Homebrew

Intel of the Oni

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Welcome to the home stretch. This month are taking the fight to the Shadow while it’s weakened. This week we made the first move in this quest, we are searching for the intel of the Oni and their plans. This week we have a choice that leads the party into the camp of the Oni as the spies or as the saviours – but the initial choice is theirs.

Pursuit of the Oni

244MoPuOTOn

With the retreat of the Oni and the cracking open of the mountains peak the party woke up feeling refreshed. After the defeat of the ice queen and defence of the wall against her magic the wall guard offered them the best room and comforts available to them. Four walls and a bed each.

In the morning the party emerged to find the wall quiet. The land beyond the wall was even more so with only the occasional movement at a forward base camp the shadows minions had on the ridge further towards The Shadows Throne. The oni and their slaves, the Butatล, were the only things that could be seen as left over from the battlefield. The Spirit folk and other creatures that had been fighting the party and the wall guard had disappeared which gave the wall guard a day of repairs to the wall.

โ€œMessage from the General. Lord Toshio was found dead in his tent and his troops had surrendered. Apparently they have all claimed enchantment and enthrallment from the Yuki-onna and the warriors claim that Lord Toshio took his own life when he heard his wife had been killed.โ€ The messenger from the general recited to wall captain Hou and Kyoko. โ€œThe General has begun to detain and question the Toshio troops but Lord Harimasu has pardoned them on condition that they return to their homelands and begin to broker peace between the two families again. The general is on his way here to make an attack on the mountain. He will be here in two days however he needs what ever intel we can provide him.โ€

Kyoko frowned at this and asked for a map of the battlefield from what the scouts had been able to map out. โ€œThis camp of Oni. How defended is it?โ€

โ€œWe estimate that it would be a few dozen Oni, their leaders and slaves at a minimum. A frontal attack would go poorly but if there is another way that we can get the intel without risking more lives or leaving the wall undefended then I am all ears.โ€ Captain Hou replied as he pointed towards the map, indicating where he would suspect the intel to be kept.

โ€œSir, I volunteer to lead the operation to retrieve the intel.โ€ a voice said from the door. Wall Guardsmen Gin Seng stood there looking determined and fatigued. โ€œIโ€™ve grown up training to fight these creatures, to defend this wall. If I can help finish the war then I want to be involvedโ€ฆ Sir.โ€ he added with a moment hesitation.

โ€œThis mission is too crucial to leave it to one person. But too difficult and risky for a large scale attack.โ€ Kyoko said as she nodded to Gin Seng.

โ€œPerhaps these heroes from across the sea would be able to be of assistance once again?โ€ Kit Hou said as she smiled at the group. โ€œThey seemed to have saved half of Ryokughan already from the Oni and the Shadows influence so whatโ€™s one more mission?โ€

General Hou frowned at his daughter. โ€œWe put too much pressure on them. They have done enough. We can not rely on them forever and I fear that there may be worse things up in those hills which we just havenโ€™t seen yet.โ€

Kyoko smiled to the party. โ€œItโ€™s up to you. But we may need help distracting the main force if we were to send in a smaller group of wall guard to retrieve the intel. If you can help with either endeavour I would feel more confident in our success. The entire Oni force would know of you by now and surely they would want to have a chance at gaining the Shadows favour by attempting to best you in combat.โ€

Rejoicing Spiritfolk

244TuReSp

โ€œSir, I volunteer to lead the operation to retrieve the intel.โ€ His voice echoed in his mind as he looked over the battlefield. In four hours the sun would begin to set and he would begin the mission.

As he looked across the soldiers clearing the battlefield of their dead and piling the enemy corpses onto a pile he called out. โ€œPlace the spiritfolk in a separate pile. They dont burn their dead with the Oni. They think it an offence to the spirits who guide them.โ€ He said to Kit who, as punishment, was in charge of the bloody duty.

When the party and Kyoko looked his way he smiled sadly. โ€œI spent some time with the spiritfolk when I was youngโ€ฆ Some things you cant forget.โ€ He began. After a moment he explained further.

Gin was born the son of an alchemist, two infact. His parentโ€™s were non-conventional to say the least. His mother was a human but his father was one of the Spiritfolk who fell in love with the human woman who kept foraging in his forest.

Intially it was professional completion amongst each other. Finding the best reagents or herbs before the other could. But before long it blossomed into more.

Their son looked completely human except for a light covering of fur across his torso. His fathers goat legs, horns and tail were not gifted to his son but his reflexes and inhuman strength was. In the village they lived in the villagers quickly accepted Gin and his parents union. Especially when the quality of potions, charms and lotions were as high as his parents. However, happiness โ€“ like most things canโ€™t remain for long.

Halfway through Ginโ€™s tenth cycle an oni raiding party attacked his village. His parents locked him away and kept him hidden from the oni. But the Oni eventually found his parents. When they worked out that a human and spiritfolk were a could they made a sport out of their torture. It was ok display to the whole village yet Gin couldnโ€™t see his parents in their last moments. But he could hear them.

The following month he pledged himself into the service or the Harimasu military and dedicated his life to hunting Oni.

โ€œand Iโ€™ve been here ever since..โ€ he said with a touch if pride on his face.

โ€œsir! We have movement!โ€ A guard shouted as they hurried towards the wall.

โ€œHold! Itโ€™s the spirit folk to send off their dead.โ€ Gin called out to his fellow guardsmen. โ€œSee. Wait and watchโ€

A few moments passed and gradually all types of Spiritfolk appeared around the pile of their dead. Then slowly they formed a circle and began to sing and dance around their fallen. โ€œThey are celebrating the reunion of their parents, elders, children and friends and the spirit world. Where they believe they will hunt in the endless plains of their ancestors.โ€ He explained. โ€œThis will last until sunset at which point they will take the bodies away and burn them amongst the rest of their kin.โ€

Sure enough as the sun set the spiritfolk gathered their dead and singing out in joyous tones they carried them away from the battlefield and into the wilds beyond.

The Oniโ€™s Camp

244WeThOnCa

Moving forward as the sun set Gin and those who followed behind him looked anxiously at the oni camp. โ€œWe will be there soon. Remember. If we get into trouble or the mission is at risk to fire a drift globe shaft into the air and aid will come.โ€ Gin said to the people standing nearby.

With agreement from those gathered he began to creep across the battlefield once more, signalling to stop periodically when something moved up ahead. Soon they were in the shadows of the tents. The setting sun and the shadows of the hills, mountain and nearby forest aided in their mission by creating pockets of shadow.

As the sun hit the edge of the mountain it plunged the camp into a mixture of amber glow from the setting sun and dark shadows. A few hundred feet away war horns trumpeted signalling that the second part of the plan had begun and that it was now or never to enter the camp.

The camp

As the oni and butatล left the camp in a hurry to meet the attackers head one. Slowly Gin and his entourage crept forward towards the main tent and waited for the oni captain to leave. As the captain stormed out with its armour buckled in tight a few slave Butatล followed in its wake. Taking this moment as the one to move Gin and his companions skulked forth once again and cut a hole in the canvas tent. Once the coast was deemed clear they entered silently.

None of those present realised the mistake that had been made until it was too late. A deep unholy growl rumbled forth from the shadows of the tent which threatened to bring the entire oni warband to the captains tent. A neat table lay in the centre of the room and contained a map, documents and scrolls. For their brutal use of weapons and mastery of war and savagery the oni were also expert tacticians.

As they stared at the multi limbed creature that confidently strode forth Gin prepared his drift globe shaft in a hand crossbow and prepared to state the words that would activate the arcane device. Looking between his compatriots and the creature he hoped that he didnโ€™t need to call for aid and that they would be able to deal with this threat quickly and quietly.

NPCs –

Wall Guard Gin Seng

Gin heads straight to the Oni camp with the party or with a small group of warriors from the wall. He is determined but nervous at the mission ahead.

Wall Captain Hou

Managing the repairs and defence of the walls Captain Hou makes the necessary plans to ensure that the party and the other warriors joining them near the Oni’s camp are well supplied.

