#shuushar

[notamuused]

i dm out of the abyss

remade some npcs so they aint all men

and drew player's characters :з

[gikaayumi]

I've been practicing and using my RPG table for it. My character likes to sketch the people she meets, so I wanted to share a few of her sketches from her notebook. And by the way, the adventure we're playing is Out of the Abyss!

I really enjoyed drawing Derendil and Eldeth, especially Derendil, since I've never been much into drawing creatures like that, so to speak

Oh, the Drow Prisioneiro (Drow Prisoner) is there because he kind of got left behind, and my character only sketched him because she finds him hot, lol

And Zephyr and Kilin Dor are my friends characters~

Rhont, Stool, and Shuushar, the NPCs I'm really enjoying interacting with, especially when Rhont and Kilin get into their little fights

As I keep sketching and my character gets to know more NPCs, I'll drop them in here~

[immortalarizona]

my drawings of the Out of the Abyss NPCs in order of how likely I think my party is to try and romance them

for probably obvious reasons, Sarith Kzekarit (who I am Totally normal about y’all and who I am desperately hoping my party manages to save) is at the top of the list. the children are at the bottom for equally obvious reasons.

also yes I made Stool cuter and Ront green and in possession of a new backstory and also I replaced Eldeth with my own character because I’m the DM and I can do what I want >:)

please excuse the kinda janky coloring I did these on 3×5 notecards to hand out to my party later so I didn’t have much room for error

[the-aviarys-models]

"Captured by the drow! You wouldn't wish this fate upon anyone, yet here you are—locked in a dark cave, the cold, heavy weight of metal tight around your throat and wrists. You are not alone. Other prisoners are trapped in here with you, in an underground outpost far from the light of the sun."

Our models of the prisoners. This is a long post, so they'll be under the cut!

There will be spoilers for this module!

We have versions as prisoners and normal versions. Tokens available upon request but will not be included in this initial post due to how many images there are.

Old/outdated versions of the models available upon request (or if I feel like reblogging them in later) since this is already a long post.

Buppido- Talkative and cunning derro

Prince Derendil- Quaggoth who claims to be a cursed elf prince

Eldeth Feldrun- Shield dwarf scout from Gauntlgrym

Jimjar- Deep gnome with a gambling problem

I rolled items for the NPCs, Jimjar ended up starting with the metal bar club.

Ront- Orc bully

Sarith Kzekarit- Drow accused of murder

Sarith here has multiple models that show the progression of the spore infection, (hey, I did say there'd be spoilers!) ending in a model of him as a spore servant. You'll also notice my stylization of elves... I like how pathfinder gives them funky eyes, and I stole it to make D&D elves look cooler.

Ideally, I'll switch out the tokens between chapters/sessions and pretend nothing has changed until the later stages where it's very obvious something is wrong with him.

Shuushar the Awakened- Kuo-toa hermit and mystic

Shuushar has a weapon, but he doesn't use it for combat. It's more of a utility tool for him.

Stool- Myconid sprout

I made it a lot different from its art so that it has hands to hold items with. Stool is the only one who didn't receive a new model after the face customizer dropped, because, well... it wouldn't have benefitted much.

Myconid base is from here!

Topsy and Turvy- Deep gnome wererat twins

I love face customizer because I can give them slightly rat-like features without making it too obvious.

Also, Turvy's starting item was the flint dagger.

Honestly, I forgot to make wererat models for these two until making this post. The rodent head wasn't in the face customizer when it first released, so I figured I'd do it later... and then I forgot! So I whipped some up real quick. I tried to go for that look of animal eyes gleaming in the darkness.

[dungeonguildpod]

Meet Shuushar, a kuo-toa spiritualist who's here to help! See his story unfold in Legends of Calberothe!

[high-sun-phoenix]

17 Chez 1472

Dearest Quamas,

Hi! I miss you buddy, it's been so long since I saw you last. If memory serves, close to three? decades now? time flies, it feels like a lifetime ago.

There's so much to catch you up on, I don't know if I have enough ink with me to do it all at once. A lot can happen in 28 years. Some bad, but many good! And many more unbelievable.

I finally made it out of the underdark! It took me the majority of the time since you've been gone to do it, though, and it wasn't all by myself either. I ran across a whole variety of people, most of whom were hoping to kill me, but I found a handful who were as lost as I was! Not all of them are with me anymore, but I remember them too. Let me tell you all about it!!

