20150612
Andrew F. (GM)
Ben B. (Hubert The Wizard)
Jacob L. (Ievos The Ranger, w/ Wyn The Dire Wolf)
Star S. (Polly The Druid)

Characters:
Hubert:

• 100+ years old, academic from main land.
• On sabbatical to study necromantic ritual he found in library, just because it is there to study.
• Is helping with a ritual to treat saws and equipment to better process graybark timber.
• Has been tasted by a Dire Bat in the Graybark Forest. Does the bat want more?
• Has befriended a pet Death Mole (below), which has bonded particularly with his left hand.
• What is this significance?
• Has learned that his unseen servants are unique, and that the death mole can consume them. Are these the spirits of former mages, bound in death to serve the living?

Polly:

• born an elf, but identifies as a parrot.
• willingly serves as Hubert’s ‘familiar’ – Hubert hasn’t quite noticed even though he has seen * * Polly in various forms, he hasn’t noticed the transition.
  can revert to parrot or elf form upon exhaustion of hold, or switch between the two at will.
• is looking for druid friend Esmerelda, who identifies as a monkey and captured by wizards of Hubert’s university for use as a lab animal.
• Knows (or suspects?) that the wizard order is Up To Something in the Graybark Forest.
• Believes in preserving balance to nature and leaving no footprints.
• How will she react to necromantic rituals and death moles if that becomes an issue with Hubert?

Ievos & Wyn:

• Carries a fine elven bow, in family for generations.
• Fought a female Dire Wolf in Graybark, and is well known for surviving. Took its eye… did it survive?
• Rides Wyn, Dire Wolf, into battle.
• Respects nature, but brooks no fools; will punish predators for thinking him prey.
• Concerned that the Death Moles in particular are a foreboding omen, and convinced that Wyn senses something too.
• Has three baby dire bats, rescued from nest; they have bonded with Wyn.

Places:
Graybark Forest – towering trees with iron-like wood. Home to many varieties of dire creatures (including Dire variants) that stalk the wood. Rumor is these are the gods’ own protectors of the sacred wood.

Indigo Jungle – far away, home to another kind of elf. Language there is a strange dialect to elves near Graybark.

Flora:
Elondra’s Orchids grow in the Graybark Forest, in places where death gathers outside the light of the sun. In this case, at the bottom of a cliff, beneath the barrow of an assassin vine. These sapphire blue orchids are run through with deep violet marbling, and are named after Elondra.

1. How are the Orchids used in necromantic rituals?
2. Why do they smell of ozone when used in magical ritual?

Fauna:
Dire Bats swarm in small groups, seeking easy prey. Tend to gather small trinkets. One has tasted Hubert and lived.

Assassin Vines attack the unwary traveller. Highly susceptible to fire.

Death Moles have no signs of life, except that they wiggle and run around, can be quite playful, and bond quickly to individuals. Curiously, they seem to feed off of spiritual energies.

1. How are these moles tied to spirits/death?
2. Are they dangerous?
3. How can they be used?

People:
Tiny, a bandit leader, camped a few miles outside of the Village of Graybark.
Instinct: (redacted – time will tell)
Knack: (redacted – time will tell)

1. (redacted – time will tell)
2. (redacted – time will tell)

Ulfred, a princess in disguise. She is in hiding among the bandits. She is the daughter of Seawich royalty. her mother was a student of Hubert, and they had a chance encounter in the Graybark Forest, to their mutual surprise.
Instinct: (redacted – time will tell)
Knack: stunning looks

1. What does Ulfred seek to devour?
2. Is Seawich the human capital across the sea?
3. Is Ironcurl a colony of Seawich still, or an independent trade partner?

Deities:
Elondra, She-Who-Walks-the-Cold-Halls; She-Who-Welcomes-Us-Home. An elven deity associated with death. A grim reaper aspect, she guides the lost souls to rest.

Items of interest:
Graybark Compass, a small handheld compass that seems to point toward the nearest elder Graybark trees. Looted from Tiny.

1. What is special about “elder” trees?
2. How does the compass distinguish them?
3. What is the compass’ range?
4. What use was it to the bandits?
5. Does Tiny want it back?

Andrew F (Tyrrah)
Ben B (Corrin Bannister)
Brian H (GM)
Isaac P (Ochre)
Ryan N (Vinny Vincetti)
Star S (Sal)

Our story begins with the heroes escorting a caravan along the well-travelled route from Ironcurl, a busy seaport, to Graybark, the regional capital. They’ve been paid a little too well for a job that’s a little too easy. After arriving in Daggerdown with the intention of spending the night, things get crazy at the crowded inn. The Elf Fighter Ochre goes to check on their cargo, and it disappears in magical darkness. The thump he hears is one of the other guards falling, gravely injured.

Sal (the Sexually Confused), the party’s Bard-in-Residence, halts her stunning lute performance, and s/he, Tyrrah the Paladin and Vinny Vincetti (whaddayoulookinat?) run to assist Ochre (who notified the patrons and inn employees by ramming his spear through a wall and yelling through the hole).

Tyrrah is able to stablize the guard, and Sal, via her Planar Spheres knowledge, feels “a disturbance in the force” to the southeast. The party heads out in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, the intrepid (paranoid?) Ranger Corrin and his companion Nightbreeze are getting the lay of the land. After picking a spot to spy on the dried mud tracks he found outside the inn, he realizes the inn has gone totally silent. Nightbreeze does a quick recon, and then flushes something out of the grass.

As the party arrives on the scene, an imp runs out of the darkness, flailing his arms and trying to avoid the owl. Corrin and Ochre hold the imp hostage, who under extreme duress admits that the cart they seek is nearby.

—

1. Where did this imp come from?
2. Where’s the cart?
3. Who whacked Levi?
4. What is Vinny going to tell his cousin Chad about the cargo he lost?

Tune in next time and find out!

Wondering how to get started? Here are a few tips:

1. Invite your players

Invite them with either their email address or their Obsidian Portal username.

2. Edit your home page

Make a few changes to the home page and give people an idea of what your campaign is about. That will let people know you’re serious and not just playing with the system.

3. Choose a theme

If you want to set a specific mood for your campaign, we have several backgrounds to choose from. Accentuate it by creating a top banner image.

4. Create some NPCs

Characters form the core of every campaign, so take a few minutes to list out the major NPCs in your campaign.

A quick tip: The “+” icon in the top right of every section is how to add a new item, whether it’s a new character or adventure log post, or anything else.

5. Write your first Adventure Log post

The adventure log is where you list the sessions and adventures your party has been on, but for now, we suggest doing a very light “story so far” post. Just give a brief overview of what the party has done up to this point. After each future session, create a new post detailing that night’s adventures.

One final tip: Don’t stress about making your Obsidian Portal campaign look perfect. Instead, just make it work for you and your group. If everyone is having fun, then you’re using Obsidian Portal exactly as it was designed, even if your adventure log isn’t always up to date or your characters don’t all have portrait pictures.

That’s it! The rest is up to your and your players.