Down the Well

The PC’s travel to Grimfeast, and make a bee-line for the Fiery Grog Tap Room.  There they meet several other adventurers including “The Hands of the Gods,” and Uabai, an accomplished Crasher.  Xander charms Uabai into guiding them down the underground passage into the tower located in the basement of the Tap Room.  Uabai wasn’t the best of guides, leading them into a kobold ambush, a run-in with a Otyugh, and finally a bizarre theatre complete with a ghostly actor (who was driven off by Willow).  Play ends with them getting deeper into the tower.

CK’s Notes:

All participants receive 720 XP for this session.  Willow gets a 300 XP, although the kudos seemed to be across the board.

I’ve been thinking about some logistical problems I’m having with gaming sessions.  First, there’s the unfortnate combination of a large group and small rooms.  Most rooms are 20′x20′, 20′x30′, or 30′x30′, because those were the sizes in the Descent board game.  I understand that you want to be able to lay out several rooms in a board game, but for my game of C&C, things are getting too crowded, and very often a good half of the PC’s aren’t able to affect play in a scenario because they are in the back of the queue.  Since I don’t want to limit the size of the group, I need to “air out” my dungeons with larger rooms, perhaps even going to a less “tinker toy” layout (rooms attached by long, thin corridors) to a “house” layout where the rooms are more adjacent.  Rather than cast loads of Hirst Arts bricks, I may just consider investing in a WorldWorksGames cardstock set and using it.

Second, I’ve changed gears in this campaign.  For a while I was going lightning-fast through the different relics that needed to be found, which the PC’s finding one after one or two sessions, then moving on.  I liked the roleplaying in this adventure and the corresponding greater depth of the backstory, but I could tell that the players were expecting to find the Lantern this adventure, and were getting antsy that it didn’t seem like they were getting close.  Truthfully, I wouldn’t mind setting aside the whole “quest” structure and instead get a chance to work a few Grimfeast-related subplots (and of course some good ol’ fashioned crashing) instead.

The Lantern of Lost Souls

There are, throughout the world, dozens, perhaps hundreds of taverns, all similar to the Pale Wheel Guesthouse. Dim lights, dirty floors, and cheap drinks. And information, of course there is always information available for the right price. In this case, the right price was a bottle of amber liquid and a willingness to listen to a man to whom few people pay attention. But his story was definitely worth it…

The scariest monster in Castles and Crusades

Having searched the draugr forge and found it lacking in treasure, the group does something very unusual: they split up. Hammer and Ransook go one way, while everyone else goes the other.

Editor’s note: for a multitude of reasons, only Hammer and Ransook’s players showed up for this session. As they are the two least powerful PC’s in the campaign, things had to be toned down considerably, and eventually Willow was added as an NPC to provide medical care.

Hammer and Ransook encounter several of the draugr and an ogre ally, but little else of interest. In one main room, however, the two (and Willow) encounter three draugr armed with wooden clubs, leather armor, and a rust monster on a leash. Even though it does no actual physical damage, the rust monster tips the scales in favor of the draugr, and the PC’s are on the ropes most of the fight. The rust monster itself consumes Hammer’s bearded axe and Willow’s masterwork warhammer, mace, and chainmail suit. Ransook finally manage to lodge enough arrows in the rust monster’s armored hide, and the battle turns in their favor.

Finally, the three come across the stone bridge reputed to be the last stand of the Hammerhands. On the bridge of the bottomless chasm reside ghostly remnants of the dwarf army. Far beneath the bridge is a another shadowy threat, a belker. Hammer, with surprising ease, dispatches the belkar while Ransook is scaling the cliff walls looking for the Celestine Mirror. With the belker defeated, the ghostly veterans laid to rest, and the magical mirror recovered, the group heads back the surface.

Despite their victory, the group is hungry and now short equipment, so they head for the nearby town of Fair Oaks. Fair Oaks is anything but, however, as the PC’s discover that the authorities tend to round up outsiders as thieves and debtors as sell them into indentured servitude. After buying four prisoners from the courts, Ransook and the rest of the group decide to have a few words with the sheriff. Angry words become threats, and before you know it the PC’s have slain half the town guard and quite a few townsfolk and have lit several buildings on fire.  Needless to say, the PC’s flee the city.  Once safely away, Hammer informs the group that he has had enough of this quest (his own fault to begin with, some think silently) and heads out on his own.

