Hello, everyone! WaterDragonMaverick here with the next chapter of "Your Turn To Roll". When Luz and the others finished the last session, they managed to reach Level 5 and are now heading for a brand-new location called "Indahm Isle". They're heading there for a fighting tournament known as the "Mountain Bird Brawl", where adventurers of all types can face off against monsters and each other to test their skills out and even earn prizes. How will our heroes do when they sign up for the tournament? Let's find out as soon as possible.
The Owl House is owned by Disney and was created by Dana Terrace
Dungeons and Dragons is published by Wizards of the Coast and was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
Cha-la! Head-cha-la!
After another week of their usual favorite things to do, Luz and her friends gathered at the Owl House for their newest Dungeons and Dragons session. "Okay, so when I talked to Viney, she said that she and Skara were playing with Jerbo, Barcus, and Skara's other friends who aren't Boscha to test their characters out," Luz said to Amity as they headed into the back room.
"Okay, that's good to know. It'll be fun to have them join us," Amity said as she knew Skara was much friendlier than Boscha was.
"At least Viney narrowed down what subclass she wanted," Willow remarked as she, Gus, and Hunter sat down.
"Less talking, more playing," an excited King declared.
"Okay, let's begin," Vee said before narrating the scene. "After handling Caleb's original mission of confirming Philomena's identity by tricking the Imperial Guard about who they really saw, you took the time to visit the home of Doctor Bartholomew 'Buddy' Chaplin on Orphechelon Island. While there, you stumbled upon a plot made by treasure hunters and stopped the necromancer who commanded a small army of the undead," she stated. "After you bested Beowulf Romero himself, you were rewarded by the guards and learned of a tournament taking place on Indahm Isle. You boarded the Maitland and paid for travel to your next destination, managing to level up after you won your battle against Romero's forces. Now, we begin our session with your travels on the Maitland, where it's the morning after you boarded. What is everyone doing now that they're Level 5," Vee asked, allowing the party to say what they'd be doing.
"I'd be going over the spellbook we grabbed from Romero after defeating him," Gus said. "Perhaps there's some spells we can use in it."
"Yeah, we'll also go over the books we got from the hag coven on Helhemichi as well," Amity added.
"As for me, I'd be out on the deck to see about any animals that I could Wild Shape into," Willow said.
"I'd be training on the deck," Hunter said.
"I'll join him and we'd spar against each other in a duel," Luz added.
"I'd probably be seeing what all of them are doing," King told Vee.
"Okay, we'll start with Willow and King. Sariel is out on the deck of the ship, looking out at the dolphins that leap out from the water and swim along the side of the vessel," Vee states. "Reverence is with you as the marine animals show themselves."
"I'd jump into the water and use my Wild Shape to turn into a dolphin," Willow said. "Then, I'd look around the water to find other creatures I could possibly turn into."
"I'll make sure to lower a rope ladder or something for her so she can get back on the ship easier," King told Vee.
"Good idea," Willow agreed.
"Alright. As Sariel leaps into the water and transforms into a dolphin, Reverence secures and lowers a rope ladder on the same side of the ship. While Sariel is underwater, she sees a variety of different marine life swimming around. There are all sorts of different fish, some orcas off in the distance, and you can even see a giant octopus use its ink to escape from a shark that wanted to feed on it," Vee elaborated.
"After seeing all of that, I'd go back up to the ship when I need to take another breath," Willow said.
"You spend the 20 minutes you could hold your breath exploring around the water underneath the boat, then head back up to the Maitland. Grabbing hold of the rope ladder Reverence prepared, you easily climb back onto the ship," Vee told Willow.
"What did you see down there," King asked as Reverence.
"Some pretty interesting animals," Willow replied as Sariel. "More dolphins, a lot of fish, a shark, some orcas, and even a giant octopus."
"Cool! That sounds amazing," King said as Reverence.
"Why are you asking anyways," Willow asked in character.
"Well, I never had anybody to talk with back in Daggercrest," King said as Reverence.
"Oh, that's right," Willow remarked as Sariel.
"I never had anybody to look after me. Sometimes I just wish I knew who my family was, even if they abandoned me for no good reason," he stated. "Even just some sort of clue would make me happy. Then I could learn more about them."
"I can understand that," Willow said as Sariel. "I was raised by a lot of people in my druid circle, but we took in people who had nowhere else to go or wanted to find answers in some way. It was like a family that kept growing. Even if you can't find anything about your birth family, you can consider us family."
"Reverence would think over those words," King said.
