[This was a relatively short session as we started a bit late and there was a good deal of discussion during the first half of the session.]
Attendees
Hugo Underwood – Wood Elf shaman
Felix Lutsk – Human “acquisitioner”
Albrecht Artyom – Human Grey Wizard
Fritz Schmidt – Human scout
Alset Alokin – High Elf mage
Before heading out into the wilds again, the group spent time dealing with business in town.
Fritz became the patron of the owner/operator of a general store in town, Ditmar Lumm. Fritz directed Ditmar to start growing contacts and a supply chain to support the colony (when established). [Fritz spent experience points to buy a Follower.]
Uncle Felix’s Armor Shop opened for business and Felix started making plans to bring in weapons smiths as well as the high quality armor smiths he had hired. [Felix spent experience points to purchase a base with "followers" of it's own - the employed smiths. Note: the smiths are loyal to the shop, not Felix.]
The loot from the treasure closet was divvyed up*. The sealed lead chest was investigated and determined to have no traps on it, but it was sealed with a lump of lead instead of a lock. "Morrsleib" sounded familiar to the adventurers, but most could not remember why. Hugo remembered it was the name of the green moon, but could not quite remember the significance.
After the lead lump was removed, Felix opened the chest. Inside was an oversized skull made of glowing green crystal – it was pure warpstone!** As it’s corrupting energies washed over Felix, he could feel it trying to change him. Made of sterner stuff, Felix resisted its effects and slammed the chest shut. He then set about resealing it immediately. All the exposed skin on his front was red as though sun-burned. This triggered Alset’s memory: Morslieb was reputed to be the source of all warpstone, so the symbol embossed on the chest was a warning. [GM wearing an evil grin here.]
Alset commissioned two sets of three copper-covered iron rods from Felix’s smithy and was told they would be ready in a week and a half. He has plans for them relating to his teleport spell...
Finally, Albrecht decided to bring two handfuls of the unmagic dust with him on the current expedition and Fritz chose to bring three. The remaining three handfuls were left at F&A Holdings.
The next morning the group mounted up on their horses and headed east along Quarry Road. At Watch Tower 1 they turned off the road and headed northeast across the plains, aiming for the southern of the two towers out on the plains on their map. As they got near, their path crossed the fringe of the Wedge Wood, where the forest was growing around a barrier that only seemed to affect the forest. The adventurers searched the area, finding an abandoned logging camp. Hugo was able to determine that the camp had been abandoned for at least a year, but there was no indications as to why it had been abandoned.
The adventurers then continued on to the lone hill with a tower on it. Just like its neighbor to the northwest, Alset was able to locate lines of force emanating from inside the hill. One line headed to the northwest, directly towards the tower the adventurers had previously explored. One line of force headed northeast, to possibly link up with one of the lines from the other tower, and the third line headed due east, where the adventurers theorized another tower could be found. They deduced that there were a total of six towers with something at the center, possibly a seventh tower.
The adventurers examined the tower they were at. Like the tower to the northwest, it had no windows or doors. Albrecht teleported to the top of the wall and verified that the tower was completely hollow inside, just like the one to the northwest. Searching around the hill, they did not find the illusion covered cave entrance where they were expecting it [on the "inside" of the area delineated by the lines of force]. They did find a one on the southeastern edge of the hill, set into a low cliff face.
As it was getting late in the day, the group decided to camp, but back at the abandoned logging camp three miles away. They rode there and set up in the largest standing building [about the size of a barn]. The doors were long gone on the building, which was significant later, but the building provided cover for the adventurers and their mounts.
On second watch (Alset and Albrecht), Alset spotted a small group of creatures approaching. The creatures looked similar to the Cold Ones that Dark Elfs ride and were directly approaching the camp. Alset had Albrecht wake the rest of the group. The adventurers clustered at the front entrance and readied for the creatures to attack. All three wizards cast enhancing spells on Felix, increasing his Dexterity and armor protection significantly. He stood in the front center, ready for the rush of the beasts.
The beasts had been making clicks and trills at each other while approaching and when the rush happened, it did not go as expected. Two of the six beasts charged the front entrance, but the others broke off into two groups and moved around the sides of the building, heading for the wide open rear entrance. Felix stood his ground and fended off the two attacking the front, barely scratched by their ferocious attacks thanks to the magics protecting him.
As the fight progressed, the four flanking beasts charged in through the rear entrance and fell on the horses stabled in an adjacent side room. Horrible sounds of horses dying could be heard by the adventurers at the front, which angered the adventurers. The group started peeling off from the front fight to stop the slaughter of their horses. Felix cut down one of the two beasts at the front, driving off the other [who suddenly found its sense of self-preservation], ending the front fight.
