Session 53 - The Hunt (recap)

In this session, our party caught the golden stag, killed some people, and saw a green dragon…

  • The session picked up moments before the prior session left off…

Caravan - Day 22: The Golden Stag

The Hunt

  • On a beautiful, sunny afternoon, a herd of deer was spotted grazing on a hill near the road.
    • The travelers often took such opportunities to hunt fresh meat for the larder.
  • But before anyone started out, they spotted a magnificent stag climbing up to the top of the hill. It shimmered in the light as if its coat was spun with gold and its antlers plated with platinum.
  • A few of the more cautious folks warned that the creature was clearly a blessed being and that killing it would bring bad luck on the caravan, but no more than two or three people were persuaded.
  • Nearly everyone in the caravan who could handle a bow wanted to bring down that beast.
    • Its pelt would be worth a fortune, even if it was not real gold.
  • As the caravan started bustling with people getting their gear ready and getting going, the deer herd scatters into the nearby forest and through farmers’ fields.
  • The golden stag turned and bounded out of sight over the hill.
    • Sulesdeg the Pole, who’s long strides covered half-again as much as Aegar’s or Pliny’s immediately took off on foot, carrying a quiver of javelins.
    • Enom Tobun, the guard who sold Aegar the toolbox, and Larion Keenblade, a half-elf guard from Enom’s wagon jumped on their horses, crossbows in hand.
      • Enom Tobun
      • Larion Keenblade one of the guards from the cart of **Enom
    • Pliny grabbed Zoyana and cast Dimension Door, teleporting them both 500’ in the northward direction the stag was headed.
      • As they caught their bearings, the golden stag lept directly over Pliny’s head and bounded into the forest.
    • The party’s friend Ordate and both of his bodyguards (knight Brutus and mage Lola) spurred their horses in the general direction of the stag. Ordate may have treated his horses like shit, but he grew up on aristocratic hunts.
      • Ordate Hudward
      • Lola - (Female Human Mage).
      • Brutus - (Male Human Knight).
    • Zoyana cast Spike Growth on the hillside in front of the oncoming caravan hunters.
    • Aegar talked Fang into joining him on his horse, then took a hard left to the west, trotting to watch more of the caravan hunters preparing to leave.
  • The golden stag had disappeared into the forest.
    • Sulesdeg the Pole, walked straight into Zoyana’s Spike Growth, then stopped to extracate himself.
    • Enom Tobun and Larion Keenblade barreled straight into Zoyana’s Spike Growth.
    • Pliny tossed a card from his Deck of Illusions, and an ettin suddenly appeared between them and the oncoming caravan hunters.
      • Enom Tobun and Larion Keenblade started yelling, “Giant!”
    • Ordate and bodyguards saw Enom in the Spike Growth and veered wide to the west.
    • Zoyana wildshaped into a Giant Eagle and took flight, spying the golden stag as it veered through the trees.
    • Aegar heard the call of “Giant!” and wheeled his horse around and charged in Pliny’s direction.
  • The golden stag continued its run, unaware of the Giant Eagle above it.
    • Sulesdeg the Pole, reached a finger into the air, cocked his head, and started running dead East as if he knew something the others didn’t.
    • Enom Tobun and Larion Keenblade veered a little to the west and galloped around the ettin and into the forest.
    • Pliny did something only Pliny would do.
    • Ordate and bodyguards veered a little to the east and galloped around the ettin and into the forest.
    • Zoyana the Eagle dove down into the forest, breached the magical shield around the golden stag, and grappled it with her claws.
    • Aegar galloped full-tilt toward the ettin, ignoring Fang’s admonishments, and “struck” the ettin, only realizing the illusion as they galloped through it.

Speaking with the Golden Stag

  • The golden stag turned incorporeal in Zoyana’s talons and stepped forward, turning to greet Zoyana in Sylvan:
    • “You are on the right track”
    • “You must continue following the river of gold until you reach the castle in the sky.”
    • It’s tone grows somber: “Your path will be filled with hardship and blood.”
    • “To aid you, I can offer this…”
    • The golden stag dipped its antlers, and a bow appeared on the ground before them.
    • As Zoyana watched, the golden stag stepped backward and faded from view saying, “Not all will survive…”

