MMC Summary: Session 3 - "'The Pipes,' said the dragon, 'They Call Me...'"

Present Party: Keviks, Lupan, Nana, and Wren. However, Lupan and Nana were both late to the session for their own reasons. When their characters reappear, that's when the players arrived.

Setting: The capital city of Kystad, Midtia and the forest to the south.

The next morning, Keviks and Wren attempted to find Lupan and Nana, but it seemed that Lupan (oddly, for an elf) was sleeping in and Nana was busy with her duties to the royal family. They decided to wait for them, and take on another, quick job instead.

The two of them made their way to the Hero's Way Adventurer's Guild, where they met with the receptionist, Lindsey Woods. Lupan had met her when he picked up his quest about a potential possession. She informed them of a quest given by one J. Mulaney whose boss was in need of phase spider blood. After a quick chat with Mulaney, they went on their way with the knowledge that phase spiders are very large, live in the forest, and have the ability to teleport.

They found one of the hulking beasts and were able to take it down. In doing so, they collected 30 ounces of its blood, and were able to bring it back to Mulaney for 75 gold pieces. They also learned more about his boss, one Mr. Hawe, who owned "Hawe's Exotic Emporium." He is a geneticist, working on magically splicing creature DNA. His emporium is filled to the brim with magical creatures of all sorts. Wren did inquire about the price of a blink dog, but ended up leaving when the price was revealed as 8,000 gold pieces.

The two of them went back to the palace, hoping to meet up with their friends.

~~~~~

Lupan slept in because he had a very intense dream, during which a gentleman came to him, and offered him help. Redemption, even, for wrongs done. He claimed that his name was Freyr and that he had friends who were invested in Lupan's future.

Lupan asked how he might be able to find these friends of his, and Freyr said, "They'll find you. And you'll know them when you see them."

~~~~~

Wren and Keviks returned, where they found Lupan awake. Nana also met up with them and they discussed their next move.

They wanted to investigate the southeast section of the city where Nana's raven Mond had been shot down the previous night. Afterwards, they considered investigating the potential possession at the Uptown Theater.

When they got to the southeastern area of Kystad, they did some looking around and investigating of the area. Nothing in particular stood out. They were unable to find any remnants of arrows or spell components that might be left over from someone shooting a raven out of the sky in the middle of the night. There were plenty of places where someone could get a good vantage point, provided that they could see the raven in the dead of night. Ultimately, the trail died, and they decided to move on.

The Uptown Theater was in the northeast section of the city, and they were escorted to Zarx Eddleman, the half-orc playwright who runs the theater. He claimed that he was possessed by the legendary hero and Dragon Lancer, Quest Carron. According to Lupan's book, Quest Carron was the tiefling College of Satire Bard in the Dragon Lancers. He died alongside his teammates in a battle against an ancient red dragon.

Nana decided to cast Detect Magic, and while Zarx was giving off an aura of necromancy, nothing else was giving off as strong of an aura. Keviks used his Primeval Awareness ability to try and detect undead creatures within a mile of the theater. There was one right in front of him (the spirit possessing Zarx) and one exactly a mile off to the west. They decided that was their best lead, and went investigating.

Once again, they were outside the Hero's Way Guild Hall. Exactly a mile west of the Uptown Theater. They went in and asked Lindsey about an undead presence at the guild hall.

"Oh," she said casually, "yes, that'd be Hugo. He's the guildmaster here."

They asked if they could speak with him. They believed that he could be helpful to them with their quest. Lindsey said she'd see if he was busy. When she came back, she said he'd be down any minute.

Behind them, a voice asked, "You called?"

Standing before them was a creature that looked as though he might have been a half-elf at one point. The one ear they could see was slightly pointed. His skin was hanging off half of his face, and the other half was a black skull, cracked with bright red arcane energy. The one eye was glossed over white. Upon seeing the shock and horror on the faces of the party, he transformed into a a half-elven man in his early twenties with red hair and green eyes.

"Are you a lich?" Nana asked.

Hugo, the guildmaster, laughed and replied, "Nearly."

He'd been appointed guildmaster about fifteen years ago, by Eli Hawks, but he'd been part of Hero's Way for about fifty years. The royal family - or at the very least the king, queen, and crown prince - knew exactly who and what he was.

The party asked for Hugo's help with this matter, and he agreed. He joined them back at the Uptown Theater, where they put Zarx to sleep, hoping that Quest would take over Zarx's body, as he'd done on several occasions previously. He did, and Quest insisted that he was looking for his pan flute. Hugo noted that Quest was tethered to it. Hugo was easily able to locate the item in the forest, where three dryads were keeping it. The party went to go retrieve it.

Lupan and Wren were able to speak to the dryads in question in Sylvan, where one dryad agreed to trade the pan flute for a lock of Lupan's hair. He happily agreed, and even gave one extra for a flower crown of morning glories.

The dryad wove bracelets from the hair, and said, "Just because something's a dream doesn't mean it's fantasy."

Then, she and her two friends disappeared, leaving the pan flute behind.

They returned the flute to Quest, who looked at it with wide disbelieving eyes. He took it in his hands. Zarx's body collapsed, asleep on the floor, and standing where he'd been was the translucent image of a tiefling with copper-red skin, large horns, and fiery yellow eyes. The pan flute glowed a bright orange in his hands, and the wood transformed into copper. Translucent dragon wings sprouted from his back and the image of a dragon's head burst from behind him. Quest laughed along with the dragon head and looked at the party.

"You've done it... you've started the cycle... Take my flute back to my home! Bury it there, with my mother and my sister! And it will all be right again."

And he disappeared, leaving the flute behind.

Hugo sat, looking terrified at where Quest had been, and he gasped, "My gods... they do exist."

The party left, having no further business to conduct at the Uptown Theater.

