[5e D&D] Skyrim

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Bihlbo
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[5e D&D] Skyrim

Post by Bihlbo »

I'm running a 5th edition D&D game set in Skyrim, during the time of the events that happen in the game Skyrim. I'm calling the game 5kyrim, which makes me feel like a douche but laugh at the same time.

I am going to use this thread to post information about the game. If this is something that interests you, I'd love some feedback.

Crunchy Bits

I'm using some of the optional rules from the books, like overrun and stuff. That list is probably not interesting. Obviously, because I'm not a self-hating idiot, we are not using alignment. Rather than use the inspiration rules, which require the DM to memorize everyone's character sheet and always recognize good roleplaying, every PC has the Lucky feat and the players decide when something is in-character enough to result in inspiration, which refreshes a spent luck point. It requires players to be mature and try to limit it to roughly once per session, but my group handles that really well.

I haven't touched the classes, and though the D&D classes don't fit the lore of the setting, the parts of the lore that refer to things like "thief-acrobat" and "spellsword" aren't broken by using D&D classes. There's been some re-fluffing of the classes though: clerics worship the Eight Divines while druids are "priests" of the Old Ways, which depends on cultural traditions (like Argonian druids are of the Hist, etc); paladins are servants of a single divine (like the Vigilants) or daedric lord; monks are renamed Dremorites, being people who are in the process of transforming themselves into something similar to a dremora, through devotion to the Daedra. Monks are even stranger mad cultists than warlocks, as that's the only way I could justify them fitting in the setting.

The playable races are: Altmer, Argonian, Bosmer, Breton, Dunmer, Imperial (subraces: Colovian and Nibenese), Khajiit (there are 8 subraces, each having a -rhat version that is "slightly bigger" descriptively, but only 4 of the subraces are playable humanoids - each of these has stats to differentiate them from the rest, and one of the 4 is the only option available for playing a Small character), Nord, Orsimer, and Redguard. I've seen people try to use the races in the book for these, but after you get past the short list of the three elves, half orcs, and humans, it all breaks down. So I pulled abilities from the races and tweaked them somewhat to make new races. The end result is interestingly different from D&D. I haven't done a write-up that details which races have accents that make them sound British, so we have retained that time-honored inconsistency from the video games. You can be any race and sound English or American, it's okay. :)
Races in Detail
Each race has a description and a list of names in the document I handed out to the players. For brevity, I'm omiting that here, though nearly all of it was clipped from the best wiki resources I could find, so you could just check that out if you want.

Men
The race of man, or humans, came from both the far north and the far west, invading Tamriel. All men have a lifespan of roughly a century.

Breton
Ability Score Increase. +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom, +1 Charisma
Size. Bretons have average builds, and their height is between 5 and 6 feet. Medium size.
Speed. 30 feet
Magic Resistance. You have advantage on all saving throws versus spells and magical effects.
Intrigue. Proficiency in either the Insight or Deception skill.
Languages. You can read and write Bretony and Imperial.

Imperial
Size. Imperials have average builds, and their height is between 5 and 6 feet. Medium size.
Speed. 30 feet
Languages. You can read and write Imperial plus an additional language of your choice.
Subrace. Two main cultures inhabit the Imperial Heartland: the Nibenese and Colovians.

Nibenese
Ability Score Increase. +2 Charisma, +1 to two others
Voice of the Emperor. Proficiency in one of the following: Persuasion, Insight, Intimidate, or Deception.
Education. Proficiency and Expertise (add your proficiency bonus twice) in a skill of your choice.

Colovian
Ability Score Increase. +1 to four ability scores
Legion Traditions. Proficiency in light armor and one martial weapon
Specialized Training. You may select a feat.

Nord
Ability Score Increase. +2 Strength, +1 to either Constitution or Wisdom
Size. Nords are strong and tall, often over 6 feet. Medium size.
Speed. 30 feet
Blood of the North. You are naturally adapted to cold climates and gain advantage on saving throws against cold damage.
Nordic Battle Training. You are proficient with a martial weapon and a martial two-handed weapon, as well as light armor.
Battle Cry. As a bonus action you can let out a mighty roar and spread terror in your wake when you fight. All enemies who can easily hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. The targets can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect early on a success. The difficulty is 8 + proficiency bonus + Charisma modifier (if positive). You regain the use of this ability after finishing a long rest.
Woad. You gain +1 hit point per level.
Languages. You can read and write Nordic and Imperial.

Redguard
Ability Score Increase. +2 Constitution, +1 to either Strength or Dexterity
Size. Redguards are strong and tall, often over 6 feet. Medium size.
Speed. 30 feet
Yokudan Blood. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
Redguard Weapon Training. You are proficient with the longsword, scimitar, shield, javelin, and net.
Desert Walker. You have proficiency with Constitution checks related to walking or working for hours without rest, and surviving without food or water.
Fighting Training. You gain a +1 bonus to hit when using a melee weapon with which you are proficient.
Languages. You can read and write Yokudan and Imperial.

Mer
The race of mer, also called elves, invaded Tamriel before the races of men came. All mer have a lifespan of more than two centuries, though orsimer rarely allow themselves to live so long.

Altmer
Ability Score Increase. +2 Intelligence, +1 to either Wisdom or Charisma
Size. Altmer are very tall, sometimes as tall as 7 feet, but they have slender builds. Medium size.
Speed. 30 feet
Mer Blood. Advantage on saving throws against disease
Arcane History. Proficiency in the Arcana skill
Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice and use Intelligence to cast it.
Highborne. If you are able to cast 1st level spells, you have one additional 1st level spell slot. If you are able to cast 4th level spells, you have one additional 2nd level spell slot. If you are able to cast 6th level spells, you have one additional 3rd level spell slot. If you are able to cast 8th level spells, you have one additional 4th level spell slot and one additional 1st level spell slot.
Languages. You can read and write Altmeris and Imperial.

Bosmer
Ability Score Increase. +2 Dexterity, +1 to either Intelligence or Wisdom
Size. Bosmer are smaller and more delicate than other races, and are barely over 5 feet in height. Medium size.
Speed. 35 feet
Mer Blood. Advantage on saving throws against disease
Beast Tongue. Proficiency in Animal Handling and you can speak with animals. This is not the same as speaking with fellow mer, being mostly animalistic sounds and non-verbal communication typical of the animal’s type. You can convey simple messages this way. You cannot gain information from an animal that is above its understanding of the world. You can for example ask if people went this way, but not the faction of the people. You can use your social skills (such as intimidate and deception) normally against any natural beast.
Mask of the Wild. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
Bosmer Weapon Training. Proficiency with the blowgun, dagger, longbow, and shortbow.
Languages. You can read and write Bosmeris and Imperial.

