–Sowing the 29th through Godsday, Sowing 34th, 1002 Sunday-50 degrees, feel wind on skin, leaves rustle, weathervanes move- 214 gp 6 sp, (2 gp per day if out of work), healing kit 5 charges-
–275 xp from Kobolds 200 xp from prospectors/bandits, 150 xp from wolves (non combat resolution), 400 xp from Brown Bears, 200 xp from Spear Trap, 125 xp from Cecil’s ambush-
New Scene-Positive Alteration:
I am alternativing between poring over the books in Master Telgast’s library and working on scribing a copy of my own journal to add to his collection when I stumble across an interesting spell and immediately start trying to figure out how it works.
(House Rules:While the 2 spells gained per level are automatic “insights into previous study”, other wizard spells are learned with a DC 15+spell level Intelligence Arcane Check. Mendy has found “Expedititius Retreat”, so the DC to learn is 16. She rolls a 6+5=11, she can’t make heads or tails of it).
While I understand that the spell is supposed to grant one the speed of a deer, I can’t quite figure out how it works. I study the spell off and on for several days, much to Master Telgast’s amusement. The morning of Yoke Day, he interrupts me, laughing, “You know, I could never figure that one out either. I find it more useful to simply take flight through the air than across the ground.”
(immersion-memory from childhood)
On Yoke Day, I join Milo in treating the animals for their holiday. I weave garlands of flowers for the Master’s horses, feed them carrots and apples, offer prayers for their good health and I miss poor Celeste who must have gotten eaten by Chyrgyss or some lesser beast, and also Dog who gave me hope when it was hard to find. As I comb the mane of one of the horses, I remember the trio of laying hens our family had the first time I honored Yoke Day. Gertl, Yenni, and Jade…they were dull brown birds, but Jade had green feet and she laid green eggs. Papa joked that it was actually “yolk day” and fixed us eggs that morning. Mama got mad at him saying we shouldn’t eat meat, eggs or cheese on Yoke Day because it’s the day when animals should not work. He said the eggs were from the day before, so it wasn’t really work, and that the herdsmen had to milk their goats or they’d bloat, no matter what day it was. My brother, Goman, laughed at how red in the face they got arguing whether Yoke Day could be Yolk Day. Then he stole mom’s eggs from her plate and ate them while hiding in the boat.
-Is master Telgast grateful-Likely-No-
After the holiday, I finish transcribing my journal for Master Telgast, and present it to him. He waves me away, uninterested, and asks how much longer I intend to stay as he is not accustomed to former apprentices loitering about. I tell him that I intend to leave in the morning. That I’d rather be out of town for the Culling. It always struck me as odd that Yoke Day was right before the hog slaughter started. One final meal to fatten the pigs before their throats are cut! Then I ask if he’d bought a map from Eryk the Peddlar. Telgast gives me an annoyed look and says that he doesn’t waste his time talking to peddlars. That if Cecil had found it worth obtaining, it would be among his effects.
With the Master’s permission, I look through the lad’s books and papers. Nothing of value. The spells he used to attack me he had just learned! Sadly, the youth was far more talented than I. He learned in a couple of months what took me years to master! Yet he was the jealous one, and he paid the price!.
–Culling 1st, Sunday, 1002 -43 degrees, feel wind on skin, leaves rustle, weathervanes move- 214 gp 6 sp, (2 gp per day if out of work), healing kit 5 charges-
–275 xp from Kobolds 200 xp from prospectors/bandits, 150 xp from wolves (non combat resolution), 400 xp from Brown Bears, 200 xp from Spear Trap, 125 xp from Cecil’s ambush-
-one hard day’s travel on foot to get to Caravos, two days with a wagon though. Immersion-Smell of Hay-
-Scene-
As the first day of Culling arrives, I see goblin slaves helping villagers improve the thatching on their cottages. The smell of straw fills the air as old threshing is swept out, and families prepare for the coming winter. Caravos is a hard day’s walk from here, and I am eager to get on the road.
-morning encounter-caravan-3 large pack animals-Q:To caravos-very likely-No! (afternoon has no encounter, evening has Lone Traveller)
As I follow the road into Breburg, I pass by three men leading pack horses laden with salt, wine, grain and…ginger by the smell of it.
