This campaign has been going for several months now. (Almost a year -WoW) I have pretty good notes up on the wikia one of the players put together for me, so I should be able to recreate game notes. I enjoy reading other peoples games, so I thought i should but one of ours up. I'll try to do this every week or so-we play once a week. I choose a non=Paizo game, so everyone can read it without spoilers.
Black Days of Kor Kammor
Dramatis Personæ
In order of games played to date.
Voronez
A deformed male fireblood dwarf (Dragon Magic) dragonfire adept (Dragon Magic). Born on the night an anvil cracked (a bad omen), Voronez was nearly killed at birth because of his mishaped body. Only the fact his mother was a priestess of great renown saved him, but his kindred were convinced he was a throwback to the half-dragon slavers who once ruled over (and interbred with) the fireblood dwarves. He was loved by his mother, but abused by all others of his dep (a kind of underground city). He never received any traditional dwarven training, resulting in his developement of the innate dragon powers any member of his clan could learn, but don't. This further worsens his reputation with his kin, who think the powers are exclusive to him, and proof he's evil.
Voronez mother died a few years ago, in a massive forge fire. Though Voronez was not responsible, many of his kindred blame him. This reslted in Voronez being beaten and mistreated constantly. His already swollen face hides bruises well and he never reported his beatings, so elders were able to pretend they did not notice. Recently, a paralyzing disease has affected his kindred, slowing them and turning them gradually to stone. Because of his innate fire powers, Voronez is immune. Wishing to prove himself to his kindred, Vornoez has set out to find a cure for this affliction, and its sorce. An old tome suggested a sage in Freeport might know what's going on.
Voronez is short for a dwarf, and misshapen. His left leg is longer than his right, his face is uneven and set low on his sholders, and he has a hunch back. His fingers on his right hand are too long and thin for a dwarf, and his right hand is swollen. He used to wear a mask of leather and chain armor under lairs of rags. Other members of the party have since worked on finding better atire for him, but so far it all makes him uncomfortable. He depends on his rbeath weapon in combat, but does cary a dagegr and club.
Auriji
A female human barbarian, Auriji has a simple past. She did not want to become a tribe-wife, serve the Onyx Jaguar Temple, or learn spirit-talking. When her tribe felt she was being rebellious, she fought her was free of them and set off to see the world. She seeks to earn a place as a bodyguard to a wealthy prince, or a minor warlord in her own right. Unfortunately for her, she has a temper and little ability to save money, so these goals never seem to gte any closer.
Auriji stands six feet tall. She has mahoganny brown skin, black eyes, and long straight black hair. She wears hide straps tied individually to her body (many now repalced by belts of her fallen foes), which coutns as studded leather armor. She fights with Majah Gada, a longspear, or Phrit Fi, a punch dagger.
Lyssa and Ryssa, "The Twins"
A female dvati (Dragon Compendium) jester (Dragon Compendium). Lyssa and ryssa (also just LaR), are from a far off continent where dvati are common. They were lost at sea as children, and washed up on Kior Kammor, where dvati are totally unknown. Because they look a bit odd 9though are attractive even by humelven standards), speak a language no one else knows, and can commuicate telepathically, they were soon taken into a travelling crime circus. They would serve as lookouts (using telepathy) or one would act as alabi for the other to steal soemthing.
Once they hit younf adult status, LaR realized she was okay with playing fast and loose with laws and taking unneeded funds from the rich, but that the circus was often hurting the innocent. Thus the twins faked their death, and became traveling jesters (attractive twin jester girls being odd enough to get good gigs). They now seek any information about their homeland, which they remember but don't know much about. They are desperately wishing to find a male dvati, so as to have children, beleiving they must both get pregnant on the same night by twin dvati males, so as to give birth to "a" dvati from two bodies. LaR's greatest fear is lonliness, and she thinks without children, her old age will be very lonly.
Lyssa and Ryssa paint their faces with black grease mark, treating their pale skin as if it was already white cake paint. They have suits of green-and-brown motley, which works surprizingly well as camoflage too. Each carries an asortment of small weapons and tool, including two drama masks (one laughing, one crying). Most people don't realize their names, Lyssa and ryssa, refer not to the two dvati bodies, but to the masks. Thus whichever one hold laughing face is Ryssa, and whichever one holds crying face is Luyssa (only Voronmez seems to have worked this out to date).
Mhyssi
A female major celestial bloodline (Unearther Arcana) elf cloistered cleric (Unearthed Arcana)/batle sorcerer (Unearthed Arcana)/mystic theurge. Mhyssi is the last in a long line of the Hearts of War, a bloodline of great warlords and generals. Her family was wiped out by the Blood Host, a bugbear army that has conquered a large section of Kor Kammor. She was captured and enslaved as a very yougn girl, and forced to serve as a sex toy and learn the art of skeeving (goblin military scrying). She thinks of herself as a short, ugly, weak bugbear and is still surprised when anyone treats her as attractive, worthwhile or smart.
Because of her innate talents, she was turned over to the Redcaps, goblin shamans. She was trained to wroship Hyarl the bugbear god of war. She does, but discovered soemthing the bugbears forgot – Hyarl is not originalyl a bugbear deity. In fact, Hyarl is an old giant god who values leadership and planning in warfare over personal combat abilities. He is neutral, and doesn't mind his bugbear followers, but also grants good clerics abilities. In a dream, Hyarl warned Mhyssa that "black days of endless blood war" are coming to Kor Kammor, and if she doesn't prepare a "golden hoard" of warriors, the entire land will die. Mhyssa secretly kept working for the bugbears because she thoguht they were the only hope for such an army. Now, she knos better.
Mhyssi is lithe, sad-looking and auburn-headed. Her eyes are split -- one gold and one green, and she has a tattoo of a greatsword on her left cheek. Oringally encountered wearing nothing but a set of manacles and a brand (of ownership by goblins, across her lower back), Mhyssi has no sense of possession. This often drives her allies nuts, as Mhyssi will give away things of value, or forget them, because they don't seem like hers. She is fond of the colors green and gold, and more likely to keep things in that pallet. (In current game time she's wearing a goldwashed chain shirt and carrying a emerald-hilted greatsword, but that all comes later).
Quince Whiteblade
Quince is a male human knight )PHB II), The son, grandson, and great-granson of paladins, monarchs, and champions. In his line are six great heroes who slew dragons, saved kingdoms, and ended tyranny. However, they are all the women of his ancestry, mothers and grandmothers. The men his noble material ancestors amrried all proved to be losers and wastrels, though good-looking. Neither those born of the great ladies' line, nor those they chose as mates, have ever done anything but fail, betray or disappoint. Thus while Quince is beloved by the women of his family, none of them trust him. It's his life's ambition to prove he can break the "male curse."
A trained squire, Quince couldn't find a permanent place because of his family background. He became a knight errant, seeking a cause to commit to, that could accept him and let him prove his worth.
Glidda
A female azurin (Magic of Incarnum) incarnate (Magic of Incarnum). Glidda was raised a temple prostitute, a profession she ssees as honorable and valuable. Two years ago, her temple was attacked, ravaged, and destroyed by demons. No one knows why. Glidda lost many good friends during the attack, as well as her home. She decided the demons must be found and stopped, and she was just the woman to convince heroes to go do that.
Glidda is buxom, blond and creamy-skinned. She is normally bedecked in a velvet dress with jewelry (both real and soulmelded). She rarely carries a weapon. She only travels on adventures occasionally, spending the rest of her time working and gathering intelligence. (Her player isn;t always free)
Other characters to be introduced as they show up.
Game One
The Stage is Set
The Secret Venture is a wandering tavern ship, sailing along the Gaunt River, through the Unclaimed Lands, serving overpriced drinks, bad stew, and bedtime companionship for hire to anyone with coin. It mostly settles along seasonal trade routes at places where caravans pick up goods from shipping barges. On this night, it sits moored by the town of Nightspring,an independt community that gives lip service to the White Kings, but does little to enforce their laws.
The past few years, the Blood Host has taken ladns closer and closer to Nightspring, and bought more and more goods from traders. As a result, bugbears and hobgoblins are grudingly accepted here, and though slaver is outlawed the goblinoids practice of it is overlooked. Thus, Svurg Bloodbeard, a young bugbear commander, and his hobgoblin troops are enj0oying a night of revelry aborad the Secret venture while Svurg waits for a merchant with a hundred crossbows for sale. Svurg is advised by Kittul Godlick, a redcap shaman and owner of the slave Mhyssi.
Also present this cold night are Voronez (who couldn't get served in town), the Twins (paid to perform a commedy routine in the tavern decks), Auriji (hired as a guard for the venture), and Glidda (working the boat for free passage). Outside near the boat is Quince (seeking a murderer who fled this way). There are a half-dozen townies in the tavern deck, and perhaps three dozen employees and sailors scattered across the boat.
Because they know it angers the humans, but they believe no one will do anything about it, the hobgoblins are actively abusing Mhyssi in the tavern deck, while drinking, eating, and loaudly talking about how weak non-goblin races are. Kittul doesn't care as long as she isn't made unable to learn, cast spells or serve, and Bloodbeard wants to see if the region is so cowed it could be easily conquered. Mhyssi's cries of shame and pain are too muffled to be heard outside, but no one in the tavern deck can miss it. However, most know that doing anything about it will get them killed.
Moved by the girls' suffering, voronez decides he must get involved. Seeing he is outnumbered, the lumpy dwarf realizes hell need help to free her. Spying Auriji, half-asleep with drink, in the corner, he starts muttering to himself in gaint hoping (correctly) she speaks tha language. Voronez talks to himself so Auriji can overhear, but sounds like he thinks no one else will understand him. He complains that bugbears and hobgoblins act like they rule the whole world now, and are even so bold as to take free travelers as slaves. It's sad, he comments to himself, that the big, dark spear-woman is going to be enslaved during the night while she sleeps, and the ship's captain paid for letting her be taken.
Auriji is enraged by the bluff, and grabs up her spear. Before the hobgoblins who what has hit them, Auriji has killed one with her mighty Majah Gada. Voronez is right behind her, and wounds more than half of the rest with a well-placed breath weapon. He also catches the tavern deck on fire, and panics everyone left. Quince sees the fire and commotion from outside and heads that way, hoping to find a small draogn to slay heroically.
The hobgoblins quickly surround Auriji and Voronez, who look doomed. Auriji swears to be Voronez's blood-sister, so they can see each other in the afterlife. Lyssa and ryssa start working against the hobgoblins in subtle ways (knocking one out by breaking two mugs on its head when no one is looking, screaming "look out" at one trying to sneak up on Voronez), but aren't willing to put their employer at risk by actively opposing them.
Glidda runs in to see what the commotion is, and is immediately attacked by hobgoblins,. While she tries to calm every9ne, or at least lure a few into another room to reduce the confusion in the tavern deck, her lesser soulspark barely manages to keep a hobgoblin off her. Lyssa and Ryssa move to assist her directly, since she's currently also an employee.
Vornoez tries to get to Mhyssi, so she can be freed at least before he and Auriji are killed. Kittul puts an end to that. Bloodbeard decides to end the fight, but is surprised when Auriji goes into rage, and seems much less close to falling down. Still, things are going badly for the heroes.
Then, Quince swings in through a window on a rope from above decks. He slams into Kittul on an "uncontrolled-Erool-Flynn-on-a-rope" charge, and scors a crit, killing the Redcap. Suddenly Bloodbeard is flanked between Auriji and Quince.Suddenly low on both hp and morale, Bloodbeard flees to the deck of the ship.
The hobgoblins rush to help their commander, and the Twins and Glidda can't stop them fast enough. Mhyssi has flung herself protectively over Voronez, who is the only person to ever try to help her. A hobgoblin begins a coup-de-gras on the dwarf, while the Twins and Glidda urge Myssi to run to them, and flee the ship. Instead, Mhyssi grabs Kittur's spell component pouch. Suddnely able to cast spells, she nails the hobgoblin with a deific vengeance, calling out to the hobgoblins own deity and killing him.
On the deck, the fighting spills over crates and rollign barrels. Sailors rush up to take down Auriji and Qunice, for fear of angering the Blood Host if the bugbear is killed. Fresher than the other combatants, Quince keeps hammering on Bloodbeard, while Auriji stands behind him with her longspear and keeps sailrs off him. The two drive Bloodbeard the length of the ship.
Inside, the remaining hobgoblins are killed off by the twins, glidda, Mhyssi and Voronex. It's worth noting Quince doesn't see any of that. Mhyssi heals Voronex, and asks why he risked himself for her. The twins rush up on deck, and tell sailors to evacuate. They claim the hobogblins are actually undead ("do you think they smell like that normally?", scaring the crew into fleeing.
Bloodbeard leaps onto one of the ship's catepults to hurl it's barrel fo alchemist's fire at his attackers. He hits and they take fire damage, but keep attacking him. He rants about the inevitability of the Blod Hosts' success, and how they'll burn forever in the end. Auriji fires the catapult he's standing on, killing him.
Since the venture is burning down, the group must escape. Voronex braves the flames to grab out people who have fallen uncosncious, while Quince swings off the ship with both Glidda and Mhyssa. The twins talk about how great an exit this is, and somehow sneak off the ship. (Lyssa has one end of her jester cap smoldering a think line of smoke for the rest of the night).
The captain fo the venture is pissed, but not willing to take on the people who took on the hobgoblins. The townsfol seem pissed, but also treat the Pces with respect. They are told to loot the bodies of the hobgoblins "the the Host knows we took nothing from their fallen."
On the bodies they discover the plan to buy crossbows for "a second expedition into the Bullette Peaks." No reason for the Host to do this isgiven, but the plan also calls for a visit to a major deamon-worshiopper in the Pirate City of Freeport, (in the Unclaimed Lands) and hiring Unjohn the Ugly as a scout, who just happens to be the murderer Quince is seeking. The group decides to investigate all this together, starting with freeport, which they must now walk to.
