This is the first session in which both uncles were able to participate. The interactions between the two uncles their characters were extremely entertaining for everyone.
In the previous session Professor stayed behind in the underground bandit hideout to rummage through and catalog the items. Having completed his task he realized the party was missing and decided to follow them to the ruins.
DM: Roll history (18). The entrance to the ruins looks historical and old, but you notice there is something not right, and you find a hidden passage. (Professor decides to take the hidden passage). You can tell that the tunnel is man-made. You come to makeshift door. (Professor tries to open the door with stealth, rolls 15.) The door does not budge, it is locked. (Professor uses Thieves’ Tools, rolls Nat 1). You break the lock. (Professor kicks the door open, strength roll Nat. 20.) The door breaks off and goes flying in to the other door.
Professor: Yes, yes, all right, quite.
DM: This tunnel is also man-made, but leads in to another older hallway.
The party has just defeated the rats outside the treasure room (see Session 2). They see a door in one direction and a hallway in the other. Surina decides to move down the hallway, but it’s the same hallway they had travelled before. Down the hallway Lysithea spots Professor.
Lysithea: Oh looks, it’s the Professor of professing. How did you get here?
Professor: Tunnel.
Lysithea: Tunnel?!
K’un-Lun to Surina: Who is this haggard man? Is he a friend of yours?
Professor: Haggard!? I’ll show you haggard *shakes fist*.
K’un-Lun: And who are you?
Professor: I’m the Professor.
K’un-Lun: And I’m the great K’un-Lun! Perhaps you’ve heard of me.
DM: (The party goes back to examine the door.) It opens. There is a bandit huddled in the corner surrounded by rotten food. This is where the rats have been coming from.
K’un-Lun: *Gags, then checks to see if the bandit is alive*
DM: He panics and swings at you, but misses.
K’un-Lun: *scoffing* What are you doing here, you smelly man?
Bandit: Hiding. There’s creatures out and about.
K’un-Lun: Were you running from anything previous?
Bandit: I live here! But suddenly these rats and snakes came out.
K’un-Lun: I like what you’ve done with the place.
Professor: Were you locked in here?
Bandit: I locked myself in here!
Surina: How long have you been here?
Bandit: In this room or in the ruins?
Surina: In this room.
Bandit: About a day or so.
Lysithea: What about in the ruins?
Bandit: I don’t think I’m supposed to say that.
Surina: All of the other bandits are gone, so you may as well tell us.
Bandit: Wait, you’ve already killed the boss? Well, um…
Surina: (Rolls deception, Nat. 1)
Bandit: I don’t believe that, you wouldn’t be standing here *stands up*.
Everyone rolls initiative, with Draggy rolling the highest. Draggy rolls a Nat. 20 to attack with his sword. He breathes lightning on to his sword, and strikes the bandit down with one decisive blow (17 points of damage). The bandit has been cleaved in half. The Professor immediately searches his body, and takes his shoes while K’un-Lun watches in disgust.
Professor: They’re almost my size and they’re nice shoes.
K’un-Lun: You are a haggard old man.
Exploration of the Temple
The party moves down the hallway towards the other door that hasn’t been opened yet. Surina moves to open the door. She makes a DC dexterity check (4), and falls through a trap door in to a pit. The pit is filled with poison that splashes around her, causing her to take 2 points of damage. Surina makes an athletics check to get out (19) and easily climbs out of the pit. Professor rolls history stone cutting (25) and knows this was made as a temple, ancient people consecrated it, and that there are hidden doors he is able to locate.
Professor: I say follow me then!
He tries to open the door. He rolls an arcana check (10) to find some type locking mechanism that he cannot see, but there’s images of snakes carved in the wall.
Professor: I think we need a snake to open this door.
