"C'mere, you filty turdling..."
An eerie scraping sound farther down the sewer was the only indication that Teak wasn't alone down here. It was pitch black, and except for the occasional rattling and the sound of his feet schurlmping through the sewer muck, there was only the sound of Teak muttering to himself. He'd been following the trail, as it were, for a couple of hours. This was one tough rat to corner.
It began a few weeks earlier when Teak, known to the town of Rygenhijo as the crazy street urchin, got a job as the town rat catcher. The previous rat catcher had been missing some weeks, and Teak had jumped at the opportunity to earn a steady wage. Food was hard enough to come by, but without the necessary clink, he'd never be able to get the residuum he needed to perfect his magical arts.
Tead was short and wiry, scrawny even by gnomish standards. He wore beggar's rags, but a careful observer would see a glint of gold around his neck. It was a five-pointed star gilt in gold and hanging from a ratty leather collar. It was also one of the only mementos Teak had of his mentor, Kenji Kobe. Teak carried a canvas bag tied over his shoulder, a metal rod in one hand, a hand crossbow in the other, and seventeen rat traps (mostly of the humane variety) tied on where ever they might fit.
He looked and smelled, like a small pile of trash, decorated with rat traps in a random pattern.
Today he wasn't worried about his humane catch-and-release traps. His prey was not the catch-and-release type. It was a certifiable killer dire rat; a big bugger the size of a pony, all fangs, with a tail two feet long, and a taste for human blood. Teak had heard of some rich folk rearing and training dire rats as pets for their privileged children, but he had a feeling this varmit he was hunting wasn't the kind to be petted. Several bums, half a handful of dogs, and the town's previous rat catcher had all come up missing over the course of a month, and Teak was sure he was about to come face-to-face with the villain responsible.
"It is already the eating time, and ye keep running away. But I'll be finding yer lair, ye fiend, and I'll eat YOU if you keep me down here much longer," Teak spat out as he traversed the mucky muck.
Even though Teak could see twice as well as any human in the dark, it was still dark as pitch down here, yet he knew better than to try to light a torch. Hundreds of years of sewer gas build-up made any open fire a risky business. The rattling was getting closer with each step, though, so he reached a hand into the bag at his side and pulled out a small glass vial.
It was a perfectly round and fully enclosed orb filled with an alchemical concoction of his own invention. He gently shook it and then hooked it onto the leather strap at his neck with a practiced twist. Within seconds a dull blue glow filled the sewers surrounding the odd gnome. It was a simple matter of using red phosphorus with sulfur, salt peters and a drop of sewer water, and a pinch of swamp moss for color. It would burn out in in about an hour, but it was cheaply made, refillable, mostly safe down here where any flame was most defiantly unsafe. He called it a flame globe, in memory of a toy Kobe taught him to make with a globe and a wintery snow scene. Teak rehitched his bag over his shoulder and continued hunting his quarry.
He was entering the oldest part of the city. The pipes here were big enough for a horse to walk in comfortably. No one lived in this part of the sewers. No people, anyway. There were plenty of other dangerous denizens of the dark down here. Still, it was a rare thing for a foul creature such as this to have moved in. The dire rat had become more of a public nuisance. It was a threat to the lives of the people living down here. There was no one else to protect them. Teak was not only the best equipped to deal with the dangers of the sewers, he was also one of the few people that cared.
Teak knew these tunnels as well as any of the citizens of Rygenhijo. After all, he had lived down here for most of his life. Toward the east end of town, close to the river, was an entire underground community for outcasts, orphans and street people. His brief tutelage under Kenji Kobe was the once exception. The kindly old toy-maker welcomed Teak to his home, gave him food and shelter, and began teaching him a trade. Those were the best years of Teak's life. After Kobe died Teak was left alone again. He continued to study the arcane arts, but his education had been incomplete, so he was forced to improvise. Sometimes it resulted in something good and useful like his flame globe, but other times it resulted in explosions of various sizes, or some other misfortune. There was no other way to learn other than trial and error, however, and there was no one left willing to teach him.
He turned down a different tunnel. He took a step and felt something slimy moving at his feet. The slimy part was expected, this being the sewers, but the moving part was a bit disconcerting. He jumped up out of the filth he'd be walking in all afternoon, trying to find a handhold along the wall to his left so he could see what was beginning to constrict his foot--too late. He felt a sharp pain and realized he'd just been bitten by a leekert. Half snake, half leech, it hid at the bottom of a pool of dirty water and waited to be stepped on. Then it would wrap its eel-like body around its foe, bite with both its heads, pumping its venom into its target, leaving its prey in a blissful numbness, unaware that it would soon be eaten, digested, and shat out by a two-headed freak of nature. It could be a lethal predator to those caught unaware. To Teak, a long-time resident of the sewers currently bent on the destruction of a dire rat, it was a just an inconvenience.
If anyone had been watching, they would have seen Teak suddenly disappear. He was still right where he had been standing, but gnomes had a knack for vanishing when they got into trouble, and Teak had mastered it. Teak quickly grabbed the leekert with the hand holding the rod and ripped its toothy mouths off of his foot before the strange amphibian was able to pump its mind-numbing poison into his leg. He shouted "Away!" just as he clicked the small tab on the metal rod in his hand. The leekert appeared ten feet back up the pipe the other direction, further away from the now vanished gnome. Confused and disorientated, it was still smart enough to realize this foul-tasting gnome was more dangerous than it was edible. It buried itself back into the muck at the bottom of the pipe, content to wait for a frog or a delicious water tarantula to come by.
Water splashed down the pipe as an invisible gnome (followed by a bluish glow) retreated to the safe distance. Careless, he thought to himself. He'd been distracted by the threat of the dire rat and had let down his guard. That was a dangerous thing to do down here. Luckily it had been a male leekert or it might not have given up so easily. The females were twice as big, and often had little hungry mouths to feed. But then again, a leekert made a fine meal if they were big enough, so the sewer denizens brave enough to go hunting them ate well when successful. The usual method was to use a stick, though, not your foot.
After a few seconds he reappeared. He took a moment to look at his bleeding foot. The bite itself was far from lethal, but an open wound down here could invite disease much more dangerous than any leekert. Teak adjusted the glowing blue ball at his neck, moving it underneath his ragged burlap shirt. He reached into his bag, pulled out a vial half-full with a pink liquid, and drank it. The bleeding stopped and the small wound covered up with new skin. He put the empty vial back into his bag. Next Teak began moving his hands in a complex pattern, caressing and then banging the rod he used to teleport himself and the leekert. After several minutes of messing with it, a faint *click* was heard and the button near the base of the rod popped back out, ready to be used again. He began walking, but then paused a moment to looked at his ripped pants. He moved his hands quickly in an arcane ritual, almost as an afterthought. His ripped rags returned to their previous dirty, but intact, state.
"Now I'm coming for ya, ye bugger, and I'm hungry and harassed. I'll be dining rat-kabobs within the hour, or I'm a cross-dressing dwarf. I might even have a new hat, too. A nice fur hat!"
Still muttering to himself, he pulled his glowing orb out from beneath his shirt and continued down the sewer, now moving as quietly as he could, toward the weird scraping that he knew to be the sound of a rat chewing on rather large bones....
12.15.2008
THE BIG FIX - patch version 9.0
Ok so after some conversations with Ryan, ray and Geoff about the current state of affairs, I'm thinking of flipping the campaign design on it's head a little - rather than having the campaign's story having level dependant aspects that because of a desire to see you succeed I end up having to adjust those requirements anyhow, how about I do the exact opposite, that if you find ways to quickly advance the plot to where it would ordinarily be outside of your reach for success - then I give or find cause to advance you along with the plot to the point where you can successfully complete those aspects. There will still of course be decisions that will be soo outside of the realm of consistency where I won't be able to do that, but those will be very minimal situations, so that the margin for error is as large as possible while still allowing for the possiblity of some risk involved/consequences.
Ok, so because of a couple decisions about characters doing their grand exit of the game before the plot I had tied to their backstory intended, I'm left in an awkard place of not really having many hooks to tie the current group together, BUT - never fear the great american railroad company has given me permission to thrust plot fixes upon you, and skip over all the nonsense that really doesn't apply to what is left of the current story arch.
So you might be saying, I don't want to ride this particular train - to that I say but you haven't even heard where it's going yet.
Wanna hear it? great - it's a go directly to 9th level, don't stop at any interim levels, and collect much loots in the form of new magical items. Yay!!!
Roughly you guys are going to awaken pelor in crusio who is going to make a deal with the group and empart some of his spiritual goodness into the group, as well as design some doo dads from his bag of creation trickets to help you along the way.
I believe we have in the party now items leveling 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9.
That leaves a 6, 7, 7, 9, 10 (for sixth to seven) then you still need, 8, 9, 10, 11 (for seven to eight) and 9, 10, 11, 12 (for eight to nine) and because expect to have you guys gaining a level each session for the next 3 sessions - 10, 11, 12, 13 (for nine to ten) these last four will be found in the course of your battles, and maybe this time I'll actually let a monster use a magic item that won't kill it when it does. - sucks to be U's guys right about now.
K, so get your noses in the books and min max like I know you can. j/k don't really do that, (not that I can stop you) but do try to find useful things that you will make you enjoy the character - if that lends itself to min max - so be it.
Ok, so because of a couple decisions about characters doing their grand exit of the game before the plot I had tied to their backstory intended, I'm left in an awkard place of not really having many hooks to tie the current group together, BUT - never fear the great american railroad company has given me permission to thrust plot fixes upon you, and skip over all the nonsense that really doesn't apply to what is left of the current story arch.
So you might be saying, I don't want to ride this particular train - to that I say but you haven't even heard where it's going yet.
Wanna hear it? great - it's a go directly to 9th level, don't stop at any interim levels, and collect much loots in the form of new magical items. Yay!!!
Roughly you guys are going to awaken pelor in crusio who is going to make a deal with the group and empart some of his spiritual goodness into the group, as well as design some doo dads from his bag of creation trickets to help you along the way.
I believe we have in the party now items leveling 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9.
That leaves a 6, 7, 7, 9, 10 (for sixth to seven) then you still need, 8, 9, 10, 11 (for seven to eight) and 9, 10, 11, 12 (for eight to nine) and because expect to have you guys gaining a level each session for the next 3 sessions - 10, 11, 12, 13 (for nine to ten) these last four will be found in the course of your battles, and maybe this time I'll actually let a monster use a magic item that won't kill it when it does. - sucks to be U's guys right about now.
K, so get your noses in the books and min max like I know you can. j/k don't really do that, (not that I can stop you) but do try to find useful things that you will make you enjoy the character - if that lends itself to min max - so be it.
12.14.2008
I made some new friends
Reed t'lls me he's on da move, so I'm like, "Awesome, time t' go 'venturing again!" Obbiously I ain't ganna let 'im go off and get hiself killed like he'd like t' do, as 'e is lible t' do if I ain't round.
So we're off, travelin' bout for months, running around in circles, eating from the same barrel of pickled herring until my sweat smells like rotten fish and even his doggie avoids bein' downwind from me. The very idea of stopping for dinner time made me lose me appetite toward the end, there. Reed insists we ain't got no time to hunt nothing not pickled and in barrels, though, much less find a decent tavern with some decent swill.
When we finally catch up to whatever ghost Reed was a'chasin, turns out we're a minute too late! Not even so much as a thank you from that lot, neither. BUT I FINALLY GOT TO SEE A DRAGON!! There were two of 'em, but by the time I came up, pantin' n' out of breath, they had both flown off.
The lads seem a tad on the morbid side. They're definantly the cup's half empty type. Also, it grieves me terrible to say they don't even 'ave a 'alf decent 'venturing name.
The one in robes took me up on me climbin bet, but 'e cheated! Least he gave me back me coin, though I was sportin enough to let 'im keep it. I learned a lesson 'bout making bets with pointy-ear'd ones, least.
'Fore long passed, we were talking to some tree-woman. She sent us to the mountains without so much as a toasted croc' leg to eat, and there was we continuing our n'er ending march to no-wheres.
We must 'ave been getting close, for long had passed the wolf-masked feller starts hoopin' and hollerin' a'tryin to wake up the whole country-side. I figured it must've been a success, cause here comes a big 'ol green dragon. Try as we might, he didn't eat us after all! Fact is, now we're 'pose to be working for him, or sumtin like that.
I am glad t' be out an' about, don't get me wrong, I just wish'd there was more in the way of vittles out here. Reed n' me are about t' start growin gills at this rate!
So we're off, travelin' bout for months, running around in circles, eating from the same barrel of pickled herring until my sweat smells like rotten fish and even his doggie avoids bein' downwind from me. The very idea of stopping for dinner time made me lose me appetite toward the end, there. Reed insists we ain't got no time to hunt nothing not pickled and in barrels, though, much less find a decent tavern with some decent swill.
When we finally catch up to whatever ghost Reed was a'chasin, turns out we're a minute too late! Not even so much as a thank you from that lot, neither. BUT I FINALLY GOT TO SEE A DRAGON!! There were two of 'em, but by the time I came up, pantin' n' out of breath, they had both flown off.
The lads seem a tad on the morbid side. They're definantly the cup's half empty type. Also, it grieves me terrible to say they don't even 'ave a 'alf decent 'venturing name.
The one in robes took me up on me climbin bet, but 'e cheated! Least he gave me back me coin, though I was sportin enough to let 'im keep it. I learned a lesson 'bout making bets with pointy-ear'd ones, least.
'Fore long passed, we were talking to some tree-woman. She sent us to the mountains without so much as a toasted croc' leg to eat, and there was we continuing our n'er ending march to no-wheres.
We must 'ave been getting close, for long had passed the wolf-masked feller starts hoopin' and hollerin' a'tryin to wake up the whole country-side. I figured it must've been a success, cause here comes a big 'ol green dragon. Try as we might, he didn't eat us after all! Fact is, now we're 'pose to be working for him, or sumtin like that.
I am glad t' be out an' about, don't get me wrong, I just wish'd there was more in the way of vittles out here. Reed n' me are about t' start growin gills at this rate!
12.09.2008
Everything that has nothing to do with the game, or so you'd think...
I have currently a one month subscription to dnd insider so if any of yous wants to see it or anything on it just let me know and ill get it for ya or if there is a compy around ill just show ya in person.
Merry Christmas!!
stuff.
Also, after everyone has had a chance to read this, it can be deleted to preserve the essence of the blog.
Merry Christmas!!
stuff.
Also, after everyone has had a chance to read this, it can be deleted to preserve the essence of the blog.
12.08.2008
Yes it did, and Here's how it's gonna go down.
Alright, well thanks to all the guys who've checked the blog and left comments and suggestions.
From those I've come to a plan - it's blunt but I'm just going to break down some options for you for next session and I'll try to have some things prepared for each of those situations, but ultimately it will boil down to a good deal of winging it again (another of those bare with me situations).
So last time you guys were caught by a random NPC in the catacombs below what you now know to be the Headquarters of the Cercators, the NPC closed a multitude of security gates behind him as he fled -
NOW FOR THE OPTIONS:
If any of you are concerned about the time line for the captains being executed you can at any time reveal yourselves to the cercators which will essentially give them cause to resume using them as hostages to force you to proceed doing what they want - though you all will also know that you've already broken the cercators ability to ever reproduce the cycle by freeing the Raven Queen, but have no idea what would happen to the Captains if the Cercators find out that they can never again try the cycle again (kind of the point of this second story arch).
You all know that after the hand of fate, if you move forward into the catacombs you will find one of the captains you seek, but I will remind you that going forward directly into the catacombs will lead to your revealing yourselves to the cercators and your margin for error will be very small (this amounts to every challenge you face being at the highest possible difficulty allowable for your level, which means it is completable, but likely not everyone will make it through to see the results)
As a freebie you guys will recognize that the drainage gates in the first room of the catacombs that I mentioned last time may lead into the sewers, this would get you into Rygenhijo the city through the sewers, but won't immediately lead to the captain you seek - downside the sewers may only be slightly less perilous than the catacombs.
Another option is to return to the lolth tower and seek out the dryad along the primary flow of the river, and hope she will be willing to show you a way to the next captain or Rygenhijo - but more likely if you recall the portal she had showed several locations that would each mostly match to a gatekeeper, as in perhaps this path would only lead you to another gatekeeper (and if Crusio was to be watching over you all again, he would likely be around one these gatekeepers waiting for you all to show up, and you might be able to find him) This will likely reveal yourselves to the cercators, but if you believe Crusio is a captain you might be able to find him there as well (warning, you have no idea how he will take the loss of his sister Lotus), but if you don't confront or find Crusio and just fight the gatekeeper this will likely be the path of least resistance.
Ok so you guys have a decision to make, you can do your chat on here or however, just try to have an idea in mind before next session.
From those I've come to a plan - it's blunt but I'm just going to break down some options for you for next session and I'll try to have some things prepared for each of those situations, but ultimately it will boil down to a good deal of winging it again (another of those bare with me situations).
So last time you guys were caught by a random NPC in the catacombs below what you now know to be the Headquarters of the Cercators, the NPC closed a multitude of security gates behind him as he fled -
NOW FOR THE OPTIONS:
If any of you are concerned about the time line for the captains being executed you can at any time reveal yourselves to the cercators which will essentially give them cause to resume using them as hostages to force you to proceed doing what they want - though you all will also know that you've already broken the cercators ability to ever reproduce the cycle by freeing the Raven Queen, but have no idea what would happen to the Captains if the Cercators find out that they can never again try the cycle again (kind of the point of this second story arch).
You all know that after the hand of fate, if you move forward into the catacombs you will find one of the captains you seek, but I will remind you that going forward directly into the catacombs will lead to your revealing yourselves to the cercators and your margin for error will be very small (this amounts to every challenge you face being at the highest possible difficulty allowable for your level, which means it is completable, but likely not everyone will make it through to see the results)
As a freebie you guys will recognize that the drainage gates in the first room of the catacombs that I mentioned last time may lead into the sewers, this would get you into Rygenhijo the city through the sewers, but won't immediately lead to the captain you seek - downside the sewers may only be slightly less perilous than the catacombs.
Another option is to return to the lolth tower and seek out the dryad along the primary flow of the river, and hope she will be willing to show you a way to the next captain or Rygenhijo - but more likely if you recall the portal she had showed several locations that would each mostly match to a gatekeeper, as in perhaps this path would only lead you to another gatekeeper (and if Crusio was to be watching over you all again, he would likely be around one these gatekeepers waiting for you all to show up, and you might be able to find him) This will likely reveal yourselves to the cercators, but if you believe Crusio is a captain you might be able to find him there as well (warning, you have no idea how he will take the loss of his sister Lotus), but if you don't confront or find Crusio and just fight the gatekeeper this will likely be the path of least resistance.
Ok so you guys have a decision to make, you can do your chat on here or however, just try to have an idea in mind before next session.
11.29.2008
Did that just happen?
Here's the thing are you guys still enjoying the session - cause it seems like I've heard a lot of complaining recently about multiple things that aren't going the way some of you think they should - if you don't think I'm treating you fairly and it's effecting your enjoyment of the campaign talk to me about it, give you an argument from RP or mechanics and I'll consider it.
