So What Is "The End Is Die" Anyway?

In the fall of 2017, I (Jenny) decided that 5e Dungeons & Dragons was a viable outlet for all of the stories and fantasy worlds that my writer's brain had been simmering in itself for the last 2 decades.  I'd been rolling dice for just over a year and had binged a couple hundred hours of Critical Role, so I felt up to the challenge of taking a seat in the Dungeon Master's chair to run for a group of friends.

At around the same time, a local Irish Bred Pub had opened up their upper floor to tabletop RPG gamers on Wednesdays, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity.  Our first session was in mid-October and over the course of a few weeks, our party grew to a regular team of 6:

Jessie Forrester as Bubbles the Mountain Dwarf Barbarian
Cedric Diggs as Sigphreid the Half-elf Bard
Sean Spain as Westin the Druid
Blake Mauldin as Fe'alin the Half-elf Ranger
Charlie Hamlin as Xeryn the Dragonborn Paladin
Amanda Gaddy as Sarris the Moon Elf Rogue

(You can read more about the PCs in the "Nature's Gambit" tab above.)

There have been some changes in the 16 months since then; three of us have moved from the Douglasville, GA area eastward (2 players joining a third in the Smyrna area fairly near the West Perimeter, and myself across Atlanta to Tucker).  The pub was a fun environment for a while, but not ideal for longer term.  We moved to a maker-space workshop owned by Jessie and then to Jessie's house completely, as it was much more central (about a half hour drive for half of us).

We streamed on Twitch for 6 months worth or so, but ultimately that was a lot of stress and work, so we decided to forego streaming/recording video and just play with audio recorded so that we could keep track of the session details. (Look for posts of audio clips on this blog in the near future!)

A couple of us went through personal relationship breakups, but then, some of us also found love and happiness whilst at the table! (Separate post(s)!  But I'm SO EXCITED FOR 2 OF OUR PLAYERS THIS COMING SEPTEMBER, OMG!!!!)

In those 16 months, the Party has made it to level 5 without dying (so far).  They've defeated a goblin king and his tribe, rescued townspeople from death at the hands of a power hungry lamia, charmed their way past a chimera, killed beasts, healed the wounded, cleared out an ancient tomb, and I don't know what all else.  Wait.  Yes, I do!  Because we have recordings!  And notes!

So if you want to be entertained by the adventures of a band of heroes fighting against the Shadows of Chaos with the roll of the dice, buckle in and read on!

Rosaline Green

Hat by OohLalaBoudoir, Etsy.com, UK

Rosaline Green is the Captain of the Opal Osprey, a medium sized merchant ship that often makes port in Estwyk.  Her frame is of an athletic build, blonde braided hair peeking out from whichever of her many tricorner hats she happens to be wearing at the time. Her hats often hide the slightly pointed ears of her half-elf heritage.

While she certainly isn't afraid to get her hands dirty in the day to day running of her ship, she does like to wear french style perfectly manicured nails to show her station as Captain.  She wears finger-less kid leather gloves in order to make use of the ropes and rigging.

Hadjara Cynosura

Original art by Caio Santos.  For idea reference of fantasy race only.

The half-orc daughter of a seafaring father who was a much respected ship's bosun, Hadjara is the owner and craftswoman/merchant of mariner objects (spyglasses, sextants, compass cases, etc) in a shop called "Polaris", which is the upper half of the workshop of Eshvayla Von Kelle's Woodcarving.

Orphaned after her father's ship was lost at sea, Hadjara was raised alongside Eshvayla by the master woodcarver Moth'hwesta as a guardian.  While Eshvayla learned to use her dragonborn fire breath to give a trademark finish to the ship's figureheads which she became famous for, Hadjara preferred to work on a smaller scale, using simple carving methods and focusing on fine details of sailor's tools and cases in which to house them.  A competent sailor and astronomer, she spent some time of her youth in the company of Prince Nathaniel Pretorius, as a companion his own age for matters of the Royal Court, as well as sitting in on lessons with Nathaniel's tutor, to further her education.

Upon completing their apprenticeships, Hadjara and Eshvayla went in together as business partners.

As often as she was at the docks and lending a willing hand to crews of any and every ship that made port at Estwyk's "Ship's Haven" district, the people of the city grew to trust her for her forthrightness and integrity, eventually offering her a position as a Master in the Estwykian Merchant's Guild.  Sharp, fearless, and kind, Hadjara is quick to make friends and de-escalate tense situations.  A natural leader who watches over the city with a clear eye and keen ears, she was instrumental in keeping peace and order during the royal family's absence (and it was later learned, subsequent murder), and preventing the opposing views of Lord Commander Bartemus Stern and Prime Minister Anton Corbell, from coming to open blows.

Nathaniel's murder, resurrection, and return have been a test of her resolve and composure.  She was able to gently broker a meeting between the Prince and those who rescued him (Nature's Gambit Adventuring Party), such that he made the decision to end his planned elopement/abdication, in order to take  responsibility of the throne once it was clear that the rest of the family was indeed dead beyond any returning, and the entire city would be thrown into a dark period of unrest if he did not do so.

She boarded a recently rebuilt salvage ship, the Jade Lion, in order to investigate troubling occurrences at Stonesworn Lighthouse and the disturbing trend of dead merfolk washing ashore, which caused her to miss Prince Nathaniel's coronation ceremony. 

While the subsequent actions of Nature’s Gambit Adventuring Party did lead to the rescue of a number of injured mermaids, there remain more questions than answers and Hadjara continues to work closely with Captain Rosaline Green to dig deeper into the mystery. Her efforts were interrupted, however, when the murder of Eli Edison brought her back to the city.