Overview[]
The fifth season of the Tabletop Champions podcast takes place in the world of Irulan, the main setting of the show and home and birthplace of many iconic characters and running gags. The fifth season starts with Episode 185 and is lead by dungeon master Lauren.
In the fifth season, a band of adventurers becomes an integral part in the fate of the realm. Initially, the group includes Irpaks the bard, Throden the druid, Fanel the monk, Raquel the rogue, and Clover the wizard.
The heroes of season five, drawn by @wishbit
Irulan History[]
The known history of Irulan as established by Sean, your dungeon master, literally spans over milennia. It can be roughly (and non-canonically) devided into Irulan Ancient History (IAH), the Pre-Crystal Era (PCE), the Crystal Era (CE) and the Post-Eutax Era (PXE).
Season 5 continues the Post-Eutax-Era 25 years after the conclusion of season three. This era begins with The Shock at the end of season 2 and is the youngest era of Irulan history to-date.
Summary of Season 5[]
Darkness Falls, Once Again[]
After the battle with Alenia143, D'Nias Var, Skrag Ragnall, Aramel Kinlee, Markus Landor and Torrin Biri Donnar have gone their separate ways. Aramel once again took his seat as King of the Pirates at Aramel's Rest197, while Markus has taken up traveling, dedicating himself anew to doing research in Irulan192. Torrin however has not been heard from again.
D'Nias and her daughter. Fan Art by Karlamarie Boria.
Furthermore, Skrag and D'Nias have spent the 25 years since the conclusion of season three together, adventuring in the realm, helping along the reconstruction where they could, and falling in love191. They had a daughter, born in the Chaewood and named Laura-Leena Var-Ragnall, whom they raised and who has since continued the work of her parents, going on a walkabout into the world. Laura-Leena has met Silo in Haven, and has been taken under her wing as a member of the Burning Arrow.
In the time leading up to the beginning185 of season five, Laura-Leena has had premonitions of the destruction of the realm in her dreams. At the same time, Burning Arrow scouts have vanished in the Ziragzar Spires, close to the town of Westphalia. As she is running out of options, she asks her parents to look into the matter.
Skrag and D'Nias travel to Westphalia, where they come across a Drow spy, who confesses to serve the so-called True God. Later at the foot of the Spires, they find the remains of the last Burning Arrow scouting party, and are captured before they can escape and warn their daughter191.
Close to Haven[]
After heroes and legendary adventurers of the realm have gone missing one after another, Irulan has been shrouded in permanent, magical darkness. Somewhere in the forest north of Haven, a group of Drow are escorting a prisoner train which they intend to take to a secret location for enslavement and labor185. The prisoners include Irpaks, Throden, Fanel, Raquel and Clover. They fight for their freedom and kill their guards with the help of a mysterious ally.
The group sticks together for the time being and travels north to a small Hamlet186. Raquel has enlisted the others to help retrieve an artifact the Drow have taken away from her. At the local inn, Lacey hires them to deal with a coven of hags who plague the settlement.
A Night Hag
The group searches the local forest and confronts the hags187, who are on the loosing end of battle and flee. Raquel finds her stolen artifact among their possessions, while Clover uses an arcane disc to locate the hags' secret lair deeper in the forest. The fiends defend it tooth and nail, but are ultimately killed188.
The group have found Dawn with the hags and take her back to the small village, where Lacey throws them a party and a King of the Bar competition189. During the night, an unseen trespasser burns up Throden's zombies, and Clover has a nightmare about a monstrous spider190.
The next morning, Clover invites Dawn to travel with them back to Haven. During the journey, they learn great mysteries from the hags' grimoire, and Clover understands that the silver disc is inhabited by a sentient spirit190. Once they reach Haven, they realize it is under attack and on fire.
Haven[]
Haven and the surrounding area
In Haven, Salomon Than and Hibiscus Tortle have missed their shift in the Havenguard192. Vrath and Riland have decided to teach them a lesson, sending them on a pointless fetch quest that feels extremely dangerous to the two guard members, but is really not dangerous at all. After they complete it, they get a staunch talking to from Vrath, when suddenly she notices a commotion coming from Tode's home in the Fey forest near Haven.
Vrath. Fan Art by Karlamarie Boria.
They check on Tode, but find his home destroyed and assume him dead. In the same moment, they notice the sounds of a battle coming from Haven, and rush there. The town, which has been fortified over the last 25 years, is attacked by a mixed force of humanoids and Lizardfolk of the Blue Tongue Clan193, who are fighting united under the banner of the True God. Laura-Leena is singled out by a huge armored man, who tries to abduct her through a magical portal, but Vrath saves her at the last moment and the man escapes.
At the same time, the adventurers have reached the town, with Dawn in tow. The party rush to defend the Haven, zombie-raising and fireball-hurling. A mysterious ally, a Lizardfolk, wild shapes into a dinosaur to aid them193. After the battle, Throden learns that this ally is his wife, whom he thought was dead.
Meanwhile Clover reunites with his mothers, and Fanel realizes that Dawn has wandered into the Fey forest194, where a vine gives the monk a nasty scar. Irpaks takes advantage of this: disguised as Votek, he baits the monk into a journey to Trenton, where he claims Dawn has been taken to.
The following day195, the town has a chance to calm down and start repairs, while Clover must stand up to his parents. He has decided to leave Haven to live like a true adventurer, following in the footsteps of Colin Timble, his idol.