The fact is this is supposed to be fun for everyone involved (including me), and recently its just been me feeling like I'm defending every decision I'm making. I'm just trying to make an Interesting, but also Challenging game that's is balanced by the mechanics as I understand them.
I usually put at least 4-8 hours every 2 weeks between updating this blog and preparing for the game itself to make sure what I'm doing is fair balanced and you have every opportunity to understand what is going on and evaluate it for consitency as well as make comments or suggestions for the direction for your character or campaign - generally the fact of the matter is you don't and aren't supposed to know everything about the world in its entirety, if you did there would be no decisions for you to make and might as well be reading a book or playing the game solo - thus there will be times when you are just going to have to trust that I'm trying to make a balanced campaign and not trying to screw you over and that even in the darkest hour I've built ways for you to succeed (though there has to be cause and effect that may eventually lead to your failer or demise - ie. you level 1 try to take on the great wyrm), if you can't do that at this point then I really don't need to be running games for you guys.
I will accept responsiblity for not having prepared to guide you all in a specific direction for the session outside of picking out a variety of monsters you might fight, I expected that you all would come to some conclusion amongst one another relatively quickly, or if you didn't have a clear plan in mind that you would roll a check to see what your character would think to do or try based on their motivations. I also expected to tell you that with regard to the captains if you kept off radar you would likely have "days if not hours" before the captains lives might be in danger, given what your characters should know about the logistical consequences of yet another group failing to defeat all of the gatekeepers, thus putting pressure on you to move forward quickly or emerge to the cercators again so that they will have reason to continue forward with the current cycle.
At the same time I hope you guys would recognize the contributing factors, when we are 2 hours into the session and no decision has been made and not a single roll has been made, all I have left is the infamous duh check, in this case it was for the most likely character to know of a potential fast way to travel - your arcane knowledge based wizard. With the knowledge from previous sessions imparted by other characters (TJ) most of you would know that the Cercators are based in Rygenhijo, being months from the Lolth tower his character would be able to put together that there should be a teleportation circle nearby to get to such an important place quickly.
I will accept blame for not explaining specifically where the portal leads in Rygenhijo; I expected if anyone wasn't certain or wanted to know more they would make a check, again no checks were rolled at all. I knew when I told you guys there was a portal, where I would have it go. Everything the Cercators do revolves around Lotus and the Nobunaga, knowing that it would be logical to infer that the teleportation circle would from it's last use go to a protected or Cercator controlled location and not just out on the streets somewhere in the city - a conclusion that if you didn't come to on your own might have if a roll was made - not everything is going to be a passive check when there are heavy consequences involved.
You all were heavily pressing for combat this session to test out your abilities, well I saw this as a way to do that and then get you right back on track with trying to stay in the shadows - you can't be in the shadows and low key if you are looking for direct combat out of game. The plan once I knew you were going, was to have you get to have a combat with something new, including undead and a hollow, showing you a preview of what is to come at the heart of the Cercators - the alarm was meant to give you the option for combat but not want to hang around long enough to see who you've alerted, given you all said you wanted to be off radar and alarms sounding doesn't exactly fit with being off radar - no one puts builds and alarm that takes over 10 minutes for something or someone to show up and check it. I am not going to tell you guys how to run your characters, if you in character want to ignore alarms go off to find out more about where you are that's fine, I'm going to give you the chance to do so and if it is a really dangerous place I'm going to try to give you time to reconsider the decision.
In this case you had and have a great deal of time given that the character the party chose to interact with ran off shutting down the entrance exit gates behind him, giving you even more time to think about and give clues to where you are or how difficult your path is. Even so far as to rethink the questions that were asked of the hand of fate where I according to it only have to have it point a direction I don't have to give any explanation at all as to why, I was trying to explain the answers so you guys would make the most informed decision given what your characters might be able to interpret from the hand choosing what it chose given the questions that were asked.
At any rate if you guys don't like what went down this session I don't care if we scrap the whole session, or if you guys aren't enjoying what I'm doing for and with your characters I'm fine with someone else running or just going to Friday Night Magic or xboxing. I run because it's fun to create something and see you guys get into your characters and play through them to see what new and creative ways you can come up with to defeat the challenges I create, but if all I do is defend what I'm doing and feel like you guys aren't enjoying it, then I really don't have any reason to do it, because it isn't fun for me at that point.
So post your opinions comments and etc. we'll go from there.
I don't want to make a big deal out of nothing, ordinarily Geoff doesn't leave the house out of session to chat, which leads me to believe some of you guys were not happy with the session, and from running for you guys for awhile now I realize the seemingly small margin for error and heavy intrigue campaigns aren't up you guys' alley which is why this one isn't that way, and has a much larger scope for success, but as I mentioned parts of the storyline have been again advanced more quickly than I anticipated and am balancing those things out, but that results in there being areas or potential paths that will have much small margins for success, this current through the Cercator HQ being one of them.
Anyhow I'm just tired in general, been busier than usual, without the time to prepare for what I can't predict what you guys will do, and each time I don't the game suffers or has some issue or another, I would just like to get through a session where I get to wing it, everyone have a good time, and there not be an issue afterwards. I could just be getting burnt out, previous years the DM's would swap who was running to try to keep that from happening, but with TJ gone and no one else really having the time or desire that's been kind of hard, so to help me out I'm asking for a little extra slack.
I'm going to hit the sack but I'll check this some time before next session and see what all your suggestions or comments are.
The fact is this is supposed to be fun for everyone involved (including me), and recently its just been me feeling like I'm defending every decision I'm making. I'm just trying to make an Interesting, but also Challenging game that's is balanced by the mechanics as I understand them.
I usually put at least 4-8 hours every 2 weeks between updating this blog and preparing for the game itself to make sure what I'm doing is fair balanced and you have every opportunity to understand what is going on and evaluate it for consitency as well as make comments or suggestions for the direction for your character or campaign - generally the fact of the matter is you don't and aren't supposed to know everything about the world in its entirety, if you did there would be no decisions for you to make and might as well be reading a book or playing the game solo - thus there will be times when you are just going to have to trust that I'm trying to make a balanced campaign and not trying to screw you over and that even in the darkest hour I've built ways for you to succeed (though there has to be cause and effect that may eventually lead to your failer or demise - ie. you level 1 try to take on the great wyrm), if you can't do that at this point then I really don't need to be running games for you guys.
I will accept responsiblity for not having prepared to guide you all in a specific direction for the session outside of picking out a variety of monsters you might fight, I expected that you all would come to some conclusion amongst one another relatively quickly, or if you didn't have a clear plan in mind that you would roll a check to see what your character would think to do or try based on their motivations. I also expected to tell you that with regard to the captains if you kept off radar you would likely have "days if not hours" before the captains lives might be in danger, given what your characters should know about the logistical consequences of yet another group failing to defeat all of the gatekeepers, thus putting pressure on you to move forward quickly or emerge to the cercators again so that they will have reason to continue forward with the current cycle.
At the same time I hope you guys would recognize the contributing factors, when we are 2 hours into the session and no decision has been made and not a single roll has been made, all I have left is the infamous duh check, in this case it was for the most likely character to know of a potential fast way to travel - your arcane knowledge based wizard. With the knowledge from previous sessions imparted by other characters (TJ) most of you would know that the Cercators are based in Rygenhijo, being months from the Lolth tower his character would be able to put together that there should be a teleportation circle nearby to get to such an important place quickly.
I will accept blame for not explaining specifically where the portal leads in Rygenhijo; I expected if anyone wasn't certain or wanted to know more they would make a check, again no checks were rolled at all. I knew when I told you guys there was a portal, where I would have it go. Everything the Cercators do revolves around Lotus and the Nobunaga, knowing that it would be logical to infer that the teleportation circle would from it's last use go to a protected or Cercator controlled location and not just out on the streets somewhere in the city - a conclusion that if you didn't come to on your own might have if a roll was made - not everything is going to be a passive check when there are heavy consequences involved.
You all were heavily pressing for combat this session to test out your abilities, well I saw this as a way to do that and then get you right back on track with trying to stay in the shadows - you can't be in the shadows and low key if you are looking for direct combat out of game. The plan once I knew you were going, was to have you get to have a combat with something new, including undead and a hollow, showing you a preview of what is to come at the heart of the Cercators - the alarm was meant to give you the option for combat but not want to hang around long enough to see who you've alerted, given you all said you wanted to be off radar and alarms sounding doesn't exactly fit with being off radar - no one puts builds and alarm that takes over 10 minutes for something or someone to show up and check it. I am not going to tell you guys how to run your characters, if you in character want to ignore alarms go off to find out more about where you are that's fine, I'm going to give you the chance to do so and if it is a really dangerous place I'm going to try to give you time to reconsider the decision.
In this case you had and have a great deal of time given that the character the party chose to interact with ran off shutting down the entrance exit gates behind him, giving you even more time to think about and give clues to where you are or how difficult your path is. Even so far as to rethink the questions that were asked of the hand of fate where I according to it only have to have it point a direction I don't have to give any explanation at all as to why, I was trying to explain the answers so you guys would make the most informed decision given what your characters might be able to interpret from the hand choosing what it chose given the questions that were asked.
At any rate if you guys don't like what went down this session I don't care if we scrap the whole session, or if you guys aren't enjoying what I'm doing for and with your characters I'm fine with someone else running or just going to Friday Night Magic or xboxing. I run because it's fun to create something and see you guys get into your characters and play through them to see what new and creative ways you can come up with to defeat the challenges I create, but if all I do is defend what I'm doing and feel like you guys aren't enjoying it, then I really don't have any reason to do it, because it isn't fun for me at that point.
So post your opinions comments and etc. we'll go from there.
I don't want to make a big deal out of nothing, ordinarily Geoff doesn't leave the house out of session to chat, which leads me to believe some of you guys were not happy with the session, and from running for you guys for awhile now I realize the seemingly small margin for error and heavy intrigue campaigns aren't up you guys' alley which is why this one isn't that way, and has a much larger scope for success, but as I mentioned parts of the storyline have been again advanced more quickly than I anticipated and am balancing those things out, but that results in there being areas or potential paths that will have much small margins for success, this current through the Cercator HQ being one of them.
Anyhow I'm just tired in general, been busier than usual, without the time to prepare for what I can't predict what you guys will do, and each time I don't the game suffers or has some issue or another, I would just like to get through a session where I get to wing it, everyone have a good time, and there not be an issue afterwards. I could just be getting burnt out, previous years the DM's would swap who was running to try to keep that from happening, but with TJ gone and no one else really having the time or desire that's been kind of hard, so to help me out I'm asking for a little extra slack.
I'm going to hit the sack but I'll check this some time before next session and see what all your suggestions or comments are.
11.21.2008
After the meeting with the Raven Queen and Rukia, Sun is starting to think that maybe she is not as powerful as she says she is. However he does start to show his fanaticism to the Raven Queen. Every thing to the letter, dotting all "I's" and crossing all the "T's." His interpretation of the religion and beliefs of the Raven Queen are very cut and dry, black and white. Any grey areas brought up by Rukia especially will be questioned to the Raven Queen. That is unless Rukia catches wise and stops making questionable comments.
Then forever after, Sun's trust and acceptance of Rukia's lead will strictly be out of desire to get it over with and be done with her. He strongly desires the spear of his uncle's to continue his quest of redemption, which probably is mistaken for desire of the power it holds.
Over the next year, Sun will slowly become more dark and uncaring. His view of this whole matter is that it steps in the exact opposite direction and they are losing ground on the big picture. However he does maintain his friendship with Finn, overlooking Finn's new 'sorority girl' phase.
Also, to physically display his disgust of this waste of time, he commissions a mask to be made that resembles the ones worn by the egyptian immortals from 300. He also dye's all his apparel black, and blacks his metal possessions as well.
As for my items I would like
Reckless Spear +2 (lvl 8)
and
Amulet of Protection (lvl 6) +2 to fort, reflex, will defenses
(unless I find a better set of armor for level 6 when I see the Adventurers Vault)
Then forever after, Sun's trust and acceptance of Rukia's lead will strictly be out of desire to get it over with and be done with her. He strongly desires the spear of his uncle's to continue his quest of redemption, which probably is mistaken for desire of the power it holds.
Over the next year, Sun will slowly become more dark and uncaring. His view of this whole matter is that it steps in the exact opposite direction and they are losing ground on the big picture. However he does maintain his friendship with Finn, overlooking Finn's new 'sorority girl' phase.
Also, to physically display his disgust of this waste of time, he commissions a mask to be made that resembles the ones worn by the egyptian immortals from 300. He also dye's all his apparel black, and blacks his metal possessions as well.
As for my items I would like
Reckless Spear +2 (lvl 8)
and
Amulet of Protection (lvl 6) +2 to fort, reflex, will defenses
(unless I find a better set of armor for level 6 when I see the Adventurers Vault)
11.19.2008
Fifth - Sixth Level Campaign History DM's Perspective, Out of Game Side Quests.
Ok guys, we'll pick up with Questions for the Raven Queen, Rukia, and etc.
Post them on the commment section, and I'll repost/answer them in blog for everyone.
Second if you want to discuss where you want to go with your character you can do it here or via e-mail, or whatever.
I'll check back often.
General information conveyed by Rukia or the Raven Queen.
Process of Death - when a humanoid dies it's soul is conveyed from this world into the next by a Soul Reaper who using their zanpakuto (soul-cutting sword) performs the soul burial (konsÅ). Souls have a certain amount of time they may exist without a soul chain appearing, but eventually a soul chain appears and binds the soul to a particular place or person; this starts the clock, from that point on the soul chain that binds their consciousness to merely being a 'whole' soul begins to errode.
Once the last link in the chain errodes away that soul instantly transforms into a hollow, losing much of it's previous consiousness and the 'hole' in it's heart becomes quite litteral. The soul takes on a porcelain painted mask that and a shadowy figure with a hole in it's chest, all of these things symbolic of what has transpired the soul looses it's identity and becomes a consumption machine obsessed with filling it's emptiness with the literal or figurative bodies and souls of humanoids.
Soul Reapers are charged with guiding souls before they turn into hollows on to the next world, and if they cannot do that, then they are to destroy the hollow that emerges and purify the soul contained by it.
Why? Because souls that pass on, emerge in the soul society to live a new life and when a soul dies from the soul society they return to the material world to animate a humanoid on that plane of existence. But each soul that is destroyed has the potential to unbalance this harmony - filling huecomundo (purgatory or place where the hollow exist when not in the material world)
Only Reapers can perform the konso, thus any PC trying it will only destroy the hollow for the purposes of our game we will call you Quincy, a group of spiritually aware humanoids who throughout history have secretly emerged and protected the humanoid material plane from Hollows - their general belief is that destroying a single hollow while resulting in the loss of a soul, is better than all the souls that would be consumed by that single hollow. (technically soul reapers and quincy are bitter enemies, but Rukia nor the Queen will tell you more on this, other than if you come across any other reapers you do not let on that you can see them or are even aware they are there.)
Those of you with a hight insight 19+ (lowered check because of the extremely difficulty of hiding this fact) - will know that there is something very odd with the way Rukia acts around and about the Raven Queen. Rukia seems to treat her with the respect a subordinate would but at the same time seems uneasy about being near her at all, as though she is conflicted between some duty or obligation and the feelings she has for your group specifically Ookami, and when the Queen's returning to the soul society is brought up Rukia usually interjects that the Queen has only today to spend with you all and then has somethings she has to attend to - never actually admitting that she is returning to the soul society, but the Queen herself always seems to acknowledge what Rukia is saying as though Rukia is protecting the Queen and the group from something.
General Re-introduction to the NPC Rukia Kuchki
Rukia eventually comes to tell you all how she even became involved with your group, that Ookami came across her doing battle when an extremely powerful hollow, and in the process of the battle she was forced to convey part of her power to Ookami, but because of Ookami's extremely strong spiritual power he accidentally took all of her reaper powers and has been acting in her place guarding Kyotenichi while she has been forced to remain in a gegai (humanoid shell body) to recover. She told Ookami to not confront hollows unless it was to protect those that are important to him, and the party must be a close group for him to risk facing me afterwards. She admits she is glad he protected you, but now it seems it may have made things worse for all of you, and appolgizes she can't do more for you as she isn't completely healed. For now you will all have to rely on your own strength and her training in kido to survive.
ANYONE FOR LOOTS?
Alrighty well lootwise you guys get 500gp each.
As for the items, I'm going to basically do an exchange though some of the leveling will have to be adjusted up or down to match the DMG tables - also except for Geoff, try to make the swapped weapons not have the same ability as your old one to reflect the fact that it isn't the same weapon - preferrably your 'mod' weapon will have the abilities you really want rather than this replacement, representing the unique factor of the mod weapons.
Geoff - swap your weapon with one up to a level 9, (though yours isn't actually taken from you, just represents your characters improvements) then find something up to a level 4 item.
Drew - swap your weapon with one up to a level 8, and then find something up to a level 6.
Sean - swap your weapon with one up to a level 8, and then find something up to a level 6.
Ryan - swap your weapon with one up to a level 8, and then find something up to a level 6.
Ray - no changes however remember to take the above gp in case you have enough to make some purchases.
The some of the above swaps are actually slightly higher than the DMG table suggests but I figure it will all work out in the wash.
Geoff wanted me to suggest that someone might buy into some of the items you are loosing with the players that are leaving the game - ex. TJ's thundering crossbow or etc. (I'll post those if anyone wants to look at them for ideas, if not I won't bother.)
One Mod Weapon Down:
Ryan requested in the down time Geoff to perform the konso on his mod weapon, which with Rukia's guidance Geoff is able to do - but as it turns out there is only a minor flicker of soul energy that emerges and fades, leaving anyone who thinks about it very long wondering did it truly contain a sentient soul, and if it did, did that soul move on to the soul society like those of other humanoids?
Group Census:
After polling most of the group, Geoff, Drew, Ryan, Ray - I gather the impression is that with the knowledge that for now to the Cercators you all are dead and gone (meaning you can drop off the radar for any stealth/rescue missions you may want to attempt) are left with two possible paths, go and seek out your long captured NPC friends who may have out lived their usefulness to the Cercators at the outset of your Demise or confront the next gatekeeper, again revealing yourself to the Cercators once again. (difference between confront this problem head on allowing your battles to decide your fate, or find another route that may be just as battle intensive but more subversive and with lesser combatants. It seems like the subversive route for now to make a more informed decision felt right to at least Geoff and Drew. Now with Sean on board with keeping low on the Cercator radar I'll prep for a more infiltration/recon design.
that's all I've got for now maybe more later.
Post them on the commment section, and I'll repost/answer them in blog for everyone.
Second if you want to discuss where you want to go with your character you can do it here or via e-mail, or whatever.
I'll check back often.
General information conveyed by Rukia or the Raven Queen.
Process of Death - when a humanoid dies it's soul is conveyed from this world into the next by a Soul Reaper who using their zanpakuto (soul-cutting sword) performs the soul burial (konsÅ). Souls have a certain amount of time they may exist without a soul chain appearing, but eventually a soul chain appears and binds the soul to a particular place or person; this starts the clock, from that point on the soul chain that binds their consciousness to merely being a 'whole' soul begins to errode.
