So curse the old guy's sudden but inevitable betrayal. Because Elindra's spider-talking was non-verbal, he didn't notice her doing that - instead he focused on Murmei's knowledge of different languages, and him speaking with the giant in particular, to decide he was a demon and ... battle ensued.
RIP crazy old man.
We found the Tomb of Horrors, or at least the Cairn of someone or other. The door was locked, but we made it unlocked and headed inside. It was full of pit traps. Fortunately (even the spider-weary in the party agreed on this term) Elindra has a pet spider who can crawl on things other than the floor.
Eventually we found a big room with a ritual anvil, so the party decided Murmei was somehow best suited to become a blacksmith and turned an ordinary axe into an axe that makes you blind when you carry it, even if you're dragging it behind you on a rope. He also only narrowly missed out on taking permanent corruption during the forging, and wasn't keen to have another go making another perfectly usable weapon useless - despite both Valgai and Elindra thinking it would be great to have a blacksmith in the party.
It was basically a good old-fashioned dungeon crawl, and there's more where that came from!
Breaking plots since 2002!
We're still stuck inside some kind of witch's circle thingy and trying to find our way out - supposedly by finding some tricky questions and their answers. Apparently some questions we might come across aren't the questions sought, they're just there to trip you up.
There was a tree with an axe in it. Nearby we found a really old guy who kept ranting about demons. Maybe we were demons too? We were supposed to attack him, but instead managed to calm him down long enough to hear that he was a demon hunter who had sealed a demon in the tree with the axe. An artifact axe he was bonded to, in fact, and as he was aging, the seal keeping the demon in was getting weaker. He was having a heart attack at this point, but we Medicated him and let him rest ... and read his diary. And investigated the axe.
Setting fire to the tree didn't work ... so we chopped it down. Didn't seem to stop the tree from still displaying signs of possession, but the old geezer could no longer sense it, so we figured we'd probably killed it or something. Later, the guy showed signs of being in much better health than he had been, in fact he kind of looked years younger, but that MUST be unrelated and not at all a sign of demonic possession ... right?
We later came across what we thought was an unusually large troll, but turned out to be a sleeping giant. Murmei woke him up to speak with him, and wasn't horribly murdered in the process. The giant was suitably entertained by some stories of our adventures (although less thrilled by the rusty flute-playing) and gave us a few pointers on how to proceed with our quest.
There was a tree with an axe in it. Nearby we found a really old guy who kept ranting about demons. Maybe we were demons too? We were supposed to attack him, but instead managed to calm him down long enough to hear that he was a demon hunter who had sealed a demon in the tree with the axe. An artifact axe he was bonded to, in fact, and as he was aging, the seal keeping the demon in was getting weaker. He was having a heart attack at this point, but we Medicated him and let him rest ... and read his diary. And investigated the axe.
Setting fire to the tree didn't work ... so we chopped it down. Didn't seem to stop the tree from still displaying signs of possession, but the old geezer could no longer sense it, so we figured we'd probably killed it or something. Later, the guy showed signs of being in much better health than he had been, in fact he kind of looked years younger, but that MUST be unrelated and not at all a sign of demonic possession ... right?
We later came across what we thought was an unusually large troll, but turned out to be a sleeping giant. Murmei woke him up to speak with him, and wasn't horribly murdered in the process. The giant was suitably entertained by some stories of our adventures (although less thrilled by the rusty flute-playing) and gave us a few pointers on how to proceed with our quest.
Let's have a pre-emptive NOPE
The making-a-rat-drunk experiments continued, but we eventually had to let the little fella go. If there was poison in that wine, at least it wasn't meant for rats.
As luck would have it, we could now finally start our journey into Davokar! You know, the thing we were supposed to have done ten sessions ago but got side-tracked when Murmei was put into protective custody.
On the very short road leading into the forest, we found a small camp of witchfinders. The wine was mentioned. They took one look at it and said it was very bad mojo indeed. There was darkness in those bottles, make no mistake. As they knew what to do with said cursed liquids, we gave them the rest for safe disposal, while we continued into the forest.
