We're still in Uncle Bulgaria's lair! We went around to investigate a bit, found a room full of stone statues with bloody shortswords and decided they're probably a bad thing. There was a chasm with a broken bridge, but Elindra was nimble enough to cross it and come around the other side after we blocked off the statue room from the main room.
Murmei was placed by a door, as someone needed to be that side to open it. Valgai and Elindra went to the main room to grab the caraffe. They found a big dude with a skull and a crown that looked eerily familiar. There was an undead next to him, who woke up and wanted his sunstone back.
Fighting ensued. Elindra was mind-hijacked for a bit, Valgai was cursed, but we got the caraffe and eventually got back to Murmei. There was only one thing that could be done with the sunstone, and that was to release the fire spirit within. It was a very good fighter, it's a shame we can't do that one again, and also no more crotch-warmer.
And then the Creeping Darkness came along, and Elindra (now awake) had to leg it back to the spider, followed shortly after by the other two. Big spider was happy, and we could potentially manage to get back to Thistlehold. Maybe.
To Uncle Bulgaria's lair!
We went over to the big sinkhole and met with the giant spider. It was ginormous and spidery, and Murmei doesn't like spiders. The spider told us to go get the "Black Heart" which is in some kind of caraffe in a tomb or something like that.
Because we're of the "what could possibly go wrong?" the spider's offer of biting us to make us immune to the Creeping Darkness's freezing touch was met with a "yes please". So now we have a pact with a spider.
We had some other people (not the Wombles) tag along to the tomb/dungeon place and curse their sudden but inevitable betrayal. Battle ensued. But because we got a trapped door open, and it closed behind us, I think we had the upper hand.
Oh yes, and there's something about a sentient, evil shrubbery that walks and attacks people. Maybe we can ascertain whether or not it says "ni!" if we get close enough and not kill it first. We make no promises.
Because we're of the "what could possibly go wrong?" the spider's offer of biting us to make us immune to the Creeping Darkness's freezing touch was met with a "yes please". So now we have a pact with a spider.
We had some other people (not the Wombles) tag along to the tomb/dungeon place and curse their sudden but inevitable betrayal. Battle ensued. But because we got a trapped door open, and it closed behind us, I think we had the upper hand.
Oh yes, and there's something about a sentient, evil shrubbery that walks and attacks people. Maybe we can ascertain whether or not it says "ni!" if we get close enough and not kill it first. We make no promises.
Roll Save vs being afraid of the dark!
Deeper into the forest of Davokar we go! We were attacked by giant hairless cats who were so hungry they decided we should be food. That didn't happen, through the cunning use of weapons and grappling hooks on people floating down the river. On the plus side, we made it to the Ordo Magica outpost! Some people were huddling inside, but were happy to see us.
As we made our way toward the headquarters out there, we came across freeze-dried spiders, weird purple lily of the valley where everything else was dead (did someone see a picture of a bluebell and didn't think to look further than "it looks a bit like a lily of the valley, but not white").
The Ordo Magica HQ was now full of goblins. Fortunately, Murmei knows how to speak their language and is proving to be strangely proficient at diplomacy. The goblins spoke of being scared of a "darkness". They also had a trap door (under which they kept a hungry troll), a wizard who was quite out of his mind, and a communication circle going straight to a big spider creature who said she was very benevolent and kind indeed.
The story continues ... and will hopefully be finished by Christmas at this rate ...
As we made our way toward the headquarters out there, we came across freeze-dried spiders, weird purple lily of the valley where everything else was dead (did someone see a picture of a bluebell and didn't think to look further than "it looks a bit like a lily of the valley, but not white").
The Ordo Magica HQ was now full of goblins. Fortunately, Murmei knows how to speak their language and is proving to be strangely proficient at diplomacy. The goblins spoke of being scared of a "darkness". They also had a trap door (under which they kept a hungry troll), a wizard who was quite out of his mind, and a communication circle going straight to a big spider creature who said she was very benevolent and kind indeed.
The story continues ... and will hopefully be finished by Christmas at this rate ...
Spiders and reapers and fairies, oh my!
We continue our venture into Davokar Forest. There be swarms of spiders. We fought them off and got out of there. They were delicious. (They were represented by pieces of salty liquorice, so your mileage may vary.)
Then we found a group of treasure hunters who wondered if they could join us for the night (we said no), followed by a Necromage coming to attack them because someone in that group had decided to steal something of its. They died, it took its thing back and went away.
And then there was a wizard with fire-y bodyguards that turned out to be part of Elindra's arch enemy hindrance. Fun times were had. And by that I mean death (theirs).
Then we found a group of treasure hunters who wondered if they could join us for the night (we said no), followed by a Necromage coming to attack them because someone in that group had decided to steal something of its. They died, it took its thing back and went away.
And then there was a wizard with fire-y bodyguards that turned out to be part of Elindra's arch enemy hindrance. Fun times were had. And by that I mean death (theirs).
The GM is laughing AT us, not WITH us
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off into Davokar forest we go!
And we get attacked by corrupt fairies with beady little eyes and long, sharp talons and things!
