Les Royaumes Oubliés est sans doute le setting le plus connu de donjons & dragons, et officiellement celui que j’utilise aussi puisque la péninsule de Chult (jungle+dinosaures) en fait partie. Sauf que, je dois l’avouer, je le connais très peu et mes joueurs encore moins. Heureusement, je n’ai pasréellement besoin d’en savoir plus sur ce monde fantastique on ne peut plus dense étant donné que l’ensemble de ma campagne se passe dans une région assez délimitée.
Cependant, Chult n’est pas complètement isolée du reste du monde; les aventuriers arrivent bien de quelque part et il y a des forces extérieures qui ont une influence sur les événements. Si je n’ai aucun désir d’utiliser les Royaumes Oubliés tel quel, par contre je peux piger ici et là ce que je trouve intéressant et modifier le tout à ma convenance.
Jusqu’à maintenant voici le résultat.:
La Péninsule de Chult: objet de convoitise pour les ressources précieuses qu’elle contient et les trésors de ses ruines anciennes mais aussi un des endroits les plus sauvages et dangereux du monde.
Le Royaume d’Amn: ancien pouvoir colonial qui a dû abandonner assez récemment son emprise sur Chult/Port Nyanzaru suite à une rébellion. Les rebelles qui ont pris le pouvoirs n’ont pas su faire table rase sur certaines institutions rétrogrades.
La République de Baldur’s Gate: la nouvelle menace impérialiste, à la fois plus agressive et plus subtile que les Amniens. La Compagnie du Flaming Fist est son fer de lance. Je traite cette dernière comme une Compagnie des Indes Orientales: mercantile et sans scrupules.
Les Îles Nelanther: ces îles abritent une puissante confédération de pirates qui perturbe le commerce maritime de toute la côte Ouest.
République deLantan: une île gnome à la technologie avancée, parce que pourquoi pas! Je le vois plutôt magitech que steampunk par contre. Oh, et l’île est submergée, les gnomes se déplacent en sous-marins style Nautilus.
Et puis c’est tout pour le moment, le reste est délibérément (ou par paresse) vague… Les aventuriers non-locaux viennent du Nord, contenant probablement tous les clichés de la fantasy possibles. À l’Est, un Moyen-Orient à la sauce Sinbad/Hollywood, peut-être.
Isaac voulait rejouer avec son perso Anfi, surtout dans l’espoir de faire beaucoup d’xp et d’en avoir plus que les autres joueurs, héhé. Puisque il joue un Locatah, un Homme-Poisson, j’ai décidé d’y aller à fond et de faire une aventure sub-aquatique. J’ai d’ailleurs, seulement pour une petite session en famille, fait abusivement trop de « recherche » au préalable, sur les récifs de coraux, la faune, etc. On peut dire que j’en sais plus qu’avant…
(Isaac) Anfi, (niv 6) Locathah Fighter (eldritch knight), Outlander, venu sur la terre ferme en passant par la Caverne-Tunnel, là pour découvrir ce nouvel environnement
(Edmond) Crabosse Kirkanoi, garde d’honneur du Dragon des Mers
(Maman) La Reine du Récif Anguille Hurlante (1), fidèle alliée du Dragon des Mers
(NPC) Douce Terreur Pieuvre Géante, Ambassadrice du Dragon des Mers
Le Dragon des Mers du Sud, Sa Majesté Océanique, a été trahie. Gawas, son lieutenant, a réussi à l’enfermer (par tromperie) dans sa propre salle au trésor magique et a pris le contrôle du Palais de Corail avec ses sbires Tritons. Les serviteurs loyaux du Dragon des Mers, Douce Terreur et Crabosse, quémandent l’aide de l’aventurier Locatah Anfi. Celui-ci accepte et l’étape suivante est de trouver des alliés supplémentaires. Ce qui amène le petit groupe au Récif de l’Anguille Hurlante.
Carapace Colossale
Les PJs contournent une épave de navire, où flottent d’inquiétantes méduses à têtes de mort, et se dirigent vers une carapace (vide) de Tortue-Dragon. Il en sort des crabes énormes ainsi qu’une autre créature semi-crustacéenne, un Chuul, qui attaquent Anfi et Crabosse. Le combat est féroce et attire bientôt une créature du coin: la Reine du Récif, une redoutable anguille géante (électrique!) qui heureusement se révèle être une alliée! Ensemble, ils ont tôt fait de se débarrasser des crabes. Dans la carapace, ils trouvent un trident. Crabosse s’en empare et le maniera avec efficacité par la suite.
L’Entrée des Anémones
La Reine du Récif amène ses nouveaux alliés faire une petite virée d’un champ d’huîtres à proximité et avec un peu d’aide de créatures locales, ils trouvent trois belles perles. Ensuite, après avoir observé à distance l’entrée du repaire des Tritons à la solde de Gawas, avec plein d’oursins qui semblent bloquer l’accès pour les intrus, ils optent pour une entrée secondaire plus discrète et moins bien gardée: l’entrée des Anémones.
