One More RHoD Campaign Journal

[GreenETC]

After quite a lot of time spent reading over this campaign and basically drooling about getting to run it because I like it so much, I finally managed to get my friends in on doing it, and they rushed straight into it, leaving me with not a lot of prep time, but I feel that I can handle it, and I'm way too excited to care about small formalities.


Active : MIA : Dead
The party currently consists of:
Kuori Sultherden; Goliath Warblade 5

Has an extreme like of Charging Minotaur and Cleave.
Iris Arroway; Human Cleric 4/Crusader 1/Ruby Knight Vindicator 1

Happily dishing out heals and hurts in Wee Jas's name.
“Shadow”; Silverbrow Human Bard 6 with a Hedgehog pet

Going for maximum ridiculousness, and now has Jorr as a Cohort.
Yraalik the Great Wurm; Dragonwrought Kobold Sorcerer 5/Mage of the Arcane Order 1

Not Pun-pun. Evoking his way into Mage of the Arcane Order.
Ash Summan; Human Conjurer 5

Malconvoker in the making.
Fulke Jerard; Human Wizard 5

True Neutral scientist prepping to Warp some Flesh.
Corvo Freebund; Human Ranger 2/Fighter 3

Wields a Composite Greatbow and a sultry attitude.
Yasir; Lesser Aasimar Sha’ir 3/Binder 1/Anima Mage 1

Strong on magic, light on hit points.
Cado of the Spent River; Neraph Factotum 5

Iaijutsu Focus Samurai on a mission of manhood.
The party did a test run of the end of a quest in a dungeon, based around the Keep of Shadowfell. Due to the Bard being the savviest in terms of game mechanics, as well as being generally entertaining, I provided him with a custom lute from Olidammara which makes an animal noise when strummed, and then turns into the corresponding animal. It turns back after a short while or when damaged, so it’s really just there for him to goof around with.

Day 1 - Dawn of the First Day: Fight in the Night
NPCs and Big Shots This Post
Zarr - Hobgoblin Cleric on scouting duty.
Uth-lar - A Red Hand Bladebearer.
Choo Choo
After the party finished up and headed out, Corvo received a dream vision of being alone in a forest that then catches fire. After running out of the forest, he sees the town of Brindol ablaze, with the surrounding areas littered with Hobgoblins. As he takes it all in, Corvo hears over the screams that something is moving in the forest behind him. He draws his bow and turns, only to find himself face to face with a Red Dragon, Abithriax. He mutters about a bet he made with a friend he made about how they would die, shamed that he knows he lost. The dragon rushes him as he runs, grapples him, and proceeds to fly him into the air above the town. As he is let go by Abithriax, he turns and stabs the dragon in the foot with his dagger, holding on for dear life. The dragon, surprised, plummets like a stone, quickly pulling up as he nears the ground in hopes of shaking Corvo off, and as he collides with the ground, he awakes.

The party then meets with a group of Fey who had contracted them to do the previous quest, and they congratulate them on a job well done. As the Bard debates if he wishes to attempt to seduce a Fey, with Yasir attempting to wingman, Corvo finds himself discussing the quest with the Fey leader. She presents him with a Staff of Life (1 Raise Dead, 3 Revivify), after which Corvo asks if there happen to be any dragons nearby. The Fey pulls him aside and tells him about the vision she received from Obad-Hai, and tells him that the place they need to go is Elsir Vale. Feeling obligated to help his god, Corvo rounds up the group, takes a few days rest, and they all head off to the Vale, following a map the Bard received during one of his many odd jobs.
Marauder Attack
The party finds themselves following the path of the Elsir River, and after two days travel, Corvo presses them to continue walking through the night, in hopes of reaching Drellin’s Ferry before morning. They come across a wrecked wagon lying in the middle of the trail to their right, and Corvo and Iris move to investigate. Finding nothing inside, the pair notice a pair of Hobgoblins watching them from the underbrush, and the combat begins. The Cleric and the Ranger both attack the nearest soldier, bringing him to low hit points, while the other Hobgoblin bangs his shield to alert the rest of the band. After combat starts, the soldiers assume their stances, with the fresher soldier moving in, taking an arrow along the way, and hitting Corvo, giving himself Stone Bones to hopefully take the assault he is about to receive. However, Kuori leaps down into the path and Charging Minotaur’s the soldier, slamming him backwards into the cart and knocking him out of the fight permanently.

The reinforcements arrive, with Yasir getting stabbed in the back by a previously unseen warrior. Zarr casts invisibility and moves to investigate the area, and three more regulars pop out of the woods to assist in the combat, each going for different enemies. The Bard, seeing the surrounding Hobgoblins, Glitterdusts himself, netting a great boon as he and Yasir pass their saves, while the two of the surrounding Hobbos fail. Kuori turns to face another foe, charging him as Yasir channels Naberius to Command him to lie down. Zarr attempts to Hold the Archer, but he manages to shrug it off as the Doom Hand Cleric ducks back into the house to prepare his allies for the coming fight. It is at this moment that Uth-lar charges out of the underbrush, striking Kuori with a Shocking Grasp, wracking her and leaving her hit points lacking, to which she quickly retaliates. Yasir and Iris move and assist Kuori with a Grave Mist and a Touch of Healing respectively. Meanwhile, one of the blinded troops moves out and assumes a defensive stance. The Duskblade shifts back and lets loose a Burning Hands, but even the lowly Cleric manages to make the save. Yasir lets loose a barrage of Magic Missiles, battering the remaining hit points of Uth-lar away.

