"Orcs, Dragons and Bears! Oh my!" is the seventh episode of the Lightfall campaign for High Rollers D&D. It was broadcast live on the Yogscast Twitch channel on February 28, 2016.
In this episode, our heroes help the Spire of Eternal Autumn against the orc invasion. Also, Trellimar gains a pet pseudodragon familiar and names it Granamyr.
Campaign Summary[]
Distrust[]
Elora, Cam, and Trellimar are escorted towards one of the red, white, and gold towers. As they look around they can see there are other buildings in the vicinity, and large circular walls surrounding the entire city. There is a heavy presence of armed forces, working in formations, being led by an elder elf. Their combat gear retaining the colour scheme of red, white, and gold. The trees around them seem to be held in a perpetual autumn. The elder escorting them ushers them forward with haste, while the four armed elven guards surround Trellimar, ready to act should they need to. They are not aggressive towards him but keep a careful watch.
They enter the main spire and can see a large spiral staircase in the centre of the tower. They walk up several flights, before stopping briefly, as the elder says they must now travel again to the top reaches of the spire. Cam moans about having to climb further, but the elder elf says don't worry human you will not have to climb them. Cam doesn't take kindly to being referred to as human all the time, so tells the elder his name, to which the elder responds that his name is Amris. The Elder speaks a magic word, and a portal opens. Elora is the first to go through, vanishing, startling Cam. The Elder explains that Elora was transported to the top of the Spire. Bemused by this magic, Cam lights up his dagger Duracell and pokes it through the portal. Elora sees it and takes it, so Cam jumps through after it, followed by Trellimar.
On the other side of the portal, Elora and the others arrive in a nicely decorated room, with tables of maps and food. Cam immediately rushes over to the table and puts his feet up, while elven guards surround Trellimar. Elora knocks Cam's feet off saying he should have some respect.
They become aware of other people around room. A woman dressed in ceremonial robe and armour looks over plans on a table. Beside her, clerks and advisers are taking notes and conveying information to her in elven. Amris calls out to the woman, calling her Payla. She looks around at the group with confusion. She warns Amris about Trellimar, indicating her distrust towards him, but Elora assures her he is fine. Payla says Elora must know little to trust a dark elf. She then updates Amris, saying the orcs continue to test their defences. Amris tells her that her lieutenant is due to arrive shortly. Payla says she believes the best course of action would be to wait until the orcs reveal their magic.
Elora fills Payla in on their story as to why they have arrived here. She mentions the green hunter but they don't know of him, but suggest that the trio should wait here for safety. Cam is against this, since he wants to fight. This amuses Payla, looking at him she considers him weak. She says since they are not known to the elves yet they cannot trust them fully. Cam retaliates saying they are clearly lacking security by letting them in if she thought that way. However, Payla makes it clear she is confident she could take them in a fight. Cam takes a bunch of grapes and starts eating them crazily.
Elora says she had always planned to travel here to the spire, but didn't expect to find them in this situation. Payla says they would have returned the spire to the Feywild again to avoid attacks, but Amris says something is blocking them from going back. His face shows interest when Elora mentions the centaur they met, guessing it may have been Cenaria, a magical being who only appears to those in dire need of her help.
Elora says she wants to help anyway she can. Payla gestures towards Trellimar saying she really would rather keep him in here. Cam suggests they send a few guards to escort them out past the orcs, so they can get to this green hunter and deal with the problem from root source. However, Payla decides it is now quite risky to let them loose now they have gained information they might pass on. Trellimar tries to use his suggestion spell to convince them to allow them go on this mission, with the promise they will return when they complete it. However, he forgets himself as he does this and a glow of purple light completely gives him away. Payla's eyes barely glaze over at the spell, but she shakes it off as the guards now point their blades at Trellimar's neck. Payla laughs saying Trellimar just proved her point of not trusting him, and commands the guards to take him to the cells. Cam steps up to one guard to stop him, going to headbutt him, but the guard catches him and throws him over his shoulder. Cam lands on the ground and the guards pin him down, but he doesn't resist.
