Myriad: City of Tiers Campaign Report - Session #1

What: Myriad: City of Tiers, an adventure for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons

Premise: Originally created for magical research, Myriad disappeared and has been lost to civilization for centuries. Its recent reappearance has spurred interest in creating trade relations and exchanging information to learn more about its absence and possible hidden powers, dangers, and struggles.

Notes: I’m writing this in the 1st person, from my character’s perspective. This will not be a bird’s eye view of all information in the campaign.

Characters

• Talullah Rynn Bahk (Rynn) (Me) – Orc Monk 6 (Warrior of
  the Elements), Barbarian 2
• Palamandrix (Pal) – Gnomish Fighter/Ranger
• Louise – Tiefling Druid
• Lady Jackie Sintara – Halfling Bard
• Greer – Goliath Rogue

Starting Magical Gear: Orb of Shielding (Fire) (flavored as a necklace), Gauntlets of Ogre Power (STR 19)

Character Description:

In Orcish, Talullah means “Leaping Water” and Rynn is a regional name for “Spear.” Bahk is a clan name. Tall, lean and muscular, with grey skin and reddish hair. In channeling mystic elemental powers through her body, her skin often displays leylines of elemental energy, depending on what element she is channeling in the moment.

Backstory:

Talullah was an angry problem child in a rural Orcish village, but showed martial prowess and was sent to train at a nearby monastery, outside the city of Baldur’s Gate, to control her emotions. She was an adept student, but would also fly into fits of rage at her teachers and at those she believed to be evil-doers. Her personality existed at the extremes. On a rescue mission with other monks to a nearby town, she ended up burning down a building with some kidnappers inside of it and was sent away. She understood her error but also believed she had purified the world by bringing more peace to it.

In Baldur’s Gate, she was briefly enlisted in the city guard, the captain of whom was tasked with sending his best warrior to protect the city’s emissaries. Never having liked the unorthodox Talullah, who had befriended criminals to teach them to meditate and also accidentally beaten up innocents in her quest for justice, he sent her on the mission to Myriad under the pretense of guarding the party and its interests. In reality, he simply didn’t want to send his most capable soldiers.

Session #1 – Myriad Possibilities

My name is Talullah Rynn Bahk, of Clan Bahk. I go by Rynn. I am an orcish woman, age 28. At an early age, I was sent from my village to train at a local monastery, with monks who studied the confluence of the body, mind, spirit, and the elemental forces of the universe. I became a star pupil, though I was often chastised for my temper. I learned to meditate to quell these tendencies.

I was sent from the monastery after a rescue mission to a nearby village, where I burned down a house and took the lives of two kidnappers who had been terrorizing the countryside. I argued with my masters that I had done the world a service, but they did not agree. Still, I value their teachings and take them with me.

In Baldur’s Gate, I found my way onto the city guard. I do not have many friends, but it is an excellent opportunity to help those in need within the city and bring evildoers to justice.

I was assigned by the guard to be an emissary to a magical city that had recently reappeared after centuries of being missing. The other guards snickered that they were now to be rid of me, but I am assured by my superiors that it is due to my martial prowess that I am being sent to protect the mission. I left two guards with broken jaws before I left. It felt good. They were not kind individuals, and the pain will give them a chance to reflect on their purpose in life.

What does it mean to be at peace? I do not know. I have been taught the way to enlightened equilibrium, but I find myself unable to stay on the path.

I am angry. No, not angry. Anger is shallow. What I feel is deeper, simmering rage against the injustices I see in the world. I want to purge these evils from the world, but in doing so I lose the peace that helps me to refine my martial craft. It is over this that I argued with my teachers.

I have learned to hone that rage into a razor point and guide it through my fists. In this release I find a measure of peace. But it is still rage that drives my actions, not serenity.

And so I meditate that I might better understand this balance, even as I find greatest solace in delivering pain to those who deserve it.

