A Company of Fools - Blog

[EvilGinger]

An Epic tale form another part of Tellene

Death and Taxes 

a company of adventurers start out- it is interesting to not that the rules set used to run this was AD&D5e rather than HackMaster 5e but it just goes to show that good background is universal

Death an Taxes

As the sun begins to set behind the Kakidela Mountains, a weary group of  travelers make their way into the small farming community of Drhyff.   Some may ask where they come from, but most would say it doesn’t matter.   Adventurers come from everywhere and nowhere.  They’re drifters,  sell-swords and brigands.  Filled with a wanderlust that cannot be sated  otherwise, this party has joined together in search of that spark of  life found on the open road and in the dungeons of antiquity.

Before we continue, let me introduce you to the party.  First there’s Kalamor Aeternus, a young paladin who hopes to swear an oath to Koverr, The Pure One, should he find himself worthy.  He is flanked by Jeshela Velsin, a half-elf bard just happy to be on the road.  Off running ahead in the bush is Frug Timbers, a forest gnome druidic initiate.  His love of the wild can be seen (and smelled) clearly.  Behind Kalamor is a young brandobian monk named Malvus.  His clothing marks him as a guardian of the Earth Mother.  Taking up the rear a somber dwarf keeps her hood up.  Ngithol is a fighter, clearly, but her eyes betray an intelligence not normally  seen in the warrior caste.  They are settling into the hamlet of Drhyff  for the evening and hoping to find some work.

Drhyff is a small  community, numbering less than 700 even accounting for the migrant  seasonal workers coming in from Bynarr and the eastern towns of Thybaj.   The town itself is situated on the edge of the Fyban forest, where the  inhabitants get the lumber required for their log homes and buildings.   The heroes, if you’re inclined to call them such, quietly find  themselves a bed at the Green Gryffon inn (so named from the moss and  ivy that has grown wild over the log cabin) and settle in for some  cabbage stew and Tharggy sausage.  Jeshela provided music for the small  crowd of residents.  The owner, Jish, was delighted to have such company  in his inn and gave up his room to the bard as thank you.  The others  accepted cots in the common room; all but Malvus, that is.  He was happy to sleep in the barn’s loft.

Before the party retired for the evening, however, Kalamor secured them some incoming funds from the town’s constable, Elmin  Hersir.  The annual census and Queen’s tax was upon them and the hersir  sent by Jorjen Thane has gone missing.  Elmin figures the young hersir  took off with the taxes or was robbed on the road.  Either way, he has  no time to finish collecting and is willing to pay the party 1 gold each  plus 1 silver per house.  There were other rumors and mumblings of  trouble that could have been profitable; a horse thief had made off with  at least three horses in the last few weeks and Elmin Hersir was no  closer to discovering who the culprit was.  And an influx of wild dogs  has been causing farmers some trouble killing chickens and terrorizing  other farm animals.  Both sounded like more work for less pay, so taxmen  they became.

The following day the party headed south to the  furthest homesteads to count heads and collect taxes.  The greater  portion of the day was made up of winding paths through the forest and  the occasional stop at a homestead for a quick count.  Most had little  issue with the taxing and were easy going.  They were threatened by an  old Fhokki hermit, but that’s expected of a taxman’s job.  No, the real  troubles came when they approached the Brovnar homestead.

The Brovnar  family, Brendol and Dela were immigrants from the young kingdoms,  looking to start a new life in Tharggy.  Until recently, they were  fairly successful at getting the farm going and making some friends,  including regular attendance at the sermons in the Assembly of Light  church of Drhyff.  No one has seen the couple or their child Granden in  months.

