5.3 Camp Firefield (Milestone - 7th Level!)

SESSION DATE: July 6 & 20, 2024, September 21, 2024
PRESENT: Rory Emberscale, Freya Olatur, Hathesni, Wesson Smith

Deep Dive

![[Rory - 5.3 Camp Firefield.wav]]

Adventure Photos

Adventure Song & Lyrics

![[Camp Firefield.mp4]]

World Anvil Journal

sooo... thith ith kinda a wong thtowy tho i will twy to keep it showt cuz i cant wembeber evwything that hapind. n e way thith guy velthor thaid he needed uth to keel thith othew vawokth guy cuz he didnt wike him ow thomethin tho we wath wike ya wel do it tho he towd uth where to go to find him. he towd uth abowt a tint to go in and it wath bigger inthide than it wath owtthide i dunno how that can hapin but it wath twue.

win we find the tint we thee it hath a ton of hogbobwinth awound it but hafethnee utheth a thpail to awwow uth to get in the tint without them theein uth tho that wath cool. we git in thewe and ith kinda wike nite tiem but ith diffewent ith hawd to ekthpwane. thewe awe thome wurdth fwotin in the air but we cant weed it but hafethnee fownd a hand thtikin owt of tha gwownd and it wath atachd to a bodey with a helmit on it. wethin wath wike hewe wowy put it on and thee if u can weed thothe wurdth and im wike do u no who i am i cant weed them O MY GOTH I CAN WEED THEM NOW thith ith tho weerd. it thaid thomethin abowt actin thteel tho wethin thaid o we gotta be thtelthy tho we twied that but it dint wurk. im wike alwite evwybody thtay ath thteel ath u can and jutht imajin urthelf thomewhere elthe and that wurkd it opind a cuppel powtalth to tha nektht pwathe.

thith ith wher evwything kinda thtawted being a bwur to me. fwom hewe we fot a buncha hobgobwinth of all kinda typeth all thwu thith tint pwathe. we thaw thome wike fwyin thingth that thwu deth thtuff at uth and thin we thaw thome fier guyth and thome maje guyth and thome twooper guyth and thome wike awmowed guyth ow thomethin and thome that cud heel. we fot are way thwu a bunch of thethe aweath and we wethted uthing wethinth tiny hut tho nuthin cud meth with uth duwing the niteth and hafethnee kep uth fwom goin hungwy with her bewwyth tho we dint evin haf to find food tho that wath vewy cool to. i think fwaya had the wortht tiem hewe cuz motht of are enemeeth theemd okay with fier and thatth abowt all she hath for thpelth i felt kinda thad for her but she thtill did weewy gud.

we did thee a hyuge guy they cald a thwotter deemin i think he wath weewy big and had wike eweventeen awmth and hit weel hawd but we tuk him down. wethin got thome gud hith on him and i thomehow thpwit him in haf with the dawk tendwilth fwom my tatu tho that wath cool awtho. hafethnee did tho gud keepin uth awive and heeld all the tiem wile we wer hewe.

thin we fownd vawokth finawy and wath abel to take him owt pwetty eethy. we make a gud teem. he twied to tewepowt but heth kinda thiwwy cuz he wint wite into the cowner were we cud all git to him tho i meen he kinda made it eathy fow uth. aftew we kild vawokth the otherth jutht kinda wint down with him wike they gave up. we fownd thome vewy cool thtuff to.

dwaugniw im thowwy i cant wemembew evwything tho gud we thpint a wong tiem here and a buncha dayth tho u no im not gud with wemembewin evwything but i twied to tell u all the good thtuff at weatht. i hope u r doin gud. pweathe tell my famiwy im thtill gonna find em ath thoon ath i can. i hope they r ok.