Poem: Ariel's Reconciliation

This is a poem from the perspective Ariel Taldin. She is the wife of the Sylyeras Morningfall Taldin, a PC in my Tri-Panthonic War campaign. She is currently a Pirate Lord, and this is an account of her past, expressed in poetry.

~~~~~

The seas are a comfort

They rock one to sleep

The seas are a path

They lead one to freedom

The seas are a danger

They hold one’s greatest fears

I sail because I like the smell of salt water

More than the smell of corpses rotting 

In labyrinths of alleyways - burnt up in acid

Their orphans begging for anything to stay fed

Anything to forget the fact that they were orphans

I had been an orphan - an orphan

Of the acid-burnt corpses in an alley

I sail because I never want to stay in the arms

Of the men on land, who only dig their nails in

And they call me a doll.

They always want to keep a free woman.

But the men of the sea know women are free

And the women know how to fight

No one’s an orphan on the sea

On the sea, there are two types of people:

Those who are running away from captivity

And those who are flying towards something selfish

On the land, you only run

On the sea, you have the choice to swim

Or even to fly

PC Concept: Destiny vs. Duty

Overview:

This is a concept for a character that has a lot of potential for inner conflict in the game. For this build, I wanted to create a character that is, due to the nature of their class / background combination, torn between two worlds. Not literal worlds (i.e. planes of existence) but spheres or facets of their life. In this case, the character will be choosing between a path they've chosen and a path they have not. They're choosing between duty to a religion or ideology and their family history.

This isn’t a new idea. This is just my personal take on the idea. Inner conflict is always worth exploring in D&D and storytelling. It’s an opportunity for growth and change for that character, and it’s an opportunity for that character to bond with other characters if they want to try and help. This concept really hammers home that idea because the inner conflict doesn’t show up until after the party has already formed.

Race, Class, Stats, and Background

For me, to make this build work, there are only a few options for classes and backgrounds. Remember though, this concept can be interpreted however you want to interpret it. This is just how I personally would do it. This build is a multiclass, so make sure your DM is okay with you playing a multiclass before you go playing this character.

For background, I'd pick Acolyte. (Player's Handbook) The way I'm viewing this is that the character comes from a religious background. They were abandoned at the temple of a deity that is good-aligned. They've grown up in this faith, and they are a devout follower of this faith. If you're using the Forgotten Realms pantheon, I'm partial to Lathander for this: the god of dawn, birth, and renewal. If you're not using this pantheon, pick a god with a similar portfolio. Trust me, it works out really well. If you don't want a particularly religious aspect to this character, then go with something like Folk Hero. (Player's Handbook) In that case, you still get the sense that the character is part of or started something that was good for others.

For your first class, I'd go with either Cleric or Paladin. I'm more partial to Paladins in general but especially for this build because Paladin stats will also help us with our second class. Both of those will also help us hammer home the religious aspect of the build. If the character is a devout follower of a god, it would make sense that they would pursue these types of classes. Charisma (for Paladin) or Wisdom (for Cleric) should be your highest stat. Follow that up with Strength. Again, if you're not super into the "religious" aspect of this build, there are other options. I'd, honestly, still go with Paladin. Paladins don't necessarily have to be devoted to a religion. Paladin oaths are great for determining that. For example, with something like Oath of the Crown (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) a Paladin can be devoted to a people or nation. The new Tasha's Cauldron of Everything has given us the Oath of Glory, which is all about being a hero and overcoming hardships. Either of those could work in a non-religious build.

I would keep this class until about level 3, 4, or 5 before multiclassing. Give your party time to get to know this character as how they want to be perceived: a Paladin of a certain variety or faith or what have you. Picture this: you and your party wake up on a new day, you're about to delve into a dungeon, everything is going exactly as planned. An encounter begins, and you roll initiative. And… your character suddenly knows a spell and casts a spell that they've never had before… and it's not something their god or oath would have given them.

No, I'm not going Warlock here. I'm going Sorcerer, and here's why:

- The character never knew their parents. They have no knowledge of their lineage. Maybe this is something that has decided to manifest itself at a certain age, and that character has (unknowingly) reached that age.  

- It should be noted that you or your DM can work out another determining factor if you so desire.

- If they're religious, there's no worry about retribution or consequences from a god about making a pact with another being.

Subclass? Nothing good-aligned. I want the source of these powers to be, at first, unknown to the character and when they find out, absolutely terrifying. I'd go with Shadow Magic (Xanathar's Guide) or Aberrant Mind. (Tasha's Cauldron) Make their great-great-great grandfather a lich or some Lovecraftian abomination. Either way, the goal is to create some kind of juxtaposition. They were working their way towards becoming a pillar of goodness and justice, or a hero of their faith… and now they know, deep down, that something evil has (and always will have) a hold on them.

Race can be pretty much anything. I don't have one in mind for this build. If you go with the Paladin / Sorcer combo, you may want to consider a race that boosts Charisma, like Half-Elf (Player's Handbook) but that's up to your discretion.

Roleplay Potential:

The character’s potential for development lies in which path they choose: the path of a Paladin or the path of a Sorcerer. A lot of that is internal conflict, but it can also be external depending on the setting of the campaign and how the other characters react to this knowledge about their friend.

The idea of the character being orphaned or abandoned also allows them to go on a quest or mini-quest to learn more about the family that they come from, once they get their Sorcerer powers. There's also great opportunity for the DM to play with that, to create something that surprises even the player of this character. It's like how DMs love to have characters at the table with amnesia. They're blank slates. It can be the same with this; the heritage can be unknown until the characters figure it out in-game.

If it were me, I'd make this character descended from some eldritch monstrosity that had a cult like centuries ago. For generations, this character's family was part of this cult. Maybe the cult was wiped out, or maybe they're lying in wait... for this exact moment, when this character gets their powers. Maybe this character coming of age is the key to bringing this eldritch being back to the material plane. Maybe this is what they were always meant to do, and they were taken from this life by a traitor to the cult.

But the character never asked for this. In fact, they want the opposite; they're a good person, a hero, a pious follower of a good, divine deity. How could they do this? Why would they want to? Or, after they learn more, do they want to? Do they change their mind? Is the supposedly evil cult not actually evil at all?