After letting loose some music, the Bard assumes that his allies have the fight, so he begins to play with his new lute, turning it into an Anteater. He proceeds to dress it up in leaves and sticks in an attempt to disguise it as a hedgehog while the battle rages on around him. Corvo, being savvy, moves and investigates the house, seeing a Hobgoblin standing ready by a door through the window. He smashes the window and attacks him, and then puts his bow away to follow the Hobgoblin as it runs outside. Corvo turns the corner as the Hobgoblin does, and manages to disarm his spear. He then throws it to the ground and readies himself, an action which causes the Hobgoblin to shift himself backward out of bewilderment as he readies his sword. Kuori chases a blind Hobgoblin into a river where she proceeds to smash him apart.

Kuori then sees the Hobgoblin from earlier hiding in a corner, and moves to engage him. The regular throws his weapon to the ground and jumps across the river, only to have the Goliath demonstrate her incredible jumping prowess and her Greathammer proficiency at the same time. Corvo lunges forward onto the readied sword, grappling the man and taking a critical hit. Iris runs to assist Corvo, only to be charged by a regular, buffed by a Bull’s Strength, from out of the door. With the Archer currently grappling and in dire straits, Iris lets loose a Crusader’s Strike, hitting true and giving a respectable piece of health back to her friend. Zarr then comes out of the house, brandishing his Morningstar with a Spiritual Weapon in toe, entirely ready to die for his cause. He shouts that they shall all die at the hands of Koth and Tiamat, as Corvo wrestles the other regular into unconsciousness. The Bard walks over to his teammates to show them his handiwork, finding them as they batter Zarr beyond the realm of the living. They find a few potions among the corpses that remain intact, and they gather in the house to decide if they should press on or rest until the morning in case of more Hobgoblins.
Summary
The party Ranger had a vision of a dragon destroying Elsir Vale, and the group decided to move out at the behest of a group of Fey. On their way to Drellin's Ferry, they bumped into the scouts of the horde, and proceeded to trounce them with minimal injuries. Corvo, the Ranger, almost got himself killed, but the party is now in the Vale and ready to move forward.
Opinions & Thoughts
Overall, I am quite enjoying Inkeyes’s (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=235976) builds for the Hobgoblin Regulars as Warblades, since they can do some decent damage, make up for their awful Will with Moment of Perfect Mind, and usually survive only a few rounds as cannon fodder. The Duskblade replacement for Bladebearers also seems to work too, giving them more damage capacity, some versatility, and a little more “wow” factor. The straight Hobgoblin Cleric was disappointing though, since his DCs were very low, and he didn't even have much in the way of damage or interesting aspects, other than “ooo another caster.” I probably need to rework those a little bit, and try to have some more Hobgoblin Archers in the fray next time to vary things up, but overall, the campaign is working fine, the silly and serious aspects are blending well, and the party even managed to get a captive. Not that he’ll tell them much I didn't want them to know already, but walking plot hooks are always good for a DM. The party performed very well, and I haven't noticed anyone being too overtly powerful or problematic, though I am keeping my eyes peeled.

Now that they're in the world, I won't be dictating where they should go other than NPC suggestions in tactical situations, but I think they're probably going to follow breadcrumbs if I leave them. Also, if the descriptions for what's happening are too long, let me know and I can try shortening them, skipping some fluff and stuff, since I've never actually done this before. I'm hopeful that this is going to turn out good for everyone involved, because it's introducing more depth to role-playing than some of the players have had, and this is also going to be one of the first campaigns where dying is not only possible, but likely on occasion.
Day 2 - Manticores & Minotaurs: The Vraath Keep Conflict! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15144396&postcount=3)
Days 3 & 4 - Back in Vraath: A Scouting Initiative (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15348790&postcount=4)

[Axinian]

Yay! Another one!

Seriously, the more of these, the better. Seems like a fun batch of characters.

[GreenETC]

With the return of the forums comes a fresh new day of adventuring. Everybody had a great time, including myself, so this time was incredibly good.

