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Cast
Nathan Sharp as Pluck the Kenku Swamp Druid
Cristina Vee as Anya the Yuan-Ti Pureblood Warlock
Anna Brisbin as Trixa Teardu the Lightfoot Halfling Barbarian
Hunter Hughes as Kovacs the Half-Elf Oathbreaker Paladin
Zach Callison as Werblund the Deep Gnome Ranger
Kaiji Tang as the Dungeon Master
Where we left off
At the Stream of Many Eyes, the group found themselves in a carriage chase as a mob of agents from another party target a magical artifact the Shenanigang currently possesses.
After various shenanigans, they were able to shake off their pursuers. Soon after, their carriage started falling apart, and the dire boar ran into a cart filled with cabbages. The boar trips, flipping onto its back and flinging the carriage and all its occupants straight towards an outer wall of the Yawning Portal.
Thus ended the Stream of Many Eyes session.
Episode 4
The Shenanigang got arrested for property damage. The bag of gold they had found in the carriage was enough for the bail money.
The trip to and from Waterdeep took about a month. Anya had stayed in Fairheim during that time. The rest of them are now approximately 20 minutes out from home. As the magical mist signalling their approach began washing over the ship, everyone made a perception check. Pluck rolled a nat 1! What a wonderful start to the session.
Everyone else notices a small green thing with three eyes and wearing a cap. It is Google McGuffin! Pluck is the only one unaware of it being there, and yet it sits in his lap. The group does point it out to him, at which point he squawks in surprise and throws it.
Trixa catches Google, and asks where it got it’s hat. Here we learn that Google knits in its spare time, and it makes Trixa, Pluck and Werblund some tiny hats. The group asks it questions, including if it needs to recharge. Google says that it needs to rest like anyone else, but is fresh the next day. After Kovacs confusedly and accusitorily asks it if is suggesting that it is a person, it answers:
“Oh no. I am an ancient and powerful artifact. Here. Have a tiny hat.”
It then asks them to take it with the group as they travel the Blacksteel Isles so that it could expand its knowledge on the area. As the rest of the group talks it over, Pluck attempts to sneak it away to toss out a window. He doesn’t make it very far before the rest of the group notices and Werblund stops him.
Google offers its help in any endeavors the party would need in exchange for taking it with them. Werblund immediately takes Google up on this offer, asking it to find his daughter. It immediately begins glowing green. When it stops it turns towards the Fairheim dock as it confirms finding the girl’s location.
Fairheim looks different. The investments that were discussed at the end of session 2 have been implemented. The Pretty Cook looks like a valid business. The dock is seeing more use for ships coming and going. The orphanage is in operating order, though is still in need of additional furnishings on top of its low-end kitchen and beds. And Anya has constructed a big statue of herself in the middle of town.
Kovacs and Pluck both feel like they should just leave.
The kids playing around the base of Anya’s statue are wearing dark cloaks with little snake emblems on them. It looks like Anya’s cult might have a larger budget now.
As they get off the boat, the cargo door nearly explodes and here appears Sir Piggleton, the dire boar friend! Philbert the tortle store manager also came along with some of the fizzy water supplies, as most of the profits and property of the company had to be sold in order to cover the bail. It looks like the company will have to be remade from the ground up.
Anya quickly comes to welcome the party back, bragging about her successes in Fairheim. A perception check from her shows her a little hat in Pluck’s pocket. She takes it thinking it’s valuable and tries to convince the group to give her a bracelet in return for it. Google says that it could make one.
Pluck tries to deceive Anya into thinking that Google isn’t there and that it was him instead, but Google near immediately ended the ruse. Google has a hard time lying.
Google promises to help get a bracelet for Anya. It also says that it would keep its magic usage to a bare minimum when on the island. This worried Kovacs and Pluck, who tried to put a bracelet on it, but the rock is a bit too small. They’ll need a bit of rope.
Werblund, annoyed, asks about his request from earlier. His daughter is in Thisbinar, with Winkerbean. They will be in Allhaven within six days.