There's a lot of possibility there. I like this idea because it allows for the player to lean either way - more Sorcerer or more Paladin, or even half and half - and that is how the character chooses to balance who they are in the world. There's room for growth. There's the idea present that, no matter how they may seem, nobody is all good or all evil.

Campaign Concept: Sailing the Sky

What Are We Making?

I've mentioned before that I absolutely love having pirates in my D&D games. I sincerely believe that there's a lot there to explore with them. I created the concept, hoping to add a bit more flare to the idea of "adventurer pirates. I want to create an adventure / exploratory campaign based around the party wanting to be pirates - perhaps the greatest group of pirates that ever lived.

But I wanted to try and do it in a setting with a bit more of a magical flare (or cyberpunk, if you wanna go that direction; I'm sure you could do that.) So, rather than have the players sail the sea... I want them to sail the sky.

The Setting:

So, why the sky? I have a few reasons.

- Personally, I really like the idea of telling your players, "Hey, we're going to play a pirate campaign. Make characters that want to be pirates" and then you introduce the world's setting to them... and there's no oceans. The way I see the setting looking is something like a series of islands that are just suspended in the sky, floating there. However, that can be completely open to interpretation.

- The magical potential is excellent. If you want a "high fantasy" feeling in a pirate campaign, I feel like the best way to do that is to incorporate magic where you can and where it would make the most sense. The ships have to fly somehow, so... how? Are the ships more like how D&D portrays airships? Or are they perfectly historically accurate pirate ships that have been enchanted to fly?

- Despite the fact that the pirates are sailing the skies and not the seas, nothing else really changes about the concept of "being pirates." The nautical combat would be the same (we'll get to my feelings on that in a minute) and that same feeling of freely sailing over the seas would be the same.

- This setting concept is not necessarily unfamiliar either. Many pieces of media depict magical fantasy realms that have "floating islands" and I can think of two examples of media with pirates that sail the sky: the Disney film Treasure Planet and Kingsisle's MMO Pirate101.

If the sky setting isn't something you're into, that's fine. The concept still works perfectly on the sea.

Piracy should be something people aspire to in this world. It's something akin to "being an adventurer" where people mostly look up to them. Sure, some are evil, but for the most part, they're swords and mages for hire, taking up quests and sailing from one place to the next.

Pirates also shouldn't all be swordsmen or swordswomen. This is a high fantasy setting, and I demand Wizard and Sorcerer pirates with epic magical prowess because that is so cool. Imagine a necromancer with a crew of undead pirates - a literal skeleton crew or ghost ship. The players should still be free to flavor their characters however they want, and even though this is a piracy campaign, they shouldn't be forced to be stereotypical "pirates." Can they be? Of course. But if a player wants their pirate to be a Life Cleric, then sure. There can be cleric and paladin pirates that turn their ships into traveling temples and refuges for missionaries and castaways, for example. Monks could also do something similar, or could simply be known for the fact that they fight without any magic or weapons. Bards could have ships that go faster or slower based on the notes that they sing. If they dance or do acrobatics, they could steer the ship with their body or something. Tailor the world to the players' desires.

The Plot:

The reason why I'm really pushing for the players to call the shots here is because I anticipate this concept going in the direction of exploration more so than fighting a great evil, or following a specific storyline. There can be smaller arcs and storylines with grand treasures to find and bad guys to stop depending on where the players want to go.

The one thing I would say is make the first arc about how the players gain their ship or ships. As they go, they can meet the first NPCs that they may want to hire as crew. Having them work for that, I think, will make them feel like they're taking those first couple steps towards what they want. When they get it, they'll be really excited and they'll have the whole world open to them. Ships can be tricky though, and this is where I get into my feelings about nautical combat. In fifth edition D&D, Waterdeep has rules for nautical combat. I don't really like them. I think that the ship having things that the players can do is nice but I would want the players to use their own spells and abilities more so than the ship's. Let the crew have their own turn in initiative, and they can use the ship's actions to deal extra damage. 

You could let the players captain one ship together, or you could consider letting each player have their own ship and crew, and letting the party create their own little fleet. Personally, I'd go with the latter. That way, each player really gets that "pirate captain" experience and there's no arguments over who the captain is (which sounds childish, but you never know with some players.)

I'd also recommend, if you want the ships to be made of wood, mentioning something about a fire charm that doesn't allow the ship to completely burn up straight away. A Fireball will do its full damage but it won't cause the ship to burn perpetually. That idea doesn't make encounters too easy for a party with a mid-level caster, and it also gives you, the DM, an excuse to use Fireball on your players without completely destroying their ships.

In terms of other arcs, after they get their ship or ships, I have several ideas or suggestions:

- If there's a crew member that the party gets particularly close to, give them a quest - something that the party would help them with because they appreciate their work, friendship, and loyalty.

- Obviously, you can have arcs based on character backstories. That's something very easy to do here.

- Have the players search and discover a lost treasure. Classic pirate fun.

- Kill a large creature, terrifying monster, or legendary beast of some kind.

- Discover a new civilization nobody ever has before, or a civilization that was lost to time.

- Get them involved in wars between nations (or let them start wars between nations) to take down a tyrannical regime.

- Let them be revolutionary fighters against a tyrannical regime.

- Fight a crime family. Pirates versus mafia sounds like it could be fun and intriguing. Sea / Sky organized crime versus Land organized crime.

- Send them on an espionage mission. Who said pirates can't be spies?

I like this idea because, overall, it's not a stressful campaign. It's all about going from place to place, taking quests when you can and enjoying the freedom that comes with being pirates. In that sense, piracy is about adventure, and... doesn't that make it a lot like D&D?

MMC Summary: Session 2 - "Credible Whispers"

Present Party: Keviks, Lupan, Nana, and Wren

Setting: The capital city of Kystad, Midtia and the mountains to the northwest.

The party rested for the night in their new rooms at the royal palace. The next day, they took some time for themselves. 

Keviks went hunting with Kindred, his wolf, and managed to get a few extra rations for their travels. 

Wren performed at the Old Fashioned Teacup Bar - the local adventurers' tavern - for some extra coin.

