Dramatis personae
Caleb, wizard
Kim, thief
Mayhem, barbarian
Ash, squire
Kôštē, cleric (NPC)
Quid occurrit
The gang talked about setting out to Kerváron, but there was a downpour not long after leaving court so they chose to wait until the next day. Ash bought Kim three daggers. Such a romantic gift! Kim went looking for healing potions, and found two major healing potions. She bought those as well as three minor healing potions.
They turned in early at the Pantry that night. Arrūnús let them sleep in the kitchen to get out of the hubbub of the common room where they would typically sleep.
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| Would you buy a used Staff of Power from this man? |
The next morning, they set out. Again, in mid-morning, there was a downpour, which cut their time. After midday, they found a body off to the side of the road. It wasn’t a big body, and Kôštē couldn’t deem it a hobbit, a gnome, or a kobold. Worried, they walked back to the village through which they had just walked, Abrós Range. As it wasn’t a big village, the Lord, a man named Dúttōr with a big nose who rubbed his hands together as he talked.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure it was a kobold,” said Dúttōr when he heard about the body. Caleb held otherwise, but Dúttōr truly hoped it was a kobold. The heroes chose to get going lest Dúttōr try to sell them something.
Dúttōr may have been right.
The rain kept them from making it to Kerváron that day, so they camped along the side of the road, then set forth again that morning. Not long after setting out again, they saw seven small, wiry folks with big snouts. The kobolds didn’t look too happy, and four of them got out their bows. The heroes also got their bows and Blast Balls ready, and shot after the kobolds all either missed or bounced off Caleb’s armor.
Once the whole lot felt the burn of the Blast Ball, their leader shouted, “Kill the wizard!” The next volley for each side missed, and two sides got nearer, with the leader dropping his bow and moving to get into the fray.
The first kobold swung at Kim, who parried easily and landed a blow, though it didn’t get through the kobold’s armor. Ash and Mayhem didn’t land their wild blows, but Caleb’s Fireball got past a kobold’s shield. There was another swap of misses, and Caleb cast Lightning Strike. However, the three kobold bowmen all shot at Caleb, and not only did one shot wound him, but he lost his spell. Another kobold wounded Kim with his sword.
Mayhem, however, took out a kobold. The leader at last got to the fray, and swung at Caleb. Caleb dodged, but lost the Fireball he had cast but a second before. The bowmen, however, saw their fellow fall, so they broke. The others in melee kept fighting, not in a good spot to withdraw. Kim stabbed the leader from behind, while Ash smote another kobold, taking him down. Caleb fired up another Fireball, and kept it through the leader’s blow. Kim stabbed the leader again and he fell, while the last kobold in the fray bolted.
Not long after fighting the kobolds, it rained again. Nevertheless, they pushed on to Kerváron, getting there at midday. At the gate, Aišéš, a militiaman with blackened teeth, greeted Caleb: “I see you brought your friends this time."
First they went to see Caleb’s parents, Praílapsos and Būdûrus, and found out that “Caleb” had indeed stayed a night with them while the real Caleb was with the heroes in the swamp. His mother Būdûrus was mad at him for making a mess and leaving before saying goodbye, while his father said, “Sheep were disturbed."
Afterwards, they went to meet Lord Méldon, an elf who wore a white scarf around his mouth, who took them as help before they even asked to help. As it happened, not only had they had a strike from the kobolds, there was a strike from some ogres, who killed the mason and likely ate him. As the ogres and kobolds struck at night, the gang took the night watch with Méžalia, a Town Watchwoman with tattooed biceps. However, nothing happened that night.
They slept that morning, and got up at midday. Then, they went out of town, and Mayhem easily picked up a trail of ogre footprints, which led to the mud pits about a mile southeast of town. After prodding in the mud, they found a big cave. They went into the cave, and 200 feet or so, they found three sleeping ogres, and a deadfall that was their warning system. Everyone but Caleb and Ash ran back to the opening, and Caleb juiced up a mighty (6d) Blast Ball, which he lobbed into the middle of the sleeping ogres. Two of them woke up with a mighty yell.
Caleb and Ash, needless to say, ran. Once outside, the others ran with them, but the bigger, faster ogres caught up to them. As Mayhem’s chose not to run at a full gait, he turned to fight them once the ogres made it to them. One ogre, however, kept after Caleb, and knocked him forward with a mighty blow from his big club. Caleb reached for his healing potion, but passed out as he did so. Kôštē slowed down, and circled back to get to Caleb.
Kim and Ash turned around to help fight the ogres. The ogre fighting Mayhem gave him a mighty smite, which not only hurt Mayhem and knocked him back, it made him mad. Kim and Ash landed no blows to the ogres’ feet, while Kôštē cast Major Healing on Caleb, who kept sleeping.
The ogres smashed both Mayhem and Ash. Ash blocked the blow, while Mayhem took another smash, but stayed up. Kim and Ash kept trying to take out one ogre’s leg, and the ogre’s club went flying as he tried to parry Ash’s blow. Kôštē cast Minor Healing on Caleb, who woke up. Meanwhile, after a flurry of misses, Mayhem landed a blow, taking out an ogre, while the other ran. Mayhem snapped out of his rage.
Res aliae
We chatted a little more than wont at the beginning, but got some good playing later. I made use of the lair tables in the Ready Ref Sheets (pp. 39-42) to handle the ogres’ cave. I got to Tunnel Ends fast, well before the other die got to 6, which means they would have met the ogres, so the ogres were at the end, sleeping, which makes sense since they would be night pests owing to their racial Night Vision. They needed a way of warning, so I gave them a deadfall that Kim easily spotted.
Most memorably, the players decided that Lord Dúttōr was an oily man, and that he was a Mr. Haney-type. So now he looks like Mr. Haney, since I didn’t have an appearance listed for him. I had to watch a little Green Acres to get him right, since I only watched the show a little bit and only remembered Arnold and Eva’s legs.
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