What More or Less Happened in Tonight's Game

After a month without playing due to scheduling conflicts, we got together to play in Tim's Komor Forest game using BX Essentials. At one point it kind of went like this:

Well, maybe not that bad. But close. My character, Brimstone, gets hit by an ochre jelly. Jelly ooze is now eating through Brimstone's clothing and searing his flesh. That same round, Ken's character, Finkas, standing behind Brimstone, tries to throw a torch on the jelly. He misses. With a nat 1. Tim says "Roll again, Ken." How bad is the critical fail? Ken rolls another nat 1. So Finkas' torch strikes Brimstone so hard in the backpack that the impact breaks Brimstone's oil flask. Oil runs out of the seams of the pack, down Brimstone's legs and makes contact with the still lit torch now lying on the ground. So Brimstone finds himself dissolving in jelly acid while simultaneously burning like a roman candle. Miraculously, thanks to some quick action by one of Rob's henchmen, Brimstone survives the calamity. Barely.

OD&D: Ravensburg Session 10

Characters:

Boneswa (Elf-F2/MU2): Tim (+Gothridge Manor)
     Corder (Fighter-2): NPC
     Rosalind (Cleric-1): NPC

The Rumor Mill:

• With the Bugbear menace gone, the market for Grim Forest wolf pelts has picked up again.
• Karl Nobbins and his band of adventurers, regulars at the Surly Dragon Inn, went into the Black Tower three days ago. They haven't come back yet. 
• A green dragon was spotted flying westward from Dankmarsh, over the Sundered Hills, toward the sea. Boneswa the elf and his band were the first to spot the dragon outside of Dankmarsh. A merchant caravan from Mudport spotted it again just days later, confirming Boneswa's observation.
• Creighton (recently entered into Boneswa's service) reports that Durston Lowell has been doing business with gnomes -- greedy, unscrupulous, unprincipled gnomes. 

The Action:

Boneswa and his henchmen head once more for the Black Tower, this time in the hopes of finding Karl and his company. This is their first return since hearing the rumor of rumblings and tremors ("as if stone and earth were being moved") and since hearing the rumors of Simon of Bellamy's return.

Climbing to the top of the hill, Boneswa immediately notices two things:

1. The tower ruin has changed – what once was a round tower ruin no more than knee to waist high is now an octagonal tower ruin, roughly chest to head high.

2. A set of boot prints makes a beeline for a patch of trees and brush just north of the tower proper.

Boneswa follows the trail and comes to the remains of an old cistern, once overgrown, but now cleared away. The trail seems to end here. Corder and he lift the lid, revealing a completely dry cistern with ladder leading down to an iron maintenance hatch. They climb down, open the hatch and find themself inside the dungeons once more.

The dungeons themselves are different. The halls here are dimly illuminated by phosphorescent moss, and the walls are smoother than they had been on Boneswa's previous visits.

The band's exploration leads them mostly eastward.

Encounters of note (numbered above) included:

1. A run-in with two known NPC adventurers of ill-repute: Orthelm and Rathilda (and their seven henchmen). This involved an uncomfortable parley and a rapid parting of ways.

2. The discovery of Karl Nobbins' body along with his henchmen and a host of dead goblins. Examination of the bodies indicates the henchmen and the goblins killed each other off in a fight, while Karl survived with cuts and bruises – but was subsequently killed with his throat slit from behind. The bodies of the adventurers and the goblins had been picked clean. Boneswa picks up Karl's broken shield to take back to Ravensburg.

3. The discovery and liberation of some sort of "creature of light" apparently imprisoned within the masonry of the dungeon itself.

4. The discovery of an area to the east where the phosphorescent mold disappears, only to be replaced by an uncanny green witch-light.

5. A fight in the latter area with an animated statue of Vecna (perhaps a vestige of the dungeon's original builders defeated long ago by Simon of Bellamy and his allies?) resulting in victory and loot in the form of a 500 gp ruby.

Returning to Ravensburg, Boneswa heads to the Surly Dragon and tells the innkeeper, Big Willie, of Karl's demise. He also mentions his suspicion about Orthelm and Rathilda. Big Willie vows to find out ("I know people in this town, people who will talk to me") and, in short, wring Orthelm's and Rathilda's necks if Boneswa's suspicion turns out to be true. Boneswa also hands over Karl's broken shield. Big Willie, an ex-adventurer himself, keeps a "wall of honor" in his place, where he hangs momentos of lost comrades. Willie gently places the shield on the wall, and Bonewsa buys a round for the house before leading a toast to Karl's lost band.

Boneswa then goes to Natalia Stoynich's shop to cash in his ruby, and to let her know of the changes to the Tower. Natalia fears she was wrong and that Simon may well have returned. She says she'll keep buying items from Boneswa but will have to examine them extra carefully to ensure they're not cursed.

And here we ended the session.

OD&D: Ravensburg Session 9 (with rough sketch of Sessions 7 & 8)

I ran an OD&D session last night in which Tim (+Gothridge Manor) braved the environs of Ravensburg alone. We picked up more or less where we left off about seven months ago. Since I never posted about Sessions 7 and 8 from the last time we played, I've tried to cobble together events there as best I could from my fairly sketchy notes. The report on last night's session (Session 9) follows below that.

Sketch of Ravensburg Sessions 7-8 (more or less): 

Characters:
Boneswa (Elf-F1/MU2): Tim (+Gothridge Manor)
     Corder (Fighter-2): NPC
     Rosalind (Cleric-1): NPC
Roghan (Fighter-2): Rob (+Rob Conley)
     Presto (Elf-F1/MU1): NPC
     Lena (Magic-User-2): NPC

Bonewsa, Roghan and their henchmen tracked the goblins harassing Goodwater. The found the goblin lair, plumbed its depths, and slew the goblins' leader, a Bugbear. They cut off the Bugbear's head, and brought it back to Goodwater. There they found that Helena had been cured of her kaprothopy by the ministrations of Diana Foxglove.

The party returned to Ravensburg. There they learned that Susan Fellgood's caravan never made it back from Hamm's Fork. So they went off in search of her and her people.

Examining the area around the meteorite strike previously encountered, they found indications that the caravan had veered off the road in the direction of the meteorite. They made their way to the meteor, discovered it was hollow, and entered it. Inside they found the dead body of one of the ogres they had previously charmed and sent north to "investigate." There were also the bones of five elves (possibly the ones they had encountered earlier).

The place turned out to be the lair of some lizard-like creature, and its eggs. The party killed the creature, its young and its eggs. They found Susan Fellgood (still alive) and one of her drivers (dead and half-eaten). They pried some platinum deposits out of the meteorite's inner walls, and picked up three glowing green stones (coined "candlestones" since they give off light equivalent to a candle). Then they made their way back to civilization.

And there the sessions ended for several months.

Interlude:

Since it had been so long since we played (and because of some confusion of where exactly we had left off) we assumed that Boneswa had gone back to Goodwater to help the villagers there rebuild and recover, before returning definitively to Ravensburg. We begin Session 9 with Boneswa's return after a months-long absence.

New region map, freshly made for Session 9 last night.

Ravensburg Session 9:

Characters:
Boneswa (Elf-F1/MU2): Tim (+Gothridge Manor)
     Corder (Fighter-2): NPC
     Rosalind (Cleric-1): NPC

Boneswa returned to Ravensburg. The rumor mill was abuzz with news. During his absence...

