The Lazarus Expedition: Episode 01

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==Synopsis==
The five survivors of the Lazarus Expedition, Cassian Wrynn, Styrmir, Roy Waystar, Vasher Talat, and Scamp (Vasher's warhorse) wash ashore on the southern coast of Ancient Arcadia. After fending off Azari scavengers, the Party makes their way to an outpost several miles away from the city of Abalar. The group learns that Abalar is ruled by Queen Priest Mehohlahtah, a powerful figure who has all but wiped out injury and disease in her golden city.
However, as the Party attempts to trade with locals for supplies and a way across The Great River, they learn Arcadian law permits and facilitates slavery, a practice antithetical to the abolitionist rule of the late King Arnold. The Party resolves to acquire resources for their quest to recover a Scroll of Resurrection, located in the Pyramid of Heatstroke, to bring back King Arnold. As the Party sets out for a nearby town, they are ambushed by slavers. The Party is badly wounded, but they manage to prevail over the slavers, killing their leader.
==Recap==
===Strangers in a Strange Land===
Five survivors of the ill-fated Lazarus Expedition, Cassian Wrynn, Styrmir, Roy Waystar, and Vasher Talat, and Scamp (the "Party"), wash ashore on a beach. The Party incurs two levels of exhaustion, having barely survived the nighttime storm. Vasher Talat awakens first, and sees small, bipedal lizard people picking over the wreckage, with one lizard attempting to coax Scamp, Vasher's warhorse, away. Vasher picks up a piece of wood and attempts to hail the lizards, but the lizards immediately draw weapons.
=== Combat Start: The Party vs. Azari Scavengers ===
Round 1
* Some Azari move forward and ready attacks.
* Vasher casts Shield of Faith on himself and attempts to whistle Scamp over to him, but his parched lips fail to produce any sound.
Round 2
* Vasher rouses Cassian, bringing Cassian to consciousness. Vasher moves over to Styrmir. Cassian picks up a piece of wood as a club and draws a dagger.
* An azari strikes Cassian for 7 slashing damage.
* Cassian stabs the attacking Azari for 6 piercing and 2 bludgeoning.
Round 3
* Vasher suffers an opportunity attack for 6 slashing damage as he moves over to wake Styrmir.
* Styrmir awakens and stands up.
* An azari calls over more azari.
* Cassian misses an azari with a dagger and club attack, then Action Surges with another dagger attack, dealing 4 piercing.
* Styrmir attempts to throw a barrel at an azari, but fails to dig it out due to fatigue. Styrmir picks up a piece of wood.
* Vasher gently shakes Roy awake, but Roy immediately begins to panic, skipping his turn.
* An azari continues to try to lure Scamp away. The azari wounded by Cassian disengages.
Round 4
* Cassian shouts at Roy to get up and backs up to form a defensive line.
* Styrmir readies Thunder Wave, yelling for the Party to stay behind him.
* Vasher moves up behind Styrmir. Vasher fails to grab Scamp's attention.
* An azari attacks Styrmir, dealing 6 slashing, and another azari deals 7 slashing, but Styrmir maintains concentration through War Caster.
* Roy sees the Party suffering wounds and summons up the courage to summon his familiar, a beetle named Vika. Roy sends Vika forward to engage the azari fighting Styrmir.
* Cassian backs away from Styrmir, and heals 3 HP with Second Wind.
* Styrmir invokes the power of Malkis and uses Channel Divinity, maximizing Thunder Wave's damage, obliterating the two azari around him.
Round 5
* Vasher's voice fails to carry across the wind as Scamp is distracted by an apple.
* Roy casts Blade Ward on himself.
* Cassian picks up a scimitar from a fallen azari.
* Vasher picks up a scimitar from a fallen azari, and calls out for Scamp. Scamp hears Vasher and starts to turn away.
* Vika scans the sand for any hidden azari, but finds nothing.
* The azari take a few moments to loot the wreckage but begin to flee.
* Scamp attempts to pull away, but the azari manages to hold Scamp's reins.
* Styrmir uses Thaumaturgy to shout a in booming voice and succeeds on an Intimidation Check, sending the azari into a fleeing panic.
