This is from a homebrew campaign I ran back in 2023, based in Dungeons and Dragons version 3.0. After more than a decade away from playing any TTRPG, let alone GM'ing one, this wasn't really all that bad. As to why I'm posting here, I'm clearing out another blog of mine and shifting things around. I figured this kind of fits this website, so here we are!
Session 1:
The adventurers awaken, finding themselves at the bottom of a deep pit. Despite the utter darkness surrounding them, they manage to pull themselves together. Suffering from wicked amnesia, the adventurers look at one another and cannot place where they have seen the others before. Estraban Forgebringer, the only dwarf present who is seemingly a recovering drunk, manages to see their surroundings better and mentions the fact that they have nothing available to them weapon wise. All that he can see is the various remenents from buildings, bridges, and various other items made from wood, steel, and stone. Talila, the single elf, manages to ask everyone how they are doing and if they have any injuries. Besides a few moans that are uttered, no one seems injured. Jjaxx, a human bard, becomes irritated by the fact that he cannot locate his beloved black violin. The tirade that ensues causes Jjaxx to become a bit more delirious than expected, seemingly almost a sort of frantic panic. Mathayus Ulfhednar, one of the two half-elves present, starts to climb the 2 story wall. He doesn't know who these strangers are and his fight-or-flight systems kick in. Rishi Hiuvowhoi, a gnome, starts to look around for rope in the hopes of getting enough to use as an escape out of the dark pit. Of the remaining adventurers, Salem Ira and Umbra stand in silence while they watch and hear the situation unfold in front of them. Salem seems to be sheerly observing in the dim light, while Umbra being completely blinded in the dark can just listen to the various sounds the others make.
At some point, Estraban finds what looks to be flint and some flammable material. Striking the combination, a decent amount of illumination spreads into the pit, helping the rest of the party see their situation at hand better. This is when the depth of the pit gets forced into perspective, all while seeing Mathayus scrambling their best up the semi packed wall. Talila asks the party if they see anything large, like a boulder that could be moved to a wall to assist in the climb out of the pit. Estraban notices a large enough boulder that could be used and requests for some assistance in moving it. The remaining party members, minus Rishi, assist in the move. Rishi has found more than enough rope to close the distance between the party memebers and the top of the pit. Rishi notices that Estraban is a dwarf and inquires to the throwing capability of his good arm. Estraban has a lot of confidence that he could easily throw the gnome to the top, rope in hand.
As the 2 sort things out, Mathayus manages to escape the pit, only to be found in the presence of hungry wolves. Although he cannot see them, he can feel their presence. Talila notices the growing amount of growling outside of the pit and realizes that Mathayus has escaped. She calls out to him, informing him of the wolves that seem to be ever growing in numbers. Mathayus, not fully recovered from the amnesia, bolts into action and starts to circle the top of the pit, trying to keep a sizeable distance between him and the wolves. He finds himself at the top where the rest of the party are down below. At this point, all party members start their attempt at climbing the wall. Jjaxx gets super lucky and manages to get to the top with a lit torch in his pants, reaching his hand out to Mathayus for assistance. Talila is next, although some struggles were met with the loose soil in parts. Estraban follows soon after, leaving behind a gnome, half-elf, and a human. In a mighty spurt of energy, Rishi scrambles the wall like no tomorrow, having no issue in the various pockets of dirt and rock. Salem Ira patiently waits for Umbra to have a go at the wall. Although a bit of a struggle, Umbra finally makes it to the top, with Salem soon after.
As the party members slowly emerge from the pit, Jjaxx lights the cold, lifeless campfire nearby. An empty tent is seen nearby, while Talila investigates the premesis. Jjaxx notices a chest nearby and starts to smash it with a rock, only to find out that there was no lock, just a latch. The contents were not of weapons, which they desperately needed, but 100 gold pieces. Frustrated by this find, Jjaxx slams the chest close, in which Umbra hears a hollow sound from the chest. Umbra convinces the party to take the chest with them as they figure out how to escape the hungry wolves, stating that there seems to be a hidden compartment somewhere. In Estraban's drunken stupor, he manages to wander off in search of more rocks to throw at the wolves and stumbles upon another abandonded chest. This chest seems to contain something important, given that there is a lock on it. As a few wolves get closer to Estraban, he panics - picking up the small chest and hauling ass back to the rest of the party.
Mathayus, Salem, Talila, and Rishi have picked up burning sticks from the campfire, preparing to fight the wolves that were caving in on them. Jjaxx, having been outbested by a latched chest, managed to scramble up a nearby tree to avoid the wolves. Umbra, being of human nature, manages to hide the best he can while the impending doom collapses in on the adventurers. Mathayus shouts to Jjaxx in the tree, asking if he sees anything from there. Jjaxx manages to see a well beaten path to the south of their location. Between the members, they decide to have 2 members carry the chests while the rest carry their make-shift torches. Backpedaling from the camp site to the worn path, the party manages to make a good distance between them and the hungry wolves.
Session 2:
Our adventurers find themselves safe from the hungry wolves, on the worn path. After some time, the torches that were carried had fizzled out, leaving them in the dark once again. Rishi has spotted the continuation of the worn path and insists that the rest follow. Jjaxx, still holding onto the chest he had found earlier, seems lost in the woods due to the sheer thickness of the brush. Salem offers to guide Jjaxx along with the rest of the party, knowing full well that humans are useless in the dark. Estraban, being the determined dwarf he is, eagerly tries his best at opening the second chest he had found. He locates a nearby rock and starts smashing the lock, only to no avail. During the chest beating, Mathayus asks the rest of the party if anyone recalls ANYTHING before waking up in the pit. The rest of the party don't recall what they were doing up til a few days before waking up amongst strangers in a pit. Mathayus stops the conversation when he notices movement in the nearby brush. He asks for Estraban to stop the incessant sounds, for they are not alone. Estraban stops the attempt at opening the chest and takes lead down the worn path, chest in hand.
