Category: Playing D&D

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  • Group 1, Session 18: Enter a dragon

    Group 1, Session 18: Enter a dragon

    The Five keep growing in size, but are far from completing their quest. The fogs of Sheljar have them on edge. They fear another tunneling nightmare striking their inn-home. Furthermore, the dead walk the night and there is the problem of their still hidden master wandering the bog-city.

    Session Notes:
    A guest player is here on a one-shot. They are playing a non-humanoid.
    Ixnyx remains at the inn, working on an unknown project.
    Shonie is still in Telse, they think.
    Mansaray’s whereabouts are unknown. His falcon is back with Ixnyx.

    IMG_20151202_183816186
    Inn by Stephen Joy https://twitter.com/mstephenjoy

    Stumbling back from the battle at the temple the group is weary. They fear going back to the island with the city center and its Library of Glight. Over the next day they will set a watch. Sure, the Necromancer will have some time to recoup, but the group needs the health and energy, especially if more wights or tunneling nightmare’s show.

    During their rest day Saffron goes fishing with her mage hand. Ajhenas’ heron helps gather fish as well. Samul is mourning the loss of Boo, his trusty lizard. Aamar is in the main room of the inn. Behn took a perch on top of the storage shed to paint the faint images seen through fog. Mo is up there as well.

    Encounter: Pet Shop Boys

    Limping through the thick fogs is a skeletal form. It has a spear it uses as a staff and a cape. Beside it is the ghostly visage of a massive warhound. Next to that is a tiny skeletal creature. Ajhenas is fishing at the base of the bridge and orders the skeleton to stop. This works, just short of the alarm zone.

    “Stop!” Ajhenas shouts. The skeleton and its companions stop. “Approach,” the scout from Kirtin says. A few steps forward. The start and stop commands continue. Leaning on the staff like a weak old man the skeleton does not seem threatening.

    Ajhenas mistimes his start-stop commands and the non-enemies, they cross Ixnyx’ alarm system. No longer is Ajhenas audience the two halflings on the storage shed, but the whole group, coming out into the courtyard seeing the creatures on the edge of the bridge.

    When Samul exits the building the tiny skeletal lizard sprints towards the massive gladiator, leaping up into his leather shirt’s inner pocket. This thing is, was?, Boo.

    Mo’s shortbow and Behn’s crossbow remain trained on the human skeleton. Ajhenas notices the cape is from a different light infantry unit than his own, one that was eliminated during the Awakening. Saffron asks the undying soul if it can talk, it shakes its head. She then follows up seeing if it can write.

    Through a long conversation with a skeleton carving words in the dirts of an abandoned isle the Five learn that the skeleton’s master is angry about the destruction of the temple, but extends the offer of an animated Boo as a symbol that the two parties may be able to communicate with less violence. They arrange a meeting with the Necromancer. Tomorrow, the Five will see this man across the collapsed bridge that once connected city center to the grand market. There will be a gap between the adversaries, so while missile and spell fire could happen, retreat into the fogs will be possible.

    Encounter: Enter a dragon

    With time to prepare the Five (it’s not five, but this adventuring party hasn’t named itself) build a second rope bridge over the gap between where the old massive stone bridge fell apart. That rope bridge is about 60 feet above the water. The stone bridge had a massive rise so smaller sea-worthy vessels could round the market isle.

    The also construct a couple simple defenses for the ranged fighters to use as cover. They’ll be shooting at shadowy objects through the fogs, but the cover provides some felling of safety. There are two of these. Some of the group is set to prevent a flanking action. Then they wait.

    Marching in step two banks of four skeletons walk to the edge of the bridge. Taking a knee and placing their shields in front the first row provides defense for the second row and their bowman. These are all human sized, but the skulls indicate that not all are human. Two mulkon zombies stumble forward from the rear of the military unit to the edges of the rope bridges. Their massive forms holding the giant morning stars that are common among their living race.

    These walking dead provide a defense for a large pitch black cloud of darkness that walks forward. This is powerful magic, not some mere illusion but a black that makes night seem like broad daylight. The group of adventurers is tense. If this meeting comes to violence they have a chance, Behn always thinks they have a chance.

    Greetings are exchanged. Interrupting the pleasantries is a resounding screech comes from the sky. The skeletons aim their bows up, as does the group. This is something different – a third side to the potential conflict.

    A winged form, somewhat related to the flying lizards of Mehmd comes into view, a second screech. There is a rider.

    “DRAGON!!!!!!!” screams Saffron and she sprints away, cowering in an abandoned merchant booth.

    And the fight starts. Bolts, arrows and spells fly out at the beast. The rider flings spells back. While in the air the wyvern does a spin move to avoid one of Behn’s spells. Its rider is flung aside into the water. Ajhenas runs down to the shore and Maurice leaps off the bridge chasing the stout form.

    The rest focus their efforts on the winged beast, eventually slaying it. When it dies the Necromancer and his companions are gone. That group of Behn, Samul, Boo, Saffron and Aamar look down to the water.

    Between the quick thoughts and strengths of Ajhenas and Mo they’ve captured the man. He is about 4 feet tall, with broad shoulders and a beard. He is a spell caster, once using a spell to get away from the group, but they recapture him. He has heavy armor, a hammer and is quite angry to find his mount is dead.

    While interrogated he declares that he is a “Proctor of Grace.” He displays some contempt for the “pathetic” spells used in the conflict, and disgust specifically for Behn. Some of the group take this Proctor back to their inn. The rest field dress the fallen wyvern and take its venom from the stinger.

    They now have a prisoner who can cast spells beyond what they do (he claims), wyvern parts and are no closer to learning the identity and disposition of the Necromancer.

  • Group 1, Session 17: Ajhenas in the temple

    Group 1, Session 17: Ajhenas in the temple

    The loss of Boo still haunts the group as they consider their next move in the audience of a few dozen decomposed bodies. The skeletal remains of a congregation loom over the party, their open eyesockets unmoving but seemingly following each nervous tic, every sideways glance.

