Battle of the Sects, Part 3

Again, just a single sect at the moment but in keeping things at least partially consistent here we are again. The group was escorting Clyde to Bresselwythe when the keen ears of Violet heard what sounded like a bell. Her farming background recognized it as a bell used on livestock, and, just as they were about to turn down the path to the village, they saw Sister Ishbarra and Erirderlun Earthfury. The Sister, seeing how hurt Violet was, communicated that she could help. A bit alarmed as healing magic is not known on the world of Cidri, nor is the idea of laying on hands, the party really had no idea what to expect. Though silent, Sister Ishbarra's lips moved in a silent prayer to Logton, and Violet regained 3 of her strength points from the glowing hands of the cleric. Which cost Ishbarra 6 strength, greatly weaking the cleric. And I realized I really did not quite follow my rules but close enough - it will take a bit of playing and practice. They noticed the sister seemed awfully pale after this feat. Like all magic, though, she will recover 1 point for every 15 minutes of rest and prayer. Which means sitting still and not even travelling unless you are on the back of a cart. 

Heading down the path, they started to smell sulfur. The same sulfur smell from the cultist's ceremony. Then they see Indhyna the Demoness, and her little hell hound. Clyde manages to soil his britches and backs off with the horses.

The battle started, with Axe (okay, I am still not spelling this PC's name correct, and the player was not available this week) hanging back with the horses, ponies and Gerie the goat. Dawn threw a water bottle at the hell hound but missed. Hexis was perturbed that the Elf was throwing their water supply off into the woods. Even Sister Ishbarra, as greatly exhausted she was, joined the fight. There were some interesting moments: Dawn found that her arrows had no effect on the demon, Deimos let everyone know that demonic creatures often need magical weapons to have any affect. A brief discussion that silver weapons as used by magic users are not inherently magical, just safe to use but those who also wield magic. After the hell hound was readily dispatched back the demonic plain it came from, three tree golems showed up, and the fight continued. Dawn attempted to lasso the demon to try & pull her off balance, Violet and the cleric fought one of the smaller twig creatures, Hexis another, and Erirderlun was attacking the largest creature. Then Gertie came charging in and rammed it, arrows started appearing in the back of the one Hexis was fighting, and Indhyna suddenly found a magic snake wrapped around her throat (after 2 failed magic attempts by Deimos. 

Violet actually got killed, but the players remembered the luck stone, so I rerolled that attack and it missed. I'm going to have to see about letting the players acquire more of those perhaps. Moving on, the two smaller wood golum constructs were soon destroyed (Sister Ishbarra actually rolled a triple damage, destroying what was left of that thing), and arrows started appearing in the back other larger one the Dwarf was attacking, while Gertie had a critical fumble, so her horns were stuck in the limbs of that creature. Deimos, recalling the symbol that the demon came from, cast an illusion of it under her. She started sinking into the illusion, though still tried to get a blast out but missed. And in moments, the demon returned to her home plane.

From the woods, a most unusual character showed, a Harefolk. Which have not existed in my world until yesterday as I found the mini in a drawer, liked it, and set it aside as backup in case the party got into trouble. I do have Dungeon Ducks for OSE, but not sure how to do a Harefolk. But I do know she needs to have a high dexterity and the missile skill as she was shooting twice per round like Dawn.

Mine is yet to be painted, from the Reaper forums

Marion has been following the cultists. She is from somewhere to the far west in a land the players (nor I) have ever heard of. But the Demoness has caused problems in their part of the world in the past, and there have been signs she is starting to get more powerful again from the cult. She gave a bit of an info dump, but the key seems to be the old lady in the tower who originally opened the door for Indhyna to reappear on our world. Which sits somewhere near Stubboon's Second Stand.

After the introductions were completed, and the Master Physicker helps heal the few battle wounds, they head finally to Bresselwythe. Bruce is manning the gate (and yes, I kept calling Clyde Bruce, so obviously the next NPC had to be named Bruce. It is how we roll here). A bit of back and forth, and the group gets into the walled-off town. They tie the still sleeping cultist to a pole in a barn, and the group meets Ceteern Gur, who refuses to take payment for the adventures as they have saved on of their own.

A good night's sleep later, they are rested and try to find out why the girl cultist was killing Clyde. She was not happy, waking up to the staring face of Gertie, chewing whatever it is that goats chew. And Gertis is twice as large as most goats. Erirdurlun takes the goat to visit with the alchemist Ezmirylda.

The girl tells a tale of being forced to wed an older (and I did not mention that in the game, retconning time as I think it came across a bit better in my head than it did in the game) man in her village, and not wanting to so that, she fled. Hearing of the Indhyna League and that it lets women join and protects them, she found a local cult and joined in. This was her first sacrifice, but she was not holding back at the time and was willing to let Clyde get fed to Indhyna. She may have changed her mind once she saw what really happens when that demon eats her prey, but we'll never know that. She was also the one that lured Clyde out. Neither are particularly smart people. But they both clean up nice. Who knows - perhaps they will get together as Clyde is not an old man. 

And that was where we called the game. I had several NPCs to play, and sometimes got the accents I was attempting all screwed up. So having an NPC who took a vow of silence, and using a small erasable board worked out well for Sister Ishbarra. Other than my bad handwriting. And while I did print out more notes, they were not as well organized as they should be, so I was shuffling a bit. I gave out 120 XP this round as they did defeat a demon, perhaps a bit too easily but their next encounter with her may not go so well. We also gave Hexis a 2nd attack with his tail, which we both forgot most of th etime but managed to remember at least once. 

I also used a few of the creature cards, and they work out really well. I just have to make sure I pull them from that deck ahead of time, which I did do. So overall, I believe my preparation worked out a bit better this game. Still needs work, but progress is being made!

