–Episode 16–
-Immersion-Gesture, Sidekick is sad-
Scene #106:
Sylvia and I continue north towards Oldenfall, accompanied by our new companion, Evers. I notice that Sylvia is unusually quiet, her eyes are moist. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
Q: does she say? NO
Her head snaps up, “Oh, nothing.”
I start to press, but then reconsider, leaving her to her thoughts. There is a stranger with is, so it wouldn’t be right to ask any more.
-Evening Encounter-Caravan, 4 wagons-Q: Is it Weylan the Grain Merchant? NO Q: Heading out? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: Do they want to talk? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: Do they want to talk? EXCEPTIONAL YES (generate personality)
We pass by a group of four large ox drawn wagons laden with sacks of grain, and nod at the caravan captain. He greets un in Norgard, then Evers replies and tells him to use Kardashev, so the man repeats his question. “How now, travelers!” the slender, captain with birdlike features calls out. “What news do you have of the road ahead?”
“Where do you travel?” I respond, “Last night, Bleakband refused us shelter arriving after dark, and this morning, gnolls attacked us on a farm beyond its fields. Four days ago, there were gnolls reported on the roads of north Feldholm.”
The merchant pauses and signals his wagons to halt, “No shelter after dark at Bleakband? Ravenmond has no inn.” He turns back to his crew, “Turn’em around you sorry bastards!” He shakes his head, “Took too long to get a wheel fixed, but if there are gnolls in the farm country, I don’t want to push to Earthwallow in the dark. Thank you for the news. So…you travel from Feldholm?”
“Yes, that’s true,” I nod in agreement.
“So…I hear the city was taken by goblins, then liberated? And now it has a new queen?” the man raises an eyebrow.
“News travels fast, but yes, Jenn Free is Queen now, and there a lot fewer goblins and ogres lurking the North Woods, but bandits aplenty.” I shrug.
The merchant nods, “Bandits can be bribed to turn away. Nobody wants to steal a sack of grain anyway,” he laughs as he and his caravan follow us back towards Oldenfall.
At the gates, the guard taunts him, “I told you, Mayfair, no point in leaving so late in the day!”
“Bah!” the merchant, Mayfair, replies, “It’s not the night I fear, but gnolls on Oldnfall roads. Tell the baron to send out more patrols!”
The guard scoffs, “I’ll be sure and tell the watch captain.”
Q: Does he invite us to stay? NO (evening encounter-Thief/Conman pretending to be a prophet, generate personality) Q: old? YES Q: Does she speak Kardashev? YES
Inside the gates, Mayfair bids us farewell as we lodge Buckbelly, as Sylvia has decided to call her mule, at the city stables. While Sylvia handles that a slender woman about my mother’s age approaches. She is adorned in symbols of the goddess, wearing a falcon pendant. “You! You two! It is as foretold! Two bold seekers of fortune stand at the edge of destiny! Treasure awaits,” she begins, approaching Evers and I.
(My Insight rolls beat her deception, but all three of us roll low)
I raise a skeptical eyebrow while Evers hangs on every word, “Get out of here,” I tell the woman, “Nobody wants to hear it.”
“I do,” Evers interrupts, fishing out a silver coin, “Where can we find this fortune and what stands in our way?”
Q: Is it enough? NO
The woman holds out her hand for more, “A fortune worthy of kings is worth more than one day’s meat.”
I roll my eyes as Evers gives her a crown in addition to the tenpiece. The old woman smiles, “You have chosen wisely. To embrace your destiny and learn the secrets of your future!” she waves her hand coming alongside Evers, and then stretching her arm out, pointing towards the heavens, “I see an ancient ruin, from the days of Thrum, filled with unclaimed gold, long forgotten.”
“Tell me more,” Evers laughs, half amused half curious.
Q: Does he pay another? EXCEPTIONAL YES
“An ancient palace, guarded by a vile beast that will test your courage and steel,” she continues, “but on learning it’s secret, you will undo it,” she holds out her palm once more, now empty of the first two coins, Evers places two more crowns in her hand, while I shake my head in disbelief. “The fiend fears the sign of the goddess,” she points to the pendant around Evers neck, “And she will protect you from its fangs as you plunder the ancient palace.”
“Where is this palace?” Evers demands.
“Two days northwest as the crow flies, beyond the lands of Baron Kirn, in the wilds roamed by gnolls and infested with worms, you will find the ancient palace, now hidden from view by ancient forest. There, you will find your fortune! If you are bold enough to seize it,” she finishes before slipping away.
“You don’t actually believe any of that, do you?” I ask Evers with a raised eyebrow.
-Evers insight fails again-
“You will too when we find this treasure,” Evers grins.
I shake my head, “It’s bullshit. She was snowing you.”
“Bah! Ancient ruins are all over the place, why wouldn’t it be true?” he demands
“Because if it were, she could waltz right in with that big symbol of Freia around her neck, scare off the beast with it, grab the treasure and not have to accost people in the streets with promises of wealth and glory!” I explain.
-Persuasion 12-vs target 15
“What? She’s old. She’s not going treasure hunting. Let’s find some lodging,” Evers responds in annoyance.
Q: does she believe him? Unlikely-YES
Sylvia having joined us, Evers tells her what he has learned, “Wow!” she turns to look at me, “We are going, right?”
“If the two of you insist. Two days northwest. Not too far of a journey, but let’s rest here in town a couple of days first. No need to hurry after a forgotten palace in an ancient woods guarded by a fierce beast. If nobody has found it since the days of Thurm, it can wait a week more,” I scoff.
