teh bunneh Posted November 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Re: FH Campaign Here's the company of heroes, for anyone interested in seeing! From left to right, we have: Pete "Slick" Motombo, Arialle Darkleafe, Hathym "The Rake" Veddol, Scout Breena Protector of Adrom, Brother Radley Zane of Comme, Kishara the Mage, Marina of Cynthea, Huang-Jin, and Ulkiel Artu of Canaith North. Sorry about the poor quality of the photo. Group shots are always hard! Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magmarock Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Re: FH Campaign Here's the company of heroes, for anyone interested in seeing! From left to right, we have: Pete "Slick" Motombo, Arialle Darkleafe, Hathym "The Rake" Veddol, Scout Breena Protector of Adrom, Brother Radley Zane of Comme, Kishara the Mage, Marina of Cynthea, Huang-Jin, and Ulkiel Artu of Canaith North. Sorry about the poor quality of the photo. Group shots are always hard! Bill. Most excellent, Bill! I admire your painting style! Mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted November 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 October 9 2004 We're nearing the end of the adventure! When last we left our heroes… They had killed a snake-man and his Saurian bodyguards, though they had taken some damage in the fight. They decided that they must go on – if they waited, the enemy would have time to regroup. They dragged the carcasses into an unused room and hid them as best as they could. Radley noticed the snake-man had a belt with pouches on it, so he checked it out. He found a steel sword (in the same style they found in the Enemy's village, though better quality), 4 pieces of gold jewelry (similar to the ones Slick found in the palace) and three ceramic vials of some unknown liquids. The heroes continued onward until they came to a very large room in the center of the ziggurat. The walls were covered with intricate hieroglyphics, some of which were inlaid with gold and semi-precious gemstones. While exploring the room, Kishara touched something she shouldn't have. Suddenly, walls slammed shut throughout the room, separating the party from one another. Kishara and Breena were thrown together, as were Hathym and Slick. Radley was stuck outside the room, and Marina was by herself. After about a minute, they could all feel the tiny rooms they were in begin to move. After somewhere between 5-10 minutes, the movement stopped with a bump. The doors opened, and each group of heroes (except Radley) found themselves somewhere else. Marina was in an empty, dark corridor. Cautiously, she set out until she came to a turn. She peered around the corner and came face-to-face with a huge, reptilian face. The creature slashed at her with its claws, but she managed to duck out of the way. Whirling her spear around her, she stabbed the Saurian in the chest and slashed it across the face. With a groan, the lizardman collapsed. But she was still alone… Meanwhile, Hathym and Slick found themselves in a natural cave-like passage, with two tunnels. They saw light coming from one direction and decided to go in the other, where they ran into a group of Saurians. Though they tried to hide, the Saurians spotted them and attacked. It took some effort, but soon the lizards were dead. Slick said he thought he heard someone coming up the hallway, and Hathym turned to run, but felt something sharp in his back. That was the last thing he remembered… Radley, panicked by the thought that he was all alone, set about trying to find a way to open up the wall that sealed the room shut. After some searching, he found a recessed dial in one of the walls. He played with it for a while and eventually the wall opened up. He searched the room and found another dial, which he turned. Like the others, he found himself shut in a small, moving room, and eventually ended up in a natural cave passage. Radley (and Kishara's cat Nightshade) cautiously went up the passage, following a flickering red light. He peered around a corner and saw two Saurians in a large room, illuminated by a red-hot fire, guarding two gold statues. The gold statues looked remarkably like the one the heroes found in the ancient palace. Radley started to sneak away, but he heard footsteps coming up the hall. He quickly turned himself invisible and was surprised to see the team's old enemy, Ilom the High Priest of the Snake – who was supposed to be dead! Ilom and his bodyguards went into the room. Radley, still invisible, eavesdropped on their conversation. Ilom said that there were intruders in the complex, and the guards had to be extra vigilant. The three statues were essential in the master's plan to subjugate the entire Black Blood River valley (nevermind that they were only in possession of two of them). Ilom then left the room, leaving two of his bodyguards behind to help defend the statues and saying he would be back soon. Radley began thinking of a plan… Meanwhile, Kishara and Breena ended up in a narrow passageway. They explored it until it branched out in two directions. While trying to decide which direction to go in, they heard