Doom of Daggerdale, scene 1

continued from here. Note, I've made a couple minor changes to the starting characters' peak skills.

Scene 1. Cruel Welcome in Dagger Falls

Normal text — narrative in-character text

Italicized text — oracular and Mythic text

Bold text — Fate related and other meta out-of-character text

Setup. Amelia arrives at the outskirts of Dagger Falls

Chaos Factor. 5

Altered? No

NPCs. Randall Morn; Eragyn, priestess of Cyric; Colderan the Mage-Lord; Constable Tren; Zhentarim; Dalesfolk

Threads. Solve the Trouble of Daggerdale

Q. Who greets Amelia? Wolf, Goblin

Q. What are the special conditions and features? Trap, Lonely, Bridge

Amelia Destaroon was road-weary and dirty from her long travel. The worn dirt track cut across the wooded dale that was crisp with the colder turn of the season. The colors of autumn might have been beautiful had it not been for the bleak emptiness of a forlorn landscape marked by the suffering of an oppressed people. Fields were stricken by blight, and most farmsteads were empty, their families long since seeking fortune elsewhere.

Amelia’s handler had told her to seek out Randall Morn, and through him learn something of the malady that had hit the Zhentarim protectorate. The young Harper bounced along, a singular slight young woman with bouncing black curls under her heavy sodden hood. A short blade hung at her side and a light pack strapped to her shoulders sagged — depleted from the end of a long journey.

Suddenly, howls broke the stillness. Ahead of her was the long ribbon of some watercourse, and far to the north, a bridge crossed. Behind her, four riders — goblins they appeared to be on the backs of massive wolves — cackled with glee and bore down upon the girl. She broke into a sprint to make the bridge with no other clear course. What safety she might find at the bridge, the young woman knew not. But she pressed on in a great panic.

Going to treat this as a contest. I’m assuming the riders have Ride (replaces Drive) at Average (+1). These will be Average (+1) nameless NPCs. I’ll also give them the aspect, MOUNTED ON WARGS with a free invocation.

Turn 1 — I’m giving Amelia a Fair (+2) rank in Athletics. She gets a Good (+3) result. The riders can use teamwork for a total of +4 to the roll. They get a Superb (+5) result for a Victory Point.

Amelia’s lungs burned as she pumped forward, pushing her sore body to its limits. Behind her, she could hear the snarls of the approaching group of raiders as they closed in dangerously behind her.

Turn 2 — Amelia rolls an Average (+1) against the goblins’ Fantastic (+6). They get two more Victory Points to win.

Nearly tripping, the bridge came within view, but snapping jaws of a massive wolf nipped at her as one rider tore past her. She was surrounded.

Q. What’s their immediate motivation? Ghost, Hand

The pack encircled the shaking Harper. Amelia drew her short blade and turned in place, keeping its warding point out to keep them at bay. The cackling goblins cursed and taunted. Each had an axe in hand. Their wicked eyes were filled with mischief and evil delight.

Enter, Janson Morn.

Suddenly, a rustic-looking man with a sword at his side and a bow across his back appeared out of nowhere. He was grim with an unpleasant mien — unwholesome like an outlaw. A full beard lined his scowl and taut muscles hardened his bulky frame and broad shoulders.

“Have you resorted to easy sport now?” he challenged the goblins.

“Who said anything about easy?!” the girl shot back hotly. The man was not prepared for a retort from the girl. However, the riders broke their circle as they sized up the newcomer. The man slid his sword from its scabbard.

“Sorry,” he responded curtly, never taking his eyes off the enemy. “What say you to proving your claim?”

Amelia smiled, and the two launched into action.

Here’s a brief conflict. These are nothing more than GOBLIN PAWNS, each with an Average (+1) rank in Fight and Ride, and no stress boxes. Each has still MOUNTED ON WARGS with a free invoke. I’ll assign ranks in Notice to the PCs to give them priority. Amelia has Fair (+2), and Janson has Average (+1).

Amelia goes first, feigning an opening, and getting a Superb (+5) against their Poor (-1). This places LULLED INTO A SENSE OF SUPERIORITY with 2 free invokes.

Amelia’s two opponents attack, getting a +0 (Fight) against her +2 (Athletics). However, the goblins spend both of their free invokes, plus 1 GM Fate Point to up their result to Fantastic (+6). Amelia has no rank in Physique, and fills her 2-stress box and spends one of her two invokes to increase her Defend to Great (+4). The GM has 1 Fate Point remaining.

Two riders turned on the slight traveler as she bounded forward unexpectedly. However, coming face to face with the attackers’ snarling, snapping wolf mounts, she blanched and fell back. The two saw their opening against the seemingly overwhelmed girl and launched a series of wild hacks. Amelia rolled underneath, nearly getting trampled.

Janson goes next, attempting to overcome the riders’ MOUNTED ON WARGS advantages with his Physique. He gets a Superb (+5) against their Fair (+2). They spend both free invokes to get a Fantastic (+6) result, keeping their aspects in play.

