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 - 28th of Waning Summer, 0AL
As Kordak, Balasar, and Stor return home from speaking with the short, crazy herb farmers - joined by Akta coming back from her various wanderings - they see a young boy standing outside their house, throwing stones into the mouth of the mouth of the ogre skull mounted above their door. They stop him and demand to know who he is and what he's doing. He says his name is Siff and he's looking for Shend.
When they tell him Shend is missing, Siff get's frustrated and starts to leave, but they stop him and ask why he's looking for Shend. Siff says Naldor sent him because Shend wanted to talk to him - something about potions. This sparks some interest, and they ask him where the kids get the potions they bring to Naldor. Siff explains that they're brought in by some hooded figure who comes out of the woods sometimes, but he doesn't know much more than that. They send him on his way, with a gold coin from Stor and a warning from Kordak to not throw rocks at his skull collection.
The next day, Kordak and Stor get some potatoes and start brewing up some vodka - hoping to have it done for the Feast of the Sun and Sea; a religious festival celebrating Epesta taking place on the 14th of the month. Extang is spending his time helping to construct the tavern. Balasar, feeling quite irritated at the herb farmers, grabs Akta and goes to see if they can cause some mischief there - possibly stealing some potatoes from them for the vodka. He's disappointed when he sees that one of them is out working, but Akta soon reports that there aren't any potato plants here anyway - these all seem to be plants of a more magical nature - many the type she could use for making potions. Heedless of Balasar's warnings, Akta heads out to see if she can procure some.
A quick discussion with the short creature - who seems to have forgotten yesterday's confrontation and finds Balasar only vaguely familiar - reveals that they are willing to trade enough ingredients for a single potion, but they won't accept money for it - only trade. Remembering that the short creatures seemed to be interested in glass, Balasar leaves Akta with the creature and runs out to the beach with an inspired idea. He breathes his lightning breath into the sand, fusing some of it into a chunk of fulgurite. Digging up the glass-like substance (burning his hands in the process), he runs it back to Akta and the small farmer to offer it in trade.
The farmer is uncertain about it, so they call over the other one, Fonofo, as they are the one more interested in glass. Fonofo is can't use the glass for their alchemy, but, after some thought, agrees that the item is interesting and unique enough that they should take it. They accept it in exchange for enough herbs for Akta to make a basic healing potion.
They head off, with Akta having a burst of inspiration. On the list of items she's fetching for her patron is "Lightning-turned-stone", and she believes that Balasar has just made that. She asks him to make some more, but he can't breathe lightning again for another day. So, the next day they go out to the beach, and Balasar makes another piece of fulgurite with his breath - warning Akta to let it cool before digging it out of the ground. The tiefling uses her sending stone to tell the Negotiator that she has another item.
The sound draws the attention of a grey-haired half-elf with light blue eyes, who comes over to investigate. He introduces himself as T'Zaric and asks them about what they're doing. They show him the fulgurite, which he's very interested in - he explains that he's looking for a business niche, and this glass-like substance seems like it would make a great chandelier. He gets a bit disappointed when Balasar say he can only make one a day, but they decide to experiment with other spells. Not having more lightning at their disposal, they focus on fire magics, heating up the sand to very hot temperatures, though not getting it to melt and fuse.
Stor, who has been out trying to find someone who can make glass (he finds someone, but she needs tools and a proper furnace) sees them and comes over. Extang, working on building the tavern nearby, also notices the commotion and comes to investigate. They all find the half-elf to be quite likeable, though a bit odd - he has a tendency to turn invisible when he feels uncomfortable, and he reveals that he has a few golden scales on his skin. As a sorcerer, he discovers he has a lot in common with Extang - who also has gold scales.