sounds of fighting. They rushed to see what was going on, and they stumbled upon Marina, who was just finishing off the Saurian that attacked her. The three ladies, now reunited, were trying to figure out a way to get out of the ziggurat when they heard someone stealthily approaching. They hid in the corridor, and after a moment, they heard a familiar voice – "Marina? Kishara? Is that you?" Sure enough, it was Ulkiel, looking tired and hungry. The Hobbit quickly took them to a safe place (a small, out of the way closet that was apparently never used) and told them what he had been up to. "After I saw the Snake-Men leaving the palace, I followed them through the woods to the ziggurat. They went through a hidden door, and then into a large room – which turned out to be some sort of elevator room. It took me a few tries, but I managed to make the elevator work for me, and I ended up on this level. I haven't figured out a way to get off this level, though! I've been stuck here for nearly two days, hiding in the shadows and avoiding the Snake-Men and Saurians. "There's dozens of Saurians around. Some of them are just workers, like Kishara's friend Trogdor. Others are warriors. You have to be careful of them; they're bigger and meaner than the others, and they carry weapons. I've never seen the Snake-Men without at least two warrior bodyguards. "There are three or four Snake-Men. One of them is the leader – the others refer to him as "Master," and he's bigger than the others. He also has the power to see anything; he can spot things that are miles away, hidden by foliage, behind walls, anything! He knows what Lord Dungeness and the camp are doing at all times. That's why he attacked when he did: he knew you guys left the camp and it was defenseless. I think he has a magic amulet or ring or something that lets him do that – he wears about twenty or thirty pieces of jewelry. What's worse, he knows that you guys are in the temple!" Ulkiel paused to think. "Actually, it's strange. He knows there's intruders down in the temple's sub-level, but he didn't say anything about people being on the same level as he is! For some reason, I don’t think he can see you guys… Breena interrupted. "Does the Master know that you're here?" Ulkiel nodded. "He knew I was here on the first day, and sent lizard-men to hunt me down. I managed to hide, and after a day or so, they called off the search." The Hobbit smiled. "I guess there's an advantage to being small and insignificant." "And there's a human working for them, too!" Ulkiel continued. "He's a creepy bastard; bald-headed and wearing armor made out of bones. I've heard the others call him 'Ilom,' but that can't be right – isn't Ilom the name of the guy you killed back at the Enemy's village?" Marina, Kishara, and Breena's blood went cold. That was indeed the name of the high priest they killed in the village. How could he have survived? Meanwhile, Radley came up with a plan to steal the two gold statues. He had found a secret door in the tunnel and figured out how to open it from both sides – this was his escape route, since he wasn't sure he could get the elevator to function again. He turned himself invisible, then created the illusion of a group of human soldiers coming up the passage. The Saurian guards went into action – two of them jumped up to attack the soldiers while the rest stayed at their posts. Radley, still invisible, snuck up behind the Saurians and grabbed the statues. They were heavier than they looked, but he managed to get both of them without the guards noticing. Just as he planned, they were too busy paying attention to the illusionary soldiers! However, he noticed the Saurians were suspecting trickery when they realized the "soldiers" didn't die when struck. How was he supposed to escape now? Meanwhile, Marina and her companions decided that they should probably try to take out this "Master" – especially if he was unaware they were here! Ulkiel led the heroines down the main passage, but they heard footsteps coming. They hid themselves and saw Ilom and two Saurian bodyguards walk past them. Stealthily, they followed. They came into a large room, where they saw Ilom and a huge Snake-Man talking in angry tones. Ulkiel translated, saying the Master was very angry that "two-leggers" were in the sacred temple. Ilom tried to assure the Master that everything was going well, but the Snake-Man said he saw more people entering the complex even now! He slapped his underling across the face, then slithered away. Ilom, chagrined, turned to leave the room, and to his horror saw three very angry warrior-women staring him down. Kishara opened the conversation with a lightning bolt that burned his flesh and sent him reeling. Breena charged him, slicing his shoulder with her axe and spinning him around. Ilom's bodyguards moved in to attack the paladin, but Marina rushed in and blocked one's path, disemboweling him with her spear. The other bodyguard slashed at Breena, wounding her sorely. Two other Saurian guards came running. One charged Breena, who had so badly injured their boss; the other went after Kishara. Ulkiel heroically interposed