#campaign intros

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign Intros: Curse of Strahd Prequel

because one campaign in this setting wasn't enough for me or my husband (the DM), we decided to pass the time between sessions of the main game with a prequel solo game! we're only about 6 sessions in, but it got off to a pretty grim start and has only gotten grimmer

which, ya know, is lowkey the goal for a gothic horror campaign, so it works!

~anyway~

the setting (and some backstory)

if you're familiar with Curse of Strahd as written (or you read my last campaign intro), you've probably got a decent understanding of the basic setting already, so i'll go into more detail here about Kire's immediate circumstances—in other words, how this mess all started

once upon a time, there lived a family; a mother named Ravena, a father named Barov, and two sons named Strahd and Sergei. they lived peacefully as the rulers of a happy little country centered in a prosperous valley. but their neighbors grew envious of their good fortune, and one day, they conspired together to attack and take the wealth for themselves. they killed the king and queen, but left the boys alive; and placed Strahd, the older of the two, on the throne as a puppet ruler

but Strahd was cunning and coy and bitter, and as he grew, he studied and practiced everything he could, and became a skilled fighter and mage. soon, he took his vengeance, slaying those responsible for his parents' murders and conquering their lands. he named his new domain Barovia, after his father, and called the castle he built there Ravenloft, for his mother

and then, unsatisfied, he kept going, conquering and devouring and leaving ruin in his wake

the rest of the continent watched his spree with apprehension, and when they could stand their fear no more, banded together to form a massive army to take him on. in time, they were able to drive him back to his castle, where they defeated him. Strahd, finally, was dead. except, well . . .

it didn't stick

through some unholy magicks, he had escaped death. all that effort, all those deaths, for naught. in order to keep him and his army from continuing their path of destruction, a curse was placed to keep him confined to his homeland, and Barovia—and everyone within it—were banished to the Shadowfell, a demi-plane of evil

it's about five years later. with no one else to conquer, Strahd has turned on his own people, and in turn, some of his own men turned on him. the war continues, now a fight for the freedom of Barovia against its own king. it is a fight for the very soul of the nation—and, unfortunately, the people of Barovia seem to be losing

the party

Kire Dalca: my PC! you know her, you met her here. a variant human eldritch knight. though she was once an idealistic young soldier, the war has taken nearly everything from her; her friends, her mentor, her idealism, her mental health, even her chance of ever seeing home again even if she does survive. wary and hyper-alert, she can be suspicious and jumpy. her sense of humor has become dark and wry. she was never much of a people-person, but she's even less of one now, alternating between distant and gruff. even so, she remains compassionate and clings to hope, willing to throw herself in harms' way to save an ally or in the name of the greater good

Carlen II: an elven NPC and an incidental companion from Valakia, stronghold of the resistance. named for his father, and hopes to pass the name down to his grandson. a kind and compassionate family man, he's studied some holy magic and uses it to help where he can

some NPCs

Carlen I: Carlen II's father. a serious man and notably strong mage, deeply involved in the resistance, serving as one of its big three alongside Andrel and a mysterious third who recently quit

Andrel: a holy man who once served as Strahd's personal pastor and healer, and was even a close "friend" of his, until their moral differences became too great. an incredibly powerful cleric. about twenty years ago, he ventured into a nearby valley in service of his god, the Morning Lord, and returned with suddenly red hair and an aura that drives away evil things. he’s one of the few people Strahd truly fears or respects—he's also an excellent baker!

Pete Durst: a physician in Barovia. he's thin and has a bit of a skullet and deep, dark eyes. not a very nice person. though a member of the Chertobog-worshipping community group, he's been acting kinda weird and suspicious lately

Gustav Durst: Pete's cousin. a hearty and robust "family man" who hasn't gone to Chertobog church meetings in about a year. may be cheating on his wife

Elisa Durst: Gustav's wife. she was pregnant about a year ago, and then she wasn't, and none of their friends have seen the baby. come to think of it, they haven't really seen her, either. may be part of a blood god cult

Harkis Wayburn: a large, jovial man with a big bushy red beard and hair. doesn't quite know his own strength. an excellent entertainer, his stores of wine are plenty and his were-boars-in-blankets are a hit with party guests. hosts the Chertobog meetings at his home. his family came to Barovia from Calatia about 50 years ago, and made their fortune through the fur trade. he's incredibly generous, sending Kire and Carlen on their way with roughly a pound of were-pigs and a fur coat each

Andrei Wayburn: one of Harkis's sons. these days, he's busy being a teenage rebel and having his own little religious meetings centered on Chertobog's evil rival, Shuderbog, a god of blood and death and violence. apparently, he's inherited his mother's charisma and converted some townspeople (cue group glare at Pete)

The Order of the Silver Dragon: a brotherhood of paladins devoted to different gods, led by the silver dragon Argynsvost. they were instrumental in the fight against Strahd, being the first to start the counterattack against him. they pushed his forces back to Barovia, giving armies like Kire's the opportunity to enter the country while Strahd was distracted. many of their dead have returned as revenants

The Order of the Feather: an order of paladins devoted to the Barovian storm god Retrut, they historically served as the von Zarovich family's personal guard. they were part of Strahd's forces when his conquests first began, but joined the resistance when he turned his violence against his own people. their initiation rituals are a closely guarded secret. many, if not all, of their members are raven masters; as such, they're a crucial part of communication networks. some have been said to also use their ravens in battle. in uniform, they're easily recognizable; matte black armor, tall shields marked with a raven, the leader's helmet winged and beaked, all carrying spears that seem to hum like lightning

Strahd: the man monster, the myth, the legend. you know him, you love to hate him, but he's younger and not quite so bored yet. ruthless, cunning, powerful, he craves revenge and control and cares very little who he has to step on to get what he wants. according to Andrel, he's been getting very creative with his experiments lately; in addition to self-experimentation and figuring out how to create vampire spawn, he's also been making awful horrible evil monsters like the skin kites

