After the previous session Justice told Cordelia to come up with some plot ideas she would like to play out in some of the sessions. She slightly misinterpreted what me mean and ended up writing an entire script for the beginning of the next session. Justice took some parts from her script and put them in to the beginning of this session. This gave Cordelia a chance for some solo role-playing, for which she only need minimal guidance.
Surina has left the guild, leaving a note for the remaining members. She has gone to try to figure out what the comet is, so she went to the temple. All of the priests are gathered talking.
Priest: Ah, grand Surina, just in time. We have a mission for you.
Surina: Is it about the light that just came through the sky?
Priest: Yes, it is definitely about the light. We would like you to get a party together and get to the comet to investigate it before others can. It is important for the temple. We think it is a sign of Bahamut. But it is through the desert, so you will need a guide.
Surina: Okay.
Priest: We know of a guide who just got back to town. She’s a weird figure, an Elf. We don’t normally see Elves around here, but she knows her way through the desert.
Surina: Where can I find her?
Priest: We believe she likes to hang out in the Succulent Snake.
Surina: Do you have any more information about her? (Rolls persuasion 19)
Priest: She’s an outlander, so don’t tell her too much about the temple. We like to keep things hidden here, but she knows her way around the desert.
Surina: *leaves to get party*
DM: Lysithea gets advantage on rolls about artifacts from ruins in the desert from studying the artifacts.
Surina: *comes to the guild and calls Lysithea and Draggy*
Surina: Hey, Lysithea….
Lysithea: Yes?
Surina: We have a new mission to find the purple comet.
Lysithea: Oh good! I’m very curious about it. Who else is coming with us?
Surina: Draggy.
DM: K’un-Lun is off training, and Professor is trying to sell his wares. The party leaves a note for them.
Cordelia has needed help coming up with what to say. She gets hints from Dad and Mom.
Surina: We need to go find a guide.
Lysithea: Where can we find one?
Surina: The Succulent Snake.
Lysithea: We seem to go there a lot. This must be a popular spot. (The party leaves for the Succulent Snake.)
The uncles were not able to attend this session, but we were joined by my dear friend, Liz. Some of her friends, myself included, have been wanting her to try out D&D for a while. She has been cautiously resistant to playing D&D, which is understandable. I was the same way before I finally caved and participated in a campaign with Justice. I felt that our family session was one of the safest places to try it out, and Liz is practically family anyway, seeing as how she is Victor’s Godmother. And so she enters the World of Corde as Octavia, a Wood Elf Ranger with an outlander background.
DM: Octavia, you are sitting in the Succulent Snake restaurant. You see behind the bar the Halfling’s bun of hair going back and forth. In the center is a bard with braided blue hair in intricate knots, playing a lute. (DM rolls performance.) She’s playing it decently – not the best, but not horrible. There’s a big, huge guy sitting in a corner ordering different things. (Octavia rolls perception, 15) The guy looks like a brawler with weapons, but he has tons of jars around him. You hear a commotion happening outside.
Octavia: *puts ear to window* (Rolls perception 14)
DM: You hear the commotion about a merchant that looks like he’s selling other people’s belongings in a disreputable location.
Octavia: *sits back down to finish her drink, but keeps ears open*
DM: The party arrives. In walks a Dragonborn wearing her armor with a shield and longsword, a Tiefling (Octavia knows she is out of place), and a blue Dragonborn with a jug and similar armor, 2 big weapons and a crossbow. No one else pays them any mind.
Agatha: Pick a spot, pick a spot. Don’t care where.
Lysithea: Good to see you, too. *waves at Mateen* It’s all good.
Mateen: I heard… *interest piqued at the big jug* What is that on his back?
Lysithea: We found it when we rescued your merchant.
Mateen: What is it holding? Anything good?
Lysithea: We will show it to you another time, we may need it today.
Mateen: Okay…
Lysithea: We will return, don’t worry. I’m curious to inspect it with someone of your talents, as well.
We prompted Cordelia to cue us to find the guide by asking Agatha, the Halfling barkeep.
Surina: Where is this guide? (Rolls persuasion, 21)
Agatha: *stops what’s she’s doing, peeks up from behind bar* A guide? The only guide in here is over there. *points to Elf* She’s the one you want. Want to order anything?
Surina: No thank you.
Agatha: Okay. *hops down and continues work*
Surina: *walks over to Octavia* Hi, my name is Surina.
Octavia: Hello Surina. And who is your friend?
Surina: This is Draggy.
Lysithea: And I am Lysithea.
Octavia: What can I do for you? As you see I have not finished my drink. It’s nice to meet the three of you. Can you tell me what you’re here for?
Surina: We need a guide.
Octavia: So you’re looking for a guide through the desert?
Surina: Yes.
Octavia: I can do that, but what will you give me in return? I’m not very cheap as it is a dangerous journey.
Lysithea: What is your price? We are with the guild.