Kyoko Harimasu

Kyoko stays back at camp and works with Takeo to ensure that General Kuang arrives quickly so they can press the advantage.

Miss Hou

Assisting her father, Captain Hou, Kit spends most of her time near the wall coordinating the warriors to provide cover fire, fix walls and prepare if there is a counter attack.

Environment and running the adventure

Gin He has five drift glob shafts which are small drift globes that are crafted into arrow or crossbow arrow/bolt shafts so that when they are shot they activate the moment they start to slow from being launched. This causes the bolt to slowly fall to the ground whilst the drift globe emits a light (of pre-determined colour).

If the party go with Gin they are in the tent when the creature reveals itself. It’s not a hard fight but as it falls it calls out loudly (unless silenced in some manner – Player and DMs decision).

If they don’t the Party are with some other warriors fighting Oni, captains (a larger one in full plate with a large shield and battle axe) when they see several drift globes activate above the Oni Captains tent signalling Gin needs help.

The camp is built on an incline, rather sharply so. The tent are setup in a rather ingenuous way where they form a solid slab-foundation of wood, earth or even snow under the tents to level the tent.. to some degree.

The snowy hills pose an interesting mechanic for us. One way difficult terrain. Moving up the hill through the snow towards the camp is considered difficult terrain where as moving down isnโ€™t. Patches of snow pose a further hindrance as fighting in these areas would impose disadvantage to dexterity checks and strength contests (not checks) due to the slippery mud and shin-to-knee deep snow.

Map – Encounter over the wall (244ThOnCaLa)

Made with Inkarnate.com

Encounter – The Bakegamoto

The Bakegamoto is a large dog like creature with a pushed in snout, large bat like ears and at least two large tusks jutting from their bottom jaw. The males are generally endowed with larger tusks and are a mixture of faun with a ruddy brown light mane that sprouts from the neck.

Females are generally lighter in colour without the mane but their tusks are shorter and generally thinner and sharper than the males. Trained bakegamoto are extremely obedient, strong and powerful. Normally kept by Oni captains or chieftains as a sign of power and strength they defend their master completely and obey orders to the best of their ability.

The other creatures that fight the party are Oni, Oni Captain and Butatล.

Thanks once more for reading my end of week writeup. This week see’s the party taking the fight to the Oni, next week being the aftermath of the fight as well as the leadup to the second and last week of the month. This week may be a bit sketchy with the first few days being broken and different schedules my normal ones. I will endeavour to provide a regular flow of content as we make our first steps up into the mountains where the Shadow Calls home. So don’t forge to come back each day this approaching week and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Defence of the Wall

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Tonight as we head further closer towards the conclusion of this yearly adventure with The Defence of the Wall. This month we have a level 9 adventure and by the end of it we will see our party at level 10.

As with last time Pages 1, 2 and 3 are content pages, the description, flow, random tables, etc. and such that you’ve previously seen.
Page 4 contains all NPCs and portraits to help the DM describe them and a bit about them to help play them out.
Page 5 will be stat blocks and map(s) – all that D&D encounter goodness that you want.

Now I will assume you have read the entire post which has had some bits modified over the months content. Now including the original content, and some bits added this is a smaller than normal length, only just making 5822! words long. I really do appreciate the time you take to read through these end of month adventures.

All Maps were made in Inkarnate using their Pro license, Art was created in Artbreeder and the statblocks were created in Tetra-cube AND the balancing of encounters is a mixture of experience and the guides found at Kobold Fight Club.

Don’t forget to come back next week and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Part 1 – Mote of Radiance – 240MoMoORa

Black feathers caught the wind currents under the dark ominous clouds and caused the large winged creature to soar above the ground far below. Beating its wings it looked down below at the group travelling along the road. Itโ€™s keen eyes picked out everything. From the colours of their clothes to the wear and tear on their cloaks not a detail was missed. That was until the hilt of a blade, the tip of a staff and the glimmer of an amulet glimmered from under cloth.

The resulting burst of radiance in the creatures view caused it to reel with pain. It wasnโ€™t just its pain it was feeling but also its masters and its desires were simple. Donโ€™t let them reach the wall.

Tucking its wings in the creature dove down the wind now aiding in its rapid descent as it plunged. Noticing movement from its left and right two of its brethren also had been urged downwards. However, their descent was halted as a bolt of radiance shot up from the travellers, connecting with the torso of the creature next to it. The tangled mess of skin, flailing limbs and gore tumbled down towards the earth as the creatures dove onwards.

Too late did the creature realise as the blades, limbs and bolts piece and shred their flesh that these motes of radiance were too much for them. Even as they began to flee shredded wings flapping in a panic they were cut down no far from where they made their foolish attack.

As the radiant light burnt through its flesh and it lay in a pool of blood and gore the power the Shadow had leant it all those years ago evaporated with the last beat of its heart.

240WeDaFo

The Dragons Tears items were phenomenal. With a single command word they shed bright light as if a miniature sun had been captured and forged into a item. The sun is something that the party had not seen in days and the further they travelled in this direction the more certain they were that they wouldnโ€™t see the sun for quite some time.

โ€œIt wasnโ€™t always like thisโ€ Kyoko said from beside them as she walked, the unseasonal browning leaves crunching underfoot. โ€œThese parts of the Harimasu lands were always green and rich with life. Now with the Shadow spreading its influence further east it looks like the life is being stripped from the earth.โ€ Kyokoโ€™s voice was melancholy but the bright light from the items the party carries seemed to bring mirth back to her face.

โ€œLegend has it that the weapons were so powerful that the Shadow couldnโ€™t stand to be in their presence. Alone it fled to the mountains to get far enough away from them that it wouldnโ€™t feel their light upon its dark skin.โ€

The party looked at the items in thought. Surely they were stories told to make the people of these lands feel brave enough to face the horrors that crept in the dark. As a shower of sparks signalled that Takeo had finished building the fire as what they believed to be night descended upon them. Once he had finished with the fire he produced a pot and some rations and foodstuffs to get a meal going.

Nightfallโ€ฆ

As the fire flickered and licked at the empty pot the shadows cast from the creatures that gathered around it for warmth. The smell of stewed meat and vegetables caused the creatures to salivate but that wasnโ€™t reason that they were here. The driving pressure, the urge and the desire to appease their master had lead them here and here they waited until they were sure. Their master was a strong one, clever, fast and wise. But his master was even more so and it was he who was giving the orders.

โ€œWait until we are sure they carry the light. Then we attack and make sure none find the light ever againโ€ their master had instructed them. The largest creature crooned as she received scritches under its massive jaw.

A brief flash of light, then a pulse. A bigger burst of light that seared the eyes of the nocturnal creatures gave them all the information they needed. As a group they charged, whooping, cheering and howling with excitement as they closed into their prey. They just hoped that they would last long enough to be fun for the pack.

Areas and places of note

Campsite – Along the road to the wall there isn’t a particularly well defensible spot at any point. But with the Dragons Tear items the party feel confident they can fight off anything that comes their way.

Ambush Site – perhaps one of the reasons for the party being confident with their choice of camp is the encounters that they have had to face along the road.

Environment and running the adventure

The trees provide either half, partial or full cover. Perception checks that rely on sound are done with disadvantage from the sounds of the forest and the muffling of noise from the bushes.

Notable NPC interactions.

Kyoko Harimasu – Kyoko has come with the party to aid them in drawing the Ice queen out and coordinating the troops on the wall as the others head to the south to meet the Toshio-family head on and prevent the wall from being attacked on two fronts.

Takeo – Sticks close to Kyoko to ensure that she is safe but otherwise scouts ahead of the party to try and

Encounter

The creatures during the day attack with reckless abandon. They are spurred onwards by the shadow directly and don’t work together or plan out their attacks. The mastiff’s however and their leader (a oni for the sake of giving it a stat-block) attack in an extremely coordinated manner which speaks of tried and tested routine and planning.

After the encounter:

The party move on for another day of walking before the wall is seen on the horizon. Although they have bested all that has been thrown at them so far they fear the worst still lies ahead of them.

