All things must come to the end, and such is the case with the weekly summaries of the Dungeons & Dragons games I run at a local hobby shop called the Devil's Bench. If you aren't already aware of these two games, you can follow this link to Once Upon a Tabletop on YouTube or jump to the brief summary I wrote when I switched from video to blog to explore the story of Colonial Caerdia: Lark's Landing, and/or go over here to read the tale of Colonial Caerdia: Blossom Fall.
While I've enjoyed retelling these stories over the past year and a half, I've found that it takes up a large amount of my time every week - in fact, it reached a point where I was spending more time writing up the recaps for the games than I spent actually planning the games. So, though it saddens me that I'll no longer have a continuous record of the events in the games, I've decided that my time could be better spent elsewhere.
That said, the games will still be continuing, so perhaps I might periodically throw up a more concise summery of what has occurred in the story. We'll see what happens.
In the meantime, to fill the gap in your D&D entertainment, I offer you this new filmed D&D game that's also being put on by the Devil's Bench. For now, it's just a pilot, but it goes well, who knows what it could become? Either way, it's certainly something fun to watch.
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Blossom Fall, Episode 22
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.
24th of Waning Spring, 0 AL
When last we left our heroes, they were split up, and Vala had just opened a door into a room containing a dozen goblins. She now hopefully mentions the name "Gyaka", hoping that the goblins might lead her to the goblin who stole her money, but she doesn't stick around to hear the answer. She runs back the way she came and, seeing Jojen, Flint, and Luna coming down the hall to her right, dashes towards them, yelling at the top of her lungs about goblins.
Vala's cries bring I'Un and John bursting out into the hall as well, and I'Un kicks open the door across the hall that leads to the courtyard, finding it overgrown and with a chasm cutting through it. While the yelling has caught the attention of Vala's friends, it also brings goblins out of come of the rooms along the side of the hall, even as the ones chasing Vala show up, shooting arrows at her. Flint cleverly casts a spell that makes it too dangerous for the chasing goblins to follow up the hall, allowing the group to kill off the goblins from the rooms and to pick off some of those that are chasing.
The battle seems to be going well, until more goblins show up from in the courtyard and knock Flint out, making his spell vanish. I'Un and Vala rush to hold off the goblins chasing Vala while the others painstakingly work to save Flint and slay the new goblins. They manage to kill all the goblins but one, which runs off into the courtyard. As everyone regroups, they can hear it off in the distance, yelling.
The group has a debate - stay and rest, or leave? Half want to stay, the other half want to leave, and they eventually decide to leave - but I'Un insists they leave through the secret passage he's sure is in the library. However, as he and John sneak ahead of the others, they hear a lot of goblins coming from around the corner. They run back to the group and Jojen guides them all into one of the small rooms off the side of the hall, closes the door, and casts an illusion to make the door look like part of the wall.
They huddle down and wait... They hear the goblins go rushing past, then, after some time, some of them come back. They hear doors opening and closing, then... silence. Jojen volunteers to stay awake for the next eight hours so he can keep the illusion up while everyone else gets some rest. However, after four hours, the door is opened by a goblin. Jojen quickly crams the creature an instructs it to inform its fellows that everything is fine and there's no one in this room, then wakes everyone else to get them to leave.
There is once again an argument about the path of exit. I'Un tries very hard to get them to go for the secret passage, but the front door seems safer to the others, so they head that way - seeing the goblin Jojen sent off disappear around the corner. Jojen and John sneak ahead to the end of the hall where John hears the goblin speaking to other goblins near the entrance, telling them about how it found a room behind a door that looked like a wall, but it was okay because there was no one there. Suddenly, the secret passage in the library sounds like a much better idea.
They rush that way, luckily avoiding the eyes of goblins, and shut themselves in the room. I'Un rushes to the statue where he went through a secret passage in his home temple and... it's a different statue. His attempts to open it are unsuccessful. As Jojen is getting frustrated, I'Un and Vala search for some way out - and Vala discovers that I'Un's statue did indeed have a secret passage, but it has a different latch. They rush inside and down into the tunnel, almost forgetting to close the statue behind them.
After following along the tunnel for a while, it opens out into a chasm - seemingly the same one running through the rest of the temple. They can see the tunnel continuing on the far side of the chasm. Frustrated, but feeling they're safe enough for now, they settle down to get the rest they need.
It's getting well into the night by the time they're ready to go again. They begin making plans for making their escape from the temple.
And that's the end of this week's game session. While the game is continuing on, this is also where the recaps of the game will be ending. To read more about it, you continue to this blog post.
You can find the previous episode here.
24th of Waning Spring, 0 AL
When last we left our heroes, they were split up, and Vala had just opened a door into a room containing a dozen goblins. She now hopefully mentions the name "Gyaka", hoping that the goblins might lead her to the goblin who stole her money, but she doesn't stick around to hear the answer. She runs back the way she came and, seeing Jojen, Flint, and Luna coming down the hall to her right, dashes towards them, yelling at the top of her lungs about goblins.
Vala's cries bring I'Un and John bursting out into the hall as well, and I'Un kicks open the door across the hall that leads to the courtyard, finding it overgrown and with a chasm cutting through it. While the yelling has caught the attention of Vala's friends, it also brings goblins out of come of the rooms along the side of the hall, even as the ones chasing Vala show up, shooting arrows at her. Flint cleverly casts a spell that makes it too dangerous for the chasing goblins to follow up the hall, allowing the group to kill off the goblins from the rooms and to pick off some of those that are chasing.
The battle seems to be going well, until more goblins show up from in the courtyard and knock Flint out, making his spell vanish. I'Un and Vala rush to hold off the goblins chasing Vala while the others painstakingly work to save Flint and slay the new goblins. They manage to kill all the goblins but one, which runs off into the courtyard. As everyone regroups, they can hear it off in the distance, yelling.
The group has a debate - stay and rest, or leave? Half want to stay, the other half want to leave, and they eventually decide to leave - but I'Un insists they leave through the secret passage he's sure is in the library. However, as he and John sneak ahead of the others, they hear a lot of goblins coming from around the corner. They run back to the group and Jojen guides them all into one of the small rooms off the side of the hall, closes the door, and casts an illusion to make the door look like part of the wall.
They huddle down and wait... They hear the goblins go rushing past, then, after some time, some of them come back. They hear doors opening and closing, then... silence. Jojen volunteers to stay awake for the next eight hours so he can keep the illusion up while everyone else gets some rest. However, after four hours, the door is opened by a goblin. Jojen quickly crams the creature an instructs it to inform its fellows that everything is fine and there's no one in this room, then wakes everyone else to get them to leave.