Private Notes

• Camp Firefield: A dwarf warlock, Velthor, made a pact with an archdevil, only to later discover his patron is also nurturing another protégé—Bloodlord Varrox. Feeling jealous and betrayed, Velthor approaches the characters and asks them to disrupt Varrox’s operations. Velthor attempts to appeal to the party’s sense of justice, but offers four diamonds (worth 500 gp each)
• Varrox's lair exists in a pocket dimension. They travel there via a magical tent gifted to them by an archdevil.
• Velthor tells us where to find the tent. It's surrounded by trees near the bank of a river. There is a squad of nine hobgoblins standing guard around the tent.
• Hathesni casts Pass Without a Trace and we carefully and quietly make our way past the guards unseen and unheard. Nice! We step into the tent and into the pocket dimension.
• Under a twilight sky, desolate plains stretch as far as the eye can see. There are some words, apparently written in Infernal, but none of us can read it. We don't seem to have any magic items able to allow us to read or comprehend it.
• Hathesni finds, just barely poking out of the dirt, is a skeletal finger. Hathesni investigates. He discovers that the finger is connected to a body. We spend a few minutes unearthing a skeleton on rusted armor and a helmet. The helmet seems to give off magical vibes. Wesson casts Identify. Turns out it's a Helm of Comprehending Languages. Perfect! Wesson dons the helmet and casts the spell, reading the Infernal text before us. It says "Who acts in stillness finds the way.". Interesting. Wesson thinks this means we must be stealthy, so we attempt that. Doesn't work. We appear right back where we started. Rory suggests that we remain as still as still as possible and imagine we're standing elsewhere. This causes two magical portal gates to appear. One of them takes us back outside the tent. The other shows green grass and a dirt path winding its way through the nearly 10-foot-tall grass with a large 20' braided arch of plants in the middle. Rory remains still and imagines himself standing through the grassy portal, but nothing happens. Hathesni takes a step forward and the portals remain. Amazing. We step through the grassy portal.
• The group gives Rory the Helm of Comprehending Languages so he can understand people better, but it probably won't allow him to read.
• We continue ahead. Freya notices some tiny flying creatures in the grass. Hathesni notices one of them has a collar with polished malachite around its neck. He believes them to be tiny fiends.
• Rory takes a stealthy lead. As soon as he begins moving, a portal appears within the archway, and the fiend with the necklace perched on the archway flies through the portal, disappearing into it, but we notice the necklace it was wearing did not pass through the portal and instead just falls to the ground. INIITIATIVE!!!
  • The fiends begin attempting to pelt us with necrotic motes.
  • Rory sees the necklace and copies what the fiend demonstrated, putting the necklace on and stepping through the portal. Seeing what had to be a couple dozen enemies, Rory quickly realizes his mistake, rages, then steps back through the portal to the hopefully relative safety with his friends.
  • Turns out enemies can attack through portals, which means spells can also be cast through them. This actually works in our favor as Freya casts a huge Fireball through it catching 17 enemies in it. However, it appears the vast majority of them are immune to fire, and the other two are resistant to it. Awesome!
  • One of the incendiarists flings a mote of fire at Rory, hitting him with fire damage and knocking him prone. Lovely!
  • At the end of the second round, the portal we used to enter into the grassy field closes.
  • At the end of the third round, we determine that we can mentally command the portal to reopen.
  • Wesson takes down one of the grilps (fiends) and then reactivates the portal and steps through it.
  • From the other side of the portal, Wesson yells "COME BACK THROUGH THE PORTAL, NOW!"
  • We each make our way back through the portal to see what Wesson has in store for us.
  • Hathesni casts another Spike Growth between the two portals where all the minions are and ends up taking them all out when they try to move.
  • Rory is able to take out the non-minion guy with a good swing.
  • Freya casts Wind Wall beyond the second portal to take out the minions and perhaps keep the war mage and incendiarists from fleeing.
  • The war mage is able to get off one more Rain Hellfire on a couple of us before Rory moves through the portal up to the other and takes him out. Just a couple of incendiarists remaining now. However, killing the war mage made him explode into a burt of flaming ichor, setting a nearby tent on fire. Oops!
  • Rory is able to get a good crit on an attack of opportunity on an incendiarist as it moves out of his threatened range, killing him. The other incendiarist bleeds out. Combat over.
• We decide to have Wesson cast his Tiny Hut spell so we can rest. Hathesni could certainly use it.
• TNGBU
