Chapter 13 – Stack Stack Attack!

Players Present: Kanye, Zyldi, Elgard, Seraphina, Nor, Rahn, Galliard

Players Missing: Eridor, Kulu

[title redacted] is making their way through the jungle a few days after their meeting with Bwayes O’Tamu, the weretiger. As they look for a suitable place to camp, Seraphina gets a bad feeling about their surroundings right as some arrows fly out of the darkness. The party is caught in a Batiri Goblin ambush! A giant log is thrown from the cliff to their right, bonking Rhan on the head. He is annoyed. Arrows come from all sides as Qawasha and Elgard are caught in nets from behind. Emerging from cover in front of the party is a tall stack of Goblins on each others shoulders – 5 Goblins tall wearing colorful wooden war masks, holding shields, and waving spears.

The goblins do a well choreographed war chants as they fight: “Stab stab stab! Kill kill kill! Each little Goblin eats its fill!” “Dagger stab! Arrow fly! Oh we loves to watch it die!”

Once the party gets in action the tide begins to turn. The stack gets knocked down and murdered by the front line fighters, and Elgard dispatches the cliff goblins with some well placed magic. Zyldi turns into a bear and goes into a murder frenzy. Nor and Seraphina take care of the front goblins as Kanye gets his bloodlust out on the ones in the rear. Zyldi runs into the woods and dispatches those goblins in her mama bear death rage.

After the battle, a surviving goblin is found on the cliff. His name is Yik Yak and he promises the party treasure if they let him live. After some tense negotiations, the party finds his treasure cache in the woods: a canoe and a jar of ointment. The ointment is magical, and it is discovered that when applied (as they do to both Kanye and Yik Yak), that disease is cured and 2d8 hp is healed.

Kanye wants to keep Yik Yak as a pet, the rest are mired in a moral quandary about letting an evil creature go free verses going back on their word and killing him. Rhan decisively grabs Yik Yak out of Kanye’s arms and tosses him over the cliff. As Yik Yak falls, a slow motion montage of his life plays over some sappy music before he splatters on the jungle floor below. The party continues their journey.

A few days later they come to a massive sinkhole. The skeleton of a large dragon is deep in the pit and there is lots of wildlife around (frogs on lily pads, fish in the water, etc).

Zyldi reaches out to the surrounding nature and can feel that there is the presence of poison in a particular area on the wall of the hole. She is also able to detect magic near the same spot. After some sleuthing, it is determined that this is where the Dragon kept her stash.

After trying a few things, Galliard casts “Knock” on the wall, causing the secret door to open. Beyond the door is a small cave filled with treasure and magic items.

Galliard and Kanye go into the pool to try and get some teeth out of the Dragon’s skull. Kanye is unable to lift the massive skull out of the muck, but they are able to pull a tooth out. As they do this, swarms of small carnivorous fish begin to attack them. Gal jumps on Kanye’s shoulders and they run out of the water to safety. 

After two more days travel the jungle thins out as they approach a massive plateau. A village is carved into the side of the plateau, and Aarakockra can be seen flying around it. The party approaches the plateau and prepares to meet the Aarakocra of Kir Sabal.

Chapter 12 – More Statues and Weretigers

Players Present – Kulu, Galliard, Rahn, Nor, Seraphina, Kanye, Eridor

Players Missing – Elgard, Zyldi

Rahn and Galliard return to the rest of the party. They are dressed as bushes, and now have a cart.

The group questions Eridor’s motives for wanting to join the party and proceed further into Chult. He says that he wants to return resurrection magic so that he can bring his father back from the dead. A vote is taken if he should join, and he becomes a new member of the party.

As they are talking through this, 3 spears come whizzing out of the forest.

ENCOUNTER – Tribal warriors with upside down blue triangles on their forehead (refesher – upside blue triangles are the sign of worshipers of Raz Nasee). The tribesman were dispatched with relative ease. The most notable battle moment that occurred was Qupalu hitting one of the warriors with a rock.

Kanye and Eridor grapple one of the tribesman. Eridor murders him after some pointless questioning. Galliard wants to make it another zombie. This is not voted in. However, it does bring up the thought of not wanting those they have killed to become zombies. As a result, Galliard decides to light campfires over the dead bodies multiple times in an attempt to burn them. Despite the good thinking, it was honestly just cooking their flesh and creating a terrible smell. Nor chops off their heads instead, and the entire party moves a small ways to a new non-smelly campsite.

They next day, after multiple, valiant, but poorly done attempts, they capture a harmless flying snake. Eridor keeps it as a pet. After a controversial vote, [title redacted] let’s it join. The snake is named Larry.

A few moment later, a trio walks toward the party. There are two elves and a human. They wear cloaks made of wool and have a distinctive clasp of a yellow shield and stag. This is the same clasp that Q’washa wears, indicating that there are part of the Emerald Enclave. (…a yellow clasp with a group name of Emerald Enclave?)

