Tales from the Whitebox, Session 12

 In which the party...

• Enter into the black dragon's lair caves, with the entrance hall created as a sort of mess hall for the Malisha thieves guild, with the whole cave giving a damp feeling.
• Enter a southern door and come into a crumbling former barracks of sorts, where 4 orcs crouch among rusted armor and weapons guarding a chest. They turn and shout for the intruders to "be gone" brandishing their weapons.
• Manage to kill 3 of the orcs, and take the survivor Grubz as a prisoner, learning from him that the orcs were lackeys of the Black dragon and kept an eye on his place while he was out hunting, and in return, they used his presence to lord over other monsters in the nearby mountains.
• Learns that Grubz knows the layout of the caverns and where the dragon's lair is - and promises to show the party there if his life is spared. 
• Thumb searches the room and discovers a secret door leading to a set of stairs leading down to a second level of the dungeon. 
• Retreat back and discover another door which leads to a dead end with a musky odor. 
• Return to the mess hall, and search there for any secrets without any luck as well.
• Torches running low, retreat for now with the rest of the guild, with Grubz being taken for further interrogation and information about the dungeon and its layout.

Current levels: Thumb 4, Lap 1, Murder F1/M1

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 11

 In which the party...

• Learns of the Sister Springs in the mountains which may heal all ailments and also provide powers to those who bathe there.
• Asks around in Goalshine for rumors on the location, and while doing so learn of a giant snake to the north east harassing the Goalshine militia.
• Meet with one Ophelia Therundlin, the ex-con converted gnoll captain of the Goalshine militia, who offers them a possible reward if the "heroes" can put down the giant snake terrorizing the militia.
• Travel northeast through the mountains, crossing a river, finding a road to Malisha town, foraging for rations with Thorfinn killing a rabbit while hunting, and searching for the snake with no luck.
• Discover a strange set of stairs and walkways crisscrossing between some mountains, with Thumb deciding to stop and plan to delve into the walkways and stairs. Lap is disappointed that Thumb would shirk the quest at hand, but Lap and Thorfinn are happy with the chance to make some profit.
• However, at night in the camp outside, 2 giant spiders attack the party, poisoning Thumb and Thorfinn as the party is forced to flee, throwing some of their rations including the rabbit to distract the monsters.
• Thumb and Thorfinn become more and more sick in the mountains as the party continues to travel, forcing a march to return to Goalshine for healing.
• Thorfinn dies to the poison, and they bury him at the base of the mountains and continue moving. Thumb continues to become more sick and goes unconscious on the night of the 8th day. 
• Become lost in the mountains, with Thumb at the brink of death and rations running low for Lap and Murder - when they stumble upon, of all factions, the thieves guild of Malisha set up camp outside a cave entrance in the mountains.
• Receive help from the guild who recognize Thumb, being given healing potions and allowed to heal up over the next month, with Thumb coming too - and learning that he had been saved by the Malisha thieves guild much to his chagrin.
• Learn that the guild had arrived to the cave after the Black Dragon's attack on Malisha, where the creature continued to terrorize the townfolk, as they had learned through rumors that this cave held the Black Dragon's Hoard - and the guild was planning to take it for themselves! 
• Get offered a share if the party helps them explore the cave and get to the hoard.

Current Levels: Thumb 4, Lap 1, Murder F1/M1

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 10

 In which the party...

