Rise of the Rahib, Session 6

• Razul is forced to strike a deal with a demon, who promises a chance to escape in exchange for "a favor"
• The demon replenishes Razul's magic, which Razul uses to have a guard in the slaver's camp quietly unlock the cage he, Hakim, and the other slaves are in, as they escape.
• Razul, Hakim, and the ensorcelled guard escape into the wilds, but find themselves trapped in a sunken cistern for shelter during a massive thunderstorm.
• They awaken at night to be attacked by 8 skeletal warriors in the cistern.
• Razul shoves the ensorcelled guard into the skeletons as he and Hakim manage to escape into the storm, forced to spend a night under some trees and are soaked, but alive.
• Return to the cistern in the morning, the weather clear, only to find the guard's desiccated form, left to rot. 
• The duo continue to trudge through heavy rains, as they come across one warrior surrounded by an entourage.
• The warrior introduces himself as Valahil, the pit fighter, and his entourage are his servants and admirers. 
• He boasts of his victories, but is uninterested in helping the duo, merely pointing them indirection of Alahamara and leaves to adventure into the wilds.
• Razul and Hakim head in the direction pointed by the pit fighter, and finally the volcano where they met first crests over the horizon of the vast plains.
• They turn southwest from it, towards where they know the town of Alahamara resides, and run into some bison herders who threateningly raise their slings, herding bison.
• They give the herders wide berth and continue along the way, and finally reach the town of Alahamara, selling off whatever goods and treasures they had found since the start of their adventures.
• They finally rest, eating a hearty meal and refilling their rations before getting some lodging to sleep for the night.
• They awaken the next morning as the season finally changes, the summer being replaced with crisp autumn air and the ground coated with the first snowfall of the season.

Current Level: Razul 3, Hakim 2

Rise of the Rahib, Session 5

• Razul and Hakim come across a wide expanse of 7' grass, but otherwise find nothing in a heat wave that begins.
• Return back to Alahamara, and are forced to beg on the streets for alms to survive and buy some food.
• Head back into the wilds and have a string of bad luck on an extended stretch of heat waves, avoiding wolves, staying clear of a tornado, and slowly painstakingly finding rations after being on the brink of starvation. 
• Their luck finally turns as they find a hot springs in the mountain, which lets them get some rest and rejuvenate.
• Hakim finds his leg healing with the strange magicks of the springs, to the point he is able to walk with a limp and a cane. 
• The duo set out, feeling well rested and rejuvenated, and see the fluttering banner of a settlement in the distance and head towards it.
• Unfortunately, they are greeted near the settlement not by guards but bandits who rush out of it to attack them!
• They attempt to fight off the bandits but are knocked out and taken prisoner.
• Hakim and Razul awaken, stripped of their gear and weapons, in chains in a slavers cart.
• The slave caravan moves forward, with 10 other shivering slaves leaning against the cage as they see the town - Vakri, they learn from one of the slaves, a bandits' den - in the distance.
• Razul alone however, sees another sight - a grinning demon imp, sitting on top of the slavers cart, looking down on him.
• The demon imp speaks, saying only Razul can see it, and it can offer him a bargain to get out of this situation - at a cost!

