Staff Only Bonus
Friday, 2 May 2025
Updates to Karma Kingdom! Beta 1.0 b217
Wednesday, 23 April 2025
(G586 15/03/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) YI39
[Fenrir and Reinward are in the Dismal Caverns doing a quest on behalf of Xama the Priestess of Ghaunadaur. They are now in the Gauntlet of Zhaeryx. They are accompanied by Brodok, Cartet Murkor and Abriska, a jelly shaped fighter, a jelly shaped druid and a bucket of ooze respectively.]
DAY 677 (9th Hammer)(January) cont ...
The party had made good progress through the easier caverns of the Gauntlet. The encounters were getting harder though.
The next cavern was home to an Elder Black Pudding. It was starting to be apparent that Fenrir was good at crowd control but not good at taking down single large enemies and that Reinward was better at doing deadly strikes on a single powerful foe.
In the Black Pudding's case it didn't really suit either of them and Reinward cast about the bone piles, looking for a thigh bone to use as a club. It was not needed in the end. Fenrir was able to blast away until the monster was finally slain.
On to the next chamber they went and discovered it was home to four large Delvers all stomping about and kicking up rocks. The gang retreated back into the tunnels but the Delvers were able to burrow through the rock, carving out new passages so they could attack. Brodok charged in and was slain. Cartet started summoning crocodiles (I assume slimy ones?!) and Reinward started throwing daggers. Fenrir blasted away and one by one they took out all but one Delver. It seemed to be hiding in the walls and had taken a dislike to Reinward, or so he thought, as it rumbled about in the floors and walls, always seeming to be near him.
He tried doing tap dances then flying away to shake it off. Fenrir sighed and went back to the Delver's lair, looking for loot.
Reinward had to give it up in the end. As he walked back into the lair he saw the remains of Brodok - i.e. jelly and bones - seemed to be slowly reforming.
They had Cartet go around the cavern casting 'Stone Tell' but she did not find the Delver. It was lurking around near one of the treasure chests though and leapt out when they got near it. It was easily dispatched.
Once the cavern was picked clean of treasure they went back to the undead minotaur room and emptied one of the barrels and put the remains of Brodok in it. As they went deeper into the tunnels, Cartet was left to manage the portering of both the barrel and the bucket.
The next chamber contained a large group of what Fenrir describe as 'jelly men'. There were eighteen of them, all standing still randomly around the cavern. Having done some of my own research I believe these were 'Ooze-Fused Golems'.
Fenrir and Reinward bravely charged right in, killing the first handful fairlyeasily. But as each one was slain, the ooze from them slithered around the cavern floor and joined with those that still stood, making each of the remaining golems more powerful!
As they saw what was happening they retreated back into the tunnel. Reinward cast Solid Fog to slow them down, but soon the tunnel entrance was rammed full of very angry ooze golems.
Friday, 18 April 2025
(G585 01/03/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP, AD) 5ED4 (CG 90%)
[This continues the story of Nestor Applebaum the cleric, Haggen Dashenford the fighter and Rogier the bard, as told to me from Random. As far as possible I will relate the story as it was told to me. Currently the lads are in the village of Greball.]
DAY 6
"In Which Our Band Acquires a Warforged, Debates Elocution, and Encounters Fowl Trouble"
Ah, Greball Village — a quaint little hamlet with more problems than livestock, and no shortage of curious characters. One imagines a more relaxing setting for a lute recital, but alas, destiny had other ideas.
Now, picture this: Nestor and Haggen, those paragons of subtlety, slipped out during the night like a pair of sneaky badgers, leaving our dear Rogier all alone in the tavern with naught but his melancholy chords for company.
Enter, stage left, two chaps of uncommon construction and clanky conviction: Gravedigger, a rather stern Warforged with the charm of a tombstone, and Uthmar Shatterstone, a paladin — or pala-din, depending on whom you ask. The pair immediately fell into a lively squabble over pronunciation which, frankly, would’ve made a linguist weep.
Despite appearances, both had once tilled the land and now shared a peculiar tendency to smite first and philosophize later.
Rogier, never one to wallow for long, struck up a tune on his lute. Gravedigger, not to be outdone, produced a set of bagpipes. The noise was... memorable.
