They Met in a Tavern 35: New Players Enter the Game

No, not necessarily at the table. Tonight: 

• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Rick: Bjorr, 1/2 orc Paladin
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Dave: Darkmist, elf Thief
• Andrea: Gabor, goblin Priest
• Chris: Thorn, Dwarf Wizard
• Gordon: Gnashkrud, Half-orc Priest 

Gordon's been at the table before, but has been running and playing in other campaigns that conflicted with stopping by lately. So again, not the player I'm referring too... 

Anyhow. The party spent the night at Saint Gyles' pyramid. Being good houseguests, they helped with a little light housekeeping (disposing of serpent-folk bodies) prior to departing. They rode eastward, to the sound of grinding stones, as the ghost resealed his crypt.

The party rode on, discovering a cairn carved with old runes and a depiction of a deity - a woman with raven feathers, geometric symbols, and a measuring staff. Zet peered at it and declared her to be Gyslana, an old goddess associated with portals and gates. Sometimes travelers and road-builders also prayed to her.

The meditations on the goddess were abruptly ruined by a pair of ghasts and several ghouls. Most of the party fought off the choking stench, and Gnashkrud effected a turn undead. Most undead fled, a couple rolled Nat 1s and exploded, and one very angry ghast remained to proceed to take revenge on the priest. Ghast-stomping happened. With the presence of the Gyslana shrine, the party theorized the undead to be a party of unlucky surveyors.

Did they come from a grave or barrow? Can we raid it? Well, of course you can. This is why I always keep a few extra barrows on hand. 

Light was cast, and down they went. Darkmist checked a door - no traps. No, trapped. A burning hands rune singed off their eyebrows. Some minor grave goods, a healing potion, and a piece of meteor were found. A second door was not trapped, but the chamber had already been cleared but for some pocket change. The main chamber of the barrow appeared to be where the original foes hung out. A final door at the end of the chamber was cracked open, revealing a grumpy Wight. 

rawr

Bjorr charged it and... got his sword stuck in the door. The wight attacked back, causing harm and drain to the paladin. Thorn webbed up both of them, allowing the party to dispatch the wight without any more bad touch. 

More loot (primarily decorative weapons and armor) were claimed, and on they went. 

They Met in a Tavern 34: Drom Misses Out on a Ziggurat

At the end of last session, we found our heroes in search of a pyramid. The heroes in question:

• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Rick: Bjorr, 1/2 orc Paladin
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Dave: Darkmist, elf Thief
• Andrea: Gabor, goblin Priest
• Bob: Opchel, human Thief

The party, led by a captive serpent-folk, headed west. Obstacles and hazards were managed. Snakes killed, a salt pan crossed, Kiara getting snared by, then escaping from, vampire bushes. 

The party spotted the pyramid, and wisely scouted. An entrance was spotted approximately halfway up the north side, marked by debris and a trail.

source

The party watched for patrols, and agreed to wait the night, and assault in the morning. My dice failed me, and the night was quiet.

Spotting sentries at the entrance, the party was able to climb the pyramid from a blind side, with the sneaky bastard-types creeping ahead to attempt to eliminate the guards. A couple of good rolls, and the guards were sniped before they could warn their colleagues...

The party assembled at the entrance, firing up a light spell. Nat 20 got them bonus time.

Into the dark, when rock slabs came from a side shaft. Party members dodged and scooted. More serpentfolk chattering up above, as another slab was launched down the sloping shaft, but got hung up on debris near the bottom. The party fired up the shaft, eventually neutralizing the rock-throwers. Their chamber was found to be a tomb, and the slabs sarcophagus lids. The place had been desecrated and looted, with minor treasure left in the corners...

They Met at a Hilton ... or... Dragonflight Con Wrap-up

Greetings, neighbors.

Completed another Dragonflight game con, with varying amounts of success. No Con Crud(tm) at least.

Ran a total of six games, of which brief wrap-ups follow (No one wants to hear my knock-down-drag-out descriptions...) Also, went through former con reports and one-shots to eliminate a few adventures and get new stuff to the table as much as possible.

