[Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters [Archive]

teh bunneh

Dec 1st, '06, 08:42 AM

Got my first character backgrounds in today. Here's Char's character.

Castilla Marta
Let's face it, not everyone has the best childhood, mine could have been worse. I was rejected by my family, through no fault of my own. I guess my parents at least cared enough about me to let someone raise me that would take care of me. But I guess I should start at the beginning- but I do not know the beginning- so I will tell what I know.

I was the second child born to my noble parents. I had an older brother. I don't know how many other brothers and sisters I might or might not have. When I was born, people were in mourning like someone had died. I was born a freak- my family could not handle the fact that I was born dark-touched. Someone in the family had not been the pinnacle of morality. If it got out that I was born to my family it could ruin their reputation. So they decide to cover up the fact that I was born at all.

When I was younger, I did not live with the rest of my family. I stayed in the servant's quarters. I got around the manner well, everyone was too busy to keep an eye on me. I learned how to sneak around, I liked to know everything that was going on. My brother used to sneak down to my room, and we used to go out and have a great time, we would play. My brother Cayo, used to be the only member of the family that truly cared about me. He used to sneak me treats, those were the only treats that I got as a child. The best thing that I got as a child was a staff a present from my brother. It is made of ironwood, it is a deep purple color with markings all over it. The staff means a lot to me, it reminds me that someone out there cares. We got caught- I got most of the blame being born like I was- I was born to be a trouble-maker (at least in my parent's opinion).

I will never forget the day that I got caught sneaking around with my brother. I never saw anyone from my family again- or the manor. I was banished, just a dark family secret. I don't know what happened to my brother- I just hope he is ok. I was still fairly young- too young to fully understand what was going on. My father sent me to another city to a friend of the family. He and my father had been friends since they were fairly young. He also got invited to all of the holidays with the family. I had grown-up on stories of him and my father going and fighting monsters. When I showed up at his door he was very surprised. He took me into his home, and treated me like the daughter he never had.

He and my father had been friends since they were teenagers. They went out and rescued people. He was a little upset that my father had rejected me. I just told him that he had to keep up appearances that I did not fit in to. My father used to kill monsters and I know he sees me as a monster. I think if I can turn his opinion around, maybe I will be accepted no matter what other people's opinions may be. He still cares about me I am still his child.

I am grateful that he did take me in. If he had not I would have had no one to turn to. I guess I will never fully understand why he took me in. When I ask him why he decided to do it he says "I owe your father, he will see the right way."

We had a small apartment in Brills. I guess that I would call him a mentor of sorts, went to teaching me all sorts of cool things. Brills always had a lot going on and people to learn from a fact I took full advantage of. I would go out and meet new people daily, it was a different adventure every day.
I kept my ability from when I was young to sneak around; I usually knew what was going on in the city. I picked up the art of how to get in and out of places that were generally off limits. I also became adept at stealing, much to my mentor's dismay. Some people would call them thieves- but I think of it more as an art then a way of life. My family pays me more than enough to live on - just for staying away.

My mentor Giorgio, meant everything to me. He became my family. He also showed me to be proud of what I look like- and I am. He also showed me that it was ok that I was dark-touched. That I could still be good, and help people, just because I was dark-touched it did not mean that I would necessarily be evil. It was my choice. Giorgio was a Jack, and since he was in charge of me he showed me how to turn my natural talents into something good.

Giorgio would tell me stories about when he and my father were young. I think in those days he could have accepted me for who I was, no matter what I looked like. He told me tales of them going out and killing monsters, saving innocent people. I am not sure that I could ever do that. People think I am a monster by the way I look- they might never believe the fact that I am trying to save them.

When I finally reached my teenage years, I got into stealing more often to improve the art. I also went out a lot- to hide the pain of my past I would drink. I still drink to this day- I can't seem to stop. I think I started for several reasons; the first is that is what the crowd did that I was with. Another reason is that it helped me, and still does, hide my pain about not being able to go around my family. When I don't have a drink I don't seem to be myself, or maybe I am just not comfortable with who I am. I just use drinking as an excuse to be someone that I like more.

Every once in a while when I saw someone that reminded me of my family, I would wish that they could accept me for who I am and look past what I look like. I want my place in my family. They must feel that something is missing, something that permits them from being a whole family. I am still fairly young but I wonder if I go out and make a good name for myself if I could get in good with my family- if they could see past what I look like. I wish I knew what they were doing now. They are grooming my brother to take over for the family someday- I wonder if my brother remembers who I am.

Now I am looking at going to the city of Areian. Giorgio said I needed to go. I got a letter from a friend of him and my father from their monster hunting days. I don't know if I should admit to who my father is- I am the family secret. People see me as a monster; I am hoping this just isn't a trap. I am going to be on guard. My father could have put him up to this, so that he would not have to worry about me maybe dropping by on the family at some point in time.

"Darktouched" is a person who has, somewhere in their ancestry, demonic blood. A "Jack" is the proverbial jack-of-all-trades, jack-the-giant-killer, jack-and-the-beanstalk; a ne'er-do-well and practicioner of many skills (often the illegal kind).

teh bunneh

Dec 1st, '06, 08:44 AM

Will there be miniatures?

Of course! :cool:

teh bunneh

Dec 1st, '06, 09:44 AM

The next character:

Illysandri Madril's Background
As a child I never really accepted who and what I was. We lived near the western border, and I had many human playmates. I tried and tried to be human, but I never quite made it. Then, I went to my father's village, the great ship K'syll, but they did not know what to do with me. After the hundredth time pulling me from the waves and breathing life back into my body, it became clear that though I looked like my father, I was not of the blue. And so I lived, midway and never anywhere, for most of my childhood. I had grown upon the tales of my mother, the great swordswoman Plisianna, who had traveled with the Fearless Monster Hunters, who had held the heart of the Necromancer Olfillon in her hand, who had slain so many of the restless dead that it was rumored that new ones were "born" with a fear of her. The oracle told her that the warrior woman was so strong in her blood she could never bear a male child. My six sisters would tend to agree with you. I never really fit in with them either. None of them shared my father, Axilon, with me, he died during my birth.

It wasn't my mother's fault. One of her many enemies had come in her brief moment of weakness, and he had stood at the door long enough for me to be born, and for my mother to take up her sword and protect the rest of us, still bleeding from my arrival. She slew the barbarian Hilgar with me in one arm, so I am told.

My sisters took to the sword well, unlike me. They were beautiful and strong, unlike me. My sisters were pale and shimmered in the moonlight, unlike me. My eldest sister, Furiel, she took my mother's blade and set off to make a name for herself when I was very young.

My mother didn't know what to do with me. I learned the basics of fighting, but I would never be a master. So she left me to my own devices as she trained my sisters. My own devices turned out to be books, and I spent my early years in the company of books and strangers.

When I was merely 25, the oracle returned. She spoke to my mother in private, and I could hear the sounds of an argument. When she finally emerged, my mother gathered the six of us together and spoke gravely.
She told of a promise she once made to an old friend, and to a deal struck with the oracle.

We were to travel together to a far mountain, where we were to meet with a mage from her old traveling days. From there we were to do as he told us.

My sisters and I were confused, me most of all. I was not fit for adventuring. I wasn't sickly or anything so mundane, I just didn't know much about fighting or dealing with the magic that lived in the world. My mother insisted that all of us go, much to the chagrin of my sisters.

And so we traveled. It turned out my knowledge of the languages helped a great deal, but there was nothing I could do during the brief skirmishes we met with. It seemed incredibly difficult to travel this time. I had not been bound by training regimens like my sisters so I had been around, but every night we had to sit watch because of monsters waiting in the darkness, and every day we met with bandits, creatures, or treacherous terrain that challenged our passage.

By the time we arrived at the mountain cave, we had spent all of our money on healing, and all of our food on our way there. We entered with much trepidation.

It was horrible. Traps sprayed us with acid, bile and poison. Animals and undead leapt from every corridor. Walls crushed us and puzzles stood as hurdles to our path. By the time we entered the central cavern, it was only myself and my sister, Syggiad, and we were wracked with pain and grief. We were greeted by a tiny human, who looked like he was at least 100 years old.

As we stood there, prepared to fight, he tilted his head back and began to laugh. Syggiad's face turned from fear to hatred. She demanded to know who he was, and why he was laughing at our misfortune. He told us he needed to test us, to know that we were worthy. To know which of the sisters would be strong enough to carry on the legacy of Wyssien. He told us that when he was young he had traveled with our mother and had accepted a curse in her stead in exchange she would provide him with an heir.

At this my sister screamed at him, calling him all manner of names and charging him. With a passing wave of his hand I watched as she shattered into dust. With that, he turned to me and shrugged his shoulders. He pulled out an ornate dagger and before I could react, ran me through.

I awoke to see my mother's face, despondent, before me. It took me a moment to focus, and when I did I could see my other sisters standing there as well. She explained to me that her friend had sent each back in turn, leaving the rest to believe them dead. Each test they failed would send another back, and that the dagger in my chest was the last remnants of his power as a wild mage. My possession of it meant he had passed on his power to me, but in doing so he was no more. She mourned his passing as I healed.

I am still not sure entirely what he did to me, but my magic began to reveal itself faster than I could ever hope to control it. I began to test it, work with it. It was a scientific endeavor for me. I took the discipline I had gained from my studies and applied it to my arts. I began to change, and my alienation from my sisters grew wider. My mother found for me mages and clerics to train me, but the rote garbage of the mages and faith of the clerics only provided me with ideas for true magic, and their techniques did nothing for me.

This haughtiness served me well, but I will be the first to admit sometimes my power exceeds my grasp. That is how I got this white hair. It was an experiment that Styggiad interrupted. I was trying to disguise myself and I unfortunately changed my form permanently. Luckily this was the least of my "experimental" errors. My elf friends stopped talking to me after that, some nonsense about white being bad luck.

I wasn't completely unguided, however. Wyssian still lives somewhere inside me, and in my dreams he guides my development. He was the one who taught me to focus on the elements to master my magic. I showed an affinity for water and air, lightning seemed to be my strongest weapon. I accidentally summoned an earth elemental once, and after it destroyed my mother's home and cursed me with a weakness for his correspondence.

After that incident my mother decided I should go out and see the world, to experience more and to test my magics "in the field" as it were. I spent the next few decades wandering, ostensibly looking for my sister, who had not been home since I was young. Now my mother tells me I have a new quest, one to continue her work. This should interesting, to say the least. Who would have imagined that I would be the one to carry the torch of my family, even if I could never carry the sword.

teh bunneh

Dec 14th, '06, 08:55 PM

I'm working on the villains for the first adventure. No, villains is too strong a word. The foils for the next adventure -- another adventuring party that the PCs will have to deal with. They aren't evil, but they have goals that cross the heroes. I've been spending some time with them, so I'm hoping that they become long-term rivals with the PCs, popping up from time to time to get in the way.

OTOH, my players might just try to slaughter them the first time they see 'em, so I guess we'll find out. :) I may post the rival adventuring team here eventually, if people are interested.

We're starting the game this weekend! I've got character sheets for everyone, but not full backgrounds yet. Hopefully I'll see those before the game begins.

OddHat

Dec 14th, '06, 09:15 PM

OTOH, my players might just try to slaughter them the first time they see 'em, so I guess we'll find out. :) I may post the rival adventuring team here eventually, if people are interested.

Very. :)

teh bunneh

Dec 15th, '06, 09:07 AM

Here's the first of the (hopefully recurring) foils for the PCs to deal with:

Boh Hodgeson
Background/History: Boh grew up in a small town not far from Ariaea. His mother had grown up on stories of the Fearless Monster Hunters – they had saved her village from a pirate Ogre before she was born, and the people still talked about it to this day. When she learned that one of the original FMHs lived in the big city, she was determined to meet him. Scraping together all her money, she boarded a ship and found the man of her dreams!

She was with him for just over a month when it finally dawned on her that, actually, he was pretty boring – just a middle-aged restauranteer, no longer the brave hero that she had imagined. Sadder and a little wiser, she left and went back home. But then she discovered that she was pregnant! Nine months later, she gave birth to her son, and the son of Hob Hodgeson, and named him Boh.

Boh, like his mother, grew on stories of the heroism and sacrifice of the Fearless Monster Hunters, and like his mother, when he was old enough he set off to find his father. Hob was delighted and excited to meet the son he never knew he had, and took Boh in gladly. Boh lived with his father for nearly a year, helping Hob rebuild the Endeavor. But, like his mother, Boh learned that his father wasn't really very interesting anymore. The stories were bigger than the man.

Determined not to let the legend whither and die (like his father seemed to be doing), Boh set out to find like-minded friends and rekindle the myth of the Fearless Monster Hunters.

Personality/Motivation: Boh is seeking excitement. He wants a life of adventure and travel, to see the world and to right wrongs all over. He's not a bad person, he's just so excited that he rushes into things and makes a lot of mistakes. He also seldom looks back on what he's done -- he just assumes things will work out. He has a short attention span.

Powers/Tactics: Boh is a human Jack with some Thaumaturgical talent. He's the leader of the New Fearless Monster Hunters, though he lacks the skills or experience that would make him an effective leader. Mostly the others follow him because he's the one with the grand vision.

Appearance: Boh is the splitting image of his father, 50 years ago. He's a typical Demorian Westroner, with fair skin, brown hair, and green eyes. He's well-built and good looking. He dresses in leather armor and carries a sword. His eyes often sparkle with excitement, and he's always looking over the next horizon (never at what's right in front of or directly behind him).

Gawain

Dec 15th, '06, 10:58 AM

Yoda: This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph.

:D

teh bunneh

Dec 15th, '06, 12:29 PM

:D

Yeah, that's kinda what I was going for. But less heroic and more impulsive. :)

teh bunneh

Dec 15th, '06, 12:34 PM

Here's the second member of the "villainous" team: the party's spellcaster, Tawny Rose!

Tawny Rose
Background/History: Dolgar Rose was a great and powerful wizard who made quite a name for himself in certain circles. A Nekian by birth, he retired to his homeland after he had amassed his fortune. Dolgar had a single daughter – Tawny, named for her mane of wild blonde hair – and raised her to be his heir. She grew up in his private tower, learning the scholarly ways of magic. But she grew restless of being penned up in that stone fortress, and by the time she was a teenager she was starting to turn into a rebel.

She took to sneaking out of the house and hanging with a wild crowd, drinking, fighting, cursing, and doing all the things her father would not approve of. Dolgar tried to bring his daughter back under control, but the harder he tried, the worse things got. Eventually, he had no choice – he offered her an ultimatum: Follow my rules, or get out.

For Tawny, the choice wasn't hard to make. She packed a few meager belongings and left without a second thought. She found her way to the White City of Areaia, paying for her way with her magical talents and her penchant for browbeating anyone who disagrees with her.

She had just about worn out her welcome in Areaia when she met Boh. She was trying to start a fight in his father's restaurant, but rather than throw her out, Boh was fascinated by her straightforward personality and obvious magical talents. He asked if she would join the team he was thinking of forming, and she readily agreed.

Since then, she and Boh have grown close. It's apparent to everyone else that they care for one another, but Tawny is too afraid of intimacy to allow the relationship to flourish.

Personality/Motivation: Tawny is a stereotypical Nekian – brash, loud, and pugnacious. She carries a chip on her shoulder, daring anyone and everyone to knock it off. She is brave and bold, never backing down from a fight and never admitting to any weakness. Her overconfidence can be either inspiring or annoying, depending on who you ask. She loves to drink, she has a huge appetite, and she likes to sing bawdy songs and tell dirty jokes – if someone in the room hasn't blushed (or been knocked unconscious) by the time she's finished, she considers the night a failure.

Despite being a wizard with numerous combat spells at her disposal, she knows how to get "down and dirty" if she needs to – preferring bare-knuckles, but willing to pull out her short sword if things get serious.

Powers/Tactics: Tawny will open any fight with a string of crude insults – in fact, fights frequently break out because of her loud mouth. If it's a friendly brawl, she'll happily wade in with both fists. If it's "for real," she'll break out the magic, starting with her most devastating spells and working from there.

Appearance: Tawny, like her name suggests, is a fair-skinned, fair-haired beauty. Her eyes are deep, mysterious green, and her hair is long, wild, and unruly (despite her best efforts at keeping it under control). She's of medium height and build, buxom and fairly well muscled (especially for a person who spent the first two-thirds of her life as an academic). She wears practical clothing like trousers, a simple shirt and vest, and comfortable boots (no robes and sandles for her!), preferring dark earth-tones accentuated with simple silver jewelry. Though quite lovely, she has a very loud & annoying voice and speaks with an exaggerated Nekian accent (the accent generally goes away when she's drunk).

Gawain

Dec 16th, '06, 09:03 AM

If Conan were a female spellcaster?;)

teh bunneh

Dec 17th, '06, 12:56 PM

Hola everyone! The game is off to a rip-roaring start, and most of the heroes have now met one another and learned why they've been called together...

----------
Each of the heroes received – either personally or through their mentor -- an identical letter, which was delivered by personal courier anywhere from a few weeks to a few months ago, and they have all (for whatever reasons) decided to do as the letter asked – namely, come to Areian this month and meet with Hob Hodgeson, a former traveling companion of their parents/grandparents/mentors.

Areian is one of the oldest and largest of the cities of the Alvhair. Situated on the northern coast of the Sylvan Gulf, it is a busy seaport. It is known as the White City, because of the white marble making up most of its famous and beautiful temples and palaces. Areian is a fairly large city of some 25,000 souls and is the capital of Pasion.

None of them had any trouble finding the address – apparently Hob’s Hot Pot is one of the most famous and busiest restaurants along the Sylvan Gulf, and it was easy to get directions. Each of them arrived at roughly the same time, coming up to the busy entrance.

Sir Justin was the first to walk up to the door, but he was bowled over by the very eager Trouble Thunderfoot, who couldn’t wait to meet Mister Hob and start fighting monsters. Justin was helped to his feet by a young Hobbit and a Dwarf with some terrible facial scarring. Together, these three entered the restaurant and introduced themselves to Hob, who was delighted to meet them all in the flesh.

Shortly thereafter, another young woman came in, shy and rather reluctant to reveal herself, but Hob recognized her as the protégé of one of his old adventuring companions and welcomed her in with open arms.

Hob was an old man, well into his seventies, and missing one eye. He used to be small and lithe, but owning a restaurant has caused him to balloon up considerably. Trouble remembered Hob from his grandpappy’s stories – a member of the Fearless Monster Hunters, he joined later in the company's life and was there when the companions finally decided to go their separate ways. He was both a Thaumaturgist and a Jack, and is remembered fondly by most of the other surviving Fearless Monster Hunters. After the group broke up, he moved here, to Areian, to open a restaurant on the docks.

Hob sent piles of food to the hungry heroes’ table, and they discovered why his restaurant is so popular. Hot Pot is a simmering pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table. Dishes included thinly sliced meat, vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, and seafood.

After things began to slow down, Hob finally had time to sit with the heroes and tell them why he called for them. As a trio of Elvish musicians began to play in the background, Hob revealed his sad, sad story – "The story of why I had to summon you from your own lives to come deal with this menace – a menace that you, and only you, are suited to end!"

(I actually turned on some sad violin music ("Transylvanian Lullaby," played by Gil Shaham) at this point, to highlight the tragedy of Hob's tale. The players were rolling in the aisles). :lol:

"It all began some years ago," he said, his eyes brimming with tears. "I, a foolish old man longing to relive his past, began a foolish project. You see, I had a dream to rebuild the Endeavor – the mighty ship that the Fearless Monster Hunters used to sail the seas, the ship that sheltered us through every danger imaginable, the ship that was more than just our home, it was like our mother!

The sadness of the story was almost too much for Trouble to take, and he began weeping openly (between mouthfuls of tasty food) along with Hob.

"So following my dream, I spent years recreating that ship, timber by timber, every rope, every sail, every gunwale, it was perfect in every way, just like the Endeavor herself had slipped through time and found herself docked here, in this city, at this time."

"And then, a nightmare! A group of thieves and brigands… they… they took the ship! They began using it to travel up and down the coastline, acting like pirates and thugs, and what's worse... what's worse... I can't even bring myself to say it out loud... What's worse is that they call themselves..."

At that, the front door of the restaurant crashed open and a gruff voice announced, "The Fearless Monster Hunters have returned!"

A group of six men and women stormed into the place, laughing, slapping each other, being boisterous young folks. They pulled up the best table in the room. "Food!" they yelled. "Bring us food, old man! The Fearless Monster Hunters are hungry – and when they're hungry, they eat!"

Hob broke off his story to go take care of his new customers. He told the heroes that he would explain the rest later, but asked them not to do anything until then. The heroes kept a close eye on the newcomers, and noticed that one of them was the spitting image of Hob – he looks just like Hob must've looked 50 years ago. The young Hob was just as noisy as the others, and seemed to be the leader of the others.

Sir Justin decided to check into this new group, and went over to sit with them. He pretended to be interested in their adventures, and learned that they were (according to themselves) brave heroes who risked their lives to defeat evil monsters – including a giant shark, a rampaging griffin, and a marauding pirate ship.

He also learned all their names – the leader was called Boh, a young handsome man who looked just like his father. There was a loud-mouthed Nekian woman with a mane of blonde hair named Tawny. Vestnik was a dour warrior-type with an unplacable accent and a long black moustache. Thor was a Borish barbarian type, with a black beard and huge rippling muscles. Golden was a White Elf, tall, handsome, and noble. And finally was Octavia, beautiful Octavia, with hair as black as a raven’s wing and eyes like pools of desire.

Octavia sat next to Justin and charmed him considerably, gracing him with her beauty and conversation for several minutes before she realized he had no money. At that point, she seemed to forget he was even here. The other Monster Hunters laughed at his misery – "Oh ho!" they snickered. "Looks like Octavia has shot down another one!" Justin took their ribbing with as much good nature as he could summon, then rejoined his companions.

At about this point, the Monster Hunters decided that this place was boring and they left. Now that they were gone, Hob rejoined the party, tears staining his cheeks. "My son was raised by his mother. He showed up at my doorstep about a year ago – imagine my surprise and delight! I had a boy! I was so excited, I showed him my life's work – the new Endeavor, and he helped me finish it. He had grown up hearing stories about the Fearless Monster Hunters from his mother (she was sort of a groupie, I guess. We had a brief fling before she left me), and he seemed to relish the idea that his father was once a great hero."

"Well, you know how it is with young people nowadays – they're always so eager to show off in front of their friends. Young Boh fell in with a rough crowd, a bunch of ne'er-do-wells and rogues. He told them stories about the Monster Hunters. I didn't think much of it at the time, but about three months ago, the Endeavor disappeared from the docks, along with my boy!"

"I was at my wit's end! I didn't know what to do! I searched everywhere, followed-up every rumor, and then I finally heard some news. A group of so-called "adventurers" had been roaming the coast, looking for trouble – and finding it! I can't even describe the trouble they've caused. On their first outing, they killed a griffin… which belonged to a White Elf nobleman – his prized hunting griffin. They battled a pirate ship, which was actually a Nekian naval ship in disguise, out hunting pirates themselves!"

"And the worst part of it is, is that they're calling themselves... oh, I can't bring myself to say it!"

The party members rolled their eyes. "Yeah, we know. Go ahead with your story," they told him.

"They are destroying the reputation of the Fearless Monster Hunters," Hob continued. "And try as I might, I can't stop them! I'm just an old man now, and I've forgotten most of what I ever knew about wizardry and war."

"That's why I called you all here. You are the sons and daughters (and grandsons and granddaughters, and nephews and neices, and protiges, and... well, you get the idea) of the real Fearless Monster Hunters. The ship I built is by all rights yours. I've been following your careers from afar, and you all have the makings of true heroes about you. Please, I beg of you, bring back the legend that once burned so brightly!"

"But... um... could you please do it without hurting my son or his friends...?"

The new companions began discussing possible ways to take down these rivals (with Hob still sitting there at the table, his eyes wide with shock at some of their suggestions). They asked him what the ship looked like and where it was, and Trouble jumped in to describe it.

The Endeavor was a beautiful small 2-masted cog that was built to weather the storms of hell. The figurehead – a beautiful, proud Blue Elf – is the only original piece of the ship, rescued from the wreckage of the original Endeavor, and though weather-worn she still clings proudly to the fore.

The heroes asked one of Hob’s waitstaff how often the Monster Hunters come back into town. He says that they’re pretty unpredictable; they leave town for a few weeks at a time, and then come back. When they’re in town, they always come back here because Hob gives them free food and drink. They are loud and messy, but they tip well so the staff doesn’t mind them too much. No one knows where the Endeavor is docked, but they’re sure it must be around the pier someplace.

Finally, Hob fell asleep at the table and the others decided to head for bed and regroup in the morning. Castilla didn’t want to spend the night alone, so she and Kaira set out to find some gentlemen companions. Castilla didn’t have much luck, but Kaira showed her the proper way of picking up guys when in the Elvish lands.

TBC! :D

OddHat

Dec 17th, '06, 02:17 PM

:thumbup: :thumbup: :cheers:

Sounds like a great first session. :)

TheRavenIs

Dec 17th, '06, 08:41 PM

The bunny man does it again.....man you have lucky players.

I hope that one day I get to meet you Bill. I do believe that you'd give me many good ideas for games.

BTW ..... repped.

teh bunneh

Dec 19th, '06, 08:30 PM

Perhaps now would be the time to introduce our stalwart heroes...

Sir Justin Whitestar: A Warrior and Paladin of Mitra, the god of the sun. Justin always had a hard time living up to his family's heroic legacy, but when the call for the sons and daughters of the Fearless Monster Hunters came, he strapped on his sword and answered! Played by my buddy Mike (who played Straight Arrow in the UNITY campaign).

Trouble Thunderfoot: A Saurian (lizardman) Warrior from the great city of Brills. His grandfather was the bodyguard of a powerful Priestess from an ancient race, both of whom traveled and adventured with the FMH. Trouble grew up listening to his grandfather's tales of adventure and excitement, and when a letter came to his mistress, he begged her to let him go in her stead. She was only too happy to send the over-eager young Warrior. Played by Kate (who was Aurora in the UNITY campaign).

Kaira the Druid: A young Hobbit from the Elven nation of Pasion, Kaira's mentor was a Holy Warrior in the service of the Druidic gods. He sent her away because he feared an old enemy was getting too close, and he didn't want to endanger her. Played by my lovely wife, Tammy Sue (AKA Ifrita from UNITY).

Castilla Marta: A Jill-of-all-trades, abandoned by her noble family because of her Darktouched nature and raised by her father's best friend and former adventuring companion. Because she's been shunned and scorned all her life, she has a hard time trusting people. Played by Charlotte, who was Mittarbeit in the UNITY game.

Illysandri: A Gray Elf who does not understand the magical power she has fallen into, Illysandri is the daughter of one of the most famous of this generation's Warriors. She has a hard time living up to her mother's legend. Played by Ben, AKA Vikacis from my UNITY game.

Leth Deldorian: A doughty Dwarvish Warrior, Leth's job was to train the young of his clan in the arts of war. But a terrible accident cost many lives and brought shame down on his head. His uncle, one of the original FMH, sent him to the southlands in order to atone for his guilt. Played by Ron, better known as New Man, from UNITY.

I may create a GMPC to round out the team. They've got plenty of beef with three warriors, but they're a little lacking in the magic department. We'll see. :)

teh bunneh

Dec 31st, '06, 02:40 PM

The heroes had their first successful mission last night! True to their "Fearless Monster Hunter" moniker, they slew several monsters that were plaguing a small village! Huzzah! :cheers:

Here's the recap:

-----
The heroes gathered together the next afternoon at Hob’s Hot Pot to discuss their options. While waiting in line, they all noticed a young woman eavesdropping on their conversation. They asked who she was and she very excitedly told them that she was Chrissie Rocks, a Taleweaver from Demoria who had traveled all this way when she had heard that the Fearless Monster Hunters were back. She wanted to chronicle their adventures, just as the bards from generations ago chronicled the adventures of the original Monster Hunters. The heroes, realizing that they needed someone to run their public relations department, invited her to join them for lunch.

Shortly thereafter, Hob came to their table and introduced the daughter of yet another Monster Hunter – Illisandri, daughter of Plisiana the great Elvish holy warrior, who had answered the restaurateur’s summons like the others. Together, the heroes discussed what their options were. Trouble was all for tracking down the fake Fearless Monster Hunters and beating them up, but fortunately (or unfortunately), cooler heads prevailed. The heroes determined that they would establish a reputation for themselves, killing monsters and helping people around the area, all the while calling themselves the Fearless Monster Hunters. When their reputation had grown great enough, the other group was sure to challenge them for the name. Our heroes would then… um… figure out what to do next. =;)

This having been decided, the team split into two groups – one to find where the Endeavor was docked, and another to see if there were any real problems or monsters nearby that they could hunt down and deal with (thus solidifying their own reputation).

Illy, Leth, and Trouble went to find the ship. After several hours of searching the docks, they discovered it. They asked a few longshoremen who owned the boat, how often they came to dock, if they were planning to leave soon, etc. The longshoremen (having their tongues loosened with some booze and some silver) told them that the Endeavor comes into dock every month or so for the last three months, stays for a few days, then sets off again. They never take on cargo or passengers, but the crew is well-paid because they spend their money freely. Because of their heavy coin purses, the shopkeepers around the docks are more than willing to put up with any shenanigans the Fearless Monster Hunters do. The longshoremen told the heroes that the ship hadn’t taken on supplies, and had just arrived in the city yesterday, so they didn’t expect it to leave for at least a few days.

The other group split up to see if there were any problems nearby that a group of adventurers could tackle. They learned that there were a number of guard/marine jobs available, but they balked at these. They heard that pirates were always a problem in these waters, but they realized they needed a ship before they could go hunting pirates. They also heard that some farmers up north were having a problem with their pigs disappearing. That sounded like just the thing!

The heroes gathered up supplies and headed north, finally coming to the small village where the problems seemed to be centered. They asked around, but learned nothing new that they hadn’t already heard from the farmers selling their goods in town. The party’s trackers (Leth and Kaira) searched the woods around the village and found that there were no animals larger than a squirrel within about a mile of the village. That night, Illy cast a scrying spell to see if she could find anything, and eventually discovered a large (cougar-sized) creature near an old decrepit barn, about a mile from the village.

The next morning, the team set off to try and track the creature. They found strange tracks all around the bard. While Kaira, Leth, and Justin followed the tracks, Trouble and Castilla went into the barn to investigate. Immediately upon entering, Trouble woke up something sleeping in a pile of old, rotten hay. Its baleful gaze met his eyes, and his whole body was instantly wracked with excruciating pain. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious and half-dead. Castilla grabbed him and dragged him out while Justin and the others ran over to the barn to see what was going on.

Chrissie began to sing and magic flowed over Trouble, bringing him to his senses. The big lizard-man charged back into the barn, angry at having been taken by surprise and determined to kill whatever it was that hurt him. Leth was surprised when a huge, chicken-like creature flew past Trouble, out of the barn, screeching and scratching at him. He managed to avoid its evil glare, and swung his axe at its head, narrowly missing. There was a fierce battle, but the heroes emerged victorious – killing three of the deadly beasts and several immature chicks.

Once the creatures were dead, they were found to be Cockatri – half chicken, half snake, very deadly. Over the next couple of days, the heroes found two more nests of the beasts and flushed them all out. These were definitely the monsters that had been killing the villagers’ pigs, and if the number of nests they found were any indication, it’s a good thing the heroes showed up when they did, lest the Cockatri develop a taste for larger prey than pigs.

The new Fearless Monster Hunters sent Chrissie back to the village to tell their story (in the hopes of growing their reputation), and then they set out back towards the city, satisfied at a job well done.

TheRavenIs

Dec 31st, '06, 04:01 PM

Bill once again you and your group did great. I loves these tales, keep them coming.

hooligan x

Dec 31st, '06, 10:29 PM

Do these PCs have minis yet, cuz I know we would all love to see them. Hint freakin hint.

teh bunneh

Jan 2nd, '07, 12:35 PM

Do these PCs have minis yet, cuz I know we would all love to see them. Hint freakin hint.

I've got 4 of the 7 party members done (Leth, Trouble, Kaira, and Chrissie). I've got another one based and primed but not painted yet (Sir Justin). I've yet to get two miniatures (Castilla and Illysandri). So, I'll post some piccies soon.

I'm working on the adversaries, also. :eg:

teh bunneh

Jan 2nd, '07, 12:42 PM

One of my players wrote up an "alternate" version of what happened at the falling-down barn. Kinda funny. ;)

So I was thinking about this, and its a good thing I am not the bard... I could see it being told like this:

"So the next morning the heroes tracked the beasts to their lair, an old neglected barn left unattended by the elves nearby. Catching the creatures unprepared, they began by surprising the poor mother who leapt to protect her young. Barely able to fend off the lizard-creature attacking her family, the cockatrice was suddenly beset upon by stinging vermin, disgorged from the foul magics of her assailants. Fighting bravely, the father decided the best bet would be to try to draw the killers away from his home, giving time for his broodmate and children to escape. Unfortunately, more foul incantations slammed his brother to the ground as he struggled, panicked, away from the hornets. After watching his mate butchered, and the safe haven he had established knocked down with malice and forethought by the demon-spawn the murderers brought with them, he tried as best he could to save the nest, but to no avail. The nest was crushed before his very eyes, and as the blood flowed out of his dying corpse, he was able to see his brother slaughtered, pinned and defenseless. All this for eating pigs the locals couldn't be bothered to feed and protect. How were these simple beasts to know that the feral animals would bring desolation upon their kin. Unfortunately, the lesson could not be passed on, no warning to others who may struggle for meat in the cold of winter... the ones with hands will come for you, and if you are lucky your children will die quick deaths..."

heheheh

All about perspective.

:lol:

Bill.
(Though I should point out that Cockatri are about as smart as snakes, and considerably more dangerous...) ;)

teh bunneh

Jan 2nd, '07, 12:58 PM

Another one of the PCs' rivals: Octavia, priestess of the goddess of love...

Octavia the Lovely
Background/History: When young Octavia was born, her family could instantly tell she was destined for greatness – a greatness which they (a family of modest means) could not provide for her. So they sold her to the Temple of Istar, to be raised there as a priestess of the Queen of Heaven.

As a novice at the temple, Octavia was noted for her beauty and her grace. She was, it was said, like an avatar of the Goddess herself. Unfortunately, all that praise made its way to her head, and by the time she was a teenager, she was remarkably vain about her looks. She grew disobedient to her teachers, and was sent to another temple to complete her training.

Her new teacher, a powerful priestess named Cecily Modesta, did not take any of Octavia's backtalk, nor did she feed the child's vanity. Cecily sensed the girl's potential, but knew that it was something that had to be worked towards, not something that could simply be taken for granted.

But Octavia chaffed under the strict lessons of her Mistress, and decided that, regardless of what Cecily said, she was ready to assume her role as the Goddess's servant. One night while Cecily was away, she packed her things and ran away from the temple, boarding a ship bound for the west.

It didn’t take long after arriving in Ariaea for her to hook up with a group of like-minded young adventurers. Boh's team had need of a Theologist to back them up when things got rough, and she needed a way to generate some capital to live on. She's happy to stay with the Fearless Monster Hunters for now, but she's always got her eye out for her next meal ticket.

Personality/Motivation: If you had been told all your life that you were as beautiful and desirable as a Goddess, and had every need and want quickly satisfied, how would you turn out?

Yep, that's pretty much how Octavia is. She's vain and selfish, proud and preening, and more than a little full of herself – though one should note that she has good reason to be so. She is stunningly lovely, as beautiful as any woman who ever walked the planet. Even so, she finds other beautiful women to be threatening – she has to be the center of every man's attention, and has been known to resort to dirty tricks to make it so.

Octavia's sheltered and pampered life has taught her (wrongly, of course) that nothing bad will ever happen to her, and that if she makes a mess someone will clean it up for her. She has woefully little empathy for other people (a bad sign in a priestess of the Goddess of love!). The real world will eventually teach her otherwise; let us just hope that it will let her down gently.

Quote: "Wait! We can't go into battle yet. My hair is out of place!"

Powers/Tactics: Octavia plays the support role of the FMH. Though trained to defend herself if necessary, she's not interested in getting engaged in the dirty, sweaty work of combat. She would much rather stay in the back, casting "buffing" spells on her compatriots.

Campaign Use: Octavia needs to grow – not as a priestess, but as a human being. She has the makings of a good person about her – she truly believes in the teachings of Istar (who is a good and noble goddess), but she hasn't quite worked out how they apply to the real world. With any luck, as she explores and gains experience she will learn that the world doesn't exist to serve her whims, and she will grow into a better person for it.

Appearance: Octavia is stunningly beautiful, with long, silky black hair, skin as pale as the moon, and eyes dark and bewitching. One look at her and it is obvious that she is more than just an ordinary woman – she is somehow touched by the Goddess herself. Octavia dresses only in the finest silks and she loves pretty jewelry. She spends several hours every morning getting ready for the day, and will often stop in the middle of something so she can fix her hair, her clothes, or her makeup.

Note: Octavia is technically an escaped slave. She is, by custom and law, owned by her mistress until her training is complete and she is released as a full priestess. However, "slave" has a different meaning for novices of the temple of Istar – she is not a common laborer or servant; she is a goddess-in-training.

teh bunneh

Jan 2nd, '07, 01:04 PM

If Conan were a female spellcaster?;)

No, I picture Tawny as being more like Starbuck from the new Battlestar Galactica series. With magical spells and an Irish accent. ;)

teh bunneh

Jan 2nd, '07, 01:19 PM

And... one more of the PCs' potential adversaries/rivals. This time it is the faux-Fearless Monster Hunters' big meatshield, Thor Thorssen!

Thor Thorssen
Background/History: Thor is a young barbarian warrior from Boresheim. When he came of age, he set sail with his compatriots to explore, trade, and raid the decadent and wealthy peoples of the south.

Their voyage lasted several months, making it all the way down to the Sylvan Gulf. In that time, young Thor learned much of the ways of civilization, and decided that he liked it. So when his compatriots decided that they had seen enough and wanted to head back home, Thor refused to go with them. He wanted more of what the civilized world had to offer – more booze, tobacco, women, fancy foods, soft clothes, and the other decadent customs that he had grown to enjoy.

His ship-mates, knowing full-well that Thor doesn't have the sense that the gods gave an acorn, refused to let him leave, but Thor was insistent – as in, "Leaving behind a trail of broken arms, gouged eyes, and swollen groins" insistent. He jumped ship in the great White City of Areiea, his former crew-mates' curses (and groans of pain) ringing in his ears, and hasn't looked back.
Which is a pity. He really should sometimes, because his old crewmates are still after him for what he did to them…

Personality/Motivation: Thor isn't very smart, and he knows it. He realizes he's no good at planning ahead, so he just does what his heart tells him at the moment. He is impulsive, reckless, and rash – which means he gets along famously with Boh.

But really, Thor just wants to have a good time. He's eager to try all the decadent delights that the lands of the south have to offer. He's not adverse to a good fight, and tends to be the last one standing at the end of it.

Quote: "Hey, you stabbed me! Ha! that is very funny! Now it is my turn to stab you!"

Powers/Tactics: Thor's tactics, like Thor himself, are simple: laugh loudly, shout out a challenge, and charge right in. He doesn't necessarily look for fights (he'd much rather drink, smoke, and have sex with the pretty girls), but he relishes them when they come.

Campaign Use: Thor is the FMH's beef-shield. Tough, strong, and good in a fight, he's the one who rushes in first.

Appearance: Thor is a handsome young Borish warrior – square-jawed, with steely blue eyes and long, straight black hair and a thick black beard – an exemplar of his folk. He towers over most people, standing well over six feet. Heavily muscled, he has a few scars but hasn't been out in the world long enough to make an entire shirt out of them yet. When expecting trouble, he wears a shirt of chain mail. When out on the town, he's developed a fondness for silk and soft cotton clothing.

OddHat

Jan 2nd, '07, 07:56 PM

Great character back stories. :)

LordGhee

Jan 3rd, '07, 12:42 AM

HUmm lets see if I can rep you keys and yes a I can cool, cool stuff

Lord Ghee

teh bunneh

Jan 5th, '07, 09:38 AM

A Primer on the Undead
As Told by Chrissie Rocks (Taleweaver and Expert in All Manner of Things)

There are two major types of undead: the Corporeal and the Incorporeal. The Corporeal, since they have physical bodies, are the easiest to classify (and to deal with… but more on that later).

Starting with the lowest types, you have Skeletons and Zombies, sometimes known as the Shambling Dead (or any number of other terms). These are the corpses of unfortunate people who are animated with necromantic magic (banned in every civilized nation in the world). They are more-or-less mindless and have no free will of their own; they follow the commands of the one who created them to the best of their ability – though they have no imagination or incentive, so the commands have to be very literal and fairly simple. The Shambling Dead are, for the most part, very slow and are noted for their jerky and clumsy movements. However, they are extremely strong, immune to pain, fear, magic that affects the mind or the senses, and are almost impossible to kill. You need to chop their bodies into pieces before they stop coming. Hacking or bludgeoning weapons are best – arrows and spears are pretty useless against them. Also, a properly cast counterspell (like Dispel Magic or Drain the Flow) can disrupt the magic that animates them, turning them back into harmless corpses.

The problem with using necromantic spells is that sometimes, the Shambling Dead can develop a mind of their own. No one knows why, but Zombies and Skeletons have been known to turn on their creators and kill them. An uncontrolled Shambler is known most commonly as a Ghoul or a Flesh-Eater. These creatures aren't intelligent per se, but they have a predatory cunning and have been known to stalk their victims, lay simple traps, and set ambushes. They also tend to work together, like a wolf-pack, which makes them even more dangerous. Most Ghouls retain the slow, clumsy movements they had when they were simply animated corpses, but some are blindingly fast as well as being strong and hard to hurt. Watch out for them! While regular Zombies and Skeletons don't need any sustenance (since they are animated by magic), Ghouls lust after flesh – fresh or rotten, it doesn't seem to matter – and they greedily devour their kills.

Wights, unlike Ghouls or Zombies, were not created by a necromancer but instead apparently just rose from the grave of their own volition. They are sometimes found in old graveyards or battlefields. Some of them simply defend their resting place; others are very aggressive and they'll leave their graves to hunt. Like Ghouls, they tend to have some cunning and are not just mindless monsters.

Vampires are the most powerful of the corporeal walking dead. They retain all the intelligence and initiative they had while alive, coupled with an insatiable hunger for the flesh and/or blood of the living. They retain all the strengths of the lesser undead – strength, speed, near invulnerability – and few of their weaknesses. Most of them, it is said, also command great magical powers. They can hypnotize you with a glance, transform into animal shapes, vanish into thin air, fly, or perform any number of other stunts. Some people refer to Vampires as Ghasts, but most scholars agree that a Ghast is something different – sort of like a Vampire (intelligent, fast, strong), but without all the fancy magical powers.

How do you hurt a Corporeal Undead? Like I said before, they're really tough. Arrows are worthless, and spears aren't much better. Most of them you can hack to pieces with a sword or axe, but until they're completely shredded they'll just keep attacking – they don’t know fear and they can't feel pain. Holy items are said to work really well against them, though. Holy water dissolves their flesh, and priests can frighten them away with the power of their faith. Folklore has it that the touch of pure silver burns them, and that they can't stand the smell, taste, or touch of salt. I don't know if that's true or not. Enchanted weapons cut through their rotten flesh like a hot knife through butter, but the same can be said for enchanted weapons cutting through just about anything.

And if you thought the Shambling Dead were bad, there's the Incorporeal Undead… These things are disembodied spirits, doomed to haunt the earth. They don't really exist in the real world – they have no physical form. But you can see them, and they can see you. Worse, they can touch you, and that's bad. The Incorporeal Undead are known generically as Ghosts – if you don't know what you're dealing with specifically, it's a Ghost.

The most benign (if such a word can be used to describe the Undead) types are known as Phantoms. They aren't much more than just a ghostly image, or perhaps a sound. They tend to haunt one specific location, and don't normally interact with the real world. They seem to be stuck in an endless loop of actions – they keep doing the same things, over and over again. They might replay a murder scene, or an accident, or a battle, or even something innocent like opening and closing a door. But if you get too close, you'll risk being drawn into their world and becoming a part of their curse. There are stories of people who help them break their curse so they are free to move on to the next world, but there are also a lot of stories about people who tried to do that and who disappeared forever.

Specters are sort of like Phantoms in that they haunt a particular area, but unlike Phantoms they are extremely hostile to all living creatures. If you enter a place haunted by a Specter, they will come after you. Some of them are unable to manifest in the real world, instead trying to harm the intruders by attacking them indirectly (like pushing a bookcase over on you). These "non-manifesting" Specters are sometimes called Apparitions. Others become semi-real and will physically attack. For the most part, Specters can't leave the specific area that they haunt, but there are some stories of Specters that can "attach" themselves (for brief periods) to people who've managed to escape from their deadly grasp. There is some debate among experts whether Apparitions are more dangerous than Specters, but if you ask me, the argument is a stupid one – they're both things you want to stay away from.

Wraiths, like Specters, are extremely hostile. They hate the living. In addition, they are not limited to one particular time or place – they can manifest anywhere and at any time. It is said that once you've attracted the attention of a Wraith, you can never escape their curse until you are dead.

Shadows may or may not be actual Undead. Some people think they are Thaumaturgists who are lost in the Land of Shadows, somewhere between this world and the next. They may have had an accident while teleporting, or attempting to travel between worlds, or something else entirely. Fear their touch, because it can draw you into their world – essentially turning you into a Shadow, too.

How do you stop a Ghost? That's even tougher than stopping one of the Walking Dead. Weapons don’t harm them – not even silver ones. Magical weapons… may or may not hurt them. The stories are contradictory and inconclusive. Priests can drive them away with the power of their faith, and some of them are thought to recoil away from holy symbols (but I wouldn't rely on that). Some spells work against them, but most don't. Don't let one of them touch you – they'll suck the soul right out of your body. And I've heard stories of people who merely caught sight of a Ghost who aged ten years. Best bet when dealing with a Ghost? Run away – and pray it's not a Wraith!

Oh, and one more thing! The worst thing about the Undead is that many of them have the ability to drag their victims into their curse – turning them into Undead monsters as well! Everyone pretty much agrees that this is the most terrifying power of the Living Dead. So be careful!

(As a side note, for reference: The ghost from Ju-On: The Grudge would be a Specter. Samara, the ghost from The Ring is a Wraith. The ghosts in Pulse were Shadows). :)

Lonewalker

Jan 7th, '07, 03:56 PM

Since Bill hasn't seen fit to do so, I'm posting the (rather extensive) background info for my character: Sir Justin Whitestar. Followers of Bill's UNITY thread will probably see parallels between Justin and Straight Arrow. What can I say? I like playing Heroes (with a capital 'H'). :)

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BACKGROUND FOR JUSTIN WHITESTAR

Appearance: Justin is a tall and lean-muscled youth in his early twenties. The Elven part of his bloodline shows itself in his lithe but strong figure and graceful movements. He wears his thatched blond hair short and as neat as the thick mass will allow. His eyes are the color of the ocean at dusk and his attractive face is often graced with a smile. His complexion is a few shades darker than fair and marred only by a few small scars and two colored tattoos (a lion's head on his shoulder and a coiled dragon on his lower back).

Personality: Justin is a very atypical Paladin of the Trinity. He is very laid-back and easy-going about life and even his own devotions. He tries not to be judgmental toward those of other faiths or cultures and in fact is eager to learn more about them. He is casual and gracious in speech and manner, always polite and friendly, with a quirky sense of humor.

Beneath his relaxed exterior, though, Justin a fiercely devoted to the edicts of the Trinity in general and Mitra in particular. He follows the Code of the Paladin as closely as he can without becoming too rigid and hidebound. He believes strongly in compassion for others and is trusting and generous almost to a fault at times. Having failed in his endeavors many times in the past, his ego is nicely tempered with humility and he is not above poking fun at himself.

Justin is surprisingly but quietly devout. He had made a conscious choice to avoid sermonizing or insulting another's beliefs and chooses instead to preach by example. He feels that a good example makes the best sermon. He speaks to Mitra (and the other deities within the Trinity) constantly and is never without his holy symbol and a copy of the Book of Light.

Justin also considers himself very 'down-to-earth' compared to other Paladins (many of whom come from wealthy or noble families). His time on the streets gave him a common man's view of the world which combines with his highborn training and schooling to make him accepting of folk from all walks of life. He treats all people as equal, from the poorest farming peasant to the highest lord of the land.

Quote:
“Who says that being a Paladin means being an egocentric, thick-skulled, humorless prude?"

Background: From the Excerpts of The Whitestar Legacy by Myles Conrad.

"My name is Justin Whitestar and, yes, I'm acutely aware of the legacy associated with that name - I've lived under its shadow for my entire life.

"The Whitestars have a tradition of heroism that dates back to King Durom I and his battles against the Demon Morianis. It's said that the Whitestars have always been of a noble and adventurous mien - whether they were warriors or mages or priests. Sometimes their exploits were the stuff of legends - other times they were just quietly devoted and only their closest friends and family knew of their courage and daring.

"My own father was no exception to this rule. He was known as Gareth the Bold and in his youth it's said that all the Sylvan Gulf knew of his name. He was founding member of a long-lived adventuring company that called itself 'The Fearless Monster Hunters.' These brave men and women roamed the Gulf, defending the innocent and battling beasts great and terrible.

"Eventually, my father was called away from the Hunters to fight in the border conflicts in Shelinsebeau that eventually erupted into the War of Swords. His companion Rowena of Godonsa, a priestess of Wynnessa, accompanied my father into war. After my father was injured near the end of the war, the two of them married and settled down in my father's home city of Drache along the southwest coast of Demoria.

"My parents were hailed as heroes of the war and retired to the outskirts of the city to live the quiet life. My father still served as a military advisor to the king's court when called upon and my mother was considered a high-ranking member of the Trinity's holy order. They were a credit to the Whitestar name and legacy ... and they expected their children to follow the same path.

"My older siblings Marcus and Vivian honored my father by joining the Demorian military. Marcus was an officer and knight in the army and served in Shelinsebeau during the Uruk skirmishes and up north in Retor aiding the Dwarves against the Giant raiders. Vivian served in the navy and was assigned to the Golden Lion, flagship of the Demorian fleet. She has battled the Western Reef Pirates and Dead Ships that haunt the western sea.

"My younger siblings Gwenyth and Roderick may not have accomplished any deeds but that's not for lack of ambition. Gwenyth possessed the gift of the arcane and has petitioned the Towers of Sorcery for apprenticeship as a wizard. Roderick, the youngest of the family, simultaneously dreams of either joining the Demorian rangers or serving the Church of Durom.

"That leaves me, the middle child of Gareth and Rowena Whitestar and the black sheep. I was a lazy youth without any interest in the deeds and legends of my ancestors. The more my parents reminded me of the Whitestar legacy, the less I wanted to be a part of it. Of course, I didn't know what I did want but I knew it wasn't to be another Whitestar hero.

"When I was old enough, my parents insisted on sending me to the Academy of War in Drache, a prestigious school of battle and warfare that produced many of the knights and officers that served in the Demorian military. (Marcus and Vivian had both attended with honors.) It was a strict scholastic environment and I chafed under the tight regimen. I picked up a bit of skill here and there but overall my performance was abysmal - my instructors were quick to inform my parents of my failings.

"When I was about eleven or twelve years old, after a particularly hot and loud argument with my riding instructor, I gathered up a few belongings and ran away from the Academy. Drache is an expansive city and I was able to lose myself in the back streets away from the main population. Here the air was dank and fetid and cold, but at the time I thought it was better than further suffering under the yoke of my family's expectations.

"I took to stealing for my food and shelter - though I never really had the heart for it. After several weeks of living this wretched way, I was just about almost ready to give up and return home to my family when I met Master Zangan. Master Zangan was a massive warrior from Masube that was in Demoria on a 'spiritual journey.' He took me in and gave me food and shelter and never asked why I was on the streets or where I had come from originally.

"Master Zangan was a practitioner in an exotic fighting style from the Eastern lands called 'Nine Dragons.' For whatever reason, he offered to take me as a student in the art and, mostly because I didn't want to risk losing the home I had just found, I accepted. The training was as grueling and rigid as anything I had studied at the Academy. But, while I had rebelled and resisted the discipline at the school of battle, there was something about Zangan's manner that kept me focused and dedicated. Perhaps it was the aura of strength and authority that he commanded - maybe it was my own gratitude for having a roof over my head again. Whatever the reason, I completed my first rank training within a season and a half.

"Then without warning, Master Zangan left. I had been out picking up food at the market - when I returned, he had packed up his meager possessions and disappeared. All he left me were the Nine Scrolls that detailed the art of Nine Dragons (that I might continue my learning) and a note. The note was terse but not cold - Master Zangan explained that he had been called away but that I could manage my own training now that he had helped me from the 'lost state' I had been in. He had done good by me and asked that I return his kindness by sharing it with another in my turn. He wished me well and promised that we would see one another again someday.

"A part of me was devastated by Master Zangan's departure but another part realized that he had indeed done me a kindness. I returned to my family and endured my verbal punishment stoically. There was no returning to the Academy - the institution does not look favorably upon deserters and runaways. Instead, my mother called in a number of favors to have me accepted into the service of the Church of the Trinity.

"I spent the better part of those initial years of training in a distracted haze of musing and daydreams. I wondered where Master Zangan had gone to and I pondered how I could repay his kindness by giving to others. Over time, this desire to repay Master Zangan morphed into a yearning to leave Drache and do some good out in the world. I realized that I had never been out of city (save for a few trips to Godonsa or the neighboring towns) for my entire life. Now I started to wonder what else could be out there.

"My studies in the temple were mediocre at best - at least to start. I rarely did more than I needed to in order to complete my work. But during my fifteenth year, while I was in the Temple of Mitra conducting my usual morning prayers, something about the words within the scripture clicked in my mind. There was something within the dogma of the Trinity that meshed with the philosophy of compassion and honesty and dedication that Master Zangan had tried to teach me. I recall feeling a sense of purpose for the first time in my life and looking up through the stained glass of the temple and feeling Mitra's warmth washing over me.

"I threw myself into my studies at that point. I devoured the words written within the Three Holy Texts of the Trinity (the Book of Law, the Book of Love, and especially the Book of Light). While I possessed a sharp mind, scholarly pursuits were not my calling and I gravitated toward the martial aspects of my divine learning. I petitioned to train as a Paladin of Mitra (choosing the God of the Sun because I believe it was He who brought about my epiphany), but my poor work up until this point proved an obstacle. My parents, however, pleased that I had found something that I could focus upon, again pulled some strings to get me accepted. They reserved any outward form of pride or praise, though, expecting that I might at any time revert back to my childish laziness and disappoint them once more.

"I spent almost four years in training within the Church. While I was never the brightest pupil in my classes, I performed well enough to earn my knighthood. Traditionally, it's after the knighting ceremony that a newly christened Paladin can begin performing regular duties for his or her patron deity. Often this involves joining with the militant arm of the Church, which works closely with the Demorian army, but it can also include a personal journey or quest that allows the Paladin to travel the world on his or her own, serving the Trinity through deeds of valor. This latter was the option I wished to take.

"My disappointment knew no bounds when I learned that my parents had arranged for me to remain within the Church of Drache as a temple soldier. They had reasoned that I was unfocused and prone to getting into trouble and that it would simply be safest for me and best of the family honor if I remained within the city conducting some humble duty within the temples.

"My dreams of adventure seemed to be dashed to nothing over the next few months. With Drache being so deep into Demoria's borders, there was little to do as a temple Paladin other than stand sentry duty, perform ceremonial roles in day-to-day worship, and continue my studies. Here I was, ready and willing to make a name for myself, and I was trapped at home by order of my family and my superiors within the Church.

"Then one day, a letter arrived from Pasion addressed to my brother Marcus. It was from a member of the adventuring company that my parents had belonged to many years ago - a man by the name of Hodgeson. This Hodgeson was asking that Marcus, scion of the Whitestar legacy, travel to Pasion to aid this old family friend on a matter of great urgency. Marcus was still up north in Retor and would not return for months (perhaps years). I realized that this was my chance.

"I took the letter and gathered up what personal belongings I owned. I raided my family's armory and put together a rough collection of armor and weaponry. I 'borrowed' supplies from the house pantry and equipment closets. Then in the dead of night, I stole from the house and paid for passage on the first ship I could find that was heading to Pasion.

"I would find the adventure that I craved. I would not dishonor the Whitestar legacy again."

Powers/Tactics: Justin is a frontline melee fighter and prefers to face an opponent in single, fair combat. If given such a chance, he will usually fight defensively (using Martial Strikes and moving levels into DCV) until he gauges his enemy's skill. Then he will adjust his tactics accordingly.

However, Justin is neither a linear nor an unimaginative combatant. He sees no problem with ambushes, ganging up on strong opponents, deception, or even the occasional 'dirty trick' if it gets the job done. His training at the Academy of War taught him a number of military tactics, which don't all include marching into the enemy ranks and bellowing out a challenge to their leader. Justin is canny and clever in battle and has no qualms about using any advantage required to win.

That said, Justin still maintains the Paladin code of honor and fairplay. Thus, he will always accept an enemy's surrender and endeavors to fight on even ground with his opponent(s).

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Thanks for reading...and wish us luck in the challenges that Bill undoubtedly has planned for us! :bounce:

Lonewalker

teh bunneh

Jan 7th, '07, 04:10 PM

Piccies! (By popular demand)

1: Chrissie Rocks, Taleweaver and Expert in All Manner of Things (GMPC)
2. Trouble Thunderfoot, Saurian Warrior (Kate)
3. Kaira the Druid (Tammy Sue)
4. Leth Deldorian, Dwarven Warrior (Ron)
5. Thor Thorssen (member of the "other" Fearless Monster Hunters)

I'm still working on Sir Justin, and I haven't got minis for Illysandri or Castilla yet. I'm also working on the rest of the rival FMH. I should have Tawny Rose done soon. :)

SatinKitty

Jan 7th, '07, 09:21 PM

I can't rep you right now, Bill, AND IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY !!!!!!!!! :help:

As usual, love the stories and your minis. :king:

teh bunneh

Jan 8th, '07, 02:51 PM

After the successful destruction of several nests of pig-eating Cockatri, the heroes headed back to Araeia. By the time the heroes got there, the other Fearless Monster Hunters had already left port, bound for destinations unknown. A little legwork found that they left about 2 days ago, heading east towards Silverleaves, but that no one really knew where they were going, or why.

Most of the heroes spent the first evening enjoying a little well-deserved R&R. Justin and Castilla had a drinking contest and ended up staying in a hotel together that night (does this indicate a potential relationship, or simply a one-night stand? Only time will tell!). Trouble and Kaira went to Hob's restaurant and had an eating contest (the only loser was Hob, who had been giving them the food for free). Leth went to a quiet neighborhood bar and hung out with the sailors and longshoremen (his peeps). Chrissie headed to the town squares and sang the praises of the Fearless Monster Hunters and their Victory Over the Ferocious Chicken-Snakes (and made a little spending cash on the side).

