The Damascus Spears

Those of Group 1 begin their journey into the Underworld, but first, they meet with Polyphemus to discuss the challenges they will face.

Surrounded at all exits and time ticking, the group shoots for their most desperate escape attempt - traveling to the Underworld.

Following two grizzly deaths, the party grieves in their own ways while returning to Eritrea. They all come to the same conclusion and create a plan to get them back before 10 days are up.

In the Mines of Mt. Parnassus, the party escorts a testing prisoner and attempts to find a way to rest in a hostile environment. Orpheus' Lyre lies somewhere within with the ability to open a working portal to the Underworld if the secret chords are played.

Deep in the mines of Mt. Parnassus there lies a danger, a secret, and a spark of hope. The end of tier 2 play is at hand.

Following big IRL events we have plenty of episodes recorded and nearly ready to post as time allows. With episode 39 and the first part of the prison break infiltration being broken audio, I combined a recap along with episode 40 to get us on track again.

The prison break to release then kill Zenchin, the most powerful criminal in the Greek world, has gone underway with the big moment ready to release him from his icy cage.

Leaving Thebes, the party heads on their way to Delphi. The only obstacle in their path being the Sons of Atlas' activities mining Mt. Parnassus with the Athenian Prisoners of war they have. The hidden door to the Underworld that Orpheus created is said to be somewhere inside, but hasn't been unlocked just yet. One thing to be understood about D&D: never underestimate the ingenuity of players.

Preparation begins as the party plots to kill Zenchin, however a deal Petra made with the Sons of Atlas has thrown a wrench into the machine.
Party tensions rise when Feya must choose between family and friends, a choice with deadly consequences.

A second chance is given to Dorea and her family, while the party plots their next move. The city of Thebes is given respite from the Sons of Atlas - their influence reduced. Now only the Spartan Regime under command of the heavily preoccupied Aeneas remain. The King of Thebes remains in hiding, but other problems must take the Damascus Spears' attention.

Finly's past comes up with getting to know an old friend sparing room in their home for the party. Galatea seems quite taken with Scion and his progress. Petra gets scolded by her great^4th Aunt for the people she hangs out with. The guards continue their search for the lost fugitive - Sidri currently residing with the party.

The Sons of Atlas versus the Damascus Spears in this Gangs of New York style clash in the city of Thebes. Barbara claimed violence, and that is what they got.

Stumbling into the Thieves guild den where Petra had been hiding out has been an awkward, yet opportune, turn of events for the party. She makes a break for it but few are prepared to outrun a hasted monk with a passion for tackle hugging their family.

Stage fright can definitely scare away most people, especially when their eyes watch waiting to strike. On another note, Barbara insults someone's mama, while Annikke sees what became of an old "friend".

Thrust into the fray and chaos, the group maneuvers through the big city of Athens. Their runaway friend proving to be a considerable ally in the hunt for Petra.

Despite the ongoing pressures mounted by the Sons of Atlas influence in Thebes, the party prepares to drop the hottest diss track in the Aegean. Surely nothing would go wrong.

The party sets course and travels to Athens, the spire of democracy to prevent Feya's Niece, Petra, from releasing the most powerful criminal the Greek World has ever known.

An assassination attempt, an oracular vision, and some real bad vibes brand the party's entrance into Thebes. Alone in a city without much support, they play the cards they have and grab a closer look.

A fair reminder that the Peloponnesian war still rages finds its way to the Damascus Spears of Group 2. What is a friendly Spartan Military encampment reveals to be an unwelcome surprise in their Journey to Thebes.

The next steps are plotted and a a stop is made inside a Volcano. The broken dragon, Talos II lies at the bottom of this forge on Eritrea.

Training with Chiron, the centaur and legendary teacher to the world's greatest heroes, commences with the Damascus Spears working together. Old promises and new debts have come to term as the Grove's revival and protection come forth.

In the aftermath of the Siege of Fort Dystos, the Damascus Spears spend a month training to further their powers with the legendary mentor Chiron. Afterwards, they set off on their next adventures.

