Start Date: August 24th
Start Status: On the Road Again...
Start Location: The White Tulip
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
[August 23rd]
When they returned to the Tulip, the party sent a letter to the Vine mansion in New Kavlin, outlining their progress and requesting any information on the golem roaming the upper mine.
Several hours after the party delivers the note to the Vine mansion in New Kavlin, Dunvel Woring (captain of the Vine mercenary force arrives at the White Tulip along with two of his cohort. He asks to speak to whoever is returning to the Silverstream Mine so he can coordinate taking two squads of his men, supported by a squad of city soldiers, out to blockade the road and protect the surrounding area from any intrusions. He also brings a small package and a letter from Jinel Vine herself.
The package contains five certificates of credit (*), each worth 100 GP, drawn on house Vine. The letter, written in Jinel Vine's own hand, congratulates the party on their efforts thus far and indicates the cash is a bonus for pressing the investigation so quickly and diligently. She says the golem is part of the mine's equipment (and that she's surprised it's still operational). She shares the golem's name "Pickhand" and suggests the party tries to shut it down to prevent it from causing damage using the command phrase "Pickhand, cease digging."
She indicates she's contacted Mayor Tiern concerning the potential threat from the depths, and she, in turn, has authorized the use of city forces to protect the region. She also says this does not change her agreement with the party. The group is still in charge of delving into the mine and the depths beyond. As she understands it, the military forces are setting a perimeter half a mile down the road and alerting local inhabitants to the potential threat. She brings the letter to a close with another word of thanks.
(*) Certificates of credit are used to exchange larger amounts of currency. They're basically paper money backed by a particular organization or family. You can redeem them for cash with the issuing group. Most money lenders or other prominent organizations/merchant houses will also accept them, but they may not redeem them for face value.
[August 24th]
Various party members spend the day cleaning and repairing equipment, shopping for supplies and relaxing after their extended delve. They also take care of a few administrative details.
They pay another month's rent (180 GP) to Mosk, using two of the certificates received from Lady Vine. He gives them 10 GP + 100 SP as change.
Castor, Aaron, and Xon visit the Vine mansion in New Kavlin to exchange the remaining three certificates for coin, which takes about an hour. The receive 40 GP and 2600 SP in exchange, which makes the walk back to the White Tulip hauling several sacks of coins a bit nerve-wracking (that's ~70 pounds of coins). Once back, they split the currency among the party members, and store some against future group needs.
Smoke continues her herbalism brewing in the kitchen that evening and seems moderately pleased with the results.
[Someone allocate cash so everyone can update character sheets and Joe can update the group treasure sheet.]
[August 25th]
Brigg is first up and wakes everyone else before dawn. "Let's get moving! I don't want to waste daylight!" The others respond with various levels of grousing and grumbling, but the party is on the road in short order. By the time they reach the gate, the sun is up and it looks like they have a nice day for a walk.
The party heads for the farmhouse near the Silverstream and are surprised to find it occupied. The commander of the army squad has established his headquarters there. There are a few tense moments when the sentries order the party to halt, but everyone relaxes once the group identifies itself. Lieutenant Sharz tells them that he and Dunvel Woring have established several camps around the mine entrance at a distance of half a mile and placed a checkpoint on the road. He has a rough map showing the area and emplacements. Seeing matters are well in hand, the group takes their leave, passes through the checkpoint back on the road and heads to the mine proper.
They make a slow approach to the outbuildings and tunnel, but nothing seems disturbed. The driving rain the other day wiped out any tracks around the entrance, and the area appears undisturbed. They spend an hour watching before advancing and checking the buildings. The uncovered corpse (the blanket is tangled in nearby undergrowth) lies near the entrance, creating quite a stink.
Inside the mine, Brigg takes the lead as the group sweeps the upper level for intruders. The only thing they find is the mining golem, still at work in the southeast chamber. "Time to try out Lady Vine's command." says Zenobe, who steps forward and says, "Pickhand, cease digging!" in a loud voice. The golem stops hammering the rock, turns, faces Zenobe, and goes still.
"Guess she'll be happy about that," says Jinx. Now that the golem is still, it's easy to see the damage it's suffered. Its pick-like hands are bent and twisted from constant hammering, and the compartment in its chest is missing half the panels that hold the ore in place.
"If they can repair it, this place will be productive in no time," says Smoke.
"Only if we do our job," answers Rennard. "Let's go."
The group completes its sweep of the first level and finds no surprises. They descend the ladder and perform the same sweep of the lower level. [They also search a very specific location because they meta-game a GM mapping error and find a secret chamber that contains nothing.] Everything is quiet, so they go to the portal room, also empty.
"Everyone ready?" asks Smoke. The others nod, so she puts her hand on the sphere. The usual light show occurs. The room at the other end of the trip is empty and still. "Lights out," whispers Rennard. "We wait until we're sure we can escape."
The group members wait ten minutes (they think) before heading up the stairs. The hall is also quiet. This time they have a plan for exploration. They check the double doors across the corridor from the stairway and find they really are rusted shut. Brigg listens but hears nothing. Next, they check the doors north of the frog-thing statue and pool. These are now ajar and open into a short north-south corridor that ends in another set of closed double doors. The south doors in the frog-pool room wiggle a bit when Rennard tests them; Brigg hears nothing when he listens. Ditto for the other set of doors in the east-west hall.
"OK, it seems like everything is quiet here. What now?" asks Smoke.
End Date: August 25th, morning
End Status: Back in Blackness
End Location: ???
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Friday, February 9, 2018
Tile of the Week #111
Here is another Tile of the Week entry. This is the second of four tiles that use a high-density room/corridor style. I have a full set of similar tiles in the pipeline.
All Tile of the Week images are free for private use. You can download the images above using right-click/save as. Each tile is a 100px per five-foot square image, sized for compatibility with Dungeons in Blue geomorphs. The entire Tile of the Week Collection is also available as a pay what you want bundle if you're feeling lazy.
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| Tile of the Week 111 - Player |
All Tile of the Week images are free for private use. You can download the images above using right-click/save as. Each tile is a 100px per five-foot square image, sized for compatibility with Dungeons in Blue geomorphs. The entire Tile of the Week Collection is also available as a pay what you want bundle if you're feeling lazy.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
The Colony - Bait and Switch
The teleporter recharge cycle gives a few minutes respite, and the party uses the time to set an ambush. Rennard trots up the stairs to ensure the exit path is clear while those with ranged weapons take position near the bottom of the long staircase. Brigg and Zenobe place torches where they'll light the portal circle and Zenobe prepares an oil flask for throwing.
Rennard reports the passages above are clear, at least to the statue room and he, along with everyone else, settles in to wait. Time passes and Brigg says, "That should be long enough for the teleporter to recharge. Be ready!"
More time passes. After another 10 or 15 minutes, Smoke starts getting twitchy. "I don't think they're coming. I told you they were moving down the tunnel to the west. I think we scared them off. Should we go back for those gems?"
"No. They may be setting a trap of their own, and we're pretty beat up," answers Jinx. "I say we head to town to rest and recover. We can fill in the others and see if there's any news."
A few more minutes pass, and finally, Zenobe says, "Right, let's go!" Brigg trots around the platform and grabs the extra torch while the others cover him, then everyone heads upstairs. "Give me a minute," says Brigg. He pulls out a spike and drives it under the edge of the door leading to the stairs. It's a tight fit and may or may not hold. "At least we'll know if something comes through."
The party resumes their usual marching order and heads back through the statue room, setting off the disembodied voice once again. North, through the passages, then east and south through the mine tunnels to the shaft leading up. After climbing the ladder, they head south and out into an intense storm. Gusty winds shake the trees and the heavy rain turns the open area around the mine entrance into a muddy mess. "Great," mutters Smoke. "Soaking wet again."
The party starts marching and makes reasonable time. They arrive at the gates of New Kavlin shortly after noon and are at the White Tulip 20 minutes later. As the adventurers dry off, clean up and eat a hot meal, Castor and Zenobe tend wounds and Brigg, Jinx and Smoke update the others on the events of the expedition. Castor shares his story and updates the travelers on recent departures (Mendel and Adrienne). Hagan mentions Chance and her interest in getting involved with the group's adventures.
End Date: August 23rd, early afternoon
End Status: Home
End Location: The White Tulip, New Kavlin
As a brief follow up, each member of the party earned 540 XP for this trip. A rather paltry amount, but they recovered no treasure and only recorded a few kills -- possessed miners, a possessed ogre, and a couple rocktopuses. Sometimes they should listen more closely to Smoke's advice, I think. Those fire opals... nothing could go wrong from taking those, could it?
Rennard reports the passages above are clear, at least to the statue room and he, along with everyone else, settles in to wait. Time passes and Brigg says, "That should be long enough for the teleporter to recharge. Be ready!"
More time passes. After another 10 or 15 minutes, Smoke starts getting twitchy. "I don't think they're coming. I told you they were moving down the tunnel to the west. I think we scared them off. Should we go back for those gems?"
"No. They may be setting a trap of their own, and we're pretty beat up," answers Jinx. "I say we head to town to rest and recover. We can fill in the others and see if there's any news."
A few more minutes pass, and finally, Zenobe says, "Right, let's go!" Brigg trots around the platform and grabs the extra torch while the others cover him, then everyone heads upstairs. "Give me a minute," says Brigg. He pulls out a spike and drives it under the edge of the door leading to the stairs. It's a tight fit and may or may not hold. "At least we'll know if something comes through."
The party resumes their usual marching order and heads back through the statue room, setting off the disembodied voice once again. North, through the passages, then east and south through the mine tunnels to the shaft leading up. After climbing the ladder, they head south and out into an intense storm. Gusty winds shake the trees and the heavy rain turns the open area around the mine entrance into a muddy mess. "Great," mutters Smoke. "Soaking wet again."
The party starts marching and makes reasonable time. They arrive at the gates of New Kavlin shortly after noon and are at the White Tulip 20 minutes later. As the adventurers dry off, clean up and eat a hot meal, Castor and Zenobe tend wounds and Brigg, Jinx and Smoke update the others on the events of the expedition. Castor shares his story and updates the travelers on recent departures (Mendel and Adrienne). Hagan mentions Chance and her interest in getting involved with the group's adventures.
End Date: August 23rd, early afternoon
End Status: Home
End Location: The White Tulip, New Kavlin
As a brief follow up, each member of the party earned 540 XP for this trip. A rather paltry amount, but they recovered no treasure and only recorded a few kills -- possessed miners, a possessed ogre, and a couple rocktopuses. Sometimes they should listen more closely to Smoke's advice, I think. Those fire opals... nothing could go wrong from taking those, could it?
Friday, February 2, 2018
Tile of the Week #110
Here is today's Tile of the Week entry. This is the first of four tiles that use a high-density room/corridor style. I have a full set of similar tiles in the pipeline.
All Tile of the Week images are free for private use. You can download the images above using right-click/save as. Each tile is a 100px per five-foot square image, sized for compatibility with Dungeons in Blue geomorphs. The entire Tile of the Week Collection is also available as a pay what you want bundle if you're feeling lazy.
And since we're talking about Dungeons in Blue, I'll touch on a few new products that are now available.
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| Tile of the Week 110 - Player |
All Tile of the Week images are free for private use. You can download the images above using right-click/save as. Each tile is a 100px per five-foot square image, sized for compatibility with Dungeons in Blue geomorphs. The entire Tile of the Week Collection is also available as a pay what you want bundle if you're feeling lazy.
And since we're talking about Dungeons in Blue, I'll touch on a few new products that are now available.
- Terminations Two - A set of 16 quarter-sized tiles, each with three or more dead ends. Using these tiles, you can bring a variety of corridor styles to a finished-looking end.
- Odds and Ends - A discount bundle that includes six sets of geomorphs: Transitions Two, Border Bits, Labyrinths, Entries and Exits Revisited, Terminations, and Terminations Two.
- Mega Tile Five Pack #7 - Another discount bundle that includes the five most recent Mega Tiles (numbers 31 to 35). Individual tiles are also available separately, of course.
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| Terminations Two Preview |
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| Mega Tile Thirty Five Preview |
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
The Colony - Push/Pull
The fight with the risen miners continues, and the party grows concerned about potential flanking by the unseen crossbow wielders.
[Round Five - Party Initiative]
"Watch the back, Brigg!" calls Rennard. He and Jinx maintain their formation at the north end of the hall far enough back from the corner to cut off missile fire from the pesky crossbows.
Brigg hands oil flasks, one each, to Smoke and Zenobe then, grumbling, retreats a ways south, pulling out his bow as he goes. Smoke stows her oil flask and stays close to the front line with Zenobe. The group doesn't have long to wait, and the pack of miner-things charges around the corner and attacks!
OOC: Since the party had initiative and held action...
Jinx fires his blunderbuss at one of the front-rank creatures, but the shot goes wild. Rennard hacks at the other as it closes. He also misses. The two creatures attack with crude weapons, a heavy club and an iron bar, but both miss. The remaining creatures crowd in behind them, but the two fighters don't budge.
[Round SIx - Party Initiative]
Beyond the miner pack, the flickering light of the burning oil begins to fade. Jinx and Rennard attack with bayonet and sword. Jinx misses, but Rennard connects [5 damage]. With the two fighters standing firm, Zenobe and Smoke have little to do other than offer encouragement. Brigg calls out, "Nothing here yet!"
The front two creatures hammer on Jinx and Rennard, and this time they both score hits. [Jinx 7, Rennard 4]. "Hey now! That hurt!" cries Jinx.
"Sarva provides!" answers Zenobe, happy to have something to do.
[Round Seven - Party Initiative]
Zenobe prepares a spell.
Jinx stabs at his opponent with his bayonet again, and Smoke says "I can move up if you need a minute." Jinx just shakes his head as his bayonet impales his foe. The fighter uses the leverage offered by his gun to shove the creature back, creating a little breathing room. Rennard uses his action to summon Sarva's healing power and lays hands upon himself [6 healed]. Zenobe casts his cure light wounds spell on Jinx [3 healed].
The front rank creatures do not hesitate. They surge forward and attack the two fighters. Neither does damage, but the massed creatures shove the group back 5 feet or so before they can resist. "These things are pretty strong!" exclaims Rennard as the last flickers of red light fade from the hall to the north.
[Round Eight - Ten]
The party continues their slow retreat from the corner as the press of corpse-like foes continues. Zenobe prepares an oil flask for throwing as Jinx manages to skewer and kill one of the creatures. Smoke applies a torch to the wick, and Zenobe hurls the missile, which bounces off the inside wall near the corner and splashes fire across the corridor, backlighting the front rank's opponents. "There are a lot of these things!" calls Rennard. "Smoke, start firing!"