There is once again an argument about the path of exit. I'Un tries very hard to get them to go for the secret passage, but the front door seems safer to the others, so they head that way - seeing the goblin Jojen sent off disappear around the corner. Jojen and John sneak ahead to the end of the hall where John hears the goblin speaking to other goblins near the entrance, telling them about how it found a room behind a door that looked like a wall, but it was okay because there was no one there. Suddenly, the secret passage in the library sounds like a much better idea.
They rush that way, luckily avoiding the eyes of goblins, and shut themselves in the room. I'Un rushes to the statue where he went through a secret passage in his home temple and... it's a different statue. His attempts to open it are unsuccessful. As Jojen is getting frustrated, I'Un and Vala search for some way out - and Vala discovers that I'Un's statue did indeed have a secret passage, but it has a different latch. They rush inside and down into the tunnel, almost forgetting to close the statue behind them.
After following along the tunnel for a while, it opens out into a chasm - seemingly the same one running through the rest of the temple. They can see the tunnel continuing on the far side of the chasm. Frustrated, but feeling they're safe enough for now, they settle down to get the rest they need.
It's getting well into the night by the time they're ready to go again. They begin making plans for making their escape from the temple.
And that's the end of this week's game session. While the game is continuing on, this is also where the recaps of the game will be ending. To read more about it, you continue to this blog post.
Friday, June 21, 2019
Lark's Landing, Episode 72
Colonial Caerdia: Lark's Landing 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 familiar with this ongoing story, you can follow this link to Once Upon a Tabletop on YouTube to hear the start of it or read the brief summary I wrote when I switched from video to blog.
You can find the previous episode here.
8th-9th of Waning Fall, 1AL
Patrick has just crumpled to the floor, unconscious and bleeding out from a double-handed axe blow from Logan, who appears to be quite delighted by this circumstance. The rest of the 3rd Watch leap into action, taking out Logan before he can do any more damage. Extang pours a healing potion into Patrick while Logan is securely tied and placed on the floor with the immovable rod inside his armor. This done, they settle down to wait through the night so Patrick can remove the latest curse Logan has clearly gotten himself entangled with.
When Logan wakes up, he immediately begins struggling to escape, but his efforts seem futile - so he refocuses his attention on breaking his armor so he can wriggle out of it. He succeeds on breaking the first strap while T'Zaric has flown out of the castle's tower to investigate a campfire - which turns out to have one humanoid-looking person cooking their lunch, which doesn't seem to be a problem, so he returns to the tower. When her turns his watch over to Quib, he informs the bard of the fire, then heads off to sleep.
Out by the fire, an elven ranger named Somolor sees a strange shape fly out of the castle, hover over him, then fly back to the tall, central tower. So he packs up and goes to investigate - using his magic to allow him to jump his way up onto the balcony, where he skulks around the outside, observing the strange happenings within, wondering about the context.
While Quib is guarding, Logan manages to break another strap, but Quib hears it and rushes over. Bound hand and foot, all Logan can do is try to headbutt Quib as he adjusts the positioning of the immovable rod so Logan is once again immobilized. Frustrated, Logan begins subtly working at the ropes binding him.
When Quib hands the watch over to Extang, he tells him about the broken armor, which Extang uses his magic to mend. He's more active in his watch, going out onto the balcony and hopping down to the roof, but doesn't see anything concerning since Somolor proves adept at avoiding him. Then, as he's returning to check up on Logan, he walks in just as the ropes snap.
He casts a spell, sending fire to burn Logan and waking the others, but Logan deactivates the immovable rod, jumps up, and hurries out onto the balcony - where he drops the item over the edge. Angered that someone would throw away a magic item, Extang charges at Logan, throwing him from the balcony and jumping off after, casting featherfall on himself so he can slowly drift down to the ground.
In response to this, Patrick, still half-asleep, uses his cloak to try to teleport to the ground - and misjudges by a lot. He appears in mid-air, crashing to unconsciousness not far from where Logan does the same. Quib also runs out, jumping off the balcony and featherfalling himself for a safe descent.
T'Zaric is left alone in the tower until Somolor runs in, demanding to know what's going on. T'Zaric says it will take to long to explain, learns that Somolor has some healing magic, and requests that the elf lets him carry him down to the ground to heal his friend. Somolor agrees, but part way down, Quib tells the two of them to drop, assuring them he'll cast featherfall on them. T'Zaric tries to reinforce this by telling Somolor to jump down, but Somolor doesn't like the look of that fall and is very uncertain about these people. Once again invoking his jumping magic, he leaps off of T'Zaric and back onto the balcony. T'Zaric follows after, apologizes, and convinces the elf to come down again - but this time, part way down, T'Zaric turns himself into mist, allowing Somolor to fall. Quib catches him with a spell, and he drifts down to the ground beside Logan - who he heals.
As Logan wakes up, Extang breathes poison in his face, taking him out again, and instructs Somolor to revive Patrick instead - which he does. Patrick makes sure Logan is stable, then they all get back to completing their rest. Extang spends the remainder of his watch trying to enlighten Somolor on the situation.
As evening falls, they're feeling at least mostly refreshed. Patrick removes the curse afflicting Logan, and Quib says Logan is never allowed to have an axe again. Quib then teleports up into the tower, where T'Zaric slept, bringing with him a diamond ring they found. The two of them agree that saving the petrified Fiaeorri is worth more than the rather high value of the ring, and they crush the diamond into dust so Quib can use some of it to turn Fiaeorri back to flesh and blood - but it doesn't work.
Now turning their interests to the orb in the tower's hidden attic, which T'Zaric believes can be used to control the castle's movement, the entire group is brought back up into the tower. Patrick, upon hearing T'Zaric's recounting of what interacting with it was like, volunteers, and finds himself touching what he believes to be the very large and slow mind of the castle. After a few interruptions, in which he discovers that time is passing far faster than he thinks, he spends six hours communing with the consciousness.
While this is going on, Extang tries to determine a way to save Fiaorri, arriving at the conclusion that he must somehow return her soul to her body from the cursed axe. Quib wanders lower in the tower, finding that he recognizes the lowest level. Seeing no orcs, he makes his way to the library, then to the baths - where he takes a bath before returning to the others.