Dunmer
Ability Score Increase. +2 Dexterity, +1 to either Strength or Intelligence
Size. Dunmer have slight builds, and their height is between 4 and 6 feet. Medium size.
Speed. 30 feet
Ashlander. You have fire resistance
Ancestor Spirit. You can invoke an Ancestor Spirit once per long rest. Invoking a spirit is a bonus action. The spirit lasts a number of rounds equal to your proficiency bonus. It is translucent and cannot be attacked. Every round it takes one move and one action, which it can use to attack or channel an evocation spell. It’s modifier to hit is +3 + your proficiency modifier. On a hit it deals damage as though the target were hit with chill touch cast by a wizard of your level.
If the spirit channels an evocation spell instead of attacking, it has to use one of your spell slots to cast an evocation spell you are able to cast. This does not require a somatic component on your part, and if the spell has material components that could be handled by a spell focus, the spirit acts as the spell focus. The source of the evocation spell is the spirit, for the purposes of determining range.
Languages. You can read and write Dunmeris and Imperial.

Orsimer
Ability Score Increase. +2 Constitution, +1 to either Strength or Wisdom
Size. Orcs are tall and muscular, and their height is around 6 feet. Medium size.
Speed. 30 feet
Berserker Rage. As a bonus action, you enter a berserk rage which lasts a number of rounds equal to double your proficiency bonus. When your rage begins you gain 1d6 + your level in temporary hit points. While enraged the first attack or spell attack you make that successfully deals damage each round deals additional damage equal to your proficiency bonus. You can use this ability once per long rest.
Relentless Endurance. When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Orsimer Smithing. You have proficiency and expertise with Blacksmith’s Tools.
Orsimer Weapon Training. You are proficient with the light hammer, maul, and morningstar.
Languages. You can read and write Orcish and Imperial.

The Beast Races
Argonian
Ability Score Increase. +2 Intelligence, +1 to either Dexterity or Wisdom
Age. Argonians mature at about the same rate and live about as long as men.
Size. Argonians have average builds, and their height is between 5 and 6 feet. Medium size.
Speed. 30 feet, swim speed 40 feet
Amphibious. You can breathe under water indefinitely
Cold Blood. You have resistance against poisons and non-magical diseases. You have advantage on saving throws against poison and diseases. You are naturally adapted to a hot climate.
Scales. Your base AC is 12 + Dexterity when not wearing armor.
Histskin. When you spend a hit die to regenerate health during a short rest, you have advantage on the roll.
Languages. You can read and write Jal and Imperial.

Khajiit
Ability Score Increase. +1 Dexterity
Age. Khajiit mature at about the same rate and live about as long as men.
Size. Khajiit can be found in various builds and heights. Medium size.
Speed. 30 feet
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Claws. Your unarmed attacks deal 1d4 damage instead of 1 damage. If a feat or class feature would improve the damage of your unarmed attacks, you instead gain a +1 racial bonus to damage rolls with unarmed attacks. You deal slashing damage instead of bludgeoning, if you choose to deal damage in this manner.
Languages. You can read and write Ta’agra and Imperial.
Subrace. There are 16 morphologies of Khajiit. The form of the offspring of any Khajiit is determined by the phase of the moons, or the lunar lattice, at the time of birth, though the time of birth seems largely dependent on location. There are 2 forms associated with each of the four phases of Masser, and each of those eight forms has a paired form (ending in the suffix –raht, and usually a larger version of the two) determined by the phase of Secunda. The 8 primary Khajiit morphologies are the Ohmes, Suthay, Cathay, Tojay, Alfiq, Dagi, Pahmar, and Senche. One additional form, called the Mane, is unique and held in high esteem. Some Khajiit forms are quadrupedal; they retain the keen intelligence of the Khajiiti, having the ability to understand the spoken word of others, although unable to respond. It is possible some are able to cast spells. Quadrupedal Khajiit are not suitable for player characters. Nearly all non-Khajiit don’t care or know about any of this, and simply understand that not all Khajiit have to look the same.

Ohmes
Similar in many ways to mer and men, save for their tails and short, light-colored fur, the Ohmes may easily be mistaken as one of the other races at a distance. Unlike the many other forms of Khajiit who walk like cats upon the balls of their digitigrade feet, Ohmes walk on their heels, with human-like feet. They are very commonly seen outside the province of Elsweyr.
Ability Score Increase. +1 Intelligence, +1 to either Dexterity or Charisma.
Legerdemain. Proficiency in Sleight of Hand and either Investigation or Deception
Keen Hunter. When you gain a proficiency in a skill you may choose Investigation. If you are already proficient in Investigation and you gain a proficiency in a skill, you may choose to gain Expertise in Investigation.

Suthay
Similar in height and build to the race of man, the Suthay are one of the most common forms of Khajiit. Their coloring ranges from dark brown and orange, to light yellow, both with and without stripes and spots. The Khajiit most commonly seen in eastern Tamriel are Suthay.
Ability Score Increase. +1 Dexterity, +1 to either Strength or Intelligence.
Silent Hunter. Proficiency in Acrobatics and Stealth
Bestial Run. If you are carrying nothing in your hands you may drop to all fours. When you do so your base land speed changes to 40.

Cathay
Similar to the Suthay form, Cathay coloring is always black and they possess greater stature and strength. Cathey usually live among Suthay.
Ability Score Increase. +2 Strength.
Panther Men. Proficiency in Athletics and Intimidation
Bestial Run. If you are carrying nothing in your hands you may drop to all fours. When you do so your base land speed changes to 40.

Tojay
A quadrupedal form of Khajiit, similar to a small puma. They live in the southern marshes and jungle regions of Elsweyr, and in the Tenmar forest. Tojay are not suitable for player characters.

Alfiq
A quadrupedal form of Khajiit, virtually indistinguishable from a housecat. They live throughout Elsweyr, but they rarely make it known that they are Khajiit, even to others of their own kind, and so could live elsewhere without anyone knowing. Alfiq are not suitable for player characters.

Dagi
A less-common form of Khajiit, Dagi live in the trees of the Tenmar forest. Due to their smaller size and light weight, they are able to dwell in the higher branches which even the Bosmer cannot reach.
Ability Score Increase. +1 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom.
Size. Small size
Speed. 30 feet, climb speed 30 feet
Claws. Your unarmed attacks deal 1 damage, but can be either slashing or bludgeoning damage.
Nimbleness. Creatures a larger size than you can obscure you for hiding, and do not block your movement.
Bestial Run. If you are carrying nothing in your hands and not wearing heavy armor you may drop to all fours. When you do so your base land speed changes to 40.

Pahmar
A quadrupedal form of Khajiit, similar to a tiger. They are common in Elseweyr, especially in the cities where they serve as guards. Pahmar are not suitable for player characters.

Senche
A quadrupedal form of Khajiit, similar to a lynx in appearance and a pony in size. They are commonly used by other Khajiit as steeds, presumably willingly. The Senche-raht are more than double the size, and are notably used in battle, whence they earned the title "battlecats" from Imperial troopers. Senche are not suitable for player characters.
For initiative we're using a deck of cards and the rules from Savage Worlds. The rule: Draw a card every round, highest card value goes first, suits break ties. The Alert feat means if you draw a card under 5 you keep drawing until you get a 5 or higher, and advantage on initiative (or on Dexterity checks) means you draw two cards and use the best one. Other than that, Dex doesn't affect your initiative. If you draw a joker, you get a luck point and go first. Also, if you want to delay to act later in the round then you may, which is normally not allowed in 5e. I love handling initiative this way, but YMMV.


