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<![CDATA[Pen & Paper Games - Blogs - DMMike]]> http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/blog.php/4508-DMMike Pen and Paper Games hosts a very powerful, but easy to seach and join database of players and game masters in the United States and Canada. Our forums are also a great place to find the most recent news, product releases, tips, and rpg discussion. en Wed, 22 May 2013 04:44:00 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/pnpg_style/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[Pen & Paper Games - Blogs - DMMike]]> http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/blog.php/4508-DMMike <![CDATA[After the note's treasure!]]> http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1499-After-the-note-s-treasure! Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:07:09 GMT As the sun descended, the party mounted and prepared to ride southwest along the Imperial road. Sarah preferred to keep her word to Dru-gar and... As the sun descended, the party mounted and prepared to ride southwest along the Imperial road. Sarah preferred to keep her word to Dru-gar and observe the eastern plain, but she
felt too vulnerable to voyage without her companions. Baraki started east, but turned when
he noticed that the party was going west.
"Where do you go?" he asked in the giant tongue.
Sarah explained, "my companions go to seek justice for this dead man. You may
follow us if you wish."
Baraki stammered, then exclaimed, "I follow orders or I go home!"
"Let's go!" interrupted Pokey, in the human tongue.
"Please forgive us, Baraki. I will try to get their aid when we return from this
diversion," said Sarah.
Baraki grunted his displeasure, and walked off northwest, toward Hussan-home.
Skyler was determined to pray longer for the dead man, and told the party that he would
catch up with them as soon as possible.

The Imperial road was a highway built in the second age, which ran from the former capitol
of the Human-Elf empire, Sangrella, to the mountain range of the southwest, the Great
Curtain. The stone road hadn't seen maintenance for centuries, but the party's dire wolf
mounts didn't seem to mind.
As the sun pushed below the mountains, Pokey saw movement on a nearby hilltop.
"Shhh...hey! There's something up there," he whispered as he crawled off the side of the
road, into the grass. The others soon noticed, and followed suit.
On the hilltop were two giants, talking to each other. Rex began sneaking up on the
giants to eavesdrop on them. However, it wasn't long before the mischievous dire wolves
caught wind of the giants, and being unhitched, decided to investigate. Rex was able to
grab the reins of one wolf, but the other three (including the mount of Richter Wolfe, the
party's rear security) continued their impromptu hunt.
The unidentified giants did not fail to notice several dire wolves closing in on
them, and being wise countrymen (countrygiants), decided to cautiously retreat. After Rex
was able to spy the giants, and the party's mounts, crossing to the other side of the valley
towards a wood, he returned with the bad news. Cutting their losses, the party continued
along the Imperial road.

Arriving on a plain amongst the hills, the party saw a hamlet ahead. This community was
marked mostly by the large tents known to be used by giants, and following the road, the
party approached it. Two giants with greataxes and red decorations on their leather armor
guarded the road.
The giants announced that they were at war with an as-yet undecided enemy, and the
small-folk would not be allowed through. So Pokey provided the words that would get them
through to Sarah, who translated to giant-speak. Unimpressed, the giants offered the party
a challenge.
"Before that grove to the north, there's a small cave. In it we keep the Treasure
of the Star-Adal. Bring only that one thing to us, and we'll let you pass."
"Is it guarded? By what?" asked Rex, for the rest of the party.
"We keep a beast in there."
"But what if we kill it?" asked Pokey, through Sarah.
"Don't worry. It's common to this country," came the reply.
After a brief group discussion, the party members decided that their need for
rations and shelter was outmatched by their need to avoid beast-bearing caves. So they
politely declined the giants' offer, and skirted the hamlet. It was at this point that a
dire wolf returned to the party, or to its fellow wolf. It was bloody, but in otherwise
good shape,
Night fell, and Rex and Pokey did enough hunting to sustain the party, though it
took much of the night, and Pokey was unable to find a venison tree. There was some
scratching about during the night, but no critters were found.
The next day, the party came to the foot of the Great Curtain, and nestled in
amongst the climbing rocks was a ruined settlement. Broken stone houses surrounded a
temple, marked by desecrated statues and crumbling columns. Little remained of its second
floor, and most of that floor and the ground floor had collapsed into the lower floor.
Rex toyed with the idea of jumping across platforms to use the nearby stairwell, but
found it safer to use Pokey's rope, which the rest of the party did. As everyone steadied
themselves in the shade and on the rubble of the lower floor, voiceless groans issued from
unseen places... ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1499-After-the-note-s-treasure! Meet the cast! http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1446-Meet-the-cast! Mon, 15 Nov 2010 02:52:48 GMT Sarah of Samerville is a young, bushy-eyebrowed, human disciple of Heironeous. Her parents sent her away from home when raiders took interest in her... Sarah of Samerville is a young, bushy-eyebrowed, human disciple of Heironeous. Her parents sent her away from home when raiders took interest in her home village. Her parents told her that Heironeous would bring justice to her family and the raiders, but to ensure it, she devoted herself to that temple. Sarah detests violence, using spells and negotiation to prevent it whenever possible. Her heavy mace comes off her belt only when she's cornered. Cleric 1.