The only person who didn't want to relax and enjoy a night off was Illy, who spent the entire night alternately trying to find out where the other FMH went, and pestering the members of her team. ;)

The next day, the heroes decided to track down another mission – again, they wanted to stay one step ahead of their competition, in order to force an eventual showdown. Leth and Justin heard that there is an ancient battlefield nearby – very, very ancient, in fact – that in the past few months has become haunted. The place is called Devia ex Tristificia, the Lonely Plains of Sorrow. It lies a few days' ride to the west, along the coast.

Destroying the Walking Dead? This seemed like another great adventure for the fledgling FMH!

While the rest of them went out to buy supplies, the heroes asked Chrissie to do some research. She came back to tell them that the Devia ex Tristificia is the site of several ancient battles, dating all the way back to the time of the War of Animals. The plains also hosted a battle during the Kindred Wars, and at least one battle during the War of the Demon. Nobody lives anywhere near there now; the site is regarded with no small amount of superstitious dread. However, of late passing ships have seen strange lights moving around the area at night, and strange, human-like forms stalking about during the day. A feeling of awe and anxiety greets all who sail past or approach the area, and the rumors are only getting worse.

Chrissie also graced the heroes with a long, rambling discussion about the Undead and how to destroy them. Some party members (I'm not mentioning Trouble's name here, but…) fell asleep at this point, but Sir Justin and Leth (at least) were both very interested in everything she had to say.

The trip to the battlefields took about 5 days. The heroes traveled mostly at night, in deference to the nocturnal sensibilities of their Elvish and Hobbit companions. It was uneventful but rough, since the woods were very thick and there were few trails. However, Kaira and Leth were able to successfully blaze a trail and soon the heroes found themselves at the Lonely Plains of Sorrow.

They set up camp about a half a kilometer away from the plains, and Trouble, Illy, and Kaira went to the plains themselves to see if there was anything to see. They found that the main part of the area was a hilly plain, covered with tall grasses and low scrub. It was very windy and quite chilly. The plains overlook the sea, granting a nice view from the higher hills. There were no markers or monuments to memorialize the dead here, and no signs of any life.

Below the plains was a salt marsh, where the sea meets the land. It was a low, swampy land. Several creeks drain into the area. The water was brackish, and the land is covered with hillocks of grass and a few low-growing trees. Both east and west of the plains, the ground rises up sharply, forming low but sheer cliffs that flank the marsh and the plains. The mottled gray-white limestone makes the place fairly easy to spot from the sea, and serves as a landmark for passing ships. Further away from the plains, the forest springs up. It grows thicker and thicker as one goes deeper in, eventually becoming practically impenetrable. This is the Walking Forest, which covers most of Pasion's southern coastline, filled with ancient oak, cottonwood, acacia, alder, and elm trees.

The bleak history, cold wind, and utter isolation of the plains carried with them a certain amount of dread, and it wasn't long before Kaira was getting the shivers. She said it was just the cold, but maybe she was nervous about being here. Just a little bit. The heroes decided to take up a watch on the edge of the forest, to see if anything untoward happened that night.

Late at night, on the second watch, Kaira and Leth noticed a number of strange greenish lights moving erratically across the plains. They bobbed and weaved, appearing and disappearing at random. They seemed to be moving generally towards the cliffs to the west.

The brave heroes crept forward to investigate, but Kaira by this point had grown so nervous that Leth asked her to stay behind (her chattering teeth were giving away their position!). Leth continued to follow the lights until he got close enough to see living, walking skeletons, some of which are carrying ghostly green glowing lanterns, others of which were carrying a large, coffin-like box. It looked like some kind of Undead funeral procession!

Leth followed them at a good distance, not willing to get too close to the Undead horrors. Eventually, he found himself on the edge of the cliffs, with no sign of the skeletons at all – it was like they had vanished into thin air! He left a trail marker there so he could find the spot again in the morning, and hurried back to his shivering companion.

The next morning, braced by the bright sunlight, the heroes explored the area some more. They found the ground where the skeletons had been walking was scuffed up, which indicated that these Undead monsters had physical forms, at least (which was good). They decided to follow the skeletons back the way they came, into the woods. After several hours of tracking (and more than one false trail), they began to hear strange noises – rustlings in the underbrush, ghostly whisperings that seemed to come from nowhere...

Suddenly they heard a terrifying scream. A glowing white apparition with a hideous, skull-like face appeared above their heads, screaming in rage and fury. Most of the heroes were paralyzed with terror. It continued to scream as it swooped down to attack Leth, raking at his arms with its razor-sharp talons. Leth's armor protected him from the brunt of the attack, but he still couldn't bring himself to move.

Trouble, on the other hand, was under no such restrictions! He charged at the beast, striking at it with his quarterstaff – only to find that there was nothing there to strike against. Kaira's Elemental Arrow spell similarly seemed to pass right through it. Illy, regaining her senses, enchanted Sir Justin's sword with a powerful spell, allowing it to exist simultaneously in this world and in the next. With a fierce battlecry, he leapt at the ghost and clove it in twain!

The ghost exploded in a ball of white fire, blinding and burning Justin, Leth, Trouble, and Kaira. And then it was gone. The woods fell still. No other ghostly forms appeared to take vengeance on the heroes. Chrissie strongly advocated turning around and leaving, but the others were not hearing any of that – they wanted to continue to explore the mystery!

Once they determined that everyone was OK, they set about trying to find the trail again. It took a while, as the ground was churned up by the fight. Leth discovered some strange, sticky, white powder in the area where the ghost had exploded, but thought nothing of it. Kaira eventually found the trail and the heroes continued into the woods.

Deep in the woods, far from the edge of the plain, the heroes discovered a camp. A quick count indicated eight tents and at least 8 or ten people in the camp. Illy and Castilla decided to enter the camp openly to try and talk with the people there, while the rest of the group circled around to attack if things got hairy.

The men in the camp spotted the two ladies as soon as they came out of the woods, and they soon found themselves surrounded by hostile people. One of them – the leader, apparently – asked who they were and what they wanted. Illy tried to convince them that she only wanted to talk, but he was convinced that she was a spy sent by the police or the army or some other authoritative body. He ordered them tied up and brought to his tent.

Several of the men fanned out to search the woods for others, and they soon homed in on Justin, Trouble, Kaira, and Chrissie. A battle broke out, but the skilled and trained warriors (with a little help from the spellcasters) quickly defeated their foes. Meanwhile, Leth continued trying to sneak around the back of the camp in order to sabotage the still-like contraption that the heroes had seen earlier. As he got closer, some guards spotted him, too, so he cut the ropes of the tent over the still and ran back into the woods, with several hostiles following him.

Trouble and Justin ran into the camp to help Leth. Trouble chased after the men chasing Leth while Justin paused because he spotted a man who appeared to be casting spells. The Paladin, heedless of his own safety, attacked the Thaumaturgist and chopped off his left hand. The injured spellcaster dropped to the ground, begging for his life. Trouble and Leth beat down the remaining men, and the battle was over.

Or was it? No one had seen Illy, Castilla, or the big guy since they disappeared into the tent. While Kaira tended to various injuries, Leth went to check on them and found the tent empty! Apparently, during the fight everyone slipped out the back, unseen.

What the rest of the party didn't know was that, as the fight started going poorly for the bad guys, the boss and his ladyfriend gathered up their belongings and took off, leaving their men to their fate. Illy and Castilla wriggled out of their bonds (now there's a thought to dwell on for a moment… Illy and Castilla wriggling around on a big, fur-covered bed…) and followed them.

They ended up back at the cliffs, where the two ladies found that the bad guys had gone into a cave that couldn't be spotted from above. Illy used a spell to see what was in the cave and saw that there were four people there – the leader and his woman, and two others. There were also about a dozen large, coffin-like boxes. The people in the cave were conferring about their next move, and the consensus seemed to be that they lie low here until the next day, when a ship was due to pick them up.

Back at the camp, the heroes were questioning the mage. They learned that his name was Marcus Locke, a young Illusionist recently graduated from the Mystical School of Cli in Demoria (the same school where Justin's sister is going -- small world!). He had been hired to come up with a way to frighten curious people away from the area, so he created a complicated system of skeleton costumes, ghostly green lanterns, and fake ghosts in the trees – and it worked perfectly for several months. He told the heroes that the leaders here were Ballesteros and his girlfriend Ayanna, a Druidess who had discovered a grove of trees in the area which could be used to manufacture a potent narcotic known as Red Lady. The drug is illegal in most parts of the world, and fetches an excellent price on the black market. These guys had been manufacturing the drug day and night for the last few months, and had almost exhausted their supply of raw materials. They were going to ship out in a day or so, smuggle the drug into Kohm (the capital city of Nekia), and retire rich.

Justin, feeling bad that he had cut off the guys hand (especially since the poor Illusionist had only been casting defensive spells), agreed to let Marcus go free. The FMH then set out to find where Illy and Castilla had gotten off to.

Meanwhile, Illy came up with a plan – she would turn Castilla invisible and the Jill would then sneak down into the cave and do a quick recon. Unfortunately, the invisible Castilla couldn't see her own feet and stumbled as she jumped down. She hit her head on a rock and alerted the bad guys to her presence. They grabbed her unconscious form and dragged it into the cave, yelling up that they had a hostage. Illy, trying to figure out a way around this problem, tried to cast a spell that would cause one of the boxes of drugs to burst open, but she was so panicked by the idea that her friend might be hurt that she miscast badly. She felt the power of the Flow retreat from her for a moment, and completely lost the ability to cast spells around corners. D'oh!

(Two critical failures in a row! Ouch!)

About this time, the rest of the party showed up. Now they entered into a tense situation – the people in the cave were demanding their freedom in exchange for Castilla's safe return. Could the Fearless Monster Hunters let these criminals escape, if it meant their friend's life?

Tune in next week to find out!

Lonewalker

Jan 9th, '07, 10:26 AM

Several of the men fanned out to search the woods for others, and they soon homed in on Justin, Trouble, Kaira, and Chrissie. A battle broke out, but the skilled and trained warriors (with a little help from the spellcasters) quickly defeated their foes.

Thought I'd throw in for completeness sake that the lot of us (except for Leth, who's a bloodthirsty little cuss) were actively using non-lethal attacks to subdue our foes. Since we didn't know what they were up to, we didn't want to murder anyone unjustly. (It's always better to slaughter people who deserve it, y'know. :eg: )

Justin made an exception with the illusionist and oops! Boy, he feels bad about that. (Turns out the dude knows Justin's younger sister...)

Granted a few of our attacks cracked ribs or left some lads considering a religious life...but for the most part we showed considerable restraint. :)

Could the Fearless Monster Hunters let these criminals escape, if it meant their friend's life?

I guess we could always find another devil-chica...although Trouble has nobly volunteered to exchange himself for Castilla. :sneaky:

Lonewalker

teh bunneh

Jan 9th, '07, 10:46 AM

Thought I'd throw in for completeness sake that the lot of us (except for Leth, who's a bloodthirsty little cuss) were actively using non-lethal attacks to subdue our foes. Since we didn't know what they were up to, we didn't want to murder anyone unjustly. (It's always better to slaughter people who deserve it, y'know. :eg: )

That is very true. In fact, so far on this adventure you haven't killed anyone. One guy ended up with a couple of cracked ribs (when an angry Saurian tackled him). A couple of guys are going to be walking bow-legged and riding side-saddle for a while (y'all rolled a lot of 13's for your hit locations!). And the Illusionist is going to be known as "Stumpy" from now on, but there were no fatalities. I'm very proud of the restraint y'all showed. :thumbup:

I guess we could always find another devil-chica...although Trouble has nobly volunteered to exchange himself for Castilla. :sneaky:

Yeah, good idea. I'm sure they'll be happy to exchange the helpless, unconscious wisp of a girl for seven feet of enraged Saurian. ;)

SatinKitty

Jan 13th, '07, 12:19 PM

What can I say ?
Another great Adventure Story by the Bunny. :thumbup:
I hope I get a chance to play with you Gmming sometime. :D

Your #1 Fan

TheRavenIs

Jan 13th, '07, 02:10 PM

As always the Bunny-man has me hoocked on a great story.

I shall give rep now to he, 'cause I can't send him carrots.

teh bunneh

Jan 15th, '07, 09:20 AM

Thanks for the comments, y'all! Does my bunny heart good to know that others are enjoying this. :)

This week I did a lot of ad-libbing, since I had no idea of where the heroes were going to go. It seemed to work out pretty well, though...

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When last we left our heroes, Illy turned Castilla invisible so she could sneak down into the cave where the bad guys were hiding. Unfortunately, the invisible Castilla couldn't see her own feet and stumbled as she jumped down. She hit her head on a rock and the bad guys dragged her unconscious body into the cave. To top it off, Illy got so flustered she forgot how to cast spells around corners!

Luckily, the rest of the party showed up about this time. Illy quickly related what was going on, and the team put their heads together to figure out what to do next. Trouble suggested that the team just jump down into the cave and attack -- "We're not called the *Fearless* Monster Hunters for nothing, you know!" But he was shushed by the other party members while they weighed their other options.

Not one to take "No" for an answer, Trouble jumped down into the cave and attacked (much to the others' chagrin)!

Trouble saw three men barricaded in the back of the cave, behind a stack of big boxes. The lizard-man charged forward, bounding on top of the crates, and smacked one of the men with his quarterstaff. The three men returned in kind, whaling on Trouble with all their might -- but the Saurian weathered their assault.

"Aw, hell," Justin swore, jumping down into the cave after his friend. Leth was less willing to just jump down, so Kaira cast a "Bird's Flight" spell on him so he could dramatically swoop into the cave. Now that the "meat-shields" were down there, Illy followed after. Chrissie stayed up top to make sure no reinforcements were on their way, and Kaira cast a Bird's Flight spell on herself so she could join the fray.

Things in the cave were getting hot and heavy. One guy managed to beat Trouble into submission. Justin was locked in mano-a-mano combat with Ballesteros, the leader of the gang. Leth had taken two javelins from one of the guys behind the crates. Kaira tried to fly past the melee and get into the back of the cave, but some unseen spellcaster dispelled her Bird's Flight. Illy was casting support spells to help her team, but the bad guys were tenacious and tough.

Bellesteros stabbed Justin in the shoulder, and the pain caused the Paladin to momentarily black out. When he came to, Ballesteros offered him the chance to honorably surrender. "If it were only about you and me," Justin said, "I'd take your offer. But you've kidnapped my girlfriend and I'm here to get her back."

Ballesteros started to say that Justin could have the girl back if the heroes would just walk away, but Justin swung his sword and caught the Kidbodish warrior right in the branch-and-berries. With a high-pitched scream of pain, Ballesteros dropped to the ground. The two other warriors, seeing their boss in trouble, rushed over to help – leaving Leth and Trouble unoccupied. It didn't take long to mop them up.

Illy and Kaira, not involved in the melee, saw a dark-skinned woman in the back of the cave, holding Castilla captive. When Ballesteros fell, the dark-skinned woman cast a spell shrouding much of the cave in thick, impenetrable fog. Illy dispelled the spell, but by then the woman was gone.

Kaira healed the injured as best as she could while Illy and Leth searched the cave for the woman. They had no luck -- she was gone. Trouble began hauling the crates full of drugs out of the cave and dumping them off the cliff (there were a lot of really stoned fish and birds that night, lemme tell you!). They kept one crate of drugs to use as evidence.

The Fearless Monster Hunters gathered up their prisoners and headed back to Areiea, turning them in to the police on charges of drug manufacture and smuggling. True to his word, Justin let Marcus go free, warning him not to get back into the criminal lifestyle, and telling him that if he sees Ayanna (the woman who got away) again, he should let the Fearless Monster Hunters know.

Once back in town, Castilla wanted to take Justin out on the town and get drunk, but Justin was still too sore from his wounds. Dejected, Castilla went out with Leth, Illy, and Chrissie. Chrissie found a nice place full of people and began to sing stories about the Fearless Monster Hunters. In very little time, she had the crowd eating out of her hand. Even the stoic Leth was moved to tears when she sang a touching ballad about the first (and last) Dwarvish navy ("I wasn't crying! I had something in my eye!"). Trouble and Kaira stayed at Hob's Hot Pot and once again ate twice their body weight in food.

The next day, Justin went to the temple district to see if he could buy some magical healing for himself. He spoke to Dulcinea Whiteflower, one of the priestesses of Gaia, goddess of the earth. She said that they would heal him for free -- if he could see fit to offer a small donation to the temple. Her idea of a "small donation" was rather larger than Justin's, so he started to leave, but the priestess stopped him.

"Perhaps instead of a donation, you could provide a service for our church?" she asked. Intrigued, Justin asked her to explain. "One of our acolytes is required to take a pilgrimage to the northern city of Lacedaemon. Unfortunately, most of our temple guards are on other duties right now. The forests can be dangerous places, and we do not want to send her without at least one strong bodyguard. If you were to accompany her on her pilgrimage, the temple would be happy to heal your injuries without charge."

Justin said he'd think about it and get back to her in a few hours. That evening at dinner time, Justin related the offer. Most of the Fearless Monster Hunters were interested in taking the job, so Justin returned to the temple and accepted.

Dulcinea was delighted, and explained the mission. "Adora is fairly new to our temple. She has just passed the final rites of initiation and is now a full-fledged priestess. As one of her first duties, she is to travel to the northern city of Lacedaemon and pay her respects at the temples there. On the journey, she will follow a path that will be revealed to her by the goddess, and along the way she will periodically stop to perform certain duties -- set up small shrines, plant sacred acorns, or give blessings to those she meets. Because her path is not preordained but chosen by the goddess, the time it takes to travel to Lacedaemon varies -- it may take as little as a week, but probably more like two or three. Your job will be twofold: to protect her from harm (we are a peaceful sect and know little about the ways of war), and to keep her comfortable (she must devote her time and energy to serving the goddess, not setting up camp or cooking meals)."

"Payment for your services," Dulcinea continued, "Will be as follows: The temple priestesses will heal all your wounds before you set out on your journey. We will also provide you with larder for the trip, and a small stipend to pay for any necessities along the way. Finally, when Adora makes it safely to her destination, you will have the gratitude of this temple and the blessings of the goddess."

"If these terms are acceptable, then you will leave tomorrow at sunset."

teh bunneh

Jan 15th, '07, 12:41 PM

Here's the background for my GMPC -- Chrissie Rocks, Taleweaver and Expert In All Manner of Things... :)

History/Background: I guess the first thing you should know about me is that my name isn't really Chrissie Rocks. It's actually Christinella Rockbreaker, so, I mean, obviously I had to change it. Can you imagine getting up in front of an audience with a mouthful like that? Half the people would have left by the time I was finished just introducing myself. Plus, there's the whole "Rockbreaker" thing, which totally sounds like a criminal's name… which, I guess, it is.

See, my grandfather was Felix the Highwayman, a notorious bandit who preyed on merchants and travelers along the Demorian Road. He had a pretty good career, my grandfather did, at least for a few years. But one day he got caught and sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor. That's where he picked up the "Rockbreaker" name, and it sort of stuck. He eventually got out, and got married and tried to live a regular life (no more banditry for him, no sir! He learned his lesson good, he did!), and they had a daughter named Roselyn. Roselyn Rockbreaker – funny, huh? Well, that's my mom.

Mom had a touch of the wild in her, and all my grampa's stories about life in prison didn't dissuade her one bit. So she joins up with a highway gang and they cause all kinds of hell. She uses the Rockbreaker name with pride, 'cause it gives her all kinds of street cred (nevermind that she herself never spent a day on the inside!). Well, one day the gang attacks the retinue of an Elvish lord! They drive off his guards and take him prisoner, thinking that they're going to hold him for hostage, see? Except that Roselyn (that's my mom) thinks this guy is the most incredible thing she's ever seen. She's like, instantly smitten.

So she helps him escape. But the rest of the gang doesn't appreciate this, and they chase them. The two of them are on the run for weeks, and you know how it goes – two young, attractive people in a stressful situation… well, they had a thing going. They finally make it to Warford, and the Elf lord is all like, "Well, we had some laughs, but it's time for me to go home now." Bastard.

Anyway, my mom is broken-hearted, and she's had just about enough of living in the woods to last her the rest of her life, so she goes back home to grampa. Then, surprise surprise, she finds herself pregnant – with me!

So my early life is pretty dull, but when I was about 12 my grampa took me with him on a trip to Godonsa. He became a stonemason after he got out of jail (Rockbreaker, get it?), and he was hired to do some work building a new structure on the campus of the Bardic College. Oh, I fell in love with the city on that trip, then and there! The architecture, the history, the people, the lake, everything about it was magical! After we left, I begged my grampa to take me back there. Begged and begged and begged and begged, and eventually he said yes.

I applied for a place at the College – I didn't care if I had to mop floors, I wanted to be a part of that place! – and I was accepted! It was hard work, but I knew I was where I belonged. I devoured every book they had, learning everything I could about history, music, architecture, magic, science, Thaumaturgy… everything!

When I finished my studies, I decided to leave the ivy-shrouded buildings of my home and set out to see the world. I read and heard every song and story I could find; now it was time to go out and make a few of my own. I wasn't sure where to go next, but about two months ago I started hearing about a new group of adventurers plying the Sylvan Gulf. They called themselves the Fearless Monster Hunters – a name I knew only too well! I'd learned all about them – the great stories of Gareth Whitestar and Rowena of Godonsa, the mysterious Sikir-Aman and her ferocious bodyguard Thunderfoot the Lizard, Plisianna the great Elvish warrior, Wyssian the mad, and all the others!

I packed up my meager belongings and set out to the White City of Areian, where I was sure to meet them. I knew they'd let me tag along – what adventuring group couldn't use a Taleweaver to make sure the historians get things straight?

Personality/Motivation: Christie is kind of a spaz. She could be brilliant if she applied herself, but she has a short attention span and is constantly flitting from one project to another, leaving behind her a trail of unfinished business. She is currently very excited about finding the Fearless Monster Hunters and becoming their new chronicler -- the one who writes the stories and songs about their adventures, and who spreads their fame (and coincidentally, her fame) across the land. She's already studied everything there is to know about the previous FMH, so she's more than ready to continue the legend!

She doesn't like plain, ordinary, boring things. She dresses in the most flamboyant fashion, dying her hair different colors to match her mood. She likes things to be exciting -- and if they aren't exciting already, she's willing to help them along their way!

Quote: "Oh, wow! This is exactly like when the Fearless Monster Hunters fought against the Green Dragon of Illich in 911 RM! Now, if only I could remember how they beat him... Just give me a minute, it'll come to me..."

Powers/Tactics: Christie is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a warrior. She's small, not very strong, and quite fragile. She prefers to stand well away from combat, inciting her allies to fight harder! She knows how to fight (sort of), and she's got one or two useful combat spells. When there's no fighting to be done, she's much more useful -- she's a font of obscure knowledge and has a natural facility for language. Plus, she has a great singing voice and is terribly cute on top of that.

Appearance: Very cute, very short human girl whose Elvish blood is very obvious -- she has a rather distinctly Elvish face, build, and even has slightly pointed ears. She has green eyes and black hair (which she frequently streaks with bright colors). She loves to wear bright, colorful clothes. She is almost always smiling, and has bright, wide, curious eyes. Christie honestly has no idea how cute she is, and she tends to think of herself as rather plain (and frequently wonders about all the male attention she seems to attract).

SatinKitty

Jan 16th, '07, 09:02 AM

Yet another great story. Here's to the bunny ! :cheers:

teh bunneh

Jan 29th, '07, 08:51 AM

The mission: "Adora has just passed the final rites of initiation and is now a full-fledged priestess. She is to travel to the northern city of Lacedaemon. She will follow a path revealed to her by the goddess, and along the way she will stop to perform certain duties – set up small shrines, plant sacred acorns, or give blessings to those she meets. Because her path is not preordained, the time it takes to travel to Lacedaemon may take as little as a week, but probably more like two or three. Your job is twofold: protect her from harm, and keep her comfortable."

The heroes, having agreed to go, arrived at the temple at sunset. At first, Dulcinea was a little put off by how many there were in the group – she thought it was just Justin, Leth, and Castilla. But that was a minor detail and didn't change things. She healed all of those who were injured, blessed the group, and then introduced them to their charge – Adora, a young White Elf. Adora greeted them politely and thanked them for their kindness in agreeing to be their escort.

Adora is robed in green silk and wears a veil over her hair and face – she is not meant to show her face until her pilgrimage is complete. She, like all her people, is graceful and beautiful, with a soft voice and long black hair. At first blush she is just a teenager (by the standards of her people). She carries a walking staff and a backpack that holds some of the items she’ll need on the trip.

While the team was getting ready, Dulcinea took Justin aside and gave him a small pouch of trade stones for emergencies on the road. She then offered a piece of advice – "Be careful. You'll be traveling through mostly unsettled territory, and there are any number of creatures that you may encounter. Just do as Adora asks and Gaia will provide."

The temple servants loaded the heroes with enough food and supplies to last about a week. The journey would be by foot since they wouldn't be following any roads, though the party decided to bring their mules to carry their supplies.

The first three days were easy, since the lands around Ariean are fairly well-settled and there were roads to follow. Adora stopped at each village and hamlet along the way, offering the blessings of the Goddess to the people and their crops. Because of this, it was fairly slow going (which the heroes didn't mind too much).

On the fourth day, after the group had passed the last village on the outskirts of Ariean's territory, Adora veered off the main trail and headed into the woods, guided by her instincts and her vision. She said that there was a small shrine in a clearing where she must make an offering.

The heroes asked why there would be a shrine so far from the main road, and she told them it was for the migratory hunting groups that pass through this area, following the herds.

After about a day, they reached the clearing – but Leth heard something up ahead. They sent Trouble and Kaira ahead to investigate. Cautiously, the two heroes crept forward. When they reached the edge of the clearing, they saw two huge beasts rooting around the shrine.

Trouble got excited and made a bunch of noise, which attracted the attention of the two creatures. Luckily, the critters didn't seem interested in coming over to investigate. Kaira correctly identified them as Owlbears – strange and fierce fusions of bird and bear, known for their territorial nature and willingness to attack just about anything in their search for food. Kaira convinced Trouble to wait by the edge of the woods while she ran back and informed the others.

Knowing Adora couldn't fulfill her sacred duties while these things were around, the heroes decided to drive them off. Most of the group moved up to the clearing, leaving Illy and Castilla alone with the priestess to guard her.

Kaira, flanked by Trouble, entered the clearing, using her Druidic powers to speak with the beasts. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"Food food food," they responded.

"Go look for food elsewhere," she commanded.

"No," they said. "Food here."

"There's no good food here," the Hobbit told them. "If you stay here, you'll be hurt."

The Owlbears started moving closer to the little Druid. "Meat meat meat," they said.

"No!" Kaira disagreed. "We're not good meat! We're predators and we'll hurt you!"

But the two Owlbears were no longer listening. Trouble rushed forward and struck at one of them with his quarterstaff. The weapon bounced harmlessly off the creature's solid hide. The monster then returned the blow, sending Trouble flying across the battlefield and ending up KO'd next to a tree root.

Justin and Leth charged out of the woods and attacked the beast that was heading towards Kaira. They hacked at it ruthlessly, though its size and fury proved more than a match for their skill. Kaira used her powers to surround the beasts with glowing, crackling St. Elmo's Fire, which confused and slowed them. Chrissie tried to help, but her offensive magic was useless against these huge, tough creatures.

Meanwhile, Illysandri turned herself and her charge invisible – just in case one of the Owlbears broke through and came this way. But suddenly, she felt her connection to the Flow momentarily cut off, and the spell ended. They heard the sound of laughter – loud, shrill, annoying laughter – cut through the trees, and they saw a redheaded woman standing on a large tree branch directly above them. "Now it's time to pay for what you did to me, Adora!" the stranger snarled.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, who is this chick?" Castilla demanded. Adora looked surprised and vaguely embarrassed.

"I am Nikki," the woman laughed. "And Adora knows who I am and why I'm here!"

"Geez, Nikki, get over yourself," Adora said. "That was, like, a year ago!"

"I don't care if it was a hundred years ago," Nikki shouted. "Vengeance will be mine!"

Illy and Castilla decided that, while there was obviously an interesting story here, the more important thing was to get Adora out of harm's way. Castilla tried to distract Nikki by shouting insults at her. Nikki responded by summoning an enormous Earth Elemental to stomp the annoying Darkblood.

Meanwhile, the fight against the Owlbears was still raging. The huge beasts were tenacious, despite having taken several grievous wounds. One of them slashed Justin across the chest – his armor barely deflected the blow! The other was trying to eat Trouble, but thankfully Leth rushed over to distract the thing. Kaira put the healing touch on Trouble, bringing him back to wakefulness, just as the Owlbear attacking Justin decided that it had enough and turned to flee.

Together, Justin, Leth, and Trouble ganged up on the remaining Owlbear and finished it off. Trouble then gave chase to the fleeing Owlbear, charging headlong into the woods after it.

Back at the other fight, things weren't going well. Nikki commanded the vines along the ground to wrap up Illy, and then summoned a large hungry cat to eat her. Illy responded (rather heroically) by pushing Adora into the Ethereal World, rendering her virtually immune to attacks from the real world.

Castilla was kept busy by the Earth Elemental, which was chasing her around trying to grab her. The agile Jill managed to jump up on the tree branch where Nikki was standing and knock her down to the ground. Castilla then struck a pose, laughed loudly, and pointed to Nikki. "Get her, my loyal Earth Elemental!" she commanded, pretending to be the crazy-woman. This confused the Elemental greatly.

At about this point, Chrissie showed up (having decided she was useless against the Owlbears, she came back to see if anyone here could help). She tried to distract Nikki by telling her an enchanted joke. Unfortunately, Nikki apparently has no sense of humor so the joke fell flat.

Kaira showed up a few seconds later and saw what was going on. "Oh no, not you!" she exclaimed upon seeing Nikki. Nikki turned around and spotted the Hobbit. "It's you!" she yelled, furious.

More confusion ensued, but Nikki decided she was now outnumbered. "I swear I'll get my vengeance on you and you!" she said, pointing at Adora and Kaira. "And... you and you are also on my list, though considerably lower!" she indicated Castilla and Illy. She turned herself into a bird and flew away – narrowly escaping Castilla, who tried to throw her cloak over the fleeing bird.

The men of the party showed up, triumphant from killing the Owlbear. "What the hell happened here?" Justin asked, seeing the churned-up and scorched earth from the other battle.

Now that the confusion was over, Adora tried to explain. "About a year ago, I was dating this guy – Epidos, a priest of Phaunos," she said. "Nikki is this crazy woman who falls for handsome guys, and then when she (invariably) gets rejected, she goes on a mad tear against ... well, against whomever. In this case, it was me, since she saw me as some kind of romantic rival for Epidos' affections (even though he wouldn't have touched her with a ten-foot pole)." Adora sighed and rolled her eyes. "That was, like, a year ago. I figured she would have forgotten about me by now, but I guess the bitch carries a serious grudge."

Kaira agreed. "She did the same thing for my master Alistaire," the Hobbit explained. "Several years ago, she fell for him. But the feeling wasn't mutual. She blamed me for breaking them apart (even though it's not like me and Alistaire were together or anything). I haven't seen her in years, but apparently she hasn't forgotten about me."

Now that the coast was clear, Adora was able to perform her rituals over the holy shrine and the heroes continued on their way – now a little bit more warily.

To be continued!

SatinKitty

Jan 29th, '07, 02:38 PM

The Tragedy here is that you will never have children, Bill as you are a wonderful story teller. I'm sure your nieces and nephews love your stories. I used to tune in the TV at 11:30 pm to watch Dark Shadows, but this story is better. :thumbup:

teh bunneh

Feb 5th, '07, 11:07 AM

The heroes watched over Adora as she finished her rituals, and then they set off again. Two days later, as dawn approached, they ran into a heavy fog. Although early-morning fogs are common, this one seemed unusually thick – so much so the heroes could barely see their hands in front of their faces.

To keep anyone from being lost, Justin ordered the main group to bunch up together. Leth was sent a few meters ahead to scout the way. Leth found a clearing where the heroes could set up camp and called back to them.

Adora, in the lead, started to go towards the sound of Leth's voice, but she tripped on something in the path. Suddenly, the entire party (bunched together as they were) were drenched in a cold, sticky liquid. At first, they thought it was oil or tar, but after a few seconds they realized it was nothing but... honey?

The universal reaction could be summed up in two words: "...the hell?"

Dripping and sticky, they marched to the clearing. The sun was burning the fog off, so they could see that they were in a wide, flowery field. Castilla stayed behind to climb a tree and figure out where the honey came from.

Turns out it was a trap – ingenious in its simplicity. It was merely a bunch of large buckets suspended over the trail with rope. The rope was attached to a tripline – when someone set off the tripline, the buckets emptied themselves on everything below. Someone went to a lot of time and effort to set this up – though for what reason, no one could guess.

The Fearless Monster Hunters sent Leth and Kaira off to find a stream or something to wash the honey off (expecting that they would start attracting flies now that the sun was up). What they did attract was something far worse than flies.

Adora heard it first – a loud humming sound, growing louder by the second. Then, the heroes saw them swarming up over the trees – enormous wasps (the size of large dogs, at least!), heading right for the party!

One of them stung at Trouble, but luckily its stinger couldn't get through his armor. Others were not so fortunate – Chrissie, Adora, and one of the mules were stung. Trouble, Leth, and Justin waded into the conflict, beating the giant insects away from their victims. Trouble beheaded his wasp and ran over to help the priestess. Kaira cast a spell to prevent the wasps' poison from harming people. Chrissie turned herself invisible, so her wasp turned its attention to her mule (the poor beast was stung to death and then half devoured before her eyes!).

Illy told the priestess to run into the cover of the woods – the wasps' wingspan wouldn't allow them to fly under the canopy of the trees. The injured priestess happily complied, with Illy following close behind.

The Fearless Monster Hunters made short work of the rest of the giant insects. The only casualty was Chrissie's mule (and a large chunk of her sanity). But then Kaira heard someone in the woods calling for help.

The heroes rushed into the forest to see what was up, and found Illysandri tied up, from head to toe, in thick heavy vines. Nearby, they saw (who else?) Nikki, who had grabbed Adora and put her in an armlock.

Justin tried to speak soothingly to the enraged druidess. Castilla went with a different tack – she insulted her and called her names. But they both got the impression that Nikki wasn't really listening; she just kept going on and on about how Adora wronged her, and how revenge would be hers.

Meanwhile, Leth was moving stealthily behind her, and it was all Trouble could do to hold himself back. When Leth finally got into position, he yelled "GO!" and he and the lizardman charged the psycho druidess.

Trouble got there first (due to his long lizard legs) and tackled both Adora and Nikki. The blow knocked Adora out cold – but at least it got her away from the crazy's knife. Leth struck Nikki about the head and shoulders with his club. Justin grabbed Kaira and ran over to Adora to make sure she was OK. Castilla summoned a cloud of utter darkness to surround the melee and provide some cover.

Those in the cloud of shadows felt a blast of heat, and then, when the darkness faded, Nikki was gone, leaving behind only a smoldering patch of burnt ground. She had escaped once again.

Luckily, Adora was OK. Kaira (using the stingers from the dead wasps) brewed up some antivenin to treat those who had been stung. The heroes found a small pond nearby and cleaned themselves up, then rested for the remainder of the day.

That night, as they were marching, it began to rain. It was just a slow and steady drizzle at first, but it gradually grew in intensity and after a few hours it was a heavy rainfall. Trouble (feeling a bit guilty that he bodychecked the priestess during the fight) stood nearby holding his cloak over her to try and shelter her from the rain. The Fearless Monster Hunters stopped for the day – Adora cast a spell to shelter them from the rain long enough to pitch tents and start a fire.

The next two nights were just as bad. The heroes trudged through mud and cold rain, always heading north towards their destination. Adora announced that the goddess was giving her a sign ("Get out of the rain") and was calling her pilgrimage short. They were going to find a road and take the most direct route to Lacedaemon. This announcement was greeted with as much enthusiasm as the cold and exhausted heroes could muster.

The next day, they came to a river. Normally a fairly placid body of water, the heavy rains had swollen it to the edge of its bank. Muddy water swirled past at a breakneck pace. The heroes decided not to try and ford it, instead sending scouts both up and downstream to see if they could find a ford or a bridge or something.

An hour later, both parties returned, one with good news. Just a few miles downriver was a path and a ferry. The heroes made it to the ferry point, where they found a small wooden shack, a dock, a heavy hawser rope going across the river, and a bell to ring. They signaled the ferryman and within minutes, they saw an old hooded and bearded man pulling a small raft across the raging river.

"Hell of a night you picked to be outside," the ferryman chided them, his face sheltered from the rain by his hood, and his thick white beard dripping with rainwater. They asked if he'd seen anyone else cross the river in the last few days, and he told them that most folks were smart enough to get out of the rain. They paid him the price he asked (inflated due to the crappy weather).

Unfortunately, the raft was small. He could fit maybe three people or one mule at a time. The first group consisted of Leth, Castilla, and Chrissie. They were to make sure the other bank was clear when they got over. The old man dropped them off and headed back. Alone on the northern shore, the heroes fanned out to check the surroundings and make sure there weren't any ambushes waiting for them here. Finally satisfied, they went into the old man's house to try and dry off.

While they were standing near the fire, they heard a strange thumping sound. Not sure where it was coming from, they searched the house and eventually found a door in the floor leading down into a root cellar. There, they found an old man tied up head to toe in thick vines. Leth cut him free. "She's crazy! This mad redheaded woman bashed me on the head and tied me up!"

That was enough for Leth. Without listening to any further explanation, he ran outside to try to signal the others.

Meanwhile, Adora, Trouble, and Illy were taking the second trip. The old man asked how they were enjoying the weather, and Trouble told the guy that he was very cold. "How'd you like to warm up a bit then, youngster?" the ferryman asked. "Oh yes, please!" Trouble enthused.

The old man started laughing – not an old man's laugh, but a crazy lady's laugh. Trouble, no dummy he, said, "Hey, you sound just like that psycho who's been trying to kill Adora!"

The "old man" then shot Trouble in the chest with a bolt of burning fire. Trouble almost fell off the raft, barely managing to stay on his feet. Illy immediately cast a spell of levitation on Adora, to keep her from being dumped overboard.

On both banks of the river, people saw the flash of fire and heard the annoying laughter. Justin despaired of getting across the river to help, so Kaira cast a spell on him, giving him wings like a bird. He leapt into the air and sailed over towards the raft.

On the other bank, Castilla tried to climb along the rope to get to the raft, but the rain had made everything too slick. Leth and Chrissie searched for a boat, and found a small one parked behind the ferryman's house. Despite their inexperience as boaters (not to mention the danger of the storm), they bravely jumped in and began to row towards the fight.

Meanwhile, Trouble was shaking his head clear from the blast of elemental fire. The "old man" tore his beard off, revealing Nikki (big surprise there). "Once I've taken care of your bodyguards, I'll have you right where I want you!" she screamed at Adora. Trouble's chainmail began to heat up rapidly. At first, it felt good – but within seconds it glowed cherry-red and was leaving blisters on his scales. He knew he had only one chance to end this. He charged Nikki, throwing his entire (considerable) body weight into her.
The two of them plummeted into the raging river and disappeared beneath the black water.

Leth and Chrissie were rowing desperately towards the raft. Justin was flying overhead, trying to spot something, and... there! Struggling against the tide just downriver was Trouble! Justin swooped down and grabbed the half-drowned Saurian by the tail, then dropped him into Leth and Chrissie's boat.

When Trouble caught his breath, he told them that the current tore Nikki from his grip and she sank. She couldn't have possibly survived.

The FMH managed to get Kaira and the mules across the river, and they spent the night in the house of the grateful ferryman (even more grateful, as his root cellar was slowly filling up with water, and if he'd been down there much longer he might have drowned!).

Warm and dry and rested, the next evening the Fearless Monster Hunters guided their charge up the path. They were back in civilized territory at last, passing by farms and villages and hamlets. There was no more sign of Nikki. Perhaps Trouble was right and she drowned in the river that terrible night.

After three more days, they reached the gates of Lacedaemon.

OddHat

Feb 5th, '07, 11:16 AM

Another thrilling tale well told. Thanks, Bill. :)

teh bunneh

Feb 5th, '07, 12:17 PM

Another thrilling tale well told. Thanks, Bill. :)

Thanks! This session was a lot of fun. I like how the PCs aren't taking a "Kill everything and let the gods sort them out" approach to their problems. Like the fact that they tried to talk Nikki down, and then subdue rather than kill her. :D

Bill.

bigdamnhero

Feb 5th, '07, 12:38 PM

When Trouble caught his breath, he told them that the current tore Nikki from his grip and she sank. She couldn't have possibly survived.
Famous last words. ;)

Lonewalker

Feb 7th, '07, 05:22 PM

I like how the PCs aren't taking a "Kill everything and let the gods sort them out" approach to their problems.

That all ends when we throw down with the current so-called Fearless Monster Hunters....and then we begin our rampage of blood and destruction across the Sylvan Gulf! :bmk:

- Lonewalker

SatinKitty

Feb 10th, '07, 05:03 PM

I KNOW Nikki will be back. If you don't see the body..........
Besides, Water Breathing is a logical spell for Druids to have.
Thanks for another nice installment, Bill. :D

Enforcer84

Feb 10th, '07, 06:35 PM

Good Work Bunny! Hmm. Who would have thunk you were good at this stuff? :D

I will be reading...

Love to play in one of your games by the way. What's a house in Fort Collins cost these days?

teh bunneh

Feb 10th, '07, 10:04 PM

Good Work Bunny! Hmm. Who would have thunk you were good at this stuff? :D

I will be reading...

Thanks! :)

Love to play in one of your games by the way. What's a house in Fort Collins cost these days?

I know where you can get a nice 2-bedroom townhouse for less than $125k. :D

Enforcer84

Feb 10th, '07, 11:11 PM

Thanks! :)

I know where you can get a nice 2-bedroom townhouse for less than $125k. :D
Close by? Sweet...

I think my mom would kill me if I moved to Colorado but it's tempting to be able to game with the Bunny.

TheRavenIs

Feb 11th, '07, 04:50 PM

Yeah it would be nice to live close to the Bunny man, and all of the rest of you great creative GM/Players out there.

OddHat

Feb 11th, '07, 05:02 PM

Close by? Sweet...

I think my mom would kill me if I moved to Colorado but it's tempting to be able to game with the Bunny.

If you go, SatinKitty and I will (she already wants to). We can form a HERO Centered Community, with sidekick training in schools and public funds set aside for spandex and dojo dues.

Enforcer84

Feb 11th, '07, 05:06 PM

I like it.

Susano

Feb 11th, '07, 06:41 PM

is there any place for a Macintosh support tech?

teh bunneh

Feb 12th, '07, 08:38 PM

Close by? Sweet...

I think my mom would kill me if I moved to Colorado but it's tempting to be able to game with the Bunny.

Yeah, you could say that. :)

If you go, SatinKitty and I will (she already wants to). We can form a HERO Centered Community, with sidekick training in schools and public funds set aside for spandex and dojo dues.

:bounce:

is there any place for a Macintosh support tech?

The place I work just hired a Mac support guy. It'll take me a few days to arrange an "accident" for him, but after that, yeah. ;)

Bill.
(Northern Colorado -- 325 sunny days a year. One hour from the best skiing in the world. And last year Money magazine voted Ft. Collins the #1 place to live in the US!) :cheers:

teh bunneh

Feb 13th, '07, 02:26 PM

Lacedaemon (LACK-uh-DAY-mon –- not Lacy-Demon!) is the northernmost city of Passion. It guards the northern frontier of the Elvish homelands, and despite its small size is a great military power. It is defended by high walls, and its citizens are noted for their fighting prowess.

The city sits in the foothills of the Uruk Mountains. It is situated in roughly the center of a ridge that runs generally east-west, forming a natural barrier against incursions from the north. Much of the ridge has been lined with defensive walls and towers, and legend says that the ridge and the hills that surround it are mined with secret tunnels, enabling defenders of the city to move freely throughout the area, even in the event of a siege.

The hills to the south of the city are heavily cultivated. Fruit trees and fields surround the city for miles around. The hills to the north are a bit more sparsely populated, since invasions are more likely to come from that direction.

According to Chrissie, the city has a long and glorious history. It has defended Pasion against many invasions from the humans to the north. It stood strong against the Demon's armies, 1000 years ago. The leaders of the city sided with the White Elves in the Kindred Wars, over 2500 years ago.

The walls of the city are graceful and tall. They arc up in gentle lines, buttressed by cross-walls and towers. They clay-covered stone is carved with beautiful mosaics and Elvish poetry along the top; lower down many people have added their own decorations in the form of graffiti.

There are two ways up to the city. A road leads up to the gates of Lacedaemon from the south. Carts and animals line the road at all times as farmers bring their wares to market and travelers come to visit the city. The road is well-maintained and the slope up to the gates is gradual. The second way into the city is via the northern road. The path to the north gate is narrow and winding. Each side of the road drops off precipitously, making it dangerous to navigate at anything faster than a slow trot. The gates to the north are always shut; the open only when there are people who want to come in, and then only for a little while at a time.

The city itself is a little more cramped and crowded than most Elvish cities. The roads are narrower and the buildings crowd together. The city is considerably darker than Arieaen (which is primarily built of white marble). Most of the buildings in Lacedaemon are covered with a façade of dark gray clay over wood or stone. However, the clay is easy to work when it's wet, and many of the builders and craftsmen decorated their buildings with beautiful mosaics carved directly into the clay. Lacedaemon is sometimes known as the City of Poetry, because of all the poems carved into the walls. It is also sometimes known as the City of Graffiti, for much the same reason.

The road was not too crowded as the heroes approached the city. The rain and the gloom had kept people indoors for the last few days. The guards at the gate stopped the heroes and demanded they identify themselves and state their business in the city. The FMH pushed Adora to the front of the group, where she explained who she was and why she was here. The guards took her aside, away from the party, to question her further. They watched the heroes with a skeptical eye until she finally convinced them that they were who they said they were. Only then did the guards open the gates to let the heroes through.

So why were the guards so suspicious? Well, apparently just yesterday a patrol came across a group of people -– adventurers, much like the FMH -– dead in the woods not far from here. Because of that, they were stopping and questioning everyone who wanted entry into the city.

There had been a fight, and the entire group of them had all been massacred. The guards don't know much else; just that the bodies had been taken to the Citadel for examination and identification.

Inside, Adora lead the heroes to the great temple (since space is a premium in Lacedaemon, there is only one large temple here. Smaller shrines and temples are attached to the main temple and/or share its roof). Illy and Castilla elected to remain outside while the others escorted the priestess in. There was little fanfare as they entered. Adora conferred privately with the head Priest (Kyros) while the rest of the team enjoyed some light refreshments brought by the temple servants.

Meanwhile, outside, Illy thought she saw a familiar face watching her from just inside the temple. She wasn't sure, but it looked just like her sister! Telling Castilla to wait here, Illy teleported over to where she thought she had seen the girl. It was indeed who she thought it was -– her older sister Crystal! The two of them embraced, and Illy asked what her sister was doing here.

"I live here in the city," she said. "I've been a follower of Enagonios the Swift-Footed for many years now, and I make my home here in the temple." Crystal asked if Illy had come with their two older sisters (Arrian and Camelia), which Illy had not. This surprised and frightened Crystal, who seemed very distant and worried.

Meanwhile, back in the temple, Kyros the head priest beckoned the heroes over. He seemed stern and not at all happy. "Priestess Adora has told me what happened on her pilgrimage," he said. "I understand that you were attacked numerous times? Mauled by owlbears? Swarmed by giant wasps? Ambushed again and again?"

The heroes could not deny these facts. "It's all true," they admitted.

Kyros nodded. "You have shown great courage. Adora has told me that you put her comfort and safety above your own. For this, you have the gratitude of this temple. Ask a boon, and if it is within my purview you shall have it."

The heroes did not want to ask anything of the priest, since they were merely doing the job that they had agreed to. The priest nodded again. "Should you require our help in the future," he told them, "You have but to ask."

He then presented them with a small bundle, as payment for their services. Justin looked inside the bundle and found three small phials of liquid. Chrissie translated the writing on the bottles. They were essences of healing -– liquors which would relieve pain, prevent shock, slow bleeding, and quicken healing. The priest also told them that they could keep the trade stones that Dulcinea gave them (about 400 silver dracs in value). Kyros gave them the Far-Shooter's blessings, and told them that they were relieved of their obligations.

Meanwhile, Castilla had grown bored of waiting for the others and had slipped into a small open-air wine bar to have a drink. Or two. Or three. Or... well, she lost track after a while. Yummy, yummy wine. =;)

At another part of the temple, Illy was still talking with her sister. It seems that Crystal recently got a message from two of their other sisters that someone was after them. The two of them were meant to be coming to Lacedaemon along with the group they normally traveled with, but had never arrived.

Crystal feared that something has happened to them. More than that, she thinks that whoever was after them is now after her! For the past two or three days, she's been seeing people, dressed in dark cloaks and hoods, following her. She's been afraid to leave the temple (where she feels safe).

Meanwhile, the main group of the FMH turned to leave the temple –- satisfied with a job well done. But before they could leave, Adora ran over to Trouble and thanked him for being so brave and for keeping her safe. She gave him a kiss on the nose before running back to the temple. The rest of the party had never seen a lizard-man blush before!

Illy brought her sister over and introduced her to the rest of the party. She told Crystal that the FMH would protect her, and that she need not fear her safety any longer. Once they found Castilla, they set off to find a B&B that one of the temple servants had recommended for them -– the Blue Rabbit Inn.

The Blue Rabbit was a nice enough place. There was a poem about a rabbit carved on the wall outside, which is how the heroes knew they had found the right place. It wasn't the Ritz, but it was warm and dry and clean. Once the heroes were settled, they sat down with Crystal to hear her story, which went something like this:

The great heroine Plisianna of the Fearless Monster Hunters was blessed with six strong daughters. The eldest, Furiel, was a holy warrior like her mother. She inherited Plisianna's sword and set out to right the world's wrongs. According to what Crystal knows, Furiel was hunting a dark cult which worshipped an evil god. About 3 years ago Furiel disappeared, and she hasn't been heard from since.

The rest of the sisters all set out to find their own destinies. Styggiad joined the Borderguards, who answer to the Lord of Pasion and whose job is to patrol the borders of the Elvish homelands (the closest thing Pasion has to a standing army). Arrian and Camelia, both skilled warriors, joined a group of like-minded adventurers and set off to explore the world. She (Crystal) became a priestess of the god of tradesmen and messengers; eventually she settled here in the city.

About six months ago, Crystal got a letter from Styggiad, saying that she heard a rumor that Furiel was in Kalon. She quit her post to go search for their missing sister. She has not been heard from since.

Then, about a month ago, Crystal got another letter from their other two sisters. They were on their way to Lacedaemon, worried that someone was following them. They should have arrived days ago, but she hasn't heard anything.

Castilla started thinking about what the heroes had heard earlier, about a group of adventurers being found dead in the woods that morning, so she excused herself from the group and went out to try and find more information. She hooked up with an officer of the guard and convinced him that autopsies turn her on, so he took her to the city's morgue.

There were six corpses there. She watched the high priest Kyros perform his autopsy. Among the bodies were four Elves, one human, and a Hobbit. One of the Elves and the human were obviously warriors; the others were wearing light armor or no armor at all. Castilla noticed a particular symbol that most of the deceased were wearing –- a symbol that looked like three intertwining leaves. After the autopsies were complete, Kyros declared that all of them were killed by a very deadly type of poison -– the venom of a particularly dangerous spider.

When Castilla returned, she told the others all about what she had seen. None of the dead looked like Illy or her sister, but Crystal recognized the description of the symbol –- that was the symbol of Arrian and Carmelia's adventuring party!

The next day, the heroes set out to see if they could learn more about what had happened to Illy's sisters -- and who was following Crystal. Trouble and Kaira learned from some of the town's children that some strangers wearing dark cloaks had been spotted hanging around the temple. The children were wise enough to stay away from these creepy individuals, so they couldn't say much more than that.

Illy went to the morgue to see if she could learn anything more, but the priest on duty there was watching her with a suspicious eye so she couldn't cast a(n obvious) necromantic spell as she desired. Instead, she tried to see the past through the eyes of one of the victims. All she could tell was that it was dark and raining. Arrows came out of the woods, and then men dressed in black jumped them. That was the last thing that this person saw before his life was cut short.

Leth and Justin went to question the guards at the front gates, to find out where the bodies had been discovered. They got a pretty good description of the area, and learned that the city's trackers couldn't find any signs of a struggle, so they assumed the battle took place elsewhere and the bodies were dragged here. The bodies had been robbed -– probably in an effort to make the fight look like a bandit ambush –- but it was pretty apparent that this wasn't the work of ordinary bandits.

Not finding much else to go on, the heroes decided to go out into the woods and search the area where the bodies were found. Maybe the Elvish trackers had missed something important.

The heroes found the spot without much trouble. Leth and Kaira searched for tracks, but found nothing out of the ordinary. While they were looking around, they heard movement in the trees. Leth ordered everyone to get into a circle around the "squishy members" of the party just as a volley of arrows shot out of the trees (miraculously missing the heroes!).

Black-clad figures leapt out of the darkness and attacked. They fought well and ferociously, but in the end were no match for the heroes. Throughout the fight, the heroes saw a tall, shadowy figure with a large sword watching the battle. Illy, figuring that person must be the leader, sent an elemental of fire to chase her down. At this, the leader (a woman) barked an order in an unknown tongue, and the surviving attackers broke off and fled into the woods. Illy captured one of them in a web of magical sticky strands before he could disappear into the forest, but by the time Trouble and Leth went over to check on him, he was already dead –- he had apparently swallowed poison rather than let himself be captured!

The heroes searched the bodies. On one of them, they found a sheaf of papers, written in an unknown script. They found phials of a thick, gummy, greenish liquid on most of them, which they assumed to be poison. They also found that each of the deceased had a broach shaped like a small black spider on their cloaks. Chrissie immediately knew what it was –- the symbol of Trimorphos Lolthe, a demonic goddess who knows only hunger.

Luckily for the heroes, one of the "dead" attackers turned out to be merely unconscious (Trouble could show restraint… who knew?). The heroes stripped him and bound him so he couldn't take poison, and then settled down to question him...

To be continued!

SatinKitty

Feb 21st, '07, 07:37 PM

I just can't cope !

Without my Soap !

I know this isn't a Soap, Bill, but it is as compelling as one ! :D

teh bunneh

Feb 22nd, '07, 07:55 AM

Didn't run last weekend ('cause I was at Genghis Con), but I should be running this weekend (th' good Lord willin' an th' creek don't rise). So you should get a new update early next week. :)

TheRavenIs

Feb 22nd, '07, 04:43 PM

We want more.....more.....more.....

Enforcer84

Feb 23rd, '07, 06:42 PM

Stop taking time off for personal reasons and amuse me!

teh bunneh

Feb 24th, '07, 11:51 AM

Here's (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53788)what I was doing, in lieu of running FMH, last weekend. :)

Enforcer84

Feb 24th, '07, 02:12 PM

Here's (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53788)what I was doing, in lieu of running FMH, last weekend. :)
That amused me. You may live.
Hey, why can't you kill Chris Clairmont and take his quickening?

Susano

Feb 25th, '07, 06:09 AM

That amused me. You may live.
Hey, why can't you kill Chris Clairmont and take his quickening?

You can't kill what isn't alive in the first place....

Enforcer84

Feb 25th, '07, 02:54 PM

Stupid Undead.

teh bunneh

Feb 26th, '07, 12:39 PM

With Kaira maintaining a spell so the cultist's suicide pill wouldn't work, the heroes began questioning him. Knowing he wouldn't divulge information willingly, Illy used her magic to look inside his mind while Leth and Justin asked him who he was, what his goals were, and who he worked for.

Unfortunately, he was little more than a grunt, so he didn't know much. He worked for a person who he called "The Lady in Black" -- a mysterious figure, a warrior without peer who became their leader about a year ago. Her direct superior is someone named "Fannon," whom the cultist has never met and knows little about. Their assignment was to capture the two Elf sisters (Arrian and Camelia), and if possible to capture the third (Crystal) as well. He didn't have any orders regarding Illy. The final thing the heroes learned was the location of the cultists' camping ground, not far from their present location.

While they were doing this, Kaira and Chrissie looked over a sheaf of papers that the heroes had found on one of the bodies. One of them was a letter, written in Elvish, from Styggiad (sister #2) to Arrian and Camelia (sisters #3 & 4), telling them that she had learned where Furiel (sister #1) had gone. Styggiad was on her way to the city of Aigialeia (known to humans as Treehome), where she was going to catch a ship to the island of Kalon. She urged her sisters to join her. The letter was dated a little over a month ago.

There were other papers as well, written in a strange script. Luckily, Kaira could read it -- it was written in the secret language of the Druids. It was written by someone named Fannon, and was an order to capture Arrian and Camelia, and to bring them to him. Another note amended the first, telling the bearer (in light of new information) to follow the two of them to Lacedaemon and to capture Crystal as well. Once the three sisters were in custody, the cultists were to take them by ship to the city of Port.

Unwilling to let the cultist die, the heroes carried him (Kaira still maintaining her spell) all the way back to the temple, where they asked Kyros the high priest to heal him. While the heroes rested, the priest did so. When the cultist's life had been saved, Kyros then demanded an explanation.

Justin told him what had happened, and realizing the severity of this situation, the priest offered them the assistance of the temple guard in tracking down these spider-worshippers. The heroes gladly accepted, then went back to the Blue Rabbit Inn to get a few hours' sleep before setting off again.

They awoke to the sound of the innkeeper nervously knocking on their door. A group of armed soldiers had shown up and was asking after them. "Yes, they're here for us," Justin calmly told the innkeeper. After a brief argument (probably due to lack of sleep), the heroes went downstairs to greet the soldiers. There were five men and one women, all dressed in leather armor and armed with bows. The leader was named Diana, a veteran of many years' service to the temple and an expert at woodcraft. She was impatient to get on the road, so the heroes set out.

As the group neared their destination, the Elves fanned out on either side to avoid an ambush. Castilla and Leth crept forward to scout out the area, and saw about a dozen men and women packing up a camp. Leth spotted what looked like two bodies wrapped in a tarp being loaded into a cart (but he also thought he saw one of the bodies move -- indicating that at least one was still alive). They also saw the cultists' leader -- the Lady in Black, supervising the camp tear-down.

Hoping to strike the camp from several angles, the heroes began moving around the perimeter as stealthily as possible. Illy turned herself and Leth invisible and teleported close to the cart. Unfortunately, Trouble got a little over-eager and made some noise. The Lady in Black immediately realized what was going on, and ordered her men to form a circle and begin firing into the woods.

Trouble and Justin charged out of the forest. Illy grabbed the two bundles and teleported back out into the woods. Leth, still invisible, ran towards the Lady in Black. Kaira joined the Elves in firing at the evil cultists. Leth (despite being invisible) managed to disarm himself, so Trouble rushed to his aid. The Saurian warrior got a few good licks in on the woman, battering her mercilessly with his quarterstaff, but soon the tide turned and the woman managed to drop the big lizardman.

