Game Night D&D Next Playtest Sep 14 - Concluding the Colonial Voyage to Numenoria

Two abrupt sounds from opposite ends of the hallway alerted the foremost and rearmost adventurer in the party. In front, a click and rattling chain sound revealed a swiftly dropping portcullis, while behind, a boom and the sound of rolling. Yes, a boulder was wending its way down the hall towards them, picking up speed as it came. Those with fast enough reflexes tried to avoid the trap, but only Jambunathon and Gnar, who were in front, made it under the portcullis, and dropped the twenty feet down to the sandy floor. The thief managed to stop the portcullis from closing all the way before the boulder smashed through the party. Agnes the dwarf stood firm and was trundled over. The elf wizard Ginger was smashed into a corner of the hallway, unconcsious, as was the elven thief. Only the sorcerer remained unscathed, having held to the ceiling at the portcullis. The boulder lodged itself in the doorway inches beneath her.

Another Friday night saw us gathered about ye olde round table. This week on the menu were my wife’s famous cold italian sandwiches, made using pounds and pounds of ham, salami, pepperoni and provolone on the longest baguettes we can find. It was another full night, with 8 playing this time. The nobleman wasnt feeling well and the bounty hunter was out marching in a band somewhere. THE kittens Jinx and TWinkie were definitely in attendance, and their momma, the normally shy Boo, even joined in the festivities, pictured.

Gnar the gnomling sailor (and cleric) and Jambunathon the high elf wizard were alone in a narrow yet very tall natural chamber with a sandy floor. The room was lit by rays of sunlight far above and droplets of water also fell from the earthy ceiling, forming a mist that caught the sunlight and formed rainbows before falling onto the statue of a beautiful bathing nymph. A staff carved into the shape of a snake leaned against a small stone bench in front of the pool in which the statue stood.

The wizard had a destiny to own the fabled Snake Staff and knew instinctively his moment had come. As he watched (and heard the sounds of his smashed party above) the staff melted away into a snake slithering into the sand. HE noticed just then that snakes were sidewinding under the sand towards him and the gnome. Gnar screamed and jumped onto the bench, then tried to whack at them to keep them off, while the wizard cast sleep on as many as he could.

Eventually the snakes, sand vipers, were driven off and the wizard gained his magic staff. The rest of the party was able to climb over the boulder wedged into the doorway, and using hempen rope, thy escaped above, but not before Poppy the Elven thief strode forward, dipped her cupped palm into the pool and took a drink of the refreshing, sparkling water. I asked her to roll a d20. She rolled a 9. She felt herself swell with good health and after a moment (and the proper tension waiting to see if any new appendages grew or old ones fell off) her constitution was permanently increased by 1 point. Suddenly there was a stampede towards the fountain and many permanent boons were bestowed. Most were ability scores bumps, but Litha the elf received a seahorse mount (underwater only) and a few people received 1/day spell like powers.

Back in Chibitown, they managed to convince 5 of the chibi fanaton to come with them to the new world, and it is a good thing they did, too. THey also discovered one of the seamen, an old one-eyed rope climber with tattoos all over his arms was the son and apprentice of a famous tattoo artist. HE recognizes the gold knife as a magic tattoo knife, and says he caqn work great magic with it. He works out a deal with the sorceror/thug to set up a tattoo parlor in the new colony.

After many long days and nights sailing due south, the land of Numenora appeared on the horizon. The land of many fjords, the land rises like shaggy forest-covered bluffs out of the dark sea. They skirt the main landmass, passing a few island, including a small atoll which they have a treasure map directing them towards, and finally enter a long fjord and sail for another day before coming to a wide spit of flat land with a narrow splashing river along one stony side.

Here they expected to see a long pier and a stout wooden stockade wall waiting for them to settle within. TEn woodsmen had been dispathed the year before to cut down the woods surrounding their site and prepare for occupation. Only a section of the dock was complete, and one lone buiding at the edge of shore. The woods were still encroaching onto the colony site, having been only half cleared. OF the stockade, only three corner posts had been driven into the ground, and none of the wood from so many felled trees remained.

IT was a disaster. Luckily they had five of the fanaton, who were renowned for their carpentry skills, so all was not lost, if only they could find the missing stacks of lumber. Further inspection revealed fire damage to the large storage building, and found the torn up remains of the woodsmen property, but no sign of them. A few pieces of wood remained where a large stack once stood, and a wide, obvious path led north towards the mountains. It looked like the lumber had been dragged off. That night everyone stayed aboard the ship, and they heard strange animal shrieks coming from the forest. The wizard surmised they were the call of the owlbear, a fearsome creature, but they never saw one.

The next day after the colonists were instructed to start preparing their new home, first by fixing the main building, then by starting on the stockade wall, the heroes of our trail set off to follow the trail of splinters. They passed a couple of crossing paths that looked like game trails, but stayed unerringly on the path to get their wood back, which was essential to building the colony. By late afternoon they came to a place where the forest abruptly ended. A spur of the mountains jutted out and atop it a gargantuan wooden tower had been hastily erected. It sat ponderously and leaning, and covered in a dark grey goo.

The tower had a triangular outer wall and was on the edge of the precipice so it was inaccessible from all directions but the front. A natural stone stairway led up to the front of the stone plateau on which the necromancer ‘s tower perched. In front of the main outer wall a trench had been dug and it was filled with the rotting corpses of animals, giving off a pungent stench. A narrow wooden drawbridge led across this pit and to the main doors. At each corner of the tower a skeleton was attached to the wall and it held a glowing wand in its bony hand. They decided to wait until nightfall.

One of the boons from the fountain was invisibility for 1 minute per day, received by Ginger the elf wizard. She used her power now to move forward to the bridge. The skeletons seemed agitated but did not focus on her,so she crept further still. Her time was almost up so she gave a great shove, and managed to swing one of the doors open a few inches, before turning and rushing back towards her allies. Two of the skeletons detected her presence and fired rays of frost, but they struck the bridge beneath her flying heels and she escaped unharmed.

A shoot-out followed and the skeletons were soon destroyed. The sound of a gnome’s laugh cut through the suddenly still night and they looked up to see a tiny smiling face many hundreds of feet above in the tower top, where a rickety catwalk surrounded the steeply pitched roof. The gnome shouted something like “Feel the wrath of my minions!” and suddenly amongst the carnage in the pits, 12 undead forms of corruption rose and shook of the offal of their brethren to howl and growl menacingly. Skeletal wolves clawed their way toward the party. Everyone made it across the drawbridge and into the tower, but for the wizard. The sorcerer stayed behind to hold off the undead while the wizard raced past.

They made it through the doors and into the courtyard of the Necromancer’s Tower.