"My hands are full!" she snaps.
At the back of the group, Brigg continues to retreat, eyes and ears peeled. After two rounds, the group is about 60 feet from the north corner, Jinx and Rennard have both taken hits and inflicted damage, leaving another creature dead in the party's wake. The oil burns low, but there's no sign of the ranged attackers at the north end of the hall.
At the back of the group, Brigg is close to the door leading to the octagonal room when his eyes go wide, "I just heard a screeching door back here!" he shouts, pointing through the open doors and west. "From that direction!"
[Round Eleven - Foe Initiative]
Zenobe prepares a spell.
The front-rank creatures pound on the front-rank fighters with their improvised weapons, but neither scores a hit. The remaining creatures shove forward and the entire melee shifts south along the hall once again.
At the rear, Smoke takes the lead. "Coming past, Brigg!" She heads through the double doors, diagonally across the octagonal room, then activates her blink boots and vanishes, reappearing 10 feet down the east-west hall. Nothing in sight, yet.
Brigg follows at a slower pace, juggling his bow as he pulls oil flasks out of his half-slung pack and stows them in a belt pouch. "Be ready with that torch. I'll throw an oil flask if I spot something worth burning!"
At the front, Jinx and Rennard have the same luck as their foes. Neither can land a blow. Zenobe casts his cure light wounds spell on Rennard [3 healed]. The entire group backpedals, aided by continued pressure from the front, and ends inside the octagonal room.
[Round Twelve - Foe Initiative]
The melee moves southwest toward the next set of doors and the creatures spread out as they get past the doorway. Zenobe takes a place next to Rennard, shield and flail ready. Three of the creatures attack. Jinx blocks one blow, while Zenobe catches another intended for Rennard on his shield. A third blow scrapes off the cleric's heavy armor.
Smoke continues moving west along the wide corridor, Brigg trailing. Smoke reaches the east side of the pool room, and there is still no sign of opposition, although her quick eyes note the open doors to the north. "Brigg! The door! Oil!"
The monk pulls a flask from his belt pouch and hurls it at the partially open doors. It *donks* off the door and breaks when it hits the floor north of the pool. "Hope this works," mutters Smoke. *blink* She finds herself by the pool. "Perfect." She touches torch to the slick and it catches fire with a *whoosh*. "COME ON!" she yells over her shoulder.
All three combatants attack the massed foes in front of them. Rennard managed to connect [5 damage], as does Zenobe, [5 damage]. One of the creatures falls, creating a momentary gap. "Now! Back!" shouts Jinx. The three withdraw and make it into the east-west hall. "Doors!" calls Zenobe, and he and Jinx slam the rusted panels closed.
"They won't hold, but now we can GO!"
[Round Thirteen - Foe Initiative]
"Or not," mutters Jinx as the doors swing back open.
Two of the creatures push through and attack. One drives his pick past Zenobe's shield, scoring a solid blow [7 damage].
At the rear, Smoke keeps moving toward the portal chamber, praying the enemy isn't already there. As she reaches the stairs, she catches movement at the edge of her torchlight further down the hall, a not-zombie? She has little time to ponder as several crossbow bolts rattle out of the darkness as she ducks down the stairs. "Enemy in the hall west!" she shouts, as two bolts strike home [7 damage]. "Erk!" She nearly takes a tumble but recovers her balance.
"We need to go!" shouts Brigg, as he crosses the pool room and takes a position at the southwest corner. "Break and go!"
The front rank hears the call. The swinging doors give them the break they need. They withdraw and head west, fast. One of the creatures follows the other tangles with the doors and the rest of the pack. Brigg takes a shot at the trailing enemy from his position beyond the pool, but the shot is wild.
[Round Fourteen - CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Party Initiative]
With a short lead, the melee group breaks into a run. "Go Brigg! Help Smoke!" shouts Rennard as he and Zenobe lead the way with shields raised.
The monk wastes no time, he runs ahead, rounds the corner and descends the stairs two at a time and finds Smoke standing on the empty platform. "Nothing here! Are they coming?"
"Right behind me," and the clatter of armor on the stairs announces the arrival of the rest of the group. They all crowd onto the platform and, as the trailing creatures start down the stairs, Smoke slaps her hand down on the pyramid on the pedestal. The familiar glowing sparks rise and as the first creature reaches the platform, the room blinks out, then reappears, empty.
"Whew! That was close," says Zenobe, as Smoke trots up the stairs. "All clear here," she says.
[Round Five - Party Initiative]
"Watch the back, Brigg!" calls Rennard. He and Jinx maintain their formation at the north end of the hall far enough back from the corner to cut off missile fire from the pesky crossbows.
Brigg hands oil flasks, one each, to Smoke and Zenobe then, grumbling, retreats a ways south, pulling out his bow as he goes. Smoke stows her oil flask and stays close to the front line with Zenobe. The group doesn't have long to wait, and the pack of miner-things charges around the corner and attacks!
OOC: Since the party had initiative and held action...
Jinx fires his blunderbuss at one of the front-rank creatures, but the shot goes wild. Rennard hacks at the other as it closes. He also misses. The two creatures attack with crude weapons, a heavy club and an iron bar, but both miss. The remaining creatures crowd in behind them, but the two fighters don't budge.
[Round SIx - Party Initiative]
Beyond the miner pack, the flickering light of the burning oil begins to fade. Jinx and Rennard attack with bayonet and sword. Jinx misses, but Rennard connects [5 damage]. With the two fighters standing firm, Zenobe and Smoke have little to do other than offer encouragement. Brigg calls out, "Nothing here yet!"
The front two creatures hammer on Jinx and Rennard, and this time they both score hits. [Jinx 7, Rennard 4]. "Hey now! That hurt!" cries Jinx.
"Sarva provides!" answers Zenobe, happy to have something to do.
[Round Seven - Party Initiative]
Zenobe prepares a spell.
Jinx stabs at his opponent with his bayonet again, and Smoke says "I can move up if you need a minute." Jinx just shakes his head as his bayonet impales his foe. The fighter uses the leverage offered by his gun to shove the creature back, creating a little breathing room. Rennard uses his action to summon Sarva's healing power and lays hands upon himself [6 healed]. Zenobe casts his cure light wounds spell on Jinx [3 healed].
The front rank creatures do not hesitate. They surge forward and attack the two fighters. Neither does damage, but the massed creatures shove the group back 5 feet or so before they can resist. "These things are pretty strong!" exclaims Rennard as the last flickers of red light fade from the hall to the north.
[Round Eight - Ten]
The party continues their slow retreat from the corner as the press of corpse-like foes continues. Zenobe prepares an oil flask for throwing as Jinx manages to skewer and kill one of the creatures. Smoke applies a torch to the wick, and Zenobe hurls the missile, which bounces off the inside wall near the corner and splashes fire across the corridor, backlighting the front rank's opponents. "There are a lot of these things!" calls Rennard. "Smoke, start firing!"
"My hands are full!" she snaps.
At the back of the group, Brigg continues to retreat, eyes and ears peeled. After two rounds, the group is about 60 feet from the north corner, Jinx and Rennard have both taken hits and inflicted damage, leaving another creature dead in the party's wake. The oil burns low, but there's no sign of the ranged attackers at the north end of the hall.
At the back of the group, Brigg is close to the door leading to the octagonal room when his eyes go wide, "I just heard a screeching door back here!" he shouts, pointing through the open doors and west. "From that direction!"
[Round Eleven - Foe Initiative]
Zenobe prepares a spell.
The front-rank creatures pound on the front-rank fighters with their improvised weapons, but neither scores a hit. The remaining creatures shove forward and the entire melee shifts south along the hall once again.
At the rear, Smoke takes the lead. "Coming past, Brigg!" She heads through the double doors, diagonally across the octagonal room, then activates her blink boots and vanishes, reappearing 10 feet down the east-west hall. Nothing in sight, yet.
Brigg follows at a slower pace, juggling his bow as he pulls oil flasks out of his half-slung pack and stows them in a belt pouch. "Be ready with that torch. I'll throw an oil flask if I spot something worth burning!"
At the front, Jinx and Rennard have the same luck as their foes. Neither can land a blow. Zenobe casts his cure light wounds spell on Rennard [3 healed]. The entire group backpedals, aided by continued pressure from the front, and ends inside the octagonal room.
[Round Twelve - Foe Initiative]
The melee moves southwest toward the next set of doors and the creatures spread out as they get past the doorway. Zenobe takes a place next to Rennard, shield and flail ready. Three of the creatures attack. Jinx blocks one blow, while Zenobe catches another intended for Rennard on his shield. A third blow scrapes off the cleric's heavy armor.
Smoke continues moving west along the wide corridor, Brigg trailing. Smoke reaches the east side of the pool room, and there is still no sign of opposition, although her quick eyes note the open doors to the north. "Brigg! The door! Oil!"
The monk pulls a flask from his belt pouch and hurls it at the partially open doors. It *donks* off the door and breaks when it hits the floor north of the pool. "Hope this works," mutters Smoke. *blink* She finds herself by the pool. "Perfect." She touches torch to the slick and it catches fire with a *whoosh*. "COME ON!" she yells over her shoulder.
All three combatants attack the massed foes in front of them. Rennard managed to connect [5 damage], as does Zenobe, [5 damage]. One of the creatures falls, creating a momentary gap. "Now! Back!" shouts Jinx. The three withdraw and make it into the east-west hall. "Doors!" calls Zenobe, and he and Jinx slam the rusted panels closed.
"They won't hold, but now we can GO!"
[Round Thirteen - Foe Initiative]
"Or not," mutters Jinx as the doors swing back open.
Two of the creatures push through and attack. One drives his pick past Zenobe's shield, scoring a solid blow [7 damage].
At the rear, Smoke keeps moving toward the portal chamber, praying the enemy isn't already there. As she reaches the stairs, she catches movement at the edge of her torchlight further down the hall, a not-zombie? She has little time to ponder as several crossbow bolts rattle out of the darkness as she ducks down the stairs. "Enemy in the hall west!" she shouts, as two bolts strike home [7 damage]. "Erk!" She nearly takes a tumble but recovers her balance.
"We need to go!" shouts Brigg, as he crosses the pool room and takes a position at the southwest corner. "Break and go!"
The front rank hears the call. The swinging doors give them the break they need. They withdraw and head west, fast. One of the creatures follows the other tangles with the doors and the rest of the pack. Brigg takes a shot at the trailing enemy from his position beyond the pool, but the shot is wild.
[Round Fourteen - CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Party Initiative]
With a short lead, the melee group breaks into a run. "Go Brigg! Help Smoke!" shouts Rennard as he and Zenobe lead the way with shields raised.
The monk wastes no time, he runs ahead, rounds the corner and descends the stairs two at a time and finds Smoke standing on the empty platform. "Nothing here! Are they coming?"
"Right behind me," and the clatter of armor on the stairs announces the arrival of the rest of the group. They all crowd onto the platform and, as the trailing creatures start down the stairs, Smoke slaps her hand down on the pyramid on the pedestal. The familiar glowing sparks rise and as the first creature reaches the platform, the room blinks out, then reappears, empty.
"Whew! That was close," says Zenobe, as Smoke trots up the stairs. "All clear here," she says.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
The Colony - Ritual Searching
This is a fairly long report, combining several turns, which catches up to the current action.
Start Date: August 23rd, morning
Start Status: Blah blah blah
Start Location: ???
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Brigg agrees to scout ahead while the others hide around the corner, ready to respond should he get in trouble. Smoke checks her weapons as the monk disappears into the dark hallway and keeps watch at the corner. The others wait a few yards back.
The group waits several minutes, The only illumination the faint light of Rennard's sword. The sound of a loose stone skittering across the floor alerts Smoke to someone's (or something's) approach. She raises her pistol, but Brigg calls out "It's me." He rejoins the group and they all retreat a short distance down the hall.
"I think there's a whole complex of rooms down there. The hall continues for about 70 feet, with a branch to the left, before it opens into a chamber. There are four doors, two per side, along the hall, and another set at the end of the left hall, 30 feet or so away from the intersection. The doors down the side hall are ajar, as are two of the doors in the main hall. I peeked into one, a small room that looks like something was using it as a den."
"There's also a pair of half-open doors across the room at the end of the hall. That's where the chanting is coming from, and some light, but I can't see inside. There are guards in the room. At least three. They're like the risen miners."
"How many in total, do you think?" asks Rennard.
Brigg shrugs. "I only checked the nearest open door. I didn't want to risk more. But the mercenaries said there were 20 or more and we've killed what, six or seven? Who knows if there are more of those things, or if they have allies down here. Oh, and that chanting? It sounds like the same language as the message back in the statue room. I didn't stick around to listen though."
After a hasty conference, Zenobe casts Bless, then Brigg advances along the east-west hall once again, this time with purpose. He plans to shoot at one of the guards in the chamber ahead in hopes of drawing some of them into an ambush set by the rest of the group. After he vanishes into the darkness, the others wait. After a thirty count, Jinx starts to move. "What are you doing?" whispers Smoke.
"Moving up to support Brigg."
"I thought we were waiting here."
"I thought we were moving up."
"We should move up," chimes in Rennard, who taps Jinx on the shoulder. The pair advances at a shuffling pace, mindful of the fact that they can't see a thing.
"Guess it's a slow advance," mutters Smoke, who follows. Zenobe trails, dividing his attention between the back and the front.
Meanwhile, Brigg has reached the first set of pillars, where he realizes his dark vision isn't going to let him see into the room. He pauses for a moment, trying to spot a target backlit against the dim light from the open door, but sees nothing. Reluctantly, he moves forward, past the south door. Behind him, he hears the faint clank of metal on metal and a whisper of voices. "Great," he thinks, "they're arguing about the plan now." He stops when he reaches the intersection and prepares his bow. Five seconds, ten. Movement. Draw and release!
The sharp sound of an arrow striking stone tells Brigg his shot didn't connect, but it draws a response. There's an inarticulate shout from the guard room, and the backlit figure he shot at moves out of the light. More alarming, the chanting stops. The rest of the group, alerted by the shout, stop their advance and prepare for action as well as they can in the dark.
Silence for a moment, then the light beyond the doors goes out. There is a creaking, grinding sound, followed by many footsteps and a commanding voice speaking an unknown tongue.
Brigg turns and runs for the safety of the party. "I think they noticed us!" he calls as he gets close to the group, who are about 20 west of the corner.
"How many?" asks Smoke.
"I don't know. I couldn't see. More than one or two though."