Q: Is it crowded? YES Q: Lodging available? YES E: Negative for Northwood Goblins: a Change of the Status Quo Q: Kobold takeover? NO Q: Duskwood invasion? NO Q: Gnoll invasion? YES (Removed Goblins from the Northwoods encounter table, replaced with Gnolls) Q: Is there a musician? YES (also generated entertainment, but there should almost always be a musician!) (generate characters)
At the town square, we spot a two story stone inn with a silver goblet on the sign, a walled courtyard full of wagons, and a crowded stable. We head inside and see two colorfully dressed barmaids bringing drink and platters of sliced ham with carrots, potatoes and bread out to well dressed patrons, bowls and bread to obvious servants, and tankards to all. One of the women, multiple earrings dangling from each ear, hollers towards us with a friendly smile and Evers tells us to take a seat.
There is a ruddy, red haired man on a stool. He is playing a familiar tune but getting much more laughter from the audience than the song usual elicits. There is a sturdy looking dwarf arm wrestling a burly looking man, then defeating him, taking coins from the wager, and then challenging anyone else to test their mettle. Evers immediately steps forward.
The two throw down and Evers immediately gets the upper hand on the shorter but equally sturdy looking dwarf. For a moment, it looks like the dwarf might be able to turn things around, but then with a cry, his arm slams down and Evers stands triumphant and the dwarf buys the half orc a drink.
Sylvia and I tuck in at one of the tables and the other wench brings us platters. The well seasoned meal is a nice change from what we’d been eating on the road, and the rich mead is sweet to the taste. Seeing the coins we lay on the table, the wench asks in Kardashev, “Feldholm?” We nod, then she observes, “Tough times there, eh? Baron Kirn keeps this land safe. You’re lucky to be here now.
“A good lord, then?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Wisest of the west. Looks out for his people first,” she boasts. “Name’s Ester. You settling here or passing through?”
“Passing through! Going west!” Sylvia excitedly interrupts before I can respond, “Our fortune awaits!”
“Pray tell?” Ester replies as wench with the earrings appears by her side, encouraging us. The two could be sisters.
Q: Does she heed my cue? NO
I gently squeeze Sylvia’s knee, but instead of stopping her story, she perhaps misunderstands and gives me a wink, then excitedly explains, “We met a prophet in the main square who tells us there is a great treasure in a ruined palace two days northwest of here lost in an ancient woods!”
Q: Does Tessa laugh? NO Q: Does Ester doubt? YES
The earring’d woman purses her lips, but Ester responds skeptically, “Two days northwest? That’b be along the main road into Lord Darren’s lands. If there is an ancient palace there, it’s been searched and plundered dozens of times over the last hundred years. What prophet was this?”
Q: Does this dissuade Sylvia? EXCEPTIONAL NO
“Obviously it hasn’t been found yet! At least not the treasure!” Sylvia insists, “But we’ll find it! You’ll see!”
Ester gives me a knowing glance, and I just shake my head as the two servers return to work.
Evers soon sits beside us with his own platter, “What was that about?”
“Sylvia was just telling everyone in the city about our treasure hunt,” I shake my head.
Sylvia starts to object, then realizes, “Oh, yeah. Um…shit.”
Evers scowls, “Then we set off first thing in the morning.”
I sigh, “I suppose so.”
Q: With me? EXCEPTIONAL YES
We finish our meal, and then retire to the two rooms I hired. Sylvia and I each have our own bed in one room, while Evers has a large bed in the second room. “We should have taken the large bed instead,” Sylvia laments as we each lay in our own.
“Really?” I raise an eyebrow.
She gives me a cryptic smile before turning over to go to sleep. I soon drift into dreamland as well.
-13th Vinetread-
-Pleasant-Cloudy, no rain, steady wind-
-Sound of horses-
Scene #107: E: Positive for Evers: the Overthrow of Power (Well this ties into Calista’s backstory, the owner of the “Plush Pillow” brothel I would end up generating with Summershire)
We wake to the sound of horses braying and a woman yelling at them. Looking out our window, I see Ester yelling at the “Stupid beasts” for stinking up the place. Then she flings a rock at the barn cat before stepping out of sight into the inn.
After dressing to head downstairs, I wake Sylvia who yawns and looks up at me all bleary eyed, “So early? The bed is so nice.”
I laugh, “I thought you were eager to go treasure hunting?”
Q: Come hither? NO
“Oh, yeah! I forgot,” Sylvia agrees, clambering out of bed while I head downstairs. She is soon dressed and joining Evers and I for breakfast, a simple porridge, hot and filling. I raise an eyebrow as Ester brings it to us, but don’t say anything about what I saw outside.
-Morning City-No Encounter-
The three of us collect Buckbelly, who eagerly nuzzles Sylvia on seeing her, then loading the mule with our gear, we head out of the town and follow the road northwest.
-Morning Road-herdsmen and animals- (Generate Summershire-three inns? one must be a brothel, so I generate one, helping solve the overthrow of power event)
We end up passing through a group of halfling shepherds with their flocks as we follow the road through farmland and pasture towards the next village. Not surprisingly, it is a halfling settlement, but with a couple of normal sized structures as well. There is a halfling and a human tavern, one sign has a short glass, the other a tall one. Then at the edge of the village is a third tavern whose sign depicts a half naked woman laying invitingly on a bed. “We need to stop here,” suggests Evers.
Sylvia’s eyes widen in surprise, “Ummm, why? I thought we were on the road to seek our fortune?”
“Old friend,” Evers replies as he walks on in.
