They Met in a Tavern 33: Into the Cold Desert

Who's looking out into the cold, arid geography from the Temple of the Pass?

• Chris: Thorn, dwarf Wizard
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Rick: Bjorr, 1/2 orc Paladin
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Dave: Darkmist, elf Thief
• Michael: Lubach, 1/2 orc Basilisk Warrior
• Bob: Opchel, human Thief

Michael has joined on and off to one-shots in the past, so is familiar with my flavor of chaos. Bob was a first timer at my table, and to Shadowdark, and picked a PC off the pile.

The party looked out over the rocky outcrops, scrub, and sand. The cold, arid wind blew sand into their faces. The basilisk warrior wondered what the problem was.

Before departing, water skins were filled, and Sigwald was questioned regarding possible old streambeds. Sigwald pointed northwest, as he'd found some while exploring.

Off they went.

Riding northwesterly, the party left the Badlands behind, entering more distinctly open desert. Cresting a rise into the sand, they found a basin filled with sand fused into shattered green glass. They cautiously investigated. Darkmist had heard of a similar glass before, and understood it to be created from great heat and energies. He wrapped some up for later study or trade. In the meantime, Zanegar became nauseous, and appeared to be suffering a slight sunburn. Better move on.

shiny!

As the party traveled on, they were ambushed by a serpent-folk patrol from their foxholes (snakeholes?). A couple of PCs took arrow damage before the party was able to identify the threat. Some strong initiative rolls, and a Nat20 spell roll by Thorn, and the survivors of the initial clash were webbed.  Most serpent-folk refused to surrender to the "monkeys" although two were swayed... They were protecting their territories from the trespassing monkeys, who had become more numerous recently. Although they weren't familiar with any lost cities, they were sure it was also part of their territory.

These two serpent-folk were secured, while the party recovered some supplies and a "nice sword." Zanegar, recovering from her nausea, was gifted it.

The surviving serpent-folk were employed to guide the party away from other patrols and hazards. This worked fairly well until a pair of hazards found them, slaying Opchel's horse Buttercup, and nearly Opchel, himself.

Eadulf Ridge - A Not-So-Beneficial Shortcut

Ok, Part II of the "shortcuts" from last session. This is another one of those little projects that has been sitting on my 'Writing things' folder for an interminable period of time. So I pulled it out in its exceptionally rough form for the game, since a finished product wasn't necessary, just notes and a theme. 

Here, instead of a couple of friendly inhabitants, we have some grumpy water-sprites, dead-set on keeping explorers' grubby feet out of their water. 

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A good layout, with two possible routes, as well as the interconnecting stream. In its final form, I completed the original play-space concept, with dead or trapped smugglers and the batch of cranky sprites. The detailing on the behavior and intelligence of the sprites was developed during the play session itself (especially their intelligence and language). 

So yes, a good place to send players seeking a shortcut, and unaware of the new tenants...

Watch Your Step

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The Temple of the Pass - A beneficial shortcut...

During the last open table session. the party traversed two "shortcuts" through the labyrinthine Badlands, with the hopes of cutting time off their journey. I'm still writing complete sentences for the first complex, but the second is ready for a quick share.

The first one, of course, was full of hazards - territorial water sprites - that did not want explorers in their caverns. The party was able to respectfully negotiate passage, thus avoiding a running battle and fusillades of ice shards. Color the GM disappointed, but a good solution is always to be respected.

And, since not every location should be filled with danger, even out in the uncharted lands, the second cavern network and shortcut was populated by a few interesting, and potentially beneficial, inhabitants. 

via Dyson

So welcome to the Temple of the Pass, a small complex that grants the party access to lands beyond, as well as gives them a respite, some small boons, and a bit of a augury for the journey ahead. 

Home to an imprisoned and de-powered genie, it still resonates with magical power. The genie is accompanied by a hermit capable of divining the future through the tellings of the standing stones. And the weird guards? Well, I'm not sure how insect-god guardians got crossed up with a forgotten fire god. Perhaps it was a divine work exchange program. 