• A green dragon had been spotted flying over the edges of Dankmarsh; people traveling south and east were increasingly nervous.
• For a period of three nights, loud rumblings had been heard from the ruins of the Black Tower, as if stone and earth were being moved. The ground in Ravensburg itself could be felt to tremble. 
• Meanwhile the goblin raids north of the town continue. 
• A large cat of some type, with reddish fur, had been seen on moonlit nights prowling around the west edges of the Briars; dead goblins had been found mauled and half-eaten in the same area.
• Halfling Durston Lowell had become the talk of the town, regaining his family fortune rapidly after Boneswa had returned his family ring to him; some folk talk of his investments being more lucky than smart.
• Susan Fellgood, a major shipper in Ravensburg, was once again interested in hiring on guards to escort a caravan west to Mudport.

Boneswa took some time to get his bearings and gather further information on these matters.

Speaking to Big Willie in the Surly Dragon Inn, he got confirmation regarding the green dragon of Dankmarsh and Durston Lowell's fortune. He learned the rumblings in the Tower had frightened many folk, and that none of Willie's adventuring clientele had had the nerve to delve the dungeons since that had occurred.

Boneswa then visited Durston Lowell. The Lowell home appeared from the outside to be restored to its former glory. Two new doormen blocked then entry. When Boneswa asked to speak to Durston, he was informed that he was not on Mister Lowell's (ahem) appointment list, and that he could be scheduled a week hence. Boneswa took the appointment and left.

He went to Cosmo's Curiosities, to see if Cosmo had any potions to sell. The prices were a bit too high for Boneswa's meager savings, but he managed to work out a deal, trading ten gold pieces plus one of the "candlestones" he had acquired inside the meteorite for a healing potion. Cosmo also showed him a new sword in his inventory – a dragon slayer. Cosmo understood that Boneswa obviously didn't have the coin now (3,500 gold), but thought Boneswa might be interested at some later date.

Finally the elf visited Susan Fellgood and signed on to escort the next morning's caravan west to Mudport.

The journey to Mudport was uneventful. Once in town, Boneswa took a room in The Rusty Anchor. On the menu was boiled fish, fried fish, baked fish, and mudsnake kebabs. The latter were a local specialty from the nearby mud flats. He washed the kebab down with snakeskin ale, a local brew that nauseated him but didn't make him vomit.

On the return trip to Ravensburg, Boneswa spotted a green dragon flying over the Sundered Hills, heading directly toward him from the direction of Dankmarsh beyond. Boneswa quickly directed the caravan to cover in a copse and the dragon passed over them without noticing.

A day later, crossing the bridge over the Mist River, the caravan spied a large, hairy many hip deep in the river fishing with his hands in a very bear-like manner. Boneswa kept the group moving without drawing the fisherman's attention.

Back in Ravensburg, the elf kept his appointment with Durston Lowell. The now-wealthy halfling greeted him warmly, thanked him again for the return of his ring (a magic item granting luck in investment, but only for those of Lowell blood – which is why it had not helped the adopted brother who had "borrowed" it without his knowledge), and made a gift of a fine necklace to Boneswa.

After the interview, Boneswa noticed that Lowell's former manservant, the elderly dwarf Creighton, had been nowhere to be seen. A younger and rather unpleasant human, Quagmire, seemed to have taken his place.

On returning to The Surly Dragon, Boneswa was drawn into the alley by a whispered "pssst!" Going to investigate, Boneswa was addressed by none other than the dwarf, Creighton. Creighton was concerned for his (former) master, Durston Lowell. Durston had been making deals with "unsavory" individuals. Concerned for his master's safety, Creighton had eavesdropped on several conversations. One name in particular had come up multiple times. That name was Simon of Bellamy. Boneswa knew the name, but only as a vague figure of legend. Still, if true, this was likely bad news. Durston had dismissed Creighton, who had been his faithful, and indeed only, manservant for decades. Creighton was now almost out of money and living on the street, so Boneswa hired him on as a servant himself.

Lastly, Boneswa went to visit Natalia Stoynich, the widowed antiques vendor. He mostly wanted information from her, as she had previously seemed to have some knowledge of the history of both items and people of Ravensburg. Boneswa asked her about Simon of Bellamy, and the rumors that Simon had returned to the Black Tower.

Natalia was surprised by the question, and shocked by the possibility of his return. She was quite certain this was impossible.

Simon of Bellamy.

Could he still be alive?

In a nutshell Natalia told Boneswa this:

• Two hundred years ago, there was a cult who worshipped Vecna, believing that he was actually a god. The cult grew in power. They built the Black Tower, not far from Ravensburg. As their power grew, they became more and more a threat to the town and the land seemed cursed.
• A group of wizards banded together to put down the cult. These included Gustav of Briarwood, Grimling of Dankmarsh, Tosa-Noa – a mysterious wizard from the distant southern jungles of Zoth, and Simon of Bellamy – then resident in Ravensburg. These four mages defeated the cult and killed the cult leader, Dargol.
• In the wake of the final battle, Grimling and Gustav returned to their homes. Tosa-Noa and Simon, who had become fast friends, decided they would cleanse the Black Tower and make it their own shared residence.
• The friendship did not last long. Some people think that the residual evil of the cult corrupted the two men.
• Simon and Tosa-Noa had a falling out; Tosa-Noa left the tower to build his own stronghold in the Sundered hills. Simon remained alone in the tower. 
• One night, about one hundred years ago, there was a terrific storm. Lightning and and thunder crashed down on the tower, destroying the upper works. No one knows what caused the storm, but some surmise it was summoned by Tosa-Noa. 
• Rumor held, however, that Simon survived and fled east to the distant desert land of Zandistan to study powerful dark magic.

Tosa-Noa came from the Jungles of Zoth; 

Simon of Bellamy fled to Zandistan.

Natalia, however, refused to believe that Simon of Bellamy has returned. Even for a wizard with all the enchantments imaginable, a lifespan of over 200 years is simply impossible she argued. Natalia insisted that this cannot be.

Boneswa took in this information. Before leaving, he sold Lowell's necklace to Natalia for 600 gold.

And there ended the session.

Wasteland of Gath: The Pit

Played session 2 of +Christian Walker's Wasteland of Gath game, and had a blast again. Here's the report (again with some phrasing here and there borrowed from Christian's own post):

THE PIT

Shank and Kerg left the bus and headed down the barren road. It wasn't long before Kerg had to answer the call of nature and rushed forward to a massive pothole in the road to do so.

"Aw, just use that bush over there!" said Shank.

But Kerg ignored him and headed to the edge of the hole. Looking in he jumped back in shock and fright. "Jesus Christ!"

Shank drew his weapons as Kerg ran back toward him. There came a terrible moaning from the pit and out of it emerged three nightmare creatures. The foul things had pinkish-gray skin and were about a dwarf's height, maybe smaller, with long, spindly limbs. Seeing their sharp, bony claws, drooping facial skin, and pointed teeth, Shank realized they were witch-spawn.

He remembered the stories the old man – the one who taught him to steal – used to tell him: "On the night of a new moon, witches squat in damp holes and lay clutches of eggs. The witches often return at a later date to see how their brood has fared. The strongest are brought back to the witch's lair to serve as guards."

The creatures shambled forward toward Shank and Kerg. Shank threw a dagger that went wide, and Kerg shot at one with his crossbow. The creatures moved very sluggishly.

"They're slow!" called Shank. "Keep your distance from them and keep shooting. Don't let them close on you!"

Shank dashed behind a bush, and nearly ran headlong into a wasteland mutant who was already hiding there. The mutant dropped the bucket he was holding and a number of severed hands and feet spilled out onto the ground. Before Shank could react, the mutant took off running down the road.

Shank encounters a mutant behind the bush, as the fleshlings emerge from the pit.

"No time to deal with that now," thought Shank, who turned his attention back to helping Kerg with the fleshlings.

The man and the dwarf ran and dodged, bobbed and weaved. Kerg would sprint to a new position and reload. Shank tried to draw the witch-spawn across Kerg's field of shot as the dwarf released another bolt. Then they did it all over again.

