Back in October, I attempted to start doing campaign diaries for the D&D sessions I was a part of. Unfortunately, not too long after I posted the first one for the main campaign, we decided to end it as there were some problems with how the story was progressing in addition to the DM having some personal situations that kept him busy and stressed. I got distracted with other various things on the blog, and I debated for quite a while on whether to do diaries on all the sessions we had done for that game. I've finally chosen it's not something I'm going to spend time on seeing as there's no satisfying conclusion. Thus, I'm picking up the project by finally going ahead and releasing the information for our now main campaign, the first one we started playing in-person. It will also now be referred to as The Empire of Stars campaign, as that is the setting- a fictional fantasy Asian location.
Niao/Ju Dee- Female Human Rogue (Played by me- K)
Khulan- Female Dwarf Fighter (Played by my sister- J)
Ginny- Female Elf Druid (Played by my sister's friend- R)
Yuudai- Male Frogman Paladin (Played by my sister's brother- J2)
Eli- Male Tiefling Warlock (Played by my sister's friend's friend- B)
In the Empire of Stars, also known as Senaru or the Holy Land, there are five provinces- the north, south, east, west, and center. In the center is Beiyong, the capital of the empire and, of course, home to the royal family. Five strangers find themselves summoned to the palace. First is Ju Dee, a lithe acrobat with black hair and gold eyes who also goes by her stage name of Niao. Next is Khulan, a Mongolian inspired dwarf with black hair and quite the temper. Following her is Ginny, an elf with blue skin and orange hair who quickly proves to be the most cheerful of the bunch. After her is Yuudai, a young man sporting a greaser pompadour who looks much like a frog due to a curse on the land where people are sometimes born with the appearance of random animals. Last is Eli, a red skinned tiefling with black hair who leaves an air of mystery about him.
While waiting to be led to the emperor, two females approach the group- a dark skinned young woman and a lighter skinned young girl. They reveal themselves to be two of the princesses, Ezra and Yumiko. In the Empire of Stars, royalty does not come from blood, although members of the royal family can be related, but from being marked by one of the gods. Each member of the royal family is eventually reincarnated, and there have been long stretches of time where there have been no living rulers. Princess Ezra explains that she is from the west and has the mark of Kedan, the god of deals and deceit. Princess Yumiko, the younger half-sister of the emperor, has the mark of Vizius, the god of dreams and knowledge. Through her mark she is able to receive premonitions, which is why Niao, Khulan, Ginny, Yuudai, and Eli were gathered together. She was told through her foresight that the group is important to the empire even if she's not quite sure why, and that they are meant to compete in an upcoming tournament to celebrate a thousand years of unity.
Unfortunately, in order to compete in the tournament a group needs a sponsor, and the royal family is barred from supporting anyone. The group learns that they need to earn renown to gain a sponsor and other support from the populace, so they are eventually taken to Emperor Jing Zhao, who is marked by Ehra, the goddess of order and oaths. Trouble has been stirring in the Yushu forest to the east of Beiyong where a forest spring spirit, Miki, who is also a friend of Emperor Jing Zhao, resides. Niao, Khulan, Ginny, Yuudai, and Eli agree to give this makeshift group a go by taking caring of the problem in the forest.
On their way out of the city, they run into a scuffle going on down the street. The commotion turns out to be an elf having a mock altercation with some beast men in order to entertain nearby children. Yuudai and the elf man speak familiarly with one another, leading Yuudai to reveal the man as Lord Hikaru, head of the Historical Preservation Society, as well as that he is one of Lord Hikaru's retainers. Lord Hikaru is not adverse to the idea of sponsoring the group for the tournament, but nothing conclusive is decided for the moment. Khulan retrieves her pony, Batbayar, and the five head out to the forest.
It is on the path to Miki's shrine that the group is attacked by twig blights. The enemies are easily dispersed, although Niao notes that such creatures are not natural in the slightest. They must be made by something. Upon reaching the shrine, the group meets Miki, a koi mermaid, and protector of the forest. They all converse, and Miki explains that the twig blights are coming from the center of the woods, which has left her unable to take care of the problem as she naturally cannot leave her pond. Khulan leaves Batbayar to entertain the bored spirit while the rest of them press on.
A shadowy figure that is soon discovered to be a needle blight obstructs their path, but victory is had once again. Further through the trees is another shrine, although this one is covered in vines and moss and is in a state of severe neglect. The nearby vines begin to attack when approached while a dim light emits from the shrine. The vines are fought off, and upon clearing them more the light fades. The group reasons the abandonment of the shrine caused it to be corrupted, which in turn led to the dark creatures being able to take shape. The five head back to Miki with this information. More conversation is had, she tells the story of the time the emperor fell into her spring and almost drowned as a child, and the group camps for the night nearby as it is too late to travel back to Beiyong.
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