Le repaire sous-marin est en fait un complexe de tunnels creusés autrefois par un Ver des Mers colossal (qui heureusement n’est plus là) et s’étire surtout à la vertical. Après quelques tours et détours, les PJs tombent sur une patrouille de Tritons et une violente échauffourée a lieu. L’avantage change maintes fois de camp alors que les adversaires reçoivent chacun leur tour des renforts opportuns. Une Enchanteresse Triton cause particulièrement des soucis aux PJs en créant des barrières de corail lacérant. Cependant, la redoutable Reine du Récif fait subir des chocs électriques aux adversaires! Au final, ce sont quand même les alliés du Dragons des Mers qui l’emportent et les Tritons survivants sont fait prisonniers.
Corail Cerveau
Plus profondément dans les tunnels, ce qui semble être d’innocents coraux à première vue, se révèle être d’étranges créatures pouvant faire de dangereuses attaques psychiques: des Intellect Devorers! Anfi et Crabosse (maintenant seuls) résistent assez bien aux intrusions mentales et détruisent les coraux-cerveaux avant de continuer.
Ver des Mers
Anfi, nageant vers le bas, voit de justesse un piège devant lui composé de tentacules de méduses transparentes tendues en travers du passage, et il écarte délicatement la menace avec son glaive.
Leur objectif est devant eux, le golem de corail (désactivé), qui leur permettra d’avoir la puissance d’affronter Gawas. Mais avant… Un Ver des Mers, descendant moins colossal de celui à l’origine des tunnels, jaillit du sol à une vitesse foudroyante et saisit Anfi entre ses mandibules. Il aurait entraîné ce dernier dans son trou pour le dévorer si ce n’était de Crabosse qui prestement retient le Ver de son bras-pince et le perce à répétitions avec son trident. Anfi en profite pour faire un sort, il envoi un superbe Ice Knife (coup critique vraiment opportun!) directement dans la gueule du monstre! Ils achèvent de terrasser le Ver ensemble.
Le Golem de Corail (2) est réactivé mais il est aveugle, il n’a pas d’yeux. Anfi réfléchit une minute puis met des perles dans les orbites et… ça marche, le Golem retrouve la vue.
Palais de Corail
La pieuvre Douce Terreur mène le groupe jusqu’au Palais de Corail. Ils s’infiltrent par une entrée secrète et, à l’aide de la ruse de leur guide, parviennent jusqu’à la salle du trône où siège Gawas l’ursupateur. Ce dernier semble seul mais ne l’est pas, deux Seiches (monstrueuses) sont habilement camouflées et s’apprêtent à défendre leur maître. Le Golem de Corail bloque l’accès aux soldats-tritons de Gawas tandis que le combat d’engage à 3 vs 3 (Anfi, Crabosse et Douce Terreur. Le combat est serré, la pieuvre ne peut attaquer Gawas sans se blesser contre ses piquants et les Seiches sont difficiles à bien discerner. Mais, lentement, le combat tourne à l’avantage des PJs et Gawas, qui combat jusqu’à la mort, est tué.
Délivrer le Dragon des Mers
Le temps est cependant compté, les nombreux sbires de Gawas menacent de venir à bout du golem. Les Héros doivent ouvrir la porte scellée magiquement et délivrer le Dragon des Mers. Pour ce faire, ils ramassent les nombreux coquillages du trône et doivent les placer dans leurs emplacements respectifs sur la porte (3) en vitesse.
La porte s’ouvre, le Dragon des Mers est libéré, les méchants sont vaincus. En récompense Anfi reçoit l’Armure du Trilobite ainsi que des bijoux marins, coquillages, perles, etc.
Notes du DM
maman a choisit de jouer une anguille hurlante, comme dans Princess Bride, mais en version bienveillante… Elle est intervenue à des moments cruciaux pour sauver la mise aux enfants. Plus tard, les enfants devront se montrer plus prudents lors des combats, mais pas maintenant, pas encore…
J’ai été inspiré par cette image d’une cardboard mini de Paizo du Coral Golem
là-dessus, les enfants ont dû réussir le jeu old-school d’habileté Perfection en 5 essais ou moins. Ils ont réussis en 2!
Miles upon miles of massive bones with no vegetation whatsoever. Somewhere in the middle is the ancient mansion of a necromancer. But first you’d have to get past the carrion critters and various undead dinosaurs.
Pit of the Broken Idols
A cave where a long-lost civilization have thrown offensive statues down the 60′ deep shaft. Their residual power has taken shape as a powerful Eidolon.
Treant Permaculture
A spectacular array of flowers and rare medicinal plants amongst the tallest trees of the jungle. This is the works of a cigar-smoking treant that doesn’t take kindly to trespassers. Sometimes, he does need help to get a rare plant he wants to add to his domain or to eradicate something particularly bothersome.
Plateau of the Aarakocra
A rocky promontory that serves as a place of commerce for Aarakocra traders of the Mistcliffs and their partners. Huge quetzacoatlus are used to bring goods from afar.
Ubtao’s Tooth
Rogue, evil Aarakocra, have made their lair atop this lonely peak. They’re given to banditry. They have tongueless harpies as their wretched slaves.