The trio offers lunch, and Q’washa seems happy and comfortable. Their leader is named Atwar, and he is open and amiable. Galliard asks them if they know anything about a black armored zombie. This is the first that the rest of the party hears of Galliard and Rahn’s close encounter with the Wight. The Wight goes about and resurrects bodies into zombies. They ask if there is any way that they can prevent people that they kill (in self-defense…usually…see three paragraphs above) from turning into zombies that they may have to fight yet again. Cutting off heads is the best that they can do at this moment.

The lady elf marvels over the map that the party has in their possession. She asks if she can copy their map, and she helps fill in details of their own. With the information that she has provided, the party decides to head to an upside down shipwreck named the Narwhal.

The next day, as the party travels through the forest, they encounter a statue off the side of the road. After their run in with the Golem, they are on edge and study the statue carefully. Galliard is able to divine that there is a glyph like thunder on it that would cause something bad to happen.

  • Galliard: “Remember how when [Kanye] throws me there is a big boom? The same thing will happen here.”
  • Kanye: “So, I should throw you.”
  • Galliard: [Sidelong glace] “No.”
  • Kanye: “So I should throw it?”

They simply walk away and leave the statue alone.

The next day, it is raining cats and dog. Everyone is DRENCHED. A tiger walks across the path, and the party freezes. The tiger stops and stares at the party and then begins to walk off. In the distance they can see the broken upside ship. They an also see it is surrounded by Vegepygmys. Some of them are riding mold dogs. (This sounded way cuter until I looked up the picture)

The tiger turns out to be another weretiger. He and Azaka were cursed by the same weretiger. (Seraphina: “You are weretiger siblings.) His name is Bwayes, and he is friendly. They learn he is a cousin of Wakanga. He does not want his family to know he is still alive, and so lives alone in the Narwhal. He has largely forgotten how to socialize. He really wants alcohol (Rahn leaves Bwayes his brewing kit). He is also very happy to learn some gambling games from Nor.

They stay warm and dry for the night, learn a few pieces of info from Bwayes, and the party heads out once more. That evening as they continue on their journey, Seraphina gets an odd feeling. “Hold here. Something doesn’t feel right.”

Crossbow bolts come shooting out of the forest.

Chapter 11a – The Hunt for Dead Kilgore-tober

(Below is the recount of Rahn and Galliard’s solo escapades after Clarice dropped off Kilgore’s Will and Testament)

After Clarice the Raptor delivered her sad message, Galliard was filled with hope. He was promised a fully intact not-that-old corpse! If only he could find it. After a brief conversation with Qawasha about how to go about finding it, Galliard and Rhan set out on their quest. Rhan knew Galliard would die on his own, and he wanted to do his part to help honor the agreement Kilgore had made.

They followed the trail that Clarice had made and it led them up a ridge. Traveling for most of a day, they came to a high point that looked out over the gorge that fed the River Tiryki. If there were postcards of Chult, this view would be on it – The sun about to set, wild jungle as far as the eye could see, the basin that fed the river – every angle a fresh wonder to behold. There, propped up against a large tree taking the view in, was a freshly dead Kilgore.

After examining her body (a small satisfied smile on her face – or maybe just the onset of rigor?), they noticed skillfully applied makeup that had been covering up the blue veins on her face, the telltale veins of the Death Curse. Suddenly, they heard a noise headed their way. After hiding, Galliard made other noises away from their location so they could get a better look at their new guest. Long, stringy white hair, black armor, a wicked looking blade, that was all they needed to see before grabbing Kilgore’s body and hiding a little further away. The figure came back and stepped fully into view. Intelligence sparked in the eyes, but the creature was obviously undead. A hateful scowl on his face, he began to search the area while Rhan and Gal made their escape.

That night they made camp along the trail back to Firefinger. During Rhan’s watch he noticed 5 strange looking dwarves covered in plants approaching their camp. Waking Galliard, he started the battle with these undead plant-dwarf-zombies. The plant that was controlling the zombies was beset by spontaneous campfires and could get no closer to Kilgore, while the 5 zombies landed a statistically improbable number of critical hits on Rhan. After many fires, healing words, and good attacks by Rhan and Dragle, the zombies were vanquished and the night went on peacefully.

The next evening, having passed by Firefinger and resumed the trail of [title redacted], the 3 remaining Pterafolk attacked! All party members were at one point lifted into the air and dropped (Dragle came within 1 hp of death!), but in the end our heroes were victorious.

That night, during Galliard’s watch, an old woman appeared in camp, plucked a hair from Rhan’s beard as he slept, and then disappeared. No big deal. Rhan doesn’t know.

The rest of their journey proved uneventful save for a small encounter with a poisonous snake and a T-Rex munching on a dead stegosaurus. They killed the snake and avoided the T-Rex.