Hopefully everyone had a good time, and they may spend a day or two in Bresselwythe to recover. And Ceteern may mention that perhaps they could help: not only have young men gone missing, but some of the goat herds up in the hills seem to be missing some goats, and the goatherds say they saw flying women snatching up the goats...

And I probably need to come up with a tag for this adventure, so we can find all the posts for this particular round. Since they are after the Orc Fist, Orc Fist it shall be. I'll update previous posts so we can search for that easily via that word thing on the right of the posts (when viewing on a computer - don't think you see that on a phone).

Bresselwythe - a small village that raises goats

At the end of the last TFT session, they had rescued poor Clyde, who was about to be a sacrifice to Indhyna. The cult surrounding this demon is outlined in this post, but looking forward to what is to come I needed the village where Clyde is from. 

Starting with the time-sink site from Watabou I ended up with this village (and that site lets us rename and mess with those maps, so a great resource. I did "buy a cup of coffee" once for the creator, maybe I should do so again! Or join his patron. But I digress.)

Then I drag out the Spectacular Settlements and roll on a few tables to get the following info:

Age: Old, almost 70 years now

Hardships: Victims of war 30 years ago, which is why the wooden palisade is in place. More recently, young men have started to go missing.

Size: Small, about 20 buildings

Condition: Immaculate. The buildings are well-crafted and cared for, palisade almost gleams.

Specialty: Goats. There are a lot of goats in the surrounding fields. There is a shearing shed, fodder storage, a barn, a small stall and shop that other villages will trade at. Recently some goats have started going missing.

Population: Sparse, with a noticeable paucity of young men. 60% human, 40% goblins. All are very friendly

Law Enforcement: Disorganized rabble

Leadership: none

Crime: Uncommon (it is a small town). Though travelers may have a higher chance of something.

Places of worship: 1, an oratory in a glade outside of town. A small, wicker background and 3 stone benches in front. They pray to Tonna. Tonna's holy symbol sits on a trapezoid base and depicts a field of grain under the stars, usually carved in bone or ivory when near the sea. The grain is to feed the animals, and the stars represent Tonna herself. Most clerics or druids wear a modest robe during ceremonies, with ribbons adorning their hair. Reading from the sacred texts is accompanied by percussion and acapella singing. Mead is often poured out as a sacrifice. The ribbons are often knotted, which is also how messages and doctrines are passed along (part of the Druid's cant for Tonna is being able to read and write using the knotted ribbons). 

Places of Gathering: 1 large outdoor field where they have goat races, children and goblins racing one another.

Superstition: ivy over the lintel means no harm will come to those who come inside.

Additional: alchemist Ezmirylda Rixile: Soft-spoken and frail-looking, Ezmirylda is a skilled alchemist and poison maker. In her youth, the halfling traveled widely, making her living as an apothecary and discreetly selling poisons. While able to stay ahead of consequences from her nefarious trade, she eventually tired of constant travel, and decided to settle down in an unsuspecting community in need of an apothecary.

Since opening her shop, Ezmirylda has stopped selling poisons, so as not to be discovered, but she hasn’t stopped experimenting and trying to improve her potions and medicines. This does mean that sometimes the local populace becomes reluctant test subjects, but most of the settlement tolerates this because her treatments do work, even if they are a strange color.

She has also gotten good at goat doctoring since settling in Bresselwythe.

General Notes:

· The sounds of goats bleating can be heard a good distance away.

· Coming into town you will probably pass a herd or two of goats if daytime. More often than not children and goblins.

· Trade with several neighboring towns

The alchemist came from the same Spectacular Settlements book. There are sample settlements in there, but I just like rolling dice. But there is enough to go there, though I need a few more NPCs:

• Clyde's parents, Johann and Juli Smeigmeister, an older couple who despair of Clyde finding a wife and getting grandchildren. Those goats won't take care of themselves. They may look to the 2 female adventurers in the group as potential mates for their not-too-bright child.
• Ceteern Gur, goblin. Grumpy and has the largest flock of goats. Trades often with the neighboring towns and is probably the richest inhabitant. He has the only 2 story house in the village, and probably the only space for the group if they want to stay in a single place, assuming they stay.
• Lots of children who tend to ride goats. 
• lots of goats, some friendly, several not so much to strangers

I also have a few things that are affecting them, so may erase that war issue, though it was in the last generation. They are missing goats as well as young men, and I seem to have an overabundance of harpy miniatures for some reason...

WIP. And yes, even a harpy may be a blond!

And some notes in the Fantasy Trip Bestiary:

And while never 100% prepared, I think I have enough stuff to cover the 3-5 hours we play on Saturdays. I've got 1 pre-determined encounter, an interesting NPC I have in my head but need to write down all the things (some are but not enough) so I can play her readily, another probable encounter, then at least 1 potential side-quest for the village as those harpies aren't going to take care of themselves...and this group is pretty good at role-playing. And I have the minis I need ready to go this time - so hopefully no panic searching this time! Though I do need to set aside my box of "tavern" minis as they will suffice for town folk as well.

Though we cannot forget the main quest from Edge City: to Stubboon's Final Stand to get the Orc Fist before anyone else does. Especially the Indhyna League, who so far unbeknown to the group, is a cult around a demoness. Though they may find out this weekend!

Battle of the Sects, the Followup

Seeing as our group interrupted the ritual of a few women about to sacrifice Clyde, and I happened to be painting so demon-type things, I figure I should use those no-longer-grey pieces of plastic. I was actually painting a few things, but I had picked out the demon minis as I have a box of a few demons already painted, so figured I could add some. And as our last alternate game (which is at my friend's house, and for some reason I never recap games I am not running...maybe I should) has an imp, I do have some imp minis. Though knowing him, he also has a lot of imps and demons to choose from.

Who interrupted my meal?

