I received my uncles letter, my inheritance…the map, a fortnight ago. Begging leave of my liege, and bidding my mother farewell, I left Caravos, hired on as a guard with a caravan heading towards the frontier, and have been gradually making my way east towards the Farwatch. I haven’t been this far east since the war that set me on the path of the warrior. Those were bloody battles a decade ago, but was never put to the test. I fear that will soon change, and I pray that I won’t be found wanting.
—Roll for Rumors for Questquaten (d4, got a 4, for Zero Rumors & Legends), and a D20 for a rumor about the Caves of Chaos (rolled 10, “Bree Yark” is Goblins for “We surrender’), my character learned Goblin in the Goblin War a decade ago, he knows this is false and laughs at the merchant who told him such nonsense!
–Establish opening in Mythic GM Emulator (an oracle for solo play), PC, Berick,
NPC-Merchant Captain, the Castellan’s Men,
Threads: Find the Treasures, Learn more about the area,
Scene Description: We approach the keep of Farwatch, a small caravan and some other travelers, our cloaks pulled tight to shield us from the cold wind.
Date 14th day of Patchwell, a fortnight after Brewfest (Greyhawk Calendar, I think) (I would later retro-adjust dates for the campaign to my own calendar)
Added Tagga Roscoe as an NPC, my Nemesis.
Check the emulator, “Is the map a trick by Tagga”, and get an event result. Since I use a Flash based version of the emulator that sometimes bugs out and starts returning events, I roll twice more, getting events each time. Close the emulator, check again, and get a regular yes/no. So I repose the question, and get an “Exceptional Yes”, the letter isn’t from my uncle, nor the map from my grandfather, Tagga is using me as a patsy for some scheme…either to see me killed, or to use me to open the path to some treasure she desires. Time will tell. Add Thread, “Discover Tagga’s plot”
The caravan approaches the keep, and the guards eye us with respectful caution. The merchants are familiar faces to them, but they don’t recognize me at all. “You! Who are you?”
“I am Berick of Caravos, a guard,” I reply.
The corporal of the guard eyes me warily, “I’ve not seen you with Herick’s wagons before.”
At this point, the captain, Herick, intervenes, “Yes, we hired him to help guard the wagons when he learned we were traveling to Farwatch. He said he had business out here, and we came to an agreement that he could travel with us, earning a guardsman’s wage, in exchange for providing security and providing other physical labor as needed. He’s done a good job for us.”
The guard looks me over some more, “What is this business you have here then, that drew you so far from home?”
—Crap, I took honesty as a flaw!
“My grandfather left me a map, which allegedly leads to some sort of treasure in the wilds near here. Some long lost ruin. I hope to seek my fortune, and find it!”
—Persuasion roll, 16+4=20 to get inside the keep. Mythic question, are they amused by my answer? Likely: Exceptional yes! Then for grins and giggles, I roll 2 rumors (one for the Corporal, and one for the other guards)
The guards nearly double over laughing at me, the Corporal’s face turning bright red. Even Henrick chuckles, and says, “I wish I’d asked that question myself, there is nothing in the wilds here but death! We pass through as quick as we can when we dare travel to the dwarven holds!”
The corporal then pipes in, “The swamps around here are full of lizard folk, who will likely flay you alive for their meal!” The guards add, “and the caves around here are infested with goblins, bugbears, orcs and other tribes. The only thing they love more than fighting one another is raiding farms and kidnapping travelers! To leave the sight of our towers is to beg a bloody and brutal death!”
I take their ridicule in stride. “Well, perhaps I’ll meet my fate in the wilds, or perhaps I’ll find good fortune. But death comes for us all. I’d rather face it on my feet, my own man, than hide from it behind another man’s walls.”
—Persuasion d20+4=16
The guards laughter subsides as they are somewhat chastened by my words. “Well then, good luck to you, but be warned, it’s a dangerous path you choose, and you can expect no help from the Keep. Our job is to keep the frontiers safe, not to rescue treasure hunters and explorers”.
I nod courteously as they wave the rest of us inside. Herick pats me on the back, and says, “Well, after I depart, it’s unlikely we’ll ever meet again, though I hope that is not the case. There is an inn around the corner, best to get yourself a bed in the common room and find yourself some friends if you really mean to explore these wilds.” I thank him for his advice and companionship, and set off to find the inn.
—Scene change, Chaos -1, I accomplished my goals, we are in a safe area, “I find my way to the Traveler’s Inn, and seek lodging for the night” (Scene altered Negative) I roll on Urban Dressing 2, Hooks and Complications for a Borderland Town “I am heading toward the inn, when a madman comes lunging at me with a sword drawn, screaming in a language i don’t understand!” The man is faster than I am, as quick as many skilled knights, and I am quickly outmatched. The last thing I see is his blade crashing down against my helm.
I wake up on a cot in the town chapel, a young acolyte tending my wounds. “Who was that man who attacked you?” He asks, I shake my head, “I don’t know. I’d never seen him before.”