Current Level: Razul 3, Hakim 2

Rise of the Rahib, Session 4

• Razul and Hakim, with their new quarry the nomad Nara, and her son Qubi and daughter Elmi, continue to travel through the steppe searching for a settlement. 
• Give wide berth to a Ash'Hassim that passes by, expressionless and moves on.
• Push through a thunderstorm and encounter 3 slave traders, carting along 9 slaves in a caravan who greet them with friendly intentions, seeing the weapons by their sides.
• Try to negotiate the sale of slaves to the party, but Razul refuses.
• The slavers point them in the direction of the nearest settlement, Alahamara, a small town.
• The party arrives by nightfall to Alahamara, the town which is currently hosting a festival called the Day of Tahmet's Ablutions, a 9 day affair during which and idol of the god of Tahmet, the reputed warrior god who fought back Akkai himself during ancient times, is worshipped.
• The town of a few 100 people otherwise sits tense as rumors of a stronghold of  the Black Legion to the north swirl through, even breaking the jubilation of the festival.
• Nara and her children take their leave of the party, but promise to keep in contact as they attempt to find work and settle into the town.
• Razul and Hakim go to the market to buy rations, and also recruit vagabonds to help them against the tyrant lizard in the dormant volcano to the south.
• Manage to recruit 9 vagabonds with the promise of gold, and with light rain the next morning, head back south to the dormant volcano. 
• On their way, they discover a strange settlement with scattered corpses - no undead are present, but the banner of the Black Legion flutters over the small hamlet with a few dozen people - suggesting cult is indeed gathering in strength. 
• The contingent enters the dormant volcano, heading through the rooms, encountering just some wolves which avoid the large number of warriors walking through the dungeon.
• Arrive at the Kuyu room, and manage to convince the 8 Kuyu to join them to create a massive force to take on the tyrant lizard, and plot a surprise attack.
• Unfortunately, this is not enough as the tyrant lizard faces off against them, managing to kill all but Razul, Hakim, 2 of the warriors, and 1 of the Kuyu who are forced to flee and barely survive. 
• The warriors abandon the party, saying no money was worth this, and hightail it out of the dungeon to return to Alahamara. 
• The Kuyu curses the duo, saying that his people would still be alive if they hadn't convinced them to do such a foolish action, and abandons them as well, deciding it was better to test his luck in the wilds.
• Razul and Hakim leave the dungeon as well, managing to hide from a giant snake that slithers through, and camp for the night.
• However, their night is interrupted, as 3 wolves - seemingly having followed the trail of blood out of the dungeon - attack them.
• Hakim's leg is shattered by the wolves and he is knocked unconscious, and Razul is forced to carry him, abandoning their rations which the wolves consume, and fleeing.
• They rest fitfully for the rest of the night, Hakim whose leg is splinted and who comes in and out of consciousness, and Razul who realizes without rations, they will be forced to forage in the morning.

Current Level: Razul 2, Hakim 2

Rise of the Rahib, Session 3

•  Razul and Hakim explore the ruins and travel down the hallway which the Sons of Akkai had cleared the rubble from earlier. 
• They discover a set of Black Legion mercenaries doing training exercises, intentionally crowding around a strange sphere that seemed to be dripping black ichor and sending shadow creatures towards them.
• Hiding from the Legion, they turn back and explore the rest of the dormant volcano, sneaking past spiders and wolves.
• Discover a set of Kuyu cavemen who are friendly, but fear a strange door leading deeper into the Volcano.
• Arrive at the lava boiling center of the volcano, urging on scared Kuyu to guide them in, and discover the source of their fear - a Tyrant Lizard, sleeping on a pile of treasures.
• Leave the room and head back out of the volcano, intent on finding some more warriors to help deal with the Tyrant Lizard and get their hands of the treasure - which may or may not have the Nagha scrolls.
• Face off and kill a ghoul they run into, and flee from some spiders and a giant snake out of the volcano.
• Rest at camp for the night, during which Razul is awoken by a demon emissary who tells him his pact granting demon is dissatisfied that he has not used any spells. He prepares a spell called Doctrine of the Subservient Path for the next day sacrificing some blood, and the emissary notes the master is happy for now.
• Travel through a heatwave and run into a fearful nomad family, whom tell them they are fleeing the crumbling of their former settlement which was betrayed to the Black Guard who have taken it over. They refuse offer to help, instead choosing to continue fleeing.
• Continue to travel and forage through thunderstorms, and two days after finding the nomad family, find the mother and two children of the family, a son and daughter.
• The Nomad mother tells how her husband, as well as his mother and sister, were mauled by lizard beasts in the steppes. Now given that she is alone with her child son and daughter, she requests their aid. 
• Razul promises to escort her to the nearest settlement and drop them off - resulting in more mouths to feed every day.