    Session Notes:
    The player running Ajhenas wrote this recap. This is the first recap written from a single player’s angle and thereby gives new insights into the story.
    Samul and Maurice are absent from the session, but they remain in the temple nave. Maurice also helps open a lock.
    Shonie is still in Telse, they think.
    Mansaray’s whereabouts are unknown. His falcon is back with Ixnyx.
    Ixnyx is back at the inn setting some alarms.

    Given the disastrous, carefree door opening of Samul only moments prior, it is instead the recently revived Ajhenas who is entrusted with opening the doors of the temple. The Kirtin man still hasn’t fully recovered from the severe head injury that left him floating alone miles downriver. Silently he curses himself for not sensing the earlier trap that left much of the party injured. After due diligence, Ajhenas opens the left door into a back room, with Aamar, Behn and Saffron close behind. Injured and traumatized, Maurice and Samul wait in the rubble. Ajhenas’ heron remains outside on watch. Mitzie, Edgar and Barkley stay with the barbarian and rogue. If the skeletons animate the halfing and human will have some help.

    Beyond the door the party finds a simple set of rooms and a pair of staircases. In one room lies a table with a set of unfamiliar books; Behn notes that the books have been disturbed recently. As much of the party examines the mundane items scattered about, Ajhenas goes to a window to look more closely at the side of the church farthest from where they entered.

    To his astonishment, the thick fog that hindered their progress earlier appears to have completely lifted in the direct vicinity of the church, allowing him to see outside. There, ten yards out from the church, is a lone pole with a pennant hanging from the very top. A gruff word calls the others to the window, where no one is able to recognize the peculiar symbol adorning the flag. Behn takes note of it for later.

    By Randy McRoberts at https://flic.kr/p/oGzdYG
    By Randy McRoberts at https://flic.kr/p/oGzdYG

    Having seemingly seen all that is there to be seen, the party considers the stairs and decides to travel downwards first. Their descent leads them into pure darkness, greeted only with a nasty stench not unlike a sewer. Saffron and Ajhenas light torches in an attempt to make sense of the room, but to no avail. It simply isn’t worth the risk, and an exploration of the basement is abandoned.

    That leaves only the upwards stairs. At the top, nothing greets them save for a few more books with more strange symbols, and two more doors facing towards the back of the building. Behn presses his ear against the right-most door, and hears nothing living. Ajhenas is wary nonetheless, and opens the door with an axe at the ready. And sure enough, upon opening the great wooden wall, a wight blows by him to attack the rest of the party. In a moment of weakness, Ajhenas attempts to bring one of his trusty handaxes down on the nasty ghoul only to get it stuck in the doorframe. An encounter with the other leaves him badly wounded as a rusty sword slashes his chest.

    Behn and Aamar have similarly poor luck despite seemingly excellent preparation. An attempt to disarm the opponent leaves both Behn and this new enemy without weapons.

    Bernie, Aamar’s bear cub, rushes forth swiping at the wight attacking Behn. Saffron stands back in support. The fellow Kirtin-ite drumming inspiring beats, with secondary rhythm that place that same wight at a disadvantage.

    Calling upon his long military career, Ajhenas attempts to isolate this armed creature from the rest of the party. The cut he sustained was deep, and the man has seen how man and beast alike fare with such wounds. His shield equipped, Ajhenas pushes his attacker deeper into the room from which it came, blocking the door with his body. He attempts to push it closed behind him, but fails; a most fortuitous fail.

    In the other room, the party appears to have the wight in hand. A series of swipes and spells leave it all but defeated. Behn considers finishing it off, when out of the corner of his eye he sees the struggling Ajhenas alone, staggering with his shield high. Behn calls on one of his most powerful spells (I silently pray for good aim) and fires a bolt over the shoulder of the Kirtin man into the face of the looming creature. The wight lets out a horrific scream, barely clinging to the world of the living. Everybody looks on, anticipating that Ajhenas will run his longsword through the blight and earn his bravery.

    But the man is too weak, a lumbering strike misses wide and his body is left open to a critical strike, which falls swiftly after. Ajhenas crumples to the ground, wondering if this is the day he dies, surrounded by foreigners in a foreign land for a cause he doesn’t fully understand. He thinks of his blacksmith parents, of his bonded bird, the halls of the academy and of the many mountains he will never traverse. It’s only when he feels the healing salves on his lips that he realizes just how overly dramatic he was being.

    Helped to his feet, Ajhenas sees the smoking remains of the two vestiges of death. The man is not one who speaks, but Behn earned a few words of gratitude. Also to Saffron and Aamar, for their generous use of healing Everflow.

    By now the light struggled to survive through the island’s fog. The party checks the accompanying door, which was gratefully empty. Ignoring the remaining upwards steps the party returns to the first floor, where Behln stops just before the party reunites with Samul and Maurice. He reminds the group of the  pennant flying outside and how it appeared to repel the fog. After some discussion, Behl bursts through a window and (with help) retrieves the cloth. As soon as he does though, the fog that was held back as if by a glass bowl flows back into the empty space, and a sense of dread envelops the group along with the thick air. Replacing the pennant does nothing. Ajhenas calls for Laurel, who through speaking with Aamar informs them that a green cloud is approaching from that side of the building (and also that it’d be a very good time to leave.)

    The group reunites in the main chamber, ready to pack up and go. But the skeletons still sit in their pews, waiting for the sermon that will seemingly never come. Tired, wounded and annoyed, Ajhenas calls for the whole damn building to be burned down. But that idea doesn’t fly. Instead, Aamar sends the others on and lets forth a powerful spell from the center of the room which thunderously shatters the remaining bones.

    From there it’s a race to get off the island, away from the now apparent green cloud, and to the party’s base of operations. But as they cross the long bridges that connect the haunted village to the mainland, a bell rings in front of them. Ajhenas mentally braces himself for another fight, particularly when a goblin approaches excitedly. It’s all the party can do to keep him from throwing an axe at the monster. It makes the coming introductions between hottie Kirtin outsider and former captive turned Five member Ixnyx rather awkward.

    The green fog approaches no further, the group returns to the inn and the party settles down for rest at last.

  • Session 16: Into a dread temple

    Session 16: Into a dread temple

    Hiding in the abandoned bog city of Sheljar The Five found an home. The once thriving inn is a rare building within the fogs that is in a decent state of repair. As Behn and Ixnyx scouted the city square the others remained on their new tiny island.

