Dungeons and Dragons ("DnD"): Hoard of the Dragon Queen: Episode 3 Adventure #11
Date of Session: July 22, 2019 (10pm to 1:00am)
Number of Players: 4
Legendary Hero Menos (Dragon-born Paladin)
Kai-tick, Kin-slayer and “Servant” (Aarakocra Rogue)
XerX, the “X” Archer (NOBLE Half-Elf Ranger)
Bubby, the God-Child and “Master” (Aasimar Cleric)
Episode 3 was our standard dungeon crawl, which started and ended in our latest session. However, to complete this episode, the Enforcers had to reassemble first.
Picking up where we left off from the last session, XerX and Kai-tick were running like hell. They managed to reach the meadows area, far enough away from the camp. This next part tied into XerX’s level up. Since he became a level 5 character and the first PC multi-classing in my campaign, we took 5-10 minutes before starting to sort that out.
His character music starts to play. Kai-tick’s Mark of Hathor glows, reminding everyone at the table that Kai-tick is still a Servant of Bubby, the Master Cleric (Fate series). Before the music played, XerX and Kai-tick prepared for another battle, but instead met Hathor, the Goddess of the Crimson Dragon. Bubby’s “God” Parent and the deity who convinced XerX to leave the Golden Dawn Squad. Background stories are coming back into action.
Kai-tick is unimpressed until his Mark of Hathor (dragon wings) starts to burn, reminding him harshly of his Servant status. This will start to play a factor into the plot soon because another Servant joins the team. XerX is given his own Mark of Hathor (the Dragon’s Tail), and a Servant to accompany him. Kai-tick, scared, wonders if XerX is his Master too, but Hathor assures the Kin-slayer that he still belongs to Bubby. XerX’s new Servant is not a new friend but perhaps an old foe…
Kenji the Berserker has become one with XerX’s Spell Book, giving the Wiz Ranger command seals to summon the beast into battle with him. This former character / newest NPC ally will greatly benefit everything. Hathor is also bestowed XerX new equipment like a camp bag, upgraded bow, and regenerative arrow quiver. The PCs somehow find themselves outside a lot so giving them the outdoor gear seems fair.
Hathor warns them about the Blue Eyes White Dragon’s longevity and Mas O’s intent to control them through the reanimation spell. She leaves them on their own, having trust they’ll succeed in this mission. XerX and Kai-tick wonder why she isn’t helping more, and she tells them that other parts of the universe require her assistance too: a Captain Marvel excuse. It’s a valid excuse, but…
XerX and Kai-tick carry on back to the apple tree, their new favorite spot. They left their wolves and essential gear there when they chose to stealth in the Raider’s Camp during the previous episode. Strangely, the duo fail to run into anything blocking their path. It was because the true enemies were already at the apple tree abusing their three wolves.
They’re mean, evil, and ready to—
Dance? There are three alien enemies doing amazing fight poses in front of the wolves. They introduce themselves, Super-Sentai / Power Rangers style, as The Ginyu Force, the Golden Dawn’s entertainment Squad, a sub section of the most elite squad in the Eld—Knights. I forgot what the overall group name was, but it’s a great force to be a part of. They wish to save the multiverse but put their honor first, and that means handling a half-elf who thinks the Golden Dawns are beneath him.
XerX and Kai-tick are not ready to deal with these clowns. The duo underestimate the Ginyu Force, but they know fighting the Golden Dawn head-on is not a wise decision. XerX wants to use his grimoire to fight back but has not mastered the spells inside. I found this hilarious because it’s such a role-playing moment when you’re given new power without knowing how it works.
The Ginyu Force, consisting of members Recoome, Burter, and Jeice, demand that XerX come with them to answer for his desertion of the Golden Dawn Squad. Kai-tick is not impressed with the entertainment squad and welcomes the challenge to fight them. Then, Kai-tick shoots an arrow believing they can’t react fast enough.
Guess what? Jeice went first in battle initiative catching the arrow and prepares his Crusher Ball counterattack. Kai-tick gulps and prays the d20 will fail Jeice’s attack. I managed to roll a high number and blasted Kai-tick hard with the Crusher Ball. He started to take these guys way more seriously after suffering 25 points of damage!!