The group sets out, and do a lot of talking to get to know each other. Quince seems bothered he may not be in with :the right crowd," but glidda convinces him staying if for the greater good. Mhyssi spends a lot of time talking to the twins. Voronex quietly admits to Auriji he tricked her, and explains why. She laughs, telling him she'd kill a stranger for that, but he is her brother now and she's pleased by how clever he is.
That night, goblin scouts on wolf steeds attack the camp. The players slaughter them in three rounds. They discover Bloodbeard's brother 9who has the same write-up) came to join up with his brother and is furious the heroes killed him. He has sworn to track them down, and sacrifice them to the Host.
Notable Quoteables
voronez (ooc): Why is there a slave girl figure on ths ship?
mhyssi (ooc): That's Mhyssi., She's naked and in chains, like the figure.
glidda (ooc): If you hadn't bought those chains, you might have been able to afford some clothes with your starting money.
(After voronez uses his breath weapon for the first time)
auriji: "How do you DO that?"
voronez: "You haven't eaten the curry here, have you?"
quince: "I'm Sir Whiteblade!"
auriji: "Yeah? We'll I'm... I'm... I'm drunk!"
the twins: "And in the morning, those statements will both probably still be true."
quince (ooc): "I want to challenge the bugbear. How do I do that?"
the twins (ooc): "Kick him in the junk."
(Once Mhyssi asks Varonex why he risked his life for her.)
Glidda: "They're called bewbs, honey."
Varonex (stammering): "N-no. They aren't why... I mean... That's not it."
Ryssa: "He must be a leg man, then."
Lyssa: "Or butt. Or, anything, really, She's giving him a wide selection of anatomy to choose from."
(As Bloodbeard is losing to Auriji and Quince)
bloodbeard: "By the marrow of the gods, I have had enough!"
The twins: "That's okay, I think they're bringing your check."
(Blodbeard ends his rant.)
Bloodbeard: "The goblinoid enpire shall sweep the land liek a plague! And what are you going to do about it?"
Auriji: "This." (She uses her longspear to fire the catapult, sending Bloodbeard flying.)
(As Vrononez tries to create an adventuring partyy)
quince: "I'm with you, friend, but I don't think we can bring Mhyssi in good conscionce. It's going to be dangerous, and she's not really prepared for..."
(Mhyssi heals Auriji of all her battle injuries)
auriji: "Quince? Shut up."
Comments on this adventure, its characters or the world it is set in are welcome.
What an amazingly chaotic, spastic and utterly entertaining beginning session for a campaign.
I recall you mentioning something about how 'interesting' your campaigns were on another post Dungeon Grrrl, I just didn't understand exactly how 'interesting'. Bravo.
A misshapen Dwarf, an Elven girl turned goblinoid sex-toy turned liberated slave, a questing Knight, The twins, and a courtesan? Legends are made of parties such as these.
I absolutely will be following this thread. Thanks for joining the Campaign Journals, Dungeon Grrrl!
I must concur with Yasha, the first entry is a most delectable read. Not too heavy on the in-character stuff, not too light on the laying of smackdown, and the ooc commentary is a brilliant touch. o7
I must concur with Yasha, the first entry is a most delectable read. Not too heavy on the in-character stuff, not too light on the laying of smackdown, and the ooc commentary is a brilliant touch. o7
Alright...Turin's here too. Make sure to update often Dungeon Grrrl, Turin and I are about the most spastic and faithful Journal readers that you can find. Be forewarned that great zaniness is sure to follow. And apparently carnivorous hobbits...thats Turin for you.
I must concur with Yasha, the first entry is a most delectable read. Not too heavy on the in-character stuff, not too light on the laying of smackdown, and the ooc commentary is a brilliant touch. o7Alright...Turin's here too. Make sure to update often Dungeon Grrrl, Turin and I are about the most spastic and faithful Journal readers that you can find. Be forewarned that great zaniness is sure to follow. And apparently carnivorous hobbits...thats Turin for you.
Looks up from pre-seasoning Yasha's left foot with a mixture of tenderizer and a secret long pork seasoning recipe originally concocted by Grandpappy Turin...
Don't mind the numbing sensation, it is a great boon to your circulation...
Wow, you two are cute!
I'll update as I can, but it may be catch as catch can. I am shooting for once a week, which is how often we play, but I have months and months of backlog. In theory, and slow weeks I may get more in. Obviously on busy weeks, you dears are just going to have to ewait.
Wow, you two are cute!
I'll update as I can, but it may be catch as catch can. I am shooting for once a week, which is how often we play, but I have months and months of backlog. In theory, and slow weeks I may get more in. Obviously on busy weeks, you dears are just going to have to wait.
So I'm stuck gnawing on Yasha's stub until after New Year's... ^_^
Looking forward to the posts as they arrive. After all, one could sneak in backlog posts during various moments ... when the non-gamers are all hollering at the football game ... when recuperating from certain states of inebriation ... when everyone else is asleep but you are Hiding in Shadows to Backstab Santa and take his artifact-level Bag of Holding ...
Take your time Dungeon Grrrl. I know that is completely contrary to what I said before...but as the Holiday Chaos comes...well...there is only so much that you can fight the storm.
Oh..and Turin...
~\--/~
-O--O-
WWW
Don't make me eat your face off. Becuase I will...with wasabi.
Oh and Dungeon Grrrl, whether it looks like it or not, we do know how to behave. So if we get too into it and start derailing your thread or you start to find us intolerable, let us know.
^_^y Monster face for Turin, Chichiri face for you.
Also, do bear in mind the monster face looked better before I posted it. Curses.
Take your time Dungeon Grrrl. I know that is completely contrary to what I said before...but as the Holiday Chaos comes...well...there is only so much that you can fight the storm.
Oh..and Turin...
~\--/~
-O--O-
WWWDon't make me eat your face off. Becuase I will...with wasabi.
** spoiler omitted **
Also, do bear in mind the monster face looked better before I posted it. Curses.
Wasabi? Not bad ... doesn't go well with long pork.
And yes Dungeon Grrrl, we shall (perhaps futilely) endeavor to behave. Please, post as soon as your are able and willing though. ^_^
Okay, I got the next one ready. I stuck the notable quotables in the running text this time.
Black Days of Kor Kammor
Dramatis Personæ
Voronez
A deformed male fireblood dwarf (Dragon Magic) dragonfire adept (Dragon Magic). Recently, a paralyzing disease has affected his kindred, slowing and turning them gradually to stone. Wishing to prove himself to his kindred, Vornoez has set out to find a cure for this affliction, and its sorce. Having started the series of events that got the group of heroes together, Voronez is now seen by his allies as a cunning advisor, both wise and compassionate.
Auriji
A female human barbarian. Auriji stands six feet tall. She has mahoganny brown skin, black eyes, and long straight black hair. She fights with Majah Gada, a longspear, or Phrit Fi, a punch dagger. Made Voronez her blood brother.
Lyssa and Ryssa, "The Twins"
A female dvati (Dragon Compendium) jester (Dragon Compendium). Lyssa and Ryssa (LaR) paint their faces with black grease mark, treating their pale skin as if it was already white cake paint. Have laughing and crying drama masks. Most people don't realize their names, Lyssa and ryssa, refer not to the two dvati bodies, but to the masks. Thus whichever one hold laughing face is Ryssa, and whichever one holds crying face is Luyssa.
Mhyssi
A female major celestial bloodline (Unearther Arcana) elf cloistered cleric (Unearthed Arcana)/batle sorcerer (Unearthed Arcana)/mystic theurge. She was captured and enslaved as a very yougn girl, and forced to serve as a sex toy and learn the art of skeeving (goblin military scrying). Mhyssi is lithe, sad-looking and auburn-headed. Her eyes are split -- one gold and one green, and she has a tattoo of a greatsword on her left cheek. She is currently wearing a spare shift of Glidda's, which has penty of coverage but is remarkably sheer. The Twins have loaned her a dagger, and she has a spell component pouch stolen from her previous owner, the Redcap shaman Kittur. Mhyssi is two levels higher than everyone else, but has no possessions other than what they loan her. She currently thinks of herself as belonging to Voronex, but hasn't told him that yet.
Quince Whiteblade
Quince is a male human knight 9PHB II) A trained squire, Quince couldn't find a permanent place because of his family background (in which all men turn out to be scum). He became a knight errant, seeking a cause to commit to, that could accept him and let him prove his worth. Thinks of himself as team leader. Also, trying to figure out if he's in love with glidda, or just suffering serious lust issues.
Glidda
A female azurin (Magic of Incarnum) incarnate (Magic of Incarnum). Glidda was raised a temple prostitute, a profession she ssees as honorable and valuable. Two years ago, her temple was attacked, ravaged, and destroyed by demons. She decided the demons must be found and stopped, and she was just the woman to convince heroes to go do that.
Game Two
They Almost Ruin Everything
Quince is very concerned about the new threat to them, the bugbear Bhog Bloodbeard, brother of Svurg Bloodbeard. Bhog is commander of a host of goblin wolf-riders, and clearly plans to harry the party and try to trap them. Quince very much wants to set a trap and let Bhog come to them and force a final showndown. Voronex is less convinced-no one knows how many troops Bhog has, or how close they are. While goblins might overwhelm them if the party keeps moving, they are sure to if the party tries to dig in and wait.
This is the first big party conflict. Quince is adamant about the smart thing to do, Voronex equally convinced Q's wrong. Auriji supports Voronex without debate-he is her (newly formed) blood brother, and she prefers a running fight anyway. Glidda is afraid of being surrounded on the open plains (she is very much a city girl) and much prefers having even a crude foritifcation for a fight. (Beside, shes noticed Quince looking longingly at her, and thinks hell be useful later if she cements his like for her now). The Twins each take a side (setting a trend for how they handle almost all disagreements). This leaves the deciding vote with Mhyssi.
Mhyssi: "I get a vote?"
Quince: "Of course you do!"
Mhyssi looks at Voronex.
Vornoex: "On this, he's right. You get a vote."
Mhyssi: "Ah. Then I vote for my lord's idea.
Quince (The only noble present): "Good. We'll start on that hill..."
Mhyssi (upset, to voronex): "You SOLD me?!"
Voronex (confused): "Whay? No! Why would...?"
Quince: "Sold her? Voronex, you slaver bastard!" (Draws his sword)
The party actually comers to blows before the Twins realize Mhyssi thinks of herself as Voronexs property, making him her lord, and Voronex had no idea. While still upset and ready to fight one another, the party is attacked by Urgunt, an awakened bull druid working for Bhog as his scoutmaster.
The party had seen Urgunt, but ignored him as a wild animal (longhorn cattle roam this region of Kor Kammor). This alolows him to open with a charge. Urgunt is surprisingly effective, able to cast spells to enhance itself and already having natural attacks and armor. (Though he can only cast spells in forms other than his natural one, using natural Spellcaster, since as a bull he has no hands). Urghnt drops Glidda in the first round of combat
glidda (ooc): worst bull rush I ever suffered.
Auriji leaps up and fights back immediately, while everyone else wastes a round trying to figure out who is -really- attacking. This does allow them to spot the goblins sneaking up with nets. Quince gets wrapped up without his sword (the Twins had disarmed him during the interparty fight), and is forced to defend himself with a dagger. The Twins hide, and Voronex wipes out several goblins with a breath weapon before being overwhelmed in a mass grapple.
Auriji manages to hold Urgunt toe-to-toe, though he gets off the occasional spell to harry the rest of the party. (The Twins waste several rounds try to charm him, as they don't realize he's a magical beast, not a humanoid taking multiple animal forms). Auriji is clearly overmached, and rages. Quince heroically manages to prevent goblins from coup de gras-ing glidda, but can't kill them fast enough with a dagger.
Mhyssi has been trying to help Voronex, but then a net gets thrown over her. For one round, she does nothing, whimpering. They, she freaks out. She successfully gets into her stolen spell component pouch and lobs a fireball into the goblin ranks. Though she catches Voronex as well, she kills nearly all the goblins. (Voronex is singed, but fire resistance keeps him from being seriously harmed)
Voronex leaps up to flank Urgunt for Auriji, and yells at the Twins to stop wasting spells and get Quince lose and Glidda safe. Urgunt suddenly sees Mhyssi as threat number 1, but is too low on spells to get her except in melee. The bull charges past Auriji, who tries to trip him but can't make the trip check and ends up bowled over and bloodied. Mhyssi runs, using terrain to keep away from the faster bull druid for a round or two.
The Twins free Quince and promise to keep Glidda safe. Voronex realizes Auriji is bleeding to death, and moves to save her (cooincidentally placing her in his healing aura). Quince jumps up to stop Urgunt, taking the bull on with a dagger and size Small axe retreived from a goblin. Urgunt slams through the knight in 2 rounds. Mhyssi reaches Voronex and Auriji, and heals Auriji. Voronex tells Mhyssi to grab Auriji and run, and turns to breath on Urgunt as soon as he's in range. Urgunt charges.
The nTwins: "We have her. Go, Quince. For the love of life, get it!"
Quince: "He shall not touch you while I stand."
Awake, but prone, Auriji picks up Majah Gada and readies for Urgunt's charge. Since it's a reach weapon, her attack goes off before his overun can kill her. She not only hits, but crits, dealing x4 damage, spearing the bull druid clean through and killing him.
Auriji (ooc): "With my last breath, I spit thee."
Twins (ooc): "Hey, that's OUR line!"
The remaining goblins form up to make a last attack on the badly injured party, but LaR break into a song about goblin soup (in goblin, and including how much tastier it is with beef), and scare them off.
The Twins get Quince (barely) conscious, and he drags himself over to Voronex and Auriji. There, he apologises. No matter who is at fault for the party coming to blows he was part of it, and fels great shame. Further, the argument over his fortification left them vulnerable to attack. (The Twins have harped on this irony for several minutes). He pledges to take Voronex's advice with greatest respect from now on, and not to divide the party, save only moral issues he cannot stand down on.
