Dungeons and Dragons ("DnD"): Hoard of the Dragon Queen: Episode 2 Part 1 Adventure #9

Date of Session: July 15, 2019 (10pm to 12:30am)

Number of Players: 4

1. Legendary Hero Menos (Dragon-born Paladin)

2. Kai-tick, Kin-slayer and “Servant” (Aarakocra Rogue)

3. XerX, the “X” Archer (NOBLE Half-Elf Ranger)

4. Bubby, the God-Child and “Master” (Aasimar Cleric)

Previously on D&D Quest for the Dragon Eggs: episode 1 was a ton of fun. My players were terrified for their lives and the vibe was to cool off the combat for a bit. Luckily, episode 2, called the Raiders’ Camp, is designed to avoid fighting altogether, relying players to divide and conquer. Yes, teamwork is quite important in D&D but working together also means sometimes splitting up to achieve small goals.

Let’s dive into episode 2 part 1:

Picking up where we left off from episode 1 part 2, Kai-tick the Kin-slayer (re branded as the Hero of Kin) defeated Lannister using a fighting style known as Drunken Wuya Style. Lannister is a Dragon-born Paladin in charge of the Raids on Greenest. He works for Mas O and wagered the remaining fragments to gain the last piece of the Blue Eyes Dragon’s Egg from the Enforcers. This plan makes no sense, but this DM has some plot twists up his sleeve.

Anyways, the Goblins take their injured General away and Kai-tick falls into his own puke unconscious; hungover from the constant drinking. The morning sun rises giving light to another day—Cass the Red, right-hand dwarf paladin, threatens XerX at sword point on grounds of treason. XerX, as you would know, had injured Girl in the last episode for bad reasons. Bubby healed Girl using Cure Wounds, but it doesn’t excuse the crime. Zora does not allow XerX to escape, as their friendship is severed, and helps Cass the Red.

XerX does not resist and gets taken prisoner willingly. This player made my job a whole lot easier…

Meanwhile, Legendary Hero Menos is leading the remaining town of Greenest alongside Governor Nighthill through the sewers. They were all escaping from the potential Mas O siege. Menos converses with Governor Nighthill for a bit about… something. Discussions involving this player don’t usually go beyond a few short lines. It’s hard to remember the specifics. Something about the Dragon Eggs and Menos’s retired parents… those are the subjects that came up in this session.

This next part swirls everyone in a loop. Girl falls unconscious, barely breathing, and Boy is begging for help. The parents, Lina and Kurt Swift, are not sure how to help her. Menos tries to use Cure Wounds to wake Girl up, but the extra HP doesn’t work. Everyone notices cookie crumbs all over face and remember XerX was the player who gave Girl a treat after the “incident”. Governor Nighthill suggests going back, after Menos suggested it first… so they can make Girl more comfortable.

The two moving parts finally collide inside the castle. Cass the Red, Bubby, Zora, and a trapped XerX meet up with Menos, Governor Nighthill, and the rest of Greenest. They catch each other up on their horrible situations, and when they bring Kai-tick, wishing him back to soberness using Vin the Genie, Cass the Red quietly takes XerX below for a one-on-one talk.

Kai-tick is upset about Girl’s situation and XerX’s involvement. Governor Nighthill plans to torture XerX next after Cass the Red and offers Menos and Kai-tick the chance to give XerX some pain. Kai-tick agrees to torture XerX, but Menos says he’ll think about it. The next scene with XerX is not as crazy as I thought it’d get, but it did get nasty.

Cass the Red chained XerX to the back wall, both arms and legs are restrained, and is in the middle of threatening the half-elf’s dick. Menos takes a look to make sure the thing was still there, which the player laughed about because his character had to “look”. This was where I knew… weird shit was going to happen.

Governor Nighthill calls Cass the Red back before any body parts were chopped off and enters the cell, having his Paladin lock the door behind them. Governor Nighthill cracks his knuckles and asks XerX some basic questions. The issue? Cass the Red gagged XerX’s mouth. Menos pointed out the gag a few times, but Governor Nighthill chose to hit XerX several times anyway. Then, the Governor ripped his shirt off. Things were heading in the wrong way.

