Ben has created his own bit of Krorthar: the Islands of the Skull. Using my Solo system; this is an account of an expedition he ran today:-
15th Ator 352 S
Day one,
Static, Blood rush and Gash went into the tomb of Neb the 1st . Neb the 1st ruled on one of the islands of the Islands of the Skull and has had three sons since. Neb the 3rd currently rules and demands that they find the treasure that is hidden there in the Tomb. So they walk down the steps of the tomb to find a T shaped corridor they went down the left way to find a corridor curving to the left with a door but they left it alone. At the end of the corridor they came to a large room with a 3’ platform in the centre then suddenly Blood rush attacked a lizard folk Gash attacked the lizard folk next to Blood rush. But Blood rush missed so did Gash, Static used a shocking grasp on the lizard folk with Blood rush the creature was badly hurt but was still going it attacked Blood rush and only hit twice hurt Blood quite a bit but he was going strong, Gash got hit three times but not hurt much. Blood rush and the lizard folk fought but Blood didn’t do any damage but the lizardflok hit Blood twice didn’t do much to him then the other lizard folk struck Gash four times it wasn’t enough to k.o. Him and Gash fought back gave a mighty blow but it was not to its knees. Again the lizards attacked with speed and the 1st missed Blood the second missed Gash. Gash hit hard and brought the lizard to its knees. Blood static ZAPED the lizard and it was toast. There was no treasure on the lizards they preceded to a room with a grating floor; under the grating was an alcove nothing there so they went into a door next to them. In this room there was a “rock” which suddenly leaped at Blood. It looked like a spear with rabbit legs it stabbed Blood he was now badly hurt at which point they all ran. And rested for the night in the town.
Day two,
After a good nights sleep they went back in the tomb they opened the door with the “rock” in only to find it had moved it leaped at Blood again and stabbed Blood. little to Bloods knowledge he had been poisoned with the Grey Rot. Heroically Static leaped in the room and shocked the “rock” to death. Blood searched the room to find 900gp and a poison (he found this out by drinking it, it damaged him and he lost some Str, Dex, con and health.) they got out of this closet like room and went through the door opposite them when they entered a cloud of darkness appeared and 2 dark mantles came down and landed on Gash and Blood. Blood was getting constricted they all ran out of the room to where the grating was. Static tried to kill the dark mantles but he wasn’t strong enough to be able to kill them. So Gash and Blood rush died and Static retreated (ran away)
Sunday 21 December 2008
Thursday 4 December 2008
Horror in the North Tower
10th Ator, 352AS, Kularni
It was the dark of the moon in the month of Ator when Fluff and Smily’s assigned guard duty came round. They were joined by Whistler and two unnamed guards who wore red leather armour.
The tower was part of the Kularni town wall, but obviously was much older than the rest of the town.. A request from Whistler to take his horse with him had been turned down, but it was obvious that the ground floor was a stables of some kind. Climbing up to the next floor, they found a fireplace and some sleeping mats (sacks of straw). There was no firewood. A locked door was investigated but there was no way of opening it. They surmised it led to the top of the tower. A guard rota was drawn up and they settled down for the night.
Fluff awoke to feel icy claws at his throat and a hideous face leering over him, its jaws gaping. He rolled over and stood, yelling an alarm and grabbing his sword. Over on one side he saw the body of one of the guards, torn into several pieces. Another of the creatures stood there. A third leapt out of the shadows at Whistler and raked him with a claw; Whistler felt a burning sensation from the claws passing. He pulled his sword and stood, as did Smily and the other guard. “Ghouls”, the guard screamed, “may Vardu protect us”.
Fluff was clawed badly; he felt a horrible burning sensation spread from the wounds, freezing his muscles in vicious cramp-like spasms. Smily and a ghoul faced off, the ghoul missed but Smily’s sword bit deep. Whistler and the guard leapt forward to attack; Whistler struck a mighty blow and decapitated the ghoul that was about to feast on the paralysed body of Fluff. “Do these things stay dead?”, he yelled to the guard. But there was no answer; the guard lay in two pieces on the floor.