It took me some 27 years of stumbling from one cavern to another, tunnel after tunnel after tunnel, to find someone who wasn't an underdark native. Her name was Cordelia. I was walking, mindlessly following a tunnel, when I heard the softest sobs from the top of this boulder in a larger cave. There she was, this scary dwarf lady who was mourning the loss of her own friends in solemn silence. She was in a lot of pain, you didn't need to know her to know how much she cared about them. Poor lady was very on edge, she must've seen some shit. I didn't get to learn much about who they were to her and what their names even were, she was pretty out of it and quietly mourning. Didn't stick around much, but she made me feel not as alone anymore, just by virtue of knowing someone else is in the same boat as me. Don't know what happened to her, she just picked a direction and disappeared down a tunnel, but I hope she made it out. I really really hope she did...

Anyway, the rest of them I ran into after Cordelia skipped out and we became friends super quick! There are three of them: - Vavřinec is the one I spend the most time with, mainly because our skillsets and interests seem to line up in the right direction most of the time. He's also the only other elf! But not the same elf as we are, he's different. We were told he's from the plane of the fey - I mean, look at that name. Funny thing is, he doesn't remember anything about it either. Mysterious! - Cyrwin is probably the most interesting person I've ever gotten to meet, and I feel thankful for having met him. He was chosen by an illithid while we were in the underdark and since then he's been paying the price. I can feel the conflict behind his deadly eyes - all four of them! I would love to pick his brain more, I think we can both learn a ton from each other. - Ukamar is the last and also the biggest one of the bunch. A tribe of giants raised him in the underdark, so a lot of his abilities were limited when we ran into him, but he's come a very long way since! I'm very proud of him, he has a lot of potential still. Cyrwin legally adopted him not long ago, so they're technically father and son haha.

They've been my family away from Weirglen. I've only known them for a handful of months but already trust them all with my life. I wouldn't have been able to get outta the caves without them, wouldn't have found the Codex Terragnosis, wouldn't have been granted my most sacred of titles. I really do owe them an inconceivable amount of our recent accomplishments, and oh how grand they are! I only wish you were here to hear the tales of them.

Long story short, not long after meeting them, we found ourselves on the shores of a vast underground ocean, called the Sunless Sea. Thanks to you and Valna, I got to making a boat for us and we were sailing before we knew it. We must've been on the water for weeks, if not months, and it wasn't a relaxing journey either. The dark seems darker and lonelier when you're afloat and directionless... Anyway, along the way we happened upon a lone Kuo-toa (some abomination of a fish person) who called himself Shuushar and claimed he could "just feel where we need to go, man", and the crazy thing is that he was totally right!! He taught me sailing and navigation, and took us to his home village - which then promptly got demolished by a demogorgon, killing everyone and leveling it to the ground - before we got to run away and set sail again. I saw Cyrwin's faith shine very bright that day. He asked, and Mystra delivered, an Angel to guard her chosen while he escaped. I never believed much, but he makes me feel a different way about divinity, I can't describe it. Anyway.

Remember the mountain dwarves that lived in the Earthfast? I never thought I'd say this, but they are like angels compared to the dwarves we ran into in the underdark! They lived in a city they called Gracklstugh and kept their forges warm by the power of an imprisoned red dragon. The stuff of the legends, they were, some could control the world around them just by their minds. We just kinda found our way to their docks, made some trade and hired a caravan to escort us back to the top. Not after stealing the dragon's egg first though!! I have no idea why we felt compelled to do it haha but the feeling of getting away with it really is something I've never gotten to feel again since.

Our point of exit out of the underdark was somewhere in the western parts of Faerun and we never strayed that far. We sold the egg to one of the churches of Elturgard and got a couple dozen thousand gold and a large plot of land in return, which we then built into a small settlement that we named Everspring! I took inspiration from the fountain at home and made a few ever-flowing hotsprings around the keep, hence the name. Then I took a few months off and paid a visit back home. I wish you were here, bud, Weirdglen just isn't the same without you... Your parents and Valna really miss you, but I'm sure you've gotten to talk to them as well. She's helped name a tree in your memory, you know! But I'm sorry that I took so long to reach out, I really am; but I'm glad we are here now.

Anyway, when I got back, I found a tree that had awakened and was patrolling some area around our forest. He didn't wanna talk, but he showed us the way we were meant to go: further in. He led us to a cave that was home to an impossibly ancient creature, one made of time and history itself, a crystalline dragon, the Keeper of Time - Adodatus. It was with his blessing that I came to be the guardian of the Codex Terragnosis, and oh what an honour that was. But alas, there were more important matters to which we were needed to attend.