And while I have 2 weeks to plan a few things out, I also know I procrastinated a lot the last few times. Now my plan is to have the minis and any papers I need all ready to go instead of having to frantically search for where I stashed the cultists (one of my boxes is going to be cultists and religious figures: the monks, clerics and cultists. Religion in a box!)

The general idea is that I'll also introduce Erirderlun Earthfury, as while technically I cannot stack the healing up, he will have some healing potions. And he will know of the sect in question, as our group has never heard of it. 

And since my random rumor card had the Indhyna League also looking for the Orc Fist. And as I have a book on creating cults...

The Indhyna League is essentially a bandit gang: a bandit gang are usually groups of murderers, muggers, thieves and/or rogues. In our case, we're also going to throw in a bit of the eldritch for our cultists, who are part of the League. Sometimes the die roll does not do what you want, but rules for RPGs are really more of suggestions at times! But the banditry helps get them money for some of the more expensive parts of their rituals. Which the women our group killed (except for the one prisoner they have) apparently only had those necklaces with the runes, which did give off magic to Deimos. 

The Indhyna League is not particularly wealthy or powerful but does have 5 buildings in a few towns north of Edge City, as well as their own stronghold near Stubboon's Final Stand. The small town of Bresselwythe (where Clyde is taking them) may or may not have a building that the League uses. But those buildings they have access to are:

• a hospital (often used to treat their members, so at least one physicker is a member)
• a granary (there is a hidden room. Now I need to find images of granaries to see just where and how we put a hidden room!)
• a safe house (perhaps even in Edge City!)
• a carpenter's (giving access to wooden goods. Often crates with a secret bottom to smuggle goods)
• a workshop. Tools for keeping their gear in good working order

Their stronghold is an old wizard's tower, just on the outskirts of the remains of the outpost of Stubboon's Final Stand. And yes - I will eventually have to write up just what Stubboon's First, Second and Final Stands are all about. I had this idea back in college but never wrote it down. Yet I still remember the basic idea of what I was planning. 

The League has a special resource of armor: they give all the lieutenants and higher ranked thugs special weapons. One of the reasons they are going for the Orc's Fist: it is for one of the leaders. Hah - see, I managed to work that random roll on a table into the narrative. 

The Indhyna League got started more than 50 years ago, when Loretta Darcival heard an eerie message from a plane of demons. She was a large woman but was beaten by her husband. Indhyna, the voice, gave her the power to overcome her husband. Lorretta killed him and left the small town to start the cult to help empower those who were beaten down. Over the years, and via more violent sacrifices, the leagues has been getting both larger and darker. It is probably 2/3 women, and the majority of the leaders are women. Lorretta is now housebound in her tower, but still directs the League. They pray for boons and powers from the demonic plane and are often gifted weapons of magical abilities. They have also been given a massive grimoire, which Lorretta and trusted lieutenants have been adding to over the years. This book sits on the top floor of the tower, in a room adjacent to Lorretta's bedroom. 

Not all of their techniques use overt force: when they can, they have killed off those in power and managed to get their cult members put into that power. While originally it was to help pass laws to help the weak, over the years that focus has been somewhat lost in the thirst for more power. 

To communicate with the demon plane, they need the blood of young male virgins. Lorretta discovered this when her husband, in a drunken rage, cut their son, and from that blood, Indhyna could first be heard. Over the years, this grew from a simple cut to full scale sacrifice. More blood gave more boons and power. Without these sacrifices, the cult would soon lose contact with Indhyna and her fellow demons. 

The symbol often associated with the League is a spider spinning a web of flames. 

Lorretta is now approaching 70 years old, and her skin, from years of contact with Indhyna, glows with a lava-like appearance. She radiates heat but does not seem to be bothered by it. One of the reasons is that she is now undead: Indhyna has granted Lorretta life after death to gain more followers. And the radiant heat covers the scent of her undead flesh. (Note: one of the characters actually has a +3 sword against undead from an earlier adventure, and this undead thing was just what I rolled up on the table!) Despite her lust for power, she remains true to some of her roots, and wears simple peasant garb. In fact, most of the League wears poor clothing as most of them are from poor backgrounds, seeking strength and protection from others. Then turning that into a vicious assault on those who would have assaulted them first. 

Lorretta is rarely still: despite needing a cane now to walk, she is always getting up and re-arranging something. If the rest of the cult knew she was embezzling gold from the collections, they may turn on her, and this is part of the reason she is rarely at rest. She has managed to siphon off gold for her child and 2 grandchildren. They have no idea who their benefactress is, but they live in comfort in Edge City. 

The Indhyna League employs fences in numerous towns and cities, including Edge City. The fence in Edge City may be getting some idea about the embezzlement of funds to the rich quarter of town, but so far has not done anything about it. 

Staying in the stronghold is Lorretta's right-hand man, the Summoner. I'll have to come up with another post for him as this one is getting quite long! There is also a Loremaster, another man, who has added several pages to the Indhyna Grimoire. 

TFT Game Recap: A Battle of the Sects

Okay, only 1 sect. When we last left our group they were at the Olmstead farms, a day or so outside of Edge City. Having collected the vetch ("weeds" to Hexis and Akx, Axe? I've yet to get the character sheet so not 100% sure how the goblin rat-catcher's name is spelled). Anyway, they head back to the city, get the crop to Eleanor the apothecary, and are trying to remember what they were doing next. The downside of it being almost 2 months since the last session (as mentioned: adulting is HARD!). 

They are met outside the shop be a well-dressed Ord, Sorgulg. Who has a job for Hexis and his companions. The leader of the city wants a bit of scouting up north. Behind the scenes, having heard from the guards that this group seems to work well together and is not afraid of the sewers. And there is deniability should they get caught by the Ironskull fighters. Having the Orc Fist gauntlets described, our group decides that there may be good reason to go there.