Rex Nottington comes from a long line of proud hill dwarf bodyguards. While the explanation of how his clan came to live in human country has been lost to time, the current status of Clan Nottington is clear: find new work, since its patron is scattered and the weapons industry isn't what it used to be. Rex has a tendency to defend the weak (it runs in his blood), and he's always plotting ways to gain advantages. While he recognizes long hair as a liability, he still grows his moustache long and uses it to secure his helm. Fighter 1.

Skyler the Blessed is an evangelical priest of Heironeous. He earned his title by performing magic given by his god, but the magic is actually wizardry. Skyler considers it best to make his magic seem divine, since many humans are already untrusting of halflings like himself. The eldest of the missionaries at 35, he's a pessimist who was looking for success through the temple before he was cast away on the mission to convert the giants. Diviner (wizard) 1.

James "Pokey" Samuel's son is a grey elf who loves lore. He is called Pokey because he's always poking his long nose into a book, or his attention where it doesn't belong. The temple of Heironeous wants to assemble an official account of history since it was lost to the War, and Pokey is happy to sell his services as an on-the-scene researcher. Rogue 1. ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1446-Meet-the-cast! A Giant Escort http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1432-A-Giant-Escort Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:41:21 GMT The world moves on:

Shinny and Sarah ran to the elders' hall, where most of the clan had already gathered. The evenings were generally dedicated to story-telling, song, and dinner, but at this dusk, the giants milled about nervously. Soon the elders came out, with grim news.

"The Chief declares war on the Mage. The lands of the Toronaga are sacred, and we will not forfeit them to another tribe. Prophecy be damned!" declared Zarweth, the leader of clan Hussan. This proclamation was met with cheers and anxiety, because many warriors were eager to practice their art. Yet, many others knew about the prophecy of the Ogre Mage, that the Mage was chosen by Kord to unify the Ogre and bring prosperity to them, willing or no. So to fight against the Mage's rule was to fight the word of God.

Eventually the crowd had dispersed, setting about for war preparations. Dru-gar, the warlord-in-charge where Sarah and the mission lived, approached Shinny and the missionaries as the stars came out.

"It pains me to come to you last," said he. "But a battlefield is no place for missionaries. Zarweth has a task for you, if you will take it. We need scouts near the human lands, to the north and east. If you help us, watch that country and send news of attackers once you spot them. If you will not help, think of the mounts as gifts." With this, Dru-gar implied that the missionaries would be riding tamed dire wolves on their travels.

"We accept!" came the immediate response from the warrior, with a nod from the priest of Heironeous. But the sage and Sarah looked nervously at each other.

The next day, the missionaries, escorted by Baraki the giant warrior, took the Imperial Road toward human lands. The wolf-mounts were surprisingly calm, but had a bad tendency to bite at the legs of their riders when they grew restless. As the traveling party approached a bend at the base of a hill, they found a dead man at the side of the road.

