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THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle


Steve Long

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

February 10, 2006:

Thrilling Hero Tales #5:

CURSE OF THE VULTURE-GOD

Part One

 

Our heroes returned to Stanleyville from safari. As they walked through the streets, they noticed they were receiving some nervous glances from people — as if those people were expecting some sort of trouble. When they reached their hotel, they found Heillard Alswend nervously pacing in the lobby. He told them that a “European” — they quickly suspected “Colonel” Bruce Forsythe — had been stirring up the Arabs in town against them, and that they’d best get out of town quickly if they wanted to escape with their heads still attached to their bodies.

 

Heeding his warning, the heroes hurried to the airstrip where they’d left their plane and started loading up their baggage and gear while Roy Austin got the plane ready to fly. When Adam MacBryde spotted one of the airport workers signalling someone in the nearby jungle with a mirror, he shouted that it was time to go now.

 

Austin started the plane down the runway and MacBryde leaped up into the open port doorway just as several mounted Arabs with rifles burst out of the trees, riding hard toward them! The heroes opened fire, dropping several Arabs (or their horses), but one made it to the back of the plane and clambered on top, temporarily interfering with Austin’s control of the rudder and elevators. Then another one rode close to the open starboard doorway out of which Slava Koslov was firing and leaped on him, dagger drawn! Koslov quickly shifted position to block and a furious struggle ensued... but it came to a rapid end when Virginia Smith moved up and shot the Arab point-blank in the head.

 

As the others kept shooting approaching Arabs, Ricky Rockelli, knowing there was an Arab crawling along the top of the plane, moved forward to make sure Austin was protected. His instincts paid off a few seconds later when the Arab came crashing through the cockpit door! Before he could move to attack Austin, Rockelli smashed the Arab in the chest with his baseball bat, breaking ribs and knocking the man back out of the plane.

 

As another Arab gallopped up to the open starboard door and leaped in to attack Koslov, Austin and Rockelli noticed another threat: two Arabs riding straight at the plane with a length of chain held between them! Carefully holding onto the stick and keeping the accelerator pressed to the floor, Austin stuck his right arm out one of the cockpit windows and quickly squeezed off every shot in his pistol. The luck of heroes played him true — he hit the Arab to the right in the stomach! The man slumped in his saddle and his end of the chain began to drag the ground, but he remained on horse and riding forward, a potential danger to the starboard wing. MacBryde shot the other chain-carrying Arab right out of the saddle, causing the chain to drop to the ground. At the last second, before the gut-shot Arab hit the starboard wing, Austin cleverly “bounced” the plane a few feet off the ground so that the wing went right over the Arab’s head!

 

Meanwhile Koslov and the Arab struggled mightily. After Virginia Smith shot the Arab in the leg, Koslov was able to stop using his rifle to block the man’s dagger-thrusts and smash him in the face instead. Unfortunately the blow came just as Austin “bounced” the plane! The Arab fell screaming out of the door, but Koslov fell right after him! He barely managed to grab the bottom lip of the doorway. After holding onto the edge of the door for dear life for a few moments, he clambered back in with Virginia Smith’s assistance (after which he gave her a gallant kiss on the hand). And the plane soared off to the north...

 

...and a few hours later landed in Cairo, capital of Egypt! Roy Austin was scheduled to appear in an air show there the next day, and the rest of the group was looking forward to some relaxation. After they got situated in their rooms, they met back in the lobby to go get some lunch. But before they could leave, Virginia Smith was surprised and pleased to see her old friend, noted Egyptologist Sir Robert Munson, walk into the lobby, accompanied by his two solicitous Arab servants. Striding over to her, he said how glad he was to see her. After being introduced to the others, he explained that he’d told the hotel staff to be on the lookout for her. He’d recently come across an amazing find in the local bazaar — what appeared to be an authentic ancient Egyptian map purporting to show the tomb of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Amen-ta-hetep! If true, and if the tomb remained unplundered (as he believed), it would be a discovery on par with, or even greater than, the finding of Tut-ankh-amen’s tomb! He asked Virginia and her friends to help him plan and conduct the excavation expedition, to which they readily agreed.

 

After a fine lunch, the heroes headed out to the airfield where Austin, with the help of his precocious young mechanic Abdul, checked out his plane. He was perturbed to discover that someone — a ruthless competitor? an assassin? some foul conspirator opposed to the heroes for reasons as yet unknown? — had cut one of the engine’s belts so that it would part in mid-air, causing a deadly crash! Working hard, Austin and Abdul got the damage fixed. The heroes then returned to the city and spent most of the evening enjoying themselves at the Casino Opera.

 

The next day: the big air show! Roy Austin was scheduled to take part in the races and some stunt flying competitions. Taking advantage of his social expertise and savoir faire, Slava Koslov secured the rest of the group seats to watch the event with Prince Falahn ibn Ahmed and his 17 beautiful daughters. Unfortunately the first race went poorly for Austin; the other two pilots outmaneuvered him and he dropped down into the loser’s bracket.

 

As Austin began his next race, hoping to advance through to the finals, Adam MacBryde noticed something unusual — a distinctive-looking Egyptian seemed to be staring at himself and the other heroes. He recognized him as a man he’d seen observing the heroes at the Casino Opera the night before. When he noticed the man talk to three other men, who quickly scattered through the crowd, he got down off the grandstand to follow him. He lost him for a few moments in the pressing throng, but soon spotted him again, talking to three other men. Deciding it was time to deal with the situation, he strode forward confidently. The three men scattered, and the handsome Egyptian MacBryde had been following moved to get his back against a fruit vendor’s stall, never taking his eyes off MacBryde. A curt exchange of dialogue followed, with the Egyptian refusing to admit he had any interest in the heroes and MacBryde making it clear that the Egyptian had been given fair warning — next time, all bets were off. Despite a loud explosion coming from the raceway, they remained fixated on each other, neither giving ground. At last the two parted, still watching each other like hawks.

 

Meanwhile, Austin had cleverly and easily won two races, making it to the finals! A tense final race, pitting him against an Italian and a German, soon began. Austin fell behind at first, but by some clever flying pulled even about halfway through the race. Then the Italian lost control of his plane and crashed with a spectacular explosion! It was neck and neck down to the wire — Austin, the German; the German, Austin; back and forth with nail-biting suspense. At almost the last second Austin cleverly maneuvered his plane, forcing the German’s plane away just enough to slow him down so Austin darted to victory!

 

As Austin landed and coasted to the winner’s circle, Koslov offered to introduce the Prince and his daughters to the winner. The entire group headed down to meet Austin and were quite impressed. But the happy moment was interrupted when the crowd around the plane parted to reveal an arc of Egyptian toughs wielding guns and knives! Several of the heroes noticed that soe of the Egyptians had tattoos of an ankh pointing to the left. Thinking fast, the heroes struck first! Rockelli and Smith fired guns, MacBryde ran to cover behind some barrels and fired his pistol as he went, Koslov drew his sword-cane and charged several of them. As Austin escorted/dragged the Prince to safety underneath and then behind the plane, the Prince’s bodyguards got his daughters away from the battlefield.