Part 2 – Atop the wall- 241MoAtThWa

As the party arrived at the wall the first thing that they noticed was the sheer lack of people. For such a crucial point in the defence of Ryokughan it was shockingly unmanned. A head appeared at the edge of the wall twenty feet above the ground before calling out. โ€œPrincess Kyoko is here! Reinforcements have arrived!โ€ the voice was overcome with emotion before several others echoed with joyous cries of relief.

โ€œKyoko. I donโ€™t think our message hawk arrived here safely. They believe we have more reinforcements for the wallโ€ Takeo spoke in a hushed whisper to Kyoko and the party. โ€œHow did you want to handle this?โ€ he added looking from Kyoko to the party who were in fact the reinforcements.

After a few moments a platform was lowered over the side and the party, the princess and the spy were lifted atop the wall. Despite the low numbers of people on the wall they all were veterans. Heavily armed, armoured and trained they carried themselves with a martial poise that was lacking in many. As they rushed towards Kyoko they greeted Takeo and the party, the exhaustion on their faces replaced by joy and relief.

โ€œBefore we continue the pleasantries I believe I need to have a word with you lady Kyokoโ€ a particularly grizzled and hard man said from a nearby door to a small tower. โ€œThere is something that is of great urgโ€ฆโ€ he began as he held up a fist and listened to the quiet that his signal instilled. โ€œIt comes!โ€ the wall captain roared as every single soldier drew their weapons and surrounded the party and princess.

In a moment of chaos clouds of shadow-smoke appeared around the wall in sporadic bursts. Soon the sound of steel clashing, grunts and combat rang out around the party as the unknown adversary launched itself at the walls defenders. After a few moments the creature disappeared and the shadow-smoke dissipated soon after.

โ€œTo your posts. Prepare for combat!โ€ roared the captain who eyed his men and women closely, inspecting for wounds. Finding one he pulled them aside โ€œto the infirmary,โ€ he said with a sigh as the realisation set into the face of the woman in front of him. โ€œyouโ€™ve been stung. You wonโ€™t be seeing battle again until youโ€™ve recoveredโ€ he added as he clasped the soldiers shoulder.

โ€œyes sir!โ€ the soldier barked obediently as with a great deal of sadness she handed over her weapons in resignation to the captain before retreating down a nearby set of stairs. As she disappeared into the bowels of carved and fortified stone.

โ€œWe are hounded by a creature that does not kill, it barely wounds but what it touches quickly dies. Normally at the hands of the victims allies.โ€ the captain said as he grabbed a helmet and moved to the wall. โ€œThose unfortunately enough to get injured by it recover after some time. Normally after heavy sedation. Some donโ€™t and they choose to live on the outside of the wall so that in their condition they can still benefit their brothers and sisters.โ€

โ€œWhat do you mean wall captain Hou?โ€ Kyoko asked as she moved over to the wall before clasping a hand to her mouth.

โ€œThey go mad. Their blood boils and they cant detect friend from foe. They will kill anything in sight. Lethally trained warriors who canโ€™t tell friend from foe and who have a lust for blood that a demon would envy. I havenโ€™t seen it before. Our healers can only sedate and hope that their spirit is strong enough to fight the affliction. If they canโ€™t resist then they spend their final days ripping into our enemies and serving us in their death.โ€ the captain said with great reverence as he saluted a human who stopped pacing by the base of the wall, bloody froth covering its mouth.

After a moment the human, one a warrior that defended the wall turned and charged away from the wall, picking up a crude looking sword as it charged headlong into a mass of charging Spirit folk. The brutality in which the warrior cleaved into the fey creatures was outstanding and hard to watch. But that wasnโ€™t only sight on the other side of the wall. Dozens of injured and dying lay strewn about the battlefield on both sides. Humans, those afflicted as well as the minions of The Shadow, all of them calling for help or crying out in pain or fear.

โ€œWe have tried to recover our wounded or dead and we started to lose more men than we savedโ€ฆโ€ a wall guard said from next to the party. Nodding towards the captain who pulled on a helmet and drew a magnificent longbow as he climbed a nearby watch tower. โ€œHe lost his daughter. She was a fine warrior and led the last recovery mission. She was cut down by a Oni.โ€ The guardsman nodded towards a banner that stood high amongst the bodies, rocks and toppled trees. โ€œShe lies somewhere over there. Some men swear they have seen her moving about the battlefield but I think they are just seeing things.โ€ he sighed. After a moment he ran off down the wall to continue to guard as creatures started to reach the wall.

241WeThEdOfTo

As the party stood atop the wall they thought of the day that they had witnessed. Twice more the shadow creature had struck but by luck, skill or divine grace they had not been inflicted with the affliction. The woman in the infirmary howled with rage and even while heavily sedated it only eased the peaks of her fury.

They also had to witness the dead rise from their broken and battered forms and assault the wall, beaten back and slain by either the warriors on the wall or those afflicted driven mad by rage who hunted the no-mans land between the wall and the rocky mountains where the attacks came from. Even while the party watched from the wall and aided in driving back the dead or the twisted spirit-folk there was little joy in the tasks they did.

It was at this point, at the edge of torchlight that the party saw movement. To precise and too careful for undead or afflicted. Too subtle and tactical to be spirit-folk or beast. As the party watched the shadow approached the edge of the light cast by the braziers and torches that lined the wall and it quickly darted forward and grabbed a pack from a fallen oni warrior. The distinct human colour skin flashed from under layers of tattered and ripped cloth as a sudden gust of wind caused the light cast by the fire to flash across the face of the creature and a human Ryokughan female looked up at the party startled.

The figure pressed a finger to her lips before skulking off towards a crest in the battlefield, as the moon strained to peak through the oppressive clouds the flag, the standard of the wall guard flapped calling the mysterious figure to it.

โ€œThatโ€™s her! Thatโ€™s the captains daughter!โ€ The wall guard from earlier that day announced. Gin Seng pointed at the captains daughter as she hurried across the battlefield towards a rocky outcrop. Moments later several shapes started to move towards her and the rock rise in the battlefield, she appeared unaware.

โ€œwe have to do somethingโ€ Gin said as he hurried towards the crane. His voice causing a commotion amongst the other guards.

โ€œWhatโ€™s going on here?โ€ barked Captain Hou.

โ€œKit is out there Sir. We saw herโ€ Gin said, the party confirming with him.

โ€œItโ€™s probably a trick of the Shadowโ€ฆโ€ The captain said, his own voice betraying the hope he held deep inside. โ€œKit is goneโ€ฆโ€

A scream erupted from the battlefield. The shadowy-Kit had been ambushed and the sound of combat could be heard. โ€œKIT!โ€ her father screamed as he threw the platform over the side of the wall. โ€œMan the defences. Ballista and arrows trained on the battlefield. Nothing comes up whilst I go down.โ€

โ€œCaptain Hou, the plan canโ€™t succeed without you. The adventurers are veterans at combat and have surprised me more than once. Besides it will be a test to see if the simple presence of the Dragons Tears artefacts can draw forth the shadows minionsโ€ฆโ€ Kyoko said as she stepped out in full armour.

โ€œI hate to ask this of you my friends. But are you willing to rescue the captains daughters and see what happens when the dragons light erupts forth from you?โ€ she asked with a tinge of guilt and regret.

Areas and places of note

Heavens Reach Wall – The wall is immensely long. Covering the entire northern province of Ryokughan and only stopping at massive towers near great impassable mountain rangers. To the North of the Wall lies the Shadowlands and at their closest peak of the wild plains and forest lies The Shadows Throne – a massive mountain that is thought to be the home of the Shadow.

Notable NPCs

Kyoko Harimasu – Kyoko keeps herself hidden and defended by many guards. Captain Hou and Takeo spend most of their time talking tactics into how to lure the Ice queen towards the wall and a trap.

Takeo – Takeo once again acts as Kyokos body guard and seems unwilling to leave her side.

