I'm actually offering these chuckle heads one free reroll on any die that the report writer wants for these reports now, having switched to milestone leveling instead of tracking XP. Of course the first log was sent in immediately by Mike's player, who wasn't even at the table this session:
"We've been underground for way too long, finally made it to the surface again. Now on our way to save a Hydra. The end."
Lomin's player made more of an effort - great text below with some lovely in-character misconceptions that I'll leave right in. Tilly's player will add some notes from his secret diary at a later point.
Because I’m such a nice guy, and because our endeavours are worth reading about, I’ve decided to carry the torch so to speak, and tell you all that’s been happening last session!
If the elf Lomin Mor appears to be slightly more heroic than usual in these writings, that can in no way be attributed to the fact that I am currently playing said character. All coincidental. Scout’s honour.
Off we go...
Dramatis Personae
- Guy. Human diviner wizard and former Noble hailing from Arrayne, carrying a huge debt.
- Mike. Human druid from Northern Pembroke. Big animal lover. (And I mean BIG. The bigger they are, the more he loves them.)
- Aju. Half man, half shark. Huge and very handy in a fight. Enchanted to be in his current form for a year. After that? Who knows.
Unfortunately all the players above were not available for this session, which leaves us with:
- Shams Metalgrog. Dwarven fighter on a trading mission with a sleigh full of dangerous trade goods like dwarven fire and stonebreaker acid, surrounded by a score of fellow dwarves. Clad in the best armour dwarven smiths can create, with a blazing sun on his chest. Or is it her? With dwarves, who can tell. Them/their.
- Lomin Mor. Charming rogue, originally from a noble home in Arrayne which he fled after being accused of murdering his fiance and her brother, his best friend. (Ew, but Elves, so whatever.) Keeper of many secrets, of which his acting job as Lady Olga of Culfield might be just the tip of the iceberg.
- Tilbørd / Tilly. Human. Bard. Warlock. Cleric. Priest of the Authority. Deal maker. So many roles to play. Perhaps best described as smooth talker extraordinaire. And proving beautifully that stats and powers don't make the character. Deals with powerful spirits and the undead arguably make this guy the most dangerous of the entire party.
SO, WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?
Last session we were examining an ancient lab, where mummies ran the show, dead tired from all the stuff the big honchos expected them to do for hundreds of years. They were just going about their business, but naturally we couldn’t leave it at that, so after Mike provoked them into action we slaughtered them to a man. Oh, and destroyed the mechanism which allowed them to heal again. And Shams got a nice little imp familiar called Ricky, which they almost killed when they tried to free it. But it all worked out.
WHAT'S NEXT THEN?
Since we could not get enough of being underground, we decided going back to the library where we entered this whole labyrinth was a good idea. And then maybe exit. But first explore. Of course.THAT'S NOT WHAT I CALL FINE ART
Off we went. Soon we encountered a huge door, solidly wedged in place. Enough space though to crawl under and see what’s on the other side, which is what Lomin did.
The vast hall on the other side was quickly recognized to be the same one as where our party had emerged from before. (Session 11) However, the big dwarf sleigh could never fit through the opening that Lomin had used.
The long way around, to the opening that was used before, that seemed a logical enough decision. Not to Tilbørd, who thought that this was a good time to strike out on his own. Just a short cut. See you on the other side…
Almost immediately after he started his lone exploration, sounds were heard in the vicinity.
Bravely however, he raised his light and carried on.
He found his way to the library without incident. Apparently, snuffing the mummies in the lab, or more likely, destroying the re-energizer thingy there, had ended the life force of the library mummies as well. Dead mummies abound (No longer undead, but really, really dead), caught in the middle of their last action. Fallen books everywhere.
Meanwhile the main party was nearing the entrance used before.
Tilbørd raised his light, and what was that deeper shadow? An alcove! Time to explore…. Inside a truly beautiful statue resembling other Du’van statues we had seen, but this one was a fine example, with jewels in the eyes and jeweled fangs protruding from the mouth. Two lesser copies appeared to be set behind it. Smaller, uglier, less defined. Tilbørd examined the one to the left…. Only to be almost eaten by the two mimics disguising themselves as statues.
I gave every hint I could think of. Moldy smell, rough, rounded corners, odd cramped placement in the same alcove as the original statue - it all made Tilly want to touch the damned thing more. Wish granted.