Patrick emerges from his reverie imparting the information he received as he interprets it. The castle is hurting and wants someone to take care of it, and to be repaired. The group accepts this information, but decide to sleep through the night before moving onward, as it's been a really rough day and they'd like to fix their sleep patterns.
And that's where this week's game session ends. While the game is continuing on, this is also where the recaps of the game will be ending. To read more about it, you continue to this blog post.
You can find the previous episode here.
8th-9th of Waning Fall, 1AL
Patrick has just crumpled to the floor, unconscious and bleeding out from a double-handed axe blow from Logan, who appears to be quite delighted by this circumstance. The rest of the 3rd Watch leap into action, taking out Logan before he can do any more damage. Extang pours a healing potion into Patrick while Logan is securely tied and placed on the floor with the immovable rod inside his armor. This done, they settle down to wait through the night so Patrick can remove the latest curse Logan has clearly gotten himself entangled with.
When Logan wakes up, he immediately begins struggling to escape, but his efforts seem futile - so he refocuses his attention on breaking his armor so he can wriggle out of it. He succeeds on breaking the first strap while T'Zaric has flown out of the castle's tower to investigate a campfire - which turns out to have one humanoid-looking person cooking their lunch, which doesn't seem to be a problem, so he returns to the tower. When her turns his watch over to Quib, he informs the bard of the fire, then heads off to sleep.
Out by the fire, an elven ranger named Somolor sees a strange shape fly out of the castle, hover over him, then fly back to the tall, central tower. So he packs up and goes to investigate - using his magic to allow him to jump his way up onto the balcony, where he skulks around the outside, observing the strange happenings within, wondering about the context.
While Quib is guarding, Logan manages to break another strap, but Quib hears it and rushes over. Bound hand and foot, all Logan can do is try to headbutt Quib as he adjusts the positioning of the immovable rod so Logan is once again immobilized. Frustrated, Logan begins subtly working at the ropes binding him.
When Quib hands the watch over to Extang, he tells him about the broken armor, which Extang uses his magic to mend. He's more active in his watch, going out onto the balcony and hopping down to the roof, but doesn't see anything concerning since Somolor proves adept at avoiding him. Then, as he's returning to check up on Logan, he walks in just as the ropes snap.
He casts a spell, sending fire to burn Logan and waking the others, but Logan deactivates the immovable rod, jumps up, and hurries out onto the balcony - where he drops the item over the edge. Angered that someone would throw away a magic item, Extang charges at Logan, throwing him from the balcony and jumping off after, casting featherfall on himself so he can slowly drift down to the ground.
In response to this, Patrick, still half-asleep, uses his cloak to try to teleport to the ground - and misjudges by a lot. He appears in mid-air, crashing to unconsciousness not far from where Logan does the same. Quib also runs out, jumping off the balcony and featherfalling himself for a safe descent.
T'Zaric is left alone in the tower until Somolor runs in, demanding to know what's going on. T'Zaric says it will take to long to explain, learns that Somolor has some healing magic, and requests that the elf lets him carry him down to the ground to heal his friend. Somolor agrees, but part way down, Quib tells the two of them to drop, assuring them he'll cast featherfall on them. T'Zaric tries to reinforce this by telling Somolor to jump down, but Somolor doesn't like the look of that fall and is very uncertain about these people. Once again invoking his jumping magic, he leaps off of T'Zaric and back onto the balcony. T'Zaric follows after, apologizes, and convinces the elf to come down again - but this time, part way down, T'Zaric turns himself into mist, allowing Somolor to fall. Quib catches him with a spell, and he drifts down to the ground beside Logan - who he heals.
As Logan wakes up, Extang breathes poison in his face, taking him out again, and instructs Somolor to revive Patrick instead - which he does. Patrick makes sure Logan is stable, then they all get back to completing their rest. Extang spends the remainder of his watch trying to enlighten Somolor on the situation.
As evening falls, they're feeling at least mostly refreshed. Patrick removes the curse afflicting Logan, and Quib says Logan is never allowed to have an axe again. Quib then teleports up into the tower, where T'Zaric slept, bringing with him a diamond ring they found. The two of them agree that saving the petrified Fiaeorri is worth more than the rather high value of the ring, and they crush the diamond into dust so Quib can use some of it to turn Fiaeorri back to flesh and blood - but it doesn't work.
Now turning their interests to the orb in the tower's hidden attic, which T'Zaric believes can be used to control the castle's movement, the entire group is brought back up into the tower. Patrick, upon hearing T'Zaric's recounting of what interacting with it was like, volunteers, and finds himself touching what he believes to be the very large and slow mind of the castle. After a few interruptions, in which he discovers that time is passing far faster than he thinks, he spends six hours communing with the consciousness.
While this is going on, Extang tries to determine a way to save Fiaorri, arriving at the conclusion that he must somehow return her soul to her body from the cursed axe. Quib wanders lower in the tower, finding that he recognizes the lowest level. Seeing no orcs, he makes his way to the library, then to the baths - where he takes a bath before returning to the others.
Patrick emerges from his reverie imparting the information he received as he interprets it. The castle is hurting and wants someone to take care of it, and to be repaired. The group accepts this information, but decide to sleep through the night before moving onward, as it's been a really rough day and they'd like to fix their sleep patterns.
And that's where this week's game session ends. While the game is continuing on, this is also where the recaps of the game will be ending. To read more about it, you continue to this blog post.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Blossom Fall, Episode 21
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.
23rd-24th of Waning Spring, 0 AL
Having driven off the harpies, our group of adventurers slay the big slime thing that really seems to want to eat Flint. It leaves behind a pile of bones and detritus, but I'Un and Vala, fighting over what treasure they may find, don't manage to find anything interesting. The group gets back up on the stairs and continue the climb as it twists and turns up into the mountains. Then the stairs stop...
They look around for any signs of the path continuing on, but find nothing - though Jojen spots something flashing higher up to the south east. Flint casts a spell allowing him to speak with animals and finds a squirrel that, when asked about a cave, says there's one to the south east. So, following a trail Jojen picks out, they continue in that direction, heading for whatever is flashing. They eventually come within sight of a building that I'Un finds very familiar, as it looks much like the home he grew up in. However, it's late, so they bed down for the night.
In the morning, they continue on. Vala and John scout ahead, discovering a crude hide flag sewn with metal discs flapping above the archway of the outer courtyard. They're about to start scouting around the outside of the building when they're called back to the others. Flint is going to try to talk to an animal to make scouting safer. However, before he finishes casting the spell, a group of five goblins comes out of the temple, spots them, and turn to rush back inside.
