Myltharial would roll his eyes as the enforcers speak their peace. Murder? Really? They had nothing on them. They had done the city a service by dispatching a dangerous beast and they had left Cragga alive despite Myltharial's better judgement.
His thoughs would have continued to swirl around the corruption and ignorance of the city's guards had it not been for Bolus.
"I have no issues with them taking credit as long as they leave my name off of the report. I served my time with you and I have no further need for dealing with the scoundrels that guard this city."
Myltharial's eyes would narrow at mention of Professor Hardworthy.
"I suggest we retreat to tunnels beneath the city. We can use them to get to some where safe and the enforcers are less likely to follow us down there."
As he speaks, he offers assistance to Rory.
Lead the wayl Bolus says to Myltharial Never had a need for this spook stuff before. Don't like it
You can hide behind me, big guy. Olivius says with a grin. Let's move.
Rory pulls you aside for a moment as you walk away, Bolus, by tugging on your elbow. "The tunnels are easy to get lost in. I've spent the last fifteen years in this city, mapping them out." He draws an arrow in the air slanting upward. "I drew these on tunnels that take you to the surface." Slanting downward. "Down to the lower sewer levels beneath the city. Much danger down there." He loops his finger in three concentric circles. "That's the symbol that there's a safe place to hide nearby." He nods as he relays his last bit of information. "I'll try to buy you some more time when the Enforcers come back. Now go!"
Yala follows Olivius close behind when the elf leads the party down into Rory's tunnels. Myltharial, being in the lead, where would you like to lead them? Depending on the distance from Center Park, we might need Perilous Journey rolls.
When you speak frankly with someone, you can ask their player a question from the list
below. They must answer it truthfully, then they may ask you a question from the list (which you must answer truthfully).
- Whom do you serve?
- What do you wish I would do?
- How can I get you to ______?
- What are you really feeling right now?
- What do you most desire?
While leading the group through the sewers, Myltharial will make inquiries of the group. "While I understand that you seek an audience with the good professor, whom do you serve?"
For those curious:
Choose an area of expertise:
Spells and Magicks
The Dead and Undead
Grand Histories of the Known World (Myltharial's pick)
A Bestiary of Creatures Unusual
The Planar Spheres
Legends of Heroes Past
Gods and Their Servants
When you first encounter an important creature, location, or item (your call) covered by your bardic lore you can ask the GM any one question about it; the GM will answer truthfully. The GM may then ask you what tale, song, or legend you heard that information in.
So, let's see. Yala definitely qualifies; she's clearly from another time, you may ask any one question about her and then tell me where you discovered/learned about the answer I give you.
Bolus doesn't, he's from your time period. Sinathel and Olivius...they come from antiquity, but not nearly as far back as Yala. Each one gets a question due to your excellent eye for historical influences in clothing. Despite their garb being rather utilitarian and practical, history and their home time period still shapes them in subtle ways.
Tough one. I technically imposed the size increase on you by DM fiat of creative liberty...I'll say that you can fit, but it's a slightly tight squeeze in places.
When the volcano known to its people as Numaloyo erupted, it coated over a quarter of the planet with volcanic ash, cooling the entire planet's overall temperature by several degrees for many years before it passed. 90% of the island was completely destroyed by the blast, leaving behind only a small atoll of islands (depicted here). Though Yala escaped cleanly from the villagers to catch up with Olivius to reach the mountain, her absence was noted later. Yala went down in history among her tribe as a heroine who helped the strange outsiders and Kano, their tribal leader, to save the tribe. Even today, there is a nation of peoples in the southern half of the biggest continent on Gaia that claim ancestry from the ancient tribe of Demon's Maw Island. How did you learn of Yala, Kano, and the eruption of Numaloyo?
You get a question about each, though I reserve the right to detail the answers according to what would make sense.
When the volcano known to its people as Numaloyo erupted, it coated over a quarter of the planet with volcanic ash, cooling the entire planet's overall temperature by several degrees for many years before it passed. 90% of the island was completely destroyed by the blast, leaving behind only a small atoll of islands (depicted here). Though Yala escaped cleanly from the villagers to catch up with Olivius to reach the mountain, her absence was noted later. Yala went down in history among her tribe as a heroine who helped the strange outsiders and Kano, their tribal leader, to save the tribe. Even today, there is a nation of peoples in the southern half of the biggest continent on Gaia that claim ancestry from the ancient tribe of Demon's Maw Island. How did you learn of Yala, Kano, and the eruption of Numaloyo?
