So the youth’s met again, and continued their VERY SLOW crawl along the upper rooms of the mansion. I mean very slow. Not that I want them to race through, but there is a lot of cross talk and laughing – which is great! But I can see two of the party members are getting frustrated that the opposite end of the table is chattier and fluff than focus and crunch.
I’m the impartial neutral DM, and I’ll go as fast or as slow as they want – but I keep a ready eye on the clock and it ticks ticks ticks endlessly – which the game isn’t. Ends on time each time at 9:30 on the dot.
But, they did get to meet Ned Shakeshaft, a poor wanna-be adventurer who had seen a light in the window at night and while exploring the area, got coshed on the noggin, robbed, and tied up and dumped in an upstairs bedroom with naught but his underwear and a lump on his head. He’s already endeared himself to 3 members of the party and is just being an all around helpful and respectful sort of guy.
Write up follows:
Magnus was willing to go in, but Talion offered to enter first. Deja was not happy, hated the webs, but was willing to enter after the ranger, which had our paladin taking up the rear. They inched their way towards the fireplace with exaggerated care while Valerie guarded the hall and Veldryn was fingering her holy symbol. Concern for the ever present spiders, she called on Hel and centered her will on the fireplace area, asking to let her know if there was any poison in the area.
And a section of the fireplace lit up with green sparks. Which made a spider leg the side of Magnus’ forearm come out of the flue and feel around before retracting. Big, Fricking, Spider.
It was time to step back and out of the room when Talion saw something out of the corner of his eye and another Big, Fricking, Spider, the size of a German Shepherd, jumped out of the webs to his left, landed on his chest, and tried to bite him, only getting hung up on his armor.
The one in the fireplace dropped down and went to scamper towards the party while the one on Talion, the ranger tried to peel backwards and stab with a dagger, succeeding only in getting more bites on his wrist, his greaves taking the blow. Deja let two daggers fly at the scampering spider, “Not Talion!” she cried, one of them sinking deep into the arachnid’s carapace. Who then reached up with a long leg and flicked the knife free. WTF?!?
Magnus tried to hold it off with his scimitar while Valerie lumbered into the room and the half-orc grabbed the spider off of Talion’s chest and went to crush it. It turned and bit her, and she slumped over, eyes rolling up, and fell down, dropping the spider. Veldryn hoped to blind it and called on Hel to light the spider up, having it radiate! Unable to see, it spun around squealing and hopping mad, eventually bumping into Valerie and assuming her to be an enemy bit her again, injecting her with more poison. The other spider made to lunge and Deja who screamed and ran out of the room to Veldryn who tried to get the Halfling thief to calm down.
The spider instead turned to Talion and clawed at his leg, sinking its fangs into his calf, and the ranger cursed as he slipped over and dropped from consciousness. Magnus braced the spider with a wide stance and calling it an infidel, hacked it three times with his curved blade, splitting the beast in half and ending its assault.
The second spider with the light spell also bit Talion again as it bumped into him reflexively, and then backed up, following the walls of the room until it arrived at the corner. It then tried to climb up backwards and blind. Deja was mastering her fears, pulled out tow more daggers, entered the room, and hurled them both…both striking. The oversized menace was badly hurt and bleeding when Magnus ran up to it and hacked down, killing the spider at long last.
We closed the door and looked over the two friends unconscious. They were sleeping and twitching a bit. The consensus was that we had two antidote ampoules but since this was somnolent poison, we should let it run its course and save the antidotes for another, more dangerous time. So time passed. The glinting in the fireplace turned out to be a piece of fractured Gypsum crystal, seemingly useless but we kept it. The hours passed and Veldryn continued to read her books when we heard noises coming from somewhere else in the wing. Moaning and then a few thuds like someone moving.
Deja and Magnus went to investigate while Veldryn stayed in the room with their friends. The approached the first door and carefully, the Halfling opened it. It was the remains of a dilapidated bedroom with the floor sagging and even missing a few slats in it. The noises were coming from the last chamber and we also heard a few moans of muffled sounding, “Help me,” and “Anyone, please?”
Deja opened the room after swiftly unlocking the lock and with the paladin right behind looked in. Another bedroom and in the corner, tied up and gagged near the remains of an old bed was a man in his 30’s clad only in his underwear and looking around fearfully. They undid his gag and he thanked Deja (called her Lady Deja) for her help, eventually getting his other bonds cut. Said his name was Ned Shakeshaft, a wannabe adventurer from Seaton who was on his way to Saltmarsh to look for work. He had travelled too late and saw lights in the windows of the house. So he had crept up to look around and was knocked on the head last night, waking up only a short while ago missing all his gear and dumped here.
He was cut free and leaning on Deja, was making his way back to the room when his legs gave out and he had to stop near the fireplace and catch his breath. Eventually he felt better and the two friends helped bring him back to the 1st chamber where he greeted Veldryn in Elvish, but knew no other elvish but the first greeting. He also had heard of Magnus, the paladin from Karon. He saw the 2 spiders and seemed to expertly know how to find the poison ducts. When questioned about him, he identified the 2 spiders by class and genus and let the group know that he had been apprenticed to a zoologist in his youth for a few years and had a distant love for animals.
He did say that the friends would probably be out for a few hours tops. Not having a way to defend himself he asked for some aid and Deja lent him one of her many daggers. By this time Valerie and Talion were waking up and we helped them up, filling them in on what happened. The Half-orc was most taken with Ned who was respectful and flattering to the druidess. He also made sure to call Talion Lord Talion and deferred to his leadership.
We ate lunch, Valerie sharing her food with Ned, the two of them staring happily at one another. We talked about going downstairs and Ned did say the place was haunted and we should probably check out up here first. Most everyone agreed and the decision was made to clear out the rest of the top floor. He also hoped that if it got too late, we should head back to town instead of risking staying out here.
He had skill with a blade as evidenced when he helped Veldryn get her sword back, putting the long blade through some paces, and did ask for some pants with Valerie offered hers with a blush and even though he thanked her for “getting into her pants” he was too much of a gentlemen to do it and instead borrowed a pair from Magnus.
We were ready to explore some more when Deja wanted to look over the middle bedroom a bit more. Veldryn went with him and the two of them gave the place a serious once over. The thief did note booted prints in the dirt and grit on the floor, heading to the window and back many times. The two friends checked it out and besides telling that someone had knelt here as well, there were scratches on the windowsill that looked like they came from a lantern base.
After returning to the hall and telling the group what they say, Ned was wondering if it were spirits but was told spirits didn’t wear shoes. Deja suspected it was a guy, or guys, who were doing it, but the thought was the place was still haunted and we should not rule any idea out. Then the conversation turned to the former mansion owner and his fascination with crafting a potion of human control. That’s when it was finally revealed that Talion and Veldryn were interested in finding such a potion or at least a successful recipe for it…and Deja, Magnus, and Ned were not. Valerie wanted little to do with the conversation and went further down the hall, sitting by the balcony and just looking out.
The words got heated but until we could even find such a thing, the decision was to shelve the conversation for now and worry about only if the situation came up.
We looked down the two remaining wings and Deja and Valerie thought it prudent to go west first. There were two doors here and after checking the first one, we opened it up to show a dressing room with a large cupboard on the west wall which had the two friends look at one another and shudder – remembering the fiasco in the kitchen yesterday and the falling cabinet.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Meet 36, Adv 4.1, 1/13/17
I play an adult game, meaning there is the attempt to have a mix of races and sexes in my game, and that means there will be prejudices, racism, sexism, sexual situations, possible illegal narcotics, and other mature points that don't get hand waved, brushed over, or softshoed. I don't plan on them, but it does happen.
This meeting was one of them where through some weird wandering monster checks followed by an astronomically remote reaction check and subsequent attraction check had one of the party members pretty much become the masturbatory plaything of an amorous 11' hill giantess. We could have avoided it, but the druid had his heart set on a carnivorous sheep (don't ask) and the primrose path led us to this situation.
It makes sense. Sort of. Either way, I laughed my ass off.
Write up follows:
At this time, Einar had approached Dizzy and informed the cleric that he was not looking forward to being left behind for this. The Randarbane poisoning he had contracted almost 3 weeks ago had run its course and the erstwhile member of the party was anxious to get out there and add his efforts to the cause. This was a good thing for us since we would not only have an experienced wilderness person to take us out to the area we expected to uncover the K’Morat Warren, but we would not have to worry about him leaving us afterwards.
We gathered up our belongings, split up what gear was needed, and went over the plan once again. Head up the Enderlyn River staying on the west side for roughly a day and a half until we arrived at the area marked off as a clear area some 3 plus miles wide roughly east and north of Long Ridge Mountain. From there we would look for signs, trails, notes, or anything else that would help us narrow down our search for the Warren. We expected to be out many days and everyone had 5 or so days of food on us for now.
By 12 we had let Hornes and the rest of the Randari know that they do not have to come with us. We promised Hornes to bring at least one of the K’Morat back with us. Alive, feet optional please.
We left the camp and in the warm mid to late summer sun, started making excellent time along the grassy shores of the Enderlyn River. The waterway meandered north from Base Camp, running at a good 4 miles per hour, widening and narrowing as the land dictated but staying over 150’ wide in many places. Eventually we came around the foothills that we had travelled to before and the trip turned more of a northwesterly run as we travelled on.
By 5:30 we found a decent place to camp, a fire was forgone for now, and after eating and setting up the tent we organized a watch (Merica not needing to take a turn this first day out) and then took turns. Dizzy, Hjalgrim, Sybil, Thalin, and then Einar – no issues, no problem. The next day was Firemonth the 20th and it was cooler today, the crisp mountain air promising low 60’s at best and the heavy cloud cover blocking most direct sun for the trip ahead. By 7 AM we were off and ready to arrive at our destination later today depending on how the trip went.
By 8:30 we had arrived at an area where the range itself drew close to the river, making a steep sloped area on this side of the river where erosion had stripped the soil away and what few trees grew here were poorly rooted to the side of the steep slope. A number of small falls and rapids dictated almost 1,000 feet of the Enderlyn’s stretch. Einar flat out said he felt very uncomfortable leading the group up along the shore line here. Unlike the other 2 falls we had traversed on the way to Base Camp from Sorton, this one was not cut and shaped but was still raw and wild. Too great of a chance for someone to slip and either get hurt and/or fall into the Enderlyn and be swept away.
So even though it would add time to our trip, the decision was to back track a quarter mile, find passage up and over the ridge line close to here but NOT near the river, and then come down on the other side and continue on our trip.
We managed to work our way up the steep slope, in many places hitting over 50 degrees of incline. Hjalgrim and his manservant, Percy, were in the rear when a section of ground gave way beneath them and they slipped, fell, slid, rolled, and careened down almost 150’ before coming to a stop near a series of tight Douglas firs. They were pretty battered up but Hjlagrim seemed to shrug it off after Percy helped him to his feet. With extra care we continued on and them came down the other side and by 11:30, were heading back north towards the river and then west once more.
As we came to the edge of the larger clear area with 3’ meadow grass and countless copses of trees we did note in the distance 2 figures striding along near the banks of the Enderlyn and coming in this direction with a swagger that belied they had little worry. We could tell they were tall and gangly, but at a mile, could make out no other details for now. So we hid behind the closest copses, relying on the thick trunks and tall grasses to hide us and waited.
Eventually the duo closed enough for us to see they were hill trolls; over 8’ tall, wrinkled mottled baggy skin, dark hair, walking with an exaggerated gait. There were two ropes trailing into the river and they were dragging it slow while one of them was bitching to the other one. Dizzy who was able to understand and speak troll took to listening in and translating for us. Seems they were hungry, always hungry lately. Their tribe had gotten their ass kicked 2 months or so ago by a local kobold tribe and their chief had been taken during the fight, the other trolls killed and burned – only these two managed to survive and escape. There was talk about going back and attacking the now much weaker tribe but the smarter one of the two dismissed it saying that even with the reduced numbers, there were more than enough kobolds to take out the two trolls.
They went out of sight, heading towards the east and following the river. Dragging a fishing net they had been reduced to gathering their food and Dizzy suggested we avoid them and the river for now. We headed almost due west from here and eventually ended up where we wanted to arrive on the map, looking around us. South and west was the towering line of the Long Ridge Range, south was a smaller peak and ridge. North led to the Enderlyn River and there was no sign of kobolds or their warren.
Einar called on Frey to speak with some animals and got into a conversation with some finches. Best he could understand was on the other side of the mountain were taller enemies (Giants? Trolls? Ogres?) and maybe the kobolds. But there was also a rock drake that flew about looking for smaller or single foes to assault. Best way to avoid it was to go through the tunnel. Tunnel? There is supposedly a tunnel running UNDER the Long Ridge Range that the finches occasionally dare when they are having bravery contests. It would allow us to bypass the rock drake.
We decided to head south from here, go over the smaller range and peak, and then hopefully before the sun sets too much, establish a camp on the other side at the mountain base and look for the tunnel in the morning. The trip up was tiring and the slope was dangerously steep, many of us sliding and struggling to make the ascendance. Once more Hjalgrim and Percy slipped, Sybil joining them as the three of them rolled and scratched and scrambled eventually to a stop. Healing was doled out and even though it was going to take time, the decision was to rope everyone together with Merica in the back and Einar in the front.
The trip continued on and the sun was setting as we went down the steep slope on the other side of the ridge. There were three mountains that made a “V” shaped valley here and we settled in for a long night, the party splitting up into watches with Dizzy taking the first. Aching and tired, the group fell asleep.
Not very long into the dark night of Dizzy’s watch, he heard heavy treads in the forest wandering about and then getting closer. He stayed alert and calm, looking carefully until his infravision picked up an 11’ tall bipedal humanoid figure standing not too far away and grunting at him in a voice that sounded like rocks grinding against one another. Since Dizzy spoke Giant, he was able to tell that it was a Hill Giant, a giantess actually, and her name was Narnul. She wanted to know what was going on, who he was, what the group was doing here, and what was up.
Seemingly completely incapable of doing ANYTHING regarding a giant, Dizzy stayed calm and spoke at length to Narnul. He did drop his crossbow when she asked and eventually she came closer. Her clothing was poorly cured hides and she was holding a 7’ long tree complete with a knobby root ball. She sat down and then had a conversation with Dizzy, willing to “keep watch with him” and the dwarven cleric/thief just did his best to stay calm.
When it was time to awaken Merica, Dizzy decided completely against it since the taciturn dwarf was not known for decorum, tact, or courtesy. Instead he stayed awake through the next watch and hoped Narnul would get bored and go away.
That didn’t happen and she continued to chitchat, her voice carrying through the night air. Which then attracted ANOTHER figure, this one a bit over 10’ tall, waxy dark lumpy skin, holding a large torch, wearing a woolen dress, and sporting a single eye. A Cyclops. And she knew Narnul, calling her a bitch, at which Narnul told her to relax. The Cyclops was named Dinka and she lived near here. Complained that the talking was keeping her sheep up and since we were already up and here, might as well join her at her keep.
The rest of the party was now up and there were serious concerns amongst everyone – a hill giant and a Cyclops?! We had little choice we felt and opted to go with the two of them to the remains of a Randari Keep not more than a few hundred yards from where the party was camping. One of the guard towers was still standing and Dinka had erected a ¼ acre pen around the back where half a dozen 200 lb larger than normal sheep were milling about. They looked big, ferocious, and when we got close enough, they had freaking canines mixed in with their herbivorous teeth.
Einar was intrigued and we went up to the 2nd floor with Dinka and Narnul. We were told we could sleep here and when it was talked about Einar getting a sheep, a complex deal was made where Narnul would pay Dinka for one of the sheep and she would give it to Dizzy who could then give it to Einar. For a price. Like two days of pleasure with the giantess. Dizzy balked but Narnul was not in a listening mood and the deal was assumed to be “done”. Dinka gave Narnul to use of one of the rooms with a door on it and told her to “have fun.”
Dizzy was taken into the room, made to strip while Narnul did the same. She was large, pendulous, hairy, and had a aroma about her that was not pleasing. She didn’t seem to want to use Dizzy carnally and didn’t care about his pleasure; she instead wanted to use him as a living doll to pleasure herself and before Dizzy knew what was happening, he was dragged forward and pressed against her damp fleshy folds where his struggles served to excite Narnul in what was to be almost 40 eventual hours of for one of the two, a traumatic filthy, stinking, sticky, irritating experience.
The rest of the party eventually tried to ignore the non-consensual erotic noises coming from behind the door and fell into a rough and disturbed sleep, Dinka having gone upstairs to her own chamber. When we awoke the next day, Dizzy and Narnul were still going at it after some periods of rest, the dwarven cleric managing to attract Sybil attention through the door, asking the Halfling thief to find him "a bucket please, for water, and quick!"
Sybil wandered into the next chamber which Dinka had repurposed as a meat hanger. Bodies of kobolds, wolves, even what seemed to be gnome, were hanging here, slit open and drained/draining of blood. Some buckets, but nothing she could use. So she went upstairs. Larger central chamber and one closed room which she could see Dinka was sitting on her bed and combing her hair. She asked the Cyclops for some water and was eventually directed to the room in the corner on this floor.
There was an oversized spinning wheel here, lots of partially spun fleece, and 4 huge skeins of it on shelves leaning on the wall. But there were two metal gallon buckets here as well as a bent pipe from the ceiling that led to a cistern on the roof. She was short and couldn’t reach so dragged a 3 legged stool over, positioned the two buckets a few feet from the end of the pipe, stood on the stool and worked the hand sized cork out of the bent 1 ½” pipe.