[Round One - Party Initative]
With no light to see by, the group is hamstrung. Rennard and Jinx take the front line with Smoke and Zenobe behind them. Brigg hovers at the rear, bow ready. Everyone can hear things moving in the dark, but no one can see anything. "I got a bad feeling about this," says Smoke. "I wish I could see something."
Her feelings prove correct, as several crossbow bolts rattle off the floors and walls around the party. "They can see us though!" exclaims Zenobe, his ears ringing from a glancing blow to his helm.
There is another metallic squeal from the hallway ahead, and Jinx hisses, "That was another door opening! Advance, retreat, or hold?"
[Round Two - Foe Initiative]
"Fall back to the corner, we can make a stand there," says Rennard. No one can see whatever is shooting at the group, but everyone can hear footsteps in the hall. As the group begins their retreat, a hulking figure looms out of the darkness in front of Rennard.
"Ogre!" cries Jinx as he readies his blunderbuss. The creature swipes at Rennard with a thick wooden club studded with bits of sharp stone, slamming the paladin's shield aside and striking him solidly [6 damage]. "It's one of them!" he adds when he spots a greenish crystal formation on the brute's neck.
"Watch yourself!" shouts Smoke. "Another!" This foe is human-sized – one of the missing miners, no doubt – and it uses a rusty pick to hack at Jinx. The blow strikes home [3 damage].
Jinx can just make out another of the creatures in the darkness behind the two on the front line. "Back, now. Steady pace!" He fires his blunderbuss at the bigger target and the shot rips into the creature [8 damage].
Smoke raises her pistol, firing over Rennard's head, and also scores a hit [4 damage]. The staggered creature roars but continues to press forward, allowing Rennard to take a swing with his sword. He runs the blade into the ogre's guts, and they spill onto the dusty floor [8 damage], followed closely by the creature's twitching corpse."
"Now, MOVE!" Jinx's shout speeds the pace, and everyone makes it around the bend. Once there, Brigg stows his bow and digs into his pack for an oil flask, and Zenobe calls forth the light of his holy symbol. The last miner-thing follows the group.
[Round Three - Party initiative]
Zenobe keeps watch from his position behind Rennard, ready to step into the breach if necessary.
Brigg finally gets out an oil flask and starts preparing a wick.
Jinx and Rennard attack the zombie that followed the group and score solid hits [6 and 3 damage respectively]. The creature falls motionless at their feet.
With the others busy, Smoke takes the opportunity to check the hall behind the group, holsters her pistol, and prepares a torch. There's nothing in sight, yet.
No foes appear around the corner, and the recent gunshots make it hard to hear anything.
[Round Four - Party Initiative]
"Light them up, Brigg!" exclaims Smoke as she applies flint and steel to her torch and the oil flask missile. Brigg nods and ducks around Rennard, who extends his shield. The monk hurls the flask, low and hard into the darkness around the corner. The flask hits the pillar/facade on the south side of the hall and sprays along the floor and wall. It doesn't appear to have hit anything but it does provide enough light to reveal more dead miners in the hall, five at least, all 10 to 15 feet away [Basically, the oil flask flew past them all]. Before he ducks back around the corner, Brigg also catches sight of something smaller in the shadows beyond the light. As he withdraws, crossbow bolts clatter off the wall behind him. All but one that is. It strikes home, [3 damage Brigg].
Jinx uses the lull in the action to reload his blunderbuss. Zenobe and Smoke stand ready in the second rank, and Brigg position at the back, keeping an eye on the south hall.
OOC:
The miner-things in the hall are approaching. You can't tell what the other things are or if they are moving forward. Odds are they aren't, as they're beyond the oil.
End Date: August 23rd, morning
End Status: Strategic Positioning
End Location: ???
The party is currently situated in the northeast corner of the map, and the enemy is advancing down the east-west corridor.
Start Date: August 23rd, morning
Start Status: Blah blah blah
Start Location: ???
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Brigg agrees to scout ahead while the others hide around the corner, ready to respond should he get in trouble. Smoke checks her weapons as the monk disappears into the dark hallway and keeps watch at the corner. The others wait a few yards back.
The group waits several minutes, The only illumination the faint light of Rennard's sword. The sound of a loose stone skittering across the floor alerts Smoke to someone's (or something's) approach. She raises her pistol, but Brigg calls out "It's me." He rejoins the group and they all retreat a short distance down the hall.
"I think there's a whole complex of rooms down there. The hall continues for about 70 feet, with a branch to the left, before it opens into a chamber. There are four doors, two per side, along the hall, and another set at the end of the left hall, 30 feet or so away from the intersection. The doors down the side hall are ajar, as are two of the doors in the main hall. I peeked into one, a small room that looks like something was using it as a den."
"There's also a pair of half-open doors across the room at the end of the hall. That's where the chanting is coming from, and some light, but I can't see inside. There are guards in the room. At least three. They're like the risen miners."
"How many in total, do you think?" asks Rennard.
Brigg shrugs. "I only checked the nearest open door. I didn't want to risk more. But the mercenaries said there were 20 or more and we've killed what, six or seven? Who knows if there are more of those things, or if they have allies down here. Oh, and that chanting? It sounds like the same language as the message back in the statue room. I didn't stick around to listen though."
After a hasty conference, Zenobe casts Bless, then Brigg advances along the east-west hall once again, this time with purpose. He plans to shoot at one of the guards in the chamber ahead in hopes of drawing some of them into an ambush set by the rest of the group. After he vanishes into the darkness, the others wait. After a thirty count, Jinx starts to move. "What are you doing?" whispers Smoke.
"Moving up to support Brigg."
"I thought we were waiting here."
"I thought we were moving up."
"We should move up," chimes in Rennard, who taps Jinx on the shoulder. The pair advances at a shuffling pace, mindful of the fact that they can't see a thing.
"Guess it's a slow advance," mutters Smoke, who follows. Zenobe trails, dividing his attention between the back and the front.
Meanwhile, Brigg has reached the first set of pillars, where he realizes his dark vision isn't going to let him see into the room. He pauses for a moment, trying to spot a target backlit against the dim light from the open door, but sees nothing. Reluctantly, he moves forward, past the south door. Behind him, he hears the faint clank of metal on metal and a whisper of voices. "Great," he thinks, "they're arguing about the plan now." He stops when he reaches the intersection and prepares his bow. Five seconds, ten. Movement. Draw and release!
The sharp sound of an arrow striking stone tells Brigg his shot didn't connect, but it draws a response. There's an inarticulate shout from the guard room, and the backlit figure he shot at moves out of the light. More alarming, the chanting stops. The rest of the group, alerted by the shout, stop their advance and prepare for action as well as they can in the dark.
Silence for a moment, then the light beyond the doors goes out. There is a creaking, grinding sound, followed by many footsteps and a commanding voice speaking an unknown tongue.
Brigg turns and runs for the safety of the party. "I think they noticed us!" he calls as he gets close to the group, who are about 20 west of the corner.
"How many?" asks Smoke.
"I don't know. I couldn't see. More than one or two though."
[Round One - Party Initative]
With no light to see by, the group is hamstrung. Rennard and Jinx take the front line with Smoke and Zenobe behind them. Brigg hovers at the rear, bow ready. Everyone can hear things moving in the dark, but no one can see anything. "I got a bad feeling about this," says Smoke. "I wish I could see something."
Her feelings prove correct, as several crossbow bolts rattle off the floors and walls around the party. "They can see us though!" exclaims Zenobe, his ears ringing from a glancing blow to his helm.
There is another metallic squeal from the hallway ahead, and Jinx hisses, "That was another door opening! Advance, retreat, or hold?"
[Round Two - Foe Initiative]
"Fall back to the corner, we can make a stand there," says Rennard. No one can see whatever is shooting at the group, but everyone can hear footsteps in the hall. As the group begins their retreat, a hulking figure looms out of the darkness in front of Rennard.
"Ogre!" cries Jinx as he readies his blunderbuss. The creature swipes at Rennard with a thick wooden club studded with bits of sharp stone, slamming the paladin's shield aside and striking him solidly [6 damage]. "It's one of them!" he adds when he spots a greenish crystal formation on the brute's neck.
"Watch yourself!" shouts Smoke. "Another!" This foe is human-sized – one of the missing miners, no doubt – and it uses a rusty pick to hack at Jinx. The blow strikes home [3 damage].
Jinx can just make out another of the creatures in the darkness behind the two on the front line. "Back, now. Steady pace!" He fires his blunderbuss at the bigger target and the shot rips into the creature [8 damage].
Smoke raises her pistol, firing over Rennard's head, and also scores a hit [4 damage]. The staggered creature roars but continues to press forward, allowing Rennard to take a swing with his sword. He runs the blade into the ogre's guts, and they spill onto the dusty floor [8 damage], followed closely by the creature's twitching corpse."
"Now, MOVE!" Jinx's shout speeds the pace, and everyone makes it around the bend. Once there, Brigg stows his bow and digs into his pack for an oil flask, and Zenobe calls forth the light of his holy symbol. The last miner-thing follows the group.
[Round Three - Party initiative]
Zenobe keeps watch from his position behind Rennard, ready to step into the breach if necessary.
Brigg finally gets out an oil flask and starts preparing a wick.
Jinx and Rennard attack the zombie that followed the group and score solid hits [6 and 3 damage respectively]. The creature falls motionless at their feet.
With the others busy, Smoke takes the opportunity to check the hall behind the group, holsters her pistol, and prepares a torch. There's nothing in sight, yet.
No foes appear around the corner, and the recent gunshots make it hard to hear anything.
[Round Four - Party Initiative]
"Light them up, Brigg!" exclaims Smoke as she applies flint and steel to her torch and the oil flask missile. Brigg nods and ducks around Rennard, who extends his shield. The monk hurls the flask, low and hard into the darkness around the corner. The flask hits the pillar/facade on the south side of the hall and sprays along the floor and wall. It doesn't appear to have hit anything but it does provide enough light to reveal more dead miners in the hall, five at least, all 10 to 15 feet away [Basically, the oil flask flew past them all]. Before he ducks back around the corner, Brigg also catches sight of something smaller in the shadows beyond the light. As he withdraws, crossbow bolts clatter off the wall behind him. All but one that is. It strikes home, [3 damage Brigg].
Jinx uses the lull in the action to reload his blunderbuss. Zenobe and Smoke stand ready in the second rank, and Brigg position at the back, keeping an eye on the south hall.
OOC:
The miner-things in the hall are approaching. You can't tell what the other things are or if they are moving forward. Odds are they aren't, as they're beyond the oil.
End Date: August 23rd, morning
End Status: Strategic Positioning
End Location: ???
The party is currently situated in the northeast corner of the map, and the enemy is advancing down the east-west corridor.
Monday, January 8, 2018
The Colony - In the Unknown Depths
Start Date: August 23rd, morning
Start Status: Gem Temptation
Start Location: ???
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
"I knew we should have taken those jewels before trying this!" says Smoke as she paces back and forth in the pedestal chamber.
"Relax and have patience," answers Brigg. "It worked once, it'll work again."
"How do you know? Are you a secret wizard or something? Maybe we drained whatever magic powers it."
Brigg shrugs. "It's been at least five minutes. Should we try again?"
While the rest of the party was ready to press on with exploration in the newly discovered tunnels, Jinx was more interested in ensuring the group could return to their starting point. He offered to test the platform by himself, but the others, seeing the wisdom of his suggestion, joined him on the platform. Jinx touched the pyramid, which did the same glowing/golden lights routine as the sphere pedestal. The group spent a minute reassuring themselves that they were back in the Silverstream before returning to the platform to continue their exploration of the space beyond. This time, however, the platform didn't work, leaving the party waiting for... something.
After Brigg voices his suggestion and with varying degrees of enthusiasm, the party returns to the platform and Jinx touches the sphere. This time, the light show starts as expected. "See?" *fwoomph* "It just has some sort of delay, perhaps a recharge cycle," says Brigg as the group reappears in the mystery caves.
"Right, let's get moving. Time is passing," says Zenobe.
Brigg takes point, followed by Jinx and Rennard, then Smoke and Zenobe. As the group passes the strange statue with fire opal eyes, Smoke eyeballs the pool, which is filled with murky water. "I hope there's nothing living in that," she mutters as the group continues to the double doors that showed signs of use at the end of the hall.
Brigg takes a few minutes to listen, then shrugs and pulls out an oil flask. He dribbles a bit on each hinge of the door panels, reaching high to reach the topmost. "You know, the size of these doors suggests this place was built by the tall ones. Look how high and narrow they are." Finally, he grasps the pull rings and gives a gentle tug, followed by a harder pull. The doors finally start to open, hinges grinding and edges scraping on the frame and floor.
"Not exactly quiet," whispers Jinx.
Brigg shrugs, "You can open the next set."
The chamber beyond is octagonal, roughly 20 x 30 feet. Like the hall, it appears to have been carved out of solid stone. There is a heap of rubble in the center of the room and another set of double doors in the north wall, and one of these is ajar. Thin lines of mold follow damp trails from ceiling to floor and puddles of discolored water mark the floor, and the air is dank and chilly. Scuff marks show where someone or something moved between the doors and all around the room.
"Look here Rennard. I think this might confirm your theory that there was some sort of rebellion or uprising." He points to the rubble, which, after a few moment's study, everyone can plainly see was once a statue of a (possibly tall) humanoid figure.
"Someone took a serious dislike to this," says Rennard, as he studies the shattered fragments. While it's easy to spot the bigger sections of the body, shoulder, leg, torso, the statue's head is either missing or hammered into gravel. A thick layer of accumulated muck and dust indicates this damage was done long ago, but some of the pieces have been moved recently.
"I don't hear anything here," says Smoke at the north door. "Looks like more corridor."
The group moves into the north passage, which is 10 feet wide and carved through solid stone. "Hang on a second," says Jinx. "Something here. I can see some faint lines in the stone." He points out details to the others and eventually discovers a hidden catch that opens a tall and narrow panel in the wall. Beyond is a narrow corridor that bends south after 10 feet. A search of the far end reveals a similar panel and latch.
"Tricky," mutters Smoke. "We really need to be careful here."
Everyone backtracks to the main passage and, with Brigg back on point, heads north. And north. The corridor is at least 150 feet long, and at the north end it turns west and continues. The group is about to start down the west passage when Rennard hisses a warning and dims his sword, "Quiet!"
Everyone stops dead and Rennard gestures at his ear, indicating the others should listen. Smoke is the first to nod, then the others follow suit. They can all hear the faint echoes of a single voice speaking in a regular cadence. Brigg gestures back toward the corner and the group backs up as quietly as possible. The monk keeps watch at the corner, and Rennard whispers, "I don't like the feel of this."
