Lights in the Darkness

General ACKS Forums Actual Play
#13

So, this entry deserves some mention, I think.

First and foremost, we get a third voice (beside mine and the Oswald's player). We'll get another voice with my next journal entry.

Anyway, during character generation (5 characters, 3d6 in order), Zephyros' player had some hot virtual dice. This particular set of statistics included a high intelligence and an 18 Charisma. Without hesitation, the player picked a mage who subsequently took Mystic Aura and Diplomacy. A reaction roll monster was born.

Many times over the past forty-four sessions, I've wondered if this combination should be nerfed. In a future campaign, it will, but I've let it stand. Some of the most memorable encounters and NPCs have only been possible thanks to Mystic Aura and modified 12+ results.

No journal entry captures it, but in the adventure just prior to the beginning of the first journal entry, the characters randomly encountered bandits in the swamp. I wasn't sure how it was going to play out: the "heroes" were terribly outnumbered, wounded, and out of spells. A lucky dice roll, however, and the bandits were best friends with Zephyros. The company made it most of the way to Froxhall, guarded by a large number of bandits intent on raiding traffic on the road to Carlton.

In a sandbox, you can't plan scenes like that. I have no idea if the other players remember that episode, but I sure do!

Anyway, thanks to the trap sprung by Oswald that mortally wounded him and Zephyros, Zephyros picked up some terrible scarring that gives him a penalty on reaction rolls. I've ruled that the penalty doesn't impact reaction rolls with beastmen; given that I reskin most humanoids into humans, the penalty is still a stiff one for a character built to "own" reaction rolls. The player, after some initial frustration, not only used it to inspire a great journal entry but also calls attention to it often in the course of play.

Another note is that I almost never roll any of the dice. A trick I picked up from Harley Stroh at GenCon a few years ago is making the players roll all the dice. Not only does it ensure that the dice always "fall as they lay," it also helps keep everyone engaged. If I'm rolling dice, it's usually to keep the pace quick rather than wait on someone to click on their dice macro (and then it's still in the virtual open).

#14

Ah, the "making the players roll all the dice" is certainly not my favorite feature of the campaign, I just dont like the feeling of rolling against the other players...

The Makerite Church on the other hand is one of the most enjoyable aspects and if I would start a new campaign myself I would implement something similar! 

Just as the rest of society the Makerite church feels as if its in decline: Hampered by the lack of funds, support and manpower out in the field and paralyzed with internal power struggles and protocol in the larger cities. Over the years it seems as if they lost quite a lot of secular power and to recover that is one of the main ambitions of my character.

#15

Having passed many hours of both my undergraduate studies and subsequent leisure time reading about the medieval church – not to mention countless more hours playing Merchant Prince, Darklands, and similar games – I have never understood the aversion to monotheistic religions in fantasy RPGs. The politics can be so delightful.

#16

 

As Hardrada mentioned, the rolling for the monsters does keep players engaged, especially via Roll20. I think it also speeds up play - we are clicking buttons whilst the GM can be focusing on outcomes, options and what’s up next. I’ve managed to avoid emotional entanglement so far - but I’ve yet to make any of us roll on the Mortal Wounds table....

The monotheism also removes the easy common enemy (although there were crusades weren’t there?), leading to lots of delightful infighting and moral quandaries. I find it very ironic that our Warden (Cleric) is far more of a zealot than our Axiomar (Paladin). Osric is very Catholic in his approach; Zelik is much more personal in his relationship with The Maker

#17
February 2015
 
THE COMPANY
 
Maurice "the Muscle" de Granville, a Dreaman Fighter of Weanople
• Athelwine, a Geating Hunter (Normal Man) of Acworth
 
Orhan, an Alfarn Spellsword
 
Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden
• Urien, a Weallack Oblate (Normal Man) of Carlton
 
Oswald, a Geating Fighter
 
Zephyros, an Ellasene Mage
• Ansger, a Dreaman Fighter
• Dudda, a Geating Thief
 
From the Papers of Osric de Mandeville:
 
LETTERS TO THE PATRIARCH – Part 1
 
“… and there is barely a faithful soul to be found in these lands where uncaring lords reign while barely giving lip service to the one true church.”
 
