Session Date: 28 June 2011
[This session picked up immediately upon the events of Session 3]
Game date: Mon 05 Sept 4711 A.R., 9:30 PM
The farewell dinner with Aldern had wound down, and out heroes were finishing their second after-dinner drinks, when an obviously upset woman with two children in tow burst into the barroom. She carried one of the children, who was perhaps not-quite two years old, and was leading a boy of about seven years by the arm. The boy's other arm was loosely wrapped in a bandage and blood was seeping into it. After scanning the room, she quickly noticed the party and rushed over to their table. "Thank the gods I found you! I need your help! Quickly!"
Charrone and Halfred stood up. The woman continued, "Please-- my husband... there's a goblin in our house, and we need you help now! Please follow me!" Charrone replied, "Well, yes, of course!" and gathered her things. The rest of the party, save Aldern, did the same. "Um... why don't I stay here and take care of the tab..." said Aldern.
The group followed the woman, who identified herself as Emily Barrett, across town to her house, the children still in tow. The trip took less than two minutes. On the way over, she explained:
"Ever since the goblins attacked the Festival, our son Aeric has been haunted by what he'd seen. He said that he saw a goblin grab our neighbor's friendly tabby cat by the tail, pour oil over him, then light him on fire, laughing as the poor creature ran off while aflame. He said that the goblin then looked right at him, grinned, then came at him, but then our dog Petal ran to Aeric's side and started barking at the goblin. The goblin then threw his torch at Petal, then ran away. Aeric just hasn't been the same since.
"Every night since then, Aeric has cried at bedtime, saying that there was a goblin in his closet. Well, children imagine monsters all the time, so Henry, that's my husband, would bring in a lamp and check under the bed and in the closet. We also let Petal start sleeping in his room, but Petal seemed to be spooked by the goblins too, and barked quite a lot more than usual. This went on for four more nights, and Henry was getting sick of it. He told Aeric to 'be a man' and to 'stop imagining things,' because he didn't see any signs of a goblin. Oh, if only we'd listened to Aeric and to Petal!
"Tonight, Aeric made the same complaint, but Henry told him to quiet down and go to bed. Not five minutes later, we hear Aeric shouting, and Petal barking like mad... but then Petal started whimpering and Aeric screamed out in pain. Henry opened the door to find Petal with a knife stuck in her neck and a goblin on Aeric's bed, trying to chew off his arm! Henry grabed a poker from the fireplace and chased the goblin back into the closet, and I gathered the children and tried to find a guardsman. When I couldn't find a guard, I found you! And here we are."
Halfred, Larissa, and Charrone entered the small cottage. A lamp still burned on the kitchen table, but the house was oddly silent. They crept down the short hallway and opened the first door, which Emily had mentioned was Aeric's room. Inside, the room was in disarray. A small black-and-white dog, obviously Petal, lay motionless in a pool of blood at the foot of the bed. A man, obviously Henry Barrett, lay sprawled face-down on the floor, his arms and head in the closet. Charrone called out, but the man didn't answer. Halfred examined the closet, and saw that one of the wide floorboards had been removed and that Barrett's head was partly in the hole left by the missing floorboard. Charrone examine the body, and saw that he was dead, but still warm. Halfred pulled Barrett's body out of the closet and rolled him over, and they were all shocked and appalled to see that the flesh of Barrett's face had been removed-- seemingly bitten off!
At that moment, a goblin jumped out of the hole in the closet floor, brandishing a kitchen knife. In the surprise of the attack, he managed to slash Halfred, but Halfred recovered and slew the goblin with one swing of his greataxe. Examining the hole beneath the closet revealed a dirt-floored crawlspace barely 18 inched deep, two feet wide, and about eight feet long-- barely large enough to conceal a single goblin. Larissa surmised that the goblin must have been hiding there ever since the festival.
The group left the house with the goblin's body, and told Mrs. Barrett and Aeric that this goblin isn't going to trouble anyone else again. Mrs. Barrett then asked about her husband, and Charrone broke the news that the goblin had killed him. Mrs. Barrett then became completely distraught, wailing loudly, attracting the attention of both neighbors and guardsmen. Larissa pressed some gold into her hands to help her get along, and two of her neighbors came over to assist. Ted offered to hire somebody to clean up the mess in Aeric's room, but the neighbors said that they would take care of it. "Really. You've done enough hero-ing for one day," said a neighbor while taking the baby. "If only you could have been a bit quicker with it..."
The group then left the Barrett family to the care of their neighbors and returned to their lodgings. Charrone returned to the Dragon for a chat with Aldern, warning him not to travel by himself. Aldern seemed not terribly concerned for his own safety, but promised to hire a couple of sell-swords for his return trip to Magnimar.
[Session 4 write-up continues...]
An old-school tabletop RPG campaign blog: Rise of the Runelords / Castle Ravenloft mash-up using Pathfinder RPG rules!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Session 3: The Boar Hunt
Sunday 04 Sept 4711, A.R.
Over drinks at the Rusty Dragon late the previous night, Larissa and MacGreggor agreed to meet the following morning to explore the Old Light a bit more. Larissa was intrigued by the story she'd heard of people entering the centuries-old ruins and never being seen again.