Octavia: 50 gold pieces up front, and part of the spoils of whatever we find.
Lysithea: There’s a chance that whatever we find may be taken by the temple… *grumbles*
Dad took a second with Cordelia to ask her how Surina would feel about Octavia taking things that might belong to the temple. Cordelia decided that her character would not stand for that, and she, along with Dad, come up with a solution.
Surina: We will offer you extra gold instead if the temple wants what we find (Rolls persuasion, 22).
Octavia: That is fair. *Each party member puts in gold to pay Octavia* I agree. I will take you on your journey across the desert. Can you tell me what we are searching for in the desert?
Surina: The purple comet.
Octavia: Oh I did see that light last night. That was a comet? It seems to have had the trajectory of southwest, so we will head southwest. Will we need supplies?
Lysithea: The guild will provide the supplies.
Octavia: Let us gather our affairs and we will meet back at noon to begin the journey.
DM: The party still has their camels, and Octavia is being provided one. The camels were all restocked. Everyone roll a d6. Surina’s has 6 days of supplies, Octavia has 2 day of supplies, Lysithea has 1, and Draggy has 2. Do you want to get more supplies? (The party all agrees they need more supplies for the journey). Surina talks to barkeep to get more food.
We took this as an opportunity for a quick math lesson. The party had enough food to last for 11 days. The journey was going to be at least 6 days there, meaning it would be at least 6 days back. After deciding on wanting an extra days’ worth of supplies both ways we had Cordelia calculate how much was still needed.
Surina: *walks over to Agatha to get more food* We need food for 13 days.
Agatha: That will be 13 gold.
Surina: *Pays the 13 gold*
DM: You all meet back at noon, and expect to travel at normal pace. Roll a d10 (Surina 6, Lysithea 6). You’ve been riding for a few hours and it’s getting close to dark, when you see a random building. It looks like an inn in the middle of the desert. (Octavia is concerned. Party rolls perception.) The inn seems out of place.
Octavia: I’ve walked these deserts so many days and nights, I do not recognize this inn. (Party decides to investigate.)
DM: The inn itself does not look magical, but Lysithea senses something (Rolls arcana, adjusted 20).
Lysithea: *pokes the building with her quarterstaff*
DM: It is real. (The party enters the inn with the hopes of resting, but still suspicious. Octavia enters first, followed by Surina, then Lysithea, and Draggy last.) As you enter you see patrons, but they are huddled. The entire place is dark, foreboding, and cold. Roll perception. Octavia notices how cold it is, and it shouldn’t be cold. It is also damp. The people are huddled and shivering in their seats. There’s light coming in through the outside, but there is no light inside. The walls and floor are wood, and there are stairs going up on one side. There is a barkeep behind the bar who is shivering. Something is definitely wrong and out of place.
Octavia: *super suspicious* Are you open for business?
Barkeep: We’re open, but we should be closed.
Lysithea: Why should you be closed?
Barkeep: We should have never opened.
Surina: Where are we? (Rolls persuasion, 15. Rolls another d20 and adds Charisma.)
DM: You see the barkeep and the patrons are all Undead.
Surina: There are Undead.
DM: The door is closing. You notice there is sunlight entering from the windows. The 4 patrons turn in to zombies, and the barkeep turns in to a shadowy figure. Roll initiative. Lysithea knows Zombies are immune to poison, but can be fought using any method. Unless the damage is radiant or you land a really big hit they have a chance to stay on their feet.
Begin Undead Fight
Draggy moves to attack a patron with his ax. He hits, does 10 damage, and defeats it. The shadowy figure, which is not fully corporeal, takes a hide action and disappears. Lysithea hits another patron zombie with Fire Bolt, doing 9 fire damage and defeating it. Octavia shoots a third patron with her longbow, and hits for 5 damage. Surina moves to attack the same zombie with her longsword, doing 5 damage. Even though Surina hits and defeats the zombie, it rises back to its feet. The zombie then attacks Surina, but misses. The other zombie moves and attacks Draggy, but misses. Draggy attacks the zombie back with his battle ax. He hits, does 10 damage, and defeats it. The shadowy figures moves, but cannot be seen. It attacks Octavia by trying to touch her, but misses. It can now be seen by all. Lysithea uses Magic Missile on it, doing 7 damage total. Octavia disengages with the figure to move back as a bonus action, shoots her longbow, but misses. Surina swings her sword at the remaining zombie, but misses. The zombie attacks Surina, but also misses. (Here we go again with all the low rolls.) Draggy moves to attack the shadowy figure, but his hit misses. The shadowy figure attacks Draggy and misses. Lysithea uses Magic Missile on the shadowy figure again, doing 7 more damage. Her attacks are doing something to it. Octavia moves to shoot the zombie and hits it, doing 6 damage. The zombie falls, but stands right back up. Surina hits the zombie with her longsword, doing 6 damage. This time the zombie is truly defeated. Draggy attacks the shadowy figure with his ax and hits, doing 7 damage. The shadowy figure is defeated! It had resistance to fire, acid, cold, lightning, thunder, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical attacks.