Osric rose from his desk to take a short break, stretching and walking around to regain his focus and get his blood flowing. The Maker did not create him to read and write all day; that much was clear to him. Later in the day, Osric hoped to visit the collapsed study with Urien, but now he needed to return to the letter, even if he would rather do some exercises to get the frustration of the whole situation better under control.
 
Back at the desk, Osric continued to write about his travels: the strange well to which he was teleported, the undead-infested ruins where he met some of his current companions, and the horrible tree under the earth. He made a note to himself that he would return one day once strong enough to cleanse that place... He wrote also of the lord of Froxhall who cared more about his own research then his people and of Colbert the dutiful teacher of Froxhall's study who struggles to keep the faith alive in a forsaken village on the edge of civilization.
 
He recorded Colbert's stories about heathens and disgusting frog cults in the neighboring villages, adding his own observations from his visit to Taygle's End: “…there we found to our surpise that the study wasn’t abandoned at all! Someone lived there, claiming to be a warden of the Maker. If he was speaking the truth was hard to say: he certainly wasn’t all too hospitable, but the same could be said about the rest of the town. Certain is only that this would not be my last visit there. If he turns out to be some heretic -- or even a cultist in disguise -- I will make sure that he gets his well-deserved punishment, protection from the local ruler or not.”
 
Looking at the parchment, Osric noted that his writing certainly did not rival that of a monastic scribe, but reflected that it was high time for a visit to the damaged study. So, he rose and fetched Urien, his new understudy who was making remarkable progress in studying the teachings of the Maker. Osric was certain he was no material for a warden -- he predicted that a single, well-executed punch in the stomach would probably down him for a day or two -- but he thought the young man would make a fine canon one day soon.
#18

I love the sub-plot of Zaphyros and the scarring. That's top notch. I hope he gets Restore Life and Limb soon!

#19

February 2015

THE COMPANY

Maurice "the Muscle" de Granville, a Dreaman Fighter of Weanople

  • Athelwine, a Geating Hunter (Normal Man) of Acworth

Orhan, an Alfarn Spellsword

Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden

  • Urien, a Weallack Oblate (Normal Man) of Carlton

Oswald, a Geating Fighter --> Mortally Wounded!

  • Demoleon, an Ellasene Thief

Zephyros, an Ellasene Mage

  • Ansger, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Dudda, a Geating Thief
  • Guilbert, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Xenocrates, a Dreaman Mage

From the Papers of Oswald the Gray, a Geating Fighting Man:

ACCOUNTING AND REPTILE-MEN

Finally, we decided on a plan. We sold all our loot and used the money to hire a group of mercenaries, rent a boat, and buy plenty of supplies. This took a lot of time, in part due to a long debate in regard to boats (buying one, commissioning canoes, or renting one). Also, I hired a henchman called Demoleon, an Ellasene thief.

Afterwards, we returned into the swamp, staying away from both Froxhall and Taygle’s End, resting on a wooded island in the swamp instead. Thanks to Athelwine, we found a quicker path to the menhir. With the river current pushing us into the swamp, the journey was only two days instead of three.

Arriving on the island, we fortified our camp and rested for the night. The next morning, we reconnoitered the southern half of the island to make sure there were no hostile settlements and perhaps find a better harbor. Instead, we found: a) centuries-old ruins made of marble and alabaster, b) a copse in which firs and cypresses grew, and c) a second menhir on a low hill, similar to what we found on the northern half of the island. In Froxhall, there are two standing stones as well, which raises the question whether such stones were usually built in pairs, or if that is just a coincidence.

Before we were able to investigate the menhir, though, Orhan spotted several possum-men running from a second copse behind the menhir, followed by some giant beings. We quickly took cover, but to no avail: the giant beings spotted us, and three of them moved in our direction. The fourth continued to hunt the possum-men that fled northward.