Now then, just as the musical horrors peaked, in rushed a frantic woman, breathless and wide-eyed.
"My son Kai is missing! He went to gather wood and hasn’t returned! The constable won’t lift a finger!"
Gallant as ever (or perhaps bored), Rogier and Uthmar sprang into action and headed straight to the constable. Said constable, a man of such staggering indifference he might’ve been carved from old cheese, simply pointed toward the forest with all the urgency of a man swatting flies.
Into the woods they went. Uthmar, ever the tracker, spotted a child’s boot beside the path. Suspicion of foul play quickly ripened when a raven cawed overhead with the subtlety of a thunderclap.
Further along, they stumbled upon smoldering carts and, lo and behold, a gang of horrid Grosslins lurking in the underbrush. Ugly things. Like chickens that failed several quality checks.
The battle was swift, if a touch embarrassing. Gravedigger took a tumble and Rogier’s tactical flair left something to be desired, prompting Uthmar to give him a firm telling-off, the sort that implies parental disappointment.
Still, victory was achieved. Short rest commenced. They looted the miscreants and found a curious map scrawled on rabbit skin.
With map in hand and optimism in short supply, the trio marched on until they discovered a squat stone cube — clearly an entrance to a dungeon. Chicken tracks the size of dinner plates greeted them.
Descending into the dark, they encountered a sleeping chicken-man (a sentence I never expected to narrate), and later, a hallway fragrant with bacon. Tempting, but suspicious.
Further exploration revealed a room with a fire pit full of humanoid bones and chicken effigies. They were then assaulted by Grosslins, but Rogier put half of them to sleep with a spell before anyone could make a quiche.
After dispatching a couple of rather cheeky spiders and avoiding a nasty furnace, they heard chanting.
They burst into the next chamber and — well, picture this:
Four grotesque chicken-like creatures pranced about a fire chanting “Grakknovar” and “Plekknovar” like overzealous cultists at a poultry-themed séance. At the fire’s heart, a young lad — presumably Kai — tied to a stake and unconscious.
Beyond that, two small gray objects sat on matching podiums. One can only imagine they were the source of the chanting, or possibly some form of poultry-based home décor.
And that, dear Rollo, is where we left our noble band — standing in the glow of firelight, hearts pounding, feathers flying, and the odd cluck echoing down the corridors.
Wednesday, 16 April 2025
(G584 22/02/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP, AD) 5ED3 (CG 70%)
(G584 22/02/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP, AD) 5ED3 (CG 70%)
[This continues the story of Nestor Applebaum the cleric, Haggen Dashenford the fighter and Rogier the bard, as told to me from Random. As far as possible I will relate the story as it was told to me. Currently the lads are in the village of Greball.]
DAY 3 cont...
So, after clearing out that goblin mess, the lads made their way back to the village. Nestor was fuming, muttering under his breath about the bard.
DAY 4
Yes, anyway, so the next morning, Rollo old chap, they set off nice and early.
Just ten minutes further down the road, they come across an inlet by the lake, and there’s this big shack teetering on the edge. The water’s bubbling like something's about to crawl out, and right enough, out slithers some oozes, coming straight for them.
Rogier starts hurling Firebolts, Nestor’s up with Sacred Flame, and Haggen’s there, slashing with his sword. The three oozes get dispatched pretty quickly.
Rogier, kicks down the shack door. Nestor follows, opens another door, and lights the place up with his magic.
Small room. Nothing too exciting, they move on.
Nestor opens the next door, and it’s a room full of straw. Seems cozy, but not much going on here either.
But the next room? Big room. And in it? Three blobs of ooze, and a goblin, hunched over, writing something mad in charcoal on the floor.
Rogier’s quick on the draw with Dancing Lights and there’s the usual banter between him and Haggen, as Nestor opens yet another door. He finds some crates, one of which contains a 'spool of acid'.
Next room off the big room — hole in the floor leading down into the lake, along with some jugs. Nestor sneaks back through the room, heads to the east door this time.
It's a big kitchen with bottles, crates, vats of green goo. The place where the goblins are brewing their toxins. To the north is another set of doors.
