DND Blog

A place to keep DND session recaps, from various campaigns.

The Seventy-Sixth Session

October 29, 2022, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

The people of the forest go their different ways. The West Haven militia returns to the Yuan-Ti stronghold, to attack it, and the Party follows. But we are betrayed by the West Haven captain, leaving Jerry alone and all else captured or dying.

Table of Contents

  1. Last session
  2. The Village
  3. To the previous village
  4. The Plan
  5. To Hell or High Water
  6. Next Session

Last session

We still have 9 former prisoners with us:

We left Sev behind in the Yuan-Ti Temple.

We are in the forest friends' village, and Jerry has just healed Majorie.

The Village

Today is the day before the tribe moves to the next clearing.

Jerry and Ryltar tell the story of how they saved the Mother of the Forest. Majorie calls over her captain from the Verdant Guard, Ulmos Mordaunt. They talk.

Ryltar goes to talk to the Speaker of the village. He tells the Speaker of our trek, and gives the Speaker the option for people to quit their Jimenju Tree habits. The Speaker says that she was only doing what the Ancient Elm told him to do. Ryltar tells him of the Ancient Elm's sacrifice. The Speaker says she'll step down.

The West Haven contingent came to the forest looking for the Yuan-Ti; we provide a map to their location if they'd like to go to it.

Ryltar offers to the village the Mother's Milk, which will "heal you of the brain fog." Majorie calls out the West Haven platoon, and cajoles them into taking the cure.

The West Haven contingent were tasked with finding the temple. Stretch goals include understanding if they're a threat, thwarting their intentions, and culling them if possible. We tell them of the guy's aspirations of godhood, and the captain expresses his wish of finishing off the Yuan-Ti.

There's discussion of who will go where. Salris calls for people to line up based on whether they're going to fight the Yuan-Ti or go to Setton. But the villagers have little free will. We convince Fernard to drink of the Mother's Milk. He is overwhelmed by his newfound freedom, and flees.

The West Haven crowd will willingly give up their Rangers to escort the villagers and rescued prisoners, a total crowd of 30, to Barton. We give them three scrolls of Goodberry for emergency rations.

Sailor Quarterstaff signs up for the Yuan-Ti Thwacking.

And then we pull out the Abracadabrus and make 10 gallons of soup for dinner.

That night:

The next morning, Fernard walks back into the village. And some of those who had taken the Mother's Milk decide to stay in the village, so only 24 are going to Barton.

The villagers prepare to move counterclockwise, and the former villagers prep to trek clockwise, to regain their gear.

Ryltar greets Fernard, and say, "I'm glad to see you." Fernard doesn't meet his yes. "I don't know what you think you've done, and what past you've come from. But we can all change, and grow. I've done bad things, and I seek to change them as best I can." Fernard packs a bag and picks up a basket, and travels with the villagers.

Our party:

To the previous village

We take one urn of Mother's Milk cleansing sap with us. The rest are left with the villagers, to use on the galls.

Majorie sticks by Jerry's side. Jerry gives her Vurguron's handbow, and doesn't press her for more information.

Trail discussion centers on whether it was a good idea to kill that one Eye of the Forest.

We travel quickly and smoothly; the West Haven crew are all Survivalists and guide our passage as well as Jerry does.

At the village, the members quickly find their own cairns, and dig up the wicker baskets containing their stuff. There are a couple of casters, and the captain has heavier armor. Majorie retrieves her bow.

We discuss strategy; with 19 people we're slightly outnumbered by the Yuan-Ti. We're going to use the same infiltration-and-slaughter tactics.

With all these Survivalists, we easily travel out of the gnarled forest to the Yuan-Ti section of the forest.

The Plan

The distraction team will take on the 9 o'clock gate, while we dig under the east wall into the tunnels under the ziggurat.

That night, Jerry catches Majorie up on everything that has been going on, including Kerjes' apparent interest in Majorie.

Ryltar shares a watch with the captain, who dishes on how well Majorie has been training up. Ryltar catches him up on the issue of spiders, our travels via river and sea, and how "a friend" gave us a jump here. Also there's a mummy lord. "What." Ryltar blames Bugfood. He also tells the captain of Kerjes, because that's a secret that should be kept secret.

To Hell or High Water

Morning comes; we kick off the plan.

The Captain and his crew head off to the west, intending to signal with a red flash in the sky to break through into the ziggurat. Ryltar starts digging, and at 10 feet per round, with Jerry's guidance, our tunnel gets to the approximate location of the smoke plume.

We wait, and wait, and don't learn of the sparks. Jerry runs around the village to check on the other party, very stealthily, and she comes to the west clearing: A procession of Yuan-Ti, going into the town. The captain is missing, and the rest of the guards are being led into the village by the Yuan-Ti.

Vurguron, keeping an eye on the forest, sees a Yuan-Ti step back into the trees. He learns that the Party is being spied on.

  1. Round 0: Kill 'em all, where "them" is us. Oops.
    1. Salris Eldritch Blasts the soldier for 42 damage, killing him outright. His head explodes like the Death Star.
    2. Thirty others Yuan-Ti appear, with longbows trained on the Party. They call out, "No more! Put down your arms or die now!"
    3. Ryltar comes out of the tunnel and subtly casts Otiluk's Freezing Sphere, skipping the careful metamagic that would except the Party in order to get a one-up on prepared actions. Those who pass take 21 damage. The non-Party members drop, including Majorie. 8 Yuan-ti die; 16 remain.
  2. Round 1: The Yuan-Ti ambush the tunnel party.
    1. At the initial blast, everything goes white.
    2. Salris hits five Yuan-Ti with Synaptic Static and kills two, leaving one with his hex.
    3. Everyone takes 3 arrow attacks, except Ryltar who takes 4.
      • Ryltar takes a miss, a miss, a hit, and a crit. 25 piercing and 27 poison. He goes down. And he passes a death save.
      • Salris takes two misses and two hits, for some stuff.
      • Percival takes 20 piercing and 23 poison.
      • Vurguron takes no arrows. They bounce off his armor.
    4. The three #6 Yuan-ti shoot at Vurguron twice, and two hit for 23 piercing and 22 poison.
    5. Salris takes 21 piercing and 18 poison, bringing him to 10 HP.
    6. Percival takes 24 piercing and 30 poison, downing him.
    7. Salris throws down his weapons.
    8. The guards pass their death saves.
    9. The five #3 Brood Guards advance with their spears, standing ready.
    10. Vurguron casts Blur on himself.
    11. On the other side of the city, Jerry hears the very familiar ice mage explosion. She knows that if stealth is blown if Ryltar had to cast that, but the enemy doesn't know she's there. She elects to stealthily Dash back at half speed, which means that she'll get there in 6 rounds.
    12. Percival passes his death save.
    13. Majorie fails her death save.
  3. Round 2.
    1. Salris slowly pulls out a Healer's Kit and points at his downed comrades. He waits for a nod. Nothing. He drops it on the ground and stands there, doing nothing.
    2. Ryltar passes a death save.
    3. Vurguron and Salris hear a gruff, booming voice: "Their deaths will serve a greater purpose. Their blood has been spilt, but a deal has been made." The West Haven captain runs up to the scene.

Next Session

The Party is captured by the Yuan-Ti, unless you can escape. Review your items, your spells, your attunements, your AC, melee attacks and damages, spell saves and attacks.