K’un-Lun moves to the main door and opens it easily, revealing a lit anti-chamber. Lysithea moves towards the hidden door, still holding the snake key. As she approaches a snake mouth on the door opens and reveals a keyhole. Draggy moves in to the room. Surina delays, waiting for the hidden door to be opened. Lysithea gives key to Professor, who then opens the door. Inside is a mini shrine. There is a statue of a female figure holding a snake in both hands, and on one of her wrists is a golden snake bracelet. Professor’s big eyes start to sparkle. He rolls a religion check on statue (25). This is a goddess that he doesn’t recognize, but can tell it is an ancient, religious figure with the power to control snakes. Professor instantly grabs the bracelet and puts it on.
Professor: I like shiny.
Lysithea rolls arcana (21), and knows the bracelet is definitely magic and Professor can activate it somehow. Professor feels like he has the power to activate it, and does. He channels the energy on the statue and a snake appears next to it. The snake looks like it is about to attack him.
Professor: Well hello there my feline friend.
K’un-Lun: Why are you guys friends with him?
Lysithea: We kind of got roped in to this guild at the same time and couldn’t say no…
Surina throws a javelin at the snake, hits with a 16 and does 7 damage, killing it.
Professor: I was going to eat that!
Lysithea: You can still eat it…
Professor: Look at it, it’s ruined!
Professor feels that he can activate the bracelet a few more times. K’un-Lun moves through the anti-chamber through the door, and Lysithea follows. K’un-Lun hears whispering and alerts Lysithea. Draggy moves in behind them. Surina makes it right by the door, rolls perception (17) and hears chanting from behind the door. She alerts the party to the chanting sounds. Professor moves in. Everyone delays to Surina, who opens the door quietly (rolls stealth 11). The door opens not that stealthily, and it looks like the people on the other side were waiting for them. There is a big red mark on the ground and 3 individuals standing there menacingly. The one in the middle is a Goblin, the other 2 are Human.
Begin Cultist Encounter
Surina throws a javelin at the left Human, hits with a 21, and does 6 damage. Draggy moves in with Surina, attacks the same Human with his ax, but misses. Professor uses a bonus action to light his hand hammer on fire, and moves to attack the other Human. He attacks with a Nat. 1, and the arcane fire fizzles out for the next turn.
Professor: I cast the wrong spell!
K’un-Lun moves in to flank the first Human. He attacks with a 15, and does 6 damage, killing him with an uppercut. Lysithea uses magic missile, doing 5 damage to the Human, and 7 to the Goblin. The Goblin hits K’un-Lun with a Nat. 20, doing 4 damage. He attempts to attack K’un-Lun again, but misses. The remaining Human swings his sword at Professor and misses. 2 more figures appear from behind pillars. One attacks Draggy, but misses. The other one attacks Professor and hits with an 18, doing 6 damage. They have on cultist robes. The party rolls an insight check. K’un-Lun critically fails and thinks they are from his time, but Lysithea and Professor know they are phonies. Surina attacks the first remaining Human, hits with a 23, and does 6 damage, killing him. Draggy hits one of the new bandits with his sword with a 10, and does 6 damage. Professor does not have his magic fire.
Professor: Light you thing, light!
He attempts to relight his hammer arm, but it won’t catch. Instead, he casts shocking grasp on his attacker, hits with an adjusted 20, and does 5 points of lightening damage. The attacker cannot react because he has been tased, so Professor moves back 5 feet next to Draggy. K’un-Lun disengages with the Goblin, move back 5 feet, and strikes a monk pose. Lysithea uses Magic Missile again, killing the Human Draggy was engaged with. The remaining 2 missiles hit the other Human for 2 damage and the Goblin for 3. Everyone makes a perception roll. Lysithea rolls Nat. 20 and sees the Goblin sneaking off.
Lysithea: *points to the Goblin* Hey! He’s sneaking away!
Surina runs over to him and rolls to attack at a disadvantage, hits with a 16, and does 6 damage. Draggy moves and attacks the human, hits with a 21, and kills him with 7 damage. Professor’s hammer relights…
Professor: Oh, how lovely!
