# Piratecat's storyhour reborn! (updated July 4, 2006)



## Piratecat

*Where we start. . .*


If you're new to the Defenders of Daybreak, this is where to start.

My campaign started in June of 1992. When we pick up the story hour in the post below this one, the campaign is roughly eight years old (with 13th and 14th lvl characters.) As I write this in May of 2006, the campaign is closing in on 14 years and still going strong (with 21st-22nd lvl characters!) 

This story hour details all the adventures between those two points. Much of this has already been posted in various threads on various incarnations of the boards, but I’m gathering it here in one thread to make life a lot easier for anyone trying to read it. I’m closing my old storyhour threads, but they’re still available to anyone who wants to read ahead or peruse original commentary. They're just a little unwieldy.

Additional campaign background, including “the Defenders of Daybreak: the Early Years” (logs of the first 3-4 years of the campaign, written by Sialia and Bandeeto) can be found at www.piratecat.org.  Much of the campaign deals with religion; a quick view of the pantheon can be found here.

I’m picking up the story at a good starting point in the campaign. At this point in the game we had just recently started playtesting 3e, but it would be roughly another six months before the game launched.  We were working off of photocopied playtest documents at this time, and rules changed weekly. At the start of the story, the gaming group had just had one person (Eltariel) move to Texas, and one person (Raevynn) join the game. The group had recently finished a sizeable campaign arc, and was heading off to tie up various loose ends. One of these loose ends was a former party member making ripples in his church.

As this story hour starts, the Defenders of Daybreak (in order of appearance) consisted of:

[sblock]
*Velendo of Calphas:*  Played by Sagiro. An elderly cleric of the God of Protection, Velendo often finds himself acting as the voice of reason against more ebullient - and chaotic - party members.

*Nolin Benholm:*  Played by KidCthulhu. Nolin is a free spirit who shares his soul with that of a phoenix. A famous bard and musician, he is also the founder of a bardic academy that trains bards as spies.

*Sir Valdek Nurin:* Played by Aithdim. Valdek is the kind of fighter that young warriors might look up to; a commoner raised to knighthood, a breeder of magnificent warhorses, a quiet man of honor. 

*Tao Camber:* Played by Jobu.  Tao’s a half-elven ranger/cleric who enjoys getting into bar fights just so that she can beat up muscle-bound men. She’s a fervent worshipper of the nature goddess Galanna, and her rough manners are slowly getting polished by constant exposure to Nolin.

*Kirisandra Kulberg (Kiri): * Played by Wisdomlikesilence.  Kiri is Nolin’s half-sister, another child of their philandering elven father. She’s a charming, sharp-nosed sorceress/rogue with a drunken sot of a familiar. Kiri has a long history of skipping from religion to religion in an attempt to find some sort of peace.

*Raevynn: * Played by Raevynn. Sent by the druidic council of Galanna to join the Defenders and investigate a former member of theirs, Raevynn has little patience for the trappings of proper society. Everything else being equal, she’d rather disembowel someone than make small talk with them.

*Tomtom Badgerclaw: * Played by Tremere. TomTom is a halfling rogue/psion, and has been described as the kind of thief who steals entire cities. He dresses in jester’s motley and wears boots, all the better to distract people, but he’s the power behind the shadows. Underestimate him at the expense of your wallet.

*Shara (Sharala Clearwater): * Played by Fajitas. Shara joined the party after being released from a djinni bottle found in Sigil, but she’s far more than the beautiful enchantress she appears to be. Shara has a history that will soon come back to haunt her. 
[/sblock]


----------



## Piratecat

*Part 1: Leaving Bearspittle*


Really, it was probably the easiest mission they’d ever had.

Velendo, a cleric of Calphas the Wallbuilder, twitched his reins with an age-spotted hand as his horse ambled down the sun-dappled forest road. He was riding slower than most of the adventuring group. Velendo shifted the large shield that he used as a holy symbol and swatted at a stubborn horsefly. “You know, I really expected more trouble than that.  Normally we end up having to fight something.”

“I know. It’s a nice change, isn’t it?” Nolin Benholm idly strummed the strings of his mandolin as he rode alongside, and the flames of his hair flickered in the soft wind. “He was so, so. . .” For once, the bard was at a loss for words.

“Reasonable?” 

“Exactly! I mean, Rofan has been ‘enthusiastic’ ever since he first adventured with us six or seven years ago.”

Velendo wrinkled his forehead. “Enthusiastic?”

“By which I mean a certifiable nutcase.”  Nolin grinned. “There’s a reason why he didn’t stay with the group for long. He may worship the same nature goddess that Tao does, but they’ve sure got a different way of showing it. Ask her about it some time.  I think you met him once before, but that was only briefly. You probably missed his best sermons. If he wasn’t such a heretic, he’d have made a great evangelist.”  Nolin chewed his lip for a moment. “Or maybe even a good bard. No, I take that back.  A good jester.  I ever tell you about the devil’s fruitcake?” 

“The what?”

“The Devil’s Fruitcake. This was after Rofan was already getting unmanageable and prone to go off on tangents. We were at an inn and TomTom offered him some fruitcake. Not only did he refuse to eat it, he got up on a table and declared it to be ‘the devil’s fruitcake!’  Apparently, he declared fruitcake to be an unholy pastry item and anathema to Galanna. He must have preached about it for twenty minutes. It became a running joke amongst the Defenders. . . and I think we parted ways with him soon after.  Not a very clever boy, our Rofan, but he always has had a certain personal style.”

Velendo chuckled. “You could say that. I know we first heard some weird rumors about him when he claimed he was a 'bear prophet' and decided to lead some religious cult off in the middle of the woods, but you know, I didn’t see any of that insanity when we visited him just now.  He seems to have finally calmed down a bit.”

“Seems so,” said Nolin. “Mind you, that cult’s the reason that the church of Galanna asked us to investigate. They said he was worshipping animals instead of the nature goddess Herself, and that he was involved in some sort of taint.”

“Well, I didn’t see it.” Velendo wiped his brow and winced at an odd twinge in his back, like a nagging bruise. He wasn’t getting any younger, that was for sure.  “He had some other worshippers there, but their village was entirely proper. There’s no reason to worry.”

“There’s no reason to worry,” agreed Nolin, a little distantly. “None at all. Want to catch up to the others?” Velendo dug in his heels, and their horses trotted jauntily up the path and away from the town of Bearspittle.

-- o --

“There’s no reason to worry,” said Sir Valdek Nurin. He pulled off the breastplate of his armor and stretched tired, sore muscles. One of his old battle wounds seemed to have reopened, and the pain made him wince.  “Quite a relief. I never knew Rofan that well, but he was friendly enough.”

“Yup,” admitted Tao Camber grudgingly as she tossed more fuel onto the campfire.  Across the fire, Kiri caught Valdek’s eye and they smiled a secret smile to one another. Tao pretended not to notice. “He was a nut. But all we had to do is explain to him how he differed from the church, and he realized his mistakes. A big change from the way he used to be.”

“You never used to like him, did you, Tao?”  Velendo was leaning against his shield and sipping from a water skin. The warm summer sun had turned his bald head an uncomfortable shade of pink during their long ride.

Tao frowned. “I didn’t dislike him. Not personally.  It’s just that he used to see the Goddess in every living thing.” Tao indicated a brace of rabbit hanging across the campsite. “I worship Galanna and know that She created the trees of the forest and the animals of the field, but I have no guilt about hunting. Predators eat prey, that’s the way nature works. But Rofan always worshipped those animals as if they _were_ her. He’d refuse to crush an ant in case it might be the Goddess Incarnate. He’d pray to his horse, and treat my wardog as if it were going to answer his prayers and grant him miracles.”  Tao wrinkled her nose, causing the tip of her pointed ears to wiggle slightly. “You can imagine that he got to be a little much. I’m more of a ranger than a priestess, but even I know better than that.”

“You _should_ know better than that.”  The druidess Raevynn stepped out of the shadows, her blond hair gleaming red in the firelight. “He was a heretic. The druidic council of Galanna sent me here to help you and make sure he either renounces his heretical ways, or is punished. Just as you are, I’m glad to see that his feet have finally found the true path.” 

“He’s not a heretic.” Across the campsite from Raevynn, TomTom Badgerclaw looked up from where he was expertly skinning three dead squirrels. “He’s not entirely sane, mind you, but he has always meant well. I don’t think you want to start labeling people as heretics when you don’t really know them. And anyways, you met him and he’s fine, right?”

“I suppose,” allowed Raevynn. She didn’t look satisfied.

“Stew, anyone?” Nolin backed out of the depths of his tent, laden with soup bowls and utensils. “Tao’s got the fire going nicely. It’ll be ready before too long.”

“Not for me, thank you,” said Raevynn. “I had a few mice while I was in hawk form.” 

“I’ll have her share!” said TomTom. The Halfling looked hungrily at the cooking pot. “And someone should get Shara. Where is she?”

Nolin snorted. “Miss Prissy is asleep already. I don’t think she’s used to traveling.”

“Stop being so judgmental.”  Kirisandra laughed and looked over at her half-brother Nolin.  One hand idly stroked her sleeping pseudodragon. “Nol, did you know that I actually belonged to Rofan’s cult for a while?”

Nolin looked shocked.  “You did?” Kiri fidgeted as everyone turned to stare at her. She shrugged defensively.

“Yes.”  Silence.  “What? It was years ago. It was a phase I was going through.” More silence, this time disapproving. Kiri’s dismissive laughter was like a bell.

“What was it like?” asked Valdek finally. He had taken out his sword Warwinner and was slowly honing the blade. The rhythmic noise cut through the warm night.

“Boring.” Kiri idly poked at the fire. “A lot of people worshipping some bear, or a rabbit, or whatever animal they saw that morning. Maybe twenty people treating Rofan as some sort of prophet, and him completely oblivious to the attention. Bad food, all raw, and bad hymns. No cute men. A few gnomes running errands.”

“Oblivious,” said Nolin. “That’s our Rofan.”  The fire popped. 

“No gnomes there last night,” remarked Raevynn.

“Right,” agreed Valdek.

“None at all.”

Other voices chimed in. “But that’s no reason to worry.”

“We got there. . .”

“Isn’t it odd. .?”

The group began reciting, almost as if in unison. 

“Things went so smoothly.”
“No real arguments, no fight.”
“He apologized and agreed to change his ways.”
“He sure did.”
“Then he showed us around.”
“We had a nice dinner.”
“We stayed the night.”
“No problems.”
“No reason to worry.”
“No reason to worry.”
“No reason to worry.”

They all looked at one another, disquieted. The wizard Shara suddenly stepped into the circle of firelight, standing up abruptly as she left the darkness of her tent. 

“I agree that everything went perfectly well.  I know deep down there’s no reason to worry. We left peacefully after settling the problem in our favor.” Everyone nodded and stared at Shara quizzically. Her deep blue eyes were icy as she took a deep breath and lifted the hem of her tunic.  

“But if that’s the case, when exactly did I get stabbed?”

-- o --

“Stabbed?” Raevynn the druid threw up her hands. “I don’t remember anything about you getting stabbed!”

“Stabbed.  And partially healed.”

“Who would stab that perfect body?” leered Nolin. Shara just rolled her eyes and ignored him.

Valdek scowled. “I just found dried blood on my armor that wasn’t there yesterday. I think it’s my own. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before now.”

 “It’s not just that,” said Velendo. “I think someone hit me as well.  I’m also missing prayers that I should have prepared this morning, and that I _remember_ having prepared.” He flung a small stick into the campfire as mocking shadows danced around them. 

“Same here,” said Raevynn in annoyance. 

Nolin did a quick mental inventory of his magical repertoire.  “I’m missing some spells, too. I don’t know how I missed it.  Do you actually remember praying, Velendo?”

“Well, sure. I remember preparing spells. . .” The old cleric’s voice trailed off into a mutter. “Well, sort of. I remember that I prepared spells, but I don’t really remember praying for each individual one, if that makes any sense.”

“It doesn’t,” said Tao. She sat with her back to a tree, staring out into the darkness.

“Sure it does,” said Shara. “Let’s go over this. What does everyone remember about the last two days?”

“I remember riding into town,” said Kiri, “and seeing Rofan come out to meet us with some friends in tow. He looked the same as I remembered him looking.  Young kid, kind of pimply, unwashed, red hair standing straight up in back where he slept on it. And I remember us leaving really clearly. But everything in between is a little bit like I read it.”