A desperate battle then ensued to stop the ghouls getting to Fluff, who was taking damage but was helpless to prevent it. Finally, Fluff collapsed, bleeding badly; Smily took out one of the ghouls but Whistler was bitten and paralysed by the other. Now it was down to Smily, who faced off against the ghoul. A superb blow, well hit, cleaved the ghoul in two.
Aftermath
Fluff and Whistler recovered from the paralysis, but Fluff was badly injured (below 0 hp!). The picked him up and pegged it from the tower. They couldn’t get out of the town as the gates were locked; but they managed to sleep at Janis’s.
(BJ’s note: The combat was played out in full by Ben and I. It really did go down to the wire; If Smily had failed to kill the last ghoul and it had got him………
All xp awards will be made at start of next session)
Edit: 19.12.08: The changes made to the way that hit points are now calculated means that Fluff got a little bit less hurt. He was still KO'd though.
It was the dark of the moon in the month of Ator when Fluff and Smily’s assigned guard duty came round. They were joined by Whistler and two unnamed guards who wore red leather armour.
The tower was part of the Kularni town wall, but obviously was much older than the rest of the town.. A request from Whistler to take his horse with him had been turned down, but it was obvious that the ground floor was a stables of some kind. Climbing up to the next floor, they found a fireplace and some sleeping mats (sacks of straw). There was no firewood. A locked door was investigated but there was no way of opening it. They surmised it led to the top of the tower. A guard rota was drawn up and they settled down for the night.
Fluff awoke to feel icy claws at his throat and a hideous face leering over him, its jaws gaping. He rolled over and stood, yelling an alarm and grabbing his sword. Over on one side he saw the body of one of the guards, torn into several pieces. Another of the creatures stood there. A third leapt out of the shadows at Whistler and raked him with a claw; Whistler felt a burning sensation from the claws passing. He pulled his sword and stood, as did Smily and the other guard. “Ghouls”, the guard screamed, “may Vardu protect us”.
Fluff was clawed badly; he felt a horrible burning sensation spread from the wounds, freezing his muscles in vicious cramp-like spasms. Smily and a ghoul faced off, the ghoul missed but Smily’s sword bit deep. Whistler and the guard leapt forward to attack; Whistler struck a mighty blow and decapitated the ghoul that was about to feast on the paralysed body of Fluff. “Do these things stay dead?”, he yelled to the guard. But there was no answer; the guard lay in two pieces on the floor.
A desperate battle then ensued to stop the ghouls getting to Fluff, who was taking damage but was helpless to prevent it. Finally, Fluff collapsed, bleeding badly; Smily took out one of the ghouls but Whistler was bitten and paralysed by the other. Now it was down to Smily, who faced off against the ghoul. A superb blow, well hit, cleaved the ghoul in two.
Aftermath
Fluff and Whistler recovered from the paralysis, but Fluff was badly injured (below 0 hp!). The picked him up and pegged it from the tower. They couldn’t get out of the town as the gates were locked; but they managed to sleep at Janis’s.
(BJ’s note: The combat was played out in full by Ben and I. It really did go down to the wire; If Smily had failed to kill the last ghoul and it had got him………
All xp awards will be made at start of next session)
Edit: 19.12.08: The changes made to the way that hit points are now calculated means that Fluff got a little bit less hurt. He was still KO'd though.
Lianne, my Journal (1)
I woke, cold and confused. Why was I so cold, and rocking up and down? It slowly dawned on me; I was in the sea, clinging to a large piece of driftwood.. Ahead, against the skyline; I saw land; then the darkness took me again.