We found ourselves involved in some politics, and made our way to the great city of Baldur's Gate, and it was awestriking! I had never seen that many buildings sprawling so close next to each other, not even in Tsurlagol! Truly one of the most magnificent sights of my travels. It was a shame that we witnessed an assassination and uncovered a large cult operation under all that glory. We infiltrated their lair and a ruthless battle ensued. By the power that was entrusted with me, I invoked the wisdom of the Codex and asked for the Hierophant Prithviraña to find their way to our world through my vessel - and with that I was transformed into a legendary creature: a Phoenix. With their guidance, I rid Baldur's Gate of the cultists, left them as a lesson to be remembered, and found my peace in Candlekeep. This duty earned me a title that was assigned to me millennia ago, the greatest honour of my existence, but it came at a price far greater than I anticipated and the tome was taken away from my custody to be kept safer. Though I still feel its power surging within me for another tenday or so.

It was at Candlekeep that we were informed of the severity of our situation: the Elturian capital city of Elturel, along with all of its population, had entirely vanished and been replaced by a wasteland crawling with undead. The great mage Silvera informed us that the city had descended into the hells - the deserts of Avernus, to be exact - and we took it upon ourselves to attempt to rescue it. In the meantime, though, our predicament provided us with most unique of opportunities: V found himself as the next highest nobleman in line to the throne and was thus crowned High Rider, and Cyrwin as the holiest man of the realm was granted the title of High Observer. With newfound determination and purpose, we set aside caution and left the comfort of the Material plane.

Quamas, this is where we meet near the present time, and dearest friend it is painful beyond imagination. I don't know if your 13 years seniority was ever spent outside of our Gray Forest, let alone any of Elturgard, but believe me when I say the beauty is entirely replaced by pain. Of that of humanoidkind and other life forms alike. Peace is as rare as a stoic Weirwood in the Anauroch, water far more scarce than an elk swimming in the Dragon Reach. We haven't been here two tendays and I long for a living tree. I turned 147 some three days ago, the 28th I've celebrated without you, but this has still been far more grim and lonely than any of the last ones. Cyrwin's faith lights up our days and warms up our nights, and I'm still struggling to grasp it completely, but I do hope whoever watches us will lend a hand. You know, we shared a vision several days ago, by means of an artifact we retrieved from the most blighted of places I've ever entered, Torm's holy helm hidden in the hollows of a corrupted cemetery. I was shown the greatness of Bhaator, and assumed my place through the eyes of the Angel Hayyil of Mt. Celestia. It was there that I saw the grand general Akhazriel find Hayyil, thousands of years before even our ancestors were alive, grasped the sides of his face and spoke to him, through him, to me. He called me by my name, Ae'lar, and dubbed me the High Sun Phoenix. I can't help but feel so small and humble, but so... doubtful and overwhelmed. I don't know if I believe enough to pray, but how does one deny a minor miracle like this? I know if there's anyone to accomplish what we've set out to do, it's us: the Sunless Sailors, but is this a task meant to be accomplished by anyone?

You know, we ran into a bed of Gricks earlier today, deep under the sewers, a mother and dozens of hatchlings. Where they were was truly inaccessible to most anyone else, and yet there we were, having sought passage through their home. They were of little hindrance, but my friends slaughtered them all. Mother and hatchling alike. I hurt for them, Quamas, they were survivors just like us, so far removed from their terrain of comfort, and yet we saw ourselves superior enough to relieve them of their survival. They weren't hunters, mere scavengers, and we entered their den like any other prey they'd encountered. We could have ran, but we chose to not leave them be, and I cannot come to terms with our cruelty. What gave us the right to do what we did to them, how could they have understood? This city, this whole plane; I miss you dearly but am I glad you don't have to experience this. The suffering changes people.

We were meant to infiltrate Helm's Shieldhall today, a strategic location that acted as the stronghold for many corrupted knights, and we failed to do that too. I almost lost all of my friends, I almost lost myself. Each of them did their absolute best to get my unresponsive ragdoll to safety. Ukamar sacrificed a decade and a half of his post-mortem peace in a fiendish deal most unfavourable just to save us. I feel undeserving but responsible all the same. We lost a lot in this skirmish, and it was hours ago, and all we accomplished was arming our enemy with means of committing more atrocities. This is unacceptable and we must go back.

Quamas, remember the game we used to play back near the outskirts of Lyrabar? Where we used to go and see who can run the farthest in the bog by the edge of the woods? It was always Erdan'n who came in first, you second, Xanaphie third, and the rest of us would barely make it a few steps. Oh, how simple the times were! Well, I've been thinking, Quamas, and I think I might be able to do something like it. I can try, anyway. If I can summon the bog, or at least create one similar enough, I might be able to make them play our game! I've been thinking a lot and I think I could do it. Maybe the fey spirits of our Forest could lend a hand to me as well...

