Welcome to Kamden Mesa

"Welcome to Kamden Mesa" is the first episode of Verse 1 of the Ballad of the Nightmare Krew.

The party of adventurers is hired to find the tomb of an ancient king. Before setting out on the first step of their quest, the group goes on a pub crawl through Kamden Mesa, getting to know the city and each other in the process.

## Cast

### Cast

William Champion
Dan Krackhardt
Kyle Knight
Hannah Minshew
Woody Minshew
Drew Nauden

## Locations and Characters

### Notable NPCs

Hugh Thorton
Cora Thorton
Olga
Keith

## Official Description

*"Welcome to the world of Cordia. Our adventurers have been brought together in the city of Kamden Mesa to complete a job. Will that job lead to fortune or are they chasing a myth?"*

## Plot

### Part I

#### At the Storehouse

Lilith La Fleur arrives with Olga to a storehouse in Kamden Mesa, where Cora and Hugh Thorton have assembled four other candidates for a mission: Leonidas Goldspear II, Ember of a Forgotten Fire, Kallias Myr, and Ryujin Valtameri.

Olga, Hugh, and Cora step outside to discuss some news, and the five adventurers are left to acquaint themselves with one another. They soon realize Kallias does not speak Common, and is unaccustomed to certain elements of Cordian culture. Between Draconic and Elvish, the adventurers find other shared languages, and Ember tells Kallias they will teach them Common.

Hugh returns alone to introduce himself and the proposal for the job. The mission involves multiple phases, the last of which will be mounting an expedition to the desert. Hugh tells them about writings he found while studying at the Gilded Citadel which speak of an underground passageway leading to the ancient tomb of a supposed mythological king, and the riches therein. Kallias does not understand money, which Hugh attempts to explain. The ethics of theft and murder arise, and Hugh redirects back to the mission.

The party members have heard of the king, Thelekas, and his three heirs. In old songs and rhymes, Thelekas is known as a great king of elven descent who united the southern half of Cordia under his rule. Though Thelekas is believed to be a myth, Hugh says the writings he found at the Citadel were extremely old and spoke of Thelekas as if he was real.

Hugh points to some items in the room as further proof: two triangular tablets, one embedded with a purple gem. Leonidas, Ember, and Kallias recognize these tablets from previous encounters. Hugh explains that there are three of these tablets, and they are somehow connected to the tomb and its tunnel system. The first step of the mission is to locate the third tablet.

The party is wary of getting to the end of the mission and finding nothing, but Hugh continues. He tells them the tunnel system leads somewhere under the Seraphic Tear, which he explains to Kallias in Elvish.

The Seraphic Tear is a massive gorge northwest of Kamden Mesa that is known as an area of great danger and magical anomaly, as well as of great treasure. Expeditions have attempted to enter it from the surface but have never returned.

Hugh acknowledges the danger of the job, but in his educated opinion it will be worth it. Any treasure they find at the end will be split equally, and the adventurers may keep the items they find along the way.

The adventurers agree to the job. The first step: tailing a courier who is arriving to the city at midnight. Hugh believes the courier will be bringing information about the tablet to the Longhorn Gang. Hugh tells the party to meet him at the Cottonmouth Saloon at 10 p.m.

Since the adventurers have time to kill before the mission, Hugh recommends some sightseeing around Kamden Mesa. Ember suggests a pub crawl, the first idea from him that Leonidas favors. Ryujin pulls out the bottle of whiskey he had purchased at the Last Stop and asks if everyone wants to get a head start. Kallias is confused by the "brown water," but accepts it. They immediately spit it out, accusing Ryujin of trying to poison them. Ryujin tells them it's okay, and drinks some to show it isn't poison. The group explains whiskey to Kallias, who has only had ceremonial drink before.

#### The Bricks

The party begins their pub crawl at The Bricks, a seedy tavern in Lower Kamden. There, they sample some of the house liquor, while attempting to teach Kallias the finer points of drinking. Leonidas, affected by the strong alcohol, challenges a dragonborn to a fight to the death in the Pits. The others look on in shock as Leonidas kills the dragonborn. He walks out without a word, quickly followed by the others. The party discusses where to go next, and they agree on the Sapphire Brasserie in Upper Kamden. Leonidas needs a minute to recover, and Kallias stays behind with him while the others go ahead.

## Characters and Locations

### Player Characters

* Ember of a Forgotten Fire
* Kallias Myr
* Leonidas Goldspear II
* Lilith La Fleur
* Ryujin Valtameri

### NPCs

* Cora Thorton
* Hugh Thorton
* Olga
* unnamed Bricks bartender
* unnamed Bricks fighting ring master
* unnamed dragonborn
* Keith, elf elevator attendant
* Archibald, goliath doorman for the Sapphire Brasserie
* Madame Augustine, proprietor of the Sapphire Brasserie
* unnamed server
* Lily, halfling elevator attendant
* unnamed Longhorns

NPCs mentioned, but not present:

* Thelekas, ancient mythical king of elven descent

### Locations

* Kamden Mesa
	+ Thorton's storehouse
	+ The Bricks
	+ Sapphire Brasserie
	+ Cottonmouth Saloon
	+ Longhorn safehouse

## Notes

This episode is the origin of the Keith subplot.

## References

1. ↑ Bards of New York. Welcome to Kamden Mesa (Video). *Ballad of the Nightmare Krew*. YouTube.