Sunday, March 24, 2019

Blossom Fall, Episode 10

Colonial Caerdia: Blossom Fall is a story being told through a 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign I'm running at a local hobby shop called the Devil's Bench. If you aren't already familiar with this series, you can find the beginning over here.

You can find the previous episode here.

17th-27th of Waxing Spring, 0 AL

When last we left our heroes, Jojen was unconscious the rest of the group was going through the pockets of the kobolds they had slaughtered, finding little of value. John approaches the netted hairy creature the kobolds had been dragging along with him, and determines that it is alive, though little else. The group decides to waste no time in getting out of the area - carrying Jojen and their unconscious kobold to their boat, then remembering to bring the hairy orc right before leaving.

On the journey back downriver, Jojen awakens, as does their kobold captive - though, in the case of the kobold, it's mouth is tied shut. In the evening, they make camp near the fork in the river. They question the kobold, trying to discover more about where the black dragon Nurcukka reigns and how long he has been around. They're slightly more successful in getting more information about the surrounding area, learning that the other branch of the river has some nearby ruined village of some sort and leads to some mountains. It goes on to ask to be freed, because it has been so helpful, and it doesn't like the direction they're going.

I'Un pulls John aside for a talk about how to handle this while Jojen asks the kobold about why it's so concerned about the direction they're going. It explains that everything within two or three days of some mysterious thing called the 'ocean' has been claimed by something called the Soggy Alliance. The kobold isn't able to tell much about them other than that they kill anyone found in their lands, and that no one has even gone there in generations because of them.

John then comes up, kills the kobold, and throws it in the river. I'Un protests that they could have used the kobold to prove what they found to everyone back in camp, but the body has already washed away.

Jojen then revives Woo-die, his hairy orc friend who had been held captive by the orcs. Woo-die is panicked and desperate to flee to the east, away from the Somvidian Empire, but when Jojen mentions his own name, Woo-die has a moment of clarity and tells him that Da-Beat got a message from Serge: "The Isle has fallen to the Abyss." This alarms Jojen, but he can't get much more out of Woo-die, who resumes his desire to flee east and certainly doesn't seem to be entirely right in his mind. He is eventually convinced that he is safe here and should get some sleep.

Over the next few days as they journey home, Woo-die needs to be convinced every day that he doesn't need to flee further east - that they are on another continent and safe from the Somvidain Empire.

When they arrive back at camp, they find much changed - more simple houses have been built and a lot of the land south of the river has been cleared to be turned into farmlands. Most startling, though, is that Lord Krandig is missing from his usual camp, to be replaced by Leshanna - who they had forgotten to bring with them - who is speaking with a tiefling woman. Seeing a tiefling, Jojen immediately heads to the tavern instead - followed closely by I'Un, who is a bit nervous due to how scantily clad the tiefling is. Vala spared a couple words for them before heading off to sleep in her barrel.

John arrives a bit later than the others, having returned the boat to the sailors first, and goes to speak with Leshanna and the tiefling - Luna. They are later rejoined by I'Un, after he has acquired some strong spirits from the tavern's brewer in exchange for a promise to assist him in his work - an offer welcomed, as the man hasn't had an assistant since his nephew joined the fight against the Empire. The four talk into the night, drinking and sharing a bit of their pasts. Luna shows them the egg that was given into her care before her temple was was destroyed, claiming it is a dragon egg. She and I'Un bond over the shared experience of having the temples they called home destroyed.

Jojen tries to find Lord Krandig, and eventually finds him in a small house built for him by Sillo and some others. Somehow he has also managed to acquire some very nice furniture. Jojen fills him in on what the group has found on this excursion, and Krandig tells Jojen of the latest political goings-on, with particular complaints about Lady Tialda who is maneuvering herself to become queen if all goes her way. When Jojen leaves, he spots Luna at the fire with his friends and decides to sleep at the tavern.

The next day, Jojen arranges with Wyatt to put on a performance at the under-construction tavern, then put's Woo-die into the care of the priest, Glavel, who seems to have been able to calm him a little. Finally, he goes and introduces himself to Lady Tialda, aspiring to learn what type of leader she will be and inviting her to the concert he intends to give.

John recruits Leshanna, Luna, and Jojen to help him build himself a house out in the woods behind the tavern, though Jojen changes his mind once he discovers Luna is working there as well. I'Un flat-out refuses to help, choosing instead to spend his time with the brewer, Kendrik, making spirits and swapping tales.

On the night of his performance, Jojen goes to fetch John to perform with him, but once again walks away upon seeing Luna. John sees him and comes to perform anyway. The performance goes incredibly well - with Wyatt, the future tavern-owner, joining in as well. Through song accompanied by music and magic, he tells the tale of what he and his group have been doing since landing, and of everything they have discovered - proof of other civilization having been here, the kobolds, the dragon, and the Soggy Alliance. At the end of the performance, Luna, Leshanna, Vala, and I'Un, out in the crowd, note that some people believe the story is true, while others think it was just a fun story and a great show. John once again asks Jojen to help with his house, and Jojen agrees.

When John fetches Jojen to work on the house the next day, he catches Jojen from turning and leaving at the sight of Luna, telling him off for judging a book by its cover. He manages to convince Jojen to help anyway - though Jojen wants to add a small addition on the side for himself. John sets Jojen to work on the roof - conveniently where Luna is working. Jojen isn't very happy about this, though with Luna being shy, he doesn't have to put up with much conversation - though she does compliment him on his performance from the night before. At the end of the day, Jojen recruits Vala to help with the house in the hopes of getting it finished sooner.

They complete the house on the 27th of Waxing Spring, then go to perform at and enjoy the small Celebration of Art and Love festival in honor of Thrume, god of love, luck, and art. It's a nice, relaxing time for them after some of the trying events of the past few months.



And that brings an end to this game session. Find out what our heroes will do next week in Episode 11.

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