The party approached the farm with caution, as it was eerily  quiet for such a large farm.  When they called out the owners, Brendol  appeared looking tired and ragged as a man can.  Bruises and cuts marred  his arms and neck; the same for his wife, Dela.  Fearing they may be  hiding some truth, Frug called upon his ancient druidic teachings to charm the young housewife.  She happily told Frug and the party about the mass of kobolds that invaded the farm and  kidnapped her boy.  They dug out tunnels underneath the barn and keep  wild dogs there as guards.  Ngithol heard enough and walked out to approach the barn and deal with the kobolds.  Dela’s concern for her son was pointless as Ngithol was certain the boy was long since dead.

Had the party taken caution, they might have handled the dogs better.  Unfortunately, Ngithol wrenched the barn door open to the sight of six wild animals ready to  pounce.  Clearly Tharggy wolfhounds, the beasts were a threat that had  to be put down.  When the party cleaned off the dust and shite from their clothing, they noticed a pile of hay stir before hearing the sound of a dinner bell or clanging pot below.

Throwing the hay aside, they found the entrance to the Kobold lair.  Kalamor went first only to find the tunnel at the bottom of the ladder to be a  good foot and a half shorter than his 6’4â€� frame could navigate.  Malvus fared no better, but the others were all short enough to move about with relative ease.  Frug took point and laughed at the pitiful attempt at a pit trap before  leaping into a much better disguised pit trap with spikes at the bottom.   Ngithol aided Frug in getting out of the pit and helped place some boards down that the  kobolds likely used to cross the hole.  A kobold guard jumped out to  strike Ngithol,  but Jeshela’s quick use of her flute put the creature down.  They were  free to continue, but were very aware of the alarm.  They pushed on  through the small tunnel until finding a larger room (Still only 5’  tall) full of Kobolds geared up for an advancing attack.  Each was armed  with a spear and positioned behind broken fences they stole from the  Brovnars.  A couple stood at the end of the hall firing arrows at the  party.  There was also a kobold hidden behind a dug out arrow slit in  the wall, giving the party no real cover.
Kalamor went down first, attempting to defend and block the arrows with his shield, while Ngithol made for the door opposite the kobolds.  Unfortunately, before she could reach the door, Malvus was also injured and the heroes realized they may need to withdraw if they wished to go on living.  Frug took up a defensive point while Jeshela healed Kalamor, who in turn laid his hands upon Malvus.  During the skirmish, Jeshela was brought low by arrow fire as the party began their retreat.  Frug kept the kobolds from advancing with a well-placed entanglement and Malvus miraculously hit the kobold behind the arrow slit with a well-timed throwing spike.  A last ditch effort by Frug killed the remaining kobolds when he lit his own entanglement on fire.  There was little time to cheer, however, as Kalamor was brought low again, and the party had to drag him out of the tunnel to escape.

In the barn, while the others quickly recovered, Ngithol set to preparing some torches and readied a fire to set the barn ablaze  and smoke out the kobolds.  None had even fully realized Jeshela bled  out during the scuffle.

Reposted with the Authors permission from the site linked in via the subtitle 

Source: An Epic tale form another part of Tellene

[EvilGinger]

The Beasts of the Wastes

 A Short bestiary of the unique creatures of the northern wastes 

This is something which will develop as the campaign does however I do have a few ideas to get it started off.

Intelligent Monsters

Half Giant Barbarians 

Giants

Game animals 

Predators

Wyrd and mythological creatures

Source: The Beasts of the Wastes

[EvilGinger]

A very Cool digital Artist

A friend of mine who has now joined The against the Robots Game  and can do this sort of level of digital art

Nasty drow

and who will do commission work for you so look for morgalahan.on deviantart.for more details

Source: A very Cool digital Artist

[EvilGinger]

Against the Robots NPC list

At Torn hold
Erened Varnia – Crippled hero of the war against the giants
Alikizior Durtajior – Mayor of Torn hold
Jojokir Varnia – The dutiful nephew and steward


At Angard
Dolga – Town councillor
Khonnir Baine – Town councillor master smith and scholar of Kethian folk lore
Val Baine – The teenage ward of Khonnir councillor and master smith
Sanvil Trett – Scholar of Kethian folk lore and scholar of the arcane and divine
Garmen Ulreth – An inn keeper
Gundremmor Alinzor – Garrison Commander

Other persons of interest
Rekkit - a half giant tinker



Amongst the Dead
These being largely famous personalties form recent history and include the leaders on both sides of the giant war as well as the members of the  company who adventured with Varnia against them.