You get a question about each, though I reserve the right to detail the answers according to what would make sense.
With Sinathel, it is difficult to tell; druids garb themselves in whatever is naturally occurring all around them, with little regard to social mores and norms for fashion. While studying her, you note that her spear is primitive but well-made, made from wood. The fact that it's made from the wood of a tree already would make this spear nearly priceless as a collector's item, and she doesn't look like a wealthy collector. Either she came from an area of the world with healthy trees - and you don't know of any that remain - or she is from before the Calamity that destroyed the planet's ecosystem.
Olivius is a bit easier, coming from a city in his time period. He's changed his attire dramatically since his visit to the jungle island (which you don't know about, obviously), but there are certain articles of clothing he's wearing that are in the distinctive style of men from the Renaissance Era. You know that people in this region of the world used to dress in ways like he's dressed, but you can't pin down the city specifically.
Bolus listens in. He hasn't had a chance to actually talk to any of the people in the group yet considering the incredibly tumultuous and stressed day it's been. It's the first moment in a pretty long while where he wasn't being hunted or dealing with some other crisis.
You guys don't seem shocked at all about traveling through time that's for sure he says to Olivius, Yala, and Sinathel. Oh yeah he says to Mylthariel I got blasted to the past with a research party and managed to get back with these guys in tow. Mimic Orwell went evil along with a little bastard assistant named Temellen who managed to escape and get back here. There was also an exploding volcano.
Yala's expression becomes downcast at the mention of Numaloyo. She keeps looking downward, but her eyes flicker over to Olivius. "Do you think any of them made it?" she asks him, quietly.
Sinathel scopes up and carries as much as Olivius needs her too. Perhaps if this Drakes rider hadn't of been so bent on destruction, they might have gotten along. Oh well, it would serve them in its death.
Slipping down into the sewers, Sinathel silently reached out to any of the People around with a request of a warning if other two-leggers approached. This newcomer seemed to know Bolus. Not exactly surprising seeing as they were in his time. "Gaia and The People. I am a member of the Hand of Gaia and a Protector of the Land. We seek to stop the summoning beacons. How can I get you to help us stop them?"
Sinathel gives Bolus a slight smile, "Because I have been show what happens if we do not. It is the way to save our home."
Myltharial would come to a sudden stop as he turns about on the ball of his right foot to face Bolus and the others. Eyes narrowing he would repeat his question as he works on connecting the dots in his head.
"I repeat. Whom do you each serve? The law has been rather corrupt as of late and unfortunately being on their bad side does necessarily make you one of the good guys Bolus...you are a friend, but I need an answer none the less if you do not want me to leave you down here in this maze of a place."
Nodding towards Yala, he states, "I know of her and her people. A large portion of the world still claims to be descendants of her tribe and she became a heroine when they realized she was gone. Some of the statues managed to rather catch her image."
Then, turning his attention towards Olivius, he continues on, "While it would appear he has been updating his garb, this one appears to still retain certain articles of clothing familiar to this region, but not from this era. He appears to come from the renaissance era, but I can not be sure that those were not picked up along the way as well."
Finally, turning his eye to the large creature that Sinathel had become, he states, "I thank you for your honesty and if you want my help, you all need to prove to me that you are trustworthy to begin with. From there, we will see what the professor thinks of you."
Sinathel speaks for us both. I have no idea what "Renaissance" is, but the Hand of Gaia is my employer.
Myltharial: no historical records exist of the Hand of Gaia that you're aware of.
Bolus grunts You know as well as I do that I am a Guardian to my core and what that means to me is putting the protection of Terminus City above all else. The brass might have me pegged as some sort of criminal but that doesn't mean I'm not loyal to the principles of the order. Just not on the same page as the superiors at the moment.
Bolus scratches his head at the response of the others. You mean Yala isn't from the same time as you guys? And that beacon the Mimics were studying are the cause of all of this craziness?
Myltharial would eye Olivius with suspicion. "I have never heard of this Hand of Gaia. The name suggests a servant of the earth. What is the Hand of Gaia's ultimate goal?
"And the Renaissance Era is a term used to acknowledge a specific span of time that passed long ago."
As Myltharial turns to once more regard Bolus, his expression would soften. "I had hoped for such upon seeing you again, but too many of our old friends have allowed their greed to cloud their judgement that I find it better to question anyone I have not seen in some time. Although, I see you are as trusting as ever. It would seem that you travel with companions that you know little about."