However, her troops weren't faring so well. Only one or two remained alive, so she sheathed her sword, made a strange arcane gesture, and vanished in a flash of golden light. Kaira realized that the woman had used some form of Druidic magic, but wasn't sure what, exactly, she had done.

Illy and Crystal were delighted that their sisters were still alive, though drugged and unconscious. Without wasting a moment, they hurried back to the city in the hopes that high priest Kyros would revive them. The rest of the team stayed behind to search the campsite. Unfortunately, they found little of value to their quest.

Castilla discovered one of the cultists still alive, and asked Justin what to do with him. Justin said to secure him. In a fit of bloodlust, Castilla pinned the unfortunate man to a tree with her daggers. When Justin saw what she was doing, he was enraged. Unfortunately, the cultist succumbed to his wounds before Justin could take him down. Justin didn't talk to Castilla on the entire trip back to town.

Back in Lacedaemon, the heroes talked about what to do next. Illy wanted to go to Treehome to try and find her sister Styggiad. The heroes also thought that they might have to get to the city of Port, since that's where the cultists were ultimately heading. Above all, they wanted to do all this as quickly as they could. Time was of the essence, and Illy had a disturbing theory about the identity of the masked and cloaked "Lady in Black."
Doing some quick geography, the heroes figured that the quickest way to Treehome is to go back to Areian and then take a ship to Treehome.

The Fearless Monster Hunters, with Crystal in tow, headed south, back to Areian. Now the heroes only need to find a ship. But where can they get one of those...?

Chrissie says:
"Port lies on the Sylvan Gulf, right on the edge of the Rocky Coast on the northeastern part of the island. It is an important port town and is a welcome sight for those sailors who have braved the rocks and shoals of the surrounding seas. Port is a small city nestled between two rocky peaks, in a rugged valley. It is a big city with a population of approximately 15,000."

teh bunneh

Feb 26th, '07, 12:41 PM

There won't be another update on the FMH for a while. Next weekend, we're going to be packing. The weekend after that, we're going to be unpacking. So hopefully y'all will be able to survive without the Fearless Monster Hunters for a couple of weeks! :o

OddHat

Feb 26th, '07, 12:47 PM

Repped, and always a kick to read. :)

Enforcer84

Feb 26th, '07, 01:16 PM

Awesome Bits snipped for Brevity

Chrissie says:
"Port lies on the Sylvan Gulf, right on the edge of the Rocky Coast on the northeastern part of the island. It is an important port town and is a welcome sight for those sailors who have braved the rocks and shoals of the surrounding seas. Port is a small city nestled between two rocky peaks, in a rugged valley. It is a big city with a population of approximately 15,000."

Yay They're back!

Enforcer84

Feb 26th, '07, 01:17 PM

teh bunneh

Feb 26th, '07, 02:47 PM

Get the rope.

You are welcome to join us for our Packing Party on March 3, starting at about noonish and continuing until we're too tired to pack any more, or everything is packed away (whichever comes first). :)

Enforcer84

Feb 26th, '07, 06:48 PM

Love too, but I have to entertain the maternal unit.

TheRavenIs

Feb 26th, '07, 07:21 PM

Well Bill, we have to wait....it will be hard to do so. I love the idea of your game, plus the people in your group sound super.

teh bunneh

Mar 16th, '07, 01:16 PM

With any luck, we'll be Fearlessly Hunting Monsters this weekend! :fingers crossed:

Enforcer84

Mar 17th, '07, 01:04 PM

Will they be hunting monsters fearlessly?

teh bunneh

Mar 20th, '07, 10:35 AM

And we're back!

----------
At Illy's urging, the heroes packed up their things and prepared to leave Lacedaemon. They knew that it would be quicker and easier to take the main road back to Areian and catch a ship to Treehome, than to try to walk all the way to Treehome from here.

Adora, High Priest Kyros, and Illy's sisters (Crystal, Arrian, & Camelia) bid the heroes a fond farewell. Kyros reminded them that whenever they decide to cash it in, he still owes them a boon.

The trip from Lacedaemon back down to Areian was fairly easy, since this time the heroes were following the main road the whole way. The near-constant rain slowed to a mere intermittent trickle, and by the time they got back to the city (after five days of travel), the sun had finally come out.

Once they got back to Areian, they split up into teams and began searching around for clues about the "fake" FMH. They knew they wanted to get a ship, and the fastest ship out there was the Endeavor. Plus, they knew they had to eventually fulfill their promise to Hob.

Illy and Chrissie went to Adora's temple and let them know the mission was a success. Dulcinea (the high priestess) was very pleased and thanked them profusely, telling them that if the heroes needed anything from her, they have but to ask.

Trouble and Castilla went to talk to some of Trouble's friends -- a gang of ragamuffins who hang out near the docks. They learned that the "fake" FMH (FFMH) had been spending a lot of money in town, but that apparently the money wasn't entirely legitimate. A lot of merchants and captains were unhappy with them, but there was little the authorities could do about it. The kids also told the heroes that the FFMH had bought a warehouse near the docks and were in the process of renovating it.

Trouble and Castilla went to check it out. They found a large building with a stone wall around it. Castilla considered scaling the wall and trying to break in, but there were too many people around and she didn't want to get busted. The kids thought Castilla's unusual features were quite fascinating, but Castilla didn't like all the attention they were giving her. They went back to Hob's Hot Pot to tell the others what they had discovered.

Justin and Kaira had been at Hob's Hot Pot, trying to get Hob to explain what had been going on in their absence, but Hob was far too overcome with emotion to be of much use. His employees, however, told Justin and Kaira that the FFMH come through about once a week or so, eat a lot of food, drink a lot of liquor, and boss everyone around like they own the place.

Meanwhile, Leth had gone out to do some scouting of his own. Unfortunately, all his contacts were out of town so he didn't learn anything new.

Everyone got back together at Hob's place to compare notes. Everyone liked the idea of breaking into the FFMH's house and seeing what was inside. Once again, the heroes split up to further their investigations.

Illy and Chrissie went to the FFMH's house to see what they could see. Illy created a wizard's eye and used it to look around inside the house. She saw the place was undergoing extensive renovations, turning it from a simple warehouse/office into a living space. The front room was filled with the FFHM's trophies (including what appeared to be a griffon's head on the wall, and its hide on the floor). The upstairs rooms were being turned into bedrooms. The back room was being used for storage, but it didn't look like there was much of value there at the moment.

Meanwhile, Chrissie was using her magic to scout around a little bit too. She could see that the entire house was marked by spells -- probably either alarms or magical traps; difficult to bypass or avoid.

Knowing that they couldn't break into the house by themselves, Illy tried to send a magical message to Justin. However, she lost her concentration halfway through the casting, and instead summoned a huge swarm of garter snakes, causing a panic in the street. The two ladies walked away as nonchalantly from the disaster as they could.

Justin and Kaira went to ask the various merchants and sea captains about why they were so upset with the FFMH. They learned that the FFMH were hunting down pirates (which is a good thing), but that they were keeping all the booty they captured from the pirates -- even if said booty still retained its makers' marks. The traditional/polite thing to do is to return such booty (for a small consideration) to its rightful owner. Instead, the FFMH were selling it on their own and keeping all the profits. This was making the merchants very unhappy, but there wasn't much they could do about it. Justin got copies of various merchants' symbols from them, just to help him identify their rightful cargo should the opportunity come up.

Castilla (with Chrissie tagging along) went to go see if she could find a ship sailing to Treehome in the next day or two -- though she was careful to tell everyone she talked to that the ship couldn't leave port at night (due to an old Kidbodish superstition about boarding ships after dark). She eventually found Tommy, an assistant harbormaster, who told her that he would check the ship schedules and find a nice ship for her. He also offered to buy her a drink -- an offer which she couldn't refuse.

One drink turned to three or four (or five, or...), and eventually Castilla let her new boyfriend know that she was with the Fearless Monster Hunters. "The good ones, or the bad ones?" he asked. "The good ones!" she told him. "Oh, then my boss wants to talk to you!" he said. He took her to meet his boss, Acacallis the Harbormaster of Areian. Acacallis was "holding court" at his favorite bar, the Harbormaster's Retreat. When Tommy introduced them, the Harbormaster began berating her and demanding that she do something about the "other" Fearless Monster Hunters, who were upsetting his merchants and captains. Castilla (who doesn't react well to authority figures) got defensive and the two of them got into a shouting match.

Chrissie realized this was going to escalate beyond control, so she ran back to Hob's place to get Justin. As a group, the FMH headed to the Harbormaster's Retreat to see what the problem was. On Justin's arrival, the Harbormaster turned his venom against the young paladin. Justin took his abuse in stride, simply waiting for his turn to talk. Eventually, the Harbormaster asked, "And what are you going to do about these people?!?"

Justin replied very calmly, "Thank you for bringing this problem to our attention. We're going to take care of it." This calm, rational answer took all the wind out of the Harbormaster's sails, and he grew somewhat friendlier after that.

Crisis averted, the heroes went back to Hob's place to scheme. Illy figured that Castilla was too drunk to be useful, so she cast a sobering spell on the wayward Jill -- which only served to anger Castilla even more!

At Hob's place, the heroes considered breaking in to the FFMH's house and leaving some obvious clues, just to provoke the FFMH into coming after them. Castilla, still mad, didn't like this plan (and if the Jill wasn't in on it, the plan wouldn't work). Illy, worried about her missing sisters, didn't really care what they did, so long as they could get to Treehome quickly. The heroes debated different options, going round and round, until...

The door to Hob's Hot Pot burst open, and six familiar people strode in. They spotted our heroes immediately. "You!" Boh sneared, flanked by his comrades. "We hear you've been calling yourselves the Fearless Monster Hunters. That's our name, and we won't have you sullying it!"

"Funny," Justin replied, standing up alongside his comrades. "That's just what I was going to say."

Next week: The showdown!
(No monsters were harmed in the making of this adventure...)

Enforcer84

Mar 20th, '07, 07:24 PM

And we're back!

Next week: The showdown!
(No monsters were harmed in the making of this adventure...)

Aww....

Oh, I cannot wait for the next week.

SatinKitty

Mar 25th, '07, 01:45 AM

Also waiting anxiously....... :D

teh bunneh

Mar 26th, '07, 01:28 PM

Last week:
The door to Hob's Hot Pot burst open, and six familiar people strode in. They spotted our heroes immediately. "You!" Boh sneared, flanked by his comrades. "We hear you've been calling yourselves the Fearless Monster Hunters. That's our name, and we won't have you sullying it!"

"Funny," Justin replied, standing up alongside his comrades. "That's just what I was going to say."

This week:
The two groups squared off against one another as frightened patrons scrambled out of their way. Hob burst into tears at the thought of his son and his friends fighting one another. The heroes thought, briefly, about taking the fight outside, but things were happening far too quickly for any such strategic thinking.

Illy, her keen Elvish senses telling her that trouble was brewing, quickly cast a Mage Armor spell on herself. Leth jumped to his feet and grabbed a wine bottle from a retreating waitress. Trouble and Justin moved towards their foes, while Castilla tried to skirt around the soon-to-be-a-melee so she could beat up Octavia (the Darkblood hates Godbloods, for some reason). Chrissie dove behind the bar to take cover, dragging Hob along with her. Kaira tried to cast a spell to increase Trouble's strength, but the excitement was too much for her to concentrate.

Vestnik, Boh, and Golden advanced cautiously toward the party, but Thor had no patience for such tactics. He screamed a challenge and charged Justin, slashing the paladin with his great axe. Tawny Rose, also having little patience, opened up with a fireball right in the middle of the heroes, lighting the table on fire and scorching most of them pretty badly. Octavia conjured up a divine bodyguard (a mostly nekkid and very cut divine bodyguard) and sent him to engage the enemy as well.

Golden Darkhair, the White Elf Warrior, engaged Trouble, insulting the big lizardman the whole time, referring to him as "it," telling Justin to train his pets better, and so forth. This did not endear him to the Saurian at all. Justin managed to deal a solid hit to Thor's berries, though the big barbarian only laughed. Castilla tried to help her erstwhile boyfriend, but Thor didn't even seem to feel her mightiest blows.

Leth squared off with Boh. The Dwarf tossed the wine bottle at his opponent, who effortlessly caught it from the air. Leth used this as a distraction and slammed the butt of his axe into Boh's stomach, "like a Spartan with a hard-on." Boh got the wind knocked out of him and Leth snickered at the boy's gullibility.

Seeing the party leader down, Octavia cast a Perplex spell, making Leth completely forget what he was doing and stand, stock-still, while combat raged around him, trying desperately to remember.

Golden managed to trap Trouble's quarterstaff against his own spear, keeping the Saurian from attacking. "You should learn to respect your betters," the Elf told Trouble. "You... you... you thing!"

"My friend is not a thing!" Justin cried, breaking away from his own combat and stabbing Golden in the arm. Tawny, seeing that Thor was hurt, cast a spell causing him to grow to enormous size and strength. He swiped at Justin, but Justin ducked under a table, deflecting the main part of the blow. Then the Paladin sprung out from his hiding place, stabbing the giant Bore in the stomach and felling him!

Castilla was squaring off the Octavia's divine servant. Illy decided to even the odds a bit and cast a Dispel Magic on the conjured being. In a burst of sparkling light, he vanished.

Meanwhile, Boh took Leth's wine bottle and smashed it on the poor perplexed Dwarf's head, knocking him silly but failing to clear the fog from his addled brain. Vestnik engaged Justin, the two of them comparing swordsmanship techniques as they went back and forth. Tawny, again growing bored with the battle, threw another fireball into the fray, singeing all the combatants – including Vestnik.

"So, this is how your own allies treat you?" Justin asked.

Vestnik merely shrugged. "Is not first time she has done this," he said morosely. "But by god, it will be last!" he shouted over at her. "Sorry, V!" she said, not looking the least bit sorry.

Trouble (with a little help from Kaira) managed to get his weapon away from Golden, and then proceeded to beat the stuffing out of the arrogant Elf. The Saurian then ran over to help Leth. Boh was not expecting an angry lizard-man to dive over a table and tackle him... more's the pity. Hob's son ended up crumpled in a heap up against the wall -- a sight which almost reminded Leth of what he had been forgetting... almost. =;)

Castilla finally managed to fight her way past fleeing patrons. She ran over to Octavia and punched her in the stomach, causing the priestess to shriek in pain and anger. Octavia pulled out a sword in order to defend herself.

Justin, getting a little tired of being fireballed, broke away from Vestnik and charged Tawny. He socked her in the jaw with his mailed fist, knocking her unconscious. Then he turned to Vestnik. "There are only two of you left," he said. "You do the math."

Vestnik looked over the battlefield. Thor, Boh, Tawny, and Golden were down. "If put up my sword, you also will your sword put up?" he asked.

"On my honor as a Paladin!" Justin swore.

"And will not harm my friends?" the Masubian asked.

"I swear, our dispute will end here," Justin agreed. Thus reassured, Vestnik sheathed his sword, and told Octavia to do so as well (over her objections).

The fight was over. The victorious Monster Hunters, feeling magnanimous, helped bind up their opponents' wounds, and bought a round of drinks for everyone. Most everyone was hurt at least a little, but some magical healing quickly soothed over those wounds.

Thus defeated, the group who formerly called themselves the Fearless Monster Hunters were honor-bound to give up their claim to the name, as well as the Monster Hunters' famous ship, the Endeavor.

Of the former FMH, Vestnik seemed to take their defeat in stride -- his natural Masubian melancholy having long ago assured him that when things are going well, prepare for the worst. Thor also didn't seem to care much, the good-tempered barbarian merely demanding several beers to quench the memory of the loss. He was soon laughing and joking and complimenting the other warriors' skill and courage, and trying to flirt with the girls. Golden and Octavia were both standoffish and aloof, though Octavia kept glaring over at Castilla. Of all of them, Boh was the least happy. Though mostly unhurt in the fight, he had the look of a man who had all of his dreams abruptly shattered. Tawny tried to comfort him in her own clumsy way, but he rebuffed even her attentions.

Once the victory celebrations were over, our heroes began to make plans to set sail at the first opportunity. After the Endeavor was re-supplied, they would head for the city of Treehome in order to rescue Illy's lost sisters!

To Be Continued!

hooligan x

Mar 26th, '07, 04:30 PM

Awwwwww, SHIIIIIIIIIIIII...

I mean, that was rather enjoyable.

TheRavenIs

Mar 26th, '07, 05:18 PM

WOW!!!!!!! Bill your group rocks, as well as your story telling.

teh bunneh

Mar 27th, '07, 08:19 AM

Thanks, guys. It was a fun session. Sometimes it's nice to cut loose with a good old fashioned throw-down. :thumbup:

Enforcer84

Mar 27th, '07, 08:08 PM

Poor Boh.

Lonewalker

Mar 29th, '07, 07:17 PM

Poor Boh.

Pff.

"Well, Boh, you knew this job was dangerous when you took it."

Ya pays yer nickel, ya takes yer chances. :eg:

('Course, it's easy to say that since we won... :D )

Lonewalker

Enforcer84

Mar 31st, '07, 04:28 PM

Pff.

"Well, Boh, you knew this job was dangerous when you took it."

Ya pays yer nickel, ya takes yer chances. :eg:

('Course, it's easy to say that since we won... :D )

Lonewalker
Spoken like the winner in a fight :)

teh bunneh

Apr 2nd, '07, 02:51 PM

The New Fearless Monster Hunters, fresh from their victory over those pretenders to the name, decided to head down to the docks and take a look at their new ship. They found the crew busily unloading a shipment of cargo, overseen by an older man in a captain's hat.

"Excuse us," Justin said to the man.

"Yaarrr!" the man swung around, revealing a toothless mouth, a steel-wool-like beard, a corncob pipe, and only one eye. "And who be ye?" he demanded.

"We're the new Fearless Monster Hunters," the paladin explained.

"I ain't ne'er heard of ye!" the old man snarled. "Who be ye really, and what d' ye be wantin'?"

Justin introduced everyone and explained that they were the new masters of the ship. They wanted to meet the officers and take a look around before they set sail.

"So that's how it 'tis, 'tis it?" the old man grunted. "Well, afore I let ye board, there be a few sacred laws aboard this fine ship -- break 'em at ye'r own peril!" All the sailors stopped their work and gathered round to listen. Apparently, listening to this fellow's stories is a spectator sport in these parts.

"The first rule be," he looked around at the heroes with his one good eye. "Ye stay out of the crew's way when they be working. We're nay fancy-pants adventurers goin' out seeking fortune like some o' yer – we're honest, hardworking folk who expect a day's pay fer a day's work. An' we ain't got time to babysit while we're keeping th' ship runnin'. Do ye got that?"

Everyone murmured their assent, and the old man continued. "Secondly, we got our jobs to be doin' and ye got yers. So if there be any dragons t' fight, any pirates t' kill, any sea-serpents t' slay – ye be the ones doing the fightin', killin', an' slayin'. Don't be asking fer the help o' these men t' do yer jobs fer ye. Do ye ken?"

"And thirdly," the old man's voice grew low. "Thirdly…"

At that point, one of the sailors cleared his throat. "All right, Shippy," he said. "That's about enough. Get these men back to work – we've got a ship to unload."

"Aye, cap'n!" Shippy agreed, wagging an admonishing finger at the party before turning to the gathered men. "Get back t' work, ye slugs!" he shouted. "Ye'r nay bein' paid by th' hour! Get this boat unloaded before midnight, or by my beard there'll be hell t' pay!" The men scurried back to work, Shippy hollering at them the whole time.

The man who interrupted laughed. "My apologies for Shippy," he told them. "He's a good first mate and the best sailor on the seas, but he can be a bit… colorful. I'm Kit Rackham, the captain of the Endeavor. I take it that you're the new ship's masters?"

Captain Rackham was a young man in his late 20s, with fine features, dark eyes, and curly black hair. He has a bit of an untraceable accent in his voice, and seems to have a good sense of humor – he's almost always smiling and laughing, especially when the ship is at sea. The party thought he seemed a little young to be a captain, so he explained he was originally the ship's mate, but the old captain left and he took over the position.

He took them on a tour of the small boat, explaining that they had a crew of 15 men and 2 officers (himself and Shippy). He also told them that the former ship's masters already paid the crew 17 days of wages in advance, so the heroes have about 2 weeks before they have to worry about that.

After taking the tour, Justin and Kaira went ashore to see if they could get the cargo back to the rightful owners. The merchants they spoke to were quite happy about this arrangement, and offered a 10% "finder's fee" on the value of the commodities.

(The total amount offered ends up being 2500 silvers – though since most merchants don't carry that kind of money around with them, it's not all in cash. Figure maybe 500 in coins and trade stones, the rest in trade).

These things settled, the heroes asked Captain Rackham how long it would take to get to Treehome, and he told them about 5 days, given fair winds and a bit of luck. They told him to weigh anchor as soon as he could – they had business in the city.

The next day, the ship sailed. It was an uneventful trip; the heroes were mostly trying to get settled in their quarters. After 5 days, they sailed into the port of Aigialeia, known to Westroners as Treehome. It is the western-most city in the Elvish empire, situated not far from the border to Demoria. It sits at the crook of Point Necessary, a treacherous and shoal-filled waterway that wise captains avoid. According to Chrissie, it used to be the Elvish capital city, about a hundred years ago, and still retains much of the glory of those days. Treehome (population 18,000) is famed for its scholars and artists, and boasts of several museums, galleries, and universities.

Unfortunately, the heroes weren't here for sight-seeing or art appreciation. They needed to find Illy's missing sisters. They split up into groups and began looking around the city, asking questions and trying to ascertain whether either Styggiad or Furiel had been here.

Justin almost got talked into buying a new suit of armor, but managed to resist (with the help of his empty wallet). Unfortunately, he and Illy learned nothing of the Madril sisters' whereabouts.

Castilla had better luck. She ducked into a bar immediately after disembarking and got to talking with the owner. He told her that a woman matching that description came in a few weeks ago, looking for passage to the city of Port in Kalon. He said she was supposed to meet her sisters here, but that they were taking a long time getting here and she had to leave soon. She caught a ship about two weeks ago, and hasn't been seen since. Castilla sent Trouble to go fetch Justin and the others and let them know what she had learned. Trouble immediately forgot what he was supposed to be doing and sort of wandered around aimlessly for a while.

Leth and Chrissie also had some luck. They spoke with the harbor master, who told them much the same thing that Castilla had learned. They also heard that there was a woman here in town, dressed all in black, who was asking the same questions as they were. The harbor master told them that the mysterious woman had arranged passage out of town, and her ship was leaving tomorrow. He was even kind enough to point out which ship it was – the White Cloak, a merchant cog bringing a shipment of Elvish wine southward. This information concerned the pragmatic Dwarf, and he and Chrissie hurried to rejoin the others.

Eventually the heroes got back together and shared their findings. They had a long discussion over what to do next – should they leave for Port immediately, hoping to beat the other ship there? Should they stay in town and try to find the woman in black? They decided to leave at the next tide, but until that time they would try to find out as much as they could about the woman.

Leth and Justin went to the White Cloak and chatted up a junior officer. He told them that a beautiful woman had, indeed, arranged for passage on the ship. The captain hadn't been interested in taking on any passengers, but he changed his mind after she offered him a great deal of money. She paid him in Kalonese gold Eagles, a coin not much in circulation these days. The helpful officer even told them where the woman was staying – a nearby dive called Three Skulls & A Spider (thanks for that name, Ron). =;)

When Illy heard this news, she was bound and determined to go confront the woman in black – she was certain that this mysterious woman was her sister Furiel, somehow fallen from her higher calling. Justin refused to allow her to go alone, so he sent Trouble to be her bodyguard. Then he thought better of it and sent Leth to keep an eye on Trouble.

The three arrived at the dirty inn. It was certainly not the kind of place that Furiel would normally stay at – decrepit and old, with a clientele that ranged from "low-life criminal" to "down-and-out drunk". Illy cast a spell on herself, which drew her partially into the ghost-realm, rendering her all-but-invulnerable to normal weapons. She was worried about her sister, but she wasn't stupid! Trouble and Leth stayed outside while Illy approached the door.

Just as she reached the door, someone walked out of the bar – it was the lady in black: Furiel! Illy quickly recovered from her surprise. "I'm here to help you, Furiel," she said. Furiel didn't speak, but she drew her sword and assumed a warrior's stance. "Please, sister, we don't need to fight!" Illy pleaded, but Furiel made no response. She danced forward and stabbed at Illy in the chest – a blow that surely would've killed the mage, had it not been for her spell.

Trouble, seeing that his friend was under attack, charged forward, hitting the woman in the chest and knocking her away from Illy. Leth moved in to get behind the woman, so that he and Trouble could double-team her. All the while, Illy was alternately pleading with her friends not to hurt her sister, and with her sister to throw down her weapons.

While Furiel was distracted by the two warriors, Illy cast a spell to peer into her mind. What she saw was frightening and shocking. It was as if all of Furiel's senses were completely shut off, leaving a world of indistinct sounds and shadows. The only thing that seemed real was a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, loud and deep and commanding, speaking in a language that Illy could not understand.

Furiel stabbed Trouble, knocking the wind out of the big lizardman, then turned her attentions to Leth. As the Dwarf prepared to defend himself, Illy cast a spell to disrupt her sister's connection to the Flow. The effect was immediate. Furiel collapsed to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. For a split-second, Illy saw a black amulet around her sister's neck, and she yelled at Trouble to grab it.

Trouble did so, and was knocked to the ground by a wave of icy pain. "There are voices in my head!" he screamed. Leth ran over and hit Trouble in the hand with his club, knocking the amulet away. Leth scooped the amulet into a bag, careful not to let it touch him.

Before the crowd could grow too much larger (and summon the authorities), Trouble picked up the unconscious Furiel and the three of them hastened back to the Endeavor.

Meanwhile, back on the ship, Justin and Castilla got into a row about the status of their relationship. Justin felt that Castilla should at least show some remorse for killing their prisoner back in the woods. Castilla objected, saying that in her homelands, prisoners are customarily "dealt with" in a final manner. The two of them went back and forth for quite a while (with various members of the crew and the party listening in), until they finally resolved that they "should see other people for a while." At around this point, Shippy popped in to offer his services as a mediator. "Yaaaarr, I ha' a Master's degree in psychology! 'Tis served me well in me long years as ship's councilor." Not wanting to deal with a piratical therapist, Justin threw him out. ;)

The next day, the Endeavor set sail with one additional passenger. Furiel did not regain consciousness, despite Kaira's careful ministrations. Physically, she was fine – a few cuts and bruises that hadn't been properly cared for, maybe borderline malnutrition (as if she hadn't been eating good food for a while), and a rancid smell that indicated bathing wasn't high on her list of priorities. Illy cleaned her up and sat with her for days, hoping she would wake up. Though the thaumaturgist didn't say anything, Kaira could tell how worried she was about her sister's well-being.

After 2 days at sea, Furiel finally regained consciousness. At first she was confused and frightened, but Illy managed to calm her down. Despite careful questioning, she didn't remember anything about what had happened. Eventually, the heroes were able to piece this story together:

Last summer, Furiel was hunting a doomsday cult (but not the followers of Lolthe, whom she's never heard of). She heard that the cult leader was a Kalonese named Fannon. She traveled to his homeland to seek him out, where she heard that he was looking for a map -- the map once owned by the original FMH. She couldn't remember why, exactly, but she knew the map was important, so she made plans to find it before Fannon could. She traveling through the Mystic Mountains, on the eastern side of Kalon, and that was the last thing she could recall. Despite her best efforts at remembering, she doesn't know who Fannon is, where to find him, or what he looks like. She only recalls a very loud, deep voice speaking to her in Coill, the language of Kalon.

Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes were deciding what to do with the black amulet. Though Chrissie and Illy wanted to study it, the others thought this was too dangerous and elected to destroy it. However, immersing it in holy water and pounding on it with a big hammer had no effect. Neither did Illy's attempt to sever its connection with the Flow. Chrissie suggested the heroes drop it into an active volcano, but since there weren't any volcanoes handy that plan was a non-starter. Frustrated, the heroes wrapped it in a thick cloth and locked it in a box. Hopefully, they would figure out something to do with it sooner rather than later.

Though they didn't study it in any great detail, the general description of the amulet is: A circle made of very old, very black iron (or similar heavy metal), noticeably thicker in the middle than at the edges. Along the edges on both sides is some sort of engraving, possibly letters in a language which none of the heroes recognized. For those able to detect such things, it radiates thaumaturgic magic (oracular, ensorcellment, and possibly transmutation magic). The party was very careful not to touch it, after what happened to Trouble (who had a splitting migraine for hours after he picked it up).

The heroes discussed what the map that Furiel had mentioned might be. Trouble recalled from grandad's stories that the original FMH had a magical map that showed wherever they traveled, including the route they took. The map was carefully maintained by Duncan, a human wizard who had been a member of the FMH since its inception. According to granddad, the map was lost during the FMH's final adventure, when the Endeavor was destroyed. After the FMH split up, Duncan retired to Morjiim and hasn't been heard from since.

They also went through Furiel's belongings, hoping to find some clue about where she was and what she was doing. They found, among the array of weapons and armor, a pouch full of potions and a heavy bag of coins. The coins were almost entirely of Kalonese design (gold Eagles, gold Danidwirs, and silver Shees); a lot of money. Castilla, her Kidbodish instincts in full swing, thought the coins looked very old and very well-worn. Illy magically identified the potions as potions of Ogre's Size (4 of 'em), potions of Hobbit's Size (2 of 'em), a potion of Feather's Flit (allows a person to fall great distances without harm), and a potion of Palimpsest (erases written documents).

To be continued!

hooligan x

Apr 4th, '07, 04:30 PM

Kit Rackham, eh? El oh el, pal. El oh el.

teh bunneh

Apr 9th, '07, 10:35 AM

After about a week at sea, the heroes arrived at the city of Port, on the northeastern corner of the island of Kalon. After their arrival, they gave the crew a few days' liberty and asked Captain Rackham to watch over the still-recovering Furiel while they went into town to ask about Styggiad.

They learned that Styggiad had, indeed, been in town about two weeks ago, asking after her sister. But since no one had any information about Furiel, she left almost immediately, heading into the Mystic Mountains to the south. The heroes also began asking about "Fannon," but they were surprised when people began giving them a "finish your drink and get out" response.

Justin, Trouble, and Kaira decided to take the talisman to the local temple of Marinus, the god of the sea. They spoke with Bramwyn, the head druid, who took them to an underwater cave so they could speak privately. They showed him the amulet, and he translated the inscriptions as best as he could. They said, roughly, "Your soul belongs to Fannon, the Great and Malevolent, breath of storms. Fetters on you, thief. You have what is mine, and now I own you. Bring my treasure home."

Bramwyn said that the words used are very ancient, a dialect which hasn't been spoken in Kalon for hundreds if not thousands of years. "How do we destroy it?" Kaira asked, but Bramwyn didn't know. He suggested that they consult with Cearbhallan, a powerful Druid in the service of Javilina, the goddess of craftsmanship. He is a great blacksmith and is a member of the group of 81 Druids who advise the Great Druid (the leader of Kalon). Cearbhallan keeps a workshop near Mount Olympia.

The heroes thanked Bramwyn and left an offering for his god before leaving to rejoin their fellow heroes.

Castilla decided that the heroes weren't getting anywhere asking around the docks, so she put on her best outfit and headed towards the rich district of town, dragging Chrissie, Illy, and Leth along with her. She managed to sweet-talk her way into a fancy club, where she met a wealthy nobleman by the name of McAllister. McAllister took quite a shine to her, asking her about the latest fashions from Brills and charming her quite completely. Though he hadn't heard of Styggiad or Furiel, he was more than willing to show Castilla a good time. Castilla reluctantly declined, but promised to meet him for dinner later.

The heroes met again over dinner and discussed what to do next. It seemed like the next logical step would be to journey overland towards Mount Olympia and consult with Cearbhallan about the talisman. About this time, Kaira noticed that the restaurant had emptied out completely – even the waitstaff and the bartender had left. The only person left was a woman dressed in chainmail, sitting at the bar listening to the heroes.

"Who are you?" Illy demanded.

"My name is Shauvaughn (pronounced SOO-wayne)," she said. "And I was about to ask the same of you. You've been asking questions around town, causing all sorts of trouble – trouble which isn't welcome in Kalon."

"We're the Fearless Monster Hunters," Justin told her. "We're here looking for the missing sister of one of our members. We're not here to cause trouble."

"What kind of trouble are we causing?" Illy asked, confused. "We haven't done anything, we're just talking to people."

"You've been asking after a certain person, spitting out a name that blights the air and making all sorts of ordinary folks nervous," she replied, not sounding very friendly. "What is it that you're looking for, that you'd be using a name like that so carelessly?"

The heroes assured her that they'd meant no harm and hadn't been aware that Fannon's name would frighten anyone. "Who is he?" they asked. "Why all this concern?"

Shauvaughn sighed. "You're foreigners to these shores, and obviously are ignorant of our ways, so I'll tell you. Generations ago, before time even began, there was a man who went by that name. He was a powerful warrior and a mighty sorcerer, who could control the storms, make you see what didn't exist or not see what did, and even command people's unwilling allegiance. He proclaimed himself the High King of the isle – though Kalon has never had a High King, nor will she ever.

"Some people say he was more animal than man; others say he was the bastard offspring of one of the gods; whatever he was, he was as cruel as winter. His hatred was as great as a mountain; the bards say his greatest desire was to scour the island clear of all life – man, animal, bird, and tree." Shauvaughn frowned. "He's been gone a long while now, punished by the gods for his arrogance and evil. But people still remember him in folktales and legends. To us, he's like the devil, used to frighten small children into behaving. And no one ever speaks his name out loud, for fear of bringing back the bad times."

The FMH assured Shauvaughn that they weren't agents of Fannon, and all they wanted to do was find Styggiad. Shauvaughn obviously still didn’t exactly trust the heroes, but she didn't arrest them or kick them out of town. She said she would be keeping an eye on them, and that she'd see them before they left the city. With that, she left.

"I think she was a cop," Leth suggested, though in truth none of them had any idea who Shauvaughn really was.

About this point, Castilla realized that she was going to be late for her dinner. She grabbed Chrissie and Leth and ran off. She cleaned herself up, changed into something nice, rented a coach, and headed for dinner. Dinner with McAllister was very nice. He told her he was originally from the capital city of Tarnesia, but he doesn't like it there and lives here when his duties allow him to. He told her that he envied her ability to travel around the world, and said that he'd like to do that too someday. Eventually, Castilla told McAllister that she had to go (leaving the poor guy high and dry!).

The next morning, the heroes gathered to discuss what they were going to do next. Since Styggiad had a two week head start, they decided to leave immediately, heading towards Mount Olympia, in the hopes of catching her trail. The question was, what should they do with Furiel? She was still too weak to travel. The heroes could leave her here, on the ship, and hope that Captain Rackham and the crew would be able to take care of her. They could send the Endeavor back to Ariean, to drop Furiel off at Hob's place. Castilla thought that McAllister could take care of her, so she dropped everything and sped back to his townhouse.

McAllister was happy to see her, and the two of them had breakfast together. Castilla asked if he could do a favor for her, and he agreed – but he told her he didn't want her to run off again. About this time, Chrissie left the room so there are no reliable witnesses to what may have happened next. ;)

While Castilla was off entertaining the nobility, the others hit the marketplace to stock-up for a long overland trip. Over the course of the next several hours, they spotted a number of people, each wearing a crest similar to Shauvaughn's, keeping an unobtrusive eye on them.

A few hours later, an exhausted Castilla limped back to the others and told them that everything would be taken care of – McAllister had agreed to take Furiel on his personal ship back up to Ariean, and from there to send a message to the other sisters in Lacedaemon.

Though they were setting out a bit late, the heroes finally managed to leave town. As they were leaving the city gates, a group of horsemen rode up to them, with Shauvaughn in the lead. "I told you I'd see you again before you left town," she said. "If someone is going about invoking his name, I've been tasked to find out who it is and what they want, so I'm coming with you, just to get to the very bottom of this whole matter."

With that, the other horsemen got off their mounts and passed the reigns over to the heroes. "Saddle up," Shauvaughn said.

TBC!

OddHat

Apr 9th, '07, 10:43 AM

A few hours later, an exhausted Castilla limped back to the others and told them that everything would be taken care of – McAllister had agreed to take Furiel on his personal ship back up to Ariean, and from there to send a message to the other sisters in Lacedaemon.

It was a remarkably strenuous game of chess.

Enforcer84

Apr 10th, '07, 12:10 AM

/Fonzie
He played with her chest?
/Fonzie

SatinKitty

Apr 10th, '07, 09:39 AM

I never thought of Chess as a contact Sport. ;)

teh bunneh

Apr 17th, '07, 12:47 PM

The Fearless Monster Hunters left the city of Port, heading south into the Mystic Mountains. The heroes weren't so sure they wanted the cop along, but it seemed like she would entertain no arguments, so they gained a new member. At least they got some sturdy riding horses out of the deal!

As they rode, Illy wondered how long it would take them to get to their destination. Chrissie chimed in, telling them that the trip to Mount Olympia is a long and difficult road. Heroes from around the world attempt it every nine years, in order to compete in the Olympics, and the trip it isn't meant to be easy. The journey itself is one of the challenges that Javalina puts before her supplicants, and she expects them to weather it as heroes -- with strength, courage, and steadfastness.

Along the way, to keep everyone alert and awake and to make the journey go quicker, Chrissie spun the tale of the history of Kalon...

"Kalon was the first land," she sang. "Once it was so great it encompassed the entire world, but the other gods came and asked the Druidic Gods to give them part of the earth as their own. The children of Mother were generous and gave the new gods everything they asked, but there were so many of them that soon they fell to squabbling amongst themselves. Squabbling led to anger, and anger led to war, and eventually the rest of the world was embroiled in constant conflict.

"The Druidic Gods were saddened to see the beautiful world so filled with hatred, but swore to have nothing to do with the politics of others. However, even the peaceful land of Kalon was threatened by the fighting. Rather than see their beautiful country destroyed by greed and anger, the Druidic Gods used their great power to separate Kalon from the rest of the world, breaking the sacred land off from the main part of the continent. Thus it is that the island of Kalon came to be.

"The act of separating the island from the mainland caused a great scar in the earth. In order to close off the wound and let it heal, the gods piled earth and rock up over the injury, forming the Mystic Mountains. Chunks of Kalon fell off when it was separated from the mainland, forming the Rocky Coast. The gods were not unmerciful to the rest of the world. They saw that the mainland was in pain from the separation, so in order to cauterize the wound, one of the gods heated the tip of his spear until it glowed red-hot, then seared the wound shut, thus forming the Boiling Sea."

"So, basically we're riding up into a giant band-aid?" Leth (with characteristic Dwarvish bluntness) asked.

The trail the heroes were following was narrow and rocky and wended its way ever upwards. They passed through small farming villages and hamlets every few hours; the people for the most part ignored them. The weather was cool and misty, with light and sporadic rain. Ancient, moss-shrouded trees surrounded them, blocking out what little sunlight there was. Everything was very green, even the rocks (covered with moss and lichen). As evening approached it appeared a thunderstorm was brewing.

As darkness was falling and the storm was breaking, the heroes reached a sizable town. They made it through the gates just as they were being closed (the guards gave them the stink-eye), and found the Mare's Mane, an inn that caters to travelers such as themselves. There were several wagons parked outside, and the stables were nearly full -- it was apparently a busy day for traveling.

The heroes stabled their horses and settled in at a table, enjoying some turnip stew and a nice beer. Chrissie, of course, set up in a spot near the fire and begin spinning tales of the Fearless Monster Hunters, to the delight of the crowd. The heroes -- obviously strangers in these lands -- got a number of sidelong glances, but no one said anything to them nor made them feel too unwelcome.

Shauvaughn found a quiet corner and simply watched the proceedings with alert eyes. Justin, Leth, and Trouble found a good table and began cleaning and drying their gear. Illy felt the bar was too stuffy for her tastes and headed back outside to wander around the empty streets. Castilla headed over to the gate guards' shack and asked them if they'd seen anyone matching Styggiad's description. One of the guards recognized her as having passed through the area a few weeks ago, but he didn't speak with her or know what her business was.

The night went late and the fire burned low. Most of the heroes decided to bunk down in the common room (for no charge), but Castilla insisted on her own private room (inviting Chrissie to share her bed). Most of the other travelers found themselves a spot to sleep on the floor, under a table, or (for a few lucky ones) near the fire.

Sometime after the heroes had started to drift off to sleep, Chrissie and Castilla got a quiet knock on their door.

Standing outside the door were three men, poor peasants by the look of them. Their clothes were made of simple wool, tattered and soiled. Castilla remembered seeing them downstairs, sitting on the floor near Chrissie, listening raptly to her stories. They had their caps in their hands, and they looked very nervous.

"Excuse us, miss," one of them (nudged forward by his compatriots) said in his native tongue. "Are the stories we heard true? That the Fearless Monster Hunters are mighty warriors, and will help people in trouble?"

"Yesssss," Castilla said hesitantly. "What do you want?"

He said his name was Hogan, and his comrades were Sully and Tomas. "We've traveled a long way, hoping to find someone who could help us. We come from a tiny village called Cyr Aingael, many days walk south of here. We are a humble people of little means, but lately a group of outlaws comes into our village and takes everything we have, leaving little behind with which to feed our children. We came here looking for some means of defending ourselves -- now that spring is coming to the mountains, it's only a matter of time before the bandits come back."

Castilla asked the men to hold that thought, and ran back into the bar to find Justin. Justin reluctantly got up to see what the matter was. The men became even more flustered at the sight of the tall, good-looking paladin, and stuttered over their story again.

They then unrolled a small pouch. "This is everything of value in our village -- everyone in the village put together their wealth, in the hopes of using it to help save us." One look told Justin that it was a pretty pitiful score -- maybe 40 copper teeth, a dozen copper dierdrea, a Kidbodish rumee (quite old and battered), some seashells, some tradestones, a silver necklace, and a copper armband. All told, maybe worth 25 or 30 drachmas total. "This is everything we have," they said, embarrassed.

Justin gently pushed the bundle away. "We have no need of payment," he told the men. "Of course we'll hel..."

But by this time, the peasants were already gathering up their bundle. "Thank you for speaking with us. We will go now. We apologize for insulting you," they said, leaving the room quickly.

"But... but... but..." Justin tried to stop them, but then kept bowing and backing out, not letting him finish.

The heroes were confused, but after a moment's thought, Justin hurried after the peasants. "OK, we'll take your payment," he told them, hoping that his god would forgive him for taking advantage of such impoverished people. Hogan, Tomas, and Sulley were overjoyed and couldn't stop thanking him.

The next morning, the heroes were up before the sun. They found the three peasants and the group set off on their journey.

Along the way, Justin pulled Shauvaughn aside. "Why did they run away when I told them we'd take the job, but wouldn't take their money?" he asked her.

She thought about it for a moment. "In these lands, we have a complicated system of granting favors and gifts," she said. "By refusing their money you indicated that you felt the payment was insulting. They are too humble to insult you, so they withdrew their request. In Kalon, if someone offers you a gift you can either accept it without strings, or turn it down. Otherwise, you'll shame the gift-giver." This explanation assuaged Justin's conscious a bit.

It took several days to reach the tiny village, so Leth filled up the time by questioning the three peasants. Here's what he learned:

"Our village is very small. There are about a dozen families who live there. We farm barley and onions and potatoes, and have a small orchard to grow apples. We're a simple people and don't know how to defend ourselves. We have no weapons, and we are cowards besides."

"About five years ago, Calavera and Corteo and their men came into our village and demanded part of our crops. They said it was for our protection, but really they are just thieves -- they don't protect us at all! For the first few years, it was not so bad. They only took some of our food, and we still had enough left over. But lately, they've been taking more and more, and now our children are starving!"

"They come twice a year -- once in the spring, on their way down the mountains to raid other places. That is when they take our winter wheat and whatever stores we may have left over. Then they come back in the fall, on their way back to where they live in the winter. That's when they take our fruit harvest. They usually leave us with some of our barley, but they take almost all of our apples. They really like apples."

"The bandits have two bosses: Calavera and Corteo. They are very big and very strong. They sometimes argue with themselves. We don't see them very often, which is good because they're the meanest and cruelest of them all! They are also very greedy -- they eat twice as much as anyone else!"

"Besides Calavera and Corteo, there are maybe 30 or 40 men who work for them. There seem to be more every year. They are all very mean and cruel and carry swords and axes. Some of them have bows."

After five days on the road, the heroes arrived at their destination. The village of Cyr Aingael sits just below a ridge that overlooks a high drop-off. Below the village is a fairly gradual slope, where the peasants have their orchard and their fields. The houses are arranged in a rough circle, in two rings. The village is connected to the rest of the world by a path that leads both north and south. The north route is the way the heroes came from; the south route is where the villagers expect the bandits to come from. The village gets its water from a spring in the rocks just above the village; the same spring also feeds their cattle, crops, and orchard.

The dozen houses are sturdy stone structures with thatched roofs. There is also a large but low barn where they keep their animals, and a silo where they store their supplies. The people were thin and tired-looking, and hid when the heroes first arrived (thinking that they were more bandits). Eventually, the heroes coaxed the villagers to come out and explained that they were the Fearless Monster Hunters, and had come to help them against the bandits.

Once the heroes successfully established their bona fides, the villagers welcomed them in. They gave the heroes the use of Hogan's house (he's a bachelor so they weren't displacing a whole family). The heroes slept through the night, knowing that tomorrow would be a busy day.

The next day, the FMH decided to scout the area. Illy went up to the top of the ridge to see what she could see. Off in the misty distance, she saw the ocean -- the so-called Boiling Sea. Below the ridge was a shear drop-off. Leth and Kaira headed down the south path, to see if there was any sign of recent use. They learned that the villagers sometimes wander down the path to collect firewood, stones to repair walls or fences, or to snare rabbits and squirrels, but there was no sign of the bandits. Trouble tried to make friends with the village children, but they were completely terrified of the strange saurian. Justin chatted with some of the men and was dismayed when he learned that they had only one topic of conversation -- farming... and worse, they assumed that a man as worldly and intelligent as him would know all about fertilizer and animal breeding!

Castilla found a very tall tree and climbed to its top, to get the lay of the land. Looking around, she spotted a large group of men approaching from the south. She yelled down to Chrissie to get the others, and soon the FMH gathered around the tree. "I see a bunch of people approaching!" the Jill called down to them. "Looks like maybe 30 of them, some on foot and some mounted. They're coming this way. I'd say we have less than an hour before they get here!"
The heroes immediately fell into a huddle to determine what to do next...

To be continued!

Susano

Apr 17th, '07, 02:13 PM

CALVERA?!?!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Ahem... do you intend to give out extra XP if anyone tells Calvera "We deal in steel, friend"?

(Either that, or someone has to grab all the blades he can, informing the others "I can't kill a lot [of bandits] with just one sword!")

teh bunneh

Apr 18th, '07, 08:52 PM

Ahem... do you intend to give out extra XP if anyone tells Calvera "We deal in steel, friend"?

What's even funnier is once my players figured out what was going on, they immediately started comparing notes to see which one of their characters would live and which would die.

("Thunderfoot likes kids, so he's obviously Chuck Bronson's character. Uh oh, he's gonna die in the final reel!") :lol:

Bill.
(And yes, there are seven PCs). :D

Susano

Apr 19th, '07, 04:11 AM

What's even funnier is once my players figured out what was going on, they immediately started comparing notes to see which one of their characters would live and which would die.

How long did it take? I picked up on the idea once you had three guys start talking to the paladin....

teh bunneh

Apr 19th, '07, 08:54 AM

How long did it take? I picked up on the idea once you had three guys start talking to the paladin....

I don't remember exactly, but it didn't take long. Shortly after Sir Justin accepted the money and they started discussing their plans, I think... :think:

SatinKitty

Apr 19th, '07, 05:15 PM

Pardon my ignorance, but I am unfamiliar. To which movie do you owe this plot ? Please describe.

Susano

Apr 19th, '07, 05:53 PM

Pardon my ignorance, but I am unfamiliar. To which movie do you owe this plot ? Please describe.

Seven Samurai by way of The Magnificent Seven.

teh bunneh

Apr 25th, '07, 03:37 PM

Ahem... do you intend to give out extra XP if anyone tells Calvera "We deal in steel, friend"?

Funny you should mention that... :D

FMH Recap for April 21 2007

The heroes decided to stand in front of the oncoming bandits and demand that they leave these people alone. Castilla and Justin elected to be in the lead, while everyone else hid behind some nearby bushes to watch.

The bandits stopped short when they saw the warriors standing before them. “Who are you?” the lead bandit – a tall fellow in chainmail, with a big moustache – asked. “Get out of our way!”

“We can’t do that,” Justin said. “This village is off limits to you and your men from now on.”

The bandits laughed. “They hired you to stop us?” the leader asked, puzzled. “I don’t think 2 of you can stop us.”

“We come cheaper by the dozen,” Justin said.

“Generosity!” the bandito snorted. “That was my first mistake. We leave enough for these people to live on, and this is the thanks we get. It just goes to show you, you must pay for every good deed.”

“Generosity?” Castilla demanded. “These people are starving!”

“My men are starving,” the bandit said. “If I leave here without rations, how are we to go on?”

“That’s not our business,” Justin said.

“Then what is your business?” the bandit asked.

“We deal in steal, friend,” the paladin said, fingering the hilt of his blade.

“We’re in the same business!” the bandit laughed.

“Only as competitors,” Justin responded. “Ride on.”

“You tell me to ride on?” the bandit leader shouted. “There is only one way that this will end! You will have to kill us all!”

“That’s your call,” Justin said. “But it’ll hurt.”

The bandits in the lead – riding horses and armed with spears and chainmail – spurred their horses and charged. The footmen behind them also charged, and the horsemen bringing up the rear. The fight was brutal, each side giving and taking brutally. Illy immobilized the footmen by turning the ground beneath them into a sheet of slippery ice. Castilla knocked one horseman off his mount and took it for herself. Justin and Trouble traded off fighting the bandit leader, who was as tough as he was fierce. Trouble finally brought him down with a mighty blow, and the rest of the bandits began to falter.

Thinking the battle was won, Leth and Justin moved in to chase off the rest of the bandits. Suddenly, Castilla was overcome with the feeling that something terrible was about to happen – that despite appearances, danger was looming. “Look out!” she shouted at the others, spurring her horse to get away from the center of the battle.

Leth and Justin looked around for what Castilla was shouting about, but saw nothing. Suddenly, something hit Justing – hard. It felt like he’d just been struck by a falling tree. He flew through the air and landed with a thump, dazed and barely conscious. Leth raised his shield to protect himself, but the same thing happened to him as well.

Then, standing in the center of the formerly-empty road, was a huge, misshapen giant. At least two stories tall, with a hunched back, deformed limbs, and two hideously ugly heads, it appeared out of nowhere and laughed.

“Are these the ones giving my men so much trouble?” one of the two heads asked.

“They don’t seem so tough now!” the other one answered.

“Who are you?” asked the dumbfounded heroes (hoping to stall the monster long enough for Justin and Leth to get back to their feet.

“I am Calavera, and this is my brother Corteo,” one of the heads said. “And who are you?”

“We’re the Fearless Monster Hunters,” Trouble exclaimed. “And I’m very glad you’re here – you’re just about the first real monster we’ve had the chance to fight!”

The giant(s) quirked and eyebrow at this show of bravado. The two heads looked at each other. “The Fearless Monster Hunters? I’ve heard of you – but that was a long time ago. Well, nevermind that. We think this fight is over,” Calavera said. “You fought well, but you lost. There’s nothing further you can do here; now it’s time for you to ride on.”

“But these people asked for our protection!” Castilla protested.

“These people are no longer your concern,” the giant responded. “This village is ours. But we are generous – we admire your bravery and your skill, and that is why we don’t just kill you all. Gather up your things and leave now.”

“This village isn’t yours!” Castilla continued to protest. “You can’t just take what you want and leave them nothing! Their children are starving!”

The giants laughed. “If the gods didn’t want them sheared, they wouldn’t have made them sheep. Now, whatever these people promised you, you can take. A deal is a deal, and you kept your end of the bargain. You want food, supplies, horses, a woman? Take them. Take them and go.”

By this time, Justin had managed to shakily rise to his feet. “OK, men, they are being very generous. Our job here is done. Let’s go.”

Trouble started to protest, but Chrissie gave him a signal that let him know to play along. Reluctantly, he did so (muttering under his breath the whole time).

The heroes gathered up their things and started to leave, but Justin had an idea. He grabbed all of Castilla’s booze (and she had a lot of booze) and brought it over to the bandits. “Take this as a show of goodwill,” he said. “No hard feelings.” Castilla whined and grumbled about having to give up all her liquor, but Justin wasn’t listening.

A group of bandits escorted the heroes out of the village and down the mountain. They rode for many miles under the watchful eyes of Calavera & Corteo’s men. Just before nightfall, the bandits turned around and headed back up the mountain. One of them turned in his saddle and called back, “You should feel lucky they let you live! They must have been in a good mood. Farewell!”

As darkness fell, the heroes had to determine what they were going to do next.

It was about then that Kaira piped up. “Hey, has anyone seen Shauvaughn?” It was true – no one had seen the Kalonese law-woman since shortly before the battle with the bandits. Had she been captured? Killed? Did she run and hide? Or was she secretly working for the bandits? No one knew…

TBC!

Susano

Apr 25th, '07, 05:43 PM

:D :rofl: :D

Enforcer84

Apr 25th, '07, 06:17 PM

“We deal in steal, friend,” the paladin said, fingering the hilt of his blade.

Amusing misspelling there, GM; specially for a Paladin.

:D

SatinKitty

Apr 25th, '07, 06:25 PM

Which Character is played by BunnySue ?

teh bunneh

Apr 26th, '07, 10:05 PM

Which Character is played by BunnySue ?

Kaira the Hobbit Druid

teh bunneh

May 2nd, '07, 12:39 PM

FMH Recap for April 28 2007
Using the cover of darkness, the heroes headed back towards the village. They stopped at the foot of the mountain, far enough away (they hoped!) that the bandits' guards wouldn't notice them.

Kaira turned herself into an owl and flew up to the village to scout around. Castilla snuck through the darkness toward the village as well, to see what she could see. Illy and Leth took a roundabout way around the village, in order to scout out the ridge above the tiny town.

Kaira saw that the village was overrun by bandits. They were systematically raiding each house, carrying away everything of value – food, clothing, everything. The people were begging and pleading with the bandits, but to no avail. The miscreants were taking everything. Kaira spotted a group of men – horsemen, by the look of it – hanging around one particular house. She swooped over and landed on the chimney, where she could overhear most of what was going on inside.

"Please," she heard Tomas pleading. "You can't take everything! We'll starve!"

"Ha!" laughed a cruel voice (she thought she recognized it as Calavera's voice, but it didn't seem as "large" as before). "You should have thought of that before you hired mercenaries to stop us! Before, we were content with leaving you enough to live on. Now we see how you repay our generosity, so you get nothing! We're going to take everything you have, and you can all die for all we care!"

Tomas left the house, weeping. Kaira then heard another conversation coming from the house. "I think this is a bad idea," said an unfamiliar voice.

"Why?" Calavera asked. "They defied our will, they pay the price. It's as simple as that."

"But what about the oath?" the other voice asked.

"Hang you and your stupid oath!" Calavera swore. "It means nothing! There is no retribution, no punishment from the gods, nothing to stop us from taking what we want without fear or mercy! Even those stupid mercenaries ran like cowards when they saw us. Who is left to stop us? No one, that's who!"

"If you say so, brother," the other voice said hesitantly. "But I still think…"

"But nothing!" Calavera laughed. "You'll see."

About that time, Kaira noticed furtive movement down below – someone was sneaking away from an approaching group of raiders. Kaira recognized her – it was Shauvaughn! As soon as the Kalonese law officer was out of sight of the men, Kaira swooped down near her and transformed back into a Hobbit.

"You!" Shauvaughn said. "I thought you ran away!"

"That's what we wanted everyone to think," Kaira explained. "The rest of us are waiting out in the woods. We're formulating a plan to take the village back without anyone else getting hurt."

"Seems like I underestimated you," Shauvaughn smiled. "Take me to the others."

Meanwhile, Leth and Illy scouted along the ridge, looking for a spot where the FMH could lay an ambush. They knew that the bandits had numerical superiority – not to mention an immortal, two-headed giant! – so they had to come up with a tactic that would minimize those advantages. They found a good spot that had a wide, smooth approach but narrowed quickly into a difficult funnel, surrounded on one side by a pile of rocks and on the other by some thick undergrowth. Cavalry would have a lot of trouble turning around if they came up here. Furthermore, the approach ended suddenly at a steep drop-off. If the heroes could lure the horsemen up here, they could pick them off at their leisure.

Leth got busy chopping down some trees to help narrow the approach (Illy helped by dampening the sound of his axe). After a couple of hours of sweaty work, the trap was set. They hurried back to where the others were waiting.

Meanwhile, Castilla was scouting out the village. It didn't take her long to find out that the bandits had raided the village's supply of hard cider. Most of the footmen were indulging heavily. Castilla managed to steal a jug of cider for herself and sneak away without getting caught. Things were winding down at the village, so she headed back to meet the others.

Chrissie, meanwhile, had been casting a spell which would allow her to (hopefully) figure out how the giant had managed to break or subvert the oath it had been forced to take. When she finally emerged from her trance, she muttered six cryptic words: "Two brothers, but only one oath."

A light went off over the heroes' heads – when Adrom forced the giants to swear to never harm humanity, only one of the two heads swore the oath. The other brother was not bound by the gods' decree!

The FMH realized that Calavera was not bound by the terms of the oath. If they could somehow force him to swear the oath, or if they could incapacitate him and let Corteo assume control of their shared body, the giant would have to leave the village alone from now on. Of course, such a thing was easier said than done.

There were only a few hours before dawn. The plan was this:

Illy, Chrissie, and Leth would ride into the village at dawn, making enough noise to wake the dead and shouting challenges to anyone who could hear. Illy would create an illusion that made it look like the entire FMH was there. Hopefully, this would lure the cavalry out to chase them. The heroes would ride away, up the ridge to the site they set up. Leth would spring the tree-falls, trapping the horsemen in a narrow channel. Illy and Chrissie would then use their magic to cause the horsemen to stumble or become lost, or trick them into falling off the ridge. Leth would pick off any survivors.

Meanwhile, once the horsemen had ridden off, the rest of the FMH would attack the giant with everything they had. They didn't think they could kill it (being immortal and all), but if the gods were with them they could subdue it, and possibly force it to swear an oath to never harm these people again.

Just as the rosy fingers of dawn crept over the horizon, the heroes assumed their positions. They would need a lot of luck, but it is said that the gods favor fools, so they just might be able to pull this off...

TBC!

teh bunneh

May 2nd, '07, 01:09 PM

It occurs to me that perhaps I should tell y'all what "the oath" is...

