The campaign log for the 2018 ‘Swashbuckling’ DnD5e campaign. Entries appear in order, from newest to oldest. Feel free to make an account for the site if you want, to comment on news or log entries (either in or out of character, whatever you guys want).
Session 17: Shopping and more!
After some time at sea, the Marlin finally docks in Avura, Rorotonga. The party makes it’s way into town, and spends a few days wandering the town, selling loot, spending money, drinking, and relaxing. Booth gets in a fight, and finds his lady, Fraeiyn tinkers in a local forge, Harold makes some shoes, and the lizard discovers what ‘beer’ and ‘comfort’ is.
After a few days in town, the group is approached by a small genasi child, who tells them of a tragedy at this church. Men with weapons, and red robed figures burned the building, and dragged off the priestess. He asks for help, and the party agrees. In the morning, they investigate the church, and find many bootprints… they looks like guard boot prints. The child believes that a local drunkard might have seen something, so they proceed to the docks to investigate the taverns and find him. Upon interrogating the old man they find out that the guards and red robed figures (Monks? Wizards? Cultists?) came from the Governors keep.
The group takes some time, and tries to decide what to do.
Session 16: Screw you, Felock
The party continues through the complex, and on into a strange room with two deep, black pits on the sides. The floor is slick with the cytoplasm that covers this place. Otherwise, the room is uninteresting. They also pass through a forge, still hot, but abandoned, and a large hallway until they enter into a large room with four square pits flanked by large, stone statues of dwarves with angel wings on their backs. Fraeiyn investigates one of the statues, it comes alive and attempts to push him into a pit! All four of the statues come to life and attack. The party quickly defeats them, breaking their wings, and throwing them into the pit.
They move on, exploring the halls, and eventually come to a large circular room with a large dais in the center. The walls and floor are covered in strange, arcane symbols. The spellcasters identify this as a summoning room. Putting this together with what they were told by Felock, the group quickly identifies this as the room that was used to summon Ytholic, the creature from beyond our reality. The room is inactive, and otherwise empty. Searching, and finding nothing, the party moves on.
They find some cells, and some other natural caverns. Eventually, they stumble upon a room lit by a single torch, with a small circular table in the center. On the table are three cards. A game of chance? Booth picks up a card, which features a key on it’s face. The card suddenly transforms into a vial. A potion! He picks up the second card, which shows a single star. Booth feels stronger! Feeling confident, Booth pulls the third card, and a spectral creature appears, and attacks! Booth draws his sword, and attacks. The two exchange blows, and Booth prevails.
They continue on, finding more rooms and halls, and eventually come to a set of doors. They are barred from the other side, so the lizard breaks it down. Inside is Felock, and he immediately yells for the party to leave his sanctum. After raving or a few minutes, the party still refused to leave. He yells for assistance, and two pirates charge out of the darkness! The party attacks, with the lizard charging the warlock. As he strikes, explosions of cold radiate from him. The fight is joined in a few moments by the mind flayer from a few hours ago! The party fights, and overcomes the two casters. Searching the room, they find books, gold and coins, then move on.
Proceeding into a natural caver, they come upon a pool, covered in black slime. As they investigate, the other side of the cavern warps and wavers. Shadows coalesce into a black vortex, and tentacles begin to emerge from the darkness! The Aboleth emerges from the pool and attacks! The room fills with illusions of far dimensions, and the creature screams in the party’s brains pushing them to the brink of insanity! After a long battle, the group emerges victorious!
Session 15: Ambushed!
The party searches the room a bit more thoroughly, concentrating on the throne and the pool. While the throne is unremarkable, the pool seems covered in a thin sheen of oily discharge. It seems reminiscent of mucous. After resting for a bit, and leaving the room, the group notices that (unlike before) the walls and floor of the exit hallway are also covered in that mucous. They retreat back to the docks to find that the exterior of the island is shiny with that same substance. Ignoring that, for a moment, the group checks the other side of the compound. Double doors are locked and barred, but they don’t last long under a direct assault from the lizard’s adamantine claymore.
They enter a long hall that opens up into a guard room with a single door in the far wall. It leads into a short hallway, with a closed door at the end. Suddenly, two crossbow bolts strike Fraeiyn a glancing blow. The door contain two camouflaged arrow slits, and there are some pirates firing on the party from behind it! The lizard quickly dashes down the narrow hall, and with a single swing of the claymore, bursts though the door. In the oddly shaped room beyond, several pirates and bugbears wait in ambush. A swift battle follows, decidedly in the party’s favor. At the last, one of the pirates surrenders, but he speaks quickly, and makes little sense. The party gleans that something is in the ‘great pool’ deeper into the caves below the citadel. They leave him, and move further into the complex.