Which, Voronex adds, ought to include slavery. Surprised, Quince agrees it must. All eyes turn to Mhyssi, who immediately is convinced Voronex is going to sell her and send her away from the party. After a few questions, she confesses she beleives she can be taken by force (as Voronex did), or sold, or given away. She doesn't see how she can be set free. Voronex states he can not, and will not, own a slave.
Mhyssi: "Please, my lord, do not send me away, I shall do whatever you desire, and you may use me as you..."
Voronex (interrupting): "So in your opinion, I could give you to anyone?"
Mhyssi nods, looking miserable.
Voronex: Fine. (Points to a dead goblin) "I give you to him."
Mhyssi: "But,,, he's dead?"
Voronex: "Exactly."
The Twins and Glidda have to helop her through the logic, but ny the end of the day Mhyssi sees herself as a free women. She discovers this is even scarier for her than being a salve, but she likes it.
ThenTwins warn the party not to linger here too long. Looking at the numbner of goblins killed, (including the ones killed the previous sessions), the loot taken from them, the cost of replacing trained riding wolves, and the value of a bull that has been awakened, the Twins figure Bhog Bloodbeard has now spend more than 20,000 gp chacing them. (No one GM included, bothers to check their numbers). Therefore, he wants them badly., very badly. No foritifcation likely to stop his next assualt could be built before it might arrive. Tehir best hope is too flee.
Glidda suggessts building a raft and taking to the river, since it's harder to track them across is. Voronex suggest bulding a raft and using it to get just as far as the Monument steps, a haunted region of rocky hills. Cutting through it takes several days off their travel time to Freeport, its tough to track across rock, and they can let the raft go from wherever they disembark, thus throughing goblins further off the scent. When Quince and Glidda complain the Monument Steps are, well, haunted, Voronex points out that makes it even less likely the goblins will follow them.
Twins: "So you recommend taking this route because it's such a bad idea, no one will think we've done it?"
Vornoex: "Well, yes I supppse."
Twins: "Great. We're in"
It turns out Auriji has a woodcrafting skill,a dQuince has ranks in boatwright. The two set to work to make a quick raft, and are surprised how well their skills and attitudes compliment each other. It takes two days to build, during which time the Twins find and kill two goblin scouts, without telling the rest of the party. The day the raft goes into the ater, a hoard of goblins are just hours behind the party.
During this time, Glida discovers Mhyssi has no idea sex can lead to pregnancy. Goblins don't discuss such things, aren't cross-fertile with elves so Mhyssi never had to deal with it, and no one taught Mhyssi before she was kidnnapped. Glidda and the Twins explain the birds and the bees to Mhyssi, and Glidda gives her a large supply of silphium, and Mhyssi becomes a lover of the Twins, who hadn't realized how lonely they were getting. At the same time glidda begins to see Auriji as competition for the attention mof Quince, but isn't convinced she should do anything about it. Auriji and Quince remain blissfully anaware of all these social goings-on, and vornonex notices them all but stays uninvolved (being used to being the outsider).
The Monument Steps are rocky, shale-covered hills that were a popular burial place for minor nobles and rich merchants during the height of the Catchos Empire, which collapsed more than a century ago. The tombs here could be built by pushing shale aside, building a wooden building, then burrying it. This was cheap, allowing impressive tombs of gilt wooden walls to be built by the upper middle class, mimicing the great stone vaults of major nobles and kings for a fraction of the price. Of course, people trying to skimp on tomb costs often don't pay for the -good- blessings and prayer, making many of the burial sites not holy ground. Further, the wood often gave way after a few years, meaning the tombs were broken open often. And, gilt being valuable, many robbers began searching for lost tombs, especially once Catchos fell. As a result, minor undead, angry at losing their graves and never properly put to rest, are common here.
Mhyssi (ooc): "Wow, so this is the land of the yuppie dead?"
Twins (ooc): "Just keeping up with the Joneses. Keeping up in the land of the living with the zombified, brain-eating Joneses."
Auriji (ooc): "Come on down to Mad Martigan's Mobile Tomb emporium. You won't believe our prices! They say you can't take it with you, so why not spend it now?"
The first night through the Monument Steps in uneventful, but players are forced to regualrly make Spot/Listen checks (we switched to Perception later in the game, but they're still separate skill at this point), so to ensure they don't assume any request for a check means a fight is about to start. Oftne they hear shifting shale, but after readying weapons and casting combat spells in "preparation" a few times, they give up trying to guess whena fight will break out.
Because it begins to rain, they take shelter in a small cave. During the night, a Spot check is called for when Quince is on gaurd. Players think nothing of it...
Until the undead cats attack.
Mumkmified so they could go into the afterlife with their owner, the 32 mummified cats were the most valued possessions of a cracy cat lady minor noble toward the end of the Catchos empire. The cave was once the entrance to her tomb, and the cat mummies can still crawl through the cracks from the collapsed tomb into the cave.
Glidda (ooc): "Eeek! I'm a dog person! I'm a dog person!"
The Twins (ooc): "What, like, a gnoll?"
Quince is swarmed quicjkly, and scraems an alarm as he tries to hold the tiny undead. They quickly get past him, and begin pouncing, sickening, and mesmerizing the rest of the part. Several score crits against Voronex, who flees out of the cave to stop getting flanked. Auriji must resort to Phrit Fi, since the cats tumble and are all inside the attack range of her spear. Glidda's lesser soulspark does an excellent job protecting her, and she is remarkable effective with a burning stick she pulls out of the campfire. The twins have nothing of real use against cat mummies (who also have scent), but fight back-to-back and hold their own.
Mhyssi takes two rouns to wake up, arm herself, and cast a defensive spell. Then, she does a Turn undead, and causes a third of the cats to turn to dust. Two more attempts, one on each following rond, takes care of the rest. The cats were dressed in silks and golden collars, so the heroes gather up their treasure. This includes a ring of languages (granting access to all for elemental languages, spoken and written, for the wearer), a ring of clotting (never bleed to death), and a wepon charm (a golden greatsword that becomes a wrist bracelet as a move action).
Deciding maybe an old tomb isn't the best place for camp, the part moves on. They are attacked twice more through the day, but both times Mhyssi simply turns the undead, destroying them. At the close of the game session, the party is halfway through the Monument Steps.
Mummified kitty carcasses from a cheaply entombed old cat lady, awesome! ^_^
Mummified kitty carcasses from a cheaply entombed old cat lady, awesome! ^_^
Yes...consider the idea of a Swarm of Mummy Cats sooooo stolen. Just the look of horror on players faces should be enough.
Players:"So...there's a mob of undead cats coming at us from everywhere?"
DM:"Thats right. They are dessicated and linen-wrapped as was customary for this region. Mummified you could say..."
Players:"Did you just say these were Mummy Cats?"
DM:"Basically."
Players:"RUN!"
Seriously...that many attacks even with low attack bonuses and you are bound to infect the whole party with Mummy Rot. I like it.
That is cool. And btw this is a good campaign journal. Voronex is really neat--I like the touch of him giving her to the dead goblin. Also very awesome setup of the hobgoblins--the Redcaps is a nice touch of mingling myth and game.
Thank you all. compared to the people I play under (as opposed to DM) i always feel like the uncreative one. Most of my ideas are stolen from trashy fantasy romance novels (the only fantasy novels my players don't read voraciously) or comic books, or myth.
I did like Redaps as goblin spellcaster, though :D
And if you like voronex' style, keep reading...
Thank you all. Compared to the people I play under (as opposed to DM), I always feel like the uncreative one. Most of my ideas are stolen from trashy fantasy romance novels (the only fantasy novels my players don't read voraciously) or comic books, or myth.
I did like Redaps as goblin spellcaster, though :D
And if you like voronex' style, keep reading...
Chuckling Most ideas are stolen - how far back one goes to steal them of course is one of the fun parts. And mythology has more critters and concepts to rip off than has been stolen and statted up in 35 years of D&D altogether.
In essence, plunder away! YARRR!! ~Coughcoughhackwheeze~ Or, something...
A cool and crazy story so far, with very interesting characters. Keep the stories coming! *Shakes head in amazement*
Stefan
I admit, the more different people post 9and the more often anyone posts), the more motivated I am to transcribe the wikia notes inot somethign I can post. So...
Black Days of Kor Kammor
Game Three
Dramatis Personæ (abridged, see post one for full cast)
Voronez
A deformed male fireblood dwarf dragonfire adept. Seeking a cure for a paralyzing disease has affected his kindred, slowing and turning them gradually to stone. Currently seen as a good advisor to the party.
Auriji
A six foott tall, mahoganny skinned female human barbarian. She fights with Majah Gada, a longspear, or Phrit Fi, a punch dagger. Voronez is her blood brother, and she has *just* begun to be romantically interested in Quince.
Lyssa and Ryssa, "The Twins"
A female dvati (Dragon Compendium) jester with painted faces. Have laughing and crying drama masks. Most people don't realize their names, Lyssa and ryssa, refer not to the two dvati bodies, but to the masks. Thus whichever one hold laughing face is Ryssa, and whichever one holds crying face is Luyssa.
Mhyssi
A female major celestial bloodline elf cloistered cleric/batle sorcerer (Unearthed Arcana)/mystic theurge. She was captured and enslaved as a very yougn girl, and forced to serve as a sex toy and learn the art of skeeving (goblin military scrying). Mhyssi is auburn-headed with split eyes (one gold and one green), and she has a tattoo of a greatsword on her left cheek. Barely dressed, she has a greatsword weapon charm (from the cat mummies of game 2) and she has a spell component pouch stolen from her previous owner, the Redcap shaman Kittur. Curently lover to the twins, and beginning to understand she is truly free.
Quince Whiteblade
Quince is a male human knight, trying to figure out if he's in love with glidda, or Auriji, or just suffering serious lust issues.
Glidda
A female azurin incarnate. A temple prostitute, two years ago, her temple was attacked, ravaged, and destroyed by demons. She decided the demons must be found and stopped, and she was just the woman to convince heroes to go do that.
Recap
The heroes have incurred the wrath of the goblkin Bllod Hoard, and are being pursed by the forces of bugbear Bhog bloodbeard. seek to confer with (or at least investigate) the diabolst Scara Holthel, wh9o lives in the Pirate city of Freeport and is supposed to be a sage the Blood Hoast wish to speak to (as discovered in apapers carried byt agent so the hoast and Bhog Bloodbeard).
Fleeing Hoard forces Bhog sends to capture them, the part cuts through the Monument Stones, shale-covered hills with scores of cheap tombs from the last days of the catchos Empire. It is only two week's trip through the Stones, but already the party has fought offf mummified cats, zombie stoenmasons, and skeletal limners (with rotting buckets of paint still hanging weithin their ribcages).
The party now stays on the move for a solid 10 hours every day, with Mhyssi using lesser restoration to remove any fatigue that builds up (taking all her 2nd level cleric spells each day). The 14 hours of downtime are broken into an hour to set up camp, and hour to take down camp, and 4 3-hour watches a9allowing everyone to get 9 hours of sleep).
Watch 1 Lyssa, Glidda
Watch 2 Rhyssa, Quince
Watch 3 Mhyssi, voronex (he has darkvision)
Watch 4 Mhyssi (only needs 4 hours of meditation), Auriji
Glidda: It would be better if I didn't have to take a watch. My energies need recharging...
Twins; Your energies recharge well when a wolf sneaks up and eats you becase there's only one person keeping an eye out?.
Glidda; first watch will be fine.
A few days pass without incident. One night,Quince and Auriji finally decide they are romantically linked and begin sharing a bedrool. In the middle of that night (3rd watch), a scream rips through the night. People get up immediately, but quickly argue about wether it is more likely to be woman in trouble (Quince's beleif), or an undead luring people to their doom (Glidda's beleif). The party agrees they must help if it's somene in trouble, but begin to heatedly debate the likelyhood of that (with the Twins each taking a different side).
Voironex shames the group into getting moving now, rather than waiting for the debate to end.
Vornoex: "Stop it! It doesnt matter. Either it's someone in trouble, in which case we have to go help, or it's an undead that lures people to their doom, in which case we need to go stop it before it gets someone in trouble in the furture. Either way, we need to go look!"
Glidda: "He's right. As ususal. Why do we even argue anymore?"
Twins: Habit, mostly."
As the party rushes out of camp over the shale hills, they see a short, graceful woman wrapped in a sheer cloak against the chill of the night (Tiera) and a odd, short man who looks like a really thick gnome (Humtum). These two are being attacked by bouncing burning skulls, each chanting a dirge in a low, hard to hear voice (burning mummers). The skullsmove like sparks off a forge, creating bright bunring arcs as they hop about in constant motion. Their dirge, if listend to carefully, is actually blasphemous and encourages the dead to irse up and attack the living, as vengeance for being put in the ground.
The new characters:
Teira is an elfling (Midnight) shaman *the Shamans handbook). She is a halfling/high elf crossbreed, and a member of the Spirt Speakers, the shamanistic "old religion" of the elves. Because of her halfing blood she ages and matures quickly for an elf, and is seen as something of a prodigy (but also a tregedy,a s she'‘ll die long before her childhood friends). When she went on her vision quest o e bcome a spirit-talker, she had a vision of the Pyre reborn, the lining embodiment of mortal animus (drive to know and do). The elven legend of the Pyre of Knowledge is much like the story of Prometheus giving mankind fire, except it has a living element. No great advance in mortal knowledge can occur except under the blessing of the Pyre reborn, who is always sought and killed by the forces of ignorance and darkness.
Tiera has three taboos. She may never wear armor – the spirits must defend her. She must paint the flame marks of the Pyre of Knowledge on herself every day. She must return any purely benevolent aid in the coin she beleives her allies most desire, so the value of aid given.
Tiera's earlier spirit quests have told her the Pyre reborn is a dwarf of unusual brth. She thinks it might be Humtum, who is a crafter and the renincarnation of something, after all. She's taking him to Freeport, to speak with the Sapphire Seer, who can unravel the skien of fate to see what prophicies a given soul is related to.