[redacted]: a horrifying eldritch family who lives in a cute little blue farmhouse surrounded by impossibly vast fields of "corn" and "scarecrows." that's right, they made an appearance in the prequel too! well, appearance is a strong word—we never actually see them here. we just know there's a father, a mother, and a child, whose disembodied voices speak in charming southern (US) drawls and teleport around you, asking you to stay for dinner. and, when you refuse, they sigh and say, oh well, at least a descendant of yours will

the plot

stationed in Barovia village with nothing much to do, Kire jumps at the chance to help investigate a strange occurrence troubling the town: from this area alone, three hundred and twenty-one people have gone missing over the past year. they suspect that it is not the vampire spawn or werewolves to blame, but humans, perhaps a cult of some kind

while out in the woods searching for evidence of cult activity, she meets Carlen II, who is out on his own investigation. apparently, someone has been attacking people on the roads to Valakia, and just leaving the bodies there. concerned the investigations could be related, they agree to work together, and make their way to Valakia to follow up on a lead

when they arrive, the city is in the midst of a siege. they barely manage to get inside in one piece, and spend a tense evening with the resistance at the temple. two of its big three members are there, but the mysterious third left some time ago. no one really wants to talk about him, but it does come up that Andril and Carlen Sr. had been working on a magical sword (named the Sunsword) for him to use against Strahd before he left

the next day, Valakia is sent into a panic when a ballista bearing Strahd's personal battle flag flies over the wall and slams into the ground. worried the fight is unwinnable, Nedrick, the new leader of the Order of the Feather, suggests Andril use the Sunsword and take Strahd out. unfortunately, the Sunsword will not be powerful enough to do that except in the hands of its intended owner

and so, Kire and Carlen hit the road again, travelling back to Barovia in the hopes that they can find the mysterious third there and convince him to take up the cause again before it's too late

#campaign intros #curse of strahd #curse of strahd prequel #curse of strahd homebrew #dnd 5e #Kire Dalca #ttrpg stories #dnd 5e oc #curse of strahd pc #fun fact: harkis is one of ireena and ismark's ancestors! #and if you're familiar with the curse of strahd lore #yes this is the same durst family from the murder house! #and there have been hints that Pete Durst and Perpetual Pete are one and the same #also yes we do call the city Valakia in the prequel and Valaki in the main campaign #call that linguistic drift lol

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign Intros: Curse of Strahd

so we're calling this campaign Curse of Strahd, which is an actual dnd 5e adventure book, but what we're actually playing is probably at least 80% homebrew. my husband, the DM, wasn't satisfied with the real book, as its worldbuilding wasn't deep or horrifying or dangerous enough for his gothic horror purposes. so he significantly expanded the lore, made Strahd a whole lot more powerful (as he should be), and even made his own maps and other Dark Lords! he's done an absolutely incredible job and i cannot heap enough praise on him. like, we're only 13 sessions in and this is his first time DMing, but he really makes this campaign something special <3

~anyway~

the setting

if you're familiar with Curse of Strahd as written, you've probably got a decent understanding of the basic setting already. i'm sure there's some major differences, but you'd have to ask my husband what they are lol

for those unfamiliar with Curse of Strahd, it takes place in the country of Barovia, a gloomy gothic nation banished from the material plane about four hundred years ago. now, it exists as its own little demi-plane in the Shadowfell, surrounded by deadly mists. somewhere in those mists are a few paths out to Faerun, but only a select few can walk them. everyone else, even those who wander in by mistake, are trapped. the sun does not shine here. there are no songbirds, only crows and ravens and owls. the dead do not like to stay dead. and it's all ruled over by the undying dread king Strahd von Zarovich, who is charming and cunning and ruthless and bored

the party

Cerris Tempescu: my PC! you know him, you met him here. a human tempest cleric who's basically what would happen if Clark Kent were a classic gothic hero (and also the most bottom to ever bottom). he's depressed. he's a himbo. he has something of a hero complex. he's my sweet baby boy and i love him and want him to eventually get a happily ever after, but first he's gotta suffer a whole bunch

Shalden Broadfist: a (purple) half-orc paladin devoted to the Smiling God, a big desert worm with a very neutral morality. Shalden is charming in a mostly awkward sort of way, and also something of a himbo. waaaaay more chill about the atrocities they've witnessed (and accidentally contributed to) than Cerris. looks good in an apron. can breathe fire. also very good at getting possessed

Valessha: an androgynous (purple) moon elf knowlege cleric. was naturally the smart one of the party . . . until they got yanked into a bag of holding by the Bag Man, where they've since been stuck.

Important NPCs

Ireena Kolyana: the one, the only, Ireena Kolyana. a beautiful and fiery young noblewoman who's handy with a sword and crossbow and throwing knives. headstrong, confident, and intelligent. she likes purple wildflowers, somewhat masculine clothing, and teasing Cerris, among other things

Ismark the Lesser: Ireena's older brother, and the current mayor of Barovia Village. when we first meet him, he's tired. like, only in his 30s and he's already gone silver tired. when we meet him again, he's got a shotgun and he's out for blood and vengeance against the people he feels were responsible for what happened to his sister (read: us!)