Lupan decided to look for some extra work for while they were still in the city. He investigated the Horizon Walker Rangers' Guild, which typically had quests available to other adventurers. However, they were a bit strapped for quests for their own members at the moment. Instead, they sent him to the Hero's Way Adventuring  Guild, where he met with the tired and overworked receptionist. The Rangers with the Horizon Walkers had informed Lupan of a quest from that guild that had been attempted by several adventurers, but that appeared to have no merit to it. It was rumored to be a "false possession." The receptionist granted Lupan the quest with the information that caused so many people to doubt the validity of the possession. It was claimed that a local actor was possessed by the spirit of a Dragon Lancer.

Lupan decided to do some extra research and really read the book he found in his room about the Dragon Lancers. During this session, he managed to get through all of the information on Variel Calshadir, the sun elf. They were an Oath of the Crown Paladin and leader of the Dragon Lancers. He also learned a bit about Axel, the changeling Way of Mercy Monk - the verifiable heart of the group.

Nana made sure that she got permission from the king and crown prince to pursue the mission Eli gave her and her party last session. However, she lied about the nature of the mission on Eli's request. Upon receiving that approval, she waited until the rest of the party was available and they started into the mountains to speak to them about the quest she received. It was a delicate matter, and she wanted no one else to overhear.

Eli had asked her to meet up with two informants that he believed were in danger. They were meant to return a few days ago and hadn't yet. The information they were carrying was about a potential threat to the crown, though Eli and Ego both didn't know anything about how credible the threat actually was. They didn't want to startle anyone, not over nothing, so they asked Nana not to tell the royal family. The credibility of the threat was the information these informants were meant to bring. Nana was shown a sketch of each of these informants, who were both adventurers and members of the Riot Guard. The informants were referred to as "Alaion" and "Akig" and they were a half-elven man and a dwarven woman. They were also specifically instructed not to ask them questions about the assignment.

The party managed to find these two informants a few hours into the mountains, sheltering in a hidden Riot Guard safehouse. (Both are pictured here, made using Heroforge.) Alaion introduced both of them, stating that Akig could not speak. They started to walk, and his claim appeared to be true since he and Akig spoke to each other using a kind of sign language.

On the way, Keviks noted something strange about Alaion. He bore a crest of the Erdian Army at his hip. Still, the party kept going until they reached the palace. Once there, they asked the two adventurers to remove their gear and be searched. They obliged (although Alaion was rather unwilling.) Nothing of suspicion was found, although Nana also noticed Alaion's crest. For the moment, she said nothing. They left the informants to meet with Eli. 

Wren, Lupan, and Kevicks decided to take some time for themselves at a tavern. Wren and Lupan, both musically skilled with their lutes, decided to play together for a few hours. Keviks watched, and then all three of them had dinner, toasting to what seemed like it would be a very interesting job. The characters, despite Keviks's occasionally brusque attitude, actually came to get to know each other quite a bit. 

Nana, however, couldn't shake the awful feeling that something might go wrong. She didn't trust Alaion especially. She sent her raven familiar, Mond, to see if he could spy on their meeting with Eli, but no luck. Instead, she went to Spymaster Ego. He offered to lend her a hand. Nana used Mond to search the town for the rest of her party in case something was to go wrong, but the raven was shot down in the night.

She went back to Ego who exclaimed, "Shooting down a raven at night? Well... that would indicated someone who's quite good with a bow."

She asked where Eli and the informants went. Ego didn't know of Eli's whereabouts after the meeting finished, but he did see Alaion and Akig leaving the castle to go home. The only issue with that was that the raven was shot down at the opposite end of town. Nana then asked about the results of the meeting.

Ego informed her, "There is not currently a credible threat against the royal family."

Before she left, Nana used the spell Detect Thoughts, asking Ego to trust her. According to the spell, he believed what he was saying was true. He did as she asked and was present at the meeting to listen. When she tried to probe deeper, hoping that he would willingly fail the save, he didn't. In fact, he succeeded.

"Nana, dear girl," he said gently, "I hope you realize that some of those deeper thoughts are... quite a bit above your pay grade. They're not something I can just give you."

She apologized, and went to finish her nightly duties as paranoia slowly settled in. The other three party members returned later that night, ready to see what the next day had to bring.

TPW Summary: The Mini-Sessions

Tri-Panthonic War is my longest running campaign - going on for over a year at this point in time. As a result, it will be difficult for me to really sum up absolutely everything that has happened. I can, however, point you in some directions that might clear things up. I highly recommend reading my blog post about the "Veteran Adventuring Party" concept. That will be located under "NPC Concepts." One of the NPCs I list there, Celorfin "Finn" Lihtaur, travels with this party. The main quest is stated in its simplest form in the "About Me & My Games" page.

The world is called "Roglovar" and this is the most recent iteration of the world map (made by me, using Inkarnate.) The symbols mark the major capitals of each country or province. It is colored based on the most popular religion in each area.

- Red: Farelism (Forgotten Realms Pantheon)

- Green: Gudism (Norse Pantheon)

- Yellow: Thriskism (Greek Pantheon)

- Orange: The Following of Obsidian - this was a religion created by a former PC (Obsidian) where the god was himself. It has been some time since the party has seen him. His religion is growing in the places where he, as part of this party, had done a great deal of good before leaving them. 

I'd also ask that you bear in mind that I frequently reuse the names of places and NPCs (as well as their cultures, appearances, etc.) across campaigns. All of the kingdoms on the northern continent of Roglovar are also the names of the major kingdoms featured in my other homebrew world of Farrowyn, seen in my Matchmaker Campaign. I originally tested the idea of "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" on a smaller scale in this setting.

This campaign is comprised of myself (The DM) and three regular players with a fourth who comes in when he can. We all attend the same university. We decided to take a break from this campaign in mid-November, since finals were only a few weeks away and for two of our players, it was their second-to-last semester. Additionally, the bulk of our classes are online, due to the COVID 19 Pandemic, so making sure we had time to complete all the work that comes with the end of an online semester was the top priority in our lives.

However, during that time, I conducted several mini-sessions with all of my regular players while the characters themselves took a short hiatus from their main adventure. In game, this hiatus lasted from mid-April to June 19th: the day before the Summer Solstice. This is an account of those mini sessions.

