• Group 1, Session 21: Death of a Necromancer

    Group 1, Session 21: Death of a Necromancer

    Searching for a second Lorebook has consumed much of The Five’s resources. During this search, with a goal of more power and the elimination of the Stench of Sheljar, they have acquired property in the abandoned bog city. They have earned the enmity of the Necromancer, a group calling itself the Proctors of Grace and maybe more of the GobKon. In session 21 one of those enemies dies. Spoiler alert: you already saw the headline.

    Session Notes:
    Aamar starts at the Inn. His player is present. Mo and Ajhenas start at the Temple. Their players are not present.
    Shonie is still in Telse, they think.
    Mansaray’s whereabouts are unknown. His falcon is remains at the inn, but seems aggravated lately.

    Ghost Dog on the Bridge

    As night falls Aamar is worried. His group is caught away from their inn, their safehaven, where no tunneling nightmares have appeared and no undead have come. He decides to leave the inn at night, with the blessing of Quar bringing daylight down from above.

    He walks surrounded in the bright light of noon, something foreign in Sheljar with its fog and stench. On the long bridge to the central city island he sees a spectral dog. That dog sees him and runs. The guard at the temple, Ajhenas, also notices the dog as it runs through the wall of the Library of Glight.

    Aamar, with the wisdom of Quar behind him, suggests that he join the group as they attempt to corner the Necromancer and take another Lorebook. This will also mean that The Five can use magic effectively, rather than sporadically. Ajhenas and Maurice, with their companions, head back to the inn to assure that none approach across the bridge.

    Canceled Repairs

    Samul is on the last guard. Up in the bell tower he watches. In the faint light of dawn, through the fogs he sees a couple goliath-sized skeletons approaching with wood, axes and a huge hammer on shoulder. They are accompanied by two human sized skeletons, one with a bow. They are walking towards the collapsed vestibule. They may be merely repairing the trap he’d sprung a few days prior, but they are also armed.

    “Waken,” he shouts in his Mehmd accent. “More skeletons come to the entry.”

    As the rest of the group rises, not bothering with armor, but grabbing their arms he leaps off the tower to the roof of the nave. He then leaps again attempting to chain-whip the largest skeleton. That attack hits, but throws off his balance and he falls prone, twisting an ankle.

    Prior to his allies coming he takes out one of the large walking dead. As they come the little repair crew is ravaged. They cannot stand against the combined group of mystical powers, melee and teknology. Even without their armor they are hardly wounded. Only Samul’s fall is the significant injury.

    Death of the Necromancer

    It is dawn. A few moments to eat and prepare their armor. Then the group heads back to the Library of Glight. From the ghost dog to the sealing off of other exits they know that the Necromancer is there, though he’d somehow hidden from their previous search. Now they are healed. The power of the Lorebook of Cortez is with them. Aamar’s prayers to Quar continue to gain strength.

    This portion of their quest will end for either Sheljar’s master of death, or for our heroes.

    They take a frontal assault, but upon entering the Library split up. Behn leaps upon the tops of the bookshelves. Ixnyx, Aamar and Bernie take the hall along the wall closest to Temple. Samul and Boo (in skeletal ripper form) take the center aisle. Saffron turns herself invisible, with a devious plot in mind.

    Spotted the Necromancer starts casting spells. Aamar responds. Bernie rushes the man in rather normal robes (the group already has his nicer robes and dagger from when they raided his temple-home). Ixnyx and Behn start shooting with their missile weapons.

    Samul and Boo face the spectral dog. That ghost dog charges Samul and disappears into his body. Our Mehmdian Pit Fighter is possessed. Boo runs out of range.

    Many blows are traded, some fighting the possessed body of their friend, others fighting the spell-caster, who is still weakened. Eventually Bernie, the bear, Boo, the skeletal ripper lizard, and Samul are down and out. Saffron slipped her Crown of Forgetfulness on the Necromancer as he took more blows from the rest. She also stole his folio sized Lorebook of Rohan.

