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kirain · 2 months

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I know you've said you're not into shipping, but if you HAD to ship bg3 companions (you do, I'm saying you have to😝) which npcs would you ship them with?

Well, since you're forcing me. 😅

...This was actually harder than I thought it would be, since I don't usually consider ships. But I think I'm happy with my choices.

In my opinion, Lae'zel and Varsh Ko'kuu would make a fantastic couple. Personally, I prefer the ending where Lae'zel returns to the Astral Plane to usher in a new age for the githyanki, hopefully turning them from their violent and conquerous ways. To do that she'll need support, hence her call for rebellion. I like to think Ko'kuu would be one of the first to join her, as the Narrator tells us he's grown "tired"; likely of his people's brutal and callous ways. He's clearly diplomatic and maternal, as well as open-minded enough to trust an outsider with his young, so he'd be a perfect ally. As he becomes Lae'zel's righthand man during the civil war, they would naturally form a bond that blooms from respect and admiration to romantic. He would also make an excellent father to Xan.

This ship I don't think I even need to explain. Karlach and Dammon are absolutely perfect for each other. They respect each other, they like each other, they understand each other's struggles, and they're both kind, caring, optimistic people. Karlach not only fantasizes about Dammon in her origin run, but they also have an adorable handholding scene once he upgrades her engine. So in relation to her somewhat disappointing ending, I like to think Dammon discovers a cure for her condition and follows her to Avernus, where they break into Zariel's forge, construct a permanent upgrade that negates the deadly heat inside her, and then escape back to the material plane. After that, the two would become inseparable. They would start a new life in Baldur's Gate, with Dammon continuing his work as a respected blacksmith and Karlach becoming an avid defender of the city.

This ship was actually my friend's idea, and I believe she's planning on exploring it further on her own blog. As we discussed it, we both agreed Sebastian would probably hate Astarion and want blood, even knowing he had no choice but to follow Cazador's demands; over a century of misery and torment leaves little room for forgiveness. After his release, I think he'd track Astarion down and try to kill him in a blind act of revenge, but hesitate, failing the task. Still a sweet and delicate soul, he'd fall to his knees in tears, lamenting everything he's lost. Plagued with guilt upon seeing his broken state, Astarion would comfort Sebastian, knowing what it's like to feel nothing but fear and hatred. Things would be rocky at first, slow, messy—but eventually Sebastian would forgive Astarion, falling in love with him all over again. And with that closure, Astarion would finally be able to forgive himself.

To me, this ship makes the most sense (and may also be the sweetest), as Shadowheart and Nocturne already have a shared history and they've both suffered under Shar. When we meet Nocturne, she implies she's grown wary of following the dark goddess and her cult, but she's too afraid to leave. So after defeating the Absolute, I like to imagine Shadowheart rekindles her relationship with Nocturne, eventually turning her away from Shar and convincing her to leave the sanctum. With her once best friend's guidance, Nocturne would adjust well to the world outside, growing close to Shadowheart once again and rebuilding her lost memories, as well as making new ones. Together they would travel the world, forever wrapped in each other's loving embrace.

I fell in love with Exxvikyap the moment I met her, and I think she'd be perfect for Wyll. He needs someone who can match his excitable, charismatic energy—and she definitely would. Whether Wyll follows in his father's footsteps or follows Karlach to Avernus, at some point I like to think he'd return to Baldur's Gate. Once he does, he'd find himself visiting the Rivington General for a new weapon. As she helps him find a sword best suited to his fighting style, they'd strike up a conversation. Wyll would find her warm and bubbly personality both infectious and endearing, which would lead to him visiting the shop again. And again. And again. And again. Slowly, he would begin courting the sweet dragonborn woman, and she would happily accept his advances. Eventually she would quit, joining Wyll on his many adventures and defending the Sword Coast from any who would threaten to harm it.