 

A furious fight ensued. As two Egyptians charged him with knives, Rockelli dropped his rifle and used his trademark baseball bat to block the blows. Koslov stabbed and slashed; Smith fired her rifle. MacBryde shot two Egyptians, then found himself in a life-and-death knife fight with a third who leaped upon him before he could fire again. Austin, meanwhile, had escorted the Prince to a nearby plane being prepared for an upcoming event by a Spanish aviator. Distracting the Spaniard, Austin leaped into the cockpit, got the plane going, then whirled it around and began steering it at the Egyptians chasing him and the Prince. “My knife is four feet long and spins at 3,000 RPM!” he shouted with a laugh as the warriors, terrified, turned tail and ran. Austin then helped the Prince into the seat behind him.

 

When the dust settled, the heroes had won! Koslov’s opponents were stabbed or shot, Rockelli had blocked his long enough for Koslov to dispatch one and he to smash another’s face in with a for-the-bleachers swing of the bat, and MacBryde had managed to draw his own knife and stab his opponent through the heart before the man could do the same to him.

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

As you can see from how abruptly the report terminates and the "Part One" in the header, I decided to call this adventure at an appropriate stopping point and resume in two weeks after DunDraCon. By the time the fight at the air show ended, it was a little after 11:00 and several people had to be up early the next day. When next we meet -- the heroes head out into the desert!

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

I hope someone got extra XPs for this line.

 

LOL. Actually, the design standards for the game are rather loose -- more or less, "Create whatever you want to play, within reason" (everyone in the group is a highly experience gamer, and we're very used to each other's styles, so this works well). Therefore I don't hand out XP. I might have to give him an extra Heroic Action Point, though. ;)

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

It was a great game. The pacing on the runway in the opening scene was very well handled. I was constantly trying to keep the tide of rushing opponents from overwhelming "my" side of the runway.

 

Roy Austin really managed to shine in this game. He took down one of the chain-holders trying to block the airstrip while Blazing Away :eek: and then lifted off early to boot. Once at the airfield in Cairo he was competing against some highly skilled aviators, all while jury-rigging the sabotage done to his plane. He got that great 3000RPM line and then managed to get on the "getting the girl" scoreboard, despite Koslov's (very) dedicated efforts.

 

Just goes to show you... can't compete with the flyboys.

 

Brad (Adam MacBryde)

 

 

Keeping score - Gets the Girl

Koslov: 1, MacBryde: 1, Austin: 1, Everyone else: 0

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

To give props from the other side of the GM's screen -- Therm had a great idea for improving the plane takeoff scene next time I run it (or something like it). In retrospect it was such an obvious idea that I should've thought of it myself. Live and learn. ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

March 3, 2006:

THRILLING HERO TALES #5:

Curse Of The Vulture-God

Part Two

 

Following the escapades at the air show, the heroes, Sir Robert, and the porters, diggers, and workers hired by Sir Robert’s manservants Baktiar and Wasim headed out into the desert in search of the tomb of Amen-ta-hetep. All went well for a day or two, but then, as the expedition moved through a narrow gorge, they were ambushed! Rifle-toting men appeared on the ledges overlooking the gorge and began firing. The laborers and Sir Robert hunkered down in fear while the heroes sprang from their cars and returned fire! Using the expedition’s cars for cover, one by one they picked their attackers off. Trouble arose when a ricochet punctured the gas tank on the lead car, but their firepower and accuracy frightened away the surviving attackers in time for them to plug the leak.

 

After the shooting stopped, several of the heroes noticed that the Egyptian laborers didn’t just look shook up by the attack, but a little angry as well. Later that evening Jake Brand, expert on Arab culture and fluent speaker of Arabic, visited some of them at their campfire and spoke with them about it. They explained to him that they believed the attackers were part of an ancient brotherhood that protected tombs from workers such as they, thus robbing them (the workers) of the ability to make a living. “After all, what good does gold in the ground do anyone?” Their responses seemed truthful, but Brand came away from them with the impression that they were not particularly good people.

 

The expedition continued onward, coming to the site where Sir Robert believed the tomb would be located late the next day. While Brand began scouting around for good digging locations, Adam MacBryde and Slava Koslov considered ways to create temporary fortifications in the nearby crags — they’d been attacked twice in recent days (once at the airshow, once on the road) and were certain a third attack would come in time.

 

After four days of exploration and digging (during which Roy Austin tuned the expedition’s car’s motors into tip-top shape), the diggers found what seemed to be a capstone covering a well or tunnel going down. The rest of the expedition came running, and with swift, dedicated effort the capstone was cleared and removed, revealing a “chimney” going downward, with a ladder for easy access. After testing the ladder to make sure it was secure, the heroes, Sir Robert, and several laborers headed in.

 

They found themselves in a rectangular antechamber, richly decorated with hieroglyphics on the walls. At the far end was a set of double doors... with the seal intact! Jake Brand and the heroes set to work and carefully broke the seal, then opened the doors.

 

The doors led into a circular chamber, columns down two walls, a sarcophagus at the far end. Various treasures and art objects were scattered throughout, but Brand and Koslov both noticed, after some examination, that there were far fewer treasures than they’d expect for a pharaoh supposedly so powerful and popular. Brand suspected that the plinth the sarcophagus rested on contained a concealed compartment with particularly valuable treasures, though the hieroglyphics on it spoke of guardianship and warding — not as if something was being warded, but as if the mummy or objects were the things doing the warding.

 

Suddenly, from within the sarcophagus there came a tremendous boom! — as of someone trying to get out! Startled, the heroes didn’t have time to react before the lid of the sarcophagus was thrown off and the mummy within sat up and stepped out! Now with a foe to fight, they fired. Adam MacBryde shot the thing in its head with his rifle... to almost no effect! The others’ bullets were similarly useless. Moving far more swiftly than any of them would have expected, the mummy grabbed Brand and threw him into MacBryde, hurting them both and knocking them to the ground.

 

Realizing bullets would be useless, Roy Austin decided to try to burn the mummy. He snatched up a torch and headed for the undead terror. Divining his purpose, MacBryde pulled out his whiskey flask, took a swig, and spit the liquor all over the mummy. When Austin touched the mummy with the torch, it went up instantly. Shrieking horribly it stumbled around, once backhanding Austin painfully, then collapsed into its sarcophagus and “died.”

 

Suddenly a new threat appeared! In the door to the tomb chamber was the man MacBryde had confronted at the air show at the head of a large group of djellaba-garbed warriors. Full of righteous anger, he shouted, “Defilers! You have slain the guardian and now you will die! The Brotherhood of the Western Ankh will never permit you to continue the worship of your foul vulture-god!” Then he started for MacBryde with drawn blade...

 

...but MacBryde realized something was amiss. This man thought he and his friends were cultists of some “vulture-god.” “Wait!” he said. “You’ve made a mistake.” The leader of the Brotherhood hesitated, looking around at them, then responded. “Though you destroyed the guardian, I sense that you speak the truth. You are not evil men. You have simply been used.” He gave them his name, Bahram al-Mustaba.