The Introduction

Everyone starts as a prisoner, because Elder Scrolls. I told the players to stat out their characters without gear, and to come up with a reason why the Empire would have caught them and have them scheduled to be beheaded for their crimes. The stuff they came up with was great (more later). The premise is that they were held in the dungeons of Helgen Keep, awaiting execution. That day came early when General Tullius came to town to oversee the execution of Ulfric Stormcloak. The PCs are extra prisoners that aren't there in the video game.
The full intro blurb sent to players

The world is called Nirn. The setting is the Imperial province of Skyrim, located in the cold northern lands of the continent of Tamriel.

You start as possessionless prisoners in the town of Helgen. You are now being held by the Imperial soldiers and today is the day of your execution.

It's a sunny day in Skyrim. The air is brisk, as it usually is in Spring. The smell of wildflowers drifts into the town on the occasional breeze. Helgen is a small walled town surrounding an old keep with a tower that imposes itself over the open courtyard where you stand in rags, hands bound at the waist. The Imperial soldiers haven't bothered to mistreat most of you during your captivity, and some even seem apologetic about your fate, but they ARE the ones executing you.

Most of the soldiers seem like simple folk, still getting used to the Imperial-issued armor, clearly thinking more about what they were doing last night than what's needed of them now. A few of the soldiers wear the steel armor of a legionnaire, with its plated leather skirt, plumed helm, and a cloak and tunic dyed in the deep red color worn by all Imperial soldiers. They are the ones who look dangerous, carrying their weapons like they grew out of their hands at birth, looking you and the others up and down for signs of rebellion, ready to use their distinctive Imperial swords on anyone who won't wait for the chopping block.

A horse-drawn cart rolls into town escorted by mounted soldiers. The cart carries only four passengers. Two of them look as you do - common people stripped of their belongings and bound. The other two are soldiers - Stormcloaks, by the blueish-gray color of their cloaks. While you have been held here in Helgen you've heard about this rebellious faction. They've made an enemy of the Empire, and clearly these two Nords, one of them gagged and wearing finer livery, are about to suffer the repercussions of that choice.

A soldier nearby, a breton by the looks of him, says, "That is Ulfric Stormcloak, the so-called Bear of Markarth and leader of the Stormcloaks. I have seen him before. I was in Markarth, 25 years ago. I've seen him shout surrendering Forsworn, men and women alike, off the city walls and watched their brains splatter on the ground far below. I've seen his goons torture and kill prisoners - harmless bystanders, including old people who were too weak to raise a sword anymore - because they deemed them traitors to their cause. I was there, and I wish I could forget."

Another prisoner, a tall nord with long, blonde hair matted into a thick mass of filth down his back, angrily turns, "Watch your tongue! You are speaking about the true High King of Skyrim!" The breton, clearly not worried about what may become of him, at the hand of a zealous nord or the executioner's blade, simple stated, "Then your rebellion will be over when your king joins you in Sovngarde."

From behind the keep you see another soldier ride slowly toward the courtyard. This is an older man with close-cropped gray hair, wearing exquisite armor made of simple leather and adorned with gold, the Imperial Seal featuring prominently on his breastplate. The luxurious red tunic underneath is oddly clean. Walking at his flank are tall, stern altmer – high elves – wearing black cloaks over elven armor. A quivering gasp from a prisoner behind you quietly exclaims, "It’s general Tullius!" and the nord finishes the thought, "And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves. I bet they had something to do with this!"

"I'm surprised they haven't tried to free him" says the breton. The nord turns and says with a sneer, "Ulfric hates the Aldmeri Dominion and everything it stands for."

"Ah, but no one profits as much from the Stormcloak Rebellion as the Aldmeri Dominion. Think about it - after the Great War the Empire was reduced to Cyrodiil, High Rock, and Skyrim, with Morrowind being largely abandoned by Imperial forces and Hammerfell becoming outright independent. But everyone knows that the Thalmor have not abandoned their doctrine of Elven Supremacy. If the Stormcloaks succeed in making Skyrim independent, the Empire will be broken. High Rock will be isolated from Cyrodiil, which means that High Rock will likely become independent sooner or later as well - and then the rest of Tamriel becomes easy pickings for the Dominion. And even if the Stormcloaks fail, the Empire will have wasted lots of men and resources putting them down and created a lot of resentment to keep further rebellions going for decades. So the worst thing that could happen, from the perspective of the Thalmor, is that Ulfric is captured, and it looks like that very thing has happened." The breton turns to look at one of you and says with a dark smirk, "Yes, I'm to be executed because I knew too much. I don't suppose it hurts to spread that offense to my death-fellows, does it? It feels good to finally say it."

The cart pulls to a stop just behind where you and the other prisoners stand. As he stepped out of the carriage, one of the common men attempted to protest his innocence in a panic, but a captain of the Legion just told everyone, "Step towards the block when we call your name. One at a time!"

Her aide began reading, starting with "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm", the next on the list was the other Stormcloak, "Ralof of Riverwood," and then the frightened one, "Lokir of Rorikstead." Upon hearing his name Lokir bolted, running back up the road the cart had taken. A Legionnaire raised his bow and dropped the prisoner with one arrow in the back.

"Anyone else feel like running?" the captain asked in a smug tone. The forth prisoner from the wagon was being dealt with when an argonian nearby slumped to the ground, making a sound that might have been sobbing, or coughing with a whistle, it was hard to tell. One of the Empire's new recruits lifted him to his feet, dragging him to the front of the line. "You'll be next then, we can't have that."

Meanwhile, a tense General Tullius approached the gagged Ulfric and gloated, "Ulfric Stoarmcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a hero! But a hero doesn't use a power like The Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne. You started his war, plunged Skyrim into chaos! And now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace!"

Just then a sound came echoing from beyond the nearby mountains. Imagine a great bird of prey calling out, but deeper, louder, and more sinister. At the edge of the sound was a power that felt as though it could cut through your heart if you heard it again. As you heard it you thought the great bellow carried meaning without language. "You are prey," it seemed to say, "Run and hide, for I enjoy the hunt more when the flesh is afraid."

The soldiers, clearly as shaken by it as you, tried to put on a brave face. Tullius eased their fears by saying, "It's nothing. Carry on." But it stopped his ranting at Ulfric.

The captain called on a priestess to issue the last rites. "As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the Eight Divines upon you..." One of the other Stormcloak soliders, visibly upset about the omission of the outlawed Ninth Divine, interrupted her, "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with." As he was pushed down to the block, before his head rolled away, his last words were, "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?"

A soldier, frustrated by the break of proper sequence and order, pushed another prisoner forward to the block. The executioner's axe rose as you notice a Thalmor soldier angrily point at a person in the crowd and mouth silently, "Talos."

