Episode 4: The First Night, Ice Cold
Original Air Date: 14th September 2021
General Summary
Dellwyn, Diminishing Realms
2 Octavium 301 DR
Gee and Eludere stealthily followed Ralofir outside of The Tainted Tendril toward the large half-frozen lake. Terra waited before following, and talked with Ralofir on the pier while Gee and Eludere listened in.
Terra persuaded Ralofir to reveal he had a plan for revenge that was almost within his reach, seeking to repay a wrong done to him 'a long time ago'. He refused to say who he was after but told Terra he was sure his actions would have no impact on the wider safety of the Realms. He recommended the Book Club leave town before tomorrow morning and gave Terra a strand of his hair to make contacting him easier, should she wish to.
Regrouping in their shared room at the tavern, the party debated whether or not it was wise to stay in town, given Ralofir's warning. Temi suggested watching from a distance, to scout the situation. Terra was concerned about what the scale of Ralofir's intentions for revenge were.
Eludere thought that it could be The Hellfires were the target for Ralofir's revenge; being from Ostholos, anything against them wouldn't impact "the Realms". The party continued their discussion and came to agree that based on their information so far, it made the most sense for the Hellfires to be the target.
Gee introduced Attenborough, Temi, and Eludere to Ani, the fire salamander, Ohana, the fairy dragon, and 1187, the large phosphorescent spider. The druids were curious about how the animals travelled with the party, and Wild Shaped to see what it was like in Friend’s Bag of Animal Holding. Attenborough, as a spider monkey, and Temi, as a black spider, found the realm inside the bag refreshing, both taking notes on what they had experienced when they returned. The wildflowers had tasted like their favourite foods!
Friend decided to scry on Ralofir, placing the strand of his hair in their mouth - not necessary to cast it, but hey, whatever works. The party discovered that Ralofir is an adult green dragon, with significant scarring from a wound on his left wing. He was swimming through the enormous icy lake.
Friend used their pendant to ask Illuanna if she knew of Ralofir, to which she said no.
The party were now certain that the target was The Hellfires and discussed how to handle the situation: They would try to find him and contact him before tomorrow, offer him an invitation to The Death Tower, and Friend would teleport the party there. After much debate, the party agreed that it didn't feel right for them to intervene and stop Ralofir, given the suffering the Hellfires had likely caused him.
The party checked out from The Tainted Tendril with Bran at the bar. Friend and Eludere suggested that perhaps he should take the morning off tomorrow. Just in case.
Based on what Friend's scrying had shown them, the party trekked away from the town, heading around toward the icier parts of the lake. Eludere was certain they hadn't been followed, and the party soon realised that even if Attenborough and Temi shifted forms and searched the lake swimming, the size of the lake was immense. The only sure-fire way to contact Ralofir would be to wait until the morning so Gee could cast Sending. For now, the party teleported back to The Death Tower.
Arriving in the library with their horses in tow, introductions to Axis, Book, and Illuanna were halted by the words 'The Hellfires'. Book had not known they were in the Realms, and the room became tense. Gee sensed Book wasn't angry with the party, and she didn't need to wait long to know the whole truth: Book told them that The Hellfires were responsible for the death of his father, Kaddaram.
Rewards Granted
- A sad dragon who isn't mad, he's just disappointed
- You are my Dad, you're my Dad! Boogie woogie woogie~ (┬┬﹏┬┬)
- Guilt, so much guilt
- Half-completed dragon-friend adoption paperwork for Ralofir
- A plot-convenient amount of unused bedrooms in the tower for new friends
- A new life purpose: Teach spiders to read
- A single strand of not-dragon dragon hair, now with added eldritch horror saliva!
Quick Summary:
The party piece together Ralofir's true intentions, and introductions are made under a cloud of sorrow.
Players:
DM: BurrowsRed
Attenborough: CarubiChips
Eludere: Alishiera
Friend: CatRoulette
Gee: Mel_eficent_
Temi: PastelSparkles
Terra: Friendoboi
The wonderful CarubiChips is responsible for all the music in the campaign! Find more & maybe order a commission at: linktr.ee/carubichips
Each episode of the Book Club campaign is played live on the Wisdom Saves Twitch channel on Tuesdays, 7pm Australian Central Time.
Quotes:
"Have you ever heard of this local legend called Pokémon?" - Gee, explaining the Bag of Animal Holding
"I prefer it when we're blamed for murders we actually do." - Friend
"He named his house 'The Death Tower', so that gives you the vibe, right?" - Friend
