Princes of the Apocalypse Recap 7
Our session picks up in the morning after the Gnoll fight. Bingo’s anger towards Cybin bubbles beneath the surface. In his anger Bingo decides that Cinnamon the Bun is responsible for Cybin’s decision not to fight the previous evening and that it must be punished. He silently uses message to torment the poor creature whispering ill meaning words to it from across the camp. Cybin, on the other hand, feels no remorse for not helping Bingo in the fight. He does not understand why Cinnamon the Bun is acting frightened and is extra skittish all of a sudden.
The group have breakfast and pack up giving the gnolls another little kick for good measure. During their walk Cybin produces his small growing box from his backpack and offers one of the potent berries to Forge. Forge bites, somewhat trusting of the orc, and buys one berry. Cybin warns him that they’re strong and so Forge hesitates for a moment before chewing on it. The flavour in his mouth is quite unpleasant, a tangy bitter flavour but after a little while he no longer cares for the effects kick in. He finds himself feeling as though he has drunk a good many pints of ale without the heavy fullness in his stomach. This feeling he finds strangely appealing. To thank Cybin he offers him some wine from his skin in his bag, which the orc declines after giving it a good sniff.
After a while the group comes to a fork in the path. There is a broken sign pointing to a disused path up into the hills to the east. Not wanting to leave the main path Bingo declares “as the leader of our group, I say we stick to the main path.” Before steering the horses firmly away from the turn.
"Da Bingo you are top dog." Gil says slightly sarcastically before looking away and miming no to the others. Those closest to the wagon snigger and smirk trying to keep quiet, for Bingo’s ego may not be able to handle their laughter.
The group continues on until evening begins to fall and they begin to look for a place to sleep for the night. After the previous evening they were highly cautious. A short while passes before they find where they would settle for the night. It came in the form of an abandoned quarry. Bingo calls out "Hello?" into the void and it echoes a bit repeating quietly. Cybin remembers this game from his younger years and joins in roaring loudly into the air. After people say they don't want to camp at the bottom, Bingo informs them that they're going to be safe as in his experience the low ground is always safest. He begins leading the horses down and a few people go to protest but Roland intervenes.
“If there is one thing I have learnt in my time with you all, it is that in a democratic vote you should probably side with Bingo.” The way Roland says this it seems like a gem of wisdom and it makes Bingo sit up straighter and feel validated. However, the others can read between the lines and know that sometimes it is easier to just let Bingo have his moment than it is to argue with him.
They reach the bottom of the quarry after a couple of loops around the outer edge, spiralling in and down steadily. The bottom of the quarry looks pretty normal, except for one area which looks like an archaeological dig site. Most of the quarry is rough and has gouge marks through it, the only smooth surface being the spiralling path in and out. This area however is surrounded by old wooden posts and has smoother surfaces and indents dug in a grid. At the centre of the area is a large oddly shaped hole. Whatever was here is long gone.
With some daylight still clinging to the area, a few of the group take to digging around to see if they can find any other artifacts or anything the excavation had missed. Bingo doesn't bother looking around as digging in the dirt isn’t his style. Instead, he practices his lute playing instead. Roland too is not one for excavating and teaches Bingo a couple of his favourite hymns.
They settle in for the evening and take turns to keep watch while the others sleep. Cybin takes the first watch but doesn’t do much watching. He fusses over Cinnamon the Bun feeding him and stroking him but also lets him run around a little on the leash. Second watch goes to Forge. Forge’s watch is an interesting one for he is still under the influence of the berry he had purchased from Cybin in the late morning. On its own this isn’t too bad; however, Bingo takes it upon himself to launch a nefarious plot against Cinnamon the Bun. Knowing that doing anything obvious against the rabbit would get him chastised and ruin his reputation he decides to use the new guy as a scapegoat. Acting as Forge’s conscience he uses message to whisper to him, his inebriation facilitating success. He tells Forge that it is cruel to keep the rabbit on a leash and take it with them. He says that the rabbit is better off dead. This seems to be sinking in and influencing forge for a while but then his real conscience speaks up and tells him not to do anything rash and to think about it more when sober.
Forge wakes Roland for the third watch and both him and Bingo go to sleep. Roland isn’t one for sitting in the cold and dark and takes the opportunity to gather the remaining wooden stakes from the dig site and lights a fire. Though the quarry protects them from the wind, it collects the cold as it settled in the night. The quarry seems much more homely after the fire is lit and he settles in for his stretch of watch. Gil, who had also woken when Forge, a little louder than he had intended awoke Roland, gets up and goes to sit with him wine skin in hand. They drink enjoying one another’s company in the night air with the flickering firelight in one another’s eyes. Unknown to them, Bingo is singing a little rendition of Barry White in his sleep, the mood catching him.
