Salkan Soiree Ep11: Rocs Fall, Everyone Dies

 Run Date: September 12, 2023

PCs

Baldor: Lv3 Barbarian
Conner: Lv4 Fighter
Tavi: Lv3 Shaman

Hench

Ruckus and Leela (Lv0s)

Rocs Fall, Everyone Dies

Another late start today as the players trickled in. They also weren't entirely sure of their target MO for the session so chose to spend some time recruiting henchmen while they decided. Enter Ruckus and Leela, Lv0s. The former was a man accustomed to hard work and the latter a messy-haired librarian type. There was a bit of fun roleplaying through the hiring process, but otherwise things got underway.

The group decided they wanted to just go out and explore. The random direction they chose, however, meant they'd spend the first day and a half traveling through settled lands. The party geared up and left Fayum with the intent to head southeast. They traveled through the various baronies and hamlets until arriving at the road outside of Luxa along the Sapphire Road; where they decided to rest for the night. The next morning, while the river still misted, the party packed up and began looking for a means across.

Another half day or so south, the group discovered a small village that was built as a hybrid between fishing and mining. A few miners came from the nearby hillside and passed the party while saying little. The group then crossed the bridge and followed the river back the way they came until they circumvented the mountainside and ended up in a valley.

Several hours passed peacefully until the party spotted a large mound in the distance. It was surrounded by fruiting date trees in an unnatural pattern. Conner scouted ahead, and discovered that the trees formed a natural wall. As she pushed through it, she discovered a pair of unusual creatures bathing in an outdoor bath. They were the size of large dogs, covered in fur, and chewing on leaves while speaking in unknown tongues. Conner reported back to the party and Baldor joined her in returning to attempt to engage the creatures in conversation.

The creatures were surprised, of course, though nonhostile. It took a few moments for the creatures to parse the language the party was speaking and begin to communicate. The PCs introduced themselves and explained that they were out exploring. The creatures promptly suggested they speak with their leader. What followed was a mix of descriptions regarding this village of Quokka-like humanoids and their lives, something I very much BS'd my way through because I don't know jack about Quokkas and the player who suggested these was out of the session.

Upon reaching a rather large meeting hall of sorts, the PCs were invited to imbibe in the Quokkan's fermented wines and fruits. The Elder, Master Datz of Datzhil, explained that the village was meant to be a secret. He had been a trader in his youth and spent a lot of time trading in the realms of the Khana, then used his funds to build the foundations of Datzhil so his people could escape the world of larger, vicious beings. He also informed the party that he still had a brother or cousin that decided to stay behind in one of the western markets.

While the PCs enjoyed their snacks and conversation, the players joked about Leela being an issue. Her reaction to the creatures was very much as you'd expect: endless babytalk and a desire to log the entirety of their culture and lives. For now, however, the PCs decided to head out toward the mountains and try their luck there. It was nightfall when they reached the edge of the range, and so they camped.

The next morning, the party began their trek through the rough paths in search of... anything. It took a few hours, but they soon discovered the petrified skull of a massive reptilian sticking out of the side of a cliff-face. Its skeleton was mostly intact, as the gullet and ribs framed a tunnel that lead into a cave. The party noticed paper lanterns tacked to the ceiling and emitting a subtle glow, as if to invite them in. Sure enough, in they went. The PCs soon found themselves in a strange home with 3 beautiful women cutting, drying, and brewing a variety of concoctions. They had partitioned a cavern into a comfortable living space. They also turned out to be friendly.

The three ladies introduced themselves as the Dahli sisters Ivy, Rose, and Pearl. The three were forward with their powers, explaining they knew how to read the stars, palms, et al to inform travelers and adventurers of their futures, albeit for a price. If the flags weren't red enough prior, their answers to "What sort of price?" should have been obvious. (Note: I run for a group of widely mixed ages, the cost of "man" was stated as broadly as possible). As the conversation moved forward, the sisters offered to share a meal with the party. They did so before thanking the ladies and departing back into the mountains.

The party's continued search led them into a deep valley covered in mist. It wasn't long before they got lost and had to review their plan of action. Moreover, Tavi was beginning to feel a little ill. The group decided to try and wait out the mist a bit and see if it thinned. While it did, it wasn't enough to find the path they originally took. Worse yet, large shadows began to move through the mist. The party froze and kept silent as large horned reptilians moved ahead of them. As soon as they realized the creatures hadn't spotted them yet, they ducked back into the mist to hide and wait out their passing.

Hours later, the group finally found a path out and above the valley's mists. It lead them up a rocky path and into the gentle rays of the sun. As they took the opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief, Conner spotted something on approach in the sky. A group of massive hawk-like creatures soon came into view, and the other shoe finally dropped. You see, there is a creature called a (Giant) Roc; Lawful, hates Neutrals and Chaotics (RR reduction). My players are often very lucky with Reactions until they're not. Moreover, Conner was Chaotic, Baldor neutral.

The party immediately found themselves the targets of a zealous assault as the Rocs dove from the skies. The group decided they had nearly no chance of evading and tried to stand their ground to no avail. One by one the Rocs tore into the party, lifting and throwing their bodies down the mountainside into rigid rock. Nobody survived.

But that's not all! We still had an hour or so left of session time so we decided to resolve some of the downtime from the Relic adventure for a couple weeks back. The duo that discovered it wished to travel to the capitol of the region and try to sell it off for as high a margin as possible. Their MO: Avoid literally everything that comes and beeline to the capitol. The duo set out and we rolled through the encounters (made a bit more laborious with the recent change to road travel). They made it halfway before a group of desert bandits came riding up and threatened to end their lives lest they turn over their valuables. Neither was about to give up such a wonderful prize. Sunbeam and Horus fought valiantly, felling 10 of the 40+ bandits that drove into them before succumbing to blade and hoof. So ended the session with TPK 2.

Rewards (Totals)

NA

Afterword

Exploration can be both dangerous and extremely rewarding. It is also the activity my players enjoy the most. That could also be a sign that what few hooks I have are both uninteresting and boring! Ah well, trial by fire and all that. Speaking of which, it's very clear to anyone with experience with this style of game that venturing long distance without considerations for logistics can be extremely risky. Sooner or later, you're gonna run into a raiding band of brigands, goblins, or wild monstrosity. It's a harsh lesson to learn, and I always feel bad after-the-fact because if such a thing is going to happen, I do not want to it be because I misread or screwed up a rule.