2026.05.12 - Transcript
Odine: Thank you, Craig.
Cassian: hey crew what’s good i’m…
Odine: Hey, what’s good?
GM: great seth…
Aldric: Ah, there we go.
GM: you back too.
Cassian: back.
Cassian: i think we got the whole crew now, yeah,
GM: hey, what’s up? yeah,
GM: we got the whole fam family here.
Cassian: oh yeah, amazing…
GM: how was your week?
Odine: Nice.
Azrith: yeah quick…
Cassian: busy how about yourself…
GM: glad to hear that busy and amazing. that’s how you want it.
GM: uh, i feel pretty much the same way. man, it’s been sky. the week just went by so fast. i feel like every day is going by fast right now. i can’t believe it’s summer. it’s already getting really hot here…
Cassian: yeah same we’re in the 90s you know…
GM: 90s plus humidity how are the bugs…
Cassian: living the dream yeah doing the thing as per usual took a little break for the winter a few weeks relatively…
GM: uh how we feeling do we need a recap or should we jump right in…
Cassian: good i think but…
GM: anybody need me to jog their memories on anything. okay,
Aldric: I think I’m relatively caught up.
GM: let us return to the king’s fair, where we last left off. uh, azarith had found in the mud jeven’s arcane focus, his magic box. um, and you learned from talking to a young witness that he had been nabbed up by some some knights. their faces were obscured. he described their armor as being black, and i think you guys were getting ready to kind of split up and take care of a few things. yep,
Odine: Feeling good? I am.
Odine: Yeah.
Aldric: Yeah, I wanted to go to the blacksmith. Smithy.
GM: trip to the smithy. uh, was cassian headed elsewhere? he was gonna go somewhere else, i think…
GM: what’s everyone what’s everyone thinking right now where you get where your character’s uh the destiny…
Cassian: cassian had purchased the potions sure those yep…
GM: yes the i think uh both you and odin bob potions is that right…
Odine: Yep.
Aldric: I think I bought something to help me in combat. It was the, what was it? Something, yeah,
GM: yes there was a tonic a traveler’s tonic yes yes yes yes yes yes yes um is everyone going with uh aldrich to the smithy then or…
Aldric: I added it to my inventory. There it is.
Odine: Yeah, I’m going to follow along. I think,
Odine: yeah, Odin was just, you know, was worried about Jevin.
GM: yeah, yeah, yeah, um, yeah. do you think that’s uh, something she’s kind of just calmly,
GM: quietly wrestling with right now to yourself,
Odine: Yeah.
GM: or do you think she would maybe say something to the group…?
Odine: Yeah.
Odine: Yeah. I think she’s quietly wrestling. She wants to do something, but nobody seems interested in helping. She doesn’t know where to start, but yeah, that’s it. So I’m just going to follow along and stay distracted like I always do. My brain can’t hold every problem with the world all at once.
GM: yeah uh oh dean were you the one that ended up with the box…
Odine: So I think so. Cassian, did you give it to me? And you said never to give it to anybody else. So, yeah.
Cassian: yep yep…
GM: um why don’t we do sort of a well first off uh do you have identify as a spell or anything like that in your kit…
Cassian: sure do well i’m gonna check that i’m speaking but i think i don’t no oh i did i lied i got it yep…
Odine: I don’t.
GM: um, usually, if no one in the party takes identify, you do have it.
GM: so we can go one of two ways here. because, um, i would prefer that you guys kind of do what you’re doing and stay in character, so if cassian wants, he could identify it. i typically allow, like a house rule, if you don’t have access to the identify spell, that if you spend kind of like a ritualistic like 10 minutes with a magic item that you can kind of get uh 80 of what you would get from an identify spell.
GM: so you can at least like get the gist of things. so i’ll let you guys kind of decide how you want to…
Cassian: okay um…
Odine: No, if you want to work with the box, Cassian, Seth, I’m down for it. So,
Cassian: cassian didn’t take a lot of interest in it at this moment but he may eventually yeah…
Odine: yeah.
Odine: Yeah, that’s kind of where we’re at. So we’re… I will just be looking at it, trying to inspect it, trying to understand. I witnessed what it did a couple sessions ago,
GM: great…
Odine: but I want to kind of understand it without necessarily, like, utilizing the magic in it or whatever. So I…
GM: um okay then i think what we’ll do for now is we’re going to note that during the course of the next little bit of traveling shopping interacting odin is kind of uh working it out uh messing around with it and we’ll put a pin there and come back to that um so cassian are you following here cassian are you leading the charge aldrich’s looking for a smithy…
Cassian: cassian um he looks he looks at aldrich and he’s like this one might need a hand and he follows along to the smithy…
GM: uh cassian i think we’re gonna kind of stay in the same lane as we did last time with you’ll become the de facto knows what and doesn’t knows what around here at the fair uh we’ll say from your experience there’s a couple of different types of smiths you can run into in these types of fairs there’s like the the true and all be all like champion armors that um are mostly focused on sort of uh armory you know armor and like the the true form of preparing these champions for for the the games then you kind of have like your lesser sort of mechanics that are more in in this the business of like sharpening weapons fixing weapons repairs things like that so there’s more of like a weapon smith type vibe um what are you guys in the market for are you wanting to kind of just window shop or are you shopping specifically for something um…
Cassian: aldrich’s uh i mean so cassian speaks up and he says aldrich did you bring your coin purse with you i know a really nice place around the corner…
Aldric: Yeah.
Aldric: What do they offer?
Cassian: all of the finest things i don’t think you’ll be disappointed at all let’s go it’s this way…
Aldric: Okay.
GM: so let’s go to uh the tent of grevelda dusk belt um grevelda is one of the only dwarves that you see here at the fair and uh she’s a bit uh older looking stout um and and gruff her skin has a bit of a reddish hue um she’s got a big fur cloak uh which is a bit odd given that she’s working around such intense heat and she’s swinging a massive hammer green green green green um as you look into the tent uh she is hard at work hammering some red hot plate that she has pulled out of the furnace who…
Aldric: Good evening, madam.
GM: goes there…
Aldric: Give me one second. I’ve got to chew.
Aldric: Uh, those who bring coin.
GM: boy she puts her hammer down and wipes the sweat off her brow and turns around and looks at you and she just starts belly laughing you don’t have enough coin she turns around grabs her hammer i’ve never seen a poor group of knights you don’t have any armor she starts hammering her plate how…
Aldric: Put my coin on that.
GM: much do you have 44.
Aldric: Uh, a decent bit of gold. 44.
Odine: don’t have a lot.
GM: she comes and looks at it just kind of looks sizes you up got a big staunchy eyebrow one of her eyebrows that goes up into the air she looks up at you and kind of weighs this light bag of coin that best this will get you a round shield have…
Aldric: I see, I see. It’s been some time since I’ve purchased from a merchant, so. Suppose I didn’t realize how much.
GM: you any sponsor you need a sponsor you need someone with deep pocketbooks boy i know your type you don’t carry any more gold than this on you do you well…
Aldric: I do not.
Aldric: I can confirm.
GM: i don’t blame you for your spunk and your ambition but unfortunately those aren’t currencies nice peaking i…
Cassian: cassian steps in and he’s like did you see ambition and spunk uh we’ve got plenty of that to go around are you sure you can’t help this young lad well…
GM: see that what are you asking me to do i’m busy i’m a busy woman i have a lot of commissions to get through i…
Cassian: he’s gonna win the tournament with me of course but you know a little favor might go a long way here for you uh…
GM: think she gives you another twirtle with that she laughs at you you’re gonna win the whole tournament what have you entered the proving grounds she…
Cassian: we are absolutely working on that of course…
GM: grabs you by the cuff of your cloak and she drags you out of the tent, not like super aggressively, but like in kind of like a forceful, grandmotherly way. uh, she just yanks you. you. you’ll either need to like do a contested check here or just follow along with her. i’ll leave that up to you. yeah, yeah, yeah,
Cassian: cassian is going with it he’s not gonna contest this lovely grandmother…
GM: she pulls you. she pulls you out of the tent and she points over here to one of the lavish purple tents and she says: you see that bed chamber over there. there’s about a dozen wealthy, noble houses in there that have asked me for commissions this morning before 9 a.m. how are you going to get my attention over this. tell me that, and you have like two minutes, because if you bother me any longer than that, i’m calling security…
Azrith: question do you maybe think you could ever have any ghost problems miss it’s pretty common in big places like this I…
GM: ghosts ghost problems i don’t know…
Azrith: am going to cast. I can’t pronounce this correctly. throw Tom turkey. I’m matured,
Odine: I’m a clergy.