Day 1: Friday, August 20

Morning Session: B/X-OSE "Foxtail Grotto"

Full table for this one, including at least 3-4 familiar faces. So I knew what type of chaos I was in for. Naturally, we set the scenario with determining why the party had to leave town quickly (Illegal performance-enhancing herbs for those who are curious). Set them up to help the local constabulary hunt down the pirates, and provided them with a local coastal patrol boat. 

They found the grotto without too much problem, then the surviving, raving, pirate. The claims of giant creatures were ignored. The party found the secret back entrance to the pirate HQ, and got to looting. They were set upon by undead pirates of various flavors, and took some wounds, but not without any losses. Loot was gained. A thief failed a check, and got singed by a fire-trapped chest. As they wrapped up looting, something was heard outside. Probably nothing. The party exited through both the main and secret entrances, hoping to get a drop on the threat. 

Oops

Well, that was only moderately telegraphed... Damnit. The dwarf charged in and got a good blow, but also took poison damage from the dragon's miasma of leaking breath. Fire and missiles from all directions, as the dragon laid about, knocking PCs back and being a threat. Finally, it was re-deaded. Unfortunately, at the cost of the dwarf.

His fault for melee-ing within the radius of the poison cloud, while everyone else had the sense to stay back...

The party began to load loot on their longboat, when the dwarf shows back up. Undead and all. Giving his player a chance to keep on keeping on. Damnit. More stabbing, and he's back to being dead. He's buried and marked with a very large "emotional support rock." Everyone else departs, victorious.

I've run this one a few times now, and between random events and player choices, it always has a few surprises.

Afternoon Session: Shadowdark Funnel Playtest "Sewer Patrol" 

Five players joined with their sheafs of 1-4hp mooks. Without other employment options, they hired on with the Sewer Patrol, keeping the City's sanitation infrastructure safe.

Scenario 1: Killing Rats. The hapless heroes went on search for a minor plague of rats that had been infesting the sewers. After some sidetracks and threats (And a couple of personnel replacements), they found the rats under the control of some madman with a ceramic rat's head mask. They charged while being swamped by rats (Game quote, "Are you trying to crowd surf the rats?"). A couple of lucky shots, and the "master" was slain, allowing them to take the mask and control the rats long enough to finish off the swarm. 

Rattus Maskus

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.

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.

source

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.

They Met in a Tavern 31: Regarding A Further Brief Survey of the Spiders of the Badlands

We take a break from the World Cup to adventure:

• 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
• Dave: Darkmist, elf Thief
• Andrea: Gabor, goblin Priest

The party awakens from a restful night around the odd metallic, humming obelisk.

Did it keep you awake, too?

Breakfast, and time to get on the road. Drom led the way. Around a few bends, he heard a barking dog. Some cautious slinking about, as PCs are wont to do. A ring of standing stones surrounding a cold fire is found, as well as a cliffside opening to a possible shrine. Zet looked at the runes, determining that they symbolized safe travel. They are cautiously greeted by a one-eyed old woman in tattered robes and her massive dog of undetermined genealogy. She introduced herself as Sesuna, a hermit meditating at the old shrine. The dog was Dawit. "He helps provide for me. We don't need much."

The party asked what or who she might have seen? Serpentfolk to hide from. Other parties, possibly seeking the cities or other treasures within the badlands. No. No odd spiders.

Sesuna showed the party a statue to the shrine's patron, Zulona, a lost god of travel and good water. Likely established long ago when caravans and other wayfarers were more common. Kiara offered some coin for a blessing. Sesuna shook her head, and pointed to her empty socket. "I need an 'eye' to see for you." Some puzzlement, and a gem was procured from one of the loot piles. Sesuna placed it in the socket, and the gem vanished. But now the party won't roll "lost" rolls for three days. Anything we can thank you with? If you come back this way, bring me the names of any lost gods you may find. They need to be named and remembered.

Off they went.

Hurried footsteps approached from behind, revealing Igra, one of the two kobold guides. They had been ambushed by the spellcasting spiders, and Rogs' luck had run out. Igra had returned to the party. Might be a better way to riches than mining, anyway. Besides, he'd always wanted to be a poet...

