DND Blog

A place to keep DND session recaps, from various campaigns.

The Eighty-Third Session

May 13, 2023, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

Kerjes shows up with the Roc; we kill her.

Table of Contents

  1. Last session
  2. The wait
  3. Kerjes arrives
  4. That evening
  5. To Ren's Parlor
  6. Next Up

Last session

We did some planning, and we've decided that the boat will be our lead option.

Now it's time to lure in Kerjes.

We make up Ryltar to make him look wounded. Jerry climbs up on a roof and gets a case of Hide in plain sight shingles to look for Kerjes' approach. The people not already poison-resistant gather in the courtyard, ready to be bespelled with all the temporary boosts we can get, before running off.

The wait

All these guards, waiting to defend their city. The guard captain, recently short an arm, nods at Ryltar. Merrill, praying for guidance. Vurguron stands near three guards, waiting. They're not trained as he is. They're sloppy in places. Ryltar prays to Denier. Percival has his Armor of the Ancients, and he pets the wooden bracer. It wiggles under his touch, reassuringly. Vurguron's sword glows a slightly brighter grey.

Jerry looks out over the rolling hills, the orchard, the city which her family has made their home. Majorie pokes her head out of a window, looking around.

4 p.m. rolls 'round, and the sun begins to set.

Jerry rolls a 10 perception.

After 6 p.m., we see movement above the northern horizon. The horizon is 20 miles away, to the north. She watches another round, and with a natural 28 she sees a green glint. A gargantuan flying dragon, flying dragon, as well as another set of feathered wings, falling behind. Jerry calls down to the courtyard to cast the resistances and get to their places.

Merrill casts Resistance to poison for Vurguron, Ryltar, and Percival

Kerjes arrives

She flies over the courtyard, banks, circling the city. She makes her presence known. The Roc trails her. Kerjes approaches, and lands atop the Mayor's mansion.

Ryltar's crossbowman kicks him out of the house, and he staggers and falls onto the ground. He stands and staggers onto a pile of rubble, shouting, "Traitors! You give me up for this?" And he gives a hearty cough, before collapsing.

"I always do enjoy those who betray themselves," says Kerjes. She flaps across the courtyard and lands atop the wrong building for our ballista shot. The Roc lands on the mayor's mansion. "What companions are these?"

"They had no choice! They would stay here and be annihilated, or leave, and return, with health and weapons." He does roll a pretty successful 20 Intimidation. Kerjes skips across the courtyard, and crunches onto a building on the north end. The Roc moves to her last place.

"You dare grovel before me? And spite my name?"

"What choice did you give us? Go find Eta'el? Where is he? A cloud giant, up in the air?" Somewhat persuasive. He backs up. She climbs down into the courtyard, and approaches him, seething hatred for our attacks on her minions. "They were nothing to us," says Ryltar, "As they were nothing to you as well. If only the citizens of this town thought any better of us."

"And yet they betrayed you!" She approaches him, puts one foot in the fountain.

He has a really good look at her chest. The white streak looks kinda-healed, but the scales are wilted, or softened, or a sickly yellow compared to the emerald green. Above it is the mark where Ren's spell hit.

"And after all this time, Eta'el wanted to get a sky-staff from you, and why?"

Jerry casts Web, connecting Kerjes to the fountain and mansion and rubble. She gets a 20 against Jerry's 15 and is not immediately bound by the Web. Oh well.

The jig is up, time to attack.

Percival leads with Tasha's Hideous Laughter, and inspires the ballista-firing captain.

Salris casts Crown of Stars, jumps out of a door, and fires off a mote at Kerjes. It hits with a 26 and does 4d12 radiant = 31.

Kerjes tries to fly up as a legendary action, and moves out of the web.

Vurguron makes some crossbow attacks, and fails.

Kerjes now uses her breath weapon, dealing 40 damage; Ryltar takes halved 20, the guard captain in the mansion survives barely, Percival takes 10, and, the rest of the ballista crew dies. Then Kerjes uses her Frightful Presence, and many people are frightened, including all the civilians and Majorie.

The ballista crew pull through with Merrin's help, and launch the boat. Our remaining NPCs collectively do a tiny amount of damage to Kerjes.

Ryltar casts Cone of Cold and does a halved 14 cold to Kerjes.

The Roc then moves, and swoops down to the courtyard, attacking Ryltar with its claws and beak, dealing some damage. Merrill casts Beacon of Hope on Ryltar, Percival, and the guard captain, giving them advantage on Wisdom saves, death saves, and a max heal.

Jerry casts Ensnaring Strike, hits Kerjes with an arrow, fails the spell, and ducks down into the building.

Majorie shoots twice, misses twice, and is no longer frightened.

Percival shoots off a fireball on Kerjes and the Roc, and hits them both. Not much damage in terms of percents, unfortunately.