…, but instead of attacking he uses Cure Wounds on K’un-Lun.
Professor: What is your name again, Klin Tongue?
He heals K’un-Lun for 7 HP.
K’un-Lun: Thanks guy.
Professor: Who are you again? Are you my son?
K’un-Lun: I’m older than you, old man.
K’un-Lun walks away and punches the Goblin, hitting with a 22 and a 23 with his bonus move, doing 8 damage total. Lysithea attacks with Fire Bolt, hits with a 21 and does 5 damage. Everyone has to make a DC wisdom saving throw. K’un-Lun and Lysithea fail and are now stunned. The remaining party members then make a perception roll. Professor rolls an adjusted 20, and sees the Goblin disappear.
Professor: Eerrrhghghg, did you see that! He just disappeared!
K’un-Lun: Oh no, what the…
End Encounter
With the encounter now over, Professor moves in and searches the bodies. These are definitely not cultists, just bandits dressed in cultist costumes. The red mark on the ground is the same mark on the map. Professor rolls perception with advantage, rolling a Nat. 1 and a Nat. 20. There is an obvious secret door marked in the same snake fashion as the rest of the temple, and another secret door that looks like someone carved it out and blocked it off with wood. Professor opens the snake door with the snake key. There is a room with a giant pool of water at the other end. The snakes are carved all over the pillars, but they are not significant like the first room with the magic pools. Professor walks up to the pool water. There are 4 different types of water – blue, green, clear, and brown cloudy.
Professor: Ooooooo, come look at this. Sorcerer, come look at this.
K’un-Lun: Not this again.
DM: The water is all swirling together. (Professor rolls 25 arcana.) This magic is definitely connected to the whole temple, and the pillars state that those who are not worthy should not touch this pool. (Professor jumps in. Makes charisma saving throw, Nat. 1.) You see visions of terrible calamities, rotting flesh, crumbing edifices, and political speeches gone wrong. The main theme surrounding these visions are snakes. You get disadvantages to initiative rolls. (Professor makes a constitution saving throw, another Nat. 1.) You feel poison coursing through your body, and take 5 poison damage. You are now vulnerable to poison. (Professor makes intelligence saving throw, 16.) You see all possible futures and outcomes, and feel a clarity of mind. You get advantages to intelligence, wisdom, and charisma checks. (Professor makes his final saving throw, wisdom, Nat 20.) You feel acid coursing through you, but you feel stronger from it. You gain resistance to acid.
Professor: I want to get out now!
DM: Suddenly, you hear splashing and a giant hiss from the other side of the room. A giant, 2 headed snake appears.
Begin Boss Snake Battle
Surina heads towards the snake, swings her sword at it, but does not hit. Draggy moves to attack the snake with his sword, but misses. Professor makes an athletics check to get out of the pool (18), and climbs out with no issues. He channels the energy of the bracelet towards the snake, and another snake appears next to it.
Professor: Come to me my feline friend. I shall name you Whispers.
The summoned snake bites the 2-headed snake. K’un-Lun moves to punch the giant snake. He misses the first time, but hits on his bonus action, doing 4 damage. Lysithea attempted to use Chill Touch but missed. The 2-headed snake attacks Surina and hits for 5 poison damage. It goes in for a second attack with its other head, but misses. Surina attacks back with her sword, hits with a 13, and does 6 damage. Draggy hits the snake with his sword (14), doing 6 damage. Professor only has 1 HP, so he casts Fire Bolt from a distance. He hits with an 18, and does 9 fire damage. Whispers gets a Nat. 20 to hit, doing 7 poison damage.
Professor: Thank you my feline friend. In some cultures they call it a pachyderm.
