The party escorts a dealer in exotic antiquities to the Gem of Elderia Wastes. We are playing Old School Essentials, which is another way of saying Basic D&D circa 1981.
The Party:
- Arrn, level 3 magic user
- Wumpus, level 3 dwarf
- Waverly, level 3 ranger
- Andrew Price, level 3 cleric
- Gordon Binghampton, level 4 cleric
Here's a quick summary of their hex-crawl exploration of the land of Jo'Ril as generated by HEXROLL.
We started this session with a 45 minute discussion/debate about the theological tenets of Gordon Binghampton's made-up religion. It started with Gordon Binghampton reporting to bishop Hedenna of Bazuul, the highest ranking authority in his religious order - the Temple of Lord Farthingham. He donated his extra gp and received information on the activities of an anti-nobility militia known as the Swords of Fire.
It turned into an exploration of what Lord Farthingham represents. Gordon Binhampton's player created Lord Farthingham as a joke deity - basically the god of elitism.
From Gordon's character bio:
Worship LORD FARTHINGHAM - Divine spirit of the Noble and Lordly. His primary tenants are to treat your equals with grace and dignity, ladies with honor, show care of your chattel and animals, and to ensure the peasantry doesn't starve.
Lord Farthingham rewards those who show proper etiquette and manners in social situations that involve the rulership of others, and is envoked for the successful conclusion to wars or to raise taxes.
The player has set up a system whereby he donates all his excess treasure to the local Archon (the ruler of a city-state, my setting's equivalent to a baron or count). The idea being that the noble-born ruling class were chosen by the gods of Law, and ordained by Lord Farthingham, as the only persons qualified to oversee wealth and property on behalf of the unqualified commoner, and that the wealth of the nobility will inevitably trickle down to benefit the common-folk. I had to check with the player to make sure this was, indeed, satire and not his sincerely held political belief.
I replied, in character as the voice of the bishop, "Let it be known that the one known as the Dungeon Master is doing his best to pretend to support these tenets for the benefit of the player, but the Dungeon Master personally finds this philosophy antithetical to his own." This got a laugh.
This led to Waverly's player getting involved with some world-building ideas intended to make the idea of Lord Farthingham more palatable, but Gordon's player pushed back. He didn't want to water down his biting satire.
I eventually had to intercede in order to get the session going.
Sidenote: I also complained that "Lord Farthingham" and "Gordon Binghampton" don't really match the pulp sword and sorcery feel I was hoping for with this campaign, but I didn't make a thing about it because it's ultimately the creation of the players.
They boarded a single-mast ship in Kömür and sailed down the river to Ever Reaching Tides. The ship's master was Captain Mere. They sailed along the Thousand Shrines Reef and I described what they could see on the shore - mostly wrecked ships and primitive fortifications. They journey was uneventful (good weather and no random encounters).
They arrived at Sigatona after sunset. Waverly's player suggested they forego spending the night in Sigatona and instead weigh anchor off shore. I rolled a random encounter of like 100+ buccaneers attacking in the night and let the players know that this was why ships didn't do that. The other players, not realizing what Waverly's player had suggested, said, "No! No! We'd dock in Sigatona and just not let the crew leave the boat." I said, "That makes more sense."
While in Sigatona, the party delivered several prisoners rescued from the Shrine of the Feared Order to their families in order to claim their rewards. One reward was far outside the city walls and it was after sundown. They would be able to leave the city but wouldn't be let back in. So Wumpus volunteered to take the prisoner home to claim the reward. On his return, he was locked out so he just decided to lean against the wall and wait for dawn.
Late in the night, Wumpus was harassed by a belligerent drunk who accused the dwarf of theft (a random encounter from the Cities sourcebook from Midkemia Press). Wumpus headbutted the lout and gave him the bum's rush.
With the coming of dawn, the rest of the party stalled Captain Mere while Wumpus hade his way through the city with haste.
The ship sailed along the Javelin Beaches to the city of Arkon, a journey of 10 hours, arriving mid-afternoon.
Lefsy gave them the afternoon and an entire day off as she made preparations for the expedition. The party was to regroup at the Unicorn and the Crying Queen Lodge in the Lower Common District outside the city walls at dawn the following day.
The party had their own business to complete in Arkon. They had learned from interrogating a member of the Black Saints that the leader of the Black Saints, Alviva Nadalberga, had gone to Arkon in search of a medallion belonging to Caloanna Aclebalda. After asking around, they learned that Caloanna was a physician in the Palace District.
