Game log for 24 May 2015

Dramatis personae

Mayhem, pint-sized human barbarian of the Dragon Claw Clan (Chris)
Caleb, human wizard of the Order of the Sun (Chris)
Kipóssibēl, aka Kim, human thief (John)

Comitans

Kúflaug, orc slave (NPC)
Yémos, human cleric of Dōsaútōr, goddess of wisdom and magic (Eric, absens)
Anêr, human swashbuckler (Eric, absens)

Quid occurrit

The gang went back to the camp with the hobgoblins they nabbed in the dungeon. Péllē the slaver said she didn't know how much more she could give the heroes for the hobgoblins. Anêr cleaned the bat shit off his armor, and everyone waited until the next morning to go back down in the mines.

The next morning had clear skies, which means it was a great time to go into a dank dungeon. This time, they kept away from the halls with the bat guano, and walked around the spear trap before checking out the room where, twice before, they had fought hobgoblins. None were in there now. Kim checked the door to this room, and found that it lacked a lock; she had hoped it might work as a base. The gang went down the hallway to the stairs, but right before the stairs, Kim saw that the wall on the left of the hall was smoother than wont. She started dusting away the door and pressing it when everyone heard footsteps on the stairs.

Kim, Yémos, and Caleb turned fast enough to see two lizard men walking around the corner. The lizard men hissed at the heroes, then charged at them, though not before Kim missed them with an arrow. Both slammed Mayhem, though both bounced off him. Behind them were four hobgoblins with longbows and halberds, who got ready.

Yémos cast Shield on Anêr, while Caleb stepped forward and cast Acid Jet scald someone once he was ready enough. Anêr snapped aware, and rushed forward to try to stab the big snout of one of the lizard men. Alas, his rapier didn't get through the scales. Kúflaug also snapped to the ready, and moved forward. Kim tried to pull out an arrow quickly, but she dropped it. Mayhem tried to chop down on one of the lizard men, but it parried him. However, the lizard man's club didn't go through to bop Mayhem, while Anêr's rapier blocked the shot of the lizard man who tried to strike him. Two hobgoblins stepped behind the lizard men, while the other two shot at Kim and Anêr. Anêr got out of the way, but an arrow hit Kim in her shoulder.

Yémos crept up, while Caleb's Acid Jet got a splash on the lizard man before him. Anêr stabbed the snout of the lizard man near him, and it dropped to the floor, howling as he ached. Kúflaug stepped forward and made a wild swing, but he missed, as he always does, while Kim got out her next arrow. Mayhem slammed his axe into the lizard man still standing, who only stood there afterwards. The lizard man on the floor smacked his club into Mayhem's leg, and the hobgoblin bowmen pulled out more arrows. The two with halberds struck at Mayhem and Anêr.

Yémos and Caleb stepped up, Caleb getting an Explosive Fireball ready. Anêr again stabbed the lizard man in the snout, but it still stayed up long enough for Kúflaug to put his axe into his body. The blow felled the lizard man, making Kúflaug the Rob Deer or Adam Dunn of Settēséttē. Neither Kim nor Mayhem could do anything to the hobgoblins with their shot and strike, and so the hobgoblins withdrew. Caleb, however, scorched a one with his Explosive Fireball, while Anêr ended the life of the lizard man on the ground. Caleb ran around the corner and threw a Blast Ball at the fleeing hobgoblins, dropping one, before everyone got back to the hidden door.

Res aliae

I rolled against Kúflaug's Axe/Mace skill as we were winding down, and it was a failure. As any Call of Cthulhu player knows, that was a good thing: it meant I bumped up his Axe/Mace skill.
Another short session. Eric wasn't there, so I helped John get his character sheet in order. John did come up with a good idea for a quirk that I wanted to share, since I had to make it at least a bit disadvantageous so it would be a quirk.

Kim is a stickler for having an orderly backpack. Now, this would normally be a perk, since having an orderly backpack would let her get things out of it faster. (I'm shaving off a second from any rolls for a long action.) However, any time she has bothered with her pack, like putting in loot, she takes more time, and I get to check for random encounters, at least down in the dungeon. In the wilderness, I should do something else like make her waste a half hour of the gang's time.

I did get through making sure Caleb and Kim had enough backstory to be in the game world. In short, John and Chris made sure we knew whence and when came Caleb (from Kerváron about 25 years ago) and Kim (from Mīstássun, I think something like 20 years ago), and a bit about how they gained their mad skillz in magic and thieving. Well, come to think of it, I'm not sure I asked John how Kim learned to steal, but I gather she's a street kid grown up or something. I think that's a good minimum: how old is he, where was he born (and where did he grow up, if that's elsewhere), and how did he learn to be a murder-hobo. If someone moved up or down the social ladder, that's a good thing to know as well.