Lockdown 6.0 / Game Dates

Hi chaps,

Melbourne is in full lockdown again. Has been for a month or so. Will be for at least another month or so. We even have 9pm curfews again.

So, the good news is my diary is pretty available for games, mornings or nights (with the exception of Claire's birthday weekend.

Do these work for you at all?

18 / 19 Sep

25 / 26 Sep

2 / 3 Oct

9 / 10 Oct

I think our time zone changes again on October 3, which brings us one hour closer together again so after then might mean we get a longer session in?

Or, given that I have FA to do anyway I'd be happy to stay up late on a Saturday or get up early on a Sunday if that helps?

Twixt and Twirl

After washing up the dirty glasses and plates in the kitchen, Rifkin wanders back into the warm and well lit living room, wearing the flamboyant magical hat found in the Beer's cell. He's also brandishing one of the brightly coloured, magical feather tokens twixt his thumb and forefinger.

"I've surmised what these feathers can do and ascertained how they work! If you write a letter down on paper, you can use these to magically send it to whoever you want, wherever you want, as if by a super, super quick courier pigeon. All you need to know is the name of the person you want to receive it. The more information you provide, the better but you don't need an actual address. The summoned bird will simply know where to go! We could send word to anyone, anywhere! Sir Briefadel, if we find the Dryad pool, each-other, if we ever get lost or even this Thornberg individual that the Three-Quarterling was corresponding with! We could write anything to anyone we know of and it'd get there safely and as swiftly as any fleet or tireless bird could!"

The Elvish Bard stops and beams at you all, truly pleased with himself before artfully rolling the wide brimmed, rainbow-coloured hat down his arm and spinning around in a theatrical twirl.

"Also, can I have this lovely hat as my half share of the magical treasure?"

War Zone

Sitting cross-legged on the floor and reading by the warm light of the lit fireplace and several oil-lamps, the four adventures spend several more hours eating snacks prepared by Rifkin and studying the murdered Three-Quarterling's notes and journals.

These notes reveal several answers to some previously confusing issues...

The first being; why was the hidden garden so poorly defended? The Howl seemed frightening but only survived Arowe's initial onslaught due to magical bolstering and fell soon after anyway. The tiny Scorcion seemed more like a squeaky, mentally challenged cheerleader and the Three-Quartering himself, despite his defiance, hardly put up a fight at all!

The answer was luck. Pure dumb luck!

A plan of the hidden garden, shows all the rooms (including secret room) of the underground but cosy cavern complex, the layout of the garden and magical pool, the long winding mountain path entrance and the denuded woodland area immediately surrounding them.

There are several colour shaded in areas, each expanding outward in rough circles, covering larger and larger territories. They are all labelled 'War zones' but with the dates advancing along with the zones increasing size.

These zones appear to be the ever expanding, ranging territory of the 'War'. A hybrid Wolf/Boar. A voracious, omnivorous, apex predator.

Due to it's large physical size and even larger appetite, it has driven off all the natural animals and consumed the majority of edible vegetation.

Liga Bur had noticed some of the damage on the way in but dismissed it as probably the work of a regular passel of wild boars. The Halfling shakes his dreadlocks. He'll make sure to pay much closer attention next time.

This discovery solved two of the Three-Quarterling's problems; The War naturally deters nearby animals from wandering within the magical pools calling sphere of influence and, as hybrid animals are averse to attacking other hybrid animals, this gives any new-born hybids a greater chance of early survival.

The Party must have fortunately missed the War's irregular patrol.

Some connected notes also explain why the Three-Quarterling was keeping the terrifying Beer in the cells. It was a standby replacement just in case the War was killed.

The zone has become quite large over time and there is no avoiding travelling through it, regardless of whichever way you decide to head.

Fortu and Arowe look to Liga Bur... Will they be so lucky again?

Module 2

Validation Unlocked

Excellent, my needy desire for validation has been sated and we're all onboard for further adventures in Fissa!

In response to your kind words and affirmations though...

David: You're quite right; 5th level for Fighters is a horribly dead level. Fortu barely gets anything: +10 HPs, +1 to Hit and +2 Skill point. Next level (6th) though is great! I consider that the entry to being a 'Mid-level' character in D&D.

Assif: I really like Arowe. His specific story arc seems to be about personal growth. From his prior cossetted perception of golden heroics to experiencing the much grimmer reality. He's a character with lots of options: Two-weapon swashbuckler? Long distance sniper? Light-footed outrider? 

Scott: I'd love to know what your original reply said but I'm just pleased you're still enjoying the game. As a versatile Ranger Liga Burr is far from useless and probably has the most interesting backstory... What happened to his original Halfling parents and who/what were those supernatural, red-eyed creatures that decimated his adoptive Orc tribe? 

