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

Tales from the White Box, Session 5

In which the party...

• Travels north along Cidery Road with Wexley into Cider country of the Dolmenwood Tithelands.
• Arrives at the Tithelands Cidery, which numerous rotting apples being burned by the cider workers. 
• Learns that the apples having been causing nightmares, or sweet dreams with death. Offer 1000g to investigate - the party leaps on the offer.
• Notice the pigs getting riled up by evening, and plan to stake out the camp at night.
• Discover two ladies in waiting to the Lady of Spring Unending - Demozel Hazel and Demozel Olive - have taken residence there.
• Lady Hazel holds court for the pigs, wearing their teeth to ease them in, and talks of revolts against the Church and nobility by the peasantry in the cities. 
• Thumb introduces himself  humbly, and Hazel is curious and lets him know she has placed Nightmares - but is shocked to hear that people have died. She offers to show them to Olive who may know more.
• Thumb meets Olive, a human enthusiast (with human teeth necklace) who immediately peppers the duo with questions on anatomy.
• Learns from Olive that she has been removing the Nightmares and placing poisons "because they are so popular with you lot, right?" - which has been causing the deaths.
• Olive is shocked to learn poisons ARE NOT popular, and promises to stop and keep removing Nightmares where she can.
• Both Olive and Hazel refuse the leave the Tithelands, and Hazel refuses to stop placing Nightmares as it is great fun. However, Olive secretly slips a spellbook for Detect Magic to Wexley that can help identify all the apples in a bunch which are nightmares.
• Saying goodbye courteously to the elven sisters, the duo meet up with the cider masters and explain the situation - and propose a system where, since the apples are no longer to be poisoned, that they can use the detect magic spellbook on bushels of apples to remove the Nightmare ones, and have Olive help out with removal at nights in exchange for "human lessons".
• The cider masters are intrigued, and allow themselves to be introduced to Olive the next night - and a plan is in place, as apple cider production, much to the relief of the cider workers, seems back in full swing despite their nocturnal elven intruders.
• Having solved the cider crisis, the cider workers give the party the promised 1000g.
• Thumb and Wexley start heading north once more, as a weathered sign points them in the direction of the King's Road to the north.

Current level: Thumb 2, Wexley 1

Tales from the White Box, Session 4

In which the party...

• Is made of a small town thief in Malisha named Thumb, with a poor track record in the local Thieves Guild (being "all thumbs") - but with ambitions to start his own guild where he won't be mocked and ridiculed.
• Hears about the death of 2 adventurers to the southwest with a fire elemental from a bounty hunter who had carted over a mage who had caused the debacle for a reward.
• Decides dealing with the fire elemental itself might net a hefty profit, and hatches a plan to break the mage who created the elemental itself out of prison.
• Learns that a Mob of Peasants has taken the mage to the local lake- if the mage floats, he's a user of black magic and deserves to die; but if he sinks, he is innocent, and still dies but by drowning instead of stabbing of pitchforks.
• Joins into the crowd and tries to stealthily dive into the lake before the mage is tossed in - but utterly fails and creates a massive splash as onlookers notice him diving in...
• Gets lucky as the Mob is riled up enough that many peasants join into the fun and dive into the lake after him - making the task of retrieving the mage infinitely harder. 
• Manages to dive in and pull down the mage long enough that the Mob thinks he had drowned and disperses.
• Swims downstream before pulling himself and the still bound mage out from the lake muck. 
• Learns the mage's name is Wexley, and he is a strange fellow who is quite spiritual about fire magics, to the point of eccentricity.
• Learns the mage wanted to bring down the fire god Lavos to the earth, and to do this was trying to create a fire elemental with his "ball of fire" spell - which unfortunately went haywire.
• He is initially reluctant but agrees to help Thumb clean up his mess for a reward, as this could help his further his research on fire god summoning.
• Wexley notes that he was using a set of runes with read magic and he could likely reverse the summoning and send the elemental back to a plane of fire - but he would require it to be distracted so he could read it uninterrupted.
• The duo make it to the camp without incident, and start their plan by first sending a flare to lure the elemental away as Wexley read the runes and Thumb kept watch.
• The plan immediately goes awry as the elemental is wise to their trap and attacks Wexley, who luckily is only singed.
• Wexley creates a night sphere to momentarily trap the elemental, as well as blind it - and Thumb, taking advantage of the blinded monster jumps into the sphere with his daggers to distract it.
• With Thumb's distractions - despite getting burned - and Wexley's reading of the runes, the elemental is banished back to the fire plane as both adventures collapse, exhausted but triumphant. 
• The duo return to town - only to receive a paltry sum of 10 gold as a reward - just enough to relieve their rations - and a pardon as both had gone against the leadership of the town with Wexley's escape from capture. 
• Frustrated with the minimal reward, the duo decide to travel north to explore the lands there further.

Current level: Thumb 1, Wexley 1