Dragons & Vampires campaign

Altarian is chilling on the far bed reading. Jhin takes himself off on the first watch of the night, patrolling around the tavern and doing the odd loop outside as well. Lysandra Sends a message to her father which finds him in the middle of a fight - he tells her he’s trying to save her auntie and is fighting alongside her uncles. He also tells her to kill the vampire hunters if the group can. The group starts discussing travel plans, but decides to talk to Illusius in the morning - he might have more info on routes travelling to the Aegean mountains.

We agree to take watches overnight - Jhin, Merla, Lucia, Onyx, and Rupen, and everyone starts heading to bed. Merla leaves a big note for Jhin saying “Hi Jhin, I’m next! From Merla”, and the Nom Nom settles on a shelf next to Lucia’s bed. Jhin, on watch, sees the town on Blacklight Border continue bustling as a lively night market. He comes back, does the secret knock and gets no response, and opens the door to find everyone fast asleep. He finds the note from Merla, but ignores it, choosing to let everyone sleep and taking a point of exhaustion.

While Onyx sleeps, they feel a coolness descend on them, feel a cool breeze brush their face. It wakes them, startled, but they can’t see or feel anything unusual. They open the room’s door to see not the third floor of the tavern but a long stone corridor, dark and grim, with a cold light shining at the end. They start to approach cautiously when they hear gentle footsteps behind them and a voice saying “I wouldn’t go that way if I were you”. Turning, they see a man in white monk’s robes leaning on a stick. Onyx asks where they are and the man tells them that this place is drawn to people like them. Onyx asks about the light and he tells her that there are things that don’t want new gods to ascend. “Is it a challenge?” “No; a temptation.” Onyx expresses their confusion and asks the man who he is - Lif, he says, a monk and a humble traveller who shares his wisdom with those who would listen. Onyx asks what he proposes they do - he asks them if they would really listen to the answer, and tells them that they can always give their power back. Onyx tells Lif that while they don’t think they’re fit to be a God, they will keep this power for now so they can help the others, and Lif tells them that the true test is always going to be: save yourself or save everyone else - selfish or selfless. Onyx says that they are putting the group ahead of themselves and Lif asks if they would put the group ahead of their sister. They hesitate, and say they aren’t sure, but they think they could.

Lif says the hardest part of being a God is taking responsibility for the lives you take - meting out punishment where needed, but also showing compassion. The Gods have a tendency to choose former criminals because those people best understand the value of forgiveness and mercy.

Lif tells Onyx to go back to sleep while he negotiates with that thing, gesturing at the light at the end of the tunnel. He walks toward it, cane tapping, then vanishes as Onyx feels themselves pulled away from the hallway and back into the room with their friends.

Not wanting to return to sleep after that, Onyx goes downstairs to find Jhin, who’s been on watch for 7 hours. He tells them that he figured everyone needed their rest, and they send him up to get a few hours of sleep. Onyx patrols for another hour or so as everyone gets a long rest (a particularly good one, with 15 temporary HP for everyone) and eventually wakes up. Merla, Lucia, Rupen and Altarian discuss that none of us were woken for watch, although Jhin is asleep in a bed, and Merla seems particularly cross. We go down for breakfast, leaving Jhin to sleep, and find Onyx, who immediately confirms that they woke up not long ago to find Jhin still on watch.

This does turn into an argument between the group - Merla had plans for this evening that she wanted to be woken up for and storms off to another table to cool off, while Rupen turns the argument to Onyx allowing us to accompany them to Medusa. Altarian tries to cool everyone off, and Onyx heads off by themselves to go get Illusius - Lucia follows them after Altarian chivvies her on.

Rupen and Lysandra approach Merla - she’s settled down a little and apologises for leaving to cool off - she’d wanted to use the Marcus ring the first night she’d gotten it, but got distracted by doing the Tiny Hut, then last night was hoping to be woken up to summon him and apologise for not doing so the night before. They chatter about breakfast and Merla sneakily fills a cup with blood for Lysandra.

Altarian packs up the room and carriage, and wakes Jhin, who’s fairly groggy after only having a few hours sleep. Altarian tells him he’s already cleared a space in the carriage for Jhin to sleep, and they head down, Jhin settling himself into the carriage and dropping back off to sleep.

Lucia leaves the tavern, spotting Onyx straight away and calling after them. Lucia apologises for not being kinder, and the pair set off to the Giant woman’s bar. They see Illusius raise his hand in greeting from the corner, and he tells them he’s ready to go. He does suggest that we avoid the route through the forest - vampire hunters have set up a base in the forest to hunt vampires terrorising settlements in the Aegean mountains. They decide to discuss routes with the whole group and set off back toward the Rolling Bear.

The group all meet back outside the tavern near the packed carriage - Merla reminds Lysandra to put the bracelet of disguise back on and become Cletus as Onyx and Lucia return with Illusius in tow. Illusions greets them and comments that he thought we travelled with a vampire, but none of us look vampiric - Rupen convinces him that he’s a vampire Tabaxi, and we enter the carriage and drive out of town before pausing to decide what route we’re going to take. After discussing it with Illusius, there are three options:

Carriage to Undertow Town (1 week road travel), then a ship to Nedriel’s Eye (1 day ship travel) - 1 week and 1 day total Carriage through the forest to Nedriel’s Eye - 2 weeks road travel Carriage through the open plains to Nedriel’s Eye - 4 weeks road travel

Although the group is tempted by the forest path to fulfill King Rivaine’s request that we kill the vampire hunters if we can, and Jhin laments that there’s no time to take the more cautious route, we eventually do decide to take the carriage to Undertow Town and seek out a ship. (In the end Merla and Rupen voted for the forest route, Lucia, Lysandra, Onyx, Altarian and Jhin vote for Undertow.)

