#bone cradle

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: At one point Telchal asks, "How did you come to be adventuring at such an early age?"

Seraph (siren sorcerer): I, uh. I was living on my own when I met TTC. They hired me for a job, and then they offered me a place in their party. I guess they were impressed or they felt sorry for me.

DM: Telchal says, "I have a million follow-up questions!" Alwel says, "I'm not sure you do." Telchal turns to him and says, "No, I do! Why was she living on her own? How did she-" Alwel elbows him in the face and he clutches his nose and mutters, "Got it." Glatur signs and Alwel asks you, "What kind of adventures have you had with TTC?"

Seraph: *grateful* Well, the first big adventure we went on was to find this vampire hunter so we could replace the awful guard captain in Shibanah. The trail led to a town called Bone Cradle which turned out to be all vampires, but apparently they had a good relationship with the local farmers where they'd get blood in return for protection from monsters and marauders. A rival pack moved in, an ancient vampire lord and his minions. We killed them.

DM: Telchal whistles.

Seraph: That's where I got the crown. I took it from his personal hoard.

DM: He says, "It's an ancient vampire king's crown? That's so cool!"

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: As you approach, you can see from a distance why the town is called Bone Cradle. There’s a large mesa standing in the middle of the plain. One side is carved out into a large hollow, and lying propped in the hollow as if it was reclining in a beanbag is the skeleton of a very large humanoid. Its rib cage forms the ‘cradle’ of the town.

Godric (fairy warlock): Draw me like one of your French skeletons.

DM: Exactly.

[we-are-a-dragon]

Mayor: I gather you have some questions.

Una (genasi artificer): Why’s this town so weird?

Mayor: Everyone in Bone Cradle is... a vampire.

Una: ...But why are they so weird?

Mayor: If you’d lived with the same 200 people for 500 years, you’d run out of things to talk about too.

Billie (gnome ardent): I’m surprised they’re not all over outsiders, then.

Mayor: They're trying to act normal.

Billie: Well, they’re failing spectacularly.

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: The town is in surprisingly good repair. All the buildings are well-maintained, and there doesn’t seem to be a poor area. You see that the humanoid skull at the top of the hollow is well-supported with beams and scaffolding. If you look carefully, you can see a figure move behind one of the eyeholes occasionally. The town is, as before, very quiet. There’s ambient noise like birdsong and a forge hammer somewhere, but the townsfolk don’t say anything.

Godric (fairy warlock): Too creepy. I ask for directions to the watchtower.

DM: The person you ask looks slightly confused, and repeats Barman’s very clear directions.

Godric: I just wanted to know if they could talk.

[we-are-a-dragon]

Thaddeus (khajiit paladin): So, do you want out of this cage?

Zerith, drider: Yes. Particularly now that you’ve killed the vampires, I won’t get much to eat. I’ll owe you a favour if you release me. Where are we?

Thaddeus: Near the town of Bone Cradle.

Zerith: *patiently* What plane?

Billie (gnome ardent): Mortal.

Zerith: Ah. It might be tricky to get home from here.

Billie: Do you live in the Underdark?

Zerith: Naturally. I don’t know where the nearest entrance is.

Thaddeus: Can’t you just... go down?

Zerith: *amused look* You try it. Right now, try going ‘down’. You can’t, can you?

Thaddeus: ...We shouldn’t let her out.

[we-are-a-dragon]

Seraph (siren sorcerer): So if everyone in this town is a vampire... why hasn’t the guild done something?

Thalmorak, vampire hunter: We have a long-standing arrangement. The vampires keep the region safe from bandits, raiders, and the odd monster. In return the surrounding farmers and peasants provide them with livestock to feed on.

Una (genasi artificer): So why do they need you?

Thalmorak: Sometimes older vampire clans are too deadly even for these to take care of. They need specialists.

Thaddeus (khajiit paladin): Is every vampire in town un-blooded?

Mayor: No. But we only eat bandits we would be killing anyway.

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: So the office takes up the round part of the skull-

Tati (playing Seraph): The whole skull?

DM: It’s a big office.

Tati: The ribcage is big enough to fit a whole town inside.

DM: Okay, good point.

Tati: Get your story straight, woman.

[we-are-a-dragon]

Billie (gnome ardent): So, about being a vampire.

DM: Thalmorak sighs. “It has a lot of benefits, I’m not going to lie about that. But I wouldn’t recommend it.” As you come nearer to Bone Cradle, the townsfolk seem warm toward him.

Godric (fairy warlock): Hey, why do these people like you? No offence.

DM: He shrugs. “I’ve been to the town a couple times.”

Billie: Do they know about your... slurpy-slurp condition?

DM: “...Look at that, we’re almost here.”