Once the last link in the chain errodes away that soul instantly transforms into a hollow, losing much of it's previous consiousness and the 'hole' in it's heart becomes quite litteral. The soul takes on a porcelain painted mask that and a shadowy figure with a hole in it's chest, all of these things symbolic of what has transpired the soul looses it's identity and becomes a consumption machine obsessed with filling it's emptiness with the literal or figurative bodies and souls of humanoids.
Soul Reapers are charged with guiding souls before they turn into hollows on to the next world, and if they cannot do that, then they are to destroy the hollow that emerges and purify the soul contained by it.
Why? Because souls that pass on, emerge in the soul society to live a new life and when a soul dies from the soul society they return to the material world to animate a humanoid on that plane of existence. But each soul that is destroyed has the potential to unbalance this harmony - filling huecomundo (purgatory or place where the hollow exist when not in the material world)
Only Reapers can perform the konso, thus any PC trying it will only destroy the hollow for the purposes of our game we will call you Quincy, a group of spiritually aware humanoids who throughout history have secretly emerged and protected the humanoid material plane from Hollows - their general belief is that destroying a single hollow while resulting in the loss of a soul, is better than all the souls that would be consumed by that single hollow. (technically soul reapers and quincy are bitter enemies, but Rukia nor the Queen will tell you more on this, other than if you come across any other reapers you do not let on that you can see them or are even aware they are there.)
Those of you with a hight insight 19+ (lowered check because of the extremely difficulty of hiding this fact) - will know that there is something very odd with the way Rukia acts around and about the Raven Queen. Rukia seems to treat her with the respect a subordinate would but at the same time seems uneasy about being near her at all, as though she is conflicted between some duty or obligation and the feelings she has for your group specifically Ookami, and when the Queen's returning to the soul society is brought up Rukia usually interjects that the Queen has only today to spend with you all and then has somethings she has to attend to - never actually admitting that she is returning to the soul society, but the Queen herself always seems to acknowledge what Rukia is saying as though Rukia is protecting the Queen and the group from something.
General Re-introduction to the NPC Rukia Kuchki
Rukia eventually comes to tell you all how she even became involved with your group, that Ookami came across her doing battle when an extremely powerful hollow, and in the process of the battle she was forced to convey part of her power to Ookami, but because of Ookami's extremely strong spiritual power he accidentally took all of her reaper powers and has been acting in her place guarding Kyotenichi while she has been forced to remain in a gegai (humanoid shell body) to recover. She told Ookami to not confront hollows unless it was to protect those that are important to him, and the party must be a close group for him to risk facing me afterwards. She admits she is glad he protected you, but now it seems it may have made things worse for all of you, and appolgizes she can't do more for you as she isn't completely healed. For now you will all have to rely on your own strength and her training in kido to survive.
ANYONE FOR LOOTS?
Alrighty well lootwise you guys get 500gp each.
As for the items, I'm going to basically do an exchange though some of the leveling will have to be adjusted up or down to match the DMG tables - also except for Geoff, try to make the swapped weapons not have the same ability as your old one to reflect the fact that it isn't the same weapon - preferrably your 'mod' weapon will have the abilities you really want rather than this replacement, representing the unique factor of the mod weapons.
Geoff - swap your weapon with one up to a level 9, (though yours isn't actually taken from you, just represents your characters improvements) then find something up to a level 4 item.
Drew - swap your weapon with one up to a level 8, and then find something up to a level 6.
Sean - swap your weapon with one up to a level 8, and then find something up to a level 6.
Ryan - swap your weapon with one up to a level 8, and then find something up to a level 6.
Ray - no changes however remember to take the above gp in case you have enough to make some purchases.
The some of the above swaps are actually slightly higher than the DMG table suggests but I figure it will all work out in the wash.
Geoff wanted me to suggest that someone might buy into some of the items you are loosing with the players that are leaving the game - ex. TJ's thundering crossbow or etc. (I'll post those if anyone wants to look at them for ideas, if not I won't bother.)
One Mod Weapon Down:
Ryan requested in the down time Geoff to perform the konso on his mod weapon, which with Rukia's guidance Geoff is able to do - but as it turns out there is only a minor flicker of soul energy that emerges and fades, leaving anyone who thinks about it very long wondering did it truly contain a sentient soul, and if it did, did that soul move on to the soul society like those of other humanoids?
Group Census:
After polling most of the group, Geoff, Drew, Ryan, Ray - I gather the impression is that with the knowledge that for now to the Cercators you all are dead and gone (meaning you can drop off the radar for any stealth/rescue missions you may want to attempt) are left with two possible paths, go and seek out your long captured NPC friends who may have out lived their usefulness to the Cercators at the outset of your Demise or confront the next gatekeeper, again revealing yourself to the Cercators once again. (difference between confront this problem head on allowing your battles to decide your fate, or find another route that may be just as battle intensive but more subversive and with lesser combatants. It seems like the subversive route for now to make a more informed decision felt right to at least Geoff and Drew. Now with Sean on board with keeping low on the Cercator radar I'll prep for a more infiltration/recon design.
that's all I've got for now maybe more later.
A year off
Finn is glad to have a year off to train with the people he hopes to join the ranks of after he falls to battling the raven queen's enemies, old age, sickness, or whatever his future holds. He will spend much time in philosophical discussion concerning all living creatures, souls, mod weapons and the entities wihin the weapns, cercators, llolth, and how cercators and lloth are related (more of a political than philosophical discussion, that last one is).
He agrees that mod weapons are far too dangerous to be weilded by us, and gladly gives up his until such a time that he could weild it safely. He decides the best way to get his weapon back is to earn it, and decides he will prove himself worthy.
He will trade in his lvl seven weapon, along with his plus one holy symbol, and if necessary use unspent golds to get a buffed up holy symbol. Also, he will get a pair of warm-up pants with "leader" written on the seat.
He is fully devoted to and on board with this soul reaver business, especially how it relates to the raven quuen's business. He asks about tacticts for fighting the shadow/Wraith things. The political association of the soul reavers (whether they like it or not, they are the enemy of both the cercators and lloth, so an organized resistance is, in the opinion of Finn, a critical development); to remain underground, whether we should be recruiting, etc. These concerns would be of great importance for Finn.
He agrees that mod weapons are far too dangerous to be weilded by us, and gladly gives up his until such a time that he could weild it safely. He decides the best way to get his weapon back is to earn it, and decides he will prove himself worthy.
He will trade in his lvl seven weapon, along with his plus one holy symbol, and if necessary use unspent golds to get a buffed up holy symbol. Also, he will get a pair of warm-up pants with "leader" written on the seat.
He is fully devoted to and on board with this soul reaver business, especially how it relates to the raven quuen's business. He asks about tacticts for fighting the shadow/Wraith things. The political association of the soul reavers (whether they like it or not, they are the enemy of both the cercators and lloth, so an organized resistance is, in the opinion of Finn, a critical development); to remain underground, whether we should be recruiting, etc. These concerns would be of great importance for Finn.
11.02.2008
Coffee with Finn
Merry the Jolly: Hi, this is Merry the Jolly here. I am interviewing an adventurer named Fine and he--
Finn: Excuse me? Yes, excuse me, but it is Finn. Not Fine. Finn. As in dorsal fin. See, I have a crest on my head.
MtJ: Oh. Well. Finn? (yes) Finn. Yes. Well, moving along. I am doing a project for the school paper, and they told me to interview a local celebrity, and I'm not even getting paid or anything, and I actually had to give him....but that is ok...but I'm not sure how this recorder device really works...anyway, um, Finn? Finn. Finn. Does anyone ever call you Finn MacKool?
F: .......... I don't get it.
MtJ: Right. Ok, this should be fun...(sigh) Ok, why don't we start with "What does he or she do?"
F: I am the humble servant of the Glorious Raven Queen, and also am a professional adventurer.
MtJ: Oh, professional! That sounds fun. Now, the next one..."What is the philosophy of him or her, and how does that effect their work, family, etc.?"
F: Life is a serious of obstacles and tests. How the individual responds to these tests dictates the growth and development of the soul. It is not about winning, it is about how one overcomes these events. The Raven Queen is the keeper of the life cycle. Birth, growth, death, rebirth, etc. You wouldn't understand this, Merry, because you're just a kid, and you're what, a bard? Last I checked they don't even have that class written up. So you don't even have any skill points. I'm surprised they let you read and write! But adventuring is hard work. There are lots of tests and trials...and puzzles, lots of puzzles...but if you overcome, you can earn exp and gain new powers and whatnot. Back when I was level one, breathing a spout of cold-based dragon-like-breath was pretty much the coolest thing I could do. Now I can Command a monster from up to ten squares away, and if it works properly, I can push them back a number of squares equal to my CHA modifier. That means Charisma. And its +4. So yeah...I don't really have a family. Well, I assume I have one, but I never met them. I'm an orphan. Monks in a secluded mountain temple to the Raven Queen reared me up. Does that answer your question?
MtJ: What? Oh, I am sorry. I think I just fell asleep.
F: You know, I just remembered I didn't tell anyone where I went. We were taking an extended rest at the magic hag swamp, and I was on guard duty, and I was just sneaking back to town real quick to get my adventurer's kit resupplied while everyone else was asleep. It's been like four days. They're probably worried about me. Look, kid, good luck on your project, but I gotta go!
MtJ: Oh. Well, I guess this will have to work then because I gave you my lunch money for the rest of the month. So now I'm broke. Actually, could you pay for the cappuccinos before you bust outta here?
F: Sorry kid, I'm late. I hope it all works out for you. Here's a picture of me, but I don't have time to sign it. Ok? Ok, bye-o!
MtJ: That was the worst 25gp I ever spent.
Finn: Excuse me? Yes, excuse me, but it is Finn. Not Fine. Finn. As in dorsal fin. See, I have a crest on my head.
MtJ: Oh. Well. Finn? (yes) Finn. Yes. Well, moving along. I am doing a project for the school paper, and they told me to interview a local celebrity, and I'm not even getting paid or anything, and I actually had to give him....but that is ok...but I'm not sure how this recorder device really works...anyway, um, Finn? Finn. Finn. Does anyone ever call you Finn MacKool?
F: .......... I don't get it.
MtJ: Right. Ok, this should be fun...(sigh) Ok, why don't we start with "What does he or she do?"
F: I am the humble servant of the Glorious Raven Queen, and also am a professional adventurer.
MtJ: Oh, professional! That sounds fun. Now, the next one..."What is the philosophy of him or her, and how does that effect their work, family, etc.?"
F: Life is a serious of obstacles and tests. How the individual responds to these tests dictates the growth and development of the soul. It is not about winning, it is about how one overcomes these events. The Raven Queen is the keeper of the life cycle. Birth, growth, death, rebirth, etc. You wouldn't understand this, Merry, because you're just a kid, and you're what, a bard? Last I checked they don't even have that class written up. So you don't even have any skill points. I'm surprised they let you read and write! But adventuring is hard work. There are lots of tests and trials...and puzzles, lots of puzzles...but if you overcome, you can earn exp and gain new powers and whatnot. Back when I was level one, breathing a spout of cold-based dragon-like-breath was pretty much the coolest thing I could do. Now I can Command a monster from up to ten squares away, and if it works properly, I can push them back a number of squares equal to my CHA modifier. That means Charisma. And its +4. So yeah...I don't really have a family. Well, I assume I have one, but I never met them. I'm an orphan. Monks in a secluded mountain temple to the Raven Queen reared me up. Does that answer your question?
MtJ: What? Oh, I am sorry. I think I just fell asleep.
F: You know, I just remembered I didn't tell anyone where I went. We were taking an extended rest at the magic hag swamp, and I was on guard duty, and I was just sneaking back to town real quick to get my adventurer's kit resupplied while everyone else was asleep. It's been like four days. They're probably worried about me. Look, kid, good luck on your project, but I gotta go!
MtJ: Oh. Well, I guess this will have to work then because I gave you my lunch money for the rest of the month. So now I'm broke. Actually, could you pay for the cappuccinos before you bust outta here?
F: Sorry kid, I'm late. I hope it all works out for you. Here's a picture of me, but I don't have time to sign it. Ok? Ok, bye-o!
MtJ: That was the worst 25gp I ever spent.
11.01.2008
Halloween means Character Side Quest for Die Hard Gamers!
CHARACTER INTRODUCTION, WHAT'S A BARBARIAN?
So we were down a few players for the halloween game, because of folks having party goodness to go to, but for the die hards and a new to the campaign player, it seems like a good time to have character introduction sidequesting action.
We lead off with the PC's having escaped the Lolth tower and searching the Howling Hag Gatekeeper and to stop Lotus from doing something stupid, in the process of rafting down the primary current of the swamp lands, the party comes across a 26 year old chainmail wearing human with claw mark scaring on his face and body, gripping an axe with spiked protrusions massocistically placed on the handle. The party approaches cautiously as their NPC river guide attempts to disguise his cowardess in an offer to tie off the raft up stream from the brooding Human.
The party asks what the barbarian what he is doing in the swamp, he replys 'waiting for death.' To which the party says something along the lines of 'you picked a good place to do it, there's plenty of that around here.' The party probes him further if he knows of a 'witch' around here aka. howling hag. He replies 'I do ... you might say I have an axe to grind with her.' The party tells him, we don't know if we can trust you or not as it seems the cercators have agents everywhere, so take us to her but know if you turn on us we won't hesitate to put you down, to which he replys 'you can try.'
The barbarian leads the party to a familiar looking ritual site (reusing old maps), that looks very similar to that of the werewolf den entrance - this time there's a new puzzle. They find the same looking burried cellar off to the side and this time discover long rectangular strips of semi processsed oar, an alchemical agent, and cylindrical spikes. The party sees on the altar 3 holes similar to those that were the keyholes to enter Lolth's tower, but also similar to the size of those cylindrical spikes. The party tests a mixture of the spikes, oar, and alchemical mixture and discover it produces a delayed explosion, which they decide to pour the chemical into the holes in the altar, and rub the oar on 3 spikes and then place them into the holes. Unfortunately it seems as though you must drive the spikes into the holes as they don't go down far enough to start the chain reaction. The party resets the altar and this time they push down onto the spikes and in anticpation of a explosion leap away from the altar between the outer ring of pillars each in a different direction, however one party member fails the check and doesn't make the jump. An explosion underground triggers 4 trap doors placed between the pillars where the party members jumped, so that when the one left behind looks around everyone else has disappeared, sliding down underground tubes into one of 4 detention cells.
The party member left on the surface places transforms his weapon into the same cylinder as the one used to enter lolth's temple and he is transported into the dungeon just outside of the detention cells. But is unable to free the other party members before they find avenues of escape, brute force, teleportation, or etc.
Having escaped their cells, they party proceeds to dive into the cistern that lead to the solo werewolf the last time they were in a similar dungeon. But this time it leads up to a grate somewhere below the fountain room that had a flooding trap in it the last time.
The fighter grabs the rack in the flood room, and the bed (trapped) in another room and props them against the door of the flood room (setting off the matress trap, which misses) before he searches the room for the pressure release switch that last time opened the flood gates to the room, and nearly drowned the party. This time it is hoped it will be the mechanism to unblock the cistern passageway.
The fighter finds a rock and ties a rope to it, tossing and dragging the rock until he hears a click, followed by several loud clangs from the adjoining cells. This initiates suprise round of combat where the shadowfell under the control of another emerge from beneath the grates in the adjoining cells.
The shadow gloom blade, chain wielder, and soldier type emerge from the cells apparently with their eyes clouded over, all wearing the Rygenhijo ninja emblems. The party quickly finds ways around the gloom blads invisibility, the chains shifting reach weapon, and the soldiers double attacks - mostly by a head on we can out damage you sort of way. Though the Rygenhijo ninja appear out of sorts, the party quickly off's them without leaving any alive to question or etc.
After a quick search of the bodies, they find the ninjas' orders, to hunt down someone that looks like what the barbarian did before he was all scarred up, and kill the traitor. However, while it is a sanctioned manhunt, it wasn't ordered by Rygenhijo, these ninja were hired by someone outside of Rygenhijo.
The party feeling like they had solved the puzzle of the cistern re-enter with the barbarian in the lead, he pops out on the otherside of the cistern onto the top of a stone platform carve out of the top of a stallagmite that towers 100ft above a cavern below with only a 10ft wide gap between the ledge the party emerges on and the outer 10ft wide ledge the Kyotenichi emblemed and bloodied female ninja stands.
After some debate about what a running jump entails, the party discovers it isn't such a hard check after all, but some are still hestitant, a joke about indiana jones and the secret walk way is made - partly as a hint to remind players, that a passive check doesn't always cut it, and spending a minor action to use perception may be useful (in this case there was a hidden by artful design a ledge from the inner to the outer that one could walk across).
The female ninja wearing the kyotenichi emblem, seeing the barbarian emerge, already quite injured leaning against her longsword looks at him and says you coward of course you emerge now after your minions have done their dirty work - here to finish me as you did my mother? I won't let you leave here until I know what you did to her back then. She plunges herself onto her blade and as the blade pierces her body, the sharp tail of a black dragon errupts in time with the blade from out of her back, as though her body were being turned inside out and transmuted into this new black dragon form.
A level 4 solo black dragon emerges with 134 hp (-100 hp from max.) The party takes a heavy breath weapon early on, and the cleric heals back the party from that before they make the leap across to the cornered dragon.
The dragon hit by the barbarian's first attack is sent bloodied, and uses it's when first bloodied breath attack as an immediate reaction, again hitting most of the party. She threatens the party, instruct your friend to tell me what I want to know. what does he know of what happened to my mother, did he kill her? (the barbarian responds raising his blade, this is all I know.)
One round of pummeling from the party later, the dragon is on the verge of complete defeat, she uses her cloud of darkness to conceal her escape as she plummets intentionally into the cavern below to escape to the caves. she say, I will not give up, I will find you again when I am healed, and you will tell me what you know of my mother.
The party asks the barbarian a few more questions as to what exactly he knows about the woman's mother and he replies that he doesn't know what happened to her, he was knocked unconscious soon after the battle started that her mother was in. The party finds on the ground a historical headband, with markings of Kyotenichi that stand for the 2nd hokage - the hokage that disappeared on a intercept mission just before the crimson dragon appeared that killed all approaching Rygenhijo ninja near kyotenichi during the last part of the revolution. No one knows for sure what happened to the 2nd hokage after that.
If you guys member anything else or want to add to it, don't forget the comment box.
So we were down a few players for the halloween game, because of folks having party goodness to go to, but for the die hards and a new to the campaign player, it seems like a good time to have character introduction sidequesting action.
We lead off with the PC's having escaped the Lolth tower and searching the Howling Hag Gatekeeper and to stop Lotus from doing something stupid, in the process of rafting down the primary current of the swamp lands, the party comes across a 26 year old chainmail wearing human with claw mark scaring on his face and body, gripping an axe with spiked protrusions massocistically placed on the handle. The party approaches cautiously as their NPC river guide attempts to disguise his cowardess in an offer to tie off the raft up stream from the brooding Human.