A four-door room, filled with six casks. Nestor opens one, takes a quick peek. Looks like water. But... it's got a bit of a green tint to it. He explores further. There’s a bedroom, a storage room with a copper vat on a platform, glass jugs, and empty shelves. But then they open a door on another big room.
It's rugged with uncured furs, two braziers, and a rickety wooden bridge leading up to a throne.
On it sits a large grotesque goblin. Massive boils, a crown made from scrap metal, and a white oversized rat growling at his side.
The goblin addresses them with a voice like gravel:
"You dare defy the blessed one of the goblin-kin? I will dissolve you in the fluid of my divine judgment!"
Haggen, ever the skeptic, yells back:
"Hey, we didn’t defy anyone!"
The goblin’s clearly off his rocker.
But Haggen doesn’t back down. He charges forward, only to get nibbled by the rat. Nestor’s quick with the heal. Rogier, of course, launches another Firebolt at the rat. But it’s Haggen who lands the killing blow on the creature.
Then, the goblin comes up, spits acid at Haggen. Misses, thankfully. Rogier, ever the strategic genius, unleashes a Thunderwave, and, wouldn’t you know it? It hits Haggen again. Classic.
The tussle goes on, and Haggen, in a blur of fury, kills the goblin. In his pocket? A small iron key. With that key? They open the treasure room.
But wait, there’s more rooms to explore! Another massive storage room full of broken crates and casks. One last goblin, one rat. Goblin throws a glass vial at Haggen. Rogier’s back at it with a Vicious Mockery spell.
Nestor thinks Rogier’s been enchanted, so he knocks the bard out with a swift smack to the head. While Rogier’s unconscious, Haggen deals with the rat and kills it. Then the goblin pulls out a dagger and Haggen sorts him out too.
Nestor heals Rogier, slipping another goblin cock into the bard's pocket as he does so. Haggen then ties up and gags Rogier — lesson learned, eh? Next, a barrel of water over the unpredictable bard.
After some more nonsense, Rogier is untied, they rest, and then they move on. There are only a few more rooms to explore. The next one they come to is full of caged rats. As they are normal sized Nestor let them all go.
Back at the previously explored goblin/slime room, Haggen wants to release the big rat. Nestor stands back ,watching the chaos unfold as the rat goes on a rampage, attacking slimes. But guess what? The slimes win.
Then Rogier — oh dear — tries to talk to the goblin who’s been scribbling madly on the floor.
The goblin’s a wreck, all in mourning:
"You killed my true king, Boil-Gut! He was blessed by my gods!"
At this point the oozes attack. Rogier stands back at the doorway doing nothing as the others meet the advance. Nestor, being the righteous one, Sacred Flames the goblin, to put him out of his misery.
Rogier still just stands there, staring, while an ooze attacks Haggen. Nestor finishes off the goblin. Haggen goes down under another ooze attack. Rogier — finally — casts Firebolt. He kills one ooze. Nestor takes down another with Sacred Flame and Rogier finally kills the last one.
By this point, everyone’s had enough, so they decide to make camp and rest. It's about eight in the evening.
Haggen grabs the bard by the collar:
"Listen! That’s the last time you attack us, then just stand there for ages while we’re outnumbered!"
Nestor chimes in:
"He’s traitorous scum."
Rogier, his face a mask, replies:
"I am traitorous scum."
Nestor:
"See, he agrees!"
No more is said after that and they all sulk, backs turned as they rest in their bedrolls.
DAY 5
They head back to the village, and meet with the mayor.
He looks them over with a curious eye, but in the end hands over a purse of gold to be shared between the three of them.
The mission had been a success, even when the adventurers had spent a lot of it fighting between themselves!
Monday, 7 April 2025
(G583 15/02/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) YI38
[Fenrir and Reinward are in the Dismal Caverns doing a quest on behalf of Xama the Priestess of Ghaunadaur.]
DAY 677 (9th Hammer)(January)
In the morning (note this dear reader, there was no night and day in this realm of caverns and tunnels, but it was about ten in the morning back on the Material Plane) they were taken into the ziggurat and then to a large chamber that had been carved out of the living rock before the entrance of the gauntlet.