This ship I waffled on for a while, because personally I didn't see it; especially since I think Gale needs someone who's compassionate and affectionate. But then I realised Rolan is both of those things. At least by Act 2. He's sassy and snappy and self-important, but he loves his siblings—to the point that he was willing to risk his career to stick by them at the Grove, and enough to risk his life by searching for them in the Shadowlands. He also saved the orphans, even though he whinged about it. He wants to be independent, but he later learns to accept help, which leads me to Gale. At some point, I like to think Gale visits Ramazith's Tower, looking for a book. He bumps into Rolan, who's struggling to cast an advanced spell that summons a hoard of angry mephits. Chaos ensues, causing Gale and Rolan to team up and reverse the damage. Rolan would beat himself up over the incident, but Gale would encourage him, teaching him the proper way to cast the spell. From that point on, their relationship would blossom in ways neither of them expected. Together they would find a perfect balance, propping each other up while also keeping each other humble.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #astarion #karlach #lae'zel #wyll ravengard #shadowheart #varsh ko'kuu #dammon #Sebastian #Nocturne #bg3 sebastian #bg3 nocturne #exxvikyap #bg3 rolan #rolan #shipping

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busy-baker · 2 months

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So what happens when Astarion’s parents get a divorce on Astarion’s own divorce court show? Chaos, absolute chaos. Special thanks to @kalmiaphlox for every ounce of help in this silly little one shot. It’s basically our brainrot baby. It’s been a blast

Elera and Syllar Ancunín go to divorce court to settle their case before the formidle Judge Ancunín. Drama will ensue but it makes for wonderful television.

Word Count: 1.9k

Your keys hit the counter with a clash before sliding off onto the tile of your kitchen floor. You groaned and stomped over to swipe them up, slamming them back in their right place.

You shrugged off your jacket, throwing it over a barstool and made your way over to your worn in couch.

The apartment you rent was nothing much. It was enough for yourself and you made it into a comfortable living space. The hustle and bustle of the city life was not what you saw for yourself at first but now you wouldn’t trade it for a thing.

What a day, you thought, grabbing the remote and clicking on the television.

You had the next two days off and you were hoping to get lost in a sea of trashy shows and junk food. It had been a very long time since you let go and enjoyed yourself.

Quickly, throwing in a bag of microwaveable popcorn and dumping it into a large bowl, you plopped back into your seat and started flicking through the channels.

A tiefling and githyanki were in some weightlifting competition. Their faces were straining as they hoisted the barbells above their heads but it was quite impressive. Not really your cup of tea though.

The next channel had a wizard with multiple mage hands helping him put together an extravagant meal for a dinner party. The table setting was perfect but all it did was make you hungry for a gourmet meal and your paycheck couldn’t afford more than simple takeout.

You pressed the channel up button once again and you were met with loud, authoritative music blaring from the television. Large letters popped up on the screen in a very obnoxious gold.

DIVORCE COURT WITH JUDGE ANCUNÍN

With a sigh, you tossed the remote to the next cushion. This would have to do. It reminded you of the days when you were younger and there was absolutely nothing else to watch.

You sat back, kicking your feet up on your coffee table and began munching on your snack. The narrator started talking and you lost yourself in the show.

“They say love conquers all, but for the case of Syllar and Elera Ancunín, love couldn’t conquer everything. Elera claims the former Lord was leading a hidden life, smelling of soot, hiding away until late hours of the night, and even bargaining away the life of their unborn grandchild.”

“Syllar, on the other hand, insists it was all for the greater good of their lives. Can they overcome their differences and settle this or will it be a battle of devastating blows? That will be for Judge Ancunín to decide.”

Two elves stroll into the courtroom glaring at each other and taking their places at their respective table. The one is striking with her long waves of silver hair and pale skin. She is accompanied by a dark skinned devil. He has two very different eyes but seems friendly enough towards her.

The other elf is quite handsome with the darkest black hair and piercing eyes. He stood tall next to his lawyer, who immediately gave you the “ick.” The man had the the slimiest grin plastered on his face and there was just something off about him but you weren’t quite sure what.

The camera panned to a towering figure with blonde hair shaved on one side and golden cracks illuminating her white skin. She wasn’t someone you wanted to be on the wrong side of a knife fight with.

“Court is now in session. All rise for the honorable Judge Ancunín,” the woman’s voice boomed through the room.

“Is this even allowed? He’s our son!” The elf, you presumed Syllar, whisper yelled to his lawyer, camera drawing near to his face. They seemed unaware.

“He’s the only one available this side of Balder’s Gate. It’s all show biz, little lord,” the lawyer laughed him off with a wave and then turned in shock to see the camera in his face, straightening his suit jacket with a clearing of his throat.

The side door opened and in walked the judge donning his black robes. He had perfectly coiffed silver curls and the most beautiful face you had ever seen. It was as if the Gods had taken their time carving it.