The party asks what the barbarian what he is doing in the swamp, he replys 'waiting for death.' To which the party says something along the lines of 'you picked a good place to do it, there's plenty of that around here.' The party probes him further if he knows of a 'witch' around here aka. howling hag. He replies 'I do ... you might say I have an axe to grind with her.' The party tells him, we don't know if we can trust you or not as it seems the cercators have agents everywhere, so take us to her but know if you turn on us we won't hesitate to put you down, to which he replys 'you can try.'
The barbarian leads the party to a familiar looking ritual site (reusing old maps), that looks very similar to that of the werewolf den entrance - this time there's a new puzzle. They find the same looking burried cellar off to the side and this time discover long rectangular strips of semi processsed oar, an alchemical agent, and cylindrical spikes. The party sees on the altar 3 holes similar to those that were the keyholes to enter Lolth's tower, but also similar to the size of those cylindrical spikes. The party tests a mixture of the spikes, oar, and alchemical mixture and discover it produces a delayed explosion, which they decide to pour the chemical into the holes in the altar, and rub the oar on 3 spikes and then place them into the holes. Unfortunately it seems as though you must drive the spikes into the holes as they don't go down far enough to start the chain reaction. The party resets the altar and this time they push down onto the spikes and in anticpation of a explosion leap away from the altar between the outer ring of pillars each in a different direction, however one party member fails the check and doesn't make the jump. An explosion underground triggers 4 trap doors placed between the pillars where the party members jumped, so that when the one left behind looks around everyone else has disappeared, sliding down underground tubes into one of 4 detention cells.
The party member left on the surface places transforms his weapon into the same cylinder as the one used to enter lolth's temple and he is transported into the dungeon just outside of the detention cells. But is unable to free the other party members before they find avenues of escape, brute force, teleportation, or etc.
Having escaped their cells, they party proceeds to dive into the cistern that lead to the solo werewolf the last time they were in a similar dungeon. But this time it leads up to a grate somewhere below the fountain room that had a flooding trap in it the last time.
The fighter grabs the rack in the flood room, and the bed (trapped) in another room and props them against the door of the flood room (setting off the matress trap, which misses) before he searches the room for the pressure release switch that last time opened the flood gates to the room, and nearly drowned the party. This time it is hoped it will be the mechanism to unblock the cistern passageway.
The fighter finds a rock and ties a rope to it, tossing and dragging the rock until he hears a click, followed by several loud clangs from the adjoining cells. This initiates suprise round of combat where the shadowfell under the control of another emerge from beneath the grates in the adjoining cells.
The shadow gloom blade, chain wielder, and soldier type emerge from the cells apparently with their eyes clouded over, all wearing the Rygenhijo ninja emblems. The party quickly finds ways around the gloom blads invisibility, the chains shifting reach weapon, and the soldiers double attacks - mostly by a head on we can out damage you sort of way. Though the Rygenhijo ninja appear out of sorts, the party quickly off's them without leaving any alive to question or etc.
After a quick search of the bodies, they find the ninjas' orders, to hunt down someone that looks like what the barbarian did before he was all scarred up, and kill the traitor. However, while it is a sanctioned manhunt, it wasn't ordered by Rygenhijo, these ninja were hired by someone outside of Rygenhijo.
The party feeling like they had solved the puzzle of the cistern re-enter with the barbarian in the lead, he pops out on the otherside of the cistern onto the top of a stone platform carve out of the top of a stallagmite that towers 100ft above a cavern below with only a 10ft wide gap between the ledge the party emerges on and the outer 10ft wide ledge the Kyotenichi emblemed and bloodied female ninja stands.
After some debate about what a running jump entails, the party discovers it isn't such a hard check after all, but some are still hestitant, a joke about indiana jones and the secret walk way is made - partly as a hint to remind players, that a passive check doesn't always cut it, and spending a minor action to use perception may be useful (in this case there was a hidden by artful design a ledge from the inner to the outer that one could walk across).
The female ninja wearing the kyotenichi emblem, seeing the barbarian emerge, already quite injured leaning against her longsword looks at him and says you coward of course you emerge now after your minions have done their dirty work - here to finish me as you did my mother? I won't let you leave here until I know what you did to her back then. She plunges herself onto her blade and as the blade pierces her body, the sharp tail of a black dragon errupts in time with the blade from out of her back, as though her body were being turned inside out and transmuted into this new black dragon form.
A level 4 solo black dragon emerges with 134 hp (-100 hp from max.) The party takes a heavy breath weapon early on, and the cleric heals back the party from that before they make the leap across to the cornered dragon.
The dragon hit by the barbarian's first attack is sent bloodied, and uses it's when first bloodied breath attack as an immediate reaction, again hitting most of the party. She threatens the party, instruct your friend to tell me what I want to know. what does he know of what happened to my mother, did he kill her? (the barbarian responds raising his blade, this is all I know.)
One round of pummeling from the party later, the dragon is on the verge of complete defeat, she uses her cloud of darkness to conceal her escape as she plummets intentionally into the cavern below to escape to the caves. she say, I will not give up, I will find you again when I am healed, and you will tell me what you know of my mother.
The party asks the barbarian a few more questions as to what exactly he knows about the woman's mother and he replies that he doesn't know what happened to her, he was knocked unconscious soon after the battle started that her mother was in. The party finds on the ground a historical headband, with markings of Kyotenichi that stand for the 2nd hokage - the hokage that disappeared on a intercept mission just before the crimson dragon appeared that killed all approaching Rygenhijo ninja near kyotenichi during the last part of the revolution. No one knows for sure what happened to the 2nd hokage after that.
If you guys member anything else or want to add to it, don't forget the comment box.
10.28.2008
Fourth - Fifth Level Campaign History DM's Perspective
Fourth - Fifth Level Campaign History DM's Perspective
The party regroups back at the village after a 2 years of in game side questing. The village is mostly rebuilt and things would be getting back to normal if they hadn't learned what the party did in the past 2 years.
They discover on party member is always followed by ombu now, and those ombu may have planted a listening device (scarab) that they reprogram to show them the way to the one who scryed upon them. They discover a teleportation circl on the ground with tarot card slots that they alter the pattern on them to show 4 different locations, assumedly matching those of the gatekeepers. As soon as the swamp appears, the scarab who has been leading them flys through it.
The party have a few skill challenges with the locals in order to gain their trust and help, frog gigging, log rolling, and bedroom wrestling. All of which contribute to the goal of finding their way through the swamp to their real objective the Witch (howling hag) gatekeeper, who they must defeat in cooperating with the Cercators so that Sharina or Lissera isn't killed for their insubordination.
The party enters the swamp and after a randomish encounter, run into a Dryad who tests their will and goals to see if she would allow them to pass. The party answers the riddles of the tarot cards to discover the will of nature is to have all things in balance, death, birth, sustinence and famine all play a role in the harmony. Seemingly in agreement with the Dryad's riddles she allows the party to pass and further venture to seek the witch.
Another randomish encounter later, and the party comes across a temple of Lolth (the god of guile and treachery) they discover hundreds of graves of females of different races going back generations named Lotus. After pondering a riddle of mod-soul weapons, the party discovers that if they offer the unformed version of their weapon to the temple they gain entry.
The party discovers a girl with a family resemblance to Sharina, calling herself Lotus inside. After a 'game' known as a seance with Lotus, the party manages to awaken something claiming to tbe the Raven Queen inside Lotus that apparently took someone telling her, her name before she would awaken. The Queen begins to tell the party something when she interrupts herself apparently sensing the presence of someone else, and says you must rescue the captains Pelor, Sehanine, Melora.
Lotus then falls unconscious as a hollow emerges saying to two party members something along these lines, 'that will be about enough of that. No soulreaper was ever intended to enter this place, much less awaken the queen. I will have to remedy this mistake for the master, and we will just have to start this little experiment all over again.'
At the outset of the session and a conversation with Lotus, she claims to not recall much about the Raven Queen and insists she is just Lotus and doesn't want anything to do with this Raven Queen. She just doesn't want anyone to have to fight or die anymore, and the only way for Crusio and her family not to have to endure this again is for Lotus to find her sister. Lotus drugs the party to sleep and escapes the temple to apparently face the gatekeepers herself and find her sister, so that no one else has to fight anymore.
All of which the party begins to believe is outside the cycle already, assuming that the whole thing wasn't one giant illusion by Lolth, the party seems to have broken the cycle of death and rebirth of the Nobu, but inherently they do not know which part of the cycle they have broken yet, the death part or the rebirth part. As they have observed it seems that Lotus function in all of it is to survive and bear the children that will become the next nobu family, and if she dies - what then? (as a side note I will give the party this information, the bodies of the prior Lotus all seem to have died in child birth).
The stakes are high no matter what road they take, refuse to fight the gatekeepers and the Cercators will likely kill Lissera and/or Sharina.
Fight the gatekeepers and become stronger only to be claimed as a vessel for their god.
Save Lotus only for her to potentially bear the next generation of nobu, when Crusio and Sharina die.
Save the Captains, but who are they and how are you to save them while you have all of the above to contend with.
Food for thought: aka. DM hint section
Is there significance to the fact that the Raven Queen guiled into the trappings of a human form asks the party to save captains who happen to also have godly names? Might that mean that other deities fell into the same trap?
If other deities feel into the same trap and the trap appears to be cyclical, who would potentially be necessary and reoccuring for the cycle to take place, might it be a fair assumption that these necessary parts to the cycle might be the other trapped deities?
If Lotus is the Raven Queen, and she named 3 other deities, who else might be part of the same cycle as Lotus and inherently might share her fate?
Be thinking about:
how did these gods get trapped in human bodies in the first place?
If the Cercators were able to put other's gods into human trappings so easily why are they having such a hard time finding a vessel for their own?
Why aren't the Cercators just using Crusio's body, rather than trying to find someone who can defeat him to be the vessel?
What is the ultimate purpose of forcing the party to use mod-soul weapons that to your knowledge were designed to augment the wielders abilities as a reflection of the will, if the Cercators wanted the most powerful vessel for their god, then wouldn't it make more sense to have the most powerful vessel before augmentation rather than one merely powerful because of augmentation?
If these mod-soul weapons can access your soul or will and reflect it, this would suggest it is a two way conduit directly linked to your own soul or will - if something comes out of you and manifests itself, then what's to say something can't go into you and manifest?
Wrapping up Fourth to Fith - The Final solo (Howling Hag)
So couple players down, our rogue and barbarian, we begin the session picking back up the wizard from his side jaunt down the other primary flow of the river (how we wrote him out from missing the previous session).
The party whole (or mostly so) again turns to adventuring down the primary flow of the river with knowledge they will soon meet the 'witch' gatekeeper - and perhaps Lotus who seeks the gatekeeper to reveal where her sister is and to protect her new friends from fighting her families battles. The party primarily believing that Lotus is merely the vessel for the Raven Queen decide that whether or not the lives is of no concern as perhaps it would lead to the Queen being set free (as in death the soul may depart the body).
The party comes to the end of the primary flow of the swampy river and are confronted with a barrier of semi-solid fog; they hear battle and a conversation between Lotus who demands to know where her sister is, and and old crone's ragged voice that tells Lotus to stand down as she doesn't wish to have to use this power on her. Lotus refuses saying she cannot, she must defeat the witch and save her new friends from having to fight her battles. Moments later the sound of battle stops, nothing else is heard, but the fog does mysteriously lift as though the witch used up too much power or 'chakra' to defeat Lotus and could no longer sustain the barrier.
The Barrier of fog lifted, the party sees the old Hag perched on top a series of evenly spaced 1 ft poles, set 5ft down into a trench of swampy water (i.e. difficult terrain). The Fighter rushes in and pins a fallen Lotus to on of the poles with a javelin, keeping her from drowning in the waters - noticing that Lotus eyes are much similar to those Rygenhijo ninja whom they battled earlier that appeared out of their minds. The hag swiftly uses her recharging teleport (adapted to recharge b/c of being a solo, also adapted for recharge her primary howl ability) she uses her primary howl on most of the nearby party dealing a significant amount of damage that the well prepared cleric mitigates with excellent uses of healing.
Between the difficult terrain and the Hag's ability to perch on top training poles with a general blast attack of 5x5 squares. The primarily melee party has some difficulty approaching the hag on her turf, one member unwearily manuvers towards the Hag, by Lotus and is attacked by her while she is still pinned to the pole, creating an impossible situation around that pole, attack and you will be attacked by an ally.
Eventually the spirtually aware party member engages a 'blank' hollow that was being used to control Lotus freeing her to join the battle. Even with the attentional attack power of the NPC, the group was having difficulty overcoming the problem of how to attack that hag on her turf; when the fighter gets the bold idea to speak to his weapon and see if it can change shape (as previously seen done in another session) it changes from a short spear to a long spear, giving him the reach he needed to no longer have to attempt to climb and grapple or bullrush the hag off of her perches. This gets the hag in range for 3 rounds of general melee pummeling . At the end of which Lotus has the hag restrained in a unique sword alteration technique that acts like a constrictor snake; unfortunately the hag's teleport ability finally recharges for the first time in 4 rds of trying - the hag ports away, followed by our spiritually aware and lotus who attempts and fails a bullrush attack falling onto the spiritually aware party member.
Nevertheless, the party refuses to back down and fight the hag elsewhere, which eventually results in everyone except the fighter and the wizard, unconscious. The Fighter makes a desperate ploy leaping to attack the hag and misses, recalling how others had used their mythical weapons by plunging them into their chests and causing great creatures of power to emerge he turns his weapon towards himself as he falls and thrusts it through his body causing a green dragon level 5 solo to emerge - that as it turns out has a remnant of his uncles memory or such stain inside of it, that says this is not what I wanted for you. The creature out of the control of the player is driven by only one purpose to destory the 'casters' ninjutsu users of the world, unfortunately for our wizard he just so happens to be such a ninjutsu user. Compelled by the dragon spirit that reflects his true heart for truth and vengance the fighter in dragon form attacks the wizard, failing to regain control until he has knocked the wizard to 0 hp. At which point a strange school girl shows up wearing the emblems of kyotenichi, the girls body drops way as the spirit of the girl emerges from the body wielding a form of nodachi, and black/white kimono.
The girl forces the fighter out of the form of the dragon, screaming for Onagi (our spiritually aware PC) saying where is he what has he allowed to happen now. She chastises the fighter for meddling in powers he doesn't understand, and tries to force him to tell her where Onagi is. She drags him unwillingly along, and eventually finds Onagi unconscious on the ground, she uses a flame skull glove and forces his spirit out of his body and begins to berate him for all he has done wrong - revealing his power to these mortals, allowing them to wield mod-soul weapons, etc. The fighter distrusts her and dislikes being ordered around by some stranger without warrant and says, if you don't think we should be wielding these mod soul weapons then you should try and take them from us, at which point she over powers him and does exactly that - saying you are not ready to wield these weapons, as you can see, you nearly destroyed your own party.
I will take them, and though they were to have been destroyed long ago, you may indeed have to wield them as no with your awareness the hollows will surely hunt you all. (this is all your fault onagi, I warned you).
The party confesses the long details of their journey to her, and why they are here, and who they believe Lotus to be, Rukia (the spirit girl) places the glove to Lotus and out comes the Raven Queen herself.
So last time we had a few questions raised or conversations that folks wanted to have so, I think we should probably do that here on the post so everyone can catch up to speed with things they want answered from the Queen, and what they want to be doing during the 1 year training period with Rukia (luckily the cercators believe the green dragon likely finished off the rest of the party and won't be looking for them for awhile or until they reappear). The Queen does tell Rukia of a place on this plane that she found many centuries ago where the veil between the soul society and the material world is thin, and time passes somewhat differently, it would be an excellent place for her to train the party (i.e. you get 1 years of character development but the world around you won't advance as quickly).
So look for the next post (Fifth - Sixth Level Campaign History DM's Perspective, Out of Game Side Quests)
The party regroups back at the village after a 2 years of in game side questing. The village is mostly rebuilt and things would be getting back to normal if they hadn't learned what the party did in the past 2 years.
They discover on party member is always followed by ombu now, and those ombu may have planted a listening device (scarab) that they reprogram to show them the way to the one who scryed upon them. They discover a teleportation circl on the ground with tarot card slots that they alter the pattern on them to show 4 different locations, assumedly matching those of the gatekeepers. As soon as the swamp appears, the scarab who has been leading them flys through it.
The party have a few skill challenges with the locals in order to gain their trust and help, frog gigging, log rolling, and bedroom wrestling. All of which contribute to the goal of finding their way through the swamp to their real objective the Witch (howling hag) gatekeeper, who they must defeat in cooperating with the Cercators so that Sharina or Lissera isn't killed for their insubordination.
The party enters the swamp and after a randomish encounter, run into a Dryad who tests their will and goals to see if she would allow them to pass. The party answers the riddles of the tarot cards to discover the will of nature is to have all things in balance, death, birth, sustinence and famine all play a role in the harmony. Seemingly in agreement with the Dryad's riddles she allows the party to pass and further venture to seek the witch.
Another randomish encounter later, and the party comes across a temple of Lolth (the god of guile and treachery) they discover hundreds of graves of females of different races going back generations named Lotus. After pondering a riddle of mod-soul weapons, the party discovers that if they offer the unformed version of their weapon to the temple they gain entry.
The party discovers a girl with a family resemblance to Sharina, calling herself Lotus inside. After a 'game' known as a seance with Lotus, the party manages to awaken something claiming to tbe the Raven Queen inside Lotus that apparently took someone telling her, her name before she would awaken. The Queen begins to tell the party something when she interrupts herself apparently sensing the presence of someone else, and says you must rescue the captains Pelor, Sehanine, Melora.
Lotus then falls unconscious as a hollow emerges saying to two party members something along these lines, 'that will be about enough of that. No soulreaper was ever intended to enter this place, much less awaken the queen. I will have to remedy this mistake for the master, and we will just have to start this little experiment all over again.'
At the outset of the session and a conversation with Lotus, she claims to not recall much about the Raven Queen and insists she is just Lotus and doesn't want anything to do with this Raven Queen. She just doesn't want anyone to have to fight or die anymore, and the only way for Crusio and her family not to have to endure this again is for Lotus to find her sister. Lotus drugs the party to sleep and escapes the temple to apparently face the gatekeepers herself and find her sister, so that no one else has to fight anymore.
All of which the party begins to believe is outside the cycle already, assuming that the whole thing wasn't one giant illusion by Lolth, the party seems to have broken the cycle of death and rebirth of the Nobu, but inherently they do not know which part of the cycle they have broken yet, the death part or the rebirth part. As they have observed it seems that Lotus function in all of it is to survive and bear the children that will become the next nobu family, and if she dies - what then? (as a side note I will give the party this information, the bodies of the prior Lotus all seem to have died in child birth).
The stakes are high no matter what road they take, refuse to fight the gatekeepers and the Cercators will likely kill Lissera and/or Sharina.
Fight the gatekeepers and become stronger only to be claimed as a vessel for their god.
Save Lotus only for her to potentially bear the next generation of nobu, when Crusio and Sharina die.
Save the Captains, but who are they and how are you to save them while you have all of the above to contend with.
Food for thought: aka. DM hint section
Is there significance to the fact that the Raven Queen guiled into the trappings of a human form asks the party to save captains who happen to also have godly names? Might that mean that other deities fell into the same trap?