Dearest friend, the night grows long and my drinks are drying up all the same as my tears, with a long long day ahead come tomorrow morning. I miss you dearly, and know that no matter where you are, your bright smile illuminates my every step. I love you dearly, and hope to see you soon one day.

Yours truly and eternally, Ae'lar Eren-aeth 17 Chez 1472

[lumendelmari]

Crossposted on FF.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13962836/10/The-Grey-Warriors

Chapter Ten

Baiting the Hook

1485 DR / Day 8

Sloobludop

As Ploopploopeen led the adventurers towards the village, the massive tangle of reed-like structures that they had seen from a distance slowly transformed into rudimentary towers comprised of zurkhwood and algae. Each tower was lashed to another by either rope or plank bridges set in all manner of hazardous angles. The village was almost entirely dark, save a stray cropping of phosphorescent fungus, coral, or bioluminescent fish glands here and there. Those with darkvision—all but poor Balasar—saw that the settlement stretched along the entirety of the rocky shoreline and was anchored to the north and south by tall net fences. Ten poorly constructed wooden docks of various lengths extended out into the dark waters. Moored alongside them were a half-dozen kuo-toa keelboats used to ferry villagers and guests alike across the Darklake...

[suave-bagel]

Inktober day 3, my oc shelldam with shuushar the awakened.

Also on Facebook

[madmasterdesigns]

A quick design of a kuo-toa 🌊 Inspired by Shuushar the Awakened, an NPC from Out of the Abyss.

[twerkyvulture]

i genuinely didn't know that people would be interested lol. so yeah, i'm running a 5e D&D game, my first time doing this sort of thing. i'll ramble a little about it and i'm mobile so no readmore cut i guess, sorry.

the module i'm working with is the official 5e book Out of The Abyss, an adventure that takes place in the Underdark (i.e. spooky cave world). i'm playing with some of my pals irl, so i get to use figurines and minis and whiteboards and stuff. works very well for me. plus we can all share snacks!

my players are as follows:

Petrichor, Warforged Cleric

A big ol' robot powered by religion and magic, created and played by my talented pal @marxophone. A caring soul who tends to be a bit oblivious to danger. He once tried to lead a revolt against corruption in his church, and was dumped into the sea for his crimes.

Oreleth Diamondwillow, Elf Ranger

@cleveranddriven is the one responsible for this hot mess of an elf. She can befriend just about any animal but struggles to talk to other people, often speaking bluntly or not at all. She recently acquired a pseudodragon friend.

Az... Azhali Suzuhali Sz... Ss... ummm... he's a Yuan-ti Wizard

Mother fucker, I forgot to get a copy of the character sheet. My friend Liam (who has no tumblr) made up a half-snake merchant with a long ass snake name that I'm going to have to learn how to say and spell. Anyway he's the newest player. He's polite and well-spoken and seems competent enough, but what are his intentions, and who is he really?

NPCs traveling with the party include Derendil, a beastly quaggoth that claims to be a transformed elf prince; Shuushar, an elderly kuo-toa that's renounced his piscene people's fanatic way of life; and Stool, a curious, innocent little myconid sprout that the PCs will would die for.

[korborau]

Yarissa Maloth grew up in the city of Sigil working at her family’s business, The Fancy Familiar, which catered to every need a wealthy person’s pet might have. Finding herself utterly board with her position in life and tired of having to hold back the power which burned within her, she left her family and secured passage to the Material Plane. There, her goal was simple: Gain as much power as possible.

Often, the quickest way to obtain power is by using others to reach your goals. Realizing she wasn’t progressing as fast as she liked, Yarissa joined a group of adventurers in their quest to stop a demonic invasion that had been set in motion over a millennia ago. She couldn’t care less about their end goal, but they proved to be valuable companions, although she felt she had to do most of the heavy lifting during battle.

Near the beginning of their adventures Yarissa came upon a group of Kuo-toa who worshiped a tree of baubles as their god. Finding this to be a unique opportunity to gain power and influence she managed to convince the tribe that she was the avatar of the Great Bauble Tree. However, the tribe was soon wiped out save for their high priest, Shuushar. This resulted in a quest to find Shuushar a new tribe, and another group of Kuo-toa that Yarissa could get to be her worshipers.

