Having survived the wolf attack, our party bandaged their wounds and then decided to split up in search of Baba Lysaga. This acting as a convenient explanation in world for why so little of the party was present for this session. This also marks my first attempt at running a game through Discord.
The goal with these pieces was for the Nurgle rot to really stand out and catch the eye, but at the same time for the structures to look essentially like any other ruins depending on the angle.
Our party stood on the top of Yesterhill, having slain the druids and reclaimed the first of the Wizard of Wines’ magical gems. Next on their list, Baba Lysaga, the Witch of the Wastes.
Episode 4: The Ark of the Cortex
The Pitch
Young Zenith and her mother Celest have a big problem and they need help. Fortunately for them, the majority of our crew have soft spots for children in trouble. As well as an assortment of very useful skills and experience.
Celest reveals that the mysterious father is none other than the Right Honorable Crispin Townshend. He is a long time member of the Parliment and rumored to be the power behind the current Prime Minster as well as some previous PMs. He is the linchpin for the current majority political alliance and the architect of many major government policies going back decades.
The players in my latest game all work at an excellent local tea house. It is a fantastic place for weaning yourself off sugary soft drinks, great conversation, and preparing to run RPG sessions.
There are many traditional teas there with interesting names and they struck on the idea of naming and/or theming their characters after some of them.
The Party
Osmanthus, Tiefling Warlock. Osmanthus is one of several teas made with flowers from the Osmanthus fragrans plant. Curled horns that blend in to curly hair, curvy and of somewhat ambiguous gender. Claims to have a restaurant back in the city.
Dragonwell, Dragonborn Druid. The literal translation of Longjing, a pan-roasted green tea. Small for a dragonborn, anxious and obsessively brushes her teeth.
Igom Ternin, Human Paladin. Named by way of acronym for Iron Goddess of Mercy, an oolong tea which is named for the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Rustic and earnest, carries a big axe.
Cha’ti, Apeling Monk. Inspired by Golden Monkey, a black tea, as well as the legendary figure Sun Wukong. Metallic golden fur, except for his perfectly white tail. Tiny but fast as lightning.
After meeting the heroes of our nascent story during the character creation session, I decided to set the campaign in The Forgotten Realms. There are analogs for many medieval Asian cultures in the land of Kara-Tur. It is the far east of the same super-continent that Faerun is on. Between the two there is a fantasy Silk Road called The Golden Way. Adding Faerun’s tea trade as a feature of the story seemed like an organic way of reinforcing the tea house theme. We are using the Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition rules.
