Through the Muck and Mire
General Summary
Recruited as guards by the Vistani Bar'e Marko to venture into the unexplored Dread Swamp, the party was well-suited to the task: Bullgup the druid used his shapeshifting abilities to protect the wagons; Prim the trickster supported the party and made several stinging sneak attacks; Covak the dragon warrior rained death upon their foes from above; and Alik the merchant wizard made the deals and protected the party.
Their strategy worked well against the huge gray render zombie that assaulted the caravan, but the real struggle came on the second night when they were spotted by a vampire naga who immediately dominated Covak and sent him after the wizard. Bullgup couldn't strike past the defenses of any of the nagas, and found himself targeted by several fireballs. Prim struggled to get into position, and Alik was so hampered by Covak's assault that he was barely able to escape with his life. But the party prevailed when the wizard teleported hundreds of feet into the air, dispelled Covak's domination, and slung spells at the rest of them while feather-falling back to earth. Their efforts impressed some nearby swamp inhabitants calling themselves the Vrael Olo, and Rich Marko began negotiating a trade arrangement: If the caravan guards would track down the vampire and slay it in its coffin, they would allow the Vistani trading rights. The Vrael had been unable to finish the job themselves because the vampire had always retreated behind the veil of fog surrounding the land Marko identified as Barovia, the homeland of the Vistani (if they could call any place their home). Marko guided the party through, and after pushing aside a blood altar, disabling a trap, staking the bloodsucker, and cutting off its head, they returned to the Vrael's ziggurat and accepted their reward from the Vistani for safe travels, and a bonus for keeping them all alive.
Along the way, Bullgup was approached by a gray render bearing gifts: recent kills. The druid graciously accepted them, and the gray render adopted him. At the end of the adventure, the day was saved, evil was vanquished, and the Vistani who accidentally stepped on a budding plant was accidentally turned into a tree.
Their strategy worked well against the huge gray render zombie that assaulted the caravan, but the real struggle came on the second night when they were spotted by a vampire naga who immediately dominated Covak and sent him after the wizard. Bullgup couldn't strike past the defenses of any of the nagas, and found himself targeted by several fireballs. Prim struggled to get into position, and Alik was so hampered by Covak's assault that he was barely able to escape with his life. But the party prevailed when the wizard teleported hundreds of feet into the air, dispelled Covak's domination, and slung spells at the rest of them while feather-falling back to earth. Their efforts impressed some nearby swamp inhabitants calling themselves the Vrael Olo, and Rich Marko began negotiating a trade arrangement: If the caravan guards would track down the vampire and slay it in its coffin, they would allow the Vistani trading rights. The Vrael had been unable to finish the job themselves because the vampire had always retreated behind the veil of fog surrounding the land Marko identified as Barovia, the homeland of the Vistani (if they could call any place their home). Marko guided the party through, and after pushing aside a blood altar, disabling a trap, staking the bloodsucker, and cutting off its head, they returned to the Vrael's ziggurat and accepted their reward from the Vistani for safe travels, and a bonus for keeping them all alive.
Along the way, Bullgup was approached by a gray render bearing gifts: recent kills. The druid graciously accepted them, and the gray render adopted him. At the end of the adventure, the day was saved, evil was vanquished, and the Vistani who accidentally stepped on a budding plant was accidentally turned into a tree.
Rewards Granted
Loot:
[5,000 gp]
[3,000 gp] rod of metamagic extend, lesser (Alik)
[4,000 gp] clear spindle ioun stone (Covak)
[4,000 gp] restful birch seed (Prim)
[4,000 gp] cracked pale green prism ioun stone (Bullgup)
Gray Render (Bullgup) - it will follow you around whether you want it to or not.
Experience:
Covak (15): 844 XP = 0 (over-grayed renders) + 844 (Naga na lie they made it)
Alik (12), Bullgup (12), Prim (12): 2,400 XP each = 450 + 1,950
Titles:
Alik and Bullgup earn the Anthropologist exploration title.
Bullgup earns the Explorer exploration title.
Alignment:
Bullgup shifts to:
[5,000 gp]
[3,000 gp] rod of metamagic extend, lesser (Alik)
[4,000 gp] clear spindle ioun stone (Covak)
[4,000 gp] restful birch seed (Prim)
[4,000 gp] cracked pale green prism ioun stone (Bullgup)
Gray Render (Bullgup) - it will follow you around whether you want it to or not.
Experience:
Covak (15): 844 XP = 0 (over-grayed renders) + 844 (Naga na lie they made it)
Alik (12), Bullgup (12), Prim (12): 2,400 XP each = 450 + 1,950
Titles:
Alik and Bullgup earn the Anthropologist exploration title.
Bullgup earns the Explorer exploration title.
Alignment:
Bullgup shifts to:
Show spoiler
N5/N4
Dungeon Master
Nihilus (16): 7,200xp/16,000gp/5dt
Report Date
24 Jun 2023
Primary Location
Related Characters