During the quiet trek through the thicket, light conversation is kept going as to ensure no one gets left behind. Umbra, unlike Jjaxx, has to rely on hearing the voices of the party as to keep up with the group, seemingly lagging behind occasionally. Talila and Mathayus keep their eyes and ears open to any surprises that may arise, while Salem guides Jjaxx behind Estraban. Rishi suddenly becomes a little distraught in the whole situation and starts to become a bit accusational towards Jjaxx. Being of a rather cautious gnome, a conspiracy starts to form with Rishi accusing Jjaxx of being the mastermind behind the precarious situation. Jjaxx, having zero idea of what has flipped inside Rishi's mind, starts to defend himself. Amongst the various "points" that Rishi spouts, Jjaxx starts to get riled up when told that he enjoys watching others struggle. Estraban steps in and mentions to Rishi that Jjaxx is in the same exact situation as everyone else, that he could die just like everyone else. Rishi starts to sputter, looking for something to bring up when Jjaxx mentions that he was the one who climbed a tree and was throwing acorns at the wolves. Rishi starts to point out that who, in their right mind, would throw acorns at wolves? Only a crazy mastermind would do such heinous things. Jjaxx asks Rishi why he himself couldn't be the mastermind behind all of this, to which he responds with the fact everyone would be dead by now. The conversation had increased the volume, notifying wolves that there was a free meal nearby. Salem and Mathayus insist that the party continues to move forward due to the increased activity in the nearby brush. Before moving on, Talila just stands there thinking what is going on with these crazy people.
A bit further down the worn path, Umbra starts to complain about how far they are having to walk, how he wants to sleep in a nice bed, and to never see these people ever again. In turn, insomnia-stricken Mathayus starts to bicker about wanting to murder everyone because he misses his isolation. He could do without the company and the fact he cannot recall what he was doing days before has started to affect him mentally. As the party moves forward, wolves start to gather behind the party, stalking them. Talila spots a clearing ahead, noticing daylight. Upon hearing this great news, the party scurries forward, leaving the wolves behind.
Once the adventurers arrive on the outskirts of a rather large village, Mathayus inquires to the rest if anyone knows where they are. Salem suggests that perhaps a local would be helpful and tell them if they at least know anyone in the party. Upon asking a close local, Salem gets told in a very abrupt manner "no". Talila has the idea of finding an inn where they could rest and gather their thoughts as to what has happened and what they should do. Estraban, eager to see what is inside the semi-heavy chest, insists on visiting the local blacksmith to see if they can open the chest. Seeing as the party is wanting to split up at this moment, Talila, Umbra, and Jjaxx decide to head into the nearby inn, while Estraban, Rishi, and Mathayus visit the blacksmith. Salem decides to keep a lookout and to wander nearby, hoping to find some clues as to where they are. Before the party splits up, Jjaxx opens the chest he managed to access earlier, giving equal divide. What is passed out isn't much, but it'll have to suffice for now. During this time, Jjaxx mentions that he wishes he could have been better at accessing the "hopefully" secret compartment in the chest, but since his hands are shaky, it would have to wait.
Upon entering the inn, the small party takes in the overall atmosphere: dull and lifeless. Not much is going on here. Jjaxx approaches the nearby counter, looking for an attendant. Bob, a very boorish gnome, asks what the party wants, appearing perturbed about having people at the counter. Jjaxx, trying his hardest to gather up his best, bard-self, attempts to get a good deal on rooms. He inquires if there are any rooms available, in which Bob asks if the party wants a single room or separate ones, subtly hinting at possible lewd circumstances. Talila, upon hearing this, bristles at the sheer thought of such atrocities, but holds back. A bard can win over this rude gnome, right? Umbra, standing off to the side, starts to take in the scene and takes note of various things. Nothing of importance is noticed. Bob flips through a nearby ledger, finds four rooms available. Jjaxx, Umbra, and Talila each ask for a separate room. Bob asks for 10 gold pieces, which gets a room and a free meal. Jjaxx, hearing the price, is taken aback by the sheer amount. He offers to play music in exchange for a room, or at least a discount. Bob scoffs at the deal but takes it with one condition: the party must entertain their guests for the night, not just Jjaxx. Both Umbra and Talilia decline, paying the surly gnome his price. Umbra inquires to Bob on why the inn looks as bleak as it is, to which Bob explains that people don't stop by due to the woods. Strange sounds come from the woods at night, strange people seen around town (hinting at the party as to them being included). Talila asks about weapons and offers to help take care of the issues affecting the village, as long as they can be pointed towards a reputable blacksmith. Bob leans towards Talila and warns her of the only local blacksmith. That he might be an "issue".
Outside the blacksmith, the small party wait for the current customer to leave. Estraban, still with chest in tow, enters the building and approaches the counter. As Estraban places the chest down, Rishi approaches the attendant in hopes to get the chest opened. Sam, a half human, half dwarf, is awestruck by the new customers. In a very flamboyant delivery, Sam asks Rishi where his parents are, flirtatious as ever. He then asks where the chest was found and who it belonged to. Rishi tries to bullshit Sam about how the chest was tripped over, but Sam sees right through the scenario. Sam explains that he is hesitant at opening "unfamiliar, found" chests due to an incident recently. He then fondles the chest to get a better idea at what could be inside or at least where it came from, but Estraban decides to try his luck on wordplay with Sam. Sam spills a little more on what happened, but not much. All the party is told is that Sam had helped a stranger open a "found" chest and "bad shit happened". Nothing more. Rishi attempts to push further, but Sam cuts him off and starts to flirt with him again. At this point, Rishi is determined to get this chest of Estraban's open, so he purchases a mallet, chisel, short sword, and a dagger. Hopefully he will be prepared for whatever might happen. Sam knows exactly what Rishi is wanting to do and blatantly asks that Rishi does that outside of the village. Rishi obliges. Estraban decides to make a purchase on a dwarven waraxe, in which Sam tries to hit on him during the transaction. Estraban declines the advances, but Sam says he wouldn't mind if Estraban "tripped" over onto him at some point. Finally, Mathayus approaches the counter with a spiked chain, stone-faced and dark. Sam makes an attempt at flirting with Mathayus but Mathayus is having none of it. In fact, the insomnia has started taking a toll on him and he starts to get a bit irritated with Sam's advances. Sam sees this and slips a piece of paper to Mathayus, with a number and what seems to be an address on it. Before Mathayus can react, both Estraban and Rishi de-escalate the situation and finish up the transaction, escorting Mathayus out of the building. Estraban approaches Salem by a tree, asking if he had found anything out. Salem had noticed a few locations of interest that could help the party figure out where they are, but he keeps this to himself for now.