"With that, let's go with Philomena and Wrenn with their spellbook studies," Vee said as she moved the focus to the team Wizards. "As you go over the notes and formulas in the various books you acquired, you see a variety of spells. Ones for direct battles, others for support, and even a few for things outside of fights," she elaborated.
Taking this as a sign to start roleplaying, Gus spoke up as Wrenn. "Some very interesting spells in the book Romero had. I could use a few of these," he said. "Then I have Wrenn copy down some magic like Counterspell, Fireball, and Dispel Magic."
"Some good spells there," Amity remarked before voicing Philomena. "A few of these would likely be in spellbooks back home in the family library, but my mother was too strict about who was allowed to read them."
"Really? You'd think with a family of magic experts, you'd be studying everything you could," Gus remarked as Wrenn.
"Tell me about it," Amity answered in Philomena's voice. "I make sure to copy any 3rd-level spells I find," she added.
"Good to know. And as you do that, you then hear a voice in your mind," Vee said before doing her impression of Odalia Blight. "Philomena Yolande, this game you're playing is no longer amusing. Lying to the guards and having that tiefling disguised as you? You're in big trouble."
"Well, it's better than dealing with you and that chauvinistic pig of a man you intend to marry me off to, Mother! Leave me alone," Amity exclaimed in Philomena's voice, sounding angry and annoyed.
"What was that about," Gus asked as Wrenn.
Amity sighed to show Philomena doing the same. "My mother's been constantly using her magic to message me," she said. "She doesn't listen to me at all."
"Sounds like she's using a Sending spell," Gus said as Wrenn.
"I know what spell it is. I just want her to stop using it on me," Amity declared, showing Philomena's frustration.
"Maybe if we were to confront her about it in person, we can solve this whole arranged marriage problem for good," Gus suggested as Wrenn.
"If you and the others could help deal with my mother, I'd appreciate it very much," Amity said with a smile, showing Philomena's gratitude for the possible assistance.
"I think with that, we'll just quietly study the notes and write down what we can, sharing the details we have with each other," Gus said.
"Got it. That means we'll get to Carmen and Caleb's practice duel," Vee told everyone. "Caleb makes sure that his armor is on properly while Carmen has her cutlass ready. Both of you roll initiative for me."
"I have a 4," Hunter said.
"I got a 14. My Dexterity makes it 18, but my new Swashbuckler Rogue features let me add my Charisma modifier to my initiative roll. That makes it a total of 21 for me," Luz said. "And I'll start the duel by going after Caleb directly with the second detail of Rakish Audacity. Now, I don't need to get advantage during my turn for my Sneak Attack damage to be used. I just have to be within 5 feet of my enemy, have nobody else within 5 feet of me, and not have disadvantage on the attack," she added before rolling her attack. "My attack is a 15 for a total of 22."
"That hits. Roll for Sneak Attack," Vee declared.
"Okay, I get an extra d6 this level. 5, 2, and 5 on the dice, so my total for slashing damage on the attack is 18," she said.
"With new confidence in your skills as a duelist, you demonstrate skill with swordplay and footwork similar to a debonair pirate captain. You're able to get Caleb in the chest. His armor protects him from lethal damage, but the speed of the slash caught him by surprise," Vee explained. "Hunter, it's Caleb's turn."
"Okay," Hunter said before smirking at Luz. "Caleb will retaliate by swinging his sword at Carmen. I got a 4 on the first roll for a 10 total, but I have a second attack. That one will be a… second 4 for 10. What the heck?"
"Caleb swings his blade twice, but Carmen's skills in a duel are shining brightly as she easily dodges the attacks," Vee narrates.
"Carmen goes for another attack, but I got a 3 on the die to make 10 total," Luz said.
"Then I'll go again as I protect myself against that sword swing this time," Hunter declared. "I got a 12 on the first attack for 18."
"That hits," Vee confirmed, remembering the notes on Carmen's armor class.
"I deal max damage with an 8 for a total of 11," Hunter said. "As for the second attack, I got a 6 for 12 total."
"With a strong swing of your sword, you hit Carmen in the stomach before she manages to get out of the way of your second swing," Vee told the two.
"I'll go again and attack with a 14 for 21 total," Luz said.
"That hits me," Hunter replied.
"I got a 3, 4, and 3. That gives me 16 total slashing damage," Luz tells Hunter and Vee.
"I'm at 26 hit points now," Hunter said.
"If I got max damage on all of my dice the next move, that would nearly kill you," Luz noted.
"Let me try and get another hit on you and that'll be the end of our duel for practice," Hunter suggested.