Over the next several days, Akta hangs around on the beach waiting for the Negotiator, Stor and Kordak take turns keeping an eye on the vodka, and Extang, Balasar, and T'Zaric work on building the tavern. At one point, Extang does a card reading for Stor, telling him that if he waits, what he seeks will come to him. Heden approaches Balasar and asks him to perform a ceremony for the coming Feast of the Sun and Sea - he accepts. There is also a point when T'Zaric invites most of the group out to the singing stone by the mine to experiment with it. He knows that it absorbs magic, but with his new friends they can try hitting it with all elements at once. They do this, only to find that magic also absorbed. Balasar tries swinging at the rock with his magical hammer - hoping to chip a piece off - but the hammer also nearly gets absorbed and the dragonborn cleric decides not to try that again.
On the 14th of Waning Summer, it's time for the Feast of the Sun and Sea. The vodka is ready, and is perhaps the best batch of vodka Stor and Kordak will ever make. They send some with Balasar, as well as some of the remaining rum, to the celebration of Epesta taking place out on the fishing rafts. In fact, most of them go as well - Stor also worships Epesta, and Kordak and Akta go along just for fun. When he hears that there will be alcohol at the festival, T'Zaric pretends to worship Epesta and goes along as well - in spite of being uncomfortable on water. Extang continues to work on the tavern.
The festival goes over well, with lots of fish to eat. Balasar delivers a service, but being a bit drunk, doesn't do a very good job - ending by stumbling off the side of the raft, with an illusory cloud above his head provided by T'Zaric. Everyone is so amused that they don't seem to mind the poor quality of the service.
The group decides to stay at home for some more time, as Stor's birthday is coming up on the 20th. Stor and Kordak start a new batch of vodka. Akta gets a visit from the Negotiator and trades the fulgurite for a charm of vitality. She also asks if the Negotiator would be able to fetch her mother from her prison, but the fox-creature claims it is beyond her power - though she says Akta may be able to do so once she's more powerful. The Town Hall's completion is announced one morning with the ringing of the ship's bell in the tower. On the eve of his birthday, Stor makes himself a pancake-style cake.
On the 20th, Extang and T'Zaric are invited over for Stor's birthday. The goblin himself wakes up with a platinum coin on his chest with the cloud-and-sun motif of Epesta on it in gold. Remembering Shend receiving a similar coin on his birthday, he spends some time with it - discovering that he can use it to make a piece of armour or a weapon of his magical until the next full moon after activating it. They're having a good time at the party, and Extang is doing another card reading for Stor, when a knock comes at the door.
Outside their house is Gorbosh, accompanied by the yelling, human mother of the half-orc Siha. It is eventually conveyed that Siha, along with a bunch of her young friends, have gone off adventuring and have been gone for days. The mother blames Gorbosh and Kordak for this because they allowed Siha to join the militia.
The group grudgingly set out, picking up the trail of six individuals heading into the jungle. Over the next several days they slowly catch up, until on the night of the seventh day they believe they are only one day behind. However, as they set out the next morning, the ground gives way beneath their feet, dropping them deep int the earth. They emerge in a dark room with the tunnel collapsing behind them. Balasar casts a light spell and Extang lights a torch - but the torch doesn't seem to be very effective, and it flickers weakly in a misty haze in the air.
The room has a bunch of niches along the edges, an alcove in the centre, and large stone doors on the far end. Balasar and Kordak immediately go to the door, pressing their ears against it - hearing nothing from the other side. Stor goes to the alcove in the middle, finding in it a diorama of tribal life. One of the figures catches his attention - a priest holding a shepherd's crook. The figurines are made of wood and stucco, but the crook is made of metal, so Stor slips it out of the hand and keeps it.
T'Zaric makes his way over to the doors and hives them a once-over, finding them to be locked - but also finding a keyhole hidden behind a stone at the top. He tries to pick the lock, but fails - he calls out that they need to find the key, so Stor comes forward, suggesting they try the shepherd's crook. They try it and it works, unlocking the door.
Before leaving, Stor and T'Zaric examine the other dioramas around the room. Finding nothing dangerous about the figurines, T'Zaric puts three of them in his pack, thinking they may have some value. Seeing this, Kordak attempts to sweep a whole display into the bag of holding. He manages to get one in, while the others clatter to the floor.
As soon as the figurines hit the floor, they grow to life size - and begin to attack!
And that's where this session comes to an end. Find out what happens to our heroes next in Episode 24.
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