Ironguard Keep: Session 14

Finally, decent enough notes to show the mechanics behind the PCs!  

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8/10/20 - PCs - Klayton (and his pseudodragon familiar), Yelrah, THE Svetlo, Albrecht

NPCs - Kirsten, Ori, Morgan Ironwolf, Ulster

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Admin Notes:

Familiars are not spirits that conveniently disappear; they stick around until slain, then woe to their master.

Klayton - human warlock3 Fiend(imp) Pact of the Chain

Yelrah - halforc barbarian3 Primal Berserker

THE Svetlo - human cleric3 (Odin) War Domain

Albrecht - Human sorcerer3 White Dragon heritage

Kirsten - halfelf fighter2

Ori - Dwarf fighter from Ironguard Keep

Morgan Ironwolf - human fighter freed from statue by Albrecht

Ulster - human fighter freed from PodPeople caves by party

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We left off with our intrepid heroes spent and wounded in the ruined wizard tower.  We pick up as they decide upon their next plan of action….

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As the party debates opening the Chest of Many Stairs and peering inside, Albrecht - with Kirsten in tow - heads to the rooftop to see what became of the remains of Maria, the hapless Druid companion felled by stirges several weeks prior and left to rot.  (The DM then asked Albrecht to pick a number from 1-6, and the DM rolled said number openly on a d6, to the party’s chagrin.) 

Reaching the rooftop, Albrecht found Maria’s dried husk, and reeled in horror as it stood up and growled, “you left me!” while pointing at him.  The angry undead advanced steadily, growling in a hoarse voice again and again “you left me!” 

Albrecht tried to sweet talk his way out of certain death (perhaps by quoting Power Ballad lyrics, my notes aren’t clear, reading merely, “diplomacy through Power Ballad”), the revenant glared at him, but he saved! 

Alas, poor Kirsten did not and was paralyzed in place at the top of the stairs! Albrecht kept talking, vowing to remain at Kirsten’s side (as he should, Kirsten is his wife’s PC - and she was listening!) until the bitter end, if need be.  Very sweet.

Anyhow, the party groaned and tried to run as the revenant stared them down, yelling, “you left me!” D30s were rolled for saving throws and magic missile damage, with the endstate being Ori paralyzed, the revenant “alive” and kicking, and most of The Group on the run.  After a series of rounds where Avrae, the goddess of fate, rolled poorly for all, Kirsten and Ori shook off the paralysis and fled, and in desperation, Albrecht (down to his last hit point) gulped the purple glowing potion he had found while hunting a Pod Person and hoped for the best. 

At this point, the DM demonstrated a mastery of improvisation that few before have witnessed.  

Power surged through Albrecht, lifting him aloft as his wounds closed and spell levels returned, eyes glowing purple, all highlander quickening style (in fact, that scene was shown in the discord).  Albrecht feels other changes, but has not yet identified what, merely that he feels … different.  (at this point, the DM's mastery ran out).

From the 1986 Highlander movie, you can skip the beheading part - that didn't happen to Albrecht.

Through clever PC stratagem, the revenant was slowed down, but not killed.  This allowed the Group to run back to Ironguard Keep, tails firmly between their legs.  But at least they were alive. 

Albrecht remarked that he was amazed at “how alive she was!” (DM Note - Maria's Revenant now has a new home on random encounter table).

Setting back out the next morning, the Group made a wide berth around the ruined tower, and the wandering monster dice were kind - all that they encountered were a pair of Twk-Men.

The first told them: 

A Vampire Stalks the Night; 

They Bargain with the Scaled One; and 

They Seek the Army of the Damned.

The second told them: 

The Scaled One Refuses; 

The Forest Queen Seeks Her Lost Prince; and 

The Swampfolk Fight Amongst Themselves.

Jokes were made about Klayton's indiscretions with the Dryad several misadventures back, and the group continued onward.