Early in their journey they built a small cart and began gathering any good wood they found. They knew they were going to meet the party on the other side of a bridge known as Ataaz Muhahah. Rhan’s natural distrust of any workmanship not his own has only been fueled by the shoddy ruins he’s encountered in Chult so far. “I’m going to build my own damn bridge”
Upon reaching the bridge and seeing the statue (large, no gemstone eyes though…), Galliard detected magic on the statue and then cast Identify. He got a quick vision of ancient Chultan priests binding the spirit of an Earth Elemental to the statue to create a Golem. 

A maze was carved on the base of the statue and looked like it had seen recent activity (moss cleared away, etc). Does doing the maze activate the Golem? Or does NOT doing the maze activate it? Gal drew a copy of the maze on paper and sat on the bridge to solve it. Once they were confident of the solution, all three traced the maze (with Dragle taking tedious step-by-step instructions from Galliard) and stepped past the Golem.

Now at the gap in the bridge (and freaked out that the Golem could suddenly activate or they could be attacked by angry baboons), they drove pitons into the bridge and fired ropes into trees with their crossbows to make a network of tied-off ropes from the bridge to the other side. They sat in the cart and pulley-ed it across the chasm.

Having made it across the chasm and recovering their ropes, they looked forlornly back at the pitons they had to leave behind on the bridge. Farewell, small metal spikes. You served us well.

Rhan shed a single tear.

Kilgore’s Last Will and Testament

Addressed to Title Redacted:

Here is written the last will and testament of Alison “Kilgore” Lohman. Filed properly with the law offices of Robinson, Robinson, and Crusoe.


“Hey, it’s Kilgore. If you’re reading this then it means I’m dead. Well, sort of. Long story short, when Filbretta died and we all met at her funeral, I knew my days were numbered. Seeking the soulstone was the only way of insuring my inevitable death be delayed, but whatever. I didn’t want a funeral or anything fancy, but didn’t want you to worry either.

I only have in my possession my staff, my sweet dagger I stab things with, a healing potion, and some gold, 663 pieces to be divided evenly between you. Except Elgard.

To Seraphina I leave and my sexuality in hopes that you can calm down enough to get laid once in a while.

To Kanye I leave my love of all things pretty and shiny. May you get distracted at every opportunity.

To Nor I leave regret. You’re pretty handsome and whatever.

To Rhan I leave respect and my sweet dagger. He’d only want respect but a dagger can come in handy.

To Zyldi I leave my quarterstaff, I don’t know what you’ll do with it but you seem the most trustworthy of the group.

To Elgard I leave my healing potion, you’re going to need it.

To Kulu, I give you Elgard’s share of the gold, and scritches behind your kitty ear.

And finally, to Galliard I leave my rotting corpse. If you can find it, you can keep it.

I’ve enjoyed our time together, despite being shorter than I thought it would be. While I wish I could continue on our journey, I have a new adventure to pursue. Thank you all for including me and making me feel loved.

Warmest regards and sincerest condolences on your loss, Kilgore

P.S. I may have figured out how to transfer my soul in to Clarice. You’ll know if it was successful.”

Chapter 11 – Crossing a Bridge Proves Challenging

Players Present: Zyldi, Elgard, Seraphina, Kanye, Nor, Kulu

Players Missing: Galliard, Rahn, Kilgore

Splitting the party had resulted in a victorious end, and all came back together at the base of the Firefinger Tower. It was 3am, and only a short rest can be had before moving on. They have decided to head their way to Kir Sabal in hopes of learning the power of temporary flight.

As they start to settle down for the evening a rustling in the brush reveals a familiar Raptor. It is Clarise, and she raptors her way into the camp. On her back is a scroll that she insists that they take. With a wink to the party, (At least, it is assumed it was a wink. It could have just been a blink, but seeing both eyes at one time is a bit tricky) she runs back off into the forest.

The scroll contains the last Will and Testament of Kilgore, their Warlock friend who had been suspiciously absent for some time. Apparently she died? There is a general feeling of confusion and maybe some guilt. The scroll Clarise was carrying explains the Warlock’s death, and the “possessions” she wished to pass along. (Please reference next post to read contents of the will.)

The party, now one player down through no fault of their tactics, rested for the remainder of the night. The next day, Q’Washa was almost squished by a snake, but it’s all good now. The snake provided some great meat for the party.

That evening, 3 giant poison flowers tried to murder them. But the team is accustomed to this death trap that is Chult, and they murdered them as well. Nor just slept through it.

The following day, as they travel through the dense jungles, they see a T-Rex and a Stegosaurus fighting. Everyone agrees that nature must do it’s thing, and they leave it alone. Continuing on their way, they see hiding in the brush a humaniod species called the Yuan-ti. As they make camp for the night, they question Azaka about the Yuan-ti. According to Azaka, if ever she sees the species she kills them without question. And she does just that as she is out hunting later that evening.