 

Then there was another boom — the sound of the capstone covering the entrance to the tomb being replaced. They were trapped! At that point, they all noticed that the laborers who’d come down into the tomb with them were gone... and then they spotted the open secret door in one of the columns! “Quickly,” al-Mustaba said. “There is no time to lose!” The group ran for the secret door and down the narrow spiral staircase it gave access to. They emerged into another chamber matching the one above, but barren of decoration and containing just a plain sarcophagus... that had recently been opened! In one wall was an opening that had apparently been created by dynamite. They charged into the tunnel, al-Mustaba in the lead, but took only a few steps before they saw the dynamite bomb left there, its fuse almost gone....

 

Reacting swiftly, al-Mustaba turned and shoved MacBryde backward so he and the other heroes were knocked back into the plain tomb chamber. Then the bomb went off! The heroes were shaken but basically unhurt, but al-Mustaba was badly injured and trapped underneath chunks of rock. The heroes began administering medical care as best they could, but al-Mustaba insisted that they free themselves from the tomb and pursue the laborers — now revealed to be vulture-god cultists, obviously! — before they could complete their foul mission. He explained that the tomb of Amen-ta-hetep was placed so that the pharaoh would stand guard over the mummy of Takhat-nakht, a priest of the vulture-god Neret-kha whom Amen-ta-hetep and the priests of Horus had defeated during the pharaoh’s reign. The cultists intended to bring Takhat-nakht back to life at the sacred oasis of al-Arnabah and somehow revive the worship of Neret-kha, and they had to be stopped!

 

After al-Mustaba was stabilized, the heroes went to work on escaping from the tomb, knowing they had to work fast because there wasn’t much air. Jake Brand hoped to find something of use in the secret compartment he suspected was in the plinth, but while he did find the compartment, all it contained was a (trapped) wooden box containing two fabulous treasures: first, an ancient papyrus scroll; second, a beautiful object made of gold and lapis lazuli. Shaped like a large scarab holding a sun-disk incised with the wings of life, it was clearly of great significance. Adam MacBryde took both items for safekeeping and, hopefully, later analysis.

 

Using the crowbars the group had brought down into the tomb with them, Roy Austin and a sturdy Brotherhood warrior named Hasim put in a backbreaking effort and wedged the capstone up enough to slip a smaller crowbar between it and the tunnel walls. From there it just took an hour or two to move the capstone away enough to let them all get out. Fresh air never tasted so good!

 

But the threat was not yet ended! While Sir Robert and the Brotherhood took one car and headed back to Cairo with al-Mustaba to get him medical care, the heroes took another and headed for the oasis! They got there as it was nearing midnight. Roy Austin wanted to just drive right in guns blazing, but the others decided on a more cautious approach. Creeping up the dunes ringing the oasis, they saw a large group of vulture-god cultists around an altar. On the altar was a mummy, and the leader of the cult was chanting over it. Desperate not to let him finish his spell, the heroes acted. Adam MacBryde took careful aim and shot the cult leader through the head! Then the others began shooting at the cultists, now leaderless and thrown into confusion by the sudden, unexpected attack. In a few minutes it was all over as evil cultists leaked their life’s-blood into the thirsty sands.

 

Now there was just the mummy to deal with. The heroes wisely decided that it would be a Bad Idea to touch it, or to try to destroy it at the oasis. Roy Austin used some rope to make a lariat, then lassoed the mummy and dragged it far out into the desert. There they set it on fire. It seemingly came to life, shrieking and screaming, and then shriveled away to ash and died. And so the evil cult of the vulture-god Neret-kha was destroyed at last!...

 

...or is it?

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

Is the first adventure LORD OF THE YELLOW DEATH! available to buy?

 

No, not yet. One of the drawbacks to running the campaign is that preparing the games takes up a lot of time that I formerly devoted to writing up Hero Plus Adventures. (Plus, these days I'm doing more writing than editing.) I do plan to write up and publish many of the adventures that aren't based on HPAs, it's just going to take me a little time to get to them.

 

I'm not sure whether I'll include LotYD, though, since its background is fairly closely tied to the PCs of my game. I'd have to find a way to present it as more of a generic "Here's a framework for getting a new group of PCs together and a first adventure for them." #2 (Fangs of the Scarlet Serpent) and #4 (Nazi Death Zombies of the Congo) will both work well as HPAs; #3 and #5 are already HPAs. The next couple of adventures are new ones that will become HPAs eventually. ;)

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

I'd have to find a way to present it as more of a generic "Here's a framework for getting a new group of PCs together and a first adventure for them."

 

Thanks for the reply. This is exactly why I was asking. By the way, it is some what 26 years since I played using this system. I remember buying Champions when it first arrived in the UK, and then the excitement of Champions II and Champions III. I ran Champions games at University, back what 1980? Me thinks it is about time I gave Hero 5th a try! And Pulp seems a good place to start again.

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

Slava Koslov, eh? Is there a fellow Detroit Red Wings fan representing?

 

No, there's a player who had a character named Arkady Koslov in my Dark Champions campaign and wanted to play a Pulp character who was his ancestor. Same with the Pulp character Adam MacBryde and the DC character Spencer MacBryde.

 

At some point during the campaign they're going to meet the ancestor of one of their descendants' most infamous adversaries. :eg:

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

Thanks for the reply. This is exactly why I was asking. By the way, it is some what 26 years since I played using this system. I remember buying Champions when it first arrived in the UK, and then the excitement of Champions II and Champions III. I ran Champions games at University, back what 1980? Me thinks it is about time I gave Hero 5th a try! And Pulp seems a good place to start again.

 

Glad to hear it -- good luck with the game!

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

At some point during the campaign they're going to meet the ancestor of one of their descendants' most infamous adversaries. :eg:

 

 

So now I'm forced with having to decide between remaining in "pulp heroic" character vs. killing this guy since " he's got it comin' ".

 

Decisions, decisions.:sneaky:

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  • 5 weeks later...

Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

March 17 and April 14, 2006

Thrilling Hero Tales #6:

THE TABLETS OF DESTINY

 

As the heroes stood in the nighttime desert, a thousand stars in the sky above them, watching the mummy of Takhat-nakht burn, the thick, black smoke the mummy gave off seemed to form into a face that glared at them with rage... and then the wind blowing back toward the oasis of al-Arnabah dissipated it and blew it away.

 

Investigating the charred remains, Jake Brand found a carnelian amulet in the cavity where the heart was in life. Being careful not to touch it, he picked it up and examined it. On one side it had typical funerary hieroglyphs and symbols, on the other the foul symbol of the vulture-god. The heroes carefully packed it into a box and began the long drive north to Cairo.

 

A few hours later, they came upon a group of men by the side of the road — the Brotherhood of the Western Ankh! One of their horses had broken its leg and they couldn’t carry Bahram al-Mustaba any further. He still desperately needed to get to a hospital, so the heroes put him in their car and kept driving. By pushing hard and driving in shifts they made it to Cairo in a little more than a day and got him the medical care he needed.