Cassian: thermiturgy thermiturgy…
Azrith: yeah,
Azrith: and I’m doing phantom sound and creating like ghostly moans and gasps coming from her tent I’m…
GM: oh,
GM: i like it. yeah, she. uh. oh, interesting, tell me, what are you hoping, azareth? are you hoping to like, startle her or convince her,
Cassian: does…
GM: or what, uh…?
Azrith: hoping to use this as like a way to catch her eye like she said to like get take care of the ghost problem and to yeah I…
GM: so, so,
GM: so it’s almost like a. it’s almost like a calling card, like you’re saying, like i’m affiliated with and hunting ghosts. right, it’s almost like yeah,
Azrith: can take care of this for you in order for this…
GM: yeah, i like that. uh, let’s do a persuasion check.
Azrith: persuasion natural…
Cassian: cassian notice that he’s using thermiturgy or that this is…
GM: uh,
GM: oh yeah,
GM: oh yeah, absolutely, i i don’t. i think he’s trying to be subtle at all here. in fact, i think it’s a little bit uh, unannounced and and showboaty in a way…
Cassian: um with a flick of his hand and a roll of the dice natural 25 i don’t need to back you then yeah…
Azrith: 20…
GM: but by all means why don’t you guys two of you kind of weave the narrative here she…
Cassian: uh cassian has the it’s a tent the the front of the tent flies and wisps in the wind as he casts thermiturgy i…
Azrith: looks like you might have one I…
GM: looks at you both cassian and azareth and then back at aldrich i think it’s now that she sizes up you as well in the back odin and she just says interesting…
Cassian: once had ghost in my castle you wouldn’t believe it we had to have a specialist come in and remove them he…
GM: she gives almost like a grunty dwarven sigh and she says: fine, you bought an extra minute. come inside and she goes back inside the tent. um,
Azrith: could do that for you…
GM: as you enter, he says: uh, look you lot, i’m not lying, i’m a busy woman. but i will say there has been a a story floating around my clan for quite some time involving these sniveling humans. now my clan. they don’t put up with them. i see them for what they’re worth gold. that’s why i’m here, but i do have a brother and he is in charge with protecting my people and from time to time there are some nasty shadows and ghouls that make their way down into the veil where my people are from. and well, what i’ve heard is that there’s some unseemly groups amongst these human nobles. they play with their magic trinkets, they bend the weave itself to their favor, and some of them are messing around up in the hamlet, on the hill, in the cemetery. if you’re looking for ghosts, that’s where you’ll find them. but, and she like, gets real close to you, uh, aldrich, since i think you were the one that kind of led the party in here- she, she, uh, before speaking, she gets real intense and looks up in your eyes, and she gives you this little hand gesture like bend down here,
GM: like come down on my level as you,
Aldric: I’ll squat down,
GM: as you come down closer, she says your lot here is looking for trouble. i can tell you’re the strapling one of the bunch. if you help them deal with the ghosts and keep manage to keep them all alive, then i’ll know that you might be worth something and i will set you up with a small mind, you small trinket of my craftsmanship, before you’re about in the in the tournament. but know this, i don’t play games. if you don’t prove yourself to me, you’re not going to get a lick of my time, understood she…?
Aldric: I’ll listen.
Aldric: Yeah, I think we can manage that, right? Right, guys?
Azrith: as they would just kind of like smirks and he’s like I can do that too…
GM: looks back at you, azareth, and just to be clear, i need the details, i need evidence. no, coming back here and telling me: oh, i fixed the ghost problem. i’m not going to believe none of that. you need to prove it to me.
Azrith: very well as…
GM: i know how this works. i’m not a ghost hunter, it’s…
Aldric: Do we, are we supposed to bring, like,
Aldric: a ghost’s head or something? I mean.
Aldric: Yeah, fair. Fair enough, fair enough. We’ll handle, we’ll handle your ghost problem.
GM: not my problem it’s my brother’s problem but i will tell you this if you do manage to take care of things i’ll pass word on to him it might buy you some favor with the dwarves if you’re into that sort of thing most of the mortals around here aren’t…
Cassian: wouldn’t be interested in financing us for this adventure, would he?
Cassian: i have never hunted ghosts myself, but i did hire an expert once. so well, my family did anyways, regardless. um, we’ll see what we can do.
GM: no…
Cassian: of course, of course, of course.
GM: well get on with it i’m a busy woman wait…
Cassian: cassian uh puts his hands and he hushes and ushers everybody. let’s go, let’s go, come on…
Azrith: they’re like walking out them…
GM: as you guys are like starting to leave she points at you odin you you’re from the veil what are you doing here what…
Odine: Not really sure. Really, I’m trying to find help to deal with. Oh, you wouldn’t care. It’s just, yeah. I don’t know why I’m here. I think we’re all going to die. It doesn’t matter.
GM: do you mean we’re all gonna die…
Odine: No, I mean, like, this King’s thing. I’m… I don’t… I don’t know what I’m doing. I got talked into it, and I don’t know. Oh, I’m just trying to save my home from the evil that’s penetrating there. I’m…
GM: this evil you mentioned does it look like this and she goes and she grabs a small wooden box off the very top shelf of one of her dresser chambers and she comes and she opens it up and you see that inside of this box is a hand a severed hand it is heavily decayed and dried up but you can see the black vine-like veins that took the hand before it was severed…
Odine: going to… This is kind of like a… This is kind of like a character thing where I can’t control myself necessarily, like, when I’m panicked or I’m shocked. I’m going to be like… Like, you’re going to… You’re going to see, like, the wisps of energy coming off of me start to excite, and then in her mind, she’s going to hear my voice saying, Yes, why is it here? What is this? Why is it beyond the veil? She… I’m effectively, uncontrollably casting message into her mind. She doesn’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know that I’m doing it, so…
GM: she twists her glove off and you see that she has a nub at the end of her arm. she’s holding her her hand in her other hand.
GM: it’s a prosthetic and putting two and three together,
Odine: Oh, man.
Odine: Is this… Is this…
Odine: Oh,
GM: you realize that she severed her own hand to protect herself from this curse. that’s…
Odine: shit. Why? I… You… You had it, too? And you survived? You…
GM: what i do i survive i wasn’t gonna let this damn thing take me like the rest of them…
Odine: I’m going to… I’m going to, like…
Odine: I’ll, uh… I have, like, this… Leather, like… Sheath on… Or my sleeve, and I’m just going to draw it back and show that the… The tentacles go from my wrists kind of up my arm right now and, uh… And say, I… I bear the mark, too.
Cassian: asking pops his head in real quickly and he goes ooh that is nasty business well…
GM: indeed all the people here all this none of you people know the half of it all the people here at this frivolous and festivities none of them know what’s coming i…
Odine: You don’t know the half of it. But my people are in danger. What was that?
Odine: What the people of the veil do?
Odine: Many are showing up with this mark and our crops are failing. Everything is going wrong. So… And I’m… I’m the one tasked to deal with this.
Cassian: this all sounds lovely should we be on our way we’ve got some ghosts to expense expose exercise oh…
Azrith: ghosts as…
Odine: I’m going to say… Can I come…
GM: agree i agree with the handsome devil you go take care of business and then we’ll talk…
Odine: Can I… Can I come back and see you once we’re done? I have questions. So many.
GM: yes but wait until the first week of the festival’s over i’m gonna be very busy until then you…
Odine: Okay. Thank you. And I’ll pull my sleeve back down and, uh… Kind of just turn away and elf-like glide out of the tent.
GM: hear the clatter of the hammer go back to work as you all leave her tent she…
Azrith: we’re leaving I’m just gonna say so have any of you even ever hunted ghosts or anything yes…
Aldric: Oh, not a chance.
Cassian: no i leave that to the professionals i…
Azrith: but I was honestly thinking some of you would at least have a little bit of experience but instead might have to teach you all everything many…
Odine: Aren’t… Didn’t you say that you hunt ghosts?
Cassian: imagine we’ll find our way what’s so tricky about a ghost nobody…
Azrith: things well…
Odine: Where… Where is this graveyard?
Cassian: asked…
Azrith: there’s a lot of graveyards all…
Cassian: cassian uh peeks in his head and he says ah we forgot to ask the most important question where might we be heading well…
GM: did mention the the village the hamlet of everdale itself so in everdale there’s like the top of the craggy hill there’s the keep and all sort of like the the nightly grounds and then there’s sort of just like a village that kind of like sweeps on a spiral down the hill around um so it’s it’s like above the fairgrounds like you can see it up kind of uh at the foothills of the keep i think that cassian would know that towns like these being one from your being from one yourself often have chapels and abbeys and stuff that have small cemeteries in them so going up towards the village not going to be terribly difficult for you to find like a bell tower and find your way…
Cassian: shall we boys, girls, everyone?