The party also had some good chit-chat over the fire where they learn a bit more about each other. Specifically, each other’s ages. Zyldi – 300 yrs old, Elgard – 34 yrs old (so he says…but is lying and likely adding a decade to his age), Seraphina – 32 yrs old, Kanye – 17 yrs old (the freaking baby of the group), Nor – 35 yrs old, and Kulu – old enough to kill.

As they continued their jungle trek, they come upon a large gorge. A bridge spans across the chasm, and below, along the vines, they can hear the monkeys and baboons laughing out their calls. On the middle of the bridge stands a statue of a Chultan warrior, red rubies shining in his eyes, with a pile of broken bones along its base.

Q’Washa walks up to the giant statue and traces a maze that is evident at the base. “I suggest you all do this as well.” The party thinks it odd, and Seraphina has definite reservations as to the pagan nature of this task, but for the sake of the party, she goes along with the procedure. Zyldi, Seraphine, Nor, Elgard, and Azaka are all successful in tracing. They make it to the other side of the statue without issue. However, Kanye is not as successful at solving this rather simple puzzle. The golem comes to life.

ENCOUNTER – Golem

  • Nor fails a goading strike to draw the Golem’s attention
  • Zyldi turns into a tiger
  • Kulu hits the golem and leaps onto his head. She begins to attempt to pry out his eyes.
  • Seraphina casts Wrathful Strike which gives extra physical damage, but it does not have an effect on the golem.
  • The golem casts slow on the party. Seraphina, Zyldi, Kulu, and Nor are affected.
  • Kanye turns to Bill and asks him to charge the golem. Bill is not convinced. However, Bill wants food and agrees if he will get some more later on. He charges, but his piercing damage is ineffective.
  • Nor attempts goad once more and successully draws the golem’s attention.
  • Seeing that everyone is slowed, Elgard casts Thunderwave to help push everyone 10ft from the golem. It helps Seraphina, Nor, and Zyldi. Kulu is still on the golem’s head.
  • The group realizes that they need to run, as no physical damage is effective against this construct.
  • Zyldi tries to run off the bridge. There is a giant break in the bridge that prevents them easily running away. She attempts the leap, but the ground crumbles at her feet and she backs away.
  • Kulu removes the second gem. But the golem continues unaffected.
  • Seraphina is able to successfully cross the bridge.
  • Kanye is not willing to run without Bill. And Bill is unable to make it around the golem without first pushing the golem aside.
  • Bill makes his attempt to push the golem off the edge. Nor, realizing that Kanye will not leave Bill, also helps push. They are unable to get the golem off.
  • Elgard jumps over the gap in the bridge, and falls to his death…Zyldi however manages to snatch his cloak in her claws and catches him (Nat 20!). Epic.
  • Kulu falls off of the golem and is now unconscious.
  • Nor looks at Kanye helplessly and goes over to stabilize Kulu.
  • Kanye debates what to do and tells Bill he needs to run. Bill runs as fast as he can and makes it past the golem. He leaps across the gap in the bridges and makes it across, skidding through some trees. He breaks a leg. (Zlydi is later able to heal his leg successfully)
  • Kanye dodges an attack from the golem as he runs past next. He snatches Kulu as he goes.
  • Nor runs and makes his jump across the chasm.
  • Kanye throws Kulu across and she lands
  • Zyldi is also now able to successfully jump across.
  • Kanye decides to let himself get pushed, unopposed, by the golem in hopes it will propel him across the edge. No such luck. Kanye plummets downwards.
  • Seraphina leaps off the ledge and actives her Aasimar power. She catches him.

Now that they are all safely across the bridge, a very intense argument ensues with the party. Kanye is very upset that everyone left him and decided to run. They all do what they can to assure him that was not their intent. Zyldi ends the argument telling everyone to be silent and drink tea. The party sits in silence and sips.

Chapter 10 – The Battle for Firefinger

[Long before he was the grandfatherly author renowned across Faerûn, Kanye played a pivotal role in the history and shaping of the land of Chult. What follows in an excerpt from his most recent work, How the Rainforest Was Won: The Autobiography by Kanye the Wizened.]

The party huddled in clumps and packed into the crannies of the short cave. Leathery wing flutter and cackling voices carried inside. A reptilian voice called into the cave, “Skree!” Elgard stepped forward under the magical mantle of his scaly disguise. Iridor went at his side, slipping the broken restraints over his tiny, tiny hands again.

“Hello, can I help you?” He arranged illusory wings to match the posture of the creature perched in the cave entrance. Elgard pushed Iridor forward. “Did y’all change your minds? Are we gonna eat this little one now?”

