001 - The Beginning
You find yourself in the world of Evermyre, a land steeped in history and ancient mystery.
Over 800 years ago, a great pestilence swept through the world, decimating the populations. The pestilence was believed to be a byproduct of the war between the gods. Unfortunately, societies and kingdoms crumbled and what were once thriving cities and towns were laid to ruin and began to be inhabited by unspeakable monsters who survived the pestilence.
The remaining survivors, those with immunity and those who managed to evade the illness of the gods, grew afraid and fled to settle in new regions and began to rebuild what they once had, leaving behind their past lives to start anew. The dwarves fled to the mountains. The elves settled in the dense forests. The humans, halflings, and other humanoid folk settled across the realm, near and far, and began to rebuild and rule.
Over the generations, most of the land was once again flowing with natural resources and magic of course still abounded. Villages grew into towns, which grew into cities. These cities began to establish their own new traditions and ways of life. The present generation only has vague, distant memories of the pestilence that once overran their realm.
The year is 882 and you find yourself in a small town called Twipeaks.
Wazo, an old-looking Aarakocra, lands at the Bear's Neck Inn in Twipeaks after a long flight. She heads inside, and asks the barkeep, a rural-looking half-elf, if she can read Dwarvish. She says she can't, but then a well-dressed half-elf at the end of the bar, Tegan , says he can. Wazo hands him an ancient scrap of paper. The writing on it is ancient Dwarvish, almost completely indecipherable. It mentions a dragon and some weapon or item. He shares what he could understand, but doesn't know more. Wazo is disappointed, and explains that that's the same thing the dwarves said.
After this conversation, someone charges in and starts carrying on about his missing friend. It's Doctor Vance Leighton, who explains that his assistant Elina has gone missing in the woods. She went to get soriferous mushrooms in Hatbo Grove, across town to the east. His lab is about 8 miles away, a two story building with a weathervane and contraptions. About 2 miles past that is a stream inside the grove, where the mushrooms grow. He describes Elina: human, with blonde blue eyes, short and smart.
Doctor Vance asks if anyone will help, and there are three volunteers: Wazo and Tegan, as well as an unassuming young man named Aaron, who was seated nearby.
The group, noting Doctor Vance's advanced age and frail build, and motivated by his offer of 50 gold and some useful invention if she is returned safely, decides to help him.
Once they reach the forest, they can see a blue glow, which turns out to be one of the mushrooms. Near it they spot a satchel of the mushrooms, and a torn shirt sleeve. A nearby bush rustles, and as Wazo inspects it, the awakened shrub bursts into movement! It attacks Wazo, but Aaron kills the bush with a magic pebble. Behind it they see a dark cave entrance, and another torn cloth scrap.
Wazo lights a torch, and they make their way in. Darkness closes in. A short way in the passage expands significantly. They continue deeper.
They hear some shifting movement, but nobody answers the call "Elina!". Shortly they come across a strange scaly plant growing out of a puddle, almost 3ft tall. At Tegan's prompting Aaron hits it with Magic Stone. Initiative!
The stone hits, and the plant creature releases spores, angered. It swipes at Wazo who is nearby, missing. She rages, and slices through it with her halberd. It bursts, and two more creatures appear from nearby puddles. One comes up right next to Tegan, who casts Blade Ward. Aaron nails it with another Magic Stone, and it dies. The third one releases spores. Wazo rages and kills the one near Tegan. Tegan hits the last one with a Chill Touch, and then Aaron zaps it with an Eldritch Blast. After they are dead, Wazo burns the spores.
They hear a woman crying in the distance, and head towards the sound. As they approach, they see a goblin gnawing on a bone. It calls out to other goblins. Initiative!
Highlights:
- Wazo cut a goblin in half!
- Aaron nails one with EB, crits it into mush
- Tegan casts sanctuary, but a goblin overcomes it and cuts him down. He falls unconscious.
- Aaron blasts the last goblin, killing it.
Wazo and Aaron revive Tegan, who uses Healing Word to restore his health. They all go over to Elina, and see she is bound and loosely gagged. They free her, and she says the goblins were going to eat her next. The group decides not to stay in the cave any longer than necessary. On the way out they see humanoid bones among the rubble, but they aren't identifiable. They make it to the cave exit as the sun is setting. Before dark they arrive at Doctor Vance's lab. There is light inside and gadgets moving everywhere. They knock, and Vance opens the door. He and Elina are delighted to be reunited. At first he doesn't believe there are goblins in the grove, but they quickly confirm Elina's account. He gives Aaron 50 gold, Tegan a magic fan, and also to Aaron an orb of his invention, swirling with mists inside. He explains it identifies the closest magic item, which they quickly realize is always the orb itself.
They get back to the inn, and talk over the day's adventure. Tegan explains a little bit about his sabbatical, and says his brush with death has him off-balance, thinking about how quickly his future can be ended. He has some stiff drinks, and the group spends the night there.
The players reach level 2.
Category: Adventure Logs
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