Shady Jeff comes over to ask about the group’s excursion to Waterdeep, but Werblund wheels the conversation back to his daughter. Jeff promises to do some digging for Werblund and figure out information about the Winkerbean circus tent that is to be set up in Allhaven. But in the meantime, leads the group to the now completed circus tent to introduce their new entertainers. They are also now members of Anya’s cult, which is now very popular.
While Trixa tries to figure out different acts they might be able to create and Anya bursts into song, Werblund, Kovacs, and Pluck just leave. Werblund and Kovacs go off to have a of secretive conversation. The two both have qualms against Sir Lucian of Thisbinar, and though Werblund doesn’t like everyone very much, he is willing to work with them in their endeavors if they help him get his daughter back. They plan to go to the smithy to suit up. Pluck eavesdrops on the whole conversation, having rolled a nat 20 on his perception check. His main concern is having Werblund rank everyone in how much he likes Pluck.
Google asks if it could be of assistance for rescuing the daughter, and is quite excited about the prospect. It also mentions however, that Thisbinar is currently closed off from the world, slowing trade and travel down to a trickle. The guard is completely militarized. And to top it all of, Kovacs disclosed that blood magic had been running rampant in the city; demons summoned, humanoids sacrificed, and Lucian himself being imbued with demonic power.
As Kovacs raises his voice angrily as he discloses this information, Trixa and Anya follows them out of the tent as well, leaving the cultists to mill about. Pluck quickly tells one to go learn to juggle and another two to make out or something.
Google mentions Kovacs being responsible for aspects of the political upheaval, which Trixa connected to some peoples’ anger towards him when he introduces himself, and for the secret kept there. Kovacs snaps at Trixa, saying that both the man he wishes to destroy and Trixa have demonic strength, so why should he trust her. This is when Google pipes up defending her, stating that Trixa doesn’t have control over that.
And that Google knows everything about them.
Trixa tries to secretly ask Google how to get rid of the demon. It involves forgiving her mother, which she does not want to do. We also learn that the demon comes out with negative emotions and survival instincts. Pluck and Werblund overhear the conversation, and Pluck tries to convince Werblund to not tell Kovacs for fear of him killing Trixa. Kovacs does overhear that though. Pluck tries to cover his tracks.
Anya also wants to talk to the pet rock. When Trixa finishes the conversation and hands Google over, there was a flash of green in her eyes, which faded immediately.
Kovacs gives up and goes to Ironhoof’s smithy with Werblund. Ironhoof excitedly welcomes them back and gives Kovacs a greatsword made from the silver and adamantite they took from Fizzlepot’s armor. It doesn’t have a name, but here are its stats:
2d6 Greatsword. Heavy, two-handed. Silvered. Adamantite Reinforced: Automatically crits against inanimate objects.
When Kovacs sheathed the weapon on his back, he felt movement behind him. Pluck had appeared, trying to chew on the sword because it is very shiny.
Werblund sells off his meat cleaver, dagger, and chain mail and buys two longswords and a breastplate. Pluck buys a necklace with mazes on it, that could be enchanted if he so chose. Kovacs also sells his chain mail in favor of a breastplate.
Google also wants to get equipment. A tiny sword and shield, specifically. Pluck covers for it, mimicking its voice. They end up taking a letter opener shaped like a sword and the decorative shield it came with. Ironhoof just gives it to him.
As they leave the smithy the kids who are a part of a cult ambush the group asking for presents. Kovacs gives one a shortsword and Trixa gives another a throwing knife.
They’re about to start their “slaves and drugs” chant, but Shady Jeff stops them and they start to chant “peace and love,” though they are exasperated as they do.
The Pretty Cook makes a big meal for them when they return. The menu has expanded into what is considered more normal cuisine, but the Underdark menu is still available. Anya and SnekSnek are eating mice. SnekSnek has a little hat now, which Google had made for him. SnekSnek likes Google.
Pluck goes off to a table by himself to ask Google to enchant the newly acquired necklace to be like the bracelet. He has to make an ominous wisdom saving throw, which was a 12. The rock says that it can’t enchant the necklace by itself, but if Pluck touches it then they could get some help.
When he does, they vanish from the room.
Pluck is writhing around in a chaotic and dark place, unable to make a sound. Google is off in the distance, holding a seemingly friendly conversation with a formless entity that is both everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It goes like this for what feels like hours or years.