 

The heroes now retired to the Imperial Hotel to enjoy a well-deserved rest. Jake Brand began trying to decipher the scroll found in the tomb of Amen-ta-hetep, but it quickly became apparent that these weren’t normal hieroglyphics — they completely baffled him. For safety’s sake Slava Koslov made a copy by hand of the scroll; the project took a long time and made him feel vaguely disturbed. Something about these strange hieroglyphics was dark, brooding, and dangerous.

 

Brand also studied the amulet, but found no enlightenment there. Handling it made him feel a little queasy; it had a sort of “oily” feel to it even though there was clearly no oil on it. Koslov, feeling psychically disturbed by the thing, contacted the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul to seek advice about what to do with it. The Church responded, suggesting that it would be best if he were to obtain it and turn it over to the Council of St. Dionysos (a secret arm of the Orthodox Church devoted to investigating and fighting the occult).

 

Meanwhile, as he was continuing him researches, Jake Brand was disturbed by a knock on the door. A man dressed in a grey suit entered. He introduced himself as Dr. Steffen Dietrich of the Reichsmuseum in Berlin. He was involved with an archaeological dig in Iraq and was in need of Fraulein Dr. Brand’s help. He asked him to come to Iraq and assist the Third Reich with this important excavation, though he was unwilling to reveal its location or central purpose at this time.

 

Intrigued, Brand agreed to go. He was given the name of a man to contact in Baghdad, Wilhelm Mersmann, who would arrange for him travel to the dig. He discussed it with the other heroes, several of whom were disturbed and upset that he’d be willing to work with Nazis. However, it was decided that this was a good way to find out what the Germans were up to, and that the others would accompany him to Iraq. They left the scarab and scroll they’d found in Amen-ta-hetep’s sarcophagus in a safety deposit box in a Cairo bank.

 

As Koslov made a slight detour to Istanbul to deliver the carnelian amulet to the Council, the heroes flew to Baghdad. First they visited the British Embassy, where an old friend of Roy Austin’s lived: diplomat Reginald Whitby. Austin, Whitby, and a fine fellow named Hafez who works as a waiter at the Baghdad Sunset nightclub were once on an adventure together, and Austin saved Whitby’s life. Whitby told them that the only dig he was aware of was in the north, near Mosul, at the ruins of Nineveh. He asked the heroes to keep him informed, and prepared travel papers for them so they could move about Iraq freely.

 

Accompanied by Roy Austin, Jake Brand went to the office of Wilhelm Mersmann. There Mersmann met only with him, refusing to speak in front of Austin. He revealed that the dig was, in fact, near Mosul, but that was all he knew — he was a simple importer and exporter who was assisting the Reich in this matter. He provided Brand with a train ticket for tomorrow morning’s train from Baghdad to Kalat (near Mosul), where he’d be picked up by an expedition member.

 

Next Brand went to consult with him old friend Ismail, a local who’s worked on many archaeological expeditions but was now retired. Happy to see him, Ismail said the Nazis had indeed consulted with him and tried to hire him, but weren’t willing to pay enough. They showed him a rubbing of a partial cuneiform tablet purportedly written by Yasmakh-Adad, court wizard of Shalmaneser III (858-824 BC). It mentioned the “Caves of Marduk” where that Babylonian god allegedly hid the legendary and immensely powerful Tablets Of Destiny after recovering them from the god Zu, who stole them from Enlil, king of the gods. (This was an unusual ending for the myth, which in standard form claims the Tablets were brought back to Enlil.) Unfortunately, the tablet was broken, so the exact location of the Caves, if Yasmakh-Adad mentioned it, remained unknown. Ismail believed the Nazis were either (a) looking for the rest of the tablet, or (B) trying to find another tablet with similar information... with the ultimate goal of recovering the Tablets of Destiny themselves!

 

The heroes headed north, with Brand and Austin riding on the train and the others leaving much earlier to speed up the Tigris River in a fast boat so they could get to Kalat at about the same time but hopefully without revealing themselves. At the Kalat station Brand was met by Dr. Rudolf Grüber, an archaeologist with the expedition, who would drive him to the dig. He pointedly refused to take Austin along, noting that the invitation to participate in the dig was for Dr. Brand alone. When Roy protested that the area wasn’t safe, Dr. Grüber said, “He is in the hands of the Third Reich — he could be no safer.” And with that he and Brand got into his supply-laden truck and left.

 

As they drove to the dig, Grüber explained to Brand that the expedition sought the rest of Yasmakh-Adad’s tablet, or another tablet with the same information. “We’ve found many other valuable artifacts, but the true prize eludes us yet. But if we find it — think of what it could mean. The Tablets Of Destiny themselves, and their power, in our hands!”

 

After arriving at the camp, Brand was introduced to the other scientists. Doctor Dietrich also introduced Brand to his beautiful daughter Wiltrud (who was decidedly cold and unfriendly toward him) and to SS-Oberführer Hermann Eichenwald, the military leader of the expedition. Brand saw several scientists being kept at the camp under guard — Assyriologists he’d heard about who’d recently gone missing! Now he knew where they were, but wasn’t sure how he could free them without exposing himself. After dinner, he and everyone else in the camp went to bed.

 

Meanwhile, Roy Austin and Adam MacBryde had joined up in Mosul. Contacting Austin’s friend Yusuf, who owned a coffeehouse there, they arranged to rent Yusuf’s third cousin’s truck and to buy some supplies for a desert expedition. Following the tracks of Grüber’s truck, they found a good hiding place near the German expedition to camp, then crept up and spied on the camp briefly until they could ascertain that Brand was there. Then they returned to their camp to sleep during the day.

 

In the morning, Brand was assigned to join Wiltrud Dietrich in trying to translate tablets the expedition had already found while the rest of the archaeologists returned to the dig. Working with Wiltrud was unpleasant at first due to her unfriendly attitude, despite the fact that she was clearly a brilliant Assyriologist. Then it became apparent that she disliked him because she thought that, as someone working with her father and Eichenwald, he must be a Nazi — and she despised Nazism! Once that misunderstanding was cleared up, an attraction began to blossom between the two.

 

Late that day, the expedition returned to camp with an amazing find — a stone tablet that seemed very similar to the first Yasmakh-Adad tablet! Brand and Wiltrud began translating it at once and soon realized it was very similar. Working late into the night, they eventually discovered that it provided the approximate location of the Caves of Marduk in the Zagros Mountains, with directions they hoped they could still follow after nearly 3,000 years. Yasmakh-Adad’s account further warned:

 

lord Marduk set also three cunning snares to further protect the sacred Tablets. He who would gain the Tablets for himself must be strong, devout, cautious, and clever. For the first, heed the wisdom of Urshanabi. For the second, let Shamash guide thee. For the third, walk as would the victims of Lamashtu. Then must he face the greatest peril of all.

 

The pair realized they couldn’t let the Nazis get their hands on this information — with the Tablets, the Third Reich could become all-powerful! But they couldn’t bring themselves to destroy the priceless relic, either. Brand took a rubbing of the full tablet to make sure he could keep a copy of what it said with him at all times.