Odine: Yeah,
Cassian: when,
Odine: let’s…
Cassian: however,
Aldric: Let us, let us go.
Odine: Let’s go.
Azrith: right let’s…
Cassian: you identify,
Aldric: Let us go.
Cassian: shall we go was…
GM: from a positional awareness standpoint this would be back the way that you came into the fair out towards the high road and then you would take the high road up to town through the city gates and then the king’s road is the uh curved path that winds up the mountain uh happens to also be the direction that uh they cited jevin was taken in so okay…
Azrith: get a move on I…
GM: you guys start heading away from the um…
Odine: Okay, I’m gonna… Yeah,
Odine: I guess… I will be looking at the box to determine, like, if the light grows or not as we’re getting closer and closer.
GM: at the moment, as you’re leaving the fairgrounds, it’s far more dimmed than you remember it being. um. however, i think, as you have now studied it for a few minutes, uh, there’s something weirdly familiar to you about this. this box. something feels, uh, like ancient craftsmanship, like the art of elven craftsmanship. this doesn’t seem like it was made by men.
GM: only the best could box such as this i…
Odine: Only the best.
Odine: Um…
Odine: Where could Javin have found something like this?
GM: do.
Odine: It doesn’t make sense.
GM: one of you might have asked him about that. did someone ask him that in our first session?
Odine: I think so. I think Essien did.
GM: i think you might have you.
Cassian: it me i did yeah…
Odine: Potentially.
Odine: I didn’t take… I didn’t take notice on that session.
GM: so, cassian,
Odine: So…
GM: you actually met jevin first and then,
Cassian: yes i…
GM: i think, you disregarded him and left, and then the rest of the party found him, and then he started traveling with the group. so i think you asked him about his box and he: um, yeah,
Cassian: did i i i did in the cassian way what did you find sister treasure yeah yeah…
GM: i think his response would have been somewhere in the ballpark of um. it was. it was given to me by my, by my,
Cassian: it was vague i remember that…
GM: by my t, by my teacher. right, maybe, but he had a a magic instructor at one point that gave it to him. so i don’t. oh dean, i don’t know if you’re just pondering that to yourself or if you’d ask, ask that out loud,
Odine: I’m pondering.
GM: but off…
Odine: I… I think I’ll just share, like, this box is ancient. Like, it’s… It’s no… It’s no trinket. It’s more of a relic.
Cassian: a relic will would you like to take a better look at it ah…
Odine: Yes. I mean… Look, as we walked through the fair, it got dimmer. And as we’re heading back out, it’s getting a little bit brighter. But I… I… I don’t know if it’s tied to… If it’s tied to him or not. To Javin or not. And I’ll hand the box over to you…
Cassian: jevin yes i suppose we could do this right now that’s seems like the perfect time well…
Odine: while we walk…
Cassian: i do need to stop for just a moment if we’re gonna take a look at this does anyone need anything before we leave town we…
Aldric: Now I believe I’m ready. I…
GM: we go then,
Cassian: go and…
GM: so you leave the fairgrounds slosh through the muddy path back to the high road and start making your way up to the city gates, which are currently, uh, wide open. uh, the, the porticulus has been drawn and the hamlet is rather quiet. compared to the fairgrounds, here it’s more of a sleepy village. um, at sundown kind of vibe, the sun started to get pretty low in the horizon. uh, creating some lighter oranges, um, and yellow colors hitting the the wispy clouds in the sky and um, you, uh, you see mostly older folk who couldn’t quite make their way physically down to the fair. um, just kind of relaxing in park benches and streets. um, and then you, uh, start up the king’s road and you start seeing knights. there are, uh patrols, always in pairs um, of knights, that are wearing different banners, um or different different emblems. uh, they don’t seem like they’re all from the same order. um, there is a green uh banner, a green shield that has a stag, so you recognize the antlers on it. uh, this symbol is the same of sir televast, the knight that you met in our first session, the one that was struggling to end his horse’s suffering. you aided him and then he swore off his oath and departed into the wilderness. um, so, you recognize that there are other knights of that faction up here in the hamlet. uh, there are also red shields. um, this emblem has the symbol of the ember. uh, the, the flame on it. um. and then, lastly, is the silver crest, um, which has a, a helm and two swords on on the emblem. uh, cassian, i think you, uh, are probably the only person that knows this- that in the current era of men, this era of mortals and crown lands, uh, these are the three oldest orders of knights, the only ones that still exist from the time that king aldrich reigned over this land. um, they have. they have stuck together as a group, they call themselves the oath keepers, and they’ve created somewhat of a subset of rules that they’ve all agreed to follow together to keep this keep and thrown safe. um, to keep this town safe and to see that none of the nobles rise up and attempt to conquer it um and change the power dynamic of the land. there’s a deep spiritual and cultural tie to this arthurian legend that they have about this king returning someday, and these are the men that protect that, that dream, the one that they tell children as they are um going to bed at night, um, as they grow up that someday this, this uh king will emerge from the stone to take back his throne and unite all of the realms. um so, i think, as you enter this town, that’s that’s notable to you. you other three, uh, maybe don’t quite have the context, but you see that there are different orders of knights that seem to be working together here.
Cassian: this is the hamlet that we’re in now is…
GM: yes,
GM: this is everdale. uh, it is one of the central northern towns in the crown lands. it’s also one of the um highest in altitude. i think as you get to the city square, you all take in this breathtaking view of the backyard of this city, beyond this hill, now that you’ve hit crest. at the top of the hill is a vast, long valley of thick trees and you see one singular road that cuts through it on a winding path. on the right side are cliff sides and a mountain range that stretches out to the east. on the left side, um, you see, the forest goes on as far as you can see. uh, it climbs up into some mountains eventually. um, but there’s almost like a green, like nearly in percent imperceivable, like mist that coats these trees in this valley. uh, this is the thornwood veil. this is odin’s home.
GM: once upon a time, this veil was the hunting grounds for the king. it was his land. now it is what this tournament is here for. they fight over the deed entitled to this to this region. none are exactly sure why. everyone seems to have a little bit of a different. uh, take on why each noble house wants control of this place. let’s do uh, let’s do perception check or an investigation check from whoever’s leading the party here…
Aldric: want to say, probably. Um,
GM: aldrich yep give it a go…
Aldric: either way.
Aldric: I’m going to say, I mean.
Cassian: it not is it not our ghost hunter…
Azrith: could yeah but…
GM: azareth, do you have any class features that assist you?
GM: i haven’t. yeah, i haven’t reviewed your character sheet enough to know if you have something here that you can apply, but…
Azrith: in the check I…
Azrith: don’t not, not for per wait.
Azrith: you said perception or well,
GM: yeah um…
Odine: or investigation.
Azrith: I have. uh, let me check investigation I advantage, and then perception at plus six.
Azrith: so then it’s still a plus four too.
GM: yeah yeah i think we should do investigation i mean advantages yep yep 20…
Aldric: Oh my, my God.
Azrith: so that is, uh yeah,
Cassian: 19 i see why is he giving you oh there you go 23 we…
Azrith: nineteen four, three, yeah,
Odine: 23.
GM: 23 total uh azareth this same sensation you’ve started to feel lately of this cooling effect starts chilling up through your throat um and you you see that ethereal mist as you exhale it just kind of mists uh and dissipates out in front of you the wind carries it in a direction that turns your head towards a cathedral uh it this building is old and unlike many of the other buildings has not been painted uh a lot of the homesteads here they get washed and painted uh this building just looks like old stone um especially at the foot of it the cobble is is grown over with vines and moss um and a bell hangs from the top of the cathedral um this is a campus um but once you go through the main the main entry of the chapel um you can see beyond that there is a cemetery inside of this these religious grounds awesome…
Azrith: over…
Azrith: there that building it’s basically screaming ghosts all…
Aldric: Yeah, it does, it does look kind of spooky. I’m not going to lie, guys.
Cassian: brought our expert uh…
Azrith: right as though it just heads towards the building in the area well…
GM: that’s our marching order yes…
Odine: I’m just… I’m just…
Aldric: Lead the way.
Odine: You’re just gonna… You’re just gonna march in?
Azrith: come on it’s not like they can hit you probably most…
Cassian: cassian cassian is falling right behind oh…
Odine: And I’m, like… I’m, like, hopping to, like, catch up. I’m shocked that you guys are all just walking in. And I’m just like, wait! Wait for me!
