Episode 287 - Welcome to the Shadowfell

Entering into a new plane of existence is always a dicey proposition. Sure, you could be prepared for anything in your realm and immediately be a fish out of water in this new one. Things are just that different. The Shadowfell has an even more ruthless reputation so it came as no surprise that entering through their front door was not great…But I am sure nothing bad will happen. We are heroes! Folks love heroes no matter which realm you are in.

## **Story**

### Long Story

The Tower of Grey has just TARDIS-style landed in The Shadowfell, which is the dark and evil version of the the Prime Material Plane, with The Feywild being the bright and happy version, and I guess Drunkeros being the normal and boring version. Here, there is no color, and even the heroes seemed to be drained of color. They look like an old sepia picture, almost, or like a Zack Snyder movie. Also, there is ash blowing through the air. Off in the far distance are mountains, and off in the near distance is a city. The heroes feel their life force being slowly drained, me\_irl. Rowan, Lahni, and Skud succumb to the feeling, slumping to the ground, unconscious. Toby casts *Major Image* to create an adamantine hut around them all, and from inside, he can hear what sounds like horse hooves. He changes the material of the hut to be ~~glass~~ ~~crystal~~ diamond, instead, and can see that the cloud of ash approaching them is actually mounted riders headed toward them. The hut, much like Justin Timberlake, can't stop the feeling, however, so Toby passes out, but not before seeing the hooded riders, carrying long spears, approach them, a thick, gruff voice telling them that their presence is "unlawful", and that they are under arrest...

They wake up in a wagon, lurching as it moves. They are in manacles, wearing their normal clothes (minus Toby's Robe of Stars), and without weapons. Skud doesn't wake, either because he is dead, or because Bachmann isn't here this week. We'll never know. Also in the wagon with them is another prisoner, a large burly man with a half-shaved head. He mutters to himself that he "can't go there," prompting Rowan to try to talk to him. He doesn't react well, but says that he can't go there, to Grull. At this freak-out, the hooded figures from before open a hatch on the wagon and stab the man in the shoulder, telling him to shut up. The hatch closes before they can ask them any questions. Lahni asks why they don't want to go there, and the man responds that nobody ever comes back from Grull, and that he didn't do anything to prompt being arrested. He came here from The Underdark, as a part of a mining expedition that has gone wrong. Also his name is Bruk Tog.

They think about their next move. While they want to go to Grull, they don't want to do so as prisoners, and while wearing anti-magic manacles. Rowan suggests escaping, knocking out the guards, stealing their clothing, and riding in themselves, but free. Lahni tries to do a series of lightning fast punches on the wagon to break out, but she is zapped by electricity instead. It definitely came from the manacles, and one of the guards laughs from out front. Their next idea is to annoy the guards into letting them out, but this just makes them stab the other guy again. Running out of ideas, they then try to convince the guards that they *love it* in this wagon, and the true punishment would be to let them out. This prompts yet another stab, and Toby tries to block it with his manacles. He himself is zapped, but not the stabbing guard, interestingly enough.

Soon, the wagon comes to a stop. The guards open the hatch and throw hoods over their heads and pull them out. Rowan can feel that the ground they are walking on is some kind of stone, but is unsure which kind. The party is separated, and brought into rooms on their own. Lahni, first, is sat and tied onto a chair, her hood removed. She sees that she is sitting at a table, a hooded figure on the other end. He asks three questions. The first, *"What is your name?"* She answers. The second, *"How do you plead?"* He doesn't elaborate, and Lahni refuses to answer without an explanation of what she is pleading to. He decides to write "Not Guilty", because that's what everyone pleads. It doesn't really matter what he writes, because "It's all just part of the paperwork." The final question, *"Do you have any special skills?"* Lahni reveals that she has the power of extreme speed, which maybe she should keep to herself, but meh, they'll figure it out anyway. Another figure comes in, without a hood. It looks like a half-Drow. Whoever it is makes a cut on Lahni's hand and catches some of her blood in a vial, then leaves. Lahni is escorted out of the room, and given an orange jumpsuit that they make her wear. As she is left alone, she yells for her friends.

Next, Toby is brought into the same room. He is asked the same questions. He refuses to tell them his name, so the guy just writes "Brad". He also writes "Not Guilty" for the Tobester, since he doesn't say anything to that either. When it gets to his special skills, though, he can't shut up about how powerful a wizard he is, due to his proud nature. This group really needs to learn to play their cards close to their chests. He also tells about his family history with the Treacletarts. The half-Drow cuts his hand, too, and catches his blood in a vial. Toby complains that he needs a bandaid, so the dude gives him a dirty bandage. Toby tries to clean it using *Prestidigitation*, but can't! He can hear, from somewhere else, Lahni yelling for her friends.