The group charges after them, not wanting them to escape and alert other goblins to their presence. I'Un and John are the fastest, and they manage to catch up to the goblins and kill them as they're getting into the main building. The others arrive, panting, and they take a breather to determine what to do next. I'Un begins to note a number of subtle differences to his temple; some of the statues are different, there's a giant chasm running through the middle of the grand dojo, and there's a plaque on the outside claiming that the temple is full of heretics that the first Emperor of Drovinaar has said are okay so long as they keep their religion inside their own walls. At Jojen's request, Flint is able to determine that the plaque is around 3000 years old.
They continue into the temple, following I'Un's memory - as it does appear to have the same layout as the temple he grew up in. They move cautiously into the training room, keeping their eyes open for goblins, but they don't see any. Under I'Un's direction, they find their way to the library, which Jojen, John, and Luna are left to search while the rest follow I'Un to the grandmaster's office.
A search of the library finds no books, but in the desk drawer they find a broken clay tablet with writing on it. It speaks of something attacking and someone being sent away to protect something called the Theragat which was on her back and very important to keep out of the wrong hands, and would need someone to collect it when it when it returns to liquid form upon her death. Not fully understanding this, but guessing it's important, they carefully wrap it up and bring it down the hall to the rest of the group in the grandmaster's office.
As they arrive, they find Vala holding another clay tablet, with I'Un looking at it - but as they enter, Vala drops it in response to I'Un saying it was too dangerous to let the others see it. However, I'Un needs the information on it - which speaks of something he's never heard of before called the Theragat which has locked something away, but has images and text that makes him believe it is talking about the tattoo on his back and how to manipulate and move it. The nimble monk catches it as it's about to hit the floor and hugs it to his chest, keeping the others from seeing it - though Vala, having seen the tattoo before, has been able to connect the image on the tablet to the tattoo.
Jojen, John, and Luna share the information on the tablet they found, but Jojen and John are quite irked when I'Un insists the contents of his tablet are too dangerous for him to share. John calls Jojen out into the hall, and they make a plan to steal the tablet while I'Un is sleeping if they have to. But first they attempt and fail to get information out of Vala, and make another attempt to convince I'Un to share the information. When the monk still refuses, Jojen turns to leave, saying he's returning to the settlement, but Flint casts a spell on the room bringing emotions back to a reasonable level and convinces everyone to talk it out. They don't really progress much further, and Vala gets bored and wanders off to check a couple of the nearby rooms - returning after finding one with a sleeping goblin she killed.
Since Vala is interested in finding treasure, I'Un leads him and John back to the storage room off the training hall, while Jojen stays behind with Flint and Luna to do a thorough search of the grandmaster's room, turning up nothing before following. In the storage room, the only useful looking item they find looks like some kind of silk dress that appears to be magical. They flip a coin for who gets it, and John wins. He sits down to identify its properties with I'Un, while Vala, bored once again, wanders off into the training hall. Finding nothing interesting, she opens a door to one of the smaller training dojos, finding a group of goblins inside.
And that's where this week's game session ends. Check back in next week to find out what happens in Episode 22.
You can find the previous episode here.
23rd-24th of Waning Spring, 0 AL
Having driven off the harpies, our group of adventurers slay the big slime thing that really seems to want to eat Flint. It leaves behind a pile of bones and detritus, but I'Un and Vala, fighting over what treasure they may find, don't manage to find anything interesting. The group gets back up on the stairs and continue the climb as it twists and turns up into the mountains. Then the stairs stop...
They look around for any signs of the path continuing on, but find nothing - though Jojen spots something flashing higher up to the south east. Flint casts a spell allowing him to speak with animals and finds a squirrel that, when asked about a cave, says there's one to the south east. So, following a trail Jojen picks out, they continue in that direction, heading for whatever is flashing. They eventually come within sight of a building that I'Un finds very familiar, as it looks much like the home he grew up in. However, it's late, so they bed down for the night.
In the morning, they continue on. Vala and John scout ahead, discovering a crude hide flag sewn with metal discs flapping above the archway of the outer courtyard. They're about to start scouting around the outside of the building when they're called back to the others. Flint is going to try to talk to an animal to make scouting safer. However, before he finishes casting the spell, a group of five goblins comes out of the temple, spots them, and turn to rush back inside.
The group charges after them, not wanting them to escape and alert other goblins to their presence. I'Un and John are the fastest, and they manage to catch up to the goblins and kill them as they're getting into the main building. The others arrive, panting, and they take a breather to determine what to do next. I'Un begins to note a number of subtle differences to his temple; some of the statues are different, there's a giant chasm running through the middle of the grand dojo, and there's a plaque on the outside claiming that the temple is full of heretics that the first Emperor of Drovinaar has said are okay so long as they keep their religion inside their own walls. At Jojen's request, Flint is able to determine that the plaque is around 3000 years old.
They continue into the temple, following I'Un's memory - as it does appear to have the same layout as the temple he grew up in. They move cautiously into the training room, keeping their eyes open for goblins, but they don't see any. Under I'Un's direction, they find their way to the library, which Jojen, John, and Luna are left to search while the rest follow I'Un to the grandmaster's office.
A search of the library finds no books, but in the desk drawer they find a broken clay tablet with writing on it. It speaks of something attacking and someone being sent away to protect something called the Theragat which was on her back and very important to keep out of the wrong hands, and would need someone to collect it when it when it returns to liquid form upon her death. Not fully understanding this, but guessing it's important, they carefully wrap it up and bring it down the hall to the rest of the group in the grandmaster's office.
As they arrive, they find Vala holding another clay tablet, with I'Un looking at it - but as they enter, Vala drops it in response to I'Un saying it was too dangerous to let the others see it. However, I'Un needs the information on it - which speaks of something he's never heard of before called the Theragat which has locked something away, but has images and text that makes him believe it is talking about the tattoo on his back and how to manipulate and move it. The nimble monk catches it as it's about to hit the floor and hugs it to his chest, keeping the others from seeing it - though Vala, having seen the tattoo before, has been able to connect the image on the tablet to the tattoo.
