Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for August 29, 2023, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Jiraiya (Hurwaeti Freebooter played by Andrew Renfrow), Khesen Pavel (Human Brawler played by Parker Harmon), Komorebi (Kitsune Bard played by Josh Jenkins), and Neko (Half-Orc Magus played by Peyton Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team sent Edonna shopping for supplies while they clarified the final details with Ezrelda.  They then went to rent a cage to hold a dragon and found a dwarf near the docks who traffics in large animal imports (mostly for food).  He rented them a massive cage and hauled it to the docks for them while they went and bought chains and two muzzles.  They hooked up their barge to the drakkar vessel they are using.  They decided to see if they could hire the ship’s normal crew for this mission and located them at the Rockrat, the seediest tavern in all of Bral.  At the door, the met Grinder, the ogre doorman.  He “swindled” them out of several copper pieces as a cover charge.  The team was amused at his “cleverness” and paid him even more coppers than he asked, much to his delight.  Inside, they found the place lived up to its reputation.  It was rowdy, bawdy, and appalling.  In one corner, seven men and women were gathered around a table singing a rousing drinking song from the great bard, Blackheart Joan.

It goes good with the hard times and good with the bad times
Good with the fun times and good with the sad times
So always remember when ya done all ya could
That whiskey don’t go bad, whiskey goes good

Komorebi recognized this chorus and joined them in the third verse.  They learned this is the crew they were looking for, a bunch of Vikings and followers of the Revelry pantheon.  The group was well into their liquor.  They introduced themselves as Bella, Ella, Stella, Dorn, Bjorn, Lorne, and Jorn, and to celebrate meeting the party, they drank!  Helg convinced them to hire on as crew for 210 gp for a week, but if they succeed in capturing the dragon they will instead pay 500 gp.  To celebrate their new business arrangement, they drank!  The party joined in.  Alcohol flowed.  Questionable decisions were made.  Jiraiya may have spent the evening with Ella.  Or was it Stella?  Perhaps Bella?  Maybe it was several; memories are fuzzy. 

The next day the team loaded up the ship with their provisions and cage (covering it with a tarp).  Stella (yes, it was Stella, she’s the helmswoman) piloted the ship toward Coliar.  They flew to their rendezvous point with the Donakkis Flock and met with Nylek, a local leader.  He told them what he could of the sky blue dragon, Freylass Icedeath.  The aggressive beast is raiding their trade lanes alongside its half-dragon spawn.  Nylek told them it seems to breed with everything, and Coliar is known to be home to dangerous monsters like chimeras, manticores, sphinxes, drakes, wyverns, and so forth. 

The group headed toward the region Nylek said the dragon haunts.  Along the way they encountered a roc!  The massive bird of prey set off in pursuit of the vessel, and the team scrambled to try and outrun and outmaneuver the monster.  With its size, it was certainly capable of ripping the ship apart.  While fleeing, the group flew through a swarm of wasps!  The party was stung repeatedly, but the wasps were quickly left behind.  Next the group flew into a thundercloud!  Though drenched, and Hekera blasted with lightning, the team was able to emerge from the cloud out of sight of the roc and escape!

Game summary for August 22, 2023, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Edonna Match Wushu Lu Klighke (Dragonborn Oracle played by Casey Scruggs), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Khesen Pavel (Human Brawler played by Parker Harmon), Komorebi (Kitsune Bard played by Josh Jenkins), and Neko (Half-Orc Magus played by Peyton Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team left Waterdeep and flew back to Bral.  There they met with Lodan from House Eirenfezt and sold the five tressym.  Out on the street they ran into some children who heard rumors of their exploits and asked what they call themselves.  They came up with the SCC, Subterranean Conquest Crew.  They then went to Shou Town and paid to alter and upgrade some armor for Hekera which would be available in a few days.  Helg negotiated a deal to sell a lot of their Undermountain spoils.  Next, they returned to the Laughing Beholder where Daiyu was on stage singing.  They sat down to hear her perform, ordered a meal and Thayan red, and invited the Red Wizard Halava Trent and her bodyguard Nethriss to the table.  They sold her the two best weapons they recovered from Undermountain for four very expensive emeralds. 

Halava and Nethriss left to address other business, and the team settled in to enjoy their meal and fine liquor.  Nearly two hours later, a dazzling woman in black and blue cosmic robes walked in.  Spiked hair ran down the center of her head, and blue tattoos were visible on the shaved sides of her scalp.  Her smiling lips were covered in blue lipstick.  She introduced herself as Ezrelda of the Cobalt Flame, a member of Xenotermination, Ltd.  Komorebi had heard of them, a group of very high-end mercenaries. 