Payla looks at Elora saying this is why she cannot trust these lesser races, and tells the guards to take Cam with Trellimar to the cells. She also tells Elora to remain here in the spire, as she beckons Amris to go with her to the queen. Elora pleads with her saying she needs her friends with her for the mission. Payla says they will complete the mission instead, and if they find the horn they will see about releasing Cam and Trellimar. Elora says she wants to go with Cam and Trellimar then, so the four guards lead them out and start to activate the portal again. The doors close behind them.
Battle against the Orcs[]
Battle happening inside the Queen's Chamber. Designed by Mark Hulmes.
Suddenly, they hear the sharp cry of a female voice from behind the doors. Two muscular figures flash into existence. A blazing green brand of a horned helm is marked around their necks. They appear next to two of the guards activating the portal and cut their throats.
First Round of Battle
Elora shouts to the two remaining guards to free Trellimar quickly so he can fight, as she shape-shifts into a bear and swipes at the orcs that have appeared. She rips into the side of one of them with her teeth, and claws at his throat, killing it instantly. Cam goes up to Trellimar to try and slice the chain binding his hands with a dagger. The guards allow him, but his dagger cannot fully cut through the heavy iron chain. Trellimar tries to jump over his own arms instead, and manages to gets his hands up in front of him to cast an eldritch blast. The attack misses though, due to his hands being restrained.
One of the orcs senses Trellimar is bound and assumes him to be a weaker target than the enormous bear, so he attacks him, slashing with both his axes, cutting his throat. One guard draws his blade and goes to attack the orc but misses, as the other gets the key and unlocks Trellimar's chain. They can hear the sounds of battle erupting from behind the doors now also.
Second Round of Battle
Elora tries to attack again, missing a bite but successfully hits the orc with her claw.
The portal behind them suddenly glows, and through it steps a female elf with an owl. She runs up with her scimitars, and with one hit slices the orc's head clean off, and it falls to the ground dead. Her owl soars up and sits on a ledge in the wall above them. The bear nuzzles this new arrival as a form of thanks for helping them. Cam greets her also, saying good timing. He then casts healing word on Trellimar, not forgetting to unnecessarily touch him to do so.
A battle still rages behind the closed door, so Trellimar kicks it in, if a little weakly. As it opens they see chaotic and frantic scenes of battle. Five huge orcs the same as the ones they just fought, and another that is more like a shaman. Behind them at the back of the room is a green portal, which more smaller orcs are pouring out from. Commander Payla is surrounded by them and desperately trying to fend them off. At the very back of the room, behind a parted curtain, is a four-poster bed. In front of this stands Amris, protected in a sphere of energy acting as a shield. Next to him is a female elf, her hair has shades of browns and gold, and she wears a golden circlet on her head, and stands ready with a dagger. The bear knows this is a crown of authority, and identifies the woman as Queen Shalana.
Trellimar aims his Eldritch Blast at the shaman's staff. He glances up just in time and manages to deflect it with a spell. Hearing the door open, a number of orcs turn towards the group, as the shaman commands them to kill them first before they kill the queen. Two small orcs move up to Trellimar, as a bigger one teleports directly over to Cam. The smaller ones make a blunt attack at Trellimar, one of which he dodges, but second orc hits him. The big orc attacks Cam with two blades but Cam skillfully deflects both. Payla is hit with a barrage of attacks, many of which she can fend off, but every so often a weapon will get through and hit her. She tries to move across the room to get to shaman. The two guards move up each side of Trellimar, engaging the orcs that attacked him, but they don't land any hits.
Third Round of Battle
Torwen, the female elf who has just joined them, commands the guards to get to Payla and help her, as she also moves up beside Trellimar. Whirling her scimitars, she carves up through one orc, finishing him off instantly. She goes for the second orc too but he deflects her attack in time. The bear runs up to the other orc. It manages to land a weak hit on her before the bear attacks back, biting it and tearing at its limbs, until it dies from blood loss.
Cam pulls out his mace for the first time, dropping his daggers to wield it properly. He bats at the orc near him, but the orc steps back just in time to avoid injury. Cam uses the mace's special ability to allow his voice to be broadcast up to 300 ft away, saying "This is a public service announcement. Your pompous people in the tower are under attack. Thank you." to alert everyone in the spire that he can. Everyone around him suddenly hears his voice boom in their ears as if he was right next to them. The orcs look around, totally confused about the origin of the sound.