And we have to convince our hired hands to follow us into a bit of the forest known to generally not let people return. But that's where we had to go, because the elf that kept intruding on Murmei's dreams was. We're now friends with that guy, and have those elves' protection, so that sounds pretty good.
... Right?
And we get attacked by corrupt fairies with beady little eyes and long, sharp talons and things!
And we have to convince our hired hands to follow us into a bit of the forest known to generally not let people return. But that's where we had to go, because the elf that kept intruding on Murmei's dreams was. We're now friends with that guy, and have those elves' protection, so that sounds pretty good.
... Right?
It's fun to heal at the OMHQ!
Valgai got the minimum amount of healing possible from someone at the Ordo Magica because dice are evil. We also delivered the book back to Master Eufrynda, who was so delighted with us she gave us another task we could do. Someone had gone missing in the Davokar forest and would we mind awfully going after them?
Yes, yes we would, but here we are, putting together an expedition and planning to escape the town unnoticed ...
Speaking of unnoticed, Elindra was trying her hardest to spread misinformation around the beggars and cutpurses ... but was so terrible at Persuasion she ended up murdering a whole bunch instead. C'est la vie?
Yes, yes we would, but here we are, putting together an expedition and planning to escape the town unnoticed ...
Speaking of unnoticed, Elindra was trying her hardest to spread misinformation around the beggars and cutpurses ... but was so terrible at Persuasion she ended up murdering a whole bunch instead. C'est la vie?
THAT'S how you kill someone!
Elindra had a look around town and came across some shady people in an inn. The other two went to the Ordo Magica, as it would probably be prudent for Murmei to report for duty now that he's in town. The surly gatekeeper wasn't too happy with us trying to skimp on formalities, especially not when we kept coming and going all the time.
Turned out "Master Vernam" had signed himself in the ledger after his untimely demise and taken a book out of the library. A book on how to break links to objects, such as that crown that the elves were looking for.
Puzzle pieces suddenly came together and we tracked down the skin-stealer, the book and the skull/crown thing. Valgai very nearly died, what with going down to zero hit points because his Bale dice have "always had a personality". A murderous one at that, it seems. ("More of a chaotic neutral screw you roller dice.") The GM rubbed it in a bit extra a few days later: "Just thought I highlight that failing 11 and below on 6 rolls in a row is about 0.83%".
Well, at least it turned out alright in the end. Bad guys dead, us still alive, book and creepy skull/crown combo artefact recovered. Now where to put the crown so that no one else thinks it's a good idea to put it on?
Turned out "Master Vernam" had signed himself in the ledger after his untimely demise and taken a book out of the library. A book on how to break links to objects, such as that crown that the elves were looking for.
Puzzle pieces suddenly came together and we tracked down the skin-stealer, the book and the skull/crown thing. Valgai very nearly died, what with going down to zero hit points because his Bale dice have "always had a personality". A murderous one at that, it seems. ("More of a chaotic neutral screw you roller dice.") The GM rubbed it in a bit extra a few days later: "Just thought I highlight that failing 11 and below on 6 rolls in a row is about 0.83%".
Well, at least it turned out alright in the end. Bad guys dead, us still alive, book and creepy skull/crown combo artefact recovered. Now where to put the crown so that no one else thinks it's a good idea to put it on?
Stop rolling 20! This isn’t D&D!
We made it to Thistle Hold! Finally Elindra and Valgai can hand Murmei off to Master Vernam and not have to hear his inane prattle! Unfortunately, things were not that simple, because of course they weren't.
On the way there we were ran into by a peasant girl who was being chased by some thugs claiming to be witch hunters. As they were shouting something about being witch hunters and "stop that girl" and such, she was apprehended by Elindra, who happens to be a witch hunter. As things turned out, the girl wasn't a witch, because of course she wasn't. (It was like the 1600s all over again.)
At Master Vernam's we were greeted by a servant woman, who had only just come back home and found a most gruesome scene in her master's study. It seems the Flayer running around in town had got to him too. OR HAD S/HE? The skin next to the body seemed to belong to someone entirely different - are we looking for a sorcerer who uses other people's skin as a disguise? But why have they taken Master Vernam, and seemingly want to frame the elves for the murders?
On the way there we were ran into by a peasant girl who was being chased by some thugs claiming to be witch hunters. As they were shouting something about being witch hunters and "stop that girl" and such, she was apprehended by Elindra, who happens to be a witch hunter. As things turned out, the girl wasn't a witch, because of course she wasn't. (It was like the 1600s all over again.)
At Master Vernam's we were greeted by a servant woman, who had only just come back home and found a most gruesome scene in her master's study. It seems the Flayer running around in town had got to him too. OR HAD S/HE? The skin next to the body seemed to belong to someone entirely different - are we looking for a sorcerer who uses other people's skin as a disguise? But why have they taken Master Vernam, and seemingly want to frame the elves for the murders?
We beat the plot
We took a different route back to civilisation, Murmei's "great aunt Sandra" a.k.a. the Night Lady in tow. Elindra, out scouting, came across a patrol of Templars, so led them on a wild goose chase while Valgai, Murmei and "great aunt Sandra" sneaked past.