As fate would have it a particularly dark and vile book of power fell into the adventuring group’s possession, and within it a ritual to ascend to godhood. Keeping this knowledge to herself, Yarissa slowly put the pieces into place for ascension, all while on a quest to help save the material plane from certain destruction. She secured additional followers via tribes of Kuo-toa and their impressive spawning rates. She collected the blood of a slain Demon Lord. And, after months of beguiling, she whisked away an Aasimar Cleric to a private cave, under the guise of a romantic evening alone, so that she could sacrifice him and his celestial soul.

The path to Godhood was one of hellfire fueled by the blood of those who dared obstruct the desires of Yarissa, the great and powerful Bauble Tree, a path that she would gladly travel upon time and time again.

[roll4persuasion]

Unfortunately the Drow took Xylaris’ bagpipes...

Into the Abyss - Session 1

The story started with the three adventurers waking up in a Drow outpost, stripped of all their equipment and about to be enslaved. Humble beginnings indeed.

They weren’t alone in their imprisonment as the Drow were quite industrious when it came to slaving. They had managed to amass three Deep Gnomes (Topsy, Turvy and Jimjar), a Dark Dwarf (Buppido), a Quagoth who says he’s actually an Elf prince (Prince Dendril the Quagelf, if you will), a sentient mushroom (Stool), a rouge Drow (Sarith), a pacifist Kuatoa (Shuushar) and a Dwarf (Eldeth). Add on the large, green Dwarf (Sakibena), the Dragonborn (Xylaris) and the halfling (Tokken) and you had quite the motley crew.

The Drow took advantage of the free labour in the outpost almost immediately and there was a great tragedy when one of the Deep Gnomes, Topsy, knocked and smashed a fragile figurine that belonged to the Matron of the Drow. Her punishment was to be thrown to the spiders below and her death inspired a mutiny.

The escape was made all the more easier by a guard with a curious burn on his face offering the key to their prison. Sakibena saw no ill-motives in the Drow’s actions but the others weren’t so sure. Still, it was the best chance they had to escape and so they waited for his signal.

Sneaking into the guards house was easy; as the guard had promised, the replacements for the previous guard shift were absent. Tokken snuck up to the higher level and dispatched the lone guard and managed to find the group a bunch of armour and weapons to arm themselves.

And not a moment too soon as the guard shift arrived. And so did a bunch of flying demons!

Choosing the easy route, the group jumped down a waterfall, skipping the battle entirely.

[virginiacreepervine]

Saturday Morning DND Session 7 part 2

For when and if they reach the silken path

Sarith leads them through a hole in the wall and the party exits into the Silken Path. A massive chasm filled with webs. Sarith explains that this is the fastest way; if the party refuses, go back to the other chart and add 2 days to their travel time (this will suck if the party was extra slow). As the party goes forward, two goblins sliding on the webs; They flip off the webs with a floursih and announce themselves as Yuk-yuk and Spiderbait. 

Day 1: No encounter Day 2: If the Party is carrying a light source, they are approached by a rather beaten looking drow, with three quaggoth slaves. The drow recognizes the group from the slave camp, and draws his sword. From behind, a voice growls out “NOW, BROTHERS” and the quaggoths descend on the drow. The one the yelled out was in fact Prince Derendil, who rejoins the party. The other quaggoths decide to go off on their own. If the party is not carrying a torch, they’re not noticed. By the end of the day, the party leaves the Silken Path onto the shores of the Darklake DORKLAKE At this point, Shuushar decides to go home; the party can escort him if they wish, or they can go off without him. Shuushar’s journey is easy and peaceful, and leads to Sloodlebop. 

If going to sloodlebop, just read from the book if not The party traverses the darklake; when they reach the shores nearest Everlight Grove, they hear the roar of a strange creature, far behind them

The road to Everlight Grove (8-26 days UGGGGGGGGGG) Day 1: The group comes upon a crystal cluster. They can harvest these crystals at the cost of time. Striking a crystal or dropping it causes a bright flash of light, forcing a DC10 Con save, lest the characters be blinded. For the rest of the day, any spells cast will force a roll on the wild magic table. Afterwards, the characters must pass over a ridge that is 110 feet high. Tying themselves to ropes will enable advantage on the DC10 Dexterity saving throw required to not fall. On the other side of the ledge is 3 Kuo-toa traders carrying 120gold and 30 days worth of provisions. Forage 24, Party DC 4 Day 2: Glowing Moss. Forage 24, DC 4. The party is spotted by a drow scout. the DC to notice him is 16. This increases the pursuit level by 1.  Day 3. Dark. The party comes to another high ledge, this one 30 feet high. On the other side, they are trailed by an ochre jelly; it takes a passive perception of 14 to notice from the person last in marching order. if unnoticed, it attacks when the party camps. If they fight before camp, this adds a day to travel time.   Day 4: Dark. The party is led through a massive boneyard, where they are attacked by 2 Minotaur Skeletons. This slows the party by a day.