At the old house where Big George and the child thief gang are, the two Elf twins, Estalar & Aleesa, are awake. They only speak High Elf, so only Dawn can understand them though Deimos picks up a word or two, her mother being an Orc. Deimos also notices some orc slave brands on their shoulders and sees them as high-order slave marks. Meaning they need to be intact and not be abuse (the lifespan of most Orc slaves is measured in weeks. And I will note that not all orcs condone slavery, but there are some warbands that do.  And some humans. My world is not black and white). Some discussions that the children are safe, and they pay Big George a bit to keep them safe. Parts of their backstory do come out: they were in their family's castle in the J'Uniperous Woods when Orcs attacked. They were whisked away, and have no idea the fate of their family (which honest I don't either at this point - we'll see where the story goes!). They were in a cell in a dark castle, managed to escape and somehow crossing through a stone arch came out someplace else, and fell in the river. Michael and 'Elspeth found them and took them to George, where they and the other children, getting bit by rats, ended up with Rats Bane, which is where our adventurers showed up. 

Deciding to go north and outfitted at the city's expense with horses and gear, they head out the next day. It is a cloudy day, and they stay at an inn that night. Dawn dances and sings, along with some dance moves from Noodles. Deimos has brought out the bear a few times, and she seems to be at least starting to accept the half Orc, half Elf. Dried salmon seems to help. The others pick up a couple of rumors: the Ironskull soldiers have sometimes been seen, but usually from someone's brother's friend. And there seems to be something that is snatching young men - a few of the young farmers seem to have gone missing.

Next day is a drizzly rain that manages to seep everywhere. Finding a good spot, Violet and Axe hear what sounds like chanting. Sneaking up, the two spot several women chanting around a large stone well, with another woman up on some stone stairs, a young man in front of her, tied and about to get bashed over the head. 

AI drawing - kinda close

AI drawing - there are some really strange arm issues!

real drawing but there was no credit so not sure who drew this

The battle was relatively swift: Dawn managed to shoot the leader twice with her arrows, Deimos used the blunderbuss they found in the sewers and wounded 3 of the cultists. Violet ran forward to attack 2 of the cultists, though another moved behind her to attack. Axe and Hexis moved in to attack another cultists and made quick work of her. Deimos launched Noodles at one, and though the bite only did 1 point of damage, Noodles decided that perhaps being a boa constrictor would be a good choice and started strangling her. The leader, seeing the devastation, ran off, and another followed. As well as a third cultist running off in another direction. Chasing them down, our group killed all of them. Bringing back the bodies, they all have a simple bronze rune on a leather thong around their necks.

The young man, jaw gaping, watched the whole thing. When asked how he got caught by the cultists: "There was this nekkid lady who wanted me to follow her. Ain't no pretty girls in town so I followed her, got conked on the head and be here now." 

Hexis was not pleased with just how, err, not-bright young Clyde is. But seeing as how Violet is close to death, he does say there is a hedge witch who may be able to help a bit. Axe has physicker, so Violet is brought up from 1 hit point to 3. Not sure is she drank the 2 health potions they have. And the players forgot that unlike "modern" games, sleeping overnight does not heal you: you need to rest for 2 days to get 1 point back. Makes you want to get some armor and more strength to be better protected! As I don't think any of them have any armor.

And that brings us up to date with the current status. I'll also include one of the player's notes here as he uses a laptop to track everything. Better than I do: I know I made notes about a lot of things, but then can never find my notes! Trying to use that Rocketbook, but I also prefer electronic notes. But I can never remember where I stick them! But I will need to come up with the little town, the hedge witch, and a few things. Though I have a month, time flies by really fast for me!

I'll have to write up the story of Stubboon's Folly: they are going to Stubboon's 2nd Stand (he had 3) and I poked around for castle maps (though will be getting some soonish maybe?). So, I had this ready in case they got that far but they did not. But it is a nice little castle.

Next post may be a bit of that history (and I came up with that in college, 40+ years ago!) Or I may start Traveller 5.10 Book 2 overview. 

Player notes of the game so far

Next morning

Olmstead - Henry and Martha and Billy the son

we eat and head back to Edge City

we see a proper sign where the bandits attack

we drop off the weeds to the apothecary

will take a week to prepare

Sorbolg - orc - help finder for Hexis

offers a job to the north

the Iron Skull castle - orcs, goblins, kobolds

rumor of a magical items up in Stubboon

500gold pieces

find Stone Fists - magic gauntlets with lightning spell

and report on the Iron Skull

Indie hyenas are trying to get gloves too

he will offer horses and supplies

meet Sorbolg on the docks at the Old Flag Inn

Micheal came and told us the elf twins are better and awake

we go the bad part of town where George keeps the children

the elf kids said they ran from orcs

they were branded as slaves for 2-3 weeks - brand high value symbol

were not beaten

we were taken from our family from an elvan woodlands

they escaped and found a portal gate to get closer to Edge City

we sleep and meet Solbulg the next morning at the docks

we get supplies and mounts

Dusty - pony

Flower - pony

Elroy - horse

Patch - horse

Socks - horse

1.retrieve gloves

2.get intel of orcs

3.get evidence from Harlech Castle

small crystal - if shattered - cloud talk of communication with him

have maps, make maps

two weeks to the second camp - near Iron Skull Castle

small village - Stiggal (sparce, gets raided a lot)

weather is overcast

we follow the map

midmorning - rain

first day travel

Dawn performs at the coach house

for free room and board

Violet hears word of Iron Skull castle

Akx hears a evil cult grabbing men for sacrifices

head out the next day 

passed inn

we make camp at dusk

before making camp

we hear chanting in the woods

we see female cultists in ceremony

Ahx and Violet sneak up

we attack the cultists

we take out the cultists

we search them

hedge witch - ahead

6 necklaces with runes on each cultists

75XP

===============================================

===============================================

NOTES

PLAYER NAME RACE CLASS

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny      Hexis Mar              lizardman  fisherman/Fighter

