Session 1: A Kender, a Dwarf, and a Minotaur walk into a bar…
Last Monday was the beginning of my new 5e Dragonlance campaign.
As a little bit of background:
I began envisioning this campaign as sort of a “what-if” scenario. The basic premise is “What if the Companions of the Lance never got involved in the War? What if the Dragon Armies won?”
This was an interesting thought exercise. Many of the Dragon Highlords would still be alive, and one in particular would likely never have become a Dragon Highlord. But, would Takhisis actually be able to enter the world? Would the gods of good and balance allow this to happen, or would they work behind the scenes to help the people of Ansalon?
So, the scenario I envisioned took place thusly:
For the most part, the Dragon Armies have taken over Ansalon and rule with an iron fist, with only a few pockets of resistance.
The Qualinesti elves have withdrawn into their forest kingdom, attacking anyone who dares enter their woods. The Red Dragon Army has their hands full trying to flush them out…even with dragons assisting, they are still having difficulty killing the rebels. Not only that, but the Red Armies are also being attacked from the east by the Dwarves.
The Silvanesti elves, fleeing Lorac’s nightmare, have withdrawn to the forests in the Balifor region. There, they have reluctantly teamed up with the Kender of Kendermore, using guerilla tactics to harass the Black Dragon Army.
The Mountain Dwarves of Thorbardin have done something unprecedented in all the history of Dwarves; they have made peace with their cousins, the Hill Dwarves. Rumor has it; the Hill Dwarves have a great prophet who has the ability to heal. There appears to be some truth to this rumor, as the Mountain Dwarves have allowed their cousins into the mountain kingdom…not only that, but they’ve begun negotiations with the human barbarian tribes to gain allies against the Dragon Highlords.
The Knights of Solamnia have almost been completely decimated by the combined might of the Dragon Armies. They’ve had to withdraw from the main continent. Now, their numbers greatly diminished, they reside on the isles of Northern Ergoth and Sancrist. Grand Master Gunthar Uth Wistan has called all knights to his ancestral home on Sancrist for a grand conclave…some think to disband the knighthood, while others hope that it’s to rally for one final attack against Emperor Ariakus’s tyranny.
The Tower of High Sorcery at Wayreth continues to be a bastion of knowledge. The High Sorcerers, even the Black Robes, have all banded together to fight the Dragon Armies. No tower trained wizard is known to be a member of the Dragon Armies. Verminaard, the Red Dragon Highlord, desperately scours Wayreth forest to find the tower in the hopes of destroying it.
The journey of our companions begins in a small tavern in the city of Port Balifor known as the Pig and Whistle.
The Companions:
Kurdum Throsk Kurkovar “Big Bear” – Big Bear hails from the Kurkovar clan of the Daergar dwarves. Drunken, belligerent, and bad tempered, Big Bear is actually one of the more even tempered and sane members of his clan. Trained as a battle-rager from a young age, Big Bear came to the attention of the great dwarven Prophet. Wanting to gain glory for his clan, Big Bear has left the great mountain, journeying across Ansalon to find others who may have been touched by the old gods…and to bring them back to Thorbardin.
Kairam – Kairam hails from the continent of Taladas, where he was a member of the imperial League of Minotaurs. The woman he loved was claimed by another suitor, and Kairam attempted to win her hand in the Arena. But Kairam is a lover, not a fighter, and barely left the duel with his life. He decided to leave his homeland, taking a ship to the continent of Ansalon, where he uses his bardic skills to woo (or is it moo?) women. But nothing can fill the emptiness of losing his one, true love.