Here, their guide, a beholder called Borkulax the All-Seeing, seeing that there were only two of them offered them some help. For a share of the loot they could hire:
- a man-shaped ooze fighter called Brodok
- a woman-shaped ooze druid called Cartet Mukor
- a bucket of ooze known as Abriska who was apparently a scholar
Another note dear reader; Although I was not there, I find this area very interesting and have done some research.
Ghaunadaur, the Elder Eye, was once a member of the Drow Pantheon, and has only very recently retreated to the Dismal Caverns from the Demonweb Pits. The bards say he was fed up with the machinations of the drow goddess Lolth and slunk away in order to rebuild his worshiper base.
This means that the Dismal Caverns is now the afterlife destination of most beholder, illithid, and troglodyte petitioners and all this accounted for the areas around the ziggurat that looked like a refugee camps.
Anyway, Reinward wanted to haggle over how much the three oozes would be paid, but Abriska told them that it was a take-it-or-leave-it offer. In the end they decided to take all three of them.
Abriska also offered them a Resurrection Insurance Policy of 5000 gold (on top of the cost of the Resurrection) for a no-fuss revival outside the Gauntlet in the case of it all going wrong.
After one last meal, there was nothing left to do, and in they went!
As far as I understand it the Gauntlet of Zhaeryx is a series of caverns chock full of nasty monsters. The people taking part in the challenge will first meet small and easily defeated monsters, then slightly stronger, then stronger yet until they are very powerful and the contestants meet their match and presumably get killed.
As a result of this, the first caverns they breezed through. Giant centipedes, Chokers, a Doppleganger, Troglodyte Zombies.
And on they went, next were Were Rats. One tried to surrender. Fenrir killed it after questioning. After some oozes, things started to get a bit tougher. There were undead Minotaurs, followed by a Greater Shadow.
A cave full of centipede swarms was dealt with by Elditch Cones from Fenrir.
They were ten caverns into the Gauntlet now and things were getting more serious. A large chamber full of animated rock monsters was the first to see them injured. Fenrir was hurt by flying stones, which made Reinward run back. The monsters were defeated efficiently enough, but Fenrir needed healing from all the clobberings he had received.
The next cavern was home to a gang of Destrachans. Brodok and the others were ordered to hold back and Fenrir and Reinward went forward. Fenrir went in but saw that Reinward was hanging back, his knees trembling. He'd seen the piles of bones at the cave entrance.
'Err, I forgot my tools! I'm going back for them!'
'Get your arse in here!' called back Fenrir.
It was not too challenging a combat in the end. The destrachans did their best but were easily defeated in the end. One tried to hide among the stalagmites at the back of the cave, but was hunted down and slain.
Sunday, 6 April 2025
(G582 08/02/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) YI37
(G582 08/02/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) YI37
[Everyone is back on Yag Island. Fenrir and Reinward have a lot of gold on them after their most recent adventure down in the Chult area.]
DAY 667 (29th Nightal)(December) cont ...
Reinward arranged the manufacture of some very fancy boots that would allow him to leap, be hasty and do short range teleports. I am told they cost 20,000 gold.
He also ordered a very fancy belt, that had hidden pouches, allowed freedom from magic such as the web spell and other slowers of movement and allowed him to fly for a short time. This Belt cost 30,000 gold.
Other items included a ring of deflection and dark hidden. Goggles of Blindsight, and a Wand of Solid.
All together everything cost him an eye-watering 88,000 gold!
This was sorted out with Orimander in Sasserine and would take about a week to arrive. All part of Reinward's campaign to apparently delete himself from every dangerous encounter!
DAY 668 (30th Nightal)(December)
Today Azazello was seen in the streets of Tamunza. You may remember that this is one of Fenrir's "Personal Demons".
Fenrir went down to talk to him. Azazello said;
''
Hey! what's the deal? We were all set up to take Westgate? What the flip are you doing sunning yourself on this island? You've so much power now you could conquer a country! You could wipe out a city! Start thinking bigger. You're making us all look bad!
''
'I wouldn't want to tarnish your reputation,' said Fenrir sarcastically.
'Don't worry about that!' replied Azazello. 'Worry about what happens when you annoy the big boys back down in the pits!'
DAY 669 (1st Hammer)(January)
Today I received some interesting information from the High Forest. I will have to think on it.