The chance to protect the interests of the city with a new people is exciting to me. I will not disappoint those who sent me, nor myself, for it is only our inner valuation of our actions that truly matters.

The trip to the city – called Myriad – is eventful. A fire elemental powering the flying ship we are on escapes its confines and begins running amok on the ship’s deck. We quell it, and I am able to save one of the crew from falling overboard.

I forget myself, though. There are other emissaries. They do not seem to have the same discipline as me, though I am respectful of the fact that I am not the best choice for diplomatic relations with a new people. I have much to learn of the world.

Lady Jackie Sintara is a noble of the city. She informs us that she is our party’s leader. This information was not shared with us upon our conscription, but perhaps they merely forgot to tell us.

Lady Jackie tells me that I have been appointed bodyguard along with another, Palamandrix, or Pal. He is a warrior of some skill, though his gruff demeanor suggests that of opportunistic mercenaries I have known.

Greer is a lanky, odd-looking goliath yet is surprisingly nimble. Lady Jackie informs us that he is to be her personal assistant. This again was not related to us, but Greer seems to accept the role happily. He frightens many people. I am familiar with this feeling, though not because I am ugly like he is, but rather because of my imposing size and obvious strength. I could crush most people like mice, though I do not wish to. Regardless, it is a good opportunity to see beyond physical trappings and into the heart of the person.

Lastly, an emissary from the city’s druids, Louise, is with us. She is…unorthodox. Her smell is pungent. I must learn to tolerate it, though. This will provide a good opportunity to remain focused through distraction on our journey. She must be a high-ranking druid, in any case. I shall learn more of her as I am able.

We arrive in the city and are greeted by one of the merchants with whom we are to create relations. I trust nothing will go awry, and will ensure it does not if necessary.

We spend the night in the merchant’s mansion. Louise tries to view the city as a bird, but finds her efforts blocked by magical wards around the windows. We complain but are told this is the norm for the hyper-magical city, to prevent theft and spying.

A meeting with another merchant family is arranged, and we speak at some length to the merchant here about the strange economy of Myriad. Many things we would find exotic are commonplace here, and other common items are rare. This should bode well for trade, though I do not do much of the talking.

The entire city runs on magic. Elementals power many of the city’s overarching systems, and for example all food is magically created, not grown.

The city is split into regions, most of which are run by guilds or factions that correspond to different magic schools, such as bards, wizards, clerics, sorcerers and warlocks. Wizards used to be the only magic users in the city, but that was centuries ago.

These factions all have representatives on the city’s council, though it is led by someone called Arlon and headed by the wizards.

Later that day we are given free walk of the city, and a day and a half before our next meeting.

Post-Session Player Notes

As mentioned, these reports are being written in the first person, from the perspective of my character.

Rynn is blunt and to the point, and sees this transparency as a kindness. Any unkind observations are matter-of-fact in her mind.

I also made the decision that she doesn’t speak in contractions. It gives a sharp cadence to her speech that matches the character well. I am trying to emulate this in my written session reports here, but will undoubtedly slip at times.

The Monk/rage dynamic manifests in the character build here. We started the campaign at Level 8, and Rynn is Monk 6 / Barbarian 2. Along with some other abilities and items, I’ve created a strength-based monk that leans into some of the strengths of both classes, and also has considerable survivability and damage soak potential.

The backstory implication is that Rynn has been shuffled off by everyone she’s come into contact with, but she doesn’t always realize this.

I don’t want to be the “face” of the party, so to speak, and usually avoid such responsibilities as a player. Lady Jackie foisting various roles on us is good out-of-character fun, since we all sort of accepted our assigned roles in-character without question even though it was preposterously presumptuous of Lady Jackie. Rynn is possibly the most combat-oriented character of the entire group in what promises to be a combat-lite campaign. So acting as “the muscle” should hopefully give me some chances to intervene in situations where I might otherwise not have anything to do.