The priest found him to be dead and quickly offered blessing, but the sage went to investigate. He found a note in the man's bag, and a pouch full of random debris. The note read, "The Toronaga tribe - southwest Galenara border - the ruins, and goods, are on the road at the southwest edge of their territory."

Relaying this to the party, the sage said, "this note, and the stab wound in this man's back, suggest that we've found the adventure we've been seeking!"

"The adventure YOU'VE been seeking," corrected Sarah. "I was happy back in the shire of the Hussan, spreading Light."

"Well those days are over, sister," started the warrior. "The barbarians are at war, and we're now free to go where Justice takes us. So my question to you: is that back to Highspire, or is it in search of the relics that these giants blissfully ignore?" ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1432-A-Giant-Escort The new beginning? http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1407-The-new-beginning Mon, 11 Oct 2010 05:03:59 GMT Realizing that some players are more reactive than proactive, following is the non-player generated plot hook. If the party has enough interesting... Realizing that some players are more reactive than proactive, following is the non-player generated plot hook. If the party has enough interesting characters with enough interesting backstory, I'll use a more player-centric hook:

Converting the Giants

Sarah, the human missionary, cried with her head in her hands. In the dim candlelight of her hut, she silently hoped that someone, somewhere, would come near and share her feelings of frustration. The mission of four members had the usual task: bring the light of Heironeous to the heretical giants, teach them the ways - music, learning, speech, trade - of the new kingdom, and improve relations between giants and humans. Her mission was with the Tonogar tribe, and things were going poorly.

Every other member of her mission seemed to have an ulterior motive. Yet all were supposedly good followers of Justice. The warrior seemed like he was testing the giants' combat skill, instead of simply protecting the mission. The sage was always probing for lost magical treasure. And the worst of them all, the priest, seemed convinced that all the giants were doomed to wallow in Vecna's underworld for eternity. Damn the mission's efforts.

Sarah lifted her head. She resolved, to herself and to Justice, that she would make a difference. This was a test from Heironeous, and she would make Him proud. As she wiped the tears away, Shinny, her closest giant friend, flung open her tent door.

"There is trouble! War comes! The Mage is here!" ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/1407-The-new-beginning Interlude 4 (+) http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/803-Interlude-4-(-) Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:09:02 GMT Roberto, a 45 year old, strong, and battle-hardened ranger, knelt to the ground to check the tracks on the plain. Bolt, his eagle, fluttered her... Roberto, a 45 year old, strong, and battle-hardened ranger, knelt to the ground to check the tracks on the plain. Bolt, his eagle, fluttered her wings to maintain her perch on his leather-clad shoulder.

"Daylight wanes, and we still have yet to sight these giants," he pondered aloud. The other rangers gathered behind him. "There is no doubt they head toward the imperial town. These tracks prove it. But it is sorcery that keeps them from Bolt's eye."

One of the junior rangers, the axeman, stepped up. "Then we wait until the giants do their damage and return toward us?"

"No," warned Roberto. "If the giants return stronger than we left them, then we have failed in our duties. Invisible or no, we continue our hunt." ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/803-Interlude-4-(-) Gearing up http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/795-Gearing-up Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:33:37 GMT Strauss pulled his headband tight. The thick scar underneath throbbed, but that usually ended quickly. Hunched over his cot in his garrison... Strauss pulled his headband tight. The thick scar underneath throbbed, but that usually ended quickly. Hunched over his cot in his garrison quarters, the captain buckled his boots and collected his daggers. A day had passed since the falconry school brats and Manfred's gang had left the constable's watchful eye, and neither party had returned. Which meant that captain Strauss would have to lead a posse into the country and find out what happened.

He had some respect for Asher and the priests, but he knew that there would be vengeance if the aristocrats had been killed. So he hoped for the aristocrats' safety. After all, winter was coming, and there had been more and more sightings of evil creatures in the village: vampires and wolves. So Strauss was not in a mood to deal with angry nobles.