---------------
The Age of Giants
As told by Chrissie Rocks, Taleweaver and Knower of Many Things
"In the age when mankind was young and was still taking his first few, uncertain steps into the world, the forests and mountains of Kalon were home to a race of giants known as the Formorians. Though powerful, these monsters were hideously misshapen. They saw the beauty of the world as a mockery of their own ugliness, and so they lashed out at everything — smashing trees, killing wildlife, hurling rocks into the sea… but their greatest joy was hunting and devouring humans, for they loved the taste of manflesh.

"Legends tell of the great hero-turned- god Adrom, who came to rescue mankind from the depredations of these creatures. He warred with the Formorians, drove them away from civilized lands, and made them swear a powerful oath that their kind would never trouble humans again.

"The Formorians went into hiding, and have seldom been seen since that day. And yet, on dark stormy nights, sometimes the Giants can be seen walking abroad, looking for a tasty morsel — a solitary traveler or a lonely shepherd — to devour...

"They say that the Formorians are still bound by the oath their king swore to Adrom, though (as I mentioned) sometimes they find ways around it. But if you can get a Formorian to swear an oath, he will be bound by its power. But they are actually pretty smart (unlike the types of Giants you see in Demoria sometimes), and not that easy to trick.

"The Formorians have a lot of magical powers. According to some stories, they were the first spell-casters on the planet, and humans had to learn magic to defend themselves from the Giants! Formorians are supposed to be able to turn themselves invisible, or make themselves look like other people, or make you see things that aren’t there (or not see things that are there). Some of them could call down lightning from the heavens and summon storms out of clear blue skies. Others could fly on the winds. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that Calavera and Corteo can turn invisible, and given the reaction of the villagers when they saw him, I bet he can make himself (themselves? ) look like ordinary people. No telling if they possess other powers.

"Also, the Formorians aren’t the only kind of giants in Kalon. There are also the "Stone People," who are as handsome and straight as the Formorians are ugly and crooked. They tend to avoid humans more than anything, but for those few lucky heroes who attract their favor, they can lavish great gifts – magical weapons, or training in lost and forgotten skills.

"I don’t know if that helps or not, but maybe someone will think of something... "

teh bunneh

May 14th, '07, 01:46 PM

FMH Recap for May 12 2007
The plan was set into motion. Trouble, Justin, Chrissie, Kaira, and Shauvaughn snuck through the orchard to the edge of the village to await the signal. Meanwhile, Castilla, Illysandri, and Leth (flanked by illusions of their comrades) rode into the center of town.

But while the "sneaky team" was waiting for the right moment, a pair of guards wandered over. "I could've swore I heard something," one of them said. The other was skeptical – "You're just hungover," he said. "It's probably just a dog or something." That's when they came around a tree and saw Justin. The paladin didn't hesitate; he punched one bandit right in the nose, dropping him like a sack of dirty laundry. Trouble bounded out of the tree in which he was hiding and tackled the other one. The heroes quickly tied up the bandits and left them hidden in the orchard.

Meanwhile, Castilla rode at the head of the team, shouting out profanities and insults, calling the bandits cowards and worse. A group of bandits (led by Tuco) ran out of one of the huts. "We told you to never come back!" Tuco yelled.

"Yeah, but I don't deal well with authority figures," Castilla laughed, flipping him the bird.

The bandits charged, but our heroes just rode off laughing, so Tuco ordered his men to get the horses and give chase. Leth, Illy, and Castilla led them on a merry chase, culminating at the bottleneck they had prepared the night before. Leth dove off his horse in order to spring the trap. Illy rode a bit ahead, then cast a spell to turn the ground into a slick morass.

The bandits charged at the spellcaster and found themselves unable to control their horses. The majority of them tumbled off the edge of the cliff, plummeting to their doom. Two of them managed to stop their horses before they went over, but they couldn't get them to move. However, Tuco spotted the trap before it was sprung, and stopped one of his men from riding into the ice-slick.

Meanwhile, the "sneaky team" crept into the village, hoping to catch Calavera and Corteo by surprise. They managed to get past most of the bandits (who had been roused by Castilla's shouting but weren't quite awake yet) and right up to the house where C&C were staying.

Just as they were approaching, the giant stepped outside. "Who is making that racket?" he shouted. "Be quiet! I'm trying to … You!" he spotted the heroes. "How dare you come back here, after I let you escape with your lives? Once again, my generous nature comes back to haunt me!"

The heroes took no time to exchange words. Trouble, Justin, and Shauvaughn moved in to surround the monster, while Chrissie and Kaira cast defensive and buffing spells on their friends. The combatants struck ineffectually at one another, sizing up their opponent.

Meanwhile, Illy summoned a windstorm to try to blow the remaining horsemen off the cliff, causing one of them to tumble off his mount and down the steep slope. The other horse stumbled and fell, landing hard on its rider's leg and trapping him. Leth unlimbered his axe and called out a challenge to Tuco, who charged the Dwarf and cracked one of his vambraces. Castilla hurled a dagger at the other horseman, but it bounced off his armor.

Meanwhile, Corteo healed himself of the minor amount of damage the warriors had caused the giant. Afraid that his spellcasting abilities would cripple the heroes' effectiveness, Chrissie cast an enchantment to reduce the amount of ambient magic in the giant's vicinity and making it harder for him to use his spells. Kaira cast a spell at Calavera, blinding him momentarily.

Meanwhile, Leth, knowing that Tuco had the advantage as long as he was mounted, attempted to kill the horse. He succeeded in wounding its hind leg, which forced Tuco to ride away before turning around. But by this time, Leth had moved to the edge of the ice-field so the horsemen couldn't charge him again. Castilla continued hurling daggers, and Illy cast a spell to slow Tuco down.

Meanwhile, Calavera was having a hard time spotting his targets so he swung his club blindly at where he thought the heroes were, and managed to connect with Shauvaughn. Luckily, she was ready for this and leapt back, so only the edge of the club caught her. Corteo found himself unable to cast his most devastating spells. Kaira then blinded Corteo, leaving the giant at a distinct disadvantage.

Meanwhile, Illy mesmerized the remaining horseman into wandering out onto the ice-field to help his trapped comrade. Leth continued to exchange blows with Tuco and managed to hit him hard enough to rattle him badly. Castilla took advantage of this and leapt onto the back of the villain's horse and, from her new vantage point, cut his throat. Tuco collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely. The fight was over.

Meanwhile, Justin and Trouble continued to rain blows on the blinded giant. Shauvaughn got up and shouted, "In the name of the King Who Never Was, Is Not, And Never Shall Be, I order you to surrender!"

Corteo recognized this title and immediately threw down his club, but Calavera was stubborn and refused, so Justin and Trouble resumed their attack, forcing the giant to his knees. Finally, he cried out "I surrender! I surrender!" The fight was over.

At the ridge, Leth applied first aid to the dying Tuco (despite Castilla's protests). Illy noticed that one of the horsemen who had fallen off the cliff was hanging on to a tree branch about twenty feet down. She asked if he would surrender and he assured her that he had no intent to continue the fight, so she helped him up (miscasting a Levitate spell that basically turned him into a human helium balloon). They took their prisoners back to the village.

Meanwhile, the heroes were trying to extract an oath from the giant to never harm humanity again. The giant attempted several times to weasel out of it, but with enough threats they finally managed to get him to promise to never bother anyone again. With that, they kicked him out of the village and he disappeared into the mountains.

Since they didn't have any way of holding so many people, the heroes told the rest of the bandits to leave and never come back (and to take up an honest profession, if they were smart). The bandits ran away in small groups, leaving behind most of their weapons and their loot.

That night, the villagers threw a party to celebrate the heroes' victorious return. Illy, never one for parties, wandered off into the woods to be alone for a while. The children who were once so afraid of Trouble now swarmed around him, cheering him for his bravery. Several of the young women of the village flirted with Justin, and the young men made eyes at Castilla.

The next morning, the heroes gathered their belongings and continued their journey south…

To be continued!
PS: Meanwhile, back in the orchard, two bandits, still tied up, wondered if anyone would come back and untie them before they starved, or before wolves discovered them… ;)

SatinKitty

May 18th, '07, 05:35 PM

Bunny already repped. :thumbup:

teh bunneh

May 21st, '07, 12:10 PM

The heroes had been on the road for four days, heading southward though the mountains towards Mount Olympia, when they heard a loud wailing up ahead. Sounded like someone was in trouble! The FMH spurred their horses to take a look, and they found a wizened old man next to an overturned cart.

"Oh woe is me!" the old man wailed. The heroes asked what happened, and he said he had been taking his harvest to market when a giant serpent came out of the woods, knocked over his cart, and grabbed his infant daughter before slithering back the way it came.

The heroes asked a few things of the old man to verify his story (and make sure he wasn't just a bandit looking for easy prey). There was no question that they would help, and they told the old fellow not to worry, that the Fearless Monster Hunters were on the job.

"Fearless Monster Hunters?" the old man asked. "Why, I've heard of you! You helped drive Corteo and Calavera away from that little village, didn't you? If that's the case, I have no doubt you'll do all you can to save my little girl!"

Castilla, however, had her doubts. She didn't trust the old man, and lingered a bit behind the others when they went into the woods to track down the giant snake.
Soon the heroes found a large cave. Inside, they could faintly hear the sound of a wailing baby, so they went in. Castilla, still feeling a bit apprehensive, stayed behind. "If you herd the snake outside, I'll build a trap for it," she told the others. While they went in, she started building her trap, but her efforts were half-hearted at best.

Inside the cave, the heroes came into a large gallery filled with large boulders and detritus. The heroes fanned out to search the chamber. Without warning, a huge snake lunged at Leth – its mottled body was perfectly camouflaged against the dark stone floor, and Leth didn't see it until he almost stepped on it! The battle was joined as the rest of the heroes rushed over to help.

Meanwhile, outside, Castilla was surprised by the arrival of the old man. "What are you doing out here?" the old man demanded. "Don't you know your friends need you?"

"They don't need me," Castilla said. "I'm not a warrior; I'm sure they can handle it all by themselves."

"You may not be a warrior, but you're still supposed to be a hero," the old man countered. "An innocent life is at stake (my wee baby daughter). It's your duty as a hero to do what you can to save her."

"Yeah, but I'm not a hero," she said. "Just look at me – red skin, fangs, the whole bit. I'm evil."

"What you look like on the outside doesn't have anything to do with what you're like on the inside," the old man argued. "You shouldn't use your looks as an excuse to behave like less than the hero you should be."

"So what do you expect me to do?" the Jill asked. "Go in there and help them?"

"Aye, that's exactly what I expect you to do!" he practically shouted at her.

Grumbling the whole time, Castilla went into the cave to find the others. The old man followed close behind her.

Inside the cave, the heroes had managed to surround the snake and bash it on the head, over and over. By the time Castilla and the old man arrived, the snake was on its last legs (so to speak). "See? I told you they didn't need my help!" she yelled at the old man.

But the old man wasn't so old anymore. He was now tall, and strong, and young looking, with a thick red beard and a mischievous sparkle in his eye. "Good job, good job!" he laughed. "You managed to kill the Great Serpent of Loch Mire, a fearsome beast that's swallowed many a traveler in these lands!"

The heroes demanded to know who he was, and what was his game. "You can call me Angus," he said. "I've been searching for a group of heroes to perform a little task for me, a trifle really, but it's something I can't do myself and you look like you'd be perfect for it."

"You tricked us!" Castilla said. "How can we trust you?"

"I admit I used a little subterfuge," Angus admitted. "But I had to make sure you were up to the task. From now on, my dealings with you will be completely straight, I swear on my own name."

"OK, what do you want from us?" Illy asked.

"An old enemy of mine – name of Gorshen – stole something from me," Angus said. "Something very precious to me. He stole my diamond, and I want it back."

"Why can't you get it back yourself?" Justin asked.

"Oh, that's a long story, but the short of it is that I've sworn an oath never to harm the bastard."

"...But you can get someone else to hurt him for you?" Illy asked.

"Aye, well, that's a loophole," Angus winked.

"No way," Castilla said. "You lied to us. You get back your own stupid diamond."

"You're heroes!" Angus protested. "You've got to help me!"

"We've got another place we have to be," Castilla said. "The sooner we get done with that, the quicker we can get back to civilization."

"Fine," Angus said. "I'm well acquainted with these lands, and I know many secret pathways. I'll show you a path that'll take you to your destination quickly if you help me."

"A path to our destination, and then another one to get us back home," Castilla insisted.

Angus was reluctant, but finally he conceded. "Fine and well," he said. "Get my diamond back for me, and I'll show you two paths to wherever you want to go on the island." Castilla and Angus shook on the deal, and Angus explained what he needed.

"Gorshem lives in an old abandoned church on top of a hill in the midst of the moor," he said. "He's bigger than a bear, and smells worse than one too. He hates humans and isn't above cannibalism when the mood strikes him. He carries a great big meat cleaver that he's not afraid to use."

So warned, the heroes headed out. They were no longer in the midst of the mountains, instead finding themselves on a flat, grassy moor. A thick mist obscured vision and dampened sound. They followed a trail up the hill, passing by ancient stone markers and obelisks, until they came to a gate. Castilla started to go first, but something warned her that danger was about, so she told Trouble to go ahead.

Trouble stepped through the gate and found himself in an ancient, mouldering graveyard. Seeing no apparent threats, the others joined him – but as soon as they were all through the gate, the ground erupted and they were surrounded by the hideous animated remains of dead warriors!

There was a fierce battle, and it wasn't long before the skeletons had been returned to the dust that spawned them. However, Castilla had been hurt in the fight. She was complaining about her injury when she noticed that Angus was sitting on a nearby tombstone watching them. "Great job, heroes!" he cheered.

"I got stabbed!" Castilla complained. "What are you going to do about that?"

Angus simply shrugged. "Part of being a hero is accepting the risks that go with it," he said. "Sometimes that means getting hurt. Sometimes that even means dying."

Castilla was not reassured. "Hey, I thought you said you couldn't come up here?" she asked.

"No, I said I can't do anything to hurt Gorshem," he laughed. "There's nothing that says I can't watch *you* hurt him (and what a show it's bound to be!). Oh, and I think I forgot to mention – a few decades ago, Gorshem lost his one good eye in a fight with a stag. He replaced it with a gemstone, and since then, he's been obsessed with collecting gems of all sorts. That's probably why he stole my diamond, the great brute. I'll tell you what," he continued. "If you kill the bastard, I'll give you a shiny gold piece."

"A gold piece apiece?" Kaira asked.

"Now don't be getting greedy," Angus admonished.

The heroes approached the ancient church. They saw a light burning inside, so Illy cast a spell to let her see what was in the building. She saw a huge, hairy man sitting on a rock in front of a big bonfire, roasting some meat on a stick. Next to him was a huge meat cleaver. Nearby was a beautiful white horse, securely tied to a stake hammered into the ground. The horse looked terribly frightened, like it knew it would be next on the chopping block. In one corner of the room were several sacks and a treasure chest. Illy detected the glint of gemstones spilling out from one of the bags.

Everyone looked at Castilla. "What? What am I supposed to do?" she asked.

"You're a Jill," they said. "Sneak in there and steal his gemstone eye. He'll be blind – then the rest of us can jump him!"

Reluctantly, Castilla climbed up into the window and quietly slipped into the room. There was a nervous moment when she thought Gorshem heard her, but he put it off to the wind. The horse, however, noticed her right away. She gestured to it to be quiet, and the horse nodded assent. The wily Jill snuck up right behind the monster (who was busily gnawing on his hunk of meat), carefully reached around him...

And slipped on a rock. "What's this?" Gorshem roared, jumping to his feet. Castilla tried to run, but Gorshem managed to grab her in his giant hairy fist. The rest of the heroes, waiting outside, heard what was going on, but decided not to jump in just yet.

"Who are you?" the smelly, hairy creature demanded. "Did Angus send you?"

"Yes, he did," Castilla answered. Gorshem was taken aback by this show of honesty and seemed a little bit confused. While he was thinking about this, Castilla reached out and tried to grab the gemstone again, but he held her away from his face.

"I don’t think I want to work for Angus anyway," Castilla confided in the monster. "He lied to us and he's always lecturing me."

"Aye, that sounds like Angus all right," Gorshem laughed, his corpse-like breath washing over Castilla. "Me? I'll never lie to you. I might eat you, but I'll never lie about it."

While he was laughing over this private joke. Castilla once again tried to grab his eye, but once again missed. "Can I have something to drink? You smell really bad and it's making me ill," she said.

"Aye, you're looking a little green, Miss Red-Skin," Gorshem laughed again. "How about a drink from my private stock?" He reached down under his fur and whipped out a jug, pulling out the cork with his teeth (both of them) and taking a long swig. He offered it to Castilla, but it smelled like fermented roadkill, so she declined (perhaps the first time ever that Castilla has turned down a drink!). While he was drinking, she reached out once again for his eye, but grabbed his huge fat nose instead.

"You're a pretty one," Gorshem said.

"You're not," Castilla groaned. "And you stink. You need to take a bath."

"Ooh, are you offering to take a bath with me?" he leered at her. "It's been a while, and you do smell pretty..." He held her under his nose and took a long whiff, breathing in her bouquet.

Finally she was close enough to his face, so she made one final grab for his gemstone eye – and got it! With a loud "POP!" she pulled it out of its socket and threw it across the room.

"Argh! My eye! What have you done, you little wench?" The giant grabbed for his meat cleaver, but Illy (watching from the window) cast a spell to make it vanish. The rest of the Monster Hunters kicked down the door and ran in, surrounding the blinded beast and pummeling him mercilessly. Illy jumped down, grabbed the horse, and led it out the door so it wouldn't get hurt in the melee.

Poor, stinky Gorshem didn't stand a chance, disarmed and blinded as he was, but he put up a fierce fight. When it was all over, the heroes stood over his body and felt a touch saddened. Gorshem was the first intelligent creature that they had slain, and though he was undeniably evil, they felt sort of bad for him.

Except Castilla, who was off in the corner being loudly ill.

Angus showed up again and wrapped his arms around the horse's neck. "Oh, my beautiful Diamond!" he said, openly weeping. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

"So 'Diamond' is the name of your horse?" Justin asked.

"Not my horse!" Angus retorted. "She's my beautiful daughter, kidnapped by that brute to get his revenge on me!"

"Your... daughter?" Kaira asked. :nonp:

"Aye, and the apple of her daddy's eye," Angus said. "Her mother was the finest mare this side of Tir na og, and she..."

"No. No no no," Justin said, waving his hands dismissively. "I don't think we need to hear this. No, I'm pretty sure we don't need to hear this at all. In fact, I'd like to just forget that we've heard even this much..."

While this was going on, Leth and Trouble poured the contents of Gorshem's jug over his body and used a brand from the fire to ignite him. Though the heroes couldn't provide the massive creature a proper burial, at least they could give him a funeral pyre.

Led by Angus and his... um... daughter... they headed back down the hill. "Hey!" Castilla said. "You promised to show us a way to get where we were going!"
"Aye, that I did," Angus said. "I'm a man that's as good as his word. Where did you say you were going?"

"To Mount Olympia," Castilla said. "The faster we get there, the better."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Angus asked. "Nothing's easier to get to than Mount Olympia, if you know the way. Just take that path behind you and it'll lead you right there."

The heroes looked behind them and, sure enough, there was a path (though they were certain there hadn't been one there before). "Farewell heroes," Angus called out. "And I won't forget I still owe you one more path." Before he disappeared into the mist, he flipped a large gold coin to them.

The Fearless Monster Hunters walked up the path. Not more than a hundred paces in, they found themselves in the middle of a narrow canyon, walking alongside a fast-flowing, sun-dappled brook. A few more steps and they exited the canyon onto a well-traveled mountain road. And there, before them, stood a tall mountain that could only be Mount Olympia.

TBC!

Enforcer84

May 21st, '07, 01:22 PM

U R A bad man! I love that.

teh bunneh

May 21st, '07, 02:32 PM

U R A bad man! I love that.

What'd I do? :angel:

Enforcer84

May 21st, '07, 07:30 PM

I wanna play in your campaign.

"Her mother was the fairest mare in all of Tir An Og"...

Susano

May 21st, '07, 07:40 PM

No weirder than Zeus, who seduced women in the form of a swan, a bull, and a shower of gold coins.

teh bunneh

May 21st, '07, 09:06 PM

I had a lot of fun with this one. I ran it entirely by the seat of my pants -- no written notes or anything (very different from how I normally run). I came up with the whole thing while moving seven tons of gravel into my yard. :D

I like doing occasional weird, non-sequitor plots like this one, then later explain "They're the Fair Folk. They don't have to make sense." :lol:

Enforcer84

May 22nd, '07, 12:57 PM

No weirder than Zeus, who seduced women in the form of a swan, a bull, and a shower of gold coins.
yeah, but Zeus seduced women. He didn't seduce livestock.

The fact that the women inquestion went for the livestock is thoughts best left to news groups I don't take part in ;)

Susano

May 22nd, '07, 01:01 PM

yeah, but Zeus seduced women. He didn't seduce livestock.

The fact that the women inquestion went for the livestock is thoughts best left to news groups I don't take part in ;)

Okay, so if the guy was in the form of a horse when he did the seducing, than what?

Actually, y'know what it means?

It means the Fae are some really screwed up individuals, that's what.

teh bunneh

May 22nd, '07, 01:10 PM

Okay, so if the guy was in the form of a horse when he did the seducing, than what?

Actually, y'know what it means?

It means the Fae or some really screwed up individuals, that's what.

QFT, brother. :snicker:

Enforcer84

May 22nd, '07, 04:10 PM

Okay, so if the guy was in the form of a horse when he did the seducing, than what?

Actually, y'know what it means?

It means the Fae are some really screwed up individuals, that's what.

But hella fun at parties.

hooligan x

May 22nd, '07, 05:02 PM

If I could turn into a swan that'd be awesome. Cuz hey, free stale bread.

Markdoc

May 23rd, '07, 04:25 AM

yeah, but Zeus seduced women. He didn't seduce livestock.

The fact that the women inquestion went for the livestock is thoughts best left to news groups I don't take part in ;)

Actually, in my game too, the Færie folk do that sort of thing from time to time. That's where beastmen, fey beasts and annoying talking animal sidekicks come from :D

cheers, Mark

Susano

May 23rd, '07, 04:27 AM

Actually, in my game too, the Færie folk do that sort of thing from time to time. That's where beastmen, fey beasts and annoying talking animal sidekicks come from :D

cheers, Mark

So that explains Eddie Murphy!

Markdoc

May 23rd, '07, 04:39 AM

So that explains Eddie Murphy!

And Antonio Banderas!

cheers, Mark

teh bunneh

May 29th, '07, 12:55 PM

No FMH this week, or next. Players on vacation.

Susano

May 29th, '07, 12:56 PM

No FMH this week, or next. Players on vacation.

*sigh*

We will be ending Shadows Angelus this weekend.

teh bunneh

May 29th, '07, 12:58 PM

*sigh*

We will be ending Shadows Angelus this weekend.

Campaign winding down, or some less-happy reason?

Susano

May 29th, '07, 01:02 PM

Campaign winding down, or some less-happy reason?

We won last session. Saved the world. All it cost us was the Director of XSWAT, who sacrificed herself to power the seal that keeps evil out. Oh, and 800,000 dead when the demons rampaged for a while.

So as with all good anime series, things must come to a close.

Until the inevitable sequel, which my character so thoughtfully made possible. :D

teh bunneh

May 29th, '07, 01:04 PM

That's better than "GM is moving to Pittsburg/got religion and can't play anymore/was crushed under a runaway bus." :)

Susano

May 29th, '07, 01:06 PM

That's better than "GM is moving to Pittsburg/got religion and can't play anymore/was crushed under a runaway bus." :)

Well, yes. Or had a bunny lop off his head and steal his Quickening. :p

There is a new game planned, new GM, new setting. Fantasy time!

Enforcer84

May 29th, '07, 02:42 PM

Well, yes. Or had a bunny lop off his head and steal his Quickening. :p

There is a new game planned, new GM, new setting. Fantasy time!
Oohh, what setting?

Susano

May 29th, '07, 02:45 PM

Oohh, what setting?

The GM's own.

I have a URL somewhere.

Enforcer84

May 29th, '07, 02:55 PM

The GM's own.

I have a URL somewhere.
PM me, I've thread jacked enough.

teh bunneh

May 30th, '07, 09:55 AM

PM me, I've thread jacked enough.

Hey, that's not fair. You mention a new FH game in my thread, you'd damnwell better link to it! Or at least start a new thread to talk about it. ;)

Enforcer84

May 30th, '07, 04:40 PM

Hey, that's not fair. You mention a new FH game in my thread, you'd damnwell better link to it! Or at least start a new thread to talk about it. ;)
:nya:

Susano

May 30th, '07, 04:54 PM

Here: http://www.asynjor.com/entertain/fantasy/index.html

Enforcer84

May 30th, '07, 08:05 PM

Here: http://www.asynjor.com/entertain/fantasy/index.html
Ah, like it.

teh bunneh

Jun 12th, '07, 12:39 PM

OK, after a long hiatus, we're back to the Fearless Monster Hunters!

------------------------------
FMH Recap for June 9, 2007
The Fearless Monster Hunters stepped off the path that Angus showed them and onto the main road, finding themselves not more than a mile or two from Mount Olympia!

But as they approached the sacred mountain, they found themselves met by a group of armed guards. One of the guards had heard of the FMH, and after some questioning he let them through the roadblock. He told them that the temple was on a war footing, because there had been a lot of trouble in the area lately – all sorts of bizarre creatures, bandits, and worse, had been attacking villages in the area.

The guards escorted the heroes to the temple – a massive edifice carved into the side of the mountain. But instead of going inside, they went around back to a large smithy. There they met Cearbhallan, the high priest of this temple, Initiate of the Ninth Circle and one of the advisors of the Nine Druids (which is all a fancy way of saying, "This guy is a big deal.").

Cearbhallan was an older man with a short grey beard, huge burly arms and shoulders, a vice-like handshake, and soft friendly eyes. He didn't seem too surprised to see the FMH, and invited them to take a drink with him (after he cleaned himself off from the day's labors).

After the introductions were over, he asked to see the artifact. Without touching it, he examined it, then declared it evil and said that it must be destroyed. He knew of a ritual to destroy it, and he wanted to get started right away.

Kaira joined him and the other Druids in the temple. Justin, Trouble, and Chrissie stood just inside, watching the ritual. The Druids brought in a huge hammer and a giant anvil, and formed a circle around them. Cearbhallan stood in the center, holding the hammer above the anvil, where the symbol of Fannon's power had been placed. They all began chanting, and the air grew thick with power.

Soon, both the anvil and the hammer were glowing orange. Heat washed through the temple. The hammer and anvil grew hotter and hotter, now glowing red, now golden, and now pure white. At that moment, just for a second, a great darkness flowed through the temple, drowning out the light. The onlooking heroes thought they saw a pair of dark eyes staring at them. Then Cearbhallan hefted the hammer over his head and brought it down on the amulet. The ancient iron device shattered into a thousand pieces, and the spell was broken.

Though the whole thing only seemed to take minutes, when the heroes emerged from the temple they found that the whole day had passed them by, and it was already after dark.

Meanwhile, Castilla, Leth, and Illy wandered around the small town, hoping to find news of Illy's sister. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have seen her in these parts. Castilla found a tailor and asked to have some new clothes made (her old clothes still had Gorshem's stink in them). The tailor had great fun in taking her measurements.

While the Jill was at the tailor's, Illy and Leth found the captain of the local militia and asked about the recent attacks. He said that all the mountain villages within several days' ride had been attacked in the last six months or so. The primary culprits were bandits stealing food and supplies, but there were stories of other things as well – giants, monstrous animals, dark fae-like creatures, and things too horrible to describe. Even the town under Mount Olympia had been attacked (though the militia was able to drive the attackers off). The good news was, the attacks had slacked off in the last few weeks, and the last one he'd heard of was in a village a few days' ride to the south.

After talking with the militia, the three heroes retired back to the town tavern to wait for the others. Some hours later, the arrived. Cearbhallan and Kaira were exhausted and demanded food. They ate an enormous quantity, then, sated, the high druid looked over at the FMH.

"If Fannon (or someone who wants to carry on his legacy) has returned, this bodes ill for the land of Kalon. I will send messengers to the Great Druid to warn him. Can we count on you to help?"

The FMH assured him that they were indeed in this for the long haul, which pleased him. "Fannon (or whoever the impostor is) has now seen you, and knows who you are. The job will not be safe or easy. But the blood of your ancestors runs in your veins, and I am sure you will be up to the task."

The heroes asked if he had known the original FMH, and he said that he did, years ago. He asked if they knew the story of the Fearless Monster Hunters' last adventure, the story about why they all went their separate ways and never adventured again. This was a story that even Trouble and Chrissie had never heard – none of the original FMH had ever spoken of it.

"The Fearless Monster Hunters were famous throughout the Sylvan Gulf," Cearbhallan said. "They had been adventuring for years, exploring the coast of Kidbod, sailing along the Plains of Morjiim, hopping across the Island Nations, visiting Kalon, Pasion, and even the coast of Demoria. They fought many monsters and defeated many menaces – the Necromancer Olfillon, the Green Dragon of Illich, menaces fierce and deadly enough to turn even the bravest man's heart to pudding.

"But throughout their travels, one menace remained the same. They kept running into the members of a dark cult, who worshipped an ancient, forgotten goddess of the far north. This goddess, known as Djavuli, had been so wicked that her own kin caught her up, carried her to a deserted island, and buried her deep beneath the earth. The Northmen say her struggles against the chains that bind her cause earthquakes. They also say that should she ever escape, she will devour the sun and the moon, plunging the world into eternal darkness and destroying all life as we know it."

The priest stirred at the fire with a poker. "The Fearless Monster Hunters followed those cultists to this lost island, somewhere to the north, and stopped them. The details are unimportant; suffice it to say that their mighty ship the Endeavor was destroyed, and several of those great heroes died that day. You, Siegfried Thunderfoot," he said, pointing the poker at the Saurian, "were named after one of the men who was killed – a brave Northman who gave his life so that your Grandfather and the others might fight on. The Fearless Monster Hunters saved the world that day," he finished.

The heroes sat back to digest this new information. After a few moments of silence, Justin asked the Druid what he could tell them about Fannon. "Fannon hated the gods of the Druids more than anything," Cearbhallan said. "He swore that he would hurt them any way he could. But harming a god is a difficult matter, so he aimed his hatred at the thing the gods loved best – this island and her people. He would've destroyed the whole island – the whole world, if he could've – but he was finally stopped. Legend tells of a brave band of heroes who caused his enchanted castle to fall out of the sky, destroying his army and killing him, ending his threat forever."

"Where did this all happen?" Illy asked.

"Nobody knows exactly where," Cearbhallan replied with a shrug. "Wherever it was would be a desolate and unpopulated part of the island – probably in the southern part of the Mystic Mountains, where not many people live."

"What about the school that Fannon mentioned in his letter to Calavera and Corteo?" Kaira asked. "Does anyone know where that might be?"

Chrissie spoke up. "There are four likely targets. The first is Silverymoon, a Bardic College in the heart of Nekia. The second is the Library of the Royal Explorers' Society in the capital city of Nekia (lots of maps there). Third would be the Druids' Library in the capital of Kalon. Finally, there's the Sarlarka School of Magic on the coast of Morjiim."

"OK, so let's go over this," Leth said. "Fannon wants to destroy the world. The original FMH once stopped a goddess who wanted to destroy the world. Fannon is looking for a map. The original FMH once had a magical map that showed everywhere they've ever been. Could he be looking to free the goddess, complete the work of that cult?"

"But the map was destroyed along with the Endeavor," Trouble said.

"Supposedly," Kaira said. "Other parts of the Endeavor survived – the figurehead, for one. And if the map still exists, I'll bet the guy who once kept it knows where it is."

"Duncan," Chrissie said. "Who went back to Morjiim after the original FMH broke up..."

"So the question now is," Justin said, "do we head back north to our ship and sail to Morjiim, or do we continue south looking for Styggiad and Fannon?"

The heroes discussed their options for a while before finally deciding to go south few a few days to see if they could find any clues about Fannon's whereabouts. So the next morning, they headed out towards the south. About an hour's walk from the town, Illy spotted someone watching them – a beautiful white mare. "Hello Diamond," she said. "What do you want?" The horse tossed its head and ran around in a circle.

"I think she wants us to follow her," Leth suggested, so the heroes climbed up the hill, where they found their own horses all saddled and waiting for them. The FMH thanked Diamond and gave her an apple, then continued on their journey.

While pausing for a quick lunch, Angus showed up out of nowhere. "Did ye find what ye were lookin' for?" he asked.

"Yes and no," Justin replied. "We got rid of the artifact, but now we need to find a guy named Fannon."

Angus spat on the ground. "Don't say that name out loud!" he admonished. "'tis bad luck! Now why would ye want to go findin' him?"

"We think that's where my sister is," Illy said. "And we also think he's planning to destroy the world. Again."

"Nonsense!" Angus snorted. "He's been dead for a very long time. And once ye're dead (with few exceptions) you don't come back."

"Well, somebody who claims to be him is apparently gathering up an army of giants and ne'er-do-wells," Kaira said. "And we want to find him."

Angus was silent for a while, mulling something over in his mind. Finally, he said, "Well, if it's to Caer Fannon ye want to go, ye can use yer favor and I can show ye a path straight to there. But for the record, I think its madness and I wouldn't be goin' there myself. I've got a daughter to be lookin' after, and it'd be a damn pity for her to grow up an orphan."

TBC!

teh bunneh

Jun 25th, '07, 02:30 PM

FMH Recap for June 23 2007
The FMH was faced with a choice – take up Angus on his offer to take them directly to Caer Fannon, or continue heading south to look on their own (or ask Angus to take them straight back to Port). They decided to head to the village and find out what happened there, and then make their decision based on that information.

After another day on the road, the heroes reached Cyr Irlas, a small mining village. Like Cyr Angael, the villagers had been were attacked (about a week ago) by a band of bandits, led by a huge, hairy, very smelly creature. The bandits took most of the villagers' supplies, but the bandits' leader was most interested in stealing every precious or semi-precious stone he could find. Once they had what they wanted, the thieves left, heading south. The villagers don’t who they were or what they wanted – they'd never seen them before, and pray to never see (or smell!) them again. Their biggest worry right now was that, since the bandits took all of their trade stones, they wouldn't be able to afford to buy supplies to get them through to the fall.

The heroes asked what the name of the big hairy stinkball was, and the villagers (with some prodding) said it was Gorshem. The FMH huddled together to discuss what they knew. Obviously, at least some of Gorshem's treasure had originally belonged to these simple miners. The heroes all emptied their pockets, each one donating a portion of their loot to help the villagers get back on their feet.

Needless to say, the simple folk were ecstatic to see the fruits of their labor returned, and to hear the good news that Gorshem was dead. They told the FMH that anytime they wanted to come back, they would have a home here in Cyr Irlas.

Now the question was, did the heroes try to follow the bandits' trail, or ask Angus for help. The heroes, not wanting to use up their last favor, headed southward. At first Leth was able to follow the remains of the bandits' trail, but he completely lost it after a day or so – not surprising, since it was a week cold, and this is the rainy season.

Frustrated, they called Angus. "So ye want me to show ye the way back up to Port, do ye?" he asked. No, they said. We want you to show us the way to Caer Fannon.

"Oh, ye don't want to go there," Angus cautioned. "Tis a dark and evil place. Ye're likely to meet yer deaths there. I'll take you back up to Port."

But the heroes were insistent, and eventually Angus agreed. He led them down a dark path (that wasn't there a minute ago!). The path led through a very narrow canyon. Here Angus paused. "Are ye sure ye want to go this way, laddies?" he asked, and they affirmed that yes, this was what they wanted. He sighed and shrugged. "If ye go out there dressed as ye are, ye'll stick out like a sore thumb. The folk ye'll meet there are a low sort, dirty and bedraggled, like the bandits ye fought in Cyr Angael. If ye follow this path to its endpoint, be careful."

The heroes took his words to heart and dirtied themselves up as best as they could, then they continued down the path. They found themselves alone, Angus having vanished once again. Eventually, the heroes came out in a low valley. They couldn't see much of anything, as the trees were thick enough to block line of sight, but they smelled smoke and the stink of large numbers of humanity. They immediately began formulating a plan, but before they could put their words into action, they heard voices approaching.

The heroes tried to hide. Leth, Shauvaughn, and Kaira disappeared into the underbrush but Justin, Trouble, Chrissie, Castilla, and Illy couldn't find any good spots before the people behind the voices showed up. It was a handful of grungy ne'er-do-wells. "Who are you?" the bandits demanded.

"Um…" Justin thought fast. "We're the advance party for Calavera and Corteo's group," he said. The others held their breaths, wondering if the guards would buy this story.

"Well it's about damn time you got here!" one of the bandits said. "Everyone has been waiting for you. Come with us and we'll show you to your campsite."

The heroes breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Those who had been spotted followed the guards down into the valley, a narrow strip of land covered with tents, pavilions, lean-tos, and other camp detritus. There must've been thousands of people here – and not just people, but other things as well: Giants, Trolls, Saurians, Hobgoblins, Fae creatures of every sort, even a few Ogres.

The guards led the heroes through this makeshift campsite up to the head of the valley, which was buried in what appeared at first glance to be a massive rockslide, but on closer inspection was really the ruins of an ancient, once-spectacular castle. It looked like part of the castle had been reassembled; there was a heavily-guarded stone keep right at the foot of the ruins.

The guards told the heroes that they could camp here, not far from the keep, and that they should go report their master's whereabouts immediately.

Justin headed over to the keep, where a large group of heavily-armed men confronted him. "What are you doing here, fool?" they said. "You know this area is off limits to everyone!"

"I was told to report," Justin said. "I'm with Calavera and Corteo's group."

At this, one of the guards rushed back to the keep, returning a moment later with a swarthy, pirate-like individual. "Tell the Admiral what you just told us!" the guard ordered.

"I'm with Calavera and Corteo's advance scouts," Justin lied. "They're about two or three days behind us. They sent us ahead to let the boss know they were on their way."

"Two or three days?" the Admiral shouted. "Intolerable! Did they not get the Master's letter? How dare they continue to make us wait!" The Admiral grabbed a bullwhip from one of his men. "Get out of my sight before I thrash you all!" he screamed. The heroes beat a hasty retreat back to the campsite.

It was at about this point that they noticed that Illy was no longer with the group. They looked around for a while, but then figured that she'd probably turned herself invisible to go scout around, and that she'd be back when she found something to report.

The FMH decided that their ruse had been believed, and that since Calavera and Corteo had sworn to never harm humanity again, they were pretty safe. So they thought they'd split up and try to find out anything they could about the army, its leaders, and its goals.

Castilla made a bee-line to the beer tent, where the presence of a beautiful, exotic woman caused fights to spontaneously break out all around. Avoiding the brawls, she found a good spot at the bar and began chatting up the barman. She learned that men had been gathering in the valley for a few weeks now, and that the army was more than ready to move but that they were waiting for the arrival of one of the Master's generals – a pair of Formorian brothers named Calavera and Corteo. She also learned that the men were growing very impatient, and it was getting harder and harder to keep order in the camp.

Castilla got a number of free drinks out of the deal, and an offer to join the Barman's gang if she ever got tired of her own group.

Trouble had seen a group of Saurians, so he went to try to find them and learn what their story was. At first, the lizard-men couldn't understand one another, but eventually a Saurian showed up who spoke Kalonese. Trouble put on his best "I'm an idiot" face (not too big a stretch for him!) and started asking questions. The Saurians were from the southern part of the isle, where they made their living by raiding human villages. Strangely, they weren't entirely sure why they were here – all they knew is that they had been called to come, and they came. They couldn't even say who called them; the best they could come up with was that maybe they dreamed it. It turned out that most of the bandits in the camp had similar stories – they couldn't say who called for them, all they knew is that they came.

Chrissie also wandered around, listening to people talk. She learned that the army was staging here before marching to the sea, where supposedly a fleet was waiting for them. This place was only meant to be a temporary campsite, and there are no villages or anything else within 100 miles or more of here.

Justin wandered around, trying to get a feel for how well-armed and prepared for battle the army was. He was sorely disappointed by the quality of the men. They were not an organized force by any means, made up mostly of small bands of bandits, thieves, highwaymen, and other low sorts. As far as he could tell, they had no organization, no centralized leadership, and no training to work as a coherent force. Against a disciplined force, this "army" would quickly fall to pieces.

Additionally, he learned that the army had gathered in order to attack a well-defended position somewhere (though no one knew what their target was). However, he noted that there didn't seem to be any siege engines anywhere to be found. An army of this caliber attacking a fortified position, without siege engines? Madness!

Justin was thinking about heading back to their campsite and letting the others know what he'd learned, when suddenly he was almost overwhelmed by a horrible smell. He turned around to see a small group of bandits entering the valley – led by an eight-foot-tall, hairy, ugly, stinking beast, with a glittering gemstone for an eye.

"But we burned you!" the paladin inadvertently blurted out, his good sense temporarily overwhelmed by the pungent stink. Luckily, no one seemed to have heard them, as most of the campers in the area were shouting and throwing rocks to try to keep Gorshem and his men downwind.

Justin hurried back to the campsite, where he broke the bad news. Castilla was beside herself. "How do you know it was really him?" she asked. "We killed him! How could he have survived?"

"I don't know," Justin replied. "But it was definitely him. No one else could smell like that. He did look a little blackened, but otherwise was no worse for the wear."

"He's not really from this world," Chrissie volunteered. "Maybe he has some kind of faerie power that… I don't know… lets him come back from the dead?"

"I need a drink," Castilla moaned, trying to forget the horrible night when she was in Gorshem's clutches. She headed back to the beer tent and tried to drown her memories.

Meanwhile, Leth, Kaira, and Shauvaughn were skulking in the woods and keeping an eye on the camp from the outside. The thing that struck Leth (grizzled veteran that he is) was that there were very few guards. A decent army would have patrols in the woods and a picket around the camp, but this one? Nothing, just a group that hung out near the narrow end of the canyon, where the heroes had come in.

This, in Leth's mind, indicated one of two things: Either the leadership of this organization was completely incompetent (and possibly even non-existent), or they were so assured of their safety here that they didn't think they needed guards. Kaira suggested that maybe this place was so secret that only those who had been invited here even knew of it. Shauvaughn suggested that the security was so lax that the three of them could probably just walk right into camp, and no one would challenge (or even notice!) their presence, but Leth didn't think that was a great idea.

Instead, the three of them set themselves up in a secluded area near that cliffs, where they could keep an eye on the whole valley without fear of being spotted.

teh bunneh

Jul 3rd, '07, 09:00 AM

This is a bluebook discussion betwixt myself and Illy, which went on via email between game sessions:

Illy and Styggiad
> "Two or three days?" the Admiral shouted. "Intolerable!
> Did they not get the Master's letter? How dare they
> continue to make us wait!" The Admiral grabbed a
> bullwhip from one of his men. "Get out of my sight
> before I thrash you all!" he screamed. The heroes
> beat a hasty retreat back to the campsite.
>
> It was at about this point that they noticed that Illy
> was no longer with the group. They looked around for
> a while, but then figured that she'd probably turned
> herself invisible to go scout around, and that she'd be
> back when she found something to report.

Styggiad:
As Illy and the others are hurrying back to their campsite, she feels a hand grab her shoulder. She spins around and finds herself staring into the familiar violet eyes of Styggiad, her sister. Before Illy has time to say anything, Styggiad drags her behinds some fallen rocks, out of sight of the rest of the camp.

"What in the name of the gods are you doing here, Illy?" she demands.

Illysandri:
Illy looks her over, her cold blue/grey eyes searching for the slightest signs of corruption, "Furiel says 'Hi'."

Styggiad:
Illy sees many things behind her sister's eyes -- surprise, anger, maybe even a little bit of fear, but none of the soulless corruption that had possessed their eldest sister.

"Furiel?" she asks. "You've seen her? Is she here?"

Illy:
Illy smiles, her usual sardonic haughtiness betraying a little bit of genuine relief. "Yes. And No. In that order." She looks around, "This may not be the best place to talk, perhaps you and I should go somewhere a little more private."

She looks over her sister for signs of malnutrition, injury or any magical influence (using a spell if necessary) including recent potion use, spells, or lingering effects of other lingering effects from recent exposure.

Styggiad:
Styggiad leads her sister up one side of the canyon, through a tangled maze of fallen rock, until they are further away from the camp. Illy takes that opportunity to check her sister over and discovers no traces of magical influence. She is dirty and unkempt and has dark circles under her eyes, but is otherwise no worse for wear. She is dressed like one of Calavera/Corteo's knights, wearing slightly worn chainmail and leather, carrying a spear and a sword, wrapped in a weathered and much-patched dark gray cloak.

When they stop, Styggiad turns and puts her hands on Illy's shoulders. For a moment, Illy thinks her sister is going to hug her, but instead Styggiad says, "Illy, what on earth are you doing here?"

Illy:
"Ostensibly? Looking for you." Illy relaxes a bit after her thorough examination of her sister. "Do you know what happened to Furiel? Did you ever find her?"

Illy smirks slightly, "Besides, as the only 'non-hero' in the family, I thought I would see what the attraction was. Decided to pick up a 'ragtag band of adventurers' to 'fight evil' or 'seek fame and fortune' or some such nonsense. It's the only thing these days that is keeping me sane." She stops and looks at her sister plaintively, "I pretty much know what you are doing here, how goes it?"

Styggiad:
"No, I haven't found Furiel yet. I heard that she'd be here, but… you said you'd seen her? Where? How is she?"

Styggiad pauses and looks over her sister. "Wait. You, adventuring? That's stupid, Illy," she snorts. "You're no adventurer. You barely even know which end of a spear is the dangerous one. You're going to get yourself killed!"

Illy:
Illy puts her hands on her hips and looks blankly at her sister, "Me? You don't say. Luckily I am smarter and have better tools than most of the backwater superstitious yokels we have yet to encounter." Illy leans back against a nearby rock, "Unfortunately, with every single one of my adventuring sisters getting themselves in over their head, a whacked out wild mage living in *my* head, and Mom and wassisname's FMH reputations on the line, doesn't seem like I have much choice."

She stops, obviously reigning in her rant, "Oh, Furiel is fine. She was infested by that F-word guy with an ancient artifact (now destroyed) and tried to kill me but with Necrodoodle up there pulling the strings she wasn't able to outthink me so I just cut her puppet strings and sent her home with a rich lonely guy with a penchant for demon-chicks."

Styggiad:
Styggiad ponders for a moment, trying to parse what Illy just told her, then says, "So Furiel is safe back home? That is a relief." Then she turns to look in Illy's eyes. "Illy, this isn't really you. That… that… human inside your head has been inspiring you to do these things. You're no Fearless Monster Hunter. You've been lucky so far, but eventually it's going to get you killed." She sighs and smiles wanly. "Thank the gods I found you when I did. Now tell me," she says, changing the subject. "Who are those people you were with?"

Illy:
"They are other inheritors of the FMH mantle. Couldn't tell you really what connection they have. The Lizard is the grandson of Thunderfoot. Castilla, the Demon, keeps talking about her uncle. The rest I am not sure. They are here to fight F-Man, save you, become famous, get rich, and stab people.... in order of priority." Illy shrugs and sighs, "As for my place here... I am trying to prove there is a new magic, Science, but that doesn't always work out the way I intend. I spend a great deal of effort trying to keep myself and the others alive, and only occasionally have I been forced to hurt people." At this last statement, she twitches her neck and for a moment a smile creep across her face. Not the delicate face of an elf, but her lips almost seem human. She quickly shakes her head and looks back at Stygiad. "I never was cut out for this adventuring bit... but it seems to satisfy some....need."

Styggiad:
Styggiad laughs at this. "Well, you needn't worry about that anymore, Illy. I'm here now, and I'll get you home safe and sound. But first, I'm going to have to organize those friends of yours. We need to hit Fannon quickly, before he has the chance to make his move."

Illy:
Illy sighs and rolls her eyes, "IF only it were that simple. There are two major flaws in your plan: First, my friends are the least organized adventurers you have ever met; and second, I can't go home. Between Mom looking to me to carry on the FMH mantle and this guy in my head who doesn't even let me have a moment's peace because apparently he wasn't very pleased with his early retirement, if I were to go home now I would never hear the end of it. Besides, I am here to save you, and until you are officially saved, a.k.a. not here anymore, I still have work to do."

Styggiad:
Styggiad looks at her dear sister with pity in her eyes. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry, Illy. *You've* come to rescue *me*. That human has really done a number to your head." She shakes her head sadly. "No matter. When we get you home, we'll work on finding a cure. In the meantime, I'm not too worried about your friends being disorganized. I've dealt with adventuring companies before. Why don't you introduce me to them?"

Illy:
Illy stops and thinks for a moment, "Um, Yeah, a cure. Not sure it works that way, but okay, moving on. Before I introduce you to my friends, keep a few things in mind... they are very... umm... straightforward. Tactics and planning are not their strong suit. Previous encounters involved plans as complex as "attack them" and when that didn't work, "attack them later." Beyond that, they will try to get you in on some headlong rush plan, that's *if* the lizard doesn't do that anyway while we are talking. That and the lizard already tried to beat up Furiel once, if he has the slightest inkling you are not in complete control, he will try to club you and I will have to react drastically to protect you and him."

"Other than that, what do you plan to say to them?"

teh bunneh

Jul 3rd, '07, 09:06 AM

Fearless Monster Hunters Recap for June 30, 2007
While the heroes were discussing their next move, Illy came back into camp, bringing with her a stranger. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my sister Styggiad."

There wasn't much family resemblance between Illy and her sister. Styggiad was tall, with pale gray skin, platinum blonde hair, and bright violet eyes. She was dressed in well-worn chainmail and leather, covered by a much-patched traveling cloak. She carried a spear and wore a longsword at her belt. "Illy tells me you're here to take on Fannon," she said. "I have a plan..."

The heroes listened as she outlined her idea. She arrived here a few days ago after hooking up with a minor bandit chieftain. She convinced him that she was an outlaw and he took her into his group. She's been trying to get close to the castle, but it's heavily guarded. So instead, she began scouring the hills behind the castle, hoping to find a back door. She found one yesterday, and was intending to investigate it further tonight, after the camp was asleep. Now that she had some backup, she wanted to explore it and, with any luck, use it as a back door into the keep.

While Styggiad was talking, the heroes heard someone approaching their camp. It was the Admiral, who wanted to confirm that Calavera and Corteo were only a couple of days away. Justin told him that the Formorians were indeed close. So reassured, the Admiral ordered them to prepare to move. He wanted the army to be on the road by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Calavera and Corteo's group would accompany him at the front of the army.

The heroes immediately began packing their gear – not in preparation to move with the army, but instead to go up into the hills with Styggiad and explore her "back door." But while they were packing, they smelled a horrible stench.

It was Gorshem. The giant strode up to the keep, demanding to speak with the boss. "There are heroes about!" he shouted.

That was all the incentive the Fearless Monster Hunters needed. Without a moment's hesitation, they grabbed their stuff and left the camp under cover of darkness. They headed up a steep slope, and then carefully clambered down into the rubble of the ruined castle where soon they discovered a deep hole going straight down. "There's a crevasse at the bottom," Styggiad explained. "I've only explored up it a little way, but there is fresh air, and it goes in the general direction of the keep."

The heroes climbed down the hole and squeezed through the crevasse, clambering up and down narrow passages and tight tunnels for an hour. The cave was dark and wet, with water constantly dripping through the roof and echoing off the tumbled stone walls. Footing was uncertain and shifting. The heroes felt the weight of thousands of tons of unstable stone creaking and shifting above them.

Finally, they entered a large chamber. A narrow ledge went around a deep, dark pit, so deep that their torches could not illuminate the bottom. One at a time, they edged along the ledge. At one point, Shauvaughn lost her footing and stumbled, dropping her torch into the pit. It fell forty or fifty feet before it crashed into a pile of skulls and bones – scores, probably hundreds of bodies lie below them. With a shudder, the heroes moved on.

Eventually, they came into a large, finished chamber. The collapse of the castle had left this place more-or-less intact. They followed the wide, broad passage down a massive set of stairs until they came to a door guarded by two giant stone statues.

Castilla immediately went to check the door. She was certain it was trapped, but decided to risk it and pick the lock. As soon as her lockpicks were in the keyhole, the two statues began to move, coming at her with a vengeance!

Justin heroicly threw himself in front of one of the animated statues to protect his ex-girlfriend, and took a massive, painful hit for his trouble. Trouble charged one of the statues, and nearly got his face chopped off! Chrissie, panicking, used a spell to force the statue away from her friends, buying them a moment of time. Illy took the opportunity to cause the floor under that statue to collapse, trapping it in a twenty-foot-deep pit.

Meanwhile, Styggiad and Leth were facing off the other one, using "wolf-pack" tactics to keep it busy. Once the first statue was dealt with, the other heroes were free to take the second statue out at their leisure.

Once the two statues were rubble, Castilla resumed picking the lock. It was difficult but not impossible for a Jill of her talent, and soon the heroes were pushing open the heavy door. Inside, they saw an enormous chair, and sleeping in it was an enormous man – easily as big as Calavera & Corteo, but not ugly at all (rather, quite handsome!).

The heroes quietly shut the door and wondered what to do next. "Maybe it's Fannon!" someone suggested. "We could kill him while he's still asleep!"

"Then again, maybe it's not – we don’t want to kill an innocent!" others protested.

The heroes opted to try to talk with the giant (but also to prepare themselves just in case he was hostile). Castilla went in first. "Hello?" she said.

The giant opened his eyes and looked at her. "Have you come to torture me further?" he asked. "Tell your master I still have nothing to say to him."

"We haven't come to torture you," Castilla said. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

He looked her over carefully. "No, you aren't one of Fannon's turnkeys, are you?" he said. "My name is Aed. I am of the Carraig Daoine – the Stone People. I am being held prisoner here against my will by the monster Fannon. Who are you?"

"We're the Fearless Monster Hunters," Castilla said.

"The Fearless Monster Hunters?" Aed asked. "But that was decades ago!"

"We're Version 2.0," she explained. "Our parents were the originals; we've taken up the mantle. Why is Fannon keeping you prisoner?"

"Because I came here to oppose him," Aed said. "Just before the new year dawned, I came to the valley to end his evil before it could go too far. I was ambushed and taken prisoner. I have been here ever since, trapped in the darkness, with only my jailers and torturers as sometime companions."

Castilla went to him and picked the locks of his manacles, for which he was grateful. "If you intend to fight the Fannon," he said. "Then I would be honored to fight by your side. Though I am not a warrior like some of my brethren, I have some magical talents taught to me by the Gods themselves."

Chrissie took the others aside and explained to them who the Carraig Daoine are. "The Carraig Daoine are good Giants, unlike their deformed cousins the Formorians. Legends say the Carriag Daoine are master craftsmen and powerful spell-casters, and they're known to sometimes help heroes. Sometimes they act as teachers, training them esoteric martial arts or amazing feats of magic. Other times they create artifacts of great power with which to equip the heroes.

"Though the Formorians and the Carraig Daoine are cousins of a sort," Chrissie continued, "they hate one another dearly and would kill each other were they not bound by powerful oaths not to harm members of their own race. Both types of Giant are seldom seen, usually only in the most remote forests and inaccessible mountains. Most folk think that they are a dying race."

With their new friend, the heroes set about looking for a way out, but were unable to find one – this chamber was completely sealed. Kaira summoned an Earth Elemental to swim through the rock and find an exit for them, and soon he came back, telling her that there was a tunnel on the other side of a rockfall.

She had him dig a tunnel (with a little help from Illy's magic), and before long the heroes were climbing a massive staircase upwards. They found themselves in a large circular room – the base of the Keep! Some searching revealed another stairwell going up, and cautiously they began climbing. At the top of the stairs, they came to a landing and a massive door.

Castilla went over to the door to check it, but then they all heard a voice from the other side: "You've spent all this time and effort getting here, heroes," it said. "Aren't you going to come in?"

TBC!

OddHat

Jul 3rd, '07, 09:57 AM

I just get a kick out of a villain named "Fannon". I need to introduce a cosmic entity named Retcon. :D

Enforcer84

Jul 3rd, '07, 12:20 PM

Patrick Fannon?

teh bunneh

Jul 3rd, '07, 12:51 PM

I just get a kick out of a villain named "Fannon". I need to introduce a cosmic entity named Retcon. :D

You know, that association never once occured to me. But now that you mention it, in the future I can say, "Yeah, he was the major villain for a year-long campaign, but that whole Fannon thing isn't actually part of the cannonical history of Temoris." :lol:

OddHat

Jul 3rd, '07, 03:40 PM

You know, that association never once occured to me. But now that you mention it, in the future I can say, "Yeah, he was the major villain for a year-long campaign, but that whole Fannon thing isn't actually part of the cannonical history of Temoris." :lol:

Certainly not since the visitation of the enigmatic being known only as Retcon. :)

Always fun to read your stuff, Bill. Makes me wish I could get my group to meet more than once a month.

Enforcer84

Jul 3rd, '07, 04:45 PM

Certainly not since the visitation of the enigmatic being known only as Retcon. :)

Always fun to read your stuff, Bill. Makes me wish I could get my group to meet more than once a month.
When I win the lottery you guys tell me where you all want to live and I'll build us a compound.

OddHat

Jul 3rd, '07, 07:09 PM

When I win the lottery you guys tell me where you all want to live and I'll build us a compound.

I'm so there.

teh bunneh

Jul 3rd, '07, 08:03 PM

When I win the lottery you guys tell me where you all want to live and I'll build us a compound.

Shouldn't this go in Hermit's "Form your own Evil Cult" thread? :winkgrin:

Enforcer84

Jul 4th, '07, 12:35 AM

I see us more as a Chaotic Good Cult with Neutral Tendencies.

teh bunneh

Jul 24th, '07, 12:56 PM

FMH Recap for July 21, 2007
Finally back in their home port of Areian, the heroes took a few days to rest and relax. Illy met up with all of her sisters, who had come down to the city to wait for her. The group of them got into a massive argument about what they should do next; finally it was decided that Styggiad should join up with the FMH, just to "Keep Illy out of trouble."

Leth began having strange and disturbing dreams. In one of them, he was in the middle of a cold plain, surrounded by thick mist. He heard someone approaching, and was startled to see his uncle Slan Deldorian, of the original Fearless Monster Hunters. Uncle Slan was dressed in full battle gear, his face was deathly pale and his eyes half-closed. Blood poured down from multiple wounds, and he dragged his axe listlessly behind him. He looked up at Leth, and gasped out, "The map! Do you have the map?" Then Leth woke up in a cold sweat.

The doughty Dwarf took this strange omen to Justin, who thought that the FMH should probably travel south to the Sarlarka School of Magic and see if anyone there knew anything about the magic map the original FMH is rumored to have owned.

They asked Hob if he knew anything about the map, and he told them that the legends were true – the FMH owned a magical map that charted their course across the known world – but that it had been destroyed when the Endeavor went down. Hob didn't really know much else about the map, except that Duncan, a mighty wizard, was its keeper, and that he had retired to Sarlarka after the FMH's final adventure.