Q: Will Sylvia follow? NO (generate inn staff) Q: Speak Kardashev? YES
Sylvia and I wait outside for a bit, then head over to the human sized tavern. Inside, there are few travelers, as most have already gotten back on the road no doubt, but we are greeted by a surly halfling behind the bar and a halfling woman who brings us our lunch, another bowl of porridge and tankards of beer. “Try this,” the young woman says with a wink.
(topic, skills)
It is the foulest beer I’d ever tried. The wench giggles and the bartender moans when I spew it out. “Another batch, ruined!” he laments.
Pushing our tankards away, Sylvia and I enjoy our meals instead. The porridge is rich and hearty. Sylvia looks up at me, “You are going to keep teaching me to read, yes?”
I nod, “Yes, over the winter. We’ll settle in someplace and we can study in earnest. It’s difficult on the road.”
Sylvia nods in agreement, “And I suppose we should learn Norgard too. In case we ever need to do business with people unaccustomed to travelers.”
I nod in agreement.
After our meals, Evers joins us with a grin on his face, “Ah, Calista is always a pleasure. You should have come with!” he pats me on the back while Sylvia’s eyes widen in disbelief.
“I don’t like to share in that way,” I reply tersely.
The half orc laughs, “She’s got a nice stable.” Then he looks at Sylvia, and noticing the disgust on her face, adopts a more sober appearance, “Sorry about that. It’s just, been awhile.” Becoming defensive, “And I’m not betraying any marital vows. And those women have a right to earn a coin in any way they see fit. Who are you to judge?”
Sylvia leans back in her chair and scowls, “I didn’t say anything.” Getting up, she mutters, “pig” under her breath. Evers quickly eats and we follow Sylvia outside and get back on the road.
-Afternoon-No Encounter- Q: Guards speak Kardashev? YES
We come to the village of Direwood in late afternoon. The guard at the gate greets us, and when we reply in Kardashev, he changes his welcome to our tongue, waving us inside the gate. “From Feldolm? Windhold? Or heading back home up north?” the guard asks.
“From Feldholm,” I reply, “on our way west.”
“Staying the night then? A hard thirty miles to Vallup and leaving first thing in the morning, you’ll be lucky to get there by night fall,” the guard replies. “The Wolf’s Head has lodging,” the guard suggests. We thank him and head to the village square.
Q: music? EXCEPTIONAL NO Q: lodging? YES Q: Does Sylvia bite her tongue? NO
The Wolf’s Head is a surprisingly tall four story building, and stepping inside, I am disappointed there is no bard playing. Instead, people are quietly enjoying lunch. A slender serving woman approaches bringing us bowls of pottage and tankards of mead. On hearing us, she inquires about our origin and destination. Sylvia replies that we are going west, looking for treasure in an ancient palace, then grows silent as she realize she just repeated yesterday’s mistake. Evers eyes widen while I roll mine. Sylvia sheepishly stops talking. The barmaid looks us over, “Treasure hunters from distant lands. If you live long enough to come back this way, I’d love to hear a story or two.” Then she wanders off to serve other patrons.
We rent lodging for the night, then relax and enjoy a game of darts. I easily defeat Evers, and Sylvia makes a very poor showing, complaining that she’s never really played before.
-Taproom event-
As the evening wears on, several people at a nearby table get into a drinking contest. Evers goes to join them, holding his own. Ultimately, it ends with one of the men emptying his gut across the table to the annoyance of everyone nearby. People quickly step outside to wash his filth from their clothes and to escape the stench. “That’s enough,” I say, and retire to my room. Sylvia goes up with me.
-14th Vinetread-
-Pleasant-Heavy rain in the afternoon-light wind- (pass my survival check)
-Immersion-see something beautiful within reach-
Scene #108:
The next morning, I wake to notice the way the light dances across Sylvia’s face, and can’t help but notice how beautiful she looks like that, peaceful and content. I smile and climb out of my bed, quietly dress, and head downstairs.
Stepping outside and studying the clouds, I head back in and rent the rooms for another night, then go back out to tend to Buckbelly, carefully brushing down the mule and checking his hooves as I taught Sylvia to do. Afterwards, I walk around the rest of the village.
-Village encounter-farm wife-generate personality-(comprehension 12)
A farm woman starts scoffing and lecturing me in her language, but I don’t understand a word of it, so I try to ignore as she follows me through the village letting me have a piece of her mind and apparently getting upset that I am not giving her more attention. She lets me alone when I return to the tavern, joining my companions for breakfast. “There’s going to be a storm today. We’ll stay here until tomorrow.” I inform them.
-Kristen’s Survival 6-
The barmaid raises an eyebrow as she fills our bowls with gruel,”How do you know that?”
“Experience,” I reply, “I’ve seen enough clouds forming on the horizon to know what they lead to”
“But there’s only a few, not dark at all. Hardly any wind,” she objects.
I nod, “All that is true, but do you smell the air? It’s all about to change and very soon. My name’s Garrick.”
-Kristen’s Insight 2-Topic-Previous scene-
“Oh, um…Kristen,” the barmaid replies shaking my hand, and then introducing herself to each of my companions in turn. She then asks what I did to annoy Rena, and I soon learn that is the name of the woman that was yelling at me outside. I explain that I was merely walking around town, then Kristen tells me that she always hassles anyone who she thinks has money, and wearing armor and carrying elven steel is enough to quality. I ask how she knows my blade is elven, and she says it is due to the style of the handle. “Where did you get it?” she asks.
“In an ancient tomb in the Northern Woods, hunting the leaders of an illicit cult,” I respond.
“You mean the Southern Woods?” she corrects me.
