The Party
Sanji is a Satyr Monk whose instinct to act first — whether intervening in harassment, stomping amulets, or begging dramatically in the dirt — has shaped the party's fate at nearly every turn. Her boldest moments have swung between costing the group gold (her vegetarian tirade tanked Gorlog's logger pay) and saving them entirely (a 22 persuasion roll reframed the Pendergast standoff as a non-combat resolution). By Session 8 she had conned her way into a royal errand, pocketing five gold and a crown-sealed supply list from a flustered palace aide.
Skrit is a Kobold Paladin whose decisions consistently sit at the intersection of reckless courage and surprising moral discipline — he knocked an alpha dog unconscious then healed it, extracted an ankheg acid sac without killing the creature, and left 75 gold untouched in Silas's desk while pocketing only the incriminating ledger. His instinct to touch Pendergast's pristine robes triggered a second combat encounter, yet his choice to bring the ledger to Harold rather than Kaelin ultimately put it in the hands of someone willing to act on it. By Session 9 he was riding a handcart through a muddy market square while Sanji pushed, arriving just in time to help close a royal shopping run on budget.
Gorlog, known as Tiny, is a Half-Ogre Artificer who serves as the party's muscle and mobile kitchen anchor. He initiated the getaway from Splinter's Bend by physically grabbing his companions and ordering the wagon to flee, and has since kept the food operation running even when Sanji abandoned her runner duties mid-service. His most consequential in-combat choice — holding a skillet strike while calling out to Pendergast about the Gilded Ladle certification — secured confirmation that the party's food license survived the altercation.
Wickett Turnheel is a Lightfoot Halfling Rogue whose defining moves have been acts of quiet manipulation: slipping a fish down a constable's armor, writing a secret note tied to a departing dog, and planting a ledger in the dirt to make it look like it fell from Pendergast's person. By Session 9 he had become the party's de facto intelligence liaison, turning over the bloodied note, a brand sketch, and raft movement intelligence to Captain Stout while quietly pocketing an ornate coin left by the hunters and substituting a decoy.
Vaela is a Fire Genasi Sorcerer whose most consistent contribution has been using pickles as a tool of plesiosaur diplomacy — first hurling jars to distract it in combat, then pitching a full jar downriver to clear a wagon crossing. When hunters Callum and Petra arrived, she burned her last third-level spell to disguise herself as a dwarven woman named Lydia, buying enough ambiguity to avoid immediate recognition. By Session 9 she had a bed in a room that cost more than the crew earned feeding 300 people.
Sanji
Sanji is a Satyr Monk whose instinct to act first — whether intervening in harassment, stomping amulets, or begging dramatically in the dirt — has shaped the party's fate at nearly every turn. Her boldest moments have swung between costing the group gold (her vegetarian tirade tanked Gorlog's logger pay) and saving them entirely (a 22 persuasion roll reframed the Pendergast standoff as a non-combat resolution). By Session 8 she had conned her way into a royal errand, pocketing five gold and a crown-sealed supply list from a flustered palace aide.
Highlights
- Stomped and destroyed the tracking amulet, ending remote surveillance of the party
- Rolled 22 persuasion to convince loggers Pendergast was trying to steal her fur, neutralizing the encounter
- Vegetarian outburst during ankheg po'boy service collapsed Gorlog's logger payment from 15 gold to 1
- Recovered the brass control whistle from Grimm mid-combat by leaping across the river and landing a sleight-of-hand roll
- Deceived palace aide Maurice into handing over the king's partial supply list and five gold
Key Decisions
Intervened in the harassment of Skrit by confronting the goons directly
Drew Barnaby's full attention onto herself and the group; her bo staff distraction gave Wickett the opening to deposit the fish — the two actions were independent, but their coincidental combination made it look like Barnaby had given birth
Removed dog two's collar while Gorlog held it grappled, then immediately disengaged.
Succeeded with a 22 sleight of hand check. The dog became noticeably less aggressive toward her specifically. She disengaged before it could lick her.
Stomped the magical tracking amulet from dog one's collar to destroy it.
The amulet shattered, glowed three times, and went dark. Skrit confirmed this meant it could no longer be used to remotely locate the party.
Wandered the town square to advertise the food wagon, then led Skrit to the Cupped Axe
Generated significant sales traffic; also walked directly into Silas, who identified the party as fugitives
Launched into a vegetarian tirade while Gorlog was serving ankheg po' boys
Most loggers stopped eating; Gorlog's payment dropped from a potential 15 gold to a single gold piece
Broke into the Cupped Axe with Skrit and helped smash open the locked desk drawer
Found the incriminating ledger, the missing tuna, and three bottles of Splinter's Bend Reserve; now holding damning proof
Deliberately touched Pendergast's robes after watching Skrit get struck for doing so.