Sacred Cenote
A very ancient site of worship, originally to some obscure amphibian deity. Glittering precious stones can be seen in the pristine water of the pool. Evil winds are always present as well as more tangible threats.
Tunnel Cave (Mistcliffs)
A several miles long cave makes the link from dense, batiri-infested jungles to the coast, through the mistcliffs mountains. There’s many divergent paths and a lot of dangerous critters along the way.
Jagged Summit (Mistcliffs)
The greatest aarakocra « nest » of the mistcliffs, the numerous sentinels patrolling the air don’t miss much. Only rare visitors are considered trustworthy enough to be allowed further.
Sunken Firefinger
One of several rock tower that served to guard the border of the now defunct mezroan empire. This one has sunken below ground, only the uppermost tip remains. The lower part is now in the middle of a cave system inhabited by strange creatures.
Seashore House
Along the eastern coast, this lonely house is inhabited by a friendly hermit. Friendly unless you’re a pirate, if so you better give a wide berth to his house.
The PCs doing the HSoT in « reverse » (from top to bottom) meant, in my mind, that the final scene would be with Zotzilaha himself. Accordingly, I wanted the last few encounters before the finale to have a more otherworldly feel. Also, the PCs had the choice to fight Zotzilaha, or not…
Characters:
Shin (level 5), Tabaxi Fighter (Arcane Archer), Outlander; big-game hunter, has no patience for weakness
Phileas (level 4), Half-Elf Bard (College of Swords), Archeologist; “it’s not tomb-robbing if you do it respectfully”
Kalohan (level 3>>4), High Elf Wizard (Evoker), Inheritor; noble Elf, ill-suited for adventuring life
Flyzus (level 6), Wood Elf Ranger (hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
Rufb (level 6), Half-Orc Barbarian (berserker), Mercenary Veteran; captured by pterafolks, his fellow mercenaries killed, seeks riches and glory
Vorn, Shield Guardian, found masterless by the party, beside a gaping hole in the ground
I’m no botanist but I don’t think it’s a tree
In a water-filled basin stood a twisted, unnatural-looking tree. Phileas approached to read the bronze plaque at the base of the basin. This triggered a reaction from the « tree » as it threw a tendril-branch to grab the Half-Elf. Phileas cut the tendril with one deft move of his rapier and his companions jumped into action. Rufb, knee-deep into the turpid water, hacked at the tree-thing with his greataxe while the others kept their distance, trying to evade the numerous flailing tendrils. They vanquished the creature and found some valuables as they searched the basin (2).
Drowning Kiss
The PCs then went to the deepest level of the hidden shrine, finally ready to enter Zotzilaha’s acrid sanctuary. Turning right, in a flooded passage, they heard cries for help. In a vast cavern (3), with the nearest two-third also flooded, a woman was seemingly drowning. Without a thought, Phileas swam frantically to get to her, albeit his companions tried to dissuade him. Surely something was amiss! He reached for the distressed, strikingly beautiful woman and she thanked him with a kiss.
Phileas started suffocating, his lungs suddenly filled with acidic water. His dismayed companions went into the water but were assaulted by a giant electric eel while the woman, who was in fact a water-spirit nereid, laughed evilly (4).
The adventurers killed the eel, but they couldn’t save Phileas in time. The nereid proved an elusive foe and she almost got Flyzus too before she was slain. She dissolved into water, only her silky shawl remained.
The Lord Snail is a Pervert
After the nereid’s cave, the PCs got into another area where the ground was muddy and uneven. There were many bowls littering the place too but most unusual, in front of them stood a strange hunched old man with a large snail shell on his back. He welcomed the adventurers, first in olman and then in common language, and presented himself as Zotzilaha’s seneschal.
« The Great Zoztzilaha, after being neglected for so long, is in dire need of offerings! » he said, as several giant crabs popped out of the ground, approaching the adventurers with threathening pincers.
The PCs determined that crab meat would have to do as an offering and proceeded to massacre the crustaceans. In the heat of the battle, wand-waiving Kalohan sent a lightning bolt directly at the Lord Snail. This angered greatly the seneschal and he transformed into a Humongous Snail! The viscous creature spat a stream of acid at the levitating Elf Wizard, sending her crashing to the ground, nearly dead. A shadow arrow from Shin softened the beast as Rufb, Flyzus and Vorn got in melee to finish the job.
The snail’s body disappeared, leaving behind it’s shell. Inside was a few of the seneschal personnal items, amongst them a lot of erotic drawings of the aforementionned nereid…
Zotzilaha’s Offer
As the PCs placed (5) crab meat in the offering bowls, the surrounding acrid mist coalesced into a fearsome presence: Zotzilaha! (6) Its initial shape rapidly shrinked, reflecting the fact that it was worship-starved. Notwithstanding his somewhat vulnerable, weakened state, Zotzilaha was still frightful to behold. As he spoke, voicelessly, Zotzilaha explained that he had lost control over his subordinate spirits, three of whom the PCs had defeated in battle (the Cyclops, the Nereid and Lord Snail) and the fourth had left the Hidden Shrine not that long ago. If the adventurers would so endeavor to slay the treacherous Sting of Decay,Zotziloha would be grateful and reward them accordingly. As an act of good faith, they could have one artefact for now: the Axe of the Cyclops (7).