-Q: They friendly? EXCEPTIONAL YES E: Setback to ‘I killed Cecil’: a Failure of Nature-(Okay, so Cecil didnt’ stay dead. Did Telgast raise him? No, Did the Black Coven-Yes- I guess Cecil Undying is now a problem!-Discussion topic, my experience- Are they from White Tower- Yes- Do they have any interesting news-No-Random Tavern Event from Urban Dressing-Bard enters-Q: Is it crowded? EXCEPTIONAL NO Q: Is she well received? YES-
The men hail me and we pause to speak for a bit on the road. They had stayed the night in Brevurg, and they asked about the road to White Tower. I recognize two of them as Master Telgast’s tenants, I don’t know them well, but they ask how I’ve been getting on since I left his service. I tell them a bit about exploring the Emerald Hills, but only in the most general terms. They tell me that Florian got evicted, which I had already learned, and that Roch’s widow was being courted, which I did not know. But after a quarter hour or so, I bade them farewell, excusing myself that I wanted to reach Caravos by nightfall. They wish me safe travel and I do the same for them.
I stop briefly at “The Evil Wizard”for a warm meal. Not surprisingly, pork chops are the dish of the day served with carrots, potatos and radishes. A silver haired woman, about twice my age, enters the tavern carrying a lute. Her clothing is brightly colored, and with a smile, she starts singing and playing as she walks from one table to the next. Unfortunately, only three of the tables are occupied, one by a foursome, and one by a twosome, and the third, by me. Fortunately, the other two tables keep her attention as coins flow into her tankard and songs flow from her lips. I toss a couple of silver her way after paying my tab, but then get back on the road.
I reach Karsa late in the afternoon. I quickly stop for dinner at The Filthy Scoundrel. The tavern is packed with villagers tired from their long day at work. Due to the crowd, nobody really pays me any attention as I sit down at the bar for a quick meal and drink. People are talking about the events of the day, and preparations for the coming winter. After draining my tankard I return to the road.
As I am leaving, I see a hulking brute of a man loading several kegs onto a pair of mules, apparently getting ready to set off. “Are you heading to Caravos?” I ask him.
“Nay, to Brevurg with ale for the Evil Wizard.” he replies. I ask if he means the tavern or the man. He laughs and says that he means the tavern. I wish him safe travels, and we part company.
-Scene- No change- Immersion, Sight Liquid that stirs a memory-Q: Guard welcomes me in YES Q: Is it crowded? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: entertainment? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: Does she have lodging for me? NO Q: Has she sold my stuff? EXCEPTIONAL NO Q: Is Rollin here? NO Something Negative happens to Mwydyth the Merchant, involving
the Control of Extravagance
Once again, it is after dark when I arrive at the white walled City of Coravos. I am no longer a stranger and quickly persuade the guard I live at the Filthy Sabre, renting a room of Gili, and that I work for the Tailor’s Guild as a bookkeeper, so they wave me inside. As I enter the gate, I notice the trough where I watered Celeste when we first arrived in the city, and again before we left. I already miss that old horse!
I walk the quiet streets, past the empty market stalls, and arrive at the Filthy Sabre. The tavern is packed and seems even more crowded as Gili has moved all of the tables and chairs up against the wall to make space for a boxing match! There is shouting and cheering as wagers are made and drinks are spilt. I squeeze my way up to the bar, past a couple of serving girls I’ve not seen before to catch Gili’s attention.
“Agh! I thought a dragon must have eaten you!” the dwarf cries out with joy at the sight of me. “I hope you’ve come home laden with riches enough for the king’s own ransom!” She shouts as she hugs me. Then her visage changes. “Oh, deary. I don’t have a room to let out to you tonight. I’ve taken in some other lodgers since I thought we were never coming back. It’s been well over a month! Rollin had given up hope!” I realize she is looking past me to see if Jana is with me. I shake my head and tell her Jana didn’t make it, and I need to speak to Rollin in the morning. She nods her head sadly. “I suppose you haven’t heard what happened to Mwydyth, have you?” she asks, “One of her creations turned against her. She was pretty badly injured and is resting upstairs. Her shop has been sealed off but she doesn’t want to tell the watch what happened, lest they destroy everything she’s made.” I agree to go upstairs to talk to her. Then Gili mentions that she still has my trunk stored int eh wine cellar. She figured it wasn’t taking up too much space.
Scene: no modifier-immersion, sound of splashing
I go upstairs , and hearing the sounds of someone washing their hands or face, knock on Mwydyth’s door, “Hey, it’s Mendy from White Tower”
“Oh Come in!” she says with delight, and when she opens the door, I look down and see washing her face in the basin whiles leaning up against a crutch with her right leg heavily bandaged. “I was worried I’d never see you again!” she laughs, and I come inside. We talk for a bit about my adventures, and then she tells me of her trouble. She had shown me before her little clockwork creations and explained how she infused them with a spirit to animate them. Well, she explained that she had built a clockwork soldier to protect her shop, but that the spirit within it decided she was an intruder and attacked her! She was able to lock it inside the shop as she escaped, but that it then thrust its spear through the window and struck her in the leg. Had a passerby not taken her to safety and dressed her wound, she might have died! She said the town watch was getting ready to storm the place but she’d gotten Obus to pull some strings and tell them to hold off until she had recovered and could supervise…to ensure nothing harmless was destroyed. Then she asked if I thought I could do anything to help, and I say that perhaps, with Axel backing me up or something, I could take a look at figuring out how to stop the automaton. She’s so grateful that when I mention I need to go find lodging for the night, she suggests I stay with her. “I’ve got this big old bed, and I take up hardly any space in it all! Plenty of room for the two of us!”