Returning

  • Zoyana wildshaped back into her halfling form and collected the bow, slinging it across her shoulder, and then started walking in the direction of where she last saw Pliny.
  • She had gone a pretty good distance from the road, so it was a couple of minutes before she heard crashing through the forest, before her friend Ordate and his bodyguards broke through the bushes.
    • Ordate saw Zoyana and snapped, “What are you doing here? Where is it? Where is it?”
    • Zoyana: “What are you talking about?”
    • Ordate: “The stag you idiot. Where is it?”
    • Zoyana: “What stag?”
    • Ordate: “The golden one. What, what are you doing here?”
    • Zoyana: “I, I think maybe you’ve had too much of Pliny’s magic mushrooms.”
    • Ordate gave up, “Forget you! Let’s go!”, and they barreled off past her into the forest.
  • A couple of minutes later, Zoyana heard a whistle and was able to jump out of the way (Dex save 19) as, “Clang!”, an arrow hit the tree right next to her.
    • Zoyana: “What the fuck?”
  • She looked over for the source of the arrow, and one of the guards from the caravan had his bow out and saw her and, turned green and raised an embarrassed hand, “Sorry.”
    • Zoyana: “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
    • Guard: “Where’s your orange vest?”
    • Zoyana: “What fucking orange vest?”
    • Guard: “We’re out here hunting. You need an orange vest!” The guard decidedly did not have on an orange vest.
    • Zoyana: “Are you fucking Dick Cheney or some shit? Like what the fuck is wrong with you?”
    • Guard: “I do not have a dick on my chain.”
  • Zoyana and the others were able to get back to the caravan, and the the bustle died down.
  • A couple of the hunters actually came back with deer from that herd (normal, not golden), and so the caravan was pretty happy that night. Fresh meat wasn’t a thing that often happened multiple weeks into a caravan.

Caravan - Days 23-24: Travel

  • The next couple of days were fairly quiet, with nice weather and easy travel.
  • The caravan was now down from the Trollclaws, and into the rolling hills and plains of Pliny’s youth.
  • At the spot where the Coast Way that the caravan had been traveling meets the Trade Way on its path from Scornubel up to Daggerford

Caravan - Days 25-26: Rain

  • The next day, it started raining.
  • As nice and beautiful and sunny as it was in the preceding days, it was miserable and wet in the section passing Dragonspear, transition into a cold storm front.

Caravan - Day 27: The Inn, the Judge, the Fight, and the Stranger

No Rooms

  • The third day of wet, cold rain was promising to become an even wetter, freezing cold night, when the caravan pulled up at large roadside inn.
    • Pliny was immediately happy, thinking that not only could they get warm and dry, they might be able to stay for free (and might find a widow in a window).
  • The party, being first to arrive, entered the warm, comfortable common room to make arrangements for the night.
    • Ordate Hudward and his bodyguards arrived right after, so entered on their heels.
  • Looking around the room, the characters saw just one group: four well dressed men sitting at a table by the fire. They don’t seem to notice the party enter.
  • Behind the bar stood the innkeep, Olgrim Hillbloom. He was the typical Barlin Butterbur type of character. He was fat and balding on top. If things were different, he’d probably have been jolly. But he was not jolly. He was terrified.
    • As the party entered, he was cleaning a glass and shaking, as the four of customers were sitting and talking loud.
  • Zoyana headed to the bar, and Pliny and Aegar followed.
  • The innkeep stuttered, without making eye contact, “No rooms… we have no rooms. You can have food… food, just just… please, don’t kill anyone.”
    • Aegar: “Do not kill anyone? Why would we? Why would we do such a thing?”
    • Zoyana: “Aegar, shhhh…”
    • Inkeep: “Please.”
    • Aegar: “My good man, all we ask is for rooms and some sustenance. Perhaps some dinner and perhaps a few drings.”
    • Inkeep: “I can, I can have have food and drink brought you outside. It’s on the house, just please, please don’t get in a fight. Please don’t kill anyone.”
    • It was clear to Aegar (Insight 17) that their entrance was what scared the inkeep, but he was not scared of them.
  • One of the guys at the table turned over with a big smirk, “Sleep tight,” and waved a hand at the party.
    • Aegar: “I do not…. But I am not tired. I do not understand.”
  • Zoyana mentally messaged the inkeep: “We can help you if things are scary right now.”
    • The innkeep said to the room, “Just. Just no. No fighting. Don’t kill anyone.”
    • Zoyana (mentally): “Our intent isn’t to to kill anybody, but we can protect you if that’s what you need right now.”
  • Inkeep: “These fine gentlemen here have bought out the inn for the night. I’m afraid we have no rooms.”
    • This was a big inn. There were rooms enough for everyone here. They may have had to triple up in beds, but everybody in the caravan could have slept inside that night under normal circumstances.
  • Zoyana turned to look at the four customers, especially looking for Cult of the Dragon insignias, and (Investigation 18) noticed that although none had any signs of affiliation with the Cult of the Dragon, the one closest to the fire wore the markings of a local aristocratic judge (The kind the local lord of the land sends as his representative to resolve disputes and judge complaints. The three others seemed to be his entourage of dilettantes. They clearly seemed like they thought they owned the place.
  • Zoyana then turned further and mentally updated Aegar and Pliny on what she noticed.
  • Aegar tried to get the inkeep to share more by asking for something to write with, and got a chalkboard and piece of chalk in return. He loudly started counting out a large order (“Let us see, there are four, no six people that probably need ale, we would need a couple of bottles of wine…”), and then wrote, “Are there people in danger here?”, and blocked the writing so only the inkeep and Zoyana could see.
    • The inkeep shook his head, “No, we can get you what you need.”
  • Pliny pulled out Dragon’s Lullaby and started playing a song while walking across the room, trying to distract any attention that would have been directed toward the bar.