They ignored the baby. “Where is Skree?” the first one asked.

The question demanded and answer and Elgard would provide one: “He’s at the store.”

Both pterafolks cocked their heads, looking at him with one eye, then the other. They asked at once, “Is he with the Elders?”

“Yes.” Elgard was happy for the cue. “That’s what he said.”

The first pterafolk dropped his beak and stepped into the cave. Immediately Kulu loosed a bolt from her place in the shadows. It plunged through the center of the head between the long beak and the long crest, trailing blood and grey matter into the sky behind it. The creature collapsed into a heap of wing and talon. Iridor unslipped his bonds while Kanye pushed off the stone and charged. Iridor unleashed his captive furry bringing his fists up again and again under the pterasaur’s beak. It flailed its wings and screamed until Kanye brought his stone hammer down. The limp reptile lay on the cliff face. Kanye shouldered his weapon and took a wing in each hand, holding them at the base near the creature’s shoulders. He planted his foot on its back and undid the thing. Zyldi was delighted to see the stumps he carried into the cave. She took the flaccid wings to the cliff face and unfurled them over the party.

From over their heads, a prehistoric crow call descended. Azaka could bear it no longer. She felt her skin crawl; every hair on her body prickled and thickened. “All of you run!” She meant not to leave. Kanye offered the free end of his rope. She nodded and tied it to her belt. They turned to the chimney and climbed. Galliard and Dragly followed, unaware that escape lay behind them. Seraphina watched them climb out of sight and turned to the others, gathering up under Zyldi’s tent-like amputations. Under her guarding wings, they scrambled around the corner. Seraphina steeled herself and turned to the chimney.

Zyldi guided the small ones along the cliff face and around the corner. She looked up long enough to see a flock of pterosaurs spiraling for them. The dismembered wings flailed in her hands and caught the wind. Would they be enough to fool the lizard brains?

In the chimney, Azaka climbed at a feline pace. Tied in behind her, Kayne struggled to move his ponderous body at the same speed. Javelins whistled down on them. One sank into Azaka’s chest. Seeing this, Kayne braced to catch her, but she did not fall. A second volley rained down, and Azaka caught one in her fist, turned the blade and heaved it upward.

Galliard looked past the climbers and cast a pyrotechnic spell, blinding the attacking reptiles. As the fireworks faded, Azaka burst out of chimney and clove her sword through the thin neck of the first pterafolk. Its two parts fell backwards over the tower’s edge and fell silently to the forest floor shrieking as they sped past Zyldi and the others.

Zyldi got the halfings through the second level of the tower. As they exited the caves, javelins rattled down on the stone around them. Zyldi used her magic, masking their retreat with a dark fog. The descending flock disappeared into it. She uttered a quick thank you to nature that Elgard’s troubles in ascending Firefinger had not afflicted him in the descent.

On the tower’s pinnacle, Azaka let the cat out of the bag on her secret, morphing into a tigerwoman as the others poured from the chimney and took positions at her sides. The five of them stood back to back in the nest of the pterafolk as the verminous beaked animals descended on them from all sides. The flapping clawing horde swirled around them batlike. Azaka was a whirlwind of fur and claw, shredding wing and beak alike. The sharp stakes of wood over Kanye’s shoulders impaled many of the beasts before they reached him, nevertheless he felt talons close around his shoulders. Over his head, quetzalcoatl wings churned the air, lifting Kanye off his feet. Azaka, still tied to him was pulled behind. Around them Galliard and Dragly and Seraphina were also carried skyward.

Galliard unleashed his signature spell: thunder shook the tower’s peak. The shockwave ripped the wings of his foes like canister shot. His lightning reflexes prevented his friends from being carried over the edge but Galliard himself hung over empty space, clinging by one hand to a scaly talon as it shed altitude. To get ground back under his feet, he summoned a magical dragon at a high rate of speed which collided with the pterafolk and knocked Galliard safely to the ground next to his friends. The pterafolk that dropped him freaked out and died.

The tables were turned. Seraphina, freed by Galliard’s spell, fell to the ground and smote ruin on many saurians. In the midst of this, she stopped to pray to, nay boldly argue with, her god, “Listen punk! It says second level…what do you mean I don’t have second level spells?…Fine. Then I lose the smallest dice.” Kanye and Azaka and Seraphina moved through the flying lizards, clawing and cutting and crushing them. With each foe felled, they hurled the bodies from the cliffs. The cascade of shattered corpses heartened Zyldi and their halfing friends on the descent.

The Elder alone remained aloft raining javelins down into the melee as his people dactyl-walked for safety from the ravening warriors. Galliard mocked him viciously calling attention to his pansy, pansy wings. At this goading, the Elder landed among them to fight to the death. The tower shook and the sky flashed as Zyldi reached the ground with the halfings. On the ground at last, they knelt to catch their breath. Just as they did so, the red, diaphanous hulk of the Elder crashed down before them like a circus tent. Firefinger was freed. Iridor looked skyward with bitter regret at having fled the tower while his new friends fought with honor at its peak.