Session 3:
Once the adventures leave and regroup with the others at the tavern, Talila and Umbra find themselves heading to their assigned rooms for some rest. Jjaxx, finding himself without a violin, inquires to Bob if he knows where he could locate a violin. Bob, confused as to why Jjaxx would not have a violin already, points him towards a local general goods merchant further into the village. Upon departure, Estraban bids Jjaxx farewell on his short quest to get a violin. In the meantime, Mathayus, Rishi, Salem, and Estraban find themselves at the bar in anticipation for a waiter to tend to their needs: food and drink. Steve, being of a red-haired human sort, approaches the counter and asks the newcomers what they are looking to have. The adventurers find themselves at a loss of words for what to order, not having the knowledge of where they exactly are. Steve suggests steak, vegetables, and a good ale from about 60 years young. The pickings are slim at the moment due to an event that happened 3 weeks ago, slowing down the traffic for everyone he explains. The party asks what happened, Steve replies very bluntly that it was "bad", nothing more. Once Steve sets off to prep their meals, Salem asks what is seriously going on with everyone. No one is wanting to give any more information about the "bad" event that occurred, let alone the fact everyone speaks with a different dialect. Turning to Mathayus, Estraban asks for the piece of paper that Sam had given to him earlier. Reading the address, he puts the paper in his pocket for later.
Jjaxx has managed to wander over towards the other half of the village, looking for the general merchant store that Bob directed him towards earlier. As the lights start to dim in the road, buildings start closing their doors, Jjaxx spots the store and runs full throttle towards it. He bursts through the doorway, shutting the door frantically behind him, stopping to catch his breath. Sarena, the merchant of the store, stares at him, wondering what all the commotion was about. Jjaxx replies that it was dark out and it made him uncomfortable. She smiles in acknowledgement and proceeds to ask him what he is searching for. Calming down, Jjaxx responds with the fact he is new to the village and is in search of a violin. Sarena looks up, lost in thought, trying to recall if she has a violin. Excusing herself, she wanders to the back of the shop to look at a recent merchant haul. She comes back to the counter, a brown and black violin in hand (bow included). Jjaxx looks it over and approves of it, but before paying for it, he asks her if she has any rapiers. She points to a far corner and suggests looking over there, since that is where she puts all sorts of weapons that look like swords. After a bit of searching, he finds a rapier that meets his standars, although a bit on the shabby side. Placing it on the counter along with the violin, Jjaxx asks the end question: how much. Giving a friendly smirk, Sarena says he can pay however much he is willing to pay. Jjaxx, feeling a bit flustered at this proposal, feels his mind racing and struggles at figuring out what to say. Upon seeing the internal struggle, Sarena smiles again and asks him if he plays the violin well. He responds in stammers, saying yes he hopes so and that he will be playing tonight at a disgruntled gnome's tavern...Bob's tavern.... Sarena chuckles softly and says she knows where it's at, then offers 2 gold pieces for both items and that she will be showing up tonight to watch him play. Jjaxx agrees and before he can leave, she takes the items and bundles them behind the counter, to help ensure that he travels safe on the way back to the tavern.
By the time Jjaxx returned to the tavern, Steve came out with heaping dishes of food for the hungry party. Upon receiving his ale, Estraban takes out a leaf that was from their drastic escape from the woods earlier. Biting into it, he recognizes the plant as one that has a subtle poison, not a strong one but enough to add some flavor to his drink. Seeing how happy Jjaxx was upon returning, violin and rapier in hand, Estraban asks him what's up. Jjaxx told him that he got a discount on the room he got, as long as he played for the tavern for the night. Offering some food and ale, Estraban slaps Jjaxx on the back and wishes him good luck. Salem observes the leaf that Estraban used to spice up his ale, asking him if he had any extra. Estraban shares what remains of his stash with Salem, when Jjaxx grabs a few extra and shoves them in his mouth. He is ready to perform.
Rishi and Mathayus, sitting quietly and watching the others deal with the random shenanigans, start to take in the overall room. Mathayus, with his guard up at all times, notices a few new faces in the tavern, one of them being a blonde human female. Rishi, slowly eating his share of food, carefully watches Jjaxx. He still has his qualms about Jjaxx.
The tavern's main floor has come to a stop when Talila and Umbra emerge from their slumber. It is definitely in the middle of the night. Talila looks for a source of food, following her nose to the bar where Steve is finishing up some dishes. Upon ordering her share of what the rest of the party had, she sits and listens, observing. Umbra decides to walk outside to get some fresh air, taking in the sight of the silent street. Jjaxx, having finished up the performance, decides to head off to bed, leaving the rest of the party behind. Mathayus starts to get himself settled for first shift night watch when he sees Estraban and Rishi getting together to head out. Salem had left earlier with some of the leaves Estraban gave him, crawling up the tree he found earlier in hopes of some sleep. Suddenly, Mathayus realizes that there is no sound, as if the world had stopped. He stands up straight, putting his hands on the spike chain and tells the remaining party members to "get ready". Estraban and Rishi stop in their tracks, half out the door when they both feel a little un-easement in the atmosphere. Salem, half asleep in the tree, notices a red hue off in the distance, as if it was something pulsating. The location is 1 of the 2 he had come across earlier in the day that felt like some investigation should happen. Resuming his meditation, he sits and watches.