Čadas rises for his watch feeling well rested. His dreams had served him well, a well-furnished study with shelves upon shelves of books and a never-ending pipe had left him satisfied. Sitting by the fire he is unsure whether he wants to watch the surroundings dedicatedly or whether he wants to continue reading his book. So, he puts it to a vote with the group. Roland and Forge vote for him to watch, Gil votes for the book, Cybin says what? before falling back asleep and Bingo does not rouse from his slumber. Watching it is, he sighs, setting himself down by the fire. The small fire serves the group well the rest of the night. It wards off the coldest part of the night, petering out as the sun rises over the hillsides.
During breakfast the group begins to discuss their plans for when they arrive at their destination. For if they are fast, they could make it to Red Larch by nightfall. They hope that it would be the same for Feathergale Spire. Čadas draws out the map and they lay it out on the dusty floor. There were a few ways they could approach the tower, which one is the best option is up for debate. It is during this discussion that Forge reveals his plans to head back to Waterdeep. When they leave the Larch Path for the Spire, he will be continuing south to Red Larch and then off again to Waterdeep after that.
Knowing they were unlikely to ever see this man again both Gil and Bingo shared in the idea to try to pickpocket him on their way through the hills together. Gil’s aim was the fancy silvered flask which Forge kept in his back pocket. Bingo on the other hand was aiming straight for his coin purse. Gil found himself unlucky and had grabbed for the wrong pocket. He tries to play off the accidental buttock grab as Forge being sexy and irresistible as it was his last chance to make a move. Forge found himself dubious of Gil’s intentions, and short of his wallet. The stern concentrated look Forge had given Gil provided Bingo ample opportunity to swipe the purse. Luckily for Bingo Forge does not notice until long after he has bid them farewell and headed off on his way.
They grow closer to the spire and begin to see some of the Waterdhavian Hippogriff riders out and about. They call themselves the Feathergale Knights. The tower stands as the highest point for miles around. It is a monolith of white limestone resembling a sword piercing the sky. The stone pillar it stands on juts out from the valley floor below it and the only entrance is a long drawbridge which spans the chasm to the next hilltop.
As they draw closer to the tower travelling through the hills, they begin to discuss their strategy for taking out the cultist scum. After some discussion and the impenetrability of the spire without the drawbridge being lowered, they decide not to attack from the offset. Their only way in will be with diplomacy and tact. Plus, they don’t even know if these guys are actually cultists. Roland raises this point sharing his knowledge of the Feathergale Knights. Whilst in Waterdeep at the temple of Tyr he had overheard talk of the club being a party house for the rich and adventurous. This is also supported by the rumours of Bingo’s old rival now known as Windharrow being employed here.
Almost as soon as he finds out it is a ‘party cult’ (dubbed so by Cybin in a grunt) Bingo starts stripping, taking off his armour and putting on his fine clothes. Taking his lead, the group comes to a halt and Roland begins polishing his armour and checking his scales. Once Bingo finished his outfit change, he hopped to braiding the manes of their horses. Rick doesn’t mind so much partly because he doesn’t usually get much attention from the group.
Gil and Roland work together to help each other out, Gil polishes the parts of Roland’s armour he can’t reach, and Roland helps Gil to braid his beard. When they decide to braid his beard, Gil retrieves a small box from the bottom of his pack, from it he draws a few small beads and embellishments which they work into the design. Čadas is presentable as always but gives himself a once over to ensure he is clean and tidy, his robes and hat free of wrinkles. Finally, they come to Cybin.
They remember that Cybin is possibly an issue in their tidying up. After thinking about it they realise that they don’t have any other clothing for him, nor do they have anywhere to make him bathe. After a minute of thinking about it, Bingo remembers the incident with the candle in the wagon and suddenly, he is not so worried.
"Hey Čadas like that time in the wagon with the apple wood and cinnamon smell can you do that to Cybin?" He calls from the back of Morty still struggling to braid their mane.
“I can certainly give it a go. If he doesn’t mind too much.” Čadas says looking at the orc who appeared to be in his own world. After a moment he lifts his hands and with small flicks of his wrists begins removing the layers of dirt, mud, and blood from the orc.
Once everyone is somewhat clean and presentable, Gil stands up straight and says, "Right gentlemen shall we proceed onwards and make the most of the evening?" The group pauses unsure how to react to the suddenly very eloquent pronunciation and body language of their Russian fighter friend.
As usual, Bingo is the first to reply. "Can you just talk like this all the time Gil?" To which Gil just smirks and replies “Da.”
Our session concludes as the group approach the tower. The drawbridge is up, and they are greeted by a voice demanding to know who they are.
I hope you have enjoyed this recap of our campaign. Feel free to let me know what you thought on twitter or the Facebook page. I will see you for the next one!