Adventure World: Caravan session 5
| ||||||
Summary
Following on the combat from the previous session - Qog ties up the captured kobold while the others proceed further into the house. They find some ritual casters of some sort and dispatch them, and then are able to negotiate a surrender with some of the kobold clan leadership - M'deena and Tonlok - to take the rest of their people (living and dead) and go, leaving behind their loot and especially the terror drake hide.
While this is happening, Aan hears some roaring outside, which he and Whisper eventually realize are coming from beneath the courtyard. the kobolds explain that they captured some kind of magic bear they've been keeping down there, and give them the keys to deal with it once they are gone.
they find it in the cellar, but it turns out not to be a bear at all, but an orc druid named Kanduk Vresk who was captured from a caravan he was supposed to be helping guard. They invite him to return with them.
Aan and Frond find the cellar creepy, associated with some strange power, and convince the Tsukaav and Kirar to help cleanse the area in a ritual. That done, they head out back towards Kongasharja.
That night during the first watch, Frond and Kirar notice some weird shadows, and rouse some of the others to take a look. Tsukaav recognizes that they are in some way associated with the shadowfell - an intrusion of the plane of death and darkness into the land of the living. Aan is able to see that they are at least humanoid. They are all flying in the direction of the town of Valkalma. The night parade lasts about half an hour, and the group is able to make it back to Kongasharja the next day and report about their successes and observations, as well as their new companion (whom Brauni has taken an especial interest in).
Later, they discover that the rug they recovered is actually a magical portable tent, which they will take when they go to investigate what is happening with Valkalma.
Whisper takes Aan out to investigate the abandoned tower on the island, which is mostly empty except for a small celestial name Lumiel who is guarding the imprisoned ghost of Hilja Laukkanen. Whisper offers to help find someone (or someones) who can cleanse the spirit. Lumiel reveals that he was assigned this duty by his boss, Anaherael - a name that resonates deeply with Aan.
Session
- Session date: 2023-09-03
- In Game date: following on from the previous session
Aan Hears Noises From Below and The Group Ask the Kobolds About It
Narrator: ( Aan , Whisper will posit that the sound is coming from below the courtyard. )
Aan will kneel down to listen
Aan: (Also anyone else is welcome to step into this if they want)
Narrator: (Yeah, other folks might notice Aan kneeling down to listen at the ground in the courtyard.)
Brauni: will come over
Brauni: Uh, what's goin' on
Brauni: Something wrong with the dirt?
Aan: ....angry sound?
Narrator: (You can roll Perception, Hazel)
Brauni: (I got a 16)
Narrator: (There's a faint sound of roaring, coming from beneath the courtyard.)
Brauni: ... the fuck is that
Narrator: (Either of y'all can roll Nature if you like)
Brauni: HEY FROND CMERE
Frond: will come over to see what's going on
Aan: (lol 6)
Frond: What's happening?
Brauni: (lol 6)
Brauni: there's some weird noise coming from down below
Frond: What's down in the cellar?
Brauni: These little fucks better not be trying to pull somethin
Frond: will ask the kobolds who are at the stairs
Narrator: "Entrance is around the side of the house. Go check it out for yourself, why don't you?"
Frond: uh huh... we're not falling for that.
Narrator: snarls the shield bearer.
Frond: if you're trying to pull one over on us, the deal where you get to leave with your skins intact ends real fast
M'deena: hears a snippet of the conversation and approaches the top of the stairs.
M'deena: (loud whisper to the shield carrier) Tonloc, you're going to get us all killed.
M'deena: (to y'all) What's the problem?
Frond: We can hear some kind of noise in the cellar - like roaring. We were just asking some questions about what you got down there, and whether it's going to cause problems for us.
M'deena: ...It's contained. Some kind of weird magic bear that was with the last caravan. We couldn't hurt it, but one of our casters managed to put it to sleep. We chained it up downstairs.
Frond: weird magic bear...
Frond: glances at the rest of the group
Aan: looks at Qog
Frond: it doesn't sound asleep?
Narrator: (Matt's not here, but I imagine Qog would be excited at this prospect.)
Brauni: A bear??
Brauni: Like... black and brown and covered in hair?
M'deena: Didn't say it stayed asleep.
Brauni: Bear?
Frond: hmm
M'deena: Mostly brown, but...yeah, I guess.
Frond: ok. well, it doesn't sound like you're taking it with you, so we'll figure out what to do with it.
Tsukaav: What are you feeding it?
Brauni: Qog says bears are nomnivores.
M'deena: Scraps and whatnot. I think it's also eating any rats that come too near.