The trip across the Sylvan Gulf was fair enough, and soon the heroes arrived at the Sarlarka School of Magic on the northern coast of Morjiim. It was a forbidding structure, silhouetted on a cliff high above the sea, towers and imposing walls surrounding it. At the door, the heroes were greeted by Headmaster Grimmer, who enthusiastically welcomed them (knowing the reputation of their parents).

The Headmaster led them up to his office, followed by a line of black-robed and hooded servants. The place was cool and dark, in stark contrast to the blazing heat outside. It was also very quiet. The Headmaster apologized for "All the excitement," but he explained that the Annual Challenge was to begin tomorrow, and the students are all quite worked up about it. He invited the heroes to stay and watch the games if they wished -- he said that the winner of the Challenge almost always goes on to do great things.

Finally, Duncan arrived. He was very old and has retired from both adventuring and teaching, but he still lives here as a sort of Professor Emeritus. The heroes asked about the map, and he told them that he still had it – or at least, part of it. He took them to his office to see it.

On the way there, the heroes finally saw the students – some studying, some talking, some playing, all of them looking very excited – and all of them very surprised to see the heroes.

Up in his office, Duncan pulled down the map (with a little help from Trouble). It looked like an ordinary map of the Sylvan Gulf, drawn with great skill but otherwise ordinary. It was in bad shape – it was torn completely in half, part of it missing, and it looked like it had suffered some water damage. "But it's enchanted, you see," Duncan said. "You only need part of the map to use it." He spoke a few words, and suddenly the image drawn on the map changed – it was like they were rapidly zooming in to part of it. After a moment, the image cleared and showed a close-up view of the Sarlarka School.

"This map shows every place the Fearless Monster Hunters ever roamed," Duncan said. "Simply speak an incantation, and it will show you any place you ask. It can show you the course we took, treacherous shoals, everything!"

"Where did you come by such a thing?" Leth asked, amazed. "Did you make it?"

"Me? Oh good heavens no," Duncan laughed. "We found it on one of our earliest adventures. We defeated Al Qatar, the Pirate King, in the waters off his secret island base. We found the map among his treasures. I have no idea who may have created it."

"Is it difficult to use?" Illy asked.

"No," Duncan assured her. "Looking at the details of the map is easy. You just repeat one of several incantations (depending on what you'd like the map to do), and then say where it is you want it to show. Adding new details is a little trickier, but not too hard."

At about that moment, Duncan's door burst open and three young children rushed in – a dark-haired boy, a red-headed boy, and a tow-headed girl. "Father!" the dark-haired boy shouted. "There are strangers in the castle, and... oh my god, there they are!" The three children immediately dropped into defensive postures.

Duncan laughed. "Yes, son, these are the children of my old friends, the Fearless Monster Hunters. No need to be alarmed. Now scurry along, I'll speak with you about it later."

Reluctantly, the children filed out. Duncan noted the odd looks the others were giving him, and he chuckled. "That's my boy, Duncan Junior. You could call it a May-December relationship, his mother and I. She was my teaching assistant. She left here years ago, when Duncan was still very young, and I've been doing my best to raise him myself. He's quite the troublemaker," Duncan the Elder sighs. "I can hardly keep up with the boy, at my age. He's got his head full of stories, and wants to be a great adventurer himself someday, just like his old man. But he's got to learn that it's not all fun and games – it's dangerous work, as you all know."

Duncan invited the heroes to sit at the Faculty table at dinnertime. It was a formal affair, with Headmaster Grimmer giving the students a long speech about how the Annual Challenge would test their limits, teach them new things – and great things would be expected of the winner of the Challenge.

While eating, the heroes were introduced to the rest of the faculty at the school. First they met Lord Twilight, the Groundskeeper, who with his small staff cares for the defense and upkeep of the school. He and his people are always robed in black and hooded, and move around silently and unobtrusively – hardly noticed by the staff and students.

Next they were introduced to Elissa Fairchilde, a beautiful White Elf, who cares for and teaches the younger students. She has been with the school for many generations, having been trained here herself. She seemed very proper and sweet, but she gave both Sir Justin and Castilla an almost predatory look.

Next, Duncan introduced them to Thyrza Muqtaa, an elementalist from Morjiim. He was a swarthy man with an unfriendly scowl who teaches the middle-year students, but before the heroes could learn more, he interrupted Duncan. "They don't need my life's story, you daft old fool!"

A bit friendlier was Avery Baldred, a Conjurer who also teaches the middle-year students. He was the opposite of Thyrza – friendly, jovial, and quick with a joke.

Dinner was going well, but about halfway through, word went out: "There's a Troll loose in one of the lower chambers!" The faculty immediately moved to get the kids to safety. During the confusion, Lord Twilight asked if the heroes wouldn’t mind accompanying his men down into the dungeons to smoke the Troll out.

The heroes readily agreed, but Chrissie was nervous. "Trolls are some of the most dangerous creatures on the face of the planet!" she said. "They're fearless, nearly impossible to kill, and have ravenous appetites – they eat anything they can find. They have jagged teeth, massive claws, and great strength — but by far the worst thing about them is their ability to regenerate any hurt, nearly instantly!"

"Trolls are slimy, water-dwelling critters," Leth volunteered. "A little fire will put the fear in him!"

"That's an urban myth," Trouble said. "Trolls live everywhere, even in the desert. They aren't afraid of fire."

Thus forewarned, the heroes followed Lord Twilight's people into the dungeons. The black-robed servants fanned out, disappearing down side-passages in the hopes of flushing the creature, while the heroes went cautiously up the middle. After a few moments, they heard shouting and roaring. They hurried towards the sound and found a pitched battle... of a sort.

Young Duncan and his two friends had disguised themselves as servants and had engaged the Troll. Though they were putting up a noble effort, their puny spells were doing more to confuse and enrage the Troll than anything else.

Trouble, seeing the kids in danger, rushed in to engage the beast. Leth, Justin, and Styggiad were right on his heels. Illy cast a spell to make the Troll loose its balance. Castilla jumped bravely into the forefront and stabbed the creature's eye out with her tail-spike. The monster was savage in its ferocity, viciously tearing into Styggiad, Trouble, and Castilla. Trouble, shaking the blood out of his eyes, leapt straight up and smashed open the Troll's head – a blow that would kill any lesser beast, but only stunning the troll momentarily. Justin, working as a team with Leth, tripped the monster while his Dwarven companion stove the beast's head completely in.

That seemed to take most of the fight out of it, though even with such hideous wounds it still seemed to want to get back up. But Lord Twilight's black-robed men rushed into the room, carrying large buckets full of stinking acid, and they dumped it on the still-recovering monster. Soon, all that was left was a black, smoking goo.

Sometime during the fight, the three kids fled from the room and disappeared. Lord Twilight himself showed up shortly thereafter, asking if everyone was all right. They reassured him that they were, told him about the children, and then headed back up to their suite to recover. The servants brought up some wine and cheese for a light evening snack, while everyone took a shower to wash the Troll blood off.

When Justin came out of the shower, he found Miss Elissa Fairchilde waiting for him in his room. She expressed concern for his health and safety, admired his bravery, and then dragged him into bed. Yowza.

What fate would await the heroes tomorrow morning, at the Annual Challenge? Tune in next week to find out!

Susano

Jul 24th, '07, 01:07 PM

teh bunneh

Jul 24th, '07, 01:58 PM

Wait, isn't there an session missing? Last you posted, they were in a keep....

Yeah. I didn't have time last week to write up a recap for that session. I'm going to try to do that this week...

*groan*
I can see where this is going.
:winkgrin:

See? I was right!
:yes:

:sneaky:

teh bunneh

Jul 25th, '07, 10:07 AM

FMH Recap for July 14, 2007
AKA "The Missing Session" :)

> Castilla went over to the door to check it, but
> then they all heard a voice from the other side:
> "You've spent all this time and effort getting
> here, heroes," it said. "Aren't you going to
> come in?"

The heroes cautiously entered a huge room – much bigger than the size of the tower would indicate. It was opulently appointed, with rugs, tapestries, and expensive furniture. Justin noted that many of the tapestries looked like they were the banners of clans or noble houses – and many of them were holed, tattered, burned, or even bloodstained.

Sitting at the far end of the room was a gigantic throne, rough-hewn out of massive logs. Around the throne were four of the walking dead, each dressed in the tattered remains of adventuring gear (armor, weapons, etc.). Sitting on the throne was a huge man, wrinkled and decayed like one of the Undead, but with the spark of intelligence in his eyes.

"So you've come all this way to face the great Fannon?" the lord of the room asked. "Do you know what happened to the last group of heroes who tried to challenge me?" He indicated the Undead slaves surrounding him and chuckled darkly. "But no matter; I can always use more bodyguards!"

He gestured grandly, and the heroes in the doorway were engulfed in a cloud of burning, stinking fumes. Trouble, Leth, Justin, and Shauvaughn charged forward out of the cloud and were met halfway to the throne by two of the skeletons, who put up a hard fight – they seemed to retain the skill they once had when they were alive, making them much tougher than the walking dead the heroes fought previously!

Illy turned herself and her sister invisible and tried to sneak around the edge of the room, but one of the skeletons spotted them (apparently, spells that fool the senses aren't very useful against the Undead) and threw a ball of fire at them, burning Styggiad badly. Seeing her sister in mortal danger, something in Illy snapped. Without thinking, she summoned an enraged Manticore and sent it after the offending skeleton.

Fannon was casting spells at Aed the Giant and at Kaira – he seemed to have a real hatred for them. The two druids were trying to counter Fannon's magic as best as they could, but the cursed ground on which they stood seemed to weaken their own magic. Finally, Aed risked Fannon's dark curses. He dropped his defenses and picked up the tiny Hobbit, charging closer to the fight, where they could better aid their allies.

Trouble and Justin ganged up on one skeleton, while Leth and Shauvaughn tried to handle the other one. The Undead monster knocked the Dwarf to the floor, but Leth responded by grabbing the skeleton's bony ankle, picking him up, and swinging him around like a club, bashing one of the other skeletal bodyguards.

Freed from fighting the skeleton, Shauvaughn charged Fannon, but with a gesture of his wretched hand she suddenly stopped in her tracks, mesmerized.

Once Trouble and Justin finished their foe, they turned to face the Fannon himself. However, they found their weapons to be virtually useless against his impervious hide. Aed came to their rescue, though, enchanting their blades with the power of his gods. Castilla jumped on Fannon's back, wrapping her tail around his neck and covering his eyes with her hands, blinding and enraging him. After Leth finished off his bony foe, he too joined the brawl, and Illy summoned another Manticore to harass the villain.

Thus overwhelmed, Fannon finally fell. The heroes saw a black cloud leave his body. A pair of angry eyes seemed to stare at them from the blackness for a brief moment, then the cloud dissipated into the atmosphere.

But the heroes didn't have time to congratulate themselves. The tower began to shake and crumble. They felt as though they were plummeting from the sky. Wasting no time, they ran out of the room, down the stairs, and out the door – and just in time. With a roar, the tower collapsed into nothingness.

The heroes lay on the grass, panting and exhausted. Finally Kaira noticed that the valley was completely empty – the army Fannon had assembled was gone. Not just gone, there was no sign that it had ever been there -- it was as if it had never existed at all! And on top of that, Aed was no longer with them. Did the brave Giant fail to escape the collapsing tower?

"Nay, lads and lasses," came a familiar voice. "The Carraig Daone has gone back home, t' his ain people, t' spread the tale o' yer success." The heroes looked up to see Angus sitting on a large rock nearby, smiling broadly.

"What the hell just happened?" Castilla demanded. "Where is the army?"

"Tis gone, lass," Angus smiled. "Gone and faded away wi' the morning sun, like the dream it twere."

"You're saying that was all just a dream?" Justin asked.

"Felt real to me," Trouble said, nursing his injuries.

"Aye," Angus said. "A dream in danger o' escaping t' the real world. The nightmare-dream o' an entire people. I brought ye t' this place t' combat it, just as Fannon brought those villains and ne'er-do-wells here t' be his army."

"You brought us here?" Castilla asked.

"Aye, when first I asked if ye would help, when I took ye to fight Gorshem," Angus chuckled. "Ye were the heroes I were looking for, and I made a good choice, if I do say so meself."

"So none of this was really real?" Leth asked. "The army, the tower, Fannon, none of it?"

"Oh, 'twere real enow," Angus replied. "And becoming more and more real every day, breaking the lines between what is and what only might be. Once those lines were gone… well, I hesitate t' think what may have happened next. But luckily, thanks to ye, I don't have to."

"So are we back?" Castilla asked. "Back in the real world, I mean?"

"Aye," Angus nodded. "Yer job here is done. Go home now, knowing that ye take with ye the thanks and blessings of the whole Island."

"So how do we get home from here?" Castilla asked. "We don't even know where "here" is!"

Angus laughed and pointed eastwards. "Go to the sea, and ye'll find a surprise waiting for ye."

The heroes gathered up their gear and began heading east, over the mountains and towards the ocean. "The only question left is," Angus called after them, his voice taking on an unfamiliar tone of seriousness. "Who was it that dreamed the Fannon back t' life in the first place?"

Leaving the leprechaun and his cryptic message behind, the heroes soon arrived at the rocky shore. Looking down at the blue waters, they saw a ship anchored just off the coast. It was the Endeavor! When they were safely back on board, they asked Captain Rackham how he came to be here.

"Damnedest thing," the Captain said. "This red-headed man came to the ship a few days ago and told us to set sail for these parts. Said he carried a message from you fine folks. He was very insistent and wouldn't take "No" for an answer. So here we are. I guess he was right."

The heroes sailed up the coast of Kalon back to the city of Port, where they bid their fond farewells to Shauvaughn. "When first we met, I mistook you," Shauvaughn said. "I thought you were nothing but braggarts, throwing the Fannon's name around just to make a reputation for yourselves. I never thought such a thing as we saw might come to pass. I'm glad to have met you, and proud to have fought beside you. May the gods travel with you, Fearless Monster Hunters."

With a smile and a wave, she disembarked from the Endeavor, and the heroes sailed away from the mystic Island of Kalon. Will they ever return? Will they ever again see the friends (and enemies) that they made here? Only time can tell…

OddHat

Aug 2nd, '07, 04:12 AM

Fun battle scene, and good to see the terror that is Fannon!

From the black cloud, I'm guessing you reserve the option of bringing him 'round again.

He should have had an apprentice named Fanfic.

;)

Always great to read these.

teh bunneh

Aug 7th, '07, 08:03 AM

FMH Recap for August 4, 2007
The next day was the start of the Challenge. All the staff and students gathered together in their robes and regalia in the courtyard. Headmaster Grimmer stepped forward and, in solemn tones, told the students that the life of a Thaumaturgist would be filled with Challenges – not just academic, but also spiritual, mental, emotional, and even physical. "Should you choose to continue this path," he said, "There will be no end to the challenges you face. The Great Challenge is therefore intended to test your abilities in ways that your classroom studies cannot."

With that, the door to the main hall opened and a tiny faerie-like creature flew out, holding a number of leashes. Attached to the leashes were a dozen flying carpets! The students grew very excited – they would get to fly! "Each group will choose one person to represent them," Headmaster Grimmer announced. "The chosen student will have to ride his or her carpet through a variety of obstacles, picking up brass rings at each of the tests. Students will be graded on how many rings they collect, and how quickly they complete the course. Points will be deducted from those who fall off their carpets, but that will not be the least of their worries, as the carpets fly quite high and can go quite fast."

Trouble asked Duncan if the Challenges would be dangerous. Duncan shrugged. "There is an element of danger to each Challenge, of course, and students can and do sometimes get hurt, but we try to be careful and there hasn't been a fatality during the Challenge for many generations."

The students gathered together into teams, and one member of each team was given a flying carpet. Duncan was chosen as the representative for his team. There were three obstacle courses – one for the younger students (fairly simple), one for the middle students (a little tougher), and one for the oldest students (very hard).

There were three Challenges in each obstacle course. In the first Challenge, the students had to fly over some tricky ground, picking up brass rings as they went (the younger students were flying over soft, grassy ground, the middle students were flying over rocky ground, and the advanced students were flying over the rocky ocean). The second Challenge had the students harassed by flying creatures as they tried to negotiate another tricky course (the younger students were attacked by sparrows, the middle students by hawks, and the oldest students by flying imp-like creatures). For the final Challenge, the students had to maneuver their carpets through a series of hoops, grabbing rings as they flew through them (the middle students' hoops were set aflame; the oldest students' hoops were burning and size-changing!).

Castilla told everyone that sporting events are much more fun if people are betting on them, but the faculty thought the idea was distasteful. After much cajoling, Styggiad took her up on the bet (Castilla bet that Duncan would win the course – she liked the kid's style and attitude). The heroes also got a better look at the small faerie-creature. Turns out it wasn't a faerie at all (or at least, not one any of them had ever heard about!). It looked like a winged teddy-bear. Duncan the Elder told them her name was Peri, and she lived at the school and helped out when they needed it. She couldn't talk, but she could make herself understood well enough (most of the time).

With a flash and a bang, the Headmaster started the race! Some students were more bold than others, zipping ahead. Others were clumsier, falling off their carpets at the first Challenge. Duncan was doing quite well, boldly racing ahead of the rest of the younger students. Then suddenly, his carpet veered off course and headed straight into the "senior" obstacle course! He was in terrible danger! The students who were watching the Challenge started cheering – they thought he was doing it deliberately to show off. But as he flew past the heroes, they heard him screaming for help.

Castilla jumped up to help, but wasn't sure how she could catch up with the speeding child. Peri grabbed her hair and tried to get Castilla to follow her back inside. Castilla did so and found another flying carpet, rolled up in the corner. She jumped on and, after a moment to get the hang of it, took off.

She chased Young Duncan all over the obstacle course, finally catching him just before his carpet dove through one of the flaming hoops. She snatched him off his carpet just as it burst into flames, quickly burning into ashes. Everyone hurried over to make sure he was OK. Though a little scared, he seemed to be all right, and his friends dragged him off back to the school.

"How did something like that happen?" Justin asked the Headmaster.

"I don't know," Grimmer said, scratching his head. "In all my years here, I've never seen anything like it."

"Who enchanted the carpets?" Leth inquired.

"That would be Master Thyrza," the Headmaster said.

The heroes split up to do some investigations. It seemed like someone was trying to sabotage the Challenge, for reasons unknown, and they wanted to find out who.

First off, they went to talk with Duncan the Elder. "Do you have any enemies who might want to come after you?" Justin asked.

"Of course," Duncan said. "The Fearless Monster Hunters had plenty of enemies back in the day." He began ticking off on his fingers. "The Necromancer Olfilion may still be around. There might still be cultists to Djavuli around – she's the type to hold a grudge. The Green Dragon of Illich is dead, but it may have had offspring. The Warlord X'Athis was pretty sore at us. The Pirates of the Middle Sea are probably all gone, but there may be spin-off groups. The Riddle-King is supposed to be dead, but you never can tell. And of course, there's the whole Fannon thing that you just finished with."

"How about your son?" Leth asked. "Does he have any enemies?"

"Enemies in the school?" Duncan thought about it. "Well, it's no secret that my boy (and his friends) are troublemakers. Thryza doesn't care for him at all, and has fallen prey to his antics from time to time. Twilight has gotten the boy in trouble a few times too, and his staff have had to clean up after his and his friends' little "adventures" on more than one occasion. But Miss Fairchilde seems to like the boy, as does Avery and Headmaster Grimmer. And he seems to be pretty popular with his classmates."

"How about the boy's mother?" Leth asked. "Does she have a large family who might want to eliminate a potential heir?"

"No," Duncan said. "His mother was a sweet girl. She had an older sister who was pretty crazy, but otherwise, no."

While Leth and Justin were talking with Duncan, Kaira and Trouble wanted to ask the kids a few questions (as well as keep an eye on them). During a break in classes, they approached the youngsters, who were startled by the appearance of the heroes. "It's them!" George shouted, and all the kids assumed a defensive posture. Kaira and Troubled tried to reassure the kids that they meant no harm. "Has anything like what happened this morning happened before?" Kaira asked.

"Don't tell them anything, Duncan!" Rhianna warned.

"Yeah," George agreed. "They're with them!"

"Nothing ever happened here before," Duncan said. "At least… until you guys arrived!"

Before Kaira could ask anything further, the kids ran off, back to class.

Meanwhile, Illy went to go talk to Thyrza. "What do you want?" he asked when she knocked. "I'm a very busy man!"

"As the man who enchanted the carpets," she said, "I though you might have some insight into what happened this morning."

He glared at her. "Just what are you implying?" he demanded.

"I'm not implying anything," she said. "I'm just trying to learn what happened, so we can prevent it in the future."

"I don't know what happened," he said. "Nothing like that has ever happened to me before. I am at a loss to explain it."

"Did you enchant all the carpets?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, sneering. "And no one had access to them before the Challenge began – I had them locked in my storeroom, which only I and Lord Twilight have the keys to."

He took Illy to see the storeroom, and she enchanted her senses to look around. It was then that she noticed the minute marks around the lock – exactly the kind of marks that someone like Castilla might make if she were picking the lock. When she pointed this out to Thyrza, he was flabbergasted and very upset. She asked if he knew anyone at the school with the skill to pick a lock, and he admitted that he knew no one.

Meanwhile, Castilla was prowling around the school grounds when Peri (the tiny bear-like creature) flew up to her, gesticulating wildly. Castilla followed Peri to an old unused storeroom, where she found another flying carpet, obviously hidden here recently. She called Leth, who examined the dusty floor and determined that only one person had been in here recently – probably an adult male wearing soft shoes.

Trouble found Duncan the Elder and asked what tomorrow's Challenge would be. After promising not to let the students know, Duncan told the young Saurian that the next stage of the Challenge would be a scavenger hunt.

Meanwhile, Castilla went to find the Headmaster, and likewise learned what the next Challenge would be. She did not return from his office for several hours. On her way back to her quarters, she thought she'd poke around the faculty's rooms to see if she could find any more clues. While the Jill was searching Elissa's room, Miss Fairchilde unexpectedly showed up. Thinking quickly, Castilla convinced the Elf that she had let herself in for a "nightcap," and the two of them ended up staying up late.

The rest of the heroes stayed out late that night to keep an eye on things around the school, but everything seemed quiet so eventually they went back to their suite and headed for bed. However, Chrissie and Illy noticed that someone had been rummaging through their things – someone had gone through their backpacks, looked at their potions, and even opened up and read through their personal journals.

Since nothing seemed to be missing or damaged, they decided to let the others sleep and let them know about the intrusion in the morning.

The next morning, everyone checked their gear and found that, like Illy and Chrissie, someone had been rooting through their things (though nothing seemed to be missing or damaged).

The second Challenge, intended to test the children’s wits and guile, began bright and early. Everyone gathered together in the courtyard and Headmaster Grimmer called them to attention. He began speaking, but the FMH were arguing amongst themselves so they didn't hear most of his speech. At the end, he handed each group of students a sheet of paper. “On this paper were the clues you need to decipher in order to find the hidden items. I wish all of you the very best of luck!”

As Duncan the Elder explained, each item the students brought back would be worth a certain number of points – the easiest items were worth the least, with items harder (and more dangerous) to collect worth considerably more. Furthermore, the paper didn't simply contain a list of items to collect – each item was identified in a riddle, so the students had to decipher the answer to the riddles first, then collect the items.

The riddles (and their answers) were:

(A lightning rod from the top of the highest tower of the school – worth 2 points)
The giant raised his sword on high, but not to strike a blow.
The thunder god his wrath let fly and tried to lay him low.
The giant parried every thrust and does so to this day.
Bring the hero's mighty sword, if you ken these words I say.

(Marku, a reddish grass that grows despite heat and lack of water and is said to protect against the ill effects of heat – 3 points)
The wolf grows fur to beat the cold.
The rabbit does as well.
But the desert's fur grows long and red to defy the heat of hell.

(A type of bejeweled fish (known as a pincelfish) in the ocean below the docks – 5 points)
Sparkling jewels of sunken treasure that don't want to be rescued from the briny deep.
If you have a line to measure, these were jewels that you may keep.

(A type of large wasps preys on the ground-spiders that live in the plains. They paralyze them and lay their eggs within. Bring back one of the paralyzed/egg-laden tarantulas – 8 points)
Mother Wasp has no milk, but children still must feed.
Nanny sleeps in a bed of silk and tends to their every need.
If you can guess this simple riddle, return with mother's living cradle.

(Gather “honey ants” from a giant ant’s nest a few miles from the school – 12 points)
The honeypot the potter made was made of clay and round.
The honeypot the student needs burrows in the ground.
When workers thirst, six legs will bring
A meal for the queen, but never the king.

(A large ruby from the hoard of a friendly bronze Dragon named Appareil – 30 points)
An ancient one from a powerful clan sleeps on the lifeblood of the land.
Scales of zinc and copper combined, a mighty heart and a noble mind
Quick as the hare, hart, or hind! Sweet words will loosen, quick tongue will find:
Witch's heart, red and bright, dark as blood spilled in the night.
Bring it home by the light of the sun, carry the blood drop while spilling none.

The students scattered. George, Rhianna, and Duncan headed inside to study the clues, and quickly solved the final one. Realizing how the math adds up (one 30-point prize was worth as much as all the other prizes added together), they immediately headed out of the school going westward, towards the barrens where the Dragon lives. They stole one of Thyrza’s enchanted carpets to get there more quickly.

Trouble and Chrissie were watching the three of them, unnoticed, and when they saw them heading out they also grabbed a carpet and followed at a distance.

Meanwhile, Illy, Leth, and Styggiad thought they should check out the Dragon as well, so they headed that way on foot. Kaira flew overhead in her bird form. The two groups of heroes arrived at the great Dragon's cave just a few minutes after the kids, who had already gone in. Outside, the FMH found the remains of several gazelles, partially eaten. On closer examination, Illy and Kaira found that the stomachs of the gazelles were full of loco-weed, a semi-toxic herb that drives animals that eat it into a frenzy.

"Hmm…" Illy wondered. "What would happen if the gazelles ate the loco-weed, then the Dragon ate the gazelles?"

"The Dragon would probably be affected by the weed," Kaira said. "Uh oh!"

Just then, the heroes were nearly knocked off their feet by a tremendous ROAR! They ran into the cave and saw the most terrifying thing they'd ever seen – an enraged Dragon!

Leth froze, filled with an ancestral fear of the great Dragons (thousands of years ago, the Dwarves were nearly exterminated by Dragons). Chrissie and Kaira were also paralyzed with terror. The rest of the heroes sprang into action. Illy cast a spell to pull herself into the ghost-realm and ran into the room, shouting to distract the Dragon away from the terrified children. The Dragon breathed a burst of red-hot fire at her, but it washed harmlessly over her incorporeal form.

Styggiad ran into the room and grabbed the children, but the Dragon's foot came down right next to her, blocking off the exit. Trouble grabbed Kaira, yelling at her to snap out of it and cast a spell to cure the Dragon's ailment. Unfortunately, Kaira was still too frightened to act. The Dragon's tail swept down and knocked Trouble across the room (fortunately, he landed on a pile of sand so he wasn't hurt), and Kaira knew that it was now or never. She cast her spell. At almost the same time, Illy cast a spell to make the Dragon vomit the poison out.

The two spells had their intended effect. Almost instantly, the Dragon's eyes cleared and he looked down at the heroes. Illy asked it if it were intelligent and could speak, and it made some growling, hissing sounds. She cast a spell to allow her to understand languages, and realized the Dragon was saying, "Of course I'm intelligent. It's you primitive little mammals who don't speak a more civilized tongue… oh, you can understand me now, I see. Explain to me what happened here."

Illy told Appariel about the poisoned gazelles and asked if the Dragon had seen anyone on its territory lately. "No," the Dragon said. "I thought I'd have a light snack before the Challenge and saw a herd of gazelles. I swooped down and ate a few, then I felt funny so I came back to my home. Then next thing I remembered, you were here and my house stinks of vomit."

Appareil assured them he felt better, and he would entertain the children now. He shooed everyone out of his cave (except Illy, who asked to stay), telling them to clean up the dead gazelle carcasses outside. Chrissie cast a Courage spell on the children to bring them out of their terrified stupor, and left them to convince the Dragon to give them a ruby.

Half an hour later, the children left the cave, carrying their prize and none-the-wiser of the FMH's help. The heroes hid in some nearby rocks to watch, then followed the kids back to the school.

Illy stayed behind to talk with Appareil. The Dragon looked at her and noticed that she was "not alone" in her head. The Dragon demanded to speak with Wyssian, and berated the crazy wild mage for "committing a crime against life itself." Wyssian seemed unapologetic, but this accusation worried Illy. With the Dragon's words burned in her mind, she hurried back to the University.

While all of this was going on, Castilla was sneaking around the school grounds. With the children and facility busy elsewhere, she had free access everywhere. While searching, she discovered a maze of secret passages all over the main building. She found one well-used passage that led from the faculty's wing to the dormitory. She found another passage from the dormitory to the guest wing (where the heroes were staying). And she found a passage from the main courtyard up to Duncan's tower.

Since she had access to Duncan the Elder's room, she thought she'd take a look around. She found all sorts of interesting things – the stuffed and mounted heads and skins of various types of beasts and monsters, books in many different languages, vials and bottles filled with potions and/or exotic ingredients, antique weapons of every type imaginable, a set of lockpicks in an oiled canvas roll, lots of gemstones of various types, sizes, and cuts, and many other items of unknown uses and/or origins.

Realizing that the day's Challenge was almost complete, she put everything back the way she found it and hurried back to rejoin the others.

TBC!

teh bunneh

Aug 7th, '07, 08:09 AM

From the black cloud, I'm guessing you reserve the option of bringing him 'round again.

I'm thinking, at some point, I should have all their old enemies team up against them... :sneaky:

Always great to read these.

Thanks! :celebrate

OddHat

Aug 7th, '07, 08:30 AM

Harry Potter meets the Danger Room. Nice. :)

teh bunneh

Aug 15th, '07, 12:48 PM

After the day's excitement, the heroes retired to their suite to talk things over. They decided that they needed to keep a very close watch on young Duncan and his friends, in case something else happened to him during the next challenge. They sent Kaira to talk to the Headmaster and make sure that was OK. Trouble and Leth went to the childrens' dormitory to keep an eye on them. Castilla decided to explore the secret passages she had discovered earlier in the day.

Kaira headed to the Headmaster's room, and she found the door ajar and heard voices from within. Quietly, she crept up to the door and listened in.

"Too many things have gone wrong," she heard the Headmaster say. "It seems someone is interfering with the challenges, for what purpose I cannot even begin to guess. I'm thinking about whether or not to cancel the final challenge."

Thyrza agreed, in his flat voice and terse tones. "Someone is likely going to get hurt. Is the "going on to greatness" legend worth the risk of one of the children’s lives?"

Lord Twilight agreed. "Under my watch, we have never lost a student’s life, and I'm damned if it’s going to happen this year."

Elissa, however, vehemently disagreed. "In over a thousand years, the challenge has never been shut down. We have tradition to think about!"

Avery agreed, for more pragmatic reasons. "People have tried to interfere with the challenge before. Students try to rig it all the time. In fact, that’s part of the tradition – figuring out novel ways of beating the system. I don’t know who’s doing this, but maybe we should consider it as a part of the challenge."

Duncan agreed with his two colleagues. "The Challenge itself is meant to be practice for a life of danger and difficulty," he said. "Therefore, a particularly difficult challenge is just more (and indeed, better) practice."

Kaira took the opportunity to knock on the door, and the Headmaster invited her to sit with them. "So what do you think?" he asked her.

"We think that whoever is doing this is doing it for a reason, and we've got a better chance to catch him if we let it go on," she said. "We also think that the FMH should know about the Challenge beforehand, so we can prepare ourselves (and maybe station people around to keep an eye on things)."

"Well, with the extra people watching things, I reluctantly agree to let the challenge go on," Headmaster Grimmer said. "Lord Twilight will explain the next Challenge, and take you down to see it."

Twilight protested that the presence of the heroes would mess up the Challenge, but eventually he agreed.

Meanwhile, Leth strode around the Dorms, keeping an eye on things. Unfortunately, he didn't overhear much of anything because the children seemed worried whenever he came into the room. Eventually, he gathered that some of the students thought the FMH were the ones responsible for the mishaps! Realizing he was frightening the kids more than reassuring them, he left the Dorms and went outside to finish his patrol.

Trouble came down at about at time. He walked into one of the boys' bathrooms and started asking questions, but that seemed to freak the kids out. Sadly, his tail dragging behind him, he left and headed down to the younger kids' floor. He found the boys' room again and managed to get the kids laughing, after which they were willing to talk to him. They told him that they were very excited about the Challenge and weren't worried about it, but they said that Duncan thought someone was sabotaging things.

Duncan came in at about that time and tried to flee, but the other kids teased him so he stayed – but he didn't want to talk to Trouble at all. Trouble followed the kids to their dorm room and told them stories until time for lights-out.

After lights-out, the FMH gathered together with Lord Twilight. "The final challenge is a contest known as the Maze Chase," he said. "The students are sent down into the catacombs beneath the school. They are to meet contests of skill and wits (avoiding traps and pitfalls, and dodging monsters) until they reach the center of the maze. Once there, they will face a final challenge – a test of all their learning so far. Anyone who bests that one final test will score points."

He took the heroes on a tour of the maze, demonstrating some of the traps. They were all suitably non-lethal, and none of them had been tampered with, so it met the heroes' approval. They agreed to follow the students through the maze, making sure nothing untoward happened to them.

The next morning at breakfast, Trouble decided to sit with the younger kids instead of with the instructors (dumb boring grownups talking about stuff that didn't make any sense!). He noted that Duncan Jr., George, and Rhianna came late to breakfast. Illy and Kaira grabbed a couple of bagels and headed down to the catacombs to prepare themselves for the day's excitement. Justin, Leth, Chrissie, Styggiad, and Castilla sat down to eat, but Leth noticed something about the wine was decidedly off. When he pointed it out, Justin noticed it too. Castilla, however, had already had two of three glasses of wine, and began feeling a bit funny.

She started to get up to leave, but found her legs wouldn't work right. Justin scooped her up and took her back to her room. "I think you've been poisoned," he said. "But Leth doesn't think it's deadly. It just made your limbs go numb. It'll probably wear off in a couple of hours. I'll send Chrissie up to keep an eye on you." Castilla hated being left out of the action, but wasn't in any position to argue.

Justin went back to the main chamber and sent Chrissie up to make sure no one tried to "finish the job." Chrissie entertained the very angry jill by singing calming songs to her, and eventually Castilla fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Justin, Leth, and Styggiad discussed who could've tried to poison them, and why, but they couldn't come up with an answer. But they were more determined than ever to keep their eyes open for trouble.

And then it was time for the Challenge to begin. The students lined up at the grand stairway down to the catacombs and, at the Headmaster’s signal, raced down into the darkness. It doesn’t take long before some students began falling into traps and running afoul of monsters.

Justin, Leth, Trouble, and Styggiad wandered around the maze, keeping an eye on the kids to make sure no one got hurt. Meanwhile, Illy and Kaira turned invisible and followed Duncan and friends around the maze. Despite all odds against it, the three kids made a pretty good team, each one playing off each others' strengths. Soon, they found themselves at the end of the maze.

A wall of flames sprung up to block their path, and an ominous voice intoned, "You shall not see the end of the maze until you find a way to cross the fire." The kids searched around and found a secret door, which led to a closet full of alchemical ingredients – including many of the items that the children had gathered in the second Challenge.

The three kids worked together and created a potion out of the marku herb (the fireproof red grass), and stepped through the flame. The Challenge was supposed to end there, but suddenly several secret doors sprang open and three walking skeletons shambled out, shrieking horribly!

Kaira and Illy watched with alarm, but something seemed amiss. First off, the skeletons were shambling, while normally such things are fairly limber. Second, they were making noise – which is pretty much impossible for something with no vocal cords. The kids were panicking and getting ready to defend themselves when Illy cast a Dispel at the skeletons. In an eyeblink, they winked out of existence.

"It was just an illusion!" Illy whispered. The kids, finding themselves once again alone, found the exit to the room and fled upstairs, having secured their victory!

Meanwhile, Illy looked around the room, casting a spell that would enable her to detect things that were invisible. Sure enough, she spotted someone lurking in the corner. She dispelled the invisibility and was shocked to find Duncan the Elder!

Duncan seemed to find it amusing that he was discovered, but Illy was not laughing. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. Duncan assured them he'd explain everything once the Challenge was complete.

That evening before dinner, the heroes gathered in their suite with Duncan the Elder. "You see," he said. "My boy grew up hearing stories about how his old man was a great adventurer. I told him about the action, the excitement, the adventure, the perils and the rewards. But I never once told him about the dangers, the hardships, the horrors, or the heartbreak of losing good friends. That was my mistake. Now, he thinks of it as nothing but a game and he can't wait to play." The old man sighed sadly. "When I was part of the original Fearless Monster Hunters, a lot of young people wanted to join us. A few of them did. We tried to watch out for them and to weed out those that weren't ready, but it didn't always work. Those stories don't get told very often, but as successful as we were, we buried more friends than I care to remember. I don't want my son to be one of those lain to rest on some uncharted island in the middle of nowhere."

"I thought I'd take the opportunity presented by the Challenge to frighten the boy, to give him a taste of what it's really like out there. I'm sorry that you all got caught up in it."

"A taste?" Illy demanded, practically livid. "An enraged dragon is "a taste"? He could've been killed! We could've been killed!"

"No," Duncan said. "Appareil was in on it from the beginning. He wasn't really driven mad by the loco weed, he was only pretending. I spoke with him a few days ago to set it up. He agreed to act crazy, scare the kids a bit. He didn't know you folks would be there, but I'm sure he wouldn't have hurt you either."

"Well, what if we had hurt him?" Illy demanded.

Duncan laughed. "I know you're all very skilled at what you do, but still think you overestimate your abilities. Appareil is very old, very wise, and very, very powerful."

Illy was not assuaged, but the rest of the FMH (after thinking about it for a bit) forgave Duncan for his trickery. No harm, no foul (as the saying goes). "But in exchange for us keeping our mouths shut," Justin said, "Will you let us have the old map?"

Duncan smiled. "I would be delighted if the new Monster Hunters took our old map," he said. "It'll help you carry on the tradition."

Duncan spent the next couple of days teaching Illy and Chrissie how to use the map. Then the heroes bid their fond farewells to the students and staff of the Sarlarka School of Magic, and headed north, back to Ariaien.

teh bunneh

Sep 6th, '07, 01:40 PM

Big changes in the group this episode!

-----
After crossing the open sea, the Endeavor arrived back at Areian. The heroes immediately headed to Hob's Hot Pot for some food and drink. Hob greeted them effusively, and told Castilla that she'd had a visitor while they were away. "A young man, long dark hair, Kidbodder accent," he told her. "Looked rich. Said he was staying at the Flying Maple, a fancy place in the wealthy part of the city."

Castilla had no idea who it might be, but she wanted to find out so she excused herself from the others and headed towards the good part of town. The Flying Maple Inn was a large establishment built around the base and into the boughs of an enormous red maple tree. Castilla was stopped at the entrance by a doorman, who asked to know her business before he would allow her in. She gave her name, which he immediately recognized. He asked her to wait in the lobby, and a few minutes later, a young man (accompanied by two bodyguards) came down.

"Castilla!" he said, smiling broadly. She didn't recognize him at all, and he frowned. "Has it really been so long? It's me – your brother Cayo!"

Castilla was shocked and surprised. "I haven't seen you since we were kids!" she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I got your letter," he said. "And I wanted to see my little sister again."

There was a period of awkward smalltalk, then Castilla asked, "How are dad and mom?"

"Dad is getting older," Cayo said. "He's been sick, so I've taken over the family business."

"What family business?" Castilla asked, still confused.

"The shipping business," he explained. "The Marta family makes most of its money in shipping. We own eight large ships and a host of smaller ones, doing business along the coast of Kidbod and throughout the eastern Island nations. Part of why I'm here is to work on a business deal to open up most of Pasion to our ships." Then, Cayo dropped the bombshell. "The other reason I'm here is to ask you to come back home with me."

"But father kicked me out," she protested.

"Father won't live forever," Cayo said. "I'm already in charge of our business; eventually I'll be the head of the household."

"But what would I do when I came back?" she asked.

"I would make you the captain of one of our ships," he said. "Your experience as an adventurer and explorer would be invaluable to the fleet!"

Castilla was tempted and torn. One of her fondest dreams was to someday return home and be accepted by her family, but she had found a home with her friends in the FMH. She told Cayo she would have to think about it. "Very well," he said. "I'll be in town for several more days to finish up my business. I hope when I head back home to Brills, you'll be with me."

Meanwhile, Justin wandered off to have a quiet drink by himself. While at the bar, a man approached him – it was Boh Hodgeson, son of Hob. "Can I sit down?" Boh asked. Justin gestured to an empty chair beside him.

"Did you come for some payback?" Justin asked. Boh shook his head.

"No," he said. "In fact, I wanted to apologize. For… you know. Messing up. After our fight at the Hot Pot, me and the guys got to thinking. We decided that maybe we were going about the hero thing all wrong. Leaping before we looked, you know. I guess we were causing as many problems as we were solving. We took a vote and decided to stick together, but we needed to re-evaluate our tactics."

Justin was impressed. "How's that working out for you?" he asked.

"Good and bad," Boh sighed. "We got a new ship. We got an official charter from the city of Areian. We're calling ourselves The Hunters' Legacy these days. That's all good. But, well, old habits are hard to break. I realized that I'm not much of a planner, myself. I'm more of an action guy – I see a problem, I want to jump in and solve it. Most of my guys are the same way. So it's tough."

"Sounds like your hearts are in the right place," Justin suggested. "You just need someone to direct your impulses. You already want to do the right thing, you just need to make sure you're doing things the right way."

"That's it exactly!" Boh enthusiastically agreed. "I talked with my dad about it, and he said that we should try to follow your example. So I have a proposal for you…"

"I'm listening," Justin said.

"I was wondering if you would join us," he said. "Just for a little while. To help us find our direction. I know you've got other duties, but…"

Justin smiled. "It's funny," he said. "I've been thinking lately that I haven't been the best leader for my own team. I've been wondering if I shouldn't take a break from them for a little while. It seems like we've been butting heads more and more often lately."

Boh chuckled. "You too, huh?"

"You have no idea," Justin grinned.

"Oh, I bet I do!" Boh laughed again. The two men talked for a while, comparing their adventures and their respective teams' foibles. Finally, Justin agreed to join the Hunters' Legacy. "But not as leader," he said. "I don't want that."

"Neither do I," Boh agreed. "I'll still be leader, but I need a capable second-in-command."

"I thought Tawny was your second?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, well…" Boh sighed. "Tawny's a great wizard, and if you need the s**t blown out of something she's the first person you should ask. But her leadership qualifications are not so sterling."

Thus agreed, the two men decided to bring both teams together later that day to announce the lineup change.

Meanwhile, Leth was out searching for rumors of adventure. Hopping from bar to bar, he met an old man with a thick beard, his face shrouded by a hood. For the price of a drink, the man said, "Have you heard that there's a group of adventures calling themselves the Fearless Monster Hunters?"

Yes, Leth allowed. He had perhaps heard of them.

"Apparently they're the children of a group of adventurers who sailed these waters fifty years ago, you see?" the stranger whispered. "Well, the old Monster Hunters made a lot of enemies, back in the day, and from what I hear some of those old enemies are coming back. I don't know if they're coming out of retirement because they want one last shot at glory, of if they've been active all this time, but word is that they're back – and they're gunning for the new guys."

Leth asked who was back and what they wanted, but the old man chuckled. "There's one place you could find the answers you're looking for," he said. "The place where the king wears the largest crown!" He began laughing insanely, and then there was a flash of bright light. When Leth's eyes cleared, the old man was gone.

The Dwarf called the barkeep over. "That guy who was sitting here," he asked. "Does he come here often?"

"First time I ever saw him," the bartender shrugged. "He came in about five minutes before you did. Found the shadowiest corner in the bar, ordered a beer, and then just sat there until you came in. I figured you knew him."

"Strange, very strange," Leth thought.

That evening, the heroes all got together. "So why did you call us here, Justin?" Illy asked. About then, Boh and several of the Hunters' Legacy came in. "What are those jerks doing here?" she demanded.

"I asked them to come here," Justin said. "That's the reason we're all here. Boh asked me if I'd join his team as his new second-in-command, and I agreed."

Both sides of the table virtually exploded. "What?" "How could you do this without telling us?" "I thought I was your second-in-command!" "Who's going to be our leader now?" "We don't want one of those jerks on our team!" "Why do you want to go off with those jerks?"

Boh and Justin managed to calm their teams down. "It wasn't an easy decision to make," Justin said. "But honestly, these days I feel I'm doing more harm than good as leader of the FMH. You need a new leader, and with me around that's never going to happen."

"And we," Boh told his team. "Are practically adrift. We've got the right talents and skills to be adventurers, but we don't have the know-how. Justin can bring that to the team."

There was some grumbling from both groups, but eventually they settled down and grew to accept the new situation. The FMH elected Leth as their new field-leader (with only one dissenting vote – Leth's!). Hob, happy that the two groups were now being friendly, brought them all drinks to celebrate.

"Now that that's settled," Leth said. "A bit of weirdness happened to me this afternoon." He explained what the old man in the bar told him.

"We should make a list of our parents' old enemies," Illy suggested. "That might give us some idea of who might still be out there, and who would be coming for us."

That wasn't an easy task, since the original FMH had been sailing the seas for the better part of a decade and they made plenty of enemies. A short list included The Riddle-King (who enjoyed leaving cryptic clues to taunt his enemies), Hilgar the Barbarian (a bloodthirsty troublemaker who seemed to show up virtually everywhere), the Necromancer Olfilion (who ruled an island kingdom of the dead), the Warlord X'Athis (whose raiders made life in the Morjiim Plains a living hell), and the Green Dragon of Illich (who was dead, but was rumored to have numerous offspring). There were plenty more, but those were the ones that sprang to mind.

Boh spoke up. "A month or so ago, we were out hunting pirates when we ran into a ship crewed by the walking dead! We managed to kill all of them and send the boat to the bottom of the sea, but before we did so we found something on the Captain." Tawny reached into her bag and pulled out a bronze amulet on a gold chain. It was an oroborus (a snake eating its own tail), clutched in two skeletal hands. Trouble immediately recognized it as the symbol of the Necromancer Olfilion!

"If Olfilion is back, it can only mean trouble," Illy said. "I remember stories my mother told about him. He had a fleet of pirate ships manned by his mindless undead slaves. The FMH sailed to his island to confront him, but were captured."

"How did they escape?" Chrissie asked.

"Um…" Illy looked embarrassed. "Apparently, the Necromancer fell in love with my mother. She used the opportunity to free the others. I don't know all the details (thank the gods), but apparently, the island was volcanic. The volcano erupted and the whole island sank under the waves, taking Olfilion and his undead army along with it."

"That would imply that he's dead," Leth said. "But with Necromancers, you can never tell. If he is back, it sounds like something we need to deal with immediately."

The FMH began planning to head out as soon as they could, to search the wide ocean for more undead pirate ships. The Hunters' Legacy said that they had another lead they were going to follow-up on. There had been tales told of an old abandoned church on an island far to the west where strange goings-on were reported. Before they broke up, Boh asked if he could have his journal back – he left it aboard the Endeavor when they lost it. It was a gift from his mother. Despite Illy's protest (she wanted him to pay to get it back), Justin told him he could have it. The groups broke up for the night and headed in their separate directions.

The next day, Kaira went to the Endeavor to find out if Captain Rackham needed anything before they set sail. But on her way back to Hob's, someone leapt out of a doorway and grabbed the Hobbit, throwing a sack over her head and dragging her into the alley. "What is the matter with you people?" a voice hissed in her ear. "You're going to search the entire ocean for a ship? What's next? Will you search for a needle in a hayfield? You have a perfectly good clue! Don't you know how this works? I'm going to give you a second chance, because you're new at this, but I advise you not to ignore me – do so at your peril!"

With that, the hands that gripped her arms released her. By the time she got the sack off her head, Kaira was alone in the alley.

Elsewhere in the city, a young warrior named Finnegan stepped off the merchant ship that had transported him here. He had come to Areian in the hopes of finding work (and possibly glory). He had a few half-remembered stories that his father had told him about a group of adventurers the old man had once traveled with, and rumor had it that those "Fearless Monster Hunters" were back.

He spent a few fruitless hours hopping from bar to bar until he ran into a fellow warrior by the name of Justin. Justin told him about the FMH, and where to find them, and Finnegan thanked him and headed off. He found Hob's Hot Pot without any trouble, and after waiting in line for what seemed hours, he finally made it in. It wasn't hard to find Hob, who mistook the young man for a vagrant at first. But after hearing the boy's story, Hob was delighted to meet him. "I didn't know your father," he said. "Magnus left the team before I came on. But I heard stories about him, and I'm so glad you came!"

Hob introduced Finnegan to the others, who welcomed him aboard. "Your father was a member of the original Fearless Monster Hunters," Illy said. "So of course you have a place with us."

"Besides," Leth told him. "We need another warrior to fill out our ranks."

"So when do we get paid?" Finnegan asked.

"Paid?" Trouble laughed. "We're not mercenaries! Nobody pays us!"

"Then how do we make our money?" he asked.

Trouble stared at him mutely. "We're adventurers," the big lizard said, as if that explained everything.

"What's the difference between mercenaries and adventurers?" Finnegan wondered.

"Well, mercenaries get paid to kill things," Trouble explained. "We kill things, then loot their bodies."

"It's sort of like working for a salary vs. working for a commission," Leth chuckled.

While they were discussing this, Castilla excused herself. She had some business she had to take care of. She quickly headed back to the Flying Maple and asked to see her brother. Cayo came out, happy to see her. "Have you decided?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, sadly. "I can't go. I'm needed here. I want to go with you, but I have a duty here. This is something I have to do."

Cayo looked hurt, but he nodded. "Then before you go, I have something for you." He sent one of his bodyguards out to fetch a large, metal-bound chest. He opened it and revealed its contents – silver ingots, coins, and tradestones.

Castilla's eyes went wide. "What is this for?" she asked.

"Your letter asked for money," he said. "You're part of the family, so this is yours." Cayo hugged his sister and told her that if she changed her mind, she could come back to Brills at any time and he would welcome her back. Filled with mixed emotions, she headed back to her friends.

That afternoon, everyone got back together and Kaira related her tale. "Sounds like that Riddle-King guy," Illy said.

"And it sounds like he's willing to escalate if we don't play his game," Leth agreed. "So let's try to figure out his little riddle."

"The king with the largest crown" could mean anything. But "crown" reminded some people of the crown of a tree. So what is the "king" of the forest? That was an easy one – the largest trees in the world are known as Flagoun trees. They grow hundreds and hundreds of feet tall and have a canopy that can extend hundreds of feet across. Unfortunately, they are very rare; only a handful are known to exist across the entire world.

However, Trouble remembered that there is a place in the city known as the Hall of Kings, which is supposed to be built in the hollow trunk of a fallen Flagoun. This sounded promising, so armed with this information, the heroes headed across town to find this Hall of Kings.

The Hall of Kings sits on the northern edge of town, about as far from Hob's Hot Pot as you can get and still be in the city. The heroes found it to be surrounded by a beautiful park, decorated with marble and carved wood pillars and towers, streamers and vines. Elves moved around the grounds in ones, twos, and small groups, chatting and laughing. Castilla went in first, hoping she might spot something interesting.

When the heroes entered the grounds, a young Elf detached himself from his group and came over. "Good evening," he said politely. "My name is Acastus. May I help you?"

The heroes told him they'd never been to the Hall of Kings before, and asked if he could show them around. He was more than happy to take them on a tour. The Hall of Kings is like an enormous museum, filled with artifacts from the history of the Elvish peoples. Acastus was friendly and chatty and knew all about the history of this place.

After several hours, he took the heroes into a great, white hall where statues of the ancient lords of the Elvish cities stood proudly. The marble statues were all dressed in the style of clothes they wore when they were alive, including their crowns. Halfway through the hall, Kaira noticed that one of the crowns was askew. Looking closer, she saw a sheet of paper stuck up under the crown. With Finnegan's help, she took the paper (and straightened the crown) and read it.

The paper had something written on both the inside and the outside. On the outside, it read:
There are three questions you must answer: First, who I am; second, what I want; and finally, how I plan to achieve my goal. Each riddle will contain a clue where to find the next piece of the puzzle. Who am I? Bide me and mark me, for sometimes I fly, sometimes I crawl, sometimes I race, and sometimes I pass you by, but I will wait for no man… not even the Fearless Monster Hunters!

On the other side, the paper read:
Oh foolish foes that stand aghast!
Learn now that soon you'll breathe your last
For now your doom upon you rises
I watch with glee your foul demises.
Let your feeble wits aspire
Initially as you enquire
Over me, your final foe
No more home again you'll go.

The first part of the riddle was simple enough to solve – "Time." Illy asked Acastus if there was a clock nearby, and he said yes. "It just so happens the Hall of Kings contains a rather ingenious water clock out in the garden – quite famous in the area. Would you like to see it?"

Kaira worked on the second riddle while they walked, and it didn't take long for her to decipher. The first letter of each line spelled out the name, "Olfilion." So they knew they were definitely on the right track!

At the water clock, they saw several Elves standing around scratching their heads and looking at the clock. The water didn't seem to be flowing from the top of the clock like it should be. Castilla climbed up the clock and found something resting atop it, blocking the flow of water – a stone tablet. Carefully, she took it down (getting drenched in the process) and brought it to the others.

As expected, the tablet had something carved into it. It read:
Ah, a clever piece of work, Monster Hunters. You have found my ruse! Well, I am a man who is always above-board. The next question you must answer is, what is my gambit? Plan your next move carefully, for I still have the initiative!

Below that, it read:
No dust on my bones, no stone at my head.
No wind o'er me moans in lament for the dead.
No grave dug with labors, no trees planted near,
Yet I rise with my neighbors. Let the living world fear!
We once sailed the waves, through the fog we did peer.
Now we sleep in our graves until called again here.

Again, the first piece of the riddle seemed fairly obvious. It referred to a game of some sort. They asked Acastus if there were anything like that nearby, and he nodded. "People come to the park to play games all the time," he said. "There are chessboards set up near the main gates." Castilla went over to check them.

They were tables of marble, black and white, where people could set up to play. Searching them all carefully (at least, the ones that no one was sitting at), she finally found one with something scratched into the marble. On the top of the table, it read:
A warm welcome to all as I bid them to stay,
But the host (not the food) is what's taken away…

And on the bottom:
Incoherent moronic flea!
Think that you're as wise as me?
Oh! Inferior concealment!
Guess my name or you're hell-bent!
Ornament of choicer line
All mixed up, oh foe of mine!

These two riddles seemed much harder, and the heroes puzzled over them for some time. It finally dawned on them that some of the lines of the second poem were anagrams of Olfilion the Necromancer! It also occurred to Illy that the first poem might be referring to Hob's Hot Pot. Sensing some urgency, she asked Castilla to run as fast as she could to Hob's and make sure everything was OK.

Styggiad joined Castilla, and the two of them made their best time across the city. As they approached the docks, they noticed that the streets seemed oddly empty, especially for this time of night (Elves being naturally nocturnal, they tended to take care of most of their business after dark). They also noticed how foggy it seemed to have gotten. By the time they reached Dock Street, the fog was so thick they could barely see three feet in front of them.

They were near Hob's Hot Pot, because Castilla could smell the unmistakable scent of his famous food. But over that, she smelled something rank -- the stink of low tide, mud, dead fish, and decay. It was then that she noticed the street was getting crowded again… but when she got close to one of the pedestrians, she was horrified to see his face – half-rotted off. It groaned horribly and reached out for her…

Meanwhile, back at the park, Illy cast a spell to speak to Castilla's mind. "Can't talk now!" Castilla nearly screamed over the mind-link.

Illy turned to the others. "We need to get to the docks. Now."

TBC!

Enforcer84

Sep 7th, '07, 09:35 AM

Nice! Was Justin's player swapping him out for Finnigan?
:)

teh bunneh

Sep 7th, '07, 10:20 AM

Nice! Was Justin's player swapping him out for Finnigan?
:)

Yep. :)

Enforcer84

Sep 7th, '07, 11:25 AM

Well handled. Now you have to have them fight eachohter and have Justin WHup him :eg:

teh bunneh

Sep 11th, '07, 09:31 AM

Castilla and Styggiad ran as fast as they could to Hob's. After nearly getting lost in the pea-soup fog, they arrived at the harbor, where they found the streets swarming with the shambling dead! "We have to get to the restaurant!" Castilla yelled, ducking under the grasping arms of one of the undead horrors.

The two women ran, zigging and zagging and dodging the slow-moving monsters. Finally, the reached the Hot Pot. It appeared that someone had tried to close the shutters, but they had been smashed in. Castilla jumped through an open window. Styggiad paused at the door to knock down a handful of zombies clustered there. Inside, Castilla saw a number of patrons and staff, hiding under tables. A half-dozen zombies shuffled around aimlessly, but as soon as the Jill entered they began shambling towards her, moaning horribly.

Castilla ducked, dived, and dodged around them as they congregated towards her. She ran into the back, where Hob's office was. She found the office wrecked, and spots of blood on the desk and floor. "Hob is gone!" she yelled.

"We have to get out of here!" Styggiad said, running into the office. "There's too many of them!"

"To the roof!" Castilla said. The two women motivated most of the patrons and staff to follow them. Castilla practically ran up the outside wall, and once at the top, she dropped a rope down for the others. Soon, a dozen people sat on the rooftop, peering down at the hoard of shadowy undead moving through the fog below them.

Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes ran as fast as they could (assisted by Chrissie's rousing marching song). They were nearly at Hob's when several figures stumbled out of the fog, moaning and reaching out.

"Trouble! Take Kaira and get to the restaurant!" Leth said. "We'll take care of this!"

Trouble grabbed the Hobbit and ran up a (mostly) empty alley, away from the army of the walking dead. Leth and Finnegan formed up and began slowly advancing up the street, cutting down zombies as they got too close. But the press of the undead was heavy, and even these two mighty warriors grew tired, letting a few of the monsters get too close and nearly getting dragged down. Illy used her spells to back them up. But one of the shambling dead got through and slashed Chrissie across the back, nearly dropping her. Illy quickly pushed Chrissie into the Ghost-Realm, where the undead (hopefully!) wouldn't be able to harm her.

Soon, Trouble found himself at the back door of Hob's. "Anyone there?" he called out.

Styggiad heard the lizard-man's voice through the fog and called back to him. "We're on the roof!" she called. "We've got wounded up here. The restaurant is swarming with the walking dead!"

"Just what I wanted to hear!" Trouble said. "Kaira, go help them. I'm gonna go kill me some zombies. Or, re-kill me some zombies, I guess..."

Before they split up, Kaira called on the power of her goddess and temporarily enchanted Trouble's weapon. Then the Hobbit climbed up to the roof and helped the injured while Trouble rushed into the bar at full-speed. His enchanted mace smashed through the shambling dead, reducing them to twitching corpses in a matter of minutes. Now that backup had arrived, Styggiad leapt down from the roof to help, but ended up getting too close to one of the hideous creatures and taking a serious wound.

