her. maybe destroy the unicorn staff? Would that purge sharpfangs? kill Rasi?

I don’t know yet….

DM Notes – C01.S01.09

[A Note on Notes]

In this “scene”, Yisi and Valea discover Joloobo is missing when he does not meet them for waking meal. They decide to assume the worst. After speaking with Dawndra, the two venture into the Vale of Soxolone to find Joloobo. Instead… they find a Rusalka.

Before that… I probably need to describe the Vale of Soxolone a bit more. I created this hidden place in the Small Teeth with the intent of making it feel like a magical place to be. I sort of rushed into the fire troll hunt and failed to really do much description.

[Writer Notes] Heroes Gate is really just a schoolhouse for me. I am taking several classes there, how to roleplay, how to DM, how to develop characters, how to write description, and several others… If you are reading any of this and saying to yourself… “well maybe he has potential, but this… this is not good writing” I am going to agree with you. I’m not writing Heroes Gate to display my writing prowess to the world… but rather, my writing progress. The project has no end except where I decide to stop. Where ever that is, I hope my writing and crafting and all-round imagination skills have visibily improved. I am writing all these notes as an effort to “make my work visible”. Perhaps no one will read them… but it is how I am “getting to better” as a writer and creative.

[End Writer Notes]

So this Rusalka introduces herself as Rrellette and  claims to know what they are seeking. She essentially does a cold reading on them… on Yisi to be particular. She quotes some ancient verse and sees his eyes light up and plays it from there. To Valea and Fable, Rrellette is harmless… she sees other females of any race as friends… but males? Rrellette sees males as food. She will drag them under the waters and they will disappear. She transports them to a small pocket universe where they have no escape. She will feed upon their fear until die of it.

There appears to be some controversy around the Rusalka… are they fey water spirits or undead beings? For my own sake… why get involved in controversy… Rrellette is in fact an undead fey. It has been done before… Rrellette was once a beautiful eladrin who met her fate in the feywild at the vicious hands of her lover (or was it her own hands because of a vicous lover? Same thing?) Something happened to curse her with undeath and she raged in the feywild for some long time. Eventually, she was confronted and banished to exile within a small pocket universe. She found a way out – into another realm…  at the bottom of the lake in the Vale of Soxolone. Perhaps she cannot travel too far from the gateway? Or maybe the water itself has become fused with the pocket universe and so remains her prison?

Is that too much of a rewrite?  Do I really need to spell all of this out? No… not for the sake of the game at least. Perhaps only for the sake of the exercise. But there is danger in filling out the background so much that I end up feeling like I must jam it into the story rather than just let it sit in the background and color the story

Well… I took a slight turn… Fable it seems has had dealings with Rrellette. She knows the danger of the water wight, and she knows females are generally safe, seen as kin if not friends. But perhaps Rrellette is hungry, more hungry than usual, more hungry than she can bear… maybe she will not care today about the gender of her visitors… she can feed on a womans fears if need be, though she has an obvious taste for the male.

Does it make sense that in incorporal fey spirit would be hungry? Would need to “eat” the fear of a victim? I think it surely is a thing even among the living… some folk get a taste for inflicting terror upon others… it feeds something. Something unholy, something twisted, yet something that can exist.

I think I need to set up the encounter a bit more. Now that Fable actually knows about Rrellette (rather than it being a random encounter with an unknown monster) some exposition will help make the scene more meaningful.

I’ve written myself into another tight spot… is this what writers deal with on a daily basis? Or is it just my lack of experience… I decided to let the encounter begin in the perspective of Yisi who stands on the hill rise watching, rather than from the perspective of Valea who is down at the lake shore. Rrellette will attempt to charm Fable and Valea even though they are female. Both will have to save against charm… How would I play this out at table? All players are listening, but only one of them is the focus of the narration… this is perhaps one reason why they say “don’t split the party” it just leads to problems…

DM Notes – C01.S01.08

[A Note on Notes]

In this scene, which takes place a full tenday after the partys arrival at Treyvigg Monastery, will focus on Joloobo the Troll Hunter.