M'deena: steps away again after another whispered admonishment to her compatriot.
Narrator: It takes maybe a half hour or so for the kobolds to gather their things and be ready to head downstairs. They're relatively heavily packed, carrying essentially everything they own with them.
Frond: (about how many are left?
Narrator: (11 will come down from upstairs. Once they're downstairs, another four that were hiding in other rooms make their way out to join them.)
M'deena: The skin, as promised, and we'll move on once we gather our fallen, as promised.
Frond: nods
Frond: Fair's fair.
M'deena: nods.
M'deena: I can't say it's been a pleasure dealing with you, but better than the militia. Watch yourselves. They like outsiders only so long as they're useful and do what they're told.
Frond: Yeah, we know how that goes... we don't stay in one place too long usually.
Frond: If we run into each other again, we'll leave you be and you leave us be, how about?
M'deena: nods, though Tonloc is still scowling profusely.
Narrator: True to her word, M'deena directs her people in gathering their dead and they head away into the wilds.
Brauni: Alright, bear time
Frond: (also I'm curious - did they take the dead drakes too, or leave those?)
Narrator: (They did, yeah)
Frond: (ok)
Aan: (and presumably we let them take the prisoners when they go)
Frond: (yeah)
Brauni Is So Good At Flirting (And Also They Find A Werebear)
Narrator: Spreading out, you can find the entrance to the cellar easily enough, outside of the house on the south side (left on the map, not that mapping is necessary for this, I don't think).
Aan: will see if he can scavenge around for things a bear might eat? Which is probably anything food like?
Narrator: (You want to do that before going downstairs? You probably have rations that a bear would be amenable to.)
Frond: Let's be a bit careful... Don't know if we can really trust what they said
Aan: (yeah maybe while people are looking for the entrance. This I have is fine as long its not all I have >.>)
Narrator: The cellar doors aren't locked or anything. Who is leading the way?
Frond: (I can go first)
Brauni: (I can follow with Qog)
Narrator: There is a pretty standard cellar, with the remnants of shelving and the like, and an open passage further into the earth. You can more clearly hear the desperate or furious roars of the creature coming from down said passage. Following it, you find a sizeable chamber with what's clearly a stone altar in the middle, large metal rings set into it. It was clearly not built by the kobolds, but by the original inhabitants, though the kobolds have made use of it by chaining a large brown bear to it. The bear roars as it hears you approach, then quiets and looks at you quizzically as you enter.
Narrator: Each of its limbs is attached by chain to one of the rings.
Narrator: It stretches the chains as far as it can to get as close to you as possible.
Aan: follows his siblings out of curiosity but will give Qog some food for the bear :x
Brauni: It looks like a regular bear to me...
Aan: :x
Brauni: Hey bear!
Aan: steps further back
Narrator: (Tsukaav, it doesn't look particularly hostile. If anything, it looks excited and or curious.)
Tsukaav: Why would they have brought it down here at all?
Frond: Maybe they thought they could use it?
Brauni: How did they fit it through the door??
Tsukaav: It's cruel.
Narrator: (It's big, but not bigger than the doors/hallway)
Frond: Well we're not going to leave it here like this
Brauni: Maybe we should just let it go?
Brauni: like... I could maybe get it to sleep and then we unhook it and leave
Brauni: or take it outside and leave, I dunno.
Frond: We could try that
Brauni: (what does Qog think)
Narrator: (He probably looks concerned, and, if people will allow, he'll take ten minutes to do his ritual to let him cast Speak with Animals.)
Bear: sits and whuffs, raising its arms and shaking its chains.
Frond: (seems fine to me to take that time)
Aan: (yeah that's fine, maybe nudge him to give the bear food)
Narrator: (We can actually say Qog did the ritual as y'all were looking for the cellar entrance.)
Aan: (Yeah that works)
Brauni: (is it a boy bear or a girl bear)
Narrator: Qog will ask the bear if it's injured, then look confused, and inform you all that his spell doesn't seem to have worked.
Narrator: (It's a boy bear.)
Frond: Hmm... They said it was a weird bear. Maybe it's... Not an animal?
Aan: (nat 20 on arcana yeah... any ideas?)
Brauni: Is it a guy in a suit??
Bear: perks up at that, and, very clearly, nods towards Frond.
Aan: ...Elafir?
Bear: chews at its manacles for a moment, then looks pointedly at you all.
Brauni: He wants us to take off the chains
Frond: Let's let it go... I think that's what it wants
Brauni: ?
Brauni: You're not gonna eat us, right big guy?