DAY 670 (2nd Hammer)(January)
Some mermaids were seen swimming around the xebecs today.
Also Reinward received a Sending message from Sir Loric:
'Everything going ok, Oh chosen one? Your people in Westgate enquire after your well being. Also - send gold.'
Reinward Send a reply:
'S'all good man. Weather is good. Could use a church here. Gold on way.'
He also very generously had Irritator (who was his best friend after helping so much to return him to his natural state!) to take 500 gold over to the Temple to Ilmater in Westgate.
Later that day he brought back a letter from Sir Loric. In it he thanked Reinward for the gold, it would help with the rebuilding of the temple, and that if the Chosen One thought that Yag Island needed a church that he would send a missionary.
Reinward had only said it for something to say I think, but I gather after some further correspondence a missionary was arranged, and to be expected in the next few days.
Today I teleported to the High Forest. A fellow druid (even a friend perhaps?) called Basil told me of some hidden knowledge discovered there that I may find interesting. I should note that Basil is back in the Vast Swamp now having brought Sybil back to life and they are living once more in their mushroom filled cave east of the Lost Refuge.
DAY 671 (3rd Hammer)(January)
So, while I was away our small village was visited by some sort of powerful wizard that called himself 'the Dweller of the Deep'. He said some mermaids had told him about us.
Fenrir and Reinward met him at the gate. They would not let him into the Barrow Area, but let him socialise around the camps. He said he was a neigbour, from an area about five miles east of Yag Island.
I know from scouting around that there is an area of shallow sea about ten miles to the east where a few jagged outcrops have sunk ships who still sit there with their masts sticking out the water.
You'd have to go about twenty miles to get to the next decent sized island. It's smaller than Yag, a tangle of jagged rocks and jungle that I've been informed it 'stuffed full of monsters.' Let's hope he is not from there!
The Dweller then went to talk to the Dwarves at the Fortress, then went into Tamunzah and had a drink at Dak's Pub "The Itchy Fishfinger" and sorted through his bags of random loot while he had a pie and a pint.
For his listening pleasure, Dak sang some sea shanties. Sparkledingle was there and started up a conversation. The Dweller admitted he had no home to speak of and that he merely "wandered the sea".
He stayed the night in town, rending a room at Gyles' Inn.
How mysterious!
DAY 672 (4th Hammer)(January)
I heard that Veddic got a message from Jamella Dotrok today. She's basically his boss, an Eternal Flame of Kossuth.
His task was to 'keep an eye on Fenrir' and see what advantage the church could get out of his activities.
He gave her some waffle about 'Continuing investigations.'
And
'Fenrir continuing to build power and influence in the area. Continuing to monitor the situation.'
'Where are you?' she asked via Sending.
'Yag'harr island, middle of shining sea.'
'For how long?'
'Unknown, but have started a small mission.'
Which was maybe pushing it a bit in my opinion. He'd maybe said a few prayers here and there, but as far as I could see he mainly loafed about in my house eating all my food and drinking all my wine.
'OK, jolly good. Let me know if you need anything.'
This was the final word from Jamella on this day.
DAY 673 (5th Hammer)(January)
I have been away the High Forest for the last few days. I've been studying some ancient wisdom and also some newly discovered wisdom.
The first is ancient Greenbound magic, from the Siluvanedenn ruins of Telardon.
The second is Ashbound magic. From a different plane this is the magic of an extreme druidic order. However, a few of the scholars in the High Forest have knowledge of it.
I also brought back an amazing bow. One of the elves persuaded me to buy it. It's elven name translates to "Stormpiercer, the Thunderous Fang".
It is an incredibly powerful artifact that fires powerful arrows of lightning that split and divide to hit multiple enemies with one shot. It cost me so much I dare not admit it to my wife!
DAY 674 (6th Hammer)(January)
The Dwarves from the Fortress (which they have named "Squaremirror") made another small shack out of stone. One of the Barrow Area locals claimed it.
Today the Missionary from Ilmater arrived. She is a lizardfolk lady originally from the Vast Swamp by the name of Crae Swamprunner. She is a cleric of Ilmater.
Another thing, Orimander let Reinward all his magic stuff was ready to go.