Sunday morning, just after sunrise, they met at the edge of the ruins, which are situated on a point overlooking the Varisian Gulf, at the edge of a sheer cliff. The cliff rises about 100 feet from the surface of the gulf. The base of the tower seems to rise out of the gulf itself, and appears to be built into the side of the cliff. The tower rises another 60 feet or so above the top of the cliff face, and is by far the tallest structure in the town of Sandpoint.
Larissa and MacGreggor scrambled over the chunks of worked stone strewn about the tower at street level and approached the tower proper. They found an opening that was about five feet tall and three feet wide, and scrambled through. Once inside, they climbed a path that had been worn into the pile of stone rubble that littered the interior of the tunnel. While dim, there was enough light to see, as they could see the sky through the top of the tower: apparently, the roof and floors of the tower had pancaked over the centuries into the pile of rubble they stood upon. While a few faded runes and weathered carvings were visible on the walls, time had defaced them beyond any translation. One image remained visible: a ceramic mosaic that clearly showed an immense tower with a huge flame atop it.
They then left this part of the ruins and took the stone stairs near Chopper's Isle down to the beach below to examine the base of the tower. The base of the tower rose out of the water, and waves broke against it. Strangely, while the rocks that jutted out of the breakers were covered with seaweed, mussels, and barnacles, the stone of the tower itself was eerily devoid of attached sealife. It also seemed far less eroded than one would imagine. Looking up at the tower, Larissa spotted a crack in the wall about 80 feet up that might just be wide enough for her to squeeze in. She attempted to free-climb the tower, but the stones were much smoother and were fitted more closely than she had reckoned, and the way up was too difficult. They returned to the street level of the ruins.
They re-entered the tower, and Larissa saw that the interior was much easier to climb than the exterior. She made it to the top of the tower, secured new ropes, and dropped them over the outside wall near the opening she'd seen below. MacGreggor climed up to watch, and she went down the rope and into the opening, pulling the end of the rope in behind her.
The opening was about six feet from a stone ceiling, with a jagged stone floor about 30 feet below her. The air inside was extremely foul. Looking up, she saw several hundred bats hanging upside-down from the ceiling, apparently asleep. Looking down, she saw two human skeletons sprawled directly below the opening, apparently people who had entered but not returned. The floor was strewn with guano-covered rubble. The room appeared to have originally been two different floors, and she surmised that the stone rubble on the floor was what remained of the floor and any interior walls. There were no obvious exits from the room, and Larissa had a bad feeling about the stability of either the floor or the ceiling, so she did not leave her perch in the opening. She did manage to see some Thassilonian inscriptions on the walls, including the passage "Behold the glory of Xin-Bakrakhan" and "Fear the [wrath? righteousness?] of Alaznist and her might." Larissa took note of these inscriptions and climbed back up. She and MacGreggor then descended the tower and returned to town. It was just before noon by then.
Meanwhile, Declan went to the cathedral to assist with the dawn ritual of Sarenrae and to chat with Father Zantus. Declan asked Zantus if he had any idea as to why the goblins would want to rob the grave of the former priest, but Zantus had no idea. Declan asked if any part of the church had survived the fire, to which Zantus replied, "Nothing. Well, nothing except the standing stones, but they were there before that chapel was built." He led Declan to a small grassy courtyard, in the center of which was a round stone altar surrounded by seven monoliths. All were made of polished basalt. The altar was unmarked by carvings, and each of the seven monoliths bore a single Thassilonian rune. When asked about the runes, Zantus replied, "I believe those were the Seven Virtues of Thassilon: wealth, fertility, self-assurance, abundance, self-improvement, righteousness, and rest. Obviously, this stone circle is of Thassilonian origin, and the native Varisians who lived here before the founding of Sandpoint used this as a place of worship. They had consecrated it to Desna specifically, and we later consecrated it to all of the deities that Desna counts as allies... including Sarenrae, of course."
That evening, MacGreggor, Charrone, Larissa, Ted, Halfred, and Declan met at the Rusty Dragon for dinner, and there they met up with Aldern Foxglove. Aldern bought dinner again (albeit a much less-lavish affair than their previous meal together), and confirmed that they would all meet by the North Gate the following morning for the boar hunt.
Monday 05 September 4711 A.R.
The weather didn't bode particularly well for a hunt: the first cold winds of autumn blew through town on an overcast and muggy day, as drizzle spit from a slate-gray sky. Nevertheless, the group mounted the rented horses and took their boar spears in hand, and followed Aldern along the North Coast Road, eastward along the shore. At a crossroad about half a mile later, they took the much less-traveled Tickwood Road that runs between Tickwood Forest and Turandrok River. Unfortunately, the weather turned out to be an omen of what was to come.
About halfway through Tickwood, before the turnoff for the huntsman's road that Aldern intended to take, the group was waylaid by a band of gobin raiders. Six goblins positioned in trees alongside the road let loose a volley of arrows, and two goblin spellcasters attempted to ensorcell the party. Halfred dismounted and charged one of the spellcasters, and Charrone charged the other on horseback. Both hit, and neither goblin spellcaster was able to cast a spell off that had any effect. Charonne and Aldern were hit by goblin arrows, but the group managed to take down four of the archers and both spellcasters before the remaining goblins fled. Examining the fallen goblins, Charrone discovered that the shaman was still alive, and announced that she would be taking him back to town as a prisoner: perhaps he would have more information about Friday's attack on the town. Aldern tried to convince her to continue on the hunt, but was unsuccessful, and he reluctantly declared the hunt over to accompany her back to town, and the rest of the group followed suit.
