What was I saying? Oh! Walking the path that led me, as if the goddess herself lit the way, to this village, to this simple little village, I knew that I would find work and my first chance at glory. And I have! Oh, I have. Just inside the gates, I saw a flyer that said that adventurers looking to make gold should “inquire at the Feral Dog.” Yes, I know! It’s like a novel — “Inquire at the Feral Dog.” Something or someone called the Obsidian Watch put up the flyer. I had enough gold to stay the night at the inn, so I’d be on the spot, as they say. Will I be able to sleep?!?!

Day 8 (later) Dear Diary — I cannot sleep. And it’s not from excitement. There is some sort of dwarfish polka band playing downstairs and the noise is ….  well, it is noisy. I can say that.
(Later) I made a vow that I would do my best to not kill unnecessarily on my adventures. Goddess grant me the strength to keep my vow. I want to kill the the accordion player.

Day 9 — The great room of the Feral Dog is large. I can see the wretched piano and stage area that ruined my sleep last night. I found an open spot at a table near there and away from the fire. I want a good vantage spot to see how people act and what questions they are asked by the Obsidian Watch.

The steward just brought over a drink menu. I am quite puzzled by the names of some of these drinks. I don’t know what a Swinging Ball Sack might be. Or a Snog for that matter. And the prices are quite out of my league. That is until I begin to earn gold. And even then, the gold is for the village and not for my belly!
When he comes back around, I shall order the fried water. It is quite the cheapest thing on the menu. That and a bowl of the edamame.
Over my shoulder, I see a creature perhaps a small troll or something, setting up a table. Is this the Obsidian Watch? More later, diary.

Day 10 –As I write this I am officially an adventurer! Yesterday is a bumble in my head. I remember queueing along with other people to talk with the creature of the Obsidian Watch. There was a dwarf in front of me and a female human behind me.

I was too nervous to speak. And then there was a booming voice and this orcish woman was looming over me and I am tall for a half elf. She wrapped her arms around me and the human. “Look Grrriel! Human women! In line!” And she laughed as if this were the funniest thing she’d ever seen. I was quite put out — me a human! I tried to think of a devastating comment but before I could, the human laughed and said “Put ‘er there! I’m Mawley and this is, ah — what’s your name?” “Me?” My voice came out like a squeak. “I, I am called Ariel.” The other orc spoke. “Ariel and Grriel! Good one! Vakka, did you hear?” The one called Vakka called over her shoulder “I’m getting drinks. Waiting is thirsty work. What do you want humans?”
“Oh, I have my water.” I held up my bottle to show. “You buying?” asked Mawley. Vakka laughed and nodded. “A Snog for me, thanks.”

All the talk and crowding was very unsettling and I turned back around to face the table. You could barely see the creature for the piles of papers. Closer on, I could tell it was a half draon, tho I’ve never met one before! The line was getting smaller. There were only 3 or 4 people in front of me now. I was a little worried because I could see that at least one was a cleric, too. I should have thought ahead to remove the flyer at the gates when I saw it. Ehlonna forgive me — She knows that my heart is pure.

Behind me I heard the loud voices again. “Cousin! Cousin! Come back — we are beseiged. The gnomes have arrived! More drinks! Small beer, if you please. Get it? Small beer!” I have not seen gnomes before, so I had to look. Oh Diary, they are so cute! There were two of them. One in robes and the other in leather. Happy faces, little voices and they are more lively and bright eyed then even the kulu-kulu bear. I was trying to keep up with the flow of talk as the two of them determined how they might be related when Vakka spoke to me.
She thrust a tall glass into my hand. “Here you go, my lady. My fellow cleric, eh? Drink up!”
I looked at the dark liquid, slightly frothy in the glass. “What, ehm, what is it?” I sipped a bit of it. Gingery, fizzy and cool. “It’s a Swinging Ball Sack, it is. Good for what ails you. What’s your god game? Me, I’m in tight with Olidammara.”
“Oh yes?” I wanted to be polite. “The Maiden of the Forest, Ehlonna claimed me as her own.”
Vakka frowned, “Maiden of the Forest…. I can’t say –” She was interrupted by another voice. A willowy half elf was standing beside her. “No more a maiden than you, or I, dear orc. Speak true, as my mother always said.” She took the glass from the orc’s hand and sipped it and handed it back. “Ugh, inferior Djinn ruins a drink.”