Still, before reaching the cave mouth that hid the Chaos Temple, a steaming mound of fresh dragon shit was discovered, and being bold adventurers ever in search of phat lewt, the Group waded into the shit (all Magic Christian style - be sure to thank Les for making me watch this film 20 years prior) to search for it.  Their persistence paid off, as Klayton found a golden amulet on a chain, an amulet revealing the symbol of Chaos once it was cleaned off.  Claiming it for himself, Klayton pocketed the amulet and the smelly Group continued on.

The Group reached the cave mouth as night was falling.  The dice were kind and nothing found them.  

They discovered numerous footprints coming and going from the cave, and Klayton volunteered to recon it alone.  The rest of the Group gladly let him.  Once out of their sight, Klayton revealed the horns and tail that were a ‘gift’ from his patron, then donned the shit amulet.  All this was done to appear more chaotic, while still keeping the rest of the PCs in the dark.  He ordered his Pseudodragon to stay outside, and he stepped through the cave mouth into the darkness.

The DM read some boxed text describing what Klayton saw and heard.  The sights were interesting, but there were no sounds, not even from his hard boots on flagstones.  No echoes, no footfalls, no nothing.  Seeing that there were no apparent guards, and that the passage led to a t-intersection, Klayton stepped back out into refreshing noise-filled night and reported back to the party, signs of chaos hidden once again.

Yes, this is from B2's Caves of Chaos; the circled area is where Klayton stopped.

After debating the merits of a night attack on enemies that were known to control undead in their home, the Group decided to go for it.

Stepping inside, they were struck by the echoes of their footfalls and how loud they were.  Klayton uttered cryptic comments and the Group turned to the left.  Eventually, they encountered Zombies and battle was joined!

As zombies fell or were turned, Skeletons joined the fray!

Then the DM’s children appeared, and the DM was whisked away to bed.  Before leaving, note that the DM legit rolled some 6's on the wandering monster rolls.  

Fighting next session will be intense!

Ironguard Keep: Session 13

 

Original Session - August 3, 2020 - 

PCs in attendance: Yelrah, Klayton, THE Svetlo, Albrecht

NPCs: Morgan Ironwolf, Ulster, Kirsten, Ori the Dwarf

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The Group spent a few days relaxing at Ironguard Keep, before joining the Castellan for a by-invitation dinner.  In addition to the Castellan Herr Rottmeyer and his wife Frau Rottmeyer, the Keep Chaplain Alain de Blanc, the Lord Magus Antoine Lebrun, and the Captain of the Guard Jurgen Hoffmeister were also in attendance.  

(It is important to point out that during the predinner downtime, Klayton had his pseudodragon capture a squirrel, which Klayton promptly beheaded and sewed the Voodoo Head to.  The Voodoo Head thanked him and went off to do creepy things until called for.  Albrecht spent the time determining that his Acorn Cap attracts squirrels and may allow understanding of them.  Perhaps if he wears it longer…  Also, the Group hit up Mario’s for potions, and the dice god (named Avrae - clerics of Avrae might be a thing?) dictated potions of “fouling a body of water,” “smelling salts,” and “switching phobias” were purchased - thanks, d4 Caltrops d100 potions list!)

Brown Jenkin by Pawn Attack; how I picture SHST in my mind.  Story source for Brown Jenkin.

Over dinner, the Group learned a bit more of the history of the area, specifically that as the Three Chaos Temples grow in power, Law, logic and civilization crumble and fall away.  The Temples were last thrown down - at least temporarily - more than 50 years prior, but have seemingly been rebuilt.

During a question-and-answer session, the Group learned the further tidbits: if one Temple still stands, the others rebuild; holy water, fire, magic, and steel were used to tear down the Temples last time - those methods may yet serve again; the nearest Temple is past the abandoned Wizard Tower the Group had looted a few weeks prior; undead are a popular minion of the Chaos Cultists; Dragons have served the Cult in the past; and lastly, a guide will be provided the Group when they set out to destroy the Temples.