"I have 54 HP now at Level 5, but you lowered that down to 43. Go ahead and try to hit me twice," Luz said, allowing Hunter to try and hit her.
"Okay, I'm rolling," Hunter said as he gave his d20 a toss. "12 for a total of 18 again. And my second roll is a natural 20!"
"Ouch, this will hurt," Luz remarked, not looking forward to the damage.
"First attack is another 8 for 11 total slashing damage. The second die is 7, so I'll double that one. That's 17 total on that," Hunter stated as he rolled his d8.
"That drops me to 15," Luz noted.
"With honed skill, Caleb swings his sword twice and deals heavy damage to Carmen, knocking her back and causing a trickle of blood to drip down her arm," Vee states.
"If we're watching this, I'll make sure to heal them up," Willow said.
"I'll do the same since this was meant to be practice," Hunter added.
"After seeing Carmen's arm bleeding, Caleb puts away his weaponry and begins to heal up your wounds. At the same time, Sariel approaches Caleb and uses her magic to heal him up after that battle you two had," Vee explains.
"Your swordsmanship is coming along very nicely," Hunter said in Caleb's voice. "Those hits you got on me were stronger than I thought."
"I just thought I needed to hone my dueling skills after everything that happened," Luz replied as Carmen. "My captain's still way stronger than me."
"The Owl Lady is known as the strongest pirate on these waters," Hunter muttered in Caleb's voice. "She's still wanted by the Alexandrian Empire after 15 years."
"Yeah, because they limit the use of magic too much," Luz countered in Carmen's voice.
"How about we save this argument for another day," Willow suggested in Sariel's voice. "I'd rather have us focus on getting ready for the tournament."
"...She makes a good point," Hunter said as Caleb.
"I suppose we'll spend the rest of the trip training," Luz said.
"And with that, we'll test out some spells by either firing them out at sea or using them on the others depending on what magic we use," Gus added. "Like any damaging spells are sent out at the open water and any support spells are tested with volunteers."
"Good to know," Vee said before rolling some dice to determine a potential encounter. "As you continue your travels for nearly a week, the captain of the Maitland says that you're close to Indahm Isle. It'll only take you another couple hours after dawn," she told the players.
"That's good to hear," Willow said.
"However, there's a sudden bump and the ship starts to rock," Vee stated. "It's only a light rocking, so nobody needs to make a save. However, I'd like everyone to roll me a Perception check to see what hit the ship," she added.
"Okay, let's see what we get," Luz declared as everyone rolled their dice. "I got a 12 for 19 total. Gotta love the proficiency bonus going up with certain levels. Really improves skills. Especially with Expertise."
"I got my own 12 for 14," Amity said.
"I got a 12 too. What's with that? Anyways, I have a modified 20," Willow remarked.
"I broke that chain with a 19 for my own modified 20," Gus told everyone.
"And I restarted that chain of 12s with my own. But it's a 13 total," Hunter said.
"I got a 2," King said.
"Rev gets a face full of seawater," Gus joked, making everyone laugh.
"Everyone that got a 14 or above sees exactly what caused the ship to jerk suddenly. Under the water, you see large scaly creatures with long necks and flippers for arms and legs. The three creatures notice you looking at them and raise their heads out of the water," Vee said as she collected a few figurines to place on the table. "Growling at you with bared teeth are a trio of plesiosaurus."
"We're fighting dinosaurs!? That's amazing," Luz exclaimed, excited to battle.
"I wanna shoot it! Let me shoot it," King shouted, wanting to battle the dinosaur.
"Plesiosaurus in the Monster Manual are stated to be territorial, so we'll begin rolling for initiative as the crew of the Maitland focus on keeping the ship safe," Vee told everyone before rolling some dice.
Rolling her d20 again, Luz looked at the result. "Another 12. That makes my total 19 for my initiative."
"I have an 18 to make 21," Amity said.
"10 for 14," Gus declared.
"19 for a modified 20," Willow told the others.
"Flat 18," Hunter said.
"17 for 25 total," King exclaimed.
"As for the plesiosaurus trio, the first and third share a turn with Gus while the second is last," Vee stated. "We'll start at the top of the round with King. What does Reverence do?"
"I'll start by hiding behind a barrel with my Cunning Action and fire my crossbow for some Sneak Attack damage," King declared before rolling his d20. "I got a 15 for 21 on Stealth."
"You're hidden away, so roll with advantage," Vee said.
"Okay, I got another 15 for 21 on the first one I see," King remarked.
"That hits," Vee confirmed.