[immortalarizona]

hi! i’m curious about how you’re characterizing buppido in your OotA game—in my experience playing and planning to DM, i’ve had trouble connecting with him and figuring out how to make his twist surprising and impactful.

also if you have any similar thoughts for shuushar, that’s another blorbo i don’t know how to make compelling lol

I'm soooooo flattered to have gotten this ask from you!!!! first off, I would like to apologize if this is largely incoherent; I have spent a solid seven (7) of the past 24 hours playing two different D&D sessions, both of them pretty brutal combats. this is gonna be a loooooong post, so my answer is under the cut :]

also, if anyone reading this post happens to be one of my players going snooping for my blog, STOP READING NOW.

okay cool

I'll start each character section with a quick description I wrote for myself on each of their personalities (or my interpretations of them, at least).

Buppido

Buppido Diirdeklin is surprisingly talkative and friendly given the situation everyone is in. In fact, he doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything, diving into even the thick of battle with his perpetual, almost uncanny cheer. He seems to be very devoted to some deity unknown to non-derro, as after every battle, he kneels over the bodies of any enemy he has slain and appears to pray in silence for a few seconds. Buppido’s faith is the only subject which he remains reticent about, but he will happily engage in discussions of almost anything else with anyone else. He claims a desire to return to his people in Gracklstugh in order to help liberate them from their lives as second-class citizens under the duergar.

basically, how I saved Buppido thus far was through a lot of guilt-tripping the player characters and using what I knew of them (only what I reasonably figured he would know at this point; he's not secretly omniscient like Jimjar so there's only so much meta knowledge I can apply) to manipulate them. the angle I'm taking is that he wants something objectively good (for the derro to not be treated like dogshit) but is going about it in The most fucked up way possible (ritual murder because he think it'll give him back his divine power, which he can then use to fucking obliterate the duergar and free his people). he is very polite and has this veneer of kindness with which he treats the people he's manipulating. he will say whatever it takes to get the person he's talking to on his side, regardless of whether he actually believes it (but I do think it's more interesting if he genuinely believes he's doing the right thing). as an example of this in action, here's a copy of the monologue he gave the rogue when she was like "hey dude, I'm getting Real Bad Vibes from you, what's up." keep in mind that she is a tiefling.

"I heard what Kzekarit said to you a few nights back--so I trust that you will understand what it means to be judged solely on the basis of your blood. The duergar"--he almost spits the name--"have given us many names, none of them fit for polite company. Even our name in Undercommon comes from their word for 'derelict.' The audacity, when it is them that have forced us to live in the streets--if they allow us to live at all!" Buppido's voice has steadily been raising in volume this entire time, and he has to take a moment to catch his breath after that. When he continues, his voice is quieter, but no less passionate. "I have lived a long time. But I am blessed beyond measure. I am the exception. I am what is known among my people as a savant--one who has manifested magical powers. We are respected, yes, but. . . magic changes you. I have seen. . . things. . . in the shadows that I can never unsee. Things much worse than intellect devourers." His grip on his staff, which he is currently using as a walking stick, trembles, and he closes his eyes. "I have to believe that it was worth it. If I don't deliver us. . . no one will." He looks up at Promise again. "Do you understand now, little thief?" he asks, but it's not a question. It's a plea.

(for context, Sarith called the rogue "demonspawn" before promising that he would not hesitate to stab her if he saw a reason to do so when she asked where his loyalties lay.)

similarly, Buppido appealed to the ranger's sense of sympathy/pity with an excuse about nightmares and not entirely being himself when he woke up from one, which is why he tried to stab the twins. this was a bit of metagaming on my part, but the ranger is haunted by nightmares despite not sleeping (drow moment). it worked, and when the ranger had a mini emotional breakdown, Buppido then appealed to his sympathies further by patting the ranger's hand and saying that he would hug him, but he is not very tall, and his poor back can only take so much strain. the ranger then kneeled down, cast cure wounds to help Buppido's back pain, and gave him a hug. Buppido thanked the ranger for giving him another chance (as he had similarly given Sarith another chance) and told the ranger that he has a "good heart" and to "never change." (what he really meant was "you're so fucking easy to manipulate and I would prefer for that to not change.")

so, y'know. a lot of Manipulate Mansplain Manslaughter, with a side of Moral Complexity. like, man's a fucking serial killer, but he also has an ultimate goal which my party at least seems to empathize with. as for the emotional impact, you really only get as much out of the reveal as your players put into the character during the lead-up. my party has a Massive found family dynamic going already (Topsy has already sarcastically called the ranger, who she accidentally bit by the way, "dad," to give you a sense of how things are going), and Buppido fits right in as a sort of grandpa figure. he will find the most emotionally vulnerable PCs, worm his nasty little way into their hearts through false displays of kindness, and try to drive a wedge between them and any other characters who see through him. (I suggest giving him expertise in Deception. it feels appropriate.)