"Behind Me dips Eternity

Before Me Immortality

Myself the Term between

Death but the Drift of Eastern Gray,

Dissolving into Dawn away,

Before the West begin..." - kobold poetry 

They Met in a Tavern 30: Spiders and Kobolds and Wolves, Oh My!

Well, look who showed up...

• Roger: Drom, dwarf Desert Rider
• Rick: Bjorr, 1/2 orc Paladin
• Chris: Thorn, dwarf Wizard
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Adam: Ad Ratter, halfling Wizard

Drom has returned from his sojourn, or pouting...

Don't listen to them sweetie, you're lovely.

That's Trixie, by the way. Continuing with the excellent mount names.

Ok, to begin. Ad Ratter was discovered among the baggage, or curled up in someone's bedroll. Sort of like shaking out your shoes in the morning to check for scorpions. There might be a halfling. He was abandoned by his peers while exploring the Badlands. What do you expect for a CON 3 halfling?

The party mounted up and headed onward, checking out the canyons and ridges. An obelisk was spotted, and investigated. The tall obelisk was of a bluish metal, and warm to the touch. It was covered with odd runes. Zet was called up to translate. He pulled out a crumbling book and gingerly turned pages. The runes were a challenge, at best he could sense it was a border marker or milepost. He made notes and the party moved on. 

Bjorr and Drom noted what appeared to be old wagon tracks worn into the stone of the canyon floor. Perhaps this was an old thoroughfare to the old cities.

ruts

Later, Kiara and Ad heard a rumbling in the distance. Then at less of a distance. Everyone rushed to get themselves and their mounts to higher ground. Their suspicions confirmed, a flash flood ripped through where they had recently stood. 

They Met in a Tavern 29: Misadventures in Freya's Shrine

Welcome back to another installment of Fun In the Badlands. This week we had a full table:

• Rick: Bjorr, 1/2 orc Paladin
• Chris: Thorn, dwarf Wizard
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Callista: Erol, elf Priest
• Dave: Darkmist, elf Thief
• Andrea: Gabor, goblin Priest

Going from zero to two on priests. So much for my "waves of undead" plans... :p

EDIT: Oops, forgot to add the player/PC polling. Why do you seek the lost city?

• Drom (previously) - Magics to bring water back to his people
• Bjorr - Grand adventure and finding secrets lost
• Thorn - The rumored lost magics
• Kiara - Possible allies for her community
• Zanegar - Adventure, possible northwest passage?
• Erol - Places of religious significance
• Darkmist - Drawn by rumors of seven cities of gold
• Gabor - Adventure and relics

Everyone (except Drom) had reconvened at camp, and were getting saddled up and ready to go. Speaking of which, what are your horse's names and dispositions (dispositions per Cursed Scroll 2)?

Bjorr has the advantage of the paladin's mount (Reliable or Lovely disposition only). Everyone else was on their own, and clearly most are not horse people. No comment on the names.

Onward, into the breaks of the Badlands. 

They Met at a Tavern 28: Side Explorations

Memorial Day Weekend, so the party was mostly partying, except:

• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Chris: Thorn, dwarf Wizard

Side-questing, it is...

The trio (and NPC Zet The Conspiracy Goblin) decided to scout the edges of the badlands, hoping to find evidence of paths through the tortuous landscape:

something like this

They were moving along through the canyons and washes without too much difficulty when they crossed paths with a large number of humanoid tracks heading deeper into the badlands. Past experience called these out as serpentfolk. The trio decided to track the band for a while, to see if they could get a sense of their destination. Kiara was able to scout ahead, and the ID of the group was confirmed with a pair of dead serpentfolk, who had apparently succumbed to wounds. After a few hours, the party caught up with a warband of approximately 20 serpentfolk and a handful of pack-lizards. Since there were many more of them than there were of the party, the three chose discretion over stupidity.

Oh, they picked up a shortbow and a few arrows off one of the corpses, since none of the three had a missile weapon, and they intended to do a little hunting.

