Game logs for 31 August and 14 September 2018: Run to the hills

Dramatis Personae

Xóran, fox-man scout
Kim, thief
Mayhem, short barbarian
Ash, squire
Grymálkus, whiny cleric of the war god
Caleb, wizard
Áttikos, holy warrior of the sun god
Kôštē, cleric of the farming goddess

Quid occurrit

Knowing they may be fighting a werewolf, Mayhem harvested three bundles of wolfsbane.

Then the gang went south to Mīštássun. There, Kim stole a silver-coated large knife at Mayhem’s behest.

After the short pit stop, the heroes set out to find the wolf man, but instead wandered to the hobbit village of Kīkídzā. The hobbits in Kīkídzā were frightened of everything. The wolf man struck there many years ago and has been coming back every so often ever since.

While in Kīkídzā, Áttikos looked to the sun for foresight, and had a sight of the wolf man and someone the size of a hand flying around him.

The gang spent the night in the village and left at dawn. This time, they made it to the sinkhole and saw a wolf below. The wolf watched them. Xóran shot it, and the arrow hit the wolf but did not hurt hum. Mayhem dropped a bundle of wolfsbane down the cliff wall, and the wolf backed off before kicking dirt onto it.

After chatting among themselves to see what to do next, they came to an insight: against a werewolf, with almost no silver weapons, they could do nothing. As such, they chose to go north into the hills to find the ogre and his sword.

First, they went back to Mīštássun, where they spent the night. Áttikos woke up with the flu, but Kôštē cured him, and the gang set forth for Rēláištiš. On the way, two men warily walked toward them, and said, “Can I help you with anything, friend?” Xóran said they were headed up north, and the men passed. In Rēláištiš, Kim sold some captured armor and weapons. The day after that, the gang went to the Dragon Claw Clan's winter grounds, and bought winter clothes for half off.

The next morning, they set forth for the Áos Hills. Mayhem, wanting to make quick time going north, led the gang east for the Sarkērrêne River, as walking along it would be easier than walking through the hills. They made it to the river near the end of the day, then started up it the next morning.

Late the second afternoon, they fought two wolpertinger—a flying hare with antlers and big teeth—and beat them easily, though Kim did shoot Xóran in the back. However, as soon as nobody was looking, the bodies of the wolpertingers’ vanished.

On the third day, having gone as far north along the river as they cared, they turned back west, hoping to stop at the Zúbrās Mining Company where Caleb, Mayhem, and Kim had worked in the summer. On the way, they stumbled on a gutted deer carcass. That night, they saw a campfire a few miles back to the east, not far off the path they had taken inland.

The next day they reached the mining camp, and found the outskirts empty. Áttikos tried to look to the sun for answers, fails. Meanwhile Mayhem, Kim, and Xóran snuck towards middle of camp and saw armed orc and goblin patrols, lacking slave collars.

Looking for answers instead of trouble, Mayhem chose to try to find the campfire they had seen the night before. They made it within sight of where they had camped the night before when a husky man with an unkempt mustache and a spear stopped them. “Who are you?”

Caleb smirked. “Who are YOU?”

The hunter snorted. “I asked you first.” After an awkward silence, he kept going. “Are you guys hunters?”

Mayhem grinned. “We can be.”

The hunter raised an eyebrow. “You’re not from the mines, are you?”

Caleb shook his head. “No, but we were there this summer.”

Áttikos stepped forward. “Are you from the mines?”

The hunter shook his head. “I wouldn’t go there. I think there’s a slave uprising.” He went on to say that the uprising had been going on for a few days, as he had heard the din when he was hunting near the mining camp. The hunter and the heroes then let each other know that both had seen each other’s campfires the night before.

Now wanting to know more, Kim, Xóran, Áttikos, and Grymálkus went back to mining camp, with Kim and Xóran hanging behind the other two by a safe gap. Áttikos and Grymálkus watched what the orcs and goblins were doing, which was arming themselves with crummy weapons that the kobold batmen were handing out. The thought that the slaves would send a raiding party somewhere for more gear.

It was right about then that three orcs spotted them. As the heroes backed off, the orcs turned and fled. Áttikos got off a parting shot, but it didn't get through the orc's armor.

The heroes made it back to where the others were waiting. The hunter told them that the slaves would either make for the Sarkērrêne River and head south along it, or maybe hit Fort Rénnutēs first, which was only about five miles to the south. Then he left to make his camp elsewhere.

The gang didn't want to fight about 70 armed slaves, so they chose to go back on their quest, but first went south to Fort Rénnutēs. A short old man opened the gate, and Xóran asked him if they could come inside. The man instead told Xóran to get lost. Mayhem and Ash said that there was a slave uprising at the mines and that they might head south, and the old man slammed the door in their face. "Then get away from here!"

The camped near the fort. Nobody came out to tell them they couldn't.

Res aliae

This is two session reports together, 31 August and 14 September. As you can see, there wasn't much fighting, but instead some world exploring. John, who plays Kim and Ash, was in the hospital on 31 August with a pesky cellulitis infection; he played on 14 September, and we came to the aftercare facility to do so. After our experience gaming with Chris at Walker Methodist ("They're playing Dragons and Dungeons. It's hilarious! They keep going to all these motels."), we're happy John will only be there a few weeks, and, best of all, checking out on his own two feet.

And, thanks to Roman posting game info on a Facebook group for information about maces and warhammers, we might have another player the next time we play, which should be some time in October. (Looking at an orc archer.) We'll be playing Rifts on the 30th; Steph (Mayhem) wants to GM a one-off scenario he's had in mind for some time. I understand I'm playing a rogue scholar, not my crazy, which I'm sure will be to the relief of some others at the table. (He's crazy in, ah, uncomfortable ways. I'm sure I'll blog about it some time. It's much more interesting to me than the powers he has, something I'll have to check.)