 

Back on the rocky ridge overlooking the camp, Roy Austin and Adam MacBryde could see that the lights in the artifact tent stayed on long after dark, and that two people were still working there. Waiting for the right opportunity — when some of the guards took a cigarette break — they crept into camp and into the tent! The four of them conferred, and at Austin’s clever suggestion decided to bury the tablet there, in the tent, so the Nazis would think it had been stolen. Then they crept back out of camp and to their truck, where they decided to wait for the camp to awaken in the morning so the sound of their truck starting wouldn’t alert the guards.

 

When they heard the hubbub indicating that the Nazis realized the tablet had been “stolen,” they started their truck and drove south, back to the tracks of the trucks heading out to the camp. They kept on that way for a while, hoping to trick the Nazis into thinking they were returning to Mosul, then turned north for the Zagros Mountains. It was a grueling two-day trip, made slower by breaking the steering rod on a rocky hillside and having to stop and repair it. Even worse, they could see a plume of dust getting closer from the south — the Nazis were chasing them!

 

Eventually the ground got too rough for the truck, so the four of them continued on foot. They found the entrance to the Caves Of Marduk at last, and Adam MacBryde went back to conceal their tracks in the hopes of keeping the Nazis off their backs as long as possible.

 

[GM’s Note: now I’m going to stop my play-by-play review of the adventure. At this point the heroes have to avoid the traps in the Caves Of Marduk, and knowing what’s coming will spoil the adventure for your players when you run Hero Plus Adventure #18, The Tablets Of Destiny, on sale soon, for your campaign! Suffice it to say that the heroes cleverly, and not without risk, avoided the traps and perils and obtained the Tablets Of Destiny.]

 

After Austin used the Tablets to heal his injuries and MacBryde decided he didn’t want to do that, the heroes used the power of the Tablets again — to avoid the Nazis combing the area for them. Under cover of the Tablets’ power, they returned to the Nineveh camp, obtained the Yasmakh-Adad tablet so the Nazis couldn’t keep it, freed the captive Assyriologists, and returned to Mosul. But not long after they left the camp, the Tablets began to crumble, and by the time they’d reached Mosul, all they had was a boxful of dust that was once the Tablets — which could not survive in a world where the gods of Babylon are as dead and buried as the cities where they were once worshipped.

 

Accompanied by Wiltrud Dietrich, the heroes flew back to Cairo to retrieve the scarab and scroll. There they found a message waiting for them from Bahram al-Mustaba, who said he’d found someone to translate the scroll. After having that done, the heroes prepared to return home to New York City.

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

April 7, 2006:

Thrilling Hero Tales #7:

THE GOLDEN GIRL OF GALAMORN

 

(GM's Note: due to extenuating circumstances, only two players were able to make last night's game. Not wanting to try to finish #6, which we're in the middle of, I sort of ran an impromptu game based on a few ideas I'd had a day or two before. As you'll see, I think it turned out pretty well.)

 

With the other heroes off and about taking care of personal business, Roy Austin and Adam MacBryde were left back at Eagle Foundation headquarters with nothing to do. But then Roy got a message from his friend, Dr. Otto von Kiessler, saying that he (von Kiessler) had just made an amazing breakthrough and wanted Roy to come see it! Lacking anything better to do, MacBryde tagged along.

 

They drove up to Connecticut, where Dr. Von Kiessler owns a small estate, including a barn that he’s converted into a laboratory. When they arrived, Dr. Von Kiessler gleefully showed the heroes his latest invention: the Enlarger Ray! “Just zink of it, my friends! Zis apple can be made as big as a pumpkin — zere vill be no more starvation! Zis hatpin can become a steel beam. Mankind vill never run out of anyzink effer again!” He handed them some goggles and told them to watch while he enlarged an apple as the first true test of the Ray.

 

He turned on the Ray, and it began to hum. The hum continued, increasing in pitch and loudness. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash! When Roy’s and Adam’s eyes cleared, they were amazed to see that the Ray had worked — but perhaps too well! Everything around them was bigger — Von Kiessler, the furniture, everything. And it seemed to be growing bigger and bigger. When they saw the professor looking around for them, they realized what had happened: somehow the Ray was causing them to shrink, not everything else to grow! They were getting smaller... and smaller... and smaller...

 

...and suddenly reality wrenched and they couldn’t see for a moment. Then they felt themselves falling through a sort of grey-black void. Every now and then something white that they couldn’t really see zoomed past them. Finally it all became too much and their consciousness faded away.

 

They awoke to find themselves lying on the ground. They were in some hilly wildnerness... but one unlike anything they’d ever seen. There were trees, but they had odd spherical- or cup-shaped leaves; some looked more like gigantic ferns than the trees they were used to. Adam climbed one and looked around, seeing nothing noteworthy except a stream and small lake. The whole “feel” of the place was wrong. Realizing they were somewhere they had absolutely never been before and knew nothing about, the two explorers grinned.

 

They headed downhill toward the water. MacBryde saw animal tracks, but none that he recognized. As they walked they found suitable saplings for making spears and cut and whittled them to suit using their pocketknives.

 

After getting their drink of water they started to take stock of their situation... when suddenly they heard a woman scream! Grabbing their spears they ran as fast as they could in that direction. Bursting through the brush they found the woman — but a woman unlike any they’d ever seen! Beautiful she was, but her skin was a creamy golden color and her hair an almost-white blonde. From her forehead projected two small, flexible antennae. She was running from three hideous creatures. They looked vaguely like manta rays, but they flew through the air like ink over glass, and their mouths were filled with small, needle-sharp teeth! (Editor’s note: for visual reference on her and these creatures, see PH 262 — just ignore the guy with the rocketpack and blaster pistols.)

 

Suddenly the golden girl tripped over a rock and fell. The manta-things started to swoop in for the kill... when Adam MacBryde leaped in, wooden spear in hand, to protect her! As Roy Austin followed suit, MacBryde jabbed one of the rays with his spear, inflicting a slight wound. Roy did the same to another, and the three began to circle back around for another attack. Again, MacBryde and Austin barely fended them off, this time wounding one badly enough to make it flee to the northeast, but in the process Austin took a nasty bite in the shoulder. The remaining two manta-things returned for another attack. MacBryde slew one by planting his spear in the ground like a knight setting against a horse-charge, while Austin dealt the other one a deep enough wound to make it follow the one that had already fled.

 

The danger passed, they turned to the girl. Austin said, “Are you hurt?” and offered her a hand up... but she, still afraid, shrunk back from them! “Who are you?” she asked. “You look like no tribe I know of!”

 

“I’m Roy Austin, and this is my friend Adam MacBryde.”

 

“Royaustin and Adamabride — these are your tribes?”

 

“No, those are our names. Our tribe... well, let’s just say we’re Americans.”

 

“Amerikon. I have never heard of the Amerikon tribe. Do you live near here?”

 

“No,” said MacBryde laconically. “We’re from a long way away. What’s your name?”

 

Warming to them at last, the girl allowed Austin to help her to her feet. “Thank you, Royaustin,” she said, leaning in a little. “You were very brave to protect me from the vilrays! They are very dangerous. I was out flying in my turago and they came upon me out of the sky and made me crash!”

 

“Well, MacBryde helped too,” Austin said modestly. “We should get you home — where do you live?”