Trellimar leaps onto the table in the middle of the room and Eldritch Blasts the shaman directly. It hits him in his chest hard. It snarls as it recoils from its injury, commanding the other orcs to kill the dark elf. Suddenly, through the portal, appears three more small orcs. Fortunately, the shaman wavers after being attacked, so the portal disappears, preventing any more orcs coming through. He summons a very similar purple energy to Trellimar's eldritch blast right at Trellimar. Trellimar unleashes Hellish Rebuke, as he falls unconscious.
Payla takes one orc out with her blade, cutting through its throat. Cam takes a hit by another, as one of the two remaining guards is killed. Two more swipe at the bear, but only doing minor damage. The remaining guard leaps up to another orc, but only manages a feeble attack.
Fourth Round of Battle
Torwen attacks the orc near her, slashing a deep gash into it. With a second slash she kills it. The bear also takes out the orc near her, then claws at one scrapping with the guard until it is dead too. Cam leaps away from the orc near him to get to Trellimar. Placing his finger on his forehead Cam casts spare the dying on Trellimar, then follows up with Healing Word, reviving him. Trellimar comes to his senses and looks up, fully expecting to see Elora standing over him, having saved him as before. But instead he sees Cam, with his fingers on Trellimar's mouth pretending to make him speak.
With little delay Trellimar jumps back into battle and Eldritch Blasts the shaman from across the room, finishing him off. He then nods at Cam as thanks. The two orcs that were guarding the shaman now rush up to Torwen, as another of the larger orcs teleports over to Cam and Trellimar. The one that was previously attacking Cam now goes for the bear, attacking her with both its axes. Trellimar takes another heavy hit from the orc that just teleported near him, tearing his Inverness cape.
Fifth Round of Battle
Torwen finally manages to cut down both orcs near her, as the bear rushes over bites and claws at one near Cam, killing it. Cam swings his mace at the orc near Trellimar and kills it. Cam drops his mace at the sight of all the blood on it. Trellimar then Eldritch Blasts the orc near Payla, but misses, instead shooting over it and damaging the nice walls and tapestries around the room. Payla swings with a surge of adrenaline, but still can't finish the orc off.
Sixth Round of Battle
Torwen sends her owl forward to Payla. It flies in, attacking as best it can. Cam hops over the bear and pulls out his dagger, but Elora's bear form is much bigger than her direwolf form, causing Cam to misjudge his jump and trip. As he falls, he somehow still manages to attack from underneath the bear, piercing the orc between its legs, killing it. Torwen watches on in horror and disbelief at the fluke attack she just witnessed.
Trellimar leaps onto the table again and draws his short sword, aiming to stab it into the back of the last remaining orc, but he also slips off the table and lands on ground. He launches an Eldritch Blast instead from the ground, launching the orc up in the air and splitting it in half and finishing the fight. They look around the room, which is now entirely coated with bodies and blood and guts.
End of Battle
Suddenly, the portal outside opens and several guards run in, however they are just too late to the fight. Payla looks around and instructs them to clear the bodies away, while she gets the queen to safety downstairs. Cam picks up his daggers, then sits down in a meditative state, in order to cast Prayer of Healing on everyone in the room.
Calm after the Storm[]
Payla thanks Torwen for coming to her aid, Torwen says she can only apologise for the fact that everyone else was late, looking around at the other guards that just showed up. They apologise, saying they were also being attacked outside. Payla thanks Elora, now out from her bear form, for her assistance, then looks at Trellimar. She doesn't thank him, just looks at him suspiciously. Elora says she trusts Payla doesn't need to put them in jail now. Payla agrees, saying it can be forgotten about for now given that they helped.
Payla turns to the queen, as does Torwen who drops to one knee. The queen tells them to stand since there is no need for formality. Amris says the orcs used an unknown magic to teleport in here, however, he believes Trellimar might know of it since it is very similar to his. Trellimar simply responds saying his powers come from elsewhere, leaving Amris looking at him with some degree of fear, before saying they are dealing with very powerful magic here. Payla stands up, saying they must move the queen, but Amris says there is no point, since if the orcs could get in here, the most secured part of the spire, then they can get her anywhere.