The adventurers killed the rest of the attacking beasts, but not before losing all but one of their horses. With one horse left, the group decided to return to town. Alset could teleport the group back to town with the horse, but not if they found any significant treasure under the tower as the horse put him at the edge of of his teleportation spell’s capabilities.
Back in town, the group waited a few days until the full moon for the next monthly auction to happen. They sold off several items they had been holding on to: the wraith crowns, the ceremonial gold bowl, and the gold torc. They then split up the proceeds and made arrangements for Quetzal and Zoglug to get their shares.
End of Session
* The treasure consisted of:
1. Large dragonhide shield [50% resistant ED damage reduction to fire attacks, 11- Act.]
2. Pendant charm (minor magic) [2rPD hardened vs. missiles, 1 Turn per day]
3. Fingerbone charm (minor magic) [+5 DCV once per day]
4. Potion of Vitality [LS: aging, sleep, and food, plus 0 END Running and STR, lasts 1 hour]
5. Unmagic dust - took a while to identify [Dispel, 10d6 per handful of dust, bag of 8 handfuls]
6. Bronze torc with opals set in the caps (old-style Jicarilla work) - 350-450g
7. 10,000 copper coins, triangular in shape, with the face of an Elf on one side and the phrase "Through Darkness, Light" on the other.
8. 1000 silver coins, triangular in shape, with a skull on one side and the phrase "Through Darkness, Light" on the other.
9. 600 gold coins, triangular in shape, with the face of a Human wearing a crown on one side and the phrase "Through Darkness, Light" on the other.
10. Small lead chest with the Elf symbol of Morrsleib embossed on it.
** Yes, Kasey, the party just found a crystal skull. ;)
Showing posts with label FridayGroup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FridayGroup. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Blood, Gold, and Lizards - Friday Group - Session 3
Attendees
Felix Lutsk – male Human “acquisitioner”
Hugo Underwood – male Wood Elf shaman
Albrecht Artyom – male Human Grey Wizard
Fritz Schmidt – male Human scout
Alset Alokin – male High Elf mage
Hirelings:
Penrith the Steeplejack (Sergeant)
Lukyan the Fat
Fredek the Hare
Felix, recently returned from his sojourn to Lucan’s Clock (having received word that the heat had died down), told many stories about how different things are over in the Sartosan colony. He now has a healthy respect for orcs and the lizardfolk, having seen examples of them in action.
The group of adventurers that comprised F&A Holdings decided they wanted some more information about the areas outside of New Zwicke. To secure this information, they individually scouted the town for rumors. The most intriguing rumors they heard suggested that there was something up in the area known as the Dark of the Woods, that the lizardfolk avoided, but no one knew what. The group decided that that was not a strong enough lead to investigate and instead decided to finish their investigations of the Wedge Wood.
Before heading out of New Zwicke, the group tracked down and hired Penrith the Steeplejack and his two companions-in-arms, Fredek the Hare and Lukyan the Fat. The three had just about blown through their share of the last outing and were very willing to sign on for the same rate as before: 5s a day or a full share if there was any fighting.
Starting in the morning, the group road the Estini road north(-ish) out of town for two hours and then cut east towards Wedge Wood. An hour later they were in the Wedge Wood, looking for the tower they had previously discovered. Felix’s map was not as accurate as he had hoped it would be, but after wandering for nearly an hour Fritz took a look at the map and was able to get them to the correct place.
The tower was still buried under trees and other plant growth. The path they had hacked to the entrance to the tower was covered again with heavy new growth, despite it having been less than a month since their last visit. They started hacking through the plant growth again, clearing a path to the entrance to the tower. Fritz took this time to set out surveying markers around the tower as the first step towards claiming ownership of it. Hugo noticed the horses were nervous and used his Beast Speak power to ask them why they were nervous. The horses only said “something big is here” and asked for some oats. By this time the entrance to the tower was clear and the group moved in. The interior was exactly as they had left it: dry with a slight coating of dust. Despite there being no door covering the entrance, there was no plant growth intruding from the outside. The adventurers also checked the dust for footprints and found there were no extra footprints in the dust beyond the ones they had left before.
They made their way back up to the third floor and found that the moss once again covered all surfaces except the statue. Alset cast a new spell he had learned, one that allowed him to see the winds of magic and analyze them. He found the room was awash in green magic, emanating from the statue and flowing out through the missing wall section (see the previous expedition for details of the room). [http://bugbearsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2013/06/bg-friday-group-session-1.html] Comparing to their map of the areas around New Zwicke, the adventurers are able to determine that the flow of energies follow the centerline of the Wedge Wood in a roughly northeasterly direction.
