Dragonfyre Association

Delta Green update

2010-03-24T22:14:00.002-05:00

Here is a little overview for what has happened in the days after "Puppet Shows and Shadow Plays" and before the new assignment.

"Over the past months, you have continued your daily routine, investigating routine crimes as part of your duties with the FBI. At least, that is what it appears to your friends, family, and coworkers. The training sessions you have recently been called on are not too different from those before, especially since your capture of the vicious killer Emanuel Santana, whose motives during his cross country murder spree remain unknown. You know better, you and your new contacts in Delta Green.

You have been called into Washington, DC, with the excuse of a special “training session” after your handling of the Santana case. Delta Green remains secretive, explaining that the extreme sensitive nature of its operations makes its existence deniable, but it calls on the expertise of many agencies to fulfill its duties in investigating, combating, and destroying paranormal threats to the United States. You have met representatives from the CIA, the NSA, and several branches of the military (at least, that’s what they claimed to be, though their clearances were certainly high enough). You have been formed into “Cell Q,” with contacts in “Cell P” and “Cell R.” You will be providing reports and requests through the mysterious “Cell A,” spoken of but never encountered.

Your Code names are Agent Quincey and Agent Quinn. Also, Agent Quinton is part of your cell as well. You have been in contact with Agent Peter and Agent Regina, though neither know each other. You have also been given a Delta Green encrypted Laptop Computer and cell phone, for use on Delta Green assignments. It has all been very confusing, but so far (in spite of the strange number of odd questions being shuttled back between your Cell and other cells), things have remained calm. For now."

For the next session, I'd like to have a little background info for both your characters; next of kin, short professional history, etc. It may be important, depending on what happens...
Email with any other questions about Delta Green set up, etc.
Be seeing you...

Late Update on DOUG

2010-03-12T12:11:00.002-06:00

This week has kinda taken me by surprise, hence the lack of posts. We did Aaron's Fantasy Craft game on Sunday, which was fun, and then on Monday I ordered a new screaming desktop machine from Dell and I purchased a new PlayStation 3, borrowing from Jesse a few key games. So this week, not only have I not been posting on the blog but on a personal side I also have not been keeping up with my exercises.

But slowly things return to normal, or relatively normal. Sunday DOUG is a one-shot Unknown Armies game being run by Harris, and the idea is to start at around 2ish.

Oh and Traveller is coming. Yes, yes it is.

Sunday 3/7 DOUG Plan

2010-03-03T12:13:00.001-06:00

Looks like the DOUG plan for Sunday 3/7 is going to be FantasyCraft. Aaron's been itching to play (me too, to be honest) and Harris is going to be in town. If for whatever reason that falls through we could instead play something Harris has cooked up or another session of Necessary Evil. Or even a board game. Lots of options.

02/28/2010 DOUG: Jailbreak!

2010-03-01T08:16:00.014-06:00

Last Sunday's DOUG was a character creation session primarily for a supers game where the players play villains in a world overrun by an alien force. It's one of Pinnacle's earliest Savage settings called Necessary Evil, and it's perfect for DOUG.

Game: Jailbreak!, Savage Worlds
Style: RPG
Genre: Supers
GM: Dave Olson
Players (Factions/PCs): Aaron (Zeitlose), Trent (The Unspeakable Horror)

As most of the session was taken up with character creation the scenario itself was deliberately short. The two villains - a time-travel obsessed mechanical genius named Zeitlose and a force-controlling mime called appropriately The Unspeakable Horror - were captured by a patrol of K'tharens. These alien beings resembled a cross between a shark and a crocodile and were more commonly referred to as Fins, and they served the more insidious V'sori. It had been more than 2 years since the alien invaders came to Earth and managed to wipe out 98% of the world's superheroes, leveling cities and countries in the process.

Few cities were left intact, but the exception was Star City. An anomaly in its own right, Star City is built on an island off the coast of New York that was summoned into existence by an interstellar entity known only as the Outsider in the 50's. The island had the unique ability to grant super powers to individuals, and the government studied it for many years hoping to learn its secrets. They failed, and then parceled it off to corporations who came in and built Star City itself.

The V'sori have left most of the city intact but their presence, and that of their cruel Fin servants, is ever present. Which is how the two villains were captured. They were being transported aboard a M'buna, an alien prison ship, likely to be taken off world for "re-education." As they sat together, shackled by power-inhibiting manacles, the M'buna suddenly dropped in altitude and spun in a tailspin! With a crash the ship plowed into the ground, knocking the two villains around in the billowing smoke and small fires.

The sounds of gunfire were heard from outside, and in a moment the hatch door on the M'buna was ripped open. Stepping out of the smoke and darkness came the figure of Earth's most notorious super villain - Dr. Destruction. He held a massive laser in his hands and looked deliberately at the two imprisoned villains.

"Do you want to live?"

A simple statement to which both The Unspeakable Horror and Zeitlose readily agreed to. Dr. Destruction hauled both of them out of the wreckage and passed them off to yellow-jumpsuited servants who ushered them into a nearby low-grav carrier. Destruction joined them after a moment and the ship flew off into the night air. Thinking that they had perhaps traded one prison for another, the two villains were confronted after a moment by Dr. Destruction. He told them that he had a plan, and that in order to survive Zeitlose and the Horror were going to have to cooperate.

Then he slammed a button on the side of the wall, opening the bay hatch and sending the two villains plummeting into the night sky!

Dr. Destruction's telepathic voice informed the falling pair that they needed to release a villain named Mindjack from a V'sori prison compound, and if they agreed to help he would release their nullifiers. It didn't take much debate for the two to agree, and true to his word Destruction released the power-inhibiting manacles. The Horror was able to flap his wings and fly but Zeitlose crashed through the roof of the prison compound itself. Luckily he landed unharmed.

After a moment The Unspeakable Horror landed through the hole in the roof and the two villains opened a door leading from the office they arrived in. Shouts of panic greeted them as they found a block of cells containing prisoners, mostly non-supers. At the opposite end of the cell block the doors opened and a squad of drones - almost zombie-like slaves of the V'sori with impressive firepower built into their cobbled together flesh - showed up. Quickly the Horror pointed his finger and shot at the lead one, delivering a staggering blow of force, while Zeitlose activated his mind control device and easily took mental control over one of the drones.

But more drones showed up and the two villains dug in for a long fight. Blaster bolts ripped through the hallway, piercing Zeitlose several times while the Horror used his imaginary force guns to keep them at bay. During the firefight Zeitlose identified Mindjack but quickly realized they didn't have the key to the cells nor the technical expertise to open them. He mind controlled another drone and brought it to his side.

Behind him a prisoner begged to be released. She had blotchy skin, obviously some kind of mutant, and introduced herself as Valerie Ramirez, promising that she could help if she could be freed. The drone's electro-shock touch was able to free Mindjack, who was otherwise useless, so the Horror kept him safe while Zeitlose and the mind controlled drone dodged blaster fire to release Ramirez. After a few harrowing moments Valerie was freed, though she readily admitted to not having any relevant skills now. She said she was part of a large underground resistance movement beneath Star City and would help the villains later if possible.

With the mind controlled drone and the Horror's finger-pointing force gun powers the rest of the drones were dealt with. Klaxon alarms were sounding throughout the camp but so far the pair had not yet run into any of the Fins. Mindjack pointed them to the way out and the three of them ran through the rest of the small prison compound. Ramirez disappeared into the darkness with a thanks.

Once outside the building Dr. Destruction's anti-grav carrier arrived within moments. Zeitlose, The Unspeakable Horror, and the weak and wounded Mindjack boarded. The villainous doctor took Mindjack aside and had a quick private conversation as the carrier zipped away into the night. After a short flight the carrier landed somewhere in Southpoint in front of a long-abandoned warehouse.

Dr. Destruction opened the doors and ushered the two villains out. He told them that they're part of Omega now, and that the goal is to take back the world from the alien scum - since the villains are the rightful owners, not some backwater alien invaders. He provided them both with communicators and told them to stay low and don't get pinched by the Fins - but to expect some action in the near future.

With that, the world's greatest villain departed, leaving Zeitlose and The Unspeakable Horror in front of a warehouse - their warehouse now.

DOUG on 2/28

2010-02-24T12:25:00.002-06:00

The plan for this Sunday is to do Necessary Evil, the Savage Worlds supers campaign where you play villains in a world besieged by an alien force for the past 2 years. I have a copy of the book along with a pdf so that can be utilized by people with laptops, but I'm thinking character creation will be part of the package. Especially since the first scenario is not very long. I'd like to start at about 1 pm on Sunday, and I should have a large box of miniatures to choose from to represent your particular villain.

Looking ahead slightly Aaron is ready for the next Fantasy Craft scenario which is tentatively planned for the first Sunday in March. Assuming Harris can make it, which hopefully he can.

DOUG continues!

My Perfect Sci-Fi Game FOUND!

2010-02-22T13:41:00.002-06:00

I love the Star*Drive setting. I blogged about it last April indicating I was on the fence between GURPS, Savage Worlds, or just sticking with the original Alternity. Each offer its own benefit, but I pretty much ruled out GURPS by virtue of me getting rid of the core books.

So that left Savage Worlds vs. Alternity. Alternity was the system originally used with Star*Drive and would require the least amount of conversion, but it was also not supported any more. Savage Worlds is one of my favorite core systems but it wasn't crunchy enough - good space pulp, like Star Wars, bad for more realistic sci-fi. So I've tinkered with vehicle rules in Savage Worlds with the original intention of using them in a Star*Drive campaign.

I don't regret doing this, and I hope the vehicle rules and associated Tech Backgrounds see the light of day in some future product (such as Agents of Oblivion) but it still didn't satiate that thirst I had.

I was aware of the Traveller game in the sense that I had heard the name, and during my GURPS kick I looked seriously at the GURPS Traveller: Interstellar War for a good sci-fi game. I poked around and picked up Marc Miller's Traveller, which was the third edition of the game, at Half Price Books but didn't really look at it. It has sat on my shelf for a few months at least.

In early 2009 Mongoose Publishing released an updated Traveller ruleset. Again, I was aware it was out but never gave it a look. Well, I picked up the main book over the weekend and I've got to say - this is what I was looking for.

It's got everything I would need for a sci-fi game set in the Star*Drive universe. Excellent character background generation rules? Check. Crunchy starship construction system? Check. Random planet generator? Double check. Rules for trading and guidelines for goods and services related to the planet's statistics? Oh yeah, you know that one's checked.

I'm digging into the ruleset more to get a handle on things and I've already ordered off Amazon a number of the sourcebooks (Mongoose is nothing if not prolific) so expect more details soon. Really this time. Really.

New Minis On Their Way!

2010-02-19T09:32:00.001-06:00

Just ordered 165 assorted HeroClix figures and 75 assorted MechWarrior clix figures from eBay. A nice price on all of them (around $80 total) so I'm pretty stoked. I've always wanted to do a mech game, and it's a great opportunity to really field test my Savage Worlds vehicle rules. And the HeroClix figures should make Necessary Evil games that much more impressive.

DOUG Updates

2010-02-17T11:54:00.002-06:00

It's really nothing more than formalizing the concept of playing a game on Sundays, but I've really grown attached to the concept of DOUG. So far so good I say. I'm going to try and maintain a separate "world" so to speak for each general genre of RPG game. For instance, the 1930's pulp adventure game will always take place in the same world. Not necessarily linked to previous scenarios but a persistent view.

With that in mind I'm going to keep track of each of these worlds, or campaigns, through Obsidian Portal. I find it a great way for me to jot down ideas and characters without having to sift through endless piles of notebooks. It also makes it easier for the players to dig deeper into the setting, if they want, or just recap previous events.

I've got most of them setup, including Shadowrun (called MaidenCall), 1930s pulp adventure (Tales of Pulp Matter), fantasy (HackMaster Fantasy), sci fi serial (Star*Drive), and a few others.

The plan this Sunday for DOUG is to do Necessary Evil, a supers campaign set in a world where aliens have taken over. You play villains banding together to take back the world cause these alien invaders are not interested in sharing. Time to take the fight to the enemy.

02/14/2010 DOUG: Mass Effect 2

2010-02-15T09:23:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, a day specifically designed to make lonely people feel isolated and withdrawn. So for the DOUG I went out and picked up a copy of Mass Effect 2 for the Xbox 360. I won't post spoilers here, but instead just some general comments.

The general comment is ... I played this game for almost 10 hours yesterday. I normally don't have the attention span to devote that much time to a single game, so that's the first comment. Having finally played and beat Mass Effect 1 late last week, ME2 picks up RIGHT after the first one. And the decisions you made there affect the world of the new game like ripples in a pond. I find myself eagerly anticipating a second play through as a completely different type of character just to see how different ME2 can be.

Mass Effect 2 has an engrossing story with many side missions, and I feel compelled to go through most if not all of them (unlike ME1 which I did not, but kinda feel like I will on a second go around). The main gripe I have is one that many share - planet scanning is tedious and put simply, NOT FUN. Holy left trigger, Batman. I upgraded my ship's planet scanning functionality and it's still boring trying to scan every surface of an unexplored planet for iridium, platinum, element zero, and palladium (not the RPG company). Grr.

But beyond that the game is exceeding all expectations. I feel that it's going to consume more of my life here in the next few days.

DOUG on 2/14/2010

2010-02-10T12:51:00.002-06:00

Sunday is Valentine's Day, so I'm sure there will be people wanting to spend the day with their respective sweethearts. For those poor, lonely folk (like me) DOUG continues! I think all that I'm going to plan for this Sunday is a game of Arkham Horror. Not sure on the expansions at this point, but since the game can be played with 1 to 8 people I think it's perhaps the best option. Or at least the most practical.

02/07/2010 DOUG: The Bones of Chinatown

2010-02-10T09:38:00.011-06:00

The second DOUG went off extremely well I think, despite the amount of stuff going on that day. Well, more specifically the Superbowl and the amount of food preparation I had to do in addition to GMing. But I chose the food items for their relative simple setup so it all worked out.

Game: The Bones of Chinatown, Savage Worlds
Style: RPG
Genre: 1930's Pulp
GM: Dave Olson
Players (Factions/PCs): Alice (Malachi the Mysterious, magician), Aaron (Brent Hardcastle, ace pilot), Trenton (Jimmy Patterson, curious kid), Harris (Doc Davenport, mad scientist)

A pulp adventure in the vein of the thrilling 1930s escapades of yesteryear! The heroes were summoned by an "old friend" to the observation deck of the Empire State Building, only to arrive to find a body slumped on the floor. Worse, the glass walls shattered as a gang of hatchet-wielding Chinese tong assassins swung in from a hidden zeppelin outside! Like a well-oiled machine the heroes made short work of these nefarious goons, but more came in and combat ensued.

Jimmy's scattered marbles and a well placed smoke bomb caused confusion for the tong assassins, but Doc Davenport had his hands full as he dodged and weaved the ferocious hatchet attacks of one of them. Brent used his twin pistols to great effect along with his extraordinary athletic ability, kicking and jumping, while Malachi the Magnificent worked his arcane arts to send a few of the assassins flying. As the battle quickly turned against the invaders their zeppelin outside, bearing the symbol of Chinese criminal mastermind and sorcerer supreme Zho Fang, turned and began to flee.

But Doc Davenport wasn't having any of that! Switching on his Rocket Propelled Personal Conveyance Device (patent pending!) to full power the mad scientist rocketed after the fleeing zeppelin. He powered up his Light Emanation Ray, cranked the knob to maximum, and let loose a powerful bolt. The attack punctured the zeppelin's balloon and ignited the hydrogen gas inside! The flaming zeppelin descended quickly into the streets of New York City but was quickly corralled by the NYSP (New York Sky Police) into the Hudson River.

With the tong assassins defeated the heroes tended to the unconscious man on the floor whom they recognized as eminent Japanese businessman and entrepreneur, Dr. Itohiro Nakami. Dr. Nakami explained that Zho Fang was seeking the Eyes of the Lo-Man Tiger, twin rubies of mystical origin that supposedly gave its possessor control over time and space. He was making a bid for the first one which lay in the vault of the San Francisco Chinatown kingpin known as the Jade Dragon.

Dr. Nakami needed the heroes to break into the Jade Dragon's vault and retrieve the Ruby Eye before Zho Fang could. They agreed and set off immediately from New York City across the dust-ravaged Midwest to the City by the Bay, San Francisco! Quickly they arranged a trolley ride to Chinatown and took to foot after that. They were seeking the Dragon of the Black Pool, a restaurant owned by Dr. Nakami's friend Egg Chen who would be able to assist the heroes in breaking into the Jade Dragon's heavily guarded tong warehouse. Unfortunately no one knew their way around the twisting and crowded streets of Chinatown, so they hired a child guide by the name of Ping Pong.

Ping Pong led them through the roads around fireworks dealers and all sorts of strange animals before finally arriving at the Dragon of the Black Pool. The heroes entered, only to be confronted by an old man running out of the kitchen shouting "Get down!" They obliged, and luckily too as an explosion rocked the restaurant and filled the room with smoke! After only a moment Egg Chen greeted them politely, inviting them to tea.

He listened carefully and was expecting them so he filled them in on the details of what they needed to do. The Jade Dragon kept the Ruby Eye in the lowest level of his Vault of Ghosts, and the safest way into said vault was through the underworld of Chinatown. Egg Chen sketched out a map, and once the sun went down he led them to an abandoned sewer grate that would take them into the very bones of the neighborhood. He gave Malachi a wooden amulet, but before he could explain anything a group of tong goons arrived! The heroes descended into the darkness while Egg Chen held them off.

In the dank depths below Chinatown, the heroes were in a world that seemed halfway between the living realm and the spirit realm. Jimmy took the lead with his Boy Scout training, but even with that they managed to get lost several times in the dark tunnels. Throughout the trek they heard whispering voices and harsh laughter, and after an hour of tromping around the voices revealed themselves as belonging to hopping vampires! These undead spawn jumped out of the brackish water of the river and confronted the heroes with diseased claw and slavering jaw.

Brent held off two of the creatures valiantly but found his bullets less than effective against the hopping vampires. The vampires seemed paralyzed by Malachi, and he decided to try the wooden amulet Egg Chen gave him. That seemed to do the trick, and once the magician pressed it against the undead flesh the vampire let loose a howl and was vaporized within moments. Meanwhile, Doc Davenport was having a hard time and was slashed during several debilitating attacks, nearly sending him into unconsciousness. Jimmy used the flash on his camera to disorient the remaining creatures while Malachi used the wooden amulet to finish them off.

With the hopping vampires defeated the heroes turned their attention towards bandaging up Doc Davenport. Unfortunately, the Doc was the only one with skill in healing so he was forced to attempt to bandage his own wounds. It did not go well, and after an hour he gave up with little success. Brent was also a little wounded, so the Doc then turned his attention to the ace pilot - and managed a miraculous bit of first aid!

They continued on afterwards, and eventually they came upon the entrance to the Vault of Ghosts. It was a circular chamber with a pool of brackish water in the center. On the far end was a round portal with raised markings. Malachi, having spent some time in the Orient, was able to translate the markings which were ancient Chinese. It was a reference to the belief in Shang Di and how the most wicked would be punished by having them spines flayed for eternity while they turned in a circle. As they looked closer they realized that a human spine encircled the portal, and Brent noticed that it could be moved.

With a mighty heave, Brent and Malachi went to work at turning the spine which gave groans of protest with each move. The sound seemed to alert something in the pool, which roiled and bubbled before erupting into a dozen thick tentacles! Doc Davenport and Jimmy went to work distracting the tentacles while Brent and Malachi kept at the turning. In the fray the Doc discharged all of his energy in his Light Emanation Ray and Jimmy used purchased firecrackers to great effect.

The portal finally opened and the heroes rushed inside, and the tentacles tried following - but only managed to pull down the stones and rock over the portal, collapsing the entrance. Whatever happened next the heroes knew that their only option was to move forward.

They found themselves in an octagonal chamber with fanciful murals along the wall. The murals depicted a robed, masked man in various events - one where he commanded an army of Chinese soldiers, another where he conferred with an emperor, and a third where several demons bowed to him. The room was ringed with 8 foot tall demon statues bearing hideous grins and wicked weapons. A faint emanation illuminated the area, originating from a pedestal in the center upon which, on a velvet cushion, sat a large ruby.

The heroes had found the Vault of Ghosts and the Ruby Eye. Positioning themselves strategically around the area, it was Brent who reached out and grabbed the relic. Nothing happened, and they breathed a sigh of relief. But then one of the demon statues roared to life! They quickly realized that the iron demon statue would be a nigh-impossible foe and they opted to run.

And run they did! The demon statue gave chase with its plodding foots, and chased the heroes out of the vault, up spiral stairs, to a locked door. Luckily Brent's shoulder proved more than the door could handle and the chase continued into what was apparently a warehouse, with many Chinese workers. Wounded as he was, Doc Davenport was having a hard time keeping up, but he decided to use his Rocket Propelled Personal Conveyance Device to get away. He managed to get up the spiral stairs using a clamp to lock onto the rail, but in the warehouse the demon statue pummeled him into unconsciousness. Jimmy let off some more fireworks, creating a panicked mob of workers and explosions!

Tossing the Ruby Eye to Malachi, Brent and Jimmy turned around to help their friend while the magician plowed on ahead. The plodding steps of the demon statue were gaining quickly when they reached the limp body of Doc Davenport. Brent, experienced ace pilot, decided to try and use the jet pack strapped to the Doc's back, and with Jimmy hanging on tight the ace pilot punched the device into gear.

Off they went, with Brent and Jimmy riding Doc Davenport's unconscious body like a sled! The rocket pack barely lifting the three of them off the ground, but it got them out of the demon statue's grasp. Malachi, utilizing powerful arcane arts taught to him by HP Lovecraft, Headmaster of the Academy of Prestidigitation and Conjuration, sent magically endowed playing cards exploding against the demon statue.

The iron statue had taken enough abuse, and collapsed on the ground just as Doc Davenport's jet pack ran out of fuel. The three of them (carrying the unconscious mad scientist) continued to run through the building, quickly reaching offices leading out to the Chinatown street. They emerged in the light of the rising sun - only to be confronted by the robed, masked figure depicted on the murals in the Vault of Ghosts!

The sound of cocking rifles and Tommy guns echoed in the street and the heroes knew they were outmatched. The robed figure - the Jade Dragon in the flesh - asked why they had stolen the Ruby Eye from him. Malachi, quick to act, instantly muttered the words to a powerful puppet spell as a last ditch effort, knowing that the Jade Dragon was probably an accomplished sorcerer himself.

Against all odds, however, Malachi established dominance over the Jade Dragon! Under the magician's control, the powerful Chinatown tong boss ordered his men to stand down, and Brent stepped forward with his boot knife drawn to finish the fight once and for all. As the Jade Dragon pushed back the cowl of his robe and pulled off his mask, however, he collapsed! All that was left of him was the pile of robes where he once stood ...

Egg Chen greeted the heroes in his tour bus and brought them quickly to the Dragon of the Black Pool. He patched up Doc Davenport with ancient Chinese mysticism and relayed a message from Dr. Nakami. The Japanese philanthropist needed the heroes to bring the Ruby Eye to his safehouse in Shanghai as soon as possible ...

What great adventure awaits these brave heroes on the horizon? Stay tuned next time for another thrilling escapade in ... Tales of Pulp Matter!

The Bones of Chinatown and Me

2010-02-08T09:50:00.002-06:00

I started to write the DOUG review when I realized that it became a review of the publication history of The Bones of Chinatown. Interesting story, I think, but not relevant to DOUG. So I'm going to post it separately here.

I've been wanting to run this scenario for many years. Really it goes back to January 2002 when Dungeon magazine had Polyhedron run in the back, and in that issue they had a d20 mini-game called Pulp Heroes. That was my first introduction to the world of the 1930's adventure pulps and roleplaying and I was quite hooked. The rules were actually quite elegant without being too complicated and the class system of d20, while not the best, seemed to work.

I sat down and scribbled out an outline for "The Eyes of the Ruby Tiger" for d20. I never did anything with it, but as the months went by I would periodically return to that outline to restructure and reorganize it. After I picked up the GURPS Cliffhangers 2nd edition book I changed the name to The Ruby Eyes and broke it down into three acts, converting the whole thing to GURPS at the same time. Or at least I tried, as I only got through the first act, The Bones of Chinatown.

Then I was introduced to Savage Worlds through the Ravaged Earth Society and I knew I had found the perfect fit. I went back to The Ruby Eyes and updated the first act and finished the second and third parts, converting it all to Savage Worlds. And then I sat on it for a short while. I wanted to see it in print but I didn't know what to do, and then in an issue of Knights of the Dinner Table they were advertising an adventure design contest. Any adventure for any genre or system.

Since the Bones of Chinatown could very easily stand on its own and fit the word count, I submitted it for KoDT. I got response message back saying my email was undeliverable and I was sad, but moved on quickly. After a few weeks I got in contact with the company that picked up the license for the Ravaged Earth Society, Reality Blurs, and I submitted The Ruby Eyes for publication (since they were a SW licensee already). They liked it and I got in touch with Sean Preston, the president on what projects I could work on.

Immediately after hanging up with Sean for the first time in December 2008 I got an email from KoDT saying my submitted adventure had taken 3rd place and would be published in an upcoming issue of KoDT! My joy was split. I was ecstatic that I was going to be in the magazine/comic that I've read for so long, but I was torn by the fact that I had submitted the scenario to two different companies (thinking the first one had failed!). I called up Sean and explained the situation and he was very understanding.

We agreed that there was enough Ravaged Earth stuff coming down the pipe that The Ruby Eyes would not be terribly missed so I gave the go ahead to KoDT. The Bones of Chinatown was published in Knights of the Dinner Table #148, The Perp Walk. And I finally got to run it in February 2010. W00t!

DOUG This Sunday

2010-02-03T11:18:00.004-06:00

I think what I'm going to have ready for DOUG (Day Of Universal Gaming) this Sunday is going to be my pulp adventure published in Knights of the Dinner Table, The Bones of Chinatown. I'll have six pregenerated characters ready to go so we can get started and finished before the Super Bowl, which I believe is around 5ish. I can play with only two people or up to six, so I think if you're available you're definitely welcome. Worst case scenario I'll come up with more pregens.

Quick plug for the scenario: set in 1936, the heroes are quickly thrust into the deepest underbelly of San Francisco's Chinatown fighting their way through tong gangs, mysterious creatures, explosions, and hair-raising chases in a quest to recover one of the fabled Ruby Eyes of the Lo-Man Tiger. Pulp adventure awaits!

01/31/2010 DOUG: Runewars

2010-02-01T12:44:00.006-06:00

The other thing I wanted to do with the concept of the Day Of Universal Gaming (DOUG) is to write a synopsis or review of the session the day afterward. Since yesterday, 1/31/2010, is going to be the official start to DUG (new name too) I'll write a quick synopsis/review of what we did.

Game: Runewars
Style: Board Game
Genre: Fantasy
GM: Dave Olson (moderator)
Players (Factions/PCs): Alice (Elf), Matthew (Uthuk), Trenton (Undead), Harris/Luke (Human)

I love Runewars, even when I'm just moderating instead of playing. It's like Twilight Imperium in a fantasy setting. The scope is a little smaller but the game runs a lot quicker in general, with smooth components and intelligent design. Really, this game represents everything great I've come to expect from Fantasy Flight Games.

To get things going quickly I setup the board knowing that I would be moderating, so I endeavored to set it up so that no one player had a distinct advantage over another. The map was laid out and I explained the rules a total of 3 1/2 times as various people showed up. Luckily the game concepts in Runewars are pretty easy to grasp and make sense once you start playing.

The point of Runewars is to capture 6 Dragon Runes, and each player starts with 2 to begin with. These tokens are placed on the individual map tiles of the configurable board, one each, and each player also had a false rune token. This meant that each of the three areas of a players' home realm had a Dragon Rune, but only two were real - one was a decoy.

The game is played out over the course of years, with each year divided into four turns represented by the seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter). Each player chooses one of eight strategy cards to play during each season dictating their action, and then the strategy cards are returned to your hand at the beginning of each year.

In the game itself I was actually pretty surprised at the lack of player-to-player hostility. Sure, it started off with Alice leveling Matthew's city but it didn't really escalate from there. Most players kept themselves engaged by dealing with the neutral factions surrounding them and sending their heroes on quests to retrieve Dragon Runes. After about the third year Harris had to leave and Luke graciously stepped up to fill the player void, but Harris had made some questionable tactical decisions that left the human faction in a very very tight bind.

The end of the game came when Matthew claimed 6 Dragon Runes in the winter of the fourth year. It seemed like everyone had a good time and the mechanics of Runewars kept the game flowing very quickly even for four people who had never played it before. Verdict? Definitely worth playing again.

Shadowrun Game Day Thoughts

2010-01-27T15:29:00.003-06:00

I like Shadowrun quite a bit, and I think the style of play suggested by that game and setting really lends itself towards the Game Day application (see previous post). So Shadowrun is going to be one of the games in rotation but I wanted to post a few ideas I've had so that people had the right idea.

The first thing is that the actual runs won't be limited to a single city, or even a single country. There are a lot of really cool places and people in the world of 2071 and I'd like to get an opportunity to spread out. Now, with that said, each runner is still going to need a home, and I'd like to use Seattle as the default "base."

Each runner's piece of illegal gear will need to be written up on a small gear card that I have, for several reasons. The first is that every single Shadowrun character sheet I've seen has had very little space for equipment, which is odd considering how much emphasis the game puts on high tech gadgetry to get in and out of situations. Having each piece of illegal gear on a card allows for a much better management of on-hand equipment, so you don't have to take everything with you (some of it may be impossible to pass customs with anyway depending on its legality code). It also allows the player to jot notes about what the gear does for quick reference.

Also each runner's contacts will be written up on a small contact card, similar to the gear card. This avoids the issue of having too little space on the character sheet for contacts and makes managing them much easier. Your contacts are your lifeblood, and one of the rules I'll be using is the Friend of a Friend system - it's possible, depending on how connected your contact is, that they know someone in a city or area where you otherwise are without a friend. This will be the primary means for gaining new contacts.

I'm going to keep the naming convention of metal song titles for each run, and I might jump around a bit between artists. Definitely Iron Maiden's on the docket, but there are a lot of Megadeth titles that would work as well, plus some Metallica names I didn't get to use.

Official Game Day Post

2010-01-25T10:38:00.002-06:00

I like continued campaigns with overarching stories, but I'm getting to the point where I can't seem to get players together on a regular basis to make it worth it. But I've still got a lot of ideas and access to a lot of scenarios and settings, and I want to start making it work. And thus begins ...

The Official DFGA Game Day!

Personally, especially lately, I've found my Fridays to be dull and boring, so I propose Friday late afternoon/evenings for the Game Day. Sunday would also work, I think, especially now that football season is over.

The concept of Game Day is a day to game - anything, something, in a format similar to the various anthology TV series (Outer Limits, Amazing Stories, Tales from the Crypt, etc.). Board games and RPGs would be the mainstay, and most of the RPGs I plan to have available with pregenerated characters for ease of play. This would allow us to play many different types of games in many different types of genres without having to worry about missing people. The goal would be to have each scenario take up a session with little or no overlap.

I also want to encourage others to take the helm of GM, as this format is perfect for many people to try their hand at gamemastering.

Here are some games/genres I've got planning right now: Shadowrun, RuneWars (board game), World War II, 1930s pulp adventure, space pulp adventures (like Star Wars), Victorian era monster hunting, modern day spy ops, Western horror, 1920s Mythos horror, D&D-esque fantasy adventures, pirates on the high seas, superheroes and villains, colonial era mystery and adventure, and many others!

The League 2000

2010-01-22T10:52:00.003-06:00

Harris mentioned to me some time ago (years?) about a forum post he read that kind of stuck with me. It was about the League of Reagan-era Gentlemen and followed the trend of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in the sense that a group of otherwise unrelated characters were brought together to foil some plot/defeat some evil.

The idea has been rolling around in my head for quite a while and I decided I wanted to do a one-shot with this idea. It would be with Savage Worlds and would involve the League in 1999 - on the cusp of the 21st century. Some villain(s) were threatening the world and only an assortment of characters from the past 25 years stood in their way.

The premise behind the League is that the characters of fiction are real. Most of the most renown characters in the past 30 years have been TV or movie characters - larger than life, people whose name you know even if you haven't seen them or read them.

Here are some characters I brainstormed. You'll see some of these fulfill different niches, and more than a few are essentially "duplicates" (fulfilling the same role). But you get the idea.

John McClain – Die Hard

John Rambo – First Blood

Doc Emmet Brown – Back to the Future

Clarice Starling – Silence of the Lambs

Sarah Connor – Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Jules Winnfield – Pulp Fiction

Egon Spangler – Ghostbusters

Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez – Highlander

Ash Williams – Evil Dead II

Roy Neary – Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Karate Kid – Karate Kid

Cole Sear – The Sixth Sense

Agent J – Men in Black

“Crocodile” Mick Dundee – Crocodile Dundee

David Lightman – War Games

Thoughts for a Game Day

2010-01-20T12:49:00.002-06:00

No kidding it's been a while. Well, I've been thinking, and thinking, and thinking, and sadly not playing. Aaron has a new Fantasy Craft campaign but sadly that's already falling victim to the dreaded "missing players in a small group" attack that seems to crop up at an alarming rate. All for good reasons, of course, so no hits there, just a reality of trying to play an ongoing RPG campaign with mid- to late-20s adults.

So I've been thinking about the best way to rectify this. I've got some ideas, and I'd like to repurpose this blog as a sounding board for those ideas. I'll post something in a few days once I work out a few kinks, but my idea is a sort of open game day - a day in the week devoted to gaming of some sort, including RPGs, board games, card games, and MAYBE video games (though that gets a lot of attention anyway). No ongoing campaign, essentially a series of one shots or one shot like campaigns sprinkled amongst other gaming related things.

That Is Not Dead

2009-09-29T09:36:00.002-05:00

Which can eternal lie, and all the rest of that phrase. This blog's not dead. Nay, never! But for as long as a steady campaign is not being run it's hard to come up with relevant posts.

So I propose a new D&D campaign - well, Pathfinder specifically. I've got a fairly short campaign called "Rise of the Runelords" I'd like to run soon, probably during the week at a time when I can get at least two players (more would be better!).

A lot of the details I used to post on this blog have moved over to Facebook. Event scheduling works better on a site designed to handle it, so this blog has gone to sleep in a way. But as the saying goes, "and with strange aeons even death can die."

More details to come.

Check Out Movie Jerks!

2009-07-29T15:21:00.004-05:00

Check out the sister blog of the Dragonfyre Association, The Movie Jerks! http://moviejerks.blogspot.com

This will be the general dumping spot for movie reviews, including reviews of the AFI list as we go through them. Check it out and let me know if you want to be added as a contributor!

AFI List Schedule July/August 2009

2009-07-20T11:46:00.003-05:00

The journey has begun. As a bit of background, I recently realized I had not seen most of the movies chosen by the American Film Institute (AFI) as the 100 best movies of the last 100 years. A sad state, to be sure, given my love of movies. But I didn't want to just watch them, no no no. There were other people out there just like me who had yet to see some or most of the list.

So I cleaned up the Theater in the Garage a bit (still need a new couch) and dove right into the last. Starting last Thursday night at midnight we watched #100 on the AFI list - Ben-Hur. 3 1/2 hours of Ben-Hur. Oi vey.

We followed up with #99 on Saturday night at midnight - Toy Story. Much easier to take. Only 98 more to go, so I thought I would post a general schedule. This schedule assumes showings on Thursday and Saturday nights at about midnight (give or take depending on who's attending).