Suddenly, they all feel a rush of energy from Cam, as he glows with a gold light, healing them. Cam, exiting his meditative state, now sees the queen properly for the first time, who is very beautiful. Cam's eyes go wide, and he does a very elaborate and over-exaggerated bow, formally introducing himself as Camulus. The queen recognises Elora, as she knew her father quite well. Cam asks Elora how all these people know her, to which she responds it's because they are obviously all elves. Elora tells the queen it was thanks to a fey spirit that they got here. The queen says they hoped to join Elora's father sooner in returning from the Feywild, but they couldn't due to the orc attacks.
Cam continues with his elaborate introduction, now calling himself Camulus Buckenthorpe. Payla says she thought he was nothing more that a performing fool, not a man of stature, which pleases Cam greatly. The queen introduces her lieutenant to them as Torwen Ialdes. Elora says she knows they had an issue with Trellimar, but hopefully they have now proven he is on their side. The queen says she is willing to trust him, but Payla is still not entirely sure.
Looking over at the body of the shaman they killed, they see a strong green glow emanating from an amulet he wore. Some sort of illusion projects from it, showing the figure of a scarred orc in dark cloak. He cackles that it seems his men have failed to kill the queen. He then looks around the room, searching for someone. Cam picks up a random orc's arm and starts waving it, but the orc can see this is just Cam and threatens to kill him. The orc decides to offer a contract, given their show of strength, saying he only wants the tower, not their lives, so if the elves vacate by sundown he will leave them alone. Payla steps forward, telling him to be quiet, and that they won't make any deals. The orc responds threateningly, saying he can easily destroy them from the inside. Torwen sticks her heads out and asks him what he wants with the tower. He replies saying it is for the hunter who grants him power.
They ask where this hunter is, and the orc reveals that he resides where he was buried long ago. Cam and Amris check the amulet. Cam can tell it is a minor magical item, that simply projects an illusion, though only one way. Amris has not seen anything like it so lets Cam have it. Elora says keeping it could be a problem if the orcs can hear them through it, so Cam drops it. Queen Shalana steps forward, saying she welcomes all of their input on the matter. They have an army, but this fight is strange to them, but it seems the group are all competent fighters. She then asks Torwen what she has learned while out scouting. She says the orcs have magic and skills they should not have, and that they commune with nature as good as any elf. They are also quicker and more agile too and show some resistance to magic. She knows there is a camp a few hours from the spire, near an old temple to Melora. An orc with a pet owlbear leads the orcs from this camp. She says she had to return because it was too dangerous, so she didn't find out anything further about them. Payla says that if they managed to capture a beast like an owlbear then things do not seem good, and the orcs could mount a dangerous force.
Cam asks where they buried the green hunter, but Amris says they didn't, since they are not native to the forest, and have been in Feywild. Amris remembers an ancient story of elves who did not transverse the Feywild, so this temple may once have been part of that settlement. Trellimar knows that in ancient times, drow and elves would have worked together in harmony before there was a split. Several spirits who were based on aggressive tendencies tried to rise up against the fey court, so the court imprisoned some of those they deemed to be out of control. Other, less dangerous spirits, were allowed to roam free.
Cam, bowing even more, says it seems like the elves need their special squad, along with the lieutenant. Elora says if they have any forces to spare to help them they would be appreciated. Payla says she would rather keep the guards here in case of attacks, but suggests Torwen would be the best to go with them. She also offers them some supplies. Payla says there may be other fey creatures who might be allies if they find them they could assist the group too.
A Pet Dragon and a Rope[]
Trellimar suddenly senses an odd heat from his pack, as it starts glowing with light. They start to hear the sound of cracking, so Torwen and Payla draw their swords, however, Trellimar assures them they don't need to worry. Gently opening the bag, a little purple draconic head pops out from it and looks around, bits of egg lie broken in the bottom of the bag. The dragon crawls up on Trellimar, and it projects to him in his mind that this dragon will be an ally. Elora is very excited at the appearance of this creature and pets it but gets a sense of uncertainty from the dragon about her. Torwen's owl, DeathBringer NightStalker (or Hoots for short) looks at it too. The dragon and Hoots share a moment, and the owl calms down, happy. Trellimar names the dragon Granamyr.