I laugh, “Depends on your perspective, I suppose.”
Q: Does she stop to chat? YES
As the tavern is nearly empty, Kristen sits down, “Where else have you been?”
Q: Does she hide her interest? YES
“The ruins of an old temple of Freia, where Sylvia here nearly died, but was saved by the healing waters of the goddess. Also, a split tower a wizard hired us to explore in search of some old spell book. I nearly died there, but Sylvia saved my life,” I explain.
“Did you find it?” she asks.
-Insight 12, I don’t detect she is eager for much more than that-
“What? The spellbook? Yes, Edwin got his spellbook,” I shrug.
Kristen nods, “Well. If you find any more spell books, you would bring them to this Edwin fellow?”
I raise an eyebrow, “No. Do you know a buyer?”
She shrugs, “People come through here all the time. I meet many collectors of interesting things. Perhaps I could serve as a broker.”
I nod, suspicious, but uncertain, “I’ll bear that in mind.”
The rest of the day passes uneventfully except for the heavy thunderstorm midday that turned all of the fields into great mudpits.
15th Vinetread
-Cool, clear sies, light breeze-
-Immersion-Feelings of Anger-
Scene #109:
I wake earlier than I wished due to the rhythmic thudding sounds coming from the room above ours. Sylvia sits up in her bed, staring at the ceiling in disgust and frustration. I hop on top of my bed and angrily bang on the ceiling “Keep it down! Some of us are still trying to sleep!”
Q: Do they quiet down? NO
“Um…wow,” Sylvia looks down and way, obviously a bit embarrassed by the situation. The noise continues, so I dress and head downstairs. Sylvia soon comes down with me and we sit in the morning darkness while the Kristen and the innkeep, working by lamp oil, start preparing the day’s meals.
“Why are you two up so early?” Kristen asks. I tell her about the randy houseguests, and she storms upstairs at once. A few minutes later, she returns with a smug look on her face, “You should be able to get some rest now.”
“What did you..” I interrupt Sylvia before she can finish her question, thank Kristen and return to our room to get a little more sleep.
At breakfast, Evers, Sylvia and I eat and then get on the road.
-Morning Encounter-Wild dogs-Eating-
We travel throughout the morning, following the road out of cultivated lands and back into unsettled grasslands. We soon spot crows circling overhead, and then I spot a pack of feral dogs eating something just off the road. Drawing closer, the dogs pause and go on alert, glaring at us. I can see they are feasting on the remains of a cow, probably a wild one.
-Animal handling checks fail-
The dogs begin barking aggressively as we draw close…too close for their liking. So I lead my companions off the road to give them a wider berth as we continue on our journey.
-Afternoon Encounter-No Encounter-
-Evening Encounter-Rabbits-
As the sun dips low on the horizon and we once more enter cultivated lands, a covey of rabbits dash away from the trail and take shelter under a hedgerow at our approach. A short time later, we come to another village
Q: Do the guards speak Kardashev? NO
The guards look us over carefully as we arrive, but then wave us inside, apparently accustomed to travelers arriving after dark.
Q: Is it crowded? NO Q: Music? YES (generate people)
In the village square, we spot an old sawmill that seems to be overgrown with vines, and the large inn that must serve as a last stop for people heading west. There seem to be few people about, so we get Buckbelly settled and then head inside. The barkeep, who has a big red birthmark covering half of his face waves us over, “Plenty of rooms tonight,” he offers, “and rabbit off the spit if you ask nice.” He grins when we nod to go ahead and fix us plates.
We sit down in comfort and rest our weary bones, listening to the musician playing a tune. The blonde young bar maid soon brings us our plates and cups of wine. She smiles, “What brings you to Vallup?”
Q: Does Sylvia say? YES
Looking at me, then to the barmaid, Sylvia asks, “Is there an ancient forest near here?”
The wench purses her lips, pretends to think, then smiles and shakes her head, “Sorry. Afraid not. There used to be. See that sawmill outside? Now it’s all turned to houses, wagons, fire wood and whatever else is needed. The south wood is another day’s walk past the town of Truestone. And there are plenty of Orchards between here and there, once you pass Halcenth. But no, no ancient forests.”
“What about a ruined palace?” asks Evers, frustrated.
Q: Are there ruins nearby? NO
She thinks real hard, then shakes her head, “Nothing I’ve heard of. A lot of ruins were plundered for stone I’m told, but that was a long time ago. I guess you came here hunting for treasure? From Oldenfall, right?” she giggles.
“Why do you say that?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Because there is some old make believe witch there, some skinny old woman, who keeps telling people they will find their fortune in an old palace in an ancient forest right outside of our village. But it guarded by some fierce beast that can only be defeated by…” she looks us over, then her eyes fix on Ever’s pendant, “I bet she said a symbol of the goddess, didn’t she?” she laughs. “How much did you give her? Five, six silver?”
“Three gold crowns,” scowls Evers, much to the wench’s amusement.
“I should change lines of work!” she laughs. “Name’s Angela, holler if you need anything. Or if you don’t. Just give me an excuse to pretend to be working instead of actually scrubbing dishes.” she laments as she heads back towards the kitchen.
Q: Do they believe her? YES Q: Are they mad? YES
“What in hells was that!” fumes Evers, “That lying wench!”
“We paid good money for that lead, didn’t we? What a jerk!” Sylvia agrees.
I sigh and sip my wine, “Drink’s good though.”
-taproom event-(generate personality-Navora)
A very pretty and exotic looking woman wearing clothes from the far south approaches our table, “Gentlemen and lady,” she greets us, “Might I tell your fortunes for the mere price of a hot meal?” she asks.