Ezrelda told them they were seeking to subcontract a mission to the planet Coliar on behalf of the Donakkis Flock aarakocra.  The flock wanted Xenotermination, Ltd. to get rid of a rare sky blue dragon terrorizing them.  The mercenaries want to collect on the bounty, but they have upped the ante.  They want the party to not kill but capture the dragon!  They will pay for the dead dragon but more for taking it alive.  Apparently, the dragon is also breeding with native denizens of Coliar, and the team got Ezrelda to agree to pay for any of them captured as well.  For the mission, the Xenos had arranged for them to use a spelljammer-converted drakkar.  The team decided to take the job and immediately began planning how to catch and transport a large dragon.

Game summary for August 8, 2023, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Edonna Match Wushu Lu Klighke (Dragonborn Oracle played by Casey Scruggs), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Khesen Pavel (Human Brawler played by Parker Harmon), Komorebi (Kitsune Bard played by Josh Jenkins), and Neko (Half-Orc Magus played by Peyton Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The group found themselves incredibly impaired by the overlapping silence and spike stone effects.  Khesen went toe-to-toe with one of the giant funnel-web spiders and discovered it was shockingly venomous.  One cildabrin tangled with Hekera while the driders moved up and cast even more hampering spells like grease.  The party slipped and slid around with Neko casting scorching ray and Edonna casting an outstandingly effective voidmote.  Khesen jumped clear of the spikes and was handed a potion of neutralize poison by Komo.  Helg channeled positive energy several times. 

Edonna decided to fall back while the group was suffering from the combined enemy attacks.  Komo fell back with her and tried to dispel the silence effect but failed.  Another fireball washed over the group but combined force from the team started slaying the arachnids.  Slowly the team gained an upper hand and advanced upon the remaining driders.  A few well-placed blows later and the team vanquished the hostiles!  Helg was badly poisoned, and the group gave him numerous potions to try and shake off the venom and live through it.  He was finally able to pull through, and they were able to make it back to the Yawning Portal exit with some loot, their lives, a magical ballista, and five tressym!

Game summary for August 1, 2023, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Edonna Match Wushu Lu Klighke (Dragonborn Oracle played by Casey Scruggs), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Jiraiya (Hurwaeti Freebooter played by Andrew Renfrow), Khesen Pavel (Human Brawler played by Parker Harmon), Komorebi (Kitsune Bard played by Josh Jenkins), and Neko (Half-Orc Magus played by Peyton Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

Komo cast dispel magic on the illusion causing the floating hand of Bane and the dwarf to disappear.  Also, the altar appeared somewhat smaller.  Jiraiya walked up and inspected it, finding it to be a heavy black stone with some rusty colored dried substance atop it.  Helg flew around behind and found several levers labeled “Floor” and “Altar.”  The floor lever disabled all the pressure plates and harpoons!  The altar lever opened a secret compartment revealing a black metal mace detecting of evocation magic!  The team then searched the room and found a secret door in the corner where their map indicated they needed to still go despite the obstructing wall.  Opening the door, they found a short chamber with a far wall painted like a glowing blue door with an “S” sigil and three slashes.  Helg knocked on the door, and it transformed into an arch leading into Ludovic Snerd’s Dynamic Delving Supplies!

The proprietor, Ludovic Snerd, is a bucktoothed blue-haired gnome and shrewd merchant.  He provided them with five tressym magically shrunken and held in stasis in metallic vials with glass windows.  They tucked these away for safekeeping.  They asked him about the magical mace, he ran some tests, and he revealed it to be a +2 mace of darkness capable of producing deeper darkness effects thrice per day.  They looked around the shop and asked what useful things he could sell them.  He pulled a tarp off a fine piece of siege weaponry!  He offered to sell them a +1 light ballista of piercing for the low price of 10,000 gp!  Helg convinced him to sell it for that price but also magically shrink it so they can easily transport it.  He did so and told them to soak the magical patch in milk to restore the weapon. 

The group left Snerd’s and heading back down the hallway where they ran into a trio of cildabrin, a pair of driders, and two giant funnel-web spiders!  Edonna cast blessing of fervor while the foes cast spike stones and silence!  Using metamagic, the team was still able to utilize some magic while part of the team tried to move through the spikes and slashed their feet!  Jiraiya made an amazing leap and cleared the spikes entirely!  The team’s front line brought it to a cildabrin that Neko had burned with scorching ray.  The hideous arachnid was slain while the spiders missed with their webs and bites.  One drider cast a lackluster fireball while another cast slow on the team.  Finally, another cildabrin activated a second spike stones effect to hinder more movement options! 

Will the team rally and defeat the spider monsters or become their next meal?