Dashing around the battlefield, Shank and Kerg keep their distance from the witch-spawn.

The mutant has run off the map. 

One of the fleshlings finally went down with a bolt through its chest. But at the same time another monster closed on Kerg. He tried to release another bolt, but missed wildly. Shank ran up to the creature and transpierced it from behind.

Shank stabs a witch-spawn in the back.

Seeing its two brothers slain, the third ran back to its pit in the middle of the road, where it rocked back and forth convulsively, covering its head with its arms. Shank and Kerg approached the pit carefully. Shank threw his dagger, and Kerg shot his crossbow. That was the end of the third witch-spawn.

The two rogues found the pit was filled with tar, and littered with the skeletal remains of various humans and humanoids. Neither man nor dwarf had the stomach to rummage through the tar and bones.

They went back to the bush and examined the bucket and its contents. Perhaps the mutant was feeding the monsters. Perhaps he'd been scavenging to feed himself. The thieves found both options unsettling.

On the road, Shank and Kerg examined an odd human skull that was about 60% bone and 40% aquamarine. They picked it up to take with them.

Looking over at the metal door from one of the metal carriages that seemed to litter the road, Shank asked Kerg to help him flip it over. In a compartment on the inner side of the door the two found a bottle of spirits with healing properties – there were two doses remaining.

Scanning the horizon in the direction of the mutant's flight, Shank and Kerg spied a metal shack, toward which the mutant was still fleeing. Shank called out to the mutant, and held up the bucket as an offering to show he meant no harm to the fellow. The mutant panicked and ran even faster into the shack. Shank put the bucket back down on the side of the road.

"I'm not sure I like the look of that shack," said Shank. "If that creature was feeding the fleshlings, he may be serving some witch, and she may be near. I say we move on, and quickly."

"You'll get no argument from me, friend Shank," replied Kerg.

Walking the Road into the Wasteland of Gath

I think everyone that's going to play +Christian Walker's first Road through Gath scenario has done so, here's Shank's version of it (with some lines borrowed from Christian's account). I may be wrong about everyone being done so here is a SPOILER ALERT:

IF YOU'RE ONE OF CHRISTIAN'S PLAYERS AND HAVEN'T YET DONE THE ENCOUNTER FROM TOLLING OF THE GREAT BLACK BELL No. 26, DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.

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WASTELAND OF GATH ENCOUNTER I: Shank Hits the Road

"Screw this place," thought Shank moodily, "Even the wasteland's got to offer something better." The thief started walking down the road to nowhere with a sense of glum purpose.

After a short march, Shank came upon a strange metallic, horseless carriage. Inside was a dwarf banging his head repeatedly on a wheel that Shank could only presume was once meant to guide the ruined vehicle.

Shank approached and spoke to the dwarf whose name was Kerg, a fellow down-on-his-luck rogue. With tragic pasts and a shared vocation, the two thieves immediately felt the bonds of professional honor and co-dependency. Man and dwarf plunged together into the wastes.

After a time, the pair came upon a larger ruined metal carriage, turned on its side. They approached with caution and soon heard a rattling of chains coming from the front of the vehicle. The adventurers flattened themselves against the now-vertical underside of the iron hulk, as two skeletons emerged from its front end. The foul things were clad in orange jumpsuits and swung their chains and shackles like flails.

The undead were quicker than they appeared and closed rapidly on the two rogues. Shank threw his dagger, which slipped from his hand and flew wildly over the skeletons' heads. He then dashed across the road to hide behind a bush. Kerg stood his ground, leveled his crossbow, and took a skeleton's head clean off with his first bolt.

The remaining skeleton closed on Kerg and whipped the now cowering dwarf with its chain. Shank rushed forward from hiding and smote the skeleton from behind with his short sword.

Shank and Kerg searched the area and found a skull with two gold ingots embedded inside it. Recovering his dagger, Shank pried the ingots out, and tossed one to Kerg.

"You earned this," he told the surprised dwarf.

The two rogues clambered up onto the side of the overturned vehicle. Peering through broken windows they discovered ten more skeletons, still shackled to their seats but quite animated. Shank examined the writing on the side of the massive carriage and to his astonishment found he could read it: "DEPT. OF CORRECTION."

"I know what this is," declared Shank. "It's a prison transport. These fellows must have been shackled here for ages."

"Poor bastards," muttered Kerg.

The thieves thought it wiser to stay clear of skeletal prisoners' grasp, and instead passed forward to examine unmoving remains of the two uniformed guards in the front compartment. Shank pulled two gold rings off their fingers, and again tossed one to the dwarf, who once more looked surprised.

"We're in this together," said Shank. "Share and share alike. That's the deal, right?"

"What do we do with the rest of them?" asked Kerg. The sound of skeletal agitation grew louder, as if protesting the presence of the living. "It sounds like they might break free at any moment."

Shank thought before replying. "I don't want to leave them here. Even if we get a fair distance before they break free, they're as like as not to catch up and surprise us in our camp as we sleep. We'd best burn this thing."

The two ruffians stuffed all the dried vegetation they could find into the openings of the massive horseless carriage, doused it all with oil and struck a spark. The massive hulk was soon completely engulfed in flames.

Without looking back, Shank and Kerg took to the road once more.

OD&D: Ravensburg Sessions 5 and 6

Catching up with two weeks worth of session reports in one post.

Session 5: First off, two Wednesdays ago when +Tim Shorts and I had a one-on-one session...

     Boneswa the elf and his sidekicks sought out information regarding the ornate ring he and Roghan had found in the Black Tower the previous week. Boneswa found an old widowed antiquities vendor, Natalia Stoynich, who offered to look into it, but it would take a few days.
     While waiting, Boneswa decided to head north on the Willowgrove Road to hunt for goblins, since he had so far found none on the first level of the Black Tower's dungeons. After a few hours march he was attacked by a fairly large band, and barely managed to drive them off. The surviving goblins fled toward...the Black Tower. Boneswa headed back to Ravensburg to collect the goblin bounty. A lieutenant of the Ravensburg's Black Guard paid the bounty and said he could hook up Boneswa with some caravan guard work in the future.
     Boneswa then headed back to Natalia's antique shop. She had the name of the family whose crest appeared on the ring, and gave Boneswa the address of Durston Lowell, last heir of a family of halfling bankers in Hightower.
     Boneswa paid master Lowell a visit, discovering he was an impoverished last heir, living in a mansion that was falling apart. The ring had belonged to Lowell's brother, who had disappeared in the Black Tower in a bid to regenerate the family fortune. In exchange for the ring, Lowell gave Boneswa three items which a comrade of his brother's had brought back from the dungeon – a potion of healing, a ring of spell storing, and a magic sword (exact nature as yet unknown to Boneswa).
   Here the session ended.

Session 6: Last night, +Rob Conley was back in action playing Roghan, the fighting-man.