His jawline was sharp and lips were plush. You were practically drooling, but his eyes were hypnotizing in the bloodiest red. They drew you in and they were complimented by a perfect set of glasses that framed his face so well.

Fucking hells, he’s hot. I need to watch this more often, you thought, shoving a handful of popcorn in, coughing on a piece.

The bailiff walked over and handed Judge Ancunín a folder as he sat and returned to her spot. The judge flitted through the pages and then peered over his glasses at the two elves before him. His eyes softened ever so slightly at the female elf before looking back down at the papers and slamming the folder shut and sighing.

“So, Lady Ancunín, you state you are tired of the constant lies and betrayal and want to end this relationship and seek ownership of the home,” he stated, and looked to his father, with considerable more disdain, “Lord Ancunín, you say you sought better for you family by seeking a deal with a devil.” He paused, glancing at the man beside Syllar.

“I knew it!” You yelled at the screen. Something was definitely off about that guy.

“You pawned off your first born grandchild, my child, and seek to remain in the house as one unit.” Ancunín finished.

The camera panned to where an elven woman sat in the public benches holding a smiling baby on her lap with a head full of silver curls. Her chubby fist had a handful of her mother’s hair and tugged at it while the other held onto a small stuffed toy. She was definitely the child the judge spoke of. You were disgusted anyone would wanted to bargain her away.

“Elera, Wyll,” the shot focuses back on the handsome judge, “tell me in your own words what you seek from this. What’s finally broke the camel’s back, hm?”

Wyll, Elera’s lawyer, stepped forward, “Your honor, Lady Ancunín has dealt with terrible hardship at the hands of Syllar. He’s caused her nothing but distraught and it seems the former lord seeks to overpower the Sword Coast.”

“Objection, your honor! That’s mere speculation on the faux devil’s part,” the other devil spoke up, sneering at Wyll.

Ancunín rolled his eyes but conceded. “Sustained. Raphael, you and my father may plead your case,” he said, “Not that I care for it.”

Raphael, devil and Lord Ancunín’s lawyer, sauntered forward towards the front of the room. He leaned one elbow on the judge’s stand and smirked up at the annoyed judge.

“Gods, this guy,” you groaned, “Who let him in here?”

Ancunín’s eyes darted down to his watch and back up to Raphael. He tapped on it to signal the time.

“Half hour show. Get on with it,” the judge warned.

Raphael let out a dissatisfied noise but his face morphed into one with charm. He had definitely done this before. Plenty of times. He continued leaning as he launched into his spiel.

“Your honorable and dear Judge Astarion Ancunín,” he began, laying it on thick, “I present to you a man, broken, worn, hardened by his years and years of fighting to strive for perfection for his wonderful wife and,” he looked to Astarion, “darling boy.”

“Had he signed a contract with an, albeit fair, devil? Yes, but to take away his livelihood would be such a harsh and cruel punishment. Especially when that man is your own father, little vampling.”

Ah, that explains the eyes. His wife is so lucky.

A quick gleam flashed in the devil’s fingers and landed on the judge’s stand. The judge’s lips pursed and he raised an eyebrow, eyeing the sneakily placed gold piece. His hand twitched for just a second.

“Astarion! Honestly, right now?” Elera whispered up to him, appalled.

“What? I’m a man of means, mother,” Ancunín returned, although leaving the gold piece where it was.

“Your father tried to sell your child!” Elera reminded him.

Syllar clearly did not take that well. His face was losing that well maintained composure and turning a bright shade of red. His body spun in his wife’s direction and his finger pointed towards her.

“Uh oh, the bastard’s going to blow a gasket,” you muttered, leaning forward in your seat. This was about to get good.

“If you hadn’t coddled the boy, this wouldn’t have ended up like this!” The lord started stepping forward. “I knew what was best! You both need to listen to me!”

Wyll shielded Elera from her angry husband while Raphael shifted to his true cambion form in the courtroom. Syllar continued on in his tirade with the intimidating bailiff having to step in, holding him back.

Raphael almost made it to her but Wyll let loose an Eldritch blast, knocking the elf and cambion to their sorry asses.

Judge Ancunín was standing on his feet, banging his gavel to no end, angrily glaring at the display in his courtroom.

You sat staring at your television screen, waiting for some kind of off air sound to come on. You couldn’t believe your eyes. You reached into your bowl for another bite but found it empty. A snack would have to wait. There was no way you were missing any of this show to make more.