As ever with these lists it will expand as needed 


note that some of the names of the personalities are taken from the Pathfinder adventure path book Fires of creation on which the game is initially at least based

Source: Against the Robots NPC list

[EvilGinger]

The Beasts of the Wastes

 A Short bestiary of the unique creatures of the northern wastes 

This is something which will develop as the campaign does however I do have a few ideas to get it started off.

Intelligent Monsters

Half Giant Barbarians
HIT POINTS:
SIZE/WEIGHT:
TENACITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
FATIGUEFACTOR:
ATTACK:
DEFENSES:

MOVEMENT
CRAWL:
WALK:
JOG:
RUN:
SPRINT





SAVES
PHYSICAL:
MENTAL:
DODGE:

DESCRIPTION AND HABIT
Hulking brutes

Giants
Half Giant Barbarians
HIT POINTS:
SIZE/WEIGHT:
TENACITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
FATIGUEFACTOR:
ATTACK:
DEFENSES:

MOVEMENT
CRAWL:
WALK:
JOG:
RUN:
SPRINT

SAVES
PHYSICAL:
MENTAL:
DODGE:
DESCRIPTION AND HABIT 

Massive hulking brutes

Game animals 
The North lands does not exactly abound with game animals 

Predators

Wyrd and mythological creatures 

Source: The Beasts of the Wastes

[EvilGinger]

The Beasts of the Wastes

 A Short bestiary of the unique creatures of the northern wastes 

This is something which will develop as the campaign does however I do have a few ideas to get it started off.

Intelligent Monsters

Half Giant Barbarians
HIT POINTS:

Actually a manic miniatures ogre

SIZE/WEIGHT:
TENACITY: -
INTELLIGENCE:
FATIGUEFACTOR:
ATTACK:
DEFENSES:

MOVEMENT
CRAWL:
WALK:
JOG:
RUN:
SPRINT

SAVES
PHYSICAL:
MENTAL:
DODGE:




DESCRIPTION AND HABIT

Hulking brutes from the foot hills of the mountains where there giantish masters dwell they where unknown until thirty years ago when the true giants unified under a great king for the first time known and they where sent south in large bands as a van to the giant armies and then as a support when the true giants arrived in the field.   The are tall seven feet being typical thick set and heavily muscled humanoids with earth coloured flesh lumpen features and coarse black hair which grows thickly on the tops of their heads, and as beards on the males or tufts on the females.

They dress and armour themselves with layers of uncured hides but alas raiders and looters more than happy to use any thing that they loot form their victims which the find to be of use. They like large often crudely made hacking weapons such as one and two handed axes backed up with heavy javelins and a large knife like short sword. They seldom favour metal armour as it can be a liability in the frozen north lands.

Giants
Half Giant Barbarians
HIT POINTS:
SIZE/WEIGHT:
TENACITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
FATIGUEFACTOR:
ATTACK:
DEFENSES:

MOVEMENT
CRAWL:
WALK:
JOG:
RUN:
SPRINT

SAVES
PHYSICAL:
MENTAL:
DODGE:
DESCRIPTION AND HABIT 

Massive hulking brutes

Game animals 
The North lands does not exactly abound with game animals 

Predators

Wyrd and mythological creatures 

Source: The Beasts of the Wastes

[EvilGinger]

The Beasts of the Wastes

 A Short bestiary of the unique creatures of the northern wastes 

This is something which will develop as the campaign does however I do have a few ideas to get it started off.