We were attacked by a Skullbiter named Steve, and after much deliberation decided not to attack the group of them we found a bit further away, because while we could take down one of them (somehow, it has stupid levels of armour) we couldn't guarantee the same with a whole group. When it was killed it turned into a pile of earth with a piece of a runic spear in it. Interesting.
Near a place where it was fabled a dragon had been taken down ages ago, there seemed to be a witch's circle protecting the area. Somehow we ended up in a bubble of sorts, by a cottage occupied by a ghost we decided to call Rafe. Apparently in order to get away from there, we'll have to come up with some very tricky questions and the answers? We ... we might be stuck for a while.
As luck would have it, we could now finally start our journey into Davokar! You know, the thing we were supposed to have done ten sessions ago but got side-tracked when Murmei was put into protective custody.
On the very short road leading into the forest, we found a small camp of witchfinders. The wine was mentioned. They took one look at it and said it was very bad mojo indeed. There was darkness in those bottles, make no mistake. As they knew what to do with said cursed liquids, we gave them the rest for safe disposal, while we continued into the forest.
We were attacked by a Skullbiter named Steve, and after much deliberation decided not to attack the group of them we found a bit further away, because while we could take down one of them (somehow, it has stupid levels of armour) we couldn't guarantee the same with a whole group. When it was killed it turned into a pile of earth with a piece of a runic spear in it. Interesting.
Near a place where it was fabled a dragon had been taken down ages ago, there seemed to be a witch's circle protecting the area. Somehow we ended up in a bubble of sorts, by a cottage occupied by a ghost we decided to call Rafe. Apparently in order to get away from there, we'll have to come up with some very tricky questions and the answers? We ... we might be stuck for a while.
You are defeated, I have the moral high ground!
As it was a bank holiday we convened earlier and started by playing The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle Earth boardgame. We did not succeed with our mission, sadly.
Then we went into the edges of Davokar, pretty much, on the hunt for the escaped gargoyle. We found it - or it found us - and it decided to attack Elindra. She got two permanent corruption for her trouble. Fortunately we had given that seed to the witch in a previous session, which she had grown to a tree that can remove permanent corruption, so she's "only" on one now.
The engagement between Murmei and Elsiosi Garlaka went ahead, and she left town with Murmei's mum. Not before trying to convince Murmei that Elindra is just a mercenary who doesn't really care about him and would turn against him as soon as someone else paid her more than he did.
As a parting gift Elindra and Valgai were given bottles of expensive wine, as a thank you for looking after Murmei. Valgai re-gifted one of the bottles to Elsiosi's brother, who was visibly uncomfortable by it. HMMMM. The party decided to try the wine on a rat, but all that happened was that the rat got drunk. Did that mean the wine wasn't poisoned, or was it maybe a human-only poison somehow? Because even Murmei finally had to admit something fishy was going on with his future wife.
Then we went into the edges of Davokar, pretty much, on the hunt for the escaped gargoyle. We found it - or it found us - and it decided to attack Elindra. She got two permanent corruption for her trouble. Fortunately we had given that seed to the witch in a previous session, which she had grown to a tree that can remove permanent corruption, so she's "only" on one now.
The engagement between Murmei and Elsiosi Garlaka went ahead, and she left town with Murmei's mum. Not before trying to convince Murmei that Elindra is just a mercenary who doesn't really care about him and would turn against him as soon as someone else paid her more than he did.
As a parting gift Elindra and Valgai were given bottles of expensive wine, as a thank you for looking after Murmei. Valgai re-gifted one of the bottles to Elsiosi's brother, who was visibly uncomfortable by it. HMMMM. The party decided to try the wine on a rat, but all that happened was that the rat got drunk. Did that mean the wine wasn't poisoned, or was it maybe a human-only poison somehow? Because even Murmei finally had to admit something fishy was going on with his future wife.
All in all you're just another dwarf in the door
Another dwarf lady showed up on our doorstep only to murder herself. This time Murmei was present and could do a live translation. Not that it really helped, because she was having a go at Valgai for not having left yet and reiterated that the old Symbaroum king is after him.
Meanwhile, the future Mrs Murmei has been found to potentially be an assassin. Her last two tutors have gone missing, never to be seen or heard from again. Her lovesick would-be future husband was undeterred - he just thought it made her sound really cool.