They attack next, getting an Average (+0) result. Janson will have Fight at Good (+3), and gets a Great (+4) result, gaining a boost.

The remaining two positioned themselves as a bulwark against the taller foe, forming a line. The man strode forward unperturbed and yanked at the beasts’ reins with his offhand, nearly tearing out their tack and dumping their stupefied riders. The goblins somehow managed to break the hold and recover, hacking away wildly. The man easily deflected their hasty blows, leaving them momentarily off kilter on their unruly steeds.

From this point forward, I’ll summarize rolls briefer.

Amelia has Fight at Fair (+2). She attacks, but they get 4 shifts on their Defend.

She uses her last free invoke to re-roll doing only 1 better.

She declares a new stunt, Dirty Tricks. Gain +2 to attack with Fight the first time you’ve deceived an opponent into thinking they have the better position in combat. That gives her 2 more, and a Fate Point on LULLED gives her 1 shift, taking out one rider. She has 2 Fate Points remaining.

The remaining rider attacks, missing. Amelia gets a boost.

Amelia came up the opposite side of the riders. Her fearful look was now a mask bearing a fierce smile, letting the goblins know she wasn’t at all dismayed or backing down. One tried to back away when it realized the ruse, but it was too late. One dead goblin rolled off its wolf, hanging by one foot from the stirrups and sending the wolf off in a craze. The other rider hastily swung, but abruptly aborted the poor attack in favor of hanging on.

Janson attacks, taking out both.

The woodman had the advantage he needed and quickly slew his foes with powerful slices and deft thrusts. Bloody heaps lay at his feet.

The remaining goblin concedes. The heroes ultimately want him not to warn others. He surrenders, convincing them that he won’t — at least for now.

Amelia rounded his opponent ready to end his life. The goblin squeaked, tossing away its axe in surrender. After promising he wouldn’t tell anyone of the encounter, they two let the goblin go after slaying its mount. The goblin fled for the hills.

After watching him go and hiding the bodies in a ravine bed off the main way, the man returned to Amelia. “You’re not too bad with your blade, girl,” he noted.

“Better than you with your tongue!” she responded. “But thank you. You couldn’t have shown up at a better time.”

“Morn,” he introduced with an extended leathery hand.

“Randall Morn?” Amelia questioned.

“Janson — his cousin,” he corrected.

Amelia revealed her purpose to meet Lord Morn and to discover the source of Daggerdale’s current predicament. Janson listened to her, nodding all the while. “I won’t lie. My cousin would be most happy for your help — but if you think you can stop a plague, oust the Zhents and reverse the curse that spells Daggerdale’s doom, you’re chasing a dream.”

Amelia looked hard at the man. “Nonetheless, I’d be more in your debt if you’d arrange for a meeting, all foolishness aside.”

Janson gave her a look. “He doesn’t accept strangers on a whim,” he pronounced at last.

“Solving Daggerdale’s problems is hardly a whim, I’d say.”

At last, the Harper won out. Janson nodded in final ascent.

Q. Is Constable Tren known for paying inhuman raiders to harass and rob travelers? (Somewhat Likely) Exceptional No

When they began toward Randall’s current camp of rebels, Amelia asked about the goblins. Janson merely shrugged his big shoulders. “I couldn’t tell you. Even Constable Tren would never consider paying goblins to harass travelers or Dalesfolk. But even he’s not so high and mighty. He ultimately answers to Zhentil Keep. And I could see them behind something like this.”

After running this scene, I’m updating the two characters involved:

Amelia Destaroon

A slight dark-haired beauty with a penchant for intrigue and deception.

High Concept. Beautiful Cat-Burglar

Trouble. Web of Lies

Aspects. Novice Harper Agent

Great. Deceive
Good.
Fair. Athletics, Fight
Average.

Dirty Tricks. Gain +2 to attack with Fight the first time you’ve deceived an opponent into thinking they have the better position in combat.

Janson Morn

A cousin of Lord Randall, Janson is a roguish outlaw ready at any time to let fists fly at the usurpers of his native land.

High Concept. Fighting Rogue on the Run

Trouble. Poor Impulse Control

Aspects. Brawny Cousin of Lord Morn

Great. Physique
Good. Fight
Fair.
Average. Notice

Stress. 4 physical

I’ll continue filling them in as I go. Also note that the GM’s Fate Point pool goes up by 1 for the next scene due to the concession.

The Chaos Factor goes up by 1.

Already from the get-go, I'm kind of off the rails due to the “random” encounter I generated through Story Cubes. We’ll see where this leads. I still have to introduce the next character. I’m wondering if I’ll introduce her someone completely different, or in the next scene, assuming Amelia and Janson succeed in meeting up with Randall Morn. If I introduce her somewhere else, I may see if two directions eventually link up later.