himself between the huge lizard and the mage, but was bowled over. Ilom tried to run away, blasting Breena with a bolt of cold black fire, but the mighty paladin shrugged off the pain and kept coming. Marina, knowing that the priest was the most dangerous of their foes, charged him and pinned him to the ground with her spear. Ilom gasped in agony as his life's blood poured out onto the cold stones. Breena, momentarily distracted, felt a sharp pain as Ilom's bodyguard chopped her with his huge axe. Marina turned to see her friend drop to the floor without a sound. Kishara tried to fend off the huge beast attacking her, but it landed a solid blow. Though the main force of the hit was deflected by her armor, it was still more than enough to knock the wind out of her and smash her against the wall. She slumped down, unconscious. Ulkiel, recovering from his own hit, leapt up and slashed the lizard's tail with his axe, and managed to slice the tip of it completely off! The Saurian roared in fury and turned to face this tiny threat. Marina, seeing Breena fall, rushed to defend her. "Get away from my friend!" she screamed, beating down the lizard-man's defenses and stabbing him repeatedly, until finally he fell. Kishara shook the cobwebs out of her head long enough to see Ulkiel facing off with a foe three times his size. She summoned what little strength she could and reached up, grabbing the lizard under his loin-cloth and sending a powerful surge of lightning through him! The lizard-man howled in pain, and Ulkiel stabbed him in the foot. Kishara, with her last reserves, grabbed the creature again, sending waves of electricity through it. The last Saurian dropped to the ground, smoke coming out of its mouth and nose. Marina used the blessings of her goddess to revive Breena, who had been on the brink of death. Kishara and Ulkiel made certain that Ilom was dead and wouldn't be getting up again any time soon. They now had two questions to answer: What had happened to the menfolk, and whether (tired and wounded as they were) they should still try to hunt down and kill the Master? TBC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted December 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 Next Year's Game So my Fantasy Hero Campaign -- the Black Blood River Expeditionary Company -- is almost over (actually, technically it's been over for a month now; you guys are getting the instant replay) And it's time to start thinking of a new campaign for the coming year. I've tossed out some ideas to my players, and I thought I'd throw them out here to those who've been following the campaign so far (especially since, come January or so, I'll start posting recaps of my newest campaign if there's interest!) ----- Option 1: Long-term campaigns I expect a long-terms campaign to last about a year. Pros: I do better as a GM when I have a large canvass to paint on. More character development, more world development, etc. Also, I'm pretty bad at the whole "short term" concept -- The BBREC was supposed to last 4 months and ended up lasting nearly twice that! (oops) = Cons: 1-2 campaigns per year means we don't often get to try new ideas. ----- Fellowship of the Dragon, revisited (Fantasy HERO): This is a continuation of a game I ran about two years ago, then retired because I was running out of places to go with it. The heroes recently learned of the danger that Grenwode the Liche-King poses to the world, and (reluctantly) teamed up with Auchan the Pale, an old enemy and a necromancer, in order to try to end this threat before it engulfed the world in another age of strife and death. Pros: We already have characters, and it's a game we've always intended to revisit. Cons: We'll have to remake the characters, since my interpretation of the rules (and my own house rules) have evolved since then. One of my players said she probably won't be able to join us this semester, and it won't be the same without Cori and her belligerent horse! Also, the team is so powerful that I'll have to complete my spell lists! We're trying to recruit new players, and it's tougher for them to get involved in a game that has so much history. ----- The Midgard Serpent (Champions): The heroes are recent recruits to a powerful international organization dedicated to defending the world and maintaining the peace. A high-powered (~500 points) Bronze Age game set in the very near future. Pros: Several of us get to scratch the superhero itch we've had for a long time. Powerful heroes knocking down buildings and beating up villains in the name of world peace, what's not to love! = Cons: Some of us don't love the superhero genre so much. = ----- Option 2: Medium- and short-term Campaigns Games that last for <6 months are medium term, games that last <2 months are short term. Pros: Multiple games in a year! Cons: My last "4-month" game didn't exactly last 4 months... ;P Also, short games (IMHO) make for poor character growth opportunities. ------ Temoris (Fantasy Hero): I've got a bunch of ideas about short(er) games set in Temoris (my homegrown fantasy world, in which the BBREC takes place): a light-hearted game at