Water flowed out at a fast pace, splashing into one bucket and then filling the other. The water went to the top and Sybil reached up to shove the cork back in place. But she lost her footing a bit and the cork was blown out of her grasp where it flew across the room and was lost in the fleece. She scrambled over there while water continued to come out of the pipe and overflow the bucket, run along the floor, and start to rain through the cracks in the mortar stone to the room below (where Dizzy looked at the water coming through the ceiling and was trying to wash the “stink” off of himself but Narnul wanted to do the same and she ended up using him a bit like a sponge.).
Not wanting to piss off the Cyclops host, Sybil climbed back up on the stool, reached up and held the pipe in one hand, and then took off her shirt and holding it wadded it, jammed it in the hole with her right hand. The flow of water lessened, but it was not a perfect fit and it was squirting out under high pressure raining about the Halfling who was now soaked to the skin. Deciding more clothes were needed, she let go of the pipe with her left hand, picked her glove off with her teeth, and then jammed THAT in the hole along with the shirt. Still going, but not perfect.
At this point she had jammed her right hand pretty far into the pipe and was reaching down with her left to undo her pants, letting them fall to her booted feet. But two things happened, her glove still on her hand was swelling up with water and now her hand was stuck in the pipe while water STILL rained down on her…and the stool she was standing on fell over from her gyrations in her attempt to kick her pants off and she was hanging there by one hand stuck in a water pipe, soaked to the skin, pants around her ankle, suspended a bit over 2’ off the ground.
It was time to call for help. She yelled for Dinka who came in and saw Sybil in her predicament and wanted to know WHY!?!? No real answer could explain the halfling’s situation so she was just helped free and Dinka told her to take the buckets and go while she plugged up the pipe with the now found cork. Sybil tied her sopping pants back into place and taking both buckets, went down the steps to the party.
Most of them were happy to see her with the buckets of water and it was assumed that one was for them…so they took it. Meaning she took the half filled bucket to the door and knocked where Narnul opened it, thanked Sybil as she was getting thirsty, and went to shut it again…while Dizzy was looking at Sybil with shock and disgust and the Halfling gave the dwarf the thumbs up for her efforts. He never got to use it to clean himself and Narnul drank most of the water, giving him the dregs to swallow before once more using him for her satisfaction.
Eventually Dinka came down and returned Sybil’s clothes and we talked about the mountain, her clan, trolls, kobolds, and other matters. She was estranged from her clan for 3 years as many of the members thought the leader’s desire to befriend the local ogre clan was a bad one. The clan was to the west of the Eskerton Tunnel, many miles on the shores of what she called Broken City Lake.
As for kobolds, they were on the opposite side of the lake in the forest in an old keep. She understood the clan to be sizable (over 100 of them) and the shaman was respectful of her until recently. A new shaman, much younger, had been through the tunnels in the last few months and had shown a serious lack of respect for her, actually entering her tower (hence the dead kobolds).
We thanked Dinka for her information and she did let us know if we did manage to get to the Warren and ran across her tribe, let her mother know she was ok and was waiting on word that the current Cyclops chief was now overthrown so she could return home.
This meeting was one of them where through some weird wandering monster checks followed by an astronomically remote reaction check and subsequent attraction check had one of the party members pretty much become the masturbatory plaything of an amorous 11' hill giantess. We could have avoided it, but the druid had his heart set on a carnivorous sheep (don't ask) and the primrose path led us to this situation.
It makes sense. Sort of. Either way, I laughed my ass off.
Write up follows:
At this time, Einar had approached Dizzy and informed the cleric that he was not looking forward to being left behind for this. The Randarbane poisoning he had contracted almost 3 weeks ago had run its course and the erstwhile member of the party was anxious to get out there and add his efforts to the cause. This was a good thing for us since we would not only have an experienced wilderness person to take us out to the area we expected to uncover the K’Morat Warren, but we would not have to worry about him leaving us afterwards.
We gathered up our belongings, split up what gear was needed, and went over the plan once again. Head up the Enderlyn River staying on the west side for roughly a day and a half until we arrived at the area marked off as a clear area some 3 plus miles wide roughly east and north of Long Ridge Mountain. From there we would look for signs, trails, notes, or anything else that would help us narrow down our search for the Warren. We expected to be out many days and everyone had 5 or so days of food on us for now.
By 12 we had let Hornes and the rest of the Randari know that they do not have to come with us. We promised Hornes to bring at least one of the K’Morat back with us. Alive, feet optional please.
We left the camp and in the warm mid to late summer sun, started making excellent time along the grassy shores of the Enderlyn River. The waterway meandered north from Base Camp, running at a good 4 miles per hour, widening and narrowing as the land dictated but staying over 150’ wide in many places. Eventually we came around the foothills that we had travelled to before and the trip turned more of a northwesterly run as we travelled on.
By 5:30 we found a decent place to camp, a fire was forgone for now, and after eating and setting up the tent we organized a watch (Merica not needing to take a turn this first day out) and then took turns. Dizzy, Hjalgrim, Sybil, Thalin, and then Einar – no issues, no problem. The next day was Firemonth the 20th and it was cooler today, the crisp mountain air promising low 60’s at best and the heavy cloud cover blocking most direct sun for the trip ahead. By 7 AM we were off and ready to arrive at our destination later today depending on how the trip went.
By 8:30 we had arrived at an area where the range itself drew close to the river, making a steep sloped area on this side of the river where erosion had stripped the soil away and what few trees grew here were poorly rooted to the side of the steep slope. A number of small falls and rapids dictated almost 1,000 feet of the Enderlyn’s stretch. Einar flat out said he felt very uncomfortable leading the group up along the shore line here. Unlike the other 2 falls we had traversed on the way to Base Camp from Sorton, this one was not cut and shaped but was still raw and wild. Too great of a chance for someone to slip and either get hurt and/or fall into the Enderlyn and be swept away.
So even though it would add time to our trip, the decision was to back track a quarter mile, find passage up and over the ridge line close to here but NOT near the river, and then come down on the other side and continue on our trip.
We managed to work our way up the steep slope, in many places hitting over 50 degrees of incline. Hjalgrim and his manservant, Percy, were in the rear when a section of ground gave way beneath them and they slipped, fell, slid, rolled, and careened down almost 150’ before coming to a stop near a series of tight Douglas firs. They were pretty battered up but Hjlagrim seemed to shrug it off after Percy helped him to his feet. With extra care we continued on and them came down the other side and by 11:30, were heading back north towards the river and then west once more.
As we came to the edge of the larger clear area with 3’ meadow grass and countless copses of trees we did note in the distance 2 figures striding along near the banks of the Enderlyn and coming in this direction with a swagger that belied they had little worry. We could tell they were tall and gangly, but at a mile, could make out no other details for now. So we hid behind the closest copses, relying on the thick trunks and tall grasses to hide us and waited.
Eventually the duo closed enough for us to see they were hill trolls; over 8’ tall, wrinkled mottled baggy skin, dark hair, walking with an exaggerated gait. There were two ropes trailing into the river and they were dragging it slow while one of them was bitching to the other one. Dizzy who was able to understand and speak troll took to listening in and translating for us. Seems they were hungry, always hungry lately. Their tribe had gotten their ass kicked 2 months or so ago by a local kobold tribe and their chief had been taken during the fight, the other trolls killed and burned – only these two managed to survive and escape. There was talk about going back and attacking the now much weaker tribe but the smarter one of the two dismissed it saying that even with the reduced numbers, there were more than enough kobolds to take out the two trolls.
They went out of sight, heading towards the east and following the river. Dragging a fishing net they had been reduced to gathering their food and Dizzy suggested we avoid them and the river for now. We headed almost due west from here and eventually ended up where we wanted to arrive on the map, looking around us. South and west was the towering line of the Long Ridge Range, south was a smaller peak and ridge. North led to the Enderlyn River and there was no sign of kobolds or their warren.
Einar called on Frey to speak with some animals and got into a conversation with some finches. Best he could understand was on the other side of the mountain were taller enemies (Giants? Trolls? Ogres?) and maybe the kobolds. But there was also a rock drake that flew about looking for smaller or single foes to assault. Best way to avoid it was to go through the tunnel. Tunnel? There is supposedly a tunnel running UNDER the Long Ridge Range that the finches occasionally dare when they are having bravery contests. It would allow us to bypass the rock drake.
We decided to head south from here, go over the smaller range and peak, and then hopefully before the sun sets too much, establish a camp on the other side at the mountain base and look for the tunnel in the morning. The trip up was tiring and the slope was dangerously steep, many of us sliding and struggling to make the ascendance. Once more Hjalgrim and Percy slipped, Sybil joining them as the three of them rolled and scratched and scrambled eventually to a stop. Healing was doled out and even though it was going to take time, the decision was to rope everyone together with Merica in the back and Einar in the front.
The trip continued on and the sun was setting as we went down the steep slope on the other side of the ridge. There were three mountains that made a “V” shaped valley here and we settled in for a long night, the party splitting up into watches with Dizzy taking the first. Aching and tired, the group fell asleep.
Not very long into the dark night of Dizzy’s watch, he heard heavy treads in the forest wandering about and then getting closer. He stayed alert and calm, looking carefully until his infravision picked up an 11’ tall bipedal humanoid figure standing not too far away and grunting at him in a voice that sounded like rocks grinding against one another. Since Dizzy spoke Giant, he was able to tell that it was a Hill Giant, a giantess actually, and her name was Narnul. She wanted to know what was going on, who he was, what the group was doing here, and what was up.
Seemingly completely incapable of doing ANYTHING regarding a giant, Dizzy stayed calm and spoke at length to Narnul. He did drop his crossbow when she asked and eventually she came closer. Her clothing was poorly cured hides and she was holding a 7’ long tree complete with a knobby root ball. She sat down and then had a conversation with Dizzy, willing to “keep watch with him” and the dwarven cleric/thief just did his best to stay calm.
When it was time to awaken Merica, Dizzy decided completely against it since the taciturn dwarf was not known for decorum, tact, or courtesy. Instead he stayed awake through the next watch and hoped Narnul would get bored and go away.
That didn’t happen and she continued to chitchat, her voice carrying through the night air. Which then attracted ANOTHER figure, this one a bit over 10’ tall, waxy dark lumpy skin, holding a large torch, wearing a woolen dress, and sporting a single eye. A Cyclops. And she knew Narnul, calling her a bitch, at which Narnul told her to relax. The Cyclops was named Dinka and she lived near here. Complained that the talking was keeping her sheep up and since we were already up and here, might as well join her at her keep.
The rest of the party was now up and there were serious concerns amongst everyone – a hill giant and a Cyclops?! We had little choice we felt and opted to go with the two of them to the remains of a Randari Keep not more than a few hundred yards from where the party was camping. One of the guard towers was still standing and Dinka had erected a ¼ acre pen around the back where half a dozen 200 lb larger than normal sheep were milling about. They looked big, ferocious, and when we got close enough, they had freaking canines mixed in with their herbivorous teeth.
Einar was intrigued and we went up to the 2nd floor with Dinka and Narnul. We were told we could sleep here and when it was talked about Einar getting a sheep, a complex deal was made where Narnul would pay Dinka for one of the sheep and she would give it to Dizzy who could then give it to Einar. For a price. Like two days of pleasure with the giantess. Dizzy balked but Narnul was not in a listening mood and the deal was assumed to be “done”. Dinka gave Narnul to use of one of the rooms with a door on it and told her to “have fun.”
Dizzy was taken into the room, made to strip while Narnul did the same. She was large, pendulous, hairy, and had a aroma about her that was not pleasing. She didn’t seem to want to use Dizzy carnally and didn’t care about his pleasure; she instead wanted to use him as a living doll to pleasure herself and before Dizzy knew what was happening, he was dragged forward and pressed against her damp fleshy folds where his struggles served to excite Narnul in what was to be almost 40 eventual hours of for one of the two, a traumatic filthy, stinking, sticky, irritating experience.
The rest of the party eventually tried to ignore the non-consensual erotic noises coming from behind the door and fell into a rough and disturbed sleep, Dinka having gone upstairs to her own chamber. When we awoke the next day, Dizzy and Narnul were still going at it after some periods of rest, the dwarven cleric managing to attract Sybil attention through the door, asking the Halfling thief to find him "a bucket please, for water, and quick!"
Sybil wandered into the next chamber which Dinka had repurposed as a meat hanger. Bodies of kobolds, wolves, even what seemed to be gnome, were hanging here, slit open and drained/draining of blood. Some buckets, but nothing she could use. So she went upstairs. Larger central chamber and one closed room which she could see Dinka was sitting on her bed and combing her hair. She asked the Cyclops for some water and was eventually directed to the room in the corner on this floor.
There was an oversized spinning wheel here, lots of partially spun fleece, and 4 huge skeins of it on shelves leaning on the wall. But there were two metal gallon buckets here as well as a bent pipe from the ceiling that led to a cistern on the roof. She was short and couldn’t reach so dragged a 3 legged stool over, positioned the two buckets a few feet from the end of the pipe, stood on the stool and worked the hand sized cork out of the bent 1 ½” pipe.
Water flowed out at a fast pace, splashing into one bucket and then filling the other. The water went to the top and Sybil reached up to shove the cork back in place. But she lost her footing a bit and the cork was blown out of her grasp where it flew across the room and was lost in the fleece. She scrambled over there while water continued to come out of the pipe and overflow the bucket, run along the floor, and start to rain through the cracks in the mortar stone to the room below (where Dizzy looked at the water coming through the ceiling and was trying to wash the “stink” off of himself but Narnul wanted to do the same and she ended up using him a bit like a sponge.).
Not wanting to piss off the Cyclops host, Sybil climbed back up on the stool, reached up and held the pipe in one hand, and then took off her shirt and holding it wadded it, jammed it in the hole with her right hand. The flow of water lessened, but it was not a perfect fit and it was squirting out under high pressure raining about the Halfling who was now soaked to the skin. Deciding more clothes were needed, she let go of the pipe with her left hand, picked her glove off with her teeth, and then jammed THAT in the hole along with the shirt. Still going, but not perfect.
At this point she had jammed her right hand pretty far into the pipe and was reaching down with her left to undo her pants, letting them fall to her booted feet. But two things happened, her glove still on her hand was swelling up with water and now her hand was stuck in the pipe while water STILL rained down on her…and the stool she was standing on fell over from her gyrations in her attempt to kick her pants off and she was hanging there by one hand stuck in a water pipe, soaked to the skin, pants around her ankle, suspended a bit over 2’ off the ground.
It was time to call for help. She yelled for Dinka who came in and saw Sybil in her predicament and wanted to know WHY!?!? No real answer could explain the halfling’s situation so she was just helped free and Dinka told her to take the buckets and go while she plugged up the pipe with the now found cork. Sybil tied her sopping pants back into place and taking both buckets, went down the steps to the party.
Most of them were happy to see her with the buckets of water and it was assumed that one was for them…so they took it. Meaning she took the half filled bucket to the door and knocked where Narnul opened it, thanked Sybil as she was getting thirsty, and went to shut it again…while Dizzy was looking at Sybil with shock and disgust and the Halfling gave the dwarf the thumbs up for her efforts. He never got to use it to clean himself and Narnul drank most of the water, giving him the dregs to swallow before once more using him for her satisfaction.
Eventually Dinka came down and returned Sybil’s clothes and we talked about the mountain, her clan, trolls, kobolds, and other matters. She was estranged from her clan for 3 years as many of the members thought the leader’s desire to befriend the local ogre clan was a bad one. The clan was to the west of the Eskerton Tunnel, many miles on the shores of what she called Broken City Lake.
As for kobolds, they were on the opposite side of the lake in the forest in an old keep. She understood the clan to be sizable (over 100 of them) and the shaman was respectful of her until recently. A new shaman, much younger, had been through the tunnels in the last few months and had shown a serious lack of respect for her, actually entering her tower (hence the dead kobolds).
We thanked Dinka for her information and she did let us know if we did manage to get to the Warren and ran across her tribe, let her mother know she was ok and was waiting on word that the current Cyclops chief was now overthrown so she could return home.
Friday, January 12, 2018
Meet 35, Adv 4.1, 1/6/18
This was after a month off for the holidays and we had 2 missing at the table with our revised head count (have had 1 gone now for 4+ months and truthfully, expecting him back anyday soon we hope). So there was chit and chat at first, followed up with not a strict gameplay to follow where side convos and non sequitors followed for some time.
But we did get some ball rolling as the night went on and the party now running the "B" team has a better idea of the scope of this adventure and where they have to go and hunt down the 2nd Warren. The biggest issue is the 11 miles of crawling wilderness between Base Camp and Warren 2 of which this team will have to hoof it and they are not geared towards wilderness adventures.
Either way, they kick off the rails next meeting and head out the door to adventure.
Write up follows:
The group awoke on the 17th of Firemonth and awaited for the Randari Rangers to return to let the party and the Harvesters know where on Furtham’s Peak the next batch of Firvin’s Cap mushrooms was to be picked and returned. This was the 4th day since the 1st K’Morat Warren had been routed and so far, there had been no sign of the kobolds – both a blessing and a troubling event.
By 8:30 the group had been given directions and we followed the Ranger’s directions up the peak to the 5,000 foot mark where Hornes and Spunifer met us, let us know that once again there was no K’Morat sign for them, and then returned to Base Camp while the party guarded the Harvesters on their job. Four Caps were cut down, stored away and sealed, and even though Dizzy and Sybil did walk a double width picket around the harvesting site and made sure to cross each others path repeatedly – again, no kobold sign.
