Last time three of my adventurers were defeated during the rearguard ambush while the former cult-member Pypui was able to get away. Let's see if I can figure out how to run this next step of the story.
When the night falls over the Greenfields a tapestry of sounds arises from the tall grasses. Billions of cicada start to chirp, owls hoot in the acacia's, spying down to find a prairie dog for supper, coyotes yip and howl and the axebeaks guttural nightcalls echo over the outstretched grasslands.
Sitting against an big baobab, leaned against the trunk we find Pypui. Knees pulled op she has her face buried in her hands. For hours she has been sitting here, torturing her own mind with the memories of the past few weeks. She thinks back to when she reconnected with her parents, how she joined the cult almost blindly in her faith that her parent's life goals were noble and honorable. She remembers how she helped the cult raid, her whips coming down on innocents and how she enjoyed the respect it earned her.
The image of her parents' smiles returns time and time again to her, but not as much as the image of their contorted bodies after the assassination. Her only bit of luck was that the murderers hadn't known about her existence. But that would have changed by now.
Pypui had tried to escape her past, the horrors of her parent's death. She had wanted to retreat to a distant place to hone her skills until she was prepared for revenge. But her past had come up behind her to stab her in the back. Newly found allies had been lost to the cult: Cuahtémoc, the young hero from Greenest, the brave Kashi and the dwarven cleric they had met in the temple of Chauntea whose name she didn't even know. All dying in one night.
But with the arrival of the new warriors she had hoped that there would come a chance to avenge them, to do some damage to the monsters of the dragon cult. But at the first real moment of adversity Pypui had abandoned her companions and fled. She was a coward, a betrayer, a fraud.
"Coward, betrayer, fraud!", she repeats, hitting the back of her head against the trunk of the baobab.
Would the others have survived? Some of them perhaps? The hardy Tasi or the clever, brave Maiko? Or Ignomini, the mysterious priest of the morninglord who had stood by Pypui's side through all the terrors of the raid? Would they have been killed on the spot?
Pypui doubtsit. She knows the workings of the cult. Mondath would have given orders to bring in any pursuers for interrogation. But after that? She would not allow them to survive, not even in captivity. It was too high a risk. Peasants, yes, those can be subdued as slaves. But Pypui's friends - she hesitates to call them that after the brief period she had known them - they were competent fighters, accomplished in the use of weaponry. They would be too dangerous to let live.
If they were still alive at all... Pypui needs to at least know that for sure.
She stands up, checks her equipment and returns to the ravine. But this time, she takes the narrow bath behind a few boulders that she had seen the raiders use to climb to the top of the ravine and follows along the rim, looking for any sign of others in the dark of the night. But as well versed as Pypui is in trying to keep calm, she is not prepared for the moment where hand lands on a porcupine and two sharp barbs enter her hand. She gives a small cry of pain and only a few yards away the sound of metal on stone and a voice are heard: "Who's there?"
Pypui doesn't know the voice and she knows her chances. She knows that if she runs now she won't have the stomach to return. All she can do is bluff.
"It's me. This ain't a berry bush, it's a fucking porcupine.", she says and heads straight for the sound, holding out her wounded hand.
"It's me. This ain't a berry bush, it's a fucking porcupine.", she says and heads straight for the sound, holding out her wounded hand.
The man sitting with his scimitar in hand bursts into laughter. "You're a bright one, aren't you.", he says, not paying much attention to her face. "Come on, I'll get them out, they got barbs."
He reaches for her hand to pull out the spikes and a moment later he collapses to the ground, Pypui's dagger protruding from below his chin. She pulls the weapon out and wipes it on his coat. It's clear the ambush site hasn't been abandoned at least. Up here she sees a bit of firelight a bit ahead in a ditch and after carefully removing the sharp pins from her hand she crawls closer.
Around a small and half-covered fire sit two cultists with the third one sleeping in a crude shelter. Pypui doesn't know any of their faces but the two at the fire are softly talking. Pypui lays behind a bush and listens in.
Her companions have been taken to the camp, she learns. And all three of them alive apparently. Pypui can hardly believe it but she knows that if they are still alive now this does not guarantee there survival for even the next hour. There is only one thing she can do, she needs to follow them. Softly she crawls away from the campfire and away into the night. Once she is out of earshot Pypui starts to run, following the trail that leads out of the ravine and through a landscape of crumpled red mesa's and thorny bushes. She knows this area well enough but still stumbles several times when the clouds cover the moon.
In the darkest hour of the night she finds herself atop the large, rocky plateau that hides the cult's camp. She knows that if there are any prisoners around they'll probably be at the Eastern End of the camp so that is where she heads. Near the East wall of the camp there are stakes erected and even from a distance Pypui can see several figures tied to them. But when she crawls to the edge to get a closer view a rock tumbles down and clatters to a halt on the stones below. Immediately a guard emerging from a nearby tent looks up and points. Pypui, having fared well with deception before tries to test her luck again.
"Sorry, sorry. Just out for a wee up here.", she calls down from behind a bush.
"Show your face and get down here!", shouts the guard from below. Pypui hesitates, she hasn't expected that reply. Before she can regain her calm and come up with a suitable lie, the man pulls out a crossbow and shouts out a command. Three more of the cultists spring to their feet and the man, aiming his crossbow at the top of the wall not far from Pypui gives a muffled command after which his comrades rush to the North where a rope ladder is connected to a guard tower on the top of the plateau. Doesn't dare come near to check out what exactly is happening but she knows she needs to get away as quickly as possible. She rushes back south and tries to find a shady spot to descend
Pypui is not having a lot of luck. Having rolled two natural 1's on stealth checks she now also fails all the follow up checks, bringing her into a critical situation.