Umbra, oblivious to what is going on inside the tavern, decides he should ask Bob where he could purchase an instrument. Bob sharply tells him that it'll be the same store he sent his buddy to, although it'll be closed at this point of the night. A few moments pass before a sudden drop of dread is felt, silence falls upon the party and temperature becomes a tad chilly. Everyone except Jjaxx and Salem gather together into a small group, some with weapons ready for a fight. Creaking steps are heard, in which the party collectively turn and see Jjaxx descending the stairs in a zombie like state. 3 orbs are seen on his body: 1 on his face, 1 on his throat, and 1 on his chest. His eyes are of white mist, observing the adventurers while not uttering a sound. He walks towards them slowly, not showing any implication of a fight. Mathayus and Talila attempt at seeing what motive this other worldly being has, possessing their fellow traveler. Both get a very malicious feeling in return, seeing nothing but hate and contempt. Talila manages to see another "form" overlaying Jjaxx's body but fails to see what exactly it is. She does manage to see another set of "eyes" behind Jjaxx's own misty eye sockets. Mathayus tells Estraban to grab Jjaxx and hold him while telling Umbra to fetch Salem. Umbra runs to the tree where Salem is meditating, asking for him to rejoin them in the tavern. Salem, being his usual self, decides to not join and chalk it up to them being weird commoners. Umbra starts to plead to Salem, saying something is wrong with Jjaxx and everyone is on guard. Salem lets out a sigh and follows after Umbra.
Upon re-entry to the tavern, having everyone in the adventure party present, Jjaxx stares at every single person as if making notes. Suddenly, his body collapses to the floor, Jjaxx snoozing away. Rishi pipes up and says that clearly, he was right about Jjaxx being the bad guy and that they should tie him up. Talila and Mathayus agree. The 3 of them decide to take Jjaxx's snoozing body back to his room, binding him to the bed posts. Talila asks Mathayus if they came across any weird townsfolk, any odd interactions, anything out of the ordinary while she was sleeping. Mathayus says no, all they managed to do was purchase weapons. Talila says that the interaction her group had earlier with Bob said to watch out for Sam, in which Mathayus says nothing bad happened. During this conversation, Rishi can be found looking at how to make a noose with the leftover rope (not enough).
Umbra decides to see about locating Bob, in which the nasty gnome is nowhere to be found. Being a little curious, Umbra starts to flip through the various ledgers. Flipping back to 6 months prior, he notices that the handwriting is vastly different. He starts to look through the other various papers and ledgers, noticing that there are a lot of various handwritings that don't seem to match another. Estraban leaves the tavern, determined to find Sam and seek out answers. He manages to find the building that was written on the paper given to Mathayus earlier. The building is dark, but Estraban is determined to find answers. He starts to bang on the door, loudly. Sam sleepily answers the door, but he doesn't sound like he did earlier. Estraban wants to know what happened in the town 3 weeks ago. Sam declines to tell him, asking him who he is. Estraban repeats, with Sam saying again that he doesn't know what he is talking about let alone who he is. Estraban collapses due to sheer exhaustion on Sam's doorstep. Sam sighs and manages to drag Estraban in. He leaves his passed-out body in the foyer and heads back to bed, locking his room door just in case.
Session 4:
Once ensuring that Jjaxx is well secured, Rishi decides that he needs to start some investigation on his own. Clearly the rest in the party don't know what to do when it comes to looking up possible conspiracies, let alone do the investigating right. He decides to leave a super vague, scribbled note on the nightstand inside Jjaxx's room. Easiest place for the rest to find it! Talila has her own plan set in motion, however. She notifies Mathayus that she needs to step away for a weapon, so he shall be left in charge of watching Jjaxx if he so chooses. Upon disembarking the building, Talila leaves in search for Salem for some answers. He can't be too far, being that he has some strange fascination with a particular tree located in the middle of the town. Sure enough, she spots him up in the branches. Being that he was with the party who visited the blacksmith, there had to have been SOMETHING amiss in the whole visitation. Sadly, Salem says nothing about the blacksmith, for he did not join the others inside. Instead, he decided to wander the town, looking for any clues as to where they are. Acknowledging this, Talila parts ways and heads towards the blacksmith building. Salem decides to start doing some investigation on the two areas he noticed earlier that seemed "odd".
Estraban, doing his best to pretend that he is passed out on the foyer floor of Sam's residence, waits to hear the sound of sleep. Upon hearing the door to Sam's room lock, he starts to slowly and silently stand up. See, Estraban had a plan. A crazy plan. He wanted to get inside Sam's house to look for clues as to what is going on and why he didn't recognize him as one of the customers from earlier that day. As he weaves his way around various corners, looking for ANYTHING out of place, he comes up empty handed. One last ditch effort, he decides to approach Sam's door and listen. Snoring. Cute snoring but snoring, nonetheless. Disappointed in his findings, he lets himself out the front door, leaving it unlocked behind him.
Umbra, still determined to locate some spare funds amidst the tavern floor, comes up empty handed and distraught. See, Umbra hasn't been as destitute as this before, so looking for anything of value could help bring his anxiety down a few notches. The whole situation has made him feel super uncomfortable and almost unpleasant to be around. Suddenly, he gets an idea. Jjaxx went to a store earlier that Bob had sent him to for an instrument. He was successful in finding a violin, so surely the same store should have something for him too, right? With destination in mind, Umbra sets off towards Sarena's store, telling no one of his plans.
Mathayus, alone in the room with a clearly passed out Jjaxx, decides to do a little meditation to pass the time. After a decent amount passes and still no conscious Jjaxx, Mathayus decides enough is enough. Weird things are happening, and he needs answers. Now. Starting with a gentle shake, Mathayus tries to summon some liveliness from Jjaxx. Jjaxx mutters some in descript jibberish and falls back asleep. Being that a sluggish and half-asleep conversation isn't the ideal way to get answers, Mathayus starts to shake Jjaxx harder. Jjaxx, now fully awake, starts to panic. He realizes he's been tied down to the bed, apparently by a very distraught gnome who seemingly disappeared during his slumber. In a semi-frantic state, Jjaxx demands answers from Mathayus, mostly as to why he is tied down. Mathayus explains to him that he seemed possessed last night and if he recalled anything at all. Jjaxx tries to recall anything, but shakes his head in a no manner. Jjaxx recalls getting super high on the leaves Estraban had given him, which helped him get over his performance anxiety last night, but shortly after that he went to his room and fell asleep. Next thing he knew was waking up, tied to the bed. Picking up Jjaxx's violin, Mathayus explains to Jjaxx that he will be needing to "borrow" his violin. With a huge protest, Jjaxx starts to strain against his restraints. Mathayus informs Jjaxx that he believes something malicious might be wrong with his violin and until he can find someone to detect magic, he doesn't trust Jjaxx to touch it. Jjaxx, calming down with this new information, nods in agreement. Mathayus makes a deal with Jjaxx that he needs to stay near him just in case weird things happen again. Once the agreement has been made, they exit the room and join Estraban in the tavern floor.