Castilla climbed down along the wall to see what she could do to help. When one of the zombies got too close to the injured Styggiad, the fiesty Jill grabbed it with her tail and hurled it across the room. Then she spotted something – the zombie that she just tossed had a dagger stuck in its back, with a piece of paper pinned to it.

Avoiding the monstrous undead (and the kill-happy Trouble) by crawling along the ceiling, she carefully reached down and plucked the dagger out of the zombie's back. There was a note!

By this time, Trouble had finished off all the zombies in the bar. They heard voices coming up the street, and peered outside in time to see Leth, Finnegan, Illy, and Chrissie limping up. The street was finally clear; the danger was past.

Castilla handed the note over to Illy, who quickly read it. It said:

It appears that you have arrived too late to save your financier! What sort of creature took him away?

Before it was born, its skeleton
Did grow upon the land.
Then near the sea it grew and grew
Until its form was grand.
And though it swims upon the waves,
It died upon the sand.

"Obviously, it means a ship," Illy suggested. "Whoever took Hob carried him away on a ship."

"Then we'd better head to the docks," Castilla said.

Leth and Finnegan went out to try to track where the undead creatures may have come from, but there had been too many of them to follow any particular trail. It seemed that the undead creatures swarmed up from the edge of the water. Most of them headed directly towards Hob's, but many of the others simply shambled aimlessly up and down the street (perhaps to dissuade rescuers, perhaps to sow panic, perhaps to clear the streets of witnesses, or perhaps all three).

The heroes headed towards the Endeavor, still resting at dock. As they approached, a voice called out. "Stan' an' idennify yersels, er we'll open fire, sez I!"

"It's us, Shippy!" the FMH said.

"Quick, lads, get aboard!" Shippy called down, lowering the gangplank. He and the rest of the crew stared down at the FMH, nervously clutching crossbows, gaff-hooks, knives, and belaying pins. "There be 'orrible things aboot tonight!"

"We know," they told him. "That's why we're here. Have any ships come into dock tonight?"

"Nay," the first mate said. "Th' 'arbor master order'd th' docks closed when yon accurs'd fog rolled in, just past six bells. There've been nae ships in er oot since then."

"Maybe, maybe not," Leth said, peering through the thick mist. He thought he heard something out in the water – the creaking of wood, the lap of water, the tightening of lines... Then his keen eyes spotted something through a break in the fog – a ship, moving slowly out of the harbor.

"Prepare to set sail!" he called out. "Men, man the oars! We've got a ship to catch!"

TBC!

Susano

Sep 11th, '07, 10:08 AM

But isn't the Black Pearl the fastest ship afloat?

:D

matrix3

Sep 14th, '07, 01:41 PM

Always a joy to read. Thanks!

teh bunneh

Sep 17th, '07, 02:10 PM

The crew of the Endeavor broke out the oars and gave chase to the mysterious ship, barely visible through the fog. The other ship outpaced them easily, but soon the Endeavor came out of the harbor. Further from the shore, the fog dissipated and the wind picked up, and soon the Endeavor matched the speed of the other ship. Captain Rackham passed his spyglass around, letting the others see the enemy ship.

The ship wasrotted and barely looked sea-worthy -- yet somehow it still floated! Its sails were haggard, grey, and ragged, drooping limply from the listing masts. There were holes in the timbers, and the whole thing stank of rot and mildew. "It's a fast ship," Captain Rackham grinned. "But we're faster. We'll catch up to her before dawn, if that's your desire."

The Fearless Monster Hunters went into a huddle to try to decide what to do. They determined it was important they catch the enemy ship, because they weren't sure of Hob's condition (nor what the Undead horrors wanted with him). The Captain wasn't willing to risk his men in a fight with zombies, but the Fearless Monster Hunters assured him that that wouldn't be necessary. "Get us within boarding distance, then get away quickly," Leth told him. "We'll take care of the rest."

Thus prepared, the heroes waited. The enemy ship grew closer and closer, and soon they were able to read the faded nameplate: "The Black Rag." Captain Rackham put the Endeavor bare feet away from the enemy's starboard and the heroes leapt across, towards the waiting blades of a dozen Undead sailors!

The battle was hard-fought, neither side giving an inch. Leth quaffed a potion of flying that Illy had given him and swooped across the deck, harassing the zombie crew. Castilla bolted away from the combat, hoping to get below decks to find Hob before something happened to him. Trouble, Finnegan, and Styggiad fought toe-to-toe against the horrible crew, dropping many of them but taking several serious hits in return. Chrissie stood behind the warriors, urging them to fight harder and keeping watch for anything that might come up from behind. Kaira called on the blessings of the goddess to help her friends however she could.

Castilla opened the door to the Captain's Quarters and saw Hob, stuffed in a leather sack and hogtied head to toe. She also saw the two zombie crewmen left to guard him. "Help!" she cried, ducking and dodging the shambling dead. Leth swooped down out of the air and knocked one of the monsters over the side. As he was coming back around for another go, though, the magic that was holding him aloft suddenly winked out, and he plummeted into the dark water below!

Illy tried to run over to help, but got cornered by two walking dead, who nearly forced her overboard! Styggiad took a near-lethal blow, and Trouble rushed over to help her, while Finnegan ran to help Castilla.

Finally, the deck was mostly clear of the shambling dead. Finnegan pushed into the room where Castilla saw Hob, and was confronted by the captain of this accursed ship. "You'll die here, breather," he hissed. "And then you'll join my crew, forever…" His hand snaked out and grasped Finnegan's shoulder and the mighty warrior couldn't hold back his scream of pain -- it was like his very soul was being sucked out.

In desperation, Finnegan swung his sword, knocking the evil captain away. Castilla used the distraction to move past the fight and untie Hob. She was relieved to find the old man was still alive, though unconscious. She used her potion of healing to revive him.

Trouble and Styggiad managed to finish off the last of their opponents, and they rushed to help Finnegan. Illy ran to the edge of the ship and tried to spot Leth, but couldn't see him (luckily, Leth managed to grab hold of the side of the ship, and clambered through a hole in the rotten timbers).

The Undead captain tried every trick in his book to drive off the heroes, trying to terrify them into fleeing. But the FMH were stalwart and true. They knew that if they fled, this haunted ship would continue to prowl the high seas and make many other sailors into its victims. Bolstered by his friends' help, Finnegan swung his blade and chopped off the evil captain's head.

The rest of the zombies onboard immediately collapsed, and seconds later the heroes felt the ship stop moving and start sinking. They grabbed Hob and ran back to the deck, signaling the Endeavor to come pick them up -- quickly! They barely had time to climb aboard their own ship before the waves swallowed up the Black Rag forever.

Dawn had finally arrived, the golden sun peeking up above the horizon and filling the world with light. The heroes collapsed, exhausted, on the deck, happy to have gotten off that death ship in one piece. Trouble, elated with victory, sat at the edge of the Endeavor and watched the sea where the Black Rag had sunk. Then he noticed something else amidst the flotsam.

It was a bottle! He reached down and scooped it up. Inside was a piece of paper. As happy as a golden retriever, he rushed the bottle over to Illy and asked her to read it for him. The rest of the FMH gathered around, and she did so:

"Follow the star at which no eye can look toward the end of its course."

The heroes looked at each other. "The star at which no eye can look is the Sun," Finnegan suggested. The rest of the heroes nodded.

"West," said Leth. "We set a course west."

To be continued!

teh bunneh

Sep 17th, '07, 08:40 PM

Always a joy to read. Thanks!

Glad you're enjoying it! :D

Cardinal

Sep 18th, '07, 08:14 PM

Nice! Was Justin's player swapping him out for Finnigan?
:)

I'm loving these recaps!!! I think the campaign sounds like a blast.

Out of curiosity, what prompted Justin to swap to Finnegan? They sound like the builds are like for like (warrior for warrior)? Did Lonewalker want to give up being the leader?

Also, what world are you playing in? One of your own making or a published one?

teh bunneh

Sep 19th, '07, 07:50 AM

I'm loving these recaps!!! I think the campaign sounds like a blast.

Thanks! :)

Out of curiosity, what prompted Justin to swap to Finnegan? They sound like the builds are like for like (warrior for warrior)? Did Lonewalker want to give up being the leader?

I think that was his primary motivation, yes.

Also, what world are you playing in? One of your own making or a published one?

One of my own making. It's called "Temoris." I started running games in this world 25+ years ago, in AD&D. Shortly after Hero 5th edition came out, I switched it over to a Fantasy Hero campaign. I'm still tweaking it to my taste. ;)

teh bunneh

Sep 24th, '07, 01:09 PM

FMH Recap for September 22, 2007
After sailing through the day, the lookout spotted a small green island directly ahead. Night was falling quickly, and as the Endeavor sailed around the island, they spotted what appeared to be a small village on the coast. The heroes ordered Captain Rackham to weigh anchor, and they set out in the ship's longboat to see what they could find.

The small village was is a ramshackle place of wooden houses with thatched roofs, standing on pillars about eight feet off the ground. A dozen small fishing boats (none of which would be capable of traveling out of sight of land) were pulled up on the beach. It looked like a village typical of its type – not rich, but not impoverished either. However, it did look a bit rundown, like people weren't caring for their property as they once may have.

The town's streets were completely empty. Doors and windows were shut tight against the oncoming night, but it wasn't deserted -- Trouble smelled the scent of cooking coming from several of the houses. The heroes headed into town to see if they could see anyone, when a small window in what appeared to be the town common house opened and a man looked down at them.

"Hsst!" he hissed. "Are ya mad? Get inside, quick!" He opened his door and lowered a rope ladder to them. "Strangers," he said in thickly accented Kidbodish, once they were inside. "And well-armed strangers, at that. We've not seen strangers in these parts for near a year. Who are ya, and what brings ya to these accursed shores?"

Castilla and Trouble told him that they were the Fearless Monster Hunters, and they were looking for someone. "Can you tell us what's going on?" Trouble asked. "Why is your island accursed?"

The fellow introduced himself as Balty, and his Wife Marie, and their kids. He was a big fellow with one burly arm. The other arm was missing from about the elbow down. "Welcome to the Olvidado Isle," he said. "I run the common house here, since my arm doesn't let me work on the boats anymore. The village did OK for itself, until about a year ago."

"A ship came in at twilight. The men who came off of it said not a word, but headed straight into the jungle. There was an ill boding about them, like their air wasn't quite right, but no one got a good look at them. The next morning, the ship was gone and none saw it leave."

"Folks say the men who came off that ship headed along the coastline south, to the old fort, because a few days later one of the fishermen spotted the ship again, anchored off the point, and furthermore swore he saw people moving among the crumbled ramparts, repairing it!"

"It was then that the horror started. Men who wandered off too far into the jungle – trappers, woodcutters, and the like – disappeared. Same with fishermen and divers who went out too deep, or who rowed their boats out too close to the point. A few days later, Tomas went to put flowers on his wife's grave and found some bastard had dug it up! In fact, most of the town's graves were so desecrated. Poor Tom was inconsolable – he'd only been married a year when his wife took the fever and passed on."

"And it only grew worse from there. Now, we don't dare leave sight of the village, not even to collect wood, and there's not a fisherman in town who'll row out past the edge of the bay, and the fish are growing scarcer. And when night falls, we all rush home and board up our houses for fear of what might be lurking in the dark. Every family here would pack up and leave if only we had the means."

The heroes asked him about the old fort, but he didn't know much. It had just always been there. He didn't know who built it or why. It was a ruin, and had been for as long as anyone remembered. Back in the old days, sometimes children would sneak out there to explore, but there wasn't much to see – just a dilapidated stone fort with a tower and a stone quay that had partially fallen into the water.

Balty didn't know much more than that. He'd seen the ship, and others like it, patrolling along the shore, usually at dawn and dusk, but since that first day they'd never weighed anchor here in the bay. He didn't know the size, the crew, or the names of any of the ships – only that most of them looked like wrecks, but seemed to sail the waves well enough. The total number of villagers who'd vanished he put at about thirty – nearly 1/5 of the total population of their village! Number of graves robbed he'd guess was about the same or a little less. He'd never seen what it was that carried off the missing people (nor has any man now living).

He offered to let the heroes sleep on his floor that night – he wouldn't hear of them going outside now that the sun had set. After a restless night, Balty introduced them to the rest of the village. Most of the townsfolk thought the FMH were tradesmen, come to trade fishing hooks, iron knives, pots and pans, and the like for the pearls that the villagers gather through the year. They were a bit disappointed that that wasn't the case, but were happy to learn that the heroes were planning on investigating the old fort and the strange goings-on that had plagued their village.

Balty told the heroes that there were only two good ways to get to the old fort. The first was a trail through the jungle, which would take about a half a day to get there on foot. The second way was via the sea. The heroes opted to go there by foot, and Balty took them as far as the edge of the jungle. "No offense, sirs, but I've a family to look after," he apologized before he went back home.

The heroes headed up the trail, unmolested. But just as they got within eyeshot of the fort, they noticed someone reconstructed an old gateway across the road. The gate was closed. Castilla snuck closer and saw four dead bodies lying on the ground directly in front of the gate. They looked like dead villagers, perhaps some of the missing fishermen or woodcutters that Balty had told them about. She crept closer, intending to quietly open the gate, when suddenly all four bodies sat up and grabbed for her!

Trouble, Leth, and Styggiad immediately rushed to help. Castilla avoided the blows of the shambling dead and leapt nimbly over the wall. On the other side of the door, she saw yet another zombie – this one standing next to a bell, armed with a large hammer. He looked like he was about to sound an alarm, so Castilla swept her tail around his legs and pulled him off his feet.

The warriors formed a line to prevent the undead from getting past them and attacking the "squishier" party members. Kaira turned into a bird and flew to the other side of the gate to help Castilla – and just in time, too, as the hammer-wielding zombie smashed her in the stomach, causing her to black out! The Hobbit called on the power of her goddess to frighten the zombie away, but her faith seemed strangely ineffectual against it. Illy climbed over the wall to help as well. Seeing Castilla on the ground, Illy shifted the zombie through the Ghost-Realm and back again – this time, on the other side of the wall!

Trouble, Leth, Styggiad, and Finnegan finally managed to mop up the last of the zombies (including the one that Illy sent them), and the heroes were victorious. "Well, it seems we're on the right track," Leth said. "Let's get up to the fort as quietly as we can so we don't run into any more surprises."

They crept closer, keeping to the jungle so they wouldn't be spotted. When they got closer to the fort, they saw that the whole thing looked not at all like the ruin that Balty described. It was obvious that there had been a lot of construction work done in the last year or so. They didn't see much sign of occupation, but then Trouble spotted a figure moving on the top of the big tower, and two more standing motionless near the main door.

Leth told Kaira to change into a bird and scout out the place by the air. The first thing she spotted was two ships docked at the quay. Both looked like they were in bad shape – perhaps not as bad as the Black Rag, but pretty bad. There was no one moving around the docks.

As she few above the fort, she noticed several figures along the base of one wall – it appeared they were working on repairing a major structural collapse there. They moved slowly but with great purpose, and it was apparent even from that great height that they were more shambling dead.

"We need to get in there," Leth said. "But the main gate is guarded. I wonder if there's a back way?" He sent Castilla around back to investigate. She quietly moved past the worker zombies and finally spotted a small wooden hatchway in the back – probably where the inhabitants of the fort dumped their waste. Two by two, the Fearless Monster Hunters snuck past the worker zombies and crawled through the hatch. As they climbed through, though, they noticed something odd. Someone recently scratched something into the wooden planking. A poem…

Once the veil of death was named
Lasting, final, end of pains.
Full soon the art of wizards claimed
In part the freedom from those chains.
Loosed the tomb, and loosed the crypt
Invaded Death's own dreary hall
Out steps the corpse from slumber ripped
Now march my army, never fall.

"We're definitely on the right track," Leth said, catching on to the poem quickly. "The first letter of each line spells out the word Olfilion."

The heroes found themselves in a dark room that may have once been used as storage. Castilla took the lead, checking the single doorway to make sure no one was lurking on the other side, and then carefully opening the door. It led to what used to be a kitchen, but was now overcome with dust and ruin. They continued on through another doorway and found themselves in a long corridor.

The sounds of construction could be heard from one direction, so the heroes opted to go in the opposite direction. Castilla still in the lead, they crept quietly down the hall. Then she heard something – voices! "Where the hell is the Black Rag? Captain Onassis should be back by now!" the dry, husky voice said. Whoever it was, he was approaching! The Jill signaled the others to stop, and then disappeared into the shadows.

Illy quickly cast a spell to render all of her companions invisible, and everyone pressed up against the wall so as not to be spotted.
Confident of her ability to remain unseen, Castilla took a few steps closer to see who it was and to listen to what they were saying. An old man leaning on a cane was hobbling up the hallway, surrounded by a large group of the shambling dead.

"You see, of all of them Hob was always the most connected," the man said. "He kept track of all the others. That's how he arranged for this little "reunion junior" of his. I get Hob, I get everyone – names, addresses, closest relatives… hell, even ancestors! The whole deal! Once I've got their families, bada-bing bada-bang, it's a done deal – so long Fearless Monster Hunters, hello prize! The contest is mine!"

Then he stopped short, apparently noticing both Castilla and the other Fearless Monster Hunters. "Oh dear," he said. "It's you…"
TBC!

Enforcer84

Sep 24th, '07, 11:49 PM

Get the old guy!

SatinKitty

Sep 30th, '07, 04:22 PM

Great, as usual, Bill. I hope I get to Game with you sometime. Might you run at Gen Con next year ?

SatinKitty

Sep 30th, '07, 04:24 PM

Also love the "Pirates of the Carribean (sp?)" tribute.

Susano

Sep 30th, '07, 04:29 PM

Teh Bunnie's gotta come to HERO Con!

SolitonMan

Oct 1st, '07, 09:37 AM

Hello, I'm a newbie to HERO System, but I've been reading the boards lately and this storyline has been great! :) Sounds like your group has a lot of fun, Bill, I hope when I get one together we can have as much.

I've been reading this thread for a few days and finally got caught up, I really enjoy the way you incorporate various movie themes (The Seven Samurai, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Carribean) into your game. Great job, please keep posting! :)

Regards,
Dave

teh bunneh

Oct 2nd, '07, 12:24 PM

An old man leaning on a cane was hobbling up the hallway, surrounded by a large group of the shambling dead. "You see, of all of them Hob was always the most connected," the man said. "He kept track of all the others. That's how he arranged for this little "reunion junior" of his. I get Hob, I get everyone – names, addresses, closest relatives… hell, even ancestors! The whole deal! Once I've got their families, bada-bing bada-bang, it's a done deal – so long Fearless Monster Hunters, hello prize! The contest is mine!"

Then he stopped short, apparently noticing both Castilla and the other Fearless Monster Hunters. "Oh dear," he said. "It's you…"

The battle was joined! Trouble rushed up to attack the undead monsters. Leth advanced in a more cautious manner. Castilla climbed up the wall in order to escape the reach of the horrors. Finnegan and Styggiad moved up to support the others. Kaira enchanted Trouble's mace and Chrissie began singing to bolster the heroes' strength.

Olfilion moved back behind his minions, who moved into defensive positions, blocking the hallway. These creatures seemed considerably tougher than the ones the heroes had fought before.

Illy cast a spell on Leth, causing him to grow to enormous size and strength. He picked up Finnegan in one hand and hurled him at the necromancer. Finn, though surprised by this maneuver, managed to roll and get to his feet. He struck Olfilion with his sword, and the necromancer retaliated with a spell that drained away a part of the warrior's precious life force!

Castilla scurried along the ceiling and managed to light two of the zombies on fire. Unfortunately, they didn't react as a normal person would, and kept attacking blindly. Illy teleported Leth to the other side of the zombie guardians, where he could attack the necromancer directly.

Only Trouble and Styggiad remained on the front lines, and one of the zombies got a lucky shot in on Styggiad, dropping her. Illy panicked and shot the zombie with a bolt of magical energy, inadvertently releasing the spirit of Wyssian within her. In seconds, her personality shifted and she began laughing riotously.

Olfilion, outnumbered, cast a spell and vanished in a puff of black smoke. Castilla heard a noise from an adjoining room, and suggested the heroes check there. While Chrissie, Leth, and Trouble continued fighting the zombies in the hall, the rest of the heroes broke through the wooden door and found the Necromancer again. He welcomed them warmly – with a blast of fire through the doorway, singeing all of them badly.

Castilla ran forward and knocked a table down on top of Olfilion, pinning him. Styggiad and Finnegan sprang over and pinned the master's arms to the floor with their weapons. Trapped, Olfilion began shouting, "OK, you win! I surrender! Stop stabbing me!" Castilla demanded he call off his goons, and a few seconds later the zombies in the hall stopped attacking.

Wyssian had an unorthodox idea. He remembered the last time the original FMH fought Olfilion. Illy's mother Plisianna managed to get past his supernatural defenses by using her feminine wiles, a feat which they hadn't been able to do via force of arms. Quietly, he cast a spell to give Castilla the idea that she should try to seduce the decrepit creature. "Maybe we should leave these two lovebirds alone for a bit," he suggested.

Finnegan was reluctant, not knowing what the necromancer might be capable of, but eventually he relented. The heroes left the room (making sure to keep Olfilion safely pinned beneath the table). About five minutes later, Castilla came out of the room. "He's dead," she told them. "And he answered some of my questions, too." The story the Jill related to the rest of the party was this:

She asked him what the "contest" was that she'd overheard him mention. "With the rebirth of the legend of the FMH," he told her, "Many of the company's old enemies are coming out of the woodwork looking for a rematch, or vengeance, or whatever. Well, with all these guys running around, someone is bound to step on someone else's toes, so we've made it into sort of a contest. Whoever wrecks you guys for good gets an enormous prize!"

So what was the prize, she asked, but he suddenly found himself unable to answer. He apparently had completely forgotten what it was, which confused and alarmed him. He also couldn't remember who was sponsoring the prize. "If you'd asked me five minutes ago, I could've told you, but now, it's just gone…"

Since she didn't seem to be getting anywhere with that line of questioning, she asked him who was in on the contest?

"Hell, who isn't?" he laughed. "All the big names from back in the day, even a few new guys I'd never heard of. Let's see… there's Hilgar the Barbarian (I have no idea how he's still alive. Dude must be like 110 by now!). There's the Warlord X'Athis. The Crimson Cabal. The Guild of Hexxus. Dr. Rohrbach and his minions. Fozwel the Great is in on it, but I wouldn't take him too seriously. Shaylarra the Sorceress of Shileen was there. Some new group called the Circle of Thunder. A Druidess named Nikki (yowza! I'd plant my sacred oak in her fertile grove any day!). Someone who calls himself Jade Eye; never met the fellow. That's all I know, I swear!"

"So," Castilla asked. "What do you suppose we should do with you?"

"One of the rules is, you get one try and one try only. If you fail, you forfeit the prize," he admitted. "The contest is over as far as my part in it is concerned."

"You're right. It is," Castilla agreed, driving her sword through his skull.

When she was finished, Castilla came out and related what she'd learned to the others.

Everyone groaned when they heard that Nikki the Vengeful was in on it.

Leth recognized one of the names – the Circle of Thunder was the organization that was smuggling drugs along the coast of Pasion.

Castilla recognized the Guild of Hexxus, a minor thieves' guild in her hometown.

Illy remembered Hilgar the Barbarian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth. He was supposedly killed by her mother Plisianna, just before Illy was born.

Illy had also heard of Doctor Insimus Rohrbach, a crazed wizard who bred and cross-bred monsters.

Trouble recalled hearing stories about Shaylarra, the Sorceress of Shileen. She was a cruel and powerful wizardess who controlled a town on the border of Morjiim and Korma – a tyrant who raided the surrounding lands and who enslaved all those her armies captured. She used this slave labor to build a great tower in her honor in the center of the town.

Trouble also knew of Fozwel the Great, a slightly demented would-be world conqueror with a... childish demeanor. The FMH ran into him on several occasions. He was brilliant in his own way, but the original FMH considered him more of a harmless crank than someone dangerous.

teh bunneh

Oct 2nd, '07, 12:27 PM

Susano

Oct 2nd, '07, 12:29 PM

Fozwel? *groan*

And since you have a Conan pastiche, you missed your chance for an Elric and Fafhrd and the the Grey Mouser ones.... ^_^

teh bunneh

Oct 2nd, '07, 12:31 PM

Great, as usual, Bill. I hope I get to Game with you sometime. Might you run at Gen Con next year ?

I don't know. I might like to run at Gencon sometime, but most of my games involve miniatures, and maps, and props, and all sorts of stuff. It's a pain in the butt to lug around just for local conventions; I'm not sure how I'd get everything on the plane to bring to Gencon. :confused:

Teh Bunnie's gotta come to HERO Con!

I'd love to, but it's probably not going to happen. :( If we go to any out-of-state conventions next year, it's going to be Gencon. Unless I win the lottery or something.

teh bunneh

Oct 2nd, '07, 12:33 PM

Fozwel? *groan*

Blame Bob Greenwade! ;)

And since you have a Conan pastiche, you missed your chance for an Elric and Fafhrd and the the Grey Mouser ones.... ^_^

I thought about an Elric ripoff, but it wouldn't be the same without a magic sword that "accidentally" killed all his friends. ;) And magic swords are rarer than hen's teeth in my world.

Susano

Oct 2nd, '07, 12:54 PM

I'd love to, but it's probably not going to happen. :( If we go to any out-of-state conventions next year, it's going to be Gencon. Unless I win the lottery or something.

Crud.... oh well, we can only hope!

teh bunneh

Oct 9th, '07, 08:54 AM

Back home in Areian, the heroes had a few days to sell off their loot and arrange for their trip to Brills. While Castilla and Finnegan were working on that, the rest of the heroes were approached by two hobbits (one man, one woman) in traveling gear. "We've traveled very far," they said, "To seek the aid of the Fearless Monster Hunters. We beg you, will you hear our tale?"

The heroes were (of course) willing, so the two Hobbits begin their story. "I am Abbo, and this is Thora," the young man said. "We come from a small, out of the way village north and east of here, near the north shore of the Ithykan Sea. A few weeks ago, our village came under attack. Normally, we would rely on our town sheriff to protect us, but just before the attacks began, he disappeared! We have come all this way to ask for your help in defending our village and our stock. Our village is small, but we are prepared to pay for your services!"

The FMH were intrigued, and asked the Hobbit to continue. "Thank you, heroes," he said. "Our village is called Honeybee Lane. Have you heard of it?"

Kaira had heard of it – Honeybee Lane is famous for its honey. She'd had a taste once, but it's pretty rare and quite expensive. Abbo was flattered that the druidess knew of their product. "Yes," he said. "We make the world's finest honey, bar none. We export it all over the world. It is served on the tables of kings, from Demoria to Kidbod. But just a few weeks ago…"

"It was horrible!" Thora cut him off. "They slaughtered our babies!"

This alarmed the FMH. "By babies, do you mean your children, or your bees?" Illy asked.

"Our bees," Abbo clarified. "An entire hive, wiped out. Decades of work, gone. And anyone who tried to help… well, Barry and Gary are still recovering from their injuries; thank the gods they weren't killed. And that was just the first time! Two more hives have been slaughtered, and who knows what's happened since we left to come here! We're not warriors," he went on. "We were reliant on Scotius to protect us, but with him missing, we have no choice but to call on you. We've heard your reputation, and we hoped you would help us."

The Fearless Monster Hunters indicated their willingness to help, but they needed a few questions answered first. "Who – or what – is killing your bees?" Leth asked.

"Yellowjackets," Abbo said. "Gigantic ones, mean as hades! Each one is as big as a cat! We tried to drive them off, but they are so aggressive, and so big. They caught the scent of honey and nothing would stop them! They killed every bee in the hive, then ate the larvae and most of the honey. After they were done, they left. A week later, they came back and did it again! And then, again the next week!"

"Yellowjackets?" Illy asked. "Didn't we fight giant yellowjackets once before? When we were dealing with that psycho redheaded druid?"

The rest of the FMH nodded. This did seem to fit in with Nikki's MO… and she had even been mentioned among the contestants that Olfilion had told them about. "Did your village have any strange visitors lately?" Leth asked.

Abbo thought about it for a moment. "Well," he finally allowed. "A wandering druid came through our village a week before the attacks started. We gave her some honey and told her about our village. She had long, flaming red hair, a leather helmet with deer antlers on the front, and a loud laugh. But she seemed nice enough," he said. "She even told us stories. That's how we learned about you guys!"

Kaira sighed. "Yep, that's her all right. Very well, we'll come to help you with your problem," she told them. The two Hobbits rejoiced at the good news while the FMH prepared for the trip.

The journey to Honeybee Lane was uneventful, and took about a week by ship. Once the FMH arrived at the port town, the Hobbits led them north, to the village of Honeybee Lane. Just before they got to the village, Leth split them up into teams. "If this whole thing is a trap," he said, "We'd best try not to all fall into it."

He sent Castilla in first, to scout out the area quietly. He, Kaira, Chrissie, and their guides would go straight into town. Finnegan, Styggiad, and Illy would remain outside of town, patrolling the area to make sure the heroes wouldn't be waylaid.

Unfortunately, the village was closer than Castilla had thought and she blundered straight into town. Embarrassed, she hung around in the town square until Leth and the others showed up. When the rest of the party came into the village, Hobbits swarmed around them, crying, "You're back! You're back!"

"Has anything happened while we were away?" Abbo asked. "Has anyone seen Scotius?"

"Scotius is still missing," one of the villagers replied somberly. "And there was another attack! We lost Hive #13!"

Abbo's face fell. "That's four hives gone," he said, turning to the heroes. "Now you see why we need your help."

"How many hives do you have?" Leth asked. "And how many bees in each?"

"Fourteen," Abbo said. "Well, only ten now, after all the attacks. There can be anywhere from 200 to 1200 bees in a single hive. After you're all settled in, I can take you over to see them if you like."

The tiny townsfolk were very gracious, showing the heroes to the biggest house in the village and telling them to make themselves at home. Apparently, this is the house that visiting merchants use when they come into the village to buy honey. After Leth's crew was settled in, Abbo took them on a tour of the village.

The town was pretty typical of its type – a small village of 350 or so people. The west of town was surrounded by enormous fields of clover, sunflowers, and other types of bright flowers. Just about every house in the town had large flower gardens out front as well. The heroes could hear the hum of bees everywhere.

"Why do you have so many flowers?" Castilla, always the city-girl, asked.

"Each type of flower produces a particular type of honey," Abbo proudly explained. "Honey made from roses tastes very different from honey made from clover, or from sunflowers, or from other types of flower. It's like different types of wine or beer, just a few subtle changes in the ingredients makes a very different product."

"Speaking of beer," Castilla said. "Isn't there a type of beer made from honey?"

"Oh, yes miss!" Abbo smiled. "It's called mead, and we make it. Would you like to try some later?"

Catilla happily agreed to try both some honey and some mead (lots of mead!) – after the heroes got their job here done.

The heroes then went to check Scotius' (the town guardian) house. It was a nice place, one of the larger houses in the village. It was neat and fairly Spartan, except for all of the animal and monster heads on the walls. "Scotius was an adventurer like you before he settled down here," Abbo explained. "He was a very powerful spellcaster, and he always kept the town safe. Until he disappeared, at least."

The heroes searched Scotius' office, but found little of interest. Abbo told them that Scotius frequently went on patrol around the village's borders to make sure no wild animals or people of questionable morals came in and tried anything. A day after the visiting druidess left town, he went on patrol and never came back. The villagers searched for him, but found no sign.

"Did Nikki seem attracted to Scotius?" Kaira asked. Abbo thought about it for a moment. "She did seem to flirt with him a lot," he said. "Not that Scotius would ever be interested in her – he's one of nature's confirmed bachelors. And I don't think he likes tall women much, either."

The heroes went into a huddle. "Odds are, Nikki kidnapped him," Kaira said. "Maybe because she wants him as a boyfriend, or maybe just to further bait the trap."

Leth agreed. "We'll assume she's holding him hostage. If she wanted him dead, the townsfolk would have found the body by now. She's not subtle."

After they finished looking through the sheriff's house, Thora took them to the hives, north of town, through a grove of fruit trees. The sound of the bees was overwhelming, and soon the heroes saw why – the hives themselves were enormous, each as big as a house, and the bees that flew in and out were equally huge. Each one was the size of a softball! Hobbit beekeepers moved in and out of the hives freely, not disturbed at all by the ginormous insects swarming around them.

"So this is why there's only 14 hives," Leth opined.

Thora agreed. "We could trade more of our honey, but we don't want to flood the market. Our bees make several tons of honey per year, but we limit our output. The rarity makes our honey, mead, and beeswax products much more valuable to the outside world. Also, each hive takes years of hard work to build up to a suitable size. Our village was growing prosperous, but now the losses we've experienced will take decades to fix." With that, she started weeping again. "Our poor babies," she cried.

"Where did these giant bees come from?" Chrissie asked, trying to distract the Hobbit from her sorrow.

"Oh, we are the first people (that I know of) to have domesticated the giant honeybee," she said, wiping her tears. "Giant honeybees are rare in nature, but not unheard of. They are not as gentle as normal domesticated bees, but we know lots of little tricks to keep them happy and productive. They're pretty friendly, if you know what you're doing."

The heroes went back into town to formulate a plan. "How often do the yellowjackets attack?" Leth asked.

"The third day of every week, like clockwork," Abbo told them. "Usually in the early part of the afternoon. It takes them a few hours to kill all the bees, and then a few more hours to eat all the larvae and honey."

Noting that today was the second day of the week, the heroes didn't have much time to plan. "Tomorrow around noon, we'll set ourselves up near the hives," Leth said. "Illy and Styggiad, and Finnegan will wait in the woods nearby, keeping an eye out for the attackers. We'll try to drive the yellowjackets off, and then the guys in the woods can follow them back to their nest. If we can find the nest, odds are good we'll find Nikki."

That evening, the Hobbits held a feast in the heroes' honor. They served a bewildering variety of foods, all of which involved honey in some way – honey-barbequed chicken, honey glazed carrots, honey-top bread, lots of mead, and honey cakes for dessert. After dinner, Leth snuck into the woods to find the others, let them know the plan, and deliver some plates of food.

The next day, Leth's crew prepared themselves to hang out at the hives. One of the beekeepers stopped them and said that if things got violent, the bees would go into a frenzy to defend their hives. To keep the heroes from being stung by the very ones they were trying to defend, the Hobbits rubbed the FMH down with beeswax, making the heroes smell like bees themselves. The (male) beekeepers took extra time making sure Castilla was fully rubbed-down. ;)

That afternoon, as Abbo predicted, the yellowjackets attacked. Finnegan spotted them first as they flew over his hiding place. He fired a shot at one of them from his bow, hitting it in the thorax, but it did not alter its trajectory. The aggressive insects swarmed over to one of the hives, and the heroes rushed to meet them.

Castilla bravely leapt in front of the main entrance to the hive, using her own body as a shield to prevent the yellowjackets from going in. A half-dozen of the enormous insects swarmed around her, trying to sting her, but she dodged and leapt, narrowly avoiding their painful stings. But one of them got through and jammed its deadly stinger into her shoulder. She cried out in pain as she felt the poison course through her veins.

Kaira, thinking quickly, cast an antivenin spell and Castilla's burning agony dulled to a sharp throb. Leth rushed over to protect Castilla, attracting the attention of several of the deadly yellow-and-black aggressors. Kaira and Chrissie tried to avoid the attention of the insects, but a couple of them flew over. One of them stung Kaira, causing her to momentarily black out from the pain. Chrissie, in a panic, unleashed her only offensive spell and managed to knock the yellowjacket unconscious! (Yay Chrissie!).

Finnegan, from the cover of the woods, fired arrows at the yellowjacket stragglers. Illy cast a spell that allowed her to "smell" the pheromone trail left by the hornets. "Come on, Styggiad!" she called to her sister. "We're going to follow their trail!" Styggiad reluctantly followed her sister. Finnegan, seeing that he wouldn't be needed to chase the insects, leapt into the fray, swinging his hand-and-a-half sword left and right, cutting through the swarm of flying insects.

Kaira, recovering, threw an enchanted wall up behind Castilla, so the hornets couldn't get into the hive. Castilla, no longer needing to block the entrance with her body, began attacking the beasts and managed to kill a couple of them. Kaira knocked one out of the air with an elemental arrow, and Leth and Finnegan continued slaying them by the bushel.

Despite a great number of losses, the yellowjackets continued to attack until the heroes killed them all, but finally it was all over. Styggiad and Illy had already left, so Leth ordered the others to follow them to the woods, leaving the Hobbit beekeepers to count the losses and clean up the mess…

TBC!

SatinKitty

Oct 13th, '07, 03:14 PM

As I said way back earlier in this thread when Nikki supposedly "drowned", all together now: "If you don't see the body, the Villain is not dead ! " This was a neat installment. Also your poor PCs don't have to be paranoid : everyone is really out to get them !

I wonder if this is Nikki's attempt at the Contest and she loses, will she follow the Rules and quit ? My guess is no !

Great work, Bunny. :thumbup:

teh bunneh

Oct 13th, '07, 09:38 PM

teh bunneh

Oct 15th, '07, 01:34 PM

Illy and Styggiad pursued the wasps' pheromone trail into the woods, followed closely behind by the rest of the heroes, but eventually she lost the trail – wind and/or time had dispersed it. Still, the heroes guessed that the yellowjackets had followed a straight line in the most direct route, so they continued in that direction to see what they could see.

Eventually, they came to a clearing in the forest. They immediately noted the large number of (normal-sized) yellowjackets swarming around the area. In the center of the clearing was a tall, leafless, dead tree. Something was odd about it… it seemed lumpy. Leth got a little closer and realized what was so off about it – the entire tree was covered in dozens of gigantic yellowjacket nests!

Kaira pronounced that such a thing was not natural, so the heroes thought they should burn the tree. But then they wondered if they might accidentally start a forest fire, so instead they decided to freeze it solid. Illy concentrated and formed a small thundercloud directly over the tree. The rest of the heroes spread out around the edge of the clearing as rain began to fall.

Suddenly, the air was filled with a loud buzzing noise, coming up over the trees. Six enormous yellowjackets flew up into the clearing, each one as big as a pony! On the back of one of them rode Nikki, laughing riotously. "At last you've come!" she screamed. "Now it's my turn to get my vengeance on you!"

Five of the giant yellowjackets swarmed in to attack, while Nikki's lingered behind. Illy cast a spell that shrunk Nikki's mount down to half its size. The psycho-stalker druid struggled to keep aloft, but she dropped something she was holding – a burlap sack, which tumbled down into the tall weeds beneath her. Castilla, well-hidden and not yet spotted, began sneaking around the edge of the clearing to try to find what Nikki had dropped (assuming it to be the missing Hobbit sheriff). Finn fired an arrow that skewered one of the giant insects before it had a chance to close, but then the rest of them swarmed in!

Leth squared off with one hornet and Finn did battle against two. Styggiad tried to get over to Nikki, but was intercepted by another giant yellowjacket. The final insect began chasing Kaira around, until Illy blinded it with a flash of bright light. Nikki, bereft of her perch, vanished in a whirlwind, only to reappear seconds later on the other side of the battlefield (right near Kaira). "Now I've got you, you little rat!" she sneered, laughing loudly.

The crazy druidess summoned an enormous air elemental. As a tornado formed around her, she laughed again. "Grab the little one!" she shouted. Kaira, thinking quickly, summoned her own elemental. "Keep the air elemental away from me!" she shouted, rapidly backpedaling.

Leth broke away from the fight with his yellowjacket and rushed to help Kaira. His axe bounced off of Nikki's defensive enchantments, but he did manage to distract her. "Kill the Dwarf!" she shouted at her elemental. The elemental paused and looked at her, wind whistling loudly.

"He's the short one!" Nikki sighed. The air elemental continued to stare at her. "Yes, I know they're all short…" she said, rolling her eyes. "The one who's shorter than the others, but not as short as the really short one… and… why am I having this conversation with you? Get that blasted runty Dwarf!"

She paused again as the wind continued to whistle and groan. "Oh… so now I'm a racist, is that it? Just… You know what? I'm not dealing with this right now. Just get him, already!"

By that time, Finn managed to kill both of the hornets attacking him, and he turned to help. Drawing his bow, he let an arrow fly directly at Nikki. Once again, her enchantments deflected it, but the attack took her by surprise. "I have no idea who you are, pal, but you are officially on my list now!" she yelled at him.

But by this time, most of her yellowjackets were dead, and the FMH were closing in around her. "Oh, you haven't seen the last of me, Fearless Monster Hunters!" she laughed. "I'll be back, and… oh, no, wait… I can't come back. Aw, Dammit!" With that, there was a concussive burst of air and when the dust cleared, she was gone.

About then, Castilla wandered up, bringing along with her a shell-shocked Hobbit. "Everyone," she announced, "This is Scotius, from Honeybee Lane. He told me the last thing he remembers was going on his daily patrol, running into Nikki in the woods, and after that, everything is a blur."

The FMH hunted around the area for any sign of Nikki, but the only thing they found was her abandoned campsite, some miles away. So they headed back to the village, a bit disappointed that they didn't catch Nikki, but happy that they had foiled her plan.

The people of Honeybee Lane were overjoyed to see the heroes back and to hear their tale. They hosted a great feast that evening, and the next morning they rewarded the heroes with a large amount of honey, mead, wax, and bee pollen. Illy arranged for much of it to be shipped directly to Hob's place, and began negotiations to let Hob be one of the village's distributors.

Then it was back to the Endeavor. The heroes were heading for the great city of Brills, hoping to find the Guild of Hexus and perhaps get an idea of why everyone was suddenly coming after them.

Castilla, Finn, and Chrissie would go ahead of the rest and try to ingratiate themselves into the Guild (posting as newly-arrived thieves); the rest of the heroes would come into town a week later with the Endeavor. Hopefully by then, the others would have some information…

TBC!

Enforcer84

Oct 15th, '07, 04:09 PM

Nikki needs help. I volunteer.

teh bunneh

Oct 16th, '07, 07:10 AM

Nikki needs help. I volunteer.

Just make sure you never even look at another woman. She's the jealous (and homicidal) sort. :eg:

Enforcer84

Oct 16th, '07, 07:46 AM

I can be subtle.

Enforcer84

Oct 16th, '07, 07:47 AM

...no I can't. :(

teh bunneh

Oct 24th, '07, 07:42 AM

Castilla, Finnegan, and Chrissie hopped a ride on a cog heading for Brills. Upon their arrival, they made discrete inquiries about the Guild of Hexus and quickly made contact with Ironbeard, a representative of the Guild of Thieves (who control almost all of the illicit activity in the area). They told the Dwarf they wanted to join an up-and-coming gang (the Guild of Hexus), and he just laughed. "Up and coming? You could do much better than those guys if you had a mind to," he told Castilla, but she insisted. "Well, if you want to set your sights that low, you need to go to the Aldea del Grimeo neighborhood and find a hole in the wall called The Pet Shop. That's where they hang out."

Castilla knew where that was and they immediately headed there. They found an impoverished, run down neighborhood. Many of the buildings were crushed and knocked over (a dragon had stomped through this area a year or so ago, but no one has ever bothered to repair the damage). The Pet Shop was easy to find, and the heroes entered. Despite the name, the place does not sell animals, though it certainly smelled like it could've.

All eyes turned to them. "What do you want?" a dirty, gangly youth shouted.

"We're new in town, and we heard about this up-and-coming gang," Castilla said. "We're here to sign up."

The gangers were flattered to be described as "up and coming," but they demanded a test of skill before they allowed the heroes in. One of the tougher looking guys stepped up to Finn and said, "You think you're pretty tough, huh? Let's see how good you are!"

The two of them stepped outside and, using wooden boards, attempted to beat the tar out of each other. It wasn't even a contest – Finn dodged the big guy's clumsy blow, then smacked him in the jimmie. The gangers were even more impressed and welcomed Finn with a toast.

The leader – a 40-something year old named Dante, then told Castilla she had to be tested too. He said they had a locked chest that they couldn't get into. If she could pick the lock, she was in.

She began to work on the lock, but a little feeling told her that something wasn't right. She carefully examined the lock and found it had a needle trap in it! Deftly, she disarmed the needle, then opened the lock. Dante was impressed, and said she'd make a good member of their little guild.

Everyone had a drink and Castilla asked what the routine was around here. "Do you guys have any big scores coming up?"

"Nah," one of the younger members sighed. "The Guild of Thieves (which pretty much owns this town) doesn't let up-and-comers like us take any big, profitable jobs. Greedy bastards!"

"Yeah, but we've got one thing in the pipeline," Dante said. "The Boss came back from a meeting recently with big ideas about how to crush a rival gang called the "Fearless Monster Hunters." They're rich adventurers. We steal their money, steal their cargo, steal their ship – that'll build up our rep (and our coffers) enough to be considered serious players!"

Most of the younger guys thought this was a waste of time and effort, being as none of them had ever heard of these Monster Hunter guys and who cares about them anyway? But none of them had any better ideas, so mostly they sat around the bar, drinking, gambling, and fighting.

The few times they went out, they mostly did simple muggings and shoplifting. Finn and Castilla went along with them to integrate themselves into the gang, and soon everyone was like old friends.

While this was going on, the heroes kept trying to figure out who the "Boss" was. Dante was getting orders from someone, but he never seemed to leave the bar. Eventually, Chrissie pointed out that he often went into the back room, where no one else was allowed, and frequently came back out with new orders. Finnegan wasn't sure about this theory. He thought that maybe Dante was the "Boss," and was pretending to take orders from another for some reason.

After about a week, Dante told the gang to get ready for action – he just got word that the Fearless Monster Hunters had just arrived in town. Secretly, Finn told Chrissie to go out and find them and let them know what was going on. She immediately set out on her mission.

Meanwhile, The FMH arrived in town at the first tide to little fanfare. Brills is the largest city in the world by an order of magnitude. Sprawling, smoke-filled, dirty, and dangerous, it is home to an uncountable number of people. Hundreds of ships enter and leave its docks every day. Barges are dragged up the shallow Flor River, bringing needed supplies inland. Caravans filled with colorful carts and laden wagons enter and leave the city via the Trade Road (to the east) and the South Road (to the south), carrying tradestuffs to every corner of the world. It is a busy, busy, busy place, and if you pause too long you're likely to be run over.

Leth wanted to make sure the local law was aware of their presence, so they set off in search of the constabulary. Before long, they found a couple of cops – beating up a guy. Leth approached them and they demanded to know what he wanted. "We're new in town," he said. "We wanted to introduce ourselves and..."

The officers cut him off, laughing. "Another idiot from the sticks," one of them guffawed, and the two of them walked off.

"I hate this city," Kaira said. "Let's leave!"

"No," Leth told her. "We have a job to do. Let's see if we can find a police station. Maybe the duty officer will be more willing to talk with us."

Eventually, they found the local guard tower. There was a long line of peasants outside, each waiting to file a complaint. The heroes shrugged and stepped to the front of the line. People protested, but seeing how well-armed the heroes were they didn't make too much of a fuss. The duty sergeant looked up at them. "What do you want?" he asked, obviously bored.

"We're the Fearless Monster Hunters," Leth said. "We're new in town. We're looking for a group of thieves who have apparently put out a hit on us, and we'd like to speak with your captain."

The sergeant rolled his eyes. "Listen, stumpy," he said. "You guys are new in town, so I'm going to be nice and tell you how things work around here. First, nobody cares. You're after some guys, some guys are after you, it's all the same to me. I don't want to see any bodies piling up, but you keep your weapons in their sheaths and there won't be any trouble. And believe me, you don't want any trouble. Second, welcome to Brills. Now, f**k off."

Illy gave the man a few silver pieces for his trouble (having heard that bribery is the custom here), and the heroes left. They found an inn and settled in to wait to hear from the others. The next morning, Chrissie found where they were staying and told Leth what they had learned.

Leth thought about it and then told the others his plan. "Chrissie, you get back to the Pet Shop by about 10:15. Tell the others that you saw us coming this way and that they should all get out of there quickly. Tell Finn and Castilla to watch where Dante goes and follow him – he should lead us to the big boss, and maybe even the boss's boss. We'll show up at 10:30 to roust any stragglers."

Chrissie headed off and quietly let Finn and Castilla know the plan. She then banged through the door. "They're coming!" she shouted. "We need to get out of here!"

"Assume battle stations!" Dante said (surprising all the heroes). The gangers jumped to defend their turf. Castilla and Chrissie hid in a corner, and Chrissie turned the two of them invisible so they could sneak around. Leth and the others burst into the room, and the Guild moved to fight. Illy cast a spell to blind almost everyone in the room, taking out more than half of the enemy.

Styggiad ran in, stabbing one thief in the stomach with her spear. Leth hacked another in the shoulder with his axe. Dante cast a spell and froze Styggiad in place. Finn (blinded), lashed out with his quarterstaff and caught one of the gangers in the stomach. Chrissie and Castilla crept towards the door of the backroom, but found it locked.

Castilla picked the lock and burst into the room, where she found a decrepit old man in a wheelchair. A nearby desk was covered in papers. "I knew you'd come!" he wheezed. "Sending me all these goddamned riddles – riddles, riddles, every damn day a new one! Tormenting me, taunting me, I knew it was you all along. All along!"

He pulled the blanket off his legs, revealing that they were both gone. "Your parents did this to me, fifty years ago, and now it's time for a little payback, you bastards!"

With that, a steel door dropped down over the only entrance to the building, and glass spheres filled with some sort of liquid dropped down out of the ceiling. When they hit the ground, they exploded in a burst of fire! Within seconds, the whole building was burning!

Styggiad, freed from the spell that held her, rushed into the backroom. She saw that the old man was laughing madly, despite being on fire. She scrambled through the flames to grab him and drag him out, through the smoke and the flames. Castilla, injured by the exploding flames, drank a potion of Ghost-Form and slipped out of the building into the street.

The thieves were all in a panic, until Chrissie jumped up on the bar and ordered them to be quiet and listen. They did so immediately (as did the members of her own team!). Gasping in the thick smoke, she ordered everyone to try to bash a hole in the wall in order for everyone to escape.

Leth rushed to one of the outside walls and began hacking at it with his axe. A handful of thieves ran over to help. Other members of the Guild tried to put out the flames, but the dry wooden building was going up too quickly. Illy summoned a group of small water elementals, who tragically died (well… evaporated) while putting out a fire near her. However, this gave her enough breathing room to use her magic to cause the wall next to her to collapse!

"Everyone, this way!" she shouted, but those on the other side of the building were cut off from her by the fire. Finn grabbed a couple of gangers (passed out from the smoke) and dragged them out, then prepared to go back in. Leth and his crew continued chopping at the walls – which were not the simple waddle and daub they appeared to be, but were reinforced stone covered with mud! Finally, they managed to make a big enough hole and began crawling through.

Chrissie, by this time, had succumbed to the smoke, but Dante found her unconscious form in the darkness and dragged her toward the exit. Leth and Finn rushed back into the burning building to make sure no one was left, and managed to drag out the last of the Guild just before the building came down.

The Guild of Hexus were grateful that the heroes saved them, and were confused and angry that their boss tried to kill them. After questioning them, the FMH learned the whole story:

Dante was a down-on-his-luck thief (he flunked out of wizard's school at a young age) who didn’t have any good prospects, until an old man approached him with an offer to start up his own minor-league Guild. The old man was Hexus, formerly a great thief until a building collapsed on him and took his legs, and he was willing to finance the new gang. Dante jumped at the chance, and recruited this group of young ne'er-do-wells.

Despite a lot of big talk, though, the Guild of Hexus never did anything. They just sat around the guildhouse, drinking the booze that the old man supplied them with. The heroes deduced that the old man was drugging the liquor to keep the gangers pliant. Once the heroes came here, the old man meant to kill himself with fire – and take the FMH with him! That his own Guild would die too didn't seem to matter to him at all.

Fortunately, only one part of his plan succeeded – his suicide. The heat and smoke were too much for the wizened old man, and despite Kaira's best efforts he died there in the street.

The Fearless Monster Hunters didn't hold a grudge against the hapless gangers. "You were tricked just as we were," Finn told them. Leth and Illy asked if they would work as contacts for the FMH in this part of the world, "As long as you follow a moral code," Illy admonished. "No hurting people," she insisted. What was left of the Guild readily agreed (especially as the offer was greased with a little cash), and Dante declared the gang's new name was "The Hunters' Eyes."

Meanwhile, Castilla slipped away from the group and disappeared into the city...

Susano

Oct 24th, '07, 08:40 AM

So... these were The Pet Shop Boys???

teh bunneh

Oct 24th, '07, 09:14 AM

So... these were The Pet Shop Boys???

Sometimes you're better off dead
There's gun in your hand and it's pointing at your head
You think you're mad, too unstable
Kicking in chairs and knocking down tables
In a restaurant in a West End town
Call the police, there's a madman around
Running down underground to a dive bar
In a West End town

...But no. ;) The players asked what the name of the bar was. Of course, I had no idea. In a panic, I looked around the room for some idea and my eyes lit on our cats' pet carrier. "Um... It's called the Pet Shop," I stammered. :o

teh bunneh

Nov 6th, '07, 12:51 PM

FMH Recap for November 3, 2007
After the fire at the Pet Shop, the heroes retired back to their hotel to rest. A messenger came looking for Wyssian, so Illy left with him. A couple of hours later, the same messenger came looking for Leth and invited the entire group to go to the Marta family townhouse. Leth and the rest of the team followed him back to a large townhouse/compound near the docks.

There they found Castilla, Illy/Wyssian, and Castilla's older brother Cayo waiting for them. Castilla told them that she just learned her father recently passed away, and she wanted to go up to the family estate to pay her respects. The whole party was invited to go if they wanted. Leth shrugged and said it sounded like a bit of a holiday, so a few hours later they found themselves sailing up the coast.

The ride was uneventful, and after two days they arrived at the small coastal town of Marta. Cayo and Castilla took a carriage up to the family estate, leaving the rest of the heroes to carry their own luggage. Once there, the FMH were given rooms in the guest house (the most opulent digs most of them had ever seen!) and more-or-less left to their own devices.

Leth had the opportunity to share a drink with Cayo. He found the young man to be intelligent, quick-witted, and curious about the new team's adventures (though he himself would never want to expose himself to such risk!). "I've heard quite enough of my father's stories," he said. "I'll happily remain behind the scenes and take care of business the old fashioned way, thank you very much."

On the second day, after visiting her father's crypt, Castilla became ill and asked to go back to Brills. Her brother was quite concerned about her well being, and after speaking with her privately, arranged for his ship to take them back at first light. He seemed very upset by what she had told him, and informed the party that he had to stay here to "Take care of some important things."

The heroes headed back to Brills. When they got there, Castilla said she needed to go speak with her mentor/surrogate father Giorgio. Leth went along to keep her company. Giorgio ran his own fairly successful thieving organization, and he invited the heroes into his garden to talk. He looked older than Castilla remembered, but he still had a twinkle in his eye and a ready grin. "Tell us about the Riddle King," Castilla urged him.

"The Riddle King?" Giorgio said. "Well, back in the day he was a thief – a damned talented one, too. He could get into and out of anything he set his eye on. He could steal the axe right out of your hand," he said, pointing at Leth. "And you wouldn't even notice until you needed it for a fight. He was very, very talented," Giorgio continued, "But he wasn't very good."

"Explain," Leth said.

"Well, a good thief tries hard not to get caught. But the Riddle King? He made an effort to give people the opportunity to catch him. Everything he stole, he left clues behind, usually in the form of a riddle."

"What kind of riddle?" Castilla asked.

Giorgio shrugged. "Doggerel," he said. "Puns. Stupid word plays, usually. Kids' riddles. 'Which burns longer, a white candle or a green one? Neither, they both burn shorter!' type of stuff."

"Did he ever do any more sophisticated riddles? Poems? Anagrams? That sort of thing?" Leth asked.

Giorgio laughed. "No, never," he said. "His clues got tougher as time went on, but they were still they same silly kids' games. Why are you so curious about the Riddle King?"

"He's started a contest," Castilla said. "He's gathered up all the FMH's enemies (old and new) and offered a prize to the first one who kills us."

Giorgio was shocked. "Kills you?" he asked. "That hardly sounds like the Riddle King I know. He was a thief. A contest, maybe. That would fit with his sense of humor. But murder? I can't believe he'd hurt anyone; his greatest pleasure was matching wits with people, not killing them." He pondered this for a while. "Besides, he would have to be pushing a hundred right now if he were still alive. He never gave me the impression that he was an Elf…"

"Never gave you the impression?" Leth asked. "You don't know what he looked like?"

"No," Giorgio said. "He always wore a mask. No one ever got a look at his face. In fact… I wonder if I still have it?" The old thief began rummaging through some boxes and eventually came up with a moth-eaten scrap of cloth. "Look, it's one of his old masks!" Giorgio said, putting it on. It looked ridiculous on the old man. "Well, green's not really my color," he sheepishly admitted. "But you get the idea."

"So, what do you know about my past?" Castilla asked, changing the subject. "About my father? And why I'm the way I am?"

Giorgio didn't want to say much at first, but eventually he opened up. "When you were born, people were a little bit shocked. But Darkbloods aren't unknown in this part of the world, even among the nobility, and your parents tried to raise you as best as they could. But your dad was involved in a lot of politics in those days, trying to get the family name on the map so to speak. Politics in this town is rough, and people will look for any way to get an advantage. So he tried to keep you at home, away from people who would try to use you to harm the family."

"One day, he came to me with a terrible confession. He said that when you were born, he thought about killing you. No one would have been the wiser – crib death is all too common. But after everything he had sacrificed for you, I asked him, why would he tell me this now? He told me it wasn't about the politics. It was about where you came from."

Giorgio shook his head. "He told me that he had been cursed, years before you were born, on some unnamed island to the north. The Fearless Monster Hunters went there to stop some mad goddess from being freed from her chains. He somehow found himself alone, separated from the others, and that's when it happened. Some of the goddess' essence somehow merged with him. 'We slowed her down,' Roderigo told me. 'But we didn't stop her.' He thought she would come back, somehow using you as a conduit to this world." Giorgio shook his head.

"He wanted to kill you then," the old thief continued. "He knew he should, for the fate of the world. But he couldn't. He just couldn't bring himself to harm you. So he left you with me. He didn't trust himself any more, you see. He told me that I was the noblest man he'd ever known, and if anyone could raise you right, it was me." The old man wiped away a tear. "And that's the story of your past, Castilla."

Castilla hugged her mentor, thanked him, and went off to catch up with some of her old friends.

While this was going on, Illy went to meet up with Dante and find out if anything had happened in their absence. Turns out something had. "Apparently," Dante told her, "A caravan from Larosovia, moving along the Trade Road, was attacked at night by a huge winged beast. A woman who was traveling with the caravan – a Masubian princess named Anya Zaria Nadia Raminovich – was taken during the attack."

"The Masubians are up in arms about this attack against their princess," he continued. "They're threatening the Queen with war unless the woman is found -- and found quickly. What's worse is that several nobles have been siding with the Masubians, saying that the Trade Road has grown dangerous and is cutting off valuable trade from the east."