Astarion pinched the bridge of his nose, sitting slowly back down in his chair. He shook his head and adjusted his glasses while scribbling something onto the documents in front of him.

“If my mind wasn’t already made up before, father,” he spat towards Syllar, “It is now. Lady Ancunín, you will be awarded all assets, including the Ancunín estate. You will be granted separation from Lord Ancunín and if you seek an order of protection from him, such will also be granted. Your title will also remain.”

“But-” Syllar began but was cut off by Astarion’s hand being held up.

“Tav, would you please bring the darling Juniper forth?” Judge Ancunín asked.

Tav, the elven woman from the benches, carried the bouncing baby forward to the judge’s stand and lifted her over to her father. The silver hair babe reached for him and he gently smiled as he sat her on his lap.

“Would you do me the honors, little one?” He questioned, placing the gavel in her tiny hand and guiding it to bang down several times as she squealed.

He kissed her forehead and whispered into her ear before handing her back to her mother. He repeated the process with the gavel in a more formal manner and stood, taking the folder underneath his arm and walking out the exit.

“Court is adjourned,” the bailiff said, following out the door behind him.

The narrator’s voice started up again as the defendant and plaintiff left the courtroom following their case. Elera looked as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders, beaming through the long corridor. Syllar wouldn’t even glance at the camera with his sneer and disheveled hair.

The credits rolled and you flung back in your seat, dizzied from the wild ride of the show.

You picked up your remote, opening up a streaming app.

There’s gotta be more of that on here, you thought.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #astarion #bg3 astarion #thicker than water #dadstarion #magistrate astarion #one shot #bg3 au

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zippdementia · 5 years

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Part 77 Alignment May Vary: A Little Touch of Undermountain

Last time, my players got wrapped up with a bunch of Githzerai and so I needed to come up with a Gith dungeon. For the next piece of the adventure, I used level 16 of Undermountain, so following will be spoilers for that level of 5e’s Undermountain. If you don’t mind, then read on to see how it progressed!

When I prep for a dungeon, I like to read the whole thing first. Not in incredible detail while taking notes or anything, but just skimming through, browsing maps, getting the general idea, spotting interesting rooms, getting a sense of the challenge.

What I’m really trying to do is to find the story.

Every dungeon tells a tale, or at least has the ability to tell a tale. There is no exception to this. Sometimes the tale is very deliberate, other times it will read differently to each GM, based on the personal biases and aesthetics they bring to their reading of the dungeon. For instance, in a dungeon run by Kobolds but with no details as to why they are there, different DMs will draw different conclusions. Some might look at the treasure room and determine that the Kobolds must be protecting an ancient treasure of their people. Bam, there you have a story. Others might notice that the Kobolds are oddly led by a Drow wizard and conclude that this is only the tip of a greater invasion dwelling just below the surface. Another might take the same data and think that this is the dwelling of an outcast Drow, who pridefully believes this to be the first step towards his conquering of the world. Even another might see this and believe that the Drow has been magically enchanted to believe that he himself is a Kobold, and the Kobolds serving him don’t have the courage to try and convince him otherwise, not after what happened to poor pussbottom...

In the case of the dungeon levels of Undermountain, we have quite a bit to go on. Each level in the fifth edition rendition of the dungeon is given at least one deliberate and major story that can be used as a throughline without and several smaller plot lines that are left more open for the DM and players to develop through their actions. In level 16, there is a Githyanki fortress led by a female warrior, Al’Chaia. Wrapped up in her rule is a number of complications. For one, she has encouraged competition among her followers and this has had led to at least one believing they could be a better ruler than she is. Even among her dragon pets, there is competition, as one of the young dragons is seeking to escape the rule of his great red mother and is willing to burn his way to freedom if given the opportunity and a strong enough party of (momentary) allies. And speaking of momentary allies, there are prisoners in the dungeon just waiting for a chance to escape: a group of Mind Flayers for one, and a lone Githzerai monk for another. The two groups won’t work together, but either one could make for a powerful set of allies when trying to work against Al’Chaia. Al’Chaia, for her part, is equal mixture paranoia and pride, desiring to have a direct hand in everything that happens in Stardock and personally interviewing all trespassers and prisoners. She prefers to have intruders taken alive and her knights see this as such a clear way to her favor that they will go to great lengths, even endangering themselves, to capture interlopers rather than kill them.