Night Lady delivered to her fanclub, and we proceeded further to Yndaros. Crossing a big river we were subjected to very thorough immigration controls (that's where the latex comment comes in), but managed to get through and boarded the rope ferry.
The Templars caught up with us, but by that time we had already made it to the other side. We managed to burn the rope, halting their progress for what might be a few days, and met up with more of the fanclub. Full payment received, we went shopping, as we were still a bit away from our final destination - Thistle Hold.
Night Lady delivered to her fanclub, and we proceeded further to Yndaros. Crossing a big river we were subjected to very thorough immigration controls (that's where the latex comment comes in), but managed to get through and boarded the rope ferry.
The Templars caught up with us, but by that time we had already made it to the other side. We managed to burn the rope, halting their progress for what might be a few days, and met up with more of the fanclub. Full payment received, we went shopping, as we were still a bit away from our final destination - Thistle Hold.
Can I have your autograph?
Elindra went around town doing some investigations and interrogations. This led to CLUES! There was also a guy who looked very quest-givery, so we ended up heading off into the wild in order to find Lady Elsana a.k.a. the Night Lady in order to bring her back to the capital for lots and lots of money.
We bypassed a troll cave and ended up in a secluded village in a sort of basin type thing. It was a bit Maze Runner-y. She agreed to come with us, even after Murmei asked her to autograph one of his books ...
We bypassed a troll cave and ended up in a secluded village in a sort of basin type thing. It was a bit Maze Runner-y. She agreed to come with us, even after Murmei asked her to autograph one of his books ...
Was that a racist grumble?
Having made it across the Titans, we're now heading toward more civilised areas. Civilised if you don't count the corruption abominations that attacked after someone decided to improve the soup kitchen's stew recipe with interesting berries.
Then there was an escaped Night Lady who was some sort of high priestess of an earth goddess before people decided to say down with that sort of thing, and we might now be landing ourselves right in the middle of a civil war between two religions. Because that always works out for the best of everyone ...
Then there was an escaped Night Lady who was some sort of high priestess of an earth goddess before people decided to say down with that sort of thing, and we might now be landing ourselves right in the middle of a civil war between two religions. Because that always works out for the best of everyone ...
Can we just call it Kill Bill-ing?
Our journeys across the Titan mountain range continue! When out looking for stuff, we came across a group of Jakaars (Jakkars? Whatevs) and what looked to be some kind of big bad wolf, but was in fact a shapeshifted elf. They were most definitely hunting our travelling companions Balen and Ludo, who SWORE (because of course they did) they had done nothing wrong.
A group of elves later came to camp to point a finger at them, and go "J'ACCUSE!" and wanted to take them away and kill them, because reasons involving being corrupted. We later pressed them on this, and whaddaya know? Balen hulked out into an abomination. His demise was swift.
And we made it across the mountain range with the help of said elves, and we as a group went "what, that's IT?!" and made the GM promise we'd continue with the next adventure next session, because three sessions is nothing when you're trying out a new system!
A group of elves later came to camp to point a finger at them, and go "J'ACCUSE!" and wanted to take them away and kill them, because reasons involving being corrupted. We later pressed them on this, and whaddaya know? Balen hulked out into an abomination. His demise was swift.
And we made it across the mountain range with the help of said elves, and we as a group went "what, that's IT?!" and made the GM promise we'd continue with the next adventure next session, because three sessions is nothing when you're trying out a new system!
Two Thieves and What Am I Doing Here?
One of the group went on a well-deserved holiday and the rest of us decided to spend the following two sessions playing the boardgame Gloomhaven, which comes in what's possibly the biggest boardgames box ever. It's YUUUUGE.
We played a Mindthief, a Scoundrel, and a Tinkerer. Lots and lots of tokens. Fun game, though! :)
We played a Mindthief, a Scoundrel, and a Tinkerer. Lots and lots of tokens. Fun game, though! :)
Don't walk off alone, especially to the toilet
We started our arduous trek across the Titan mountain range. When we stopped and got firewood we were attacked by a snow wraith, a dark caller and two draghouls. We just about made it out of there alive, much tanks to Elindra's assassin senses tingling so she went running after us.
A note on the dark caller turned out to be written in troll runes - which Murmei, to everyone's surprise, could decipher. Turned out the group had been sent to assassinate Elindra.
While Bartalom lived through the battle, he didn't survive the evening. Someone slit his throat, which wasn't noticed until Valgai noticed a bloodstain on Murmei's robes. Oh yeah, Keller had bumped into him earlier, and caused an INK BLOT on the page. Keller was nowhere to be found, nor was Bartalom's Sunstone ... until we (well, Elindra) tracked Keller down. He was hiding out in a dilapidated tower. Feet were stamped on, because you don't just go around killing wizards, that's not on!
A note on the dark caller turned out to be written in troll runes - which Murmei, to everyone's surprise, could decipher. Turned out the group had been sent to assassinate Elindra.
While Bartalom lived through the battle, he didn't survive the evening. Someone slit his throat, which wasn't noticed until Valgai noticed a bloodstain on Murmei's robes. Oh yeah, Keller had bumped into him earlier, and caused an INK BLOT on the page. Keller was nowhere to be found, nor was Bartalom's Sunstone ... until we (well, Elindra) tracked Keller down. He was hiding out in a dilapidated tower. Feet were stamped on, because you don't just go around killing wizards, that's not on!