"Can you sense evil?" asks Zenobe.
The paladin shakes his head. "It may be too far away. Can anyone make out the words?"
No one can, but Brigg says, "It sounds like someone reciting something. A ceremony or ritual maybe?"
OOC: Brigg can barely make out a pair of pillars or facades in the corridor around the corner and ahead.
End Date: August 23rd, morning
End Status: Voices in the Dark
End Location: ???
Start Status: Gem Temptation
Start Location: ???
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
"I knew we should have taken those jewels before trying this!" says Smoke as she paces back and forth in the pedestal chamber.
"Relax and have patience," answers Brigg. "It worked once, it'll work again."
"How do you know? Are you a secret wizard or something? Maybe we drained whatever magic powers it."
Brigg shrugs. "It's been at least five minutes. Should we try again?"
While the rest of the party was ready to press on with exploration in the newly discovered tunnels, Jinx was more interested in ensuring the group could return to their starting point. He offered to test the platform by himself, but the others, seeing the wisdom of his suggestion, joined him on the platform. Jinx touched the pyramid, which did the same glowing/golden lights routine as the sphere pedestal. The group spent a minute reassuring themselves that they were back in the Silverstream before returning to the platform to continue their exploration of the space beyond. This time, however, the platform didn't work, leaving the party waiting for... something.
After Brigg voices his suggestion and with varying degrees of enthusiasm, the party returns to the platform and Jinx touches the sphere. This time, the light show starts as expected. "See?" *fwoomph* "It just has some sort of delay, perhaps a recharge cycle," says Brigg as the group reappears in the mystery caves.
"Right, let's get moving. Time is passing," says Zenobe.
Brigg takes point, followed by Jinx and Rennard, then Smoke and Zenobe. As the group passes the strange statue with fire opal eyes, Smoke eyeballs the pool, which is filled with murky water. "I hope there's nothing living in that," she mutters as the group continues to the double doors that showed signs of use at the end of the hall.
Brigg takes a few minutes to listen, then shrugs and pulls out an oil flask. He dribbles a bit on each hinge of the door panels, reaching high to reach the topmost. "You know, the size of these doors suggests this place was built by the tall ones. Look how high and narrow they are." Finally, he grasps the pull rings and gives a gentle tug, followed by a harder pull. The doors finally start to open, hinges grinding and edges scraping on the frame and floor.
"Not exactly quiet," whispers Jinx.
Brigg shrugs, "You can open the next set."
The chamber beyond is octagonal, roughly 20 x 30 feet. Like the hall, it appears to have been carved out of solid stone. There is a heap of rubble in the center of the room and another set of double doors in the north wall, and one of these is ajar. Thin lines of mold follow damp trails from ceiling to floor and puddles of discolored water mark the floor, and the air is dank and chilly. Scuff marks show where someone or something moved between the doors and all around the room.
"Look here Rennard. I think this might confirm your theory that there was some sort of rebellion or uprising." He points to the rubble, which, after a few moment's study, everyone can plainly see was once a statue of a (possibly tall) humanoid figure.
"Someone took a serious dislike to this," says Rennard, as he studies the shattered fragments. While it's easy to spot the bigger sections of the body, shoulder, leg, torso, the statue's head is either missing or hammered into gravel. A thick layer of accumulated muck and dust indicates this damage was done long ago, but some of the pieces have been moved recently.
"I don't hear anything here," says Smoke at the north door. "Looks like more corridor."
The group moves into the north passage, which is 10 feet wide and carved through solid stone. "Hang on a second," says Jinx. "Something here. I can see some faint lines in the stone." He points out details to the others and eventually discovers a hidden catch that opens a tall and narrow panel in the wall. Beyond is a narrow corridor that bends south after 10 feet. A search of the far end reveals a similar panel and latch.
"Tricky," mutters Smoke. "We really need to be careful here."
Everyone backtracks to the main passage and, with Brigg back on point, heads north. And north. The corridor is at least 150 feet long, and at the north end it turns west and continues. The group is about to start down the west passage when Rennard hisses a warning and dims his sword, "Quiet!"
Everyone stops dead and Rennard gestures at his ear, indicating the others should listen. Smoke is the first to nod, then the others follow suit. They can all hear the faint echoes of a single voice speaking in a regular cadence. Brigg gestures back toward the corner and the group backs up as quietly as possible. The monk keeps watch at the corner, and Rennard whispers, "I don't like the feel of this."
"Can you sense evil?" asks Zenobe.
The paladin shakes his head. "It may be too far away. Can anyone make out the words?"
No one can, but Brigg says, "It sounds like someone reciting something. A ceremony or ritual maybe?"
OOC: Brigg can barely make out a pair of pillars or facades in the corridor around the corner and ahead.
End Date: August 23rd, morning
End Status: Voices in the Dark
End Location: ???
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
The Colony - Time for a Ride
In a bold move, the party tries out the pedestal they found on the lower level of the mine.
Start Date: August 23rd, morning
Start Status: Push the Button
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Left with the mysterious pedestal as the only potential exit (the party believes it to be a teleportation device), the group decides to go for a ride, somewhere. Zenobe leads the group onto the platform and, once everyone is in place, puts his hand on the sphere. As before, the sphere begins to glow and golden sparks of light flow out and surround the group on the platform. The light takes on a certain thickness that obscures the room, then... *woompfh*.
Once the lights fade and the party can see, they are disappointed to find themselves in the same rectangular room with pillared alcoves along each side. "It didn't do anything!" exclaims Smoke, stepping off the platform.
"Didn't it? Look!" Zenobe points to the pedestal in the center of the platform. The sphere is no longer there. In its place, there is a three-sided pyramid of the same polished black metal.
"Maybe we did go somewhere," says Brigg. He steps off the platform and heads for the opening that led to the stairs in the original room. There are stairs here too, but they only go up a short distance before they meet a broad hallway running left to right with double doors across the way. "Definitely a new place."
The group forms up in their usual formation, with Brigg out front scouting. While the pedestal chamber is made of the same stone as the one back in the mind, the hall is a different matter. Its walls, floor, and arched ceiling have been carved from the native granite and have a rough finish (think concrete sidewalk). The double doors across the 20-foot wide hall are heavy iron and have a thick coat of rust on them. The floor is coated in damp dust that shows many footprints running both left and right. Many are human-sized, but some are smaller and appear to have been made by clawed feet. The air is dank and there is a metallic taste to it that catches in the throat.
Leaving the doors, which appear to be firmly rusted shut, the group heads right. The passage immediately opens into a rectangular chamber with a square water-filled pool in the center and rusted double doors north and south.. Smooth black stone pillars support the room's domed ceiling and a statue cut from the same stone graces a small platform that rises from the center of the pool. It depicts a 3-foot high creature with a barrel-like body and three frog-like heads. Three stubby legs support the body, and three pairs of dangling arms that end in three-fingered hands sprout from between the heads. It's a fairly hideous thing, but the statue's eyes are all set with brilliant fire opals.
"Shinies!" whispers Smoke, who appears ready to wade through the murky water of the pool.
"Let's... not play with the demon statue just yet," says Jinx.
"It's not evil," says Rennard, "but I agree." We should get our bearings before we try to retrieve those gems.
The group continues down the hall, which dead ends at yet another set of rusted double doors. These show some signs of use, and the damp dust on the floor is disturbed here as well. "More tracks, all kinds," whispers Brigg.
"Let's backtrack and check the other direction," suggests Zenobe. The others agree, so the group walks back past the pool, the stairs and continues down the corridor. It continues for 80 feet or so, passing another set of double doors on the right before it intersects a natural cave. Beyond the large cavern, it continues another 25 feet and ends in another set of rusty doors.
The cavern is little more than an indentation in the wall to the left, but to the right, it extends out of sight. The cave floor is slick and wet and a few stalagmites and stalactites rise from the floor and hang from the ceiling.
There's also a crude stone statue, this one of a tall and slim humanoid figure. Brigg moves a bit closer to check it out and can see that most of the features and details have been broken off. Bits of stone lie scattered around the statue's base, all covered with damp muck and debris indicating this defacement happened long ago. The cave splits but continues beyond the statue. The floor bears no marks, but water dripping from above would quickly obscure any footprints.
End Date: August 23rd, morning
End Status: Wandering in the dark
End Location: ???
Start Date: August 23rd, morning
Start Status: Push the Button
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Left with the mysterious pedestal as the only potential exit (the party believes it to be a teleportation device), the group decides to go for a ride, somewhere. Zenobe leads the group onto the platform and, once everyone is in place, puts his hand on the sphere. As before, the sphere begins to glow and golden sparks of light flow out and surround the group on the platform. The light takes on a certain thickness that obscures the room, then... *woompfh*.
Once the lights fade and the party can see, they are disappointed to find themselves in the same rectangular room with pillared alcoves along each side. "It didn't do anything!" exclaims Smoke, stepping off the platform.
"Didn't it? Look!" Zenobe points to the pedestal in the center of the platform. The sphere is no longer there. In its place, there is a three-sided pyramid of the same polished black metal.
"Maybe we did go somewhere," says Brigg. He steps off the platform and heads for the opening that led to the stairs in the original room. There are stairs here too, but they only go up a short distance before they meet a broad hallway running left to right with double doors across the way. "Definitely a new place."
The group forms up in their usual formation, with Brigg out front scouting. While the pedestal chamber is made of the same stone as the one back in the mind, the hall is a different matter. Its walls, floor, and arched ceiling have been carved from the native granite and have a rough finish (think concrete sidewalk). The double doors across the 20-foot wide hall are heavy iron and have a thick coat of rust on them. The floor is coated in damp dust that shows many footprints running both left and right. Many are human-sized, but some are smaller and appear to have been made by clawed feet. The air is dank and there is a metallic taste to it that catches in the throat.
Leaving the doors, which appear to be firmly rusted shut, the group heads right. The passage immediately opens into a rectangular chamber with a square water-filled pool in the center and rusted double doors north and south.. Smooth black stone pillars support the room's domed ceiling and a statue cut from the same stone graces a small platform that rises from the center of the pool. It depicts a 3-foot high creature with a barrel-like body and three frog-like heads. Three stubby legs support the body, and three pairs of dangling arms that end in three-fingered hands sprout from between the heads. It's a fairly hideous thing, but the statue's eyes are all set with brilliant fire opals.
"Shinies!" whispers Smoke, who appears ready to wade through the murky water of the pool.
"Let's... not play with the demon statue just yet," says Jinx.
"It's not evil," says Rennard, "but I agree." We should get our bearings before we try to retrieve those gems.
The group continues down the hall, which dead ends at yet another set of rusted double doors. These show some signs of use, and the damp dust on the floor is disturbed here as well. "More tracks, all kinds," whispers Brigg.
"Let's backtrack and check the other direction," suggests Zenobe. The others agree, so the group walks back past the pool, the stairs and continues down the corridor. It continues for 80 feet or so, passing another set of double doors on the right before it intersects a natural cave. Beyond the large cavern, it continues another 25 feet and ends in another set of rusty doors.
The cavern is little more than an indentation in the wall to the left, but to the right, it extends out of sight. The cave floor is slick and wet and a few stalagmites and stalactites rise from the floor and hang from the ceiling.
There's also a crude stone statue, this one of a tall and slim humanoid figure. Brigg moves a bit closer to check it out and can see that most of the features and details have been broken off. Bits of stone lie scattered around the statue's base, all covered with damp muck and debris indicating this defacement happened long ago. The cave splits but continues beyond the statue. The floor bears no marks, but water dripping from above would quickly obscure any footprints.
End Date: August 23rd, morning
End Status: Wandering in the dark
End Location: ???
Sunday, December 31, 2017
PBE Games - Year End Wrapup
It's the last day of 2017 and time for a final update on PBE Games releases. December saw ten new products hit the virtual shelves, starting with six new Dungeons in Blue Complexes.
As usual, these products are available in discount bundle form. Triple Pack #2 includes Complexes Four to Six, and Triple Pack #3 contains Complexes Seven to Nine.
The final products for 2017 are two Hexed Places:
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| Complexes Eight Preview |
- Complexes Four - A traditional dungeon complex with two entrances. Perhaps it's a secret way to cross an impassable mountain ridge.
- Complexes Five - A mix of dungeon rooms and chambers and natural caverns. This dungeon has a single fortified entrance.
- Complexes Six - These vast caverns feature altars, statues, and magic circles. Perhaps they seal away creatures or powers best left where they are.
- Complexes Seven - This grand hall should be familiar to anyone who reads my Colony PBEM game.
- Complexes Eight - A small temple connects to a collection of caves that lead to a sizeable underground lake.
- Complexes Nine - This map depicts a mine complex and also features prominently in my Colony PBEM game.
As usual, these products are available in discount bundle form. Triple Pack #2 includes Complexes Four to Six, and Triple Pack #3 contains Complexes Seven to Nine.
The final products for 2017 are two Hexed Places:
- The Sharp Hills are a patchwork of dry and rugged terrain in the middle of an area of scrubby rolling hills and green plains. The Red River, which takes its name from its iron-stained water, splits the region into roughly equal halves. Prospectors seek gold, silver, and gems in these barren lands, but often find death instead.
- Bitterblack Forest is a treacherous stretch of mountainous forest that offers a convenient shortcut between two trade routes. Rangers maintain a camp for travelers on the edge of the wood, but the ruin of Broken Ridge Tower serves as a grim reminder of the dangers hidden in the densely forested region. Despite rumors of a lost mine full of gold and silver, few dare to leave the road and risk the wrath of the powerful summoner said to live in the depths of Bitterblack Forest.
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| The Sharp Hills Player Map |
With that, 2017 comes to a close for PBE Games. As always, thanks for taking the time to read this update. Have a safe and happy 2018!
Saturday, December 23, 2017
The Colony - Secure Searching
After a night's rest, the party heads back into the mine to finish exploring the first level before heading downstairs to revisit the pedestal room. Back in town, Mendel takes his leave and Castor (a.k.a. Candle) returns to rejoin the company. Chance, a newcomer to the colony, also continues her efforts to join the group, but so far the others have pretty much ignored her.
This will be the last turn for a bit, due to the holidays.
Start Date: August 22nd, late afternoon
Start Status: Watching the Robots
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
This will be the last turn for a bit, due to the holidays.
Start Date: August 22nd, late afternoon
Start Status: Watching the Robots
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
Friday, December 22, 2017
The Colony - Glowy Lights
The party does some fiddling about with the pedestal before heading back upstairs to make sure they clear the area behind them. There's been a fair bit of debate about what it's going to take to fulfill their contract with Lady Vine. Some characters believe they should not include the newly discovered area in "the mine". Of course, they haven't really eliminated the threat they were supposed to eliminate, so...