If other deities feel into the same trap and the trap appears to be cyclical, who would potentially be necessary and reoccuring for the cycle to take place, might it be a fair assumption that these necessary parts to the cycle might be the other trapped deities?
If Lotus is the Raven Queen, and she named 3 other deities, who else might be part of the same cycle as Lotus and inherently might share her fate?
Be thinking about:
how did these gods get trapped in human bodies in the first place?
If the Cercators were able to put other's gods into human trappings so easily why are they having such a hard time finding a vessel for their own?
Why aren't the Cercators just using Crusio's body, rather than trying to find someone who can defeat him to be the vessel?
What is the ultimate purpose of forcing the party to use mod-soul weapons that to your knowledge were designed to augment the wielders abilities as a reflection of the will, if the Cercators wanted the most powerful vessel for their god, then wouldn't it make more sense to have the most powerful vessel before augmentation rather than one merely powerful because of augmentation?
If these mod-soul weapons can access your soul or will and reflect it, this would suggest it is a two way conduit directly linked to your own soul or will - if something comes out of you and manifests itself, then what's to say something can't go into you and manifest?
Wrapping up Fourth to Fith - The Final solo (Howling Hag)
So couple players down, our rogue and barbarian, we begin the session picking back up the wizard from his side jaunt down the other primary flow of the river (how we wrote him out from missing the previous session).
The party whole (or mostly so) again turns to adventuring down the primary flow of the river with knowledge they will soon meet the 'witch' gatekeeper - and perhaps Lotus who seeks the gatekeeper to reveal where her sister is and to protect her new friends from fighting her families battles. The party primarily believing that Lotus is merely the vessel for the Raven Queen decide that whether or not the lives is of no concern as perhaps it would lead to the Queen being set free (as in death the soul may depart the body).
The party comes to the end of the primary flow of the swampy river and are confronted with a barrier of semi-solid fog; they hear battle and a conversation between Lotus who demands to know where her sister is, and and old crone's ragged voice that tells Lotus to stand down as she doesn't wish to have to use this power on her. Lotus refuses saying she cannot, she must defeat the witch and save her new friends from having to fight her battles. Moments later the sound of battle stops, nothing else is heard, but the fog does mysteriously lift as though the witch used up too much power or 'chakra' to defeat Lotus and could no longer sustain the barrier.
The Barrier of fog lifted, the party sees the old Hag perched on top a series of evenly spaced 1 ft poles, set 5ft down into a trench of swampy water (i.e. difficult terrain). The Fighter rushes in and pins a fallen Lotus to on of the poles with a javelin, keeping her from drowning in the waters - noticing that Lotus eyes are much similar to those Rygenhijo ninja whom they battled earlier that appeared out of their minds. The hag swiftly uses her recharging teleport (adapted to recharge b/c of being a solo, also adapted for recharge her primary howl ability) she uses her primary howl on most of the nearby party dealing a significant amount of damage that the well prepared cleric mitigates with excellent uses of healing.
Between the difficult terrain and the Hag's ability to perch on top training poles with a general blast attack of 5x5 squares. The primarily melee party has some difficulty approaching the hag on her turf, one member unwearily manuvers towards the Hag, by Lotus and is attacked by her while she is still pinned to the pole, creating an impossible situation around that pole, attack and you will be attacked by an ally.
Eventually the spirtually aware party member engages a 'blank' hollow that was being used to control Lotus freeing her to join the battle. Even with the attentional attack power of the NPC, the group was having difficulty overcoming the problem of how to attack that hag on her turf; when the fighter gets the bold idea to speak to his weapon and see if it can change shape (as previously seen done in another session) it changes from a short spear to a long spear, giving him the reach he needed to no longer have to attempt to climb and grapple or bullrush the hag off of her perches. This gets the hag in range for 3 rounds of general melee pummeling . At the end of which Lotus has the hag restrained in a unique sword alteration technique that acts like a constrictor snake; unfortunately the hag's teleport ability finally recharges for the first time in 4 rds of trying - the hag ports away, followed by our spiritually aware and lotus who attempts and fails a bullrush attack falling onto the spiritually aware party member.
Nevertheless, the party refuses to back down and fight the hag elsewhere, which eventually results in everyone except the fighter and the wizard, unconscious. The Fighter makes a desperate ploy leaping to attack the hag and misses, recalling how others had used their mythical weapons by plunging them into their chests and causing great creatures of power to emerge he turns his weapon towards himself as he falls and thrusts it through his body causing a green dragon level 5 solo to emerge - that as it turns out has a remnant of his uncles memory or such stain inside of it, that says this is not what I wanted for you. The creature out of the control of the player is driven by only one purpose to destory the 'casters' ninjutsu users of the world, unfortunately for our wizard he just so happens to be such a ninjutsu user. Compelled by the dragon spirit that reflects his true heart for truth and vengance the fighter in dragon form attacks the wizard, failing to regain control until he has knocked the wizard to 0 hp. At which point a strange school girl shows up wearing the emblems of kyotenichi, the girls body drops way as the spirit of the girl emerges from the body wielding a form of nodachi, and black/white kimono.
The girl forces the fighter out of the form of the dragon, screaming for Onagi (our spiritually aware PC) saying where is he what has he allowed to happen now. She chastises the fighter for meddling in powers he doesn't understand, and tries to force him to tell her where Onagi is. She drags him unwillingly along, and eventually finds Onagi unconscious on the ground, she uses a flame skull glove and forces his spirit out of his body and begins to berate him for all he has done wrong - revealing his power to these mortals, allowing them to wield mod-soul weapons, etc. The fighter distrusts her and dislikes being ordered around by some stranger without warrant and says, if you don't think we should be wielding these mod soul weapons then you should try and take them from us, at which point she over powers him and does exactly that - saying you are not ready to wield these weapons, as you can see, you nearly destroyed your own party.
I will take them, and though they were to have been destroyed long ago, you may indeed have to wield them as no with your awareness the hollows will surely hunt you all. (this is all your fault onagi, I warned you).
The party confesses the long details of their journey to her, and why they are here, and who they believe Lotus to be, Rukia (the spirit girl) places the glove to Lotus and out comes the Raven Queen herself.
So last time we had a few questions raised or conversations that folks wanted to have so, I think we should probably do that here on the post so everyone can catch up to speed with things they want answered from the Queen, and what they want to be doing during the 1 year training period with Rukia (luckily the cercators believe the green dragon likely finished off the rest of the party and won't be looking for them for awhile or until they reappear). The Queen does tell Rukia of a place on this plane that she found many centuries ago where the veil between the soul society and the material world is thin, and time passes somewhat differently, it would be an excellent place for her to train the party (i.e. you get 1 years of character development but the world around you won't advance as quickly).
So look for the next post (Fifth - Sixth Level Campaign History DM's Perspective, Out of Game Side Quests)
Third - Fourth Level History DM's Perspective
Third to Fourth Level Campaign History DM's Perspective
The events for this level took place out of game as individual side quests, and for the sake of avoiding oversharing information that should be up to individual players to share, I'll only briefly review the plot points that I'm aware have been universally given to the party.
During the course of 3-4th most players either aware or unawaredly were made to pick up a 'mod-soul' weapon, one thought by observation of players shared history with mod-weapons, to be augmentations or even reflections of one's will or desires as the weapon has no form of it's own until given one by the wielder.
These Mod-weapons are discovered to be a tool of the Cercators who use them in their ritual battles with their leader the Blue Dragon or in the training of potential vessels to fight Crusio.
The Cercators are learned to have their hands in every level of government and commerce, but apparently this level of control is not absolute. For one reason or another they do not risk revealing themselves to the general populace other than in false rumors that give their agent power. The group awaits the embodiement of their god to arise in a suitable vessel before they will risk outright war.
Much of this information is gained from Lissera who left a journal with a party member as an appology before she left for having lied or betrayed the people of the village. She reveals she is the daughter of the Cercator leader, and is betraying her father and family for the sake of her love for Crusio and his only friends (the party).
It is later revealed that in the process of Lissera trying to save Sharina from her father, she is captured and set in with Sharina as extra assurance that the party and Crusio stay in line with the Cercators plans. (fight the gatekeepers, and become strong enough individually to defeat Crusio and become a worthy vessel for their god)
Another party member discovers that there may be more pulling the strings or acting on the world than can ordinarily be seen (soulreapers and hollows), and perhaps their is a larger picture that they are missing out on, but nevertheless must remedy the problems at hand before attempting to figure out these broadscoping issues.
End Short Summary of 3-4th, if players have more individual character happenings to share with the party as though it were in game conversation feel free to do so in comments or an attachment.
The events for this level took place out of game as individual side quests, and for the sake of avoiding oversharing information that should be up to individual players to share, I'll only briefly review the plot points that I'm aware have been universally given to the party.
During the course of 3-4th most players either aware or unawaredly were made to pick up a 'mod-soul' weapon, one thought by observation of players shared history with mod-weapons, to be augmentations or even reflections of one's will or desires as the weapon has no form of it's own until given one by the wielder.
These Mod-weapons are discovered to be a tool of the Cercators who use them in their ritual battles with their leader the Blue Dragon or in the training of potential vessels to fight Crusio.
The Cercators are learned to have their hands in every level of government and commerce, but apparently this level of control is not absolute. For one reason or another they do not risk revealing themselves to the general populace other than in false rumors that give their agent power. The group awaits the embodiement of their god to arise in a suitable vessel before they will risk outright war.
Much of this information is gained from Lissera who left a journal with a party member as an appology before she left for having lied or betrayed the people of the village. She reveals she is the daughter of the Cercator leader, and is betraying her father and family for the sake of her love for Crusio and his only friends (the party).
It is later revealed that in the process of Lissera trying to save Sharina from her father, she is captured and set in with Sharina as extra assurance that the party and Crusio stay in line with the Cercators plans. (fight the gatekeepers, and become strong enough individually to defeat Crusio and become a worthy vessel for their god)
Another party member discovers that there may be more pulling the strings or acting on the world than can ordinarily be seen (soulreapers and hollows), and perhaps their is a larger picture that they are missing out on, but nevertheless must remedy the problems at hand before attempting to figure out these broadscoping issues.
End Short Summary of 3-4th, if players have more individual character happenings to share with the party as though it were in game conversation feel free to do so in comments or an attachment.
10.25.2008
Second - Third Level Campaign History DM's Perspective
Second to Third Level History
Having returned to the village arguably victorious and with loots to spend. Crusio appears and further adds to their loot piles from what he claims to have been 'his separate mission.' Saying the the wizard of the party "I think you dropped this," referring to the wand that was treasure reward the party failed to gather from the prior combat with the mist gnome ninjas. As well as gold equally to about 1/2 of the gauntlets the rogue traded away to gnome ninja from the mining town.
With debts forgiven or paid, the party is told by Crusio live it up, as it is the last night before you officially join the academy and you might not make it through tomorrow.
That foreboding thought looming overhead, the some of the party members choose to board up at the academy and attempt to alchemically hodge podge booze in the lavatory.
The rogue chooses to attempt to buy himself a flat to live in, and finds and upstairs that has recently had a vacancy because of someone passing away in the place (later discovered to have been killed in a similar manner to the girl in the fire caves).
The paladin bored chooses to work out in a training facility next to the academy where he finds a beautiful girl wielding a nodachi, who wants to spar with the newest member of the jupin-naga, claiming to be a member herself introducing herself as Sharina. They spar a matched combat until the rest of the party emerges from their misadventures.
The fighter, being the only one with family returns home for yet another bout of can you survive the trial of dinner in a family who follows the ways of Kord - where even mundane household living is a test of your battle readiness. At dinner the fighter listens to reports from his family of unexplained deaths in the village, that apparently happen most at night and are similar to animal attacks, but he decides it's too late to do much about it before the big day at the academy.
The rogue having bribed an old drunk to buy him booze drags his new found liquors home to get snookered.
Eventually everyone regroups the next morning to head to the academy, and their captain obvious insight checks tell them as the new kids they are equated to Genichi (freshmen) or fresh meat.
But before they reach the academy they are provoked into a street battle with a bunch of thugs from a non-military but rival academy who are defending their turf. A through use of the overkill button happens and the combat ends quickly without a hitch.
The party enters the grounds of the academy from the nearby training facility and see a mass of students of different ranks all gathered waiting for classes to begin, and they immediately can tell that all of them are looking at them with the potential to strike but can't discern which actually will. When someones insight check gives enough warning that the Amnefu group (a club of casters 'ninjutsu' users, warlocks, wizards etc.) will be the one's leading off an attack - allowing most to act in the surprise round.
The bout is a rough battle for the party with the Amnefu all being ranged of some sort, and seemingly already in better positions on the field, either upstairs firing from windows or spaced far enough away on the grounds to negate most of the melee combatants. Opening with a cold based staff weapon and ability that knocks prone or immobilizes, and following it up with flaming spheres damaging all who are unable to move away quickly enough. This combat outpaces the party with all of them falling to unconsciousness, awaking to the leader of the Amenfu group berating his club for taking action as they are followers and seekers of knowledge, and though it is good they wanted to gain knowledge of this new club's power, it is not through combat that this knowledge should be gained. Thus as a punishment Amenfu awards the part with a cold based staff weapon of the wizard of the group that lead the attack.
The party manages to make it to their next class avoiding another combat, at which point their fearless club leader Crusio shows up late pissing off the instructor, which another conversation along the lines of
Instructor - "You must be on time to class Crusio, I'm tired of you coming in late like this."
Crusio - "Stow it in your pipe, I'm here aren't I? That should be good enough."
Instructor - "You listen to me you brat, I don't care who you work for or what special privileges they might give you, as long as you are a student here you will follow my instruction. Understood?"
Crusio - "Pft ... Whatever teach, it isn't like you don't work for them too."
Again trying to allude to the fact that there is more going on with this school and Crusio that anyone is willing to let on at this point.
Everyone stares blankly at the instructor until the next class when in the hallway they are met with another club of challengers from another club this time specializing in Taijutsu (Martial powers, fighters, warlords etc.) This challenge is delivered formally and is to be conducted in the training facility after the academy ends session for the day. The party of course accepts and then heads on to the next class - which then endure with the same enthusiasm as the last.
They run into Lissera in the hallways who offers to help them understand the academy and explains that combats on academy grounds are overlooked so long as it doesn't result in student death. She tells them of the main clubs each of which have a tournament ranking in the school with the highest ranked club being the student council for the next year, decided by a tournament held midterm. Also each club typical reflects only one of the major ninja arts Ninjutsu(arcane), Taijutsu(martial), or Genjutsu(divine) though some clubs are mixed and work effectively - she gives the names and the ranks of the current groups and their general outlooks which helps the party better know how to deal with each group. She heads off claiming to have to get to class or such and tells them good luck with their next class.
The party isn't allowed into the next class room being called unworthy to enter the temple (shrine to bahamut and kord). Paladins and Clerics block the path into the shrine/classroom, saying to enter they must prove their worth. The party of course accepts and surprisingly has little trouble defeating the encounter, gaining a magical lifedrinking longsword as a reward, and entry into the classroom.
The last class ends and we take a vote to end the seemingly endless/pointless other than xp awards, battle after battle for the session for sake of advancing the main plot. We fast forward to the group outside the training facility next to the academy where the bout with the Taijutsu group was suppose to take place, and they discover inside that the entire club was slain by the slashing blade of a nodachi and bite marks resembling those on the girl in the fire cave. the party chooses to take the horned helm they find on the ground, and leave everything else as it was for the Ombu (Military Police/assassin squad) to investigate.
Later that night the group gets together back at the rogue's place discovering the ombu outside the first floor which they later sneak in to find the owner had been slain and the blood that leaked through the floor of the second floor was from the severed head thrust into the ceiling of the first floor.
The party chooses to go investigate the killings that night and discover a body of a woman in the street her throat missing and see a glimpse of a silver Chinese dragon move off over the top of a nearby house. No way to resolve the current dilemma they each return to the rogue's place to find it had been cleaned up presumably by the ombu, and there is a note upstairs from Crusio saying that he purchased the downstairs and basement for the Jupin-naga as base for training and his Sharina to stay where the rogue had been upstairs. The party finding it all a little weird or suspicious but still go along with the general idea of 'yah free place.' Get together for a little drinking of the rogue's booze, and the paladin is dragged off for a walk by Sharina, who run into Crusio and Lissera at the river side with Crusio halfway paying attention to Lissera and halfway distant, with Lissera clearly enjoying what attention he was managing to give her.
But as soon as Crusio notices Sharina and the Paladin his face goes somber and all of his attention focuses on the two of them, Lisseras face going from happy to instantly forelorn turns away and slowly starts to walk off the riverside to the bridge and over looks Crusio. Sharina leads the Paladin immediately away back to the group, who had discovered a nodachi upstairs and decidedly with it pulsing and making vibrating sounds on the upstairs floor, mage hand it downstairs and unsheathe the sword, at which point they see the blade with what looks like a moving dragon on it, and the shifting of faces in the reflection of the blade.
Sharina immediately starts to drag the paladin at a run to the rogue's place where the blade had started spinning in a violent motion cutting up the place. She calls the nodachi by name Kyonaga, and orders it to return to it's sheath. The sword obeys and she binds it with the rope of the sheath, and proceeds to see who wants to play a drinking game with her, trying to pretend as though the whole thing just didn't happen.
the next day the fighter over hears an ombu talking to his father about a family friends farm being plagued by some sort of creatures that kill the livestock. The party having the whole weekend chooses to investigate the strange occurrence.
The party meets and old man on the road pulling a cart full of his possessions that tells them he had to abandon his home, because he lost all of his livestock due to some creatures killing them. He tells them if they see his wife along the way to point her his direction, the party head over to his place to check out what was going on, and never find his wife along the way. They first check the first floor then work their way down into the basement where there is a chest and some straw bails. The rogue pops the chest failing to disarm it and a couple party members get struck by needles, the popping of the chest triggers dire rats to come out from beneath the hay bails that hid their holes. and a swarm of rats and a shadow bat assault the party. Apparently all trained to do so. The swarm combat was more difficult that intended as the party had few area of affects outside of 2 dragonborn and a wizard to contend with the swarms damage mitigation.
Nevertheless the combat is victorious, and they party discovers a parchment with a compass on it, a bottle of oil, bottle of vinegar, and a piece of chalk the color of the parchment. The party discovers the two different bottles reveal different messages on the parchment one tells them of a lure being set for the dragon, the other shows the map to a fang cave and unfortunately they used the chalk on the map before they could see the ultimate destination. (the chalk having the property to write and cover the reactive agents.)
The fang cave is near to the family farm of the fighter so they venture there first, discovering many of his cattle on the back part of his land near the fang cave on the map have gone missing, the obvious way to go was towards the fang cave. The party heads that way discovering a cliff face with multiple cave openings, but only one they discover with ratlike foot prints leading into it. They proceed in and discover a staircase and two rooms, the first they check has the hides of the missing cattle piled up, the other many little rat nests. The party lingers too long in the rat nest room and provokes multiple swarms from the holes beneath the nests and an elite were-rat.
The new wizard helps the fighter hold the staircase leading down into the nest room and those that opened the door to exit the upstairs room were met by another were-rat and swarms. The combat was tough and eventually I got to kidnap a party member and leave a trail to the real destination. All according to the map's instructions of luring 'the dragon,' who or what dragon the party didn't know but they discovered they were the bait.