Amris asks where this pseudo-dragon could have come from. Trellimar informs the others that he was carrying this egg, which he found from back at the windmill. Amris says a beast like this would not choose a master with a corrupt heart and will serve Trellimar well. Granamyr happily sits upon Trellimar's shoulder.
Amris gives a scroll to Trellimar, saying it is a Scroll of Messaging they can use to communicate with him. He says that in this instance stealth and cunning will more likely be their best ally. He offers a reward to them if they return victorious.
Looking to Torwen, Amris compliments the unusual rope she is carrying. Torwen responds by saying she found it in a tree. Trellimar, spotting this, suddenly erupts, that it is his rope he left behind, but Torwen believes it to be hers. She can see it appears to be magical, so gives it to Amris to identify its properties. He tells her how to use it. Trellimar disgruntedly says to his dragon that they need to get the rope back, Granamyr agrees.
Cam tires of waiting, so says to Shalana that he feels urgency is needed, and they must pursue this green hunter and defeat him. The queen says it would help greatly. She asks Elora if she has heard from any of the other spires, but Elora says she hasn't. Shalana says there was one in the Council they spoke of, the Spire of Winter, that was planning to return in a forest north of Talis'Val. Amris says he will go to fetch some potions and other supplies for their journey. Payla leaves with him, escort him through the portal.
Within about an hour they stand ready to leave. Cam looks at some beautiful elven crafted daggers. He decides he wants one of these daggers more than his old ones, so he places back an old, and takes a new one instead. Cam names this dagger Elfie. They also take two more healing potions, which Amris gives to Cam. Torwen mumbles away in disgust that he didn't give them to her.
An Encounter with a few Orcs[]
Torwen leads the way, gliding effortlessly through the Longwood Forest, travelling as stealthily as possible. She is somewhat impressed that Cam is keeping up with her. Trellimar follows, also fairly quietly, but a little slower. Elora, on the other hand, is constantly distracted by the animals in the forest that is slowing her down. She says it would be in their best interest to find some allies before going to the camp. She tries to track for any movement in the area, as does Torwen. Torwen spots some footprints, as well as faint traces of fine dust, which she knows comes from pixies and sprites, so there are definitely fey in the area. Torwen then uses her Primeval Awareness to try and sense these creatures. She gets a strong presence of fey creatures near the orc camp. However, to her, it is registering as fey but something about it is not quite right. She also senses a smaller manifestation of energy about 2 miles west, but it in an area she hasn't explored yet.
The party continues on their journey for another few hours. The ancient forest is oddly quiet now, and the tall trees let very little light through. There is a smell of fresh grass, bringing a certain peace to the place, but there is an underlying sense of emptiness. As they emerge into a clearing they hear noises ahead. They approach a large fallen tree and hide behind it. They can see an orc with a spear, riding atop a large wolf. To his sides stand two smaller orcs, who keep going up to trees, smashing leaves, and causing tiny creatures to fly out, whimpering as they flee.
Torwen climbs silently up a tree, and Hoots flies up next to her. Cam heads round to more trees nearer the river that flows between them and the orcs. The orc starts using spells to knock the glowing flickers of light out of the air. Elora hides behind the tree directly under Torwen.
Battle happening at Longwood forest. Designed by Mark Hulmes.
First Round of Battle
Trellimar decides to make the first move and sends Granamyr to fly over to the orc and sting him sneakily. The dire wolf becomes aware of the dragon, and as the orc looks round, Trellimar Eldritch Blasts him, sending pieces of his armour flying. The orc points at Trellimar and commands the smaller orcs to kill him. Trellimar quickly runs back and hides behind a tree next to him. Granamyr continues to try and bite the rider but can't break through his armour.
Torwen commands her owl to follow Granamyr and attack the orc too, but again its attacks cannot do any damage against the orcs tough armour. Torwen moves to a closer tree, as Elora shoots an arrow at the dire wolf. The dire wolf is aware of something in trees now, attacking it. Cam also moves to a closer tree and throws his new dagger Elfie at one of the smaller orcs. The orc now spots Cam and heads over to him. The rider tries to head for Trellimar, both Hoots and Granamyr attacking as best they can as he goes. Cam and Torwen can now hear pixies and see them poking their heads out watching curiously.