I’ll ponder. Until next time…

Doom of Daggerdale

DOOM of DAGGERDALE

a Solo-a-Module Month project

Project Prospectus

Solo a Module a Month was just announced on the Lonewolf Solo G+ community. What to do? I don’t have a huge repository of modules, but I have some. I’ve been thinking about Wolfgang Bauer’s Doom of Daggerdale, which is an old one I’ve had that I know pretty well. It also fits a setting that know well, so that helps.

Two questions to answer:

• How does one play a module solo?
• What tools/gizmos/rules will I use to attempt this?

The first one I’ll answer loosely. I certainly don’t see tremendous fun in running something I know already. So, instead, using the module’s description and synopsis, I’ll strip the scenario for its elements. I vaguely remember its NPCs, creatures, sites, and motivations. Most of all, the scenario provides a hook and an inciting event. Using the people and places involved and its inciting event, I will use these to set the scene and allow the whole thing to go off the rails. Whenever a plot or motivation or action presents itself from the text of the module, this gives me an opportunity to ask, is this actually true?

It’s totally plausible that this will be come un utterly unrecognizable adventure. In fact, that’s the area about this endeavor that most intrigues me. Having a basic starting scenario is also a big help, because I often have trouble thinking of intriguing or compelling starts to new solo projects. So, there it is. Also, rather than spend time pouring through the module in detail, I’ll rely mostly on the description on the back cover and a few notes I’ll make in advance:

Randal Morn certainly has his hands full! The temple of Lathander, which burned to the ground eight years ago, seems to be the source of a curse affecting the entire town. People are taking ill, animals are dying overnight, crops are failing. All this seems to have started after Eragyn, priestess of Cyric, disappeared from Daggerdale. Shortly before that, a forgotten mage-lord’s crypt was discovered and opened; things just haven’t been the same since. 

Constable Tren is displeased with the situation, what with suspicion being cast in the Zhentarim’s direction as well as toward Cyric’s priesthood. He’s undoubtedly making the Dalesfolk’s lives more difficult than usual because of this upheaval. Randal has sent out the call for aid to all who are interested and able to help; his freedom riders have their hands full already. 

A missing evil priestess, a mage-lord’s crypt-curse, a plague, and possible Zhentarim involvement: all the elements of a rousing adventure in one place! Where do your characters sign up? Step right this way, won’t you?

A few notes from the top of my head:

• Colderan the mage-lord has risen from the dead and is pulling the strings behind the scenes
• A dream-curse is affecting the Dalesfolk
• An ancient dwarf fastness of a clan that were bitter enemies of Colderan contains a secret weapon to defeat the mage-lord
• The action takes place in Dagger Falls, a Zhentarim Protectorate in the Dales
• Randall Morn is the rightful ruler in exile, who lives in the countryside with his rebels
• I also like the cover of the printed module — it’s moody and might bring some inspiration

None of these are sacrosanct — in fact, I’m expecting a good bit of throwing it all out, and significant points of departure.

Now, for the how, here’s what I’m leaning towards: Mythic GM Emulator to help set scenes. This will provide some amendment to the things that will happen. Using Mythic, I’ll limit the use of the emulator for setting scenes to provide randomness to the setup, and a special treatment towards Fate Questions — questions will center around whether or not particular concepts, conceits, and motivations as presented in the module are true or false. For all else, my preferred method of gleaning details comes from rolling nine Rory’s Story Cubes and answering who, what, when, where, why, and how to color and detail scenes accordingly. I find this latter method faster, and don’t enjoy slowing down to check the Fate Chart.

For my actual game system, I’m toying between my two favs: Fate Core or Barbarians of Lemuria. Both have a good deal of generic power that can quickly mold to D&D tropes. I’ve always been enamored of Nessalantha’s wonderful play report of Dragonlands, a wonderful Legends of Anglerre (setting using a previous iteration of Fate when it was still FATE) actual play. One of the many wonderful things about the report is how she generates NPCs on the fly by deducing what’s needed (skill rank, aspect, etc), keeping it spontaneous and lite. The report, even after several years, has served as a shining example of Fate in a solo environment.

I also love BoL — so quick and easy to stat anything, which is very much appealing.

However, I’m going to take a leap and use Fate Core, adding Nathan Hare’s High Fantasy Magic for those sorts of elements. I’m also going with the Quick Character Creation method in Core to get right to the action. I’m seeing that two issues of the game include Plague and Fear in a Border Town Under an Evil Regime (Current), and An Ancient Evil Awakes (Impeding).

Quickly, I’ll come up with three PCs that I’ll introduce one at a time in my first session to hook them to the scenario:

Amelia Destaroon

A slight dark-haired beauty with a penchant for intrigue and deception.

High Concept. Beautiful Cat-Burglar

Trouble. Web of Lies

Aspects. Novice Harper Agent

Peak Skill. Deceive

Janson Morn

A cousin of Lord Randall, Janson is a roguish outlaw ready at any time to let fists fly at the usurpers of his native land.