Ordate befriending the Judge

  • As Aegar and the inkeep talked, Ordate had finished taking in the lay of the land and turned to the barkeep barkeep, “A round for our friends,” and pointed to the four sitting by the fire.
    • He walked up to them smiling.
    • They engaged in a bit a quick small talk, and then they invite him to pull up a chair.
    • Ordate joined the four, and waved his bodyguards over to a table in the corner.
    • They introduced themselves: the judge was Fenkheld, and the three dilettantes were Jaromil, Lahvik, and Darek
  • The customers then started needling the party, with Jaromil asking, “Innkeep, why are they still here?”
    • Aegar: “Apologies friends. There are many people outside. We do not want to further inconvenience you any more than we have to. I just want to make one trip and then we shall be out of your hair, I promise.”
    • Jaromil: “The trip is to the door, ‘friend’. You’re not staying here tonight.”
    • Zoyana: “Why not?”
    • Jaromil to Zoyana: “Did we address you?”
    • Zoyana: “I don’t care whether or not your address man talking to you.”
    • Jaromil to Aegar: “Hey lizard man, why are you bringing your pets inside? Only full grown people in here.”
      • Lahvik, and Darek laughed.
    • Aegar: “There is no need for rudeness, sir. We will be out of your hair in a few moments.”
    • Zoyana: “Wait, what? You called me half a person?”
    • Jaromil: “Well, that seems like you got double credit, as far as I’m concerned. And, as we were saying, you’re in our inn. Why are you here? You’re being rude by being here. Be gone. Slither off somewhere else.”
    • Zoyana: “Inns are for everyone.”
    • The Jaromil: “Innkeep, what say you?”
    • The innkeep stuttered “No rooms…no rooms…”
    • Aegar tried to calm the room as an Emissary of Peace: “Indeed, if this is a special gathering, then we are trespassing and I apologize. We will take a few meager provisions and we will be on our way. Again, with a round for you and your friends. and our sincerest thanks.”
    • Zoyana: “We’re not fucking buying these fucks a round!”
    • Pliny saw Aegar trying to calm things, and used Dragon’s Lullaby to cast Calm Emotions on the table of customers while he played.
      • The magic rolled off Aegar and Zoyana. Two of the customers at the table and Ordate noticeably relaxed.

The Fight

  • And then a dagger went “thunk” into the wall behind Pliny, and Jaromil yelled, “Do not cast spells at me!” as he stood up and kicked his chair out of the way.
  • Pliny said, “I… don’t think anyone was…,” then took a breath and said, “Sir, I don’t believe any spells were cast,” threw the dagger back toward the dilettante, landing it perfectly in the center of the table (Nat 20) as an attempt at a threat. This, if nothing else, provided some Bardic Inspiration to Zoyana.
  • Zoyana, who had no chill, cast Flaming Sphere on the center of the table, setting everything on the tabletop smoldering, and wildshaped into a cave bear and ROARED really loud, and then sent a telepathic message to the inkeep to go find a hiding spot.
    • The fiery sphere and the cave bear’s ROAR were aggressive enough to knock the three out of their calmed state.