Humtum
Humtum is a dworrow (Midnight) defender (Midnight). He's the product of a very rare dwaf/gnome crossbreading. Though dwarves are not nromally fertile with any other race, Humtum's mother (a gnome) fell in love with a dwarf and permanently polymorphed herself into a dwarf to be with him. However, the magic didn't affect her soul, and gnomes believe in reincarnation. Thus Humtum is a gnome soul reincarnted into a dwarf body. He is a smooth-skinned dwarf unable to grow facial hair.
That last is his great shame. Though there is no law against being clean-shaven, it is an insult to the dwarven tradition. As a result, while Humtum could learn crafts (no dwarf is left idle), no warmaster would tech him weaponskills. Thus Humtum has trained himself as a gemcutter and healer (the two skills are considered related in dwarven culture and have a single title Jrect, or "cutter"), and gottne into a lot of alehouse brawls defending his "girl's" chin. Though he doesn't want to admit it, Humtum both hates and envies all other dwarves.
Tiera knew Hmtum would not want to leave his dep (underground city), but took pride in his healing. So she infected herself with Red Fever and stumbled into his dep near death. Humtum identified her condition and got her stable, but to cure her he needs rare herbs not available udnerground. The nearest sorce of them is Freeport, so he's taking her there to prove his worht to his kinsfolk.
Tiera has rebukled the burning mummers and cast a spell to give Humtum battle rage (him going into rage was the scream that woke the party), but even so they are being overwhlmed. Her demon stick (masterowrk club) at least lets her strike them without taking damage. Humtum, a brawler, keeps getting burned with every punch.
At least,l until Voronex and allies arrive. Voronex puts up an aura giving everyone some fire resistence, and lets lose with a frost breath weapon, immediately drawing the attention of all the burning mummers (and destroying a few). As the mummers go bouncing toward them, Quince and Auriji began smashing them with great effeciiency. Mhyssi tries to turn before realizing it's not anew day yet, and she's out. Glidda has her soulspark familair help gaurd Humtum (who is nearly down) while she gets lightning gautnles set for 2d6 electrical shock attacks.The twins begin to bolster their allies with quips.
Twins: Lyssa: A Burning head?
Ryssa: Sounds like an oral venereal disease.
Lyssa: Ew. Who would have sex with a flaming skull?
Ryssa: A gay skull?
Lyssa: But they don't look at all attractive. They dont even have noses!
Ryssa: No noses? How do they smell?
Lyssa: Burnt!
The burning mummers keep swarming, bnut begin to ignore voronex in favor of Auriji and Quince. Voronex getds Myssi to move with him to Teira and Humtum, weho are badly injured. Unable to breath frsot again so soon, he swings his mace wildly, fighting defensively and trying to stand between Mhyssi and the injured newcomers. As he does so, he ealized Humtum is a beardless dwarf.
Voronex: Blood-Kin, despare not! Mhyssi is a fine healer, and your burned beard will grow back.
Humtum: I am mno kin of yours, you orc-blooded freak! No one asked for your help!
Teria (near death, being healed by Mhyssi): "Help?"
Previosuly downer mummers re-light, and begin bnouncing about again (though less dangerous since they are cracked and broken). The Twins try spraying their water bottles on the new ones, and on the rare case they get a crit actually put one out, leaving it unrevivable. But Auriji and Quince are getting surrounded by those coming back to feiry animation. Auriji tries to smash many with a whirlwind attack, but that just causes them to begin to pile into a bigger and bigger pile, a large pyramid of burning, biting skulll swarm that begins to crawl toward Teira.
Glidda, quince and Auriji try to hold the now towering flaimng skull pile while the Twins move the wounded Teria and Humtum and Mhyssi heals them/. Voronex leaps forward with another ffost breath, and realized those he kills are frosted and don't get back up again.
Glida goes down, and Humtum (he and Tiere back on their feat) grabs her and gets her away from the fighting. Mhyssi is almost out of spells and has no turns., Glidda is down, Voronex and Quince have taken seirous dsamage., Quince tell the others to flee and he'll buy them time. Auriji kisses him pastionate and starts to move, so his sacrifice won't be in vain and she can clear an escape route.
But Voronex has a brain storm, and screasm at the Twins to cast pyrotechnics on the burning pile.
Twins: "It's not like that pile will take fire damage. We have a sonic attackl if you want, but its doesn;t do as mucha s your frost..."
Voronex: "No, it has to be pyrtechnics, with them as the source. Now!"
Twins: "But, we won't be able to see! We need to flee..."
Quince: "He's not been wrong yet. Do it!"
Quince stands side-by-side with Voronex to hold the huge swarm at bay while the Twins cast. Even voronex takes fire damage as the tower of evil-chating skulls promises to defile the heroes' grave. Then the pyrotechnics goes off, and draws all the fire from its source...
And the tower of skulls collapse, their flame put out. Voronex then uses a frost breath on the inert skulls, covering them all with frost. The fight is over.
Humtum and Voronex almost immediately get into a screaming match. The deformed dwarf and the beardless half dwarf seem to hate each other on sight, and insults fly that make even the Twins wince. (On careful consideration later, everyone agrees Voronex lost his temper and was rude, but didn't start any of the arguments) Mhyssi defends Voronex, and Teira (needing him to keep trusting her) defends Humtum. Things go badly, until Quince draws his swod and screasm he'll pommel-strike the next person to keep drawing ever undead in the Munument stone down on them.
Teira explains he cover story, and ther two groups agree to work together to cover the remaining distance to Freeport. As they hear shuffling moving toward them, they decide to break camp and move on despite no being fully rested. Lyssa and Ryssa can't regain spells, but would rather mvoe anyway.
A long day of runbning fights ensues, with it looking bleak at one point as tomb rats (half fiend dire rats that feed on the flesh in the unhallowed tombs) surroudn and swarm them. But Mhyssi uloads her full compliment of battle sorcerer spells, and gets them out of it. Remaining fights that day are mostly handled by Mhyssi turning and teria rebuking. Teria asks many questions, and comes to realize not only did Voronex find a way to kill the brining mummers, he was responisble for leading his group to her rescue.
Glidda find herself very attracted to Humtum, who is exotic to her eyes, and she's see nearly everything., Also, he saved her lfie in the fight, and she sees if somethign doesn't calm him down he may leave Teira with them and go home, a move likely to get him killed. She starts flirting with him, but he rejuects her as a freak-chaser.
After a looong day of travel, the party finds an old ceremonyial building, for funerals ages ago. Detecting no evil, the party searches it and decides its safe. Camp is set up. Humtum begins to grumble about going, and the Twins send Lyssa to speak to him. When Lyssa explains she is one person in two bodies with skin whiter than snow, Humtum is moved by her status as a fellow freak. Lyssa seduces him on glidda's behalf.
Mhyssi sleeps with Ryssa, and has nigthmares. Auriji and Quince have passionate "we nearly died" sex. Seeing Humtum is out for the night, Teira gets Vonornex alone. She explains her taboo, and that she must repay him for his aid in coin he'll value. He tries to defer, but it is a religious matter, and one that gives Teira great joy. She getsd him to admit he is a virgin, and quietly takes him to a small basement room and teaches him everything he neve tthoguth he'd get to know.
Glidda: "Let me get this right. I'm a temple protstitute. Against all odds, we found a temple. And everyone is getting laid *except* me?"
Ryssa: "Plenty of room undet this blanket, still"
Only Glidda's soulspark familiar keeps watch for a few hours, a fact no character ever works out (everyone thought someone else was on watch). Dspirte 8 random encounter rolls as they sleep, it is a quiet night. End game 3.
WTF!!!! AWESOME!
Seriously....I have tried to explain to many players I have had in the past about using Insults and Goading the enemy (or your party members) during fights. Its one of the great characteristics of fantasy literature and movies. If I want to start teaching them the idea again, this thread is where I am going to send them.
Dungeon Grrrl, you seem to have a rather unique sense of timing when you run games. There is something very...fascinating/captivating (I just can't think of the right word to convey what I mean...A rare event for me) about the visceral way you run your games.
A few particular high points.
1) Insulting the person keeping you from dying? Superb!
2) The Half-Dwarf turning down sex? He is obviously insane. Well done!
3) The Temple Prostitute and the Temple comment! Absolutely Priceless!
At the point, I am simply watching/reading this in awe. You obviously have some difficult players to run there. I kinda get the feeling that this group is the sort to build so much momentum that they might derail themselves and head so far afield that whatever the campaign story was might get lost. I have found though, sometimes, provided the DM can manage the free-forming, these turn out to be the best and most interesting campaigns that you ever see.
Thank you once again,
Yasha
WTF!!!! AWESOME!
Seriously....I have tried to explain to many players I have had in the past about using Insults and Goading the enemy (or your party members) during fights. Its one of the great characteristics of fantasy literature and movies. If I want to start teaching them the idea again, this thread is where I am going to send them.
I blush, sir. right down to my navel.
Dungeon Grrrl, you seem to have a rather unique sense of timing when you run games. There is something very...fascinating/captivating (I just can't think of the right word to convey what I mean...A rare event for me) about the visceral way you run your games.
A few particular high points.
1) Insulting the person keeping you from dying? Superb!
2) The Half-Dwarf turning down sex? He is obviously insane. Well done!
3) The Temple Prostitute and the Temple comment! Absolutely Priceless!
My players get a lot of the credit for that, actually. They love a good story, and I give hefty rewards for good rp. Not exp, either, but more an action-point thing you can use to succeed where you would have failed *if* success is keeping in your characterization to date.
At the point, I am simply watching/reading this in awe. You obviously have some difficult players to run there. I kinda get the feeling that this group is the sort to build so much momentum that they might derail themselves and head so far afield that whatever the campaign story was might get lost.
Well, there's a *reason* most characters have a goal built into their character history. I need a way to get these players to move in the same direction. otherwise they'll all go on 5 differenmt adventures at once (really happened once, different campaign.)
On the other hand, the fact they do throw insults in the face of help, act like people rather than unleashed egos of masturbation and screw themselves over as often as they do something brillaint makes me love them all tod eath.
Thank you once again,
You're very welcome, yashie! :D
^_^y
Black Days of Kor Kammor
Game Four
Dramatis Personæ
Voronez
A deformed male fireblood dwarf dragonfire adept. Seeking a cure for a paralyzing disease has affected his kindred, slowing and turning them gradually to stone. Currently seen as member of the party most likely to be right.
Auriji
A six foott tall, mahoganny skinned female human barbarian. She fights with Majah Gada, a longspear, or Phrit Fi, a punch dagger. Voronez is her blood brother, and she is romantically linked to1 Quince.
Lyssa and Ryssa, "The Twins"
A female dvati (Dragon Compendium) jester with painted faces. Have laughing and crying drama masks. Most people don't realize their names, Lyssa and ryssa, refer not to the two dvati bodies, but to the masks. Thus whichever one hold laughing face is Ryssa, and whichever one holds crying face is Luyssa. Currently lovers to Mhyssi, Humtum, and Glidda.
Mhyssi
A female major celestial bloodline elf cloistered cleric/batle sorcerer (Unearthed Arcana)/mystic theurge. Enslaved as a very yougn girl, served as a sex toy and learnt the art of skeeving (goblin military scrying). Auburn-headed with split eyes (one gold and one green), and she has a tattoo of a greatsword on her left cheek. She has a greatsword weapon charm and she has a spell component pouch stolen from her previous owner, the Redcap shaman Kittur. Curently lover to the twins, and beginning to understand she is truly free.
Quince Whiteblade
Quince is a male human knight, trying to make his mark and find a wanted murderer. Romantically linked to Auriji.
Glidda
A female azurin incarnate. A temple prostitute, two years ago, her temple was attacked, ravaged, and destroyed by demons. She decided the demons must be found and stopped, and she was just the woman to convince heroes to go do that. Romantically linked to the Twins.
Tiera
An elfling (Midnight) shaman *the Shamans handbook) of the Spirt Speakers, the shamanistic "old religion" of the elves. Seeks the Pyre Reborn, a dwaf of odd birth who can spark a new age of discovery. Thinks it's Humtum. Infected herself with Red Fever to Humtum would take her to Freeport, where the Sapphire Seer, who can unravel the skien of fate to see what prophicies a given soul is related to.
She has three taboos. She may never wear armor, must paint the flame marks of the Pyre of Knowledge on herself every day, must return any purely benevolent aid in the coin she beleives her allies most desire.
Humtum
Humtum is a dworrow (Midnight) defender (Midnight). Reincarnation of a gnome in a dwarven body. He is a smooth-skinned dwarf unable to grow facial hair. Humtum has trained himself as a Jrect (gemcutter and healer) and gottne into a lot of alehouse brawls defending his "girl's" chin. Though he doesn't want to admit it, Humtum both hates and envies all other dwarves. Currently romantically linked to Lyssa. Hates Voronex, and the party kleeps them apart.
Game Four
EXP is passed out from last game, and all the Original Characters Gain a Level (Yay!1) Most of game Four is taken up updating characters.
The constant drive through the Monument stones has successfully allowed the party to beat Bhog Bloodbeard to Freeport, but it has also taken it's toll. Potions and scrolls are entirely expended. Food is low (though thankfully not water). Some ability score damage remains from the fight with mummified cats. The fatigud condition crops up faster than Mhyssi can remove it with lesser restoration. But now the party is through the cursed hills, and can see the Pirate City of Freeport in the disance, along the shore on the far side of a vast bay.
It is well known that the bay itself, the trade routes within a day of it and the raod leading to it are all protected by the Captain's council. They need freeport to be seen as a safe palce for trade and business. They do not allow any pressing of any legal claim from outside freeeport 9which is why pirates and merchants both gather there), but maintain some strict rules within the city, to ensure the city itself remains a haven for their own ships and booty.