We arrived back at camp by 1:30, discharged our duties, and then had a choice of heading back out to the wylde to hopefully get lucky, or perhaps see if the Reeve had something else for us to do. The group was feeling a bit useless and superfluous at this point. Donna Duncarian, the House Illytch rep and Reeve for the Base Camp, understood our concern and plight and although she had nothing direct for us, the camp’s kennel master, a half-orc named Black Drangis, was looking for some help and if we were interested, could speak with him about some aid to the Camp.
We went to the kennels where a dark-skinned beast of a half-orc, almost 7’ tall and 300 lbs., was more than willing to talk with the party. Black Drangis had 4 wolf-hounds here at camp, and he needed to have 2 of the bitches bred as they were in heat again. The wolves that had been seen out in the wylde were perfect candidates and he wanted help constructing and laying down a pit and wolf trap for the beasts. The party said nothing to Black Drangis about the strong possibility that the wolves were most likely Dunatis the orcish druid and/or member of his circle/cabal.
Instead they went with the talkative kennel master about ¾ of a mile south of the Base Camp and helped him dig out a 5x5x5 pit, lined with a net and set up with two snares along an area that had shown wolf passage in the recent history. We returned to Base Camp by 6:15, shared a meal with Black Drangis at the Mess hall and he offered his aid to us at least one day should the need arise in the future.
At 8:30 the group turned in, knowing that we would be getting up 6:30 on the morrow and hopefully assault the mountain once more for mushrooms and hopefully find some sign of K’Morat somewhere. It was 6ish the next morning when the camp was awoken to the returning Randari Rangers. It seems that they were ambushed not a half mile from the Base Camp by at least 40 K’Morat warriors and the orcish contingent was ill-prepared for the assault.
We agreed to go back to the attack site with Hornes and the rest of the rangers as well as a 4 count of giant killers from the Camp and a few others. Meanwhile the story made its way around and the party listened raptly. The Rangers were assaulted by well-hidden kobolds on both sides and although every ranger had been wounded, 4 of them were in serious condition, one was unconscious from wounds and blood loss, and one was unaccounted for. It was only Spunifer transforming into a bear and Hornes making the call to reverse direction and retreat immediately that saved the Rangers from an even worse position. The feeling is that at least 4 or five of the kobolds had been taken down or were mortally wounded at least by the time the Rangers retreated.
There were at least two differing tribes of kobolds; one was wearing a chalky substance on the hands and face and wore shifts made of fur and skins, the others had jerkins made of moulded leather and brigandine style armor and relied on their natural coloring. There was plenty of signs of battle but the bodies were gone – half-orcish and kobold. And after 2/300 feet or so, there was an effort to sweep the place clean of tracks. Even so we were able to tell that the mass of 40 kobolds did head north. We went back to Base Camp and arranged with Blank Drangis to come with us and bring his dogs. Healing was dispensed and the Bailiff made some noise about giving the Ranger’s the rest of the day off as well as no work tomorrow. There was mutterings about Bailiff Youngston’s decree but the consensus was to let it lie for now.
The mass of us: 11 Rangers, 5 party members, 4 giantkillers, the kennel master and his 4 wolfhounds all went out and after working the area a bit, we followed tracks north to the valley beyond Furtham’s Peak and then the hounds took us east towards the Enderlyn River. According to Spunifer who spoke with the hounds, the trail here was older by a day and the thought was it was half the kobold tribe crossing here the day before and then setting up the ambush.
We backtracked to the valley and then followed the rough valley and scrublands between the ranges north, not actually finding the K’Morat, but feeling like this was the corridor at least half the assaulters had taken on coming here. Throughout the walk, Spunifer was concentrating on Black Squirrels, constantly locating them and using their presence as a guide on whether we passed a Warren being they were common. Although the numbers did fluctuate up and down, there were no wild swings so there was no warren along our walking path.
On the way back we all discussed the maps and what we knew. Two tribes and one of them was more militant the other more barbaric. The barbaric tribe was most likely on this side of the river since they were seen wearing chalk on their face and hands. Chalk deposits were suspected to come from further upriver and we assumed that was as good of a place to look. 2 days upriver? 3? We hoped that Hornes would lend us a Ranger or two to help us get to a point on the map then they could return while the party scoped out the area for a Warren.
It was late in the day when we returned. The party went to the cook, Ruhilde, getting the ok that he’d get us some rations to take into the field tomorrow. The thought was to get up early, eat well, and be out and on the way by 8. The Rangers would give the Bailiff some song and dance about 4 days needed for mourning their companion but the group had already heard the Bailiff say one day would be given off. No one wanted to step in the middle of that mess.
Early the next morning, Firemonth the 19th, there was the call of “fire” from the wall guards and there was a bonfire roughly 400 yards from the Base Camp south of the tree line. The Rangers went to investigate, the party and other members of the Camp coming as well. It was obvious the K’Morat had lit this and had done so some time earlier. There were feces and steps everywhere; but on a flat stone near the fire were the busted bones scrapped of marrow remains of the missing Half-Orc Ranger taken yesterday morning.
Hornes lost his shit, and the other Rangers were joining him; keening and chanting a dirge to their fallen companion. Spunifer was looking around carefully along with the group; giving the Rangers a wide berth as we had looked on them as comical on some occasions, but were now actually frightening in their fury. There were about half the number of kobold tracks here, leading us to believe it was one tribe now making this display. And besides the tracks which did fade but went north again into the valley area we also found definitive piles of Shellback Hickory nuts which do not grow anywhere near Base Camp.
There was some talk that Shellback nuts could be found much further upriver near Grandfather Mountain and the source of the Enderlyn River (3 days or so from here), which tied in with the idea we had of the Warren being upriver from here. We arrived back at Base Camp and Hornes and the Bailiff got into a public screaming match with one another before the Bailiff had us join him back at the Rep House.
Once there we learned that the Bailiff wanted us to find these kobolds and put the problem to bed. He was a bit derogatory about the half-orcs and even though they were important to the Base Camp, he was more focused on profits and income – the Randari were employees. We also made the mistake of saying we were going to take a Randari or two which had him flat out tell us no. Eventually he settled on us taking one, leaving Hornes with 11 to his retinue. Everyone in camp is on edge. However, the caravan arrived and the party went over all the gear the other party members had requested, taking most of it for ourselves and asking Donna to order another batch to replace what we were taking for now.
But we did get some ball rolling as the night went on and the party now running the "B" team has a better idea of the scope of this adventure and where they have to go and hunt down the 2nd Warren. The biggest issue is the 11 miles of crawling wilderness between Base Camp and Warren 2 of which this team will have to hoof it and they are not geared towards wilderness adventures.
Either way, they kick off the rails next meeting and head out the door to adventure.
Write up follows:
The group awoke on the 17th of Firemonth and awaited for the Randari Rangers to return to let the party and the Harvesters know where on Furtham’s Peak the next batch of Firvin’s Cap mushrooms was to be picked and returned. This was the 4th day since the 1st K’Morat Warren had been routed and so far, there had been no sign of the kobolds – both a blessing and a troubling event.
By 8:30 the group had been given directions and we followed the Ranger’s directions up the peak to the 5,000 foot mark where Hornes and Spunifer met us, let us know that once again there was no K’Morat sign for them, and then returned to Base Camp while the party guarded the Harvesters on their job. Four Caps were cut down, stored away and sealed, and even though Dizzy and Sybil did walk a double width picket around the harvesting site and made sure to cross each others path repeatedly – again, no kobold sign.
We arrived back at camp by 1:30, discharged our duties, and then had a choice of heading back out to the wylde to hopefully get lucky, or perhaps see if the Reeve had something else for us to do. The group was feeling a bit useless and superfluous at this point. Donna Duncarian, the House Illytch rep and Reeve for the Base Camp, understood our concern and plight and although she had nothing direct for us, the camp’s kennel master, a half-orc named Black Drangis, was looking for some help and if we were interested, could speak with him about some aid to the Camp.
We went to the kennels where a dark-skinned beast of a half-orc, almost 7’ tall and 300 lbs., was more than willing to talk with the party. Black Drangis had 4 wolf-hounds here at camp, and he needed to have 2 of the bitches bred as they were in heat again. The wolves that had been seen out in the wylde were perfect candidates and he wanted help constructing and laying down a pit and wolf trap for the beasts. The party said nothing to Black Drangis about the strong possibility that the wolves were most likely Dunatis the orcish druid and/or member of his circle/cabal.
Instead they went with the talkative kennel master about ¾ of a mile south of the Base Camp and helped him dig out a 5x5x5 pit, lined with a net and set up with two snares along an area that had shown wolf passage in the recent history. We returned to Base Camp by 6:15, shared a meal with Black Drangis at the Mess hall and he offered his aid to us at least one day should the need arise in the future.
At 8:30 the group turned in, knowing that we would be getting up 6:30 on the morrow and hopefully assault the mountain once more for mushrooms and hopefully find some sign of K’Morat somewhere. It was 6ish the next morning when the camp was awoken to the returning Randari Rangers. It seems that they were ambushed not a half mile from the Base Camp by at least 40 K’Morat warriors and the orcish contingent was ill-prepared for the assault.
We agreed to go back to the attack site with Hornes and the rest of the rangers as well as a 4 count of giant killers from the Camp and a few others. Meanwhile the story made its way around and the party listened raptly. The Rangers were assaulted by well-hidden kobolds on both sides and although every ranger had been wounded, 4 of them were in serious condition, one was unconscious from wounds and blood loss, and one was unaccounted for. It was only Spunifer transforming into a bear and Hornes making the call to reverse direction and retreat immediately that saved the Rangers from an even worse position. The feeling is that at least 4 or five of the kobolds had been taken down or were mortally wounded at least by the time the Rangers retreated.
There were at least two differing tribes of kobolds; one was wearing a chalky substance on the hands and face and wore shifts made of fur and skins, the others had jerkins made of moulded leather and brigandine style armor and relied on their natural coloring. There was plenty of signs of battle but the bodies were gone – half-orcish and kobold. And after 2/300 feet or so, there was an effort to sweep the place clean of tracks. Even so we were able to tell that the mass of 40 kobolds did head north. We went back to Base Camp and arranged with Blank Drangis to come with us and bring his dogs. Healing was dispensed and the Bailiff made some noise about giving the Ranger’s the rest of the day off as well as no work tomorrow. There was mutterings about Bailiff Youngston’s decree but the consensus was to let it lie for now.
The mass of us: 11 Rangers, 5 party members, 4 giantkillers, the kennel master and his 4 wolfhounds all went out and after working the area a bit, we followed tracks north to the valley beyond Furtham’s Peak and then the hounds took us east towards the Enderlyn River. According to Spunifer who spoke with the hounds, the trail here was older by a day and the thought was it was half the kobold tribe crossing here the day before and then setting up the ambush.
We backtracked to the valley and then followed the rough valley and scrublands between the ranges north, not actually finding the K’Morat, but feeling like this was the corridor at least half the assaulters had taken on coming here. Throughout the walk, Spunifer was concentrating on Black Squirrels, constantly locating them and using their presence as a guide on whether we passed a Warren being they were common. Although the numbers did fluctuate up and down, there were no wild swings so there was no warren along our walking path.
On the way back we all discussed the maps and what we knew. Two tribes and one of them was more militant the other more barbaric. The barbaric tribe was most likely on this side of the river since they were seen wearing chalk on their face and hands. Chalk deposits were suspected to come from further upriver and we assumed that was as good of a place to look. 2 days upriver? 3? We hoped that Hornes would lend us a Ranger or two to help us get to a point on the map then they could return while the party scoped out the area for a Warren.
It was late in the day when we returned. The party went to the cook, Ruhilde, getting the ok that he’d get us some rations to take into the field tomorrow. The thought was to get up early, eat well, and be out and on the way by 8. The Rangers would give the Bailiff some song and dance about 4 days needed for mourning their companion but the group had already heard the Bailiff say one day would be given off. No one wanted to step in the middle of that mess.
Early the next morning, Firemonth the 19th, there was the call of “fire” from the wall guards and there was a bonfire roughly 400 yards from the Base Camp south of the tree line. The Rangers went to investigate, the party and other members of the Camp coming as well. It was obvious the K’Morat had lit this and had done so some time earlier. There were feces and steps everywhere; but on a flat stone near the fire were the busted bones scrapped of marrow remains of the missing Half-Orc Ranger taken yesterday morning.
Hornes lost his shit, and the other Rangers were joining him; keening and chanting a dirge to their fallen companion. Spunifer was looking around carefully along with the group; giving the Rangers a wide berth as we had looked on them as comical on some occasions, but were now actually frightening in their fury. There were about half the number of kobold tracks here, leading us to believe it was one tribe now making this display. And besides the tracks which did fade but went north again into the valley area we also found definitive piles of Shellback Hickory nuts which do not grow anywhere near Base Camp.
There was some talk that Shellback nuts could be found much further upriver near Grandfather Mountain and the source of the Enderlyn River (3 days or so from here), which tied in with the idea we had of the Warren being upriver from here. We arrived back at Base Camp and Hornes and the Bailiff got into a public screaming match with one another before the Bailiff had us join him back at the Rep House.
Once there we learned that the Bailiff wanted us to find these kobolds and put the problem to bed. He was a bit derogatory about the half-orcs and even though they were important to the Base Camp, he was more focused on profits and income – the Randari were employees. We also made the mistake of saying we were going to take a Randari or two which had him flat out tell us no. Eventually he settled on us taking one, leaving Hornes with 11 to his retinue. Everyone in camp is on edge. However, the caravan arrived and the party went over all the gear the other party members had requested, taking most of it for ourselves and asking Donna to order another batch to replace what we were taking for now.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Youth Meet 5, Adv 1, 1/5/18
It was nice getting the youth’s together so many times in the last few weeks since my own game was on hiatus. They are still plowing through the main floor of the mansion but I ramped up the “haunted” this session since they decided to make camp within one of the living room areas. There was still the “herding cats” feeling on my end as I did my best to keep the game focused and moving along, but as long as they are having a good time, it’s working for me.
Write up follows:
The party decided to reenter the mansion, staying just inside the foyer while they discussed either returning to Saltmarsh or staying out here. The decision was made to stay out here for now and to further explore the remainder of the main floor for any signs of the haunting or things of interest/value. Talion lit a fresh torch, the group taking a quick count of what was remaining and we decided we had enough possible light sources for today and tomorrow for now.
Magnus took the lead, taking us down the east wing from the foyer where there were 2 doors on the right hand side. The first door was fairly swollen, blocking the frame and preventing it from opening. A shove on the knob had the entire thing break off in his hand and a hole in the wet wood of the door itself. Valerie helped shove the door open and we had a chance to look in.
It was a living room of some sort, but there was no furnishings left anymore, the fireplace on the right had a ring of red toadstools surrounding the hearth. A 2nd doorway on the left wall most likely led to the same last room as indicated in the hall. No one wanted to mess with the ring but Magnus was willing to take the lead. He crept up to the ring, scimitar out, and carefully…slit one of the toadstools near the base. Nothing happened. He did the same again and again…and then he felt confident and cut huge swaths of the mushrooms out.
Valerie informed us the toadstools were edible and we bagged them for now to add to our dinner later. As for the hearth and fireplace, Deja was on point and after verifying no spiders waiting within, gave it a once over and was happy to see another hidey-hole up near the back by the flue. She moved the stones aside and felt within for a cracked and dry leather bag. After pulling it out she could see it held a small yet nicely cut purple amethyst which the party pocketed with aplomb and good cheer.
As for the rest of the room, nothing else was of note so with care, they looked through the east door to the last chamber. It was a mirror image of this living chamber except the ceiling was in very poor condition and broken plaster littered many places. The naked floorboards above were visible and there was suspicion that they sagged, meaning the floor above this room was going to be a mess if at all stable to walk upon.
Deja quickly checked the fireplace in the 2nd living room but once she was sure it was empty, returned to the party and we all went outside the mansion. We had checked out the entire lower floor and wanted to rest before attempting the 2nd floor and eventual basement. At first we talked about camping outside the mansion but we had no tents, no shelter out here, and no place to stay warm and dry. With trepidation, we opted to camp within the mansion for now.
We went back to the east wing and the room that at one time held the toadstools. While a few of us swept the floor clean, Valerie and Magnus went to the dining room and gathered up the fallen table there while Talion went to the library and brought as many shelves and books he could to be used as kindling and fuel source for the night. We propped the door back up in its frame and then shoved the table in front of it just in case. A fire was lit and we heated up our food with some pots scavenged from the kitchen, also toasting the mushrooms as an added treat. We felt good after eating and set up a round of watches to start about 8:00 or so with Deja, Magnus, Veldryn, Talion, and then Valerie taking turns. While the fighter types were tending to their weapons and gear, Deja was reading through the notes taken from the desk in the study, and Veldryn was reading the difficult pages from the Metaphysics of Math and Magic tome.
By 8 everyone was tired, the room was warm and toasty, and the group settled down to sleep. Deja was able to note that the alchemist had ordered many things but there were 5 odd items he ordered continuously that ranged from Greenblood Oil to Brain Juice. Yes, Brain Juice. Juice from a brain. And someone who supply it to him. Like 15 plus times over a period of 2 or 3 years. Admittedly most of these orders were 20 years out of date, but when we returned to Saltmarsh, it was something that the party was going to want to investigate and review.