    IMG_20151202_183816186
    Inn by Stephen Joy https://twitter.com/mstephenjoy

    This section took places away from table

    • Aamar and Bernie rid the store room of a swarm of rats. They also found two vials of the Everflow. Both were from prior to Bishop Ollium’s reign.
    • Samul repaired or built systems that could bar the doors and shutter the windows.
    • Saffron and Barkley scouted the east side and the docks, noticing an island across the faster flowing water.
    • Maurice and Edgar headed out the western trail following it through the garden. Mo found two wheels for the dog-cart and down near the orchard a land broken by pockmarks.

    We return to table play.

    When the gobkon and Sorcerer return from their trip they are short the mulkon. They speak of an encounter with some dire beast that trips creatures and tosses them into its gaping maw. It is also the source of the Stench of Sheljar. The two do not know if there are more of this bog kraken.

    Wounded and needing to heal, Mo recognizes the description of the holes from those whipping tentacles and leads the group down to where he scouted. But on the way along the eastern path Barkley barks at the river. Then Mitzie joins in as well. Floating down in the chill water, at night is some kind of man. A large heron is circling above. That bond clearly still active.

    The two dogs jump into the water on command. Their attempts to drag the man to shore fail, but they do slow him down. Aamar sprints ahead and uses his thorn whip to pull the poor soul to shore. That action and the dogs get the man into the dock area.

    Aamar uses a full vial of the Everflow to help the hapless soldier of Kirtin. Saffron having recognized the insignia on the light infantryman. Later, she escorts him back to the inn. Ixnyx had already turned one table into a work bench. She was working on some promised alarm system for the bridges. So Saffron took Ajhenas to one of the bedrooms to heal. They also discussed Kirtin, his presence in Sheljar and a certain volcano.

    Mo leads Behn, Samul and Aamar down to the pockmarked land. It is immediately familiar to the Sorcerer of Gate. He again speaks to how he won that previous encounter, with Ixnyx and the mulkon doing a bit themselves.

    A watch is established when the return. Ixnyx, Behn and the new arrival Ajhenas allowed to heal.

    In the morning Ixnyx declares that she needs to install those alarms, and even has a messenger flitter ready for Saffron. This small device will return to a single location with a short message. That location is the fireplace mantel in the inn.

    Saffron suggests the group head through the thicker fogs to the east. She wants to avoid that dangerous beast, maybe finding a new path to the city square. It takes two trips in the rowboat to get everyone across. They explore an island market, mostly failed and decaying. The fog is so thick they cannot see too far, but both the Rogue and Behn see Samul pocket a bar of silver.

    Heading to the northeast edge of the island there is a huge dockyard. No boats are left, but this is a place where great ships came to Sheljar. There is also a bridge that rapidly rises from the land, heading towards the city square. It ends in an abrupt slice through the stone. On the edge of vision they see the other part of the partitioned bridge.

    Saffron and Aamar want to take the rowboat across. Samul and Mo think there is a way between the Barbarian’s great strength and the Rogue’s quick feet they can build a bridge. Behn points out that their dogs couldn’t cross such a rope-bridge. Ajhenas is stuck chuckling as this group that has just accepted him argues.

    Done with words the Bard and Cleric of Quar head back to the row boat. Samul is offering to tie a rope to Maurice and just throw him across the gap. But then little Mo sprints up the bridge leaps the gap. The tiny halfling from Ooshar tumbles to his feet with a little flourish. Then he ties off the rope. Samul comes across the rope bridge while Behn rides Mitzie to let the fans of more traditional transportation know what happened.

    Now on the island square Behn “leads.” He isn’t in front of the group, but he is describing the things they see. Across the square is the Temple. The group decides to edge around it, but to the right of the open doors is a cemetery. The grounds and graves broken open. The group avoids that and instead goes straight to the steps.

    Two gargoyles swoop upon them. Aamar and Samul do most of the work to take them out. All aided them, but the two were the primary targets of the living stone. A bit shaken, a bit weary the pit fighter enters the vestibule through the open doors. Between the nave and vestibule is another set of doors.

    A bit naive the Mehmd native flings the doors open and the ceiling gives way. Behn, Mitzie, Aamar, Bernie and Samul survive the crush of stone and wood. Little Boo, Samul’s lizard, is smashed. Aamar’s spells cannot help the little bearded dragon, but they do heal Mitzie and Bernie.

    Now, the group proceeds with caution. Mo checks the door. He looks into the nave, and it is occupied, but nothing is moving. There are no more traps, just 16 skeletal heads staring towards the altar.

    They enter. Mo again looks for traps in the nave. He finds none, though there are two doors on either side of the altar behind the lectern. As the group fans out none of the skeletons react. There are five more smaller ones, that look like the face of Ixnyx. The larger ones a mix of human and those hobkon that captured their ally.

    Frightened that the undead could rise at any moment in a Obscon temple guarded by traps The Five ponder their next move.

  • Sessions 12-15: Rescue and Escape

    Sessions 12-15: Rescue and Escape

    Updating progress for The Five has been difficult for a bit. This shall sum up their activities over the last four sessions. Mansaray is still somewhere in the Western Wildes as his falcon is stays close to Aamar. Shonie stayed in Telse and works to provide some information to her companions via messenger pigeon to the caravansary.

    Saffron and Aamar arrived at the caravansary on the scheduled date. Maurice stayed in Fort Ooshar a day longer and discovered that his father’s old friend Willan’s children are part of local gang of thieves that have been ordered to follow him. At last check Willan may, or may not, be in Qin along the Southern River. Mo then slips out of Ooshar and catches up to his companions.

    Gully through mountainsAt the caravansary The Five (Aamar, Behn, Maurice, Saffron, Samul) head off to Sheljar, and the supposed safety from harm that a place that is either haunted or cursed offers. Along the way there they happen upon a broken repeating crossbow the size of a siege weapon and some marks of a scuffle. This reminds Behn and Samul of their previous conflict so the group heads down the gully.

    Working along the path the group finds that it runs up a gully. As they walk this gully the find tracks of a subject that was drug back along the “path.” As they head down they are ambushed by two more giant, tusked humanoids with those immense crossbows. Those two slow the group, but are not a significant threat.