When the question of payment arose, Herr Rottmeyer explained that the Keep itself is cash-poor, but will provide resources for the endeavor.  The Chaplain immediately offered up numerous vials of Holy Water free of charge.  Furthermore, the Group was more-or-less told that they can keep whatever they loot from the Cultists and their minions. 

They parted ways for the evening, and while alone in the shadows, Klayton felt a hand upon his shoulder.  Turning around, he found himself face-to-face with Theodotus of Byzantium, still as pale-skinned and goateed as before.  Theodotus’s eyes flashed, and Klayton made his saving throw.  Theo laughed and promised he would be back, then disappeared into the shadows.  Klayton’s verbal response is unprintable, but his tasking to his familiar is not.  Klayton commanded the bizarre Shrunken-Head-Squirrel-Thing (SHST for short) to seek out Theo and find where he lairs.  SHST giggled and went off to do his master’s bidding.

In the morning, the Group set out and found an armored Dwarf waiting for them at the Gate.  He told them his name was Ori, and was the Keep’s promised guide.  The Group begrudgingly accepted his presence, despite grumbling about shares of treasure.  Upon further quizzing, it was learned that Ori, and his brothers Nori and Dori, are all nephews and apprentices of the Keep Weaponsmith, Snorri. 

Now eight in number, the Group set off for the nearest Chaos Temple.  The journey was uneventful until they arrived at the abandoned Wizard’s Tower.  At this point, the Group decided to detour in pursuit of picking up the rest of the loot, or at least the magic sword they’d left behind (the DM knew they had left other easier-to-obtain treasures, but that is their fault).  Jokes were made about encountering the Druid in zombie form, and through the door they went (a bit of unintentional foreshadowing, these jokes were).

Once inside, the Group were dismayed to see another band of looters - this one including Zombies (though not their dead friend).  A running battle commenced that (mostly) ended in the ground floor dining room.  In the end, 8 zombies were slain, as well as four Cultists and a pair of wights.  Other cultists escaped up the stairs and into the Chest of Many Stairs, it’s lid slamming shut as Yelrah entered the room behind them. 

Zombie Apocalypse by Peter Mohrbacher Wizards of the Coast

Highlights of the battle included lots of double-exploding damage dice (sadly, only for the PCs’ team) and Yelrah being commanded to drop his weapon, then doing so.  d30s were used for damage, but rolled miserably.  At the last moment, the DM read the Zombie description and saw Undead Fortitude, then handwaved things a bit to use it, resulting in all the Zombies rising back up for one last hurrah.  Tragically, all Zombies were slain - again - without dealing much damage.  So very, very sad.

Albrecht captured and interrogated a Cultist, learning several interesting things as the poor man (the Temple’s cook, it turns out) voided his bladder and bowels in utter terror of the “kindly acolyte of Skadi” and his sharp knife.  The most useful bit of information was that the Temple’s High Priest is named Master Oni Afio (courtesy of a babyname generator, set to African names - the DM grinned widely, because in Japan, Oni are something totally different - ah, emergent story).  The Group did NOT ask how many more Cultists there were.  

Rookie mistake.

The session ended with Yelrah exhausted and the group nearly out of spells, but with only surface injuries and most hit points.  They know at least two Cultists descended into the Chest of Many Stairs.  Whatever shall the Group do next?

Ironguard Keep: Session 12

Shit! We're now into May and the Ironguard Campaign is starting up again in June, so I need to get my faithful readers caught up!  On top of this is the final planning for the start session, after all, 18 months have passed in both the real and game worlds, and lots can happen in that time.

That said, I have prepped the remaining posts, and it looks like things taper off at the 18 mark.

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Original Session Date 7/28/20 - 

PCs in attendance: 

Klayton - human warlock 

Yelrah - halforc barbarian

THE Svetlo - human cleric of Odin

Kirsten - elf 

Albrecht - human sorcerer

NPCs: 

Ulster - human fighter

Morgan Ironwolf - human fighter

Steve the Mule

unnamed pseudodragon

 

The morning was warm, but overcast when the Group awoke.  Preparations for Operation: Capture Podman included purchasing manacles, ropes, lots of provisions, a cart, and a mule to pull said cart.  The mule’s name was Steve. 

