Elementia Game 2

Game Master: Jeff
Game Edition: D&D 3.5
Players: Andrew, Dave, Elijah
Starting Level: 1

Quote of the Evening:
"Wait, you have a camp outside of town?"

Introduction

Not only was this Jeff's first time DMing, it was also JADE's first D&D game as a group. Back in May of last year, Jeff and I were feeling nostalgic for the D&D games of our high school days, and agreed that he would write a campaign and so would I. That way we could both be players.

Dave and Elijah had never played D&D at this point, so before we had our game, I quickly ran them through some combat. They started in a bar in the city of Genaya, the location of Jeff's first game. Cyrano de Bergerac the Human Bard (Andrew) sat in a corner, finding himself there after deserting the army in Elementia Game 1. Two other interesting character were in the bar with Cyrano, though he didn't know them yet. The human Barbarian Ghar son of Dhar (Elijah) was there, as well as Mäaar the elf Ranger (Dave).

Well one drunken thing lead to another and Mäaar and Ghar started fighting. Ghar had just knocked Mäaar to the ground with a barrel, when the city guard rushed in and arrested both of them.

Now, Cyrano de Bergerac was always looking for a good adventure, so I decided to weasel them out of prison.

Scene 1 Outside the Prison.

Cyrano de Bergerac had no trouble convincing the town guard that Mäaar and Ghar were of no trouble and that they had learned their lesson. So they let them go and cast the three of them into the street.

Outside Cyrano introduced himself, and Mäaar and Ghar apologized to one another over the misunderstanding in the bar. Cyrano told them that he was a man looking for adventure, and that the two of them looked like the sort to accompany him. Ghar and Mäaar were flattered and agreed to join Cyrano,  but where to start?

After checking their pockets and finding that only Ghar had a few gold coins on him, it was decided that the first order of business was to secure some funds. Ghar mentioned that he had arrived in Genaya after his ship had been beached in the recent storm, and suggested that they might be able to  salvage something from its remains.

It seemed a long shot, but having nothing better to do, the three stormed off towards the beach.

Scene 2 The Beach. Ghar's Ship.

The beach was washed and windswept from the recent storm, and large rocks covered a great deal of it, blocking the view of Ghar's wrecked ship, which he assure Mäaar and Cyrano was there.

As they strolled along the sand, they were approached by a half-elven man asking for help. He said he didn't have time to explain what was wrong, and ran off behind some rocks. Cyrano was not one to turn down a story and before Mäaar or Ghar could think, he dashed off, following the man... And, as they should all have expected, it was a trap.

They were six half-elf bandits waiting for them. Mäaar was able to deal with most of them using his bow, while Cyrano and Ghar fought the rest. Cyrano stabbed at the bandits with his rapier, while Ghar went into a rage slashing with his battle axe and finally pummeling them to death with his bare hands.

The party never learned who the bandits were, but after the fight, the three saw they were close to Ghar's wrecked ship and decided to hide the bodies inside of it. After their disposing of the corpses, they searched the ship.

Any valuables their may have been, had washed out to sea with the tide. So, disappointed and now feeling their injuries from the fight, Cyrano recommended that they find a inn and rest. A successful Bardic Knowledge roll revealed that the best bar in Genaya's lower district was the Slimy Cauldron, and that was where they headed.

Scene 3 The Slimy Cauldron.

The popularity of the Slimy Cauldron made it an easy place to find. Its patrons spilled into the streets and the noise could be heard from afar. Before entering, Mäaar remembered that Elves are often not welcome in establishments with humans. Humans had recently captured Genaya from his kin, and forced the elves into slavery. A free elf was becoming something of a rarity.

Bowing his head, and covering it with his hood, Mäaar entered the Slimy Cauldron, following closely behind Ghar and Cyrano. They found a seat at a table  and ordered a round of drinks, knowing full well they didn't have the money to pay for it.

Cyrano downed his cup and surveyed the room for an opportunity. He found two guards drinking ale, and discussing a recent murder that had happened in the market. Hearing that, the bard approached the two guards claiming that he was a famous detective and could solve the murder. the bluff worked and the guards promised him a 100gp if he could catch the murderer. Needing money immediately, Cyrano told the guards that he would solve it for 50gp if they gave it to him now. Surprisingly they agreed, and had the money on them. So they tossed Cyrano a bag of 50gp and small contract granting the party permission to investigate arrest the murderer. 

After pocketing the gold, Cyrano returned to the table to find Ghar telling the story of why he came to Genaya. His village had come under attack from strange fire creatures. His chief had sent him on a quest to get help, but the storm had wrecked his ship stranding him in Genaya. He showed Mäaar and Cyrano a scroll that his chief had given him, explaining the threat in further detail. It was chilling tale. When he arrived he had asked for help, but no one in Genaya had been willing to help him.

Feeling a little down from Ghar's tale, Cyrano decided to have some fun and seduced a barmaid; disappearing upstairs for some time. When he returned, a strange event occurred. A man came running into the bar screaming. With each breath he belched flames until he seemed to burn up form the inside, reducing him to little more then a pile of ash. The patrons of the Slimy Cauldron went screaming into the streets, but the party stayed to investigate

Mäaar, Cyrano and Ghar searched the remains and asked around about the strange fire breathing man, but no one knew anything. They would investigate it further if any more information presented itself.

Scene 4 The Market.