Epilogue: Galliard spoke with the bird man as he prepared to leave Firefinger. “Where will you go now?”

“To my home. You are welcome to join me. We will—Achoo!”

“You farted!”

“Uh, that came from my mouth.”

“I’m sorry, cloacas [sic] are confusing.”

Chapter 9 – Floors and Falling

Party Present: Galliard, Rahn, Kilgore, Kulu, Seraphina, Elgard, Kanye, Zyldi, Nor

Party Missing: None

Level 2 – Firefinger Spire

The party all enters the second level of Firefinger Spire.  The room is empty save for a corpse in the corner. Kulu searches the corpse and gains some goodies.  She sees a glimpse of something on the ceiling, but is too distracted by the shiny objects on the corpse to pay much attention.  Nor calls across the room for Kanye, and the party quickly learns what was lying in wait from above.


Sturge

ENCOUNTER – 9 Sturges

  • The sturges sink their disgusting proboscus into some of the party members: 2 on Kulu, 2 on Galliard, 2 on Kanye, 3 floating in the air
  • Galliard goes unconscious from the sturge attack
  • Rahn quickly cleaves the two struges on Galliard
  • Kilgore kills one of the sturges on Kanye
  • Kulu murders one of the ones on her chest – piercing it with her dagger
  • Seraphina rids Kulu of her final sturge
  • Elgard casts Minor Illusion to look like the wall of the cave to prevent being blood sucked
  • Kanye runs into the wall chest first, smashing the sturge still on him
  • Zyldi goes to Galliard and casts healing word, she back away
  • Nor readies an action in case a sturge tries to attack Kanye; he doesn’t wait long as as sturge immediately lunges for Kanye.  Nor murders the bug beast
  • Galliard rallies and attacks the sturge that has sunk into Seraphina.  
  • Dragle kills the final sturge

The party decides to send Kanye and his tied troupe out first to navigate the precarious edge of the spire.  Galliard assists by casting a crosswind to counter the wind whistling around the tower. As they go, Zyldi decides to turn into a spider with wild shape.  She climbs swiftly to the 3rd floor to scout. She sees 4 pterafolk sitting hunched around a fire and 2 figures bound as prisoners.

Zyldi quickly scurries back to the party and spins a web that spells out: “Kanye” as she wants to speak with him without changing out of her spider shape.  After much debate, we realize that Rahn can also speak with animals, and she tells him what she saw on the 3rd floor.

Level 3 – Firefinger Spire

2hrs later….the party has made a plan on how to infiltrate the 3rd floor.  First, Kulu will go in and assassinate as many of the pterafolk that she can.  There is no need to tell any further of the plan as Kulu ASSASSINATES ALL FOUR PTERAFOLKS in about 30seconds.  

Now the rest of the party ascends to the 3rd floor.  This is largely uneventful save for Elgard. The wizard manages to get halfway up the ladder, loses his footing, and falls.  Nor quickly reaches out an arm and swings the wizard back onto the ladder below himself. Elgard is probably appreciative, but you wouldn’t know it as he promptly loses his footing yet again.  Rahn half-heartedly puts out an arm to see if Elgard will land it in. He doesn’t. Rahn shrugs. Seraphina, still on the ledge, sees what is happening and swiftly snatches Elgard from what would be guaranteed death.  They decide instead to tie a rope to Elgard, and they haul him up.

While everyone was climbing the ladder, Kanye and Kulu release the prisoners. They are a Halfing Monk and a Birdman.  Kanye: “We found a baby halfing, and it is really smart!” The Birdman is named Nephyr who was captured while out on patrol.  The Halfling is Eridor Redknuckles. He and several of his friends had been captured by the pterafolk while out one day and were forced to work the mines as slaves.  Recently, they managed to escape but were once more captured and brought to this tower.

Eridor is worried about the fate of his other friends.  He wants to quickly get to the 4th floor to see whether they are still alive and need help.  Zyldi heads up to the 4th floor to scout. There are 3 pterafolk out on patrol, and 6-8 others milling about. There is not much room at the top.  She also sees a chest in the room where the flame shoots out from the top of the spire. She brings this news to the party. They make a plan to distract the pterafolk, steal the contents of the chest that hopefully contain the mask, and then flee.

Level 4 – Firefinger Spire

Elgard, Eridor, and Galliard are the main players of this plan.  Elgard casts Minor Illusion to look like one of the Pterafolk. He takes Eridor and starts to make a show of throwing the prisoner off the top of the spire. While he is drawing attention, Galliard sneaks to the top and steals the contents of the chest.  He victoriously returns to the rest of the party.