Lysithea ignores Professor’s ramblings, hits the giant snake with Fire Bolt, doing 8 damage. The snake attacks Surina again, but misses. Surina attempts to attack the snake with her sword, but rolls a Nat. 1; however, the snake is flanked so she gets to roll again. This time she hits with an 18 and does 6 more damage. Draggy attacks with his sword, hits with a 22, and does 10 damage. Professor casts Fire Bolt, hits with a 14 and does 1 damage. Whispers lunges at the snake, bites it, and kills it. The giant, 2-headed snake disintegrates in to a pool of water leaving behind a large emerald. With its original target defeated Whispers looks for its next target: Surina. K’un-Lun goes for the double punch on Whispers, hits with both fists, and kills it.
End Battle
DM: The big pool filled with the different waters starts draining, revealing a jug. The jug is magical. It feels like there could be different types of liquid inside, like you could wish for it to contain different things.
Professor: *lifts his goggles to reveal his tiny beady eyes* I do believe this to be of the magical qualities.
K’un-Lun: *opens the jug* Mayonnaise! *pours out the contents of the jug*
DM: Mayonnaise pours out of the jug. It is an Alchemy Jug. It can pour 1 liquid per day.
Lysithea: *picks up the emerald*
DM: (The party moves to the other hidden door.) The door is sliding, and you hear voices on the other side. The door slides open. There’s more stolen goods, and a tied up merchant that has been gagged, trying to scream.
Lysithea: Mathistos?
Mathistos: *gagged* Mmmaldkgjjaofimasammoidgjj!
(The party ungags him.)
Mathistos: Thank you! Finally! I heard the fighting. What took you so long? This was all a trap! These bandits set this trap for people like me.
Professor: Are these your things?
Mathistos: What things?
Professor: This? *holds up something random he picked up from the loot pile*
Mathistos: I don’t know off the top of my head, I’ve been tied up for days!
Professor: Look at this. *shows inventory logs* If you don’t know you won’t miss it. *argues with a still-tied up Mathistos about the goods*
Dad took some time here to ask Cordelia how Surina would feel about Professor trying to take things that do not belong to him. Cordelia knew her character would be against it, but she still needed a little help with what to say. She finally settled on…
Surina: Don’t do that!
Professor: What?
K’un-Lun: I’m with you Surina. As a hero of old I can’t stand by as you try to take this man’s belongings.
Mathistos: It’s not all mine… We could split it.
K’un-Lun: As a hero of old….
Professor: *begins mumbles about agreeing with the arrangement, saying a lot of words very quickly that the party cannot understand*
Mathistos: Now listen, we can come to an agreement. You all saved me, so I might have something for you, and then we can take the rest back to town.
K’un-Lun: Very well then.
Lysithea: You’re all morons.
Mathistos: Okay, okay, I have some magic potions. Look up there, *points* it’s marked with a big M.
K’un-Lun: *grabs a crate with 5 potions inside*
Mathistos: Those are healing potions for each of you. If you untie me I’ll show you more. *Gets untied and beings rummaging through his stuff.* I have this possible magic lamp, I have this staff with a bird on top, and I have this cloak. One of these 3 things can be yours.
Professor: That doesn’t seem 50/50.
Lysithea: What are they?
Mathistos: This is magic lamp. I mean, we are out in the desert, it’s magic. This staff has a bird, it could be magic, and a cloak.
Professor: I’m not a staff person. Can I have this basket? It’s made of wicker or rattan or something. I must know!
Mathistos: Uh, sure.
K’un-Lun: (Rolls perception, 18)
DM: Everything looks magical except for the lamp.
K’un-Lun: *takes lamp and throws it on the ground, and it bounces*
Mathistos: Okay, that’s not magic.
Lysithea: (Rolls arcana 18 to inspect the staff, it’s magical.) I want it.
K’un-Lun: What do I need to do to get that cloak from you? I want that cloak. (Rolls persuasion 16)
Mathistos: Make me an offer. Talk to me about it. I’m a merchant.
K’un-Lun: I don’t have much gold, but I’ve got this short sword, or you can have the healing potion back.
Mathistos: Deal.
K’un-Lun: *Gives back healing potion, puts on cloak, and tries to make it work.*
DM: It billows behind you. It is a Cloak of Billowing.