And that’s when…
tl;dr version: It's the intro to Skyrim, from the perspective of someone in the Keep as the Dragonborn and the rest roll into town, told in a way that fits a ttrpg. I read this out at the beginning of the first game, then went into a description of Alduin attacking Helgen. What came next will be in a later post.


The PCs

I expected we'd make characters the first game, and their backgrounds would be something that evolves as they care to think about it. That didn't happen. Just to totally brag, they all got their character sheets to me at least 3 days before the first game, and each had enough of a background that we had a lot to work with for some good role-playing. I was inspired by that, frankly. I hope the reader has such good fortune. Anyway, in alphabetacal order:
Mercator Luchidori is a Nibenese Imperial noble, rogue turned warlock. Mercator is an attractive son of a wealthy merchant family that has had dealings from the Imperial City to Niben Bay for generations. Like many in his position, he stays current on all the most popular cults and dark rites, as it is a good way to make connections. He had a number of very profitable ventures in the works, standing to make a great deal of septims for himself and his many investors, when the Chief of Secret Police used his young daughter to accuse him of rape and arrest him. This upset many of the nobles who wanted their money back and put pressure on the Chief to acquire it. But Mercator isn't who he says he is, and perhaps this is why he was targeted by the Chief, who wanted to learn the location of his wealth. For many months he's been in the dungeons of Helgen Keep with his very own assigned torturer. Covered in scabs and pitch, he barely resembles a man when Sanguine appears to him in a vision and chooses him to be a servant.

Rakt'var is a great big Cathay-raht Khajiit, fighter. He's a son of the Mane who was not interested in filling the role of a member of what passes for nobility in Elsewyr. His father suggested he go into the greater world in order to learn what it means for others to depend on him. As an absent-minded guard he found himself in Riften. He saw a whore pickpocket his boss, and stood up to do his job; but as drunk as he was, the whore ended up in pieces, and no one was paying attention so they thought him a simple murderer. Now he's in a cell in Helgen Keep and his mane is growing out, to his great shame, and he misses the warm sands of home. (The actual background is a full page of very well-written dialogue in the Khajiit manner of speaking, and it's wonderful.)

Two-Birds is an Argonian, dremorite (monk). An itinerant laborer. He hides his devotion to Sithis well, and no one knows of his connection with the Dark Brotherhood. He was told to find the Night Mother and that brought him to Skyrim. He was caught in an altercation with a particular jester, and his story to the guard was that he was inspecting the cargo. Arrested for impersonating an Imperial agent, Two-Birds was sent to Helgen.

Tyranus the Hammer is a Nibenese Imperial of noble birth, paladin. Tyranus has a sense of duty and honor, and a respect for the common people that he rarely sees among his fellow nobles. Perhaps in lacking anything better to do, or being motivated by zeal and purpose, he sought out to uncover corruption among the local nobility. He succeeded, quite handily, in exposing a bribery scheme perpetrated by a local sheriff. And when proof was supplied that implicated him in the murder of the sheriff, he was sent to Helgen for execution. But most people knew the fix was in, and in the dungeon he was treated with respect and honor. The guards would let him out to join them for meals. He had clean clothes and a pirvate cell. He knew his captors by name, and they regretted their duty to kill him.

The Games
I'll be posting recaps from the games we play, linking to them here.
Game 1 in which our heroes escape the destruction of Helgen.
Game 2 in which our heroes emerge from their cavernous escape and descend the mountain.
Game 3
Game 4
Game 5
Last edited by Bihlbo on Fri Jul 03, 2015 6:50 am, edited 5 times in total.
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Synopsis of Game 1

Post by Bihlbo »

Game 1

The prisoners, tied together and heading for the chopping block, saw their chance to escape when the huge, black dragon attacked Helgen. They had to choose: Follow general Tullius, the Thalmor, and the Imperial soldiers, hoping to earn their pardons by helping them to safety? Follow the Falkreath Hold guards in defending the town and keeping the townsfolk safe? Follow Ulfric Stormcloak and the freed Stormcloak soldiers, making a powerful ally? Or follow no one, go their own way, and hope to earn their redemption by helping the people of Helgen survive?

The prisoners made their choice and ran into Helgen Homestead, the tavern at the edge of the courtyard, ignoring the soldiers and guards. Just as they cut their bonds a flaming tree fell into the tavern. As they helped free a man pinned under a table the meteors began to fall. With only one way out the party ran out the back.

They did their best to track the closest of the falling meteors, to make sure they were no where near the impact site. As they made their way between houses and shops they tried to keep the dragon from seeing them.

How I handled the meteors:
Every round 2 meteors began to fall close enough to their location to be tracked. I originally wrote out this randomizer for the meteors: Each meteor falls at a location relative to the PC that tracks it, cardinal directions handled by a d8: 2d6 in one direction, 1d6 in another direction; 1d3x5' impact area, landing in 1d3 rounds. That is a bad thing to do to a game, rolling that much crap twice per round. So I whipped up an RNG in Excel and spit out results for 2 meteors for 40 rounds. That worked really well. In play I'd say something like, "From your location, 6 squares north, 3 southeast. 2x2 area, 2 rounds" and the would draw a dotted-line circle there.

I told the players they could spend a bonus action to track meteors every round. If you track a meteor, you know where it will land and how soon it will do so. If you don't track a meteor, I track it, and it hits without you being prepared. Tracking meteors is an Intelligence check, DC 10 tracks one meteor, DC 15 tracks 2. If I did it again I'd have instead said DC 10 helps another player (2 players with DC 10 track one meteor), DC 15 tracks one meteor, DC 20 tracks 2. Even with only 1 or 2 PCs attempting it each round they never got hit. It helped that the guy they saved from the table in the tavern ran out and got splatted. They didn't treat those things lightly.

When a meteor hits, 2d6 physical damage, 2d6 fire damage, Dex save DC 15 to jump to the edge. At the edge (squares surrounding the impact area) 1d8 fire damage and you're pushed 10 feet and knocked prone unless you succeed on a DC 10 Strength save. The impact area becomes flaming (don't stop here or take fire damage) difficult terrain.

I didn't really base this on anything other than "What's deadly to a level 1 character?"
From the moment they encountered the first townsperson who needed help, the party never failed to provide aid, even at risk to their own lives. The people saved by the heroic prisoners:
Mogens, a Stormcloak soldier who got turned around in his terror at seeing a beast that hasn't existed in centuries suddenly appear before him. Blubbering about exploding mead, the party calmed him down and lead him to safety.

Gunnar Stone-Eye, an old miner, trapped under a shack overturned by the dragon's shout.

Ingrid, a Nord woman frightened and trapped in a burning building.

Haming asked them to help his mother Matlara who was badly injured and needed to be carried to safety. (Rakt'var carried her)

Faustina, priestess of Arkay, was pulled out of a well into which she had fallen.

Torolf, Matlara's husband, was making a futile attempt to save his house from being burned down when the dragon shouted him across the street and into a nearby cellar. An impending meteor strike would have killed him if he had not been saved.

