So for those of you interested in my D&D campaign, here’s what’s happened so far, and a sneak peek of next week.

Things went well. Of the 8 people I’ve invited to the table, 4 managed to make it.

Note: This says nothing about my DMing style, but more about the schedules of a bunch of 20 somethings. People have erratic work schedules and obligations to significant others and families. I had anticipated a 4-6 player turn out each game, and knew the only way to get that was to invite 8.

Alright, the 1st session sneak peak (posted here) went pretty much as I had built it. There was more interest in some of the background then I had thought there would be, but that’s OK. I had anticipated more aggression from my PCs, and instead of a fight with the guards, they actually used them to investigate the quest. Not an avenue I had planned for, but it worked well.

So, the players met with Brother Edward and got the details of the quest. An elven archaeologist had found an ancient temple to Orcus buried outside of town and had recruited some of the towns folk to help excavate. After several weeks, the town lost contact with them and sent the town guard to see what happened. The guard was attacked, and only one survived reporting back that they were attacked by the towns people there. The temple of the Raven Queen began hiring adventurers to find out what is going on. Brother Edward (being a retired adventurer himself) had the capital to fund this, where the city did not. Only one party had returned, all but one dead, and they began raising as undead. The survivor was unable to provide Edward with any new information.

The party’s task is simple. Go to the temple, find out what is happening (and, if possible, what is causing it) and report back. They will be paid 5 gold a head if they succeed. The players took the job based on the information they were given, and set out to speak to Daniel (the guard who survived). They discovered that when the conflict started, he deserted the rest of the guards and fled back to the town.

I had intended to end the session there (giving them the 625 XP for bypassing the conflict with the town guard) but we had a few hours still and the players wanted to continue. I ran their approach to the temple and gave them an encounter with 5 zombies (I used a zombie hobgoblin as the template as I was pressed. They were the same XP value as the guards). They were successful, but as they were lacking an actual striker, it was a little rough. I awarded them 625 XP for this fight, thus granting them a level.

The party’s current plan is to return to town, get some rest at the Steady Ox, and then renegotiate their pay with Brother Edward in the morning. Not a bad idea.

The party currently is as follows:

Alek Delell - Human Mage
Jett - Cindersoul Genasi Artificer
Fargrim - Dwarf Weaponmaster (Fighter)
Nevitash - Kalashtar Bard

I should have two more making it next week. 

Sneak Peek:

The temple of Orcus is buried deep in the earth, surrounded by trees and well off the road. Prior to the digging, it was likely only the corner of some stonework had peeked above the earth. Now, the front of the temple and the entrance has been cleared. Digging equipment litters the area, and a large pulley system used to move earth out of the pit is visible. As you approach, it seems the temple door had been sealed with brick, but someone (or something) has broken through. A long dark hallway leading deep into the temple can be seen, but the light doesn’t extend past the first 20 or 30 feet. As you get closer to the entrance, a flock of birds deeper in the woods gives flight, and the forest begins to grow quiet.

Thanks for reading!!