Take a Stande

**Take a Stande** is the first episode of *Failed Save*.

## DM's Recap

We opened on the sleepy retirement home of "I'll Die Where I Stande" located in the town of Stande in the Republic of Travers Bound. Murray, a longtime resident was content playing his card game, Dasle was hiding out in disguise, Bora had recently taken a job as an orderly of sorts and was caretaking for Murray, Ella frequented the home to bring treats and help those beyond their time to move on from this life, and Chirp had just arrived, happily fleecing the occupants of their valuables.

We met our heroes in succession, each of whom also interacting with a peculiar old man. Before long Dasle and Chirp, old scam buddies, discovered each other in the home and had a less-than-warm reunion. Murray, smitten with Dasle's elderly persona "Catherine," invited her out on a walk around the grounds and was shortly accompanied by... everyone! Bora, apparently becoming more beautiful by the second, easily got the group past the orderly in charge and they had the most pleasant two-minute walk. However it was cut short by the announcement of a show taking place. Piling into the theater, our group was treated to the musical stylings of Kalpip Biltix, a melodically gifted gnome, during which popcorn was passed out and Dasle won a dance battle so decisively that her elderly opponent decided to pass on.

Meanwhile Ella, Bora, and Murray discovered they had been carrying peculiar magical items: Murray a belt of pants, and Ella and Bora both mysterious consumables. Inexplicably both were immediately fed to Bora, making her blindingly charismatic and distressingly strong. After the show the elderly were escorted out and our group asked to remain inside to speak to the orderly in charge. Bora and the group at large became convinced that this was an impending promotion for her. They were met by an older elf, lithe and tall, as well as a few dozen orderlies. Every member of the group noted that there were dried streaks of blood on their tunics.

The elven woman identified herself as a Kossai, the intelligence arm of the Kossirik military, and revealed she tracked the group to the retirement home, admonishing them for trying to impersonate prophesized chosen ones who would destroy the Kossirik Empire, and promising them she would kill them like she had killed so many pretenders who came before them. She revealed each of our heroes did in fact have some form of mark on them identifying them as such before setting upon them.

Bora's first instinct naturally was to stun the enemies with her sheer charismatic radiance and managed to immediately convert 11 of the antagonists into devoted stans. Fleeing, Ella had to uproot Murray and physically carry him on her shell lest he fall in battle, though i'm sure he could have taken all of them. Chirp was tossing elderly to slow down the impending stampede. Bora was catching those elderly and Dasle utilized her *Fey Presence* to strike fear into the hearts of their pursuers, slowing them down even further.

Our heroes ultimately escaped into one of the resident's rooms: the odd old man from earlier, who informed them it was time to go and absconded into his wardrobe. The party followed and found themselves suddenly in a glen some five days ride north in the territory of Qes Ares, just outside of the town of Srocda'a, where the old man poured them tea and informed them "My name is Philemon Akkad. I am the last of the Kossirik Magialum and I'm very sorry to inform all of you that you apparently are going to be heroes."