And off we go!

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

Glad you guys like it! I've got another 17 pages of handwritten notes (not counting the GM's notes/maps) which represents the last 8 months or so of gaming and I'm going to try and post them all over the next 3 weeks or so. I planned to write another couple of sessions up tonight but I just bought Hero designer and am busy:

1. Trying to work out how to use it

2. Draft a template with my house rules in place (Think I've got that now)

3. Enter all the characters into it

 

so that I do a better job from now on of keeping everything digital and backed up.

 

cheers, Mark

[teh bunneh]

Re: And off we go!

 

I like reading your writeups, Mark! Really sounds like a good game (poor Khatz!).

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

Eventually, the players all end up back at Lamoniak’s house where they get some sleep. The next day (apart from Gen, who is still back at the temple) they straggle up to the Castle, where the chamberlain and Lorn Thorn meet them in the solar where they were first introduced. The chamberlain is haggard – he’s clearly been up all night. Lord Thorn is not in much better shape. It seems the charms are completely broken and it seems that not as many people were affected as first feared. However, many of those freed of the charm are apparently not happy to be free of it. Lord Thorn obviously feels the same. He tells the PCs “You have, I suppose done both me and the town a great service, and I acknowledge my debt. But I cannot bring myself to thank you. You killed something beautiful last night.” He then tells the chamberlain to arrange a suitable reward and leaves the room. Lamoniak goes after him impulsively and after some conversation – as one who was also charmed – manages to cheer him up, in part by persuading him to join Lamoniak on the conquest of his beautiful castle in far off Moncu! At least, that is, when he finds out where Moncu is…. The prospect of a nice war in a good cause cheers Lord Thorn up somewhat.

 

Meanwhile the other PCs have convinced the chamberlain to let them equip themselves in the castle armoury and provision their ship for sea. He also gives them under Lord Thorn’s seal a letter of recommendation. Gen has also managed to wrangle a reward – over the next few days, the high priestess initiates him into her cult and teaches him a secret and powerful cult healing spell, although it is obviously going to take him a while to master it. (GM’s note: he didn’t have enough Xp, so is saving up).

The priestess has her work cut out – in addition to treating Gen, six women are bought to her suffering from miscarriages all bought on when the lamia died and all eventually delivered of dead… things. They, apparently, experienced the lamia as a man. The priestess of the Crone is also busy as two men apparently commit suicide.

 

All in all, the town is pretty miserable place and the players plan to leave as soon as they can - so the players debate the lamia’s last words. She said something about a ruined city to the south. But south of the island they are on is only the sea, stretching away out of knowledge. South-east are the small, waterless crags known as The Teeth – rocky outcrops and dangerous reefs, made all the more threatening for shipping by lurking pirates. The archipelago is littered with ancient ruins and tumuli, but the only ruined city they can think of are the old capital on Talarg, weeks if not months travel westward and the quasi legendary ruined city of Pelnash which is …. umm …. somewhere far away – none of the PCs are exactly sure where. They decide to sail south and see if they can pick up the trail of the Samadrians. All except for Castor the priest. He’d had enough of the adventuring life and has decided to go back to the hermitage on the Bald Man of Lossach and see if he can get taken on there (GM’s note: the player, Brian, had been having a hard time making the game regularly, so we decided it would be best if he dropped out). The PCs build a cage on the deck to hold Lamoniak’s horse and a hoist and sling to get it on board and then they get underway, first sailing back to Theyre Town to drop Castor off. While there - they stay several days, converting some of their loot into coin and hiring sailors to help with the ship. They get the welcome news that someone answering the description of Ned has been arrested in Dorn with a flock of Qurrocks (the armiger in Salterton sent a message about the theft to Theyre by pigeon some time back) and they hire two men to go collect the qurrocks and take them to Gen’s father’s house. Khatz pays a visit to his cousin, Lamoniak goes the to castle and eventually the PCs get to see Kehan, the lord’s “agent” to tell him the story. After some wrangling, Lamoniak gets a letter of recommendation there as well, plus a charter guaranteeing the PCs ownership of their ship. He also tries to get the lord of Theyre to help support his reconquest of lost Moncu, but Kehan is too slippery for him and fobs him off with vague promises.

 

They also visit the temple where the Gargoyle was – the roof has been repaired and the chief priest of the Smiler is happy to see them and hear their stories. They need his help, as Bellona has discovered that she cannot get rid of the black stone she acquired from the corpse of the alchemist back in Salterton, She’s thrown it away, given it away, dropped it in the sea, but it always ends up back in her pocket or pack as soon as she takes her eyes off it. She’s afraid that it might be what killed the alchemist (it isn’t, directly, but it does give the “owner” 1d6 unluck!). In the end, several PCs agree to donate blood – which the temple needs for some spells – in return for having the stone’s magic identified. She’s not happy with the result but is relieved it’s not going to kill her. Gen suggests she learn to use the sling – then she’s never run out of ammo! Eventually the PCs cough up the cash to get it dispelled and after a long ritual, it shatters into a rainbow and disappears.

 

Finally the PCs go to visit the Hermitage with Castor and look for maps in the library there. But turn up nothing that might be a ruined city on any of the maps. They go through the notes and find a comment about “magic stone, be careful!” This is clearly not the one Bellona has since that had been long locked away. What magic stone? Where did it come from? They ponder: could it be on some of the tiny islands in the Teeth? They are supposed to be uninhabitable, but you never know…

 

The group bids farewell to Castor, walk back to Theyre Town where Khelsen has been minding the ship and doing some trading. They take sail and after a week’s uneventful sailing they finally reach Houndsgard, from whence they set out so long ago!

