Post by thedungeonmaster on May 18, 2009 18:21:49 GMT 8
This following excerpt is based on a D&D session that took place on 17th May 2009 from the late afternoon until about 0230hrs the next day.
The party of 5 comprising of Tas'sadar - Genasi Warlord (played by Marcus); Mobius – Human Wizard (played by Edmund); Romean – Elven Cleric (controlled by Marcus); Gond Oremighty - Goliath Fighter (played by Eugene); and Ainarielle – Tiefling Rogue (controlled by Eugene).
The session continues with the PCs in Moonstone Keep.
Do note that although the Nentir Vale is a generic location, it has been embedded into the continent of Faerun of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
The audience hall
The party emerge from the room where they had just slain Lady Markelhay; and Amros Kamroth. However, as they rushed down the stairwell to the main floor. They hear the sounds of guards approaching and shouting out at them. The party tries to reason with the guards, but the head of the guards insist that the PCs must be placed under arrest. In a bid to escape, the party knock the guards unconscious. However, they hear even more sounds of a bigger army of guards approaching. Just then, the door to the main hall opens and Nimozaran appears [ala Gandalf]; and he shouts out at the party to escape to Loudwater and seek out Lady Moonfire; and Tobolar waits for them at the doorsteps.
Escape from Moonstone Keep
The party run through the streets of Fallcrest, trying to keep up with Tobolar. Jumping over crates, shifting through the crowd, keeping Tobolar in sight and overcoming odds of endurance, the party manage to reach the Lower Quays, however, they are caught up by a man in black robes [Dravidur] and two guards on griffons. A battle breaks out on the piers of the Lower Quays, as Tobolar tries to get a boat. As the Dravidur is about to die, he dashes forward towards Mobius and grabs hold of Mobius left hand, and blue energy courses from Dravidur as Mobius’ left hand is burnt and blackened [suffers permanent -3 to attack rolls and dmg rolls; and a -1 to Healing Surges per day]. It is a curse with divination help from Shar.
However, the PCs manage to escape onto the boat and sail along the Delimbiyr River down towards Loudwater.
River Attack!
On the 10th day of travel, the boat suddenly shakes and is thrown violently off track, as the PCs are flung towards the shore. Three sahuagins emerge from the rivers, and vampire spawns appear to attack the party. One by one [a la the girl on Harper’s Island ad], the PCs fall to the ground, Tas’sadar falls dead, and Gond is the last man standing, waving his mordenkrad wildly at the sahuagins as more of them emerge from the rivers.
And as blood trickles down the foreheads of the PCs, visions of the monsters get blurry. A warhorn sounds through the foliage of the forest behind, and a group of eladrin knights emerge to aid the PCs and fend off the monsters. The PCs are brought back to the eladrin stronghold in the High Forests. They awake to see a beautiful eladrin – Bethrynna; who had came to inform them of the council meeting. The PCs recover, healed by the priests of Corellon, Tas’sadar is raised from the dead, and Mobius’ left hand is recovered, except that it is gold-plated from the arm onwards [rendering a +1 to attack and dmg rolls].
Gond manages to get his Mordenkrad enchanted with the help of the eladrin folk. And onwards to Loudwater the PCs proceed. [Ainarielle had left the party before they had awaken.]
Raid on Loudwater
Arriving at Loudwater, the PCs meet rivermaster Sarl who recommends them to Garwan’s Curiosities and the Green Tankard Tavern.The party proceed to Garwan’s Curiosities, and after buying low-level magic products and items, the PCs are offered a Horn Totem. The PCs remember that this is the horn totem as mentioned in the letter by High Shaman’s Sancossug. Garwan intends to sell the totem to the PCs, but the PCs manage to get it at half-price, and just then, there is an explosion outside; and a group of goblins come rushing through the broken wall. The PCs manage to defeat the goblins easily [scoring a crit does nothing to Gond], and Garwan realises that the horn totem had brought about the dangers, and refunds the PCs the money he had taken from them, and offers the totem to the PCs as a form of appreciation.
The PCs then head to the Green Tankard Tavern and meet the owner of the Tavern - Marshal Laval. He rushes them in and warns them of the Lady of the Shadows and her men coming around to cause trouble. However, once inside, Gond calls the Halfling a ‘shortfart’ and Marshal unhappily directs them to a corner of the tavern. When the PCs ask about the wizard – Curuvar, who had stolen the totem from the goblins, Marshal points out to a middle-aged man sitting in the corner of the tavern.
Curuvar has a long black beard, wearing a robe stitched with stars and moons, and a staff set with a fossilized raven, and a pointed hat. He would stand out even amongst other wizards.
The session ends when the PCs approach Curuvar
DM’s afterword
The session was conducted with only 3 players. Although there were 5 PCs. From my perspective, I realise that the Rogue can be a very deadly class. It seems that the Rogue was previously underplayed. The rogue in this session was very different; with all the sneak moves and deadly attacks. It sure set me up thinking that a rogue isn’t just a basic class all by itself.