I was speechless at her words about Ehlonna. I turned blindly away and there was the human. “So Mawley, you are a fighter?” Her words were drowned out by Grriel yelling. She gestured strongly to someone at the door. “Over here! Here we are! You’re late.” A halfling slid past the bouncer at the door and walked over, grinning. Grriel slapped her on the back. “Well met! Well met!” She looked around with her hands on her hips. “This, this is a party, if ever I saw one. We shall do well together. Gnomes and a halfling, a human for seasoning, elves and us! It is better to be a group and then we’ll get hired easily.”

“Right!” said Vakka. “What’s the job, again?” Mawley held up the flyer. “There’s cairns to check out.”
“Excellent! Right up my alley. Wait, what’s a cairn?” I was quiet, because I wanted to know, too.
“Cairns are cairns! Piles of rocks” said Mawley.
“With dead people under them.” said one of the gnomes. The one with robes on, Kurboom. “I’m an expert in cairns.” said the other, her name is Fizznip, I think.
“I’m an expert in dead people” said Zuffy, the other half elf.

I turned back to see that I was at the head of the line now. The creature at the table looked up at me waiting. I said a silent prayer to Ehlonna. “Hello. I am Ariel and I — (someone tapped my shoulder) and WE are a band of adventurers. We six (Eight! Someone cried behind me). We eight — and I swept my arm around to show her — are just the team to take on the job. We –” Grriel and Vakka were on either side of me now. “We got fighters and clerics and gnomes. We’ll take the job. Happy to help out a fine half dragon like yourself. Don’t mention it! What’s the pay?”
The creature cocked her head and smiled. “What are your qualifications? Can you investigate a crime scene?”
“Oh aye” said Vakka. “There was this one time when I won a drinking contest — where was that, cousin? And –”
“What my cousin means is Yes. Yes, we have helped the police with their inquiries before. In fact, Chica here (she thrust the halfling forward) was a deputy constable back in her village.” Before the half dragon or Chica could process this huge lie (because I later found out it was a lie!), Fizznip, the leather-clad gnome was at my elbow. “Who are we hunting, mister? Time’s a-wasting. Daylight’s burning! Chop! Chop!”

The half dragon was silent for a moment and then she said “I am called Acgar. I am with the Obsidian Watch. Here’s the person we’re looking for. You’ll get 348 gold for the job. I want him or evidence of his where abouts found.” She handed me a drawing of a half dragon. The gnome hooted. “348 gold each?!”
“No, that’s 348 gold total” replied Acgar. “348 gold for me? She turned around. “I’ll share it with you guys. You’re my friends after all.”

We’ll get to know them better in the coming weeks. For now, Angel’s character is a gnome named Lily Folker — Fizznip to her friends. Next, Mawley is Taj’s new human fighter. Our former sorceress turns in her staff for a sword. My new character is Ariel, a half elf cleric. Yeah, going totally against type (not) with a cleric.

Next is Olivia’s new character Vakka — a half orc cleric who believes in transcendence through alcohol. Chica is new-comer Judy’s halfling ranger. She rides a chicken. Yeah, total win. Grrriel is Michelle’s half orc character. She and Vakka are cousins. Kurboom is a gnome sorceress, played by Adrienne and Zuffy is a half elf ranger played by Shalon.

Big group and one human. Huh. Bunch of rugrats. Well three little folk. And a chicken. And our own Sarah (Acgar, the half dragon) is taking the DM helm. We are honored to have using her time, energy and humor to make our gaming night each Wednesday.

Here’s our initial group portrait:

In a special performance , Dyskko added a new installment to his ongoing saga of the Dungeon Divas.  Known for what he calls “‘special effects,” his story-telling incorporates bardic magic to make you feel you are part of the story.

In true Dyskko style, audience members felt the heat of Moltenwing the Dragon.  They cried along with Buzz, as he wondered what to do after the death of his mentor, Indira.  The audience cheered when the Divas freed the Shackled Ones from the Great Tree.

Dyskko says this was a final ending to the Divas saga. “I’m ready for something new now.”  Even though his tales have always been fantastical, they have still been grounded in reality.  “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to travel amongst the stars.  I’ve also wondered what if there were no magic? Yes, I think I’ll turn my tales toward some of these ideas.”

