DD Chapter 2: The Path of Bloodiest Resistance

The swamp chirps with life as the lizardfolk village bustles about, unaware of what lurks in the shadows on this fateful sunset. Darkjaw, hands grasped around his Dragonspit Longbow and a cocked explosive arrow, is perched in the depths of a tall swamp tree, giving him invisible view over the immediate area. After surveying the entire village, he has four pockets to clear out, starting with this one. Lamarva waits in a nearby tree, ready to pounce on his orders. Without warning, the apex predators of lizardfolk strike from their vantage points; Darkjaw launches an explosive arrow at an unsuspecting lizard man, dealing 9 piercing, 1 fire & 10 thunder damage, the latter hitting 5 other lizardfolk in a 10 ft AoE (2 pass their Dex saves and take 5 thunder each, the other 3 fail and take 10 each). While the first lizard died upon explosion, this instance of violence initiates combat, giving Darkjaw & Lamarva a Surprise Round.

Combat: Darkjaw & Lamarva vs. Lizardfolk Village, Pod 1 (15 lizards, 950 XP)

Initiative

1. Darkjaw: 6 (69/69 HP, AC 17 in Wood Elf form, 18 in werebear, werewolf or wereboar mode)
2. Lamarva: 15 (88/110 HP, AC 17)
3. Enemies: 2 (see chart for HP & AC)

Creature	HP	AC	Conditions
Lizardfolk 1	0/22	13	dead
Lizardfolk 2	0/22	13	dead
Lizardfolk 3	0/22	13	dead
Lizardfolk 4	0/22	13	dead
Lizardfolk 5	0/22	13	dead
Lizardfolk 6	0/22	13	dead
Lizardfolk 7	0/22	13	dead
Lizardfolk 8	0/22	13	dead
Lizardfolk 9	0/22	13	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 1	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 2	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 3	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 4	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 5	0/22	15	dead

Surprise Round

• Lamarva: Jumps down and bites 5 piercing out of Lizardfolk 1, then smashes Lizardfolk 2 for 8 bludgeoning & 6 fire damage, killing him.
• Darkjaw: Fires twin arrows; a regular one at Lizardfolk 1 & a poison one at Lizardfolk 3. Kills Lizardfolk 1 with 9 piercing & 6 fire, while killing Lizardfolk 3 with 7 piercing, 3 fire & 3 poison. Fires an explosive arrow at Lizardfolk 4 for 4 piercing & 4 fire damage, which explodes for 15 thunder damage within 10 ft, hitting Lizardfolks 4, 5, 6 & 7 completely (kills Lizardfolk 4).

Round 1

• Lamarva: flaps his wings twice on Lizardfolk 6 & Lizardfolk 7, killing them both with each wing.
• Darkjaw: fires a dual-reg arrow at Lizardfolk 8, dealing 12 piercing & 6 fire damage. Launches the same volley at Lizardfolk 9, crits and kills it for 14 piercing & 8 fire damage
• Enemies: Lizardfolk 5 attempts to run, provoking a tail opportunity attack from Lamarva that kills him for 7 bludgeoning & 11 fire damage. Lizardfolk 8 sees this an attempts to attack the drake, missing both its heavy club & bite. The Lizardfolk warriors arrive on the scene and attack Lamarva; Warriors 1 & 2 attack with heavy clubs, each hitting Lamarva once for 15 bludgeoning. Warrior 3 jumps in for a bite, missing both chomps. Warriors 4 & 5 launch 2 javelins each, hitting twice for 7 piercing to Lamarva.

Round 2

• Lamarva: Attacks the Lizardfolk warriors with his Toxifire Breath, which hits Warriors 1-3 as well as Lizardfolk 8 (Lizardfolk 8 passes, everyone else fails), taking 6 poison & 18 fire damage (3 poison & 9 fire damage to Lizardfolk 8). Regardless, all of them die.
• Darkjaw: Nat20s a Vine Grapple arrow at one of the javelin throwers, dealing 18 piercing & 12 fire damage. Skewers him and sticks the vine grapple to the wall behind him, allowing Darkjaw to zip line in with a nat20 Acrobatics check and slide into the other with a Greatsword crit for 25 total damage (cuts him in two).
• The objective is complete; all lizardfolk in this pod have been executed (950 XP earned). Darkjaw & Lamarva continue through the other pods as nightfall begins.

