Chapter 1 - So We Woke Up On Slabs

**Chapter 1** of Greetings Adventurers is quite a doozy. We are introduced to the main characters of Tum Darkblade (played by Tim Lanning), Aludra the Dwarf (played by Jennifer Cheek), Thom the Dragonborn (played by Mike Bachmann), and Junpei Iori (played by Steven Strom). The main conflict of the first Arc is set up, with the gang waking up in Shadowspar Keep with no memory of their previous lives, except their names. They soon learn that each of them has a bomb planted in their heads that could explode at any moment, and that Shadowspar is run by a man named Lord Milnor, who they learn is behind everything. Junpei's head device is set off, killing him, but he is brought back to life by his djinn servant Geodude, for the price of 10,000 gold. A Darkblade named Footpad Calor informs Tum that he is not a Darkblade, his last name is Thumble, and tells him his father, Trant Thumble, rules the city of Caer, which is also where Fennekin is said to be, and that a ship captained by Captain Hookbeard is heading there. He also tells him that Trant Thumble owns a magical sword named Blood Drinker, which Tum should steal if he wants to be a Darkblade.

They get to the ship and discover that Hookbeard and his crew are slavers. They kill the pirates and free the slaves, installing one of them, a former prostitute names Ros, as the interim captain of their new ship whenever they are away. They also kind of set up a shipping empire where Ros will deliver or smuggle food or supplies around during their off hours. This ostensibly means that the gang should have a ton of money, but it's mostly talked about in a joking capacity. Junpei get abducted by his people from another dimension, and is returned later with a missing hand, it having been eaten by the cannibalistic Githyanki.

Eventually getting to Caer, Tum learns that his father Lord Thumble has many adopted sons, daughters, and anything else. Some of these children attack the gang and best them. Their unconscious bodies are brought to Lord Thumble's Manor, Castle Greyskull, where they meet with him and ask him about Fennekin. Lord Thumble warns them not to speak with Fennekin, as he is bad news. Soon, however, Thom's head device begins to make terrible sounds, leading them to believe it is about to explode, so they go to the Temple of Erathis, where Fennekin lives. Fennekin is able to stop Thom's head from exploding, but he refuses to remove everyone's device, until they collect for him three powerful artifacts: The Orb of Endless Power, The Whip of Binding, and The Brazier of Worlds. The collection of these three items makes up the remainder of the first half of the current story Arc.

With their new mission, they head to the library and learn of many things, including House Vidalis, The Lost Island, and The Crypt of Sinu the Red. They return to Castle Greyskull and are able to execute a stealthy, murdery plan to steal the sword Blood Drinker. Thom, being violent and bloodthirsty as well, has an immediate connection with the sword, and is reluctant to give it up. He does, with the two promising to see each other again. (Oh, by the way, Blood Drinker can talk.) Tum is made an official Darkblade, which restores all his lost memories!

They leave Caer and head to get the first of Fennekin's items. They stop at an island called Stockley, only to find its inhabitants dead. They leave and on the ship that night, everyone begins behaving strangely and violently. Ros and Thom begin a... well, let's not say romantic, but certainly a sexual relationship. They learn that one of their boatsmen, Brady, stole an idol from the island that caused everyone on the island, and now on the ship, to act this way. They destroy it and things return to normal. They find a map to the Cursed Cave, where they will find a way to find The Lost Island. Once they get there, however, all they find is a compass. Tum Thumble drowns while retrieving the compass...

After a lot of tears, the survivors are able to use the compass to navigate to the Lost Island, where Junpei Iori gets all his memories back. The island is full of his people, the Githyanki, and they need his help, so he voluntarily leave the party to be with them... Thus ends **Chapter 1** of Greetings Adventurers.

**Chapter 1**