So, this leaves us with the following story threads:

Al’Chaia wants prisoners

Ezria is a prisoner whom the Githzerai want freed

At least one general wants Al’Chaia dead

There are Mindflayer prisoners who want to be freed

Level 16 is broken into two dungeons, really: the Crystal Labyrinth and the Githyanki Stardock (which is actually located in space and is a light entry into the Spelljammer campaign setting).

Transposing a Dungeon

If playing Undermountain on its own, then the purpose of every dungeon level is to survive and make it to the next lowest level. In this light, Level 16 is an odd one, because you never actually have to go to Stardock to proceed to the next level of Undermountain. Even a group curious about Stardock can’t easily access it, they have to find a key first which requires either killing or convincing one of the more powerful combatants in the Crystal Labyrinth to give you their key. A group might be COMPELLED to seek out and explore Stardock by groups they encounter earlier or later in Undermountain, but square for square it is the easiest level of Undermountain to bypass. The other surprising thing is that all of the story I mentioned above, all of those hooks, happen mostly in Stardock and not so much in the Crystal Labyrinth.

For my purposes, there isn’t anywhere else to go: the players aren’t in Undermountain trying to get to the next level, so I had to focus them from the start on the idea of accessing the Stardock. At the same time, they had some major restrictions that delvers into Undermountain don’t, the big one being they have nowhere to run to in case they need a long rest. Oh, and because their ship is running out of oxygen, they have a limited amount of time to finish the adventure and achieve their goal.

The goal I set up as rescuing Ezria, the Githzerai monk. It made the most sense in terms of story and also felt like the most achievable mission (as killing Al’Chaia is tough, considering she fights with other Gith at her side and at least one young red dragon (possibly more, and possibly an Adult Red Dragon, too, depending on when and how you fight her). I didn’t rule out the possibility of them killing Al’Chaia, but if they did it would have to take place as a hit-and-run assassination, killing her in a few rounds before she had a chance to summon any guards and then getting the heck outta dodge before the mamma dragon showed up to take revenge. Regardless, the mission would require stealthy play, something we haven’t done too much of in our adventures.

I also broke the mission into three pieces in my mind: one was to get through the Crystal Labyrinth (reskinned for my purposes as an in-between world, a backdoor the Githzerai “tunneled” through the aether into the Githyanki fortress, but which was discovered and occupied by the Githyanki) probably proceeding with the help of one of the dissatisfied generals working under Al’Chaia. The second part was to find Ezria in Stardock and break him out of prison. The third part was to escape back to the entrance of Stardock, where Ezria would open a portal and they would get back to the Githzerai homeworld.

There was nothing I threw out or changed over much aside from focusing the dungeon flow on these elements and adhering to those three parts. Other than that, I just got ready to improvise based on whatever the players did.

How Did it Go?

After an initial added puzzle involving a malfunctioning security laser system, the players enter the Labyrinth proper. I changed the entrance point to be the far east side of the map, rather than the west, because I wanted to place them potentially closer to Urlon, one of the more benign of the disgruntled lieutenants (AKA he doesn’t attack them on sight). Overall, there is less activity on this side of the map so I felt like it gave them a better chance of finding a way through the maze to the Stardock.

They do a good job initially of sneaking around. They encounter an imprisoned Mind Flayer, Marqoux (we call him Marky for short) and talk to him for a moment to get a basic understanding of where they are and what to look out for. They are unable to free him at this time, and so they move on and come to a gigantic cavern filled with Githyanki, overseen by a more powerful Githyanki female floating naked in a crystal in the center of the room. This fight is huge. It ends up involving about a dozen Githyanki, all them leaping and misty stepping all over the place, striking by darting in and then teleporting away. The woman in the crystal compliments their attacks with magic missile, haste spells, and twice a gigantic fireball that the party manages to dodge. There are also three Crystal Golems, time and light bending monstrous statues who are less effective than they might have been (due to some poor rolling on my part) and instead make the players feel pretty epic as they dodge around +8 and +10 to hits and whittle away at the Golems until they are naught but crystaline dust in the glowing Labyrinth.

