Image by Terry Pavlet
How Orcus Stole Christmas
Orcus Claws leads the Crueltide elves who have plundered Newville’s tech; now winter forces the villagers to seek the heroes’ aid.
$10.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Tuesday - 4:00 PM UTC
Dec 16
Session Duration / 4–5 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
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About the adventure
No one knows where the demonic thing calling himself Orcus’ Claws came from, only that he has with him a tribe of goblinoids known as the Crueltide elves. Claws came into town wearing a mantle that may once have been white, but was now stained a cheerfully blood-red. The Crueltide elves, under the command of their dark master, ransacked the village of Newville and took every conceivable piece of technology the villagers had. They stole hammers, anvils, nails, hinges, iron tools, entire doors, and even the wheels from the carts of local merchants. With no resources to protect themselves from the winter snowstorms, the villagers of Newville turn to the characters for aid, claiming that Orcus’ Claws and his Crueltide elves fled into the snow-covered pine forest to the north. Since that fateful night, they have seen plumes of smoke rising on the horizon. Claws and his Elves are crafting some terrible holiday surprise, and without the aid of the characters, the people of Newville will be left only with holiday fear instead of holiday cheer.
Game style
Rules as Written (RaW)
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Roleplay Heavy
Combat Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(16)
Less than a year on StartPlaying
10 games hosted
Highly rated for: Knows the Rules, Storytelling, Sets the Mood
Average response time: 3 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
As an organized and detail-oriented Game Master, I bring rich plot lines and immersive story elements to every campaign. I specialize in weaving player backstories seamlessly into the narrative to create cohesive, unforgettable adventures. With experience spanning decades—from my start with the Red Box Dungeons & Dragons to my deep love for 3.5 edition—I’ve honed my skills and storytelling craft over time. After returning to 5E three years ago, I’ve been hosting weekly online games that keep players engaged and coming back for more. Currently, I run campaigns using the 2024 Dungeons & Dragons rules on the Shard Tabletop Virtual Tabletop (VTT) platform. Let’s roll the dice and make stories come alive!
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Character stats will be rolled on my Campaign Discord, the link to the one-shot on Shard will be available there as well, which requires a free account.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
https://discord.gg/mQdKUyJWvK This is the link for my Campaign Discord, the link for Shard will be available there as well.
What DocApocalypse brings to the table
I have tailored ambient and battle music for the adventure, multiple sets of dice and token borders for use, we will be playing a mostly RaW game with room for Rule of Cool as appropriate.
Homebrew rules
Drinking or administering a potion is a bonus action, we will be using Heroic Inspirations, Inspirations and Luck Points during the game.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How DocApocalypse creates a safe table
We will go over any session zero concerns before the game on my Discord, we'll take a 10-minute break at the halfway point, and there won't be anything overtly sexual in the game.
Content warnings
Safety tools used