Wall Captain Hou – Captain Hou is a rugged veteran commander of the wall guard for decades he has led the elite troops in defending the land from the Shadows Influence and was so honoured that his own daughter joined him. This was his biggest regret as his daughter was just as head strong as he was in his youth and led a foolish mission to retrieve the wounded from the battlefield only to be struck down herself.

Wall Guard Gin Seng – Gin Seng is one of the warriors in the Wall Guard. He is well trained and a natural in combat but perhaps a bit too emotional for the captains liking. Leading with emotion rather than discipline Gin Seng is sure that the captains daughter still lives and swears that he has seen her at night.

Kit Hou – Thought to be dead Kit, the captains daughter, is seen out in the battlefield scavenging when the warriors of both side are at their most peaceful.

Environment

Night time shouldnโ€™t be a hassle for the party with their level, abilities and gear by now so itโ€™s another night time encounter.

Encounter:

Any creature from our vaults can be used here. I would suggest some Oni and perhaps an afflicted human warrior (see gladiator stat block with affliction template added). The Wrath Wraith also comes forth and attacks the party as they reach Kit Hou โ€“ she seems to be untargeted by the creature but the party are less fortunate.

Aftermath

As the party defeat the wrath Wraith the all too familiar haunting call of the Onikage echoes through the battlefield and Yukri Toshio โ€“ the Yuki-onna appears on the back of a huge Onikage. She points towards the party as the crest of the hill she is standing on erupts into dozens of shadowy shapes running toward the party. Kit pleads for the party to retreat as the guard on the wall start to call for them to run back as well.

Part 3 – Chilling Call of the Queen- 242MoChCaOfThQu

As the Onikage snorted with barely contained violence and hunger, Yukri watched the humans from its back. The yuki-onna knew that the Shadow, the one who had given her powers to rule as the Ice Queen, wanted these humans dead. But killing these humans had proven difficult, even the enlisted help from theย Laelรณngย but the vain beast failed.

โ€œQueen. The humans have escaped back on top of the wall. They have powerful weapons and we have to retreatโ€ฆโ€ a hesitant voice spoke from her side. The Oni looked down at its feet and braced for the worst but it didnโ€™t come. A second voice spoke, much older, darker and more influential than the lowly Oni.

โ€œYou must stop them. Those weapons are cursed by the dragons and elves of old. Their magic has the power to bring down your kingdom. You must kill the wielders and stop them from taking everything you have fought forโ€ The Shadow whispered in her ear. The sound of its voice so filled with power and malice that all other noises, thoughts and reason drifted from her mind. Eventually the sounds of screams, pleading and The Shadows intent washed her thoughts away until there was nothing left but overwhelming rage.

All she had worked for. All she had sacrificed and for what? A group of humans and magic swords to take it from her. Not likely. She watched her warriors and the creatures she commanded flee from the wall, all except the mindless undead, and her frustration grew. The frustration and rage boiled up within the Yuki-onna and it overflowed. Screaming her hatred and rage across the battlefield her intensity of her thoughts mixed with her magical abilities and a wall of frost formed over the fleeing warriors.

โ€œCowardsโ€ฆโ€ she muttered as she looked upon her frozen troops. โ€œTomorrow they will take the wall. I donโ€™t care how many it takes I will not have everything I worked for taken from me.โ€

242TuCaOfThDr

As Kit sat down at the table with her hands crossed in front of her face she met the uneasy stare that her father was giving her. โ€œSo before you begin I want to explain why firstโ€ฆโ€ she said as she accepted a hot cup of tea. โ€œI had a visionโ€ฆโ€

โ€œA vision of your death?โ€ her father, Captain Hou interrupted bluntly. His displeasure mixed with concern evident on his face and in his voice.

โ€œNo. If youโ€™d let me continue, I had a vision of a golden dragon asking me to find out why there was a demon at the wall. It asked me to have faith and stay on the outside of the wall and watch the enemy as they went by with their attack. And I did.โ€ she stopped to blow on her tea before sipping it slowly.

โ€œThey were studding the wall with these.โ€ she aid as she reached into a torn pocket and deposited what appeared to be a shard of obsidian like material that had been carved into a thin stud. โ€œI wasnโ€™t sure at first but I watched them firing arrows towards the wall and us. I almost gave up when suddenly an arrow hit one of the fragments and this cloud of shadow sped across the ground and attacked all who stood above where the arrow hit. The next wave of attackers did the same thing. Ran up, those that got to the wall embedded another shard and then they would launch a few volleys of arrows. Each time the Shadow demon, the Wrath Wraith, would appear.โ€

She paused for a moment and let it sink in. โ€œI though that if the creature just did as it was told and attacked where the shard was broken then we may be able to use it as a weapon. So I tried it out and it worked. The wrath wraith appeared and attacked the oni when they appeared over the ridge. They must have worked it out because I was retrieving one of the shards when they attacked. Lucky these adventurers appeared in time and saved me as during the commotion the shard I had scavenged broke in my pocket.โ€ she paused to sip from her tea.

โ€œI grabbed a few more shards on the way here so we can analyse them but if the wrath wraith is dead then there is no ability to summon it again.โ€ she added. โ€œBut I think I did what the dragon ancestor had asked as I could see the glow of the ancestors on these adventurers. I decided that my task was complete so I didnโ€™t need to stay out there any more.โ€

As if to punctuate the closure of her story the room dropped in temperature suddenly and a horrible scream broke through the night air outside. Racing up the steps the party looked over the edge of the wall to see walls of ice littering the battlefield. As they trace the direction the walls seemed to point in the Yuki-onna, Yukir Toshio and a huge Onikage stalked away from the battlefield.

The first flakes of snow began to drift down from the darkened clouds.

242WeTiOfSh

As the snow began to settle on the wall the movement of hundreds of feet broke the eerie silence. The drone of stampeding feet rose to a thunderous roar as spirit folk, oni, demons and undead rushed towards the wall.

As the humans manned the defences and shot arrows into the oncoming horde the oni and spirit folk that fell quickly rose again as undead. The tell-tale signs of the Yuki-onnaโ€™s magic appearing as steam, frostbite and ice clinging to the freshly raised bodies.

As the bodies hit the wall the undead began to pile up the oni and spirit folk used their bodies to climb towards the top of the wall. But, the bodies concealed the real threat. Dark tendrils of Shadow crept along the ground under and around the feet of the humanoids. As they touched the wall they began to feel for cracks, gaps or holes in the wall in which they quickly filled the crack with their shadowy mass.

All across the wall the masses of bodies rose and fell as they were expertly cut down as the shadowy tendrils pierced the walls. The shadows weaved from the wall across the battlefield and back to the Yuki-onna.

With a surge of magic she gathered the shadow energy and merged her own power within it. Forcing the shadowy tendrils to freeze as if dark permafrost the ground erupted and cracked as the shadow expanded. As the ice rushed forward beams of light shot from the sky and the weapons and items of the heroes which banished the shadow, shattering the ice as it formed.

Where the shadow and ice wasnโ€™t banished it cracked the wall and created walls of ice that protected the shadows minions while creating a ladder for them to climb up.

Appearance of a hero near the tendrils sent the ice and shadow into splinters to the ground and the invaders crashing down behind them. But more bodies brought more tendrils of shadow, their bodies leeching it across the ground where they ran, shuffled, fell and died.

The constant flow of shadow magic and the influx of dark ice came from the Yuki-onna who commanded the battlefield from a raised perch surrounded on all sides but one by jagged ice. One clear path to confront the source of dark magic and end the siege before it brought the wall down.

Areas and places of note

Heavens Reach Wall – The giant wall starts to shake as the first of the tendrils and walls of ice erupt against it. As enemies spill over the top the wall becomes a chaotic place where the sounds of battle is constant and overwhelming.

Notable NPC Interactions

None this week.

Environment and running the adventure

The ice is slippery and any attempt to climb across it or move over it results in a DC14 dex check or they fall prone. The Ice spikes however can not be moved over and grant the Yuki-onna half cover from ranged weaponry.

As for the other parts of this encounter treat the shadow as something that can be spotted and targeted as a creature.