The acolyte presses further, “The guards say you just came to town, seeking your fortune. Perhaps, you’d best return home if you can’t handle a street fight.” I laugh, though it hurts to do so. “The man escaped. If he is actually after you, I’m sure you’ll cross paths again.” I ask who he was, the acolyte says he was a stranger who’s been in town a few weeks, but nobody really knows much about him. The man kept to himself, talking to the traveling priest who has lodgings around the corner, but not really anyone else. As I start to get back up, the Acolyte shakes his head, “best to rest a few days. That man nearly killed you. You are lucky to be alive”.
I lay down, and am allowed to rest in the temple for the rest of the week.
As I go through my things, I notice that my map is missing. “Did I have a map with me when I was brought here?”
The acolyte smiles and says, “Ah, yes. Your treasure map. The corporal of the watch suggested I best take it from you, lest you run off and get yourself killed. After all, if you cannot even handle a lunatic in the streets, there is no way you are going to survive in the wilds.”
Enraged, I demand he give it back to me, he reluctantly complies and warns that I should wait until I learn to handle myself better, lest I throw away his efforts at helping me recover.
I thank him for his advice, his help, and his concern, but state that I’d rather have the map with me, as it is one of the few things I own, and perhaps my most valuable possession. “Or a fool’s death,” is his rebuttal.
21st Day of Patchwell. 10 gp
—Scene: I leave the chapel in search of lodging and work, More Chaotic. New Character Introduced regarding Release of Riches. Sounds like a patron or an NPC ally? Go to Universal NPC Emulator to find out more: Inexperienced Lord, Release Riches (Mythic), Abduct Lies, Weaken Music (UNE) This petty young noble is trying to prove his worthiness for an owed inheritance. His older siblings have spread lies about his spendthrift ways, and his fondness for music and drink, effectively getting him written out of their father’s will. He’s good with a blade, but inexperienced.
I am walking through the marketplace when a young nobleman approaches me. He is fair haired, and probably a good five years my junior, but he greets me with a friendly, jovial smile. “I saw you the other day. That madman nearly killed you! If, as the rumors say, you are here to seek your fortune, you are going to need someone to watch your back!”
I laugh and shake my head, “Are you volunteering for the job?”
The youth answers, “Well, lets just say, we both have something to prove and maybe we can help each other out. Let me buy you a drink!”
—Roll Sense, Sound in DM Yourself Immersion table. Check “Current patrons” in KOTB tavern description, no special characters present.
We enter the Stretching Goat tavern and are greeted by the sound of friendly conversations, clanking dishes and the barkeep calling to his serving girl. The patrons appear to be farmers and traveling merchants, drovers or their guards. Conversations is about the increasing cold, expectations of first frost, or the roads back home or to the dwarven lands beyond. Adwin and I are soon served two pints of ale, a warm bowls of venison stew and a loaf of bread with a hunk of cheese to share. He laughs, “So this is how the other half lives!” He then calls for a flagon of wine, a rabbit haunch, and some dried fruit to supplement our “meager” repast.
“As I was saying,” he continues, “I need to prove my worth in battle, and you need to…do whatever it is you need to do. It’s not really that important to me what, exactly, as long as there is gold and glory from it. More the latter really, as that will earn me the former.” And the man continues to ramble like this for some time, until I stop him.
“I need money,” I interrupt, “I am going to hire on with one of the caravans heading east, so I can get a better idea of the lay of the land and the actual threats beyond this keep. If you want to join me, you are welcome to. We might find something of interest. If not, well, perhaps we will meet again and be able to help one another better in the future.”
—-Does Adwin accept this proposal, Persuasion target DC 15, I roll a 1.
“Pah!” the youth snorts, “If I wanted to guard livestock I’d be carrying a staff and a sling like any shepherd boy. There is no glory in following tradesmen around!”
With that, he stands up and walks away. Leaving his half eaten meal behind. I finish it for him.
—-Do any merchants overhear, or other potential employers? Likely, No
I start approaching merchants and guards, asking if any are heading east and need a guard for the next leg.
@@@ It is late in the season, and the dwarven lands are always treacherously rugged, and cold so Unlikely-Exceptional No
The merchants laugh, and those who will not be staying the winter here state they are heading west to other towns to overwinter their men in more hospitable quarters.
I spend the better part of the day at the tavern looking for work, and talking to the barkeep, Bumbo Wickman, (New NPC). He asks about my map, it seems everyone in town knows about my mission, and says there used to be some sort of temple in these parts, perhaps dedicated to the god, Drouzal of the Deep. Anyway, if my journeys should lead me to stumble across it, I’d best stay away from any altars within. The blood of the innocent always cries out for vengeance, and evil spirits must surely be bound to such a place. I thank him for the warning, but say it is unlikely I’ll be going anywhere just yet. He laughs and suggest I’d best find lodging at the inn, before it fills up. Once first frost comes, there is nary a space left there even in the common room.
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