CK Notes:

Both participants receive 1800 XP for the adventure.

Hammer’s player had been slowly becoming disenchanted with the lack of interesting advances available to barbarians.  At third level he could only activate a power that made his a peril to his teammates.  Looking ahead to fifth, all he had coming was the ability to essentially have a few extra hit points.  Following this session, he asked if he could change PC’s completely.  In the past I’ve said players could swap out PC’s any time, and in fact one had switched character classes, but this was the first total character change.  Given Hammer limitations, both in abilities and personality, it seemed wise.

The Fallen Dwarves

The upper level of the Hammerhand clanhold turns out to be the home of some nasty creatures, referred to as “giant cave chickens” but are known to more informed monster hunters as archaierai. Unfortunately Hammer succumbs to the barbarian rage while battling the archaierai and, after dispatching his opponent, severely injures Xander. He continues to attack his friends until Ransook drops him with a well-placed arrow. After making sure the other party members are healed, Willow brings back Hammer to the verge of consciousness. The following day, Hammer promises not to let that happen again (any time soon).

The next level below reveals the true identity of the Hammerhand’s foe: a sub-race of dwarves called draugr, or “Deep Dwarves.” Long ago the draugr abandoned the dwarf gods in favor of diabolical powers. In return they gained access to dark magics, including the ability to create fields of silence around themselves, causing no end of havoc to the spellcasters in the group.

The session ends with the group having dispatched the crew of the dwarven forge, and are eagerly looking to complete their search for the Celestine mirror.

CK Notes

PC’s present: Xander, Xane, Ransook, Frankie, Willow, Hanthil, Violet, Hammer

All participants receive 578 XP, with Hanthil getting the XP bonus of 250.

Into the Hammerhands

As the story begins, our heroes have found the location of the clanstead of the Hammerhand dwarfs. On the way to their destination, they come across an old friend “Frankie the Fantabulous,” a gnome illusionist. It has been a while since Frankie left the group to pursue his own adventures, but he is glad to reacquaint himself with his old teammates (and some new ones). It is only after he agrees to accompany them that they inform him that they are cursed by the gods until they complete their epic quest.

After hiring a local guide, they find the mountainside entrance to the clanstead. A rickety and crude elevator takes them deep within the earth, where the advance group (on the first trip down) encounter two medium spiders, one of which poisons Frankie and leaves him paralyzed for eleven hours. This causes the group to make a strategic retreat back up the elevator.

Once Frankie is feeling better, they descend again, this time finding a filthy and pitiful dwarf shackled to the wall. The dwarf is just an illusory trap for several barghests who ambush the party, and Xander the elven wizard is severely injured in the battle. The team cleric tends to his wounds, as the group ponders the ill-fated start to this adventure.

CK notes

Participating PC’s: Galinda, Xander, Xane, Ransook, Frankie

It was an welcome surprise to discover that Frankie’s player was moving back into the area, and that Kiera’s player may be rejoining the group as well. Since we were unloading a moving truck before the game session started, it was a quick one this night. The group is discovering how vulnerable their spellcasters are these days, however.

All participants receive 112 XP.  Frankie gets the XP award of 55.

The Backstory

If you want the long version, you might consider going here.

The PC’s are theoretically the knight Galinda, a very minor noblewoman, and her entourage. This entourage includes a Xander her magical advisor; Hanthil her ranger guide; Willow her spiritual advisor; and Violet, Hammer, and Ransook her bodyguards. And there’s Xane, a sneaky little gnome who somehow got stuck with them.

While helping a count’s daughter claim her birthright, the group accidentally broke an ancient dimensional seal which was holding back Shuggutiegli, also known as the Reaper of Worlds. To re-establish the seal, they must gather twelve artifacts scattered about the known world. To date they only have two: the Shroud of Skelos and the Spear of Autumn Casting. Actually, they only have one; the Shroud was stolen by an acquaintance, Desire’, with the promise that they’d get it back when they needed it.

Currently, the group is after the third item, the Celestine Mirror…

Hello world!

This is the (newish) campaign journal for what is generally known as the “Strange Vistas Campaign.” If you look over at the page “About” you’ll see some general information about this campaign. Soon, I’ll be posting the backstory, just to get all the new viewers up to speed.

Until then, go to the old site and read up on all the things this campaign has been up to until then.