    Continuing up the path they notice an encampment with two defensive positions, a few tents, a cave at the far end, a giant thing tied to a stake and a tiny mouthed halfing inside a cage. This is now a rescue operation. The group hates slavers. It doesn’t matter that these are not Kin being kept.

    Through a combination of flanking, frontal assault and luck The Five manage to stay alive despite large numbers of opponents. There are three different sizes and two genders they fight. A few run back to the cave and block the entry, leaving the two captives to The Five.

    Ixnyx is a goblin. She was held in the cage and works as the translator for herself and the mulkon. Both agree to work with The Five in the near term, as they are now free due to their help. Though a few of the rebel goblins remain unadressed, Isnyx agrees that hiding within Sheljar will prevent other powers from following The Five, because no one would be insane enough to enter this cursed city.

    Everyone returns to the caravansary for a brief reloading of consumables, and they head back out on the path to Sheljar. Now seven strong (3 halfings, 2 humans, 1 gobkon, 1 mulkon) with several animal companions they enter the deep fogs that have surrounded the former empire. There is no stench, but there is this thick fog and apprehension.

    As they descend toward the bog-city the fogs get thicker, the definition between river and decaying city disappears. But there is a clear entry from the Sheljar Road into the city proper. It is a wide and kept bridge. The span crosses a formal moat of brackish water.

    Samul and the mulkon lead the way. The mulkon makes Samul look small. Samul is well over six feet and has a pit fighter’s muscles. A few dozen feet onto the bridge two helmed horrors with their reddish eyes trapped inside a blackened armor that screams death fly into their path. It takes some time, with Ixnyx and Maurice jumping into the water to hide, getting off shots, some of Ixnyx bolts are on fire.

    After the horrors are defeated the group knows they will need a sanctuary to establish as a home while in Sheljar. These kinds of creatures, plus the two goblins talking about undead walking at night and a mysterious stench that swallows the Kon, mean fear rules. But, Ixnyx knows there is a square where the airxips landed. It has a library and a temple. They are well defended, but could contain either the power that rules Sheljar (Xelgar) or a Lorebook.

    Moseley Bog and Joy's Wood Local Nature Reserve - Coldbath Brook by Elliott Brown at https://flic.kr/p/dCZmcC
    Moseley Bog and Joy’s Wood Local Nature Reserve – Coldbath Brook by Elliott Brown at https://flic.kr/p/dCZmcC

    They all head off to the northeast. It is a wandering path through dry land, some fords, some bridges, some walkways. Everything is in disrepair. The stone bridges can hardly hold the mulkon. The fords mean walking through a water where bones rest at night. These bones are of Kin, of Kon, of beasts.

    Death is everywhere. They continue walking until there is a stench along another bridge to the northeast, where Ixnyx says his expeditionary flight landed, and later fled. But that stench is a cue. If they continue along that path someone, probably everyone, will die.

    The next most direct route is a wooden bridge to the north, except that odor is there as well. As a group they’ll need to find a longer route to the city center. Down to the southwest they find a rickety bridge leading to away from the stench. They cannot see the land where it ends due to the fog, but it is the only path that does not include death. They take it.

    After a walk through the deep fog, and a few broken planks, The Five arrive at a place that used to be an inn. It has has a small dock off the common room, place for a animal companions, a storage room that currently hosts a family of rats, but has a decent roof to use as a lookout. Plus there aren’t any piles of bones or old cemeteries on this patch of land. It’s old orchard and garden is currently feral, but may have some food that they can use.

    Samul declares this the capital of his kingdom, which brings some surprisingly good humor to the group. They start to create defensive positions. Behn volunteers himself and the two goblins to head out on a scouting mission along the only other bridge. They do take the rowboat, but follow that bridge.

    On deadline, hoping to return to the soon-to-be sanctuary prior to sunset they find their way to the city center, which is a triangular space where most of Ixnyx flight landed. The open square fit the main ship and two of the tenders. Another landed off to the northwest. Three buildings flank the area – a library, a temple and a government office. Ixnyx lets Behn know that expedition never got past the entries of the library or temple due to the amount of skeletons and zombies there. They did clear the office of government before the fleet fled the volcano.

    Behn targets the temple for their first visit. They have about an hour before they must return to safety, they hope it is safety. Ixnyx has the mulkon picking up some of the remains of Ixkon’s fleet’s visit. She thinks they can build a couple messenger devices, as well as convert more crossbows to the repeating style she thinks is standard.

    As Behn and Ixnyx approach the temple two gargoyles swoop down attempting to prevent entry. It’s a tough contest, but with the advice from Ixnyx Behn is able to fight well. A few well placed spells and the fiery bolts from Ixnyx’ crossbow take down the animated statuaries.

    The excitement of victory doesn’t last long.

    Shortly after the gargoyles are destroyed the mulkon comes running “the stench is coming.”

    A small tendril of thing shoots out of the ground whips at the mulkon’s legs, tripping the large fighter. A gaping maw shoots up from the ground a few dozen feet away from Ixnyx and Behn. Small tendrils reaching to the sky. Two larger ones flank the many-toothed mouth slapping the ground nearby with a thwack-thwack beat.

    Ixnyx fires a fire-bolt at its mouth-body. Behn leaps on Mitzie to ride the dog, hoping that rapid movement will keep the two safe, or at least together. Eventually the sorcerer locks onto the flaying beast with his witch bolts. Mitzie leaps a few of the whipping tendrils, while the mulkon shoots the mouth with its huge spear sized crossbow bolts and they try to stand up, getting immediately tripped back to the ground.

    One of those slappy tentacles trips Mitzie, but the halfing is able to concentrate on his target. Mitzie does not get grappled. The mouth of this dire creature opens and vomits bones at the mulkon. This spew of former victims rips and slams into the poor fighter.

    The fight seems a bit repetitive, until the mulkon is incapable of moving. Somehow the bog beast’s little appendages grasp the 9+ feet of muscle, bone and tusk, tossing it into the air towards the gaping mouth. That many-toothed mouth closes on the mulkon, who is swallowed.