 

cheers, Mark

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

On arrival the PCs immediately talk to the Harbor master and find that the Sea Ghost has been to Houndsgard, but no passengers were on board. The ship was actually searched since the captain had a reputation as “a bad ‘un” but nothing irregular was found. They then go to the Temple, where they tell their story to an audience of priests and priestesses over a meal. The PCs decide the Samadrians were hiding in the secret compartment on the Sea Ghost. Khatz decides to try scrying some of the cloth fragments they had noted down there. When he and Gen go to get some though, they note that the cloth actually seems to be stuck in a crack in the hull and deduce that there is some sort of secret compartment there. They are not sure though if it is above the waterline, so decide to leave it alone for the moment, just pulling some cloth fibres free.

 

While this is going on Khelsen visits the merchants to trade for goods and rumours, while Aquila looks up some old acquaintances to try and get some rumours. All seems to be quiet in Houndsgard.

 

After several hours, Khatz gets a vision – a lushly forested island with a sharp black peak from which smoke is drifting. The group discusses this, but are puzzled – no-one knows of a volcanic isalnd anywhere in the archipelago, though Bellona has heard rumours of volcanoes in the far east. They also check the hull and conclude that although the little secret compartment is below the water line, there’s no evidence that it goes right through. They carefully pry it open and find a bundle about the size of a loaf of bread, wrapped in black cloth: it was this that left the fragments on the wood. They take it outside to examine and find a rounded cone of smooth white stone that looks a little like alabaster, carved with strange runes – this is clearly the “magic stone” from the captain’s log! They can’t make anything out of it though and eventually take it back to the temple. There it is examined, and after some discussion, one of the priestesses casts a “detect magic” spell on it. The stone reacts in an unexpected fashion, suddenly shooting a sharp pike of stone more than a metre outwards and piercing the hand of the spellcasting priestess! There’s a moment’s panic and the stone is dragged out of her wound, and carried swiftly out of the temple, so a healing spell can be cast. Clearly the stone reacts to magic and the meaning of the Captain’s words “be careful!” are now also clear.

 

When everything has settled down they gingerly inspect the stone, taking a charcoal rubbing of the runes, which seem to be carved in a continuous spiral around the stone, ending abruptly at its base, which is broken. Clearly this stone was part of something larger – could it have come from the “ruined city” the lamia spoke of? It does show signs of weathering. They take it to some carvers, but the best they can tell the PCs about the stone is that it’s “not from anywhere around here”. The PCs decide the ruined city is probably on the volcanic island!

 

The next day, Khelsen finds out what happened to the bounties they had put on the Samadrians and Vathmar. No one has claimed them. Khatz, Lamoniak and Bellona go to the Lord’s house and take him some gifts. After a pleasant chat they get his permission to ask the harbourmaster about ships in and out and also to check his library for maps of this mysterious island. They don’t find anything on the maps, but Khatz finds a book by a former pirate telling of his adventures in The Teeth and gets permission to loan it for a few days. At the harbourmaster’s they find that yes, 6 passengers boarded a ship bound for Sillith a week ago. The ship is called the “Queen’s envy” and is regular trader going back and forth from Ostragya to Sillith. Since autumn is here, he does not expect it back in Houndgard before the next spring. The players fan out asking merchants, street idlers and the city guard about the strangers and eventually find out that they did not stay in town, but turned up the day the Queen’s Envy was due to leave port and took passage. Good descriptions are hard to get, but what they do get is enough to convince the players that Sillith should be their next port of call. They start making preparations. Khatz and Gen buy gifts and ride off to see their families on hired Qrrocks, taking the horse which they regretfully decide cannot be taken on a long sea voyage – they will leave it at Gen’s family’s farm. Lamoniak and Aquila scour the surrounding countryside and eventually find a farmer who rented his stable to the six strangers – it looks like they were landed by small boat off the Sea Ghost, and took stayed at the farm from where they close to the port, but could stay out of sight. The farmer says they paid his son to keep an eye on the docks for their ship. Now the group is convinced these are their men. At his father’s farm Gen finds that his father has gone to Doorn to identify and bring back the qurrocks and that the thief (presumably Ned) will be sent to the galleys. That makes Gen happy. He instructs the stablehands on how to treat the horse and then goes to Khatz’s family. There’s a big party at Khatz’s family’s manor, gifts are exchanged and then the PCs ride back to Houndsgard. Over these days they read the retired pirate’s account and learn about the pirates of the Teeth. It turns out that they are the descendants of the lords and armigers who fled Anaria after the war with Samadria and they regard themselves not as pirates but privateers, waging an honourable war with Samadria and living a hardscrabble existence in The Teeth. They do find one fascinating note though: at one point, driven south by a storm, the pirates saw a “smoking island” on the horizon. Short on supplies, they opted not to go south to explore but sailed for home (the book is disappointingly vague as to where “home” is for the pirates.) The players nonetheless have a goal and they refurbish the ship for a trip to Sillith. After making a sacrifice for good weather at the temple they set off!

 

cheers, Mark

[Shadowsoul]

Re: And off we go!

 

Interesting.

 

BTW. Are you going to post the up to date hdc files for these characters once you've created them?