Tao snorted in the darkness, and Nolin glanced over. “You’ll learn to read eventually, Tao.”

“That hardly matters right now,” said Raevynn. She sounded angry. “No one ever lived or died because they could or couldn’t read.” 

Nolin snorted but got back on subject.  “Okay, so we rode in to town. Then what?”  Everyone spoke at once.The babble of voices sounded oddly repetitious.

“We confronted Rofan. . .”
“He apologized for how he was worshipping Galanna. . .”
“We were shown around the village.”
“They made us dinner.”
“We had a nice house to sleep in.”
“And then we left.”
“No reason to worry.”

Velendo rolled his eyes.  “We all remember it the same?”  Everyone nodded.  “Exactly the same?”  More nods. “What color was the house?”  No one said a thing. “What did we have for breakfast this morning? What did Rofan’s friends look like? What is Rofan’s new religious philosophy?”  Silence.

“Son of a bitch,” said Tao wonderingly. “Rofan’s an idiot. We all know that. But someone changed our memories, and we’ve just been suckered.”

The ride back to Bearspittle was considerably more urgent than the outward ride had been.


----------



## KidCthulhu

And, as every Piratecat storyhour needs a comment from a player stressing just what a Rat Bastard the man is, here's mine.

There we were all talking around the table, wondering what we'd find in Rofan's city, blah, blah, blah.  Then PC says "It's a beautiful morning and you're riding out of town, with a job well done behind you".  To say that were were caught flatfooted would be an understatement. 

Do not do this to your poor players' brains unless you are sure of their flexibility and agility.  This is a trust move!

As another note, it's PirateCat's birthday.  Wish him a happy one, everyone!


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## Piratecat

*Part 2: The Prophet Rofan*



“I still don’t remember any gnomes,” whispered Tao.

“They seem to remember you,” whispered back Valdek.

“... so glad you’re back!” effused Rofan. His shirt was covered with small twigs and drying mud.  He brushed back his bright red hair with one hand. “You left suddenly, and I was worried I had somehow offended you. We’re old friends, and that’s the last thing I’d want to do.” He looked at the group fondly, eyes wide and guileless, and put his arm around Nolin’s shoulders. Rofan’s sleeve smoked slightly where it brushed the base of Nolin’s hair, but the fabric never caught fire.

Standing ankle deep in the moss beside the road, the tiny forest gnome named Pickett bowed in respect and fond recognition of the heroes’ return. Pickett seemed smaller and quieter than any rock gnome, and had carefully positioned himself three feet behind Rofan and to one side. He swept his conical hat back onto his nut-brown head and nodded his head in time with Rofan’s words, as if memorizing the speech for posterity. 

“Rofan,” said Velendo cautiously, glancing sidelong at the gnome.  “Is there somewhere we could talk by ourselves?” They walked slowly towards the small village of dingy wood huts. Ancient trees spread overhead like the rafters of a church.

“Why not right here?” Rofan stopped suddenly and spun, hands in the air. “It’s just us and Galanna. And the townsfolk. Galanna’s going to listen in anyways, of course.” His voice grew conspiratorial. “She’s in the leaves, in your horses, in the beetles, in my little friend Pickett here, in the birds, and in both the snapes and the squakes. She’s. . .”  Rofan spun and stared at Velendo. His eyes bulged. His mouth fell open in astonishment.

“What?” asked Velendo, his voice rising. “What? What?” He jerked his head around to look behind himself, but saw nothing amiss.

“She’s *HERE!*” Rofan fell on his knees in front of Velendo, his voice rising with the ecstasy of religious fervor. Pickett the forest gnome leapt backwards to get out of the way, stumbling partially into a small hole. “That inchworm on your shoulder! Galanna favors you, Velendo! She rides with you, She is on you and in you, and we must all worship the inchworm!” Rofan grabbed Velendo around the waist in a huge hug, and then dropped to grovel in the dirt at his feet. 

“Um, Rofan?” Velendo looked appalled.

“Worship the inchworm!  *Worship the Goddess!*”  Other members of the village, drawn to the rough road by the sight of strangers, likewise dropped to pray. Within seconds only the Defenders of Daybreak were standing. Everyone else, human and gnome alike, were abasing themselves in the muddy roadway. Velendo stood uncomfortably in front of them as his face grew flushed.

“Told you he was a nutcase,” hissed Nolin. 

“You think?” Kiri hissed back.

“This is just wrong,” muttered Tao.

“What’s a snape?” asked Raevynn.

Velendo looked up to the heavens and sighed. “Well, this is awkward.” He glanced down at the groveling nature priest.  “Rofan?  Get up, Rofan.”  Velendo finally had to yell.  “*ROFAN!*” TomTom finally stepped forward to poke at the priest with the end of his small boot.

Rofan stopped in mid-obeisance and glanced up at TomTom with puzzlement.  Velendo just looked pained.  “Didn’t you promise yesterday to give this up?”

“What? No, of course not. Why would I do that? Deny my holy calling?” Rofan jumped back to his feet, apparently unconcerned that the divine essence of Galanna was now gone from the inchworm. The other townsfolk stood up as well and slowly began to disperse. “Absolutely not, Velendo. We reached an agreement about it.”

“We did?” asked Tao. Her hand had drifted ever so slightly onto the hilt of her favorite sword.

“You’ll have to forgive us, Rofan.  With the warm sun yesterday, we ended up a little bit confused.” Nolin sounded totally relaxed.  “Let’s go somewhere and talk. Remind me, where did we go yesterday?”

“Why, to the town square. You had wanted to address the crowd.” He pointed to Tao and Raevynn. “Both of you did. It was nice of you to let me talk, though. Galanna is good, and blesses us.” His smile was genuinely happy.

“Let’s go there now,” said Valdek. He hobbled his warhorse by a stream and quietly loosened his weapon in its sheath, then followed the others into Bearspittle.

-- o --

TomTom looked about himself as they wandered through town. He had a memory of the village as a clean, nicely kept refuge. The truth was far less impressive. The huts were ramshackle and mostly insulated with mud, although two or three of them looked to be slightly better constructed. It was a town for people who had no firm grip on reality. Deep down, TomTom had the sneaking suspicion that the residents had their gaze so firmly fixed on the afterlife that they weren’t bothering much with their here-and-now life.

“Keep a sharp eye out,” he instructed. The group had paused for a moment for Rofan to worship the Goddess in the form of a very confused blue jay. “If something was done to us, it probably happened in the town square when Rofan was speaking. And it clearly caught us by surprise last time. We can’t let that happen again.”

“Absolutely right,” said Kiri. “We’ll be ready. Of course, we probably said that yesterday too. . ."  She trailed off.  "You know, I’m not so sure that Rofan’s responsible for whatever’s going on.”

“I tend to agree.” Valdek was standing beside Kiri, their shoulders barely touching. “He may just be a tool.”

“Watch me not make the obvious joke,” said Nolin.

“Seriously,” said Valdek. “I’m more likely to think he’s being manipulated by someone or something.”

Kiri blinked. “Speaking of which, Rofan is still there, but where’s Pickett?” She craned her head around to try and spot Rofan’s assistant. The forest gnome seemed to have quietly slipped away.

“Damn it!” said TomTom. “Okay, I’m going to split off and try to find Pickett. Never trust a gnome, especially one that servile. Raevynn, maybe see if you can spot him from the air? The rest of you should go with Rofan, but be ready for trouble.” Standing between two shacks, no one saw Raevynn slip her skin and take on feathers. By the time she did so, TomTom had already slipped into shadows. Rofan was so entranced by preaching to Tao that he never even realized that they were gone.

-- o --

“The mist will probably be rolling in soon,” remarked Rofan. 

“What mist?” They were standing at the edge of the town square. It was nicer than the rest of Bearspittle; people had clearly taken the trouble to level and pave it. Poorly carved statues of animals ringed the space. 

“We’re in a foggy spot. It’s not unusual to get morning or afternoon mists in here. That’s a holy sign, and I know that’s when it’s time to preach. Sometimes the Goddess takes me, then, and I don’t even remember what I say.”  Rofan looked beatific. “I’m very lucky.” A forest gnome appeared by his leg, and Rofan reached down automatically to pat the little fellow’s hat. 

“That’s not Pickett, is it?” Nolin tried to tell. 

“Nope, that’s Tunkitt,” said Rofan. “Pickett is the only one who really speaks our tongue. His whole family is here, a real clan. They live in tunnels under the village. They’re just like in the stories; leave them a bit of milk by the doorstep, and they build huts, polish shoes, mend clothing. You name it.”

Shara eyed Rofan’s torn and filthy jerkin with a critical eye.  “Really.”  Shara raised one eyebrow. 

“Uh huh. All they want is to be able to worship the Goddess, too. They’re very insistent on regular services.”

The gnome tugged on Rofan’s pants, and the young priest bent down to listen. Meanwhile, the Defenders took a few steps away and whispered to one another.

“I so don’t trust those gnomes,” said Nolin.

“I might be able to guess at what happened to us, though,” said Shara. “There’s a powerful spell called _mindfog._ It dulls the mind and makes people easy to manipulate. If someone used that spell under the cover of a mist rolling in, we might have been ensnared. That still doesn’t explain how our memories were changed, though.” Privately, Shara vowed to remember this trick in case she might use it herself some day.

“That would do it,” agreed Velendo. He looked around for any sign of fog.

“It’s worse than that,” said Tao. “This space isn’t holy to Galanna. I know what Rofan believes, and there’s _some_ power being worshipped here, but it sure as heck isn’t the Goddess. He kept going on and on about how Galanna loves every creature, even the slimes and abominations. That’s heretical, and simply wrong.” She twisted around to look at the poorly carved stone animals, and at a second glance they looked less poorly carved and more like they had been deliberately twisted into a mockery of their normal shape.

“Something that Rofan said before,” said Valdek in a worried tone.

“Right,” said Kiri. “What exactly _is_ a snape or a squake?”

“We. . .” Velendo swallowed dryly. “We may be about to find out. I think TomTom and Raevynn tracked down the source of the problem.”  He pointed with his free hand across the town, and everyone heard the sounding of splintering wood and grinding stone. A shadow fell upon them as something rose from the ramshackle huts and eclipsed the sun.

Rofan looked up from his conversation with the gnome.  “Oh no,” he said plaintively.  “Not _again._”


----------



## Piratecat

Lela said:
			
		

> I'd love to get a few more details from behind the story hour.  After you told them that they left, how'd they work it out?  Was that chant actually done in game?  Any behind the scenes info would be appreciated.



So, there was a bizarre metagame amusement rocketing around the table. They knew they'd just been screwed with, but they weren't exactly sure how. Suspicious so-and-so's... y'know, I _could_ have just wanted to give them a nice easy adventure success. . .

not so much.

So there was a rapid-fire array of questions about what had happened in the past day. I kept providing general responses that were way too uniform, and way too bland, to be real memories. The players were great and framed any realization that something odd through their own character's knowledge; _they_ knew something was weird, but they had to figure out a way for their _characters_ to figure out the same thing.  

As they slowly realized that soreness and bruises were actually unhealed wounds, and yes, people were missing spells if they thought to ask, then the group of characters came to understand that someone had been messing with them. The more specific a question they could ask me based on character knowledge, the more obvious it was to them that my bland answers for what they remembered couldn't possibly be the truth. I answered all the false memory questions with the same phrasing and with the same offhand comment ("there's no reason to worry.")  They started picking it up themselves as they talked about this in character, and that similarity of everyone's phrasing was also a big clue that something was weird.

The players also understood that I wouldn't just declare that this had happened unless there was a real in-game reason.  I'm honored that they trust me to that degree.  As the characters returned to Bearspittle, they were really vigilant for powerful mind magic.  Mind flayers were _definitely_ mentioned as a possibility.



			
				Lela said:
			
		

> I'm considering yoinking this for my game of course.  I'd better give the new players some time to get to know me first though.



Be aware that I was absolutely prepared to go on to the next adventure. If they hadn't picked it apart immediately, I would have gradually given them more hints every game session that something wasn't right. That would have made it even more fun when they finally figured it out and returned.