We retreated into the copse with the fighters forming a battle line, and the mages preparing spells in the second line. When the beings came closer, we saw that they were green-skinned, as tall as two men, one standing on the other’s shoulders, had two pairs of arms and two pair of eyes each, and looked somewhat reptilian. They immediately threw javelins at us, which luckily missed. In return, our mages were able to charm two of them, while Maurice and I attacked the third. The reptile-man managed to smash my chest before an opportunistic attack of Demoleon -- (who only closed in when the already badly wounded monster seemed temporarily distracted) -- finally killed (and looted) the monster.

Luckily, Osric’s henchman Uriel is a healer, and he knew prayers of curing. Thus, I survived the ordeal with just a minor scar on my chest and in dire need of some rest.

Meanwhile, Zephyros found a language which he and the giant reptile-men could converse, and he started interviewing them. They told us: that they were scouting the swamp; there was nothing dangerous in the swamp (except for us, they laughed); that their tribe has more than two members; and the tribe lives somewhere to the south of where we encountered them.

Since the reptile-men are too large to fit into the tunnels beneath the menhir, we find ourselves at a loss regarding what to do with them and how to proceed. We are unwilling to simply let them go as they could easily kill all our mercenaries. We are halted now to consider our options.

#20

Great stuff! Looking forward to more.

#21

March 2015

THE COMPANY

Maurice "the Muscle" de Granville, a Dreaman Fighter of Weanople

  • Athelwine, a Geating Hunter (Normal Man) of Acworth

Orhan, an Alfarn Spellsword

Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden

  • Urien, a Weallack Oblate (Normal Man) of Carlton

Oswald, a Geating Fighter

  • Demoleon, an Ellasene Thief

Zephyros, an Ellasene Mage

  • Ansger, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Dudda, a Geating Thief
  • Guilbert, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Xenocrates, a Dreaman Mage

From the Papers of Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden:

EXPLORING THE ISLAND: RUINS AND RATMEN

With our new four-armed allies, we returned to camp where Oswald and Maurice recovered from being mauled by the giant that resisted the company’s spells. Early the next morning, we resumed our exploration of the island, all being fully well again.

First, we returned to the menhir where we encountered the giants and explored the stone, but there was nothing special about it. Afterwards, we searched the nearby ruins, which were similar to the one we found further east – save that they were occupied by a flesh-eating willow tree. Quickly, it was hacked to pieces and turned into a bonfire. When searching the vicinity, we found the remains of the willow’s victims, among them a venturer who carried wine and many coins.

Still, our group’s greed was not yet sated, so we pressed on in our exploration. Further into the ruins, we found a doorway in a half-buried wall, the portal sealed by a large stone block. Being unable to open it by conventional means, we finally resorted to brute force. This caused the stone to fall, almost smashing Oswald and Maurice. Within the chamber beyond, we found four tusks which we decided to bring along for eventual sale.

Shortly afterwards, we confirmed that we were on an island in the swamp: there was water all around us. We also confirmed that the swamp was not deep to the southwest, allowing one to wade to another island. Feeling invincible (or just getting jaunty), we decided to press on, stumbling into a swamp crocodile lair. Only a quick sleep spell prevented us from becoming dinner.

We spied some movement on the other island, with metal glinting. We shortly discussed whether or not to attack, but finally decided to retreat and watch. For supper, we took some crocodile meat with us, and Zephyros took some crocodile leather for shoes. From our hiding point, we saw some widdigmen approaching, investigating the crocodile lair. Since they did not continue to our island, we retreated to our camp, where we sampled the wine and called it a night.

The next morning, explored another ruin south of the island we had spotted earlier but not investigated. We found an area with two giant frog skeletons, pink grass and some primitive (and abandoned) shelter. Inside, we found only a holy symbol and prayer beads. Afterwards, we went west to explore the new island with the widdigmen.