Back in town, Charonne delivered the goblin to Sheriff Hemlock, who offered to let the party sit in on the interrogation once the goblin regained consciousness. The group then joined Aldern for a farewell dinner, as Aldern said he had business to attend back in Magnimar and would need to leave in the morning.
As dinner was starting to wind down, a local woman burst into the Rusty Dragon, with two young children in tow. Upon seeing the party, she ran up to them and exclaimed, "Thank Desna I've found you! We need your help! There's a goblin in my son's closet!"
Next week: The Goblin In The Closet!
Over drinks at the Rusty Dragon late the previous night, Larissa and MacGreggor agreed to meet the following morning to explore the Old Light a bit more. Larissa was intrigued by the story she'd heard of people entering the centuries-old ruins and never being seen again.
Sunday morning, just after sunrise, they met at the edge of the ruins, which are situated on a point overlooking the Varisian Gulf, at the edge of a sheer cliff. The cliff rises about 100 feet from the surface of the gulf. The base of the tower seems to rise out of the gulf itself, and appears to be built into the side of the cliff. The tower rises another 60 feet or so above the top of the cliff face, and is by far the tallest structure in the town of Sandpoint.
Larissa and MacGreggor scrambled over the chunks of worked stone strewn about the tower at street level and approached the tower proper. They found an opening that was about five feet tall and three feet wide, and scrambled through. Once inside, they climbed a path that had been worn into the pile of stone rubble that littered the interior of the tunnel. While dim, there was enough light to see, as they could see the sky through the top of the tower: apparently, the roof and floors of the tower had pancaked over the centuries into the pile of rubble they stood upon. While a few faded runes and weathered carvings were visible on the walls, time had defaced them beyond any translation. One image remained visible: a ceramic mosaic that clearly showed an immense tower with a huge flame atop it.
They then left this part of the ruins and took the stone stairs near Chopper's Isle down to the beach below to examine the base of the tower. The base of the tower rose out of the water, and waves broke against it. Strangely, while the rocks that jutted out of the breakers were covered with seaweed, mussels, and barnacles, the stone of the tower itself was eerily devoid of attached sealife. It also seemed far less eroded than one would imagine. Looking up at the tower, Larissa spotted a crack in the wall about 80 feet up that might just be wide enough for her to squeeze in. She attempted to free-climb the tower, but the stones were much smoother and were fitted more closely than she had reckoned, and the way up was too difficult. They returned to the street level of the ruins.
They re-entered the tower, and Larissa saw that the interior was much easier to climb than the exterior. She made it to the top of the tower, secured new ropes, and dropped them over the outside wall near the opening she'd seen below. MacGreggor climed up to watch, and she went down the rope and into the opening, pulling the end of the rope in behind her.
The opening was about six feet from a stone ceiling, with a jagged stone floor about 30 feet below her. The air inside was extremely foul. Looking up, she saw several hundred bats hanging upside-down from the ceiling, apparently asleep. Looking down, she saw two human skeletons sprawled directly below the opening, apparently people who had entered but not returned. The floor was strewn with guano-covered rubble. The room appeared to have originally been two different floors, and she surmised that the stone rubble on the floor was what remained of the floor and any interior walls. There were no obvious exits from the room, and Larissa had a bad feeling about the stability of either the floor or the ceiling, so she did not leave her perch in the opening. She did manage to see some Thassilonian inscriptions on the walls, including the passage "Behold the glory of Xin-Bakrakhan" and "Fear the [wrath? righteousness?] of Alaznist and her might." Larissa took note of these inscriptions and climbed back up. She and MacGreggor then descended the tower and returned to town. It was just before noon by then.
Meanwhile, Declan went to the cathedral to assist with the dawn ritual of Sarenrae and to chat with Father Zantus. Declan asked Zantus if he had any idea as to why the goblins would want to rob the grave of the former priest, but Zantus had no idea. Declan asked if any part of the church had survived the fire, to which Zantus replied, "Nothing. Well, nothing except the standing stones, but they were there before that chapel was built." He led Declan to a small grassy courtyard, in the center of which was a round stone altar surrounded by seven monoliths. All were made of polished basalt. The altar was unmarked by carvings, and each of the seven monoliths bore a single Thassilonian rune. When asked about the runes, Zantus replied, "I believe those were the Seven Virtues of Thassilon: wealth, fertility, self-assurance, abundance, self-improvement, righteousness, and rest. Obviously, this stone circle is of Thassilonian origin, and the native Varisians who lived here before the founding of Sandpoint used this as a place of worship. They had consecrated it to Desna specifically, and we later consecrated it to all of the deities that Desna counts as allies... including Sarenrae, of course."
That evening, MacGreggor, Charrone, Larissa, Ted, Halfred, and Declan met at the Rusty Dragon for dinner, and there they met up with Aldern Foxglove. Aldern bought dinner again (albeit a much less-lavish affair than their previous meal together), and confirmed that they would all meet by the North Gate the following morning for the boar hunt.
Monday 05 September 4711 A.R.
The weather didn't bode particularly well for a hunt: the first cold winds of autumn blew through town on an overcast and muggy day, as drizzle spit from a slate-gray sky. Nevertheless, the group mounted the rented horses and took their boar spears in hand, and followed Aldern along the North Coast Road, eastward along the shore. At a crossroad about half a mile later, they took the much less-traveled Tickwood Road that runs between Tickwood Forest and Turandrok River. Unfortunately, the weather turned out to be an omen of what was to come.
