Episode 33

Part 1: Down Time 🛡️📜

Section 1: A Town Rebuilding

The session begins on a (normal) rainy morning in Longmorn, where our heroes have returned after witnessing the devastating aftermath of the recent battle. The town is pulling itself together, and Voschek’s undead manservant, Billy Bones, has been assisting Goderian and Bara with burning the bodies of the fallen. Billy disapears at dawn.

As the party steps inside the Rusty Cog Tavern, they encounter a lively argument between Standa (the clumsy but well-meaning giant) and Hopper, a spirited frog-folk newsie. Hopper passionately argues that the newsies should help defend the town, despite their small stature. Standa is initially over protective and against this, but the heroes step in to mediate.

Section 2: The Birth of the Future Boy & Girl Scouts 🎖️

The party decides to support Hopper’s initiative and propose forming a group for the newsies—basically, the future Scouts (or Rogues and Rangers) of Longmorn! Voschek and others persuade Standa with a natural 20 on Persuasion (cha-ching!), and the plan is set in motion.

The kids will train under the heroes to gain skills like scouting, message-running, and mechanical work. The goal: prepare them for future dangers without throwing them into the deep end right away.

Section 3: Training the Next Generation 📚

Over the next two weeks, the party members each take on a newsie to train:

• Voschek (Jeremy) works with Ember, the tiefling boy, teaching him Investigation. Ember succeeds and gains +1 to Investigation.
• Dirk (Bob) teams up with Lunis, the mysterious ethereal child, training in Stealth. Lunis floats (literally) through the lessons and picks up a +1 to Stealth.
• Professor Peppercorn (Bevin) bonds with Whittle, the owlfolk whittler, teaching him Insight. Whittle earns the nickname "The Whittler" (a C-Tier Batman villain?) and gains +1 to Insight.
• Shadow (Chris w/o Beard) tries to teach Hopper Persuasion, but it’s a bust. Hopper skips lessons like a true frog-folk rebel.
• Aubrey (Molly) steps in to train Hopper in Acrobatics, succeeding despite Hopper’s spotty attendance.

Section 4: A Touch of Whimsy

The session is filled with hilarious interruptions—Molly and Pete’s puppy, Maya, and dog Missy make several cameos, and the players debate whether Hopper can sneak up on Marianne (a goat). The party also gets creative with training methods, like teaching Tai Chi to tiny ethereal beings.

Key Takeaways:

• The newsies gain new skills, preparing them for future roles in defending Longmorn.
• The town begins to rebuild, but the threat of Ringspawn looms larger than ever—they’re getting smarter and more organized.
• The heroes step into mentorship roles, showing their softer (but still badass) side.

Part 2: The Debrief & The Docks 🗺️🚢

Section 1: Learning from the Battle

The heroes gather for a debrief with Longmorn’s leaders. They hear harrowing tales of the battle:

• Réné recounts Ringspawn erupting from tunnels in the ravine.
• The dwarves and Druhyer describe fighting in the darkness, losing many miners to collapsed tunnels.
• The worm can’t bore through rock—only soil—so the town’s stone cliffs are safer (except for the sewers).
• The mines once sealed off nests if they found them, but now that the Ringspawn can communicate, sealing them might just be scouting for the enemy!

Aubrey (Molly) digs into old documents and recalls a key detail: black drops (activated ringspore) reconstitute and attract each other. This raises many eyebrows... do the ringspawn work the same way as the spore?

Section 2: The Miner’s Dilemma

The party pitches the idea of a "tunnel fighter" group to handle underground threats. Voschek rolls a natural 1 on Persuasion (oof), but Réné supports it while Druhyer (the dwarf forman) refuses, citing his people’s losses.

A second attempt with Dirk (Bob) assisting Voschek succeeds—a half-victory! Druhyer agrees to send an old, grizzled dwarf advisor to teach the Mournshields how to move silently in the mines.

Section 3: Seaglow & The Shipwright’s Gambit 🎲

The debrief wraps up, but a heated discussion erupts about relying on New Farm for supplies. Shadow (Chris w/o Beard) seizes the moment:

• She mentions needing a ship to transport livestock.
• Seaglow, a blue dragonborn merchant marine, scoffs at her pirate past but admits fixing a broken ship would help.
• Dirk and Shadow team up to persuade Seaglow:
  • Shadow rolls a natural 20 on Persuasion—Captain Shadow!
  • Dirk follows with an unnatural 20 on Nature (hypothetically convincing her they’re experts in boat maintenance).

Seaglow is still skeptical but grants them access to the docks and won't help, but won't stand in the way either.

Section 4: Druhyer’s Card Game

Druhyer overhears and proposes a wager:

• His miners will help repair the ship if Voschek wins a card game.
• The stakes? A "darling little bobble" (Voschek’s staff of undead summoning) vs. labor.

The party debates—is this fair? Can Aubrey count cards?

Part 3: The Card Game & A Dwarven Bargain 🃏🎲

Section 1: The Rules of the Game

The heroes find themselves in a dwarven pub beneath Longmorn, challenged to a game of "Red Hot Poker" by Druhyer. Here’s how it works:

• Three Rounds per Hand: Each player rolls a D20 for their hand strength.
• Actions:
  • Play Your Hand: Use the number rolled.
  • Bluff: Roll Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation. Others roll Insight to call your bluff.
  • Cheat: Roll Sleight of Hand or Deception. Others roll Perception to catch you. If caught, roll a skill save (DC 15) to avoid consequences.
• Winning a Hand: The highest total score at the end of three rounds wins.
• Elimination: The player with the lowest hand gets eliminated.
• Winning the Game: Three players vs. Three Dwarves. Last team with a remaining player wins.

Section 2: The Game Begins 🎲

• Team Dwarf (Dreyer, Doric, Bruna) vs. The Heroes (Peppercorn, Voschek, Dirk)
• Round 1:
  • Druhyer plays a natural 20 and wins the round.
  • Dirk tries to cheat but is caught, leaving him with a weak hand. He saves vs. repurcussions.
  • Bruna bluffs successfully.
• Round 2 & 3:
  • Dreyer cheats successfully (hiding cards in his beard!) and wins again. He continues to use this trick and is eventually caught out by Voschek.
  • The players eliminate Team Dwarf one by one...

Subsection 3: The Final Round & Victory 🏆

• Dreyer concedes, noting the ship repair is good for the town. His men will help repair the ship!
• Peppercorn (Bevin) charms the dwarves into a better mood with his song about the rain.
• Dreyer assigns 20 dwarven workers to assist in restoring the Wayward Heart —Team Victory!

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Key Takeaways:

• The party outmaneuvered Dreyer’s tricks and won his respect (and labor).
• Peppercorn’s musical charm lifted spirits after the game.
• The dwarves concede defeat, offering a work crew for the ship restoration.
• Druhyer played "okay" but never used his advantage as a gambler... was he just feeling the players out and intended to cough up the work crew all along?!?