–Sowing the 27th, 1002 Godsday-50 degrees, leaves and twigs in constant motion, flags extened- 230 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–
-Immersion-Smell-Fish-overwhelming-Who are they?–first three rolls are No, Ogres are the only thing left on the Emerald Hills encounter list that cooks-
I wake up to the smell of fish being cooked. The aroma is carried into the cave by the breeze, so I take a peek outside, and see two giant men and a woman, each nearly twice my height leaned over a campfire. The men are spitting large fish that they pull from their net, while the woman is smoking them. I withdraw back into the cave, “Better to wait until the ogres leave,” I warn myself. “I guess I’ll explore the cave!” Summoning a light to the revenants orb, and holding it in my hand, i start walking deeper into the cave. I am surprised when the natural cave walls are replaced by carved stone. Then I come to a stone door, or more of a worked slab really, but I find a handhold that, with effort, I am able to use to push the door to the side a bit, and squeeze past.
-Series of questions about the door, randomized, the crypt was built in 609, about 394 years ago-Used Donjon to generate a map. Also built an appropriate Wandering Encounter table.
There is a stairway leading down. I step down it, carefully, watching for any pressure plats, tripwires or other threats. I do notice there is a large vent up in the ceiling of the hallway. Someone could easily climb up through it, if they could reach. There are some bones scattered around the hall, small animals mostly, and those of a long dead kobold. Almost all directly beneath the chute like it is some sort of a trap, or perhaps they fell down it from above.
I roll the orb of light beneath it to check.
Q: Does there seem to be a handle to open it? YES Q: Is their daylight from the shaft above? NO Q: Does anything happen to the orb? YES E: Positive for The hatchlings: the Cruelty of Randomness (Hatchlings forced out to find their own lairs) (Series of questions about what happens to the orb, all come up No, so…)
As the orb passes beneath the chute, it rises up into the air and disappears into the darkness above! That’s when I realize, there is already light in the tunnel. There is a bit of whitchlight shining from a rune marked stone about every thirty feet down the hall.
I press myself against the wall and squeeze past the area beneath the chute. Once past it, I notice the unnaturally cold air is gone. It now feels warm in the “cave”, or whatever this place is.
Q: Do I avoid the effect? YES (Scored 18 vs DC 15 Perception check to detect traps on the door, scored 18 on the DC 15 arcane check to disarm it)
At the end of the hall, there is a heavy iron door. Of course, there is no such thing as a light iron door, so… I take a careful look at the door. Etched into the iron is the image of a warrior giving a battlecry. But looking closely, I see a conjurer’s rune that says “breath of acid” marked upon the warrior’s tongue. Certainly a nasty spell! I begin muttering some of the wards I know and am able to unravel the magic that holds the spell’s power. Then I carefully push the door open.
-Generate room contents using The Solo Adventurer’s Toolkit, since Donjon gave me a boring empty room, DMG for the trap, DC16 to detect DC 16 to Disarm, Deadly, +9 to hit spear trap for 4d10 damage! Triggerd by passing through the door. No reset. I passed the perception check to spot it-
The room beyond has images of men shouting carved into the far wall. But I realize, their mouths have all been carved out as though some sort of trap. I go back and grab the skull and ribcage of the dead kobold, and fling the ribcage into the room trying to get the carcass to scatter and shatter as much as I can. From the holes fly out short throwing spears. As they clatter against the opposite wall and the Iron Door that protects me, I listen for the sound of the trap resetting, but hear nothing. After counting down from sixty, I throw the kobold skull into the room, trying to make sure to bounce it around an area where none of the ribs landed. Nothing happens.
I crouch low, ready to conjure a shield to enhance my standard wards, and creep slowly into the room. There are two more doors here. The one to the north, looks like a pretty normal sliding door, the sort of wooden door you see in some inns or palaces. The one that backtracks me to the west is also made of wood, but reinforced with iron bands. “Go to the left” I think to myself.
I carefully inspect the ironbound door, but do not see any signs that it might be trapped. Which is surprising to me! But when I try it, I realize it is locked. I try using my dagger to pick the lock, but to no avail. “I guess it’s the door on the right, then!”
(Locked Iron Door, No traps, DC 25 lock. Rolled 19 to spot traps, rolled 21 to pick the lock (max is 23 for Mendy))
I then go to the normal looking wooden door, inspect for traps and finding none, try to slide it open. Except that it is stuck!