Narrator: (Aan, it might be a druid or a lycanthrope perhaps?)
Frond: Put the kids and stuff upstairs... Just in case
Aan: (cool yeah)
Bear: shakes his head to Brauni.
Brauni: (I assume the kobolds didn't leave keys)
Narrator: (Who constitutes a kid in this instance?)
Narrator: (Hazel, high or low?)
Brauni: (high)
Brauni: (my little brothers)
Brauni: (except Qog)
Frond: (Aan and the other one who's like 14)
Aan: isn't going anywhere and will make cranky sounds at anyone who suggests he should
Frond: Just back to the stairs so you can get out, then...
Narrator: (We'll say yes, y'all could have asked for the keys and M'deena would have handed them over.)
Brauni: Alrighty then
Karash: Aww, seriously?
Karash: grumbles but does what y'all say.
Brauni: will go free the bear :D
Frond: You can stay here but if anything goes wrong, you run up there
Bear: waits patiently as you do.
Narrator: Brauni goes to release the bear, who moves his paws to make it easier to unlock the manacles.
Brauni: There you go, magic bear.
Narrator: As the last one comes undone, he sighs, and his features start to shift. Where the bear was is now a very large, very hairy, very naked orcish man of about twenty or so.
Orc: Gods and spirits, thank you all.
Brauni: (how big is he)
Aan: steps back now, even though he was kind of expecting this, because the guys is still a stranger :x
Brauni: Uh... uh
Frond: You okay?
Narrator: (He's on the ground, but you get the impression pretty big.)
Brauni: HIiiiiiiiiiiiii. 👀
Orc: As I can be, I think. Sorry for my...state. Any chance I could borrow a cloak or something to cover up with?
Frond: (does he seem injured or just tired/hungry?)
Narrator: (He seems fine, but, yeah, a bit tired and hungry.)
Brauni: you can have Qog's
Brauni: RIGHT QOG??
Narrator: (Qog probably gives you a look for volunteering his stuff, but will hand over his cloak.)
Frond: Let's get you some food and fresh air.
Brauni: So uh what's your name?
Brauni: I'm Brauni.
Brauni: You from around here?
Brauni: Been a bear long?
Brauni: You like music?
Orc: Much obliged. Kanduk Vresk. Um, no, just passing through, and for a little while now, and, uh, sure.
Brauni: Cool cool cool
Frond: You were with a caravan?
Frond: Or on your own?
Brauni: Yeah where's your wife?
Brauni: . o O (I'm so subtle)
Kanduk: On my own. My karn (community/caravan) is down in Vilyawen. I had done some work up north, and was headed to meet them, but I took a job in Kongasharja with a wagon group headed to Valkama because I heard one of my fathers is went out that way.
Kanduk: Oh, uh, I'm not married.
Kanduk: looks a little self-conscious about that.
Brauni: Ohhh I see...
Brauni: Well well well
Frond: Well. You're welcome to come to ours and eat and rest up, for however long you need.
Brauni: Could be a while I reckon
Kanduk: That's very kind of you, thanks.
Brauni: A real long while
Kanduk: Who do I owe my life to here?
Aan: (how old is this guy?)
Narrator: (Like I said, about 20. So around Tsukaav's age, little older)
Aan: (cool)
Brauni: Well, Aan's the one who heard you yelling first.
Brauni: points to him.
Brauni: That's my little brother.
Frond: Frond Oglaf, my husband Kirar, my brother Tsukaav...
Aan: :x
Frond: starts introducing people
Aan: smiles nervously
Kanduk: takes in the introductions, and will be sure to offer a handshake to Aan specifically.
Brauni: He's shy.
Narrator: (Standing up, he's probably a few inches over seven feet, maybe seven foot three or so)
Aan: hides behind his burlier siblings
Kanduk: falters a moment, but offers a friendly smile and lets it go.
Kanduk: How did y'all end up out here?
Frond: Well, we took a job trying to recover a shipment for the smith in town, and clear out the kobolds
Kanduk: Ah, little bastards. Jumped the wagons I was with, hit me with a damn sleep spell of all things.
Frond: Got that taken care of so I imagine we'll head back soon, it's about a day's walk.
Kanduk: nods.
Kanduk: I'd be happy to tag along if y'all don't mind. I need to figure out what I'm gonna do from here.
Frond: Of course, you're welcome
Brauni: Yeah, stay as long as you want 👀
Frond: What's this place for, I wonder? Do all rich folks have this in their cellar?