Backtracking the warband's path, they eventually found a small redoubt built into a cliff-face near the edge of the badlands after spotting a column of greasy smoke. They cautiously approached and were hailed by a guard. Upon closer inspection, they saw the source of the smoke, a pile of burned bodies, as well as several fresh graves.

The place looked like it had just survived a small siege.

some Dyson joint

They Met at a Tavern 27: Hangin' With the Horde

Who's riding along with the wagon train tonight:

• Rick: Bjorr, 1/2 orc Paladin
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Chris: Thorn, dwarf Wizard
• Wayne: Pharan, dwarf Sea Wolf

Drom was off on a dwarven pout after being teased too much about his camel.

Anyway... The party had conferred with Tuva, the horde's "librarian" regarding possible references to the lost cities of the north. Since it would take the sage time to sort through his "bookmobile" for relevant texts, it was time to chill.

"I know it's around here somewhere..."

The horde had set up camp near some sacred hills in order to inter some honored dead in their fashion. And, among other rituals to honor the moment, a number of sporting and other competitions were held. The party joined in, of course. Bjorr in horsemanship, Pharan, Zanegar, and Kiara in wrestling, and Thorn in lore and tales. All managed to win or tie their respective contests, and came out with a few extra coin to immediately spend...

Prepping for the games

While they were resting after their bouts, they saw a distinguished pair walking among the populace, greeting people. Their importance was hinted at by the substantial guard. He appeared to have been a worthy rider at one time, but who had gone soft with the mantle of leadership. She was a severe beauty, marred only by a healed broken nose. They introduced themselves as Khan Astulfus and Khana Belavrida. As the leaders of the Dekan Khanate, it was their duty to welcome the invited travelers and know their business. 

The party shared their quest. The Khan was pleased that they had made contact with the librarian, as their literacy was a point of pride. After all, he had gifted three of his most treasured books as part of the bride-price when he wed his lovely wife. Likewise, he mentioned their "memory folk" who memorized lore and history for recall. 

Time to do some shopping. Kiara sussed out a pair of dwarves she had seen driving a wagon with a smoking forge. Thori and Nori were tinkerers and craftsmen (craftsdwarves) proud of their skills. They took a look at Kiara's razor chain and wrinkled their noses. That chain is substandard. Give us some coin and we'll smooth those links out. How you use it without getting bound up we'll never know...

They Met at a Tavern 25: It's Beetle-riffic!

The Unusual Band of Suspects:

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

The party returned to town, dirty and bloody from their excursion into the Sealed Tower(tm). Recovered loot is converted to booze/carousing, and all repeating PCs bump to 3rd level (I'm not keeping close track of xp, more vibe-advancement). The paladin had been off doing paladin things, and the desert rider returned from a fruitless ziggurat search.

slightly clearer map

Erol noted side-eyes from the citizenry, before being told by a priest of Madeera that the Terragnis sect was generally blamed for the city's misfortunes after the demonic betrayal of Brother Taran Trudheon. She pointed to an overgrown vacant lot - the site of the former Temple of St. Terragnis. The party's ability to enter the tower was a mystery - perhaps the seals were weakening, or the party had some unknown attribute that allowed them entrance. Either way, a mystery to solve.

Some business was conducted, and Bjorr traded his dragon's egg for some mithril chainmail. It was decided to see if the merchants of House Zulad may have any clues or tasks suitable to the party. The unnamed family representative (he of the Rasam's Shop incident) met the party and (random roll on Unlikely Treasures) said that, yes, there was an item of some value that the family would like. The "Scroll of Esoteric Artwork" - a device that would aid in the identification of alchemical and magi-tech items. Something to give them an edge in the relic market. Especially since Rasam was... indisposed. It's in a jade scroll tube. Oh, and we'll put in a good word for you, help clear up that whole Rasam association.

Where was it? Word had it that it was in some old shrine or barrow (because my players lllooovvee barrows). 

And off they went.

They Met at a Tavern 24: When the DM Mentions Something in Passing, Part II...

Better get this written down before I forget details of the chaos...

