[Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

[TheRavenIs]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

[teh bunneh]

Bump!

 

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

[Enforcer84]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

Will they be hunting monsters fearlessly?

[teh bunneh]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

And we're back!

----------

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Next week: The showdown!

(No monsters were harmed in the making of this adventure...)

[Enforcer84]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

And we're back!

 

Next week: The showdown!

(No monsters were harmed in the making of this adventure...)

 

Aww....

 

 

Oh, I cannot wait for the next week.

[SatinKitty]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

Also waiting anxiously.......

[teh bunneh]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

Last week:

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

 

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

 

This week:

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

To Be Continued!

[hooligan x]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

Awwwwww, SHIIIIIIIIIIIII...

 

I mean, that was rather enjoyable.

[TheRavenIs]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

[teh bunneh]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

[Enforcer84]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

Poor Boh.

[Lonewalker]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

Poor Boh.

 

Pff.

 

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

 

Ya pays yer nickel, ya takes yer chances.

 

 

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

 

Lonewalker

[Enforcer84]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

Pff.

 

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

 

Ya pays yer nickel, ya takes yer chances.

 

 

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

 

Lonewalker

Spoken like the winner in a fight

[teh bunneh]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

 

"Excuse us," Justin said to the man.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

To be continued!

[hooligan x]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

[teh bunneh]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

"Who are you?" Illy demanded.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

TBC!

[OddHat]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

 

It was a remarkably strenuous game of chess.

[Enforcer84]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

/Fonzie

He played with her chest?

/Fonzie

[SatinKitty]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

I never thought of Chess as a contact Sport.

[teh bunneh]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

The heroes immediately fell into a huddle to determine what to do next...

 

To be continued!

[Susano]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

CALVERA?!?!

 

:rofl:

 

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

 

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

[teh bunneh]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

Ahem... do you intend to give out extra XP if anyone tells Calvera "We deal in steel' date=' friend"?[/quote']

 

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

 

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

 

Bill.

(And yes, there are seven PCs).

[Susano]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

 

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

[teh bunneh]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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

 

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

[SatinKitty]

Re: [Campaign] The Fearless Monster Hunters

 

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