We travel for an uneventful 7 hours in the carriage, during which Jhin overcomes his point of exhaustion, getting a long rest and his own 15 temporary HP. Despite our best efforts, Rupen is unable to convince Illusius about his theory on the creation of vampire cats. Illusius voices some concerns about whether Cletus’ age will make him a liability on the difficult trip ahead and Cletus/Lysandra’s response only succeeds in making Cletus appear more senile.

We come to a town of ruins - utter devastation, with bodies lying everywhere we look. The bodies and bloodstains look roughly a week old - the stench is awful. We can see bodies of Dark Domain soldiers, lying beside elven soldiers, lying beside men and women and children. Merla asks Lucia if she can sense any magic - she can’t sense anything, so this was all done with weaponry. Onyx takes to the skies scouting the ruins and using their Divine Sense, while the rest of us investigate.

Nothing has been taken, there’s been no looting. The victims appear to have been killed quickly and efficiently with swords, with clean wounds - this seems like the work of a group of highly trained killers. Jhin seems really nervous. Rupen tries to find animal life, but there are none - other than a few dogs who died protecting their masters, every animal has fled the area. Lysandra checks the bodies of the Dark Domain soldiers, relieved not to find anyone she recognises, and Onyx’s Divine Sense doesn’t reveal anything.

We find the bodies of small children and, horrified, start to dig graves. Illusius pipes up, telling us he thinks this scene has the hallmarks of a group of vampire hunters. Fanatical in their hatred of the undead, they put this town that borders the Dark Domain with the Elven Lands to the sword - punishment for allowing the undead to live and work alongside the living. Rupen asks if he thinks the vampire hunters would go to Undertow and Illusius thinks it’s unlikely vampire hunters would have much interest in a fishing town that hunts sea monsters. Unable to stomach the carnage, Illusius returns to the carriage.

The group slows in their efforts digging graves, realising that the extent of death around them means digging a grave for each victim will take them hours, if not days. Instead, Rupen heads towards the middle of town and casts Plant Growth. Vines, shrubs, flowers, and bushes sprout across the town, curling over bodies, winding their way up buildings, petals blooming and leaves spreading. Rupen’s Chaos Magic flares within him, flowing into his spell, enhancing it beyond normal mortal magic. The ruined town is covered, plants spilling out of every doorway, leaves shiny, berries bright. Roots, twisting and earthy, soak up the bloodstains and break their way into the ground. Rich, dark soil tumbles out, gently enveloping the victims and bringing them to rest in the warm earth. The corrosive copper tang of blood that hung over the town is replaced with the damp fragrance of the deep forest. The scent of rose, tulip and orange dances, and near Rupen, in the centre of town, a great willow tree emerges from the ground. It stretches toward the sky, dwarfing the trees around it, long branches falling and flowing like water back toward the ground, pale buds uncurling to reveal spring green leaves. Watching the willow grow, the group as a whole feels renewed.

In response to the devastation that was unleashed here and the Chaos magic flowing around them, Merla’s draconic rage rises hot and bright within her, and Jhin feels the cold Abyss gaping and hungry for justice. He draws Kukoken and hears the voice of the void - it tells him that their enemies are hiding just ahead on the main road.

Lysandra Sends a message to Methuselah, explaining about the vampire hunters and asking if he knows anything that could help the group. Methuselah replies to say that he doesn’t know this group and they left too quickly to be dealt with, but that he will send some men.

Lucia looks over to Jhin and is shocked by the unholy magic surrounding him like flowing curses. She asks him what’s happening to him and he says he’s fine and that the enemy is just ahead, heading toward another village.

The group reconvene by the willow, Rupen finishing up a druidic prayer. Jhin seeks out Altarian and tells him that an entity has told him that the enemy are heading for a sea monster hunting village. Jhin starts walking - he seems to know where to go. We decide we want to seek out the people responsible for the carnage here and serve justice, although Rupen elects to stay with the horses.

After walking for around two hours, the evening is drawing in and the sky is dimming. The group comes to a dense grove, which seems quite out of place among the hills and open country. Altarian’s sharp eyes spot our quarry - 16 vampire hunters scattered among the trees.

We open fire - Onyx casts Hunter’s Mark on their nearest opponent, while Jhin dashes closer and darts one, Altarian action surges, firing four arrows and taking out two, and Lucia’s fireball takes out three. Face-to-face with these murderers, Merla feels hot Draconic rage rise in her chest and up her throat - she misty-steps closer and unleashes 55ft and 7d8 of dragonfire, incinerating four more instantly. Lysandra lashes out with her daggers and Onyx casts Bane. The vampire hunters rush towards us and strike with their whips - most of the group saves but Lucia is grappled and dragged across the floor for 14 damage. Seeing this, Jhin dashes over - he uses his Kuroyami strike, eviscerating his foe for 1216 damage but dropping to 1 HP. Blood streaming from his ears, he moves to a second opponent and as he strikes, a great unholy snake erupts from him, devouring the vampire hunter in front of him. Jhin drops to his knees and calls out to take one alive. Altarian Zephyr shot kills one, then another, Lucia Fireballs again, Merla casts Tasha’s Hideous Laughter then Healing Words Jhin for 8. Onyx casts Sacred Flame, burning another to death, while grappling the one in front of them. Lysandra, with one enemy left in play, stalks up to him and with Dissonant Whisper hisses in his ear ‘The Dark Domain sends its regards’, breaking his mind as he keels over dead.