 

“Many hours’ walk away,” she said sadly. “I am Princess Iliria, and I live at Galamorn City — my father is king there, all this is his land.”

 

“Well, if it’s that long a walk, we’d better get started,” said MacBryde. Off they went. A few minutes later they passed the remains of an odd-looking machine — a sort of flattened cylinder with stubby wings on each side. It was badly damaged. “My turago,” the Princess said wistfully. “The vilrays made me crash it. But my father will give me another.” Austin could barely take his eyes off it — this tiny thing with no propeller could fly?

 

After several tiring hours in the hills, they came out upon a plain. Here they could see a road, signs of farming, and off in the distance a great city. “There is Galamorn!” Iliria said happily.

 

A lot more walking later, they met up with a troop of soldiers on the road. Each carried a spear and sword, and wore on his right arm a sort of bracer with a miniature crossbow built onto it. The leader of the patrol immediately recognized the girl. “Princess Iliria! What are you doing out here? And who are these... people?”

 

“I was out riding in my turago when I was attacked by vilrays!” The soldiers immediately became concerned... and even more wary than the appearance of two such strange men had already made them. “They would have killed me, but Royaustin and Adamabride saved me with their spears!” At that the soldiers relaxed... a little.

 

“Come, Princess, we will escort you and your... friends... back to the city.”

 

With military escort in tow, the two heroes and the Princess continued. In time they reached the city, where everyone seemed glad to see the Princess and curious about the two strange men. They continued on to the palace in the center of the city, where Iliria led them into a magnificent throne room. At the far end a man on a throne was consulting with his advisors... but when he saw her, he stepped down from his chair and came forward quickly. “Iliria, thank the gods they found you! What happened, where have you been? And who are these... men?”

 

Princess Iliria embraced her father, King Laronus, and told the whole story, and introduced Royaustin and Adamabride to the king. “We are deeply grateful to you for saving our daughter,” he said as they all walked back toward the throne. “Your service to Galamorn will not be forgotten, and though the tribe of the Amerikons is unknown to us, we will consider you friends.”

 

“Foreign they may be, but friends I am not so sure,” came a cold voice from the left. A younger man had entered, handsome and stern-looking. Iliria rolled her eyes and sighed, and from her reaction the heroes immediately realized: this must be her brother.

 

“What do you mean, Mondar?” the king asked.

 

“Father, you know even better than I that Lord Druathek and the green-men of Varvorac are preparing to attack Galamorn soon. These strangers must be spies, or scouts!”

 

“Sure,” MacBryde said sarcastically. “Send a spy who looks nothing like anyone in the whole kingdom. Great plan.”

 

Mondar glared at him icily, then turned back to the king, who clearly seemed to agree with MacBryde. “They may have saved Iliria, but it could all be a ruse — perhaps it was they who set the vilrays upon her. I declare challenge!” At that the courtiers nearby began to murder.

 

King Laronus sighed and shook his head, then ascended to his throne and sat down. “Royaustin and Adamabride, you are strangers among us and do not know our customs, so I must explain. In Galamorn a noble such as Prince Mondar has the right to challenge anyone to duel in the arena with swords. If you do not accept, you will be imprisoned. But if you accept, as challengers you may choose the terms: to first blood, incapacitation, or death. Do you accept?”

 

Austin and MacBryde glanced at each other, realizing they had little choice — without any weapons they stood almost no chance trying to fight their way out of a throneroom full of armed guards. “We accept,” said MacBryde defiantly. “We will prove the truth of what we say by defeating him in fair combat.”

 

“I myself shall supply you with swords,” the king said, clearly indicating where his sympathies lay. Prince Mondar sneered. “I will leave you with your blood leaking out onto the sands of the arena floor,” he said to Austin and MacBryde, then turned on his heel and left.

 

Guards escorted the two heroes to the room where they would have to wait until the next morning. Again showing his favor, the king gave them as their “jail” the best guest suite in the palace, and sent good food to them. With the food came two swords, so MacBryde spent several hours trying to teach Austin the basics of swordplay. It was difficult, for the blades, though they looked more or less like rapiers, were for some reason as heavy as large broadswords.

 

As they were finishing their practice, the two heroes heard a sound from above and saw one of the ceiling tiles begin to move. Wary of dropped poisons or other threats, they backed away from the hole that was opening in the ceiling. But then they saw Princess Iliria’s head looking through at them!

 

“How are you, Royaustin and Adamabride? Do you need anything? I am sorry for my brother; he is headstrong and foolish. But I think that you can beat him!” When the heroes indicated they needed nothing, she bid them goodnight and replaced the tile. With that the heroes went to their beds.

 

Servants awakened them an hour before dawn; they dressed and readied themselves. Soon soldiers came and escorted them to the arena. Despite the early hour, a large crowd had already gathered to watch the duel; King Laronus and Princess Iliria were already seated in the royal booth. Prince Mondar and his second were waiting in the center of the arena with the Master of Duels. “As challenged, you must set the terms of the duel,” the Master said to Austin and MacBryde. “What do you choose — first blood, incapacitation, or death?”

 

“Incapacitation,” said MacBryde, as he and Austin had agreed. First blood was too risky, and they had no desire to kill anyone if they could avoid it.

 

“So be it,” the Master said. “The fight shall be won when one side has no warriors able to fight. Both sides back off from me ten paces.” The fighters did so, and the Master left the sands. When he made it to his seat beside the royal box, an enormous gong rang — and battle was joined!

 

Prince Mondar and his second moved forward confidently. When he got within range of MacBryde, Mondar let fly with a fast, vicious slash... that MacBryde blocked! Austin’s opponent came in fast with a vicious thrust; Austin barely had time to step to the aside the bat his foe’s blade aside as hard as he could.

 

Following up his block, MacBryde lashed out to kick Prince Mondar in the chest and knock him back, out of immediate sword-range... and missed! The Prince deftly stepped aside, and now MacBryde was off-balance and exposed. Grinning wolfishly the Prince brought his sword around for a killing thrust... only to have his sword bounce off MacBryde’s skin as if the point were as dull as the end of a baseball bat.

 

The astonished crowd fell silent, and all four warriors stopped fighting for a moment as they tried to figure out what had happened. Austin quickly realized that he and MacBryde must have been shrunk down to some sub-atomic world, and their shrunk-down flesh was so dense blades couldn’t cut it! Grinning with the realization, he just stood there as his foe hacked at his neck... and the blade failed to make even the tiniest cut! A quick uppercut left his opponent stretching his length on the sand with a broken jaw.

 

Prince Mondar slashed at MacBryde, but again his sword proved useless. MacBryde ended the fight with a thrust to the Prince’s chest that left him on the ground, breathing badly. As the arena’s physicians came running forward, MacBryde used his own shirt to try to staunch the wound.

 

“Hear ye, people of Galamorn!” said the King. “Let it be known that the outlanders of the Amerikons have triumphed! They have proven themselves good friends of Galamorn, and shown that the Prince’s charges against them were wrong! Let us all rejoice that we have made such mighty new friends!”