Pendergast attacked her. She successfully deflected the attack and redirected force into his own face, further enraging him.
Held her action to deflect if Pendergast attacked her again.
Pendergast used Cease and Desist instead of attacking, so the held action was not triggered.
Threw herself to the ground and begged Pendergast not to take her fur, framing herself as a victim of an attempted pelting
Rolled 22 persuasion; convinced 10 of 12 loggers and even introduced doubt in Pendergast. Set the tone for the entire non-combat resolution of the encounter.
Doused Skrit and Vaela with a pitcher of water (grabbed from Gorlog's wagon stores) to put out Vaela's hair-flames
Vaela's hair flames were temporarily extinguished, causing visible emotional distress; the water was of questionable quality. (Gorlog supplied the water; Sanji threw it.)
Attempted to persuade the Plesiosaur rather than attack it, and leaped across the river to ram Grimm
Grimm coughed up the brass whistle; Sanji recovered it with a lucky sleight-of-hand roll; the plesiosaur was freed from Grimm's control
Sabotaged the control whistle before handing it over to Captain Stout as evidence.
The whistle was handed over in a modified state. Stout did not detect the sabotage. Whether the modification actually prevents the whistle from functioning is unknown.
Abandoned her runner duties mid-dinner service to chase a lead on the king at the salt stall.
Skrit covered her dereliction, preserving the dinner service outcome. Sanji successfully met Maurice and obtained the king's shopping list.
Deceived Maurice into believing she was an excellent and capable shopper who could help him fulfill the king's supply list.
Maurice gave Sanji a crown-sealed copy of a partial supply list and five gold, with instructions to meet him at the East Gate by sundown.
Skrit
Skrit is a Kobold Paladin whose decisions consistently sit at the intersection of reckless courage and surprising moral discipline — he knocked an alpha dog unconscious then healed it, extracted an ankheg acid sac without killing the creature, and left 75 gold untouched in Silas's desk while pocketing only the incriminating ledger. His instinct to touch Pendergast's pristine robes triggered a second combat encounter, yet his choice to bring the ledger to Harold rather than Kaelin ultimately put it in the hands of someone willing to act on it. By Session 9 he was riding a handcart through a muddy market square while Sanji pushed, arriving just in time to help close a royal shopping run on budget.
Highlights
- Left 75 gold untouched in Silas's desk — took only the ledger and the tuna
- Knocked alpha dog unconscious with a non-lethal smite, then healed it with Lay on Hands
- Touching Pendergast's robes triggered the second combat encounter; subsequent knife attack missed on a roll of 1
- Handed ledger to Harold after Wickett vouched for him; Harold swore to investigate Silas Vance
- Healed the plesiosaur with 10 Lay on Hands points, ending that combat peacefully
Key Decisions
Deployed oil-coated ball bearings behind the fleeing wagon
The oil ignited from a horseshoe spark, setting the street ablaze in green flames and clearing the pursuing guards — though the tangerine cart was destroyed in the process
Chose to stay with the party rather than leave when the cart stopped at the Ettin blockade
Skrit is now traveling with the party toward Waymoot
Used Protection fighting style reaction to impose disadvantage on the dog's attack against Sanji.
The attack missed. Skrit was left with his arm nearly inside the dog's mouth, terrified by his own reflexive action.
Attempted a non-lethal critical smite with a meat tenderizer on the alpha dog.
26 points of non-lethal damage — well above the threshold. Dog knocked unconscious with 1 HP remaining. Skrit then healed it with 10 points of Lay on Hands and offered it rations.
Challenged Silas to a dice game rather than simply paying for the turnip mash
Won four double portions of turnip mash for one gold; further antagonized Silas, leading to physical removal from the tavern
Used Channel Divinity to power a persuasion attempt to stop the bouncers from throwing Sanji out
Rolled a 27; Sanji was set down rather than thrown through the door. Expended Skrit's only daily Channel Divinity use.
Used Thunder Smite and Divine Smite on a crit against the first ankheg
Dealt 38 points of damage, nearly killing the creature in one hit; drew its singular aggression for the remainder of the encounter; expended two spell slots
Removed the acid sac from the unconscious ankheg rather than killing it
Successfully obtained one acid sac grenade; unconscious ankheg preserved alive
Crawled into the ankheg burrow tunnel to investigate for evidence of tampering
Found traces of turnip mash in the burrow — circumstantial evidence linking Silas to the infestation
Shoved the unconscious ankheg off the driver's bench when Kaelin praised the party to the town
The ankheg woke up, terrified the townsfolk, and damaged the party's reputation with Kaelin
Fashioned an ankheg leg section into a pauldron for his armor
Gained a cosmetic piece of armor; no confirmed mechanical benefit yet
Pocketed the incriminating ledger found in Silas's locked desk drawer
Party now holds documented proof of payments between Silas and Constable Barnaby Plum
Left the money box with 75 gold pieces untouched in Silas's desk
Party took only the ledger and the tuna, maintaining moral distinction between evidence-gathering and theft
Chose to take the payment ledger from Silas's office to show to Wicket rather than Foreman Kaelin, citing distrust of the Foreman.