7/23/2009, Thurs - Yankee Doodle Dandy
7/25/2009, Sat - Blade Runner
7/30/2009, Thurs - Do the Right Thing
8/1/2009, Sat - The Last Picture Show
8/6/2009, Thurs - Pulp Fiction
8/8/2009, Sat - The French Connection
8/13/2009, Thurs - NO SHOW, GENCON 2009
8/15/2009, Sat - NO SHOW, GENCON 2009
8/20/2009, Thurs - Goodfellas
8/22/2009, Sat - Sophie's Choice
8/27/2009, Thurs - Swing Time (1936)
8/29/2009, Sat - NO SHOW, CALIFORNIA TRIP

That covers the schedule through August. All are welcome, admission is free, and I'll try to have beer and snacks available. People are also welcome to bring beer and snacks, which is always greatly appreciated. But the show goes!

Minnesota Fringe Festival: Must see

2009-07-15T18:48:00.003-05:00

Another theatrical production of a Cthulhu Mythos story is playing at the Minnesota Fringe Festival this year, "The Curse of Yig" and it looks pretty cool. It's being performed by Tim Uren who did "The Rats in the Walls" a few years ago, and if this is anything like that, it will be awesome. So, I'm definitely going to go, and I'd recommended others see it too. Here's the info;

http://fringefestival.org/2009/show/?id=973

And a summary; In 1929, a young academic visits the Guthrie Asylum in Oklahoma to explore the native tribal belief in the snake god, Yig. There she is confronted by a bizarre creature, the sole living survivor of the nightmarish Halloween of 1889. As she learns the tragic tale of Walker and Audrey Davis- early residents of the Oklahoma Territory- she too begins to fall under the spell of an unrelenting fear that time cannot diminish.

Roadtrip Specifics

2009-07-03T12:28:00.004-05:00

I think that the weekend of July 17 to July 20 would work best for this trip;

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Mound,+MN&daddr=Mankato,+MN+to:Blue+Earth,+MN+to:Austin,+MN+to:Harmony,+MN+to:La+Crosse,+WI+to:Spring+Green,+WI+to:Baraboo,+WI+to:Hayward,+WI+to:Duluth,+MN+to:Brainerd,+MN+to:Alexandria,+MN+to:Mound,+MN&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=44.55106,-93.803355&sspn=0.867058,2.447205&ie=UTF8&z=6

Here is the Google maps trip itinerary; it is around 1,095 miles round trip. Feel free to make suggestions, etc.

Road Cheese Roadtrip

2009-06-12T11:30:00.003-05:00

Hey, everyone, I'm in the process of planning a camping/road trip to visit some of Minnesota and Wisconsin's odder oddities, thinking of a long weekend kind of trip starting a Thursday night and ending on a Sunday, sometime in June, July, or August. I wanted to check to see if anyone else was interested in going and what weekends would work best for people. It's been awhile since I've been camping, so I've really been in the mood for some setting up a tent on the lumpy ground, eating burnt things off of a fire after a day of visiting bizarre roadside weirdness. Don't know if anyone else is feeling the same, but if so, please respond here or email me in the near future. Thanks! Oh, here is a mini itinerary I wrote up, nothing set in stone, but just a bit of a preliminary plan I thought up, with some costs, etc. Gas isn't factored in, since I don't know what car we'd be taking. So, if anyone wants to go, contact me soon, and also spread the word around to others who may like this idea.

Double Decker Outhouse- Belle Plaine, MN Thursday
Only open Sundays, but could check out
Jolly Green Giant- Blue Earth, MN Thursday
Eat in Mankato
Camp Minneopa State Park Thursday night
$18 (plus $5 vehicle permit)
Spam Museum- Austin, MN Friday
Open 10-5 Fridays, free
Niagara Cave- Harmony, MN Friday
Open 9:30 – 5:30, tours leave every 15 min.
Tickets $10.50
Eat in Harmony
World’s Largest Six Pack- La Crosse, WI Friday
House on the Rock- Spring Green , WI Friday
Open 9:00-6:00
“ultimate experience” tickets $28, expensive, but said to be well worth for pure oddity, but tours of one of three sections available for cheaper.
Camp Tower Hill State Park
$14 (plus $10 vehicle permit) Friday night
Dr. Evermor’s Forevertron- Baraboo, WI
Open 9:00- 5:00, free
Museum of Woodcarving – Shell Lake, WI Saturday
Open 9:00- 6:00
JFK’s Twine Ball- World’s Largest?- Lake Nebagamon, WI Saturday
Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame – Hayward, WI Saturday
Open 9:00 – 4:00, “nominal gate fee”
Eat in Duluth, MN
Camp Jay Cook State Park Saturday night
$20 (plus $5 vehicle permit)
Paul Bunyan Statue – Brainerd, MN Sunday
The Kensington Runestone Museum- Alexandria, MN Sunday
Open 11:00-4:00, $6
Biggest Ball of Twin- Darwin, MN Sunday
Return

27 Hole Disc Golf Course?!?

2009-06-02T13:41:00.004-05:00

27 hole, pay-to-play disc golf course in New Bethel MN. New Bethel's somewhere 20 minutes north of 694 (not exactly sure where yet) but this course sounds awesome. And they sell beer. Not 100% on how much it costs yet, but my guess would be around $5-$10. From the pictures the course looks sweeeeet.

http://blueribbonpines.net/

SW Vehicles More Thoughts

2009-05-27T10:23:00.002-05:00

Been thinking about my vehicle rules for Savage Worlds, tinkering them in my head in order to put them down into a cohesive document. I'm thinking now about how they relate to characters.

Right now characters can take Arcane Background to utilize Powers. The one that best fits for vehicles is Arcane Background (Weird Science). Perhaps a new Edge that allows the person to apply Weird Science powers to vehicles? That would work in a pulp setting, definitely, where such vehicle tech is the realm of super-science.

In a setting where technology has become more ubiquitous, I don't think it works as well, so perhaps there's a different way to do it. Arcane Background (Vehicles)? I don't like the way that feels, so I've been leaning towards a new skill - Tech. I don't think a Knowledge skill is appropriate in this case, but maybe? Knowledge (Vehicles) would cover it. More thoughts to come.

Savage Worlds FallOut?

2009-05-20T15:47:00.003-05:00

What you need mechanics-wise to do Savage FallOut:

· · Radiation effects – treated as Hindrances?
· Mutation rules – Arcane Background (Mutation)? – Charisma drops for each level?
· Scrounging rules – finding random junk
· Building your own equipment – armor, weapons, vehicles WITHOUT an AB, based on Repair?
· Degrading equipment and repairing it once it degrades
· Arcane Background (Weird Science) – additional rules for handling atomic power
· New Edges and Hindrances – look at FallOut 3 Perks
· Science skill – hacking terminals and robots, maybe Tech to keep it in line with vehicles
· Barter skill – negotiating for better prices, maybe just Persuasion?
· Creatures of the Wasteland – irradiated monsters and robots
· Residents of the Wasteland – generic NPCs
· Standard weapons and armor
· Professional Edges – Trader, Mechanic, Child of Atom, Knight of Steel, Slaver, Robot Engineer, Scrounger, Mercenary, Regulator, Raider
· Available races (maybe Background Edges?) – Wastelander, Vault Dweller, Ghoul, Pureblood
· VATS (Vault Assisted Targeting System) - ???
· Weapon, Armor, Vehicle Perks and Hindrances

Savage Worlds Vehicles

2009-05-20T13:45:00.002-05:00

Been thinking a lot lately about a new set of vehicle rules for Savage Worlds. The system's lack of a system regarding vehicles is one of the biggest stumbling blocks I have to full incorporation of Savage Worlds into other games. For instance, to effectively do Star*Drive I would need a set of rules that allowed for the characters to upgrade their vehicle in ways that they want. Beyond that having a definite rule set I think would go a long way towards larger adoption of the system in the gaming community at large. I hope.

Towards that end I've been tinkering. The basic idea I started with was that vehicles have attributes just like characters. SW has five basic attributes that define characters and NPCs: Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength, and Vigor. Two of these (Agility and Vigor) port over easily. The other ones I had difficulties coming up with comparisons.

Initially then I came up with three new, vehicle specific attributes - Bulk, Power, and Tech. That worked, but there were a lot of good criticisms to that system when I posted the rules skeleton at Pinnacle's forums. Sean Preston also pointed out some things, and made the suggestion that I look at other games to see how they handle it. Not to copy them, but to get an idea of how a vehicle system could be integrated.

In searching through the many games on my shelf, I was surprised at how many of them had proprietary vehicle systems completely separate from characters. This makes sense, and was where I wound up at with my first pass. But what if there was a way? A few games actually had the basic idea of "vehicles=NPCs" that I wanted so I decided to look closer at those. In doing so I came up with the following definitions for vehicle attributes:

Agility: How agile the vehicle is
Smarts: How many automated systems are aboard the vehicle, can be 0
Spirit: How many defense and redundant systems are aboard the vehicle, can be 0
Strength: How powerful the vehicle is, for speed and ramming
Vigor: How resistant to damage and upkeep the vehicle is

This requires another attribute that would equate to the critter score of the same name - Size Modifier. This would allow vehicles and creatures to be rated on the same scale. The SM would help to determine crew requirements and Toughness (just like critters).

Here's the other rub: vehicles can have an Arcane Background. Well, kind of - it would be called something else (like Advanced Systems or something similar) but it would function exactly the same as an AB. You could make some powers permanent by sacrificing Power Points, or require a check.

It is important to note that vehicles do not make rolls on their own (unless there's an onboard intelligence). Instead, the vehicle attributes would replace the Wild Die for character skill rolls. A character driving a vehicle with an Agility d8 for instance would roll d8 for their Wild Die instead of d6. Still working that out for definitions, but that's the basic idea.

Also, all of this I think would require a new character skill which I'm tentatively calling Tech. It is a generic skill for handling the character's use of computers. Maybe a Knoweldge (Tech) skill instead? I don't really like using Knowledge skills for active use but that might be the best solution.

Quarter Campaign: Pirates!

2009-05-05T11:49:00.002-05:00

Starting on Sunday, May 10th, I'm going to go ahead with the first Quarter Campaign: Pirates of the Spanish Main! This will be a weekly Sunday game that will wrap up by the end of July, hard and fast rule. There will be supernatural elements, along with swashbuckling and adventures in the Caribbean and environs. It will also be a Savage Worlds game.

Come up with a character that is either a pirate or a non-pirate, and find a reason for that character to be sailing aboard a legitimate British merchant vessel to Port Royal. More details in the next few days.

Relics & Rumors #2!!!!

2009-05-01T14:47:00.003-05:00

Hoody hoo! Relics & Rumors #2 was just released today, with #3 coming out sometime before the end of the month. R&R#2 was written almost exclusively by me, with only edits and tweaks done to the final product - or at least that I can see/remember. There were some changes, primarily to the titles of the scenarios, and I'd thought I'd call out ...

* Blackbeard's Cutlass - Original scenario was called "Strike of the Black Thrasher," published scenario changed to "Rise of the Black Thrasher." Not too much change, maintains the gist of the original so I'm pretty OK with that.

* Charlemagne's Crown - Original scenario was called "The Tears of the Saint," published scenario changed to "Saint's Tears." I've always been a big fan of the classic scenario naming conventions, but changing it to the possessive version works.

* Chief Crazy Horse's Rife - This one I'm (fake) angry about, 'cause it was one of my favorite titles. The scenario was changed to "Black Hills Tech," which I feel doesn't capture the pulpy-craziness of the situation. No, the original title would have served better - "Robots of the Black Hills." Period.

* Crystal Skull of Doom - New scenario name is "War of Wasps," which I'm really fine with primarily because I struggled with the name previously. I don't think it had a terribly great name to begin with and "War of Wasps" works perfectly.

So, Relics & Rumors #2 is out today, go buy it and support Ravaged Earth and Reality Blurs.

The Day After Ragnarok

2009-04-28T14:49:00.003-05:00

"Know, O Prince, that between the years when the Serpent fell and the oceans drank America and the gleaming cities, and the rise of the Sons of Space, there was an Age undreamed of, when nations guttered low and flared brilliant across the poisoned world like dying stars – California and Texas each claiming the flag of the West, France torn asunder and facing the desert, harsh Mexico, slumbering Brazil, Argentina where the seeds of Thule lay waiting, ancient lands of Persia and Arabia and Iraq between two empires, the coldly clutching Soviet Union whispering behind its Wall of Serpent, Japan whose warriors wore steel and silk and khaki. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Australia, the last green and pleasant land, ringed around by its dominions and bulwarked by the sea."

Doesn't that sound nice? A new Savage Worlds setting from Atomic Overmind written by Kenneth Hite. I've been itching for a post-apocalyptic game since FallOut 3 came out, and I was toying with the idea of converting that setting, but The Day After Ragnarok sounds too cool to pass up. Find out more at www.atomicovermind.com.

Trip to San Francisco?

2009-04-27T14:23:00.002-05:00

Still thinking about it, still planning on it, but I need at least 2 other people to "commit," with a maximum of 3 other people (4 total with me). I'm thinking Friday August 28th through Monday, September 7th. Leave on that Friday, drive through to San Francisco by Monday, spend Monday through Friday in San Francisco, drive back on Friday and be back around Sunday September 6th. Monday September 7th is Labor Day, for reference.

So start thinking. Like the Boston trip this will be a budget vacation, staying at campgrounds and hitting the cheap but interesting sites around town. Gas will probably be the most expensive ticket, probably, but with four people it's much easier to bear.

Quarter Campaigns REVISITED

2009-04-22T11:13:00.003-05:00

I think four campaigns strung one after another is a bit ... ambitious for us. For everyone, players and GMs included. So, while maintaining the concept of quarter campaigns, I'd like to propose the following general schedule:

January, February, March: Quarter Campaign

April: No campaign

May, June, July: Quarter Campaign

August: No campaign

September, October, November: Quarter Campaign

December: No campaign

This schedule allows for more flexibility while also avoiding potentially busy months. It also allows for more seasonal thematic campaigns to take place, such as the summer campaign or the fall campaign. December always tends to be pretty busy anyway, so picking things back up in January usually happens regardless.

If you haven't noticed, I like schedules and structures - it helps me know what to have prepared when and not not let things slip through the cracks.

Given the above schedule I'd like to propose the first Quarter Campaign - Pirates of the Spanish Main, a Savage Worlds game. Start in May, like Sunday May 3rd, and go on from there.

Star*Drive On the Horizon ... Again!

2009-04-21T08:21:00.002-05:00

So I've been wrestling with what system to convert the Star*Drive campaign to. I like the setting a whole bunch, and I've been on the fence on whether to move to GURPS or Savage Worlds. GURPS is a much more complex game with rules and math to handle every situation, while Savage Worlds is light and easy to run and understand. You sacrifice the technical aspects of a sci-fi game with Savage Worlds, but you sacrifice ease of play with GURPS.

This has plagued me for going on two years? A long time. And I was working on it again last night when I came to a startling revelation.

I think I'll just keep Alternity. I'll need to tweak the system to remove levels but ... maybe I'll just use that. More thoughts required, but it certainly would be easier.

May 1st- Party Down in Mankato

2009-04-21T07:33:00.003-05:00

Hey, everyone, I'm almost done with my semester down here in Mankato, and I think a good way to celebrate would be to invite some people down here for some fun stuff. There are a couple of disc golf courses we could try in the Mankato area (weather permitting) and perhaps we could play my or David's recently published adventures, or just some Apples to Apples and board games. Anyway, expect food, drink, and entertainment. Well, I hope to see some people down on May 1st, then (sadly, I only have room for about seven- any more than that could get a bit cramped). See ya!

Harris

http://www.inkato.com/page/kato_frolf.html

Quarter Campaigns?

2009-04-20T09:08:00.003-05:00

I've got a lot of stuff I'd like to do when it comes to RPGs. Lots of settings I'd like to try out, lots of cool books to utilize, lots of stories to tell. So I would like to propose the following concept: Quarter Campaigns.

The concept follows the fact that we can divide a calendar year into four quarters - Jan/Feb/Mar, Apr/May/June, July/Aug/Sept, and Oct/Nov/Dec. Each quarter gets three months, or about 12 weeks, which I think is a good length for an RPG campaign from start to finish. At least a campaign people haven't played before and aren't quite sure how it would work for them.

At the end of quarter I'd like to have some sort of retrospective, probably over a meal at some moderately fancy restaurant. Sort of a "hey we just completed a campaign how did it go" kind of thing.

Since we're into Q2 of 2009 I'm going to propose we just keep plowing forward with Call of Cthulhu: Day of the Beast for this Quarter Campaign. We can DEFINITELY finish it up before the end of June if we keep up with regular sessions - Sundays or Fridays when there's no Star Wars seem to be the best. But maybe Saturdays.

For the Q3 2009 Campaign I'd like to go with a swashbuckling 7th Sea type game using the Savage Worlds rules. Not sure if I'd actually use the 7th Sea setting or just go with a more real-world type setting (with a healthy dose of unreality in there as well). Suggestions welcome.

My Blog

2009-04-17T12:35:00.007-05:00

Some of you (now that its been established that more than just me check out the blog) have expressed interest in viewing the project I've been working on recently. It is a record of my attempt to read the various religious texts of the world to get a better understanding of the world's faiths and beliefs. While I would greatly appreciate any interest or feedback, my writing is mainly for my own practice and is probably fairly boring for anyone but me. I make no pretenses to any great insights into the spiritual, or even good writing. Oh well!

http://spoonbridge.wordpress.com

The Journal of Theodore Wilson Burns, vol 2.

2009-04-17T12:31:00.004-05:00

3/18/1928

Out of the blue, I received a call from George Carrington today! I knew that our link was too strong to be ignored. It seems that he needs my help, as strange phenomena not unlike that at those at Carrington’s home have befallen one of his friends. I eagerly told him I would do what I could to help and will meet him in a week at his office in New York. I cannot wait to see what awaits me next in my explorations! Why, he said he would even pay me for my troubles!

3/20/1928

Disappointment mingled with confusion today as I write on the train to the featureless interior of America. My trip to New York failed to bring Cecelia out of hiding (is there someone else?) and Carrington’s “assignment” for me seems frustratingly vague. I do not know what I should do. His college acquaintance has made his fortune through gold mining with New World Industries in the mineral rich regions of South Dakota but his operations have recently come under some mysterious hardships. A terrible disease has stricken some of the miners and a rash of inexplicable suicides have claimed the lives of others, as well as the breakdown of some of the mines’ equipment, demonstrated by the sudden end of our telephone conversation with him. I admit to being quite fearful of this journey as my constitution is naturally quite susceptible to illness and I am mystified as to what these problems of business have to do with my interest in the supernatural. However, I must keep to my word as a man of honor and student of the unknowable. Perhaps more will be explained upon our arrival in the town of Rapid City, South Dakota tomorrow. Accompanying me are that awful cad Graeme Smythe who weaseled his way into the investigation and Volker Sauer Mucke, who hopes to paint new visions of the South Dakotan badlands. I am sure he will find much inspiration.

3/21/1928

I am so tired I can barely summon up enough energy to write this account. However, sleep has been long in coming after the terrible things I have seen today. After arriving at Rapid City, a genial man by the name of Mr. Wallace, geologist by trade picked us up in his automobile to convey us to the site of the mining operations. Along the way he explained more about the current troubles, including the fact that they are digging in an area long believed sacred by the local Indians.
Upon our arrival, however, chaos had overtaken the area and distraught men ran everywhere. Wallace was quickly informed that Carrington’s friend had been the latest victim of the odd string of deaths surrounding the mine and we all were ushered to the mine’s administration office. Never will I forgot the scene of horror there! The man was struck through the head with a mining pick! Though I had never witnessed such a scene before, I believe I handled it like a true detective and impressed even the local sheriff, a man right out of the Western pulps. He blamed the murder upon the Indians, some whom resisted the sale of their lands to the company. Through his deductive skills, (of which I had never suspected) Mr. Smythe was able to determine the man died of self-inflicted wound. How horrific! How could a man do such a thing to himself? Also, there were some strange diagrams that seem to have no know symbolism to me. Finally, we visited the infirmary were this disease was taking a terrible toll on the miners; never have I seen such terrible symptoms and I hope and pray it is not contagious. The local doctor was at his wits end, knowing neither the cause nor the cure for the wasting malady. My only guess is that it has something to do with the mines as most were involved in a tragic accident several months before. Perhaps their guilt for surviving is causing their spirtual malaise to effect their bodies. That is my only conjecture. Tomorrow we explore the mine that was the site of the incident.

3/22/1928

What a terrible day! The weather is cold and windy here in the Black Hills, not at all conductive to my well-being. I slept terribly, wracked by horrid dreams I cannot recall. It must be the pall of sorrow over the mines. The food is vile and the miners are not at all men of whom conversation means much, which is understandable given the situation. And to make matters worse, I sprained my ankle while climbing into that damned, dank mine shaft! It hurts terribly, but not as bad as the headache that has plagued me all day as well. The only thing we found in the mine, site of the accident was another mysterious diagram, almost mathematical in its precision. The sciences have never been my area of expertise, and neither it would seem with Mr. Smyhe or Volker. We can make nothing of it. Time to go to sleep tonight, if I can sleep in this stiff, uncomfortable cot.

I have gone over the mine logs recently, though I am no businessman. Only one thing of note; they are mining a lot of some ore called “pitchblende” but they are not shipping it out. What is it used for, I wonder?

3/23/1928- morning

An even worse dream last night, and my headache has increased to a nearly unbearable pounding behind my temples. The dream was full of menace and I fear something bad is going to happen, dreams are very prophetic. This one was awful, I was in a pit filled with disgusting beetles and large buzzing insects said horrible things to me before I was buried in bugs. Truly unspeakable! I will think no more on it. Today I have suggested that we visit the local Indians, though the sheriff and miners contend that they are hostile and violent to all whites. This is their ancient land, so I feel that they may have important insights to impart upon us if we only but listen. Primitive peoples, have, I feel kept closer to the ancient ideals of the spirit then we scientific civilized men.

Later

Unbelievable! I had no idea of the horrors that lurk under the Black Hills! The Sioux medicine man has explained all but it is up to us to stop this terrible infestation. The miners do not know what they have awoken; terrible evil spirits that science cannot account for!

We trekked out to the reservation where the local Indians live. None of us was skilled riders but horseback was the only way to get to the Sioux village and none of the more experienced outdoorsmen would risk the wrath of the Indians. As we were nearing our destination, a few of the younger men brandished rifles and threatened us. They must have thought us a sorry sight when all three of us tumbled off our horses at the first sign of trouble. I tried to calm them but they were enraged, shouting at us “company men” to get out of their land. Just as things started to look bad, another man appeared on horseback, the Indian sheriff and ordered the ruffians off. He had heard of our activities at the mine and wanted us to meet the local medicine man. I was intrigued, despite my pounding head and wanted to meet this wise man as soon as possible. I was sure he would have great spiritual insights, and I was proven correct in my assumptions.

He asked us to sit in a circle inside of his sweat lodge and told us the story of the evil spirits that dwelt beneath the hills (I shall have to record the full story in another account). The miners awoke them from their sleep and now they were active in the world of men once more. And then something happened that I can barely recall, let alone write. I shall do my best to record it. The medicine man began a chant and a dance unlike any I have seen before. Then, I do not know how to render it in words, my head exploded. It felt like that at least. When I came to, he was stomping on some horrible insect upon the floor of the hut. It was an evil spirit, called Shan that had dwelt inside my very mind, twisting me to its foul bidding. Mr. Smythe and Volker both looked physically ill at the scene. The holy man told us that many at the camp were host to such evil parasites and taught us the song to combat them.

We returned to the camp and set about trying to force any Shan from Mr. Wallace if he was infected by one. In an awkward scene we convinced him to let us show him what we learned, dancing and singing the song we had learned. Unfortunately, we did it incorrectly and had to do it again before Mr. Wallace could get away. The next time it was flawless and, to everyone’s shock a Shan spirit burst out of Wallace’s forehead (without leaving a mark) and the man fainted away. The creature was hideous, glowing a strange blue with many legs and eyes, it flew around at great speeds. Volker and Graeme were horrified and shot at the bug with their pistols, but it was too quick for them. Finally, someone managed to smash it with a broken chair leg. After the sound of gunfire and Mr. Wallace’s state of unconsciousness, many miners were suspicious of us. We tried to explain that there were snakes, but it seemed that many did not believe us. However, they did not question us further and we all retired to bed, which is where I am reading this now. I am exhausted, but almost too frightened to sleep. What if the shan come back and get in my head again.

3/25/1928

I am writing this on the train back east towards home. Graeme and Volker are both feeling quite ill, and I fear they may have been effected by the disease that had stricken many of the miners, and I only hope that they recover. However, I am sure that spiritually they feel much better, as I do, for we have put an end to the terrors of the Black Hills.

The night we drove the shan from Mr. Wallace, we heard some activity in the camp late at night. Investigating we found a group of miners secretly transporting supplies. Following them surreptitiously we discovered that they traveled to a hidden mine entrance about a mile from the camp. There they unloaded a lot of ore- must be that pitchblende. In the morning we explored the place and found that it went deep into the mountainside, a mile or more underground. There we found the home of the shan, a huge glowing pyramid structure. It filled me with terror and I suddenly realized the illness of the other miners; this place had emanations that were not healthy for humans and I insisted we leave that instant. As we were escaping we encountered several of the terrible shan spirits! They attacked us and one struck me with a ray of light in projected, incapacitating me with terrible pain, worse then any I have ever felt! Fortunately Volker and Graeme were able to avail themselves of the heavy shovels we brought with a crushed the evil insects. Escaping from the horrid pit, we collapsed the mine entrance with the ample dynamite left nearby. How convenient! Returning to camp, we spoke to Mr. Wallace who had recovered by that time and he informed us that, after the explosion several miners all collapsed (each part of the secret errand of the previous night) and some claimed they saw some kind of insect nearby. Our measures were enough to force the shan from their hosts, but I fear they are still out there. Thankfully we are on the way home now.

4/10/1928
I have received word from the New York hospital that both Volker and Mr. Smythe have recovered from their inexplicable illnesses, though it seems that both have temporarily lost all of their hair. Radiation poisoning they called it. Very rare, very mysterious!

New Class: The Lord

2009-04-15T08:37:00.004-05:00

Been thinking a lot about the Lord class, which is the new Charisma-based class I've been tinkering. It's going to have a medium base attack bonus, which relates to a d8 HD. Not a slouch in combat, but not its primary focus.

Instead the primary focus would be on practices. Practices are associated with spheres, and spheres are tied to one of the Charisma-based skills. Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perform, and the others (which for some reason I can't think of right now). I'm thinking the lord will have access to a certain number of practices based on level, and utilizing the practice will require a skill check of the appropriate sphere skill.

I'm thinking most of the practices will be support level, very similar to the bard abilities, but there should be focused attacks in there as well. With a sphere for the Perform skill I'm really thinking the lord will ENTIRELY replace the specific and focused bard base class. The bard would then become a prestige class, which has always felt more appropriate to me.

Just musings at this point, but I'm starting to come up with concrete details in a document. A good start, I think.

Working on New/Tweaked Classes

2009-04-13T11:29:00.002-05:00

I'm going to start earnest work on developing the new classes that I see fulfill system niches in Pathfinder RPG. These include the filch, priest, lord, knight, shaper, and warlock. At the same time the following classes will need to be tweaked: cleric, wizard, sorcerer, and bard. The largest piece of this update is the brand new class based on Charisma - lord. I'm thinking its abilities will be based on the Star Wars noble but more useful, and based around spheres. Each sphere would be associated with a Charisma-based skill, giving each lord a focus.

Here are the specific tweaks to the existing classes I'm thinking about right now:

* The paladin goes away and the cleric steps up to replace it more or less. The cleric would have the good base attack bonus progression and higher hit dice, and fewer spells. I'm thinking a progression of every three levels instead of every other level. So 1st level spells from 1st through 3rd level, 2nd level spells from 4th to 6th, etc. This caps out at 7th level spells at 19th level. Also looking at the domains and building special abilities based off of those - Pathfinder RPG already started down this path.

* The wizard will be tweaked to include the overcast ability we played around with in the Age of Worms campaign along with the abilities from Pathfinder RPG. Not too much change, actually.

* The sorcerer is almost a new class. It'll be a wizard/fighter combo class, sort of, but I'll look at the other variants already presented in existing splatbooks - duskblade comes to mind out of the PHB2, but I know there were others (spellsword out of Complete Warrior?). Something along those lines.

* I'm thinking the bard loses arcane spellcasting abilities, and instead gains something similar to the lord's sphere focus. Not sure at this point, I think the details will fall out from the work done on the lord class.

Some of the new classes already exist in one form or another and I'll just be tweaking them to work with the Pathfinder RPG. This includes the knight, which appears in PHB2 - that might be a straight conversion to be honest. I'll need to give the class an overview to check.

Warlock is going to be pretty different from what's presented in Complete Arcane, and will be based more on the 4E warlock. Someone who trafficks in otherwordly powers, and gains their powers from pacts. Emphasis on summoning? Probably, maybe.

The shaper is going to be an interesting class, and will be more or less a flexi-class based on the polymorph spell and the psionic powers contained within the biokinesis discipline. More details to follow.

D&D? Done? I Think Not!

2009-04-09T12:51:00.002-05:00

I love D&D, and I've got a lot of books on my shelf to prove it. I don't want to stop playing D&D just because the new edition is crap and the number of players have dwindled to smaller number. I say thee nay!

Although the title of this post is misleading. Instead of D&D 3.5 I'd like to go with Pathfinder RPG, which is also known as D&D 3.75. With the Age of Worms campaign I used a few of the ideas presented in Pathfinder, including the skill system which didn't really work, but for the new "thing" I'm going with Pathfinder completely. And not just with the system - the setting as well.

More details at www.paizo.com, but in essence I'm going to run a home game of the Pathfinder Society mega-campaign. This is similar to the RPGA, but it's organized by Paizo with fewer restrictions. There are still a few things I'd change, including using the Pathfinder RPG rules rather than the D&D 3.5 rules, but the changes aren't that major.

I'm going to pick up the Pathfinder Campaign Setting, which has more details in it on the world of Golarion, and sometime soon I'm going to start up a more or less free-for-all campaign. Probably on Mondays, maybe Sunday evenings ... ? The hook for the campaign will be the Pathfinder Society.

Gotta go. Bacon popcorn calls.

The Great Funk

2009-03-30T09:03:00.005-05:00

I'm at somewhat of a loss. With the close of the Age of Worms campaign (and indeed, D&D in general) I'm feeling very much adrift in a sea of gaming apathy. I don't want to stop gaming, and I don't think I will, but I'm not sure if I'm the only one who feels this this way.

It's quite ironic that at the point where I'm starting to break into the RPG industry that my core gaming group would, more or less, collapse. Perhaps it's just finding the right game to interest people, the right setting that captures peoples' imaginations. I'm just not sure what that setting is just yet.

So in the interest of creating lists, I'm going to create a list of everything that I would want to GM with a "name-system-description" format. In no particular order:

* Deadlands - Deadlands - Finishing up the Deadlands campaign, which is a western horror RPG with its own rule set.

* Ravaged Earth - Savage Worlds - This is where most of my freelance work is being done set within a 1936 pulp hero setting where Martians invaded in 1898.

* Slipstream - Savage Worlds - Space pulp in the vein of early Star Wars

* Star*Drive - GURPS - A more realistic sci-fi setting in the year 2501, kind of a Firefly feel

* Day of the Beast - Call of Cthulhu - We've already started this, so I have no intention of stopping, but I really need to know if the interest is there

* Rise of the Runelords - D&D 3.75 - If there is interest in a new D&D campaign I've got everything I need to get going at the drop of a hat. I'm interested, but only if there is player interest

* Dark Heresy - Dark Heresy - This is a Warhammer 40K game set in the way distant future where you play inquisitors traveling across the vast gulf of space hunting heretics, aliens, and conspiracies. Very gothic, very dark, very violent

* Iron Maiden - Shadowrun - New Shadowrun campaign set in Europe based on Iron Maiden tunes

* Necessary Evil - Savage Worlds - A superhero game where you play supervillains! Most of the heroes of the world were killed by an alien force and now the villains are all that are left to stop the invaders.

* 7th Sea - Savage Worlds - A migration of the excellent 7th Sea setting to the Savage Worlds rules. 7th Sea is a swashbuckling game set in an alternate world - pirates, corsairs, spies, and sorcery all exist, along with a strange new continent beyond the 7th sea itself ...

* RunePunk - Savage Worlds - Dark steampunk fantasy set in a giant city. Very easy to run, could be done with very few people, very Final Fantasy VI (from what I've heard)

There it is. 11 campaigns across 7 game systems. You'll notice that D&D 4th Edition is not up there - this is intentional. Having now played in a full session of 4th Edition my apathy towards it has grown into full disdain - I don't want to play 4E. Brrr.

So there it is. I don't expect anyone but Harris to read this.

Cowboys, Spaceships, or Cthulhu?

2009-03-09T10:47:00.003-05:00

The Age of Worms campaign has but one session left and then it will be wrapped up. With it we will be wrapping up the general D&D campaign that has been going for almost 15 years. Quite an achievement, and certainly one worthy of praise.

But looking to the future I don't want to stop gaming on Sundays. It seems to be a pretty reliable day where nothing else goes on, so why not keep going with something? I can find no reason to not. That does leave us with the question of what to do now, however.

In answer to that question I have three possibilities. I'll outline each in brief:

1. Deadlands: I've got a couple of Deadlands scenarios I'd like to do to wrap up that campaign completely. Probably four or five sessions at most, so not terribly long. New characters welcome, as well as the existing posse.

2. Traveler GURPS: I have been itching to play a space game for quite a long time. This would be a GURPS campaign set in the Traveler: Interstellar War setting. It would have a very Firefly-esque feel to it, but would probably take the route of freelancer traders/smugglers in a wide galaxy dominated by an imperialistic regime at odds with the Terran Federation. Unknown campaign length as of now, but I envision it being more open and freestyle than others.

3. Day of the Beast: We started my Call of Cthulhu campaign a few weeks ago on a Friday, and the original idea was to play it on Fridays when we weren't playing Star Wars. Well, we seem to be playing Star Wars most weeks and the weeks we're not there's something going on occupying most of the people's time. So we could move it to Sundays as a regular game. About twelve sessions in total is what I anticipate.

So - cowboys, spaceships, or Cthulhu? What's the vote?

New Shadowrun Campaign

2009-03-03T09:14:00.002-06:00

I think I'm going to put to rest the current Shadowrun campaign. We've had 19 sessions (2 with Harris, 17 with me) and it's been a good run. The main crutch of this first campaign was set in North America, specifically Seattle, and focused on runs based on Metallica song titles. This worked exceedingly well in my mind, allowing me to focus a scenario on an aspect of a really cool song for each session.

Here's a quick recap of the Metallica songs that turned into runs:

"Trapped Under Ice"
"Where the Wild Things Are"
"Stone Dead Forever"
"Holier Than Thou"
"Hit the Lights"
"Whiplash"
"Ain't My Bitch"
"Leper Messiah"
"Invisible Kid"
"Wherever I May Roam" 3 sessions in Africa!
"The Frayed Ends of Sanity"
"The Thing That Should Not Be"
"The Call of Ktulu"
"The End of the Line"

I know I'm missing a few, but those were the big ones. So now it's time to look to the future. I'd like to start a new Shadowrun campaign, this time set in the unstable patchwork continent known as Europe. In keeping with the theme of musically inspired runs, I've decided to use Iron Maiden tunes for these runs.