"Everyone knows that the Queen is in no state to fight even a limited war against Masube (especially given the precariousness of her position and the hostility of her own nobles). Word has leaked out that a reward is being offered for the return of the princess and the head of the creature that took her. That's when we caught wind of it. I thought that you guys, being monster hunters and all, might be interested."

Illy was, indeed, interested. "Try to find out everything you can about where and when it happened, and what people think is behind it," She told him. "Get the information back to us as soon as you can."

The heroes then began preparing for an extended trip into the desert, buying supplies and horses for the trip. A few hours later, Dante contacted them again. "We found out some more information," he told them. "According to the Masubian guards who witnessed the attack, they think it was a dragon that took the princess. And there's only one place around here to find dragons – the Lost City of Kaarn."

Finnegan had heard of this place before. For centuries, Kaarn was the nesting spot of a great dragon named Pyrolucidus. The dragon was killed by a great dragonslayer named Erom Soulskin some 30 years ago, and its body was left to rot. But rumor has it that Pryolucidus had hatchlings, and the hatchlings are still there in the ruined city. Soulskin supposedly still lives here in Brills, having retired many years ago.

"Furthermore," Dante continued, "There are other parties interested in this case. One of them wants to meet you before you set out."

Dante couldn't say who, except that whoever it was, was highly connected with the Guild of Thieves. He gave the heroes an address where the "interested party" would meet them, so Leth, Finnegan, Castilla, and Illy headed over there.

They arrived at a nondescript building in a working-class neighborhood. The building appeared to be abandoned, boarded up and unused, but Finn found a staircase in the back leading down into a basement. The shadowy basement was empty but for a large table and five chairs. As soon as everyone sat down, a hidden door opened up and a shapely woman dressed in black, with a mask covering her face, entered. She sat, introduced herself as "Petra," and welcomed them.

Castilla noticed immediately that the woman was wearing a very expensive perfume. She also noticed that the way the woman spoke, the way she carried herself, the way she moved, everything about her said that she was a devotee of the temple of Istar, goddess of love. The Demimondes (as they call themselves) are very politically powerful in this part of the world.

"So you're the Fearless Monster Hunters?" Petra asked. "Well, we have a monster for you to hunt. Surely you've heard by now of Princess Raminovich's disappearance? Our agents believe she was taken to the ruined city of Kaarn. We would like you to find her and bring her back here – preferably unharmed. We would also like for you to kill the creature that kidnapped her, and bring back proof of its death. If you succeed, you will be richly rewarded. Time is of the essence."

"How rich is 'richly rewarded'?" Finn (ever the mercenary) asked.

"Will silver trade bars be acceptable payment?" Petra replied. Finnegan nodded – if they were being paid in trade bars, it would mean serious money.

"How about a guide?" Illy asked. "And supplies for the journey?"

The woman considered this for a moment, and nodded. "We can supply you with a knowledgeable guide and enough supplies to get there and back," she agreed.

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Leth asked.

"Yes," she said. "There are other interested parties in this affair. Don't speak of it to anyone, especially Lord Raminovich's people. Your friend Dante knows how to contact us when you return."

The next morning, the heroes found a small, jumpy, dark-skinned man waiting for them. "I am Bennie, your guide," he told them in a quavering voice. He had a mule-driven cart with supplies in it and was in a hurry to get moving. Unfortunately, he knew little about what was going on except that he had to guide the heroes to the City of Kaarn, and he was not really that eager to do so.

Along the way, Chrissie told the FMH the legend of the City of Kaarn. "Nearly a thousand years ago, after Durom slew the Demon Morianis, the world had completely changed. This whole area was wracked by civil wars that continued for over a century. When the dust had settled, the great city of Kaarn, sitting in the Flor River Valley not far from the salt flats they call The Furnace, was the victor.

"Kaarn grew to be a mighty city, powerful and wealthy. Its temples were made of solid marble, its walls were 50-feet high and impregnable, its palaces were roofed in gold and gems. But the kings of Kaarn were debauched and cruel, famed for hosting bloody gladiatorial games in which innocent people were mercilessly dispatched for the pleasure of the crowd. Though the Demon Morianis, who never conquered this stretch of land, was long gone, it seemed as though his cruelty lived on in Kaarn.

"However, about 400 years ago, there was a great earthquake, which caused the river Flor to change its course. The city dried up; its fields no longer fertile, its people no longer able to support its insatiable appetites. Despite several belated attempts to shift the river back to its original course, Kaarn could no longer support itself and slowly, over many decades, died. The kings of Kaarn refused to believe that their reign was ending, and if anything their increasing poverty caused them to become more and more cruel. The final blow came when the slaves rose up and set fire to the palace. The slaves were slaughtered, but the city was finally abandoned. Today, the Great City of Kaarn lies empty, a crumbling ruin slowly being buried in sand.

"The earthquake was obviously punishment for their wicked deeds," Finnegan said.

"Nonsense," Illy disagreed. "Earthquakes are just natural phenomena." Everyone rolled their eyes at this obviously insane theory.

"Even though everyone knows it's there, few people are crazy enough to actually go to Kaarn," Chrissie continued. "Travelling there through the desert can be deadly, and once you reach the city itself… well, it's said there are the unquiet dead who haunt its streets, and of course the young dragons, who are supposed to be extremely territorial. There's also a story of a giant slug that comes up from the catacombs beneath the city at night and drains trespassers of their blood." Chrissie shuddered. "Maybe I shouldn't tell any more stories about Kaarn for now…"

Susano

Nov 6th, '07, 12:59 PM

Bennie?

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

teh bunneh

Nov 6th, '07, 01:21 PM

Bennie?

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Yes, played by Kevin J. O'Connor (http://imdb.com/name/nm0640413/), of course. :D

Susano

Nov 6th, '07, 01:23 PM

Yes, played by Kevin J. O'Connor (http://imdb.com/name/nm0640413/), of course. :D

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

TimC

Nov 20th, '07, 09:04 AM

Any chance of seeing the PC's sheets posted?

Great Story!

teh bunneh

Nov 27th, '07, 08:37 AM

FMH Recap for November 24, 2007
The heroes traveled along the Flor River Valley for about five days, then Benny had them turn northward. They left the fertile valley and entered the scrubby desert. It was hot and uncomfortable, but nothing like what they were about to encounter. After two days, the scrub brush and grass grew sparse, the air got drier, and the sun beat down hotter than ever. Soon they were on the edge of what Benny called "The Furnace" – a great salt flat hundreds of miles across. This was a land of death -- very few plants could grow, and the only animals that could survive here were the fiercest of the fierce.

"Travel for about a day east-northeast of here," Benny told them. "You will come to the ruins of the city of Kaarn, if you don't meet your death first. I've been instructed to wait here for two days for you to return; after that, I'm going home."

"Two days?" Castilla demanded. "If it takes us a day to get there and a day to get back, how's that going to leave us any time to find the princess?"

"Not my problem!" Benny protested. Leth and Illy threatened to leave the rat out here in the desert, and he quickly recanted his position. "Oh, I forgot. They said to wait for five days. Silly me!"

Leth demanded to know who really hired him, but he did not know. "I wasn't hired to kill you, I swear! Look at me, how could I kill anybody? It was a woman, a priestess of Istar who hired me. She paid in silver, and I did not ask questions!"

Satisfied that Benny was not part of the "contest" to kill them, they told him to wait here for five days – or else. He whimpered but did not protest too much, and the heroes set out toward Kaarn just after nightfall.

They traveled for about six hours through the desiccated landscape, then Kaira spotted a light. It looked like firelight, but it was impossible to see how big or how close it was. She transformed into an owl and flew towards the light to scout it out – wary that it might be dragon-sign.

In fact, it was not – it was a campfire, carefully stoked to avoid anyone seeing it. Apparently, a gust of wind had fanned it enough that the light reflected off the salt so that it was briefly visible for miles. She circled overhead and saw a small campsite, well-guarded. She counted four tents plus a larger pavilion. A pennant fluttered above the pavilion – a white dragon rampant on a dark blue field. She made note of the design, though she did not recognize it. Stealthily, she landed near the pavilion and hopped over to listen to the voices she heard coming from it.

"Do not worry my dear," a male voice said. "Soon this will all be over. Our uncle's plans will come to pass and you will go back home."

"Do not take me for a fool, Dmitri," a female voice responded. "I know that once Mikhail's war has started, he will have no further use for me."

"That may be true, but I may still have a few good uses for you," the male voice replied. "If you play your cards right, I can make you a very happy woman."

"Indeed, cousin," she said. "Nothing would make me happier than that." Kaira couldn't help but note the sound of dejection in her voice, though she hid it well.

Having heard enough, Kaira flew back to the team and related what she had heard. "I don't know what's going on," Leth said. "Politics and the dealings of kings and dukes are beyond me. But it sounds like we need to get the princess away from those people and get her back to the city as quickly as possible."

The heroes circled around the camp as stealthily as they could and set up their own temporary base of operations. By then the sun was rising, and with it the heat of the day really began to hammer on them. They hunkered down in what shelter they could find and debated their plan.

Finnegan recognized that the banner Kaira saw was indeed the Raminovich coat of arms. Everyone remembered Petra's admonition not to speak with or trust the Raminovich family, and they wondered what these people's angle was. However, they decided that they should avoid killing any of them if at all possible – the death of a Raminovich at the hands of a random group of adventures could spell war just as easily as the princess' death by a dragon.

And speaking of dragons, while the heroes were talking, Chrissie and Kaira began to grow agitated, nervous, frightened, and then terrified -- but they weren't sure why. Chrissie was on the verge of bolting when Illy grabbed her hand and pointed upwards. High up in the sky they spotted an enormous winged beast circling overhead. It was a dragon! Luckily, it didn't see them, concealed as they were in the ruins. After a while, it flew off towards the east and disappeared. Once it was gone, Chrissie and Kaira's terror faded. The presence of the dragon added a new wrinkle in their plans – was the dragon allied with the Raminoviches? Or were they hiding from it just as the heroes were?

The FMH decided they needed more intel, so Illy turned herself and Chrissie invisible and they snuck up to the camp to see what they could see. They saw right away that the guards were very alert – even invisible, one of them almost spotted the two heroines. They counted six guards on duty at all times, each of them hunkered down behind a ruined stone wall or chunk of rock. The camp was very well defended, and a frontal assault (in their humble opinion) would be suicide.

However, they also noticed that the north side of the camp – the side bordering the ruined city itself – was mostly undefended. Either the Masubians had some form of defense that couldn't be seen, or they didn't bother guarding that side for some unknown reason.

After much debate, the heroes came up with a plan. After the guards changed shifts, Illy and Finnegan (backed up by Styggiad) would creep along the north wall until they got close enough to teleport into the camp. Once there, they would grab Princess Anya and her cousin Dmitri and teleport out – hopefully before anyone was the wiser. Kaira would stage a diversion by sneaking into the camp (in owl form) and stampeding the horses. If things went south, Leth, Chrissie, Castilla, and Styggiad would attack the camp.

Against all odds, the plan worked almost without a hitch. Illy and Finn teleported directly into the pavilion. Illy cast a spell of blindness on everyone in the tent, then hypnotized Dmitri before he could say a word. Pliant to her commands, he stood motionless while she teleported the two of them out. Meanwhile, Finn rushed over to the Princess. "Who are you?" she demanded, imperiously.

"No time to explain," Finn said. "We were sent by the Queen of Kidbod to rescue you!"

Princess Anya told him that if he was here to take her away from her cousin, she would go with him. The two of them teleported out just as one of the guards regained his eyesight and rushed them.

Meanwhile, Kaira snuck into the stables, summoned a fire elemental, and told it to keep the guards busy (but without hurting them!). The elemental ignited the tent and stormed out, chasing the nearby guard away. The horses, already frightened by the fire, were easy to lead off through the camp – where they knocked down tents and sent men running in every direction.

The party met up in the desert and jumped on their horses. They knew that the Masubians would be in hot pursuit, so they rode hell-for-leather through the night. Come daybreak, they spotted a cloud of dust not far behind them, so they continued through the day. On the way, they passed Benny and his wagon. "OK Benny," they called out as they rode past. "You can go home now! Good luck!"

"This is why I hate adventurers," he muttered miserably.

The FMH rode until they reached the Flor River (nearly killing their horses). They hailed a passing barge and bargained for passage back to the city.

Now that the chase was over, they sat down to speak with Princess Anya and Dmitri. "There was never any dragon," Anya said. "My caravan was traveling along the Trade Road when suddenly we left the road and headed southward. I demanded to know what was going on, and Dmitri told me that there had been a change in plans. Our uncle was determined to start a war, so that Kidbodish allies of his could take control of the Trade Road away from the Tyrant of Brills.

"Dmitri told me that it would all be over in a few days, the war would only last a few weeks and then we would be back in Larsosovia again," she continued. "The pig, he thought I would marry him when we returned. He thought he would be able to talk our uncle into letting me live. But Mikhail is as smart as he is ruthless; he would never let me live once the war began. I am more valuable to him dead than alive."

They then tried to question Dmitri, but he refused to speak to them, instead hurling epitaphs like only "one to the manor born" could.

The FMH were worried about all these politics. They had no idea who was on whose side. They didn't even know if the woman who hired them was a good guy or not. They decided to contact Dante and ask him to set up a safehouse for the princess and her cousin until they could sort things out.

Finn took Princess Anya aside and told her that he would protect her from any harm. She promised that he would be richly rewarded for his service, but he realized that since she was so far from her homelands and her family, she was about as poor as a churchmouse. He didn't point this fact out to her, though.

When they got back to Brills, Dante and his crew were waiting for them. They took the heroes to a ramshackle inn and tried to make the princess as comfortable as possible. Leth and Castilla headed out to meet their contact, who was waiting for them at the rendezvous point. "Did you find the princess?" Petra asked. "Did you kill the dragon?"

"Yes and no," Leth told her. "She wasn't taken by a dragon – she was kidnapped by her own people, who were hoping to start a war."

Petra nodded. "That's what we thought, but we couldn't prove anything," she said. "Where is the princess now?"

"Not so fast," Leth said. "How do we know you're trustworthy?"

"You don't," Petra smiled. "All I can offer you are my assurances that my people have the best interests of Kidbod in mind. Our goal is to maintain the status quo, and a war would be bad for us."

"You'll forgive us if we don't trust you," Castilla said. "But we can't just hand the princess over to you, especially since we don't even know who you are. We want to turn her over to the rightful authorities – and that means the Queen herself."

Petra thought about this, then said, "Would you be prepared to lie in order to preserve the peace?" The heroes agreed to the lesser of two evils, so Petra continued. "The story we will weave is this: That Dmitri kidnapped the princess on his own initiative, without his uncle's permission or knowledge. He wished to gain power and glory in the inevitable war. This lie will preserve the status quo – Duke Mikhail will not risk implicating himself by contradicting this story, and his allies in court won't risk the loss of face and power by continuing to side with him." Leth and Castilla agreed that this was a good story, and went back to explain the situation to the others.

No one had a problem with this story (except Dmitri, but they didn't care about his opinion). However, Princess Anya had one concern. "My life will be worthless if I return home," she said. "And I do not know who I can trust here, in the courts of Kidbod. Uncle Mikhail's reach is long, and he is ruthless. Master Lochlan tells me that you have a ship. Will you take me with you to some foreign court where I will be away from my enemies?"

The heroes knew that to leave her here would be a death sentence, so they agreed to take her with them to Ariean when they left Brills.

Castilla spent some time making sure everyone would be properly dressed for their date at the Queen's Court. They gave the princess a veil, and they put a sack over Dmitri's head so no one would recognize them before they got where they were going.

At the appointed hour they headed for the palace, where they met Petra – no longer dressed in featureless black clothing, but instead royally appointed in a beautiful (and flattering) dress and glittering with jewelry. The men of the party could barely take their eyes off her, and even the ladies were fascinated by her beauty. Truly, this was a follower of the goddess of love (and lust). "Follow me," she instructed.

She led them through a maze of corridors, and finally opened a door. "Good luck," she whispered, ushering them in. They found themselves in a grand hall, filled with courtiers, guards, and nobles from every family in Kidbod. At the head of the hall was a massive throne, and sitting on the throne was a dark-haired beauty who could only be Queen Andrea, the Tyrant of Brills.

A man stood before the throne, making a passionate speech. "If the Sovereign cannot protect her own borders, she does not deserve her title!" the man shouted. Several nobles shouted their agreement. "The Trade Road – the lifeblood of your nation and mine – has become saturated with bandits, monsters, and dragons! Kidbod is the crossroad of the world – if trade cannot get through, if the east is cut off from the west, everyone will suffer! I demand a reckoning – and I do not stand alone in this!"

A pair of guards stepped out from the crowd and told the heroes to come with them. They forced the crowd to part and escorted the FMH into the center of the room. "Fall on your knees as soon as you are on the red carpet," one of the guards whispered. "And say nothing until commanded to speak." The heroes did so, and the crowd began to murmur at their appearance.

Duke Raminovich turned around and saw the heroes behind him. "What is this?" he demanded. "Does the Queen of Kidbod allow vagabonds and beggars into her court?"

The Queen's seneschal stepped forward and asked the heroes their business. Instead of saying anything, the heroes removed Dmitri's hood and Anya's veil. The crowd gasped, and the Queen smiled slightly. "The princess wasn't taken by a monster," Castilla said. "She was kidnapped by her own cousin, who wanted to force his uncle into a pointless war."

Duke Raminovich turned red with anger, but said nothing. The Seneschal turned to Princess Anya and asked if this were true. Anya stood and told the entire audience that it was all true, every word. She went on to tell them that her Uncle Mikhail had nothing to do with the kidnapping, and she was certain he would punish her cousin for his transgression.

The Queen turned to the Duke and asked if he was satisfied. He looked around and saw the support he had mere moments ago had dissolved like morning mist, but he managed to roll with it with admirable dexterity. "How dare you, Dmitri?" He demanded of his nephew. "My Queen, forgive my earlier words. I had no idea the boy would cross me this way! I beg your leave to bring him back home where he will be punished most severely!"

The Queen assented to this. "Furthermore," the Duke went on. "My poor niece has suffered such an ordeal that I must bring her home with me as well!"

"Such a decision is one the Princess must make herself," Queen Andrea said.

"Your Highness," Princess Anya said. "I came to your country as an ambassador and an envoy. I would be derelict in my duties to my people and to yours if I abandoned my mission so lightly. I wish to stay."

"You are free to stay or go as you choose, Princess," Queen Andrea said. "And you, Duke Raminovich, may leave my lands."

Raminovich's own guards came over to take Dmitri, and the Queen's guards escorted the FMH out of the throne room. Outside, Petra was waiting for them. "That went quite well," she said, smiling brilliantly. "Your payment will be waiting for you at your ship. Thank you very much for your help."

The FMH (with Princess Anya) immediately headed for the docks, where they found the crew of the Endeavor waiting for them. "A package came for you, just moments ago," Captain Kit told them. "We didn't want to take it aboard without your permission." He handed Castilla a key, and she used it to open the chest. Inside was a stack of silver trade bars, each stamped with the symbol of the Queen of Kidbod.

There are twenty silver bars, each weighing three pounds. Each is worth 300 silver rumees, for a grand total of 6000 silver rumees. Ka-ching!

Now the heroes have to decide, where will they head next?

teh bunneh

Nov 27th, '07, 08:40 AM

Any chance of seeing the PC's sheets posted?

Great Story!

Thanks. These sheets are not up-to-date (need to get everyone to send me their current charsheets).

Susano

Nov 27th, '07, 08:45 AM

Poor Benny. :lol:

teh bunneh

Nov 27th, '07, 08:50 AM

I had a horrible case of dice-lice that night. The bad guys failed EVERY SINGLE PERCEPTION CHECK I rolled, except one (where they almost spotted the invisible spies). The heroes' plan went off without a hitch because my dice were so bad. :lol:

teh bunneh

Dec 5th, '07, 01:34 PM

After spending a couple of days gathering rumors in Brills, the heroes set off back to their home port, with the Princess in tow. After they arrived, they headed for Hob's Hot Pot and told their mentor/financier about what had happened. Castilla told him that her father was dead, and he insisted that everyone toast the memory of a good man.

The next day, the heroes took the Princess to the Temple of Gaia to meet the high priestess Dulcinea, who welcomed Princess Anya to their fair city, and insisted that she attend a "coming out party" to meet and greet the nobility of Areian. The princess graciously accepted the invitation, which meant the heroes had to scramble to get themselves and their charge ready.

The party was in two days, so Castilla took the time to make sure everyone was presentable. On the night of the festival, they rented a carriage and headed for the Hall of Kings, where the party would be held. They were surprised to see the entire surrounding area filled with colorful tents, pavilions, carts, and people – it seemed like the people of Areian were looking for an excuse to party.

Finn played bodyguard all night long, following the princess and making sure she didn't get into any trouble. She seemed to be getting along quite well, spending time with priests and nobles alike. The rest of the heroes sort of mingled to the best of their abilities – Castilla found herself a boyfriend for the night, Leth and Illy were dour and grumpy, Chrissie met up with some musicians and formed a band.

At the end of the evening, Princess Anya told the heroes that she had been invited to stay at the villa of Lord Caspis, so they would no longer be required to stay with her. She expressed her thanks for their hospitality, and offered her assistance if they ever needed anything from her.

The heroes were now free to make their plans. They debated several ideas about where to go next – they wanted to be more proactive in tracking down the threats that they were facing. They really wanted to try to find out where the Riddle-King was hiding, because they knew that he was the real problem. However, they didn't have much information to go on. They decided that they should hit their most promising lead – the Sorceress of Shileen.

After several more weeks on the open seas, they arrived on the coast of Morjiim. Shileen is a town that exists along the nebulous border between the Plains of Morjiim and the nation of Korma, and is an important oasis along a trade route between the sea and the deep tropical forests of mysterious Lorrania. There is a town there, on the northern end of the trade route. It is a rough-and-tumble place, dirty, lawless and filled with scavengers and predators. It has no official name; most people call it Sand Harbor.

The heroes split up to search for rumors and possibly find a caravan heading south. Eventually, Leth learned that there would be a caravan leaving in a few days, and they would be making a stop in Shileen. Nobody seemed to think ill of Shileen – but then again, the moral fiber of most of the folks Leth talked to was questionable, at best.

As the sun set, the heroes began looking for lodging. Walking along a muddy side street, they witnessed what appeared to be a mugging. A young girl and her hand-cart had been accosted by five rough men. They were poking her with sticks and laughing while the girl begged them to leave her alone. The Fearless Monster Hunters could not stand idly by and watch this happen, so they rushed over to help.

"What do you think you're doing?" Illy demanded. The men laughed at her and told her to push off. She immediately cast a spell, subverting the will of one of them and causing him to stand staring blankly into space.

"She's a witch!" One of the men yelled. "Get her!" The remaining four men rushed over, but Finn stepped up to intercept. He clocked one mugger on the top of the head, dropping him into the mud. Leth fired his crossbow at the men's feet, as an incentive to back off. Styggiad moved forward to shield the girl from the toughs. Chrissie cast a spell, causing one of the men to become so terrified that he turned and ran for the hills (leaving a trail of urine behind him).

The last two men decided to exercise the better part of valor and fled back into the city.

Styggiad crouched down next to the girl. "Who were those men, and why were they picking on you?" she asked.

"Because they're a bunch of assholes!" the girl said, sniffling.

"That's obvious," Illy said. "Were they trying to rob you?"

"No," the girl responded. "I ain't got no money, if that's what you want."

"We don't want your money," Leth said, showing a hitherto unseen soft side. "We helped you because that's the right thing to do. What's your name, child?"

"My name is Suna," she said. "Those guys were trying to stop me from taking care of my mom, all proper-like, and now my cart is broken and... and... and..." Suna began to sniffle and was fighting back tears.

"Why don't they want to let you take care of your mother?" Illy asked.

"Because my mother was a witch," the girl said, angry and defiant. "She helped people when they asked, if they had the pox she'd give them a cure or if they wanted their fortune read they'd come to her, but try to go out and buy some food or just walk down the street and everyone would treat her like crap! And now they won't let me take care of her proper-like and they said I should just feed her to the crows!"

Finn told the others that Witches are a type of rural wizard who specialize in potions and elixirs. They're relatively common in his homelands (though seldom seen elsewhere). Many common folk regard them poorly, treating them with suspicion, fear, or even, sometimes, violence.

Castilla decided that she didn't want to frighten the girl, so she told the others that she was going to find them a place to stay. After she was out of sight, she snuck back to where they were and, from concealment, watched.

Meanwhile, Finn went over to inspect the cart. The wheel had broken completely off. He figured it was repairable, but beyond his meager skills. He checked to see what was in the cart, and found the body of an older woman. He called Leth over to take a look.

"Suna," the Dwarf called over. "We'd be honored to help you bury your mother. Show us the way to the burial ground and we'll help you give her a proper sending-off."

At that, the girl began to bawl. "I have to do it before dawn or her spirit won't be able to go to the happy place and demons will eat her and she'll be gone forever and..."

Chrissie took the girl in her arms to comfort her. "It's OK, honey, we won't let the demons get your mother."

Leth, Finn, and Styggiad took up the woman's body and, led by the girl, carried her out of the city and into the plains. Castilla stealthily followed, staying hidden the whole way. It was after dark by the time they got to their destination -- a tall hill with a stone platform at the crown. Carefully, they laid her mortal remains on the slab and stacked brush around her. It felt like a storm was approaching, a cold wind whipping up from the north, so they worked as quickly as they could.

Kaira began giving a benediction while Finn worked at getting the fire lit. However, every time he managed to get the kindling going, a strong gust of wind blew past and scattered his tiny fire. Illy felt like something was wrong, so she shifted her perception to see into the Ghost-Realm and was alarmed at what she found. There were a good dozen or so shapeless creatures lurking around the darkness, preventing the fire from being lit.

Illy immediately threw up a barrier to prevent the wind from disturbing Finn's work, and he finally got the fire lit. It was soon beginning to catch, but suddenly, the wind shifted again, taking the form of a half-dozen man-sized dust devils which quickly grew and solidified into hideous fanged creatures made out of sand!

The heroes rushed to defend the pyre. Illy threw up a magical barrier to prevent the monsters from getting close to the girl. Finn, Leth, and Styggiad interposed themselves between the beasts and the rest of the team. Chrissie started singing a heroic song, but suddenly realized what the creatures were. "They're imps – minor demons!" she cried. "Only magic can harm them!"

Kaira heard and rushed over to Finn, blessing his weapon with the magic of her goddess. He took a swing at one of the creatures and sliced it neatly in half! But more creatures pressed on him, slashing at him with their claws and drawing blood.

Illy failed to move quickly enough and one of the demons sliced open her belly with its razor-sharp claws. With a cry, she fell to the ground. Moments later, she stood up and growled, "Oh, now it's on!" Wyssian had taken control of her personality once again.

Leth danced around the demons that surrounded him but found his axe was doing little damage. Kaira bravely leapt over the pyre (singeing herself in the process) and enchanted his weapon (which helped immensely!). Castilla leapt out of the darkness and knocked one of the demons over, but it responded viciously by tearing open her shoulder. Styggiad and Wyssian took turns pounding at it over and over again and finally managed to cause it to disappear.

Meanwhile, Chrissie was taking care of Suna behind the magical wall when another imp appeared directly in front of her. She bravely fended it off with her sword (taking several scratches) until Finn and Leth rushed over and double-teamed it.

The last of the monsters was gone, the sand that made up their bodies slowly blowing away in the wind. The heroes were catching their breath when Suna said, "It's not over yet..."

To be continued!

Enforcer84

Dec 5th, '07, 09:33 PM

Duh duh DUH!

MorpheousXO

Dec 11th, '07, 06:00 AM

The w00tness continues to w00t my w00ted head! :thumbup:

teh bunneh

Dec 11th, '07, 07:26 AM

Thanks! Sadly, no game this week. One of my players got sick, another had to study for finals.

MorpheousXO

Dec 12th, '07, 02:22 AM

Thanks! Sadly, no game this week. One of my players got sick, another had to study for finals.

Bah! That's no excuse, slackers! *grabs bull whip* You must Game for our enjoyment... NOW!!!! :eg:;)

teh bunneh

Dec 20th, '07, 10:27 AM

The last of the monsters was gone, the sand that made up their bodies slowly blowing away in the wind. The heroes were catching their breath when Suna said, "It's not over yet..."
-----

Barely a moment passed when the heroes heard movement out in the darkness, and felt a chill rise up that seemed to suck the very heat from their bones. There was a skittering sound, and suddenly the night erupted with a half-dozen hideous, spider-like demons!

Illysandri (technically, Wyssian) threw up several magical barriers to prevent them from attacking Suna, Kaira, and Chrissie. Leth strode forward to meet one of the spiders, and Styggiad sprang up to intercept another. Finn stayed near the spellcasters to defend them – and lucky thing, too! A spider came out of the night and crawled up over Illy's magical barrier. Finn struck it as it came up over the barrier, hacking it to bits.

Castilla, still hiding in the darkness nearby, tried to stop one of them but the spider managed to sting her. She fell to the ground, paralyzed with the spider's venom, and it began to drag her away from the circle of light. When Illy and Styggiad saw that, they rushed over to help. Kaira, at Chrissie's prompting, enchanted Finn and Leth's weapons to help destroy the demon-things and, with their newly blessed weapons, the two warriors made short work of their foes.

Another demon crawled up out of the darkness and attacked Kaira. Leth, on his way to help Castilla, turned around and charged the monster. He and Finn managed to finish it off. Meanwhile, Styggiad speared her spider to the ground and grabbed Castilla, dragging her back to the fire.

Soon all the monsters were dead or dying, and the heroes paused to catch their breaths. The dead creatures quickly dissolved into horribly stinky black goo. Kaira healed who she could – including neutralizing the poison that threatened Castilla's life. "They're attacking us in waves," Leth said, his soldier's instincts kicking in. "We have to set up what defenses we can, and post pickets, before the next attack."

"The ritual I have to perform will last all night," Kaira said. "Once the light of the sun touches the body, her soul will be free. So we have to keep this up until dawn."

Illy/Wyssian got busy putting up more magical barriers, while Finn and Styggiad patrolled just outside the circle of firelight. Leth stayed near Kaira, Chrissie, Castilla, and Suna to protect them if anything got past the outer defenses.

The next several hours were tense. Finn and Styggiad saw slippery black shadows lurking in the darkness, always just out of sight. The silence of the night was broken by sudden noises – footsteps, skittering, howls of some unnamable beast, even distant chanting. The heroes were on edge.

Alone in the black night, someone – or something – approached Finn and Styggiad separately, offering them their heart's desire if only they were to step away for a moment and let the darkness claim its prize. Both of them managed to resist temptation and refuse. "You may end up regretting your choice," the darkness told them, slipping soundlessly away.

Just before dawn, the noises stopped. The Fearless Monster Hunters braced themselves for the attack they knew was coming, and they didn't have to wait long! First, Illy's magical barriers began to fall, one by one. Then two enormous spiders (even bigger than the last batch), plus a dozen of the demonic implings rushed out of the darkness and attacked the pyre. Just outside of the circle of firelight, the heroes saw a woman directing the demons. She stood eight feet tall, with dark blue scaly skin and enormous bat wings. Her head was crowned with a pair of ram's horns and her razor-sharp teeth glistened in the firelight.

"I am Sevgi," she roared. "The Queen of Hell! Give me what is my due and I will allow you all to live!"

"Don't let her take my mom!" Suna wept.

"Go back to hell with you!" Leth spat, fending off three of the demon creatures. He was worried that the two spider creatures didn't seem to be doing anything; like they were waiting for something.

Castilla charged the demonic woman. Sevgi uncurled an enormous flaming whip and lashed the Jill across the chest with it, dropping her. Illy rushed over to help, but the demon had already grabbed Castilla and was using her as a sort of "human shield." Illy, thinking quickly, caused the ground underneath Sevgi to collapse, but the demon just laughed. "I have wings," she said, grinning evilly. She stabbed at Illy with her curved dagger, but it glanced off of the wild mage's defensive enchantments.

Kaira blessed Finnegan's weapon as he did battle with several demonlings. He managed to bring them down, though they clawed mercilessly at him. Then he noticed that Chrissie and Suna were under attack. He broke off from the ones he was fighting to go help them. Leth similarly moved to help Styggiad, who was likewise being overwhelmed.

Then the heroes realized what the creatures had done – with Finn and Leth distracted, the two giant spider-demons rushed forward and began pulling the charred corpse of the witch-woman out of the pyre. "Finnegan! Leave off that and stop the spiders!" Leth called to his comrade. Finnegan reluctantly left the women to deal with the demons on their own and charged the spiders, managing to drive them away from the pyre. Heroically, he interposed himself between the fire and the creatures, taking several stings but refusing to give an inch.

Leth managed to kill the implings he was fighting and rushed to help Finn. Between the two of them, they drove the spiders back into the darkness and managed to kill one of them. It was about then that Kaira, having exhausted herself casting so many spells in the evening, passed out. The enchantments faded from everyone's weapons, as did the defensive charms she had thrown up. Sevgi grinned. "Now, my minions!" she cried out. "While they are defenseless!"

But the tide had already turned. Illy freed Castilla by pulling her into the ghost-realm, where Sevgi couldn't touch her. Styggiad killed the demonlings that had been surrounding her, and Finn and Leth drove the final spider-demon back and then managed to kill it. Kaira slowly regained consciousness and used her time to say the last few words of the funeral ritual. Then, the first rays of the sun leaked out over the horizon. Sevgi saw that her mission was a failure, and snarled. "You've kept me from my prize," she said. "I will not forget this insult!"

And with that, she disappeared into the fading darkness.

As the golden light of the sun crept over the plains, the last of Uma's body was consumed by the flames. There was a flash of light, and it seemed like a beam of white luminescence shot out from the pyre toward the rising sun. The heroes, exhausted and hurt from the long night, felt a wave of contentment pass over them. They knew that they had done right.

They took Suna back to town, then found lodgings for themselves and collapsed into sleep. Because of the wounds they took, they wouldn't be able to safely leave on their mission for a few days – which was fine, because the next caravan didn't leave for Shileen for a few more days, anyway.

To be continued!

Bonus: Here's a picture of what they were fighting:
http://wrightsonart.com/forums/index.php?autocom=gallery&req=si&img=3182
WARNING: Pretty creepy. Not for the faint of heart nor spider-phobes!

matrix3

Dec 20th, '07, 10:54 AM

It looks like such a blast playing in your campaigns. Your players are so lucky! Unfortunately, I've already repped you too much...

Susano

Dec 20th, '07, 11:39 AM

Bonus: Here's a picture of what they were fighting:
http://wrightsonart.com/forums/index.php?autocom=gallery&req=si&img=3182
WARNING: Pretty creepy. Not for the faint of heart nor spider-phobes!

Cooool.

Bernie Wrightson for the win!

teh bunneh

Dec 20th, '07, 12:54 PM

Cooool.

Bernie Wrightson for the win!

Yeah, I think I pulled that pic off a link that you originally posted, IIRC. Pretty damn scary (and I like spiders!).

This week was just a bunch of fights strung together. Except where Sevgi (looking rather more human than she did later) found Finnegan alone and offered the mercenary a large sum of money to just walk away. He thought about it, but ultimately turned her down.

teh bunneh

Dec 23rd, '07, 01:11 PM

No FMH this week. Most of my players are on Christmas vacation. Will resume in early January.

Enforcer84

Dec 23rd, '07, 01:27 PM

boo:(

teh bunneh

Jan 7th, '08, 12:38 PM

FMH Recap for January 5, 2008
Due to some serious injuries taken during the fight against Sevgi and her demonic minions, the heroes elected to stay in Sand Harbor for a few days to recuperate. Leth began hitting the streets, trying to find out everything he could about the city of Shileen and its ruler, Shaylarra the Sorceress.

He learned that the city had once been nothing more than an oasis, a small stopping point on the caravan trail. Generations ago, the Sorceress arrived and, using enslaved elemental spirits for labor, built a great tower overnight. With her army of spirits, she conquered and enslaved several nomadic tribes in the area and where once there was nothing, there was now a town. The small oasis was transformed into a major stopping point along the caravan route, and it became rich from the trade that passed through it.

According to the rumors, the city is a major trading site for rare commodities from the south, and even to this day has a thriving slave market. The Sorceress still rules with an iron fist, rarely coming out of her tower. She is said to have legendary fits of rage, sometimes killing entire groups of merchants who displease her. From what Leth heard, the city of Shileen is in a perpetual state of gloom and paranoia from all this.

While he was off making these inquiries, he picked up a small shadow. "All right kid, why are you following me around?" he demanded of Suna. "Haven't you got some other family to go stay with?"

Suna glared back at him. "I ain't got no family 'round here," she said. "And even if I did I wouldn't want to stay here! This town is full of @$$holes and I ain't staying. I'm going with you."

"Oh no, you're not!" Leth said. "You come with us and you're liable to get killed." But Suna was very insistent, and Leth felt some responsibility for the child's well being. "All right, come with me," he told her.

Together, they went back to the docks and boarded the Endeavor. Leth left her in the care of Shippy while he went to talk to the captain. "Do you have any room on this ship for a cabin-girl?" he asked Rackham.

The Captain shrugged. "Never had much use for an apprentice myself," he said. "I assume you're asking for a reason?"

Leth explained Suna's story to Rackham. The Captain scratched his chin thoughtfully and finally said, "Well, I'll take her on for our next voyage. If she works out, she's got herself a job. If not, we can always sell her on the open market…" The Dwarf glared angrily at him. "Just kidding!" He laughed, holding up his hands defensively.

"If she doesn't work out, I'll find some other use for her," Leth said. The two of them went back on deck to find Suna and Shippy arguing vehemently.

"A ship ain't nae place fer no infant!" Shippy was yelling.

"I ain't no infant you wrinkled-up old prune!" Suna shot back.

"Well, she's certainly got a sailor's mouth," Rackham observed. "Shippy!" he yelled, interrupting the fight. "This is Suna. She's the ship's new cabin-girl. Show her to her bunk."

Since the Captain put his foot down, Shippy had no choice but to obey. "Do as the Captain tells you and you'll have a home here for as long as you need," Leth told Suna. She grumbled sullenly, but Leth could tell she was grateful in her own way.

Also during their off-time, Chrissie got Castilla's measurements, then went out and commissioned a new set of tougher armor for her. She presented it as a gift – "We don't want you to keep getting hurt whenever we get into fights."

Castilla protested that she didn't want heavier armor; it would just weigh her down. Chrissie told her that her two choices were to not get into fights, or to wear the armor. Castilla finally relented and said she'd wear it, but she wasn't very happy about the idea.

The heroes talked about their tactics once they got to Shileen. Leth thought it best for them to enter the town in disguise; perhaps Shaylarra wouldn't see them coming. Once in the town, they would quickly scout out the lay of the land and see if there were any good ways to sneak into the tower, then they would make whatever specific plans were needed.

Right now is a very busy season for caravans, as most of the seasonal nomadic raiders from the plains have followed their herds away from this area. Because of the decrease in raids there is less likely to be trouble from the Osirans, either. So it wasn't hard to find out when the next caravan was leaving, and to make arrangements to travel along with it.

After about a week, the heroes were ready to get out on the road. They purchased a nice used wagon and a sturdy ox so Castilla wouldn't have to walk and joined the caravan heading south. Most of the folks in the caravan kept their own counsel and the heroes were happier that way – once they got to Shileen they wanted to be as anonymous as possible.

On the third day out, while camping at a regular stopping point, the heroes heard something shuffling around out in the darkness. Finn and Illy were both feeling a bit travel-worn and ill, so they had gone to bed early. Kaira and Leth decided to go out and investigate the noises – it could be bandits hoping to raid the campsite after everyone went to sleep!

Relying on their ability to see in the dark, they snuck out over a dune when suddenly the ground began shaking violently. Leth leapt backwards, but Kaira stumbled and fell into a hole that wasn't there a moment ago. And crawling out of the hole was a creature straight from a nightmare – an enormous spider, as big as a barn, snapping and rearing at the fallen Hobbit!

The spider stung Kaira, but before the burning, numbing poison overcame her she managed to quickly cast an Antivenin spell on herself, negating the effects of the toxin. Leth leapt forward with his axe, but before he could strike he was shocked by a familiar sound – the Most Annoying Laugh In The World ™.

Oh no, Nikki was back! "Dammit Nikki, you know the rules of the game! You already had your try on us; you don't get another!" Leth shouted.

"Oh, blow it out your ear, stumpy!" she shouted back. "Who cares about those stupid rules? I'm getting my vengeance on! And what vengeance it will be! Look at my big spider, isn't he beautiful? I bet you've never seen a spider this big! He's gonna eat you all up! Nom nom nom!"

At the sound of combat (and maniacal laughter), Castilla, Chrissie, and Styggiad jumped up from the campfire and rushed over to see what was going on. Styggiad charged the thing with her spear, trying to get it away from Kaira. However, Nikki had it under her control and she was after one thing – vengeance against the little Hobbit tramp who stole her man!

"I did not steal your man!" Kaira protested, scrabbling to get away from the enormous spider's jaws. "You don't even remember his name!"

"That's not important!" Nikki screamed. "I'll remember his name some other time – right now I'm busy killing you!"

Meanwhile, Leth had run around behind the spider and was climbing up one of its legs. Styggiad was burned badly and Castilla's legs got wrapped up in vines when Nikki cast a number of spells at them, screaming that this was between her and the Halfling. "The rest of you will just have to wait your turn!" she yelled.

Then Kaira managed to blind Nikki with a flare of light in her eyes. Without her controlling it, the spider went after the most obvious target, Styggiad. The elf warrior took a shot to the head which knocked her to the ground, stunned, but luckily her helmet took the brunt of the blow. The spider started to pick her up, but Castilla stabbed at its face.

Meanwhile, Leth had managed to crawl along the thing's hairy back and get into position behind Nikki. While she was distracted, he hit her over the head, nearly knocking her off her perch! "No fair throwing Dwarves at me!" she woozily protested, trying to shake her head clear.

Castilla took Leth's idea and quickly clambered up one of the monster's legs. Leth grabbed Nikki around the waist and shouted for Castilla to pummel her. Castilla pulled out her father's sword and stabbed Nikki in the leg. The insane druidess screamed in pain and suddenly transformed into a hot desert whirlwind, which slipped through Leth's grasp and flew off into the night.

About that time, Styggiad recovered from the pounding she had taken. She leapt up at the spider's head and drove her spear straight into its mandibles and through its head. The spider shrieked and collapsed, dying. Styggiad stabbed it a few more times, just to make sure it stayed down.

At this point, the heroes noticed that a bunch of people from the caravan had gathered and were watching (from a safe distance). Once the thing was down, there was a smattering of applause and the merchants and travelers in the group seemed much friendlier after that – you tend not to worry so much about bandits on the road when you're traveling with a group of people that can bring down a spider the size of a bar!

TBC!

teh bunneh

Jan 7th, '08, 12:43 PM

This was an off-the-cuff adventure. Two of my players didn't show up (one due to serious illness, one 'cause he's still on vacation), so I couldn't run what I had planned (it involved some background stuff for the guy who was sick). But my other players still wanted me to run, so I just made up the thing with the girl wanting to go with them. When they handily circumnavigated that obstacle, I threw Nikki and her wierd giant bug obsession at them.

It was fun. :)

MorpheousXO

Jan 8th, '08, 10:27 AM

Kudos! Sounds like improv still works ;)

teh bunneh

Jan 16th, '08, 07:59 PM

No fights, and hardly any dice rolls this session! We just did a lot of that... what do you call it... "roleplaying" nonsense. How bizarre! :confused: :eek: :D

--------------------
After three more days on the dry and dusty road, the caravan spotted the small, walled city of Shileen. The Tower was visible from miles away, its dark silhouette dominating the sky. The caravan began to break up as it approached the town. Some people headed towards a small, colorful tent city just outside the city walls; others went to the main gate.

After waiting for an hour or so, the heroes made it up to the gate. The guards at the gate asked the heroes' business, informed them that there was a tax on any trade goods that pass beyond the city walls, and said that if they needed a place to stay in the town there were several fine inns in the Olive District. If they prefer to camp outside they can rent a lot for a quarter a day. If they planned to set up a booth or a shop inside the city walls, the fee would be one rumee per day. "Enjoy your visit," he said, waving them through.

Inside, the town didn't look at all like the oppressed pit of squalor that Leth had heard about. It looked pretty open, with different types of people coming and going. Just inside the gates was a large open-air market; people selling food, pots, knives, everything a person would expect in a trade hub. The marketplace was a loud and busy place, with people of every stripe going about their business. The heroes saw a wide mix of people – black skinned folk from the lands of Kish, riders from Morjiim, dark-eyed Istani, lighter-skinned Westroners, Lizard-folk, Weemic, and even a few Aardnolls here and there. The air was filled with the sounds of people doing business, the smells of food cooking, and many colorful sights. There were soldiers here and there, but nobody really seemed to be paying them any mind, and they weren't really doing much beyond keeping an eye on things – no blatant abuses of power at all.

This made the heroes a little paranoid. They started to set up a small stand amid the hustle and bustle of the market (to further their cover that they were simple merchants trying to sell their wares) when a pair of soldiers approached. "Have you paid the rent on this lot yet?" they asked.

Illy told them that they had not. They told her that rent was one silver piece per day (or fraction thereof). "Who do I pay?" she asked, and they told her that any uniformed member of the town guard would be able to accept the fee. Expecting that this was nothing more than an attempt to muscle a bribe from her, she then asked for a receipt. The soldier took out a small pad of paper and wrote out a receipt for her. Later, another group of soldiers came by and asked if the heroes had paid their rent for the day. Illy showed her receipt to them. They checked it and moved along – much to everyone's surprise!

The FMH decided to split up into teams to try to get a few different jobs done. Finn, Illy, and Chrissie stayed at the tent to try to sell their wares, but they had little luck against the far more aggressive merchants around them.

Leth and Kaira went to the Olive District to try to find a few rooms to rent. The Olive district is a little quieter and cooler, with tall trees providing some shade and a large fountain in the center of the square. The square is lined with inns, and various boys and girls all pressed the heroes to come stay at their inn. Kaira ended up choosing the most expensive place in town, The Flowering Lotus, and Leth grumbled about the expense but paid anyway. The suite had a nice view of the Tower, and pretty much backed right up against the garden wall that surrounded the Tower, making this an idea place to stage a raid when the time came.

Meanwhile, Castilla and Styggiad wandered around through the Copper District (the name of the big open-air market) and tried to catch the scuttlebutt on the city and its mysterious ruler. However, they had very little luck in learning anything useful. So they decided to head to the Tower and check it out.

The Tower is surrounded by a lovely Garden filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and herbs native to Kish, Korma, and Morjiim. The gates to the Garden are open all day and only shut after dark. Gardeners tend the plants through the day, gathering fruit and herbs when they are ripe. It seemed to be a nice place for young lovers to go, or folks just looking for a bit of quiet from the hustle and bustle of the streets to eat lunch or take a nap. Castilla carefully watched the Tower and noted that the only way in or out was a gatehouse with one large door and two smaller ones. The Gardeners used the smaller doors but no one seemed to use the large one. There were two guards stationed at each door, and they seemed fairly alert.

That evening, the heroes gathered together for dinner. After the meal was over, Mr. Hassan (the Flowering Lotus' proprietor) came over and engaged them in conversation. After assuring him that everything was satisfactory, they began chatting him up, asking him about the Sorceress and the town.

"Oh, we like living here," he told them. "The gods have been very good to us."

"No troubles? No danger?" they asked.

"Oh, the barbaric nomads have tried to raid the city in the past," he told them. "But they don't try that very often any more. Our guards and the Sorceress keep them away."

"Have you ever seen the Sorceress?" they asked.

"Yes, sir. Several times. She does not come out of her Tower very often, but when she does it is a big event."

"And what does she look like?" they inquired.

"Oh, she looks like a hawk, sir," he said, nodding his head. "A white hawk."

This confused the heroes a bit, but they decided to table the question for a while. "We've heard stories about how the Sorceress can have a bad temper," they suggested, trying to lead him a bit.

"No, no, she's always been kind for as long as I remember," he said. "Oh! I remember one time, years ago, some merchants from down south tried to set up a slave market right in the middle of the bazaar! They hadn't been open for business for a whole day when the Sorceress herself showed up out of nowhere, angry as a nest of hornets!" he exclaimed. "Killed each and every one of the slavers right then and there, and gave a speech about how the one law that no one was to violate within city walls was the buying and selling of men. It scared everyone in town. And you can believe word spread! Nobody has tried to sell slaves here since then, I tell you!"

This intrigued the heroes. "How on earth did she kill them?" they asked.

"I wouldn't know that, sir, as I wasn't there. But I do know that it was a bloody mess that took days to clean up, that's for certain!"

That night, after midnight, Castilla crept out of her room and slipped over the wall into the Garden. She prowled around for a while. The Tower was well-guarded, with six men at the gates and others patrolling along the Garden wall on a regular rotation. Other guards patrolled the Garden itself on an irregular rotation. Illy, in her room, found a small mirror and opened up a scrying lens to watch Castilla at work. On a whim, Illy tried to detect magic through the mirror, and saw that the entire Tower itself was warded with some kind of powerful defensive magic – though she couldn't exactly tell what it was. After a few hours of watching the guards, Castilla headed back to the inn.

The next day, while setting up their tent again, the heroes went over all the things they had learned the previous day. It was starting to look like they had gotten some bogus information – the town didn't seem to be filled with slavers and predators. The people didn't seem oppressed. The city watch weren't corrupt or depraved, and the people seemed to have a fairly good opinion of their leader.

This called for a new tactic. The heroes decided to send a few of their members as "ambassadors" to try to speak directly with the Sorceress herself. The others would remain in the city in case things went badly. Kaira volunteered to go, along with Chrissie and Illy. But while they were discussing this, they noticed that the people in the bazaar seemed to be growing excited. Something was going on.

Castilla went out to check and she saw a phalanx of guards approaching the market from the Tower. Among them was a very tall woman with black skin, dressed in a simple white skirt and sandals and wearing an ivory mask in the shape of a falcon. The Sorceress was an Osiran! The woman entered the marketplace and began shopping at the various stalls. The merchants were very polite and very excited that the Sorceress herself would deign to grace their humble shops with her presence!

After a while, the troops and the Sorceress approached the heroes' tent. "And what are you selling?" she asked in lightly accented Kidbodish. "Salt, your highness," Kaira said. "Salt, iron ingots, and tools."

One of the guards interrupted the Hobbit. "There are no kings nor queens in Shileen," he said. "You will refer to her as My Lady."

"Apologies, My Lady," Kaira said. "We are newcomers in your city. But I have something here that will interest you far more than salt," she said, pulling out the letter that the heroes had recovered from Nikki during their fight back at Honeybee Lane. One of the guards took the letter and showed it to the Sorceress.

"I would know more of how you came by this letter," she said. "Come to my Tower tonight for dinner and I will hear your tale."

That evening, Kaira, Illy, and Chrissie put on their best clothes and headed to the Tower. The rest of the heroes waited at the inn, prepared to act if anything bad happened. The trio was allowed into the Tower and escorted to a large dining hall, where a group of servants served them light appetizers and wine. After appetizers, the Sorceress made her appearance.

"Welcome to my home," she said. "I hope my servants have been treating you well. Forgive me for broaching the subject, but are you friends with Nikki?"

"No, we're not," Kaira confided. "In fact, we are the Fearless Monster Hunters; the descendents of the original Hunters who once confronted you, decades ago. We've come in peace to negotiate with you; we don't want any trouble."

The Sorceress laughed. "Oh, how delightful!" she said. "I am not interested in any trouble, either. You see, I am not the Sorceress of Shileen whom your parents confronted. That was my mother. In fact, I owe your parents a debt of gratitude for killing her and allowing me to become ruler of this city."

"You mean, you aren't the original?" Chrissie asked.

"No," the Sorceress laughed. "Most people think I am, but my mother and I couldn't be more different."

A light went off over Illy's head. "So… that must be the reason your reputation in far-off places is so harsh," she said. "Your mother was a slaver and a cruel mistress, but you – you're not!"

She nodded. "Having a reputation for cruelty is sometimes useful," she said. "Though other times I wish it were otherwise." She sounded wistful, almost lonely, as she said that. "But enough about me! Tell me all about yourselves. You," she pointed at Illy. "Tell me why your skin is blue. I've never seen anyone like you!"

The women talked late into the night, the Sorceress asking many questions about the heroes' homelands, families, and history. She seemed fascinated by every little detail, from cultural traditions to the types of plants that commonly grow in foreign lands. At first, the heroes were worried that she was probing for information that might be used against them, but the things she was asking about were so innocent – she never once questioned them about their numbers, their powers, or their intentions.

Finally, it was growing late and the heroes begged to be excused. She had the servants show them out, but only after they promised they would come back the next day for breakfast.

The next day, Leth and Styggiad joined the others for breakfast at the Tower, and were again peppered with questions about their homelands and their lives. Leth finally asked the question that had been on all the heroes' minds: What did she know about the Riddle-King?

"Oh, is that why you're here?" she asked. "Yes, I received an invitation to attend a big meeting on an island in the middle of the Sylvan Gulf. There were several others there – a liche, an old man in a wheelchair, that nice girl Nikki, a dragon, a few others. I didn't recognize any of them, really. The Riddle-King outlined his proposal and the others seemed quite taken by the idea, but as I told you last night I don't harbor your parents any ill will. Quite the contrary!"

"Do you know who he is?" Leth asked. "He's been trying to kill us all this time, but we have no idea who he is."

"I don't know," she admitted. "He wore a mask the whole time. I found it somewhat odd; I didn't think your people wore masks."

"My people?" asked Leth.

"You know, humans," she said. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

The heroes chuckled. It seemed that the Sorceress really didn't have much experience dealing with the mortal races.

"What was the prize that the Riddle-King offered?" Kaira spoke up.

"Nothing," the Sorceress answered.

"What do you mean?" the heroes asked. "These people are risking an awful lot over nothing, if that's true."

"I mean, he offered everyone their heart's desire," she explained. "But it was an illusion. I was not fooled, but the others apparently were."

"Why are you able to remember all these things about the meeting, when the others we've encountered have all forgotten?" Kaira asked.

"Oh, he put a spell on everyone to make them forget. Part of the illusion, I imagine. He tried to do it to me as well, but I am a goddess," she explained, waving her hands as if such a thing were trivial.

"Do you know where the island is?" Illy asked.

She shrugged. "Not really. I had one of my servants carry me there. I'm sure he could find it again if I asked."

"Your servant?" Leth asked, looking at the scrawny men and women serving breakfast.

"No, not them," she said, laughing. "These are my household servants. I mean Abdul. Would you like to meet him?" she asked. She clapped her hands and a cloud of mist rose up behind her, resolving itself into a blue-skinned, heavily-muscled man standing a good 12 feet tall.

"What is it my mistress desires?" he said.

"Abdul, these are my new friends," she said. "Go ahead, ask him to do something!" she told the heroes, obviously very excited.

"What should we ask him?" Illy queried, obviously confused.

"Whatever you like!" Shaylarra laughed. "He is capable of most anything. The laws of physics are just guidelines, as far as he's concerned."

"Maybe later," Illy said, obviously uncomfortable with the whole thing.

"Oh, all right," Shaylarra said, a little dejected. "Would you like me to show you my city?" she asked, brightening up.

She took the heroes up to the top of the Tower, where they got a panoramic view of the entire city and the surrounding lands. "I like to come up here and watch the people going about their business," she said, growing wistful once more. "I like to think they are happy with their lives."

The heroes stayed in town for three more days, each day spending time with the Sorceress. Despite her fearsome reputation, she was quite friendly and likable; lonely and perhaps a little misunderstood, not evil. After dinner on the third day, she asked Illy to go up to the rooftop gardens with her. When they arrived, she casually said, "I've never before seen a single person with two souls in her body."

Illy looked uncomfortable, and reluctantly explained about Wyssian. The Sorceress grew somber. "What he has done is a violation of the rules of life and death," she said. "I will hear his side of the story."

Wyssian's personality came to the fore. He cavalierly told her that what was done was done, for reasons she wouldn't understand. Shaylarra grew angry and told him to be quiet, then she reached over to him and pulled his spirit away from Illy. The two of them – Illy and the soul of Wyssian – stared at each other for a moment.

"Two spirits cannot share the same body for long," the Sorceress said. "One of you will destroy the other, or you will both be destroyed, or something even more powerful than you will possess you, subvert you both, and take this body for itself. Do you wish for this to happen?"

Both of them said no, vigorously! "The best solution is to cut the bonds that tie Wyssian to this world, and let him go to his final reward," the Sorceress said resolutely. "This is the way of all mortal men."

"No way!" Wyssian protested. "Do you know how much effort I put into staying here? Besides, I've done… questionable things. I'm not sure what my final reward will be, but I don't want it!"

Illy reluctantly agreed. "Despite being rude and bad-tempered," she said, "He is basically a good person."

"Hmm…" Shaylarra thought. "The thing that ties him to this world, his phylactery, is the dagger which he enchanted. We can place his soul into the weapon."

"Will he still be sentient?" Illy asked. "Will he still be able to talk to me?"

"Oh yes, I expect so," Shaylarra said. "And he should still be able to affect the material world, at least to a limited extent."

"Will it hurt?" Wyssian asked nervously.

"Yes," Shaylarra answered. "But it will be far less painful than the alternative."

Wyssian and Illy looked at each other. "We have to," Illy said. Wyssian nodded.

Shaylarra clapped her hands, and Abdul appeared alongside her. "You know what must be done," she told the Djinn.

Those few people still awake at this late hour were witness to a spectacular light show from the roof of the Tower, though none can say what was really happening there. Even Illy's memories are a bit hazy; all she remembers is walking back to the inn and collapsing into bed, asleep before her head even hit the pillow. She slept the rest of the day and through the next night.

That day, Shaylarra asked why one member of the FMH hadn't visited her yet. The heroes told her that Castilla had been injured and was feeling poorly. The truth was that Castilla simply didn't want to visit this strange woman. But the Sorceress insisted, and Leth went back to the inn to talk the Jill into going to meet the ruler of the city.

Castilla was surly and rude, but despite her bad temper the Sorceress had Abdul heal her injuries. This lightened Castilla's mood quite a bit. Shaylarra asked what lands she hailed from, since she had never before seen a woman with red skin, a tail, and horns before.

"I'm unique," Castilla said. "You see, my father was cursed by an evil goddess. The goddess placed part of her soul into my father in order to be reborn on this earth. And here I am."

"How terrible," the Sorceress said. "I wonder if Abdul can separate the evil spirit from your soul?"

"He can do that?" Castilla asked.

"Let's ask him," Shaylarra said, once again summoning him. The powerful Djinn stared deep into Castilla's eyes, his dark gaze boring into her very soul. Then he announced that he could easily do it. "Her soul is pure," he said. "It is only her body that is changed. It would be nothing more than a cosmetic procedure."

"Wait…" Kaira said. "If her soul is pure, then what happened to the evil goddess' soul?"

The Djinn shrugged. "That is not for me to know," he said.

"What about your brother?" Styggiad asked. "Could he have inherited the soul, and you just got the looks?"

"No way, that's impossible!" Castilla protested.