The Miscreants:

• Wayne: Pharan, human Sea Wolf
• Chris: Roult, human Basilisk Warrior
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Callista: Erol, elf Priest
• Mike: Merrick, human Bard
• Mark (first timer): Irir, elf Thief

First of all, bumped a couple of the Repeat Offenders to 3rd level, since they keep showing up.

The returning crew from last week was heading back to Bettiholm, when they chanced upon a couple of adventurers (Merrick and Irir). The pair looked shady, so were welcomed to join the crew. The group then caught up with a small caravan carrying a mixed selection of supplied and curiosities for delivery to town. Some haggling went on, but the party was unsuccessful. 

The caravan parked outside of town at the caravanserai, and the party headed in to catch up with gem dealer Delmar. Perhaps to find a more reputable broker, since they suspected that Kashmi Rasam had double-crossed his buyer, and they didn't care to be associated with that. In the meantime, they had to dodge "Chicken Day" where the mayor was handing out food donations to the downtrodden of the city. Of which there were plenty. It's a good thing that the caravan included chickens among its cargos.

Somewhere in this, the DM produced a rough map of town and pointed out some features that the party had visited, as well as other landmarks:

Cat not included 

The Sealed Tower (upper RH corner) drew them like moths to flame... Well, it was sealed by multiple methods after Bad Things Happened, of course. Perhaps it's associated with the city's curse and loss of significance. What would have instigated it (question to players) - diabolic dealings and summoning. Always a classic. 

The party ventured to meet the mayor (Fabio Hegewald) as he was washing his hands after a day of handing out foodstuffs and (eeww!) touching the citizens. The mayor and advisor indicated that the sealing occurred after a priest of Terragnis had violated his vows and called up demons in a gamble for power. Can we get into the tower? No, its been sealed, although there might be alternate paths. Have other adventurers explored it? Yes, and they never returned (dramatic music). 

Well, ok - let's get some rest, resupply, and look at things in the morning (i.e. no carousing). Of course, they were met at their inn by representatives of House Zulad, the Dissatisfied Customer from the prior relic sale. Of course, they wouldn't have known of the double-cross, but their reputation was now suspect. And yes, we caught Rasam on his way out of town with a number of items, including the inner workings of the Orb. Of course, it wouldn't do to just kill him, as he has knowledge and talent (big reveal)...

They Met at a Tavern 23: Breaking out the Temple of Dynss, once again.

Who graced the table at the brewery?

• Wayne: Pharan, human Sea Wolf
• Chris: Galen, human Priest
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Roger: Drom, dwarf Desert Rider
• Wilson: Gim, dwarf Fighter

Full house. Let's do it. 

The party departed from Zelkor's Ferry to the nearest city of note. What's the town? Let's ask the players for help. 

We have a medium-sized city that is well-established, but fallen on hard times, and a shadow of its former glory. It is run by a council of merchants, with a figurehead of a mayor. The city looks backwards, and makes a good trade in relics. That said, one of its notable landmarks is the old trading hall, once an impressive edifice, but now threadbare. The city is called Bettiholme. 

The party disembarked from their packet-ship, and paid a treasure toll to the harbormaster. Gim, an itinerant dwarf, was met. Fending off a band of enterprising urchins, they reached the shop of Delmar Hevrolug, brother to Kalgor Hevrolug of Zelkor's ferry. After some bitching about the state of his business, Delmar agreed to find a buyer for the party's magic orb. 

The party was directed to the shop of Kashmi Rasam, an artificer and dealer in artifacts. They managed to avoid serious mishaps and petty crime as they were slowed by a small street carnival, with snake charmers, jugglers, and acrobats. As city guards rushed in to apprehend pickpocket jugglers, spilling snake handler baskets, the party made a quick departure...

Rasam was quite enthralled by the find of the orb, pressing the party for information. The orb was demonstrated, although Kashmi warned that it may only have a limited number of uses left. Best not to show it off. He agreed to act as broker and find a buyer.

But first, we carouse. The party was recommended a modest dwarf-operated inn in the neighborhood. None of that weak halfling beer there. Only one PC woke up in the gutter. 