Shuushar

Shuushar the Awakened claims to have spent a lifetime in contemplation and solitary meditation in order to overcome his people’s legacy of madness, and it shows in the aura of enlightened calm he exudes despite the horrors he has suffered during his imprisonment. Nothing seems to be able to drive him to anger, and he is utterly unafraid to die for his belief in peace and goodness. He is always happy to offer tidbits of wisdom to those who ask for them, and also to those who don’t. Shuushar hopes to return to his hometown of Sloobludop in order to share his enlightenment with his fellow kuo-toa, as well as anyone else he encounters along the way.

Shuushar,,, drives my players a little bit insane, and I definitely haven't been utilizing his full potential (the players have been mostly fixated on Sarith, the twins, and the cleric NPC I brewed up to replace Eldeth). I've mostly been using him as a vehicle for foreshadowing through what I call Shuushar Stories. he's just. the Worst Fucking Storyteller and it's delightful to write, actually. here are two of the ones I feel contribute most to his characterization:

#1: Darklake Hag

“Yeah, so when they threw me out of Sloobludop, they didn’t even give me a boat, so I had to steal one. Or I was planning to, but then my friend Bloppdagadil snuck out after me to give me her spare boat and also a bag of crawlers. They weren’t fresh, but it was still a great gesture. What a gal. . . Shame the merrows got her. Nasty surprise when the fishermen I was traveling with pulled bits of her out of the Lake in their nets. . . Anyways, yeah, so I was traveling in Bloppdagadil’s boat when suddenly, I’m stuck on a sandbar! So I get out and try to push the boat back into the water when this weird green lady appears out of nowhere and asks me if I want to make a deal with her—I think it was for infinite wisdom or something. I told her, ‘No thanks, I’m good,’ and I push the boat back into the water. Enlightenment is more about the journey than the destination, really, and it wouldn’t mean anything if I didn’t earn it. . . The boat got caught in a whirlpool a few days later. I think it was the green lady’s fault. She said goodbye very ominously.” 

the key takeaways from this one are these:

the Darklake is dangerous, and Shuushar exists in a world where it's just Normal for people to die. you accept it. you move on. it is what it is.

he believes in the journey over the destination. the end does not justify the means.

he has a strong moral code and refuses temptation at every turn (you could play with this in your own campaign depending on how well your players take to him).

he is just a Weird-Ass Guy (affectionate).

foreshadowing for the green hag in the Darklake which I'm gonna present as an option to save Sarith (but at a COST, mwahahahaha).

#2: Funny Story, I Was Exiled

“I will warn you that I didn’t leave Sloobludop on the best of terms, really. Everyone was always moving, moving, moving with the land currents, but I just wanted to stand still for a minute. Ploopploopeen didn’t like that. He didn’t like that at all. . . Oh, Ploopploopeen? He was the archpriest of the Sea Mother—had just been promoted, and his first act was to tell me to never come back. Said I was a ‘bad influence’ or something, and that his daughter would get the wrong idea, watching me. . . I’m not mad about it. Love and fear, together, are a strange thing, and either one alone can drive people to do things they know in their hearts are wrong. Tost about by unseen currents. . . I wonder if he remembers me. I want him to know that I forgave him a long time ago.”

what this monologue was meant to convey:

foreshadowing, mostly. tryna set up Ploopploopeen's motives a bit better than in the module.

Shuushar has hidden depths! he's not some dumbass stoner (though I do try to portray him like he's constantly high, because I think it's funny), he has philosophy! and compassion! and an incredible ability to forgive those who have wronged him! he's a genuinely good dude!

the delivery of these really helped his character come across, tbh. (these ones were given during the session proper, not between via text chatting.) he's just spacey and--not monotone, exactly, but very level in his tone. he's calm. he's unshakeable. maybe your players will appreciate that, or maybe they'll find him annoying and want to stuff a rag into his mouth to get him to Shut Up. (and even that in itself can become compelling; I think we've got a bit of an in-joke developing that We Don't Let Shuushar Tell Stories.)

thanks for the ask, and I really hope this helped!! it was delightful getting to ramble about my own devious machinations, and I would be happy to chat further about my takes on each of the NPCs if you so desire :D

[sosei]

Session 2 done. No casualties, even among the NPCs. So that’s fun.