the Olympics, a "caper" game in which the heroes are hired to steal a valuable artifact, a darker game at the Bardic College in the hinterlands of Masube (sorta like medieval Russia)... These would all be low-powered games (similar to BBREC). Pros: Explore some new aspects of Temoris! New characters -- try something you've never played before! Cons: I don't want people to get sick of Temoris. We just got off of another low-powered game (a good one!), but I don't want to burn anyone out on fantasy in general, or Temoris in particular. ----- "Other": I have a shelf full of game systems that we've never played -- Usagi Yojimbo, IronClaw, DangerQuest International... Any of them look like they could be fun for a lark. Pros: A new game system! OK, so I'm slightly biased toward Hero (just slightly), but a new system could be fun to try -- kinda like visiting your mistress before going home to your wife. = Cons: A new game system; one that we're not familiar with and would have to learn. Also, I'd have to actually come up with a campaign idea for these. ----- Thoughts? (No, unless members of this board are hoping to join my campaign they don't really get a vote, but any feedback is always appreciated!) Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tancred Posted December 2, 2004 Report Share Posted December 2, 2004 Re: FH Campaign Bill, such GOOD writing! You really should think about contributing for the Pulp Hero Anthology. If your name is on it, it just turned into a must-buy for me (after reading your Bunny Noir from the Anagrams thread). As to what to play next, try something new. Do HERO, but a new genre. Our long-running group, which plays both d20 and HERO, just started a Post-Apocalyptic HERO game. The players are raving about how much fun they're having (don't blame me, I didn't think I was doing that much, but they tell me every week how they can hardly wait for the next session). I know NOTHING about Post-Apocalyptic; I'm winging it entirely. Sometimes you just need a break from Fantasy. I was totally out of ideas for my (long-running, since 1982) Champions game, couldn't think of how to save the Star Hero game I'd started (it fell apart because I hadn't done enough prep), and picked PA out of sheer desperation. Turns out, if you have Dark Champions and Fantasy Hero, you can wing PA. (And probably 10 other things, too.) Good luck with whatever you pick. Be sure to post the report; I'll be looking for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted December 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 Re: FH Campaign Thanks, tancred! I'm glad that people like my writing. :redface: Looks like my players are leaning towards the high-powered Champions game, but a few of them have asked that I run a short (2-4 sessions) game in one of those untried systems -- probably either Usagi Yojimbo or DangerQuest International. Maybe I'll used some of my pulp fiction writing skills to give 'em a good old fashioned hard-boiled futuristic detective story in DangerQuest... Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted December 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 The last session! And it's over! Thanks to all my players for making The Black Blood River Expeditionary Company a big success. On with the (final) recap! = ---------- Hathym slowly woke. He couldn't feel his arms or legs, he felt sick, and his head was throbbing. He found Slick going through his gear, stripping the White Elf of his equipment. "You woke up quicker than I figured," Slick said. "No matter. You won't be able to move your arms and legs for a while yet." "Why are you doing this?" Hathym managed to gasp. "Nothing personal, man," Slick answered. "It's just a job. You made some people back home very angry – something about a woman, but I didn't ask for the details. Angry enough to want you dead, and to hire me to do it. I was hoping the jungle would kill you off before now, but the Snake-Men and their lizard friends will do the trick just fine." "You'll not get away with this," Hathym said. Slick just smiled. "Don't worry about me, my friend. I've got an angle." And with that, the rogue-turned-assassin left, leaving Hathym with only a single candle to keep him company. Hathym realized quickly that the light from the candle would attract attention, so he struggled to blow it out. He managed, but the effort was exhausting. He lay without moving for a long time in the dark. He may have even passed out again; he had no way of knowing. Fading in and out of wakefulness, Hathym thought he saw lights moving outside the tiny passage, and heard footsteps and some sort of hissing, sibilant language. He knew it would only be a matter of time before one of the Saurians looked in here, so he had to get out – even as sick as he felt. He waited until the sounds quieted down a bit, then struggled to his feet and peered outside. There was a passage going in two directions, and there were lights down both. He wasn't sure which way to go, but there were sounds coming from the right-hand passage, so he elected to go left. Avoiding all lights and sounds, he found himself in a dark room – apparently, a barracks for the Lizard-Men. He hid behind some rocks when a pair of Saurian guards came to search the room. As soon as their backs were turned, he ran (well… "staggered" would be more accurate) out of the room and back up the hall. The lizards heard him and gave chase. Not knowing where to go, he ran up a passageway towards some torchlight. But as he rounded a corner, he was startled to see the silhouette of an archer taking a bead on him. He immediately ducked. An arrow whizzed directly over his head and stuck the Saurian just behind him in the throat, dropping it with a gurgle. Hathym, surrounded, knew he would have to fight. He rushed the archer, hoping to bowl him over and disarm him, but the drugs were making it too hard to concentrate. Hathym stumbled past the archer, who calmly nocked another arrow and shot the other Saurian dead. Hathym, on the ground, looked up (expecting to see Slick), and was surprised that it was none other than Arialle! "How did you get down here?" he wheezed. The Green Elf shrugged. "Wasn't easy," was her reply. "Do you know how to escape?" he asked. She shook her head. "I came out of a small moving room. First I was in a big room, now I'm here. You're lucky I didn't shoot you." "More lucky than you know, my dear," the White Elf said. Since they didn't know how to operate the elevator, they decided to seek an exit elsewhere. Slick had taken Hathym's gear, so Arialle tossed her sword to him. They headed back the way Hathym came, trying to move quietly so as not to attract the attention of the guards they could still hear moving around. Meanwhile, Radley was in something of a pickle. He had both idols, and the Saurians were genuinely distracted by his Trickery magic, but these lizards seemed smarter than the others and the priest knew they wouldn't be fooled for long. As carefully as he could, he crept out of the room (barely avoiding one of the Saurians!). He hurried back to his secret door escape route and turned the knob. Nothing happened. One of the lizards noticed that the statues were gone, and the others formed up around the doorway (not far from where Radley was standing!). The secret door had still not opened. Radley was sweating. He had been maintaining multiple spells for a long time, and the strain was beginning to wear him down. He didn't think he could do it for much longer. Then, the door opened. He rushed through, scooping up Kishara's cat and running up the hall. Unfortunately, one of the Lizard-Men heard the door open and came to investigate. It entered the hallway just as the door shut. Radley knew that it was just a matter of time before he was caught, so he did the only sensible thing he could –- he hid. The Saurian moved past the priest, brandishing an axe that could easily cleave Radley from stem to stern, and disappeared down the hall. Luckily for him, Nightshade picked that moment to stop complaining and start cleaning herself. Meanwhile, Marina, Kishara, Breena, and Ulkiel were planning their next step. They had seen the Master of the Snake-Men slither up a hallway. They knew he wasn't aware of their presence. They decided that now was the best time to strike. Marina in the lead, they followed the passageway until it came to a staircase going up. As they crept up the stairs, they felt cool, moist, fresh air on their faces. Then they heard someone rushing down the stairs. It was a Saurian, though it didn't seem to notice them – it looked like it was in a big hurry. Marina and Breena rushed it. The poor beast didn't even know what hit it. They rolled its body down the stairs and continued up. Meanwhile, Radley stayed where he was, not sure where to go now. He couldn't go back, and he wasn't sure he wanted to go forward. But after a few minutes, he heard the sounds of combat echoing up the hall. It took him a minute to work things out – "I'm in the middle of hostile territory. The only people around are the Snake-Men, their servants, and us. The Snake-Men's people wouldn't attack each other, therefore…" With this thought he rushed up the hall to find his friends. Hathym and Arialle heard someone approaching rapidly, and they prepared themselves for a fight. Hathym distracted the Lizard Man so Arialle could get a clear shot at its back. The monster hit Hathym pretty hard on the thigh (he was still too woozy to dodge properly), but together the two Elves managed to bring it down. Seconds after the fight ended, Radley came running up the hall. He was shocked to see Arialle. "Where's Slick?" he asked. "Slick betrayed us," Hathym said. "He's the one the note warned me about." "I'm surprised," Radley said. "Not shocked, since I know how we Kidbodders are, but still surprised." The priest then turned to Arialle. "What are you doing here?" "Dungeness ordered an assault on the ziggurat," she said. "All of us are here, somewhere. I was separated." "Why didn't you tell me about Lord Dungeness?" Hathym demanded. Arialle shrugged. "You didn't ask." "Nevermind that," Radley pushed the two Elves apart. "We have to get out of here." "Do you know how to operate the elevators?" Hathym asked. "Sort of…" Radley said. "Good