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“Three rows down by three rows across, the cards shall be drawn. Row one your past, row two your present and row three your future.” The Demon's Lantern "This card represents what already happened in the past, it is misaligned, meaning there is an opportunity or a guide that will arrive at a perfect moment to show the way. Have you had such a guide already? Was some disaster averted? It seems so." .
The Locksmith “The Locksmith, it is a true match no less! You have already received the tools needed to unlock your destiny. The locksmith does not provide you with the insight as to how or where to use them, but you already have the key. This card also represents a strange, magical, or ancient object.” .
The Eclipse She pauses and looks to the Servant of the Swift sword quickly then back down to the cards. “Another true match. This card represents self-doubt and loss of purpose. This card afflicts those with faith in the divine, and their talents can wane under stress. It can also indicate a loss of way along a path, and that seems to ring truer to me.” “That was your past, now for the future.” She skips the middle row, that of the present, and turns over the future cards one by one. .
The Uprising “Your Future - A neutral card, you will be caught up in the clutches of something more powerful than you are. The crown held high represents an overthrowing of a leader of some sort.” .
The Beating “This card is misaligned, it represents finding strength while under attack from all sides. This element of the future is unclear though.” .
The Betrayal “One closer to you than you think hides an evil heart and will seek to betray you when most opportune. It is partially misaligned and could also foretell a twisting of the heart by envy, greed, or lust.” She then eyes the party again, the dying firelight flickering in her dark eyes and turns over the next card. .
The Dance “Your present, it advises staying in perfect step.” She pauses to look at Alvertus and smiles. She speaks in your direction Alvertus. “Knowing your place in the pattern of the universe, the greater good, those that step out of place face peril.” She then skips the middle card and turns over the last card in the middle row. .
The Sickness “The Sickness… sadly, another true match. Plague, Pestilence, Famine, and Disease, you will face all of these in the future. You face those who’s very soul, or souls, is corrupted. Some one is calling upon evil forces… but who?” She again pauses before turning over the last card. "Let us see who." .
The Lost “The lost one has called you!” Valana gasps. Each member of her family hastily makes a protective gesture. “The dead will walk with the coming storm, and you must find a way to put them to rest. If you cannot, the rain will turn to blood! It will drown you—you and all of Marais d'Tarascon.” Scarengi quickly ushers his wife and daughter into the wagon. “No charge for your fortune,” the old man adds hastily. “It is time to rest after the adventures of the day. Be our guests and sleep beside the fire.” Nothing the PCs do can stop Scarengi and his family from retiring. Only Carloni remains outside, settling upright into the driver's seat of the wagon with a heavy cloak around him. He closes his eyes as if to sleep. As the PCs begin to settle for the night, they see Valana's shapely form outlined in the wagon doorway. She speaks barely above a whisper, but the
“Beware the madman,” she says. She then adds very slowly. “Beware …his …blood.” Then the door closes and Valana is gone.
The old man turns his 1 good eye on the cleric, and nods slightly to an unspoken question and answer. They refuse to speak about the evils during dinner, and while the children are awake. They do freely share a fine, warm, meal. A thick and meaty soup, spice baked breads, and some hard cheese. They have no alcohol on hand but do offer some somewhat freshly squeezed juice. After the meal the children are brought into the large wagon for bed, it is then that another person you have not yet met joins the circle. The door at the back of the wagon opens to reveal a shapely young woman with dark, expressive eyes. She smiles shyly, then settles nearby, beside the fire. “This,” Scarengi proclaims proudly, “is my beautiful daughter Valana. She will tell your fortune.” Valana gazes at each of you in turn, with the firelight shining in her large, black eyes. “The trouble began when I cast the cards for that quiet and lost young man,” she explains sadly. “Perhaps it will end with another casting.” She holds a deck of cards in her lap and a small piece of black silk in her hands. Then, after gazing once again into your eyes, she drops the cards one by one onto the smooth silk.
Old Scarengi: "This is my wife Ryna, and my son Carloni, those are his children over there, and I am Old Scarengi. You are in the swamp that lies close to the village Marais d'Tarascon. As a matter of fact you are not far from it at all. But it is not a place to visit on a night such as this." Under his breath Carloni adds: "Better to stay in the swamp." Ryna: "To speak of even is to invite it to dinner."
Younger adult: "We tally here to long as it is, we should be on our way, away from here while we can." Older Man: "Mind your manners Carloni, the swamp has brought us guests." Older Woman: "I'll get some more bowls, please strangers, come, sit with us and share some food. You look as if you could use a rest." Older Man: "Come, share our food, we have plenty. Share the fire we have until morning comes. Perhaps even if there is time..." he says with a sparkle in his eye. "...we will have time for a fortune or two."
It is easy enough to guide the makeshift raft to the shore. The area here seems to be a bit more solid than where you landed from the flaming wreckage that was one Charles ship.
An ancient pair of humans smile and wave you over, inviting you to sit with them. The old man smiles as he sets his good eye in your direction. Just as ancient is a plumply round woman with laughing eyes who sits to his side. Three children run and dance, playing around the campfire as the other man among them watches on, clearly in an agitated mood, he flicks long strands of his raven black hair out of his face as he nervously pulls at his equally black mustache.
The sun fully sets, placing the PCs on edge as the creatures of the night again stir and move with a rhythm set to a silent song.