Zephyros managed to convinced the widdigman gang-leader, Long-nose, that we were friends (without using magic). While talking with him, we learned that the widdigmen do not like the four-armed giants because they consider the widdigmen as food. Also, we learned that the widdigman chieftain is rich. We asked for an audience with the chieftain, a condition to which Long-nose agreed. We needed to convince one further widdigman leader to be allowed into their stronghold. We also learned that the stronghold was prepared for the widdigmen’s preferred hit-and-run tactics, with barricades, cover for archers and slingers, and similar improvements.

#22

What monster did you use for the flesh-eating willow tree? We need more flesh-eating plant monsters in ACKS.

#23

Alex wrote, "What monster did you use for the flesh-eating willow tree? We need more flesh-eating plant monsters in ACKS."

Since two of my players are regular forum readers, I'm leery of posting too many details about a foe they may meet again. Suffice it to say that I took the creature from a third-party DCC module.

The company is about to return to the area where they encountered the willow-tree monster in question, so perhaps we'll see another, more detailed description in a future post!

#24

April 2015

THE COMPANY

Maurice "the Muscle" de Granville, a Dreaman Fighter of Weanople

  • Athelwine, a Geating Hunter (Normal Man) of Acworth

Orhan, an Alfarn Spellsword

Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden

  • Urien, a Weallack Oblate (Normal Man) of Carlton

Oswald, a Geating Fighter

  • Demoleon, an Ellasene Thief

Zephyros, an Ellasene Mage

  • Ansger, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Dudda, a Geating Thief
  • Guilbert, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Xenocrates, a Dreaman Mage

From the Papers of Oswald the Gray, a Geating Fighting Man:

MASSACRE AT THE POSSUM-MAN CAVES

So, we found ourselves at the entrance to the Possuman Caves. We debated among ourselves and with the possum-men on how we might gain an audience with their chieftain, Big-arm, but the possum-men were not fooled. Only Zephyros alone would be allowed to enter. Long-nose entered to bargain on our behalf, and we waited. Maurice played dice with some of the guards, while the others just waited and counted the number of possum-men in the area (several score, at the least).

Finally, Long-nose returned and pleaded for Zephyros to enter. Zephyros suspected a trap and tried to convince some of the possum-men to ally against the possum-man chieftain, but to no avail. It seemed that Long-nose had a bad reputation, and his gang soon fled the scene, though Long-nose remained.

At this point, we decided that a more forceful entry was in order. Our group stormed the entry, slaying possum-men left and right. We charged through a long tunnel to a larger cave, and there we met resistance which our four-armed giant lizard allies soon swept away in a rout. While the rest of the group pressed on, pursuing the fleeing possum-men before they could regroup, Demoleon tried a second door. It was locked, but he managed to open it. He disappeared beyond the door, hoping for treasure behind.

The remainder of the group stormed a second cave, from which a possum-man beating a great gong sounded an alarm. In this chamber, we encountered a large barricade, but despite it, the possum-men defenders were soon put to flight once more. Here, the group split, being attacked from several directions: Oswald and Osric halted to mop up a few lagging possum-men while Zephyros and Orhan were ambushed from a small passage to our right and Maurice charged forward into a further passage where he met a large, four-legged beast with a filthy maw and covered in natural armor.

#25

May 2015

THE COMPANY

Maurice "the Muscle" de Granville, a Dreaman Fighter of Weanople

  • Athelwine, a Geating Hunter (Normal Man) of Acworth

Orhan, an Alfarn Spellsword

Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden

  • Urien, a Weallack Oblate (Normal Man) of Carlton

Oswald, a Geating Fighter

  • Demoleon, an Ellasene Thief

Zephyros, an Ellasene Mage

  • Ansger, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Dudda, a Geating Thief
  • Guilbert, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Xenocrates, a Dreaman Mage

From the Papers of Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden:

MASSACRE IN THE RATMAN STRONGHOLD

[While the company prepares the guard roster, Osric sits down to write in his small journal:]

After being told to wait for an audience with Big-arm, Maurice started gambling with some of the possum-folk who guarded the main entrance. Word eventually arrived that their chieftain was willing to speak with us, but only one, our scarred captain, Zephyros, was to be allowed an audience with his rattishness.