This is going to be a long trip
We've started a new game: Symbaroum (read more about it here)! This first session was mostly putting our characters together, and after much ado, the line-up is as follows:
The basic plot is that the population is moving across a big mountain range. We're one of the few remaining groups and it's now our turn to do the trip. An order of wizards have decided to give one of their apprentices the job of chronicling the journey for posterity. It's a very important and prestigious job, and Murmei (hapless idiot that he is) totally bought that explanation. In truth, they were just happy to be rid of him for a while.
Thing is, other people might also want to be rid of him for purposes far greater than "he's a bit of an idiot", hence why Valgai has been hired as his bodyguard, and Elindra as ... well, also kind of a bodyguard. Murmei is just happy to be there, because writing down everything that happens on the trip (provided the ink doesn't freeze - this is a great concern) is super important.
There is a caravan getting ready to cross the mountain range at first light tomorrow, and the group asked the caravan's leader (a merchant called Argostos) to join, along with some NPCs. Argostos was happy to let the party join him. After all, considering one of the NPCs, a wizard called Bartholomew, has a Sunstone on him, and having magical artefact that can bring light and heat as the first snowflakes of the season starts to fall might be a very good idea. It would be a shame if something were to happen to it ...
- Elindra: A changeling (an elf raised as a human) rogue/assassin
- Murmei: A human wizard's apprentice and son of a noble
- Valgai: A human warrior and veteran of many a battle
The basic plot is that the population is moving across a big mountain range. We're one of the few remaining groups and it's now our turn to do the trip. An order of wizards have decided to give one of their apprentices the job of chronicling the journey for posterity. It's a very important and prestigious job, and Murmei (hapless idiot that he is) totally bought that explanation. In truth, they were just happy to be rid of him for a while.
Thing is, other people might also want to be rid of him for purposes far greater than "he's a bit of an idiot", hence why Valgai has been hired as his bodyguard, and Elindra as ... well, also kind of a bodyguard. Murmei is just happy to be there, because writing down everything that happens on the trip (provided the ink doesn't freeze - this is a great concern) is super important.
There is a caravan getting ready to cross the mountain range at first light tomorrow, and the group asked the caravan's leader (a merchant called Argostos) to join, along with some NPCs. Argostos was happy to let the party join him. After all, considering one of the NPCs, a wizard called Bartholomew, has a Sunstone on him, and having magical artefact that can bring light and heat as the first snowflakes of the season starts to fall might be a very good idea. It would be a shame if something were to happen to it ...
Using evil to do good
We had "rescued" the bodies of 24 gods, yet when we came back to look at them (and put them some place better), Varian's servants had put "the bags" into the furnace. Luckily the bodies hadn't burned yet. Pulling them out of the furnace, there were an additional ten of them, but Varian having selective amnesia meant he had no idea where they came from.
As we were doing our usual Godbound business (rebuilding Suzail and so on), a GINORMOUS black dragon flew overhead. The infamous Balefang. A large number of gnolls and other suspicious type critters were trying to dig holes into a mountainside, hoping to uncover the bodies of some gods previously slain, so that they could be resurrected. This wasn't appreciated by Asmodeus, one of the gods who killed said gods originally, hence the dragon.
We may have got involved in the ensuing fight. On the plus side, we didn't actually die and we disrupted the ritual to pull the god into a new body. On the downside ... the chapter ended by us being stranded inside the Night Roads. This is not unlike being stranded inside the Ways, and readers of the Wheel of Time will know what a bad idea THAT is. Even if we happen to basically be Rand, Mat and Perrin ...
As we were doing our usual Godbound business (rebuilding Suzail and so on), a GINORMOUS black dragon flew overhead. The infamous Balefang. A large number of gnolls and other suspicious type critters were trying to dig holes into a mountainside, hoping to uncover the bodies of some gods previously slain, so that they could be resurrected. This wasn't appreciated by Asmodeus, one of the gods who killed said gods originally, hence the dragon.
We may have got involved in the ensuing fight. On the plus side, we didn't actually die and we disrupted the ritual to pull the god into a new body. On the downside ... the chapter ended by us being stranded inside the Night Roads. This is not unlike being stranded inside the Ways, and readers of the Wheel of Time will know what a bad idea THAT is. Even if we happen to basically be Rand, Mat and Perrin ...
Pretty Princess Dress-up Orc
We deal with the aftermath of killing the parasite god and having new powers and some of our followers now being exarchs. We also managed to fit in a trip to Cormyr, specifically the ruins of Zusail, where the prince is still hiding. We put our friend Alwin (now an exarch of Gunda) in charge until they can get a duke or something in from next door to work as a steward. Then we went back to Tilverton, because stuff had managed to mess up again in our absence. You can kind of see why some deities decide to be more hands-off, really ...
We parasited the parasite god
After Elani's meeting with the orcs to find out what they were doing with their troops, we found ourselves having joined forces with them. We fought with cinematic flair, superhero landings, dragons, crackling electricity on swords and everything.
