Present:
- Phoebe Lacrosse. Human Barbarian from Pugtown – Andrew
- Griza Muso. Human Thief from Lakeside – Jeff
- Balder Dash. Gnome Wizard from Toluene - Jamie
- Sushi Rolle. Human Barbarian from Emerald City - Darryl
- Red Feuersturm. Human Temple Fighter of Hob from Toluene - Chris
- Malcom Gandhi. Gnome Thief from Brian – Kevin
- Napoleon Twig. Elf Priest of Caribou Gorn from Pugtown - Ian
- Joe Manco. Human Fighter from Toluene – Shane
- Galena Alfdis. Elf Priestess of Vingt et Un from Palantir - Steven
Full House!!
Richard DM
By Ian
Loot Summary and allocation:
- 900GP petty cash
- 5 Vials identified as:
- 2 x healing
- 1 x Invisibility (now consumed)
- 1 x Spider Climb
- 1x Dimension Door
- Magical Long Dagger - D6 Ignores Armour - Allocated to Kevin/Malcom
- Magical Spectacles of Infravision - Allocated to Jeff/Griza
- Magical Compass. Normal Compass PLUS acts as a programmable locate object (1 week to set it) - Allocated to Jamie/Balder
(The recently passed Kosha had no loot to recycle)
Our group are gathered in Emerald City. Unseasonably warn and settled weather makes the vibrant city buzz with commerce and festivities.
The party catch up with Alexandra Montrose of the town guard to check in after the wild Boar task was completed.
"Well done! I am truly impressed" remarked Alexandrea. "As you have done so well, I feel my Mistress employer can trust you for another job if you are keen to accept. we hope you will?".
The brief is to deliver a simple looking package to a 'Lyra Silvermoon' at the Jolly Jester in Spite Battle. Alexandria hands over an etching of Lyra and a package that is incredibly light, approximately 50cm x 12cm and wrapped in a thin cloth, bound and clasped with a small padlock. The standard escort contract was agreed where the couriers were not to open the package and 'no questions asked'. Balder sensed magic from the package and there was no surprise there.
There would be a return package from Lyra.
The pay would be 400GP per survivor with a 11 day return trip overland, or by sea around the coast. Up to the party to decide which way they want to go.
After accepting the contract and gathering at their Inn, the party gather to prepare.
"We really must check this is not EVIL" the goody-two-shoes exclaim. Napoleon casts a quick Detect Evil and there is no hint. The sulphurous odour of Evil wafted from Balder as usual, but other than that - all business as usual.
"Hmmmm" mused Griza... "We really could do with a companion to replace Kosha". The group have a restful and luxurious night in the Inn and gather in the common room in the morning.
"Wow, we are all here! Our marmalade supplies will diminish" Napoleon observes. "Nice to see everyone up and about".
They gather their travel gear and prepare to depart. A strange, muscular, short rotund man is staring at the job offering board. He wears nothing but a leathery waist-coat and thong. A spear at his side.
The group offer the stranger, introduced as Sushi Rolle [Darryl's new character], a job to join the group - obviously only after the obligatory Detect Evil is cast by Galena and no evil detected (not that this works on people). Sushi adjusts his dark oily man-bun back into its knotted position and agrees to the offer, gathers his spear and travel bag and the party head toward Koal on the Coast; 2 or 3 days away.
The day dawns warm and pleasant. Everyone is refreshed, restocked and raring to go. Balder wisely choses to program the compass with the package's location.
Nearing the end of the first day, the group enter the abandoned village in the middle of the Emerald Forest, known as Downs Groves. This was the spot infested with the green eyed goblins. Today, however, there is a hive of activity as a group of carpenters, overseen by three town militia soldiers, are building a substantial structure and performing various clean-up tasks around the village and woods.
"Hail keen workers" Phoebe offers. "What is happening here? This looks exciting!".
A Dwarven soldier approaches... "SOME IDIOT started a fire here a couple of weeks back. Magical fire. Like why???? Why would someone do that in Emerald Forest?"
(Balder shuffles and looks at his toes)...
"Oh" Phoebe continues..."That was those vermin goblins that live here. We come through here a few weeks back and THEY tried to burn us out! We had to run away with the flames all around us".
The soldier frowns, "Yeah, bloody Goblins. Wish they were all gone. Do you lot want to clear them out of town? We will pay 100GP each if you do? How about it?".
The party shuffle and squirm and decide they wouldn't for now.
They stayed in the workers camp and during the night the little gremlins looked in from around the town. Based on the watches set and size of the worker camp, the Goblins were reluctant to cause any trouble. The night eventually passes quietly.
Next day on the road again, Dovin bound. The day was again fine and warm. The Emerald Forest was stunning in all its glory. The trip was easy and nothing untoward happened.
Dorvin Village (pop 418) was welcoming and the party stop at the Dove and Pine.
Next day the group move on further toward the coast. Next town is Torbin. The Emerald Forest stretches endlessly to the left of the cart track. To the right a deep drain and cleared plains stretch to the horizon. As the group winds their way with their cart and horses, a large dark swirling cloud appeared in the distance. As it swirled up and down and round and round, it seemed to be a large collection of dark birds - probably crows.