Azrith: ghosts don’t hurt you probably but just don’t be weird…
GM: let’s…
Aldric: I trust the professional.
Cassian: it’s not my experience but onward ah that sounds more like my kind of mention a little probably a little probability i…
Azrith: well they won’t physically hurt you probably there’s…
GM: see this i’m gonna steal this uh steal this map here…
GM: uh and then move this over here bear with me one moment gentlemen uh…
GM: the sign on the uh etched into the wall as you walk in through these doors uh reads stone sanctum…
Aldric: This, this is where the dead would be. It’s, it’s for sure. Um,
Azrith: like a door I assume as it was gonna try to just open it see if he can anyone…
GM: yes sort of an eerie creaky rusty noise as the door uh not necessarily a stealthy approach going through these doors uh the pews are empty and the candle ears are not lit it is very very dim in here…
Azrith: got like that I know as they’ll I can wait no no that has a red sorry…
Cassian: mean your name gavin what’s your character’s name again what’s that azarith okay azarith cassian uh peeks his head in the door over azarith’s shoulder and he kind of pulls himself forward and pushes azarith out of the way and he’s like huh is this the place it’s haunted where…
Azrith: well most likely but just I don’t know…
Odine: I…
GM: i think uh the word haunted just like echoes haunted haunted…
Cassian: do we begin the expert…
Azrith: probably as though it just starts walking in no light or anything just walks forward uh…
GM: azerith, is this the first time that you’ve properly hunted, or have you done this before?
Azrith: he has done this before…
GM: what is what do you imagine? is azerith’s methodology here? what’s his approach that he usually takes…?
Azrith: it’s it’s a very simple one but it usually gets the job done is sees for any clues finds ghost executes it…
GM: yeah, you’re just here to to canvas the joint, if you will. well,
Azrith: mm-hmm…
GM: in this chapel, your senses aren’t necessarily triggering here, but you look out past the stained windows and you can see headstones out in the cemetery starting to get dark outside…
Cassian: cassian uh casts a little thermaturgy well, with his back turned to the group as he’s pretending to look around and makes uh loose objects flutter.
GM: trying to add to the vibe…
Cassian: yeah,
Cassian: yeah, a little, a little, uh, performance or…
GM: uh odin and aldrick what is your character’s experience with the supernatural if at all do…
Aldric: I’d say, I don’t have any form of experience with supernatural, necessarily. Um, I do have a decent response to things happening, but I don’t know anything about ghosts.
GM: you think? do you think all is pretty, pretty brave? holds his constitution well against?
Aldric: I, I’d say so, yeah. He,
GM: yeah, spooky things…
Aldric: with his, with his position as a guard, he’s kind of learned that he has to, you know, uphold himself and persevere. I…
GM: odin what about you…
Cassian: perform…
Odine: don’t have any experience at all. In fact, all I have is tales and legends, but my people are mostly immortal and the ones that pass away we never see again.
GM: i…
GM: think, cassian, are you attempting to intimidate here, or more so just kind of like goofing around a little bit warming.
Cassian: just goofing around yeah…
Azrith: scares the ghost mm-hmm…
GM: yeah,
GM: hmm, cassian, i think you’re having a. you’re having a good time, you know. and and what are you moving in the room? are you like moving like books or curtains, maybe making, like the candeliers, shake around a little bit, yeah…?
Cassian: oh yeah just a little bit just i look for the books and they flip open and the candle flickers a little and…
GM: um some of this movement that you’ve created um in the room uh you notice something subtle in front of you um fall just kind of maybe it just kind of get wisps from your gusts that you’ve conjured but something falls off of um we’ll call it one of like the iron work uh candelabras like it’s almost like a like a coat rack that holds candles at the top but it’s made of iron and something falls from it onto the ground at your feet as…
Cassian: uh cassian seeing this book fall finds it strange as he was just teasing the book he finds it curious that it has fallen so he walks forward to the book and just kind of takes a peek at it briefly doesn’t pick it up he’s a little bit skeptical cassian…
GM: you as you pick it up you notice as you’re getting back up on the iron on the iron work there’s a little sharp corner and a small piece of patchy green fabric has been torn and caught onto it you found a clue should…
Cassian: kind of uh after kind of coming out of a little bit of a i don’t want to say shock but a little disruption from his laughter and jovialness of teasing his friends of other things he just stops and he says ah all in good fun but look somebody lost their shirt over here or at least a piece of it um…
Azrith: as with like like uh like speed walks over there to see what he’s talking about I…
GM: we do an investigation check we can either have someone in the party take lead on this or we do a party check and i’ll set a dc and you all roll and have to meet a certain threshold as…
Cassian: cassian actually ends up just looking through the book instead flipping the pages trying to figure out why this thing fell you…
Azrith: could do the check uh yeah 19 for the first one and then natural one for the second I’m taking that first yeah…
GM: if you want to do an investigation check here it…
GM: got to roll with advantage uh azarith this this cloak this piece of cloak that that cassian found looks very similar and and just as dirty as the one that jevin was wearing it seems like it got hooked and tore on on the iron work…
Azrith: guys, I think this is the kids with the box. yeah,
Aldric: mean, Kevin,
Azrith: Kevin,
Cassian: mean jack jackman well…
Azrith: oh wait, that’s isn’t sure, but it’s definitely his, I’m pretty sure it’s. uh, I think he was here and or they took him here and something happened. possibly,
Azrith: I have no clue…
Aldric: why would they bring him here?
Aldric: Yeah, that’s fair.
Odine: I look at Javin’s box.
Cassian: it looks like we’re killing two birds with one stones let’s go find some ghosts it doesn’t seem to be this is the place anyone have any ideas i heard mention of a graveyard what’s…
Azrith: I think yeah the graveyard…
GM: uh,
GM: the box. uh, what do you do? you look at it,
GM: or are you opening it?
Odine: Yeah.
GM: you open it and the light is flickering a little bit. it’s still dim, but it’s like the light is pulsing erratically…
Odine: I’m gonna open it.
Odine: Does it seem to me like… Okay, so Odin is pretty convinced that this is tied to his life force. Does it seem like his life force is in danger based on the flickering?
Odine: Something’s happening with Javin. We have to hurry. And I’m gonna snap the box shut and, like, bolt out towards the graveyard.
GM: yeah, uh, oh dean, you run out into the graveyard.
Azrith: I think he can’t get around okay I gotta call my bad carry on mm…
GM: what’s that?
Odine: What was that?
Cassian: it…
GM: oh yeah, you’re all good. uh, oh dean, you run out and you see, uh, bound in rope and tied to a terubin statue, is jevin, and he is asleep and bloodied. uh, there’s blood trickling down his chin and he’s passed out, tied to.
Odine: I cast Healing Word.
GM: okay, uh, you cast healing word and you see, he starts to come to as. um, he shakes off what seems like some type of headache and you see, the cut on his lip starts to kind of heal up a little bit.
Odine: Nine damage heal.
GM: perfect, let’s mark that down here, as…
Cassian: okay i…
GM: you approach you see black armor there is a body on the ground a full-grown knight full man passed out on the ground jevin looks down and he looks at you and there’s a little bit of fear in his eyes as his eyes now start darting around the cemetery let’s go ahead and move everybody in here move…
Azrith: -hmm…
GM: that to back let…
GM: me go find jevin’s token too i know we had one somewhere over here here we go jevin right here he is bound and…
GM: the body is in between you and him right here i’ll get i’ll get a token gone while you tell me what you’re thinking here we…
Odine: Odin would have cast Healing Word and continued running, ignoring the body. Would have… Would have… Clocked it, but… The last thing she cares about right now is slumped over Black Knight.
GM: use red x for prone for now. uh,
GM: you jump over him and uh, as jevin sees you approach, he says: where’s the other one?
Odine: Yeah.
GM: be on guard. there were two of them. that took me, oh…
Odine: What other one? What… What’s happening here?
GM: no, they were interrogating me. they took things too far. i passed out.
Odine: He’s bound by rope or Magical Force.
GM: he’s bound by rope. as you ask that question, azarith, your sense triggers once more.
GM: there’s something nearby, uh…
Azrith: Azra seeing uh uh Odin uh run out is gonna like run out to like from the thing like to right here like right outside the door and just look around got…
GM: give me a perception check…
Azrith: you perception, that is a 13.
GM: dirt…
Odine: Worst roll of the night, Javin.
Azrith: I’ve also had the best role,
Azrith: so oh…
Odine: Yes. No, I know.
Odine: Just this one was the worst one so far.