About halfway through Tickwood, before the turnoff for the huntsman's road that Aldern intended to take, the group was waylaid by a band of gobin raiders. Six goblins positioned in trees alongside the road let loose a volley of arrows, and two goblin spellcasters attempted to ensorcell the party. Halfred dismounted and charged one of the spellcasters, and Charrone charged the other on horseback. Both hit, and neither goblin spellcaster was able to cast a spell off that had any effect. Charonne and Aldern were hit by goblin arrows, but the group managed to take down four of the archers and both spellcasters before the remaining goblins fled. Examining the fallen goblins, Charrone discovered that the shaman was still alive, and announced that she would be taking him back to town as a prisoner: perhaps he would have more information about Friday's attack on the town. Aldern tried to convince her to continue on the hunt, but was unsuccessful, and he reluctantly declared the hunt over to accompany her back to town, and the rest of the group followed suit.
Back in town, Charonne delivered the goblin to Sheriff Hemlock, who offered to let the party sit in on the interrogation once the goblin regained consciousness. The group then joined Aldern for a farewell dinner, as Aldern said he had business to attend back in Magnimar and would need to leave in the morning.
As dinner was starting to wind down, a local woman burst into the Rusty Dragon, with two young children in tow. Upon seeing the party, she ran up to them and exclaimed, "Thank Desna I've found you! We need your help! There's a goblin in my son's closet!"
Next week: The Goblin In The Closet!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Session 2: Local Heroes
[We picked up immediately after the defeat of the goblin riders from last week.]
Game date: Friday, Sept 3, 4711 A.R, sunset.
After defeating the goblin riders and their henchmen, Charrone helped the villager hiding under the table to his feet. The young man was very well-dressed, albeit a bit dusty, and introduced himself as Aldern Foxglove, heir to the Foxglove Estate. "Thank you so much for coming to my aid! I believe I owe you a great debt of gratitude." He then invited the group to join him for dinner at the Rusty Dragon later that evening.
The woman that Declan rescued in the alleyway introduced herself as Katrine Vindler. Katrine appeared to be about 18 years old, and was very attractive. She mentioned that her father owned the General Store. She seemed to be taken with Halfred, who was a bit dumbfounded by the attention she lavished on him. "Nice axe," she said. "It's so big, and you sure know how to use it. I hope we'll be seeing more of each other."
About that time, a guardsman rode by, stopped, and marveled at the litter of goblin corpses at the group's feet. "You seem to know your way around a fight. Were you the ones who organized the firefighting brigade on Shell Street? That was fast thinking!" He asked the groups' names, thanked them, and rode off.
By this time, the tide of he street battle turned, and the goblins remaining in town began a chaotic retreat. By this time, town guardsmen on horseback mopped up remaining pockets of fighting, and streams of goblins fled back toward the gates and bridges. A dozen or so of the goblins, chased by mounted guardsmen, jumped off the 60-foot Sandpoint Cliffs onto the jagged watery rocks below rather than face capture. Townsfolk put out the many small fires set by the little menaces, and assessed the damage. The casualties were: three townsfolk were dead, scores injured, and a large amount of minor property damage.
The group retired to the nearby White Deer Inn for drinks to wind down after the fight. Well-apportioned but a bit cold (and snooty), the inn had a gorgeous view of the Gulf of Varisia, and the sunset was lovely. After a couple of rounds, they checked the North Gate, which was by then well-secured, and then walked across town to the Rusty Dragon to take up Aldern on his invitation.
When the group entered, Aldern stood up and said "And here they are!" in a loud voice. A round of applause went up, and a round of drinks was passed. Aldern had already ordered a small feast: roasted beef, roasted fowl, bread, cheese, and a Tian-spiced vegetable stew. Ameiko Kaijitsu, the proprietor, came over and introduced herself, and Bethany, the head server, brought out more food and drinks.
Aldern was very interested in the party's stories. Halfred told the tale of his family's exile from Kalsgaard. Charrone said that she had recently retired from the Chelaxian military due to a difference in philosophy, and she's still working on what was next. Ted told of his studies with the Cyphermages of Riddleport, and McGreggor compared notes on the ancient Thassalonians. Larissa spoke of her life in Magnimar, and Declan told of his personal tragedy at the hand of goblins. It turned out that Larissa and Halfred had once met in Magnimar, and both had crossed paths with Declan once or twice.
Aldern was a good conversationalist, and seemed to know quite a bit of what was going on in Magnimar and Riddleport, and was at least familiar with the situation in Korvosa. He said that his family estate was located about three miles to the south of Sandpoint, but had been unoccupied for many years and had fallen into disrepair before he inherited it. He said that had spent about half a year renovating his estate, and had been quite pleased with progress, but lost heart when his dear wife was lost at sea a few months ago, and renovations have stopped for the present time.
Mid-way through the meal, Aldern gave each member of the group a pouch with 50 gp, "as a token of my appreciation. Please don't think it crass." He then mentioned that he planned to leave Sandpoint on Tuesday, but thought that going on a boar hunt would be great fun, and invited the group to do so on Monday. The group agreed, and Aldern said that he'd make all arrangements.