Albrecht realized that his newly developed Mage Sight had been indicating that while the third floor was awash in green magical energies, the first and second floor were a different magic. The group retreated back down to the second floor and Alset was able to determine that the energies on the lower two floors were High Magic (suggesting High Elves) and maintaining the environment and keeping the green out. Alset and Albrecht investigated the summoning circle found in the hidden chamber last time. It was not active but could still be used. That room also contained residues on the walls and floors that could only be described as “magical splatter” and reminiscent of Dark Magic (which suggested Dark Elves). Somewhat mystified, the group returned to the entry rooms on the first floor to camp and give some thought to their next actions.
During the night, an assassin vine moved through the area. Hugo and Fredek notice it, but decide to let it pass as it just seems to be moving through the area. Hugo does mention it to Fritz and Penrith when he wakes them for the last watch.
In the morning, the group decamps, having decided to explore the Wedge Wood more before tampering with the statue in the tower. Over the next several hours the group finds evidence of boars (or something very like boars) living in the forest and an abandoned (and extremely well hidden) elven camp. By the end of the day they had finished searching about a third of the Wedge Wood and made camp. During the night, a large shambling mass of plant-life with a vaguely humanoid shape attacked the campsite. Hugo noticed its approach early and awoke the group prior to its attack. Even so, the fight was tense if short. Felix was the first to approach the creature and was nearly felled by its held attack. This prompted Penrith and his men to step up and physically haul Felix out of danger, forming an impromptu bucket line as they passed the barely conscious man to the back of the group. After that, Fritz got a good shot in on the creature, stunning it. This allowed Penrith and his men to quickly and safely chop the creature down to a pile of mulch. Fritz took the time afterwards to cut out the fibrous heart of the creature, believing that it might be worth something back in town.
The next morning, the group resumed their exploration of the woods. About mid-morning they come across an elf hanging from his neck on the southern edge of the woods. Hugo recognized him as Pepin, another Wood Elf who lived here in the Wedge Wood. Pepin had been clearly killed by violence elsewhere and hung here after his death. There were some bloody writing on his body, but the handwriting was so bad it was illegible. Fritz and Hugo searched the ground around the area and found signs indicating that orcs had been in the area and were likely responsible. This was slightly unusual as there were no orcs tribes known to be in the area. Later in the day, after losing an hour to heavy rains, the group found a dead orc on the northern border of the woods with three elven arrows sticking out of its back. It was unclear as to whether or not the orc had been killed before or after Pepin died. They rolled the body and found a pouch of Old World coins attached to its belt. After another couple of hours exploring, the group camped again. The night passed quietly.
The next day they reach the eastern edge of the Wedge Wood. While exploring the corner of the wood, Albrecht spots a tower on a single hill out on the plains to the southeast. After some discussion, the adventures decide to finish exploring the Wedge Wood first, then look into the tower. Exploring the length of the eastern edge of the woods, they determine that the edge is a straight line. Reaching the northeastern corner of the woods, they spot another tower on a hill out on the plains. The line formed by the edge of the Wedge Woods runs perfectly between the two towers.
The adventurers begin to suspect that there is more to the Wedge Wood than they originally suspected. They speculate much as to its shape and form the opinion that there may be another tower near the “point” of the woods that forms the northern boundary to the forest. They head north onto the plains to get closer to the second tower they have discovered. They spot some unusual, lizard-like herd beasts grazing on the plains, but have no idea what they are. Not wanting any trouble or to get too close to the tower while they are tired, the group sets up camp on the plains for the night.
The next morning the group carefully approaches the tower on the lone hill. It appears to be three stories tall, but has a smooth stone surface with no windows. Once they get up on the hill, they see two things: there is no door to the tower, but there is an orc camp about 3-4 miles west of them. Using the company spyglass, they scope out the orc camp. They can see three large square tents set up and (what they assume are) some orcs walking around the camp. Initially they were not certain if it was orcs, but Alset spots a banner flying from one of the tents that clearly has orc glyphs on it. The number of tents suggests 10 or more orcs, which out numbers the adventuring party, so the adventurers decide to avoid the orcs and not pick a fight.
Albrecht teleports to the top of the tower and nearly falls in, all the way to the bottom – the tower is hollow. Alset casts his magic seeing spell and determines that the magic in the area is sourced from under the hill, not in the tower. Additionally, he can now see two lines of magical power emanating from the hill. One line runs roughly SE, but the other line is a surprise. Instead of running WSW and forming the northern barrier of the Wedge Wood, it goes NE! [RETCON: There is a third line running due east.] Alset also notices that there is a cave entrance concealed by magic nearby, leading down into the hill.
After some discussion and checking their rations, the group decides that they do not have enough supplies with them to pursue their investigation of the tower right now. Now is the time to return back to town (especially as they do not know what the orcs are up to. They mount up and ride along the northern edge of the Wedge Wood, doing their best to not be noticed by the orcs. Once they make it to the Estini Road, they ride hard and arrive at New Zwicke at dusk, just before the town gates are being closed for the night.