"Sweet! Now for the damage," King cheered before rolling his d6s. "That's 1 on the regular bolt for 4. The extra from my Sneak Attack adds an extra 15. That'll be 19 piercing damage total," he said.
"Seeing the territorial dinosaur rise from the sea, you hide from its sight, then fire a crossbow bolt into its chin, dealing a good chunk of damage," Vee narrated. "Amity, it's your turn."
"Okay, I'll start by activating my Bladesong, then I'll cast a third-level spell," Amity stated, making the others lean in as they wanted to hear what move Amity would make. "I'll twirl my sword around as my crystal pendant's color changes to an intense red for a moment, allowing me to cast Fireball on the monsters. Since they're all grouped together, I'll focus the blast in the area that gets all of them, but doesn't touch the ship."
"Sweet! Fireball," King exclaimed.
"The Wizard staple as long as you don't catch allies in them," Hunter remarked. "Or yourself for that matter."
"I think that Sorcerers can have Metamagic that allows you to keep allies from being hurt by your spells," Luz said.
"In any case, they have to make a Dexterity save of 16 or take 8d6 of fire damage," Amity tells Vee.
"Got it," the dungeon master said before she started rolling saves for each aquatic dinosaur. "The first one got a 7 for 9. The second is a natural 20, so it passes. And the last one got a 3 for 5. The first and third take full damage and the second takes half."
"Good to know," Amity said before collecting her 8d6. Giving them a good shake, Amity tossed them into her dice tray and counted the total. "1, 2, 6, 1, 6, 2, 3, 5… 26 points of fire damage," she declared.
"And the second plesiosaurus only takes half from that," Vee said. "With a spin of your sword and a streak of magic, you send a glowing red bead of arcane energy behind the Plesiosaurus trio. The bead explodes in a violent burst of fire and flame, scorching the dinosaurs while the smallest of them managed to duck its neck closer to the water to avoid some of the damage," she narrated. "Willow, it's your turn."
"I'll cast Ice Knife and aim it at the third so that it hits it and the second," Willow declared before rolling her attack. "That's a 9 for a total of 17."
"That hits. Let me just roll the Dexterity saves," Vee said as she picked her dice up again. "Number 2 got a 6 for 8. Fails the save this time. And the third got an 11 for 13. I know that fails your save because of your Wisdom modifier, so both take the cold damage."
"Perfect," Willow said with a smile before rolling her dice. "8 piercing on the third and 8 cold damage on both."
"With an expert throw of your knife, the frozen flower stabs into the third plesiosaurus before it explodes into shards of ice, peppering it and the younger second," Vee describes. "They both roar in pain as Carmen takes her turn. Luz, go ahead."
"I'll go ahead and attack that first one with my Ring of Shooting Stars, casting Guiding Bolt on it," Luz said before rolling her d20. "I got a 13, so that makes it 19 total."
"That hits," Vee told her sister. "Roll your 4d6 of radiant damage."
Grabbing the dice she needed, Luz rolled to see what damage she did to the dinosaur in the fight. "Okay, I got three 2s and a 4. That's a total of 10 radiant damage and the first plesiosaurus is easier to hit," Luz said.
"Accessing the magic in your ring, you manage to throw a shining orb of light at the dinosaur's large neck, making it roar in pain while the wounds it has begin to glow with a glittering shimmer. The next attack has advantage on it," Vee stated. "Hunter, it's Caleb's turn."
"Alright, my turn. I'll start by running up to the glowing dinosaur and striking at it with my sword," Hunter said as he rolled his 20-sided die. "5 on the first roll, but I have advantage thanks to Carmen. The second one is a 10 for 16 total," he said.
"That first attack hits," Vee confirmed.
"I'll make this a Divine Smite attack," Hunter declared as he rolled a d10 and two d8. "And I got all 2s. That makes it a total of 5 slashing damage and 4 radiant damage. Luckily, I have a second attack," he said before rolling his d20 again. "16 for 22, so that hits. I'll use the same attack again. And this one's much better with 8 slashing damage and 8 radiant damage. That's a total of 25 damage for my turn."
Vee nodded and smiled as she spoke up. "With two powerful swings of your sword and the explosions of divine energy, you manage to slay the first plesiosaurus," Vee said, making the players at the table cheer. "And good timing too as it's now Gus and the third dinosaur's turn. Gus, you say what Wrenn's doing first."
"Okay, this will be good," Gus said as he thought of his next move with his gnome wizard. "I'll go ahead and cast Tasha's Mind Whip at 3rd-level letting me hit both of them while they're in range," Gus declared.