The new "Iron Maiden" campaign will be more focused on travel as well, since there are a lot of interesting places in Europe to run the shadows (Europort, Brussels, Paris, London, most of the Allied German States, Prague, etc., etc.) and you can expect to hit the highlights and lowlifes. I'd like everyone to make new runners, though you will be starting with a bit of experience under your belts. Many options are available, including new metatype variants - comb through the Shadowrunner's Companion book for ideas.

More details to come.

The Journal of Theodore Wilson Burns, vol 1.

2009-02-27T17:13:00.003-06:00

This is the personal diary of one Theo W. Burns, student at Miskatonic University, a record of the "Day of the Beast" campaign, of which the first session was January 30, 2009.

5/30/1927

Another semester completed. I am beginning to enjoy my choice of Ancient Greek as my new course of study; much more dignified than English. The Greeks always were wise in matters of the spirit. Explains the majesty of their mythology as such a primal force in human culture. Madame Dulagi’s consultation was hopeful today, and it echoes my own reading of the cards.

7/8/1927

A perfect opportunity to further my explorations of the occult has opened to me! In the Arkham paper, I came upon an advertisement that invited those interested to “experience the supernatural.” For the nominal fee of fifty dollars, I could finally put first hand knowledge of these subjects behind all of the books I have studying so avidly. For so long, I have felt certain that mystical ideas are hidden behind the façade of the mundane, that humans have abilities that the stolid businessman and the scientist scoff at. Oh, if the gray citadels of temporal power are correct and the universe remains the sole domain of the “jealous God” and we have only to keep to the path and not question, then the world will remain as dead to me as the November skies of my northern homeland. If even worse, as the skeptics purport, the universe is under the sole custodianship of blind chance and the idiot rule of pure natural law, than all life is meaningless and without reason at all. Such a thing I cannot accept! We humans are gifted with wonderful eyes for the symbolic, and as Jung and Fraser have shown, these themes remain remarkably consistent through the world.
In short, what some would dismiss as a mere “haunted house,” well, in it I see a total confirmation of my beliefs! I could never pass up such an opportunity! It is scheduled to be held in a small Massachusetts village. Next week, I shall travel to New York City to meet Paul Lamont, the acclaimed spiritualist who will be guiding us on this endeavor.

7/12/1927

I have arrived at Carrington House and I am impressed both with the house and with the famed spiritualist Paul Lamont. He appears to be a gentleman of unquestionable honor and if what he says is correct, he has a rare skill with communicating with the afterlife. His agent on the other hand is a most disagreeable sort, the kind of annoying toad of a man that gives critics of the mystical arts call to condemn the lot of them. He is a self absorbed, greedy nitwit of a man interested only in his own fame. I don’t know what Paul is thinking for working with him, but I will try not to let his ill presence interrupt my appreciation of the mysteries.

The Carrington House itself certainly looks like a place where the spirits of the dead can communicate with the living. Several hundred years old, it has long been the host of unexplainable apparitions, our host George Carrington attesting to them himself. His family owns the house, but his is not a man taken to flights of fancy. Ah, tonight’s séance promise to be most interesting. Perhaps only half as interesting, though, as Cecelia, the most beautiful member of the female species that ever I have laid eyes on! Oh, Cecelia, forever more will the acrid odor of harsh European tobacco be associated for me with the pangs of love! A young lady of the most sensitive and sophisticated nature, I feel a kindred spirit with Cecelia. We both share the pain of lost loved ones, and are both deeply interested in the unseen world as well. If all goes well, I shall propose to Cecelia when the opportunity presents itself.
I should mention the other members of our little party as well. There is a strange artist, Junker. German, I think. His work seems very skilled, but of the recognizable style of the New Objectivity, not to my taste. He seems a good sort though, as I definitely feel akin to artists of all types. Then there is a mysterious older woman by the name of Audrey. She is quiet and rarely associates with the rest of us. She is one to watch I think. Finally, there is Graeme, a common and annoying man. He appears to have little knowledge or interest in the occult at all. It is a mystery to me as to why he is here, but he seems to stick his nose into everything. It is very vexing. Definitely should end here for now, I hear dinner is being called. Our host’s housekeeper has been esteemed for her cooking and I haven’t eaten anything all day!

Later

Tonight’s séance was far more than I ever could have hoped! As soon as John began, he quickly got into contact with a spirit; it proved to be none other than our host’s young sister, who died in the house. He was quite beside himself with unbidden memories at her easily recognized voice. I have never seen such a successful channeling. However, our young guest was frightened herself by the appearance of another apparition, this one in the physical! Graeme was strangely affected and ran upstairs to an empty room, where the air had become unnaturally cold. It was at least 40 degrees in there, and in the middle of July! Here, at John’s suggestion we performed another séance and this time he got into contact with another spirit! This was that of an old Puritan woman who called herself Catherine. She claimed to be protecting the house from some kind of demon spawn and seemed much less pleasant than the little girl. I think that devotion to such a savage and crude religion as the Congregational church could certainly keep an angry spirit here on this plane (in fact, they burnt a witch in this very town!). Catherine claimed to have murdered a child to keep the Devil at bay. How horrific, such a self deluded spirit. It is no wonder she clings to this world.

7/13/1927

What a strange night! While I was having trouble sleeping in the spooky old house, I heard a noise from deep in the house. I summoned the others before we investigated, discovering old Margaret the housekeeper in the basement carrying an axe! I am concerned that she may be being affected by the house. She did do us the favor of bringing our attention to a strange locked door in the basement, behind which we found some profoundly disturbing evidence. A nail was found to ooze spectral blood. Even worse, a human skeleton was unearthed in the corner. Audrey was able to determine it as a child, the cause of death being blunt force trauma to the head (she is quite knowledgeable about anatomy, it seems). These, no doubt, are the sad remains of Catherine’s young victim. I wonder what proper procedure is in this case. Should we notify the authorities? It is nearly breakfast, after which Cecelia and I will take a walk into the village to see if we might be able to find out more about the history of the Carrington house.

Afternoon

Much was discovered in the records of the old church in town, coupled with some documents we have found in the Carrington house itself. I believe I am beginning to peace together the tragic history of the house. Built for Catherine’s husband, the childless colonial woman claimed the son of an executed witch for her own, later going mad and killing him as she believed he had his mother’s “curse.” After her death, she stayed on in the house and later drove others mad, including George Carrington’s sister, whom she forced to commit suicide in the belief she too was a witch. Tonight we shall attempt to contact the spirit of the murdered boy. Oh, and Margaret continues to act strangely; her meals are not up to normal standards. She may be in spiritual danger.

Late

Tonight we were not able to accomplish much; Paul Lamont is physically drained from his encounters with the spirit realm. We cannot ask much more of him, he has earned our money and more. We can only hope now to put some of these poor spirits to rest. The young boy seems to be especially difficult to contact. Tomorrow shall be the last day of our visit, so I hope we are able to succeed.

7/14/1927, very early

Another long night; again Margaret was found wandering the house with an axe, muttering to herself. Audrey put her on some medication, so I hope her episodes are over. I do believe that the spirit of Catherine is having a malign influence on her. In the morning I shall propose we attempt to force the Puritan ghost from the house.

Later in the Day

The day has proved to be the most event and successful we have had; all are satisfied by Paul Lamont’s wonderful gifts (save for his agent, who selfishly wanted to keep the house “haunted”) and we are all linked in our spiritual accomplishments. The morning started when Paul attempted to contact the boy, succeeding! He answered our questions through knocking and he and George’s sister appear to be friends in the world of the dead. They both have an undying fear of Catherine, and imply that she is always near. We determined to rid the house of her malign influence and we all joined our thoughts to forcing her to move onto her final rest, Paul’s mind linking with ours. Without warning Margaret came bursting through the room as we were near to completing our task, attempting to strike Greame with an axe. He attempted to defend himself with a pistol, but fortunately missed as Catherine’s evil ghost was forced from the old housekeeper leaving her in control of her actions once more. It was a miracle no one was injured, but all fear was extinguished when we saw the graceful spirits of the two murdered children dissipate gratefully into their final reward. I feel that we did a very good thing in helping these restless ghosts to move along in their spiritual progression. I have never felt more accomplished in my life, Lamont has helped to show me how right I was in holding that the world held great spiritual power. I can only imagine what wonders he will lead us to next!

Cecilia has agreed to visit me Arkham as well, so I am nearly floating on a cloud right now. I cannot remember when I last was so happy, probably not since mother and father died. Perhaps I can finally improve myself to the place I know I should be.

Call of Cthulhu: Day of the Beast

2009-01-29T15:00:00.003-06:00

I'd like to start up a new Call of Cthulhu campaign for Fridays when we're not playing Star Wars. The campaign is "Day of the Beast" - a more traditional Cthulhu campaign, rather than the action-pulp oriented "Complete Masks of Nyarlathotep". It's not terribly long either, probably about 12 sessions in total give or take a few.

The campaign begins in July of 1927. Create an investigator who would be attracted to the following New York City newspaper ad:

"Experience the Supernatural!

Responsible persons of both intrepid and open-minded nature are invited to join famed New York spiritualist in a weekend of observation, investigation, and verification of a haunted house in New England. Contact with the spirit world is guaranteed. Not for the faint of heart. No experience necessary.

Write Box G 28 New York
* $50 fee, inclusive of full catering and transport to the site"

Characters of all types are welcome to join. This campaign will span several years in game time, and there exists the possibility of death and madness 'round nearly every corner. We'll be using the traditional Call of Cthulhu BRP system - it's just simpler that way, and I've never had a chance to use that system.

Age of Worms Campaign Update 12/14/2008

2008-12-16T15:15:00.016-06:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20081214, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Planting 18, 596 CY
Holed up in the giant city of Kongen-Thulnir, the companions contemplated their next course of action. They held in their possession both of the keys necessary to open the vault, behind which they presumed lay the phylactery of Dragotha the dracolich. One key was given to them by King Achaime Silvereye, and the other they had just taken from the corpse of the hill giant Charlgar in the pit of the Mother Worm.

The vault lay within the Citadel of Weeping Dragons towards the southern side of Kongen-Thulnir. It was a rocky outcropping rising from the canyon floor, with a natural stone bridge arching from the cliff-side city of giants. According to their map given to them by Loncer Amorocco the bridge was about a half-mile south of their current position. Argo poked his head out of the Undercity where they currently were and noted that the dragons attacked the city in regular intervals of about a half hour.

Utilizing this information, the companions - Duke, Kong, Drake, and Argo - made their way through the winding tunnels of the Undercity to the main level of the City of Kings, dodging falling debris along the way. From there they ducked and hid amongst the ruins of the buildings during the dragon raids and ran through the rubble when there was a lull. It took several hours, but they managed to get to the stone bridge with little or no incident.

This side of the bridge was capped with a large archway. Upon it were ancient runes in old dialect of Giant, that Duke was particularly fascinated with. His companions, however, urged him not to tarry as they had a several hundred foot bridge to cross.

They could see the Citadel of Weeping Dragons fairly clearly from their vantage point. It was a foreboding structure, easily four or five stories high with several probably extending into the base of the spire. Fire, stone, and hill giants stood at catapults and ballistas awaiting the inevitable new attack from the rampaging dragons. Two fire giants stood guard at the entrance to the citadel on the other side of the bridge, and it was these two that caused the heroes the most worry.

Should they launch a straight-up attack? Or try to parlay? There wasn't a lot of time in either case, but if they could somehow reason with the leader of the Tiamakal Nul-Shada - a fire giant named Kagro Thundersmiter - their going through the citadel would be much easier. The four companions decided to sneak as much as they could around the sentries and hopefully catch them off guard.

With that in mind, Duke cast a spider climb spell on each of them from his spellbook, as it was agreed by everyone that walking across the bridge was a bad idea. But climbing underneath the bridge ...? Much better idea. So, empowered by magic, the four climbed as fast as they could along the bottom of the natural stone bridge. Argo especially was a shadow amongst the rocks, moving quietly and stealthily.

Once they reached the other side they stealthily climbed around the sentries to a higher point just beyond them. Upon reaching this outcropping, however, Drake scraped his hand against the rock and let loose a shower of debris. This alerted the two fire giant sentries, who immediately gripped their weapons for attack. One of them shouted an alarm, and his voice carried through the citadel.

Deciding that there was little choice in the matter, Drake hefted his sword, gave a shout, and ran forward. He had the advantage of the higher ground, which he used when he leapt off the small ledge and brought his greatsword down in a powerful stroke. The giant was taken aback by the powerful maneuver and staggered.

Kong, not to be outdone, gave a shout announcing his furious barbarian rage and jumped - sword held high overhand - at the other sentry. His blow struck true and the giant was mortally wounded. Argo dropped into the fray as well, cutting the giant with his blades. Duke, however, decided to try a more diplomatic approach - he figured that if they could talk to the guards they could be convinced to take them inside.

The dwarf wizard cast Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter on the giant fighting Kong, sending the sentry into spasms of uncontrollable laughter. The other giant fought valiantly against Drake, and the fighter came to a startling realization. Him and Kong were still very wounded from the fight with the Mother Worm!

Seeing death approach at the hands of their giant opponents, Drake used the last of his wishes granted from the Deck of Many Things to heal the companions. It turned out to be a good idea, as Argo heard the sound of wings beating on the wind nearby. Suddenly a huge blue dragon appeared out of invisibility, breathing a cone of electricity on the hapless combatants! The two giants were no match for the attack and died in that initial onslaught, but the rest of the heroes steeled themselves and shifted focus to the dragon.

The dragon announced itself as Vermirox (a particularly vain move, but not uncommon amongst dragonkind) and promised a slow death. But he ate his words as Drake and Kong moved forward to engage it in melee, Argo taking up a flanking position. Duke stayed out of claw range and lobbed orbs of acid at the dragon, and after a few furious exchange of blows Vermirox's lifeless draconic corpse fell to the canyon floor below.

Knowing that the rest of the dragon raid was on its way, the four heroes beat feet towards the entrance to the citadel. Pushing open the doors revealed a wide corridor, and Drake and Kong took the lead side by side. In anticipation of trouble, Duke created a mirror image of himself to walk alongside his companions.

Disaster struck when the two warriors trigged a trap. They looked up just in time to see a gargantuan gelatinous cube creature fall from the ceiling! Neither ducked out of the way fast enough and they were both engulfed by the creature's gelatinous mass. Kong managed to struggle free, fighting with his barbarian might against the creature's oozy interior, but Drake was not so lucky. Paralyzed by the thing's ooze, the fighter could do nothing but float there and be slowly eaten away by the acid.

Argo and Kong faced off against the gelatinous cube, unsure as to how to proceed. Sadly, the thing proceeded instead, surging forward with a massive schlucking sound and engulfing both the halfling and the barbarian. This time Kong's limbs went stiff, but Argo held his breath and fought to escape the creature's insides.

Duke was left outside the gelatinous cube, lobbing spell after spell at the thing. While the creature did not seem to possess any inherent resistance to his arcane will, it was a long fight that forced the dwarf wizard outside the citadel to avoid being sucked inside. All the while his companions were slowly being eaten away by the cube's acidic digestive juices. Finally, after a particularly well-thrown orb of acid, the gelatinous cube's structure collapsed, sending a small tidal wave of crystalline ooze flowing in all directions. Luckily the creature's death ended the paralysis and capture of the three heroes.

Duke used charges from his wand of cure moderate wounds to patch up his companions as best he could. They forged onward, finding little on the first floor. The second floor also contained no giants, but they did not pause for full investigation. The third floor held a chamber right in front of the stairs, and Kong kicked its door open to find out what was inside.

It appeared to be some sort of meeting room, with a giant-sized table and chairs dominating the center. Seated at one of the chairs was a fire giant, who had been gripping the sides of the chair so hard that there were visible grip marks. One of his eyes was bigger than the other and twitched incessantly. He said nothing, simply staring at the intruders.

Duke ventured a phrase of greeting when suddenly the giant leapt on top of the table, bellowing in rage! He pulled out a giant battleaxe and handaxe, each wreathed in flames, and charged the heroes. Clearly deranged and mad with battle lust, the four companions stood their ground and fought the insane giant. He was a clever opponent, but Argo finally dropped him after several intense exchanges of blows.

As the giant fell to the ground, the door on the opposite side of the room opened. Inside stepped another fire giant, but this one held a more regal pose and carried a massive greataxe. He announced himself as Kagro Thundersmiter, clan leader of the Tiamakal Nul-Shada, and demanded to know what the companions were doing here, and if they were the ones who stole the key. Argo stammered out a few suggestions when Kagro noticed the body of the fallen giant.

His eyes turned fierce and he stepped forward, raising his axe in a killing stroke. Just as the heroes prepared for a tough melee Drake's last ability from the Deck of Many Things kicked in. He shouted that they had both of the keys to the vault and that Charlgar was the one who stole it. This caused Kagro to stop and consider the situation a bit more carefully. He lowered his axe and demanded an explanation.

Argo and Duke explained that they met with King Achaime Silvereye and were given one of the keys to the vault, and got the other from the body of the hill giant Charlgar. Kagro indicated that Charlgar was seen in the company of Vercinabex Tor, the frost giant sorcerer and advisor to the Tiamakal Nul-Shada. The fire giant explained that Tor had been obsessed with the contents of the vault, with which the clan was tasked with defending against all foes. He had no idea what was behind it and he didn't want to. But Tor needed to be confronted.

Kagro demanded that the companions follow him to confront the frost giant sorcerer in his chamber in the lower levels of the citadel. Seeing little option, and wanting to go along anyway, they agreed and the five of them followed the winding staircase to the lower levels. There, Kagro kicked down the door to a chamber.

Inside was a large room, clearly the dwelling place of a frost giant - it was noticeably colder than the rest of the citadel. Vercinabex Tor sat at his desk poring over volumes of lore when Kagro Thundersmiter demanded to know the truth of the situation. The heroes slowly entered the room and took up flanking positions on either side of the fire giant. Tor sighed and stood up, saying that it was time to finally end the charade. With blinding speed he shouted arcane words and a blast of prismatic color burst from his hands, encapsulating everyone!

Luckily there were no terrible effects from the spell, and Kong, Drake, and Kagro charged forward to engage the frost giant in melee. Tor carried a massive warmace and was no pushover in melee, but it was his spellcasting that caused the most trouble. Duke lobbed a few orbs of acid at the sorcerer, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Vercinabex Tor unleashed another prismatic spray at his opponents and things did not go so well this time.

Drake the Slayer and Kong of the Mountains died after being hit by the green ray of the frost giant sorcerer Vercinabex Tor's prismatic spray.

Kagro Thundersmiter fell to the spell as well, but Argo and Duke escaped without too much permanent damage. Seeing an opportunity to end the fight, Argo lunged forward in a rage and stabbed at Tor repeatedly with his daggers and sword. Combined with the spells of Duke the frost giant sorcerer collapsed against the side of his chamber, dead.

Argo and Duke were left standing in the chamber, their two dead companions lying nearby. They knew the vault containing Dragotha's phylactery was not far beyond his chamber, but they also knew that they didn't want to confront the traps and guardians with their friends. So, gathering up everyone, Duke cast a teleport spell and transported the four of them to Bloodstone.

There they managed to get an audience with King Toka, who understood the plight they were in and decided to help. He needed to rest for a few hours, but afterwards he would be able to bring back the dead companions with a powerful resurrection spell. Seeing little choice Duke and Argo slept fitfully, knowing that the dragon siege of Kongen-Thulnir could be over and the phylactery of the dracolich claimed before they could return.

After a few hours Toka called upon the grace of Pelor and restored Kong and Drake to their bodies, whole and unhurt. With nary a moment to waste Duke cast another powerful teleport spell that took them right back to Vercinabex Tor's chamber. Descending the last flight of stairs they came to the entryway to the vault in the depths of the Citadel of Weeping Dragons.

As they approached they were suddenly confronted by the spiritual form of Shanks Dar'Rill, the halfling warrior who died in the gladiator arena of Greyhawk! Shanks explained that he had been traveling in the spirit world since then and had learned much about the upcoming Age of Worms. He told the story of what had happened so far, including a recap of Kyuss' rise to godhood and his bid to bring about the apocalypse many centuries ago. Luckily, descendants of the mighty Wind Dukes of Aaqa - the druids of the Order of the Storm - were there to stop him then. And now, it fell the companions, who Shanks believed had the blood of the Vaati in them as well.

Shanks warned the heroes that behind the vault door was indeed Dragotha's phylactery, but by opening the door they were inviting a world of trouble. Firstly, once it was opened Dragotha would know of the phylactery's precise location, and would certainly send his draconic minions that raided Kongen-Thulnir even now to retrieve. Secondly, and more important, he told them that if they chose to destroy the phylactery, Dragotha might be able to regain some of the escaping essence to grow even more powerful.

With that the ghostly halfling disappeared with a smile. The four heroes approached the doors to the vault, which seemed to detail Kyuss' final defeat at the hands of the druids. They also found carvings representing themselves, fighting the undead horde beside the druids! It was an eerie feeling, but they pushed past it to open the doors.

Beyond lay a magnificent chamber, at the far end of which rested a strange multi-facteded box. The sides of the box were carved to resemble leering draconic faces and strange whispers echoed in the room constantly. They knew they had found the phylactery of Dragotha the dracolich.

The four companions gathered around the phylactery, trying to decide what to do. They faced a tough decision - destroy it now and risk Dragotha being more powerful, or keep it and risk the safety of everyone around them. It was eventually decided to keep it for now, at least to study, and Duke reached out with eager hands to grasp the box and place inside his bag. As his flesh touched the sides, the dwarf's head was rushed with shouting words, nothing distinct but mind-numbing. He barely managed to shove it into his bag before his will gave way completely.

The deed done, they prepared to leave. Fate, it would seem, had other ideas, as the four discovered when the side of the chamber melted away like so much butter. Suddenly, bursting forth from the rock now made mud, an enormous red dragon emeged, bellowing in rage! Argo recognized it as the largest of the dragons leading the assault on Kongen-Thulnir. The dragon announced itself as Brazzemal the Burning and demanded the phylactery in exchange for quick deaths.

Argo wasn't have any of that, and charged forward to confront the new threat. Unfortunately Brazzemal was quicker and snatched up the hapless halfling in one snap! Too close for comfort the remaining three companions attacked the dragon, but after a moment it spat Argo out onto the group in a torrent of fire!

The blast was devastating, sending Duke into unconsciousness. A powerful barbarian rage gripped Kong and he fought on heedless of his wounds. His sword, made of crackling energy, cut through the dragon's thick hide and connected with true blows on every swing. Drake, though stronger, had a difficult time piercing the beast's side, and only landed a few telling blows. Argo managed to dump a potion of healing down Duke's throat, reviving the dwarf, but the halfling was knocked aside like a ragdoll and sent into unconsciousness.

Duke, Kong, and Drake were now faced with a difficult decision. Duke had the phylactery, and he could teleport away, but he would be leaving some of his friends behind - the time it would take everyone to gather in close proximity before the dragon breathed again was too short. Kong was in the throes of his rage and fought on, sending dragon blood flying and Brazzemal into a fury. Drake fought desperately, and when it was decided he was going to grab the halfling his mad dash was stopped when Brazzemal snatched the fighter up in his powerful jaws!

Duke closed his eyes and prepared to teleport away, hoping he could have his friends brought back from death, when suddenly the red dragon bellowed out a deafening cry - a death cry! Kong's barbarian rage induced blows had finally struck home, and his sword cut through the dragon's heart. Brazzemal the Burning's eyes went dark and the gargantuan dragon corpse fell to the valley floor below.

Quickly Duke healed Argo and Drake enough to bring them to consciousness. It was decided at that moment that breaking the phylactery was the better option - they simply couldn't risk the safety of everyone around them. Dumping the box out onto the ground, Drake raised his sword and brought it crashing down onto the phylactery. It cracked and after another blow broke, sending wisps of essence disappearing into the ether around them.

They decided to teleport to Bloodstone to regroup before setting off to confront the general of Kyuss' army and keeper of the Wormgod's physical presence - Dragotha, the first dracolich in existence.

Session Updates
Whew! Good session, good session. We start in on the end game here - the end is finally in sight. Will it be for better or worse? Good or evil? Glorious triumph or horrendous defeat? We find out soon.

XP Recap
17th-level 25,500
18th-level 18,900

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson

December 21st - Lord of the Rings!

2008-11-11T11:07:00.003-06:00

I have a theater in my garage. Well, sort of - I have the beginnings of a theater in my garage. Why do I have a theater in my garage? There are a whole pile of reasons, but the one that always stands out in my mind is thus: to watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. That's been one of my goals, and I don't think it's going to happen in the Garage Theater for a couple of months.

But we don't have to wait. Riverview Theater in Minneapolis is showing the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Sunday, December 21st, including the extended editions of Fellowship and Two Towers. It starts at 10:00 am and ends at 10:30 pm, with intermissions between each film. Pizza and hot dogs will be available and you can leave the theater during the intermissions to get other food. The best part? It's only $10.

$10. For the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy. In a theater.

Mark your calendars, folks. December 21st. You're either going to be there, or wishing you were there. Your choice.

Age of Worms Campaign Update 11/9/2008

2008-11-10T18:25:00.008-06:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20081109, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Planting 16, 596 CY
The companions, armed with the information that the phylactery of the dracolich Dragotha was somewhere in the giant-filled city of Kongen-Thulnir, set out from the Barony of Bloodstone on foot to reach their destination. All except the elf rogue Fin, who felt that more research was in order before they confronted this newest challenge. The rest - Kong, Drake, Argo, and Duke - took to the roadn spent three days of travel through the rough terrain, back and forth on switchbacks and cut acrosses, until they finally arrived at their destination.

Kongen-Thulnir was built into the side of the Rift Canyon on a ledge about halfway down the 1,000 foot cliff face. The heroes came upon the City of Kings from the top and were looking down at its buildings and structures some 500 feet below them, but they knew something was wrong. The keen eyes of Kong were not to be fooled and he spotted them first - dragons. Lots of dragons. Lots of dragons laying siege to Kongen-Thulnir.

They counted at least 30 winged beasts making strafing runs at the city, where desperate giants were holed up shooting ballistas at the attacking force. It was difficult to say who was winning - occasionally a giant would get a lucky shot in, but the dragons were slowly demolishing the entire city. It was not a good sight.

But unfortunately the heroes didn't have much time to ponder the situation. The sound of wings beating on the wind told them their position had been given away, and indeed it had. Some hundreds of feet behind them a huge green dragon was making a diving attack straight for them. They had scant moments to prepare for the creature's arrival, during which Duke cast a quick spell and Kong and Drake prepared themselves. Suddenly, however the dragon's fear rolled over them and Drake found himself paralyzed with fear.

The green dragon gave a quick shot of acid, catching Kong in the face but leaving the rest of the heroes untouched. Then she was on the ground, digging into the barbarian with ferocity as Argo gave Drake a potion of remove paralysis. Duke tried to launch offensive spells against the huge green dragon but the beasts natural resistances and mental fortitude preventing any of his spells from sticking. Kong, Argo, and Drake launched a powerful offensive against the dragon, dealing blow and blow.

The dragon knew she was in trouble and decided to cut her losses and run. But not without a snack, so she quickly clamped up Kong in her powerful vice-like jaws and lifted off into the air! Drake gave a quick swing but didn't manage much more than a scratch. Argo, on the other hand, decided enough was enough and plunged his short sword into the dragon's hide, clinging on as she took to the skies!

Kong struggled to free himself from the dragon's jaws but he felt death close in around him as his blood dripped down his captor's throat like the squeezings of a ripe lemon. The halfling ranger had different ideas, and as the winged serpent flew fifty feet into the air Argo's dagger strikes hit true again and again, until finally he hit a nerve. Literally, which sent the dragon into a desperate tailspin towards the ground.

With a mighty crash the green dragon slammed into the clearing next to Duke and Drake, sending Argo and Kong into a tumble. She was dead, killed by the halfling's dagger, but the barbarian was in a world of pain. Duke administered the wounds as best as his druid training would allow and everyone swallowed potions of healing so that they could get walking again.

They now faced the problem of getting down to Kongen-Thulnir. As they observed Drake noted that the dragons seemed to attack in waves, every fifteen or twenty minutes. If they timed it right they should be able to fly down into the city and try to find King Silvereye, whom Loncer spoke highly of as a noble giant. After a quick exchange Duke gave the human fighter his winged boots, Argo activated his sword of Aaqa from the Tomb of Icosiol, and the dwarf cast a fly spell on Kong and himself.

And so they were off, flying down the cliff face of the Rift Canyon during a brief interlude in the dragon siege. Loncer had sketched out a map for the heroes, and they had no trouble finding the palace of King Silvereye. It was clearly once a magnificent structure, but the dragon attacks had taken its toll. The two hill giant guards demanded to know their business, and after a quick explanation they were hurried into the stone palace, through tunnels and hallways built for giants. Everywhere they saw giants - broken, beaten, and scarred, they were clearly exhausted from the relentless strikes of the siege forces.

Eventually the companions were brought into what was once a magnificent hall, but not seemed like just a huge rubble-strewn chamber. At the far end was a throne, pitted and broken, upon which sat an aged storm giant in the same condition. Large hill giant guards were stationed around the room, and at the king's side was a particularly huge and flabby hill giant. Duke guessed (correctly) that this was Bagg.

Bagg shuffled his flabby form forward and demanded to know what the puny manlings were doing in the hall of King Silvereye. No explanation seemed good enough, and Bagg was about to order the hill giant guards to kill the intruders when Argo mentioned that they were after Dragotha's phylactery. That sent the giants into a terrible fit - and managed to get a rise out of the still storm giant king.

Silvereye motioned for Bagg to approach, and the two giants conversed for a moment. Afterwards Bagg looked sullen but stepped towards the heroes - and then turned and bowed low to the ground as King Silvereye stood up. The ancient storm giant used a massive sword as a walking stick, and slowly he hobbled forward to face the companions. The king spoke in a slow deliberate voice, and explained that recent events had created a schism in Kongen-Thulnir.

The Tiamikal Nul-Shada, keepers of the Citadel of Weeping Dragons, have been charged since time immemorial with guarding a secret vault deep within the citadel. To reach the vault one needed two keys, and one of the keys - the one normally possessed by Kagro Thundersmiter of the Tiamikal Nul-Shada - were stolen. This was right before the dragons attacked, and none of the giant clans had the time now to deal with the situation. King Silvereye gave the heroes his key and told them to find the other and destroy the phylactery of Dragotha, for it made sense that this was the treasure kept within the ancient vault.

The storm giant told the companions that the most likely culprit of the theft was one of the Rift Crawlers in Undercity, and suggested they start their look there. With that, King Silvereye returned to his throne and the heroes were ushered out of the palace.

Just as a force of dragons launched a new offensive, and it was all the four heroes could do to find shelter amongst the broken shells of the city's buildings. The attack lasted for twenty minutes or so, and afterwards Kong, Argo, Duke, and Drake made their way to where the Undercity was. Unfortunately it was located another 200 feet below their current level, and they had to make similar flying preparations as they did before.

They made it to the entrance of the Undercity and stepped forward into the building, where they were hushed voices. Argo identified the voices as belonging to a dwarf and a giant, and they caught the two of them by surprise when they stepped into the room. The dwarf demanded to know what they were doing there, but the companions offered no reasonable explanation. So the dwarf ordered Charlgar (the hill giant) to kill them.

As the hill giant chieftain stepped forward menacingly Duke decided to try a new spell. It was called fear, and it would instill weak-minded beings with a terrible sense of dread. Unfortunately, he miscalculated the area of effect, and instead of just affecting Charlgar - he caught Drake and Argo in the effect as well. The dwarf wizard's spell mastery was considerable and all three subjects were stricken with a sudden fear that sent them running away in sheer blind terror.

Kong, luckily, was not affected, and decided to charge the dwarf who was wielding a spiked chain with some proficiency. The barbarian gave a mighty yell and chopped at the dwarf, cutting deep, and sending him running away in fear (not magical fear, but simple fear for life). He ran down a hallway taunting the barbarian all the way.

Meanwhile Duke tried desperately to dispel his own enchantment without dropping the fear effect from Charlgar. It took a few attempts but he was eventually successful. Kong, however, had had enough taunting from the dwarf and charged down the hallway. Halfway through the dwarf pulled a trigger and a section of the hall gave out.

The barbarian's quick reflexes saved him from a tumble down the pit, and the dwarf gave a loud and sailor-like curse. At the same time Duke, Drake, and Argo were torturing the poor hill giant trying to get information. Drake managed to intimidate Charlgar into telling them that it was him who stole the key from Kagro Thundersmiter and that it was thrown into the "pit." He refused to elaborate on what the pit was, so the three of them used the spell effect of the fear to herd the hill giant down the hallway.

Where he promptly blundered straight into the pit and tumbled down, where he landed somewhere else. A deep grumble echoed from within the pit, which seemed to be almost a slide, as they heard Charlgar give a strangled cry. On the other side of the pit the dwarf cursed Kong and the rest and fled into the next room.

With a flex of his mighty muscles the barbarian leapt clean over the ten foot wide pit and landed into the room, right next to the dwarf. Argo made a similarly acrobatic jump, and Drake decided to carry Duke with him during his jump. This turned out not to be a good idea, as the human warrior didn't quite make it across. Duke managed to grab the side of the pit, but again Drake wasn't so fortunate. He tumbled head over heels down the chute, which deposited him into a massive underground cavern covered in glowing fungus.

The dwarf wizard hoisted himself up as Kong and Argo made short work of the taunting dwarf. In the massive cavern Drake found himself facing off against a monstrous creature that resembled a colossal carrion crawler. Luckily the titanic slime-covered beast hadn't taken notice of him, and Drake slipped quickly back up the tunnel with the help of his winged boots. He related what he had seen, which they surmised was just beyond the door in their current chamber.

After a quick moment of healing and decision-making the four heroes decided to face the creature, which Duke called the Mother Worm. It was, he surmised, probably the progenitor of the entire carrion crawler species. Destroying it was not a bad thing. So, girding themselves for the fight ahead, they downed their potions and kicked open the door.

The Mother Worm was huge and had already devoured the flesh of Charlgar, tossing his bones to the side. The door entered the massive cavern at a point fifty feet up from the bottom, so Kong and Argo started to descend to the bottom of face the disgusting beast. That left Duke and Drake on the platform, which was unfortunate for them as the Mother Worm spewed acid over them like a mother bird coughing up food for her young.

Drake, Argo, and Kong made it to the ground of the cavern pit as Duke tried lobbing spells at the kaiju carrior crawler. It was surprisingly resistant to sorcery, but the dwarf wizard used some of his druid tricks to summon a storm that shot lightning bolts. The warriors on the ground charged and started hacking at the creature's immense hide. They took lash after lash from its tentacles, and they could feel its paralyzing poison course through their veins. Duke continued to get acid blasts in the face, but he luckily had his elemental standard from the wild watchers of Last Resort that helped resist the damage.

It was a tough fight, and just as things seemed their most hopeless- as Drake finally succumbed to the poison and was swallowed whole by the Mother Worm - Kong dealt the killing blow. The creature gave a mighty screech and collapsed, spewing its innards all over the cavern floor. Drake tumbled out of its belly, alive but just barely, and the heroes reveled in their victory over the kaiju carrion crawler.

After a moment Argo searched the cavern and found a key that looked identical to the one given to them by King Silvereye. They looted the body of Charlgar and set about healing themselves, knowing that more precarious situations awaited them in the Citadel of Weeping Dragons.