Undaunted Vilod, trapped on his balcony, chose to fight the dragon with his bow, before a backdraft sucked him back into his flaming home. A daring dash into the thick smoke saved his life.
The 5 prisoners and the 8 townsfolk had the gates of town in sight when the dragon landed in the street and started setting people and buildings on fire. The party was forced to retreat. Part of a building, hurled by the dragon, landed nearby and the impact shook loose the arched tunnel supports below, opening a hole under the party.

Entering the tunnels below the city to escape the meteors and the dragon's flame, young Haming warned them against going downstream, where a giant spider lair would threaten their escape (that's where the Dragonborn goes, and I wanted to give them their own experience). Heading upstream, the party entered a dark cavern, with only the stream to guide their way out.

The attacks above continued, and the rumbling dislodged a boulder, revealing a grizzly scene tucked between the wall and where it had been. A peaked pile of mostly burned-out torches next to the skeletal remains of someone who had died curled up in the fetal position. The rotten, tattered boots and the unrotten armor were both an attractive find, but not more so than the torches. (the armor is cursed magic armor: resistance to slashing but disadvantage on saves vs. cold - the dead guy froze to death)

Now with light the party continued uphill to the source of the frigid waters. They encountered some badgers attacking a trio of small dogs who had ran into the cave to escape the danger above. The party soon continued on with badger skins and full bellies.

After climbing a waterfall and dispatching a swarm of rats the cavern seems to be getting colder and colder......

End


Some of the phrases they heard the dragon shout:
"Win Kein Yol Lok", "Qo Naal Morah", "Hi Lahney Ont Dov Lahney Mahfaeraak", "Ag Naak Muz Fahliil Slen", "Vokri Zeymah-Briinah Qoth Wah-Lok", "Alse Dwiinfron Oblaan Filok"

Some things the dragon shouted when it was too far away to be heard by the party:
"Ofan Daar Nikriin-Ogiim Paak", "Fin Sahqo-bok Lost Naal Fahdon Ni Daardov", "Laan Kos Med Brit-Kaaz", "Het Briikaaz Malkaaz", "Dahmaan Fin Alamo"

So far no one's been industrious enough to translate that crap, but some of them are kinda funny.[/i]
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Synopsis of Game 2

Post by Bihlbo »

Game 2

In our most recent episode, our heroes discovered the hidden back entrance to Graywater Grotto (actual location in video game is SW of Helgen). Inside they found a bear couple, peacefully dozing. The he-bear was still reeling from news that his brother died, and needed her in a time like this, while she had just worked out some things with her mother and was in a really good place. Suddenly he awoke screaming as burning electric shocks surged through his body. The two lovers tried desperately to ask their attackers to spare their meaningful, beautiful lives, but terrible monsters would not relent, even unto death.
The party snuck out on a ledge and Mercator the warlock attacked. The bear didn't stand a chance. The 2nd bear got to them but that was the worst thing it could have done. Dead pretty fast.

As the party began to make their way across a precarious ledge, wolves attacked! Wolves were planned because they have a trip attack and I was going to use this to knock them off the narrow ledge. It didn't work out, but only because the players fought smart, so good for them.

After having dealt with the wolves and advanced through the cave, voices were heard. Some bandits, fleeing the dragon's attack, had run into the cave. Without asking for quarter or parlay, and without offering mercy in the slightest, our heroes aggressed. Mercator slew the bosmer while in flight from the bandits, and the orc and nord slammed themselves straight into an ambush. Their lives were spared, but before you assume our heroes capable of compassion, know that the bandits were offered the option of death or slavery, their decision being the latter. And they were not allowed to keep their possessions.
That's fancy-talk way of saying they captured the bandits that they didn't kill, and demanded that they devote the rest of their lives to rebuilding Helgen. Slavery, basically.

At the mouth of the cave a fire was lit and the party began the work of skinning and cleaning the bodies of the wolves and bears. They ate their fill of meat and fashioned some makeshift fur cloaks to protect from the cold. They bedded down for the night while the bandits only pretended to sleep. Taking advantage of the khajiit tripping on drugs (moon sugar he found, combined with a poor Perception) instead of keeping watch, the bandits made their escape. But they knew the actions of cold-hearted bandits when they saw it, and so out of respect they left without even assassinating a single person. Remember these bandits, dead reader.

In the morning the party left the cave. Trudging through the snow and cold of the mountains took its toll on some (the two guys who'd worn the cursed armor), but they eventually made their way to the lowlands where it warmed up. The party spied a fearsome frost troll attacking a hermit. The troll attacked while the party used eldritch bolts and arrows to slow it as best they could. A particularly well-placed arrow drove the troll to attack and nearly kill Rakt'var, who got his revenge with a maul to the nethers, dropping the troll.
That's right, dear reader. At level 2 a warlock and a fighter took out a troll. I can see that I get to play as fast and loose with CR as I dare! :biggrin:

Jaer Harpham the hermit lie dead, his head crushed by the troll. The party followed tracks back to a small cabin where 4 generations of Harphams had lived here, high in the mountains, isolated from society. Needing rest, the party took advantage of the home as a place to skin and clean the troll, while also preparing to bury Jaer with his family. Jaer's wife Liss finally returned home. She was saddened by her loss but consoled by the priestess of Arkay and some of the others (see the list of townsfolk the heroes saved from game 1). A proper funeral was held. Everyone found a place to sleep for the night and the next morning Liss decided she would restart her life in Markarth while she was still young, and forget this difficult chapter of her life. She abandoned the name Harpham and gave permission to Mercator to take it on. He did so, needing a new identity.
I based this area on the shack in the game where you find a skill book, which they found here. I statted out the book thus: After spending 12 hours reading this book, decide when you finish it. For the next 7 days you get inspiration 1/day on this skill's checks.

A navigational choice was given to the party - a more direct route that leads them down a rocky cliff into the woods, or a path that heads back toward Helgen before it meets the road. They descended the path leading to the main road that would take them to a nearby village on the way to Falkreath. Suddenly an arrow flies overhead...

End
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Post by Bihlbo »

For the next game

The village to which they are heading is Pinewatch. In the video game it's a good-sized cabin with a hidden entrance to a large bandit lair filling caves and an old Nord cairn. The leader is named Strongarm. What I've done is create a faction of Strongarm bandits that are very active in the area, but no one knows where they are. Because the video game's area is about 3 miles across all of Skyrim, and I've spread the whole thing out so that Skyrim is about the size of Montana, one large cabin can become a village.

Anyway, Vilod who they saved is a Strongarm bandit who lived in Helgen and found good marks for his allies to hit. Of course, no one knows this. But he told the group that on the way to Falkreath they should stop off in "a small village for supplies and a good place to eat and sleep." That village is Pinewatch.

Pinewatch is only barely a village. It's 7 farmhouses fairly separated from one another. The farms the previous owners used to work have long since been reclaimed by nature, and only one small garden is tended. One person lives in each of the houses. They appear to be industrious craftsmen and traders, as they have a sizable horde of goods.