The cloud seems to 'notice' the party and swirls toward the group. The party set themselves and ready for trouble. The crows circle above and 5 or 6 individuals break from the cloud and dive on the group. Balder prepares a portion of sulphur, readying for the air burst fireball. "NNOOOOO" yells Napoleon. "Not near the woods. Please! for the love of Caribou Gorn".
At the last minute, the individual crows get close to the party, seem to be satisfied about 'something' so peel away and return to the cloud and the skies clear as the crows depart back toward Torbin.
A few hours later, up ahead is a cart stationary in the lane. They are pointing toward Torbin. You can see the back of the driver sitting in the seat. The strange thing was the cart and driver seemed totally motionless ... ?
Gandhi and Griza snuck forward as the party waited 100m back. As they neared, nothing changed. The horses and driver seemed to have a strange grey colouring and flat texture. Still nothing moves. A successful skill check revealed a fallen fighter in the drain. Blood pooling around the body. Now that they are closer, they see the horses in MID STRIDE. They were frozen in that position??
The recon team return and inform the group.
"Bet they are stone" says one.
"A Beholder!" states another.
"No - Medusa it must be"...
"Or even a spell"...
"Could be a basilisk" someone adds.
As the group are standing around pondering their next move. "What if it is a trap??". "We can't get around that cart?".
The conversion is abruptly interrupted by the loud crashing of bush and branches emitting from the forest side. The sound was to the rear of the group and seemed to be moving FAST.
The party realise there is also a similar sound crashing from ahead.
The group leap across the ditch in a mad scramble. Malcom and Balder dive into the drain. Well, Balder dived, Malcom kind of fell on his face as he missed a purchase on the far side.
"Damn - basilisk," Napoleon confirms. "DON'T look at its eyes!!!".
The fighters lift their shields to in front of their faces, and magic users grab for mirrors and anything that would prevent the direct gaze to and from the creature. Napoleon covers Tiny's eyes and looks away and listens. The monster startles the group's horses and cart. It lurches dangerously forward and veers into the ditch, horses attached and all. Supplies are spread over a small area.
The fighters and basilisk engage in the field.
Round 1 Joe, Phoebe, Sushi and Red strike at the creature.
[ For the purpose of this fight, to replicate not looking directly, the mechanics changed to add the penalty of removing the extra bonus die for the secondary attacks. Where the fighters had 2 D20 die and take the best, for this fight they use a single D20. The basilisk is Richards rules - so, don't quote D&D rule books about needing magic weapons to hit :-).]
Slashing and crashing and heavy bouts of damage are shared. Joe takes a big hit. The lizard takes multiple swipes.
Meanwhile the two gnomes (Gandhi & Balder) cowering in the ditch hear a strange chanting from near them - in the forest edge.
"What is that?" exclaims Malcom.
Balder replies, "Not sure but I would think that chanting is controlling the monster. Lets do something about that..."
Next round and Griza joins the attack and Phoebe breaks and goes toward the drain where the gnomes are. A ferocious round of combat with two-handed weapons carving and crushing the basilisk. It stares at Red [saves vs Arcane magic] and the revolting creature falls to the ground (the basilisk - not Red).
Meanwhile, Balder casts Silence in the area of the chanting and the chanting ceases immediately.
Malcom approaches the area totally hidden, Phoebe and Balder crouch and carefully step toward the area. No sounds or audible communication can be used. As the three exit the sound barrier, they hear large crashing disappearing off deeper into the forest and they make haste to follow.
Napoleon heals Joe with the gifts of Caribou Gorn. Joe is now on full health again.
The fighter group check the dead fighter in the ditch. He seemed to be a standard guard type and had leather armour and a standard long sword.
The advanced three return and report. Balder, Napoleon, Griza and Sushi head off on the trail of the enemy. After a short while, three crows are circling above and descend. Balder draws his clump of sulphur, nips the edge and releases upward. At exactly the same altitude as the crows, the fireball spell ignites and a loud fwump deletes the crows. In the near distance there is a howl of pain and anguish. Followed by deep sobbing. It seems that one or more of the crows must have been a familiar for the wilderness mage (or whatever he is). Napoleon winces and glowers at Balder.
The advanced party decide that was a battle win for now and return to the party back at the stone cart.
Napoleon tries and fails to calm the horses [fails on animal handling]. He uses Untie spell to release the harness of one of the horses. It runs off to the distance and calms itself. The other horse had a broken leg and had to be relieved of its pain and is no more.
The group take over the other cart and push the frozen stone horses off the trail. They gather all their goods and supplies and grab all that they can from the existing cart, along with the stone statue of the driver who is carefully placed in the back.
"What now?" They party consider their next action.
"We have to deliver the parcel says some"
"Lets get that wild mage thing" say the others.
"Hang on" considers Joe. "I don't remember voting for that? Lets vote!"
Turns out the majority of the group would rather clear out the magic user that is controlling basilisks than leave him to destroy other innocent travellers.
The group park their cart carefully off the edge of the track and head off up the track that the enemy had fled up 30 minutes earlier. Joe has offered to carry and protect the package.