Session Updates
Sorry Bill - we had to go on. We're so close to finishing the campaign I can feel it! Probably just a handful more sessions, especially if they go like the last few.

XP Recap
16th-level 19,200
17th-level 15,300
18th-level 10,800

Until next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association

Age of Worms Campaign Update 10/19/2008

2008-11-10T17:54:00.004-06:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20081019, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Planting 13, 596 CY
With the followers of Vecna defeated or driven off the Kings of the Road found themselves with the four Trials of Tilagos completed. They had the feather from the Roc King, the belt of the titan Krathanos, had silenced the Doomshroud's mournful song, and defeated the Nightmare Beast. They were weary and exhausted but eager to be rid of Last Resort.

They did not have long to travel on that island demiplane before being confronted by the strange fey beings that they first met upon traveling to the planar site. The lead wild watcher, Tylanthros, approached and congratulated them upon completing the trials. As a token of their success the remaining druids gave each hero a gift - one of the elemental standards kept by the fey druids. Each hero chose one of the artifacts according to their own needs, and afterwards things became strange.

"And so you have earned the right to return the lore of the Order of Storms to the world. The Age of Worms is upon us, and what the powers of old began so long ago now falls to you to complete. Drink deep and remember. Dream the dreams of the ages."

No sooner had the words left Tylanthros' lips when a sudden darkness washed over the heroes. After a short time they found themselves standing on a ridge overlooking a mountainous crevasse. Duke recognized the place as the Rift Canyon but things were not what they appeared. It was as if they were in a dream gazing back at a time in ages past, except they were not gazing - they were living.

A small group of sombre druids aproached them, and the Kings of the Road recognized Tylanthros as their leader. But he was different - he was a man, not the strange fey being they were just conversing with in the demiplane of Last Resort. He gave no sign of recognization as he spoke.

"The heroes of prophecy. Your timing is perfect. We can hold them no longer, but we have been successful in our task." Tylanthros indicated towards the dozen or so druids who stood behind him. The druids clustered around a large package with its sides carved in the shapes of leering demonic and draconic faces. "Dragotha's phylactery is ours, yet at a great price. His minions even now come for us to reclaim it, and soon he himself shall learn of its theft. We must hide it forever from his reach, for I fear its destruction at this juncture would ounly drive him to an unstoppable frenzy. But if we can take it from this land, he will sense its loss. He will abandon the army of Kyuss and they will be lost, without leadership. You must hold off the spawn that even now scramble at the edges of the cliffs around us. Our trusted ally will stall his aerial forces whil you must hold off the rest of his spawn long enough for us to transport the phylactery."

A familiar figure stepped forward at this point, a young and vivacious woman dressed in ornate silver armor. It was the strikingly beautiful figure of Lashonna! She spoke to the heroes, but once again there was no recognition in her eyes. "I shall engage Dragotha and his children myself, but I cannot defend against his Swords. They come too, scrambling up to our location even now, along with - something else. Something most unnatural - an abomination. You must hold them off, for all is lost if you fail."

With that Lashonna spread her arms and before the dumb-struck eyes of the companions she transformed into a magnificent silver dragon. With a single tremendous beat of her wings she launched into the air. Tylanthros spoke again as she flew towards a small group of draconic shadows led by a massive undead beast - Dragotha leading the flight.

"We go now, to hide the phylactery within its cradle in Kongen-Thulnir. Save us from the Words of Kyuss, or the Age of Worms shall doom us all!" The druids then departed and the heroes - now well aware that they were not only witnessing but participating in a historic moment from 15,000 years ago - steeled themselves. The massive force of swords of Kyuss climbed over the lip of the cliff and battle was engaged. It was a surreal experience - sword and spell clashed with bone and claw, and through it all the heroes were aware that they were not fully in control of their actions. During the frantic melee the companions could see Lashonna facing off against Dragotha - and losing.

Just as darkness began to creep over them like a wave crashing against the shores of an island they saw Dragotha deliver a killing stroke to Lashonna, sending the silver dragon tumbling into the mists of the Rift Canyon.

Then, with a sudden blink of their eyes, the Kings of the Road found themselves standing upon the island of Tilagos. But no storms battered the island, and the waters were calm. They were back on the material plane, and back in their own time as well. Sort of, at any rate, for they learned from Captain Shadowstalker as the Sunshadow came into view that they were gone three months. Time, it seemed, passed differently in the now extinct demiplane of Last Resort.

The heroes now had a goal, or at least the name of their goal - Kongen-Thulnir. Their first stop aboard the Sunshadow was at Greyhawk City to resupply, and it was there that Duke learned that Kongen-Thulnir, the City of Kings, was a site somewhere in the Rift Canyon. After a bit of decision making the companions decided to make their way north to the Barony of Bloodstone, which lay at the foothills of the Rift Canyon and seek the advice of Toka and the rest of the Heroes of Bloodstone.

The Sunshadow took to the late spring sky easily and it was only a few days before they reached Bloodstone. Toka greeted them, and Argo related their tale. Loncer Amorocco, one of the fabled Bloodstone legends, indicated he had been to Kongen-Thulnir recently and was able to fill the heroes in on some details.

First it was a city ruled by giants. Hill giants, fire giants, storm giants, stone giants - all sorts. And they were broken up into three distinct "clans." The Khargakhan, or Riftlords, were the largest and most powerful, and commanded the most respect from the others. They were led by King Achaime Silvereye, an aging storm giant that Loncer had immense respect for, but the hill giant advisor named Bagg was not a good or trustworthy giant.

The second clan were the Khargak-dwergun, or Rift Crawlers. They were a splinter faction led by the hill giant Charlgar, who staged a coup against King Silvereye and failed. The Rift Crawlers controlled the Undercity and kept some large beast in a pit there.

The third clan were the Tiamikal Nul-Shada, or Hunters of Tiamat's Children. These were an elite fighting force of dragon hunters that kept the Citadel of Weeping Dragons. They were secretive and Loncer didn't know much about them, but he respected their methods and views immensely.

Loncer also told the companions to either walk or fly into the Rift Canyon. A horse or other land-based animal would only slow them up, and it was three day trek to Kongen-Thulnir. And so, thus armed with information the companions set their eyes on finding Dragotha's phylactery.

Session Updates
This was a clean-up session more than anything else, and as such no XP was awarded. But it was an important bridge between "The Library of Last Resort" and the "Kings of the Rift", so a necessary evil. Good to put it behind us, though.

Until next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association

New D&D4E Campaign

2008-11-04T14:46:00.002-06:00

It's going to take a bit of time (a week or so?) but everyone interested needs to make a new Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition character. So far Travis and Jesse have both completed their characters - they are as follows.

Travis: Dregg'd, dragonborn warlock
Jesse: Ash, tiefling paladin

Plenty of character ideas still available, including a lot more races than presented in the PHB. As far as a setting I've decided to go with Garweeze Wurld - the setting of HackMaster and the playground for the Knights of the Dinner Table. I've got cool maps ready to go and it's going to be a lot looser than previous campaigns (like Age of Worms). Not as much overall structure, which means individual characters can explore according to their whims and goals. I'm pretty excited about that aspect.

Anyway, start thinking about it. Mondays at around 8 pm is when I'd like to start, and we can play missing people as well.

Woo hoo! Happy Halloween!

2008-10-29T07:49:00.002-05:00

http://catalog.chaosium.com/product_info.php?products_id=2446

Third from the top (the preceding two must be typos). A nice Halloween present! Anyway, the plan for Friday this week is a game of Dread at my house (in Mound) where a roaring fire will be prepared, various pumpkin treats, and David will be bringing his bottle of Surley Darkness. Costumes encouraged! If there are any questions, please contact me! See you later.

Call of Cthulhu - Walker in the Wastes

2008-10-14T15:39:00.003-05:00

I'm going to be starting the Pagan Publishing campaign "Walker in the Wastes" soon (like Saturday?) for something to do on Saturday afternoons. I'll be using the standard Call of Cthulhu rules, so character creation is a breeze, and I'll have player packets available when we start for investigator ideas.

The hook for the campaign is all investigators are members of a two-year expedition to the farthest reaches of Canada, in part to study the people and nature of the area and in part to find out what happened to a previous expedition that disappeared in 1848.

Really I just need 2 players, but the more the merrier. So give a shout out if you're interested. I'll also be putting the feelers out closer to the weekend to see what peoples' plans are.

Ia! Ia! Cthulhu f'thagn!

Horror Movies in the Garage Theater

2008-10-09T13:18:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year, when the air gets chilly, the sun goes down earlier, and the wind howls a mournful cry across the landscape. It's fall, or close enough regardless, and that means Halloween is approaching. And that means horror movies. And that means ... well, it means what it means.

Now that I've got the Theater in the Garage setup (need more seats, but that's easy to get) I think it's time to start planning some Garage Theater Nights. Maybe Friday nights, maybe Sunday nights, maybe whenever. Two movies a night, get some popcorn and other treats, and watch some horror movies on the big(ish) screen.

Movies in my collection that fit into this category nicely:

Cabin Fever
Evil Dead
Evil Dead 2
Dawn of the Dead (old and new)
Night of the Living Dead
The Thing
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Cannibal Holocaust (just kidding ...)
Frankenstein (original Karloff)
The Mummy (original Karloff)

Those are the ones that come to mind right now. But the point is I think I'm going to post a schedule and have a midnight movie showing Fridays (maybe Saturdays). Watch for it!

Corn Maize! MAIZE! Get It?!?

2008-09-17T10:23:00.003-05:00

'Cause it's a play on words, you know. Anyhoo ...

Always on the lookout for something different to do, I'm curious to see who would be up for a trip to a Corn MaIze. There are a few in Minnesota, including one in Delano, but a better one seems to be in Hastings. http://www.aftonapple.com/corn_mazes.htm.

It's about an hour's drive from my house in Mound. Here's a link to the mapquest directions: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Mound&1s=MN&1a=2401+Chateau+Ln&2c=Hastings&2s=MN&2a=14421+So.+90th+St.

It's $9, or $8 with a $1 off coupon on the website. They're open until October 31st, Friday & Saturday till 10:00 pm and Sunday till 6:00 pm. Who's up for a trip to a Corn MaIze!?! C'mon people, it'd be fun!

Age of Worms Campaign Update 9/7/2008

2008-09-08T09:59:00.009-05:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080907, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Date Unknown, Year Unknown
The Kings of the Road, having dealt with the orc pirates and their captain, stood upon the rocky, wind-battered shoreline of Tilagos Island staring into the ruin-dotted interior. With Argo in the lead they set out, not knowing what was in store for them on the path ahead of them but knowing that they had to walk it.

Traversing the blasted interior of the island took several hours but with the skilled halfling ranger in the lead the band of heroes eventually reached what appeared to be the center. There they found an obsidian disc set into the ground, sheltered by a half-shell of broken ruins. Three stylized eyes were set into the disc as well, and Duke could make out faded runes in an ancient dialect of druid. He read them as "return my blood to me and pass through the eye of the storm."

After a bit of debate they decided to pour some of the blood they had from Christine Deasseana into each of the eye sockets in the obsidian disc. Duke carefully distributed the blood into the holes and the heroes watched as something amazing happened. The disc on the ground began to rotate slowly, picking up speed, and as it did the whipping wind around them began to form into a funnel cloud above the round piece of obsidian. The wind picked up speed and with it the tornado became stronger, and after only a moment everyone could see that the center of the whirlwind held a strange vision. Through that vision they saw a lush landscape full of life and vibrant with color - and then they realized that they were looking at Tilagos Island but from a different time.

Duke pondered this new development, considering all options. In the meantime, the rest of his companions leapt headfirst into the portal. When the dwarf turned around he found his party gone and the portal dissipating. Shrugging to himself he stepped through and joined his friends on the other side.

The trip through the portal was jarring, but after a few moments everyone caught their bearings. They were standing in the middle of Tilagos Island and the winds no longer whipped about them, replaced by a gentle breeze and the sounds of insects and birds in the distance. To the south and east was a forest, shrouded in heavy moss and possessing a dark quality to it. To the north and west a foreboding mountain range rose, jagged peaks reaching towards the sky. The air around them felt stale and they felt more than knew that they were no longer on the Prime Material Plane.

After a few minutes of gauging their surroundings Kong noticed movement amongst a few of the nearby lonesome trees. They had only a moment before strange beings emerged from the trees themselves. There were four of them, man-sized, and they carried about them a strong feeling of the elements. Each carried four flapping standards strapped to their back, each representing one of the four basic elements. Their feet barely breezed over the waving grass as they approached.

The lead being identified himself as Tylanthros and welcomed them to Last Resort. Fin explained that they were seeking the secret of the dracolich Dragotha's phylactery, and Tylanthros replied that they were seeking the Fountain of Dreams. In order to gain access to the fountain the companions had to prove themselves to these aging watchers by passing the Trials of Tilagos. Each of the watchers identified one of the trials.

Tylanthros identified the first trial as the Claiming of Krathanos' Golden Belt. Beskawahn stated the second trail was the Silence of the Doomshroud's Mournful Song. Thadimar relayed the third trial as the Death of the Thorn Vale Nightmare. And Sayren-Lei spoke of the Harvest of the Living Feather of the Roc King.

The four watchers then disappeared into the trees from whence they came, leaving the heroes to puzzle over their fate. Drake was especially confused - Tylanthros had indicated that they were the "heroes of old returned" but he certainly made no claim to being a hero. After a bit of discussion they decided to look around, and Argo identified four sets of tracks leading away to the mountains. Three of the tracks were clearly humanoid, while the fourth were bipedal but much larger - and they scorched the earth. With little else to go on they decided to follow the tracks.

Many hours passed as they entered the jagged mountain range, leading inevitably towards the tallest peak of the mountains. Luckily the companions were skilled climbers, especially Kong who grew up in the Griff Mountains. A few falls and scrapes were endured but nothing serious, and eventually they scaled the tallest peak (which they later learned was Bloodfeather Peak). The wind and the cold whipping about them they reached the large crest - and found the dead body of a massive roc.

They puzzled over this discovery. They looked around and could see no other rocs, so they deduced that this creature was the Roc King. But who killed it? Fin pointed out that the trial was to harvest the LIVING feather of the Roc King, and without means of resurrecting the magnificent beast they were left with stealing the feather from whomever killed the creature. But where to go from there?

The companions decided to rest in a nearby outcropping and consider their options. As they rested they realized that the sun, if there was such a thing hidden by a perpetually overcast sky, never set. It never got dark in Last Resort.

After resting they decided that Drake would use one of the gifts from the Deck of Many Things to "solve a dilemma." The large fighter squeezed his eyes shut and asked where Krathanos' belt was. He got the distinct impression that it was somewhere on the southeastern coast of Tilagos Island, and so Duke gathered everyone about and cast his teleport spell to take them to the shore. The teleport was a bit jarring, but the heroes found themselves standing on the shore of the island.

A short distance away they spotted a crumbling keep, worn with age and apparent conflict. Before they could react they were surrounding by four huge gargoyles, who welcomed them to the realm of "Krathanos the Conquerer, exiled by the gods for his designs to rule all of creation, and shackled by the treacherous druids of Tilagos until such time as brave stalwarts arrive to free him." It was where they wanted to be anyway so they let the gargoyles lead the way to the keep. As they walked Duke remembered hearing something about a being named Krathanos - a titan whose murderous reign ended abruptly fifteen centuries ago.

There they were brought into the broken ruins and presented to the titan Krathanos. The titan was clearly insane but he wore a massive golden belt studded with emeralds. The belt, he said, was more precious to him than anything. But he was willing to trade the belt for one of the heroes. This sparked a lively discussion over who would sacrifice themselves and what exactly Krathanos wanted with one of them, but the titan eventually seemed to snap and raise his hammer in anger. Suddenly he called down a meteor swarm against the heroes, wounding everyone.

As Kong charged the titan to engage in melee, it became apparent that after the meteor swarm the companions were in a world of hurt. Everyone was teetering on the brink of death, and with no other options Drake decided to use another gift from the Deck of Many Things - he wished that he and his companions were restored to full health. The whims of fate decided to let this pass and suddenly everyone's wounds were healed.

The fight raged on but the combined might of the heroes eventually triumphed over Krathanos, who collapsed with a mighty groan. The golden belt around his waist weighed over 120 pounds but there was enough room in people's holding sacks to carry the item. One trial complete, three left to go.

Without so much as a rest the heroes decided to venture into the forest, which they identified as the Doomshroud, and see if they could silence the forest's mournful song. Whatever that meant. Argo again took the lead, after several hours of hiking through the dark gloomy forest they started to hear something.

It was soft and low, and tugged at the heartstrings, but only Argo, Fin, Drake, and Kong heard the tune. The four of them stopped in their tracks and listend intently - and suddenly their eyes glazed over as if in a trance and they started to shuffle away into the heart of the forest. Duke, not hearing the song, thought of ways to stop his companions. But after a few minutes the dwarf heard the song and he was entranced by the music. The five heroes of the Kings of the Road marched into the heart of the Doomshroud, helpless and compelled by a force beyond their control.

They awoke in a bad position. They were lined up in front of a giant black tree that possessed a sort of malevolent intelligence, and they were being whipped by the strong branches of the strange tree. And then it expelled a gust of forceful air that knocked most of them down and things were not looking good. Kong used his greatsword to great effect while Duke and Fin crawled away avoiding the creature's whipping attacks. Drake and Argo were in bad spots, and after only a short amount of melee they both found themselves facing death.

But the clever halfling had a few tricks up his sleeve and he decided to use his own gift from the Deck of Many Things when he saw the tree's limb come hurdling towards his face. Fate shifted Argo to a different spot and the blows fell against the hard earth. Drake, however, had no such tricks and was pummelled to death.

Drake the Slayer died after being beat repeatedly by an ancient night twist on the demiplane of Last Resort.

It was Duke's orb of acid hurdled against the tree that finally felled it and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Duke needed a bit of time before he could use his reincarnation magic on the fallen Drake, and so they rested in the large grove that held the night twist. As they rested they noticed that the Doomshroud Forest around them seemed to hold less darkness, as if some great evil had ended. Which it had. Two trials complete, two left.

After the rest Duke prepped the reincarnation, and after a short time Drake's spirit returned in the body of a freakishly large dwarf. It was Drake, who had been returned as dwarf and was not happy about it. He had three wish gifts left but decided to give the whole bearded thing a try. Kong especially was still very wounded and requested a more rest and so the heroes continued to rest, contemplating their next action.

On the third rest period Argo noticed movement amongst the trees on his watch. Stepping into the clearing came four individuals and the halfling found himself paralyzed and unable to take any action as they approached. A large efreeti - a genie from the Elemental Plane of Fire - walked casually, flanked by a pair of tieflings who seemed to follow the path of a monk. Leading them was a man in purple robes whose right arm ended in a twisted, undead hand.

The man, with a bemused look on his face, circled the sleeping companions. Luckily Fin was on his guard and awoke, shouting to awake his friends of the newcomers. Everyone awoke and they realized they were facing the man with the Hand of Vecna, the man Lashonna warned them about. He introduced himself as Darl Quethos, Hand of the Lich-Lord, and his retinue of followers: the efreeti Malhazaar and the Sinfire tiefling twins.

Darl didn't make any threatening actions, and opened a dialogue with the heroes. He proposed joining forces in accomplishing the final trial. He did confirm that it was his band who killed the Roc King, and produced the living feather as proof. He also knew that the companions had completed two of the remaining trials, and suggested that joining forces to defeat the Thorn Vale Nightmare would be in everyone's best interests.

Nobody was happy with the arrangement, but they reasoned that they would have to defeat the Vecnan priest and his followers would eventually, so why not use them to complete the final trial. With much trepidation they agreed and Darl's smile was like a wolf looking upon a field of sheep. He indicated that they had no idea to the location of the Valley of Thorns, and suggested to Duke a spell that was not in his repertoire - find the path. The dwarf was only vaguely familiar with the spell, but after a bit of research they came to the conclusion that this spell would point them towards the valley. Duke needed some time to prepare the spell, and so they decided to rest and prepare.

During the rest period Darl's followers kept their distance but made no threatening actions. On his watch Kong caught movement in the forest and awoke Drake, but the movement did not happen again. The barbarian was on his guard but nothing else untoward happened, and after the rest period Duke cast his spell.

He knew instinctly that the Valley of Thorns was located to the west of Bloodfeather Peak in the jagged mountain range, and so Argo and the dwarf took the lead. Darl and his followers were watched and flanked by the rest of the companions but the trip was uneventful if tense. Crossing into the mountains required the help of everyone, a task made all the more difficult as no one took their eyes off the other forces.

Eventually they reached what could only be the Valley of Thorns - a long, narrow enclosed valley filled to the brim with twisted briars and thorns. Fin identified a cave entrance at the far end, their only lead as to whatever the nightmare was. Duke used his spellbook to cast fly on his companions while Darl used the power of the Hand of Vecna to enchant his own band. The group of nine took to the sky and flew over the valley with ease, approaching the cave entrance cautiously.

Drake and Kong took the lead, entering the cave slowly while everyone else hung out at the entrance (which was set sixty feet above the valley floor). Suddenly a low roar came from the back of the cave and a monstrous creature burst out of the darkness. It was beast from their worst nightmares, resembling a massive boar but with something far more insidious and evil. The nightmare beast trampled over Drake and Kong and leapt out into the air - and flew in step with the rest of the foes!

Combat was engaged, but not in the way people were expecting. One of the tiefling Sinfire twins turned on Fin, wailing on the elf rogue with his deadly fists, while the efreeti Malhazaar, the other tiefling, and Argo faced the nightmare beast. Duke and Darl held back and prepared spells while Kong and Drake picked themselves up.

Then the Hand of the Lich-Lord pointed his clawed finger at the beast - and with a pop the nightmare beast imploded on itself. New lines were drawn, and the heroes faced against the followers of Vecna in an instant. It was a tough combat, and early into it Darl snapped his hand and teleported away, though not before flipping Argo his middle Hand of Vecna finger. The tiefling twins were tough combatants and Kong faced against Malhazaar in a blow-for-blow melee that came down to the wire.

But eventually they triumphed over the three Vecnan followers. They looted the bodies, finding many magical items - including the living feather of the Roc King. With all four trials complete they set their gze on returning to the sight of their appearance on the island to face their fate.

Session Updates
Hoody hoo! Good session, and we got a lot done. Charge ahead with full steam!

XP Recap
14th-level 26,880
15th-level 21,600
16th-level 15,360
18th-level 8,640

Until next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Assocation
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com

Rippers: Campaign Start

2008-09-02T18:49:00.002-05:00

The Rippers campaign will begin with the characters already a bit experienced in the world and the ways of the Cabal. Come up with a way for your character to have met and been involved with the Rippers through any of the famous personalities (Abraham Van Helsing, Johann Van Helsing, Jonathan and Mina Harker, Tara LaGrange, Father Angus McBane, etc.).

With that in mind, your characters will begin with the basic understanding of the Rippers and their history. We'll start with an abbreviated history as is known amongst the general Ripper community ...

The monks of the Hospital of St. John, also known as the Hospitallers, were dedicated to healing and providing shelter for pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. One day they took in a pilgrim who happened to be a vampire, who slew many of the monks. After the vampire's defeat the Hospitallers re-dedicated themselves to the destruction of the undead. They became an order of monastic knights, but were ill-equipped to deal with the monsters spawned from teh horrors of the Crusades. They were driven to the island of Malta after losing bases in Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Rhodes. The Hosptiallers of Northeastern Europe broke away from the main order and formed the Teutonic Knights, though after the horrors of the Inquisition this Catholic faction died out in most places.

Everything changed in 1582 when Doctor John Dee, court astrologer to Queen Elizabeth of England, had a chance encounter with a werewolf, accidentally slaying it with his silver-tipped walking stick. Dee brought the body back to his lab for study, and with the help of his research partner Edward Kelley, they started dissecting the body of the werewolf and implanting the parts into other animals. These animals assumed many of the werewolf's characteristics, gaining strength, speed, and a cannibalistic ferocity. Kelley christened the invention rippen-transferre, roughly meaning "tear and transfer."

Queen Elizabeth wanted nothing to do with the horrible process, but Dee and Kelley were not so easily disuaded. They went out and recruited like-minded individuals, organizing them into a secret fellowship of wizards, alchemists, and astrologers. They named the organization "The Brotherhood of the Rose Cross" to remind its members of their dedicated to both peace and faith.

Angered by what he viewed as weakness in Dee, Kelley abandoned the Rosicrucians and later died under "mysterious circumstances." Dee went on to live a full life pursuing his dream, and after his death others took up the mantle. Though not everyone who did so had so altruistic an outlook. Students of the Rosicrucians included Victor Frankenstein, Dr. Henry Jekyll, the now infamous Dr. Moreau, and Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing was the one who identified the madness of the "ripping psychosis" as a very real mental disorder that came from using Rippertech and he fought against his use.

It was Frankenstein's expertimentation with the reanimation of dead tissue that brought things to a head. A horde of failed experiments were sent rampaging across northern and eastern Europe, and so the Rosicrucians turned to both the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights for assistance in fighting these terrible creatures. The two orders joined forces, calling themselves "The Order of St. George," and helped the Rosicrucians defeat the monstrous threat. Dr. Van Helsing took command of this larger organization, re-organized it, and christened the new secret society "the Rippers."

The Rippers first true challenge came in 1876 when Van Helsing and a team of amateaur vampire slayers attempted to defeat the notorious Count Dracula. Though the ancient vampire managed to escape the men and women who stood against him that day would be forever changed.

The killing spree of Jack of Ripper has been attributed to the mysterious figure known only as Dr. Jack, and he has eluded capture for many years. Hatred of the Rippers drove Dr. Jack to create the Cabal as a means of catalyzing the horrific forces of the world against the forces of light arrayed against them.

The campaign begins with the heroes being summoned by Johann Van Helsing to the great London Ripper lodge on a matter of the utmost urgency. A dark and stormy night awaits the heroes in foggy old London town ...

Rippers: Character Concepts

2008-09-02T18:35:00.003-05:00

The Rippers world is similar to the real world, so the number of potential character conepts is virtually unlimited. With so many choices, you might feel overwhelmed, so the list below provides you with some common character types to get you started. This is not an exhaustive list from which you must choose. Rather, it is to give you some ideas about your hero's background and what he or she did before joining the Rippers.

Acrobat: Circus acrobats and athletes sometimes don disguises to fight both crime and the terrors of the night. Dressed in colorful costumes and brandishing simple weapons like staves and throwing knives, these agile heroes defeat their enemies with a combination of speed, strength, and deadly skill.

Alienist: These doctors specialize in handling the criminally insane and healing the mind through the use of mesmerism or the recently developed technique of psychoanalsis. Their understanding of the fragility of the human mind can be of great use to unstable Rippers. Dr. Seward is one of Van Helsing's original vampire slayers, and an alienist of considerable skill. A few alienists have discipled themselves to the point where they can affect their surroundings through sheer willpower. These people are known as "sensitives" or "psychics."

Clergy: Men and women of the cloth normally live lives of quiet contemplation. Sometimes, however, the forces of evil loom large, and these holy men are forced to take up the sword and do battle against the creatures of the night. Drawn from many different religions and denominations, these holy Rippers have hte power to perform miracles through the strenght of their faith.

Cowboy: Gunslingers, card sharps, lawmen, and other folkds from the fading frontier sometimes make their way into the ranks of the Rippers in search of adventure. The most famous Ripper cowboy was Quincy Morris, an amateur vampire slayer and one of Van Helsing's first recruits. Morris was cut down in 1876 during an unsuccessful attempt to destroy Count Dracula, but others of his ilk have joined the struggle.

Detective: While detectives might seem outclassed when confronted by vampires, werewolves, mummies, and similar terrors, their investigative minds are always an asset. Also, their keen eye for detail and ability to work in public as legitimate officers of the law gives them much more latitude than the typical Ripper.

Doctor: Because their specialized training allowed them to perform Rippertech implant surgery, medical doctors were once at the core of the Rippers. Since Van Helsing introduced strict limits on Rippertech implantation, their importance has declired somewhat, but they are still valued members of the organization, and they perform vital research work.

Explorer: Adventurers and explorers of all types can be found among teh ranks of the Rippers. Some come from "civilized" countries like England or the United States, while others hail from more isolated regions of the world like the deserts of Egypt, the Amazong Jungle, or the mountains of Tibet. Expert at tracking, survival, and other wilderness arts, explorers have proven an invaluable asset when stalking creatures of the night.

Officer: Britain and the other great imperial powers have military bases located around the globe. The military officers in these places frequently take it upon themselves to aid the Rippers. Some have a degree of autonomy and can bring the soldiers they lead with them.

Scholar: Archeologists, historians, and other scholars are vital to unlocking the secrets of the past and learning the forgotten lore necessary for victory. Far from being cloistered academics, many of these scholars are more at home crawling through forgotten tombs and dodging ancient traps than they are in a library or research facility.

Scientist: The Rippers employ many experts in electricity, mechanical engineering, gunnery, and related technological fields. Their expertise makes them excellent researchers and planners, though they sometimes struggle in the field.

Slayer: When some thinks of the archetypical Ripper, they picture the slayer. Training from early age to hunt vampires by Abraham Van Helsing's adopted son Johann, slayers are fast and athletic, but are also well educated and strong of spirit.

Vengeant: Men and women who have lost loved ones to creatures of the night always make willing Rippers. They often with a righteous fury that can only come from a burning desire for vengeance and a total disregard for their own lives.

October is Horror Month!

2008-09-02T18:22:00.003-05:00

September is here, which means the leaves are going to start turning gold, the winds are going to get chillier, and October is just around the corner. I love horror roleplaying, and for several years I've wanted to get a Victorian-era horror game going in October. Well this year I'm doing it.

Starting on Friday, October 3rd, I'm going to get a short Rippers game going for the month. Rippers is a setting for the Savage Worlds system that takes the ideas and characters behind classic monsters - Dracula, Frankenstein's Creation, Dr. Van Helsing, John and Mina Harker, etc. - and creates an atmospheric world of horror and madness. It's set in the Victorian-era (1890's).

The setting is hooked around two organizations - the Rippers and the Cabal. The Rippers are the good guys, formed and led by Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, who hunt the monsters and evils of the world. They're called Rippers because of an ancient secretive technique that rips the power out of supernatural creatures and bestows it to a willing subject. This "Rippertech" eventually drives men and women insane but it is often the only edge they have in their fight against the darkness.

The Cabal is a loose organization of that darkness. Led by a mysterious man known simply as Dr. Jack, the Cabal is made up of disparate factions each with their evil agenda and nefarious schemes. They are united in their hatred of the Rippers. All manner of terrible creatures are found within the loose ranks of the Cabal, but Dr. Jack has yet to secure the support of the ancient vampires (led by Count Dracula).

It's a world where a secret war between the darkness and the light has been brewing for centuries. The disciples of Van Helsing, brave men and women, know they fight for not just their own lives but for the safety of the entire world. But they also know that the edge they sometimes need to confront the darkness will drive them ultimately towards madness, death ... and worse.

I'm going to make another post with PC suggestions, but I'll have character information packets available in a week or so. Also - EXTRA EXPERIENCE POINTS will be awarded for anyone who dresses up in costume on Halloween. Or any day really.

Age of Worms Campaign Update 8/24/2008

2008-08-29T11:42:00.007-05:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080824, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Coldeven 18, 595 CY
Other interests have pulled my attention away from the Kings of the Road for a time, other interests that will soon become their interests. For all things come to pass in the end, and the end starts with the Age of Worms.

The heroes, having met Lashonna at the palace of Prince Zeech of Alhaster during a feast and games commemorating his 20th anniversary as ruler, arranged a meeting at her palatial home at midnight on Coldeven 12. The companions arrived early and were greeted by Lashonna's house servant, who brought them to her spacious and impressive library. Duke was especially interested in the volumes of lore, most of which seemed to center on the history, flora, and fauna of the Bandit Kingdoms region.

After a short wait Lashonna arrived in a gossamer nightgown that accentuated her graceful elven figure. She apologized for the lateness of the hour, and gave them the remnants of Grimoire Barackus' journal. The elven noble admitted a certain obsession with Grimoire's work, and remember fondly his visit to her almost twenty years ago.

From what the heroes could read from the tattered remains of Grimoire's journal gave them a newfound respect for the missing wizard. Grimoire identified the dracolich Dragotha as the herald of Kyuss, and it was him that the companions saw in the visions they experienced in the ruins of Kuluth-Mar far to the south carrying away the physical remains of the Wormgod. The ancient dracolich laired somewhere in the Rift Canyon to the north, but Dragotha's phylactery was taken by a group of druids called the Order of the Storm and hidden away from the world. Lashonna told the heroes that Grimoire had gone north to the Wormcrawl Fissure in the Rift Canyon to confront Dragotha against her guidance.

In the time since Grimore disappeared, Lashonna had been researching and discovered that the Order of the Storm secreted away Dragotha's phylactery in a hidden place called Last Resort. The only way into Last Resort was through the island of Tilagos, ancient stronghold of the druids somewhere in the Nyr Dyv. Tilagos appears on no maps, however, and is kept hidden from the world by powerful storms that destroy passing ships.

Lashonna was very frank with the heroes. The Age of Worms is upon them all, and if they have a hope of stopping this terrible event they must destroy the herald of Kyuss. But to defeat a dracolich one must first destroy its phylactery, and in Dragotha's case you have to first find it. The elf noble admitted at this point that she had made many enemies, and one of them planted a spy in her household. A month ago most of her research notes on the existence of Last Resort and the Order of the Storm was stolen by a trusted associated of hers, so it is likely someone else is seeking the knowledge of the druids.

And there was one more catch. In order to access Last Resort one must possess the blood of one of the Order's members. The druid line had been diluted greatly in the last 1500 years, but Lashonna was able to trace the lineage down to one person - Christine, wife of King Toka Deasseana of Bloodstone. The companions needed to get a vial of blood from King Toka's wife before setting out for Tilagos.

In this they were partially lucky. King Toka and his wife were both in Alhaster for Prince Zeech's banquet. The heroes were in agreement - they could not turn back now, not after all they had done. The elf rogue Fin, whom the companions met at the banquet, explained that his liege - Lord Dextarian Nightshade of the Homogeny - had sent him on this quest as the strange worm-ridden undead had begun to appear in his lands as well.

And so, at 2 am, Duke, Argo, Fin, Drake, and Kong set out to find King Toka wherever he was staying in Alhaster. They found the inn and managed to bribe the keeper to get Toka's room number. After several minutes of pounding on his door they were confronted with a very upset man who held a hammer that could kill a giant in a single blow. But the heroes were not deterred and explained in a rush what was going on.

Toka invited them in and listened to their tale, adding that he had been warned by Malakara that they might be showing up. At first he refused to give up and his wife's blood for the reason that she was with child. But given the circumstances surrounding the situation and the dire threat the dracolich posed to everyone in the Bandit Kingdoms he relented. He took a vial into the bedroom and returned a few minutes later with it filled with blood. Toka gave them the vial, and told them that the should return to Bloodstone if and when they came back from Tilagos Island.

The heroes returned to their inn for one more night in Alhaster and went out early the next day. Captain Shadowstalker and the Sunshadow were two days outside of Alhaster, and upon arriving it didn't take much convincing to get the shadow elf captain to sail into the elemental storm that surrounded the island. The crew prepped the ship quickly and within an hour the Sunshadow set off into the Nyr Dyv, traveling at rapid speed across the lake's choppy waters.

