Raxus Blackheart
copper-black dragonborn paladin, level 2
I am sworn by the Gods of Light to protect the Planesweaver.
~2 Prince of Shadows
+5 bodyguard of Doku Death Shadow - black dragon, underworld boss of the Shadow Syndicate in Drakkenhall, bearer of Dream Cleaver (the Archmage's magic crown)
+1 Priestess
+3 acolyte-repentant under Sister Calcetta, keeper of the Hopewell shrine outside of the port town of Queensgate where the elf wood meets the Midland Sea, during the years of chaotic and destructive Planestides
| STR +3 | CON +2 | DEX +2/4 | WIS +0 | INT -1 | CHA +2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 14 |
| +10/+8 | +9/+7 | +9/+7 | +7/+5 | +6/+4 | +9/+7 |
AC 21 | PD 14 | MD 13 - HP 40/40
Recoveries: 2d10+3 | 8/8
Death Domain: +2 to death saves for me/allies (96)
Kit: heavy steel plate armor, shield bearing symbol of Doku Death Shadow
Longsword: +5 v AC - 2d8+3
Miss: 2 | Fearless: +1 attack if enemy not engaged with ally, +1 more if enemy has fear abilities | Smite, 3/3: +4 attack, +1d12 damage, half damage on miss, drop non-mook and its free (114)
Heavy Crossbow: +4 v AC - 2d8+2
Miss: 0
Acid Breath: +4 vs PD - 2d8+1 acid
kin power | 1x/battle | close-quarters | quick (71)
1x/battle, quick - This battle, you and each of your allies can each separately add the escalation die to a single save made by that character. Also, you and allies die when your negative hit points equal your full hit points, not negative half (96). Mou5e and I can't invoke this in the same battle.
adv. healing potion (water from Hopewell)
Artemis, human wizard
the Planesweaver; I'm sworn to protect him.
+1 Prince of Shadows, -2 Lich King
MOU5E, forgeborn cleric
I'm their supplicant.
Priestess, Dwarf King
Bobby Brambles and Fluffer Nutter, gnome ranger and his animal companion
My former boss is a great rival of his mom, Bizzy.
+1 High Druid, +1 Dwarf King, ~1 Prince of Shadows
Endra, gnome druid
I only just met her.
High Druid
Talents taken: Divine Domain, Fearless, Way of Evil Bastards
Feats taken: Smite Evil, Death Domain
Incrementals
Campaign Notes
2024-05-02: Hopewell Hostel hearth
When we arrived, a ship was burning in Queensgate harbor, branded by the Rustlers, with a disemboweled dwarf strung up on the bow. The dwarf was Angus, a friend of Keef and fellow magic item curser. Akimbo, the old lady in the harbor, said the Rustlers asked Angus where the Lightning Greaves were before they killed him.
Raxus led the way to a hostel (Priestess benefit) by the Hopewell shrine, where he knew we could stay and likely learn more. The way was blessed and protected, and in this holy aura, Raxus became cheerful and generous - more like Mou5e. But at the shrine, in the presence of Sister Calcetta, he became nervous and submissive.
Bobby drew healing potions (High Druid benefit) for everyone from the spring that fed the Hopewell. Endra planted mushroom spores.
Sister Calcetta said, in Drakkenhall, Doku Death Shadow and Bizzy, Bobby's mom, clashed and Bizzy was injured but would recover. When pressed by the Sister, Bobby declared that his current loyalty to us and duty to Keef the innkeep outweighed his desire to return to his mom.
At the hostel, we shared stories around the hearth. First among them, Raxus told a story Angus told him years ago when Raxus served at the shrine and Angus came occasionally to repent for his crimes against magic items. It was about a shillelagh Angus cursed, the juggling of flaming shillelaghs, which ended with an unexpected disappearance. A good time was had by all trading stories and enjoying the comradery.
We also learned:
- the Lightning Greaves were named for the great speed they bestow upon their wearer, but they give delusions to weak wearers
- the Prince of Shadows helped someone (who?) create them
- Ersa might know where the Greaves are and only Mishra in Old Town knows where Ersa is
- Mishra was a travelling apothecary serving the Priestess who, when the camp was disbanded, sent the sorcerers each to their own hiding spots, protected their secrets, and visited on occasion
In the morning, we left for Old Town, fairly certain the Rustler's gang was headed there too. Along the way, we found the Queen's Wood growing over the road, a sure sign of danger. And in fact, the four survivors of the gang who killed Angus attacked us.
During the battle, Endra was saved from certain death by the timely intervention of the Queen's Wood itself (High Druid benefit). And Fluffy was killed but resurrected when Artemis prayed desperately to the Priestess (Lich King benefit). And so we prevailed. We tried negotiating with the deadly half orc leader after killing the other three, but he refused to surrender so Raxus smote his head from his body.
Level up to 2.
2024-04-25: Arvax & Endra the Cursed
The soldier, Georg, was a low-level thug who told us about his crew's camp outside of town. On the way there, we encountered Arvax - a dragonic of the Shadow Syndicate who's been jealous of Raxus since Raxus was promoted to Doku Death Shadow's guard and Arvax wasn't.
Arvax demanded the magic item Endra carried, looted from The Cursed in last session's fight. But when Endra threw it on the ground at Arvax's feet, its cocoon of vines split open and, showing itself as a shillelagh, called to Endra. She snatched it up and took on the curse. Arvax signaled archers and had Georg killed. Then I called the archers off with an icon benefit with the Prince of Shadows - complicated! Arvax and his kobold crew attacked but we overwhelmed them easily. We let them flee, all but one dead kobold.
At Dapper Dan's camp outside of town, we negotiated with the crew. Bobby gave leader, Lucas, papers for the crew to get work with his mom in the Intrepid Hills. Then we sailed to Queensgate on our way to find Mishra - an old associate of Keef the innkeep, who runs a safehouse in Old Town.
Other info:
- The Prince of Shadows wants his Lightning Greaves back.
- Dapper Dan's crew was sent from Shadowport by Richard Scrotes. They would meet him at the fountain at sunrise, then be blindfolded and taken to Nolak.
2024-04-18: Dapper Dan is dead
Killed Dapper Dan's crew when they came for Keef the innkeep. Keef's real name is Glunch. He's a sorcerer forced by Priestess and other icons to curse magic items in the old camps. The Lightning Greaves were too powerful to curse. Nolak is working with the Prince of Shadows and is after the Greaves. Keef doesn't know where they are. Our plan:
- interrogate soldier we captured
- find Nolak in Shadowport and steal his cypher book
- find the Lightning Greaves
- bring Keef with us
I used three icon benefits to connect with Brother Moors, of Sister Calcetta's order; the brother gave Raxus info on Nolak, kept the Shadow Syndicate out of the way, and gave two runes. Also Doku Death Shadow has a complicated relationship with the Prince of Shadows.
2024-04-11: Rustlers hassle Keef
Well-dressed man (Dapper Dan) with an eye-patch who works for Nolak - leader of the Rustlers, a ruthless and effective magic item hunting gang from Horizon/Red Wastes - shook down Keef the innkeep and will be back tomorrow.
History
The Archmage, hungry for power and control, tried to summon the Plane of Light - a chaotic place of powerful elemental beasts and energy - with arcane items and artifacts. But Titansbane gave their lives to stop him. After their costly victory, an icon set up camps to collect and decommission the vanquished Archmage's arcanities. Now the Plane of Light hangs visibly in the heavens. Arcane magic and arcane magic users are rare; no schools of magic remain. The old camps are abandoned. Competing gangs clash over magic items. Also, Broodkin Riven, so innocent.