With the murder investigation being their only lead, Cyrano, Mäaar and Ghar headed towards the market to begin their inquest. However, the market was full of so many wonderful things, and both Cyrano and Ghar got distracted and started spending some of the coin they had just earned. Ghar bought a pet spider, and Cyrano bought some silk scarves in case they would need to conceal their faces. Mäaar on the other hand, didn't want to give any of his gold to the humans so kept his coin purse close and explored the market on his own. It was there that he spied the Queen of Genaya, accompanied by some very large elven slaves.

While the queen was shopping Mäaar spoke to her slaves, who said that the she could easily be seduced. Mäaar then went to tell Cyrano, who came up with plan: they would kidnap her.

Cyrano tried to disguise himself but rolled a one, exposing himself to the queen, and almost getting himself arrested. But after hiding and rolling a 20 on a second disguise attempt, he was able to get a meeting with the queen that evening.

Ghar was very insistent that they investigate the murder, so he and Mäaar searched for the scene. They found it guarded, but were permitted entry with the contract they had been given by the guards in the Slimy Cauldron. The two spent almost a hour searching the scene, and found absolutely no leads. It was starting to get frustrating.

Cyrano had finished his conversation with the queen, and saw Ghar and Mäaar heading towards the murder the scene. Cyrano didn't feel this was very interesting, and instead decided to secure some more funds. He quickly forged some proofs of purchase, managed to convince a poor shopkeep to give him 50 gold for them. Feeling pleased with his acquisition, Cyrano joined Mäaar and Ghar at the murder scene, but was also unable to find anything at all.

During this Mäaar and Cyrano had been quietly talking about how they would kidnap the queen and ransom her. However, they had chosen to leave Ghar out of the loop. The Barbarian seemed to have a strong sense of right and wrong, and the two were unsure where his loyalties would lie.

Deciding they would need to tell him eventually, Cyrano and Mäaar, told Ghar that they were going to the Bloody Pigeon for dinner, but really they were going to plan their next steps.

Scene 5 Planning at the Bloody Pigeon

The Bloody Pigeon was the scuzziest bar in Genaya. The cups were dirty, the tables were rickety and unkempt, and its clientele left much to be desired. But it was at least a place where no one would ask questions and even a elf wouldn't attract attention.

The three sat down. and Cyrano and Mäaar told Ghar their plan. During this Mäaar revealed that he was a more important man then either Cyrano or Ghar had realized. For years he had been active in the elven underground: smuggling people out of the city through the sewer and to a small camp he had set up outside of town. With that they plan became a little more complicated.

Ghar and Mäaar would go to the camp and gather some support: a few followers who could carry a blade. They would then hide in the sewers until the next day. Cyrano was supposed to meet that queen that evening, but his job was to postpone the meeting until tomorrow.

That day, Cryano would meet the Queen in the market and then play a song for her. However it would be just any song, Cyrano would use Bardic Music to fascinate a crowd. While the towns people were distracted, Mäaar, Ghar and their troops would grab the queen and smuggle her into the sewers and back towards the camp.

With the planned laid out, each of them set it into motion.

Scene 6 The Flight of Mäaar and Ghar. Cyrano de Bergerac and the Strange Bards.

Mäaar and Ghar rushed off through the sewers, fighting spiders and a couple of guards. they dealt with these obstacles as quickly as they came, until they were stopped by the sound of heavy, irregular footsteps and the grinding of gears. The Guards, it would seem, had become aware of Mäaar's illegal smuggling activities and had sent an imperial steam-walker into the sewers to stop him.

Ghar tried to rush the walker but was badly injured, and the machine's onslaught was unceasing. It fired ballista bolt after ballista bolt at them. One of the bolts struck Mäaar in the shoulder injuring him severely, and he fell to the ground in pain.

Seeing the fight was hopeless, Ghar grabbed Mäaar and ran for his life. He managed to find his way out of the sewers and onto a road just outside the city. 

Mäaar, though still hurt, was able to walk from there, and they began the trek towards Mäaar's hidden camp. Along the way, they encountered a pair of traders who were taking their wares, and their horse and cart to Genaya.

Ghar and Mäaar attacked the merchants as they approached, taking their cart and dragging their bodies into the woods. The merchant's cart was full of food for the most part, but Ghar also found some strange crystals which he put into his pack. Mäaar then took the reigns and drove the horse and cart to his camp.  His followers were happy to see him, and thanked him for the food they brought. With their job completed for the moment, the two adventures rested for the evening.

Meanwhile in town, Cyrano had met up with the queen and asked if they could meet again the following evening. She laughed and told him to meet her in her Royal Zeppelin that was docked nearby. The plan was falling apart, but Cyrano could do nothing about it then, so he followed the Queen and spent the evening in her bed chamber. Afterwards, the Queen kicked Cyrano out, and he wandered the street looking for something to do. he need to get a message to his comrades, but it was to late at night to anything about it.

Cyrano found himself wandering down a dark street when a strange fellow dressed in black Bard's clothes seemed to appear out of thin air in front of him. The dark Bard asked Cyrano if he would accompany him, and as he said that, two men grabbed Cyrano from behind. He felt a sharp scratch on his neck, and the world started to spin around him until everything went black.

He awoke to find himself unharmed, but locked in a small bedroom. Still feeling groggy from the poison, Cyrano pushed all of the furniture in the room against the door, forming a crude barricade. He then lay down in the bed and let himself drift off while still wearing his armour

Conclusion

And that is where we left off Jeff's first game! All in all it went pretty well, but we never really figured out any of the plot hooks we opened up.

Honestly we were too focused with the small, and rather pointless, adventures we were creating, but that is a classic mistake for a beginning group.

As the games went on, we would get more and track and Jeff would find ways to keep us following his story.

Little did we know, but the dark bards had plans for us, whether we wanted to be part of them or not.