Later, the group comes upon room with a heavily reinforced door. Fraeiyn unlocks the door, but beyond is a room bisected by a series of bars. On the far side is another door. The group can’t find a switch, but eventually find one on the other side, behind the bars. Fraeiyn knits a quick lasso, and tosses it at the switch, snagging it in one! We pull the lever, and continue on to another set of double doors. They are locked from the other side, so the lizard chops it down. Sneaking into the darkened room the group is ambushed by pirates, led by a priest and a dragonborn. As we watch, the dragon-man utters a word, and his sword erupts into flame! Quickly, Booth falls to multiple crossbow bolts. The lizard engages the dragonborn, and with a few mighty swings puts him down. The tide slowly turns, and eventually the party prevails.
Using the Moonstone of Peaceful Rest, the group recuperates quickly, then moves on into a scrying room, of sorts, and beyond into more hallway and rooms. There, they stumble upon Felock, from Luskan. A Tiefling Warlock, who seems to know what’s going on. Felock explains that an outsider ‘Ytholic’ has George… it’s entered our world, and is controlling the pirates. Felock looks fearful, and after a brief conversation, he departs.
Session 14: Puddin’ Time
The party bars the door to the chamber and gets a reasonably comfortable, if tense, rest. During the night sounds can be heard from the adjoining chamber… howling wind, and harmonious sounds… almost like pipes, or some other musical instrument. In the morning, the group decides to investigate. Once they enter the darkened chamber, the sound appears to indeed be pipes. Large copper cylinders fill the room, as if someone had disassembled a pipe organ and left it’s pieces lying around. The room is filled with wind passing through holes in the walls. As the wind passes over the tops of the pipes, a musical tone is emitted.
As Harold brings his light into the room two large, strange figures reveal themselves. Two large insect like creatures scuttle about the room, sorting the pipes into piles. They appear to ignore the party… or they seem to at first. As Booth sneaks further into the room, one of them raises two of the pipes, changing the musical tones for a moment, into a harsh, dissonant sound. Booth feels lethargy pass over him for a moment, but he shakes it off. The lizard begins to investigate a dead body lying in a corner, and the other creature raises two pipes of his own… and throws them at the lizard, but It’s a close miss. The battle is joined, and the heroes prevail. Other than the pipes the room is uninteresting. The lizard proclaims the room ‘stupid and useless’, and the party moves on.
Back in the central chamber they find a few other doors leaving the room. They push through chambers filled with Black Puddings, and Minotaur, and eventually come to a long hallway, with a stone door at the end. They enter into a long room with a reflecting pool in the middle. At the other end of the chamber sits a throne, flanked by two …. Dogs? They have one eye, and their hide seems to be covered in spikes. The room is dark, and it’s hard to tell. They flank the figure on the throne. Robed and hooded, the lower half of his pinkish/purple face is covered in tentacles. A voice resonates in the party’s heads…
“State your purpose”
The moment drags forward, until the lizard finally breaks the silence. “We are here for George!”
A tense argument follows between the lizard (shouting) and the tentacled creature (telepathically).
“We have him now, and with us he will stay,” he finally declares, and raises into the air, eventually floating away, through a mirror mounted to the ceiling. The two one eyed monsters stay. All attempt to communicate with them fail as they slowly make their way towards the exit. Eventually, the lizard moves to stop them from leaving…and they attack! The party quickly defeats them.
Session 13: Have Fun Storming the Castle!
The party made its way down the shore, and closer to the stronghold on the other side of the island. Jagged cliffs, and more giant shrimp forced us to move inland, away from the water. Suddenly the lizardman (scouting ahead) signaled for a stop. Ahead, in the middle of a clearing, sat a strange beast… part lion, part goat, part dragon… a Chimera, and it was wounded.
The Lizardman first used his skills with animals to try to calm the creature, but either he wasn’t a skilled as the job required, or it’s pain had driven it beyond his reach. The beast reared on it’s hind legs and prepared to attack. The rest of the party quickly moved forward and a short, but bloody, battle ensued.
