Day 2 - How many player characters can you smuggle in a cargo hold? or It's never to early for betrayal and death!

Before we get started, allow me to introduce two new members to our adventuring crew!

Player Name: Will
Character Name: Garron Rhys
Race: Human
Class: Fighter
History: used to be a part of the castle guard in Stonesong. His job was to guard the noble family, including their beautiful daughter. Naturally, he fell in love, and the two were caught canoodling! He was disgraced and dishonorably dismissed, and began to drink his life away. In a drunken stupor, he dreamed of someplace warm, and smuggled himself onto The Olestra; a ship set sail for Illares.

Player Name: Fran
Character Name: Edison
Race: Gnome
Class: Cleric
History: The un-gnomishly-named Edison has a gnomishly prankster spirit. Little is known about this wandering little guy, but he is sure to bring trickery, luck, and mirth wherever his travels take him. Edison was traveling with some friends on a ship, when, as fate would have it, the ship split apart! Edison is not sure what happened, whether it was a random whirlpool or a mysterious sea monster. His friends and most of the ship were swept away, and he landed on a simple raft with no harm done.

Over the past week, I recruited two players! Fran is a veteran Dungeons and Dragons player, and Will has never played before! (except maybe once, when he was in elementary school.) Without further ado, let's see what they got into this week.

We started this adventure shortly after we left off. Valamonde had just convinced Kynan to tug the ship behind them, when, suddenly, a tall human wielding a great-sword stumbled upon the deck from below. Garron Rhys, another smuggled passenger, heard the ruckus of battle and tried to be of service, however, his hangover prevented him from reacting in time. Once he realized that the battle was over, he sheathed his great sword and began greeting the crew. After a charismatic introduction to the Captain, he began meeting the crew and the adventurers. Vicks Underfoot was scrounging around the ship, noticing even the smallest bits of dust and crumbs of food, but not the new passenger. Hyza continued to tend Dirk, and as the afternoon progressed, the crew in the crow's nest spotted a small figure floating in the water some ways off. The captain shrugged, as if to say, "This is the weirdest voyage ever, Let's go check out the floating figure."

Edison, a fragile but friendly gnome had been floating on his makeshift raft for two days when he spotted the Olestra. He cast a spell that set off some fireworks above him to attract attention, and the ship came to pick him up. He was pulled onto the boat by Dirk and Starla, the half-elf crew member. During this distraction, Vicks decided to sneak into the captain's cabin, barricade himself in, leave the captain a love note, and rearrange his furniture. Meanwhile, on deck, Edison greeted his rescuers heartily, and thanked Kynan for rescuing him, and his ship. Kynan was not sure what the gnome was talking about, and went along his way, ordering crew members around, and promising to drop all stragglers and travelers off at the next port.

Garron was content to explore the nearly empty pirate ship, while Valamonde and Edison sang and made merry on deck. Hyza stayed below, talking to Dirk, and over the next few days, he told her his life story. He also told her that the Slyhorns had arranged to deliver her to a Warehouse #11, and his instructions were to go at night. However, he had lost the note that he was given by his boss. Dirk then proceeded to cry a lot, and was generally in bad spirits. Hyza was very kind to him, and he promised her that he would stay with her and defend her for his penance, but he did not want to get involved in gang activities again. In an interesting move to possibly sew distrust, Vicks hands Hyza the note he stole from Dirk, and tells her, "Do not trust anyone."

I picture Illares to be similarly styled to Ceuta, a Spanish City on the northern coast of Morocco. http://www.spain.info/en/ven/otros-destinos/ceuta.html

After a few days, the ship arrives to the port city Illares. The view from the ship was very spectacular. On the northern end of the bay, warships sat in the water, and beyond them, on the shore, were large stone buildings. On the south side there were a number of cargo-style ships docked, and as if in response to the grandiose buildings to the north, number of wooden buildings and smaller earthen buildings dotted the landscape. Edison had a good Knowledge History roll, and was able to tell his new friends some information about Illares and Saiha. It is a very multi-cultural city in the Sienen Bay at the end of the Sienen River - a major river in Saiha. The ships fly a Blue flags with a white crab sigil, and underneath, another flag; gold with a green fighting dog. The flag represents the city of Illares, and the Green Fighting Dog is the sigil of the Constaça family, the current ruling nobility. He also knew that Saiha is a rather lawless land, controlled by guilds and gangs in conjunction with various noble families. It is also rumored to be a cutthroat and dangerous place, with individuals and groups constantly jockeying for power and wealth that the trade of wine and highly-valuable exotic foods can bring.