Kayli Whistlewood – Kayli hails from Kendermore. In recent months, she began manifesting the ability to heal others. She has no idea what is granting these powers…
Terrence Hod: Terrence comes from a small village east of Port Balifor. He grew up as a farmer knowing little of the war that was ravaging the rest of the continent. That is, until a battalion of goblins who were part of the Black Dragonarmies decided to try to subjugate the village. Terrence and his friends formed a rough militia, but were quickly overwhelmed. Nearly all hope was lost when a trio of Solamnic Knights passed through the village. In the months that followed, they helped train Terrence and his small force, providing tactical advice and support. Eventually, the goblins withdraw with heavy losses.
The knights, impressed with Terrence’s valor, hand him a book and tell him to find a way to Sancrist Isle. The book is written in a language that he cannot read, but on the inside cover is written “Est Sularus oth Mithas.”
Terrence heads to Port Balifor in the hopes that he can book passage to Sancrist.
Sylvarie – A Kagonesti elf from the forests of Silvanesti. She was nearly killed when Lorac’s nightmare began, and the elves had to flee their homeland. Recently, during an attack by the black dragonarmies, her family was killed by a group of marauding Draconians. Now, she hunts them relentlessly.
Valen – The Half-Elf Valen hails from the distant continent of Taladas. His mother, a Silvanaes elf, fled the elven nation of Armach-Nesti while she was still pregnant with Valen. Once he was born, they moved from home to home, never staying in one place too long. Valen still does not know who is father is, but when his strange powers began manifesting recently, he returned to Amach-Nesti to discover more about himself, only to be turned away by the xenophobic Silvanaes elves. During his quest to find more knowledge, he learned of the Towers of High Sorcery from a sailor. He joins their crew and meets Kairam.
The afternoon begins on a high note. Sailors, farmers, townsfolk, all enter the Pig and Whistle to forget their troubles. The occupation of the Black Dragon Army forces had cast a pall over the city, so a respite, even a brief one, was always welcome. At one point, Kairam stands and begins to sing an old sea shanty (a favorite of the sailors in the tavern) in his deep resonate voice. Kaylie and Sylvarie each take tables in quiet corners, while Valen shares a table with Kairam. Terrence is never alone for long, moving between the tables of farmers and the local work force, sharing a laugh and a tankard. Meanwhile, Big Bear glowers alone at his table, drinking the ale and getting roaringly drunk.
The proprietor of the Pig and Whistle, William Sweetwater, is well known for his fine cooking and his even finer ale; some say the ale is almost as good as what the Dwarves make (but don’t let them hear you say that).
As the evening wears on, however, a small group of Dragonarmy soldiers arrive; 2 of the dragonmen, and 5 goblins. One by one, people begin leaving the inn, casting fearful glances at the tables where the soldiers sit. Soon, only the soldiers, the six adventurers, the innkeep, his waitress, and his cook remain.
Kayli notices the waitress steel herself before approaching the soldiers’ tables; all throughout the evening, they’ve been growing louder and more drunken. The comely waitress is no stranger to the advances of men, but those dragonmen terrify her.
As she lays their drinks on the table, one of the dragonmen’s hands wanders. The waitress, startled, slaps the dragonman. Raucous laughter erupts from the goblins sitting at the table, and the dragonman stands up, furious.
With a vicious slash, the dragonman rips open the waitress’s bodice, his claws slicing deep into her chest. The waitress crumbles to the ground right next to Kayli, her blood pooling around her unconscious body.
Immediately Sylvarie stands up, pulling out her bow. The Draconians had ravaged the homes of her people and the Kender for entirely too long. Nocking an arrow, she takes aim at the Draconian that had attacked the waitress and fires. Unfortunately, she misses.
Immediately, the group of dragon army soldiers goes quiet. The second draconian stands and commands the goblins to kill everyone in the room.
Valen rushes over to the fallen waitress, protecting her from the soldiers. Meanwhile, Kairam charges one of the draconians. As his mace connects with the tough scales of the creature, it releases an angry hiss.