The group slept while Deja kept watch. Shortly into her time though she heard movement throughout the mansion, footsteps from somewhere. She woke up Magnus who used his connection with Tyr to detect evil and found 1..2..3..4 sensations of evil to the north at the limit of his reach. One of them went up and then moved about upstairs, coming closer and then a bit overhead. The decision was made to awaken Veldryn next since she had detected skeletons earlier in the day somewhere below us and the thought was these were the same.
However when she awoke she yelled in fear and we heard the running footsteps upstairs run back to the north and Magnus lost his concentration. We waited but whatever it was and whoever it was did not come to investigate us on the main floor and we assume went back to the basement. With an unsure confidence, the party went back to sleep and Deja’s watched passed without further incident. Magnus and Veldryn had the same quiet watch, the Speaker for the Dead no longer needing to sleep, instead she went back to reading her tome while Talion kept watch.
And then the house shook, waking the party up. There was a scream form somewhere which had the group on edge. Veldryn called on Hel to remove fear in Talion who was getting shaken, not only fixing his fear, but also removing his concern about the room on the west wing that had a voice yell at us yesterday.
The noises did stop and the group hunkered back down to sleep, the party eventually awakening together but no one getting a “great” night’s sleep. We broke our fast, ate quickly, and the paladin, druid, and cleric all spent an hour praying. By 6:30 we were ready to go and the party all discussed last night as well as what Deja had learned from her notes.
The decision was made to go upstairs and check out the second floor for two reasons – to make sure nothing was left unturned, and to make sure that no one was “behind” us waiting on the floor above. We climbed the stairs from the Foyer and looked around. The floor to the left over the foyer was a bit suspect but we could see with a fresh torch hallways going to the north and west wing. However, we wanted to head east (where we heard noises AND where the ceiling/floor here was in poor condition) and make sure the area was explored first. Three doors and we went to the first one where Deja assured us it was unlocked and untrapped. She opened it to reveal a small room that was pretty webby and dusty, but there was something glinting in the fireplace.
Write up follows:
The party decided to reenter the mansion, staying just inside the foyer while they discussed either returning to Saltmarsh or staying out here. The decision was made to stay out here for now and to further explore the remainder of the main floor for any signs of the haunting or things of interest/value. Talion lit a fresh torch, the group taking a quick count of what was remaining and we decided we had enough possible light sources for today and tomorrow for now.
Magnus took the lead, taking us down the east wing from the foyer where there were 2 doors on the right hand side. The first door was fairly swollen, blocking the frame and preventing it from opening. A shove on the knob had the entire thing break off in his hand and a hole in the wet wood of the door itself. Valerie helped shove the door open and we had a chance to look in.
It was a living room of some sort, but there was no furnishings left anymore, the fireplace on the right had a ring of red toadstools surrounding the hearth. A 2nd doorway on the left wall most likely led to the same last room as indicated in the hall. No one wanted to mess with the ring but Magnus was willing to take the lead. He crept up to the ring, scimitar out, and carefully…slit one of the toadstools near the base. Nothing happened. He did the same again and again…and then he felt confident and cut huge swaths of the mushrooms out.
Valerie informed us the toadstools were edible and we bagged them for now to add to our dinner later. As for the hearth and fireplace, Deja was on point and after verifying no spiders waiting within, gave it a once over and was happy to see another hidey-hole up near the back by the flue. She moved the stones aside and felt within for a cracked and dry leather bag. After pulling it out she could see it held a small yet nicely cut purple amethyst which the party pocketed with aplomb and good cheer.
As for the rest of the room, nothing else was of note so with care, they looked through the east door to the last chamber. It was a mirror image of this living chamber except the ceiling was in very poor condition and broken plaster littered many places. The naked floorboards above were visible and there was suspicion that they sagged, meaning the floor above this room was going to be a mess if at all stable to walk upon.
Deja quickly checked the fireplace in the 2nd living room but once she was sure it was empty, returned to the party and we all went outside the mansion. We had checked out the entire lower floor and wanted to rest before attempting the 2nd floor and eventual basement. At first we talked about camping outside the mansion but we had no tents, no shelter out here, and no place to stay warm and dry. With trepidation, we opted to camp within the mansion for now.
We went back to the east wing and the room that at one time held the toadstools. While a few of us swept the floor clean, Valerie and Magnus went to the dining room and gathered up the fallen table there while Talion went to the library and brought as many shelves and books he could to be used as kindling and fuel source for the night. We propped the door back up in its frame and then shoved the table in front of it just in case. A fire was lit and we heated up our food with some pots scavenged from the kitchen, also toasting the mushrooms as an added treat. We felt good after eating and set up a round of watches to start about 8:00 or so with Deja, Magnus, Veldryn, Talion, and then Valerie taking turns. While the fighter types were tending to their weapons and gear, Deja was reading through the notes taken from the desk in the study, and Veldryn was reading the difficult pages from the Metaphysics of Math and Magic tome.
By 8 everyone was tired, the room was warm and toasty, and the group settled down to sleep. Deja was able to note that the alchemist had ordered many things but there were 5 odd items he ordered continuously that ranged from Greenblood Oil to Brain Juice. Yes, Brain Juice. Juice from a brain. And someone who supply it to him. Like 15 plus times over a period of 2 or 3 years. Admittedly most of these orders were 20 years out of date, but when we returned to Saltmarsh, it was something that the party was going to want to investigate and review.
The group slept while Deja kept watch. Shortly into her time though she heard movement throughout the mansion, footsteps from somewhere. She woke up Magnus who used his connection with Tyr to detect evil and found 1..2..3..4 sensations of evil to the north at the limit of his reach. One of them went up and then moved about upstairs, coming closer and then a bit overhead. The decision was made to awaken Veldryn next since she had detected skeletons earlier in the day somewhere below us and the thought was these were the same.
However when she awoke she yelled in fear and we heard the running footsteps upstairs run back to the north and Magnus lost his concentration. We waited but whatever it was and whoever it was did not come to investigate us on the main floor and we assume went back to the basement. With an unsure confidence, the party went back to sleep and Deja’s watched passed without further incident. Magnus and Veldryn had the same quiet watch, the Speaker for the Dead no longer needing to sleep, instead she went back to reading her tome while Talion kept watch.
And then the house shook, waking the party up. There was a scream form somewhere which had the group on edge. Veldryn called on Hel to remove fear in Talion who was getting shaken, not only fixing his fear, but also removing his concern about the room on the west wing that had a voice yell at us yesterday.
The noises did stop and the group hunkered back down to sleep, the party eventually awakening together but no one getting a “great” night’s sleep. We broke our fast, ate quickly, and the paladin, druid, and cleric all spent an hour praying. By 6:30 we were ready to go and the party all discussed last night as well as what Deja had learned from her notes.
The decision was made to go upstairs and check out the second floor for two reasons – to make sure nothing was left unturned, and to make sure that no one was “behind” us waiting on the floor above. We climbed the stairs from the Foyer and looked around. The floor to the left over the foyer was a bit suspect but we could see with a fresh torch hallways going to the north and west wing. However, we wanted to head east (where we heard noises AND where the ceiling/floor here was in poor condition) and make sure the area was explored first. Three doors and we went to the first one where Deja assured us it was unlocked and untrapped. She opened it to reveal a small room that was pretty webby and dusty, but there was something glinting in the fireplace.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Youth Meet 4, Adv 1, 12/26/17
The youth’s have added another player to their table, bringing the number to 5 – a perfect number as far as I’m concerned after 3 and a half decades of playing and DMing. Allows for a person to miss a session and the game to go on, a deviation from the 2 + 2 for set up of combat, and the possibility of overlapping and sharing skills and sets comes into play.
They continued their plumbing of the ground floor of the mansion and a look at the clock shows that if they left now, they wouldn’t arrive back at Saltmarsh until after dark – so the question for next meeting besides finishing up the group floor – is stay and camp or go and return?
Write up follows:
Before Deja could climb back in the hearth to look around we heard a bang from the front door and a voice yelling out, “Veldryn?! Everything ok!?” Who the hell…?
We went out to the hall to see a 6’ tall, 220 lb female half-orc barbaric looking fighter type with a humongous war axe on her back looking about, her lower tusks distending her upper lip. Veldryn was surprised as the half-orc was a druidic friend from the Karon Circle of Frey named Valerie and a friend of the elven necromancer.
From the story we got, the Druid of her circle had fostered Valerie’s innate wanderlust, inspiring the young woman to go and explore, learn of the world, and then return and share her views with the rest of the circle of how Frey’s power works in the greater world. She had heard of her friend (and her friend’s friend, Magnus the paladin) trip to Saltmarsh to take up the adventuring charter and decided to follow Veldryn and offer her aid. On arriving at Saltmarsh she was dismayed to learn that the party had already left this morning to seek out the alchemist’s mansion and see the haunting within, but set out along the marshy land until she only just arrived and heard a high pitched scream, running in to help out of need be.
Once introductions were passed around and the group felt good with one another, we went back into the drawing room and returned to both the hearth and the hidden spot, and the giant spider and the poison glands. Magnus and Deja managed to pry the stone aside and the Halfling carefully extracted a metal box some 5” x 5” x 2” with a rusted hinge. She oiled it a bit and then pried the cover open, revealing a nest of torn bedding and a wide banded iron ring with a series of shields butting up against one another along the outside.
Valerie called on Frey and revealed the ring was not only magical, but had something to do with warding. We talked briefly on the ownership of the ring and the party accepted Deja wearing it for now. The inner band was oily to the touch. When she slipped it on, the band shrunk down in size until it fit firmly on her finger with no discomfort.
As for the spider, Talion and Veldryn managed to extract the two poison glands and squeezed it carefully into a vial, sealing it with another application of wax. The last of anything noticed was by Magnus who commented that the chairs that were here had been torn and cut, but the tears were NOT 20 plus years old, much more recent, and they were not ragged like an animal’s claws, but deliberate cuts as if from a blade.
Someone had been here in the last year.
There had been little haunting so far, just a feeling of being watched and a gloomy bearing the longer the party stayed.
We went back to the hall and went to the last room, opening the door to reveal a kitchen with a stove, sink, and cabinet on the wall, a set of stairs going up to the next floor, and a door on the east wall heading elsewhere. A check of the oven was decided on first, with Deja, Valerie, and Magnus scouring the room and Veldryn and Talion watching the hall. The oven door was stuck, rusted in place, so Valerie was asked to add her strength to it…and she tore the 9’ iron door off the oven. So sorry! Don’t know my own strength!
We put the door down while looking in the oven – cold and empty. Valerie decided the iron stove door might not be a bad thing to hold on to, so into her pack it went. The cabinet was the next object to look over, so Valerie lifted Deja up so she could look it over. It wasn’t locked, so it was door open…
And the weight of the open doors pulled the cabinet away from the wall and crockery, knives, dishes, bowls and what not started falling back and away onto Deja and Valerie…who tried to dance back and shield the Halfling but instead tripped and ripped the cabinet entirely off the wall where it all fell on top of both of them amidst a hell of a lot of noise!
As Magnus went to lift the cabinet off of them and help, the two of them cut and bleeding badly, the noise and open front door attracted the attention of…a giant weasel! 6’ long, 70 lbs, sleek and chittering nastily, it stalked in to the house and fixed a beady eye on Veldryn and Talion as it stalked towards them. Talion readied his bow but Veldryn told the ranger to hold as she called on Hel to give her the power…and commanded to weasel to “leave”.
The beast paused, and then turned back, stalking slowly towards the door where it turned and went to the left. The cleric ran forward and shut the door, barring it closed and we all breathed a sigh of relief as Magnus was able to help the thief and druid up. Healing and herbalist kits came out and we managed to fix Deja’s painful wounds and a few points of damage repaired on both of them before it was time to look onward.
Before going upstairs, we went to look in the east door first. A copper boiler was near the north wall, damp, decaying, moldy; a set of stairs was across the chamber heading down to the basement. A brief check in the room and too long a few of the party members stayed, mold spores and other damp vapors robbing them of breath. Veldryn turned and succumbed, falling down and knocked out.
We managed to get back to the kitchen and Magnus laid his hands on Veldryn, curing her of the toxins with the power of Tyr. Once we were all up and better, we decided to keep the steps down on the back burner for now and finish the main floor. Before going though, we did take a glance up the steps on the second floor, seeing it was also in poor repair with a hole in the ceiling leading to the attic.
We went back to the foyer and decided to check out the west wing of the mansion first. Long hall, three doors, one on left, one on right, one at end. As the torch was beginning to sputter, Talion lit a new one and we went on our way. Decided to check out the 1st door on the south (left) and a shoulder and shove showed us a study. Most of the place was a mess of wet papers but a writing desk with a few drawers still working took up the space near the window.
Deja was on point again as she looked over the desk. No traps, drawer opened but was stuck. Valerie and her half orc muscles helping to tear the drawer out of the desk. Lots of papers, 3 years worth of receipts and purchase documents the alchemist had ordered such as chemicals and lab equipment. Veldryn and Talion were highly interested in them and shoved them in their backpack to be read later. Not much else of interest.
But before the drawer was put back in place, Deja noticed the base of the drawer did not match the height of the bottom on the inside of the drawer. Secret compartment? There was a spot along the edge for thin fingers of a blade to be inserted – and the bottom lifted out to reveal a hidden compartment with lots of padded areas for a dozen or so small ampoules – but only two were left. Deja looked them over, small tastes, touch, her knowledge of poisonry coming in handy as she let the group know these were two doses of neutralize poison. Probably the alchemist in his working did accidentally poison himself in the past and these were here to help ward off whatever toxin he exposed himself to. We took them and then left the chamber feeling good.
We went to the north door next and it was the mansion’s library. Much of it was a wet wreck many of the shelves broken and useless, but there was a stack of a dozen or so tomes in the corner that had escaped much of the decay. The group looked over them and found 3 of them useful which had Veldryn thrilled: Magical Properties of Gemstones, Magical Properties of Herbs and Flowers, and Metaphysics of Math and Magic. She perused them a bit, and a scrap of paper fell out of the third one with a scrawled message still readable…”Beyond Skeletons”.
We left the library and went to the end of the hall where the door beyond opened to the Living Room. A door lead out to a cracked overgrown glass enclosed patio and there was a pile of refuse in the corner. But before we entered, we noticed prints in the dust and dirt, shoed prints leading across the room to the north and west. Talion took care of the prints where the ended as nothing, Magnus and Deja went to the fireplace, Valerie poked at the refuse looking for anything of interest.
Talion was sure there was a secret trap door here and there was a spot to pry up a part of the floor. Valerie was once again called to help, the half-orc druid lifting…but the door held. After resting a moment, Magnus pulled out his crowbar to help. Meanwhile Veldryn called on Hel to help detect any undead…and got numerous pings below! She wanted to get down there and now, Talion was willing to appease her, but we needed the door open. So again, Valerie and Magnus worked on the door while the party hovered about…and the trap door lifted free!
And when it did, we heard a raspy cold as the grave voice cough out, “Welcome fools! Welcome to your deaths!” followed by piercing laughter. Veldryn, Talion, and Deja all turned and ran while Valerie tried to shut the trap door and Magus was shouting for them to come back. The three friends terrified hit the foyer and ran for the front door. After struggling to get it open, they trampled each other a bit and ran across the garden towards the front gate, still breathing and beating hearts. A glance back showed the mansion seemed to be staring at them, baleful lights in the top most windows like eyes.
Magnus and Valerie were running after their friends, trying to get them to stop. They got hung up at the gates and eventually Talion and Deja calmed down, physically restraining Veldryn who eventually was able to relax. Looking back the place no longer looked like eyes but Valerie still threw the 9# oven door up where it smashed through one of the shuttered windows at the attic. Nothing but tinkling glass and busted wood sounds followed.
We discussed heading back in and looking the rest of the place over (Veldryn did NOT want to go back to the living room) or risking the 4 hour trip back to Saltmarsh and try again tomorrow.
They continued their plumbing of the ground floor of the mansion and a look at the clock shows that if they left now, they wouldn’t arrive back at Saltmarsh until after dark – so the question for next meeting besides finishing up the group floor – is stay and camp or go and return?
Write up follows:
Before Deja could climb back in the hearth to look around we heard a bang from the front door and a voice yelling out, “Veldryn?! Everything ok!?” Who the hell…?
We went out to the hall to see a 6’ tall, 220 lb female half-orc barbaric looking fighter type with a humongous war axe on her back looking about, her lower tusks distending her upper lip. Veldryn was surprised as the half-orc was a druidic friend from the Karon Circle of Frey named Valerie and a friend of the elven necromancer.
From the story we got, the Druid of her circle had fostered Valerie’s innate wanderlust, inspiring the young woman to go and explore, learn of the world, and then return and share her views with the rest of the circle of how Frey’s power works in the greater world. She had heard of her friend (and her friend’s friend, Magnus the paladin) trip to Saltmarsh to take up the adventuring charter and decided to follow Veldryn and offer her aid. On arriving at Saltmarsh she was dismayed to learn that the party had already left this morning to seek out the alchemist’s mansion and see the haunting within, but set out along the marshy land until she only just arrived and heard a high pitched scream, running in to help out of need be.
Once introductions were passed around and the group felt good with one another, we went back into the drawing room and returned to both the hearth and the hidden spot, and the giant spider and the poison glands. Magnus and Deja managed to pry the stone aside and the Halfling carefully extracted a metal box some 5” x 5” x 2” with a rusted hinge. She oiled it a bit and then pried the cover open, revealing a nest of torn bedding and a wide banded iron ring with a series of shields butting up against one another along the outside.