 

Please?

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

Interesting.

 

BTW. Are you going to post the up to date hdc files for these characters once you've created them?

 

Please?

 

I'll check that the players are OK with it, but otherwise, sure.

 

cheers, Mark

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

Several day’s sailing brings them to the cast of Sillith and soon after that to Sillith town. It’s a tightly-packed city with crooked streets straggling up the hill from the harbour and high city walls with many towers. Above the city sits a huge, ancient looking castle. When they dock the harbourmaster and several armigers are waiting to check their ship and they are not pleased to find that Khelsen has a trading warrant exempting him from port fees (He got if from Lord Sorghall’s brother back at the festival in Houndsgard months before: now it turns out useful!) However, the PCs break out some wine and a small bribe and the Sillith men turn friendly: after all the warrant establishes the PCs as solid citizens, albeit foreigners and backs up the claim of the two Nobles who claim to know Lord Sorghall. Under pretext of checking out business prospects, Khelsen quizzes them about shipping, and soon learns that the Queen’s Envy was here, discharged six passengers and left a few days ago. The passengers have not taken ship from Sillith town. In addition to small fishing boats and trading ships there are a couple of galleasses, well crewed by armigers. This doesn’t look like a place to start trouble….

 

After getting settled, the PCs split up. The three sailors they hired in Theyre town, who have been mostly minding the ship take their pay and head for the taverns that line the harbour square. Lamoniak offers to keep an eye on the ship as he has difficulty with the local accent. The rest go into town. Aquila wanders about scoping the place out. Khatz and Gen find the temple and manage to locate a priest of the Sage, who looks at their copy of the stone’s runes and allows that he has seen something similar. He says it’s old, old writing maybe from the days of the first Hadawan empire. For a small donation he agrees to compare it to some old scrolls they have and see if he can translate it. Khelsen combs the sailors’ taverns collecting gossip and gambling. He learns that many sailors have heard of a “smoking island” far to the south, but that the details are regrettably vague – along the lines of “Some sailors, my uncle knew were blown far off their course through sucking reefs and countless dangers and they saw…. Etc” The players begin to wonder if their “pirate’s recollections” book was just a mishmash of old sailors’ stories.

 

He does make one good discovery though. The PCs are worried that now that Castor is gone they have no priest. Khelsen meets an itinerant priest of the Woman of Tides called Dalarna who might be interested in sailing with them - even better like most of his cult, he’s a ship’s mage with weather spells. (GM’s note: this is Lars’ PC – an old friend who rejoins the gaming group after being away for years in the UK). The PCs talk to him about where he’s been and what he’s done and in the course of this he mentions an odd thing he’s seen. Some while ago while sitting to rest on a doorstep in the street, he saw a heavily cloaked and hooded man going into a shop. The man drew his attention because he was heavily hooded and robed though the day was warm, and as he went up the stairs Dalarna could see his feet under his robes. Or rather he could see where his feet should have been: instead there was amass of tiny chitinous limbs like there was a giant centipede under there. This catches the PCs attention and over the next few days they comb the city looking for “hooded men”. They check out the shop where Dalarna saw his strange man: their intense questioning upsets the shopkeeper – the players in turn mark him down as “suspicious” because he claims not to recall the man. Eventually Aquila sees two he think might be of interest and tails them all over town, before they go into a large house – oddly, when one reaches up to pull the doorbell, his long sleeves are held so that they hide the man’s hand and fingers. He watches as they are admitted, checks carefully to see that the door is in fact bolted from the inside and then scuttles off to get the rest of the PCs. Some quick questioning soon reveals that the house – which is in a good craftsman’s area with many 3 and 4 storey houses - belongs to Master Thomas, a brewer. When the PCs return to check the place, they notice that all the shutters on the upper floors are closed which is a bit strange in the middle of the day. There’s a tavern at the end of the street with tables out under a tree: the PC’s take turns sitting there to keep the house under surveillance, but nothing happens. Aquila checks out the neighbourhood. The houses front right onto the street, and at the back open onto a narrow mews, where they all have small (and stinky) fenced yards with stables or workshops.

 

In the meantime the other go back to the temple, where their sage priest has translated their parchment. He says it’s some sort of ritual curse in a very old language called Selestrian but that in places it’s too smudgy to read. What he has got translates roughly as “We abominate …. unreadable … we block/prevent use of the gate/place. We curse and …. unreadable … opening/door”. The players think it’s an anti-demon summoning spell, but the priest is dubious: he’s not sure there’s any such thing as demons. This skepticism makes Gen in particular angry: he quite certain there are such things and as they leave he’s all suspicious that the Temple is trying to hide something – there’s Samadrians all over the place, after all!

 

Anyway, not far from master Thomas’ house there’s a hole where a house partly burned down and has not been rebuilt yet and the cellar is exposed. The players agree to hide there at night to watch the place and go back to the ship to get some sleep and set it in order in case they have to make a fast escape. Dalarna goes up the house and rings the bell – he asks to talk to master Thomas, on the grounds of soliciting a donation to the temple but cannot get past the front door – the servant who answers explains that the house is closed, the master being in the country with is cousin. There’s no-one here (he says) but himself.