The other small orc swings up at Granamyr but the dragon files out of his reach. The dire wolf attacks Trellimar, and the rider points his spear at him, commanding Trellimar to grovel. Trellimar falls to his knees and grovels, unable to resist the orc's spell.
Second Round of Battle
Trellimar manages to pull his short sword and ram it into the dire wolf, but only does a small amount damage. Torwen sneaks up behind the smaller orc attacking Granamyr, and slashes his throat. The sound of tiny hands clapping can be heard from the trees above. Elora shape-shifts into a bear and claws at the orc rider, leaving him quite injured. Cam pulls another dagger and goes for a double attack against the orc near him, stabbing him multiple times but somehow the orc remains standing. It lashes back at Cam with his axe.
The rider summons a spectral spear that starts attacking all by itself, hitting the bear hard. The rider commands his dire wolf to attack the bear also, dragging her down to the ground.
Third Round of Battle
Trellimar casts Arms of Hadar. Swirling black tendrils wrap around the orc and attack it. The dire wolf is more agile, however, and manages to get away. Granamyr flies over to support Trellimar and attacks the rider, stinging him.
Torwen talks to the pixies, asking if they want some revenge. They respond fearfully saying the orc is scary. Torwen tries to reassure them and asks them to help her cause a distraction. They agree and fly towards the rider. The bear gets up and attacks the rider again, her claws doing more damage than her bites, and badly injures him this time. Cam keeps stabbing the belly of the orc near him, and takes him out, heads towards the others also.
Fourth Round of Battle
The dire wolf attacks Trellimar, knocking him out. The pixies swoop in and create blinking lights to distract the orcs. Torwen takes advantage of the distraction and runs up, slamming her scimitars through the orc's back. It falls off the dire wolf, dead. Torwen follows up hitting the dire wolf also. The bear joins in, clawing the dire wolf and rips its head off.
End of Battle
The bear shape-shifts back into Elora and goes to Trellimar's aid, as does Cam. He casts Healing Word, but has to pretend to touch Trellimar, since he is still a slight distance away. Trellimar is revived. Torwen high-fives the pixies, as they cheer and clap, and thanks them. Cam asks the pixies to help them find bigger creatures, they don't need to fight, just lead them. Torwen promises she and Hoot will protect them, so they agree to come along. The group decide to rest up first. Cam starts a weird dance, casting Aid on everyone. His hair glows blonde, though not as much as it has done before, and everyone gains extra HP.
Featured Characters[]
The Adventurers[]
New[]
Appeared
- Amris
- Darkscar Clan
- Unnamed orc shaman
- Unnamed scarred orc
- Payla
- Shalana
- Torwen Ialdes
- Deathbringer Nightstalker (Hoots), Torwen's owl familiar
- Dire wolf
- Pixies
Mentioned
Returning[]
Appeared
- Autumn Spire guards
- Orcs from the Darkscar Clan
Mentioned
- Althidon (Elora's father)
- Cenaria
- Green Hunter
Notable Moments[]
Trivia[]
- Fan-art video: Chris and Katie created a new animation for the intro to the show and for the fanart reel during the break.
- Temporary Character: Since Jiǔtóu is dead, Kim plays as lieutenant Torwen Ialdes for this episode, an elven scout. The name means "Call of the Forest" in Sindarin, which Kim chose because Mark told her to pick the elf-iest name she could think of. They joked beforehand that Kim would have to play the part of a haunted table for the episode.
- Mini Placeholders: Elora's normal form mini had to play the part of a guard while she was in bear form, due to a lack of minis available. Later, a D4 is used as a mini to represent Granamyr, and another to represent Hoots.
- Threatening Your Employer: Matt jokingly threatens Kim that he will remove all the videos from her channel, since she kept the fact she would have his misplaced magic rope for the episode a secret from him.
- Mini-Game Suggestion: They joke that the room in the spire that is now destroyed with blood would make an excellent Viscera Cleanup Detail level, and request for someone to design it.
- Celebrity Guest: They suggest that Michael Bublé should be the first special guest on the show.