GM: uh, azarith, you, uh, this is, this is not. this is not a success. you are looking around, you know there’s something nearby, but are unable to see a figure that approaches behind you. however, i do think cassian and aldrick, you see, uh, walking strangely, very alien, like a black knight, moves from around the corner and it lunges and grabs azarith. azarith,
Azrith: shit…
GM: i need a uh, contested athletics or acrobatics check from you as it attempts to grapple you.
Azrith: or acrobatics uh acrobatics 19 oh…
GM: acrobatics, it is 19,
GM: let me grab my dice here, uh…
GM: mine’s an 18 so you manage flip out as you hear a ghoul like moan from within the armor…
Azrith: what…
Azrith: the hell uh…
GM: and let’s roll for initiative on…
Aldric: What,
Aldric: what do I roll for initiative?
Cassian: got…
Azrith: there’s an initiative button it’s next to your class I…
Aldric: Where is it?
GM: your character cheat,
GM: you’ll.
GM: you’ll have an initiative that’s based on your dexterity and then can have other modifiers based on your class and gear, and so you’ll use that modifier on top of a d20 test to determine your turn order…
Aldric: Ah, there it is. I found it.
Odine: You got a nine.
Azrith: got a class I got a five…
Cassian: a three.
Cassian: that was my second roll. i thought it was still being weird.
Aldric: I have a nine.
Odine: You got a four, Seth. You get a plus one, don’t you?
Cassian: remember how last time we played it would roll completely opposite in dd or roll 20…
Odine: Yeah.
Azrith: and mm…
Cassian: i was just confirming that it was not being wonky because i thought i saw a higher number initially so…
Odine: Yeah.
Odine: Yeah.
Odine: I got a 20.
GM: all right 20 nice.
GM: uh, let’s see. do you guys still have control of your tokens?
GM: is it letting you move them around or do i fix that sweet? does that mean that everyone can also add in their turn their roles?
Odine: I do.
Azrith: -hmm yep…
Cassian: i did oh…
Azrith: I’ll…
GM: i’m…
Odine: I should be able to.
Cassian: yeah thank you you…
GM: gonna roll initiative for this it’s gonna be a nine now…
Aldric: There we go.
GM: before we start azarith i want to give you kind of a just like a free reaction role i’m not going to use any of your action economy here but i want you to roll either um i’ll allow either arcana or nature as you try to figure out um sort of like the essence of what kind of ghost this is…
Azrith: do nature because I have advantage five for the first role and then a six for the second role question…
Odine: Oh… Poor guy.
GM: okay um i think the only thing that you have to go off of here is you’re unsure if this knight is alive or not but it’s definitely being possessed by some type of spirit now um cassian you are probably the only one here that understands this the implement the implications of the body right here are bad if you all are spotted here um that knight likely belongs to one of those noble houses that we mentioned last week and uh if that thing is dead then this could be bad juju for all of you we’ll go to the top of the round odin that takes us to you what do you want to do here…
Odine: I’m gonna take my Obsidian Dagger out because I don’t really think I noticed this dude. I hear the bleh and then the hustle,
Odine: but I’m gonna take an Obsidian Dagger out and try to free Javin with the ropes.
GM: yep,
GM: i’ll let you do that. if you trade me your action, you can spend your turn to completely free him from his restraint.
Odine: Yep. That’s what I’m doing.
GM: so odin quickly saws back and forth on these ropes and after a few seconds a couple of them snaps and under jeven’s weight he kind of stumbles down off of the statue. he says we need to get out of here okay…
Odine: Oh, that’s my turn.
GM: all right uh uh aldrich what is your dex stat uh…
Odine: It’s like, I know.
Aldric: It’s, it’s twelve plus one.
GM: yours is the same as the knights. so um, i’m gonna let you go first, since it’s a tie. i don’t know why it’s not there we go.
GM: i’ll let you go before him. uh,
Aldric: He,
Aldric: he has a weapon in hand, correct?
GM: actually, he does not.
Aldric: Oh,
GM: he’s not wearing anything, mm-hmm. he is attempting to grab azareth, but being the little stinky devil that he is, um, you see him kind of ducking out of the way you…
Aldric: let’s see.
GM: need a crash course here on combat…
Aldric: Um, I have a slight idea on it, but I’m not fully sure.
GM: so you always have your movement speed so standard. i believe yours is going to be probably 30 feet.
Aldric: Mm-hmm.
Aldric: Yeah.
GM: um so you’re gonna have six squares that you can move during your turn. if you need more than that, then you can use an action to dash and double that.
GM: but if that’s enough for you, you can reposition and use your action for attack actions. but any, any action that you can think of, that you might want to do it. even if it’s not attacking someone, there’s usually a way to do it, so you can hide or you can disengage from things, or you can interact with things, but for the most part when you’re fighting, you’re going to want to be taking attack actions against your foes, want to want to make sure that you’re looking on your actions. um, and then your attack section,
Aldric: Yes.
Aldric: Yeah.
GM: and then you also have a bonus action. um, that if you have any abilities on your builds that might afford you some bonus actions that you can do. drinking a potion is always a bonus action. um, there’s always two weapon fighting if you’re using light weapons but you’re going to be using, uh, i believe you have a great sword,
GM: is it a long sword, a great sword? um.
Aldric: Yes.
Aldric: I think it’s great sword?
GM: so if you, if you prefer, you can wield that with two hands instead and then deal more damage with it. um, and then you’re also always going to have a reaction. so if someone like is within melee of you and leaves, you can take an opportunity, attack against them. um, or sometimes you might have like armor spells that you get later in the game. that’ll give you reactions that you can use…
Aldric: All right.
Aldric: Well, I think for now, I’m gonna go for more of an unarmed strike. Just try to get him off Azerith and try to make some distance between the two of them so that we can figure out what’s going on before we just try to beat this guy to death.
GM: awesome. go ahead and move your character wherever you want to move. yeah,
Aldric: Okay, I can move, what was it, six, four,
GM: each square,
Aldric: six bases?
GM: each square is five feet.
GM: so you can go six squares and i will turn off the overlay.
Odine: And you’re…
Odine: You have plenty to get there right now.
GM: there should be a little easier to see that way…
Odine: So you can go right up next to him. I’ve…
Aldric: Yeah.
Aldric: Okay, I see where I am now.
Aldric: It’s like right over here is, oh, that’s three squares. Perfect.
GM: easy peasy,
GM: and you said you wanted to make an unarmed strike on him, so you’re not necessarily wanting to draw your blade yet. okay,
Aldric: Cool.
Aldric: No. So,
GM: this is more of a warning shot then, yes,
GM: so you’re gonna,
Aldric: yes. For that, do I,
Aldric: do I click the unarmed strike itself?
GM: yeah, so if you want to roll inside of dnd beyond, uh, you can click the hit dc that says plus five, and it should, uh, automatically apply your bonus 15…
Odine: seen…
Aldric: And, 15.
GM: solid that hits. so you deal four bludgeoning damage due to your strength. uh,
Aldric: Okay.
GM: where are you punching him? you giving him a headshot.
GM: blow to the gut,
Aldric: Let me,
GM: the nuts…
Odine: the nuts.
Aldric: could I hypothetically, like, sweep his legs from underneath him in some sense?
Aldric: Or would that not be a bludgeoning strike?
Cassian: can kind…
GM: um, so you want to. you want to knock him prone. um,
GM: i would let you trade your damage in order actually hold on. let me look at this.
Cassian: of cool…
GM: you have unarmed strike.
Odine: Good job.
GM: you can actually turn your unarmed strike into a shove attack. uh.
Aldric: Okay.
GM: so he has to roll- uh, strength or dexterity, saving throw- and can either push it five feet away or cause it to have the prone condition. so you can do that because of your fighter class.
GM: so eight plus your proficiency, bonus plus your strength. so that’s gonna put us at a 13, i believe. so he needs to roll us a 13 strength here, uh, which he does. so you go to trip him up um, but he manages to kind of stumble and stay on his feet um…
Aldric: Okay.
Cassian: whatever whatever you want kind of thing so oh to me i think oh says that hi…
GM: now you do have something called evasive footwork as a bonus action you can spend a superiority diet diet to disengage if you want uh but if you don’t feel like that strategic in the moment you can hold on to that for later…
Aldric: Yeah, no, I’m just gonna, I’m just gonna chill here, hold my ground with, uh, Azerith…
GM: okay uh as you give them this blow the the fist the gauntleted fist reaches up and pulls up its mask and you see that behind this helm the human face is distorted the jaw is drooping uh lower and its teeth are kind of like sticking out in weird angles uh the eyes are like a sickly green as this monster moans at you and a black mist is emanating from its mouth uh it begins attempting to absorb your life force almost like a dementor’s kiss um this is going to be a plus four to hit you so what’s your ac does a 19 hit uh…
Aldric: asking me currently.