Luckily our cleric is a fast runner. Shrieking he fled, two mimics on his trail. Elsewhere down the hall, Lomin heard the ruckus and alerted his fellow party members before rushing toward it, followed by dwarf lord Shams. Soon they came upon Tilbørd, and thus the two mimics. Battle ensued. Shams used a great new sword trick, but it was Lomin who discovered a weak spot and dispatched both mimics with some well-aimed arrows, splattering them all over his fellows. You’re welcome. Oops.
Following these events, the real statue was examined, jewels went into Lomin’s pocket and the thing was smashed by Tilbørd as an experiment. The big dwarf sled was hailed up the stairs, we came back to the room with the two sarcophagi, and on we struggled to the exit. Fallen Du’van mummies on all sides, as though they had come to life and were snuffed again. Creapy.
Daylight. And what was that? A huge barrel blocking the exit. Movement! Luckily it was just Aju, looking more like a fish than ever, sprouting some new parts as well. He explains that with the sudden growths came an increased need for water and more trouble breathing in air. Which is why he’s now inside this barrel. He climbs out, breathing hard and joins the rest of the party.
The exit has new wards and sigils from the Silent Order of Saint Gustav. Absolutely forbidden to enter. Bit late for that. Our party gathers outside. We check to see if no more pollution is coming from the tomb. Tilbørd’s magic indicates we’ve succeeded. Plans are made. Tilbørd and Lomin head for the monastery, the rest is going toward the town.
 |
| Finally the party is on the map again: near the southward bend of the horizontal mountain range - the Corsewall gap to the Principalities of Stone. |
EXCUSE ME, AM I BEING CIVIL?
The dwarves as well as the larger part of our party went to the town. Shams immediately actively sought out the local lord to start their trading mission. After locating this man Shams made their introductions. Both Shams and Sir Justin were trying to be very polite as Shams explained the dwarves plan for a trading route, the necessity for some local support and so on.Unfortunately, neither knew exactly which was the correct, civil way to proceed, leading to lengthy awkward praise from both sides. The exchanging of gifts was much appreciated, and Sir Justin pledged to support the dwarven mission. He wrote a letter of introduction to other nobles in the Duchy of Belswick.
The negotiation was beautifully awkward, with Sir Justin very distracted by his day to day affairs (see below). At least that's the only explanation I could think of when he kept rolling 1 after 1 on his Intelligence check to figure out that yes, after 30 years of trade embargo with the kingdom of Pembroke, the Dwarves were here on his doorstep to sell weapons-grade alchemy and metals again. Once that penny dropped, he turned helpful super fast.
However, Sir Justin had his own problems, and sought a favour in return. Some high ranking nobles were on the way to the village. Tradition demanded that he provided an escort. However, having just fought the Hydra Coruscan with his men, (the one true Hydra. Very useful for spell components. Therefore NOT to be killed!) he and his men were a little worse for wear. Could not Shams and her companions do this little thing for him, as it was on their way anyway? Shams agreed.
I've set myself the challenge of using only one of each big iconic and mythological beastie in the entire campaign. Which means that there's only one vampire, and one real Hydra, and so the local wizards are quite paranoid about rando murderhobo's cutting off their Hydra tooth supply.
I also did the cruel thing and had Sir Justin ask for the merry band's name, to be celebrated as vanquishers of the great underground undead problem. Predictably, they came up bone dry. The group is making waves though, so I'll keep asking.
COULD I HAVE A WORD?
Meanwhile Tilbørd and Lomin made their way up the hill to the Monastery of the Wooden Crown. Here Tilbørd requested to speak with the boarling abbot Finley. Very quickly they were joined by friar Alwin of the Silent Order of St. Gustav, the absolute enemy of the Olmadician order to which Tilbørd belongs. Alwin accused Tilbørd of breaking into the catacombs, which he didn’t deny. Tilbørd then however, spun such an elaborate tale of why he had done so, what had transpired and the evil he and our party had vanquished, with much detail, but also skillfully skipping over parts which did not agree with the church’s teachings, that Lomin, not a bad deceiver himself, felt the urge to applaud when he was finished.Abbot Finley was also much impressed, giving Tilbørd and our party his blessing, much to the disgust of the fuming friar Alwin. It did help that neither friar nor abbot spotted Lomin’s new sword, swadled in his cloak. Possession of the Torch of St. Kurelda might have been a tad difficult to explain even for our mighty brother orator.