And he returns back to the room.
Immediately, Pluck lets out a scream and throws Google in a panic. Everyone else goes to alert. Werblund pulls out his swords. Trixa catches Google. Pluck’s necklace is now a +1 necklace of protection.
After a chaotic conversation filled with yelling, Pluck storms away, traumatized. Everyone else stays trying to hash out what happened.
Google’s friend is an antisocial djinn which lives on its own plane of existence. The artifact doesn’t think the rest of the group would like it there based off of Pluck’s reaction.
Google has, however, started formulating the beginnings of a plan to get another bracelet. There are two potential targets: Vigil, the tiefling woman guard captain they had met previously, and Nekko Havenspear, another guard captain that patrols the area and is something of a celebrity in Allhaven. It looks like the plan right now is to have Anya seduce Havenspear.
Werblund reluctantly tells Anya that if she helps in getting his daughter back, he would help her get a bracelet, and may consider her a friend at that point. Anya excitedly tells SnekSnek of this development.
Later, Anya and Trixa go to Ironhoof’s before he closes up shop. Trixa sells a kitchen knife she got from the prison ship’s kitchen. Anya sells the Ring of Bureaucratic Wizardry, and attempts to sell the vial of blood she collected off of Fizzlepot as well. The first was a very successful transaction, but the second went less swimmingly and grossed Ironhoof out, opting to help Trixa instead. She got a battleaxe. Anya tries to get something better than her shortsword, and winds up with a giant mace that functions more as a warhammer. Anya also gets some studded leather armor. Trixa asks for a cloak, which Ironhoof says he doesn’t have any of right now, but if she comes back tomorrow she can pick up a cloak. It’s being made of some of the drapes on the window. Anya also buys a little puzzle ring and bracelet to try to cheer up Pluck. The bracelet is engraved with a personalized message from Anya.
The night is from there uneventful, but they all get a wake up call from Google floating from room to room, excited for adventure with its little letter opener sword and shield.
The plan is for Anya to go seduce Nekko Havenspear. Google magically applies her makeup. As they make their way through the woods towards the waterfall, they come across a cart being ransacked by three lizardlike creatures, and Philbert the tortle up a tree calling for help. They turn angrily. Kovacs tries to intimdate them into leaving, with the help of Werblund. Unfornutately, a 1 was rolled, and Kovacs burps instead. Pluck just hides with a natural 20.
The lizardfolk speak to them in Draconic, and the only one who understands them is Anya. At first she tries to persuade them to leave, but failing that she tries to intimidate them by describing what her friends can do. Upon hearing that Kovacs had been a part of a political upheaval, they became interested. Apparently, their people have been driven from their homes, the lizardfolk people now starving on the streets and outskirts of Allhaven. The reason they are ransacking the cart is due to hunger. Anya wants to help her reptilian brethren, and ends up promising to kill of the Allhavians.
When the lizardfolk leave, she relays this to her party, and Google confirms. Everyone is annoyed at her in different respects, but Kovacs says that the best way to help them while maintaining the deal is to get rid of those in power in Allhaven.
A bit later they make it to a clearing that has a river leading to a nice pond with a small waterfall nearby. Nekko is bathing in the pond and waterfall. He’s a classically beautiful man. Textbook, in fact.
Kovacs spots the bracelet they’re after, and Anya spots a very ornate, nice looking spear. When the items are pointed out, Werblund notes that the spear is well constructed. Pluck just sees the shiny point, casts Pass Without Trace, and goes to take it.
Werblund gave the bracelet he was wearing to Anya in hopes that she would cast invisibility on someone to make it easy to just steal the items and leave, but instead she went up to a distance close enough to Nekko to cast Charm Person. Exasperated, Werblund goes to take the bracelet.
Both thefts succeed. Whether or not Charm Person succeeded is unclear, but Anya goes to greet the man anyway. A persuasion check and a charisma saving throw later, the man seems to see Anya in a positive light. He gets out of the pond and his bottom half appears to actually be a horse.
Which is where the episode ends! Join us next time to find out whether or not Anya can seduce a centaur, and if the others can get away without him noticing his stuff missing!