Combat End.
Vika continues to skitter across the sand searching for azari. Roy explains that the group is somewhere on the southern coast of Arcadia, south of The Great River. The Party makes introductions and resolves to follow along the Great River to find civilization. The Party scavenges some rations, but all water they find has been spoiled by seawater. As the Party sets out, they quickly see drag marks on the beach, leading in one direction, and rising smoke indicating civilization in the opposite direction. Vasher assesses the drag marks, concluding some creatures have dragged away other survivors from the Lazarus wreckage. The Party moves on, navigating some clashes in personality and social status as Roy vociferously pours on facts about Arcadia to whoever listens.
Vasher comes across another set of drag marks that head further into the desert. Vasher determines that the group dragging the survivors along met with a group of 10 camel riders, which altogether head deeper into the desert. With no water and the number of camel riders, the Party decides to head back, reasoning the nearby town may know of the camel riding group. With the sun setting, the group stops for a rough rest. 
As Cassian takes watch, he mourns the loss of Batu Khan, his mentor and the Stormtide Kingdom's most powerful warrior, who perished in the storm. Cassian contemplates how to deal with Styrmir, who is giving Roy a hard time. During Vasher's watch, Vasher wonders whether they are all dead men walking, ignorant of their horrible fate.
The next day, the party comes to the River, roughly a mile across, where they see crocodiles, as well as a massive crocodile further down the river. The Party contemplates washing themselves off in the River, but Vika looks into the water and is immediately eaten by a crocodile. The Party and crocodiles keep to themselves as the Party rehydrates. The Party sees the town is about 10 miles down on the other side of the River and continue down their side of the River. Towards the end of the day, the Party comes across a waystation.
=== Stormtide Abolitionists in the Slave State of Abalar ===
The Party approaches the waystation from the front, where they are met with unarmored guards wielding spears and bows. Vasher hails the guards. The two groups make introductions and the Party is welcomed into the waystation to rest. The Party learns they are at a waystation leading to Abalar, a golden, walled city led by a powerful figure named Queen Priest Mehohlahtah. The Party speaks with an unsympathetic merchant off-loading goods from a boat. The merchant tells the Party he neither knows nor trust him. The Party attempts to exchange their divine powers for a ride across the river, but fail to make a deal as the merchant informs them that under the rule of the Queen Priest, Abalar is filled with clerics who have all but wiped out injury and disease. 
As discussions wrap up, the merchant comments that Roy, a fairly attractive young man, might fetch a decent price as a slave. The Party is taken aback by the merchant's comments, learning Arcadian law permits and facilitates slavery. Cassian's bewilderment is confirmed when speaking with the waystation's teahouse proprietor, where Cassian learns it is perfectly acceptable to kill people in self-defense without the need for any due process or trial, and that selling people defeated in mortal combat into slavery is completely acceptable. 
The Party discusses whether to uphold the values of King Arnold, who abolished slavery in the Stormtide Kingdom. The Party eventually determines they will intervene to free slaves outside of civilized areas, but will not start any fights to free slaves within civilized areas. The Party buys some supplies and have a good night's sleep on a hay roof. The Party sets out the next day, where they are caught completely unaware by a large group of bandits dealing in the slave trade. The bandit leader offers to spare the Party if Party surrenders. Vasher asks Cassian if he feels like becoming a slave; Cassian refuses as the bandits fire a volley of readied arrows. 
=== The Party vs. Desert Slavers ===
Round 1
* Styrmir throws his hands up in surrender.
* The bandits fire their readied arrows, avoiding Styrmir, but dealing: 16 piercing to Roy, knocking him out; and 19 piercing to Vasher, reducing him to 2 HP.
* Vasher cries out in surrender, asking to be allowed to heal Roy. Roy stands back up.
* Cassian dashes forward to engage the bandits.
Round 2
* A bandit misses Cassian.
* A bandit orders Styrmir to drop to his knees; Styrmir complies.
* A bandit shoots Cassian, dealing 3 piercing.
* Cassian kills a bandit with two slices of his scimitars. Cassian Action Surges and deals another 5 piercing damage to another bandit.