• Head to the "Not Hostel" Inn in their debauchery following their "victory" over the black dragon.
• Thumb goes to learn rumors about the black dragon, which yields no information
• Lap tries to ask out Millie Hnuk, the dwarven inn owner - who soundly rejects his advances.
• Party learns from Millie that there are 8 rats causing problems for her customers, and she requests to put an end to the trouble, for free room and board.
• The party heads into the packed common room, which is filled to the brim with vagabonds and travelers in double sided bunks.
• Are led to a hole in the wall to the side of the room from within which chittering sounds emerge.
• Thumb lays out a plan - placing a pile of rations in front of the hole to attract the rats as the party climbs some bunks to shoot them down. 
• As they wait, Thorfinn polishes his bow as Murder proclaims he is the best bowman in the group, much to Thorfinn's annoyance.
• The rats emerge and the party battles them from a distance, the rats unable to reach them - until some of the rats knock down the bunks with Thorfinn and Murder, laying them prone.
• Thumb stays up, motioning for Lap to stay up as well, but Lap shakes his head with disgust and jumps down to defend his prone comrades while they ready themselves.
• The rest of the rats are cleaned up, Thumb staying up and missing all his shots, while the party on the ground manages to kill the rest with blades.
• At the end of the battle, Lap is disappointed in Thumb, telling him he shouldn't have stayed up as his opinion of him drops. 
• Thorfinn also has his opinion drop of Thumb, not due to his actions but since he wasn't even able to hit one of the rats, with Thorfinn having contempt for the thief.
• Murder, however, has more respect as his opinion on Thumb rises, noting Thumb did the right thing by protecting himself, as every man - or elf - must think themselves the most valuable person on the team.
• The party rests up in the Not Hostel Inn for the next few days with paid room and board - even despite Lap's mild protests given the heartbreak from Millie - as they plan their next steps.

Current Levels: Thumb 4, Lap 1, Thorfinn 3, Murder F1/M1

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 9

 In which the party...

• Travels through forests and swamps, braving a night long storm in the swamp lands.
• Spends time foraging for food in the swamplands and continuing to travel - when on their 4th night, the black dragon itself is encountered.
• The party immediately bows to the black dragon. They prostrate before it, and amused it engages them in dialogue (using reaction rolls):
• "Oh great dragon, we come with a bargain."
• "Mortal, what do propose, what petty trinkets do you have that I could not simply strip from you with my flames?"
• "We can provide you a city full of men folk, on a plain, clear and easy pickings. The men have no experience of hiding their sheep from dragons like the town of Goalshine. The town is called Malisha."
• "And why do I not simply take both. All these lands are under my dominion. You simply offer what is already mine!"
• "But of course that is true - yet they do not claim that! They say they are their own masters!"
• The dragon's eyes flare with fury, "They dare! Let their children, and their children's children feel my wrath!"
• With this, the great dragon takes off and flies at full wrath towards Malisha city.
• The party, having directed the dragon's sight away from Goalshine, travel back to town, resting to forage once more - but this time, a pack of 6 kobolds attacks them at night.
• They manage to slay the kobolds and return to town, claiming they chased the dragon off out of Goalshine!
• The town, over the next few nights, seeing no dragon attacks celebrates them as heroes and pays them the promised 1000 gold.
• The party, flush in wealth, continues on seeking further reward with a burgeoning reputation as heroes. Little do they know that the rumors of their "dragon vanquishing" exploits start traveling to the ears of the black dragon itself!

Current Levels: Thumb 4, Lap 1, Thorfinn 3, Murder 1/1

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 8

In which the party...

• Heads back out to Goalshire in the mountains to deal with the black dragon harming the sheep economy for old man slathery. 
• Travels for 5 days through the mountains, given the rough terrain and need to ration food.
• On day 1, encounters an obelisk overlooking a cliff, with jagged runes scrawled over it. Another obelisk rests at the base of the floor, in similar runes.
• Avoid the obelisks given they are unsure of the exact function of these structures.
• Hide from a lumbering fire giant during the first night.
• Get lost on day 2, and climb up a mountain adding a day to their trip, allowing a better view for navigation. 
• Continue to travel before getting attacked by a hell hound on day 3, which corners the party in a dead end canyon.
• Fights off the hellhound, which eventually loses morale and flees not used to such stern competition.
• Manages to find their way by day 4 - only to be attacked by a starving Wyvern in the mountains.
• Kill the starving wyvern and manage to harvest its flesh, which has a fishy taste to it.
• Discover four magma mephits, which they circumvent and leave alone as the burble and melt back into the floor. 
• Finally arrive at Goalshire at 5 days, and learn from Old Man Slatherly that the dragon has in fact been kept at bay, or at least distracted, by a wyvern...which the party realizes was the one they killed.
• Learns that 1000g will be paid - a sum gathered from the whole town - to any that can stay the black dragon. 
• Learn the Lap, Thorfinn, and Murder has improved their opinion of Thumb following his direct and smart decisions.
• Sees the hatching of the drake egg, revealing a small red dragon which is named Flametongue and beings a companion to Thumb on the continuing journey.
• Will plan to head to the black dragons lair, despite some of the party's misgivings, to fulfil Old Man Slatherly's request.