The party this time around consists of:
Kuori Sultherden; Goliath Warblade 5

Has an extreme like of Charging Minotaur and Cleave.
Iris Arroway; Human Cleric 4/Crusader 1

Happily dishing out heals and hurts in Wee Jas's name.
“Shadow”; Silverbrow Human Bard 6 with a Hedgehog pet

Going for maximum ridiculousness.
Yraalik the Great Wurm; Dragonwrought Kobold Sorcerer 5

Not Pun-pun. Evoking his way into Mage of the Arcane Order.
Ash Summan; Human Conjurer 5

Malconvoker in the making.
Fulke Jerard; Human Wizard 5

True Neutral scientist prepping to Warp some Flesh.
Cado of the Spent River; Neraph Factotum 5

Iaijutsu Focus Samurai on a mission of manhood.
Day 2 - Manticores & Minotaurs: The Vraath Keep Conflict!
NPCs and Big Shots
Jorr Natherson - Hick from the Witchwood, riding shotgun with the Bard.
Sergeant Hersk - A higher ranking guard member.
Speaker Norro Winston - Essentially the Mayor of Drellin's Ferry.
Koth - The youngest of the Wurmlords, in charge of Vraath Keep.
Karkilan - Minotaur soldier, second in command of Vraath Keep.
Drellin's Ferry
The party, after assembling in the house, decides it would be best to take a rest here. Before doing so, they decided to go inspect the rest of the farmhouse to ensure that it wasn’t going to lead to an ambush. Upon heading upstairs, Iris and Kuori found a strange lizard creature tied up and muffled. They inspected the room as they let his mouth free, and found a Wand of Cure Light Wounds. He introduced himself as Cado, told them he was sent on a quest to kill a dragon, asking if they knew anything of one. While they talked, Shadow came upstairs and talked to the Neraphim, offering him the Hobgoblin’s dinner he found downstairs, discussing with him the specifics of his plane and why he was here. They realized they probably had the same goal, so they set themselves up for the night and took a rest.

They woke up to a cloudy morning, and traveled their way out to Drellin’s Ferry. As they strolled into town, the town guard stopped them, inquiring about the group’s more bizarre members. As they talked, the Bard managed to finagle himself into the conversation and told the guards about the Hobgoblins they fought. Hersk immediately pointed them towards the Speaker’s house, and pointed out the inns in the area. They waved goodbye and took straight to the Speaker’s, knocking on the door and barging in with bravado. His secretary welcomed them in, and told them the speaker was currently out. The Bard spoke to her, and realized she was covering for him, and began imagining the possible unscrupulous behavior that Norro Winston could be a part of. After that, the group split up, with Yasir and Corvo going off to look for magic, Iris and Cado going to the Old Bridge Inn, and Shadow and Kuori going to the Green Apple.

The Bard tried to get himself a gig playing the tavern, but instead managed to get info from the barkeep about the Speaker being at Gausler’s, probably drunk. Kuori attempted to get in an arm wrestling contest, but the rest of the patrons cautiously refused to lose their limbs. Iris discussed the Speaker with Kellin, but he mentioned how they really didn’t get on well. The two groups came out and got together, following the barkeep’s suggestion to head across the river, and enjoyed a slow ride and discussion of politics as they were carried. They leapt off the ferry and headed straight to Gausler’s, but were surprised to find that, instead of a brothel or something, it appeared to be a brewery. The group confusedly headed inside, and found the speaker discussing shipping some ale to his house for a birthday party at his house later in the week.

As they came up to him, they mentioned that they had heard that he would be prepared to hire them to take care of the Hobgoblins. He was incredibly surprised by their eagerness, and mentioned that they were skulking around the neighboring woods, taking them outside to point them the direction. He told them they were unusually aggressive lately, and asked them to find out what was going on to make them so bold. Shadow took this time to inquire about the Speaker’s secretary, who turned out to be one of his daughters. The group, noticing Vraath Keep marked on their map asked the Speaker about it, and he mentioned the old ghost story about the Keep, but the party decided they would probably rather just head out, in case the story was long. They rushed out so quickly they didn’t even discuss their payment with Norro, a fact he was happy about, calling out a lowball offer as they left, and the Bard swore he would sleep with the Speaker’s daughter.
The Forest Fights Back
The group moved through the forest, leaving Corvo and Yasir behind. They snuck past a few Owlbears, but didn’t encounter any Hobgoblin troops, which they were angry about. As they reached the river, the party was frustrated, but quickly were accosted by a dog, followed shortly afterward by an angry Jorr Natherson. He was quickly disarmed by the fact that they weren’t Goblins, and the party mentioned they were sent by the Norro Winston to hunt down the Hobgoblins and figure out why they were so restless. Jorr perked up as the party said they could take him along, since he might know more about them, and he quickly jumped at the chance to join them, hoping they could help keep him generally safe and take most of the hits while he took them out from the sidelines. The group then immediately turned down the Dawn Way, heading across the Blackwater Causeway.

As they moved up, with Cado leading the search, Jorr stopped the Bard as the two of them noticed a lizard head moving through the water. Shadow shouted for the group to get off the bridge, and Cado turned to see the other five heads clamber out of the water, taking a lot of hits as it charged him, leaving him very wounded. The Bard strung out his Dragonfire Inspiration, in hopes that the fire would help slay the beast. The rest of the group moved off the bridge, while Cado tried to tumble away from the Hydra. Unfortunately, he stumbled as he rolled, and took another 2 hits from the heads as he got out, leaving him on his last legs. The Cleric quickly rushed to his aid, while the Hydra moved into the swamp to make more attacks, shrugging off a Glitterdust from Shadow. Kuori clashed back with her hammer after taking a few hits, but the Hydra only fell when the Nerephim managed to land an Iaijutsu strike on it, followed by Iris smashing it.