I thank, her and then clean myself up with a few magic words. We then lie next to each other in bed talking until the sounds downstairs subside enough for us to actually get some rest. I show her the jewelry I’d stolen from Chygryth, and she tells me where to take each piece and how much to accept for them, so I do not get robbed by my own impatience or lack of knowledge about gemstones and jewelry. She promises to write me some appraisal notes in the morning to help me out!
–Culling 2nd, Moonday, 1002 -40 degrees, smoke drifts to indicate direction, weathervanes stationary- 212 gp 6 sp, (2 gp per day if out of work), healing kit 5 charges-
–275 xp from Kobolds 200 xp from prospectors/bandits, 150 xp from wolves (non combat resolution), 400 xp from Brown Bears, 200 xp from Spear Trap, 125 xp from Cecil’s ambush-
scene (no alteration, immersion-sound, rumbling)
The next morning Mwydyth and I go downstairs for breakfast, my stomach rumbles with hunger and I am delighted to see the huge bowl of eggs that Gili has prepared, and the aroma bacon frying in the skillet. She slides us each a plate and I help Mwydyth climb up into a chair, her injured leg makes it a little harder for her to make that “leap”.
Mwydyth hands me the key to her shop and warns me, “That guard of mine is going to be hard to defeat! He can turn most blades, and even magic can scarcely damage a clockwork warrior! The only way to defeat him is to shatter the gem and release the spirit that controls it. Of course, you’ll have to nearly bash the thing to pieces to get to the gem as it’s where a man’s heart should be! He was a lot of work to build, but I bound the wrong sort of spirit to it. I hate to see years of work go up in smoke, but I need it out of my shop, and can’t have it running around attacking people either…so do what you must by try not to cause too much damage!”
I take the key, and assure her that I actually have a plan that might work. But if not, I’ll come up with something else or die trying. She draws back when I say that and warns that this isn’t worth me dying over. She can still call the guards. I tell her not to worry.
Gili and I chat for a bit while Mwydyth writes out her certified appraisals of my jewelry, and that’s when I see Rolin the Custodian enter. He smiles broadly when he first notices me, and then meeting my eyes, the color falls from his face. I shake my head.
-How will he respond to me? Persuasion Roll-1+2= probably not well!-Q: Has he had a vision of her? YES-Q: Does Gili defend me? EXCEPTIONAL NO Q: Does Mwydyth? NO-
“I asked you to stop her! I begged you to keep her safe! And now here you are, and where is my sister? She’s crossed the veil! She’s joined her ancestors, while you still walk the earth!” he fumes, his face flush with anger. “I should have never asked you for help! Maybe if you hadn’t joined them, they wouldn’t have gone! Maybe if they’d found a wizard of their own, they might have survived!”
Gili then chimes in, “He’s right you know! I warned you not to go meddle in the lands of a dragon, but no, you had to go seeking adventure! Seeking treasure! And Rolin’s sister pays the price! You come home with dragon’s plunder, but he doesn’t even have a corpse to bury! You should be ashamed of yourself!”
Mwydyth looks down at her meal, saying nothing.
A couple of strands of hair have fallen down in front of my eyes and I look down at my plate, absorbing their abuse. Then I look to Mwydyth, Gili and finally up at Rolin. “I did what I could. They never trusted me. They betrayed me. And your sister stood by and let them. I am sorry for your loss. I am not sorry that I survived. Thank you Gili, for holding my things. Thank you Mwydyth, for your appraisals. Thank you Rolin, for nothing. I have a job to do!” I say, flipping Mwydyth’s key in the air. “If your prayers are answered, I’ll be joinng your sister in the Chorus by nightfall!”
Q: Does anyone back down? NO
I collect my trunk, and walk out into the streets, weaving my way towards Mwydyth’s shop, stewing with rage. My fury must have been evident, because nobody accosted me or dared to get in my way.
-Scene-Altered positive
I soon arrive at her shop, and I can see where one of the glass panes was shattered and then boarded up. The guardian is plainly visible through the window, standing near the front of the store. This means I should be able to easily enter from the rear, so I walk down the alley behind the shop and set my trunk down next to the back door.