The truth of the village is the 7 people who live in it are Strongarm bandits skilled in trading and deception. They maintain a front that allows the Strongarms to liquidate their purloined goods. These 7 "townie" Strongarms don't really do a lot of the work that it looks like they do, instead they mostly keep watch and determine when it's safe for bandits to come and go. In the basement of one of the homes is the secret entrance to the Strongarm bandit lair, and most of the other homes have small emergency tunnels that connect here.

If the players get curious enough to look around, they either walk away with clues, or they delve deeper and find out about the Strongarms. They can do as they like with that: tell the jarl, fight the bandits, join the bandits, etc.

I don't know how I'll handle Pinewatch yet. So far the plan is to wing it. We'll see how it plays out.
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Post by Ikeren »

This is remarkably interesting. I'll be reading.
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Post by Aryxbez »

You had my attention at Skyrim, I do adore the Elder Scrolls setting. I applaud that your players are also into the experience enough to put such in-setting effort into their backstories. Also of course this game sounds awesome only due to the sheer amount of work you're putting into it, and very little to do with 5e's own shoddy mechanics. Does sound interesting however you're spinning them to be more exciting.
(The actual background is a full page of very well-written dialogue in the Khajiit manner of speaking, and it's wonderful.)
If able, I'd be really interested in reading this backstory in Khajit voice (feel proud in I can do a Khajit impression).
So far no one's been industrious enough to translate that crap, but some of them are kinda funny.
Well...let's see:
Win Kein Yol Lok", =Wage War fire Sky
"Qo Naal Morah" =Lightning by Focus
"Hi Lahney Ont Dov Lahney Mahfaeraak" =Hi/Your/Hope? Live/Life Once Dragonkind Live Forever.
"Ag Naak Muz Fahliil Slen", =Burn eat Men Elf Flesh
"Vokri Zeymah-Briinah Qoth Wah-Lok" =Near/Fear-Evil/Shadow?, Brother-Sister Tomb To-Sky
"Alse Dwiinfron Oblaan Filok"=Destroyer of, steel End escape


Some things the dragon shouted when it was too far away to be heard by the party:
"Ofan Daar Nikriin-Ogiim Paak", =Give These Wise/Doomed?-Orcs Shame.
"Fin Sahqo-bok Lost Naal Fahdon Ni Daardov",=The Red-Age Have/Was Friend Not This/These-Dragonkind
"Laan Kos Med Brit-Kaaz" =Want/Request Be Like (similar to) Beautiful Khajit.
"Het Briikaaz Malkaaz"= Here Beauty-Khajit/cat? Little-cat/khajit
"Dahmaan Fin Alamo" =Remember The Alamo
Finally, want to welcome you as the third person on this forum that I know, that's partaken in running an Elder Scrolls campaign (other two being myself, and Darth Rabbitt
Last edited by Aryxbez on Mon Jun 15, 2015 12:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
What I find wrong w/ 4th edition: "I want to stab dragons the size of a small keep with skin like supple adamantine and command over time and space to death with my longsword in head to head combat, but I want to be totally within realistic capabilities of a real human being!" --Caedrus mocking 4rries

"the thing about being Mister Cavern [DM], you don't blame players for how they play. That's like blaming the weather. Weather just is. You adapt to it. -Ancient History
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Post by Bihlbo »

Aryxbez wrote:If able, I'd be really interested in reading [the khajiit's] backstory in Khajit voice (feel proud in I can do a Khajit impression).
I'll ask him if he's okay with his work being on the Internet.

I'll expand on your translations to show what I was aiming for, and thanks for taking the time. That's impressive.
Win Kein Yol Lok", =Wage War fire Sky
"Qo Naal Morah" =Lightning by Focus
"Hi Lahney Ont Dov Lahney Mahfaeraak" =Hi/Your/Hope? Live/Life Once Dragonkind Live Forever. (You live once, Dov live forever)
"Ag Naak Muz Fahliil Slen", =Burn eat Men Elf Flesh (talking about burning and eating the flesh of men and mer)
"Vokri Zeymah-Briinah Qoth Wah-Lok" =Near/Fear-Evil/Shadow?, Brother-Sister Tomb To-Sky (In reference to Alduin's plan to unearth the Dov from their tombs, allowing them to fly again)
"Alse Dwiinfron Oblaan Filok"=Destroyer of, steel End escape (Alduin bragging about destroying steel, that there's no escape)


Some things the dragon shouted when it was too far away to be heard by the party: (These are jokes)
"Ofan Daar Nikriin-Ogiim Paak", =Give These Wise/Doomed?-Orcs Shame.
"Fin Sahqo-bok Lost Naal Fahdon Ni Daardov",=The Red-Age Have/Was Friend Not This/These-Dragonkind (The Red Year was a friend, I didn't do it!)
"Laan Kos Med Brit-Kaaz" =Want/Request Be Like (similar to) Beautiful Khajit. (I want to be like a beautiful little cat!)
"Het Briikaaz Malkaaz"= Here Beauty-Khajit/cat? Little-cat/khajit (here pretty kitty, here little kitty)
"Dahmaan Fin Alamo" =Remember The Alamo
Aryxbez wrote:Finally, want to welcome you as the third person on this forum that I know, that's partaken in running an Elder Scrolls campaign (other two being myself, and Darth Rabbitt
Nice, thanks![/i]
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Synopsis of Game 3

Post by Bihlbo »

(Italicized parenthetical comments are me, the GM, talking to you, to give you insight that the players don't have. Otherwise this is what I sent the players by way of synopsis.)

Game 3

Ambush! From a bush an arrow flew. Our heroes were beset by desperate bandits as they approached the road that connected Helgen and Falkreath. The lives of two bandits were mercifully spared: Esbeir the melancholic who would give up this life if only he believed he could, and Lund the talkative bandit (the rest of this paragraph is Lund being talkative for comedic effect, the tl;dr verion is "Lund thinks banditry is fun!") for whom banditry is a rather good way to meet people and see new places, get out in nature and really have a good think, especially about the important things, like how you're going to spend the septims once you find a fence, or why more suits of armor don't have medallions, especially those Hammerfell ones with the spikey bits and little glass stones like you used to see before the war, what with all the shipments being disrupted and Hammerfell out of the Empire, so maybe everyone should just get used to never having those beautiful dark-skinned ladies coming up to Skyrim for a visit and an excuse to wear their fine furs and jewelry, which are all just wonderful loot when you get right down to it, those Redguard really know how to take care of their things, not like the Nords who mainly wear gold and silver because it doesn't weigh them down like coins do, even though Imperials never seem to mind being a jingle-jangly racket as they ride the roads, but maybe they don't have quality highwaymen down in Cyrodiil, which wouldn't be a surprise with the way the legion cracks down on pretty much anything that look at em wrong, and being bordered by Elsweyr has got to keep a man's hands closed on his purse, and hey didn't banditry get its start with those clever Khajiit anyway, soon as the elves started moving into their territory carrying the first bits of metal those catfolk had ever seen, and you can't blame em for wanting a bit of metal as you gotta imagine some steel and moonstone would shimmer in a hot desert sun like drops of sweat on a fine lassie's breast, but aren't the Khajiit all covered in fur, so they probably don't sweat that much, not that you could see, so maybe they got different things they like on account of the fur, which seems like a dangerous thing to have all over you given as much as people like having furs and pelts and things with pretty patterns like what they got, which makes you wonder how many Altmer got themselves an old rug that great-great grandad made out of some of those first bandits, hehe "fur"-st bandits, oh like the legendary Shagh Dar'Shagh who knocked over some elf wizards and found a ring that let him into another world where they say his plunder and riches still lie, waiting on the perfect bandit to come along and become the new Dar'Shagh, sorta like the Emperor of Bandits when you really have a good think about it, but you probably don't get to thinking down those lines unless you're really livin the life, out in the woods, sittin by the fire, waiting for your next mark to come along....

