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The D In D Campaign
Norbert sat at the head of the table and gazed at the five individuals seated around it. After a few moments the Plushie Cybunny placed his paws flat upon the table's surface; leaned forward, and said in a solemn voice,
"Welcome one and all: to the inaugural session of the Neopia Central "D In D" club."
The participants looked at each other in eager anticipation. Norbert continued.
""D In D refers, of course, to Draiks In Dungeons. As founder of the club and owner of the rule books, guides and (hand painted) character figurines I will be assuming the role of C.M - that is, Campaign Master. Each of you will be required to choose a character from one of the available factions; Soldier, Mage, Healer, Thief, Bard. Ideally a campaign will contain at least one person from each faction. Once roles have been assigned you will each roll for stats. Then the campaign can begin."
As soon as Norbert finished speaking the others began conversing together in high, excited voices. A Steampunk Bori named Byron spoke above the others.
"I want to be a Mage!" he said firmly “I will be known as Merlin Graybeard.” Next to him sat Larry, a spotted Elephante. "I call dibs on Healer!" he cried “My character will be called Magica Tenderheart.”. The others picked roles in quick succession. Marty the Candy Mynci picked Thief, dubbing himself “Paddyfoot Sneaker.”; Alice the Maractite Usul opted for a Soldier named “Sergeant Brave”; and Tom the Island Kacheek settled for Bard - not too happily, but it was the only thing left. He chose the name “Grumble Alute.” Norbert handed out folders marked with each participant's name. He instructed them to list their character's and stats inside, telling them,
“These guides are yours forever. Treat them with respect.”
His voice then took on a slightly different tone, and the individuals around the table looked at him eagerly.
“Now,” he said, “let the adventure begin...” |
Author: geneames1
Date: Feb 17th
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Norbert cleared his throat as all eyes settled eagerly on him, and then continued, “Your party has journeyed miles to the green hills of Brightvale. Here, the terrible Grey Curse has somehow been lifted. Color and hope have returned. But King Hagan, the keeper of Brightvale’s wisdom, has not been seen in many days. Worse still, he refuses to share how the curse was broken on his lands…”
Grumble Alute raised a paw. “Maybe it’s food poisoning?”
The Mynci shushed him and turned apologetically to the group. “It’s his first time.”
The C.M smiled. “You stand now before the towering golden gates of Brightvale Castle. As you approach, a guard in shiny armor steps forward and raises a spear.”
“HALT,” Norbert said in a deep voice. “No one may enter. The King is not receiving visitors.”
Sergeant Brave moved her tiny figurine forward. “I say to him, soldier to soldier, we must speak with the King. Neopia depends on it.”
“The guard shifts uncomfortably,” the C.M replies. “but says he cannot allow it. Perhaps now is the time for a persuasion check…”
All the players looked towards Sergeant Brave, except for Grumble Alute who just looked confused.
“She’ll roll the dice,” Paddyfoot Sneaker explained. “In Draiks in Dungeons, you roll to attempt actions. Higher rolls mean success and lower rolls… well, we’ll find out.”
The dice clattered towards the middle of the table and landed on…
| Author: treeword
Date: Feb 18th |
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"A two," Norbert smirked. "The guard notices that your uniform is not a Brightvale standard issue. He tells you that the king is not taking any visitors and that you should leave before there's any trouble. He points his spear at you to emphasize the point."
"What are we going to do?" Magica whispers to them. "Should I try to charm him?"
A pair of dice clatter on the table before anyone has time to react. Grumble says, "Can I play a little song to show him that we're part of the celebration party?"
Norbert raises his eyebrows but leans forward to check the dice when the stop rolling. "Well, look at that! A natural twenty."
"Beginner's luck!" harrumphs Merlin.
"Is that a good thing?" Grumble asks, ignoring him.
"It's perfect! The guard listens to your story. How do you convince him?"
"I, uh, say-" Grumble looks around, not sure what to do, and sees Paddyfoot make a strumming gesture with her hands. "I mean, I sing a song.
'The king has saved the day,
His wisdom triumphed all.
The grey curse has been lifted,
So let us have a ball.'"
Grumble finishes his ditty with some jazz hands.
"The guard applauds you wholeheartedly," Norbert says, unable to contain his laughter. "He lets you in and tells one of the pages nearby to lead you to the Great Hall. Inside you find..."
| Author: faeriequeenoffire
Date: Feb 19th |
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"...a long table with a single note placed at the top, which you curiously read out loud."
"To whom it may concern,
I have captured King Hagan and placed him in a secret dungeon below Brightvale Castle.
If you wish to see him again, you must find the hidden entrance to the dungeon in this Great Hall, and navigate the traps within."
The group gasped at the revelation while Norbert relished the element of surprise.
"Can you describe the room in greater detail for us?" asked Sergeant Brave. "After all, we need to know the surroundings better to find the entrance."
Norbert cleared his voice. "The Great Hall is a very open space with a central dining table. There is a fireplace to the east for warmth, and various paintings of King Hagan displayed across the walls towards the south. In the corners of the room are statues of mythical figures, while on the west is a large bookshelf with some of the most ancient and sacred literature in Brightvale."
"Those all sound like good hiding places for a switch to a hidden entrance..." thought Grumble Alute out loud.
After a bit of thinking, Paddyfoot Sneaker broke the silence. "It's too obvious. Moving a statue always triggers a hidden entrance. As the thief, I'm up to the task."
Norbert grabbed a pair of dice and tossed them to Marty, who placed his figurine near one of the statues on the board. "Then make it happen, Paddyfoot Sneaker! It's time for your dexterity check..."
| Author: firefoxtails
Date: Feb 20th |
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Paddyfoot Sneaker took the dice into one candy-coloured fist, gave them a vigorous shake, and tossed them onto the table. They bounced once, twice, three times before twirling to a stop in front of Magica Tenderheart.
“Fifteen!” Paddyfoot hollered in triumph.
Nobert nodded as he consulted his C.M. notes. “With a fifteen for his dexterity check, Paddyfoot circles the statue of his choosing stealthily - a scholarly Skeith holding a scroll between his hands, likely one of the original founders of Brightvale - and searches for a hidden lever. As he runs his fingers along the scroll, he pulls and....”
Everyone leans in in anticipation.
“...nothing seems to happen.”
A collective groan rippled across the table.
“Are you sure?” Paddyfoot demanded. “I got a fifteen!”
“And with a fifteen,” Norbert replied patiently, tapping his notes, “you are quite certain of one thing: that statue is not the entrance.”
Sergeant leaned forward, studying the board. “If I were designing a secret dungeon beneath the Brightvale Great Hall, I wouldn’t make the entrance obvious. It would be symbolic and strategic.”
Merlin stroked his imaginary beard. “King Hagan is known for wisdom above all else. Perhaps the answer lies not in trickery, but intellect. Before we start pulling and pushing the other statues in the room, I propose an investigation check on the bookshelf of sacred Brightvale literature.”
Magica nodded in approval, and dropped the dice into Merlin’s hand. Paddyfoot crossed his arms with a pout - he was convinced it would’ve been the statue. Grumble simply shrugged and waited for the next roll, still not entirely clear where this was going.
Merlin cups the dice and shakes them with theatrical flair before casting them onto the game board, landing on...
| Author: krystellarina
Date: Feb 23rd |