"Good move," Vee said while the others muttered in agreement. Rolling dice for the two plesiosauruses, Vee counted up the total for the Intelligence saving throws needed. "15 minus 4 to make 11 on the first. And the second is a dirty 1. These things are taking the damage and can only make one action during their next turns," Vee said, making the table cheer.
"Alright! Let's see how bad of a headache they get," Luz cheered as Gus picked up his dice.
Rolling the 3d6 needed, Gus counted up what he was able to do. "Oh, it's not much. Only a total of 4 psychic damage on both," he muttered.
"Yeah, but it's still on both of them," Hunter reminded him.
"And with the threads of psychic energy piercing into their brains, the two dinosaurs writhe and thrash around as they follow the boat, using up their movement instead of being able to attack," Vee told the party.
"Yes! Free round of combat," King exclaimed.
"Top of the round, so it's Reverance again," Vee told the youngest.
"Okay, they haven't found me yet because they've been attacked by everyone else and could only move just now. I'll take aim with my crossbow again and fire at the weaker one," King said before he rolled his dice. "That's a 19 total."
"That hits, King," Vee told the boy.
Picking up his six-sided dice, he began to roll for the damage he would deal to the dinosaur. "Okay… 2, 3, 5, 6… I deal 19 damage total," King declared after counting up everything.
"With a bolt flying from your crossbow as you hide away, you hit the plesiosaurus in the eye and it roars in pain. It thrashes and screams as we go into Philomena's turn," Vee described.
"I'll cast Fire Bolt on the same one Reverence just hurt," Amity declared before rolling her d20. "6 plus 8… 14 total for attack."
"That hits," Vee confirmed.
"I deal a total of… 13 fire damage," Amity said after rolling her d10 twice for her upgraded cantrip.
"With a large mote of flame shooting from your finger, you manage to hit the dinosaur in its mouth and the searing heat burns it from the inside, killing it and making it sink back into the water," Vee described.
"Sweet! Another one down," Luz cheered before giving Amity a big kiss on the cheek.
"That just leaves one and it's my turn," Willow said as she thought her next move through. "I think for my move, I'll use a Thorn Whip to pull its head down closer to us," she declared before rolling her d20. "I got an 11 to make 19."
"That'll hit, so roll damage as the dinosaur is grabbed by your thorn-covered vine and pulled closer to the deck of the ship," Vee confirmed.
"I got a 1 and a 5 to make 6 total piercing damage," Willow said after rolling her dice.
"Good to know," Vee said as she marked down the damage dealt. "Luz, it's your turn."
"Since Sariel pulled it closer, Carmen will rush up to it since everyone else is at least more than 5 feet away. Right," Luz asked.
"I would say so because everyone else was around the ship's deck," Vee said.
"Then I'll make sure to run in with my cutlass drawn and attempt to get a Sneak Attack in. All thanks to my Swashbuckler stuff," Luz declared as she rolled her dice. "8 on my die to make 15."
"That hits. Roll your Sneak Attack," Vee confirmed.
"Okay! Let's see here," Luz exclaimed before rolling her dice. "I got a 1, 4, and 3. Add my Dexterity modifier and Dueling bonus… 14 points of slashing damage," she declared after doing the math.
"You manage to use your sword skills to slash into the dinosaur's long neck, giving it a nasty scar that goes up to its cheek. It's looking pretty rough and could fall any second," Vee described. "Hunter, it's Caleb's turn again."
"I'll run up to the dinosaur and attack with my sword," Hunter decided before rolling his die. "First is a natural 16, so I know that will hit," he said before rolling a d10. "I'll make this a two-handed swing. I managed to get an 8 on the die for 11 points of slashing damage."
"With a strong swing of your blade, you manage to decapitate the dinosaur and its bloody head bounces off the ship's railing, landing in the water below," Vee declared, allowing the heroes to celebrate their victory without any of them getting hurt.
"Perfect victory for us," Amity cheered.
"Yeah! That was a great start to this new island," Gus agreed.
"Speaking of, the crew of the Maitland all relax now that the ship isn't under attack. After catching their breath after that tense moment, everyone begins to bring the ship toward a port city. After they drop anchor at a dock, the captain comes and speaks with you," Vee said before voicing the ship's captain. "Here we are. Kamesen City, one of the main ports of the island. It's not that big of a city, but it is where you can start finding where to sign up for that tournament the island holds."
"Thank you very much, captain," Willow said as Sariel.
"Nah, we should thank you for protecting us from those things. We probably would have had trouble getting to port without you," Vee said as the captain.