The coolest moments to come out of this come from Imoaza. At one point she strikes down a Githyanki and then uses her Warlock powers to trap his soul and raise him from the dead as a wraith who fights at her command. At another, she leaps over a Crystal Golem’s attack, splits Drosselgreymer into its two smaller sickles, lands on the golem’s chest and hangs there with one sickle while slashing away at the creature’s single diamond eye with the other until it goes down. She then backflips off of it, puts together Drosselgremyer again, and shoots eldritch blasts at two Githyanki as she lands. It’s some next level anime shit.

All this fighting eventually attracts the attentions of one of the Githyanki Knights, who strides into battle atop a young red dragon and who turns the tide in favor of the enemy, scattering the players. Imoaza hides inside a cone of ice and then sneaks away when it dissipates. Carrick flees deeper into the caverns, hiding himself in a crevice. And Milosh, who has proven to be by far the tankiest of the characters, takes on the dragon and its rider on his own for a round or two before being forced into a dead end outside of the Mind Flayer’s prison cell.

I don’t know if we’ve mentioned before that Milosh has a power cannon on his arm, similar to Mega Man? His can burn special gun-arm slots to mimic certain magic and it can fire arrows like a crossbow, powering them up with different effects as he fires them (and he’ll learn more effects as time goes on). He uses one here to launch an electrified arrow into the Githyanki knight’s chest, nearly killing her in a single blow! She survives though and with his resources running out and a pissed off red dragon staring him down, Milosh prepares to either make his final stand or use a special ranger power he has to pierce the aether and travel unseen through the ethereal plane to escape. But instead the Githyanki hails him between ragged and haggard breaths and orders him to stand down and surrender. Milosh agrees and tries to find some clever way to turn this to advantage, but instead he is clapped in magical irons that prevent the use of his abilities and a magical headband that might have been familiar to Targaryen/Daymos from long long ago, blocking out Milosh’s thoughts and blinding him. Then he is led from the arena and up to Stardock.

But what about the player? Not wanting to lose anyone from the table for an extended period, we determine that in their haste to capture Milosh, the guards did not notice a key lifting off of their belt and floating quietly towards the small portal set in the door to the Mindflayer’s prison...

Keeping Your “Head” in the Game

The other party members, Imoaza and Carrick, witness Milosh’s surrender (Imoaza was actually disguised through magic as one of the Gith warriors talking to Milosh about surrendering, though she is too afraid to be caught to try and make a big play, like escorting him herself). They see him being led away by the injured Githyanki knight and her very-healthy-looking red dragon and realizing (correctly) that there is probably nothing they can do to rescue Milosh without risking the death of at least one party member, they continue to explore the labyrinth. Carrick is not very stealthy in his plate mail, and ends up alerting ANOTHER Githyanki magic user in a crystal, but Imoaza still has her disguise, and is able to pretend she is chasing him down, which makes the other Githyanki pause in their own pursuit. In this way, they stumble into the workshop of Urlon, creator of the crystal golems and their best bet at getting into Stardock.

Urlon explains his frustrations of Al’Chai’s rule and his desire to see her dead. He says if they manage to assassinate her, then he will create a distraction and slow the hunt for them, buying them time to find their comrade and escape. The players agree, though in truth they don’t intend to take on Al’Chai: they simply want to get to Ezria and get the heck out of this mess. Urlon doesn’t know this, so he offers them a ton of help: items and a general layout of the Stardock, and he also reforges Mistweaver, which used to belong to Aldric but which Carrick is now using, into a +3 magic weapon that retains its curious ability to hold onto and reproduce certain kinds of damage. An alarm then sounds throughtout the Labyrinth and Urlon snarls: “One of the Mindflayers has escaped,” he tells them. “They’ll be swarming the Labyrinth to find and kill the bastard. Here, you’ll need to hide until this is over.” He telekinetically levitates a massive work table off the ground to reveal a trapdoor leading into a small chamber underneath the workshop, where Imoaza and Carrick squeeze into a semi-comfortable spot, getting a short rest while Urlon and his apprentice, a younger Gith male, go to join the hunt.

The Mindflayer in question is the one being played by our other player, and the alarm is because he inadvertently alerted the Gith after a botched stealth roll. He now flees through the Labyrinth, seeking a hiding spot. He eventually spots one while slinking around the edge of a large cavern: a niche high in the wall that he levitates to and stuffs himself inside like a trapdoor spider. Indeed, the metaphor is apt, for some time later (after a short rest), a young Gith rests against the wall, out of sight of his companions... and is promptly set upon by the Mindflayer, who scores a critical hit against him and drags him up into the niche to feast on his brain. The brain’s memories rush into Marky and it turns out he ate the brain of Urlon’s apprentice. He now knows that two of the adventurers he met earlier are hiding out in Urlon’s workshop and that they have the means to enter Stardock.