The party now holds the ledger as evidence, but it has not yet been presented to any authority.
Reached up and rubbed Julian Pendergast's pristine white silk robes.
Pendergast struck Skrit for 6 points of bludgeoning damage and initiated a second combat encounter.
Used Draconic Cry as a bonus action and attempted to stab Pendergast with his kitchen knife after Sanji was bloodied.
Attack missed. Skrit failed the subsequent Cease and Desist wisdom save and is restrained at session end.
Attacked Pendergast with a kitchen knife while restrained, believing he was defending Sanji from a fur-stealer
Rolled a 1 and a 7; missed completely. Comedic lunge stopped by the restraint spell.
Showed Harold the ledger but refused to hand it over until Wickett vouched for him; then handed it over
Harold now has the ledger and has sworn on his oath to pursue the investigation.
Washed his hands thoroughly with Sanji's soap and water, then gave Pendergast a firm pat on the back as a parting gesture
Pendergast immediately checked his robes; hands were clean, no mark left. Consequence deferred.
Charged Vaela to try to smother what he believed were dangerous flames with his cloak
His cloak was destroyed (reduced to a scarf-strip of charred fabric), he took 3 points of fire damage, and Vaela was startled and terrified before the misunderstanding was resolved
Used 10 points of Lay on Hands to heal the Plesiosaur
The plesiosaur responded peacefully ('eee') and turned its attention to Vaela's pickles; combat effectively ended
Attempted to shove an acid-sack grenade down the plesiosaur's throat while grappled in its mouth; reconsidered and instead used Draconic Cry
Draconic Cry granted the whole party advantage on attack rolls for the next turn; he then threw the grenade at the plesiosaur's back instead, dealing 6 acid damage and freeing himself from the grapple range
Climbed into the hand cart and rode while Sanji pushed, to navigate the muddy crowded square back to the East Gate.
They arrived barely in time — Maurice was visibly frantic but still waiting. The 14 acrobatics check was sufficient but left no time to spare.
Attempted to invoke the crown seal letter to persuade merchants to lower prices, framing it as a business-to-business appeal about future crown commerce.
The DM ruled the argument adjusted the DC on the check. Sanji's 17 insight check succeeded, allowing them to complete the shopping within budget.
Gorlog (Tiny)
Gorlog, known as Tiny, is a Half-Ogre Artificer who serves as the party's muscle and mobile kitchen anchor. He initiated the getaway from Splinter's Bend by physically grabbing his companions and ordering the wagon to flee, and has since kept the food operation running even when Sanji abandoned her runner duties mid-service. His most consequential in-combat choice — holding a skillet strike while calling out to Pendergast about the Gilded Ladle certification — secured confirmation that the party's food license survived the altercation.
Highlights
- Grabbed Sanji and Skrit and ordered the wagon to flee, triggering the Splinter's Bend escape
- Successfully grappled an attacking dog to enable Sanji's collar removal
- Confirmed the Gilded Ladle certification intact by questioning Pendergast mid-standoff
Key Decisions
Grabbed Sanji and Skrit and yeeted them into the wagon, ordering Ledger to flee
Triggered the getaway chase sequence; the party successfully escaped Splinter's Bend
Held an action to attempt to grapple an approaching dog, framed in-character as trying to hug it.
The bite attempt triggered the held grapple. Gorlog succeeded on the athletics contest (beat the dog's roll of 9). The dog was grappled. A subsequent attempt to remove the collar while grappling failed (rolled 11, DC not met).
Held action to strike the nearest enemy with a skillet if combat resumed; simultaneously called out to Pendergast asking whether the Gilded Ladle certification was still intact
Pendergast confirmed the certification stands regardless of the altercation.
Wickett Turnheel
Wickett Turnheel is a Lightfoot Halfling Rogue whose defining moves have been acts of quiet manipulation: slipping a fish down a constable's armor, writing a secret note tied to a departing dog, and planting a ledger in the dirt to make it look like it fell from Pendergast's person. By Session 9 he had become the party's de facto intelligence liaison, turning over the bloodied note, a brand sketch, and raft movement intelligence to Captain Stout while quietly pocketing an ornate coin left by the hunters and substituting a decoy.