Aldern also seemed to be very interested in Charrone. "May I ask why a lady of your grace and bearing took up the sword?" he asked once. Later, he said, "You have such a noble heart. Your spirit reminds me of my late wife Iesha, who was lost at sea." Aldern's demeanor was rather fawning, and it grew a bit tiresome as the night wore on. Eventually, he retired, as did the rest of the group.
The next day was spent exploring the town. Charrone went to visit Sheriff Hemlock at his office in the garrison. He thanked her for helping out, and said that the goblins they captured didn't have much information. He mentioned a few things about the raid:
Meanwhile, Katrine approached Halfred over lunch, and asked if he could come back to the store with her to help her get rid of some rats in the cellar. Halfred went with her, and while he saw no rats in the basement, he did see a cot. When he turned to ask Katrine where the rats were, he was pleasantly surprised to see that she had removed her bodice. "I feel distressed. Are you a real hero?" Unfortunately for Halfred, before things with Katrine progressed too far, her father happened to walk into the room. Ven Vindler was not happy to see the new handsome stranger in town engaged in a half-naked embrace with his youngest daughter. "Um...we were hunting... for... rats..." stammered Halfred. "Oh, I'm looking at a big rat right now. GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!!!" Before things got ugly, Halfred gathered his clothes and ran out of there.
The rest of the group explored the town. Several shopkeepers handed out free samples or offered discounts to them, and several people that they had never met already knew their names. The rest of the day passed uneventfully.
Next Week: The Boar Hunt!
Game date: Friday, Sept 3, 4711 A.R, sunset.
After defeating the goblin riders and their henchmen, Charrone helped the villager hiding under the table to his feet. The young man was very well-dressed, albeit a bit dusty, and introduced himself as Aldern Foxglove, heir to the Foxglove Estate. "Thank you so much for coming to my aid! I believe I owe you a great debt of gratitude." He then invited the group to join him for dinner at the Rusty Dragon later that evening.
The woman that Declan rescued in the alleyway introduced herself as Katrine Vindler. Katrine appeared to be about 18 years old, and was very attractive. She mentioned that her father owned the General Store. She seemed to be taken with Halfred, who was a bit dumbfounded by the attention she lavished on him. "Nice axe," she said. "It's so big, and you sure know how to use it. I hope we'll be seeing more of each other."
About that time, a guardsman rode by, stopped, and marveled at the litter of goblin corpses at the group's feet. "You seem to know your way around a fight. Were you the ones who organized the firefighting brigade on Shell Street? That was fast thinking!" He asked the groups' names, thanked them, and rode off.
By this time, the tide of he street battle turned, and the goblins remaining in town began a chaotic retreat. By this time, town guardsmen on horseback mopped up remaining pockets of fighting, and streams of goblins fled back toward the gates and bridges. A dozen or so of the goblins, chased by mounted guardsmen, jumped off the 60-foot Sandpoint Cliffs onto the jagged watery rocks below rather than face capture. Townsfolk put out the many small fires set by the little menaces, and assessed the damage. The casualties were: three townsfolk were dead, scores injured, and a large amount of minor property damage.
The group retired to the nearby White Deer Inn for drinks to wind down after the fight. Well-apportioned but a bit cold (and snooty), the inn had a gorgeous view of the Gulf of Varisia, and the sunset was lovely. After a couple of rounds, they checked the North Gate, which was by then well-secured, and then walked across town to the Rusty Dragon to take up Aldern on his invitation.
When the group entered, Aldern stood up and said "And here they are!" in a loud voice. A round of applause went up, and a round of drinks was passed. Aldern had already ordered a small feast: roasted beef, roasted fowl, bread, cheese, and a Tian-spiced vegetable stew. Ameiko Kaijitsu, the proprietor, came over and introduced herself, and Bethany, the head server, brought out more food and drinks.
Aldern was very interested in the party's stories. Halfred told the tale of his family's exile from Kalsgaard. Charrone said that she had recently retired from the Chelaxian military due to a difference in philosophy, and she's still working on what was next. Ted told of his studies with the Cyphermages of Riddleport, and McGreggor compared notes on the ancient Thassalonians. Larissa spoke of her life in Magnimar, and Declan told of his personal tragedy at the hand of goblins. It turned out that Larissa and Halfred had once met in Magnimar, and both had crossed paths with Declan once or twice.
Aldern was a good conversationalist, and seemed to know quite a bit of what was going on in Magnimar and Riddleport, and was at least familiar with the situation in Korvosa. He said that his family estate was located about three miles to the south of Sandpoint, but had been unoccupied for many years and had fallen into disrepair before he inherited it. He said that had spent about half a year renovating his estate, and had been quite pleased with progress, but lost heart when his dear wife was lost at sea a few months ago, and renovations have stopped for the present time.
Mid-way through the meal, Aldern gave each member of the group a pouch with 50 gp, "as a token of my appreciation. Please don't think it crass." He then mentioned that he planned to leave Sandpoint on Tuesday, but thought that going on a boar hunt would be great fun, and invited the group to do so on Monday. The group agreed, and Aldern said that he'd make all arrangements.
Aldern also seemed to be very interested in Charrone. "May I ask why a lady of your grace and bearing took up the sword?" he asked once. Later, he said, "You have such a noble heart. Your spirit reminds me of my late wife Iesha, who was lost at sea." Aldern's demeanor was rather fawning, and it grew a bit tiresome as the night wore on. Eventually, he retired, as did the rest of the group.