 

That night is cloudy with only a half moon. Khatz goes into the mews behind the house, while Gen leaves a cobblestone propped up at the front door, so if it falls they will hear it, while Khatz climbs over the back fence. He does so silently and sneaks up to the house. There’s a big midden and a stable, but it’s empty, suggesting that Master Thomas really is away. He peers into the low cellar window – he can see a vaulted brick room with shelves of bottles and a few kegs, but no people, lit by a guttering lamp. Also tries the back door but it’s bolted. He sneaks back to the rest of the group, unlatching the back gate on the way and returns with Aquila, who has been keeping watch at the end of the street. They sneak up and Aquila gets the back door open. He creeps carefully inside, and the light coming up the stairs from the cellar let him make out the general layout: he’s beside the kitchen in a hallway that runs right through the house, with stairs up and down. The sounds of voices drift up from the cellar. Aquila decides to check out the rest of the house and begins to sneak up the stairs, but they creak loudly under his feet and in a flash he’s out the back door, pulling it to. He and Khatz hide in the back yard. A man comes up into the kitchen, looks out the window, but doesn’t spot them in the darkness. He does notice the back door is unbolted and calls this information back to someone in the house. He bolts the door and Khatz and Aquila take the opportunity to sneak away. Unfortunately, before they can get out of the street they see the lanterns of the watch approaching. Thinking quickly, Khatz draws them into a doorway and as the watch pass, they pretend they are kissing – with Aquila’s cloak over them, all the watch see is his long hair. They snicker and pass by. The guards also make a cursory check of the ruined house, but miss the PCs crouched under the cellar stairs.

 

After that, the PCs flee back to their ship to try and make a coherent plan but failing that, go to sleep. The next day they go to the temple again and try to interest the priests in hunting for robed men with centipede feet. The priests look at them like they are complete loonies, but they notice one man in red robes – a priest of the Laughing Man - watching them. As they leave, he mutters to Khatz that he wants to talk privately and to come back later. When they do, he takes them to a side shrine and quietly tells them that he thinks the PCs are members of the Church Militant and advises them to leave. The Church Militant is not popular here. He admits that some months ago there were some bestial murders and a few commoners who claim they saw monsters, but that it was probably just hysteria over the killings - and the authorities don’t want anybody stirring up trouble or monster-hysteria in town again. The priest – whose name is Cressis - warns them not to take their monster tales to the authorities. The PCs reckon out that the murders he refers to took place prior to the festival of the Butterfly Girl’s wedding and were probably the work of the Gherent.

 

The PCs decide to steal a possession of master Thomas’ for Khatz to scry. Khelsen goes to the front door rings the bell and then poses as a merchant wanting to buy ale. The servant who answers tells him that Master Thomas is away and that he can’t make any sales while the master is away. Khelsen notices that all the windows are shuttered although it’s broad daylight. While this is going on Aquila hops over the back fence and steals a qurrock brush from the stable. They retreat to the ship and Khatz meditates on it. After an hour or so, he gets a vision: It’s night but moonlight through leaves allows him to see lush, broadleafed vegetation, pierced here and there by broken columns of white stone, and low tumbled walls. When he comes out of his meditation, and tells the others, this confirms their suspicions that Master Thomas is working with the Samadrian sorcerors and that they are all going to the smoking island. Bellona goes and asks the harbourmaster, and a few stall owners some questions and they work out that actually Master Thomas left for the country a day or two after the Queen’s Envy dropped off its passengers. This is enough to convince the players that they have to break in to Master Thomas’ house. To prepare the PCs scatter and check out as best they can the house (to look for ways in), the city walls and gates (to try and work out how to flee the city if they have to) and the surrounding streets and alleys. Khelsen picks out two old men in a bar, who clealrly lived here sincelong before Sorghall and his Samdrian allies came to power. A hour’s talking and plenty of ale loosens their tongues and they confide that sometimes “strange things” are seen about in the town and that people in the castle are probably responsible – though lots of people have thrown their lot in with them. Nobody makes a fuss though because Sorghall’s soldiers enforce a brutal peace. After this, Khelsen goes to the castle in his merchant guise and tries to wangle a meeting with Sorghall’s brother Flanghall. He’s hoping to find “something suspicious” but in the event, gets no further than the buttery. He does sell some of the silks he got from the lamia for a good price though, so departs happily enough.

 

That night, the PCs wait until twilight, when most people are at dinner and head to master Thomas’s house. Aquilla guards the back door, while Khelsen, heavily hooded, rings the doorbell and when the servant opens the door simply barges in with the rest of the PCs flowing behind him. Dalarna has magically raised a fog which blocks the sight of this from most of the street. The servant tries to flee, but is swiftly bought to bay in a ring of blades. The PCs demand he show them around the house and they start with the cellar, Khelsen remaining on the ground floor to watch the front and back doors. In the cellar they find nothing odd except a black circle on the floor, looking like it was burnt there. But there is no soot or smoke on the ceiling. The servant claims not to know what made it. They search upstairs through master Thomas’ chambers and the servant’s room above. They find no-one. When asked about the robed strangers the servant claims to know nothing saying that he had been instructed to let them stay the night and that they had departed. The players find this unlikely, since someone has been watching the house most of the time. The eventually check the attic, but it too is empty. However, in the dust Gen can see by lamplight that something or someone has been going back and forth. The tracks lead to a skylight which opens easily, but merely gives access to the steeply sloping roof. Gen looks down into the backyard which is now sunk in darkness and hastily retreats, but he notices that there is no moss on the sill – as though the skylight had been routinely used. He shudders at the thought of what might have been going in and out at night.