Arrigal: one of Strahd's . . . what's the word? henchmen? servants? lackeys? whatever else he is, Arrigal is a smarmy prick. blessed by Strahd with the ability to traverse the mists, he has personally lured many heroes (including our party) from Faerun to their deaths in Barovia, all for his master's entertainment

Luvash: Arrigal's younger but larger brother. big and strong and kind, but not stupid, although i'm sure his brother thinks he is. big dad energy

Madame Eva: a wise old woman cursed with nigh eternal unlife by her half-brother, Strahd. using her deck of tarokka cards, she can read your future—for a price. not money, no, she has no use for that, but a particularly interesting artifact or trinket will do

[redacted]: a horrifying eldritch family who lives in a cute little blue farmhouse surrounded by impossibly vast fields of "corn" and "scarecrows." there's a father who's very tall, a mother who's an excellent baker, and a child who likes to draw. their faces are obscured by a whirling static of color, and their voices have a lovely southern (US) drawl. their diet seems to consist exclusively of baked goods, candy, and other sweets. sometimes their movement sounds odd, like a bug's chitinous carapace rubbing against itself as it moves. sometimes their disembodied voices hover around you speaking in unison. sometimes they paralyze you and prop you up at their dinner table like a doll

Strahd: the man, the myth, the legend. Strahd is tall, dark, and handsome, with a rich voice and surprisingly warm hands. he is elegant, suave, charismatic, bold, intelligent, and many other nice sounding things; but he has been around for a long time, and he has seen many things, and he is bored of it all. despite the incredible power he already possesses, he hungers for more. has a self-professed fondness for religious men, having flirted with both Cerris and Shalden on numerous occasions

the plot . . . so far

after being lured into Barovia by Arrigal, our party finds themselves doing what they can to help the folks of Barovia village. they clear out a haunted and cursed old manor, putting the ghosts there to rest. they help bury Ireena and Ismark's father so Strahd's minions will stop messing with it. they promise a pastor to help him return his vampire spawn son to genuine life

and when they learn that Ireena is believed to be the reincarnation of Strahd's one true love Tatyana, that as a result, he has been trying to capture her and make her his bride for years, they agree to escort her to the temple in Valaki, the last stronghold against Strahd's power

upon arriving in Valaki, they are tasked with finding a missing holy relic as payment for sheltering Ireena. after losing Valessha to the Bag Man, going on a side quest to help Luvash recover his daughter from a family of hags, and playing out the beginning of a sweet little romantic comedy between Cerris and Ireena, they do find it and return it. but it quickly becomes apparent that something is deeply wrong here in Valaki

indeed, it turns out that the whole ordeal was something of a setup. more than a handful of NPCs thought to be good people—or, at least, neutral ones—are revealed to be working with Strahd to bring down Valaki and help him free himself from the confines of Barovia

you see, the curse that ties Strahd to this land and prevents him from leaving is not really a curse on him, but upon his bloodline. as the only surviving member of the von Zaroviches, unable to have children as a side effect of being undead, it remains effective. but if, say, he were to have a little niece or nephew running around, he just might be able to place them on the throne and pass along the curse, leaving himself free to return to Faerun and his conquest

but how could Strahd aquire a niece or nephew when his only sibling, Sergei, has been dead for four hundred years?

well, it should be noted Tatyana was not really Strahd's lover. he did ask her to be his, once, but she refused—and shortly thereafter, fell in love with and married his brother. when the pair died tragically, Tatyana was pregnant; and so the unfinished soul of her unborn child lingered, attached to her own soul as she reincarnated again and again and again over four hundred years. a particularly powerful fertility spell—say, one fueled by the very holy relic our party retrieved—could feasibly impregnate a reincarnation of Tatyana with the ghost of Sergei's child

so, of course, that's what Strahd's minions do. they put Ireena in a deep trance, kidnap her, and, armed with the very holy relic our party unwittingly retrieved for them, perform a ritual for a powerful fertility spell that presumably sticks a ghost baby in her womb without her knowledge or consent. and then she's whisked away to Strahd's castle, the city of Valaki is conquered, and our heroes are publicly blamed for it all

with nothing else to do, they turn to the cryptic reading Madame Eva gave them, hoping it holds the secret to defeating Strahd—and that they can decipher it before it's too late

#campaign intros #curse of strahd #curse of strahd homebrew #dnd 5e #Cerris Tempescu #ttrpg stories #dnd 5e oc #curse of strahd pc #*slaps roof of car* #this bad boy can fit so many dead doves inside it #but would you expect anything else of a gothic horror campaign? #also yes there is a wonderfully complicated and ridiculous love dodecahedron going on here and someday i will map it out for y'all #cw forced pregnancy

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign Intros: Acquisitions, Incorporated

Acq, Inc. is a 5e campaign that my husband and i play with more or less the same group as the Amazonomachy (unfortunately one of our players had to drop out after the pandemic struck). we're currently 68 sessions in, and should be wrapping it up in another one or two sessions!

i finally learned how to take good, exceptionally thorough and useful notes, and because we're still playing it, i actually have decent memory of it too! so look forward to detailed story times and lots of memes

~anyway~

the setting

the first part of this story is played out of the Acquisitions, Inc. adventure book, which is based on an actual play podcast of the same name made by Penny Arcade. none of us players have listened to it, so if you're confused, you're not alone! and you really won't miss much by not being familiar with the origin story, as our DM did a good job adapting it for an unfamiliar player group

the two main things you need to know are: 1. a while back there was this big wild magic explosion that caused some chaos and transformed some goblins into a new race, called the Verdan, who are a lot like goblins but taller and smarter and slightly magical 2. there's an adventuring organization called Acquisitions, Inc., which is based in Waterdeep but has smaller franchises scattered around the continent and staffed by smaller, less important adventuring parties. our PCs make up one such party, based in Phandalin. we pay monthly dues and licensing fees in exchange for the HQ paying our employees for us, granting us access to cool gadgets and a treasure trove of information, and lending us the brand name recognition. in addition to our class, we also have a job title that gives us special additional proficiencies, equipment, and abilities. also, we opened up a tea shop (called the Cauldron & Kettle Cafe) at our base to earn a little extra money and help keep up our reputation with the locals. Tim hosts a book club there, and is responsible for the tea blends and recipes it uses. he also designed the menu

the party Cauldron & Kettle Questing Company

Jun Vyardes: my PC! you know her, you met her here. a half-elf light cleric/bard and the party's secretarian, a position which specializes in PR and marketing. serves Vestia, a human goddess of domestic fires and revelry. committed to justice, her goddess, and her friends. so really it's kind of funny that she ended up working for such an absurdly capitalist company. dies her red hair darker so it doesn't look quite so much like her father's