Once in the village, if you could call a loose collection of houses a village, Vilod introduces you to Jolif. As Jolif gets you settled in with some apple cabbage stew and Alto wine Vilod took Esbeir and Lund off to start their new lives as laborers (at least, that's what Vilod told the party) here in this village that seems to craft or trade for nearly anything you could imagine (because they stole it all, get it?). Our heroes and the refugees from Helgen were put up in a hunter's cabin at the eastern end of town, close to the small lake from which it looks as though they draw plenty of fish. Tyranus deduced that the suit of magical armor they found on the body of a corpse in the caves had cursed he and Calor. (The armor is magic - resistance to slashing - but cursed - anyone who wears it and attunes gets a curse put on them that gives disadvantage to saves against cold.)

Some bartering was done for new armor. Calor (née Mercator) Harpham (after taking the name of the dead man, in order to hide his identity) traded some goods to get his white troll furs turned into a proper cloak with silver buckles. Rakt'var purchased a new suit of chain mail that will need some alterations in order to fit properly. Tyranus set his sights on a suit of splint, but with septims short, services were swapped. (The old "please kill some monsters for us" ruse.) It was determined that the frostbite spider den would have to wait until the heroes returned from delivering the refugees to Falkreath.

Well-fed and rested, the group made good time along the road on their way west. Another group of survivors of the destruction of Helgen, in larger numbers than our heroes' group and with considerably more trauma amongst them, were met and welcomed. Imperial soldiers, clearly in a hurry, rode past going east, presumably toward the destroyed town. Some guards at a bridge stopped the refugees to learn what they could, and eventually decided their efforts would be best used in delivering the group to Jarl Siddgeir safely.

Though safety was not something one expects along the roads of Falkreath hold. Bandits have been taking positions from the hold guards, and these three had little confidence in their ability to protect a group so large and desperate. A suggestion was made that they consider their path: either along the roads known to be dangerous, or into the hills to an old tower that may or may not preset some danger. The group chose the road.

Atop a rocky hill, the stone having been removed to accommodate the highway, bandits built themselves a pop-up fortress from which they attacked our heroes and their unfortunate friends (this is the bandit control bridge close to Pinewatch from the VG, with which I've taken liberal liberties). First a trap of large boulders emptied down the hill, almost catching the nimble Rakt'var, who leapt over the stone as Tyranus ordered everyone into the woods to one side of the path. A barrage of arrows soon followed, forcing the heroes to duck and cover as they entered the pass between the cliffs. Somehow they managed to avoid getting hit by most of the arrows, and Calor even got off some eldritch revenge from the cover of an alcove as Two-Birds began to climb the stone. At the top of the rickety stairs Rakt'var launched his attack and was soon met by Tyranus, and Two-Birds from behind. The Argonian charged across the rope bridge to assault the guard shack on the other side, and Tyranus followed with his shield raised against the onslaught of arrows. Rakt'var lept over the Imperial like he was a boulder, and charged the bandits as Calor took cover and fired his blasts.

Once across, the heroes were met by ready bandits, confident in their position. Tyranus the bulwark held them off as Rakt'var flanked, soon finding himself surrounded. The battle was tense. Their spellcasters were mostly ineffective though the greatswords of the larger bandits found their mark many times. Calor killed bandit after bandit, and as his allies faltered and fell, saved only by Tyranus's divine powers, Calor entered the fray and blasted a bleeding bandit bowling onto the boulders below. (An uninjured warlock in magic armor with lots of temp hp makes a decent tank, as it turns out.)

Injured and furious about the lawlessness of Falkreath Hold, Tyranus, Calor, and Two-Birds look westward to their destination as Rakt'var giggles over the crass drawings he left on the faces of the dead and dying. (yeah, he drew dicks on their faces. He specifically purchased a brush and ink at the village in order to do this. Believe it or not, this is in character for him.)


GM Post-Morten for Game 3

I made up the stats for all the bandits on the fly. At level 2, the proficiency bonus (damn, I hate typing "proficiency") is +2. Beyond that you need AC, ability scores for attacks, and hit points. You can just make up numbers in the 12-17 range for AC and you're covered; ability score bonuses are going to range from +1 to +3 so whatever; hp are a total crapshoot - bandits can have between 10 and 80 hp and still be an appropriate challenge, so I just went with 15, 30, 35, and 40 hp, made 4 types of bandits, boosted their numbers to a total of 11, and called it good. For the spellcasters I gave them attack cantrips and 2 castings of a single level 1 spell.

All that seemed to work fine. If I statted it out by D&D's rules I'm sure it would have been an overwhelmingly overpowered fight, especially since I had ranged attacks and lots of terrain advantages. But CR might as well just not exist in 5e. Anyway, as GM you aren't going to outsmart your players when it comes to tactics.

I'm going to call the enemy creation process in 5e a mixed bag. It's awesome that a little familiarity with the MM lets you make enemies that can be written on a single line. It's not awesome that the MM presents us with such boring monsters that a one-line hack job seems totally acceptable by comparison.

When Two-Birds started to climb the cliff I said, "Hey that's a good idea," then, "too bad 5e doesn't have rules for that." They suggested he climbs 10 feet per round. I said, "Naw, he made a roll and I'll decide when he's done climbing." And there's nothing they can do about that, because 5e is a handful of deep-fried fun nuggets floating in a luke-warm broth of weaksauce. Anyway, 2B got to the top when they needed him there, because that broth doesn't need any of my piss in it.

I can't wait for the frost spiders. I think three of them should soften the party just enough for the Strongarm bandits to make quick work of them. The question is, should the bandits shoot to kill, hoping the players will capture and interrogate them in order to find out how they knew they were going to be attacking the spiders just then? Or should the bandits seek to capture the party, and for what reasons? Either way, I want the players to get a connection between the Strongarms and Pinewatch pretty soon, so they can decide to either smoke em out or take em over. I suppose the old note-on-the-corpse could pull that off.
Last edited by Bihlbo on Thu Jun 18, 2015 5:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Bihlbo »

Game 4

The fugitive heroes stood atop the makeshift fortress. They had just killed the bandits who made it, saving the lives of the refugees of Helgen. The fort lie a smouldering pile of charcoal as the group made their way west, toward the Jarl's longhouse in Falkreath. Tales were told of an ancient and dangerous ruin atop the Shriekwind Mountains, and mourners were passed on the road leading to Falkreath's cemetery, the largest in all of Skyrim.