Surprised by this turn event, the PCs accepted the offer, at least for now…
DM’s notes:
Phileas’ player was in rather reckless mood this session.
And a wand of lighning bolt for my power-crazed sister…
I’ve enlarged the original room a lot.
A nereid, played with her strengths, can be a surprisingly tough encounter, I discovered.
Nothing forced them to do so at that point ^^
Zotzilaha makes no appearance in the original module, is barely mentionned in fact, I thought it strange.
The berzerk axe, an ambivalent item, powerful but cursed, fittingly I think.
Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
Rufb, Half-Orc Barbarian (berserker), Mercenary Veteran; captured by pterafolks, his fellow mercenaries killed, seeks riches and glory
Lucky, Half-Elf Cleric of Tymora (Trickery), Street Urchin; the lowly will be exalted
Massacre at the Tej House
With their mission with the Gripplis finished, Flyzus and Rufb were going back to Port Nyanzaru. Near the river’s mouth they met scouts from the city and they learned that the Tiriky’s Tej House had been attacked by bloodthirsty gnoll reavers, with many casualties. Here with the scouts was Lucky, and whilst the others departed to report to Port Nyanzaru’s authorities, he decided to join his erstwhile companions to take a closer look at the site of the massacre.
Sure enough the members of the Tej House’ staff were all dead but there was also 2 half-eaten gnolls amongst the corpses, killed by defending fishermen by the look of it. The Ranger sensed that something was amiss, the awful odor of a Giant Hyena was terribly overwhelming and very much recent, like less than an hour-recent. They knew that they had to prepare for a fight…
Lucky hid in a damaged hay house and summoned his illusory double. Rufb and Flyzus prepared their weapons. A Giant Hyena emerged from the jungle, followed by a Gnoll Hunter. Another gnoll, a large and scarred Pack Lord howled a warcry and the 2 dead gnolls got up on their feet: Whiterlings!
The Barbarian filled his soul with rage and cursed the gods that he had lost his great axe in a chasm… He only had this ridiculous lameass trident (however well-balanced), not a true warrior’s weapon at all (2)! Nonetheless he charged the Gnolls with abandon. Flyzus’ skillful swordmanship did great damage while Lucky’s double provided opportune distraction and soon, the PCs had triumphed (for the third time) against the savage Gnolls.
Naumachia (3)
Finally back in town, the PCs spent well-earned gold and learned that the next big gladiatorial event was near ready. The captured pirates of the Stirge were to meet justice in the arena, and the organizers were quick to publicize the participation of the « Lord Elf « (Flyzus), the very one that had helped capture them!
Water pumped in the arena wasn’t deep, 4 or 5 feet max, but it was sufficient for sharks to swim in, adding to the spectacle. The pirates couldn’t hope to surrender this time and thus were determined to fight ’til the end. The pirate captain, showing off his acrobatic skills, jumped behind his foes while his men crossed the planks. The Barbarian got in a duel against a tough pirate lieutenant while Flyzus got in a confused melee at the center. The pirate captain tried to take advantage of a busy Flyzus and wounded him with quick rapier stabs but the latter killed the outclassed men around him and focused his attention on the dishonorable scoundrel.
The so-called « mercenaries » had only lost 2 men and another had fell in the water but had been helped out just before a shark could bite him. As for the pirates, they were decimated… With the Ranger and Barbarian responsibles for most of it. The pirate captain fell last, but not before attempting some daring manoeuvers. With multiple wounds already from Flyzus’ swords, he couldn’t escape the enraged Rufb dead-set on killing him.
Victory to the Mercenaries!
DM’s Notes
The passage of time in my campaign got a little fuzzy so I could accommodate players to have their characters together…
It was funny as hell as Chris seemed to botched rolls every 2 rounds and blamed the trident!
It was many sessions ago that we had an arena fight. I figured that an aquatic set-up would be suitably memorable!
The rogue would have been useful in the first true trap-filled dungeon of the campaign but he’s dead now…
Characters
Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
Rufb, Half-Orc Barbarian (berserker), Mercenary Veteran; captured by pterafolks, his fellow mercenaries killed, seeks riches and glory
Leioppe (NPC), Grippli, Martial Artist (Volo’s: template); level-headed frogman, member of the Order of the Infinite Leap
Twisted Tricks of Blind Racists
Into the crypts of a long-dead culture of eyeless humanoids (1), the main gimmick was that the traps were all clearly visible to the PCs. How to evade them though, that was way less clear… A room where they had to step on the pressure plates on the floor. A room where their own shadows attacked them until they closed their eyes. Stuff like that. (Sorry, didn’t took enough notes!).