With the beast felled, they noticed the caravan sunk deep in the swamp, but nobody really wanted to go through either the swamp or the river, for fear of more Hydras, or something even worse. Kuori scoffed at them, handily trudging through the deep muck, only to find the wagon full of dead Goblins and Hobgoblins. She noticed the difference between the armors of the bodies, and tore the Mithral Breastplate from the leader’s corpse, not really realizing the implication of her discovery. She brought it over to the rest of the group, but they didn’t care to investigate, and the Bard raised the idea of bringing back the heads of either the Hobgoblins or the Hydra and say they saved the village. Jorr waived the Hydra idea, saying how they’re rare, but not too unexpected within the Witchwood, and they almost never leave the forest. The group decided they would much rather go kill some Hobgoblins themselves; to which Jorr heartily agreed, saying he’d just go back to his house if they had other plans except for free-range murder.

It was during this moment of indecision that a group of travelling mages, having just bested a group of Monks attempting to slay them down the road, came across our party, meeting them in the middle of the bridge. Shadow stepped forward to speak for the group, with the equally charming Kobold responding. The Great Wurm wanted to assist his apprentices in their magical training, and after the Bard mentioned their mission to hunt Hobgoblins, they decided to tag along. In this confusion, however, Cado snuck away, fearing that such a large group would only slow him down and attract attention. The group moved on without him, only to walk into a group of Assassin Vines, which quickly entangled nearly the whole party. The Great Wurm used his fire magic to burn away the vines at their feet, but found it was less effective at slaying the plant monsters. Shadow admitted defeat and attempted to disguise himself as a plant to avoid being eaten. Iris found herself grappled and covered in vines, while the mages battered the plants with Magic Missiles, wearing them down enough for the Goliath to tear them apart. The Illumian summoned a dog to take care of the last one, and it proceeded to rip it to shreds all by itself.

After the fight, Shadow decided to remain in his plant outfit, hoping for it to act as a ghili suit to keep him hidden in the woods. It didn’t really matter though, since none of the others really took to his idea of stealth. They noticed the edge of Vraath Keep through the underbrush and moved along the path to find it. When they got close, however, they noticed some rustling in the woods around them. Fulke sent his familiar after the sound, only to have it race out of the woods with the cry of “Goblin!” This was solidified by the signal flare sent out from the woods, which the group immediately recognized as danger. They motioned to move more stealthily, but it was far too late.
The Vraath Keep Caper
Yraalik, being as old as he was, knew that this meant reinforcements, and moved into the Keep to investigate. He moved swiftly into the barracks, only to find a pair of sleeping Hobgoblins. As he moved back to tell the group to remain quiet, Fulke marched into the Keep to avoid the Goblin outside. Yraalik moved back into the room, drawing his dagger, and moved to slit their throats in their sleep. He heard the clunk of the roof above him, and the noise of a Goblinoid cursing in the other room, and readied himself to charge the door. Koth proceeded to step out, to which the Kobold grabbed hold of him and began crying at him in Draconic in hopes of bluffing him. Koth failed to notice, but was less concerned with this small, weak dragon than he was with his plans, so he simply slammed him aside with his Morningstar and moved to his war room.

Outside, the Bard had begun his song, and had peppered the forest with Glitterdust, revealing a Worg Rider and a Veteran. The Goblin leapt off his mount as it was blinded, only to see a hulking Goliath bear down on him. Kuori cleaved through the Goblin, his Worg, and the blinded Veteran, all in one fell swing of her hammer. Proud of herself, Jorr congratulated her before moving off to look for more. Ash watched on, only to see a Manticore swoop to land on the roof. He sent a spider after it, and caught it out of the air. The Conjurer then added a bear and a badger to the mix, surrounding the beast as it plummeted. The Manticore wasn’t happy about this, and flung spikes around, collapsing the shed that the Cleric had just wandered out of. She raised her arms and began summoning an eagle to aid in the fight.
Fulke crept up to the stable doors, only to have the door fly away from his hand to reveal Karkilan, a Spiked Chain lying on his shoulder. The Minotaur cried out to warn Koth, and then moved after the human in front of him. The Wizard turned himself invisible and, like any right-minded caster, ran away. Karkilan followed, after which the Bard summoned an Unseen Servant behind him, causing it to brush against him. This plan was ruined by the Great Wurm charging at the Minotaur and grabbing his leg with a Shocking Grasp. Fulke, amazed by his master’s courage, leapt out from behind the door to Lightning Bolt the beast. Unfortunately, the blast caught the Sorcerer in its path, which dropped him unconscious. The Wizard ran away, but was jabbed by horns as the Minotaur followed him inside.