    Behn, Mitzie and Ixnyx survive the fearsome creature, who on death causes many dozen of tiny tendrils to pop out of the ground and the chewed remains of the mulkon can be seen in the maw, among the teeth.

    The group flees, before some noxious cloud can come and to avoid the walking death of night in Sheljar. They return via rowboat to the old inn. Their hearts full of fear, disgust and some sorrow.

  • World of the Everflow One-Sheet

    World of the Everflow One-Sheet

    A crush of warhounds rage forward, backed by mastiffs with halfling riders. One flank is guarded towering Goliaths. That northern front is circled by eagles, hawks, ravens with a lower mega flock of smaller birds. The south is already falling back. There a tribe riding bison and elk is crushing the Kingdom of Azsel, but other tribes with their horse and sheep are fleeing. The Confederation of Crinth will lose more land and another tribe to the slavers, unless something changes.

    One of the largest Goliaths ever known wades through the mess of bodies of both beast and man. He is Jerald. It is not his tribe that will fall today, but the tribe of his wife. Normally peaceful, he is enraged. His flightless axebeak is surrounded by pestering terriers. He cries out to Belsem as Tellanor falls. A greenish cloud of rot breaks forth from his hands and the little dogs perish. Several of the Halflings are in agony. Another cry and another cloud, more Azselites fall. Those not nearby see this cloud of poison spray and back away. Both sides retreat stunned, for this is new. A legend is born that day. The myths of magic awakened.

    Campaign Premise

    The World of the Everflow is an episodic campaign designed for drop-in play that will most often join a regular group, but that can also play independent sessions, while exploring a world where every thinking person has an animal companion that is both tool and beloved.

    Background

    Twenty-one years ago the land of Kin (the people of love) had no magic.  Then the Awakening happened. Borders changed as Kingdoms applied these new powers. Quests to discover how it happened, why it happened and what could be done to stop it or further it started. Adventurers young and old left their homes hopeful that they could apply these new, small spells and make names for themselves.

    Kin is different now. Still bonded with beasts the people meet strangers with suspicion of odd powers. No one knows what else to expect. What more will happen to the world? Are more legends real?

    Grand Conflicts

    The Scholars are a secret society of empowered spell-casters who seem to have kept Kin from reaching its full potential. Who are they? Should they have this level of control?

    Azsel continues on its expansionistic policy. They are fighting with the Crinth Confederation and threatened Kirtin enough that the century-long conflict with Daoud is put aside.

    Two legendary peoples are invading the Western Wildes. The Kon are entering Sheljar in large numbers, leaving some behind. Over at the Cliffs of Galinor and at the Glass Tower the Ken are doing something. Why are the Ken and Kon returning to Kin?

    Can you keep the Lorebook(s?) from getting into the wrong hands?

    Facets

    • All thinking peoples have an animal companion
    • Low magic (Divine casters and arcane casters limited in different ways)
    • Sand Box play
    • Player agency helps create the world’s history.

    Variant Rules

    • Mundane versions of partial casters. No Wizards or Warlocks. Cantrip for all.
    • Gritty realism – long rests require a place of sanctuary and 24 hours of light activity. A short rest is a typical night’s sleep.
    • Feats, many able to be taken twice
    • Death happens
  • Managing a multi-path epic campaign

    Managing a multi-path epic campaign

    One thing that I’ve found as a middle-age man with other hobbies and real-life concerns is that finding a regular group to play every single week is much more difficult than it was in my heyday of 1st edition AD&D during high school, college and the Army. The path I’ve chosen instead is an epic multi-path sandbox inspired campaign. There are multiple storylines being chased, characters that drop in and out of sessions and off-table action run via email, chat and twitter.

    Altogether this results in a campaign that is similar to epic fiction (Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings). The party forms, breaks apart, reforms, expands, contracts as they attempt to make friends, make enemies, solve problems and help to create the world and story in which they play.

    A selection of the characters participating in the Everflow campaign.
    A selection of the characters participating in the Everflow campaign.

    This is the tracking chart that I use to help track the various PCs. Experience points and gold are tracked by me until they are on the player’s own sheet. Once that happens I make the column blank, because I will not need that information while I create the next encounters and new paths for them to follow.

    As I stated when first discussing this large group, episodic campaign, calendaring is also important. The group of three that are in Sheljar are two weeks “ahead” of the group that is at the caravansaray. Maurice is 3 days “behind” the group at the caravansaray. Mansaray and Shonie are semi-retired for real-life reasons. Shonie is now an NPC that group can use to help get intel, etc from Telse. Mansaray will either re-enter the campaign as a PC or an NPC reconnecting a current plot line that’s been abandoned.

    Doing something like this creates more off-table work. Not only does the DM/GM need to create encounters, adventures and campaigns they need to use some kind of tracking sheet and calendar, and understand that the non-linear nature of the campaign means that players will forget things. Reminding them should be a bit more involved than a typical 5-10 minutes “in last session” verbal recap.

    Provide the players with a digital recap, maps, images and other things that maintain a connection to the story that you are all telling together. Recognize that not every PC will be involved in every plot line. Maybe the hook doesn’t catch with them for either player or character reasons. Allow those players to know what plot line will be the focus of a session and they can either show or not. If they don’t show for story reasons (I haven’t encountered this yet) help them advance the plot hooks that they do like.

    Don’t try to run a table session with more than 5 or 6 PCs. All the standard concerns about table time and organization return with that. Feel free to run a mini-session with just 2-3 PCs. They could be scouting an area, or doing a social tier with a local authority. These advance the story, but more importantly let your players know that you value their time. Those characters get rewarded with xp, gp, treasure. The players get rewarded with the entertainment of role-playing.

    Be prepared for variable level encounters. With bounded accuracy this should not be as much of an issue as it would be in earlier editions of the game. Establish from the outset what the rules are about death, drop-in character creation, etc and work with your players to make certain that they are having fun with the system as it exists at your table both real-life and via digital communications. Feel free to grant xp for actions taken when the character acts in off-table activities.

    By combining story xp and encounter xp you increase the level advancement as well as help social and exploration tier PCs advance. The more players that you include, the more likely you are to interact with PCs that emphasize the different tiers.