I tap the tiger eye pendant on my neck, and try to recall the banishment charm within it. With a bit of luck, I can expel the spirit that powers the automaton and finish the fight before it begins. If not, well, there’s always arcane darts!
I carefully insert the key into the lock, as quietly as I can, then give it a quick turn and push open the door! The clockwork soldier must have heard me, for it was almost to the door when I pushed it open! “Fueret!” I command, clutching the stone between the finger and thumb of my left hand.
The automotan suddently stops and sways, but does not fall over. I walk over to the machine and start looking for a way to open it up. Seeing a hinge in the back through which Mwydyth had worked, I easily pop it open with my blade, and pry the dull red gem from the machine’s chest cavity. “Not so deadly now, huh?” I grin with delight.
I step back, and release the spell, and the gem glows bright with the presence of the forgotten soul bound within. I look at the stone, with joy at first, and then with sorrow, as I scrunch my eyes together and tears roll out. I have no friends! I just risked my life…for no reason, but to prove that I wasn’t useless, to people who don’t care about me anyway.
I shake it off, brush some stray hairs from my face, and drop the stone into my pouch. I lock up the shop, collect my trunk and head back to the Filthy Sabre.
I step into the tavern. Mwydyth and Rolin are not to be seen, but Gili is there. I throw Mwydyth’s key and the gemstone to her, and say, “Tell Mwydyth the guardian is defeated. She can go home now!” Then I turn and storm off.
-Is my old job available-No. Do I find lodging-No, Generate a tavern for overnight on http://chaoticshiny.com/taverngen.php and donjon. Immersion roll, gesture of command between sidekick and NPC (I don’t have a sidekick right now, so….) Urban Dressing Taproom event, random generation of a paatron for conversation (from Wilderness Dressing-travellers)
I then head over to the tailor’s guild to see about getting my old job back, but they’ve hired a new book keeper. Then I start looking for lodging, but have little luck at the boarding houses and better inns.
I eventually wander into the docks district and find a two storied tavern with the image of a drunken goblin being carried by two buxom women on the plackard. I step inside “The Happy Goblin” and my ears are accosted by the rythmic sound of a drum, the jingle of bells, and of men whooping and catcalling some impressively curvy women wearing far less than the girls in the plackard and who are dancing on a long table at the far end of the tavern.
As I scan the room, the half-orc behind the bar points to me, nods, and then jerks his thumb up towards the stage. I cock my eye, look down at my chest and practical clothing and throw up my arms shaking my head as in asking if he’s serious. He throws up his arms quizzically with a bewildered look on his face. I walk over to him and warn him, “I’m not here to dance. I’m not an entertainer. I’m looking for lodging for a few days.”
“Ah, well that makes more sense,” the gruff looking orc replies sourly, “Yeah, we’ve got plenty of hammocks, though I wouldn’t recommend a woman sleep in the common room with this lot. A few weeks at sea and the men get a bit randy, as you can see.” I roll my eyes, “But I have a couple of private rooms still for rent. How long?”
I hire a room for a week, hoping that I can find something a little more suitable before that time. The half orc’s name is Rolyk. He has three or four goblin slaves working as servers and cooks, and a pair of dancing girls apparently. When one of the goblins shows me to a private room and hands me the key, I am pleasantly surprised! The room, though small, has a sturdy wooden cot, a table and oil lamp, a a small chair and room for me to store my trunk. I waste no time in securing my possessions here, and then heading out to pick up some supplies and continue looking for work.
As the lanterns are being lit along the main streets, I return to the Happy Goblin, to wallow in my sorrow after a rather disappointing day. A rather portly man sits next to me at the bar. He is better dressed than most of the patrons, a tradesman obviously, and he seems a little embarrased when one of the dancing girls passes by and drapes her scarf across his shoulder. I just thrust it away when it inadvertently falls against my arm. “Not a lot of lodging available,” he says, fingering a locket I presume to be a gift from his wife or something. “I am supposed to meet a ship in the morning, and don’t want to miss it, but now I kind of regret not having found a more proper place. What would my wife think?”
I look over at him in disbelief, and suggest that she’d think he was a pervert for cavorting with dancers and whores. Then he asks if I am a whore! But just as I lift up my drink to pour it into his lap, a mouse scurries across the bar, and a cat leaps up after it, knocking every drink along the bar to the floor, spilling beer, ale, grog and everything else to the shouts of anger, dismay and amusement of many patrons! I laugh, and slam back the rest of my ale. “To the hells with you, good man!” I say, and I head upstairs to my room to read.
Posts From a Long Winded Gamer 
Leave a comment