After a quick discussion, we disregarded that idea and tried to convince some of the small ones to start a coup d’état. Sadly, their cowardice was more persuasive than our appeals, and some just decided to run away…

The group decided against further idleness and instead chose to press forward, much to the chagrin of Long-nose, whose knowledge of what would follow put tears of desperation into his beady little eyes. He proved to be prophetic: the bloodbath that followed will truly be well-remembered. The snot-nosed little beastmen fell by the dozens under our onslaught as we pressed deeper and deeper into their warren.

Mace, sword and arrow managed to dispatch these sniveling abominations with ease. Maurice especially gave them no quarter as he led the charge against the possum-men with righteousness and valor. Even when we found ourselves separated on different fronts after breaking their resistance in the second large room, he handled the situation remarkably well. These filthy little creatures unleashed a giant armadillo in their efforts to turn the battle by brute strength and numbers. But, they all perished, and we decided to use their barricade to protect ourselves while resting, treating our wounds, and giving me the chance to pen these words.

This place here seems to be an old temple of some heathen goddess of fertility. We certainly must make sure to explore this place more thoroughly. Who knows what else might be buried under the refuse of these ignorant creatures?

Now I should also write about these four-armed giants that Zephyros “convinced” with his mind tricks to join our cause.

There is no best way to describe these two brutes. For the casual observer, they would be nothing more than four-armed, green-skinned reptilian abominations clad like the barbarians of the mountains, wielding scavenged swords and axes. Yet, after sharing the company of these savage beasts for a few days, watching their behavior and fighting prowess, one is hard-pressed to not be impressed. Their lust for battle is remarkable and their kin seems to be well-known by the widdig-men. Their behavior is crude but proud, and they seem to put great stock in their combat ability.

Not without reason! While their strength is still no match for the likes of Maurice the Muscle, their four arms and size give them a huge advantage in hand-to-hand combat where they seem to enjoy singing what probably amounts to battle hymns while slaughtering the terrified vermin who live in these tunnels. This really makes me wonder if the Maker in all His glory decided to give these savages some resemblance of culture, or if they just mock what they might have seen of Mankind in ages past.

Now its time to rest, not to ponder. I would be surprised if these sneaky rat creatures do not try something when they think our guard is down, so I better get some sleep while I may.

#26

Wow, you rank up their with Omer (golan) for interesting races in your world. Great stuff. 

I like the questioning as to whether the lizard-warriors are sapient or not. 

#27

I cannot take any credit for creative monster creation. Better just to say I prefer to reskin existing creatures or prioritize less well-known foes over bog-standard high fantasy!

#28

June 2015

THE COMPANY

Maurice "the Muscle" de Granville, a Dreaman Fighter of Weanople

  • Athelwine, a Geating Hunter (Normal Man) of Acworth

Orhan, an Alfarn Spellsword

Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden

  • Urien, a Weallack Oblate (Normal Man) of Carlton

Oswald, a Geating Fighter

  • Demoleon, an Ellasene Thief

Zephyros, an Ellasene Mage

  • Ansger, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Dudda, a Geating Thief
  • Guilbert, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Xenocrates, a Dreaman Mage

From the Papers of Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden:

THE STATUE AND PRISON OF THE RATMAN STRONGHOLD

“The rats indeed came back for more!” Osric adds to the journal with a little smile on lips before continuing to write down the events that followed.

“These rat-men really dared to disturb our rest but were spotted just in time. The fight was swift and brutal, and Maurice engaged half a dozen on his own before I joined him in the righteous punishment of these sniveling little beasts. The other front towards the large hall was dominated by our four-armed assistants and Zephyros, but it took a while to get them out of all the little hiding places before silence once again spread through these noisome halls. We decided to pull back into the large room after we made sure there was nothing of value on the recently slain.