About an hour and a half later, following a fairly easy track, the forest clears as a hill side lifts ahead. Further up in the steep clearing is a cave entrance. Our adventurers pause at the edge of the forest.
Malcom got to the cave entrance and an overwhelming smell of decay and rot wafted from the cave mouth. Malcom retched and composed himself. He snuck closer and in the entrance of the cave mouth, two large nostrils were drawing breath in and out. Another basilisk! Seemed to be smaller than the first one, but a significant threat nonetheless. Malcom quickly retreated and said "No way losers. I am not going past that thing".
Napoleon chimed in; "Oh, let me try something. The glorious Caribou Gorn will allow me to take the form of a creature that should be perfect for a Cave".
With that, Napoleon twisted and turned and emerged as a bat. He flew through the cave mouth, over the snoozing basilisk, using the bat-sonar so immune to the deadly gaze. A quick flight [the shape-change has a ten-minute duration] showed the cave to be made of a shortish entrance tunnel that contained the sprawled out lizard creature, to a larger cavern that contained two sleeping areas for large creatures. At the other side of the chamber a smaller tunnel that went into an adjoining smaller chamber that had a wild-haired, dirty looking human who was sobbing alone at the far end.
A quick exit, short flight, and Napoleon reappears at the group and details the findings.
"Hmmmm" ponders Balder, "If I get this just right, I will be able to set off a cave explosion that should fill the cave, therefore damaging the basilisk and the wild mage".
Sushi then argued "But we will need to have a follow-up plan. Us fighters will move to engage after the blast.".
"Good idea - lets do this" everyone chimes in.
Balder consumes the Invisibility potion as he is low on power points. He walks boldly up to the perfect range to the cave middle for the Fireball spell. More sulphur and kkkkkwwwuumpffff.
[At this point Richard offers that the spell success roll would determine how accurate the casting is. The lower the better and more accurate. With the zones defined and the use of luck allowed, Jamie made the roll and spent 6 luck (maximum allowed) to make the perfect release point.]
A blast of hot air and smoke exists the cave mouth, and there is a howl from a large basilisk. Movement from the cave mouth and it rushes outside. In the mean time the fighters had rushed forward and the two sides engage.
Sushi, Griza, Phoebe and Joe surround the fearsome creature with the shields raised and carefully looking away. Round 1 and the party do a lot of damage, but poor Sushi trips and imbeds his spear into his own gut [rolls a 20 fumble]. He takes damage from the basilisk AND his fumble and falls over with blood pouring from his chiselled abs.
[Darryl spent 2 luck and rolled 2 D10 and decided to take the "hit self ignore armour" fumble rather than the "free extra hit from the basilisk". As Sushi is a strength-fighter, it turned out that this was only marginally better than the basilisk's free hit. Ouch]
The fight continues and another round of teeth, swords and axes smashing together. More injury bestowed upon the lizard. Napoleon heads to the fallen Sushi and hopes to cure soon. It does not look good the geyser of blood erupting from his middle.
Round 3 and the heroic fighters drop the basilisk once and for all.
"Wait, what???" Napoleon arrives at Sushi just as the last pitiful dribble of blood oozes. "He is gone already? Dead."
End of the session. Mad Mage to go next time.
Epilogue - analysis of Sushi's death
For the readers, this gets rather funny and pretty bad for poor Darryl's new character Sushi Rolle.
- Fumble - To start with, as a group we had forgotten that on Darryl's fumble of two D20s, someone should have nominated a 'primary dice' (so that the odds of fumble are not doubled when using multiple attack/fumble dice). Only one of the two die should have been checked for the "1" fumble. A 50/50 roll was made and the result was that it WAS the primary die - so the fumble stood... Sushi took the hit to make him: -3 HP - Bleeding
- Con Rolls for Death - We have a game mechanic that IF you take a hit and end up unconscious and bleeding (HP less than 0), you have to roll a CON check every round or risk dying (0 HP is okay). Luck can be applied to this check EXCEPT if a natural 20 is rolled. The first CON check was made: 20 - Dead.
- Luck to Take Off Damage Rules - Darryl argued that he was not fully aware of the new rules as he thought we were operating under the old rules where you bleed 1 HP per round until death at negative CON. As Sushi had an incredible CON, he quite-rightly thought he was safe for a number of rounds and would easily be healed in time (we haven't used those rules for two years, btw). There is a rule where a player can chose to spend 3 luck and subtract D6 from the damage done to them. Initially, Darryl declined this, for the above reasons as Sushi was on -3 HP. Plenty of time to -CON right? Richard agreed that was important information to have, so allowed a retrospective D6 roll. So, Darryl could roll a D6 and take that off the damage. If a 3, 4, 5 or 6 came up, the -3hp would be 0 or higher, which means no bleeding (so no CON roll required, and no death). We all held our breath, Jeff rolled the D6.... 1 - Dead
We roared with empathetic laughter and went home. Ok, Darryl probably did not laugh that much. There were too many tears in my eyes to see properly.
We are looking forward to the return next week of the newly found Nori Rolle somewhere on the road to Torbin.
No comments:
Post a Comment