* Styrmir stops feigning surrender and casts Thunder Wave, killing a camel and bandit, and dealing 8 thunder damage to another bandit.
* Bandits see Styrmir's spell and fire at him, dealing 10 piercing damage to him.
* Cassian misses the Bandit Captain.
* A bandit shoots Styrmir, dealing 4 piercing.
* Roy casts Magic Missile at the Bandit Captain from behind a tree, dealing 11 force damage.
* A bandit manages to hit Roy with a well-placed shot, knocking Roy out again.
Round 3
* A bandit critically strikes Vasher, dealing 5 slashing damage, knocking Vasher out.
* A few injured bandits flee.
* A bandit deals 3 piercing damage to Cassian.
* Cassian dashes up to a bandit and regains 8 HP from Second Wind.
* Styrmir misses a bandit (rolls two natural 1s) with a dagger attack.
* Scamp critically kicks the Bandit Captain, dealing 16 bludgeoning damage.
* Styrmir deals 5 piercing damage with an opportunity attack to a bandit; the bandit backs up and passes a morale check, firing at Styrmir, but missing.
* Roy passes a Death Saving Throw.
* A bandit shoots at Cassian, missing.
Round 4
* The Bandit Captain backs away from Scamp, but Scamp kicks the Bandit Captain for 11 bludgeoning damage with an opportunity kick. The Bandit Captain engages Cassian in melee.
* A bandit flees.
* A bandit tries to move from Cassian to take a shot, but suffers 9 slashing damage from Cassian's opportunity attack. The bandit reacts poorly to the hit, and decides to flee.
* Cassian deals 3 slashing damage to the Bandit Captain.
* Styrmir stabs another bandit for 3 piercing damage.
* Vasher critically succeeds on his Death Saving Throw and revives at 1 HP. Vasher casts Cure Wounds on himself for 3 HP.
* A bandit shoots Cassian for 7 piercing.
* Roy passes a Death Saving Throw.
* Styrmir stabs the Bandit Captain for 3 piercing, but the Bandit Captain's morale holds. 
* The Bandit Captain deals 7 slashing damage to Cassian, then critically strikes Cassian, knocking him out.
Round 5
* Cassian passes a Death Saving Throw.
* Styrmir dashes behind a rock formation to take cover.
* Vasher casts Lay on Hands on Roy and revives him.
* Roy stands up and casts Magic Missile at the Bandit Captain, dealing 10 force damage.
* A bandit's morale breaks and the bandit flees.
Round 6
* The Bandit Captain rides after Styrmir and Dodges.
* Cassian critically succeeds on his Death Save and stands back up at 1 HP. Cassian runs up to the sole remaining bandit minion and deals 2 slashing damage.
* Styrmir misses the evading Bandit Captain.
* Roy starts to panic and does nothing.
Round 7
* The Bandit Captain strikes Styrmir for 5 slashing damage, knocking him out. Styrmir's Wrath of the Storm deals 3 thunder damage back to the Captain.
* The Bandit Captain deals 8 slashing damage to Vasher, knocking him out.
* Cassian yells at Roy to find his courage and charges at the Bandit Captain, dealing 10 slashing damage to the Captain.
* Styrmir fails a Death Save.
* Vasher fails a Death Save.
* Roy, remembering the tales of mighty heroes who he aspires to be like, manages to step out from cover and fire Magic Missiles at the Bandit Captain, killing him.
Round 8
* Cassian, faced with the choice between aiding Styrmir and Vasher, decides to perform a Medicine Check on Vasher, but fails.
* Styrmir fails his second Death Save.
* Vasher passes a Death Save.
* Roy runs over to the Party.
Round 9
* Cassian stabilizes Vasher.
* Styrmir passes his Death Save.
* Roy throws bandages over to Cassian and yells at him to do something (uses the Help Action).
Round 10
* Cassian stabilizes Stymir with Roy's help.
Combat End.
The Party breathes a sigh of relief, having somehow survived the bandit ambush.
==Experience==
Experience to be calculated and distributed.
Category:The Lazarus Expedition Episodes
Category:Save Or Die Episodes
Category:The Lazarus Expedition