"No, we are not. And yes, those beacons have caused many horrible things to happen. Worse may come from them yet." Sinathel saddens at the memories of what they were shown would come to pass if nothing was done.
Olivius nods at the term's explanation, then expands on Sinathel's statement. We are the last two of a team of five that was chosen to prevent the obliteration of the world. Thankfully, we are not alone. Others have risen to fill the voids they left. He glances to Yala as he says this. He is very thankful she came, but cannot help but worry for her well-being a little. After all, he and Death were on a first name basis now.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Myltharial would respond before turning and starting forward once more. "I'm sure the professor would like to meet all of you. Not only are most of you a curiosity, but all of you seem to likely have goals that align with our own at this point in time."
Excellent. Myltharial's questions answered to his satisfaction, the elf begins to lead the party through the sewer network to Professor Hardworthy's. Let's get some Perilous Journey checks from 3 of you. It takes about a day to cross the city by sewer to reach the Professor's house, where he is being kept under house arrest - so under normal circumstances you would mark off one Ration (except Sinathel). Under normal circumstances you would be arriving at the Professor's house at about 8 PM.
the quartermaster reduces the number of rations required by one
the trailblazer reduces the amount of time it takes to reach your destination (the GM will say by how much)
the scout will spot any trouble quick enough to let you get the drop on it
✴On a 7–9, each role performs their job as expected: the normal number of rations are consumed, the journey takes about as long as expected, no one gets the drop on you but you don’t get the drop on them either.
You can’t assign more than one job to a character. If you don’t have enough party members, or choose not to assign a job, treat that job as if it had been assigned and the responsible player had rolled a 6.
Distances in Dungeon World are measured in rations. A ration is the amount of supplies used up in a day. Journeys take more rations when they are long or when travel is slow.
A perilous journey is the whole way between two locations. You don’t roll for one day’s journey and then make camp only to roll for the next day’s journey, too. Make one roll for the entire trip.
This move only applies when you know where you’re going. Setting off to explore is not a perilous journey. It’s wandering around looking for cool things to discover. Use up rations as you camp and the GM will give you details about the world as you discover them.
Maybe the Prof will have some answers on all this. There's something very wrong about those things. I'll handle the ration load.
With the aid of The People and the nature spirits that surrounded them, Sinathel kept the group warned of anyone or anything approaching their location. The People are everywhere.
While Myltharial knew the sewers, his thoughts were occupied elsewhere with all that had happened. In turn, his pace was slowed.
Sinathel attunes herself to the People living in and around the sewer networks and they advise her of danger. Working together with Myltharial, you all negotiate the sewers, but with difficulty.
When traversing Terminus City's lower levels, Sinathel pulls all of you up short. A rat approaches her and chirps to get her attention. When she kneels to listen, it says: "I was sent to warn you - trolls wander the lower levels of the sewer, employed by Terminus City as waste sanitation workers - but they love fresh meat better than their jobs, and I've seen them eat passing two-leggers before. Beware!"
Advancing cautiously with the rat's warning, you do indeed see that a group of three trolls are working on some kind of machine with lots of valves and winches that handles sewer flow. They appear engrossed in their task but you can hear them complaining loudly back and forth about not having had anything decent to eat in ages. You have the drop on them if you choose to attack, or you could sneak past them with relative ease. You're about three blocks from the sewer exit nearest to Hardworthy's house. What do you do?
You guys aren't carrying standard military rations Bolus grumbles, unfamiliar with the ancient supplies that most of the crew are carrying.
Looking at the trolls he comments. I'm really banged up and they're just doing their jobs. Let's just get by them and get to safety
Myltharial tries to recall anything useful he might know about trolls...
I prefer stealth, but you probably could have guessed that.
Trolls like to hock and spit quite often. Originally this was thought to stem from simple bad manners from the trolls as a species, and this is true, however trolls also supplement their sense of smell every time they hock and spit. The saliva they hock up into their nasal cavities presses the information directly against the sensory organs that interpret scents.
Thanks to Sinathel's advance warning and with the help of your guide rat, you sneak past the trolls and continue on. In short order you see the sewers close up a little, with more pipes on the walls and a smaller river in the center. You see the street name, Rocky Hill Avenue, printed next to a ladder leading to the surface. Next to the ladder there is also a door labeled OFFICE. There's a layer of dust on the doorknob.