     Not looking to head back into the tower again so soon, Boneswa and Rhogan checked with Lieutenant Argus about caravan work. Argus came through and put them in contact with an agricultural exporter named Susan Fellgood. The adventurers and the businesswoman haggled a bit and agreed on a fee. Two days later they set off.
     Over the course of the two-day journey south along the Ham's Fork road, the party encountered a massive ditch blocking the road (carved out by a recently fallen meteorite), and with the help of some elven hunters (for which the party traded some of the goods they were transporting), they built a makeshift log bridge over the ditch and continued on.
     Camping for the night near a broken down church, the party set out trip wires. During the pre-dawn watch, two ogres stumbled over it. Spells were cast, and soon one ogre was sound asleep, and the other charmed. The party ditched the ogres by telling the charmed one to head north and check out the meteorite for them once his companion woke up.
     Reaching the Ham River, the group encountered a young woman about to commit suicide by throwing herself off the bridge into the water with a rock tied to her ankle. Boneswa talked her out of it, and convinced her to accompany the party the rest of the way to Ham's Fork. On the way, the young woman, Helena, admitted she had recently been afflicted with kaprothropy, and was now a were-boar. On two separate occasions she had lost control of herself and killed people from her village. Unable to bear what she had become, she wanted to end her life. The party promised to find a priest or a healer to help her.
     Once in Ham's Fork, the party settled their accounts with Susan Fellgood and went in search of the priest of Saint Lillian's church. Father Michael took the party in for the night, but admitted Helena's condition was beyond his own knowledge and abilities. He sent some parish members out in search of Diana Foxglove, a halfling healer who wandered the environs of Ham's Fork.
     The next morning at breakfast, Father Michael was able to give the party news of Diana Foxglove's whereabouts. She was in a hamlet known as Goodwater, about a day's march to the west. The hamlet was engaged in a minor war with a local band of goblins, and Diana was serving them as medic.
     The party made their way to Goodwater and made the acquaintance of Diana and the hamlet's makeshift militia. The group offered to put an end to the local goblin scourge, and Diana agreed to cure Helena's kaprothropy.
     And here the session ended.

OD&D: Ravensburg/Black Tower Session 4

Last night Roghan the Fighting-Man joined up with Boneswa the Elf to plumb the depths of the Black Tower once more.

Player Characters 
   - Boneswa the Elf ( +Tim Shorts )
   - Roghan, the Fighting-Man ( +Rob Conley )

Sidekicks
   - Sister Regina, a Cleric (Boneswa)
   - Corder, a Fighting-Man (Boneswa)
   - Presto, an Elf (Roghan)
   - Lena, a Magic-User (Roghan)

New Rumors

In Ravensburg's Surly Dragon Inn, Roghan and Boneswa picked up two new rumors:
   - A large cat – perhaps a mountain lion? tiger? – has been spotted on the edges of the briars.
   - Goblins are based in the southwest of the dungeon's first level.

Exploration 
The party entered the tower and headed east with the plan of exploring how far the dungeon extended in that direction (the dungeon is relatively large but it's not a megadungeon, so the party knows there are definite edges to it). Once they could go no farther east, they turned north, pushing for the edge of the dungeon that way. In the course of their exploration, they found a spiral staircase leading down to a lower level (or levels), but they did not follow it down.

Enemies 
The party had three encounters with zombies who seem to have infested the northeast section of the dungeon. One cloaked zombie turned out to be a spellcaster who blasted Corder (one of Boneswa's sidekicks) with a magic missile, before being taken down.

Oddities
   - The party discovered a secret wall compartment that contained a tiny silver orb, about 1" across. The orb responds to questions with beeps and whistles (think R2-D2).
   - The party passed through a previously explored room where they had found a child's ragdoll and a fingerpainted parchment depicting a happy family (mom, dad, little girl, all smiling on a sunny day). In an adjacent room, the party discovered a zombie devouring the remains of a man and a woman, non-adventurers in "civilian" traveling clothes.
   - In another room the party encountered a fist-sized gem floating in mid air. Roghan's sidekick Lena approached it with a 10' pole and prodded it. A hail of arrows shot from the walls, but Lena's use of the 10' pole made it easy for her to dodge them (+4 to her save). The gem however disappeared. It turned out to be a projection of some sort. The party drove an iron spike into the hole from which the projection originated.

Loot
   - Ornate, finely crafted gold ring with a gem chip (worth 300 gp, but the party wants to see if it is perhaps a family heirloom to anyone in Ravensburg, who might be willing to pay more for its return).
   - 50 gold coins in a pouch
   - A wooden unholy symbol (from the zombie mage's neck)
   - A bundle of silverware hidden up a kitchen chimney (worth 40 gold)

OD&D: Ravensburg/Black Tower Game Report 3 (Brother Reginald goes to the hereafter)

Two Wednesdays ago our group was again reduced to just +Tim Shorts and me. So another casual session of Ravensburg it was, with Tim's elf, Boneswa, heading into the Black Tower alone with his two sidekicks, Brother Reginald the Cleric and Corder the Fighting-Man. Joining the small party this time was Kenny, the Torchbearer (note to +Ken H: Tim chose the torchbearer's name, not me).

On their way to the tower, Boneswa and company met the same man they had encountered last time, with orange-reddish hair and beard, streaked with black, sitting on a log at the edge of the briars, relaxing and smoking a pipe.

Boneswa spoke a bit more at length with the fellow, whose name was Tom. From him Boneswa learned that goblins and other things had been entering the tower, at the beckoning of a new master. As for Tom himself, he merely watched the comings and goings of people and creatures to and from the dungeon. Tom wished the party luck as they headed on.

Entering the dungeon and heading south, Boneswa and company encountered more of the hairy, bearded, leather-armored warriors they had encountered in their last expedition. These turned out to be furious berserkers, and in the ensuing fight Brother Reginald was slain.

Returning to Ravensburg, Boneswa and his companions delivered Brother Reginald's body to the Church of Saint Baldric. There Reginald's sister, also a cleric of Saint Baldric, joined the party to take up the work of her brother, smiting chaos with the party.

After some healing, a funeral, and the gift of a healing potion, the party returned to the tower. This time they found Tom's log on the edge of the Briars unoccupied. Examining it, they found tufts of what looked like his hair – but found it was feline in nature.

Proceeding to the dungeon, Boneswa and his followers defeated more berserkers. They also found a room with several iron cages. One cage had its door ripped off, with bits of blood and animal fur on the bars that looked very much like the hairs found on Tom's log.

Lootwise, the highlight of the expedition was the acquisition of a 400 gp gem.

OD&D: Ravensburg/Black Tower Game Report 2

Last week, and last night, the Wednesday night group was unable to get everyone together again, so we hopped into the Black Tower once more (the "casual corner" in Ravensburg) to just to toss some dice. Here is last week's session report; I hope to post last night's report later today.

Boneswa the Elf (+Tim Shorts) was joined by the Fighting-Man Rhogan (+Rob Connelly). Counting their sidekicks (elf, fighting-man, cleric, magic-user), this brought total party strength up to 6 members.

This time Boneswa the Elf (+Tim Shorts) was joined by the Rhogan the Fighting-Man (+Rob Conley). Counting their sidekicks (elf, fighting-man, cleric, magic-user), this brought total party strength up to 6 members.

The adventurers encountered more rats and, more importantly found conclusive evidence that there were in fact zombies in the northeast of the dungeon's first level – keeping the head of one zombie as evidence. The party also encountered three rather hairy, bearded warriors in leather armor (1). Rhogan's sidekick, Lena, charmed them, and sent them off to the north to hunt giant rats.

Numerous rooms were explored. The most curious was one with unusual triangular ceiling tiles in a complex pattern. Some of the tiles had a slightly different color. Rhogan used a 10-foot pole to press on one. It glowed. It also pointed to the next discolored one. Rhogan proceeded to that one and again pressed it, and it glowed, pointing to the next one and so on. This process was repeated until Rhogan had made his way along a tortuous path across the room to the exit on the opposite side. Rhogan warned the rest of the party to follow the path of the ceiling tiles as they must have been put there for a reason. The rest of the party did so, and nothing calamitous happened (evil grin).

Also of note, the party found dropped on the floor in one room a child's rag doll and parchment with a finger painted image of a happy family. Both looked very new. This elicited expressions of puzzlement and concern.

In another room the group found an altar once belonging to the recently defeated cult of Vecna. This particular altar appeared old and not used in ages, however.