Character Epilogues

After killing the beholder Orbius who had posed as Oskar Vhalantru for the last 15 years, the Divas were at a crossroads.  Are there enough people left in the Org Chart of Evil to fulfill their plans?  Do we stop here, or do we pursue them further?  Or do we need to get back to helping the evacuees from Cauldron rebuild?

The Divas made a final attempt to visit the Fiery Sanctum.  There, they discovered that Rmongor had killed all the Shackled Ones in the Tree and no more energy was being channeled.  Looking at the Org Chart of Evil, they realized all the people left to kill were people they hadn’t met.  Where would they be? The Divas spent time at the Church of Pelor reviewing their notes, organizing their supplies and inventorying their loot.  After a long day of discussion, the decision was clear: Use the loot to invest in the City of Cauldron, help the people rebuild, and stay wary for the Cagewrights should they start on the next phase of their plan.

Myntilly – Hoping to spark some renewed energy into the local economy, Myntilly purchased an abandoned building in the NW Business District of Cauldron.  She refitted the ground floor with her own Tatoo Parlor, and moved into the second floor apartment.  Inspired by her leadership, many young adventurers come to discuss their dreams and plans and ask Myntilly for her wisdom while she inks.  Even Cora Lanthanmire has been spotted getting a tatoo.

Sadi – Was last seen heading out of town.  Her plans are to travel to Sasserine, then spend some quiet time traveling along the coast.  “I hope to purchase a small boat and spend some quiet time in peaceful reflection.”  The year has been hard on Sadi, dying not once, but twice, and reincarnated twice.  It puts a touch of darkness on you.  Then spending so much time either underground or in a big city has been difficult.  “I come from a long line of gypsies.  I need to spend some time roaming.”

Ian and Brus – Returned to Kingfisher Hollow.  This city grew a bit following the evacuation of Cauldron.  Many people moved there, thinking it would be temporary, but fell in love with the Amedio forest on the border.  “Now that the town is a bit bigger, there’s a lot I can do here.  There’s a lot of new construction that I can help with, and we can start a second druid hall on the other end of the town.”  There is still some strange sounds coming from the forest, and rumors of undead, but Ian feels up to the challenge.

Acgar – Has become a new prominent figure in the Cauldron Town Guard.  Acgar has become Lead Trainer for the Magical Threats Agency.  “Quinlan had a good idea with this organization, but they need better discipline if they’re going to respond to threats.  That, and they need some strong analysis tools to investigate evidence left behind.”  Acgar is developing a new field called “forensics.”  It also helps the new recruits pay attention when she mentions that she keeps a killer frog in a box.

Indira – It’s taken some time for her his fellow clerics to get used to the new dwarf body, but Indira continues to work to spread the good word of Pelor.  Kristoff remains as head cleric of the Church, and continuing to lead the young headstrong Indira will be a continuing challenge.  Thankfully, Indira has the goblins and Buzz to keep her busy.

Buzz – Speaking of Buzz, he is working to bridge new ties between the differing churches of Cauldron.  The new head cleric at the Temple of Wee Jas, is rebuilding temple after the construction accident last solstice.  Buzz is working to negotiate a construction plan that will be a tribute to Wee Jas without blocking the Church of Pelor from the rising sun.  He is also working toward more unity between all the worshipping halls (to St. Cuthbert, Kord, Wee Jas, Fharlaghn, Pelor) in preparation for this winter’s Flood Festival.  “Last winter there was rivalry between the worshippers and Cauldron really suffered.  This winter will be different.”  Ah Buzz, remember when we first met him?

Elvis Krylscar- For his leadership and commitment to the City of Cauldron, Elvis was awarded a Key to the City. (Standing next to him are at left, Severen Navalant, Mayor, newly returned to the city and at right Quinlan Ghelve, Captain of the Town Guard).  He continues to grow in his leadership role on the City Council.  Sounds like he’ll run for Mayor again.

On the opposite side of the room Myntilly was studying a painting. It showed Cauldron under a fiery sky. “It’s hard to say but I think this is a Betelle. It has his distinctive brush strokes. This is not his usual color palette, of course or his usual subject matter but –”
Acgar interrupted her. “It’s scrying.”
“Wha?”
“It looks like a painting but it’s actually scrying. I believe this is what it looks like up there.” She jabbed her finger upwards.

Sadi pointed at the double doors. “This is where we go next.”

We flung open the doors and saw a giant hazy object surrounded by three figures. The figures were swaying back and forth and chanting. Acgar, with her keen eyesight, said “That’s Orbius. I don’t know what he’s doing, but we should stop it.”