Imoaza and Carrick have been sharing a somewhat uncomfortable silence while they rest. Carrick has been keeping an eye on Imoaza since Aldric’s death. Some whisper of fear eats at him. He hasn’t exactly suspected her, but some Paladin intuition is cluing him in to Imoaza’s deeper evil... though, for her part, Imoaza does not believe in evil. She believes only in pragmatism, and has already justified Aldric’s murder in her mind as an act of mercy. Aldric was clearly going to die, she tells herself, and was beginning to show his weakness besides. He’d become emotional and attached. He had a family, for god’s sake. That was dangerous for the group. She was preserving the group.

When Imoaza and Carrick next see the light of the Crystal Labyrinth pouring in through the trapdoor, it is not Urlon who stares down at them, but instead the tentacled face of the Mindflayer. He sends a telepathic message into their heads: “We should help each other.”

It is not the easiest decision to make. After all, Mindflayers are not easily trusted, and they also know that the Gith will be hunting for this one and will respond to any sighting of it with extreme prejudice. Even Urlon, who seemed actually sympathetic towards Ezria and the other Githzerai, going so far as to say he would cease the hunt for them if he replaces Al’Chaia, turned cold when it came to discussing the hunt for the ‘flayer.

At the same time, what choice do they really have?

The three thus band together, leave Urlon’s workshop, and make their way to the portal to Stardock. The Mindflayer uses his access to the Gith’s brain he devoured to fool the lone Crystal Golem blocking their way to the portal to Stardock (a cool notion the player came up with). They pass the golem without incident and insert the key into the portal, and are whisked away to the second part of the adventure, which we will cover next time.

One More Thing...

Before I sign off though, notice some of the things that went on in this session. I didn’t overly prep for this session. All I did read over the dungeon and then find those story threads. To keep things moving and the game fun in the actual session, all I had to do was tie everything that happened in the actual play with one of those story threads. Thus, when the fight with the Githyanki threatened to kill one or more of the players, it was perfectly reasonable instead for the Knight to try and imprison at least one of them, avoiding a TPK and keeping the story moving. Then, because that was removing a player from our game potentially, I improvised by turning to another story point: the Mindflayers. Now my player could stay in the action (very memorably so) as a Mindflayer. How often does a player get to play a monster in a game? And last, when the players seemed beat down and at a loss for where to go next, they found Urlon, who connected them to the “revolution” plot line.

Thus, no matter how crazy things got, I could always get us out of the weeds by steering us back towards the story threads. Identify these in your own sessions and you will find you have to plan a lot less and are ready to improvise when the need arises. And it ALWAYS arises. That’s half the fun of being a Dungeon Master!

#Dungeons and Dragons #dnd 5e #Campaign Journal #AlignmentMayVary #Alignment May Vary #Githyanki #Githzerai

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chaosunit0010 · 4 years

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DNDartober 2020

Here are the results of an October art prompt that I did for the entire month, created by Hugo Cardenas. This was a huge undertaking for me, testing my patience, adhd and consistency as an artist. All of these characters and items are going to be added to my DND campaign I'm running, to help flesh out the world some more.

DNDartober Day 1: Ex-Adventurer May I Present Clementine Soul Heart, renowned Artificer and Adventurer. Author of many books on magic theory, history of ancient civilizations and survival techniques.

DNDartober Day 2: Wandering Knight Spencer does not have a kingdom, nor a master, not much of anything to be honest. He woke with this armor and assumed he was knight, but no memory of who he was. Just a name Spencer.

DNDartober Day 3: Orc Hero Targhed a Barbarian chasing the dream of being a paladin. He's not the smartest man around, but he has a heart of gold and a desire to protect others no matter the cost.

DNDartober Day 4: Exiled Wizard Rodun was once the weakest of his tribe, living off his people's scraps. Until one day he came across a mysterious staff that granted him incredible intelligence. But the transformation led to his exile.

DNDartober Day 5: Deal Maker Devil Conroy is a slick demon, wandering the slums of the material plane talking up people down and out on their luck at a chance at a new life. Only to start a new life as his servant.