Outside now, the captain briefed his posse, mentioning the need for safety - since the potential for murderous deeds was afoot. They agreed to the objective of capturing first and asking questions later. Then the leaders mounted their horses, dressed in full chainmail and bearing the crest of the village - a falcon in red and blue. The search for missing persons would be cold, but not fruitless. ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/795-Gearing-up The Empire Expands...and Metagame stuff http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/790-The-Empire-Expands-and-Metagame-stuff Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:02:15 GMT The horns blared. In the village, warriors grabbed spears, bows, and axes, and ran to the outer defenses. The she-giants bundled up their goods,... The horns blared. In the village, warriors grabbed spears, bows, and axes, and ran to the outer defenses. The she-giants bundled up their goods, wrapped babies in slings, and started filling containers with water; the coming humans were known to cast fire-arrows. The clan and tribe shamans said prayers and cast spells of blessing. And the chief...he knew it would be the tribe's last stand. He painted himself for war, blessed his son, his heir, and donned the sacred mantle. Stepping out of his hut, he siezed the royal spear, and cursed the heavy clouds that slowly filled the sky.

"The giants will soon be gone," thought he. "If the Mage comes, it is too late."

Then he promised safety to the villagers, and strode out to his last stand.
---------

Wednesday (today) is a good day for the players (and DM) to confirm their ability to attend or host on the weekend. If by Thursday we don't have a venue or enough players, you can consider the week's game cancelled. This will hopefully prevent wasted Saturday mornings. It also requires you to stop in, early in the week, and read game updates, and let us know what you're doing.
I don't want to be too rigid about this - if some hardcore players want to throw something together on Thursday or Friday, I'll see what I can do.

Weapon breakage! Everyone's favorite topic. Here's how I'd like to do it; feel free to weigh in. Weapons take a point of damage for each day of battle they see, I'll record that for you. When they're out of hit points, an attack roll of 1 will break it, as could other special circumstances.

To prevent weapon loss, PCs should:
1) have backup weapons available
2) get enchanted weapons (with 10 extra hit points per +1 bonus)
3) use the mending spell to replace a hit point, or the make whole spell to restore all hit points.

Note that Make Whole is only listed as a cleric spell - no reason why another caster couldn't use it too. Repairing objects hardly requires divine healing magic. Just check with me on the spell level. ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/790-The-Empire-Expands-and-Metagame-stuff Tidbits and Karlston http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/769-Tidbits-and-Karlston Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:42:29 GMT Asher's contact calls himself Sven. Sven's lead time on getting goods or information suggest that his network is either really slow, or it extends to Karlston, and possibly beyond.
Also, Sven's access to expensive goods seems too extensive for Featherwood's resources (with the exception of falconry school students).

Karlston has a population of about 10,000 people, excluding the surrounding farms. It's run by a noble called Lord Harold, who is rumored to be a strict follower of royal expectations. Despite some displeasure in the presence of imperial soldiers and high taxes, the people are a decent folk. Most are humans, but the greater amount of commerce means larger halfling groups, some civilized giants, and the occasional dwarf or grey elf parties.

Roads abound in Karlston, along with sewage tossed into gutters that add a less-than pleasant aroma to the poorer areas of town. Several markets, inns, and and temples (Heironeous, Pelor, Kord, and Farlanghn) add cultural interest to the town.

Of particular note are the Mill Quarter (water mills on the river, a major production and employment area), Charhill Theatre (near the noble quarter, known for rafters-filling plays), and Father "Miracle" Marcell, who performs marvellous feats of holy grace with the monks of Pelor (usually for the nobility, due to the expensive nature of the rituals).