Start Date: August 22nd, afternoon
Start Status: Deep scan
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Start Date: August 22nd, afternoon
Start Status: Deep scan
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Monday, December 11, 2017
The Colony - Words of Wisdom
The party grows [more] paranoid as they continue to explore the area around the statue room. They're a bit worried because they haven't found any sign of the many not-zombies they saw several nights ago.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
The Colony - Beyond the Doors
The group finds some incongruous bronze doors in the depths of the Silverstream Mine. Perhaps this is the source of the crystal-infested not-zombies?
Monday, December 4, 2017
The Colony - Turn 60 - The Door
After a good long rest to recover from their injuries, the party returns to the Silverstream Mine to continue their exploration.
To speed up recovery, we're playing with a house rule that 24 hours rest restores 1d3+CON bonus HP in the field and 1d6+CON bonus HP in an inn or the like.
To speed up recovery, we're playing with a house rule that 24 hours rest restores 1d3+CON bonus HP in the field and 1d6+CON bonus HP in an inn or the like.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
The Colony - Turn 58/59
Behind on turns again! Here are two back to back turns that cover a bunch of exploration in the Silverstream mine. The party manages to avoid all encounters (or they've scared off the opposition).
Monday, November 20, 2017
The Colony - Turn 57 - Rocktopus
After descending the wooden ladder to the lower level, the party encounters a rock-snail-octopus thing that seems intent on having someone for dinner.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
The Colony - Turn 56 - It wasn't a rock...
And now, we're completely caught up (at least until tomorrow).
Start Date: August 21, mid-morning
Start Status: Going doooownnn
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Faced with a daunting climb down into darkness, the party descends cautiously. Rennard and Zenobe go first, leaving the other three above as a rearguard. The ladder descends about 50 feet, ending in a sizeable mined chamber. Glints of metal in the rough walls catch the faint light of Zenobe's glowing holy symbol, creating sparkling reflections that hint at the reason the miners cut the vertical shaft: silver. Old wooden beams support the low ceiling in this chamber, and there are scuffled footprints crisscrossing the area. There are no signs of digging here, and no tools either.
Start Date: August 21, mid-morning
Start Status: Going doooownnn
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Faced with a daunting climb down into darkness, the party descends cautiously. Rennard and Zenobe go first, leaving the other three above as a rearguard. The ladder descends about 50 feet, ending in a sizeable mined chamber. Glints of metal in the rough walls catch the faint light of Zenobe's glowing holy symbol, creating sparkling reflections that hint at the reason the miners cut the vertical shaft: silver. Old wooden beams support the low ceiling in this chamber, and there are scuffled footprints crisscrossing the area. There are no signs of digging here, and no tools either.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
The Colony - Turn 54/55 - Fighting Retreat/Corpse Patrol
These turns are fairly short (again), so I'm going to do another double-header. We're also experiencing some scheduling turbulence in the group, which is why reports have been so sporadic lately. These two turns bring us almost up to date.
Start Date: August 21, mid-morning
Start Status: Pretty sure it's...
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Now that they have a small group of enemies engaged, the party executes their pre-arranged plan, a fighting retreat toward the entrance to avoid getting cut off or surrounded. The only potential hitch, the approaching kla-krunch, kla-krunch, kla-krunch sounds from the west.
Start Date: August 21, mid-morning
Start Status: Pretty sure it's...
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Now that they have a small group of enemies engaged, the party executes their pre-arranged plan, a fighting retreat toward the entrance to avoid getting cut off or surrounded. The only potential hitch, the approaching kla-krunch, kla-krunch, kla-krunch sounds from the west.
Monday, October 30, 2017
The Colony - Turn 52/53 - Commence Action
I doubled these up because turn 52 was very very short (and I am lazy).
Start Date: August 21, mid-morning
Start Status: Move along, nothing to see here
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Unwilling to deal with the glowing red slime, the party continues their right-handed exploration of the mine. The southeast passage proves to be a dead end, but the east tunnel leads to a small chamber with a pool of foul water surrounded by huge yellow mushrooms at one end. "Leave that for now," says Jinx. "Let's backtrack and keep moving."
The group goes back up the sloped passage, turns right and heads back to the main chamber. They take the right passage (north), which also slopes down. This branches and the right tunnel leads to more red slime. Here, Zenobe notes the slime is covering one of the wooden support columns with no apparent effect. As the group pauses to study the scene, they can also hear a faint and distant kla-klunk, kla-klunk, kla-klunk.
The other fork splits again with more slime to the right. The left branch goes uphill and splits again, but there's no time to investigate. Brigg spots movement in the shadowed left passage, and just has time to warn the others as several miner-things clamber over the mound of boulders and advance!
No one is surprised.
[Round One - Enemy First]
Before the group can react, the creatures rush forward, the first two run past Brigg toward the rest of the party, while two more engage the monk (the fourth appearing from behind the mound of boulders as the others move forward). Brigg kicks one of the passing creatures before the last two attack. [a miss]. Both creatures attempt to pummel Brigg with their fists, and one connects with a glancing blow [Brigg 2 damage]. The remaining creatures both attack the obvious target, Rennard, and one scores a solid hit [Rennard 6 damage].
Rennard shouts, "Brigg, fall back!" as he shifts to form ranks with Jinx, slashing with his sword at one of the creatures. [a miss].
"Aye, Brigg. Fall back!" adds Jinx as he pulls the trigger on his blunderbuss, blasting the nearest foe [5 damage].
"So much for stealth," mutters Smoke, then, louder, "I'm going to cover the rear!" She runs back to the big chamber to the south, sword in one hand, torch in the other. Nothing in sight, so far, but the faint kla-krunch, kla-krunch, kla-krunch sounds a bit louder here.
Zenobe stations himself behind Jinx and Rennard, flail and shield at the ready, but no target presents itself. An idea strikes, and he raises his holy symbol, attempting to turn the creatures in the name of Sarva [yeah, you didn't say you were, but it's come up before and it's the perfect oppportunity]. Nothing happens, and he does not feel the flow of holy power that usually accompanies an attempt. In the fairly dim light, the creatures look dead, their grayish skin is drawn taut over muscle and bone, but there is no foul stench, and he spots crystal growths like those seen before on both the nearest creatures.
Meanwhile, at the front, Brigg retreats from his two foes and finds himself cut off. He positions himself behind the creature Jinx shot and delivers a blow to its back, that does little damage but stuns the creature [1 damage]!
[Round Two - Enemy First]
The two trailing creatures follow Brigg and continue to attack him. One scores a hit [3 damage]. The stunned creature takes no action, but the fourth one attacks the unlucky Rennard again, scoring another hit [4 damage].
Brigg dodges past the stunned creature and pulls his bow, taking position beside Zenobe, who is busy preparing a spell [cure light wounds]. He fires at point blank range at the stunned foe and misses by a wide, wide, WIDE margin [my kingdom for fumble tables].
Zenobe casts his spell on Rennard [7 healing].
Jinx slams his blunderbuss into the stunned creature, scoring a hit [3 damage]. Rennard slashes again at the foe before him but fails to connect.
[Round Three - Enemy First]
One of the creatures in the back ranks yanks its stunned companion aside and steps forward to engage Jinx. The stunned foe staggers back and falls prone behind the three closer creatures. The two nearest miner-things attack with pummeling fists, but neither connects.
Brigg unleashes a bowshot at the stunned creature [with advantage] and scores a hit [5 damage]. The creature twitches a moment, then goes still. A thin stream of blood (?) dribbles from its mouth.
Jinx and Rennard each attack their nearest foes, and Rennard delivers a solid blow [9 damage] that staggers the miner-thing before him. Zenobe continues his waiting game in the back row, and Smoke listens to the kla-krunch, kla-krunch, kla-krunch noises with growing apprehension It sounds like they're coming from the west.
End Date: August 21, mid-morning
End Status: Zombie or not-zombie?
End Location: Silverstream Mine
OOC:
Brigg: 2 damage
Rennard: 3 damage
Meanwhile, back at the White Tulip, Adrienne tells the others she's giving up on the adventuring life. She plans to take a job as a butcher on the docks and will likely move out at the end of the month [character swap in progress].
Start Date: August 21, mid-morning
Start Status: Move along, nothing to see here
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Unwilling to deal with the glowing red slime, the party continues their right-handed exploration of the mine. The southeast passage proves to be a dead end, but the east tunnel leads to a small chamber with a pool of foul water surrounded by huge yellow mushrooms at one end. "Leave that for now," says Jinx. "Let's backtrack and keep moving."
The group goes back up the sloped passage, turns right and heads back to the main chamber. They take the right passage (north), which also slopes down. This branches and the right tunnel leads to more red slime. Here, Zenobe notes the slime is covering one of the wooden support columns with no apparent effect. As the group pauses to study the scene, they can also hear a faint and distant kla-klunk, kla-klunk, kla-klunk.
The other fork splits again with more slime to the right. The left branch goes uphill and splits again, but there's no time to investigate. Brigg spots movement in the shadowed left passage, and just has time to warn the others as several miner-things clamber over the mound of boulders and advance!
No one is surprised.
[Round One - Enemy First]
Before the group can react, the creatures rush forward, the first two run past Brigg toward the rest of the party, while two more engage the monk (the fourth appearing from behind the mound of boulders as the others move forward). Brigg kicks one of the passing creatures before the last two attack. [a miss]. Both creatures attempt to pummel Brigg with their fists, and one connects with a glancing blow [Brigg 2 damage]. The remaining creatures both attack the obvious target, Rennard, and one scores a solid hit [Rennard 6 damage].
Rennard shouts, "Brigg, fall back!" as he shifts to form ranks with Jinx, slashing with his sword at one of the creatures. [a miss].
"Aye, Brigg. Fall back!" adds Jinx as he pulls the trigger on his blunderbuss, blasting the nearest foe [5 damage].
"So much for stealth," mutters Smoke, then, louder, "I'm going to cover the rear!" She runs back to the big chamber to the south, sword in one hand, torch in the other. Nothing in sight, so far, but the faint kla-krunch, kla-krunch, kla-krunch sounds a bit louder here.
Zenobe stations himself behind Jinx and Rennard, flail and shield at the ready, but no target presents itself. An idea strikes, and he raises his holy symbol, attempting to turn the creatures in the name of Sarva [yeah, you didn't say you were, but it's come up before and it's the perfect oppportunity]. Nothing happens, and he does not feel the flow of holy power that usually accompanies an attempt. In the fairly dim light, the creatures look dead, their grayish skin is drawn taut over muscle and bone, but there is no foul stench, and he spots crystal growths like those seen before on both the nearest creatures.
Meanwhile, at the front, Brigg retreats from his two foes and finds himself cut off. He positions himself behind the creature Jinx shot and delivers a blow to its back, that does little damage but stuns the creature [1 damage]!
[Round Two - Enemy First]
The two trailing creatures follow Brigg and continue to attack him. One scores a hit [3 damage]. The stunned creature takes no action, but the fourth one attacks the unlucky Rennard again, scoring another hit [4 damage].
Brigg dodges past the stunned creature and pulls his bow, taking position beside Zenobe, who is busy preparing a spell [cure light wounds]. He fires at point blank range at the stunned foe and misses by a wide, wide, WIDE margin [my kingdom for fumble tables].
Zenobe casts his spell on Rennard [7 healing].
Jinx slams his blunderbuss into the stunned creature, scoring a hit [3 damage]. Rennard slashes again at the foe before him but fails to connect.
[Round Three - Enemy First]
One of the creatures in the back ranks yanks its stunned companion aside and steps forward to engage Jinx. The stunned foe staggers back and falls prone behind the three closer creatures. The two nearest miner-things attack with pummeling fists, but neither connects.
Brigg unleashes a bowshot at the stunned creature [with advantage] and scores a hit [5 damage]. The creature twitches a moment, then goes still. A thin stream of blood (?) dribbles from its mouth.
Jinx and Rennard each attack their nearest foes, and Rennard delivers a solid blow [9 damage] that staggers the miner-thing before him. Zenobe continues his waiting game in the back row, and Smoke listens to the kla-krunch, kla-krunch, kla-krunch noises with growing apprehension It sounds like they're coming from the west.
End Date: August 21, mid-morning
End Status: Zombie or not-zombie?
End Location: Silverstream Mine
OOC:
Brigg: 2 damage
Rennard: 3 damage
Meanwhile, back at the White Tulip, Adrienne tells the others she's giving up on the adventuring life. She plans to take a job as a butcher on the docks and will likely move out at the end of the month [character swap in progress].
Saturday, October 28, 2017
PBE Games - Have a Discount
Deadly Blows was the first product I released under the PBE Games label, so it holds a unique place in my heart (and it's caused the death of more than one character). To share the love, I have a special discount running on this product from now until November 3rd. Click this link to pick up Deadly Blows for $0.99, a savings of about 33 percent of the current price of $1.49.
What is Deadly Blows? Put simply, it's a set of critical hit tables that provide colorful and dangerous results for various attack forms. The six tables cover crushing, slashing and piercing weapons as well as biting, clawing and bludgeoning natural attacks. Deadly Blows is system agnostic and includes guidelines for integrating the tables into your favorite RPG. As the name implies, there are some deadly results in these percentile tables, but they're easy to tailor to your table's preferences. Each entry includes a severity rating, a description of the blow and one or more conditions that apply to the target. An included campaign summary sheet makes it easy to link table values to your chosen game's combat system. Use Deadly Blows to elevate the danger level in your next combat scene!
Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend.
Note: this special offer has expired. Stay tuned for more deals from PBE Games.
Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend.
Note: this special offer has expired. Stay tuned for more deals from PBE Games.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
The Colony - Turn 51 - You Go First!
Start Date: August 21, morning
Start Status: Search and rescue
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
The party waits a while longer before concluding that Smoke may need some help. Brigg, using his magical amulet that enables him to see in the dark, moves ahead of the group as a scout, with Zenobe, Rennard and Jinx forming a loose triangle behind him, using Zenobe's glowing holy symbol and Rennard's sword for light. They follow Smoke's vaguely worded directions – going right. Down the first passage, into the larger junction, then right, down a tunnel that leads to a dead-end filled with heaps of rubble, some with dark veins running through it. Backtrack, then right again. Brigg pauses ahead of the group, listening. "Smoke?" he whispers in response to the faint scrabbling noises.
