The Multiverse Solution

Hello all, welcome back. At the end of the previous session, the group split up into two groups and decided to explore the basement of Tresendar manor separately. Group one were boxed into a room by some Bugbears and Redbrands, and group two were about to go head on with some re-animated skeletons. After that session ended I began planning what to do next, how the fight would go etc, I was ready. I reminded everyone of the date of the next session and everything was good to go.

THEN DISASTER STRUCK.

More than half of the party couldn't make the next session, and I couldn't do any other day that week. Not one to miss a week of D&D, I pondered like a madman on the train home from work. Three stops from home I suddenly have a ridiculous idea that would fit into the canon, allow for a bit of fun this week, appease some nerd fantasy of mine and allow for breathing room. A multiverse adventure.

So I sped-walked home from the station and began rapidly typing a spelling mistake fuelled story on the notes of my phone, this session was going to be slapdash, but my group understood that I had suddenly gone from a full house, fighting against a multitude of bad guys, to a half house. I entered the threshold of my home, sanitised up (cheers COVID), inhaled my dinner and poured myself a whisky, for I was going to need it.

So I sat down and waited for the small army to arrive, and so they did. Pleasantries exchanged and banter produced, I reset the scene.

'So there you stand, Group One, surrounded by Bugbears and Ruffians, they go to attack. Group Two, standing off against some menacing Skeletons, ready to cleave your faces off. Suddenly, everything freezes, the angry assailants who were ready to destroy you, are no longer moving. A bright flash occurs and you hear a menacing laugh. You are blinded by the flash and become disoriented. Tom and Joe, please go into voice channel one, Ayhan and Alex, voice channel two.'

Intriguing, no?

The players moved into their voice channels and I set the wheels in motion. I went into the second channel and began to set the scene.

'You awake in a stark white environment, a whirring siren overhead is all you can hear as your senses re-sharpen. You find yourselves standing in a corridor, but it's very strange. The walls are metal and very slick white, unlike anything you've ever seen before. Then you hear the familiar sounds of battle. It sounds like a battle between Mages. You go to investigate.

You follow the sounds of the fight and emerge around a corner. You are met with a peculiar scene. Soldiers clad in clean white armour, holding weapons the likes of which you've never seen before. They fire at different soldiers clad in cloth of blue, white and black. They too hold strange weapons. Their weapons unleash small magical blasts or red and green and create explosions upon impact. You are on the Tantive IV and this is the Star Wars universe.'

It is safe to say this wasn't expected as Joe and Tom erupted into childlike glee. In front of them was the skirmish from the opening scene of A New Hope and they were about to become part of its (new) history.

'Your presence is soon noted by the Stormtroopers who turn and begin firing at you, roll for initiative.'

My rolls reflected the nature of a Stormtrooper that session, for they were bollocks. Soon, the Troopers were defeated and Tom & Joe began exploring the ship.

Meanwhile, in the other voice channel, I had a very patient Ayhan and Alex waiting for me. I entered it and began to reel off where they were.

'You awaken, disoriented, you are standing in a dim corridor, the walls made of a slick green stone, carved with care and excellence. You see a small light peeking around a corner up-ahead, you go to investigate. You enter through a doorway which emits a soft golden glow. You emerge into the foot of a very large cavern. Before you lies the great bottom-most cellar or dungeon hall of the ancient dwarves right at the Mountain's root. It is almost dark so that its vastness can only be dimly guessed. But rising from the near side of the rocky floor there is a great glow. The glow of Smaug! There he lay, a vast red-golden dragon, fast asleep; a thrumming came from his jaws and nostrils, and wisps of smoke, but his fires were low in slumber. If you haven't guessed, you are in Erebor and this is The Hobbit.'

Once again, cheers of glee. Luckily I'd put two massive Tolkien fans in the same channel, so this was sure to go down a treat.

I asked the time old question 'what would you like to do?' and naturally, they wanted to head into the chamber and explore. Rolling to make sure they did it sneaky like. They filled their pockets with multitudes of gold and goods. Soon, however, they attracted the attention of a certain dragon.

'You hear the distinctive sound of piles of gold coins shifting, you look around and you see, just beyond the horizon of gold, the form of Smaug. He has awoken from his slumber and can hear you rustling around in his bounty. What do you want to do?'

In a smart move, they hid. As you would. Smaug knocked about the place, furiously enquiring to who these intruders were. They were in big doo-doo now.

Back on the Tantive IV, Tom and Joe were exploring amidst the anarchy of the boarding party. They traversed corridors and avoided danger as best they could. They walked into a corridor and the door slammed shut behind them, then the lights went out. The distant sounds of battle faded away and the eerie sound of the Tantive creaking began to bounce around the chamber. Soon followed by a hollow breathing sound. They weren't alone. Suddenly, a red glow emerged from the darkness. Towering over them in the darkness, its features accented by red, was a warrior clad in black. It wielded a glowing red sword and stood there, dominating the space. They were about to face against Darth Vader.

'Roll for initiative' I said, smugly, knowing a group of Level 5's going up against Darth Vader would be like watching the hallway scene from Rogue One in VR.

One by one, Joe and Tom went up against the Sith Lord, whacking, slashing and weapon-breathing the robotic menace. They caused a decent amount of damage, but it was inconsequential in the face of the force. Vader force choked Tom and pulled him to his grasp. Tom was suspended in the air, struggling to breathe, writhing like a fish on land. Vader then did the unthinkable. He plunged his saber into Tom's chest, striking a killing blow. He dropped Tom to the ground and then turned to handle Joe. Tom lay there, his lifeforce drained, the light in the room going dark. His soul travelled constellations and he witnessed the birth of the Universe, then, he was back. He was stable on 1HP and slightly soulless, but he was back.

Back in Erebor, Ayhan & Alex were having a bit more success against Smaug and were causing the fire drake a good amount of damage, and in return, Smaug (me) couldn't strike a blow for shit. Smaug would whip and light the place up and somehow Alex & Ayhan would miss almost all of his attacks. At one point Bilbo emerged in the doorway and was promptly burnt to a crisp by the furious dragon. That's when I decided to step up the game, Smaug unleashed some truly devastating moves and unleashed holy hell on the two of them.

On Tantive IV and in Erebor, both were in a bit of a way, so much so that one character had died. Luckily for them however, it was almost time to wrap the session up. Within a moments notice, everything froze once again. Both groups were pulled from their distinctive scenarios and plunged back through the multiverse. In their journeys they both caught glimpses of the powers that befell them. The Elf mage Sedruid flashed in images before them, laughing.

They returned to the exact spot in the exact second they previously left, one group sandwiched by Bugbears and Ruffians, and the others facing skeletons, their HP and spell slots returned to the way it had been before. The Elf mage Sedruid was flexing his returning power and this group had become his play thing. Things were about to get serious.