0.2 The Birth of S.K.R.U.N.G.U.S.

This recap covers a brief intro of Tian Wu Yan, the descension of Lyca, Badice, and Haliah, the party's first encounter with Luo Kai Ren, the creation of S.K.R.U.N.G.U.S., and the first few official guild missions.  

State of the World

One hundred years ago the Chaos devastated the world of Tian Wu Yan. Monsters carrying the twisted likeness of supernatural creatures appeared in droves, decimating all that they encountered. Innocents were slaughtered, cities were razed, and empires were toppled in the span of months. Most survivors fled to the walled human-city state of Fengqi, where civilization made it's final stand. As the Chaos monsters pushed through Fengqi's defenses, it seemed as if all hope was lost. As the mortal realm stood at the brink of destruction, the Court of Heaven - the most powerful group of celestials in the world - intervened. The All-King and his Twelve Lovers miraculously appeared and fended off the attackers whilst shielding Fengqi with protective magic.   Those within the city were safe at last. Trapped and traumatized, but safe.   For one hundred years, the surviving species had to radically shift their ways of life in order to adapt to their new prison. Leaders rose and fell. Dissent ebbed and flowed. And eventually, the denizens of Fengqi reached a state of relative stability and coexistence. Cooperation had been paramount with such limited access to resources, and interspecies quarrels died down in favor of survival.   We now arrive at the present, soon after the current monarch of Fengqi - a human astronomer by the title of Queen Pao - announces the beginning of the Reclamation Era and the opening of Fengqi's gates. As part of the Queen's Reclamation Initiative, various adventurer's guilds would be funded to allow for the systematic exploration of the lands beyond the city-state. The only requirements to start one are to have a guildmaster and at least five guild members.   One particularly ambitious guildmaster-to-be was the red dragonborn Luo Kai Ren, who dreamt of creating a guild that would lift the down-trod while cleansing the world of Chaos. She ran the Jade Orchid Brothel - an establishment for ethical adult entertainment - and had an eye for opportunity. And of course, how could she miss the appearance of three would-be heroes that could make her dream a reality?  

Founding the Guild

Our campaign formally began with our three player characters descending from the celestial plane into the mortal plane: Badice Sufferthrone, the elven warlock; Haliah, the naga paladin; Lyca Vernux, the aasimar cleric. Soon after the Reclamation Era began, the celestial plane quickly caught wind of it and the Court of Heaven finally broke their century long silence by announcing the Descension Program. By the decree of the All-King himself, any celestial who wished to aid the mortals in this important endeavor could apply to become a mortal themselves. This was a heroic endeavor, and as magic in Tian Wu Yan is directly linked to one's legend and influence in the mortal plane, this meant that, upon death, descended celestials could return to an afterlife of great power and luxury.   Each character had their own reasons for descension. For Badice, who had been imprisoned for centuries with only her familiar Shatter as company, this was her chance at freedom and a new life. For Haliah, who recently escaped the clutches (hehe) of her evil goddess-of-destruction mother, this meant that she could repay her mentor - the gnome hero Endawon. For Lyca, this meant that she could act out the will of her patron the Truthseeker and investigate the Chao up close and personal.   The three of them descended together within the same group, and appeared near the central market of Fengqi. Each person retained certain traits from their celestial forms and were able to detect whether another mortal were also of celestial origins. There they had their first meal at a noodle shop before they were approached by none other than Luo Kai Ren. Immediately, they discerned that she was Descended as well, and with that knowledge, they chose to follow her into her extradimensional brothel in order to help her with a fowl presence. A ghostly chicken, a poultrygeist if you will, was running amok and causing havoc within the brothel. Once the party managed to catch the beast, meeting the various courtesans employed at the Jade Orchid along the way, Kai Ren was certain that these three would be the ones to create an adventurer's guild with her.   After the madam explained herself, the party agreed to her proposition, and S.K.R.U.N.G.U.S., otherwise known as Scholars, Knights, and Rogues Ushering in New Growth Under Sovereignty, was born.  

The First Missions

After all the necessary paperwork had been filed, the guild was finally ready to begin its first official mission. Granted, it wasn't official in the sense that it had been decreed by the queen, but official in that our party were finally allowed to venture outside Fengqi and explore. See, the mission itself had to do with the ghost chicken they encountered earlier, who was in fact, the cursed pet of the Jade Orchid's maid, a goblin named Goober. Mr. Chicken was his name and he needed the party's help in freeing the rest of his cursed friends located in an abandoned farm just outside Fengqi.   The party agreed to help and off they went, following a chicken into the wilds beyond.   Oh and before you ask, yes, I glazed over the part where they went to see a cat girl to speak to a spectral chicken.   Anyways, given that the Chaos was literally cataclysmic, our protagonists expected much more danger than they actually encountered. Only a single robotic triangle, as strange as it was, stood in their path to the farm. Once at the farm, the trio befriended some more talking animals, evaded a ghost farmer and her ghostly doggo, and made some noodle soup. After successfully lifting the curse, they were left with normal animals with no trapped spirits haunting them. The party took home a horse and a goose and Badice sold that stallion for a hefty chunk of change.   I mustn't forget all the qi that had been collected! Indeed, Luo Kai Ren gifted the party with the knowledge of qi: the manifestation of magical energy that is released upon the death of a Chaos monster. She also gave them the means to see and collect said qi for later use.   Only a few days later, their next mission involved Goober once more, who requested that they help his familiy's village out in the wilderness. Apparently, there were several species and cultures that did not take refuge in Fengqi. For these goblin's specifically, it had been out of fear of humans as, historically, their relationship was strained over territorial disputes. So instead, this group of goblins fled underground, and relied almost entirely on the aid of a benevolent frog spirit that delivered food and water in exchange for worship and material offerings. Unfortunately, the relationship soured as the frog kept asking for more and more, forcing the goblins to reach out to their kin who had ran away months before.   With this mission, we also get introduced to a brand new character created by Elton - Ze Xie! She was Elton's second character who was a human royal guard and eldritch knight endlessly fascinated with nature beyond the city. Accompanied by her loyal hawk familiar and her deadly guandao, Ze Xie was ready to slay.   So, with the aid of Badice, Haliah, and Ze Xie, Goober and the party were able to reveal the frog spirit's corruption and cleanse it, all in one day. It only took a small forest fire and the murder of erratic animals to get it done. And in the end, the party received a frog statuette (that was promptly ignored and still has yet to be used) and a bunch more qi to collect.   Things were going well for SKRUNGUS and the the descended trio were now ready to embark on their first, real adventure!