High Concept. Fighting Rogue on the Run

Trouble. Poor Impulse Control

Aspects. Brawny Cousin of Lord Morn

Peak Skill. Burglary

Shoshana Ezgrandilia

White-haired and pale, Shoshana is a flashy woman in embroidered robes, and a pupil of the Simbul.

High Concept. Adept Learner of the Arcane

Trouble. Brusque and Arrogant To a Fault

Aspects. Seeking the Secrets of a Fallen Wizard

Peak Skill. Lore

Hopefully, I’ll have the tenacity to see this through at least to some degree.

Myths of Lemuria, part 1

An actual play journal of a Barbarians of Lemuria (Mythic Edition).

Tonight, I ran a short (2-hour) session of BoL for three great players, and it was a total blast. Set up as an impromptu one-shot that was postponed, four of us met for the first time. The initial idea was to play a quick game without too much forethought about theme and background anchors. Barbarians of Lemuria is particularly well-suited for this. With a starting location and a vague idea of an initial hook, and that’s all that’s needed.

Four of us on the East Coast, Midwest and Pacific Northwest met on hangouts a ran with it. Our heroes included a former pirate/dancer/assassin who wielded twin rapiers and carried a bow named Garde, a mighty-thewed northerner named Brom with a broadsword, and another former pirate/thief/mercenary/gladiator named Agroc. Garde and Agroc shared a similar background that included a vengeful Satarlan duke who scoured the face of Lemuria in search of both.

The action was set in Urceb, “the Forgotten City” on the windswept eastern Lemurian coast. There, further removed from other centers of civilization, the three adventurers found themselves searching the undercity for forgotten treasures like many others attracted to the remote locale. A thriving market existed from the selling of trinkets and treasures filched from forgotten warrens underground. Likewise, unscrupulous merchants sold dubious maps to treasure hunters for exorbitant prices.

Our heroes had one such map…a poor copy of some other one marked on a canvas. The adventure began in the remote tunnels further from the center of the undercity. Their map had led them true so far. They encountered none other in this part and found portents that their path had not been taken by anyone within recent history. They found an infestation of uzegs but kept true to the map.

Image thanks to https://rolerodelamancha.wordpress.com

The three found a dead-end that was marked as a continuous passage. The mighty Brom tore asunder a brick and mortar wall erected in some unknown point in the past. They found themselves in a forgotten crypt. Immediately, they found an onyx idol of strange fashion and several handfuls of ancient coins among the niches of interred corpses.

However, a pair of scorpiders attacked! Quickly, the three defeated their foes. After collecting their newfound wealth and encouraged by the find, they continued into the crypt. Their way became increasingly labyrinthine and bore signs of ancient construction. They passed through an undisturbed temple until a sudden and uncanny gust blew out their torch.

Agroc quickly lit a new one. However, during the tense darkness and silence (broken only by Brom’s curse), Agroc felt a strange sense of vertigo. The others noticed nothing. When the flame returned, they found themselves somewhere entirely different — upon an island of stone. Two spans crossed a mysterious fluid channel surrounding the table of stone. At the end of one span the three faced an unsettling robed figure with concealed features.

Agroc asked the figure who he was. The figure answered in a hissing voice tinted by an ancient accent. “Are you the ones for whom I have been waiting?”

Agroc replied to the negative. Garde, who had his bow ready, asked if the figure could show them out. The figure replied, “Unfortunately, you may not leave.”

Brom, who had no love of sorcery, charged the foe and nearly cut the villain in two. The emaciated figure turned to run, but Garde ran him through with a well-aimed arrow from his bow. Agroc checked the body and found the shriveled and disturbing visage of a bloodless sorcerer. Was this one of the fabled sorcerer-kings?

Suddenly, animated bloodless corpses came out of the woodwork and closed in on the three. The heroes carved a path through the swath of minions toward the direction for which the undead sorcerer was intending to make. There they ascended a stair. That stair turned out to be a dais bearing an open sarcophagus. There was nowhere to run…with a landing behind the sarcophagus ending in bare wall. Trapped!

Dozens of walking skeletons assailed them. Brom launched the immense stone lid of the sarcophagus, taking out numerous minions, while Garde slew two more with his bow. Agroc searched the back wall and with great success (boxcars!) found a secret entrance. The three escaped to find…

Image thanks to https://thelostandthedamned.wordpress.com

A trove of mythic wealth!

There were idols, golden-chased bracelets, crystal-studded jewelry, coins of ancient mintage…far more than the trio could hope to carry away. However, they were trapped in a treasure vault with a limited supply of air. With great care, they picked up their choice items. Garde retrieved a beautiful jade statuette similar to the onyx one they found at the beginning of the crypt. Brom saw a larger idol on a pedestal. Putting his mighty hand to it, he discovered the piece to swivel, activating another hidden door in the back of the vault.

The heroes exited, finding themselves in the grassy plains outside of Urceb. However, their adventure did not end here!