After the game, Sagiro pointed out to me that I could have made the "visit summary" more realistic if I had really wanted to fool them. True, but I didn't really want to fool the players! It was more fun for everyone that the players knew that something is up, but their characters didn't.


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## shilsen

Piratecat said:
			
		

> After the game, Sagiro pointed out to me that I could have made the "visit summary" more realistic if I had really wanted to fool them. True, but I didn't really want to fool the players! It was more fun for everyone that the players knew that something is up, but their characters didn't.




That's a nice distinction. I'd probably have played out the encounter but quickly and glossing over a few details and then slowly let the players work out something was wrong, but I like your method too. Your method also has the added advantage of not spending game time playing out an encounter which is only a figment of their imaginations.


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## Piratecat

Some administrivia:

1. Sagiro and I are considering changing how we work experience points and level gain in our games. If you want to put on your pointy-headed-gamer hat and join in the discussion, we'd love your feedback. 

2. I loved the birthday greetings, but please don't be surprised if I regulalry trim some posts out to keep down the thread length (I'd much rather have people comment and occasionally remove comments, because banter is fun.)


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## Piratecat

*Part 3: Fire and Stone*



TomTom Badgerclaw hugged the outside wall of a mud and daub hut, confident that no one could see him. He could hear people stirring nearby, a baby crying somewhere, hymns being sung as several people prayed. He didn’t recognize the language. There was the muted slap of tiny boots and the gentle click of a closing door latch. Then the turn of a key.

Good, Pickett had gone inside.

_Gnomes.  You just couldn’t trust them. Gnomes were too much like squirrels._  TomTom slipped his head around the corner. Ahead of him was one of the more sturdily constructed huts. It stood at the edge of the muddy path fifty feet away, and it had no windows. It did, however, have a familiar raven perched jauntily on its roof. 

“Squork?” asked Raevynn. The druid seemed impatient.

TomTom narrowed his eyebrows at the bird and it bobbed its head in annoyance. A gentle mental _push_, and TomTom and Raevynn were psychically linked. Raevynn’s mental signature was one of surprise.

_“You can do that?”_ she asked mentally.

“Obviously.” TomTom moved up to the door and examined it with a critical eye. He started low and moved upwards. The bird shifted from one leg to the other.

_ “I now know why we forgot what happened yesterday. Obviously, we were so bored by waiting that we blanked it out of our minds.” _  Her tone was acid. _ “Can we hurry a bit, please? Or do I need to change back and open the door myself?” _

“If you want to set off the trap.” TomTom glared at her, fully meeting her black and beady bird eyes. “There’s some sort of magical rune on this door. Thanks all the same, but I’m going to disarm it so it doesn't go off.”  Raevynn squorked once and then fell quiet, keeping watch from the roof as Tomtom brushed away the pale pigment of the rune.

_ “What would it have done?”_

“I have no idea. Let’s see if anyone is actually inside.” 

The halfling pulled out a small cone. His ear went against the cone, and the cone went against the wooden door; he’d only had one encounter with the verminous grubs known as ‘ear seekers,’ but that had been enough. Caution never hurt anyone. 

Silence.

He idly picked open the poor quality lock and eased the door wide. Pickett had disappeared. The inside of the hut was a shambles, but not the sort of mess that results from a fight. Soiled clothing lay draped on moldy food scraps. Chairs lay where they had been tipped over by gnomes too lazy to set them upright. The smell was of old boots after a long hike. 

_ “This?” _ said Raevynn. _ “This is not normal forest gnome behavior.” _

“I’ll agree with you there.”  TomTom turned slowly in place, his eyes finally settling on a section of moderately clear floor underneath the low table. “Stand back,” he said.  “A trapdoor, and maybe another trap.”

He bent over the flooring, and the edge of his finger crossed an unseen spider-thin web of magical energy. The floor erupted in flame with a dull *“whump!”* TomTom’s reflexes were good enough that he flipped his small body up onto the filthy table, avoiding the blast entirely.  Raevynn was nowhere near as lucky. The smell of charred feathers filled the air, and she forced her body back into half-elven shape so that she could beat out the flames. 

“Ouch?” asked TomTom.

“Ouch,” confirmed Raevynn. Her arms were livid from the partially healed burns. “That really hurt.”

“Whoever set it is more powerful than we are, I’m guessing.”  TomTom eyed the now untrapped trapdoor with distrust. “We should probably get the others.”  Then something scuttled across the thatching overhead. TomTom turned and pivoted, the magical jambiya at his belt flung up in one smooth motion. It _thunked_ into something small and whirled back around into Tomtom’s hand. The carcass of a small rodent fell from the thatching onto the detritus at Raevynn’s feet.

“Squirrel?” asked TomTom. He thought it was, but now the silhouette looked wrong.

“No,” said Raevynn in disgust. She dangled the dead animal from two fingers, pinching its red bushy tail. “An abomination. Half squirrel, half snake. Half viper, to be exact.” Her face was red with fury. “An abomination of nature. Didn’t Rofan mention ‘squakes’?  This is no holy place, no temple of Galanna! I think it’s much more likely to be. . .”

Raevynn was interrupted when something ripped the top of the hut off.

"Orrrrthysssss."  Looming over them was a massive statue of twisted, inconstant stone. Ancient cobblestones and the stone foundation of huts were embedded in its side, and its face was caked with the rutted tracks of a wagon. It rumbled in a grating thrum, and a huge stone fist smashed down into the hut’s interior.

-- o --

“What in the world is that?” Sir Valdek stared up at the stone behemoth in amazement, then pulled down the visor of his helm. He didn’t wait for an answer. Warwinner cleared his sheath as he ran down the road towards the earthen abomination.

Velendo blinked. “It looks like an earth elemental. But those are small, a lot smaller than that, at least. I’ve never seen one that big!”  _Only once,_ he thought, _and that one was was the size of a mountain. I suppose I should count myself lucky._ He turned to Rofan. “You’ve seen these before?”

The prophet looked confused. “I… I think so? I’m not sure I remember. I think Galanna sends them to punish non-believers.” His eyes grew wide. “It must be one of you! One of you doesn’t believe, and she has sent the earth to smite you!”

Nolin snorted in contempt. “It wasn’t Galanna who sent that. And I have the sneaking suspicion that whoever sent it is trying to kill TomTom.” He turned and sprinted towards the hut, hard on the heels of the rest of the Defenders. Rofan stood in confusion and watched them go. 

“The goddess. . .”

“Don’t worry,” said a gnome who suddenly appeared at his side. The little creature’s face was twisted into something ugly.  “We won’t let the heretics hurt you, great Prophet. We’ll see to that.” The gnome scuttled after the Defenders of Daybreak, disappearing into the brush at the side of the path.

"Good?" asked Rofan. He watched them run away from him, and watched as the elder elemental stood up and silhouetted itself against the late afternoon sun.


----------



## Piratecat

It's worth noting at this point that no one in the group had even heard of an elder earth elemental at this point, never mind having fought one before. The Monster Manual was still in playtesting. Better yet, in the original playtest manuscript you could _summon_ an elder elemental at a lower level than you can nowadays.

This was a fun way to introduce one.

It's also worth noting at this point that Orthyss is the campaign's God of Monsters and Twisted Creation; his existence makes abominations possible.


----------



## el-remmen

I'm really glad for this chance to get back into this as I had fallen way behind in the old thread.

Oh and ya gotta love _mindfog_. I once used it on he PCs disguised as pipe-smoke.


----------



## Fimmtiu

Piratecat said:
			
		

> It's also worth noting at this point that Orthyss is the campaign's God of Monsters and Twisted Creation; his existence makes abominations possible.




So basically he's the God of XP, then. Remind me why they're not worshipping him?


----------



## Piratecat

Fimmtiu said:
			
		

> Remind me why they're not worshipping him?



Buddy, when the church of Galanna orchestrates their revolution, you are SO going to be the first one against the wall!

Speaking of which, long time readers will soon see why Tao always had such a problem with Arcade's experimentation. Arcade (Bandeeto's PC) was a transmuter who gleefully got into fleshcrafting: bumblefrogs, chitties (half chicken, half cat), and the like. Not that he worshipped Orthyss, mind you. . .

At least, not knowingly.

But y'know, Nolin didn't directly venerate the God of Song, either, but there's at least one church of Ispen who is petitioning to make him a saint. I'm just saying, is all.


----------



## Fade

Piratecat said:
			
		

> _Gnomes.  You just couldn’t trust them. Gnomes were too much like squirrels._




What are the similarities between gnomes and squirrels? They're both small and untrustworthy?


----------



## Darthjaye

Fade said:
			
		

> What are the similarities between gnomes and squirrels? They're both small and untrustworthy?




One hopes the comparison has nothing to do with taking your nuts........


----------



## Bandeeto

> Speaking of which, long time readers will soon see why Tao always had such a problem with Arcade's experimentation. Arcade (Bandeeto's PC) was a transmuter who gleefully got into fleshcrafting: bumblefrogs, chitties (half chicken, half cat), and the like. Not that he worshipped Orthyss, mind you. . .
> 
> At least, not knowingly.




Shocked! I am shocked at the mere insinuation! Transmutation is a noble art, and fleshcrafting is a logical extension of it. The purpose is not to create abominations, but ultimately to meld creatures into more useful forms. The examples you cite were mere harmless experimentation on the road to greater good. Although Tao seemed displeased with my work for some reason, and the local druid kept trying to spy on my workshop, I'm sure that Frike (my very skilled hunchbacked apprentice) and I were in no way violating the laws of nature. 

Where would we be without lammasu, pegasi, centaurs, griffons, hippogriffs and the like, I ask you? These magical merged beings could certainly have been created in the distant past, and then reproduced over time and become more natural in the eyes of Galanna as they adapted to the world. I certainly had no intention of ever stooping to owlbears or landsharks, though these beings too have become "natural" over time if unpleasant in the extreme. Abominations? Perhaps, but nothing like the horrid beings the Defenders are about to encounter, as you shall soon hear....


----------



## Lela

Darthjaye said:
			
		

> One hopes the comparison has nothing to do with taking your nuts........



 You are too much like me for our own good.


----------



## KidCthulhu

Bandeeto said:
			
		

> Shocked! I am shocked at the mere insinuation! Transmutation is a noble art, and fleshcrafting is a logical extension of it. The purpose is not to create abominations, but ultimately to meld creatures into more useful forms.




Play god much, Arcade?  And let us never ever begin compiling the list of entries in the various monster tomes that begin with the words "Originally a failed wizard's experiment..."

Oh, dear readers of the story hour, if ever you want to waste a few perfectly good hours, you can hear Bandeeto & I put on our Arcade and Nolin hats and do this little riff ad nauseum.


----------



## Bandeeto

KidCthulhu said:
			
		

> Play god much, Arcade?  And let us never ever begin compiling the list of entries in the various monster tomes that begin with the words "Originally a failed wizard's experiment..."




They say the god's assist those who assist themselves, my dear Nolin. Motivation and competency are crucial to the success of all endeavors. Unscrupulous Merlane should be hunted down for their mis-use of these elemental magics. And need I mention I have a paladin of Eris looking over my shoulder? I doubt any evil intent of mine could escape her lovely gaze!

And as for playing god, you and the rest of the DoD have become entirely too embroiled in the machinations of dieties and their whims and agendas to call this kettle black. Of this too the loyal readers of this story hour will surely hear!


----------



## Samnell

Bandeeto said:
			
		

> They say the god's assist those who assist themselves, my dear Nolin. Motivation and competency are crucial to the success of all endeavors. Unscrupulous Merlane should be hunted down for their mis-use of these elemental magics. And need I mention I have a paladin of Eris looking over my shoulder? I doubt any evil intent of mine could escape her lovely gaze!




I think Arcade just became my favorite character.


----------



## justinsluder

Greetings o'Great and Mighty Piratecat.  I know it's out there somewhere, because I've spent 3 hours looking for it, but would you please post the prestige class which Nolin had?  I will then, with your permission, place it in a section on my personal website for the world to see.  I'll go back and find story bits to add as a flavor description.

Thank you for the wonderful story.
Justin


----------



## Abraxas

I had this kicking around on my machine - Hope you don't mind PC...

