Ruboryn Campaign Session 1

I didn’t have my camera for the first few sessions of the Ruboryn campaign, so you will have to use your imagination and picture the action as you read…

Part I: In the Swimming Sword Tavern

As our story opens, we find ourselves observing the Town of Treemore. Many people are sitting in the Swimming Sword Tavern; eating, resting, and enjoying the local flavor. Two charming individuals, a human bard with a melodic flute (Lakatosh) and a shifter with a charismatic wit (Thorn), battle for the attention of a gaggle of young, winsome, village locals of the female persuasion.

At the bar, the only two dwarves in the rowdy tavern (Cildain and Torrin) strike up a conversation and discover that they are both travelers from far flung mountain cities.

A tall, robust human woman (Bodoka) enters the inn, strides confidently to a table in the middle of the room and sits comfortably. As she sets her large weapon down, a resounding thump reverberates through the room. The other patrons pause for a split second, glance over at her, and then resume their general debauchery.

A lone, reserved looking shifter (Narrash) with silver hair and a large, ornate axe sits in one corner, silently watching the rest of the patrons.

Just after dusk, the tavern is set upon by a group of hobgoblins. Most of the patrons cower in fear and back away from the beastly creatures. Our six heroes put up a valiant fight, taking out 11 hobgoblin minions and 3 warriors before being overwhelmed by the sheer number of red-skinned animals. The group is taken, unconscious, to an undisclosed location.

Part II: Awakenings

The six awaken in a dimly lit room in a fortress unlike any they have experienced before. The walls drip with water and the stench is almost unbearable. The group discovers that they were not taken alone, but that a number of tavern patrons, 5 in all, were also kidnapped.  One of them looks seriously injured, perhaps on his death-bed.

The self designated leader of the group, a human woman named Lanea, tells the heroes that they have been traveling by horse and cart for 7 days, and that they may have perished were it not for her healing arts. She also tells them that these kidnapping incidents have been happening for some years. Also, the captives have heard the sounds of battle off and on for the better part of 12 hours, followed by single female scream, and then complete silence for the past four hours.

Four others (all male humans) are in the cell with the group, but none of them look to be any use in this dire situation. The group escapes the cell by destroying the poorly constructed iron gate that blocks the doorway. They discover their possessions, curiously packaged as if for shipment (and well cleaned and taken care of) in a room down the hall. They also discover the diary of a former captive in the fortress. Two of the group read the diary and are greatly dismayed by what they have read. As this room is much cleaner and well lit than the original cell, the other captives are moved into the room and told to stay there and block the doors.

As they leave the clean room, the party hears footsteps coming toward them – they quickly dispatch three more hobgoblins as they are rounding the corner. Further down the hall, the group discovers a ritual room. Two bloody, human sized cages and three incantation circles have been recently used. A ritual book that emits an evil power aura is taken by the bard and then he tries to destroy the summoning circles. A ritual scroll is also obtained.

A medium sized pool of clear blue liquid is found on the far side of the room – the bard and the charming shifter find the liquid powerfully tempting and drink from the pools. They feel refreshed and satisfied, and the temptation subsides immediately after they imbibe the fluid.

Exploring more of the fortress, the group discovers a dead end sealed by a rock-fall. Inspection of the debris by the dwarves leads to the conclusion that the cave-in is of non-natural origins; it appears to be caused by something striking the entrance to the fortress. Further down the hall, the group finds a temple of worship, complete with an evil alter, a pile of young human skulls, and two gazing pools full of fresh blood. There exists also a blue pool, but it lacks the temptation that accompanied the one in the ritual room.

A set of large wooden double-doors are seen behind the cleric’s pulpit. The workshop sounds of hammers hitting metal and forged iron are heard through the doors. A trip wire is hastily put in place to trip up anyone coming into the room through the double doors. An intense, evil, booming laugh is heard as the trip-wire is set. The laugh is heard a couple more times, including when the dwarven shaman moons the doors (he quickly put his pants back on!).

Part III: Escape

In the far corner of the room, the party finds a portion of the wall that has been caved outward into a cavernous opening. The smell of rotting flesh pervades the cavern and rats scurry here and there. The walls in this portion of the construction are wet from seepage. It is apparent that the fortress (and cavern) was built under some large water source. They also realize that the cavern is slightly inclined and they are traveling up as they go through it.

As the group inspects a swelling in the cavern, they find an unnatural looking stand of trees – jet black, with paper-thin, dark coloured leaves, the trunks go up to and through the ceiling of the rock cavern. There are pools of black liquid in between the trees. As the party is inspecting the trees, two cavern chokers attack and wound one of the dwarves before the rest of the party can rescue him and dispatch the chokers.

After inspecting the trees for more chokers, the party moves on and finds themselves face-to-face with a vine covered wall. After hacking at the thick black vines for a few minutes, they discover that it is not a wall covered in vines, rather it IS a wall of vines. As they strip away the plant matter they see sunlight through the gaps. Eventually they find themselves standing in the bright mid-day sun, looking at black swamp as far as the eye can see.

They return to the clean room to lead the other captives out of the fortress. They find only three captives left. One captive, an agitated male, left as soon as the group left the room; the seriously injured one died, and the other two are catatonic with shock. The only un-injured one, Lanea, asks the heroes to go without them and head back to Treemore to tell the town Elders what they have witnessed. She feels the two young brothers (the ones in shock) are not strong enough to travel and will perish along the way.

Thus ends Part I of our story!
Thanks to my players for allowing me to run 4e sessions every chance I get!

Until next time, I wish you good gaming.

~DM Samuel

Note: This DnD 4e session was played on 6/12/2009.  This story has also been posted on the RPG Geek website as a session report.  Stay tuned in two days for episode 2 of the Ruboryn Campaign!