What is not as well known is that the non-roads paths across land to Frteeport are not patrolled at all. They are fair game, and in fact seeded with monsters. The captains Council sees this as their "living moat" of deadly things to keep enemy armies at bay. Small groups of slavers and brigands sometimes troll this region for people to rob or capture, but only when they can do so from the safety of a ship. The real reason passage through the Mkonument steps is rare is not the steps, it's the humanoid wolves found between it and Freeport.
The party is tired, low on supply, and just glad to be free of the cursed shale. They slog toward the Pirate City, seeing it may take them as long as two days to walk around the shore of the bay to reach the city proper. Mhyssi have a vague feeling they should make for the road (narrowly missed lore roll for the above info), but agrees with everyone the direct route is probably better.
Mhyssi: No, it's just something I read. But I was being molested by six hobgoblins at the time, so...
Glidda: Sweetie? That's exactly what we mean when we talk about "too much information"
Mhyssi (defensive): That's whay I didn't tell you what they were doing to me.
The Twins (kindly); Six? At once? While you were *reading*?No, that's not *enough* information.Come here, odd-eye.
Voronex: I *so* do not want to hear this.
Humtum: *I* do.
This particular region of low , warm hills betwen the shale and the bay is the stalking grounds of a pair of behir. Smart enough toa void ships or the road, the two look for easy prey. Generally feeding off sea food (a lightning bolt into the ocean usually nets a few fried fish), they prefer humanoid flesh, and the gold and treasures that come with those. So when the bedraggled partyy is seen, the two lightning wyrms attack.
No one ever makes a Spot of Listen check to find them, so the behir get to attack from surprise. As the party comes aroudn a hill, the behir bull unleashes a lightning botl while the behir b+++@ charges Quince (the most heaviyl armored foe). Aruiji has Combat reflexes, and thus gets an opportunity attack on the charing one, but misses. The behir b+~@@ chomps Quince for a fair bite wound.
The behir bull catches nearyl every0ne in the lightning breath. The Twins roll free, and Quince is outside, but everyone else is hit. Glidda is knocked out in one shot. Humtum and Vonrones are both badly damaged, failing their saves. Mhyssi and Teiri save, but are still badly wounded.
Quince: "Damn it all, by the Blood of my forefathers!"
Voronex (quietly): "Good one..."
The behir b$%!% wins intiative on the first full round, and grapples Auriji rather than Qwuince, seeing the barbarian womena sa a greater threat now. Auriji is bitten, grappled, and swallowed, then crushed and burned by stomach acid. Already hit by lguithnign, she passes out without time to rage.
Humtum grabs Glidda again, and hauls her out of line of sight of the behir bull. The bull rushes in and begins atacking Teira, who is sees as a likely caster (no armor, blnt weapon, lots of symbols and odd items on belt). Teria is alrdy in dire situation. Mhyssi unlashes batle sorcerer spells, but doesn't get a lot of damage in.
Voronex steps between Humtum's path and the bull, and breaths himself, burning it. The Twins being bolstering.
Lyssa; Two giant lighting-breathing monsters
Ryssa; What a shock!
Lyssa; Oh sister, you can do better than that!
Ryssa: You think so? At least no one is storming off.
Lyssa: I think the situatjon is clouding your judgement
Quince realizes Auriji was knocked out, and thus is close to death. He throws his sword to the side, pulls two daggers, challenges the ebhir and leaps *into* the jaws of the b$&@!. Suprised, the behir b@&&& happily swallows him. Quince begins slashing his way out. (We discovered here you can't Power Attack with daggers. This spoiled much of Quince's escape plan). Auriji is killed by the behir's gizzard.
Auriji (ooc): I'm dead.
DM: How dead. Like, one hit point, or...
Auriji (ooc): I was unconscious when I was swallowed, and I just took 21 points of gizzad damage.
(Long pause)
Voronex (ooc?): Oh, those overgrown luggage sets are dead meat!
(General agreement from all players)
Humtum rushes back out, and begins hammering on the behir bull. Teira casta spell to give him rage again, then herself runs back to be with glidda. Mhyssi keeps casting, and Voronex unleashes a firey breath that hits the behir but arcs around humtum.
The twins begins a taunt-amnd-run game with the behir b%*&+. Using invisiblility and mirror image they avoid taking much damage, alternativng which one taunts the behir b!##+, adn drawing it away from the rest of the part, while Quince keeps cutting from within.
The bull behir swallows humtum, who has no slashing or peicring weapon. Teara gets Glidda up, but glidda's onyl effective attack si lignintg based and won't work here. Voronex breaths again, but is now facing the bull behir alone in melee. It swallows him on its next move.
Nearly dead, Quince slides out of the b+#!& behir's guts, drawing Auriji's dead body with him. The behir b~!#! turns to eat him, but is distracted again by the Twins. They throw themselves itno melee, trusting their images to keep them alive. The behir b#$#& gets tired of that, and nails them both with HER breath weapon. The twins go down. Humtum getds partially digested, still (uselessly) kicking.
Desperate, Teira runs to face the behir b&@!! to buy Quince time to recover. Teria hits it with a bestowe curse, and it fails its save. The b$%#* has a 50% chance of not acting each round, and loses the first round after the curse is cast.
Voronex and Mhyssi pour on arcane damage on the behir bull, but it still manages to swollow voronex. Mhyssi is out of direct damage spells.
Quince staggers up, and attacks the behir b~%** with Majah Gada (closer than his sword). He crits, but doesn't bring it down. Humtum and Voronex lose consciousness within the behir bull, and it badly injures Myhyssi. Teria throws an aid on Quince. The behir b!+~$ gets and action, but narrowly misses Quince.
Mhyssi spends an action point for an extra action, and casts true strike. She then summons her golden greatsword from its charm form, and scores a crit against the behir bull. Already badly injured, it dies. Mhyssi cuts Humtum and voronesx out before they die, barely.
Teria casts a styabilize so glidda, the twins, humtum and Voronex don't bleed to death. Quince Power Attacks for all he's worth, and misses on his first attack but crits on his second. The behir b!!~# is near death. On its next move, its curse again prevents it from moving. Teira and Quince kill it..
Mhyssi and Teira bring everyone but Auriji to consciousness, but no one is close to fully healed. Auriji is dead, though her body is intact enough to raise.
A ship sails to the shore enar where the group is. Fearing more behir, the party go to ask for help. The captain, a halg-gnoll named Mange Mangletooth, has his first mate (an illusionist) agree in the form of a very clean-shaven half-eld woman. Once the party is on baord, mange's pirates atrttack and quickly subdue the badly fdrained partyy. All PCs are captured.
End game four.
I am going to go back and read this most recent post in just a minute. First, should our commenting, complimenting and enjoyment of this thread and wonderful campaign be your main motivation for posting more often and faithfully, then prepare to be flattered. There, I've given my warning.
Hehe.
Well, they say flattery gets you everywhere. Honestly, I think it's the bj principle. If someone does something you like, thell them. You're more likely to get it agian.
From me, anyway
Oh simply wonderful! They were captured! This campaign has me at the edge of my chair wondering what is going to happen next. From bugbears and goblins to now gnolls...lovely lovely lovely.
The gnoll illusionist is a nice touch too. I really like the fact that you're either completely creating your own flavor for the various races, without regard to typical boring monster manual ideals, or just ignoring them. Just like with the Pathfinder goblins, so many of these races need more flavor and creative usage.
The ship's crew is mostly gnolls, half-orcs, human outcasts, and dwarven outcasts. there's one half-ogre, and one gnome. The gnome is actually the illusiionsit.
Oh, and a vampire chick.
The ship's crew is mostly gnolls, half-orcs, human outcasts, and dwarven outcasts. there's one half-ogre, and one gnome. The gnome is actually the illusiionsit.
Oh, and a vampire chick.
Thats one hell of a combination. I could make assumptions as to what their various roles are...but you've already proven you are extremely creative, so I won't speculate until its been revealed. I think part of what makes this thread of your so enjoyable is that this is a campaign you have already played. As I'm sure you've come across already, there are a lot of journals that have died or been abandoned due to a lack of updates. Like Dr. James Jacobs Tyralandi thread. Loved it, miss it, oh well.
Heh...irregardless, I now have your thread to drool over. And no, I don't drool all the time. Thats Turin's job. I am much more circumspect about such things.
Hehe.
Well, they say flattery gets you everywhere. Honestly, I think it's the bj principle. If someone does something you like, thell them. You're more likely to get it agian.
From me, anyway
Yes...Flattery. I am a shameless flatterer. What you said so succinctly above...once I grew up I truly did realize that honesty really is its own rewards in certain ways. Shyness its own punishment sometimes as well.
Of course there are plenty of people out there that misunderstand and just act like...well, jerks.
It is true that I have thrity or so more games in my wikia notes. So I suppose the only thing that would prevent this from going on for aquite a while is if my internet got taken away
Or I got bored, or the game crashed in am enotionally painful way and I didn't want to talkm about it anymore, or I was kidnapped by martians...
Buyt yeah, I expect you'll be seeing me for some time, as long as I keep getting multiple positive feedback posts per game session. :D
Then expect to be flooded by positive feedback!
Wicked fun and chock full of ideas for the rest of us, most excellent!
Black Days of Kor Kammor
Game Five
Dramatis Personæ
Voronez
A deformed male fireblood dwarf dragonfire adept. Seeking a cure for a paralyzing disease has affected his kindred, slowing and turning them gradually to stone. Currently being tortured.
Auriji
A dead barbarian woman.
Lyssa and Ryssa, "The Twins"
A female dvati (Dragon Compendium) jester with painted faces. Have laughing and crying drama masks. Most people don't realize their names, Lyssa and ryssa, refer not to the two dvati bodies, but to the masks. Thus whichever one hold laughing face is Ryssa, and whichever one holds crying face is Luyssa. Currently amusing the crew with ribald jokes.
Mhyssi
A female major celestial bloodline elf cloistered cleric/batle sorcerer (Unearthed Arcana)/mystic theurge. Enslaved as a very yougn girl, served as a sex toy and learnt the art of skeeving (goblin military scrying). Auburn-headed with split eyes (one gold and one green), and she has a tattoo of a greatsword on her left cheek. She has a greatsword weapon charm and she has a spell component pouch stolen from her previous owner, the Redcap shaman Kittur.
Quince Whiteblade
Quince is a male human knight, trying to make his mark and find a wanted murderer. Was romantically linked to Auriji.
Glidda
A female azurin incarnate. A temple prostitute, two years ago, her temple was attacked, ravaged, and destroyed by demons. She decided the demons must be found and stopped, and she was just the woman to convince heroes to go do that. Currently discovering the difference between prostitute and slave.
Tiera
An elfling (Midnight) shaman *the Shamans handbook) of the Spirt Speakers, the shamanistic "old religion" of the elves. She has three taboos. She may never wear armor, must paint the flame marks of the Pyre of Knowledge on herself every day, must return any purely benevolent aid in the coin she beleives her allies most desire. Currently being constantly abused.
Humtum
Humtum is a dworrow (Midnight) defender (Midnight). Humtum has trained himself as a Jrect (gemcutter and healer) and gottne into a lot of alehouse brawls defending his "girl's" chin. Though he doesn't want to admit it, Humtum both hates and envies all other dwarves.
Recap
Trying to make their way to Freeport, City of Pirates, the party has been captures bu half-gnoll pirate, Mange Mangletooth. He ahs taken all their stuff, chained them, and abused them as he desired. Their ally Auriji is dead. Things look very, very bad.
Mange Mangletooth is a half-gnoll (Bastards and Bloodlines) ninja (Complete Scoundrel), and pirate captain of the Ill Wind. He is a slaver, murderer, raider, and spy. His services are for hire to the highest bidder, but he'l betray them if he can amke a prfit doing so. He is always on his very best bahavior in freeport, and as a result its one of the last places the Wind can come to port.
Thus, while he *can* caputre and enslave people found on the rough path to freeport (as opposed to road or sea routes), he doesn't like to make it common knowledge. So, he keeps his new prizes below decks.
He's had them now for several days. Quince is being used to feed Agdrenel, a vampire witch Mange has to keep happy. The Twins have actually managed to be funny and entertaining enough to be largely left alone. They both amuse the crew, and constantly praise how powerful and wise Mange is, so he likes keeping them around. They are generally chained in the ramhouse, where the front catapult is kept, so the crew can hear them.
Auriji's body has been preserved by Agdrenel. She'll fetch a fine price in Hallowfast, when Mange next gets there. A fresh body always buys him welcome at that port as well, and hers is a remarkable example.
Humtum is a skilled craftsman, with masterowk crafting tools. Mange has set him to cutting all the gems in the currenty boot load, increasing their value. Humtum is beaten regualrly, but also fed and left alone for long stretches. To keep Humtum in check, Voronex is actively tortured in the same room. Mange beleives torturing Voronex will get Humtum to behave, because they are both dwarves. Hmtum hates voronesx but as a good person does his best to do nothing that will get the fireblood dwarf abused any more than normal.
Mhyssi, glidda and Tiera were all brutally andf repeatedly raped as soon as they were captured. Mhyssi shrugged this off as no different from when she was a bugbear sex slave, except the crew of the Ill wind weren't as big or strong as bugbears, nor as cruelly imaginative, and Mhyssi knew she was a free woman now no matter what Mange said. Glidda was shocked, as she had never had sex with anyone on terms other than her own, ever. She fought, but eventually realized she might get herself or one of her firends killed and acquiessed. Tiera...
Tiera went berserk. She bit, kicked, clawed, and forced the men to beat her unconscious evrey time. She constantly spit curses at them and warned she would kill them and see their spirits tortured for all eternity. They gagged her. Since she has been unable to mark herself with flame pattern paints she has no shaman spells currently, but if they ever let her be conscious, she makes as much noise as long as possible until they knck her out again.
Mange's inclination was to kill her, but Mhyssi and Glidda overhear him decide that before he does it. The two offer him a deal – their full and enthusiastic cooperation with whatever he wants them to do, in return for keeping Teira alive. She is, after all, a rare beauty who can see spirits. Surely she'd be a valued slave in the necromancer city of Hollowfaust as well? Suspicous, mange is too simple and pleasure-driven a creature not to agree once Mhyssi and glidda show the difference between taking them, and having them be willing.