 

A feast was held that night to celebrate the new “alliance,” and the King asked if perhaps Royaustin and Adamabride could bring the Amerikon army to help him. “The forces of Vorvarac, to the east and north, are restless. We fear they intend to attack Galamorn, and Lord Druathek’s army is much larger than mine. Already we prepare for war, but I do not think that will be enough. The help of the great Amerikon tribe would be most welcome.”

 

“Unfortunately, Your Highness, the American army is too far away to do you any good,” said Austin. “But we will join your cause and do what we can to help. Perhaps we can find a way to even the odds.”

 

In the following days, Austin and MacBryde learned to use the Galamorn weapons — the sword, the spear, the armbow — and to fly on the one-man turagos (“sky-kayaks,” MacBryde called them). The turagos were apparently technological remnants of some ancient society that once ruled this sub-atomic world; they were the only flying craft the Galamorns had. In response to his questions, Austin was told they worked by pushing on a mysterious substance in the air called “phlogiston” sort of like how a boat moved by an oar pushing on the water. A man on one fought with armbow and rugath-lar (“sky-fighting blade,” a curved dagger used for slashing during jousting-style maneuvers between two fliers). Austin hatched a plan to use animal skins and wood to create a hot air balloon so Galamorn could mount an aerial attack force armed with heavy crossbows. MacBryde, for his part, began teaching Galamorn’s crossbow-makers how to manufacture composite compound bows. They’d never get enough ready in time for the battle to make much of a difference, but every little bit would help.

 

One day a message arrived, borne by a spadiar, a creature like a bat but that flew during the day; the Galamorns used them like homing pigeons. It brought a message that the forces of Varvorac were beginning to move! Realizing he needed more information, King Laronus asked for volunteers to fly out on turagos and spy on Lord Druathek’s army. Austin and MacBryde quickly volunteered, as did several other men. MacBryde spoke to Prince Mondar, who now seemed respectful if not entirely friendly, and asked that he send one of his men along as well, to which the Prince agreed.

 

A scouting party of six men mounted their turagos and flew east at best speed. About a day later, as they approached the Great Eastern Pass, they realized that using the Pass itself might expose them to discovery. One of the soldiers knew of a tiny passage through the mountains, the Cleft of the Perilous Winds, and he and his brothers used to fly through on a dare as young boys — the winds whistling through it were so strong that they could easily cause a turago-flyer to crash. The group decided it was worth the risk and made for the Cleft. It was a good choice, but not without its perils — one of the soldiers lost control of his turago and fell to his death when a wind-gust came through the Cleft, and MacBryde, the least experienced of the flyers, nearly did the same several times. But the five remaining scouts made it through safely. They began moving north along the mountain range, seeking signs of Lord Druathek’s army.

 

Soon enough they found it. Landing on a secluded ledge, they watched for some time and saw several things of interest. First, Lord Druathek’s army was indeed much larger than King Laronus’s. In fact, he seemed to be splitting it up — one-third was heading north (“Probably to march to the Great Northern Pass and come upon us unawares,” one of the soldiers said) while the rest was planning to strike straight into Galamorn via the Great Eastern Pass. And this force had with it a strange new weapon: a sort of cart covered by metal plates and with a ballista-like weapon mounted in front. No line of soldiers could stand against it!

 

Eager to return with this news but unwilling to risk the Cleft a second time, the scouting party watched Lord Druathek’s aerial patrols carefully to time them. When dusk fell, they moved out, attempting to blend with patrol traffic and then duck into the Pass when no one was looking. It worked! Two hours later, well back into Galamorn, they stopped for the night.

 

They returned to the palace late the next day to horrible news — the Princess had been kidnapped! Soldiers of Varvorac’s elite Azure Legion had infiltrated the palace disguised as merchants, grabbed her, and flown away north on stolen turagos. The King was just about to send a large part of his army after them, but Austin and MacBryde stopped him. “It’s a ruse, Your Highness; an attempt to lure you northward so the army coming from the east has less opposition. Prepare your forces to march east — we will get the Princess back for you.

 

Not waiting to rest, the heroes set out to the north, stopping occasionally to ask peasants if they’d seen the fleeing Varvoracans so they knew they were on the right trail. By flying almost nonstop and pushing themselves to the limits of their endurance, they soon came within sight of the kidnappers — five soldiers flying in a diamond formation, with Princess Iliria held on the turago in the center. Carrying two on a turago slowed it down, thus giving Austin and MacBryde a way to catch up.

 

The two heroes came in fast but cautiously, knowing the Azure Legionnaires probably couldn’t hear them until they got particularly close. MacBryde announced their arrival by using his new composite compound bow to put an arrow through the chest of the rearmost soldier. With a scream the man fell to his death. Not hesitating a second, the three Legionnaires not carrying the Princess peeled out and around in perfect formation, two going up to come in at the heroes from above, one going down to come in from below.

 

A furious battle ensued, with armbow bolts, arrows, and thrown knives flying back and forth, and both sides using jousting maneuvers to slash at each other with daggers. The heroes’ invulnerability to most weapons stood them in good stead, and they won the battle despite a few tense moments — like when an injured Legionnaire leaped from his turago onto MacBryde’s, hoping to grapple him, stab him, and then throw him off! But it didn’t work; MacBryde took advantage of an opening to smash the guy in the head with the pommel of his dagger, knocking him out and taking him prisoner. Meanwhile, Austin caught up to the Legionnaire fleeing with the Princess, who’d been slowed down by taking one of MacBryde’s arrows in his thigh. A quick left punch to the head knocked the man off his turago... and before he could drag the Princess along, Austin quickly grabbed her wrist and hauled her to safety on his own! “Thank you, Royaustin!” she said breathlessly. “I owe you my life.”

 

The heroes returned to the palace with the Princess, arriving a day or so later. The Galamorn army was preparing to march out. A few days later they came within sight of the green-man army across a broad plain that would serve as a battlefield. Under cover of darkness MacBryde had Galamorn soldiers dig a hidden trench to trap Lord Druathek’s armored cart, while Austin helped in the final preparations for getting the hot air balloon ready.

 

The sun broke over the mountains, and battle was joined! While the Varvoracans were astonished and frightened by the balloon-platform carrying crossbowmen, the Galamorns were equally concerned about the armored cart. A single bolt launched by the cart plowed into the Galamorn forces, slaying over a dozen soldiers at once. To rally the troops, MacBryde and the soldiers under his command charged the armored cart! Getting close to it, he leaped on top and hacked down through a gap in the armored plates with his sword in the hopes of cutting the ballista’s cord. It worked... but his blade and arm became wedged in the cart! Pushing and twisting, pulling and wiggling, he freed his hand just in time to leap off the cart before it crashed into the hidden trench and was trapped! A cheer went up among the Galamorns.

 

The battle wore on. Both Austin and MacBryde cut huge swaths through the enemy lines thanks to their near-invulnerability, but the outcome of the battle remained uncertain. Austin earned a cheer of acclaim when he maneuvered close to a Varvoracan general, grabbed the man by throat and thigh, and hurled him back into his own men as if he were a ragdoll!