Kouri charged in after the Minotaur, only to find herself on the end of a trip, and even with her massive strength she couldn’t stay up. Iris dragged the Wurm out of the Keep to heal him in safety. The Bard decided that it would be best for him to draw the beast’s attacks to allow Kuori to get through, and he raised his lute in the air and charged, being instantly flung to the floor. The Manticore meanwhile was taking heavy fire, but it lashed out and killed all but one of the summons. With the group severely depleted, Ash summoned a fiend to assist, and managed to bring the Manticore down, and the remaining creatures moved to assist in the Minotaur fight. The Warblade let loose a Bonecrusher after the Bard was slammed into the dying range, and she shattered the Minotaur’s horn while obliterating his health. On his last legs, he managed to trip the Goliath once more, but the Dretch’s claw cut him down for good.
Ash felt good about the power of his beasts, but then found himself wreathed in flame as Koth the Dragonfire Adept blasted him from the roof above. He backed away and placed a wolf near the Wurmlord, but the beast failed to trip Koth as he flew away, entangling the Conjurer as he passed. As he followed his master outside, Fulke noticed the Bugbear in the air, and shot out a Gust of Wind to hopefully knock him for a loop, sending Koth sixty feet into the trees. The group of mages gathered and followed Jorr and the wolf into the forest after Koth, in hopes of tracking him down. Unfortunately, they lose sight of the Wurmlord, and slowly the cloudy day turns into a thunderstorm, leaving no hope of finding the missing Bugbear. They all moved back to the Keep.

As the casters ran off in pursuit however, the remaining Veteran in the barracks has awoken and gotten himself ready, charging into the Goliath, and the extra damage piled on the Minotaur’s last attack bring her into the negatives. Iris moved back in the Keep to help Shadow, only to see Kuori felled by the lone Hobgoblin. She moved up to engage, and the two plinked away at each other until Iris managed to beat past the soldier’s armor. With the party safe, she healed the wounded and brought them back from the brink of death, and they began searching the place, finding the haunt upstairs. The Bard began fooling around, making ghost noises while playing with his newly found scarf, and the rest of the group climbed back in out of the rain
Treasure Entombed
The party went into the war room only to find most of the information gone, with Koth having grabbed much of his items and maps, leaving only a Least Truedeath Crystal and some silver behind. They do manage to find Koth’s map, fallen under the table in the rush of his hasty exit, and the Wizards make notice of some old books about Vraath Keep, noticing an a repeated mention of a vault sparingly through the books. After searching the place top to bottom, the group locates a hidden door under Koth’s bed, and the entire party steps aside for Kuori to give them an opening. One swing later, and the path to the vault is open. Inside, the group notices the large collection of magical items on Amery Vraath’s corpse, and the Bard is amazed to find the man in possession of a rotted old lute. With more inspection, Shadow realizes that this man used to be a Bard, and the gear on his body is sorted out, with the party Bard getting new armor and a Badge of Valor, Kouri getting an armor crystal and some new Gauntlets of Ogre Power, and the Cleric taking the Adamantine Longsword.

The party opens the spoils chest; Kuori and Iris take the Black Dragon skull and the Frost Giant teeth necklace respectively. The casters find a few potions and multiple books of lore about the area, taking a few with them, a Fire Elemental Gem, as well as a pair of Metamagic Rods, splitting the Enlarge and Extend rods between them. The Goliath, with the skull now firmly on her head, breaks into another alcove only to find a vast store of coins, which she attempts to hide from the others, with no luck. Fulke grabs an old book of the finances of the Keep, as well as debts and loans the former owners had made to others, taking it with him. Yraalik mends Amery’s old lute at Shadow’s request and the Bard stares in wonder at his new possessions. The party decides it would be best to stop here for the night, while Kuori goes off to lop off the heads of their foes in hopes of proving their tale when they return to Drellin’s Ferry.
Summary
The party holed up in the farmhouse overnight, discovering a captured Neraph upstairs, and decided to bring him with them. They raced through town, attempting to uncover some corruption in the government, and jumped at the chance to go after more Hobgoblins. They fought their way to Vraath Keep, contracting Jorr along the way, and instantly got caught at the perimeter. Many members fell into the negatives at Karkilan's hands, and Kuori crushed soldiers left and right, while Ash made walls of woodland critters to clog up the battlefield. Koth managed to evade the party and get away, despite their best efforts. After everyone was rounded up and okay, they located the treasures in the vault and divvied them up before settling down to rest up for their trip back to town tomorrow.
Opinions & Thoughts
The group changed itself slightly, with the Bard restating to Dragonfire, Yasir’s player changing to a Malconvoker plan, and Corvo’s player moving on to the Neraph, and then to the Kobold. I’m not expecting the new Fleshwarper to go very far though, since he won’t be with us often, and his abilities are most likely going to be time consuming, and not many members of the party are interested in grafts anyway. With this recent change of optimization, I felt much better about my stronger changes to Koth and his troops, as they needed more output and control to handle a party with this much power. The group itself is working well, and the Bard is glad that he has more to do besides static +1 to hit/damage, constantly reminding everyone of just how much of the kills are, by extension, his.