Panicking ever more Pypui stumbles forward, one time almost tripping and falling into the hollow below. She catches her footing and rushes through a bush only to walk straight into the arms of a cultist who has climbed up the pitted rock wall to cut off her way. Behind her two more of the camps guardians come up and Pypui needs to fight for her life.
Pypui needs to act now, boldly and quickly.
She pulls up the hood of the coat she has taken from one of the stragglers earlier this day and risks a glance down. The man who had alarmed the others before is still standing ready with his crossbow but he is aiming at the wrong spot. Quickly Pypui drops over the ledge and climbs down, using the natural pits in the wall for climbing. At the bottom of the cliff she rushes onward, staying in the shade of the wall. She sees the man with the crossbow look at the sky then putting two fingers in his mouth to whistle. When no response is heard he seems to think for a moment, then rushes towards the big tent.
Pypui knows that means trouble and she needs to make more haste.
With as much speed as she can muster she runs over to the first figure, that turns out to be no one less then Tasi, looking bruised and beaten but alive. Quickly Pypui cuts the ropes that hold up the heavy set woman, hissing to her that she's come to set them all free. She pushes a backup blade into the woman's hands and together they quickly free Ignomini, Maiko and a half-elf that seems reluctant to be set free. "Let me be,", he mutters but Ignomini just pulls him to his feet. "This is Leosin.", the tiefling explains quickly.
"Introductions later, they know I'm here.", Pypui says quickly. And indeed, just as she cuts through Leosin's last bonds voices emerge from the big tent. Ignomini's hand shoots out towards a nearby torch and the fire quickly dies. "Let's run!", he exclaims in a shouting whisper and the group of four captives quickly follow behind Pypui who leads them back to where she has climbed down.
At this point I rolled for the entire party including commoner leosin (with disadvantage) for Stealth. They did reasonably with Maiko (Nat 20) and Pypui evening out the other's lower rolls. I also rolled perception for Maiko, Ignomini and Tasi (DC 10) on a success both Tasi and Maiko have managed to learn some information while being captives.
While beneath them the camp starts to stir more and more the five scale the wall again and once on top Leosin and Ignomini aid in avoiding obstacles while Pypui points the way back. As they descend from the plateau and rush through the nightly Greenfields as fast as the bruised and exhausted adventurers and the rescued scholar can manage they hear the sound of horns behind them.
"They're sounding the alarm at last. Took them long enough.", Pypui lets out in between her panting, ragged breaths.
When they finally collapse they are back in the high grasses. Ignomini has managed to find the a somewhat sheltered spot below a couple of spiny shrubs that shelter them from sight. Pypui hands out the rations she has kept to her starved friends and Leosin. She lets het waterskin go round as well. For a while only the sound of panting and chewing is audible. Then, with the worst of their needs fulfilled the group huddles together, taking turns wrapping themselves in Pypui's blanket.
"You need to know one thing about me.", says Pypui suddenly. Four pairs of tired, puzzled eyes turn to her.
"These people that have captured you, they are no mere raiders. This cult of the dragon is a large operation. And I was a part of them."
Maiko lets out a sharp breath but Pypui quickly continues.
"My parents were members and I grew up without them. After I found my family I wanted to be with them so I joined up. I wasn't a proper member, not even a true initiate, only with them for a few weeks. We waited for this woman: Frulam Mondath and the black half-dragon Rezmir. That one is a high ranking member and my parents hoped she would make me a member too. But instead Rezmir and Mondath betrayed my parents and killed them. I saw it happen but managed to get away. All I want now is to make them pay for what they have done. But if you want nothing to do with me because of my past, just speak up and I'll leave. Come dawn you can make your way back to Greenest and you'll never have to see me again."
There is a long silence after these words of the usual silent woman. It is Ignomini who speaks up first: "You have been a loyal companion ever since I met you. You are smart, crafty and a strong fighter. That is what I have seen. You have done good for the people of Greenest and you have rescued us all, for at daybreak we would have been executed. After darkness the dawn brings light."
The other's don't speak, but neither do they turn away. They simply roll up and wait for the actual, not the proverbial dawn to break and to bring them some warmth.
This chapter did not exactly play out the way the module describes it. I don't really mind since I find it rather shallowly written anyway. But let's now follow the guidelines given for XP:
- None of the characters managed to get in and out of the camp without being caught or causing an alarm or stirring suspision.
- None of the characters managed to get in and out of the camp without being caught or causing an alarm or stirring suspision.
- They did rescue Leosin (250XP each)
- They didn't leave dummy, but I would argue that Pypui earns 75 extra XP for rescuing three more prisoners.
- Pieces of information they have learned or already know due to Pypui's background: 5 (125 XP each)
- They didn't leave dummy, but I would argue that Pypui earns 75 extra XP for rescuing three more prisoners.
- Pieces of information they have learned or already know due to Pypui's background: 5 (125 XP each)
Total XP: 375 each, 450 for Pypui
This is the point where I finally break with the idiotic XP-system. I haven't been using it in my life sessions but wanted to give it a try for solo-play.
1 year has passed in real life since I wrote those last lines
I have lost all of my data of the game in a crash and lost motivation to play anymore. I end that series and try again with a different concept in a new post.