*Rider of the Flame*

*Hit Die:* d6
*Requirements:* Special: Have a Phoenix sharing your soul, there are probably others
*Class Skills:* From Nolin’s Character sheet - Concentration, Listen, Perform, Search, Spot  - probably more.
*Skill Points at Each Level:* 2 + Int modifier

*BAB:* As Wizard
*Fort:* Good
*Ref:* Poor
*Will:* Good
*Spells per Day:* +1 Caster Level per level of PrC
Lvl..Special Abilities
1.....Flame Touched - no control, hair burns constantly
.......Fury of Rebirth - Firestorm upon death
.......Skin Afire - 2pt Fire Resistance  

2.....Natural Armor +1
.......Screech of the Phoenix: 30’r, Slowed for 1 rd, DC:13+Cha

3.....Flame Touched - Can temporarily stop flame
.......Skin Afire - 5pt Fire Resistance
.......Prot. From Evil added to spell list

4.....Natural Armor +2                                           
.......Gust of Wind added to spell list                                                     

5.....Flame Touched - Control
.......Burning Hands & Polymorph (Bird only) added to spell list

6.....Natural Armor +3
.......Fireball added to spell list

7.....Skin Afire - 10pt Fire Resistance
.......Fly 1/day
.......Phoenix’s Wrath - Involuntary fireball upon unconsciousness

8.....Natural Armor +4
.......Flame Touched - Mastery - Burning Eyes
.......Flame Strike added to spell list                                                     

9.....Skin Afire - Immune to Fire
.......Become and Outsider

10....Natural Armor +5
.......Fire Storm 1/week

Sorry about the atrocious formatting - The stuff above was from a post by Piratecat that I happened to save. It is slightly different than some of the items on Nolin's character sheet. The Differences on the Character sheet are

1) Flame Touched (mastery) is described as "Can set any part of his own body on fire, with no ill-consequence to self." and no mention of Burning eyes is made
2) Skin Afire tops out at Fire resistance 15
3) Fly: 1/day has the accompanying text "sprouting Fiery Wings"
4) The save for Screech of the Phoenix is listed as having a DC of 25, if it follows the formula of Base X + Cha Mod, Base X would have to = 20
5) The Spell Fire Seeds is also added to the bardic spell list
6) Pheonix's Wrath has the following descriptive text "One round after Rider goes unconscious, a 10d6 fireball erupts around his body. "


----------



## RangerWickett

Abraxas said:
			
		

> I had this kicking around on my machine - Hope you don't mind PC...
> 
> *Rider of the Flame*




*grin* That's so overpowered. It's like the DM is biased in favor of this player or something.

Pkitty, you seriously ought to get someone to format your old work, pdf-ify it, and put it on sale you can easily afford your annual trips to Gen Con.


----------



## Piratecat

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> *grin* That's so overpowered. It's like the DM is biased in favor of this player or something.



Actually, this is worth talking about for a sec. Not the favoritism part -- frankly, I'm probably stricter with KidCthulhu's characters than with other peoples', although I strive for being even-handed because this is a hot topic with me. Let's talk for a minute about the relative balance of prestige classes.

I don't think I'd use Rider of the Flame as is for a new or low-level character. Nevertheless, in the same way that not all feats are equal in power, not all prestige classes need to be as long as they're pegged to the relative power level of your game.

In this case Nolin was converted from the 2e bard, and KidCthulhu is a woman who dearly loves flinging around massive damage. The 3e bard had what one might politely call a paucity of Boom! spells.  What to do?  In this case, it made a lot of sense to codify and formalize a lot of the special powers that Nolin's phoenix heritage had been giving him in 2e. I chose to do so by adding fire-related spells to the spell list, along with a handful of other phoenix-related abilities.  A lot of the special abilities were designed to occur only rarely or be nothing more than special effects, making the class (appropriately for Nolin) be more about show and less about effect.

Really, though, this class was designed to keep Nolin on an even keel with the other members of the Defenders power-wise. It was added to Nolin at about character level 15, and we back-filled to let KidCthulhu swap out several bard levels for RotF levels. We then eliminated all of Nolin's non-prestige-class related phoenix abilities. I seem to remember the switch going smoothly.

This is one reason that selling a pdf of the game's crunch is a very iffy proposition. I'm not designing for everyone out there, I'm designing to fit my own game and what will be most fun for my own players. I'm really pleased when other folks find this interesting or useful, but that's almost incidental.


----------



## Spatzimaus

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Let's talk for a minute about the relative balance of prestige classes.




I'd even say that the RotF isn't really unbalanced, and might even be a bit underpowered.  I mean, look at what you get:

> A nice natural armor bonus, and fire resistance/immunity.
> Fort becomes a good save, but Reflex switches to poor.  (Slight gain, overall, IMO)
> A half-dozen spells added to your spell list.  Sure, you get more to select from (and Nolin definitely used them), but you're still limited to the usual number of spells per day.  Every _Fire Seeds_ is one less _Mass Haste_, for instance.
> A couple very nice spell-like abilities (although with 3.5E's shorter _Fly_ duration, 1/day might not be enough)
> Outsider status at level 10, which seems to be pretty common for PrCs.
> That "screech" ability, which I don't remember Nolin ever using.

And the downsides!
> Weaker BAB.  Seriously, WIZARD progression; at level 20, instead of +15 BAB he had +12.
> FOUR fewer skill points per level (although 2 of those might just be an artifact of the sheet not being updated to 3.5E, meaning the "new" RotF should be 4/level?)
> Don't gain Bardic Music per-day uses, and their stats don't increase (his Inspire Courage is stuck at +2, for instance, while a level 20 Bard would have a +4.)  Doesn't look like you get a Bardic Knowledge increase, but the character sheet wasn't too clear on this one.
> If you go unconscious a _Fireball_ goes off.  The one time I can remember this happening to Nolin was in Eversink, and there it DID only hurt his enemies, but in most groups this'll hurt the allies more.
> If you die a _Fire Storm_ goes off.  Again, in the Defenders' case this only hurt an enemy, but again, that shouldn't be typical.

So, I wouldn't call it unbalanced.  It's a nice class for a Bard who wants to be an offensive spellcaster, and has a LOT of flavor (much better than most of the bland "official" PrCs), but I wouldn't call it overpowered by any means.
Anyway, it's probably not a good idea to get hung up on the minutae of the characters' classes, or else story hour readers will get confused.  Feel free to delete this once the tangent is complete...


----------



## Shieldhaven

I'd venture to say that the class would be too powerful in the hands of a wizard or (even worse) sorcerer - they would be sacrificing almost nothing, improving their hit dice and Fort saves, and gaining a handful of other abilities including bonus spells known.  Therefore, if you _were_ inclined to publish, I'd recommend tinkering with the requirements so that Bard became the only reasonable basis for the class, rather than just-incidentally what Nolin was.

Haven


----------



## KidCthulhu

Actually, Nolin used the screech quite a few times, I think it just wasn't storyhour worthy.  Also, I had to stop using it because for some reason my fellow players objected to the ear splitting shriek.  I call it role-playing, they call it annoying.

Moot point now, really


----------



## Spatzimaus

Shieldhaven said:
			
		

> I'd venture to say that the class would be too powerful in the hands of a wizard or (even worse) sorcerer - they would be sacrificing almost nothing,




Well, clearly.  I was assessing solely from the point of view of a Bard, since no real prerequisites were given.  Every PrC has some requirements beyond story things, and it'd be easy enough to add some requirements that a Wizard or Sorcerer couldn't easily meet but that Nolin does.  Ranks in "Knowledge: Ancient History" or "Use Magical Device", for instance.  Or make it simpler: require the Bard ability "Inspire Greatness", which automatically requires a certain level of Bard.  Or, just make it explicit that the extra spells per day are as a Bard, so that a Sorcerer or Wizard won't usually want to take the class.  There's plenty of ways to work around this problem.

This same discussion came up when Piratecat was designing the "Radiant Knight" PrC for Mara and Malachite; he didn't put any requirements on it beyond the in-character stuff, but in the discussion thread we noted that the two of them shared four Feats (Power Attack, Weapon Focus, Divine Might, and Extra Turnings) and a few other things, any of which could have been used as a prerequisite.  So, when I, umm, "paid homage to" the Radiant Knight in my campaign, I added three of those requirements in.


----------



## Piratecat

*Part 4: Stone and Fire*



When ribs break, they sound a lot like snapping twigs.

“I’m all right.” Tao winced as she pulled herself to her feet. “It hit me as I was charging. I’m not used to being flung around.” She spun both of her long swords, one in each hand, and narrowed her eyes at the elemental. “Jerk. That hurt.”  Blood trickled from her nose and down the side of her face.

“So, class, what have we learned today about charging the giant unholy elemental?” Nolin drew on the phoenix's power coursing through his blood and sang a select combination of notes. A fiery pellet sizzled from the end of his finger and blossomed into a halo of searing flame against the creature’s blocky head. The elemental barely noticed as it continued to try and crush Valdek.

“That I want to do it again, but hit it this time.” Tao’s voice sounded bubbly, almost as if she were drowning.

Velendo snorted. “Wrong! How about ‘not to charge it, because it has much much longer arms than we do?’” He uttered a prayer to Calphas the Wallbuilder as he touched Tao on the back of the neck. She could instantly feel her splintered ribs sliding back into place, and her breathing became much less labored. She murmured her thanks.

“Good answer, Velendo.” Kiri thrust her hand forward and five white balls of force spiraled away into the body of the elemental. A paving stone broke free from its torso and crashed to the mud thirty feet below. “It looks like it’s going to take a lot of killing.”

“Maybe not,” said Shara. The blond woman stood with her back rigid, tilting up her perfect chin as she critically studied the elemental. The wind from the fire spells gently tousled her blond hair. “This is probably from the same person who changed our memories. I think it’s summoned and not natural. Let’s see how powerful the summoner is.” Shara made a ripping gesture with her hands, as if she were tearing a piece of cloth in two. A shudder went through the elemental, but it didn’t disappear. Shara’s lips tightened into a frown. “Pretty powerful. And we still don’t know where the summoner is.”

Velendo rolled his eyes. “Summoner. Of course. Tao, don’t charge it yet.”

“Why not?”

“Just don’t! Give me a second, and go when I say so.” 

She blew air out of her lower lip, making a lock of auburn hair dance away from her forehead. “Fine. Just hurry it up. Valdek’s getting hammered, and I have no idea where TomTom and. . .”

A pillar of flame slammed down onto the elemental’s head. Rock steamed and melted.

“. . .never mind. There’s Raevynn now.”

At the monster’s feet, Valdek wrenched Warwinner from a rent that he’d hacked in its left leg. He spun, putting all his force behind the long magical blade. A purple beam of light linked the sword and the elemental, and the light seemed to guide his blow. Chips of splintered rock stung Valdek’s face as his sword struck home. 

The colossus swiveled its head downwards towards the knight. The window panes of its eyes reflected the afternoon sun, and an arm like a battering ram pistoned into a huge, pile-driving blow. Valdek had just enough time to leap out of the way. The ground trembled beneath his feet. “Maybe next time,” he offered. He chuckled once, humorlessly, then shuffled forwards to take another swing.

-- o --

Invisible, TomTom Badgerclaw hovered over the battle field. Everyone else would have the elemental well in hand. He had different prey in mind.

He blotted out the nearby monster, the cowering villagers, Rofan’s dazed approach down the main street. He looked for small movements and flickers on the corner of sight. As a result, he was the only person who saw a tiny amount of rubble shift in the ruined hut beneath him. _It figures,_ thought Tom Tom. _He summoned it underground. But he’s too excited to stay down there and let it do its job. No, gnomes are inquisitive and they’ll want to gloat. They really *are* just like squirrels._ TomTom couldn’t see anyone, but the rubble continued to shift. Someone invisible was down there. TomTom was pretty sure that he knew who.

_“Raevynn,”_ Tomtom reached out with his mind, _“ you still there? Do you have anything that can thwart invisibility? Pickett just came up out of that trap door.”_

Her response was sharp. _“No kidding? Then I owe him a thank you for that trap. And the abominations. And for the elemental. That thing is tainted, just like the unholy ‘squakes’.”_  Raevynn spread her awareness out over the ruins of the hut. _Saint Elmo’s Fire doesn’t have to only be on ships during a storm,_ she thought. _Sometimes, all the air needs is a little persuasion. All you have to do is ask._

She asked, and the air answered. The hut erupted into a wispy flickering flame, silent greenish light outlining each and every piece of rubble. It also outlined a very surprised forest gnome in the process of easing through a partially opened trapdoor.