GM: you’re yeah,
Odine: Yeah,
GM: it’s all trick.
Odine: what’s your armor class?
GM: looks like you’re a 16…
Aldric: And,
Aldric: oh,
GM: so this is going to hit you and you are going to take 2d6 necrotic damage for a total of four okay and your hit point maximum decreases by four as well so you actually feel this energy is like sapping your very life force away uh not only are you now at 21 hp but you can no longer heal past 21 until you complete a long rest…
Aldric: that’s lovely.
GM: all right um that is the end of its turn azareth you’re up…
Azrith: would would I be able to find out if first off this knight is now declare is now dead in second off if he would technically now be classified as an undead creature or would…
GM: um,
GM: because you did not succeed on that free roll i gave you. you’re going to have to attempt that again in order to find that out.
GM: so it’s more up to you, it would, so that’s up to you. if you feel like that information is, uh, going to be important for your decision making, then i would recommend doing so. but if you feel like it’s not necessarily going to impact the way that you approach the situation, then you might want to just reserve your action economy…
Azrith: it count as my actions…
Azrith: actually, yeah, I will do the check, I’ll do the role. yeah, what is it again? yeah, nature.
GM: okay you want to do another nature check mm-hmm…
Cassian: you’re doing there it does…
Azrith: the first roll I did, it’s another five,
Azrith: the second roll effect.
GM: a…
Azrith: I just did it again day…
Odine: Five, six.
GM: five and a six again azareth i think your mind rushes as you’re like what do i do is that you know do i just kill it or is there something else to do you your training wasn’t in depth enough for you to know how to handle this situation this is your hero moment you have to decide what you tell i mean you’re the ghost hunter here so you tell your party how you want them to approach this is this a kill or an incapacitate situation you’re just going to have to guess…
Azrith: I’m going to activate my crimson right,
Azrith: which it is. so, as a bonus action, I can activate my right and, um, any weapon I’m holding, which I’m also going to be pulling out my uh,
GM: remind me what does that do mm…
Azrith: uh, uh, uh,
Azrith: scimitar gets basically it. um, let me read this: sorry, uh, it, uh, when I take 1d4 necrotic damage, but it activates my right, which in my case is the right of dawn, which sheds bright light. uh, 20 feet I have resistance to necrotic and when I hit an undead creature with the weapon, uh, it takes, uh, an additional 1d4 points of damage, uh…
GM: -hmm…
GM: great that’s perfect i think as you activate this right so…
Odine: And you do 1d4 on top of that also. So 1d4 base, but if it’s undead, then you get an additional 1d4. So, yeah.
GM: 2d yeah yeah uh yeah yep so this is undead and i think because of this light you get this ghoul’s attention on you now as your light emanates how do you activate your your crimson right because this is through your heme allergy right so this is your blood magic um how do you imagine your magic style works here is this kind of like yeah…
Azrith: it’s the it’s the damage that my weapon does and then a 1d4 extra…
Odine: Yeah, exactly.
Azrith: it I it it so as I like I I pull out my uh uh my blade and it like it’s like a greenish reddish mist like around my fist and like as like I fully grip the handle to my blade it the light spreads from it like the like the handle and the entire weapon as I once…
GM: i think,
GM: as as you activate this, this crimson right you get, you get the attention on you from the school. um, before you end your turn, do you want to interact with the party at all or give them any info or instructions here?
GM: damn straight,
Azrith: had some ghosts okay…
GM: cassian,
Azrith: no…
GM: does that take us to you…?
Cassian: so…
Cassian: cassian seeing young jevin holding this box now he misty steps up to odin and jevin and oh i can i guess i was kind of on an off space i don’t know oh…
Odine: Yeah, it’s not aligned, but that’s all right.
GM: hold the hold alt if you if you want to reposition it slightly he…
Azrith: that’s that’s how you do it…
Cassian: i see what’s all right anyways uh he hands jevin the box i think this belongs to you i hope you’re feeling a little better than you look…
GM: gives you a resolved nod and reaches out and grabs his box from you let’s add jevin into the turn order here too actually we’ll have him go after you at the end of the round anything…
GM: else on your turn cassian ooh…
Cassian: cassian uh quickly he looks down at his dice and as it rolls across his fingers there’s a slight burgundy trail following behind it and he snatches the dice into his hand and pushes forward with his palm as a blast of purples and reds and burgundies emanating from his hand as he casts alger’s blast at the undead looking knight…
GM: yes, roll your attack, let’s get some force damage going.
GM: 15 hits, you learn. the dc is 14 beautiful…
Cassian: 15.
Cassian: five for damage five for force damage…
GM: all…
GM: right end of your turn okay…
Cassian: cassian prepares to run…
GM: love it all right jevin um resolute with his box ignites his green flame blade that he showed you over the campfire i’m gonna look that spell up here real quick okay…
GM: so it is a bonus action oh no it is an action so brandish this weapon i think and make an attack okay so he can make an attack he is going to move over here we’ll roll with his spell…
GM: attack modifiers plus three ah he rolls in that one jevin rears his blade up and as he swings it down the ghoul turns and growls a gnarly guttural gas at him uh having avoided his attack oh dean that takes us back to the top of the round it is your turn oh…
Odine: I’m gonna be yelling out, like, don’t run with my friends. Don’t. And as a result of my… my fear running through me, my innate sorcery kicks in.
Odine: And I’m gonna, like, raise my hand up at him.
Odine: This is verbal and somatic. I’m gonna start some sort of incantation and moving my hands and pointing my fists both out at them. And I get an advantage roll on a plus 7 to attack. I’m casting Sorceress Burst with a 21 to hit.
GM: yeah hit my…
Odine: And it’s gonna do…
Odine: Oh, hell yeah. Guess what I just did?
Azrith: hell…
Odine: I rolled an 8 damage, which means I get to roll an extra dice to do an additional damage.
Odine: And this was thunder damage.
Azrith: yeah…
GM: both…
Odine: And that’s another 5 thunder, lightning, both lightning damage.
GM: lightning, okay,
Odine: Yep.
GM: and the the. so the total damage is 13.
Odine: 8 and 5, 13.
Odine: You’re gonna have to half it. Resistant, I’m assuming.
GM: uh,
GM: thunder or lightning. you said, uh,
Odine: Lightning.
GM: it does resist it. um,
Odine: All good.
GM: so that’s going to be six. that goes through right…
Odine: And I’m gonna… Yeah, I am gonna move. I’m gonna say, get away from them! And try to go and… Let’s see. I’m gonna hop over this guy. Hopefully he’s still dead.
GM: he is facedown hasn’t moved yet yeah…
Odine: And then, uh…
Odine: I’m gonna try to grab Azeroth, but not yank him away so there’s no attack of opportunity.
Odine: But try to help get Azeroth away.
GM: yeah, okay,
GM: gesturing for him to get out of danger. uh,
GM: as odine is her turn. uh, this thing has taken some hits. i will say it looks like it’s bruised, uh, meaning that it’s at least taken half of its health so far, aldrich, what.
Odine: We have to go now!
Cassian: it’s oozing…
GM: what would you like to do i…?
Aldric: Let us see. I,
GM: think uh you guys could finish it off if you wanted or you could attempt to flee it’s up to you its turn is after yours of…
Aldric: uh, just smack it with my, with my greatsword.
GM: course you can.
Azrith: heck it at…
Cassian: always the…
GM: you will roll for roll for attack. this will,
Aldric: That’s the plus five,
GM: this will,
Aldric: correct?
GM: yeah, this will check against his ac to see if it hits a 12 misses,
GM: you swing and the uh, innate reaction of this walking corpse lashes out with its gauntlet and knocks your blade aside as it now growls at you becoming more angry. you still have some movement, if you should so choose, or you can just stay put. um, you have your second wind, but unfortunately you cannot heal because of its necrotic attack, so i don’t know if that leaves you a lot of other bonus actions you’re…
Aldric: Oh, boy.
Aldric: Yeah, I’m just, I’m just gonna move on.
GM: gonna stay or you’re leaving you stay there all right uh azarith you have all of its attention as it bears down on you once more uh let’s go ahead and do an attack against your ac for the life drain attack oh buddy i just rolled a natural 20.
Aldric: I’m just gonna, I’m gonna stay.
Azrith: least I have resistance okay I…
Aldric: But…
GM: you do have resistance. that’s gonna help. actually,
Odine: Yeah,
Odine: he has resistance to Necrotic right now. Nice.