Tim Cobbletoss (born Thokk): my husband's PC! a half-orc barbarian and the party's cartographer, a position that specializes in mapmaking and navigation. he was mostly raised by halflings, which means he has the personality of an old english grandma, just with some minor anger issues and major daddy issues. Jun's half-brother; they share a human father who is an absolutely terrible parent. like Jun, a redhead. family-oriented and very much a romantic. also, very tired. he's a very talented carpenter and woodworker, and wields a hammer named Bonk

Taku: a whooping crane aaracokra and path of the four elements monk. (yes that is a stupidly powerful combination but tbh his super squishiness balances it out. he's been knocked unconscious so many times and even literally died once—it's amazing he isn't constantly concussed!) started as our party's loremonger, but switched partway through to our documancer, a position specializing in contracts and legal mumbo jumbo. a responsible and independent bird who left his family because they wouldn't accept him for who he was (a boy). he's smart and earnest and precious and if anything irrevocable happened to him, Jun would go on a wild revenge spree and then immediately self-destruct

Briny: a Verdan Bloodhunter, and the party's hoardsperson, a position specializing in keeping track of and carrying all of the party's loot. a very sweet and naive little gremlin who's a bit of a personality sponge. loves learning new things, their friends, the sea, and gambling, although they don't actually really know how to gamble. has a stash of seashells that they like giving out as presents. also very precious and must be protected at all costs

Gallus: a half-elf rogue and the party's occultant, a position specializing in being edgy and keeping tally of the party's karmic rating. moody and reserved and wary, and naturally another precious boy we must protect. unfortunately, was reassigned to a different branch partway through the campaign (as his player was no longer able to participate)

important NPCs

Girasol Vyardes: aka Daddy Bard—Jun and Tim's father. a redhead. born to a noble family in Amn, his full name is Girasol Agusto Raúl Maximo Narciso Vyardes Corazón de la Verga, but he hasn't gone by that for quite some time. a wandering, philandering, incredibly vain and hedonistic man, he's unfortunately a talented musician, poet, and fencer, blessed (or perhaps cursed) with a silver tongue. despite his flaws and shitty parenting, he genuinely does love Jun in his own way, and wishes he could have been a better father to Tim—when he even remembers that Tim exists, that is

Lidda Cobbletoss: Tim's adoptive mother. a sweet, blind halfling woman who raised Tim with all the love and devotion and good humor he deserved from a parent. has an elderly tuxedo cat named Hank

Tela and Teleku: Taku's baby twin siblings! they heard about how cool and rebellious their older brother was and also didn't really get along with their conservative parents, so they ran away to try to find Taku—and succeeded! Tela is a girl and hatched first. she's more assertive and energetic, and has been learning how to fight to protect Teleku. she also learned fire stance from Taku's monk friends! Teleku is a boy and hatched second. he's shy and chill and smart, and learned water stance. Jun immediately adopts them as her own baby siblings and, like a good big sister, shows off her own fire magic to them, helps Briny teach them about gambling, and regales them with wildly exaggerated (and sanitized) tales from the party's adventures, which Tela believes whole-heartedly

Gildna Dunn: a timid half-orc woman who serves as the Cauldron & Kettle's major domo (administrative assistant). she also served as its previous inhabitants' major domo

Gorkow: a little goblin friend we picked up along the way of our earliest adventure and hired on as help for the tea shop. he has a giant sword covered in bones that he refers to as his "butter knife"

Minghee "Min" Graywind: an adventurous young human woman we hired to run messages, errands, and trades for us. her mom runs the general store in Phandalin, and does not like that we hired her

Noriel: a sad sap of a mandolin-playing minstrel (aka bard). we took pity on him and ended up hiring him on to help Jun advertise the Cauldron & Kettle's services. eventually, together with Gorkow, Min, and Susan and her dogs, forms our party's B Team

Susan: an unusually intelligent ogre woman who has two big fluffy dire wolves. we hired her on for security gigs, especially helping Min stay safe on the road, and let her and her dogs live in our basement

Ol' Fivesides and company: a crew of modrons gnomes we hired on as engineers and maintenance crew. they made us some automaton training dummies/security bots and a steam-powered tea trolley shaped like a teapot. they're mostly metallic orbs with spindly arms and wings, lead by a cube named Ol' Fivesides who wears a large tricorn hat and an eyepatch; despite their appearance, they insist that they're all just very mechanically minded gnomes. they're a little creepy but they've got the right spirit

Ken: a half-orc, half-ogre, and very sweet spirit, bless his heart. huge—over seven feet tall and about four feet wide at the shoulders. Briny is enamored with how tall he is, and Ken is enamored with how small Briny is, and so they immediately became friends. a talented cook, though his presentation could use some work. the winner of a cooking competition we hosted to find a new chef for the Cauldron & Kettle Cafe

Dorkas Nimblewood: Tim's favorite author. we never actually meet her, but she's nonetheless a very important part of this campaign's lore. she's the genius behind such classic erotic love stories as My Kingdom of Thirst, Beards and Beer: Dripping Ale and Dwarven Daddies, and her newest project, Dancing with Dragons: Domination in the Lair

the plot . . . hook

mistaken for an experienced adventuring group, the five of us were called into investigate a collapsed tunnel in Waterdeep while working as interns for Acq, Inc. in doing so, we found a mysterious but powerful magical object, which seemed to be merely a piece of a larger, even more powerful object. afterwards, we were sent to Phandalin to take over an abandoned Acq, Inc. franchise location and investigate the disappearance of its old party

in time, we began unravelling a dangerous conspiracy—an evil organization called the Six was trying to find all the pieces of a magical orrery and use it to open a rift in the universe to welcome their gods (read: horrible eldritch monsters of the outer realms) to the material plane, and probably bring about the end of everything in the process. and it just so happens that the mysterious but powerful object we found in the collapsed tunnel in Waterdeep was a piece of said orrery

thus began a race against the Six to steal all the pieces of the orrery first and save the universe. no pressure for a few newbie adventurers, right?