Kai-tick believes XerX can handle the Ginyu Force without him… and plans to use his last Stranger Things teleportation flower to escape the death match. XerX had little to no say in the matter, hating that he has no chance to defeat the Ginyu Force. Against his better judgment, XerX agrees to the plan and summons Kenji the Berserker to keep the Ginyu Force busy while he ran like hell. They don’t attempt to retrieve their things or wolves in this plan. XerX and Kai-tick also learn their Captain Ginyu’s, with another team member, heading to Greenest for “the dragon egg”.
The Golden Dawn Squad wish to save the multiverse from Mas O under their own terms. A selfish set of heroes who live to please others through strength, battle poses and over-the-top dance moves. XerX’s backstory is becoming another factor in the story, another group actively seeking the Nine Dragon Eggs alongside / against the Enforcers.
Kai-tick thought of Greenest and ventured there for safety. This leaves us room for Menos and Bubby, who are processing Captain Leon’s sudden appearance in Keep Greenest. The Enforcers are close to a hasty and messy reunion.
But First… Let’s check in with Menos and Bubby:
Menos and Bubby meet Captain Leon, who wonders who the Enforcers are, and why he’s traveled to the Castle in an instant. Captain Leon has many questions and concerns, but first he must know where Zora and Ned are, his Black Bull Squad members. Bubby shows Captain Leon Ned’s whereabouts upstairs while Menos follows…
After checking Ned’s mental problems, Captain Leon expresses his gratitude to Bubby and Menos for helping Greenest and his Squad members. He listens to their stories of Hathor, Mas O, and the Nine Dragon Eggs. Captain Leon reveals his own history too as Menos and Bubby made learning Kai-tick’s background their priority. This was a weird thing to prioritize, but as DM, I continued onward.
Captain Leon explains he was a former member of the League of Whispers, a murderous organization Kai-tick is from, and learned the same fighting style, Wuya Style, from Kai-tick’s father Shin-Tock. This part is really hilarious because Menos acted surprised about Shin-Tock being Kai-tick’s father after I had already said it three times. Everybody at the table took a minute to process the awkward blunder. I believe that’s all they learned so far about Captain Leon aside from him being the Captain of the Black Bulls. He is stern, fearless, and a powerful monk.
Around this time, Kai-tick returns via flower and begs his Master Bubby to make a wish for XerX’s safety. This was a last-minute decision, a smart one to save his ally, but it was not a part of the original plan of “running like hell”. Vin the Genie is summoned and the wish is granted. XerX, in the midst of running through endless grass, is teleported back and runs into the castle’s wall.
The Enforcers are back together, and that’s when things usually go wrong…
XerX, Kai-tick, Menos, and Bubby have lots to talk about: the Cavern of White Dragons, Zora’s journey to reach them, the Golden Dawn and the Ginyu Force’s incoming arrival, Ned’s mental state, and Captain Leon’s return to Greenest Castle. Captain Leon’s power was in question since he was seen being beaten by Lannister and defeated, but the half-elf reveals he was feigning weakness to stay close to the Cavern of White Dragons. The wait to counterattack was key in this plan.
Kai-tick and XerX feel somewhat guilty for ruining his brilliant plan. Captain Leon is not concerned because he has gathered enough information to know the last surviving Blue Eyes White Dragon is being hunted by Lannister and Mas O’s forces. The Enforces wishes to stop Lannister and Mas O from controlling all three Blue Eyes White Dragons via dead reanimation spell. This was the main goal they agreed needed to get done. Captain Leon is pleased to hear this and wishes to talk with Kai-tick afterwards, claiming to have words for him. Whatever this means for the Kin-slayer is up for debate.
Zora also returns during these talks and agrees to stay with Ned and Captain Leon to hold off Captain Ginyu when he arrives with the other Ginyu Force member. Oh yeah. Bubby made a wish to retrieve XerX and Kai-tick’s wolves alongside all the stuff they abandoned to the Ginyu Force’s overwhelming might. Vin the Genie grants the wish, bringing the whole apple tree inside the Castle with the wolves and the stuff. Wishes have to be worded carefully. Governor Nighthill is not too happy to find an apple tree inside his fortified castle.
Governor Nighthill requested that the Enforcers follow him to the great training ground basement area to meet with the rest of the Greenest people. They agree mostly because Kai-tick and XerX have not seen this area, knowing the basement as the dungeon where they “tortured” each other. This has been a long three episodes in the village of Greenest.
