Monthly Archives: January 2010

by Nyneva

By the Mighty Benyar, it is my appointed duty to relate the tale of my victory.

My High Priest in Arz requires that I keep a running diary which means I had to buy pencils and paper. He didn’t give me the extra gold to do this with, unfortunately. I suppose this is part of my test. Or maybe he’s just a stingy twink. Either way, while others go off to have a grand time at the closest bar, led of course by Doaks–that scamp–I’m here writing.

We got here, that was the main thing. Of course we were hungry, we hadn’t planned so well, and that blind old man who said he was a pilgrim gave us some rather confusing directions which only served to get us even more lost. Our other chums chose another path and haven’t gotten here, I hope they’re not dead.

On the way, we exchanged the our knowledge of the area. We know there are ruins to an evil temple in the swamps below the falls, lizard skins built it – the old commander cleaned out the nest — bless his soul, I wonder what ever happened to him? Behind the waterfalls under the Keep there is a huge system of catechombs. There’s a Sage in Western border of the Keep. There are tribes and different creatures living in the Mines of Chaos – some don’t like each other.  The Prefect’s woman used to be the Middle Bailey commander’s girlfriend – who came a year or so back to the Keep. Once she got there she set her sights on the Prefect (but she seems to be 95 pounds of trouble laced in a corset). We need to avoid her, too. She sounds evil. Or perhaps the crows of Benyar will descend upon her… one can only pray.

As we arrived we saw the Keep in the distance. With the waterfall beneath it, it was breathtaking. I had to thank Benyar for bringing me that far. On the way in, we were set upon by hungry and possibly very thiefing halflings. I chose to reform one, and made him my torch bearer. He is called Seamus and I shall prevail upon him to worship the Greater Gawd Benyar. Or he will suffer the crows upon him. There’s an innkeeper we need to avoid as he apparently threw his wife’s lover over the falls.

We arrived, and were quizzed by a nosy but not so bright gatemaster. I tried to stay back but it was obvious that my party needs the guidance of a true and righteous follower of Benyar. They are far too concerned with pubbing and spending money, especially the upper crust Kailan. The inn we chose was warm and comfortable and had hearty food. I took a bath. Stupid elf thought he did not stink. We made him bathe as well. We all settled in. It was nice to rest on a bed. It would be a luxury that I do not expect to have again for sometime. I think I will need a bedroll and a tent soon.

Eventually, we registered at the Guildhouse. I could not bear to go in, a gn..o..ling…a horrible, tiny, big-nosed, creepycreature sat behind the counter. It is sad, too, for the rest of the party let Doaks name it after himself. Typical Dumbarton move, he’s such a cutie for anyone stupid enough. Or perhaps it is because I have known him for a long time and consider him a boorish drag. I’ve heard all his jokes, seen all his moves, know all his pixie ways. May Benyar strike me dead if I tell falsehood.

We did go supply up at Crazy Zedar’s. The prices were insane. I did overhear, however, that they change with the Keep’s pay cycle so we must buy when the prices are low. Zedar has the most hilarious manner of speech. It was hard not to capitalize on it. In the end, I bought a donkey with Liam to carry our supplies and some other necessary items. He’s gullible as heck, which is interesting for someone with his expertise.

We decided we needed to go bounty hunting. It was necessary as we’d spent a lot of cash on food and lodging. Plus, we need the experience if we are to go and claim a dungeon to plunder and become wealthy. Being wealthy is a good way to spread the word of Benyar. Poor clerics don’t make much dent, I have been taught, that is. I was a good student.

Not far from the gates of the keep were a pack of Kobolds. They’re not known for being overly bright. This, we witnessed when Doaks threw a phantasmal force of archers at them. It was quite a lovely thing to see.  Combined with his doppleganger of Rue, which did in our last kobold, their sargeant. I agree with Rolando. As I was healing his wounds, by the grace and power of Benyar, we discussed having an actual plan for combat. We only won that battle on luck, the luck mainly of Rue. He was amazing in battle. Rolando was in a battle frenzy that nearly cost him his life. That and the arrow in his arse by Liam. I literally had to shout at Liam to “STOP FIRING” and only by the strength of my will did I not smack him with the heft of my bow. I was busy.

Busy is what I was when Seamus was arguing with me over taking my staff in his hand. I just may fire him for backtalk. I will pray for guidance this night. That and more healing. Rolando is in dire need of more. I may have to use traditional methods.

Praise Benyar, his might, and pray that he sends his crows, Mishap and Circumstance, to guide watch over us and confuse our enemies.

by Rue

Many thanks to thee, Great Hunter, Solonor.
Thy strength is my strength.
My eyes are thine eyes.
Thy keen is my keen.
My body is thine conduit.
Today, thy might resounded in the string of my bow, and the blade of my khopesh.
And for that I am grateful.  Many praises unto thee, Solonor Thelandira.