End of Session
Felix Lutsk – male Human “acquisitioner”
Hugo Underwood – male Wood Elf shaman
Albrecht Artyom – male Human Grey Wizard
Fritz Schmidt – male Human scout
Alset Alokin – male High Elf mage
Hirelings:
Penrith the Steeplejack (Sergeant)
Lukyan the Fat
Fredek the Hare
Felix, recently returned from his sojourn to Lucan’s Clock (having received word that the heat had died down), told many stories about how different things are over in the Sartosan colony. He now has a healthy respect for orcs and the lizardfolk, having seen examples of them in action.
The group of adventurers that comprised F&A Holdings decided they wanted some more information about the areas outside of New Zwicke. To secure this information, they individually scouted the town for rumors. The most intriguing rumors they heard suggested that there was something up in the area known as the Dark of the Woods, that the lizardfolk avoided, but no one knew what. The group decided that that was not a strong enough lead to investigate and instead decided to finish their investigations of the Wedge Wood.
Before heading out of New Zwicke, the group tracked down and hired Penrith the Steeplejack and his two companions-in-arms, Fredek the Hare and Lukyan the Fat. The three had just about blown through their share of the last outing and were very willing to sign on for the same rate as before: 5s a day or a full share if there was any fighting.
Starting in the morning, the group road the Estini road north(-ish) out of town for two hours and then cut east towards Wedge Wood. An hour later they were in the Wedge Wood, looking for the tower they had previously discovered. Felix’s map was not as accurate as he had hoped it would be, but after wandering for nearly an hour Fritz took a look at the map and was able to get them to the correct place.
The tower was still buried under trees and other plant growth. The path they had hacked to the entrance to the tower was covered again with heavy new growth, despite it having been less than a month since their last visit. They started hacking through the plant growth again, clearing a path to the entrance to the tower. Fritz took this time to set out surveying markers around the tower as the first step towards claiming ownership of it. Hugo noticed the horses were nervous and used his Beast Speak power to ask them why they were nervous. The horses only said “something big is here” and asked for some oats. By this time the entrance to the tower was clear and the group moved in. The interior was exactly as they had left it: dry with a slight coating of dust. Despite there being no door covering the entrance, there was no plant growth intruding from the outside. The adventurers also checked the dust for footprints and found there were no extra footprints in the dust beyond the ones they had left before.
They made their way back up to the third floor and found that the moss once again covered all surfaces except the statue. Alset cast a new spell he had learned, one that allowed him to see the winds of magic and analyze them. He found the room was awash in green magic, emanating from the statue and flowing out through the missing wall section (see the previous expedition for details of the room). [http://bugbearsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2013/06/bg-friday-group-session-1.html] Comparing to their map of the areas around New Zwicke, the adventurers are able to determine that the flow of energies follow the centerline of the Wedge Wood in a roughly northeasterly direction.
Albrecht realized that his newly developed Mage Sight had been indicating that while the third floor was awash in green magical energies, the first and second floor were a different magic. The group retreated back down to the second floor and Alset was able to determine that the energies on the lower two floors were High Magic (suggesting High Elves) and maintaining the environment and keeping the green out. Alset and Albrecht investigated the summoning circle found in the hidden chamber last time. It was not active but could still be used. That room also contained residues on the walls and floors that could only be described as “magical splatter” and reminiscent of Dark Magic (which suggested Dark Elves). Somewhat mystified, the group returned to the entry rooms on the first floor to camp and give some thought to their next actions.
During the night, an assassin vine moved through the area. Hugo and Fredek notice it, but decide to let it pass as it just seems to be moving through the area. Hugo does mention it to Fritz and Penrith when he wakes them for the last watch.
In the morning, the group decamps, having decided to explore the Wedge Wood more before tampering with the statue in the tower. Over the next several hours the group finds evidence of boars (or something very like boars) living in the forest and an abandoned (and extremely well hidden) elven camp. By the end of the day they had finished searching about a third of the Wedge Wood and made camp. During the night, a large shambling mass of plant-life with a vaguely humanoid shape attacked the campsite. Hugo noticed its approach early and awoke the group prior to its attack. Even so, the fight was tense if short. Felix was the first to approach the creature and was nearly felled by its held attack. This prompted Penrith and his men to step up and physically haul Felix out of danger, forming an impromptu bucket line as they passed the barely conscious man to the back of the group. After that, Fritz got a good shot in on the creature, stunning it. This allowed Penrith and his men to quickly and safely chop the creature down to a pile of mulch. Fritz took the time afterwards to cut out the fibrous heart of the creature, believing that it might be worth something back in town.