Estraban, feeling hopeless at this point, sits at the bar waiting for others from the party to show up. Salem, coming in the front door after his investigation, decides to join Estraban. Both wear the defeated look upon their face. Mathayus inquires Salem to inspect the violin in hand. Salem detects nothing, that it is just a plain violin. Now, all four party members sit down at the bar and wait for the rest of the party to show up. Might as well start coming up with next options in the meantime, huh. Steve arrives to the front and lays out a small continental breakfast. Food is served.
Upon arriving at the blacksmith, Talila enters the store and is greeted by Sam. Sam asks her if she is looking for anything in particular, taking note that she looks like she's seen better days. Smiling, she says she is just going to take a look around and see if anything strikes her fancy. Continuing her investigation, she mills about the store, looking for clues. Absolutely nothing stands out to her. She did manage to find a decent longspear on a rack. As she approaches the counter, longspear in hand, Talila starts to look at Sam with the true seeing ability. Upon looking at Sam, she sees something similar as to what was going on with Jjaxx the night before, but not exactly the same. She decides to take it one step further and offers a handshake in conclusion of the purchase. Upon doing so, she feels somewhat of an unease and malicious energy coming from Sam. Looking at his eyes, he seems almost dead inside, like a puppet. As Talila leaves the blacksmith, she notices Salem exiting the tavern. She runs over to him and asks if he would like to join her in her visit to the tailor. Salem obliges and the two of them set off to visit their next destination.
Umbra reaches the same merchant store that Jjaxx was sent to earlier, hoping to find an instrument and weapon that meet his requirements. Upon entry, he is struck with how beautiful Sarena is. He asks her if she has musical instruments to which she points him to the corner that houses the various instruments. After a few minutes, Umbra finds a suitable guitar to which he places it upon the counter. Being of the charismatic type, Umbra tries to charm Sarena to which she is unaffected by him. In fact, the expression on her face changes to a more serious look. Realizing his mistake, Umbra grabs the guitar off the counter and makes a run for the door. Unfortunately, the door is locked and he cannot leave. In full on panic mode, he asks if he can make a purchase for a weapon to which Sarena replies that the store is now closed. She approaches Umbra, giving him a warm embrace to which he becomes unconscious, collapsing onto the floor.
Talila and Salem arrive at the tailor shop. Upon entering the store, they notice that Gary (a gnome), the shopkeeper is busy packing an order on the side of the counter. He greets them with a very abrupt question as to what they are in need of. Talila senses bad vibes from speaking to Gary. He seems to have the same presence as Sam did. She asks Gary if he has any kind of stave inventory, to which he sighs and retreats to the back to look. Once he turns the corner, Talila shapeshifts into a bear and charges at Gary, rendering him unconscious. Salem, following suit, transforms into a bear as well and between the both of them, they wreck the store. Talila transforms back and ties Gary up, tossing him onto the back of Salem. As Talila rummages through the wrecked store in search of armor and weapons, picking up items to show to Salem for a yes or no decision, she starts to think about the entire situation of the village. Leaving the store, the 2 set off back towards the inn to rejoin the rest of the party.
Once Talila and Salem arrive at the inn, Mathayus inquires as to where they have been. Talila discusses their outing with Sam then Gary, pointing to the tied up, unconscious gnome on Salem's back. She explains that she sensed something very off with the both of them and decided to make an example out of Gary. Mathayus hands Talilia the violin, asking for her to sense anything wrong with it. She senses nothing and hands it back to him. After tossing Gary upstairs in Jjaxx's room, Talila discusses with the group that they all need to stick together because the entire village seems to be affected by some sort of mind control. Noticing that Umbra is missing from the group, Talila inquires to where he has run off to. Jjaxx remembers telling Umbra where he bought the violin at earlier in the evening, so maybe Umbra went to see Sarena. The party decide to visit the wrecked tailor store to gather weapons and gear when they come across Rishi.
Session 5:
Mathayus asks Talila if she questioned Gary before rendering him unconscious as a bear. She explains to him that no, it was more of a quick opportunity to take him out. Mathayus and Talila find themselves dragging Gary's unconscious body up to Jjaxx's room, plopping him down on the bed. Snoring away, Talila starts to gently shake Gary awake in hopes of getting some answers. He wakes up, visually upset about his new surroundings and the unexpected company he is in. He demands to know what is going on, but his questions go unanswered. Talila grills Gary for information of what he knows and recalls. All he can recall is him working in his store, suddenly a loud crashing sound, then waking up here. He has no clue what they are talking about when she asks who is working for. Distraught by the responses, both Mathayus and Talila leave him tied up on the bed.
Down in the main lobby area, Estraban is still sitting at the bar, suffering from the disbelief of not finding clues inside Sam's residency. Rishi enters the room, not fully surprised by the faces on everyone. Mathayus, descending the stairs, looks at Rishi and says "Well look who showed up". Rishi, unfazed by this comment, is looking anxiously at all of possible water containers, including the beer Estraban is drinking. Snapping back to the here and now, Rishi glances at everyone in the party and explains that he needs to look for the water source in the village, whether it is a well or a stream. Estraban, slowly drinking his problem away, looks at Mathayus with an expression of what the hell is the gnome rambling on about. Talila, knowing that she can purify food and beverage, offers her service to purify everything they come into contact with from now on. Estraban asks that she doesn't touch his precious leaves from earlier. Jjaxx suggests that the party needs to get some gear, with Talila mentioning that the tailor shop is currently unmanned and that this would be the best time to acquire gear. Talila mentions that they still need to find where their missing companion ran off to, but that the party should not be alone. Mathayus agrees and says that a buddy system should be put into place. Salem, after transforming out of bear-form, suggests that they should investigate an area he noticed earlier - it could be related to the water source Rishi is searching for or it could be where Umbra wandered off to. He then mentions that it wouldn't be a good idea to question villagers about anything. The possibility of letting anyone know what troubles the party is experiencing might give away their vulnerability to the wrong person or persons. With that, the party set out to visit the tailor shop.