They Met at a Tavern 22: Breaking and Entering the Crypt of King Solimas (plus mini-review)

 

• Seana: Tarl, human Fighter
• Chris: Roult, human Basilisk Warrior
• Callista: Erol, elf Priest
• Dan: Budris, human Bard
• Wayne: Pharan, human Sea Wolf
• Roger: Drom, dwarf Desert Rider

So the band decided which way to go - west into the hinerlands, or east across the water to hock the magic orb. Barrows are always a fun attraction. And our high-rolling priest is back. Necromancer Solace knew of a clump of them about a day away, and provided a map. Budris sought out some lore, finding that some barrows were known to contain "interesting" fungus.

Drom got his camel out of the stable, and led the rest of the boot leather band westward. Eward, mute stablehand, was excited to have been able to care for, and pet, a camel. 

Humping across the grasslands, a herd of loose horses were spotted. Some scouting, and it was found that they were domestic, likely escaped. Some herding and horse-handling attempts later, and everyone had a ride, although Budris and Roult needed quite a bit of help, as their horsemanship was pitiful. 

Onward, and camping. The party awoke to find themselves among several burrows (not barrows, nor burros). Chris (as player) recalled another unfortunate camping experience... Several giant soldier ants emerged, but chose to simply block the burrow entrances as the party immediately decamped. 

Good morning!

Ok. Barrows.

I have a handful of barrow maps, with associated random tables. But I also had "The Crypt of King Solimas" burning a hole in my adventures folder. So be it.

The party found a barrow with a bronze-coated slab, rather than the boring old stone. Must be important... 

They Met at a Tavern 21: The Bloodsoaked Gem Caverns That Weren't (plus mini-review)

Who's hanging at Bristleback's Inn?

• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Chris: Roult, human Basilisk Warrior
• Rick: Bjorn, 1/2 orc Paladin
• Tony: Holmarn, human Fighter
• Wayne: Pharan, human Sea Wolf

Note: Wayne is better known as Fulvus, halfling terror, from my OSE campaign. Tony asked to watch, as he needed to be somewhere, then said, "give me a character."

The ferry/packet arrived. Certain hooded individuals met with Hebetha Solace, carrying off a certain package. A couple of new adventurers stepped off the boat. Holmarn, newly arrived in town, was on the hunt for portable wealth, preferably gems. He checked in with Kalgor the gemcutter in his shop for possible leads. Kalgor greeted him and, after conferring with "Olaf," an apparently invisible friend. After some back and forth, Kalgor sketched out a map to an abandoned mine that was worth a look.

They stopped at the trading post for supplies. Rasmus, in addition to normal tack, had also recently traded for a prism and some vials of acid. The party bought a vial. 

Off they went. 

While trekking to the "X" on the map, the party encountered a like-numbered group of beastmen. Bjorn, as is his way, greeted them with his cask of ale (I really need to enforce slots better. Is it one or two? Anyway...). The leader hesitated, but a drinking horn was produced. Some language difficulties overcome, the party asked about the local terrain and what the beastmen were up to. "Well, we hunt, maybe we take things from settlers." "Do you attack caravans?" "No - Too many spears. Like you guys. Too many spears. Oh, here's a silk robe and slippers we "found" in exchange for the ale."

source

The two groups parted ways, and the party found their way to the mine, Some poking around, and they found a winch/elevator to get them into the works. The rope held, and into the caverns they went. 

They Met at a Tavern 21: When the DM Mentions Something in Passing...

What did I get myself into tonight, and with whom?

• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Roger: Brom, dwarf Desert Rider
• Chris: Roult, human Basilisk Warrior
• Callista: Erol, elf Priest
• Daniel: Hawk, human Ranger
• Rick: Bjorr, 1/2 orc Paladin 

Note: Callista is Chris' granddaughter, who had never rolled dice before this session. This will become important later.

Well, the party docked at Zelkor's Ferry, arriving due to some unfortunate events in the last town across the water.

This, coincidentally (or not) was where a prior party arrived a couple of sessions ago... Note: None of the players (except the Shorter Half) were involved in that session, so it's untrodden territory.