Hall of Bones and Horrible Statues
A long hall bordered with rows of ominous, eyeless statues at either side. The floor is littered with countless bones. When the PCs step in, skeletons get up and attack. More and more of them. They had to get past the dark-energy filled statues with their eyes closed while fending off the waves of living bones. Not an easy feat but they managed to do it with only a few light wounds.
Exit
After some enthusiastic grave-robbing and mummy-killing the PCs arrived at the end of the dungeon. A door, with a sliver of light coming through, was barely visible amidst a wall made of bones. The central piece of the wall, a girallon skeleton, detached itself and attacked them but they didn’t have much trouble dispatching the monster.
Forbidden Valley
While the PCs had a well-earned rest, Flyzus’ new pseudodragon pet (2) was put to good use as it surveyed the enclosed valley from the air (3). With a good idea of where to go the refreshed adventurers were happy to leave the crypts and explore the lush valley. The signs that an ancient civilization once flourished in the valley were almost erased, with the most visible being the central pyramid now little more than a big mound covered in vegetation. They found a few dead gripplis, presumably those that were sent to collect the cure before them. And they were found too, by a creature that seeked to accomplish its purpose even now that it was masterless: a chuul.
The cheap-d&d-version-of-some-well-known-lovecraftian-entity grabbed Leioppe but succumbed before the repeated assaults of Flyzus and Rufb.
Time to Collect
Collecting the medicinal plant after that could be done without further hassle (4). The PCs had saved the frogmen and the pottery deal could now be respected. The Mud Shaman was chastised for his ill-fated bid for power and had to compensate the PCs for their troubles with some of his magic (5).
DM’s notes
morlock/grimlock style
homework: Félix will have to come up with a name for next session
I rushed this part of this day-long session a lot so we could finish in time…
return to Three Cascades, the grippli village, was conveniently fast-forwarded
Onward Heroic Flyzus with your new brutish buddy (who conveniently replace your dead, half-eaten companion) onward and don’t worry too much about your missing cannibal Halfling friend (who may eat you too one day), onward I say, your world-shaking quest (of getting a shipment of pottery ) awaits!
Characters
Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
Rufb, Half-Orc Barbarian (berserker), Mercenary Veteran; captured by pterafolks, his fellow mercenaries killed, seeks riches and glory
Of Preys and Predators
Flyzus and Rufb have a few days of travel across the jungle before arriving at the grung village. En route, Flyzus’ ranger senses told him many things:
they were being followed by 5 deinonychus
the raptors were first attracted by the scent of dead meat
a stegosaurus corpse laid nearby
a giant (large) centipede was already feasting on the carcass
Thus began a complex ballet of circling around the monstrous centipede, the PCs and raptors trying to outmaneuver each other.
At one point, one raptor got too near the centipede and fled the scence after being bitten and poisoned by it.
The 4 remaining raptors finally rushed the duo and a brutal fight ensued. Flyzus got severely wounded by a pouncing raptor but his new companion proved quite unabashed by the many wounds he himself sported.
A few hours later, the PCs were content to lay low when a herd of juvenile diplodocus was being pursued by 3 allosaurus.
Next, they finally arrived at the grippli village of Three Cascades which was accessible only by an arduous climb. (1)
Endangered Frogs
The PCs were clearly unwelcome. They soon discovered that many of the frogmen suffered from some kind of severe skin disease. Furthermore, the plague and its consequences had split the tribe into two rival factions, almost at war with each other.
The disease was not only fatal and highly contagious, the victims were ultimately transformed into horrible mold-monsters. A quarantine of sort was in operation, those with advanced symptoms were forcefully sent into « The Pit ».
One group, led by Nesu the Skinless, had sent its best warriors in the hope of finding a rare medicinal plant, to cure the disease. It had been many days since thay had left, things did not bode well.
The other group, led by Bufo the Mud Shaman, had benefited from having the last reserve of the cure and hoped to seize power even if it meant the death of more than half the tribe.
Needless to say, the merchant’s pottery deal was now far in the list of priority of the Gripplis.
Communication between the Gripplis and the PCs was problematic, until Nesu the Skinless, some sort of magic-user, provided some « Speech-Ferns ». They looked kinda funny with the ferns on their head but at least they could understand each other.
Flyzus and Rufb decided to help the Gripplis, they would go see if they could fetch the medicinal plant they so badly needed. Nesu gave them a clay tablet that portrayed it and a grippli named Leioppe would go with them. The only way for non-jumping folks was beneath the mountain and the only entrance was (of course) through the Pit, to reach the Forbidden City where the remedy was (hopefully) to be found…
DM’s notes
I ditched the silly Dungrunglung location with it’s incredibly dumb scenario (ToA)
This location, the Firefinger, is from Tomb of Annihilation. I used it (almost) as is. It’s one of the few good locations in the module IMO.
Characters
Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
Varis, Drow Rogue (thief), Far traveller; exiled scion of a noble family on the losing side of a feud (1)
Droidoc, Halfling Druid (circle of the moon), Outlander; was there when Camp Righteous fell, now he’s a cannibalistic loony
Inside a dead explorer’s backpack the PCs had found a map with scribbled notes about some sort of signal tower . They had decided to look for this « Firefinger » as it wasn’t very far from their destination.