Darkjaw & Lamarva vs. Lizardfolk Village, Pod 2 (10 Warriors & a Shaman, 1,450 XP)

Enemies

Monster	HP	AC	Condition
Lizardfolk Warrior 1	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 2	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 3	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 4	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 5	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 6	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 7	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 8	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 9	2/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 10	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Shaman	0/27	13	dead

• Darkjaw: 52/69 HP, AC 18 in werebear form
• Lamarva: 88/110 HP, AC 17

Round 1

• Lamarva: Successfully recharges Toxifire Breath and fires it at their new opponents, hitting the first row of 5 warriors (1 passes, the rest fail). Warriors 1-4 die by taking 9 poison & 19 fire damage, while Warrior 5 takes 4 poison & 9 fire damage and survives
• Darkjaw: Feels the full moon and nat20s his lycanthropy roll, transforming into a werebear and keeping his Greatsword handy. He slashes through Warrior 5 with his Greatsword for 5 slashing & 4 fire, killing him. He then bites viciously into the neck of Warrior 6, dealing 17 piercing damage, cursing this one with lycanthropy since he failed his saving throw.
• Enemies: Warrior 6 forcibly transforms into a werebear, getting only one attack against Darkjaw. He misses, then fails a Wisdom saving throw and looks hungrily at his comrades. The rest keep their distance and launch javelin volleys (2 go for Darkjaw, the other two go for Lamarva). Two hit Darkjaw for 11 piercing, while none hit Lamarva. The Shaman turns into a crocodile and bites at Lamarva but crit fails, inspiring a tail smash from Lamarva for 10 bludgeoning & 13 fire damage.

Round 2

• Lamarva: Does not recharge breath, instead goes to Warrior 7 for a double wing flap, dealing 16 damage and knocking him prone. He then bites him viciously for 9 piercing & 10 poison, ripping him to shreds
• Darkjaw: Puts away his sword and charges Warrior 8, slashing & biting for 29 total damage (kills him)
• Enemies: Warrior 6 viciously charges Warrior 9, dealing 20 piercing with his bite and getting cursed with lycanthropy. Warrior 9 attacks with his Heavy Club, dealing 7 bludgeoning and killing Warrior 6 before succumbing to lycanthropy and transforming int a werebear. Warrior 10 attacks Darkjaw, once with a javelin & once up close with his club; misses the javelin but hits his club for 6 bludgeoning

Round 3

• Lamarva: recharges breath, but instead bites at the Shaman for 12 piercing & 10 poison. Kills it and holds its crocodile form in its mouth, swallowing it whole as the Shaman reverts back to lizard form
• Darkjaw: slashes Warrior 10 twice for 26 slashing damage, killing him via vicious mauling. Bonus action of dashing through the swamp with Lamarva, heading to the next pod (1,450 XP earned)

Darkjaw, Lamarva & Infected Warrior 9 vs. Lizardfolk Village, Pod 3 (15 Warriors & 5 Shamans, 3,750 XP)

Combatants

Creature	HP	AC	Condition
Darkjaw	25/69	18	Weretiger
Lamarva	42/110	17
Infected Lizardfolk Warrior 1	0/22	16	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 1	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 2	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 3	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 4	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 5	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 6	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 7	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 8	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 9	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 10	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 11	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 12	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 13	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 14	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Warrior 15	0/22	15	dead
Lizardfolk Shaman 1	0/27	13	dead
Lizardfolk Shaman 2	0/27	13	dead
Lizardfolk Shaman 3	0/27	13	dead
Lizardfolk Shaman 4	0/27	13	dead
Lizardfolk Shaman 5	0/27	13	dead

• Initiative Order: Darkjaw (15), Lamarva (15), Enemies (12)
• Enemies Added: Giant Constrictor Snake (CR 2, 60 HP, 12 AC, +6 to hit and 2d6+4 piercing damage for bite, 2d8+4 bludgeoning for constrict, DC 16 grapple)