 

Lighting lamps, the PCs ransack the house while Khatz and Lamoniak stand guard on the servant and tie his hands. They takes notes from his desk (Aquila also pockets some small valuable looking items). In one drawer Aquila also finds a false bottom to a drawer with a flute in it made of some strange blue-grey metal: light but strong with an iridescent sheen. Not finding anything else, they douse all but one lamp and head downstairs. Partway down the stairs, something fast and whip-like darts upwards and knocks the lamp out of Khatz’s hands, It falls over the stair rail and hits the floor, putting the candle out. In the darkness, a fight breaks out on the stairs. Lamoniak is bitten, but manages to grapple his foe and they struggle, eventually toppling through the stair railing and crashing down into the hallway. The other stumble downstairs in the dark: the air is full of what seem to be whips and several PCs are bitten. Gen races to the kitchen where the light from the window and the banked fire lets him see but cannot find a candle, so he opens the back door to shed some light into the hall. IN the faint twilight, he sees a horrific sight, The servant’s hands are sill tied, but from his mouth, his tongue has elongated several metres and it is thrashing and striking like an angry serpent: it is tipped with a fanged mouth that bites viciously. The players are shocked into immobility for an instant by this sight and the tongue lashes at Gen, who ducks back into the kitchen. The melee continues in the semidarkness with several more bites until Bellona land a lucky blow with a sword and with a shriek the thing breaks loose and heads for the back door on its hands and one foot. The other is lying in the hall, severed by Bellona’s sword. Gen tries to intercept it, but it barrels into him, knocking him down. That does slow it enough for Khatz and Aquila to gain the door and they pursue it across the yard, stabbing at it as it scales the back fence. Bleeding from a dozen wounds, it shows unnatural vitality and still manages to get over the fence, but Khatz with acrobatic grace leaps to a barrel top, over the fence and cuts off its escape. As Aquila and Gen scale the fence, the monster grapples Khatz. The tongue wraps around his neck and suddenly the thing’s shirt tears open, revealing a mouth lined with heavy fangs that runs vertically from his groin to his neck. With a roar, it wraps its arms around Khatz and drags him towards that gaping maw – and then thrashes and goes limp as Aquila and Gen run it through from behind again and again. The roaring, screams, and bladework have not gone unnoticed and calls for the watch ring out through the night: after a hasty, whispered conference, half the party rapidly heads for the ship while Gen, Lamoniak, Aquila and Khatz, covered in blood and mud from the alley, drag the monster out of the alley and into the main street, where torches shed some light.

 

The city guard finds them in a minute or two and their suspicion of the players is rapidly overtaken by awe and disgust at the fanged and tentacled thing lying in the street. The players explain that they were on their way back to their ship when this thing, in the guise of a man lured them into its house and tried to eat them. They also manage to imply that maybe this thing was responsible for the murders months ago that they have heard about in the taverns. The guard captain who has heard their story with a look of skepticism, nonetheless apparently accepts it and takes charge. He orders some guardsmen to keep watch on the body and leads the others into Master Thomas’ house to check it for more monsters. The PCs offer to accompany him and with a look at the corpse he agrees. They go into the house but as before find nothing – except that Lamoniak “discovers” the strange flute on Master Thomas’s desk. Once the house is searched, the captain places some of his men there to guard it. Others take the monster’s body away. At the player’s suggestion, they all go to the temple to see if the priests can shed any light on the monster and the strange flute. On the way the PCs are interrogated and they admit that they were in Houndsgard when the murders were committed there, describe them, and say that they had come to Sillith hunting a monster, when they had heard rumors of similar killings there. That seems to satisfy the guard captain who in turn suggests that the monster had found Master Thomas’s house was empty and that’s why it planned to lure victims in there. When the players protest that the monster was master Thomas’ servant, the guardsmen claim that he was not and that the servants have been sent home when the house was closed up. The players are smart enough to agree that Master Thomas has had a lucky escape then, and shut up. They talk with the priests, but even the wisest among them cannot (or will not) identify their description of the monster. They look at the flute and agree that it is odd – they offer to examine it and try to determine it’s nature. Having told the guard captain where they are staying and pledging not to leave Sillith telling without telling him, the PCs return to their ship, treat their wounds and collapse.

 

cheers, Mark

[teh bunneh]

Tentacles and gaping maws!

 

Ooh, a little hentai action!

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

The next day, the PCs go the temple, to ask about the flute and to get it so that Khatz can scry using it. They find that a priest called Janas has taken it to try some divinatory magic, but no-one can seem to find him. The head priest, Cressis, takes them aside, asks about their adventure the night before and gives them a lecture against the church militant. He warns them not to make more trouble. Eventually the PCs get tired of waiting for Janas, so back to the ship and fetch their magic stone. They take it to a master mason and give it to him to examine after warning him against the use of magic, but after examining it and discussing it with another stonemason, they are also unable to identify it. They also assure the PCs that there is no stone like that around here.