GM: okay,
GM: did we did we agree about crits on on the way we were doing it in our last campaign. we’re gonna just kind of pass that through. yeah,
Azrith: always have an extra 9…
Odine: Yeah, it’s like full damage and then roll,
GM: okay,
Odine: or… Yeah.
GM: okay, so then that’s gonna be 12 plus 7… so 19 halved to 9. necrotic damage. now,
Azrith: necrotic and I already took my 4 from my d4 from earlier I…
GM: azarith, this reduces your maximum hit points as well, as you feel this life energy being sapped out from you. okay,
Azrith: am currently down to 12 hit points…
GM: and you cannot heal past 12… all right, um, i think that is all it can do on its turn, so it is now your turn to react to that that…
Azrith: I’m just gonna try to hit it with my uh uh skip scimitar I always forget how to say it that…
Cassian: old scimitar scimitar now…
Odine: Dimitar.
Azrith: is a 21 to hit. it says: all right,
GM: hits mm-hmm…
Azrith: cool mm-hmm,
Odine: Irregular damage plus 2d4. It’s gonna be awesome.
Azrith: that’s seven damage plus two d4s. wait, no, no, it’s not two d4.
GM: okay what kind yep…
Azrith: one d4, sorry,
Azrith: it is two.
Odine: No, it is 2d, Gavin.
Azrith: when you, when you, that’s…
Odine: Yeah.
Odine: Your Crimson right gives you 1d4 on top of that, even when they’re not Necrotic. And then because it’s Necrotic, you get an additional d4. Sorry. Undead. Sorry. Yeah. And…
GM: yes…
Azrith: right that is four extra so that is 11 damage in total…
GM: because of the type all right give me the breakdown because uh the necrotic is going to go through normal uh the physical is going to be halved how…
Azrith: okay, um, like,
Azrith: uh, as like I swing it, the like the, the light from my blade, like like, just like glows, slightly brighter, as then it makes contact and this surging pain of dislike, like sickness and like death, rushes through the spirit, the, the ghoul. uh,
GM: much of that damage is slashing damage okay…
Azrith: the only damage for the slashing damage is seven, so let’s have oh…
GM: so three and the four yep…
Odine: then Radiant is his… The 4 are Radiant.
Odine: The d4s are Radiant.
Azrith: wait wait wait I’m pretty sure a part a part of my right is that it makes all of my attacks magical attacks I’m pretty sure…
GM: take your time and look for that…
Azrith: while your right is active attacks made with this weapon are magical so it’s not slashing…
GM: in that case azarith why don’t you describe for us how do you want to do this as…
Azrith: so it’s not slashing yeah as like I do the as as it hits it fills the feeling uh that I described and it’s it like eyes like fading to black and then it just basically falls…
Odine: Heck yeah.
GM: the body of the night relaxes around the cut from your blade and slumps to the ground in its place a spectral form is torn from the body and is now resting in front of you uh only the top part of the torso can be seen in some kind of form you see the shape of kind of a head and these misty arms but as the the body goes down it loses all corporeal form and turns into kind of like an ethereal ghostly tale as this uh ghoulish specter looks at you and says i submit i must go and it mists away dissipating…
Aldric: he’s lucky we didn’t put him in a jar.
Odine: Yeah, I was gonna say. Well, how do we find proof?
Azrith: well, is there any like physical, like wear at the body from the possession,
Aldric: I was gonna say we should search the bodies.
Azrith: let…
GM: yeah as you inspect the body the uh the face is still distorted whatever process took place um where this ghost possessed this knight it’s completely disformed his his face it’s elongated and stretched its jaw out almost like wax…
Cassian: cassian walks over to the group and he takes a peek what everyone else is taking a peek at and he says well we could take the blacksmith a new hand if she wants or we could take that really ugly head i guess yeah whichever you guys prefer oh…
Aldric: So, I guess I wasn’t wrong about the head after all.
Azrith: me…
GM: jeven chimes in why do you want to take the head…
Cassian: for equipment and gear for the tournament of course tough…
GM: he just shakes his head at you i don’t understand you you…
Cassian: i’ll put you on the list yeah…
GM: need evidence that you fought ghosts is that what i gather you…
Odine: Yes.
Cassian: for gear of course yeah oh…
Aldric: That’s, about sums it up, yeah.
GM: don’t want to be seen dragging these men into the fair that i…
Cassian: now with their armor? of course not. now we’ll strip these and take just the head itself.
Cassian: and now someone’s probably got a bag. who’s got a backpack? anybody? i don’t. unfortunately, mine only holds coin. does anyone want to have something that could hold his head?
Aldric: I mean,
Odine: I…
Azrith: just carry it just take off the helmet slice it off and boom…
Cassian: oh, oh,
Aldric: yeah, I mean,
Cassian: no, no, no, my young friend, that is a terrible idea. if we get caught with his head in town, things will not go very well for us, and i have things to do today and tomorrow, and well for a little while longer, i imagine, and…
Odine: look at Jevin and say, what do you propose?
Azrith: why…
Odine: I agree. We don’t need to take these… We don’t need to take body parts with us into town.
GM: can i can help you conjure an image of this man would that be sufficient…
Aldric: that’s,
Odine: Yes.
Aldric: that’s up to the, uh, it’s up to the old lady. That’s her call.
Cassian: this is risky i don’t know i don’t know if she’ll take this as this isn’t real she wasn’t very spooked by our jokes of ghostly figures and other things but if you can convince her it would be helpful to our group i suppose ah…
Odine: Can we, uh… determine which house these knights are from?
GM: yeah let’s do a history check um yeah…
Cassian: are you asking about the knights odin…
Odine: I can’t. I wouldn’t know shit, honestly. This is… But, yeah.
GM: cassian maybe…
Cassian: cassie’s rolling can’t seem to that plenty well…
Odine: There you go.
GM: uh yeah these knights they serve house godran in fact you can tell from their crest that um these were maybe not super decorated knights probably more like foot soldiers you know more more enforcer types um but they’re definitely of the same house of the white-haired half elephant nobleman that you saw at slugs cookhouse affiliated…
Cassian: they are of house godron and we do not need to be seen here with them so let’s go as soon as we can…
Aldric: Yeah, I agree.
Aldric: Says, better places we could be.
Cassian: many i know a good brothel downtown if you guys want to head back we’ve…
Aldric: Might as well. Oh, we need, we need to figure something out.
Cassian: got needs most definitely is everyone ready oh…
Odine: I just need a place to sleep.
GM: jevin walks over and picks up his his walking stick that had been thrown aside and says why did you all come for me they…
Odine: Let’s go.
Cassian: purely an accident but honestly i’m so glad that we did you you really do bring a lot of joy and happiness to this group it seems which is going to make him a better spirits for this tournament this…
Azrith: did they take you anyway…
GM: were asking me questions about my powers and who i learned from i wasn’t giving them much so they turned the heat up and i think they overdid it and i woke up to this one and he kicks the body over he was already dead by the time i woke up i’m…
Aldric: I’m, I’m gonna,
GM: assuming i’m assuming this this ghost intervened somehow…
Aldric: I’m, I’m just gonna look at the body, and I’m just gonna make one of, one of my many prepared jokes that I have. And, uh, hold on, let me, let me find it. Um.
Cassian: aldrich pull out his book of jokes. oh, hold on guys,
Aldric: Ha ha. Okay.
Cassian: i had one for this i…
Azrith: joke 101…
Odine: To read.
Aldric: So,
Odine: Like,
Aldric: so I, I, hey.
Odine: lick your fingers and flip to the right page.
Aldric: Ha ha. So,
Odine: Yeah.
Aldric: I, so I,
Aldric: I look the body up and down, and I go, you picked a bad day to be ugly. Uh.
Odine: Yeah.
Odine: He is ugly.
Azrith: what…
GM: jevin laughs you get you get the first jevin laugh of of the campaign i can’t i i want to help you get your proof or whatever for this old lady you’re talking about but can’t i can’t go back there as soon as the godrans learn these men are dead they’re going to think it was me it’s not safe for me there anymore i have to leave town…
Aldric: Amazing.
Azrith: if we like what if we like wrap the head in something and just discard it after we show her well…
Odine: I don’t think we should be showing her the head. I think we just need to tell her the tale and…
Azrith: she she said she isn’t taking word for proof…
Cassian: think it’s time that we move along and have this conversation…
Odine: Let’s leave the graveyard. Let’s leave the church.
Aldric: Yeah, I,
GM: you all leave the uh the stone sanctum and are you heading back to the fairgrounds yeah…
Cassian: cassian is heading that direction devin…
Aldric: yeah,
Odine: Yeah,
Aldric: I’d say so.