Highlights
- Slipped a cold fish into Constable Barnaby's armor, triggering the original chase and making Barnaby a persistent enemy
- Planted the stolen ledger in the dirt at Pendergast's feet with a 21 sleight of hand roll, framing it as his
- Nat 20 investigation on the bloodied note; surrendered it and a brand sketch to Captain Stout as evidence
- Reported three unlit rafts heading downriver to Stout, prompting doubled gate watches
- Pocketed the ornate M coin from the hunters and replaced it with a decoy on a 13 sleight of hand
Key Decisions
Slipped a cold fish down Constable Barnaby's armor during the confrontation
Publicly humiliated Barnaby, escalating the confrontation into a full chase and making him a persistent enemy
Rebuilt the Ettin's barricade after passing through the ravine
The Ettin will be appreciative if encountered again; any pursuit from Splinter's Bend will be slowed by the same obstacle
Rang a bell to distract the incoming hounds on his first turn.
The bell tone resembled the dogs' training master's command signal, halting their advance for one round — an unlikely success that bought the party critical time.
Climbed a tree to 15 feet, then dropped to 5 feet and leapt onto dog three's back to remove its collar.
Succeeded on an acrobatics check (11) to mount, then removed the collar with a 21 sleight of hand check. Took 1 piercing damage from the spiked collar. The dog immediately became friendly and licked him.
Retrieved aged tuna from the cart and hand-fed it to dog three.
The dog immediately lay down and ate contentedly, fully pacified.
Wrote a note and attached it via a loose rope collar to the last departing dog.
Unknown. Contents of the note were kept secret from the other players. The note will travel back toward Barnaby with the dog.
Used sleight of hand as a bonus action to plant the stolen ledger in the dirt below Pendergast's feet, making it appear to have fallen from his person
Rolled 21 sleight of hand; Harold failed his perception check. No one noticed. Pendergast later retrieved it, suspicious but without proof.
Vouched for Harold's trustworthiness and gave Skrit a nod to hand over the ledger
Harold received the ledger, reviewed it, recognized key names, and swore to investigate Silas Vance.
Examined the bloodied note with a nat 20 investigation check and then surrendered both the note and a sketch of the tally-mark brand to Captain Stout as evidence, keeping only a written copy for himself.
Stout added both to her strongbox alongside the control whistle. She doubled gate watches and posted a guard at the strong box, and confirmed to Wickett the locations of her eight guards overnight.
Confirmed to Callum and Petra that Vaela is with the crew, gave them her plesiosaur sketch, and made clear she is safe and happy.
The hunters stated their immediate task appeared complete and departed. They also warned about three unlit rafts heading downriver, which Wickett then relayed to Captain Stout.
Pocketed the ornate M coin left by Callum and Petra, flicking a decoy coin in its place.
Wickett retained the coin. The deception succeeded with a 13 sleight of hand check.
Reported the raft camp intelligence and the three unlit rafts to Captain Stout.
Stout confirmed she recognized Redwater Shallows and has long suspected it. She thanked Wickett and advised everyone to get as much rest as possible, expecting a long night.
Vaela
Vaela is a Fire Genasi Sorcerer whose most consistent contribution has been using pickles as a tool of plesiosaur diplomacy — first hurling jars to distract it in combat, then pitching a full jar downriver to clear a wagon crossing. When hunters Callum and Petra arrived, she burned her last third-level spell to disguise herself as a dwarven woman named Lydia, buying enough ambiguity to avoid immediate recognition. By Session 9 she had a bed in a room that cost more than the crew earned feeding 300 people.
Highlights
- Threw pickle jars to fixate the plesiosaur during combat, enabling its peaceful resolution
- Pitched a full jar downriver to coax the plesiosaur away from the wagon crossing
- Burned her last third-level spell to disguise herself as 'Lydia' when Callum and Petra appeared
- Paid three gold for crew lodging without haggling — more than the crew's earnings from the 300-person dinner
Key Decisions
Threw pickle jars toward the plesiosaur as a distraction during combat
The plesiosaur strained toward the pickles and eventually fixated on them after being freed from the whistle's control
Used her last third-level spell to magically disguise herself as a dwarven woman named 'Lydia', altering her appearance and voice.
Callum and Petra appeared not to recognize her immediately, though they seemed suspicious. Vaela is now out of third-level spells.
Threw a full jar of pickles downriver to coax the plesiosaur away from the crossing.
The plesiosaur followed the pickles downstream, clearing the crossing for wagon traffic, but settled in a deep pool 100 yards south rather than departing entirely.
Paid three gold for a room with two large beds without haggling.
The crew had a comfortable place to sleep, though Gorlog noted it cost more than the crew made feeding 300 people. Ledger's narration confirmed this arithmetic.