I was actually surprised at how scared my party became when the Hydra leapt out and attacked Cado, as he was worried about dying right after starting, and the rest of the party quickly became concerned about their health as the Hydra threw around hits. They actually killed it in about two rounds, which wasn’t surprising, but they were all very concerned about how dangerous the thing was. The random encounters actually proved to be a bit entertaining, as a group of Assassin Vines grabbed the party, slowing them down and hurting the Dragonfire damage as well as most of the blasting spells. The Bard actually announced he was useless.

The battle at the Keep was the highlight of the night, with everyone doing something, three people falling unconscious, and Koth just managing to escape because of Fulke’s intervention with his Gust of Wind. The Manticore spent most of the fight literally covered in bears, badgers, and spiders, but it was scary enough that the party tried to stay back. Karkilan the Wolf Totem Barbarian did not disappoint either, flinging party members around and charging some summons into oblivion. All in all, I believe things went rather perfectly. Koth escaped, which was bad for the party, but the Bugbear knows when he’s been beat, and seeing his second in command fall to a summoned creature is enough to make him retreat. This won’t be the last time that the youngest Wurmlord will be seen, though I still need to decide on when I should add him back. Maybe Azarr Kul will send him out to assist one of the other Wurmlords, angered by Koth’s failure in his original task, or maybe he’ll just stick with Kharn and re-emerge during the Battle of Brindol. Koth’s new home is still up in the air, literally.
Also, I'm trying to figure out how to maintain a good balance of the treasures so that everyone gets their fair share of interesting items, as well as keeps spreading the treasure around. I made Vraath have quintessential Bard items, but I'm trying to figure out items that might be good for a gaggle of casters, without adding too much fuel to the Tier One fire.

[GreenETC]

We managed to squeeze in another session yesterday, and despite the mostly discussion based parts, the group moved slowly and enjoyed themselves.
The party this time around consists of:
Kuori Sultherden; Goliath Warblade 5

Has an extreme like of Charging Minotaur and Cleave.
Iris Arroway; Human Cleric 4/Crusader 1/Ruby Knight Vindicator 1

Happily dishing out heals and hurts in Wee Jas's name.
“Shadow”; Silverbrow Human Bard 6 with a Hedgehog pet

Going for maximum ridiculousness, and now has Jorr as a Cohort.
Yraalik the Great Wurm; Dragonwrought Kobold Sorcerer 5/Mage of the Arcane Order 1

Not Pun-pun. Evoking his way into Mage of the Arcane Order.
Fulke Jerard; Human Wizard 5

True Neutral scientist prepping to Warp some Flesh.

Days 3 & 4 - Back in Vraath: A Scouting Initiative
NPCs and Big Shots
Jorr Natherson - Hick from the Witchwood, riding shotgun with the Bard.
Speaker Norro Winston - Essentially the Mayor of Drellin's Ferry.
Captain Soranna - Drellin's Ferry's defensive leader.
Kellin Shadowbanks - Owner of the Old Mill Inn in Drellin's Ferry.
Warklegnaw - The last of the Twistusks left in the Witchwood.
Through the Witchwood Again
The party woke up to sunlight pouring into the murky air of the vault. They climbed out, finding Jorr sitting upstairs working his way over the map. He managed to decipher most of it, but there were a few specific words on Koth’s map he couldn’t translate out of Goblin. The party mulled over the map for a bit, but they decided it would be best to discuss the map with the Speaker, so the group gathered up, ate, and left on their way back to town.

On the way back, with Jorr leading the way, the party spotted a Hobgoblin patrol on the road, and they moved to engage. Kuori leapt down to address them, only to have two more regulars come from behind her. The Bard started playing, and Yraalik sent out a Flaming Sphere to burn the newcomers. Jorr tried to down some Hobgoblins as Iris moved into melee, but the allies made it difficult for him to find a good shot. Kuori swung a Steel Wind and a Cleave wide, but one soldier managed to avoid both hits directed at him. The noise of the fight drew the attention of a Girallon who considered this area his territory. It came out of the trees behind the casters, and they began backing up. The Bard lit him up with Glitterdust, while the Sorcerer shot off a Scorching Ray, neither of which had much effect. The martials finished up the remaining Hobgoblins, but the Girallon reached out and tore the Bard apart, knocking him straight into the negatives. The Great Wurm smashed his Elemental Gem and summoned a Fire Elemental to fight back as he and the Cleric healed up their fallen ally. The creature smashed the Girallon, burning it slightly, and Yraalik leapt up on the body after it fell down in order to deliver a Shocking Grasp. With the bodies looted and the Bard woken back up, Yraalik bid farewell to the Elemental and they left to go to town.
Chimera Assault at Drellin's Ferry
Once back in Drellin’s Ferry, the party split up running errands. The Wizards went to get a room for the night while the Bard went to approach the Speaker. He suggested that the rest of the party hang back while he discussed things with Norro, to which they blandly agreed, going off to do their own things. Shadow and the Speaker had a discussion about the map, with the adventurer believing that it would be best for them to evacuate to Vraath Keep or somewhere in order to deal with the oncoming army. Norro said he would gather the council members and discuss this idea. Unfortunately, this meeting was cut short by the interruption of a large crash as a Chimera landed in the Green.

