Bonds in Blood

Bonds in Blood (1x07) is the seventh episode of the first chapter of the first campaign for Shikar.

Keeping Tally
This episode opens on a camp made inside of a large decrepit fountain covered in ivy. The incense surrounding the group's makeshift fortifications has burned down and is blown away with the wind. Leander, the strange grave keeper leading the group through the Warrens, approaches Valym and asks what he is thinking about.

Valym has been thinking of a lot as he leans his head on Leander's shoulder. He wonders if he belongs with the people in the city. Every interaction he has had makes him question his place in society. Every decision and comment he has made has been rebuffed and scrutinized and the more it happens the more he believes them to be true and the more he questions his own mindset.

Leander comforts the druid by telling him that right and wrong depend on where you stand and those that stand at the edge of the Abyss tend to teeter. Valym asks the grave keeper if he is a vampire and Leander recoils, calling them profane creatures of the night, followed by Valym questioning if the man is a normal human. Leander reasons that normal is a matter of opinion.

He tells the group to recount the events of the evening to determine if the man is normal. Ajax recalls dancing with Leander, who enthusiastically responds that this is normal as he pulls out a buckled black leather ledger and begins to keep tally. Scorpio says that Leander was fighting with spirits and questions the grave keeper's connection with the dead. Leander marks this down in the normal column. Valym asks why Leander why he ran away from the well and Leander puts a tally in the abnormal column, and then a second mark as Nim reminds them that there is a dark evil creature inside the well.

Valym asks Leander what was in the well but the man deflects the question when Nim says that he died a little bit as he marks death in the normal column. Valym reminds Leander that he was almost killed by the spirits as well and Leander puts his own death in the abnormal column. Scorpio recounts Sir Reginald's burial and Leander marks the normal column. Leander poses the group the question of how they came to his part of town. Scorpio points out that Nim's mother recommended they find him. Leander says that this is abnormal and then tallies the columns before announcing that he is definitely normal.

Ajax questions Valym on how they teleported during the fight and Valym explains that a spirit of fire teleported them on his request. Ajax thanks him for his honesty and asks where the spirit came from. Valym tells the group that the spirit, Pilar, came from his chest and was a friend of his when he was a child, but left years ago to visit a sun god. Nim tells Valym that Pilar was very nice when they spoke earlier and Ajax wonders why he never got to meet Pilar, but is reminded that he was dancing with Leander at the time.

Gnome Woes
Leander invites the group to stay in his home and Valym wonders if the man lives alone. Leander reminds Valym that it is a sore subject with the recent passing of his dog, Sierra. Ajax asks if the grave keeper is ever truly alone when he is surrounded by the dead. Leander gives a Socratic response, telling the half-orc that it is similar to being in a crowd and still feeling alone, asking if he doesn't care for the people in the crowd, are they really there?

Valym asks Leander if he can introduce him to any nice living women. The grave digger tells Valym that it depends on what is meant by nice and that he knows of some grave robbers that fit the living description. Valym tells Leander about Sunflower hitting him with a bottle. Leander commiserates, regaling the group of the time he was hit with a bottle by a saucy bar wench from the Meadowford District. He strokes Valym's hair, comforting the druid and telling him to tell of his gnome woes.

Valym tells Leander about Sunflower and Leander immediately dislikes her name as it reminds him of the sun. Valym vents, letting out all of his frustrations. Leander wonders if it is all obfuscation and goes in to platonically kiss the druid who reactively transforms into a mouse to escape. Ajax shakes his head, recognizing the black mouse from Nim's house. Leander picks Valym up, saying he always knew Valym was connected to nature because he carried the scent of the wind and earth. He then turns to Ajax and tells him that it was similar to the half-orc's connection and proximity to death, and reasons that this is what drove his need to dance with the fighter before suggestively biting his lip.

Ajax thanks Leander for the compliment and asks Leander to hand him the mouse. Leander denies to hand the druid over, seeing the distress the mouse is in. Ajax assures the grave digger that it is a game they play and Leander, enthusiastic about games, hands Valym to Ajax, even asking if they needed another player.

Keep Away
Ajax convinces Leander that they play a game called "Throw the Mouse" and tells the man to go to the edge of the fountain before chucking Valym at him. Scorpio launches into a series of handsprings, snatching the mouse from the air, and Leander tells Ajax that he thinks they lost. Thinking it is his turn, Leander snatches Valym from the monk and asks the mouse if he is ready before taking off, running out of the fountain and through a gate telling the group they will need to catch him.