K’un-Lun: *Sheds a single tear.* This is what I’ve been missing for so long. May the spirit of the dragon bless you, Goblin. What’s your name by the way?
Mathistos: Mathistos…
Lysithea: *Feels like the staff can do something, so she tries to use it.*
DM: You feel in your mind a bird. Think of a bird. (Lysithea thinks of a macaw.) You hear a macaw call, and create the sound. This is a Staff of Bird Calling.
Mathistos: You can carry all this, right?
Lysithea: You are helping, sir.
Mathistos: Oh, my wrists, my legs!*acting hurt*
Professor: (Rolls insight, Nat. 20. He knows Mathistos is lying and forces him to help.)
Mathistos: This wouldn’t have happened if Mateen was with me…
The party loads up the camels and exits through the secret tunnel, but first Lysithea convinces everyone to bring the artifacts from the treasure room, too, for studying. The party returns to Dalvok and levels up to level 2.
DM: As the party returns to town the people of Dalvok see Surina and Draggy leading, with the rest of the party and the missing goods behind them. Merchants start cheering as they enter the town.
K’un-Lun: *saluting the crowd*
Professor: I don’t like this one bit.
DM: The town is cheering because the guild finally accomplished something. Mathistos starts throwing coins at the crown.
Lysithea: *catches the gold coins via Mage Hand, then flicks Mathistos for throwing the ancient artifacts*
DM: The party stops at the town center, where they find Akron and a bunch of priests waiting. Roll religion (party rolls high). These are priests of Bahamut.
Akron: You all have made it! You succeeded! This is fantastic! Now we might get more jobs! You are the first group that succeeded.
K’un-Lun: Wow…
Akron: We just started.
Professor: Perhaps a reward?
Akron: Sure, after the Priests study and go through everything.
Lysithea: I get first dibs.
Professor: How about your shoes? As a reward.
Akron: All the magic items that you collected are yours. The merchant stuff needs to go to the merchants. The artifacts go to the temple.
Lysithea, upset that once again her efforts to study things have been thwarted by the guild, begins arguing with the Priests about wanting to study the artifacts. She rolls a 9 on Persuasion and only manages for Priests to allow her to study the artifacts in the temple museum. Professor takes his hand (which is still disconnected) and puts it on Lysithea’s shoulder to calm her down.
Professor: Who is registering these items in to the museum?
DM: The priests have already walked off.
Lysithea is now suspicious of the temple she originally came to Dalvok for.
End Session
Some notes about the Alchemy Jug. The jug constantly sounds like its sloshing. It will always weigh 12 pounds even though it looks like it only holds 1 gallon of liquid. The user may choose one liquid per day. It can pour up to 2 gallons per minute, the maximum amount being determined by what liquid you choose.
Epilogue
There is a sudden commotion one night, as Lysithea is studying and Professor is selling his wares. People rush outside and start pointing up to the sky. A purple fragment cuts through the sky and lands in the desert.
Analysis: These first few sessions have been geared towards teaching Cordelia how the game works and helping her get comfortable with the system. It has also allowed the players to get more comfortable with their character personalities (I myself am still figuring Lysithea out). Most of the character interactions have been led by Mom or the uncles, with guidance from Mom and Dad. This was the first session with both uncles present, and I feel that she was overwhelmed (and amazed) with the interactions between her uncles. She found them hilarious, but their shenanigans left her slightly intimidated. When Cordelia is in her own world she is very open, spontaneous, creative, and weird. I am quite proud of how weird she is. However, when she is around other people, unfamiliar places, or uncomfortable situations she closes up and appears shy. This is not uncommon amongst children. As teachers, and as a former Music Therapist, we see this quite often. We want Cordelia to feel confident in herself everywhere, not just in her own world. After the session ended the adults had a discussion about how we want Cordelia to open up more and be more confident. We all agreed that she understands how to play the game now, and that providing more opportunities to role play will help her realize her potential.