Jojen, John, and Luna share the information on the tablet they found, but Jojen and John are quite irked when I'Un insists the contents of his tablet are too dangerous for him to share. John calls Jojen out into the hall, and they make a plan to steal the tablet while I'Un is sleeping if they have to. But first they attempt and fail to get information out of Vala, and make another attempt to convince I'Un to share the information. When the monk still refuses, Jojen turns to leave, saying he's returning to the settlement, but Flint casts a spell on the room bringing emotions back to a reasonable level and convinces everyone to talk it out. They don't really progress much further, and Vala gets bored and wanders off to check a couple of the nearby rooms - returning after finding one with a sleeping goblin she killed.
Since Vala is interested in finding treasure, I'Un leads him and John back to the storage room off the training hall, while Jojen stays behind with Flint and Luna to do a thorough search of the grandmaster's room, turning up nothing before following. In the storage room, the only useful looking item they find looks like some kind of silk dress that appears to be magical. They flip a coin for who gets it, and John wins. He sits down to identify its properties with I'Un, while Vala, bored once again, wanders off into the training hall. Finding nothing interesting, she opens a door to one of the smaller training dojos, finding a group of goblins inside.
And that's where this week's game session ends. Check back in next week to find out what happens in Episode 22.
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Lark's Landing, Episode 71
Colonial Caerdia: Lark's Landing 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 familiar with this ongoing story, you can follow this link to Once Upon a Tabletop on YouTube to hear the start of it or read the brief summary I wrote when I switched from video to blog.
You can find the previous episode here.
8th of Waning Fall, 1AL
The 3rd Watch have found themselves split up, with T'Zaric closed away in the secret attic room he found, examining some type of orb, Extang attuning to an item on the top floor of the tower, along with Patrick and Logan, and Quib and Fiaeorri running down to the next level of the tower, chasing an orc, only to find an additional six orcs waiting in the room below. The orcs swarm in of Fiaeorri and Quib, some of them summoning up magical spears to attack as well. Back upstairs, Extang knows he's almost finished bonding with his item, but he, Logan, and Patrick also spot some movement out on the balcony. Extang sticks to his work, but Logan and Patrick head down the stairs, responding to a call from Quib saying he and Fiaeorri were surrounded.
T'Zaric, only having heard a muffled call, makes his way out of the secret room to investigate what is happening. He arrives just in time for the tower's doors to swing open, followed by orcs rushing into the room to attack him and Extang, also accompanied by floating spears. He begins fighting back, as does Extang, who has finally finished bonding to the magical bracelet. They navigate around the room, often with the help of spells, allowing for some fireballs, but the orcs are relentless. T'Zaric goes down to a lucky blow, and the orcs move in on Extang, pinning him into a corner.
Down below, the fight is going fairly well, in spite of overwhelming odds. Quib has most of the orcs dazed, but more orcs have been coming up the stairs - one on a dire wolf, and another big orc on a dangerous, ice-breathing winter wolf. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that they are fighting for their lives. Quib, hearing fighting upstairs, is able to break away from the fight to discover where T'Zaric and Extang are and is able to revive T'Zaric, then teturns below when he sees that T'Zaric and Extang clearly have the situation handled.
T'Zaric and Extang do seem to have the situation in hand, with all but one of the orcs getting killed off, and Extang using the magic bracelet to start the last one turning to stone before the two of them head down the stairs to join the others - where they find that Fiaeorri has climbed up on the back of the winter wolf beside to slay it, ignoring the hits coming from the huge orc astride the wolf. As they watch, Fiaeorri swings around the orc to drive her rapier into the skull of the wolf, and it crashes to the ground.
Over on the stairs, Patrick is glowing with radiant light and holding back the orcish reinforcements, but there's only so much one person can do. He falls, but Logan is quick to get to his side to revive him. Extang then turns Fiaeorri into a dire wolf and Quib into a t-rex - cramped in this small space. With the extra endurance of these creatures, the group take down the orc chieftain and finally clear the room of orcs. Silence falls, and it seems no more reinforcements are coming.
Fiaeorri, heavily wounded, makes her way back upstairs to the glass cabinet and the treasures within. T'Zaric similarly goes upstairs, heading straight for the orb. He tries to pick it up and... loses himself, becoming - or believing he's become - something much larger, feeling quite lonely and distressed with some sort of itchy, filthy pests running around inside him and hurting him, but also with a hint of hope that something has been found to end this problem.
Downstairs, the rest loot a fair amount of treasure from the orcs, including a probably magic greataxe which is given into Logan's care, as well a magical, glowing shortsword that has caught Quib's eye. Then they head back upstairs to use Extang's bracelet to access the cabinet - where they find Fiaeorri pressed up against the glass, gazing covetously within, and made entirely of stone. They rush to her side, trying to find what could have caused this, and find that though she is stone, there is blood running from a wound gashed in her arm. Patrick heals this, but he's used up all his spells and there's nothing else he can think to do to help her currently.
Noticing the absence of T'Zaric, Extang hops up into the room above and finds him with his hands pressed against an orb on a stand, staring into the orb, but not moving. He pulls T'Zaric away, who manages to snap out of his reverie. They return to the others, open holes into the cabinet through the stonework, and fetch out the various treasures held within. They each sit down with an item they believe to be magical, learning their secrets and their properties.
However, none of them are paying attention to the fact that Logan has gone back to the room downstairs, alone, and is bonding with the axe without having any idea what it may be. An hour passes, and the group hear a strange sound, like metal being dragged along stone. Scrape-thump. Scrape-thump. Scrape-thump.
Logan appears at the top of the stairs, dragging the axe behind him. He takes the haft in both hands and swings it around, bringing the blade down on Patrick, who crumples to the ground.
And that's the end of this week's game session. Find out more next week in Episode 72.
You can find the previous episode here.
8th of Waning Fall, 1AL
The 3rd Watch have found themselves split up, with T'Zaric closed away in the secret attic room he found, examining some type of orb, Extang attuning to an item on the top floor of the tower, along with Patrick and Logan, and Quib and Fiaeorri running down to the next level of the tower, chasing an orc, only to find an additional six orcs waiting in the room below. The orcs swarm in of Fiaeorri and Quib, some of them summoning up magical spears to attack as well. Back upstairs, Extang knows he's almost finished bonding with his item, but he, Logan, and Patrick also spot some movement out on the balcony. Extang sticks to his work, but Logan and Patrick head down the stairs, responding to a call from Quib saying he and Fiaeorri were surrounded.
T'Zaric, only having heard a muffled call, makes his way out of the secret room to investigate what is happening. He arrives just in time for the tower's doors to swing open, followed by orcs rushing into the room to attack him and Extang, also accompanied by floating spears. He begins fighting back, as does Extang, who has finally finished bonding to the magical bracelet. They navigate around the room, often with the help of spells, allowing for some fireballs, but the orcs are relentless. T'Zaric goes down to a lucky blow, and the orcs move in on Extang, pinning him into a corner.