Party is headed to the Darklake to bring Shuushar home.

[ootacampaign]

Adventure #12

Only days from Gracklstugh, the crew of the kuo-toa koan plot their way through Darklake, but they began questioning their captured duergar pirate. Named Atetin, but called Eighteen by those speaking the common tongue, he was a new recruit aboard the pirate crew out from Grackstugh. They wait for weak prey and trick any foolish enough to investigate an empty boat. Asked about their new ship, Hemeth reported that duergar are very contract oriented, so everyone will know who’s boat they now have, but he knows some black market contacts that would take the boat off their hand at a lower price.

“We will soon reach the Stone Teeth triton, then we shall see how skilled you are with this vessel,” reports Hemeth, the duergar smuggler.

“Ssheee willll preeeevaiiillll,” answers Shuushar the kuo-toa mystic.

In a hour, Hemeth was correct, as shouts of rock croppings ahead, it was if the Darklake itself had massive sharp teeth ready to chew the boat apart.

With the flying scouts and the darkvision spotters, Aryn skillfully steered safely around numerous teeth, but the duergar ship they were pulling made it difficult but sure enough after an hour of careful navigating they didn’t hit a single rock.

“May Asmodeus be praised! I have never seen a newcomer to the Teeth not hit a single rock in all my years as a sailor,” exclaimed Hemeth.

Before they could celebrate a new shout interrupted, but not another rock to steer around but creatures falling from the ceiling.

“DARKMANTLES!”

Sure enough, creatures like umbrellas glided down in an ambush, but thanks to Aryn’s boat steering, the Darkmantles landed farther in the rear onto their dragging duergar pirate boat where Shuushar, Caduceus & Stool manned. A giant darkmantle landed on top of Shuushar, its cloak-like body wrapped tightly around his kuo-toa head while sharp fangs from underneath its body pierced through his neck.

“AGH! Miiiii eyyyyyes! Iiiii caaaan’t seeeeee!”

Caduceus looked in dismay as half a dozen landed around him, since none of them saw Stool as food. “Could use some help here,” he shouted to the leading ship as Dawnbringer extended her sunblade ready to slay all who stand in her way to get to the surface.

The main crew hurried to the stern, but they still had to traverse the rope attached to the mushroom raft then another rope line to the duergar ship. Aryn bravely dove into the Darklake, while Ikki flew at full speed with his crossbow finding its mark.

Two even larger Darkmantles came down on Caduceus, one blocking out his vision with its “wings” as he felt the sting of its teeth on his head. The eldrtich knight forcefully pulled the Alpha Darkmantle off and went into a defensive stance against the eight Darkmantles now surrounding him, and the darkmantles failed to get through Dawnbringer’s twirling wall of light.

Ikki took out a darkmantle with a bolt, but soon found the darkmantles could also fly and one blacked out his vision and felt the similar bite. He struggled to fly in the cavernous lake and tried to break free but instead knocked his head into one of the boats, falling into the cold waters.

Aryn let off some eldritch blasts on the darkmantle on Ikki, but soon sensed the life energy of Shuushar go out. She knew she must do something drastic or lose the rest of the crew to these aberrations. 

Stool came rushing to Caduceus’ aid with a fungi-punch, taking out one of the smaller darkmantles. But Caduceus took many attacks and finally his vision blacked out as well as his mind. 

“Noooooo!” screamed Ront as he jumped to the boat flattening one of the darkmantles with his maul.

Aryn said a quiet apology to her Patron, Shuushar, and Caduceus, as she pulled a bead from her enchanted necklace.

“Get back!” she commanded to Ront & Stool, as the bead arched through the air and to deck of the boat filled with darkmantles. In an instant the boat was engulfed in a fiery inferno, most of the small Darkmantles exploded into meat chunks but the Alphas survived still on fire, but the pacifist kuo-toa Shuushar was incinerated in ash. Ront and Stool took advantage of the situation to take down more darkmantles, while Ikki shook himself out of the water to take out one of the Alphas with another bolt. Aryn climbed aboard to praise the Preserver as Caduceus survived the fireball.

The crew had a quiet service for their fallen comrade Shuushar. The ashes left behind was gathered up into a jar as they swore to return him to his home in Sloopdulop for burial.

Another quiet day goes by without any interruptions, but the crew almost wished something would stop them thinking about the dead Shuushar. It wasn’t until another day later, when they started seeing more ships they started to plot their next moves in Gracklstugh.