Back to the Basement Session #1 Part 1: The Davos Diary

I wrote a bit about the genesis of this mini-campaign in the prior post, Back to the Basement. Spoiler Alert: As I mentioned, I’m using the old module, Under Illefarn, to kick things off so there are potential spoilers below the break. This write up is from me (the players will take over next session) and my GM comments are in [italics and brackets] as usual.

[As part of the character creation process, I asked each of the players a few questions about their characters and their family. Some of the questions were based on the secondary skill rolled and the character’s view on the “family business.” One of the questions I had for Todd was whether Davos’ father was an independent trader or worked for one of the Waterdhavian Trading Houses. Todd said it was the later and we slipped into character. Turns out that Davos thinks the family business needs to expand and step out from under the thumb of the trading house. To further that end, Davos had been engaging in some side business (sounds like it is related to smuggling) and he shared this with his father. Dad was infuriated by the news and immediately took Davos to the militia to begin his militia training a few days early. Davos spent the next few days cleaning latrines and other such menial tasks before the other new recruits showed up to officially begin training…]

It is late Leapfall in Daggerdale and time for a new group of young residents to fulfill their duty to the town and the Duke and take up the mantle of the militia. A dozen young citizens gathered in the parade ground outside of the barracks. The militia commander, Sherelyn Spearslayer, explained why they were there and what their duties would be as members of the militia. She also laid out the option to buy one’s way out of such duty and one individual, the son of a rich merchant, takes this easy way out leaving eleven youth. The Commander then turned the proceedings over to two of the militia sergeants and other veterans.

The eleven youth are randomly divided into two groups and one of the sergeants takes charge of each group. [You guessed it…somehow all of the PCs ended up in the same group.] Davos, Dory, Hannah, Kethenor, Merrick, and Tycyn are all selected in one group and Sergeant Dep takes command of this group [Dep is short for Declan…don’t ask and the PCs don’t know either.] The recruits are instructed to grab a jerkin [studded leather] from a nearby pile and a spear and then head into the barracks to grab a bunk and stow their personal gear.

Inside the barracks, Dory noticed that Channing [her older brother’s best friend who hopes to marry Dory] is motioning at one of the bunks, one that is apparently next to his. Before Dory can claim that bunk, Davos hustles over to claim that bunk though it remains unclear the motive for this action. In turn, he earned quite the glare from Channing. The other PCs claimed bunks and then headed out to the parade ground to begin their training in spear and armor.

[I’m not sure that the players, including Todd, really remembered that Davos is the one that started the bad blood between he and Channing. This bad blood will become more apparent soon.]

After spending a hard day in training and acquiring various bruises and cuts, the recruits retired for a a dinner of stew and bread in the mess hall. During dinner, Channing took the opportunity to deal with Davos. Channing tipped over his bowl of stew and then told the recruit to clean up the mess. Davos refused and Channing tipped Davos’ bowl and ordered Davos to clean up both. Davos scooped up some of the spilled stew into a bowl and then flung it in Channing’s face.

Channing threw the first punch and a fight ensued. Both Merrick and Tycyn intervened and restrained Davos but Channing ordered them to release him. When they did, Channing punched him again and the fight continued. Seeing that the two combatants were not going to stop, Merrick took matters into his own hands and punched Davos in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious. Channing eventually left the barracks with one of the sergeants and Davos was tossed into a bunk.

The Commander showed up soon after and began questioning the recruits about the fight. The other group of recruits was not happy about being pulled into all of this but the truth, more or less, came out. Everyone was a bit hesitant and didn’t seem to remember all of the details to answer the Commander’s questions. Kethenor attempted to bend the truth of what happened a bit but didn’t succeed. The Commander took the opportunity to stress to the recruits that the truth is important and that one of the duties as a member of the militia is to be observant and keep an eye on things. Eventually, the Commander learned pretty much what happened and left.

In the morning, spear training resumed. Some of the recruits…cough…Davos…cough…were significantly more battered and bruised than the others. Most of the recruits continued training as though nothing had happened in the mess hall the night prior. Davos, however, had other plans…he intended to push things as far as he could just to learn the limits of how far he could go. Paired up with Hannah for training, he first tried to slowly maneuver closer to where Merrick and Tycyn were sparring. Hannah would have none of it, however, and she tried to move in the other direction. Sergeant Dep, being an observant militiaman, noticed these actions.

Dep ordered Davos to stand with his back to the barrack’s wall and continue sparring with Hannah. Then Davos started to lower his guard to see if he could get Hannah to stab him to see what would happen. Dep also noticed this and took Hannah’s spot. Davos was a bit overeager in his sparring with the Sergeant and attacked in anger but Dep enhanced the bruises Davos had received the previous night. Calling a halt to the training, Dep told the recruits to get lunch and took Davos to the stables for some cleaning and to lecture the recruit on attacking with anger.

After lunch, the sparring resumed. Davos was partnered with Merrick and he had not forgiven him for the punch from the night before and Davos again attacked in anger. He threw his spear at Merrick, missing badly, and then rushed him. Merrick struck Davos right in his already battered face, knocking him unconscious for a second time. Dep ordered ALL of the recruits (including the other group) back into the barracks and took the unconscious Davos somewhere else.

The recruits in the barracks, all ten of them, had a wonderful afternoon of cleaning and scrubbing and cleaning. When Davos awoke, he found himself in a jail cell. The Commander was standing outside the cell and explained that while she should just leave him there, she was going to give him one more chance to behave like a citizen and a member of the militia. She turned and left. After she did, another figure stepped from the shadows. Although Davos was hoping it would be his smuggling mentor [which was actually new to me…this is where I found out that Davos had a smuggling mentor], it was actually Duke Pwyll himself.

The Duke simply stated that he should have Davos exiled or imprisoned for his conduct but, against his better judgement, he was going with Commander Sherelyn’s recommendation to give him another chance. If, however, there was any further trouble, both Davos AND his father would be exiled from Daggerford.

[And that concludes The Davos Diary, Part 1 of our first session. Part 2 to come a bit later.]