{"id":48053,"date":"2023-11-20T15:23:12","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T15:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wrongeverytime.com\/?p=38378"},"modified":"2023-11-20T15:23:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T15:23:12","slug":"misadventures-in-dungeons-dragons-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/20\/misadventures-in-dungeons-dragons-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Misadventures in Dungeons & Dragons: Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I\u2019m still in the process of unpacking the diverse refuse of my life into my new apartment, and thereby admiring the mix of grids, maps, borrowed miniatures, plastic dinosaurs, and legos with which I\u2019ve been furnishing my playing party\u2019s D&D campaign. That in turn got me thinking back to how all this nonsense began, with a handful of sample quests and vague aspirations of some eventual regional conflict. I wouldn\u2019t be able to sustain my writing output this long if I weren\u2019t translating my every idle thought into Content, so I guess what I\u2019m saying is to take a seat folks, as we once again delve into the triumphs and tribulations of my dubious dungeon mastering!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Every seasoned writer will tell you that starting small is the way to go, and that you should establish a firm grasp on the challenges of short narratives before attempting your magnum opus. At the same time, any decent writer will <\/span>also<\/span><\/i> tell you that unless you\u2019re writing for pay, you should really just embrace whatever ignites your passion, and write whatever inspires you to first press pen to paper. That sounded a lot more like what I wanted to do than the first piece of advice, so I swiftly set to work plotting out a narrative that would comprise three major acts, building the players into realm-saving heroes over the course of a gradual escalation in scale and drama.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWrite down the skeleton, but leave room for the characters to surprise you\u201d is good advice for traditional fiction, and even more essential for the collaboration that is D&D, so I kept things pretty simple to start: a first act spent establishing their reputation within Tasseldale, a second act of gathering allies to face a much larger threat, and a third act of actually facing that threat in a pan-Daleland war. The precise nature of that threat wouldn\u2019t really solidify until my players had reached the city of Yhaunn, capital of Tasseldale; for the moment, my overall summary and first act outline were quite simple, as you can see:<\/span><\/p>\n

The overall structure of this campaign concerns the fate of the Dalelands, with perhaps some sort of ultimate, larger threat following the final political antagonist. It will involve gaining popular support across the Dalelands, both through diplomatic accomplishments and acts of public heroism. After gaining renown and political connections in Tasseldale, the party will gain opportunities to expand their allegiances\u2019 support to either the south, west, or northwest<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Act One<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The party gather and establish their reputation during the Festival of Saint Agatha<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

V<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The raid of Castle Blackmire provides new opportunities and clues regarding the growing conflict<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

V<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

At Yhaunn, the party will become tied to Tasseldale\u2019s royal family, and charged with pursuing peace in the Dalelands<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

At the end of act one, the king and queen will be murdered during a grand parade, by a terrifying weapon of seemingly otherworldly origin. This will throw the future of both Tasseldale and the broader Dalelands into jeopardy<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Pretty standard stuff, as you can see. An early focus on self-contained conflicts to let the players and their characters gain a local reputation and degree of confidence in their play, leading into engagements with increasingly politically significant characters to draw the team towards larger acts of heroism. I knew I needed threads to guide the party from their provincial conflicts towards grand political theater, and thus designed the NPC Charlie as my first and most essential guide. While my party simply knew her as \u201cthat girl who helped with the first heist mission,\u201d my ferocious love of character writing had already infused her with an extended backstory, one that would eventually connect her with the Dalelands\u2019 larger political conflicts:<\/span><\/p>\n

King Ordo Ves and Queen Bea rule over Yhaunn and the surrounding territory of Tasseldale, repaying the region\u2019s bountiful farmlands with order, safety, and a superior standard of living. Their first and only daughter Aurora was born two years before Ordo helped bring peace to the Dalelands, and has been the royal couple\u2019s pride and joy ever since<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Princess Aurora Ves has thus led a sheltered life, mostly sharing the company of servants, tutors, and her handmaiden Charlotte. Charlotte was the daughter of Aurora\u2019s nursemaid, and was raised alongside her in the castle chambers. The two were each other\u2019s confidants; Aurora regaled Charlotte with tales of royal feasts and balls, and was delighted in turn by Charlotte\u2019s stories of adventures with the children of the city. Charlotte parlayed royal academy-tier harp lessons into blistering lute performances at the local taverns, while developing a quieter reputation as a magnificent thief<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The two were happy, in their own way. They were like sisters of circumstance, each basking in the other\u2019s shadow. It was thus a great surprise to Charlotte when Aurora handed her a bag of gemstones, urging her to flee the city. \u201cThey will come for us both. I must stay for Father, but you, you must live, Charlotte. My dearest friend. My\u2026 please, please forgive me. Know I am with you always\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And so Charlotte fled. With tears in her eyes and a fiery tangle in her throat, she snuck from Yhaunn without a word, taking passage with a westward caravan and blotting the city from her sight. In short order, the gifted singer ‘Charlie’ became a fixture of mid-Daleland taverns, relying on her voice, her charm, and that irrepressible thieves\u2019 instinct to guide her true. Charlie\u2019s life carried on this way for five years or so, until a letter received during the Saint Agatha harvest festival prompted her to return home<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I know, probably a bit excessive, but instilling NPCs with as much personhood as possible is likely my favorite part of being a dungeon master. And heck, we haven\u2019t even gotten into Charlie\u2019s true<\/em><\/span>\u00a0backstory, which is even more consequential and convoluted than this one. Aurora and Charlie would ultimately become my most fully realized player allies, both guiding the narrative course of the campaign and infusing it with personal emotional stakes all along the way. Nonetheless, as I said, none of this was known to my players at the time of the first few sessions: I\u2019m just providing a window of where I personally had plotted through, knowing they\u2019d munch through Nettlebarn in no time. But before that, they\u2019d have to survive my second major quest, and the quest this festival was essentially designed around: The Flowering of the Nettlebairn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Investigating the history of the town will reveal that it was originally named \u201cNettlebairn,\u201d literally \u201cChild of Thorn,\u201d but shifted over time owing to nobody being able to pronounce or remember \u201cNettlebairn.\u201d If questioned further on the town\/festival, younger townsfolk dissolve into fits of giggles and monstrous fairytales, while elders grow quiet, offering only \u201cask the dancers\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Lugdug will reveal all of this information, saying he heard it from the furrier elements of the community – \u201cdidja know this place wasn\u2019t always called Nettlebarn? The name don\u2019t make much sense now, don\u2019t it.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Charlie can also manage this – as an outsider, she also finds something weird about the tone of this place<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Among the revelers of the festival, there are many in costumes ranging from wolfen furs to thatch and straw. Most mingle freely among the crowd, but some seem strange and unnatural in their movements – a touch more animalistic, a shade more stilted and staggered. They dance among the madding crowd, and when addressed speak gaily and haltingly of Agatha\u2019s benevolence<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Investigating\/pursuing the strange revelers leads the party to a gathering on the outskirts of the city. Around a derelict farmhouse, creatures somewhere beyond human dance round the flames, bellowing to whatever gods they obey. You may dance with these monstrosities until dawn, or investigate their purpose. Either way, a <\/span><\/i>FIGHT<\/i><\/b> will result, with some sort of armor\/items reward, along with the knowledge of the cult\u2019s true forest sanctuary (and the time on Sunday on which it will be accessible)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n