In this week’s episode recap of the Blue Collar DM Presents Blue Collar Dungeons and Dragons, we take a deep dive into Episode 21 of Campaign 1, Vampiric Tendencies. This week’s episode started out with a bang! And by that, I of course mean we got to learn what was to happen to Juliet and the fallout of her death at the hands of the overwhelming skeletal zombie horde.
We didn’t have to wait too long to learn of her fate. The party attempted to find ways to heal her, but it was too little too late. Seeing that there was no way to bring her back, Timik began to conduct a ritual akin to the Gentle Repose spell. While the link with nature and the natural cycle of life and death appeared to be normal, an intrusion by an outside force soon made its way to the material plane. Seeing the morphing of fungal growth abruptly change to claw like in nature, Timik struck out against the incursion. Unfortunately, his efforts were not enough as he and the body of Juliet were dragged through a rift, into what was presumably into a very deep layer of the hells.
Opening his eyes, Timik found himself at the foot of Juliet’s patron, Sheykas, the white saber-toothed humanoid tiger demon that gave Juliet her powers. After a quick exchange of insults and jests towards each other, Sheykas offered Timik a deal. His soul for that of Juliet’s. During this time, Juliet had been aware of the demon’s dealings with her friend, but was unable to intervene as she was silenced and held frozen by her patron. She was held to witness the trade between the two, then finally cast aside into the watery void of Limbo.
Not long after falling into Limbo, she found herself at the foot of a sprawling Victorian-style mansion, decorated with somber tones, gargoyles, and, inside, a warm, yet dim, fireplace and an individual sitting there before her. This man revealed himself to be Octavian. Other than that, he revealed little much of himself, but, rather, exposed the dealings of Sheykas, the responsible party for all the unnatural and harmful things that had become Juliet and her party.
Seeking revenge for this treachery, Juliet quickly agreed to the deal he offered her. Her service in killing the patron who tortured her so in exchange for the powers and blessings Octavian would give to her. Closing her eyes, she soon felt the warm breath pass her cheek before quickly feeling the stinging bite of the mysterious patron of hers, before quickly awakening back in the swamp, found by her friends Twyla and Morharan. Her new powers were not all that changed. Her eyes now red like flame, hair long and black as night, and elongated canines thirsting for nourishment.
Traveling into the next day, the party found a group of Blue Half-Dragonkin and a Blue Winged Tiefling escorting a gnome as he quickly worked on affixing a flame device onto a set of crocodiles. The party quickly became hostile to this group as these Blue Half-Dragonkin were recognized as warriors of the Faelee Family, the very family who attempted to assassinate the party only a little over a week ago.
Seeing this, the Tiefling took his chance, turning heel on the Faelee cronies, helping the party to defeat the crocodiles and Half-Dragonkin. Unfortunately, the gnome who was held captive at the time was not so lucky in the encounter. Explaining he was looking for his chance to escape his servitude to the family, Demakos, the Blue Winged Tiefling, joined the party. With their new acquaintance joining them, the party set out to stop the evil witch demon who brought them here to this swamp in the first place. And that’s where we will pick up next time!