((Roll 7 Perception to check for traps, then DC 10 to unstick, Roll 9-1=8 Str check, failure)
Q: Do the guards open it? NO Q: To they respond to the sounds? YES E: Resolution of ‘Explore Frost Crypt’: the Cruelty of the Mundane)
Then I hear movement on the other side of the door. The clink of chainmail, and the sound of heavy footsteps. I back away from the door, holding my breath and waiting.
The door doesn’t open! I consider shattering it with magic, but I don’t know exactly what is on the other side, and I don’t want the ogres to hear. “Finally, someplace interesting to explore and I can’t even get past the third door!” I mutter to myself.
Q: Are the ogres still there? EXCEPTIONAL NO Encountter-Dressing-deep hole opens to cavern below-
Then I retreat back to the surface to see if the ogres are still there. Seeing no signs of them, their campfire now smoldering as the water from the rising tide hits it, I emerge from the ancient crypt, climb up from the beach to to higher grounds so I have a few more option should I run into trouble on the way home.
Climbing up a nearby ledge, I notice something on the ground near a dark hole. It’s the revenant’s orb! The hole must lead down into the cave below. I chuckle as I put the thing back in my pouch and continue on my way.
A few miles later, I become suddenly uneasy, and then hear a loud roar! Another great bear like the one Sir Julian and Viktor killed! The beast starts running straight towards me, fury in its eyes. “Tonitro!” I yells, and the thunderclap doesn’t even phase the beast as stone explodes all around it. I start to retreat as the creature races towards me. It overtakes me, knocking me to the ground as its jaws nearly close around my arm and its claws rip though my wards and tear my shirt…leaving a trail of blood where they scratched my flesh. “Impetu!” I yell, calling bolts of force to slam into the enraged beast as I try to get free of it. The beast then sinks its teeth into my left arm and begins shaking me furiously. I feel my bone snap and cry out in pain! With my right hand, I draw my wand and unleash its full power against the beast, knocking it backwards into the dirt as the wand disolves into ashes.
It lies still! I am on my knees, clutching my broken arm, sobbing and vomitting from the pain.
-Brown Bears are nasty for a 3rd level Wizard! My shatter spell whiffed with its solid Con save and a poor damage roll. It hit with both attacks in the first round, stripping away the wards (Shield spell wouldn’t have helped, it rolled too high! Hit it with lavel 2 magic missile, did some solid damage. Then another hit, cutting me down to three hp left, and then a critical with the claws! I invoked the soloist “lucky” rule to force the bear to reroll the crit, and it missed! The last two charges of my wand for another level 2 magic missile finished it. I ruled the wand was destroyed in the process.-
After several minutes, I collect myself enough to check out my arm. The bleeding isn’t so bad, I had pressed the wound tight. I struggle to get the bone set back in place, which brings more tears to my eyes. Then I drink a healer’s vial, and watch as the wound begins to close. Only seconds later, I am able to open and close my left hand. I feel my arm, the bone has been mended, and the pain is gone.
I walk over to the bear, lying still, bleeding out. I cut its throat to be sure it dies. Then I sit and rest, catch my breath.
After I’ve regained my strength, I continue walking, hoping to find civilization soon!
Instead, as I crest a nearby hill, I spot another bear, with cubs! They are about ninety feet from me, and I see the bear stand up and roar defiantly. I start to back up, and it charges! I unleash magic darts, one salvo after another as the bear rushes after me. I continue backing up as the beast, enraged with pain and fearing for its young overtakes me and rakes me with its claws, grabbing hold of my leg with its jaws. The last of my magic depleted, I focus on the cat’s eye gem, and unleash the power woven within, cutting loose one final dart spell. The bear’s grip relaxes, and I pull myself free while its cubs bound away, tentative, fearful of me. Doomed!
I bind my mangled leg and drink another one of my healing droughts. Mutter cleaning spell to dry the blood from my clothes. Then I start walking. Looking for someplace to rest for the night. I find a place that seems fairly safe to roll out my blanket. I go to sleep, hoping to wake in the morning!