The party started off far apart, each on different sides of the beast, which started eating and shredding townsfolk. Iris moved up to try and draw its attention, and Shadow hopped out of the Speaker’s house to start playing music. Yraalik dove behind some nearby cargo in order to keep himself out of sight, and then began blasting it. Jorr’s arrows flew wide, missing plenty of times as the beast leapt forward at Iris, dealing heavy damage. The Bard let loose two Glitterdusts, both of which failed, and the Sorcerer fired off his last two Scorching Rays. This focus caused the Chimera to fly into the air, taking the attack from Iris, where it began to hover before using its breath weapon, catching Yraalik and the Cleric. Iris healed herself to prevent going down, and Jorr managed to clip it with a couple of arrows, the Dragonfire knocking the Chimera to the ground.

The guards began tending to the wounded, and a woman with red hair came up to the party to request healing as well as congratulate them and thank them for what they did. The Bard attempted to please the crowd with some magic and Prestidigitation, but they became more astounded as a passing Wizard helped to lift the Chimera’s dead body out of the way, and Shadow followed out of jealousy. He gave a pep talk to the guards, and then he and the Wizard exchanged Charm Persons, both handily saving, before the Wizard congratulated him and Dimension Door-ed away. The group was then called to the council meeting, where they all headed at once.
The Town Meeting
Many harsh words were exchanged at the council, with Soranna being bothered by the Bard’s light-hearted antics. Yraalik noticed some draconic characters in the map, and the group agreed that “Ozzyrendion” and “Turgarun” must be some high ranking officers, maybe even generals. The group realized that the amount of attacks the horde had been making meant that they were not afraid, and they even wanted to push all the way to Brindol. Iris remembers the symbols of Tiamat, and they briefly consider it possible that this is some sort of religious crusade. The party says that they should send out messengers to the neighboring towns, and Norro rebutted with his idea of notifying Lord Jarmaath of Brindol. The Bard mentions that they should probably ambush the army in either the Witchwood or Nimon Gap, hoping to bottleneck the horde. At the mention of someone wanting to eat Halflings, Kellin, says that he’s going to abandon ship, and that everyone else should do the same. Yraalik notices that “Ozzyrendion” appears to be holding the bridge, and with some nudging from Soranna, the group agrees to scout the place, maybe even trap or take the bridge to stall them. The Bard suggests possibly destroying it, but the council is not particularly happy with this idea. The meeting ends with the party deciding to stay the night before moving out tomorrow morning, and the council agreeing to start light evacuation, so that if the horde isn't as strong as they appear, they still have men on hand to fight back.
Back Into the Dangerous Woods
The party gathered together after a nice long rest in the inn. Norro and Soranna came to greet them and confirm their plans for scouting, even offering them a day to rest in town, to buy supplies or just cool down. Yraalik searched around for some equipment, but the party wanted to head out as early as possible, so he decided it could wait. The Bard realized it would be better for Jorr to move along ahead, since the party would just make hiding more difficult. Fulke offered his raven familiar as an assistant, and the group used the bird as a messenger. After making their way back to Jorr’s house and taking out some Hobgoblins near the area, the group stopped when Jorr noticed some Hobgoblins fighting some Owlbears. The party laughed a bit about this situation, and after it was only Owlbears left, the Bard lined up a Glitterdust while the party prepared to charge in. As they waded into melee, hammering the creatures, Jorr noticed a Worg Rider strafing the same Owlbears they were.

Jorr attempted to shoot him, but the Goblin responded by Entangling the area, only catching Jorr out of the entire party. As they cleaned up an Owlbear, the party watched in horror as a Gray Render marched out of the forest and crushed the Goblin against the ground. The Worg ran away as the Bard fired another Glitterdust at the beast, but it managed to stay in the fight. Iris, Kuori, and Fulke moved up closer to try and catch it, and the Gray Render leapt into the fray, swinging wildly and dropping Fulke easily, even bypassing Iris’s Shield Block. It then tried to swing into her, but her armor was too much for it. The Great Wurm fired off Scorching Rays as Kuori moved forward to strike it down, only to miss on her second swing. Yraalik backed off a bit and healed his pupil as the two women kept the beast at bay. In the end, Jorr managed to sink a straight shot to the throat of the monster, dropping it. The Bard decided to try cutting its stomach open, and with a little work found a Ring of Sustenance on a shattered limb inside. Fulke decided he couldn’t handle this sort of work, and respectfully left his mentor without much fuss.
Return to Vraath & Warklegnaw
Sunset fast approached by the time they made it to Vraath Keep again, deciding to check it out to ensure that the Hobgoblin activity had ceased. They found very few traces of the former occupants, all supplies stripped from the rooms. Even more surprising, the Manticore’s corpse was missing, and Kuori noticed a set of tracks in the ground. Jorr confirmed these as Giant footprints, and the party followed in pursuit. When they finally reached their target, Yraalik and Kuori began contemplating ways to take it down, as it roasted the Manticore over the fire. Shadow stepped forward, volunteering to go Fascinate the creature. While his initial attempt succeeded, the fact that he was wearing Amery Vraath’s armor shocked Warklegnaw and gave him flashbacks as he reached for his weapon to squish the intruder.