Current Level: Razul 2, Hakim 1

Rise of the Rahib, Session 2

•  Razul is lead into the volcanic caldera dungeon in ropes by the Sons of Akkai.
• They arrive at a carved ivory sculpture of Akkai, which the Sons of Akkai take for their own. 
• Two exits - one blocked by rubble, the other a staircase down. 3 of the Sons of Akkai left to clear rubble, as 5 with Razul head down. 
• A treasure hunter encountered, who is quickly slain by the Sons of Akkai.
• A magical darkness serves as a portal to the next room - Razul is tied with some rope and shoved in. 
• A historian studying the ruin looks to Razul, and through some non verbal communication, cuts the rope to make it seem like Razul was lost. 
• Multiple Sons of Akkai are led in via rope and quickly slaughtered - but not before the historian is slain and bleeds. 
• The leader of the Sons and the rest barge in - only for Razul to sneak off to another room and lure some wolves out to fight the Sons of Akkai as he frees himself.
• 3 of the Sons flee - and Razul leaves the wolves to feast of the corpses of the slain Sons of Akkai when he is ambushed by the 3 fleeing Sons of Akkai, who blame him for their misfortune.
• He manages to rush back to the wolves, but is impaled in the onslaught of the wolves, which manage to kill the remaining Sons of Akkai.
• He stumbles in the room but finds a secret door which he falls into and passes out.
• He awakens outside in a tent, and sees a figure, one historian Hakim who was researching the ruins with his slain partner. Hakim informs him he was in the secret room looking at decaying tombs when Razul stumbled in. 
• Hakim kept them hidden until the wolves left - the creatures which had been preventing him from delving deeper into the dungeon - and then taken Razul to heal - a process taking 6 days.
• The rubble had been ruined from one of the entrances, and Razul and Hakim decide to go exploring the ruins. 
• Razul loses a permanent hit point, but advances to level 2!

Current Level: Razul 2, Hakim 1

Rise of the Rahib, Session 1

I recently got Kal Arath after hearing the hype around it. And to be honest, I was initially skeptical - but boy did it blow me away. I did a couple test sessions, so now I want to try it out longer term. I thought about going in blank slate, but then I had a better idea - telling the story of the rise of the Rahib, the villain within whose prison Badger - the PC from my previous game Lonesome Wanderings - had died. 

I created a character, a magus by the name Razul, but the story of who would actually become the evil Rahib was going to be left to fate based on who survived in my playthroughs of the game. Perhaps it would be Razul - or perhaps another companion picked up along the way? And eventually, the timeline of the game would catch up to Lonesome Wanderings, once a stronghold had been established of course. But first, a character must survive the wastes of Kal Arath to get to that point.

So without further ado - session 1 of the Rise of the Rahib.

• Razul makes a pact with the Demon of Domination, a shadowy entity which requires blood sacrifice to be able to cast spells, with the cost of part of his vitality (1 HP) per spell prepared.
• He has the goal of gaining the Nagha Scrolls, hidden in a monastery and lost to time - which makes sense as they have arcane knowledge many would do anything to gain, a worthy goal for a magus.
• Razul's hut is devastated and destroyed by a tornado, but he manages to avoid getting sucked into it himself - though he is only able to salvage 2 days worth of food from the rubble.
• He forages for food the next day, finding just enough berries and nuts to get him one more meal, despite the light rain fall and pleasant summer weather.
• That night, he comes across 3 Sons of Akkai - Akkai being the demon lord ruling over the steppe of Kal Arath. They immediately proceed to attack to subdue and possibly kill him.
• Despite his best efforts, he is subdued and goes unconscious. He awakens tied to a log over a fire, with cultists chanting with him as their human sacrifice to Akkai.
• He yells out that he knows where the Nagha Scrolls are - the leader of the Sons of Akkai halts the ceremony and questions Razul.
• Razul tries to convince him - and while the leader does not believe him, seeing through his lies, he is convinced by Razul's logic that there is only a benefit to letting him live and lead them to the scrolls, and gives Razul 7 days to produce this lost location - as a prisoner in chains leading the Sons to said location of the scrolls.
• As Razul and the Sons of Akkai, who have him tied up, travel north, they become lost. Frustrated, they at least are able to forage for plenty of food.
• They arrive at an ancient large volcanic caldera - and the cultists prostrate before it, seeing sacred symbols of Akkai on its surface near an entrance.
• Razul decides to gamble given no chance of escape from the Sons of Akkai in the daylight - but perhaps a better chance in the dark of the caves beneath the volcano. He tells the Sons of Akkai the Nagha scrolls are within the caldera.
• The Sons of Akkai buy into this as they and Razul, still in chains, descend into the bowels of the ancient volcanic caldera.

Current Level: Razul 1

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 20

 In which the party...

