Episode 1: Fog and Blood

Welcome to the world of Varian! Our journey begins with some history and introductions to our brave heroes, as they take on the forces of darkness that have plagued the town of Preston.

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Episode Summary
For the history of the world, please see the pages within the 'World of Varian' category in the navigation bar. For the character introductions, please see the characters' respective pages.

Whilst sailing towards Preston, Rasend notices a dark lighthouse and a thick fog surrounding the town. As he approaches the dock, the sailor rowing the boat, Felippe, starts to panic and tries to turn around. However Rasend successfully intimidates him into proceeding as planned.

Upon arrival in Preston, Rasend takes a closer look at the fog and realises that it is not a natural occurrence. He also notices the silence: there are no people around. Making his way through town, he finds blood and chunks of flesh, though they do not feel fresh.

Separately, Fillius and Belrun arrive in Preston on the back of Orcillius. They notice the fog, though it is so dense that it stops them from seeing the Dragonborn investigating the blood on the ground nearby. Belrun senses that the fog is magical, and that it is interfering with not only visibility, but also hearing. Fillius catches sight of Rasend with blood on his hands and Belrun aims his bow at the Dragonborn’s face.

Meanwhile, arriving in Preston in a carriage, Immeral and Iskander enter the fog. The pair immediately step in viscera, but continue into the town. There is a boarded up inn and a statue in the centre covered in corpses, but they carry on past. They see the two Half-Elves with their backs turned, pointing their weapons into the fog. Iskander draws his blades, but Immeral raises his staff to stop him.

Fillius decides to use the spell Destroy Water in order to increase the group’s visibility, unintentionally revealing that they are surrounded by four Ghouls. Combat ensues.

After the Ghouls have been defeated, the five Heroes introduce themselves and compare notes about the state of the town and the appearance of the Ghouls. The episode ends with a Paladin from the same order as Iskander crawling towards the group and pleading for help.

Characters (in order of introduction)
Players
 * Iskander
 * Fillius Senneck
 * Belrun
 * Rasend Dracon
 * Immeral Nial

NPCs
 * Felippe
 * Orcillius
 * Jomoral (not yet named)
 * Lord Agren

Key Events

 * The Heroes meet for the first time
 * Preston is found to be in chaos

Notable Battles

 * Iskander, Fillius, Belrun, Rasend and Immeral vs 4 Ghouls
 * Rasend: 2
 * Belrun: 1
 * Fillius: 1

Quotes

 * "By the light!" - Iskander
 * "When needing transportation, I just call upon my grandfather to travel us there" - David
 * "Hold on, your grandfather is an Orca right, so he speaks Aquan. Do you speak Aquan?" - Adam
 * "..." - David
 * "This is an old Mexican face-off right here boys" - Adam
 * "I'm not that ugly. Oh, I'm funny by the way, just so you know" - Rasend
 * "My back hurts from carrying you guys, so please heal me" - Rasend
 * "Swiss cheese swords" - Adam about Iskander
 * "Belrun has hit something, ladies and gentlemen" *applause* - Adam
 * "I will go up to [Iskander] and use my medicine to get him up... I just lean over and slightly slap him on the face" - Immeral
 * "Bana-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning-ning" - Belrun on the Eukalala

Trivia

 * Adam gave Rasend the first inspiration point of the story for killing one of the Ghouls in a dramatic way.
 * Rasend also rolled the first Nat20 of the story on his initiative round, and another to hit one of the Ghouls.
 * Fillius rolled his first Nat20 in combat.
 * Iskander missed a total of 6 attacks.
 * Belrun missed a total of 3 attacks.
 * Two of the Ghouls rolled Nat20's on their attack rolls, but were at disadvantage.