DNDartober Day 7: Sentient Weapon Forged from the broken armor of the Revenant that had chased down a legendary hero for many months. This blade wields his undying rage.

DNDartober Day 8: Troll Boss Grush was enslaved as a child by a cruel human master, forced to fight and kill for his master's enjoyment and to his suffering. But he learned while surrounded by the humans and then he became the master.

DNDartober Day 9: Info Broker Flinch was a githyanki adventurer, before receiving a brain injury from an illithid that left him with a permanent anxiety and a twitch. Now he trades for info so other people can get hurt rather than him.

DNDartober Day 10: Chromatic Dragon/Human Horizon was is the son of a Bronze and Red dragon that fought alongside a group of legendary heroes. Their hope was their son would unite all dragons to ensure their future of their race and the world.

DNDartober Day 12: Druid Des grew up in a village surrounded by untamed and ferocious lands. Filled with all manner of great and terrible beasts. One day she grew a connection with the land and beasts and learned the cycle of life and beasts.

DNDartober Day 13: Kobold Team Viss was once a common kobold living in the slums of a city, until she fell into aa deep despair. In the moment she stared into the void and it touched her granting her new insight. Now she has a new purpose.

DNDartober Day 14: Cursed Weapon Long ago a cruel and wicked Yuan Ti King conquered a rival kingdom and took all its people. The kings scarified their souls to empower a weapon that would lead to total control, only to die from its scorn.

DNDartober Day 15: Old rogue Mercenary Joe is old and with that comes experience and knowledge. As well as weapons and a tool for any situation. He didn't make it this long with dumb luck.

DNDartober Day 16: Thief Guild Leader Gold, street urchin turned, turned mastermind. He spent his days on cons in the pursuit of riches. But one faithful encounter would make him a legend.

DNDartober Day 17: Evil Wizard The Lord of Greed was once a powerful wizard ruling over the seas of his world. Until a great conqueror arrived on the world to take total control of it. And made this man into his new general, The Lord of Greed.

DNDartober Day 19: Magic Store Owner Owner of Black Water Oddities traveling emporium, Drench wanders the planes with his crew buying and selling magic items and relics for his patron to categories and research.

DNDartober Day 20: Metallic Dragon Human Form Zena is the older sister and bodyguard of her brother Horizon. Protecting him while on his mission to unite all of dragon kind under a common banner. Always prepared for any danger.

DNDartober Day 21: Parasite Weapon Ravager's Wrath was weapon from the remains of a ancient Barbarian Champion, mutated and modified to be a perfect warrior. Now this weapon strips it's wielder of blood in exchange of terrible power.

DNDartober Day 22: Shamed Hob Goblin Uzul was one the greatest Champion of his clan, which had conquered everyone of it's enemies and had become the biggest clan in the land. Until he lost his hand and leg in a duel and was exiled.

DNDartober Day 23: Pirate Captain Sorgun is a member of the Groon, a race of ape like humanoids that have spent their existence amongst nature. Until war came to their land and were thrown into a new world and for him its opportunity.

DNDartober Day 24: OG Monster Species The Ravager is the product of a virus, that infects and forces its victim into a terrible metamorphosis. Turning the host into a monster that thrives of violence and strength. Always hungry and evolving.

DNDartober Day 26: Traveling Bard Stripped of her name and family, Dorothy was exiled into a strange new world. Her journey as a bard collecting and retelling stories and tall tales. Using them to give people hope and strength.

DNDartober Day 27: Lizardman Deserter Broken is a curious lizardman asking question about everything. Always wanting to learn more about world until he met humans and learn about emotions and decided he wanted and left to find emotions.

DNDartober Day 28: Fragmented Weapon Heaven's Guard, the once proud spear of a divine guard. Left in ruin, shattered, waiting for the day it will be rebuilt.

DNDartober Day 29: Hag Merchant Elsa is a wanderer, really has no place to call home and prefers it like that. She enjoys exploring new places and meeting new people. As well as collecting new trinkets for her collection.

DNDartober Day 30: Head Hunter Sass a curious bird with a talent for hunting and a love for trinkets, specifically trinkets from the people she has captured or killed.

DNDartober Day 31: Unique Monster The Horned Guardian, child of divine and fiendish union. He is the sworn protector of the world of Serune. Willing to do whatever it takes to protect the world and her people.

#dndartoberWB #inktober #inktober 2020 #art #dnd #D&D

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