Still levitating, Tomtom flipped his magical jambiya from handle to glinting blade and threw it as hard as he could at the gnome. The curved steel made a whistle as it arced through the air, and the jambiya sliced through Pickett’s left wrist as easily as a knife goes through butter. The throw was perfect. The gnome screamed in horror, slipped in his own spouting blood, and fell backwards through the trap door. The door fell shut behind him, leaving Pickett’s twitching hand on the ground beside it. 

_“Well, that was rewarding. Raevynn, want to go after him?”_

She sounded almost content. _“Oh, yes. Yes, indeed. Pickett and I need to have a little chat about abomination worship.”_ She emerged from her hiding place in the nearby rubble, and Tomtom _slid_ his mind downwards. His body naturally followed. He looked up in surprise when Rofan appeared around the corner.

“TomTom, what’s happening?” The prophet sounded stunned. 

“These gnomes have you fooled, Rofan. You’ve been worshipping Orthyss, not Galanna. Abominations and monsters, not nature. I think they’re twisting your mind.” 

He seemed to choke. “That’s not possible! I would know!” He took two or three steps towards TomTom and the closed trap door. “If that’s true, we… we have to stop them. I have to stop them.”

Raevynn took a deep breath in annoyance, and raised her voice over the sound of Nolin suddenly laughing somewhere outside. “That’s what we’re doing. You can help, or you can leave, but we’re ending this. And when we’re done, you and I are going to have a very long talk.” She took two steps forward, purposely treading on Pickett’s severed hand, and wrenched open the trap door. She stared down into a tunnel lit only by two small spheres of hovering flame. 

TomTom’s face fell. “Delayed blast fi--“

The world exploded in flame.

-- o --

“Now!”

_Hasted by Nolin,_ Tao ran towards the elemental. As before, it swung out a ponderous arm to smash her backwards. This time, however, _protection from evil_ prevented the elemental from making any contact whatsoever. Its swing went wide, and Tao aimed her swords at the same rent that Valdek had been creating. 

More spells detonated somewhere overhead, and the creature began to shudder. One of its arms connected with Valdek, but the knight was well enough braced that the blow didn’t knock him backwards. He continued to attack, Tao now flanked the monster with him, and their repeated blows sent deep fault lines up the leg and through the monster’s torso. A beam of silvery light from Velendo shattered one of the creature’s windowpane eyes, electricity from the wizards coursed up and down its frame, and a sonic attack from Nolin sent a network of small cracks through its shoulder. 

Enough was enough. The elemental aimed one final blow at Tao, missing her by mere inches, and turned to flee long enough to find a better tactical position. It did what came naturally; it sank straight down into the earth.

That was a poor decision.

Tao and Valdek both watched the head getting closer and closer, smiles widening on their bruised faces. They timed their blows carefully. Tao snapped her favorite sword up into the creature’s one remaining eye, and Valdek brought Warwinner around in a two-handed blow that caught the elemental squarely in the face. Already weakened, the deformed earth elemental shattered into a thousand fist-sized chunks of rock and cobblestone. The earth heaved, as if rejecting its foulness, and within seconds the monster had deliquesced into nothing more than gravel and slime.  

Nolin’s laughter rang out. “Beautiful,” he said. “That went a lot better than I had expected.”

*WHU-WHUMP.*

Behind him the ruins of the hut rose, shattered outwards, and dissolved into an inferno of shooting flame.


----------



## Piratecat

It's worth noting that this was the session where Our Heroes learned about the benefits of reach, flanking, and how to thwart summoned creatures. Of course, they also learned about _delayed blast fireballs_, so I figure the deck was about evenly stacked. [In the next installment, and then in the big next adventure, the heroes will use a particular new rule *very* effectively. You'll know it when you see it.]



			
				Everett said:
			
		

> So... how much before the Eversink adventures are these updates?  Eversink is where I first started reading.



Two major adventures (including this one) and a couple of minor adventures as well. Be aware that I'm going to edit and rewrite quite a few of the Eversink entries. As a friend told me recently when she tried to read it out loud to someone, "It's kind of rough going." I agree; that's the consequence of not actually intending to write one of these things!

Next update is already written. I'll post it Thursday. It's fun being back in the groove; this is starting to come naturally again.



			
				jerichothebard said:
			
		

> So, does anyone have any stats or rules for Dylrath's Outgrabe?



Originally it was just an archmage's floating bed that Dylrath broke after a fight. Personally, I'd give it a movement rate of +20' over the character's base rate, so long as the character succeeded on a balance check of whatever DC you think is appropriate. I'd definitely let people use it to charge. And crash.

_Mostly_ to crash, really.

But then again, in 2e Dylrath had a specific non-weapon proficiency in "embarrassing pratfall."


----------



## Greybar

OuchiEEEEEEEE.

Great battle description, Piratecat!

I hope that's not as bad as it sounds... 'cause it sounds like Velendo would be having to do Raise Dead there.  When was the first time Velendo had to pull someone back from the land of the dead, anyway?


----------



## Jackylhunter

Greybar said:
			
		

> I hope that's not as bad as it sounds... 'cause it sounds like Velendo would be having to do Raise Dead there.



Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.  BTW, Raevynn Rocks!  who played her ?(I'm guessing Wisdomlikesilence, but I'm prolly wrong).  I love Velendo, but Druids are my favorite class.  I think Raevynn left the game real soon after Eversink, Cause I didn't read much about her before.  
Anyway, fantastic Piratecat, keep up the great work.  

(PS, if I could only get to one of your games in GenCon Indy this year, what fun that would be.  Ah well, when I win a millon dollars, I'll pay you to run one for me...  )


----------



## Piratecat

Raevynn's player is named Michael in real life, and joined a few sessions after wisdomlikesilence (who plays Kiri) did. I actually found him through the old Player Finder that used to be on WotC's site. This was Raevynn's first game with the group.

Um. Welcome to the group. Here, please enjoy a complementary fireball.

Michael moved to Las Vegas a few months before Jobu (Tao) did, just about when we were drawing Eversink to a close. I can't fault him for moving -- his wife, a new doctor, got a good job there - but I miss him!


----------



## el-remmen

Hey Piratecat,

Can you talk a little about how you handled 3E conversions and what you did (if anything) to smooth over "continuity problems" that might have crept up with characters' abilities changing - and just the change in strategy that the players had to develop because of the new rules?

Did any of the PCs have "kits" from 2E and/or were any certain kinds of specialty priest with non-standard abilities?

Oh, and am really enjoying the "rebirth" of the story hour.  Keep up the good work.


----------



## Fajitas

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Raevynn's player is named Michael in real life, and joined a few sessions after wisdomlikesilence (who plays Kiri) did.



Actually, he joined the same time that I did, about a year after wisdomlikesilence joined.  He and I came over the same night to talk about character generation, about a week after GenCon that year...


----------



## Piratecat

Fajitas said:
			
		

> Actually, he joined the same time that I did, about a year after wisdomlikesilence joined.  He and I came over the same night to talk about character generation, about a week after GenCon that year...



Hey, that's right! I knew something was wrong with my memory. 

While I miss you both, the difference between you and Raevynn's player is that YOU don't still have a box of your stuff sitting in my basement.   

It's a beautiful day, and I feel like celebrating. In this case, it's going to be by posting more story hour.


----------



## Piratecat

*Part 5: Aftermath*



The first body Nolin saw was Raevynn’s. The druid had been flung backwards against a wall and was lying on her belly, her blond hair burned away. Nolin reached out a hand and turned her over to check her pulse. He immediately wished he hadn’t; Raevynn’s face was a charred ruin. 

No time. _She died while I was laughing._ He’d think about it later. He looked over at the trapdoor, and his half-sister Kiri was talking to him fast and low.

“…stretches off. Tipic smells blood, and smoke.”

Nolin blinked. “Sorry, what?” 

Kiri softened slightly as she saw his face. “Tipic. I sent my familiar down to scout. He’s looking for TomTom.” She put her arm around Nolin to give him a quick hug. “And it’s not your fault.”

Nolin gave a quick, short shake of his head. “TomTom’s not dead?”

“I don’t think so. But…” She gestured over at Velendo, who was kneeling by Rofan’s body.

“I’m in Her arms,” Rofan whispered. 

“It’s okay, Rofan.” Velendo tried another healing spell. This one wasn’t taking, either. 

His whisper was fading, but jubilant. “It was Her I worshipped. Not Him, no matter what they thought.” He smiled slightly, his burnt lips cracking. “It’s okay.  I’ve found…” He stopped talking, and Velendo realized that he was truly gone.

-- o --

“Have fun casting those with one hand, did you?”

Pickett spun from the stout wooden door he had just opened. “Go,” he said to his gnomish assistant, and the other forest gnome slipped through the doorway and shut it with a _snik._  Now it was just Pickett and TomTom in the low corridor, but only one of them was visible.

The stump of Pickett’s left hand still oozed gore, but the gnome had clearly received magical healing from his friend. Pickett gritted his teeth in a humorless smile. “Still alive, jester? I can fix that. You owe me a hand. I know someone who will be happy to graft one of yours on to my wrist. You certainly won’t need it.” He giggled shrilly. “Where are your friends? Dead?”

“At least one of them. As is Rofan.”

Pickett froze. “You lie. You wouldn’t have killed him. He was your friend.”

“I didn’t. You did. He was caught in your fireballs.”

“By God’s third ball!” Pickett looked nonplussed. “You’re not lying? That’s… unfortunate. Someone’s going to be very upset with me.” 

“Someone’s already very upset with you.” The tunnel took on the smell of burning iron. 

“Rofan had a rare talent for focusing faith. We just had to make sure that he focused the _right_ faith. With that ignoramus, it was easy. I’m sorry you’ll never get to see what he helped create. What he was _feeding_.”  The gnome’s sharp eyes scanned the shadows as spell components shifted nervously in his remaining hand. “Where are you, halfling?”

“Behind you.” TomTom’s jambiya slashed into Pickett’s kidneys.

Pickett screamed in pain. Staggering back a few steps, he whipped around and raised his voice in a harsh and long-dead tongue. TomTom watched in revulsion as the flesh on his hand began to warp and change. He began to sprout hairy scales, and TomTom gritted his teeth as the magic reached into his brain. _You *want* to be a fish-monkey,_ it coaxed. _*No. I. DON’T!*_ TomTom insisted. And as quickly as it had begun, the effect was gone and his arm was once again his own.  

A clanging came from down the tunnel, the sound of an angry man with good armor and a big sword. More noise followed. 

“You hear that?” asked TomTom, panting. “That’s the sound of my friends coming. Care to surrender?”

Pickett shook his head, his tiny beard waggling. “With Rofan dead, this place is a lost cause. We’ve evacuated the most important things, and you’ll never catch my clan now. The Master will reward me. Time for me to go.” He gave a little half bow, and raised his hand to snap his fingers. “You’ll see me again.” 

“Actually, I kind of think I’ll see you now.” TomTom had been waiting for this. He threw his jambiya underhand, and the blade went right through the palm of Pickett’s remaining hand. Magical energy from the spell skittered in every direction.  

A figure appeared at the end of the tunnel. “And so will my friend Valdek. Oh, and Kiri. And Nolin. And Tao! I’m guessing they’ll all probably want to discuss Raevynn with you.”

The discussion was mercifully brief.

-- o --

“The nice thing about speaking with the dead,” said Velendo as he eased into a comfortable chair, “is that they usually forget to make snide little comments. Pickett informs me that he had been headed for a temple to Orthyss hidden in a forest to the south-east of here. It looks like the gnomes were using Rofan to attract accidental cultists for Orthyss. Then they were taking the faith energy and bottling it somehow, he didn’t say for what.”

“How’d we lose our memory?” asked Nolin.

“We attended their prayer session in the town square, just as the fog rolled in. The fog was really _mind fog_, a spell designed to weaken wills. Then Pickett used this.” He pushed an ornate ivory sphere across the table towards Nolin, who picked it up and examined it. He gave a low whistle.

“This is gorgeous. With the carved satyrs and pixies, it looks like faerie make. An incense censer?” Nolin peered at the carvings more closely. “Good lord. Did you see what that satyr is doing to the dryad? Even _I’ve_ never done that to a dryad. I should be taking notes.”

