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So, I think this goes in the writers nook, if not, please feel free to delete!! I have been playing dnd for... god, at least 6 years now, maybe longer. I am my groups forever dm, which I don't mind. Our current adventure is taking place in a world I created called Demaria. It's basically the result of 3 years of on and off again worldbuilding. I even created a website to store all my info on it and to let some friends outside my dnd group use as world building or inspiration.
Our current story is that of a pirate crew roaming the world, discovering secrets, and trying to get rich. My players are fantastic and have really fun characters: Player Ca is playing a Human Fighter named Monsoon. She's very much a drifter who struggles with addictive tendencies. She's strong-willed and has a habit of expecting a lot from herself and everyone around whether that's reasonable or not. She doesn't have a strong current goal, but is interested in exploring the world with her crew. And in getting a fuck ton of money. Player Al is playing an Opsu (Homebrewed Oppossum Person) Druid named Praw. They are exactly as chaotic as you'd expect a possum person to be. They'd probably be concidered a murder hobo if they didn't have a massive soft spot for kids and animals. They're current goal is attaining godhood and using it to get free stuff. Play Ch is playing a Kenku Wizard (Flavored as a Sandpiper instead of a Raven) named Calidris (Nicknamed Cliterous by Praw). He's got an extremely scientific mind, to the point of denying many of the supernatural experiences the group has had. His goal is to unearth the secrets of the Kenku race and learn their history. Together they crew the ship: B'Yachtin'. The players named it and I love and am proud of them.
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The story so far: Adventure 1. The gang started as members of another crew aboard a ship called The Acteon. They had a few mentor figures in the Captain Mariya and the First Mate Bin. With this crew they raided a keep storing freshly minted gold coins of the Republic of Aetria, one of the most powerful kingdoms and the formost leader of maritime trade in the world. They succeeded in their heist and escaped, sailing off towards The Acteon's next adventure. But lo! A mistake lead to the ship passing through the dangerous waters of a territoral Sea Serpent. Fear not! The Acteon has seen many battles and will surely out manuveur this beast! And then the gang watched Captain Mariya be flung against the mast with a sickening crack, killed instantly. The rest of the Acteon's crew, some 15 pirates were slaughtered by the beast and the ship torn apart. Monsoon, Praw, and Calidris were the only survivors, afloat in a tiny dingy in the middle of a seemingly endless sea. |
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Adventure 2. Part 1 They worked together, Monsoon using her strength and endurance to keep the dingy moving forward, Praw using their shape changing ablities to lure and catch fish, and Calidris purifing enough water to keep them going until they finally washed ashore on a small island. At first it seemed normal, sandy beach, untamed jungle, and a small rocky peak poking out above the trees. Then, as they entered the shade of the jungle, they were struck with the silence. The Island of Veridell, as they'd discover it was called, was eerily quiet and dark. No sea birds nor insect or animal calls. Out of the corner of their eyes they'd sometimes spot dark shadows moving, or maybe it was just the jungle undergrowth? They discovered a mysterious rot on some tropical flowers, but strangely the rest of the plants were unaffected. Eventually, they broke out of the jungle and discovered a small village that seemed to be completely empty. It seemed to have been abandoned quickly, childrens toys laying on the streets, food rooting on tables, doors unlocked or even swinging open. And there was more mysterious rot. Statuettes of gods and other bits of art were rotted, but none of the areas around them. They spoted a modest shipyard, but as they went to investigate, the came across a body. A young woman, dead of no apparent wound or affliction. She'd had a hand cart with food supplies and was armed, but nothing else of note was discovered. They also investigated a small manor, noteworthy as the nicest building in town and the only one without any kind of rot visible. Inside they discovered 2 more bodies, one of a young man and one a young woman. They were farther along in decomposition that the woman outside, so the gang determind they'd been dead longer. They picked up some food supplies from the kitchen and raided the libary, although that was mostly Calidris. He discoved a mysterious book bound in black leather. It was written in an ancient toungue and covered in raven motifs. They moved upstairs and found several impressive paintings of the lady of the house, a proud elderly elven woman named Miazen Tentra. The lady had recently passed away and was buried in the village cemetary. They also discovered that her son, Andraphal, had moved out years prior to pursue the life of a monk in a temple part ways up peak of the island, but that he and his mother had been very close and that he visited often. The gang decided to explore the cemetary and then find the Temple. At the cemetary, they got an intense feeling of being watched. They found Miazen's grave and, after picking up a few shovels from the grounds keeper hut, dug up Miazen's body. They are pirates afterall.. Praw stole a locket from the corpse, expirencing a wave of unfamilar rage as they did. Undetered, Praw and the rest of the group carried on. As they went to leave the deserted village, however, Praw once again spotted a shadow moving out of the corner of their eye. Impulsively, they chased it, leaving Monsoon and Calidris to follow after them. Unfortunately (or maybe luckily), Praw failed to catch up to their quarry and the group decided to continue to the temple. They travelled a trail through the unsettlingly quiet jungle. But, with a rush of