End Fight
Begin Exploration of the Inn
Something is still wrong. The place is still cold and damp with almost no light. Lysithea attempts to light a fire just to see if it will hold. The fire lights just fine and provides warmth as normal. Octavia goes up stairs with the party, following in the same order as before. Upstairs is a hallway with 4 doors. Surina opens the first door. She finds what looks like two people huddled in the corner. Surina senses they are undead and alerts the party. She moves in to attack one of the zombies, hits and does 5 damage. Draggy moves to enter the room, but does not make it in to range to attack. Lysithea uses Fire Bolt on the other zombie and does 6 fire damage. Octavia moves in and shoots the first zombie. Her attack does 4 damage, which knocks the zombie down, but it stands back up. The zombie attacks Surina and does 6 damage. The other zombie moves to attack Lysithea, but has disadvantage thanks to Surina’s Protection (when Surina is wielding a shield, if a creature she can see attacks another target within 5 feet of her she can use her reaction to impose disadvantages on the attack roll), and misses. Draggy moves to attack the second zombie, does 11 damage and defeats it. Lysithea hits the first zombie with a Natural 20 Fire Bolt, causing it to burst in to flames, dead. The room is still cold, so the party moves to the next door. In this room there is a Goblin sitting there huddled.
Goblin: Ah, not again!
Surina: (Rolls insight, 13. She recognizes the goblin from the Snake Temple, and knows he is not undead.)
Goblin: Just go away! I just wanted to sleep!
Octavia: A friend of yours?
Surina: What are you doing here?
Goblin: I just told you I’m trying to get some sleep. I thought I’d get a free room here, everyone was just huddled in a corner.
Surina: (Rolls insight 2. She thinks he’s telling the truth.)
Octavia: (Rolls insight 22. He is telling the truth. He is simply at the inn and is not involved with it.) Didn’t you notice all of the undead here?
Goblin: I thought they were normal, huddled people. I wanted a free room.
Octavia: Did you notice how cold it is?
Goblin: I found it comfortable. It’s hot outside.
Lysithea: Why were you attacking us in the snake temple? (Rolls persuasion.)
Goblin: Cause that’s what I was paid to do. Now I’m just trying to get a break.
Lysithea: Who paid you?
Goblin: A bandit leader. I don’t know his name. I was just told to act like a cult leader, steal people’s money, and I get paid. Now I was wondering around, found this inn, and you all came again.
Lysithea: We have other matters to attend to, but if you cause any issues I’ll light your hair on fire.
Surina moves to the room across the hall. In there is a figure crouching over a giant chest, and she hears him mumbling to himself. Surina knows he’s undead. The party rolls perception. In each of the rooms there’s sun coming in, except this room, which has all the windows boarded up. The figure looks fully corporeal. Surina moves to attack and hits. As her sword makes contact, the body falls over and a Spector arises.
Begin Spector Battle
A Spector is an angry, unfettered spirit that has been prevented from passing to the afterlife. The mere sight of living beings sends it in to a fury. Draggy moves in to attack with his ax and hits for 11 damage. The Spector attempts to attack Draggy back, but misses. Lysithea hits with the Spector with Magic Missile, doing 10 damage total. Octavia shoots at it with her longbow, and hits for 11 damage. Surina hits with her sword, doing 4 damage. She then uses divine smite and does a total of 8 radiant damage. Draggy attacks the Spector and hits it for 11 damage. The Spector, defeated, dissipated. The chest remains.
End Spector Battle
Lysithea: (Rolls arcana on the chest.)
DM: It has all the energy of the Spector over it. The Spector was there for a reason, and the chest may be it. The chest lock has been broken, and it’s completely empty. The Goblin is gone. Everything in the inn is now still. The otherworldly coldness is gone, and the dampness is drying up. Nothing remains in the room.
Lysithea: I suggest we take the chest with us so when we find that Goblin again we can return what he stole to it so that the Spector can rest. And then I’m going to light him on fire.
The party takes a long rest in the inn. End session.
Analysis: We are not just doing Dungeons and Dragons with Cordelia to work on her critical thinking, social skills, and confidence, but to boost her math skills as well. D&D is excellent practice for mental math. Cordelia does the math for every dice roll she makes. We will also sometimes ask her to do the math for other players. She calculated the supplies the party still needed for the journey in to the desert. Any time there is an opportunity for math we have Cordelia solve the problem. She loves doing math, so she’s happy when it’s time for some addition. This boosts her confidence, which helps motivate her to be more involved in the game.
This is incredible. Thank you for sharing this; I’ve never been much into roleplaying, but I really like the idea of an interactive narrative for my own child in a few years. This has inspired me to start working on an adventure even though it might not come to fruition for several years.
This is so cute 🙂