LiLNasY

Where Wishes Fall (D&D 5e)

Sidekicks

Garrek

Garrek
Medium humanoid (half-orc)

Armor Class 13 (Leather Armor)
Hit Points 16 (3d8+3)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
11 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 13 (+1) 11 (+0)

Saving Throws Dex +4
Skills Acrobatics +4, Athletics +2, Insight +3, Nature +2, Perception +5, Stealth +6, Survival +3
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Orc

Keen Hearing and Sight. Garrek has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.

Helpful. Garrek can take the Help action as a bonus action.

Relentless Endurance (1/Long Rest). When Garrek is reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, he can drop to 1 hit point instead.

Savage Attacks. When Garrek scores a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, he can roll one of the weapon's damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.

Actions

Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

Where Wishes Fall (D&D 5e)

Can you please give me a perception check?

Edit: Also, Garrek is your first sidekick for this campaign! I'll be adding his stat block in the character's tab soon.

Where Wishes Fall (D&D 5e)

Gerta frowns at your little joke. She uncrosses her arms and steps closer. She puts a heavy hand on your shoulder. Her face is stern but her eyes are worried.

"Hush now," Gerta says sharp. "Don't you be makin' jokes about that. These men are dangerous pigs. Them wantin' you is not a good thing, sugar. Not for Garrek and certainly not for you. You don't want that kind of attention."

She sighs and looks at the door where Vane left. She rubs her forehead.

"I sure hope you are right about his pride," she says. "Maybe he will keep his mouth shut to save face. We can only pray his ego is bigger than his anger."

When you ask about the guards Gerta shakes her head. She looks tired.

"It ain't that simple, honey," she explains. "The Vultures are organized. They watch us. The guards can't be everywhere at once. If we call the guards they might come for a day. But the moment they leave? The Vultures will be waitin'. They strike when nobody is lookin'. Snitchin' just makes them meaner."

Light starts to stream in through the windows. The sun has finally risen. The room looks different in the daylight. Less scary but still messy.

Gerta looks at the sunlight and then back at you. She glances at your hands where the magic was.

"We got a lot more to talk about, Kalila," she says serious. "About... whatever that was you did. But right now we got patrons wakin' up hungry. We got work to do."

She turns to Garrek. The boy is already standing up. He looks ready to go.

"Garrek you take her down to the market," Gerta orders. "Take her to Miller's shop. She needs sturdy work clothes not a ballgown. And listen to me good."

She points a finger at both of you.

"You stick to the main roads. Walk where the guards walk. Do not take any shortcuts and stay out of the alleys. You hear me?"

Garrek nods fast. "Yes Aunt Gerta! We will be careful!"

He looks at you with a big grin. He seems to have forgot about the knife at his throat already.

"Come on Kalila!" Garrek says. "Let's go spend that gold!"

---

What do you do?

The Rise from the Ashes

The light inside the veins faded away. The egg went cold again. I felt a little disappointed but I finished wrapping it up. I put it deep in my bag where it would be safe. I hurried outside to meet the others.

Elena told me Garrick was ready. I heard the horses and went to them. Garrick had done a good job.

"Good work Garrick," I said quiet.

I looked at the five horses. I walked over to the biggest one. It was a tall stallion with broad shoulders. I am a big man and my golden arm adds a lot of weight. I didnt want to tire out a smaller animal. I swung myself into the saddle. The leather creaked under me but the horse held firm.

"Follow me," I told them. "Stay close and stay quiet."

The sun was gone now. The sky was turning purple and black. It was hard to see but I know this land. I grew up in these woods. I guided the horse to the edge of the trees. I looked for the hidden paths that soldiers would not know about.

I kept my eyes on the ground and the stars. My plan was to keep us moving while it was dark. I wanted to put as much distance between us and the orchard as I could. I looked for signs of a safe trail that would let us travel quietly until late in the night. If the path stayed clear I wanted to ride until maybe two in the morning before we stopped to rest.

As we rode through the dark trees I broke the silence. I needed to tell them what I saw.

"I saw something in the woods," I said low so only they could hear. "Before I found Meli. I saw a statue of an old man with a crown of thorns. It felt like it was watching me."