Down below, the fight is going fairly well, in spite of overwhelming odds. Quib has most of the orcs dazed, but more orcs have been coming up the stairs - one on a dire wolf, and another big orc on a dangerous, ice-breathing winter wolf. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that they are fighting for their lives. Quib, hearing fighting upstairs, is able to break away from the fight to discover where T'Zaric and Extang are and is able to revive T'Zaric, then teturns below when he sees that T'Zaric and Extang clearly have the situation handled.
T'Zaric and Extang do seem to have the situation in hand, with all but one of the orcs getting killed off, and Extang using the magic bracelet to start the last one turning to stone before the two of them head down the stairs to join the others - where they find that Fiaeorri has climbed up on the back of the winter wolf beside to slay it, ignoring the hits coming from the huge orc astride the wolf. As they watch, Fiaeorri swings around the orc to drive her rapier into the skull of the wolf, and it crashes to the ground.
Over on the stairs, Patrick is glowing with radiant light and holding back the orcish reinforcements, but there's only so much one person can do. He falls, but Logan is quick to get to his side to revive him. Extang then turns Fiaeorri into a dire wolf and Quib into a t-rex - cramped in this small space. With the extra endurance of these creatures, the group take down the orc chieftain and finally clear the room of orcs. Silence falls, and it seems no more reinforcements are coming.
Fiaeorri, heavily wounded, makes her way back upstairs to the glass cabinet and the treasures within. T'Zaric similarly goes upstairs, heading straight for the orb. He tries to pick it up and... loses himself, becoming - or believing he's become - something much larger, feeling quite lonely and distressed with some sort of itchy, filthy pests running around inside him and hurting him, but also with a hint of hope that something has been found to end this problem.
Downstairs, the rest loot a fair amount of treasure from the orcs, including a probably magic greataxe which is given into Logan's care, as well a magical, glowing shortsword that has caught Quib's eye. Then they head back upstairs to use Extang's bracelet to access the cabinet - where they find Fiaeorri pressed up against the glass, gazing covetously within, and made entirely of stone. They rush to her side, trying to find what could have caused this, and find that though she is stone, there is blood running from a wound gashed in her arm. Patrick heals this, but he's used up all his spells and there's nothing else he can think to do to help her currently.
Noticing the absence of T'Zaric, Extang hops up into the room above and finds him with his hands pressed against an orb on a stand, staring into the orb, but not moving. He pulls T'Zaric away, who manages to snap out of his reverie. They return to the others, open holes into the cabinet through the stonework, and fetch out the various treasures held within. They each sit down with an item they believe to be magical, learning their secrets and their properties.
However, none of them are paying attention to the fact that Logan has gone back to the room downstairs, alone, and is bonding with the axe without having any idea what it may be. An hour passes, and the group hear a strange sound, like metal being dragged along stone. Scrape-thump. Scrape-thump. Scrape-thump.
Logan appears at the top of the stairs, dragging the axe behind him. He takes the haft in both hands and swings it around, bringing the blade down on Patrick, who crumples to the ground.
And that's the end of this week's game session. Find out more next week in Episode 72.
Saturday, June 08, 2019
Blossom Fall, Episode 20
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-23rd of Waning Spring, 0 AL
Our group of adventurers are looking like they are ready to spend some time at their settlement, with a number of them helping out. Then I'Un talks to a number of them, proposing the idea that they could make themselves a cart that will allow them to transport more of what they find while out exploring. The others seem to like this idea, but none of them have carpentry skills, and there's some debate about how the cart will be moved - and it's also debatable if it will be of any use at all without roads cut through the forest.
I'Un and Jojen seek out Jojen's friend Woo-die, wondering if he's able to help with the cart, but the hairy orc is still only shaky on his carpentry skills. He and Silence have shifted their work from the now completed temple to a house for Lord Krandig.
John and Luna make their way out to the farmlands, hoping to secure a beast of burden, and are disappointed when the farmers inform them that the production of food for the entire settlement is more important than helping a handful of people carry treasure, and none of the animals can be spared. However, while there, they meet a very dirty dwarf named Flint. Remembering that they found a book that might be written in dwarvish, they bring him back to meet the others at the tavern.
Flint skims through the book, explaining that it seems to be a record of crimes, complains, and arrests an a village called Egnehst. However, the last pages talk about refugees coming in, claiming to have been driven from their homes by hordes of monsters. The final entry talks about such a horde being spotted descending on Egnehst, and a decision being made to seal the tunnels. Wondering if there may be people to rescue, Jojen examines the text and determines that it was written around 2000 years ago.
They turn their attention back to the words, and get Flint to read them some of the end, and find something that catches I'Un's attention - mention of someone coming to the village from the Temple of the Redeeming Fist up on the mountain. That is the name of I'Un's, back on the continent they came from, but he never heard of there being another one. They decide that this is where they're going, and invite Flint to join them.
The next day, the six head out. They follow the river out to the plains and past the ruined stone village to the base of the mountains, where they find the river being fed by a waterfall. Looking around, they manage to find some ancient and worn steps leading up the side of the mountain. They follow these until they reach a point where the waterfall has worn away all but a narrow ledge of the stairs - and some shadowy, bird-like creature on the far side that begins to sing in a voice so charming that some of them care about nothing other than getting to her. The rest are instantly on guard.
Some of them make their way past the waterfall to attack what turns out to be a harpy, however Flint falls down onto something squishy in the river that begins trying to absorb him into its body. Then three more harpies come down from above, joining in the cliff-side battle. In spite of difficulties, three of the harpies are killed and the fourth flies away. Down below, Flint has managed to escape from the giant jelly cube that is intent on eating him by scrambling up the cliff face to rejoin his friens on the stairs.
And that brings this week's game session to a close. Come back in another week to find out what happens in Episode 21.
You can find the previous episode here.
17th-23rd of Waning Spring, 0 AL
Our group of adventurers are looking like they are ready to spend some time at their settlement, with a number of them helping out. Then I'Un talks to a number of them, proposing the idea that they could make themselves a cart that will allow them to transport more of what they find while out exploring. The others seem to like this idea, but none of them have carpentry skills, and there's some debate about how the cart will be moved - and it's also debatable if it will be of any use at all without roads cut through the forest.