The next day was spent exploring the town. Charrone went to visit Sheriff Hemlock at his office in the garrison. He thanked her for helping out, and said that the goblins they captured didn't have much information. He mentioned a few things about the raid:
- While the main force attacked the town, a smaller force of goblins sneaked into the graveyard and desecrated the grave and exhumed the body of Father Tobyn, the former town curate who had perished in the Sandpoint Fire of '06. He has no idea why, but he asked to keep this bit of info quiet, as he doesn't want to upset the townsfolk any more than they are.
- Goblins, while a menace, have never tried anything this big before. "Goblins are both notoriously poor planners and inherently lazy, which usually precludes then from doing anything that requires a group effort." He suspects that something or someone is organizing them.
- One thing he did get out of the goblins was mention of the "the chief and the 'longshanks.'" He's not sure what a "longshanks" is, but it's definitely non-goblin. Hemlock said that he knows a local ranger that usually keeps an eye on the goblins, and that he'd send word to her.
- The actions of the party had been noticed by the townsfolk, and their presence in town seems to be reassuring. Hemlock asked if they could stick around a few days, just to help keep things calm.
Meanwhile, Katrine approached Halfred over lunch, and asked if he could come back to the store with her to help her get rid of some rats in the cellar. Halfred went with her, and while he saw no rats in the basement, he did see a cot. When he turned to ask Katrine where the rats were, he was pleasantly surprised to see that she had removed her bodice. "I feel distressed. Are you a real hero?" Unfortunately for Halfred, before things with Katrine progressed too far, her father happened to walk into the room. Ven Vindler was not happy to see the new handsome stranger in town engaged in a half-naked embrace with his youngest daughter. "Um...we were hunting... for... rats..." stammered Halfred. "Oh, I'm looking at a big rat right now. GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!!!" Before things got ugly, Halfred gathered his clothes and ran out of there.
The rest of the group explored the town. Several shopkeepers handed out free samples or offered discounts to them, and several people that they had never met already knew their names. The rest of the day passed uneventfully.
Next Week: The Boar Hunt!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Session 1: The Swallowtail Festival
Our story begins in the town of Sandpoint, in the land of Varisia, on the day of the annual Swallowtail Festival. The festival is held the first Friday of September, and it honors the goddess Desna, goddess of dreams and travelers, who is perhaps the most popular deity in the region.
The festival got off to a great start about two hours before noon. Mayor Kendra Deverin gave a rousing speech about the progress made in town. Sheriff Hemlock gave some gruff advice to have fun but stay out of trouble. Cydrak Drokkus, owner of the Sandpoint Theatre and a skilled showman, gave a light-hearted and joke-filled speech during which he shamelessly plugged the opening of a new production of "The Harpy's Curse." And Father Zantus, curate of Sandpoint, thanked everyone in town for their support in construction of the new cathedral building, and invited everyone back at sunset for the consecration ceremony.
Church Square was filled with temporary vendors' stalls, selling many different things, like pastries and fruit, live animals, herbs, weapons and armor, magical items of dubious quality, and exotic curios from as far away as Tian Xia and Quadira. There were musicians, jugglers, and fortune-tellers. There were games of chance and skill. And the weather was a little on the warm side for September, but otherwise perfect: sunny with a light breeze.
At noon was the Swallowtail Ceremony: a wagon bearing a large covered bell-shaped object was wheeled before the cathedral. Most of the town's children gathered around it. Father Zantus retold the story of how Desna once fell to earth and was aided by a blind orphaned child, whom she transformed into an immortal butterfly as a reward. At the story's conclusion. Zantus removed the cover to reveal a huge birdcage filled with hundreds of Blue Swallowtail butterflies, the sacred creature of Desna. With a flourish, he threw open the top of the cage, releasing them, and a spectacular iridescent fluttering cloud spread over the festival, to the delight of young and old.
After the Swallowtail Ceremony, all of the taverns in town provided a free lunch in an unofficial contest. Garridan Vislanki, owner of the White Deer Inn, served up roast venison with onions. One-legged Jargle Quinn of the Hagfish served up seafood chowder and brown bread. Venerable sorceress Risa Magravi held court at her tavern Risa's Place, as her son Besk and his wife served up her famous spiced potatoes. Cracktooth the half-orc was giving away free rounds of ale at his eponymous tavern. Even Gressel Tenniwar, the shifty half-Sczarni operator of the Fatman's Feedbag (the roughest bar in town) got into the act with a vat of chicken soup. But the crowd favorite for three years running was Ameiko Kaijitsu, owner of the Rusty Dragon, for her Tian-style curried salmon.
At sunset, acolytes set off three thunderstones to gather the crowd back at Church Square for the dedication ceremony. A hush fell over the crows as Father Zantus began his speech. However, just as he spoke the opening lines, a woman's scream of terror cut through the crowd, followed by another, farther off. A dog growled and barked, then yelped in pain, staggered into the square and collapsed with a gurgle, blood gushing from its neck. Small dark shapes darted about, giggling with inhuman glee, and started to sing a strange song in shrill, scratchy voices.
A shout of "Goblins!" went up, and the crowd panicked. Most of the people in Church Square ran for the safety of the cathedral or other nearby buildings. There were few town guardsmen in the square, but six out-of-town strangers stood their ground and attacked. The paladin Charrone of Kintargo drew her sword, and the Ulfen warrior Halfred Egilson swung his greataxe at the little menaces, separating more than one goblin's head from its shoulders. Declan Fintane, priest of Sarenrae joined the action, as did the archer Larissa, up from Magnimar. McGreggor the wizard hurled his enchanted returning quarterstaff at one, and the transmuter Ted Waters cast a spell causing Halfred to grow to nine feet tall. The six heroes made short work of the goblins in the square.