While preparations were made, Albrecht visited Mario’s shop and convinced Constanzo to take his money.  For 450gp, Albrecht walked away with a blue-painted, gold-inlaid bullroarer that was guaranteed to drive off Owlbears and probably other such things - that said, Constanzo warned that it’s noise might also attract different other things.  In addition to the Bullroarer, Albrecht also purchased a curious display case containing 6 pinned butterflies, each sporting a different label:

Theodotus of Byzantium

Epiphanius

Eustathius of Sebaste

Nestorius

Vettius Valens

Decimus Valerius Asiaticus. 

(I do love this wiki page for random names).

Stock image from Google; close enough for this blog.

Mario asked Albrecht to take it outside if he planned to open it; better safe than sorry, and all that.  After all, “magic is unpredictable and dangerous,” as NPCs often tell the PCs.

Albrecht obliged and pulled the pin from the butterfly labeled “Theodotus of  Byzantium.”  In a flash of light and puff of smoke appeared a pale man with mesmeric eyes.  He smiled and Albrecht saw his eyes flash, but made his saving throw versus charm.  Not that it mattered, as Albrecht struck up a conversation.

The pale man introduced himself as Theodotus of Byzantium, and asked the place and year.  When told, he seemed confused, but at least recognized the mountains in the distance, so was pleased.  As a crowd gathered, he thanked Albrecht for freeing him and disappeared into a drifting cloud after laying hands on Albrecht (another saving throw made).  When Theodotus parted, Albrecht realized that the pin he had pulled had become a silvered stake.  

Gary Oldman as a vampire from some movie I have never seen.

When Albrecht declared he wanted to ‘free them all,’ the other members of the Group intervened and then led Steve the mule to Wyrmsback Ridge.  Along the way, they encountered the brownie Jack-in-the-Green, who traded his Acorn Cup Cap to Albrecht for the pretty butterfly collection.  

Bets were made about how badly this trade would turn out, and the DM added VAMPIRE to the wandering monster chart.  

Arriving at Wyrmsback Ridge, Ulster admitted fear at entering.  The Group reached a compromise, with Ulster and Morgan waiting with Steve the Mule at the entrance.  To facilitate communication, Klayton summoned his familiar - a pseudodragon.  To both Klayton and the dragon’s amazement, the summoning called up the physical body of the wee beastie, and now it won’t (can't) leave.  Klayton could tell his voodoo head was excited at the prospect of being mounted on a dragon.

No one noticed the gathering squirrels.

Into the depths the five went, retracing their steps. The Hanging Snagworts had been replaced/regrown, but the thunderous waterfall drowned out the sound of combat and nothing investigated THE Group's butchery.  Klayton and Albrecht used cantrips to weaken the ceiling a bit to make planting again difficult.  The Group made a beeline using the route they had previously walked, pausing only to search the moldering mound for missed treasure.  Albrecht rolled a 20, discovering a stoppered bottle containing a purplish liquid that sparkled from the motes of light within it.  He tucked it away for later.

Eventually, the Group found themselves in the cavern where they had rescued Ulster several weeks prior.  To their joy, there were podmen feeding someone else into the mulcher.  To their dismay, the thing in the cage was STILL there, and roared, alerting the podmen to danger.  All things considered, it was an anticlimatic fight, but with a podman slain and the other manacled and bound in ropes, the Group had met the first half of their goal.

Tragically, the DM’s dice were unkind for each wandering monster check to this point.  Luckily, Albrecht wanted to again visit with the caged dwarf that roared in a decidedly nonDwarven tongue.  As it turns out, the beast had an impressive, if somewhat limited, vocabulary of curse words in a variety of languages.  When Albrecht stepped close, it reached for him, its arms transforming into green, spindly things that ended in clawed fingers.  Sadly, it missed.