–Sowing the 28th, 1002 Marketday-51 degrees, Gentle rain from 8 to 9 a.m. leaves and twigs in constant motion, flags extened- 230 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-
-Immersion: Squeaking Scene change-E -Something Negative happens to Mendy Bleher, involving
an Ambush and Jealousy-Brawna-No The Apprentice-Yes! With men-Yes! E: Ambiguous Significance: the Attraction of a Representative
I wake to a squeaking sound..that of a rat getting into my pack! I rise to my feet, and hear someone yell, “There she is! Get her!” I look to see Cecil and Florian, the farmhand, running towards me!
“Hands up or die!” I yell, but Florian keeps rushing towards me. I hurl three force darts into him, but they don’t stop him. I narrowly avoid the massive club he swings at me, and then have to call forth a shield to deflect Cecil’s arcane bolts. “You stupid wretch!” I yell, “you’ll not live to see tomorrow!” I split my next spell between the two, dropping the farmer, and forcing Cecil to invoke a shield spell as well. “Did Telgast warn you about me? Do you know who you are messing with?”
“I’m sick of being in your shadow!” the youth cries back,”I’ll never be good enough for him!”
“Tonitro!” I shout, causing the stones around him to erupt into shards. His body is tossed aside, and lies limp on the ground. “You’ve got that right, stupid kid!” I mutter as I walk over to check him out.
His neck was broken by the blast. He’s dead. Florian is badly injured, so I bind him up as best I can. I can’t really carry him though.
I then walk up to the crest of a nearby hill, and I can actually see the White Tower off in the distance! A hundred yards more last night, and if it hadn’t been dark, I could have pushed my way on home!
-Encounter-common annoyance-lice-
As I walk into the village at the base of the tower, I realize I have been scratching my head almost constantly for the last hour. My braid is all fouled up and coming unraveled, and I’ve plucked at least two lice from my scalp…flinging them away in annoyance. I find Milo and tell him, “That new apprentice, Cecil, and Florian both attacked me. Cecil’s dead. I patched up Florian, but couldn’t carry him back on my own. Have the men go and recover their bodies. They are about five miles from here up the coast.”
Milo clucks his tongue, “Florian was evicted after you left. Caught stealing. That’s a shame about Cecil though. Thought he was a good kid!”
Q: Is Master Telgast home? EXCEPTIONAL YES E: Action by Remote NPC’s: the Opening of Allies, Master Telgast Insight check, 25
I shrug my shoulders, and walk on up to the tower. The door opens with a word from me, and I step inside my old home. “Master?” I call, but then I see him seated at a table in the foyer, pondering his next move on the chess board. He then plays his hand…and I suppose his oppenent will respond, in time, from wherever he is.
“Ah! Where is Cecil? I saw you coming and sent him to greet you…” his voice trails off as he looks at my face and realizes what happened. “The boy was the jealous sort. I should have never selected him. It is not uncommon for an older frog to devour a younger, smaller one. You shouldn’t worry yourself over his death.” he says, rather nonchalantly.
“You’ve hardened in my absence, Master,” I say flatly.
“And you’ve been hardened by your trials over the last seven weeks, have you not?” Telgast answers, drawing a long pull from his pipe, “When Chyrgyss complained of your escape, I told her she’d been a fool to underestimate you.” Seeing the shock in my face, he continues, “But I warned her to let you go, and that I would bind you not to tell others the location of her lair.” I start to answer, but my tongue is like pudding in my mouth, if seems to flow this way and that. Master Telgast chuckles, “Understand? This will happen if you seek to betray that secret by word or by writ.” I nod and my tongue returns to normal.
“Did you send Cecil to attack me?” I demand. Master shakes his head sadly and said that the boy envied me too much, and could not stand the thought that I had been his favorite, and likely always would be. Then he asks that I tell him of my journey. I agree to do so after I have a chance to get cleaned up, to destroy the lice now living in my hair, and have someone start mending my clothes.
Scene
For the rest of the day, I sit with Master Telgast at lunch, or in his study, telling him of the trek to the Emerald Palace, of staying in Chyrgyss’s lair, of my escape, the trek through the wilds, meeting the revenant, venturing into the ice cave and then an ancient crypt, of the bears, and the death of Sir Julian and his companions, their capture and betrayal and of Brawan’s betrayal. He had already learned pieces of my story from Chyrgyss, but was amused nonetheless. Then he invite me to stay the night. To rest, and then to continue on my way should I wish to do so. I thank him, and return to my old room. I have a goblin remove Cecil’s personal effects, and then retire to my old bed once the linens have been replaced.
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