Today is going to be a good day. All week Sunset has been doing more research on the over all game of Dungeons and Dragons, getting more information where ever she could ask questions. She has been fleshing out her world little by little getting things ready for her players to immerse themselves into it. Sunset even went out and found a bigger table that was on sale and still fit comfortably in her apartment. After sending out another group text reminding her friends of the game tonight, Sunset started to set the table as she did last week, making sure things were good to go when they arrive.
She made a quick trip to the nearby store and stocked up on some more drinks and snacks for everyone. Returning home Sunset then took a moment to relax and go over some of her notes for the start of their very first game. Everything seemed to be in order as she took a deep breath and let out a soft yet nervous sigh. It's just your friends. You'll do fine. she told herself as a gentle knock was heard upon her door. Getting up and making her way over she was surprised to see Fluttershy be the first to arrive and a little bit early.
"Hiya, Fluttershy. Welcome," Sunset greeted her with a smile and a wave as Fluttershy stepped inside.
"Hello, Sunset," Fluttershy replied quietly as she walked over and took the same seat she had last week. "I know I'm a bit early but I had a question about my character," she added as she pulled out a Player's Handbook, some dice and her character sheet.
"Sure, what's up?" Sunset asked as she took a seat next to her.
"Umm, it says here that I can change into any type of animal," Fluttershy pointed to the Wild Shape ability.
"Yes but you can't use that ability until you reach level two."
"Oh, I see," Fluttershy took another look at the page. "Do you think I could become a tree?"
Sunset gave her a curious look before shrugging, "I'm not sure...maybe at a higher level you can? We'll have to look into it later on when you guys gain some experience."
"Alright," Fluttershy smiled. "I'd like to be a tree." Sunset just shook her head and returned the smile. Soon after the rest of the girls began to show up and they all took their places around the table, all sitting in the same places that they did last week. Either it was a very strange coincidence or that's how they wanted to be placed, Sunset wasn't sure but it really didn't matter. They were there to have fun and Sunset hoped that she could give it to them.
As all the girls got comfortable Sunset started the session. "Okay. You are all in a land called Valatorium. A land filled with all kinds of races and cultures, magical items and plenty of riches. A land of dangerous monsters and wondrous treasure. It is ruled by the House of Denigar from the imperial city of Eritor which stands at the center of the land in the far North. But that is not where our story begins tonight. Our story begins with two adventurers being chased by a hill giant into a dark cavern that leads deep under the hills near the town of Crestwood." Sunset points to Rarity and Applejack as she continues.
"Roxanna and Lady Lavanya find themselves in a very dark cavern which smells moldy and wet. Underneath it all you can pick up the faint traces of a metallic scent very similar to the smell of blood. The sound of the giant that was chasing you seems to drift off as you can hear it's heavy foot steps fade farther away until the only thing the two of you can hear is your heavy breathing." Sunset looked from Applejack to Rarity who are looking at each other from across the table as they are now thrown into their very first actions with these characters. Looking over her sheet Rarity was the first to speak up.
"We can't see a thing, right?"
"That's right. It's pitch black in here," Sunset confirmed.
"Okay I cast Light on my mace so we can take a look around."
"You can feel divine power fill your hand as you channel the spell casting it on the end of your mace brightening the area. It takes the two of you a few moments before your eyes adjust to the suddenness of going from complete darkness to light. As you now can see your surroundings you notice the area is slightly humid which means that there might be a water source nearby. Moss covers most of the walls on either side of you and as you proceed a bit farther into the cavern it opens up before you gradually getting wider. You can't see the ceiling any longer as the walls continue to move out and away from you. The metallic scent you picked up starts to get stronger as you come across a few piles of bones and what looks like the remains of a few dead bodies. The bodies look only days old and probably the work of the giant that was chasing you only moments ago."
"Where did that thing come from?" Roxanna exclaimed as she tried to catch her breath.
"I have no idea but it might come back. Perhaps we shouldn't hang around here to long," Lady Lavanya suggested. As they made their way deeper into the cavern they made a quick inspection of the bodies followed by a few words to Bahamut before pressing on following the left wall as it seemed to gradually head down at a slight decline. Coming to an entrance which shoots off to their left they took a moment to listen, seeing if there was any danger ahead.
"Alright go ahead and make a perception roll."
