Saturday 1 July 2023

Winter is but a Metaphor to Warn Men that the Coming Cold has Many Forms (Session 199)

 SESSION 199: Poop and other Undesirable Things

Shifting through the poop for loot and then ascending once more to the light. Returning to the ferry and then crossing the Blood River. 

This time to explore to the north. Moving along the river a foreboding twisted mixed forest loomed to the west.

Day 91 – Continued (13.20-0503à12.20-0704): Well what do you do when a poop pile, perhaps decades in the making, sparkles? Well hobos go digging for corn…er loot. Steve and Gurn not only found a bevy of undigested gems but each incurred a rot grub to boot. The girls pointed out that the grubs were not the only reason they don’t root through mountains of feces but certainly contributes. 

Further along the twisted passage ways of the behir lair our gang finds the treasure chest slightly singed and battered form the ages. It was in the clutches of another long dead loot hunter. Perhaps, we should be a little appreciative towards the behir for not allowing the treasure map to be a bust. 

There was a king’s ransom in ancient coin. Steve loaded it into a sack threw it over his shoulder and with a new greater sense of leadership led the way out of the labyrinthine cavern. Satisfied the hobos made their way out of the chasm and double timed it back to the ferry site just in time for early supper.

Day 92 – Clear(12.20-07.04/0604/0603à12.19-0608/0607/0606/0605/0504): The day started out nice. The exploratory band make up was adjusted and the revised gang once more took the ferry across the Blood River on way to the next hex to the north. Late morning the group encountered a 14’ tall giant of ‘stony’ complexion. The giant known as Carl had a hefty sack and was open to dialogue. The longer the ‘little people’ pestered him the more irritated he became until he demanded tribute. After some deliberation on how to be the best possible cheapskates, Sasha presented a small pouch of gold and a tiny gem. Carl accepted her payment and declared she had paid sufficiently – “NOW the rest of you little people pay up!”. The very idea of everyone paying something in the order of 75 golden pieces was an offence our hobos could not tolerate. The toll would be paid in blood. Carl dropped his sack and took his massive stone club in two-hands and charged the bulk of the party – “I’m going to squish you little people like bugs”. After which he turned around and swung his club in a giant sized arc. Biff was creamed. He was lucky enough to get his shield up but the force still broke his arm and sundered his enchanted buckler. He fell to the ground as his compatriots swarmed Carl and showed him that he may have the guns but they had the numbers. Carl’s sack was not as full as it had appeared from a distance but there was still lots of coin and a few other interesting things. 

Pressing on the mob entered the target hex (12.19). A black forest loomed in the central portion of the hex. It was decided to move along the edge that more or less coincided with the river. A couple of miles in an altar to a twisted frog-like thing was discovered. Mason declared it to be ‘Evil!’ and so Sloth smashed it. This resulted in the unexpected. A gaunt black and fiery horse appeared above Mason intent on opening up his dome like a ripe melon. After the surprising appearance of the black partially ethereal steed, that was solely intent on killing Mason, a rider began to materialize astride the foul equine. Yup, there was a fight timer before things got worse. Unfortunately for the nightmare even with it flickering between dimensions we had some heavy hitters in close range. The demonic horse could not stem the tide and by extension its rider could not get to this world before the steed was dispersed in an acrid cloud of smoke. It was getting late and Mason really wanted to make sure that the altar was desecrated properly so camp was set. 

That evening it appeared as if a wind was moving through the trees around the camp and yet there was no wind. This unnerved the first watch but they could not definitively say that there was danger. Things became clear during the second watch as a tree, a large tree, seemed to now be present overlooking the camp. 

“Was that here earlier?” “ahhhh..” 

“Ho-ho-hum what do we have here hmmm? Wanderers in the woods it would seem. Who has old Bent-Stick discovered?” 

It was a talking tree a treant to be specific whom had come to the conclusion that the hobos warranted further investigation rather than immediate smashing. A slow moving dialogue was engaged. Bent-Stick was a guardian of order in these lands that were ripe with chaos. His influence greatly diminished over the many many seasons as dark things pressed wit never increasing intensity. He warned of ‘The Watcher in the Woods’ before fading back into the forest. 

“If your labours, and labours they shall be, come to a successful conclusion man will once more propagate in these lands pushing back the shadow and I can return to the North for more than just winter” his voice fading into the blackness of the forest. “A guardian…” mused Sasha. The rest of the evening passed without interest but the morning had something in store. 

Session 200 would start off odd.