    Finally, you should probably already understand this, such a campaign requires more organization and isn’t right for casual play. But the payoff is the creation of a story that mimics multi-novel stories, and that’s a lot of fun.

  • Session 1 Group 2: Clockwork zeppelin

    Session 1 Group 2: Clockwork zeppelin

    Session Notes: The Shield of Kirtin (Paladin) player is out for this session on no notice. As is practice the only way that PC would perish is through an absurd TPK. There’s a near-zero chance of that. Present were the Goliath Commoner (Tinker) and the Human Mundane Ranger from coastal Daoud. Both are 1st time table-top role-players.

    The Three last were in the ruins of a farmhouse in the Stench of Sheljar. At night they’d faced a few skeletons and zombies that rose from a bog and into the crumbling home where the Three took refuge. It was on the edge of these Sheljar lands. In the morning they work their way into a city that has been destroyed.

    Abandoned homes and shops line the improved roads. There are pits of acid, pockmarks from various bolts, fire damage throughout. Few skeletons are about and everything stinks. The bog land and little islands have bridges connecting paths and larger spots of firm ground tend to have docks and piers.

    Caution takes the group as they wander through this abandoned place. They know there may be skeletons and zombies. As they follow a main path they start to here a loud noise. It is a chink-chink-chink KACHUNK thing, clearly mechanical. Not knowing where to look they try to get closer to this, winding through large paths and small roads from stable ground to stable ground.

    Reaching a structure with a kind of permanence in this forsaken place they investigate. The ground floor is former in, with tables in disrepair, but some level of cleanliness that is surprising here. The Shield stays in this space with his faithful horse. The other two checkout the kitch…

    A HUGE RUMBLE comes from the southwest.

    Everyone but the animal companions are on their asses. The Tinker rushes to a window with a view to that part of the world and sees a volcanic eruption. A huge cloud is forming with its rain of rocks and ash to come. The chink-chink-chink KACHUNK noise stops.

    The Ranger gets a view towards the noise and there is a fire beyond a building across the way, and then streaming out of a passage are a set of humanoids setting up a bucket brigade. They are of varied sizes, with the largest making her Goliath friend seem a bit small. Their bucket brigade slows downs every time the smaller humanoids get one of these huge barrels of water. Eventually they leave and a couple more of the immense, tusked creatures can enter the line.

    The sky falls dark and towards one of the branches of the river there is a waterfall like noise. One of the large creatures gets swept away, the Three move to the second floor. They can’t see the other group now. The slush grey river is a horizontal water fall, but that fire is out.

    An hour later, as the river dies down to a rapids rather than horizontal waterfall, the chink-chink-chink KACHUNK sound returns. Beyond the building they start to see a bladder-like structure appear. It is ribbed. It continues to rise with a rib filling at every KACHUNK. Twelve times that KACHUNK sounds and then a huge ship hangs underneath the ribbed bladder. Dozens of those various humanoids board.

    A ladder is thrown down to three of the largest types with two climbing up to the safety of their vessel. The last falls when two rungs fail. He is left behind.

    The Three are cautious with the river and it is late in the evening. They settle in, keeping watch towards that lost soul. A few times in the evening they hear a clash of weapons. After those moments they see brighter fires.

    In the morning the Tinker and Ranger cross the river to investigate, leaving the horse and Shield behind, in safety. Crossing this river, since the bridge was washed away, is difficult enough without armor.

    They sneak around the warehouse-like structure that blocked the view. A Large frightened creature with a repeating heavy crossbow as large as a siege engine opens fire on the group. They weren’t sneaky enough. The Ranger orders her panther to attack as she tries to use piles of rubble for some cover. The Goliath takes cover and tries to fire back.

    Session note: this was a couple weeks ago, so the pbp of the battle is impossible to recreate. Here’s the quick version.

    They survive, but cannot take this creature alive, because the panther’s last command was to attack. It makes a killing blow on a critical. There will be no interrogation. They make it back to the Shield and let him know that they saw a couple other of those vessels leave. They also have a nicer map than the one they scrounged earlier. Those vessels they see seem to be leaving from spots marked on the map.

    The statue in the harbor looks like the smallest of the creatures they saw. The Tinker thinks that those creatures, and that stature, all look like what the god Nok is reputed to look like.

    End Session.

  • Session 11 Group 1: Everyone wants a Lorebook

    Session 11 Group 1: Everyone wants a Lorebook

    Leading up to Summer Festival Mayor Kellamon is notified that annual special ale from The Ferments did not arrive in its customary window (generally a week before the festival). Since it would take a large quantity of ale about a week to get to Telse this is their last opportunity to check on the status of the ale. A few messenger pigeons were sent, but none return. Saffron, Barkley and Samul are sent to check on the ale while Aamar continues to study the Lorebook. Maurice is tailing Piyu. Behn gets an invite to visit Esmenet Fallaugher second of House Graysterm, the trade house of Qin that manages the South River and River Kirtin trade.

    Session 10.5 Notes: Saffron and Samul’s players are present. None of the other players are present. Maurice and Behn’s characters were sent emails filling in their couple days in Telse. Some of those tales are relayed to the group in Session 11.

    Saffron and Samul do find the ale. On the way Saffron finds a crown of forgetfulness at a waystation along the road. This crown is a simple band of a silvery metal and reminds them that Cortez bragged about wiping the minds of the unworthy who visited him.

    A trail leads them off of the road along a path through a light forest to one of the untamed geysers. Along the way they rescue a dog that had been with the cart originally. This mastiff is loyal to them, but not a companion. There is no trace of the other mastiffs. A group of mephits, impish elementals fly up out of various geysers and pools. A quick fight with these creatures of smoke, steam and mud results in the rescued mastiff passing. There is no obvious leadership for these odd creatures. Nothing can explain why they’ve stolen the ale. The Ferments were already an odd place, and this theft makes it more strange. Something with access to a crown of forgetfulness and able to control elements is active in this land of liquors and geysers.