With the great hidden door of the vault sealed behind them, they carried what they could back to the city. Immediately, they gained the attention of its curious and grasping folk. They were bombarded by questions. All were careful not to reveal the location of their find. Brom first unloaded his onyx statue, but failed to see the interested onlookers during the dealmaking with a local merchant. He was followed back to the Wistful Wench where the three spent their ill-begotten gains. Agroc also bought a sloop with his money so that they could scour the coast. The rest they drank away and wenched.

However, several malicious figures entered the establishment. Agroc saw them and warned Garde. Brom was oblivious due to enjoying the sumptuous bounty of pleasures. The thugs were ordered to attack the barbarian. The three heroes were quicker to react. Brom tossed a table into their midst, taking out nine, while Garde shot a tenth. The leader fled.

Of course our heroes would give chase! Through the crowded streets, Garde took the lead and tumbled overhead and onto the back of the fleeing villain. The robed figure got up and drew a blade. Garde drew his rapiers and prepared to meet him in battle. However, the villain reached for a bag at his hip and tossed a fragrant powder at the assassin. Garde fell into a slumbering heap when the dream lotus pollen hit his nose. Brom and Agroc lost the fleeing man, but retrieved his pouch, which was marked by the sign of Hadron.

They had gained the interest of the Black Druids! Fun was had, and the four of us look forward to the next opportunity to resume this saga. With any luck, I’ll continue to chronicle the adventures here.

Untold: Adventures Await Solo AP

Untold: Adventures Await

What follows is a play-through of the Creativity Hub’s new Untold: Adventures Await story game powered by Rory’s Story Cubes. Designed by John Fiore (no stranger to the solo gamesphere) and Rory O’Connor, inventor of his now-famous Rory’s Story Cubes.

Not much is going to accompany this post...the photos pretty much tell the whole story. These are notes basically exactly as I made them during play. I’ll only conclude that Untold is a format for which I’ve been looking for some time: concise episodic gaming (it clocked in at almost exactly ONE hour, as it says on the box), keeps things concise, and is physical in nature. You’ll see I wrote down answers to my questions and one-sentence summaries of all the actions. This is not necessary, but it’s not overly burdensome to do so. I think it’s helpful to do so as a solo endeavor.

The story board layout does a great job through the use of story cube icons to keep visual reminders of the action so far. The tactile layout of the game, with its recessed spaces for modular scenes, is a joy to look at and play. The allotment of actions and questions keeps things moving and makes prompts for building the story clear.

I can’t say I’ve definitively kicked all the tires. I want to see what it does to a continuing story line, so maybe I’ll continue Visconda’s adventures. If you haven’t yet checked out or were not aware of Untold, grab a copy for yourself. For 1-4 players (that’s right, it can be played solo!).

Impetus

I haven't posted hear almost at all recently. I'm still puttering with solo play projects and enjoying reading what others are doing with their solo games.

However, I had a moment of inspiration and came up with something new. It's simple, but it's been helping me to shape my solo gaming sessions. Introducing, Impetus...

The solitaire rpg driver to move things forward when you’re stuck.

Impetus is simple, really.

It’s a doohickey for playing tabletop role-play games all alone. It’s a tool that gets you un-stuck when you hit a roadblock. A simple thing that gives a nudge when you need it. In the solo gaming niche, they might call this a driver.

You see, when you sit down to play an rpg, whether it’s that funny game they played at the beginning of E.T., or some other game with books, dice, and pencils, and you’re alone, you need something to help out. Something so that you’re not taking part in a fully scripted premeditated storyline invented by you.

Impetus is essentially a list of universal plot twists combined with a random idea to produce spontaneous events to prod your story along with little fuss and effort.

It's also free.

The Wizard's Ruby

Reading over an old actual play from about five years ago in preparation for getting an old character ready for reprise, I was entertained by this story. The following is a four-scene short solo AP in the form of short fiction.

A solo game wherein the hero starts at a random location in the Forgotten Realms game world, and shit happens to him. This game uses the Freeform Universal RPG and Rory’s Story Cubes.

GAME ENGINE TWEAKS

This one uses FU rules straight-up, with the exception of characters being defined by profession, body/mind, edge, flaw, gear, gear, and a general Basic, Expert, Champion, or Master scale Descriptor used only for scaling the types of questions to be asked and give a clue as to what type of challenges may realistically be met. The profession Descriptor grants a bonus die for everything assumed under a profession’s description. It also uses the optional uses for FU points founding on p. 14 of the rules, namely, “Flip a Pip”, “Use a Prop”, “Stunts and Powers”, and “Taking a Hit”. Also, damage accrues through the logical stages, though spending an FU point can replace a damage Condition with a freeform creative one, such as, “I Can’t hold a blade!”, or “Limping in Pain.”

FU Points are earned from living up to one’s background, such as taking other people’s shit for a thief or kicking ass for a fighter, humorous or memorable description, succumbing to one’s weakness, and emerging victorious by engaging one’s enemy.

