PREVIOUS

Previously, the A-Team had traveled to Sochet Lake to fetch spell components for a wizard’s assistant in exchange for identifying the full magical nature of a mysterious goblin artifact. While attempting to collect crocodile skins and giant crocodile eggshells, the group was captured by werecrocodile guards, taken to a large ceremonial room, and bound with ropes to stakes in a sacrificial manner as a room filled with spectators chanted, “So-bek, So-bek, So-bek, So-bek,” and prepared for some sort of fight or spectacle.

However, before whatever creature lived in the water across from them could reveal itself, a swarm of goblins poured into the chamber, cutting the lycanthropes down in droves. Klaas, the powerful goblin mage who attempted to steal the goblin totem before, attacked the group.

Rose was first to free herself and attack, and Klaas killed her with a high level magic missile. Once she was dealt with, Klaas attempted to kidnap Shadyboi, but Shump was next to free himself and attack. Klaas attempted, yet again, to take the totem, but was unable to. Somehow Shump was able to resist whatever thrall the goblin was using, instead attacking and wounding the mage before being knocked back with a spell.

Shadyboi was too dazed to fight back, and although Shelby was next to free herself, she failed to save him as well and was quickly overwhelmed by goblin guards. The last thing she heard Klaas say to Shadyboi before they both disappeared in the chaos was, “Kwi-Ura has business with you.”

Shelby and Shump survived the encounter and spent several months tracking Klaas deeper and deeper into the Melritan Mountains. Eventually, they lost the path and spent a week or two wandering the woods, unable to pick up the thread. In the meantime, they were also being persistently attacked by goblin hordes and had no idea how they kept getting found.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Melritan Mountains, an aarakocra bard named Rhass and a Tabaxi arcane trickster named Dormin doggedly marched through the woods. They met in Biel some time back and had been traveling together since–Dormin looking for someone important to him, and Rhass attempting to assemble an adventuring party so that he could tell tales of their grand adventures.

They were soon spotted by Waesric Gerd, head of the town watch of the nearby firbolg village Erydark. After speaking with them and getting their business, he invited them into the town and explained they were celebrating the recent return of their representative of the Hearing House, Kelkian Densebirch. Rhass explained that he was a bard and offered to aid their celebration by performing some local stories for the townsfolk. Waesric agreed and introduced them to the mayor, herself somewhat of a local historian since she’d been the mayor of Erydark for around 150 years. She, finally, introduced them to Kelkian, and the duo discovered just how pleasant firbolgs seem to be.

While Rhass and Dormin were regaled with local histories, Shelby and Shump made a rough camp for the night, Shelby taking first watch while Shump settled in for some rest. As he slept, he dreamed of a familiar stone walkway in a world of shadow and a large, black spire spilling blood onto the ground below. A deep, powerful voice spoke to him, like before, re-upping their partnership and promising to help him stop those that would inflict cruelty and pain onto the helpless. When he awoke, he had a location in his mind — a village named Erydark.

They were soon approached by a traveling firbolg who introduced himself as Kelkian Densebirch, a representative of the Hearing House and only just returning to his nearby village, Erydark. He offered to escort the two of them to his village where they could have actual beds and real food.

Upon arrival, there was a bit of understandable confusion, and the villagers (and the mayor) gathered everyone at stables that were converted into holding cells in order to suss out which Kelkian was the real one. However, before they could solve the mystery, they heard screams from outside and discovered that a band of bugbears were attacking and setting fire to the village. One bugbear called out for Shump to identify himself, which Shump immediately did, much to the chagrin of his group. The bugbear demanded Shump hand over the goblin totem, which Shump refused.

A battle ensued, in which this bugbear proved to be more trouble than his compatriots. Beyond being a spell caster, whenever anyone attacked him, sometimes they were instead overcome with the desire to praise him instead, and frequently the bugbear would seem to heal rather than be injured. They eventually killed him, and then the rest of the bugbears save one. Soon, however, this bugbear began suddenly casting spells and speaking in the same voice as the bugbear mage from earlier.

Dormin and Shelby both realized this was a Nilbog, a spiritual fragment of a former goblinoid deity who was shattered by the goblin deity Maglubiyet and now possesses goblinoid troops to cause havoc. They captured the bugbear and locked him in the stables and prepared to interrogate him about his plans.

It was only then that they noticed that one of the Kelkians had vanished…

____________________________________________

I’ve missed D&D.

I actually had quite a bit more setting information that I could’ve included above. When we picked up with this new campaign, I decided it would be easier to jump forward in time a little and provide some quick exposition to my new group about the setting as well as explain how Shelby and Shump escaped the crocodile arena. As part of that jump, I moved the timeline of the rest of the world forward as well. Since it wasn’t relevant for this particular session, I’ve left it out of the above, but I may include it some other time.

This new group consists of two friends from work (Josh and Jess), my wife, my brother, and a mutual friend of ours, Jaz. Unfortunately, Jess was sick this past week and wasn’t able to play, so this session didn’t feature her character yet, but I have plans for how to include him next week.

Josh and Jess actually already play in another game on Wednesdays, so we’re playing this game in the off weeks, meaning now we play every two weeks now instead. It’s a little bittersweet. On the one hand, I loved the consistency of playing every week and having something in which to look forward during the week, but I also appreciate the extra prep time this gives me so that every week isn’t a desperate sprint to get things prepared. Now I can do other things, like write, or work on other work, or play on my new 2DS.

I entirely ripped off my performance of Waesric from Matt Mercer’s performance of Pumat Sol from campaign 2 of Critical Role. From there, I decided I wanted all firbolgs, or at least all firbolgs in this town, to have midwestern accents. I channeled a lot of Fargo and Plankton’s wife Karen (from Spongebob). Everyone was extremely polite and wordy and overly explanatory and it was a lot of fun to RP. My players all seemed to like the characters and get engaged with them quickly, and I think the mystery of the doppelganger representatives is a fun one way to start. I’m excited to see where things go from here.

Honestly, I was having some significant stress coming up with an idea to start the adventure–tie it into someone’s backstory? Follow up on Klaas? Do something completely unrelated? Do something with the ongoing goblin rebellions? Ultimately, I think I came up with something decent off of which I can build.

What’s the deal with the two representatives? How will Shelby and Shump react to these new adventurers? What was the bugbear troop’s plan? You’ll find out in two weeks!

NEXT