~~~~~

The last time the party was whole, Boris and Venus took a trip to Isverden, specifically to the Nation Under the Mountains. There, Venus had the opportunity to kill Faevian Grey - the man who enslaved her at five years old and forced her to fight in a gladiator ring for twenty years before she escaped. She also rescued a half-elven girl of about 5 years old who had been owned by the same man. She named her Luna and effectively adopted her along with her boyfriend, Civis. They also killed Faevian Grey's wife, Ahlysira, who was looking to kill Finn based on some past transgressions. They orphaned Jeremiah Grey, their 16-year-old son, who was being abused by his parents. Jeremiah took his inheritance from his wealthy parents, and moved to Rugathore, Aldea, just down the street from Caldor and Finn's house. Boris took it upon himself to ensure that Jeremiah settled down before returning to Midtia to hunt The Dusk - the assassin's guild that is harboring the most recently discovered cult.

Meanwhile, Sylyeras spent much time on the Xandan Sea with his pregnant Pirate Lord wife, Ariel. Both of them are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child.

Sylyeras's younger half-sister, Yera, has been continuing her Cleric studies under Caldor Lihatur - Finn's husband - back in Rugathore, Aldea. She is also pregnant, and due to give birth very, very soon. She has since warmed up to the idea of motherhood, knowing that she has help now thanks to her adopted dads, Finn and Caldor. Helping take care of her new adopted younger brother, Casper, has also made her more excited to have a baby of her own.

The party has split. This is what they were up to in the two months they had to themselves.

~~~~~

Venus Milton

Setting: The small town of Vesnurk in the country of Saspar, mostly at Civis's bakery or her family's vineyard and winery.

Venus spent her time away getting reacquainted with her very large family that she'd been separated from for 20 years as a child. Her single mother, two brothers, three sisters, sister-in-law, niece, and four nephews welcomed her and her new child, Luna, with open arms. So did her boyfriend of only four months, Civis Nabelleth - the town of Vesnurk's local triton baker. He was even incredibly supportive of the fact that Venus had taken in this child so suddenly and opted to let her stay with him, since the winery was so full these days.

Venus was not the only child who had been kidnapped from this family. Her older sisters, Diana and Juno, had also gone missing but were since found, along with their sons (each of them had two.) They hadn't been in the same situation that Venus had been. Reuniting the family was something very exciting but difficult for everyone involved. The three girls had been through a lot and had missed so much of the lives of their family members. Diana and Juno's sons went from having very small families to having a very big one. Diana's son, Zane, was fourteen and always had a lot of independence. He was struggling with the sheer number of authority figures in the house now and also struggling with actually learning how to be a kid. The Milton-Waters Family took their time together, learning how to be a family again - not the same family, but a family nonetheless. They took the first steps they needed to take, and that was what was important.

Venus and Civis also took their time deciding exactly what roles they wanted to be in Luna's life. They didn't know if she had been kidnapped too, like Venus had, but judging from the fact that she had very little knowledge about "families," they gathered that she hadn't. She was likely born into some kind of slavery. Over the course of two months, she had opened up to them more and more.

Venus's younger sister, Minerva (or "Minnie,") graduated Wizarding University. The whole Milton-Waters family went to the ceremony and gala. They also met her boyfriend, a drow by the name of Pharius Veladorn. He was an expert Wizard of the War Magic variety. The verifiable patriarch of the family, Confidence Milton, performed at the gala as well, alongside his former party member, Helena Cassius.

Venus took a short trip to Aldea when Yera gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Once Yera was recovered, she and Finn took a trip to Vesnurk to visit the Milton-Waters family. They did a few things. They went to a ball in the capital city of Saspar, Jarna, with their boyfriends, Venus's brother Vulcan, and his boyfriend Virion. They also discussed something for Finn.

Finn has a daughter, Aurinia, who is a dryad and lives in The Summer Court of the Feywild. Being a dryad, she's tethered there to an oak tree. Finn is an Archfey Warlock of the Summer Queen. His patron has only granted him permission to see her once a year, when he fulfills part of his pact and comes to the Summer Cotillion on the Summer Solstice. They, through research and discussion, were able to find a plausible way to remove Aurinia from the Feywild and tether her to a new tree on the Material Plane, so she can live with Finn and his husband Caldor. As long as they can get The Summer Queen's permission, of course.

Sylyeras and his wife Ariel also visited the Milton-Waters Family. He and Venus had the chance to catch up about Isverden, and discuss plans going forward. He and Ariel have also made plans to go and visit their new niece when they get the chance.

~~~~~

Boris Rasputin

Setting: The kingdom of Midtia.

After the semi-successful assassination attempt on the royal family of Midtia, Boris made it his personal mission to seek out and kill any remaining members of The Dusk that he could find. He'd gone on a warpath similar to this against the cult of Ares, The Rams of War, and had instilled quite a bit of fear in the general members. He earned himself a reputation as "The Ram Butcher."

After attending the funeral of Queen Mother Spider, Queen Wisps, and the young Prince Snow of the Midtian Royal Family, he stayed to be part of a task force that was going after The Dusk. He was also informed that a prominent adventurer from the eastern continent of Ekatoli was going to be joining this force: Arlo Fields. Boris had only heard whispers of this adventurer, and that was several months ago. He did get the chance to meet him - a human Paladin, of the Farelist god of dawn and rebirth: Lathander. He also discovered that Arlo was a Sorcerer, but Arlo insisted that he doesn't really talk about "that side of his family."

The two of them teamed up, along with three other adventurers, only one of which was sort of familiar to Boris: Thaedrus Beck. He had been in Prince Fang's Royal Selection, but had declined the position of Royal Courtesan on the premise that he wasn't sexually attracted to men. In the massacre that had occurred at the Midtian Royal Palace, he'd lost his mother and his older sister had taken on the family's titles. Boris knew that he was a Fighter, but had never seen him in combat.

