A Company of Fools - Blog

[An urban interlude Part V]

Episode Eighteen a Mater of honour

Episode Eighteen a Mater of honour 

An urban interlude Part V

Name	Starting   honour	Gained	Spent	Change	Final   honour **
Leon	27	+5	0	+5	32
Siskin	37 *	+7	??	??	??
Brianna	19	-2	0	-2	17
Larifus	35	-4	0	-4	31
Quelsteine	25	-2	0	-2	23
Lori	??	+9	??	??	??
Aeneste	7	+4	-2	+2	9
Esme	26	+2	0	+2	28
Nyadryn	37	-3	0	-3	35

*          Subject to whatever was spent over the last two sessions

**        Subject to whatever was spent over the last session & calculating the base value

I now will be keeping much better track of expenditures thanks to the use of this in which I will log them as they happen

Source: Episode Eighteen a Mater of honour

[EvilGinger]

A Future darkens Part I

Myrinaris is little More than a child really and a very confused one at that. she was adopted by a band of  wanderers  as a babe in arms and lived amongst them as one of them until she turned fifteen or so when along with all the other changes which a normal human puberty brings she grew claws, large prominent ones on her feet and smaller but no less obvious ones on the hands. Her previously loving adoptive extended family being as most of the travelling folk are rather superstitious to put it mildly came to the conclusion that she was demon or devil kin and chased her out with instructions not to return on pain of death. It was plain that they where terrified of her and it was only the love for the child they had raised which stopped them slaying her there and then.

She fled with what she had and finding that word quickly spread of her evil and fearing that others might turn their hand against her more strongly she fled, living off her wits and hiding her true nature, something which scared her quite as much as it did every one else . In the end she fell in with another traveller also an outcast from her adopted people a half elf priest of the Judge of the dead and undead hunter a grim fellow to be sure but one with not an ounce of superstition in him and together they shared several adventures and  travelled to the city of the Crusaders beside the Blight Scar intending to find a company of Crusaders to join up with indeed she was in the square before the great temple for the great festival when the city fell under an unexpected attack. During which she was apparently stunned, or knocked out briefly and found herself in a great cave with no recollection of how she got there apparently unharmed.

However it was some where her other curse that of being able to see in total darkness served her quite well, and she explored finding her dropped equipment and to be honest looting the bodies of those who had apparently fallen to their deaths as she had not. Not it is to be understood that she was in any way ungrateful to whatever fate had saved her. Eventually she turned to the task of trying to find a way back to the city from where ever it was that she was now and this is where things got even stranger.

First she noticed that she was not the only one alive in this huge cavern and that the others seemed to be an organised group of crusaders. She determined to approach them with a view to joining them, but whilst she was doing so they where attacked by demons which they fought off successfully and moved on. Even better she thought they knew what they where doing. Which was even better and she moved towards them and would have joined them but as she approached each time they where beset with more demons and fought them off as the attacks did not seem to be at all organised it was just that the demons who where she noted universally capable of flying seemed to have survived the fall better than the people who where not. Though the attacks where heavy she noticed with approval that they where dealt with in a methodical and practiced manner even if the frequency stopped her breaking cover and joining the group.

Unfortunately in paying all this attention to what this group where doing she managed not to pay proper attention to other things going on in the cavern around her, and just as the small group was assailed by the largest group of demons yet something or some one grabbed her from behind, whispering in her ear in Elvish that they could watch the show together . 

To be continued….

Source: A Future darkens Part I

[EvilGinger]

Jobs for today

Jobs for today

• Finish and post a mater of honour for Episode Eighteen
• Finish and Post "Personalities of Vayham"
• Finish and post Part II of a future darkens 
• episode three of the on-line game I am playing in

Source: Jobs for today

[EvilGinger]