Salris hits the Roc with 28 radiant from another mote of the crown.

Vurguron dashes out towards the Roc and Firebolts it.

Salris takes a shitton of damage from Kerjes, who sneers, "You're dealing with me, coward." She just took off two thirds of his health.

There's a lot of mostly-useless firing from the citizens, but they do a little damage to the Roc. Then Kerjes tail-whips their buildings, leaving most dead.

Ryltar casts Mental Prison on Kerjes, and mostly succeeds, but she burns a Legendary Resistance, and only takes 5d10 psychic damage, as she yells, "I am the master of this realm!"

Ryltar takes some damage from the Roc, and goes down, with two failed death saves. He trusts Merrill with his life. Merrill casts a healing spell on herself, Vurguron, and Ryltar, who because they have Beacon of Hope take 29 healing.

Jerry gets out of her building, pops Hunter's Mark, and shoots the Roc for 29 piercing. She then shelters behind some rubble.

Kerjes tail-attacks Salris for 21, and he's barely still alive.

Majorie shoots the Roc, critting and hitting, for 18 damage. It screeches in pain.

Percival roasts Kerjes and the Roc; the Roc looks quite singed. Kerjes turns her head to glare at Percival, and uses her last Legendary Action to whack Salris with a tail, leaving him still up! He uses Mental Prison on Kerjes, who once more screams. She burns a Legendary Resistance, and still takes 30-some damage. Then he sends off a mote for 28 radiant, and shadow-steps behind her. The Burning Blood gem grows bigger in his hand.

Vurguron pulls out his Shadowblade and rolls max damage, dealing 34 on the first slice to the Roc, which is on its last leg now. Then does 15 psychic, and the Roc collapses, dead. Ryltar doesn't get too badly squished! He only takes 2 damage.

Kerjes uses her poisonous dragonsbreath attack, and lots of people take damage. Percival takes 27 and Jerry, Merrill, Salris, Ryltar, Vurguron take 13. Salris is down. Kerjes stands over Salris, and growls, "Mine."

The citizens do some shooting. The guard captain is simply dead.

Percival does some fireball.

Ryltar summons the Hound of Ill Open behind Kerjes, flanking her for Salris' attacks and giving her disadvantage for the intelligence saves she's about to make. She roars, "No more!" And now it's Hold Monster time, with 26 psychic damage. Kerjes uses her Legendary Action to tail-attack Salris, bringing him to two death saves.

Merrill moves up and casts a second Mass Cure Wounds, giving 24 health, and gets Salris back alive and up. He's about to fuck her up, from the bottom.

She does a Legendary Action, making wing attacks, and Salris and the dog take 13 bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone. Kerjes moves half her speed, but Salris makes an attack of opportunity, and the dog too. Salris deals 19 damage, and prevents her from further moving.

Jerry moves closer and shoots twice with her longbow, missing. Majorie shoots and deals 14 piercing.

Percival casts Hold Monster again. Vurguron gains a bardic inspiration. The hound does not much, but it flanks Kerjes by moving through walls.

Salris casts Banishing Smite on Kerjes, and starts expending all the things. Blessing of the Burning Blood, 7 fire from his soul, 4d10 = 26 force damage: She's below 50 HP, and is banished for a minute.

We prepare our stuff. Merrill does some healing, then pops a Guardian of Faith and leaves.

Kerjes reappears.

Ryltar's Cone of Cold, Vurguron's sword, Jerry's glaive, Salris' Banishing Smite: The dragonbreath she's holding to release is frozen in her throat; our piercing weapons shatter parts of her. Salris rams his sword down her throat, and says, "Mine."

Kerjes explodes like the Death Star.

"You know, when we came to this city, a day ago, I think we all thought this was a little fucking crazy. And it was indeed a little fucking crazy," says Ryltar.

The guards cheer; the people begin to filter back into the streets. We start looking for people.

We discuss whether this will let us get admission to the adventurer bar in the other city.

Jerry invites everyone to crash in her home for the evening.

We fold up the collapsible boat.

That evening

There are no demons left; they were all destroyed by the Magister. We tell the people in the Temple of Pellor that the dragon is dead, and we thank them for not turning us in to her. Umara and the rest of Jerry's family dogpile Jerry and Majorie.

The celebration and relief continues into the night. Kerjes and her pet Roc are dead.

The city needs to be rebuilt. As we leave, Majorie says that she wants to help lead its reconstruction. "Though my travels have been brief, I know what has happened to me is not what I want to have happen." "More than enough adventure for a lifetime?" asks Ryltar, and Majorie says "Yes."

"It is good to know that our city will be in good hands," says Jerry.

To Ren's Parlor

In the morning, Ryltar, still drunk, teleports us to Ren's circle. We go out into his living room, and there's a note on the table.

Next Up

So yeah, we forgot about the Roc.