New Beginnings & Shattered Expectations

New Beginnings and Shattered Expectations was the first session of the Dungeons and Phipps campaign.

## "Welcome…to Ephrasia."

> "Welcome...to Ephrasia
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> A sprawling archipelago situated in the Abehiltz ocean, in the Southern Hemisphere of the world known as Trovantis. A continent of diverse peoples, cultures, and political structures, and hiding many secrets and hidden treasures long since forgotten, on the large countries, smaller islands, even smaller isledrops, and who knows whatever else that dots the horizon.
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> To the east lies the Plains of Arundel, a desert nation which spans the entire length of Ephrasia, and continues an unknown distance to the east, its many concealed gems guarded jealously by the nomadic tribes who wander its surface.
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> To the south, the Frozen Fields of Vringfeldt, a series of gradually increasing icebergs, ice flats, and ice plains which eventually become the snow capped peaks of the planet’s southern pole.
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> The centre of the archipelago is dominated by the Fetchdeign Allignment, the group of nations in a perpetual state of warring peace known colloquially as the Rotating Kingdoms.
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> And while there are several other significant political states, such as the sister nations of Atra and Esterni (the homeland of the Elves), the Smidran Concurrence, and the small country of Clovacre, our story begins in the north western quadrant of Ephrasia, in the nation of Pradeesha.
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> In the context of Ephrasian history, Pradeesha is a relatively new country, having only risen to prominence about 1200 years ago. What began as two unconnected communities, the eleven city of Vashtil on the western coast, and the human colony of Suloop on the eastern coast, was forever changed when a large group of Gnomish families, fleeing persecution and diminutive stereotypes, made their way to the middle of the Mountains of Wind and Rain, the giant mountains which dominate the middle third of the country, and built the shining city now known as the capital, Rajenya.
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> Over the following decades, they formed treaties with Vashtil and Suloop, as well as many of the surrounding islands, establishing the first throne of Pradeesha. The current monarch of Pradeesha, his royal highness, Regent Pra Twellian Deesha, is in his 81st year of rule. He is a well loved king, and the crown is mostly seen as having a positive impact on the lives of their citizens. The hand of the crown is rarely felt directly, as most of the day to day governance is handled by the local leadership and law enforcement, however for the most part, the throne is respected, and Pra Twellian Deesha is popular amongst his subjects. Much of this nation remains unexplored, and remnants of civilisations gone by still remain below the surface, and hidden in the dark places, guarded by who knows what.
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> We, however, are going to move further east, to the former human city of Suloop, now the shipbuilding hub of Pradeesha, and about a days ride north, to the tiny hamlet known as Ruskin Vale, on the Sineisie Coast Ruskin Vale is a tiny town, with a population of only a few of hundred, and serves mostly as a rest stop for travellers coming to or from Suloop, and for the vast majority of the year, sees nothing more exciting than the occasional travelling troupe or merchant. However, for three days of the year, it becomes a massive tourist hot spot, as it plays host to The Constellation Festival, which we find ourselves on the cusp of.
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> And it is here, beneath the thatched roof of the tavern known as The Obnoxious Pistachio, that a handful of wandering destinies slowly begin to intersect. It is the 12th day of the month of Glistonna, in the final weeks of the Harvest season. It is an overcast and cloudy Kustock morning, and in the stables at the back of The Obnoxious Pistachio, a young man, just barely into manhood, slowly awakens from his slumber."
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> - The Dungeon Master's opening monologue for the **first session** of the Dungeons and Phipps campaign, the first full campaign set in this universe.
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## Plot

The session began with Sage and Festivious meeting Jaron in the Obnoxious Pistachio, the tavern in Ruskin Vale. The three spoke with Matron Beatrice, who was searching for the young tiefling Joy. Claudia entered the tavern, accompanied by Joy, who was then returned to Matron Beatrice. As the four discussed their plans for the Constellation Festival, they agreed to spend the day together, as they had no other company.

After playing a number of festival games, the four adventurers agreed to have their fortunes told. All seeing Angela, they each in secret entered the curtained-off section of her tent to ask a single question.

An hour before sundown, they and the town gathered in the town circle, to view a magnificent lightshow put on by the priests of the Temple of the Morning Star. Towards the end of the show, three hellhounds appeared in the stage at the centre of the town circle, which attacked the townsfolk. The adventurers engaged the hellhounds. During the fighting, Festivious launched a shatter spell, but confused the of the spell radius with its diameter, resulting in a much greater effected area. A wounded townsperson was killed, and several more were knocked unconscious, including Jaron. Jaron was spared from death by Sage.

While Festivious fled the scene, the other three adventurers dispatched of the hellhounds. Claudia detected a fourth hellhound in the Rolled Dough, and while the adventurers headed to investigate, the baker, Priv, came out holding a hellhound puppy in one hand and Joy in the other, claiming he had caught the Hunger Bandit.