Start Status: Search and rescue
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
The party waits a while longer before concluding that Smoke may need some help. Brigg, using his magical amulet that enables him to see in the dark, moves ahead of the group as a scout, with Zenobe, Rennard and Jinx forming a loose triangle behind him, using Zenobe's glowing holy symbol and Rennard's sword for light. They follow Smoke's vaguely worded directions – going right. Down the first passage, into the larger junction, then right, down a tunnel that leads to a dead-end filled with heaps of rubble, some with dark veins running through it. Backtrack, then right again. Brigg pauses ahead of the group, listening. "Smoke?" he whispers in response to the faint scrabbling noises.
Monday, October 23, 2017
PBE Games - Dungeons in Blue and Stuff
I've been remiss in keeping up to date with new PBE Games releases since... July. It's been a somewhat slow year for new products due to time constraints, with only 26 products on the list for release in 2017. Here's a summary of what has come out over the last four months.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
The Colony - Turn 50 - Clanky
Lots of players out on travel for work or vacation over the next couple weeks, so turns are going to be spotty and maybe short.
Friday, October 13, 2017
Daruna - That's a Wrap
I haven't really posted a lot about this campaign, which I've been running since November 2011 for my long-term gaming group. We played this campaign over the course of eight weekend-long gaming sessions. If my math is correct, that comes out to about 28 4-hour sessions. This is campaign is unique for me. Usually, I run very sandboxy games. This time I had something of a plot/story in mind from the start, and, miracle of miracles, it actually worked. What follows is a short not-very-serious summary of everything that happened in the campaign.
Session One
Party members participate in a public tournament that serves as sort of a proving ground for newly minted militiamen and do fairly well. They befriend Pushta, who they would later hire as the captain of their house guards, by saving his life (and losing a match to childhood enemies Vikus, Lat, Rakya and Sudha in the process). They also meet the infamous Sadine! Salar! the Extrodinary! He is a merchant who deals in unique goods.
The match leads to a job, figuring out what's been happening to workers at a local quarry, who have started to go missing. This leads to a Lost Kingdoms complex and the recovery of the first of the Seven Artifacts of the Lost Kingdoms, the Cup of Galibrax. The group slays a croco-thing and befriends Dunatra and Tripur, cousins who join the group as men-at-arms.
Session Two
The Harth family, by way of Captain Selo, hires the party to find out what's happened to two important relatives who were planning to build a villa in the borderlands to the south (a.k.a. "the kids"). The party also hauls some goods to Doy for the shady Bhanda Masa, puppy killer. There is a pirate fight at the village.
The ferry to the southern reaches is out of commission and the villagers tell the group the river spirit Anamika is directing her minions to attack river traffic. A barge from upstream proves this is true, and Orca's rescue of the survivors draws the primordial's wrath. Sula manages to gain Anamika's attention and convinces her the party can solve the problem (apparently someone defiled her shrine). She agrees to give the party a quarter cycle of the moon to return the stolen holy icon.
The party crosses the river safely and visits the village on the far side, which is overly friendly. They find out "the kids" are camped nearby and there are bad things in the woods. At the camp, the party finds the icon (taken by camp guards), fights some corrupt tree spirits and restores the shrine, receiving the favor of Anamika in return.
Back at the camp, they explore the ruins beneath the villa site and rescue the Harth lad from a coffin. After fighting a manticore and a hive of giant bugs, the party finds a strange temple and ends up in a battle across multiple timelines as they try to rescue the woman time-traveling priests plan to use as a sacrifice. They somehow pull this off and end up with the Seal of Scorborax in the process.
Good news, bad news. When they return to the surface, they discover time is broken. Oh, snap.
Session Three
Nityada, one of the three minor gods, appears to the party and tells them, "Yo dudes, go break that thing so time can go again. Head to the volcano and toss it in."
So they do.
Along the way, they get trapped in weird time bubbles, including one where they rescue wounded people from a town about to be flooded by lava, and another featuring a sabertooth tiger. They're also attacked many times by flying creatures who can travel great distances rapidly using a vortex of black wind. The leader of these forces seems to be a bald man who wants the Seal (later identified as Hakesh Lotem, Vizier of Ash-tep, ruler of the Kingdom of Light/Daruna).
After they drop the seal in the volcano (which was not as easy as it sounds), time is restored, and no one but them remembers there were Seven Artifacts of the Lost Kingdoms.
Session Four
Sadine! Salar! has a map and convinces the party there's cool stuff to be had there. The party agrees to go treasure hunting. Along the way, they kill a black lion that was terrorizing the area, but not before it kills Dunatra and Tripur.
The treasure map leads to a tomb/prison that has some nice treasure and the trapped remains of the primordial of undeath. Oops. At least it's not a fungal invasion.
Session Five
Undead invasion. The party takes a trip to visit Anamika but never really gets there, because there are portals sending hideous creatures through that are taking prisoners and dragging them back to the undeath realm. The party fights its way back to their home city Shalish. There's another problem.
Forces of the Kingdom of Light are pushing into Shalish territory. Those That Know say the enemy is looking for a powerful artifact hidden in Traitor's Cavern, which is guarded by the ghosts of traitors (duh).
The party goes, they get past the recurring traitors and eventually find out what's wrong. There's a gateway leading to a primordial plane of fire and something is keeping it open. They go in, negotiate with Chaglar the magma primordial for the Scepter of Eirana, a powerful primordial of healing, exit the realm and seal the portal (the primordial trapped in the scepter was keeping the portal open).
Session Six
Hakesh Lotem (a.k.a Baldy), the vizier of the Kingdom of Light, arrives at Shalish for a parlay (hey, there's rules, you know). He tells them the undeath primordial has reestablished himself in the plane of undeath, and without the balancing power of Eirana, he will destroy the world. Someone has to go to the plane of undeath, kick his butt and use the scepter on him. Guess who?
The party goes to the plane of undeath (assisted by a primordial thing enslaved by Hakesh that transports them using a black vortex). They fight their way to the central fortress and face off against the guardian beast. Now, for the palace!
Session Seven
The party kicks skull butt and the undeath plane starts to fall apart. They find an elf along the way and escape through a rip in space that dumps them into the jungle.
They find a temple complex with a bunch of weird puzzle traps that protect the shield generators guarding a magical shield on top of a pyramid. They defeat the puzzles, get the artifact and discover it's the Shield of Mata, another of the Six Artifacts. They also discover A) that hitting it with Ramone's sword will make both go BOOM and B) Ramone's sword (which they recovered from a haunted crypt in S4) is the Blade of Yolis the Ender of Cycles. Sula uses his cool reverse-time pendant to undo the destruction of these crucial artifacts.
Session Eight
Vikus and his rat-friends, assisted by a ninja, steal the Cup from the royal vault and lead the party on a merry chase to a primordial prison. The party fights their way through and kill Lat, but Vikus and Sudha escape (and Vikus used Rakya as a sacrifice to free the trapped primordials -- two down, two to go). The party ends up outside the Kingdom of Light fort where Bad Things™ are happening. Hakesh has artifacts and knows how to use them.
The party faces Hakesh (who turns into a giant corrupting blob-thing), ninja-girl, Vikus, and Ash-tep himself. The living avatar of Daru proves to be an impostor created by Hakesh (who is one of the few remaining major primordials that remains free). The party manages to destroy the Cup and Vortex during the fighting (I think Lister got them both).
Ninja girl is deadly but eventually falls when Ramone destroys Yup's Mask, which she is wearing. Ramone then destroys the shield and sword next to the Hakesh-thing. This releases Yolis and Mata, who do final cleanup and destroy (or not) Hakesh.
Session One
Party members participate in a public tournament that serves as sort of a proving ground for newly minted militiamen and do fairly well. They befriend Pushta, who they would later hire as the captain of their house guards, by saving his life (and losing a match to childhood enemies Vikus, Lat, Rakya and Sudha in the process). They also meet the infamous Sadine! Salar! the Extrodinary! He is a merchant who deals in unique goods.
The match leads to a job, figuring out what's been happening to workers at a local quarry, who have started to go missing. This leads to a Lost Kingdoms complex and the recovery of the first of the Seven Artifacts of the Lost Kingdoms, the Cup of Galibrax. The group slays a croco-thing and befriends Dunatra and Tripur, cousins who join the group as men-at-arms.
Session Two
The Harth family, by way of Captain Selo, hires the party to find out what's happened to two important relatives who were planning to build a villa in the borderlands to the south (a.k.a. "the kids"). The party also hauls some goods to Doy for the shady Bhanda Masa, puppy killer. There is a pirate fight at the village.
The ferry to the southern reaches is out of commission and the villagers tell the group the river spirit Anamika is directing her minions to attack river traffic. A barge from upstream proves this is true, and Orca's rescue of the survivors draws the primordial's wrath. Sula manages to gain Anamika's attention and convinces her the party can solve the problem (apparently someone defiled her shrine). She agrees to give the party a quarter cycle of the moon to return the stolen holy icon.
The party crosses the river safely and visits the village on the far side, which is overly friendly. They find out "the kids" are camped nearby and there are bad things in the woods. At the camp, the party finds the icon (taken by camp guards), fights some corrupt tree spirits and restores the shrine, receiving the favor of Anamika in return.
Back at the camp, they explore the ruins beneath the villa site and rescue the Harth lad from a coffin. After fighting a manticore and a hive of giant bugs, the party finds a strange temple and ends up in a battle across multiple timelines as they try to rescue the woman time-traveling priests plan to use as a sacrifice. They somehow pull this off and end up with the Seal of Scorborax in the process.
Good news, bad news. When they return to the surface, they discover time is broken. Oh, snap.
Session Three
Nityada, one of the three minor gods, appears to the party and tells them, "Yo dudes, go break that thing so time can go again. Head to the volcano and toss it in."
So they do.
Along the way, they get trapped in weird time bubbles, including one where they rescue wounded people from a town about to be flooded by lava, and another featuring a sabertooth tiger. They're also attacked many times by flying creatures who can travel great distances rapidly using a vortex of black wind. The leader of these forces seems to be a bald man who wants the Seal (later identified as Hakesh Lotem, Vizier of Ash-tep, ruler of the Kingdom of Light/Daruna).
After they drop the seal in the volcano (which was not as easy as it sounds), time is restored, and no one but them remembers there were Seven Artifacts of the Lost Kingdoms.
Session Four
Sadine! Salar! has a map and convinces the party there's cool stuff to be had there. The party agrees to go treasure hunting. Along the way, they kill a black lion that was terrorizing the area, but not before it kills Dunatra and Tripur.
The treasure map leads to a tomb/prison that has some nice treasure and the trapped remains of the primordial of undeath. Oops. At least it's not a fungal invasion.
Session Five
Undead invasion. The party takes a trip to visit Anamika but never really gets there, because there are portals sending hideous creatures through that are taking prisoners and dragging them back to the undeath realm. The party fights its way back to their home city Shalish. There's another problem.
Forces of the Kingdom of Light are pushing into Shalish territory. Those That Know say the enemy is looking for a powerful artifact hidden in Traitor's Cavern, which is guarded by the ghosts of traitors (duh).
The party goes, they get past the recurring traitors and eventually find out what's wrong. There's a gateway leading to a primordial plane of fire and something is keeping it open. They go in, negotiate with Chaglar the magma primordial for the Scepter of Eirana, a powerful primordial of healing, exit the realm and seal the portal (the primordial trapped in the scepter was keeping the portal open).
Session Six
Hakesh Lotem (a.k.a Baldy), the vizier of the Kingdom of Light, arrives at Shalish for a parlay (hey, there's rules, you know). He tells them the undeath primordial has reestablished himself in the plane of undeath, and without the balancing power of Eirana, he will destroy the world. Someone has to go to the plane of undeath, kick his butt and use the scepter on him. Guess who?
The party goes to the plane of undeath (assisted by a primordial thing enslaved by Hakesh that transports them using a black vortex). They fight their way to the central fortress and face off against the guardian beast. Now, for the palace!
Session Seven
The party kicks skull butt and the undeath plane starts to fall apart. They find an elf along the way and escape through a rip in space that dumps them into the jungle.
They find a temple complex with a bunch of weird puzzle traps that protect the shield generators guarding a magical shield on top of a pyramid. They defeat the puzzles, get the artifact and discover it's the Shield of Mata, another of the Six Artifacts. They also discover A) that hitting it with Ramone's sword will make both go BOOM and B) Ramone's sword (which they recovered from a haunted crypt in S4) is the Blade of Yolis the Ender of Cycles. Sula uses his cool reverse-time pendant to undo the destruction of these crucial artifacts.
Session Eight
Vikus and his rat-friends, assisted by a ninja, steal the Cup from the royal vault and lead the party on a merry chase to a primordial prison. The party fights their way through and kill Lat, but Vikus and Sudha escape (and Vikus used Rakya as a sacrifice to free the trapped primordials -- two down, two to go). The party ends up outside the Kingdom of Light fort where Bad Things™ are happening. Hakesh has artifacts and knows how to use them.
The party faces Hakesh (who turns into a giant corrupting blob-thing), ninja-girl, Vikus, and Ash-tep himself. The living avatar of Daru proves to be an impostor created by Hakesh (who is one of the few remaining major primordials that remains free). The party manages to destroy the Cup and Vortex during the fighting (I think Lister got them both).
Ninja girl is deadly but eventually falls when Ramone destroys Yup's Mask, which she is wearing. Ramone then destroys the shield and sword next to the Hakesh-thing. This releases Yolis and Mata, who do final cleanup and destroy (or not) Hakesh.
Characters
We used a heavily modified version of D&D 3.5 for this game. It uses a point-buy system, eliminates classes, and has a home-brewed kata system that gives fighters powers. One of the setting features was corrupted magic. Trapping all the primordials in various artifacts upset the balance of the world, so using magic was very risky. Low-level spells were fairly safe, but high-level spells were progressively more dangerous.
The party:
Ayun - Archer elf who only played in session seven
Orca - Dual-wielding death on a stick
Lister - Magician with a pole arm
Ramone - Master of the passive kata
Sula - Archer priest and healer
Torin - Walking talking suit of armor
The party ended up rich and famous. What follows is the aftermath summary I sent to the players after the final session.
Once the giant figures fade from the sky overhead, the golden wheels begin to spin before they too fade away. You realize that the sounds of battle, loud and obvious during your fight, had also stopped during the confrontation between the primordial powers. Now, you hear them again, but their tenor changes. The clash of arms and shouted commands give way to cries of fear, and of victory. Horns sound, you recognize the call to reform ranks, are swiftly followed by galloping hooves and shouts of surrender. Acting quickly, you run to the main gate and are almost overrun by fleeing Daruna forces. Sula urges you all to display your military badges as you reach the entrance and prevent the guards there from closing it against the approaching Shalish cavalry. The enemy is in complete disarray, and your allies are mopping up. A friendly squad rushes the gate, and it takes a moment to convince them of your identities, but you spot Captain Selo in the distance and hail him.