Elgard sees Galliard’s success and starts to backpeddle with the crowd.  He had managed to stave off the opposition from “the boss”, but is now trying to say maybe the bossman was right, and it is best to wait to eat the Halfing.  “The Boss” suggests they eat the birdman instead. Elgard disagrees: “I don’t know about y’all but I don’t like eatin’ dem featers.” He is slowly backing away through all this to get himself and Eridor back to the chute that they came up.  Boss: “Why don’t you fly him back?” Elgard jumps down the chute with Eridor.

While that is going on, Galliard hands to mask to Azaka.  She is grateful.

The pterafolk are suspicious of the Elgard character and three of them decide to come check it out.  They are swiftly and quietly disposed of by Kanye, Eridor, and Seraphina. The parties escape plan is still undecided

Bard and Aspiring Necromancer

Galliard Mazurka the Magnificent

Taken in as an orphan by Zelda the matriarch witch of a troupe of performing Gypsies, Galliard Mazurka the Magnificent (also named by gypsies) is the front performer of the Dazzling Traveling Thespians of Thestia. The troupe treats him like a precious gem, ignoring his Tiefling heritage and teaching him all the expertise of the gypsy life, including disguising his horns. Performing in every town they come across the colourful group of misfits have seen every country and kingdom imaginable. Galliard specializes in wowing the audience with music and magical comedy. Juggling Dazzling lights and using invisible servants to perform amazing and comedic tricks. His whole job is to keep the audience distracted while the troupe’s thieves comb the onlookers for anything they can slip out of an unwary pocket.

Galliard has trained and honed his skills as a thief and comic musician for his entire life. Always wanting to keep the troupe happy and fed. Looking for ways to use his abilities to make a quick silver here or there. Although he relishes the roar and laughter of the crowd, Galliard longs for something else, something beyond the grinning masses that hear his playful tunes and cheerful ditties. Dancing, joking, performing, and smiling as wide as the crowd that watches him. Behind his broad grin and gleaming eyes Galliard longs for Darkness. He secretly studies the dark arts and Necromancy in his own time, musing about the day he can finally attain his dreams. Creating a Hardcore Deathmetal Band, complete with skeletal musicians and a truly unique musical quality that will sweep the lands with its dark awesomeness.

Madame Zelda Seeing that Galliard was unhappy, decided it was time for him to travel the world on his own for a while. Hoping he would sow his wild oats and come back to the stable business of fraud, smuggling, and thievery she gave him her blessing to leave but scolded him for making her have to hire five people to replace his act. Galliard was half eager and half anxious to be away from the troupe of crazy characters that raised him and poured their worldly knowledge into him. But he decided that was indeed his time to see the world alone and create his dream.

Smiling like he did in front of the throngs Galliard set out on his own. Traveling the roads in search of ancient dark knowledge and plying his gypsy art to make a living. Hoping to mix ancient necromantic arcana with new age flair and flourish. Someday he will attain his dreams and throw off the world of rainbow coloured cloaks with pink bows and ribbons. He will don the guise of a Supreme Musical Necromancer and usher in a new Genre and a new age of true musical art through Death Metal.

Always in touch with his less than law abiding family. Someday he will have to advertise and sell his musical brand, and for that Madame Zelda says they will need to start a business empire or even take over a city. Balancing everything while keeping his sights set on Black Necromantic dreams and remembering the happy thieves and crazy carnies that raised him is a difficult path to tread but Galliard Mazurka the Magnificent is up for the challenge!

Chapter 8 – Stealth and Storms

Players Present:  Seraphina, Kilgore, Elgard, Nor, Kanye, and Galliard

Players Missing:  Zyldi, Rahn, amd Kulu

Day 5 Traveling through the Jungles of Chult

Wet and bedraggled, the party listen to the shrieking of the two pterafolk that escaped in the battle. They know that will not bode well for them in the future. Taking a short rest, they being to make their way through the jungle once more, but taking no more than a few steps, they hear a gnashing and snarling coming their way.

Encounter Highlights – 4 Ghouls who are then joined by 4 pterafolks

  • Galliard blinds ghouls with fireworks
  • Elgard does not want to be distracted from his reading and misses badly with a fireball
  • At a later time, Elgard blows away 3 ghouls out of annoyance.  He then steps into the fray, still reading.
  • Kilgore is grabbed by a pterafolk and brought 20ft into the air.
  • Nor throws a grappling hook at the pterafolk and it grabs onto to the creature just below the wing
  • Kanye jumps up and grabs the foot of Kilgore so that they are all now floating in the air.  Kilgore is not torn in half.
  • Galliard throws holy water killing the last ghoul.  “Bad undead are bad. But there are good undead.” – Galliard
  • 3 pterafolk run away
  • Kilgore does not let the pterafolk that grabbed him flee.  He has Kanye launch him onto the creature and stabs it in the eye, killing it.  Vengeance was had.