ANYWAY, the DM (who had a trio of available scenarios lined up) mentioned that the party meets some other patched-up adventurers going the other way with a couple of chests of loot. They mention that they got it off some pirates, but you don't need to worry about them. Just the undead dragon.

So much for delving some pre-selected tomb or abandoned mine...

The paladin beelined to the inn to purchase a cask of ale to fortify himself for the adventure. It was determined to be evening anyhow, so everyone eventually followed. They got a bit of background from the militia sergeant and a rough map the adventurers had left. The desert rider asked the priest if undead dragons could still speak and throw spells (WIS roll, dirty 20) - we decided that Erol did well in her Undead Studies classes and suspected that, depending on the cause of undeath, that the dragon was unlikely to still speak. 

Things in the inn took a turn when the local blacksmith showed up to play (poorly) her bagpipes. As well as a certain coolness that came over the crowd when another local appeared, Hebetha Solace. Erol's neck hairs stood up a bit as the woman approached the table. I understand you are seeking looking to hunt down the undead dragon. I have associates who are in need of the head. I'll pay you good coin if you are able to retrieve it.  

More coin? We're in.

Oh, and she dropped off a pair of Hugo's Healing Potions (tm) as a down payment. 

In the morning, the band set off in a somewhat patched-up small sailing boat, captained by the sea wolf, with assistance by the ranger (sailor background). The desert rider hung over the rail, and tried to keep land in sight. 

A shark followed the ship, possibly lured by the desert rider's "chumming."

They Met at a Tavern 20: Ignoring the NFC Championship Game

Besides running Shadowdark, I'll get further onto BXBlackrazor's pariah list by ducking out of various Seahawks viewing opportunities to run another one-shot. 

Because The Ridgecrest doesn't sport a TV. 

Anyway. Off we go:

• Chris: Thorn, Dwarf Wizard
• Seana: Katwaen, Dwarf Sea Wolf
• Michael: Rango, Dwarf Knight of St. Ydris
• Patrick: Nix, Kobold Thief
• Daniel: Maven, Elf Witch

Three dwarves, two miscellaneous others. Dwarf-themed misadventure, it is.

I've always wanted to see how Dwarves With Worms runs at the table. PCs bumped to 3rd level, plus some random magical items, just in case.

Rango's "cousin" Ugraen had headed out with some followers to reconsecrate or expand some old temple. Trouble is, he'd gotten excommunicated from the local temple for some questionable practices and beliefs. Anyway, better go check up on him.

The party found the complex, showing signs of recent excavation and expansion. Upon entering, the dwarves were disappointed to see shoddy excavation and stonework. I mean, humans could do this...

Listening at a door, they heard nothing. Deciding to explore in the opposite direction, they spiked the door and headed deeper into the complex.  

Well, that noise called up something:

arrrrr.....

A trio of vacant-eyed dwarves accosted them. The party sussed that they weren't quite undead, as something seemed to writhe under their flesh. 

Many poor rolls occurred. Finally, the wizard was able to web them up for easy disposal. Upon slaying them, large worms burst from their bodies, and swarmed the party, intent upon infecting them. Much worm stomping and stabbing, and possibly one Knight of St. Ydris screaming like a little girl. The wizard quaffed their sole potion of healing. 

Fortunately, around the corner, the explorers found a stash of ale, which went a long way to cure shaken nerves.

Onward!

They Met at a Tavern 19: Visiting Foxtail Grotto

Set up at the brewery on Sunday night, and found a full table. Excellent. I had a few choices in my folder, but with a table of meat, er, PCs, it was time to take on Foxtail Grotto. 

The cast: 

• Freya, Seawolf
• Durl Snuggs, Priest
• (forgot name), Bard
• Eswald, Seer
• Rand, Fighter
• Gilden, Wizard
• Holbarn, Fighter

We started at a small coastal settlement that had been plagued by pirates. The garrison's sergeant didn't have the resources or talent to root them out. But look! A seawolf and a handful of "talent." The party was equipped with a small sailing ship and basic supplies, given a map, and enough rumors to point them in the right direction. A day or so of sailing along the coast and poking around in coves, and they were rewarded with signs of activity, such as harvesting of timber for ship repairs.