Mange is just waiting until Humtum gets done with the gems, then he'll sell his booty in F reeport, keeping his new slaves hidden to avoid a bad reputation, then head for hallowfaust (a five week journey). Even if he sells Glidda and Tiera, he's decided to keep Mhyssa, and she's working on convincing him all she needed was a strong hand to rule her life. Since she has bugbear slave tattoos and manacle scars, mange begins to believe her. She and Glidda do nothing to reveal they have arcane powers.
Though originally always under gaurd, voronex does a good enough job faking being emtionalyl and mentally broken, and Humtum is actually meek enough, that they are eventually left alone. Drinking a sip of his own blood so his parched lips can speak, vorones asks Humtum if the beardless dwarf can get to the party's captured gear if voronex frees him. Humtum says he can – he saw where ti was all taken, but so what?
Voronex: "My hearing is better than yours, cousin, and I curse the gods for it. I have heard every vile deed done onto our friends and allies, and I tell, you this. Get Quince his sword. Get Mhyssi her pouch. Tell them to free Tiera. And her wrath will send ever devil=worshi[ping bastard on thsi ship straight to the burning cesspools of hell."
Humtum; "What... what about us?"
Voronex:" I'll dsitract them, and with any luck die a martyr's death. Martyrdom is the only hope a soul like mine nhas for paradice now, as the evil of thye deed I consider visitng onto the capatain will bear my spirit to hell elsewise. You get the Twins, and get free of the ship."
Hutum (angry); "I'm not afraid to stay and fight"
Voronex (deadly quite): "They you are an idiot. If we try this and fail no one will be spared their worst horors. Even if you can brave hell on earth, do w you wish to see the Twins suffer so?
Humtum agrees, and Voronex waits for his moment. He has watched Humtum heal of his wounds as the days passed, and sees the Jrect is now healed. Voronex is badly injued on a regualr basis, but heals himself back to half hit points every dauy with a healing aura. Quince is likely missing Con, but if Humtum is healed, Mhyssi and Glidda should be as well. Now, Voronex waits for a good noonday, withe clkear skies and a bright sun visible out the porthole of Humtum's cabin.
Humtum has not be idle, either. Though he find Mhyssi's worship of Hyarl, the giant and bugbear god of war, to be vile and disguisting, he beleives Mhyssi herself is a good and worthy creature. Even with her spell component puch (stole from the redcap Kittur), she can't cast cloistered cleric spells without a holy symbol – Hyarl's gauntleted fist holding a spiked ball. Using his gemcutting tools, he has secretly carved that image into the largest emerald in Mange's booty. Even though his Craft check is a great roll, he spends an action point to increase the level fo success. The gem symbol is a masterpiece.
Mhyssi and Glidd ahave been working as well. The two of them can generally distact anyone given time (one keeps a guard busy while the other sneaks off to grab something), and since Mhyssi needs only four hours of mediation a night she has been sneakling out of Mange's room every night to bring food to Teira and confer with the Twins. She has also begun skeeving for the first time, using the goblin battle scrying to plan a fight. Of course skeeving only works for battles with 100 or more indidivudlas, Hyarl is not impressed with anythign else. (Skeeving is a house rule feat). She sees that the great moment is a day-and-a-half away, and squirrels a dagger away for when the time comes.
Tiera asks the Twins to get her 100 gp of special herbs and incenses, during one of her rare moments awake. She also needs 24 hours uninterrupted. The Twins tell Mhyssi, and Mhyssi tells glida. Glidda relunctantly comes up with the idea of an orgy, and the Twins spread it amongst the crew. By the time Mange hears about it, the crew demand a olong running party of vice and debauchery, or they'll mutiny. Mange is angered, but ends up acquieesing when even Agdrenel says it sounds like fun.
When it looks like nothing else can distract the crew, Mhyssi and Glidda engage in performance sex on the bound Quince, much to his shame. With the twins doing narration, the crew is entirely enrapt. Tiera is undisturbed all night. While the other girls keep the crew too distracted, and then too drunk) to remeber o come beat her, Tira sets to work.
She, too, is 6th level now, and has never summoned her spirit familiar. First, she uses her own vblood to ink the flame mark she needs on her cheek. Then she takes the Larger Familiar feat (The shamans handbok), and summons her totem of vengeance, a spirit wolverine. Since it has hit dice equal to her, it goes from a 3HD animal to a 6HD incorporeal animal (able to manifest and materialize0, giving it an extea feat. As a spirit fo vengeance (able to rage) it takes the Destructive rage feat (Complete Warrior). It arrives just before noon, walking through her wall and asking whom she summoned it to kill. Teria breaks down in tears, for her spirit familiar is a thing of death, one step short of evil. Her life is changed forever.
Just before dawn, Agdrenel takes qwuince below decks, and Mange takes the Twins to his cabin, to punish them for turning the crew halfway aginst him.
Exhausted, the women all sleep until noon, the next day, mostly on the deck with the crew.
Noon comes. Voronex strikes.
Haivng gained lesser invocations, the firebllod dwarf summons a pair of twisted, gnarled, spiked wings to give himself flight. He torches the room with his breath weapon, excluding the square humtum is in, but burngin away his tightly-tied ropes. Humtum dashes off, as the sound begins to bring an alarm.
Voronex turns to the wall he is chained to, and breathes on it. Thoguh 3d6 is not a lot of damage, he begins to chew through the wooden ship's interior wall. In a few rounds, half-orc and gnoll sailors rush in to kill him. Buyt the sound has not gone unnoticed.
Tiera is drawn out of her revery and sadness by the sound of the flames. She has her wolverine spirit strike out, to kill all of gnoll of orc blood on the boat, and return to her as soon as it is injured. It rushes out, attacking confused sailors on the deck, One of them stabs it and is killed by it, and then is rushes down to Tiera. Sailors go after it.
Mange awakes to hear the commotion, and leaps up. But the Twins, though raped and abused, are far from helpless. They grapple him together, and ignore his claws as they wrap his own belt aroudn his neck. Thoguh unarmed, over the next 37 rounds, they choke him until he is dead.
Glidda and Mhyssi make for where Humtum and voronex are. Glidda has a 3d6 lightning gauntlet almsot isntantly, and her soulspark famailair just after. She and Mhyssi overpower a guard, but must hide rather than face the gaurds flooding into voronex's room, which is catching on fire.
Buyt Humtum hasn't been idle. He picks the lock on the storage locker, and grabs the spell component pouch, and a few weapons. When he goes to help Vorones, he runs into Glidfa and Mhyssa, and tells them what he has and that they are to free Tiera. They go to do that. Mhyssi gets her greatsword from her charm, and Humtum slaps the emerald hold symbol into the pommel. Then he goes to find the Twins.
Sailots pour in to kill vorones, but he kicks a chair, which slams into Humtum's work desk, which sends the cut and uncut gems scattering across the floor. While a few sailors go ahead and attack Voronex, he gets a repriece for most of a few rounds as the rest of the pirates fall to all fours to pick up glittering gems. Voronex finally gets a break on his breath damage, and destroys the wall his chains are connectec to. He flies into the next room – the place Agdrenel has Quince. Voronex immediatelly torches the ceiling, and points out to Agdrenel that sunlight will spill through once the planks burn. She backhands voronex across the room, but does seem concerned. She tells the sailors to kill Voronex, and flees to the hold, where it is still cool and dark.
The Spirit wolveringe makes it to Tiera, and smashes her cell door open (14 Str, 18 with rage is +4 Str mod, +8 for destructive rage is +12!) Tiera rushes out. Having marked herself the day before she can cast again, and has cured her wounds. With the little energy she has left, she grabs a belaying pin and goes with her familiar to kill every sailor on the ship. She runs into a band of the gnoll marines, with nets and hooks, but they can/t stop her wolverine, which can become immaterial any time they net it. Mhyssi and Glidda come up on the othre side of the fight, and Mhyssi begins swinging her greatsword in wide arcs, and casting magic missiles when she needs to nail a fleeing foe.
Voronex flies onto the deck, and begins setting fire to everything. Sails, rope, catapults, everything. The half-ogre bosum has to break open the weapon locker to pass out crossbows, but voronex can fly fast enoguh to li9mit lines of fire on him. He begins to get more hurt, but is doing a lot of damage.
Meanwhile, Humtum finds Quince, and releases him. The knight is badly Con drained, but still able to function. Humtum gives him his longsword, and Quince immediately goes to help in the figting. When he comes on the below-decks battle with Mhyssi, Glidda, and Tiera, Teira casts a rage on him, letting him make up for some lost constitution temporarily.
The gnome illsuionist (and first mate) breaks inot Mange's cabin, to find the Twins choking him to death. Lyssa asks if he'd rather fight them and discover what other powers they have, or grab mange's treasure chest and make off while the getting is good. A battle of social skills breaks out, but in the end the gnome decides wealth is the better part of valor and takes off.
Voronex shouts for everyone to get on deck, while continuing to set the ship abalze. Having learned he is rarely wrong, the party does so, just as Agdrenel decides to take over. But as the PCs rush to the deck, they are bathed in sunlight and the vampire can't get to them. Mhyssi throws a ifeboat over the side, upside down, in the shadow of the Ill wind, and a ghust of wind begins to push it away. Realizing if the ship burns down she can't escape the sunlight, Agdrenel turns to mist and flows to the rowboat.
The half-ogre bosun, Iurk, has time to rally the remaining troops. He has his headbreaker (size Huge morningsar he uses two-handed). The gnoll marines are dead, but in addition to his orc and half-roc torchers (who set fire to enemy ships) and human brigand sailors, he has three dwarven eye-bleeders (alchemists with alchemist's mist, vials that turn into clouds of acid that burn and blind) and six marrowbreakers (female gnoll champions who can and do eat bones in their entirety -- hexblades sworn as the pack-wives of Yrgutchitch, the gnoll god of pain)
The heroes are still badly hurting, and the spellcasters have used most of their spells. The boat is on fire. There is little cover. They have no armor to speak of, though Mhyssi has cast mage armor on most of them. Voronex's ability to slowly heal them keeps them alive,a nd his DR 2/magic is a big help against crossbow bolts, but they are clearly well past half toward dead
Iurk decides a simple charge is in order. He and the Marrowbreakers rush forward, to be met by quince (throiwng challenges left and right) and Glidda, whos lighting gautnlet is among their best remaining weapons. Voronex marches through the fire, breathing at the eyebleeders and taking acid damage in return. The orcs and humans try to fight their way to the catapult and the porcupine in the ramhouse (dart thrower for anti-boarding actions, fires 100 darts at a time), but Mhyssi and Tiera (and her badly wpounded familair) intercept them and hold the stairweay to the fore of the ship.
Humtum finally manages to find the Twins, and manages to help them finish off Mange, then gets them off the boat. They object, but he invokes Voronesx, who after all told them to leave. Griudgingly ,they eaccpet and miss any further fighting (though Mange was the highest level NPC fighter, so getting him dead was a huge step). Those three run tino fleeing straglers occasionally, but mostly find a place to hide in case they have to rescue their friends later.
Iurk hammers Quince, who is forced to stay between glidda and the Marrowbreakers. With his shield ally ability, Quince keeps taking half the damage she suffers, but even so she simply lacks his vast hit point reserve. Glidda does her best, but simply can't take the kind of damage being dished out. When she fakes falling unconscious, they all jump past her. Quince is fighting on pure frenzy hit points, dead if his rage ends before he gets healed. Glidda pops up and punches an already bruning mast with her lightning gauntlet, dealing enough damage to break it, and drop it on the marrowbreakers. They, Iurk, and Quince all fall itno the burnign inferno of the decks below. Gladda retreats, in single digit hit points.
Voronex maneuvers the eyebleeders so they in a clear area with cover, then cuts the rope on a sail and drops it on them. He sets it afire, and then throws buckets of pitch on it., They burn horriblely, taking a long time to actually die. They can;t escape the burnignpitch covered canvas, but scream for several minutes as their acid vials overheat and exlode.
Mhyssi is out of any offensive spells, fightign only with her greatsword and amazed how effective she is. Tiera uses spells to augment both mhyssi and her wolverine, until she recognizes one of the orcs who abused her. She leaps out and beats him with her crude club. Once he is unconscius, she does a coup de gras with her teeth, killing him. The few remaining grunt orcs, seeing her savagry and that of her wolverine, along with Mhyssi's emerald-clad greatsowrd, break and flee.
Below decks, water is flooding into the lower hold. Burning planks and cinders falling from the flaming deck above are the only light, as the hold is a maze of tangled ropes and floating crates. Quince grabs a buckler drifting by (improving his AC dramatically, with his shield block ability) and hauls himself onto a crate, and faces the Marrowbreakers (Iurk is no where to be found). The Marrowbreakers are cautious of the spreading fires (they are covered in fur, after all), and also climb atop floating wreckage. In the flickering light of the burning hold, Quince and the Marrowbreakers engage in a running fight, hopping from crate to barrel to railing, and swinging over tangled nets and jumping ovewr buring casks of oil that could explode at any time.
The remaining Marrowbreakers try to outmaneuver him, but have a difficult time doing so. Quince has bought up all his physical skills to overcome the penalties of his heavy armor, but now isn't wearing his armor and leaps about with ease. Further, their efforts to Tumble past him keep falling short as a reuslt of his vigilent defender ability, and when they can get near him his bulwark of defense slows them down. They fling hexes at him with abandon, but his high Will save keeps him safe ever time. One by one, Quince challenges the gnoll champions, and kills them. When only one remains, it flings itself down and begs for mercy.
Above decks, Tiera is nearly unconscious, as is her wolverine. Spent, she works to guard glidda while Mhyssi and Voronex keep fighting. Voronex' breath weapon doesn't do a lot of damage, but he hits multiple foes with it every round. Mhyssi is covered in bllod, but is bright eyed and excited, for the first time in her life she's overcoming foes with her own ability. Not a god's gifts or arcane tricks, but her own skill at arms. She realizes what freedom really means to her, and flashes Voronex a grin., She may die today, but she'll die a free woman.