The party fractures as to what to do, exhausted of abilities but with a member kidnapped some stay behind to rest and other trod forward risking it to not loose track of their lost party member.
The group that remained was rewarded with potions and a bit of loots.
The group that left to track was rewarded with a little extra xp, and first crack at that night's puzzle, two pillars one the open mouthed head of a human the other of a wolf, and a dial on an altar to the phases of the moon. Vials of blood and vials of water in a semi-hidden storage room. The party discovers they have to put blood in the wolf mouth and have the dial on the full moon, for it to stay closed, and water in the human mouth and the dial on the new moon for it to stay closed, and trigger the altar to move revealing a hidden stair case.
The elite were-rat that got away fights with the trackers until the resting group catches up and lures all but one party member into a sealed chamber with a pressure switch under the rats foot, when he dies his foot raises and the room seals and fills with water (the hint being all of the other rooms had drainage gates but this one didn't). the wizard figures out that if he uses cold spells I allow him to freeze the water so that they will not drown in the room. (also this forced or allowed those that didn't rest, to rest before the big solo battle).
The party escapes the frozen room and find a cistern at the end of the celled hallway, and figure that the only way the bubbling bottomless cistern was maintaining the current water level is if there is an opening of equal pressure on the other side. One member dives in and swims the tube into secret room where awaits a werewolf solo who suprised at seeing him says "you're not the dragon?!" The party member sees the paladin tied to a statue in the corner and convinces everyone to swim through the cistern and rescue their friend.
I allow each member as they emerge to start their intiative with the full round of actions rather than having suprise round on each of them as they emerge unprepared. The room has a 2 square wide 4 square deep drop between the center 6x6square cistern staired entrance and the 2 square wide outside ledge. The party sucessfully use this to their advantage knocking the solo into the hole multiple times, discovering push and bullrush has advantages in the new system.
Upon his defeat the magical but unused staff on his back merges with the solo's spine tearing a white dragon out from within his body. The dragon says you were too weak you are unfit to wield me. The party as a wtf moment and some what beaten up from the solo battle is in no shape to fight a white dragon, when a green chinese dragon bursts through the ceiling from above and kills the white dragon. The green chinese dragon turns out to be Crusio using some form of ninjutsu or family lineage ability to transform into a chinese dragon. He appologizes for being late and says he had other missions he had to take care of, but not to worry he's been watching out for the party the whole time.
He says he has to get going there are things he has yet to do, and asks if the party can make it back to the village alright. They of course say yes and head off to the village after reporting back to the family friend that they vanquished the critters and get a reward.
The party return to the village only days after they left, but now the village is on fire and much of it's defenses in rubble. They find Lissera underneath a pile of rubble who in shock utters before falling into unconsciousness "Death comes on Crimson wings, the cursed awakens ... forgive me father."
At the center of the village above the Hokage's office, the Hokage riding a griffon is locked in battle with a Red Chinese Dragon. Around them is a semi-opaque triangular prism held in place by a female harpy, a crone hag, and a boy githerazi.
Hokage - "Do not give into fear and anger. Stop the senseless destruction. You must have faith in the strength of the village and it's people to protect her."
Dragon - "Look around you old man, the village is crumbling, it's people are dying. What strength is that, they cannot even protect theirselves. They cannot protect her, only I can protect her."
Hokage - "You must not give into the darkness my boy, believe in the power of the light to triumph."
As the crimson dragon death spirals the hokage and his mount into the earth.
Dragon - "She is the light! ... Ceractors you've proved your point, now return her to me!"
This ends 2nd to 3rd level, with the party breaking for out of session side quests to further them from 3rd to 4th.
Having returned to the village arguably victorious and with loots to spend. Crusio appears and further adds to their loot piles from what he claims to have been 'his separate mission.' Saying the the wizard of the party "I think you dropped this," referring to the wand that was treasure reward the party failed to gather from the prior combat with the mist gnome ninjas. As well as gold equally to about 1/2 of the gauntlets the rogue traded away to gnome ninja from the mining town.
With debts forgiven or paid, the party is told by Crusio live it up, as it is the last night before you officially join the academy and you might not make it through tomorrow.
That foreboding thought looming overhead, the some of the party members choose to board up at the academy and attempt to alchemically hodge podge booze in the lavatory.
The rogue chooses to attempt to buy himself a flat to live in, and finds and upstairs that has recently had a vacancy because of someone passing away in the place (later discovered to have been killed in a similar manner to the girl in the fire caves).
The paladin bored chooses to work out in a training facility next to the academy where he finds a beautiful girl wielding a nodachi, who wants to spar with the newest member of the jupin-naga, claiming to be a member herself introducing herself as Sharina. They spar a matched combat until the rest of the party emerges from their misadventures.
The fighter, being the only one with family returns home for yet another bout of can you survive the trial of dinner in a family who follows the ways of Kord - where even mundane household living is a test of your battle readiness. At dinner the fighter listens to reports from his family of unexplained deaths in the village, that apparently happen most at night and are similar to animal attacks, but he decides it's too late to do much about it before the big day at the academy.
The rogue having bribed an old drunk to buy him booze drags his new found liquors home to get snookered.
Eventually everyone regroups the next morning to head to the academy, and their captain obvious insight checks tell them as the new kids they are equated to Genichi (freshmen) or fresh meat.
But before they reach the academy they are provoked into a street battle with a bunch of thugs from a non-military but rival academy who are defending their turf. A through use of the overkill button happens and the combat ends quickly without a hitch.
The party enters the grounds of the academy from the nearby training facility and see a mass of students of different ranks all gathered waiting for classes to begin, and they immediately can tell that all of them are looking at them with the potential to strike but can't discern which actually will. When someones insight check gives enough warning that the Amnefu group (a club of casters 'ninjutsu' users, warlocks, wizards etc.) will be the one's leading off an attack - allowing most to act in the surprise round.
The bout is a rough battle for the party with the Amnefu all being ranged of some sort, and seemingly already in better positions on the field, either upstairs firing from windows or spaced far enough away on the grounds to negate most of the melee combatants. Opening with a cold based staff weapon and ability that knocks prone or immobilizes, and following it up with flaming spheres damaging all who are unable to move away quickly enough. This combat outpaces the party with all of them falling to unconsciousness, awaking to the leader of the Amenfu group berating his club for taking action as they are followers and seekers of knowledge, and though it is good they wanted to gain knowledge of this new club's power, it is not through combat that this knowledge should be gained. Thus as a punishment Amenfu awards the part with a cold based staff weapon of the wizard of the group that lead the attack.
The party manages to make it to their next class avoiding another combat, at which point their fearless club leader Crusio shows up late pissing off the instructor, which another conversation along the lines of
Instructor - "You must be on time to class Crusio, I'm tired of you coming in late like this."
Crusio - "Stow it in your pipe, I'm here aren't I? That should be good enough."
Instructor - "You listen to me you brat, I don't care who you work for or what special privileges they might give you, as long as you are a student here you will follow my instruction. Understood?"
Crusio - "Pft ... Whatever teach, it isn't like you don't work for them too."
Again trying to allude to the fact that there is more going on with this school and Crusio that anyone is willing to let on at this point.
Everyone stares blankly at the instructor until the next class when in the hallway they are met with another club of challengers from another club this time specializing in Taijutsu (Martial powers, fighters, warlords etc.) This challenge is delivered formally and is to be conducted in the training facility after the academy ends session for the day. The party of course accepts and then heads on to the next class - which then endure with the same enthusiasm as the last.
They run into Lissera in the hallways who offers to help them understand the academy and explains that combats on academy grounds are overlooked so long as it doesn't result in student death. She tells them of the main clubs each of which have a tournament ranking in the school with the highest ranked club being the student council for the next year, decided by a tournament held midterm. Also each club typical reflects only one of the major ninja arts Ninjutsu(arcane), Taijutsu(martial), or Genjutsu(divine) though some clubs are mixed and work effectively - she gives the names and the ranks of the current groups and their general outlooks which helps the party better know how to deal with each group. She heads off claiming to have to get to class or such and tells them good luck with their next class.
The party isn't allowed into the next class room being called unworthy to enter the temple (shrine to bahamut and kord). Paladins and Clerics block the path into the shrine/classroom, saying to enter they must prove their worth. The party of course accepts and surprisingly has little trouble defeating the encounter, gaining a magical lifedrinking longsword as a reward, and entry into the classroom.
The last class ends and we take a vote to end the seemingly endless/pointless other than xp awards, battle after battle for the session for sake of advancing the main plot. We fast forward to the group outside the training facility next to the academy where the bout with the Taijutsu group was suppose to take place, and they discover inside that the entire club was slain by the slashing blade of a nodachi and bite marks resembling those on the girl in the fire cave. the party chooses to take the horned helm they find on the ground, and leave everything else as it was for the Ombu (Military Police/assassin squad) to investigate.
Later that night the group gets together back at the rogue's place discovering the ombu outside the first floor which they later sneak in to find the owner had been slain and the blood that leaked through the floor of the second floor was from the severed head thrust into the ceiling of the first floor.
The party chooses to go investigate the killings that night and discover a body of a woman in the street her throat missing and see a glimpse of a silver Chinese dragon move off over the top of a nearby house. No way to resolve the current dilemma they each return to the rogue's place to find it had been cleaned up presumably by the ombu, and there is a note upstairs from Crusio saying that he purchased the downstairs and basement for the Jupin-naga as base for training and his Sharina to stay where the rogue had been upstairs. The party finding it all a little weird or suspicious but still go along with the general idea of 'yah free place.' Get together for a little drinking of the rogue's booze, and the paladin is dragged off for a walk by Sharina, who run into Crusio and Lissera at the river side with Crusio halfway paying attention to Lissera and halfway distant, with Lissera clearly enjoying what attention he was managing to give her.
But as soon as Crusio notices Sharina and the Paladin his face goes somber and all of his attention focuses on the two of them, Lisseras face going from happy to instantly forelorn turns away and slowly starts to walk off the riverside to the bridge and over looks Crusio. Sharina leads the Paladin immediately away back to the group, who had discovered a nodachi upstairs and decidedly with it pulsing and making vibrating sounds on the upstairs floor, mage hand it downstairs and unsheathe the sword, at which point they see the blade with what looks like a moving dragon on it, and the shifting of faces in the reflection of the blade.
Sharina immediately starts to drag the paladin at a run to the rogue's place where the blade had started spinning in a violent motion cutting up the place. She calls the nodachi by name Kyonaga, and orders it to return to it's sheath. The sword obeys and she binds it with the rope of the sheath, and proceeds to see who wants to play a drinking game with her, trying to pretend as though the whole thing just didn't happen.
the next day the fighter over hears an ombu talking to his father about a family friends farm being plagued by some sort of creatures that kill the livestock. The party having the whole weekend chooses to investigate the strange occurrence.
The party meets and old man on the road pulling a cart full of his possessions that tells them he had to abandon his home, because he lost all of his livestock due to some creatures killing them. He tells them if they see his wife along the way to point her his direction, the party head over to his place to check out what was going on, and never find his wife along the way. They first check the first floor then work their way down into the basement where there is a chest and some straw bails. The rogue pops the chest failing to disarm it and a couple party members get struck by needles, the popping of the chest triggers dire rats to come out from beneath the hay bails that hid their holes. and a swarm of rats and a shadow bat assault the party. Apparently all trained to do so. The swarm combat was more difficult that intended as the party had few area of affects outside of 2 dragonborn and a wizard to contend with the swarms damage mitigation.
Nevertheless the combat is victorious, and they party discovers a parchment with a compass on it, a bottle of oil, bottle of vinegar, and a piece of chalk the color of the parchment. The party discovers the two different bottles reveal different messages on the parchment one tells them of a lure being set for the dragon, the other shows the map to a fang cave and unfortunately they used the chalk on the map before they could see the ultimate destination. (the chalk having the property to write and cover the reactive agents.)
The fang cave is near to the family farm of the fighter so they venture there first, discovering many of his cattle on the back part of his land near the fang cave on the map have gone missing, the obvious way to go was towards the fang cave. The party heads that way discovering a cliff face with multiple cave openings, but only one they discover with ratlike foot prints leading into it. They proceed in and discover a staircase and two rooms, the first they check has the hides of the missing cattle piled up, the other many little rat nests. The party lingers too long in the rat nest room and provokes multiple swarms from the holes beneath the nests and an elite were-rat.
The new wizard helps the fighter hold the staircase leading down into the nest room and those that opened the door to exit the upstairs room were met by another were-rat and swarms. The combat was tough and eventually I got to kidnap a party member and leave a trail to the real destination. All according to the map's instructions of luring 'the dragon,' who or what dragon the party didn't know but they discovered they were the bait.
The party fractures as to what to do, exhausted of abilities but with a member kidnapped some stay behind to rest and other trod forward risking it to not loose track of their lost party member.
The group that remained was rewarded with potions and a bit of loots.
The group that left to track was rewarded with a little extra xp, and first crack at that night's puzzle, two pillars one the open mouthed head of a human the other of a wolf, and a dial on an altar to the phases of the moon. Vials of blood and vials of water in a semi-hidden storage room. The party discovers they have to put blood in the wolf mouth and have the dial on the full moon, for it to stay closed, and water in the human mouth and the dial on the new moon for it to stay closed, and trigger the altar to move revealing a hidden stair case.
The elite were-rat that got away fights with the trackers until the resting group catches up and lures all but one party member into a sealed chamber with a pressure switch under the rats foot, when he dies his foot raises and the room seals and fills with water (the hint being all of the other rooms had drainage gates but this one didn't). the wizard figures out that if he uses cold spells I allow him to freeze the water so that they will not drown in the room. (also this forced or allowed those that didn't rest, to rest before the big solo battle).
The party escapes the frozen room and find a cistern at the end of the celled hallway, and figure that the only way the bubbling bottomless cistern was maintaining the current water level is if there is an opening of equal pressure on the other side. One member dives in and swims the tube into secret room where awaits a werewolf solo who suprised at seeing him says "you're not the dragon?!" The party member sees the paladin tied to a statue in the corner and convinces everyone to swim through the cistern and rescue their friend.
I allow each member as they emerge to start their intiative with the full round of actions rather than having suprise round on each of them as they emerge unprepared. The room has a 2 square wide 4 square deep drop between the center 6x6square cistern staired entrance and the 2 square wide outside ledge. The party sucessfully use this to their advantage knocking the solo into the hole multiple times, discovering push and bullrush has advantages in the new system.
Upon his defeat the magical but unused staff on his back merges with the solo's spine tearing a white dragon out from within his body. The dragon says you were too weak you are unfit to wield me. The party as a wtf moment and some what beaten up from the solo battle is in no shape to fight a white dragon, when a green chinese dragon bursts through the ceiling from above and kills the white dragon. The green chinese dragon turns out to be Crusio using some form of ninjutsu or family lineage ability to transform into a chinese dragon. He appologizes for being late and says he had other missions he had to take care of, but not to worry he's been watching out for the party the whole time.
He says he has to get going there are things he has yet to do, and asks if the party can make it back to the village alright. They of course say yes and head off to the village after reporting back to the family friend that they vanquished the critters and get a reward.
The party return to the village only days after they left, but now the village is on fire and much of it's defenses in rubble. They find Lissera underneath a pile of rubble who in shock utters before falling into unconsciousness "Death comes on Crimson wings, the cursed awakens ... forgive me father."
At the center of the village above the Hokage's office, the Hokage riding a griffon is locked in battle with a Red Chinese Dragon. Around them is a semi-opaque triangular prism held in place by a female harpy, a crone hag, and a boy githerazi.
Hokage - "Do not give into fear and anger. Stop the senseless destruction. You must have faith in the strength of the village and it's people to protect her."
Dragon - "Look around you old man, the village is crumbling, it's people are dying. What strength is that, they cannot even protect theirselves. They cannot protect her, only I can protect her."
Hokage - "You must not give into the darkness my boy, believe in the power of the light to triumph."
As the crimson dragon death spirals the hokage and his mount into the earth.
Dragon - "She is the light! ... Ceractors you've proved your point, now return her to me!"
This ends 2nd to 3rd level, with the party breaking for out of session side quests to further them from 3rd to 4th.
10.23.2008
First - Second Level Campaign History DM Perspective
FIRST - SECOND LEVEL HISTORY
The party joined together under the banner of the Jupin-Naga Club, founded by Crusio as their sponsor. Crusio leads the party to the Ryosuchi Headmaster, who informs them that their Jupin-naga groups doesn't have the official charter necessary to gain entry into the academy and for that reason much undergo the entrance exam of the Fire Caves.
Ryosuchi informs the party they must find their employer, the Lady of a nearby river mining town which controls the Fire Caves. Ryosuchi seems to be intentionally sparse on the details, and after the Players are kicked out into the hallway, Crusio and Ryosuchi have a heated discussion about Crusio's undisciplined behavior -
Ryosuchi - "What the hell is the deal coming in here with a bunch of snot nosed middle-schoolers, are you trying to get those boys killed?"
Crusio - "Don't crack a scale you old lizard, I'm just having a bit of fun don't worry so much."
Ryosuchi - "Watch your mouth! I don't care who you work for, you'd best remember who is the headmaster around here kid."
Crusio - "Aw, ha ha, but remember there honorable lizard you work for them too." opening the door and finding some of the players attempting to listen in.
Only parts of this conversation actually were communicated to the party because of their checks - but, at this point it won't hurt to have the whole thing laid out.
Crusio exits the Headmasters office and walks the party a little way down the hall before being confronted by another student who challenges Crusio - a battle that ends before it begins with a single thrust of Crusios thumb into the challenger's chest, nearly killing the opponent in a single blow.
A female student (Lissera) arrives semi-scolding Crusio, "You must be more careful I won't always be around to put them back together after you break them."
Crusio - "Oh, you and I both know you will always be around, won't you Lissera?" he says with a stoic face.
Crusio after looking out the 2nd floor window down at a beautiful young girl (Sharina) walking through the school yard says, "I've got some things I need to take care of, good luck on the exam boys, I'll see you around." With that he leaps out the window landing gracefully to the earth and walks after Sharina who is several paces ahead.
Lissera stands from having treated the wounded class men, looks out the window with a longing sadness that Insight checks revealed. She takes the time to explain a bit that battles between class men happen often and so long as they are not fatal are overlooked as skill training. But for the time the Players should be very cautious challenging any of the students. She says, "I would help more but I'm neglecting my duties, please take care of Crusio for me." She too leaps from the 2nd floor and lands uninjured upon the earth walking off in the direction of Crusio and Sharina.
This leaves the players alone in a combat oriented academy to be mocked by the upper-class men. Though the challengers are met with the Players defiance no battles occur on the grounds.
The Players with an obscure directive, lend themselves to the question - does anybody know where we're going. At which point each pursue their own ends, family, library, stableman, cartographer or etc. in pursuit of where is this mining town. The most productive is a Father's directions follow the river out the east gate north, or the copied map from a cartographer.
Then it was "how do we get there and complete this trial in 3 days without horses, because it is a day and a half on foot just to get there?"