Umberlee (the baddie) and her friends, including a big demon, were found inside a mountain. There was a big fight, someone might have got away, but all the rest of them were killed. The demon turned out to not be a demon, but a parasite god, and when the corpse exploded ... a lot of celestial energy was freed.
The issue was what to do with said energy. Elani took half and gave half to a follower. Gunda took half for Tempus and half for a follower, but as Tempus couldn't have that half it went to her instead. Denethor, having received a dire warning about "not taking what wasn't yours" (which he mentioned to Elani, who didn't care if it referred to this or not, but failed to pass on the message to Gunda) gave it all to his followers. So I think we ended up with four exarchs and a new Godbound or something like that. Which was nice.
The dire warning was in fact to not touch the celestial shards we knocked out of the demon/parasite god. Had we done so, we would have ended up insta-killed and perma-dead. There were bodies of gods strewn about the cave, so that's something we're going to have to get back to at a later date ... seeing as how those gods did in fact include our own preferred deities ...
Umberlee (the baddie) and her friends, including a big demon, were found inside a mountain. There was a big fight, someone might have got away, but all the rest of them were killed. The demon turned out to not be a demon, but a parasite god, and when the corpse exploded ... a lot of celestial energy was freed.
The issue was what to do with said energy. Elani took half and gave half to a follower. Gunda took half for Tempus and half for a follower, but as Tempus couldn't have that half it went to her instead. Denethor, having received a dire warning about "not taking what wasn't yours" (which he mentioned to Elani, who didn't care if it referred to this or not, but failed to pass on the message to Gunda) gave it all to his followers. So I think we ended up with four exarchs and a new Godbound or something like that. Which was nice.
The dire warning was in fact to not touch the celestial shards we knocked out of the demon/parasite god. Had we done so, we would have ended up insta-killed and perma-dead. There were bodies of gods strewn about the cave, so that's something we're going to have to get back to at a later date ... seeing as how those gods did in fact include our own preferred deities ...
Cutting off the GM like a right son of a lich
It looks short, and ... to be fair, we got going pretty late, as we were munching on barbecued stuff before the session, and I was more or less knocked out due to it being pollen season, so that didn't help.
We finally came face to face with the guy who had impersonated Denethor. Denethor punched him in the face, which was very appropriate, especially since the guy had the audacity to say that Denethor stole his face first. Like ... wut?
He turned out to be Sir Renard Thorben, an exiled red wizard of Thay. (Cue Elani getting her claws out.) He made night fall and we almost killed Lord Blackstaff (there was some more shapeshifting shenanigans going on there), but the wizard got away and we had someone tend to Blackstaff's wounds and then visited his pocket dimension mansion, where he's keeping the last remaining member of the Cormyr royal family safe.
We finally came face to face with the guy who had impersonated Denethor. Denethor punched him in the face, which was very appropriate, especially since the guy had the audacity to say that Denethor stole his face first. Like ... wut?
He turned out to be Sir Renard Thorben, an exiled red wizard of Thay. (Cue Elani getting her claws out.) He made night fall and we almost killed Lord Blackstaff (there was some more shapeshifting shenanigans going on there), but the wizard got away and we had someone tend to Blackstaff's wounds and then visited his pocket dimension mansion, where he's keeping the last remaining member of the Cormyr royal family safe.
We all live in a city submarine
Well, there we are, going about our day, levelling up, and sending off our Purple Knight buddy Alwyn to Suzail in Cormyr. He sent a panicked message back, Varion opened a portal to Suzail and lots and lots of water came rushing through. I believe the phrase was "you were supposed to open a portal to the harbour - not INTO the harbour itself!"
Turned out someone had put like a big invisible box around the whole city, and the surrounding area, and dumped a lot of water into it. The city was quite ruined by this.
Denethor rescued survivors by putting them on board our big airship, and Elani turned people into dolphins to get people there. Gunda, who doesn't need to breathe and can't feel cold, went for an underwater stroll instead. Underwater was a big dome, held in place by a wizard. There were lots of people inside.
Elani started turning people into winter wolves to stop them from contracting hypothermia while Gunda went to town on cracking the invisible box and let the water back into the bay. Sadly, the person we were looking for was found dead in the palace vault. OR WAS HE? And who was the fish woman some actual fish mentioned? And who was the figure on the boat in the bay that caused the big box?
On a side note: Elani's player has gathered notes on characters and Elani's thoughts on them, and for Varion, the note was "icky, slimy wizard, up to no good", because she doesn't like or trust him. Plus a general dislike to wizards in general.
Turned out someone had put like a big invisible box around the whole city, and the surrounding area, and dumped a lot of water into it. The city was quite ruined by this.
Denethor rescued survivors by putting them on board our big airship, and Elani turned people into dolphins to get people there. Gunda, who doesn't need to breathe and can't feel cold, went for an underwater stroll instead. Underwater was a big dome, held in place by a wizard. There were lots of people inside.
Elani started turning people into winter wolves to stop them from contracting hypothermia while Gunda went to town on cracking the invisible box and let the water back into the bay. Sadly, the person we were looking for was found dead in the palace vault. OR WAS HE? And who was the fish woman some actual fish mentioned? And who was the figure on the boat in the bay that caused the big box?