Valerie called on Frey and revealed the ring was not only magical, but had something to do with warding. We talked briefly on the ownership of the ring and the party accepted Deja wearing it for now. The inner band was oily to the touch. When she slipped it on, the band shrunk down in size until it fit firmly on her finger with no discomfort.
As for the spider, Talion and Veldryn managed to extract the two poison glands and squeezed it carefully into a vial, sealing it with another application of wax. The last of anything noticed was by Magnus who commented that the chairs that were here had been torn and cut, but the tears were NOT 20 plus years old, much more recent, and they were not ragged like an animal’s claws, but deliberate cuts as if from a blade.
Someone had been here in the last year.
There had been little haunting so far, just a feeling of being watched and a gloomy bearing the longer the party stayed.
We went back to the hall and went to the last room, opening the door to reveal a kitchen with a stove, sink, and cabinet on the wall, a set of stairs going up to the next floor, and a door on the east wall heading elsewhere. A check of the oven was decided on first, with Deja, Valerie, and Magnus scouring the room and Veldryn and Talion watching the hall. The oven door was stuck, rusted in place, so Valerie was asked to add her strength to it…and she tore the 9’ iron door off the oven. So sorry! Don’t know my own strength!
We put the door down while looking in the oven – cold and empty. Valerie decided the iron stove door might not be a bad thing to hold on to, so into her pack it went. The cabinet was the next object to look over, so Valerie lifted Deja up so she could look it over. It wasn’t locked, so it was door open…
And the weight of the open doors pulled the cabinet away from the wall and crockery, knives, dishes, bowls and what not started falling back and away onto Deja and Valerie…who tried to dance back and shield the Halfling but instead tripped and ripped the cabinet entirely off the wall where it all fell on top of both of them amidst a hell of a lot of noise!
As Magnus went to lift the cabinet off of them and help, the two of them cut and bleeding badly, the noise and open front door attracted the attention of…a giant weasel! 6’ long, 70 lbs, sleek and chittering nastily, it stalked in to the house and fixed a beady eye on Veldryn and Talion as it stalked towards them. Talion readied his bow but Veldryn told the ranger to hold as she called on Hel to give her the power…and commanded to weasel to “leave”.
The beast paused, and then turned back, stalking slowly towards the door where it turned and went to the left. The cleric ran forward and shut the door, barring it closed and we all breathed a sigh of relief as Magnus was able to help the thief and druid up. Healing and herbalist kits came out and we managed to fix Deja’s painful wounds and a few points of damage repaired on both of them before it was time to look onward.
Before going upstairs, we went to look in the east door first. A copper boiler was near the north wall, damp, decaying, moldy; a set of stairs was across the chamber heading down to the basement. A brief check in the room and too long a few of the party members stayed, mold spores and other damp vapors robbing them of breath. Veldryn turned and succumbed, falling down and knocked out.
We managed to get back to the kitchen and Magnus laid his hands on Veldryn, curing her of the toxins with the power of Tyr. Once we were all up and better, we decided to keep the steps down on the back burner for now and finish the main floor. Before going though, we did take a glance up the steps on the second floor, seeing it was also in poor repair with a hole in the ceiling leading to the attic.
We went back to the foyer and decided to check out the west wing of the mansion first. Long hall, three doors, one on left, one on right, one at end. As the torch was beginning to sputter, Talion lit a new one and we went on our way. Decided to check out the 1st door on the south (left) and a shoulder and shove showed us a study. Most of the place was a mess of wet papers but a writing desk with a few drawers still working took up the space near the window.
Deja was on point again as she looked over the desk. No traps, drawer opened but was stuck. Valerie and her half orc muscles helping to tear the drawer out of the desk. Lots of papers, 3 years worth of receipts and purchase documents the alchemist had ordered such as chemicals and lab equipment. Veldryn and Talion were highly interested in them and shoved them in their backpack to be read later. Not much else of interest.
But before the drawer was put back in place, Deja noticed the base of the drawer did not match the height of the bottom on the inside of the drawer. Secret compartment? There was a spot along the edge for thin fingers of a blade to be inserted – and the bottom lifted out to reveal a hidden compartment with lots of padded areas for a dozen or so small ampoules – but only two were left. Deja looked them over, small tastes, touch, her knowledge of poisonry coming in handy as she let the group know these were two doses of neutralize poison. Probably the alchemist in his working did accidentally poison himself in the past and these were here to help ward off whatever toxin he exposed himself to. We took them and then left the chamber feeling good.
We went to the north door next and it was the mansion’s library. Much of it was a wet wreck many of the shelves broken and useless, but there was a stack of a dozen or so tomes in the corner that had escaped much of the decay. The group looked over them and found 3 of them useful which had Veldryn thrilled: Magical Properties of Gemstones, Magical Properties of Herbs and Flowers, and Metaphysics of Math and Magic. She perused them a bit, and a scrap of paper fell out of the third one with a scrawled message still readable…”Beyond Skeletons”.
We left the library and went to the end of the hall where the door beyond opened to the Living Room. A door lead out to a cracked overgrown glass enclosed patio and there was a pile of refuse in the corner. But before we entered, we noticed prints in the dust and dirt, shoed prints leading across the room to the north and west. Talion took care of the prints where the ended as nothing, Magnus and Deja went to the fireplace, Valerie poked at the refuse looking for anything of interest.
Talion was sure there was a secret trap door here and there was a spot to pry up a part of the floor. Valerie was once again called to help, the half-orc druid lifting…but the door held. After resting a moment, Magnus pulled out his crowbar to help. Meanwhile Veldryn called on Hel to help detect any undead…and got numerous pings below! She wanted to get down there and now, Talion was willing to appease her, but we needed the door open. So again, Valerie and Magnus worked on the door while the party hovered about…and the trap door lifted free!
And when it did, we heard a raspy cold as the grave voice cough out, “Welcome fools! Welcome to your deaths!” followed by piercing laughter. Veldryn, Talion, and Deja all turned and ran while Valerie tried to shut the trap door and Magus was shouting for them to come back. The three friends terrified hit the foyer and ran for the front door. After struggling to get it open, they trampled each other a bit and ran across the garden towards the front gate, still breathing and beating hearts. A glance back showed the mansion seemed to be staring at them, baleful lights in the top most windows like eyes.
Magnus and Valerie were running after their friends, trying to get them to stop. They got hung up at the gates and eventually Talion and Deja calmed down, physically restraining Veldryn who eventually was able to relax. Looking back the place no longer looked like eyes but Valerie still threw the 9# oven door up where it smashed through one of the shuttered windows at the attic. Nothing but tinkling glass and busted wood sounds followed.
We discussed heading back in and looking the rest of the place over (Veldryn did NOT want to go back to the living room) or risking the 4 hour trip back to Saltmarsh and try again tomorrow.
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Youth Meet 3, Adv 1, 12/22/17
First time the group has left town and went on their way to the adventure (not that the town isn’t an adventure, it’s just not the focal/goal portion of the quest).
Some time was spent outside before walking in. At this point, I have to ramp up the “haunted” feel of the house a bit more. Otherwise, I’m pretty happy with the group and the pace of things so far.
Write up follows:
The group talked at length about the leadership and the name eventually voting Talion the ranger as the leader and calling themselves the Tides of Valhalla – both as homage to most of their fishing village origin as well as the paladin’s deep abiding love of the heaven for courageous warriors.
The council reiterated our mission and then by 9 that morning, we were on our own. The thought was to go to Rosensteel’s Tradegoods and load up on rations for a few days, and then leave Saltmarsh with little delay. There is supposedly a long abandoned cliffside road closer to the Haunted House, but most of the trip would involve up trailblazing through swampy fens and uneven ground.
We purchased food, shuffled our packs around, and then took a trip to the Moneylender. A stone building well guarded by two dwarven warriors and further protected within by a Half-ogre with a claymore, the moneylender was a 4’ gnome called Rizle Tizle McDizzle, but call him “Mick” for short. We changed a number of crowns in for nobles and commons, a few of us getting brass as well. Mick was thrilled when Veldryn talked to him in his own language and we left there feeling good about the moneylender and comfortable that we’ll be well treated in the future.
We did talk about the haunted house and our adventure to go there, and were told that a talkative poacher named Curis Thanger would wax long about the one time he tried to sneak in the haunted house and was scared off. Works a longshoreman off a boat called the Third Heaven if we wanted to talk to him. After we were out in the street through, we decided that it was not necessary to talk with anyone else and the trip to the House will already take some time.
We walked south out of Saltmarsh, trying always to stay closest to the shore and beach of the Mastelic Ocean. The Eider Down Fens became thick within half a mile of Saltmarsh as we left the last of the hovels and peasant’s houses behinds. We had to walk back and forth often looking for better passage, slowing our trip. Eventually the time ticked past 1 and we were slowly working upslope to a series of cliffs that looked over the Ocean, 60’+ in height. We could see the dark outline of the lone mansion in the distance and by quarter after one, we had arrived at the locale in question.
It stands at the top of a cliff, 70’ above the surf and ocean, maybe 80’ back from the cliff. A partially collapsed stone wall encircled the place, 6’ in height where it still was functional; an iron gate partially hanging on rusting hinges blocked the entrance. As for the mansion, 35’ tall, heavily gabled, black windows shuttered – the entire edifice looked foreboding. Deja entered through a gap in the wall first, testing the garden beyond. The grasses were over 2 feet tall, plants, roses, flowers, and vegetables had grown wild in the last 2 decades, twined about amidst burrs and scratching weeds. But nothing was here except the sensation of being watched from the house itself.
Satisfied it was ok, she motioned the rest of the group through, Magnus going first. The paladin sadly knocked part of the weak wall over and fell into the garden amidst lots of noise and fallen mortar and brick. Deja looked at him with contempt, satisfied that any chance of surprise we might have had, should we need it, was now gone. After getting up, Magnus cleared the way and Talion and Veldryn followed.
The thought was to circle the house first, keeping closer to it, and see if there was anything in the grounds we needed to look at and concern ourselves with first. We went counter clockwise, staying in the shadow of the mansion as we looked around with care. That was the remnants of a few apple trees in poor condition, and a large weeping willow that had been partially uprooted but still alive and growing. But beyond it, close to the rear quarter of the mansion, was a 5’ well with the house collapsed, a bucket chain going down into the gloom.
The thought was to pull up the chain which was rusted but functional; a 2 gallon wooden bucket on the end. It was not in the best of condition and did leak, but was serviceable should we need it. A set of iron rungs went down the side of the well. Talion and Veldryn offered to go down and check it out, the water level looking like it was 15’ below the surface.
While the ranger did get closer to the water, Veldryn called on Hell and summoned a globe of light which she placed in the water, illuminating its 3’ depth. But while hanging there, Talion failed to notice a long snake emerge from a crack in the wall and bite him on the arm! The fangs got stuck more on leather and bracers, not piercing to his flesh. But the ranger was just as quick, tearing a dagger free and stabbing it into the snaked spine and tearing down, ending at its heart with a single critical assault! Veldryn helped Talion extract the now dead snake from the wall – 12’ long! Seeing there was nothing else down here, they climbed up and laid out their find for the others to see.
Deja and Veldryn then spent some 10 minutes cutting back the snake’s jaw and pulling the flesh out until they arrived at the poison sacks. With exaggerated care, the cut the full venom sack free and Deja deposited the liquid in one of the priest’s empty vials, sealing it with some wax. The thief was sure the venom was somnolent, whoever would get it in their bloodstream would eventually fall asleep. Talion took the vial for now, and Magnus thought the use of poison was not worth our time.
We did keep on keeping on, circling the rest of the house and coming back to the front door. We approached and after making sure the door wasn’t locked, put shoulder to the door and pushed our way in. The entrance hall had a set of stairs on the left going up to a balcony and 2nd floor while three dark passages in the dusty cobwebby gloom led off to the east, west, and north wings respectively. The smell of decay and the groaning of the ancient timbers were all we heard mixed in with the cool ocean breeze blowing through the doorway.
A brief discussion followed and we opted to go north wing first. After crossing the room and seeing the dim corridor beyond, Talion lit a torch and we looked. The north passage went some 15 paces or so and turned to the right, a door on the right, left, and at the end of the visible passage was seen. We travelled along, Deja looking for locked doors and Talion keeping a weather eye out for traps. None so far. At the end of the passage, the corridor turned to the right and went some 30 feet, ending at what seemed to be a door that led outside and presumably to the gardens.
The group opted to check out the left door first. Magnus managed to open it after Deja declared it trap free, and we could tell it was a dining room at one point. A massive table with no legs, a few broken chairs, and a pile of busted crockery and china from the broken shelves of the cabinet in the corner. Deja checked the east stuff out and Magnus took point on the table – but at the end of the day, there was nothing here and we left the chamber.
We went across the hall to the right door and after assuring ourselves it wasn’t trapped or locked, opened it up to reveal a drawing room. Two stuffed arm chairs that someone looked like they had slashed some time in the past, broken table, and a pretty large fire place. We entered and looked around with caution. There was a whistling coming from the fireplace and a look up showed that the flue was closed, keeping the wind and rain out for the most part. The wood box was empty, but there was a set of iron fireplace grates in the middle of the hearth.
A check in the chimney showed that up near the back wall was a displaced stone, not an uncommon spot to hide something if need be. Deja was asked to come forth and give it a once over before anyone opened it but when the Halfling entered the fireplace and glanced up on the other wall, there was a big spider perched there about the size of a beagle! She ran back, the group was not anxious to go and brave the spider and didn’t want to attempt to remove the displaced stone in the back of the fireplace without taking the spider out first.
A plan was hatched where Deja would ready an arrow, fall back INTO the hearth looking up, and shoot the spider swiftly from 4’ away – while Magnus would hold Deja by the ankles and pull her out as soon as the shot went off. Everyone seemed ok with this plan but Deja, however the Halfling didn’t have much choice as she was helped into place and Magnus already held her ankles. She fell back, looked up at the spider, and fired.
The shot went true, and went up to the fletching in the spiders midsection, raining gore and juices down on the Halfling who was screaming and sputtering – followed by the spider actually falling on top of her! She kicked and rolled free, the spider’s legs curling up into one another as her one shot killed it outright. Once the excitement ended, Veldryn and Talion was hoping to extract the spider’s poison glands like they had done the snake while Magnus and Deja were determined to head back to the hearth and see what, if anything, was behind the stone up in the wall.
Some time was spent outside before walking in. At this point, I have to ramp up the “haunted” feel of the house a bit more. Otherwise, I’m pretty happy with the group and the pace of things so far.
Write up follows:
The group talked at length about the leadership and the name eventually voting Talion the ranger as the leader and calling themselves the Tides of Valhalla – both as homage to most of their fishing village origin as well as the paladin’s deep abiding love of the heaven for courageous warriors.
The council reiterated our mission and then by 9 that morning, we were on our own. The thought was to go to Rosensteel’s Tradegoods and load up on rations for a few days, and then leave Saltmarsh with little delay. There is supposedly a long abandoned cliffside road closer to the Haunted House, but most of the trip would involve up trailblazing through swampy fens and uneven ground.
We purchased food, shuffled our packs around, and then took a trip to the Moneylender. A stone building well guarded by two dwarven warriors and further protected within by a Half-ogre with a claymore, the moneylender was a 4’ gnome called Rizle Tizle McDizzle, but call him “Mick” for short. We changed a number of crowns in for nobles and commons, a few of us getting brass as well. Mick was thrilled when Veldryn talked to him in his own language and we left there feeling good about the moneylender and comfortable that we’ll be well treated in the future.
We did talk about the haunted house and our adventure to go there, and were told that a talkative poacher named Curis Thanger would wax long about the one time he tried to sneak in the haunted house and was scared off. Works a longshoreman off a boat called the Third Heaven if we wanted to talk to him. After we were out in the street through, we decided that it was not necessary to talk with anyone else and the trip to the House will already take some time.
We walked south out of Saltmarsh, trying always to stay closest to the shore and beach of the Mastelic Ocean. The Eider Down Fens became thick within half a mile of Saltmarsh as we left the last of the hovels and peasant’s houses behinds. We had to walk back and forth often looking for better passage, slowing our trip. Eventually the time ticked past 1 and we were slowly working upslope to a series of cliffs that looked over the Ocean, 60’+ in height. We could see the dark outline of the lone mansion in the distance and by quarter after one, we had arrived at the locale in question.
It stands at the top of a cliff, 70’ above the surf and ocean, maybe 80’ back from the cliff. A partially collapsed stone wall encircled the place, 6’ in height where it still was functional; an iron gate partially hanging on rusting hinges blocked the entrance. As for the mansion, 35’ tall, heavily gabled, black windows shuttered – the entire edifice looked foreboding. Deja entered through a gap in the wall first, testing the garden beyond. The grasses were over 2 feet tall, plants, roses, flowers, and vegetables had grown wild in the last 2 decades, twined about amidst burrs and scratching weeds. But nothing was here except the sensation of being watched from the house itself.
Satisfied it was ok, she motioned the rest of the group through, Magnus going first. The paladin sadly knocked part of the weak wall over and fell into the garden amidst lots of noise and fallen mortar and brick. Deja looked at him with contempt, satisfied that any chance of surprise we might have had, should we need it, was now gone. After getting up, Magnus cleared the way and Talion and Veldryn followed.