On their way to the store, I rolled a random encounter - an assassin running through the streets (another event courtesy of the Cities sourcebook). I integrated it into the story by having a doppelganger being chased by an angry mob - they claimed that the doppelganger had killed the real Caloanna and took on her form and that the doppelganger fled when exposed.
The doppelganger ran into a nearby cooper carrying a barrel. The doppelganger took the form of the cooper and the two spun around. The players couldn't tell which was which. Except one held the barrel and the other didn't. They attacked that one and exposed the doppelganger by killing it. The doppelganger bore the secret tattoo of the Black Saints - three claw marks on a concealed body part.
Sidenote: In retrospect, I should have had the doppelganger still impersonating Caloanna in the shop and have the players figure it out by her lack of medical skills. That's the problem with randomly generated improvised emergent storytelling - I always think of better things later.
After searching the physician's home, they find a hidden diary revealing that the real Caloanna heard that the Black Saints were looking for the medallion, so she gave it to a friend, Wither Overi. While discussing the scene with the town guards, Elsaria and Hillinus - lots of great roleplaying happened - the party learned that Wither was the son of Tedesca the Barber.
They visit Tedesca the Barber and eventually convince her that they are trying to stop the Black Saints. She says that her son Wither took the Aclebalda Family Amulet to hide it in a safe place - the Caverns of the Grey Goblin located beneath a ruined fortress in the Dragonclaw Prairie. If the Black Saints were able to track Wither, then he was in danger and needed help. If he is able to hide it before they catch him, then maybe it was safe.
Tedesca explained that the amulet had belonged to the Aclebalda family for generations and that it was magical - it stored the memories of each wearer. One of Caloanna's ancestors was a wizard who had learned the secrets of summoning alchemical creator spirits known as demiurges. The Black Saints wished to use one such demiurge - Amanar - to transform themselves into Varongir - ultimate immortal warriors.
Unable to leave their current job, they bid her farewell and retreat to the Unicorn and the Crying Queen Lodge.
They spend the evening interacting and roleplaying with some guests and learn of another militia - the Hammers of Honor - who wish to abolish all arcane wizards.
They spend the next day purchasing personal equipment and supplies for their expedition and meet Lefsy the following morning. Lefsy had hired a wagon, two attendants, and two camp guards for the journey.
The expedition struck out to the northeast.
Hex 38 contained a giant statue of a head lying on its side as well as a coastal lighthouse. No random encounter.
Hex 85, a high plateau connected to the mountains in hex 84, contained a hut located between two rocks. Waverly the ranger spotted hobgoblin boot prints in the sand. After a short debate regarding whether to engage the occupant of the hut or not, they noticed that the tracks came no closer than 100 feet. They deduced the presence of a witch and moved on. No random encounter.
Hex 86, their destination, a recently built tower, unoccupied, near an oasis. They moved into the tower and settled down for the night.
The plan was for the expedition to spend six days exploring this area (hex) in search of the buried ruins of Eldaria, lost kingdom of the Elves, and excavating the relics within. I would roll for random encounters each day. They would retreat to the tower at night where they were safe from random encounters.
Day 1 - no encounter.
Night 1 - nice roleplay with Lefsy talking about the party's experience in the Tomb of the Serpent Kings. Lefsy said that she has gone in several times and found it abandoned - news for the players that the lich that dwelled within had moved!
Day 2 - encounter 4 orcs!
I rolled for reaction: 7, neutral, roll again in one round. The orcs study the group from afar.
The party carefully prepares for battle but does not instigate - watching the orcs.
I roll again: 8, still neutral, roll again next round.
Again, the party hesitates, making no move to become hostile or an attempt to communicate.
I roll a third time: 5, hostile warning, roll again next round -4.
The orcs make menacing lunges towards the party, trying to provoke a response or intimidate them.
With still no response, I roll a fourth time, this time -4: 3. The Orcs attack!
Sidenote: I later explained how that worked to the players, letting them know that I will apply modifiers based on their actions, but since they made no actions hostile or otherwise, I kept rolling.
The party wins initiative and spread out. Andrew Price casts Hold Person and two orcs freeze.
The party makes quick work with the remaining orcs and dispatch the magically held orcs.
By this time it was getting late so we called it a night. I told the players that doing nothing but orc random encounters was boring, so I'd prepare a small dungeon for next week.
I did some searching for a suitable orc lair in ruins and I settled on Shadows of the Bloodfang Orcs - an adventure for Shadowdark but easily converted to D&D/OSE.
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