Can you tell:
- Which creature is bloodied?
- Which creature is healthy?
- Which creature has initiative?
Crossposted at Behind the Screen
This is a blog for three Austin-based gaming groups, two on Fridays and one on Sundays. It is also theoretically a place for the GM (and/or players) to post accounts of the adventures, character stats, questions and other game-related info and pictures.
Can you tell:
Crossposted at Behind the Screen

Being the travel journal of William d’Deneith, wielder of Terminus, during his time with the adventuring company The Wandering Wolves.
First entry, Barrakas 24, 999—
My new comrades, who also claim to be my old comrades, filled me in on some things that happened during my dreaming. An adventuring company of four changelings called The Shifting Blades impersonated us and attempted the assassination of the King of Breland, leading to a prolonged and continuing hunt for us.
According to some fancy spy named “Kalibar” or something, whom the other Wolves seem to trust and I would prefer to skewer, the Shifting Blades are operating in Zilargo. He says that a journalist named Gerand Moor was doing an exposé on the Shifting Blades, but disappeared a few days ago. He thinks the Blades won't kill Gerand because he is an operative of the Zilargo secret police, called the Trust. He sent us to Trolanport aboard his stormship Galifar’s Fury or something to try to find this hack.
After an uneventful 8-day trip notable mainly for its lack of female company, we landed at Trolanport and began investigating. The head of Witchfire House, a tavern, told us to check the ships coming in; might want to walk around docks, talk to sailors and navigators; everyone nervous about Droaam war. A gnome says he saw Gerund Moore, asking around about a tavern called The Kraken’s Eye.
Some half-orcs I beat up said that some changelings operate out of The Kraken’s Eye. A later contact of Lysander’s said that those changelings aren’t the Shifting Blades. Ly and Pel impersonated Brelish investigators and gather information from Zilargo law enforcement with a glib limerick:
A beast in Zilargo is clawing
Folks’ throats and their blood he is drawing
We’re both here from Sharn
There’s no cause for alarm
But the state of your files is appalling!
+300 XP result of skill challenge
Pel, Lysander, and Brand went to search the apartment of Gerand Moor after tracking that down, discovering that while there are five shifting blades, the are six of the other gang, led by a succubus named “Melissandra.” Sounded hot.

Ly cast an illusion on us, making us appear to be half-orc pirates, and we entered The Kraken's Eye. Immediately espying the most likely candidate for a succubus, I walked over and inserted myself rudely between some asshole and the only lady patron in the joint and told the fop to piss off. Ly tried to intervene to prevent a brawl, bizarrely, but when the lady kissed me and asked my protection, a fight began as the the other Wolves belatedly recognized her as the succubus.

I stood toe-to-toe with the fop in the cape, who transformed into a big-ass werewolf, while Melis flew around and kept ensorcelling my allies. I was bitten by the werewolf and contracted Greater Moon Fever, but in the end Terminus put him down. Melis escaped, another success for William, her hero.
+720 XP result of combat
Treasure: 4 daggers (Ly), magical unfettered thieves’ tools [AV178] (Pel), 8 gems @ 100gp each (party)

We kept one of the changelings for interrogation. He told us that they had hired House Tharashk to guard Gerand Moor, which they are doing on a boat in the ocean. Foes are said to include two gargoyles, harpies, minotaurs. At the conclusion of the interrogation, Luggoth decided unilaterally to slay the prisoner. After a short break for food and drink, we proceeded quickly to the docks. Pel disguised himself as the werewolf fop, and the rest of us returned to our natural forms.

Happily, one of the guards saw through Pel’s disguise and we launched immediately into combat, against two minotaurs, two gargoyles, a harpy and a flail-wielding ogre.
The harpy opened with a Song of Fire, which caused constant burning and blistering of our skin, and without even the courtesy of a little romp in the hay that you'd get from even the dirtiest of the ladies of the Crimson District. Unwisely, however, she then flew into melee range, hovering just off the quay. I spitted her with Terminus, and my allies promptly tore her apart. Unfortunately, the distraction let the ogre advance upon us before we were fully prepared, and Brand took a wrecking ball in the gut.
Soon, however, we had the ogre surrounded, and despite receiving nigh-mortal wounds, I managed to land the killing crushing blow. Then all that remained were the gargoyles. They attempted to flee, but Luggoth slayed one and I stopped the other, which promptly turned to stone. I wrapped an anchor and chain around it and threw it into the sea.
+680 XP result of combat
Treasure: 1000gp gem, 600 g
Aboard the vessel, we found and freed Gerund Moore. He told us that the Blades are investigating Droaam, the Queen of Stone, and an Ogre Mage, and that they had booked passage from Droaam back to Trolanport. He gave Lysander a Choker of Eloquence [AV150]. He suspects that the Blades plan to return to Trolanport with 4 captives, since they booked passage for 8.
Leaving Gerund, we had a conference with Kalibar The Prick again, who told us in confidence that peace talks have been underway with Droaam despite the King’s misgivings. Sounds like he's a traitor, too, then. So it sounds like the Blades are trying to interfere with that treaty. Weird that they'd end up doing what the King they tried to assassinate would probably prefer. The Queen of Stone and Tzaryan Rrac (the ogre mage) are coming here to meet with emissaries from Droaam in Trolanport.
By this time Kalibutthole had contradicted himself so many times even he couldn’t keep track of the lies, so I made him repeat it all again. He believes the Shifting Blades are going to go to kidnap the ambassador and her retinue, come here, and meet with the Breland emissary. He wants us to go and kidnap her first, which just sounds like a terrible idea. Apparently after actually committing a kidnapping against the Ambassador of Droaam, he’ll clear our names of not actually committing an assassination attempt against the King of Breland. Oh, no, never mind; we get to do the clearing ourselves. Class act, this Kalibar.
To the Masters of the Chronicle and the People of the Five Kingdoms.
I am Lysander Wolfsong, voice of the Wandering Wolves. We are the unhomed, the unloved, the undone. Accused of the despicable depravity of an attempt on the life of our Exalted and Excellent Majesty, the King of Breland, we are fugitives and vagabonds in lands that once called us friends and invited our company and help.
I know not why this accusation has been laid at our feet as our whereabouts during this heinous act is verifiable and the cause we were about, laudable. I know not who has designed to injure us thus. But time will give its secrets to the One Story and we then well know our place and actions; our retribution and restoration.
I also do not understand how this act was so easily placed at our doorsteps. Why, good folk, why would we attempt to kill our good Sovereign? We who have done him good service in the past; we who revel in the freedom of Sharn and Breland, why would we do this thing? Money? Nay, we have plenty, or had before this damnable frame was placed around our visages. Power? We were moving in ever widening circles, riding the very pulse of the Prophecy itself. Glory? By the Dragon, why would honest men attempt to gain by foul regicide that which they had earned by deeds? Nay, tis a plot of vile vengeance by some powerful political enemy.
And so, good people of Galifar that was, I bring our case to you who have loved us first and best as our part of the Story flows from tavern to campfire to crib.
We commend ourselves to you, You who know us by our remembered names: Saint Manyface the Holy, Wolfchild the Fated, The Thriceborn Wolf, Wayfinder the Swift, and I, Lysander, humble voice of this tragic company. Let the Howling commence.
Lysander Llywellyn d’Phiarlan