 

ROLECALL 

Carla the Green High Priestess of TMB (C9) 263154 xp +10% <300001> CRT 1d12/III

            Scars: permanent loss left index finger and scarring on arm

Bimbles the High Priest of GSS (C9) 240055 xp +5% <300001> CRT 1d12/III

            Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed arm

Hobo Steve the Superhero (F8) 238505 xp +5% <240,001> CRT 1d24/V

            Brain Damaged: reduced mental capacity (tough night on the town)

            Touched from Beyond the Grave (Sloth): Eating disorder (x2 food) -5’ mve

            Blessing of Orcus (Consumption -1 CON)

Rahgnar the Dwarven Superhero (D8) 197250 xp <280001> CRT 1d20/IV

            Serious wound: permanent loss of an eye (-1 to missile fire)

            Critical Wound: disembowelled less able to process poison (-1 penalty)

            Missing thirteen teeth  

Raul the Voyager (MD8) 211197 xp +10% <240000> CRT 1d12/III

            Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4, 

Removed one of his own nostrils.

Boris the Dwarven Lord (D9) 326721 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d20/IV

Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -3, carved up face

            Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed arm

            Wound: Bad leg (-5’ MV)

            Multiple Injuries: lost 25 teeth (7 remaining), drools a lot CHA -1

            Serious Injury: Brain Drain -2 INT                               

Ding-We the Peg-Legged Sorcerer (W9) 425762 xp +10% <470001> CRT 1d10/I

            Critical Wound: Left leg obliterated, runs at ½ rate (peg required)

Bunny the Thief! (T9) 212637 xp <280001> +10% CRT 1d20/II

            Light wound: permanent loss of pinky finger, off hand

Ramrod the Cloned Magsman (T8) 142868 xp +5% <160001> CRT 1d20/II

             Serious wound: Bad Back (-1 stone CC)

            Scars: Neurological damage to hip, noticeable limp (-5’ mve)

            Missing eight teeth talks with a lisp

 

            The Henchmen

Saffron the Mad Fairy Queen of Ribbits (FY7) 154405 xp <200001> CRT 1d10/III

            Moderate wound: Scar on abdomen

            Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed guts

Sloth the Bopper (L7) 151868 xp +10% <178800> CRT 1d20/IV or 1d6/G (vs. s, m)

            Mental Illness: Mummy-a-phobic

            Missing ten teeth

Nara the Nearly Naked Purple Swami Girl (PS7) 89078 xp +5% <125000> CRT 1d16/II

Wraith Drained: -1 CON

Biff Bartley the Half-Orc Blackguard (HO7) 97862 <120000> +5% CRT 1d12/II

Lasting injury: Crushed spinal column -6”H, -5’mv, -10% thieving

Sasha Plasha the Warden (R8) 111702 xp +10% <200000> CRT 1d10/III

‘BOB’ the Deadly Shade (N7) 64817 <90000> +5% CRT 1d16/II

Felix Ignatius Hemlock the once skeletal Sleuth (I7) 47017 <80001> +5% CRT 1d16/II

Mason the Canon of Yrrrg. (C6) 49538 <50001> CRT 1d10/III

Charles in Charge the Myrmidon (F6) 53085 <64000> +10% CRT 1d16/IV

Critical Wound: Punctured lung (-2 CON) 

            Mostly DEAD. (-1 CON)

Gurn Hammerhand the Dwarven Swordsman (D4) 16327 <17000> +5% CRT 1d12/III

Wendul the Magician (W6) 42429 <80000> 5% CRT 1d8/I

Dolec Da the Hero (F5) 35726 xp +10% <64000> CRT 1d20/IV

            Missing five teeth

Camillus the Myrmidon (F7)  70711 <120001> +5% CRT 1d20/IV

Willy the Reformed Burglar (T5)  16031<20000>10% CRT 1d14/II

Brett & Jermaine Kobold Cooks Extraordinaire 

 

RESERVES

See petrification tracking below.

Elapsed Campaign Time

539 days at beginning of session (also applies to recuperation) 

Join us for session Two-Hundred!!! when we ask the questions:

What is with all the giants?

How far North is that treant going?

Just how dangerous is the westside of the Blood River?

Furthermore, what evil lurks in the heart of the thick forest before us?

Tale of the Tape

Biff dodged a permanent crippling at the loss of an ancient shield of some notoriety. 

Camillus, Bob, Charles and Felix continue to be lawn ornaments for the Basilisk Knights.

Ding-We and the other nerds enter a second round of furiously brewing enough potions to resolve the above problem.

 

Exploration

Location hex: 13.20à12.20à12.19

KILLS

Rot grubs (2) 

Stone Giant 

Nightmare 

LOOT

26000gp

Gems (18): 2190 gp total

+1 sword

Scroll: Protection from elementals

Potion of super heroism

Scroll: Web, suggestion

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