"You're welcome. Do you know where we can find that sign-up area," Gus asked as Wrenn.
Looking over her notes quickly, Vee spoke in the captain's voice again. "You'll want to head to Main Street and find a place called 'The Steam Pot'. It's a diner, bar, and fight club that many of the Mountain Bird monks frequent, including their master who likes to host the tournament for his students. You'll want to find an old Tortle who relaxes there named Jachun. He'll help you out."
After making sure to write down the details, Amity then spoke up. "Thank you. You've been a great help," she said as Philomena.
"You're welcome. Do your best in the tournament. Last I heard, they're giving out great prizes this year. We actually brought a few things to them the last time we were here," Vee said as the captain.
"That's interesting. Okay, I say we all go off and try finding this 'Steam Pot' place," Hunter said, wanting to continue the adventure.
"Do we have any idea where it would be," Willow asked.
"Yeah, I don't think any of us would know where it would be," Luz remarked.
"Oh! As an Urchin background, I know city secrets that let us figure out our way faster than most," King said, looking at his character sheet.
"That's useful. I guess we'll use that to find Main Street," Hunter told the others.
"As you all make your way through the streets with ease thanks to Reverence knowing back alley paths, you see that several of the buildings in town are in a sort of Asian style with tile rooftops and lanterns hanging around. The roads you walk on also have a sort of turtle shell pattern in the stonework, giving it an interesting design," Vee described. "When you reach Main Street, you see an assortment of locals and visitors around the place, crowding the streets quite a bit. I'd like you all to either give me a Perception check to find the building yourself or a Persuasion check to ask people for the location," Vee told everyone.
Picking up all their d20s, everyone rolled to see who was able to find their destination first. "I got a 9 to make 16 total on Perception," Luz said.
"I got a natural 1," Amity groaned.
"We can say you were distracted by a girl is a great outfit," Willow said as everyone started to laugh at the idea, even Amity. "As for me, I got a 2 to make 10 on Perception."
"I got a 3 to make 4," Gus told everyone. "Guess that everyone's just taller than me and it keeps me from finding the place."
"I got a natural 20," cheered Hunter.
"And mine is a natural 14," King said.
"Okay, we'll say this for everything. Philomena ends up bumping into a well-endowed Tiefling girl with pinkish-red skin. She apologizes and just gets tongue-tied at the sight of the beautiful devil girl," Vee says, making everyone laugh. "As for Wrenn, your height as a gnome makes it tricky to get the attention of the various people. Sariel can see fine and isn't distracted, but she isn't looking in the right direction. As for the rest of you, Caleb is the one to first notice the sign of the Steam Pot, which is a dumpling-shaped sign with the image of a pot with steam rising."
"I found where we need to go," Hunter said in Caleb's voice.
"Perfect! Philomena, let's go. Sariel, make sure to grab Wrenn before somebody trips on him," King said as Reverence.
"Y-yeah, I… wait, what? What was I looking for again," Amity questioned in Philomena's voice, playing along with the joke of her character being distracted by a pretty girl.
"All of you reach the Steam Pot and enter the building. Immediately, the smell of good food and the sounds of a busy restaurant with plenty of customers fill the air. When you look around, you manage to see a sectioned-off area with 3-foot high walls to create a 30-foot by 30-foot pit where you see two men engaging in a friendly sparring match, similar to what Carmen and Caleb were doing earlier on the Maitland," Vee describes.
"Let's focus on finding that Tortle guy," Hunter said.
"What's a Tortle," King asked.
"Is this in character or just you," Vee asked in return.
"Both," King replied.
"Give me a History check," Vee told the boy.
Picking up his d20, King gave a roll. "I got a 13," he said.
"A Tortle is like a turtle person who wears a shell on their back, which gives them a nomadic lifestyle since they'll always have a place to sleep no matter where they're traveling," Vee explained.
"So, we're looking for a big turtle guy, right? Anybody see him," King asked as Reverence.
"As you say that, one of the customers at the bar speaks up," Vee said. "Oh, you're looking for Jachun? He's over there," she said in a deeper voice and pointed in a direction. "He points you to a corner where you see a shelled back turned to you."
"Let's head over there," Willow suggested.
"As you all approach, I'd like you to give me a Wisdom save," Vee said as she tried and failed to hide a smile.
"Oh no, is this a trap," Hunter questioned, ready to have his character fight if needed.
"Just go ahead and roll the save," Vee told the party.
With everyone picking up their dice, they rolled to see if they could pass the difficulty. "I got 9 to make 10," Luz said.
"18 to make 23," Amity said, happy with her roll.