relief, they came upon a noisy, lively scene. The temple was full to bursting, villagers and monks packed in closer than intended. Children and pets tried to play, but remained nervously close to the temple grounds. Inside, monks attempted to carry on with their normal duties as villagers huddled together anxious and aimless. The gang met one of the village leaders, Ashura the blacksmith, who told them what had sent caused the villagers to arrive to the temple. First, some had grown mysteriously and violently ill. They were brought to be treated by the monks. Then within days, an overwhelming sense of fear and dread had washed over the rest of the village, enough that enmass they had evacuated to somewhere that felt safer. Apparently some had been sent to investigate and not returned. The Gang told Ashura about the young woman with the hand cart they'd found and he confirmed that she was the most recent investigator. Ashura directed the gang to speak with the head of the temple, the familarly named Andraphal Tentra. After making their way to his study, they met the elf who was clearly overworked and overstressed. He revealed that the food stores of the monks had been depleted and that within days they would run out. Moreover, the monks and villagers who were normally very friendly with one another, were starting to fight. Andraphal worried that the delicate peace would shatter as soon as the issue of food was revealed. Andraphal had one spot of hope, however. Through research in the temples books and records, he'd narrowed down what he believed was causing this problem; some form of undead ghost or spirit. He even had a book containing discriptions of the various possible kinds and clues for defeating them. He couldn't leave the temple to investigate himself, lest the tensions between factions overflow, but the group... surely they could use this information and save the island. The group rested; calidris got Ashura to craft him a skeleton key so he could break in to the temple's restricted library, Monsoon found a hot guy to hook up with, and Praw, through some sneaky magic, convinced several monks that they were a god and that they were owed a place of offering in the temple. |
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Adventure 2. Part 2 After resting, the gang returned to the village to investigate. They were now playing dnd Phasmophobia. They collected several clues and eventually descerned not only what kind of ghost it was, but who it was. Miazen Tentra, Andraphal's own mother, had become a Banshee! After they had come to their conclusion, they decided to return to the temple to collect some ghost fighting supplies. However, they were distracted by a familar shadowy figure. The whole group once again gave chase and this time managed to catch up to the dark form. To their surprise and delight, it was a dog. A massive black Irish Wolfhound, with startlingly intelligent eyes. At first it was skittish, seeming to not trust the group, but after a few minutes and some reassurance, they won it over. +1 dog. They named it Dug. They returned to the temple and collected some supplies. The monks had a few magic weapons they let the gang borrow. They also picked up salt which the book told them could trap Banshees. Finally, Andraphal was able to identify Dug as a Grim Dog, a semi-spiritual creature tasked with protecting graveyards and hunting down undead. Now armed, the gang returned to Miazen's manor to do battle. They prepared and waited until night when the spirit finally revealed herself. It was a long, hard battle, Calidris went down, but was revived with a potion thanks to Monsoon. Dug helped by corralling the ghost, and everyone worked together to finally defeat Miazen's undead spirit. Victory was theirs! But as the dust settled and the group returned to tell the villagers and monks the good news (and to claim the ship they were promised as a reward), one question still remained; how had Miazen's spirit become a Banshee? Calidris had some suspisions. Using the skeleton key he'd asked Ashura for, Calidris broke in to the restricted library and then to Andraphal's private study. Monsoon and Praw stood watch under the guise of helping nearby villagers pack up to return home. However, as Calidris investigated the drawers of Andraphal's private desk, he unknowingly set off a magical alarm, alerting the head priest. Inside the desk, Calidris found notes and a journal detailing Andraphal's grief and refusal to accept his mothers death. Many of the notes looked at necromancy and tried to determine if any gods would raise the dead. Calidris realized that Miazen's undeath had been cause by Andraphal and went to inform his crew, but before he could, the head priest attacked the group. The villagers scattered and Calidris realized he had one chance to keep the 8 or so monks in the room from joining Andraphal in the attack. He produced the notes he'd discovered and with that eveidence accused Andraphal. Meanwhile, Monsoon was able to pin the priest turned necromancer and with help from Praws magic vines, subdue him without serious injury. The gang left his punishment to the islanders and, after recovering and waiting a few weeks for their ship to be completed, set sail on the newly christened B'Yachtin'! Onward to adventure! |
