Thank you for trapping us on a ship

We found a ship to take us cruising down the river, as it would be quicker to travel. There are ginormous crab creatures that might eat the entire crew in that river, but we'll be okay, right? There are only claw marks and stuff that we can see, and maybe it would be advisable to not be trapped on a boat going down a river?

Turns out the big crabs are intelligent and can be hurt and disabled, but that they stop bleeding when they're in water. Their claws are tough as hell, but you can defeat them. The party - sans Murmei and Knightlight, who were hiding out downstairs, because water would be bad for a Flame Servant - fight off two of said crabs.

We made it safely to the town of Kurun, where we possibly dodged several side quests - and assassins? We didn't stay for very long, as we were busy trying to get back to Thistle Hold. Which we eventually did. Huzzah! Because all of this had actually been a side quest, and not part of the actual campaign! D'oh ...

Maybe the next place we go is peaceful

So, having survived eight creatures last time, we were now face with three big ones and a boss - all thanks to the number of things we had slain in total. The forest is apparently keeping score.

After a brave fight, where none of us died, Murmei (!) managed to land the final blow on the Death Prince, much to his own surprise.

We decided to head back to Rafe the gardening wraith to stay the night, as it seemed relatively safe, and gave him one of the satnav flowers. The next day we used one of said flowers to find some more things: the colour of an elk, and an old wizard playing a convoluted boardgame with a raven.

While Elindra chatted away to the raven, Valgai had a chat with the wizard and traded questions and answers. As it happened, the wizard had cast a time stop spell and was waiting for the raven to die of old age (so he wouldn't have to part with his fancy wand artefact), but it was of course a magical raven, and the game had lasted for 300 years already. The wizard got the last bit of info he needed and disappeared.

Later on, we came across a number of realistic-looking stone statues and a basilisk that wanted us to go kill a lindworm and cut out its eyes as a trophy. It gave us a dragonslaying sword as help. Diplomatic as ever we gave the sword to the lindworm and tried to trade info, but it went so-so. It wants to snack on some tasty goblins, but we're friends with goblins these days, and besides, we've not actually found any so far, so how that'll work out is anyone's guess.

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 ...

There are no nice guys in this game

We're back in Rifts, and we had a run-in with the Shemarrians. Elyssia took on one of them to proove herself worthy of looking after the squishy humans - especially the completely useless males (cue Jayson looking both confused and affronted, and Gorbash looking ... well, he's a dragon, so he wasn't really involved) - and they eventually agreed that maybe a demigod isn't so bad at the whole protection thing after all.

Door Murderer - Scourge of the Side Quests!

We finished up in the caves/tunnels/dungeons and decided to burn assorted weaponry in a room. How the weapons would manage to melt in an enclosed room with limited oxygen supply ... well, never mind.

In the cellar under the Redbrand mansion, we found the wife and children of a man who had been murdered. We tried to be reassuring and sympathetic, but it perhaps didn't pan out very well.

At any rate, we got rid of (in an Al Pacino way) most of the Redbrands, strongly suggested others might want to skip town and never return, and took a few as prisoners. Said prisoners were then hastily juged by the person we saved from that other cave, who assumed control of the town and Mayor Spineless didn't mind this at all, and executed.

Pats on the backs all 'round.

I think my dice are scared of sidequests

Plot Progression!

Baradhi went ley line hopping over to the town of Londonium, from where it would appear the gate box originated. Around the house where it was presumably created, around 40 people had died mysteriously.

We finally went back to see the insect people, whose queen gave Baradhi his gift - a headband full of mystical runes. Once adorned, the headband would not come off.

Meanwhile, bad dreams kept pestering Jayson, including visions of a guy called Gabriel, who kept repeating "Must save the world" over and over like some sort of mad wizard dude. We suspect Gabriel is being manipulated by Nxla, considering he seems hellbound to opening portals from Nxla's world to ours, sucking out souls and that.


Either way, we're not doing what the GM expected us to do, but then what else is new?

And then the zombies came.