The party finds themselves amongst a ruined tailor shop. Clearly, the work of 2 bears left nothing safe, but at least enough items were left intact that the party was able to suit up. Rishi tries his best to detect any sign of a nearby water source, but no luck. Talila and Mathayus look around for hidden compartments and doors, but no luck. Turns out the tailor shop was just a plain tailor shop. Estraban, donning some amazing scale leather armor, becomes infatuated with how great it looks on him. He finds a mirror and strikes dozens of poses. Finishing up their pillaging, the party moves out for the abandoned road with Salem in the lead.
Moving past the broken wood and stone, the adventurers find themselves entering a small clearing. In front of them lies a slow, "babbling" brook. The flow doesn't seem strong, but the water is dark. There appears to be a large, fallen tree that forms a makeshift bridge across the brook. It seems to have been here for a bit due to the accumulated debris along its sides, adding to the sturdiness of the bridge. Rishi, braving the possible thought that the bridge won't be sturdy enough, decides to cross it. Surprisingly, the makeshift bridge doesn't budge. Salem checks the water but doesn't see much besides the depth appears pretty deep. Estraban scans the area, looking for anything out of place. He notices what appears to be a chest off in the distance, past the bridge. Mathayus sees the chest Estraban points to and decides that it should be checked out. The rest of the party cross the fallen tree without issues. Rishi cautiously approaches the chest, looking at what is left from it. It appears that what was inside exploded, breaking through the wood and bending some of the metal. Jjaxx starts to play a song to help boost the confidence of everyone, because that is what bards do. Mathayus inquires if there seems to be anything malicious left, hinting to Rishi to be extra mindful in his check. Salem decides to find out if the chest remains are actually as they appear, so he casts a spell to heat up the metal. Spell successfully cast, the metal starts to bend, and the wood starts to burn. Chest checks out as being as it appears. Estraban, finally coming to his senses, decides to attack the chest and destroy what little there was. Looking at the brook, Jjaxx informs his company that they should follow the flow south in search of the village's water source. Gathering up their belongings, the party moves south.
Stumbling through a small, narrow passage, the adventurers find a large well with bones of deceased creatures and beings scattered around the area. Rishi approaches the well, looking for anything abnormal of it. As it stands, it appears to be a normal, deep, well. Salem, being of the cheeky sort, makes a well pun "Well, well, well" as he approaches the well. The rest of the party groan and glance at him. Talila starts to check out a few of the bodies, making note that they appear from all walks of life at different time periods. Estraban decides to grab a few bones from a nearby pile for future use, while Mathayus hangs out in the back to check their surroundings. Suddenly, a ringing in the ears affects everyone except Jjaxx. Looking around for what could be causing such a horrible sound, the party see nothing. Jjaxx, confused as to why everyone seems to be suffering from an unpleasant sound and frantically searching for something, shrugs it off as them being "weird". Getting a sense of urgency, Rishi and Salem dodge quickly, away from the well just as 2 watery tentacles emerge. Recovering from the ringing sound, Estraban yells at Jjaxx to rejoin the group because shit was about to go down. Talila decides to take flight and get a higher view of what is going on. Amongst the panic, Rishi yells at Jjaxx and tells him to stop messing around with them. Jjaxx yells back at Rishi, telling him that he has NOTHING to do with this. As the duo bicker back and forth, Salem breaks the tension and states that they should get ready for a fight. Talila lands nearby the well in order to cast a dispelling spell, but before she can get it cast, a watery tentacle caresses her face, stopping her. She knows what is going on, but she hears a soothing voice telling her that everything will be okay. Talila is now charmed and is no longer useful to the rest of the party. Estraban makes for an attack on the 2 tentacles when 6 more shoot up from the well, appearing to be at least 10 foot tall. He dodges away before getting caught by any. Rishi charges in, slashing at all of the tentacles but his efforts appear futile. Estraban decides to attack the well itself, seeing if he can break a part of it and kick it down on whatever is below. Sadly, not much breaks off, but a few stones wiggle loose. One of the tentacles gets a hold of a stone and chucks it at Estraban. He gets struck by the wet stone, yelling at it as if it just insulted him. He manages to break off a few more stones before dodging away from a few tentacles. Jjaxx manages to cast a dispell magic spell upon Talila, trying to break her free from whatever was cast upon her. He is successful in breaking the connection, but Talila is more of a shell of her former self. Approaching Talila to check on her, Jjaxx got grazed by a tentacle, giving him an unquenchable thirst for the tarn. He hovers over the well, looking down into the abyss below. Mathayus notices that Jjaxx seems fixated at something in the well, so he attempts to drag him back to safety with his spiked chain, failing to pull him away. Salem successfully casts a spell to slow the tentacles down, while Mathayus checks the surroundings to see who is in charge of this watery creature to no avail. Suddenly, Umbra walks up casually to the party from behind the well, smiles upon smiles. The party, in disbelief, look towards Umbra as to where he has been this entire time. Umbra, having absolutely no idea what is going on, starts to ask them why they're out in the woods when a disembodied voice speaks. Only Jjaxx and Umbra recognize the sweet voice as Sarena. A giggle followed by "How are my toys doing? I hope nothing is broken. I can't wait to show you to Daddy."