Kayli, shocked at the brutality of the attack, reaches down to check the waitress’s wounds. The woman is barely breathing, her skin pale. Kayli tries to use her small hands to staunch the flow of blood, but to little avail. Frustrated, she is suddenly startled as a rush of warmth flows through her. Everyone notices a dim glow suffuse the Kender, then flow into the waitress. Immediately, the waitress stops bleeding.
One of draconians, seeing that the waitress is suddenly healed, calls out to one of the goblins and yells, “Go! Alert Ambriel.”
The goblin, afraid of the adventurers blocking his way to the exit, breaks one of the windows and scrambles through.
Soon, a full out brawl erupts. Khairam takes a few hits from the draconian he’s fighting, and is almost killed by a volley of arrows being fired from two goblins that had overturned a table and were using it as cover. Luckily, Terrence was right next to him and was able to block the arrows with his shield.
Valen casts Burning Hands and kills several of the goblins and slightly burns the second draconian. He also catches one of the tables on fire.
Big Bear takes an arrow and enters a berserker rage. He exchanges several blows with the second draconian, eventually burying his axe in the creature’s chest, barely noticing that his axe is suddenly trapped in the creature’s chest as it turns to stone. Kayli reaches over and heals Big Bear.
Sylvarie kills the first draconian with her bow, and Khairam immediately charges the table that the two goblins were hiding behind. With the force of his charge, he presses them against the wall. Big Bear, seeing how much fun this looks, decides to do the same. Between the two of them, the goblins are trapped against the wall, unable to breathe as a large minotaur and enraged dwarf squeeze the air out of them.
The inn finally quiets down. The Innkeep rushes over to the waitress, seeing that she’s injured, but alive. He regards Kayli with awe and says, “Thank you for saving her. I hate to do this to you, but you all need to leave now…get out of the city if you can. Ambriel will be looking for you.”
He begins shoving bread, dried meats, and anything he thinks would be useful on the road into a large sack, all while explaining that Ambriel is one of the commanders of the Dragonarmy garrison in Port Balifor. Rumor has it that Ambriel is looking for those with the power of true healing…she’d be extremely interested in the Kender if she could catch her.
Last Monday was the beginning of my new 5e Dragonlance campaign.
As a little bit of background:
I began envisioning this campaign as sort of a “what-if” scenario. The basic premise is “What if the Companions of the Lance never got involved in the War? What if the Dragon Armies won?”
This was an interesting thought exercise. Many of the Dragon Highlords would still be alive, and one in particular would likely never have become a Dragon Highlord. But, would Takhisis actually be able to enter the world? Would the gods of good and balance allow this to happen, or would they work behind the scenes to help the people of Ansalon?
So, the scenario I envisioned took place thusly:
For the most part, the Dragon Armies have taken over Ansalon and rule with an iron fist, with only a few pockets of resistance.
The Qualinesti elves have withdrawn into their forest kingdom, attacking anyone who dares enter their woods. The Red Dragon Army has their hands full trying to flush them out…even with dragons assisting, they are still having difficulty killing the rebels. Not only that, but the Red Armies are also being attacked from the east by the Dwarves.
The Silvanesti elves, fleeing Lorac’s nightmare, have withdrawn to the forests in the Balifor region. There, they have reluctantly teamed up with the Kender of Kendermore, using guerilla tactics to harass the Black Dragon Army.
The Mountain Dwarves of Thorbardin have done something unprecedented in all the history of Dwarves; they have made peace with their cousins, the Hill Dwarves. Rumor has it; the Hill Dwarves have a great prophet who has the ability to heal. There appears to be some truth to this rumor, as the Mountain Dwarves have allowed their cousins into the mountain kingdom…not only that, but they’ve begun negotiations with the human barbarian tribes to gain allies against the Dragon Highlords.
The Knights of Solamnia have almost been completely decimated by the combined might of the Dragon Armies. They’ve had to withdraw from the main continent. Now, their numbers greatly diminished, they reside on the isles of Northern Ergoth and Sancrist. Grand Master Gunthar Uth Wistan has called all knights to his ancestral home on Sancrist for a grand conclave…some think to disband the knighthood, while others hope that it’s to rally for one final attack against Emperor Ariakus’s tyranny.