• Sets out to find the Bastion against the Red Mist. 
• Travels through various locales, including 7' tall plains, rugged hills, and deep valleys.
• Fights off wolves, in which Grubz shatters his right arm and skull, passing away.
• Are forced to camp out with a raging tornado ripping through the lands for nearly 3 days, staying barely alive and running low on rations.
• Encounter a poor straggling innkeeper who requests aid to fight off Red Mist zombies at their inn, which have taken over the Inn.
• Forage for food after the tornado, picking berries and hunting rabbit to stay alive on their way to the Inn.
• Head to the inn and formulate a plan - since the inn rests on the edge of a cliff, and there are 6 zombies, each party member will push a zombie off the edge of the cliff and the remaining will be fought till they get pushed off as well.
• The plan immediately goes horribly wrong as one 1 zombie is pushed off the cliff. Tom and Millie both are turned, having been bitten into zombies and Thumb, Ophelia hide in the Inn with the innkeeper against the zombie hordes.
• However, this victory is short lived as the Red Mist Zombies break in, and despite their best efforts, both Thumb and Ophelia are slain and turned to zombies themselves. 

And so ends Tales from the Whitebox. A shorter story, where time and time again the party, and notably Thumb survives by the skin of its teeth. But in the end, the harsh world managed to bury them as well.

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 19

 In which the party...

• Thumb travels west from the ruins of Stoutwall, as the Red Mist begins to slowly encroach the wilds around the city. 
• Comes to an intersection, with a northern path having some animal tracks, and a southern path having signs of battle. 
• Follows the southern path and discovers a wounded bear sitting, resting around the corpses of the Goalshine Militia. Behind the bear lies the raggedly breathing figure of Captain Ophelia Theradulin, the gnoll captain of the militia. 
• Thumb uses some rations to distract the bear, and makes it to Ophelia in time to patch her up, and quickly leaves the clearing to set up camp elsewhere.
• The bear follows, and as the party lies still in wait, sees it eat the rest of their rations before it lumbers off, leaving them unharmed. 
• A portal opens, and the duo are ushered in by one Tom Hickathift, the emissary for Queen Mab of Alphame. 
• Following him through the portal, the duo arrive in the court of Alphame, with a few other familiar faces - Millie Hnuk the dwarven owner of an inn in Goalshine, and Grubz the orc thief.
• Queen Mab tells the five individuals - Tom, Thumb, Ophelia, Millie, and Grubz - that they have been chosen from their realm as part of a prophecy to save their world from the Red Mist, an entity that travels from world to world eating entire realms and consuming them into its mist. The Good Fey entities have been fighting against it's corruption for millennia, while much evil in one way or another serves it to some capacity.
• She relates the prophecy: 
• The Knight of the Realm takes up a stand, And the Thief that mourns will slip his hand, The Ranger bends the threads of fate, The Mage calls truth—too soon, too late.  Bound in trust, the Survivor stays, And in their choice, the world will sway.
• She explains that to fulfill the prophecy, they will need to head to another realm - one nearly consumed by the Red Mist, with but a single isle with a Bastion. There, they will find the way to save their world.
• She opens a portal to this other realm, where it turns out Tom Hickathift has already started talking with an individual, and they enter. 
• They arrive in the city of Xian, where Tom's contact - a hooded figure by the name Vikthar, the scaled, a half demon cultist associated with one Shogunate - immediately attacks Tom, draining his essence stating he knew of the Fey's betrayal.
• The party attacks and kills the cultist, but not before Tom soul is nearly pulled from his form, as he goes unconscious, in and out of delirium,
• They immediately return to the portal with Tom, and wait for a week as he heals in the land of the Fey, with one of them keeping guard on the cultist's dwelling, which is uninvestigated by any authorities. 
• During this time, they learn that this world was consumed by the Red Mist - known as the Red Tide by the people of this land - and that this island, Ektau, was the only one spared from it's ravages for unknown reasons. 
• Within a week, Tom Hickathift is healed up, but the Fey tell them they cannot keep the portal open forever, and they will have to try and survive the best they can as the portal can only be opened at limited intervals, and only from limited locations due to the tenuous connection to the realm caused by the Mist's overwhelming presence.
• Reunited, the party finally ventures out of the dwelling, the cultist buried and hidden away, and into the streets of the city of Xian to learn what they can on the nature of the Red Mist.

