Chapter 1 - New Hires
Week 1
General Summary
Players
> Caden
> Cole
> Drew
> Lexi
Introduction
You've been waiting a few days to hear back from
Mallo Ree about whether or not you got the job.
What have you been up to while you waited?
Mission Briefing - Find the Ancient Crystal
> Delivered by Mallo Ree, who, as usual, has a goblet of some concoction in hand
They are to secure an ancient crystal.
The client believes it can be found in a temple hidden by the Wood River.
About 20 miles north, the river spills over a small cliff, creating a waterfall
The temple should be located behind the waterfall
The crystal should be hidden away within the temple
DO NOT TOUCH the crystal with bare skin.
If they succeed, they will earn 10gp each
They may keep anything else they find along the way
Questions?
Tay - what dangers await us?
Survival checks
Tay (21)
Wolves are the biggest danger, especially in packs
Clara (nat 20 = 21)
It's not quite the season for owlbears
They hibernate in trees and you have to watch out for them falling out of trees
Reverence (17)
There is the occasional giant spider
Knows this because they are afraid of spiders
The like to hang out at the edges of the river
Burrowing Spiders
Orel - is this an exclusive contract?
Yes and very hush-hush
Clara - What does the crystal look like?
Orange or red
If it is damaged, that damage happened before you found it
Reverence - How valueable is this crystal
Valuable to the client, who knows how much it could sell for
Orel - We are being paid regardless of the crystal's condition when delivered?
Client wants it in whatever condition you find it.
> Ends briefing with merch for each of them so they can "rep the brand - gotta get the name out there".
There are hats, cloaks, and water skins
They each have Artifact Securement Services emblazoned on them in block letters, the first letter of each word aligned vertically. A crossed dagger and staff sit next to the words, compelting the logo.
Clara and Tay take hats
Tay puts it on top of their wolf helm
Clara, Reverence, Orel take water skins
Clara takes a jacket
Quest to Find the Ancient Crystal
The Journey There
Road follows the river for 12 miles, then continues north as the river bends west.
The weather is comfortable, 60s with light cloud cover
On the road, party encounters a traveling merchant (half-orc, Brack)
selling carved trinkets (horses, bears, cats, dogs, orcs, elves)
Tay buys a direwolf
Shop in Waterdeep: Brack's Toys
Orel asks tactical questions about people's capabilities in combat
Covers the party's tracks with Mold Earth (cantrip)
Reverence gathers 4 ounces of Grey Tea Leaf
Clara is enjoying the company and conversation and keeping an eye out for danger
Lexi: "First I have to know: how long is the life of a mule?"
Tay has been looking for an older version of a mule he once knew
As the river bends away from the road, DC 15 Perception checks:
Success: there is something in the brush just off the road - an old mandolin strap. Tay recognizes it (connect to backstory and search for the girl he's been asking about).
Tay: "I've found, looks like an old mandolin strap. I feel like it's from the culture I grew up in, earlier, before I met the druids. I'm going to put this away and save it for later."
They follow the river as it bends away from the road
A spider surprise attacks Tay, knocking him prone
It's fangs are deflected by his shield
Reverence sneak attacks it and it collapses, dead, on top of Tay
Reverence harvests two spider fangs from it
The sun is setting as the party arrives at the waterfall.
Tay sets down pack, keeps mace and shield equipped, and investigates waterfall (8 Investigation check)
Calls Reverence over (24 Investigation check) -> Notices shallow water behind waterfall.
Decide to camp beside pool.
Tay makes some Grey Leaf Tea and informs the party that the leaves can be smoked for a more intense effect.
Orel sets up a system of Alarm spells as rituals during first watch
Tay heard wolves howl and howled back, everyone else sleeping through it.
Reverence sees a puma across the pool
Clara partially carves a pipe
The next morning
Clara shares her rations with Orel
Tay: "Should we check out this waterfall?"
Rev: "Let's do it. I'm excited."
Clara: Slurps the remainder of her breakfast as a slurry. "Let's go."
Tay holds his shield up to make a safe space for everyone to pass under the waterfall, but gets pulled in himself. He was saved by Clara as she caught him as he fell in.
They all went through the crevice, Clara leading the way, as she was the only one whose pack would fit.
Orel hung his pack about 40 minutes back into the cave and kept: quarterstaff, spellbook, component pouch
Reverence kept: shortsword, daggers, thieves tools, crowbar
Tay kept: bone mace, rope, shield, mandolin strap, component pouch, druidic focus
They come out into the clearing past the crevasse
Clara again leads the way
As they approach the temple, Orel pauses them to cast Detect Magic as a ritual
Detects the fireflies faintly and the flowers even more faintly
Orel also casts Identify on the flowers
determines that the when the bugs eat the pollen they start to glow
Reverence inspects the scholar's work area
Keeps the gold
Brings the books out, Tay inspects, puts them in Clara's bag
Tay can read primordial. Primordial text is an instruction manual for uniting the Eternity Crystals and opening a portal between worlds, uniting order and chaos.