"I got a natural 1," Gus said, fearing what was to come.
"Modified 20," Willow told everyone.
"7 to make 11," Hunter voiced.
"I got 14," King said.
"As you approach the table with the Tortle you were looking for, you see something horrifying and disturbing to anybody who wasn't prepared to see it. At the table is another person and they're devouring dish after dish of food on the table, scarfing it all down like a wild animal tearing into a fresh kill with no table manners at all," Vee exclaimed. "Wrenn, Caleb, and Carmen are all shocked still to see the table manners of the young man eating away at an entire feast of various foods like noodles, rice, steaks, chicken, and veggies."
"So, it's an anime protagonist that likes to eat," Luz chuckled.
"Yeah, I wanted to do that joke because it would be surprising to see somebody eat like that in real life," Vee admitted. "As such, you three are considered stunned as long as the guy keeps eating. You can't move and can only speak falteringly. Like you're stammering and can't say exactly what you want."
"Oh dang, that's some messy eating," Gus remarked.
"The rest of us are fine, right," Amity asked.
"Oh yeah, you're not all that surprised by it since you either heard the messy table manners or know people who normally eat like that," Vee said.
"I'd be one of them," King smirked.
"Good to know," Vee laughed. "As the young man continues to eat away at what could feed a family of 15, the Tortle speaks up," she said before speaking in a voice fitting an elderly and wise grandmaster of martial arts. "Kondai, you're one of my best students, but you're eating habits are murder on my coin purse."
"Excuse us," Willow said in Sariel's voice to get the attention of the character.
"He turns his head and long neck around to see you all before greeting you. He's a wrinkled green Tortle with a thick brown shell for his back, but he also wears an orange martial artist's robe," Vee said before speaking as the Tortle once more. "Oh, my apologies. I didn't know somebody was searching for me. My name is Jachun, the Grand Roshi of the Order of the Mountain Bird."
"Hello. We've been traveling and heard of the tournament on this island," Amity said in Philomena's voice. "We were wondering how we could join it."
"Are you hoping to participate as a team or as individuals," Vee asked as Jachun.
"Is there any difference," King asked as Reverence.
"No. It's merely to determine if you'll be in a certain bracket when the main tournament begins. We offer chances for both options to fight for what they desire as the winners of both tournament brackets may choose one prize each from our adventurer's treasury," Vee said as Jachun. "If you choose, you could participate in both accounts. But mainly after passing the preliminaries."
"Preliminaries," Willow asked in Sariel's voice.
"At this time, the young man that Jachun called 'Kondai' is finished with his meal and you get a better look at him after he licks the grains of rice off his mouth," Vee said. "He's a toned young man who seems to be in his early 20s and has a boyish charm to his appearance. He wears a similar orange gi to Jachun's robes with an emblem that looks important on both the front left and the back of the uniform. Upon closer inspection, you see that he has a ghostly halo over his spiky black hair as he smiles at you," she added before voicing him. "So many people enter the tournament that they have to make sure both brackets are trimmed down to have enough people in the finals. It's different every year."
"And who are you," Amity asked as Philomena.
"If he's finished eating, I think that we all snap out of it," Hunter remarked. "I'd like to figure out what that emblem of his uniform means," he added.
"Give me a general Intelligence check," Vee replied.
Picking up his d20, Hunter rolled to see if the emblem meant anything to his character. "Total of 18," he said.
"You recognize the emblem being in a language you recognize from your studies back when you were in basic training. Their meaning is essentially the mark of the monks from the Order of the Mountain Bird," Vee states.
"I take it from your uniform that you're part of the Mountain Bird," Hunter asked as Caleb.
"Yup. I'm Kondai. Nice to meet you," Vee said, extending a hand out like she was doing the same for the character she voiced.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Luz said as Carmen.
"You guys just get here? The food's great. You should have some before you sign up for the tournament," Vee said as Kondai.
"N-no! We're good! We're fine on food," Gus shouted, voicing Wrenn's trauma at witnessing Kondai's table manners.
"Yeah, we've got plenty of berries we can have if we're hungry," Hunter added.
"You'll have to excuse Kondai," Vee said as Jachun. "He's been like a grandson to me since he came to learn martial arts at the age of 12. Whenever he has free time from his training and studies, he loves to eat. He also tends to forget his manners whenever there's enough food."
"So… much… food," Gus said in a voice that made Wrenn sound like he saw a terrible warzone battle.
"In any case, where can we sign up for the contest? We'd love to compete as a team and by ourselves," Luz said as Carmen.