Horses is the answer, but the problem soon becomes, I won't rent a horse to a minor, I need and adult to sign for it. The potential answers were bribe and adult to sign for the players, get someone's family member to sign for the players, or less so - steal the horses but don't get caught.
The party having some trouble with what to do end up in front of Crusio outside the school who tells them "why haven't you left yet, if it was my exam I would have already have been gone." when asked "but we can't get horses" he replies "You're ninja aren't you, use your skills find a way. Lets just call it a race shall we, the first one there gets to be the leader."
One Player immediately hearing race and leader takes off at a dead run, making endurance checks after a couple hours, hoping his impetuous RP might pay off.
One Player takes that to mean I know how to steal as a rogue therefore he must mean steal them - which is possibly true of Crusio, but it would be with the stipulation of if you do it you don't get caught, this is the ninja way.
While the Player himself didn't get caught, he stole the horses behind the back of the stable master who was in the middle of negotiations with the rest of the Party. Thus he immediately had the Party detained as accomplices to be brought before the Hokage.
After explaining the situation that they had nothing to do with the theft the Hokage asks them to deliver the message of severe fines and shackles to their party member that stole the horse. To remind that member that the village is lawful and there are consequences for his actions.
Those that were restrained end up renting horses by finding and adult to sign for them and take off after the other party members.
The runner and the horse thief catch up to one another at which point they are soon after attacked by predator panthers stalking the river side. They have a much tougher battle than the rest of the party being only two players.
The two out front choose to rest and wait for the rest of the party to catch up, at which point those with the shackles present them to their party member and convey the notice of the fines he must pay, amounting to about 2 levels worth of wealth.
As the Party continues on that day they discover an overgrown path that leads to an ancient altar ring which they discover to have a trap door beneath the altar, the party rogue refuses to help with the traps without compensation from the party (his way of recouping the loot lost by his fines) and so the party proceeds to use brute force to break the trapped doors and chests of the ritual site. Also because the rogue didn't participate in the trap opening there was differential xp and gold awarded to those players who participated.
Needless to say there was some party cohesion issues arising from the differential and debate both in game and out as to what makes a party function and what constitutes cohesive party behavior.
Both issues finding some resolution with those siding for helping the rogue because of their characters alignment and those that say he is on his own simply playing it out in game and it becoming what it will.
Fortunately the party doesn't fracture and they reach their destination, what is described as a run down deserted mining operation with drunken miners littering the streets with their stuppored bodies. The only thing open in the town is the bar and the manor. The general store and nearby estate house are boarded up.
The party is attacked entering the streets of the town by drunken miners who are looking to get some donations for their dry mouth syndrome. The party defeats this initial encounter by the paladin contributing to their fund. The miners retreat to the bar, and tell them the Lady of the town is probably in the manor.
The party meet with a nearly histerical well dressed middle aged woman who admits to be the Lady of the manor but has no time to talk with the party. The party tells her that she hired them and they need to ask about the mine. She tells them she didn't hire them but because they are there and are ninja perhaps they can help her find her daughter who went missing last night.
The Lady offers the only thing of value her family has left, Dwarven Gauntlets. An heirloom of her current second husband. She says he would be furious if he knew she had used them as payment but she will do anything to get her daughter back.
The Lady informs the party she was the one who shut the mines down do to safety concerns and too many explosive accidents, she couldn't bare anymore of her people dying in the unsafe conditions, and her husband (a dwarf, who lives for mining and drinking) now begrudginly only has his drinking to drown his sorrows.
The Party searches the grounds finding a pair of muddy foot prints in the soft garden behind the house under the daughters second story window. Looking as though someone had been climbing up the wall into the daughters room. The party then tracks the foot prints through the soil over the river and down into the Fire Caves, where all the mining had been taking place until what they deduce to be about a year ago.
The tracks look to be two creatures dragging a third smaller person, then after the river where because of the rocks the tracks became harder to find, it appears that the daughter must have been walking with her shoes on, and then back to being dragged through the dirt entering the Fire Caves. With some sort of scuffle happening outside.
The party enters the caves avoiding a series of webs left by the creatures that presumably now enhabit them. They eventually find the daughter covered in a cocoon of webbing behind a iron-bar cage. Above their head Ettercaps swing from their webs, watching the party as they open the cage and cut the webbing from around the mouth of the daughter.
The party questions the daughter, not certain if they move her whether or not the ettercaps will attack. The daughter beligerently tells them to get her the hell out of there, those creatures are going to kill her. The party deduces if they were going to kill her they would have done so already. She claims that she hired them and they work for her, they have to get her out of there. After awhile of miming with the ettercaps the party deduces that the ettercaps and dwarven miners were once allied and it seems that the ettercaps actually want their dwarven friends to return to mining.
At this point the party doesn't quiet know who their working for or what they are supposed to do, so they decide for now to not chance a battle with the ettercaps in which the daughter might be killed, and head out of the caves to discuss things with the Lady of the village to see exactly what else is going on there.
After exiting the mines a Gnome emerges from the shadows wearing emblems of a mist village shinobi/ninja. "Don't trust that little witch, she would poison her own mother if it suited her purpose. Which, as it happens it does."
Gnome - " you should know that I work for her, she hired me to shut down these mines, poison her mother, and fake her kidnapping. Unfortunately for her I got a better offer from a certain dwarven miner along the way. I had hoped those ettercap would kill her once they found out what she had been up to, but sadly they didn't have what it takes. So here's the thing, you go in there and bring me her head and I'll let you collect half the reward from the dwarf. I trust you'll bring me my half later."
Party - "how did you shut the mines down?"
Gnome - "Easily enough, with a few of these" (explosives disguised as rocks, to set off the methane in the mines)
Party - interparty debate as what to do
Gnome - "just think about it, but do it quickly, we are on a bit of a time crunch here."
While the party debated, the Gnome was able to slip by them and kill the girl. The party re-enters the caves to find the daughters throat riped out by the bit of an animal. The ettercap describe the gnome then it in mime as some sort of dog or fanged creature.
The party immediately gather up the daughter and take her back to the Lady of the town, while the paladin to his detriment, confronts the Lady's husband the Dwarven miner, who says to the paladin that he doesn't answer to him because he is the law of the town (with regard to hiring a ninja to kill his stepdaughter.) This gains the paladin a 10day trip to jail that is resolved willingly later.
The Dwarven husband hearing the Lady's screams as she is presented with her daughter next door in the manor, rushes to her side.
At which point the party tells the Lady of her husbands hiring the gnome to kill her daughter, and he is forced to come clean, confessing he did it to protect the Lady from the truth, that her daughter was trying to poison her. The party tests a few wine bottles and finds the poisoned one, proving the mother was being poisoned, but didn't prove that the dwarf wasn't responsible.
Because it seems the one that has the most to gain from the daughter and the mother's death is the heir to the mines the dwarf who would be working in them still even with the conditions as deadly as they are.
Then while arguing someone bumps the body of the daughter, and a clank sounds as the husbands family heirloom the gauntlets fall to the floor from her corpse. This the party believes would have been the last straw to set the mother and father against one another and perhaps leave only the daughter behind to rule the town. The family seems satisfied with the answer that the daughter was responsible, and true to their word give the party the gauntlets, saying they only wish to start new with one another, and now that the mines can reopen they will bury the past (literally).
The paladin serves his 10 days in jail, the rogue trades the gauntlets as payment to the gnome. The gnome praises his wisdom in bringing it to him so he did not have to hunt down the party for his reward, and splits the value of the gauntlets in gold with the rogue. The rogue on the way back to town finds the bodies of several mist ninja with one missing his emblems, suggesting the gnome wasn't who he said he was.
The party leaves town, not really sure who they were working for or if they did the right thing, but they know the mines are reopened which they see is clearly good for that town, so they return to the village seemingly better off.
The party on the way back to the village encounter a group of mist ninja gnomes who have laid a trap for them, blocking the river with two hidden wire mesh nets to box in a kill zone. At which point I proceeded to misread the invisibility reactive ability of the gnomes and unwittingly cheese the combat, nevertheless the party was victorious and awarded a small extra amount of extra xp for the mistake - with one gnome escaping with potentially rewarding wand of magical loot.
The party reports back to the Headmaster, at which point are berated for not having put together that when the Headmaster said Lady of the town, that there could be more than one, and when the first Lady of the town says she didn't hire you, that the second who said she did, must have actually hired them. So the mission technically ends in failure, because not only did they not work for the person who hired them, but that person was killed in the process.
Crusio tells the old Headmaster to stuff it, because they both know that town is productive again whether or not they did their mission is pointless as they outcome is better for the village anyhow. "just give them their charter you dried up gnewt." The headmaster gives the party their charter and mission rewards.
At which point the Rogue goes to settle up with the Hokage, who tells him sternly but kindly, that those manacles are not for his imprisonment, but to remind him that this village is only as strong as the laws that govern it, the people that support them, and the leaders that bind them together. The links of that chain are a symbol for the unity of the villages common laws, and for the consequences for breaking them. The Hokage reduces the fines to half what they were and accepts what the rogue presents as full payment, forgiving the rest as lesson learned.
This concludes the DM's memory of 1st to 2nd levels, though I'm sure because of how many months ago that was I've left a bunch out.
The party joined together under the banner of the Jupin-Naga Club, founded by Crusio as their sponsor. Crusio leads the party to the Ryosuchi Headmaster, who informs them that their Jupin-naga groups doesn't have the official charter necessary to gain entry into the academy and for that reason much undergo the entrance exam of the Fire Caves.
Ryosuchi informs the party they must find their employer, the Lady of a nearby river mining town which controls the Fire Caves. Ryosuchi seems to be intentionally sparse on the details, and after the Players are kicked out into the hallway, Crusio and Ryosuchi have a heated discussion about Crusio's undisciplined behavior -
Ryosuchi - "What the hell is the deal coming in here with a bunch of snot nosed middle-schoolers, are you trying to get those boys killed?"
Crusio - "Don't crack a scale you old lizard, I'm just having a bit of fun don't worry so much."
Ryosuchi - "Watch your mouth! I don't care who you work for, you'd best remember who is the headmaster around here kid."
Crusio - "Aw, ha ha, but remember there honorable lizard you work for them too." opening the door and finding some of the players attempting to listen in.
Only parts of this conversation actually were communicated to the party because of their checks - but, at this point it won't hurt to have the whole thing laid out.
Crusio exits the Headmasters office and walks the party a little way down the hall before being confronted by another student who challenges Crusio - a battle that ends before it begins with a single thrust of Crusios thumb into the challenger's chest, nearly killing the opponent in a single blow.
A female student (Lissera) arrives semi-scolding Crusio, "You must be more careful I won't always be around to put them back together after you break them."
Crusio - "Oh, you and I both know you will always be around, won't you Lissera?" he says with a stoic face.
Crusio after looking out the 2nd floor window down at a beautiful young girl (Sharina) walking through the school yard says, "I've got some things I need to take care of, good luck on the exam boys, I'll see you around." With that he leaps out the window landing gracefully to the earth and walks after Sharina who is several paces ahead.
Lissera stands from having treated the wounded class men, looks out the window with a longing sadness that Insight checks revealed. She takes the time to explain a bit that battles between class men happen often and so long as they are not fatal are overlooked as skill training. But for the time the Players should be very cautious challenging any of the students. She says, "I would help more but I'm neglecting my duties, please take care of Crusio for me." She too leaps from the 2nd floor and lands uninjured upon the earth walking off in the direction of Crusio and Sharina.
This leaves the players alone in a combat oriented academy to be mocked by the upper-class men. Though the challengers are met with the Players defiance no battles occur on the grounds.
The Players with an obscure directive, lend themselves to the question - does anybody know where we're going. At which point each pursue their own ends, family, library, stableman, cartographer or etc. in pursuit of where is this mining town. The most productive is a Father's directions follow the river out the east gate north, or the copied map from a cartographer.
Then it was "how do we get there and complete this trial in 3 days without horses, because it is a day and a half on foot just to get there?"
Horses is the answer, but the problem soon becomes, I won't rent a horse to a minor, I need and adult to sign for it. The potential answers were bribe and adult to sign for the players, get someone's family member to sign for the players, or less so - steal the horses but don't get caught.
The party having some trouble with what to do end up in front of Crusio outside the school who tells them "why haven't you left yet, if it was my exam I would have already have been gone." when asked "but we can't get horses" he replies "You're ninja aren't you, use your skills find a way. Lets just call it a race shall we, the first one there gets to be the leader."
One Player immediately hearing race and leader takes off at a dead run, making endurance checks after a couple hours, hoping his impetuous RP might pay off.
One Player takes that to mean I know how to steal as a rogue therefore he must mean steal them - which is possibly true of Crusio, but it would be with the stipulation of if you do it you don't get caught, this is the ninja way.
While the Player himself didn't get caught, he stole the horses behind the back of the stable master who was in the middle of negotiations with the rest of the Party. Thus he immediately had the Party detained as accomplices to be brought before the Hokage.
After explaining the situation that they had nothing to do with the theft the Hokage asks them to deliver the message of severe fines and shackles to their party member that stole the horse. To remind that member that the village is lawful and there are consequences for his actions.
Those that were restrained end up renting horses by finding and adult to sign for them and take off after the other party members.
The runner and the horse thief catch up to one another at which point they are soon after attacked by predator panthers stalking the river side. They have a much tougher battle than the rest of the party being only two players.
The two out front choose to rest and wait for the rest of the party to catch up, at which point those with the shackles present them to their party member and convey the notice of the fines he must pay, amounting to about 2 levels worth of wealth.
As the Party continues on that day they discover an overgrown path that leads to an ancient altar ring which they discover to have a trap door beneath the altar, the party rogue refuses to help with the traps without compensation from the party (his way of recouping the loot lost by his fines) and so the party proceeds to use brute force to break the trapped doors and chests of the ritual site. Also because the rogue didn't participate in the trap opening there was differential xp and gold awarded to those players who participated.
Needless to say there was some party cohesion issues arising from the differential and debate both in game and out as to what makes a party function and what constitutes cohesive party behavior.
Both issues finding some resolution with those siding for helping the rogue because of their characters alignment and those that say he is on his own simply playing it out in game and it becoming what it will.
Fortunately the party doesn't fracture and they reach their destination, what is described as a run down deserted mining operation with drunken miners littering the streets with their stuppored bodies. The only thing open in the town is the bar and the manor. The general store and nearby estate house are boarded up.
The party is attacked entering the streets of the town by drunken miners who are looking to get some donations for their dry mouth syndrome. The party defeats this initial encounter by the paladin contributing to their fund. The miners retreat to the bar, and tell them the Lady of the town is probably in the manor.
The party meet with a nearly histerical well dressed middle aged woman who admits to be the Lady of the manor but has no time to talk with the party. The party tells her that she hired them and they need to ask about the mine. She tells them she didn't hire them but because they are there and are ninja perhaps they can help her find her daughter who went missing last night.
The Lady offers the only thing of value her family has left, Dwarven Gauntlets. An heirloom of her current second husband. She says he would be furious if he knew she had used them as payment but she will do anything to get her daughter back.
The Lady informs the party she was the one who shut the mines down do to safety concerns and too many explosive accidents, she couldn't bare anymore of her people dying in the unsafe conditions, and her husband (a dwarf, who lives for mining and drinking) now begrudginly only has his drinking to drown his sorrows.
The Party searches the grounds finding a pair of muddy foot prints in the soft garden behind the house under the daughters second story window. Looking as though someone had been climbing up the wall into the daughters room. The party then tracks the foot prints through the soil over the river and down into the Fire Caves, where all the mining had been taking place until what they deduce to be about a year ago.
The tracks look to be two creatures dragging a third smaller person, then after the river where because of the rocks the tracks became harder to find, it appears that the daughter must have been walking with her shoes on, and then back to being dragged through the dirt entering the Fire Caves. With some sort of scuffle happening outside.
The party enters the caves avoiding a series of webs left by the creatures that presumably now enhabit them. They eventually find the daughter covered in a cocoon of webbing behind a iron-bar cage. Above their head Ettercaps swing from their webs, watching the party as they open the cage and cut the webbing from around the mouth of the daughter.
The party questions the daughter, not certain if they move her whether or not the ettercaps will attack. The daughter beligerently tells them to get her the hell out of there, those creatures are going to kill her. The party deduces if they were going to kill her they would have done so already. She claims that she hired them and they work for her, they have to get her out of there. After awhile of miming with the ettercaps the party deduces that the ettercaps and dwarven miners were once allied and it seems that the ettercaps actually want their dwarven friends to return to mining.
At this point the party doesn't quiet know who their working for or what they are supposed to do, so they decide for now to not chance a battle with the ettercaps in which the daughter might be killed, and head out of the caves to discuss things with the Lady of the village to see exactly what else is going on there.
After exiting the mines a Gnome emerges from the shadows wearing emblems of a mist village shinobi/ninja. "Don't trust that little witch, she would poison her own mother if it suited her purpose. Which, as it happens it does."
Gnome - " you should know that I work for her, she hired me to shut down these mines, poison her mother, and fake her kidnapping. Unfortunately for her I got a better offer from a certain dwarven miner along the way. I had hoped those ettercap would kill her once they found out what she had been up to, but sadly they didn't have what it takes. So here's the thing, you go in there and bring me her head and I'll let you collect half the reward from the dwarf. I trust you'll bring me my half later."
Party - "how did you shut the mines down?"
Gnome - "Easily enough, with a few of these" (explosives disguised as rocks, to set off the methane in the mines)
Party - interparty debate as what to do
Gnome - "just think about it, but do it quickly, we are on a bit of a time crunch here."
While the party debated, the Gnome was able to slip by them and kill the girl. The party re-enters the caves to find the daughters throat riped out by the bit of an animal. The ettercap describe the gnome then it in mime as some sort of dog or fanged creature.
The party immediately gather up the daughter and take her back to the Lady of the town, while the paladin to his detriment, confronts the Lady's husband the Dwarven miner, who says to the paladin that he doesn't answer to him because he is the law of the town (with regard to hiring a ninja to kill his stepdaughter.) This gains the paladin a 10day trip to jail that is resolved willingly later.
The Dwarven husband hearing the Lady's screams as she is presented with her daughter next door in the manor, rushes to her side.
At which point the party tells the Lady of her husbands hiring the gnome to kill her daughter, and he is forced to come clean, confessing he did it to protect the Lady from the truth, that her daughter was trying to poison her. The party tests a few wine bottles and finds the poisoned one, proving the mother was being poisoned, but didn't prove that the dwarf wasn't responsible.
Because it seems the one that has the most to gain from the daughter and the mother's death is the heir to the mines the dwarf who would be working in them still even with the conditions as deadly as they are.
Then while arguing someone bumps the body of the daughter, and a clank sounds as the husbands family heirloom the gauntlets fall to the floor from her corpse. This the party believes would have been the last straw to set the mother and father against one another and perhaps leave only the daughter behind to rule the town. The family seems satisfied with the answer that the daughter was responsible, and true to their word give the party the gauntlets, saying they only wish to start new with one another, and now that the mines can reopen they will bury the past (literally).