As they investigated, they were visited by the juvenile owlbear
Orel points out that Haley would pay for owlbear feathers: "Maybe we should silence it as soon as possible."
While they're talking, the adult owlbear finds them...and ATTACKS!
Rev hits it with a thrown dagger
Orel hits it with Frostbite
Owlbear bites Rev with its beak
Tay spews Poison Spray at the owlbear
Clara instructs everyone to back away, pulls out a piece of dried meat and throws it away from the group. The owlbear does not notice
Rev disengages and retreats behind Clara.
Orel insists, "I've fought beasts tougher than this, we can take it." Casts Mold Earth in front of Clara, cracking the ground into difficult terrain.
Owlbear claws at Tay, just a scratch.
Tay recalls that Owlbear parents are unlikely to leave their cub's side if they feel it is being threatened, and disengages and retreats behind Clara. Then uses shillelagh to strengthen their staff.
Clara hushes the group, gestures everyone to retreat, and backs further down the corridor and notices the eagle-headed statue.
Rev gets his bearings and realizes the temple opens to the East and that they are no longer underneath the waterfall. Then continues to retreat.
Orel joins the group in the corridor and continues to Mold Earth and create a barrier between the group and the owlbear.
The adult owlbear lunged out and tried to claw the attacking Tay, but mjssed.
Tay continues to back away, trying to convince the owlbear they all are not a threat.
Clara retreats INTO THE SANCTUARY. She and Tay notice that the runes at the base of the statues begin to glow red. Clara hides behind one of the statues.
Rev steps out of the corridor, through the arches to outside the temple.
Orel sets a bush ablaze to act as a light source
The Wolf Guardian stomps into the sanctuary, but Clara successfully hides from it, so it just scans the room.
Tay moves over to Rev and uses Goodberry to feed himself and Rev, their wounds bubbling with purple berry juice, healing them magically.
The Eagle Guardian turns and spots Clara as she tries to sneak away, hitting her with a stone fist.
The Tiger Guardian attempts to grab Clara, but she ducks away.
Clara, "Sorry! We didn't mean it!", leaps away and attempts to hide behind a pillar, moving out of the Sanctuary.
Rev uses Thaumaturgy to brighten the torch that Clara dropped as she lept away, revealing the stone slab in the sanctuary, then moves into the corridor.
Orel moves outside the temple again, frost building up in his hand as he watches the statues.
The Wolf Guardian looks around dully and then takes up a guard position near the slab.
Tay charges into the sanctuary, and, speaking in Primordial, summons a Thunderwave, which crashes into the statues, pushing the Eagle away and knocking the Tiger down.
Eagle Guardian stomps towards tay, punching him with a stone fist.
The Wolf Guardian also attacks Tay, and misses.
Clara notices the runes on the statues' plinths are still glowing. Noticing her friends in danger, her rage wells. She wants to yell something encouraging, but can't think of what to say, so she instead takes a mighty swing at the prone Tiger Guardian, pulverizing it.
Reverence sneaks in behind the Eagle Guardian and strikes with his short sword, taking a large chunk out of it.
Orel sends three magic missiles into the two remaining statues.
The Wolf Guardian fails to grab Tay.
Tay renews the shillelagh on their mace and strikes at the Eagle Guardian, but is unable to do any damage. Tries to draw a strike to their head.
The Eagle Guardian takes the bait and Tay's wolf helm saves him.
Clara's rage carries her forward as she slices through the leg of the Eagle with her handaxe, toppling it.
Reverence is unable to find an opening to attack.
Orel launches Frostbite at the final statue, the frost filling all of the damages space, growing until the entire statue fractures and falls apart.
As the echo of fractured stone and ice fades, they are again enveloped in silence and darkness.
They catch their breath and Reverence investigates the statue, calling their attention to the rune. Clara and Tay come over to investigate.
Orel investigates the statues: recognizing the magic that animated them and finding the gems in their eyes.
Using Mold Earch, he removes all 6 gems from the statues.
Tay recogizes the glyph. As Clara moves closer, Rev notices that the flame from the torch is attracted to the rune.
Orel comes to investigate and Detects Magic, sensing that the rune is magic, that it is waiting for something, an intention that is yet to become action.
He warns everyone away, they hide behind pillars.
Orel casts firebolt at the rune.
Rev goes and gets the box out the scholar's room.
Working together, they get the crystal in the box.
The pillar erupts, raining around them. It strikes Orel and a Small Fire Elemental appears.
Clara kills the elemental.
Everyone else runs away.
The group escapes the cavern.
On the way back to Riverdeep, Orel suggests they find a stranger and have them touch the crystal.
Clara suggests maybe a frog or something.
An old man and a kid approach on an old horse.
Orel says in order to test with a frog, they'd have to find a frog and here are two people right here.
Decide against testing it on a stranger, and deliver the crystal to Mallo Ree.
Orel takes a week to level up (Week 2) -> Level 2!
Clara takes 3 weeks (Week 4) -> Level 2!
Reverence takes 2 weeks (Week 3) -> Level 2!
Taygunther takes a week (Week 2) -> Level 2!
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