Session 0 - The Beginning

(In which our heroes are created and set off on a life of adventure.)

It was a dreary drizzling day in Mamucium. The crowd watched as the priests of Abbathor packed their worldly possessions in preparation for leaving the island. A band of dwarven warriors jeered the priests for their cowardice and a dead man trudged up the street carrying a scroll.

Watching all this also was a band of what could be miscreants, lunatics or even maybe heroes.

Heskin - A dragonman and secretly a devotee of Torm, the idiot's god. (Dragonborn Paladin)
Scawl- An ugly brute of orcish heritage. (Half orc rogue)
Senden - A strange small monster with pipes and a sharp blade. (Gnome bard)
Perren - A tall true elf, like all elves he carries a warbow. (Wood elf ranger)
Cheet - A hobgoblin from the east, many miles from home and apparently a druid. (Hobgoblin Druid)

Like the rest of the crowd they watched the proceedings as the priests abandoned their flock. Scawl was approached by a scraggly dwarf who invited him and his friends to meet with his friends so they could relieve the priests of anything they might have as a 'punishment' for their cowardice. Heskin conferred with the warriors and learned they were heading north to help defend the Wall. The Wall was under constant threat of orcs and keeping what seemed the remains of civilisation would be a goodly thing to do. Scawl also acquired the dead man's scroll. It's was written in some ancient unfathomable language. Since that descriptor applied to even his own tongue he handed the scroll to Senden. The scroll contained magic that imprinted knowledge of the words straight into the reader's brain.

'I have need of some living souls to assist me. Come to my tower west of your town if you are brave.'

Faced with a choice between protecting civilisation, robbing priests or aiding a necromancer the band chose working for the necromancer. Asking the dead man for directions proved a little difficult as Heskin had beheaded it. Still it could provide directions and as the priests went south and the warriors north they followed the dead man east.

After a chilly, damp night the band arrived at the tower the next day. The tower was a solid fist of obsidian and a dead dwarf stood watch at the door. As the band approached it stood aside and opened the door for them. Inside they met the necromancer Ashrak. Ashrak was obsessed with learning and acquiring knowledge. He was also far advanced in the necromantic arts. So advanced that he had ceased breathing some time ago and maintained existence by sheer willpower alone. He had need of grave moss, a vital component in a spell that could briefly stop time itself, during which he could get even more reading and study done in. Grave moss was fairly common in swamps but his regular servants were a bit useless at botany and doing it himself would cut into valuable reading time. Cheet received a detailed description of the plant, it's biology and alchemical and herbal uses. He also assured them that only the most base and least of Tiamat's servants dwelt in the nearby swamp. When asked if they were intelligent the necromancer launched into a complex, multi-tiered history of said arguments both for and against the idea. The band hurried off, a little confused, but not before Scawl lifted a book from Ashrak's library. Again, being illiterate he handed it to Perren.

Perusing the book proved an illuminating experience as the book whispered to Perren. It promised to aid Perren in ridding the island of the foul invaders along with great power. To which Perren said 'OK'. The party prepared to spend another chilly, boggy night far from the graces of civisation but considered it far better than a sleepover with the necromancer.

As they were getting ready to bed down they were surprised by six forms rising out of the swamp. They were large, threatening humanoids carrying spears and dripping with filth and muck that had been concealing them. Fearing they were under attack, Heskin charged and struck at the leader and some fighting ensued. Heskin struck down his foe, Senden charmed one with his pipes, Cheet was badly wounded. The creatures fled this onslaught and the party put their charmed captive to the question.

It revealed that they had come to say hello and what are you doing in our swamp. The lizard creature mourned the loss of his clutch mate's mate and declared that the swamp folk would raise the avatar of their goddess and sweep the nearby town clean of mammalian filth. Thinking this a bad thing the band apologised and asked to be taken to leader of the swamp lizards. At the creature's rude habitations they found that grave moss was a crop of theirs. The lizard shaman demanded the high symbol of Abbathor to be brought to him as a peace offering at which point Scawl said 'see, we should of robbed those priests, I told you so.' The band agreed to do this and also asked for some grave moss. Cheet ate some and was filled with weird necromantic knowledge and powers. The band was left deciding whether to return to the necromancer with his moss first or catch the priests quickly.