Velendo ignored him out of long practice. “Pickett called it the Nymph Orb, and said it was one of a kind. According to him it amplifies all kinds of enchantment spells, assuming you spend the time needed to light it and spread around the smoke. That’s the other reason they used _mind fog_, to hide the incense from this. They’ve been using it here for more than a year. That’s also why no one remembered the clan of gnomes burrowing under the town, or believed that there was anything wrong with their prayers that glorified abominations.”

Nolin opened the bottom of the orb and looked at the fuel, a waxy white grease of some sort. He poked in his little finger and touched it to his lips. “What’s the fuel made of?”

“Rendered down nymph fat.”

Nolin spit prodigiously.

“Yeah. I’m not sure we’re going to be refilling this any time soon when it runs out.”

“You think?” He gulped down some wine. “Is it evil?”

“Not inherently. Just very, very nasty.”

“I’ll say.” Nolin slipped the Nymph Orb into his pouch. “And useful. Did TomTom find anything behind that door?”

“Pickett’s clan fled in a hurry, and they left a lot behind. They’re filthy little buggers, apparently. He and Kiri are still searching down there for treasure and clues.”

“What are we going to do with Raevynn and Rofan?” _They died while I was laughing._

“I’m not sure.” Velendo sounded tired. “Tomorrow I’ll pray and see if Raevynn wants to return. She’s a different religion, though, and they may have their own ways of doing things. I’ll ask Tao. As for Rofan, I think he’s safely in heaven, on good intentions if nothing else. We probably should leave him there.”

A knock sounded at the door. TomTom leaned in, bright in his jester’s motley. He raised an eyebrow. “You know how Raevynn’s dead? Dead half-elven druid, died a hero, people standing watch around her body to pay their respects, all that sort of thing?”

“Yes.” Nolin’s voice was full of bitterness.

TomTom hitched a thumb over his shoulder. “Then can either of you explain why she’s also right outside, breathing, in someone else’s body?”


----------



## Gold Roger

Very, very cool update, but something cought my attention:


> “I’m in Her arms,” Rofan whispered.
> 
> “It’s okay, Rofan.” Velendo tried another healing spell. This one wasn’t taking, either.
> 
> His whisper was fading, but jubilant. “It was Her I worshipped. Not Him, no matter what they thought.” He smiled slightly, his burnt lips cracking. “It’s okay. I’ve found…” He stopped talking, and Velendo realized that he was truly gone.




Creatve license of a storyhour writer? Creative license as a DM? Do you rule that someon who's gamestat dead may still have a bit live in himself to speak?

What about the cutting of hands. Creative license or called shots?


----------



## Piratecat

Actually, not as badly as you'd think. We had the former player who had originally played Rofan in for this session. He got incinerated by the DBFs, but considering that his character had been in the game (as a PC or NPC) since the very first session, it seemed churlish not to give him some fun last and dying words!

The cutting off of the hand happened because TomTom's weapon is a +3 returning jambiya (curved dagger) of sharpness, a gold blade with a large emerald on the pommel. On a natural 20 and confirmed critical, it severs a limb at the wrist or ankle (we rolled d4 or used common sense.)  3e didn't provide for this, but we all loved it far too much to remove it from the game or convert it to a simple "keen" weapon. Besides, it made a cool "whikka-whikka-whikka" noise when he boomeranged it through the air at a foe.

The second shot to the hand is my way of illustrating the fact that he had readied an action to disrupt the gnome's spellcasting. It could have been to any part of the body, really, but the hand made the most sense considering what he was trying to do.  See, we had JUST gotten the rules for disrupting spellcasting. . .

I think my response was "You can DO that?"

One of the reasons I miss TomTom in the game is because Tremere is such a smart player. He's tactically brilliant, a great role player, and was really good at keeping the group focused. Becoming a new dad (and then moving to LA) ended up trumping the game, but I'm jealous of Fajitas that he sits in the Return to the Halmae game when he can.


----------



## Samnell

> “Rendered down nymph fat.”




One wonders where the supplier for that was. I mean, I'm no expert on Spira but I suppose you can't buy it at the Corsai Walmart.


----------



## RangerWickett

Although oddly enough, just now I had the idea that maybe in 3e playtesting you guys were trying out some sort of rule that limited the effectiveness of healing magic if someone was sufficiently injured.

I'm a bit at odds here, Pkitty. I like a lot of the writing, but a few bits here and there, where you go into more detail than I'm used to you using, seem a little out of place. Particularly in the 5/29 update, involving perfect chins and tousled hair. All in all I'm digging the writing, but I'm not much for visual exposition during action scenes.


----------



## Piratecat

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> Particularly in the 5/29 update, involving perfect chins and tousled hair. All in all I'm digging the writing, but I'm not much for visual exposition during action scenes.



You don't need to get too used to it, although you might still see more of this than you like. I wanted to give it the feel of that cinematic shot where the hero appears next to his tired and grubby compatiots, and his hair and teeth are both gleaming as if lubed down with bottled charisma.*  It's a "wow!" moment based just on looks alone.

Shara is a total manipulative skunk, but she looks _good._ Kiri and Nolin are both charismatic as well, but in very different ways; Kiri is warm throughout, and Nolin is flashy over a core of self-doubt. But Shara has a different way, an _Eversink_ way, of getting what she wants. I wanted to paint an image that helped make that clear.

* I know what you're thinking.  Eww.


----------



## Gold Roger

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Actually, not as badly as you'd think.




Well, it was more professional curiosity than true criticism. The whole issue is rather controversial, so I wanted to know your reasoning. I don't know if I would have done it that way, but agree that it would have sucked for him to simply burn out.

The Jimbaja is cool. I generally like magic items that are a bit quirky. If they simply copy spells, things get booring.


----------



## Fajitas

Piratecat said:
			
		

> But Shara has a different way, an _Eversink_ way, of getting what she wants.




Shara has a very simple, very clear philosophy.  She discovered the truth of this philosophy at an early age, as her teachers and tutors drilled into her all the lady-like skills she would need to be what her grandfather always intended her to be: a very pretty thing he could marry off to some other family to curry favor.

Her philosophy is this: Appearance really *is* everything.  

Because most people aren't smart enough to see past it.

That philosophy, a 19 Cha, a 20 Int, and 13 wizard levels as a specialized illusionist will get you pretty far in life.


----------



## el-remmen

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> I'm a bit at odds here, Pkitty. I like a lot of the writing, but a few bits here and there, where you go into more detail than I'm used to you using, seem a little out of place. Particularly in the 5/29 update, involving perfect chins and tousled hair. All in all I'm digging the writing, but I'm not much for visual exposition during action scenes.




Personally, I'm liking how the writing is going and the added detail.

Oh, and did you see my question above about the 2E conversion?

I take it from your answers that you guys got the playtest rules piece-meal, so were introducing a bit at a time?


----------



## Piratecat

Right. We got updates every week as they changed stuff. I remember when initiative got changed; we did it wrong for weeks, because we couldn't grasp our minds around the fact that you were only supposed to roll once per combat. 



			
				el-remmen said:
			
		

> Can you talk a little about how you handled 3E conversions and what you did (if anything) to smooth over "continuity problems" that might have crept up with characters' abilities changing - and just the change in strategy that the players had to develop because of the new rules?
> 
> Did any of the PCs have "kits" from 2E and/or were any certain kinds of specialty priest with non-standard abilities?



I've already talked a little bit about how we eventually changed Nolin. The biggest problems came from the multiple changes to skills (I remember wisdomlikesilence recalculating her skills for about the 5th time, and for a while most of the skills used the phrase "intuit." Intuit danger, intuit direction, all sorts of things. To this day, just to be funny we still occasionally say "make an intuit jump check.")

Eltariel was a character in my game who was a 12th lvl fighter/magic-user (or whatever they were in 2e.) He felt really, really gimped by having to split his classes between fighter and wizard, because he lost all of his spellcasting and the prestige classes hadn't been invented yet. We ended up giving him a couple of extra levels to compensate, which made him overly powerful but helped meet his idea of the PC.

The specialty priest classes that changed into a normal cleric was most keenly felt in Sagiro's game, where we had three very different clerics in the party. One person (Morningstar's player) in particular felt that she lost a whole lot of flavor due to the change to a common spell list.

TomTom's psionics were tricky to convert until we got the PsiHB drafts. I think we sort of faked it, combining 2e psionics with 3e classes. It wasn't pretty, but it got us through.

It's funny how rules drive your expectations. The very first 3e adventure I ran was one where the bad guy was a dwarven wizard, and the PCs totally ignored him as a potential villain because they _knew_ that dwarves couldn't cast spells.

Incidentally, I just realized that the adventures preceding the Bearspittle game was probably my story arc involving King Josric, G2 (the frost giants), Unflaith the psionic spider, and the King's inadvertent insanity. Good stuff, but I think I picked the right starting place.


----------



## Piratecat

Samnell said:
			
		

> One wonders where the supplier for that was. I mean, I'm no expert on Spira but I suppose you can't buy it at the Corsai Walmart.



Most of it's home cooking; you just need to provide your own raw ingredients.

Design-wise, there's an interesting balance to providing a reasonably powerful item (and this is probably in minor artifact status) that's fueled by something loathsome. If the heroes choose to use it extensively, that just creates new avenues of plot hooks.

"Hello, miss? My name is Nolin, and I'm looking to paint "Nymph in a tub." Would you please help? And don't fret that the tub looks like a cooking pot, that's just for my art!"


----------



## KidCthulhu

Samnell said:
			
		

> One wonders where the supplier for that was. I mean, I'm no expert on Spira but I suppose you can't buy it at the Corsai Walmart.




It's even ickier when you think about the fact that nymphs aren't packing a whole lot of body fat. So to get enough to fill the oil reservoir...

That's a lot of dead fairies.


----------



## Sialia

Piratecat said:
			
		

> . . .
> Incidentally, I just realized that the adventures preceding the Bearspittle game was probably my story arc involving King Josric, G2 (the frost giants), Unflaith the psionic spider, and the King's inadvertent insanity. Good stuff, but I think I picked the right starting place.





But Unflaith was soooooo cool.

You just  _have_ to tell that one sometime . . . _everybody_ out there will want to steal her. 

And thus our glorious creation will have offspring across so many worldssses, yess.

You mussssst. 

Really.


----------



## KidCthulhu

Si, you need to step away from the evil brain spider.  Right now!


----------



## Sialia

Sigh. I already have. Now this stupid tune is stuck in my head:

"I am dancing dancing dancing with Rofan
tripping through leaves and sticks and rills
all through the forest, the calling of Rofan
the little squakes chatter, the little birds trill
tree roots are twining, leaves boughs en-vining
open earth welcoming, sky is beckoning,
tree limbs spreading, reaching the sky . . .
the sun is coy, floating barely too high.
Fire is dancing, dancing with Rofan.
Mist is rising, rising with Rofan.
fog enveloping, cloudlings developing . . .
Follow, follow, follow the lady
with him the lady the lady the lady we find
finding the lady with Rofan."

beats me where this came from.


----------



## Piratecat

*Part 6: The Circle of Life*


“And what a body,” murmured Nolin.

“Shut up, Nolin,” said Shara under her breath.

A tall woman with long black hair and a cruel, beautiful face stood before them. She gesticulated as she spoke, her long red fingernails clacking when she moved her hands. “I don’t _know_ what I’m doing in this body. This isn’t how reincarnation generally works. I’d rather be with my Goddess. But one moment I was staring at fire, and the next I was waking up in a lean-to surrounded by kobolds.” She made a face and spat with disdain. “Kobolds!” 

“Did you kill them?” asked Velendo.

“No,” said Raevynn. “I was too confused. I just got up and left. They didn’t wake up.” She wrinkled her nose. “I stink like whale vomit and flowers. There’s too much flesh on this body, in inconvenient places. I’m the wrong damn race, human instead of half-elf. And look at this clothing. Do you call this practical?” She turned, and the skimpy dress revealed more skin than fabric. Nolin swallowed.

“No?” he hazarded.

“Exactly!” snapped Raevynn. “No armor at all. I even found a bag of spell components in her -- _my_ pouch. And how I’m supposed to do anything with these fingernails is beyond me. They’re actually sharpened. And unless I miss my guess, I think they’re poisoned as well.” 