Next up is Rowan. She is asked the same three questions. She tells him her name, and that she is from The Tower of Grey, expecting him to have heard of her. Either he hasn't, or makes no indication that he has. She knows that it doesn't matter what he writes down, and he agrees, so she doesn't plead either way, though confirms it when he writes "Not Guilty". Her special skills are her archery (also, can she have her bow back please), and . She, too, has her hand cut, her blood taken, and her hood placed back over her head as she is taken from the room...

### Short

The Tower of Grey has entered the Shadowfell, a barren desolate wasteland with ash blowing all around. Spooky stuff. Slowly, the Tower members begin passing out, and as Toby, the last, fades from consciousness, he sees hooded figures approach. They wake shackled in a wagon, along with a half-goliath named Bruk Tog. None of them can do magic, and they are electrocuted when they try to escape. The wagon stops and the group is separated, brought into rooms, and asked the same three questions. What is their name? How do they plead (with no explanation as to what they are pleading to)? What special skills do they have? After answering (or not answering) these questions, a half-Drow enters the room, makes a small cut on their left hands, collects some blood of theirs in a vial, and leaves. They are then escorted out of the room.

## **Trivia**

* The Shadowfell is a mirror image of the Feywild, both are reflections of Drunkeros
* You can access the Shadowfell by passing through The Underdark
* The Plane of the Dead, where The Raven Queen lives, can be accessed through the Shadowfell
* There have been no goliaths in *this* campaign (unless one of the Thumbles was one, I don't remember), but there was a professor who taught at Norhall Academy for Adventurers and Heroes who was a goliath
* Speaking of Norhall, Tim did a similar thing in Episode 6 of that series, bringing people in one at a time, and then describing the situation repeatedly.

## **In This Episode...**

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Tim Lanning - Toby Treacletart
* Jennifer Cheek - Rowan Grey
* Nika Howard - Lahnik "Lahni" Caplain

### **Non-Player Characters**

* Bruk Tog the Stabbed
* Many Grull Guards

### **Locations**

* The Shadowfell
	+ Grull

### **Quest Log Updates**

* [Active] - Find Pelor
	+ [Active] - Go to the Shadowfell and find Adira Harper
* [Active] - Find out who killed Tilly and Donnybrooke
	+ [Active] - Find and question Josail Longshadow
		- ~~[Complete?] - Go to Grull, in the Shadowfell~~
* [On Hold] - Find Lannie Caplain
	+ [On Hold] - Investigate Galanthis
* [Optional] - Find a way to pay back the Ferrim Pecunia bank of Pelor's Hope
* [Active][Jaeludra] - Investigate the Great Colosseum in Caer
* [Active][Jaeludra] - Investigate the Oracle's strange prophecies

### **Quotes**

**"Please, as a friend... some friendly advice, try to make the next sentance not include the words 'The Flash'."** ~ *Tim to Nika*

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ **Tim - 19**
	+ Nika - 11
	+ Jennifer - 10

* They all make *Constitution* saving throws
	+ Toby - 24
		- Success - Is fine
	+ Rowan - 15
		- Fails - Slumps to the ground
	+ Lahni - 14+9
		- Success - Is fine
	+ Skud - *low*
		- Fails - Slumps to the ground

* **Toby** rolls *Medicine* to see if Rowan and Skud are still alive - 16
	+ She's alive

* They make more *Constitution* saving throws
	+ Lahni - 16
		- Fails - Slumps to the ground
	+ Toby - Nat20
		- Success - Is fine
	+ Rowan - 7
		- Already slumped

* **Toby** alone rolls a *Constitution* saving throw - 29
	+ Still fine

* **Toby** rolls another *Constitution* saving throw - 16
	+ He finally passes out

* **Rowan** rolls *Persuasion* to talk to the nervous fellow - 12
	+ He doesn't seem warm on them

* **Toby** rolls *Insight* to see if their new friend is telling the truth - 13+1
	+ He seems to be on the up and up

* **Lahni** rolls some Attack rolls to destroy a portion of the wagon - 19
	+ She hits by the door, and is zapped, taking 24 electric damage

* **Toby** rolls to put his manacles in the way of the stabbing guard - 16
	+ He does that, but gets zapped for 28 electric damage

* **Rowan** rolls *Nature* to see if she can feel what she is walking on - 9
	+ It feels like stone