The Tower of High Sorcery at Wayreth continues to be a bastion of knowledge. The High Sorcerers, even the Black Robes, have all banded together to fight the Dragon Armies. No tower trained wizard is known to be a member of the Dragon Armies. Verminaard, the Red Dragon Highlord, desperately scours Wayreth forest to find the tower in the hopes of destroying it.
The journey of our companions begins in a small tavern in the city of Port Balifor known as the Pig and Whistle.
The Companions:
Kurdum Throsk Kurkovar “Big Bear” – Big Bear hails from the Kurkovar clan of the Daergar dwarves. Drunken, belligerent, and bad tempered, Big Bear is actually one of the more even tempered and sane members of his clan. Trained as a battle-rager from a young age, Big Bear came to the attention of the great dwarven Prophet. Wanting to gain glory for his clan, Big Bear has left the great mountain, journeying across Ansalon to find others who may have been touched by the old gods…and to bring them back to Thorbardin.
Kairam – Kairam hails from the continent of Taladas, where he was a member of the imperial League of Minotaurs. The woman he loved was claimed by another suitor, and Kairam attempted to win her hand in the Arena. But Kairam is a lover, not a fighter, and barely left the duel with his life. He decided to leave his homeland, taking a ship to the continent of Ansalon, where he uses his bardic skills to woo (or is it moo?) women. But nothing can fill the emptiness of losing his one, true love.
Kayli Whistlewood – Kayli hails from Kendermore. In recent months, she began manifesting the ability to heal others. She has no idea what is granting these powers…
Terrence Hod: Terrence comes from a small village east of Port Balifor. He grew up as a farmer knowing little of the war that was ravaging the rest of the continent. That is, until a battalion of goblins who were part of the Black Dragonarmies decided to try to subjugate the village. Terrence and his friends formed a rough militia, but were quickly overwhelmed. Nearly all hope was lost when a trio of Solamnic Knights passed through the village. In the months that followed, they helped train Terrence and his small force, providing tactical advice and support. Eventually, the goblins withdraw with heavy losses.
The knights, impressed with Terrence’s valor, hand him a book and tell him to find a way to Sancrist Isle. The book is written in a language that he cannot read, but on the inside cover is written “Est Sularus oth Mithas.”
Terrence heads to Port Balifor in the hopes that he can book passage to Sancrist.
Sylvarie – A Kagonesti elf from the forests of Silvanesti. She was nearly killed when Lorac’s nightmare began, and the elves had to flee their homeland. Recently, during an attack by the black dragonarmies, her family was killed by a group of marauding Draconians. Now, she hunts them relentlessly.
Valen – The Half-Elf Valen hails from the distant continent of Taladas. His mother, a Silvanaes elf, fled the elven nation of Armach-Nesti while she was still pregnant with Valen. Once he was born, they moved from home to home, never staying in one place too long. Valen still does not know who is father is, but when his strange powers began manifesting recently, he returned to Amach-Nesti to discover more about himself, only to be turned away by the xenophobic Silvanaes elves. During his quest to find more knowledge, he learned of the Towers of High Sorcery from a sailor. He joins their crew and meets Kairam.
The afternoon begins on a high note. Sailors, farmers, townsfolk, all enter the Pig and Whistle to forget their troubles. The occupation of the Black Dragon Army forces had cast a pall over the city, so a respite, even a brief one, was always welcome. At one point, Kairam stands and begins to sing an old sea shanty (a favorite of the sailors in the tavern) in his deep resonate voice. Kaylie and Sylvarie each take tables in quiet corners, while Valen shares a table with Kairam. Terrence is never alone for long, moving between the tables of farmers and the local work force, sharing a laugh and a tankard. Meanwhile, Big Bear glowers alone at his table, drinking the ale and getting roaringly drunk.