Characters: Thumb, Ophelia Theradulin, Millie Hnuk, Tom Hickathift, and Grubz

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 18

In which the party...

• Travels to Stoutwall to seek opportunities in the city, and pass by some Geyser Springs on the way to the city. 
• Entering the city walls, are immediately accosted by a group of ruffians whom they manage to defeat. 
• The ruffians - thugs of Calibar, reveal that Calibar is part of the Crimson Brotherhood, a fringe cult looking to give a return to the Red Mist, an entity which was known as the "World Eater", by sacrificing the entirety of the city to it in stone.
• They learn that the Red Mist was the original goal of Helle, the ancient Ifrit who sought to awaken the entity before it's exile into an alternate plane.
• They learn the ritual is in fact ready to be underway, having been progressing steadily over the past few weeks.
• The party - with a wounded Flametongue in the last battle - heads deeper into the city, entering a storefront to see if they may get some healing.
• Unfortunately, the storefront is front for Calibar's cultists, with 4 cultist slavers who attack the party.
• The party manage to defeat the slavers, but not before Flametongue is severely wounded. 
• While searching for a healing potion for the dragon, the party realizes another cultist had been hidden within the store, as he casts an alarm spell.
• As he triggers the spell, numerous alarm spells in unison start ringing out, and it seems the plan has been set into motion - possibly because of the arrival of a party that managed to kill so many cultists.
•  The cultist them pulls out hidden explosions, and detonates them in a suicide bombing, shouting "For Calibar!"
• Thumb, Lap, Flametongue, and Murder are slammed against a wall...as a low rumbling begins deep within the city.
• Thumb, manages to stay conscious, as he goes to check on his friends. But much to his horror - Flametongue is dead.
• Lap and Murder are mortally wounded, with Murder unconscious and Lap barely conscious, and bleeding out, as Thumb tries to use whatever he can find to patch them up - but his attempts fail as Lap catches his hand.
• "The prophecy...leave Thumb...the city is gone...the Red Mist arrives...the prophecy..." Lap bleeds out and dies, Murder soon passes after him.
• All of his friends dead, and Thumb himself severely injured, he runs out, only to see massive red clouds with lightning and thunder gather in the distance, funneling over the city.
• Without looking back, Thumb limps out of the city walls and flees for his life, and leaves as the Red Mist arrives in full force, consuming Stoutwall...and slowly inching out of the city across land.

Current Characters: Thumb

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 17

 In which the party...

• Faces off against the Black Dragon - which attacks Malisha in the dark of night in a surprise attack!
• The black dragon destroys the new town hall with its new claws, as the townfolk scatter in fear.
• However, at Lap's urging, Thumb manages to reignite the hope of the townsfolk, and Thumb, Lap, and Murder lead a small army against the mighty dragon.
• Thumb manages to use a grappling hook and climbs onto the small of the dragon's back, making himself inaccessible to the dragon.
• The dragon in 1 massive swipe scatters the army, and knocks out Lap and Murder, who are badly injured and only able to crawl.
• The gathered townsfolk disperse fleeing, but in the haste, Thumb gets some strikes at the dragons vital organs.
• The dragon attempts in vain to swipe Thumb off its back, but misses as Flametongue, the much smaller drake, flies up to distract it while Thumb continues to poke at chinks in its scales.
• The dragon swipes, immediately knocking Flametongue out of the air, unconscious as well - as Thumb continues to get in more strikes, crawling around it's underside to the soft of its belly - and taunts how it can't even touch a small thief.
• The dragon, in fury to burn out Thumb, douses its own hide in smoldering acid - forcing Thumb off onto the ground...but not before he gets in 1 more vital slash that opens its innards to the outside.
• Too late, the dragon realizes this as the acid flows into its internal cavity, and it undergoes autophagy, its own acid eating itself from inside out as it falls dead.
• Thumb rushes and finds some townsfolk, and drafts them to help heal Lap, Murder, and Flametongue.
• Over the next 6 weeks, they heal slowly until finally the whole party is healed up.
• The Malisha townsfolk tell Thumb and the party - given the complete destruction of the village after the dragon's second attack, they will search their fortunes elsewhere, perhaps trying Stoutwall.
• Thus Malisha is abandoned to ruin, as Thumb, Lap, Murder, and Flametongue set out from the remnants of Malisha elsewhere.