The crew debates how they will travel through this jungle with the pterafolk continuing to decend.  This is when Q’washa decides to reveal that he is able to stealth them for 3 hrs a day with the spell Without a Trace.

They travel safely until evening.  While they are at camp, they are visited by a Chwinga.  This little creature takes interest in Elgard’s book, climbs in his lap, and reads with him.  Galliard and Nor are jealous. Seraphina tries to get a Chwinga’s attention with her pendant.  None are successful. The Chwinga blesses Elgard with 3 Dark Vision spells.

Chwinga

Day 6

The next morning, the group is able to see a tall stone spire with fire shooting from the top – Firefinger Spire. They also awake to learn they have a new companion in the group.

During the night, Galliard completed his new clockwork skeleton.  After extensive questioning, the group votes on the companion staying.  The skeleton is voted into the group – 3 votes yes, Kilgore votes no, Seraphina abstains.  Dragle is the new companion of the team.

The day of traveling is safe.

That night, the party plans an attack on Firefinger.  They will approach the tower at night as a group, and make their way up the ladder in pairs.  Azaka will come with, but Q’washa will stay behind with the dinos.

Firefinger Spire

Before the party goes to sleep, they question Azaka more about her mask.  She reveals that it is important to her as it belonged to her mother.  The mask was stolen from Azaka by the pterafolk when she let her guard down one evening.  The mask allows the one who wears it to befriend animals.

Day 7

They approach the tower at night.  Kanye carries Kilgore up the ladder with him to allow Kilgore to attack with spells if needed.  They make it safely up, but they break several rungs of the ladder along the way. Ropes are needed for the subsequent climbs.  All of the party make their way up to the first level of the spire safely.


In the middle of this cavernous first level is a pit.  Within the pit, they encounter 4 spiders. They dispatch the spiders quickly…but with quite a literal boom.  In trying to be helpful, Galliard cast Thunderwave into the pit with the spiders.  However, this sends a 300ft boom out into the night, and shakes the whole tower. The party can only hope this does not alert the pterafolk.  It is slightly drizzling outside, and Galliard also casts Prestidigitation to create thunder like noise away from the spire in hopes to make it seem like it is simply a storm.  Success of this endeavor is still unknown.

They climb to the second level of the spire.


Chapter 7 – Crossing a River

The below is written from the notes of the esteemed DM.

Day 3

As the day begins, the sound of a T-Rex roar can be heard far in the distance to the south (foreshadowing?).  They travel through the jungle without too much difficulty that day, but that evening brings yet another undead encounter.

ENCOUNTER – 3 zombies and an Ogre zombie

  • Zyldi entangles 2 zombies
  • Seraphina does some good smiting
  • Kulu hits the ogre in the brain with her rapier
  • Kanye is able to finally kill the Ogre Zombie by breaking it in half with his warhammer

Day 4

The party encounters a blue mist. They identify it as Mad Monkey Mist, which will give you Mad Monkey Fever if you enter it. They wait for the mist to roll by, and use some magic wind to ensure it stay away.  A horde of curious baboons surrounds the party from the treetops. Kanye takes a full 10 minutes to cast his “Speak with animals” spell while the rest of the party pacifies the baboons with food.

Kanye speaks to them and learns that they want food. Like a ton of food.  He convinces the baboons that there is a whole lot of food back further down the trail. They run toward Kanye’s lies.

Day 5

The party comes to the river crossing that Azaka had mentioned.  The river is 75ft across and the water is 4ft deep and very swift.  However, there is another crossing that is 40ft across, narrower, more shallow, and not as fast.  They choose this crossing. After all, no one wants throat leeches.

Elgard Alters Self and gives himself gills and fins. He swims easily across the river, bringing some rope with him to tie onto a tree on the opposite bank. Party now has a rope to hold onto as they cross.

Zyldi and Kulu cross without incident.  As Galliard, Kanye, and Qawasha are crossing, 5 Pterafolk come over the treetops and begin an assault from the air.

ENCOUNTER – 5 Pterafolk

  • Galliard creates a smokescreen over their group to make them harder to hit
  • Azaka is a badass and starts shooting with her longbow. Unfortunately, DM rolls much better for enemies than he does for friendly NPCs
  • Group is able to kill one of them before they do much damage
  • Azaka gets hit squarely with a Pterafolk Javelin but doesn’t seem to be hurt by it
  • Seraphina glows brightly, sprouts wings, and leaps into the air to do aerial battle with them. It is majestic
  • Galliard creates a Leopluridon with Phantasmal Force and grabs one of them
  • Seraphina fells another pterafolk
  • The remaining Pterafolk escape the magical leopluridon and flee over the treetops

The remainder of the party make it to the other side of the river.  There they rest to recover from the battle.