“Really?” asked TomTom, his eyebrows rising. He stepped closer and examined them carefully while Raevynn impatiently held out her hands. Finally he stepped back, his face blank. “Yup, poisoned, and a nasty one too.”

“Charming,” said Raevynn, drawing the word out. “So I’m in the body of some kobold-loving pampered woman who’s also a nasty piece of work.”

Nolin squinted at her. “When you say kobold-loving. . .”  

Raevynn just met his gaze and held it until Nolin winced. “I have no idea.”

“Still," said Nolin, "ick.”

“I’m going to go bathe,” Raevynn announced, “and pray.  But considering how I feel right now, mostly to bathe. I have no idea where this body has been.”

Nolin snickered quietly. “I could hazard a guess,” he said, but Raevynn was already out the door.

Shara glared. "Living dangerously," she commented.

“All right,” announced Velendo once Raevynn had definitely gone. “As far as we can tell, Raevynn got reincarnated into someone else’s body. We think she’s a sorceress, we don’t know her old name, and a bunch of kobolds were traveling with her. The kobolds are still out there. I miss anything?” 

“She was probably evil,” said Kiri. “I know it’s not certain, but the poison fingernails are tacky enough to suggest it.”

“And the clothing and hair and cosmetics and perfume,” said Shara. “It appears that evil has no fashion sense whatsoever.”

“Hey, _I’m_ not evil!” said Tao.

“I know, dear,” said Kiri, “but _your_ lack of fashion sense is the spiky-armor-and-multiple-longswords kind. _Her_ lack of fashion sense seems to have been the cheap nasty slutty hang-around-on-bone-thrones-in-dungeons-and-cackle-madly kind.”

“Oh. That’s okay, then.”

Velendo scowled. “Focus, people. We don’t know why Galanna chose to do this, but who can fathom the ways of Gods?” He shot a suspicious look up towards the heavens. “Not me, that’s for sure.” His voice was particularly loud, as if wanting to make sure that anyone listening in could hear him. “But what do we do about it, if anything?”

“Go after the kobolds,” said Valdek. “They’ll know who she was.”

“Seems reasonable to me,” said Tao. “I’ll be able to find their track.”

“Tomorrow?” asked Velendo.

“Tomorrow,” said TomTom, and they headed to bed.

-- o --

“Mistress!”  The stocky kobold abased himself at Raevynn’s feet. The other three groveled even more enthusiastically, as if competing to see who could be the most servile.

Raevynn shot a questioning look over her shoulder at the rest of the Defenders standing far behind her. Nolin gave a sharp nod and wagged his hands at her. She shrugged and looked back at the kobolds.

“Stop that!” Raevynn said.

“Of course, wise mistress!” The kobold immediately started licking Raevynn’s toes instead. She kicked him in the face out of pure reflex. He rolled backwards and looked up pathetically. “Pakkik is sorry he offended, wise mistress. Tell Pakkik how he can make you happy. Does his blood please you?”

“Yes,” said Raevynn darkly.

“Oh. That’s. . . oh.” Pakkik’s looked appalled but valiantly tried to hide it. The other three kobolds writhed in the dust with even more enthusiasm, perhaps hoping that Raevynn wouldn’t notice them just so long as they didn’t stop worshipping her.

Raevynn’s voice was like a whip. “Pakkik, who am I?”

“You are the mistress, Mistress! You are the keeper of dark secrets! You are the delver of the forbidden monstrosities! You are she who loves the darkness and takes the darkness as lover, she who taints the pure, she who --“

Raevynn raised an eyebrow and pointed one red fingernail down at her impractically pointy shoe. Pakkik immediately stopped babbling. He had been well trained.

“My _name_, Pakkik.”

“Pakkik is not permitted to call mistress by her given name, Mistress.” He sounded pitiful. “Mistress told Pakkik that she would strangle him with his own intestines if he did.”

Raevynn rolled her eyes. “Now Mistress will strangle Pakkik with his own intestines if he does _not_ say her real name.”

“Oh.”

“Pakkik, don’t make me ask again.” Her poisoned fingernails began to click against one another. 

“Siphrenia! Mistress’s real name is Sirphrenia Venomheart! And a good name it is,” he assured her cringingly, “one that many people fear. Especially all the people Mistress has killed.”

“Is that many, Pakkik?”

The kobold perked up. “Many many, mistress! And Pakkik has helped. Mistress makes her lovers sleep after the bouncing and breeding, and then Pakkik and his brothers sneak out from underneath the bed with their flesh-razors, and mistress watches as we…”

Raevynn’s scimitar flashed, and Pakkik’s head bounced across the clearing. His last expression was definitely not one of surprise.

Raevynn straightened up, and her voice was like icy rain. “Minions, we’re going to have a contest to see who can answer the most questions. When we’re done, the winner gets to flee from this clearing, untouched by sword and spell.”

The remaining kobolds almost fell over themselves to give her information. 

And true to her word, the last kobold had almost a minute’s head start before Raevynn shifted into a dire wolf and went after it.

-- o --

“Worshipper of Orthyss,” snarled Raevynn. “Lackey to those damn forest gnomes! I wish Galanna had found me a better body.” Her fingernails clicked as she flicked one against the other.

“I think you’re being ungrateful,” said Velendo. “Think about it. They killed you and destroyed your body. Galanna found you a perfectly good one, and removed an enemy of the faith at the same time.”

“I suppose so,” said Raevynn. “But I’d like the opportunity to thank the Orthites in person. We know where this Temple of Abominations is located?”

“Roughly,” said TomTom. “We know where the forest is, at least. I’m not expecting a warm welcome. We found some nasty things in those gnome tunnels, such as manacles that can merge two normal creatures into one monstrosity. I expect more of the same.”

“This is what Galanna created me for,” said Tao. She stood up and effortlessly spun a sword in one hand. “Rofan’s funeral is tonight, and tomorrow we leave. We should probably burn Raevynn’s old body as well. That okay with you, Raevynn?”

“My body?” Her tone was startled. “I… I think I want to see it. You don’t often get the chance to see yourself dead. I want to remember what they did before we have them pay for all their sins.”

-- o --

The chamber was dark and misty. The forest gnome knelt on the damp stone and pressed his forehead into the ground. Pickett’s assistant didn’t dare look up.

“So these creatures are coming. _Galanna_ worshippers. To challenge me. How droll.”  

The voice sounded amused, but it still sent terror flitting up and down the gnome's spine.  He felt his tiny bladder let loose involuntarily. 

 “We’ll be ready for them.”


----------



## Piratecat

shilsen said:
			
		

> Piratecat, here's a question - what exactly was going on with Raevynn being reincarnated in the new body? Was there any particular mechanical reason for it or were you just using it for flavor? Or something else altogether?



Honestly, at first I kind of felt like a jerk. New player to our group, at his first game - and if the failed massive damage save hadn't killed the PC, the -11 hit points would have. 

I mean, dang. Welcome to the group, here's your complementary corpse.

I wanted a method for bringing her back that was more interesting than being raised by the cleric of another god - and more importantly, more self sufficient. There's a certain psychological value in first impressions. I didn't want Raevynn to be immediately pigeon-holed as "the frail heroine who has to depend on other people for her healing." That wasn't her style. Velendo was able to bring her back anyways -- so maybe I could do it with more style? 

In game terms, it was easy to rationalize; Raevynn had been given a task to cleanse the cult of Orthyss, and she simply hadn't finished yet. No way was Galanna going to let her off the hook that easily.

So I hit on the reincarnation, something that fit perfectly well into Galanna's ethos and could be both a punishment and a reward at the same time. I was reading the new 3e _reincarnation_ spell and thinking, "It produces an adult body to replace the old one? Where the heck does the new body come from?"  The obvious answer is "from a currently living person who has sinned against God." That was too good not to use, especially because it added fun plot hooks while making the "free" reincarnation not necessarily a blessing. Everybody won: I got great plot hooks to torment inspire the character with, and Raevynn got fun roleplaying hooks. Win-win.


----------



## el-remmen

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Honestly, at first I kind of felt like a jerk. New player to our group, at his first game - and if the failed massive damage save hadn't killed the PC, the -11 hit points would have.
> 
> I mean, dang. Welcome to the group, here's your complementary corpse.
> 
> I wanted a method for bringing her back that was more interesting than being raised by the cleric of another god - and more importantly, more self sufficient. There's a certain psychological value in first impressions. I didn't want Raevynn to be immediately pigeon-holed as "the frail heroine who has to depend on other people for her healing." That wasn't her style. Velendo was able to bring her back anyways -- so maybe I could do it with more style?
> 
> In game terms, it was easy to rationalize; Raevynn had been given a task to cleanse the cult of Orthyss, and she simply hadn't finished yet. No way was Galanna going to let her off the hook that easily.





As soon as I read the update I knew that was the reason why you did it - but my question is, did you discuss it with Raevynn's player first?  Just b/c  I know I have at least a couple of players who would not want "special treatment" regardless of the circumstances and would have preferred to make a new character, or follow the letter of the rules and would feel cheated otherwise (in fact, I might be one of those ).


----------



## Piratecat

el-remmen said:
			
		

> Did you discuss it with Raevynn's player first?  Just b/c  I know I have at least a couple of players who would not want "special treatment" regardless of the circumstances and would have preferred to make a new character, or follow the letter of the rules and would feel cheated otherwise (in fact, I might be one of those).



Wow, good point. 

The game had ended after the gnome was killed. During the next week, I asked Raevynn's player "You still like the character? You still want to play her?"  The answer was a resounding yes. So I asked him to trust me to do something fun, and he said sure. The reincarnation itself (and the plot hooks that went along with it) were a surprise.

Note that she still lost a level from dying and I don't believe her ability scores changed appreciably, so this was probably more of a 'plot and special effects' change than a mechanical one. I'd have been a lot more hesitant to stick her into a worse form, like a kobold's body, without having the player on board. Nothing is worse than a DM arbitrarily messing with your character concept without your permission.

I may be misremembering, though (and something tells me that I'm forgetting something important.) I'll ask the player.


----------



## Tremere

Piratecat said:
			
		

> TomTom's psionics were tricky to convert until we got the PsiHB drafts. I think we sort of faked it, combining 2e psionics with 3e classes. It wasn't pretty, but it got us through.



PCat is being modest - TomTom's psionics were enough to drive us both to drink!  Often.   
I am pretty sure his abilities went through at least 8 major overhauls to true him up and even out his power across the playtesting and conversions.
A random thought about TomTom's psyche - I recall a young first level halfling rogue feeling very useless next to Arcade's magic and the group's muscle.  TomTom decided that every detail was useful and important - at some point.  (Now or far in the future.)  He began accumulating miscellaneous items - some treasure, some just unusual - in hopes of future use, and would pull them out if it seemed the situation warranted. 
Even if it had been over a year since PCat gave him that magic ball of twine.   



			
				Piratecat said:
			
		

> Everybody won: I got great plot hooks to torment inspire the character with, and Raevynn got fun roleplaying hooks. Win-win.



I have a very fond memory of Raevynn's player flicking his fingers in annoyance at the "claws" during that first night.  An affectation that survived for years in role-play and allowed the characters to know instantly whenever Raevynn was annoyed at any given situation.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane PCat!!!   (Hi to all!)


----------



## clockworkjoe

I finally finished up the White kingdom campaign on piratecat.org but I'm confused as to the current state of events. Has PC continued past the conversation with the converted mind flayer elder brain Dawn or not? What's the order of the current posts?


----------



## Dirigible

> Raevynn’s scimitar flashed, and Pakkik’s head bounced across the clearing. *His last expression was definitely not one of surprise.*



_Genius._ This tells me pretty much everyhting I need to know about Sirphrenia with economy of language.


----------



## Piratecat

clockworkjoe said:
			
		

> I finally finished up the White kingdom campaign on piratecat.org but I'm confused as to the current state of events. Has PC continued past the conversation with the converted mind flayer elder brain Dawn or not? What's the order of the current posts?



That's right, the discussion of what was going on disappeared with the board crash.

I wrote up the encounter with the mindflayers and then pretty much stopped writing for nine months. The game, however, proceeded (and proceeds) apace. When I started writing again, I was finding the concept of writing up the backlog to be pretty daunting. So I decided to do something sneaky:

1. Write a few old adventures that had never been documented (and giving new readers an easy entry)

2. Start a post-a-day of the Eversink and White Kingdom story arcs, editing and expanding as I went (especially for the early stuff.)

