Dungeons and Dragons ("DnD"): Hoard of the Dragon Queen: Episode 3.7 Adventure #18
Date of Session: September 1, 2019 (9:30pm to 11:00pm)
Number of Players: 2
Kai-tick, Kin-slayer and “Servant” (Aarakocra Rogue)
XerX, the “X” Archer and “Master” (NOBLE Half-Elf Ranger)
Menos was feeling under the weather, so we put his story on hold. Stay tuned for the next session for closure on his mother’s death.
We shall talk about XerX and Kai-tick for the rest of the session. They walked back to the Castle after remembering they have to take care of Ned Broccoli for the mission. Kai-tick must learn the true nature of Corpse Eater, his leaf sword’s evolved form. Carp Carp does not like the spirit that dwells inside the sword. They don’t get along too much.
XerX and Kai-tick arrive to find Ned under their charmed spell. They estimate about another 30 minutes left, which I allowed, and decide to take him hunting with them. I wanted a fun session, so they thought hunting would be a good idea to procure items while waiting on another shipment (the infected Ginyu Force destroyed their first one that was stored in that part of the Castle).
On their way out of Greenest, Kai-tick and XerX run into Team HIVE at the entrance, who are also hunting animals at night. Tony Bronze, the self-appointed HIVE leader, suggests they want a game out of the common goals. Kai-tick is thrown that a bunch of weaklings are challenging them. XerX accepts the challenge but ignores Steel’s adamant desire to kill Kai-tick and rest with birds afterwards. The two teams split up and go night-hunting.
Ned “scouts” ahead by flying and seems calmer. The charmed spell helped clear his mind, which kept his “Broly” power in check. Kai-tick and XerX start scheming ways regarding Ned Broccoli’s “Maximum 25%” strength. They hear a rumble and battle against a Bull Worm, a gigantic one that has the ability to regrow and create other gigantic worms from the severed body parts.
Kai-tick slashes and dices the worm but it only multiplies. XerX enters inside the mouth and fires a lightning attack, rolling a Nat 1. His attack misses completely, making it look like the worm had absorbed XerX’s powers from inside. Eventually, the worm spits XerX out. The worms keep growing no matter what the Enforcers do against it. XerX is able to think of one solution: feeding it an apple.
Rolling a Nat 20 means an automatic success. The Worm loves apples and reverts to a baby size wanting more fruit. XerX feeds it more apples and finds another Apple Tree, their favorite thing to search for. 48 apples later, and XerX has given the worm a name: Serpent Time. I’m not sure how they’ll be spelling it, but that’s what the name sounds like. Kai-tick and XerX love having animal companions.
Unfortunately, HIVE rolls up and sees them babying a little worm, unaware of the battle that they endured. Tony, Steel, and Frankie are the dumbest assassins, more like spoiled teenagers, and it’s funny to role-play them. Tony is my favorite HIVE NPC. XerX is taking a liking to this Ranger too. Frankie, honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing with her. Steel loves to kill Kai-tick. This was the part of the session I BS’d because you need to do that in D&D sometimes.
After this, HIVE leaves to follow a huge Beast roaming the forest arena. XerX and Kai-tick decide to hunt it, too. Kai-tick is not appreciating Tony’s attitude because the boy’s clearly weaker than them. Steel is the HIVE assassin that he worries about the most, but even he doesn’t scare Kai-tick all that much. XerX plays with Serpent Time during this moment of reflection. Let’s hope nothing bad happens to the Worm.
XerX senses the Beast, who’s power level is growing immensely. They tread carefully with XerX only sensing Frankie. Funny thing. XerX forgot he can’t sense Synthetic Humans like Tony and Steel, so he assumed they died and warned Kai-tick, who also forgot about this weakness in power sensing. They stealth around the forest, hiding behind trees and they left Ned behind… anyways, we don’t talk about that.
Kai-tick finds Tony wounded on the floor and steals his magic glove. Tony warns the Enforcers of the Beast, the one they’re hunting. He reveals to them that the Beast is coming to kill everyone in Greenest, starting with HIVE. The Beast and HIVE share a Stranger Things history together in The Upside-Down. The Beast tore into Tony but is fighting against Steel elsewhere.
XerX and Kai-tick, joined by a concerned Ned, venture further into the forest to find The Beast before he can return to Greenest and devour everyone there. The team takes four steps forward and run into The Beast, who did not care to hide his presence. The Beast, organic green slime merged into a bug-spotted creature, wants to add Kai-tick the Kin-slayer to his power collection.
Kai-tick attacks The Beast first and learns he absorbed Serpent Time’s ability from eating the same kind of worm. XerX notices it and tries to eliminate the severed hand attached to Ned’s neck. Kai-tick is too busy dealing with the main body to worry about Ned and is adamant on using his Shikai way more often. I rolled for Ned’s survival and landed a Nat 20 for the team. This allowed Ned to power up to MAX (25%) freeing himself from Beast and launching a counterattack. XerX teams up with Ned and together they use a combo attack. This combo (lariat - eldrich’s blast) eliminated the Beast into nothingness. They discovered that in order to defeat the Beast, every part of him must be destroyed.
A scream echoes. Ned falls unconscious from using his power. XerX and Kai-tick spring into action, leaving Ned and Tony behind. Except XerX ties Tony to a tree because they stole from him and when he realizes… things won’t be good between them anymore. I like this player’s thinking. The duo search for Frankie and Steel, who have no appeared yet. XerX senses Frankie but not Steel, declaring him dead to Kai-tick.
They find Steel choking the life out of Frankie. XerX remembers upon seeing the tall man that he can’t sense Synthetic Humans. They are invisible to him. Kai-tick notices the slime on Steel’s face. The Beast is alive and infected Steel. Frankie is unconscious. XerX and Kai-tick spring into action. They take down the infected Steel using teamwork and eliminate the Beast slime. After making sure everyone was okay, XerX and Kai-tick interrogate the HIVE team.
Through talks without violence, the Enforcers learn that The Beast is Doctor N’s greatest creation and is on the hunt for HIVE, specifically wanting the Synthetic Hearts that Steel and Tony have in them. During the conversation, XerX and Kai-tick learn that The Beast’s appearance here was on behalf of a clone. The Real Beast is likely going to visit Greenest to finish what he started in the Upside-Down, where HIVE is from. Kai-tick and XerX are disappointed in HIVE for hiding this information.
Kai-tick and XerX quickly realize the danger of having this Beast become too powerful as they theorize that Lord Eggza might not be able to handle the Synthetic Beast or may fall victim to his absorption technique like one of Serpent Time’s worm kind did. They decide on a plan to send HIVE back to the Upside-Down before The Beast can devour them. This offer doesn’t sound pleasing, but having other choice, HIVE agrees and shares that Mirna may have sent the Beast their way to tie up loose strings.
Kai-tick’s hatred for Mirna grows. He threatens to destroy Tony’s arrow glove because Kai-tick believes Mirna and the Beast is tracking them through this. Tony begs for the glove back, feeling like a nothing without it. Steel goes on the offensive to defend his friend’s possessions. Kai-tick is determined in his theory and wishes not to fight HIVE over this minor conflict. Eventually, Steel and Tony back down. Kai-tick destroys Tony’s glove and the crystal inside it, but not before speaking to Mirna about her attempt to murder the Enforcers at the Games.
The session ends on that note. The Enforcers and HIVE join camps and spent the night together. It’s an interesting thing to see the players make friends with the NPCs when they’re allowed to live. I’m excited to see what happens next. Menos should be exiting the Time Chamber during / after the next session.