Scott        Dawn                     elf              Dancer/Bard

Emily       Deimos                  half elf        Scribe/Sorcerer

Elizabeth Violet Applewing    halfling       Farmer/Rogue

Brian        Akx                        goblin        ??????/Rat Catcher

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NPC Johan human tavern keeper

NPC Keg construct servant

NPC Barabus human spice trader

NPC Big George human old man thief kid guardian

NPC Estalar elf thief child twin male

NPC Aleesa elf thief child twin female

NPC Toddy human thief male

NPC Eret human thief male

NPC Winna human Thief female

NPC Elsbeth human Thief female

NPC Micheal human Thief male

NPC Brigadier Smith human head of city guard

NPC Captain Vines human city guard captain

NPC Captain Loriel human Militia captain

NPC Henry Olmstead human farmer

NPC Martha Olmstead human farmer wife

NPC Billy Olmstead human farmer son

NPC Elenore Codington human Apothecary of Shoppe

NPC Sorbulg orc help finder for Hexis

NPC xxxxxxxxxxx Hyena band

NPC Stuboon human famous traveler - dead

NPC

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

PLACE NAME                           MAJORITY

city        Edge City                      humans

farm      Olmstead                      Farm human

city        Rainy City                     humans

field       Crownretch                   fields grass

castle     Iron Skull Castle          orcs, goblins, kobolds

city         Stubboon                     city

mountain Wizard's Mountains   mountains

land         Terror lands                land

building    Old Flagg Inn             humans

village       Stiggal                       sparce - gets raided a lot

Game Ideas from what has happened before

As I am running another session this weekend (assuming work does not get in the way!) I need to figure out what to do. Based on our recap from the last game here, we have two rumors, plus the trip back into town. And they have a map of a dungeon I handwrote a while back that they found (and did not keep a copy!) 

First, they will have to get back to Edge City, but I am thinking a longer-term quest with a goal in sight may be a good thing. Once back in Edge City, they do have a few errands to run: get the plants to Eleanor Codington's Apothecary shop so she can start on the medications, maybe check on the child thieves, not sure what else. And we have those twin Elves, Estalar and Aleesa. But perhaps Sam Vines, the commander of the City Watch, will want to have a few words as our adventurers have been in the sewers, and seem to be friends with known thieves. Though all may not be dire: the thieves do have a guild that has to abide by some city rules. 

Sam Vines. His wife does raise dragonnettes if I recall...

We also have those 2 rumors:

They pick up a couple of rumors: two towns over graves seem to be emptying out, though if a watch is there nothing happens. And the Iron Castle seems to be mounting some attacks

Commander Vines, knowing Hexis from some of his bodyguard duties and knowing Sorglug, an Orc that "knows" people and being a good judge of character, has recommended Hexis for a number of jobs. This comes from some notes I started but am having a hard time finding I was trying to keep up with all the NPCs and things, and as much as I love organizational skills, I have none myself apparently.

Hexis Contacts: 

Orc broker Sorgulg. Lives near the docks, frequents Old Flagg Inn, next to the docks (E1)

Landlord Mr. McQuarry, lives in same building 1st floor

A well-dressed Orc

While we are sort of centered on Edge City, there is no reason they can't go someplace else. 

Also, could not find exactly what I wanted, so AI drawing to the rescue for our lost Elf children. Which I need to come up with a good backstory, but as we have 1 full Elf and one half Elf/half Orc, there may be some interest in pursuing that. So a backstory is forthcoming! I may use the backstory the AI generated along with the images, or at least some variation of that.

One possible backstory from AI based on the prompt "please draw me a pair of young twin elves appearing about 8 years old, one male and one female, in a dilapidated fantasy building". Though I updated the names with the names I had randomly chosen.

Certainly! Here’s an imaginative depiction of the young twin elves in a dilapidated fantasy building:

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In a forgotten corner of the mystical forest, where ancient trees whispered secrets and moss-covered stones held memories, stood the remnants of a once-grand elven dwelling. The twins, Estalar and Aleesa, explored its crumbling halls with wide-eyed wonder.

Aleesa, the older of the two by a mere minute, had wild chestnut curls that framed her freckled face. Her emerald eyes sparkled with curiosity as she tiptoed over fallen beams and broken tiles. She wore a tattered cloak, its hem brushing against the dusty floor.

Estalar, with tousled silver hair and eyes the color of storm clouds, followed close behind. His small hands clutched a wooden sword, ready to defend against imaginary foes. His patched trousers bore evidence of countless adventures, and his boots were scuffed from climbing ancient staircases.

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the roof, casting dappled patterns on the cracked mosaic floor. Vines crept through broken windows, their leaves brushing against the twins’ cheeks. Aleesa pointed to a faded mural—a scene of elves dancing under a moonlit sky—and whispered, “Do you think they lived happily here once?”

Estalar nodded solemnly. “Perhaps,” he said. “But now it’s our turn to weave stories within these walls.”

And so, with laughter echoing through the hollow chambers, Aleesa and Estalar explored their newfound sanctuary. They discovered hidden nooks where fairies might have rested, and they traced their fingers along faded runes etched into the stone. The scent of moss and old magic hung in the air, wrapping them in a cocoon of enchantment.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Aleesa and Estalar sat side by side on a cracked windowsill. They watched fireflies dance in the overgrown courtyard, their tiny lanterns illuminating the past and the future. The twins vowed to restore the old elven home, to breathe life back into its weathered walls.