Round 1

• Darkjaw: Fires an explosive arrow at the center rank, dealing 8 piercing & 2 fire to Lizardfolk Warrior 1. AoE hits surrounding 4 for 12 thunder each, including Warrior 1 (dies from the inner explosion)
• Lamarva: Shoots Toxifire Breath at the center rank, hitting the 4 originally hit as well as 1 more on each side (6 total targets). Warriors 2-7 fail, taking 12 poison & 13 fire (everyone dies).
• Enemies: Shaman 1 casts Thorn Whip on Darkjaw, flanked by Warriors 8-9 who strike twice. Thorn Whip hits for 5 piercing, while the warriors each hit once for 14 bludgeoning. Shaman 2 casts Entangle on Lamarva & Darkjaw (both evade it), flanked by Warriors 10-11 who make one strike & one javelin toss each; all miss. Shaman 3 casts Spike Growth, while Warriors 12-13 guard her. Shaman 4 casts Fog Cloud, heavily obscuring the battlefield. Warriors 14-15 attack Darkjaw before the cloud goes up, dealing 5 bludgeoning to Darkjaw. Shaman 5 casts Conjure Animals and summons a Giant Constrictor Snake (CR 2, 60 HP, 12 AC, +6 to hit and 2d6+4 piercing damage for bite, 2d8+4 bludgeoning for constrict, DC 16 grapple). Infected Lizardfolk Warrior attacks Shaman 3, but takes 5 piercing from Spike Growth and dies.

Round 2

• Darkjaw: in the midst of fog and spikes, he transforms into a Weretiger. Uses his smell & hearing to understand his immediate radius, scratches & bites at Shaman 1 for 11 piercing, but she succeeds on her saving throw. Darkjaw uses a Bonus Action to dash, successfully Acrobating his way around the spikes to avoid damage. He uses his movement to scale a tree, having a perfect vantage point and not being detected due to the fog.
• Lamarva: Attacks Warrior 10 with two wing flaps, hits one for 7 bludgeoning and clears the fog to light obscurity. Takes 4 piercing from the Spikes.
• Enemies: Shaman 1 casts Plant Growth on the Spike Growth spell, doubling it’s damage. Warriors 8-9 search for Darkjaw, but do not see him. They, along with Warriors 10, 13, 14, & 15 attack Lamarva; one hits for 5 bludgeoning, the rest miss; two crit fail and provoke a bite & tail smash from Lamarva (bite misses but tail crits Warrior 8, dealing 22 damage and killing him). All take 13 piercing from walking through the enhanced spikes. Warriors 11 & 12 protect Shaman 2 & Shaman 5 (both concentrating the two Shamans cast Thorn Whip on Lamarva, one hits for 6 piercing and pulls Lamarva 10 ft closer, dealing 18 piercing damage as he goes. Shaman 3 & 4 make bite & claw attacks, hitting once for 6 piercing. The Giant Constrictor Snake goes up the tree, searching for Darkjaw.

Round 3

• Darkjaw: Snipes Shaman 2 for 3 piercing & 4 fire, then deals 16 thunder in the 10 ft AoE (hits Warriors 10 & 11, Shaman 2 & Shaman 5). This kills Warrior 10 and breaks concentration for both Shamans. Darkjaw then fires dual-poison arrows at Shamans 3 & 4, dealing 9 piercing/2 fire/4 poison to Shaman 3 & 8 piercing/2 fire/5 poison to Shaman 4. Both are now poisoned, and the Giant Constrictor Snake vanishes before it can get to Darkjaw
• Lamarva: Deals 8 piercing damage to Shaman 2 & 6 bludgeoning/7 fire to Shaman 5, killing them both.
• Enemies: Shaman 1 transforms into a crododile, biting at Lamarva but missing. Warriors 9 & 11 fire javelins at Darkjaw after discovering his position (he killed the Shamans from there), hitting one for 8 piercing. Shamans 3 & 4 attack Lamarva with their bite/claw attacks, one hits for 7 piercing.

Round 4

• Darkjaw: tosses a balled up Greater Poison Herb, tosses it into the center of the battle, and fires an arrow right through it for 4 piercing/5 fire in the heart of Warrior 9, executing him. The Greater Poison Herb explodes from the contact, forcing all enemies to make a Con save (one Shaman passes, the Warriors fail). Shaman 1 takes 5 poison, while the rest take 10. The Warriors die in this toxic fume cloud. Darkjaw pounces from his tree and lands on Shaman 3, who is knocked prone and killed with his claws.
• Lamarva: excited by the poison in the air, he bites & tails the Shamans, dealing 14 to Shaman 1 and killing him, but misses Shaman 4.
• Enemies: Shaman 3, with poisoned disadvantage, misses their bite/claw attacks on Lamarva.