"That's a d20, right?" Applejack asked.
"Correct. Roll a d20 and add your perception skill to it." Sunset explained as the girls made their rolls.
"Nineteen."
"Seven," Rarity gave a slight frown at her number.
"Okay. Roxanna as you listen closely to the darkness beyond your light source you could hear what sounds like rushing water but just faintly. You also pick up on what sounds like someone or something banging making some noise. From what you can make out it sounds like metal hitting metal but with the echoing in the caverns it's hard to tell."
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what, darling?" Roxanna held a finger up to her lips as she listened a moment longer. She waved to her good friend as they both started down the narrow cavern entrance. It was only about ten feet wide and at some parts it narrowed even more to where they had to almost walk sideways. After what seemed to be a few intense minutes of silence as the two continued down the cavern they came to an opening which led them into another large cavern. The sound of water could be heard much clearer now as they stepped out of the cramped area.
"Hey! You! With the light! Come here! Get me out of here!" A voice in the darkness shouted at them. Roxanna held her sword and shield at the ready just in case anything or anyone decided to surprise them.
"Who's there?"
"Stop lolly gagging and let me out of here!"
"Where are you?" Lady Lavanya called back cautiously. She didn't like making so much noise in an unknown place.
"To your right, about a hundred feet from you," the voice answered, a bit more quietly this time. Both the paladin and the cleric strode carefully over to where they were instructed when quite a few small cages came into their light range. There were about a dozen or so of them scattered around the area. Only a few of them were occupied, one being to whom the disembodied voice belonged to. As they approached the three foot by four foot cage they saw it contained a half elf. Beaten, bruised, dirty and all around not in the best of shape, she looked up at them with a small smirk.
"Well you gonna get me out of here, or what?" She asked as she had barely any room to move around in it.
"What happened to you?"
"Listen they might come back any moment. Just get me out of here and I'll explain everything to you." There was a look of desperation in her eyes as the two glanced to each other for a moment before giving the half elf a slight nod. Bringing her mace above her head, Lady Lavanya swung at the lock in an attempt to smash it.
"Go ahead and roll an attack for it."
"That's a d20 plus my strength, right?" Rarity asked. Sunset nodded as Rarity rolled her die upon the table. "I got an eleven."
"So as you swing your mace up above your head and bring it down on the lock you hear the metal crush against each other and a moment later the lock falls to the ground with a soft thud. Crawling out of the small cage the now freed half elf stretches getting as many of the cramps out of her muscles as she can. She gives you two a grin and then seems to disappear into the darkness only to reappear a moment later with her items in hand. As she starts putting on her gear she introduces herself as quickly as she can."
"Listen, my name is Thandra and I'll explain more as we get out of here," she said as she finished up and looked at herself. "It'll have to do. Anyways, thanks for releasing me from that so called prison. Follow me, I know where we can get out of here."
Now with Thandra in the lead the three of them began to head what seemed to be deeper into the caverns. It wasn't to much longer that they could tell they were starting to head upwards as a soft breeze passed between them. "Just a bit farther and we'll be in the Sanguine Forest," Thandra explained over her shoulder. A few more minutes along with some more twists and turns they emerged out of a small cave entrance which seemed to be hidden by a few trees that grew near it. Dispelling her Light spell, Lady Lavanya put down her mace and took a deep breath of fresh air seemingly glad to be out of the darkness.
"Well you kept to your word and I thank you," Roxanna said as she held out a hand to the half elf. "My name is Roxanna Mourneblack and this is Lady Lavanya."
"Nice to meet you. My full name is Thandra Lockcat," she grinned to both of them as she shook Roxanna's hand.
"Pray, tell us why you were being kept in such a dark place all locked up like that?"
"That's a long story. Perhaps I can tell it to you over a cup of ale? Just on the other side of this forest is the small town of Breeze, about a half a day's march to the south." Thandra leads them through some of the trees and shrubbery for a few hundred feet when they all finally come to a well worn path snaking it's way through the forest. "Here we go. Now we just gotta follow this path and it'll lead us right out of the woods." About a half an hour into their trek the howl of a wolf could be heard nearby. A moment later there seemed to be another followed by a third.
"I try to see if there's anything near us," Rainbow Dash said.
"Alright. Make a perception check."