Karlston has its dark side too. While it is not under curfew like Featherwood, weapon carrying requires registration and an authorized patron. Robberies and burglaries are not uncommon, and most townsfolk enjoy a regular witch/warlock burning (those who are not sanctioned by the lord's house)... ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/769-Tidbits-and-Karlston Levelling up http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/752-Levelling-up Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:57:24 GMT For those of you who are 100% better than the others (level 2 vs 1):

I have a thing for realism (in case you haven't noticed), which means I like classes, levels, ranks, and alignment to stay out-of-game. The way this translates to levelling up is that to get all the improvements of your new level, you must spend some time training in-game. The guideline is two weeks, but as an example, if you're a divine sage (cloistered cleric), you could reduce that to a week if you studied non-stop in the Great Library in the Temple of Searing Light (Heironeous).

The main thing that training time accomplishes is a gap between one game performance and another - during which any observer could fail to notice incremental improvement (which is generally how people gather skill). The result is a distinct difference in a character's abilities.

Without training time, witnessing a level 1 character one day and a level 2 character the next, it might seem like two different people. The first has heard of the spell Flame of Doom (fireball), the second can cast it, and make it seem like it came from the opposite direction! How'd that happen overnight (along with the other class improvements)?

So here's how to level up without training time: determine the full benefits of levelling up. For each bonus to a roll or score, take 1 per in-game day. E.g. max hit points 8 on Monday, max hit points 9 on Tuesday, 10 on Thursday, etc. For Trained-only skills, you must wait unless you already have ranks in it. Casters can get one new spell of the higher level, as if they've been running gedanken experiments, or their god has granted a wee bit for favor. Feats and class abilities are less clear cut, so run them by me.

I'd like to comfort you by saying your enemies won't improve overnight either, but you're still just as likely to encounter enemies of a higher (or lower) encounter level than you are, regardless of your current level. Sorry! Be careful out there! ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/752-Levelling-up Session 4 http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/749-Session-4 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:48:51 GMT In the morning, the party met a watchman who escorted them to the garrison. There they met some chair-ridden aristocrats, one standing, and... In the morning, the party met a watchman who escorted them to the garrison. There they met some chair-ridden aristocrats, one standing, and constanble Witherby, playing with his falcon. The aristocrats offered to let the party turn itself in for armed mayhem, or to meet on the country road for a duel of honor. After lots of debate, the party chose duel of honor.

Asher met a hoarse-voiced watchman, who explained that the dragon cult would be willing to consider allowing the party membership, considering their respectable magical abilities. The watchman said that he would arrange a meeting at midnight at the top of the halfling bluffs in six days (Tuesday). That night, Silas lots some points with Paul, because Paul had to remind him of his duty to perform the Long Prayer.

With great fortitude, Silas endured the sixth night of the Long Prayer. That day he met his friend Venil, who happened to be in town working security for a river shipment, at the inn, and quickly recruited him for security at the duel. The party left to meet the nobles on the highway, one mile from the village. Phaux and Ex got a head start, and met the party when it arrived, shortly after the aristocrats' party did. From the first wagon unloaded two halflings, two soldiers, three nobles, and a priest of Olidammara. After some nervous tension about weapons (there were many), Silas cast a spell on himself, the aristocrats declared an ambush, and the duel became a melee. The aristocrats were cut down in short order, Venil took some bloody hits, and it was a fairly fast fight. A halfling escaped that Ex tracked down and killed, and Venil chased down a soldier into the farmland, wrestling him down and the cutting his gizzard.

After finding jeweled daggers on the nobles, some gold (and some things Asher found), another debate began, hastened by the approach of a wagon from Featherwood. Asher met the travelers and explained that an ambush had taken place, and that the travelers should wait until the scene was cleared. They continued anyway, surveying the strange scene of different priests, a gnome (in nature-garb), dead nobles (bandits?), and a blood-spattered warrior. So they hustled the horses away as fast as possible. Debate ensued, ending with Hubert taking the loaner wagon toward Karlston, some fencing and crops placed over the dead to help them burn, and the rest of the party taking the nobles' wagon to catch up with Hubert.

After nightfall, the bulk of the party met Hubert, camping at a Farlanghghghg altar. They set up a watch schedule, and tried to sleep after hearing some very insistent wolf-howls in the distance.