• Rory goes back to the camp area through the portals to look for a tent similar to the one outside, with another pocket dimension. He doesn't notice any. However, one of the stones on the bonfire is engraved. Rory activates his Helm of Comprehending Languages and is able to determine the engraving is in Infernal, and says "Light will lead the way." He also notices a five-pointed star on the rock. Looks like we need a key. Rory looks around the camp but can't find a star-shaped item. Wesson, however, notices a red-hot pentagonal shape in the fire. He uses his tinker tools to reach for it, but Freya stops him and casts Mage Hand to do it instead, probably saving Wesson from a lot of pain. Wesson takes the star using his tinker tools from the ground and places it into the engraved stone.
• Suddenly the heat from the fire disappears, revealing a portal opening up into the next lair of this pocket dimension. Fire crackles nearby. A tent is in front of us. A hobgoblin stands with her back to us at a forge nearby, who has a pendant on her belt. Several voices can be heard shuffling around in the next tent. The hobgoblin does not appear to notice us yet.
• Rory, having used the Helm of Comprehending Languages, can understand the voices. They seem to be counting.
• Wesson holds up a finger to his mouth, telling us to be quiet. He slowly steps forward behind the hobgoblin at the forge, points his gun at the base of their skull, and pulls the trigger. This causes the hobgoblin to recoil face-first into the fire of the forge and the hammer she was working on, killing her instantly. INITIATIVE!!!
  • A hobgoblin trooper comes around the corner, marking Rory with a hex that will cause him to take 5 fire damage when he attacks someone other than the trooper until the trooper's next turn.
  • Hathesni is able to take out the trooper without issue.
  • Around the corner comes a Hobgoblin Death Captain. Sounds terrible!
  • Freya casts Faerie Fire on the Death Captain and another trooper, catching the trooper in it, but unfortunately the Death Captain saves.
  • The Death Captain takes a good chunk of health out of Rory, so Rory asks for healing as he takes out the trooper before turning his attention back on the Death Captain.
  • Rory looks at the Death Captain and asks if he's afraid of death. He says he isn't as he was molded by it. Rory says "Well, it's time to meet death again." Rory takes a baseball bat swing at the base of his neck, killing him. Combat over.
• We search the area for loot.
• Rory checks for anything out of the ordinary in this area. Rory thinks the pendant saying "Forge ahead" is the key to continue. One of us stands within five feet of the forge while holding the pendant and reads it. That opens a portal, and we step through.
• A long 12' high tent stands next to a well-tended garden. We stealthily move around the south side of the tent.
• Rory comes around the corner and notices several wounded hobgoblins inside the tent lying on cots being tended to by other hobgoblins like what we've seen before. There's another war mage overseeing the operation. Just outside the tent is a garden of plants and herbs growing around a ring of mushrooms.
• After a very brief discussion, Hathesni casts Spike Growth inside the tent as well as he can without disturbing the garden. She says, and I quote, "Trust me, I'm a druid." INITIATIVE!!!
  • There is one war mage, and a ton of brandbearers and troopers in this encounter. Gonna be a long one probably.
  • As Hathesni casts her Spike Growth, Freya casts a Fireball into the tent, catching everyone and everything in the tent on fire. This also catches part of the garden on fire, to Hathesni's dismay. Oops!
  • Hathesni attempts to put out the flames on the garden.
  • With a single swing, Rory is able to cleave through the remaining three brandbearers. Combat over.
• Hathesni continues putting out the remaining fires. Rory has nothing that will actually help, but he does try to blow out the flames as if they're just candles. At least he's trying!
• After putting them out, Hathesni is able to gather enough material to create a Potion of Greater Healing during a short or long rest. Nice!
• In the center of the ring of mushrooms, there is a mortar and pestle. There is a little bit of residue left in it. Beside the mortar and pestle are more Infernal runes that mention "The fiend's fruit". Rory isn't exactly sure what it means, so he temporarily lends Hathesni the Helm of Comprehending Languages. She is able to make sense of it. She finds a Devil's Blossom nearby, puts it into the mortar and pestle and begins grinding it up. This opens yet another portal. Nice! Hathesni gives him the helm back.
• We step through to find a long mead hall with a pig on a spit in the center. Tables with tons of food line the hall, shelves of all kinds of spices line the tent. On the far end is a giant wall with a huge painting of what can only be the Blood Lord Varrox. There are dozens more minions along with another Death Captain and incendiarists inside. All the minions look drunk.
• Hathesni begins casting Spike Growth. INITIATIVE!!!
  • One of the incendiarists knocks Rory prone with a ranged attack. No bueno!
  • The Death Captain casts Eye Fire at Freya, which is like a better version of Firebolt.
  • Rory stands up, moves to the front of the tent, and throws his Javeling of Lightning at the Death Captain, taking out several of the minions between him and Rory, also cleaving some nearby minions with it. Perfect!