He quickly disappears among the headstones and doesn't slow down. He tells Valym that he doesn't get to play games much and really wants to score a point. Scorpio picks Nim up and taps into his Ki to gain on Leander, followed distantly by Ajax. They see the grave keeper disappear behind a ruined cottage and they turn to see an empty alley.

Nim pulls a candle from his bag and lights it to get a better view. Scorpio thinks the man is using magic and asks Nim his opinion on the matter. Nim picks up the scent of lavender on the wind and senses a difference in the weave of magic, assuring Scorpio that he is correct. Ajax calls out to Leander that he won as Nim follows the scent of lavender incense and sees a strange renovated abode in an old brick factory. He sees smoke coming from the chimney and says they should have a look inside.

Scorpio tells Nim to be careful as the Tiefling opens the front door. The child ducks down as a large mallet swings down, hitting Ajax and Scorpio. The end of the mallet is decorated with a taunting caricature of Leander, and Scorpio headbutts it in retaliation. Nim asks if they are okay and why they didn't move out of the way. The shutters above the group are thrown open and Leander leans out, holding Valym, informing them that he wins.

Nim asks if they can come inside and Leander is suddenly reminded of the traps he set. He drops Valym out of the window and runs to disarm them. Nim catches the mouse, saving him from the fall. Leander pops his head out of the front door after disarming the other traps. He resets the mallet trap and points out cobblestones to avoid as he leads them inside.

Tabitha
They enter a room with painted mural floors depicting an abstract cartoonish city. A moon is emblazoned over the top of it and they notice that the city is still whole and complete and the walls are covered in poetry and depictions of people. The group compliments Leander on his talents as the grave keeper goes to the fireplace to boil water in a rusty kettle. He calls for Tabitha and slaps the back end of a blue dragon hatchling that lights the kiln that acts as a fireplace. Valym is frightened back into his humanoid form, toppling from atop Nim's head.

Leander warns the party of Tabitha's temper and cautions them not to look her in the eye but assures that she is relatively harmless as Nim greets it as a child. Tabitha smiles a one toothed grin at the Tiefling and nods its head. Leander points out that the kilns used to be powered by dragon fire, but Tabitha is a lightning wyrm so he has had to make some modifications.

Nim asks if Tabitha likes being here and Valym and Scorpio understand the dragon explain that it's okay but she doesn't really like Leander that much, but she is also kind of gassy. Valym cautions Nim to move a bit further from the wyrmling. She tells them that Leander keeps feeding her bats, but she doesn’t like bats and will eat Leander one day when she gets big enough.

Tabitha towards Nim and reasons that he is small enough to eat as she licks her lips sending Valym into a howl of laughter. Scorpio pulls Nim away from the wyrmling while Valym explains that Nim tastes nasty. He then asks her if she wants to be called Tabitha, or if she has a different name in mind. She thinks on it and tells him that she wants to be called Singe, Destroyer of Worlds.

Scorpio clumsily explains the situation to a confused Nim who then approaches Tabitha in dismay. He thought that they could be friends and Ajax wants to know how the two half-elves can talk to dragons. Nim asks if they can teach him Draconic and Valym agrees.

Valym retrieves his portion of eel from Scorpio and feeds it to Tabitha. She scarfs it down as the two half-elves explain to Leander not to feed her bats anymore. The man explains that he hatched her from an abandoned egg and wanted to give her a fighting chance, but will release her when she is old enough to fend for herself. Valym wonders if the mom was already dead when Leander stumbled on the nest. The grave keeper assures Valym that the mother passed away when the town was attacked and that the dragon eggs were resilient, but he could only ever get the one to hatch.

The party make their way upstairs and find themselves in a makeshift lab. Bookshelves line the walls as sunlight cascades through a large round window, illuminating tables of vials and concoctions. A hammock hangs in front of the window and they can feel the heat from below warming them.

Leander pumps water and dumps it in a wash basin. He coaxes Tabitha into the tub before plopping down with her. She says that if he scrubs her sore spot again, she is going to bite him. Valym points out some thinning scales and warns Leander. Leander laments his failure to keep Tabitha in good health.

Valym inspects the area and sees something stuck under the scales and attempts to pull it out while Scorpio tries to distract the wyrmling. Valym feels her twitch as he pulls a wriggling creature from beneath her scales. Scorpio can see Tabitha's nostrils flare and crackle and points he mouth upwards. Valym calls on Ajax for assistance, sending Nim to assist in the distraction. Valym recognizes the wriggling creature in his hands to be a Stirge. The pain of the creature unlatching causes Tabitha to release her lightning breathe, but Scorpio managed to push her head aside so that the blast wasn't as bad. Leander leaps from the tub and pins the Stirge to the ground with a dagger.