Current characters: Thumb, Lap, Murder

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 16

 In which the party...

• Is visited by one Tom Hickathift, a fae emissary of Alphame, one of the fae kingdoms adjacent to the Alvanrealm.
• He is the servant of one Queen Mab, and requested audience with the emperor of the Alvanrealm, with no response.
• Hearing that Murder, one of its children, was away, he had come to New Malisha at once to request aid with a task that required - the touch of an elf, as the fae pixies were unable to go and acquire it themselves.
• Murder is initially reluctant, but Lap is happy to help. Thumb manages to convince Murder to go along, and the trio are taken through a strange light filled portal.
• They initially arrive in Alphame, as an island river shimmers in the distance, with an island in the middle and a light across the river leading deeper into the ever shifting fae realms.
• Quickly exit their foray from the fae realms through another portal, as chimes ring out, in Neverland. 
• Tom explains to them they have 12 hours, as the chimes ring once more at 6 PM - and it is now 6 AM - when the portal will reopen. If they don't make it, they are on their own at night in Neverland.
• They quickly head east through thick jungle after their quarry - a strange, magic infused spiral branch that may only be retrieved by an elf in the physical realm, and transferred to fae within Alphame alone.
• The branch was located in the Iron Mines - where the pirates of the Jolly Roger were making camp!
• The part heads through the jungle and run into a strange green horse with algae mane that climbs onto the bank - a kelpie - which they avoid.
• They continue, and encounter a group of Lost Boys chattering with a couple of pixies, laying out pranks in front of the Iron Mines, which they also stay hidden from until they leave.
• Finally, they enter the iron mines - with luck finding no pirates - and discover the spiral branch resting with knick knacks on a table in the entrance, clearly being studied.
• Thumb sneaks in, grabs the branch, and they hightail it back.
• On their way back, they encounter a Fachon - a one eyes, flat creature discussing with gnomes. They are unable to sneak past, but the creatures pay them no mind as they move past them quickly.
• They manage to hide from a strange, black oozing parasite ridden tiger on the banks below the bridge.
• Just as the chimes ring, they arrive at the portal to Alphame, where Tom waits for them.
• Entering the portal, they give the fae creature the branch, as its eyes glint and it thanks them. 
• They are lead back through the ever changing land of Alphame, which now presents strange glowing algae pools, with the golden light yet in the distance.
• Finally, they enter a portal back to New Malisha, with Tom letting them know should more help be needed in Neverland or elsewhere, he may call upon them once more!

Current Characters: Thumb, Lap, Murder

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 15

 In which the party...

• Travels east from Goalshine to Malisha - or whatever is left of it.
• On the journey, encounter a giant snake fighting with a bear and giant spiders, and hide in the brush avoiding the battle.
• At night, camping discuss whether the giant snake was the one which the Goalshine Malisha wanted dead, and decide to trace their steps to locate the battle.
• Are unable to find the location in the mountains where the battle occurred, and decide not to stray too far from the path to avoid getting lost. 
• Continue west into the plains and arrive at the smoldering ruins of Malisha, the town's keep and much of its infrastructure in shambles, with the few remaining survivors living out of ramshackle huts.
• Learn that the Thieves guild had moved on, heading to the city of Stoutwall, where the mage Calibar was still on the throne of the kingdom.
• Learn that the townsfolk were cowering in fear from the black dragon, which, despite not being seen for days, was a constant threat.
• Thumb goes to the town square, and gathers the Malisha survivors and appeals to them, encouraging them to band together and rebuild. His message hits true as spirits are lifted.
• Thumb funds the building of a wooden town hall, with much of the villagers helping out while others keep watch for the black dragon.
• Spend 2 weeks rebuilding the town hall, a now humble wooden structure, without disturbance by the black dragon, all funded by Thumb, and his party.
• Lap contributes happily and notes that he feels Thumbs actions are the right thing to do, but Murder grumbles, his opinion dropping as he calls the enterprise "a waste of time".
• Thumb, over the two weeks, plants the seed of the idea that he should be temporarily the mayor of New Malisha to various citizens as they work on rebuilding.
• At the end of the endeavor, the town has a meeting, and Thumb is nominated and elected as mayor of the town, at least temporarily.
• As his first decree, Thumb says they will have to start getting back their standing in the realm by contributing to farming and trade, but for now - no taxes for the first month back as New Malisha.
• Thumb, Lap, and Murder start discussing on how to deal with Calibar and how to negotiate with the situation in Stoutwall, as well as plans for what to do if the black dragon returns...