#campaign intros #acquisitions incorporated #dnd 5e #Jun Vyardes #Cauldron & Kettle Questing Co. #ttrpg stories #bard is only one letter away from bad #*slaps roof of car* #this bad boy can fit so much found family in it #you can even fit some refound family in there too #look i know this is the third campaign i've used the found family meme tag on #it's just a common theme for campaigns with this group okay? #we're all a bunch of queers (except the dm who is our token straight white man friend) so how could we not put found family in everything? #dnd 5e oc

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign Intros: The Amazonomachy

the Amazonomachy is the sequel campaign to the Orphic Uprising, set in the same world and following (most of) the same characters. it lasted a whole 27 sessions over three quarters of college, and by this point my notetaking abilities have significantly improved since my first campaign 😂

so story times from the Amazonomachy will also be full stories with real context--unless sharing them without context is funnier, of course. this campaign also has art! several of the players are artists and made both silly little doodles and beautiful/adorable serious pieces based on the characters and events of this campaign, so sometimes the story times will include art or even might just be art by itself too!

~anyway~

the setting

same as last time. it's just the Percy Jackson universe, post-canon! that's it. nothing fancy.

if you're not familiar, the basic conceit of the world is that the ancient Greek gods are real, actually (as are most/all other pantheons--yes it does get very confusing), and still having demi-god kids with mortals. otherwise it's just like the real world! there's a camp in New York, USA, called Camp Half-Blood, which is a safe haven for demi-god youth, who are often targeted by monsters. the gate to the Underworld is in LA, the minotaur's labyrinth is under the streets of NYC, you get it

the party Confusion Crew

Nina "Larry" Grayson: my PC! you know her, you met her here and in the Orphic Uprising intro. a Chinese-American daughter of Nike, goddess of Victory and companion of Athena. headstrong himbo who isn't afraid to make incredibly dumb choices if she thinks it might at all help her friends. kind of a loner until Beatrice and Chuck showed up in her life and forcibly befriended her last year. acquires a pegasus and names her Nightwing, after her favorite comic book character. during the campaign, she pretends to betray her friends and ally herself with the Amazons, but actually she's trying to spy on and sabotage their efforts. in the process, she accidentally makes new friends. might become Queen of the Amazons?

Chuck Hickey: my husband's PC! an Italian-American son of Dionysus, god of wine and revelry. raised by his Italian grandparents on their vineyard in Napa Valley, California (wine country). funny and not very responsible, but good people and an excellent battle strategist nonetheless. since facing death head on in the last campaign, he's grown a lot more impulsive and wild, leaning ever more towards the chaotic side of his godly heritage. has some magical powers, which enable him to, among other things, beat people up with plants and turn into a fire-breathing leopard. throughout this campaign and the last one, he's collected a long list of epithets; highlights include He Who Barks at Skeletons, Devourer of Minotaurs, and the Knee-Breaker

Beatrice Starveling: an African-American daughter of Apollo, god of the sun and poetry. raised by her two gay dads who are very worried about her. an incredibly talented musical theatre kid. creative and kind but also very tired, so much so that Chuck might be the smart one this time around, which is . . . concerning. she also has some magic powers, which allow her to, among other things, empower her friends to hit harder and glow like a second sun. last campaign, she pulled an Orpheus but actually succeeded, saving her dear friend Oliver from the Underworld with music from Hadestown. this time, she just wants to go home

Bryce: a newcomer to camp and son of Eros, god of love/uh, lust. all the urban white boy energy; wannabe f-boi but doesn't have quite enough game to pull it off. he's kind of an idiot and only sometimes good at flirting but he's really trying, y'all. he's trying so hard. and he cares so much. it's very endearing. knows a bit about medicine because his mom was a nurse. an archer. don't worry; unlike our last archer, he's actually cool (shh don't tell him i said that it'll give him an ego). has the biggest bromance with Murph. also sometimes he has little tiny cherub wings!

Cameron "Murph" Murphy: a newcomer to camp and son of Epimetheus, titan and embodiment of afterthought. in other words, a gullible chaos magnet who makes more dumb choices than Nina, which is saying something! had a running gag about accidentally getting involved in crazy things, like drug dealing and MLMs. tall strong California surfer bro (white). has the biggest bromance with Bryce. like seriously, they're inseparable. he's Bryce's forever third wheel but no one involved cares

important NPCs

Mo Flores: a Mexican-American daughter of Demeter, who naturally grew up on a farm. a counselor at Camp Half-Blood, and secret Amazon. she's also not so secretly a lesbian. Nina has a huge crush on her at the start of this campaign, and it seems to be mutual--at least, until it's revealed that Mo is really into the Amazons' "kill all the gods" plan because she feels personally wronged by them, at which point Nina cannot justify her crush any longer. still, except for the attempted deicide, she's pretty a cool person and an accomplished warrior

Adella: the new Queen of the Amazons, after deposing the old queen. has grand ideas about killing the gods and replacing them--after all, they overthrew the titans who overthrew their parents, so really it's just perpetuating an already existing cycle! kind of full of herself, obviously