They note that Leander is lean and covered in various scars. He closes the windows and throws open a wardrobe with thirteen identical trench coats and blankets. He begins to ready them a place to sleep when Ajax asks how old he is. Leander, thinking this is a flirtation, assures Ajax that he is young enough for a strapping half-orc and wiggles his hips. Ajax thanks Leander for the compliment and backs away.

Heartbeats Knocking
Scorpio comments on Leander's scars as the man gets dressed and Leander admits that people don't understand this place and try to loot it, but that causes the undead to walk again. Leander tells him that he is often outnumbered because he is the last to guard the cemetery. He tells Scorpio that his heart beats in these very walls and as Scorpio listens, he can hear the tapping of a heart. The heart beats faster and Nim informs them that someone is knocking at the door.

Scorpio and Leander go to open the front door while Nim opens the window to look from above. He spots three people waiting outside the door, impatiently knocking. Scorpio is greeted with a stern faced human woman flanked by a half-elf and dwarf. She says that she is looking for Leander because he killed her brother.

Leander, hearing this, informs her that her brother was a thief and runs up the stairs. He dramatically tosses open a closet and withdrawing a crossbow, calling his new friends to arms. The woman tries to force her way inside, but Scorpio uses her momentum to jump up and activate the Jolly Thumper, hitting her in the chest and tumbling backwards as he slams the door shut, but the dwarf stops it with his boot. Nim uses Thaumaturgy to cause ominous ghostly whispers in the shaded alleyway below the window, causing the woman to back up and one of her cohorts to run away.

Rose Petal Blunts
Valym, emotionally and mentally done with this day, catches sight of some herbs and roses that he rolls into a rose petal blunt that he lights up. Ajax, seeing Valym's shenanigans, asks for him to pass the blunt before taking a long toke. Valym, used to an elevated state, handles the substance easily, but Ajax gets his shit rocked with an intense body high that topples him on his ass. Valym, deciding to handle the situation, tells Leander not to kiss Ajax while he is gone.

In the room below, Scorpio can feel the dwarf leaning into the door and he throws the door open to try and throw the thief off balance. The dwarf barrels in, stumbling into the monk and knocking him back. Nim can see that the woman regain her footing and attempt to make her way inside. He casts Dissonant Whispers and can hear her shriek as she runs from his psychic assault.

Scorpio dances back from the dwarf and makes his way for the stairs as Leander rolls into view and lands a crossbow bolt in the dwarf's chest, dispatching him from his mortal coil. Valym wishes to go check on him to see if he is dead but Leander and Ajax stop him, telling the druid that dead is dead. Valym takes another drag, trying to come to terms with the situation he has been put in. Leander reaches over and takes the blunt from Ajax, wishing to calm his nerves and takes a single drag before Valym casts Druidcraft to snuff it out.

Like the Dead
Ajax invites Leander to dance and they sway to Leander's sorrowful song. Using the distraction, Valym and Nim head downstairs to check on the dwarf. Valym can feel a pulse and works rapidly to save his life. He warns the dwarf not to come back and to warn others about the dangers of this place before tossing him a silver to get himself looked at.

Nim questions Valym's decision to hand over coin to that thief but Valym does not understand, explaining that he wanted to make sure the dwarf was safe. Leander, relieved of his dance with Ajax by Valym, takes Scorpio and tucks the tired monk into bed before doing the same to Tabitha.

Valym and Ajax continue to dance until Ajax comes down from his high and gains the presence of mind to question his actions. Ajax makes Valym swear not to tell anyone that they danced, but Leander informs them that he has been watching the whole time, having hung himself upside down from the banister.

Valym and Ajax discuss Leander and their trust, or lack of, in the man. They question the strange grave keeper, but are interrupted by a cross Nim, who has risen from bed with the noise. As Leander tucks the Tiefling back in, the boy asks the grave keeper if he can hear the voices of the dead, but quickly abandons the topic and pretends to fall asleep.

Scorpio watches as Leander gets ready for bed. He finds it strange that the man sleeps with a small armory, including daggers that he sticks in the wall for easy access. The group settles in, finding safety in the strange grave keeper's presence, and finds a well-earned rest.

They awaken in the morning to the sound of Tabitha scuttling around. Nim, curious, opens Leander's cabinet of weapons and investigates, searching for Holy Water or a similar item. He scurries down to Leander, who is hustling in the kitchen with breakfast, and asks if him if he has anything that could help with the dead. Leander tells the bard that he needs such things for his job, but supposes he can share with his new friends.