The players were losing their shit over this nonsense. Bubby was observing the torture and covered his eyes. The eleven-year-old God-Child was becoming traumatized more and more each passing session. Eventually, Kai-tick banged the cell door and asked for his turn next. Governor Nighthill and Cass the Red begrudgingly agreed, but they were no fools. They requested Kai-tick leave all his belongings with his teammates and must bring only a knife to the torture.

Strangely, Governor Nighthill and Cass the Red trusted Kai-tick to save Girl by gutting XerX, declaring him the “Hero of Kin”, a new moniker that may or may not stick. Menos decides he wants a turn after Kai-tick… Bubby departs with Governor Nighthill to check on Girl’s condition.

Kai-tick enters the cage, Cass the Red locks the cell, and Menos watches and giggles. This whole thing was chaotic, and I wondered how the Enforcers were getting out of this one. What a way to start early morning in Greenest.

Eventually, Kai-tick asks Menos to get his “Master” (Bubby) to retrieve a kit. Menos agrees, unable to handle the scene, and goes back upstairs to join Bubby.

Kai-tick waves his knife around and whispers to XerX, trying to have a conversation with the half-elf. Cass the Red demands Kai-tick speak louder so he can heard them. Thinking on his feet, Kai-tick claims the whispering are “torture” and XerX fakes the pain. His pants were also still down. Kai-tick was okay with that…

The Charisma check was successful and Cass the Red falls for the ploy, allowing Kai-tick and XerX to have a private conversation. Kai-tick wants to know what’s going on as he was under the impression that they were the heroes who saved the town… XerX is not proud, but his violent actions against Girl brought him into this mess. Kai-tick is angry about Girl being poisoned and wants to go check on her. However, Cass the Red leaves the duo trapped in the cage, ignoring their screams for help, and walks upstairs.

Menos and Governor Nighthill join Bubby in a private room. Girl is getting worse, Boy won’t leave her side, and the parents (Lina & Kurt) are too distraught to give anymore comfort. Bubby, having gained possession of the Blue Eyes Dragon Egg from Kai-tick, gives Boy his family heirloom, hoping perhaps it would grant them a miracle. Vin the Genie is unable to identify the poison killing Girl as it was “home-made” brew with a unique antidote.

Boy starts to chant a rhyme to his sister, letting her hold the Blue Eyes Dragon Egg with him. He does not want Girl to die, which triggers the power of the Dragon Egg, healing her to full health. She is conscious, breathing, and not dying any longer. Everyone’s too happy and group hugs all around—

Cass the Red enters the scene and smirks. He requests Menos follow him, saying Kai-tick wanted more time with XerX. Menos agreed to follow the red dwarf paladin back down to the dungeon. When Menos notices Kai-tick and XerX both inside the cell, Cass the Red declares, “this is for my cousin, Gundren!” and tries to stab the Legendary Hero.

Menos manages to roll in time, catching the jab with both hands. On the hilt of Cass’ broken sword, he notices something familiar. The mark of his kin was branded on the hilt, which meant only one thing… the broken greatsword was the Eternal Light Blade, Menos’ Legendary Sword, forged by his ancestors. Menos demanded to know how the dwarf acquired his now fractured weapon, and rolled to grapple him.

The solid 18 was a success. Menos grappled Cass the Red, forcing him to drop the Eternal Light Blade. Cass the Red refused to talk, so Menos rolled to see if he could kick Cass the Red’s leg. Another solid roll broke Cass the Red’s leg in half. The red dwarf cried out and cursed Menos’ name.

Menos wrangled the keys from the dwarf and unlocked his comrades free. Kai-tick instructs Menos not to unchain XerX, but Menos doesn’t listen and helps his friend anyway. Then, he reclaims his Legendary Sword, the Eternal Light Blade. However, Eternal Light Blade’s broken tip baffles Menos. He was not expecting this.

Governor Nighthill comes downstairs to inform everyone of Girl’s recovery around this time… and lectures Cass the Red on making a move against the Enforcers. Cass the Red apologizes to Nighthill and explains that he allowed his need for vengeance to cloud his judgment. This leads to Governor Nighthill sparing XerX from execution as long as they work together to restore Greenest and stop Mas O from destroying the multiverse.