The last of the crew falls back to the aft of the burning ship, and there's a standoof. Then, Iurk steps from the back of the ship, in full plate mail. He fled the fight with Qwuince to go armor up, and some of his men helped him get into his old battle mauler armor. Covered head to toe in steel and spikes, he points a dire greatsword at Mhyssi and voronex, and offers them a deal. If those two surrender their lives to him as slaves, their wounded friends are free to leave. If not, iurk will capture them all, and those not killed will suffer years of abuse and tomrment. He'll never sell them, just use them to reward and train his crew.
Mhyssi faulters. She doesn't want to be a slave again, but she feels the new fire of freedom within her can survive anything, even a lifetime of captivity and misuse. Her new friends are important to her, and Glidda, Qwuince and Tiera are all badly injured. She looks to Voronex, to see if maybe he wants to offer just her for him and all the rest to go.
Voronex: "Your ship lies in flames. Your captain is dead, the first mate fled, and you deathless b&!!~ defeated. If you wish to test your might against what strength we have left, come lay on. I'll gut you for an eternity locked in endless combat in hell before you'll claim to one any of us for one more moment."
Iruk charges.
The battle goes badly quickly. Mhyssi and Vorones fight defensively and cover each other, but they can't hit Iurk and he's just got to get one good blow to drop them. Tiera and Glidda throw themselves into the last of the fray, with wolverine and soulspark in tow. Even the six of them seem no mach for the mighty Iurk in his armor.
Quince bursts up from the aftcastle, his free hand holding a Marrowbreaker by the scruff. He commands her to curse Iruk, and using her last hexblade curse she does. Iurk fails his save, and is taken down a step. Wquince allows the marrowbreaker to flee, her bargain kept, and charges into battle.
It is a near thing, with Iurk alone against all remaining heroes. Though Glidda, Mhyssi, the soulspark, the wolverine and Quince are knocked out, in the end Voronex and Tiera stand victorious over Iruk.
The remaining sailors flee.
The survivor player characters get their fallen to Humtum and the Twins. Voronex dives into the bruning ship again and again, bring out treasures, Auriji's body, lots of gear (their own and the ship's), two lifeboats, and food and drink. As an afterhtought, Voronex finds the lifeboat with Agdrenel in it. Flying over it, he sets it on fire. The vampire takes considerable damage, but escapes daylight by sinking into the ocean.
Then he sits with the party, and his healing aura brings everyone up to at least half hit points. Tiera immediately wants to hunt down every survivor and kill them, preferably slowly. Quince quickly says he can't be part of hutning the gnoll, he let her go as part of a deal, and if Tiera plans to do anything other than kill or capture them he won't participate in that either. Voronex agrees they may need killing, and starts considering how best to find them. Tiera bristles, and mentions she may just go so this on her own, with her familiar. Humtum reminds her she still has red fever, and since she's had no treatment for several days she'll break out again soon. She *needs* to get to Freeport with him, soonest. An argument begins, with even the twins too tired to make it anything but uncomfortably angry.
Then, unexpectedly, Glidda starts to sob.
At first everyone is just shocked, Then glidda starts to explain how horrible it all was. She had been in charge of who did what to her body her whole life, and now that power has been taken away, she doesn't know if she'll ever get it back. She hates the men who raped her, she hates herself for going along with it, and she hates the other characters for fighting and yelling instead of getting her someplace safe.
Tiera immediatelty stars to comfort Glidda, as does Humtum. She clings to humtum, and he apologized for being a drek-head, and promised her she'll be better, soemday. Mhyssi is just shocked, ebcause she had no idea Glidda was suffering so much. Quicne and voronex look at each other, and start loading the lifeboats. Any further vengeance must wait. Glidda needs to feel safe in a building, Tiera needs healing herbs, and Auriji needs to be raised.
There will be no camp tonight. As the [i]Ill Wind[i/] burns to the scuppers, the party packs it up and starts rowing for freeport. Glidda is afraid this is all a dream, and she's still caputred, somehow. If she doesn't see the sun rise in the morning, she won't believe its all real. Mhyssi promises her they'll wake Glidda to see dawn on the bay, just before they reach Freeport.
Glidda smiles, and thanks them for being the Heralds of Dawn. By the next game, it's the official party group name.
End game five. Everyone levels, and then some.
Notes
I had no intention of the party fighting its way free of Mange. I suggested we skip a few weeks, and pick up when he arrived at Hallowfaust, City of Necromancers and sold them all. That's why it gets mentioned so much. I didn't see how the players could get free without more getting killed and/or everyone getting screwed by losing gear, ability scores, and any feelign of being heroic.
The players wouln't hear of it.
Every day was to be played out, They insisted. So we covered every gruesome detail. We have a computer set up nearby, and anyone not involved in a scene played video games. Then, when it looked like they were actually going to try a break out, I got down the wooden ship map and figures for every single NPC. I wanted them to understand there was a crew of 120 on boar,d including -MULTIPLE- characters their level or *higher*. And a vampire. In short, I thought they were crazy.
They insisted.
No DM could ever be more surprised than iwas when they started to pull it off. It may not sound like it, but this "game" involved nearly a dozen fights with a revolving cast of characters. I ofren passed out rank-and-file soldiers to players whose characters werent in a given scene. We also played out multiple fights at once, when they looked like they might spill over into each other. We played all night, past dawn, and toward noon the enxt day. When glidda brke down, it was because her player was emotionally exhausted and broke down. It was amongst the most intense rp we'd ever had to date.
The Heralds of Dawn killed 87 out of 120 pirates. The rest fled. The experience was phenominal. Agdrenel by herself was an encounter worthy of the whole party. Mange, as well. I gave the PCs the option of indidivual XP rewards, but they all agrreed to share equally.
It was two weeks before we actually played again.
So you all know, here is what I enjoy most in feedback posts:
A thank you for the work put into an entry.
Call-outs to things you particularly liked.
Your opinions about ideas and names presented.
Suggestions for how the game could have gone better.
Anything that's a paragraph or more in length, so I feel like you put some work into appreciating my work.
Obviously you don't have to post *anything*, this isn't meant as fishing for compliments. (Well, not too much anyway) But I like asking for what I enjoy, so I get more of it. :D
I just read your account of the battle on the pirates ship, and it is amazing! Even in the middle of a more-than-deadly encounter and one monstrous battle, they keep on playing their roles to the hilt, and you seem to handle it all with ease and more than aptly. Keep more details about the role-playing parts coming, you have a hell of a group there. And obviously, they are quite mature and can handle very touchy topics like rape and torture well - most groups would abstain from playing like that, and with good reason. Kudos to your players for being able to handle that, and for it increasing your game. (I´m not sure if I would be up to that style of play, to be honest)
Stefan
Even in the middle of a more-than-deadly encounter and one monstrous battle, they keep on playing their roles to the hilt, and you seem to handle it all with ease and more than aptly.
I suppose based on the entry it might seem like I was handling it with ease. In truth, I was totally harrioed, though it was the fun kind of harried, like when you're preparing the aprartment for a big party in an hour.
Not only was I surprised they wanted to play out everything, and shocked they ALL wanted to make an escape then-and-there, I was worried I was going to kill the game. (It's happened before, we had a TPK where over two sessions everyone lost a character, and most lost two. We still laugh about it. In a later game, I had higher-level characters go fix everything that went wrong in the rearlier game. that was popular!)
But I also just wasn't ready. The marrowbreakers were supposed to be six inugue named, leveld villains. instead, they were all 5th level hexblades because I had only written one up. (And as a result all marrowbreakers in my games are now primarily hexblades). The vampire was run straight out of the MM, with no personalization, and I almost never do that. And my eyebleeders were using a write-up I had done in case Voronex ever went home. Originally, they were heroic Dwarven Bombadeers.
Needless to say, I adapted fast. :D
Keep more details about the role-playing parts coming, you have a hell of a group there. And obviously, they are quite mature and can handle very touchy topics like rape and torture well - most groups would abstain from playing like that, and with good reason. Kudos to your players for being able to handle that, and for it increasing your game. (I´m not sure if I would be up to that style of play, to be honest)
To be clear, not all our games run like this, and not all our group like this sort of game. But yeah, we have a tendency to run at the high end of what evil is like, and how opposing it can cause pain and suffering. I guess we beleive the greater the cost, the more heroic those who pay it.
But we do check the intensity levels and everyone's comfort at least once a month. I had thought glidda's player might have felt things had gone too far, but she didn't. She was, in fact, thrilled her character had been pushed past her ability to cope -- that had never happened to a character of hers and she was thrilled. (And, when you see what happens in upciming games, know that Glidda's player was happy, but too busy to make every game).
I almost lost a friend over sensitive subjects in games a couple of years ago. We;re very careful now. When introducing new players, they do NOT start in games like this. Most never get into games liek this. But for a few who are really into it, we have them, And Black Days of Kor Kammor is my groups second-favorite game. (I don't run the other one, the Knights of Fairy campaign).
And, thanks for the feedback and commentary!
Hey readers, I'm curious.
One of the major characters listed in the Dramatis Personæ is my POV NPC. Anyone want to guess which one? (I'll reveal the answer if at least three of you guess, and sya why you think so.)
Nope! (I say this so other people can make other guesses, until I do the big reveal).
It's interesting about allowing Mhyssi to be higher level. The group as a whole came up with the solution, and asked if I was okay with it (and I certainly was), based on a few things.
Mhyssi was designed from the get-go to be a slave the group found in total bondage. That meant that, once rescued, she'd have no stuff. Even at just 5th level, the 9,000 gp of stuff makes a big difference. that's enough for a +1 suit of armor, and a +2 ability score booster, -and- a haversack.
Now, it's true that in 5 more levels, having 9k fewer gp will be less of an issue, but it'll also matter less than Mhyssi was higher level to start.
Also, as a major bloodline, she flat doesn;t get anything for a number of her levels. The group that that was a tad underpowered, along with trying to pull off a clistered cleric/battle sorcerer mystic theurge, the other players were afriad she'd be underpowered. so, the players asked if *I* minded if she started at higher level, because they liked the character idea.
I don't think I could pull off Mhyssi as a POV character. I like having a voice in the game so I can put in my 2 cents in character, but I never want the POV NPC to steal any thinder for the PCs.
I have done off-level POV npcs, but almost always of lower level. (A knight was once an exception, in a game where everyone played his squires, but he was old and taken serious physcial ability score losses. That game was all about youth vs experience, so it worked.)
God guess, though!
Anyway...I had a nice rant...
My first thought was Glidda, but you mention her player not always being available...then I thought Auriji, but you had a OOC conversation with her player. At this point I am starting to think Quince. He is the odd-man out. I am totally prepared to be wrong. Its a rather random guess.
^_^
As for Session 5. Firstly, what sort of price are your players? I would like to buy them. Secondly, who do I have to kill or what do I have to do to get a seat at your table?! (Theoretically, if geography did not apply)
I have wanted to see how a game where no punches are pulled, nothing is glossed over, gritty true to life world would work in a game. Hell, I've wanted to run just that. You, Dungeon Grrrl, have given me the opportunity to see just how incredible this sort of game can be.
Another thing about your posts that I enjoy (besides your sharp wit and wonderfully twisted sense of humor) is the little notes on game design that came up when Stebehil asked his question. I'd like to know a bit more about what goes on inside your head when you are running these games or planning them. Basically...not just narration...a little commentary, if at all possible. Not that this doesn't happen now, but it seems like more of an afterthought.
One of the most major points I have to make is this, you keep us guessing! No one who is reading this Journal has any idea what your plan is or where this campaign is going (and I'd like for it to stay that way!). Its new, fresh and exciting and we are being pulled along for the ride with the PCs. That is what every DM should strive for.
For a Gnoll...Mange Mangletooth! That is just plain awesome.
Quoted from above: "The Heralds of Dawn killed 87 out of 120 pirates. The rest fled. The experience was phenominal. Agdrenel by herself was an encounter worthy of the whole party. Mange, as well. I gave the PCs the option of indidivual XP rewards, but they all agrreed to share equally."
I stand in utter awe...a party of sixth level characters with either none or nearly none of their gear...
They didn't just win, they absolutely Triumphed!
My first thought was Glidda, but you mention her player not always being available...then I thought Auriji, but you had a OOC conversation with her player. At this point I am starting to think Quince. He is the odd-man out. I am totally prepared to be wrong. Its a rather random guess.
Auriji is a good guess, but obviously not right for exactly the reason you mention. Quince is another good choice. He's a by-the-book, fairly vanilla fighter type. That's exactly the sort of character I lvoe as a POV NPC.
However,
I just couldn't pull Quince off as an NPC. For him to be him, he has to be able to think on his feet, and use his quirky class options to outmanuervers foes. I just can't apply that much attention to an NPC, even my POV NPC. I wish Quince was mine, but he isn't.
One more guess, and the secret is revealed@!
As for Session 5. Firstly, what sort of price are your players? I would like to buy them. Secondly, who do I have to kill or what do I have to do to get a seat at your table?! (Theoretically, if geography did not apply)
I blush, and thanks. Yes, my players are a special lot. Players like this, and heck games like this, aren't found. They're made. All these players have been in my games (and I in theres) for years. That's necessary to build the level of trust you need to run a game with nothing held back.
Also, my players are smarter than me. One of the reasons they pull off things like taking out a whole pirate ship from a position of slavery is that they are all, serously, the brightest people I know. I can try my level best to kill them within the framework of the universe, and just flat fail. Lesser players would be crushed, and the no-holds-barred approach would fail.
But.... for a coll million I'll cloroform them, pack them up and ship them out to you (domestic adrresses only, please)
Another thing about your posts that I enjoy (besides your sharp wit and wonderfully twisted sense of humor) is the little notes on game design that came up when Stebehil asked his question.