    Samul and Saffron do manage to get the ale to Telse, but only in time for the Eclipse of Feylf on Summer 2 rather than Summer Festival on Summer 1. The party is ongoing, but Samul and Saffron discover some issues upon talking to their friends. At least one of Qin’s tradehouses know that they have the Lorebook in the Church of Quar. From Mo they learn that Piyu has a base outside the inner wall where he is operating his recovery operations. The Azsel ambassador also wants the Lorebook from The Five, who he hates.

    That puts the list of people that may be alive and probably want the Lorebook at Chorl, Piyu, at least one tradehouse in Qin and maybe Cortez or maybe he’s just insane.

    born to runA decision is made. They cannot defend themselves while in Telse and with the Lorebook. The tailend of the two-day celebration of Summer Festival is the perfect time to leave. The Five will split. Aamar, Maurice and Saffron will go down river towards Mira, where there may be some clues to find other Lorebooks and/or Scholars. They will do this with a fake Lorebook, leaving with some of the Telse militia on a routine barge going downriver along the North River to Fort Ooshar.

    Samul and Behn will have the real Lorebook with them and sneak out at night. The Five will meet in six days at the crossroads on Sheljar Road and the road from Fort Ooshar into the Sheljar Fields. Together they will hide in the Stench of Sheljar since a vast majority of the Kin will never go into those swamps after the empire fell.

    Session 11 notes: Samul and Behn’s players are present. The others will either play out their journey via Slack or at the table prior to a full session.

    On the night of Summer 2 trying to sneak through the inner city Behn the Sorcerer with Mitzie and Samul the Barbarian are trying to sneak through the crowds. Behn is concentrating on sneaking rather than partying. This is unusual. Eventually he and his companions disappear through invisibility. They get through the inner wall and the ghetto of people who survived the destruction of Sheljar rather uneventfully. But now again visible in the morning they work towards the West Gate where Obsconites control the fringe of Telse. One of Obscon’s patrols meets them on the edge of a forest. The poor cultists die. Samul and Behn destroy the holy symbol of the faith and tie the bodies to the trees. Samul wants western Telse to be free of these types of people that ended the Empire of Sheljar.

    The two and their Companions travel just off the Sheljar road, avoiding a caravan and the sparse homesteads. On Summer 6 they are nearly at the crossroads. That morning, finally back on a standard nightly sleep schedule they encounter a pile of burned skeletons. A few of the skulls have large tusks, a few others with tiny little mouths and huge foreheads. There are hands as small as a halfing’s hands but with longer fingers as well as femurs that are nearly as large a goliath’s thighs.
    At the crossroads, with a caravansary, a ranch house and a house managing an orchard it’s the largest homestead they’ve seen in days. They take refuge in the caravansary overpaying for use of a stable-room and promising to help patrol the area that evening.
    Samul and Behn join two humans on the patrol, both have dogs. As they walk the fenceline a crossbow bolt rips into one of the men from the ranch. He perishes and his retriever immediately collapses as well. Using one of his crafty little cantrips Behn gets light towards where the shot originated. The skirmish is quick. The large opponents are creatures not even from legend. They are unheard of and use huge crossbows that don’t need to be reloaded. Behn, Samul and one ranchhand survive. None of the opponents do.
    Summer 7 is one day before the rest of The Five are to arrive. All of the caravansary are on high alert. These strange creatures are unknowns and in daylight are unrecognizable. They are one day from the Stench of Sheljar, three days from the city proper.
  • Session Zero: The Second Group

    Session Zero: The Second Group

    This adventuring group started at the same time as The Five. It begins with three characters and will be The Three. It is also designed for some drop-in session and semi-permanent from the core. They are also searching for a Lorebook, but their direction is not to the West, but to the North and Sheljar. Their journey is darker.

    The Three consist of;

    • Human, Paladin, Oath of Shield. This is a Paladin that does not have spellcasting, but does have some divine power. He carries a tower shield and is one of the protectors of Kirtin. Their companion is a draft horse.
    • Human, Mundane Ranger, path unknown. Her companion is a panther. She is originally from Daoud.
    • Goliath, Commoner (Tinker). He is from the outskirts of Telse, towards Bell’an’fair. This worshipper of Nok wants to learn why thinks work.

    This is a group with a bit more fighting weight behind it. Though the Goliath doesn’t hit often, when he does he crushes. Seeing this Piyu and Allison send them off towards the Stench of Sheljar. They were at the same speech about trying to find the Lorebook, as well as Telse’s place in a post-Awakening Kin.

    At the urging of Allison they head north through the fields and orchards towards Sheljar. The small group continues though a land that loses civilization quickly. After a few days they meet a family of minor nobles that escaped the stench of Sheljar. Not yet in the bogs and fogs of the fallen empire they learn that even these former leaders no longer tread north on the road. One of their sons left once. He is forever gone. All trade is to the south and the family heavily armed.

    A couple days later the group avoids the road now. There are others on the horizon, conflict isn’t desired. This is a scouting trip more than anything else, for now. Off in these woods there is a pile of mostly bones. Their forms are not human, goliath or halfling. There are heavy brows. One has large tusks. The tiny one has a misapportioned mouth and a huge forehead. Each has a crossbow, with the largest of these being usable, with some work. The goliath tinker fixes it. It’s nearly the size of a balista. For him it is just a heavy crossbow. There are only a couple of bolts available. There is also a tiny map of the Sheljar area.

    And two days later they enter the bogs and marshes of Sheljar. Their necks wrapped in perfumed kerchiefs so they don’t endure the physical smell their is still a sense of foreboding. On the edge of the settled lands of the dead kingdom they make camp for the night. The small house they found has some rotting hay. It is mostly a ruin, with some soft land to the east that settles into some sort of pond or stagnant water. There is a paddock to the south.

    In the late hours the animal companions come aware. They sense something outside of reality nearby. The panther growls waking the group. Skeletal shadows walk towards the nearly sleeping bodies. Only the goliath can see, but the ranger thinks quickly and throws a little flame towards the advancing undead. The party can see 2 skeletons and 3 zombies.

    The battle is fast, fierce. Being unfamiliar with combat the tinker struggles to stay involved. Without the panther and the healing abilities of the Shield all would be lost. But they tough it out. All remain living. When the combat is over they sleep a little closer to each other; their companions a little uneasy; their hearts beating faster.

    Sheljar is a place where the dead walk.