Quinn: an Amazon and daughter of Hecate who knows some magic. one of Adella's most trusted lieutenants. serious, smart, and wary, she slowly warms up to Nina and they end up becoming pretty close. she's very hurt by Nina's reveal that she's been a double agent the whole time, but she eventually comes around to realizing that Adella's idea to kill the gods was stupid, actually, and would do a lot more harm than good. at the conclusion of the campaign, she's one of the Amazons who backs Nina's claim to the throne

Fiona: an Amazon who seems kinda into Bryce after he lays a few charmingly bad pickup lines on her. bubbly and blonde, but still an accomplished archer. at the conclusion of the campaign, she's one of the Amazons who backs Nina's claim to the throne

Oliver: Beatrice's . . . boyfriend? a son of Hermes and talented artist. friendly and sweet but also does a lot of sassing. only a little scarred from dying and then being brought back to life by Beatrice

Hops: our lovely little grain demon! we found him dumpster diving for beer at an old hotel and immediately adopted him. he looks like an ugly little baby made out of dirt and roots, and speaks in gibberish (otherwise known as chipmunk-pitched old german). sometimes Chuck carries him around in a papoose. other times, Chuck throws him like a football at an enemy and with their combined powers, they make Hops's roots grow really long and wrap around the enemy like a cage

~misc gods and goddesses and PJO characters~

the plot . . . hook

it's about year after the events of the last campaign, and the Amazons are coming to visit Camp Half-Blood . . . and while visiting, they attack the place. not very nice of them!

turns out, their new Queen Adella thinks that it's high time humans overthrew the gods, and is on a fetch quest to gather a bunch of items that will help her kill them. so our intrepid party goes out to beat them to the punch and get those items first!

and when they fail to do that, well, they can still stop Adella from becoming a new god and killing the old ones . . . right?

#campaign intros #the amazonomachy #aka #the orphic uprising 2 electric boogaloo #cypher system #Nina Grayson #Confusion Crew #ttrpg stories #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson oc #*slaps roof of car* #this bad boy can still fit so much found family in it

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign Intros: The Orphic Uprising

the Orphic Uprising is another short and sweet campaign from my college years. another 10 session wonder, this time using the Cypher system! it's set in the same universe as the Percy Jackson stories, post-canon, and was my first time playing a campaign with my then boyfriend (now husband!)

my notes are . . . still not the best but they are definitely getting better and more useful to someone who is not currently embroiled in the story! less emphasis on the funny out of context quotes, more on actual notetaking--which is to say, a whole bunch of notes are still just funny quotes, they just make up a lower proportion of my notes overall

so story times from the Orphic Uprising will be actual full stories with real context! yay!

~anyway~

the setting

the Percy Jackson universe, post-canon! that's it. nothing fancy.

if you're not familiar, the basic conceit of the world is that the ancient Greek gods are real, actually (as are most/all other pantheons--yes it does get very confusing), and still having demi-god kids with mortals. otherwise it's just like the real world! there's a camp in New York, USA, called Camp Half-Blood, which is a safe haven for demi-god youth, who are often targeted by monsters. the gate to the Underworld is in LA, the minotaur's labyrinth is under the streets of NYC, you get it

the party

Nina "Larry" Grayson: my PC! you know her, you met her here. a Chinese-American daughter of Nike, goddess of Victory and companion of Athena. headstrong himbo who isn't afraid to fight dirty in order to win. kind of a loner until Beatrice and Chuck show up in her life and forcibly befriend her. eats impossible for breakfast

Chuck Hickey: my husband's PC! an Italian-American son of Dionysus, god of wine and revelry. raised by his Italian grandparents on their vineyard in Napa Valley, California (wine country). funny and not very responsible, but good people nonetheless. wields a thyrsus, which is a fancy word for a staff with a pinecone on top of it. has some magical powers, which enable him to, among other things, light pinecones on fire and put enemies in a trance by singing meme songs at them. yes, he did rickroll a chimera once. throughout this campaign and its sequel, he collects an ever-growing list of epithets; highlights include He Who Barks at Skeletons, He Who Drives the Sun, and Death Itself

Beatrice Starveling: an African-American daughter of Apollo, god of the sun and music and poetry and so many other things it's ridiculous. raised by her two gay dads who are very worried about her. a gifted musical theatre kid. creative and kind but also very tired, at least in part because she's lowkey the smart one of the party. wields a magic lyre given to her by Hermes, and also the Sun Chariot. she also has some magic powers, which allow her to, among other things, empower her friends to hit harder and put enemies in a trance by reciting Shakespeare at them. yes, she did use the "alas, poor Yorick" monologue for this at least once. she also pulled an Orpheus but actually succeeded, saving her dear friend Oliver from the Underworld with music from Hadestown

Ryder: a white British son of Aphrodite and a bit of a gary stu if i'm being honest; his player also had a lot of hangups about a lot of random things. supposedly a model whose dad "looks like Hugh Jackman." wealthy. an archer. a killthief

important NPCs

Oliver: Beatrice's sweet blond best friend. a son of Hermes. he was in the Underworld for most of this campaign, actually, after getting killed by some skeletons in our second session. oof

Hops: a grain demon Chuck found in a hotel dumpster and then immediately adopted. he looks like an ugly baby made of dirt and roots, and is about a foot tall. he's our mascot and we love him. Nina gave him her swiss army knife so he can open his own beers and Chuck sometimes carries him around in a papoose. other times, Chuck throws him like a football at an enemy and with their combined powers, they make Hops's roots grow really long and wrap around the enemy like a cage

~various gods and goddesses and PJO characters~

the plot . . . hook

after an exciting game of capture the flag, Camp Half-Blood is attacked by a small army of skeletons. during the fight, Oliver is killed. as the battle is dying down, camp oracle Rachel Dare wanders over and delivers a prophecy:

Children of Night and lords of the deep Conspire together in the midnight keep When the twice born God is lured and bound beneath The impossible is tasked to daughter of the laurel wreath The islander shall face the Cypran boar And the beauty's blood shall open the door The forgotten son of Spring shall be returned And through faith and song can life be earned

it is quickly determined that the prophecy refers to Dionysus, who has recently gone missing. and so a questing party is assembled: Nina, daughter of the laurel wreath, and Ryder, beauty's blood, are obvious choices and fast to volunteer. Beatrice, hyperfocusing on the last line, also volunteers, hopeful she'll be able to bring Oliver back from the dead. Chuck, having been informed that his mom is also missing and trapped in the Underworld alongside his father, also volunteers

Apollo stops by to give Beatrice the keys to an old model of the Sun Chariot, and with that, the party is off on their way to California and the Underworld!