I'Un and Jojen seek out Jojen's friend Woo-die, wondering if he's able to help with the cart, but the hairy orc is still only shaky on his carpentry skills. He and Silence have shifted their work from the now completed temple to a house for Lord Krandig.
John and Luna make their way out to the farmlands, hoping to secure a beast of burden, and are disappointed when the farmers inform them that the production of food for the entire settlement is more important than helping a handful of people carry treasure, and none of the animals can be spared. However, while there, they meet a very dirty dwarf named Flint. Remembering that they found a book that might be written in dwarvish, they bring him back to meet the others at the tavern.
Flint skims through the book, explaining that it seems to be a record of crimes, complains, and arrests an a village called Egnehst. However, the last pages talk about refugees coming in, claiming to have been driven from their homes by hordes of monsters. The final entry talks about such a horde being spotted descending on Egnehst, and a decision being made to seal the tunnels. Wondering if there may be people to rescue, Jojen examines the text and determines that it was written around 2000 years ago.
They turn their attention back to the words, and get Flint to read them some of the end, and find something that catches I'Un's attention - mention of someone coming to the village from the Temple of the Redeeming Fist up on the mountain. That is the name of I'Un's, back on the continent they came from, but he never heard of there being another one. They decide that this is where they're going, and invite Flint to join them.
The next day, the six head out. They follow the river out to the plains and past the ruined stone village to the base of the mountains, where they find the river being fed by a waterfall. Looking around, they manage to find some ancient and worn steps leading up the side of the mountain. They follow these until they reach a point where the waterfall has worn away all but a narrow ledge of the stairs - and some shadowy, bird-like creature on the far side that begins to sing in a voice so charming that some of them care about nothing other than getting to her. The rest are instantly on guard.
Some of them make their way past the waterfall to attack what turns out to be a harpy, however Flint falls down onto something squishy in the river that begins trying to absorb him into its body. Then three more harpies come down from above, joining in the cliff-side battle. In spite of difficulties, three of the harpies are killed and the fourth flies away. Down below, Flint has managed to escape from the giant jelly cube that is intent on eating him by scrambling up the cliff face to rejoin his friens on the stairs.
And that brings this week's game session to a close. Come back in another week to find out what happens in Episode 21.
Lark's Landing, Episode 70
Colonial Caerdia: Lark's Landing 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 familiar with this ongoing story, you can follow this link to Once Upon a Tabletop on YouTube to hear the start of it or read the brief summary I wrote when I switched from video to blog.
You can find the previous episode here.
7th-8th of Waning Fall, 1AL
To escape a a dangerous battle, the 3rd Watch have teleported themselves out of the castle where they were surrounded by orcs - however, they all teleported as pairs in different directions into the night. They all hear the howl of wolves, and know that the orcs and their dire wolves are out seeking them.
Patrick and Logan simply decide to run, continuing to the north, which was the direction they teleported out of the castle. They run until the castle is long out of sight and they find an outcropping of rocks where they settle down to hide.
To the southeast of the castle, Extang and Quib also decide to run, but they decide to run all night to get back to the white house of rock, which they believe to be the most sensible place to go and where the others are sure to head. It's an exhausting journey, but they make it - finding Ruby the giant firebeetle in excellent health and locking themselves in before going to sleep.
T'Zaric carries Fiaeorri up into the air, and they begin a slow and silent circuit of the castle - however, the rest of the 3rd Watch are gone by the time they arrive near them. They widen their circuits, but still find no signs of their friends. The howls of the wolves eventually die away, with still nothing found. Suddenly, T'Zaric gets a magical message in his mind from Patrick, telling him he and Logan are safe and where they are, though they haven't heard from the others. T'Zaric and Fiarorri make their way over to them, Fiaeorri using her shorter range messaging spell to determine when they get close, and the reconvene. They set watches - though the leave one watch empty rather than allowing Logan to take a turn - and sleep into the day. Then Patrick contacts Extang and, learning that he and Quib are back at the white house of rock, the groups heads there to rendezvous and recuperate - pointedly giving the castle a wide berth.
Upon arriving back, deep into the night, they send a message to the council back in Port Noble to update them on their situation before heading to sleep. In the morning, Extang heads out to connect the mote he previously dug to the river - but as he gets closer to the river, he spots the shape of the castle on the far bank. He makes his way back to the others, telling them, rather nervously, what he's found. They had been planning to rest longer before tackling the castle, but they've decided that they can't risk it with the castle right here. They're ready to attack - all except Patrick, who wants to offer the orcs a chance for peace.
The other's aren't keen on this idea, but Extang pulls out his cards to do a reading - which tells them that offering peace is a good, noble, and honorable thing to do. So, they decide to let Patrick try, but they prepare for the worst. T'Zaric will go along with Patrick, ready to teleport him to the the balcony of the castle's tallest tower, where they will be met by the others - who will be flying up there either as or on the backs of giant eagles.
The eagles and their riders depart, getting themselves into position. As they fly above the castle they spot eight orcs down below, patrolling the castle's rooftop. They begin circling the tower, waiting to see the results of Patrick's efforts.
Patrick and T'Zaric approach the castle, remaining as far as they dare. Patrick amplifies his voice and makes his peace offering - the clear reply is a volley of javelins from the orcs on the roof. As Patrick passes out, T'Zaric grabs him and teleports up to the tower balcony as planned, where the eagles drop off Fiaeorri and Quib as they swoop down at the orcs - four of which remain to fight while the rest head through doors into the towers. Quib revives Patrick while the others cast spells down at their enemies. Javelins from the orcs make Extang lose his concentration on the spell keeping him and Logan in eagle form - luckily Quib is quick enough to cast featherfall on Logan, who has quite a long drop below him. However, in spite of their difficulties, they take down the orcs.
Extang and Logan search the orcs for treasure, then turn back into eagles to fly up to the tower's balcony, where the others have disappeared inside. In the tower, there are stairs leading down, a battered desk and chair, empty bookcases, a pile of ash, and a glass display case. The display case immediately attracts attention, as it's filled with various treasures. However, Quib identifies the glass as an ancient material known as dragon glass, which is believed to be indestructible, and there is no way of opening it or otherwise getting inside. However, they do quickly notice that there is no glass on the back, against the stone wall, and they believe they can access it from the balcony surrounding the tower.