For in that dilapidated building, amidst broken dreams and forgotten spells, Aleesa and Estalar found their own magic—the kind that binds siblings, fuels imagination, and turns ruins into realms of possibility.

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I hope you enjoy this whimsical scene! If you’d like any other illustrations or have more requests, feel free to ask. 😊

And then, something bad happened and they end up in Edge City, found under the bridge where the pickings are easy as lovers are usually too busy to notice a few small, quiet figures swiftly taking coin bags...Yes, now I've some ideas, and between that and the Iron City invasions of the north, think I am on the trail of a longer-term adventure.

 

Saturday Fantasy Trip Recap - To The Weeds!

Doing a bit of shopping, our heroes that use bows managed to pick up some new bows and arrows from Licheli's Shop of Unusual Bows and Arrows (from Fantasy City Scenes III) and a few other odds and ends. As they are in the marketplace, young Micheal shows up, begging for help:

Micheal comes running to the group - ‘Elspeth has Rat’s Bane. Their hideout is in rat-infested sewers, and she managed to catch the disease. In fact it is spreading like wildfire through the small group (Toddy, Estalar & Aleesa (twin elves about 6 - why are they abandoned in Edge City?), Eret, Wynna). Their manager, George, a wizened old man looking to be 90 but quick with his hands and mind, has been trying to help them. There is another half-dozen children about, but they seem ok. While two of the other children have been cured by a local cleric, there are other problems with the doctors, clerics and magic users with healing potions that are taking time, and George did not have enough gold. There is a plant that grows outside Edge City in the hills to the north that can be used.

I had made up a few notes for things to do and was thumbing through my book of Dreaded Diseases and Amusing Afflictions and the Rat Bane seemed interesting, especially as the child gang of thieves live in rat-infested sewers or abandoned buildings. Using yet another book about poisonous plants a decided on the vetch for some reason. No, it really makes no sense but hey, it is a small adventure at the moment.

First the group finds an apothecary that Hexis knows of, Eleanor Codington's shop (from Fantasy City Sites and Scenes II - see, finally using this stuff! Yay!) The Elf speaks for Dawn in Low Elvish a moment before getting back to common and asking what she can do. After the explanation, it turns out she has 5 bottles of an antidote for the rat's bane. Not many carry it as it only effects the poor who often cannot afford the cure, or do not know what it is until too late. And why only 5: because I intentionally set up 6 small children and I had 5 tiny little bottles for props...I think when my son was little we were planning on doing some sand in a bottle thing. Which only got as far as the bottles).

Alas, only 5 bottles for 6 children

Turns out there is a meadow up in Olmstead's Farm to the north, perhaps half a day walk, that has a field full of the plant, or weeds as Hexis and Axz keep calling the plant. Purchasing a healing potion as well, they are tasked with filling a burlap sack with the vetch so that Eleanor can brew up more antidote for rat's bane, and she will pay in another healing potion for that.

Taking the medicine, little 12-year-old Michael getting a ride atop Deimos, they find George and the children in a battered and abandoned tenement. They give the healing draughts to 5 of the children, Hexis being blunt about death comes to all, but they are off to get more weed to help cure Wynna. When Dawn asks about the twin Elves, George says that they were found on a raft under a bridge that is often a lover's tryst, so makes for easy pickings when the couple is otherwise distracted. The young Elves had fine clothing that Dawn recognizes as aristocratic clothing, but the children are in a delirium and cannot speak.

Just go down the road yonder, and turn right at the fork

Heading out, they get directions from the guards to Olmstead Farm, north and turn right at the fork. Heading out the first part of the journey is uneventful as Dawn sings to keep the company in good spirits, and they turn right at Guedliva's Inn (not knowing that the group of wanted murderers is under the well at this very moment trying to get through the dungeon there). The second part of the journey they encounter a small group of brigands, asking for a gold apiece to pass. Violet turns violent and unleashes the first attack with an arrow. Which missed, but fortunately misses Axz, who had moved behind the brigand.  Of course, a battle ensues, and one of the archers managed to shoot his buddy in the back (hey, it can happen to bad guys as well as our heroes!). They manage to kill all the bandits with the help of a summoned bear. Who, even with some dried salmon, was not too happy about being summoned from his berry patch and ordered to attack the bandit leader. Who he killed. The bodies had a little bit of money on them, along with some weapons. Wrapping up the weapons and hiding them a bit away from the road, they wrote no thieves here in the bandits' blood on their foreheads. Hearing a horse and wagon come up a few minutes later, they meet Mrs. Olm and her child William. They were returning from Edge City, dropping off a wagon of hay. The city goes through a lot of hay every day (and something to think about so that the horses are all fed in the city). While William is not quite old enough, he does look at Dawn perhaps a bit longer than his mother would like. As the group explains their mission, she gives them a ride to the farm. Deimos meditates most of the two-hour trip, regaining his strength from the magic used to summon the bear. Mr. Olm is at least 20 years older than his wife but does know of Eleanor and after a recap of the situation, sends them to the north pasture which is being let fallow this year and the vetch is growing wild. 

The group finds and fills up the sack, along with a second sack with roots and whatever part of the plant is needed to see if the apothecary can grow the plant in town. Violet had to tell the Lizardman and Goblin what to do as she has some amazing farmer skills. They clean up and enjoy a hearty meal and Dawn serenades the group again. They pick up a couple of rumors: two towns over graves seem to be emptying out, though if a watch is there nothing happens. And the Iron Castle seems to be mounting some attacks. Both rumors came from the Deck of Destiny - one of the players found that box and was looking through it as we played, so I had him draw out 2 random cards. 

We left with the group bedding down in the barn, the barn cats keeping clear of Axz. Unlike the cats around Fugh, these cats do not trust Goblins. And they are not sure about the lizard man either. Though Violet will wake up with a cat on her stomach, Deimos will have two cats curled around him, and Dawn has a cat that slept on her head. But at least they did not get bitten by rats!