The DM’s dice then rolled a wandering monster! A giant centipede! 

How disappointing.

Albrecht used his session d30 on the Centipede, exploding it like a blood sausage.  As the Group left the caves, they encountered another giant centipede, and Albrecht did for that one, too, albeit less impressively. Once back under the cloudcover of the overcast day, Klayton learned that his pseudodragon REALLY loves catnip and both Morgan and Ulster seem to be taken with the pseudodragon.

The Group moved off a distance to call up Klayton’s cabin (man, this DM regrets that item), but decided to keep the cart, mule, podman, and 2-person guard shifts outside.  After dinner, Albrecht and Kirsten had the first shift when suddenly the ground began shaking and trees came crashing down.

A massive two-headed giant burst through the trees, lunging for Steve the Mule who was screaming in fright as it tried frantically to escape, but as it was hobbled for the night, it could not.  The screaming ended quickly as the Ettin’s morning star crushed the beast. 

Ruric Thar, the Unbowed by Tyler Jacobsen and WotC 2013 - run this card to aggravate blue players.

Noise (particularly that of Kirsten and Albrecht screaming and pounding on the door) stirred the others and battle was joined! Yelrah and Klayton used their session d30s to little effect on damage rolls, but in the end, the beast was felled by THE Svetlo’s Guiding Strike. 

Being THE Group, they beheaded the Ettin for trophies and moved camp.  Why they didn’t search it is beyond this humble DM’s knowledge.  Still, morning arrived, and the Group started back to the keep, the podman over Yelrah’s shoulder, and giant heads over the shoulders of Morgan and Ulster.  Truly, they made a gruesome sight.

Sharing their adventures with Captain DuBois, she thanked them and told them to stay in the Keep for the next few days, as she would arrange a meeting with the Castellan because something was certainly afoot.  She also spoke of the Three Chaos Temples - one to the East beyond the river, one to the North of the Keep, and one to the South in the swamp - and how she suspected they had been rebuilt.  The Captain also planted the thought that an intelligence was behind the people-mulching, the podpeople, and the horrid plant life.  The members of the Group agreed.

RIP Steve the Mule

So, join us next session, when we meet with the Castellan, kit out Ulster and Morgan, research the temples, and sew a voodoo head on a dead squirrel!  

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Moving forward, I want to be using the familiars as described at Goblin Punch in my games.  This is at least one thing that has changed in the 18 months.  Chaos IS rising, after all.

Ironguard Keep: Session 11

Another session, another PC death.  It may be noticed by now that if a player is missing, their PC is still run and is still quite capable of being killed off.  Adventuring is dangerous business, after all.

BlueJay, Fineach, and Avalon (formerly Maria's) players only played sporadically, if that.  Now one is passed, one is working offshore, and the other has left the group for personal reasons.   Such is life.

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7/13/20 - 

PCs with players in attendance

Yelrah, halforc barbarian

Klayton, human warlock

Svetlo, human cleric

PCs with players NOT in attendance

Avalon, ? bard

Bluejay, dwarf fighter

Kirsten, elf ranger?

Albrecht, human sorcerer

NPC henchman

Ulster, human fighter

The plan for the evening's session was to return safely to Ironguard Keep and hand the items over to Mario, so they could get paid.  Things started off well, with a second visit (and lunch) with the Beekeeper from session 9 (who warned them of fresh troll spoor in the area), but quickly went awry as a pack of (5) hungry owlbears found the Group.

A clutch of well-painted Owlbear minis, none of which are mine.  Sweet Mini, though.

As the horrid beasts shrieked and charged from the woods, the Group was momentarily stunned - because the Owlbears won initiative.  Fair Avalon of the Hurdy-Gurdy fell beneath the claws and beaks of three of the beasts, with Albrecht and Yelrah getting tagged by the other two (the dice were unkind - multiple critical hits AND exploding damage dice).  