Before they could catch their breath, the heroes saw another group of goblins set two wagons of firewood alight. They ran over to attack them too. This group of goblins included two spellcasters, one of which managed to briefly incapacitate Halfred with a bout of uncontrollable laughter. Still, the goblins were no match. Ted organized townsfolk to put out the fire before any buildings caught.
As they fought the fire, there was chaos in the streets. Goblins ran amok, snatching food and valuables, breaking windows, setting fires, and terrorizing the townsfolk. The sounds of a fight and a barking dog caught the heroes' attention, and after the fire was under control, they investigated.
Two goblins riding large mangy rat-like dogs were fighting a guard dog, as its owner sought refuge under an oak table. Five other goblins watched, as one of the riders slew the dog. In a nearby alleyway, a young woman struggled with a goblin as well. The heroes managed to dispatch the goblins and rescued both of the villagers.
By then, the tide of battle had turned, and the goblins were streaming back north in an unorganized retreat. The man under the table thanked the party, and introduced himself as Aldern Foxglove.
Next week: The Aftermath!
The festival got off to a great start about two hours before noon. Mayor Kendra Deverin gave a rousing speech about the progress made in town. Sheriff Hemlock gave some gruff advice to have fun but stay out of trouble. Cydrak Drokkus, owner of the Sandpoint Theatre and a skilled showman, gave a light-hearted and joke-filled speech during which he shamelessly plugged the opening of a new production of "The Harpy's Curse." And Father Zantus, curate of Sandpoint, thanked everyone in town for their support in construction of the new cathedral building, and invited everyone back at sunset for the consecration ceremony.
Church Square was filled with temporary vendors' stalls, selling many different things, like pastries and fruit, live animals, herbs, weapons and armor, magical items of dubious quality, and exotic curios from as far away as Tian Xia and Quadira. There were musicians, jugglers, and fortune-tellers. There were games of chance and skill. And the weather was a little on the warm side for September, but otherwise perfect: sunny with a light breeze.
At noon was the Swallowtail Ceremony: a wagon bearing a large covered bell-shaped object was wheeled before the cathedral. Most of the town's children gathered around it. Father Zantus retold the story of how Desna once fell to earth and was aided by a blind orphaned child, whom she transformed into an immortal butterfly as a reward. At the story's conclusion. Zantus removed the cover to reveal a huge birdcage filled with hundreds of Blue Swallowtail butterflies, the sacred creature of Desna. With a flourish, he threw open the top of the cage, releasing them, and a spectacular iridescent fluttering cloud spread over the festival, to the delight of young and old.
After the Swallowtail Ceremony, all of the taverns in town provided a free lunch in an unofficial contest. Garridan Vislanki, owner of the White Deer Inn, served up roast venison with onions. One-legged Jargle Quinn of the Hagfish served up seafood chowder and brown bread. Venerable sorceress Risa Magravi held court at her tavern Risa's Place, as her son Besk and his wife served up her famous spiced potatoes. Cracktooth the half-orc was giving away free rounds of ale at his eponymous tavern. Even Gressel Tenniwar, the shifty half-Sczarni operator of the Fatman's Feedbag (the roughest bar in town) got into the act with a vat of chicken soup. But the crowd favorite for three years running was Ameiko Kaijitsu, owner of the Rusty Dragon, for her Tian-style curried salmon.
At sunset, acolytes set off three thunderstones to gather the crowd back at Church Square for the dedication ceremony. A hush fell over the crows as Father Zantus began his speech. However, just as he spoke the opening lines, a woman's scream of terror cut through the crowd, followed by another, farther off. A dog growled and barked, then yelped in pain, staggered into the square and collapsed with a gurgle, blood gushing from its neck. Small dark shapes darted about, giggling with inhuman glee, and started to sing a strange song in shrill, scratchy voices.
A shout of "Goblins!" went up, and the crowd panicked. Most of the people in Church Square ran for the safety of the cathedral or other nearby buildings. There were few town guardsmen in the square, but six out-of-town strangers stood their ground and attacked. The paladin Charrone of Kintargo drew her sword, and the Ulfen warrior Halfred Egilson swung his greataxe at the little menaces, separating more than one goblin's head from its shoulders. Declan Fintane, priest of Sarenrae joined the action, as did the archer Larissa, up from Magnimar. McGreggor the wizard hurled his enchanted returning quarterstaff at one, and the transmuter Ted Waters cast a spell causing Halfred to grow to nine feet tall. The six heroes made short work of the goblins in the square.
Before they could catch their breath, the heroes saw another group of goblins set two wagons of firewood alight. They ran over to attack them too. This group of goblins included two spellcasters, one of which managed to briefly incapacitate Halfred with a bout of uncontrollable laughter. Still, the goblins were no match. Ted organized townsfolk to put out the fire before any buildings caught.
As they fought the fire, there was chaos in the streets. Goblins ran amok, snatching food and valuables, breaking windows, setting fires, and terrorizing the townsfolk. The sounds of a fight and a barking dog caught the heroes' attention, and after the fire was under control, they investigated.