The Future Darkens Part II

The Future Darkens Part II

So in the firm embrace of the something Myrinaris, watched as the little company was all but over run by demons even thought they made good account of themselves it was apparent that numbers would tell sooner or latter and likely sooner as the demons veritably thronged to the raised ring on the floor which the group was making its stand.  None the less the small group of a Dwarf, a Halfling Mage a tall elf and a man invoking the power of the gods themselves against the demons held its own and the demons fell blasted by mage fire or the flashing blades of the dwarves axe or elves cruelly curved sword, and all the time the priest chanted and the very power of good held them back, and they fought as if swimming in syrup. Then her attention was drawn by her captor to the a patch of darkness even her cursed eyes could not penetrate though they could tell that it was in the vague shape of a larger than man sized humanoid with great bat like wings the patch divided once then twice and then four of them moved forward slowed only by the priests chant over the dismembered bodies of their more corporeal predecessors.  This should be more interesting her captor whispered in her ear. One of the surviving demon soldiers caught the dwarf with its own axe and dragged her off balance as the Halfling discharged a bolt of mage fire into its face killing it and sending its corpse cart wheeling The dwarf toppled forward as the elf noticed elf noticed the deeper darkness struggling forward against the priests chant and said a word from the high tongue of elves she could only understand as out of here. The raised ring on which the group where making a stand shimmered and was surrounded by a nimbus of arcane flaring, her captor spoke as well something in rasping abyssal which dripped fear and they where in an instant some where totally different yet the same it had the raised ring upon which the group made its stand the dismembered bits of dead demons, the shadow demons where there too still pressing forward but in the fading arcane flare it was also different the Dwarf was gone and the Halfling too replaced by a taller slimmer figure, the cave was gone too replaced by a vast underground hall man made and not mostly natural formation . Her captor was about to say something when a figure stepped forward a dwarf dressed in the garb of a common citizen, yet she did not see from whence this common place dwarf came. It spoke one word a word so terrible it burned in Myrinaris blood and she smelt fear form her captor before she was again some where else, her last image was of the four shadow demons suddenly being go as if they had never been  

to be continued....

Source: The Future Darkens Part II

[EvilGinger]

Some screen shots form the Strange World of Random Doom

Some screen shots form the Strange World of Random Doom

Mid way through the Spider fight

The aftermath of the spider fight exploring the Alter

Rather an experiment but I have discovered that I can take screen shots of the on line game I am in and with the aid of Gimp turn them into images I can post here. I will do this more systematically next time & try to make notes for a proper write up

Source: Some screen shots form the Strange World of Random Doom

[EvilGinger]

Online game administration

On-line game administration

Things I need to do before next sunday

• Level up Coradwin as he hit level 2 at the end of the last session and has a chance to train 
• Roll up his Protoge as all I know he is is a half hobgoblin warrior
• Sort out an off line character sheet for both as its easier to refer to these than the in game ones on roll d20

 

Source: Online game administration

[First the Attribute increases]

Levelling up Coradwin

Levelling up Coradwin

First the Attribute increases

STR   d10           Rolled a 5 so the increase was +5
INT   d12            Rolled a 12 and then a 2 so the increase was +13
WIS   d4             Rolled a 2 so the increase was +2
CON  d8             Rolled a  1 so the increase was +1
DEX   d20          Rolled a 3 so the increase was +3
CHA  d6            Rolled a 5 so the increase was +5

I allocated these this way not because they are the "best" for a Magic user but because I felt this reflected the attributes he had exercised during the previous two adventures.

Re rolled his hit points getting a four when I had got a two before so his hit points went up by +2 over all
which is to be honest more like it especialy given how physical he tends to be.

Then I rolled for a spell and got "summon warrior Avatar"which I thought really did not fit him so I spent a precious build point and got "Illusionary leather armour" which I felt did as Coradwin is quite likely to get stuck in and mix it with his sword





On the subject of Spells I also need to roll and see if his levelling up has given him any more insight into "Fire Finger" which he got from the gnome tinkerer and has now seen in action during his last adventure.

Spending the build points 
Had a real struggle about what to do with this one and for a while I was going to spend most of them on Attribute increases indeed I even did this on the Roll d20 character sheet until I retired hurt my fatigue and my dyslexia making continuation impossible as I could not type coherently, let alone think.

Having slept on it now I have decided to go with the plan I came up with at work this morning. Which is to say let the dice sort the Attributes out as he levels up for now and to concentrate on improving the things he relies on whilst adventuring. So this is what we get.

first level of specialisation with Broadsword - Speed I agonised over this and it could just as easily gone on any of them , However in the end the quicker you strike the better especially given Coradwin tends to be slow on realizing there is a fight on ie he has a whopping +5 initiative mod and once he hits Coradwin does a fairly acceptable amount of damage as a broadsword is a viscous weapon

the rest go on Artistry - sketching and drawing  2bp Craft Calligrapher 1bp and Gambling 1bp all skills he used and practised over the recent adventures.

First the roll for Spell cognition for Fire finger -well its a 97! when I needed 50 or less so another level before I can try again


then for the Master Levels we have


Artistry sketching and drawing - base 9 (Dex) roll 11 on a d12 so with the -1 penalty having a nine base Attribute  imposes on the roll that ends up as a 10  so the final skill is 19 so not bad for a begginer

Craft Calligrapher  - base 9 again for the same reason roll 3 on a d12 and with  so with the -1 penalty having a nine base Attribute  imposes on the roll that ends up as a 2 so a final skill of 11

Gambling - which I only took because I had a spare Build point if I had not had felt pressed to spend on re rolling the spell earlier it would have gone on improving his language Kalamarian with that one if I am honest. but even so it started at 24 so improvement die was a d12 still just with no bonuses or penalties. Rolled a d12 - got a 12 so +12 rolled again got a 12 so +11 so I rolled again and got a 3 so +2 all of which added up to a masive +25  to Coradwin's Gambling skill

 and thats it done 

Source: Levelling up Coradwin

[EvilGinger]

Going shopping

Going shopping

Given that Coradwin made a good haul form the last expedition and rather than spend all of it in the temple of RISK which he might even thought he is a mage of higher standing than he was and has to start being able to look the part especially as he now has a servant the half hobgoblin Relemir he really ought not to.