Otherwise the adventurers picked up a reasonable amount of treasure and headed back to Ravensburg. On their return trip, they encountered a man with orange-reddish hair and beard streaked with black, sitting on a log at the edge of The Briars, relaxing and smoking a pipe (2). After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group returned to the city and turned in their zombie head to Lieutenant Argus of the Black Guard for a hefty reward.

NOTES:
(1) The party would encounter more of these guys a week later (last night).
(2) The party would encounter this fellow again a week later (last night) as well.

OD&D: Ravensburg/Black Tower, Session 1

Since the Wednesday Night Group couldn't all get together this week (for something like the third or fourth week in a row), +Tim Shorts  and I decided to play a one-on-one D&D game in my Ravensburg setting, using the original three little brown books.

Tim wrote his own post about the session over at Gothridge Manor in his colorful and inimitable style.

We used Total Party Kill's random LBB character generator to create Tim's main character and two sidekicks.  And after tweaking some gear and making note of a few house rules we were off.

Tim's Characters:

Personal Character: Boneswa, the elf (F/M-U 1)
Sidekick 1: Brother Reginald (Cleric 1)
Sidekick 2: Corder (Fighting Man 1)

Boneswa and company began the session breakfasting in the Surly Dragon Inn on their last handful of silver pieces. A clerk from the Ravensburg City Council strode in and nailed an official-looking poster to the wall. Due to increased goblin activity on the road near the Black Tower northeast of the city, a bounty of 10 gp was being offered on every goblin's right hand brought in to the city guard. Additionally, because of recent unconfirmed claims of zombie, ogre and troll sightings in the vicinity, any proof of such creatures' presence would also be rewarded.

In the preceding days, Boneswa and his companions had also heard a few scattered rumors about the Black Tower:

     "Many folk don't know it, but giant rats is good eatin'!"
     "The northeastern part of level one is infested with zombies."
     "There is a tunnel in the dungeons of the Black Tower that will take you all the way to hell."

Armed with lots of courage, a few rumors, and little cash, Boneswa led his sidekicks north of town, skirting the Briars (reputed to be haunted), and then hooked back east again to climb Tower Hill.

The tower itself appeared menacing, but was harmless, and the intrepid party made their way down a stair to the first level. Boneswa directed them westward from the entrance. The band very quickly encountered a pack of giant rats – this was to set the tone for the whole delve. In all, the group would have three separate, and sometimes harrowing, rat encounters.

Boneswa held his own in these combats, slashing away with a dagger in each hand.

Corder, the fighting-man sidekick, had issues however, and at one point had two rats climbing up his body, one with its teeth plunged into his throat between helmet and armor, the other covering up the view slit in Corder's helmet, effectively blinding him, as it tried to find some area of exposed flesh to sink its teeth into.

The cleric, Brother Reginald, really shone in these fights. He waded into the rats swinging his war hammer left and right and driving limp rat corpses deep into the cheap seats with almost every blow.

The group encountered two traps as well. The first involved a dose of sleeping gas – to which only Brother Reginald succumbed (probably tired to begin with after hammering all those rats). The second was baited with a coffer atop a pedestal. Grooves in the floor and slits in the ceiling revealed the presence of a dual "pit and pendulum" trap. Corder, the fighting-man sidekick, drew the short straw and moved to flank the pedestal and approach it from between the lines of cut marks in the floor. He managed to step on a pressure plate triggering the two, blade-edged pendulums, which blew past him on either side. But no harm was done, and the fighter came back to the others with over 400 silver pieces and an empty bladder to show for it.

The only other event of note was the approach of tramping feet at one point, which Boneswa thought it best to avoid. The elf led the group on a maneuver to scoot out of the way of the approaching marchers down various side corridors. The maneuver eventually succeeded, as the unidentified marching group strode past down another corridor.

The abstract dungeon map we used -- I'll post more about this soon.

After exploring a total of thirteen rooms, Boneswa led his companions back to the stairs and south to Ravensburg.

Total Rooms Explored: 13
Total Monsters Defeated: 14 giant rats
Total Treasure Recovered: 400 sp, 40 gp
Traps Survived: 2
Groups of Enemies Avoided: 1
Total Party Members Lost: 0

Any delve where everyone comes back alive is a good delve!

White Star Game Report 1

A long overdue White Star report from the game I'm running for my wife. We play very casually, typically one hour or so per session whenever the mood hits us, very much in a spur-of-the-moment "pick-up" game kind of way – "Hey, what are you doing now?" "Nothing." "Wanna play?") So this report really covers something like four one-hour sessions, played over the last two months.

The Party: 
My wife's PC: Cielle de Rhé (Bounty Hunter)
Sidekick 1: Duncan (Deep Space Explorer)
Sidekick 2: Axel (Robot)
Ship: The Bête Noire

Adventure Background: Cielle is pursuing the fugitive criminal Max Gallow, and she starts the game with his rap sheet.


Name: Max Gallow
Bounty: 1000 cr. alive/500 cr. dead

Height: 1.8 m
Weight: 84 kg
Eyes: Brown, Left Eye Blind
Hair: Brown

Charges: Assault, Corporate Espionage, Theft

Notes: Broke into Blackrazor Corporation offices in the Marsilius System, stole atmospheric manipulator, assaulted three Blackrazor employees with club in getaway.

Last Known Location: Gallia 47 System

Known Contacts in System:

Plasma Jets (Former Gang)
Location: Syn City, Argan
Notes: Operators of Plasma Lights Casino; led by Riff Lorton

Lydia Lamarck (Former Girlfriend)
Location: Spire Mountains, Eridu
Notes: Sister of the Convent of the Prophets

Sid Ferrari (Bar Owner, Suspected Accomplice)
Location: Macron City, Arris
Notes: Proprietor of the Blue Dwarf Bar; Suspected money-laundering and fencing stolen goods.


What Went Down: 

At game start, Cielle is entering the Gallia 47 system, where the three planets with Max's known contacts are located.

Cielle arrives at the space station orbiting the main inhabited planet, Argan. A few quick inquiries at the station reveal that Max Gallow was at the station two days earlier, but left again in a scout ship.

Since she's orbiting the planet anyway, Cielle flies down to Argan, site of one of Max's known contacts. After a brief scuffle with a thug in the spaceport, she meets station security who direct her to the Plasma Lights Casino.

At the casino, Cielle tries to sneak her way up to Riff Lorton's office to ask the casino/gang boss about Max. The elevator is guarded by security so Cielle finds a back stairway, which she takes up a couple floors. Then she gets onto the elevator there, but unfortunately the elevator asks for a security code. She doesn't know the code, so she blasts the panel with her laser pistol. Sensing the damage, the elevator by default slowly returns to the ground floor. The doors open, and Cielle finds herself face-to-face with casino security.

So Cielle gets caught by casino security; but on the other hand, the guards take her up to the boss' office – which is where she wanted to go anyway.

Interrogation begins, and Cielle immediately explains to Riff Lorton that she's looking for Max Gallow. This changes the tone of the conversation. Riff hasn't seen Max in years. Max abandoned the gang – which is something you just don't do. Riff rambles on about how when you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way, or some such nonsense. He proposes to Cielle that if she catches Max, she should turn Max in to him and the Plasma Jets, and not to the authorities of the Blackrazor corporation. Riff will double their bounty if she does. She agrees – though mostly, I suspect, just to get out of Riff's office in one piece.

Cielle heads on to her next lead, Lydia Lamarck, Max's former girlfriend, now a nun in the Convent of the Prophets in the Spire Mountains of the planet Eridu.

Orbital scans reveal the planet is rugged and deserted except for a small mining outpost, and the monastery high up in the mountains. The only viable landing space anywhere near the monastery is three miles away, at the base of the monastery's mountain.