The next morning, the group resumed their exploration of the woods. About mid-morning they come across an elf hanging from his neck on the southern edge of the woods. Hugo recognized him as Pepin, another Wood Elf who lived here in the Wedge Wood. Pepin had been clearly killed by violence elsewhere and hung here after his death. There were some bloody writing on his body, but the handwriting was so bad it was illegible. Fritz and Hugo searched the ground around the area and found signs indicating that orcs had been in the area and were likely responsible. This was slightly unusual as there were no orcs tribes known to be in the area. Later in the day, after losing an hour to heavy rains, the group found a dead orc on the northern border of the woods with three elven arrows sticking out of its back. It was unclear as to whether or not the orc had been killed before or after Pepin died. They rolled the body and found a pouch of Old World coins attached to its belt. After another couple of hours exploring, the group camped again. The night passed quietly.
The next day they reach the eastern edge of the Wedge Wood. While exploring the corner of the wood, Albrecht spots a tower on a single hill out on the plains to the southeast. After some discussion, the adventures decide to finish exploring the Wedge Wood first, then look into the tower. Exploring the length of the eastern edge of the woods, they determine that the edge is a straight line. Reaching the northeastern corner of the woods, they spot another tower on a hill out on the plains. The line formed by the edge of the Wedge Woods runs perfectly between the two towers.
The adventurers begin to suspect that there is more to the Wedge Wood than they originally suspected. They speculate much as to its shape and form the opinion that there may be another tower near the “point” of the woods that forms the northern boundary to the forest. They head north onto the plains to get closer to the second tower they have discovered. They spot some unusual, lizard-like herd beasts grazing on the plains, but have no idea what they are. Not wanting any trouble or to get too close to the tower while they are tired, the group sets up camp on the plains for the night.
The next morning the group carefully approaches the tower on the lone hill. It appears to be three stories tall, but has a smooth stone surface with no windows. Once they get up on the hill, they see two things: there is no door to the tower, but there is an orc camp about 3-4 miles west of them. Using the company spyglass, they scope out the orc camp. They can see three large square tents set up and (what they assume are) some orcs walking around the camp. Initially they were not certain if it was orcs, but Alset spots a banner flying from one of the tents that clearly has orc glyphs on it. The number of tents suggests 10 or more orcs, which out numbers the adventuring party, so the adventurers decide to avoid the orcs and not pick a fight.
Albrecht teleports to the top of the tower and nearly falls in, all the way to the bottom – the tower is hollow. Alset casts his magic seeing spell and determines that the magic in the area is sourced from under the hill, not in the tower. Additionally, he can now see two lines of magical power emanating from the hill. One line runs roughly SE, but the other line is a surprise. Instead of running WSW and forming the northern barrier of the Wedge Wood, it goes NE! [RETCON: There is a third line running due east.] Alset also notices that there is a cave entrance concealed by magic nearby, leading down into the hill.
After some discussion and checking their rations, the group decides that they do not have enough supplies with them to pursue their investigation of the tower right now. Now is the time to return back to town (especially as they do not know what the orcs are up to. They mount up and ride along the northern edge of the Wedge Wood, doing their best to not be noticed by the orcs. Once they make it to the Estini Road, they ride hard and arrive at New Zwicke at dusk, just before the town gates are being closed for the night.
End of Session
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Blood, Gold, and Lizards - Friday Group - Session 2
Attendees
Hugo Underwood – Wood Elf shaman
Felix Lutsk – Human “acquisitioner”
Alset Alokin – High Elf magus
Hirelings:
Penrith the Steeplejack (Sergeant)
Lukyan the Fat
Fredek the Hare
The group started with some housekeeping. Hugo officially joined F&A Holdings. This tied down Fritz and Albrecht with getting the necessary paperwork through the New Zwicke bureaucracy [the players were unavailable]. Felix, Hugo, and Alset deposited their earnings from the previous expedition into the New Zwicke Bank for safe keeping. The group then used money from F&A Holdings to purchase healing potions at the Temple of Shallya, hire a trio of guards for camp security, and then food and extra horses for the entire group.
Originally the guards were simply going to be paid a flat salary for camp guarding. However, after some discussion the guards were offered a full share as a group if they also fought alongside the adventurers. Penrith negotiated a clause for payment of the flat rate if no treasure was recovered, but otherwise accepted the offer on behalf of his men.
The group headed north on the Estini Road, planning to return to the tower in the Wedge Wood and explore further from there. This plan fell by the wayside just outside of the farmlands surrounding New Zwicke when a pack of bandits attempted to rob the adventurers. During the ensuing fight, Hugo was shot off his horse by arrows [for being scary and dangerous with his Murder of Crows spell], Alset’s spells fizzled early on, but the hirelings proved their worth, keeping the bulk of the bandits away from the spellcasters and cutting many of them down. The fight ended with the bandit archers fleeing once the sword-weilding bandits were all dead or unconscious.