The Enforcers agree to a certain extent. They are not 100% on-board with restoring Greenest back to its former pitiful state. Governor Nighthill’s attempt to legalize his village has not officially pass yet.

The Enforcers + what’s left of Greenest + Zora reconvene in the main throne room. He explains the Nine Dragon Eggs and the bloodlines that controlled them like Boy + Girl, Mirna, and Bubby, what he knows of Mas O and his motives, and why he possessed the Eternal Light Blade. Basically, Menos has to find the heirs of the Dragon Eggs to restore his Legendary Sword to full strength. His dark sin of killing Gundren caused the Eternal part to go out.

The alternative name, Governor Nighthill declares, is the Avatar Blade.

Menos is officially on the Avatar: The Last Airbender journey to learn all four elements: fire, water, earth, and air. Four out of the Nine Dragon Eggs are connected to those elements, and so are their descendants. The Blue Eyes Dragon Egg is the Air Dragon Egg.

Luckily, two heirs are already inside this castle: Bubby (+Vin) and Girl+Boy. Menos is suddenly interested in playing children’s games like hide and go seek, ball, and tag. Bubby speaks up at this point because he wants to name Boy and Girl. He gives Boy “Mokuba” and Girl “Kaiba” or “Kai” for short. The parents, Lina and Kurt, are slighted about this but relent after seeing their new children so happy with their new names.

Kai is happy to be named after Kai-tick… Bubby did not intend for this, but oh well.

Lina + Kurt and Kai-tick develop a parent rivalry throughout this entire session. This running gag is too good to pass up. Kai-tick the Kin-slayer is gradually becoming the mama of the group… the Steve from Stranger Things. Mokuba and Kai like to call him “Daddy of Kin” sometimes.

XerX, Zora, and Kai-tick venture outside to find more people / food. Menos and Bubby hang out with the kids, who decide to initiate a game of Hide and Go Seek. After Menos counts to 100, he goes looking for them with no help from Cass the Red, who has a cast on his broken leg. Bubby laughs at “Cass the cast”. This player figured out how silly this game really is. D&D is a silly thing.

XerX, Zora, and Kai-tick eventually find bread and some mushrooms in the wreckage but no survivors yet. Zora is worried about Captain Leon and Ned (another comrade), which makes Kai-tick and XerX remember this important information. Kai-tick asks Zora if he had anything on him that could track or contact them.

Zora reveals his whistle and blows. Kai-tick’s ears ring but XerX hears nothing. This is a special whistle that works only on Aarakocra people. Ned is Aarakocra and calls out. He was nearby. Kai-tick and XerX thought this was too convenient. And you know what? It kind of was. Ned is badly injured and needs medical attention or a wish from Bubby to restore his health.

Ned tells the three of them that Captain Leon was taken by the Goblin armies to their camp. Kai-tick theorizes that the camp is not a camp but perhaps a fortress because I don’t know… he just doesn’t believe their hideout is a camp. Zora couldn’t believe Leon was taken so easily and is determined to save him alongside the Enforcers, and carries Ned back to Castle Greenest.

The trio returns to the Castle to find Menos and Bubby in the midst of playing hide and seek with the children. Kai-tick, going full mama mode, freaks out and joins the game. XerX does as well, and Zora runs into the dungeon to look (after helping Ned to a bed).

Kai-tick checks the rooftop, XerX goes upstairs to the second floor, and Bubby + Menos continue searching the main throne room where they last saw them. I’m going to take this next part one area at a time.

Let’s start with Mama Kai-tick. He checks the rooftop and finds the three dead Owlbears from episode one, confirming that Zora did indeed kill them. This gives Kai-tick the idea to cook it for the twenty people of Greenest. The population lost 2/3 of their total number. There was about 60 people before… this was a very small village, one of the poorest along the Sword Coast.

But, he runs back downstairs to find the kids first. Where he reunites with his fellow co-parents, Lina and Kurt. They have words to exchange with Kai-tick, but he does not want to deal with their nonsense, telling them that the kids are playing hide and seek. Lina is angry and slaps the Kin-slayer, saying that the kids are allowed to have some fun. Kurt is acting tough and wants to fist-fight. This leads to a huge comedic moment.