Nevertheless the session was still fun; and hopefully the next session all the players can make it, and I hope players do put in an effort to understand the classes they play, or they are only short-changing themselves and doing the rest of the party a disservice.
The party of 5 comprising of Tas'sadar - Genasi Warlord (played by Marcus); Mobius – Human Wizard (played by Edmund); Romean – Elven Cleric (controlled by Marcus); Gond Oremighty - Goliath Fighter (played by Eugene); and Ainarielle – Tiefling Rogue (controlled by Eugene).
The session continues with the PCs in Moonstone Keep.
Do note that although the Nentir Vale is a generic location, it has been embedded into the continent of Faerun of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
The audience hall
The party emerge from the room where they had just slain Lady Markelhay; and Amros Kamroth. However, as they rushed down the stairwell to the main floor. They hear the sounds of guards approaching and shouting out at them. The party tries to reason with the guards, but the head of the guards insist that the PCs must be placed under arrest. In a bid to escape, the party knock the guards unconscious. However, they hear even more sounds of a bigger army of guards approaching. Just then, the door to the main hall opens and Nimozaran appears [ala Gandalf]; and he shouts out at the party to escape to Loudwater and seek out Lady Moonfire; and Tobolar waits for them at the doorsteps.
Escape from Moonstone Keep
The party run through the streets of Fallcrest, trying to keep up with Tobolar. Jumping over crates, shifting through the crowd, keeping Tobolar in sight and overcoming odds of endurance, the party manage to reach the Lower Quays, however, they are caught up by a man in black robes [Dravidur] and two guards on griffons. A battle breaks out on the piers of the Lower Quays, as Tobolar tries to get a boat. As the Dravidur is about to die, he dashes forward towards Mobius and grabs hold of Mobius left hand, and blue energy courses from Dravidur as Mobius’ left hand is burnt and blackened [suffers permanent -3 to attack rolls and dmg rolls; and a -1 to Healing Surges per day]. It is a curse with divination help from Shar.
However, the PCs manage to escape onto the boat and sail along the Delimbiyr River down towards Loudwater.
River Attack!
On the 10th day of travel, the boat suddenly shakes and is thrown violently off track, as the PCs are flung towards the shore. Three sahuagins emerge from the rivers, and vampire spawns appear to attack the party. One by one [a la the girl on Harper’s Island ad], the PCs fall to the ground, Tas’sadar falls dead, and Gond is the last man standing, waving his mordenkrad wildly at the sahuagins as more of them emerge from the rivers.
And as blood trickles down the foreheads of the PCs, visions of the monsters get blurry. A warhorn sounds through the foliage of the forest behind, and a group of eladrin knights emerge to aid the PCs and fend off the monsters. The PCs are brought back to the eladrin stronghold in the High Forests. They awake to see a beautiful eladrin – Bethrynna; who had came to inform them of the council meeting. The PCs recover, healed by the priests of Corellon, Tas’sadar is raised from the dead, and Mobius’ left hand is recovered, except that it is gold-plated from the arm onwards [rendering a +1 to attack and dmg rolls].
Gond manages to get his Mordenkrad enchanted with the help of the eladrin folk. And onwards to Loudwater the PCs proceed. [Ainarielle had left the party before they had awaken.]
Raid on Loudwater
Arriving at Loudwater, the PCs meet rivermaster Sarl who recommends them to Garwan’s Curiosities and the Green Tankard Tavern.The party proceed to Garwan’s Curiosities, and after buying low-level magic products and items, the PCs are offered a Horn Totem. The PCs remember that this is the horn totem as mentioned in the letter by High Shaman’s Sancossug. Garwan intends to sell the totem to the PCs, but the PCs manage to get it at half-price, and just then, there is an explosion outside; and a group of goblins come rushing through the broken wall. The PCs manage to defeat the goblins easily [scoring a crit does nothing to Gond], and Garwan realises that the horn totem had brought about the dangers, and refunds the PCs the money he had taken from them, and offers the totem to the PCs as a form of appreciation.
The PCs then head to the Green Tankard Tavern and meet the owner of the Tavern - Marshal Laval. He rushes them in and warns them of the Lady of the Shadows and her men coming around to cause trouble. However, once inside, Gond calls the Halfling a ‘shortfart’ and Marshal unhappily directs them to a corner of the tavern. When the PCs ask about the wizard – Curuvar, who had stolen the totem from the goblins, Marshal points out to a middle-aged man sitting in the corner of the tavern.
Curuvar has a long black beard, wearing a robe stitched with stars and moons, and a staff set with a fossilized raven, and a pointed hat. He would stand out even amongst other wizards.
The session ends when the PCs approach Curuvar
DM’s afterword
The session was conducted with only 3 players. Although there were 5 PCs. From my perspective, I realise that the Rogue can be a very deadly class. It seems that the Rogue was previously underplayed. The rogue in this session was very different; with all the sneak moves and deadly attacks. It sure set me up thinking that a rogue isn’t just a basic class all by itself.
Nevertheless the session was still fun; and hopefully the next session all the players can make it, and I hope players do put in an effort to understand the classes they play, or they are only short-changing themselves and doing the rest of the party a disservice.