They took a quest in the southern mountains of Midtia, where they traveled for several weeks, investigating alleged Dusk sightings. Finally, they came across some grunts, who (with proper coercion) told Boris and his party that there was a meeting going on behind a wall of illusory rocks.

The party advanced and found themselves at an old temple to Surtur, the Gudist god of fire giants and the patron god of another known cult: Giant's Sword. They fought a fire giant, and then none other than Maelyn Writes - the leader of Giant's Sword. She gave them the chance to let her by and walk away from a fight. Boris refused, and insisted on one.

With two fireballs, she killed Thaedrus and knocked the other two party members out, leaving only Arlo and Boris. Arlo fought Maelyn's two guards. Maelyn attempted to escape, but Boris pursued. 

They got into an epic one-on-one fight, but Boris still had one dose of The Dusk's poison left. He put it on his sword and cut into her, doing massive amounts of damage. However, she knocked him down and made her escape. Thankfully, Boris survived, but only thanks to a Natural 20 on his first death saving throw.

He returned to the rest of his party. Arlo had healed their other party members and they collected Thaedrus's ashes to return to his family on their way back to the capital.

~~~~~

Yera Lihtaur

Setting: Rugathore, Aldea. At the home of Finn and Caldor Lihtaur.

For several months, Yera had been writing letters to a member of Sylyeras's crew: Kiln, a fire genasi. They'd had a fling once and kept a friendly relationship since. They saw each other for the first time in years at Sylyeras's wedding and that was when they decided to write more. Finn's teleporting fox, Scarlett, helped deliver their letters.

Kiln surprised Yera one day by showing up in Rugathore to spend more time with her. Once there, the two decided to go on a date or two and they found that they liked the idea of having an exclusive relationship, even though Kiln was still dead-set on sailing. They would make it work.

Yera finally gave birth to her baby - a little girl named Elle. She also gave her the middle name Fae, after Finn's former fiancee, who he'd lost before he could marry back in his adventuring days.

Yera also asked Finn and Caldor if they would be willing to help her with something. Her mother was a notorious Pirate Lord, and a cruel one at that. Her name was Isabelle Ashglade. Yera used to sail for her, and now owed her quite a bit of money. She wanted out of the pirate life for good and she needed help. Finn and Caldor obliged, and that led to a confrontation with Pirate Lord Ashglade that put her and Finn against each other. She swore she would kill him if she saw him again, but let Yera go after being paid a hefty sum of coin.

When Yera and Finn returned to Rugathore, Caldor gave them some bad news. Casper, their half-tabaxi son, was sick. Normally, when tabaxi and humans and have children together, they are either human or tabaxi. Sometimes, the right (or wrong) genes mix, and the resulting child will be a half-tabaxi. However, half-tabaxi get sick as a result of their genetic makeup. About 50% of half-tabaxi children live to the age of 8. 25% live to adulthood. If you live to that point, typically you're good. 

Casper is only six years old. He's just started his first sickness.

~~~~~

Sylyeras Taldin

Setting: The western Xandan Sea and Vesnurk, Saspar.

Sylyeras didn't get up to much over the past couple of months, other than spending some much-needed time with his pregnant wife. He spent most of his time sailing with her. They started getting ready for their new son (a son, they were told by a future-seeing dragon.) He even made her a new "baby corner" in her quarters on her ship.

During his time with Venus and her family, he also lost a bet against Civis. He got himself a new piercing: snake bites under his lip - Civis's choice.

He and Ariel are still currently staying in Vesnurk, spending time with the rest of the Milton-Waters family.

~~~~~

The game will resume on Wednesday, December 30th 2020. After that, games will be weekly, on Thursdays. Summaries should be up by Friday.

MMC Summary: Session 1 - "Welcome to Midtia"

Present Party: Keviks, Nana, Lupan, and Wren

Session Setting: The kingdom of Midtia, in the capital city of Kystad. (Map made by me, using Inkarnate.)

Welcome, adventurers, to the kingdom of Midtia - a nation known for its adventuring opportunity, wealth, and influence on the wider continent. Our story begins in the capital city of Kystad. It’s a bustling place, always moving, with all sorts of humanoid creatures going about their day. Over the last couple of days, while you’ve all been within the city, you’ve consistently heard about an upcoming event known as The Selection. For some of you, this is a familiar event. For others, it is something so remarkably foreign. From what you’ve heard, the crown prince has turned eighteen, and he’s leaving the royal palace to look for a wife.

And so, we begin with Wren, Lupan, and Keviks. All of them were new to the city, trying to make their way and find work. They were each graciously approached by a gnomish gentleman, dressed entirely in black. He introduced himself to those who asked as "Ego" and he claimed to have work for some intrepid adventurers, and he thought that each particular individual would be a good fit for the job. He gave each of them a letter of introduction, and instructed them to find their way to the Royal Palace in the next two hours.

Once there, they'd receive more information about the job and the reward.

Meanwhile, at the palace, Nana has received a message from King River: the sovereign tabaxi monarch. He wished to have a private meeting with her, regarding the Selection.

“I’ve spoken to Ego. He’s found us some promising adventurers to take Fang on this journey. I’d like you to accompany him and them. And of course, you'd receive the same reward and pay as they would.”

She was honored to be considered, and the king informed her that the others would be there by lunch.

~~~~~

The three adventurers arriving from town made their way to the palace on time. They had the chance to talk and get to know each other. Keviks and Lupan appeared to get along decently, in large part thanks to Kindred, Keviks's wolf companion. She took an immediate liking to Lupan.

The king and Nana joined the party, followed by a young tabaxi man. He was tall, but not particularly broad. He had white fur with tints of gray in places. He was introduced as the crown prince: Fang. (Portrait made by me, using Heroforge.) The king explained that they'd been handpicked by Ego, his Royal Spymaster. He also explained The Selection, and their job that went along with it.