Odine: I think…
Odine: I think we just… We just get Godran to show and then we can sneak Godran out… Sorry, not Godran. Jevin out of the… Out of the fair.
Azrith: yep no…
GM: as you as you as you walk through town his head’s on a swivel and he he seems nervous he’s like i’ve never had them i’ve never had anyone treat me like that before he was hitting me…
Odine: Look, we’ll get you… We’ll get you out.
Odine: That’s awful.
Aldric: Well,
Aldric: we won’t let anybody be on you, kid.
Cassian: cassian speaks up…
Azrith: I know it hurts but honestly I invoke self-harm to do more stuff to people I mean like look at my hand as he like holds up his hand with like where he when he was holding his uh blade and it’s not it’s not like the the the virus but it’s just necrosis on his hand don’t worry it goes away…
GM: your magic it’s it’s very different he…
Azrith: yeah…
GM: like looks at odin and cassian all of you all of your magic is different from the magic that i’ve learned there’s so much that i don’t understand well…
Cassian: cassian speaks up i don’t mean to ruin the light and lovely mood here but uh devin i think maybe it’s best that you tell us what’s going on as you have been associated with some less desirable creatures this evening and…
GM: i told you they were asking about my teacher. they wanted to go.
Cassian: who is your teacher where…
GM: my teacher’s name is- let me fish that out of my the annals of history here, he…
GM: says i i was told to call her marilyn she was a strange witch she found me when i was on the brink of death famished malnourished and without strength she saw something in me that i couldn’t see in myself she taught me to survive and then she went on her way i…
Cassian: did you have such a lovely encounter with such a lovely witch maybe…
GM: encountered her here in in everdale but she was from the veil i could tell very early on in my interactions with her that she wielded insane amounts of power unfathomable power…
Cassian: she’s the prize all these nobles are trying to find in the woods by winning this tournament you…
GM: maybe this is why house godron tries so hard to maintain control of the veil so that they can find her…
Cassian: know what they say about witches: hate and suggestively,
GM: what what do they say i…
Cassian: ah, that’s not important right now. but uh, what’s? uh? where can we take you? where can we drop you? where would you be safe, oh…?
Odine: I… I very much want to meet with this person you speak.
Cassian: dean welcome okay…
GM: haven’t seen her in years. i i do not go to the veil. it is dangerous,
GM: especially then you know that it has become even more dangerous as a fleet you…
Odine: That’s where I’m from.
Odine: That’s why I’m here. I’m…
GM: all saw the curse that took that man’s horse the night should we risk exposing ourselves to such a heinous plague how…
Odine: going to pull the sleeve up on my arm and kind of show it off to him.
GM: long have you had that…
Odine: It’s about 15 years.
GM: like if you don’t mind i’m gonna have him roll a insight check here that’s…
GM: impossible you wouldn’t be speaking to me in such a fashion if you’d had the curse for 15 years your mind would be gone…
Odine: For some it would.
Odine: But I’m… I’m different. I don’t know how to explain it. I come from a long line of witches and… Who… Or… Powerful magic casters who… Somehow are immune to this but still show symptoms.
GM: odin give me a persuasion check anyone…
GM: else assisting here attempting to help with her…
Odine: That’s a 16?
GM: is anyone and is anyone else uh high or or proficient with persuasion if…
Azrith: persuasion you say yeah…
Cassian: i see it in my room…
GM: you’re. if you’re assisting odin with this, then she can roll with advantage here.
GM: what do you say? what do you say to him, azarith…?
Azrith: uh I’ll I’ll assist her…
Azrith: I know from what I’ve seen uh it doesn’t it happens fairly quickly and yes that thing doesn’t make sense with her but seeing that she’s able to be here talk normally know who she is where she’s from and everything says otherwise…
GM: but do you want to try it one more and just see if we get any higher than a 16 here before i read…
Odine: Yeah,
Odine: I was like, look… Look, I’m from the Vale. I… I know my way around and I know my people. They don’t like outsiders, but… I left because I… I need help to fight the evil that’s there.
GM: okay…
Odine: Would you… I can protect you. Would you go with me? And I’m going to try my role now. So… Persuasion again.
Odine: 16, same thing.
GM: we’re gonna call this. we’re gonna call this a success, but it’s a moderate success.
Odine: So…
Odine: Okay.
GM: uh, i think yeah,
Odine: Then I’m going to follow it up with…
Odine: I will follow it up real quick by saying, look… There’s much to tell you and I’m going to look around but like I… I don’t dare speak of it here. It’s…
GM: i…
GM: i agree, but i also don’t dare go with you during daylight hours to the fair. so let’s try this. and he bends down and he picks up two stones and he places them inside of his box and he waves his fingers in a somatic gesture. and then, as he pulls these rocks out, he hands one to you, odin, and says: this will only work one time, but you can speak to me through this stone. you can send me a message.
Odine: a Rocky Taki.
GM: this is a rocky talkie. you can send me one message, no more than a couple of sentences, and i can reply to your mind. use it at night, at a time when you have a safe place where i can come and find you. for now i plan to lay low. i know how to stay out of the way. i know how to stay unseen.
Aldric: Ha ha ha.
GM: i think that it would be wise for me to do so over the course of the next couple days, as i have no doubt they will come looking for those men that we left dead in that cemetery whether…
Odine: Okay.
Odine: I take the stone and put it in a pouch around my waist and say, okay, I’ll be in touch.
Cassian: yeah did you say we i don’t know about weed not everybody here was involved in the death of the guys i mean there was one eldritch blast but honestly i really didn’t have anything to do with that very…
Odine: So… Okay.
GM: it was our intent or fault or not they are dead and it it will be viewed a certain way certainly you can agree…
Cassian: philosophical of you yes yes of course let’s go come on move along people let’s go find a place to rest yeah…
Azrith: that was…
GM: you should actually let’s see jevin’s got a tip for you there you…
GM: should go find a space in the campgrounds of the the king’s fair there’s a makeshift tavern that’s been set up they call it the ragged flagon the nobles don’t like to fish around there so it’s a good place to lie low…
Odine: Thank you.
Cassian: let’s do this your…
Odine: How are we going to… Wait. What’s the plan to prove this? Is… Is Jeffen coming with us and then leaving? Or… Because it’s nighttime, right? Like he… Yeah. All…
GM: is it is nighttime he is going to disappear into the shadows and try to lay low for a few days but he said he said that if if you need him you can call him at night and he’ll come find you and he’ll come find you in the fair but he doesn’t want to show his face during the day…
Odine: right, cool. So he’s going to prove to this lady that we did this. Okay, cool. Also. But… Cool.
GM: yeah he’s not he’s not willing to go walk around there for very long so yeah…
Odine: And that’s fine. And that’s fine. Got it. I think that’s one of our goals for the next couple of days of the fair.
GM: okay tomorrow evening yes your first your first bout on the proving grounds the four of you are uh enrolled for a group battle against some other party um i believe it was at sundown yeah…
Odine: Do we like tomorrow or do we participate in the tourney tomorrow? Because… I’m just trying to remember. Yeah. Okay. Cool.
Odine: Okay. Yeah.
GM: sweet should we put a pin in it there that seems like a decent stopping point in the evening okay…
Aldric: Yeah, I’d say so. It was.
Odine: That was fun.
Azrith: very fun.
Odine: First battle.
Azrith: i loved it.
Aldric: Yeah.
Aldric: I got to whip out my first joke.
Odine: Yeah,
Azrith: it was a good joke i…
Aldric: Okay,
Odine: you did. Your first… Oh.
Cassian: first sword your first joke okay…
Odine: Yeah.
GM: uh,
Odine: That’s awesome.
GM: i love this group.
Aldric: there’s plenty more.
Odine: You’re good,
Odine: though.
GM: dynamic is very interesting. there’s a.
GM: there’s a little bit of like a tugging thing going on around you guys. yeah, it’ll be fun. this is going to be interesting, yeah…
Azrith: just…
Odine: Yeah.
Aldric: Yeah. Can’t, can’t wait to see, uh,
Odine: I dig it.
Aldric: to see where we end up. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Yeah.
Cassian: guys i’m so excited to play every week it’s…
Odine: Me, too.
Azrith: i just had a thought. azerith is just walking around casually while his hand is legit rotting.
Azrith: just just just. it’s fine. i just,
Azrith: i just need a good sleep. yeah,
Odine: That’s good.
Odine: You have to, like, spice it. Yeah.
Cassian: just a little necrosy don’t worry about it you you you you you you
Azrith: a nice rest will do the trick you.
GM: yeah