 

Meanwhile Khelsen is doing some trading. He goes to the castle, taking the rest of the stuff he had made sales on and this time manages to wander about a bit while waiting to be seen. He comes away convinced there is no place in the castle that could hide a garden like the lush vegetation that Khatz saw in his vision. The rest go back to the temple, where they are immediately ushered in – it has been discovered that Brother Janas has disappeared. When they go to his cell, they can see a blacked ring on the floor like that seen in Master Thomas’ cellar. They tell Cressis this and he finally agrees that there may be more to this than a monster. They go over a story about the “insect legs” man and he reluctantly agrees to ask to city guard to search the shop where he was seen in the hope of finding Brother Thomas. Most of the PCs go with a couple of guardsmen, and though they intimidate the shopkeeper and turn his shop and house upside down, nothing in the least suspicious is found. Meanwhile Khatz has stayed in the temple to scry some of brother Janas’ belongings to see if he is alive. He gains a vision of caverns, lit by a weird, bluish flickering light, so at least they know he’s alive, but the general description of where he’s going does not sound very inviting.

 

At a dead end, the PCs decide to go to visit Master Thomas’ cousin. Early the next morning, they hire qurrocks and having gotten directions, set off. They ride through pleasant coastal countryside, through a small fishing village and then follow the road inland to a little manor arriving in the late afternoon. The servant who answers the door is a bit suspicious of these armed strangers at his door, but the players flash their warrant with lord Flanghall’s seal and a few coins persuades him to answer some questions. It turns out that yes, Master Thomas has come to visit, bringing 6 friends. One of the “friends” matches the description of the cultists’ leader – the man with the big black, bushy beard. According to the servant, these men have been to the manor before, though he doesn’t really know much about them. No, the men and Master Thomas are not home, having spent some days gathering supplies – they left the day before with Master Thomas’ cousin to go to Porton Town to rent a boat. They are not expected home for some time. When the players hear this, they immediately start preparing to ride for Porton Town, the small village they passed through. On a whim, Gen suddenly draws his knife on the servant, thinking that he too is probably a monster like Master Thomas’ man and thinking to provoke him into changing shape. Nothing of the sort happens – they just scare him badly – and after some hasty apologies, they ride off at high speed, with the servant shaking his fist and vowing to summon the militia!

 

It’s after nightfall when they return to Porton Town. They approach carefully in the darkness, but all seems quiet: the town has no wall, or gate so they ride down the main street to the harbour, where they find an inn. They settle in, talk to the local armiger and Khatz enthralls the locals with an embellished story of their monster hunt in Sillith town. It takes them a fair few drinks and a lot of conversation plus a few coins, but they eventually find out that Master Thomas, his cousin and 6 other men hired a small boat and a sailor to ferry them offshore where they rendezvoused with a galleass – a large, well kept, well crewed boat. It sounds like an armiger’s ship and sailed away southwards. Master Thomas and co. took several large bundles – one of which sounds large enough to hold the missing priest! The players puzzle over why they came all the way out here to join the ship and decide it’s perhaps because they did not want to be seen leaving Sillith town on that boat. At any rate, it is too late to return to Sillith, so they stay for a few hours at the inn, eat dinner and then buy a lantern and ride towards the Sillith town, just in case the servant’s threat to raise the militia eventuates. Whether he did or not, the PCs return to Sillith Town without trouble, taking a brief break to nap and entering the town at daybreak, very tired, as soon as the gates open. The players return to their ship, pay the habourmaster his fees and take their ship out without trouble. They are behind the galleass but hope to try and track it southwards anyway. Since their chances of finding the ship at sea are minimal, they decide to sail to Anaria, in the hopes that their target did too and that they can pick up the trail there. They reach Anaria in 3 days without problems, and after sailing down the coast come to a small village, where they stop to refill their water barrels and hunt for news. They find no news of their prey, so stock up as much as possible and with a couple of months food and water, decide to head south into the Teeth.

 

Sailing south, 2 days brings them into an area of shallower waters and Dalarna, using a spell to sound out the bottom, guides them through an area of reefs and the occasional small, barren island. They carefully sail south, keeping a careful weather eye out for underwater hazards. On the 4th dayAquila is up in the crows nest scanning the horizon for sails with the telescope he “acquired” from Master Thomas’ house, when he sees a smudge of smoke on the horizon. They sail towards it and soon see a small, desolate crag with a few scrubby bushes and a man standing on the shore madly waving a cloth. A castaway? Keeping careful eye out for trouble they sail close and then lower the jolly boat and row out to meet this mysterious stranger, who stands waiting calling out blessings. The man is a rangy figure with tattered clothes and hair in a pigtail. He immediately climbs into the jolly boat and once on board the Sea Ghost, introduces himself as captain Thana, a pirate lord, betrayed by a mutinous crew, who set him adrift in a small boat. The smoke the PCs saw was the boat going up in flames to attract their attention.

 

Captain Thana wants revenge, swearing there will be blood. The PCs in turn ask him about the volcanic island. Thana allows that he has heard of it, but never seen it – he’s not even sure it exists. However, if the PCs help him with his revenge, he promises to put his ship and those of his friends at their disposal to find this mysterious island!

 

cheers, Mark

[Shadowsoul]

Re: And off we go!

 

It seems to me that there's more than a hint of fairytale in your world, although not in a childish way. Have you ever read 'The Red Pavilions' by Kim Hunter? That's quite an interesting example of 'serious' fantasy with a fairytale feel, might be an interesting source of ideas.

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

It seems to me that there's more than a hint of fairytale in your world' date=' although not in a childish way.[/quote']

 

Yep. That's intentional. I'm drawing on - and aiming for the feel of - fairytales as reimagined by the late 19th-early 20th century romantics, like Dunsany, Hodgesen and Machen: or their modern versions like Vance. Some of the jarring elements (like the Qrrocks) were thrown in intentionally to shift that atmosphere slightly offbase so that we didn't end up with a knights-dragons-castles pastiche.