I heard that the Dweller did something for the dwarves of Squaremirror. I'm not sure what it was, but they seemed happy.
I also heard that Fenrir and Reinward were interested in doing the task that Fenrir's 'Psychoactive skin' had been given by Ghaunadaur. Just to refresh your memory dear reader the skin had been told:
''
Understand that you belong to Ghaunadaur. I know that you are unpredictable beings but you have a task. One of our spies has told us that an incredible powerful magical portal has opened up. It is on an island somewhere in the Shining Sea. The Vicar will teleport you there. You must open the portal to the Dismal Caverns and then seek an audience with Ghaunadaur. He will then send his minions here to Syrax-bah and claim the city in the name of Ghaunadaur.
''
They reasoned, not unfairly, that the Barrow portal must have a setting for getting to the Dismal Caverns. They ended up talking to Sleyvasxa the Trickster in town and she showed them some symbols of this dark god which they then took to the big library in Sasserine to gain more knowledge on.
Late that night they thought they had found the setting they needed on the portal stones. Myself and Dak consider ourselves the custodians of the portal and gave permission for them to do what they wanted.
It seems an odd quest to me, but on their own heads be it.
DAY 675 (7th Hammer)(January)
In the morning Fenrir and Reinward fired up the portal, set it to "Dismal Caverns" and stepped through.
They didn't know it at the time, but they were in the wrong region, an area called the Caverns of Thought, a realm that was a labyrinth of tunnels, lit by the faint glow of fungus. They had come out in a single long tunnel cut into obsidian rock.
It lead for half a mile until it ended in a rough stone room with a stone door at the other side. There was some broken mining equipment lying about and a sign by the door that read:
'Safety equipment must be worn beyond this point' in Dwarfish.
They rooted about in the rubbish and found many wands with no charges left in them, but also:
1 wand with 1 charge of stone shape
1 wand with 1 charge mud to stone
Fenrir tried his Ring of Knock, but it had no effect. On closer inspection it appeared to be just the outline of a door carved into the rock.
Reinward put his hand on it and he could feel it move. He checked it out and saw that it was trapped, but it was a benign trap that activated some sort of magical seal. It was effectively a magical air lock.
Reinward slinked through. He immediately sensed inaudible yet clear and powerful thoughts that were clearly trying to drive him mad.
Both him and Fenrir had Crystals of Mind Cloaking though, and since this seemed to help a bit, the decided to venture forth.
They roamed the Caverns of Thought for some time. They tested that they could teleport back to the miners room and they could, so they became less concerned of getting lost.
After four hours of wandering around in the labyrinth they had encountered a few mindless zombies but little else.
Growing frustrated Fenrir shouted 'I seek an audience with Ghaunadaur!' Nothing, of course, happened. They had no idea that Ghaunadaur didn't control all of the Dismal Caverns and that they were in region a thousand miles away that was the domain of Ilsensine, the god of Mind Flayers! They may as well have stood in Neverwinter and shouted for the Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate!
Using his brain for the first time in a while, Fenrir activated his Psychoactive skin and discovered it could form itself into an ooze-like humanoid shape while in the caverns and could communicate with them.
'How can I help?' it asked.
Fenrir asked what was going on, confused why he wasn't instantly in the presence of Ghaunadaur.
'Oh, that's easy, go lick that fungus,' it said, pointing at some mushrooms.
As Fenrir approached them nervously it then said, 'Just kidding, chief!'
'Nah,' it went on, 'We aint in his realm boss, we are in the Caverns of Thought.'
Fenrir sighed. He realised they had gone off half-cocked again. He teleported back to the miner's chamber, then they went back through the portal to the island.
Next they went to Sasserine and after many hours of talking to bard's and scholar's paid 200 gold for a diagram of a teleport location in the Realm of Ghaunadaur.
It was well past midnight when they returned.
DAY 676 (8th Hammer)(January)
Today they tried again. This time they put Sparkledingle in the obsidian dwarf worker room to relay messages back to the Island if required.
The teleport location they had purchased worked a treat though and they ended up in a huge cavern that held an equally massive ziggurat carved out of the living rock.