The Enforcers meet with the Greenest citizens, who have gathered to cheer them onward toward the Cavern of White Dragons dungeon. The parents (Lina & Kurt) show respect to their fellow co-parent, Kai-tick the Hero of Kin, who still refuses to acknowledge Mokuba and Kaiba as his own children. This running gag has been a pleasure to role-play. Kai-tick makes the kids promise to stay out of trouble afterwards. He is not the father, he declares to the rest of Greenest somewhere in his muddled speech, and promises to return to save their village.
Everyone cheers for the Hero of Kin! Kai-tick’s character development has amazing lately. XerX’s new character journey as a Wizard has great potential, and Menos’ path to ascend the Avatar Blade is starting to gain momentum too. Bubby has issues speaking up, but he is growing too as a player and character, gradually. The Enforcers, determined to loot and save the world, wish Vin the Genie to teleport them outside the Cavern of White Dragons A-SAP.
The Enforcers arrive on-sight. They are stunned to find the entire place destroyed: tents on fire, hundreds of Goblins dead on the ground, and the roar of the Blue Eyes emitting from inside the Cavern of White Dragons. Kai-tick, XerX, and Menos rob the Gob bodies and acquire a couple silver pieces to their money collection. Afterwards, everyone starts to second-guess their intention to enter the Cavern Dungeon but commit out of a desire to save the Blue Eyes. Especially since Menos made a promise, the Oath of Blue Eyes, for the power of Air in exchange for assistance.
The Enforcers run into Goblins who are transporting rail carts of money somewhere and gang up on them. But, XerX decides to run over and check the money first, alarming the Goblins to his presence. Kai-tick joins the battle and takes out a couple Goblins. One of them is cornered by Menos, who proceeds to ram that Goblin’s head against the wall to amuse his strength. Bubby covered his eyes, unable to watch. This leads to Kai-tick and XerX questioning the Paladin’s unnecessary ruthlessness. The walled-up Goblin did not survive. Also, all the money was fake, but the pieces stolen from Greenest was real… the Enforcers believed the Goblin forces were being paid in fake money pieces, and that the stolen real money Hoard was being taken elsewhere. They’re on the right track.
Menos, on the other hand, has a huge misunderstanding about the main objective, and believes they were going to battle Mas O once and for all. This Avatar Paladin, one who had taken the Oath of Vengeance on the behalf of others, is impatient to fight the final villain so early in the game… but we’ll settle for the next best thing:
THE GINYU FORCE ARE ALSO IN THE DUNGEON CRAWL!
After the Enforcers clear up their main objective again, saving the last surviving Blue Eyes White Dragon from being turned into a weapon like his fellow brethren, they continue to the flight of stairs, where the Ginyu Force are waiting for them. The same members await them: Recoome, Burter, and Jeice. Captain Ginyu and the other member are going for the town of Greenest to deal with Captain Leon.
Kai-tick tries to talk them out of a one-sided battle because they should be on the same side: both teams want to save the multiverse and collect the Nine Dragon Eggs, to put a stop to Mas O’s mysterious agenda for the Blue Eyes White Dragons. Jeice considers the offer but then Jeice uses his high-tech scouter, an advanced piece of equipment, to scan the Enforcers for any Dragon Eggs. This forces the Enforcers into a one-sided battle, one they cannot easily escape or win.
Jeice and Burter are basically pitted against XerX and Kai-tick while Recoome faces off against Menos and Bubby. The split up and conquer was a great teamwork tactic… that greatly favored the Ginyu Force’s immense power. Kai-tick deploys quick attacks and a disengage maneuver that simply leaves XerX open for most of their brutal attacks.
Jeice’s two Crusher Balls and Burter’s high speed Ki Blasts whittled XerX down to a mere 5 HP. An extra boost given earlier by Bubby’s Aid Spell. Kai-tick decides to leave his safety spot and protects XerX from a fatal Ki Blast. This opens the duo into a trap, where Jeice + Burter unleash their combination attack: Purple Comet Hurricane. Kai-tick failed the DEX saving throw and demands that Jeice take some damage too for the… combo attack they did together… I guess he must’ve forgotten the iconic DBZ team-up move.