Nim convinces Leander to visit and check in on his mother because he fears she may be lonely. Leander finishes making Bubble and Squeak from cabbage and other leftovers and Nim summons an Unseen Servant to help him carry some bowls upstairs for the others.

Forgotten Again
Still asleep, Scorpio can feel a hold come over his brain as he tries to contact the being from the well. He sees the large lidless eye and asks the creature's name. The creature says that it is born of the despair of grieving widows, dying men, eons of strife and blood, seeped into the earth and made flesh. It is great suffering and despair given form and comes to mortals in their darkest hour.

Scorpio introduces himself and thanks the creature for saving him, but the being issues a laugh that Scorpio can feel inside of him. It informs Scorpio that he is now a tool of the being's will and design, to which Scorpio offers that they share their desires equally. This offer is beneath such a being. It does not share, but takes, and Scorpio thanks it for sharing that with him before waking up to Nim's offer of Bubble and Squeak.

Nim finds it unusual that Scorpio is not the first awake and notices the bags under the monk's eyes, asking if the man is feeling alright. Scorpio affirms that he is fine, but Nim tells him that he doesn't look well, and he shouldn't keep anything bottled up, asking if the half-elf had been crying. The man admits that he has something to get off his chest and looks to Valym, apologizing that he has forgotten how they met again.

Valym gently reminds Scorpio that they had met a while ago, and it was never clear to him why the monk had been wandering those woods. The druid had been sitting at a tree and spotted a strange half-elf wandering through, humming to himself. Valym thought the man would surely be eaten, but then sat confused as the stranger headbutted a tree a couple of times.

He hopped down and asked Scorpio what he was doing, only to find out that the monk was training. Valym found Scorpio interesting and followed the man. Eventually they made their way to a creek and spoke, formally introducing themselves and Valym realized that they both shared the same hope for happiness and a better world and they had been travelling together ever since.

Scorpio thanks the druid for reminding him before he turns to Nim and explains that he suffers from memory loss. He tells Nim that he doesn't remember meeting the boy either, but he does remember their relationship and what the boy means to him now.

Gassy Bats
Tabitha announces that she is hungry and stomps around the attic as the others eat their breakfast. Ajax is distraught by the memory of eating bats and Valym offers him the remainder of the rose petal blunt, but Nim smacks it from his hand. Valym scolds the incredulous child and tosses it to Ajax, who inhales deeply. Nim tells Valym that he is acting like a child and Valym assures the child that being an adult all the time sucks.

Nim hides in the weapon closet, angry that Valym scolded him like some sort of animal. Tabitha sniffs at the closet, saying that the snack was in a box and trying to open the closet. Valym tells the dragon that he will find it something else to eat if she doesn't eat the child, placating her for the time being. He knocks on the closet door and overhears Nim talking to himself. He asks if he is interrupting and if Nim is upset. Nim is upset, but isn't sure exactly why. They have a brief heart to heart about their actions and the need for trust in those decisions. Valym teaches Nim how to say 'friend' in Draconic.

When Nim opens the door, Valym informs the boy that Tabitha wants to eat him, but he has offered to catch her something else to eat, like a bobcat. He ensures the Tiefling that he will not feed him to the bobcats, unlike other people he has done so to in the past.

Leander returns up the stairs and grabs his crossbow, offering to lead the group back out of the cemetery. Ajax asks if the grave keeper has a spare trench coat. The strange man offers a trade, as he will have to modify a coat to fit Ajax's larger frame, and proceeds to modify a coat. Valym suggests that the trench coat is how Leander gets all of the "poon", confusing Nim further. In an effort to tell Nim the truth, the druid explains to the child that it means a friend you do dirty things with, but this only further confuses the child.

The group discusses their next move. Ajax suggests going back to Nim's house, but Valym wants to track down the girl he met in the woods before they had left Golden Dale. He asks Leander if he knows who the people are and shows him the eagle totem he was given, while Ajax reminds Nim to write his mom a letter. Leander doesn't know anything about Valym's mystery girl and Nim also writes a letter to the Furious Farms, asking if they can give Leander one of the puppies because he is lonely and needs a friend. Leander agrees to post the letters for Nim.

Scorpio examines the mural on Leander's floor and discovers that there used to be another pass through the mountains, when the city still stood as a whole, that leads to Rook's Reach. Leander points out that Rook's Reach is surrounded by a tundra, but it is the seat of magical wisdom. He was supposed to attend school there, but tuition was expensive. Scorpio remembers what happened to him in the well and suggests that they head that way to find some answers and to help the stranded craftsmen.