And that's when a couple of bodies were found in the street, and things took a turn from there. Especially as a third one was later found as well ...
Meanwhile, the future Mrs Murmei has been found to potentially be an assassin. Her last two tutors have gone missing, never to be seen or heard from again. Her lovesick would-be future husband was undeterred - he just thought it made her sound really cool.
And that's when a couple of bodies were found in the street, and things took a turn from there. Especially as a third one was later found as well ...
Oh, what's a noble ball?
So Mother Dearest has arrived, and there's a ball to celebrate and everything. Two thirds of the party used said ball to scout from the rafters or from the floor, trying to find clues about the owl mask guy.
The remaining third was introduced to the two options of potential spouses. One was a merchant's daughter and thought adventuring was beneath a noble, plus she was terribly boring. The other was an alchemist and right up Murmei's alley, because she also didn't mind nobles adventuring.
Soooo ... end result: owl mask guy wasn't found, and Murmei's now head over heels in love with what is obviously Miss Trappy McTrapface. Fortunately the other two party members decided to be suspicious of Miss Too Glaringly Perfect, 21 and still unwed.
The remaining third was introduced to the two options of potential spouses. One was a merchant's daughter and thought adventuring was beneath a noble, plus she was terribly boring. The other was an alchemist and right up Murmei's alley, because she also didn't mind nobles adventuring.
Soooo ... end result: owl mask guy wasn't found, and Murmei's now head over heels in love with what is obviously Miss Trappy McTrapface. Fortunately the other two party members decided to be suspicious of Miss Too Glaringly Perfect, 21 and still unwed.
Heeeeeeeeere's MOMMY!
We had a look below the floor boards and found some interesting-looking items. They're a bit necromance-y but ... who cares? We almost forgot to check somewhere else, much to the GM's dismay. When we did find the thing, it turned out to be a hole in the floor. Below it was a magic circle made of mosaic, which might have been active for centuries.
And then the inevitable happened: Murmei's mother arrived in town, and she was NOT happy. Why had her son not advanced? Why had he not had a bath? Which of the two girls she'd brought with her will be the next Mrs Vesuvion? Find out on the next The Ambrian Bachelor.
And then the inevitable happened: Murmei's mother arrived in town, and she was NOT happy. Why had her son not advanced? Why had he not had a bath? Which of the two girls she'd brought with her will be the next Mrs Vesuvion? Find out on the next The Ambrian Bachelor.
You can't have Hugh Jackman as a familiar
We decided to go all SWAT team on the cultists. There was a mage abomination and a vindictive demon. Those things are no more, because we're pretty good fighters, actually.
It had to be maggots
In this thrilling instalment, Elindra was ambushed. It turned into Valgai also being ambushed and them killing a bunch of people before they had a chance to kill them. Maggot bomb spells were thrown, and it was gross and painful.
They caught a survivor and decided to interrogate him, while another of the survivors had legged it through the south gate. Murmei eventually was helpful in getting to some messages that were found, and another link to Ravenia was discovered.
Plot, thickening, and so on.
They caught a survivor and decided to interrogate him, while another of the survivors had legged it through the south gate. Murmei eventually was helpful in getting to some messages that were found, and another link to Ravenia was discovered.
Plot, thickening, and so on.
This is how Game of Thrones started
Exploring the burned remains of the cultist hideout, Elindra found a chest. A chest which she cut open and found some letters relating to the Blight Council. It's complicated.
She later went clothes-shopping with Valgai, who pretended to be her dad, because surely we all need to look our best if we're to have an audience with Baked Alaska Nightpitch, the ruler of Thistle Hold? Murmei and Nightpitch seemed to ever so slightly bond over not being keen on Murmei's mum arriving. She apparently wants Nightpitch to organise a ball.
We also made inquiries into who the burned-down building belonged to, and it turns out it's a noble in Ravinia - a.k.a. the duchy (or whatever) that the House Vesuvion estate is in, and Murmei's dad often goes to the capital city. So this is all connected??? Scheming nobles, cultists, Davokar, and everything else?