This creatures sole purpose is to find holes in the wall and act as a way of channelling ice magic from the Yuki-onna to damage, bring down the wall and act as a bridge and ladder for the warriors on the ground. Or those on the wall to go down to the ground.

Encounter

Our first lot of encounters is the wall โ€“ Oni (hobgoblins), a captain and some lesser creatures (gnats or zombies.. something that is CR1/4) can flesh this part of the encounter out. If we treat them as coming in waves with the waves being 5 rounds apart it can make it feel like the tides are endless โ€“ just need to describe the creatures taking some time making it across the fields.

The second encounter is when the party realise that they are being torn apart by the Yuki-onna and so they leave the wall to take the fight to her. Now if the party has ranged weapons, abilities or spells it makes this part of the fight easier so I would enforce that the spikes summoned (see last nights map Sieged under snow) provide 3/4 cover for the ice queen from range where there is spikes between her and the attacking party.

Apart from fighting through the waves of Oni, the captains and zombies or lesser Gnats once they reach the ice queen she is quite formidable. I would have the waves still come, our party is level 9 after all, but maybe have supportive arrow fire dwindle the horde a bit from the wall.

For the Onikage as this one is meant to be huge, a more impressive specimen, change the size to huge and HP to 60 and that will just about do it for us.

Non-Player Characters (NPCs)

Koyko Harimasu

Takeo

Wall Captain Hou

Kit Hou

Wall Guard Gin Seng

Officer Hatoi Yuon

Yukri Toshio

Pages: 1 2

Siege of the Ice queen

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Welcome to the last weekly write-up for October where we look at the siege of the Ice queen. This week finds the party at the mercy from the Yuki-onna as she commands a frontal assault on the wall. Perhaps the Ice Queens rage and fear of defeat will make her vulnerable it’s not the same little humans that fought her last time.

As always portraits are created in Artbreeder and the normal wonderful tools like Kobold-fight-Club, Inkarnate and D&D Beyond are used frequently.

Siege of the Ice queen

242MoChCaOfThQu

As the Onikage snorted with barely contained violence and hunger, Yukri watched the humans from its back. The yuki-onna knew that the Shadow, the one who had given her powers to rule as the Ice Queen, wanted these humans dead. But killing these humans had proven difficult, even the enlisted help from the Laelรณng but the vain beast failed.

โ€œQueen. The humans have escaped back on top of the wall. They have powerful weapons and we have to retreatโ€ฆโ€ a hesitant voice spoke from her side. The Oni looked down at its feet and braced for the worst but it didnโ€™t come. A second voice spoke, much older, darker and more influential than the lowly Oni.

โ€œYou must stop them. Those weapons are cursed by the dragons and elves of old. Their magic has the power to bring down your kingdom. You must kill the wielders and stop them from taking everything you have fought forโ€ The Shadow whispered in her ear. The sound of its voice so filled with power and malice that all other noises, thoughts and reason drifted from her mind. Eventually the sounds of screams, pleading and The Shadows intent washed her thoughts away until there was nothing left but overwhelming rage.

All she had worked for. All she had sacrificed and for what? A group of humans and magic swords to take it from her. Not likely. She watched her warriors and the creatures she commanded flee from the wall, all except the mindless undead, and her frustration grew. The frustration and rage boiled up within the Yuki-onna and it overflowed. Screaming her hatred and rage across the battlefield her intensity of her thoughts mixed with her magical abilities and a wall of frost formed over the fleeing warriors.

โ€œCowardsโ€ฆโ€ she muttered as she looked upon her frozen troops. โ€œTomorrow they will take the wall. I donโ€™t care how many it takes I will not have everything I worked for taken from me.โ€

Call of the Dragon

242TuCaOfThDr

As Kit sat down at the table with her hands crossed in front of her face she met the uneasy stare that her father was giving her. โ€œSo before you begin I want to explain why firstโ€ฆโ€ she said as she accepted a hot cup of tea. โ€œI had a visionโ€ฆโ€

โ€œA vision of your death?โ€ her father, Captain Hou interrupted bluntly. His displeasure mixed with concern evident on his face and in his voice.

โ€œNo. If youโ€™d let me continue, I had a vision of a golden dragon asking me to find out why there was a demon at the wall. It asked me to have faith and stay on the outside of the wall and watch the enemy as they went by with their attack. And I did.โ€ she stopped to blow on her tea before sipping it slowly.

โ€œThey were studding the wall with these.โ€ she aid as she reached into a torn pocket and deposited what appeared to be a shard of obsidian like material that had been carved into a thin stud. โ€œI wasnโ€™t sure at first but I watched them firing arrows towards the wall and us. I almost gave up when suddenly an arrow hit one of the fragments and this cloud of shadow sped across the ground and attacked all who stood above where the arrow hit. The next wave of attackers did the same thing. Ran up, those that got to the wall embedded another shard and then they would launch a few volleys of arrows. Each time the Shadow demon, the Wrath Wraith, would appear.โ€

She paused for a moment and let it sink in. โ€œI though that if the creature just did as it was told and attacked where the shard was broken then we may be able to use it as a weapon. So I tried it out and it worked. The wrath wraith appeared and attacked the oni when they appeared over the ridge. They must have worked it out because I was retrieving one of the shards when they attacked. Lucky these adventurers appeared in time and saved me as during the commotion the shard I had scavenged broke in my pocket.โ€ she paused to sip from her tea.

โ€œI grabbed a few more shards on the way here so we can analyse them but if the wrath wraith is dead then there is no ability to summon it again.โ€ she added. โ€œBut I think I did what the dragon ancestor had asked as I could see the glow of the ancestors on these adventurers. I decided that my task was complete so I didnโ€™t need to stay out there any more.โ€

As if to punctuate the closure of her story the room dropped in temperature suddenly and a horrible scream broke through the night air outside. Racing up the steps the party looked over the edge of the wall to see walls of ice littering the battlefield. As they trace the direction the walls seemed to point in the Yuki-onna, Yukir Toshio and a huge Onikage stalked away from the battlefield.

The first flakes of snow began to drift down from the darkened clouds.

Tides of Shadow

242WeTiOfSh

As the snow began to settle on the wall the movement of hundreds of feet broke the eerie silence. The drone of stampeding feet rose to a thunderous roar as spirit folk, oni, demons and undead rushed towards the wall.

As the humans manned the defences and shot arrows into the oncoming horde the oni and spirit folk that fell quickly rose again as undead. The tell-tale signs of the Yuki-onnaโ€™s magic appearing as steam, frostbite and ice clinging to the freshly raised bodies.

As the bodies hit the wall the undead began to pile up the oni and spirit folk used their bodies to climb towards the top of the wall. But, the bodies concealed the real threat. Dark tendrils of Shadow crept along the ground under and around the feet of the humanoids. As they touched the wall they began to feel for cracks, gaps or holes in the wall in which they quickly filled the crack with their shadowy mass.

All across the wall the masses of bodies rose and fell as they were expertly cut down as the shadowy tendrils pierced the walls. The shadows weaved from the wall across the battlefield and back to the Yuki-onna.

With a surge of magic she gathered the shadow energy and merged her own power within it. Forcing the shadowy tendrils to freeze as if dark permafrost the ground erupted and cracked as the shadow expanded. As the ice rushed forward beams of light shot from the sky and the weapons and items of the heroes which banished the shadow, shattering the ice as it formed.

Where the shadow and ice wasnโ€™t banished it cracked the wall and created walls of ice that protected the shadows minions while creating a ladder for them to climb up.

Appearance of a hero near the tendrils sent the ice and shadow into splinters to the ground and the invaders crashing down behind them. But more bodies brought more tendrils of shadow, their bodies leeching it across the ground where they ran, shuffled, fell and died.

The constant flow of shadow magic and the influx of dark ice came from the Yuki-onna who commanded the battlefield from a raised perch surrounded on all sides but one by jagged ice. One clear path to confront the source of dark magic and end the siege before it brought the wall down.

NPCs – 237TuWiotDa

Wall Captain Hou

Captain Hou commands the wall troops to push back the attacking creatures but starts to struggle as the Yuki-onna’s attacks begin to bring down the wall.