A wild battle ensued:

  • dilettante Lahvik poked Zoyana the cave bear repeatedly with his sword.
  • Ordate smirked and said, _“I have been looking forward to this,” but the roaring bear was enough to make him fumble his attack.
  • The other dilettantes and the judge jumped away from the table and the_Flaming Sphere_.
  • Aegar danced around the Flaming Sphere, and slashed and smited Jaromil, while trying to disable and not kill his opponents and shouting, “Stop everyone!”. (His shouting had no discernible effect on the customers, though Ordate’s guards did stay in the corner for a little longer that might be expected.)
  • The judge joined the fray, pummeling the cave bear.
  • Fang yelled out at Ordate in draconic, “Get away from my friends, you Fart Face!” as he cast Vicious Mockery (11 hp damage).
    • Ordate, psychically shocked by the magical insult, had blood burst from his eyes and ears before he fell to the floor dead.
    • Fang started yelling, “Get up! Get up! I didn’t mean to. Get up!”
  • The innkeep wanted no part of the fight and ran for the back room.
  • Pliny followed Fang’s lead, and sent Vicious Mockery at the judge.
  • Zoyana the cave bear reared back and then ripped her cave bear claws across the nearby dilettante Jaromil (who had insulted her earlier), starting at his shoulder shredding down his body like paper through a shredder. She was covered in blood and gore, her cave bear form now covered in red war paint.
    • She then sent her Flaming Sphere slamming into the judge (16 hp damage), who tried to dance away from it, screaming, “Ah! What the fuck?”
    • Aegar shouted “No! No death!”
  • The dilettante Darek leveled his crossbow and sent a bolt into Fang (11 hp damage).
  • Aegar ran for and tried to grapple the judge next to the Flaming Sphere, but the judge (18 Athletics losing to 20 Athletics) pushed Aegar away.
    • In the process, Aegar was burned by the heat of Zoyana’s Flaming Sphere.
  • The judge responded by pummeling Aegar with his longsword (21 hp damage), before stepping away and calling out to the room, “You’re all going to hang!”
    • Aegar got in a hit as he stepped away (15 hp damage), putting lie to his words as Aegar knocked him out cold.
  • Fang, not impressed at being shot with a crossbow bolt, dropped a Shatter on Lahvik as well as both of Ordate’s bodyguards (everyone saved, so took 10 hp damage).
  • dilettante Lahvik wanted nothing to do with the faerie dragon, and so shot a crossbow bolt (wide) at Zoyana the cave bear before turning and running out the back door.
  • Lola (Ordate’s bodyguard), held out her hand toward Fang, three fingers extended, and cast Scorching Ray sending three rays of fire. Two hit (for 13 hp damage), and one went whizzing by Pliny’s head.
  • Pliny cast Hypnotic Pattern to try to capture the two remaining dilettantes, freezing Darek, and hoping the spell caught Lahvik outside, and then ran to follow Lahvik outside.
  • Zoyana the cave bear ran over the dead bodies, crushing a couple tables, in her quest to destroy the people shooting Fang, her claws bouncing off Lola’s magical barrier of force.
    • Zoyana followed her own attack by moving the Flaming Sphere across the room and into Lola, who screamed a blood-curdling scream of pain, as the sphere lit her on fire, and then you oh I didn’t think about that, but you step back away.
    • Zoyana the cave bear tried staying against the Flaming Sphere to keep the bodyguards pinned down, but she succumbed to the fire and was knocked out of wildshape. She shifted out of her bear form and dead-stared Lola right in her eyeballs.
  • Brutus, shaken out of his stupor, audibly said, “What the fu….” as he pulled his greatsword and sliced into the halfling (14 hp damage). He then danced out of the Flaming Sphere.
  • Aegar crossed the room and smited Brutus, pounding him in the chest and then knocking him out with a blow to the back of the head.
  • Fang called out “You ugly” in common, and the Vicious Mockery landed with force on Lola’s vanity (10 hp damage).
  • Lola cast Blur to protect herself and ran for the door.
    • Zoyana took the opportunity to send an arrow after her with her new bow, but missed wildly.
  • As that happened, Pliny went running out the back door after Lahvik, and sent a crossbow into the fleeing dilettante.
    • Lahvik yelled out, “Gods damn it! Why won’t you guys leave me alone?”
  • Right after, Zoyana sent her Flaming Sphere crashing into Lola, entering her <description censored: NSFL> and exploded out, immolating her whole body.
    • She then walked over to the judge and kicked him in the balls to try to wake him up. Kicking the unconscious body did not wake him up.
  • Aegar missed Zoyana’s attack on the judge and so cast Sleep on Darek, ending Pliny’s Hypnotic Pattern
  • Lahvik turned and rushed Pliny, slashing the bard with his longsword (5 hp damage).
  • Pliny cast Dissonant Whispers, crushing Lahvik’s psyche, and then poked him with his rapier as Lahvik was forced to flee.
  • Lahvik, confused as to the danger, turned and rushed back to Pliny, but missed with his longsword.
  • Pliny repeated his spell and attack: Dissonant Whispers, crushing Lahvik’s psyche, and then poked him with his rapier as Lahvik was forced to flee.
    • As Lahvik fell dead, Pliny turned and nonchallantly flicked his rapier to clear it of the blood, and then calmly walked back inside.

