--Session 3--
Me: You reach the top of the stairs with Lae'zel and the brain creature following you. Suddenly, the blazing skies and top deck assault your vision. For a moment, you are blind. Then a roar catches your attention and stops you cold in your tracks. You shield your eyes with your hand as you look up to see a red dragon swooping over the ship. Strange cannons are firing at it manned by thralls; men and women of various races who are completely controlled by the mind flayers. The dragon spews flames upon the deck in your path as it strafes the ship. Then it spins around and drops onto the front of it. The sheer weight of the dragon breaks that portion of the deck away, sending thralls and imps and brain creatures plummeting down to the surface of Avernus. The dragon then leaps into the air and flies past you, roaring as it goes. The sheer wind it creates with its wings knocks you to the floor. Behind, Lae'zel approaches more calmly. She was not knocked down by the dragon's passing, for she had been further inside the ship at the time. She helps you to your feet. (As Lae'zel) "The helm is that way." She points up and behind you. She then gestures to two sets of stairs, one on either side of where you are. You get to your feet and examine your choices. You can either take the stairs on your left or the stairs on your right. You could also move towards the front of the deck but it is burning. In order to explore the front of the top deck, you'd have to jump the flames. You think you see some bodies over there, though. So you might be able to save someone's life and/or there might be some useful stuff they have equipped. A few dead imps and brain creatures are also on that side of the flames. Which way would you like to go?
Diadell: I'm jumping the flames. (She rolls the dice.) I'm using my Acrobatics and flipping over the flames. I rolled an 8. Do I make it?
Me: You only needed a 10. Yes. You make it. The flames aren't that high and you find a decent spot to jump so that it isn't far of a jump. You reach the first of the bodies. Make a Perception roll to see if you find anything useful. (She rolls a 2.) Ouch! Not very good. Okay. You find a total of 20 gold, a hand axe and a dagger. Doesn't look like you find much of anything good. Make another Acrobatics roll to jump back over the fire. (She rolls a 1.) Ouch! That's only a 6 total. You needed a 10. You failed. You fall prone on the other side and take 1d6 damage. Also, you need to make a Dexterity Savings Throw to avoid catching on fire.
Diadell: Dang! (She rolls 1d6 and gets a 2). 2 HP off. I have 6 left. (She rolls a 19 for her Savings Throw.) Safe. Hah!
Me: Now which way do you want to go. Now that you are facing the stairs, do you take the one on your right or the one on your left?
Diadell: To starboard!
Me: You couldn't just say "left" or "right".
Diadell: Gotta give the DM a hard time. (She grins deviously at me.)
Me: Fine, so you head to your left which is the right side of the ship or the starboard side. As you come around towards the stairs, avoiding fires burning on the top deck, you find a woman clutching her side. "Bull got me. Got me. Bull got me. Gored me with its horns," the woman says. She has a crazed look on her face and her wavy red hair is disheveled and in her face. Lae'zel grabs you by the shoulder. "Leave her. The mind flayers have already gotten to her. Her mind is lost."
Diadell: I ignore her and drop down to help the lady. I have a potion and give it to her, making her drink it.
Me: (As Lae'zel) "You would waste a potion on a thrall? Fool!" She clearly disapproves.
Diadell: Yeah! Screw you! She's dying. Witch!
Me: Lae'zel is about to say something to reply in a rather nasty and violent manner when suddenly the red haired woman jumps to her feet. "Time to put that bull down, Love!" she cries and then darts away from you...right off the side of the ship. She plummets to the ground far below without so much as a scream.
Diadell: What?! Are you serious?
Me: (As Lae'zel in my best condescending manner) I warned you, didn't I? Tsk! Fool! Now you've wasted our resources. We could have used that potion. Her mind was lost. There was no helping her. Are you going to waste all of our time and resources on every mind controlled fool on the ship? If so, I might be better off without you.
Diadell: (Sarcastically) Don't we need to hurry to the helm? I'm not sure, but I think we might just not have time to sit here and listen to your nagging. I say that and then I take off running up the stairs before she can say another word.
Me: You reach the next level up of the top deck and find a group of imps off to your right floating around over some fallen human guy. More sharply to your right and slightly behind you, you see a group of thralls operating cannons and firing at dragons and imps. Brain creatures are supervising them, it would seem. Flames cut off your path to them. Straight ahead and just to the left you see bodies and what looks like a doorway. Directly in front of you is a massive viewport revealing the helm beyond, but the only way it seems to get to it might be the door ahead and just to the left. It looks like there once was a way off to the right near where the imps are, but it has been collapsed.
Diadell: After the incident with the red haired lady, I'm pressing on towards the door on the left. Besides, I don't want Lae'zel to nag me anymore. That's her name, right? I don't think she actually introduced herself, but you've been calling her that.
Me: Hah! Oops. You're right. You aren't really supposed to now her name. Forget I told you.
Diadell: As I run towards the door, I ask her, "What's your name, by the way? Or would you like me to continue to call you Witch?"
Me: (After laughing a bit, I use my Lae'zel voice again) "Lae'zel." She answers rather briskly and with disdain. Make an Insight roll. (She rolls a 17.) Wow! Okay. You get the distinct impression that she actually does kind of like you. However, she is desperately trying to keep up her rough and tough exterior as if trying to prove that she is more confident and capable than she truly is. You can actually tell, deep down, that she is like a frightened child trying to prove to her parents that she is worthy of being treated like an adult.
Diadell: Really? Hah! That's funny. Good to know. Maybe I'll be a bit less of an annoyance to her then. We'll see. So, I reach the door.
Me: It won't open. The membranous door seems to be stubbornly not opening for you.
Diadell: Can I hack it down?
Me: Lae'zel even offers to do it for you.
Diadell: Let's work together.
Me: (As Lae'zel) Can you even do any damage to it? You seem so weak and scrawny.
Diadell: I can probably hack it open faster than you, Sweetie.
Me: (As Lae'zel) "Chsk! Don't be ridiculous. I am a Githyanki. My strength and skill is far superior to yours."
Diadell: "Oh? Well, now that we've established that you are a Githyanki and all, and that your strength and skill are so superior to my own, do you think we can hurry to the helm? We really need to get to the helm, you know? Why are you wasting so much of our time?" Then I start hacking at the door with everything I've got, both weapons.
Me: (As Lae'zel) "Ah! You are insufferable! How long must I put up with this one?" she asks as if to the sky. Then she begins to hack at the door with her long sword. Together, you bust the door open and rush inside.
--End of Session 3--