Cielle begins the long hike up the mountain. About half way up, she is set upon by a swarm of very large (one-meter-long) beetle-like creatures. The skitters rush down the montain side toward what they hope will be their next meal. Cielle, Duncan and Axel start blasting away (lots of 1's on the "to hit" rolls, followed by much cursing and exasperation). Eventually Cielle spots the alpha skitter and blasts it into a shower of green goo and exoskeleton bits. With that the other skitters take flight.

Wounds are patched with a med-kit, and the trek up the mountain resumes.

The narrow path begins to wind around the spire of the mountain like the threads of a screw. About a half mile from the monastery, a huge chunk of the path has collapsed leaving a gap.  There's a pile of planks on the opposite side that the sisters of the convent obviously use for crossing. Cielle makes a lasso from her rope and snags a sturdy outcropping of rock over the gap. She "tarzans" her way across, then pushes the planks over the gap for Duncan and Axel to follow her.

From there Cielle and company finish their trek to the convent door.   (To be continued...)


Hopefully we'll get to play a bit more next week (it's spring break!).
And soon I'll be posting a play report from last night's OD&D game with +Tim Shorts as well.

Ephemera Session 9: Space, Time, and Death

Cast of Characters
Conner, Mage +Tim Shorts
Egbert, Mage +Rob Conley
Alfred, Human Torchbearer (NPC hireling)
Tub, Frost Goblin (Charmed NPC ally)
Bob, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Rundt, Hunchback Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Belzar, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Ruger, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Dink, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Gar, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)

The PCs explored the giant hollow tree they had entered at the end of the previous session, slaying eight giant bats, nine woodrot tendrils and two centipedes in the process. They successfully acquired the centipede venom asked for by Cosmo. Returning to Cosmo's tower, they exchanged the venom for the location of the next Star Stone, in a village called Fargus, far to the north. During the course of their conversation, the PCs learned from Cosmo that the world they know is part of a larger multiverse.

Each hex is a day's march.

The party retraced their steps toward the village of Tarn on the way to Fargus. En route, they stopped at the cabin where they had met Mariana, the keeper of the Obelisk, in the previous session. The cabin, which only a fortnight before had been clean, well-kept and cozy, now appeared in a completely different state. In disrepair, dust-covered and cobweb-ridden, it looked as if no one had lived there for centuries. The obelisk remained, overgrown with moss, but Mariana, the Keeper of the Obelisk was nowhere to be seen.

The next morning, the PCs awoke to a cold snap and the first frost of the season,* and continued on their way.

Arriving in Tarn, the PCs re-equipped and spoke to the new village leader, Helen, a young cleric met in the previous session. Conner inquired as to whether Helen had ever heard of any phenomenon like the one they had just experienced with Mariana's cabin. Helen replied that she was not as knowledgeable as her late mentor, Regina,** but that Regina used to think that time did not necessarily flow like a river, in one direction only. Helen, however, admitted she did not fully understand what Regina meant by that.

The party left Tarn the next day, and made their way to Fargus, which (now 16 days after the information they received from Cosmo), was completely destroyed. The village had recently been raided and burned to the ground. Hacked up bodies were strewn everywhere, nearly everything of value taken, houses in smoldering ruins. The party looked around for the Star Stone Cosmo had told them of. On the ground, trampled into the dirt, the party found an open, empty box with a small brass plate on it reading "The Star of the Warrior."

A path trampled by many booted feet led northward out of Fargus. The party followed this until they came to a wooded hill, just north of a stagnant pond. The trail wound round to the north side of the hill, where it led into a cave.

And here we ended the session.

*Footnote: The campaign began on September 1, in game. The current in-game date is October 24.

**Footnote: Regina, the Cleric of Tarn, was killed by King Gor when he invaded, prior to the PCs first arrival there.

Ephemera Session 8: The King is Dead, The Keeper of the Obelisk, Cosmo the Curious

Cast of Characters
Egbert, Mage +Rob Conley
Conner, Mage +Tim Shorts
Darius, Mage +Ken H
Alfred, Human Torchbearer (NPC hireling)
Tub, Frost Goblin (Charmed NPC ally)
Bob, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Rundt, Hunchback Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Belzar, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Ruger, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Dink, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Gar, Swarthy Dwarf (NPC ally, newly charmed this session, just for good measure)

In the preceding session the party charmed the Minotaur "King" Gor who had taken over the village of Tarn. The Minotaur was now their best friend, but, as king, insisted they swear fealty to him. Egbert said, "Well let's do this ceremoniously – go get into your best finery, and we'll await you down the street in front of the main hall."

Meanwhile other party members had the villagers scrape up what weapons they had available to them, and set them up as a "reception line" leading to the hall, which was in reality to be a gauntlet where King Gor would meet his doom. Heartened by the fact that Gor no longer had 20 some odd dark dwarves protecting him (the party saw to that in the preceding session), the villagers set themselves up as directed.

Long story short: Gor returned in all his regal splendor, walked down the gauntlet and, with a loss of only one of their own, the villagers swarmed on him and beat him to death. Villagers in Ephemera are a tough and very unforgiving lot.*

The villagers nearly went after the party's own charmed dark dwarves. But as a favor to the Cindarrin, to whom they felt they owed their liberation, the Tarnsters agreed to leave the party's dwarves unharmed.

The party then looted Gor's "keep" and found a locked chest amid the filth. Conner opened the chest with a key taken from around Gor's neck, and as he did so felt a needle prick his finger (fortunately making his save). Inside was a bucket load of loot, including some religious items revered by the villagers whose gratitude overflowed when the items were returned to them.

After a feast and a good night's rest, the party planned to set out westward in search of the sage Cosmo the Curious, who might help them find the remaining Star Stones. Tarn's new leader Helen, confirmed what little the party knew of Cosmo's location, and gave them slightly more precise directions she had gleaned from a wanderer who passed through Tarn before the occupation. It would be about a 10-day journey.

The party headed off and, on their way, came upon a log cabin inhabited by an old woman, Mariana, "Keeper of the Obelisk." She took them behind the cabin and showed them a stone obelisk, explaining that she had been here for the 230 years since Armageddon, and that her job was to reveal the obelisk to any Cindarrin who might pass by, and to aid them with food and lodging as well as she could. The sides of the Obelisk were carved with additional cryptic messages about the Cindarrin's nature and their role in Ephemera.

One side of the obelisk.

A second side.

A third side.

Mariana also informed the party that she had encountered one other Cindarrin apart from them – named Rukkus – who some weeks earlier arrived from the west and then departed toward the east.

Another good meal and good night's sleep later the party continued west, and a few days later they found Cosmo's Tower. They were greeted outside by Cosmo's familiar "The Hand" who was, effectively, a pair of gloved hands (and a mouth), that appeared out of nowhere and floated in mid-air to speak with them and open doors along their way into the tower.

Cosmo knew who the Cindarrin were. He explained that he was an information broker, trading information for services. His particular interest in life being the acquisition of magical knowledge, he was always in need of materials for experiments. Having spoken with another Cindarrin some weeks earlier, Cosmo was already aware of what the party was seeking. He presented them with a price list of information he had in stock.

The party perused the list of items and agreed they would attempt to acquire the venom of a man-sized centipede. Cosmo explained that the centipedes made lairs burrowed into the giant trees of a forest near his tower.

The party entered the forest and found a likely burrow in the trunk of a 100' diameter tree. They lit torches and entered it.

And that's where we called it a night. Again, little danger, but a lot of marching, talking, and information-gathering by the party. In the dark confines of what is likely to be a giant centipede burrow, I'm guessing the next session will be rather more hazardous and see some significant dice-slinging.