Q: Do my companions protest? YES
“No!” Sylvia and Evers thunder in unison, causing the woman to back away in in a hurry.
I laugh in amusement, then call Angela over to take the woman a skewer anyway.
The woman smiles in gratitude, eagerly accepting the meal and the mug. After a bit, I go over and join her at her table.
“Thank you good sir,” she smiles, “Do you wish your fortune told?”
I shake my head, “No. My fortune is mine to make if the goddess allows, not to be shown through stars, the turn of a card, or the lines of my palm. I am here to ask where you are from and how you came to be in this land?”
The woman blushes and casts her eyes down, “I am from Narossia, as you might have guessed. I come to be here by misfortune I think. Perhaps not my masters, but my own.”
“So you are a slave?” I ask, eyes narrowing.
“I was a slave, but perhaps I am not any more?” She shrugs hopefully, “Perhaps I am free? I was sent as a gift to a man I do not know, but…the caravan was attacked by dog men, and I fled. And now I am here.” She gestures.
“You speak my tongue, and Norgard as well. How is a slave so well educated?” I ask, curious.
She smiles coyly, “I was taught to do a great many things with my tongue, speaking many languages was among those lessons.”
“I see,” I lean back. “And now, you tell fortunes?”
She shrugs, “Unless you have another interest for which you will pay more?” she subtly arches her back and gives me a smoldering look.
Q: Does Sylvia interrupt? NO
I glance over my shoulders and notice Sylvia and Evers watching me talk to the woman, returning my gaze to her, I decline, “I think not.”
She looks over at the pair at the table, “It is the girl you like then, yes? She is pretty in her own way. Would the big man be interested?”
I nod, “Most likely. His name is Evers. That is Sylvia, I am Garrick.”
She smiles, “I am Navora. Perhaps you could introduce me to Evers. He is part orc, yes?”
Q: Does he indulge? EXCEPTIONAL NO
I nod and bring her over to our table, but he spurns her advances. Sylvia gives me a dirty look, “Really, Garrick?”
I shrug, “She asked, and he seemed to enjoy the recreation before.”
Q: Does Sylvia? Very Unlikely-NO
“I think I’ll be getting a room of my own tonight,” Sylvia scowls. Evers raises an eyebrow.
Navora looks between us, apologizes and excuses herself “I am sorry. I did not mean to cause you trouble.”
That night, Sylvia’s snoring does not disturb me at all.
-16th Vinetread-
-Cool, Clear skies, gentle breeze-
-Sense of Oppression-
Scene #110:
I wake up with a heaviness in my chest. A sense of guilt, sorrow, pain. As though I have failed somehow. I lay in bed far longer than I normally would.
Q: Sylvia waiting? NO Q: Evers? NO Q: Are they together? NO Q: Did Sylvia leave? NO Q: Evers? NO Q: Is Navora down here? NO Q: With Evers? YES
Eventually, I get to my feet and dress and head downstairs. Neither of my companions are anywhere to be seen. I ask Angela, and she tells me that she thinks they are both still in their rooms.
-Perception 21-
I head upstairs, but I hear sounds from Evers room and recognize Navora’s voice in the mix.
Q: Does she invite me in? NO
I knock on Sylvia’s door, “Out in a few minutes,” she says. I wait in he hall.
Q: Is she annoyed? EXCEPTIONAL YES
She comes out, staring daggers, “So you wanted to use that girl to make me jealous? Or did you just want to think about screwing her while Evers did it for real?”
I sigh and shake my head, “No. I was just trying to help her out.”
“How does that help her? Selling herself?” Sylvia demands.
“A lot of women do! It’s a rare woman who won’t when she’s desperate and begging for her meals,” I explain.
“I never did! And I never would!” She insists angrily.
I grab her, pull her in close and kiss her.
Q: Does she fight back? YES
She shoves herself away, “Get off of me! Damn it!”, then storms down the hall.
“Sylvia!” I call to her.
Q: Does she turn back to me? NO
She flips me off as she goes downstairs to breakfast.
Q: Does she talk? YES Q: Does she like me that way? EXCEPTIONAL YES
We eat in silence for several minutes, then finally, she says, “I’m sorry. I was jealous,” she sighs, “But I’m not ready yet, either. I just…wait for me, alright? Don’t go whoring. Don’t be like Evers. Just…wait for me, alright?”
I nod, “I will. However long. I will wait.”
She smiles, “Thank you.” Then she gets up and gives me a peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”
We finish our meal about the time that Evers comes downstairs, Navora is not with him, but he has a smile on his face. After he eats, we head back out. “Which way?”
“Well, Angela said there was forest farther west, pas a village called Halceth? The prophecy was wrong about the distance?” Sylvia offers hopefully.
I lead my companions out of the village, and noticing the hills far to the south, I agree that farther west is a good choice, “West, towards frontiers, unexplored lands.”
-Morning Encounter-Farmers working nearby- Q: Do the farmers want to talk? NO
We follow the road, watching farmers hard at work as we walk alongside, leading Buckbelly. While they pause and watch us pass by, none greet us or indicate a desire to chat, so we keep going, soon arriving at the village of Halcenth.
(Generate the village)
In addition to the usual fields ringed with grapevines, there is a huge apple orchard as well in what must be the lord’s land. There are many laborers picking the fruit right now. Sylvia grins in delight, “Can we get some?” I nod and she races off to purchase some fruit from some of the laborers.