GEDRIC TWOBLADES

Description: He’s tall, slender, and grim with long dark hair and an eye patch covering a dead eye. He’s all about himself and cashing in on gold and fame.

Relationships: He’s got nobody except the occasional courtesan and enforcer from the odd disgruntled crime lord. Gedric had it with the cities and left to seek the better company of ghosts and goblins, but had it with that as well. Now he’s back trying to freelance as a petty thief, hired sword, or what-have-you.

Drives: Strong drink, women, and of course the jingle of coin.

Stat Block

Scale: Basic

Descriptors: Thief, Swordsmanship, Clever, Greed Gets the Best of Him

Gear: Twin Sabers, Pouch of Useful Tools

FU Points: 1

Credit: the incomparable Jason Chan

Lord Blade, Xalivar Exalskaiy

Description: Somewhat diminutive with repugnant facial features, Xalivar dresses in dark, drab robes and has a bald head and pinkish eyes. He is one of the ruling Blades of Mulmaster, the only wizard, and without heir or bride.

Stat Block

Scale: Expert

Descriptors: Wizard, Brilliant Researcher, Fearsome Mien, Repugnant

Gear: Wand of Transmutation, Ring of Protection

ONE

crescent moon, building, key, evil shadow

It was dark. The moonlight filtered through the tower window slit of Baron Xalivar’s inhabitance, one of the Towers of the Blade on the rocky sides of Mulmaster’s singular mountain. Xalivar was one of the Blades of Mulmaster, the patriarch of one of its feared and formidable ruling families.

…and it was said, possessed a wealthy house.

Gedric Twoblades worked at the lock of the highest part of the tower said to contain the Blade’s vault. He stopped, suddenly – alerted by some strange sound. Was it the wind? Rats? A passing guard outside on patrol? After long moments of bated breath, the thief continued to work the lock.

Life’s many ups and downs had kept Gedric on the move. How had he gotten to Mulmaster, anyway? he wondered. It was a convoluted road of petty thievery, buggaring of women (some courtesans, others the bored wives of surprisingly grudging fellows of note), dungeon delving, cavern spelunking, and once (and never again) as a caravan guard.

One thing he had learned. Coins – whether earned through honest means or not – were slow to beget and quick to loose, not to mention heavy to carry in any great quantities and capable of attracting undesirable attention by many an envious man or woman. Then, there were trade bars, some in far more valuable denominations. But these, however, also suffered from similar weight and space restrictions. Jewels, on the other hand…

…There it was again… What was that?

Gedric waited out the figment of his imagination, repeating to himself that Lord Xalivar was away, his whole household with him. Now, where was he? Oh yes…

Jewels, on the other hand, were even thousands of times more precious, and small too! A handful of the beautiful colored stones cut into magnificent rainbow-casting shapes were easy to carry, conceal, and highly sought-after – at least to those who knew their value and could afford such luxuries. A buyer was not always easy to find.

It was said that Xalivar had troves of gems, jewels, and precious objects – all tucked away in his vault, by which was secured by nothing more than a fancy lock.

Suddenly, Gedric heard the sweet sound of the tumblers falling into place. He replaced his well-used picks as the door swung open. He defeated the lock, and inside reflecting the pale moonlight were a multitude of dazzling gemstones that even in darkness foretold of many hues, shapes, and sizes.

He stepped in, eager to stuff his pouches full of the precious stones. He heard nothing of what now followed him with violent, hateful eyes. But a queer unsettling feeling stole some of the expectant pleasure, replacing it instead with dread and loathing. He knew not why the sudden change overpowered him. Nonetheless, he proceeded forward.

The feeling subsided somewhat when he saw the jewel-encrusted gold and silver dainties and opals and emeralds and rubies. He stuffed a sack with jewels that spilled through fingers and rolled pearls on the floor, and so tripped the lurker standing but mere feet behind him poised to slay.

magic wand, uncertain face, earth, chaos, speech bubble, tower

The scrape of feet alerted Gedric first. He spun around in surprise, dropping his bag of jewels. A scream shot out and in front of the thief’s eyes materialized a robed form who, moments before, was invisible. In dark garb, a flailing form with a wand in hand fell backwards after sliding on a handful of round bead-like gems underfoot. The form hit the floor with a thud and a the hood fell back revealing a stunned man with bald pate and an expression of shock and anger.

Gedric wasted no further time and snatched up the half-empty sack and leapt over the sprawling form of the man. Obviously a wizard, the man, moments before, no doubt nearly loosened a lightning bolt or similar devastating effect at the back of Gedric’s head. He needed to get as much distance between the two as possible. However, the man must have regained his wits nearly as quickly, latching on to the hem of Gedric’s breeches, bringing him down with a gasp, and sending the sack and its glittering contents across the moonlit floor.

Gedric struggled to free his pant leg from the astonishingly tenacious grip. His twin sabers clanked uselessly under his legs. The proximity from his assailant disallowed any effective use of his blades even if he could draw them. With a desperate kick, he shot the heel of his boot into the wizard’s grimacing face, knocking himself free of his vice-like grip and stunning the aggressor.