enough," Hathym nodded. "We know where one is. Let's go." It took some work, but eventually, the three adventurers figured out how to set the dial to get the elevator moving. When it finally came to a halt and the door opened, they were surprised to find their path blocked by a dozen or so angry Nekians brandishing weapons. "Stop right where ye are, ye walkin' luggage… oh, Mr. Radley, it's you!" Radley's porter Seamus, among the others, was glad to see the heroes. The entire group hustled out of the ziggurat, and Seamus explained what was going on. "Huang Jin died this morning, a few hours after you all left," he told them, sadly. "At that, his Lordship got angry. He didn't know when –- or if –- you were coming back, so he ordered every able-bodied man and woman to take up arms. We marched straight here –- Ms. Arialle led us – and stormed the place. Actually, it took us a while to find the hidden door. Jimmy fell through it while lighting up a smoke. "Once inside, we met up with a bunch of those walking luggages. We fought 'em in the halls, falling back when one of us got hurt. It took a good chunk of the day, but we killed 'em all and their slithering master, too!" "You killed one of the Snake-Men?" Hathym asked. "Aye, and we've got him hung up in a tree outside. I'll show you!" Seamus enthusiastically answered. "First, take us to see Lord Dungeness," the heroes told him. Meanwhile, Breena, Marina, Kishara, and Ulkiel found themselves on the very top of the ziggurat, where they saw two large Saurian bodyguards and the Master himself. They wasted no time. Marina rushed the Master while Breena attacked the bodyguards. The Master, not taken by surprise, immediately summoned a storm of fire directly over the heroes. However, at that precise moment a thunderstorm broke out. The heavy rainfall partially nullified the flames, and most everyone managed to escape the conflagration with little more than superficial burns. Ulkiel began loudly reciting the story of the four great heroes who, by themselves, managed to kill the powerful wizard/priest Ilom and his four Saurian bodyguards. The others were reassured by his words, and felt stronger -– nearly invincible. Marina stabbed at the Master, who was quick and slippery so she only managed to scratch him. He reached out and touched her on the chest, and immediately she felt weak and sick, as if she had been poisoned. Breena was having a tough time against the two bodyguards. Kishara was attempting to help, but the heavy rain kept grounding out her lightning bolts. Finally, Ulkiel threw his axe, which imbedded itself in the skull of one of the Lizard-Men. The huge creature crumpled to the ground. Ulkiel was so surprised that he forgot to continue chanting for a moment. Marina managed to get a few good blows in on the Master, who returned the favor by touching her on the arm. She was engulfed in pain; her skin ripped open and she began bleeding profusely. She collapsed to the ground, nearly unconscious. The Master took advantage and slithered further away from her, where he cast on himself a Healing spell. Breena and Marina were both hurt badly. Ulkiel was disarmed, and Kishara's magic wasn't having the effect she hoped it would. The Master took all this in and smiled. But the fight wasn't over yet. Breena, with the help of the Hobbit and the wizard, finally killed the last bodyguard. All three rushed up to help Marina and confront the serpentine Master. He fought like a devil, but together they managed to kill him. It was a mighty battle that will be retold in stories for many long years (especially the part about Ulkiel killing the Saurian with his axe!), but the heroes had emerged victorious! The Master was dead. Breena, aware of how snakes can sometimes seem dead, chopped off its head and stuffed it in a bag. Ulkiel and Kishara removed the jewelry from its corpse for later examination. Marina kept a watch out. After a while, she noticed that there were lights moving around in the jungle just below the temple. After watching them for a while, she realized that they weren't lizards or Snake-Men, but the Expeditionary Company! Kishara cast a spell that gave them all wings, and they glided down to the jungle floor – to the shock and surprise of the porters and the other heroes alike! Everyone exchanged their stories. The news of Slick's betrayal was shocking to everyone. Seamus told the heroes that the porters had met Slick in the hallway. He was hurt, so they took him outside. He told them that everyone was somewhere in the temple, but he didn't know where. That was the last anyone had seen of him. Later, the heroes learned that Slick had slipped out of the encampment and headed back to the main camp. He apparently gathered up a large share of the treasure the heroes had found. Where he went after that, no one knew -– but they counted the canoes and none were missing. Could he have headed back to civilization on foot? It seemed unlikely. Perhaps he was dead -– but then again, any man as crafty as Slick wouldn't be easy to kill... Regardless, with everyone out of the ziggurat and the Master dead, Dungeness determined that the Company