Kyoko Harimasu

Kyoko fights with Captain Hou as she sends Takeo to the capital to warn them that the wall may fall and to provide the current status to her father.

Miss Hou

Captain Hou’s daughter reveals the reason she was hiding and scavenging amongst the battlefield. She joins Kyoko and her father in defending the wall and the Harimasu princess.

Wall Guard Gin Seng

Gin Seng simply defends the wall.

Environment and running the adventure

Tonight the encounter was balanced assuming that our party would have levelled up after reaching the wall and the fights along the way. This sets us at around 30000 xp for a daily encounter budget and around 6400 for an encounter.

Map – Encounter over the wall (Surveying the Battlefield)

Made with Inkarnate.com

Encounter – Warriors and Wrath

The first waves is straight forward for us.

The Shadow Tendrils move as fast as they can towards the wall and then take the dodge action until the Yuki-onnas turn. They always act on initiative 10 and wont attack creatures. They also always stealth up using the creatures above them as cover.

Our first lot of encounters is the wall โ€“ Oni (hobgoblins), a captain and some lesser creatures (gnats or zombies.. something that is CR1/4) can flesh this part of the encounter out. If we treat them as coming in waves with the waves being 5 rounds apart it can make it feel like the tides are endless โ€“ just need to describe the creatures taking some time making it across the fields.

The second encounter is when the party realise that the walls are being torn apart by the Yuki-onna and so they leave the wall to take the fight to her. Now if the party has ranged weapons, abilities or spells it makes this part of the fight easier so I would enforce that the spikes summoned (see last nights map Sieged under snow) provide 3/4 cover for the ice queen from range where there is spikes between her and the attacking party.

Apart from fighting through the waves of Oni, the captains and zombies or lesser Gnats once they reach the ice queen she is quite formidable. I would have the waves still come, our party is level 9 after all, but maybe have supportive arrow fire dwindle the horde a bit from the wall.

For the Onikage as this one is meant to be huge, a more impressive specimen, change the size to huge and HP to 60 and that will just about do it for us.

Thanks again for joining me for another end of week writeup. Next week I will work on some bonus content as we work our way up to the end of the month. Next month is the end of the road for us so don’t forget every day between now December 1st. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Warriors and Wrath

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Welcome to the 7th last (I believe) end of week writeup!. This week we followed the party along the road to the wall as they were attacked by creatures after the dragons tears items. Despite the ferocity and unrelenting creatures they came out on top and perhaps learned a thing or two about the items they carry.

As always portraits are created in Artbreeder and the normal wonderful tools like Kobold-fight-Club, Inkarnate and D&D Beyond are used frequently.

Warriors and Wrath

241MoAtThWa

As the party arrived at the wall the first thing that they noticed was the sheer lack of people. For such a crucial point in the defence of Ryokughan it was shockingly unmanned. A head appeared at the edge of the wall twenty feet above the ground before calling out. โ€œPrincess Kyoko is here! Reinforcements have arrived!โ€ the voice was overcome with emotion before several others echoed with joyous cries of relief.

โ€œKyoko. I donโ€™t think our message hawk arrived here safely. They believe we have more reinforcements for the wallโ€ Takeo spoke in a hushed whisper to Kyoko and the party. โ€œHow did you want to handle this?โ€ he added looking from Kyoko to the party who were in fact the reinforcements.

After a few moments a platform was lowered over the side and the party, the princess and the spy were lifted atop the wall. Despite the low numbers of people on the wall they all were veterans. Heavily armed, armoured and trained they carried themselves with a martial poise that was lacking in many. As they rushed towards Kyoko they greeted Takeo and the party, the exhaustion on their faces replaced by joy and relief.

โ€œBefore we continue the pleasantries I believe I need to have a word with you lady Kyokoโ€ a particularly grizzled and hard man said from a nearby door to a small tower. โ€œThere is something that is of great urgโ€ฆโ€ he began as he held up a fist and listened to the quiet that his signal instilled. โ€œIt comes!โ€ the wall captain roared as every single soldier drew their weapons and surrounded the party and princess.

In a moment of chaos clouds of shadow-smoke appeared around the wall in sporadic bursts. Soon the sound of steel clashing, grunts and combat rang out around the party as the unknown adversary launched itself at the walls defenders. After a few moments the creature disappeared and the shadow-smoke dissipated soon after.

โ€œTo your posts. Prepare for combat!โ€ roared the captain who eyed his men and women closely, inspecting for wounds. Finding one he pulled them aside โ€œto the infirmary,โ€ he said with a sigh as the realisation set into the face of the woman in front of him. โ€œyouโ€™ve been stung. You wonโ€™t be seeing battle again until youโ€™ve recoveredโ€ he added as he clasped the soldiers shoulder.

โ€œyes sir!โ€ the soldier barked obediently as with a great deal of sadness she handed over her weapons in resignation to the captain before retreating down a nearby set of stairs. As she disappeared into the bowels of carved and fortified stone.

โ€œWe are hounded by a creature that does not kill, it barely wounds but what it touches quickly dies. Normally at the hands of the victims allies.โ€ the captain said as he grabbed a helmet and moved to the wall. โ€œThose unfortunately enough to get injured by it recover after some time. Normally after heavy sedation. Some donโ€™t and they choose to live on the outside of the wall so that in their condition they can still benefit their brothers and sisters.โ€

โ€œWhat do you mean wall captain Hou?โ€ Kyoko asked as she moved over to the wall before clasping a hand to her mouth.

โ€œThey go mad. Their blood boils and they cant detect friend from foe. They will kill anything in sight. Lethally trained warriors who canโ€™t tell friend from foe and who have a lust for blood that a demon would envy. I havenโ€™t seen it before. Our healers can only sedate and hope that their spirit is strong enough to fight the affliction. If they canโ€™t resist then they spend their final days ripping into our enemies and serving us in their death.โ€ the captain said with great reverence as he saluted a human who stopped pacing by the base of the wall, bloody froth covering its mouth.

After a moment the human, one a warrior that defended the wall turned and charged away from the wall, picking up a crude looking sword as it charged headlong into a mass of charging Spirit folk. The brutality in which the warrior cleaved into the fey creatures was outstanding and hard to watch. But that wasnโ€™t only sight on the other side of the wall. Dozens of injured and dying lay strewn about the battlefield on both sides. Humans, those afflicted as well as the minions of The Shadow, all of them calling for help or crying out in pain or fear.

โ€œWe have tried to recover our wounded or dead and we started to lose more men than we savedโ€ฆโ€ a wall guard said from next to the party. Nodding towards the captain who pulled on a helmet and drew a magnificent longbow as he climbed a nearby watch tower. โ€œHe lost his daughter. She was a fine warrior and led the last recovery mission. She was cut down by a Oni.โ€ The guardsman nodded towards a banner that stood high amongst the bodies, rocks and toppled trees. โ€œShe lies somewhere over there. Some men swear they have seen her moving about the battlefield but I think they are just seeing things.โ€ he sighed. After a moment he ran off down the wall to continue to guard as creatures started to reach the wall.

The edge of torchlight 241WeThEdOfTo

As the party stood atop the wall they thought of the day that they had witnessed. Twice more the shadow creature had struck but by luck, skill or divine grace they had not been inflicted with the affliction. The woman in the infirmary howled with rage and even while heavily sedated it only eased the peaks of her fury.

They also had to witness the dead rise from their broken and battered forms and assault the wall, beaten back and slain by either the warriors on the wall or those afflicted driven mad by rage who hunted the no-mans land between the wall and the rocky mountains where the attacks came from. Even while the party watched from the wall and aided in driving back the dead or the twisted spirit-folk there was little joy in the tasks they did.

It was at this point, at the edge of torchlight that the party saw movement. To precise and too careful for undead or afflicted. Too subtle and tactical to be spirit-folk or beast. As the party watched the shadow approached the edge of the light cast by the braziers and torches that lined the wall and it quickly darted forward and grabbed a pack from a fallen oni warrior. The distinct human colour skin flashed from under layers of tattered and ripped cloth as a sudden gust of wind caused the light cast by the fire to flash across the face of the creature and a human Ryokughan female looked up at the party startled.