The Final assault of Phase 2 is underway as Group 2 has to tackle being under heavy fire from two ballista fronts with two separate bridges. The core of their forces rely on the success of this group as they run in. The Sons of Atlas prepare a counterstrike with their strongest kill team enroute to intercept.

In the command center of Fort Dystos, the Damascus Spears of Group 1 fight tooth and nail against the Sons of Atlas commanders as they dance with their own deaths. The tensions are high.

Phase 2 of the Assault begins with Group 1 following the plans they've made. They rely on coordination and trust in their allies to get their jobs done and help take the fort atop a sprawling mountain.

Phase 1 of Group 2's assault begins. While those from the Agripas strike the forces of Dirfi, the crew of the siderokos supported by maneuvering Shields of Laconia troops work to take out the military checkpoint before word gets out. If a single sending spell is cast, everything they worked towards can crumble in an hour. There isn't room for mistakes in this episode.

Phase 1 of the Assault on Fort Dystos has begun! The Damascus Spears from aboard the Agripas mount their attack on the harbor of Dirfi - the destroyed fishing village of which refugees escaped from Cyclops and Heads of Hydra attacks. Pirates populate a makeshift dock bringing slaves and materials used to fortify the camp at the top of the mountain under control of the Sons of Atlas.

A long awaited encounter between Barbara and Aeneas, her brutal mentor from Sparta and only parental figure, unfolds in twists of steadfast loyalty and bitter consequences while they try to address Thebes' looming issues before their assault on Eritrea.

Those not going to Delphi go off on an expedition to scout the territory the Sons of Atlas possess. They charter a small boat and work their way to the island of Eritrea where they find a much more fortified island under construction. Time is of the essence now.

With the groups split Barbara takes off in the middle of the night to find wisdom with the Oracle of Delphi. Leda gathers a group to follow suite and all have their fortunes foretold.

Warning, watch AFTER Group 1 Episode 27 for continuity (this episode takes place after it).

The groups continue to enjoy each other's company and come up with new ways to grow as an organization. Critical choices on the Performer's part set into place events that will change the world of Greece in the undetermined future. In the Big Olive - Scion and Barbara put on a duel with the help of the others to spread notoriety and fame amongst the Damascus Spears as heroes and put the discussion of whom the mightiest Spear might be to rest until a later date.

Warning, listen to this episode BEFORE listening to Group 2 Episode 25!

Both ships of the Damascus Spears convene in Thebes to celebrate a historical holiday of Annikke and her family. They come together and decompress from their missions, share food and drink, merge their prophetic messages and cult conspiracy boards, then come together to plan for their next moves. The first time in the entire campaign where characters from both groups get to interact and play in the same session (naturally creating a longer episode). Group dynamics shatter and coalesce with new norms and a refresh for characters like Feya and Kal tackling the emotional turmoil they have faced.

The travel from Eritrea to Thebes is not a happy one, but this party, on the fringe of having broken bonds, continues towards a reset with their fellow spears of the Siderokos. The journey however is not without a pull for the party to work together in solving other people's problems along the way.

The voyage to Thebes continues with another stop along the way in the city of Olympia, home of the Olympic games and a nearly brain-fried inventor. Their stops however alludes to a deeper reveal and insight into the goals of the cults and their influence in the world, something some of the gods have begun to notice.

An episode recap and the following one packed together as the Sons of Atlas in Fort Dystos are set in the sights of the party. The Oracle from Chalkis, Selene, and an understaffed fort start looking like easy pickings for a raid.

The trip to Sparta is a surprising one at the least. The King left to rule over the land back home is nothing like the stories or representations. A closer look behind the curtain reveals something more than just a quick stop on the road that the party gets involved with.

Giving a Horse hands was probably not the solution to bringing one up a mountain.... Nonetheless, a slight is mended and a bond is formed. A daring rescue and growth occurs with those away from the party while an opportunity arises for an infiltration. The Sons of Atlas second in command, Selene, has some determined demigods coming after her.

Hands are far more useful than hooves when it comes to climbing a mountain. Unfortunately, neither are of use to Finly as he encounters the alleged Pirate King Dorsalis the Grimshark, the leading force of the Heads of Hydra and an old "friend" of Finly's.