Intelligent Monsters

Half Giant Barbarians
HIT POINTS:

Actually a manic miniatures ogre

SIZE/WEIGHT:
TENACITY: -
INTELLIGENCE:
FATIGUEFACTOR:
ATTACK:
DEFENSES:

MOVEMENT
CRAWL:
WALK:
JOG:
RUN:
SPRINT

SAVES
PHYSICAL:
MENTAL:
DODGE:





DESCRIPTION AND HABIT

Hulking brutes from the foot hills of the mountains where there giantish masters dwell they where unknown until thirty years ago when the true giants unified under a great king for the first time known and they where sent south in large bands as a van to the giant armies and then as a support when the true giants arrived in the field.   The are tall seven feet being typical thick set and heavily muscled humanoids with earth coloured flesh lumpen features and coarse black hair which grows thickly on the tops of their heads, and as beards on the males or tufts on the females.

They dress and armour themselves with layers of uncured hides but alas raiders and looters more than happy to use any thing that they loot form their victims which the find to be of use. They like large often crudely made hacking weapons such as one and two handed axes backed up with heavy javelins and a large knife like short sword. They seldom favour metal armour as it can be a liability in the frozen north lands.

Giants
Half Giant Barbarians

Image from here

HIT POINTS:
SIZE/WEIGHT:
TENACITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
FATIGUEFACTOR:
ATTACK:
DEFENSES:

MOVEMENT
CRAWL:
WALK:
JOG:
RUN:
SPRINT

SAVES
PHYSICAL:
MENTAL:
DODGE:

DESCRIPTION AND HABIT 

Massive hulking brutes standing on average fifteen feet tall

Game animals 
The North lands does not exactly abound with game animals 

Predators

Wyrd and mythological creatures 

Source: The Beasts of the Wastes

[EvilGinger]

The Beasts of the Wastes

 A Short bestiary of the unique creatures of the northern wastes 

This is something which will develop as the campaign does however I do have a few ideas to get it started off.

Intelligent Monsters

Half Giant Barbarians
HIT POINTS:

Actually a manic miniatures ogre

SIZE/WEIGHT:
TENACITY: -
INTELLIGENCE:
FATIGUEFACTOR:
ATTACK:
DEFENSES:

MOVEMENT
CRAWL:
WALK:
JOG:
RUN:
SPRINT

SAVES
PHYSICAL:
MENTAL:
DODGE:





DESCRIPTION AND HABIT

Hulking brutes from the foot hills of the mountains where there giantish masters dwell they where unknown until thirty years ago when the true giants unified under a great king for the first time known and they where sent south in large bands as a van to the giant armies and then as a support when the true giants arrived in the field.   The are tall seven feet being typical thick set and heavily muscled humanoids with earth coloured flesh lumpen features and coarse black hair which grows thickly on the tops of their heads, and as beards on the males or tufts on the females.

They dress and armour themselves with layers of uncured hides but as raiders and looters more than happy to use any thing that they loot form their victims which the find to be of use though they are restricted some what by being significantly larger than most of there victims. They like large often crudely made hacking weapons such as one and two handed axes backed up with heavy javelins and a large knife like short sword. They seldom favour metal armour as it can be a liability in the frozen north lands.

Giants
Half Giant Barbarians

Image from here

HIT POINTS:
SIZE/WEIGHT:
TENACITY:
INTELLIGENCE:
FATIGUEFACTOR:
ATTACK:
DEFENSES:

MOVEMENT
CRAWL:
WALK:
JOG:
RUN:
SPRINT

SAVES
PHYSICAL:
MENTAL:
DODGE:

DESCRIPTION AND HABIT 

Massive hulking brutes standing on average fifteen feet tall they resemble huge thick set barbaric humans with coarse features and

Game animals 
The North lands does not exactly abound with game animals 

Predators

Wyrd and mythological creatures 

Source: The Beasts of the Wastes

[EvilGinger]

as the Massacre begins

The fight at the end of Episode 23 

Scale one square =3 feet

Key
Mini dice - are Oliphant rats
D6 - Acolyte of the Rot lord
Every thing else is a player character including the ones still lurking outside 
 

