Roll For Initiative

37. Lucian

I don’t want to let her go. I feel immensely possessive and have a dire need to protect her. Watching on the cam as he attacked her and me unable to help, made me almost feral. Then seeing her and seeing all the damage he did, my whole body was tense. Her hug calmed the beast within for now. A beast I didn’t know existed until now. I want to hurt him, somehow. I lock eyes with Jayme over her shoulder as I hold her. He nods as if he can read my mind, find out where that fucker lives.

She hops off my lap, standing and pulling me up with her. We have an hour to get the shit set up for when Ash and Sunny get here. I’m at the head of the table, Cassie and Jayme on my right, Ash, and Sunny on the left. Fuck! I also need to keep those two away from Jayme. Ash normally attacks anything attractive with a pulse and loves to chase. She is um... incredibly open about everything. She’s a very “live in the moment” kind of woman. We never hooked up thankfully. And when it comes to Sunny, Jayme is just his type. He came out to us as bisexual about 2 years ago and good lord, he is just as bad, if not worse than Ash. He is a huge flirt, especially if he has a drink. He even tried to take a pass at me at Halloween last year. I was flattered but kindly declined. Jayme is going to be a huge distraction tonight.

The door flies open and in walks Ash and Sunny. They fling off their coats and grab me up in a group hug before I can even get the words “Hi” out of my mouth. I’m locked with one on each side of me and I couldn’t be happier. I have missed my friends.

“Damn, it’s good to have you back man!” Sunny speaks first.

“Hell yeah, it is. You know you are getting shackled here permanently. Don’t even think about leaving again. Cassie was a mess without you.” Ash laughs, jabbing me in the ribs.

“Oh, I’m sure she has been just fine without me.” I look over at Cassie standing with Jayme by the kitchen island. We lock eyes, and she blushes, looking down.

Ash looks over toward Cassie and spots Jayme first.

“Well, hey there, Cassie. Is this your new boy toy?” Ash jokes.

“No, princess. I’m not Cassie’s. I’m Lucian’s.” Jayme says, giving me a devilish grin.

“What... Holy hell. Hello Handsom.” Oh, good lord, now Sunny has his eyes locked on Jayme, devouring him from head to toe. I swear these two are embarrassing. “Damn, Lucian, I thought you didn’t swing that way, but I can definitely see why you were persuaded.” He winks at Jayme.

“We aren’t together. He is just my friend and my boss’s son. Geeze, Sunny, behave.” I snap.

“Ouch, Luci. That hurts. You act like all the fun we had together has meant nothing to you.” He smiles and winks at Sunny, then makes a kissy face at me.

“You are insufferable.” I roll my eyes at him.

“I want details.” Sunny walks over to Jayme. “So, what’s your name.”

“Jayme. Jayme West. You must be Sunny. And you...” He walks over to Ash and kisses her hand, “You must be Ash.”

“Ashley. My friends call me Ash.” She pulls her hand back, flicks her hair over her shoulder, and walks over to hug Cassie. HA! I forgot to mention to Jayme that Ash prefers to chase down her prey rather than let it walk willingly into her trap. She is evil, but she is an amazing friend—loving and loyal to the end.

“Well, welcome, everyone. I got everything all ready; help yourself. We each can make our own mini pizza; they should only take 15 minutes to cook. We can eat in the front room since the dining room is all set up for the campaign.” Cassie takes Ash’s hand, and they go around the island to start making their pizzas. Sunny is still staring at Jayme, and I can’t help but laugh. This is what home feels like—surrounded by your friends.

AFTER THE PIZZA WAS cooked and everyone got their fill, we made a round of margaritas. We are all seated at the table. Everyone has a good buzz going. Cassie’s always been good at making strong but delicious drinks. It’s finally time to get this campaign started.

I have everyone start by telling me the names of their characters and what they are.

Cassie’s character is a Tiefling named Liana, who is a Rogue.

Ash’s character is a Tabaxi named Juno, who is a Druid.

Sunny’s character is a Dwarf named Reggie, who is a Barbarian.

Everyone starts at level 3 and has their character's spells and traits figured out.