The Firefinger
Cautiously approaching the impressive structure (it didn’t look man-made), they could see two holes, entrances really, on one of its square side, with the lower one a good 60′ above ground and the other almost as high as the canopy. A flimsy rope & wood ladder dangled from a ledge, not exactly confidence-inspiring, up to the lower entrance.
A pile of corpses and a crude net-trap indicated that the place was inhabited by more than critters.
Droidoc shapeshifted into a Giant Badass Spiderand rapidly climbed to the first ledge.
Varis tried the rope but fell and almost killed himself in the process (2). Hands shaking, he drank a potion of healing and hid, whimpering amidst the ferns, as a pterafolk flew over him.
The second attempt was more fortunate for Varis and he was joined by Flyzus on the precarious ledge soon after. Meanwhile Spider-Droidoc bullied his way through the webs of giant spiders (albeit a lot smaller than him) and found a dead explorer wrapped in a cocoon.
The PCs cleansed the level of its critters and got to the next climbing up a chimney. 9 dead stirges and another duly searched corpse later, the PCs continued their ascension.
No pity for the elderly
Level 3, above the trees, was home to 4 old pterafolks, 2 of them cooking with a fire under a large cauldron, one (badly) sculpting a piece of wood and a fourth poking something in a small makeshift cage with a stick. The whole lot noisily bickering, as the elderly are wont to do.
The PCs attacked the frail pterafolks but that soon attracted the healthier ones from above. Two pterafolks, started flinging javelins at them from the outside. Another, the apparent leader, big and scarred, clutched a magic wand.
With half the pterafolks dead (3), the combat was fierce but the PCs were mostly in control despite magic missiles hurled at them many times.
And that’s when disaster struck.
A pterafolk inside the tower saw the opportunity to shove one of the wingless invader out to let him fall to his doom. Varis, the would-be victim, saw it coming but attempted a risky manoeuver, hoping that it would turn to his advantage. He failed miserably and, indeed, fell to the ground, 200′ below (4).
He died, the outlander, far, far from home.
Bittersweet victory
The wand-enthusiast leader (5) and one of his underling, both severely wounded, fled to safer skies. Flyzus and Droidoc looted the place and also looted the body of their fallen comrade.
Cannibal Droidoc may have eaten part of him and he may, have kept some for later.
They found an half-orc prisoner on the highest level of the Firefinger. They also found a sad, badly malnourished pseudodragon in the makeshift cage.
DM’s notes
First casualty of the Ruins of Chult campaign, I’m definitely a Lenient Dm… That and also, the « pop tart effect » of 5e is very forgiving
The whole climbing and falling off a ladder thing was sooounheroic. Would have been better skipping the checks, I think.
even the elder with the pestle
A last dex check as he fell through tree branches resulted in a 1…
I wanted it to be more like Clark Ashton Smith’s magic-prone Pterosaurs or some such but I can’t say that I managed to pull it off…
Last session saw the Seven associates capture a pirate ship, the infamous Stirge. Now back in Port Nyanzaru, Flyzus and Varis went to the open market in Tiriky’s Anchorage to spend some hard-earned money. And soon after, this campaign have a much-needed step up…
Characters
Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
Varis, Drow Rogue (thief), Far traveller; exiled scion of a noble family on the losing side of a feud
Droidoc, Halfling Druid (circle of the moon), Outlander; was there when Camp Righteous fell, quite insane now
Prelude: We’ve been waiting for you…
Combat: 6 thugs
Enemies were waiting for them: Bridgerunners. The gang members wanted revenge against the two elves for raiding their den in Malar’s Throat. Outnumbered 3 to 1, the situation seemed dire for the adventurers as the thugs approached on two sides. However Varis, ever the sly one, spotted Purple Stranglers nearby (members of a rival gang affiliated to dye works). He convinced them easily of the outrage(!) that the presence of these rivals in this part of town meant…
Also, for some undisclosed reason, one-time partner Droidoc was following the Purple Stranglers and quickly joined the fun. The Bridgerunners should have taken the cue, but… they sure didn’t. The fight was a one-sided and bloody affair. The two elves and halfling were rather merciless, shooting the fleeing thugs in the back and finishing another helpless entangled one.
River Journey
Mission
Having seen firtshand their martial prowesses and ruthlessness in display, the local leader of the Purple Stranglers offered the PCs a job. Their boss, Jessamine, had a lucrative deal with a tribe of Gripplis. In exchange for their high quality pottery and rare jungle herbs, she provided the Gripplis with goods they didn’t produce (i.e iron knives). But now, the last shipment was two weeks overdue. Would the PCs like to go see what the f*** is going on?
(Payment (1) includes 400gp each and 25% discount on herbal decoctions on Jessamine’s stock) Upon agreeing, the PCs have to go up the Tiriki river for a weeklong journey before arriving into Grippli territory.
Saving the Little Mermaid (2)
Combat: 2 thugs, 1 veteran
A canoe was prepaid for them at the anchorage but once they got there the PCs saw an unusual scene: 3 Flaming Fists were harassing a captured female merfolk.