While the elves stripped the dead bandits of their gear, Felix interrogated the four bandits that were captured alive, killing one of them to make his point to the others. The remaining three bandits were very eager after that to share everything they knew, including that there was a raft hidden upstream where the archers were likely to run to and that the bandits had a camp in a small forest across the Arrow River from the ambush site. After Felix collected the heads of the dead bandits, the adventurers made their way to the location of the bandit raft [bringing along the manacles captives], discovering the archers just pushing off from the shore!
This battle was more of a slaughter as the bandit archers had no cover. One of the dead archers was recovered, as were all four long bows, but the other three bodies sunk (weighted down by their armor) and were washed away by the river current.
Alset used a series of teleports to move everyone across the river, except the draft horses the hirelings were riding. As the draft horses each massed more than Alset could teleport, Hugo had to swim them across. This took a couple tries as the horses were nervous, but eventually everyone and their mounts were on the western side of the river.
Hugo went ahead into the small forest to scout out the bandit camp but was immediately discovered. [He completely blew his stealth roll.] However, as he knew the password (“Applecake” – learned from the captives), Hugo was able to bluff his way in as a new recruit. [He aced his Acting roll.] The bandits took him in and the senior bandit gave him the tour and explained that this was a raiding camp, their winter camp was elsewhere. Hugo noticed that there were only five bandits guarding the camp and the front gate and the back gate were not within sight of each other. He started formulating plans…
When Hugo had not returned from scouting after an hour, Felix led the rest of the group straight up to the front of the bandit camp. As the bandits drew their bows, Hugo cast Cloud of Moths, obscuring the sight of the bandits (and himself) with mass numbers of glowing blue moths. This allowed Felix and the hirelings to charge the gate and get in without getting shot. It was all over for the bandits at the front gate after that. The rear gate bandits heard the fighting and their friends dying and fled out the back with their lives and little else.
The adventurers spent the next hour thoroughly looting the bandit camp. The take was mostly foodstuffs and the meager loot gathered by the bandits so far this season. Felix beheaded the dead bandits and freed the three captives, telling them to run and never come to his attention again. They ran.
With loot to sell back in town (and the majority of that being perishable foodstuffs), the group returned to New Zwicke. They turned over the bandit heads to the Guard, receiving a small bounty (5s) per head after filling out a report. [This was due to Hugo being a member of a registered adventuring company. Otherwise the adventurers would have been treated as vigilantes and forced to pay a fine.] After selling off the loot, shares were paid out: one to each adventurer, one to the group of hirelings, and one to F&A Holdings. Penrith and his men were very pleased with the payment and stated they would be happy to work with the adventurers again.
End of Session
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
BG&L – Friday Group – Session 1
Attendees
Albrecht Artyom – Human Grey wizard (co-founder of F&A Holdings)
Hugo Underwood – Wood Elf shaman
Fritz Schmidt – Human scout (co-founder of F&A Holdings)
Felix Lutsk – Human “acquisitioner”
Alset Alokin – High Elf magus
F&A Holdings (the adventurers) after discussion decided their first expedition would be to the Wedge Wood. Riding their horses along the Estini Road, they quickly cleared the farmlands surrounding New Zwicke and entered the point of the Wedge Wood. (The Wedge Wood is shaped like a long triangle, with the “point” an hour’s ride from the farmlands around New Zwicke. From there the forest spreads along some unusually well-defined boarders, widening as one moves to the northwest.)
Once they entered the forest, they started searching to see if there was anything interesting. In an extremely thick copse of trees inside the forest they noticed the stony walls of a tower almost completely covered in plant life, including trees, thick cables of vines, and other, less identifiable, bushes and plants.
Curious, they hacked their way to the entrance of the tower. Instead of being filled with roots or other plant life, they discovered the interior of the tower was completely clear of plants and contained the abandoned furniture of its previous inhabitants. The air inside is cool and dry, providing a contrast to the humid air outside. Alset created light so the group to see by arcing a ball of lightning around his hand. The furniture might be of elven make, but it might not.
The group explored the first floor of the tower, finding a guard post, several barracks (with latrines), stairs up, a mess able to serve 50 people at once, a kitchen, and two storage areas. The first storage area was attached directly to the kitchen and the interior was noticeably cool. At first they assumed this was a magical effect done on purpose, but they quickly found a large patch of russet mold covering one set of shelves. They were very glad that Alset’s light was lightning-based and produced no heat to draw the mold. They backed out of the mostly empty storage room and closed the door. They considered this a good find – if they decided to claim the tower, the mold would keep food from spoiling quickly. They just needed to be careful to not enter the food storage area with a torch…
The adjacent storage room appeared to have been a dry goods storage area. There were crates, barrels, and now-empty sacks stored around the rooms. The sacks once contained grain, but were now just husks of long-molded remains. The crates were mostly the same, but some of the barrels still contained liquids. Fritz checked the barrels – the first four were now vinegar, but the fifth one contained a black ooze! After a quick but unexpected fight, the group destroyed the ooze.