Nothing too exciting, but we added some rumors from a random source, and I think the group had a good time. I do need to figure a more over-arching plan for them but so far mostly sandbox stuff. And figure an organic way to get Deimos another powerstone or something. Magic is hard for low level characters, but I like it that way. And I managed to use a few of the things I have, which makes me feel better about having all this stuff. If I can use it, then it is not just FOMO and the collector's impulse!

Fantasy Trip Game Recaps - Two for One Special!

I've started another post for Edge City, more world building similar to what I've done for Windemere Crossing. And that game is on the "down-time" mode: we're always text a lot, but sometimes we do in-game things. I've been accumulating those posts and will also share those here at some point as it is part of a game recap for the part of the game that is not really played but more talked about. I also plan on letting the characters level up one more level as the time period covers most of the winter. 

Anyway - I've got two game recaps to go over here. As this weekend I ran 2 games for 2 groups. We'll start with the Saturday group. To remind you, we meet every 2 weeks but at a different house, so this Fantasy Trip game only gets run once a month. We also gained a new player who has never played the Fantasy Trip but is a veteran RPG player. 

Pretty sure I've not done the introductions yet for the characters. 

• Dauwnaromanadvoratrelunar ("Dawn") an Elf, a bard with sex appeal (which is a talent) so she gets looked at and gets a positive DM on encounters. Along with her charisma skill, she can be quite irresistible.
• Violet Applewing, farmer Halfling. Who has also been trained by the thieves' guild. Small and dangerous with a sling. I do need to make sure we can utilize her skill set more. 
• Deimos, a half Orc/hale Elf magic user. With Noodles, the "staff to snake" snake she can summon. Always covered up head to toe, his is pretty big but Orcs, especially with the half-Elf, get an even more negative reaction. He has the same bear he keeps summoning and he keeps some dried fish handy to see about making friends with the bear. I may allow that if the player adds animal friendship, or I may start reading up on familiars in TFT. 
• Hexis, the Lizardman from the islands. A formidable fighter and often hires on as a bodyguard. His lived in the city off and on for a few years and has area knowledge. 
• Akz, the Goblin rat-catcher. Our newest recruit. He mostly stands back and makes snarky comments from what I can tell. 

From the first session, the group has returned from the sewers with Keg, the enchanted beer barrel. Reunited with Joseph, and some beet in his barrel, Keg comes back to life. "Third time this week those rats have managed to drag the poor thing to the sewers!" laments Joesph as he hands the adventurers their coin for rescuing his friend and server. Dawn bends down to ask if Keg would like to do anything else in life, but the little golem is quite happy serving beer. Just not happy that these rats of unusual size keep tipping him over and taking him to the sewers. 

The guards make a bit of a stink of Hexis's smell as he did wade through the sewers. He quickly doffs his kilt and belt and dives into the river, at least getting himself clean. A coupel children point at the Lizardman, saying "look Mommy - a naked lizard!". Hexis does not worry about what warmbloods think.

Heading into town to the market to pick up some supplies and soap, Violet does not realize she is getting pickpocketed, whereas Dawn and Deimos both do. Deimos tries to grab the hand but the little girl managed to escape, though not with his change purse. Dawn looks down, and starts talking in thieves cant to the surprise of Michael, the street urchin. Streetwise skill I suppose. Though in hindsight, Violet should have had 1 less die to roll to determine if she was getting pick pocketed as she has that skill. And I'd rule she is more likely to notice when it happens. Anyway, Dawn finds that George is Micheal's boss, and Micheal promises he'll let the local thieves know not to bother the group, and he'll get Violet's change purse back to her. 

At Hexis' modest above, they eat and rest up. Early in the morning there is a knock at the door, but no one there when they open it. However, Violet's pouch is there, intact with her money. Though she does not keep the bulk of her money in such an easy to find place, so it was only a few silvers. 

Deciding to return to the sewers to see about that sword, the find young Michael who finds them an opening closer to the crypt entrance. Also, they would not have to get back through the warehouse as that was an office in the back and the owners may not want a bunch of people thinking that was simply a front door to the sewers! Back in the sewers, they see a perplexed Goblin standing in front of the illusion of the wall covering the door. Diemos ends up walking through the illusion, shattering it, and they get back to the crypt with the soldier. Reading up on the scrolls, they find that Sir Briarstake was a paladin of a former age of the city, a hero who killed the undead. Seeing the sword, Hexis gets everyone else back out of the room and carefully lifts it up. The statues turn their heads to watch him, and he asks permission to use the sword. There is a slight nod, and the rest of the group comes through and down into the dungeon they go. Had they tried to take the sword out without fulfilling the quest, the same thing would have happened as per the other group: a fight with the caryatid (from the Old School Monster book): 

A one-hex creature (three hexes for giants). It is completely made of stone, and stops 4 hits per attack. A “caryatid” is a column carved in the form of a nymph. (If a column represents a male, it is called an “atlas.”) The caryatid column described here is an enchanted guardian of finely carved stone. The only way to tell a magical caryatid column from an ordinary carved stone is Analyze Magic. An Architect would get a hint by noticing that the “column” is not actually load-bearing. Caryatid columns will activate when certain conditions are  met – most usually, when holy precincts are invaded or when some item or person is threatened.

Heading down, the 1st thing the see is a wight. Holding a bag of coins in one hand and a silver sword in the other, he is outside a stout wooden door. The sword comes in handy as they fight this undead and come to realize that only that sword is having any effect on the creature. They find a scrap of parchment on Crim's Curse when they kill it. Taking the coins, they head into the crypt of Crim, a wizard who created this crypt and cursed all his treasure so none would take it out.