The Chimera fell fast, and at second glance the group could see sword, spear and arrow wounds on it’s hide. The beast had obviously fallen afoul of the pirates.
Harold clambers onto the lizards back, and he begins the climb, trailing rope behind him. The climb is made quickly, and as he nears the bottom he leaps from the wall and attacks… with Harold still strapped on like a backpack! The two of them make a surprisingly effective team, and they hold off the pirates while Booth and Qui Feng follow. The five heros clear the deck in short order, and then make there way into the fort.
The room is filled with darkness, and a vision appears… a creature, not of this world, spouting demonic speech. A warning? It disappears as suddenly as it arrived. Our heros are tired, and decide to rest a moment before moving on.
Session 12: I’m on a Boat
Selune waves goodbye, and in the groups minds she ascends a ladder into the heavens and disappears. It happens in a moment… like a dream, and they find ourselves hurtling through the air at breakneck speed towards the deck of the enemy ship!
Later, they would find out that the ship belongs to the Order of the Flame. The very same monks who blotted on the Isle of Black Powder, and erupted the volcano. On deck are spear-men and unarmed monks. The party land on the deck in a flash, to find that no time has passed. One instant, they were walking into the roof of the tower, the next they were fighting for their lives aboard the Order’s ship. The two groups clash, and the party clears the deck.
After a quick search the Order’s ship, they find a hold filled with cowering sailors and acolytes, eager to surrender. The party checks the Marlin and finds out that George… the infant tarrasque, is missing. The Order has
taken him! After rounding up stragglers Fralyn and the lizardman interrogate the prisoners, and eventually, a prisoner offers to cooperate, and tells them where they need to go… A place called Talamore Island. A search of the ship find charts and maps, with the location marked. The Marlin re-provisions from the captured vessel. They ferry the prisoners to shore, and scuttle the ship using some of the powder that they were storing below deck. The sailors and monks they abandon to their fate on the Island of the Moon Tower.
Once at the sea, heading to the island, they again speak with the, seemingly cooperative prisoner. Harold casts spells compelling the truth, and the prisoner speaks of an old fish god, and it’s lust for the Tarrasque. Talamore island is home to many pirates, and they seem to be controlled by something… ancient and dark. The Captain charts a course, and Marlin arrives at the Island a week later.
After some recon, it’s decided that an indirect approach is best. At a fair distance, they head around to the back side of the island. The party makes it’s way ashore. A short conflict ensues with the local wildlife, but nothing of consequence. They’re ready to make their way to the fort and find answers.
Session 11: (Party at the Moon) Tower of the Tides
The Isle of Black Powder behind them, the Marlin heads back out to sea. With no real destination, they head south, back to the majority of the Cozinar islands. A few days out, a fierce storm besets the ship. Only the clever piloting of Captain Degee, and the quick response of her crew keep it afloat. The Marlin is grounded on a sand bar, near an island. While high tide should free the boat, the captain does need to take inventory, and have the crew perform some repairs. The island is shrouded in fog, but keen eyes can place a lonely tower set at it’s center.
Quite suddenly, Harold exclaims “I know this place!” He claims to have had a vision of the tower, “At the top is a map, which will set us on our path!” He produces a crude drawing that he made a few days back, and on it is indeed an island, a tower, and at it’s apex, a map. The party decides to explore further. They head to the island, and the tower.
Gaining entry to the tower is surprisingly easy. Though the door is locked, the key is… quite literally… under the door mat. The party enters the dark tower, and upon investigating a strange pool within, the set off some sort of … trap? They find a strange performance set before them. Several
elementals emerge from the four cardinal points of the tower… fire, earth, air, and water… and begin fighting each other. Fire corrupts water, water attacks earth. Once corrupted, the elementals turn their attention to group, and a vicious fight ensues! The party emerges victorious, with little hurt to show for it. After searching the room, they proceed upward to the next level.
Above they encounter another strange sight… a specter floating in the center of the room. While the more cultured among them wonder what sort of puzzle this place is, the Lizardman wastes no time and immediately attacks. He drives it from the bridge, and in short order destroys it. The room is covered with ceramic tiles depicting scenes of nature… some are broken, but they appear to be of little value. The group ignores them and moves onward, and upward.