Panting from exertion (and maybe a small bit of fear), the group moved to one of the (easily defendable) barracks and camped for the evening. Watches were set in case trouble came looking, but the night passed quietly. After a quick repast, the group resumed exploring the tower.
The second floor was living quarters for people more important that the soldiers stationed in the barracks on the first floor. Even after the ruins of time, it was apparent that the furnishing on this floor were once opulent. This floor contained a library full of scrolls, but the scrolls were so old they crumbled at the touch. After several were destroyed this way, the group left the rest of the scrolls alone. Searching the floor thoroughly, a secret door was found. It opened to an alchemical laboratory full of unbroken glassware. A valuable find!
Leaving the glass beakers, vials, and flasks alone for the moment, the group proceeded up to the third floor. The entire third floor was a single chamber and had no roof. A portion of the wall on the northeast facing was missing and every surface was covered by a layer of moss. The sole exception to the moss covering was an abstract statue on a pedestal in the center of the room. The statue was made of some sort of green stone, perhaps jade, and while it was unclear what was depicted, there was a definite suggestion of femininity.
Carefully NOT touching the statue, the group investigated the room. Hugo was able to determine the missing wall section was blasted out, not in. The missing roof seemed to be part of the construction, but was now criss-crossed by plants and vines and partially covered by the branches of the taller trees around the tower. None of the plant growth actually drooped below the edges of the walls and the only growing thing in the room was the moss covering the floors and walls.
Alset fired a bolt of lightning at the floor near the pedestal, clearing away some of the moss. Exposed was part of a (now broken) containment circle encircling the pedestal. This filled the group with some measure of dread, but after nothing happening for a while, the group started clearing away the rest of the moss. They uncovered the rest of the containment circle and found a second breach that lined up neatly with the missing wall section.
After discussing the situation for a while, the group decided to pack up the valuables they had found so far (notably the alchemist’s lab full of glassware) and leave. Alset teleported back to New Zwicke with the glassware (rather than chance breaking it by packing it on the horses) and the rest rode their horses back.
End of Session
This session was short as the PCs were not kitted out yet and it took some time for everyone to get kitted out to their satisfaction. This was fine as it was the first session and I’d rather the players get kitted out and be happy with their gear up front. Plus, the Friday group is mostly new players and did not have the books yet. The Saturday Group is mostly experienced Hero System players and have the books, so they were ready to hit the ground. Even after just a single session with each group I’m seeing definite differences in the playstyles of the two groups. Should make it interesting as things progress.
Albrecht Artyom – Human Grey wizard (co-founder of F&A Holdings)
Hugo Underwood – Wood Elf shaman
Fritz Schmidt – Human scout (co-founder of F&A Holdings)
Felix Lutsk – Human “acquisitioner”
Alset Alokin – High Elf magus
F&A Holdings (the adventurers) after discussion decided their first expedition would be to the Wedge Wood. Riding their horses along the Estini Road, they quickly cleared the farmlands surrounding New Zwicke and entered the point of the Wedge Wood. (The Wedge Wood is shaped like a long triangle, with the “point” an hour’s ride from the farmlands around New Zwicke. From there the forest spreads along some unusually well-defined boarders, widening as one moves to the northwest.)
Once they entered the forest, they started searching to see if there was anything interesting. In an extremely thick copse of trees inside the forest they noticed the stony walls of a tower almost completely covered in plant life, including trees, thick cables of vines, and other, less identifiable, bushes and plants.
Curious, they hacked their way to the entrance of the tower. Instead of being filled with roots or other plant life, they discovered the interior of the tower was completely clear of plants and contained the abandoned furniture of its previous inhabitants. The air inside is cool and dry, providing a contrast to the humid air outside. Alset created light so the group to see by arcing a ball of lightning around his hand. The furniture might be of elven make, but it might not.
The group explored the first floor of the tower, finding a guard post, several barracks (with latrines), stairs up, a mess able to serve 50 people at once, a kitchen, and two storage areas. The first storage area was attached directly to the kitchen and the interior was noticeably cool. At first they assumed this was a magical effect done on purpose, but they quickly found a large patch of russet mold covering one set of shelves. They were very glad that Alset’s light was lightning-based and produced no heat to draw the mold. They backed out of the mostly empty storage room and closed the door. They considered this a good find – if they decided to claim the tower, the mold would keep food from spoiling quickly. They just needed to be careful to not enter the food storage area with a torch…
The adjacent storage room appeared to have been a dry goods storage area. There were crates, barrels, and now-empty sacks stored around the rooms. The sacks once contained grain, but were now just husks of long-molded remains. The crates were mostly the same, but some of the barrels still contained liquids. Fritz checked the barrels – the first four were now vinegar, but the fifth one contained a black ooze! After a quick but unexpected fight, the group destroyed the ooze.