I met  and traveled with many friend’s this day.  Some old, some new.  A relatively new friend of mine, Kailan, bought me a suit of leather armor.  I can not hope to pay him back with the meager amount of silvers and golds that I have on me.  But I swear, Great Hunter, that I will pay him back for his kindnesses.  He has demanded, though, that I carry his frying pan for him.  Something about it being too cumbersome for him to carry.  He has with him a horse, which looks more than capable of carrying the extra weight that the frying pan would render.  As he had already done me a kindness, I obliged him, amused at his insistence.

Our party has chosen to lodge in town, which seems utterly assinine to me, considering that I’ve already spent my life savings on lodging and other easily had provisions for the few nights that we’ve been on our quest.  I just grinned and obliged my traveling companions.  I would be perfectly at home around a campfire under the bare sky, praise the Great Hunter.  There certainly is something to be said for bounty hunting though, which has brought us a tidy sum of gold already, far more profitable than farming.  The gold return so far has been worth leaving my life on the plantation.  It promises many increasing returns.

Kailan and everyone else in the party seems to be able to interpret the writings of the page.  I have never had a need for such things, Great Hunter, but it seems to be everywhere around me now.  I am inundated by it, I am drowning in my ignorance.  I almost purchased a map earlier today, it seemed like a good idea to me, the salesman said it was for the “Mine of Chaos” which we are searching for.  Kailan is far more educated than I, so I asked him about it.  But at the insistence of Kailan, I did not purchase it.  This man would have taken my silvers for a worthless scrap of parchment, and I would have been taken as an ignorant bumpkin.  No more!  Give me strength, Solonor!  I resolve to learn how to read!

As the day wore on, we decided to leave town to go hunt for a bounty head.  I’m not sure which one we were actually searching for, but we certainly found one.  They were foul creatures.  No taller than my middle.  I believe that Nyneva referred to them as “Kobolds”, but I’m not entirely sure.  Terribly ugly things, with the heads of dragonkin and the eyes of wild men.  They smelled of spoiled goat’s milk and the carrion of even lesser beasts.  Their weapons were stained dark with the blood of men.  It was Liam who struck first with a keen arrow.  I was embarrassed at my lack of speed in this matter, as I struck just a moment later.  May your strength flow through me.  My second arrow claimed the life of one of the foul demi-men.  Struck through his middle where his life resides no more.  Rolando ran directly into the fray, screaming with what I thought was terror, initially, but upon observing his wild manner in combat, I have resolved that it was a fit of pure battle lust.   A respectable companion,  Rolando, his fury seemed to blind him.  His attempts landed nary but when I shoved one of the disgusting wretches off of its balance and into the path of his furious threshing.  Much like one would set a ball up, into the air, for a spike point during a match of Gromney ball.  I was impressed with the prowess with which he sliced through the neck and took its greasy, blunt-toothed, head on the awl of his other axe.  Killing is such good sport!

During most of this entire ordeal the rest of the party hung back, from what I could tell, and fired arrows into the melee.  Their volleys mostly hit their intended targets.  But there was some apology from Liam to Rolando, later, about a stray arrow striking Rolando in the buttock.  I saw no such thing… So I paid no mind.  Their arrows were supplemented by the arrows of two entire phantasmal columns of archers on either side of us!  Doake has gotten much more powerful since the last time I’ve seen him perform any magick at all.  A far cry from the parlor trickery he used to perform when we were children.  The columns were so real that their arrows seemed to actually harm and kill the witless creatures.  One, terrified by the volume of enemies, broke rank and ran for its pathetic life.  Usually, I am rather merciful, and this was no exception.  So I chased it down and granted it release from its putrid existance with one thrust through its neck.  As I turned the blade and tore it out through the side of the beast’s throat, it fell, gurgling its curses to the last.  I turned and ran back to the fray, there was regrettably, not much left to kill, besides the Kobold that I pushed into the passionate swingings of Rolando.  And the very last of the wretches, who had been surrounded by Kailan, Nyneva, and a phantasmal facsimile of myself.  It felt very strange, watching myself.  It gave me pause, even though I had been reassured by Doake, in his usual manner.  I was instantly reminded of his relentless prankery as an adolescent.  But instead of scaring the shite out of my siblings, he was actually using my doppelganger productively.

Soon, the last Kobold fell, and I set about collecting their ears which were worth 1 gold coin each to the guild.  Not bad at all.  Such a strange custom, selling the ears of fallen enemies.  Don’t they know that most things have two ears?  As long as we can exploit their ignorance, I feel that this adventure will be most profitable, indeed!  I think that we should find creatures with more ears though.  There were few other valuables among the slain.  Liam managed to salvage an entire suit of armor, albeit ragged, I feel that it suits him well.  I however, could never wear such a suit of armor.  I don’t think that I could deal with the stench of “Kobold” for any longer than it takes to bisect one in battle.

Many thanks to thee, Great Hunter, Solonor.
Thy strength is my strength.
My eyes are thine eyes.
Thy keen is my keen.
My body is thine conduit.
Many praises unto thee, Solonor Thelandira.

by Dumbarton

Dear Tome,

You won’t believe what happened to me today!

I’m having a relatively nice sleep when Rollie knocked on our door and woke us up at the break of dawn. Apparently, we were supposed to go adventuring or something but no one had told me about it. Or maybe they told me when I wasn’t listening but the end result is the same — a good night’s sleep ruined and me tramping around some rocky hillside on that stubborn goat.