*Footnote: Regarding the ferocity of villagers in Ephemera, session 3 saw the inhabitants of Alden summarily execute their mayor, of whose betrayal they had just learned.

Ephemera Session 7: Stirges Suck, Blud Brothers, The King and We

Not a lot of fighting last night, but lots of talking, with some charm and sleep spells thrown in for good measure.

Cast of Characters
Sandy, Dwarf Fighter +Daniel McEntee
Egbert, Mage +Rob Conley
Conner, Mage +Tim Shorts
Darius, Mage +Ken H
Alfred, Human Torchbearer (NPC hireling)
Tub, Frost Goblin (Charmed NPC ally)
Bob, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Rundt, Hunchback Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Belzar, Swarthy Dwarf (New Charmed NPC ally)
Ruger, Swarthy Dwarf (New Charmed NPC ally)
Dink, Swarthy Dwarf (New Charmed NPC ally)
Gar, Swarthy Dwarf (New NPC ally)

Following the destruction of the minor demon Vagroth in the preceding session, the party took one last look around Vagroth's poison-producing complex, killing some stirges, picking up loot, and discovering, with the help of Rundt – the hunchback dwarf they charmed earlier – that Vagroth was creating an extremely corrosive acid in order to destroy at least one of the "Seven Stars" spoken of earlier in the Prophecies of Millenia and Galen.

   

They learned from Rundt that Vagroth had evidently engaged Gor – whom the party had already heard of – to find a star and bring it to him. Vagroth's hope was that in doing this he could gain favor with his own master, Anorax, Lord of the Abominari, whom he believed was returning from the oblivion into which he was cast at Armageddon.

Gor or "King" Gor as he was wont to have himself called, was a known threat, as the party was already aware that he had taken over the village of Tarn with a band of swarthy dwarves, and had  been sending young people of the village up to the abandoned Temple of Balus to find one of the "Stars." The party had explored the Temple in an earlier session, recovered the "Star of the Maiden" and found that the reason the young folk never came back to Tarn was because they were being turned into undead. Now the party left the Vaporous Vaults of Vagroth and headed to Tarn to deal with "King" Gor.

One night during their journey, just before dawn, a vampire named Vladimir Bludstok entered the party's camp. Vladimir wished to talk rather than fight. He knew the Cindarrin had been destroying the resurgent demons that seemed to indicate Anorax's return. He also knew that the Cindarrin had been recovering the "Stars" necessary to stop Anorax. Vladimir claimed to be the leader of a group of rebel vampires who were part of Anorax's army but turned against him just before Armageddon (since Anorax was not fulfilling his promises to them). Vladimir explained that he wanted to make an agreement with the Cindarrin to work together against Anorax. If the Cindarrin continued to collect the Stars, Vladimir and his rebels would work against Anorax from within and without. Once Anorax was defeated, the rebel vampires promised to set up their own realm outside the lands of Ephemera, if left alone and allowed to do so. The party basically said "that seems reasonable (if fishy) but let's wait and see." Vladimir said "very well, I will return later."

The party moved on toward Tarn where they encountered four of Gor's dwarves patrolling the woods outside the village. The party put them to sleep, then woke them one by one and charmed them.

(GM Note: The band of charmed NPCs had now grown to the size of a small army. Someone's  unfortunate comment that the PCs were now leading a charmy led to howls of pain and disgust. The maker of that comment wishes to remain anonymous. Despite the fact that the punster deserves the deepest derision the RPG-playing public can muster, we shall nonetheless respect his wishes, since even the worst criminal has rights). 

Unfortunately, the party had only three charm spells. There were four dwarves. Sandy, the party's fighter, took the last dwarf out of sight of the others and charmed him in his own fashion. He banged the scoundrel's head against a tree trunk and threatened to kill him unless he agreed to join the party. Eventually the grumpy dwarf gave in to the force of Sandy's violent charisma, and the implacable logic of blunt force trauma.

With their ever growing band of charmed muscle, the PCs exited the woods west of town. They marched straight down the main road into Tarn, stepping confidently forward in the morning sunlight. The few villagers who were out dashed back into their homes. Frightened people peeked out of windows and dark doorways. Not a sound was heard but the tramp of the party's feet on the dusty street.

GM Note: I wanted Ennio Morricone to write theme music for the session,

but he was unavailable.

As the party approached the hill where Gor resided in a badly ruined keep overlooking the town, the villain stepped forth and demanded the party account for themselves. The dwarf minotaur and self-styled "king" of Tarn, stood defiantly before them. His 20 dwarves came out of the keep ruins as well.

A sleep spell put half the enemy to sleep. Egbert charmed Gor himself, then convinced the so-called king that his own band of dwarves was trying to depose him and put their own man in his place. Gor got enraged and attacked his own henchmen, decapitating one and putting the others to flight.

King Gor, the terror of Tarn, was now the party's new best friend and he agreed at Egbert's suggestion to personally accompany the party to find the "star" he sought (which unbenknownst to him the party had already acquired) to bring to his master Vagroth (who, also unbeknownst to him, was now dead). He promised to make Egbert his new first minister. But friends though they now might be...

...the party would have to swear fealty to him.

And there we ended the session.

So Lonely...

'Twas a lonely Monday last evening, as only two of the Ubergoobers were able to play: just +Rob Conley and me. Rob ran me through a great little scenario to practice the combat rules of his WIP Majestic Wilderlands Fudge Game. Rob's scenario was super fun, despite how lonely it was without the other goobers...

Ubergoobers -- German for "Outlandos"

I played Olaf Ibsen, a strapping lad who just arrived in town looking for some work he could do with his fists. The local mercenary captain had no openings, but put in a good word for me with Lorel, the owner of the Coin and Broom Tavern, who hired me as his bouncer. The first evening's work started off well enough, and I managed a polite introduction to the town constabulary, as well as talking an annoying peddlar out of the bar, instead of having to throw him out. 

Then came in a rambunctious lot who'd just gotten off a long day's construction work on the city walls. They hadn't been in the tavern more than a minute before they tried to pick a fight with someone they said was sitting at "their" table.  I tried to talk them into leaving well enough alone, but they were having none of it. I told them Lorel didn't want any fights in his tavern. They declared it was "their" tavern, not Lorel's. I said as far as I knew it was Lorel's. He was my boss, and he paid me to put folks that insisted on starting trouble out into the street. 

The big beefy leader of the workers slugged me. Hard. I went down bleeding. With a "hurt" result on the dice, and a consequent penalty on my own dice for the rest of the fight, I had my work cut out for me. The ruffian tried to grapple me and throw me to the ground. He was getting better rolls than I was. This was not good.

I thought: "If only I could be killed by an orc over some treasure. At least there's something glorious, something epic in that. But to take a beating from a common tavern thug. How humiliating. And first day on the job, too."

In desperation I somehow managed to break free of my adversary's grasp and stepped back. I pulled my broad sword. "You don't want to continue this fight." I said. I was wrong. He did. Which he demonstrated by swinging a bar stool at my head. 

I managed to block it. And the broad sword became more than an equalizer.  Now instead of humiliation, I was wondering if the local law would hang me for gutting this fellow. He dodged a few of my swings, but his luck could not hold forever. Finally my blade found its mark, and the tough went down, alive, but bleeding like a sieve. 

I pointed my dripping red weapon toward the exit. "There's the door lads. It's time you used it." The worker's buddies carried him out.

Lorel's wife came out and bandaged my head where the man had slugged me. Lorel himself told me I didn't need to worry about the law. They wouldn't get involved in a bar fight like this. It turns out these same boys had been coming in hassling his customers for a while now. Beat up more than one of his previous bouncers, too. Said he was glad he'd hired me. 