 

 

Have you ever read 'The Red Pavilions' by Kim Hunter? That's quite an interesting example of 'serious' fantasy with a fairytale feel' date=' might be an interesting source of ideas.[/quote']

 

Nope - but I might track it down.

 

cheers, Mark

[teh bunneh]

Re: And off we go!

 

Hey Mark, I thought you were on sabbatical right now... how are you still gaming (or are these episodes just "catching up" from when you were still at home)?

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

Hey Mark' date=' I thought you were on sabbatical right now... how are you still gaming (or are these episodes just "catching up" from when you were still at home)?[/quote']

 

I am.

 

These are still "catching up" from before I left. I still have about 5-6 more sessions to post before I'm all caught up*. We have played a session since then, though. It was via Skype which went surprisingly well: we managed to do "escape from the castle", "hatch a cunning plan" and fight half a big pirate battle without any problems at all. We were supposed to have another Skype session last week, but I had to cancel when I was asked to chair a meeting at NIH: because of the time difference, I have to be able to take an afternoon off to do it from Maryland.

 

Cheers, Mark

 

*"Catching up" has been temporarily delayed by me getting a cider-ified version of Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, which I've been playing obsessively for the last week. I'm now winning consistently with Marines on the "moderate" setting, but getting my butt consistently kicked on "hard"

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

The players give Thana water and food and after he devours them, ply him with questions. He reacts badly to be being called a pirate and subjects the players to a long tirade in which he explains that the men of the Teeth are privateers, led by the true lords of Anaria (of whom he is, naturally, one) who have lost their lands to the invading Samadrians and now prey on their ships as legitimate targets of war. He stamps up and down the deck, waving his hands as he explains that they never attack neutral shipping – unless bound for Samadrian ports, or carrying Samadrian goods. Samadrians are the enemy! When Gen points out that they are hunting murderous Samadrian sorcerors, Captain Thana readily accepts this, pointing out that according to his great grandgrather – who was there - black sorcery played a large role in the fall of Anaria, with demons leading the Samadrian assault. Having calmed down a bit, he explains that his first mate rebelled against him over attacking a ship flying a neutral flag and got half the crew to follow but didn’t dare kill him, lest it start a fight, instead setting him adrift. He suspects they will return to Pirate Cove – their base – and discharge the rest of the crew, taking on new men.

 

Thana then says he will lead them to Pirate Cove – but only if they take the blood oath never to reveal its location. He tells the PCs that the blood oath has protected the secret base for generations. There is a long debate over whether to trust him. Lamoniak tells the others that Thana seems sincere, but gets the feeling that he is holding something back. In the end, they agree to take the oath. Thana takes a knife and makes a small cut in his palm (the players note his palm is seamed with little scars) and then makes a similar cut in each of their palms, so that when they shake hands, blood is smeared. When they release the handshake, the blood – instead of being smeared – has formed strange runes and markings on their palms, which even as they watch seem to sink into the skin. Thana, sitting himself down on the stair to the aft castle seems much more at ease and he explains that the blood oath will cause their blood to run backwards and kill them if they betray the secrets he is about to tell them, by word, or by deed. He then gives the PCs a heading to steer and tells them that Pirate Cove is on an island hidden by powerful illusions and charms. He intends to take his ship back there, so that everybody can see and there will be no doubt about his ownership. The problem will be getting into position to strike and he is overjoyed to find that the party has a priest of the Woman of Tides with them, who can raise fogs. Over the next hour, Thana and the PCs plot. Pirate cove is actually hidden deep inside the island and the entrance guarded by towers with a chain between them. Thana says it was probably once a big cave carved out by water from a spring, but over the eons, the cave collapsed, leaving a big hole. Over time, much rock has been carved out to make homes in the stone and for building. The island is thus almost hollow – simply a ring of cliffs, and the pirate town is build in the hollow, out of sight of the sea, even if the illusions are somehow pierced. The rest of the coast of the island is comprised of sheer cliffs. The plan they devise is to take their ship to Pirate Cove from the rear under cover of fog. Dalarna can control the sea to keep it flat enough to approach the cliffs closely. Bellona can then use her magical gift to scale the cliffs and attach a rope so that the others can follow. Once on the island, they will infiltrate the town, make contact with Thana’s friends to see what is going on (in particular what his former first mate’s plans are) and then strike.

 

The planning session concluded Thana rises, stretches and vanishes below decks where the PCs later find him plundering the late Captain Balar’s sea chest for clothes to replace his own salt-stiff and tattered clothes. After an argument, he is ejected from the captain’s cabin and goes sulkily off to sleep in a hammock in the bow.

 

Two days later, the PC’s ship approaches Pirate Cove. They anchor nearby until just before dawn and then approach under cover of darkness and Dalarna’s magical fog. As planned he guides the ship in, and calming the sea, they are able to come alongside the cliffs. Bellona scales the cliff with her magical gift and soon finds a scrubby tree, with roots sunk deep in a crack in the rock, to attack it to. The PCs swarm up the rope, though there is a tense moment as Khatz slips and almost falls. Khelsen has trouble with the rope, and at last, Dalaran summons a whirlwind which sweeps him off the deck and drops him at the top of the cliff. Lamoniak and the remaining sailors then sail away, before the fog begins to disperse, with the plan of returning in 24 hours: the others will signal him with fire arrows – one if there’s trouble, three, if it is safe to enter.