Session 6:
Mathayus makes a decision that the party should leave the area. Estraban agrees with Mathayus and goes to grab Jjaxx and Talila. Salem summons a swarm of bats to help distract the tentacles while they make their escape. Rishi attacks the tentacles again, stubborn in trying to deal some damage while everyone escapes. As Estraban tries to grab Jjaxx, who is staring longingly down that well, Talila snaps out of it. Just as if on cue, a few of the tentacles grab Jjaxx and pull him down, filling him with the tainted tarn. Talila immediately takes flight while Mathayus manages to grab Umbra and pull him away from the well. Estraban, unsure about everything at this point in time, moves closer to Mathayus and Umbra, demanding answers. Rishi, not tired from the combat yet, is REALLY determined to take SOMETHING down at this point. Salem, wondering why they haven't made their escape yet, watches from a safe distance at the show unfolding in front of him. Umbra suddenly summons shadows of the tentacles inside the well, using them as an escape to join Jjaxx. Talila, seeing this unfold, quickly summons her nature's ally to stop Umbra from escaping. A large, carnivorous, gnarly looking treant emerges from the woods and grabs Umbra's ankles. The shadowy tentacles from the well are holding one of Umbra's wrists, thus a sort of tug-of-war ensues with Umbra's body. Salem, seeing what is happening, stands by at the ready. Rishi, seeing the new opportunity in front of him, stabs Umbra with his sword. Mathayus grabs Umbra's free hand, ensuring that he cannot cast any further spell let alone fight back. Estraban, VERY UPSET that his new-found best friend Jjaxx was taken by the well creature, stabs Umbra to the point of death. The watery tentacles, knowing that they lost, give up the struggle with the lifeless body and let go. The treant decides to eat Umbra, disposing of the evidence that any sort of event occurred. Realizing what has happened, the party agrees to seal up the well with anything they can find in the area, making sure that NOTHING goes in or out of the well again. Talila leaves the treant to stand guard at the site while the party makes their way back to the village. As they leave the wooded area, the sweet voice of Sarena is heard among the leaves. "Darn, daddy is going to be angry". Talila responds back with a "I don't give a fuck" and continues to walk away.
Upon returning to the village, the party realizes that the entire place is very empty. No signs of people and lights are a hit and miss. Estraban insists on going back to the inn for beer nourishment, with Rishi agreeing that food should be something sought out. Salem and Talila want to start meditation as to recharge themselves after all that transpired earlier that day, but Mathayus insists that no one goes alone anywhere. Salem and Talila agree to stick together as a sort of buddy system as they make their way to the tree in the center of the village. Rishi, Estraban, and Mathayus make their way to the inn in search of nourishment. Estraban hears nothing, which strikes him as odd. Not even a sound from the nearby buildings. Mathayus and Rishi make their way back into the kitchen area, looking for food. They find none. As they wander towards the storage room, they find rotten food. The appearance is as if it has been MONTHS since it had arrived, full of maggots, mold, and the occasional rancid smell. Estraban starts searching for beer of any type, just to find dry, empty kegs. All 3 adventures depart the inn, heading towards the same tree Talila and Salem went to, to inform them what they saw. Mentioning what was found at the inn, the entire party decide to rest up and they will look for answers once they recovered. As the entire party start to nod off, Estraban hears feet shuffling on the ground. A lot of shuffling. Coming towards them.
Session 7:
Estraban asks the rest of the party "What the hell is that?" as he looks around in the dead of night. As the rest of the party become fully aware that they are indeed, not alone in the village, Estraban realizes that they have become surrounded. From the pale moon light, Estraban can see that they have been surrounded by the missing villagers, at least 3 rows deep, all eyes glowing a faint reddish hue. Notifying the rest of the party, they start formulating a plan - get to the inn. While the party looks at the crowd, a short gnome, wearing heavy armor, approaches, staying reasonably back and out of close reach. Talila summons a gust of wind to clear a path, then shapeshifts into a bear, charging through the crowd. To everyone's surprise, the villagers step aside, making their path towards the inn clear. Once they fixate themselves at the entrance to the inn, the party finds themselves ready for a fight, but also confused. What is going on? Suddenly, a familiar step is heard from behind, as if coming from inside the inn.
Jjaxx approaches the doorway, seemingly in a good mood. Estraban turns around and is in utter shock. "Lamp? You okay? Where have you been?" Jjaxx, with faintly glowing eyes, responds "I'm more than great! How are you? Don't worry about us, we won't hurt you." Glancing at the villagers, Jjaxx continues "They won't either unless we say so." Confused as to what is going on, the party falls silent. Rishi, speaking up slightly, mutters that he knew Jjaxx was never to be trusted and this was why. Mathayus, hesitant on the entire situation, listens to what Jjaxx tells the party, keeping alert to the rest of the situation. Talila, perturbed about everything at this point, starts thinking of what their next step should be. Estraban listens to Jjaxx, but is drawn to the little gnome that has slowly made it's way over towards the main event - them.
Jjaxx explains to his party that they should go with them to meet his god, Malazter. Hesitantly, everyone seems to "agree" to this, and start following Jjaxx, with the new gnome following behind. Jjaxx explains to them that he has been chosen by Malazter to be a new commander for a new army. He further explains that Vice, the new gnome to the group, was a previous commander who has almost finished raising his first battalion. Estraban, super frustrated at what he is HEARING from Jjaxx, loses himself and goes to attack Jjaxx with a punch. Both Jjaxx and Vice sense this and without warning, Jjaxx reverts to his normal self. In complete shock, the normal Jjaxx YELLS at Estraban and wants to know what the hell he thinks he's doing. Estraban glances at Mathayus and asks for his input. Mathayus doesn't know, but he is more concerned with Vice. A quick glance over to Vice and one could see he stood in a stance, waiting for a fight. Jjaxx continues to ask Estraban what is going on and in response, Estraban asks what he remembers. Jjaxx starts to recount his "blips" of memory that led him to here, seeing things from the well, Malazter, Sarena, the countless commanders and armies raised. During this, Rishi highly suggests that they should kill Jjaxx just like they did Umbra. Jjaxx hears this and the two of them start to bicker back and forth. Talila, Mathayus, and Estraban conclude that this is, indeed, their Jjaxx. Jjaxx, getting fed up with Rishi's bloodthirst for his corpse, suggests to the party that they should leave. Everyone else agrees and set off to make way to the north of the village. Vice makes a subtle gesture and suddenly the hoard of villagers crowd the party, essentially kidnapping them and rendering them unconscious.