It was still a two day trip into the heart of the Nyr Dyv even at the accelerated speeds of the Sunshadow. On the afternoon of the second day they entered the path of a powerful storm, which Captain Shadowstalker identified as the storm that concealed the island of Tilagos. The winds whipped about and the ship heaved back and forth, but the companions held firm to their ground (impressing even the crew of the Sunshadow!).

After three hours of being buffetted around by the torrential rain and winds one of the crew shouted "land!" and out of the center of the storm an island came into view. It was mostly obscurred by the powerful downpour, but from what could be seen was a barren rocky terrain dotted with what appeared to be stone ruins. Captain Shadowstalker sent the heroes ashore on a dinghe as the water was too shallow for the Sunshadow to approach close enough.

As the companions plowed through the choppy waters they could see that the beach was littered with the remains of ships that had been dashed to pieces on the rocks. One wreck seemed recent - The Secret Hand, a large schooner, lay broken in half on the rocks. Kong pulled the small boat to shore and everyone kept an eye out for trouble.

Which was a good thing since trouble appeared behind the rocks of the beach. Argo spotted them first, then Fin pointed out a few more - orc pirates, moving stealthily amongst the debris. There were about eight of them it seemed moving in on their position. Fin ducked down into the boat and disappeared while the rest of the heroes loosened weapons and steeled their nerves.

The orcs made the first move - big mistake. They leapt up with a ferocious yell that could be heard over the roar of the wind, and then one found two daggers lodged in his skull from Argo's masterful throws. Drake charged a pair, the orcs rushed forward and melee was engaged. With an acrobatic leap Fin revealed himself and stabbed one of the pirates with his rapier. Duke's image seemed to waver for a moment but then he literally scared one of the pirates to death.

Drake was confronted by the leader of the pirates, a nasty orc with a scar running the length of his face. He was a patient and skilled fighter and matched Drake blow for blow in a titanic match of ringing steel and spraying blood. Things did not look good for the human warrior but then Kong- foam frothing at his mouth - charged forward and used his barbarian strength to drop the orc captain.

The captain pleaded for his life, and explained that he was the captain of the Secret Hand. Him and his crew were hired by a Vecnan priest named Darl Quethos to find the island of Tilagos. Several of the crew had been killed by the vicious priest using the Hand of Vecna. They arrived on the shores of the island two days ago whereupon Darl and his retinue went into the interior of the island.

The companions decided to spare the orc his life. They looked upon the wind-beaten interior of the island and knew that not only were they searching for the secret of Dragotha's phylactery they were racing against a powerful priest of Vecna who possessed his god's legendary hand. Not great prospects.

Session Updates
'Bout time! Good to get the campaign back up and rolling, but there are some not so good things about it too. Harris has moved down to Mankato, though it seems he's coming up to the cities every weekend. We've moved the campaign from Thursdays to Sundays. And it sounds like Travis will be joining us as a regular character. What PC he makes is still up in the air, along with Jesse making a new character.

XP Recap
Err ... I don't have the numbers here. I'll update it later.

Until next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com

Age of Worms Startup!

2008-08-20T11:41:00.003-05:00

Age of Worms on Sunday, August 24th. Who's up? Startup a little earlier than normal (say around 1 pm or 2 pm) and get this campaign back off the ground. Any plans to stop this? Anyone got anything going on?

Trail of Cthulhu Thursday

2008-07-23T00:34:00.004-05:00

Trail of Cthulhu
Miskatonic University Expeditions

Trail of Cthulhu (which uses the Gumshoe engine) takes a lot of interesting ideas to the investigatory horror genre of gaming; I really like its take on clues, for instance. Whereas in Call of Cthulhu, one failed Spot Hidden check will make things much more difficult for both players and Keeper, in ToC the clue will be found, only the results will be left unknown. Like in CSI, the test results always come back (instead of rolling a forensics check) but conclusions must still be drawn. It also cuts down on useless or confusing scores such as Appearance and Size as well as adding more power to the character’s backgrounds. While I really like Call of Cthulhu, I want to see if I like Trail of Cthulhu better and if it suits the gaming style of our group better. I'd like to start on Thursday.

The campaign will start in Arkham in the summer of 1928. Here is the scene- the Arkham Advertiser has published an interesting story on the front page.

MU Prepares for Arctic Expedition

In Greenland, the glaciers move across the land slowly, their progress measured in centuries. One such slow moving glacier has recently revealed a great wall of stone, covered in ancient hieroglyphs that are thought to be thousands of years old. Details are still sketchy, but reports say that the massive slab of stone, which apparently protrudes from a glacier features a massive bas-relief of an ancient Eskimo god. Odd hieroglyphs surround the figure, and it is hoped that they may reveal the secrets of a civilization thousands of years old.

Professor Curtis Mathieson of Miskatonic University has recently secured permission from the Danish government to head an expedition to conduct research in the area. He has already begun to select his team, and has recalled the Darlena, a research vessel leased by the University, to carry the expedition to Greenland. Mathieson expects to have the expedition under way in mere weeks.

When asked to speculate about the origins of the wall, Mathieson said, “I am not prepared to do so at this time, although I will be happy to make a full statement when accurate research of this phenomenon has been accomplished. Suffice to say, the wall seems to be extremely ancient, and the sketches I have seen of the hieroglyphs seem to indicate that they belong to no known linguistic family.”

Mathieson is still looking to fill out Greenland research team. Individuals already selected including Doctor Henry Ethelrod, a staff member of the British Museum; Charles Granger, a graduate student at Miskatonic University; Terrence Bhule, a young though renowned anthropologist, and a team of French mountaineers under the leadership of the esteemed climber Phillippe Luvois. Currently, Professor Mathieson is interested in expanding the participants of the expedition, and urges anyone who is interested in helping (particularly Miskatonic students) to contact him at the Department of Archeology at Miskatonic University.

Trail of Cthulhu character creation is fairly simple, it should only take a few minutes, but it will be useful to have a concept ready. If you want, you could remake old characters (even those who might have died in CoC) to provide interesting characters in the Trail of Cthulhu universe. Here is the basic rundown of investigator creation.

Choose Occupation: Full List- Alienist, Antiquarian, Archaeologist*, Artist*, Author*, Clergy, Criminal, Dilettante*, Doctor*, Hobo, Journalist*, Military, Nurse*, Parapsychologist, Pilot, Police Detective, Private Investigator, Professor*, Scientist* (asterisks indicate occupations better suited to the adventure)

The occupation will determine skills, special abilities, and credit rating.

Choose Drive: Adventure, Antiquarianism, Arrogance, Artistic Sensitivity, Bad Luck, Curiosity, Duty, Ennui, Follower, In the Blood, Revenge, Scholarship, Sudden Shock, Thirst for Knowledge.

This will provide a concrete reason why your character would be interested in pursing investigation of the Mythos and is based on your investigator’s backstory and occupation. You can be as specific as you like. Failing to pursue your drive may result in Stability loss (explained later).

Next, you spend build points on abilities, making sure the party has a wide variety of skills.

Finally you choose your Pillar(s) of Sanity (an abstract principle your investigator implicitly believes in, such as a religion, family values, scientific progress, or whatever) and your Source(s) of Stability (a person or people who keeps you sane when things get bad). Last, you can choose to write about any other contacts your investigator might have.

Here are some character ideas for the campaign.

Archeologist- another archeologist would be welcomed on the expedition.

Artist- a painter, sculptor, or photographer would be needed on the trip to keep visual records of the sights, and a student artist might need the school credits or excuse to see such beautiful and exotic sights as the arctic.

Author- like an artist, may be a student or simply a interested party who might accompany the expedition to keep records or simply find inspiration.

Dilettante- a great way for a wealthy student to escape parental control during the summer, and to brag to the guys/gals in the club, as aiding an archeological expedition could be quite an adventure.

Doctor/Nurse- a doctor or nurse, or even a medical student would be very useful on an expedition in case of injury or disease, and one would be encouraged to join. Credits in a social science may also be useful to a pre-med or nursing student as well.

Journalist- either a journalism student working for the school paper or a professional from one of Arkham’s major newspapers (or other city) deciding to accompany the expedition for the inside scoop into its discoveries, a journalist would find themselves put to work as well by the scientists.

Professor- another professor or academic grad student could also be invited to accompany, either for their erudite knowledge on a subject or simply as brute labor in the more dirty aspects of archeology.

Scientist- a person with knowledge of a hard science, such as a geologist or biologist might also enjoy the expedition, and even an engineer might wish to test out new arctic designed motors or other technology. Students in the sciences may need humanity credits available from participating in the expedition.

The Ravaged Earth!

2008-07-21T11:30:00.003-05:00

Action! Adventure! Heroism! Death rays! Rocket packs! The depths of the unknown and the heights of excitement!

These and more await you in the Ravaged Earth. This is a Savage Worlds community setting available for all to see at the following link: http://www.ravagedearthsociety.com/TRES/tiki-index.php.

It takes a look at the world of 1935 had the Martians invaded in 1898 (I think that's the date). Check out the character creation guidelines and if you're interested get thinking about a character. I'd like to get this off the ground pretty soon. I love pulp.

More House Delays?!?!!

2008-07-02T13:36:00.002-05:00

Grrr. I heard back from my realtor today saying that the paperwork was all done on THIS end but the bank that owns the house currently is dragging their feet. AGAIN. I've got all the necessary paperwork signed on the dotted lines (as far as pre-closing date is concerned) now all I have to do is wait for the bank to get off their lazy @#&%ing rear ends and get the paperwork back to the underwriters.

Last word is that it could take up to 10 days. The only bit of encouraging news is that the bank's paperwork said that closing woud be on or before 30 days after the acceptance date. Well, the acceptance date was 6/16 - meaning 7/16 for an outside date. Two weeks away, but still within reach. Of course, can they adjust the acceptance date ... ?

Grrr. Aaarrrgh.

Age of Worms Campaign Update 4/10/2008

2008-06-29T21:48:00.001-05:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080403, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Coldeven 22, 595 CY
Five of the companions - Argo, Drake, Kong, Duke, and Kaspar - were caught surprised by their nemesis Loris Raknian, who jumped out of the crowded marketplace with murder on his mind! His assassin friend, Captain Okoral, joined in the fray, and soon a deadly melee was engaged between the two sides. Loris fought with tenacity and recklessness, a trait which served him well in the gladiator arena.

But he had not faced such an opponent as the Kings of the Road, and even with Okoral's help the two were not doing well. Kong was struck by the assassin's blade and felt poison course this body, but after a pitched and fierce battle the two were killed. Just to be sure, Drake cut their heads off for good measure.

The violence attracted the attention of the Blessed Angels - erinyes devils dressed in black that patrolled the skies of Alhaster. As the heroes looted the fallen bodies something terrible happened.

A dragon appeared out of invisibility and stomped on Kong and Argo! This was a massive black dragon, old and powerful, and announced the death of the heroes in a high-pitched female voice. With a start the companions realized they were facing off against the Black Mother, whose brood they had destroyed in the Mistmarsh months before!

Ilthane, the Black Mother, was a terrible foe, and the party - already weakened from their battle with Loris Raknian and Okoral - found victory slipping further and further away. The dragon was a master tactician, keeping the barbarian and halfling under foot while engaging the remaining opponents. Drake caught the full force of her acidic breath weapon and did not get back up.

Drake the Slayer died when the Black Mother breathed a line of acid in his face.

Duke cast spell after spell as Kaspar tried to keep the dragon busy, the victory came from the least likely of places. Under foot, Argo had given up trying to wriggle free and simply tried to stab the dragon repeatedly. One of his blows struck a major vein in Ilthane's leg, and she let out a shriek. It would be her last shriek, as the life and blood fled from her body, she collapsed in a heap.

The Black Mother was finally defeated after months of searching for her. The Blessed Angels told the surviving heroes that they had to clean up the mess, and they suggested a halfling taxidermist who worked with exotic animals. Duke took the fallen body of Drake and they decided to use a reincarnate spell to bring him back to life - it was the only option they had available to them. While the dwarf wizard prepared the spell the rest of the companions sought out the taxidermist.

Finding the Curious Owlbear was not a problem, and proprietor - a portly halfling named Chosk Underpate - was more than happy to mount and stuff many parts of the fallen dragon. He needed at least two weeks to complete the work, however, and demanded payment up front. The heroes gladly paid, but one thing gnawed at them - where was Ilthane's lair?

Asking around yielded some promising information which pointed them towards the Traitor's Graveyard where traitors were hung. They decided to wait for Duke to reincarnate Drake, which he did - returning his soul to life in the body of an orc. Drake the Slayer was now Drake the Orc, a fact which did not please him. He was fairly depressed after that.

Searching the graveyard for the lair of Ilthane cheered him up some, and eventually all of the companions (including Klaus) uncovered the Black Mother's lair. Inside was a treasure cache, smaller than expected, but which would prove to be both great and troublesome at the same time. The first thing they found were six elixirs, which had the draconic symbols of strength, health, speed, wit, wisdom, and charisma. These increased corresponding physical traist of the imbiber, and were divied out accordingly.

The only other treasure worth finding was a strange object - the Deck of Many Things. This was a terribly powerful artifact, whimsical with its boons and dangerous to boot. Right there the heroes decided to draw from the deck and test their fate.

Kong stepped forward first and pulled the Sun, a powerful card which increased his experience by leaps and bounds. Duke drew next and got the Key, gaining possession of a magical greatsword where the blade was made of crackling energy. The dwarf wizard gave this to Kong.

Drake pulled next, and got the Moon - granting him a series of magical wishes. He immediately wished to be human again, and he reverted to his original form. He also drew the Vizier, and had an answer to a dilemma up his sleeve.

Argo drew the Jester and also gained in experience knowledge. When it came time for Klaus to take his turn, however, a sense of dread came over him as he pulled out the feared Donjon card - Klaus disappeared in the blink of the eye. Kaspar decided to try his luck, and he pulled the Void - his eyes went blank as his soul left his body.

Klaus Kopperthumbs is imprisoned somewhere from pulling the Donjon out of the Deck of Many Things.

Kaspar Nailo's soul is trapped somewhere but his body functions from pulling the Void out of the Deck of Many Things.

The six companions were reduced to four after nothing more than an artifact. They had defeated gladiators, dragons, demons, undead - and only now did they truly feel loss.

Session Updates
Decks of Many Things, huh? Hilarious!

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson

Age of Worms Campaign Update 4/3/2008

2008-06-28T19:51:00.007-05:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080403, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Coldeven 20, 595 CY
With the knowledge of the impending events leading up to the apocalyptic Age of Worms weighing heavily on their minds, the six companions boarded the skyship Sunshadow in the depths of the Amedio Jungle. They requested that the shadow elf Captain Shadowstalker take them to the crystal tower of Malakara the Mad Mage so that they could figure out their next move. The mysterious captain obliged, making all haste to return to Point Harrow.

The journey was largely uneventful and they arrived in only five short days. Malakara welcomed them back with a gruff "hey" and invited them inside. He asked what they had learned and was keenly interested in the prophecies leading up to the Age of Worms. The last two he knew about, and offered some insight of his own.

After the companions had left bound for the Spire of Long Shadows, Malakara did some research of his own regarding the location of Grimoire Barackus. He found that the wizard had looked into a cult called the Ebon Triad, which believed in the unification of Vecna, Hextor, and Erythnul - a thoroughly ridiculous concept. It seemed that Grimoire Barackus believed that the cult was a front for something far more sinister, and the wizard had underlined a reference to Alhaster and made connections pointing many members of the Ebon Triad cult leaders to this town in the Bandit Kingdoms nation of Redhand.

Malakara found a copy of the book "A History of Alhaster", an outdated tome on the city's history written by a cleric of St. Cuthbert named Rhorsk only a few montsh before a despotic ruler named Prince Zeech seceeded from the Shield Lands. One section of the book recounts the emergence of a cabal of Hextorian heretics attempting to establish an underground cult somewhere in the city. The cult made particular use of what they called the "Writhing Dead." The cult was defeated by an elven noble of the city named Lashonna.

Malakara gave the heroes Grimoire's notes on the subjects, which ran as follow:

Alhaster is the key. Missing heretics never captured ... Possible site of Ebon Triad foundation? Did they turn to the cult of Erythnul for aid, and then more recently to Vecna? Are new Triad leaders trained somewhere in Alhaster, and then sent out to start their onw cult cells in other cities?

To Do: * Lashonna (helped defeat heretics, may know more about them that wasn't printed) * Rhorsk (research indicates he did not flee Alhaster after it fell - he's probably dead but may have left some sort of legacy) * Ebon Triad (are they still active in town? Find out if their original hideout/shrine still exists)

It seemed Grimoire's trail led to Alhaster, and this is where Malakara suggested the heroes travel to next. It was decided that they should go to Alhaster, but first they needed to stop by Greyhawk City to resupply and more research. Aboard the Sunshadow the trip took one day and the heroes arrived in the Gem of the Flanaess.

In the city Duke sold most of the magical equipment they had retrieved from the Spire of Long Shadows while everyone stopped by the Temple of Pelor to stock up on potions of healing. Kaspar went to visit the Temple of St. Cuthbert and spoke with the blind High Inquisitor Dorian McKnight about the artifact. Dorian was in posession of three of the fragments, and upon speaking with him Kaspar decided to give him their seventh piece. It seemed only natural to give the blind priest a fragment of this potentially powerful artifact.

Klaus continued his search of the elusive Thieves' Guild, but this time his efforts bore unexpected fruit. After working contacts in the underworld of the city, the dwarven rogue finally met the guildmaster - a dangerous and sly halfling named Kelkep. Kelkep wore about his shoulders a cloak made of living shadows that masked his very presence. For a price to be named later, the halfling guildmaster told Klaus that their old foe Loris Raknian was spotted recently in the city of Alhaster. It seemed he had some friends in that city on the northern shore of the Nyr Dyv.

Armed with this information, the heroes boarded the Sunshadow and made their way north. Captain Shadowstalker told the companions that he would not bring his skyship within twenty miles of Alhaster - the airspace was hostile. He would not explain further, and the heroes had little choice but to accept matters. After three days of flight the Sunshadow set down on the shore and Duke, Kong, Drake, Kaspar, Argo, and Klaus dismounted and headed up shore to Alhaster.

The trip was uneventful if cold, as it was still late winter. The six companions arrived at the gate leading to the city of Alhaster and were confronted by hobgoblin guards. The guards demanded a tribute of 100 gp each, but when Kong flexed his muscles and told them to move along, they listened. It seemed the residents of Alhaster respected might over right.

Alhaster itself was known as the City of Scoundrels, and it earned its name. Everywhere they looked the city was a mix of the depressing and bright. According to the banners, the ruler of the city - the despotic Prince Zeech - was holding a celebration to honor the 20th year of his reign. The people, a mix of the downtrodden and downright evil, seemed to be in good spirits at first glance, but upon further notice their cheers were lackluster, their mirth forced.

Asking around for Lashonna the heroes were directed to the far northwestern portion of the city, which was clearly the "better" part of town. It was, at Mistwall Manor, that Lashonna lived, but according to the guards at the gates she was not in town. If they wanted to see her, the guards directed them to Zeech's Anniversary Banquet - but good luck getting tickets to that, they laughed!

Argo and Duke decided to investigate getting access to this banquet, which was to be held in three days. Kong, Klaus, and Kaspar starting asking around, looking for anyone who had seen Loris Raknian. They were directed to the city's market, where they wandered around looking for the gladiator. Drake hit the bar and started drinking.

In their pursuits, the halfling and dwarf were pointed to the Deluxury, one of the more luxurious inns of Alhaster, and a man named Armhin Loration. They found this weasel-faced man sitting at the inn's bar, and Argo slyly asked how one might obtain invitations to Prince Zeech's upcoming banquet. The man wouldn't give the halfling the time of day, but when Duke mentioned that they were in fact the Kings of the Road, winners of this year's Champions' Games in the Free City of Greyhawk. This caught Armhin's attention, who asks that Argo and Duke bring whomever else they want to the Deluxury in two hours and he'll begin the interview process.

Argo runs out and collects the rest of the group, and they meet with Armhin one at a time. He asks them each to explain their exploits, and seems most impressed by everyone's description of the Champions' Games. Except for Drake, who was mostly drunk at the time. At the end of the interviews Armhin gives each of the companions an invitation - but takes Kong aside and tells him to watch Drake closely during the banquet.

With three days to wait until the banquet, the heroes set out once again to find what they can find. They decided to get rooms at the Deluxury, and the next day they head out into the city. They all meet up in the marketplace of Alhaster, looking at the various things for sale. A large crowd had gathered at the western end of the marketplace, with angry shouting welling up from the mod. Their hatred was directed at a trio of figures who stand on a gallows, nooses limp around their covered faces. Standing nearby is a tall man, a symbol of a gauntleted hand clutching six downward-pointing arrows emblazoned on the front of his black robes. He holds up his hand and speaks before the hushed crowd.

"By the Grace of his Most Beautiful Majesty Prince Zeech, I condemn these wicked heathens to their fate - they are fortunate that Prince Zeech is merciful, for had I the power, their deaths would last a fortnight. And so by His Decree, let these heretics go their maker!"

Shouts of "death to the Ebon Triad" well up from the cowd as the robed figure pulls a lever, opening a trap door in the gallows floor. The three hooded figures drop, kicking for a few moments, and then hang still. The crowd disperse slowly after this.

Klaus take this as a sign to stay off the streets and they return to the Deluxury to wait. Kaspar asks around about the Temple of St. Cuthbert, and discovers that the temple was burnt to the ground almost 20 years ago. With little else to go on, Kaspar, Duke, and Argo decide to check out the remains to help to see if they can find any remnants of the priest Rhorsk. Kong and Drake continue to ask around about Loris Raknian.

At the site of the former St. Cuthbert temple the three heroes find only a burnt shell of a building with barricaded doors. Argo pries the barricades off carefully and they sneak inside, searching around. The sharp eyes of Kaspar discovers a hidden doorway buried under rubble, and beyond is a steep stairway leading into darkness. The three of them make their way down, and eventually they start hearing soft moaning. Lighting a torch, they finally reach the bottom and see a gray, gaunt figure rocking slowly back and forth in a huddled position. As the light shines on him he turns and gasps, revealing himself to be a ghoul. Argo and Kaspar prepare to defeat the undead menace, but Duke stops them.

The dwarf wizard calls out "Rhorsk," to which the ghoul stops. Duke points silently to the symbol of St. Cuthbert on the undead man's chest as explanation to his companions. Duke asks about the book Rhorsk wrote, and the ghoul seems to get almost wistful. He explains that almost all of the Hextor heretics were caught, but they were fed information by a person called Mother Maggot. This mysterious figure was responsible for giving the cultists the worm-eaten undead. Rhorsk never found out who Mother Maggot was or her true goals, but he did discover that the cultists met with her in a subterranean room under a house in the southeast section of the city.

Kaspar asks that Rhorsk lead them to the house, and the ghoul happily obliges. He leads the three through the sewers and tunnels below Alhaster, arriving finally at a point just below a sewer grate. He points upwards and tells them the house on the corner is where Mother Maggot met with the cultists, but he was never able to find anything at the house. Wishing the heroes luck, Rhorsk disappears back into the darkness of the sewers.

Duke, Argo, and Kaspar climb back to the surface of Alhaster and find themselves standing in front of Sinner's Sanctum, or so claimed the sign. Inside held the stench of death, and it seemed it was a house where people went to die. A dozen people of various races were kept by Furpotia, an insane woman who "healed" the dying. After sneaking inside Argo and Kaspar did not find any secret trap doors of any kind.

The next day all of the companions (except for Klaus) return to the marketplace, looking around, when a burly shout stops them in their tracks. The crowds part and make way for a retinue of seven hobgoblins led by a particularly well-groomed hobgoblin. He calls hims B'kruss, leader of the Knights of Redhand, and demands to know what the companions did that was so great to get into the banquet.

Kong steps up and tells the obnoxious hobgoblin that they were the Kings of the Road, winners of the Champions' Games! B'kruss snorts and demands that they have a little contest to see who's the better hero. Kong accepts the challenge, and the hobgoblin knight says the first contest is going to be a race. B'kruss grabs his mount, a dire boar named Gristlegape, and challenges Kong to a race around Alhaster - first one back is the winner. The northern barbarian brings out his yak and accepts the challenge.

The race was close, but after a few problems Kong and his yak win by a hair's breadth. B'kruss, not to be outdone, says the next challenge is a rooftop leap over an alley thirty feet wide. The hobgoblins lead everyone this time to the roofs of a nearby building, and demonstrate what needs to be done by leaping gracefully over the length. Kong gives a good running start and clears the gap, but Drake is not so lucky - he falls in the alley. Argo makes the jump, impressing the hell out of the hobgoblin knight.

The third challenge, B'kruss explains, is the Mindless Courage of the Dreadful Mauling! The knight's mount, Gristlegape, needs to be grappled and pinned before the dire boar mauls the contendor. B'kruss demonstrates, wrestling his mount to the ground in a matter of moments. Kong, experienced with the ways of animals, leaps onto the Gristlegape when it's his turn and pins the beast - beating B'kruss' time by seconds.

The infuriated hobgoblin stalks away with the rest of the Knights of Redhand, but promises that this won't be the last they see of him. As the five heroes revel in their victory over the hobgoblin showboats, a familiar voice shouts out from behind.

"Remember me, champions?"

Turning around they find Loris Raknian charging forward!

Session Updates
Yeah, not much to update anymore. I don't have an XP recap for this session in my notes, but I don't think that matters too much.

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson

Age of Worms Campaign Update 3/27/2008

2008-06-26T18:35:00.007-05:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080327, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Coldeven 2, 595 CY
The steaming Amedio Jungle is an inhospitable place, even for a band of brave heroes. But especially inhospitable considering Argo, Duke, Kong, Drake, Klaus, and Kaspar still needed to penetrate the Ziggurat of Kyuss to learn the dread secrets behind the Wormgod's ascension to godhood thousands of years ago.

Kaspar joined the companions on their return trip to the ruined city of Kuluth-Mar and he took the seventh section of the fabled Rod of Seven Parts as well. The six heroes returned to the ziggurat where they had fought the minions of Kyuss the previous day and decided to search the remaining antechambers of the main room before descending into the natural fissure.

The first chamber was to the north, out of which came the corrupted eladrins previously. As they entered their vision wavered for a moment and they knew that they looked upon a vision like before. This time they were standing in a torture chamber, in which stood two figures. One was Kyuss, handsome and dressed in flowing robes. The other was a strange, six-armed creature that looked as much insect as it did humanoid. Its eyes were hollow sockets and its flesh rotted and festered. Duke recognized the being as a spellweaver - a strange creature capable of great arcane mastery. This was clearly some sort of lich spellweaver, a terrible thought indeed, and it held a jeweled gold box in one of its sets of hands. Kyuss opened the box and removed from inside a writhing green worm. The priest's expression changed to exultation as he looked upon the worm ...

And suddenly the heroes were standing back in the present, looking upon the torture chamber as it stood now - ruined and decrepit. Kong definitely recognized the worm as a Kyuss worm, one of those things that infested spawns of Kyuss. They realized they had just witnessed the man who would become a god first seeing such a terrible thing as that wriggling green worm. It was a sombering thought.

Across the fissure chamber to the south wwas the room where the wormcaller priest and swords of Kyuss emerged from previously. As they stepped into the room a vision washed over them again, and this time they saw Kyuss sitting at a desk in a grand library, the undead spellweaver at his shoulder. The man studied a collection of worn and pitted bronze disks arrayed on the desk before him. The spellweaver pointed to one of the plates, which had runes and markings that seemed to shift in an alien way. Kyuss suddenly gains comprehension ...

And the heroes are left again standing in the room as it existed now. It was clearly a library, but unlike the torture chamber there were still some secrets to be found here. Duke found on several of the shelves jars containing floating worms. The worms were covered in runes, and the dwarf wizard remembered hearing something about these. They were called "knowledge worms" and if you ate them it would dissolve in your brain. But it took a strong constitution to keep the worm from killing you before it imparted its knowledge. Feeling confident, Duke sucked down one of the knowledge worms - and immediately regretted it. It was a glaringly painful procedure, but at the end of a minute or so the worm dissolved in his brain, imparting knowledge.

Nobody else volunteered to eat a knowledge worm, and Duke stuffed the remaining eleven jars into his bag for later study.

The only path left open to the heroes was the fissure, and they decided to descend. They used rope to get down, aided by immovable magical rods carried by Kaspar, and they reached the bottom of the 500 foot shaft. The large chamber at the base of the shaft was covered with a mat of green worms, and as they prepared to blast the swarm with magic a trio of the hunched wormcallers arrived. They caused the wormswarms to lunge at the heroes and used magic to drop everyone but Duke and Kaspar to the ground. Argo squared off against one of the wormcallers while Drake and Klaus took another and Kong took the third. Duke used magic blasts to keep the swarm of worms at bay while Kaspar provided emotional support, not wanting to get taken over by one of the worms.

It was a tough combat, but eventually the swarms crawled into the cracks of the room and the wormcallers collapsed to the ground, defeated. Three halls led out of the room, and they decided to check out the one to the east first. Behind a door was a room lined with religious icons dedicated to Kyuss the Wormgod, complete wityh a beautiful but disturbing fountain carved from black marble. There seemed to be some sort of liquid in the fountain, and Drake was suddenly overcome with a powerful thirst.

He stepped forward to drink and no one stopped him. When he put the water to his lips the magical hold over him snapped and he found in his hands brackish water crawling with digusting Kyuss worms! He spit the water out and managed to help stop Kong from drinking as well. After a moment, everyone's surroundings faded and were replaced by another vision.

This time they had a birds eye view of Kuluth-Mar at its height. The streets were empty, as the thousands of citizens were gathered in a mass in the central plaza surrounding the Spire of Long Shadows. A foul energy welled up from the spire, sweeping outward and killing the living as it passed. Each person that died rose a moment later as a shambling creature, and the heroes were struck the inexplanable feeling that the souls of these poor people were sucked forward and absorbed by the strange black monolith at the top of the spire. A body compsoed of a million writhing worms began to take monstrous shape around the Spire of Long Shadows, its arms raised in triumph. Another moment later and its pose changed to one of rage, and a soul-wrenching cry of fury tore from the undulant face. The massive body of worms shrunk, imploding wit ha horrific wet burst, as the thousands of dead citizens rose up with green worms crawling over their corpses ...

And just like that the heroes were back in the fountain chamber. Duke had heard of such an event happening - a being calls upon the souls of its followers to attain limitless power. This was how Kyuss rose to godhood, but clearly he could not control such an apotheosis - he lost control and seemed to have been trapped in the monolith. A good thing, considering if he had succeeded there would be no limit as to what he could do.

Returning to the previous chamber they went south this time, and were confronted by a veritable sea of wriggling, writhing Kyuss worms. They blanketed a small lake, coating the surface and moving like lichen on the surface. It was a particularly disgusting sight, but they could see branching hallways across the undulating mass.

Utilizing flying spells and sheer strength the six companions reached one of these hallways. They stepped carefully down the corridor, prepared for anything, and opened the door at the end. Inside was an opulent room yet somehow alien, with furniture placed at odd and uncomfortable angles. The walls were decorated with intricate tapestries depicting scenes of carnage and torture in great detail. It was all very disturbing, culminating in the room's single occupant.

The undead spellweaver sat in the middle of the floor in a meditative stance, staring intently at the heroes. Nobody said anything for several moments, when suddenly their minds were filled with the spellweaver speaking to them. It called itself the Harbinger of Worms and demanded to know what prophecies had been fulfilled. Had the Malgarius seed come to fruition? Did the burning comet strike the ground? Did the shadows within shadows rise within the city? Did the volcano erupt?

None of these questions meant anything to heroes, who only looked on in blank amazement. The Harbinger of Worms fell silently after that, staring intently but not making any move. After a moment waiting for something to happen, Kong led the way and they returned down the corridor from whence they came.

When suddenly they were struck by a powerful prismatic spray spell from behind! Nobody suffered grievous wounds, and when they turned around they found the Harbinger of Worms facing them, its six arms weaving arcane spells like a potter works clay. Kong, Drake, Argo, and Kaspar charged forward, facing off against the undead menace in melee while Klaus kept back and shot crossbows. Duke tried to counter the spells of the creature but its arcane power was beyond the dwarf's.

Eventually, after a pitched battle, the Harbinger of Worms was killed. As it collapsed to the ground the room melted away into darkness. A hundred strange and frightening whispers filled the air that seemed to be speaking a hundred languages. But after a moment the voices became one and announced the prophecies of the Age of Worms, visions that appeared before the heroes' eyes ...

... legions of worm-eaten dead rose from soggy graves ...

... an immense and demonic tree exploded into destructive life from the heart of an unfamiliar city ...

... a burning comet lanced down from the heavens to strike a small town in a tremendous, mushroom-shaped cloud of devastation ...

... another city, its town square wreathed in a cloud of black smoke filled with eyes, is held in the grip of shadows that move independently from their source ...

.. a cackling man attaches a clawed and withered hand to the bleed stump of his arm ...

.. a city built in the heart of a volcano suffers tragedy during a partial eruption that sees the collapse of its southeastern quadrant ...

As each event transpired they were accompanied by the crushening sense of certainty that these events had already occurred. The whispering voices spoke of two more prophecies unaccompanied by visions ...

"A tripartite spirit once again becomes one, and at its advice are the mighty undone..."

"On the eve of the Age of Worms, a hero of the pit shall use his fame to gift a city to the dead ..."

Then only silence, and the vision faded. The heroes recognized many of the things in the vision. The worm-eaten dead were clearly spawns of Kyuss. Duke recognized the giant tree as the physical manifestation of a demon lord named Malgarius. Argo remembered hearing about the comet that destroyed the town of Big Rock that turned out to be a temple called the Fane of Scales. Drake recognized the shadow city as Istivin, a place long held to be cursed and haunted by demonic spirits. Kaspar knew the hand that the man attached to his stump was actually the horrid Hand of Vecna. Klaus remembered the volcano that almost destroyed the city of Cauldron, not too far from the Amedio Jungle to the west.

All of this left the companions with the crushing realization that the Age of Worms was set in motion, and that there weren't many people in the world who knew enough to stop it. As they contemplated their future, the present decided to grab their attention. The entire underground structure began to buckle and shake, and the heroes decided to beat feet towards the exit.

Utilizing flying spells and effects the six companions quickly fled from the underground chambers and out the doors - just in time to see the ziggurat collapse. The power of Kyuss seemed to have been broken over the ruins of Kuluth-Mar as the worms were no longer in sight as well. Somber in their duty, the heroes returned to the Sunshadow and take their next step.

Session Updates
Ha! Bet you thought you'd never see this one, did ya!

XP Recap
13th-level 14,600
12th-level 19,300

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson

Age of Worms Campaign Update 3/20/2008

2008-06-25T22:36:00.000-05:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080320, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Readying 28, 595 CY
After resting from their first foray into the ruins of Kuluth-Mar, the heroes set out again to explore it depths and find out all the information they could on Kyuss and his rise to power. Kaspar Nailo, the elf monk, decided to stay back at the Sunshadow and take time to investigate the powers of the Rod of Seven Parts (with the help of Captain Shadowstalker).

As the remaining four party members prepared to depart, a commotion came from the bow of the airship. A pair of shadow elf crewmen pulled out of hiding a stowaway, which turned out to be none other than Drake the Slayer! Drake explained that after he was rescued from the doppelganger lair in Greyhawk he traveled to the hall of Grunther Moradinson in a quest to find Captain Shadowstalker. Using a supply of potions of invisibility he stowed aboard the Sunshadow in hopes of talking with the elusive captain. Alas, he found himself sealed in a large crate when the ship took off several days ago. He only now managed to get someone's attention.

