My daughter's group had to stop as she was leaving for a year and the players were very bummed out. I told them I'd run a short 1 year campaign for them if they were interested and they all jumped at it. Putting them through a modified B5 (The Horror on the Hill). 4 of my Saturday group guys also joined giving me a total of 8.
We rolled up 1st edition style characters and got:
Halfling Assassin
Gnomish Fighter
Human Paladin
Human Wizard
Half Orc Cleric/Fighter
Human Cleric
Half Ogre Fighter/Thief
Human Druid
Following is the blurb at character creation Session 0 and the actual 1st session.
Yes it takes place in the exact same world (Mystara) as my PBEM game, 5 years after that adventure ended.
(Before Session 0 adventure hook)
Far to the east of Specularum, in the broken Duchy once known as Machete, there is a growing rise of order spearheaded by the goblinoid kingdom known as Jector. For many decades, the cosmopolitan land had been home to competing forces of demihumans and monstrous types seeking their own wants and needs.
However, after the fall of the Ispan Halgafar and the elven home known as the Dawnlands almost 4 decades ago, the forces of Jector have civilized. Without the constant draining war with the neighboring elven lands, Jector has become beacon of order (if not lawfulness). Located near the mouth of the Kerendal River, Jector has had a thriving trade with the Empire of Thaytis as well as the Duchy of Karameikos.
5 years ago, the Rainbow ward around the Ispan’s capital city of Acreage fell and Ispan Halgafar’s Prism Crown was found and returned to Specularum by an intrepid group of adventurers. This has ended an almost 30 year window of blasted lands and cursed locations in the area known once as Vyalia. Intrepid traders and trappers have made further and further trips northward into the wild, daring to bring back fanciful tales of things they had seen.
Far to the north, down the mile wide expanse of the River Shrill, one of the lesser traveled lengths of the Kerendal River, a fort has been established as a bulwark against the creeping wild. Outfitted and bankrolled by Lord Abraxas of Freebody Shippers of Jector, the hope is that in time the fort will grow into a town.
But danger lurks here. When the weather is fair, the view to the west across the river is that of a broken white and grey topped shattered mountain the local hunters and rangers have referred to as merely, “The Hill”. A few who have braved their way across have mentioned strange monsters, odd plumes of steam, a sense of horror, and a monastery with a broken statue of a rampant mare.
Word has crept its way back to Specularum where the Church of Aine is convinced that that this location might…MIGHT.. be an ancient place of magic and worship for the horse goddess. One of their Lady-Knights, Lyra Adder, Priestess to Aine, has sent the word out for any adventurer brave and true who would like the chance to journey to Jector and then eventually the Fort and then eventually the Hill. She will discuss the adventure and potential rewards with anyone who is interested on the 7th of Deathmonth.
(Session 0 after character creation)
We met with The Specularum Guardian, Exploring, and Adventuring Guild on Deathmonth the 7th, where a very nervous Lady Knight named Lyra Adder of the Church of Aine (Pronounced AHN-ye) told us of the possible location of a lost Monastery far to the east.
The Church has given the Guild enough money to pay for our passage (13 days) to Jector and then passage (5 days) up the River Shrill to Fort Guido - situated near "the Hill" - where this place might be. They also have covered costs back DOWN the river and back to Specularum - but nothing else. If there are any religious tomes - they are the Church's and must be returned to them. Anything else is fair game.
They are also covering the costs of 2 weeks of rations @ the Fort for adventuring purposes - as well as basic fare to eat during the journey. Finally, they are providing a porter, Master Skilletmaker, who has been a member of the Guild for a number of years and recently took Professor Trigger's Dungeonneering class 3 times - so knows his stuff.
Master Skilletmaker will have a baker's dozen of Healing Elixirs which has been entrusted to him from the Church - and doling them out to the party should they need will be at his discretion. They are keyed to him, so unless he gives the correct counterprayer when handing them out - the potions will default to being inert.
(Session 1)
On Deathmonth the 7th after accepting the Charter from the church of Aine and the Specularum Exploring, Guarding, and Adventuring Guild (SEGA), we had the chance to sail on the Rolling Tide, a 60 ton merchantman Cog that took us out of Karameikos and eastward with the wind and tide for 14 days, stopping in 2 other ports along the way to offload and take on new freight.
We had the chance to talk to one another and get a measure of our skills and capabilities before eventually arriving past the former elven lands of Vyalia and to the collapsed Duchy of Machete. The main city of Jector had made a comeback thanks to the odd civilization of the goblin empire who had made good trading partners.
