Sessions 0 and 1: Beginnings in Oronu
We've gotten started on a new 2024 5e campaign! Starting in the town Oronu, where glass and trade rule supreme and the dead are rising in droves, we established a few details in session 0.
- Seeing as this used to be a place that never got dark, at all, the fact that nights now get dark must instill horror in the citizenry.
- Considering this is a trading hub with glass as its main industry, there's probably great culture and art in town.
- The vibe is Dale (from LotR) meets Amsterdam.
- There's superstition around darkness and you must now have your shadow checked when you enter town to make sure you aren't some form of night horror.
- The flora and fauna are changing.
We started session 0 with the briefest of meeting between the characters, who are:
- Sela Killegrew, drow bladesinging wizard. She's a merchant and sailor who's been traveling the seas and the river. Likes booze. Originally from the Underlight (the mostly bright Underdark of this setting).
- Bradley 'Brad' Wicker, goliath warlock. Also a merchant and old collaborator of Sela's. Has a limp and is bitter about it. Very much interested in trading in strange goods.
- Nepopoplese, human bard. Nepo baby of Nepomax, accomplished painter. Has spent the down payment for his upcoming show and is looking for inspiration to produce masterworks despite lack of talent.
- Mars, human druid. New in town after deciding the druid circle he was farming with didn't fit his wishes anymore. Feels drawn to the stars that are seen for the first time in thousands of years.
The story begins thus: Nepopoplese clocks new druid in town Mars, sees a chance to be the first to know a druid (druids are hot shit these days) and brings him to the best bar in town: Drink Anything. This place is really just that thing where someone opens a random barrel at the docks and serves whatever booze it provides. The place is run by Kenneth, a halfling with a mullet and gossipy nature. While telling the group that an orc settlement northeast of here is being raided, he spots a dead body floating down the river. And scene!
Session 1 saw the crew retrieving the body out of the water, learning (via Kenneth) that this is someone who works for the Frosted Glass, and organization that trades in less-than-legal things. It sure looked like this unknown tiefling was shot in the back with glass arrows. Not to worry, this guy comes back to life, usually!
Truffle, previously dead tiefling, did indeed come back to life and promptly asked for help staking out this place he had been trying to investigate when he got shot. Sure, why not? There's gold to be had, and goodies.
A day and night's mostly uneventful travel north along the river to the woods brought the group to a large stone gate leading to an underground burial grounds. Speaking to The Smart One (a blackbird with a surprisingly deep voice), they learned that two masked individuals had shot Truffle and entered the crypt. He hadn't seen them return, but then again, he doesn't hang out at this gate all day.
The crew entered, disposed of some ceiling slime with the power of fire magic, and encountered a hieroglyph-covered column that pulled Bradley in and lead to the discovery of:
- A shard of bone in a hidden compartment.
- The surprise that Nepopoplese could read hieroglyphs and could tell some ancient history of the place – including rebirth and bull worship.
With this out of the way, the group continued deeper into the crypt and discovered a group of humanoid figures – including our masked folk – scratching away at the stone walls.
And that's where we'll pick up next time.