  • Session 10: The next hooks

    Session 10: The next hooks

    After the last session The Five had finished their original goals. They’d found a Lorebook, and discovered it does not have the answers to “What caused the Awakening?” They did discover a cause, within a clandestine group of Scholars, that Chorl had something to do with the release of the minor magic. There was the discovery that the Obsunites captured the New West Gate. More close to their hearts was the conflict with Parun. The human that is hunting Mansaray.

    This session had the following attendees: Behn, Saffron and Samul.
    Maurice and Aamar have small roles as DM run PCs.
    Mansaray is still out in the Wildes, maybe.
    Shonie returned to her family in Telse.

    It is now Spring 75, just three days before Summer.

    Bishop Ollium has offered the non-Telsians (Behn, Saffron and Samul) a place to stay as there are no visiting priests in the House of Quar at this time. They eat down in the tavern that the Quarites run while Aamar is in the temple library trying to learn more from the Lorebook. As those three and Mo dine Piyu enters the room, he has a single one of his guard with him. He is massive, but does not fill the room. The temple is built for goliaths, as is most of Telse.

    “Hello, I will need to see you in my office when you are done with your morning meal. We will discuss the incident yesterday with Parun. He is waiting for us.”

    Behn asks, “Should we hurry?”

    “No. There isn’t a need. He can wait.”

    The group take a reasonable amount of time to finish their meal and leave Aamar in the library. Their canine companions stay in the stable and yard connected to the House of Quar. Bernier, the bear cub, stays with Aamar.

    When they enter Piyu’s office Parun is waiting, visibly frustrated at the delay. He has two dogs with him, a reminder that three of his dogs passed in the battle. Piyu’s heron is standing on the desk behind him. As the door closes it unfurls its extensive wings.

    Telse, Mira, Qin and the other cities near the Everflow and its two rivers.
    Telse, Mira, Qin and the other cities near the Everflow and its two rivers.

    “We are here to discuss the incident,” Piyu starts. He describes how Parun is the new ambassador from Azsel. Being new to Telse, he did not understand the laws as regards to slaves. He has now been informed and though he is an ambassador, with all of those rights, he pay a fine to the city for the violence he laid on the local heroes. His netthrower will no longer be allowed inside the inner wall of Telse, nor at Fort Ooshar. Lastly, he will be followed when in Telse. Piyu asks Maurice to lead this effort. Maurice, having a certain hatred for Parun’s profession, agrees.

    “But you, you five, damaged that netthrower and killed five dogs from the embassy. Though in self-defense, these sorts of crimes are not welcome in Telse.”

    Behn argues that it was really just accidental magic. Piyu points out that it was a fire bolt that set the netthrower on fire. Behn is humbled, but not for long.

    “So how much is the fine?” all four ask at nearly the same time.

    “150”

    “What?!” Behn, eager to pay back since he was the one that caused the damage was about to pay out of his pocket, but now needs help.

    “There may be another solution if you do not have these funds readily available.” Parun tries to interrupt and is told to hold his voice. “Telse needs help. Half the Guard and a third of the Militia is monitoring the West Gate and the neighborhoods near where the Obsunites gained control. But there are many other issues you’ve brought forth to the Mayor. Will you help us?”

    Parun again interrupts. “These, four? They committed crimes.”

    “Leave, now. Mo will follow you,” Piyu commands. “If you help your fine to the city will be on probation.”

    “What should we do?”

    “What ever is needed.”

    It’s open ended. They do not have instructions, unless they choose to address the silly apocalyptic cult blocking the New West Gate and the refugee ghettos on that side of town. But they are connected to the city, a bit more.

    "Postduif". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Postduif.jpg#/media/File:Postduif.jpg
    “Postduif”. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Postduif.jpg#/media/File:Postduif.jpg

    Samul goes to a mailer to send a pigeon to a friend back in Gate. That friend will then need to get a note to his betrothed. It should take about two days for that message to get to her ears. Saffron sends a pigeon to Kirtin-in-the-Sky to then get the note carried to Korlot where her older friend Teegan lives.

    There’s also some shopping. Most of it is administrative. Behn replaces his missing bolts and buys more, and then buys a pack and harness for his dog Mitzie. Samul requests a dagger-glove for his off hand. (The mechanics for this are just that he always has a dagger ready on that hand, he already did a d4 damage). It will be done in a couple days.

    The three then return to Aamar. The priest tell them that he’s learned a few things from his study.

    • There’s more than one Lorebook
    • They are likely where more Scholars are
    • Within the Lorebook are the type of spells that could remove the Stench of Sheljar

    The Stench of Sheljar is because the former empire fell to pieces when the Awakening happened. Many people perished as those with powers of violence acted. The area rapidly fell to ruins. Some fled to Brodton, many more came to the northern parts of Telse, but most died. There is now a general uneasiness in the air, the odor of decay and a light fog. A number barely larger than zero enter those lands.

    Now the group splits up. They’re learning about the area and have some clues to follow.

    Samul heads out to the dockside. He’s worked the sea before and knows he’ll find some info among those that work the river. His target is a group of sailors from Daoud. He discovers that their ship is in Qin and they’ll be taking several barrels of the Everflow and other goods down river soon. Asking about areas they know he learns;

    • Qin has something like cannon guarding the harbor
    • In general the sailors think that Qin is a bizarre, but huge city
    • Kirtin-on-the-Lake has a huge library

    Behn and Saffron head to the embassy for Mira, approaching the ambassador there. The idea is that since Mira was a fringe, semi-independent part of Sheljar they may learn more about the Stench and Sheljar.

    • Brodton is a no man’s land
    • Mira’s merchants avoid the roads rather than risk going through the town
    • Even the river traders up their alertness when on river, though it is several miles from the town
    • The government of Mira avoids the Stench of Sheljar

    Session 10 was heavy social session, with a tiny bit of exploration, as the players started to fill out spaces within the town with the mailer and the dockside tavern.

    Depending on the hooks they are looking to chase they can pursue heading off to Kirtin-on-the-Lake’s library (Lorebooks?), to the exotic city of Qin (Scholars?), to Brodton (Sheljar), or back out west to investigate Chorl/Cortez.