Upon their initiatives, the Group rapidly plunged into the river (PUN!), preferring the unknown waters and rapids to the known owlbears.  When they finally washed ashore, most had taken damage and a few were utterly exhausted (1 level of exhaustion) from the watery escape.  Saddened by the loss of their companion, Klayton bled upon his rug, calling forth his magic cabin.

That evening passed uneventfully, as the dice were again unkind, but this time to the DM.  That trend continued until the Group reached Ironguard Keep.  Passing through the gates, they found Brunhilde - one of the Keep Magus's apprentices - on duty, who said that Yelrah’s book had been examined and that he should see her later that evening when the gates closed.

Being mercenary bastards at heart, the Group went immediately to Mario’s for the rest of their payment.  He handed them their gold and asked them to clean up before joining him for dinner.  Fondly remembering the last meal, the Group agreed.

Dinner provided full stomachs, bottomless wine glasses, and interesting news.  Chief among the news was that the person they picked the items up from was referred to as Old Granddad, being an ancestor of Mario Favarro.  Furthermore, it was learned that individuals could commission enchanted items through Mario, and with a suitable down payment and a wait time of no longer than ten years, they would have an item close to what they want - no one really argues with a Lich, especially when he’s the only game in town.

This saddened Yelrah, who was tired of his rusty goblin dagger and was hoping for a shiny new magic sword.  While the two blades that had been retrieved were spoken for, Mario reminded Yelrah of the odd stone sword in the shop.  Yelrah then purchased Stone Cleaver - 'a heavy blade of gray stone cracked and reeking of elemental power, carved from the heart stone of a powerful earth spirit and inlaid with geometric sigils in black marble' - for a now-forgotten sum (also, the description is in quotes because I lifted Stone Cleaver word-for-word from a blog that is now also forgotten).

Poorer, but better armed, the Group went to bed - some at the Lion’s Den, some in their shared apartment.  While in the apartment, Yelrah and Klayton came to an agreement.  Klayton would gladly pay Yelrah 300gp for Yelrah’s magic belt (from an earlier session).  The deal was sealed in the sight of Svetlo Sudca, cleric of Odin, and partner in crime.

During the night, Klayton’s shrunken head again visited him in a dream, offering power for the small favor of a body.  When the shrunken head was not forthcoming about why and what type of power, Klayton said no.  The shrunken head nodded slowly (quite the feat without a neck) and the dream ended.

The following morning, Yelrah sought out Brunhilde at the Lord Magus's tower.  She was with fellow apprentice Gudrun and shared that not only did the book contain spells, but it detailed a Chest of Many Stairs, which opened to stairs to a variety of locations, depending on where the Chest was located.   

Access to the Hive Dead, the Wandering Glade, and the Black Library were all called out by name.  They then offered to buy the book for 225gp.  Yelrah asked for time to consider the price, then thanked them and left to seek out his roommates.

Klayton and Svetlo meanwhile had gone to see Captain …. the Warden.  She paid them for their butchery (harpy feathers, ogre tusks, some other random body parts) and more importantly for information.  Klayton spoke of all he knew of Mario and Old Granddad, as well as what the Twk-Men had said.  They took their pay and left.

Everyone rendezvoused at the Lion’s Den, where Bluejay thanked them for their adventures, but declared a friendly parting of ways.  As Bluejay said goodbye, Ulster spoke up and asked about decent armor, weapons, and kit (the DM also swore to do the guy’s character sheet before next session).  

Deemed a fine use for cash, Ulster was given a sack of coin and sent on his way.  While he shopped, Yelrah told Svetlo and Klayton of the book and what it contained, and that the ladies of the tower offered to buy it for 225gp.  Klayton (may have) stated that he was bad at math, so they should ask a price divisible by three, and it was agreed.  So off they went, and convinced the ladies to sell the book for 300gp, which was promptly split among them.  

While at the Magus’ tower, Klayton attempted to tell the ladies of his shrunken head, but couldn’t get the words out, instead spitting out a giant tequila wurm (like in the movie Poltergeist), which crunched loudly under multiple boot heels.  His untoward actions resulted in Brunhilde sending them away.