“My son Fang is due to start looking for a wife. We have a long and storied process when it comes to betrothals in the royal family, and it involves a lot of travel across our country. We call it The Selection. In its simplest form, the prince will go from city to city to town to village and meet with the eligible bachelorettes of high rank. This year, there are 64 eligible women - which is a rather large number. He is meant to spend at least one day with each woman, and then select thirteen potential wives. Although, he - and therefore, you - are free to stay longer. Those thirteen young ladies come to Kystad to stay with us where, over the process of a few years, Fang gets to know each of them, and then he selects a wife. Adventurers are always good for escort missions, and I would be entrusting you with the safety of my son, and one other task, should you accept.”

Before they could accept, however, Nana insisted on a test of skill for the other adventurers. She was concerned about their ability to truly protect the prince on his great journey. The party engaged in something of a series of matches, where each of the other three players fought with Nana in a controlled sparring match. During this match, the party also got to meet the three younger tabaxi princes: Aspect, Snow, and Time.

Each of them passed Nana's test, though to varying degrees. Nana was clearly most impressed with Wren's use of Cloud of Daggers, and Keviks's ability to shoot a longbow with surprising strength and accuracy while in melee. She was less impressed with Lupan, though the two of them did have a longer discussion about magic.

They went back to River, who elaborated on the second task, “Typically, it is customary for the king - me - to send a noble advisor along with my son as well to help him make the decision for the final thirteen women. In the end, Fang’s choice is the one that matters and he will make the final decision, but advice can be helpful. I want that decision to be based in love and attraction not politics. So, I want you to be his advisors as well. Meet these ladies, if you can. Get to know them as people and somewhat as political figures. Nana, Fang’s nanny will also be accompanying you on this journey. She’s been in these circles for centuries. In terms of political reputations, she’ll have some indication. And, of course, Fang knows the reputations too.”

Reward was also a topic to be discussed, and King River insisted that he'd thought about it. "In terms of reward, this is no small feat I’m asking of you. You would all have to be compensated accordingly, and it is… impossible for me to put a price on the safety of my son. It’s invaluable to me. I’ve put much thought into it, and I think… 20,000 gold pieces upon the completion of the quest is fair though I am open to negotiation."

The characters agreed, and they were given (mostly) free reign of the castle, and rooms there as well.

Wren decided to spend time with Fang, where she admitted that she'd met him before and she'd been to the palace before. Fang recognized her as a member of a fairly prominent noble family from the city of Lanti, and the two of them bonded over piano music and a game of chess that Wren won handily.

Nana took it upon herself to show Lupan to his room, and on the way, they noted Ego talking to another member of the court who Nana knew: Eli Hawks, the captain of Midtia's Riot Guard. Nana has a raven familiar, Mond, who she sent flying after Eli to see what was going on.

Keviks met up again with Lupan at their rooms, where they had a brief discussion about the Dragon Lancers: heroes of old, known for their epic powers and crusade against evil dragons. They were tragically killed in a battle versus an ancient red dragon. Afterwards, both of them decided to settle in in their own rooms.

Nana, meanwhile, using her raven's eyes and ears, received some startling news from Eli, which I shared with the player in secret. That information will be revealed to the other players in the next session.

NPC Concept: The Eccentric Zoologist and his Assistant

Overview:

This is a concept that I've used before, although sparingly. This NPC is one that my players don't see often, but they remember him.

The concept is for a type of scientist, and I'll be referring to the scientist as "he" because in every iteration, I've always had this scientist as male. However, he definitely doesn't have to be. I classified him as a zoologist because his field of study is exceptional and magical creatures. He has a covered wagon that he travels with that's far bigger on the inside. The inside is a huge zoo, filled with creatures of every imaginable sort.

There's also a second part to this concept that is optional, but I think it makes for a great character dynamic. That's the assistant role. They're either studying under the zoologist, or they're just hired help to handle care for the creatures. That's up to your discretion.

Function / Motivation

I've always played the zoologist as eccentric, loud, intelligent, but definitely not very perceptive or wise. I've also always made him interested in the ability to essentially create new creatures that are hybrids of creature types (for example: creatures that have fey and elemental traits, and are therefore considered to be "felementals.") So, he does a lot of experiments with what I've explained as a kind of "magical gene splicing" to my players. His assistant, on the other hand, is stressed, overworked, underpaid, and a little incompetent, especially under pressure. They don't understand the experiments and they have no desire to. This is the NPC that the players interact with the most, but chances are (if your players are like mine) they'll like them less than the zoologist himself.

I've used this pair as quest-givers before. Their quests almost always involve the assistant messing up in some way (a creature gets loose, the assistant has other work to do and can't go searching for a creature his boss wants) and then the party having to fix it before the boss finds out. This is honestly my favorite way to play these NPCs because they can also give really good rewards. This pair is the perfect way to give your players a pet, if you wanted. They breed several magical creatures so it wouldn't be impossible for them to part with one for free. I've always kind of had them be travelers too, so they can show up anywhere where the party might go and they'll almost always have some kind of quest for the party to complete. How many times a creature is offered as a reward is honestly up to the DM's discretion. I know some groups don't really enjoy the whole "pets" thing.

Another potential quest could include one of the zoologist's experiments going awry. That experiment could, honestly, be something contained. It could only threaten the covered wagon the zoo is in, or it could only threaten the town the wagon is in at the moment. The experiment could also, absolutely be something potentially world-ending. I can totally picture the zoologist thinking to himself, So... what would happen if I spliced a tarrasque and a beholder together? Then, he'd try... and now you have a creature with all the resistances of a tarrasque and all of the beholder's eye rays, including the anti-magic cone.

That would be, from a player's perspective, one of my worst nightmares. From a DM's perspective though, that's a very credible threat.

You could also have the spin where the zoologist is creating dangerous creatures with the intent to use them to destroy the world. Now the zoologist takes on an antagonist role. Maybe the assistant starts out helping their boss, but then defects to try and help the party because "he's gone too far."

There's definitely potential to be explored with this pair of characters, and I think their demeanors compliment each other in either presented scenario.

Why Should I Include This?

Well... why not? Do your players want pets? This pair will give them one. Do your players want to fight cool magical creatures? Now they have a reason.