I am a little afeared to send him out into the Vale of Soxolone on his own. But Yisi and Valea spend their days in training and whats a Troll Hunter to do…

He will take on a troll that far outclasses  him… so he will have to do something to even the odds. Or… I can drag out the encounter – perhaps as party is chasing after sharpfangs into the vale…

So then, this scene, Joloobo is hunting the fire troll, and finds clues, but not the troll. He will have to find some other trouble. Perhaps the female peryton? Or something more… nefarious. A Rusalka in a small lake… (CR3 rather than 8)

In this scene/sequence, Joloobo finds a crevasse on the far side of the vale. The sides of the narrow crack were scarred black, like something squeezed though while aflame.

Joloobo should also have his first contact with the deep gnomes working under the mountain. Perhaps not actual contact… but he sees 2 or 3 of them enter a small shack set up against the cliff wall in the back of the “backyard”. The do not exit again. Joloobo takes note, assumes the shed leads into the mountains but does not give it more thought than that

Also… Elder Ysthorn… at some point… offers to teach Joloobo some advanced tracking skills. He was, once upon a long time ago, a Tomb Guardian and was highly trained as a ranger. He can teach Joloobo in the Vale of Soxolone [Give extra survival prof and favored terrains]

When I Get Stuck

This happens often. I can be on track and think I know where I’m going and what will happen, and then I get stuck. In this scene, I got stuck trying to create something for Joloobo – the Rabbit Fur Sash. I don’t need to define it now, the character cannot use it until he gets it identified by someone with the skill, unless he realizes it is magic and risks attuning to it without knowing what it is or what it does. Now I cannot decide what happens next… does Joloobo keep exploring? There should be a combat encounter in the old mines… but what kind? I cannot decide… perhaps because I don’t know why this abandoned mining area is here… Why did I create it? To give a Fire Troll egress to the Vale – and I did that so Joloobo would have a sidequest while Yisi and Valea are training. Why is a Fire Troll here if the Small Teeth are not active volcanoes?

Perhaps the mining area opens into an old lair of the thieves guild [fingers]? Perhaps mining efforts were spreading through this area and inadvertantly opened into a section of the “Chapterhouse” – old hideout of the thieves guild and lair of Sharpfangs. When Sharpfangs escapes, she will try to reach her lair…

But what of this area now? And why a fire troll? It is a sidequest – so no need to tie it to Sharpfangs or anything else…maybe someone, a cult, is trying to raise the City of Xander?

Lost Xandar: Two miles east of Kossuth’s Eyes is the site of the last known volcanic eruption in these parts. During the time of the Korrunhel Dynasty of Tethyr, its King Matamid as a vassal of the Shoon Empire, but he dreamed of empire building. He wanted his children and heirs to rule the rich lands between the Forest of Tethir and the Small Teeth as a new part of Tethyr. At this site, now marked only by small pine trees on the slopes and foothills, a new capital city was built for Matamids son from the fourth year of the dynasty until its completion in the next to last year of Matamids reign (233 to 250 DR). When the city was complete, the aging king named it Xandar, for his son, and it became a second capital after the Tethyrians capital at Zazesspur. On a state visit there in the tenth year of his reign (260 DR), King Xandar died in an unexpected volcanic eruption of lava and boiling mud that engulfed and buried the 10-year-old city and all its people under thick rock. Local folk know that many riches of the city of Xandar, including the royal prince himself and his jewelry, lie under the topsoil and thick rock, but few want to destroy their farms and grazing land for what they might find beneath it. (Its almost impossible to get through the rock, besides.) A few have dug down anyway, using magic, and found many buried homes and skeletons but precious little gold or other valuables. Historians and sages would like to examine the ruins, but uncovering them is a real problem.

Or maybe something completely different…

Now I know…

Joloobo cannot exit that room. There is a field which allows one-way travel.

Yisi and Valea will look for Joloobo in the morning, and will go into the vale to find him. Meet the river ghast lady (ratulin?) who pretends to have whatever the players need – including information about Joloobo’s whereabouts. Play her like a cold reader – in fact that is maybe the monster… a cold reader. Like ratulin, resides in water

Play that out somehow..