(the whole arc of this campaign is a lot of fun but these posts are long enough as is, so instead y'all will have to wait for story times to learn more about what happens!)

#campaign intros #the orphic uprising #cypher system #Nina Grayson #ttrpg stories #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson oc #*slaps roof of car* #this bad boy can fit so much found family in it

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign Intros: Grovington College

Grovington College is another short and sweet campaign that only lasted about 5 sessions from my freshman year of college. this one was done in the Demon Hunters: A Comedy of Terrors system, though, which a Powered by the Apocalypse-based system. it's the other one where Indie was my PC, and my notes are a little bit better, but still absolute trash. so, i will just copy/paste this disclaimer from the last campaign intro:

did i memorialize some funny out of context quotes and snapshot moments? you betcha! did i manage to write down enough info to reconstruct the basic monsters we hunted? yeah, barely. did i bother writing down anything about my fellow PCs? actually, i did this time! and yet i still managed to leave out some crucial details! did i bother noting where the college actually is or anything about its layout or the nearby town? only the barest most plot relevant details! did i do anything to help me remember who NPCs were or what they looked like? nah!

my memory isn't very good in general, but between the effect of time and bad notes, my memory of this campaign is very minimal. any story times from Grovington College will be very brief and won't have a lot of context because i probably don't know either

so ~anyway~

the setting

Grovington College is a school in the sleepy college town of Grovington, Massachusetts, USA. its mascot is the Gecko, for some reason. as the town is home to a disproportionate amount of supernatural activity, the college also hosts a chapter of the Brotherhood of the Celestial Torch, a sort of secret demon-hunting organization. notable clubs at Grovington College include the Grovington College Cryptid Club and Rocks for Jocks

the town of Grovington is also home to the Harpsburg Museum of Natural History and an amusement park called Harper's Holiday Fun Land (or maybe that's in the neighboring town of Pleasantdale?)! there's also a bar/club called the Country Porch, a restaurant called Ernie's Waffle Shack, and an annual slasher movie festival downtown

Chapter ΦΧΧ (Phi Chi Chi) PCs

Indigo Sullivan: my PC! you know him, you met him at this post here. he's an ambidextrous psychic smartass whose wardrobe is mostly hideous dad sweaters and hawaiian shirts. yes he is queer how could you tell? at this point in time, he's a sophomore majoring in psychology and minoring in stats

Professor Edward Bellwether Germory III: a professor of comparative philosophy and art history. eccentric and obnoxious about being rich. he has a butler who does all his texting for him. supposedly somewhat handsome but dresses like a seventy-year-old man. cannot drive

Wesley: a were-dog! and a lesbian, obviously. likes stealing stuff. good with kids. once dressed up as a man to trick a succubus into trying to eat her, because Indie refused to be the bait

Cider: they/them. a Brotherhood patented android called a Cypher. good with cats, and toads. hates Bobby Flay

Important NPCs

Japes, the butler: Edward's butler and sometimes chauffeur. usually the one who drives our Brotherhood taco truck (like a spy van, but a taco truck! it's bigger on the inside). texts exclusively in emojis

Clementine: Cider's cat friend. she has a tag on her collar that reads "i’m not lost; i just wander around campus." may or may not be a shapeshifter in disguise

?: a mysterious old Korean woman who runs Chapter ΦΧΧ. you don’t know her secrets. she doesn’t know or care about yours

Juan: a were-dog whose animal form is a scotty dog. associated with the Brotherhood. has a Funko Pop Snoopy keychain, and a locket with a picture of him and his husband, Owen. his music collection includes: Ladies of the 80s, Duran Duran, and the Hamilton soundtrack, somehow on a tape that only plays backwards. he has a custom miniature chainsaw that's optimized for use as a scotty dog. at one point, he asks Indie and Cider if they, quote, "wanna surf on the car like Teen Wolf?" clearly a very responsible adult

Kelsey Sugarman: president of the Cryptid Club and a genuine believer. wears poodle skirts and has a cryptid radar she tries to use on everyone at a combined Cryptid Club/Rocks for Jocks hike

Mitch: a himbo in the Rocks for Jocks club (he's a geology major). he's awkwardly attractive and has an iconic green faux letterman jacket. he randomly gives Indie his number at a party (it's on a card) and they start dating soon afterwards. Kelsey's cryptid meter went off on him (or, at least, the dog hair on his clothes), so he may or may not be some sort of supernatural being himself--we didn't get far enough into the story to find out, unfortunately

Paleontology Paul: he's back! only this time he works at the museum. just as dorky and knowledgeable about dinosaurs as he was in the last campaign. dresses as Alan Grant from Jurassic Park for Halloween, because of course he does. must be ordained because he blesses some weapons for us at one point, and afterwards they make various animal noises and do extra damage to evil things

Wren: a seven-year-old half-demon child we babysat and took trick-or-treating on Halloween. likes dinosaurs and is kept on a kiddie leash. absolutely adores Wesley, who gives her piggyback rides. may or may not be the anti-christ?

the plot

there isn't one. it's more of an episodic campaign, like North Pines Camp was

#campaign intros #grovington college #demon hunters ttrpg #powered by the apocalypse #Indigo Sullivan #ttrpg stories #apparently people crossdressing to be bait for monsters is just a thing that happens around Indie

[dungeonsandblorbos]

Campaign Intros: North Pines Camp

having gone through all my PCs, let's dive into the campaigns they come from!