The figure pressed a finger to her lips before skulking off towards a crest in the battlefield.

Bonus – Over the wall

“That’s her! That’s the captains daughter!” The wall guard from earlier that day announced. Gin Seng pointed at the captains daughter as she hurried across the battlefield towards a rocky outcrop. Moments later several shapes started to move towards her and the rock rise in the battlefield, she appeared unaware.

“we have to do something” Gin said as he hurried towards the crane. His voice causing a commotion amongst the other guards.

“What’s going on here?” barked Captain Hou.

“Kit is out there Sir. We saw her” Gin said, the party confirming with him.

“It’s probably a trick of the Shadow…” The captain said, his own voice betraying the hope he held deep inside. “Kit is gone…”

A scream erupted from the battlefield. The shadowy-Kit had been ambushed and the sound of combat could be heard. “KIT!” her father screamed as he threw the platform over the side of the wall. “Man the defences. Ballista and arrows trained on the battlefield. Nothing comes up whilst I go down.”

“Captain Hou, the plan can’t succeed without you. The adventurers are veterans at combat and have surprised me more than once. Besides it will be a test to see if the simple presence of the Dragons Tears artefacts can draw forth the shadows minions…” Kyoko said as she stepped out in full armour.

“I hate to ask this of you my friends. But are you willing to rescue the captains daughters and see what happens when the dragons light erupts forth from you?” she asked with a tinge of guilt and regret.

NPCs – 237TuWiotDa

Wall Captain Hou

Captain Hou is a rugged veteran commander of the wall guard for decades he has led the elite troops in defending the land from the Shadows Influence and was so honoured that his own daughter joined him. This was his biggest regret as his daughter was just as head strong as he was in his youth and led a foolish mission to retrieve the wounded from the battlefield only to be struck down herself.

Kyoko Harimasu

Kyoko keeps herself hidden and defended by many guards. Captain Hou and Takeo spend most of their time talking tactics into how to lure the Ice queen towards the wall and a trap.

Miss Hou

Captain Hou’s daughter…

Wall Guard Gin Seng

Gin Seng is one of the warriors in the Wall Guard. He is well trained and a natural in combat but perhaps a bit too emotional for the captains liking.

Leading with emotion rather than discipline Gin Seng is sure that the captains daughter still lives and swears that he has seen her at night.

Environment and running the adventure

Night time shouldn’t be a hassle for the party with their level, abilities and gear by now so it’s another night time encounter.

Map – Encounter over the wall (Surveying the Battlefield)

Made with Inkarnate.com

Encounter – Warriors and Wrath

Any creature from our vaults can be used here. I would suggest some Oni and perhaps an afflicted human warrior (see gladiator stat block with affliction template added). The Wrath Wraith also comes forth and attacks the party as they reach Kit Hou – she seems to be untargeted by the creature but the party are less fortunate.

Aftermath…

As the party defeat the wrath Wraith the all too familiar haunting call of the Onikage echoes through the battlefield and Yukri Toshio – the Yuki-onna appears on the back of a huge Onikage. She points towards the party as the crest of the hill she is standing on erupts into dozens of shadowy shapes running toward the party. Kit pleads for the party to retreat as the guard on the wall start to call for them to run back as well.

Thanks for joining me again for another end of week writeup. The second last week and of the second last month see’s us drawing things to a close. Next week we go over the wall and further into enemy territory as we try and draw forth the Yuki-onna and her dreadful mount. Don’t forget to come back each day this coming week and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Wrath Wraith

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Hello all and welcome to another FightNight! I can’t believe its Friday already and after we surveyed the lands battlefield night tonight is stat blocks! I bring to you a template, made in the wonderful Homebrewery who have gone through a bit of a glow-up of late and as always, Kobold Plus Flight Club and Tetra-cube.

The Wrath Wraith

241FrThWrWr

The Wrath Wraith is another interesting creature. On its own it isn’t that terrifying but when you implement how it fights, its tactics behind the encounter it becomes quite terrifying.

This week the Wrath Wraith is under the influence of the Shadow. Like many fiends it will barter its way out of where it lives into the material plane in order to sew chaos. This creature has been tasked with breaking the wall and by using hit and run tactics and wearing out the defenders it is slowly doing so. But, it still loves to sew chaos and by afflicting creatures it hurts with an unquenchable rage.

The affliction enables the Wrath Wraith to to see chaos on top of the wall as well as on the battlefield below when the humans decide to send their allies away. This also creates glorious chaos within the humans hearts and mind as they watch their friends and family turn into feral creatures.

A win for the Wrath Wraith.

The Affliction is more of a curse than a disease or poison. Remove curse will abolish it but also those who are strong of body can resist it as it attempts to wrestle control from their mind.

Those also afflicted by it can attempt to force the curse out of their body by will power alone. It is more difficult but one who can reign in the wrath curse is also immune to it.

Made with The Homebrewery

That’s it for tonight. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for a bonus twist night and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

A Legacy of Hunger

thebrazenwolfe1 Comment

Tonight we begin our 11 month long campaign with the party entering the seaside town of Daye. This month we investigated a legacy of hunger and the darkness that trade can bring into a family.

As with usual Pages 1, 2 and 3 are content pages, the description, flow, random tables, etc. and such that you’ve previously seen.
Page 4 contains all NPCs and portraits to help the DM describe them and a bit about them to help play them out.
Page 5 will be stat blocks and map(s) – all that D&D encounter goodness that you want.

Now I will assume you have read the entire post which has had some bits modified over the months content. Now including the original content, and some bits added this is a smaller than normal length, only just making 8052! words long. I really do appreciate the time you take to read through these end of month adventures.

All Maps were made in Inkarnate using their Pro license, Art was created in Artbreeder and the statblocks were created in Tetra-cube AND the balancing of encounters is a mixture of experience and the guides found at Kobold Fight Club.

Don’t forget to come back next week and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Part 1 – Crimson flags on a pale shore. 201MoCrFl

As the rising sun touches the sails over the docks a shimmering sea of red greets those who rise with the sun. Long masts on beautiful ships sail into port with strange and terrifying creatures carved into the richly coloured wood.

The people seemed to flow across the decks as they tended to great rippling red sails, silken rope and barrels of good. Yet only the captain of a ship had their face not covered by a white mask. As they dock great planks were lowered to the piers below and crates, barrels and cages were taken off the shift and lowered to the docks as the masked sailors moved surefooted across the wooden planks to take their cargo into warehouses and storage.

As the people move across the streets their presence, odd mannerisms and appearance start to cause a commotion across the port town of Daye and soon enough word travels of the animals, items, goods and strange foods that the new ship has brought in. The people are welcoming of the excitement and the traders are accommodating despite never removing their masks or gloves.

After a few days reports of strange occurrences of things being moved in houses and shops as well as shadows drifting over roofs and walls. As more of these sightings occurred the people started look for something or someone to blame and curfews were places upon the masked traders to both protect them and rarely their movements through the night.

201TuKyHa & 201TuHu

Kyoko sighed as she looked across the table as the two men from the Daye city watch left her cabin through the ornamentally carved door. She had anticipated some resistance at first but being openly welcomed then having the proverbial doors slammed in her face was not expected.

โ€œwhat do we do captain?โ€ Hurane asked, his masked face distorting his normally smooth voice. โ€œWe came here to trade and establish new trade routes for the betterment of our people. If we canโ€™t do that then we must find somewhere else.โ€ He said with genuine concern.

Pressing her index fingers to her temples she pondered her next action. The city guard had come just after noon and placed restrictions and curfews on her people leaving the ships within an hour of dusk and dawn which is when many people are out and about on the streets wanting to experience new sights and delights. The curfew would not just make it hard to do business it would nearly make them staying here impossible. Looking over the papers that were left here, reports of sightings of figures in the night and items being moved or disappeared it sounded like the guards were accusing one of her people of being the culprit.