Q: Is there trouble? YES
A village elder approaches, “That’s our lord’s fruit! We can’t sell it to you!” he starts to usher her away.
“Just a couple of pieces! You can give him the coin!” Sylvia objects
Q: Does he concede? YES
The elder glares at the fruit picker, but accepts Sylvia’s coins and she happily returns to our company passing a piece Evers and I then happily giving a one to Buckbelly while she eats the fourth. The village itself seems pleasant enough, with a tavern called the Rotten Apple. We stop for lunch,
Q: Does anyone know of the ruined palace? YES (Manor house)
“A palace? Perhaps it could be called a palace. But yes, there are some ruins deep in the woods here, but they aren’t ancient woods. They’ve been tended for generations, but were planted when Baron Darren first planted his flag in this land,” the innkeeper tells us. He has slightly pointed ears like perhaps his great grandfather might have been elven born. “It is a few miles south of here, up in the hills, but according to legend, it is haunted. Everyone steers clear of the pace. Everyone with any sense that is.” Isaiah tells us.
Evers and Sylvia both smile excitedly, “I guess we have to go check it out!”
I sigh and nod in agreement, and after lunch, we head out, following the directions he gave us.
-Takes three Survival checks to find what I am looking for-(three encounter checks, but the first will actually prevent the rest of the search) (Neutral) Q: speaks Kardashev? YES
We wander for nearly an hour before being hailed by a squadron of soldiers forming a skirmish line as they approach. They call to us in Norgard. Evers answers back, giving his name, then the sergeant switches to Kardashev. “And who are you?”
“I am Garrick Hale. This is Sylvia Tanner. We are looking for some old ruins we were told were up here,” I reply.
The sergeant points his way farther up the slope, “Why? Nothing there. You want to find valuables, come to Truestone. The Baron Darren may have work for you. If you are good with those blades you carry.”
“If it’s all the same to you, we’ll check out the ruins first, then come to the town,” I reply.
The sergeant shrugs, “Up to you. Just don’t cross into dwarven lands. Once you pass the treeline, you are in their lands, not ours, and the Iron Gaters don’t care much for intruders,” he warns.
“Thanks for the warning,” I reply, and then continue on.
Soon, we are outside the crumbled stone remains of an ancient manor house from a bygone era.
“Hardly a palace,” laments Evers.
But Sylvia perks up, “But I can’t wait to go inside, and besides, maybe this isn’t the only thing up here! Surely, there was a village around it some time in past ages. Let’s look for old cellars and such.”
-Immersion-Dusty Odor-
Scene #111 (Positive Alteration):
We begin searching the area of the old manor house for any signs of habitation, or for nearby underground cellars, old crypts or an abandoned mine. Inside the great hall of the ancient manor, there is a layer of dust, but outside, we will spot something more interesting.
Q: Old mine entrance? YES Q: Manor inhabited? EXCEPTIONAL YES
(1-2 Hermit, 3-4 bandits, 5-kobolds, 6- monster) Hermit-generate
“Get away from here!” yells a strange looking woman wearing rags that might have once been courtly garb as she emerges from the second floor landing of the old manor, and starts yelling at us. Evers holds up his hands apologetically and pulls us back, “She says she lives here. This is her home.”
I nod and Sylvia and I both back away, but continuing to search the general area, I notice a cool breeze as I pass by an area of thick vegetation on a nearby slope. Pushing through the foliage, I see there is an opening behind, carved from the hillside and ancient wooden timbers are still visibly bracing the tunnel. “Here’s something,” I call to my fellows as I light a torch.
Glancing back towards the manor to make sure the crazy woman is not coming down after us, Evers arrives at my side shortly after Sylvia.
“Let’s go in!” Sylvia urges excitedly.
Q: Does anything live inside? EXCEPTIONAL YES (1-2 Kobolds, 3-6 monster) (Survival 21)
“It’s a mine. What will there be of value inside?” Evers asks, inspecting the ground.
“The marks are there,” I point out, “Something bigger than us, but capable of slipping in and out without leaving any other trace.” I muse. “I don’t recognize them. Go ask the woman if she knows.”
Evers grumbles, but heads back towards the manor house while Sylvia and I wait at the mine entrance, peering into the darkness, “Is it inside? Whatever it is.” Sylvia wonders.
I nod, “I think so. If whatever it is came out during the day, it would have been spotted. And if it ate a lot, livestock anyway, it would be known and hunted.”
“Then, should we just leave it?” Sylvia asks.
I shrug, “Depends on what Evers learns.”
Q: Does Evers find out what it is? YES E: Resolution of ‘Cult of the Serpent being purged’: the Exposing of the Physical
Evers returns a few minutes later, “The ape man. The breaker of bone and the servant of whispers. That’s what I got out of her. She says her friends brought it forth…and it slaughtered them. She has been hiding in the manor house since then. Each night, it comes out looking for her.”
“How long has this been going on?” I ask.
Q: Did she say how long? YES
“Seven weeks she’s been hiding. Afraid to go back to town, which she says is corrupt and ripe for destruction, and afraid to stay here. I think her mind is half gone,” Evers notes.
I nod and draw my blade, “Let’s go inside and see for ourselves.”
“You think there might be loot?” Evers asks.
“If there’s a monster, there ought to be loot!” Sylvia suggests hopefully.
I shake my head, “Life doesn’t work that way.”
I hand the torch to Sylvia and draw a second blade, and Sylvia draws hers. Then we lead the way inside and Evers draws steel and follows close behind.
-Encounter-traps-(Generate a map, borrow an encounter table)
As we move into the darkness, Sylvia suddenly blocks my progress with her blade, “Watch your step,” she whispers, and I see the tripwire stretched across the ground in front of us. I point it out to Evers and we all step over it.