The thought was to circle the house first, keeping closer to it, and see if there was anything in the grounds we needed to look at and concern ourselves with first. We went counter clockwise, staying in the shadow of the mansion as we looked around with care. That was the remnants of a few apple trees in poor condition, and a large weeping willow that had been partially uprooted but still alive and growing. But beyond it, close to the rear quarter of the mansion, was a 5’ well with the house collapsed, a bucket chain going down into the gloom.
The thought was to pull up the chain which was rusted but functional; a 2 gallon wooden bucket on the end. It was not in the best of condition and did leak, but was serviceable should we need it. A set of iron rungs went down the side of the well. Talion and Veldryn offered to go down and check it out, the water level looking like it was 15’ below the surface.
While the ranger did get closer to the water, Veldryn called on Hell and summoned a globe of light which she placed in the water, illuminating its 3’ depth. But while hanging there, Talion failed to notice a long snake emerge from a crack in the wall and bite him on the arm! The fangs got stuck more on leather and bracers, not piercing to his flesh. But the ranger was just as quick, tearing a dagger free and stabbing it into the snaked spine and tearing down, ending at its heart with a single critical assault! Veldryn helped Talion extract the now dead snake from the wall – 12’ long! Seeing there was nothing else down here, they climbed up and laid out their find for the others to see.
Deja and Veldryn then spent some 10 minutes cutting back the snake’s jaw and pulling the flesh out until they arrived at the poison sacks. With exaggerated care, the cut the full venom sack free and Deja deposited the liquid in one of the priest’s empty vials, sealing it with some wax. The thief was sure the venom was somnolent, whoever would get it in their bloodstream would eventually fall asleep. Talion took the vial for now, and Magnus thought the use of poison was not worth our time.
We did keep on keeping on, circling the rest of the house and coming back to the front door. We approached and after making sure the door wasn’t locked, put shoulder to the door and pushed our way in. The entrance hall had a set of stairs on the left going up to a balcony and 2nd floor while three dark passages in the dusty cobwebby gloom led off to the east, west, and north wings respectively. The smell of decay and the groaning of the ancient timbers were all we heard mixed in with the cool ocean breeze blowing through the doorway.
A brief discussion followed and we opted to go north wing first. After crossing the room and seeing the dim corridor beyond, Talion lit a torch and we looked. The north passage went some 15 paces or so and turned to the right, a door on the right, left, and at the end of the visible passage was seen. We travelled along, Deja looking for locked doors and Talion keeping a weather eye out for traps. None so far. At the end of the passage, the corridor turned to the right and went some 30 feet, ending at what seemed to be a door that led outside and presumably to the gardens.
The group opted to check out the left door first. Magnus managed to open it after Deja declared it trap free, and we could tell it was a dining room at one point. A massive table with no legs, a few broken chairs, and a pile of busted crockery and china from the broken shelves of the cabinet in the corner. Deja checked the east stuff out and Magnus took point on the table – but at the end of the day, there was nothing here and we left the chamber.
We went across the hall to the right door and after assuring ourselves it wasn’t trapped or locked, opened it up to reveal a drawing room. Two stuffed arm chairs that someone looked like they had slashed some time in the past, broken table, and a pretty large fire place. We entered and looked around with caution. There was a whistling coming from the fireplace and a look up showed that the flue was closed, keeping the wind and rain out for the most part. The wood box was empty, but there was a set of iron fireplace grates in the middle of the hearth.
A check in the chimney showed that up near the back wall was a displaced stone, not an uncommon spot to hide something if need be. Deja was asked to come forth and give it a once over before anyone opened it but when the Halfling entered the fireplace and glanced up on the other wall, there was a big spider perched there about the size of a beagle! She ran back, the group was not anxious to go and brave the spider and didn’t want to attempt to remove the displaced stone in the back of the fireplace without taking the spider out first.
A plan was hatched where Deja would ready an arrow, fall back INTO the hearth looking up, and shoot the spider swiftly from 4’ away – while Magnus would hold Deja by the ankles and pull her out as soon as the shot went off. Everyone seemed ok with this plan but Deja, however the Halfling didn’t have much choice as she was helped into place and Magnus already held her ankles. She fell back, looked up at the spider, and fired.
The shot went true, and went up to the fletching in the spiders midsection, raining gore and juices down on the Halfling who was screaming and sputtering – followed by the spider actually falling on top of her! She kicked and rolled free, the spider’s legs curling up into one another as her one shot killed it outright. Once the excitement ended, Veldryn and Talion was hoping to extract the spider’s poison glands like they had done the snake while Magnus and Deja were determined to head back to the hearth and see what, if anything, was behind the stone up in the wall.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Youth Meet 2, Adv 1, 12/9/17
We spent a large portion of the early hour plus going over the character sheets that they had in front of them, touching on the first page to the last – there is a lot of information – and how it comes up in game play.
So this meant that as for “adventure” time, it was a bit short – for all people involved. But they had some town adventure time and have been following the tiny bread crumbs as to some of the power and underground elements of Saltmarsh – that they don’t NEED to know, but it doesn’t HURT to know. It’s only going to help out later on when these elements and threads all coalesce as the adventure goes on and moves to the next one.
The next meeting, unless something crazy happens, should have them at the haunted mansion and the struggles they will have there.
A copy of the Adventuring Charter has been included for the youths to review during the down time and assign a name and leader - plus come up with any questions that need to be answered next meeting.
Write up follows:
The decision after leaving Sir Archibald’s Demesne was to return to the Saucy Winter Wench and relax before meeting with the council itself on the morrow to get our charter. With the gathering dark we walked through the quieting streets of Saltmarsh on our way to the north end of town, noting that even though many businesses were closing for the night, the docks and longshoremen were still up and working as long as boats kept coming in.
The cool night air was in contrast to the warmth coming from the Wench and upon entering, a group of card playing gamblers immediately started berating the group for “leaving the damned door open. Foreigners and tourists…gotta know their place,” and other grumbling. We made our way past the tightly packed tables, dismayed to see the Common Room had filled up and no tables were available. There seemed to be some counter space so we made our way to the bar and noting that there was one seat short, picked the more drunk of the two at either side of the clear spot and after rousing him, pointed to the blowhard who had cursed at us upon entering, saying that guy was starting trouble with him.
The bleary eyed drunk asked, “Who? Rory?” to which we replied, “Yeah! Him!” So the drunken guy, identifying himself as Durshan, grabbed his copper mug and asked the bar back “gimme the damned equalizer unner the bar! Now!” He took hold of a leather handle wrapped 18” stout length of hickory and made his way across the Wench to the longshoremen and their card game.
Magnus tried to convince Durshan to come back, and this was a mistake, but the rest of the group held the paladin in place, forced him to sit there and just don’t do anything, and to say nothing. During the altercation with Magnus, we missed most of the middle section of Durshan and Rory’s argument, but it was apparent on its completion the Durshan had received the short end of the stick. He was on the ground, bleeding from the forehead, the truncheon in Rory’s hand, and the Longshoremen wet from spilled beer.
They scooped up Durshan, Rory and his friends, and tossed him out the front door after opening it with his head, coming back in the laugh and sit down for more. The group was horrified and disgusted – but seeing as they didn’t want to get on any more bad side, they said nothing and ordered food and drink.
Eventually a bar wench came out looking for Durshan and after directing her towards Rory, she went over there and the two of them had words, Rory looking sheepish, then the wench went out and we glimpsed her helping Durshan off the street and somewhere else.
After eating, the feeling was to go upstairs, use the bath and rest. Magnus was first, anxious to get the road grit off his body, but there was a Halfling at the landing here, hands out and asking for a “few bits or a common to get something to eat.” Veldryn was taken by the young Halfling identified as Senad and helped him back down the stairs as his leg and foot had been injured, according to him, at a warehouse job he had recently.
Talion did not trust this Senad and watched from a distance, Deja doing the same. Veldryn bought the Halfling a meal and a drink and learned that Senad had been victim of Rory as well, the longshoreman shoving a pallet over so the barrels would slide off and hurt the Halfling. Now that he couldn’t work, he was sleeping in doorways and alleys, begging for food and drink. Veldryn offered to heal him up a bit after the meal.
Deja meanwhile had checked on Magnus who was enjoying his bath, and had no problem with his nudity, letting it all flop out. The thief was blushing and offered to get some towels, running away to get some from Pettis while Veldryn and Senad went up the stairs to the room – and they saw Magnus and his…comfortable stance. Veldryn healed Senad, the halfling very thankful, and then Deja came back with towels and gave them to Magnus who proceeded to dry himself vigorously.
During all this, Talion had noted that Veldryn had paid the tab for Senad with her own pouch, taking a gold crown out to make the payment. The coin had been noted from others in the bar and being a keen observer of people, waited and watch. One of the wenches, blond hair and blue eyed, left her normal rounds and went to one of 4 shadowy booths in the back roped off section of the tap room where she spoke briefly to two men who then left the Saucy Winter Wench and the serving girl went back to her normal rounds.
Talion found out her name was Odifys, 19, with a kid, and used to be a Dusthead; someone who would partake of a habit-forming hallucinogenic. She was clean for the last year and the barkeep was happy to employ her. As for the booth, it was a private booth owned by Iran Hamanar of Umbarian Tradegoods, and would often be utilized by his employees or even Hamanar himself should he come in. The group all reconvened at the room and shared what we’ve learned. Veldryn seemed to want to shelf the town info for now and reminded the group we were meeting with the council in the morning.
During the night though, something startled both Deja and Veldryn awake. The Halfling thief looked about and her concerns about the locks and hinges on the door were supported as she could see the deadbolt slowly turning back. She vaulted out of bed and made her way to the door, noting a shadow under the door that could be 2 feet standing there. Meanwhile Veldryn awoke Talion and Magnus, getting them up but quiet.
Something must have spooked the intruder though because they backed away from the door, and to Deja’s hearing, were moving towards the stairs. She motioned the group to stay, opened the door on silent hinges, and saw the tail end of a human sized broad shouldered man in basic clothes and hooded leather cloak making his way down the steps. With silent feet and sticking to the shadows, Deja sprinted to the landing and looked through the bannisters to watch the man cross the mostly empty Common Room and walk out the Saucy Winter Wench. Before he left though, on his right arm, clad in forest green, was a brass armband with a squid design on the front, visible as he reached for the door and stepped out into the night.
Getting back to the room, we shared our information and then shut and locked the door, stacking some footlockers in front of it. Deja recommended strongly that we go to the moneylender in town tomorrow and get some of our coin traded in for smaller denominations.
We did awake eventually, broke our fast, and then got ready – heading off to the Council House where besides Sir Archibald there were 4 other members of the council there. They presented us with an adventuring charter that we signed off on and learned we would need to pick a group name as well as a leader for filing purposes.
So this meant that as for “adventure” time, it was a bit short – for all people involved. But they had some town adventure time and have been following the tiny bread crumbs as to some of the power and underground elements of Saltmarsh – that they don’t NEED to know, but it doesn’t HURT to know. It’s only going to help out later on when these elements and threads all coalesce as the adventure goes on and moves to the next one.
The next meeting, unless something crazy happens, should have them at the haunted mansion and the struggles they will have there.
A copy of the Adventuring Charter has been included for the youths to review during the down time and assign a name and leader - plus come up with any questions that need to be answered next meeting.
Write up follows:
The decision after leaving Sir Archibald’s Demesne was to return to the Saucy Winter Wench and relax before meeting with the council itself on the morrow to get our charter. With the gathering dark we walked through the quieting streets of Saltmarsh on our way to the north end of town, noting that even though many businesses were closing for the night, the docks and longshoremen were still up and working as long as boats kept coming in.
The cool night air was in contrast to the warmth coming from the Wench and upon entering, a group of card playing gamblers immediately started berating the group for “leaving the damned door open. Foreigners and tourists…gotta know their place,” and other grumbling. We made our way past the tightly packed tables, dismayed to see the Common Room had filled up and no tables were available. There seemed to be some counter space so we made our way to the bar and noting that there was one seat short, picked the more drunk of the two at either side of the clear spot and after rousing him, pointed to the blowhard who had cursed at us upon entering, saying that guy was starting trouble with him.
The bleary eyed drunk asked, “Who? Rory?” to which we replied, “Yeah! Him!” So the drunken guy, identifying himself as Durshan, grabbed his copper mug and asked the bar back “gimme the damned equalizer unner the bar! Now!” He took hold of a leather handle wrapped 18” stout length of hickory and made his way across the Wench to the longshoremen and their card game.
Magnus tried to convince Durshan to come back, and this was a mistake, but the rest of the group held the paladin in place, forced him to sit there and just don’t do anything, and to say nothing. During the altercation with Magnus, we missed most of the middle section of Durshan and Rory’s argument, but it was apparent on its completion the Durshan had received the short end of the stick. He was on the ground, bleeding from the forehead, the truncheon in Rory’s hand, and the Longshoremen wet from spilled beer.
They scooped up Durshan, Rory and his friends, and tossed him out the front door after opening it with his head, coming back in the laugh and sit down for more. The group was horrified and disgusted – but seeing as they didn’t want to get on any more bad side, they said nothing and ordered food and drink.
Eventually a bar wench came out looking for Durshan and after directing her towards Rory, she went over there and the two of them had words, Rory looking sheepish, then the wench went out and we glimpsed her helping Durshan off the street and somewhere else.
After eating, the feeling was to go upstairs, use the bath and rest. Magnus was first, anxious to get the road grit off his body, but there was a Halfling at the landing here, hands out and asking for a “few bits or a common to get something to eat.” Veldryn was taken by the young Halfling identified as Senad and helped him back down the stairs as his leg and foot had been injured, according to him, at a warehouse job he had recently.
Talion did not trust this Senad and watched from a distance, Deja doing the same. Veldryn bought the Halfling a meal and a drink and learned that Senad had been victim of Rory as well, the longshoreman shoving a pallet over so the barrels would slide off and hurt the Halfling. Now that he couldn’t work, he was sleeping in doorways and alleys, begging for food and drink. Veldryn offered to heal him up a bit after the meal.
Deja meanwhile had checked on Magnus who was enjoying his bath, and had no problem with his nudity, letting it all flop out. The thief was blushing and offered to get some towels, running away to get some from Pettis while Veldryn and Senad went up the stairs to the room – and they saw Magnus and his…comfortable stance. Veldryn healed Senad, the halfling very thankful, and then Deja came back with towels and gave them to Magnus who proceeded to dry himself vigorously.
During all this, Talion had noted that Veldryn had paid the tab for Senad with her own pouch, taking a gold crown out to make the payment. The coin had been noted from others in the bar and being a keen observer of people, waited and watch. One of the wenches, blond hair and blue eyed, left her normal rounds and went to one of 4 shadowy booths in the back roped off section of the tap room where she spoke briefly to two men who then left the Saucy Winter Wench and the serving girl went back to her normal rounds.
Talion found out her name was Odifys, 19, with a kid, and used to be a Dusthead; someone who would partake of a habit-forming hallucinogenic. She was clean for the last year and the barkeep was happy to employ her. As for the booth, it was a private booth owned by Iran Hamanar of Umbarian Tradegoods, and would often be utilized by his employees or even Hamanar himself should he come in. The group all reconvened at the room and shared what we’ve learned. Veldryn seemed to want to shelf the town info for now and reminded the group we were meeting with the council in the morning.
During the night though, something startled both Deja and Veldryn awake. The Halfling thief looked about and her concerns about the locks and hinges on the door were supported as she could see the deadbolt slowly turning back. She vaulted out of bed and made her way to the door, noting a shadow under the door that could be 2 feet standing there. Meanwhile Veldryn awoke Talion and Magnus, getting them up but quiet.
Something must have spooked the intruder though because they backed away from the door, and to Deja’s hearing, were moving towards the stairs. She motioned the group to stay, opened the door on silent hinges, and saw the tail end of a human sized broad shouldered man in basic clothes and hooded leather cloak making his way down the steps. With silent feet and sticking to the shadows, Deja sprinted to the landing and looked through the bannisters to watch the man cross the mostly empty Common Room and walk out the Saucy Winter Wench. Before he left though, on his right arm, clad in forest green, was a brass armband with a squid design on the front, visible as he reached for the door and stepped out into the night.
Getting back to the room, we shared our information and then shut and locked the door, stacking some footlockers in front of it. Deja recommended strongly that we go to the moneylender in town tomorrow and get some of our coin traded in for smaller denominations.
We did awake eventually, broke our fast, and then got ready – heading off to the Council House where besides Sir Archibald there were 4 other members of the council there. They presented us with an adventuring charter that we signed off on and learned we would need to pick a group name as well as a leader for filing purposes.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Meet 34, Adv 4.1, 12/2&9/17
There was some wrap up on the 2nd where we did character advancement for those that went up, and the same for the 9th. So the actual game play was lots of Larping and lots of bookkeeping, mixed in with some moving along.
The biggest takeaway was the shelving of the main party's characters and the assumption of what has been affectionately referred to as "the B team". At character creation, everyone rolled up two characters and the assumption was they would bounce them back and forth, try them out, and by the time we arrived at the Terror Dungeon, we'd each have a decent roster to choose from for delving purposes.
What happened though was everyone falling in love with one character and staying with them except for a little dabbling here and there. Since everyone is going up though, this is an opportunity for the B team to do their thing and try it out. But it's a 2 level swing down for most everyone and there is some growing pain as they realize how woefully ill prepared the B team is for their time out in the world.