Fresh out of the Labyrinth and back into the arid desert formations of Crete, the Damascus Spears chart their next course and get a bigger picture of what has begun to happen in the world. Far away a wild card and shrouded figure reconnects to an old "friend" of theirs within the party.

Down to the last few bits of audio that didn't record correctly, this unfortunately was another really sucky one. The party moves throughout and survives a great many dangers of the Labyrinth. They navigate complex sequence puzzles, platform and prepare before fighting the Nyxweave Minotaur guarding the Door of Death in Crete under the original city of Knossos.

Due to having a split party, I decided to combine the recordings of these two sessions. One done with Finly and Haktos and their time helping a peaceful transition for Delaton and the people of Chalkis, while attending to some of the aftermath of Myron's death at the hands of an Elite Son of Atlas. Following some divine warnings about the results of Scion, Feya, and Kal's failed defense of the grove, they put together a rescue mission. Meanwhile, those captured but not killed awake in another sinister enemy's grasp.

The journey below begins, their descent a quest for the lost Labyrinth of the Minotaur. Traps and puzzles await them as they press on where many have failed or perished. A living and shifting creation designed to kill and confuse all who enter. A living prison patrolled by the Minotaur which houses a Door of Death.

After 2 months of heavy editing and attempting to recover or provide context to lost audio, I am happy to present the salvaged session of what became a critical key point of the campaign so far. Something the party had yet to encounter: a crushing defeat at a battle they couldn't afford to lose. The audio in this episode was void of any of my (The DM's) voice due to errors with OBS. However, there were enough items that, with voice over context, I believe it to be worth listening too. I hope you all feel the same!

The Mother Tree has been felled and Haktos and Scion watch the consequences unfold. They race back to Chalkis while Feya, Finly, and Kal hatch a plan to assassinate Gourmand, the Tyrant ruling over it. Consequences are harsh and the world gets a little bit darker for the Damascus Spears and their quest.

Their journey to find the Labyrinth continues as Group 2 finds their way deep into Minotaur tribal lands. There a proud and noble Chieftain, Palsimos, guides his people and follow the path of the Minotaur. The party navigates their way towards peace and joins in on some of the cultural practices before undertaking their own trials. The stakes rise with inner truths and ideas challenged.

Part of the few episodes that became corrupted or failed to properly record, DM Noah recaps from memory and notes about the challenges the Damascus Spears in Knossos faced and pairs the gap going into the next episode. For reference, June 6th, 2021 was the date of recording of the episode and a great many more have already been recorded but just need time for general editing and upload. The recap roadblocks are currently all that stands in the way of getting them posted, but rest assured, they are being worked on!

After escaping the eyes of the law, the Damascus Spears are thrust into a race against time to explore what lies in the underground passages, what secrets the masked spy holds, and how to save Gylea and fulfill the promise the Performer has made to her.

The town of Chalkis is a difficult problem to solve. From a Tyrannical leader with a choke hold over the people's resources, pressure from Demeter threatening to wipe the town off the map, and with the moral dilemma regarding Ares' commands and forsaking the party. Strap in for choices that shift the tone of Group 1's journey!

Unfortunately, a handful of episodes became corrupted or failed to record (Of the entire series so far of 62+ episodes recorded [at time of this upload], about 7 of them did not record correctly). Some awesome moments have unfortunately been lost forever, however, I will use these moments to give brief recaps and an outlook into my DM notes regarding the session or how the story progresses. Covid and holidays have delayed the times I would upload these recordings, but I am actively getting back on track to release several regularly once more. The recording problem has already been addressed and recent episodes are clean and good to go once I catch up on the backlog.
Thanks for sticking with this 5e podcast, until next time!

With some elite bard skills, the party works to evade involvement in the disappearance of Gylea and kidnapping of Paris. Moving forward, the party plays a dangerous game of Spy vs Spy as very sinister force works its grasp around the city of Knossos.

The island of Andros has been aided, but the plan forward requires some thought and preparation. Not wanting to be identified by the Heads of Hydra pirates, they aim to disguise the Agripas and head to the island of Eritrea where a man named Gourmanduopolis rules, and the scores of refugees flee from.