While our retainers cleaned up the larger hall to further improve our barricade, we took the chance to examine more closely the large statue. The statue depicts a woman sitting with a staff and pomegranate in hand. From her back, a set of swan wings are visible, and there are also swans at her feet making her look rather regal for a heathen goddess. In front of her was a blackened altar, and behind that we found the remains of a woman. She might have died here fighting, but we cannot say for sure. It didn’t look like a sacrifice of some sort, at least, but closer inspection of her belongings netted us a small vial filled with a magical oil of some sort. After rummaging through the rest of the room, pushing the brazier over, closing all the large doors and removing the solid copper staff from the statue, we eventually found a hidden stash and drainage under the altar. There we found three silver sacrificial weapons: two curvy daggers and a pomegranate-headed mace of wondrous make! Quite a find I have to say; I am sure Maurice will make good use of this weapon. "

And with that Osric put the journal away to prepare for another, hopefully undisturbed, rest.

More follows an hour later when Osric finds some time to write in the journal once more.:

“The rats returned just as we were preparing for another foray. Their ambush was short-lived as the group ran away after the first died by a well-placed arrow in his ugly little face. They were even gracious enough to leave a hostage behind for us to interrogate!

The western door, where we encountered the giant ironback before, leads to a prison of sorts where the enemies of Bigarm are held. Apparently, some of these little cowards were holed up in there as well, so we stormed the narrow tunnels without aid of the large giants. It wasn’t much of a battle, but there was one enemy of note: their witch doctor. This nasty little creature had an aura of doubt and disgust about him with his sickly green glowing eyes, making it hard to face him directly, but the Maker made me see right through his foul magic! The second hit with my mace broke his skull, and he ceased to whisper his sorcerous blasphemy immediately.

There was a range of prisoners: two caravan guards, a canon and his man-servant huntsman, a Dwergar soldier, a weird-looking beastman with a horse’s head, and two widdigmen who say they are enemies of Bigarm. Moreover, there was a plethora of females with their young who apparently tried to seek shelter in the cells.

We swiftly went back into the large hall, and I had a brief talk with Godric the canon before we decided to tackle the eastern doors next."

#29

October 2015

THE COMPANY

Maurice "the Muscle" de Granville, a Dreaman Fighter of Weanople --> Mortally Wounded!

  • Athelwine, a Geating Hunter (Normal Man) of Acworth

Orhan, an Alfarn Spellsword

Osric de Mandeville, a Dreaman Warden

  • Urien, a Weallack Oblate (Normal Man) of Carlton

Oswald, a Geating Fighter

  • Demoleon, an Ellasene Thief

Zephyros, an Ellasene Mage

  • Ansger, a Dreaman Fighter
  • Dudda, a Geating Thief
  • Guilbert, a Dreaman Fighter --> Mortally Wounded!
  • Xenocrates, a Dreaman Mage --> Mortally Wounded!

(NPC) Agapetos, a Beastman of the Sunken City, a Liberated Prisoner --> Mortally Wounded!

(NPC) Fraegr, a Brimman Adventurer, a Liberated Prisoner

  • (NPC) Mauger, a Dreaman Warrior, a Liberated Prisoner

(NPC) Godric, a Geating Canon, a Liberated Prisoner

  • (NPC) Emyr, a Geating Hunter (Normal Man), a Liberated Prisoner

(NPC) Haakon Halfdansson, a Brimman Sailor, a Liberated Prisoner --> Mortally Wounded!

(NPC) Henryk, a Dwergar Sellsword, a Liberated Prisoner

From the Diary of Urien of Carlton, a Weallack Oblate Attached to Osric de Mandeville:

THE EAST WING OF THE RATMAN STRONGHOLD AND THE END OF BIGARM

We pushed into the right-hand part of the lair after a short skirmish with the creatures who emerged from that side just when we finished our rest.