 Anyway, sharing it as a location to drop into a hexcrawl or point crawl if a shortcut through barrier geography might be needed. Enjoy.

They Met in a Tavern 32: Through the Passes

Looking across the Badlands: 

• Chris: Thorn, dwarf Wizard
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Roger: Drom, dwarf Desert Rider
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Callista: Erol, elf Priest

And, once again, someone found a halfling while shaking out their boots:

• Madaket: Bomb Murfin, halfling Wizard

cropped from original

(Madaket is a friend of Callie's who heard about this silly game-thing and has been trying to join for a session. No, she has never played a TTRPG before. As I've posited before, first-timers are among my favorite players. As we will see.)

So the party, having vacated the strange metal ship and its guardian spider, reviews the gifted map and gets their bearings (it is at this moment that out gamemaster realizes he left tonight's session planning on the printer at home. No worries, he can remember parts of it, and has random lists for the rest...)

Finding some more carved and stacked stones indicating a shrine or protective stele along the buried roadway, the party proceeded (after Zet took a rubbing, of course). Igra the kobold read more poetry.

Cresting a dune, cries for help were heard issuing from a talus field. Kiara chose to investigate. And was surprised by a serpent that manifested from the rock.

not unlike this

Kiara suffered a bite, and unfortunately was envenomed, failing her roll. She felt the light fading...

Others joined to aid, and the tricky thing was dispatched. Just another of the Badland's native critters... Kiara was stabilized and lashed to a horse.

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Some minor treasure was found, and the party moved on. They soon found some ruins around a subterranean complex. Debris and relics indicated that it had been a couriers' waypoint at one time. The party explored a few rooms, then retreated, more interested in finding the "shortcut" caverns described by the spider.

A series of cliff-face catacombs were spotted, and since night was falling, the party left their exploration for later.

Matt Finch's "World of Jordoba" Comes to Backerkit

It's crowdfunding season (not that it ever ends...), and I'm not sure how many rulebooks, supplements, and adventures I currently have hanging out there. My debit card will let me know, I'm sure...

But here's one more I'm tracking...

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Matt Finch is well-known and regarded through OSR-land. As co-author of OSRIC and author of Swords & Wizardry, he brought a couple of the early retro-clones into the scene. Plenty of us have pored over his "Old-School Primer" essay, whose adages (e.g. "Rulings, not Rules") for RPG play have been dissected and argued over since its original publication. And many swear by the ideas and inspiration held within his Tome of Adventure Design editions and its companion volumes. 

So, for those of you who'd like to add another volume to the Matt Finch/Mythmere games shelf in your library, Matt will be releasing his "World of Jordoba" setting via Backerkit in August. 

The prototype Jordoba campaign was one of the first "actual plays" that I watched, way back in 2018. Matt ran a grotty crew of adventurers through the ancient ruins underlying the city, as well as the surrounding desolate lands. The campaign world was influenced by Mediterranean cultures and geography, with much of the city campaign including forays into the buried ancient metropolis and catacombs underlying the current city. Accordingly, the setting had a substantial history of past cultures, lost objects of power, and holy retribution and destruction. The PCs explored the undercity and its weirdness to recover loot and knowledge, as well as hopefully thwart the plots of various baddies residing therein.

The live play often acted as my soundtrack while running from job sites to lab to gym or home. And no Roll20 here. All adventuring play was done with minis, handmade terrain, and a small camera pushed along the hallways of the dungeon. The viewers and players were seeing the same perspective view, and there were plenty of moments of real tension as the PC-eye view of the camera turned a corner to discover a potential encounter. 

The playlist of the original campaign can be found here, replete with some excellent old-school strategy, PC deaths and near-deaths, and the general shenanigans expected from a handful of chaotic players and their equally chaotic PCs. I highly recommend it.