However, the Bard quickly caught himself and used his smooth tongue and wonderful Diplomacy check to calm the old Giant, backtracking and explaining how he got the armor, and how he had no relation to the Vraaths. Warklegnaw offered to burn it for him, but the Bard politely refused. After a few minutes of discussion, the rest of the party was invited to join them for dinner, even though most of the group refused to try the Manticore. They asked the old Giant about what happened in Vraath Keep, and he recounted the general tale for them, with slight bias. They noticed his sores, and offered him some aid, but he said it was nothing, even as he coughed through the night. Warklegnaw allowed them to make camp there, as he didn't mind the company, and the party stayed safe to the morning. As they woke up, Iris felt bad for the sick Giant, and Kuori realized she had seen this sort of sickness before in her tribe. The group figured they could head to town and get a scroll of Remove Disease to help him, but they had more pressing matters to attend to. Shadow tried getting Warklegnaw to join them in scouting, but he said he was too old for that kind of thing.
Opinions & Thoughts
The party was quick on the draw when it came to decent plans, and I managed to wrangle them back up into the Witchwood for more exploration, as they only hit half last time. They’ll probably get head out in the morning, move through the woods and encounter a few Hobgoblin patrols before finally reaching Skull Gorge Bridge, where they get to have another shot at decision making. Jorr will probably help them with strategy ideas, and they can figure out where to go from there, since it will probably be approaching night by the time they make their way all the way through the Witchwood, especially if they run into Warklegnaw on the way. Then they can finally come face to face with their first dragon, who is going to be specced out to be a Clinging Breath hit-and-runner, trying to strafe through the party and inflict decent damage, so hopefully this next part will turn out as interesting as I hope.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by GreenETC
Also, if the descriptions for what's happening are too long, let me know and I can try shortening them....

Actually, I'm enjoying the detailed play-by-play. There are other RHoD journals which are far too brief in the writeup, especially for those of us who haven't played the module or more than glanced through it before.

My one suggestion would be to add a key of opponents and allies, essentially NPC dramatis personae, to help the reader keep all the names straight. I eventually worked out that Zarr, Koth and Karkilar were opponents, but the names tend to mix together in the fray.

Also, until I read your notes it's not entirely clear whether Cado and/or Corvo are being run as NPCs for the second session; Corvo is mentioned early on and then seems to head offscreen, while Cado is introduced into the group but tagged as MIA. And Yraalik, I assume, is another new player for this session? Or are these three characters all run by the same player at different times? (If so, please smite him for me.)

And, on another note, your bard sounds like a real trip. Even though he had his "I'm useless!" moment, it still sounds like he's having a ton of fun with the character. Looking forward to the next session.

:smalltongue:

[Saintheart]

Bookmarked. No time to read through yet, but as with all RHOD journals - watching with interest!

[GreenETC]

My one suggestion would be to add a key of opponents and allies, essentially NPC dramatis personae, to help the reader keep all the names straight. I eventually worked out that Zarr, Koth and Karkilar were opponents, but the names tend to mix together in the fray.
Done and done.

Also, until I read your notes it's not entirely clear whether Cado and/or Corvo are being run as NPCs for the second session; Corvo is mentioned early on and then seems to head offscreen, while Cado is introduced into the group but tagged as MIA. And Yraalik, I assume, is another new player for this session? Or are these three characters all run by the same player at different times? (If so, please smite him for me.)
Right on the money. He's our usual DM, and he's constantly falling in and out of love with various character concepts, which allows for some variety, though it does give me the challenge of trying to figure out why people vanish and appear.

He has a problem with sticking to one character build. He has so far since we started, in this order, ran his build as:
Greatbow Deepwood Sniper (Was going to let another friend run for a one-off after he dropped it)
Iaijutsu Focus/Poison Use Factotum (Glad he left it, Uncanny Dodge and price limits would have been a big pain)
Kobold Sorcerer/Wild Mage
Kobold Sorcerer/Elemental Savant 3.5
Kobold Sorcerer/Elemental Savant 3.0
Kobold Sorcerer/Mage of the Arcane OrderI think he's done now though.

edit: also holy poop it's Saintheart thanks for the resource man

[Palanan]

Thanks for adding in the NPCs and Big Shots, that helps keep them straight. :smalltongue:

Was Corvo the greatbow Deepwood Sniper? I assume he was on the way to the PrC, rather than actually there already. That's a build I'd love to see...or play, for that matter. Shame your usual DM dropped that for a kobold, of all things.

:smallbiggrin:

[Red Rubber Band]

Nice! Another one.
As you've done so far, any thoughts on changes to the campaign you've made would help. Maybe a general idea of the optimisation level of your players and their general tactics in the heat of battle.