โ€œfind out what you can from our troupe. If we are responsible we will deal with it and clear our name. If we canโ€™t handle this we will be left with no choice but to leave and I don’t think we can afford another endeavour like this againโ€ Kyoko said looking through the papers again. Hurane saluted to her and went to leave the cabin to begin his questioning. โ€œAnd Hurane, if no one talks, letโ€™s get the Lotus involved, we canโ€™t fail here.โ€

As Hurane left Kyoko sat back on her chair and had a look over the occurrences. It wasnโ€™t just reports of a thief, it looked to be searching for something specific based on the reports. Maybe it wasnโ€™t a person but a thing. She looked at the book her father had left her that contained stories of warriors from this continent that visited her home land years ago. Warriors that defied the Oni and fought against the spirits in the swamp to free entire villages. Perhaps she could find such warriors in their home land, maybe a party of adventurers is what she needs.

201WeDaMiFa

Dark tendrils of mist crawled down the wall as the lantern light left the room and ascended the stairs of the two story house. As the tendrils touched the floor it rose to take the shape of a hunched humanoid. Glowing pits for eyes snapped up on a neck that twitched and  shook erratically as it watched the last of the light disappear up stairs.

Skitter-slinking across the floor it moved through the room picking up items, raising them to its face where it inhales their smell in deeply before putting them back not quite in the same space. The mist that clung to its form obscured its face and most of its details but it seemed unhindered by the dark cloak that clung to it.

As it picked up a trinket from a mantle place it inhaled deeply causing wafts of blue light to float from it. The creatures body shook uncontrollably in what could only be described as ecstasyย  as the blue energy touched its face. Cupping the anchor medallion in both hands it inhaled deeply and grain by grain the talisman disintegrated in a trail of blue light and disappeared into the mouth of the creature.

โ€œwhat in bloomin heck!โ€ A loud voice said as the click of flint and tinder sounded from the stairs. As the spark of flame moved towards the lantern the creature whirled around and spotted the interloper. Jumping to the wall of the house it skittered up the wall at freakish speed. The sound of a man shrieking, a dropping lantern and shattering glass was the only sound as the creature climbed into the shadows of the the room. Slowly as it stared down at the man with its glowing pits for eyes it could smell the fear from the human as it stared at its eyes. Slowly its body turned to the same dark mist that surrounded its body and it drifted through the wall, two faint embers of its eyes the last thing to disappear.

201ThSeBr

Kyoko watched as the hawk soared above the boat and and head out towards the city, she wondered what it would be like to be born with the gift of flight. Sighing she turned away and strolled down the plank to go check on the stalls where her peoples wares were being sold, regrettably a lot slower now that they had restrictions put upon them, she only could hope that the creature, or person that was the source of their restrictions.

Hurane walked up to her, clasping his forearms behind his back as he looked over ships and the people discussing price on food, craft and other items. โ€œThe morning Lotus has bloomed. If one of ours is responsible they will find outโ€ he said leaning closer to her to ensure that the message was hard to intercept. The masks her people wore helped to also protect the words Hurane spoke to her. But also protect their identities, the people of this city were not ready yet to see who they were behind the masks.

โ€œI noticed. Let us hope they can find what is causing the distress of the good people of Daye and we can begin to rebuild the relationship needed to establish this trade route. โ€œHave you any leads yet?โ€ Kyoko asked as she looked towards the masked man she had grown up with.

โ€œSadly no Kyoko, we donโ€™t have a lead. Every trader, sailor and officer has been questioned and they all swear their loyalty and deny any involvement in the disturbance. Apologies Kyokoโ€ Hurane spoke with a tinge of regret in his voice.

โ€œWell letโ€™s hope the lotus blooms and we find whatโ€™s causing our griefโ€

The wind filled the wings of the bird as it flew high in the sky its keen eyesight gazing down upon the blue waters, the red railed ships and the thatch covered houses that covered the ground like a maze. The houses were built as needed without much foresight into where the next would be built. This evidently caused the alleys and pathways between houses to be erratic and suddenly end, a maze of mudbrick walls and thatch covered roofs. Very different from where she is from.

Noticing something different from the sea of thatch, mudbrick and rough stone street she flew down in broad circles looking around her as he descended for any signs of danger. Seeing no danger she landed on the roof and picked up the object that was shining on the roof and held it in one claw so she could look at it closer. It appeared to be a medallion or talisman made from metal, or so what was left of it gave that appearance. Noticing the faint taint of magic from it and the way that it was damaged concerned her, in her experience magic items were very difficult to break and finding one damaged as such concerned her. Deciding that it was worth notifying Kyoko she flew off with the hook shaped metal trinket.

Environment and running the adventure

As the party enter the city they are greeted by the salty and fishy smelling docks that flank the single road into the town. The houses are made from sandstone and wooden roofs with thatching to weatherproof them or mud brick and a rough patchwork of straw for their thatching. The roads are erratically built and designed with no uniform height, width or length between one house, the next and ab dead end at the ends of the street. Only by following the crowd so they make it to where the street vendors and trade ships sell their wares.

The party would notice that a large number of elegantly dressed people wearing masks walk the streets and man stalls in front of large red sailed ships that are moored at the docks. Some city guard appear to be arguing with one such man who complies with their demands until they got to remove his mask. The man pleads loudly and sobs for the guard to not do so.

If the party step forward the guard would question their motives aggressively but a friendly unmasked woman quickly approaches and helps the masked person back to their feet and stall. She introduces herself as Kyoko Harimasu, the captain of the red fleet and she thanks then for stepping in explaining that her people wear masks based oaths they took before they survived in this land. She mentions the hungry gull is likely the best and most affordable tavern-come-inn around.

If the party doesnโ€™t help the masked man Kyoko will intervene and then loudly introduce herself to passer-by

That night regardless of where the party stay they may (DC12 perception check or passive perception) to notice some one watching them closely from outside. If they investigate they find someone quickly disappearing into the roof and darting up into the roof. If they choose to chase then use the chase rules from Fridays encounter.

Encounter โ€“ The Chase

I want to entertain the feature of the dungeon master guide again, the chase.

When the chase begins you establish a few things. The distance between the pursued (quarry) and the pursuers, the position of them and the lead pursuer and any immediate hazards or obstacles

The lead pursuer is who ever is closest and may change per round depending on who is closest.

The position will be important for this adventure as we will have vertical distance as well as horizontal distance which affects sight amongst other things.

The actual encounter is simply the discovery of a suspicious person on a roof, a chase and then either questioning them or trying to work out who they were based on some queues given during the chase.

If the chase continues on the rooftops then a dexterity check(dc10) would need to be made per movement action taken, dash or otherwise, if failed then the roof collapses and the creature has their leg stuck (prone) until they can pull themselves free (dc10 strengths check).

Guards will be alerted if the party or their quarry is loud. They may try and intercept the party on the roof of they are discovered. On the roads the party will be encountered with intersections where every round roll a dice.

On a 1 there is an intersection where the path to the left is a dead end after 15 ft and the right continues 15ft to the right then turns forward again (left turn to head in the same direction of their quarry) 2-3 the path continues forward with no blockage and on a 4 the path to the right is blocked after 15ft but the left path is unblocks and after 15 ft the path turns right to follow the quarry.

On the road they may find drunken citizens, thugs/thieves, startled citizens who shriek for the guard when they see the party or a group of guards who try and stop the party.

The idea here is the classic Street chase to find information on a lead to the creature and the missing items.

After the encounter:

If /Or when captured the person is revealed to be a robed boy with a mask identical to the Red Fleet merchants. When questioned he will take them to Kyoko who will explain that the boy was one of her people who wanted to confirm that the adventures werenโ€™t the cause of the mysterious sightings of ghostly figures in the town. She explains the situation with the town, how to the guards and their towns people have started to distrust the masked people and who they are. She explains that she believes itโ€™s a creature to that seeks trinkets or things of little magical power and takes them. Kyoko and the party to help locate the culprit and stop further attacks and robberies, she would offer them something of their choosing from the traders private stash, gold or a trip with them when the party and the fleet is ready back to her home continent.

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