The Greyhawk Chronicles - Session 1

***A huge thanks to Simon and Brent for their notes***

With the Beneath Two Suns adventure complete, the question of "what now" remained.

The 'Suns' DM expressed a desire to play a character, and with the addition of the newbie 'Limon' (remember him from a couple of entries ago?)...it seemed new characters and a new campaign were in order.  And thus, your trusty scribe humbly submits "Expedition to Greyhawk and Beyond".  With myself as DM, the new party consists of the following:

Olly the halfling rogleric (rogue/cleric)

Atlas the human paladin

Duck the human bard

Fenriz the half-elf bard

Lotus the elf monk

Feykro the gnome druid (and his wolf Faanar)

Things begin in the rowdy, boisterous section of the city of Greyhawk, known informally as the River Quarter.  Channel Billy Joel for a moment and sing:

"It's nine o'clock on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in..."

A brightly-dressed young woman stands on the raised stage.  A cheerful floppy hat is pushed back on her brown hair, and she holds a harp in her hands.  After given a brief introduction by the emcee/DM, the young bard is suddenly overcome by an attack of stage fright and asks the crowd (and OOG watchers) for forgiveness.  The patrons of the Drunken Dog Inn are a forgiving bunch, and after a rousing performance (and a decent Perform: Stringed roll), Duck the Bard is applauded soundly.  She also discerns a bawdy wolf whistle from the audience as well.  Giving a small curtsy, she makes her way to her seat.

About three seconds after that, an enamored "fan" approaches her.  A hulking, blond drunken sailor approaches Duck with articulate compliments like 'You sing nice' and 'I like you' (all the while staring at her chest).  Duck reluctantly allows DS to buy her a drink, and uses the ruse to escape to a darker part of the Inn.  Within moments, she is approached by two solemn-looking, brown-robed clerics, who claim to be representatives of the River Quarter Mission (clerics of St. Cuthbert).  They indicate that part of Duck's song spoke to them, particularly about her needing employment.  Duck is then advised to come to the Mission tomorrow morn to speak to a Father Gary, who will provide more information about a runaway girl.  It seems Duck may have a particular set of skills to retrieve this wayward child and return her to her nobleman father.  As the clerics leave, Drunken Sailor returns to engage in an intimate moment with the pretty, young bard.  Quick-thinking Duck asks the inebriated riverman to ask the bartender to sniff him.  DS appears confused, but Duck explains that his manly musk is so alluring, she wishes to duplicate it at the nearest apothecary...and the bartender will be able to pinpoint the particular elements of the sailor's odor.  DS stupidly assents, stumbles back to the bar, and Duck flees into the dark Greyhawk night.

The next morning:  

1.     The DM asks the other five members to roll dice, to determine character connections.  Results:

2.     Fenriz the bard and Atlas the paladin know each other: Atlas rescued Fenriz from some demons.

3.     Olly and Feykro know Duck (and are in fact, fans).  Duck is not familiar with them (but oh boy, is she about to be...).

4.     Lotus is the lone wolf.  She knows nobody and nobody knows her (but oh boy, are they about to...).

After a d20 dice roll for determining order, the five characters wake up, and realize three things:

1. They are shut in a 10x10 wooden mobile containment unit.

2. They are experiencing various physical afflictions (sore hands, stiff neck, etc.)

3. They are without their gear and weaponry.

4. They are in the tank with several other persons (as revealed when some of the party let their hands roam about).

One little porthole of light provides weak illumination for everyone but the human paladin.  A soft voice then informs the group that he "will pray for them", to which there is no response.  Lotus the monk is able to stand and proceeds to kick at the nearest solid wall; however, a Critical Fumble lands 8 points of monk-foot damage upon the brow of the paladin.

Atlas: What did I do to deserve that?