Write up follows:
The party arrived eventually back at camp where we spent some time catching the Bailiff and the Reeve up on what happened at the warren as well as the subsequent issues with Girgym, Lysil, and Dunatis. They were stunned and a moratorium was placed on wandering the lands after nightfall unless at the utmost necessity. The Bailiff was pressing the party if they could arrange a meeting between Dunatis and his circle and orcs and the House Illytch representatives for a mutual beneficence but it was explained at length that the druid wanted nothing from us and was offering nothing in return.
We then caught the rest of the party up on what happened and the decision was that with one warren down, it would be a good time for half the party to return to Sorton and train while the other half stayed and helped in watching the harvesters and possibly hunt down the next warren.
The caravan arrived on the 15th early in the afternoon and besides the normal accoutrements and supplies, there were two people: a dwarven cavalier named Lieutenant Hjalgrim Jarlborrin (yes, THAT Jarlborrin – related to the High Thane herself), and a Halfling thief and bundle of giggles named Sybil. It turns out that House Illytch had been offered a sizable sum (43 CROWNS) to hire and send Hjalgrim and his friend out to the Base Camp and add them to the roster. There was some push back from the party but it described as a fait accompli situation and since we were not fielding a team of 12 – House Illytch could either reduce our pay or we could accept these 2 new members with little complaint.
We took the 2nd choice. Darius and Hjalgrim knew one another, and it appeared that Darius was happy not to deal with Hjalgrim as he was heading back to Sorton. Connal followed, and then Negan – no one wanted to stay and talk to the dwarven cavalier – so he had a captured audience with the half of the group staying behind – which was now: Dizzy, Merica, Thalin, Hjalgrim, and Sybil – with Einar still nursing his way out of his illness and Bobkins as a possible fill in should we be REALLY really desperate.
Donna Duncarian came and spoke with the group, catching the new members up with what has gone on to date so far. As for K’Morat kobolds, there was been no sightings for the last 2 days; ever since the first warren had been destroyed. We do not know if the warrens do communicate but it seems they might since the other two tribes haven’t approached the Base Camp or the harvesters for 2 days. As to whether this was a reprieve or some longer impact of time, we had no way of knowing yet.
Hornes and Spunifer came to us next, Hjalgrim flat out telling the orcish leader that he looked foolish with the antlered helm. He did agree that Barb was most likely a bitch and we talked about the kobold signs and / or lack of them. After getting our fill from the Randari Rangers, we discussed our options and plans.
Referring to the map, there is a clearing and bend in the river a few miles upstream from here. After we go and guard the Harvesters, the party would take a trip to this area, see if the river could be forded here, and then follow the Enderlyn back to the Base Camp.
The morning of the 16th was cool and crisp, and we joined Thiklish (who Hjalgrim rankled immediately the wrong way) and her Harvesters up Furtham’s Peak to the 5,000 foot mark along the northern slope where a patch of 5 Firvin’s Cap mushrooms had been located. While the Harvesters did their job, they stayed local and looked for any trouble or kobold-sign. Dizzy and Sybil were walking picket in an ever widening circle, crossing each other’s path many times to make sure they didn’t miss anything.
Nothing. No kobolds and no sign of them. Three days of nothing.
By 12:15 we were back at Base Camp, dropping the Harvesters off. The group of 5 of us went back out, heading north, northwest and getting promptly lost in the dense woods and slopes of the northern ridges. We pushed out for the highest elevation we could find, learned we had ventured some 2 miles off course, and then bee lined it down slope and in the direction of the glittering silver band of the river.
We were shadowed by wolves, and although we had been briefed by the rest of the party about Dunatis, the wolves didn’t come close and neither did they try to communicate with us. We eventually left them behind and made our way to the water’s edge. Sure enough, the river had narrowed here but even at 80’ or so, it was moving at a rapid pace and we didn’t think it was fordable at this point. Further down river it turned more to the south and widened out, so we figured we’d follow the Enderlyn and see if there was a fordable place over there.
But we had not accounted for the time and the light grew dim as the sun dipped behind the mountain peaks. While walking we were instructed by orcish voices to stop and were charged a stipend of 26 nobles per person to continue on our way. There were over a dozen orcs in the woods here, armed with various bows and we assume other weaponry but we just COULDN’T SE ETHEM! Ugh.
Very begrudgingly we paid the toll and continued on, stumbling in the gathering gloom until we arrived at the walls of Base Camp by 7:30ish. Once within, we went to the Mess hall and got something to eat and drink, Hjalgrim talking a shower and then joining us with his slippers and pipe. Slippers? Who was this guy?
Ok, we know our limits and wandering the wilderness with no direction was not a good choice for us. The decision was that for the next we days, we go out with the Harvesters as normal and see if any K’Morat make their presence known. We would be vigilant and hyper-aware, knowing that even though we couldn’t see them, we knew in our hearts they were out there waiting.
The biggest takeaway was the shelving of the main party's characters and the assumption of what has been affectionately referred to as "the B team". At character creation, everyone rolled up two characters and the assumption was they would bounce them back and forth, try them out, and by the time we arrived at the Terror Dungeon, we'd each have a decent roster to choose from for delving purposes.
What happened though was everyone falling in love with one character and staying with them except for a little dabbling here and there. Since everyone is going up though, this is an opportunity for the B team to do their thing and try it out. But it's a 2 level swing down for most everyone and there is some growing pain as they realize how woefully ill prepared the B team is for their time out in the world.
Write up follows:
The party arrived eventually back at camp where we spent some time catching the Bailiff and the Reeve up on what happened at the warren as well as the subsequent issues with Girgym, Lysil, and Dunatis. They were stunned and a moratorium was placed on wandering the lands after nightfall unless at the utmost necessity. The Bailiff was pressing the party if they could arrange a meeting between Dunatis and his circle and orcs and the House Illytch representatives for a mutual beneficence but it was explained at length that the druid wanted nothing from us and was offering nothing in return.
We then caught the rest of the party up on what happened and the decision was that with one warren down, it would be a good time for half the party to return to Sorton and train while the other half stayed and helped in watching the harvesters and possibly hunt down the next warren.
The caravan arrived on the 15th early in the afternoon and besides the normal accoutrements and supplies, there were two people: a dwarven cavalier named Lieutenant Hjalgrim Jarlborrin (yes, THAT Jarlborrin – related to the High Thane herself), and a Halfling thief and bundle of giggles named Sybil. It turns out that House Illytch had been offered a sizable sum (43 CROWNS) to hire and send Hjalgrim and his friend out to the Base Camp and add them to the roster. There was some push back from the party but it described as a fait accompli situation and since we were not fielding a team of 12 – House Illytch could either reduce our pay or we could accept these 2 new members with little complaint.
We took the 2nd choice. Darius and Hjalgrim knew one another, and it appeared that Darius was happy not to deal with Hjalgrim as he was heading back to Sorton. Connal followed, and then Negan – no one wanted to stay and talk to the dwarven cavalier – so he had a captured audience with the half of the group staying behind – which was now: Dizzy, Merica, Thalin, Hjalgrim, and Sybil – with Einar still nursing his way out of his illness and Bobkins as a possible fill in should we be REALLY really desperate.
Donna Duncarian came and spoke with the group, catching the new members up with what has gone on to date so far. As for K’Morat kobolds, there was been no sightings for the last 2 days; ever since the first warren had been destroyed. We do not know if the warrens do communicate but it seems they might since the other two tribes haven’t approached the Base Camp or the harvesters for 2 days. As to whether this was a reprieve or some longer impact of time, we had no way of knowing yet.
Hornes and Spunifer came to us next, Hjalgrim flat out telling the orcish leader that he looked foolish with the antlered helm. He did agree that Barb was most likely a bitch and we talked about the kobold signs and / or lack of them. After getting our fill from the Randari Rangers, we discussed our options and plans.
Referring to the map, there is a clearing and bend in the river a few miles upstream from here. After we go and guard the Harvesters, the party would take a trip to this area, see if the river could be forded here, and then follow the Enderlyn back to the Base Camp.
The morning of the 16th was cool and crisp, and we joined Thiklish (who Hjalgrim rankled immediately the wrong way) and her Harvesters up Furtham’s Peak to the 5,000 foot mark along the northern slope where a patch of 5 Firvin’s Cap mushrooms had been located. While the Harvesters did their job, they stayed local and looked for any trouble or kobold-sign. Dizzy and Sybil were walking picket in an ever widening circle, crossing each other’s path many times to make sure they didn’t miss anything.
Nothing. No kobolds and no sign of them. Three days of nothing.
By 12:15 we were back at Base Camp, dropping the Harvesters off. The group of 5 of us went back out, heading north, northwest and getting promptly lost in the dense woods and slopes of the northern ridges. We pushed out for the highest elevation we could find, learned we had ventured some 2 miles off course, and then bee lined it down slope and in the direction of the glittering silver band of the river.
We were shadowed by wolves, and although we had been briefed by the rest of the party about Dunatis, the wolves didn’t come close and neither did they try to communicate with us. We eventually left them behind and made our way to the water’s edge. Sure enough, the river had narrowed here but even at 80’ or so, it was moving at a rapid pace and we didn’t think it was fordable at this point. Further down river it turned more to the south and widened out, so we figured we’d follow the Enderlyn and see if there was a fordable place over there.
But we had not accounted for the time and the light grew dim as the sun dipped behind the mountain peaks. While walking we were instructed by orcish voices to stop and were charged a stipend of 26 nobles per person to continue on our way. There were over a dozen orcs in the woods here, armed with various bows and we assume other weaponry but we just COULDN’T SE ETHEM! Ugh.
Very begrudgingly we paid the toll and continued on, stumbling in the gathering gloom until we arrived at the walls of Base Camp by 7:30ish. Once within, we went to the Mess hall and got something to eat and drink, Hjalgrim talking a shower and then joining us with his slippers and pipe. Slippers? Who was this guy?
Ok, we know our limits and wandering the wilderness with no direction was not a good choice for us. The decision was that for the next we days, we go out with the Harvesters as normal and see if any K’Morat make their presence known. We would be vigilant and hyper-aware, knowing that even though we couldn’t see them, we knew in our hearts they were out there waiting.
Monday, December 11, 2017
Youth Meet 1, Adv 1, 11/25/17
So the youths have a new campaign and during the weekend near my daughter’s 15th birthday, she asked me if we could have a longer than usual get together – 6 hours. The youths spent some time rolling up new characters while I explained some of the inherent differences between B/X and my own 1st/3.5 amalgamation.
For the youths I’ve rewound the rule set to be a bit more 1st edition heavy. Ability scores – right out of the 1st edition handbook, including percentile strength. Class skills – right out of the 1st edition handbook – as written, no power creep. As for everything else, 3.5 saves, BAB to hits (no THACO’s), skills and crafts, feats, and similar the like.
Since we are playing “for real”, I have planted them on my map and world in the Barony of Dilabria, the County of Reet, at the shores of the Mastelic Ocean and in a Norse inspired area. One member showed up late but we fast tracked him through character creation and the group ended up with:
Human Male Paladin to Tyr
Human Male Ranger to Loki (bounty hunter background)
Female Half High-Elf/Half Drow Cleric to Hel (product of drow raid, emphasis on necromancy)
Female Tallfellow Halfling Thief praying to Loki
Wove in the background and situated them in place. They are going to go through a skeletal framework of Saltmarsh that will deviate off the adventure’s rails in almost no time.
Write up follows:
Veldryn was born a bit over 3 centuries ago to a High Elven healer who had been the victim of a Drow raid near the city of Glowerspire. Upon her birth there was concern that the child would exhibit drow characteristics and although her hair was white and eyes red, her skin was as alabaster as any High elf’s could be.
The violence of her conception and the frenetic period of her birth had unhinged Veldryn’s mother’s mind and she was sent along with her daughter far to the north and east to live with a small commune of healers near the Elvenwoods, south of the Windy Peak Mountains. She grew up amongst dwarves, elves, and humans who treated the young girl with respect and a bit of pity with the crushing mental abuse her mother would often subject her daughter to. Her raping was mentioned often, and her distrust of people would make her become shrill and unapproachable often.
When the great Reetersbeard dwarven migration occurred, Veldryn’s mother moved her and her daughter to the healing houses of Huntington, “just for a change”. Then it was a move to Windressa 2 decades later, then Dragonhole after a few decades, then Bandit Hills, then Dilabria, and so on. Ever moving and taking her daughter with her regardless of the girls’ interests.
After they arrived in Karon, a small fishing village north of the Eider Down Fens, Veldryn, already approaching her 3rd century informed her mother that she would NOT be moving again and began to distance herself from her odd parent. She took to working with the healing houses on her own, helping to cure the sick and tend to the wounded. It was when a bad case of Redcough had swept the village and the plaguedoctors had finally made it to the fishing village to tend to the townsfolk that Veldryn’s life took a turn.
One of the plaguedoctors was a Speaker for the Dead, a skilled and capable priest of Hel who talked to Veldryn about her duties as a physiker, but also what position Hel has in the great scheme of things and how the passage of death isn’t to be feared, but to be spoken of. Discussed in such a way to remove the negative stigmata of death. Veldryn was hooked. She spent much time afterwards learning from the Speaker and others who would come and visit Karon, taking pilgrimages to Flat Rock to read the ancient texts and pray at the menhirs that depicted Goddess of Nifelheim.
And her piety paid off in time. Hel first started answering her prayers in small ways, globes of light in the dark, a comforting voice at night. Then her powers grew and the Speaker for the Dead ordained her as a follower of Hel and priestess with all the rights due to her. When her mother wanted to leave and head south to Eider or Principia, “just for a change” Veldryn, now a touched priestess, broke ties with her mother who screamed, shouted, and harangued her daughter; hurling her violent conception at the girl’s face before cursing her to “misery and ruin!” and leaving.
Veldryn was heartbroken but threw herself into her work and decided not to feel that weak ever again, taking up the mantle of warrior-priest of Hel and training herself in weaponry as well as her god’s wishes.
Magnus had lived his entire live in Karon and to him it was the center of everything. 516 people fishing and plying the ocean, trade caravans coming from far flung places; it was a place of honorable people doing honorable work. What was the most interesting to the young man were the knights who would pass through during the tournament season. Outfitted with steed and armor, gleaming spears in the sun, pennants and tabards in glorious color. The shining example of nobility and chivalry to all.
For Magnus though, a fast young man with deep chest and wide shoulders, he would spend his time at the militia and training yards, sharing his letters with the soldiers there and acting as a live training target for them during their sparring matches. He learned swiftly how to take a blow and how to dodge them. He grew to understand the basics of shield play, became cognizant in different weaponry, and could be trusted to be a gracious winner as well as loser in whatever bouts he fought in.
He struck up a friendship with the strange white-haired elven priestess, sharing her stories of Hel and her own life with his own interest in the other Norse gods especially Tyr, the one handed god of justice. They had an easy friendship that brought Magnus from the awkward teenaged years into his early 20’s with nary a hiccup.
Many a time Magnus would be joining Veldryn at the Hospice, tending to the wounded and the sick. Most everyone knew that young Magnus was a man to be trusted; a man who exemplified everything that he felt a knight should be regardless of his less than affluent background. But strange things began to happen when Magnus was about. Some young girl who had a terrible cough was much improved after Magnus had tended to her. Some days later while helping a physiker set a fisherman’s broken arm it was discovered the arm didn’t seem as bad off as originally expected. Then there was the aura of fearlessness that he exuded in addition to the sensation that people got of being at peace when in his presence.
It was the arrival about a year ago of a contingent of Tyrian holy men who traveled almost 2 weeks from Cymbarton to meet with Magnus that the truth was revealed. Magnus, for reasons only Tyr knew, was a selected champion of Tyr and a paladin. The news shocked the town of Karon who took the news well and shared it long and wide that one of their own, a fishing village on the back waters of the barony, had one of its very own as a paladin. He was invited to return to the Capital but Magnus demurred, saying that he could do more in Tyr’s name here that he could far from home.
So the friendship between the paladin of Tyr and the white necromancer of Hel might have seemed odd to others, but was natural to Magnus and Veldryn.
Deja was the 8th of 10 halfling children whose parents were jolly and well meaning merchants situated in Dilabria. While most of her brothers and sisters were happy to be a part of the Thistledown Merchant House, finding jobs and places within the organization, Deja was disillusioned. Smart, capable, dexterous, charming, she instead took to petty pilfering, games and dice, drink and weed; smoking often late and making friends in “low” places.
Her father tried, long and often, to redirect his unwilling daughter to better choices and honorable pursuits but it was difficult to rein her in. First it was money, then favors, then payoffs to the watch. It didn’t matter; Deja would do well, straighten out, and then fall off the wagon weeks or months later and need to be helped once again.
Deja had been running with a group of unguilded rogues and thieves on a number of jobs and petty thefts around Dilabria when her group was caught up by the Dragoons (County Guards and Rangers) and had to flee. She had been making her business to align her fortunes with the stronger and more capable fighters and scrappers, knowing her skills to martial matters were a bit lacking. But her companion was felled by a truncheon to the head and Deja barely escaped through an open street drain, the watch hot on her trail.
She had not only been caught red handed, but identified by name. Dilabria was no longer a home and she would have to flee and do it soon. Since her thieving had not landed here in a guild as of yet, she had no protection in that direction. And her father had flat out told her that if this happened again, she would go to stocks, jail, hard labor, or even the gibbet – he was done.
She dug herself out of the sewers, snuck into her family’s home, took what belongings she could as well as coins, and then fled out of Dilabria heading north on the back of a turnip wagon – her friends, family, and life behind her for now.