I’m happy everyone is of different races and classes this time. It really helps bring variety to the game. I start setting the mood. The lights are dim. Three candles are lit on the table, one for each of their souls. That will come into play later. I made a massive playlist of different background noises for different parts of the campaign. I love being a dungeon master. It’s so creative and exciting.

I set the scene.

"All 3 of you are from different towns. There was a notice on the job board in each of your towns that piqued your interest. "TOWNSFOLK MISSING. NO TRACE. NO BODIES. NO RANSOM. Come to Wildwood Tavern, 3 miles West of Milterville. So that’s what each of you are currently doing. Trekking through the wilderness to the tavern hidden in the forest on the side of a mountain. So let’s roll for initiative and see who will be starting."

Ash rolls a 10 with a modifier of 2, so a 12.

Sunny rolls a 13 with a modifier of 1, so 14.

Cassie rolls a 9 with a modifier of 4, so 13.

Because of Cassie’s modifier, the turn order will be Sunny, Cassie, and Ash as they trek to the tavern. Sunny starts.

"Ok, after starting my trek, I want to start looking for clues as I get closer to the town. I know they said there was no trace of what happened to these folks in the notice, but I would like to use my keen sense of smell to sniff for any blood trails."

"Ok, give me a perception check," I ask.

He rolls an 8. With a modifier of 2. Ooof.

"Unfortunately, there is a lot of snow on the ground, and the air is too cold. You inhale deeply, and the icy wind causes your nasal passages to get icy and cold. You can’t smell anything."

"Shit." He said. Welp, Sunny’s turn is over.

"Cass. You are up." I tell her.

"Okay, I go straight into the tavern. I walk in, sit at the bar, and get the bartender's attention. I want to ask him about the disappearances and if he knows who put out the job notice, " she says.

"Ok, the bartender is a Dragonborn, so he is wary of your presence. He keeps some distance but is intrigued by your natural charm and good looks. No need for a skill check. He says that there is an Elf Druid that lives in town and comes in almost every night. He is the one hiring people to investigate the disappearances. Whatever happened to them also happened to his daughter."

"What does the Dragonborn bartender look like?"

"He is about 7 feet tall. Long dark black hair with red tips that hangs just below his jawline. He has dark red to black ombre scales. Jet black eyes. He is definitely a good looking dragonborn."

"Hmm. Ok." Cassie’s turn is over.

"Ash, you are up. What do you do?"

"Well, I immediately notice that most patrons are in groups. There is, however, a lone Tiefling at the bar. So, I keep my distance. I head to a booth toward the back of the bar. Gives me a better vantage point to see who comes in."

"Ok, so you just want to observe for a while?"

"Yep. I like to watch," she replies, looking over at Jayme with her Cheshire smile. Good lord, Ash. She is interested in Jayme, at least a little bit.

"Ok back to sunny. Some time has passed. The old Elf has come into the tavern and sits in a booth near the fire. The crowd is starting to dwindle. Not many townsfolk like being out late with all the disappearances. "

Sunny bumps Ash with his elbow to get her to focus. Thank you, Sunny.

"Ok, so when I finally enter the tavern, I immediately go over to the fireplace. I’m freezing. Standing there, I want to talk with the old man. See if he knows anything about the disappearances."

"All right." I glance over some of my notes. "The man is hesitant. They have been wary of lone travelers and outsiders. No one can be too careful nowadays. But he does tell you that he is the one who sent the job notices to all the neighboring towns. He tells you about his daughter Arana and how she was playing by the hot springs when suddenly she was gone. No blood, no drag marks. Nothing."

"Can I ask him about his daughter? Age and other descriptive features." He asks.

"Yes. She is about 12. Very tiny, even for an elf child. Brown hair past her shoulders. And bright green eyes."

Sunny writes down the descriptions.

"I let the elf know I will attempt to assemble a team and discover who or what is taking people. And that I will try my best to recover his daughter."

"Very good. Cass, it’s getting late. You have been just up at the bar, seeing what is going on. Almost all the patrons are gone now. The old man left, but you heard the dwarf talking about assembling a team. What do you do next?"