This also gives a particularly creative DM the chance to homebrew their own interesting creatures, or bring in other content creators' homebrewed creatures. Explore that idea of "magic gene splicing" with them, and see if it has potential somewhere else. For example, my players in my Tri-Panthonic War Campaign have contacted the zoologist before to see if he could cure a disease that one of their beloved NPCs had developed - a disease that was determined to be genetic. He's working on it.

These are the kinds of NPCs that your players will remember, and if they see them again or spot their wagon, if you play them in an engaging and enjoyable way, your players will run towards them.

WSS Summary: World 8, Dear Father Time - Session 1

Present Party: Steve and Aria

World Setting: Typical D&D medieval fantasy world with various Greek elements, seen mostly in temples. The gods in this world are part of the Greek pantheon.

The party arrived in the next world, and they found themselves in what they have now come to recognize as a medieval city, but with a few major exceptions. Quite a ways off in front of them was a huge, white, European-style castle with golden ornaments and accents. About twenty feet to their right was a marble white temple, with big columns and inside, they could see a statue of a naked woman sitting on a seashell.

Steve and Aria also quickly realized that Claudia and Emori weren't with them.

This wasn't an uncommon occurrence though, so they pushed forward and decided to visit the temple. Before they leave for worlds, the System often presents the party with a role. It helps them "blend in" with the locals so the world doesn't implode on itself. Their role was that of historians from another continent. They entered the temple and found the head priest, Lyre, a half-drow, who pointed them in the direction of the local library.

On the way, they met up with The Moderator, who pulled them very urgently into an alley. They gave them two silver rings, imbued with magical powers.

"This place is dangerous for you," they said, in their ever-tired and stressed voice. "The pantheon here recently had a 'shake-up' if you will. Ever since, there are several gods who walk on the planet among mortal men. They'll take one look at you and know that you're different. And then they'll kill you."

"I assume that's what the rings are for," Steve replied.

Mod nodded. "Exactly. So take them, and be careful."

"How do they know?" Aria inquired. "Do transmigrators have like... a weird smell or something?"

Mod sighed, "Not a smell, a look. And some beings are able to recognize that. These gods can, so it's not safe for you. It's the same way that other, retired transmigrators can recognize you."

Mod left as quickly as they came after that, muttering about fixing bugs, and the party continued to the library.

Once there, the first thing of note was the map on the far left wall (pictured above, made by me, using Inkarnate.) With the help of Erasmus, the kobold librarian, they learned about the event that changed up the pantheon: The Darkening.

The Darkening happened on the continent of Eushora about 200 years ago. It was caused by a cult who worshiped a primordial goddess of night called "Nyx." They released her, and brought eternal night for 11 years to the whole continent. When that happened, several people and even several gods were "blipped" into a demiplane of darkness. A group of heroes rose up and fought the cult, and then eventually Nyx herself. They received a picture of the group in question:

- A changeling man, holding a flaming sickle (Ike)

- A changeling girl, holding two daggers (Phoebe, Ike's daughter)

- A pink aasimar man with dark hair and white wings, holding a quarterstaff (Conah Dullane, Alexi's husband)

- A drow woman with silver dragon wings (Alexi Dullane, Conah's wife and Lyre's half-sister)

- A human man with dark hair and pale skin, holding a violin (Echo, Lyre's husband)

- A half-elven man in leather armor, holding a glaive (Xanword Fallone, currently dead)

- A water genasi man clutching a holy symbol in one hand and a mace in the other (Kaz, currently dead)

- The man they'd just met: Lyre, the head priest of the Aphrodite temple (Echo's husband and Alexi's older half-brother)

Erasmus told them that if they wanted to know more, most of the former living heroes (who were now either gods or immortals) were pretty open to talking about it. The only one who wasn't was Ike.

They spoke again, a bit more thoroughly, to Lyre. They asked what could have been so powerful as to have brought on an eternal night, and Lyre claimed that the combination of three "godly artifacts" and Nyx herself was all it took. Nyx was the most powerful of the primordial gods because she was first. Since she was defeated, Lyre's husband Echo actually took on the mantle of Night and is considered to be the New Primordial of Night. Lyre also told them about Hekate: the key to defeating Nyx. Nobody quite knew what Hekate was, because she wasn't a primordial or a goddess or anything like that. It was rumored that she was as old as, if not older than Nyx. Their party had her on their side. Lyre also confessed that she reincarnates every few decades, and that his old party - but specifically Ike - was responsible for her. One of Ike's children, Hadrion, could sense when she'd been reincarnated and where.

Steve and Aria now had the thought that they really should speak to Ike which, as Erasmus told them and Lyre enforced, probably wouldn't go well for them. They asked if there was a way, and Lyre told them that Ike's house is basically an orphanage; he takes in orphaned children all the time.

That idea led them to Sinner's Den, helped along by Lyre and his husband Echo, where Lyre said there were many orphaned children. They managed to pick up a very sick elven boy, about four years old, by the name of Alaion. He went willingly with them, hoping that he could get good enough medicine for his illness from Ike.

From there, Echo said that he couldn't get them to Blackpool for reasons he refused to elaborate on, but that he could get them to Norbury. Their friend Conah lived there, he'd answer any questions they had, and he could get them to Blackpool.

They met Conah, who had, since his death at the old age of 100, become Eros. As such, his appearance had changed. He had dark skin, black hair, and bright red eyes. They also met his wife Alexi - or "Lex" as she preferred - and their daughter Ava, who were both immortal. Conah claimed that their son, Callan, lived with them too, but he was out at the moment.

Steve and Aria asked him a couple questions about The Darkening, but he gave them most of the same answers. He did, however, give them more information about Hekate. She appears always as an egg, and hatches as a black dragon. Then, she turns into a little girl and ages as a human from then forward.

Conah waved a hand over his eyes, showing off red scales around them for a moment, before waving the hand back to cover the scales again. With a grin, he informed them, "In our pantheon, on our continent - I don't know what it's like where you're from - but here, dragons and gods are one in the same."

~~~~~

Credit to @ijaymendell inspiring this awesome campaign!

Additionally, thank you to my friend @bandcat5313 - the original homebrewer and DM for the world of Eushora. This setting and some NPCs were inspired by hers.