I woke on a shingle beach, with the sun rising. Some people were approaching, asking if I was alright. They spoke Manori, but with a strange dialect. They took me to the town, the man escorting me said he was the town mayor and that I was their guest. “Good”, I thought, “as I don’t have any money”. He asked who I was, I told him I was Lianne, of the Arkann tribe. He had never heard of my tribe; I told him of the lands to the north and the great ruined cities, now under a shroud of fear. He appeared never to have heard of them. He asked how I had got here; born with a wanderlust, I left the tribe and headed east. Travelling through the Pass of Noose, I wandered through the kingdom of Arcona until I ended up at Port Gethan. I took passage on a ship. I was asleep on the deck when a sound of cracking timbers jerked me awake. A tremendous shock struck the ship and I was hurled into the water. I grabbed a piece of floating wood, looking back I saw the ship breaking up. Something struck me on the head and I awoke on the beach.
The man shook his head slowly. “Dangerous things swim in these waters. The crew must not have known where they were”.
“So where am I?”
“The Islands of the Skull”, replied the mayor
I thought about this for a while, but then brightened up. “I have no coin to repay your hospitality. Tell me, are there adventures to be had round here?”
“Yes, but there is much danger. There are creatures in the lands around here, and the Kobolds demand a monthly tribute of 100 gold.”
“Tribute? You pay tribute to Kobolds!”
“These are not the Kobolds you are used to.”
He told me of a dungeon not far from the town, I asked if anyone would care to accompany me, but they all refused. “So, all of you big strong men are going to let a girl go it alone?”
“We tried to stand up to them once, but were defeated.”
“Ah, but I wasn’t with you then”.
I searched out the town store and negotiated the loan of some torches, flint and steel, a backpack and a comb (I’ve been in the water for hours, my hair’s an absolute mess). I checked my armour (studded leather) and my two-hand sword and knife; then set off into the forest. After some walking, I spied a clearing with steps leading down. Lighting a torch, I headed down. An empty hall with three doors, the left one eventually led to a room with some cells, two Kobolds and a shrieking baboon in a cage. One Kobold pulled a lever hanging from the ceiling and the cells opened to let loose four ravening jackals. I jammed the torch into a crack in the wall and, with the old ‘Scream and Leap’, waded into the jackals. Some time later, the jackals were all dead, but I had been badly bitten and a lucky blow from a Kobold knocked me out. I awoke in one of the cells; my sword was gone but I still had my knife.
…. To be continued
I woke on a shingle beach, with the sun rising. Some people were approaching, asking if I was alright. They spoke Manori, but with a strange dialect. They took me to the town, the man escorting me said he was the town mayor and that I was their guest. “Good”, I thought, “as I don’t have any money”. He asked who I was, I told him I was Lianne, of the Arkann tribe. He had never heard of my tribe; I told him of the lands to the north and the great ruined cities, now under a shroud of fear. He appeared never to have heard of them. He asked how I had got here; born with a wanderlust, I left the tribe and headed east. Travelling through the Pass of Noose, I wandered through the kingdom of Arcona until I ended up at Port Gethan. I took passage on a ship. I was asleep on the deck when a sound of cracking timbers jerked me awake. A tremendous shock struck the ship and I was hurled into the water. I grabbed a piece of floating wood, looking back I saw the ship breaking up. Something struck me on the head and I awoke on the beach.
The man shook his head slowly. “Dangerous things swim in these waters. The crew must not have known where they were”.
“So where am I?”
“The Islands of the Skull”, replied the mayor
I thought about this for a while, but then brightened up. “I have no coin to repay your hospitality. Tell me, are there adventures to be had round here?”
“Yes, but there is much danger. There are creatures in the lands around here, and the Kobolds demand a monthly tribute of 100 gold.”
“Tribute? You pay tribute to Kobolds!”
“These are not the Kobolds you are used to.”
He told me of a dungeon not far from the town, I asked if anyone would care to accompany me, but they all refused. “So, all of you big strong men are going to let a girl go it alone?”
