Six players were present:
- Erith Elmaris,
Male Elf Vampire - Lupin Damakos,
Female Tiefling Rogue +
Willow, Cat Animal Companion - Garrus Ironside,
Male Dwarf Paladin - Mortos,
Male Tiefling Druid - To’Mas,
Male Human Fighter - Ffion Tanwen,
Female Dragonborn Cleric
Editors Note: you may notice a glare on the grid in some of the images. This is from a large plexiglass overlay. Thanks to Jeremy for donating this to our group to prevent marker residue on our mat!
Using their Vampiric sense of smell, Erith and Rhonda track Lupin’s scent through the streets of Tiny Town to a sewer entrance. Lifting the loose grading, The Heroes fearlessly foray forward into the fetid fields of feces.
As she readies her sword, the Tentacled Terror tells her to stop. The Scary Cephalopod states that though his body has been transformed into a Mind Flayer, his mind is whole and he is able to control its impulses through his faith as a paladin of Bahamut. Knowing first-hand how the Mind Flayers force their young on their captives, Lupin decides to give Brugor the benefit of the doubt and agrees to accompany him as they search for the ring.
Finally they come to the decision that the two vampires and druid will transmogrify into bat form and take turns scouting ahead down each passageway.
Rhonda then flies down the second tunnel. Erith shakes his head and tells the others that something bad always happens to the second one to explore. After a lengthy period of time, The Heroes come to the conclusion that she is not returning but fail to be too concerned, or even go search for her!?!?!?
As they leap to their feet, a large Displacer Beast begins to phase in and out of view in front of them. Lupin reaches for the can of itching powder she recently purchased (see Heavy Metal, Rock) and attempts to hurl it at the beast. A bad roll of the dice causes her to throw it into Brugor’s eyes instead, causing him to scream and writhe in agony.
Swords and sorcery, muscles and magics, whatever The Heroes throw can’t connect with the Conniving Cat. To’Mas and Ffion flank the Powerful Panther from the rear but the Elusive Enemy evades and avoids every avenue of attack from all angles. Garrus marks the Ferocious Feline, forcing it to focus the full force of its fury on the frantic fighter.
As the Killer Kitty collapses, Mortos decides to loot the body. Slicing open its belly, he discovers a handful of gold coins leftover from other unfortunate adventurers. Erith also investigates the intestinal organs and produces some bloody coins. He is somewhat surprised when no one else wants to forage for coins.
HORRIBLE FATHER’S DAY PUNS (Puns are all words that have “pop” in them.)
1: Head of Church.*
2: Four Petal Flower.**
3: Toy Pistol.***
4: Type of Tree.****
5: Cartoon Sailor.*****
6: Exploding Kernels.******
7: Frozen Ice Treats.*******
8: Toaster Treat.********
9: Candy on a Stick.*********
10: Well liked.**********
11: Theory.***********
12: Number of People in a City/Town.************
13: Large African Animal.*************
14: Ads on a Website.**************
Thoughts on this Session: Fighting the Displacer Beast took up much of the session. Not because of the usual bad rolls of the dice, but because of the Beast’s phasing ability that gave everyone a fifty/fifty chance of striking. Not too many opportunities, but everyone managed get in a bit of role playing. The oddest part of the night was that no one seemed to care that Rhonda disappeared.
Lupin split the party when she chose to search the sewers by herself. Defending her actions by claiming she is used to working on her own and doesn’t need the party’s approval was interesting. Especially since she is the longest serving member of the party. Garrus was extremely upset with Lupin for going out on her own without telling anyone. As the “Dad” of the party, he has felt like The Heroes are not acting like a cohesive group for a while. Erith’s trickery with Rhonda ended with her disappearance. His indifference to her absence may change when he realizes that the source of his blood/food is gone. Ffion’s frustration with her inability to hit the Displacer Beast with her spells showed when she resorted to physical violence to end its threat. She showed her “Mom” side when she admonished Lupin while affirming love and administering guilt at the same time. Mortos was hilarious as he listed the various animals he could morph into and how each one could help track Lupin. His glee at searching for gold in the beast’s intestines was also humorous. To’Mas seems to be growing frustrated with The Heroes’ lack of teamwork. His favorite phase seems to be “How have they survived this long?” Always the soldier, he bravely charged in to attack the Beast before knowing the situation. Then, ironically, he wandered off to the next chamber without telling anyone. Bravo to all!!!
Who is Brugor al’ Grûl? Brugor al’ Grûl was the name of the Dragonborn Paladin of my friend Jeremy (not the current Jeremy) in the first campaign I played. He was the foil for my evil fighter Cornelius Gravestone. Between his job and two newborns, he was forced to quit. When I started this campaign, I asked if I could use Brugor as an NPC. He happily agreed and hoped that I could bring his story to a satisfying conclusion. It took a while, but Brugor al’ Grûl has finally made an appearance in the Crimson Empire Campaign, albeit with a serious medical condition.
* Head of Church: Pope.
** Four Petal Flower: Poppy.
*** Toy Pistol: Pop Gun.
**** Type of Tree: Poplar.
***** Cartoon Sailor: Popeye.
****** Exploding Kernels: Popcorn.
******* Frozen Ice Treats: Popsicles.
******** Toaster Treat: Pop-Tarts.
********* Candy on a Stick: Lollypop.
********** Well liked: Popular.
********** Theory: Hypophysis.
************ Number of People in a City/Town: Population.
************* Large African Animal: Hippopotamus.
************** Ads on a Website: Pop-Ups.
Next: Chapter 66 - Vikings and Violence
Previous: Chapter 64 - Conflicts of Interest