D&D 2 : The First Encounter (Images & Story)

Disclaimer : There is official Dungeons & Dragons artwork in this post, as well as artwork of my own. Every piece I did not produce was created by the amazing artists at Wizards of the Coast.

This is a record of an actual session of our X-rated D&D campaign. Except for certain scenes, I will be paraphrasing and summarizing our journey here in these entries. During certain key scenes however, I will be using actual quoted dialogue from our game.

Good Girls Presents... Dungeons & Dragons! : Tomb of Annihilation

Part 2 : The First Encounter

TALL TALES...

Following the evening of the trio's intimate encounter within the privacy of their luxury suite, Alyxia, Wrath, and Coral were surprised to discover a half-elf waiting for them in the taproom of the Thundering Lizard inn. The itinerant bard Thimbrand Biggleswade wasted no time attempting to convince the party that she would be a perfect fit for their expedition. After some choice words were exchanged between the ever-haughty scholar Alyxia Mistcaller and the half-elf bard known as Thimble, an agreement was eventually reached - thanks in large part to Coral - and the group set off to prepare for their journey into the jungle.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the party however, the diminutive half-elf Thimble (who frequently, and incorrectly, insists that she is in fact a very tall halfling) had done her homework on this group. Thimble, as it turns out, was present aboard the ship, the Brazen Pegasus, that carried Alyxia and Wrath from Baldur's Gate to Port Nyanzaru. A stowaway, she elected not to reveal her presence, but that didn't stop her from eavesdropping on the auspicious meeting that joined these two adventurers together. For reasons of her own, when Thimble finally caught up with them at the inn, she didn't look like much of a traveller - with no money to her name and most of her possessions taken from her. But that's a tale for another time...

A STOP FOR SUPPLIES

Hakim Hakala

With their inn located in the heart of the market ward, the party had little difficulty making the preparations needed for their journey. On fellow academic Marion Windemere's advice, the party was to meet the Calishite merchant Hakim Hakala in the Red Bazaar. As advertised, Hakim set the girls up with a suitable collection of travel supplies (tents, a canoe, insect repellent, and rain catchers). Additionally, he warned the girls of some of the dangers of travelling in the jungle (do not drink from the water of the River Tyriki), and suggested they hire a guide to safely escort them on their expedition. When asked for a recommendation, Hakim didn't hesitate when he mentioned Azaka Stormfang, informing the girls that they should be able to find her in the slums of a neighbourhood outside the city walls known as Malar's Throat. Before the party departed, Hakim delivered a message to Alyxia from her colleague at the Pertelope Society, the administrator Windemere. It would appear Marion Windemere had an assignment for the Lady Alyxia.

BANG BOUNTY No. 1...

The party split into two teams; one to meet with the jungle guide Azaka Stormfang in Malar's Throat; and the other to investigate Marion Windemere's assignment. Thimble followed Alyxia to the cramped Pertelope Society office hidden away in a back alley of the market ward. There, the half-elf administrator of their exclusive academic circle provided Alyxia with an assignment for her work-in-progress magnum opus, "Fantastic Fucks and Where to Find Them". The assignment, which he referred to as a 'bang bounty' read as follows...

OFFICIAL PERTELOPE SOCIETY BOUNTY

Research requested on the subject of rare PINK GRUNGS for Lady Alyxia's "Fantastic Fucks and Where to Find Them" anthology

Known locations: The jungles of Chult, and the grung village at Dungrunglung

Minimum Bounty 250 Pieces of Gold based on the quality of research!

Details: The appearance of the elusive pink grungs signal the arrival of the grung mating season in the jungles of Chult. To date, no explorer has collected any meaningful research regarding this rare breed of tribal frog creature. Nevertheless, rumours persist regarding the aphrodisiac-like film that coats the bodies of these diminutive creatures, as well as their propensity for interspecies breeding. Much research is required to further understand their unusual behaviour.

Report to Administrator Windemere for additional details

Pictured Above, Common Grung Breeds

Alyxia, not content to leave his office empty-handed, made an attempt to fleece Windemere for some more funds before leaving on her merry way. Although the youngish half-elf administrator had nothing left to give her, Alyxia was still able to make off with his lunch by flashing him a healthy heaping of cleavage - a display which made the tiny Thimble bite her lip and consider her own distinct lack of cleavage in the shadow of her statuesque, golden-haired sun-elf companion.

BEYOND THE CITY WALLS

A number of ramshackle, shanty town neighbourhoods are located outside of the walls surrounding Port Nyanzaru. The slums of Malar's Throat are just one more such place where the locals who can't afford to live within the city proper gather and try to survive. While travelling through the slums to meet with Azaka, Coral and Wrath make a stop at an old stone blockhouse building decorated modestly in the holy symbols of Tymora, goddess of good fortune. Inside the temple, a group of worshippers cried out to the attending priest as they all gather around the bodies of those who had recently passed away. The priest informed the party that the mourners had paid a heavy tithe to the temple to return the souls of the recently departed to their bodies - but it seems the souls of those recently departed had wandered away. The bodies draped from head to toe in white blankets on the temple floor could not be resurrected.

The priest informed the pair that this sometimes is the fate of adventurers who wander into the jungle. These adventurers in particular had gone in search of wildroot - a native root useful in curing poison. The adventurers, who all lived in Malar's Throat, have been wandering deeper and deeper into the jungle lately in search of wildroot, since explorers from other lands have been robbing the jungle of its natural riches, selling their lucrative spoils within the city walls, and leaving the locals wanting for the natural remedies and medicines they rely upon. The ruling class - the Merchant Princes - know this of course, but do little to aid their citizens who live beyond the walls.

Unable to assist the mourners, Coral and Wrath leave the temple respectfully and encounter their prospective jungle guide Azaka Stormfang. She was walking around barefoot on the soft, cool mud that covers the floor everywhere in the slums, wearing an animal hide loin cloth, and a thick cloak with a tiger-print pattern.

Azaka Stormfang (Official Art Version)

To Be Continued...