Drake was a bit bewildered as to where they were, but looking at the stern stares of the shadow elf crew he volunteered to help the heroes in whatever way possible, especially if it meant finding a way to where he needed to go. He was vague on the details, but the party decided they could use the help.

The jungle was uncharacteristically unquiet as Kong, Drake, Duke, Argo, and Klaus approached the ruins of Kuluth-Mar and the Ziggurat of Kyuss. They climbed over the 30 foot high obsidian ring and crossed the worm-laden ground carefully and quickly. A deep sense of foreboding came over them as they stepped up the stairs into the very site of a god's ascension.

The ziggurat was built simply, with four chambers around a large central hall. The stairs the heroes went up led into one of the four chambers, which depicted Kyuss as a mortal holding sway over a populace of ancient Flan people. In the murals painted along the walls they discerned that Kyuss was a powerful priest, perhaps of an older version of Nerull, but that the people of Kuluth-Mar worshipped him and not a deity. The companions stepped carefully into the large central hall.

Four massive pillars stood defiant against the ages in this hall, and in the dead center of the large chamber was a fissure in the ground. Their dwarven senses keen, Duke and Klaus could tell that the rent in the floor was a natural one. As the five companions stepped into the hall to investigate further commotion erupted from the doors on teh north and south. Within moments the heroes were not alone in the Ziggurat of Kyuss.

From the south door came a trio of armored skeletal figures, girded in steel and silver plate mail that carried a sickening green sheen and carrying finely crafted greatswords in the bony hands. Leading them was a hunched skeleton dressed in similar armor and empty claws, though it moved with a sense of purpose. Green worms writhed in what could be seen of the skeletons' bodies.

From the north door came a strange sight, and it gave the heroes a moment of hope. There were three celestials, a ghaele eladrin and two sword archons, who came flying out into the main chamber. But the brief glimmer of elation was replaced by the sickening sense of dread as it become clear that these were not servants of the celestial host. Even from their distance the companions could see the tell-tale signs of worms crawling just below the celestial's flesh and coupled with the gleam of insanity in their eyes they knew that they were not here to help.

Weapons were drawn and the heroes took up defensive positions. The skeletal warriors of Kyuss were relentless foes but moved slowly, a fact that Kong and Drake took full advantage of. Klaus was paralyzed by the lead skeleton's black magic, but Duke squared off in a titanic struggle of magic against magic. Argo kept the corrupted celestials busy, aided by the flashing blades of Kong and Drake.

It was a fierce struggle. Their opponents were dedicated to the memory of Kyuss and fought with a tenacity that left the heroes drained. But after much blood and combat their foes were finally defeated. Wounded, the companions did little other than strip their opponents of any valuable gear and took their leave, moving quickly over the field of green worms that stood between the ziggurat and the wall of obsidian.

They retreated through the jungle and sought shelter at the Sunshadow, with the shadow elves providing rest and aid. The heroes knew that their journey into the heart of Kyuss' ancient realm had just begun.

Session Updates
Phew! Way late on this one. I'm working on the other ones as well, but it's not easy. Damn I should've posted these a hell of a lot earlier!

XP Recap
11th-level Characters 15,600
12th-level Characters 11,300

Uhh, that's all for now. Soon I shall have a house and the Age of Worms shall continue once more.

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Assocation
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com

MORE Thoughts on D&D Classes

2008-06-25T21:20:00.000-05:00

After I picked up the 4E Player's Handbook on Saturday the 7th, I found myself in a bit of a funk. The book was definitely NOT D&D, and gave me the distinct impression of being a computer or video game. Perhaps if there was no alternative it would work, but since the Pathfinder RPG exists there is hope.

I posted my thoughts on how to categorize the classes a few weeks ago. In that post I postulized that there should be 15 base classes, based around the six ability scores divided between two groups and the mixing of them. But perhaps that's not the way to go. Perhaps there is a different way.

What if there were only 6 base classes, each based on one of the prime attributes? This starts with the same basic premise as my previous post but stops there.

Fighter = Strength
Barbarian = Constitution
Rogue = Dexterity
Wizard = Intelligence
Priest = Wisdom
Lord = Charisma

That includes the two new classes I created to better re-focus the base classes - Priest and Lord. That doesn't mean the other classes go away - far from it. Instead, they are created as prestige classes. This idea was actually presented in the Unearthed Arcana book, introducing the Bard, Ranger, and Paladin as 15-level prestige classes. Well, why not expand that out to the other non-basic classes into 15-level prestige classes.

Does this take a feeling more like d20 Modern? I don't think so, mainly because the base classes were SO generic as to be unusuable and pointless to pursue after the point where you qualified for a prestige class. But this method means that you would start out as one of the basic six, and then by 5th level or so you could focus yourself into one of the prestige classes.

Just another way to look at it. Thoughts welcome.

Minnesota's First Specialty Beer Store!

2008-06-14T09:41:00.001-05:00

http://www.thefourfirkins.com/

We have to go. Grand opening is today (Saturday, June 14th) and there will be Surly beer and Flat Earth beer sampling at 6 pm. That is all.

Star*Drive on the Horizon ...

2008-06-12T11:13:00.002-05:00

So I've been watching Babylon 5 lately, which is a really wonderful show that I think I've mentioned to everyone. But watching it has started my old noodle going and I've gearing up towards the Star*Drive campaign. One of the things I'm going to incorporate into the campaign is the interactive universe mapping software called AstroSynthesis, which will give you a map of the universe to do whatever the heck you want to do in.

More so than any other campaign I've run this will be player-motivated. I have events I'm going to incorporate, but the thrust of the campaign will be driven by the players not by flavor text or scripted occurrences. Because of this I'll need more detailed backgrounds for characters with NPCs that I can mine to make things more involved.

The other thing is that the campaign is moving to the Savage Worlds rules rather than the clumsy Alternity rules. Savage Worlds is fast, furious, and fun, and very easy to pick up and use for everyone. The system is light on details and heavy on story, and the presented rules are very simple for starship construction and modification. I'm working on a hybridization of the detailed Alternity starship rules and the overly-simplified Savage Worlds starship rules. I think that will give the players access to the toys they want and the customization options while still making my job easy.

Star*Drive is coming. It won't be long. Soon we're going to need a session to remake characters (I hope everyone keeps their characters). Reminder of who they are:

* Luke - Axel Hargreaves, grizzled old starship captain of the Iron Fox
* Harris - Philander Shirow, smooth arms merchant and smuggler
* Griff - Jack Krueger, human former space marine
* Aaron - Sheshak, t'sa engineer and parts expert
* Lee - Ereshkigal, sesheyan assassin and freedom fighter

Those are the players who made characters for Star*Drive originally. There were also two extra characters (Katrina Apollo, human thief played by Jesse and Gar "Sawbones" Torgin, weren surgeon and field medic played by Travis). If Jesse and Travis are interested in playing they can create their own characters or use these pre-gens.

Soon. Not long now.

More MovieJerking Ideas

2008-05-29T12:01:00.005-05:00

So I was thinking about this yesterday, and I think for each Moviejerk session we should go around and everybody rates the movie ... with a letter grade and something odd and very nonsensical. For instance, rate this movie on the following scale:

* Jellybelly flavors
* Comic book heroes
* Crayon colors
* Comic book villains
* Calendar months
* Weekdays
* Meat
* Cheese
* Presidents
* Mammals

Or anything else, but the rating should be as descriptive as possible. For instance, let's say we were MovieJerking Star Wars Episode III and we decided that it was going to be rated on the Jellybelly flavor scale. I would give it a D- and call it the Sour Ear Wax flavor - it's got a rush at first taste but quickly fades, leaving only the waxy buildup that tastes just like regular ear wax. Things like that.

For this nonsensical rating scale we should come up with it beforehand in order to put as much time and thought into them. It's hard to come up with a good rating on such a nonsense scale off the top of the head.

GenCon 2008 w00t!

2008-05-29T09:02:00.003-05:00

Allright, so I accept the fact that there probably won't be a trip to California this year, and that truly bums me out. However, that leaves room in my schedule and budget for GenCon 2008. GenCon is August 14-17 in Indianapolis, IN. Let's look at some numbers shall we?

4 day badge: $65 pre-reg, $75 on-site
Lowest of the low hotel room: $50/night, $200 total for four nights (arrive Wed, leave Sun)
Gas: It's roughly 600 miles to Indianapolis. Figure at least another 50 miles puttering around and 600 to get back puts it at 1250 miles. In my truck highway gas mileage is 18 miles/gallon. That's roughly 70 gallons of gas. At (perhaps conservatively) $4.50/gallon cost that's $315 for gas for the trip.
A four hour event at GenCon: $4.00.
Misc. food and merchandise expenses.

So for me to go it would cost $515 for hotel and gas. That sucks. But if someone else went with me, it would be $260 each. Much nicer. And if a third person goes with it drops to about $175 each. Totally do-able. More than three people I think and another hotel would be required. And the hotel and badge registration is done up front, so the only expenditure at the time of departure would be gas and misc. food and merchandise expenses.

So ... who's up for GenCon 2008? Details can be found at http://www.gencon.com/.

Moviejerking ... Or Something

2008-05-28T12:21:00.003-05:00

I think we should start being Movie Jerks. Well, we already are, but I think we should start posting stuff. And by stuff I mean videos of our movie discussions. Reviews - kind of, but more than that. Anyone can read or watch or do a review. It's just an opinion. But a discussion about the movie, for people who have already seen it or are thinking about seeing it, I can't think of any precedence. I'm sure it's out there, I just can't think of it.

So what do we need to get this started? Not much. A topic, a video camera, and a place to have this round table discussion. I suggest Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as the first to be "moviejerked". We try to keep it civil but these discussions would probably get emotional. Off the cuff kind of stuff, not much planning just thinking beforehand.

We start with an introduction of the Movie Jerks and then initial reaction. Discussions follow from there. We should shoot for 15 minutes and see where that takes us. Once we're done we can post it up on YouTube or some other media sharing site. I bet we could get Cracked to post it.

Let me know your thoughts.

Vacation Road Trip 2008!

2008-05-08T09:30:00.003-05:00

So in 2006 it was Seattle. In 2007 it was Boston. Now, we come to 2008, and I'd like to get a road trip rocking to the west coast. Specifically, to San Francisco. But not just San Francisco! Hitting the bay area and then driving north along California's coast to Portland for a short time. And then returning home from Portland.

Here's some numbers to munch on.

Mound to San Francisco: 1,950 miles, 30 hours.
San Francisco to Portland: 650 miles, 10 hours.
Portland to Mound:1,725 miles, 25 hours.

That's a total of 4,325 miles for just the big legs. Taking a vehicle that gets around 17 miles to the gallon, that's a total of 254 gallons. Estimating gas to be about $4/gallon that comes out to around $1,000 TOTAL in gas. Split that four ways and it's $250 per person.

If there's enough people (and I would want three or four) to get this going, I'd like to go for around 2 weeks if possible and leave sometime in August. September would work as well.

So ... who's up for a road trip to the west coast?

D&D 3.75 Race Updates I

2008-04-30T13:39:00.002-05:00

To go hand in hand with the class update article I just posted here's some racial information. More specifically, how it ties into class. In 3rd Edition (3.5) each race had a favored class, broken as follows. I'm also going to include their 3.75 ability score adjustments for reference.

Dwarf -- Fighter; +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha
Elf -- Wizard; +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con
Gnome -- Bard; +2 Cha, +2 Dex, -2 Str
Halfling -- Rogue; +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Str
Half-Elf -- (any); +2 to any attribute
Half-Orc -- Barbarian; +2 Str, +2 Wis, -2 Int
Human -- (any); +2 to any attribute

The reasoning behind this was not explained to my knowledge, but kind of makes sense. The dwarves are a very martial race, so it makes sense they would gravitate towards fighters. Elves are an inherently magical race so the path of the arcane comes easily to them. With fifteen classes to choose from now it makes sense that the list of favored classes would get expanded. Since the classes are based around ability scores, and the races get bonuses and penalties to ability scores, it stands to reason that the two would be tied together.

Here's the breakdown of classes associated with each ability score:

Strength: Fighter, Sorcerer, Cleric, Knight
Constitition: Barbarian, Warlock, Monk, Shaper
Dexterity: Rogue, Filch, Ranger, Bard
Intelligence: Wizard, Sorcerer, Filch, Warlock
Wisdom: Priest, Cleric, Monk, Ranger
Charisma: Lord, Knight, Bard, Shaper

With fifteen classes I think it makes sense for each race to have four favored classes based around their primary ability score. This works in most cases. The elf would have a favored class associated with Intelligence; the halfling would favor those classes based around Dexterity, etc. The two races that this doesn't work for are dwarf and half-orc. Dwarf would have Strength-based classes, while the half-orc would have Constitution. Reversed but it makes more sense thematically.

D&D 3.75 Class Updates Part I

2008-04-30T11:19:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been thinking a lot about how D&D works, what with the impending release of 4th Edition and the continuing releases of the Pathfinder RPG (D&D 3.75). Seeing the changes implemented in Pathfinder to the classes has sparked my thought process, which boiled down to this: How the heck are classes in D&D defined? I don't think there is any rhyme or reason behind it beyond "hey this sounds cool" and "it's been in the game since the beginning."

It's time to throw that thinking out the window, my friends. I wanted to start with my thought process behin the whole thing. I've struggled a lot with how to classify the classes (?). What separates them mechnically? How could they be grouped? 2nd Edition D&D broke the classes down into the following four categories

Warrior - Fighter, Ranger, Paladin
Priest - Cleric, Druid
Wizard - Mage, Illusionist
Rogue - Thief, Bard

Those were the base classes as presented in the 2nd Edition PHB. In 3rd Edition I started to break it down even further. Thoughts that came into mind included grouping by base attack bonus (low, middle, high), ability focus (feats, skills, magic), or traditional (warrior, priest, wizard, and rogue). Nothing really fit.

Here are the 11 classes as presented in the 3rd Edition PHB:

Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard.

Of these classes I've had problems with two specifically - Paladin and Sorcerer. The Paladin was too specific, and basically meant that all Paladins were the same beyond their personality (which with LG characters still tended to be the same). The Sorcerer was not different enough from the Wizard to justify a separate class. It had fewer spells and received new spells less often, which meant that a party with a Sorcerer instead of a Wizard would always lag behind in terms of spellpower.

In addition, 3rd Edition took the approach that the party should be composed of four characters - Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, and Wizard. All of the encounters are based around the presence of these four classes, or at least classes that fulfilled their function. What did this requirement actually mean? You need a tank, a healer, a skill-user, and a spellcaster. That's the approach that 4th Edition is taking, and I don't really like identifying them as such. Too World of Warcraft-y.

And then it hit me. There are six ability scores - Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These abilities have been with the game since the beginning, and have persisted throughout each incarnation. Why not base the classes around the ability scores? Heck, 75% of that work's already been done!

So you have the six ability scores, and you can divide them into two groups - Physical and Mental. That gives you six base classes. When you look at it like that you start to see how the classes came into being. Fighter? Strength. Wizard? Intelligence. Taking it a step further you can combine abilities between the two groups to create a few more. Bard? Dexterity + Charisma. While combining the aspects of two classes, these new classes took on a life of their own.

With that in mind I started looking at the six ability scores and matching them up between the two groups. Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity VS. Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Here's the list I came up with:

Strength
Constitution
Dexterity
Intelligence
Wisdom
Charisma
Strength/Intelligence
Strength/Wisdom
Strength/Charisma
Constitution/Intelligence
Constitution/Wisdom
Constitution/Charisma
Dexterity/Intelligence
Dexterity/Wisdom
Dexterity/Charisma

Fifteen combinations. Looking at the list like that you can see some immediate corrollations between existing classes. Bard = Dexterity/Charisma. Barbarian = Constitution. Etc. D20 Modern took a similar approach to this but genericized it too much. They removed the classes and made Strength heroes and Intelligence heroes. Too generic for D&D.

In comparing the list above to the clases there are still a few inconsistencies. As I stated earlier, the Paladin was a problem. What was the Paladin? A martial Cleric? Isn't the Cleric already martial? Isn't the Paladin really just a Cleric with less spells and a few specific abilities? The Paladin gets dropped to remove duplication.

The problem then becomes what defines a Wisdom based class versus a Strength/Wisdom class. So I took a look at a niche that was missing - the pure divine spellcaster. Someone who eschews combat for spells, just like the Wizard. That relegates the Cleric to the Strength/Wisdom niche, which means their spells are going to get reduced (not much) in favor of more abilities. I'm thinking more specific abilities around Domains.

The Wisdom class then becomes a pure divine spellcaster with no combat abilities. I'm going to call this class the Priest since that is what it is. Now things make sense - the paladin is now a Cleric of Heironeous (or other LG ideal) and the Cleric is now able to function as a fighting divine spellcaster.

The Druid is also a problem. What is a Druid but a nature-themed Cleric who can shapechange? The Druid as written gets dropped and its abilities get absorbed into nature-themed Domains. The wild shape gets turned into something else, but I'll get to that in a moment.

Taking the classes as presented in the 3rd Edition PHB here's what I came up with when applying them to the fifteen combos:

Strength -- Fighter
Constitution -- Barbarian
Dexterity -- Rogue
Intelligence -- Wizard
Wisdom
Charisma
Strength/Intelligence
Strength/Wisdom -- Cleric
Strength/Charisma
Constitution/Intelligence
Constitution/Wisdom -- Monk
Constitution/Charisma
Dexterity/Intelligence
Dexterity/Wisdom -- Ranger
Dexterity/Charisma -- Bard

Sorcerer is too much of a duplicate class to include, and both the Paladin and Druid get eliminated as discussed above. I think the matches make an eerie kind of sense actually - the Ranger is really a Dexterity and Wisdom based class, and the Monk combines Wisdom and Constitution. Now to fill in the gaps.

Let's just populate Wisdom with Priest. It's abilities need to hammered out but getting the concept is the hardest part, which is already done.

Charisma and Constitution are problems, and have been a problem in D&D for a long time. These two ability scores are pretty important for EVERYONE depending on how you view your character, Constitution more so because it governs hit points. Charisma is definitely a "throw away" ability score - few game mechanics are based around it.

The fix for that is to create a game mechanic that is based on Charisma and to base a class around it. In 3rd Edition they tried this with Sorcerer, but failed to make it unique enough. So where to go from there?

I toyed with the idea of making the Charisma-based class psionic in nature. It kind of makes sense - the force of your personality fuels mental powers. But the flavor never really felt altogether there and I abandoned it.

One phrase that kept rolling around in my head surrounding this conundrum was "sphere of influence." I don't know why, but I've always associated Charisma with this phrase. Playing around with some naming conventions I decided to create a mechanic that this Charisma-based class would have access to surrounding the idea of "Spheres."

Some of the names I considered for this class (since I think the name tells a lot about the thing) include the following: weaver, beguiler, psion, noble, wellborn, and patrician. Nothing jumped out at me, though I liked weaver (and Beguiler was a new class presented in PHB II). I've come around to the idea that this Charisma-based class was going to be an influencer of people and have abilities that make the party better, kind of like the Bard.

After mulling the idea around I settled on Lord. The Lord is my Charisma-based class with abilities relating to spheres (like the Cleric/Priest has abilities surrounding domains and the Wizard has abilities surrounding schools). The name lord has kind of a noble connotation, but I think the name works - it's simple, it's direct, and it can apply to any number of character concepts. The Lord is someone who can stop a swordblow from landing, command men and women to do his bidding, and to control the situation from behind the scenes. That covers Charisma.

With that in mind the Strength/Charisma class almost writes itself - Knight. This fulfills the honorable warrior role the Paladin previously occupied and creates a new class to incorporate more of the sphere based abilities. I'm going to start with the Knight as presented in the PHB II but take it in a different direction.

Four left - Strength/Intelligence, Constitution/Intelligence, Constitution/Charisma, and Dexterity/Intelligence. You could make an argument that the Bard is really a Dexterity/Intelligence class, but I decided to focus it on Charisma instead. One idea I've always liked and haven't seen implemented well in 3rd Edition is the concept of the spellfilch - a thief/mage combo from 2nd Edition. Changing it slightly to be just Filch fills the role of the Dexterity/Intelligence class, which will have abilities akin to the Arcane Trickster prestige class from the DMG.

The two Constitution classes took some thinking. I came up with the idea of a class who cannibalizes his own body for power, and thus the Warlock was born (Constitution/Intelligence). Not sure what its abilities will be at this point but the concept is there. Perhaps a focus on summoning (kind of like the World of Warcraft warlock). Still thinking on that one.

To me, the idea of Constitution and Charisma brings to mind someone who uses their body to change how they appear. With a little creative tweaking this becomes the Shaper - a classed based around the wild shape Druid ability but with expanded abilities. The Shaper could be a totem-based warrior or an avenger of nature.

That leaves Strength/Intelligence. There are quite a few prestige classes that work to fill this niche (including Eldritch Knight and Spellsword) but nothing's really struck me as being the right fit for a base class. What about fitting the lame 3rd Edition Sorcerer into this role? Unearthed Arcana had alternate class abilities for all of the base classes, and one of them was the Battle Sorcerer - access to fewer spells but combat abilities to compensate. Why not turn the Sorcerer into this variant? I decided on that and thus the Strength/Intelligence-based Sorcerer class was born.

That rounds out the list, which looks like this now along with the classes primary focus:

Strength -- Fighter (combat feats)
Constitution -- Barbarian (rage)
Dexterity -- Rogue (sneak)
Intelligence -- Wizard (schools)
Wisdom -- Priest (domains)
Charisma -- Lord (spheres)
Strength/Intelligence -- Sorcerer (arcane combat)
Strength/Wisdom -- Cleric (divine combat)
Strength/Charisma -- Knight (presence)
Constitution/Intelligence -- Warlock (
Constitution/Wisdom -- Monk (personal training)
Constitution/Charisma -- Shaper (wild shape)
Dexterity/Intelligence -- Filch (arcane skullduggery)
Dexterity/Wisdom -- Ranger (wilderness)
Dexterity/Charisma -- Bard (music)

Fifteen classes. The new ones (Priest, Lord, Sorcerer, Knight, Warlock, Shaper, and Filch) I think fulfill existing roles and create interesting combinations that would otherwise have required multiclassing for lesser effect. Each class needs to stand on its own, and it also needs to make sense from a multi-class standpoint.

I'm going to give this post a publish to give myself a breather.

Under Mound

2008-04-16T22:06:00.003-05:00

Because "Weird Dave" will be in the midst of a transition from his apartment to a new home in the next few weeks and the majority of his stuff will go into storage making it difficult for him to run the Age of Worms temporarily, we agreed I'd step in a do a short session or two scenario for the Call of Cthulhu RPG. Here is the setting info;

Under Mound

This is a short Call of Cthulhu campaign set in Mound, MN in contemporary times. I find that to truly bring the horror of the setting closer to home, nothing beats actually setting it at home, as it were. Even the seemingly boring town of Mound has dark and terrible secrets that will destroy the lives and sanity of the normal, everyday people who happen to stumble upon them, their knowledge bringing terrible insight into the very nature not only of an insignificant lake town in the western Twin Cities but the entire universe. This will be a very freeform campaign based on what you as players do and your characters. Depending on your decisions, any number of dark secrets and events could take place, and even I'm not sure what will happen.

Characters

Making your characters, or investigators in CoC parlance, should be a group effort. They should have a reason to, well, investigate, as well know, if not like, each other. Something mysterious happens and they find themselves trying to find out why, hence investigators. Just look at any groups of people meeting up around Mound today, even this very group! Any one of them could discover the Mythos where they least expect it all with a little curiosity or bad luck. Also, think of what your investigator would be like if you bumped into them, say, down at SA or something.

Here are some examples off of the top of my head for group concepts; these are just ideas, so feel free to come up with anything you can think of, so don't feel confined;

High School/Middle school students/teachers, a gaming group (or other hobby group), clerks (video rental, liquor store, etc.), Scout troop, Church group (Our Lady, St. John's, etc.), group of elderly people (fishers, crafters, etc.), plumbers/computer repair (other professionals), Historical Society members, a local TV show star back home with their entourage, or funeral home employees.

Of course many of these could mixed and matched as well- a Church group could also be interested in fishing, or gaming group could be made up of video store employees. For instance, a dentist might know a young family who has just moved into town, one of which is a grand child of a historical society member.

The most important things to ask in Call of Cthulhu are about your characters life; these are just as important as your stats, so add a least of sentence of thought into them.

Who are you? Where do you live? Who are your friends and family? Where do you work? What is your relationship to the supernatural? What is your personality like? And so on.

I'll bring all needed equipment for you to make your characters this Thursday. I may be able to put a short scenario together as well. Hopefully, I can manage a bit of atmosphere and make it a pleasurably chilling experience!

Ia Cthulhu!

Video Games Live concert in Winnipeg!

2008-04-15T20:05:00.004-05:00

I head about this on NPR on Saturday and thought it would be of interest to numerous people. Sounds pretty cool, actually. Its "an immersive concert event featuring music from the most popular video games of all times," with "top orchestras and choirs." The whole spiel is at www.videogameslive.com and you can listen to examples of the music at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12478692

Anyway, the next and closest showing is on June 5 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I think it would be a fun little trip to make. According to Mapquest, Winnipeg is 450 miles from here and should take an estimated seven hours. The show is at 8 PM at the Centennial Concert Hall and tickets cost $36.75 at Ticketmaster Canada for the second balcony. Currently, there appear to be ten seats left in the second balcony, so we may want to decide quickly.

There appear to be many camp grounds near to Winnipeg; that may provide a cheaper place to stay, as well.

Some research shows that to drive into Canada, one doesn't yet need a Passport (that's only if we flew), but a government issued ID (Drivers License) and proof of citizenship (NOT a Social Security card, but a Birth Certificate.)

Anyway, if we do go, here are some other things to do in Winnipeg that should be fun and cheap;

The Forks Market- historic market place and home of cheap ethnic eats and other cool farmers market like stuff.

Chinatown- authentic and tasty restaurants.

Assiniboine Park, Zoo, Conservatory, and Pavilion- free zoo and sculpture garden, sounds interesting. A little like Como Park.

Winnipeg Art Gallery- very nice art collection, most significant Inuit collection in the world.

Crystal Casino- European-style gambling. Dress is "semi-formal," whatever that means. Maybe not that cheap, but may be of interest to some.

Anyway, sounds fun. Any takers?

D&D 3.75?

2008-03-25T19:17:00.002-05:00

Alright, we've got somethings coming down to the pipeline in the next few months. Chief among these, at least on my radar and as far as gaming goes, is the eminent release of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition. Many of you are not enthused about this, and don't plan on "upgrading" (I use the term only in sense that the number 4 is higher than the number 3.5). I'm very excited but I understand your trepidition.

And you're not the only ones with fears. It doesn't take much digging to find doom and gloom surrounding all information about D&D4E that is coming out in July. Not everyone is going to update to the new edition, and one of the bigger players decidedly not joining on the bandwagon is Paizo Publishing.

The fine folks at Paizo are the people who published Dragon and Dungeon magazines until recently (when the licenses were returned to Wizards of the Coast so that they could create an online version of these fine print magazines). Paizo jumped right into their next project, a monthly hybridazation of the two magazines called Pathfinder. I have not yet taken the time to purchase one of the Pathfinder issues/modules -partly because of the price ($20 each) and partly because I already have a lot of stuff.

Just a few days ago, however, Paizo announced that they would not be going to 4th Edition. Instead, they're going to continue with the d20 system, which they (and many others) feel isn't broken but definitely could use some tweaks. So they announced the open playtest of the Pathfinder RPG - D&D 3.75 to the rest of us. They have Alpha Release I out already available as a free download. There is a lot of interesting things in there, and I'd like to incorporate a lot of it into our D&D campaigns going forward. I will hold off on full incorporation until the rest of the Alpha releases come out (the first one only covers cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, skills, a lot of feats, races, and some spells) but there are things that I'd like to use in the next session.

Here's a breakdown of things I'm incorporating now that affect all characters:

* Starting hp for a character is max class hp PLUS the PC's Constitution score. This is a one time boost. Existing characters get to add their Constitution score to their total hp.

* Racial ability score increases. Essentially all the races get a +2 to a different attribute. Here's the breakdown:

Dwarf - +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha
Elf - +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con
Gnome - +2 Cha, +2 Con, -2 Str
Half-Elf - +2 to any one attribute
Half-Orc - +2 Str, +2 Wis, -2 Int
Halfling - +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Str
Human - +2 to any one attribute

Adjust your PC accordingly.

* New feat progression. Characters gain new feats every odd level, starting at 1st (3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, etc.). The old way was every third level, so this equates to more feats for all characters.

* Character death occurs at -10 - current level instead of just -10. So a 1st level character dies at -11, and a 20th-level character dies at -30. Easy to calculate and should keep PCs alive longer.

* Sneak attacks and criticals apply to all creatures - including undead, elementals, and constructs.

* Sneak attack damage only applies once per round, but is multiplied with a critical (same multiplier as the weapon).

* A wizard can now Overcast. What this means is they can cast ANY spell out of their spellbook by taking a full-round action and making a Spellcraft check. The DC is 15 + (spell level x 3). Metamagic feats cannot be applied to overcasting. If the check fails the caster is fatigued. If the caster is already fatigued and fails the Spellcraft check, he is instead exhausted. If an exhausted caster fails the Spellcraft check he falls unconscious for 1d6 hours. This one I'm going to watch a little more carefully to see if it gets abused (or if it's too hard or too easy to overcast). Thoughts welcome.

* No one in the Age of Worms campaign has a cleric, but Turn/Rebuke Undead is replaced by a Positive/Negative Energy Burst. The cleric can use this ability a set number of times per day (same as Turn Undead) and it creates a burst of energy in a 30 foot radius. Creatures healed by positive energy are healed 1d6 + 1d6/2 cleric levels beyond the first and undead are harmed by the same amount. Undead get a save for half damage. Evil clerics do the same thing except with negative energy.

* Specific feat changes. Cleave becomes the following: As a standard action make an attack. If it hits you get a free attack against another foe in your reach. Great Cleave becomes the following: As a standard action make an attack. If it hits you get a free attack against another foe in your reach. You can continue this for every foe in range but you cannot hit a foe more than once. Dodge becomes the following: +1 dodge bonus to AC.

I'd like to incorporate skill changes as well, but I'll wait on that one. Additional there will be more feat changes but I'll wait to incorporate those along with the combat maneuver bonus (CMB) to replace clunky grapple, disarm, trip, and sunder checks.

I encourage everyone to download a copy of the free Alpha Release I from Paizo's website (http://www.paizo.com/) and take a look at the changes. We'll try these out and see how they work.

Age of Worms Campaign Update 2/28/2008

2008-03-25T18:00:00.003-05:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080228, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Readying 26, 595 CY
Leaving the Tomb of Icosiol the Wind Duke behind them, the companions set their eyes north. Allustan had given them directions to the crystal tower of Malakara the Mad Mage, though these directions were as vague as "go north to the Nyr Dyv and follow the shore." Duke drove his caravan with Argo and Klaus while Kong rode on his yak. Kaspar kept pace on foot.

They left on Readying 10, as cold winds blew and snow began to fall. It was the beginning of the winter season, and travel became treacherous. The companions did not want for food, however, as Argo was a skilled tracker and found game in the rolling Cairn Hills with ease. For ten days the heroes rode north, meeting up with the shore of the massive Nyr Dyv (which when translated from Ancient Flan means "Lake of Unknown Depths") and following its jagged length of land for many days.

On the tenth day out they came upon something odd. Or rather, they heard something odd - the sound of metal clanging against metal. Kong could definitely tell it was from further north, and that it sounded like battle. But as they continued on their trek, through the snow flurries and frozen hills, the sound did not abate. Indeed, it seemed to actually get stronger.

As the cloudy day began to pass into evening they finally came upon the source of the mystery as well as their destination. On a peninsula, stretching out into the Nyr Dyv like a decrepit finger, was a magnificent crystal tower. And surrounding the crystal tower was a sphere of flying metallic debris, completely encasing the building. They approached cautiously, knowing now how the site had gotten its name (Point Harrow). Duke identified the metallic chunks as being extraplanar in origin, perhaps from the Elemental Plane of Earth or the Infernal Battlefield of Acheron - he wasn't quite sure which. The sound of the metal chunks slamming into each other and the stone-studded ground made conversation difficult.

The companions stood there, staring at the raging Metalstorm before them, and tried to come up with ways to get inside. Argo could see that the ring of metal was not terribly wide - perhaps 100 feet or so. However, considering the speed of the chunks and their size it would have taken someone with great dexterous skills to get through unscathed. Duke suggested some spells to help, most of which would require him to rest. Considering the lateness of the hour, the heroes decided to wait until morning to tackle the Metalstorm.

They made camp not far away, though few of them could get any rest with the clanging of the Metalstorm so close. Klaus didn't even try to sleep. He stayed up and stared at the raging torrent of planar material, trying to deduce some way through it. In the morning the dwarf rogue announced he had found a pattern amongst the debris. Every hour or so a large piece floated by, keeping the small pieces at bay. There was a narrow window of opportunity where they could sprint through the Metalstorm with a smaller degree of risk.

The heroes decided to chance it. They also decided to leave Duke's caravan and Kong's yak outside so as not to risk them. They waited for the exact moment, and when Klaus shouted go they made a break for it. Everyone managed to get through the Metalstorm unscathed, except for the barbarian Kong who was clipped in the shoulder by a medium size piece of shrapnel but managed to stay on his feet. They beheld the crystal spire of the Mad Mage Malakara.

The tower itself was unadorned except for a platform a hundred feet up. Duke cast fly on the heroes, and they all got up without a problem. A pole stood out from the wall of the crystal tower, and as they landed a voice intoned "Grasp, and speak the beauty of chaos." In turn the heroes tried multiple things, but it was Kong who triggered the entrance by speaking the word "chaos" while grasping the pole. Instantly he was transported inside and the rest of the heroes followed suit.

They found themselves in a large chamber, with an ornate throne at the far end and a desk and dozens of large paintings on the walls. Sitting on the throne was a wizened old man, with steel gray hair and piercing emerald eyes. This was Malakara the Mad Mage at last. He asked them their business, and when Duke responded that they were there about the Age of Worms the Mad Mage grew serious. He told them that the Age of Worms was approaching, and events have been occurring in accordance with the nefarious plotting of Kyuss the Wormgod. Many portents and predictions have come true in the past few years. Two prophecies regarding the Age of Worms had yet to come to pass, however.

The first mentioned the reunification of a tripartite spirit, which Malakara had no idea what it meant. The second went as follows: 'And on the eve of the Age of Worms, a hero of the pit shall use his fame to gift a city to the dead.' It was likely that Loris Raknian was trying to accomplish this particular prophecy during the Champion's Games - but that doesn't mean there aren't other ways to accomplish this feat. The situation required more investigation.

Malakara mentioned he had an acquaintance who was obsessed with Kyuss and the Age of Worms. The wizard Grimoire Barackus, infamously known for abandoning the King of the Dwarves in the Palace of Orcus years before, researched the origins and cults of Kyuss obsessively. Grimoire disappeared a few years ago, however, but Malakara had some of his notes still. The other wizard made several trips to a site far to the south, in the Amedio Jungle, where Kyuss rose from mortal to god. There, in the jungle city of Kuluth-Mar, Kyuss' apotheosis reached fruition in the Spire of Long Shadows.