Oh! Okay, I'll look at adding more behind the screen stuff. Thanks for the idea!
Hmmm...I am going to wait until Turin jumps in here and amazes us all with his Hobbit brainpower then. Out of the remaining party members...ARGH!
As for the chloroforming...I shall have to consider it, but first I'll need to see how big of a loan I can get. Actually...do you take American Express?
Besides no deal if you yourself are not included. I want to whole gaming table. Yes, the table too.
I apologize, Turin knows my pain. I am currently without a group (pickings are rather slim here of late) and foam copiously when confronted with a game like this. I will, however, continue to game vicariously through you journal.
"Yasha spake the Dread Name, waking me from disconcerting slumber of a pleasant foulness. Irked that the days-long 'training' of young lasses was so rudely interrupted, the question was put forth.
Lyssa and Ryssa are my nominees for POV NPCs. Now leave me to once more pontificate upon the deserved fate of those who would torment my properly fevered brain..."
Lyssa and Ryssa are ones I considered as well...but the two of them seem a bit much to handle as a POV Npc. If that is the case Dungeon Grrrl, then my hat is off evermore to you. That is no small feat to play the two of them the way they have been run.
I am certainly very curious to find out who it is. So too do I eagerly await the next installment of the journal. I can't wait to see what happens to them once they actually get into the city.
Let me also say that you have a singular talent for conintually harrying your PCs until they drop from exhaustion. Its not that easy a feat to do without going overkill and TPKing. I am just more and more impressed with your style as this continues.
Lyssa and Ryssa are ones I considered as well...but the two of them seem a bit much to handle as a POV Npc. If that is the case Dungeon Grrrl, then my hat is off evermore to you. That is no small feat to play the two of them the way they have been run.
I am certainly very curious to find out who it is. So too do I eagerly await the next installment of the journal. I can't wait to see what happens to them once they actually get into the city.
Let me also say that you have a singular talent for conintually harrying your PCs until they drop from exhaustion. Its not that easy a feat to do without going overkill and TPKing. I am just more and more impressed with your style as this continues.
I am inclined to disagree about the 'twins' difficulty as a POV NPC. A few other behaviors on the other characters' parts, the order of introduction... that leads me to believe they are the POV NPC's.
And yes, this journal makes me want to round up a Lady of Hack to GM a campaign and see how long I can go without getting buggered to a fair thee well 'cause I cheesed off the wrong NPC... ^_^
Oh, the PCs pretty much all got buggered at SOME point in the campaign. :D
Point of view NPC
Lots of GREAT analysis of my game, and certainly the three guesses I said I wanted to reveal my POC NPC.
First, let me talk a little bit about why we have a POV NPC in our games. For some DMS it seems to date back to before I was playing. There are stories from people in our group about DM characters who were uber-powerful, do anything characters the real PCs basically got to watch do stuff. When one of their games broke up over it, they got together and decided what a POV NPC should and shouldn't be. They decided it was useful and more fun for the DM to have someone who got to be heroic too and could talk directly to players, but was NOT the focus of the story.
By the time I got together with this group, it was a well-established treadition. The POV NPC was always written up after all PCs, and generally filled a role that was overlooked. A lot have been sorcerers and spirit shaman over the past few years, aking a needed spellcasting role without making the dM deal with spell preparation. Monks and bards have also been fairly common, beause they rarely steal soemone else's role. (We joked about the Holy Order of the Imaginary, the monk group all NPC monks belonged to). They should ben interestign enough for PCs to riff off them, but not the most interesting characters present. Usually they aren;t the least interesting either, since some of our players *enjoy* playing the "normal" in a group of exceptional demi-gods and monsters. Also, a vote of players can force a POV NPC out of a game, with no reprisals. (Hasnt happened sicne I was playing, but the rule is clearly outlined.)
So,
When the game originally staryed, I thought I would use Gliidda's soulspark familiar as my POV character. I have had great success using crow familiars, animal cpmpanons, and Leadership cohorts as POV characters. They never steal thunder form the main chaacters, always tag along, and having them be a POV character prevens them from popping in and out of existence like V's familiar on Order of the Stick. We envisioned the soulspark familiar (which was supposed to be named Zot) as the bit from Tron, able to flash yes and no andswers, and sending feelings to glidda.
It didn't workj at all.
First of all, the thing kept getting killed, and Glidda would just make a new one. Perfectly reasnasble given how the power is writen up, and we tried to just think of the new one as Zot jr, Zot the III, Zot McXot of Clan McXot, but it prevented any of us as thinking of it as a person. Seocndly, because I was really limited in my responses, I generally just didn't bother roleplaying with it. If glidda or another PC didn't ask I question, I didn' volunteer anything as Zot.
As I pondered this problem, Glidda's player had a schedule change and warned she might not always be able to make it. We discussed it and came to as happy place, but that rulesd out Zot as a POV NPC. About the same time, Tiera's player got free to join us, and Voronex's player quietly bemoaned (without being actually upset) that is was too bad none of our ongoing plots seemed to involve dwarves. What's the point of being a freak if everyone accepts you for who you are? And Tiera's player had this neat idea for a quest to drive her character (I need ways to motiovate PCs), and that gave me an idea. But I needed to distract the players, so they wouldn't see what I was up to until it was tooooo late.
So, enter Humtum, my POV NPC.
Humtum was perect for my needs. He could hate on voronex, driving home the distain most dwarves feel for Voronex, while at the same time actually being less of a dwarf himself. He gave Tiera something to focus on, but shows up at a time when the PCs are in for a lot of fighting, so he beocmes "one of them" even if some of them don't get along with him. And, honestly, if they ditch him later I could make a new POV NPC.
I choose Defender for him out of a joke we once told, which is that Midnight has dwarves and defendes, but not a lot of Dwarven Defenders. After looking at the dwarven defender PrC I decided a Defender who was a dwarf might make a great dwarven defender. Then I made Humtum a dwarrow to give Vornonex a built-in way to shut him up if that player ever want edt to press the nuclear win option on a conversation. (You aren't even a real dwarf!"). And, sicne everyone "knew" Humtum was there to get Tiera into the group and creat strife, no one wondered what was going on with Tiera, which was actually the much more interesting change in my plans.
Himtum wasn't useless 9far from in out of combat, and able to hold his own in combat, but not nearly as effective as Quince or Auriji for example), allowed me to interject different opinions, had a good background in odd information if I needed a way to slide in an obscure bot of lore (though Mhyssa mostly did that as a PC), and he took the role of "difficult party member," allowing the group to have that one guy everyone gets annoyed by, but since it was an NPC they would yell at him all they wonted without reducing another player's fun.
Humtum didn't stay with the group forever, but did become a recurring part of the campaign. I later added another POV character.... but you lot can try to guess who that is when the time comes.
Sneaky Dungeon Grrrl sneaky...
I had actually considered Humtum as possibly being your POV NPC, but I discounted him as being the one since he was such a recent addition to the party. So I pretty much DQed him simply on that fact.
The Soulspark I hadn't considered...
I have done the same thing myself though, playing a familiar as an NPC for a character and party. I've also played the party Mascot in one game, and not one I was DMing. If you've ever seen/played the Lunar series of RPGs and know who Nall is, then I am sure you get the idea.
Intermission
Behind the Scenes
We were all exhausted after the Battle of the Ill wind, and agreed to take the next weekend off. We did gert together several times before the next actual game and I decided to pass a few days the heroes took to heal, get Auriji raised, settle down, sell any loot they didn't want and buy anything they wanted to pick up in freeport. I did things this way for a couple of reasons.
First, it kept everyone thinking about the game inpsitive terms while we missed a session. We talked about the game several times during this break, and in the end I was sure everyone was happy and satisfied. but right after game Five, I was worried it might have been a bit much for a few players. I wanted to let the people who were gung-ho to keep going immediately something to keep them occupied while I proivately checked in with everyone one at a time. It turned out to be an unneeded precaution, but i didnt know that at the time. This is the kind of caution a DM must use when running an extreme intensity game.
The question of what was available for sale came up of course. my players all know that in general they can't count on buying whatever magic items they want whenever they want. On the other hand, Freeport city of Pirates is one of the largest trade cities in my game and a lot of loot goes through it. In general, i allow them to buy anything from the DMG orf PHB that's at a cities' set price or below, and give a 5 change to get ahnything mroe expensive equalt o the reverse of the % difference. Let me explain.
Freeport has a gp limit of 10,000 gp. Anything from the PHB or DMG that costs 10,090gp or less you can just buy (though I have DM approval over everything). For every 100 gp more something costs (1% of the cites' gp lim it), the change of finding it goes down 1% from 100. So when Quince went tlooking for a scabbard of keen edges (16,000 gp0, he had only a 40% chance of finding it.(It's 60% mroe than the cities' gp limit, 100 - 60 is 40%). A second item has half the chance of a first, a thrid half the chance of a secoond, and so on.
If you can't find it you havbe the options of commissioning it, in which case I just check tos ee if any Npcs who do such thigns have the needed prerequisites. Of course, that takes time. (As it happens quicne comissioned one, and the party was just barely around long enough to pick it up).
You can also place a bounty on an item, if you're in a major city like freeport. This involves letting a herald house know what you want, how much you'll pay for it, and putting down a % of that as a warranty. If an adventuring party gets one they present it to the hea=rlad ghouse, and it you don't show up in 30 days to collect it, they get the warranty can can still sell it. (You can put the full price down as warranty, in wehich case the heraldry house buys it with your money and keeps it for you indefientiely).
This begs the question of how much loot the players ended up with. They got most of the gems Humtum was cutting (taken off the corpses of sailors who stooped to pick them up), bolts of sailcloth, the ship's loot (but not Agdrenel's, the furst mates, or about half of Mange's), numerous barrels of grog, salt pork, salt, hardtak, and fetishes (materials taken off certain creatures in ritualistic ways, allowing them to be used to pay the exp cost of particular items creations or spells), dozens of weapons 9many masterwork), some armor, the ship's weatherstone (augury device for predicting the weather) and portpass (compass that points magically to home ports, without which no crew will leave sight of land)
.
And of course three rowboats. Voronex just dragged that stuff in a spare third boat, tied off to Quinces, and dragged sealed barrels behind his own. All in all, it was quite a haul.
I had mentioned in the description of the Ill Wind that is was clearly a captured Ghurine naval vessel, belonging to one of the island citi-states of my game. All Ghurine vessel have darkwood keels, as that nation of wood evles and halflings is the only place darkood rows. The Twins had also ntoed that there as a complex series of laws covering salvage of naval vessels,a dnthe freeport captains council followed it. As a result, the Twins laid claim to the sunken ship as booty of their escape from slavery, then sold the salvage rights. The reason this is relevent is that even burned to the scuppers, the Ill wind had most of its 70-foot long keel. The keel was a 2-foot squre in cross=-section, so it was 280 cibic feet. Using a typical valuyeb for oak weight of 45 lb/square foot, that means it would weigh 12,600 lbs if made of wood, or 3,300 as darkwod (which also means the ship had more than three tons additional cargo capacity, ignroing the benefit of a "masterwork" keel. It also meant the kell alone was theoretcially worth 126,000 gp, or six times more than the rest of the ship, which was suddenly a problem.
I decided that a keel took less work than smaller wooden objects (cuting the cost of the whole kell by 50%), and that it could use wood with minor imperfections you'd cut out of smaller work (cutting the cost another 50%), so it only added about 30,000 gp to the ships cost, or roughly 250% of nromal cost for a ship of that class for the whole ship. That seemed much mroe reasonable so it became offical for my games.
Now, even damaged a darkwood keep is clearyl valuable. Salvage rights go for 20% of the theoretical assumed salvage value. If the keelk war worth 30,000 gp, you figure you'd get hald that if you sold it, or 15,000. The nTwins thus got 3000 gp for the salvage rights to the ill Wind, which isn't a whole lot but was "free" additional treasure.
There was a debate about what share Auriji should get. Auriji and &Humtum both argued she shouldn't get any, since she was dead at the time. Not killed during the encounter, but dead before the rest of the party was even captured. Everyone else felt differently. In the end. Mhyssi threated to give Auriji M's whole sahre if A didn't get one, and Quince promised to make up the difference in Humtum's share, and the thing was settled. Voronex became very distainful of Humtum when the beardless dwarf actually let Quince pay him, instead of refusing the extra money.
The final treasure total was 265,000 gp. Divided nine ways, that was 29,400 each. Humtum actually got 33,125 amnd Quince 25,675 gp. This made the average trasure value per character nearly 40,000 gp, which was way above their wealth per level. I decided they were going to be fighting a lot of treasureless monsters this level.
I don't know everything they bought because I didn't keep careful notes. Since quince had to order the scabbard it's written down, but most stuff wasn't (i think I may want to keep track fo that later). Quince also paid to have Auriji raised, and lost an average of one knightly challenge a day for the next several game sessions lying to her about how mcuh it cost him, so she wouldn't try to pay him back. I know voronex mostly bougyht defensive magic for himself, and mundane stuff for Mhyssi. Humtum got amulet of ighty fists and a few minor things. I think this is when Auriji made Majah gada an adamantine throwing longspear. Mhyssi enchanted her greatsword charm and got low-levels of all the standards (ring of protection, cloak of resistence, amulet of natural armor. I have no idea what the Twins got – but it included a LOT of wands and potions.
Glidda didn't buy anything just now. The player couldn't make the next few games, so glidda found a temple to rest up in, and stayed in Freeport for the next several sessions. Don't worry, she makes a return later.
My memory is that Tiera mostly bought things for her spirit familiar, but i can't say exactly what. I di know we discussed what happens to a spirit's armor if it goes insubstantial and so on. In the end we slapped a surcharge on everything to it could have it in all states. We also decided on a wolverine's magic item slots (no hands, but noth legs and feet, for extra "bracers". We never cam anywhere close to that limit.
Then, we got down to what the characters were DONINg all that time in Freeport, before Bloodbeard caught up...