New Campaign Direction, Recap for 03/01/21

 After action for 03/01/21. Playing: P’wox (Aaron), Ironhide (John), Meltara (Keiran), Solaris (Julie), Elkas (Jose)

Date in Campaign is: 45th of Grentle.

So We start a new group of adventurers... We start in the city of Kallamos.

Kallamos is a cosmopolitan city, many races and cultures meet and mingle here, their harbor has ships that travel and trade across the known world and beyond. Sometimes ships from other worlds or planes dock here but that is a rare occurrence. For the last few months there has been the appearance of other world demons that have attacked smaller settlements. Everyone is talking about some sort of invasion about to happen but no details are known to anyone.. or so it seems..

Sitting in a small cheap tavern, The Lucky Steer, on the docks, we find our adventurers, newly arrived at the city. They are; P'wox Akraj (played by Aaron), a gold Dragonborn Paladin, a soldier by trade. Elkas Daera (played by Jose), a Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, Haunted by horrors in his past. Solaris (played by Julie), an Aasimar Light Domain Cleric, raised by the church. Meltara Waert(played by Keiran) a Kalashtar Grave Domain Cleric, who is a Noble by birth. And finally Ironhide (played by John) a Warforged fighter, a soldier by birth and trade. 

A newsie street orphan type goes to each of the weird strangers tables and drops off a crude handbill. Written in common it says "Adventurers wanted for dangerous but profitable work" and gives a nearby location on the docks. The players get up as a group.. they introduce each other as they walk to the address. They see a large but somewhat ill kept warehouse.. the newsie looking kid is standing in front.."Wow.. so all of you huh? ok let's go see the boss."They enter the warehouse, which seems mostly large and empty. Sitting in the far corner in flickering candles is a large table with a huge humanoid. As they approach he sends away the few figures he was taking to. He introduces himself as Alshu. He tells him one of his smaller operations, a warehouse not far from the city, has fallen silent for the last few days. Find out why they aren't sending any messages for the last 3 days. If it's monsters or rivals kill them. Don't destroy the warehouse. He will pay them based on performance. He wants them to go there and solve the problem then come back and report.

Neekno, the newsie street orphan, will guide them to his warehouse outside of Kallamos. The warehouse is a four hour walk outside of the city. It's in an area of farms and small stands of stunted trees.  As they walk to the warehouse, Neekno tells the that Alshu is a good boss, tough but fair. Traveling around several small very poor looking Farms they finally come to the warehouse hidden in a stand of trees.  I would never have found it without Neekno leading them there.  The circle it from a distance then as we get closer five spiked rats jump out from the trees and bushes they were hidden in and attack them. Spiked rats are weird little monkey rat things that can fire the spines on their back. It's a tough first battle for the group as the rats jumped them and they are unsure of their own abilities. P'wox breathes lightning on three of the rat, damaging them all. Ironhide yells "Die fleshy!" slashing a Spiked Rat to death. They defeat the rats and take a moment to heal and plan.Solaris using her Healing Hands on P'wox (2 HP). Meltara runs to the warehouse door and flings it open.. and a Warped Giant Rat rushes out of the darkness to eat him. P'wox and the rest rush forward to try to save his dumb ass.. it's a one sided battle and they kill the Giant Rat, dragging it out to open the warehouse. Neekno stays distant and watches as they do their thing. Realizing it is dark in the warehouse P'wox lights a torch. Meltara runs in the warehouse and is attacked by two Spiked Rats (see a pattern here...). Everyone rushes in after him. Solaris uses Word of Radiance, Elkas Fire Bolts, Ironhide hacking... Another Warped Giant Rat comes up from the lower level. Meltarra uses Inflict Wounds on it and Ironhide almost killing it. Elkas's Magic Missile finishes it off. They investigate the basement.. a Rat the size of a tiny dog, hiding in some empty crates, attacks Meltarra when he finds it but he kills it easily, taking it's small collar as a bracelet. Searching the basement reveals their was some kind of brewing operation here but everything is broken and smashed by the invading rat creatures. The party finds the bloody remains of the workers, some coins for the Living Fund and a tunnel hidden behind a curtain. The tunnel is low and looks like it goes on for a distance, sloping down beyond the range of torch light. Since they would have to crawl down the tunnel they decide not to explore it and instead block it with boxes and crates. Solaris walks out while the others look and see if there's anything they can take as loot (Alshu didn't tell them not to?). Exiting the warehouse, Neekno is nowhere to be seen. Solaris hears a faint cry in the distance and takes off running towards it, P'wox running with her. When the others exit, they aren't sure where Solaris or P'wox are..  Running for a minute they come to a large tree with Neekno climbed up it and four wolves surrounding it. He is yelling at the wolves to go away. When Solaris yells to him, he says to not get close you'll attract their attention and get attacked. Solaris runs back to get help, P'wox bangs on his shield and runs away too.. (hoping the wolves would follow?) He waits for Solaris to run back to the warehouse and get the others and bring them back. By the time they do all and get back to the tree, Neekno and the wolves are gone. The base of the tree has blood on and around it. They follow the wolves prints away from the tree. Some large feline creature is with them. A short while later one of the wolves is found with it's throat ripped out. They make some theories about Neekno. They lose the trail at a small stream. Because they left the warehouse open they have to go back and secure it.. then they head back to the city. They see Alshu and give a confusing report, telling him the people were killed but not that the brewing operation is ruined and the basement a mess (Meltara "oh it's a wine cellar now.").  They tell him they lost Neeko and about the wolves but Alshu seems unworried. Alshu pays them each 20 gold for their work. tells them he will be in touch. They go back to the Lucky Steer and look for rooms in the area. 

Kill count=(7xSpiked Rat)+(2xWarped Giant Rat)+(Giant Rat)

Exp=(7x50)+(2x200)+(25)=775/5=155exp each

For completing the mission given by Alshu +200, For using “Die Fleshy!” as his battle cry +50 Ironhide (amusing the GM).

Current Exp Totals are: P’wox 655, Elkas 655, Solaris 655, Meltara 655, Ironhide 705.