    Aamar, Behn and goblin Ixnyx finish off the Necromancer in a mix of sorcery, prayer and teknology. Much healing is needed. Betwixt vials of the Everflow, Quar’s gift, and Aamar’s prayers the group heals. They flee back to their inn – as conquerors. Four zombies try to stop them and fail.

    It is over. They’ve acquired a second Lorebook and one set of robes they have yet to identify. Victory is theirs, just maybe they can control all of Sheljar soon.

  • Running Away, Let’s Do It!

  • Session Report: Shipping to the haunted north

    Session Report: Shipping to the haunted north

    Smaller merchants are willing to move goods. Those unfamiliar with local histories and legends are also more willing to move those goods to an area where normal humans would be afraid. This is the tale of a small-time merchant, rare smuggler who took a job that may beyond his abilities.

    Session Notes:
    This is a first time player who is also testing my Uncommoner concept. They started at 4th level because they will be joining The Five, eventually.
    It is also a solo session.

    Hiring

    Wandering past the Fine Market in Telse, Doceo is approached by another halfling. This one is from the west, probably Telse. She is strong, lithe. Doceo just sold a few goods that he’d picked up on the way, and has yet to approach the House of Quar.

    This new one sees the empty cart, points and offers more work. Bargaining takes place with warnings to not be followed, as there is a slaver trying to track the group down. Doceo gets a higher rate via the negotiations.

    His cart is loaded. In the next ten days he must head into Sheljar, a supposedly haunted city, to deliver some basic staples. Two messenger pigeons are sent with him and full payment will be given upon delivery.

    Attack of the Worgs

    Three nights out Doceo and his two mastiffs are attacked. As the previous nights they head well off the main road. On this eve they find some sanctuary. If not for his loyal companions Doceo’s little smuggling operation would be over quickly. But the three of them take down the two worgs. It is a rough fight and takes some time to recover. These are not normal wolves. The Western Wildes surrounding Telse are stocked with the unfamiliar.

    Feral orchards

    Another day north towards Sheljar, now half way on his journey, Doceo notices an encampment out to the east. This camp with four tents and several fires is at the edge of sight. There are a variety of races present.

    He leaves the road and heads into a feral apple orchard. Continuing on lane in the orchard that parallels the road the halfling feels undiscovered, until he notices a raven that stays about four trees in front of the small cart.

    Doceo attempts to scare it off, but all that does is get the raven to stay another few trees away. But it still shadows the cart.

    At the edge of the apple orchard there is a small rock wall that demarcation about eight inches tall. The next orchard is pears. Doceo notices the old homestead. He sets a false trail to the barn there, starting a small fire as the storm errupts overhead. The heavy rains, clouds and thunders should provide him cover.

    Then he hurries off on the real path. At the next demarcation he doesn’t have time to take down the rocks, instead he finds an old cart and uses it as a ramp. The player suggested this in a moment of player agency.

    The spaces between the vines runs east-west rather than north-south. Doceo hurries to the west and the gully at the edge of the property heads up a few lanes and then hides inside the vines. Looking back he notices two humans, a scent dog and a raven. They look confused. They’ve lost the trail and Doceo has escaped these hunters.

  • Song for Mehmd

    Song for Mehmd

    As Saffron gets to know Behn and Samul she wrote a song celebrating their homeland.

    Night pours over the rolling dunes.
    First, pink and purple, swallowing the sun-soaked sky.
    Then red to match the blood-soaked hands.
    And a whisper in the wind decries:
    nothing remains now
    except stars and scars.

    Dawn breaks the black horizon.
    We are thirst, and thirst is all we know.
    We are sand, wind, sun, and burning sky.
    We are.

    Here, in the desert,
    We cannot be claimed nor owned.
    Carried by winds,
    A mirage of heart and bone
    And memories built by hand.

    I turn toward emptiness.
    I see nothing, hear nothing.
    Yet through the silence something throbs.

    Here, in the desert,
    Ahid wraps tight around our ribs
    Preparing us for battle.
    We stand at the gates,
    Men and women,
    Myths and legends.
    Ready to fight.

    We are Mehmd.