Upon awakening, the adventurers find themselves in an old, abandoned-looking temple. Tapestries half decayed, broken tiles, a few bits and pieces of plants doing their best to reclaim sunny areas, and overall musty smell. The lack of adequate lighting in the room gives a sense of solitude - one that Estraban takes upon himself to relieve the building pressure in his bladder. Hearing what is going on, Talila laughs along with Rishi, relishing in the fact that their companion is urinating on a "sacred" floor. Mathayus starts to take note of their surroundings, waiting for what is to come next.
Footsteps can be heard from a distance. Once Vice and Jjaxx enter the room, torches light up the place, revealing that they were all in the main hallway of a long, forgotten deity. Jjaxx hears what Estraban is doing and asks for him to stop defiling the temple. Estraban grunts a challenge to which Jjaxx turns to Vice and suggests out loud that the minions can help sort this...unruly behavior out. Vice makes a "tch" sound as he glares at the adventurers. Jjaxx clears his throat and says "Welcome to our temple of Malazter." Rishi responds in a witty tone "Not much of a temple" to which Vice informs Jjaxx he wants to keep that one - it has "spunk". Talilia moves closer to Vice and just STARES at him, as if challenging him to make a move. A loud, rumbling sound could be heard from behind the party, as if something massive was making its way up the giant pool of water on the far side of the hall. A disembodied voice from Sarena says "Daddy's coming", giggling as usual,
Session 8:
As the rumbling sound grows louder, the aura around the pool in the back of the great hall starts to change colors. The new dark blue and red hue set the atmospheric tone to a cold feeling. Jjaxx and Vice bow to the arrival of their god, Malazter. Mathayus readies himself, preparing for whatever may come. Estraban zips up his pants and concentrates on the pool. Talilia and Salem both look at the pool, poised with anticipation for a fight. Rishi readies his weapons and stares at both Jjaxx and Vice as they bow. Suddenly, the sound erupts from the pool, splaying at least eight watery tentacles in a throne-like display. A reddish orb starts to form at the stairs leading up to the pool. The adventurers can feel a cold feeling of being watched by a hundred eyes or more, looming somewhere in the corners of the long forgotten temple.
Rishi moves closer to Talila, diverting his dagger-like stare from Jjaxx and Vice towards the door they came from. Mathayus shifts sideways, making sure to have a better view on both ends of the great hall. Estraban sees what Mathayus does and reciprocates the movement, keeping a firm grip on his weapon in case shit hits the fan. Talila holds her breath, preparing herself mentally for what may happen next, while Salem casts Stone Skin upon himself.
Sarena forms where the reddish orb was, smiling as she looks upon the adventurers before her. She raises an arm, beckoning Jjaxx and Vice to come closer to the group, to help them feel welcome. "Welcome to the temple of our great god, Malazter. Who is ready to be touched by the hand of our god?" Jjaxx raises his voice "My Lady Sarena, I believe that Estraban, the dwarf, would make a great first candidate." Vice quickly speaks up "I think the gnome should be first." Mathayus moves closer to Sarena, eyeballing her. Estraban yells to Jjaxx "You still got your instrument?" Jjaxx turns and looks to Estraban and says yes. Estraban responds with "Great. Play me a song" while he grips his axe in his fists. Jjaxx doesn't know what to make of this request, but as if without delay, Estraban starts to sing a holy dwarf song, one about winning back something dear to a dwarf's heart. Jjaxx snaps his fingers, ushering in the villagers from before. The villagers emerge from the doorways off to the sides of the great hall, staring at Estraban with baited breath, as if waiting for the next command anxiously. Jjaxx asks for the villagers to seize Estraban, but before enough can respond, Estraban starts to wade through the group as the mournful tune follows. When Estraban makes his final stance between Sarena and Jjaxx, the line to the song finishes as he hurls his great dwarven axe directly to Sarena.
As if on cue, Talila summons entanglement, entwining everything nearby. Rishi makes his move on Vice, hitting him with his sword and dealing some damage. Salem casts Stone Skin on Estraban and Mathayus, giving them a bit of a boost for the fight coming. Sarena smiles at Estraban and says "It's okay. You can choose to be scared but it's okay. Step forward and you'll see." Jjaxx speaks to Estraban "I can play you a song if it makes you feel any better." Estraban says sure and accepts Jjaxx's hand as he places it upon Estraban's shoulder. "It's okay, we're friends, right?" Jjaxx says in a comforting tone. Jjaxx convinces Estraban to follow his guidance to the pool, getting closer to the edge and near Sarena.
With the duel between Rishi and Vice, Vice manages to summon a Bebilith for support. Rishi attacks Vice during the casting of the summoning spell, but fails at interrupting the process. Once the Bebilith finishes formation, Rishi goes for the attack once again towards Vice, dealing more damage to him. Mathayus grapples Sarena, dealing some damage to her. While he does this, Talila shapeshifts into a Shambling Mound and moves towards Sarena. She manages to grapple Sarena and slam her into the stairs. Sarena utters a painful moan. Salem continues to cast Stone Skin on other party members, this time being Talila. Seeing the commotion going on with Mathayus, Talila, and Sarena, Estraban breaks away from Jjaxx, runs past Sarena and picks up his axe. Sarena starts to waiver a little in her stance, showing a pained look for a second, but a smile returns. She still insists on everyone joining Malazter's cause. Jjaxx sees that Sarena is badly wounded and attempts to heal her. Mathayus, quickly reacting to this, goes for an attack of opportunity towards Jjaxx. He manages to snap Jjaxx back to reality, to which Jjaxx responds with a panicked "Ah fuck, not again." He excuses himself to the side, healing his own wounds. Estraban, hearing his old buddy back to normal, proudly shouts that he's glad he's back. Vice manages to hit Rishi with his punch dagger, followed up with the Bebilith biting Rishi and inflicting poison. The adventurers continue to attack Sarena until she bends over, falling to her knees and moans out in pain. Talila takes Sarena's body and slams it one more time into the stairs, killing her. As if on cue, the watery tentacles become limp and crawl back into the pool, the villagers all collapse, dead. The aura from Sarena's eyes fade, to which Vice suffers the same, collapsing onto the floor. The Bebilith disappears and the lights go out in the temple. The adventurers have won this round.