Recent experience and his continued failure to grasp a mere apprentice spell has pricked his honour so at least in town he feels the need to comport himself more like the free journey man mage he is than the near vagabond he has often been to this end he wants to expand his arcane knowledge and whilst continued perusal of the notes his former master gifted him with may help eventually but he feels he needs more than this. To this end he is going looking for any works he can reasonably afford on matters arcane not necessarily spells but more the theory of magic so he can increase his grasp more generally, he is also some what interested in work on divine magic since any aspiring expert on magic should really have some understanding of that as well. Whilst he is doing this he is also after a decent set of Mages robes, not that he would ever wear them adventuring but he is a mage and feels he needs to own a set now he is in the money.

On a more Practical note he is also after the following.

• A blank spell book or similar he can use as a field note book
• Making up a Rubbing's kit so he can make rubbing's of carvings and inscriptions in the field for latter study
• A couple of large sturdy scroll cases for storing rubbing's in the field so they can be returned to the city in good order. 
• A second set of clothes since he has only those he stands up in at the moment.

of course he will still manage to spend at least two gold gambling at the temple of RISK whilst doing all of this and expects to lose a gold or two in the process. He will also pay for some reasonable lodgings for his servant whilst they are in town.

Source: Going shopping

[EvilGinger]

Relemir the horse holder

Relemir  

Who has been on the island a little longer then Coradwin but not even so not found his feet having been getting by helping to load and unload ships in the port and doing minor labouring jobs via the Adventurers guild. Unable to join any of the few organized companies because they wouldn't allow a Hobgoblin as they put it to join them.

the beginnings of the background for Coradwin's Protege, servant more to follow in the morning 

Source: Relemir the horse holder

[EvilGinger]

Minor Mile stone reached

Minor Mile stone reached

last month broke all records so far with regards to Page views on the blog and would have been even higher if not for the internet outage for three days at the start of the last week of the month. I can only wonder what this month may bring.

Source: Minor Mile stone reached

[EvilGinger]

Things to do

Things to do

I need to knuckle down to making sure I have every thing in order for Episode Nineteen which is Thursday the third and will see a return to the company in the woods above The Hidden Dell.

I need to make sure I have all the character sheets updated and printed out as well as the latest honour values and I will be trying to work out the characters fatigue factors properly so I can use that rule as intended I have sort of improvised so far using the basic ones that the Character Spreadsheet I use gives. The scenario is done, being player generated in the most part  though I have a couple of surprise elements set up the company could run into or not depending on what they do which could lead them astray or just add complications to their lives.

I may also be introducing a couple of new characters thought for the start my two new players will be playing the two NPC - protoge's who are with the party at the moment again that will be driven by player actions.

I am looking forward to it  & its on  Thursday the 3rd of July and post session write ups will follow in the usual way, so watch this space.

Source: Things to do

[EvilGinger]

The Horror that came to Little Thorpe

The Horror that came to Little Thorpe

Little Thorpe has lived in happy isolation since it was settled by Brandobians fleeing the initial Kalamarian invasion, generations have passed without a stranger coming across the place and apart form becoming more than a little inbred, though the worst of that has largely passed now. The  the place has been a rural idle even a pastoral halfling would envy, until late last year when a company of men rode out of the east. which was unusual in itself  as most of the few who have come to Little Thorpe over the centuries have been on foot and often lost or fleeing something in the wider world and almost always in ones or twos. 

The mounted company where none the less greeted as one might guests according to Ancient Brandobian cu8stom. However strangers did not react as guests at all drawing weapons and surrounding the villagers who had come out to see the strangers, out of curiosity.  They then sorted the villagers into two groups adults of both sexes and children and the elders the former they striped of  there belt knives ans roped together by the neck an the latter they corralled with weapon points. and both where made to watch as they  flogged old Mindori  the village priest to death for worshipping a false god, he  was as one might expect a priest of life's fire as had his father before him. Then they dragged his brother, Brensen, the only other man in the village who could read, out and made him stab the corpse with his knife before the leader a fellow called Dvorn, the villagers where too terrified to recall if he gave surname but he was a Brandobian they believe, publicly initiated Brensen as a priest of the Lord of Shackles, saying he was the true gods slave and would teach them the true religion and that they where all slaves. The strangers defiled the village chapel and stayed to reconsecrate it to The Lord of Shackles. Before riding off with practically the whole able bodied adult population of the village on a chorfe of slaves.