Extang pulls out a magic bracelet that, after using a spell it has the ability to cast, will allow them to change the shape of stones, hopefully allowing access to the display case. However, he needs to take an hour to get in tune with the item first. So, he settles down to do that, while the others begin scouring the room for anything else of interest - and Quib takes a quck trip down the stairs to find an empty bedroom. They find nothing until T'Zarinc, flying along the ceiling, notices the catch of an extremely well-hidden trapdoor. He opens in up and flies into a little attic room with nothing other than a strange orb resting on a pedestal. He touches it, but nothing happens, so he settles down to ritually cast a spell to detect good or evil forces.
However, before the the spell is done - or Extang has finished with the bracelet - Fiaeorri hears the distinctive noise of someone trying to be quiet on the stairs. She begins sneaking down, but retreats when she finds a pair of orcs coming up the stairs, silently signaling the others. Quib, Patrick, and Logan all position themselves by the stairs with Fiaeorri, and they pounce when the orcs come into sight. One of them, driven by Quib's spell, charges into the room and is slaughtered, while the other turns and heads back down the stairs. Fiaeorri and Quib give chase, with T'Zaric closing the trapdoor to the little attic room so he can examine this orb in private.
As Quib and Fiaeorri round the corner of the stairs into the room below, they discover that that room is now full of orcs.
And that's where this week's game session comes to an end. Check back next week to find out what happens in Episode 71.
You can find the previous episode here.
7th-8th of Waning Fall, 1AL
To escape a a dangerous battle, the 3rd Watch have teleported themselves out of the castle where they were surrounded by orcs - however, they all teleported as pairs in different directions into the night. They all hear the howl of wolves, and know that the orcs and their dire wolves are out seeking them.
Patrick and Logan simply decide to run, continuing to the north, which was the direction they teleported out of the castle. They run until the castle is long out of sight and they find an outcropping of rocks where they settle down to hide.
To the southeast of the castle, Extang and Quib also decide to run, but they decide to run all night to get back to the white house of rock, which they believe to be the most sensible place to go and where the others are sure to head. It's an exhausting journey, but they make it - finding Ruby the giant firebeetle in excellent health and locking themselves in before going to sleep.
T'Zaric carries Fiaeorri up into the air, and they begin a slow and silent circuit of the castle - however, the rest of the 3rd Watch are gone by the time they arrive near them. They widen their circuits, but still find no signs of their friends. The howls of the wolves eventually die away, with still nothing found. Suddenly, T'Zaric gets a magical message in his mind from Patrick, telling him he and Logan are safe and where they are, though they haven't heard from the others. T'Zaric and Fiarorri make their way over to them, Fiaeorri using her shorter range messaging spell to determine when they get close, and the reconvene. They set watches - though the leave one watch empty rather than allowing Logan to take a turn - and sleep into the day. Then Patrick contacts Extang and, learning that he and Quib are back at the white house of rock, the groups heads there to rendezvous and recuperate - pointedly giving the castle a wide berth.
Upon arriving back, deep into the night, they send a message to the council back in Port Noble to update them on their situation before heading to sleep. In the morning, Extang heads out to connect the mote he previously dug to the river - but as he gets closer to the river, he spots the shape of the castle on the far bank. He makes his way back to the others, telling them, rather nervously, what he's found. They had been planning to rest longer before tackling the castle, but they've decided that they can't risk it with the castle right here. They're ready to attack - all except Patrick, who wants to offer the orcs a chance for peace.
The other's aren't keen on this idea, but Extang pulls out his cards to do a reading - which tells them that offering peace is a good, noble, and honorable thing to do. So, they decide to let Patrick try, but they prepare for the worst. T'Zaric will go along with Patrick, ready to teleport him to the the balcony of the castle's tallest tower, where they will be met by the others - who will be flying up there either as or on the backs of giant eagles.
The eagles and their riders depart, getting themselves into position. As they fly above the castle they spot eight orcs down below, patrolling the castle's rooftop. They begin circling the tower, waiting to see the results of Patrick's efforts.
Patrick and T'Zaric approach the castle, remaining as far as they dare. Patrick amplifies his voice and makes his peace offering - the clear reply is a volley of javelins from the orcs on the roof. As Patrick passes out, T'Zaric grabs him and teleports up to the tower balcony as planned, where the eagles drop off Fiaeorri and Quib as they swoop down at the orcs - four of which remain to fight while the rest head through doors into the towers. Quib revives Patrick while the others cast spells down at their enemies. Javelins from the orcs make Extang lose his concentration on the spell keeping him and Logan in eagle form - luckily Quib is quick enough to cast featherfall on Logan, who has quite a long drop below him. However, in spite of their difficulties, they take down the orcs.
Extang and Logan search the orcs for treasure, then turn back into eagles to fly up to the tower's balcony, where the others have disappeared inside. In the tower, there are stairs leading down, a battered desk and chair, empty bookcases, a pile of ash, and a glass display case. The display case immediately attracts attention, as it's filled with various treasures. However, Quib identifies the glass as an ancient material known as dragon glass, which is believed to be indestructible, and there is no way of opening it or otherwise getting inside. However, they do quickly notice that there is no glass on the back, against the stone wall, and they believe they can access it from the balcony surrounding the tower.
Extang pulls out a magic bracelet that, after using a spell it has the ability to cast, will allow them to change the shape of stones, hopefully allowing access to the display case. However, he needs to take an hour to get in tune with the item first. So, he settles down to do that, while the others begin scouring the room for anything else of interest - and Quib takes a quck trip down the stairs to find an empty bedroom. They find nothing until T'Zarinc, flying along the ceiling, notices the catch of an extremely well-hidden trapdoor. He opens in up and flies into a little attic room with nothing other than a strange orb resting on a pedestal. He touches it, but nothing happens, so he settles down to ritually cast a spell to detect good or evil forces.
However, before the the spell is done - or Extang has finished with the bracelet - Fiaeorri hears the distinctive noise of someone trying to be quiet on the stairs. She begins sneaking down, but retreats when she finds a pair of orcs coming up the stairs, silently signaling the others. Quib, Patrick, and Logan all position themselves by the stairs with Fiaeorri, and they pounce when the orcs come into sight. One of them, driven by Quib's spell, charges into the room and is slaughtered, while the other turns and heads back down the stairs. Fiaeorri and Quib give chase, with T'Zaric closing the trapdoor to the little attic room so he can examine this orb in private.
As Quib and Fiaeorri round the corner of the stairs into the room below, they discover that that room is now full of orcs.
And that's where this week's game session comes to an end. Check back next week to find out what happens in Episode 71.
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