Narrator: (Anyone who wants to can roll Religion)
Frond: looks around at the chains and stuff
Brauni: (17 with my bard bonus)
Aan: (Yeah I was gonna poke around in here, but I had to go let in a dog)
Narrator: Brauni and Tsukaav, you don't necessarily recognize all the iconography, and a lot of it is worn by time, but
Brauni: It's a sex dungeon
Narrator: Frond and Aan, you have a visceral aversion to this place.
Brauni: I mean, probably.
Frond: It's creepy
Kanduk: I don't know, but it feels wrong. I'll be happy to see the last of it, I can tell you that.
Frond: Let's go upstairs to make sure there's nothing else weird here
Tsukaav: This is not a place of honor
Aan: mm.
Narrator: You can all head upstairs and out of the creepy basement altar room.
Aan: looks arund uncomfortably and then will scamper upstairs now that he is no longer distracted with mysterious stranger bears
Looting and Cleansing The Cellar
Narrator: It's still mid-morning, so still have plenty of time to start making your way back to Kongasharja.
Frond: (nothing else unusual in the upper part of the house?)
Narrator: (Anyone who likes can roll me Perception)
Aan: (20)
Brauni: (13)
Tsukaav: (Again someone roll for me)
Frond: 15
Aan: (also 15 for Tsukaav)
Narrator: You manage to find some larger goods the kobolds couldn't take with them, trade goods like furs, sacks of grain, some crates of ore, totalling about 100 gold.
Narrator: Nothing else particularly unusual in the place, though that rug in the library is still suspicially well-kept.
Frond: (cool, let's lug that back)
Frond: (also the rug, meemaw could use a nice rug probably)
Narrator: (heh)
Aan: (Does it have any weird magic significance?)
Narrator: All right, you can gather all that stuff up and start making your way back.
Narrator: (How are you wanting to investigate that, Heather?)
Aan: (really just look at it, if its creepy in the same vein as the downstairs room or has sketchy magic symbols that i recognize. If it just looks like a rug that's meant to have ritual ambience then whatever)
Aan: (I only rolled 9s on Arcana and religion tho so I think probably it doesn't seem weird to me!)
Aan: will also tug at Frond before we go and point at the creepy cellar.
Aan: Break?
Frond: Mmm...
Frond: Break what?
Aan: seems uncertain about that specifically
Aan: Creepy :x
Frond: It is creepy. Maybe we can... Bless it or something before we go?
Frond: looks to kirar and Tsukaav for real religious advice 😉
Kirar: looks at Tsukaav and then back to his wife.
Kirar: We could do a ritual to try to cleanse it.
Frond: Okay.
Aan: Aa.
Kirar: (to Frond) Care to join us?
Tsukaav: All right.
Kirar: I mean, anyone's welcome, but I figure best to get Luthic's blessing.
Frond: Of course I will.
Kirar: will dutifully head back downstairs. He sets about etching out the currently carved symbols, making a cut on his hand to cover them over with orcish runes in his own blood.
Aan: will at leaast go watch :x
Frond: will follow his lead
Kirar: Merciful Nulgreth, banish all evil from this place in your mercy. Mother Luthic, bless this endeavor and hallow this hollowed space, this defilement of the earth your refuge for your people.
Kirar: leaves space for Tsukaav to add his own touch and call upon his own patron as he desires.
Narrator: (Tsukaav, Frond, and anyone else who wants to participate, roll me Religion or either a Wisdom or Charisma save.)
Brauni: (I'm good justwatching lol)
Tsukaav: (Narrator roll me a religion)
Aan: can contribute.. weird Aan thing, idk. (19 cha save)
Aan: (I can roll for you Steve)
Frond: (19 cha for me as well)
Tsukaav: (I call on Rull to bless this place and remember the acts of strength and virtue done here ahead of the vile and weak wickednesses)
Narrator: There is a sound beyond hearing, something like a tide rolling away, and though there is no visible change, the room feels less oppressive. Tsukaav, you are filled with a sense of the might of your god. Frond, you feel the warmth of a shared campfire and the Allmother's love. Aan, you feel a light feeling, the first step of freedom after imprisonment.you know this is not dedicated to any of the gods.
Kirar: smiles and mouths a silent prayer.
Aan: (Aan things are entirely based on vibes. He won't say anything but maybe he'll draw on things or move them around thinking about his Parton)
Narrator: (Frond and Aan, you both get Inspiration. Tsukaav, you would as well, but you already have it. 😉 )
Frond: (cool)
Aan: lets out a little huff of relief
Frond: Let's be on our way... we have a good distance to walk back.
Narrator: You can all leave the place behind, your steps just a touch lighter for having banished whatever darkness infected the place.