  • Hathesni's Spike Growth goes off, covering the interior of the tent, catching nearly every enemy within it!
  • Rory finds himself surrounded by hobgoblins once again, but is able to take most of them out with one swing of his greataxe, then takes out the last one with another swing before moving up to Hathesni for healing. He's looking pretty beat up.
  • Hathesni greatly helps Rory, healing him for nearly half his health. Great roll!
  • Wesson gets the killing blow on the Death Captain, who is the last enemy. Combat over.
• Wesson immediately casts his Tiny Hut spell again allowing us to take another long rest.
• TNGBU
• An area at the end of the building has stairs that lead to a statue. Rory uses his new helm to cast Comprehend Languages in order to make sense of the inscription on it. "Keep your fellow soldiers fed", it says. The statue is of a hobgoblin with its mouth open. Wesson thinks that we need to eat from the spit, so Rory grabs a chunk of meat as he burns his arm on the open fire. We each eat a bite, but nothing happens. We go back to the statue and feed it something. As soon as we do, the food disappears, as does the statue, revealing a portal. We step through.
• A massive glowing rectangular stone altar lies before an obsidian arch in the center of six pillars in a hexagonal shape. The altar glows red with runes along its sides. Each pillar has a hobgoblin trooper next to it, and three of the four sides of the altar each has a hobgoblin war mage standing by. We only have enough time to make one preparatory action, so Rory rages, Freya casts Darkness on herself, Hathesni casts Sanctuary on herself, and Wesson quaffs a potion of climbing. INITIATIVE!!!
  • Wesson climbs atop the southwest pillar where he uses his vantage point to fire away at the hobgoblins.
  • During the encounter, a cloud of smoke wafts its way to Hathesni and attacks. Looks like there are some hobgoblin smokebinders coming from the portal each round. New enemy!
  • On the fourth round, the one remaining war mage finishes the ritual. All the runes flash brightly, and atop the altar, phasing into reality, is a giant Slaughter Demon. He looks cool, but things just got a LOT more interesting.
  • The Slaughter Demon attacks Rory, grappling him.
  • Wesson crits the demon, causing it to drop Rory back to the ground, allowing Rory to freely attack on his next turn. Thanks Wesson!
  • Rory takes a moment to stand before squaring up to the demon with his Eldritch Claw Tattoo in full effect. Rory crits the demon, slicing easily through its armor, setting himself up for the killing blow on the demon. The dark tendrils reach around the demon's waist, squeezing clean through its body, leaving its lower half collapsed on the ground and its upper half falling back onto the very altar which borne him.
  • The two remaining troopers throw down their weapons, but before Rory notices, Rory takes his final attack versus one of the troopers, killing it instantly in his rage.
  • The cloud guy escapes through the portal unharmed. The final reamaining trooper just lays himself down. Combat over.
• The last trooper tells us everything about the next area, which includes Varrox himself. He explains the layout and makeup of the foes we are to face.
• Wesson binds the trooper and places him on the altar. Wesson gathers us and suggests we execute the trooper as he'll just run off to bolster the next area's defenses. We ultimately agree, leaving Wesson to do the dirty work.
• After he's finished, Wesson comes back and casts his tiny hut spell for us to rest in for the night.
• TNGBU
• We wake up, fully rested, and immediately begin to strategize for the coming fight. We distribute various potions and scrolls that might be useful to us.
• Freya hands Rory a Potion of Heroism, which he gladly accepts.
• Rory readies his Javelin of Lightning at the obsidian archway, where the portal will open. Freya also casts a scroll of something that raises dead, maybe Raise Dead? I dunno. She has some ghouls to play with now. On Freya's signal, Rory kneels at the archway, opening the portal. Freya immediately casts a Fireball into the room centered on everyone. Rory releases his javelin at Varrox. Wesson fires his pistol at the nearest target. And Hathesni casts Sanctuary on himself once again. INITIATIVE!!!
  • Wesson immediately knocks Varrox down with his pistols. Nice!
  • Rory takes advantage of the opportunity and attacks Varrox while he's prone, critting him once.
  • Freya sends her ghouls up to attack.
  • Hathesni Blesses the rest of the party.
  • Rory gets a lucky blow, critting Varrox, then dealing mortal damage afterwards. We fast forward through the rest of the fight. Combat over.
• We gather all the loot from what's left of where we've been.
• We fast forward through everything else, make it back to Urithiru and tell Velthor all about our escapades.

Adventure Loot

• Pendant that says "Forge Ahead"
• Broken sword
• Manacles with keys
• 50x of every type of mundane light and medium armor found in the PHB
• 50x of every martial weapons found in the PHB
• 1000x bolts
• 1000x arrows
• Set of smith's tools
• 4x Giant Demon Swords
• Varrox's hoard:
  • Chimes of Opening
  • Jar of Restorative Ointment
  • Battlemaster's Compendium
  • Sands of War
  • Soulsword
  • Death Skulls