Before any of us could move, the chanting reached a pitch and the figures glowed white and crumbled to dust. The haze lifted and there was Orbius.

He looked better than when we’d last seen him. Then of course, we had almost killed him. He was now covered in some sort of gloop, some sort of slime.

I heard Myntilly beside me, “That’s just….. gross.”
“Part of the ritual, you think? A by product, perhaps?” Acgar sounded intrigued. “We can ask him later, OK?” Sadi smiled. “First, we kill him.”

Terrem saw Orbius, yelled with excitement and ran into the chamber. “Aw crap. Well there goes any chance of using a fireball.” Sadi cocked her head. “Why’s that?” I pointed. “Terrem’s in there! And –” She winked at me.

Myntilly stopped beside me. “Let’s get this party started.” She raised her hands and cast sound lance. You could see some slime fly off and his eyestalks vibrate from the spell.
“Nice.” Sadi reached inside her tunic and I saw her flick a fireball bead into the chamber. It rolled just past where Orbius was floating and exploded.

I whirled around to face her. “I can’t believe that you just did that! Terrem could have been hurt.” A spell whizzed past her head. Orbius had begun his attack. “We’ll talk later! OK?”
Acgar muttered to herself, “Slime and acid… eh probably neutralize the… Holy Storm. Yes!” And she began chanting as rain drop fell on Orbius.

He flew above the rain cloud and just out of sight. Unless we entered the chamber, we couldn’t see to hit him. Smart beholder.

To be continued……

The bathtub was huge and looked deep. At the far side, you could see soap, a loofa, a rubber ducky and some shampoo. Across the tub and to the right, I could see a doorway.

We stood at the lip of the sunken tub. “Are you going in?” I raised my eyebrows at Myntilly. “Me? I could drown in water that deep!”
“Oh for heaven’s sake, we don’t know how deep it is. Don’t be so dramatic!”

At that, Terrem ran by, jumped and grabbed his knees for a big cannonball splash. Water went everywhere. The motion of the lapping water made the rubber ducky bob towards Terrem. He laughed and splashed in the water. “Miiiissssttttteeeerrrr Orbius! Come and plaaaaaay!” Suddenly, the rubber ducky squirted water at Terrem’s face. He began to cry and splash around.

“Terrem!” I called. “Are you OK? Are you hurt?” I stood as close the edge as I dared. Terrem and I are about the same height, but with my armor on…. I didn’t want to get in that spa if I didn’t have to.

Brus leapt into the water and moved toward Terrem. Sadi glided up beside me, arrows nocked.

I caught her eye. “Don’t hit him.” She smiled. “Don’t worry.” All I could see was Terrem’s back. How was she going to miss him and hit the ducky?

Sadi waited, bow drawn. Brus splashed up beside Terrem and nudged him to the right. The ducky spit at Brus and he bellowed, but he kept moving. In that time frame, Sadi let three arrows fly. Two of them hit the duck. One lodged in its beak and one on its left side. It began to swim in circles, obviously crippled by the arrows.

I heard Acgar sigh heavily. And then splash! She was wading towards the rubber duck.

My hand went to my mouth. “Be careful!”

She leaned over the duck and brought her spear down straight through its back. “Ssssssssssssssss.”

“When Orbius finds out you killed his rubber ducky, there’ll be hell to pay.” Ian grinned at Acgar.

Brus and Terrem had reached the far side. Brus climbed out and shook the water from his coat.

Myntilly straightened her robe. “I want to see what’s behind that door.” And she fly over the water and landed beside the door. “Hmmm, no sigil here.”
“Wait for us! Don’t open it alone.” Ian walked up the side of the wall with his spider climb boots.
“Awesome idea!” Sadi joined him. “Guys? Wait. I can’t get over there. I don’t have……” My voice trailed off. No one was listening. I sat down on the edge of the tub. “Well,” I thought, “if they need a healer, they’ll tell me.”

The door opened and I heard Sadi say “Don’t go in there!” Myntilly frowned at her. “There’re just books.”
“Just books? Remember when some books kicked our asses? Just books…. Nononono! Aw, man.”
“See? No problem. Just because some books attack doesn’t mean all of them do.”

“What do you see?” I called across the spa.
Acgar’s voice called out. “Linens, soap, extra duckies, books….. Orbius knows how to lounge in a bath. I can just picture him now.”