It takes hours to bring order to the battlefield. The king and his retinue arrive and establish their headquarters in the fort, and Selo fills you in on what happened. The Daruna forces, bolstered by the many enhanced warriors in their ranks, were winning until, without warning, the powerful fighters all collapsed into heaps of twisted bone and flesh (this accounts for Sudha, the last of Vikus's cronies). Shalish forces rallied and Moha troops, pressed into service by Hakesh, turned on their so-called allies. Daruna forces fled into the woods along the river or surrendered.
Once things settle a bit, you order a squad (RHIP after all) to find Ayun, which they do. He comes to the fort and brings along all your mounts, and together you all meet with the king again. If you said he was delighted, that would be an understatement. He honors you all in front of the troops (even though he glosses over the exact details of what happened because what happened is a bit fuzzy).
Eventually, the prisoners are dealt with (enslaved to rebuild the damage done to Moha and outlying farms for the most part), and a powerful military force stays at the fort (solidifying Shalish's hold on the region). Politically Shalish and Bhavar are now the dominant powers in the area, and the king wastes no time exploiting this. He annexes Moha and its territories, bringing them into the alliance, and appoints an interim governor from the Harth family to manage the reconstruction.
The party returns home and receives a hero's welcome from their staff and families. They're also accorded official honors at the ceremonies held at the palace for those who distinguished themselves in the Battle of Two Rivers. The families of the traitors, Vikus, Lat, Sudha and Rakya are stripped of their possessions and banished from the realm. The king offers the group their choice of the confiscated properties, and you take a beautiful townhouse in the city that complements your villa nicely.
As Lister discovered, the forces of elemental magic no longer suffer from corruption, and there are several 'accidents' in the city as practitioners experiment with their new powers. The words of the Voice of Tamulat come true, as the Shalish military engages in a series of actions that consolidate and expand the borders of Shalish, Bhavar and Moha and push back the forces of Daruna.
There are also strange happenings beyond the borders. Vishka erupts with great fury, painting the sky black for an entire month, and a wild forest springs up around the fort where the final battle took place. Goba is leveled by an earthquake but remains a haunted place, home to many undead. On the first day of the new year, explosions wrack the Twisted Lands and shadowy shapes streak across the sky, heralding further changes.
By spring, things have settled down. The party takes a trip and revisits Traitor's Cave and the primordial prison. Nothing remains of either site other than a pit in the ground, and you wonder who or what destroyed these old places of power. Sula suggests the major primordials, freed from their bonds, are restoring order to the world and releasing those who are still trapped in Lost Kingdom constructs. It seems a likely enough theory.
After their trip, the party returns to the villa to enjoy the quiet life of wealthy landowners. Their partnership with Sadine! Salar! proves profitable and they go on to live happily ever after.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
The Colony - Turn 47/48 - Zombies or Not-zombies?
Start Date: August 19, late night
Start Status: Who watches the Watchers?
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
The party manages to wake up and prepare for whatever might happen without alerting the creatures wandering around outside, who still seem unaware of their presence. After 30 minutes or so of aimless wandering, the creatures (there are at least 20), move off along the road to the south in a loose group, traveling at a steady walking pace. "Wonder where they're going?" mutters Brigg as the last of the pack disappears into the woods beyond the clearing.
With the action over, at least for now, the party reverts to two people on watch, one focused on the mine, the other on the road, while the others sleep. There's no further activity for several hours, but as the moon begins to set, the creatures return. The dim moonlight is fading as they move at a good pace toward the mine, but it looks to Jinx and Zenobe like several of them are carrying long, apparently heavy objects. "I think those are bodies," whispers Jinx.
This was the end of turn 47. Very short, but I needed to give the party a chance to respond to events.]
The group debates intercepting the miner-creatures before they enter the tunnel, but facing twenty or more foes with unknown capabilities is not appealing. Reluctantly, they let the creatures return to their lair, taking whatever, or whoever, they were carrying with them.
The next morning, everyone is up early after an uneasy night's rest. They have a plan. First, explore the immediate area inside the mine entrance. Second, backtrack along the road to see if they can figure out where the creatures went. Third, build a barricade across most of the mine entrance to limit the access of the creatures inside.
The party lights torches and lanterns and enters the mine with Smoke and Rennard in the lead. The tunnel extends about 15 feet in, then splits, with another fork visible ahead. The party bears left down a narrow tunnel, that continues 20 feet or so, then rough-cut steps lead down to a fork. Brigg quietly calls a halt and holds a finger to his lips. Everyone stands still and listens. The air is cool and still, but you can all hear the faint but echoing sounds of metal striking stone and shifting, tumbling rock.
"Someone's still digging, somewhere. Where is it coming from?" whispers Rennard.
"Here," says Smoke, pointing ahead and left.
"No, back here," says Brigg, gesturing to the other fork of the main tunnel.
"I don't like that," mutters Zenobe.
The party advances into the fork and Zenobe raises his torch to illuminate the area. The left fork dead ends just beyond a side passage to the right, the right fork opens into an oblong chamber. "Far enough," says Rennard. "Let's check the other passage. We don't want to be too long in here."
The group retreats to the main passage, which opens into a larger chamber past the second branch. The second branch is a wide dog-legged passage that ends in a wider gallery. In each area, the party stops to listen. Each time they hear the same digging noises, but they can't determine the direction. The air in the left and center passages has a dusty smell, but there is faint dampness to the right. The grit-covered floors of each tunnel show many prints made by booted feet, and in the large center room and right gallery there are large rounded prints too. Aside from a few bats hanging from the ceiling, the group sees no signs of life in these tunnels.
Exploration complete, at least for now, the party backtracks to the entrance and heads down the road, moving at a fast pace. With no tracker, the trail is difficult to follow, but Brigg and Jinx think they find a place where it leaves the road. and heads south toward a farmstead. The party's fears are realized when they reach the place. The door to the house is open, the bar broken. There are signs of fighting within and bloodstains on the rough-spun cloth that covers the kitchen table and on the floor. There is no one is here. "They *were* bodies," says Jinx, who is keeping watch outside.
The group performs a hasty search of the area and turns out the cow and horse so they can graze, leaving the barn door to the pasture open. Inside they find indications that five people, two adults and three children, lived here. Rennard closes the farmhouse door before the group heads back to the mine. Along the way, they identify several spots that offer ambush opportunities: a rock outcropping that overlooks the road, a dense stand of trees, and a steep hillside that parallels the road. None are great, but they each offer some cover.
Once the party returns to the mine, they get to work moving rock using the wheelbarrows and tools from the barn and storage room. They heap rocks across the tunnel entrance, leaving a narrow opening in the middle. The irregular rocks are difficult to stack. The walls have sloping sides and end up being about four feet high. The entry is about two feet wide at floor level but widens higher up due to the slope of the walls to either side. There are more rocks available, but without any way to shore up the walls, it's impossible to make them much taller.
It is early afternoon when the party finishes this job, and everyone is dusty and tired from the manual labor. "Should we do a little more exploration before nightfall?" asks Smoke.
Start Status: Who watches the Watchers?
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
The party manages to wake up and prepare for whatever might happen without alerting the creatures wandering around outside, who still seem unaware of their presence. After 30 minutes or so of aimless wandering, the creatures (there are at least 20), move off along the road to the south in a loose group, traveling at a steady walking pace. "Wonder where they're going?" mutters Brigg as the last of the pack disappears into the woods beyond the clearing.
With the action over, at least for now, the party reverts to two people on watch, one focused on the mine, the other on the road, while the others sleep. There's no further activity for several hours, but as the moon begins to set, the creatures return. The dim moonlight is fading as they move at a good pace toward the mine, but it looks to Jinx and Zenobe like several of them are carrying long, apparently heavy objects. "I think those are bodies," whispers Jinx.
This was the end of turn 47. Very short, but I needed to give the party a chance to respond to events.]
The group debates intercepting the miner-creatures before they enter the tunnel, but facing twenty or more foes with unknown capabilities is not appealing. Reluctantly, they let the creatures return to their lair, taking whatever, or whoever, they were carrying with them.
The next morning, everyone is up early after an uneasy night's rest. They have a plan. First, explore the immediate area inside the mine entrance. Second, backtrack along the road to see if they can figure out where the creatures went. Third, build a barricade across most of the mine entrance to limit the access of the creatures inside.
The party lights torches and lanterns and enters the mine with Smoke and Rennard in the lead. The tunnel extends about 15 feet in, then splits, with another fork visible ahead. The party bears left down a narrow tunnel, that continues 20 feet or so, then rough-cut steps lead down to a fork. Brigg quietly calls a halt and holds a finger to his lips. Everyone stands still and listens. The air is cool and still, but you can all hear the faint but echoing sounds of metal striking stone and shifting, tumbling rock.
"Someone's still digging, somewhere. Where is it coming from?" whispers Rennard.
"Here," says Smoke, pointing ahead and left.
"No, back here," says Brigg, gesturing to the other fork of the main tunnel.
"I don't like that," mutters Zenobe.
The group retreats to the main passage, which opens into a larger chamber past the second branch. The second branch is a wide dog-legged passage that ends in a wider gallery. In each area, the party stops to listen. Each time they hear the same digging noises, but they can't determine the direction. The air in the left and center passages has a dusty smell, but there is faint dampness to the right. The grit-covered floors of each tunnel show many prints made by booted feet, and in the large center room and right gallery there are large rounded prints too. Aside from a few bats hanging from the ceiling, the group sees no signs of life in these tunnels.
Exploration complete, at least for now, the party backtracks to the entrance and heads down the road, moving at a fast pace. With no tracker, the trail is difficult to follow, but Brigg and Jinx think they find a place where it leaves the road. and heads south toward a farmstead. The party's fears are realized when they reach the place. The door to the house is open, the bar broken. There are signs of fighting within and bloodstains on the rough-spun cloth that covers the kitchen table and on the floor. There is no one is here. "They *were* bodies," says Jinx, who is keeping watch outside.
The group performs a hasty search of the area and turns out the cow and horse so they can graze, leaving the barn door to the pasture open. Inside they find indications that five people, two adults and three children, lived here. Rennard closes the farmhouse door before the group heads back to the mine. Along the way, they identify several spots that offer ambush opportunities: a rock outcropping that overlooks the road, a dense stand of trees, and a steep hillside that parallels the road. None are great, but they each offer some cover.
Once the party returns to the mine, they get to work moving rock using the wheelbarrows and tools from the barn and storage room. They heap rocks across the tunnel entrance, leaving a narrow opening in the middle. The irregular rocks are difficult to stack. The walls have sloping sides and end up being about four feet high. The entry is about two feet wide at floor level but widens higher up due to the slope of the walls to either side. There are more rocks available, but without any way to shore up the walls, it's impossible to make them much taller.
It is early afternoon when the party finishes this job, and everyone is dusty and tired from the manual labor. "Should we do a little more exploration before nightfall?" asks Smoke.
End Date: August 20, early afternoon
End Status: Pick and Shovel
End Location: Silverstream Mine
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Thursday, September 28, 2017
The Colony - Turn 45 - Silverstream Mine
The party latches onto the idea of figuring out what is going on at the Silverstream Mine. Word on the street is that a group of miners were sent to open the place back up and went missing. Mercenaries sent by the owner were attacked when they tried to investigate. There's a rumor that, before the mine was closed years ago, the miners found something strange in the depths.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
The Colony - Turn 44 - About Town
Start Date: August 17, morning
Start Status:
Start Location:
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
Most of the group spends their first day back in town cleaning up, fixing gear, resupplying, and relaxing. It's been a long strange trip. The meat the group smoked on the trail is going bad, so they dispose of that. Several people go to have some of the recovered treasure evaluated.
Start Status:
Start Location:
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
Most of the group spends their first day back in town cleaning up, fixing gear, resupplying, and relaxing. It's been a long strange trip. The meat the group smoked on the trail is going bad, so they dispose of that. Several people go to have some of the recovered treasure evaluated.
Friday, September 15, 2017
The Colony - Turn 43 - River Rafting
Start Date: August ?+5, noonish
Start Status: What floats in water?
Start Location: Lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
Aaron seems to think the party is just a few miles north of the colony now, but no one is really interested in fording the flooded swamp river. The group turns west along its banks, hoping to find a place to ford or a good location to build a raft. They travel over a mile upstream without finding many variations in the terrain – swampy ground, scrubby trees, and rushing river. Worse, the river is curving south, which, if they are where they think they are, leads toward the shadow folk who ambushed them and left a dire warning about what would happen if they return.
Start Status: What floats in water?
Start Location: Lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
Aaron seems to think the party is just a few miles north of the colony now, but no one is really interested in fording the flooded swamp river. The group turns west along its banks, hoping to find a place to ford or a good location to build a raft. They travel over a mile upstream without finding many variations in the terrain – swampy ground, scrubby trees, and rushing river. Worse, the river is curving south, which, if they are where they think they are, leads toward the shadow folk who ambushed them and left a dire warning about what would happen if they return.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
The Colony - Turn 42 - Coastal Highway
Start Date: August ?+4, early morning
Start Status: Coast ho!
Start Location: Lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
The explorers set out along the flooded river and make good time now that the rain has stopped, reaching the coast shortly before noon. The river they're following pours down a narrow valley into the ocean, spreading a brown stain out into the choppy waters. The heavy forest extends to the coast, which is demarcated by steep slopes leading down to rocky beaches that are just a few yards wide. The elevation offers a good view out over the water, which is sadly lacking in sails. The group catches sight of a small island to the east and another coastline (island or mainland) to the northeast.
Start Status: Coast ho!
Start Location: Lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
The explorers set out along the flooded river and make good time now that the rain has stopped, reaching the coast shortly before noon. The river they're following pours down a narrow valley into the ocean, spreading a brown stain out into the choppy waters. The heavy forest extends to the coast, which is demarcated by steep slopes leading down to rocky beaches that are just a few yards wide. The elevation offers a good view out over the water, which is sadly lacking in sails. The group catches sight of a small island to the east and another coastline (island or mainland) to the northeast.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
The Colony - Turn 41 - Sarcophagi
Start Date: August ?+2, near noon
Start Status: A wrap?
Start Location: Mountain ruin, lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
Despite resistance from Maarek, who would rather not disturb a grave site, and Xon, who just wants to get out of the ruin and find the way home, the party decides to open the sarcophagi. Before they begin, Aaron copies the drawings on the lids for later reference.