In a bid to avoid his mum's insistance on him getting married, Murmei had the brilliant plan that he and Elindra could get hitched (in name only) because if he's already married when his mother shows up, she can't insist on him marrying someone he doesn't even know. Elindra wasn't as keen on the idea, despite the fact she'd automatically become quite rich, but on the other hand, as Valgai kindly pointed out, marrying a Changeling would probably result in Murmei being disowned anyway ...
She later went clothes-shopping with Valgai, who pretended to be her dad, because surely we all need to look our best if we're to have an audience with Baked Alaska Nightpitch, the ruler of Thistle Hold? Murmei and Nightpitch seemed to ever so slightly bond over not being keen on Murmei's mum arriving. She apparently wants Nightpitch to organise a ball.
We also made inquiries into who the burned-down building belonged to, and it turns out it's a noble in Ravinia - a.k.a. the duchy (or whatever) that the House Vesuvion estate is in, and Murmei's dad often goes to the capital city. So this is all connected??? Scheming nobles, cultists, Davokar, and everything else?
In a bid to avoid his mum's insistance on him getting married, Murmei had the brilliant plan that he and Elindra could get hitched (in name only) because if he's already married when his mother shows up, she can't insist on him marrying someone he doesn't even know. Elindra wasn't as keen on the idea, despite the fact she'd automatically become quite rich, but on the other hand, as Valgai kindly pointed out, marrying a Changeling would probably result in Murmei being disowned anyway ...
There's one such thing as coincidence
We're still in Thistle Hold. Elindra has a great plan to avoid getting mind-controlled by the Symbaroum king again, which probably won't work and she might end up wiping the rest of the party. As she came to discover the cellar where we found the flayer in a previous session was part of some ancient Symbaroum ruins. Maybe the whole town was built upon ancient Symbaroum ruins?
Valgai decided to play politics and have the domestic servant clean the house in order for Murmei's mum and her entourage to have somewhere to live when they arrive, while he and Elindra stay in an inn somewhere. He probably has some kind of blood-based tracking spell on him, but doesn't currently want to remove it for strategic reasons.
Murmei stayed in his tower learning to summon a fire elemental into the armour - and succeeded! He now has a pet, and proudly told everyone what he's calling it. Whether or not it can speak is yet to be determined.
Oh, and the place where Elindra had seen the cultists go in and out? It burned down, and she didn't do it. Plus some dude in a tree house inn was curious to know more about when Murmei's mum was arriving. Curiouser and curiouser for sure, and we're no closer to actually starting our Davokar expedition either.
Valgai decided to play politics and have the domestic servant clean the house in order for Murmei's mum and her entourage to have somewhere to live when they arrive, while he and Elindra stay in an inn somewhere. He probably has some kind of blood-based tracking spell on him, but doesn't currently want to remove it for strategic reasons.
Murmei stayed in his tower learning to summon a fire elemental into the armour - and succeeded! He now has a pet, and proudly told everyone what he's calling it. Whether or not it can speak is yet to be determined.
Oh, and the place where Elindra had seen the cultists go in and out? It burned down, and she didn't do it. Plus some dude in a tree house inn was curious to know more about when Murmei's mum was arriving. Curiouser and curiouser for sure, and we're no closer to actually starting our Davokar expedition either.
We clearly don't have enough enemies
In this gripping episode, Valgai started to train the city guards (they clearly need improvement) and Elindra went undercover to try and find out more about the cultists lurking around Toad's Square. They are up to something, planning an attack. Nefarious creatures.
Murmei, locked up in a tower like Rapunzel, had a mysterious visitor - a man in noble clothes, wearing an owl mask, promising glory and whatnot ... but the problem is that he was trying to recruit Murmei of all people ...
The session ended when Valgai had a knock on the door. A dwarf woman came to the door, said some words in foreign, stabbed herself in the guts and died ... and turned into smoke. Her words were a warning from the old king of Symbaroum: "I'm coming for you."
Murmei, locked up in a tower like Rapunzel, had a mysterious visitor - a man in noble clothes, wearing an owl mask, promising glory and whatnot ... but the problem is that he was trying to recruit Murmei of all people ...
The session ended when Valgai had a knock on the door. A dwarf woman came to the door, said some words in foreign, stabbed herself in the guts and died ... and turned into smoke. Her words were a warning from the old king of Symbaroum: "I'm coming for you."
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