Rainbow pulls a face as she looks at the die. "Only a six."
"You can't see anything near you for the trees and other foliage blocks a lot of your sight."
"Can I try?" Rarity asked.
"Sure, go ahead."
"A nine."
"You don't really see anything out of the ordinary either," Sunset tells her then adds, "but you do feel as if something or someone is watching you."
Rarity turns to Applejack and asks, "What should we do?"
"Let's keep movin' but cautiously," she replies.
"As the three of you keep heading down the worn path it bends to the left and disappears behind some trees. Right in front of you, as if the forest itself was alive, you see a druid step from out of the dense forest, the trees seemingly parting before her making way for her before settling back into place. Standing on either side of her were two light brown wolves, snarling at the intruders, only waiting for her command to pounce."
"Why do you trespass in this forest?" The druid demanded, her right hand holding a staff which was pointed at the three figures.
"I apologize if we caused any harm. We only wish for safe passage through. We were lost in the caverns beneath the hills and our friend Thandra here helped us find our way out."
"Is there a way to see if she is telling the truth?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes. You will want to make an insight check. So roll a d20 plus that skill modifier," Sunset explained as she watched Fluttershy look at her sheet while she rolled the die.
"I got a one. Is that good?" Sunset just shook her head.
"Rolling a natural one is very bad. You never want to see those come up but it does happen." Fluttershy looked a bit saddened at the fact but Rarity cheered her up a bit while Sunset continued. "You're not sure if she is telling the truth or not but getting a better look at her now you can see she is a paladin, from the armor and the holy symbol that's engraved upon her breast plate. Seeing that puts you at ease slightly as you decide to take them for their word."
"Safe passage is what I will grant you. Follow me and do not stray from the path," she told them as she turned and started walking down the path, both wolves in tow. It seemed like the very ground itself moved around her making the journey much easier to travel now as the three followed silently behind.
"I don't know about you two but I'm getting a bad feeling about this..." Thandra commented aloud as they continued on wards.
"Do you feel that, Roxanna?"
"Ayep. There is a darkness gathering in these woods yet I can't seem to tell what the cause is. Protector of the forest, do you know anything about what is going on here?" Roxanna called forward as the druid looked over her shoulder to reply.
"My name is Lohen Greenbranch and no I do not. This is very sudden and I can feel an uneasiness to the trees and the wildlife around," Lohen explained as they walked. About another twenty minutes goes by and they started to see the trees start to thin out and the path starts to become a bit wider. They were nearing the edge of the forest and could see the small town of Breeze in the distance. The uneasiness that Lohen spoke of continued to grow and the sky above them seemed to darken slightly over the town.
"All of you roll me perception, please."
"Five," said Fluttershy.
"Fourteen," Rarity replied.
"Sixteen from me," Applejack said.
"I have a ten."
"So Roxanna and Lady Lavanya you hear what sounds like screams and the familiar sound of battle drift towards you."
"Can we tell where it's coming from?"
"Yes. It is coming from the nearby town. You guys are still to far away to actually see anything but the sounds are unmistakable."
Drawing her sword Roxanna turns to her companions. "We must help them! Quickly now!" Roxanna then turns and starts running towards the small town with Lady Lavanya right behind her. They were soon joined by Thandra who has decided to stick with them for a while. Surprisingly the druid Lohen caught up with them, her two wolves by her side.
"Do you plan to help us, darling?" Lady Lavanya called to her as they ran.
"I do not care for those that reside in the town," she said at first then added when Lady Lavanya's face grimaced, "but if whatever is attacking the village decides to come for my forest next, that I will not allow. So it is better to stop it now before things get out of hand."
"What ever your reasons are are yours alone but I thank you for assisting us," Roxanna called back before putting on a burst of speed. It didn't take long for the small group to cross the open plains and reach the outskirts of Breeze. Some of the buildings were on fire and general chaos filled the streets as people fled in fear. As they continued farther in they reached the center of town where they stopped to see a wizard with a shield around herself and a few of the locals. She was using all her might to keep her focus up on the shield but the strain of keeping it together could be seen on her face. Above her about fifty feet in the air floated another mage who seems to be casting a continuous beam of magic down upon the shield. Running over, Roxanna placed her shield in front of her and stepped between the two casters, deflecting the beam.