Then he was up and off. He picked up a choice gemstone, a flat-cut ruby a third the size of his palm and tore off down the curving stair. Giving the wizard a good kick would have no lasting effect, and who knew of what the wizard was capable?

TWO

Does Xalivar have other guardians? “Yes…”

scary shadow, bee, guard tower, lock, chaos

Details: Dark, Locked Door

Gedric rushed headlong down the winding stairs, escaping the vengeful screaming from above. He came to a landing which opened to an area almost completely dark. From somewhere, moonlight filtered in, but revealed little but a black vastness. He stopped to get his bearings, panting uncontrollably. The area was dark, but echoed his breathing with a stony reverberation. Then he pushed ahead with feeling fingers.

He could tell he was in some sort of lofty area, but no light leaked through any windows here. It was likely a more interior hall or chamber. He shuffled forward to get to the exit. In the distance, he heard more echoes of the wizard’s voice in the distance. He was coming, and suddenly appeared in the room’s center not more than a few feet in front of Gedric. Purplish motes flew away in all directions and lit up the room momentarily.

The two locked eyes on one another, and something else in the upper corner of the chamber caught Gedric’s attention too. It was an evil, toothy grin on a diminutive winged figure. Even now, he could see the thing’s red eyes aglow.

In a moment, the wizard spoke a word of power, and light in his hand appeared, constant and bright, brighter than that of a torch. Gedric wasn’t idle either. He slipped his two sabers from their scabbards and come forward to deal with the wizard before he could loose any more magic.

The thing resting on the crown moulding extended its wings and descended. It was some sort of gargoyle-spawn or wizard’s pet.

Homunculus

Descriptors: Small, Winged, Hideous-Looking, Barbed Tail, Poisonous

Conditions: ☑Out of Action

Two strides brought the thief within striking distance of the wizard, but not before the hideous gargoyle-thing was on his shoulders grasping at his neck with tiny clawed hands. A long, barbed tail snaked over the thing’s head and stabbed at Gedric like a scorpion. The thief let a horrified scream. He dropped one of his sabers to grab at the thing which was latched on with tenacious strength. It growled like a demonic puppy.

Try as he might, he couldn’t get the thing off. Even prodding at it with his sword, the thing would wriggle out of reach. It stung him numerous times about the arm. It didn’t hurt, but now he saw that its tail glistened with something. Was it poison?

The wizard leveled his wand at the intruder, but waited with a grin for the outcome of the brief struggle. “Soon the sting of Jordie will weaken you.”

Even now, Gedric swooned from a sickening, dizzying sensation. Sweat beaded on his face, and he felt nauseated. He was poisoned, but got a grip on the creature and flung it off. He stooped down to retrieve his sword while the imp recovered and launched itself toward him. That’s when Gedric heard the words of power being recited.

Whatever spell it was, Gedric rolled and somehow avoided its effect, coming within striking distance of the wizard. The man’s face once again registered astonishment as the swordsman struck. The blade arced through the air, true and swift. Aimed to gut the repugnant man, it was Gedric’s turn to be astonished as his two blades jarred his arms as though he had struck solid rock. In fact, one of the blades was notched. The wizard grinned.

Then the man’s wicked pet was on Gedric again, stabbing with that barbed tail. Gedric slashed our with both arms, scissoring the creature in two, but the poison had done its trick. He kneeled down on one knee trying to fight the delirium, but the wizard sped up the process, knocking Gedric on the back of the head. The thief went down and knew nothing more.

THREE

tower, stars, magnet, bumblebee

Details: Brimming with Power

Homunculus

Descriptors: Small, Winged, Hideous-Looking, Barbed Tail, Poisonous

Conditions: ☑Out of Action

Gedric felt that he was dying… No, that he was already dead. He did not like the feeling of death. It made him feel thin, stretched, to the point of snapping like a cord. Slowly, pain filtered its way into his brain. It nagged him like an ember, burning its way deeper and deeper. A cry of agony escaped his lips.

“Ah! I see that you are awake,” said a voice.

Gedric slowly opened his eyes, and much to his dismay, he found that he was not yet dead. Reality was slow to come into his perception. A cloudy haze obfuscated his sight. Finally, with a shake of his head, some of that haze cleared away.

The rogue looked around at his surroundings. There was a chill air scented by exotic herbs and acrid odors. The room in which he found himself was round and high. A dome ceiling was vaulted above, and set about the walls that even intervals were burning braziers. At the center of the room stood a large table of black granite. On a pedestal lay open a great tome, clearly of magical origin. Numerous candles outlined the table, their wax running into long stalactites down its sides. It was clearly some sort of conjury or laboratory. Gedric could nearly feel the arcane power vibrating in the room.

Before the book and pedestal stood the ugly man Gedric had met in the floors below when he broke open into the Lord Blade’s vault. Obviously Xalivar was indeed home.