Fan Art of the Banner of the True God
Before they leave town, the group speaks to Silo, the leader of the Burning Arrow. She and Laura-Leena examine the hags' grimoire, connecting the dots between the name Kri'zakth, the True God, the attacks on Haven and Tode, as well as on Laura-Leena, Skrag and D'Nias196. The party promises to keep reporting back to Silo, while Laura-Leena will try to get Aramel Kinlee into the picture.
Trenton[]
On the road to Trenton, a very dangerous assassin attacks the group's camp by night, but they manage to send them back to the hells197. Raquel uses the journey to plan a heist with Irpaks, and Clover gets to know the Genasi a little better.
Fanart of the crest of the SBO
Once in Trenton, the group splits up: Fanel and Throden search for clues to find Dawn, which is doomed to fail198. However, they eventually notice that a person with the insignia of the Sun and Branches Order has been shadowing them199. They turn the tables on them and follow their pursuer back to Sir Wellington's estate.
Meanwhile, Irpaks, and Clover have made a connection with the Dragonborn playwright Thendren Flamebeard at a tavern, while Raquel has found out where the estate of Sir Wellington is198. They make their way there, and manage to break into the house unnoticed to steal a mysterious dagger, which Raquel pockets199. Outside the gate, Fanel is surprised to find Leo, his former master, on the premises.
When Sir Wellington's guards sound the alarm, the party must escape as quickly as they can, and regroup outside the premises in the crowded streets of Trenton200. However, the alarm is more serious than they thought: portals open up in town, and troops under the Banner of the True God emerge, slaughtering the people of Trenton. At the same time, Tode returns and fights with the Black Dragon guardian of Trenton, apparently allied with a rider on their back. The group can only run and hide, and is found by Thendren Flamebeard, who leads them into the sewers below the city. He gives them a magical scroll, which whisks them away from the plane.
The Plane of Mischief[]
The adventurers find themselves in a strange land and see a massive city with a towering castle near them200. A barn owl hands them an invitation from Grifto the Magnificent, who challenges them to a race to the castle on the other end of Goblin City. They also meet Corvino, who sends them through a gate into the labyrinth on the other side.
Raquel however is not fooled by any of the labyrinth's trappings, and leads the group mostly safely through snaking passages to the Stinking Bog where they meet Sir Nora Sable201, who makes friends with Chubbs the Giant Boar and follows along. Before they reach Goblin City, a dense fog catches them in a forest, and they each experience a prophetic vision202.
Once they have come back to their senses, they reach the gate of Goblin City and must fight the door itself to get inside203. During the battle, they suddenly see Dawn on top of the wall. Once inside, they find her again: only now she morphs into a real hag. The group races her to the castle entrance, and win easily. Once the race is finished, Grifto the Magnificent appears, and turns Dawn into a goblin. The group does not quite understand why they have been kept in this weird plane, and Grifto sends them back to Irulan without much of an explanation203.
Return to Haven[]
Once the party has returned to where they left, they understand a little better: nothing remains of the city of Trenton but an evenly scorched crater in the ground204. Back on the surface, they see lights in the distance and go to meet them, and it turns out to be the Havenguard. The guard gathers them up and escorts them back to Haven the following day. Meanwhile, Fanel's scar195 has grown much larger, and Throden examines it and makes a connection to the goddess Jazirian.
The group learns from Laura-Leena that none of her messages have been answered since they last spoke. Irpaks nudges the group to go seek out Markus Landor at the Leering Tower, which fits well into Raquel's plans. They decide to travel east, via New Doladon and Avisac. However, when they are ready to journey on, Clover announces that he will stay in Haven and become an initiate in the Havenguard, so they say their goodbyes204.
New Doladon[]
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After some days of travel, Irpaks, Throden, Fanel and Raquel run into a funny Tiefling by the name of Lisan al-Ghaib along the way, who runs a palmistry caravan205. Lisan claims the Traveller has guided him to join their group. They let him come along, although they are suspicious of him. In the night, Milil returns to Irpaks' dreams and tells the bard a story, as promised202.
Lisan al-Ghaib. Fan Art by Karlamarie Boria.
Before they can get into the city, Irpaks reveals that he is not allowed back into New Doladon, and asks them to meet a confidant of his, named Tendra Dippins, at the Leaky Tankard tavern. In truth however, Irpaks changes into the guise of Tendra and simply awaits them there. The group meets at the tavern for a feast with many legs and eyes, cooked by Lisan207, but before that, Raquel seeks out her old friend Shaye at her artisan smithy called Celestial Touch. Shaye has crafted a special box for Raquel for a secret purpose206. When Shaye hears the dire news about Skrag and D'Nias, she gears up to find Laura-Leena in Haven. The group rents rooms for the night at the Leaky Tankard, and Lisan spends it entertaining the patrons. However, when Raquel probes him on his motives, they run into a bit of a disagreement, and the Genasi reveals that she plans on leaving the group as soon as she can207. Meanwhile, Tendra Dippins has been called to a secret meeting, and after the bar closes she sneaks out to an abandoned house, where she meets Irpaks207.
Avisac[]
Aramel's Rest[]
The Leering Tower[]
Nessus[]
Westphalia & the Ziragzar Spires[]
See also[]
Season 2
Season 3
Player Characters
NPCs
Irulan Lore
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