Leander tells Scorpio he might be able to find answers at the Wicker Fin, which is closer and is a much more affordable place of learning. Nim has heard that the Wicker Fin is haunted and Leander explains that it was where he honed his craft. The bell can be heard ringing outside and Leander takes up his crossbow. Valym goes to answer the door to discover a girl named Rosy that is there to deliver the paper. She is around 15, and has her hair pulled into a ponytail with a wicker hat. Ajax gives her 10 copper pieces for the paper and she stomps away.

Tainted
Valym steers the conversation back to Scorpio and the well, but the monk tries to evade the questions. The druid asks Leander if he knows anything about the well or the creature inside, and while the grave keeper does not know anything about them, he does not like water from deep places. He points to Scorpio and calls the half-elf 'tainted'. They all come to realize that in one way or another they all hear voices from otherworldly beings, and Ajax assures Scorpio that he is perfectly different and not-at-all crazy.

As the others prepare to leave and Ajax retrieves his new coat from Leander, Nim goes to Tabitha's tub and tells her he is a friend, using the Draconic that Valym had taught him. She exclaims that the Tiefling is a yummy friend, but the boy doesn't understand and skips away. Leander leads them out of the cemetery and through the crowd of protestors, depositing the group at the stables. He gives Nim one of his daggers upon request and Nim trades him his old dagger. Leander exclaims that this act makes them blood brothers, slashing Nim's dagger across his palm. Taking the cue, Nim slides Leander's dagger across his palm and they clasp, mixing their life blood together.

They share a moment as the stable hand stares in confusion and talks with the others. She insists that they are going to have to pay extra because Tootsie almost took her hand off and kept insisting on only eating apples and having personal space.

Tootsie tells Valym that she hated it there and that they housed a pony near her that kept hitting on her, so she bit him as hard as she could. She explains that she also bit one of the workers because he pulled her hair when he was brushing it. Valym mounts the horse and asks Valym to forgive the attendants because they were poor, which is the only answer she will accept. He comes to the realization that Balvindor intentionally gave them a high maintenance horse with a bad attitude.

On their way out of town they run across Betsy. Nim tells her that he and Leander are now blood brothers, which she does not understand. She talks with Ajax at length about how business is going for her and fills him in on a problem in The Stacks. She heard that there is a rivalry between two of the families that run the place, and that there are bandits on the river as far up as Lenard Lake, which has affected the local lumber trade.

Ajax asks her about Derro's Pass and she explains that a team has been sent to look in on it, and depending on what is reported back, the local leadership would probably send in a nicer team for more pay. Scorpio explains that they may have found another way through and she asks if they are really going to go through the subterranean pass, referring to it as Widow's Walk. She tells the group that women and children used that tunnel to escape the war and mayhem, and it is a haunted place full of their spirits. Local legend says that a great darkness dwells there.

Betsy suggests the group to speak with Sister Seranda at Marble Head. She also informs them that the monastery that Scorpio hails from is having supply chain issues and are searching for a group to investigate the cause, but it lies in the opposite direction. Scorpio has faith that his monastery can handle themselves for now and they decide to make their way to speak with Sister Seranda on Marble Head.

This is where our adventure comes to an end, until next time!

Player Characters

 * Scorpio - Played by Xander Jeanneret
 * Valym - Played by Gabe Hicks
 * Nim Grimwillow - Played by Josephine McAdam
 * Ajax - Played by Lord Balvin

Non-Player Characters

 * Leander
 * Tabitha


 * Rosy
 * Betsy

Locations

 * Moonblush Valley
 * Solace Point
 * The Warrens
 * Ruined Cathedral
 * The Fountain
 * Leander's Home

Quotes
"She has a bit of a temper." -Leander

"I win!" -Leander

"Bats make me gassy." -Tabitha

"I hatched her myself! I sat atop her every day until she hatched!" -Leander

"Blunt Weapon." -Valym as he smokes a rose petal blunt

"I do not share, I only give and take." -Lidless Eye

"Thank you for sharing that." -Scorpio

"I'm sorry friend, I've forgotten again how we met." -Scorpio to Valym

"I am a mere 42!" -Leander

"Snack in a box." -Tabitha

"TAINTED!" -Leander

"Be wary of thou footsteps, fore they lead you to your doom." -Leander

Trivia
Nim lives at 343 Goldenrod Lane, Solace Point.