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

XP:
Asher - 275
Hubert - 300
Phaux - 275
Silas - 300
Venil - 275

The differences are pretty much a roleplaying bonus - the clerics seemed to have the most character this time. If I missed something that was XP worthy, please remind me.

In addition to voting for MVP, feel free to add reflections on the session, since my posting is basically a quick outline. Also, it helps to know what the players are planning for next session, so add that (as long as you have something to plan). ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/749-Session-4 Interlude 3 http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/728-Interlude-3 Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:24:19 GMT In a small clearing amongst looming trees, black in the moonlight, the head priest finished the opening prayers. Two tall braziers lit the hooded... In a small clearing amongst looming trees, black in the moonlight, the head priest finished the opening prayers. Two tall braziers lit the hooded heads of the kneeling worshippers. The head priest, clad in a blood-red robe with green trimming, raised his hands high in the firelight and called for the sacrifice. In his hand gleamed a bejeweled dagger. The enforcers, wearing scale armor under their red cloaks, brought forth a badly beaten, bound, and hooded human.

(parental guidance suggested)

Far off in another land, the head priest knew, the sleeping dragon would be pleased. ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/728-Interlude-3 Session 3 http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/701-Session-3 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 05:18:18 GMT Session 3 The aristocrats bit off more than they could chew; Phaux summoned Zee, the dire badger, and the aristocrats were bloody and dying only... Session 3

The aristocrats bit off more than they could chew; Phaux summoned Zee, the dire badger, and the aristocrats were bloody and dying only moments later. This of course is when the watch showed up to arrest everyone involved. The night captain had a word with the PCs in a garrison house. They agreed to properly rectify the aristocrats' bloodletting once the wounded were able to hold a meeting. Until then, all offenders had to register their local arrest.

The next day, Paul had a word with Silas; he had heard about Silas' adventure, and wanted to set things straight with the public, so Silas must undertake the Long Prayer (a six-day stint of regular duty during the day, and all-night prayer to Wee Jas). Ralphus (the other priest of Wee Jas) stole Paul away with an important counseling question.

Hubert had a meeting with Caduceus, who asked him to find out about a rumor that a Wee Jas priest had been leaving town at night. After "thoroughly" searching Silas' quarters, Hubert decided it was safe to confide in Silas about this. Looking for help with his new mission, Hubert gathered Asher and Phaux as well, and the group decided to see how well Silas' first night of prayer would go before Silas could join in any investigations.

On day two of the Long Prayer, Hubert placed bits of cloth in the doorways of the Wee Jas shrine. The next morning, all bits had been moved overnight. So they hatched another plan.

On night three of the Long Prayer, Phaux hid in the bushes below Silas' praying balcony, and Asher hid near the unused rear village gate. Phaux distracted some watchmen before they arrested him by using an illusion of shouting in the nearby house of the Justicar, and Asher avoided arrest, once the watch spotted him, by playing drunk. Phaux decided to let his good luck roll by investigating a large, burly shadow that he spotted moving down the street. He heard a shutter clacking, and upon arriving at it, found that he was much too short to see inside. Then, elsewhere, he heard a muffled cry, so he summoned the watch to help him. The watch found no wrongdoing, except for Phaux's being out after curfew.

On day four of the Long Prayer, Captain Strauss returned Phaux to Asher's house, hoping that Asher would keep him under control. So the two of them promptly went out to investigate the loose shutter. They found another crime scene nearby, involving a broken door and lots of spilled blood. Then they went back to the church to meet up with Hubert and Silas. Silas managed to find some sleep, and eventually met up with the rest of the party to hatch another plan. A watchman let the party know that the embattled aristocrats were well enough to hold a meeting, and would like to meet the PCs at the garrison on the next day's noon. Later that night, Phaux began his prayer, Hubert waiting near his open door, listening for movement at night, and Asher and Phaux went to the back village gate to sneak out.