had seen enough. He ordered everyone to begin packing the canoes – they would leave this city as soon as everyone was well enough to travel. Word of his decision couldn't have come too soon for most of the heroes! Hathym and Radley went back into the palace and retrieved the third golden idol, still hidden right where they had left it. They bundled it up with the others and put them all into crates, where they would be safe for the trip home. The next morning, the Company held a funeral for Huang-Jin. It was a solemn affair, since everyone liked her so much. Ulkiel openly wept -– he and Huang Jin had grown to be good friends in the past few months. Arialle, unused to the funereal rituals of humans, did not attend. Hathym did, but felt a little uncomfortable. (To the Elves, funerals are intensely private affairs, with only the very closest family and friends attending. If someone who wasn't very close to the deceased attended it would be considered very rude and embarrassing). The Company headed back downriver, the going much quicker now that they didn't have the current to paddle against. After a few days on the river, the heroes thought they should figure out which of the Master's jewelry (if any) was indeed magical. They determined it was a ring – a ring made of an unknown metal that looked dark silver in some light, and coppery-brown in other, with a very large, pale green translucent stone of an unknown type. Kishara, the ever-curious type, put it on. When they managed to wake her up, she told them that the second she put it on, her awareness multiplied until she could see everything. Everything. Her mind couldn't take the strain, and she passed out. She elected not to try on the ring again -– she felt she might be able to eventually attune herself to the ring, but wasn't sure it was worth the effort –- and instead the heroes gave it to Dungeness to put in the museum when they returned home. The Company paddled past the Enemy's village, and found the whole place burned to ashes, with no survivors to be seen. They figured the village must've been attacked by its angry neighbors –- "If you sow the wind, you'll reap the tornado," Breena said. (In reality, Ilom destroyed it a few weeks before, after the heroes thought they had killed him). As they moved through friendlier territory, many of the native guides and porters left the company to return to their own homes and families. Dungeness richly rewarded them with steel tools/weapons and trade beads. Eventually, the Company made it back to the Westron Ocean, where they met with their ship. The base camp had little to report – they had spent the last four months being bored and coping with the jungle's mischievous fairies. They were as eager to head back to civilization as the group that headed up the river! The Song of the Dark sailed north in smooth waters. It took more than seven weeks to reach Kohm, the capital of Nekia. The Company was greeted with much fanfare, and the Royal Explorers' Society celebrated Dungeness as a hero. The specimens, samples, journals, and maps were placed in a special wing of the RES museum. Ulkiel, at his request, was inducted into the Society as well. The RES began talking of sending another, better funded, larger expedition up the river in a few years –- the idea of a hidden city which no one had ever seen before was thrilling; also, technically Dungeness' expedition never found the source of the Black Blood River. When the heroes heard about this, they all decided to be elsewhere once recruiting began. The heroes insisted on taking as their payment two of the three gold idols. They didn't want the idols falling into the wrong hands, and weren't sure they would be adequately protected in the museum. Dungeness took some convincing, but he finally decided, in lieu of other payment, they could have the statues. They immediately had them melted down and turned into small, spendable chunks (and at roughly 15-20 kg per statue, that was a lot of chunks!). Most of the Nekians and other porters took their pay and headed home, glad to be back in their own lands, but many of the heroes decided that they had made a great team, and were loath to split up. Marina mentioned that she had never seen Kidbod, and Radley was eager to show off his town. Hathym didn't want to go anywhere near his homeland ("It's not easy living with a death-mark"), so he settled on going with them. Breena, always eager to test her prowess and her faith, also agreed to go. Kishara had a bit of wanderlust in her blood too, so she decided to accompany the team. Arialle, on the other hand, said "goodbye" in typical Elvish fashion –- by turning around and walking away without saying a word. Ulkiel told them that he was staying in Nekia with Lord Dungeness, who had offered the job of factotum to the Hobbit. And so ended the saga Black Blood River Expeditionary Company -– the heroes all a little richer, a little sadder, and (perhaps) a little wiser. (Everybody made 5 kg of gold (that's a whole lot –- roughly the equivalent of 1000 Demorian Drachma -- about 25 years work for an unskilled peasant! That's about 350 Drachma more than they