Round 5

• Darkjaw: Seeking max humiliation, Darkjaw transforms into a Wererat, climbs onto the last Shaman and bites her neck for 2 piercing, killing her. (3,750 XP)

Darkjaw, Lamarva & Infected Warrior 9 vs. Lizardfolk Village, Pod 4 (1 Lizard King protecting 10 cowering Lizardfolk, 1,500 XP)

Initiative

• Darkjaw: 8, 13/69 HP, werewolf
• Lamarva: 8, 31/110 HP
• Lizard King: 9, 12/78 HP, AC 15

Round 1

• Lizard King: Bites & Tridents Darkjaw, hitting both for 22 piercing damage
• Darkjaw: Casts Reptilian Regeneration (3rd level spell slot) for 10 HP regained by him and Lamarva (doesn’t affect Lizard King since he already has full HP), then dashes into the tree line, provoking opportunity attack from Lizard King (crit fails).
• Lamarva: Attacks the Lizard King with Toxifire Breath, dealing 35 damage.

Round 2

• Lizard King: Can’t find Darkjaw, so attacks Lamarva with two-handed trident jabs. Deals 21 piercing.
• Darkjaw: Fires a dual poison-reg arrow shot from the bushes, dealing 13 piercing/6 fire/4 poison damage to Lizard King, who resists the poisoned saving throw. Transforms into a Wereboar with bonus action, then charges the Lizard King with a tusk attack, dealing 8 slashing and knocking him prone (resists the lycanthropy curse). With his target down, Darkjaw pulls out his Greatsword and swings hard, dealing 9 slashing/3 fire and executing the king.
• Lamarva: recharges Toxifire Breath and under orders of Darkjaw, deals 36 damage and wipes out the remaining villagers (1,500 XP for the lizard king & 10 defenseless Lizardfolk)

Aftermath

• 7,650 XP earned for the slaughter of this village.
• Grisly crimes such as today’s actions have been a daily routine for Darkjaw since Nolya died. Retracing his steps and traveling back towards lizardfolk territory through flight (Lamarva) and wilderness navigation, Darkjaw arrived a month later, slaughtering indistinguishable villages of reptilian humanoids in his wake.
• Dragonborn settlements have proved tough for Darkjaw & Lamarva to take on their own, forcing a couple tactical retreats during his quest and incurring military tracking/enemies amongst the Reaper Dragonborn
• Eventually, he made it back to lizardfolk territory and amplified his slaughter, now tasting Lizardfolk flesh as another Favored Enemy. Specifically, he has taken pleasure in biting off their tails to kill them, emulating what he wishes to do with Balcazar. He has also gained Draconic features when in were forms
• Secretly, however, he has been followed. At some point during his conquests, Warvillus (who had been in hiding at Queen Medusa's Library until being forced out recently), came across a slaughtered yuan-ti village, seeing the silhouette of Darkjaw on Lamarva’s back and following ever since. He has also reanimated all of Darkjaw & Lamarva’s kills, slowly creating an undead army
• The lizardfolk do not take kindly to these crimes against their kind, and have unleashed various hunting parties to find and end the threat of Darkjaw. While he slaughters many and should know they will kill him eventually, Darkjaw doesn’t care. He has no sense of self preservation anymore.
• Unrelated to his activities, Darkjaw currently feels a ghostly, yet familiar presence in his body. Until recently, he thought it was just Nolya’s voice in his head haunting him for his failures. Eventually, he discovers that through the chaotic & mystical manner of her death and his subsequent rage powers, then consumption of her body, he absorbed part of Nolya’s soul into his, before the rest of her soul was taken to the afterlife.
• While camped out in his natural environment, Darkjaw smells & hears a figure approaching, putting he and Lamarva on edge. He is surprised to see Warvillus approaching from the trees. He congratulates & thanks Darkjaw for his recent efforts, as it has provided him with fresh corpses for his army. Darkjaw & Lamarva notice the presence of hundreds, maybe thousands of zombies & skeletons in the dark woods. Warvillus then states “You contributed to the attack on Islador, while your traitorous friends did not. They allowed my beautiful creation to die alone, even going so far as to desecrate it on their way out! But you, we can do a lot of good work together. Everyone you kill can join our side forever, you will always have an army. Whaddya say?”
• Darkjaw ponders this for multiple reasons. With Warvillus’ proposal, he ponders the possible resurrection of Nolya, eventually agreeing to an alliance. Together, Darkjaw, Lamarva & Warvillus head off to Queen Medusa’s Library to learn more about soul magic, hoping to exercise Nolya’s soul into a new body (crafted by Warvillus) or pull the rest of her spirit to the body (Soul Beacon & Soul Pluck are the desired spells to make this happen).