They walked towards it and saw gangs of troglodytes going about their business. The denizens of the Caverns looked them over, but left them alone.
The Psychoactive skin formed as a separate entity again. They had nicknamed it 'Venom'. It formed an oozing image of Fenrir, with breasts and ten arms!
If evidently had a sense of humour.
It then walked to over to a group of troglodytes and talked to them.
'Ah,' hissed one of them. 'New arrivals? Come with us!'
Nearer the ziggurat they saw many different types of oozes, apparently citizens of this place, some formed into humanoid shapes, or that of animals and monsters. Some just large wobbling blobs, some more like moving puddles. Some of them came to sniff at Venom and talk to him in their own hidden language.
In part of the cavern not far from the ziggurat was a large filthy camp that seemed to be a sort of holding area for oozes, troglodytes, mindflayers and beholders that had recently died on the Material Planes and arrived here in what was their afterlife.
Venom brought them to a beholder called Borkulax the All-Seeing, who was one of the camp overseers.
'If you want to gain the interest of Ghaunadaur in the shortest and most efficient amount of time you may enter the Gauntlet of Zhaeryx.'
They agreed to that, and were given accommodation and food that was served to them by dark elves. Reinward remembered to update Sparkledingle on the situation before the day ended.
Thursday, 3 April 2025
(G581 01/02/2025 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP, AD) 5ED2
[This continues the story of Nestor Applebaum the cleric, Haggen Dashenford the fighter and Rogier the bard, as told to me from Random. As far as possible I will relate the story as it was told to me. Currently the lads are in the village of Greball.]
DAY 2
Now then Rollo old chap, I know you'll not think well of Nestor, but I have to say there is part of me that admires his cheek.
On rising in the morning he went out into the village and kicked a puppy and set fire to some washing hanging on a line. Next he then taught some swear words to a child whom he met at the well. As an overweight lady came to the well in a panic to fetch water to put out the fire, he tripped her up, spilling lady, water and all onto the ground.
As I understand it old chap, Nestor often likes to start his days like this!
Back at the inn, a man approached — clearly the mayor, from his self-important air — and regarded them with interest.
"You look like adventurers," he said. "We have a problem. Our village depends on the lake, but for the past month, the water’s turned acidic. There’s a ruined village nearby that might be the source. Goblins have been spotted in the area."
With that, they had their next destination. It was about an hour’s walk to the lake, a murky green expanse shrouded in mist.
They arrived just in time to spot a goblin pouring something into the water before sprinting east. Without hesitation, Nestor gave chase.
The pursuit led them to the ruins of a village—now a goblin outpost. As they approached, a goblin on the wall raised the alarm. Rogier, meanwhile, had already climbed over the far wall, giving the others a double thumbs-up from the other side.
Haggen hurled a javelin. A goblin fired back at Nestor, but he responded with a Command spell. "Flee!" The goblin turned tail and ran.
Haggen took a hit but gritted his teeth. Nestor healed him with a healing spell, prompting a complaint about his cantrips.
"Oh, stop whining," Nestor muttered.
The battle raged on, with Haggen chopping a goblin clean in half. Rogier, meanwhile, managed to cast a Thunderwave that killed an enemy but also flung Haggen into a wall. With an irritated sigh, Haggen knocked out Rogier with the flat of his sword. While he was out of it Nestor drew a cock and balls
on his forehead in goblin blood. He then put a severed goblin penis in Rogier's pocket for good measure!
Nestor then impaled goblin heads on spikes and looted their bodies.
They returned to the village victorious, though Rogier bore some unfortunate artwork on his forehead, hastily scrubbed away when a local pointed it out.
After a well-earned rest, they prepared to set out again the next morning.
DAY 3
Back at the goblin village, they found their gruesome trophies untouched. House by house, they searched, discovering strange vials and some decent loot.
The largest house contained a goblin and a giant rat. Rogier incinerated the goblin, and Haggen made short work of the rat. More weapons, gold, and supplies were found, but Haggen was convinced this wasn’t their main base.
As they debated their next move, Rogier — true to form — cast Thunderwave again, knocking Nestor flat. Haggen sighed, chased him down, and biffed him once more.
After that they went back to the village, bruised and battered, and not all of it as a result of fighting the goblins.