The paladin serves his 10 days in jail, the rogue trades the gauntlets as payment to the gnome. The gnome praises his wisdom in bringing it to him so he did not have to hunt down the party for his reward, and splits the value of the gauntlets in gold with the rogue. The rogue on the way back to town finds the bodies of several mist ninja with one missing his emblems, suggesting the gnome wasn't who he said he was.
The party leaves town, not really sure who they were working for or if they did the right thing, but they know the mines are reopened which they see is clearly good for that town, so they return to the village seemingly better off.
The party on the way back to the village encounter a group of mist ninja gnomes who have laid a trap for them, blocking the river with two hidden wire mesh nets to box in a kill zone. At which point I proceeded to misread the invisibility reactive ability of the gnomes and unwittingly cheese the combat, nevertheless the party was victorious and awarded a small extra amount of extra xp for the mistake - with one gnome escaping with potentially rewarding wand of magical loot.
The party reports back to the Headmaster, at which point are berated for not having put together that when the Headmaster said Lady of the town, that there could be more than one, and when the first Lady of the town says she didn't hire you, that the second who said she did, must have actually hired them. So the mission technically ends in failure, because not only did they not work for the person who hired them, but that person was killed in the process.
Crusio tells the old Headmaster to stuff it, because they both know that town is productive again whether or not they did their mission is pointless as they outcome is better for the village anyhow. "just give them their charter you dried up gnewt." The headmaster gives the party their charter and mission rewards.
At which point the Rogue goes to settle up with the Hokage, who tells him sternly but kindly, that those manacles are not for his imprisonment, but to remind him that this village is only as strong as the laws that govern it, the people that support them, and the leaders that bind them together. The links of that chain are a symbol for the unity of the villages common laws, and for the consequences for breaking them. The Hokage reduces the fines to half what they were and accepts what the rogue presents as full payment, forgiving the rest as lesson learned.
This concludes the DM's memory of 1st to 2nd levels, though I'm sure because of how many months ago that was I've left a bunch out.
10.21.2008
David's Dungeons/Dragons 4.0 Anime Campaign Origin 10.21.08
GENERAL RP NOTES TO CONSIDER.
WHILE THIS IS A 4.0 BASED GAME THERE ARE SOME CONSIDERATIONS TO KEEP IN MIND.
This game is a loose rip off of several anime that I enjoy, something I could put together quickly for you guys and it hopefully all tie together from 1st to 30th coherently.
Given the ripped off nature of the game, certain world concepts and flavors are going to come into play.
1. All powers divine, arcane, and martial are all referred to as “Jutsu” and everyone no matter their training have their own capabilities and flavors of “Jutsu“, each manifesting in a different way and from a different source.
Arcane powers are “Ninjutsu” drawn from one’s own inner chakra and expelled into an effect.
Divine powers are “Genjutsu” drawn from the chakra that surrounds everyone and everything then expelled into an effect.
Martial powers are drawn purely from the body “Taijutsu” and use one’s own body to make physics work in miraculous ways.
At times the lines do blur and one may cross slightly into the other but the skill checks will always remain the same regardless of if a martial ability looks like an arcane or divine or vice versa.
2. Like 4.0 suggests magic, or in this case ninjutsu is rare but is still natural, and the populace at large can handle seeing the effects of low level ninjutsu without thinking their whole world has come unglued; however, they nor your characters are prepared to handle the extreme reality of higher level jutsu (Paragon to Epic Powers) and simply cannot believe it is possible at this point. Try to play like you don’t know at your next level you get that cool new I blast your face into the next plane thing.
3. Gods are like gods of our world, individuals have faith in them as they choose, argue, fight and persecute over them just as we do, but ultimately there is no proof of their existence that isn’t debated in some fashion by one side or another. Because the gods are not seen acting directly in the lives of the people at large. You can believe for RP that your power comes from a deity if you wish but it isn’t required, if you are a divine caster you must still have a firm belief in some guiding morality even if you don’t believe your power comes from it.
4. Other races of creatures do exist and even ‘monsters’ but these creatures are not perceived as supernatural unless I tell you otherwise, you should perceive them no differently than some critter you’ve never seen on the discovery channel for the first time – some creatures even if weird simply are natural to this world – while others seemingly perhaps less weird are in fact extremely unnatural for the world and should cause you great alarm.
Anything else just make a role and I’ll tell you how the RP should play out according to it.
SUGGESTED REFERENCE ANIME - for flavor/feel
Naruto - I'm using the concept of kingdoms using 'villages,' or hired military training academy, as the starting point with the abilities of D&D being explained as ninja arts. Also promoting early on a base of operations and a mission by mission setting.
Tenjho Tenge - I'm taking the concept of an inevitable destiny for the world, that the harder you try to prevent something the closer you get to making it happen. Also I'm pulling the four main characters story as the driving plot to resolve from 1st to 12th level. Can you find a way to escape your destiny, or do you even want to?
Bleach - I'm taking the concept of Spiritual Pressures, Artificial Souls, Soul guides, Bonded Weapons, the After life, and the battle between Salvation and Damnation. These concepts will be introduced from 1st to 12th but won't become truly pertinent until Paragon levels.
INFLUENTIAL NPC NAMES & PLACES
PLACES OF NOTE: ANIME TEMPLATE - (Naruto)
Dargenryo - The most influential of nearby Kingdoms because of their military power, that stems from the Kyotenichi Village Ninja.
Dargenichi - The primary state/province of the Dargenryo Kingdom, where most of the campaign action will take place.
Rygenhijo - The Crrent Capital City of the Dargenryo Kingdom, and the birth place of a new Capitalism supported Monarchy.
Kyoten - The Old Capital City of the Dargenryo Kingdom, which never fell during the revolution that over threw the previous monarchy.
Kyotenichi - The Hired Military Village bordering Kyoten City, recognized as the most prestigious military villages among the neighboring kingdoms.
ANIME VILLAGE TEMPLATE : Konohagakure (Naruto)
PEOPLE OF NOTE:
Aderyosuchi - The Hokage of Kyotenichi, sacrificed himself for the village, and plead with it's destroyer to trust in it's people to do what is necessary. (Dragonborn pristine Gold scales, Full plate bears the emblems of Bahamut)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : 3RD Hokage (Naruto)
Ryosuchi - The Headmaster of Kyotenichi's primary ninja academy Viso Adestra, Aderyosuchi's younger brother who has always been jealous of his brother's power and ability. (dragonborn scarred silver scales)
Sharina - Buxom youthful woman with silky long straight white hair, nimble movements, with a fox like jovialness that is encumbered by a deeper hidden saddness. Sister to Crusio of the Nobu-naga clan. (Eladarin)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Maya Natsume (Tenjho Tenge)
Lissera - Poised and proper young woman of elegant breeding, brown loosely curled hair, with glasses and fashion concealing her exaggerated femanine wilds. Daughter of Onigar.(Human, with odd hints of glitteringly blue metallic skin tones)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Mana Kuzunoha (Tenjho Tenge)
Cercators - A secret association of religious zealots who follow Bane and the Raven Queen, with their hands in every aspect of the world, these are truly the puppet masters of every major incident on the continent.
Onigar - The current aging co-leader of the Cercators, by will and power alone he seeks the vessel who will be worthy to replace him, the Demi Vaso, or otherwise known as the 'true martial artist.' Lisseras True Father. (Blue Dragon or blue scale dragon born)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Dogen Takayanagi (Tenjho Tenge)
Crusio - The founder of the jupin-naga, a club of students at Vaso Adestra who were assembled unwittingly with the sole purpose of learning from Crusio so that one day they would be strong enough to defeat him in battle, becoming worthy to be the next Demi Vaso. He is known to be the last of the Nobu-naga clan, and the wielder of the Reiki Nodachi (over sided cursed katana) named the Kyonaga. Covers the knowledge of his fated death at the hands of his closest friends with an overt sarcasm, and crass jovialness. Long white hair and unusually feable looking frame, with an eye patch over one eye and a leather bomber type jacket having a silver chinese dragon emblem on the back. (Eladrin)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Shin Natsume (Tenjho Tenge)
Demi Vaso - Bad latin for the Vessel of God. The person the Cercators seek to create to serve as a conduit for their demi-god's works on this plane of existence.
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Mitsuomi Takay (Tenjho Tenge)
Labisis - the 4th gate of the Cercator, serving to test and strengthen the ability of the Jupin-naga as the final step before a battle with Onigar and Crusio. Completely willing to die in service of the cercator cause. Young lizard like humanoid male of green scales will blunt nasal cavities and clawed hands/feet. (Githzerai)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Gara of the Sand (Naruto)
Baringo - the 3rd gate of the Cercator, serving to test and strengthen the ability of the Jupin-naga as the final step before a battle with Labisis. Completely willing to die in service of the cercator cause. Adult female with black hair and ravenlike wings, with taloned feet. (Blood fire Harpy)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Temari (Naruto)
Arryota - the 2nd gate of the Cercator, serving to test and strengthen the ability of the Jupin-naga as the final step before a battle with Baringo. Completely willing to die in service of the cercator cause. Crone female with white beleagered features and diseased body under robes of rotted moss. (Howling Hag)
Lotus - the lost sister of Crusio and Sharina, locked away in the Liloth tower of deceit & illusions. Potentially the vessel of the Raven Queen herself. Similar features to Sharina, but sandy brown hair, and more coy innocence with a seemingly programmed flirtaciousness with members of the Jupin-naga. (Eladrin)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Aya Natsume (Tenjho Tenge)
CAMPAIGN STARTING POINT
Players begin the campaign between the ages of 12-16 in the village of Kyotenichi. The players each choose their own backstory fitting into the general concept of a Naruto based world where a major revolution just occurred within the Kingdom of Dargenryo, that caused the capital city to change to Rygenhijo, and potentially shift the village from it's traditional home of Kyoten.
After the players have selected a backstory for their characters, the DM introduces Crusio as described above. He will form the unchartered club known as the Jupin-naga - the club is created according to Crusio so the Players will prove their characters worthy of joining the Vaso Adestra Ninja Academy. The players will be introduced by Crusio to Vaso Adestra's Headmaster Ryosuchi, who will demonstrate a clear disapproval of Crusio's unruly attitudes and behaviors, but will eventually approve the Jupin-naga for their first mission, "Trial of the Fire Caves."
Ryosuchi explains the Players have been hired by the Lady of a nearby rivers mining town, they are instructed to go to the mining town find the Lady and resolve the issue of the Fire Caves. The successful completion of the mission will give the Jupin-naga their necessary Charter to enter the academy as a squad - also rewarding them with 1/4th of 1st to 2nd level's wealth (reference DMG wealth by level table).
END CAMPAIGN OUTLINE TO OPENING.
RESUME WITH OUR CAMPAIGN HISTORY.
WHILE THIS IS A 4.0 BASED GAME THERE ARE SOME CONSIDERATIONS TO KEEP IN MIND.
This game is a loose rip off of several anime that I enjoy, something I could put together quickly for you guys and it hopefully all tie together from 1st to 30th coherently.
Given the ripped off nature of the game, certain world concepts and flavors are going to come into play.
1. All powers divine, arcane, and martial are all referred to as “Jutsu” and everyone no matter their training have their own capabilities and flavors of “Jutsu“, each manifesting in a different way and from a different source.
Arcane powers are “Ninjutsu” drawn from one’s own inner chakra and expelled into an effect.
Divine powers are “Genjutsu” drawn from the chakra that surrounds everyone and everything then expelled into an effect.
Martial powers are drawn purely from the body “Taijutsu” and use one’s own body to make physics work in miraculous ways.
At times the lines do blur and one may cross slightly into the other but the skill checks will always remain the same regardless of if a martial ability looks like an arcane or divine or vice versa.
2. Like 4.0 suggests magic, or in this case ninjutsu is rare but is still natural, and the populace at large can handle seeing the effects of low level ninjutsu without thinking their whole world has come unglued; however, they nor your characters are prepared to handle the extreme reality of higher level jutsu (Paragon to Epic Powers) and simply cannot believe it is possible at this point. Try to play like you don’t know at your next level you get that cool new I blast your face into the next plane thing.
3. Gods are like gods of our world, individuals have faith in them as they choose, argue, fight and persecute over them just as we do, but ultimately there is no proof of their existence that isn’t debated in some fashion by one side or another. Because the gods are not seen acting directly in the lives of the people at large. You can believe for RP that your power comes from a deity if you wish but it isn’t required, if you are a divine caster you must still have a firm belief in some guiding morality even if you don’t believe your power comes from it.
4. Other races of creatures do exist and even ‘monsters’ but these creatures are not perceived as supernatural unless I tell you otherwise, you should perceive them no differently than some critter you’ve never seen on the discovery channel for the first time – some creatures even if weird simply are natural to this world – while others seemingly perhaps less weird are in fact extremely unnatural for the world and should cause you great alarm.
Anything else just make a role and I’ll tell you how the RP should play out according to it.
SUGGESTED REFERENCE ANIME - for flavor/feel
Naruto - I'm using the concept of kingdoms using 'villages,' or hired military training academy, as the starting point with the abilities of D&D being explained as ninja arts. Also promoting early on a base of operations and a mission by mission setting.
Tenjho Tenge - I'm taking the concept of an inevitable destiny for the world, that the harder you try to prevent something the closer you get to making it happen. Also I'm pulling the four main characters story as the driving plot to resolve from 1st to 12th level. Can you find a way to escape your destiny, or do you even want to?
Bleach - I'm taking the concept of Spiritual Pressures, Artificial Souls, Soul guides, Bonded Weapons, the After life, and the battle between Salvation and Damnation. These concepts will be introduced from 1st to 12th but won't become truly pertinent until Paragon levels.
INFLUENTIAL NPC NAMES & PLACES
PLACES OF NOTE: ANIME TEMPLATE - (Naruto)
Dargenryo - The most influential of nearby Kingdoms because of their military power, that stems from the Kyotenichi Village Ninja.
Dargenichi - The primary state/province of the Dargenryo Kingdom, where most of the campaign action will take place.
Rygenhijo - The Crrent Capital City of the Dargenryo Kingdom, and the birth place of a new Capitalism supported Monarchy.
Kyoten - The Old Capital City of the Dargenryo Kingdom, which never fell during the revolution that over threw the previous monarchy.
Kyotenichi - The Hired Military Village bordering Kyoten City, recognized as the most prestigious military villages among the neighboring kingdoms.
ANIME VILLAGE TEMPLATE : Konohagakure (Naruto)
PEOPLE OF NOTE:
Aderyosuchi - The Hokage of Kyotenichi, sacrificed himself for the village, and plead with it's destroyer to trust in it's people to do what is necessary. (Dragonborn pristine Gold scales, Full plate bears the emblems of Bahamut)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : 3RD Hokage (Naruto)
Ryosuchi - The Headmaster of Kyotenichi's primary ninja academy Viso Adestra, Aderyosuchi's younger brother who has always been jealous of his brother's power and ability. (dragonborn scarred silver scales)
Sharina - Buxom youthful woman with silky long straight white hair, nimble movements, with a fox like jovialness that is encumbered by a deeper hidden saddness. Sister to Crusio of the Nobu-naga clan. (Eladarin)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Maya Natsume (Tenjho Tenge)
Lissera - Poised and proper young woman of elegant breeding, brown loosely curled hair, with glasses and fashion concealing her exaggerated femanine wilds. Daughter of Onigar.(Human, with odd hints of glitteringly blue metallic skin tones)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Mana Kuzunoha (Tenjho Tenge)
Cercators - A secret association of religious zealots who follow Bane and the Raven Queen, with their hands in every aspect of the world, these are truly the puppet masters of every major incident on the continent.
Onigar - The current aging co-leader of the Cercators, by will and power alone he seeks the vessel who will be worthy to replace him, the Demi Vaso, or otherwise known as the 'true martial artist.' Lisseras True Father. (Blue Dragon or blue scale dragon born)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Dogen Takayanagi (Tenjho Tenge)
Crusio - The founder of the jupin-naga, a club of students at Vaso Adestra who were assembled unwittingly with the sole purpose of learning from Crusio so that one day they would be strong enough to defeat him in battle, becoming worthy to be the next Demi Vaso. He is known to be the last of the Nobu-naga clan, and the wielder of the Reiki Nodachi (over sided cursed katana) named the Kyonaga. Covers the knowledge of his fated death at the hands of his closest friends with an overt sarcasm, and crass jovialness. Long white hair and unusually feable looking frame, with an eye patch over one eye and a leather bomber type jacket having a silver chinese dragon emblem on the back. (Eladrin)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Shin Natsume (Tenjho Tenge)
Demi Vaso - Bad latin for the Vessel of God. The person the Cercators seek to create to serve as a conduit for their demi-god's works on this plane of existence.
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Mitsuomi Takay (Tenjho Tenge)
Labisis - the 4th gate of the Cercator, serving to test and strengthen the ability of the Jupin-naga as the final step before a battle with Onigar and Crusio. Completely willing to die in service of the cercator cause. Young lizard like humanoid male of green scales will blunt nasal cavities and clawed hands/feet. (Githzerai)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Gara of the Sand (Naruto)
Baringo - the 3rd gate of the Cercator, serving to test and strengthen the ability of the Jupin-naga as the final step before a battle with Labisis. Completely willing to die in service of the cercator cause. Adult female with black hair and ravenlike wings, with taloned feet. (Blood fire Harpy)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Temari (Naruto)
Arryota - the 2nd gate of the Cercator, serving to test and strengthen the ability of the Jupin-naga as the final step before a battle with Baringo. Completely willing to die in service of the cercator cause. Crone female with white beleagered features and diseased body under robes of rotted moss. (Howling Hag)
Lotus - the lost sister of Crusio and Sharina, locked away in the Liloth tower of deceit & illusions. Potentially the vessel of the Raven Queen herself. Similar features to Sharina, but sandy brown hair, and more coy innocence with a seemingly programmed flirtaciousness with members of the Jupin-naga. (Eladrin)
ANIME CHARACTER TEMPLATE : Aya Natsume (Tenjho Tenge)
CAMPAIGN STARTING POINT
Players begin the campaign between the ages of 12-16 in the village of Kyotenichi. The players each choose their own backstory fitting into the general concept of a Naruto based world where a major revolution just occurred within the Kingdom of Dargenryo, that caused the capital city to change to Rygenhijo, and potentially shift the village from it's traditional home of Kyoten.
After the players have selected a backstory for their characters, the DM introduces Crusio as described above. He will form the unchartered club known as the Jupin-naga - the club is created according to Crusio so the Players will prove their characters worthy of joining the Vaso Adestra Ninja Academy. The players will be introduced by Crusio to Vaso Adestra's Headmaster Ryosuchi, who will demonstrate a clear disapproval of Crusio's unruly attitudes and behaviors, but will eventually approve the Jupin-naga for their first mission, "Trial of the Fire Caves."
Ryosuchi explains the Players have been hired by the Lady of a nearby rivers mining town, they are instructed to go to the mining town find the Lady and resolve the issue of the Fire Caves. The successful completion of the mission will give the Jupin-naga their necessary Charter to enter the academy as a squad - also rewarding them with 1/4th of 1st to 2nd level's wealth (reference DMG wealth by level table).
END CAMPAIGN OUTLINE TO OPENING.
RESUME WITH OUR CAMPAIGN HISTORY.
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