Over dinner, it was decided that the Group may know where the Chest of Many Stairs is, and it was considered the next place to visit.  Then other options were raised (along with several mugs of the Lion’s Den finest), and it was decided that instead of the abandoned wizard’s tower and its suspected Chest, they would instead visit the caves under Wyrmsback Ridge and capture a pod man to return to the Keep.

Realizing that they would need more muscle to replace their rapidly dwindling comrades, they looked about the room and spied Morgan Ironwolf, who agreed to join them for an equal share of the treasure.

Until next time….

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DM Note - When the campaign was active, I was reading lots of Goblin Punch blog posts and Echoes from Fomalhaut 'zine issues, among others, which is where several of these items and places come from; I promise I am not nearly clever enough to do so myself.  

Monday MtG: Play Report

I got to play some proper 3- and 4-player pod Commander games a few weeks back, when work took me to Opelika, and in turn, to the awesome game store Game Time Hobbies.  Over the course of several games, I piloted Dragonlord Dromoka, Heartless Hidetsugu (x2), and Xyris, the Writhing Storm (x2) - note these links run to decklists that need updating, but are close to what I ran.  

Dragonlord Dromoka did quite well, using Fracturing Gust to devastate my opponents (one being a well-equipped Wyleth and the other being Morophon and its mana-rocks) and ensure victory.  It wasn't until this game that I realized that Fracturing Gust was an instant, making it quite the one-sided sweeper (and me the unobservant player - the card is nearly 15 years old).

Heartless Hidetsugu led strong its first game, with a turn 2 Generator Servant into a turn 3 Heartless Hidetsugu.  I kept folks low on life, but ultimately lost to Skithiryx, who infected the table with Karn's Bastion and Ichor Rats.  The second game I drew no haste-makers, so never got to use my commander.  Both of which are typical results of the deck in multiplayer games.  

That second game also featured someone playing Jeleva stealing cards with Harmonic Prodigy in play, which didn't win, but DID make things interesting. So now Jeleva is on my to-build list.  One day.

Xyris was more a live practice duel for the deck, as my opponent was curious as to what the deck would actually do, which was spam the field with snake tokens and accidentally win with Epic Struggle.  By this, I mean I played it and it stuck, but neither of us noticed the win until three turns later. The second game with Xyris saw it do nothing but die to bad draws.

All things considered, I left the shop in a grand mood with a few new cards in mind to purchase (Karn's Bastion and Harmonic Prodigy, among others) and changes to be made to decks (revising which haste cards are in Heartless Hidetsugu).  I did not browse the single cards at the store, but saw they were in binders by set - ideal for impulse purchasing, which is why I didn't browse that evening  as I would have purchased many.

I'm looking forward to visiting Opelika and Game Time Hobbies again, if only for next year's work-related convention.  If you're in the area, I recommend checking them out, especially on Monday afternoons for Commander play.

Short Video on Adventure Design

I freely admit to being a fanboy of Bryce and his blog Ten Foot Pole.  Only my wallet knows how much money I have spent based on his adventure recommendations over the years.

There is even a useful forum attached to his blog where I have lurked and learned.

Now, though, he has an interview on the Dieku Games channel where he also discusses Adventure Design.  It is close to an hour long and worth the listen for aspiring DMs.

Full disclosure: my dream is to stop being lazy AND to actually publish an adventure that is not only reviewed by Bryce, but passes muster.

First though, I gotta not be lazy.

 

Ironguard Keep: Session 10

This was an exciting session, where I had hoped to tempt the Group into doing foolish things.  They didn't fall for it, though, and instead mostly survived. It was a good time, though, and that is what's important.

I still dislike 5e's cantrips, but love exploding dice and the d30 house rules. 