The next day Brenson who had been left with a copy of the Lord Of Shackles prayer book was found hanged by the scourge the strangers had given him as his symbol of office, he had written something on the prayer books frontice page but no one in the village could read it. .  Over the next few days the half dozen or so adults who had been out hunting at the time of the visit drifted back to their horrified and traumatized kinsfolk  They buried Mindori and Brensen and attempted to shape a life out of the ruins of the old.

It however was not over for about a month ago a strange woman who spoke an unknown language but who did not seem to be Kalamaran or have any thing to do with the terrible Lord of Shackles or its murderous followers arrived and with time and by dumb show she told the still traumatised villagers that  a demon had taken up residence to the north. A couple of the hunters went out to look and the one who returned told the tale of terrible monsters seen distantly in some ancient over grown ruins.

How could it get worse.....

Source: The Horror that came to Little Thorpe

[Session 2]

Stange World of Random Doom sessions 2-&3

Strange World of Random Doom sessions 2&3 

Session 2 

After      the events of the previous session Coradwin went outside to brief the Halfling      and the waggoner's about the problem inside the house so far as the

Halfling      gave him a hard time over the time the company where wasting messing about      when they should be loading wagons as they where being paid to.

So      missed the encounter with the new owner entirely whilst trying to explain      this lack of progress to the, Halfling ungrateful little git

He      took no part until called back in when he was involved in the clearing of      the house and helping to make it secure before the company left for the      return to town

He      was paid off grudgingly by the ungrateful Halfling with every one else in      the end

Session 3

• After      a week mostly spent gambling away the proceeds of the previous adventure      at the temple of Risk thought he did invest at least some of it in a good broadsword      he went to the Raven and the adventurers guild where he met up with every      one else

• Here      they discussed the aftermath of the previous adventure and in particular what      to do with the deeds to the house which had been dumped on them in effect      by the departing prince and the annoying Halfling flunky.

• They      decided to hold the ownership of the house in common and also to set      themselves up as a formal adventuring company.

• They      also discussed the rumours going round the town and other things they had      come across in the intervening week and the current festival of storms,      Coradwin had typically picked up nothing in this line as he had spent all      of his free time in the Temple of risk

• This      was interrupted by the rude arrival of the livery stable master wanting      the bill for stabling the horses they had thought the Dejji prince had      lent them to rid to the house. It turned out that these had been dumped on      them as well.

• Faz      paid the stable masters bill which was good as Coradwin had spent all the      takings form the last adventure on the broad sword and gambling in the      temple of Risk

• This      did however focus them on getting the next job as the stay at the Raven      which they had got the prince to pay for was running out and so was the      companies coin with all these unexpected expenses, swindling alleged noble      Dejji  

• After      some discussion the company settled on going to explore an ancient temple for      the local company of explorers which turned out to be about a days ride      inland and promised something without too many complications.

• It      was decided to start out for the temple in the morning

• Given      that they now had horses to look after and to keep safe whilst they where      adventuring in the temple Coradwin decided that he needed a servant so he      went looking for one and found a fairly desperate Half Hobgoblin labourer      who he persuaded with offers of becoming a protégé

• The journey      to the temple the following day was uneventful but took most of the day in      the saddle so they decided to camp near the entrance and enter the temple      in the morning

• The      intervening night passed without event and in the morning leaving the Half      Hobgoblin as horse holder the company entered the temple, which appeared      to be in a cave in the side of a nearby hill after spending time producing      tracings of the ancient entry arch which was covered with obscure      pictograms.

• Inside      the place was defiantly not your common sort of cave as it was lit by a massive      raised blue light stone and appeared to be carved out of smooth black volcanic      glass rather than the expected local rock.

 

Coradwin's initial Sketch

• Pressing      on they discovered the place was in the rough shape of a ring with a cross      super imposed over it seemingly each quadrant had a door which initial      supposition suggested lead to a chamber of some sort

• They      also discovered a block of floor slabs at the centre of the cross which depressed      as if they where pressure plates of some sort but had no apparent effect beyond      giving the company pause

• Deciding      to go left at the cross roads the company came upon the first door which was      massive marked with the same sort of pictograms the gate arch has been

   

Source: Stange World of Random Doom sessions 2-&3

[EvilGinger]

Coradwin at level 2



Source: Coradwin at level 2

[EvilGinger]

Coradwin at level 2 part II



Source: Coradwin at level 2 PTII