Bloodroot, Act One -
07/16/2021 - In a four-part adventure set in-canon to Adventures in Alberon, four adventurers are deputized by the Riders of Gallevany to aid them in a hostage situation aboard the pirate ship The Dreaded Word.
Sir Konstance Earlmott, his hand badly injured, explained the situation below: Six pirates held four hostages bellow decks, including a wealthy noble. The group would be rewarded well for rescuing the hostages. How they did this, and what they did with the pirates was up to them. Sir Earlmott was not alone; joining him was a red-clad man in a capotain who claimed to have tracked a casket to this same ship. He was concerned as to what was within.
Anise Ironfoot, the gnome wizard armed to the teeth with daggers and staves alike, created a wall of force to allow the group to simply walk across water to the ship. As they closed the distance, they were challenged by a sentry. Bunghole Steve, the satyr bard of eloquence, managed to convince the pirates he was hired as entertainment. He boarded without issue, with the human battle master Sulwyn Howell joining them.
Meanwhile, Anise and the final member of the group, a dhampir/gnome shadow monk named Baba Inu, seeming to slither into the shadows and re-emerge standing horizontally on the side of the ship.
Bunghole Steve began to play his instrument of choice (the bung-hole flute) with amazing skill; aided by Sulwyn's jazz-hands (aided themselves by minor illusions of fireworks cast by Anise, and prestidigitated fireworks from Baba Inu) mesmerized the pirates. Anise saw her chance, and pickpocketed the pirates on her way below decks.
While Anise disarmed the arcane cannons on the gundeck, the first act of Sulwyn and Bunghole Steve's performance ended. As the pirates attempted to toss their performers coins, they realized they'd been pick-pocketed. As they drew blades, they turned on the party, the only outsiders aboard (aside from the hostages) and attacked.
Sulwyn drew his claymore and carved across the deck, slaying pirate after pirate. Bunghole Steve used their empowered words to wound the dimwitted orc. With only a single foe remaining, Baba Inu leapt from the wheel, and dealt a critical hit to the skull with their staff, instantly rendering the orc unconscious.
After looting the craft, the group met the red-clad individual from before, who revealed themselves to be an agent of an organization called the Bloodroot Sanctuary. He showed the group the sarcophagus (after freeing the hostages) and removed the lid to reveal a true vampire's corpse, with a stake driven through the skull instead of the heart. Brother Arcwenth, the Bloodroot agent, used a divine technique to purge the vampire once and for all, before asking the group for their help apprehending the person who ordered the casket shipped across the Emerald Expanse. They agreed, and departed to stop at a Curiosities shop along the way to hawk their loot.
Next Session: Bloodroot, Act Two (07/23/2021)
DMed by Joe Treff
Played by Tina, Matt, and guest player Drew
Our Heroes
Morwen, Tabaxi Swashbuckler
A panther-black tabaxi who washed up on the western shores of Dominion, Morwen quickly found a family in the crew of The Raging Harmony, a pirate ship. In an accident, she was separated from her friends, and has wandered the coasts ever since, the lone tabaxi on the continent of Dominion.
With an addiction to pulling levers and a fondness for all things shiny, Morwen causes frequent problems but seems to overwhelm others with charm, which seems to more than compensate.
Aca, Elf Artificer/Fighter
Aca joined the group two days after they had lost Guntir, their 287-year-old conman-turned-cleric. Their initial meeting was rocky, with The Gang murdering everyone Aca had spent several weeks tracking down.
He has joined the group on a provisional basis, as part of a larger effort to track down The Staff of Twisted Fates. He has continually called this choice into question, as his habits and behavior fall more and more in line with the rest of the Gang.
Heinrich, Tiefling Celestial Warlock
Heinrich began the campaign as a member of the mysterious Portent, an organization serving Azrah, the Goddess of Rot, after accepting a deal he did not understand the depth of. Adrift in a way, feeling helpless to guide his own path, the party found Heinrich in Port Quinn. As he has grown to like the other members of his group, he renounced his fealty to Azrah, and was alone, without powers, in the dangerous world of Alberon.
Recently, his selfless actions have found powerful eyes resting upon him once more, and he has found a new path in that of the celestial. He wages a war, alongside his new friends, against the very forces he once fought for.
Shae, Human Xinyi Monk
Shae came to the party searching for The Staff of Twisted Fates, an artifact of three parts, said to be able to turn aside "a blue star falling from the skies." She has accompanied the rest of the group out of a sense of convenience thus far, her monastic training and quick temper making her slow to trust.
After bringing the group with her to the Xinyi Monastery, and with the guidance of the woman she considers a mother, Shae is beginning to see that there may be larger things at work, and has begun to work with the others more willingly. The fates have not been kind, and in recent months, Shae has lost many loved ones, as well as her adopted home.