Two goblins riding large mangy rat-like dogs were fighting a guard dog, as its owner sought refuge under an oak table. Five other goblins watched, as one of the riders slew the dog. In a nearby alleyway, a young woman struggled with a goblin as well. The heroes managed to dispatch the goblins and rescued both of the villagers.
By then, the tide of battle had turned, and the goblins were streaming back north in an unorganized retreat. The man under the table thanked the party, and introduced himself as Aldern Foxglove.
Next week: The Aftermath!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Meet the Heroes
Charrone Gernteur is the youngest daughter of Duke Anton Genteur of Kintargo in Cheliax. Blessed with a strong sense of justice, Charrone sought a life of adventure and service, and so petitioned to join the Hellknights of Cheliax, an elite military order dedicated to preserving law and order. As a noblewoman, she was given a commission as Maralictor (lieutenant) almost immediately, and was assigned to the Order of the Nail, whose headquarters are near Korvosa in Varisia. Charrone liked her role as lawbringer, but was troubled when she led her unit to put down a peasant revolt less than six months into her service. The action turned much uglier than she intended, and scores of peasants ended up slain by heavily armored knights. Charrone was given a medal and commendation for putting down a revolt, but she realized that law without morality is wrong, and resigned her commission. Taking vows as a paladin of Iomedae, she donated most of her personal fortune to the families of the slain farmers. Now a wandering champion of the downtrodden, she has found her way to Sandpoint for the Swallowtail Festival.
McGreggor ("Mick") has been fascinated all his life by the ancient Thassalonian ruins that dot Varisia. During the course of his studies, he became a wizard of the universalist tradition. He has been in Sandpoint for a few months studying the Old Light with Brodert Quint, a local scholar of ancient Thassalon.
Larissa grew up on the streets and among the monuments of Magnimar. Orphaned at a young age, she fell in with a gang of street toughs where she learned the art of survival using her wits and her bow. She's in Sandpoint as a first stop of an aimless journey of adventure.
Halfred Egilson is a tall young man of Ulfen ancestry from Magnimar. Halfred's family is originally from Karlsgard in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. Due to an incident that he won't talk much about, Halfred's father Egil was declared an outlaw and was forced to forfeit his land. Egil moved the family to Magnimar, where he has become a successful merchant of fine wines and spirits. Halfred, however, inherited an ancestral streak of the berserker, and has little patience for salesmanship or accounting (much to his father's chagrin). Halfred accompanied his father to Sandpoint with a shipment of wine for the Swallowtail Festival, but plans not to return to Magnimar with him.
Theodore "Ted" Waters is a student wizard from Magnimar who is on leave from the newly-opened Cryptic College, operated by the Cyphermages in Riddleport. While he would have preferred to attend either the Stone of the Seers in Magnimar or even the upstart Twilight Academy in Galduria, his family couldn't afford the tuition for these more traditional colleges of magic. Ted is taking a semester (or two) off, and has traveled to Sandpoint partly to attend the Swallowtail Festival, and partly to find work so that he can afford to continue his studies.
Declan Fintane was born in a hamlet on the shores of Ember Lake that was destroyed by goblins when he was young. The attack left his father dead and family destitute, so they resettled in Magnimar, where they were supported by the Church of Sarenrae. As a poor child from the hinterlands, young Declan had difficulty navigating the complexity of urban social life, and spent much time in the temple. There, the compassionate priests of Sarenrae gave him gentle instruction on how to interact with others (and occasional healing) after Declan's "misunderstandings" with city kids. Declan found the Church of Sarenrae's emphasis on dawn and rebirth very appealing. His formative experiences have led him to romanticize life in the countryside, where living is simple, pure, and doesn't hide behind a seemingly-friendly face. He is in Sandpoint to relish the community's revival and to support the opening of the new cathedral.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Session 0: The Pre-Game
We had the first meeting of the Pathfinder-Ravenloft game last night. The session was for character-generation, answering questions, and to test-drive our map server software for our remote players.
Technology: We will be using MapTool as our map server. This is a very slick piece of open-source software that allows everyone, both physically present and connecting remotely, to look at and manipulate counters on the same virtual map. We've been using iChat for video conferencing for the last game, but pointing the camera at the battle mat wasn't a great solution.
I'm setting up a two-laptop solution: I'm running the GM view from my laptop, and a second laptop with external monitor shows the players' view and the video chat.
The test-drive had some rough patches: the remote players weren't able to connect to the server due to a router problem which we weren't able to solve. For that and other reasons, we're changing the venue next week and moving forward to my house.
Characters: Characters aren't yet etched in stone, and none are yet named, but here are the outlines so far:
Dan will be playing a male human ranger from the Northlands. He's specialized in two-handed weapon style.
JP will be playing a human male wizard (transmuter) who has been studying at the Academy Arcane in Riddleport. He's in Sandpoint ostensibly to study some ancient Thassalonian ruins, but he may be there mainly for the big party.
Eric will be playing a human cleric of Iomedae or possibly Sarenrae.
Mark has chosen to play a human male wizard (universalist). He has chosen to have a bonded object (staff) rather than a familiar. He is really in town to study the ruins.
Laurie will be a paladin of Iomedae.
Scott will run a human female rogue, and will be taking the sniper alternate rogue build.
For next week: The adventure begins!
I have asked all the players to finalize their characters and to please read the "Players Background" document I wrote.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)