Warcrimes

  • Zoyana, annoyed that the judge did not wake up, climbed the bar and started dropping beer steins onto the judge’s face to try to wake him up.
  • Aegar approached, “Zoyana, you are going to kill him if you keep doing this.”
  • Zoyana: “What do I care?”
  • Aegar: “Three people are dead, Zoyana. Dead. Let’s not make it four.”
  • Zoyana: “Then get him up. Then wake him up because I have shit that I have to say.” and she walked away.

The stranger

  • Just then, the innkeep came out of the back room, stammering, completely panicked “What? What did you do? I told you not to start a fight. I told you not to kill anyone. Why didn’t you listen to me?”
  • Aegar ignored the innkeep and turned to go talk to Zoyana as the door opened.
  • Floating across floor toward the innkeep, as though the act of walking itself was beneath him came a tall figure in black and red robes, his pale face hidden behind a mask.
  • From underneath his cloak, he reached out his pale hand clasped in a fist and said, “As per our usual arrangement,”
  • The innkeep, shaking and terrified as though his body was not under his own control, reached out his palm.
  • The figure dropped 1-2-3-4-5 coins before holding his hand up, and then continued to piece out a total of 15 pieces of blood-red gold into the innkeep’s hand. “You are as good as your word. A pleasure doing business with you again,… my friend.”
  • The figure then turned his back on the innkeep, and as he did so, six goblin minions flooded into the room and grabbed the corpses. They dragged the corpses and loaded them into the waiting cart outside.
  • The jaws of the party hung open at the swift appearance and departure of the tall figure.

Resolution

  • When the judge awoke, he and the party resolved their differences more-or-less amicably: the judge talked himself out of being killed, and gave a generic, but binding, promise to forget the whole thing happened (and call it “self defense”).
  • Brutus decided he needed no more of the caravan, and departed on his own back south.

Caravan - Day 28: Dragonspear Castle

  • The next day, as the caravan continued north along the Sword Coast, they passed the ruins of Dragonspear Castle. On this trip, they did not notice anything noteworthy or suspicious.
  • North of Dragonspear Castle, the caravan started getting closer Pliny’s hometown of Longbarrow Village.

Caravan - Day 29: Dragon Sighting

  • The following day, Timothy Dexter once again had them take point in the carvan.
  • They were followed closely by Álvaro’s wagon and then by the rest of the caravan.
  • About mid-morning, as they crested a rise and looked out across the valley ahead, an eruption of birds, as thousands took to the air at once.
  • And then a green dragon rose to tower over the valley.
  • It roared and blew a green cloud into the trees. The party saw the green cloud come out before the rumble shook their chests a moment later.
  • It then took wing, circling around before flying to the South West.
  • The session ended as the party heard the folks in the Cult of the Dragon wagon behind them say, “Ralionate. That’s… weird that she would so on the other side of Soubar and this far from the forest…”

NPCs Interacted With

  • Sulesdeg the Pole
  • Enom Tobun, the guard who sold Aegar the toolbox,
  • Larion Keenblade, a half-elf guard from Enom’s wagon
  • Ordate Hudward
  • Lola - (Female Human Mage).
  • Brutus - (Male Human Knight).
  • Olgrim Hillbloom, innkeeper
  • Judge Fenkheld
  • Dilettantes: Jaromil, Lahvik, and Darek
  • The tall figure in black and red robes, his pale face hidden behind a mask
  • Álvaro, Baines, Dorian, and Dretris (overheard)
  • Ralionate, a very old female green dragon

Locations Visited

  • The Coast Way
  • The Golden Stag’s Forest
  • The Trade Way
  • Inn along the Trade Way
  • Dragonspear Castle

Experience Per Character

Session Task or Accomplishment Day Pliny Zoyana Aegar Fang
53 The Golden Stag 67 900 900 - -
53 Tilting at ettins 67 - - 400 -
53 Travel 68 0 0 0 0
53 Travel 69 0 0 0 0
53 Travel 70 0 0 0 0
53 Travel 71 0 0 0 0
53 The Inn, the Judge, the Fight, and the Stranger 72 1456 1456 1456 1456
53 Travel - Dragonspear Castle 73 0 0 0 0
53 Dragon Sighting 74 300 300 300 -
Total Total 2656 2656 2156 1456