Or it looks different when you’re not Goku who can avoid the lethal combination attack without breaking a sweat. Kai-tick and XerX were basically goners at this point in battle as they start to run out of options. Menos and Bubby weren’t doing well against dancing tank Recoome either.
Menos activates his Avatar Blade, the power of water, and battles Recoome head-on, delivering all the heavy damage and pluses off his favorite Divine Smite. This brutal assault left Recoome without much clothes except his black undergarments, torn to pieces in weird anime spots, and the worst part… Recoome has an ability to halve all damage dealt to him. Menos was not prepared for the counterattack, barely able to defend against Recoome’s powerful kick.
Recoome keeps his distance and prepares a dance pose to unleash his deadly Eraser Gun. Menos and Bubby are desperate and attack to ensure his concentration breaks, but CON saving throws were too high for the amazing Recoome. The Eraser Cannon will blast any one of them within range, which is what I used to time out the round. It wasn’t the DM’s intention to end their misery just yet.
Captain… GINYU arrives on the scene to cease the battle. Everyone on his squad holds off their finishing blows to start the welcome battle poses alongside their Captain and other member Guldo. The Enforcers are baffled by all the dancing but go along with it to avoid instant death. Captain Ginyu informed everyone that he and Captain Leon compromised and they will be leaving the Enforcers to take care of the Blue Eyes White Dragon and the Dragon Eggs while the Ginyu Force returns to Greenest. The context of their agreement is not revealed in this session.
Menos approaches Captain Ginyu and requests some training. This is strange for Ginyu, who questions the Paladin’s intention to train with him. Menos assumes the Captain is the best based on his title and wants to be tough. Captain Ginyu leaves with the rest of his team without confirming or denying the request. Menos must survive and keep his promise to Blue Eyes to find the answer.
The Enforcers continue journeying the Cavern of White Dragons and steal a room to take a short rest to replenish spell slots and health after that fierce battle against their strong battle poses. They didn’t even want to entertain the suicidal idea of fighting all five Ginyu Force members at the same time.
XerX and Kai-tick took turns watching the door while Menos and Bubby rested up their spell slots, the most important thing for magic-users to recharge. XerX and Kai-tick had miscommunication, and at some point, both were guarding when one on duty would’ve been enough defense against passing Goblins. The duo are a bit too close, sometimes.
After the short rest, the Enforcers continue navigating the dungeon and run into a statue of the Dragon Queen. There is no name plaque on the large monument, but spotting the five-headed dragon sparked a question… why didn’t she have nine heads? Good question that won’t get answered in this session. Reminder: Mas O’s plan to end the multiverse is a direct connection to the Dragon Queen’s resurrection from Ninth Hell for clearer context.
Around this area is where Lannister and a dozen Goblins come for a final battle. Lannister wants his revenge against Kai-tick and a shot to kill Menos on behalf of Mas O, but puts a hold on Menos to favor his revenge. Lannister is not pleased to have lost against the Hero of Kin back in episode one. The Enforcers battle a dozen Goblins while Kai-tick settles the score with Lannister for the last time.
Kai-tick and Lannister fight it out. Lannister tries to pierce the Hero of Kin using his trusty spear, but the results are the same as before. Even without the drunken power boost, Kai-tick is far superior to Lannister’s battle power, which is something the Hero of Kin needed after their battle against the Ginyu Force. At the conclusion of this amazing rematch, Kai-tick slammed, crushed, and twisted Lannister’s head straight into the ground. He refused to give up his lover, Mondath or Mas O, and chose to get tortured by the Hero of Kin to aid the greater cause.
Kai-tick finishes Lannister for the last time and breaks the Dragon Queen statue in the process. I’m not sure if Kai-tick was the one who did it, but it was destroyed during the battle against Lannister and Goblins. The Enforcers continue onward to help Blue Eyes before Mas O and his people transform him into a slave like the other Blue Eyes’s. They didn’t have much time left.
The Blue Eyes moans, echoing its cries throughout the cave, and that lead the Enforcers to another flight of stairs to ascend to the next level. They make it to a dark empty space that everyone investigated via Wisdom Perception Checks. The place was empty and big, which lead to a Mysterious Figure emerging from a black foggy portal (Kingdom Hearts II).