While floating aimlessly downstream on darkened waters, a light breaks through the gloom of night. A little island of dry land rises out of the
One is old and thin, the other young and strong. They
I'm combining that roll into 2 skills: Spot: Yes, you do spot something (details later today, as this is the start of tonight's encounter.) Survival: The challenge with the survival roll is increased greatly due to not having adequate space to search out game (being on a raft and all) however your roll was high enough to provide 1/2 the normal gathered food a roll would normally produce. Herbs: Yes, allow me to find my herb charts so I can be specific, but the swamp holds many common and uncommon herbs.
The party currently makes their way downstream, their surroundings look much the same no matter which direction they look to. A dense swamp filled with twisted tree's fighting for light grow at broken angles. The river you ride on opens up as you pass the4 day by staring at the same scenes over, and over. Forty five feet wide at least in most places it's pockmarked occasional with a small sandbar you need to navigate around. The day is also hot, not unbearably hot, but uncomfortably so. It does nothing to work the knots out of your poor sleep conditions from last night. The sting of every mosquito and parasite the swamp threw at you seems to ache and demand you to give it attention. Plops and splashes can be heard from nearly every angle and direction as snakes lazily fall from tree branches into the water, or frogs (of the normal size and variety) pop their heads up to see what your raft is all about. Much of your day is spent simply floating downstream towards the unknown, hunger gnaws at your insides now.
There are large enough sections of the crashed vessel that making a raft from almost nothing is quite easy. The wooden plank like wall sections would easily accommodate you, and a trip down the river rather well. There are also plenty of "pole" pieces you can also grab to guide the raft as well. Now all that remains are what to do with the body of the paladin, and whether or not to actually start your journey downstream.
Vastly overgrown swamp, very dangerous terrain, sinkholes very likely, due to being so thick, and fairly undisturbed creatures may grow larger than normal.
1> K.Geography: you don't have it trained, so you cannot make these rolls. 2> Listen: The sounds of the swamp are plentiful, things pop up in the water and disappear in splashes, brush moves as if on it's own. Your senses telling you it's small game fleeing your camp after stumbling to it. You do not hear any threats, or nothing you suspect would be threatening. 3> Survival, besides determining say NSEW(easily done), what are you trying to do?
What little sun there is barely penetrates the clouds over head, before being again filtered by the massive overgrowth around you. It would be easy to get turned around traveling by foot.
Bummer, But I will not kill you off due to informing me of your schedule. Thanks.
noted Jal. I will be more descriptive in the surroundings when it is warranted. Thanks for the feedback. I actually prefer not making maps and leaning towards less complicated combat moves.
R.I.P. Aubec 11/07/08
With the first party death I bring to you this notice, there are hidden challenges in the game. 2 of you already discovered the 1st challenge and proven curious to unravel the number tied to the campaign as a sign of omen. Those two have earned special story boons, they could be as small as a + to a roll, or as grand as a magical weapon to smite a specific enemy. Look again at what you think you see, you too may find the clue that leads to the boons in the future as they are given. If I allow you to see them, such as some rolls that show a party of halflings hunting the party, maybe you can act on it. /grin.
Though the night sky continues to blacken and boil no rain falls, you awaken to a grey sky, the sun hidden behind the roiling clouds. Rousing yourselves from the wet and soggy sleep, most of you shake off the fatigue of such unfavorable conditions. Sadly not all. The paladin Aubec fell, not in battle with sword in hand and a hymn on his lips, but to a bite from a poisonous viper he inadvertently rolled over on in his sleep. His flesh still cooling, but sickly and pale, it seems he never woke up after being bit. he just expired some time during the night.
Spoiler: His gear was in near perfect condition, seeign as he never used anything. Equipment:
The chest is not too heavy to move, slightly bloated out from the sides due to being in the swamp water so long, but otherwise intact.
Inside are the waterlogged remains of what was once bread, and an oily rag wrapped around 2 untarnished short swords.
"I suggest we throw the bodies as far from our campsite as possible," I suggest as I make sure all the frogs are dead, "Their corpses could easily attract other, larger, more dangerous predators."
An old flat-bottomed boat lies hidden in this area, concealed by reeds and nearly submerged. The boat has a gaping hole in its side just above the waterline. All that remains of any interest in the boat is a locked chest. The stinging of smaller pests still find their way past your armor and swatting strikes. The night is still young, and there's a 3rd watch coming up soon.
The last frog standing blinks and falls over, blood leaking out of a fatal wound. The sounds of the swamp that were muted, slowly rise back to your awareness as the adrenaline from the battle fades. The rest can be dealt with without reprisal so I will end combat assuming you all take full round actions to take care of the rest.
Due to the frog being prone, you do connect, and with a sickening crunch indeed as you fell the watery foe in one powerful smash. There is one frog still active. 4 incapacitated frogs (helpless). They can be Coupe'd (automatic critical strike, save or die.)
Simn and Muerdon work together and defeat the frog trying to wrench Simn in. The remaining 5 are subjected to a sleep spell and make saving throws. 1d20 +2 -> [9,2] = (11) failed
2 of the remaining 5 are unaffected by the wizards sleep spell, as they try to advance they are blasted buy a spray of color in the face and make further saving throws: 1d20 +2 -> [5,2] = (7) failed
one of the remaining frogs is knocked unconscious, and falls on his side at an awkward angle. There is one remaining frog that makes a gurgled croak as the rogue stabs him in the side.
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