Nothing much happened. We may be looking for a cave of some kind (note: ask somebody about that). We certainly didn’t find it, because we got jumped by some kobolds!

There must have been half a dozen of them — big bruisers with short swords. I turned invisible, as a precaution, while the others wiere running around. When I finished, I calmy assessed the situation:

Rollie was already engaging the enemy. This ruined area effect magic. Some other people were firing arrows. I wanted to keep the kobolds from running and drop as many as possible, quickly, to keep this from becoming a brawl.

Pretty much all I had was illusuions so I thought of Master Tan’s lesson — keep it believable. Something that looked good. Something they wouldn’t attack. Archers fit the bill — the enemy only had short swords, so I could keep the archers out of range easily.

It worked pretty well. The archers looked good, realistic. Most of the kobolds bought it. This one guy was like, “It’s not real! It’s not real!” but the others were too busy to listen much. I just kept pouring arrows in there. One poor sap bought it so well he just dropped!

Liam also shot Rollie in the butt, which was freaking hilarious! I’m not sure he even knows — he was pretty worked up at the time….

Anyway, we killed them and took their stuff and cut their ears off, which was all pretty good. We can get money out of all that.

N.B.: Give Rollie armor next time. Magic armor. He needed it more than I did.

Enough. I think they’re gonna make me get up again tomorrow morning. I’m going to bed.

by Rolando

Damn but I was scared…afterwards.

We had just gone on a monster bounty trip to make a little money because we were beginning to spend a lot of money on fancy rooms and such. Normally, I’m a peaceable sort but, to be honest, we really needed the money. So after a quick breakfast at the Three Leaves Inn of biscuits and bit of cheese, we set out.

Outside the gates, we choose to follow the river upstream since heading downstream would involve crossing the river and, to be honest, I had the feeling that could lead to a bit of trouble. Especially with this Liam character that has joined us. I realize he is mates with Kailan but still he does some crazy things sometimes.

We had barely left the keep when we rounded the bend and came upon a squad of six kobolds. Why they were there so close to the keep, I have no idea. You would think that the keep would send out regular patrols but, no matter, there they were.

Liam and Rue started shooting them with arrows, Doaks promptly disappeared, Nyneva started arguing with her Halfling torch-bearer but suddenly promoting him to spear-bearer and Kailan moved to defend his horse. Me? Well, I panicked and promptly ran.

Unfortunately, I ran at the kobolds. I no sooner got there than two of them attacked me. The first missed me clean but the other put a nice slice down my left arm. That’s when the world turned red and it gets a little fuzzy.

The next thing I remember is Cordelia (my left axe) cleaving thru a kobold’s collarbone while the spike on the back of Regan (my right axe) pierced its skull. I turn about and there is only one kobold left on its feet facing Nyneva, Kailan and Rue. However, another Rue is standing to my left with a wolfish grin on his face. At that point I realize that the first Rue is an illusion created by Doaks. Before I can get to the last kobold, the fake Rue hit him with his sword and the kobold falls. Nyneva skewers him with her spear.

I realize that my hip is burning and look down. It appears an arrow has glanced off my hip and left a furrow. Since the kobolds didn’t have bows I look back and I see Liam with an apologetic look on his face. I start to get angry again but I see that two of the kobolds are not dead but passed out. I spin the sisters in my hands and plant their spikes in the chests of the kobolds. I feel better after that.

Looking back, I forgot everything I had learned about fighting and just lost my temper. Hopefully, I can keep my head next time. I feel lucky to have survived my first real combat.

Date:

23 January 2010 / 06 Haar’Kiev, 174

Characters (Players) in attendance:

Æruestan “Rue” Beleg (Sam) – Sylvan Elf Fighter / 1
Dumbarton Oaks (Chris) – Pixie-Fairy Magic-User / 1
Kailan Morgause (Victoria) – Half-Elf “Art connoisseur” / 1
Liam Fishfinge-r (Adam) – Gnome Thief / 1
Nyneva Parsay (Francine) – Half-Elf Cleric of Benyar / 1
Rolando (Paul) – Human Fighter / 1

Voted Most Valuable Player:

Dumbarton Oaks

GM notes:

Not bad for a rusty first adventure. The characters made it to Frandor’s Keep, got some rooms, registered their party, and killed their first Kobold patrol.

There were some rules errors. Combat was frankly a shambles, for which I apologize. We’ll get it better next time.

Also, I should have been giving players temporal honor adjustments as we went, which I totally neglected to do.

For the record, here’s the calculated temporal honor and experience points earned by each character this session:

Dumbarton Oaks – 4 – 731
Kailan – 0 – 621
Liam – 0 – 173
Nyneva – 4 – 139
Rolando – 9 – 601
Rue – 9 – 431

Players have now been given log-in information (check your e-mail). Those who post summaries of the adventure will receive an EP bonus. Extra points for in-character posting.

When you post, be sure to choose the category “Adventure Reports”.

Also, please be sure to put your character’s name at the top, so we know who’s writing!

thom