were promised –- but they considered it "hazard pay"). They also found 2 Potions of Heal Critical Wounds, 2 Potions of Haste, and one vial of concentrated snake venom. Radley also has a handful of gemstones, as I recall). CDad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangahunterd Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Re: FH Campaign So what was the game choice? Are you gonna go with Supers?? It may be fun to have a bit of a change of pace. Our group will do that occasionally just to do something different. As for campaign lengths I have preferred teh longer campaigns for the character development. It seems that you usually quit right as your characters are getting really good and have enough EP to really flesh them out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted December 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Re: FH Campaign So what was the game choice? Are you gonna go with Supers?? It may be fun to have a bit of a change of pace. Our group will do that occasionally just to do something different. As for campaign lengths I have preferred teh longer campaigns for the character development. It seems that you usually quit right as your characters are getting really good and have enough EP to really flesh them out.... It looks like I'm going to run a short (2-3 session) game of DangerQuest (just to try it out; also to introduce a couple of new players to our group), followed by a long-term (1 year or so) Champions game. There's a few of us who have been seriously jonesin' for some superheroic roleplaying, and we managed to talk the others into it. More details will follow as I iron them out. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Re: FH Campaign You know, I really enjoyed reading this and wanted to thank you for posting it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted December 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Re: FH Campaign Thanks Shadowpup (and all the others who've read and enjoyed this campaign!). It was a fun game all around. Here's a couple of loose ends that the heroes weren't that interested in pursuing at the end of the campaign. I figure that if I type them up here, I'll be less likely to forget them in case we ever revisit the area or the characters... First: Slick's escape. Slick told Hathym that he "had an angle." He had been given an enchanted object that would allow him to instantly transport himself and whatever he was carrying back to his employers. After he gathered up a couple of sacks of treasure from the campsite, he activated the device. Whether his employers were satisfied that Hathym had been properly punished or not... is unknown. Second: the magic ring they took off the snake-man's corpse. A bit of background first -- magic items in my world are both rare and powerful. No one ever finds a +2 sword in the middle of an orc's lair. Magical artifacts are the stuff of legends, and my players know this. So when they just tossed the ring to Lord Dungeness and told him to put it in the museum, I was rather surprised. But hey, I can work with that. I even have a potential future adventure worked out around it in which a group of thieves is hired to steal the ring from the museum at some date about 50-60 years in the future of the campaign world... Anyway, the ring is the Ring of Vision. When the wearer and the ring attune themselves to one another, the wearer is granted great powers of sight. At first, he can see faraway objects as if they were up close. Then tiny objects as if they were large. Then things hidden behind doors or otherwise out of line-of-sight. Eventually, the wearer may learn to see through time -- the past and the future are no longer hidden to him. (The owner of the magic ring gets the first power for free, and then can spend XPs to upgrade it later if he wants). But the players won't ever know that, since they didn't keep it! So, thanks for reading about my campaign! Glad y'all enjoyed it. Look for the writeups for the next campaign sometime in the new year. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDad Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Re: FH Campaign Excellent Campaign! This is better than the typical Forgettable Realms book. Kudos! P.S. Put the brain back in you-know-who's head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 Re: FH Campaign Thanks, I finally read the thread. Great stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted December 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 Re: FH Campaign Excellent Campaign! This is better than the typical Forgettable Realms book. Kudos! Thanks! Now, if only I could come up with a character like Drzzzzzt (or however it's spelled), I could make a million bucks! P.S. Put the brain back in you-know-who's head. Never! He is ours! Bunny HERO will be hitting the shelves soon! Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewhoisMatt Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Re: FH Campaign Good Job! I wish Tanaka could have been there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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