On a side note: Elani's player has gathered notes on characters and Elani's thoughts on them, and for Varion, the note was "icky, slimy wizard, up to no good", because she doesn't like or trust him. Plus a general dislike to wizards in general.
An adventuring party? Here? With OUR dice rolls?
In this first proper instalment of the new adventure, we eventually managed to name our airship - The Lady Peregrin (yes, Ladyhawk was a consideration) - and take it to Myth Drannor and when out adventurising we ended up inside some kind of beast. It was okay, we killed it before it killed us. It was admittedly very close, because our dice rolls were garbage most of the night.
We made friends with Viconia, a Drow battle cleric of Kelemvor. We learned about the Silent Forge, and how it's headed by a red wizard of Thay (Elani's favourite people) who is also a lich. Yay, combo bonus!
And we finished off by getting an unsettling dream about three Orc gods who were now among the greater gods. What does this even mean???
We made friends with Viconia, a Drow battle cleric of Kelemvor. We learned about the Silent Forge, and how it's headed by a red wizard of Thay (Elani's favourite people) who is also a lich. Yay, combo bonus!
And we finished off by getting an unsettling dream about three Orc gods who were now among the greater gods. What does this even mean???
#NotAllWizards
The next three months in the lead-up to the actual adventure passed with remembering the name of our wizard friend (or frenemy if you're Elani), huzzah! We put Dominion points into Denethor's continued work on our airship stroke floating pantheon, everyone adding their own special something (i.e. Words) to it.
We found a husband and wife team of Tyr worshippers, one of them being a child of Baal. They helped us with a few things, and even though some might have wanted them dead to begin with, it did appear that they were not there to kill us. Considering they could basically teleport us, that was good. It meant they could take us to north of Icewind Dale where another Tempus-worshipping Godbound was trying to pick a fight with goddess Auril. He was persuaded to stand down, after a special guest appearance by Tempus himself.
Elani was busy trying to keep a couple of our followers on the straight and narrow, because Gruumsh is making his presence known.
The tourney was going great (well, what remained of the participating Tempus and Gunda Paladins ended up having to be disqualified because they got all murdery with each other), until - with impeccable timing - three children of Baal appeared in the middle of the arena just as the finale was about to go down. They asked what year it was and then disappeared. We're puzzled by this, because as far as we were aware the children of Baal were all dead ... save for the guy we met earlier.
We found a husband and wife team of Tyr worshippers, one of them being a child of Baal. They helped us with a few things, and even though some might have wanted them dead to begin with, it did appear that they were not there to kill us. Considering they could basically teleport us, that was good. It meant they could take us to north of Icewind Dale where another Tempus-worshipping Godbound was trying to pick a fight with goddess Auril. He was persuaded to stand down, after a special guest appearance by Tempus himself.
Elani was busy trying to keep a couple of our followers on the straight and narrow, because Gruumsh is making his presence known.
The tourney was going great (well, what remained of the participating Tempus and Gunda Paladins ended up having to be disqualified because they got all murdery with each other), until - with impeccable timing - three children of Baal appeared in the middle of the arena just as the finale was about to go down. They asked what year it was and then disappeared. We're puzzled by this, because as far as we were aware the children of Baal were all dead ... save for the guy we met earlier.
Jeremy Corbyn sends a Tesla into space
Our GM said this session would be a quick way of deciding what we've done in the six or so months which have passed in-game since our last Godbound adventure. By "quick" we obviously meant to take the whole time only progressing through the first three months, because hey, that's us.
In those three months we managed to visit another town. It was on fire, so we put it out. Or, well, Denethor did, and he put up a building in his own honour and everything.
Elani made friends with a pack of hyenas ... which turned into an awful lot of hyenas, and there was a gnoll and a demon lord called Yeenoghu and demon lords aren't a good thing. They were sent packing.
Gunda is still struggling with being seen as divine, because as far as she's concerned, she's a follower of Tempus, and so should others be. She's the Jesus to Tempus's Jehova, if you will. After some clerical advice, she decided organising a tourney in Tempus's honour would be a thing to do.
In those three months we managed to visit another town. It was on fire, so we put it out. Or, well, Denethor did, and he put up a building in his own honour and everything.
Elani made friends with a pack of hyenas ... which turned into an awful lot of hyenas, and there was a gnoll and a demon lord called Yeenoghu and demon lords aren't a good thing. They were sent packing.
Gunda is still struggling with being seen as divine, because as far as she's concerned, she's a follower of Tempus, and so should others be. She's the Jesus to Tempus's Jehova, if you will. After some clerical advice, she decided organising a tourney in Tempus's honour would be a thing to do.
Sneezing fire majestically
In this instalment, we fought a big-ass golem, and encountered a High Magus called Armand. There were fusion blocks involved, and we got out alive. That's about all I can remember, bearing in mind this happened over a month ago now and only a couple of days after my dad suddenly passed away, so I may not have been in the best frame of mind to remember these kind of things. :( It's also why there are few quotes, but I think that's also partly down to us mainly fighting through a dungeon, which generally means there's more dice-rolling than quipping.