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29 June 20 - Yelrah, Albrecht, Klayton, Svetlo, and Kirsten

NPCs - Bluejay, Fineach, Avalon, Ulster the man-at-arms

The session picked up where we left off - in the courtyard of the keep.  The screeching and cawing turned to beautiful music as the harpies’ charms took effect.  Several of the party were struck dumb - a case of music soothing the savage beasts that the PCs are.  The harpies took advantage of this state by attacking Albrecht and Fineach!

Harpies Attack! Art by Emmanuel Martinez; Discovered on ArtStation

Albrecht barely survived, but alas, poor Fineach was shredded by the filthy talons of the hideous beasts!  Reeling from the blows, the Group was in dire straits when an arrow flew from behind the PCs, burying itself in one of the foul beasts - Kirsten the Elf had joined them (having been following them since leaving the Keep, we later learn)!

The fighting swung back and forth, with Klayton and Albrecht’s spells dealing the most damage (as the d30s were used for the session).  In the end, the harpies were routed, retreating back to their nests among the teetering battlements, leaving a trail of blood, burnt feathers, and a pair of their wicked sisters behind them.

The Group took shelter inside the keep, plunging through the broken down door and finding themselves in a cold, dark room.  As their eyes adjusted to the darkness and torches were lit, a translucent figure materialized - a ghostly butler.  When asked their business, the Group said they were there to make a delivery and pick up, then showed the letter Mario had given them.  Their papers in order, the butler agreed to fetch its master and disappeared, it's sepulchral voice telling the Group to make themselves at home.

Kirsten, Yelrah, and Albrecht interpreted this as permission to explore (and hopefully loot) the keep.  The trio hadn’t gotten far before encountering the master of the keep approaching them from the opposite end of the corridor.  Pleading ignorance, the trio hastily retreated before the Lord Magus.

Phylactery Lich, by Michael Komarck, WotC 2018 - makes a fine Lord Magus Favarro.

Once back together, the Lord Magus addressed the Group, with Klayton functioning as the party face.  The Lord Magus seemed, not so much distracted, as lost in time (or senile).  He realized that his guests needed light, so clapped his hands (it was noticed that these hands were skeletal), and waves of magic rippled across the room, lighting the fire in the hearth, repairing the rotted tapestries and generally making the room look new and inviting.  In this light, the PCs all noticed that the Lord Magus was a robed skeleton. A skeleton who asked about his grandson, Giovanni Favarro, and was amazed to learn that the small village of Kingsbridge had blossomed into a full town that was subsequently already a ruin itself.  

Reminded of the official business, the Lord Magus again clapped his hands, and a formerly empty table now had several items upon it: a pair of sheathed longswords, three rings, an amulet, and a staff.*   After watching Klayton retrieve the chest, the Lord Magus offered to buy the rug-cabin, noting that it was something he had never created and now felt inspired.  Klayton politely declined to sell it. 

Yelrah stepped up, however, asking about the strange tattoo (which is still bitchin’) and the strange ring.  As the Lord Magus took Yelrah’s hand to examine the ring, Yelrah felt a wave of freezing nausea pass over him, but it seemingly had no effect (made his save).

The Lord Magus said he would need time to examine them both.  Yelrah declined the offer to enjoy his hospitality.  So the Group bade the Lord Magus farewell and left with a different chest containing the items to be delivered.  Exiting the keep, they found that the bodies of the slain harpies and Fineach were gone, with only pools of dried blood and loose feathers to show they were there.  

They quickly began the trek back downriver.

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*Specifically, the items picked up for delivery are:

Longsword – Green and red and gold colorings. Named Mocker.

Longsword – Blue and white and silver colorings. Cool to the touch. Named Rimefang .

Ring – bluish metal, cool to the touch.

Ring – verdigrised copper.

Ring - Two golden snakes intertwined.

Staff – 5.5 feet long, whitish wood (ash) and bound with iron. Head carved to suggest a dragon with gemstone eyes.

Amulet - Oval cloudstone on a gold chain.

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The session ended so the DM could do family things.  Among other things, this session resulted in my writing up this post on Grandfather Favarro, the suspected lich.  The items are detailed at the link.