Geekery: Dungeons and Dragons Summary: [Session 1] Trouble in Grydain (the Party Gathers)

Greetings Geeks and Nerdlings!

As mentioned in my last post, I've begun a bi-monthly D&D game with some friends here in Magnolia! So far we've had two rather intense sessions, both of which lasting longer than five hours!

I've had several people say that they were interested in the sessions, as in they'd like to know more information or they just to know where the story-line is going. So, since I don't have the resources to start a pod-cast, and my players would find filming the sessions to be both embarrassing and an invasion of privacy, I asked if I could start posting a summary of our sessions here on my blog, to which they all agreed!

Please note: I promised to keep all the players identities a secret.

Also, this is a fifth edition homemade campaign. All of the books I've used to create this world are all either official Wizards of the Coast Dungeons and Dragons books OR from the Dungeon Masters Guild website. We mostly go by the book, however I'm laxed on some rules (primarily because I'm still learning).

Before we get started on the summary, here are our four (more in the future, not everyone could make it our first night) players characters:

Chet, the Fey-Blood Bard

Raizos, the Beast-Folk Blood-Hunter

Zelladawn, the Dark-Elf Rogue

Ogg, the Orc Witch-Hunter

Bardou, Ogg's Winter Wolf Companion

Serephere- a giant owl that Zelladawn receives as a gift (transforms from a small "toy" to the giant owl)

Here are the NPC's Introduced in this session:

Sylvia- (half-ling) secretary to General Landrorg [stressed out and skiddish]

General Landrorg- (dwarven fighter) General of Grydain's Military [longs for the front-lines of battle]

Griim- (dragonborn cleric) High Priest of the Temple of Bahumat in Grydain [longs for adventure]

Bilfer- (gnome) owner of the Bilfer's Bits-N-Bobbles shop [eccentric]

Robbie- (Mul) Bartender of the Griffin's Wings Tavern & Inn [keeps his nose down and does his job]

F`ul-Shoon- (half-orc) farmer responsible for feeding Grydain's Troops [longs for acceptance/prone to depression]

Pey and Keele- (humans) lumberjacks never seen working [patriotic and accepting of all races- except orcs]

Rosie- (pixie) native of the forest who agreed to aid our heroes [innocent and seemingly naive]

Ango Boyland- (half-elf) owner of the Griffin's Wings Tavern & Inn and an important figure in the community [somewhat mysterious and extremely flamboyant]

Klar-Taxx- (goliath) a mysterious figure who claims to work for "him"

And here are the enemies that were encountered:

Goblins

Orcs

Orogs

Blink Dog

Displacer Beast

Ogre

Now that all of that is out of the way, on to the summary!

The City of Grydain is under great stress since the murder of Jarl Wilhelm, as well as the continuing onslaught of the invading orcs, which the city has been at war with for over one hundred years.

Recently the crops designated to feeding the military's troops has been targeted by a band of goblins. General Landrorg and the city's counsel has decided that since they have no soldiers that they can pull from the battlefield, that they would bring in aid from elsewhere. Enter our heroes (specifially Chet, Zelladawn, and Ogg)!

General Landrorg and Grimm, the city's high priest, meet our heroes at Grydain's Keep and inform them that they were to eliminate threat within forty eight hours, but if was completed before dawn, the payment would increase.

There is a bit of tension in the room what with an orc present, but Landrorg informs the party that Ogg was chosen, hopefully, as a sign that Grydain believes in second chances. Landrorg also informs Zelladawn that the completion of this task will repay the debt that Zelladawn owes him.

Landrorg tells the party to meet him at the Griffin's Wings Tavern & Inn at dusk to meet the final member of the party and further instructions, Grimm agrees to accompany there party on this task as well as show them around the city. The party begins to leave the Keep when they encounter a Winter Wolf, who seems ready to fight. Ogg walks over and pats him on the head, and informs the group that this is his companion, Bardou.