If you've wondered why the blog's been quiet for a while, it's because we had no sessions for a month, due to people being unavailable for a variety of reasons. We're back now, though, so here's the last bit of Rifts for [insert time period here].
If you've wondered why the blog's been quiet for a while, it's because we had no sessions for a month, due to people being unavailable for a variety of reasons. We're back now, though, so here's the last bit of Rifts for [insert time period here].
Why do our plans keep succeeding?
We went through the portal and had a nosey, dressed up as cultists. It ended up with us throwing fusion blocks at them and their apparent leader in a corridor ...
We're not here to assassinate the guy from The Fast Show
In the third and final part of this Victoriana session the party have dinner with Lord Ralph, make countless references to The Fast Show, find out that Ted's wife is actually Mrs Doyle, and try to find out if Ralph, Ted or Mrs Ted know anything about why they might have crashed an airship in a field nearby.
They find out that there's another manor not too far away, belonging to the Waldegrave family (who may or may not be shady), and that there's a vicar who might know something that could help them.
They find out that there's another manor not too far away, belonging to the Waldegrave family (who may or may not be shady), and that there's a vicar who might know something that could help them.
Party signature move: shooting corners off buildings
In this episode we mostly fought battles. Then there was a wizard that Gorbash trapped inside a building by shooting off a corner of it, echoing the beginning of us playing Rifts, when the party berated Booker for doing a similar thing - how times have changed!
The wizard went invisible and Gorbash pretended not to see him, hence toying with him.
We're getting close to the Cult of Nxla now. Unless we do what we normally do and drag it out a number of sessions ...
The wizard went invisible and Gorbash pretended not to see him, hence toying with him.
We're getting close to the Cult of Nxla now. Unless we do what we normally do and drag it out a number of sessions ...
Ranger danger!
We went further into the Xiticix territory, there was an attack. Booker tried to "save" some people. They died. On the plus side, so did the gang of baddies that were stalking us previously, so it all worked out.
We also found a camp with a nexus point. Maybe we'll attack it next week.
Gorbash went to Psyscape to chat with The Dude, but the place left him rather unimpressed ...
We also found a camp with a nexus point. Maybe we'll attack it next week.
Gorbash went to Psyscape to chat with The Dude, but the place left him rather unimpressed ...
I don't read the script, the script reads me
We discovered what the Key of Solomon is for ... and that it's an orb with a lady in stasis in it. It's pretty out there. It can also be very useful. We were perhaps not in agreement with the Grey Seers and the other Cyber-knight about what to do with it.
To cut a long story short, Gorbash wrote and directed a play based (in the end) on Booker's plan, in which Gorbash would say "screw you guys, I'm going home! And I'm taking the Key (and my new girlfriend who coincidentally is also called Maria) with me!" in order to lure the Coalition States into Xiticix territory so we could sit back and wait for them to obliterate each other.
Plan went off without a hitch. Even Hecate got in on the action, vaporising a dude. Good times!
To cut a long story short, Gorbash wrote and directed a play based (in the end) on Booker's plan, in which Gorbash would say "screw you guys, I'm going home! And I'm taking the Key (and my new girlfriend who coincidentally is also called Maria) with me!" in order to lure the Coalition States into Xiticix territory so we could sit back and wait for them to obliterate each other.
Plan went off without a hitch. Even Hecate got in on the action, vaporising a dude. Good times!
YOU get a girlfriend, YOU get a girlfriend, EVERYONE gets a girlfriend!
Booker and Jayson ventured into Solomon, a town with a big Aztec pyramid. They forgot to relay this information to Gorbash, who was mightily surprised when he finally joined them.
There was a group of mercs in town. Bad people. We considered using them as meat shields for a while, and then ended up by recruiting one of their Juicers. The lady in question was heavily flirting with Gorbash, so it seems now the whole party have someone to have some heterosexytimes with when we're not busy trying to save the world and whatnot.
Investigating the pyramid, because it's OBVIOUSLY a CLUE in the finding of the Key of Solomon, we found a door. Inside the pyramid was a Cyber-knight who had been missing for the past couple of years. Perhaps he knows something.
There was a group of mercs in town. Bad people. We considered using them as meat shields for a while, and then ended up by recruiting one of their Juicers. The lady in question was heavily flirting with Gorbash, so it seems now the whole party have someone to have some heterosexytimes with when we're not busy trying to save the world and whatnot.
Investigating the pyramid, because it's OBVIOUSLY a CLUE in the finding of the Key of Solomon, we found a door. Inside the pyramid was a Cyber-knight who had been missing for the past couple of years. Perhaps he knows something.
SHENANIGANS! SHENANIGANS, I SAY!
There was talking to a dragon, finding out about the Key of Solomon, and also levelling. We're now shiny level niners. Who'd'a thought it?
Everyone in the countryside is nuts
The story continues!
The group is not sure why Cid would have dressed in women's clothing, but they have a search through the burning remains of their crashed airship in case of clues. They find a piece of a map and spend a long time wondering where they might be on it, despite the map being of a city in Africa and they're clearly in the Queen's own country. Suffolk, as it happens.
They find a dead parrot, which is given a proper burial rather than being eaten for dinner, and perhaps make some headway as to who they might be and what they were doing.