Current levels: Thumb 4, Thorfinn 3, Murder 1/1, Lap 1

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 7

 In which Thumb...

• Heads to the Dark Tower of Calibar, after learning that one mage Calibar had ousted a prince of Stoutwall castle named Bran and was hired as part of a job notice set out by Bran's godmother Brunhilde.
• Joins Prince Bran, alongside Kragkor the cleric, Houn the cleric, and Bol of the seven hills to venture into the large cavern housing the tower of Calibar, the party led by the namesake "Prince Bran the Brave". 
• Arrives at the castle, where Thumb, as the thief, scales the walls and comes to the top of the tower, where the only openings - a set of windows - are present.
• Climbs onto the roof to set a grappling hook and rope down, which the party starts climbing - only to realize too late that the roof is in fact a drake nest with 4 drake eggs!
• 4 drakes fly from deeper within the cavern and attack the climbers, as the climbers all are either burnt to crisp by the drakes or plummet to the floor to their deaths.
• Thumb, the only survivor, grabs two drake eggs and dives into the window - only to be accosted by 2 baby faced, muscled monsters that leap at him.
• Thumb holds the drake egg out the window, barely avoiding the baby faced monsters blow - as the drakes come and attack the monsters!
• In the chaos, Thumb climbs out the window and scales down the tower, sprinting for the exit of the cavern as the drakes and muscled baby faced monsters battle. 
• He manages to hide out in some rocky outcroppings until he is sure the coast is clear, and returns to Malisha - and sells one egg for 20g, and keeps the other to raise for a drake for the future (learning from an expert the egg would hatch in 4 weeks).
• Thumb again decides to recruit some party members - in this case, Lap of the Dun Cloak, a militant stubborn dwarf fighter who is immediately fond of the thief; and Murder the Marked, a selfish, money hungry elf fighter/magic user who has contempt for his new employer being a mere thief.
• As the new adventurers meet outside of a tavern, a screech reveals a hawk flying up and over to the shoulder of a bounty hunter - the same bounty hunter who had carted in Wexley.
• The bounty hunter faces off with them, stating that Thumb had ruined his pay out for the mage capture job, and that he wants his revenge.
• The new party fights off and manages to knock out the bounty hunter and take out his hawk, despite getting some bruises themselves.
• The party ties up the bounty hunter, and Thumb offers him a deal - become part of the new party, or die.
• The bounty hunter, without much choice, reluctantly accepts and becomes a member of the new party, with the others initially keeping a close eye on him. He introduces himself as Thorfinn, and the hawk as Blood Hawk, and the party learns he is a reckless, extroverted individual who (obviously) starts with much contempt towards them.
• The party takes two weeks to rest up and heal up following the bout and plans their next job.

Current Levels: Thumb 4, Thorfinn 3, Lap 1, Murder 1

Tales from the White Box, Session 6

 In which the party...

• Has Thumb looking through the Malisha classifieds and finding Old Man Slathery's quest to kill a black dragon that is disrupting the sheep based economy. 
• Packs rations and with Wexley plans to head over to the Goalshine township Blacksmithy 4 days northwest through the mountains. 
• Has no encounters on day 1 of travel, however on day 2 gets lost in the mountains.
• Comes across a set of dogfolk - dog creatures with human like bodies - who look hungry and start attacking the duo, with 4 dogfolk in the pack.
• Who tear Wexley to shreds at Thumb flees blindly, getting gored by 2 of the dog men but managing to survive as he escapes - if totally lost.
• Camps to rest and heal for the night - only to catch the sight of a 10 headed hydra which stalks the mountains.
• Offers the hydra a Cider jug, kow towing to it saying "oh great one" - and as the creature's heads fight over the cider he manages to sneak away as they are distracted.
• Finally rests up before realizing he is now out of food and must return to Malisha town - if he can figure out where he is first.
• Wanders blindly on the third day of travel before stumbling onto the coast - and seeing the coastal city of Malisha rising up in the distance.
• Manages to travel along the coast without encounter until by the end of the third day, reaches Malisha once more.
• Spends some gold to rest up for the period of a week and heal back up to fighting strength before planning out his next move.

Current level: Thumb 3