I looked over at Meli riding beside me.

"And I saw a stag," I told her. "But it was not normal. It was golden. It had fur the same color as my scales."

I touched my draconic arm without thinking.

"It waited for me," I said. "It led me to the cliff edge. It showed me where the bandits were taking you. If it wasn't for that stag I would have been lost."

I tried to remmember the games the satyr children played.

"The kids in the Gathering always talk about it," I asked her. "They play games about the Golden Stag. I never really listened to the stories before. Do you know them? Why would it help me?"

OOC

I am rolling a Survival Check to navigate us safely through the night and find a good hidden path to avoid the Windpikes.

My first roll was a 15: 1st Roll

However, since I have Meli (a satyr/druid) and Garrick (an experienced stable master/outdoorsman) with me, I am hoping one of them can provide the Help action? If so, my second roll was a Natural 20 for a total of 23!

2nd Roll (with Help)

My intent here is based on the result:
If the check is successful (the 23), Cadmus feels confident in the path and pushes the group to travel safely until about 2 AM to maximize distance.
If the check fails or is lower, he will play it safe and camp much earlier to avoid getting lost or stumbling into trouble.

The Rise from the Ashes

For successful navigation, I will need a Survival check from Cadmus.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

I have four people with me, can I roll it with advantage, assuming they would be helping?

Di'Siveks: The Promethean Hound (A D&D 5E Game)

I jumped back when the voice shoutd at me. It was so loud. My heart beat fast in my chest. I really did not expect the sculpture to yell.

I lookd down at Flurry. The noise did not make him move at all. He was still frozen like a statue. He just kept staring at the ice. This was not normal behavior. Not even for him.

I felt a worry in my gut. What if something was wrong with it? I did not want anything to ruin Professor Finch's big day. She worked too hard for this.

"I know I sound paranoid," I said to Lady Agnes. "But Flurry is lockd on to this thing. Maybe he sees something dangerous inside. Or maybe just weird magic."

I could not just walk away. I needed to know the truth. I sat down on the grass near the base of the sculpture. It was time to use a ritual.

"I am going to check the magic," I said. "It will take about ten minuts. Do you want to join me?"

I closed my eyes and started the spell. I whisperd the words slowly. I waited for the magic to tell me what this thing really was.

OOC

Viktor is casting Identify as a ritual on the ice sculpture. He wants to learn its magical properties to understand why Flurry is staring at it.

The Rise from the Ashes

I looked at the retainers faces. They were scared. The name Windpikes made them remember the bad days. It made my stomach hurt to see them like this.

Then I looked at Meli. She was right. There were to many of them. I wanted to fight because I was angry. I wanted to hurt the people who took our friends. But if we died then no one would save the Gathering.

"You are right," I said to Meli. "The Gathering became like a second family to me. I love them too. But you were born in it. If you think we need to wait then I wont go against you."

I looked at Garrick next. He said Adam left something for us. A secret in the forest. My heart beat faster. Adam always had a plan. Even from the grave he was trying to help us.

"Okay Garrick," I said. "We will go with you. If they are going to the castle then we have a long way to go. We will need whatever Adam hid in the woods."

It felt wrong to walk away from the carts. But I had to trust Garrick. And I had to trust Meli.

"I will go prepare my own bag," I told them. "We should only take what we need. Be ready to move fast."

I walked into my bedroom. It felt quiet. Too quiet. I grabbed my old leather backpack from the corner. It was stiff but strong.

I started packing the basics. I rolled up my wool blanket tight and tied it to the bottom. I threw in some dried apples from last harvest and some strips of jerky. It wasnt a feast but it would keep us walking. I filled my waterskin at the basin.

I grabbed the flint and steel from my nightstand. Adam taught me how to use it when I was six. I also took a coil of hemp rope and my whetstone. A dull sword is just a heavy metal club.

Then I stopped. I looked at the loose board under my bed.

I knelt down and pried it open. Wrapped in old burned cloth was the secret.

I pulled it out gentle. The cloth fell away. The egg sat in my hands. It was heavy. Veins of gold ran through the dark stone. It was warm against my skin. Warmer than before. It hummed with a life I didnt understand yet.