"Thank you for the warning." Sinathel passed the rat's warning on to the others, staying on guard as the continued on. When they came across the three trolls, she looked the others over. Bolus did not appear to be in any shape to challenge a troll, let alone three right now. Yes, it was best to avoid them for now. "Then let us continue on. I have no desire to turn into troll-prey."
She paused when the reached the ladder, eyeing the door. "Who would have an office in a sewer? It appears little used."
Yeah it's dusty. Maybe make a good hideout. You see any traps or anything like that Olivius?
--Is there a trap here and if so, what activates it?
Olivius chuckles when his companions comment on the oddity of an office in the sewers. An office here is exactly where I would expect a real office to be! The fancy ones with the nice boss and fine drinks are for when you want people to think you're working. This is the real deal.
He proceeds slowly. His injuries prevent him from doing his best work, but he is reasonably confident that no trap had escaped him.
There's no trap to be found here, Olivius. The door swings open easily when you decide to try the knob, revealing a waiting room and a reception desk that look like they haven't been used in years. It's dark and dusty, but everything looks relatively intact. There are some chairs overturned in a corner and some papers on the reception desk that appear to be an old sign-in sheet. Finally, there's a door on the other end of the reception desk that leads from the waiting room presumably to the office itself. The door is black.
Looks deserted enough Bolus says giving the place a visual once over. Can someone check that other door for traps. Would be good to finally have a place to rest for a bit.
Questions
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?
What should I be on the lookout for?
As the Hand of Gaia spreads out in the waiting room to explore, you hear heavy footsteps passing by outside. With a quick glance through a crack in the door, you see some of the local trolls stomping by, hocking and spitting as they go. However, they don't appear to show any interest in the door. You gather that this is a route that trolls pass by often, but they don't appear to care to explore it.
What here is useful or valuable to me?
You find an old, abandoned weapons locker with some goodies in it:
A temporary limit breaker attachment to your stun baton, can be used for up to 3 minutes to increase your baton's damage to 1d12+2 before needing a 24 hour recharge time. Plugs into a special slot at the hilt of your baton.
A collapsable spear balanced for throwing; +1 damage and +1 to hit when Volleying. A timer on the spear can be configured for how long before the spear automatically attempts to return to its point of origin.
An infared-enabled stealth hood that fits comfortably over the wearer's head; take +1 for Discern Realities rolls when worn and enabled.
What here is not what it appears to be?
There appears to be no power here, but you see the closed box of a circuit breaker on a wall. It might be possible to restore power here and reactivate the computer systems that are dormant in the office.
Bolus grins with satisfaction as he lays out the goods. Anyone interested in the spear? Anyone who's scouting is probably going to get a lot of good use out of the goggles. We might be able to get power back in here too.
Bolus examines the circuit breaker.
= Hold 3
Olivius throughly examines the other door and, if clear, proceeds into the next room.
Olivius proceeds into the room carefully. He examines everything before touching it.
Olivius looks at the stuff over before doing his thing.
Sinathel is more of the spear type. Why would the goggles be useful? Are you expecting lots of water sometime soon?
Bolus flips the googles to Olivius, Put them on, slide this switch here up... and see for yourself
The circuit breaker is covered by a lid which you can open easily. However, the labels are corroded and difficult to read; you may attempt a Defy Danger (Int) roll to determine the correct one and reactivate the circuits.
And it's a hood, not exactly goggles, though it does incorporate eyewear. Visual aid!
And a visual aid for the spear too.
The overcharger for your baton is an electrical implant that fits into the hilt, I wasn't sure how to search for a proper match for that one.
Olivius, you approach the office door on the far end of the waiting room and kneel before the keyhole. You spot the trap immediately, which would have been activated by your thieves' tools when you attempted to pick the lock, and set to work disabling it. As you work you feel the now-familiar warm glow of your dagger.
After the trap is disabled it's a simple matter of picking the lock, which required the second use of your Tricks of the Trade. The bonus damage on your next Hack and Slash with the dagger increases to +2.
What you find in the next room makes your eyes widen slightly. This appears to be the central office of a master apothecary. Drugs in liquid and powder form line shelves all along the walls, and there is a desk in the front of the office with two chairs in front of it; presumably for receiving visitors. Behind the desk is a workstation fully stocked with tools.
- The best you can do is a lesser, smaller amount, or unreliable version
- You would require a special ingredient to complete the mixture
- The poison or potion will have unpredictable, unforseeable effects
OR
- The DM may add a tag of his choosing
All depending on the success or failure of your roll.
.