Panting from exertion (and maybe a small bit of fear), the group moved to one of the (easily defendable) barracks and camped for the evening. Watches were set in case trouble came looking, but the night passed quietly. After a quick repast, the group resumed exploring the tower.
The second floor was living quarters for people more important that the soldiers stationed in the barracks on the first floor. Even after the ruins of time, it was apparent that the furnishing on this floor were once opulent. This floor contained a library full of scrolls, but the scrolls were so old they crumbled at the touch. After several were destroyed this way, the group left the rest of the scrolls alone. Searching the floor thoroughly, a secret door was found. It opened to an alchemical laboratory full of unbroken glassware. A valuable find!
Leaving the glass beakers, vials, and flasks alone for the moment, the group proceeded up to the third floor. The entire third floor was a single chamber and had no roof. A portion of the wall on the northeast facing was missing and every surface was covered by a layer of moss. The sole exception to the moss covering was an abstract statue on a pedestal in the center of the room. The statue was made of some sort of green stone, perhaps jade, and while it was unclear what was depicted, there was a definite suggestion of femininity.
Carefully NOT touching the statue, the group investigated the room. Hugo was able to determine the missing wall section was blasted out, not in. The missing roof seemed to be part of the construction, but was now criss-crossed by plants and vines and partially covered by the branches of the taller trees around the tower. None of the plant growth actually drooped below the edges of the walls and the only growing thing in the room was the moss covering the floors and walls.
Alset fired a bolt of lightning at the floor near the pedestal, clearing away some of the moss. Exposed was part of a (now broken) containment circle encircling the pedestal. This filled the group with some measure of dread, but after nothing happening for a while, the group started clearing away the rest of the moss. They uncovered the rest of the containment circle and found a second breach that lined up neatly with the missing wall section.
After discussing the situation for a while, the group decided to pack up the valuables they had found so far (notably the alchemist’s lab full of glassware) and leave. Alset teleported back to New Zwicke with the glassware (rather than chance breaking it by packing it on the horses) and the rest rode their horses back.
End of Session
This session was short as the PCs were not kitted out yet and it took some time for everyone to get kitted out to their satisfaction. This was fine as it was the first session and I’d rather the players get kitted out and be happy with their gear up front. Plus, the Friday group is mostly new players and did not have the books yet. The Saturday Group is mostly experienced Hero System players and have the books, so they were ready to hit the ground. Even after just a single session with each group I’m seeing definite differences in the playstyles of the two groups. Should make it interesting as things progress.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Blood, Gold, and Lizards: Friday Group
First, a bit of business: I’m moving my targeted posting date to Wednesday. For a variety of reasons, I’m not able to get any good writing time until Tuesday night, so I need to push back my planned posting day. I know, I know – I’ve been pretty hit or miss for the last few months and never told anyone that I aimed to post Tuesday mornings previously, but there you have it.
Now on to the actual post material.
Here are the Friday Group characters for my new Western Marches-style exploring campaign:
Albrecht Artyom – shadow wizard of the Grey Guild. Albrecht is in the Colonies to be the Grey Guild’s representative and to stay out of sight of the Witch Hunters for a while.
Alset Alokin – a High Elf lightning mage, travelling in Lustria on a whim. He’s not really avoiding his rival Nagrom DeNoc. Really. Just ask him.
Felix Lutsk – a human fencer with a secret. It is merely coincidence that the notorious cat burglar The Pawn arrived in the colonies at roughly the same time as Felix. Honest.
Hugo Underwood – a Wood Elf crow shaman who has been in the Colonies for a few months – just long enough to anger the Jicarilla tribes, forcing Hugo to return to New Zwicke from the Wedge Wood.
Fritz Schmidt – a human scout, looking for a new home for the congregation he belongs to. They do not believe that Sigmar is a god, which causes…friction. And occasionally witch hunters.
This group of fools…er, I mean “intrepid adventurers” will be starting in New Zwicke, capital of the County Palatinate of New Zwicke. I have no idea of what they will get up to or where they will want to explore on the island, but I have many things ready for them. Starting date for this group is May 31st.
Now the Saturday group will start this Saturday (May 18th), but I don’t have enough of the character sheets to list them by name as this is the more experienced group of players and they were able to make their characters on their own. Not all of them have gotten me a copy of their character yet, but that will happen this week. In fact, the one character whose name I do not have for the Friday Group also made his character on his own, which is why I don’t have his sheet (or name). This is a problem with experienced players: they can make their own characters, but you have to chase after them as the GM to make sure you get a copy.
EDIT: added Fritz Schmidt's name.
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