Throughout the journey in the Cavern of White Dragons, Menos had strange encounters with this Mysterious Figure, the same person Menos and Bubby saw in their visions. The wielder of the Avatar Blade’s severed blade tip, which is attached to a eviler hilt. This was an issue because only Menos could interact with the Mysterious Figure, making him look crazy to his allies. It didn’t help that the Spirit Blue Eyes spoke to Menos either, not happy about the Paladin forgetting about his promise to help him.
Back to the Mysterious Figure appearing in front of the Enforcers. Everyone can view the Mysterious Enemy this time and try to attack, but their attacks go right past him like he was an actual ghost. They decide to listen when the Mysterious Figure reveals his blade can make physical contact to the ground beneath them. The Enforcers are figuring out when they can pick fights with other NPCs. I’m impressed.
The Mysterious Figure does not tell them much about himself, other than his intentions for the Blue Eyes White Dragon and his direct connection to Menos’ brother Mas O. The Mysterious Figure claims that Mas O is not his master though, and that he’d never serve under that fool. This confuses the party on who’s really the mastermind behind the Cult of the Dragon.
Mysterious Figure allows the Enforcers a chance, though, to save the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He is curious to see if the Enforcers have what it takes to rescue the Blue Eyes White Dragon from a fate worse than death. They agree to the challenges and “allow” Mysterious Figure to depart through the dark portal. The Enforcers have no idea what they can do to succeed on the challenges they took on. Eh. Better than fighting a NPC who will TPK (Total Party Kill).
The Blue Eyes White Dragon finally arrives in the large empty part of the cavern, presumably where he sleeps and eats based on the amount of bones nearby. He managed to chase off Mas O and Mondath to other places, but the undead mini monsters are still running amok. The Paladins of White Dragons, two incredible reincarnated Blue Eyes White Dragons who have taken over two human bodies, rampaged defensively. Menos, using his Draconic dialogue, communicates with Humongous Blue Eyes on how to defeat the Paladin of White Dragons.
The rest of the Enforcers do their best to hold off the Paladins of White Dragons without killing them outright. A task that was not easy to do, anyway. Kai-tick, XerX, and Bubby’s powers are limited in this final dungeon battle. Menos wants to learn what to do from a Blue Eyes. The Dragon tells Menos that he must perform the White Dragon Ritual; that Menos was the only one of Dragon-born to perform it. He agreed to perform, but didn’t know how to start the ritual.
The Blue Eyes White Dragon revealed Menos knew the rites of passage from his training with Mokuba and Kaiba, the heirs to his dying legacy. Also the White Dragon Ritual does require a living sacrifice to ensure succession. There was no time to waste, so the Massive Blue Eyes White Dragon offers to become the sacrifice to save the souls of his fellow bros from a fate worse than death. This ritual would ensure Mas O could never revive undead Blue Eyes White Dragons like he did in the previous episodes.
After Menos translates all that from Draconic to Common English, he begins the White Dragon Ritual using the Blue Eyes White Dragon as the sacrifice. Yes, I stole this directly from Yu-Gi-Oh. I’ll even post the video where Seto Kaiba actually discards his Blues Eyes to complete the Ritual Spell Card below:
“I wish, I wish, with all my heart, to fly with Blue Eyes, in the land’s apart.” - since he didn’t memorize it, I allowed him the completion when he said most of it. Menos forgot the “Fly with Blue Eyes” bit. The ritual completes, freeing the souls of Blue Eyes White Dragons and reincarnating them as baby eggs. This would ensure their second chance at life as Mas O cannot reanimate what’s been reincarnated. D&D Logic at its finest.
The third Blue Eyes White Dragon gave his life to save the life of the two other dragons, the Enforcers, and he weakened Mas O’s dragon force all at the same time. It was an honorable sacrifice and a fitting conclusion to the set-up I started with the Blue Eyes White Dragon back in episode one. This was a beautiful ending and—
Menos and XerX declare they will pillage the Blue Eyes White Dragon’s large corpse for his dragon scales when the session is five seconds away from being declared officially over. Takes deep breath… I’ll deal with that next session which will be Bubby’s last one until further notice… because he’s going back to college.
Damn you, college!!!
Stay tuned and thanks for reading the latest episode. Next session will be dedicated to Bubby’s Goodbye. Hopefully, Bubby finds time during his breaks to D&D with us again someday. There will always be room at the table.