The group decided that they wanted to find Warehouse 11, and they pumped Dirk for more information. Valamonde attempted to sing songs in a small courtyard in the Fishing District, but maybe his heart wasn't into it (he rolled poorly), and while some people seemed to enjoy it, no one stuck around for very long. During the confusion of exploring a new place, Vicks decided to sneak away from his group (successfully) and go exploring on his own. He silently followed the group (unbeknownst to them) as they headed into The Blue Oyster, a small and dingy inn with a kind Proprietess, Ginger Butters. Money talks, and Edison pays Ginger for rooms, beverages, and information. Garron and Hyza gladly takes to drinking, while Valamonde goes and chats up a rough and handsome gentleman seated at a table. His wooing pays off, and the gentleman invites him to pay a visit to his room at the Inn later, saying he will leave a token on the doorknob as a trail. Meanwhile, Ginger lets Edison in on a rumor: The elderly noble matriarch, Aufen Constaça, has fallen seriously ill, and it is said that her heirs are traveling to Illares. Edison also asks her about the Warehouse district, and she informs him that there is always gang warfare in that area, and she would never travel there alone at night.

While the majority drinks at the Blue Oyster, Vicks attempts to have his light (and possibly magical) mace identified. He finds a pawn shop, but the keeper wants to charge him 500 gold. He refuses, and leaves. He then heads over to the warehouse district, and sneaks into a smaller building that houses Warehouse information. He steals a map and heads to Warehouse 11. On the way, he is ambushed by a thug, who tried to sneak up on him. Luckily, he he made an excellent listen check, and an even more excellent tumble to do a front handspring and land facing the bandit, dagger drawn. It seemed as if luck was on Vicks' side, as the thug rushed toward him, battle-ax drawn in a charging attack. She gave a swing and Vicks nimbly ducked to the side! Vicks prepared himself to strike his foe with a dagger, but had somehow underestimated his own body weight when dodging her blow, and he fell to the ground his dagger slipping from his fingers. At this point, the rest of the adventurers were wandering the warehouse district, searching for number 11, when Valamonde heard the sounds of a scuffle! However, they were too late to save their friend. Vicks Underfoot died with a slice to the belly, and a decapitation. They arrived on the scene to find a woman stealing from the corpse of someone very small. Edison cast a "Command" spell on her, ordering her to drop everything. The spell succeeded, and she stood there dumbfounded while Valamonde, Garron, and Edison filled her with arrows and crossbow bolts. Alas, they were too late to save their friend, but they did protect his property from going into the hands of a common thug!

Lessons Learnt:
Clues are important. If you are a level 1 character, do not venture off on your own after hearing several warnings about danger. Poor Vicks. He was just trying to develop his character and (possibly, as he admitted to the crew later), achieve personal gain by selling Hyza. Unfortunately, it did not sound as if he heeded the warnings of Edison, who knew that this town was very cut-throat, or Ginger Butters, who said that there was gang activity and she would never venture alone into the Warehouse district. If your DM is telling you that a certain area is dangerous, you might want to at least make an attempt to hide and sneak down that creepy alley. I sometimes feel badly when characters die, though I have to admit, Vicks had it coming with this reckless behavior. AT LEVEL ONE. Though, he might have survived if he hadn't rolled a 1 at the worst possible moment.
Never underestimate the power of money. Often times, characters try to intimidate or charm their way through situations. However, Edison got Ginger Butters to give him her complete and undivided attention with some gold coin.

Next up, all characters left standing go to Warehouse 11! What is in store? Will Garrun try to use Dirk as a battering ram to open the door? Will Valamonde betray Hyza? All (or none) will be revealed with the next adventure in Illares! On that note, I leave you with an image of Valamonde, courtesy of Mat (formerly known as Vicks Underwood).

Day 1 - Somewhere Beyond the Sea

An excerpt from the diary of Vicks Underfoot

This week, our adventurers kicked off the campaign with some maritime enjoyment! Halfling rogue Vicks Underfoot and Elven singer-swordsman Valamonde Brightsong, strangers with common goals, both chartered the same ship to travel to the land of Saiha. Saiha is rumored to be an exotic land with little law and much fortune; perfect for two budding adventurers. The ship, The Olestra, is captained by Kynan "8 Fingers", a seemingly kind man with a deadly longsword. Valamonde regaled the crew with songs of seafaring, while Vicks overheard an argument between the captain and one of the crew concerning the cargo below deck.

The Captain and the irritated crewman, a fighter elf named Legli Dorn, went down into the crew deck and proceeded to have a heated discussion with one man guarding the cargo below. This six foot thug with black hair and a jumpy disposition stood all day in the same spot, and he introduced himself to Vicks as Dirk Fillibuster. Vicks, in an attempt to befriend Dirk, pickpockets him first, and tries to start a conversation. Dirk acts a little nervous, and doesn't reveal much. Valamonde, curious as to what is going on below the deck, attempts to move unnoticed toward the stairs. Unfortunately, he rolls a 1 (I relish every critical failure), and he face-plants onto the deck right at the top of the stairs. Luckily, he used some quick thinking, and pretended to be seriously injured; causing a distraction amongst the crew and the captain. This allowed Vicks Underfoot to sneak by, steal a bottle of bourbon from the captain's quarters, and share it with Dirk. It was then revealed that Dirk was guarding human cargo!