Current characters: Thumb, Lap, and Murder.

Tales from the White Box, Session 14

 In which the party...

• Travels back into the dungeon to continue exploring.
• Discover a room with a large bas relief of a strange being - an Ifrit - towering over an army of helmed creatures as humans in chains are marched into caves, with an engraving in elvish.
• Lap translates the engraving that this ifrit being was Helle, and ifrit who enslaved much of mankind 200 years prior - but with no other information on the creature's fate.
• Continue to explore and Thumb discovers a secret door leading to another room with a chest in the middle, and large pulley systems on each wall.
• Manages to explore the room and get to the chest after again using his rope and grapple to tie himself to the entrance.
• Discovers nearly 4300 gp in the chest - but just as he is about to start filling his pack with loot, the entire room shudders and starts lowering into the ground.
• Thumb manages to home onto his rope and grapple, getting to the wall as the treasure sinks down into the depths, out of reach of his 25' rope and out of view of torchlight. 
• The party backtracks to the entrance and lets the guild know of the trapped secret room with treasure, suspicious of its nature as a trap - possibly a mechanism to feed the dragon on a steady diet of foolhardy adventurers.
• Getting some more torches, they explore the remaining third of the dungeon level.
• Discover a hallway with an elevator - seemingly functional - also leading to level 2.
• Discover another forking hallway leading to what seem to be dead end stone walls - only to reveal a secret door to a cave like laboratory.
• The lab has stained tables, and scraps of cloth, torn and shredded strewn about, with no other tracks or traces, and is otherwise empty.
• Finding no other rooms, head back to inform the Malisha Thieves Guild.
• The guild sends down operatives, finding both the pit room and the elevator as traps that kill thieves, but the secret stairs that Thumb's party found as a safe passage to the second level, likely from ancient construction before the dragon's arrival.
• Discover the entire bottom lair is filled with large piles of gold and gems - nearly 30,000 gold in value!
• Thieves guild start carting up the gold - and with some luck, as they load all their profits onto carts without any sign of the dragon.
• Thumb and the party are given a 10% cut - 3000 gp, with Murder attempting and failing to negotiate a higher fee.
• Nonetheless, Thumbs party gets 1,000 gold a piece, a good haul as they and the thieves guild take leave of the ransacked dragon's lair, the guild slowing carting away to Malisha as Thumb and party return to Goalshine.
• Start resting up with their new wealth in Goalshine for a week while preparing for their next adventures.

Current characters: Thumb the Thief, Lap the Dwarf, Murder the Elf

Tales from the Whitebox, Session 13

 In which the party...

• The party continues exploring the black dragon's lair.
• Discovers an armory leading into a hallway with the dead bodies of an orc and human, and another hallway which smells of human waste.
• As they explore, Thumb learns from Lap that he and Murder are part of the Alvanrealm, an isolated Elvish land where Murder was nobility before being exiled and maimed (hence Murder the Maimed) due to a prophecy that he would bring ruin to the realm. 
• Lap of the Dun Cloak was Murder's loyal companion and part of the Dorvenguard, who joined him as Murder searches for a way to avert the prophecy of ruin - though the prophecy is quite vague.
• Discover at the end of that hallway after their discussion, a trap room with a chest in the center. 
• Observe the room and see that it rotates in all directions, by 90s degrees.
• Thumb uses his grappling hook, securing himself to the door, and traverses the room to the chest to discover 600 silver.
• Successfully makes 3 trips and grabs all the silver pieces from the chest without dropping any, even as the room rotates to and fro.
• Coin gathered, they leave the trap room and return back to the thieves guild camp with their loot.

Current characters*: Thumb the Thief, Lap the Dwarf, Murder the Elf

*Of note I switched the game over to Cairn RPG (despite keeping the White Box name) so I'll be using Cairn's diegetic growth for advancement instead of levels.

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 Maimed, 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