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Adventure 3. Part 1 The gang left Veridell and sailed toward the main land, but before long they ran low on supplies. Luckily they came across a resupply post on an island called Eternity. They docked late evening and paid for their supplies, planning to leave the following morning. Up the cliffs was a small town with a few inns they could stay at. Upon reaching the town they noticed something a bit odd about the residents; nearly all of them showed signs of degenerative illnesses. Most weren't contagious, and strangely those afflicted didn't seem to be suffering beyond the barest effect to appearance. The Gang noted this and then turned in for the night. In the morning, they checked out the towns market before heading to the ship, but came across a older half-orc. He was sobbing quietly and seemed almost completely inconsolible. They asked him what was wrong and he spilled the beans about the island. Eternity was the last hope of those doomed to die. Living there prevented nearly all forms of death, from desease to old age. The only way to die on Eternity was to be killed, and since the town was pretty peaceful, most would live forever. However, every so often, people disappeared or were taken. They were typically young adults and were never reported on ships leaving the island. Some were ill and some where just family members or normal residents, and when they disappear they are never seen again. The Half-orc told the group that last night his daughter disappeared. He said that a neighbor spotted her walking towards the west on the edge of town, but no one had seen her since. Finally, he begged the group to look for her, saying she was all he had and that if they could find her and bring her back he'd do anything. (The group interpretted this as giving them all his money and, since he didn't look poor, they agreed.) The gang began their investigation on the west side of town and with Praw's druid skills and Dug's nose, they were able to find a trail. It led them to the unihabited western cliffs and to a craggy switchback crawling down towards the sea. Near the bottom, they discovered an ominous cavern. Delving into the darkness, they discovered a stoney labrynth. They explored, finding cryptic riddles, dark-loving monsters, and stashed treasure. However, it took time and before the reached the center of the maze they were exhausted (and nearly dead) and decided to barricade an antechamber and take a long rest. As they slept, though, they all were faced with horrifying dreams. Monsoon's dream had her floating in a still sea in a black night dotted with golden stars, watching the pale belly of a seagull circle overhead. She felt calm and confortable and relaxed into the pleasant cool of the seawater. She was startled by the gull landing on the water near her head and even more shocked to find that she couldn't move her hand to shoo the bird away. She tried harder and harder to move, but instead could only helplessly watch as the calm sea slowly engulfed her unresposive body, drowning her. Praw dremt they were standing in a dark night sky on a raised marble pedestal with a crowd at their feet, almost like a statue being worshiped. The people below stared up at them murmuering softly and Praw felt power rising in them, calling to be used. They started slowly unleashing it, calling vines up the pedestal, wrapping around themself and blossoming with golden flowers. However, the more power they used the more desprate the people below appeared and the vines wrapped tighter, growing thorns and eventually, with whorshipper's desprate screams in their ears, Praw was ripped apart by the plants they themself had grown. Calidris found himself drifting in black, formless dark. It was without sound or touch or any other sensation and it was deeply peaceful. Calidris took advantage of the unusual quiet to calm his ever racing mind, relaxing for just a few moments. But then, on the very edges of his hearing, whispers began. He couldn't understand the language, but the intonations were clearly asking questions. Cold tendrils of gold began to creep from the dark through his feathers and the voices rose. Panicked and confused there was nothing Calidris could do to fend off the desprate questions as his body froze and shattered. |
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Adventure 3. Part 2 The gang woke up and Praw and Monsoon discussed their nightmares, but Calidris decided against sharing his. They settled on understanding the labrynth now and figuring out the dreams later. They continued onwards. After a few more riddles, they finally reached the center of the maze. They discovered a 12 foot tall grotesque hag, crafting potions and apparently just living her life. When they confronted her, she laughed and openly admitted to using magic to steal away villagers from the town above. But, she had more to tell them. She explained that the entire island was esentially a trap, she lured the deprate here with the promise of eternity, ensuring that she'd never run out of residents. She would then sacrifice one of them every so often to stave off death for the others, and after the sacrifice, she would get to eat the body. The hag posed a question to the group: Would they fight her in an attempt to kill her, saving her future victims, but knowing it would doom many of those above to horrible deaths by their diseases? Or would they let her live, continuing to sacrifice one person every few weeks potentially indefinitely, but prolonging the lives of everyone else? Monsoon, Praw, and Calidris discussed, they were very torn about the decision. (Out of character, the players asked me if I had a correct solution in mind. When I Dm, especially when I present moral dilemas, I never have a "right answer", which I told them.) Eventually, they came to a conclusion; they really weren't the people to make this choice, it should be the islanders. So they left the hag alive, made their way out of the cave and back to the town. From there, Praw climbed a building and the group gathered attention from nearby residents. Praw Announced what they had discovered and the choice the people of Eternity had. However, the people below began to argue and fight amongst themselves. The group decided against trying to intervene and instead found the old man that had sent them on the quest. They broke the news that his daughter was dead and (to my surprise) didn't demand anything from him. As the gang started to leave, the debate among the townsfolk was becoming more and more violent. Dispite this they headed to their ship with some uncertainty and sailed away, leaving the fate of Eternity to it's residents. |
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Adventure 4. I'll type this out in a bit, this is the last bit before it's all caught up. |
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Winter Month: 2 
Night 