  • Group 1, Session 19-20: Interrogation and Dungeon Crawl

    Group 1, Session 19-20: Interrogation and Dungeon Crawl

    Realizing that the session recaps are mainly read by my group, I’m giving up attempts to give them a narrative flavor. Instead I’ll focus on what they learned about the story they are writing together, the opponents defeated and some mechanical changes I tried.

    Session Notes:
    Aamar remains at the inn, reading the Lorebook. Bernie and Mitzie stay back.
    Shonie is still in Telse, they think.
    Mansaray’s whereabouts are unknown. His falcon is back with Aamar.

    Interrogating a Proctor of Grace

    In this encounter the group needed to interrogate a Dwarven mage from an unknown land. They had killed his mount and taken him captive after some combat. This meant that the group was at a significant disadvantage during the interrogation.

    Entering the session I had established a dozen or so things the group could learn. Each had a difficulty check established based on the Dwarf’s stats. Some required multiple successes, or previous learnings. They could be accomplished via Persuassion (CHA), Intimidation (STR or CHA), magic, etc.

    Here’s what they learned

    • He is Ular with the Proctors of Grace
    • The Proctors have used Sending Stones to communicate with allies/Scholars? in Kin
    • They are trying to destroy the Scholars for violating the Grace, the Necromancer is next. They already ended Cortez.
    • Upon seeing Ixnyx Ular talks about how Gobkons turned their backs on magic and the true order. Only the Proctors are able to correct this and keep the Kon from Ken.

    He sealed up around this point. No amount of interrogation would work, except that the group had a Crown of Forgetfulness, Deception and minor illusion. Working together the Five started over and convinced Ular that they rescued him from a fall. They learned more;

    • He is just one scout of many roving the West
    • They have much more knowledge of magic than the Kin.
    • The Glass Tower was taken by many Proctors of Grace, they are after Chorl, the Necromancer and more.

    Then they let him go. Between another minor illusion, the fogs of Sheljar and the use of a mage hand they let him chase after his wyvern. He doesn’t know it is dead. A stench cloud chases after him.

    Fighting the Necromancer

    Using Boo to carry a message back to the Necromancer the Five arrange another meeting with him to discuss the two sides futures. A meeting at the steps to Glight’s library of Sheljar is arranged. Samul, Ajhenas, Saffron, their companions and Edgar (Mo’s fox) go to the steps. Edgar is to run back to Mo in the Temple if something bad happens. Mo, Behn, Ixnyx go to the Temple shrouded in invisibility.

    It’s been a long day. The Five have fought a wyvern, a dwarven mage and are now facing off with the Necromancer and four of his skeletal guards. Samul is short tempered and does not react well to the Necromancer demands. He smacks the man with his belt-chain.

    This fight got interesting. In round 2 the Necromancer teleports to the Temple. The same initiative chart is used for both fights. This means the split party is equally involved. Four skeletons are not a challenge, but by the time that sub-group runs to the Temple their companions are frozen by a time stop. Though the Necromancer nearly died, his defensive magic gets him free from the combat (he had less than 10% of his hit points).

    Barkely detects a scent that the Necromancer went down into the tunnels under the Temple. Saffron acquired one of his fancier robes that he left behind. The sure like stealing this dude’s clothes.

    Into the Dungeon

    It is dark. Being humans and kinnish halflings they use a hooded lantern to see. The dog gives them some direction. Eventually they enter a larger room with 3 normal zombies and a mulgob zombie. Those they destroy. But there are two exits from the room. Barkley points them to the stronger door.

    Samul avoids the pit trap that pops when he thrusts through the door. Using some Athletics and Acrobatics the group gets across the pit. Maurice robs the dead down inside gaining a few vials of Everflow, a spell scroll and a pittance of copper.

    Now many minutes behind the Necromancer Barkley (Saffron’s dog) points them in a direction to a stair to the Library. Another fight with a mulgob zombie goes well. When they get to the Library they cannot find the Necromancer. The scent is dead.

    Hiding in the Temple

    With scent of the Necromancer lost they hide in the Temple, not knowing what the future holds. But feeling more confident in the ability to defend the Temple than the Library.

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