Me too, really. I think I'm going to like this job.

Ephemera Session 6: Pants on Fire, Smelly Vapor, and Rundt

Cast of Characters
Sandy, Dwarf Fighter +Daniel McEntee
Egbert, Mage +Rob Conley
Conner, Mage +Tim Shorts
Darius, Mage +Ken H
Alfred, Torchbearer (NPC hireling)
Tub, Frost Goblin (Charmed NPC ally)
Bob, Swarthy Dwarf (Charmed NPC ally)
Rundt, Hunchback Swarthy Dwarf (New Charmed NPC ally)

GM Note: Despite the dice being exceptionally unkind, nobody died. There were several near misses, as almost every damage roll against the PCs was for max damage or very nearly. All night long, the PCs' luck stayed just one pip shy of the worst luck they could have.

The valiant Cindarrin ended the last session in the Temple of Balus. They had just lost John the Rotund, their hireling.

The Cindarrin explore the last remaining room – in which resides the zombified remnants of Abbot Dietrich, of the Temple of Balus. Needless to say, he is serving a different deity now. The abbot is accompanied by two skeletons.

In their pre-battle banter, the PCs discover that Dietrich is the one responsible for the deaths of the adolescents sent from Tarn to the Temple – each batch sent by King Gor into the Temple is converted into a new set of skeletal minions. The PCs quickly kill the zombie abbot, though not before taking damage themselves.

The heroes do, however, uncover a scroll containing a new prophecy, the Prophecy of Galen:

After quick trip back to the Prayer Hall and a bath in its healing column of light, the PCs return to the Relic Room which they had previously examined and then abandoned, smelling the scent of oil and sulphur coming from pipes (some 22 of them) in the walls.

The Cindarrin decide to cut up a coil of rope and stuff the rope into the pipes in an effort to block the flow of oil and sulphur they anticipate will spew out of the pipes if they disturb the relics.

This done, they attempt to remove the globe covering the finger bone of some forgotten servant of Balus. Darius, Sandy and Conner do this together. As soon as the glass over the finger bone is lifted, the pressure of flaming fluid bursts through the rope-plugs of one of the pipes, severely burning all three adventurers, and rendering Darius unconscious.

GM Note: I don't even try to anticipate how PCs will attempt to get around hazards any more. So I ruled on the spot that there was a 1/6 chance of the blockage failing on the first turn, a 2/6 on the second turn, 3/6 on the third turn, etc. as pressure mounted. An unlucky die roll of 1 on the first turn blew one of the rope segments out of its pipe right away and burned the party members. 

Darius is dragged back to the Prayer Hall with the mural and the column of healing light. Sandy grabs the finger bone and brings it out of the Relic Room.

The light in the healing column has changed color to a blue-green (from its previous sunshine yellow) and the satyrs and satyresses in the murals have changed expression from frolicking to serious. The head satyr frowns. The light no longer heals the party members.

Offerings of wine are made to the head satyr in the mural, and apologies are made. The image in the mural indicates with his eyes that the bone should be returned to the Relic Room. Sandy does this. The color of the healing light returns to normal, and the expression on the old satyr's face returns to one of satisfaction.

The party heals up in the light (though the healing energy is less powerful now) and prepares to return to Tarn to deal with King Gor and his small army of swarthy dwarves.

Once outside the temple, however, the party are witness to a stampede of woodland creatures running through the forest, chased by a large, sickly grey-green cloud rolling through the trees. Animals that straggle behind are caught in the cloud and killed.

The party decide that this represents a more grievous threat than the actions of King Gor in Tarn, and they elect to back-track the trail of dead animals to the source of the killer fog. This they do and after two days of marching arrive at a large dome in a forest clearing.

The dome is of rust-streaked iron, with two smoke stacks emitting occasional wisps of grey-green steam. A door is found and, though locked, the hinges are rusty and easily broken. Entering the structure the party is confronted with riveted arched corridors made of iron, and ghastly green chemical lamps illuminating the structure.

The party advances toward a clanking and hissing noise and soon find themselves face to face with a giant clockwork mechanical pumping station of some sort. Sandy, the dwarf, examines the enormous device, figures out what connects to what, and throws a lever that shuts down the machine. The party decides whoever operates the machine will obviously come to check out the malfunction, at which point they can ambush him.

While waiting, Conner peeks into a room just to the east, and spots a copper plaque on a far wall. Advancing toward it, he is attacked by two Stirges swooping down from the ceiling, but Sandy skewers one with an arrow and the other one flutters off.

Conner reads the plaque. "Armageddon Outpost 12."

Then Rundt appears. Rundt is a hunchback swarthy dwarf, in a vomit-orange cloak and hood, who carries a big heavy wrench nearly half as long as he is tall. Conner quickly charms him. The dwarf explains he was sent by "the master" to see why the machine stopped. If the party wants, he will take them to the master. The Cindarrin agree. Rundt leads the party through several rooms – a library, a laboratory – explaining that just he and the master live here, the master is performing experiments with a rolling, foggy cloud that kills, and that the master hates pretty much every species the old Lords of Ephemera favored back in the Time that Was – essentially men, elves, (lawful) dwarves, and halflings.

Rundt brings the adventurers to the chamber of his master, Vagroth, a Vapor Demon, with a grey-green, fog-like humanoid body that tapers off into a tail and floats just above the floor. In contrast with the iron-riveted decor of the rest of the complex, this room contains only the Vapor Demon and three urns. Rundt quickly explains that the master lives in one and keeps his treasures in the other two.

Vagroth threatens the party with a hissing voice. Darius tries a charm spell. "Fool," spits Vagroth. Egbert tries one as well. Vagroth sneers at the second attempt and sprays Egbert with an acid blast from his hand. Combat ensues.

Sandy tries to strike Vagroth but his weapon passes through the demon's fog-like body. The party's charmed allies miss as well. Only Darius has better luck, peppering the demon with darts.

It occurs to the party that perhaps they should break the urns, as this might kill the demon. Tub and Bob break the urns to the right and left of Vagroth. Treasure spills out of them.  Everyone then concentrates on the center urn. But the center urn turns out to be difficult to break.

GM note: here began a kind of Keystone-Cops-in-the-Dungeon scene. The difficulty in breaking the urn was not by design. I told the players to break the urn they just needed to make a roll to hit AC 10 – a 55% chance of breaking the urn with any one attack. With two to three PCs and two allies attacking the urn each round, nobody managed to roll a 10 or better on a d20 for over two whole rounds. That's right. Something like ten or eleven straight attack rolls – each with a 55% chance to hit – missed. There was nothing special about the urn. The players just could not roll a 10 or better on d20.

Party members strike the urn repeatedly. It bobbles. It wobbles. It falls on the floor and rolls around. But it doesn't break. Sandy the dwarf, in his frustration, lifts the urn over his head and tries to smash it on the floor. Thunk. Bounce. Roll. Not a crack.

Meanwhile Darius is fighting the Vapor Demon single-handedly. Again he peppers it with darts. The demon ripostes with a poisoned dagger. Darius is cut badly, and weakened by the toxin.

Finally Egbert makes one last deperate attempt to break the urn, picking it up as Sandy had done in a bid to smash it on the floor. Finally, it breaks. The demon hisses and howls in pain, curses the Cindarrin, and dissipates into oblivion.

GM Note: Breaking the urn wasn't an auto-kill, but it did about twice the damage any normal attack could have done. Which was ironic, since Darius had already, by this stage, single-handedly dropped the demon to a mere 2 hp.

The party pick up the treasure, and are informed by Rundt of a secret door leading to rooms with Vagroth's chemical vats. The party open the door to the first vat room, and there we called it an evening.