Vicks's diary, continued

Hyza Woodheart had chartered a ship to take her to a distant village in her search to find her father. However, she was kidnapped from her lodgings and held in the cargo hold of the Olestra. Dirk confessed that he and his gang, the Slyhorns, were being paid to kidnap and deliver her somewhere. However, Dirk doesn't want to be in a gang anymore. He was using this trip as an escape; a way to get away from the Slyhorns, by traveling to a foreign land and disappearing. He apologizes to Hyza, and gets exceedingly drunk. The night falls and the crew and our adventurers go to sleep after a tiresome day.

The next day, the captain sees a ship in the distance, flying a white flag and limping along. Since he is a noble fellow, he orders the crew to investigate. Valamonde, suspecting something fishy, heads up to the crow's nest to get a better look, while Hyza and Vicks stay below deck. As the Olestra nears the other ship, a woman can be seen on board, waving a large white flag back and forth. She asks for aid, saying that her captain is sick and medical supplies are needed. Kynan orders some medical supplies to be brought aboard. Then, much to his surprise, members of her crew jump out and reveal themselves as pirates. A red flag with a black octopus zips up the mast of the pirate ship, and several pirates attack the crew of the Olestra. A battle ensues! Valamonde encourages the crew with a brave song about defeating pirates, though he takes a serious injury by sword, Vicks slays the leader, Isabella, and Hyza joins the battle at the tail end to daze their foes. The adventurers and their allies were victorious, though Dirk Fillibuster was nearly slain. Hyza saves Dirk's life with her healing kit, while Valamonde and Vicks investigated the pirate ship. Loot was shared amongst the adventurers, though Vicks did steal a large amulet with a red stone from Isabella's quarters unnoticed. This is where we wrapped for the night.

I felt guilty starting this campaign with one character bound and gagged while the others were allowed to move freely. I think it was a risky decision, though it did end up turning out alright. I thought it might be helpful to Rhianna to see how the game was played, since it was her first time playing. As a DM, getting characters together can be an annoying task, and often does not work out as expected. The combat this week was not as difficult as I initially thought it would be, due to the fact that my characters, including the swashbuckler, Isabella, were rolling extremely poorly. Isabella dropped her rapier on the deck (I rolled a 1), and was easily finished off by Vicks.

Lessons Learnt: 
Level 1 characters can be ridiculously weak. Valamonde took a really hard hit toward the beginning of the battle, and was knocked down to 2 hit points. Combat can be very dangerous for new characters, and strategies in this game are very important, especially at the lower levels. Hyza, the character with the lowest hit points, made a great decision to stay below decks for most of the combat in order to avoid a possible death.
Knowledge skills are helpful. Having a bard, or other class with knowledge skills, can be really useful and/or help add some flavor to the story. Valamonde rolled extremely well and was able to identify the name of the semi-notorious pirate Isabella and her ship, The Octopussy.
Making friends can go a long way. Vicks immediately began to buddy up with the strong fighter, Dirk Fillibuster. His peace offering of bourbon helped reveal the mysterious cargo, and possibly made him a future ally.

New Campaign - Meet the Adventurers!

We met this past weekend to roll and create characters! Here are our new players:

Player: Mat
Character Name: Vicks Underfoot
Race: Halfling
Class: Rogue
Alignment: Chaotic Good
History: "Traveled around a lot with his Father. Settled down in the town of Wolfwood when he became tired of the traveling, and living in his fathers shadow. He got caught up with a band of thieves and ended up leaving town to escape the law. He has been wondering around since just looking for his place in the world and seeking out fortune and what not."
Vicks also will be keeping a campaign journal, so that will be cool to see! I hope to include some of this in future posts.

Player: Rhianna
Character Name: Hyza Woodheart
Race: Human
Class: Sorcerer
Alignment: (undisclosed)
History: "Hyza's mother had sorcery powers and passed them down to her. She died when Hyza was born. Her father left when she was a young girl. She is adventuring to learn more about her past and to possibly find her father. 
She grew up in an orphanage in a town called Syntheria, where she discovered she had strange powers. She enjoys hiking and being outside in nature. She has a familiar, a bat, who she named Synthy after the town she grew up in. She met him when he fell out of a tree she was reading a book under. 
She is ethically neutral, she is generally a good person and wants to be helpful, but can be a little hot-headed and careless sometimes." 
Rhianna has never played before, but she is getting the hang of it really quickly!

Player: David

Character Name:Valamonde Brightsong
Race: Elf
Class: Bard/Swashbuckler
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
History: Undisclosed. Little is publicly known about this elven swashbuckling bard. He is a singer, and will steal the hearts of all maidens in the land.
David is playing a multi-classed character to begin with. This, in my opinion, makes more sense than starting off as a bard or swashbuckler, and then gaining a level in a new class without any serious story input for his training. (i.e., he could be a pirate who had to meet a bard and learn from her before leveling up). Information on creating  a level 1 multi-class character can be found here: LINK.

All images on this page are courtesy of Mat, Vicks Underfoot. He drew them!
Next week: On to the adventure!