The thief found himself hanging by bonds that shackled his wrists together. He dangled against a wall at the end of a long chain. His cloak and weapons were taken away, and he was left with little but his small clothes. Another one of those small, winged, hideous creatures sat on a perch not far from the wizard, leering down at the helpless hero with an evil grin on its demonic face. Was it the same creature magically mended, or some wholly new counterpart?

“Are we feeling better?” asked the wizard. Gedric could little more than groan in response. “Good! Then let’s begin…”

The man thumbed through several pages until settling on one that satisfied him. His ugly pig-like features contorted to an evil toothy grin.

“Good help is so hard to find these days,” the wizard commented. “The other Blades of Mulmaster abhor my gruesome experiments, but only out of fear and misunderstanding.”

The revolting flying thing giggled and scratched under its wing, its deadly tail swinging left and right.

The wizard intoned the preamble of some rite. The vibrating energy Gedric felt seemed to come alive then with a baritone hum bespeaking of dangerous power. Xalivar Exalskaiy completed the overture, his face displaying great exaltation.

“Now, my slippery weasel, hold still and do not resist what next will take place,” he said. “I promise that the pain will be far greater if you do.” Then, the wizard continued his ritual.

Gedric allowed the pain to clear his dazed state somewhat. He had to get free! Glancing near a wall, he spied a stool upon which his few belongings were laid. Vials and decanters of strange frothing fluids bubbled, warmed over the many burning candles. He also sought the ruby he had filched. He saw it, but it was being toyed with in the hands of the wizard’s pet. A plan quickly worked itself into the bound victim’s imagination.

Gedric waited until the homunculus' attention was on the gem. The wizard was absorbed in the complexity of his ritual, and the thief could feel that power building. He had no idea how much time he had, but he had no desire to discover what horrifying transformation awaited him when the spell was finished. He began wriggling one wrist free of his bonds.

So skillful was Gedric, able to collapse his hands gracefully, that he quickly escaped both bonds immediately and slyly without either the wizard or his pet noticing. He was free of his bonds, and he had the chains in hand. One flick of his wrist would clear the chains from the iron hook on the wall. He waited until the time was right.

The moment was ripe. With a deft flick, Gedric released the chain and whipped it across the table. His intent was not to harm or maim directly, since the wizard was clearly enspelled against such malady, but to set other things in motion. The chains knocked the tome of spells from its podium and shattered two of the beakers and their hot fluids doused the astonished wizard, breaking his concentration. His spells clearly did not ward against boiling liquid that now burned his face. The man screamed in agony.

At that moment, the homunculus cast aside the ruby and leapt down at Gedric. The one-eyed rogue was not idle and leapt on the table, allowing enough room for him to swing his chains effectively.

The chains whistled through the air as once, and then twice, the winged horror evaded his blows. On the third swing, the heavy chains caught the thing mid-flight and cast it in ruin across the chamber. It was dead, but that was all the time the wizard needed to regain his wits and reach for his wand.

“You prefer a quick death, I see!” the man screamed with white-hot rage. He leveled the dweomer-imbued stick at Gedric who was but a step and a leap away.

Gedric wasted no time to fetch his weapons and instead lunged at Xalivar. The rogue sprang on the wizard before the Mulmasterite could release the potent magic, and Gedric wrapped the chains around the wizard’s neck, squeezing his wind pipe.

Through clenched teeth, Gedric twisted and tightened those cold links with all his might. The two went down in a heap together. Xalivar fought with hands trying to free those choking threads from his throbbing, reddening neck. Legs kicked, eyes bulged, and mouth opened vainly to gulp for air. Gedric leaned close putting lips to ear and with hissing voice whispered, “This would have been far easier for both of us if you were elsewhere, master enchanter! Now there will be one less evil conjuror in the world…”

Gedric continued to squeeze, and did not stop until the fat form of Lord Xalivar Exalskaiy, High Blade of Mulmaster went limp and final breath expired. Gedric lay sweat covered and weak, gasping for air with a heavy dead weight atop of him. He had defeated the wizard!

FOUR

And though he did not mourn the loss of so devious a sorcerer, nor did he wallow in guilt nor regret, a part of fantasy often played out horrors in his sleep of the spirit of the wizard Xalivar escaping through that final accursed breath, and living in some malevolent deathless state houseless in a realm of shadow – lurking in the doubt of Gedric’s mind, or perhaps haunting the blood-red stone that the thief later pocketed.

It was not a great enough fear to restrain Gedric from filching the ruby, although he did not seek the vault again for the remaining dropped treasures for fear of encountering more flying horrors. Nor did he take the sorcery-enspelled devices left in the magician’s conjury that might have afforded many more such precious stones. Fencing the wares of wizards would likely draw unwanted attention from other wizards, and Gedric wished to cross no other wizard’s path in the future.

But he was alive, and richer than he was before – at least for a time…