"We are leaving," I whispered to it. "Time to see the world."

I wrapped it up careful in a spare shirt and placed it in the center of my pack. I put it where it would be safe.

I stood up and put the bag on my back. I was ready.

Where Wishes Fall (D&D 5e)

Gerta lets out a heavy sigh. She walks over to a basin of water and dips a clean rag inside. She wrings it out with her strong hands and walks back to Garrek. She presses the cool cloth against the cut on his neck. The boy winces a little but he is still grinning at you.

Isla peeks her head out from the back room first. Seeing the coast is clear she hurries out with a mop and bucket. Petyr follows her slowly. He starts picking up the chairs that got knocked over.

"That was the price of doin' business, sugar," Gerta says. Her voice is thick with her accent and she sounds tired. She focuses on cleaning the blood and does not look at you yet. "We pay 'em so they don't strike a match and burn this place to ash. Simple as that."

Isla starts mopping up the tea and blood on the floor near the door. She shakes her head. "Nasty business. Every month it gets worse."

Mick walks over to where the knife fell. He picks it up and wipes the blood onto his pants leg. He leans his hip against the table.

"They call 'emselves the Vultures," Mick explains to you. "Started about seven years ago up north in Thundrastone. Was just a small group at first. But rot spreads fast. Now they are here in Thornwood too."

"They want a 'Free State'," Garrek adds. He sounds eager to talk even while Gerta is fussing over his wound. "They hate that Queen Mycena sits on the throne. They say a woman can't lead an army or run a kingdom. They want a Council of Lords or somethin' like that to rule instead."

Petyr rights a table and checks the legs. "Just a bunch of men who want the power for themselves," the old man mutters.

Gerta snorts loud. "Foolish men scared of a powerful woman. That is all it is."

She looks at you then. Her eyes are still wary. But she sees your empty hands held up. She sees you sit down in the chair looking pale. Her shoulders drop just an inch. She can tell you are frightened too.

"The Queen ain't havin' it though," Mick says. "She sent the heavy guard in last year. Crushed most of their daylight operations. The Vultures are weak now. Way weaker than they were."

"That makes 'em desperate," Isla says softly. She wrings out her mop. "They can't walk in the sun with the Queen's Guards watchin'. So they hide in the dark. They only come out at night to bully small places like this."

Gerta finishes taping a bandage on Garrek's neck. She gives his shoulder a rough pat. Then she turns to face you. She crosses her big arms over her chest.

"And that man you poked holes in," she says low. "That was Vane. He is one of the top dogs here in Thornwood. Him and his brother Vex run the local crew."

Mick nods and looks at the floor like he is remembering something bad. "Vane is nasty. But Vex is worse. When they are togeather they are a nightmare. They don't lose fights."

Gerta steps closer to the table. She looks at the strange bottle you put down. Then she looks you in the eye.

"You hurt him bad," she says. "He won't forget that. And his brother won't either."

---

What do you do?

Forever DM Seeking Their Own Adventure! (1x1 or Group)

Bump

Di'Siveks: The Promethean Hound (A D&D 5E Game)

The voice told the story of Moorvale's founding. Each sculpture glowed in turn as their tale was spoken. I had heard these stories before. Every child in Moorvale knew them. But hearing them here, seeing the sculptures come to life with magic, felt different.

When Lacridon Everheart's sculpture began to glow, I felt a small surge of something. Pride, maybe. Or weight. My ancestor floating above the ground. Arcane sigils spiraling from one hand. Wild magic surging from the other. The stories always mentioned that chaos. That unpredictability. It ran in the family, they said.

The voice faded away. The glowing sculptures returned to their normal state. Lady Agnes spoke about Alton's project, but I barely registered her words.

Flurry was still staring. Even after we'd come all this way. Even after hearing the entire presentation. His gaze remained fixed on the ice sculpture. Unwavering.

I stepped closer to the frozen figures. I reached out and touched the cold surface. My fingers traced along the carved details of the founders.

"Hey boy," I said quietly. I looked down at Flurry. "What is it? What's bothering you?"

The reanimated dog didn't move. Didn't shift his attention. Whatever had caught his interest, it still held him completely.