Lotus: Just get out of the way. (Atlas heeds her advice)

Fenriz the bard is moving towards the small square of light (prompting a round of "Don't go towards the light!" exclamations).  Olly the overly-helpful cleric happens to have the skill to pick the wagon door lock, and he opens the door a smidge.  In an unprecedented turn of events, Lotus attempts another kick and Critically Fumbles yet again.  This time she sweeps the feet of the bard out from underneath him, and Fenriz takes several points of head-against-hard-wooden-floor damage.  The bard is able to blink and sees a monk standing nearby, positioned as if she'd just physically exerted herself in some way.  Fenriz puts two and two together.  The following exchange then occurs:

Fenriz: Just what the heck is your deal?
Lotus: Just get out of the way!
Fenriz: I think you need to figure out what you're doing before you say that to me.
Lotus: Fair point.
Atlas: Did someone else get kicked?
Fenriz: ...the karate expert that doesn't know what the hell she's doing...

At that point, the party is fully aware of the wagon they're in has now lurched to a stop.  Gruff orcish voices are heard, and Olly can clearly make out that the wagon has happened upon a raid in progress, that the orc drivers know the orc pillagers, and that the orc drivers are planning to get in on the action.  After passing on this knowledge to the others, Olly risks opening the door wider, to which the paladin asks, "Should we jump out, then?"  The cleric responds (ohsobravely) with "Be my guest."  Another Listen check for the cleric offers up the special knowledge that the prisoners' gear is "somewhere up front" (wherever that might be).

Which is awfully good timing, considering the following conversation that has just gone down...

Atlas: Oh, hey..

Fenriz: How'd we get here?

Atlas: ...nothing, no.  Do you know where our gear is?

Fenriz: No idea.

Party members begin exiting the police wagon, and Atlas is especially impressed by Lotus, who moves past him extremely quickly and quietly on a great Move Silently check.  Olly the Cleric opts to army crawl it under the wagon, only to pop up near the front wheels with a "it's all clear down there".  Some of the other characters express a concern for Olly's safety, as it's likely he could be kicked in the head, or worse, crapped on.

Then, Fenriz the bard proceeds to spoil the monk's stealth by calling out, "Hey, is my stuff up there?"  And in a classic twist of irony, he then happens to witness Lotus execute a lithe, cat-like jump up onto the front of the wagon, compelling him to mutter, "oh sure, she can't kick, but she sure can jump." 

Atlas's natural 20 on a Search allows to easily see that the seat at the front of the wagon is actually a hinged lid, and alas! inside is a jumble of bags and gear.  Lotus tosses Atlas's longsword (in the scabbard) to him, retrieves her own stuff, and leaps down from the wagon before anyone else asks her to do things for them.  Feykro the gnome looks to get his stuff, but he finds climbing the wagon sides quite a challenge.  After exclaiming that he looks "so sad", Lotus boosts the druid the rest of the way up.

Meanwhile, an interesting exchange (and possibly budding bromance) is occurring on the other side of the wagon:

Fenriz: Atlas, can you drive a wagon?

Atlas: Probably...

Fenriz: So we can get out of here fast?  Let's get out of here. We don't know what we're dealing with here. Let's take off together.

Atlas: Seems reasonable.

But first, Atlas takes the chance to grab the rest of his stuff.  Holding up a "hodge podge of little people stuff", he inquires about its owners, to which the cleric pipes up with "Oh, that's me!  Bless you, sir!"  Fenriz also expresses his joyfulness at getting his guitar back.

Within seconds of everyone receiving their gear back, the DM asks everyone except Lotus the monk to make a Will Save.  A half-orc sorcerer astride a wyvern is parked atop a bridge some hundred feet away, and he has just cast Glitterdust on the party.  Lotus, Olly, and Atlas escape the Blinding caused by the spell.  And simultaneously, several orcs who've been terrorizing the small village inhabitants are aware of the party, especially Atlas and Olly, who've rushed headlong into the evil fray.  Lotus is aware of the enemies as well; she moves to engage two orcs and deliver unto them a power-packed foot to the face.

Feykro opts to hide in the bench compartment until his blindness passes, and Fenriz gropes his way around to the wagon's back, where he hopes to recover his vision and his senses.  And OH YEAH!  Feykro's wolf, whom we'd all promptly forgotten about, is commanded to sit on top of the bench.