"Quickly, go. Run to safty!" She called back as the force of the magic seemed to push her back a few feet.
"Thank you," said the wizard as she dropped her concentration and started to usher those that she was protecting. Thandra and Lohen ran over and gave her a hand while Lady Lavanya went to Roxanna's side. The power of the beam was getting to intense and it suddenly knocked Roxanna's shield away from her as it hit her squarely in the chest.
"You take four points of damage from the blast and you are knocked prone," Sunset said as she rolled some dice behind her screen.
"Prone?" Applejack echoed.
"It means you're knocked down." Applejack nodded understandingly as she wrote down the damage on her character sheet. "You now are able to get a better look at this person floating in the air and it is someone you recognize from your past. What confirmed your thoughts beyond any doubt is his insane maniacal laughter."
"Rystion!" Roxanna said through gritted teeth as she got back up to her feet.
"Are you alright?" Lady Lavanya asked worriedly to her friend as she had her mace and shield out.
"Yeah. I'm fine," she replied as she glared upwards at the figure. More laughter followed by a few streaks of lightning, which brightened up the area, before the mage seemed to vanish from sight the sky returning to a light yellowish orange color. The sun has started to set while all of this was happening. The towns people did their best to put the fires out and with the help of the party they managed to save most of the buildings that were on fire. A few were to badly charred as one or two collapsed under it's own weight. Seeking out the wizard who was protecting the villagers, Roxanna and Lady Lavanya found her with those that she shielded.
"Is anyone hurt?" Lady Lavanya asked as she started to check for any injuries. Handing the wizard a flask of water Roxanna pressed her for some information.
"That was a very noble thing you did, protecting those who can't protect themselves." Taking a long drought of the water the wizard handed the near empty flask back to the paladin.
"I only did what I could to help," she explained as she looked around the town as it slowly calmed down. "But it wasn't enough. He was just to powerful..."
"Do you know what he wanted? Was he looking for something?"
Shaking her head the wizard answered, "I'm sorry but I do not. He just appeared out of nowhere and started attacking everything."
"His name is Rystion the Mad," Roxanna told her as she spat out his name. The wizard looked up to her with wide eyes as Roxanna just nodded to her. "It seems he's grown even more unstable since the last time I've seen him."
"Do you know him?" She asked Roxanna in wonderment as she attempted to stand on shaky legs.
Roxanna helped steady the wizard as she explained, "Yes. A long time ago he captured my father and tortured him for information. My father died with honor for the mage gained nothing out of him. Now it is my duty to take him out, not only for my father, but for everyone else he has hurt along the way."
"I'm so sorry," the wizard said before formally introducing herself. "Thank you very much to coming to my aid. I wasn't sure if I could hold that spell any longer. My name is Jeana Sparks. It's a pleasure to meet you." Shaking hands, the paladin and the wizard continued their conversation when suddenly another figure, who seemed to just pop out of the ground next to them, appeared.
"Well that was a lot of fun. I mean one minute you're in the middle of a song and the next the whole place is on fire. Who knew, right?" She elbowed the wizard with a small giggle.
"You're that performer that was in the tavern when it was attacked."
"Bard actually, and yes I am. Nice to meet your acquaintance. The name's Aresim. Aresim is my name and singing is the game." She shook hands with both the wizard and the paladin as they said their introductions.
"Jeana Sparks."
"Roxanna Mourneblack." As if on que Lady Lavanya, Thandra and Lohen joined them as they all made their introductions, shook hands, smiled and all around took in their surroundings.
"And we will call it there for the night," Sunset said which was immediately followed by a chorus of Ahhhh's. Checking the time Sunset saw that the session went for a good three hours and from that last reaction she could tell that they were really getting into it. As the girls packed up their things and got ready to say goodbye, Sunset told them what a great job they did and that next week will be just as fun.
"Oh and tonight everyone gets 200 xp for doing so well."
"What's 'xp'?" Asked Twilight.
"Experience points. You get those from killing monsters, role playing with your other players or the NPC's, and coming up with good ideas. Things like that. When you get enough points you can level up. It's all in the book under your class." Sunset explained as they all nodded to her. When the last girl left Sunset let out a quiet cheer as she started to put her things away. Everything went more smoothly than what she had expected and next week is going to be even better.