The Party does some shopping at Bilfer's Bits-N-Bobbles, meets Robbie and day-drinks at the Griffin's Wings Tavern & Inn (where Chet out-drinks Ogg, who then almost gets into a fist-fight with Pey and Keele), and also meet an extremely drunk half-orc named F`ul-Shoon, who just so happens to be the one growing the crops that are being raided. He informs the party that the goblins always attack at night, and that they are raiding in a specific pattern. He heads home to sober up and wait to meet the party at his home.

Landrorg finally arrives and introduces the party to their final member (Raizos) and points thr group in the direction of F`ul-Shoon's cottage. Upon arrival, F`ul-Shoon tells the party where the next next projected area of the crops would get hit.

After making camp and whilst waiting on the impending battle, the party is visited by a Pixie who claims to have seen the group of goblins and orcs, and also gives the party Rogue Zelladawn a gift: a "toy" emerald owl that can turn into a giant owl (named Serephere).

Five goblins finally appear, and our heroes make short work of four of them, and try to interrogate the fifth, only to see a sixth previously unnoticed scout tucking tail and running. The party then kills one of the remaining goblins while the other escapes, not getting any information out of either.

The party investigates for tracks, and with the aid of Rosie manage to pick up their trail, leading them to the war camp.

After taking out two of the drunk guards, the party makes their way into the guard towers and get a better look at the camp, seeing the goblin that got away entering a large tent guarded by two orogs and near that a large cage where blink dogs are being made to fight a displacer beast and five orcs looking on. There is also a large bon fire in the very back of the camp. The party decides to send in Ogg and Grimm (Ogg pretending to bring Grimm in as a prisoner). Just then the tent opens and out steps a massive goliath whom the orcs call Klar-Taxx. He asks why Ogg brought the dragonborn, and unsatisfied with Ogg's answer, he orders everyone to attack!

Klar-Taxx steps back beside the fire while the Party fights the orcs and orogs. After an unsuccessful to lift and throw the cage by Serephere, the cage breaks open and the displacer beast escapes. While the battle rages on, Klar-Taxx takes several attacks without so much as a flinch. After the orcs and orogs are defeated, Klar-Taxx blows a small horn, and an ogre leaps over both the wall and fire and lands in front of the party, allowing Klar-Taxx to escape.

After SEVERAL close calls from fighting the orcs, Grimm claims to have help on the way. Just as the ogre leaped into combat, General Landrorg appeared at the gate ready to join the fight. He and Grimm unleash a flurry attacks, followed by the party laying into the ogre before he even had a chance to engage, and the battle was over.

After returning to the Griffin's Wings back in town, Landrorg bought a round for everyone.He thanks everyone, pays them their wage, and tries to convince everyone to stick around, promising that there will be much more danger to come. Before they could drink, there's a loud roar and a thud at the door of the tavern, The door flies open, and in walks an extravagantly dressed dark-skinned half-elf who yells, "Do not fret my friends, it is just moi, Ango!"

Ango walks over to the table where Landrorg sits with the party, buys yet another round, quickly consumes his drink, and leaves claiming he's looking for a tasty morsel to devour and then chuckles and walks away.

Landrorg raises his tavern and says, "For the Jarl!" The party raises, repeats, drinks, and that is where our first session ended.

And there you have it! I know this was rather lengthy. I promise to shorten these as much as possible. Anyways, be looking for the summarized second session coming at you soon! Until next time, Raise your Tankard High and Embrace the Light of Geekery!

Picture Credits:

Landrorg- http://www.padnd.com/arkuth/races_dwarves.php

Grimm- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/318418636135853893/

Ango Boyland- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/217650594470556962/

Sylvia- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/285204588880664780/

Robbie- https://mygirlfriendisadm.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/review-dark-sun-campaign-setting-part-1-new-races-builds/

Rosie- https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?748101-Let-s-Read-D-amp-D-5e-Monster-Manual/page154

Pey & Keele- https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/09/key-peele-review-season-4-premiere.html

Bilfer- http://geekandsundry.com/dear-vox-machina-ask-victor-the-gunpowder-merchant/

F`ul-Shoon- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/211035932513919459/

Klar-Taxx- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/46654546117865869/

Goblins- http://www.aidedd.org/dnd/monstres.php?vo=goblin