"If you want to partake in both tournament brackets, you'll have to start by passing the preliminaries," Vee said as Jachun. "It starts tomorrow morning at the Turtle Shell Inn. You can register yourselves there when speaking to the lovely girl at the front desk."
"Hopefully it isn't that same one that Philomena got distracted by," Luz joked, earning herself a playful shove from Amity.
"Thank you for the information, sir," Amity said in Philomena's voice.
"You're quite welcome. I know that you'll all do well," Vee said as Jachun.
"How can you tell," Hunter asked as Caleb.
"I've been Grand Roshi for quite a while and I have a keen sense for a person's skills in combat, even at first glance. I hope to see it for myself when you reach the finals," Vee said as Jachun.
"Where's this Turtle Shell Inn," Willow asked as Sariel.
"You'll want to follow Kondai. He's entering the tournament himself," Vee said in Jachun's elderly voice. "With that, Kondai stands up and grabs a quarterstaff he had resting against the table."
"Lead the way, Kondai," Luz says as Carmen.
"As Kondai smiles and leads you out the door, you soon head to the western edge of town where you find a large inn that has a shell-shaped roof, easily identifying it as the Turtle Shell Inn," Vee told the players. "Kondai enters the building first and shows you guys to the front desk where an elven woman with purplish-blue hair is checking over papers. When she sees him, she smiles at him and they talk about how the upcoming tournament has been helping the inn's business."
"Guess she's swamped, but happy about the cash," Gus remarked.
"After she signs in Kondai, she looks at all of you," Vee said before voicing the elf woman. "Hello, are you here to rent a room?"
"Actually, we're here to enter the tournament," King said as Reverence. "Where do we sign up?"
"You can sign up right over there at the quest board," Vee said as the elf. "She points over to a large ornate board with a sign-up sheet for the tournament to posted with plenty of room left for all of you," the DM described.
"I wonder if anybody we know personally is there," Luz wondered. "I'd like to roll for Investigation or Perception."
"Go ahead," Vee told her sister.
Rolling her d20, Luz and the others were anxious to see the result. "I got a 9. That makes Investigation a 13 and Perception is higher at 16."
"When Carmen looks around, she sees a variety of different people around the inn. There are plenty of humans, elven folk, and tieflings. You notice a couple of minotaurs that look like they've traveled quite a distance to be here. But as you check the board, you hear the clattering of armor as somebody's leaving," Vee stated. "With that Perception of 16, you notice a familiar violet armor as somebody disappears into the crowded tavern."
As soon as Vee said the armor color, the players were surprised at the info and looked at each other. "With that 16, would I notice anything else," Luz asked.
"While you didn't see his face, you did manage to catch a glimpse at the weaponry he had. The sword and shield are the same as you saw before. The man you noticed is Percival Scalnoir," Vee confirmed.
"As we're all signing up for the tournament, I make sure to tell the others," Luz said before voicing her character. "Guys, I think we've got company we know."
"What are you talking about," Hunter asked as Caleb.
"Scalnoir's here," Luz said as Carmen.
"What!? That bounty hunter's here? Why," Gus asked in Wrenn's voice.
"I think I know why," Amity said as Philomena. "We might have fooled the Empire, but my mother's another matter entirely. If anything, she's still using magic to spy on us and hired him herself."
"Or because the Gull's crew dealt with his men, maybe he's here to recruit people for a team? A tournament like this would attract powerful mages and warriors," Willow theorized in Sariel's voice.
"Or maybe he just wants one of the prizes for himself. If he got a new weapon or something, we'd be in trouble," King said, reminding everyone of the last time they battled Scalnoir.
"In any case, we need to be careful," Amity said in Philomena's voice. "After that conversation, I say we all manage to sign up."
"You all go and put down your names or aliases you want to use on the registration list. After that, everyone enjoys the rest of their time before heading to bed early enough to be ready for the competition at dawn," Vee told everyone. "As everyone wakes up and prepares themselves, we'll take a break here."
"Good thing you are," Eda said as she popped into the room. "I got us some food."
"Sweet! Let's eat up, then continue," Luz said.
"Yes! Food! Feed me," King declared as he nearly tackled his mom to get something to eat.
And with this chapter, we begin the Indahm Isle arc. With our heroes now signed up for the tournament, they see an old enemy has entered it as well. They also meet some potential friends and allies in the form of Kondai and Jachun. They're not the only characters to be involved with the tournament, so expect to see some possible enemies or allies later on. I've got plans for some as well.
With the heroes at Level 5, there will be more intense moments in battles. And I intend to show what else they can do.
Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out.