"But demons are masters of deception," Leth suggested. "Perhaps that was her way of throwing everyone off her trail?"

The concept was intriguing, and frightening. Castilla declined the Sorceress' offer, deciding that she liked being unique. But the idea that her brother might be under the curse made her nervous. "Leth, we have to get back to Brills. I have to see my brother again!"

The rest of the FMH agreed, and they headed back to the inn to pack their goods. The Sorceress was sad to see them go, but they promised they would send her word of their travels, and that they would visit her again if at all possible.

The next morning, they were ready to go. But before they left, Shaylarra presented them with a golden ring, set with a large red stone. "If you need anything, rub the stone," she told them. "One of my servants will appear. Though he has nowhere near Abdul's power, he will perform any three tasks you ask of him. Farewell my friends. I hope our paths cross again some day."

And with that, the heroes headed back north on the caravan trail.

TBC!

matrix3

Jan 17th, '08, 09:41 AM

Yay, Fearless Monster Hunters! :) I take it that Shaylarra was a bit of a "radiation accident" so that the Castilla and Illy could reconfigure some disadvantages?

teh bunneh

Jan 17th, '08, 12:32 PM

In the case of Illy, that is correct. She wanted to move some points around. I didn't expect Castilla to take the offer -- she's way too proud of being unique. :)

SatinKitty

Jan 17th, '08, 04:40 PM

Kudos for another cool couple of sessions ! I hope someone can rep you for them. :D

Enforcer84

Jan 17th, '08, 11:44 PM

Neato! Is this sorceress single? Lonely? Perhaps I can arrange a meeting with Magnyr

MorpheousXO

Jan 18th, '08, 12:38 PM

That was totally wicked awesome sweet!

As always. ;)

Cardinal

Jan 23rd, '08, 05:38 PM

TBC!

***cough, cough*** I believe the C in TBC is for continued... hint hint... cough cough ***

BTW, as if you couldn't tell from the subtle hint, I'm loving the recounts.

teh bunneh

Jan 23rd, '08, 07:43 PM

Sadly, no update this week. We didn't game. Instead, we had a birthday party. There was cake, so it's all good. :)

FMH will resume on the 26th, and there should be a recap sometime after that.

teh bunneh

Jan 28th, '08, 01:51 PM

FMH Recap for January 26, 2008
The heroes discussed what their next step would be. They finally decided to find the island that Shaylarra told them about and see if they could find any clues there. The sorceress showed them where to find the island on the map, and they headed out.

After a week on the caravan trail, they made it back to Sand Harbor. They wasted no time, boarding their ship and telling the captain to head north towards Ariean. After about a day on the open sea, they told him to change course and head due west, towards the island. They were hoping to throw off any possible pursuit by changing their destination.

After a week or so on the water, Leth spotted something in the air flying towards them. He sent Kaira out (in owl form) to take a closer look. She saw that it was an enormous yellowjacket, and there was someone riding on its back! On closer observation, she noted that figure on its back is slumped over and appeared unconscious, possibly injured.

Kaira flew back to the Endeavor and told Leth what she saw. The giant bug was coming up fast, so the heroes told the sailors to get below decks and got ready to fend off an attack.

The big yellowjacket spiraled in and landed on the deck of the ship, but took no hostile actions. The figure on its back didn't move at all; the heroes could see she was injured – there was blood caked in her hair, her clothes were badly burned, and she had an ugly gash on one arm. Cautiously, Styggiad and Kaira approached and gently took Nikki off the insect's back.

Kaira cast a spell and asked the bug, "What are you doing here? What happened?"

The wasp replied, "Find Fearless Monster Hunters. Find ship. Giant fire-bird attack." The yellowjacket then spread its wings and flew away.

Kaira knelt to examine Nikki. The crazy druidess' injuries were extensive and damn-near fatal. She appeared to have healed herself with her magic as best as she was able; that was probably the only thing that let her survive. Kaira quickly cast a healing spell of her own. Nikki's eyes fluttered open and she gasped, "Fearless Monster Hunters, help me…" then she passed out again.

Kaira had the others carry Nikki into her stateroom and set about cleaning her and stitching up her wounds. Her burns weren't too bad, but she had a gash on her head (and probably a concussion), and her arm looked like it had been nearly torn from its socket. Kaira sewed her up, then the FMH took turns watching her to see if she would wake up.

After nearly 24 hours, she finally came to while Leth and Chrissie were watching her. "Where am I?" she asked groggily.

"You're on the Endeavor," Leth told her.

"Where?" she asked, squinting at them. "Who are you people?"

"We're the Fearless Monster Hunters," Chrissie told her. "You were wounded and you came to us."

"Nonsense!" Nikki disagreed weakly. "I would never come to you people! I hate you!"

"Maybe, but here you are," Leth told her. Chrissie went out to call the rest of the FMH and everyone filed in.

"How did I get here?" Nikki asked.

"Your giant wasp brought you," Kaira said. "You told it to bring you here."

"No, I didn't!" she insisted. "I told it to bring me somewhere safe!"

"Yes," Illy agreed. "You knew, deep down, that you would be safe among us. We would never hurt you, especially injured as you were. Part of you realizes that we aren't your enemies."

"That's crazy talk!" Nikki said.

"Takes one to know one," Castilla muttered under her breath. Leth elbowed her in the ribs.

"You were hurt, and we healed you," Illy said. "Now we just need to know who hurt you. Was it the Riddle-King? He found out you broke the rules of the Game, and he punished you, didn't he?"

"That bastard!" Nikki snarled. "It was his stupid pet dragon, Jade-Eyes! He came out of nowhere! He laughed at me! I had to send a whole swarm of my babies to distract him while I escaped. I… I needed to get away from him; somewhere safe."

"And so you did," Leth said. "Where is the dragon now?"

"Probably on his island," she said. "It's due west of here, many leagues, north of the coast of Kalon. If I ever see him again, I'll kill him!"

"There will be time for vengeance later," Leth said. "First, you heal. Then we'll see what happens."

Over the next few days, Nikki grew stronger and was soon able to walk on her own. She grew restless and took to stalking around the deck, terrorizing the sailors who got in her way. That's where Illy found her. "Nikki, you have to realize, we aren't your enemies."

"Tell that to the little tramp who stole my man!" Nikki said.

"Well, you've made her life miserable for the last year by constantly attacking her," Illy said. "Don't you think you're about even now?"

"We won't be even until she apologizes!" Nikki demanded.

Illy took this news to Kaira. "Apologize?" Kaira said. "I didn't do anything!"

"If you swallow your pride and apologize, you might be able to end this feud," Illy said. So Kaira (reluctantly) went to Nikki and apologized.

"Now the rest of you!" Nikki demanded. "Apologize for preventing me from killing her!"

It was a really, really difficult task – probably one of the hardest things the FMH ever had to do, but the rest of the heroes (well, those who were present) also apologized. "Now grovel before me!" she demanded.

"Don't push your luck," Illy told her. Thus mollified, Nikki began acting… well, not really nicer, but she stopped threatening everyone, at least.

The next day, the heroes reached the island where the Riddle-King had held his initial meeting. Illy scryed to see if she could spot anything, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. It was a small, overgrown island, typical of its type. There was a small pier in a lagoon on the east side, and a path into the woods.

The heroes waited until dark, then took a rowboat and landed on the opposite shore. Castilla and Finn bushwhacked through the forest and eventually came to a manor house. It was empty, and apparently had been so for months. The windows were shuttered and there were sheets on all the furniture. They went back to fetch the rest of the party, and the FMH examined the place closely. It appeared to be a hunting lodge, perhaps the seldom-visited vacation home of a wealthy nobleman or successful merchant. There was nothing that tied it back to the Riddle-King.

"He probably just was squatting," Finn suggested. "Using it as a convenient spot that wouldn't implicate or identify him in any way."

Disappointed at the dead end, the heroes went back to the ship and told Captain Rackham to head north, to Ariean.

"You want vengeance on that dragon and on the Riddle-King, right?" Leth asked Nikki at dinner one night.

"Oh, my vengeance will burn hotter than a thousand exploding suns!" Nikki said. "My vengeance will be as great as…"

"OK, OK, we get it," Leth interrupted her in mid-rant. "We want the Riddle-King too. Unfortunately, he cast a hoodoo on you so you can't tell us who he is, or how to find him."

"So what's your point?" the druidess asked, suspiciously.

"My point is, we're asking if you want to team up against him. Once we find out where he is, we want to go after him (and his dragon, if necessary). If we're working together, at least we won't be tripping over each others' feet. Get it?" the pragmatic Dwarf asked.

"Not that I need your help," Nikki insisted. "But fine, we'll do it your way. Not that I need your help."

"Good. We'll stop at Ariean to gather information and once we have our plan, we'll contact you."

Nikki agreed (not that she needs the FMH's help). A few days later, the Endeavor docked in Ariean. Nikki immediately grabbed her things, disembarked, and vanished into the crowd without a backward glance. "So how do we find her when we need her?" Kaira asked.

"Who cares?" Illy said. "At least this way, she'll be out of our hair for a while."

That night, the heroes gathered at Hob's for a discussion. "What do we know about this dragon?" Leth asked.

Chrissie cleared her throat. "I don't know anything about the current dragon," she said. "But I can tell you the story of the Green Dragon of Illich, who fought the original Fearless Monster Hunters…

"Illich was a fort on the coast of Kalon," she began. "Generations ago, a great dragon attacked it, drove off or killed all its defenders, and made it its home. The poison of its breath killed the plants and frightened off the wildlife for miles around, so it hunted along the seacoast. Its usual prey was the small whales that migrate up and down the coast, but it wasn't picky – if a ship came too near its hunting grounds it would happily attack, so sailors stayed clear.

"But the dragon was both greedy and crafty. Eventually, it decided it liked humans and the treasures their boats carried, and it began laying traps along the coastline to sink, capsize, or ground any ships that came by, then it would eat their crew at its leisure and steal their cargo. That's when the FMH got involved. They tricked it by sailing a derelict ship into one of its traps. When it went out to investigate, the heroes snuck into its lair and ambushed it when it got home.

"The fight was fierce; maybe the toughest fight the FMH had up to that point, but the heroes were victorious in the end. It really cemented their reputation – not everyone can kill a dragon! But they used teamwork and planning and they caught him by surprise (which is pretty much how most of those stories go… at least, the ones where the heroes win)."

The next morning, the Fearless Monster Hunters all split up to take care of their own personal business. They agreed to meet up again in a few days to share what they had learned.

TBC!

MorpheousXO

Jan 30th, '08, 01:00 PM

Fantabulous!

teh bunneh

Feb 7th, '08, 10:09 AM

There won't be a game this week (Feb 9) or next week (Feb 16), since BunnySue and I will be out of town. FMH resumes on Feb 23!

-----
For the next few days after arriving back in Ariean, the heroes went about their own business. After that, they got together at Hob's Hot Pot to exchange notes.

Kaira informed everyone that Nikki had left town, going after Ayanna and Ballestreyos (the leaders of the Circle of Thunder). She said that she would bring back information about the Riddle-King, "Even if I have to beat it out of them with a rock." This information came courtesy of an Elf named Acostus, who had been the heroes' tour-guide at the Hall of Kings. For some reason, Acostus was now following Kaira around, telling her about how huge a fan of hers he was.

Speaking of newcomers, Leth introduced a couple of old friends that had just arrived in town – Od and Thorsten, two Dwarves who served with him in the army. They had brought sad news; his uncle Slan had been found murdered. Leth suspected that this might have something to do with the Game, possibly the work of Hilgar the Barbarian.

Castilla tried to find out if her brother or his ships had come into town. She learned that one of them had been through here – the flagship of his fleet, in fact. It had come in a few weeks ago, gathered supplies, and left almost immediately (not even letting the crew out for shore leave).

Illy had done some research on dragons, to see if she could learn any weaknesses the heroes could exploit. Unfortunately, she learned little of immediate value.

Leth also produced a letter that he had received, anonymously. It contained some further information about dragons, but like Illy's research it wasn't very hopeful. It did, however, mention a great dragon-hunter who lived in the city of Brills.

After some discussion, the heroes decided to head north, back to Leth's homeland, to investigate his uncle's death. If it was part of the Game, the heroes knew they had to deal with it. They spent a couple of days stocking the Endeavor (including buying some trade goods) and plotting their route, then headed west across the Sylvan Gulf.

The trip was long and reasonably dull. After several weeks on the open water, they arrived at Drache, the capital of Demoria. Wanting to replenish their supplies and stretch their legs, they decided to stop off here for a few days.

Illy, Finn, Castilla, and Chrissie went out to try to sell their trade goods. They found a buyer for the load of coffee beans and got an OK deal. As they were looking for someplace to sell the load of tropical hardwood, they ran into a man who was trying to find wood to repanel his master's office and study. They offered their cargo, and he bought it, sight unseen and without haggling over the price. He told them to deliver the wood to his master's mansion by sundown.

Finn and Chrissie rented a wagon and loaded the wood (well… mostly Finn loaded the wood), then headed out of the city to the countryside. Just before sunset, they found the mansion – turns out it was owned by Modenkainen, the famous arch-mage. The butler invited them to sleep in the servants' quarters for the evening, so they ended up staying the night.

Meanwhile, Illy decided to try to find more information on dragons, so she went to the very large and very famous wizard's college, the Mystical School of Cli. Unfortunately, when she got there she was told that only people with appointments can speak with the headmaster. "Can I get an appointment?" she asked.

"Certainly," the guards replied. "There's an opening in one week."

"Can't I get something sooner?" Illy asked, offering some coins to the guard.
"I hope you aren't intending to bribe us," the guard said sternly.

"Oh... no, of course not," Illy backpedaled. Apparently, things in Demoria are done a bit differently than in other places (like Kidbod). "If something comes up sooner, will you please notify me?" They assured her that they would.
Illy went back to the ship and asked Leth if the heroes could stay in the city for another week, or if his business was pressing. He agreed to stay at least a few more days.

In fact, Leth and his two companions had found an enclave of Dwarves who lived in Drache and, longing for the company of his own people, took to hanging out there. There was little that had changed in his homeland since the time he left – the Dwarves were still building settlements on the Borish side of Titan's Pass; the cold war in Yaronista was still simmering. But there was no big news to speak of.

Castilla asked around the port to see if her family ship had come through here. She was told that yes, it had been seen at the docks. It stopped for resupply and then left again at the next tide, just as at Ariean. It was heading west, towards the mouth of Sard Bay, bound for points unknown...

matrix3

Feb 7th, '08, 01:22 PM

We have to wait until after Feb 23? :(

Is there at least some backlog to tide us over? :)

teh bunneh

Feb 8th, '08, 09:26 AM

We have to wait until after Feb 23? :(

Is there at least some backlog to tide us over? :)

Thanks much for the compliment. I'm afraid I'm going to be without net access for a while, so there probably won't be much background material to tide you over. Sry!

MorpheousXO

Feb 10th, '08, 02:07 PM

Thanks much for the compliment. I'm afraid I'm going to be without net access for a while, so there probably won't be much background material to tide you over. Sry!

*channeling Darth Vader* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Pardon me while I cry myself to sleep at the thought of the sheer torture of lack of a good campaign log from teh bunneh!

:no::no:
:angst::angst:
:cry::cry:
:weep::weep:

Other than that, cool entry! Can't wait for the next installment in a few weeks!

teh bunneh

Feb 25th, '08, 01:53 PM

As promised, the continuing adventures of the Fearless Monster Hunters!

----------
FMH Recap for February 23, 2008
After five days in Drache, the guards finally allowed Illy and Castilla into the University. A grad student named Titus met them, holding a notepad. As they walked, he asked her a series of questions. "What are your names? What did you wish to speak with the Archmage about? Who are you affiliated with? What is the name of the dragon? Its location? Any known abilities or other facts about it?" and so on. Illy answered his questions as honestly as she could, and he dutifully wrote down everything she had to say on his pad.

"Why are you asking these things?" Castilla asked.

"Because the Archmage is very busy," Titus answered, struggling not to stare at Castilla's cleavage. "He finds it saves time if he knows beforehand exactly who you are, and what your inquiry is."

Titus brought them straight up to the Archmage’s office. It was warm and close, filled to overflowing with books, cages, bottles, beakers, stuffed animals, and all sorts of things. The Archmage, an older, bearded gentleman, was sitting at his desk conferring with another student. "Dragon troubles, yes?" the Archmage asked without even looking up. "Do me a favor. There’s a rogue sorcerer running around, named Red Palmer. He has failed to pay a sizable debt to me, and has been harming the people in a small, out-of-the-way township. Track him down for me. Rough him up if necessary, but – and allow me to be clear – no deaths. Let him know that his behavior will not be tolerated. Last he was seen was near the Platinum Hills, in a County called Dry Gulch."

Illy interrupted before he could finish. "I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. I am Illisandri Madril, of the Fearless Monster Hunters. We've come to ask for your assistance with a problem."

"I know all that," the Archmage said impatiently, finally looking up (and glaring at Titus, who looked sheepish and shrugged).

"There is a rogue dragon attacking people, down in the Sylvan Gulf…" Illy continued.

"Yes, yes. Jade Eyes, the spawn of the Green Dragon of Illich. Titus told me all of this already. Once you complete the task I've given you, I will have your answers when you return. Can you do it, or not?"

Illy considered this for a moment. "It is within our capabilities," she said. "But I would have to consult with the rest of my companions first. We're on another mission of some importance that we have to attend to. Also, how can we be certain that your answers will help us? I'd hate to complete your mission, only to find your answer was unsatisfactory."

"Young lady," the wizard said. "I am the Archmage. I have the resources of the entire Council of Nine behind me, as well as the University of Cli and the royal government of Demoria. If I cannot find the answer to your question, then the answer simply doesn't exist. But such knowledge does not come for free. If you wish me to spend my time finding a solution to your problem, then you will complete the small task I've set before you. If that is beyond your capabilities, then good day to you."

Illy and Castilla went back to the others to explain what they had learned. Checking their map, they saw that the Platinum Hills are a long ways off, towards the northeast. The easiest way to get there would be to head east on the Demorian Road as far as Warford, and then go northwest toward the hills. It would be several weeks of overland travel. The heroes determined that it was too far out of their way, so they decided to get back on the Endeavor and continue heading towards Leth's homelands.

Not to welsh on any agreement Illy may have stumbled into, Leth instructed Chrissie to begin composing and singing songs about what a rascal and a cad Red Palmer was. Even if the heroes didn't stop him directly, they could ruin whatever reputation he may have.

So the Fearless Monster Hunters continued north, sailing out of the mouth of Sard Bay and into the Westron Ocean, and then north. They were on the water for weeks, finally pausing at the city of Kelset to resupply and buy warm, waterproof clothes (since autumn was coming hard upon them). Castilla asked after her brother's ship, and found that it had passed through here – once again stopping long enough to pick up supplies and then heading north again.

Then they continued their journey, sailing to the mouth of the Sea of Boret. However, an early storm had blown in, making entrance into the Sea dangerous. Instead, Captain Rackham ordered the ship to weigh anchor and ride the storm out in the open water.

The storm was fierce, icy wind and bitter sleet pouring down, huge waves crashing up. The sailors worked hard to keep the ship afloat. The Captain sent Finnegan to the fore to untangle some lines when, in the darkness, he saw a ship race past them. In the flash of a bolt of lightning, he saw the ship run aground on some rocks and break in half. "Ship ho!" he cried over the storm. "Rocks ho!"

The Captain ordered the Endeavor to come around, trying to stear clear of the unseen shoal. Illy heard shouting abovedecks and raced up to see what was the matter. She sent a magical flare high in the sky to illuminate the water, and everyone clearly saw the wrecked ship. It was too far away to make out the ship's name, but Illy thought she saw it flying a red flag. There were no signs of survivors or anyone in the water – and the seas were too dangerous to approach closer to try a rescue mission. The heroes spent a sleepless night worrying about those lost in the wreck.

The next morning, the storm finally broke, leaving behind choppy water and a sullen, gray sky. In the distance, the heroes saw the remains of the ship, clinging atop a shoal just offshore from a small island. Illy used her magic to look over the island and thought she saw footprints coming out of the surf and heading inland. On hearing that there might be survivors, Leth ordered Finn, Kaira, and Styggiad to the Endeavor's longboat, and together the four of them rowed to the little island.

When the heroes got a closer look at the wrecked ship, they saw it was a Demorian naval vessel, probably a long-range patrol craft out of Masingberg. The name stenciled on the bow was The King's Pride.

Leth found the footprints easily enough, and the heroes followed them up into the island, which was mostly granite, sparsely covered with stunted pines. It didn't take long for the heroes to find the survivors – three men crouching around a fourth, who lay on the ground unmoving. Finn called to them, but they didn't respond so he walked down to see if they were OK.

"My friends, we saw your wreck and came to see if we could render help," he said, touching the nearest one on the shoulder. But the man wheeled around and snarled like a wild beast. His face was ashen, his eyes glazed with death, and his mouth dripping with blood. He lashed out and caught Finnegan in the chest with its ragged fingernails.

"Undead!" Finn cried, whipping out his sword and backing away as three of them slowly advanced on him.

"Back off!" Leth ordered. "Let them come to us! Styggiad, circle around them and see about the one lying on the ground."

Kaira called on the power of her goddess and blasted the nearest one with holy light. Finn followed up with a blast of black energy. The creature, though sodden with seawater, burst into flames and collapsed to the ground. The others stumbled after the heroes, but were not quick enough to catch them. Kaira and Finn continued to blast them with magic, until all three were heaps of ash.

Meanwhile, Styggiad circled around the battle, keeping to the cover of the trees, and approached the final sailor. To her horror, she found that he was dead – and worse, had been partially devoured by the other three! He may have survived the wreck, but not the aftermath. Not certain if this one was cursed to rise like the others, she cut off its head.

Leth ordered the group to split up and search the island – there may be other survivors, or there may be more of the undead monstrosities. Luckily, the rest of the island was clear. Lest the wrecked ship be harboring more of the cursed creatures, Leth reluctantly ordered it burned to the waterline. With the King's Pride blazing behind them, the Endeavor entered the Sea of Boret and sailed on towards Masingberg.

TBC!

matrix3

Feb 25th, '08, 09:44 PM

Thanks for the update! :)

teh bunneh

Mar 3rd, '08, 11:27 AM

FMH Recap for March 1, 2008
Now that the weather had cleared, the Endeavor was able to make good time to Masingberg. This is a smaller city, one of the most northern in Demoria, sitting on the coast of the Sea of Boret, guarding the coastline from attacks by the fierce Borish raiders of the north (as well as more horrible things from the sea or the nearby wilderness). At night, the harbor is chained shut with an enormous metal chain, but during the day it's busy as various merchants and tradesmen from north and south try to get their final bit of business done before winter sets in.

From here, the FMH were determined to make the rest of their trip to Retor overland. They didn't want the Endeavor to be forced to overwinter here, so they told Captain Rackham to sail back south to Drache and wait for their return in a few months.

The heroes began to split up to accomplish their various tasks when a courier approached them. "Are you the Fearless Monster Hunters?" he asked. On affirmation, he gave them an envelope. "I was told to be here at this hour and give you this," he told them.

Kaira took the envelope, but found herself unable to read the script. She handed it off to Leth, who was similarly unable. Finally, Chrissie took it, tore it open, and read:
Two heads are better than one.
Four legs are better than two.
So three heads and six legs must be best of all!

"What the heck does that mean?" Chrissie asked.

"I don't know, but obviously the Riddle-King has been here," Leth answered. As the heroes puzzled this new mystery out, suddenly there was a tremendous ROAR and out of the water rose an enormous beast – three heads, six legs, and 100% mean! Sailors and passers-by ran for cover as a battle broke out!

One of the heads lashed down and snatched Kaira up from the docks, the tiny Hobbit dangling from its enormous jaws. Another head breathed a gout of fire at Leth and Finnegan – Finn dove behind some crates and avoided the flames, but Leth stood firm and took the flames full-on. The third head snapped at Illy, grabbing her dangling longcoat and shredding it, but barely missing her tender flesh.

Finn drew his weapon and charged, leaping atop the head that held Kaira and hacking at it. Chrissie whispered a few charmed words and that head suddenly stopped moving. Illy froze the water around the creature so it couldn't climb up on shore. Leth charged and hacked at one of the heads with his axe, and Styggiad followed suit. Kaira swallowed a potion that Illy had given her and slipped into the Ghost-Realm, dropping out of the creature's jaws.

One of the heads, enraged that these little creatures were hurting it, snapped down and grabbed Styggiad, painfully biting down on her midsection and dragging her up into the air. "Sister!" Illy cried, rushing forward and grabbing her sister's hand. Illy cast a spell and dragged herself and Styggiad into the Ghost-Realm. Illy left her injured sister there and stepped back into the real world. Finn continued to hack at the paralyzed head and finally managed to sever it. Chrissie, amazed and delighted that her spell worked, cast another one at a different head. It, too, stopped moving, and Leth took full advantage, hacking at it ferociously.

The giant beast shook itself free from the ice that held it and climbed up on shore. It unleashed another gout of flame, singing several of the heroes. Finnegan leapt to the top of the body and began jamming his sword into its back, hoping to find a vital spot. Illy (after much prompting by the disembodied spirit of Wyssian) blasted the remaining un-paralyzed head with a bolt of magical energy, nearly severing it. Leth jumped up and finished the job with a swing of his mighty axe.

Kaira healed Styggiad's wounds, and she bravely ran back into the fray, slashing at the sole remaining head. That's when Illy noticed the head that Finnegan severed was slowly growing back. "Fire!" she cried. "We need fire! Cauterize the stumps!" Several nearby sailors grabbed torches and tossed them to the heroes.

Soon, all three heads were dead… but still the beast fought on! The enormous body continued stomping around the docks, smashing everything in its path. "What's it take to stop this thing?" Leth demanded.

"Just keep fighting!" Finn replied, driving his sword deep into its gut.

Finally, working together, the heroes killed it. It slumped to the ground, its guts spilling out of a dozen huge wounds. The heroes, exhausted from this battle, collapsed. That's when they saw the large number of Demorian soldiers rushing to secure the area.

"What the hell was that?" the captain barked. "Who are you people?"

"We don't know what it was," Chrissie told the officer. "It attacked us out of the blue; we were just defending ourselves (and the others on the dock)."

The captain wasn't impressed. "You're coming down to the station with me to sort this all out," he said. He ordered his men to begin cleaning up the mess, marched the heroes to the nearest guardhouse, and threw them into cells.

These were some of the nicest cells that certain of the heroes had ever seen (Castilla and Finn) – clean, rat-free, and very secure. Illy felt herself cut off from the Flow, her magic blocked by some force. There were two other people in the cells already – a drunk, passed out on his cot, and a guy who introduced himself as Robert the Half.

He seemed like a friendly guy, and started making conversation. "Not too many people to talk to down here," he said. "Drunky there isn't much of a conversationalist. So what're you guys in for?" he asked.

"We got attacked by a giant monster on the docks, and they're keeping us under lock and key until they figure out that we didn't have anything to do with it," Kaira explained.

He scratched his head. "Huh. Another one?" he asked. "Damn things have been cropping up for months. It's driving the cops crazy. I'm not surprised they arrested you – they're looking for any leads they can find. What's this one look like?"

"There have been others?" Leth asked.

Robert nodded. "Yeah, they've been showing up for six months or so. Every one of them looks different, but they've all got the same pattern to their attacks. This is the first time I've heard of one attacking within the city limits though. You guys lucked out, I guess!"

"So what are you in for?" Illy asked.

"Hunting without a license on the King's lands," he said. "No worries, though. They'll probably let me out today or tomorrow some time. I get to sleep inside for a few days, pay a fine, and then I'm back out. The system works!"

"Sounds to me like it encourages recidivism," Illy observed.

"I'm not sure what reci-whatever means," Robert said. "But I'm just a poor hunter. A man's gotta eat, and if he doesn't have any money that means he's gotta hunt. It's not my fault that the deer I was after wandered onto the King's lands. Anyway, it's not so bad. I get along with most of the cops, and they aren't like the police in some towns (or so I've heard)."

It was about then that Illy noticed that Robert seemed to be missing his left hand. "What happened to your hand?" Kaira asked. "Oh this?" he said, looking embarrassed and covering it up quickly. "I got in an argument with a gnoll a while ago, down in the forests," he says. "Bugs me when the weather changes, but other than that it doesn't slow me down much. So what are a bunch of southerners doing in this part of the world?" he asked, changing the subject.

"We're the Fearless Monster Hunters," Kaira told him.

"Oh, so you came about the monster problem," he nodded. "Too bad the cops have already hired someone to help them with their problem."

"Who?" Leth asked.

"Some out-of-towner," Robert said. "His name is Ismet Rory. He's supposed to be an expert on monsters. Nice enough guy. Supposed to be some kind of genius. He's renting a manor house outside of town, doing research or somesuch."

"The local authorities don't have the resources to deal with the problem on their own?" Leth asked. "Local mages or priests or something?"

"They've got resources," Robert said. "But nobody has any expertise on these kinds of critters. Usually the worst thing you get around here is a stray Giant from the mountains."

About that time, a guard came down to bring the heroes some food. "OK, Robert," he said. "You're free to go."

"Good luck to you, friends!" he waved as the guard let him out. "Look me up next time you're in jail. I'm off to try to find a job; get a few coins in my pocket before winter sets in."

"Hey, when do we get let out?" Kaira asked.

"As soon as the captain says," the guard told her.

After a few more hours in the cooler, the captain came back. First, he introduced himself as Captain Langley of the Draconians, then he informed the heroes of their rights under Demorian law. They were not required to answer any of his questions, but things would go much more smoothly if they did so. He was not allowed to use any type interrogation magic without the presence of a magistrate or priest, and he was not allowed to use "physical" means of extracting information. The heroes could hire a lawyer, should they desire. They told him that they didn't need a lawyer, and that they were happy to help with his investigation.

"Very well," he said. "First, I need to know what you had to do with the monster attack this morning. According to eyewitness accounts, the beast targeted you specifically. We also found this," he pulled out the Riddle-King's note, "among your belongings."

Kaira explained to the officer that they were the Fearless Monster Hunters, Generation Two. She explained that they were heading up to Retor to investigate the death of Leth's uncle (and to pay their respects). She then told him about the Riddle-King and the contest he was hosting. "We don't know where the monster came from," she said. "But it's apparent that the Riddle-King was here before us and planned this attack as a trap. We're sorry that your docks got wrecked, but we were only defending ourselves."

"I'll have to look into this to see if your story checks out," Captain Langley said. "You'll have to spend the night here, I'm afraid. I'll speak with you again in the morning."

The next morning, he returned. "Well, your story checks out," he said. "You're free to go. Try not to get into any more trouble."

"What happens if another monster attacks us?" Leth asked.

"We don't expect you to take the law into your own hands," he said. "That's what the police are for. But obviously, you should defend yourselves. Please report any disturbances to the nearest police officer or magistrate."

The heroes had to figure out what they were going to do next. "I'm suspicious of this Rory fellow," Leth said. "This expert on monsters shows up right after the city starts having monster problems; seems a little too convenient. Plus, his name is disturbingly similar to the Dr. Rohrbach that we know is in on the Contest. We should investigate." The FMH decided that, on their way out of town, they would circle around to Rory's house and check on things. But since they didn't know the area, they would need to hire a guide.

Since the heroes had already lost a day, they split up to accomplish their tasks. Finnegan and Chrissie went to buy a couple of wagons and some mules to transport their cargo north. He found a friendly wainwright who offered them a pretty good deal on a couple of "gently used" wagons. "I just finished replacing the rear axle on this one," he said. "She's well built and good to go. This other one needs a new wheel, but I can get that fixed up for you by tomorrow if you want her."

Finnegan said he'd be back tomorrow with cash. He asked the wainwright where he could buy weapons or armor, and the man directed him to the guildhouse of a mercenary group known as the Doomsingers. Finn had heard of these guys before – they were supposed to be a real professional outfit. He wandered over to see if he could talk with somebody.

He had a nice chat with a young Lieutenant. The first thing that Finn noticed was that the extensive training grounds were empty. "Where are all your men?" he asked.

"It's all these monster attacks," Lt. Dustin said. "We're on contract with the Draconians to provide extra manpower in emergencies – and this counts as one. Half of our men are out patrolling the roads and villages, trying to make sure that when the next beastie attacks, there's someone there to put a stop to it. I'm stuck here at HQ because one of them took a chunk out of my shoulder, and the surgeon says I have to take it easy until it heals." He sounded sad, like he wanted to be out with the rest of the men.

"Where are the monsters coming from?" Finn asked.

"Nobody knows," Lt. Dustin sighed. "But if we could find out, we'd put a stop to it for good. They just pop up at random, with no pattern as far as we can tell. We're running ourselves ragged, trying to be everywhere at once – and the Draconians are having an even worse time of it."

"Sounds like you need to fill your ranks," Finn suggested. "What's it take to be a Doomsinger?"

"I'm glad you asked," Dustin said, going into recruiting mode. "We're a professional outfit that's been in business for thirty years – since before the War of the Swords. Our biggest client is the Demorian military, but we do a great deal of work for private concerns as well. Our marines are well known up and down the coast of the Westron Ocean, guarding valuable properties from pirates and worse things. Benefits for joining our team include a free uniform, free training, and a steady paycheck."

Finn liked the sound of that last part. "So you get paid weekly?" he asked.

"Only when you're working," Dustin said. "We want to keep our men busy, and we reward those who take the most assignments. That's how we promote our officers as well. The more you put into the Doomsingers, the more you get out. We're looking for professional warriors, men who can follow orders and make our clients feel secure."

Finnegan thanked the man and left. On their way out, Chrissie asked him if he was going to leave the FMH. He didn't have a good answer for her.

Leth went to find a guide. Since they had already met someone who made his living in the woods, he sought out Robert the Half. He found the woodsman trying to coax a bartender into giving him another drink on credit. "Remember that fellow you were telling us about?" Leth asked. "The consultant, Rory?"

"Yeah, the professor," Robert said. "What about him?"

"Do you know where he lives?" Leth asked.

"Sure I do. I go by his place all the time," Robert said. "Are you looking for a guide?"

"Something like that," Leth said. "We're going to be leaving town in a day or two; we want you to go with us to show us where his house is. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, I'm all about that," Robert said happily. "But, uh, if you want me to stay in town for a couple of days, do you think you could give me an advance? I seem to have lost my coin purse…"

Leth rolled his eyes, but gave the man a little money. "I'll meet you here again tomorrow with our plans, and with another bit of coin," the Dwarf said. "Try not to spend it all on booze – we'll need you sober on the trip."

"I'll be as sober as a churchmouse!" Robert promised, and Leth left him.

Meanwhile, Kaira wanted to see the city. She had noticed a large park in the very center of town, so she wandered in that direction. While wandering around the expansive but manicured wilderness, she ran into a pair of fellow Druids. She introduced herself to them, and they invited her to walk around with them.

They explained to her the history of this city, how it had been built by a nobleman under the auspices of the Demorian king, some 500 years ago. The city was unique in that it was completely planned out – the streets followed a strict spoke-and-wheel pattern. Even the park in the center of town was part of the plan, and there were always two Druids here to take care of it. Unfortunately, the Druids couldn't tell Kaira much about the monster attacks – only that the creatures were completely un-natural and thus beyond their ken.

At the same time, Illy and Styggiad wandered the streets looking for an alchemist to buy new supplies from. Illy wanted to make sure she had enough herbs and other ingredients to make some new potions, if they needed. Eventually, they stumbled on an apothecary's shop. The kindly old proprietor invited them to sit down for some tea, and they chatted about various herbs and cures for a while.

Meanwhile, Castilla went back to the docks. She wanted to find out if her family's ship had come through town. To her dismay, she learned that not only had it been in town, but it just left with that morning's tide! Disappointed, she headed for the nearest bar. On the way there, though, she spotted the courier who had given them the letter from the Riddle-King.

"Hey, you!" she said, stopping him. "I have some questions for you! You brought us a letter yesterday. Who gave that to you?"

The man shrugged. "I didn't know the gentleman. He wore a mask covering his face. Very odd, but who am I to complain? He paid in good silver."

"Did he say anything to you?" she demanded.

"All he said was that a ship called the Endeavor would be docking at that particular dock, and that a group of dangerous-looking people called the Fearless Monster Hunters would come off it. I was to give the envelope to them. That was all."

"How did he know we would be docking there?" Castilla asked.

"I have no idea," the man said. "As I said, he paid quite well, so I didn't ask questions."

Castilla let the man go, but was still seething with frustration.

TBC!

SatinKitty

Mar 15th, '08, 05:26 PM

I wonder which was worse: the monster above or the Tolkien Dragon we fought tonight in our Tribute to Gary Gygax game ? Anyway, good show !

teh bunneh

Mar 27th, '08, 10:53 AM

After gathering their supplies, the heroes headed out along the Demorian Road, guided by their new buddy, Robert the Half. He told them he knew a way to get them to Professor Rory's manor, but since they were taking a circuitous route it would take them all day to get there. After a few hours, Robert took them off the road and onto a dirt track, heading south.

The ground was littered with dried leaves in red and orange and yellow. They walked past rolling and rocky farmland and towards the great dark forest. "The Silver Forest, they call it," he told them. "But up here it's more black than silver. At least, until the first snow falls." Robert was quite chatty, telling them about the forest, the local villages, and the flora and fauna of the area.

They followed the winding dirt road past several villages until Leth ordered them to stop a half-mile or so from the Manor. The party started to set up camp while Castilla went ahead alone to scout out the place.

Just as the sun was setting, she found the place. It was an old, dark castle made from black stone. As darkness began to fall, the air grew cold and a sharp wind kicked up from the north, swirling the leaves around the Jill's feet. She climbed over the low outer wall and approached the manor house. Only a single light was burning, in the upper floor, so she climbed the wall to get a better look. As soon as she topped the battlements, a vicious dog began barking and snarling at her, from inside.

She tried to sneak a bit closer, but the dog grew more and more wild until finally, someone opened a door to let it out. Castilla leapt off the edge of the battlement to escape the huge, fierce, black dog. The dog howled and snarled and tried to get at her while she beat a hasty retreat back to the team. She reported back to Leth, who told the heroes to settle in for the night. They would all go back to the house first thing in the morning.

The next morning, the heroes left Od and Thorsten (Leth's Dwarf buddies) to guard the mules and wagons and hiked back to the manor. The manor was surrounded by a low stone wall, broken by a gate in front. Written in the iron bands above the gate was the word Ravensdale. "The family that once owned these lands died out a generation ago," Robert told them. "The Crown took possession of the land. Now they're renting it out to this fellow, in exchange for his help with the monsters."

Leth decided to try the direct route. He politely knocked on door. A tall, gaunt man (who had to be Professor Ismet Rory) came to the door, alongside an enormous mastiff. "I have no time for vagabonds," he said sharply. "I bid you go elsewhere." He slammed the door in their faces. Leth knocked again. He opened the door a second time and, before he could draw breath to rebuke them, Leth said that they had been sent by the Demorian government to ask a few questions.

"I told you before that I was not to be disturbed, if you wish answers to your questions," the Professor said. "And besides, you don't look like government officials. Where are your uniforms?"

"We're not officials," Leth said. "We're private contractors, assisting the government in their inquiries."

"You may tell the Draconians that they will have my report anon," the Professor said. "Good day."

At this point, Robert cleared his throat. "Ahem, Professor sir?" he said. "Maybe you should invite these nice folks in for a cup of tea before sending them away."

"Mmm?" The Professor looked at the woodsman. "Oh, it's you," he said. "Very well. Won't you come in and have some tea?"

The heroes followed the Professor into the kitchen. He sat at the table while Robert poked around the kitchen, boiling some water for tea (and stealing dry goods from the cabinets). The mastiff stood in the doorway, preventing anyone from leaving the room. Illy sat next to the Professor and began explaining their situation.

"We're the Fearless Monster Hunters," she said. "Two days ago, we were attacked by an enormous creature with three heads. We managed to kill it before it did too much damage, but it injured several of us. We've been tasked by the Demorians to look into the attack, and they told us you were the man to talk to."

"Did the beast continue fighting, even after the three heads were dispatched?" the Professor asked.

"It did," Illy confirmed. "Though since it apparently couldn't see, it was rather ineffectual."

"Fascinating," the Professor said.

Illy spoke with him for several hours, trying to glean information from him about the monsters. However, his conversation wandered in odd tangents… except when they were discussing the three-headed monster, during which he became very focused and direct. Illy wasn’t entirely sure if he was being extremely clever and cagey, or if he was completely scatter-brained and absent-minded. However, he showed a great deal of knowledge about biology and monster lore in general, and by the end of the conversation, Illy was convinced that this was, indeed, the infamous Dr. Rohrbach.

Unfortunately, she had no solid proof – just a hunch. But a hunch wasn't enough for Leth to act on – he wanted evidence. The heroes thanked the Professor for his time and took their leave, heading back towards their camp. About halfway there, the heroes paused while Illy cast a spell to let her spy around through the Professor's house.

Her invisible eye zipped around the back of the house to check out the carriage house and barn. She found the carriage house had become a morgue of some sort – filled with the dissected bodies of a dozen or more monsters. The monsters were to be arranged in order – the smallest (a large stag with the head of a forest lion) all the way to the biggest (the beast the heroes killed the previous morning). Gruesome biological diagrams of the monsters were pinned to the wall, with notes scrawled in the margins, detailing just how each monster had been killed. Though gristly, it didn't appear to be out of order; it was in line with the job Dr. Rory had been hired for.

But the barn was a different story. Inside were a dozen large cages of various sorts, along with a full laboratory/operating chamber. The cages are empty, though there were signs they had recent occupants. The operating room had some notes pinned to the wall; for the most part they were simply bemoaning the lack of decent "subjects" with which to work – the creatures in the deserts of Kidbod and Masube were much better. Illy couldn't exactly identify what kind of monsters or animals had been kept in the cages, but she guessed that two of the more recently-occupied cages had some sort of bird-like creatures in them (possibly cockatrices).

Her suspicions confirmed, she then sent her invisible eye into the manor house to see what "Professor Rory" was currently up to. She found him in his private suite, working on some paperwork. However, as soon as her eye entered the room, the large dog sensed its presence and began barking and chasing it. Illy tried to avoid the mongrel beast, but eventually its barking attracted the attention of the Professor, who came over to see what the matter was.

Worried that he might spot the eye, she dropped the spell and told Leth what she had discovered. "Well, that confirms it," he said. "Let's go back there and administer some justice."

But before the heroes had a chance to do anything, they suddenly heard the flapping of enormous wings swooping directly towards them, out of the sun!

TBC!

matrix3

Mar 27th, '08, 01:34 PM

Ooo...a cliffhanger in the classic tradition! :)

SatinKitty

Mar 31st, '08, 09:46 PM

Still can't rep you...... :(

teh bunneh

Apr 1st, '08, 07:24 AM

No game this week (one of our players was preparing for his thesis defense). FMH will resume this coming weekend! :cheers:

MorpheousXO

Apr 6th, '08, 08:02 AM

Good stuff yet again! Can't wait for more (even tho I managed to forget about it for a month...)

teh bunneh

Apr 9th, '08, 01:49 PM

FMH Recap for April 5, 2008
Before the heroes could react, a giant winged beast flew down out of the sun and lunged at Finnegan. Luckily for the strapping warrior, Styggiad heard it coming and leapt between it and him, slashing at it with her spear and diverting its attack.

The heroes circled up but the beast was cagey, flapping around above them and only swooping down when it thought it had a target. Chrissie recognized it… or thought she did… It looked like a Cockatrice, but those animals don't ever grow so large, and they can't really fly like this one could. "Whatever it is, don't let it touch you!" Leth told the others. "Remember what that Cockatrice did to Trouble back in Pasion!"

Illy cast a spell to coat its head in frost, which blinded and confused it (as well as coating its deadly beak in less-deadly ice), and Styggiad managed to use her spear to pin its wing to the ground. Chrissie accidentally got too close and the beast slammed into her with its head. She flew backwards and crashed to the ground, unmoving. The rest of the party saw this and went into a fury to protect their taleweaver, and soon the monster was dead.

"We'd better get back to Rohrbach's house, before he sets another one of his patchwork monsters against us," Leth suggested, and the heroes headed back. Finn and Castilla snuck around the back, in case the Professor had any more surprises for them; the rest of the group went to the front door and knocked.

After a moment, the Professor came to the door. "No vagabonds!" he said harshly. "I'm busy – be gone with you!" He tried to slam the door, but Leth blocked it with his foot.

"We've been sent by the Demorians to place you under arrest," Leth said. "Come along quietly, else we bring trouble to your doorstep."

The Professor didn't say anything, but his dog immediately lunged at the Dwarf. Luckily, Illy was prepared for just such an eventuality. With a word, she covered the dog with a mass of thick web-like substance, pinning it to the ground. The dog, far more powerful and vicious than others of its breed, still tried to break free. Kaira attempted to calm the beast, but it was far too ferocious to listen to her calming words, so she put it to sleep instead. Finn quickly locked the beast into one of the Professor's cages before it woke up.

The heroes then questioned the Professor about his dealings. "Mostly, we're interested in your relationship with the Riddle-King," Leth told him. The Professor remained reluctant, but eventually Chrissie was able to talk him into revealing what he knew (using magical means – shhhh! Don't tell the Demorian police!).

It turned out that the Professor had a hard time settling in any one place to perform his experiments, because after just a few months in any given place, he would find himself surrounded by angry mobs with pitchforks and torches. But the Riddle-King promised to set the doctor up in a new place, far away from the superstitious and ignorant people, if the doctor would just do him a simple favor: Lure the Fearless Monster Hunters here, and kill them when they arrived.

The Professor readily agreed, and magically keyed a certain command into his creatures' gene code that would cause them to viciously attack anyone meeting the FMH's descriptions. He did not know where the Riddle-King is currently, but he seems to recall speaking with him very recently.

The heroes bound Dr. Rohrbach up and took him back to the city, presenting their evidence to Captain Langley of the Demorian police. They were instructed not to leave town until he could conduct a full investigation, so they settled in to wait. A day later, the captain told them that they had discovered enough evidence at the manor house to convict Dr. Rohrbach, and that their testimony, while welcome, wouldn't be necessary. He also presented them with a small reward for the capture of the culprit responsible for the monster attacks.

The next day, the heroes once again headed out of town, heading east and north, towards Leth's homelands in the Asgard Mountains.

TBC!

matrix3

Apr 9th, '08, 02:48 PM

Cool stuff! Thanks for the update. :)

MorpheousXO

Apr 13th, '08, 02:34 AM

WOOHOO!!! :celebrate

SatinKitty

Apr 13th, '08, 01:45 PM

Time to organize a Bunneh Fan Club !

teh bunneh

Apr 18th, '08, 01:53 PM

Fearless Monster Hunters Recap for April 12, 2008
The heroes were on the road to Lörm Pass, the gateway between Demoria, Boresheim, and Retor. They had to go through the town at the foot of the mountains, named South Lörm, where they found the streets crowded with angry merchants and travelers.

Kaira and Chrissie went to see what was going on, and they heard one of the Demorian officers telling the crowd that they couldn't go to the Pass. "Why not?" one merchant yelled. "I've got a load of vegetables that can't linger here in the city, I need to sell them before they go bad!"

"You cannot go up the pass," the hapless officer told them, "Because there's something up there, something terrible. We don't know what, exactly. We lost contact with the way station up there, and those we sent to investigate never came back. We've sent word to Masingberg for more men to go up and investigate, but until they get here you'll have to sit tight!"

Meanwhile, Castilla scaled the city wall to take a look up into the mountains. She saw that the pass was covered with boiling, black clouds, flickering with lightning – the fiercest blizzard she'd ever seen! (Though that wasn't saying much for the desert-born Jill).

Kaira managed to attract the lieutenant's attention and told him that they were the Fearless Monster Hunters, and asked if they could be of any service? "The Fearless Monster Hunters?" he asked. "I've heard of you guys! Do you know Lord and Lady Whitestar?"

"No, they retired long ago," Kaira admitted. "But we know their son!"

The officer invited the two ladies back to his office for some hot tea. He explained what was going on, though it wasn't much more than they'd already overheard. "It's this weather that worries us," he said. "We never get a blizzard this early. And the way it's just hanging over the mountain, not moving an inch… there's something not right about it."

"Can we help?" Kaira said. "We can go up the pass, see what's going on, and come back to report to you. That way, you won't have to risk your own men."

The lieutenant happily agreed – "If the Fearless Monster Hunters are here, the problem is practically solved!" The soldiers opened up the gates for the heroes to go out and climb up to the pass.

There wasn't much snow until they reached the top of the pass – then it was like a solid wall of bitter wind, driving snow, and biting sleet. Visibility was terrible, but Illy managed to spot the Demorian's guard tower… or what was left of it. It had been knocked down; nothing but rubble was left. Leth ordered half of the team to hunker down and keep an eye on their surroundings; the other half fanned out into the rubble to search for survivors.

After about twenty minutes of searching, Leth found a lone survivor, badly injured, in a Draconian uniform. The Dwarves pulled him out of the rubble and called for Kaira. "He's in bad shape," Kaira said, checking him over. "Both legs are broken, and he may be bleeding internally. We have to get him to a shelter."

Leth told the rest of the party to try to find the way station that was supposed to be up here. It didn't take long. It had been collapsed and burned to the ground. But Finnegan spotted the station's barn, which was untouched by violence. The heroes carried the wounded soldier into the barn, where they found the soldiers' horses and several oxen, still alive but very hungry after having been neglected for a couple of days.

While Kaira tended the wounded and Finn fed the livestock, Castilla went out to investigate the burned way station. She found that the foundation of the building had been dug out from under it. There was a wide, almost perfectly circular tunnel with glassy walls that disappeared under the mountains. Without regard for her own safety, she went down the tunnel to see where it led.

But after wandering the winding, shifting tunnel for nearly half an hour, she decided it wasn't going anywhere and headed back to the others to report.

"Well, the storm hasn’t lessened and it's getting dark," Leth said. "We'll wait until first light, then saddle up the horses and head back to South Lörm at best speed. Whatever happened here, we missed it."

The heroes set watches and climbed up into the hayloft to sleep. That night, Chrissie thought she felt the ground rumbling beneath her, but the others told her it was probably just nerves. Still, they made sure to keep their eyes open in case something came back to finish the job.

An hour or so before dawn, the injured soldier came too. After the heroes assured him that they were friends, he told them what he remembered. "I was standing watch on the tower when it happened. I saw the blizzard blowing in from the north, coming fast. The wind hit like a hammer, bringing with it stinging sleet and blinding snow. Visibility was near zero. I saw something coming down the pass, out of the blizzard, three of them – Giants, I'm sure of it! I called out a warning, but it was too late. Something hit the tower, and I fell. That's the last thing I remember."

"We'd best get ready to go," Leth said. "If there's Giants about, we need to be elsewhere."

Finn prepped the animals to leave and began leading them out the big barn doors. That's when a huge shadow loomed over him. He felt a sharp pain, and then was flying through the air. He landed heavily in a snowbank. The livestock panicked and began running in every direction as a Giant, thirty feet tall and clad in leather and chain, swung it spear at the hapless Nekian!

Leth charged over to help, but found his way blocked by stampeding oxen. Illy cast a Wizard's Wall to protect Finn, but the Giant reached over it. Styggiad acrobatically leapt over the cattle and stabbed at the Giant, injuring it and giving Finn time to leap to his feet and stab at the huge creature, too. Od and Thorsten rushed around the back to try to attack the Giant in its flank.

And that's when the second Giant stepped in to attack, once more knocking Finn and Styggiad into the snow. Both warriors were hurt, badly. Illy came out of the barn and pushed her sister into the Ghost-Realm to protect her. One of the Giants slashed at her with his spear, but the agile Elf managed to duck out of the way and was only scratched. Leth finally got out of the barn and hacked at the Giant's legs, and Finn regained his feet to help. Finally, the Giant fell to the ground, bleeding from a dozen deep cuts.

The other Giant roared in anger and frustration, took one last swipe at Leth, and then ran for the hills, disappearing quickly into the storm. "Quick, before he brings reinforcements!" Leth called to the others. "Get on them horses and let's go!" The heroes wasted no time, and in a few hours they made it back to South Lörm.

The Demorians were thrilled to see the heroes return, especially bringing with them a survivor. "What was it?" the lieutenant asked. "What did you see?"

"Giants," Leth told him. "Giants and worse. Get your men ready; this may be the start of something bad."

TBC!

MorpheousXO

Apr 20th, '08, 08:19 AM

Ooh... can't wait for more!

Enforcer84

Apr 21st, '08, 03:18 PM

Well done, Bunneh!

SatinKitty

Apr 21st, '08, 07:16 PM

Ditto. :D

teh bunneh

Apr 21st, '08, 07:36 PM

Thanks! No game this week. FMH will resume next week. :)

ghost-angel

Apr 25th, '08, 04:03 PM

Took me a day or two.. but I read through all of your campaign logs.

Excellent stuff. I love reading other peoples games.

matrix3

Apr 25th, '08, 10:25 PM

Thanks! No game this week. FMH will resume next week. :)

Thanks for the updates! I'll be waiting for the next installment.

teh bunneh

Apr 30th, '08, 10:28 AM

Stories of the heroes' return spread through South Lörm like wildfire, and soon the heroes found themselves telling their story to groups of enthralled merchants and townsfolk. The town was abuzz with gossip. "Giants? What are Giants doing this far south?" "They never come this close to civilized lands!" "I'm glad I didn't try to bring my wagons up there – we'd have been killed for sure!"

Later that evening, Lt. Dunkin and some of his men found the heroes in a tavern. "It's bad, is it?" Leth asked.

"Yes, very bad," Dunkin told them. "This town simply doesn't have the manpower to stage a full assault to take back the pass from Giants. We sent for reinforcements a couple of days ago, but it will still be a few days before they get here. And what worries me the most is that storm. It never snows like that this early in the year, and the way it's just hanging over the mountains like that tells me that it's not natural."

"The Giants must have some kind of Thaumaturge among their number," Illy suggested. "He would have to be quite powerful to summon and maintain a storm of that ferocity, though."

"What of the warriors of Retor?" Leth asked.

"The Dwarves have their own watch-station on their side of the pass," Dunkin said. "And a small walled town on the other side. But we've not had contact with them since this all started, and I fear the worst."

"What if we were to go up the pass again," Kaira suggested. "We'll scout out the Giants' position, count their numbers, see if we can single out this wizard of theirs…"

"Maybe even pick off one or two stragglers," Leth continued. "Aye, but we'll need a couple of your best scouts to guide us and show us the back trails."

"You'll have them," Lt. Dunkin agreed. "And any supplies you may need from the town's stores are yours as well."

"Then we'll leave at first light," Leth said, telling his companions to gather up any supplies they needed and to get ready to go in the morning.

At dawn, the heroes were introduced to their guides: Obert, a Dwarf mountaineer who worked as a guide in these mountains, and Raymond, a human tracker who sometimes did freelance work for the Demorian army. Obert was anxious to get back into the mountains – too much time spent in the city made him soft, he said. Raymond, who didn't think of himself as a warrior, wasn't so eager but was still happy to be helping. The party headed up the mountain and by the end of the day entered the bleak storm.

Castilla and Finn scouted ahead, led by Obert (who knew these lands better than anyone). While trudging through the snow, Castilla thought she heard talking, so she veered off the trail and into the woods. After a few moments, Obert and Finn realized she was gone and backtracked, looking for her.

She was already deep in the snow-covered woods, clambering over fallen trees and ducking under pine branches laden with new-fallen snow. Up ahead, she saw firelight, and crept closer to take a look. She spotted a large bonfire with three Giants sitting around it, roasting a chunk of meat on a huge spit – a chunk of meat she guessed was one of the missing Demorian soldiers! She started to slip away to warn the others, but she slipped on an icy patch and crashed to the ground. In an instant, the Giants were on their feet. She took off running, away from the direction she had just come (not wanting to lead the Giants back to her friends). Two of them charged after her.

Meanwhile, Finn and Obert were combing the woods looking for her. They had just found her trail when they heard the shouts and curses of the Giants. Finn quickly ducked under a nearby pine, but Obert was not so quick. When one of the Giants came out of the forest, he spotted the Dwarf. "Run!" Finn shouted, nocking an arrow. "I'll hold him here!"

But the Giant batted the arrow out of the air, so Finn decided to follow his guide. They fled through the woods until they made it to the road. Finn turned around and drew his sword, cursing aloud and hoping the others would soon find them.

Meanwhile, Castilla managed to find a hollow log to duck into, hiding from the Giants. She heard them walk by her hiding place, speaking to one another in their guttural tongue, and she was afraid they would find her, until they heard their other companion shouting. They rushed to assist him, leaving Castilla alone. "I can't let them get Finn and the Dwarf," she said to herself. She climbed out of the hollow log and shouted at the retreating Giants, but they were too focused on their mission and did not hear her. Frustrated, she followed their trail.

Finnegan was unhappy about facing off with one Giant. Imagine his shock when two more came out of the woods to back up their friend! Luckily, about that time Leth and the others came along. "Quick! Into the woods! We'll circle around them!" Leth told the others. Most of the team followed him; Illy paused long enough to cast a spell that would allow her and Kaira to see better in the driving storm.

But the Giants had already spotted the approaching reinforcements. One of the Giants pulled a huge rock out of his sack and hurled it at the heroes. It bounce, rolled, and hit Od squarely, knocking him down into the snow. "Screw this, Finn needs help," Illy said, and with a word she vanished and reappeared right next to Finnegan.

The Giant saw the two little-folk standing next to each other and swung his axe in a broad arc, catching both of them in it. Blood stained the snow as they were thrown back by the force of the blow. "Sister!" Styggiad cried, grabbing Kaira and charging at full speed into the fray.

The battle turned into a true Charlie-Fox, the heroes doing everything they could against the huge monsters and the Giants fighting back as hard as they could. Illy managed to blind the Giants, and the rest of the team gang-rushed one of them, dragging him down to his knees and finishing him. The other two fought on until Leth managed to trip one of them up and again, the heroes piled on him with all they had.

Finnegan went after the third Giant, but she hurled her spear and dropped him. He fell into the snow, bleeding. Kaira rushed to help, but before she could get to him the Giant scooped him up in her massive hand. She barked something in her barbaric tongue, and Od provided a rough translation. "She says she wants a trade – the redheaded human for her husband. I think she means that one," he said, pointing to one of the dying Giants.

"Tell her to leave these lands and ne'er come back," Leth said. "And she can take her man."

Carefully, the two warring parties traded hostages (apparently, the female didn't care what happened to the third Giant). As she was carrying her husband away, she turned and shouted something.

"What did she say?" Illy asked.

"Well, my Giantish is pretty rusty," Od admitted. "But she said something about... Always Winter? The goddess with black hands is returning, with gifts? Uln's pet was the first gift (I think Uln is the dead one here). Wolves will bring winter from the mountains, and they'll eat the bones of humans and Dwarves?" he scratched his head. "The last part I definitely got – Giants will rule the earth, and the time of humans and Dwarves is at an end."

"The EverWinter," Chrissie said, a note of fear in her voice. "Ragnarok is coming."

TBC!