Given the scant information to go on, Malakara suggested that the heroes visit Kuluth-Mar and try to find everything they could on Kyuss and the Age of Worms. While they did that, the Mad Mage would use his resources to find Grimoire. After a small amount of deliberation the companions agreed to visit the Amedio Jungle.

After they agreed to go, Malakara made them an offer. He knew that they possessed a fragment of the Rod of Seven Parts, and he did not try to hide the fact that he wanted such a powerful artifact. The Mad Mage offered a magical item to each of the heroes in exchange for the item. The companions considered it, but felt that the fragment could help them in their struggles going forward. Malakara scowled, but informed them that if they wanted to try and use the fully assembled artifact against their foes he knew where three pieces were - in the possession of Dorian McKnight, High Inquisitor of St. Cuthbert in the Free City of Greyhawk.

Malakara told them that Grimoire used to travel to Kuluth-Mar aboard an airship called the Sunshadow, piloted by the enigmatic Captain Shadowstalker. Shadowstalker was known to spend much of his time in the hall of Grunther Moradinson, King of the Dwarves, in the recovered halls of Radruundar in the Lortmil Mountains. The Mad Mage directed the heroes' attention to one of the paintings on the wall that depicted the grand throne room of Radruundar. The insane wizard bade them step through the painting and it would transport them to the dwarf king's hall.

A little leary, though seeing little other choice, the companions stepped through the painting and emerged in the middle of Grunther's hall. They were immediately accosted by dwarven honor guards as well as Grunther himself. When Argo explained who had sent them, the dwarf king greeted them with a hearty welcome and ordered a feast. Servants scrambled out and laid a table with luxurious meats and spices from around the world.

Grunther, they discovered, was once a man who lost his arm in the infamous Tomb of Horrors. He traveled with the famous Heroes of Dragon Fyre - Toka Desseana, High Priest of Pelor and King of Bloodstone; Rugrunt Garoul, gnoll swordsman extrodinaire; Loncer Amorocco, half-giant dragon slayer; and Malakara the Mad Mage to name a few. After a few quests they found the legendary Axe of the Dwarvish Lord, which Grunther took and eventually it turned him into a dwarf. But not just any dwarf - the rightful King of the Dwarves, recreating Clan Moradinson.

The companions managed to ask about Captain Shadowstalker, and Grunther grunted that the elf was around. He sent a servant to summon him, and after a few minutes he returned accompanied by a thin, fey person who looked like an elf. But his skin was smokey gray and he moved with unnatural grace. Captain Shadowstalker refused to take them to the Amedio Jungle, and just as he was walking away Duke mentioned that they were following in the footsteps of Grimoire Barackus. That stopped him, and moments later he told them the Sunshadow left in an hour - they'd better be on it.

Thanking their host, the heroes gathered their things and made quick preparations to leave. Right on time they left the halls of Radruundar to a valley just outside where the Sunshadow was moored. It was a magnificent ship, very similar to those that sail on the water - but this one floated upon the air. The heroes were shocked to see that the crew of about twenty or so were identical to Captain Shadowstalker! They moved with unnatural grace and spoke not a word to the heroes as they boarded. The captain, identifiable by his garb, told the companions to stay out of the way of the crew during the voyage. With that, the Sunshadow leapt into the sky and they charted a course south.

Over the Kingdom of Keoland they sailed, quicker than any other form of transportation save teleport. The heroes kept themselves busy during the voyage, but it was only three days before they crossed the Jeklea Bay and then into the steamy Amedio Jungle proper. The thick canopy of trees obscured vision and made sailing difficult, but on the fourth day out the Sunshadow stopped in a large clearing. Captain Shadowstalker told the heroes that the ruins of Kuluth-Mar lay a few miles away, but this was as close as the Sunshadow came - the ruined city was cursed.

The heroes disembarked from the great airship and headed into the thick of the jungle. Swarms of mosquitos and the thick humidity made the travel long, but eventually they came upon the ruins of a city - Kuluth-Mar. In the center stood their target, the Ziggurat of Kyuss, which was shaped in all defiance of gravity. As they stepped within the ruins of the city, their vision became hazy and splotchy, and like oil running over a canvas the landscape around them shimmered and changed. They found themselves standing amidst thousands of human figures, all chanting the name "Kyuss" in prayer. Upon the ziggurat itself stood a handsome man in ornate plate armor upon a throne of green stone. A black circlet sat upon the man's brow, and both the armor and circlet were marked with a symbol of an overlapping skull and scythe. At the apex of the ziggurat balanced a fifteen-foot-tall black stone monolith shaped like a trapezoid. All around them Kuluth-Mar stood at the height of its power.

In a flash the vision disappeared, replaced by the ruins of the jungle city that occupied the site in the present time. The vision they had just seen was definitely Kyuss himself, Duke recognized, and the symbol on his circlet and armor was an archaic holy symbol of Nerull. A bit shaken but otherwise no worse for wear, the heroes continued on carefully through the ruins of Kuluth-Mar.

Further in they came upon a strange ring of obsidian that encircled the ziggurat itself - the ring was thirty feet high and ten feet wide. Inscribed upon the surface, Duke found, was a phrase repeated over and over in Draconic - "Kyuss forever bound." The heroes found this slightly disturbing, but Argo clambered up over the wall and to the other side.

Where he found the ground to be writhing with green worms, the same kind found in spawns of Kyuss. As long as he kept moving the worms didn't bother him, but something about it gave the halfling ranger a bad feeling. The rest of the heroes climbed up to the top of the obsidian ring but none of them dared jump down.

As they stood around, trying to decide what to do, Argo noticed movement in the entrance to the ziggurat. It was a humanoid figure, carrying a sword and a shield, along with two massive beetles. The three of them charged forward, faster than the halfling anticipated, and upon closer inspection he found the beetles to be undead creatures and worms to be covering the undead figure. Two large worms served as the undead monstrosity's eyes. Argo fended their attacks off well but knew that things were not going so well.

With a mighty bellow Kong leapt to the ground and joined the melee, and soon Klaus and Kaspar joined as well. The undead beetles were voracious foes, and the Kyuss knight was a skilled combatant. Many wounds were suffered, but Kaspar was struck with an idea as they were down to their last leg. The elf monk pulled out the tip of the Rod of Seven Parts and commanded it to heal the Kyuss knight - which of course had the opposite effect. The positive energy ripped through the creature and sent it collapsing to the ground. The undead beetles were dispatched as well, and the companions decided a tactical retreat was in order so that they could lick their wounds and heal up before entering the ziggurat itself.

They made their way back to the Sunshadow, where they rested for the night. Captain Shadowstalker used powerful magic to heal all of their wounds, though he did not explain how or why. The companions got up the next morning determined to find out all they could about Kyuss and his plans for the Age of Worms.

Session Updates
So, sorry about the lateness on this one. Almost a month late! Grrr to myself.

Quest Cards Completed
* Speak with Malakara the Mad Mage

Quest Cards In Progress
* What's Ilthane Up To?
* Recover the Rod of Seven Parts
* Follow Grimoire Barackus' Trail to Kuluth-Mar

XP Recap
11th-level 11,300
12th-level 7,400

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com

Age of Worms Campaign Update 2/21/2008

2008-02-27T21:35:00.003-06:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080221, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Readying 10, 595 CY
Slightly disorientated from the deluge of information from the noble salamander Antyress Redpike, and certainly still nursing wounds from the fight against the black dragon, the heroes decided to rest in the chamber of pillars. The knowledge that they were in the tomb of a fallen Wind Duke of Aaqa weighed heavily on their minds and they were determined more than ever to find Allustan.

The elf monk Kaspar kept a silent vigil during the rest period as he always did. As the rest of the party awoke, Argo spotted something out of the corner of his eye. A gigantic spider phased into existence behind Kaspar, grasped him in its front legs, then winked out of existence! Everyone saw the elf monk get taken by the creature, and Duke was able to identify the means of transportation as passing into the Plane of Shadow. Whatever this creature was that took Kaspar it came and went from this other plane of existence.

With little information to go on, the heroes continued to follow the trail of Allustan the Sage hoping that the elf monk's location would be revealed. They passed through a chamber that contained beautiful but strange purple chandeliers and wisely chose not to bother them. They passage leading out sloped downward at a steep angle, descending deeper into the earth beneath the Plains of Pesh.

The chamber at the bottom held three doors - two on either side of the entrance and one in the middle at the end of a short flight of stairs. In the middle of the room the heroes found Kaspar, unconscious and hanging from a strand of purple spider silk. As they approached cautiously the massive spider emerged from the Plane of Shadow.

The spider called itself Flycatcher, and told the companions that in order to free their friend they would need to do something. Beligerent as always, Klaus demanded to know what the spider was talking about. Flycatcher explained that a short time ago a thief came up from the River of Blood and stole the "amulet." If the heroes would kill the thief and return with this item Flycatcher would release Kaspar. The giant spider directed them to the door on the left and then to follow the River of Blood to its end to find the thief. Seeing little other choice the heroes agreed.

Flycatcher returned to the Plane of Shadow, taking Kaspar with him. Argo identified Allustan's footsteps as continuing through the chamber to the center door, and Klaus decided he wanted to find out what was in there. As he approached, Flycatcher's voice demanded that the dwarf not continue. Klaus ignored the voice and tried to open the door. A bolt of lightning struck out from the trap, which he shook off. He tried again and got the same result. A third time produced a third lightning bolt, at which point the dwarf rogue realized that the door seemed to require a special "amulet" sized key. He stalked off with the rest of his companions to the door on the left to the sound of Flycatcher's whispered laughter.

Through the door was a mostly natural cavern, through which a strange river of blood-red water flowed swiftly. A natural bridge of slick stone crossed the river to the other side, where the banks were not so steep. Kong crossed easily enough, along with Argo. Duke started to cross, lost his footing but caught himself before falling and decided a rope would be helpful. He tossed one end of the rope to Argo and tied the other end around his waist. About halfway through the dwarf wizard hit a slick spot and tumbled headfirst into the river. The rocks at the bottom gave him a bit of a jarring, but with the help of Argo and Kong holding the other end of the rope he clambered up to the shore. Klaus walked easily across the river.

The companions were now faced with a difficult situation. Kong could hear that the river continued a short distance down the cavern before coming to a waterfall. None of them were equipped with the water travel capabilities necessary to swim, so Duke suggested he cast fly on himself and spider climb on everyone else to navigate the tunnel. For lack of a better idea they decided on this, but realized they would have to rest so that the wizard could prepare the necessary spells. They rested in the cavern.

After the rest period, Duke cast the requisite spells and they were off. The dwarf wizard, under the effects of the fly spell, had to go ahead of the rest of the party - his spell wore off sooner and gave him a faster movement than the others. He flew ahead and found that the River of Blood did indeed come to a waterfall in a narrow tunnel, which he followed down roughly one hundred and fifty feet to a small lake of blood, which tumbled again over another waterfall down about seventy feet. From there the blood water pooled and exited via some unknown underground exit in a large chamber at the bottom.

As he stood in the chamber alone, Duke caught something out of the corner of his eye. It was a humanoid shape that ducked into one of the crevices of the cave. He lit a light spell but did not get a good look at the person. He decided (wisely) to wait until the rest of his companions arrived before investigating further.

After an hour Argo, Klaus, and Kong arrived climbing along the ceiling. Duke pointed out the stranger in the corner, who stepped forward and lit a strange lamp. The lamp shed green light, and illuminated everyone with glowing faerie fire. The man was of average height and wore a heavy cloak and a greatsword on his back. He approached cautiously.

Duke asked him who he was the man replied that he was Moreto, Marquis of Ravenstone from the White Kingdom. No one had ever heard of this place, and Moreto indicated it was a nation of his own people deep beneath the surface - a kingdom of true ghouls. He shed little other light on the subject other than this. Kong point-blank asked him if he was the one who stole the "amulet" from the spider Flycatcher. At this, Moreto laughed.

He asked if Flycatcher sent them to kill him, and when they confirmed this he replied with a counter-offer - help him kill Flycatcher and he would give them the "amulet" and whatever treasure the shadow spider had accumulated. Moreto explained that the spider was an obstacle in his path towards the surface world, and that the two had reached something of a standstill.

The heroes were unsure of who to trust, and rightfully so. On one hand they had an obviously psychotic shadow spider holding their friend hostage. On the other they had a sinister true ghoul with dubious goals wanting to escape. After much debate they decided to side with Moreto and return up the River of Blood and kill Flycatcher. Unfortunately, Duke needed another rest period in order to get everyone up (though Moreto had his own means - a cloak of the bat).

During the rest period Moreto probed the heroes for information on the surface world. He didn't get much information, but he did reveal that he had uncovered whispered legends amongst his own people about a dark time of writhing decay. He was sent by the ruling body of the White Kingdom to the surface world to determine the validity of these prophecies. The heroes let some information slip about Kyuss and the Age of Worms, which Moreto was greatly interested in - but the conversation ended there. Perhaps for the best.

After the rest period, all of the heroes used the power of the spider climb spell to clambor up the sides of the slick tunnel while Moreto flew up. It was about an hour before the heroes reached the top, and there as they approached Flycatcher's chamber the true ghoul asked about tactics. Still not trusting their new-found ally, the companions were vague, talking of "charging" and "staying prepared." This seemed to worry Moreto.

Eventually they reached the door across the ledge, and Moreto positioned himself amidst the party near the rear. Kong kicked down the door, and the true ghoul's strange green lantern illuminated Flycatcher despite him not being on this plane. The barbarian gave a mighty yell and charged, and managed to hit the shadow spider on the Plane of Shadow. Klaus moved into a flanking position on the other side of Flycatcher and Argo drew his daggers. Moreto drew his flaming greatsword and approached as well.

After the initial attack, the shadow spider phased into this plane and flew into a berserker rage upon spotting Moreto. Flycatcher was not to be reasoned with as he brought all of his attacks to bear against his opponents. However, given the element of surprise and a good deal of luck, the heroes managed to drop the shadow spider with the barest hint of a threat. The spider curled up, dead, and Moreto stabbed the creature repeatededly for good measure. He helped very little during the battle.

Afterwards, Moreto thanked the heroes and held up his end of the bargain. He tossed to the ground the "amulet" which they discovered was actually a disc of blue crystal about six inches in diameter engraved with runes. Moreto then took his leave and the companions watched him go.

After a thorough search Klaus found the unconscious Kaspar in the adjoining chamber. They dragged him out as they tried to figure out what to do. When Klaus picked up the seal left by the true ghoul he was suddenly surrounded by four djinni, who demanded he put down the Seal of Law. The dwarf did, and the djinni disappeared after a minute. Curious to see what would happen, Argo picked up the seal - and found himself surrounded by four invisible stalkers, which disappeared when he dropped the object. Duke decided to try his luck, and was suddenly surrounded by four greater air elementals that disappeared after he dropped it. Kong thought it best not to try his luck.

The conversation then turned as to how to get the seal to the door, which was the way that Allustan had went. Eventually they settled on a Tenser's floating disc to carry the seal to the doorway, which worked. The chamber beyond was a shrine of some sort dedicated to the Wind Duke general Icosiol, with a single exit that Allustan had taken. It was unlocked so Klaus opened it.

On the other side was a strange sight indeed. A large metal spike protruded from the ceiling and terminated at the apex of a ball of electrical energy. Inside this globe was the unconscious form of Allustan. Their goal finally within their grasp, Klaus boldly stepped forward - and quickly dodged the bolt of lightning that shot out from the metal spike. Every six seconds another bolt of lightning shot out, but luckily Klaus was very nimble and was under Duke's elemental protection spell. His ducking and dodging brought him back to the entrance.

The heroes decided to attack the metal spike, with Duke volunteering since no one else had enough ranged firepower to damage the thing. It took the better part of an hour, but through judicious use of the acid splash spell the dwarf wizard finally destroyed the metal spike. The lightning globe shattered, sending Allustan tumbling to the ground. Everyone rushed forward and found that the sage was bleeding profusely.

Argo shared a healing potion with Allustan, who awoke in a shock. He greeted the heroes warmly and asked what they were doing here. When confronted with confused looks, the sage explained that he had just found this chamber with the metal spike not a few minutes ago. Duke recognized the signs of a temporal stasis spell and informed Allustan that he was stuck in the globe for at least a week based on what they had heard in Diamond Lake.

Allustan was slightly confused but recovered quickly. When they told him about Eligos' findings and that they were sent to find Malakara the Mad Mage, the sage's countenance grew dark. He admitted that Malakara was probably the best course of action, but that the elderly wizard had a chaotic temperance. Neither Eligos nor Allustan had spoken or had any dealings with the Mad Mage for quite some time, but he told him where to find the reclusive man. Along the barren southern shore of the Nyr Dyv (the Lake of Unknown Depths) there was a peninsula called Point Hollow. There a raging storm of metal encircled Malakara's crystal tower. It was roughly 150 miles up the coast from Elmshire.

Duke gave Allustan Eligos' notes along with a copy of the Apostolic Scrolls, and the sage encouraged the heroes to finish exploring Icosiol's tomb. If the Age of Worms were really approaching it would be helpful to have as many tools at their disposal as they could, and certainly even just a portion of the Rod of Seven Parts could be helpful. He told them that he would return to Diamond Lake and study up on what Eligos had sent, after which the heroes could bring it to Malakara.

It was at that point that Duke brought up the dragon. Allustan was visibly upset when they told him that the black dragon had attacked Diamond Lake searching for the sage, and that the sage's home was one of those that were destroyed. Many of the townsfolk had died but the heroes drove the dragon away at the entrance to the Whispering Cairn. Allustan recovered quickly and told the companions to meet him at the inn back in Diamond Lake once they were complete. The sage also informed them the command word for the Seal of Law so that they could handle it without summoning angry elementals.

The heroes were seemingly at an impass. Klaus felt pretty confident in his searching skills, and hadn't found anything unusual or hidden so far in the tomb. The one area so far as yet unsearched was the River of Blood's cascading waterfalls. They decided to take a quick pass over the area and see what they could find. Duke took the Seal of Law.

Lo and behold, behind the second waterfall, the Seal of Law illuminated a secret door in the rock face which opened mysteriously when they approached. Beyond was a long narrow passage, and it ended at a set of massive adamantine-laid granite double doors. Like before the Seal of Law glowed brightly when brought forth and the doors swung open. The chamber beyond the doors was unlike any they had seen before.

The ceiling was easily sixty feet high and lit by elongated metal lanterns that glowed with the colors of the rainbow. A white marble sarcophagus floated in the air at the end of the room, ten feet off the floor, and the heroes could make out the image of Icosiol, Wind Duke of Aaqa, upon the sarcophagus' bottom. The walls of the chamber were carved to depict a funeral procession that wound up in a spiral, showing Wind Dukes, djinni, air elementsl, and other elemental servants of law in mourning as they attended the body of a fallen general. After the first spiral, the upper sections showed the general's ascension into a primal vortex of wind and thunder.

The heroes approached with reverence to the sarcophagus, knowing that they were standing before the final resting place of the bearer of the Staff of Law. With Kong's help, Argo scrambled up to the top and found a spot to fit the Seal of Law. Snapping it into place, the sarcophagus slowly floated to the ground and opened gently. Inside were the moldering physical remains of Icosiol along with his most prized possessions.

The swords born by the Wind Duke were known as the sword of Aaqa and the lightning sword. When Argo picked them up, he felt a momentary rush of anger, then contentment and a sense of wonder. The weapons resized to fit his halfling hands.

Also amongst Icosiol's possessions was the ring of the wind dukes, which Duke claimed. The final artifact in the sarcophagus was perhaps the most valuable. It was the seventh segment to the fabled Rod of Seven Parts, a weapon and a tool of great power. They took the fragment, for its powers alone would be helpful to their goal.

The heroes exited the tomb of Icosiol on Readying 10. A cold wind and flurries greeted their arrival, with their next goal in mind - to meet with Malakara the Mad Mage.

Session Updates
Alright, start as usual around 7 pm tomorrow. Nothing else to update here.

Quest Cards Completed
* Return to Allustan with Eligos' Notes
* Rescue Allustan

Quest Cards In Progress
* What's Ilthane Up To?
* Speak with Malakara the Mad Mage
* Recover Rod of Seven Parts (Optional)

XP Recap
10th-level Character 12,000 XP
11th-level Characters 8,000 XP

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com

Age of Worms Campaign Update 2/7/2008

2008-02-13T18:32:00.001-06:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080207, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Readying 7, 595 CY
The Champion's Game of the City of Greyhawk ended on Fireseek 22, with the Kings of the Road being declared the champions. This year's games did nto go as smoothly as previous years, however, what with the appearance of the Apostle of Kyuss - an ulgurstasta of immense proportions - during the final match. But the heroes prevailed and were treated like - well, like kings.

Following the discovery of Eligos' murdered body on Fireseek 23, the heroes felt that things were not quite over as far as Kyuss and the Age of Worms was concerned. But for the time being the Free City treated them celebrities. Lord Mayor Nerof Gasgal invited them to dinner on Fireseek 24, where he secretly thanked the companions for bringing him the list of officials who had been replaced by dopplegangers. With their well-earned money, the heroes hit the town hard, shopping for new magical toys to upgrade or replace existing ones.

But the death of Eligos gnawed at them, and the knowledge that their actions may have brought upon the sage's death weighed heavily upon all of them. Duke suggested that they pool their resources together and pay to have Eligos resurrected. It was agreed, and they brought the high-ranking priest of Pelor to where the city was storing the sage's body. On Fireseek 26, Eligos the Sage was brought back to the world of the living.

He was disoriented to be sure, but when asked about the note he was writing he was quick to explain. Both Eligos and Allustan were once apprentices to the same master, the legendary wizard Malakara the Mad. Most of the heroes had heard this name, though usually in conjunction with fantastic stories of magic and adventure that have surely become exaggerated tales over the years. Nonetheless, the Mad Mage should be alerted to this information about the Age of Worms - it is possible he even knows more about what's going on.

Unfortunately, Eligos and Malakara had a bit of a falling out, the details of which the sage was not willing to go into. But Allustan was always on better terms with the old wizard, and he should know of the Mad Mage's current location. Eligos returned home to recuperate, and then told the heroes that they should probably get out of town quickly. He was, and made arrangements to leave Greyhawk the next day.

The heroes did their best to keep a low profile while they waited for orders to be fulfilled. Kong had a custom suit of magical armor made, Argo ordered a pair of magical daggers to augment his already impressive skills, and Kaspar kept mostly to himself. Duke worked on scribing scrolls while Klaus busied himself with finding the Thieves' Guild of the city. He was unsuccessful.

All of the equipment was ready to go by Readying 2 and they prepared to leave the very same day. With Duke's caravan, it was agreed that Klaus and Kaspar would ride with the dwarf wizard while Argo rode his dire badger companion Bacon and Kong rode a horse. Then the barbarian saw something catch his eye on the way to the stables. It was a yak, and the image of the proud Kong sitting astride such a powerful beast was one that he couldn't pass up. He offered the keeper of the yak several hundred gold for the beast, which the peasant man was only to happy to take.

So, caravan, badger, and yak left the Free City of Greyhawk on Readying 2 bound for Diamond Lake, the home of Allustan. It was a four day journey, and the mid-winter winds whipped furiously about them. The region around Greyhawk and the Cairn Hills did not get much snow, but they saw a few flakes here and there along the road. Mainly it was just the biting wind.

On Readying 6 the heroes arrived in Diamond Lake, and immediately they knew something was wrong. Not a soul could they see on the roads of the mining town, and a few of the buildings seemed destroyed - almost melted. As they rode through the main street, a few of the townsfolk rushed up to greet them. They asked if they had seen the dragon that attacked the town just a few days ago. It was black dragon, who was demanding Allustan be brought before him. The sage's home was destroyed, along with a few adjacent buildings, and many people were killed before someone finally mentioned that Allustan was last seen a few miles away in one of the many old caves that dotted the area. Called the Whispering Cairn by the locals, it was a site that the sage had been spending quite a bit of time at recently. The black dragon flew away to that location, leaving the citizens of Diamond Lake to cower in fear.

The heroes immediately set out for the Whispering Cairn. It was possible that this dragon was Ilthane herself, perhaps seeking Allustan for his involvement in the destruction of the clutch of eggs in the Twisted Branch tribe. It was a short journey to the site, and they left their mounts a distance away as they approached the entrance to the Whispering Cairn on foot.

It was Kaspar's sharp elven eyesight that caught the first bit of movement beyond the cave entrance. The companions prepared themselves by scattering and taking up defensible positions. Their prudence was rewarded when a large black dragon swooped down and landed on the cairn entrance. It was definitely not Ilthane, they surmised, but the dragon did demand to know what the heroes were doing.

Klaus antagonized the dragon foolishly, perhaps thinking ... well, to be honest no one really knows what he was thinking. His rude actions prompted the dragon to spit a line of acid at him, which carried some sort of poisonous taint along with the flesh-eating acid. The black dragon landed, and melee was engaged with the beast.

It was a tough battle against a tough foe. The dragon brought all of its considerable combat skills to bare against the companions, managing to knock down Kong, Argo, and Duke at separate times. Feeling that his fists were useless against their foe, Kaspar stayed back for most of the fight, running in with lightning speed when he saw one of his party members fall.

Eventually, the black dragon was wounded to the point where he did not want to fight anymore, and uttered a curse against the heroes. "Ilthane and Dragotha take you!" he spat as he flapped his wings and flew away, keeping low to the hills so as to thwart any more spells or arrows.

The heroes were successful, but the fight drained them almost completely. Curiosity got the best of them, however, and they decided to venture into the Whispering Cairn to see how far they could get. The first chamber inside was well-traveled, but Argo was able to pick up Allustan's trail. They followed it to an opaque blackness filling a doorway. Duke identified it as some sort of portal, and Argo verified it was safe. Walking through it was like passing through a wall of mud, but they all emerged through the viscous portal unscathed.

The other side was a hallway where screaming winds kept up a strange piping sound as it passed over holes in the wall. Despite the wind Argo was still able to follow Allustan's tracks, which led into a large chamber containing many pillars. Upon the pillars and walls were runes, runes of a long-dead language that Duke could barely make out. It was based off of Auran, the language of the wind elementals, but was far older. He was able to pick out a few phrases - "glorious Icosiol", "Incomparable Army", and "Battle of Pesh" were all he could read. Everyone started to wonder exactly where they were.

Allustan's tracks continued on to a small intersection with three doors and a statue of a large armored man holding a sword and scales of balance. The sage's footprints led right, but the door from the left door suddenly burst open. Everyone prepared for the worst as two being emerged. The first was a huge fire elemental, crackling with the life, and the second was a large and distinguished looking salamander.

The salamander carried a long spear but was not holding it threateningly. In fact, the normally evil creature from the Elemental Plane of Fire seemed to be in a chatty mood! He introduced himself as Antyress Redpike, Earl of Coalchester of the Coalchester Salamanders, charged with guarding the tomb of Icosiol for all eternity. He invited the heroes into his chamber, which they discovered was layered with red hot coals, and asked if they knew where they were. When Kaspar ventured a guess of the Cairn Hills, Redpike laughed. He called the heroes "young whippersnappers" and led them back to the chamber of pillars so that he could properly tell his tale.

Thousands of years ago, the Earl of Coalchester explained, the forces of Chaos clashed with the forces of Law. On one side was the Queen of Chaos and her champion, Miska the Wolf-Spider, and on the other were the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, charged with upholding law for all eternity. Their conflict raged for time immemorial, until finally they met for a final confrontation on the Prime Material Plane. There, on the Plains of Pesh, the Wind Dukes fought the Queen of Chaos and Miska. The leader of the Wind Dukes was the mighty general Icosiol, who wielded the famous Staff of Law. It was with this powerful artifact that he pierced Miska the Wolf-Spider, defeating the forces of Chaos but killing Icosiol and splintering the item into seven parts. The multiverse knows this now as the Rod of Seven Parts.

After the battle, the Wind Dukes knew their time was fading. And so they built many tombs for their fallen heroes. Icosiol was buried under the Plains of Pesh themselves, and the Wind Dukes extracted an oath from the Elemental Prince of Fire to protect the mighty general's burial site. The noble salamander family of Coalchester was selected to serve as guard.

And thus has it been for many centuries. It was a lot for the companions to take in, and they decided to rest for a period before continuing on. Antyress Redpike did mention seeing a bearded human cross his path a few days ago, confirming Argo's tracking skills. The noble salamander returned to his chamber and the heroes bedded down in the room of pillars, thinking on what they had learned.

Session Updates
Hey, this one is almost on time. Getting better, huh? At any rate, next session is on Feb 14 - Valentine's Day. If someone has something else going on, let me know. Otherwise it's game as usual.

Quest Cards In Progress
* What's Ilthane Up To?
* Return to Allustan with Eligos' Notes
* Rescue Allustan

XP Recap
10th-level Characters 6,000
11th-level Characters 3,050

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com

Age of Worms Campaign Update 1/31/2008

2008-02-07T12:21:00.001-06:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080131, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Fireseek 23, 595 CY
Tragedy stood before the heroes-turned-gladiators, along with many unanswered questions. On Fireseek 20 the halfling rogue Shanks died from a magical glyph guarding a secret door, and then was reincarnated on Fireseek 21 into a human woman. Sadly, her hours on Oerth were numbered and she met her end in the gullet of Madtooth the Hungry during that day's Champion's Game match. But the Kings of the Road were ultimately victorious over the strange and dangerous froghemoth, but sadness still clung at their hearts.

As they recovered in the Coenoby after their match, contemplating their next move, a bedraggled figure stumbled into the cave. It was a dwarf, sopping wet, who claimed to have fled a warren of ghouls in the undercity of Greyhawk by removing a large stone plug from a small pool deeper into the Coenoby cavern system. He introduced himself as Klaus Kopperthumb of the Flinty Hills, and asked if there was a way to get outside the city from this cave system. The heroes exchanged glances, and Duke made a proposition - if Klaus would join the Kings of the Road for the final match of the Champion's Games, they would share a portion of the loot and help the dwarf get out of the city (since that seemed to be what he wanted). Klaus agreed, and was filled in with what the heroes had learned up to this point.

The first thing Klaus suggested was to check out the secret passage Shanks had found, since people don't booby trap wine cellars with slay living spells unless there's something to hide. With the dwarf rogue in the lead, the companions (all of them this time) headed up stairs and to the wine cellar. Argo kept a watchful eye out, but it seemed as though the guards were enjoying their last night on duty and were not particularly attentive. They made it to the cellar and secret door without incident.

Descending the staircase they came upon a square room containing three coffins propped up against the far wall. The entire area reeked of death and decay, which became all the more potent as four worm-ridden spawns of Kyuss lurched out of the shadows. They charged forward, but the heroes were better prepared for them. Argo cut down one with lightning flashes of his daggers, Kaspar and Klaus worked on another together, Kong managed to cleave two with his greatsword, and Duke polished off the last one. No one was infected with the tiny green worms, especially the barbarian whom had a babau slime spell cast on him that helped immensely.

A side passage from this chamber contained a small hole descending into the sewers below, which it seemed whomever lived here used as a garbage. The other side passage was a narrow hallway, and they took a left at a fork in the path that led to a strange room. It held what appeared to be an ancient pump system, though neither Duke nor Klaus (the dwarves) had any clue as to how it worked. But there was a pipe that exited the room, which was just large enough for a halfling to fit through. A halfling like Argo, who - with the help of Kong - hopped up into the pipe and crawled along its length.

There was a definite greenish glow at the end, which wasn't too far down, and upon reaching the end the halfling ranger was shocked and dismayed at what confronted him. It was a huge, bloated, pulsating, yellow grub or worm, encased in a slight greenish shell. Argo found that the greenish shell surrounding the thing - which he correctly guessed was an ulgurstasta that Eligos had warned them about - prevented him from continuing into the room itself, so he decided to head back (hastily). He related all of this to his companions, who grew more determined to find whatever lived down here and stop it.

Going back down the passage and taking the only remaining path they came upon a large chamber. It contained what appeared to be practice dummies and rusty training equipment, which seemed odd. But Kaspar remembered that the church of Kord, god of strength, used to control the Free City Arena, and these types of training chambers were not uncommon amongst that god's faithful. There was a single door leading on, and Klaus checked it for traps and found nothing. Cautiously they continued.

The chamber beyond had a palpable evil feel to it, with a single pedestal in the center of the room. On the pedestal was a partially unrolled ornate scroll, encased in a greenish shell, from which an emerald beam emanated out to the double doors across the room. Standing behind the pedestal, apparently once in meditation, was a grotesque humanoid, with flaccid pale skin, patchy hair, and a holy symbol around his neck - the holy symbol of Kyuss, demigod of worms and undead. He pulled out a morningstar and laughed gutturally and stepped forward, at which point the heroes noticed his legs were those of a goat. The goat-man apparently knew of the companions, as he called them out by name and laughed at them for attempting to stop the Age of Worms. The five companions then descended upon the tielfling cleric of Kyuss with extreme ferocity, beating him to within an inch of his life after mere moments.

The cleric of Kyuss then fell to his knees and dropped his weapon, calling out for mercy. Kong would give none, however, and chopped his head off with a well-timed critical strike. The headless corpse collapsed to the ground. Duke rushed over to the pedestal and correctly identified the object as the Apostolic Scroll, sold to Loris Raknian by the mind flayer Xyrzog several weeks before. But the greenish shell prevented anyone from touching or moving the artifact. Klaus opened the double doors and revealed the yellowish grub-like worm Argo had seen also encased in the greenish shell. This was the Apostle of Kyuss, summoned by the Apostolic Scrolls, and the heroes knew they were going to be in trouble. But try as they might they could not break the shell.

Duke was able to read a bit of the partially unrolled scroll (it was written in an old dialect of Common), and it told of how the Age of Worms could be started by the Apostle of Kyuss devouring a champion. Clearly this ulgurstasta was going to be unleashed during the final match of Champion's Game, where last year's champins (Auric's Band) would be facing the Kings of the Road. But would this be stopped with the death of the Kyuss cleric? This was a question that did not have an answer, so the heroes decided to try and reason with Auric's Band once they returned.

The only other door from the altar chamber was apparently the Kyuss cleric's personal quarters. Inside they found his personal possessions, along with a zombie. Not a worm-ridden zombie, just a regular zombie standing by a table with two empty goblets and a empty bottle of wine. Argo approached and found the zombie to be non-responsive, and noted that she (it was a female human zombie) had died of strangulation. The marks were still around her neck, and a strange indentation of a coiling snake was imprinted on the neck as well. Kong remembered seeing Loris Raknian with a ring of coiling snakes, and Kaspar put the pieces together after a moment. This zombie was Ekaym Smallcask's sister, murdered by Loris Raknian! Why the cleric of Kyuss was keeping her in his personal chambers was a thought best left unthunk.

The discussion turned towards transporting the zombie and presenting her to Ekaym. Eventually, Kong decided to put the non-responsive zombie woman in his bag of holding until they met back up with their manager, and against the advice of Klaus this is exactly what happened. The heroes returned to the Coenoby, disturbed and more than a little frightened of what might happen. They immediately confronted Auric's Band, which consisted of the warrior Auric and the wizard Khellek, and explained that unless they not fight on Fireseek 22 a giant worm was going to eat them. Of course the two champions laughed at the heroes, seeing their story as a poorly fabricated lie to cheat them out of a win. Klaus was insistent to the point of being beligerent.

After many minutes of arguing, Khellek finally agreed to one thing. At the beginning of the match, both teams would walk - not charge - to the center of the Free City Arena. Assuming nothing happened by then, they would then proceed with the match as normal. A small concession, but one that the companions finally agreed upon. Auric seemed particularly eager to face Kong in the next day's match, and the two had a small pose-off (the winner of which was not determined).