At Shade Gate, the eastern of the Falkreath gates, atop which hung the Falkreath banner featuring the stag with the woven antlers on a dark lavender field, the guards were demanding of a group of Khajiit merchants, "State your names and your purpose for visiting Falkreath, and if any of you worship Talos you have to tell us." Here Rakt'vir is reunited with a Khajiiti lass he'd known from another caravan, Roh'fiicta. As the caravan passed into the city, Tyranus assumed a new identity as Tyr, and claimed that he and his comrades were responsible for saving the lives of the refugees they escorted. The guards with them vouched for the courage and strength of our heroes, and went into the city to speak with Jarl Siddgeir.

Once inside the city the Jarl's steward Nenya spoke with the group. She volunteered the barracks as a temporary shelter for the refugees who could not afford to lodge themselves elsewhere. The destruction of Helgen interested her, but the stories she heard gave her pause. As she stroked her pointed, golden chin she vowed to look into the matter.

At the Falkreath cemetery Runil was finishing giving last rites for the young Lavinia, daughter of Mathies and Indara, the owners of Corpselight Farm. The girl had been gruesomely torn to pieces, and though the killer was in a cell under the barracks, few could believe that a man was capable of such a thing. Runil, the tall Altmer priest of Arkay, removed the curse from the armor worn by Calor, and promised more help in the morning. He directed our party to the Dead Man's Drink, where many of Falkreath's well-off people eat and drink in the evenings. After a pricey meal, our heroes spent the night in the barracks, on their bedrolls but warm and dry.

Rakt'vir left early, feeling the morning dew cling cold to his fur. Just outside Mourner's Gate he found Ahkari's caravan. By the warm light of Jode Rakt'vir read until Azurah called forth the day and the Khajiit nearby awoke. He met with his old friend Roh'fiicta, who confessed she needed some help: a reimbursement to balance accounts, by way of revenge. Demure and sensitive as always, she asked for only the heads of the Silverblood thugs Vokegal and Mathean, who when outside of Markarth greatly abused her caravan.

The others found Runil in the temple in the center of the ancient graveyard. Though payment was offered, he chose simply to remove the curse from Tyr and Calor as an act of appreciation for all they did for the people of Helgen. He also mentioned that he'd lost a journal, a "record of regrets he'd like to remember." He gave directions to a cavern, through which he found a peaceful vale where he napped next to a pond.

Our heroes spent the next day ensuring they were well-provisioned. Selling the goods they had acquired from looting the bandits of whatever the refugees wouldn't use, they now have armor and weapons befitting their precarious position in the world.

It was decided that Runil's journal should be found before the group returns to deal with the frostbite spider lair, and so our heroes set out and headed north, leaving Waits-In-Still-Water and Calor in Falkreath to deal with some provisioning. The cave was easily found, and inside they found a small pond, but no sign of the journal. Some bootprints were found, so the group continued into the lush, uneven valley. Soon they were attacked by a trio of stalking wolves. Easily dispatched, the group discovered an ancient, ruined Ayleid platform with an occult shrine built next to the wall. Nearby they were attacked by a pair of sabretooth cats and snatched victory by a narrow margin. As they group began to take a rest in the thick ferns and young pines, they felt as though they were being hunted. Then the roar came, and the heroes fled. The great cave bear almost killed the party when Tyr's blade drove into the bear's skull. Further into the grotto another pond was found with the corpse of another hunter, who had apparently intended to make off with Runil's journal and some other bits of valuables found on other hunters who had come here alone and found themselves prey.

(The PCs turn level 3)
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Post by Bihlbo »

Game 5

This week our fugitive heroes returned to Falkreath from Bloated Man's Grotto. Upon speaking with Runil, the priest of Arkay, they learned that what they experienced in the grotto was likely the influence of Hircine, Daedric Lord of the Hunt. The group spoke to Sinding in his cell under the barracks. He admitted to the crime, but claimed that the legendary Ring of Hircine he wore was cursed when he stole it, and that lead to his accidentally killing the little girl Lavinia. He had tried to return the ring to Hircine by erecting a shrine in the grotto, which revealed that Hircine would speak with the one who kills the White Stag. Sinding wasn't successful in doing this before he was captured. In order to keep the cursed ring from falling into the hands of another werewolf, Runil took the ring and promised to finish the job of returning it. Our heroes promised to help with this quest and asked Runil to wait a few days before acting.

Off! Off the heroes set for the village of Pinewatch, with a mule-pulled cart and the sun on their backs. They arrived late in the day and were welcomed. Calor received his cloak made of white winter troll fur with silver buckles. The next morning they borrowed a cart and set off for the frostbite spider den that they promised to take care of for the people of Pinewatch. They scouted it out, with Waits-In-Still-Water turning into a spider to search for a way through the thick webbing surrounding the den. Eventually access had to be made with a sword. Inside was a huge clearing between the trees, covered in webbing, dim from the foliage above.

As our heroes entered the spider's lair, many dog-sized frostbite spiders descended on strands of silk. The fight was on, and the spiders looked as though they didn't stand a chance. When two spiders locked down Tyr with flying webs, another managed to poison him. But a paladin knows how to deal with impurities and soon he was back to full strength. Just in time for the mother spider. She hadn't counted on a ball of roiling fire appearing below her, and the smell of her burning fur soon filled the cavernous lair. Having dispatched the smaller spiders too soon for her liking, she was beset on all sides, and soon fell dead on top of Two-Birds.

The group harvested what they could and searched for loot and clues among the bodies of those cocooned. They discovered that the humanoid corpses lacked any items at all, as though the dead were helpless and mostly unclothed when they became spider food. Then Two-Birds noticed that the cocoons made a metallic sound when they landed, and he cleared away the debris to uncover an iron grate over an ancient Nord burial pit. But the exploration of this new discovery would have to wait.

On returning to their cart, hoping to get a rest, our heroes were greeted by a group of bandits who revealed, "We usually don't have to clean up after the spiders like this, but we're afraid you have to die." Rakt'var lead the attack, beheading a Nord with one swing of his iron maul. Arrows flew as Calor tore into bandit after bandit with eldritch terror. A raging barbarian nearly dropped Tyr, who survived with the help of Waits-In-Still-Water's magicka healing. With her dying breath the spell-casting bandit fell off the cliff onto Two-Birds. With most of the bandits killed, the Bosmer almost fled but was tackled by Rakt'var, who spared the archer's life.

The bandits, now victims of a mugging gone wrong, were looted and the party got the rest they sorely needed.
Psychic Robot wrote:chock full of aspie
"BEEP BEEP BOOP DOES NOT COMPUTE"
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