Off loading we were met on quay by a gnomish and kobold contingent from Freebody Shippers. The gnome, a friendly enough figure named Standard, escorted us through the Mediterranean style city up slope to a hilltop villa of Lord Salazar, owner of Freebody Shippers and one of our patrons and benefactors. He was a man who had put on some weight over the years but still had a raucous laugh and a twinkle in his eye.
They were covering costs up to Fort Guido, back down again to Jector, and passage along the way back to Specularum. This also covered foodstuffs for 2 weeks. We were welcome to stay at a nice place on the quay and our resident half-orc had requested the opportunity to visit the local mass grave area. Lord Salazar’s man, Jowass, a kobold, brought the half orc to meet Auli, the Keeper of the Graves, who helped dig up a human or hobgoblin female who had died at least 2 years earlier. The bones were taken and on the 22nd – we left Jector and made our way up the Kerendil River on the River Otter, a 5 ton river schooner with a crew of 8.
At least a day outside of Jector we were in wild country and saw no real signs of civilization. A few giant signs, and even a flying wyvern in the distance. We took the passage on day 3 of travel up to the west up the River Shrill and it was in the afternoon of the 27th when we arrived at the frozen banks of Guido’s Fort.
A little bit of civilization carved out of the wild country side – the 20’ palisade wall covered and area about 4 acres in size. Fort Guido is home to the brave souls who trap and hunt the local beavers and mink, as well as the knucklehead trout this far up the River Shrill. There are also some rare tree types (red walnut) that is in want down in Jector. Fort Guido seems to be home to 50 people or so, of which 6 are decidedly goblinoid.
Guido met us and bid us welcome. The local (and only) tavern is the Lion’s Den and we went in and arranged rooms and a meal. The proprietress is a stately woman names Llerana, and her remaining child is an 11 year old boy named Parcien. Her and her husband came up here 2 years ago as inn keepers but he and her younger daughter died after a hard winter. She has stayed and done her best.
As for the trip across to the “Hill”, there were 4 possible boats in the area, and Guido would arrange for us to talk to 3 of them. We settled on the goblin fisherwoman, Tila – who would take us across for 7 and a half crowns now and pick us up for the same 7 and a half. She gave us a smoking log to burn on the beach which would alert her to come and get us.
We heard a rumor from a local hunter referred to as “the Old One” named Antrin that a dragon lived in the ground under the hill. We made a few purchases with Enja, the guy who ran the trading post, and on the morning of Deathmonth the 28th – we boarded Tila’s boat and made the trip across River Shrill arriving at the other side by 10 AM.
The Hill area was an unwelcome expanse of cliffs and broken stones in the water, making beaching locations limited to 2 – a larger one to the south with a stream running through the center of the beach, or a narrower one to the north. We opted on that one. Thobar made sure our foodstuffs were protected, made sure everyone had 2 days on their own in case something went wrong, and put the signal log in the carrying crate for now.
The beach was covered in snow and we ventured westward after finding a path running westward through the oak and hickory trees. The paths were barely 2 abreast and if we walked through the raw woods, the thorn sticker and underbrush would drag us to a fraction of our speed. The druid could see someone had blazed marked a trail in the past so we went west.
It was an hour later that we came to a clearing, the slope of the land running ahead of us. Wild flowers filled the sizable area (easily a couple hundred feet by almost a thousand) but the snow was limited to only a few inches. We looked around, climbed a tree to scout ahead, and were able to tell there were 2 other paths in this area – one on the northwest, the other on the southwest section of the clearing. We discussed the options and went northwest.
We followed the trail 4 or 500 feet before it “T’ed” here – either more northwest or southwest. We went southwest. The land continued to rise ahead of us – the druid assuring us we were a good 80’ above the River Shrill’s level. The trail eventually split again and we could go southeast or west/southwest. East takes us back to the River so we went westerly.
We broke for lunch and rested, eventually moving on. 1:30. 2:00, 2:30. The trail eventually met up with another on running southwest and northeast, and we went further west again, still going up land – now 160’ or so above the River’s surface.
A clearing was here, 1000’ easily circular (not perfect) To the west was a steep rocky hillside where a hideous granite idol. It seemed to be a fat humanoid figure but without getting up there and closer we could not be sure. The glade has other dips and valleys, and to the north we could see a cave opening of some sort. South of where we were was a path leading from the clearing – and up the rise northwest and southwest was another pair of paths leading onward.
We discussed our options and we figured to check out the cave for now. At the minimum it would be a good place to hole up for the night as it was already almost 3 (sun sets at 5).
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