Asher popped the lock on the lower crossbar, only to discover that 1) the upper crossbar would be impossible to move by himself, and 2) he needs to inspect things more carefully. So Phaux decided to try and escape using the one tree, inside the village wall, that grew near enough to make a jump for freedom. Phaux climbed the tree, crouched to spring, and fell flat on his face inside the wall. He rolled over from the crippling accident and prayed for healing, which returned him to normal health. Asher, not about to try the same stunt, noticed a stray dog rounding a corner. As it came closer, the night-sneakers realized that it was actually a shiny-eyed wolf, which bared its teeth and came at them slowly. Phaux tried to calm the beast, when it sprang on him, yanking him to the ground with its muzzle. Badly injured, Phaux stood up and began casting a spell. Finding his quarry less than dead, the wolf lunged in again, to finish the job. Asher wouldn't let Phaux go down without some aid, so he cut across the wolf's head with his short sword. The wolf turned back, unhurt, and bolted down the road.

Asher tried his luck at patching Phaux up, but it was no use. So he picked Phaux up and ran toward the church. Leaving a trail of blood, Asher veered around a couple watchmen ("return to your home!") and dropped Phaux off at Silas' feet, who was coming out to investigate the commotion. As he coughed up his last breath, Silas laid on hands to stop Phaux from dying. Moving the party indoors, they settled down to regroup.

XP awards:
Phaux - 350
Asher - 350
Silas - 300 ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/701-Session-3 Session 2 http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/693-Session-2 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:31:52 GMT Session 2

Phaux rolls into the village, looking to do business/visit with Manfred. He finds Asher climbing out Manfred's window, and promptly makes a friend. The two meet Silas and Hubert (formerly Moon the grey elf) outside town hall, where they make plans to free Michael, or uncover the mystery of the late-night merchant. So Asher and Hubert inquire about getting a nighttime pass, and return to the village square with blank forms.

Minutes later, the square fills with onlookers, and Caduceus, the Justicar, announces that Michael will be tried for unlicensed magic-use. If no one provided a convincing argument, the be-handing cleaver would fall after its restraining rope burned through. After some timid arguments from Asher and Hubert, Michael's trial came to an end. A knight of the secret order of Heironeous, a Paladin, rode through the crowd on a huge white horse, and freed Michael from the chopping block. Caduceus complained, but seemed unwilling to try stopping the Paladin, who revealed herself as a gorgeous woman. So she took Michael to the inn, and Caduceus announced the end of the...festivities.

Someone bumped into Hubert while the party was headed to the inn, and Hubert caught someone in the process of cutting off his purse. The thief took off into the crowd, and Asher and Hubert pursued him, but lost him in the crowd. Getting back to the inn, everyone settled down for lunch when the Paladin and Michael, still bound, came out to eat. The Paladin asked the party, as friends of Michael's, to find out where and when a secret dragon cult was meeting - since they were likely involved in Manfred's disappearance. Asher introduced himself, and the Paladin said that she was called Serendipity. In return for getting the information, Serendipity would return Michael to the village, and require him to register as a magic-user.

After Serendipity and Michael left the village, Asher left the signal to meet his underworld contact that night. Hubert, Silas, and Phaux entertained some information out of the nighttime gate guards, who revealed that the late-night merchant registered as Boremarry of Karlston. Asher made a donation to the shadowy-figure fund, and learned that his contact had sold some ceremonial daggers to a student of the falconry school.

The party members spent the next day drinking at the inn. Or more accurately, Silas spent the day drinking, Hubert and Phaux chatted and sipped (with Ex sitting obediently next to the table), and Asher tried his luck at picking inn locks (he failed). Some aristocrats came into the inn and started drinking. Then they started harassing Phaux, who performed a trick or two, with Ex's help. Then Silas performed a trick - which scared the daylights out of the younger aristorcrat. He ran away, and his friends followed. Hubert took the opportunity to become a woman (illusion only), which wore off when the aristocrats came back, flashing rapiers, and wanting a fight for honor. The party members, with a little urging from the innkeeper, took it outside.