Kai-tick hits Lina back, knocking her to the floor. However, she launches onto his legs as Kai-tick starts to fly. They begin racing up and down the long hallway while Kurt made a lot of noise. Let’s break here as XerX’s side of the story comes next… Navigating this hide and seek quest was so much fun.

XerX asks around the second floor prior to Kai-tick making it down there and runs into a woman named Bex. She claims Mokuba and Kai were hiding in this bedroom. XerX goes inside and hears the door lock from behind. Bex followed and begins to undress, wishing to play a game of her own. The sexy Naruto music begins to play; the entire table is silent and uncomfortable.

He tries to leave the room, but Bex grabs him from… behind. XerX, not one to be seduced so easily, uses an Eldtritic blast (not sure if I spelled that right; it’s a homebrew cantrip). I was laughing because he rolled a 1 for damage, only stunning her enough to be knocked out.

Then, XerX leaves the room and runs into Kai-tick outside the hallway with Lina riding his legs. Kurt tries to grab the half-elf to use as a hostage but falls flat on his face. Then, Kai-tick tosses Lina off him finally and she slides across the hallway to XerX’s other side. Both parents are knocked out with XerX in the middle of them.

Bex reopens the door to find XerX in that situation and gets scared leaving him alone. This puts XerX at ease because he’s not interested in her, but then she opens her door and reinvites him inside. He simply walks away at that point and rejoins with Kai-tick who has not found the kids yet.

Menos and Bubby side of things on the base floor.

Menos finds a trail of breadcrumbs (I’m not creative, literal crumbs on the floor) that lead outside and to the side of the castle where they hid before in episode one. A wet painting of Mokuba and Kai was on the wall that read: Fooled Ya! He was not amused with this, but he wanted the power of the Eternal Light Blade returned to him. There was no other way.

He goes back inside and gets mocked by Cass the Red for losing the kids. Cass still holds a grudge against Menos for killing his cousin and shaming his family. Menos is not having it with this dwarf and asks if Cass the Red even liked Gundren. Admittedly, Cass the Red admits that he did not, but family is too sacred for their petty differences. Then, they go for a walk to follow the fake clues left behind by the kids.

Here, Cass the Red and Menos continue their conversation about the Eternal Light Blade and their shared hope for the safety of Menos’ parents, who are ancient Paladins. Around this point, Cass the Red falls trying to catch up with Menos’ rude walking speed. Menos is amused and laughs, leaving the dwarf on the ground thinking he’ll eventually catch up.

Bubby is… with the kids most of the time. He, playing an eleven-year-old God-Child, wants to hang out with his fellow peers and hides with them underneath Governor Nighthill’s bench. They caught whispers of his anxiety and his paranoia of restoring Greenest to its former existence. They’re all bonding, reminding Bubby what having amazing fun means. They show him that tormenting all the adults with their hiding is the absolute best part and jumping out saying, “Gotcha!” is satisfaction.

Which they proceed to do when Kai-tick, Menos, and XerX reunite on the base floor of the Castle Greenest. Kai-tick embraces the kids, telling them to not scare him like that again. They promise Daddy of Kin, ignoring their old foster parents, and then they go back to playing with the Air Dragon Egg with Menos.

Kai-tick and Lina Swift compete briefly in a fierce cook-off to see who can slice the most Owlbear meat. Kurt officiates the two on the rooftop… Afterwards, everyone eats dinner while Governor Nighthill discusses his plans to rebuild the ruined village. He considers renaming Greenest too in light of these apocalyptic events.

XerX and Zora declare their shared dream of reaching Captain someday and vow to find Captain Leon together. Ned is mentally broken and cannot join the rescue mission. Then, Menos goes back outside to search for Cass the Red, finding his arm crotch laying where he left him. The drag trail merges with the Goblin footsteps that likely lead to the camp site of at least 52 Goblins, maybe more depending on how many are left from the raid.

This forces Menos to mention Cass the Red’s potential abduction to the Enforcers, which makes the rescue mission more personal to Governor Nighthill. XerX, Zora, and Kai-tick form a three-man squad to do recon on the camp fortress while Menos and Bubby wish to explore the capabilities of the Eternal Light Blade. Part One of Episode Two concludes, giving us clear goals for the next session.

Thanks for sticking around, readers. The Hero’s Journey continues onward.