Carefully navigating shoals, and they found the pirates' ship, the Meteor (mis-heard as 'meatier'). But it was in sad shape, holed on a rock. The party carefully navigated toward the ship to investigate, and got themselves hung up on the doomed ship's rigging. While clearing the snarl, one of the gaff hooks was snapped off, and a rotting, undead shark made its appearance.

duh-DUHN...duh-DUHN

It got turned away, and in spite of the hazard, three of the PCs hopped over to investigate the damaged ship. It was found to have been stripped of loot, and they were able to return to their ship without incident.

They Met at a Tavern 18: Stealing Dolls from the Stonewills

New month, new brewery. They are trying to get some traction for the Sunday game night, so posted up for a table.

• Will: half orc Ras-godai (pointy helmet with plume)
• Roderick: Human witch (shaved head, scorpion tattoo on scalp)
• Tim: halfling fighter (short, curly hair)
• Seana: Human fighter (bald)

The party disembarked from their anonymous freighter, looking for work. The Ras-godai caught the eye of a stevedore, who flashed a sign. A sibling organization, a thieves guild... The Ras-godai (with stocky halfling backup) stepped into an alley to get a lead. The stevedore gave them a wooden token and told them to ask for Solange at the Hidden Hand for work...

(Both my readers know the trope - party talks to hunchbacked serving girl, go into back room, serving girl drops disguise, revealing head of local guild of independent acquisitions...) 

But not after the 18CHA witch had made sure everyone had drinks. 

Anyway, they were offered two jobs - Get an idol from the Stonewill estate or see what's going on in the basement of the wine garden. Brief discussion, and idol recovery was elected.

They decided not to get their feet dirty in the sewers, and reconnoitered the surface routes of entry. The front was too well-trafficked for entry, so perhaps a side route. While the witch and halfling staged a lover's spat to distract the street traffic, the Ras-godai scouted the alleyway, finding the entry to the back courtyard. Good enough, wait until dark.

At the appointed hour, the party convened at the alleyway. The witch kept watch while the party attempted a B&E. As they tested doors and finally lofted a rope and grapple over the back wall, the witch intercepted a couple of hapless city guards, distracting them from the party's efforts.

something like this

Once inside, they attempted to unlock the back gate. The Ras-godai claimed to be able to pick locks (using a bent clothes hanger), but to no avail. OK, we'll just throw a rope back over. 

Campaign Journal: Final Entry

Who made it through all this nonsense:

• Jax-barbarian
• Slick-thief
• Frederick-thief
• Rondel-elf

This will be a long one. Buckle up.

We set the scene:

The smoke cleared from the battle. Forces bandaged up and counted their dead. Militia dispersed, back to protect their own town walls. The Acroria forces considered their situation – their city destroyed, their people refugees, their leadership dead or scattered. Out of this, the Librarian offered to help them solidify this new network, and journey to the Ha-Tak Pyramid to connect it to the Barrier.

Half the Khanate cavalry was returning north, and would escort the Librarian against harm.

That left the party, half the cavalry, and a handful of knights. There was still the root of the Chaos to be eliminated. Dukan Dildran and his contingent of cavalry would join, as well as Benedikt. And Serafina, who has been spending some time with Slick, will join on this final crusade. Oh yeah, and Kavderac, because dragon. After all, dragons may sense another dragon's horde location and size. It is how they assess the strength and age of their potential competitors, and whether it is wise to confront or give them a wide berth.

West toward the mountains and the blighted lands. First, the lair of Eorvalth, the doomed dragon. Consistent with the elven rangers' report, the lair was found to have been the site of a battle, with the dragon missing, as well as their loot. Kavderac sniffed around, disappointed. The dragon equivalent of couch cushion change was found, as well as a couple of overlooked scrolls. The company rested and considered next steps.

While they paused, Kavderac scouted the foothills and mountains for Eorvalth's missing hoard. Successful, he returned.

The dragon guided the party and their cohort into the mountains, with assurances that Eorvalth's hoard was found, and the mutant stronghold assumed to be close by.