One aristocrat tossed a dagger to Silas, who magically created water over the aristocrat's head (and did nothing to douse his anger). The challenger stepped up to Silas and stabbed at him - a clear miss. Ex ran into the fight, as did Hubert (with a not-very-priestlike Ice Glove spell), and the other aristocrats moved into the melee. Silas was stabbed in the gut while casting a spell, and Asher picked up the aristocrat's dagger, and brought it into the fight.

To be continued...

XP:
Asher 250, Hubert 300, Phaux 250, Silas 300

Hubert gets the coming-out-of-his-shell award, and Silas gets the scaring-the-daylights award.

Place your votes, for someone other than yourself, for session VIP. Winner gets an action point. ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/693-Session-2 Session 1 http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/672-Session-1 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:35:17 GMT Michael and Silas discovered Michael's dad, Manfred, missing. Asher, a business associate of Manfred's, met up with them before everyone went to the town church to look for Manfred. Asher noticed an abundance of vampire posters in the street. At the church, Silas met Moon-bert-unit (insert good name here), who liked to talk shop with Manfred, and gave him the bad news.

After some digging around, and finding an arcane scroll in the floor of the antique shop, the Party waited until nightfall to question the watch. The previous night, the watch saw a woman run in a panic, a drunk cause the watch to puke, and one watchman thought he saw a wagon parked in front of the antique shop, but it was gone later.

The next morning, watchmen showed up at the antique shop to arrest Michael, who had been accused of unlicensed witchcraft. At his trial, he tried to bluff the magistrate, who wouldn't fall for it. Ordering Michael to be put in the dungeon during an investigation, the watch found a large snake wrapped around Michael, which almost seemed to take orders from him. Boxing up the snake, they took Michael away.

Outside, Asher explained finding a bloodstain to Straus, the guard captain. Straus suggested that the vampire might be at fault, since the recent murders had involved violence, and finding bodies in unusual locations.

Silas and the Boccob priest went to look for magical assistance at the church when they saw an antique shop patron, round-bearded and bellied, walking with watchmen to the town hall. He said he was on his way to a personal matter, and didn't directly answer questions. The priests also ran into a watchman who wanted to elaborate on his story: it turned out that he was right about seeing a wagon - it was permitted to leave town two nights ago. The driver had a writ for nighttime commerce, sealed by the mayor of Featherwood. ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/672-Session-1 A Summary of the Ages http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/635-A-Summary-of-the-Ages Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:10:15 GMT The World is a wonderful place. Civilizations come and go; disasters strike, and the earth grows anew. Of the ages of people, there have been... The World is a wonderful place. Civilizations come and go; disasters strike, and the earth grows anew. Of the ages of people, there have been three. The first is largely unknown, the second lies mostly in legend, and the third is where they find themselves presently.

The first age was the time of the ancients. They ruled a glorious kingdom and enjoyed all the fruit of the earth. It is said that the ancients ruled over magic and monsters, that they were divine. These demigods gave birth to the dwarves and the elves, though these offspring were destined to live in their own lands.
The first age came to a close when the ancients fought amongst themselves, weakening their hold on the rest of the world. This weakness allowed the dragons to rise up, and burn the kingdom of the ancients to the ground.

The second age was the time of the elves and dwarves - the most long-lived of all races. By land, sea, and air it is said that the two races fought for dominance. Divine and arcane magics clashed, giving rise to wonderful creatures and terrible blights. In the end, both nations crumbled under the weight of war, and legends say that the dragons once again used their terrible might to put people in their place.

The third age is a time of birth and rebuilding. New races cover the country, though the elves and dwarves still hold their own lands. Between these races stand the humans, who emphasize cooperation over conflict. Trade is the force that binds the nations, and each becomes stronger for it.
War-torn lands lie largely undisturbed. Magic is used by people for good; monsters exist only where people do not go. This age holds great promise for prosperity - or potential for peril. ]]> DMMike http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/entry.php/635-A-Summary-of-the-Ages