Session 1: The Adventuer Begins
General Summary
Written by David/Dad
The first session of the Neverwinter campaign, dated May 20, 2025, began with character introductions, where each player was randomly assigned connections to other characters based on a chart of events. The campaign started on the evening of the summer solstice (19th of Kython 1495) at the Hearth & Hall inn in the Dwarven Enclave of Neverwinter. The inn was crowded with celebrants, including Kaladin Battlehammer, who uncharacteristically joined the festivities instead of patrolling. Nora Truesliver, the proprietor, served drinks, and notable citizens Pip Thonberry, Willow Thomberry, and Tork Gildengear d'Cannith were also present. Freya Battlehammer, leader of the Dwarven Enclave, was also celebrating.
The celebration was interrupted when a group of rat bandits burst into the inn, attacking Freya Battlehammer and severely wounding her. The party immediately engaged the bandits. Kaladin rushed to aid his sister, Freya. Fordare Stoneheart cleaved through a bandit with her greatsword. Jilliean Blackserpent froze a bandit with an Ice Knife spell. Josette Trelay shot arrows at the bandits attacking Freya, while Vralis Altair jumped onto the bar, blasting bandits with eldritch magic. The party quickly dispatched the bandits, though one attempted to stab Freya with a poisoned dagger.
After the fight, the party searched for clues and found markings and tokens indicating the bandits belonged to the Rat's Thieves Guild, known to operate out of the Docks and act as hired hands. Jilliean Blackserpent determined the purple gem-hilted dagger used to attack Freya was magical. Freya Battlehammer mentioned to Kaladin and Fordare that she had received threats for being an unguilded smith. Visibly shaken, Freya left the inn with a bottle of mead, and Kaladin followed her back to her shop, Heroes & Hammers, convincing her to talk the next morning at Legends & Lattes.
The session concluded with the party spending the night at the inn. Jilliean Blackserpent negotiated a merchant room from Nora Truesliver and helped clean the common room. Vralis Altair made a deal with Nora to repair a table damaged by Mercy The Honey Badger. Josette Trelay offered Kaladin a strong raspberry mead. The following morning, the party was summoned to Legends & Lattes by Freya Battlehammer, where they met Ryothall Emberfall, Guildmaster of the Broken Swords.
Highlights:
- Fordare Stoneheart one-shot a bandit in rage mode.
- Vralis Altair critically hit a bandit with an eldritch blast, causing the bandit to explode.
- Kaladin Battlehammer scored a critical hit with Emberspark using the cantrip True Strike, causing Emberspark to glow and push the bandit 15 feet.
- Jilliean Blackserpent one-shot a bandit with her Ice Dagger spell.
- Mercy The Honey Badger damaged a table.
Character Connections:
Each player character was randomly assigned three character connection events to add to their backstory.
1. Kaladin Battlehammer
- Vralis Altair - Prophecy Pair: Vralis foresaw resolving a conflict between Freya and Kaladin, leading him to Neverwinter and his introduction to Kaladin.
- Josette Trelay - Telepathic Dreams: Josette has nightmares of Kaladin as a clown with popping fruit balloons if he drinks non-Josette-made mead before bed.
- Jilliean Blackserpent - Fashion Disaster Twins: Kaladin and Jilliean wore the same suit to a party and settled a contest of throwing forks at apples on their heads to decide who had to change, with Kaladin winning.
2. Fordare Stoneheart
- Mercy The Honey Badger - Accidental Cult Leaders: Fordare and Mercy were mistaken for cult leaders, resulting in Fordare receiving a third-eye tattoo And Mercy having the Eye of Jumano jewel embedded under her skin.
- Jilliean Blackserpent - Borrowed Identity: Fordare used Jilliean's name while undercover with the city guards, and Jilliean now uses this leverage to make Fordare move heavy items for her.
- Jilliean Blackserpent - Shared Enemy: Both Fordare and Jilliean consider Captain Levaro Clearwater of the Neverwinter Guard their enemy; Fordare for locking up children swimming in the river, and Jilliean for harassing her about walking across the river.
- Vralis Altair - Bound By Oath: Fordare and Vralis have an oath to help each other; Fordare swore to help Vralis find an item in Neverwinter, and Vralis swore to help Fordare find her biological parents.
3. Jilliean Blackserpent
- Vralis Altair - Cosmic Joke: Jilliean and Vralis both see random apples when near each other.
- Josette Trelay - Item Connection: Jilliean owns a flagon of Angry Blue mead from Thunderkettle Meadery, a competitor of Josette's mead.
- Kaladin Battlehammer - Gambling Debt: Kaladin lost his favorite hand axe, made by Tork Gildengear d'Cannith, in a high-stakes game of dragonchess.
4. Vralis Altair
- Mercy The Honey Badger - Unlikely Allies: Vralis initially disliked Mercy until Mercy saved his life during a trip to deliver wages to dwarven miners in Phandalin.
- Fordare Stoneheart - Switched Belongings: Fordare picked up Vralis's prized coffee cup from Viv at Legends & Lattes, and Vralis had a new one made instead of telling Viv.
- Kaladin Battlehammer - Unfilled Promise: Vralis promised Kaladin to one day join the Stout Folk Alliance and help defend the Dwarven Enclave.
5. Josette Trelay
- Kaladin Battlehammer - Unexpected Savior: Kaladin discovered Josette's stolen barrel of mead tucked behind an abandoned house.
- Jilliean Blackserpent - Culinary Catastrophe: Josette created a signature mead named "Ap. Apa," inspired by Jilliean, which contains grapes, blackberries, and kiwis.
- Fordare Stoneheart - Peculiar Pact: While drunk, Josette and Fordare made a pact that if one wears a low-cut shirt, the other must too. If Josette doesn't wear the shirt, she must polish Fordare's weapons. If Fordare doesn't wear the shirt, she has to bathe Mercy The Honey Badger.
Rewards Granted
Magical purple dagger. Jilliean Blackserpent has position of the dagger.
Created Content
- Captain Levaro Clearwater of the Neverwinter Guard
- Josette created a signature mead named "Ap. Apa," inspired by Jilliean, which contains grapes, blackberries, and kiwis.
- Angry Blue mead from Thunderkettle Meadery
Comments