North Pines Camp, a Monster of the Week campaign, was my first time ever playing a ttrpg. the campaign was short and sweet, only running 10 sessions, and my notes are absolute trash. did i memorialize some funny out of context quotes and snapshot moments? you betcha! did i manage to write down enough info to reconstruct the basic mysteries we solved? yes, barely. did i bother writing down anything about my fellow PCs? except for the fact that one of them likes chips on their sandwiches, nope! did i bother noting where the camp actually is or anything about its layout or the nearby town? also nope! did i do anything to help me remember who NPCs were or what they looked like? not really!

this campaign happened, like, five + years ago now. i have played four five other campaigns in the meantime. my memory isn't very good in general, but between the time and bad notes, my memory of this campaign is very minimal. any story times from North Pines Camp will be very brief and won't have a lot of context because i don't know either

but ~anyway~

the setting

North Pines Camp (NPC) is a children's summer camp in (i think) central Oregon, USA. once upon a time it was a training grounds for monster hunters, but it's been 100% properly converted now. definitely. no banjo-playing vampires or child-stealing witches in the woods. nope. not here

the camp is set up on the north end of a lake, and there's another camp on the other side of the lake called South Pines Camp. there's a stable and places to play sports, and a few different activity lodges. Saraki Lodge hosts dances. Newman has a variety of board and card and other tabletop games, including a strange Cards Against Humanity set that seems to have come from another dimension with its own incomprehensible memes. somewhere i think there's also a theatre and an arts and crafts room? and of course a cafeteria/mess hall and nurse's station. and a big garden!

there's also a small town nearby that might be called Acorn. fewer than four thousand people live there, and it's also haunted. cool places to hang out include the Acorn Museum and the abandoned combo KFC/Pizza Hut

the other PCs

Izzy: played with the Spell-Slinger playbook, i think. a fellow camp counselor. she has long blue hair, eats tomatoes like they're apples, and likes her cereal with orange juice. she also eats raw eggs. she once got possessed by a ghost in the abandoned KFC/Pizza Hut and helped him fulfill his dying wish of eating fried chicken

Malcolm: played with the Mundane playbook, i think. a fellow camp counselor. he has brown hair and green eyes and likes chips on his sandwiches. at one point he dresses up as a girl (to try to trick a lonely banjo-playing vampire into kidnapping him shh it makes sense in context) and, while pretending to be a girl, refers to Indie as his boyfriend

the NPCs of NPC

Lawrence: a camp administrator with a spooky personal cabin in the woods where he keeps a bunch of stuff from the old camp. lots of weapons, a monster manual poorly co-written by the original camp's three founders, stuff like that. i think he was magical in some way bc i have a random note about his arm turning to silver but literally nothing else about him during that mission. he has a walking stick that, and i quote from my notes, "is actually a deer"

Gabby: another camp admin who knows about the monster stuff. her DJ name is DJ Gabby Gabs. i think she was normally the one telling us to go investigate things

Gabe O'Malley: the only one i have a last name for? like i said, my notes for this campaign are terrible! he's another camp admin and has his own cabin, where the wifi is named "mancave dog chow." he helped us identify some magical items. that's it that's all i wrote about him

Eugene: some sort of authority figure, or maybe custodial staff? he likes pickles. 9:30 (am? pm? idfk) is Eugene's pickle time. he has a secret fridge in Newman that's literally just filled with pickles. all of the notes i have referencing him are about pickles.

Preston: the head chef. he's got a weed stash somewhere and has a personal mini fridge equipped with a polaroid camera to catch thieves. Indie once stole something from his fridge and then stole the polaroid of himself stealing things

Baltimore: a fellow counselor and the campaign butt monkey--we made fun of him a lot. to be fair, he made himself very easy to make fun of. a lifeguard at the camp and elementary education major who slathers himself in way too much sunscreen and puts way too much mayo on his sandwiches. he's lactose intolerant, and his favorite dessert is vegan cheesecake. his favorite game is jenga. he likes both Neutral Milk Hotel and Mariah Carey. at one point we accused him of having a foot fetish. as a side note, he's 5'8" with "tousled black hair" and frequent bags under his eyes, which makes him sound like maybe he was kind of adorkable actually? he probably did not deserve all the grief we gave him

Paleontology Paul: a fellow counselor who may have been ordained? he made holy water for us once. he dresses like he's going on a dig. i think we joked about trying to set him up with Baltimore; i say "i think" because i have a bullet point in my notes that just says "paultimore" as if that means anything

The Katies: there's five people named Katy at NPC. one is a lifeguard, one does sports, one works the stables, and the other two are both counselors. Katy Quinn, aka Horse Katy, has a daughter named Susie

Derek "Turg" Turgle: Indie's counselor in training. about 16. wears brotanks and has his hair cut like Sokka's from A:tLA. he does yoga. at one point he sees a mysterious fancy cologne in the cabin and assumes it's Indie's, so he sprays himself with it and then immediately disappears into a spooky shadow realm/pocket dimension controlled by a youth-stealing witch. he's okay though; we rescued him

Torvold: a hot Swedish guy built like Thor. i think he was another camp counselor? he loves America and also gets possessed in the KFC/Pizza Hut by the fried-chicken-seeking ghost

the plot

there isn't one. it's more of an episodic campaign, which is pretty normal for this system

#campaign intros #north pines camp #monster of the week #Indigo Sullivan #ttrgp stories