Source: as the Massacre begins

[EvilGinger]

Skirmishing with HTML again

 I smell victory

Not only have I worked out how to get rid of the Junk HTML tags which Microsoft Word puts in and which appears to have been the cause of the problem one of my players has produced the HTML code for a minimalist table so I can get the effect I wanted in the first place which was standard Tab separated columns and which I used a table to do when I couldn't work out a Tab key tag for HTML or a simple equivalent its going to be a pain to retrofit this to the current document but it can be done and its not hard there is just a lot of it..

The player in question receives fifty experience points for their primary character and a get out of death free card

Source: Skirmishing with HTML again

[EvilGinger]

Tommorrow I will be at Spririt Games

all day

as a result the Blog may well be a bit quiet on here but I will be busy

First  Spirit Games are hosting twelve folks to play AD&D5e all of whom are potential new Hack Fodder in the near future.

Second I will be playing in a Dungeon Crawl Classics funnel type adventure and again talking HackMaster with the chap that is running it with a view of at some point introducing his Old School D&D group to the wonders of the Art of the Hack 

I am intending to report back on this is some detail as soon as I have recovered enough to type....

However for now I am going to see how much I can get done here tonight to make up for this future delinquency

Source: Tommorrow I will be at Spririt Games

[EvilGinger]

Wiki's and other ways of Presenting  Game Data or storing game information on line

Preamble 
I have been thinking about this for some time and weighing the pro's and cons of how to do this as an adjunct to what I post here and having been a member of obsidian Portal for quite some time due to


More to follow on this

Against the Robots Obsidian Portal page

Source: Wiki's and other ways of Presenting  Game Data or storing game information on line

[EvilGinger]

Wiki's and other ways of Presenting  Game Data or storing game information on line

Preamble 

I have been thinking about this for some time and weighing the pros and cons of how to do this as an adjunct to what I post here I considered both a Face book page for the game and a Google plus comunity as well but felt they had less utility as a way of gathering game information than this blog. In the end I realised I already had a solution to hand, having been a member of Obsidian Portal for quite some time due to A World Of Random Doom using it I finally decided to use that rather than as I had originally planed setting up a separate Wiki I am still debating about getting a paid account. I however feel that the basic free version will at least give me a chance to give the set up a test out and allow me to come to a considered decision.

The Page is here Against the Robots Obsidian Portal page  at the moment doesn't have all that much information on it. However I rather intend that to change first I will be posting all the background articles I have on here for Against the Robots on there, when they are finished, so it is by way of a consolidated player reference resorce. I will also encourage players to use it to do provide some feed back on the game discuss down time actions and so forth as the game progresses. 

Of course this will not make the blog obsolete as every thing will get posted here as well and also for the players benefit whilst  in the game in  the Handouts section of Roll20

Source: Wiki's and other ways of Presenting  Game Data or storing game information on line

[EvilGinger]

the Blood-Clans of Jorikk

 Website update

This goes live tomorrow  Saturday 6th of September  see the site here  and I will be posting more about it on Sunday when I have had a good nose round it 

Source: the Blood-Clans of Jorikk

[EvilGinger]

Tomorrow I will be at Spirit Games

all day

as a result the Blog may well be a bit quiet on here but I will be busy

First  Spirit Games are hosting twelve folks to play AD&D5e all of whom are potential new Hack Fodder in the near future.

Second I will be playing in a Dungeon Crawl Classics funnel type adventure and again talking HackMaster with the chap that is running it with a view of at some point introducing his Old School D&D group to the wonders of the Art of the Hack 

I am intending to report back on this is some detail as soon as I have recovered enough to type....

However for now I am going to see how much I can get done here tonight to make up for this future delinquency

Source: Tomorrow I will be at Spirit Games