“We tried to stand up to them once, but were defeated.”
“Ah, but I wasn’t with you then”.
I searched out the town store and negotiated the loan of some torches, flint and steel, a backpack and a comb (I’ve been in the water for hours, my hair’s an absolute mess). I checked my armour (studded leather) and my two-hand sword and knife; then set off into the forest. After some walking, I spied a clearing with steps leading down. Lighting a torch, I headed down. An empty hall with three doors, the left one eventually led to a room with some cells, two Kobolds and a shrieking baboon in a cage. One Kobold pulled a lever hanging from the ceiling and the cells opened to let loose four ravening jackals. I jammed the torch into a crack in the wall and, with the old ‘Scream and Leap’, waded into the jackals. Some time later, the jackals were all dead, but I had been badly bitten and a lucky blow from a Kobold knocked me out. I awoke in one of the cells; my sword was gone but I still had my knife.
…. To be continued
Wednesday 3 December 2008
The Known World – Revisited
I’ve done a lot more work on the background history of Krorthar, departing and expanding from what I said earlier. A rough history is essential; else how can an item be legendary?
Kularni is a walled town north of the Waste of Rocks. A jumping-off point for adventurers exploring the remnants of the Bright Empire, West are the forbidding Drakon Peaks; east is the road past the False Forest to the Dead Kingdom; north leads through the hills to Ironhold and south leads through the Waste to the Great Kingdom. The Duke of Kularni is a vassal of the Great King.
Ben has created his own part of the Known World. Off the South-east coast; the Islands of the Skull are shrouded in mystery.
Kularni is a walled town north of the Waste of Rocks. A jumping-off point for adventurers exploring the remnants of the Bright Empire, West are the forbidding Drakon Peaks; east is the road past the False Forest to the Dead Kingdom; north leads through the hills to Ironhold and south leads through the Waste to the Great Kingdom. The Duke of Kularni is a vassal of the Great King.
Ben has created his own part of the Known World. Off the South-east coast; the Islands of the Skull are shrouded in mystery.
Paranoia
Paranoia
29.10.08
Half –term and I decided to try Paranoia again. Since the last game I’d bought the new Mongoose printing and a collection of classic adventures from the ‘80’s; upgraded to the new system. The first game had been such a blast, I thought this would go down well with the group.
Well, frankly, it didn’t.
I ran ‘Robot Imana - 655C’ from the scenario book. On paper it looked great; a ‘closed room’ mystery; locked in a room with a malfunctioning ‘bot that just “might” be a WMD ( but is actually a drinks freezer). Unfortunately, what looked good on paper didn’t translate into reality. It was more frustrating than fun; both for me and the kids. The previous game had been free-form, with a lot of improvisation, and this had led to the laughs. I’m not going to write up too much; there weren’t many high points to relate. Perhaps the kids would care to comment?
If I run Paranoia again; then I’ll revert to the 2nd Ed. Sorry, Mongoose; there’s just too much in the new version; detracts from the simplicity.
29.10.08
Half –term and I decided to try Paranoia again. Since the last game I’d bought the new Mongoose printing and a collection of classic adventures from the ‘80’s; upgraded to the new system. The first game had been such a blast, I thought this would go down well with the group.
Well, frankly, it didn’t.
I ran ‘Robot Imana - 655C’ from the scenario book. On paper it looked great; a ‘closed room’ mystery; locked in a room with a malfunctioning ‘bot that just “might” be a WMD ( but is actually a drinks freezer). Unfortunately, what looked good on paper didn’t translate into reality. It was more frustrating than fun; both for me and the kids. The previous game had been free-form, with a lot of improvisation, and this had led to the laughs. I’m not going to write up too much; there weren’t many high points to relate. Perhaps the kids would care to comment?
If I run Paranoia again; then I’ll revert to the 2nd Ed. Sorry, Mongoose; there’s just too much in the new version; detracts from the simplicity.
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