“So whatever is down here is intelligent then,” I observe. Sylvia nods her agreement. The tunnel opens up in to a large room and we hear the sound of running water. There is a large cavern, and bats roost overhead, restless as we introduce light into their dark home.
Q: Do the bats swarm? EXCEPTIONAL YES (Treat as two attacks before they flee since it is exceptional)
Suddenly, they begin flying all around, and in the confusion, engulf us as well, I couple of minor bites, but nothing too bad, and the bats then flee out into midday sun. “They’ll be back soon,” I observe.
“They get you too?” Evers asks. I nod, but Sylvia came out unscathed, cowering against the floor with the torch overhead, they flew past her entirely.
(Nature 20 by Sylvia, 16 by Evers) (customize the borrowed encounter table)
We move on into the bat chamber, carefully trying to avoid slipping on what seems like centuries of filth, swarms of tiny beetles feed upon the detritus. There is a clear path where people have recently walked through the muck, it leads off towards a tunnel to our right. To the left, there is a chasm, and looking down into it, I hear running water, but Sylvia’s torchlight doesn’t extend far enough to reveal it. There appears to be a cut stone passage on the far side of the cavern. “I think there was an earthquake,” Sylvia notes, pointing out how some features on one side of the chasm look like they would fit perfectly against features on the other side. Evers nods his agreement.
Q: Is there a bridge? YES
We turn and follow the tracks the other way. Following that tunnel, we come to another deep chasm just before the hewn passage takes on a finished look once more. There is a freshly made wooden bridge, not more than a couple of years old, that we use to step over the gap.
-Hall encounter-None-
We cross the bridge and are soon in a worked passage way that makes a sharp turn to the right, and then there is a solid looking wooden door to our left. Evers moves between Sylvia and I, sheathing his weapons and kneels down to check it for traps while Sylvia holds the torch up for light. I step back a bit to give the two room to work.
Q: Is there a trap? YES (DC 15 to find)
Evers starts to push on the door when Sylvia warns him “Stop! Don’t you see that marking? What does it mean?”
Evers steps back, “No. I didn’t see it. I’m not sure what it means. I don’t recognize it.”
(DC 20 investigation or DC 12 Arcana if you have it, Sylvia rolls a 19, but she’s illiterate so she wouldn’t understand it even with a 20, nobody else gets that high)
The three of use each study the symbol, but none of us can make sense of it. “Well, what now?” Evers asks.
I shake my head, “You two, get around the corner. I’ll open it.”
I sheathe my weapons and try to push open the door, in exchange, there is a loud crack like thunder and I am thrown back against the wall behind me. I shake my head and get back to my feet with Evers lending my a hand, Sylvia goes back up to the door.
Q: Is the symbol gone? NO
“Symbol’s still here,” Sylvia reports.
“Well, at least we know what it does,” scowls Evers.
-Encounter check- none-
“Yeah, let’s see if there is another around,” I lead my company back towards the wide chasm.
We walk along the edge, then Evers says, “I can make this,” and he takes off his pack and weapons, coiling the rope around his chest. I start hammering the pitons Sylvia passes me into the stone on our side of the chasm and feed some rope through it to secure it in case of a fall, and then lash as safety line around the half orc.
-Encounter check-none-
When we are secure, Sylvia and I hold tight to the safety rope as Evers makes the leap
-DC 8 easy jump, I mean, it is nearly automatic if you don’t roll a 3-(I pass my DC 10 strength check, Sylvia fails hers, but that doesn’t matter)
Evers falls short and slams into the crevice wall on our side. Sylvia and I hold tight to ensure the piton doesn’t give way. Evers climbs back up, and shakes his head, “Damn it. Let’s try this again.”
On his second try, he makes it across. Then he throws one end of his rope back to us, we secure his gear to it, and he transfers it across to his side. Then we do the same with our packs, leaving our bows and quivers on this side of the chasm. Then he starts securing pitons on his side so we can climb across by rope.
-Encounter check-one-
“Alright Sylvia, are you up for this?” I ask.
(Acrobatics 21 for Sylvia, Acrobatics 24 for Garrick)
She nods, “Easy peasy,” as she starts crawling across the rope to the other side, easily making it across. I then clamber across with ease as well.
Soon, we have our equipment back together and light a fresh torch for this side having left the earlier torch on the other side.
“Wait a second,” Sylvia grins and pulls a pendant out from inside her blouse, the one with Fate and Fortune eclipsing the sun. She opens to brooch and a blinding light penetrates the gloom, “That’s better!”
-Encounter-Dressing-Q: Any valuables? Unlikely-EXCEPTIONAL YES (Generate a hoard, and wow!) Q: Are they trapped? NO Q: Locked? YES
Our eyes quickly adjust to the daylight illumination, and with both hands now free, we all proceed with blades drawn towards the carved passage beyond. We move into what appears to be an old abandoned workshop from back when this was an operational mine and hear the squawking of rats as they scurry away from the light in surprised alarm. “Bedrolls,” Sylvia notes, as we move between the ancient work tables. And she’s right, there are several fairly new bedrolls lying on the floor, fourteen in total. Then there are candles and lamps and a pair of trunks.
(Sylvia fails on both pick lock rolls, Evers fails on one, randomize…they opened the food trunk and not the loot trunk!)