We found another statue of the “swan lady” and a trap that made us fall asleep when crossing the room. Luckily, no ambush followed, and we moved forward till we came to a chasm with a bridge guarded by a handful of the creatures.

We charged across the bridge as they tried to cut the rope. They were no match for our warriors, and the other side was secured without difficulty. Then, they used a hidden entrance in a side room for a foray against our rear, but Maurice and one of the giants drove them back quickly. In their eagerness to press our advantage, however, they pushed too far forward, resulting in their separation from us when the door closed.

It took us too long to puzzle out the trick of the doors: twisting three pairs of statues to face their mates. When finally we stormed into the chamber beyond, our companions were bloody corpses, and we do nothing to save them. It must have been quite a shock for Osric: I saw the anger in his eyes: he was very proud of his strong friendship with Maurice. The Muscle will be missed.

We were chasing the creatures away when we were attacked by an animated drop-front desk and a candlestick holder! The rest of the room was just as strange. Two cauldrons were in the room’s center: one flaming brightly as it emitted an oppressive heat and another filled with a clear fluid in which floated sparkling motes of light. When we dropped something into the flaming cauldron, the whole room darkened in a strange way. When we did the same with the clear one, a strange chest appeared above the pool. We then rested a bit and found many destroyed books and a heavy chest under something that must have been Bigarm’s ragged throne. We decided to rest soon, but wished to first secure the next room.

It was a bad mistake! They were waiting for us. Guilbert and our other giant fell in the resulting fight. We successfully withdrew and managed to hole up in the big room again.

Something about Osric concerns me. He was not healing our wounded in the morning and was rather evasive when I asked him about that. I wonder what happened? Is the Maker angry with him? But why?

We moved out again and destroyed the bridge, cutting the bridge on our side before returning to the weird chamber. We encountered no opposition in the next room where Guilbert fell. Zephyros concluded that it must have been a magical laboratory in light of a weird glass bell or dome suspended under the ceiling, a mirror on rails (that we covered up just in case), and many strange runes on the wall. The remaining exit led us through a secret door into the former crypt of the temple complex, or so we suspect. There remained many “traps” where people fell under strange spells, but we discovered as much only later after the final fight against the remaining warriors and Bigarm himself.

Bigarm and his last band of followers ambushed us in the tunnels, employing “stored” magical effects to attack us while trying to place a wedge between the front of the party and the rear using small side passages. Xenocrates and Haakon fell in the ensuing battle, and horse-headed Agapetos nearly lost one of his eyes. In the end, we managed to kill them all, however! Fraegr and Mauger even fought at the front this time, quite a surprise for otherwise rather shifty individuals.

We cleaned out much of the remaining complex now and certainly will continue tomorrow as well. We now have to think of how we can move all these goods over the treacherous swamp back to our camp on the island to the north. We will see if the widdigmen who stayed outside will attempt anything, but maybe we can work out something with “Strongsmell” and “Splitclaw,” the two Widdigman warriors that we freed in the prison.

I am slowly beginning to suspect that something is wrong with Osric. He fights differently than before, much more recklessly! Might it be the sacrificial mace we found, and that he took from Maurice? I do not believe anything else has changed otherwise. Thinking of it, I heard no prayer or verse from Osric since we lost the last giant, but it was pretty chaotic, so maybe I just missed it.

I pray we return to Hewflore soon.

#30

Oh no! Maurice "the Muscle" de Granville died. That's awful. 

What character has his PC adopted in lieu of Maurice?

Sounds like Osric has been cursed and changed alignment. Doubleplus ungood.

 

#31

Unfortunately, Maurice's player departed the campaign after that session. It's a hard time zone for North American players, and I don't know that my judging style is up to maintaining interest when the sessions are often a month apart. I think it was a good excuse for him to drop out. The long-haul players are all, perhaps not coincidentally, fathers with small children.

More to follow regarding Osric!

#32

Sorry you lost a player, always a bummer. Looking forward to more updates!