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
And thus our party (as yet nameless) was reunited in the village. Shopping was concluded, much needed sleep enjoyed. In the morning Sir Justin provided us with a cart and horse, a bit more practical than a sled, and off we went to our meeting with the high nobles we were to escort in Justin’s place.They were a most unconventional party.
This group consisted of the honourable Baron of Radnor, his retinue being 3 knights on horseback lead by Sir Ellis, the shieldmaiden Rosaly carrying a spear covered in an elaborate leather sleeve, bishop Urael of the Olmadician Order, also with 3 riders, and an impressive huge black carriage, loaded with sigils and wards.
Well, almost.
The first person that drew Lomin's attention was the bishop, a graceful slender elf like himself, whereas both Mike and Guy pronounced the coat of arms and trimmings of the Baron as false, unthinking and in creepy unison, to their own surprise. Greetings were exchanged, Sir Justin doing the introductions, and we were on our way.
Aju never far from a watersource anymore rode aboard the cart, together with Mike and Guy and an assortment of dwarves, Lomin on foot trying to get a better look at the bishop and Tilbørd trying to get a better look at the Baron.
As our group could not provide outriders, the Baron’s men provided this function. This allowed Tilbørd to get quite close to the Baron and Bishop riding together, overhearing the bishop calling the Baron “My Liege…” and talk of war with Arrayne. Interesting.
When night fell, camp was made. The shield maiden Rosaly was asked to sing by her companions, quite well as it turned out. Tilbørd used the merriment to spin one of his tales, putting the group's lord Kerjules into a very pleasing light.
The bishop then, very unusually, announced he would be one of the ones keeping watch. As a reason he cited his and also the other elf’s and the dwarves' keener senses in the dark. Urael would take first watch with Lomin. As soon as both elves were out of hearing range bishop Urael turned to Lomin. He stated to be afraid he was seeing a ghost when he looked at him. No ghost, Lomin reassured him. For both brothers had recognized each other.
They each then told the other some of what had transpired in the long years since they had seen each other. Lomin told of their brother Pazurael’s betrayal, but Urael did not know whether to believe this. Lomin tried to persuade his brother that he had committed no crime, that he had nothing to hide. But when the bishop called Lomin by his true name, Azrael, Lomin rebuked him, saying he was Lomin (Shadow in the elven tongue) to all now. “That truly sounds like you are fully in the light, brother.” Urael gently chided Lomin.
More meetings accurred that night.
The ever inquisitive Tilbørd spotted movement near the camp. As he went exploring, he found more than he had bargained for…. Namely the Grim Saint Cascarrion himself!
Saint Cascarrion of the Order of the Third Lantern to be precise, an order of the church with the task to hunt vampires and to prevent the return of the Nameless Queen Yama. Small problem, the man is a vampire himself. That does mean he can be a saint, as a requisite to sainthood is that the saint is dead. Box ticked. The order seems to have been very successful, as there are no vampires left. Well, with one obvious exception.
So, this was the guy Tilbørd spotted. Even he was a bit flabbergasted, but he remained his cool, quickly determining the Saint was travelling with them in that black coach. And now he was prowling to guard the camp. As comes naturally to Tilbørd, he tried to strike a deal. Would the friendly saint be interested in some blood in exchange for some information? He would gladly provide. (As close as our friend Tilbørd has come to his legendary "Welcome Master" as I’ve seen….)
But no, Cascarrion stated there was blood coming from another source, indeed, people could be heard calling for him. And so, off he stalked, leaving a very excited Tilbørd in his wake. As morning was approaching, Lomin heard sounds like laughter coming from the distance. What could that be?
THE BRIDGE
New day, on the road again. Lomin had told of what he heard to the rest of his companions, but none knew what to make of it. So, on they went. Typical boring travel. Until our party reached a bridge. As the Baron with most of his company and the black cart had passed, suddenly a creature emerged from the deep.The Hydra Coruscon!
It managed to snatch the shieldmaiden carrying the baron's spear. The baron went into a frenzy, calling for his retinue to get the royal spear. They however tried to get him to safety, i.e. as far from The Hydra as humanly possible. ("Save the king!")
Our party did go after The Hydra, Lomin got a quick shot off - only to have it bounce harmlessly off the beast’s scales. The beast retreated into a cave, our party followed...to be continued.
No comments:
Post a Comment