I stand watch while Evers and Sylvia check out the trunks. They seem to have a hard time fiddling with the locks, but eventually, Evers gets one of them unlocked, “Provisions,” he shrugs, pulling out a bottle of wine. He uncorks it and has a long draught, then passes it along to each of us. Refreshed, he kicks the other trunk, “Maybe we’ll find the key down here.”
There are portculis along the south wall leading out of the workshop. The first leads to a large circular room with a large pit in its center and what appears to be the rigging for a long lost elevator lift. There is a door on the far wall. The other leads to an immediate tourn to the east.
Both of these obstacles seem to be locked, and Sylvia cannot figure out how to unlock them from our side. “I think the mechanism is imbedded in the stone. We’ll have to force them.”
(Strength 23) (Encounter-Zombies 3)
Evers nods and the two of us but our strength into it and the passage to the elevator shaft is opened with a grunt. Moving inside, we hear movement up ahead, and soon three half mutilated corpses are staggering towards us. I quickly rush forward, drawing steel and cutting down the first one with ease. Sylvia and Evers tag team the one behind me while I face down the last of the three that we could see. It is sturdier than it looked though, and Sylvia has to help me finish it off.
Q: Serpent cult? YES Q: key? YES
I stand watch while Sylvia checks the corpses for any keys or other valuables. Sylvia chuckles, holding up the serpent pendants “Somebody is making a lot of money selling these things!” Then she beams, holding up a keyring, “Try these”
Evers takes the keys and goes back, unlocking the second trunk, “Jackpot!” he calls back to us as I toss the corpses down the old elevator shaft.
I soon join Sylvia and Evers sorting through pouches of coins. There is a small wooden box holding a few assorted gems, a feather with a fan painted on it, and a gold ring. A small fist sized figure of Eomen, the dark brother, holding his sister Freia in an erotic embrace. Evers scowls in disgust. “I thought you’d like that sort of thing,” Sylvia teases.
“It’s a blasphemy,” Evers responds examining an ivory baton depicting two serpents entwined with jeweled eyes. He then pulls out the two scrolls that were inside, and opening them quickly realizes he has no idea what they say. “I don’t recognize this language, ” but he winces in pain, “but looking at them makes my eyes hurt.”
I examine several vials and ointments that were in the chest, quickly spotting the antitoxins, and a vial of spider venom. Then there is some rosepaste lotion, heat balm, and some pain chew, all of which I add to my supply kit.
-No Wandering Encounter- Room dressing is rats
We then walk back into the elevator room and across to the door on the other side, which is unlocked. We push open the door and rats scatter from our light. “Foreman’s office?” I ask as we look around the room.
-Medicine 15-
“Maybe once, guard room now,” Evers observes, gesturing towards where a couple chairs had been pulled up, and a desk tipped to provide cover from the door to the west. There are two dismembered cultists on the ground. Examining them, I realize they had been dead for weeks.
-Encounter-None-
The door to the east is a simple wooden one that we easily push open, and follow around a corner back to the north. There is a stone door at the end of hte hall, and a passage south to another wooden door
-Dressing-Storage-
Beyond the wooden door is an old store room with ancient tools whose handles are brittle with age and whose heads are corroded with rust. Rats flee from the light. There is a locked Iron door to the north, but even after unlocking it, it seems to be barred from the other side. A hall way to the north leads to a wooden door, also locked and barred.
We go back out to the stone door, which pushes open with ease. Rounding the corner, we see a giant ape like creature feasting on the remains of dead cultists. Looking up, it snarls and disappears from view. “What in hells?” Evers says while Sylvia and I back up.
Suddenly, we appear to be engulfed in flames, and Sylvia and Evers scream in obvious agony. “It’s not real!” I yell, pushing them through it into the room beyond, where the creature was. It had hidden around the corner and snatches Evers, biting him and flinging him to the side. Sylvia lunges at the creature, which dodges her blades as Evers gets back on his feet, and stabs it with his shortblade after it ducks away from his sword. The creature then knocks him to the ground again, and sinks its teeth into me. I stab it twice, but it seem immune to pain! Evers staggers back to his feet and weakly swings his blade at the demon, catching nothing but air. The creature backhands him and sends him flying against the wall, then bites me again. I pull free and swing my blades, but it is too quick. It dodges and weaves, but Sylvia cuts it twice more. It slams me hard and I cut it again before it lunges at me one final time..then falls to the ground with Sylvia’s dagger in the nape of its neck.
Quickly, I run to check on Evers, but he is already gone. “Too tough to know when to quit,” I curse.
Sylvia looks around the room, “It killed everyone here,” she observes, seeing all of the broken, half eaten bodies.
I nod, “They brought over a spirit they could not control.” I look down at Evers once more, then begin binding up his remains for transport.
Sylvia busies herself checking the bodies, collecting cult pendants from the dead. Then she pulls the two heavy statues from the altar, “These will be worth something.” Then she glances at the remains of our friend, “But not really worth a life.”
“Doesn’t that depend on whose life?” I gesture towards the dead cultists, “I’d have killed them all myself without a second thought.”
Sylvia considers, “Yes. You’re right. It’s all about whose life.”
“Let’s get him out of here. I think that door west from the office is likely the same one that had the trap on it. Maybe it can be opened safely from this side.” I suggest.
Sure enough, that turns out to be the case. We carry Ever’s remains back over the bridge and to the bat room. Then come back to the altar room and collect the statuettes. Carrying them and our friend’s remains outside, we drape Ever’s body over Buckbelly’s back, and secure our loot to the mule as well, taking most of the other baggage onto our own backs instead. Heavily burdened, we start down from the hill and head towards the city of Truestone.
Posts From a Long Winded Gamer 
Leave a comment