That's when they come across a field with a drainage problem being assessed by a quiet Irish handyman and an awkward lord who invites the party back to the house ...
The group is not sure why Cid would have dressed in women's clothing, but they have a search through the burning remains of their crashed airship in case of clues. They find a piece of a map and spend a long time wondering where they might be on it, despite the map being of a city in Africa and they're clearly in the Queen's own country. Suffolk, as it happens.
They find a dead parrot, which is given a proper burial rather than being eaten for dinner, and perhaps make some headway as to who they might be and what they were doing.
That's when they come across a field with a drainage problem being assessed by a quiet Irish handyman and an awkward lord who invites the party back to the house ...
Why are we in a field and who are you?
Filler post, so here's where the Victoriana adventure begins!
Three people wake up in a field on a fine English summer day. The first one to wake up (Cid) is dressed, but the second (Bob Afette) isn't - he's stark naked. The third isBaldrick Unlike. Neither of them know any of this, because they're all suffering from amnesia.
Cid turns out to be wearing Bob's clothes. Following a smoke plume a bit further away they discover an airship crash site and a dead parrot. They decide this is where they came from, and finding some fetching clothes Cid changes into these - ladies' clothes, for some hitherto unknown reason - and Bob gets his clothes back.
But where are they? WHO are they? And what the hell happened?
Three people wake up in a field on a fine English summer day. The first one to wake up (Cid) is dressed, but the second (Bob Afette) isn't - he's stark naked. The third is
Cid turns out to be wearing Bob's clothes. Following a smoke plume a bit further away they discover an airship crash site and a dead parrot. They decide this is where they came from, and finding some fetching clothes Cid changes into these - ladies' clothes, for some hitherto unknown reason - and Bob gets his clothes back.
But where are they? WHO are they? And what the hell happened?
Aslan was my direbadger form
At the end of this session, all three of us actually managed to join up again, yay!
Tannhauser dared Gorbash to travel through dragon territory and say hi to the dragon kings. Gorbash said (tl;dr) challenge accepted, because he was going to travel to Tolkeen with Jayson - once Jayson got back from the spa retreat that is Psyscape. Psyscape has a psychic hobo as a chief who liked blowing some kind of weird smoke bubbles at people, and who had a really nice rug.
Booker, meanwhile, was travelling by boat toward the same place. Some Mystic Knights tasked the legendary Booker with finding and killing Aureol the Avenger and get the ancient artefact "Mobius Band" for them. This is on par with getting your mitts on the Holy Grail, but he didn't know that at the time. He also said he would do what he could within his capability, and killing an ancient Great Horned dragon is not what he considers one of them. Gorbash certainly wasn't pleased to hear of it!
Also: maybe Gorbash is some sort of reincarnation of Jesus. Like Aslan.
Tannhauser dared Gorbash to travel through dragon territory and say hi to the dragon kings. Gorbash said (tl;dr) challenge accepted, because he was going to travel to Tolkeen with Jayson - once Jayson got back from the spa retreat that is Psyscape. Psyscape has a psychic hobo as a chief who liked blowing some kind of weird smoke bubbles at people, and who had a really nice rug.
Booker, meanwhile, was travelling by boat toward the same place. Some Mystic Knights tasked the legendary Booker with finding and killing Aureol the Avenger and get the ancient artefact "Mobius Band" for them. This is on par with getting your mitts on the Holy Grail, but he didn't know that at the time. He also said he would do what he could within his capability, and killing an ancient Great Horned dragon is not what he considers one of them. Gorbash certainly wasn't pleased to hear of it!
Also: maybe Gorbash is some sort of reincarnation of Jesus. Like Aslan.
You deserve a shotgun refund
This session was sort of like three solo adventures. Or, well, side quests. We all went around doing our own things. Talking to people. Training montages from Psyscape. Dreamlike visions of Nxla followers. Plans being made up. Distances were estimated and fact-checked against Google Maps (although technically we measured the driving distance, not the way the dragon flies).
Hopefully we'll come together next week and do some stuff together as a party.
Hopefully we'll come together next week and do some stuff together as a party.
Ohh, THAT apocalypse
The symbiote previously known as Barry was apparently actually called Bally according to the player's notes. We're not sure if that's an improvemen or not.
Anyway. Plot progressed. Turns out some bad nights were caused by visions of some cultists bringing Nxla back. Yeah! Them other cultists don't know how to act. And so on. There was a guy there who blended in with the ceiling, had a very pointy nose and a forked tongue and looked like it has something to do with Coalition State.
We went on a quest to speak to Psyscape, by way of meeting the Grey Seers again. We didn't cause a cell to burst into flame this time, so I think they don't mind seeing us again.
Anyway. Plot progressed. Turns out some bad nights were caused by visions of some cultists bringing Nxla back. Yeah! Them other cultists don't know how to act. And so on. There was a guy there who blended in with the ceiling, had a very pointy nose and a forked tongue and looked like it has something to do with Coalition State.
We went on a quest to speak to Psyscape, by way of meeting the Grey Seers again. We didn't cause a cell to burst into flame this time, so I think they don't mind seeing us again.
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