 

The players then slink over the rocky terrain and secrete themselves on the edge of the inner cliff where they can look down into Pirate Cove. The sight is amazing: just below where they are crouching is a vast circular chasm. One half is filled with crystal clear blue water where dozens of ships large and small are moored or pulled up on the sandy beach. The other half is filled with a veritable city made up partly of buildings made of the same reddish orange stone that they are crouching on, and partly of parts of old ships, climbing in ramshackle disorder up the sides of the cliff. In the centre of the bay is a large galleass, with a glittering figurehead that Thana points out as his ship, the Golden Prow. It has however some signs of damage. A fight? A storm? The PCs can’t tell.

 

There is a flight of steps down that gives access to the town below, but Thana warns they are covered by a watchtower. Aquila uses his face shifting magical gift to approximate a pirate’s face according to Thana’s instructions and then, as two of the party cover the watchtower with bows from cover Aquila goes up and pretends to be the relief for the watch. There’s a moment of tension as the man seems a bit suspicious, but in the end, he opens the door and goes down the steps, which run through a passage cut into the rock. Once he’s out of sight the party follow and Thana quickly leads them to a friend’s house in the upper part of the town, through twisty, narrow alleys.

 

The friend is initially suspicious but is soon convinced that it really is Thana, and fills him in on what has happened. The Golden Prow limped into port two days ago: it attacked a galleass heading south but was repulsed by strong sorcery and lost its mast and had to struggle home under oars. Though the other ship escaped, the pirates managed to set its sails on fire with fire arrows so it is also probably partially incapacitated. The rebellious ex-mate has called a pirate council and apparently plans to claim Thana’s ship – and the council is today! The PCs and Thana quickly plan to thwart this plan – if Thana can speak before the council, there’s no way she can do so. But first he has to get to the council chambers – the elaborate stern castle of a huge galleass set partway up a cliff, and which can be approached only via a rope bridge.

 

The party quickly heads to Thana’s house so he can (as he says) get better weapons and clothes. The council will assemble at the midday bell, so they have a couple of hours, to eat, drink, plan and rest. Thana’s house – made out of an overturned cog – has been broken into and trashed. Thana suggests the rebels were looking for his “magic orb”, which he explains is a magical navigation aid. Fortunately, they haven’t found it – Thana retrieves it and a couple of fine looking blades from a hiding place in his rooms. Spying out the land from a window in Thana’s house, they can see a group of men lounging about by the rope bridge. Thana identifies them as part of the rebel crew – probably there to prevent anyone else from reaching the council chamber. The PCs work out the following plan. Thana and Khelsen will go to the cliffs above the council chambers: with Khelsen holding the rope, Thana can swing down, smash through the windows and make a dramatic entrance! Meanwhile, the other PCs will rush to the rope bridge and prevent anyone else from entering until he has time to make his pitch. Everyone agree this is a fine plan. As noon is approaching the party comes out of Thana’s house and as they turn the first corner, meet a large group coming in the opposite direction, led by a woman with fiery red hair. There’s a moment pause as the woman gasps “Thana!” and Thana snarls “Adriana, damn it!” Then blades are drawn and Thana shouts “Plan B! Run for the council chambers bridge and we’ll cut our way through!”

[Manic Typist]

Re: And off we go!

 

...did someone roll their Unluck??

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

...did someone roll their Unluck??

 

Actually, yes. Gen has some unluck that came up. Well spotted!

 

Cheers, Mark

[Lefton]

Re: And off we go!

 

these are really great scenarios!

really enjoying them!

 

*bump*

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

these are really great scenarios!

really enjoying them!

 

*bump*

 

Thanks. I have abunch more to write up - but have been so busy since I got back to Europe .... I'll try and get a couple of sessions up this weekend.

 

cheers, Mark

[Lefton]

Re: And off we go!

 

*bump*

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

*bump*

 

Haven't forgotten - but have been busy with real life. I'm posting this from Delhi (have been in India for two weeks) and this is the first chance I've had to log onto the hero boards for about that long.

 

cheers, Mark

[L. Marcus]

Re: And off we go!

 

. . . Man, if I've ever seen anyone with a Nomad Gene, it's you!

[DusterBoy]

Re: And off we go!

 

This is an excellent series :thumbup: but I do have one tiny niggle.

 

Mark, there's no such sword as a flauberge - I think you mean flamberge.

(I told you it was tiny)

[Lefton]

Re: And off we go!

 

Ya wow, you really do get around in a hurry...

[Shadowsoul]

Re: And off we go!

 

This is an excellent series :thumbup: but I do have one tiny niggle.

 

Mark, there's no such sword as a flauberge - I think you mean flamberge.

(I told you it was tiny)

 

 

I seem to recall seeing a picture of the 'flauberge' earlier on this thread and I'm pretty sure it was a completely made up weapon that was not intended to mimic the historical weapon known as 'the flamberge'.

[Markdoc]

Re: And off we go!

 

This is an excellent series :thumbup: but I do have one tiny niggle.

 

Mark, there's no such sword as a flauberge - I think you mean flamberge.

(I told you it was tiny)

 

There is in fact, no such sword as a flauberge, you're quite right. But there's not meant to be. The player wanted a unique weapon from his home world and coined the name. His weapon is basically a bladed flail - a heavy crescent blade on a chain, attached to a stout haft.

 

cheers, Mark