The PCs immediately proceeded to attack the mercenary scumbags, a Spike growth softening them up before Flyzus and Droidoc got into brutal melee (with the sneaky drow shooting his crossbow from the side). They killed and looted the mercenaries, untied the emotional and grateful merfolk and then happily got aboard their canoe.
Something Fishy
Combat: 3 sahuagins
The PCs had been on the river (the bay at this point) for a few hours when they saw a derelict fishing boat farther away. Upon closing in they could see a limp arm dangling from the side of the boat. Still closer (they’ve decided to inspect), they could see obvious signs of a struggle, the arm was in fact severed, the sail was all ripped, blood smears everywhere and 2 shark teeth oddly embedded in the mast.
They didn’t have time to reflect on this as 3 sahuagins surprise-ambushed them (still on their canoe). 2 sahuagins embarked on the fishing boat, one holding a spear, the other a shark tooth sword. The third one stayed underwater and shook the PCs’s canoe violently, sending an unbalanced Flyzus in the water. Droidoc shapeshifted into a giant octopus (3) and went against the other sahuagins while Varis helped Flyzus get back onboard. Overcoming the initial surprise, Flyzus and Varis killed on opponent with their combined projectiles as Octopus/Droidoc turned the waters red with another. The surviving sahuagin tried to flee but the Octo-Doom quickly overcame him too.
Combat: 4 witherlings, 13 gnolls, 1 Gnoll Pack Lord
The PCs had heard from local rumors in town about a gnoll camp being erected on the eastern side of the river, and sure enough they saw it, bustling with activity, and worst still, they could smell the horrible emanations of putrescent meat, dejections, etc. , as they passed by and away. What they didn’t expect was to come head to head with an incoming war canoe as they got out of the bay in the river proper. The leader, a Gnoll Pack Lord, shouted some orders and set his crew on an interception trajectory, tireless witherlings rowing in cadence (4).
Far from panicking from the sight of ravenous gnolls approaching, the PCs quickly planned a lethal strategy that started with the halfling casting a spike growth directly on the war canoe (5). Droidoc then got busy, jumping underwater and shapeshifting once more into a giant barksinned octopus while the elves rowed to the shore, so they could defend themselves more efficiently. Some gnolls were good archers and Varis was severely wounded as a result. The 4 witherlings got destroyed by the magical thorns while they rowed. the Pack Lord have had enough and ordered his crew to abandon ship and swim for the shore. Do I have to say that it gave great pleasure to the Eight-Armed Droidoc? He spotted the Pack Lord and completely owned him while his clueless packmates were being shot by the elves as they swam.
Only 6 gnolls got ashore but it could still have meant the end for the two Elves but they managed to prevail with brilliant swordplay (6). Two gnolls managed to flee (7).
Loot: Ivory Armband, bag of precious stones, dinosaur meat
Tej House
Social
The PCs reached their first planned stop, a well-protected tej house. The clients, mostly chultan fishermen, were happy to learn of the gnoll’s débâcle and offered free drinks and a few good tips to the would-be explorers.
TBC…
DM’s notes
Varis’s player could have bargained a much better reward, he messed up with his maths… Ha! ha!
Saw that image on pinterest and immediately thought about putting it in play
I later said half-jokingly that the giant octopus was the star of the day! This rarely seen beast-form performed AMAZINGLY well.
For this planned encounter, I was guessing that the PCs would flee (with quick-thinking and a few athletics checks) the 18 strong war canoe… But no! Ultra Chaotic Droidoc went full aggro as soon as he could!
I was somewhat lenient with the spell, ruling that the gnolls couldn’t properly manoeuver their war canoe without « moving » so about half of them took damage each round.
Flyzus hunter’s feature: horde breaker, is very good in a fight like this one
They are on the wrong side of the river if they wish to get back at their camp so there’s no short-term menace.
Ditching the Death Curse of ToA gives me, and the players, time to do as we please. The downside, maybe, is the possibility to, huh, not advance anything at all, as this session demonstrates…
Characters
Flyzus, Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter), Outlander; sole survivor of his tribe after an orc invasion
Varis, Drow Elf Rogue (Thief), Far traveller; exiled scion of a noble family on the losing side of a feud
Lucky, Half-Elf Cleric of Tymora (Trickery), Street Urchin; the lowly will be exalted
Phileas, Half-Elf Bard (College of Swords), Archeologist; “it’s not tomb-robbing if you do it respectfully”
Shin, Tabaxi Fighter (Arcane Archer), Outlander; big-game hunter, has no patience for weakness
Pocor, Human Druid (Circle of Spores), Outlander; member of Chultan Diaspora, returned to his roots, literally
Corpos, High Elf Wizard, Archeologist; antiquary, strange fixation on the undead
Also, show me something like a Grand Coliseum as a location, and of course I will want to stage battles in it!
I’ve purchased this flip-mat arena from Paizo
I offered the players a 8 teams Gladiatorial Tournament. The way I planned it, I told them that as first time participants (low-level characters) they really had not much chances to win this. The point would be to go as far as they could in the competition.