 

As MacBryde and his soldiers advanced, he saw a group of enemy soldiers approaching him with a large net — something his near-invulnerability wouldn’t help him against at all! He tried to take one down with a thrown dagger, but an enemy soldier stepping into the line of fire by accident took the blade instead. Thinking quickly, MacBryde went down on one knee and gave his troops the command to fire. Reacting as one, they brought their armbows up and peppered the netbearers with bolts. They went down, their mission a failure.

 

Roy Austin also had his hands full — he was confronting the Kelgari, a special squad of enormous, strong soldiers wearing rhinopotamus armor and wielding battle-mauls. Putting his own strength to good use he charged forward, smashing several of them aside, and then played about with his sword, slaying several while his men took on the others.

 

As that fight finished, the press of battle brought Austin and MacBryde together. The Galamorns were winning the battle... but off in the distance the two heroes could see Lord Druathek and his elite guard fleeing to the east! They called for their turagos, which were brought up to them from the Galamorn rear lines, and set off in pursuit.

 

As they approached the fleeing Druathek, who was heading for a cleft or vale of some sort in the nearby mountains, the evil ruler of Varvorac commanded two of his men to fire crossbows at them... or rather, at their turagos. Austin used his flying skills to dodge the bolt fired at him deftly, but MacBryde wasn’t so fast — a bolt hit his turago head-on, and almost immediately it began to wobble and slow. Thinking quickly, he leaped from his turago onto the back of Austin’s! As Austin concentrated on flying as swiftly and agilely as he could, MacBryde leaned around him to take a bow shot at Lord Druathek, but the bucking of the turago as Austin dodged enemy missiles caused him to only hit a bodyguard instead.

 

They two got closer and closer to the main force of Druathek’s bodyguards, who’d reached the mountain vale... and then Austin nudged his turago downward and they crashed right into them, skillfully diving and rolling so they came to their feet near Lord Druathek and his two remaining bodyguard, tall men wearing armor and wielding greatswords. Thinking almost as one, the two heroes formed a plan with but a single glance between them. Austin moved forward and engaged the guard on Druathek’s right, wielding a captured maul so he could deliver the most powerful blows possible. MacBryde hung back. As Austing struck, knocking his enemy out, the other guard pivoted to attack him from behind... which is when MacBryde put his last arrow through the man’s armor and chest.

 

Casting aside his now useless bow, MacBryde drew his sword and he and Austin advanced on Druathek, who all this time had been gesturing and muttering strange words. A glow seemed to surround him, reflecting garishly off the high stone cliffsides on either side of him. The heroes struck as one, Austin hitting high and MacBryde low — and Druathek could not avoid their blows.

 

The lord of Varvorac lay on the ground, clinging to consciousness and life by a tremendous act of will. “You are defeated,” MacBryde said. “Galamorn is victorious!”

 

“That may be,” Lord Druathek replied, “but you shall not live to enjoy the victory. Ithquar!” With that final word and a mighty gesture, Druathek died. But as he did, the ground rumbled, shaking Austin and MacBryde so badly they could barely keep their feet, much less walk or run. The stony walls of the vale began to crumble, rocks to fall... and then the whole wall collapsed upon them! Everything went black...

 

...and a few minutes later, they awakened to find themselves back on Dr. Von Keissler’s barn, dressed in their Galamorn uniforms and still carrying their rugath-lars. Von Keissler, astonished by their tale, promised to be more careful in the future when working on his Enlarger Ray. Carrying their memories and few souvenirs with them, the heroes returned to New York.

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

April 7, 2006:

Thrilling Hero Tales #7:

THE GOLDEN GIRL OF GALAMORN

 

(GM's Note: due to extenuating circumstances, only two players were able to make last night's game.

Pfft. You could've called...

 

Hrmph.

 

A good read as always, in spite of me not being one of the players. I must say, though, that this reminds me of a miniseries featuring The Atom about 20 years back. I think it was called "Sword of the Atom", and Gil Kane was the writer then. I wish I could find it, but if you weren't drawing on that for inspiration...well, it's scary-close in a lot of ways.

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

Never even read it -- never read The Atom at all, actually (having been much more of a Marvel than DC fan in my checkered youth). Now that you mention it I seem to recall seeing ads in Batman featuring the Atom wearing barbarian furs and wielding a sword.

 

It's a really common plot structure -- basically similar to what you see in any ERB lost worlds novel. ;) The biggest difference is that the Princess didn't get mad at the heroes based on some misunderstanding, forcing them to win their way back into her good graces by saving her from at least one if not many kidnappings. :eek: The inspiration for the "shrinking to get there" schtick is the Ray Cummings story The Girl In The Golden Atom.

 

The girl and the vilray creatures are taken from the illo on PH 262, as I mentioned in the story. Once the loose idea for the adventure came to me, using that illo for part of the "visual" was a no-brainer. ;)

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

The girl and the vilray creatures are taken from the illo on PH 262, as I mentioned in the story. Once the loose idea for the adventure came to me, using that illo for part of the "visual" was a no-brainer. ;)

That illo is also in 5th Ed, p.345, for those that don't have PH. ;)

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

This question got posted in another thread about the campaign. I thought that the question was good enough to warrant being in this thread in case anyone was wondering the same thing.

 

 

Great session recap' date=' Steve! Did your players find the game less challenging when they were fairly invulnrable to most attacks? I liked the idea, though. Very in touch with the genre.[/quote']

 

 

My answer...

 

To be honest, being invulnerable didn't seem to make much of a difference at all. I think that it was the result of a few different things. It was of no help at all in the social situations, aside from establishing us as "special". It was a huge help in the duel though we didn't know that going in.

 

But once we moved on to what I like to call "the hell of riding a Turago", I was too busy trying to avoid crashing to remember that I was invulnerable... not that it would have helped me one bit from a fall at that altitude. It was all that I could do to keep up with Roy and the NPCs in the air. I went through all but one of my Heroic Action Points just keeping myself from slamming into a cliff face and falling to my death.

 

In the final battle, we were able to ignore most of the rank and file troopers; however, we still had to stay smart and move with our troops for fear of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. In addition, the enemy elite troops were also a real threat due to being armed with either nets or mauls.

 

The two times the invulnerability came in handy was when we were attacked by enemy Turago riders. Since they were using nothing but knives and arm bows, the relatively small attacks were not able to do Body damage to us. This bought us the time to remove a few of their number from the fight before they realized their weapons weren’t effective against us… and changed tactics. There’s nothing worse than a competent NPC who thinks on his feet.

 

So while the invulnerability did change the way some battles were fought, it didn’t really make us “safe” so much as it bought us a few phases as our foes had to adapt their tactics. To be honest, this was the toughest game by far for me as Adam was utterly unsuited to most everything that we had to do.

 

Brad (Adam MacBryde)

Keeping score - Gets the girl

Austin: 2, Koslov: 1, MacBryde: 1, Everyone else: 0

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Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle

 

To be honest, this was the toughest game by far for me as Adam was utterly unsuited to most everything that we had to do.

 

But he adapted well, and now has some new TFs and WFs to show for his heroic efforts. ;)

 

Adam MacBryde

 

Shouldn't that be "Adamabride"? :D

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