The proprietor of the Pig and Whistle, William Sweetwater, is well known for his fine cooking and his even finer ale; some say the ale is almost as good as what the Dwarves make (but don’t let them hear you say that).
As the evening wears on, however, a small group of Dragonarmy soldiers arrive; 2 of the dragonmen, and 5 goblins. One by one, people begin leaving the inn, casting fearful glances at the tables where the soldiers sit. Soon, only the soldiers, the six adventurers, the innkeep, his waitress, and his cook remain.
Kayli notices the waitress steel herself before approaching the soldiers’ tables; all throughout the evening, they’ve been growing louder and more drunken. The comely waitress is no stranger to the advances of men, but those dragonmen terrify her.
As she lays their drinks on the table, one of the dragonmen’s hands wanders. The waitress, startled, slaps the dragonman. Raucous laughter erupts from the goblins sitting at the table, and the dragonman stands up, furious.
With a vicious slash, the dragonman rips open the waitress’s bodice, his claws slicing deep into her chest. The waitress crumbles to the ground right next to Kayli, her blood pooling around her unconscious body.
Immediately Sylvarie stands up, pulling out her bow. The Draconians had ravaged the homes of her people and the Kender for entirely too long. Nocking an arrow, she takes aim at the Draconian that had attacked the waitress and fires. Unfortunately, she misses.
Immediately, the group of dragon army soldiers goes quiet. The second draconian stands and commands the goblins to kill everyone in the room.
Valen rushes over to the fallen waitress, protecting her from the soldiers. Meanwhile, Kairam charges one of the draconians. As his mace connects with the tough scales of the creature, it releases an angry hiss.
Kayli, shocked at the brutality of the attack, reaches down to check the waitress’s wounds. The woman is barely breathing, her skin pale. Kayli tries to use her small hands to staunch the flow of blood, but to little avail. Frustrated, she is suddenly startled as a rush of warmth flows through her. Everyone notices a dim glow suffuse the Kender, then flow into the waitress. Immediately, the waitress stops bleeding.
One of draconians, seeing that the waitress is suddenly healed, calls out to one of the goblins and yells, “Go! Alert Ambriel.”
The goblin, afraid of the adventurers blocking his way to the exit, breaks one of the windows and scrambles through.
Soon, a full out brawl erupts. Khairam takes a few hits from the draconian he’s fighting, and is almost killed by a volley of arrows being fired from two goblins that had overturned a table and were using it as cover. Luckily, Terrence was right next to him and was able to block the arrows with his shield.
Valen casts Burning Hands and kills several of the goblins and slightly burns the second draconian. He also catches one of the tables on fire.
Big Bear takes an arrow and enters a berserker rage. He exchanges several blows with the second draconian, eventually burying his axe in the creature’s chest, barely noticing that his axe is suddenly trapped in the creature’s chest as it turns to stone. Kayli reaches over and heals Big Bear.
Sylvarie kills the first draconian with her bow, and Khairam immediately charges the table that the two goblins were hiding behind. With the force of his charge, he presses them against the wall. Big Bear, seeing how much fun this looks, decides to do the same. Between the two of them, the goblins are trapped against the wall, unable to breathe as a large minotaur and enraged dwarf squeeze the air out of them.
The inn finally quiets down. The Innkeep rushes over to the waitress, seeing that she’s injured, but alive. He regards Kayli with awe and says, “Thank you for saving her. I hate to do this to you, but you all need to leave now…get out of the city if you can. Ambriel will be looking for you.”
He begins shoving bread, dried meats, and anything he thinks would be useful on the road into a large sack, all while explaining that Ambriel is one of the commanders of the Dragonarmy garrison in Port Balifor. Rumor has it that Ambriel is looking for those with the power of true healing…she’d be extremely interested in the Kender if she could catch her.