This does seem like a good time to take a small break however. I've got some thoughts but need to pad them out and write them up. I'll start this week and let you know when I post 'Module 2' up. At that point, Scott can start searching for a date that suits everyone in August/September?

Any hints at what you're planning to do would be much appreciated though... Will the Party head back towards Scar Burrow or Koenig's hidden hut? Will they use the new map to search for the sinister looking, blackened tree? Will they try to discover more about the mysterious and probably important Thornberg? Or, as Scott noticed, try to find the Dryad pool that Sir Briefadel was actually really searching for?

Also, It'd also be useful if you three could divide up the magic and send me copies of your 5th level character sheets before the next session.

Also, also, I made an error on the Experience post. Everyone should have a bit more as I forgot the 'Original Posts' and 'Comments' bonuses. I'll add them on in the next few days.

Thanks again Boys and see you soon!

:D

End of the Road?

Hi Boys,

It's been over a year since we started this on-line adventure together and hopefully you've all had a good time.

Three really funtastic/fantastic heroes, hopefully interesting settings, encounters and scary opponents!

As for me, I've probably become a little over-invested. It's been a great distraction from all the worries and stresses in my life but I do pour a fair bit of time to it. Time I really should be investing in other more productive areas of my life.

That said, I do get a fantastic thrill out of it but mostly in making you boys laugh and giving us a fun reason to stay in touch. 

The difference I've noticed in this on-line campaign compared to the in-person' 'Cottage-of-Doom' ones is your freedom to choose different options. With the solid, every-three-months, weekend sessions, I could only prepare so many choices without derailing the story. With the monthly, three-hour sessions, I can follow your characters in whichever direction you choose to go.

More 'Sandbox', less 'Railroad'.

Assif has done a great job with keeping us tech-linked up and doubling up as 'Player' and 'Camera man' (I couldn't have done it). David has been more helpful than he realises with driving the combats. Poor Scott though, has had to set the schedule as he's the busiest of us.

Was a target of four to six weeks between sessions too ambitious?

So what do you say? Are you three are still invested in the story and want to see what happens next? Does everyone still have the time and energy as the lockdown eases?

As a group, do we want to further the story? Should I write the next 'Module'? 

I do have a title worked out...

:)

Study Notes

With the fire banked and roaring, their stomachs full and their wine glasses topped up, the four adventurers rifle through all the letters, notes, sketches, maps and journals.

Their are only two maps. The first leading from the Three-Quarterling's cave to a large blackened and twisted tree. The second leading back towards Scar Burrow and showing Koenig's hidden forest base.

There are also only two sets of letters. The larger pile are all from Koenig, who you also knew as the Rat King. They are written in the secret language of the Druids and mostly indecipherable but Liga Bur recognises a few words from his training under the orc trackers from his tribe. 'Love', 'Father' and 'Son' are the most obvious but a few others also stand out... 'Poison', 'Humans' and 'Confict'. The second, smaller pile are from another Druid called Thornberg but unfortunately, Liga Bur can translate nothing additional from these.

The notes and sketches are obviously the result of years of observation. There are literally scores of self-portraits of the Three-Quarterling himself and drawings of the now dead Owl/Horse: Howl and Orc/Scorpion: Scorcion plus the very-much-alive Dog/Hawk: Dork.

Just by quickly scanning through, you soon find several dozen drawings of the horse-headed man you encountered a few days ago. 'Charlie-Horse', the Centaurs had called him. You also find references to the Cat/Raven hybrids: Cravens. One of which was brought down by Sir Briefadel's trained falcon.

Bizarre looking as most of them are, some of the other names make you laugh. A huge, powerfully built wolf-like creature with monstrous Boar tusks is labelled a War and an oversized rabbit with short curled horns, weird horizontal slit goat eyes and a long chin beard called a Grabbit.

The journals are mostly just sad and lonely diary entries but a few of them contain useful information about the groups' current situation.

'Normals are completely safe from the magical pools influence whilst within these cave walls but will be again vulnerable immediately upon leaving.'

'Even when a Normal has resisted once, that resistance will only last until the next sunrise.'

'When a Normal has resisted the strongest call of the pool thrice times, he is forevermore immune to its influence.'

Another entry explains why the Three-Quarterling was able to coexist with the Howl, the Scorcion and specifically, the terrifying Beer.

'Hybrids have an inherent understanding and sympathy for each other. Whatever their intelligence, they will never attack another Hybrid.'

Just then, Liga Bur's sturdy dog; Mir Hundur wanders in looking very pleased with himself. The creepy black remains of one of the loose Bat/Beetle: Battles, hanging limp from his mouth.