She ended up in Flat Rock where for a few days she worked at the local tavern sweeping floors and pilfering loose Bits and Commons when able to. She was miserable, unhappy, and alone. Her life was going to need to change and she needed a direction.
It was while she was here that a group of Umbarian Slavers had come in and strode right up to a travel worn ranger who was at a table near the fire, a man bound in manacles at his side. The slavers pointed to the bound man and demanded that he be released to their custody as he was an escaped slave from Principia.
The bounty hunter stood slowly, hand on the hilt of his dirk, and produced his papers to the angry slaver, attesting that he was well within his rights to apprehend this FUGITIVE and suspected murderer, returning his to Twark. At just under twenty, the bounty hunter whose name was Talion, would not back down; citing rule, cipher, and edict that his bounty was more legal than their questionable claim of escaped slave. If was a tense standoff and Deja decided there to lend her aid to Talion, sneaking up to the secondary slaver and placing her own poignard against the man’s spine causing him to stiffen with concern.
The slavers, seeing the mood of the tavern turning and the resolution of Talion, willingly stood down but the slaver gave Talion a piercing threat that he would rue this decision as some point in the future. They left and the mood lightened.
Deja and Talion greeted one another, shared a few pints, and by the night were fast friends. She left with Talion the next day on their way to Twark where he received his bounty and decided that they were going to lay low for a while. The slaver’s guild did not have much sway, but there were many of them and it was best to hide out for the time being than further antagonize them. They hopped on a caravan that headed off to Karon and decided it was a perfect place to set up home for the time being.
Talion wanted to keep his skills honed and often trained with the militia, befriending the town’s shining prodigal son, an honest to Loki paladin named Magnus. Within time, the ranger, paladin, cleric, and thief bonded together, performing small jobs for the Mayor and helping out the townsfolk where needed.
But Karon was a small pond and the four friends after six months decided they wanted to bite off something meatier. That was when some fishers and traders from down coast came with stories that the Council of Saltmarsh was looking for adventurers to help out with an important matter. The foursome discussed it and decided it was a worthy job. So they gathered their belongings, bid farewell to their friends and neighbors, and booked passage on the Jolly Frog as it was making the day and a half run south down the coast to Saltmarsh.
It was an uneventful trip and within time the sturdy sloop arrived at the seaside large town. Surrounded by the Eider Down Fen, the town itself was built on mounded up earth and raised wooden posts and walkways. A sturdy quay stuck out into the Mastelic Ocean taking up most of the shore line. Six different major docks were home to many smaller and larger boats. The shore was a mass of small rounded stones and broken shells.
Upon docking, they left the Jolly Frog and made their way to the town proper where they met the Wharf master Kurly Ludbrook, a stout dwarven male with a clipboard and clay plate. They spoke at length as to who they were (Kurly had heard of Magnus the Tryian paladin and was welcomed) and our interest in meeting with the council for some help.
We were directed to get a room at the Saucy Winter Wench, an Inn west of the docks just past the cooper, and as for the council, perhaps Sir Archibald Regurin would be the person to talk to; he had a Demesne on the south end of town. We thanked Kurly and strode the raised platforms of Saltmarsh. There were many warehouses and businesses about, and we could see that homes and apartments were situated above some of them.
The Saucy Winter Wench was a two story affair with a wraparound porch and the smell of ale was strong even out here. We entered; the Common Room was sizable, able to house a hundred, hundred and fifty with ease. Some women of ill repute were along the edges and a four count of wenches were plying the floor and tables. A set of stairs on the far end of the room went up to the second floor where a minstrel was strumming a lute. There was a hearth and fireplace and a long bar where two barkeeps were working the taps.
We made our way through and were directed to talk to the Inn keep in the back where we made our way through the throng. A heavy set brassy haired woman with questionable hygiene was here and with a guttural voice identified herself as Pettis. We bargained for a room, getting a larger one on the second floor with a bath. We also learned of a few traders we could go visit to get outfitted, taking Uri Rosensteel of Rosensteel’s Imported Goods as a place to go and visit.
We went to our room, had the page fill the tub for us, left some soap, noted where we would sleep and rest, and then locked up and took to the streets. Traveling south at the next block we went to Rosensteel’s and spend some time purchasing armor, arms, and some equipment for our hopefully soon to be adventure.
We left at 4:30 and continued south, climbing up the hill to a stately manor along the shore, overlooking the ocean. We were stopped at the gate and announced who we were, waited to get admitted, and then had an audience with Sir Archibald himself. At almost 60, he was one time a squire and knight, getting thick with years and good food. A landholder of some repute, there were 4 other council members and he would meet with them tomorrow to make sure we were accorded a charter.
There was a manor house some 4 miles south of town where a disgraced alchemist and wizard of some repute had lived 20 years ago. He had been working on an enslaving mind control potion when he had died with no heirs to speak of. His Esquire handled the ending of his affairs but the place had an evil reputation and those who would go there spoke of strange noises, lights, and terrors that would consume them. So the place was left alone; an eyesore some distance from Saltmarsh and forgotten by many.
But recently there have been more odd lights and a few who have dared to brave its grounds have left with strange screams chasing their running feet. The Council wants the matter resolved and the place investigated. We accepted the job, the promise of some payment in the future good enough for us for now.
For the youths I’ve rewound the rule set to be a bit more 1st edition heavy. Ability scores – right out of the 1st edition handbook, including percentile strength. Class skills – right out of the 1st edition handbook – as written, no power creep. As for everything else, 3.5 saves, BAB to hits (no THACO’s), skills and crafts, feats, and similar the like.
Since we are playing “for real”, I have planted them on my map and world in the Barony of Dilabria, the County of Reet, at the shores of the Mastelic Ocean and in a Norse inspired area. One member showed up late but we fast tracked him through character creation and the group ended up with:
Human Male Paladin to Tyr
Human Male Ranger to Loki (bounty hunter background)
Female Half High-Elf/Half Drow Cleric to Hel (product of drow raid, emphasis on necromancy)
Female Tallfellow Halfling Thief praying to Loki
Wove in the background and situated them in place. They are going to go through a skeletal framework of Saltmarsh that will deviate off the adventure’s rails in almost no time.
Write up follows:
Veldryn was born a bit over 3 centuries ago to a High Elven healer who had been the victim of a Drow raid near the city of Glowerspire. Upon her birth there was concern that the child would exhibit drow characteristics and although her hair was white and eyes red, her skin was as alabaster as any High elf’s could be.
The violence of her conception and the frenetic period of her birth had unhinged Veldryn’s mother’s mind and she was sent along with her daughter far to the north and east to live with a small commune of healers near the Elvenwoods, south of the Windy Peak Mountains. She grew up amongst dwarves, elves, and humans who treated the young girl with respect and a bit of pity with the crushing mental abuse her mother would often subject her daughter to. Her raping was mentioned often, and her distrust of people would make her become shrill and unapproachable often.
When the great Reetersbeard dwarven migration occurred, Veldryn’s mother moved her and her daughter to the healing houses of Huntington, “just for a change”. Then it was a move to Windressa 2 decades later, then Dragonhole after a few decades, then Bandit Hills, then Dilabria, and so on. Ever moving and taking her daughter with her regardless of the girls’ interests.
After they arrived in Karon, a small fishing village north of the Eider Down Fens, Veldryn, already approaching her 3rd century informed her mother that she would NOT be moving again and began to distance herself from her odd parent. She took to working with the healing houses on her own, helping to cure the sick and tend to the wounded. It was when a bad case of Redcough had swept the village and the plaguedoctors had finally made it to the fishing village to tend to the townsfolk that Veldryn’s life took a turn.
One of the plaguedoctors was a Speaker for the Dead, a skilled and capable priest of Hel who talked to Veldryn about her duties as a physiker, but also what position Hel has in the great scheme of things and how the passage of death isn’t to be feared, but to be spoken of. Discussed in such a way to remove the negative stigmata of death. Veldryn was hooked. She spent much time afterwards learning from the Speaker and others who would come and visit Karon, taking pilgrimages to Flat Rock to read the ancient texts and pray at the menhirs that depicted Goddess of Nifelheim.
And her piety paid off in time. Hel first started answering her prayers in small ways, globes of light in the dark, a comforting voice at night. Then her powers grew and the Speaker for the Dead ordained her as a follower of Hel and priestess with all the rights due to her. When her mother wanted to leave and head south to Eider or Principia, “just for a change” Veldryn, now a touched priestess, broke ties with her mother who screamed, shouted, and harangued her daughter; hurling her violent conception at the girl’s face before cursing her to “misery and ruin!” and leaving.
Veldryn was heartbroken but threw herself into her work and decided not to feel that weak ever again, taking up the mantle of warrior-priest of Hel and training herself in weaponry as well as her god’s wishes.
Magnus had lived his entire live in Karon and to him it was the center of everything. 516 people fishing and plying the ocean, trade caravans coming from far flung places; it was a place of honorable people doing honorable work. What was the most interesting to the young man were the knights who would pass through during the tournament season. Outfitted with steed and armor, gleaming spears in the sun, pennants and tabards in glorious color. The shining example of nobility and chivalry to all.
For Magnus though, a fast young man with deep chest and wide shoulders, he would spend his time at the militia and training yards, sharing his letters with the soldiers there and acting as a live training target for them during their sparring matches. He learned swiftly how to take a blow and how to dodge them. He grew to understand the basics of shield play, became cognizant in different weaponry, and could be trusted to be a gracious winner as well as loser in whatever bouts he fought in.
He struck up a friendship with the strange white-haired elven priestess, sharing her stories of Hel and her own life with his own interest in the other Norse gods especially Tyr, the one handed god of justice. They had an easy friendship that brought Magnus from the awkward teenaged years into his early 20’s with nary a hiccup.
Many a time Magnus would be joining Veldryn at the Hospice, tending to the wounded and the sick. Most everyone knew that young Magnus was a man to be trusted; a man who exemplified everything that he felt a knight should be regardless of his less than affluent background. But strange things began to happen when Magnus was about. Some young girl who had a terrible cough was much improved after Magnus had tended to her. Some days later while helping a physiker set a fisherman’s broken arm it was discovered the arm didn’t seem as bad off as originally expected. Then there was the aura of fearlessness that he exuded in addition to the sensation that people got of being at peace when in his presence.
It was the arrival about a year ago of a contingent of Tyrian holy men who traveled almost 2 weeks from Cymbarton to meet with Magnus that the truth was revealed. Magnus, for reasons only Tyr knew, was a selected champion of Tyr and a paladin. The news shocked the town of Karon who took the news well and shared it long and wide that one of their own, a fishing village on the back waters of the barony, had one of its very own as a paladin. He was invited to return to the Capital but Magnus demurred, saying that he could do more in Tyr’s name here that he could far from home.
So the friendship between the paladin of Tyr and the white necromancer of Hel might have seemed odd to others, but was natural to Magnus and Veldryn.
Deja was the 8th of 10 halfling children whose parents were jolly and well meaning merchants situated in Dilabria. While most of her brothers and sisters were happy to be a part of the Thistledown Merchant House, finding jobs and places within the organization, Deja was disillusioned. Smart, capable, dexterous, charming, she instead took to petty pilfering, games and dice, drink and weed; smoking often late and making friends in “low” places.
Her father tried, long and often, to redirect his unwilling daughter to better choices and honorable pursuits but it was difficult to rein her in. First it was money, then favors, then payoffs to the watch. It didn’t matter; Deja would do well, straighten out, and then fall off the wagon weeks or months later and need to be helped once again.
Deja had been running with a group of unguilded rogues and thieves on a number of jobs and petty thefts around Dilabria when her group was caught up by the Dragoons (County Guards and Rangers) and had to flee. She had been making her business to align her fortunes with the stronger and more capable fighters and scrappers, knowing her skills to martial matters were a bit lacking. But her companion was felled by a truncheon to the head and Deja barely escaped through an open street drain, the watch hot on her trail.
She had not only been caught red handed, but identified by name. Dilabria was no longer a home and she would have to flee and do it soon. Since her thieving had not landed here in a guild as of yet, she had no protection in that direction. And her father had flat out told her that if this happened again, she would go to stocks, jail, hard labor, or even the gibbet – he was done.
She dug herself out of the sewers, snuck into her family’s home, took what belongings she could as well as coins, and then fled out of Dilabria heading north on the back of a turnip wagon – her friends, family, and life behind her for now.
She ended up in Flat Rock where for a few days she worked at the local tavern sweeping floors and pilfering loose Bits and Commons when able to. She was miserable, unhappy, and alone. Her life was going to need to change and she needed a direction.
It was while she was here that a group of Umbarian Slavers had come in and strode right up to a travel worn ranger who was at a table near the fire, a man bound in manacles at his side. The slavers pointed to the bound man and demanded that he be released to their custody as he was an escaped slave from Principia.
The bounty hunter stood slowly, hand on the hilt of his dirk, and produced his papers to the angry slaver, attesting that he was well within his rights to apprehend this FUGITIVE and suspected murderer, returning his to Twark. At just under twenty, the bounty hunter whose name was Talion, would not back down; citing rule, cipher, and edict that his bounty was more legal than their questionable claim of escaped slave. If was a tense standoff and Deja decided there to lend her aid to Talion, sneaking up to the secondary slaver and placing her own poignard against the man’s spine causing him to stiffen with concern.
The slavers, seeing the mood of the tavern turning and the resolution of Talion, willingly stood down but the slaver gave Talion a piercing threat that he would rue this decision as some point in the future. They left and the mood lightened.
Deja and Talion greeted one another, shared a few pints, and by the night were fast friends. She left with Talion the next day on their way to Twark where he received his bounty and decided that they were going to lay low for a while. The slaver’s guild did not have much sway, but there were many of them and it was best to hide out for the time being than further antagonize them. They hopped on a caravan that headed off to Karon and decided it was a perfect place to set up home for the time being.
Talion wanted to keep his skills honed and often trained with the militia, befriending the town’s shining prodigal son, an honest to Loki paladin named Magnus. Within time, the ranger, paladin, cleric, and thief bonded together, performing small jobs for the Mayor and helping out the townsfolk where needed.
But Karon was a small pond and the four friends after six months decided they wanted to bite off something meatier. That was when some fishers and traders from down coast came with stories that the Council of Saltmarsh was looking for adventurers to help out with an important matter. The foursome discussed it and decided it was a worthy job. So they gathered their belongings, bid farewell to their friends and neighbors, and booked passage on the Jolly Frog as it was making the day and a half run south down the coast to Saltmarsh.
It was an uneventful trip and within time the sturdy sloop arrived at the seaside large town. Surrounded by the Eider Down Fen, the town itself was built on mounded up earth and raised wooden posts and walkways. A sturdy quay stuck out into the Mastelic Ocean taking up most of the shore line. Six different major docks were home to many smaller and larger boats. The shore was a mass of small rounded stones and broken shells.
Upon docking, they left the Jolly Frog and made their way to the town proper where they met the Wharf master Kurly Ludbrook, a stout dwarven male with a clipboard and clay plate. They spoke at length as to who they were (Kurly had heard of Magnus the Tryian paladin and was welcomed) and our interest in meeting with the council for some help.
We were directed to get a room at the Saucy Winter Wench, an Inn west of the docks just past the cooper, and as for the council, perhaps Sir Archibald Regurin would be the person to talk to; he had a Demesne on the south end of town. We thanked Kurly and strode the raised platforms of Saltmarsh. There were many warehouses and businesses about, and we could see that homes and apartments were situated above some of them.
The Saucy Winter Wench was a two story affair with a wraparound porch and the smell of ale was strong even out here. We entered; the Common Room was sizable, able to house a hundred, hundred and fifty with ease. Some women of ill repute were along the edges and a four count of wenches were plying the floor and tables. A set of stairs on the far end of the room went up to the second floor where a minstrel was strumming a lute. There was a hearth and fireplace and a long bar where two barkeeps were working the taps.
We made our way through and were directed to talk to the Inn keep in the back where we made our way through the throng. A heavy set brassy haired woman with questionable hygiene was here and with a guttural voice identified herself as Pettis. We bargained for a room, getting a larger one on the second floor with a bath. We also learned of a few traders we could go visit to get outfitted, taking Uri Rosensteel of Rosensteel’s Imported Goods as a place to go and visit.
We went to our room, had the page fill the tub for us, left some soap, noted where we would sleep and rest, and then locked up and took to the streets. Traveling south at the next block we went to Rosensteel’s and spend some time purchasing armor, arms, and some equipment for our hopefully soon to be adventure.
We left at 4:30 and continued south, climbing up the hill to a stately manor along the shore, overlooking the ocean. We were stopped at the gate and announced who we were, waited to get admitted, and then had an audience with Sir Archibald himself. At almost 60, he was one time a squire and knight, getting thick with years and good food. A landholder of some repute, there were 4 other council members and he would meet with them tomorrow to make sure we were accorded a charter.
There was a manor house some 4 miles south of town where a disgraced alchemist and wizard of some repute had lived 20 years ago. He had been working on an enslaving mind control potion when he had died with no heirs to speak of. His Esquire handled the ending of his affairs but the place had an evil reputation and those who would go there spoke of strange noises, lights, and terrors that would consume them. So the place was left alone; an eyesore some distance from Saltmarsh and forgotten by many.
But recently there have been more odd lights and a few who have dared to brave its grounds have left with strange screams chasing their running feet. The Council wants the matter resolved and the place investigated. We accepted the job, the promise of some payment in the future good enough for us for now.
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