Duke also wrote three letters explaining the situation - one to Eligos, one to the Wizards' Guild, and one to the Guild of Translators. Perhaps one of them could muster some sort of resistance at the games, but there was precious little time - Ekaym would have to deliver to the messages the following day before the match.

The Kings of the Road returned to their section of the Coenoby and rested fretfully the night. The next day was Fireseek 22, the last of the Champion's Games, and a day that shall remain in memory for the City of Greyhawk for many years to come.

Ekaym took Duke's letters and promised to try and deliver them. At noon the two teams were brought up to the arena floor. The Free City Arena was packed with people - this was clearly the most populated day of the games. It was announced that Loris Raknian was running late, but that the match would begin as soon as he arrived. It was fifteen minutes later when the master of the arena finally arrived, seemingly out of breath, and announced in a grandiose voice the start of the final game. The two teams walked carefully forward, and just before they reached the center something happened.

The ground shook with the force of a small earthquake, and the crowds fell to a murmuring hush. Moments later the ground shook again, knocking Auric's Band to their feet, as a large bulge appeared in the center of the arena. Another moment later the bulge burst forth, and the ulgurstasta - the Apostle of Kyuss itself - heaved upwards with a soul-piercing shriek. Loris Raknian stood triumphant in his personal box in the eastern stands, announcing that the Age of Worms was upon us! He pointed to the arena floor, calling out the champions as the food of the Apostle of Kyuss!

The ulgurstasta crawled forward towards the fallen Auric's Band, and the companions went into action. Duke cast haste, but not before the Apostle of Kyuss grabbed Auric and swallowed him in one gulp. Kong shouted as he raged up, and charged forward, cutting the monstrous undead worm deep. But he found himself on the receiving end of the creature's chomping bit and swallowing gullet. Inside the necrotic acid at away at the mighty barbarian's very health, draining him and pulverizing him.

Outside, Kaspar took a few more shots at the distant Loris Raknian while Argo and Duke prepared to assault the Apostle of Kyuss. Khellek's band of flesh golems wailed on the undead monster but to little effect. Klaus ran for the stands, eager to confront Raknian on his own turf. Duke cast an empowered lightning bolt at the ulgurstasta and Argo carved a chunk out of its hide. This seemed to anger the thing, for at that moment it raised up on its multitude of hind legs and breathed a cone of necrotic acid at the remaining heroes.

Argo and Kaspar managed to avoid most of the blast, but Duke was not so lucky. Amongst the bile spat up was a pile of Kyuss spawn, along with Kong and Auric (both still alive but wounded). Duke went to work dispatching the spawn while the rest of the party tried to stop the worm.

Klaus managed to make his way up the wall of the arena and into the stands, where he attracted the attention of Loris Raknian. The Champion's Game organizer drew a wicked bastard sword and ran forward, cutting the dwarf rogue deep. It was then that Klaus knew he was outmatched, and decided to try and play up to the arrogant man's ego. Klaus fell to his knees and pledged his service to Raknian and Kyuss, who exulted at this turn of events. The two watched the ulgurstasta attack the heroes and Auric's Band, all the while the crafty dwarf rogue looking for a weakness.

Back in the arena, things were not going so well. Kong went down, and Kaspar dragged him out of harm's way and dropped a potion down his throat. Argo and Duke kept the Apostle of Kyuss busy as the barbarian recovered. With a (semi-) united front, the Kings of the Road finally defeated the unholy ulgurstasta, which crashed to the ground.

Raknian was stunned, and this was the moment Klaus had been waiting for. He brought his battle axe in quick and low, cutting the man deep, but instead of a retaliatory strike he found his opponent running away. Klaus gave chase, followed by Kaspar, but they failed to catch Raknian before he disappeared behind a secret door. The elven monk ran as fast as he could through the crowds to fetch a cleric, and returned minutes later with a few in tow.

Auric and Khellek conceded the battle to the heroes, considering the circumstances, and it was announced that the Kings of the Road were the final winners of the Champion's Games! What crowd was left cheered at this, and the trophies were passed out. Ekaym Smallcask thanked the heroes for their help and turned over the profits, which were a tidy sum for Argo and Duke. He then left to return to his home in Cauldron, many miles to the south.

The Kings of the Road, exhausted, left the Free City Arena champions. Not only of the gladiator games, but champions of good and justice. Something gnawed at them, however, something just outside of reach. The first thing they did was to visit Eligos the sage and see if he had learned any more of the Age of Worms. They returned to his home to find tragedy - the sage and his elven servant were dead, murdered. They found an unfinished note addressed to Allustan, requesting that the sage consult with "their former master."

Duke summed up the situation with one phrase - "I don't think we're done yet."

Session Update
Wow, sorry about the lateness of this post. Shoulda gone up a week ago. So much to write though, and I know I missed some details. But most of them are there, I think.

Quest Cards Completed
* Investigate Loris Raknian and the Apostolic Scrolls
* Find Ekaym Smallcask's Sister

Quest Cards In Progress
* What's Ilthane Up To?
* Speak with Allustan about Eligos' Research

XP Recap
9th level Characters 12,000 XP
10th level Characters 10,000 XP

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com

Rock Band Rawk Out!

2008-01-29T12:41:00.000-06:00

I'm just gonna throw this out there ... Rock Band is way fun. Seriously, way fun. Guitar Hero's a good time, don't get me wrong, but there are few things better than rocking out on a set with three of your buddies on the same song. The "single player" game seems to be there only as practice, since you just go through the songs. Which is not a bad thing.

I've completed Drums on Hard, and feel pretty confident playing any random song on Hard (though I still shudder when Run to the Hills or any Metallica song comes up). So the next level is Expert ... and damn is it hard. Really, really hard. I went through the first ten songs in solo play and thought "This isn't so bad." Yesterday I went through the next five and COMPLETELY FAILED on two of them, aced one of them, and suffered through the other two to a successful completion. I need to find something that works with my foot without breaking the kick pedal, 'cause that's what I'm terrified of, being I've already broken one. That and I need to train my left hand/wrist to work faster, hold the stick lighter, and utilize the bounce. I've got it down with my right hand but Ol' Lefty is having problems.

But the bottom line: Rock Band = teh r0kz, w00t. Or something. I can't wait to get to the Endless Setlist (all 58 songs in the core release as one setlist). Ha! Ha! Ha. Ha. Ha... ha... ha... ha... hmmm.

Age of Worms Campaign Update 1/24/2008

2008-01-27T11:27:00.000-06:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080124, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Fireseek 21, 595 CY
Still bound to the Coenoby of the Free City Arena, the heroes have completed the first day of gladiator competitions in the Champion's Games - and have learned a startling truth. Their manager, Ekaym Smallcask, has informed his team of an ulterior motive in sponsoring them. His sister, Lahaka, disappeared immediately after last year's games, and the only places Ekaym has not searched is the infrastructure of the arena itself and Loris Raknian's adjoining palace.

Exhausted after their first battle, the heroes were nonetheless eager to search out the infrastructure to see what they could find. The lower level where the Coenoby was seemed to be a series of caverns, and a passage led away into the darkness. With Shanks leading the way the party descended further into the caves. They came upon a larger, rougher version of the Coenoby called the Titan's House, used occasionally by gladiators for more secretive and carnal pursuits. Kaspar found a pool at the far end of the abandoned chamber, and an odd stone plug at the far end underwater. The stone plug was clearly manufactured.

The heroes started to argue about what to do, and Shanks was determined to unplug the plug and find out what lay behind it. Duke remembered hearing stories of the Free City Arena being plagued by ghouls, and that Loris Raknian had the ghoul warrens sealed shut with a large stone plug some years ago. The idea of fighting a city filled with flesh-craving ghouls did not sit well with anyone, and they returned to the Coenoby determined to search the upper level.

Guards were light on the first night, and the party easily slipped upstairs to the main level just below the arena floor. The stoneworked passages were constructed in a circular fashion, with lifts going up to the arena itself in the four cardinal directions of the circle. A series of chambers criss-crossed the middle section, and it was this way that the heroes ventured.

The first passage they followed contained caged animals - dire boars, jaguars, and lions, presumably for showcasing on the next day (where there were no gladiator fights scheduled). It was at this point that Kong realized that this was a bad idea. If they were caught sneaking around, they would likely get thrown out of the games. Duke seconded the idea, and suggested that Shanks and Argo explore the section alone, since they were the most stealthy. The heroes agreed, and Duke loaned Argo his hat of disguise to disguise the halfling in case they were caught. Shanks drank his potion of invisibility and the rest of the party returned to the Coenoby.

Argo and Shanks made their way stealthily through the passages, coming upon the recreation room of the eight stationed guards. Past that room was another hallway, similar to the animal cages, but these were mostly empty. Except for a dirty, bedraggled man, rocking back and forth on his knees. Argo asked what was the matter, and the man could barely string a sentence together, but seemed to be muttering something about the cell across the hall. The halfling ranger asked what happened, and could only get a muttering of "goat man" and a finger pointing at the far cell, where it seemed the "goat man" was still waiting. Shanks checked it out and find it to be a wine storage chamber that smelled strongly of vinegar.

Shanks mentioned the word "worm" to the man on a whim, and it had a dramatic effect. The insane man started screaming at the top of his lungs, clawing at the bars frantically. The two halflings could hear the guards approach and knew question and answer time was over. They darted into the shadows and crept back to the Coenoby, but they had a bit more information to go off now. Something was in that wine cellar, and Shanks was determined to find out what.

The next day, Fireseek 19, was the bi-day where no gladiator combat would take place. Of course, the gladiators were once again limited to the Coenoby. Guards were posted at the entrance, so the Kings of the Road kept to themselves like everyone else. There were a total of six teams left - Kings of the Road, Auric's Warband, Iron Hill Monkeys, Pitch Blade, The Crazy Eights, and the Teeth of Kord. All teams were silent and brooding.

After the day's events were through, Shanks and Argo snuck up to the upper floor and made their way stealthily towards the cells. They found all of the cells empty now - the insane man was nowhere to be found. They moved on to search the wine cellar, with one of the halflings on guard while the other scoured the room. They didn't find anything out of the ordinary, but Shanks was convinced there was something there. The two of them returned to the Coenoby.

Fireseek 20 arrived, the third day of the Champion's Games, and matches were posted early. Kings of the Road were scheduled to fight Pitch Blade as the last match of the day. After seeing that Pitch Blade was comprised entirely of two dwarven barbarians, Kong laughed and declared they had all but won their match already. Confidence levels were high by the time they were brought up to the arena floor, to the grand cheering of the crowd.

Opposite them were Pitch Blade - two well-armed, barrel-chested dwarves carrying shields and shouting furiously. The match began with Loris Raknian's pronouncement, and immediately Pitch Blade flew at their opponents. Literally flew - they were flying at top speeds to close the vast distance of the arena floor. Everyone gathered around Duke and the dwarf cast haste, preparing everyone for the fight ahead. Kaspar ducked off to the side and shot an arrow while Kong strode forward purposefully, attacking as he did so.

The dwarves of Pitch Blade were not impressed, and the one cut bloody swaths in his barbarian opponent. The crowd cheered as the other dwarf stepped forward and started to pummel Argo with a flaming bastard sword. The Kings of the Road returned blows but it was obvious their opponents were tougher than they realized. Shanks maneuvered to position himself in a better spot, when the unthinkable happened - mighty Kong, even in the depths of his barbarian rage, dropped to the ground from his wounds. Things were not looking so well and Argo was forced to withdraw to suck down some potions.

But Shanks had an idea, an idea so crazy it had to work. He shouted to get Kaspar's attention and then used his spiked chain to attempt to disarm the dwarf that felled Kong. The first attempt the dwarf parried, but the second whip of the chain wrapped around the sword and knocked it from his raging hands. At that moment, the elf monk ran with the speed of a lightning cheetah, tucked and rolled as he passed the stunned dwarf, and leapt to his feet - holding the dwarf's fallen flaming sword! The crowd gave a rousing cheer as Kaspar held the sword aloft like a giant torch. The other dwarf in Pitch Blade disengaged from Argo and flew after the elf. Tunnel vision set in and all he could see was Kaspar. But the elf monk's blinding speed kept him ahead of his opponent as he led him on a merry chase around the arena.

The disarmed dwarf proceeded to use his shield to bash Shanks, but soon found the clever halfling had used the spiked chain to rid him of his shield as well! Kong was revived by Duke, and the Kings of the Road dispatched the unarmed raging dwarf barbarian with relative ease at that point. The second dwarf charged headfirst at Kaspar and managed to cut the elf deep, but found himself weaponless when Shanks came up and used his disarm attack again. Kong finished off the second dwarf barbarian to the roar of the crowd! "KINGS! KINGS! KINGS!" they shouted.

Argo caught the look of surprise and anger on Loris Raknian's face, and made a gesture with his dagger that could have been construed as a threat. But the Champion's Game organizer was cordial when he presented the winnings to Ekaym and the Kings of the Road were led back to the Coenoby. Ekaym visited them shortly thereafter, bringing potions a plenty and congratulations.

The gladiator teams were reduced to three after the third day - Kings of the Road, Auric's Warband, and Iron Hill Monkeys. The next day's matches were also posted when they returned, and the heroes were surprised to find that they were the ones fighting the monster, a creatured called Madtooth the Hungry. One of the guards posting the match list commented on how hard it was to keep Madtooth's cage cold, and how glad they would be once they were able to return the frost salamander to the cold northlands. The heroes took this information and started to prepare for the next day's competition accordingly, prepping fire spells and other heat attacks.

Later in the evening, Shanks and Argo decided to test their luck with the wine cellar again. They snuck upstairs and into the cellar, and Argo was placed on watch while Shanks searched the room. It would be the last time anyone saw the halfling Shanks alive.

While searching the room, Shanks finally found the secret chamber he knew was there. But his erstwhile searching triggered a nefarious magical glyph of warding that gripped at his heart. The halfling was not strong enough to resist and fell, stone dead, to the slay living spell. Argo found Shanks laying face first on the stone slab in front of a secret panel, revealing a staircase going down.

Dric "Shanks" Dair'Rill, male halfling fighter and rogue, died on Fireseek 20 to a slay living spell from a trap.

As quietly as he could, Argo dragged the dead body of his companion back down to the Coenoby where they discussed what to do. It was too late for Ekaym to return to the grounds this night, and they would not have much time in the morning to deal with situation. After much discussion (and checking of pocket books, which were not hefty) Duke suggested that they use the druidic ritual of reincarnation to return Shanks back to the world of the living. He might not come back as a halfling, but he would definitely come back. They decided that was the best idea, and waited patiently for the next day.

Ekaym arrived early on Fireseek 21, and was shocked and horrified to find Shanks dead. Duke eased his fears and told their manager to fetch a scroll from the Temple of Obad-Hai. Ekaym did as he was asked and returned with the scroll and requisite materials. In a small ceremony lasting ten minutes, Duke summoned the spirit of Shanks back to the mortal world and into a corporeal vessel. After about a half hour a human woman staggered into the group, proclaiming herself the reincarnated Shanks. The heroes were a little confused, but got over their hesitation quickly as they prepared for the match against Madtooth the Hungry.

They were brought up to the arena floor as normal, where the crowd started chanting "MADTOOTH! MADTOOTH! MADTOOTH!" A large wheeled cage was brought forth bearing the beast's name, and the handlers fled quickly as the locks were undone. What was revealed was NOT a frost salamander but a creature borne out of nightmares. A beast Argo identified as a froghemoth.

Madtooth was a tentacled beast with a maw of razor sharp teeth and a massive belly that looked like it could swallow several people whole. It leaped forward closer to its prey, mindlessly charging. Argo pulled a bead from his necklace of fireballs, hoping that the beast was vulnerable to fire. To their dismay, they found Madtooth actually grew stronger from the fire. Clearly the information they had learned the previous night had been a setup.

The new Shanks strode forward confidently and whipped the beast with her spiked chain. The froghemoth shouted in rage and the rest of the party breathed a small sigh of relief - at least the beast could be hurt. Their relief turned to horror as they watched Madtooth's tentacles wrap around Shanks, squeeze her ribcage together, and then swallow her in one mighty gulp. Madtooth let out a mighty belch as Shanks was digested and crushed by the beast's powerful stomach acids and muscles.

Dric "Shanks" Dair'Rill, female human fighter and rogue, died (again) on Fireseek 21 in the belly of the froghemoth, Madtooth the Hungry.

The rest of the party approached cautiously, with Kaspar letting loose a few arrows. Kong and Argo charged together, and the two of them cut deep into the beast. Unfortunately, the retaliatory strikes from Madtooth wounded the pair severely, with the raging barbarian taking the brunt of the pain. In the blink of his three eyes, the froghemoth sent Kong sprawling to the ground unconscious and grabbed Argo in a tentacle and swallowed him in one bite.

Duke let loose a lightning bolt spell, noting with some satisfaction that it seemed to slow the beast considerably. The dwarf wizard approached the fallen barbarian in the froghemoth's momentary slowness and stabilized his companion. He then took tentacle whips to the face as Madtooth recovered.

Inside the massive creature, however, Argo was not done for. The acidic juices ate at him and the powerful muscles crushed him, but he was a master of the daggers. With precision and grace that came from knowledge of fighting these types of beasts, the halfling ranger quickly slashed a hole in Madtooth's side, emerging like a triumphant newborn from the gaping hole. The crowd gave a rousing cheer of "ARGO! ARGO! ARGO!" at this that matched Madtooth's raging bellow.

Kaspar risked the slashing tentacles and dropped a potion of healing down Kong's throat, which managed to revive him. Duke was beaten and near unconscious, but the barbarian decided enough was enough. Under the threat of a flashing greatsword, cutting daggers, and flown arrows, the froghemoth Madtooth the Hungry finally fell to the ground with a crash! "KINGS OF THE ROAD!" came the roar of the crowd, and the entire party saw Loris Raknian's look of utter shock and frustration at this turn of events.

The Kings of the Road were congratulated, but they mourned for their fallen friend. Auric's Warband had defeated the Iron Hill Monkeys, so the final match was set. The heroes were exhausted and wounded from their draining battle with Madtooth, but questions stood before them. What lay inside the secret chamber that claimed the life of their companion? And what was in store for them on the final day of the Champion's Games?

Session Updates
All right, good session, good session. I've never actually seen a character die TWICE in one evening. Tragic, truly tragic. We'll see what Jesse brings to the table at the beginning of the next session.

Quest Cards In Progress
* What's Ilthane Up To?
* Investigate Loris Raknian and Apostolic Scrolls
* Find Out What Happened to Ekaym's Sister

XP Recap
* 9th-level Characters 6,000
* 10th-level Character 2,500

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com

Age of Worms Campaign Update 1/17/2008

2008-01-24T11:41:00.000-06:00

CHRONICLE VAULT 20080117, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...

Fireseek 18, 595 CY
On Fireseek 7, the heroes were invited to home of Eligos the Sage, who was contracted by the companions to research the writhing green worms and reports of unkillable zombies. The heroes arrived at Eligos' home promptly, and enjoyed a fine meal of turducken over pleasant conversation. As the meal drew to a close, Argo mentioned the mind flayer Xyrzog's sale of something called the Apostolic Scrolls to Loris Raknian. Eligos visibly paled at this, excusing himself from the table with haste and retreated to the library.

The heroes finished their meal in silence, and joined Eligos in the library shortly thereafter. By the light of the fire Eligos explained what he had learned about the green worms and tales of a coming apocalypse.

* The green worms, and zombies that carried them, were known as spawns of Kyuss - terrible undead killing machines that spread their curse by way of the worms. The humanoid spawns of Kyuss the heroes had encountered at Blackwall Keep were only the lesser versions. Stronger variants were known to exist.

* Kyuss is a lesser known god of undeath and the mastery of the undead - his cult was usually small and sometimes attached to larger organizations, such as the faithful of Hextor, Nerull, or Vecna.

* Referenced in dozens of texts going back hundreds of years, on cave walls and in obscure references, are whispers of an oncoming apocalypse of great magnitude. Called by many names (such as the End Times and the Era of Desolation), this momentous event seems linked somehow to Kyuss through the older referenced Age of Worms. Books such as Libris Mortis, the Necronomicon, and the Apostolic Scrolls all tell of this coming age of death, destruction, madness, and chaos. All of Eligos' research indicates this Age of Worms is fast approaching.

The heroes informed the sage that Loris Raknian had hired Xyrzog to assassinate them, and that the same Loris had purchased the Apostolic Scrolls beforehand. Eligos pointed out that Raknian must be part of the Kyuss cult, though whether he's the leader or simply a puppet remains to be seen. The Apostolic Scrolls were penned by Kyuss himself when he was a mortal, and detail the summoning of the Apostle of Kyuss. More commonly referred to as an ulgurstasta, this creature was a massive, bloated worm capable of swallowing people whole and spewing them out as zombies. There have been tales of some ulgurstastas vomiting forth spawns of Kyuss as well.

All of these details pointed to one terrifying fact - the cult of Kyuss was alive and well in the Free City of Greyhawk, and they had pinpointed the companions as a threat. Loris Raknian was the only firm lead they had, but it was a difficult one to follow-up on. Raknian is a powerful figure in the city, with ties back to the Directing Oligarchy and many influential guilds. Confronting him directly would only force him to cash in whatever favors he had. This would pose a problem but for one fact - Loris Raknian is in charge of the Champion's Games, a gladiatorial festival set to start in ten days. With his attention turned towards the event's organization and promotion, the heroes may have the opportunity they need to get to the bottom of the conspiracy.

Eligos smiled and said that the fates might just be smiling on them. A few days ago, he was visited by an adventuring friend, who was asking if the sage knew any competent people interested in fighting in the Champion's Games. The heroes thought about it and decided that joining the gladiator games was the easiest way to get to the bottom of things. Eligos promised he would put them in touch with his friend named Celeste in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, he advised keeping a low profile. Duke mentioned they had an appointment with the Lord-Mayor regarding the doppelgangers that have infiltrated the government, but Eligos stronger encouraged them to not present that information directly. He volunteered to handle the details, and promised that if there were any rewards he would pass them on completely.

With the evenings events drawn to a close, Eligos bid them a good night. The heroes returned to the Crooked House, almost supernaturally aware of a constant presence staring at them from the shadows. Probably just their imaginations. Probably.

The next few days the companions heeded the sage's advice. Duke penned several scrolls and created some alchemical items, while the rest of the heroes hung around the common room or ducked out for a quick stop at a shop. On Fireseek 9 a beautiful platinum-haired woman entered the Crooked House, accompanied by a short but relatively pleasant man. She quickly found the heroes and introduced herself as Celeste, Eligos' friend. She introduced the man next to her as Ekaym Smallcask, a merchant from the south who had acquired a manager's license for the Champion's Games but had no champions to enter.

Ekaym stepped up and smiled at the gathered companions, asking them point blank if they would fight for him in the gladiator arena. Ekaym also explained the general proceedings and possible winnings before they made their decision.

The Champion's Games was a massive gladiatorial event lasting five days. Twenty-four teams compete and only one wins the final round. The night before the games begin is the Champion's Dinner, where merchants and managers can meet the teams and place bets. The first day consisted of six team battles, with four teams pitted against each other in a battle royale. The six winnners of that day continued on, but the second day was one of rest - no gladiator combats. The third day featured three team-on-team matches. The fourth day consisted of two large matches, with one featuring two of the teams against each other and the other pitting a team against a monster. Usually the honor of fighting the monster went the previous year's winners. The two teams who were victorious fought each other in a knock-down, drag-out battle free-for-all on the fifth day, the winners being declared as Champions!

Kaspar pointed that this was all well and good, but what about payment? Ekaym proposed the following: he would 50% and the team would split the remaining 50%. With the help of his companions, the elf monk pointed out that this was not at all logical, and managed to get the flamboyant man to come to a 40/60 split. After Kong flexed his muscles, Ekaym and the heroes settled on equal shares split six ways.

The next point of contention was the name of the gladiator team. Ekaym suggested Ekaym's Team, which was immediately rejected, along with series of ridiculous, outlandish, or arrogant names suggested by everyone. They eventually settled on the Kings of the Road as their team name.

With arrangements made, Ekaym thanked the heroes and told them to arrive at the Free City Arena on Fireseek 17 by 5:00 pm - that was the start of the Champion's Dinner. From that point on they would be restricted to the arena grounds, so they should prepare accordingly. With a bow and a flourish, their manager left. Celeste had departed at some point during negotiations.

The next seven days passed slowly for the companions. They kept their heads down, always fearful of retributive strikes from the powerful Raknian. But thankfully none came, and eventually Fireseek 17 - the day of the Champion's Dinner - arrived.

Arriving in full battle gear, the heroes were not out of place. All sorts of gladiators were gathered around the banquet tables set in the grand Free City Arena itself, from the traditional dwarves, barbarians, archers, and wizards, to traditional monsters, such as gnolls and animals. The heroes met up with Ekaym quickly, and were introduced to a multitude of merchants and government officials, all of whom seemed to have an eye on them for betting purposes. Amongst the people mingling around were the legendary heroes Loncer Amorocco and Rugrunt Garoul, who were guests of Raknian and would be performing on the second day of the games.

During the festivities, Argo noticed Ekaym's attention always seemed intently focused on Loris Raknian, the charismatic organizer and previous Champion's Game winner also attending the event. Kaspar noted that Loris' eye seemed to drift towards their own table, but only briefly. He clearly was aware of their presence but did nothing untoward his status during the evening's events.

As the evening drew on, Shanks was approached by a beautiful elven woman in a leather bustier. She introduced herself as Vivian, and indicated that a certain organization (*wink, wink*) was interested in making a large wager on the final match, and they picked the heroes' team to win. The previous year's winners was a team called Auric's Band, and they would very likely make it to the final match as well. If the heroes would put 2,500 gp up front and win the match, this guild would give them a return of 10,000 gp. Vivian also indicated that taking this wager would be a good way to join this guild, something Shanks had attempted to do initially upon entering Greyhawk.

The halfling took the offer to his companions. Duke, Kong, and Argo decided to take the bet (Shanks was too poor and Kaspar was saving up his coins), and they ponied up the dough to make the wager. Argo also placed all of his remaining coins on their team to win the first match.

Around midnight, the moderator of the Champion's Games put on a pyrotechnics and fireworks show that dazzled all attendees. Loris Raknian announced the games had begun in a large, booming voice, and the gladiators were ushered into the arena underground. The underground consisted of two levels - the first, just below the arena itself, was a well-maintained series of chambers for managers and other important people. The level below that was cut into the caverns and consisted primarily of the Coenby (pronounced "see-no-bee"), where the gladiators were taken. This was the chamber where the teams would rest and spend the next five days. Security was tight, and the heroes learned that Raknian's palace was attached to the arena grounds on the upper level.

The night passed relatively uneventfully, and the next day the matches were posted on the wall. The Kings of the Road were set to fight at 10:00 am against three other teams. The first was Arcane Auriga, a team of four elven woman who specialized in archery. They were icy and cold to everyone, but especially seemed to hate men. The second team was Badlands Revenge, which had an angry druid and two gnolls with halberds. They were likewise silent towards everyone. The third team was Azure Riders, and the leader of this team was a flamboyant janni of a boisterous and womanizing nature. He approached the heroes with a proposition - him and his team of mounted mercenaries would focus on the women of Arcane Auriga if the heroes started with Badlands Revenge. That way they can focus on one team at a time.

The heroes were leary but accepted the proposal. The appointed time came and the gladiator teams were ushered up to the top level and positioned at each side of the arena. The stands of the Free City Arena were packed with thousands of spectators, and the announcer - enhanced though he was by magic - could barely be heard over the roar of the crowd. Each team was introduced and brought up to the blood-stained sands of the arena in turn. Loris Raknian announced the match had begun and a gong rang out. The four teams surged forward to meet in the blood-thirsty combat.

The mounted warriors of Azure Riders made ride-by attacks on Arcane Auriga but it was clear they were outmatched. The Kings of the Road, enhanced by a haste spell cast by Duke, charged fearlessly forward towards Badlands Revenge. Kaspar let arrows fly from his bow while Kong charged, his icy greatsword flashing in the morning light. Argo and Shanks followed right behind.

The druid in charge of Badlands Revenge gave a mighty shout, matched by Kong's feral raging roar. The barbarian cut his opponent deep, but the return blows from the twin gnolls and their halberds cut him deep. Argo and Kaspar teamed off against one of the gnolls just as Kong raised his greatsword and cut the druid deep. Roaring in response, he morphed into a giant crocodile and took a chunk out of Kong's hide. Duke rained magic missiles from a safe distance.

In the firm grips of his inhuman barbarian rage, Kong cleft his crocodile opponent with the mighty swing, spraying blood in a hot arc. The crowd went nuts, and they leapt to their feet when the barbarian brought his still-bloody greatsword in a spin and cut the head off the second gnoll. Argo and Kaspar finished off the other gnoll easily and the crowd started to chant "KINGS! KINGS! KINGS!" The heroes relished the rush of adrenaline for but a moment.

On the other side of the arena the Azure Riders were getting pounded on by Arcane Auriga. One of the mercenary riders galloped towards the heroes, and Kong saw an opportunity. He charged and made a mighty leap, intent on tackling the rider, but instead wound up with a face full of sand. Shanks was thereto pick up the slack, however, and the halfling gave a tiny roar, leapt onto the back of Kong, and drove himself straight into the mercenary rider's flank. The two of them tumbled head over tails on the sand, and the unmounted horse galloped away.

The Azure Riders surrendered at that moment, realizing they were outmatched, so the Kings of the Road turned their attention towards Arcane Auriga. The heroes were peppered with well-placed arrows, but when the fight was brought to melee the elven women didn't stand a chance. Kaspar, whipped up by the frenzy of the crowd, drove his fist into the jaw of one of the woman, killing her instantly. The other three surrendered immediately afterward. The Kings of the Road were proclaimed victors!

In the announcer's booth, Ekaym was presented with the trophy and coin reward from Loris Raknian while the heroes were led downstairs to the chants of "KINGS! KINGS! KINGS!" They collapsed, wounded and exhausted but ultimately victorious, in the Coenby. Other teams came and went as the day passed on, and after the final match was done the heroes were visited by Ekaym.

In a hushed tone, Ekaym congratulated the heroes on a job well done, but admitted a secondary motive in entering the games. His sister, Lahaka, was a traveling entertainer that disappeared immediately after last year's Champion's Games. All his attempts to divine her fate have met with failure, so his quest brought him to Greyhawk itself. Asking around, it seems Lahaka and Loris became lovers, and that the arena manager took her as his consort for a time. Then - nothing. She was never seen after last year's games and Ekaym belives Loris had something to do with it. But he's exhausted every avenue of research available to him, and pleaded with the heroes to search for any evidence of his sister in the arena underground. He promised to give them his share of the winnings if they would only try.

The heroes agreed, and Ekaym brought them potions of healing from the nearby temple. The first day of the Champion's Games drew to a close on Fireseek 18, but it seems the heroes' journey had only just taken a new turn.

Campaign Updates
Alright, sorry about the delay on this one. Nothing much to update here, though, so I'll just move on.

I'll post the details of Quest Cards and XP later today.

'Till next, Game On!

"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com

Campaign Roundup: Deadlands Part I

2008-01-21T20:51:00.000-06:00

Howdy, pardner. It's been a long while since we last played Deadlands, and even a longer while since we STARTED playing Deadlands. One of my goals this year was to wrap up some of these longer standing campaigns, and I think Deadlands will be the first recipient. I've got my last scenarios planned out and everything, but I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to do a look back at this very rich and entertaining campaign.

First, a very quick overview of the cast of characters. If I miss some details I do apologize, it's just a rough roundup. Just for clarification, I'm starting this roundup with The Mission - that first Deadlands scenario that was successful. There was a previous one to that, involving some coyotes with gazelle legs and a crawling hand that SOMEBODY shot, but we won't go into details about that. It was painful for all involved, mainly because the posse failed.

* Jonny Redd - Indian, killed by the Great Worm of the Glacier in front of the Overlook Hotel on December 22nd, 1877, returned to the world of the living as Harrowed. Been with the posse since the beginning.

* Rufus Prescott - Bounty hunter from Denver, been with the posse since the beginning, lost his arm to Jonny Redd in a haunted Wisconsin cabin on February 18th, 1878. Gained a mechanical arm in Salt Lake City on March 15th, 1878, from flesh-working Dr. Gash.

* Brant Rav - Mad scientist and great lover of explosions, joined the posse in Salt Lake City on July 16th, 1877, for ill-fated Haskins Expedition to the Grand Canyon. Met father (thought dead) on airship above Sacramento on April 1st, 1878, and gained possession of powerful ghost rock bomb.

* Father Charles Guiness - Irish Catholic priest from back east, holy man and faith healer. Skilled with the shotgun, been with the posse since the beginning - it was his mission into Arizona that brought the posse together.

* Corporal Nathan Greaves - Ranking Confederate soldier and Texas Ranger, Harrowed. Joins posse at various points whenever it suits his needs. Skilled gunfighter and nigh impossible to kill (being he's already dead).

* Ranger Ned Alden - Texas Ranger, been with the posse almost since the beginning. He recruited the posse to assist in the recovery of Bayou Vermillion gold on June 19th, 1877, and has shown up every once in a while to ask the posse for favors and to shoot Mexican werewolves.
* Big Momma - Large black woman, gunslinger. Joined posse early on and followed them through many escapades. Eventually met her grisly end in the City o' Ghouls on August 20th, 1877, when she wasn't quick enough to jump backwards.

* "Black" Cat Jones - Joined posse in Grand Canyon caverns, huckster by trade born under a cat's eye moon. She traveled before with the posse before being blown to smithereens by Brant Rav's dynamite blast on December 22nd, 1877, in front of the Overlook Hotel in Denver.

* Jumbiliah Rembasa - Houngan witch doctor and voodoo man from New Orleans, joined posse when they visited the Crescent City on January 20th, 1878, investigating strange murders. Scared nearly to death of fright after seeing the Harrowed Jonny Redd on February 17th, 1878, fled into Wisconsin wilderness after recovering.

* Diego Sanfilipo - Mexican gunslinger and bodyguard from an aristocratic family in Mexico City. Fled country after French invaded.

* Ghost Bear - Aged Cherokee indian shaman of the Bear totem, gathered a new posse to help rid the land of the Night Train (which was full of vampires).

* Agent Mel McGrath - Woman, member of the Agency - shadowy organization that operates under the jurisdiction of the United States of America.

* Shen Lu "Burning Lungs" - Chinese pirate, met up with posse in Shan Fan to help locate missing airship Proletariat.

* Bud Claybourne - United States military deserter from Battle of Little Bighorn, Minnesota native. Lost leg to horrible carriage accident in Sacramento.

* Hamlin Shambler (the Rambling Gambler) - Unscrupulous cardshark and skilled gambler.

* Max Perriwinkel - Reporter for Tombstone Epitaph, met with posse in New Orleans while investigating stories of random murders. Crushed to death by Hangin' Tree in the Louisiana bayou on January 23rd, 1878.

Phew! What a cast of kooky, crazy, or just plain dead characters. I think this is where I'm going to leave it for now - I'll round up the campaign events in a very near future blog. Hell, I might actually print the timeline I've been keeping in my moldy notebook. That is the only reason I have all the dates in order for events.

Let me know if I've forgotten a character who's been involved with the primary campaign. Next up - Campaign Round: Deadlands Part II - the actual campaign!