Start Status: A wrap?
Start Location: Mountain ruin, lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
Despite resistance from Maarek, who would rather not disturb a grave site, and Xon, who just wants to get out of the ruin and find the way home, the party decides to open the sarcophagi. Before they begin, Aaron copies the drawings on the lids for later reference.
Monday, September 4, 2017
The Colony - Turn 39/40 - Holiday Double Header
Guess I've been falling behind on turn reports!
Start Date: August ?+2, morning
Start Status: What's in the box
Start Location: Mountain ruin, lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
After taking some elaborate precautions, using Find Traps and Detect Evil on the chest, and evacuating the room among them, Jinx opens the chest while the others watch from outside the room "Just in case." The result is anticlimactic. The iron latches open with a bit of effort and the lid swings up easily, revealing the chest's contents: a rectangular, leather-wrapped bundle about 8 x 12 x 2 inches in size, three worm-eaten wooden boxes with simple latches, and a bundle of green cloth. "Mendel, Rennard, come check this stuff again, and then I'll take it out of the box. No need to take chances." The cleric and paladin comply and then retreat, having found nothing unusual. Jinx removes the items one at a time. The leather-wrapped bundle proves to be a book with a heavy-duty metal binding that is closed with a complex lock. The cover and back are inscribed with stylized versions of several of the obelisk runes [center and bottom center on the wall panel image]. A quick tug indicates the lock is secured, so Jinx sets it aside.
The three boxes creak and shift as Jinx lifts them out of the chest. "These things are falling apart," he mutters. The first contains a pair of golden goblets encrusted with gems, amethysts on one, garnets on the other. The second box holds nine heavy gold chains with disk-shaped medallions, each inscribed with one of the now-familiar runes. The third box contains two ornate daggers with steel blades. They are almost identical to the dagger found in the lizard cave. Each has nine runes along the blade with one larger than the rest [bottom center and top left runes from the wall panel image].
Finally, Jinx pulls out the cloth bundle. The material has suffered from the effects of time and starts to fall apart as he unfolds the items. There are several cloth panels decorated with abstract embroidered patterns. From their size and shape, the party guesses they were altar covers of some sort, but they don't have any symbols on them. They're in bad enough shape that they'll likely disintegrate if you try to carry them off.
With all the loot cleared out, the others come back in to examine the finds and check the inside of the chest for secret compartments or traps [none found]. Aaron says "The book is magical, as are the daggers."
Mendel says, "We should check the other secret door while my spell for finding traps is still active. Why don't we stow this stuff back in the chest for now and close the doors until we finish exploring?" This practical suggestion meets with general approval and the party quickly repacks the loot and then heads out to explore the next area, heading easy along the big corridor then west in the central shrine to the secret door there.
After checking and searching, Aaron spots the door latch and opens it. Rennard is about to enter the hall beyond when...
You find yourself exiting a cave into a narrow valley that winds away from you. Wild, verdant growth covers every surface and towering trees block most of the sky, but you can see a bright blue sun burning overhead. As you watch, the trees twist and sway in the still air and a thin keening wail fills the air. Shadows flicker along the valley as something passes overhead, and then the vision fades.
"Why are we still here again?" asks Xon, who has edged closer to the portcullis opening.
"Did you see the stuff we found back there?" asks Maarek. "That's worth a lot of money."
"Yeah, but we should take it and go. I have a bad feeling about these visions. It's like someone, or something, is sending us messages."
"We'll check out this area, then see how everyone feels," says Jinx. "Besides, this looks like a bust." He points through the door, which opens into a short, narrow hall leading south. "I'll bet this was a shortcut or escape route for those that lived here."
"We should search it, just in case," says Aaron. The group examines the hallway carefully and finds a door at the south end. Jinx suggestion that this was an escape tunnel or shortcut seems likely.
In the interests of thoroughness, the group returns to the south so-called library rooms and finishes searching this area, uncovering nothing of interest.
"OK, the only place left to search is the area beyond that stone door. Do we want to check it out, or should we take the money and run, so to speak?" says Rennard.
One door left. The party debates leaving it alone, taking their finds and going. In the end, they decide they have time and investigate. After reviewing the stone door, the group realizes it's going to take some effort to open; it's been sealed shut. While the others keep watch, Mendel and Jinx work with pick and spade to break the mortar and loosen the panel. Eventually, they can shake the door and it moves but still won't open. "Stand aside," says Aaron. "This is taking too long." He casts a Knock spell, there is a soft click, and the door swings open, revealing a narrow east-west hall with several side passages.
While the walls in the other areas of the ruin are carved from the native rock, in this area they are lined with pale white marble panels trimmed with black stone. Rennard is about to enter the passage when...
A pool of emerald green water lies before you, surrounded by huge stone obelisks. A human figure in a green robe stands waist-deep in the center of the pool, holding a staff that shimmers and moves as if it is alive. He, she? turns to face you and speaks in a voice that changes pitch and tempo constantly. "Rise or fall. Rise or fall. The cycle continues, ever changing. The question is, will you rise with the victors, or fall with the defeated?"
"That was... ominous," mutters Aaron.
Mendel just shakes his head and gestures to Rennard, who moves inside the door. The area beyond is relatively small. To the south, there are two small 10 x 10 chambers, each with a dais holding a black stone sarcophagus. To the north, a larger room, 15 x 30 feet, with a similar stone sarcophagus in the center.
"OK, let's NOT open those," says Xon. "The last thing we need to do is let loose the ancient spirit that's been sending us visions by opening its grave."
The party spends about 30 minutes searching the area and its contents but avoids touching the sarcophagi. The only things they find are some rotten cloth hangings piled on the floor, mildewed and indecipherable. The sarcophagi lids are thick and have shallow indentations spaced along either side (handles perhaps). The seam between the lid and bottom is almost invisible. They have rusted metal rings along either side that may have held poles used to carry them. They are quite long, close to 8 feet, but only 3 feet wide and tall.
The sarcophagi in the smaller rooms have some writing in an unknown language on a small carved panel on their lid. The one in the larger room has a larger panel with more writing. The script resembles that on the scrolls found in the lizard cave.
Start Date: August ?+2, morning
Start Status: What's in the box
Start Location: Mountain ruin, lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
After taking some elaborate precautions, using Find Traps and Detect Evil on the chest, and evacuating the room among them, Jinx opens the chest while the others watch from outside the room "Just in case." The result is anticlimactic. The iron latches open with a bit of effort and the lid swings up easily, revealing the chest's contents: a rectangular, leather-wrapped bundle about 8 x 12 x 2 inches in size, three worm-eaten wooden boxes with simple latches, and a bundle of green cloth. "Mendel, Rennard, come check this stuff again, and then I'll take it out of the box. No need to take chances." The cleric and paladin comply and then retreat, having found nothing unusual. Jinx removes the items one at a time. The leather-wrapped bundle proves to be a book with a heavy-duty metal binding that is closed with a complex lock. The cover and back are inscribed with stylized versions of several of the obelisk runes [center and bottom center on the wall panel image]. A quick tug indicates the lock is secured, so Jinx sets it aside.
The three boxes creak and shift as Jinx lifts them out of the chest. "These things are falling apart," he mutters. The first contains a pair of golden goblets encrusted with gems, amethysts on one, garnets on the other. The second box holds nine heavy gold chains with disk-shaped medallions, each inscribed with one of the now-familiar runes. The third box contains two ornate daggers with steel blades. They are almost identical to the dagger found in the lizard cave. Each has nine runes along the blade with one larger than the rest [bottom center and top left runes from the wall panel image].
Finally, Jinx pulls out the cloth bundle. The material has suffered from the effects of time and starts to fall apart as he unfolds the items. There are several cloth panels decorated with abstract embroidered patterns. From their size and shape, the party guesses they were altar covers of some sort, but they don't have any symbols on them. They're in bad enough shape that they'll likely disintegrate if you try to carry them off.
With all the loot cleared out, the others come back in to examine the finds and check the inside of the chest for secret compartments or traps [none found]. Aaron says "The book is magical, as are the daggers."
Mendel says, "We should check the other secret door while my spell for finding traps is still active. Why don't we stow this stuff back in the chest for now and close the doors until we finish exploring?" This practical suggestion meets with general approval and the party quickly repacks the loot and then heads out to explore the next area, heading easy along the big corridor then west in the central shrine to the secret door there.
After checking and searching, Aaron spots the door latch and opens it. Rennard is about to enter the hall beyond when...
You find yourself exiting a cave into a narrow valley that winds away from you. Wild, verdant growth covers every surface and towering trees block most of the sky, but you can see a bright blue sun burning overhead. As you watch, the trees twist and sway in the still air and a thin keening wail fills the air. Shadows flicker along the valley as something passes overhead, and then the vision fades.
"Why are we still here again?" asks Xon, who has edged closer to the portcullis opening.
"Did you see the stuff we found back there?" asks Maarek. "That's worth a lot of money."
"Yeah, but we should take it and go. I have a bad feeling about these visions. It's like someone, or something, is sending us messages."
"We'll check out this area, then see how everyone feels," says Jinx. "Besides, this looks like a bust." He points through the door, which opens into a short, narrow hall leading south. "I'll bet this was a shortcut or escape route for those that lived here."
"We should search it, just in case," says Aaron. The group examines the hallway carefully and finds a door at the south end. Jinx suggestion that this was an escape tunnel or shortcut seems likely.
In the interests of thoroughness, the group returns to the south so-called library rooms and finishes searching this area, uncovering nothing of interest.
"OK, the only place left to search is the area beyond that stone door. Do we want to check it out, or should we take the money and run, so to speak?" says Rennard.
One door left. The party debates leaving it alone, taking their finds and going. In the end, they decide they have time and investigate. After reviewing the stone door, the group realizes it's going to take some effort to open; it's been sealed shut. While the others keep watch, Mendel and Jinx work with pick and spade to break the mortar and loosen the panel. Eventually, they can shake the door and it moves but still won't open. "Stand aside," says Aaron. "This is taking too long." He casts a Knock spell, there is a soft click, and the door swings open, revealing a narrow east-west hall with several side passages.
While the walls in the other areas of the ruin are carved from the native rock, in this area they are lined with pale white marble panels trimmed with black stone. Rennard is about to enter the passage when...
A pool of emerald green water lies before you, surrounded by huge stone obelisks. A human figure in a green robe stands waist-deep in the center of the pool, holding a staff that shimmers and moves as if it is alive. He, she? turns to face you and speaks in a voice that changes pitch and tempo constantly. "Rise or fall. Rise or fall. The cycle continues, ever changing. The question is, will you rise with the victors, or fall with the defeated?"
"That was... ominous," mutters Aaron.
Mendel just shakes his head and gestures to Rennard, who moves inside the door. The area beyond is relatively small. To the south, there are two small 10 x 10 chambers, each with a dais holding a black stone sarcophagus. To the north, a larger room, 15 x 30 feet, with a similar stone sarcophagus in the center.
"OK, let's NOT open those," says Xon. "The last thing we need to do is let loose the ancient spirit that's been sending us visions by opening its grave."
The party spends about 30 minutes searching the area and its contents but avoids touching the sarcophagi. The only things they find are some rotten cloth hangings piled on the floor, mildewed and indecipherable. The sarcophagi lids are thick and have shallow indentations spaced along either side (handles perhaps). The seam between the lid and bottom is almost invisible. They have rusted metal rings along either side that may have held poles used to carry them. They are quite long, close to 8 feet, but only 3 feet wide and tall.
The sarcophagi in the smaller rooms have some writing in an unknown language on a small carved panel on their lid. The one in the larger room has a larger panel with more writing. The script resembles that on the scrolls found in the lizard cave.
Friday, August 25, 2017
The Colony - Turn 38 - Creature Lair
After slaying the floating tentacle monster (which I wager at least some of my readers will recognize), the party regroups, heals up and heads into the thing's lair. They're hoping for loot and want to be sure no more foes remain.
Monday, August 21, 2017
The Colony - Turn 37 - Mmm Floaty
Surprised by a weird floating creature in the hall, which manages to snag Rennard in its many tentacles, the party responds with deadly force to the apparent threat.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
The Colony - Turn 36 - Search and Rescue
Start Date: August ?+2, morning
Start Status: Dungeon delving
Start Location: Mountain Ruin, lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
Xon maintains his watch out in the courtyard while the rest of the group continues exploring the rooms connected to the secret passage. Searching the chamber at the end of the narrow hall uncovers nothing of interest except a small packet of gold leaf. "That has some cash value," says Aaron. The pages and writing supplies are too old to be useful and the rest of the stuff in the chamber is junk.
The group backtracks along the hall, searching for secret doors with Rennard in the lead. As the paladin rounds the final corridor, he is shocked to find the exit blocked by a hideous creature! A pulsing, rippling mass of glistening pink flesh hangs in the air, just beyond the door. A gaping beak protrudes from the side of the thing, and close to a dozen coiling tentacles covered in tiny spines dangle beneath it.
[Surprise!]
Before the group can react, the creature lashes at Rennard with its tentacles and four of the slimy things wrap around his legs, arms, and body [12 damage from spines]. As the creature starts to pull him into the hall, the paladin tries to break free, but finds he cannot move! His sword falls from his nerveless fingers as the creature clutches the helpless Rennard to its body.
Start Status: Dungeon delving
Start Location: Mountain Ruin, lost
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Mendel, Aaron, Maarek, Xon
At the Tulip: Adrienne, Brigg, Hagan, Kessel, Smoke, Zenobe
The Turn
Xon maintains his watch out in the courtyard while the rest of the group continues exploring the rooms connected to the secret passage. Searching the chamber at the end of the narrow hall uncovers nothing of interest except a small packet of gold leaf. "That has some cash value," says Aaron. The pages and writing supplies are too old to be useful and the rest of the stuff in the chamber is junk.
The group backtracks along the hall, searching for secret doors with Rennard in the lead. As the paladin rounds the final corridor, he is shocked to find the exit blocked by a hideous creature! A pulsing, rippling mass of glistening pink flesh hangs in the air, just beyond the door. A gaping beak protrudes from the side of the thing, and close to a dozen coiling tentacles covered in tiny spines dangle beneath it.
[Surprise!]
Before the group can react, the creature lashes at Rennard with its tentacles and four of the slimy things wrap around his legs, arms, and body [12 damage from spines]. As the creature starts to pull him into the hall, the paladin tries to break free, but finds he cannot move! His sword falls from his nerveless fingers as the creature clutches the helpless Rennard to its body.
A very short turn today, due to the unexpected appearance of a floaty thing.
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