Atlas scores a Critical and hews his orc.  Meanwhile, Olly has crept into a nearby hovel, where villagers (gender unknown currently) are being menaced by two more orcs.  It appears the cleric is some kind of rogue as he scores major damage on a Sneak Attack.  Feykro continues his sequestering, and Fenriz is slowly regaining his vision, and prepares his crossbow as well as a half-blind man can.  Lotus kills an orc, prompting the sorcerer to lob a Fireball at the party.  Atlas takes 14 points of flame damage, while the monk manages to dodge the entire thing.

More orc killing ensues, but not without some repercussions.  The sorcerer has also managed to zap both the monk and the paladin with Magic Missiles and Fireballs.  The monk is taking as many hits as she's giving, and at seven hit points, she retreats to a safe distance to recover.  In what can be construed as a well-timed tag team maneuver, Fenriz the bard stumbles into the fracas, just in time to take over orc-slaying from the monk.   In other action, the Dire Wolf is suddenly activated and begins biting the crap out of people.  Between the animal and the others, the remaining orcs are slain.  And with their arrows, Atlas and Lotus manage to drive off the sorcerer, who flees the scene to the northeast.

With all immediate threats eliminated, the party has a chance to catch their breath.

Fenriz: Is everyone alright?

Lotus: Nooooo.

Atlas (to Villagers in the hovel): Are you okay?

Villagers (shakily): ...yes.

The DM reveals that physically they are fine but may have suffered mental health damage and Atlas is asked if he wants to do anything about that.

Atlas: I'm a paladin, not a therapist.

Atlas loots the bodies in front of the already traumatized visitors, and when questioned about this, he responds, "that the fight against evil needs funding" and "we're not exactly the March of Dimes here". 

To assuage the fear the villagers might now feel at a paladin who's just looted throwing axes from two corpses, Atlas offers parting words of comfort:

"I am very, very sorry.  Please try to get over it." He then thinks and adds, "I will pray for you."

While this heartwarming exchange is going down - another, more heated one is occurring elsewhere.

Lotus: Anyone have a heal spell or potion? Anybody?

Feykro: Why should I heal you? I don't know you.

Lotus: So I don't punch you?

Feykro: I got a Dire Wolf...

Lotus: Yeah, you didn't do shit until I was dead.

Feykro, finally and begrudingly: Well, you HELPED, so...okay, I guess I'll heal you.

An indignant Lotus asks loudly "Anyone ELSE have a heal?"  Atlas calls out helpfully from inside the shack, "I CAN HEAL YOU!"  Unfortunately, Lotus doesn't quite understand from whence the voice is coming, and cannot respond.  Eventually, though, Feykro bestows 24 points of health upon Lotus.

General clean-up and battle aftermath continues, with these particular highlights:

1.     Lotus's appreciation towards her battlemates, Fenriz and Atlas...the particularly ironic thing, these are the same two she kicked earlier in the episode.

2.     Atlas spots not-quite-dead-body movement from a toppled wagon on the bridge, and urgently calls for the cleric's healing.

3.     Olly the Reluctant Cleric is quite set on remaining in the house with the traumatized villagers (one of them being discerned as 'male').  When he finally emerges, he looks different...a change of clothing?  Different facial features?  It's difficult to pinpoint.

4.     Feykro and wolf leave, on the road for Greyhawk.

5.     The gravely injured man is named Ricard, and he is poisoned from the sting of the wyvern.

6.     Ricard owns The Drunken Dog Inn in Greyhawk, and promises free lodgings for a month as a thank you for his rescue.  He also seems very distressed about his beloved sword, lost in a fight with the sorcerer.

7.     The group decides to use the prison wagon to take Ricard into the city.

8.     There is some surprise in the back of the wagon, as the cleric discovers the bard can sing ("Little People, Big Music").

9.     Feykro and wolf are overtaken on the road, asked for a ride, and are determined to continue on foot.

The next session will begin with the party entering Greyhawk, and what hijinks await this party remain to be seen!