Moving forward, the pass through a room with 8 corpses propped up on opposite walls. Ignoring the lootable bodies, they head deeper into the crypt. A small put trap fails to hurt anyone as they explore more of the crypt. Sadly no one ever did search for secret doors as there were actually 2 they missed. Though with the curse, in the end it really did not matter. They find two odd rooms, one with a few inches of mud due to a leak from the rivers above, and the other with half an inch of olive oil. Down a long corridor they find Crim's sarcophagus. Surprising the sleeping mummy, Hexis sees it momentarily before it disappears. He does she the scimitar weaving to him as he tries to close the door on the invisible mummy. Sadly, the mummy is stronger and the door is getting pushed open, though the mummy is no longer invisible. [Note: the adventure was written for OSE and its magic is significantly different, so I added a small powerstone but Crim did now want to expand it all, so became visible again]. Holding back the mummy, with his shield extended Hexis keeps the rest of the group safe as he can. Dawn shot it with an arrow which had no effect on the undead creature. Deimos brought Noodles out, and having occult damage she could damage the mummy. However, that bastard sword wielded by the Island Lizardman managed to kill the mummy much faster than I anticipated. So there was no running around the dungeon, trying to track it by footsteps from the mud or oil. Deimos was happy to get an 8-point powerstone. 

Getting back out, they decide to go ahead & check the body. finding some gold, Violet managed to get sprayed by some acid in one of the booby-trapped corpses. Finally, they leave the dungeon. Deimos immediately is 2" shorter. Nothing appears to happen to Violet, the other character carrying out any of the treasures. . Figuring out the curse from the parchment, they toss the treasures back into the crypt. Deimos is back to his regular height, and Violet will no longer turn into an Orc in 30 days. 

Traipsing back up, the caryatids have a faint smile on their stone lips: the undead was killed, the +2-bastard sword is theirs to keep. Sir Briarstake named the sword Scourge, and it is engraved along the blade in an old script of Oggish, a language that died out centuries ago.

And that is where the Saturday ended.

Sunday Recap

The Sunday game was a bit shorter, and having only 2 people instead of 5, a bit less cross-talk. The characters in this games are:

• Tecton, a gargoyle fighter for the most part that cannot speak Common.
• Argon, a magic wielding gargoyle who can speak Common
• Billy Bass, a roguish healer with a sword
• Thanos, the Elf-turned-Vampire. And a weapons master with the dagger (which, if you take a -4DX and hit you do an extra 1d6+2 damage!. Which he has).

At the inn outside of town, they rest up a couple of days before heading down into the dungeon. The entrance is a rickety ladder (one I made from craft sticks years ago. and finally used!). Moving through the first chamber, Billy sees basilisk tracks through the mud and debris. Behind a pile of branches, they see the creature. Who manages to freeze Tecton who failed his 4D vs INT roll. Thanos and Billy ( I think and this was only a few hours ago!) do kill the beast, which frees Tecton from his paralysis. 

I am far behind in painting!

Skeletons from the early 80s. Badly painted with enamel paint

Fight!

Heading down the corridor, Argon managed to step into a pit trap but took no damage due to his stony skin. The next room had six columns. Finding nothing other than a fancy brass door, they attempt the batter it down. Touching the door, they hear the sounds of the columns opening up: 6 guardian skeletons emerge for a fight! Billy realizes that arrows go right through skeletons with his one and only shot. The gargoyles do a fair amount of damage, but it turns out that Thanos, using weapon mastery, manages to pulverize three of the skeletons and help with the last as the gargoyles take out some as well. He had to fly to the skeleton attacking Billy. While Billy knows of Thane's condition, the gargoyles do not yet.  Noticing that the one not destroyed (8+ damage in a single strike to a skeleton destroys it no matter how many HP/STR it has left) seem to be putting themselves back together. The stony and heavy feet of gargoyles soon remedies that situation!

Taking a brief break, they then attempt to open the door again. A flash of light blinds most of the group for the next 10 minutes, and a piercing whistle deafens most of them as well. They start moving back up the crypt. Argon's acute hearing, not damaged in the whistle, hears the door creak open but no other sound. Undead magic users make no noise apparently! Sight and hearing slowly returning, they attempt to fight this thing. Alas none have enchanted weapons and all the blows do no damage. Argon starts using magic fist, but sadly rolls really low and barely hurts it. Thane is using his weapon skill to dodge (meaning the creature uses 4D against its DX to hit. It never landed a blow with all the bobbing and weaving the Elf was doing). The others escape back up the well, and due to some lucky rolls, Thanos manages to escape as well as he can fly and has 2x the MA. The gargoyles were amazed that this Elf could run so fast you can't even see his feet moving!

Locking up the well once more, they make plans with the innkeeper. Using most of their gold they are getting some enchanted weapons to try again in a couple of days. The innkeeper wants them gone soon though as there these wanted posters for the murder getting put up.

Some final thoughts

Both adventures came from Delver and mixed in with one of my location and scenes book. Both were written with OSE in mind so some liberal translation was needed. I could have given Crim an invisibility pendant or something - keeping the magic spell going was too costly for him even though I had a 8-point powerstone added to his treasures. I think I am getting the hang of running pre-written adventures, though I do spend a fair amount of time reading them and trying to translate to the Fantasy Trip. I also have a few Fantasy Trip adventures so need to re-read those to see if we can use those. I think both groups had a good time but it makes these once-a-month weekends at my house busy. 

And I need to figure out how to organize the stuff I do have so I can find it easier. Not just the books (and I need to get back to my library!) but the props and everything. Running games outside the home helps me with this as I have to get everything ready ahead of time and pack it up. Thinking I can do something like that. So far all I have are two small boxes where I keep the 2 adventure party miniatures in between games so I can at elast find them! So that is progress!