Age of Worms Campaign Update 12/14/2008

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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?!?

'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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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?!?!!

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

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

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