Upon exiting the stairway to the next level… a large, open room, the doors slam, shutting the group inside. It’s a trap! Sharp eyed heroes notice that those same tiles cover the walls, just as sand and water rush into the room, creating a sticky, immobilizing mess. If something’s not done to stem the flow, the party will be quickly suffocated! If only they’d memorized the pattern a level below! The Lizardman ruses across the room and begins attacking the exit door, savagely, while the others figure out the puzzle. Between the three of them, Booth, Fraeilyn and Harold figure out the puzzle. The lizardman breaks through the door, just as the water stops rushing in. They head upward, to the roof of the tower.
On the roof they finally reach their goal… but it’s not a map. It’s a woman. She welcomes them, but is interrupted by a loud explosion. She turns her attention to a commotion on the water. A second ship has approached, and is attacking the Marlin as she’s anchored in the bay! The woman looks annoyed, and waves a hand. Time. Simply. Stops.
The woman… girl? Her outline is indistinct, and she speaks both childishly, and with wisdom. She takes her time imparting important words. The Primordial lords are looking to return to Faerun. To do so, they must battle other forces that control the land. Their plot involves using beasts or great power, like the Terrasque, to fight their battle on the face of Faerun.
The part has been pulled into the plot, and must play their part.
The woman, it seems, is an avatar of Selune, the goddess of the Moon. She offers assistance by way of healing the groups wounds, and bolstering them for the battle ahead. Then, she offers to put them in the thick of the battle, if they’d like. With a smile, she turns to go…
Session 10: The Season Finale
So, we’re up at the top of a volcano. We confirm that there are somewhere around 20-30 warriors at the peak, and twice as many slaves. As we’re scouting, we decide to skirt the village, but somehow the bad guys are using flying dinosaurs as mounts and they’ve spotted us! We find a defensible spot on the plateau, and wait for them to come to us. A short ,but bloody battle follows, and we emerge victorious. We move into the village, to find it deserted. Our quarry has moved to the island at the center of the lake.
We make our way over… swimming, mounted on a dinosaur, and floating on barrels. There we find Trevor, a magic user, and a giant robot bear. Again, we fight and win.
The party moves towards the center of the island, and there we finally find Havilat, about to drop explosives into the dormant volcano and re-activate it! We fire on him, and flee as the mountain erupts. We barely manage to escape, and re-board the ship.
Session 9: Picking up the Pieces
We pick up right where we left off… Fraeiyn has exploded half of the party. A Lizardman wanders into the clearing, and starts to eat one of the fallen wyrmlings while asking the party their business. Assuming that he’s local, they ask him to guide them to the plateau, and he agrees. The leave the next morning.
During the next day they encounter a dinosaur, stoned on ‘loco-weed’, who attacks them. They quickly dispatch it, assisted by their new lizardfolk companion. They also come upon a boat full of pirates, transporting gunpowder, but a quick fiery chaos orb ignites the barrels, and they go up in a huge explosion.
The next day they arrive at the waterfall. A small outbuilding is full of hobgoblins, watching the jungle. We sneak in, and rush the building, quickly dispatching the guards. Shortly afterwards, we try to remember the cadence for the bell to raise the elevator to the top, but make a mistake. As the elevator raises it tips to drop us to our death. We hang on, and surprise the guards at the top, dispatching them easily. We proceed up to the top of the plateau, and see into the caldera of the volcano. Inside is a lake, and around it a camp will a 50-100 humanoids.
Session 8: Shit Blows Up
We open a chest to find a map. A Tortle climbs out of the sand to greet us, introduce this land as the ‘Isle of Dread’, and then hide in the sand again. We are attacked by 3 dinosaurs, and kill them.
Rob speaks with a few fish, and finds out that ‘civilization’ is off towards the north. The party follows the beach and after a days walk sees sails on the horizon. A pirate ship is berthed in the bay. We move into the jungle to camp for the night, and are ambushed by giant spiders! After killing some and driving the rest off we are approached by a group of raccoon-men, and brought to their village. There, we find that the volcano is where the black powder is manufactured, and the run-off from the process is poisoning the rivers. Since we’re here to wreck shop anyway, they ask that we take care of those pirates as well. We get directions to their headquarters.
The party follows the river for a day, with escorts. A while after leaving we are ambushed by some green dragon wyrmlings! We begin the fight, and Fraeiyn decides that it’s a GREAT IDEA to drop a BARREL of gunpowder at the feet of one of the wyrmlings, and have it EXPLODE. It injures everyone, sets the river on fire and kills Rob and Lord Tamikos instantly.
The party finishes off the other drake easily (the barrel was overkill).