The teams:
The Seven Associates (PCs) (strength ?): newcomers, have done a couple of prelims combats in the past two weeks
And the other teams, roughly in order of strength:
Disciples of Kossuth (+0): cultists dedicated to Everburning Kossuth – forced to fight
Flaming Fist (+2): mercenaries based at Fort Beluarian – here for the money
Sons of Malar (+4): local gang of thugs – here for the fame
Resilient Ferns (+5): Jungle Dwarves in town for the event only – here for the thrill
Gnoll Marauders (+6): evil, mangly typical gnolls – here for the blood
Claws of Destiny (+10): Tabaxi monks – here to test their skills
Liberators (+16): All-Stars Team of Chultans – here to win
Quarter Finals
The teams were randomly picked for the quarter finals as follows:
Block 1:
Seven Associates (PCs) vs Gnoll Marauders
Disciples of Kossuth vs Resilient Ferns
Block 2:
Flaming Fist vs Liberators
Sons of Malar vs Claws of Destiny
Seven Associates vs Gnoll Marauders
The Maurauders: 3 gnolls (2 with longbows), 2 gnoll whiterlings, 1 Dire Hyena, 1 Pack Lord.
A well placed entangle spell from Pocor ensured that the 7As had time to make the most of their ranged firepower: arrows and spells bombarded the Gnolls. Shin’s explosive arcane shot in particular proved very lethal. Unfortunately, he missed his second shot. The two gnoll archers tried to retaliate but weren’t very successful. The Whitherlings were blasted to bits before they even reached the middle of the Arena. The Dire Hyena moved fast but only managed to get itself impaled on Pocor’s waiting spear.
The confidence of the PCs was understandably high at this point but it was soon to be shaken as the Pack Lord and another Gnoll reached their side of the Arena and rampaged through their ranks, felling three of them in no time.
Judicious use of healing – Pocor, Phileas and Lucky all had such magic at their disposal, ultimately made them prevail, but not without a bit of luck.
Rewards: 50 gp and an Ikakalaka +1 sword
Semifinals
Block 1: Seven Associates vs Resilient Ferns
Block 2: Liberators vs Claws of Destiny
Seven Associates vs Resilient Ferns
Resilient Ferns: 1 Girallon, 1 Albino Dwarf Druid, 5 Albino Dwarves Warriors (two with a barkskin spell effect on, one with a triflower strapped to his back).
The opening round was much like the previous fight with the 7As peppering their opponents with arrows and spells while the Jungle Dwarves dashed forward to get in melee quickly. Three RFs were slowed by a grease spell from Corpos. The Girallon (with its aggressive feature) got to the other side of the arena and pummelled Flyzus the very first round. The Wood Elf then retaliated with two sword slashes that inflicted heavy damage (one critical hit). Phileas then played a mind trick on the beast with a dissonant whisper, that made it flee. Flyzus killed it with a sword stab in the back.
The Jungle Dwarves joined the fun and soon everyone, except Shin who, again, had climbed up a spike on the wall, was in a confusing brawl. Varis got into deep trouble when the triflower covered him in corrosive sap AND poisoned him with its grappling pistil. Meanwhile, Lucky’ scale mail offered good protection against the wooden clubs of the jungle dwarves but that made him the target of the druid’s heat metal spell that nearly did him.
Phileas’ quick thinking saved the life of Varis as he correctly guessed that pouring water would wash away the corrosive sap. He even asked the assistance of the spectators to shower the poor Drow with, well, anything they had!
Flyzus slashed and stabbed, right and left, very efficiently. The triflower was dispatched with a firebolt and an arrow. The Seven Associates yet again managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!
rewards: 100 gp each and a ankylosaurus breastplate
Final
Seven Associates vs Liberators
Liberators: 7 gladiators (4 with added quirks)
It was already surprising that the newcomers had managed to get to the final. An impressive feat indeed, but they were clearly not in the same league with the local favorites and long time gladiators: the Liberators. The best of the best of the Grand Coliseum assembled in one team for the Tournament of Liberation Day.
The Seven Associates did all they could but predictably, they could not avoid defeat. Between Sukomo the Fragrant and his unnaturally good scent, Wèwè the Killer, a ferociuous woman who didn’t seem to feel pain, Mkongu Lightfooted, faster than even a Wood Elf, Skanga the Ripper and his many shongo throwing knives and the other fearsome gladiators, there weren’t any way to win for the less experienced team.
Nonetheless, the Seven Associates gained valuable combat experience and a challenge for later.
DM notes:
Before the session, Corpos’ Player asked to change his rock gnome to high elf, he read somewhere that gnomes are silly, duh…
Corpos’ Player finds the 5E grease spell underwhelming and changed it for cause fear.
This session was pure, undiluted, tactical combat. It did help us get used with combat options that we had skipped, somehow, in the previous campaign.
I was a bit creative with the Resilient Ferns, with the girallon and triflower added to the jungle dwarves and it was a great fight!
Streets & Spores 