The Monday Hobos were back at it last night.

Last week they had a successful mission to a nearby bog, where they escorted a town official who was negotiating with a band of Bullywugs ¹. Over the course of the day bacon was served, apples were introduced, and good berries were fried.

During the evening, however, things got dicey. They had to fight off an attack from two giant crocodiles which had been plaguing the Bullywug settlement over the last few weeks. It turns out the big bad evil mining consortium had let the creatures loose to clear the band out of the area because there’s a significant bog iron deposit there ². After the battle with the crocodiles there was roast crocodile to eat and lots of singing ³.

We picked up last night after the negotiations were completed, and as part of the deal a young Bullywug named Salap joined them. Salap has a special gift with language, and serves as a translator for the tribe but, because I have a bit of a cold and Salap has a nasally voice, the party heard me say his name as “Salad.”

Thinking this poor Bullywug’s name told the world he was food, one member informed the young translator they’d work on getting him a new name. But this left Salap rather crestfallen, because “Salap” was his uncle’s name. And, in Bullywug, “Salap” is the word for the film you get on your tongue after you eat a lot of fish—this is a Bullywug way of saying the band is well-fed and prosperous. So having that name is a huge honor ⁴.

The party understood Salap’s desire to keep his name after he explained it, but the die had been cast. From that point on in the session everyone who met Salad kept calling him “Salad” after his introduction and having to be corrected.

Almost none of this was planned. Everything aside from Salap’s name, and his nasally voice, was improved during the session. I’m always amazed by the types of interactions from which new plot points emerge. In D&D, cultures form just because of what people do.

Oh, and being the Monday Murder Hobos, they also took out an Ettin who seemed to be open to letting the party know how they could find a secret path into a city they’re investigating. Because, that’s just what they do ⁵.