3. Use that time to gain a backlog of catching up to the actual, current game. There's some really fun things that have happened that I'm looking forward to sharing.

I figure a post-a-day will give me enough time to write it up, while still (hopefully) keeping people amused in the mean time. I have one more adventure (about 2-3 sessions worth) to write up before we get to Eversink, and a lot of the Eversink material will get polished. I glossed over quite a bit of the fun stuff initially.


----------



## clockworkjoe

Piratecat said:
			
		

> That's right, the discussion of what was going on disappeared with the board crash.
> 
> I wrote up the encounter with the mindflayers and then pretty much stopped writing for nine months. The game, however, proceeded (and proceeds) apace. When I started writing again, I was finding the concept of writing up the backlog to be pretty daunting. So I decided to do something sneaky:
> 
> 1. Write a few old adventures that had never been documented (and giving new readers an easy entry)
> 
> 2. Start a post-a-day of the Eversink and White Kingdom story arcs, editing and expanding as I went (especially for the early stuff.)
> 
> 3. Use that time to gain a backlog of catching up to the actual, current game. There's some really fun things that have happened that I'm looking forward to sharing.
> 
> I figure a post-a-day will give me enough time to write it up, while still (hopefully) keeping people amused in the mean time. I have one more adventure (about 2-3 sessions worth) to write up before we get to Eversink, and a lot of the Eversink material will get polished. I glossed over quite a bit of the fun stuff initially.





Thanks for the quick response. I loved the White Kingdom campaign. I've spent the last three days reading from beginning to end. It's the type of campaign I strive to reach for and it's great to see how you integrate both tactical gaming and role playing at the same time. I never got the impression you pulled your punches or ignored the drama. Too many players think that a campaign can only be combat or drama and I use this as proof to show them that they're wrong. I'm stealing several parts for my high level campaign and I hope I can capture the same epic feeling your campaign really had. 

The things I really liked and will use in my campaign:

Chain polymorph cast by master transmuter, ambushing the PCs. 

The Defenders of Daybreak: one theme in my campaign is the impact adventurer parties have in society so I'm introducing several NPC parties helping or opposing the PCs. I'll introduce a lower level of the defenders and see how they treat the PCs. 

Thruk: I already have a crawling head as a villain so now I have a backstory for him.

The Helm of Hive Mind: Great idea for an artifact so I'll put it in at some point.

But I have a few questions:

1. What rules do you use for Stone Bear? A hand to hand oriented shaman with spirit advisors is neat and I want to look at them.

2. I'm probably going to introduce a mind flayer city at some point. Did you get the mind flayer city defenses from somewhere or did you make them up? If so, did you post the stats somewhere?


----------



## Craer

clockworkjoe said:
			
		

> What rules do you use for Stone Bear? A hand to hand oriented shaman with spirit advisors is neat and I want to look at them.




As far as I remember, Stone Bear is a second level Shaman from Oriental Adventures, and then has several levels of Monk and Sacred Fist.  I'm not sure how the 3.5 revision has changed his character, but I once borrowed his character build for a one-shot game, and it kicked huge quantities of butt.  His spirits are class features.


----------



## Piratecat

Yup! I'll post his PC in a Rogue's Gallery thread when I have a chance. It's been a busy weekend (Bandeeto, Sialia and the Scampering Chaos have been visiting for the week, along with a reunion of other gaming friends). 

I wanted to make the spirits a bit more than just class features; that's one of the reasons I tied Elder into the later story. It's kind of weird adding a feature into my world just because it's a PC's class feature, but I do like the flavor it has added.


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Piratecat said:
			
		

> ...
> 
> 2. Start a post-a-day of the Eversink and White Kingdom story arcs, editing and expanding as I went (especially for the early stuff.)
> ...




Did I miss this?  Or is it part of the plan for after what you are doing in *1.*  Sorry.  I would hate to be missing out.

GW


----------



## Piratecat

Graywolf-ELM said:
			
		

> Did I miss this?  Or is it part of the plan for after what you are doing in *1.*



Nope! Plan was to write up the two good missing adventures first. One is up, the second coming, then we slide into Eversink.


----------



## coyote6

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Nope! Plan was to write up the two good missing adventures first. One is up, the second coming, then we *slide into Eversink.*




Is that a pun? Where's KidCthulhu? I think you need to feed that piggy thing.


----------



## EldonG

Man it is so GOOD to see more Piratecat storyhour!  Sounds like great stuff...I only wish I could have been a player...


----------



## RangerWickett

(From here.)

I found a nice picture of Venice, and I thought of Eversink.


----------



## Piratecat

That picture is _perfect._

New update this weekend. I just started a new job (as a computer game designer, woot!) and I haven't had much time this week for writing.


----------



## Sidereal Knight

Piratecat said:
			
		

> That picture is _perfect._
> 
> New update this weekend. I just started a new job (as a computer game designer, woot!) and I haven't had much time this week for writing.



Go you! Congratulations on the new job!

(And, not to derail the thread: Yay, update coming!  )


----------



## The_Warlock

Piratecat said:
			
		

> I just started a new job (as a computer game designer, woot!) and I haven't had much time this week for writing.




Congratulations! And...

[/pout] Aww, everybody else gets all the cool jobs... [/endpout]


----------



## RangerWickett

Piratecat said:
			
		

> That picture is _perfect._
> 
> New update this weekend. I just started a new job (as a computer game designer, woot!) and I haven't had much time this week for writing.




Hey man, hook me up. I'd love to work in game design. I've got this great idea, and if you'll just give me a few hours I'll show you how awesome it is. 

Though honestly, I never would have thought "sleep specialist -> video game designer" as a common career move. You'll have to tell me more about it at Gen Con.


----------



## Piratecat

*Part 7: The Forest of Abominations*

Tao pulled both blades from the twitching corpse. Beneath her boot, the ape gurgled and rattled its snake tail one final time. Poisonous saliva dribbled from a slack mouth. It smelled like the inside of a boot.

“What the _hell_?” she said.

“You can thank Orthyss,” said Raevynn, taking the time to spit. “This creature was made, not born. Someone is playing god, only they’re using the wrong god as a role model.” She flicked her fingernails in annoyance. “They’ll be sorry about that.”

“More are coming,” said TomTom. He stared up at the tall dark trees around them. Hoots and bellows cascaded across the vine-laden branches, bouncing across the canopy until it was impossible to tell where the noises were coming from. “Do we stay here and fight it out?”

Raevynn and Tao exchanged a glance. “No,” said Raevynn reluctantly. “not all of them. We can come back for these. The most important thing is to stop their source.”

“Damn straight,” said Tao. She eyed the trees as if daring another monster to make an appearance.

Nolin smiled mischievously. “Are they breeding true? If they are, Arcade would give his left nipple to get a hold of a couple. I think he’s been having some trouble with his own abominations. You know, tails growing out of foreheads, that sort of thing.” 

“Can we please not discuss Arcade’s nipples?” asked Velendo. “Or push peoples’ buttons, when you know it’s just going to make them angry?”

“Oh, yes, _Arcade_.” Tao’s voice was heavy. “I’m going to have to have another little talk with him. I’m sure he’ll see that Galanna doesn’t approve of _any_ fleshcrafting. Adding bumblebee wings to a frog doesn’t make it any less hideous than the tentacled wolves we fought earlier in the forest, or the snake-squirrels, or that fish-pig we found asphyxiated near the dried-up stream. He’ll stop, or I’ll have to stop him.”

Raevynn looked professionally interested. "I'd like to meet this Arcade," she said. _Flick. Flick._

“No doubt,” said Velendo, rolling his eyes skyward. “But first things first. How do we find the actual temple of Orthyss in here?” He looked around nervously as another series of cries echoed through the trees. “The place is a maze.”

“Nature will tell me,” said Raevynn confidently. 

“It do that often?”

“When I ask, yes.” She sounded annoyed. “It will take ten minutes or so. Do you want to do it here?”

“It’s as good a place as any,” said Nolin. “We’ve got a little room to fight if we’re attacked --”

“When we’re attacked,” interrupted Tao.

“When we’re attacked,” corrected Nolin, “and it’s better than wandering around the forest aimlessly.”

“Go ahead,” said Valdek. “We’ll keep you safe in the mean time.” In his hand, Warwinner suddenly grew lighter. Four beams of violet light shot from the blade, shining unerringly up into the treetops. Valdek grunted. “And we’re under attack. Try to hurry, Raevynn?” Beside him, Shara and Kiri both began to chant, and the wind shifted as Velendo formed a divine wall of golden bricks to protect them from harm.

“As much as I can.” Raevynn settled onto her knees and buried her hands in the bed of thick moss. She focused her mind outwards…

And her surroundings rippled away.

_Bodiless, Raevynn drifted into the green. She was whole here, not partially anchored into a body that wasn’t her own. Spira herself was alive, she could feel it breathing beneath her and around her, but there was a taint -- some sort of chancre, an abscess of unnatural filth. The forest was going rotten here, Raevynn realized. Something was burning away nature and effectively replacing it with sentient decay.

Raevynn extended her faith and touched the trees. Instantly she knew all that they knew, felt their roots and leaves and sunlight and sap. She could feel abominations skittering through the forest. The source of the blight was obvious, a deeply rotten spot three miles away. Raevynn focused. The temple of Orthyss was shaped almost like a trident, tunnels and caverns dug out underground.  Powerful evil lurked there. Raevynn could feel easily half a dozen abomination of nature that Galanna would gleefully help her smite, but one essence there was more powerful than the rest combined. Cold and red. Fueled by hatred and ego and the will of Orthyss. The high priest? Probably. And not wholly human, that was for sure.

It hadn’t sensed her, Raevynn believed. She knew where it was. Time to pay it a visit._

Returning to the meat-case that was her borrowed body was disappointing. She felt barely tethered there, as if she was only supposed to be a brief guest, and her normal senses were paltry when compared to communing with nature itself.

-- o --

“It’s hard to believe that she’s even more irritable now than she was this morning,” whispered Tipic into Kiri’s ear.

“Shhhh, sweetling,” murmured Kiri to her familiar. “She’ll hear you. She’s probably still upset from dying.”

They stood just outside a withered clearing. Nothing alive or dead moved beneath the skeletal trees. Despite the fact that the sun was high in the sky, the clearing was dark and cold.

“This is the place,” said Raevynn. 

“Ya think?” asked TomTom cheerfully. Raevynn shot him a look which he goodnaturedly ignored.

“There’s an entrance into the southern part of the tunnels within that dead tree over there.” Raevynn pointed, then indicated down at a rough map she had scrawled in the dirt. “The dungeons are crawling with abominations -- I could sense them. I felt powerful unnatural creatures here, here, and here, and here’s where the worst of them was. Probably the high priest.”

“Chances that the high priest is human?” asked Nolin.

Raevynn just looked at him silently and flicked her fingernails. Nolin gave a knowing nod.

“Hang on,” said TomTom. “I’m going to scout.” He twisted an ordinary ring on his finger, slid a tiny piece of his mind upwards and to the left on the psychic plane, and he shimmered into invisibility. He didn’t move far away. Instead of entering the dead tree Raevynn had indicated, he sat down on a stump and extended his mental presence. An image of the room beneath the tree swum hazily into view: dark painted tiles, a flickering torch, no obvious door, etchings of tentacles on the plastered stone walls, and a huge dragon skull hanging on the north wall. Its jaws were spread wide. TomTom focused on the skull. He mentally flinched as reddish mist poured from its bony nostrils, but he knew it couldn’t hurt him through _clairvoyance_, and it took only a short time to determine the skull’s purpose.

When TomTom returned to his body and tried again, this time in the northern section of the temple complex, something thwarted him; he felt his third eye being shifted away, probably by divine magic, and he was left with a dull headache and a sense of annoyance.

“I’m back,” said TomTom a few minutes later. He _thought_ his body back into visibility as he made a show of twisting his ring. “I scouted the entrance. No visible guards, but there’s a room with a dragon skull on the wall. I’m pretty sure that the doorway is in through the skull’s mouth, and it’s certainly trapped to bite. Worse, the skull belches mist every now and then; it looks like a magical mist that reveals invisibility. The doorway is almost certainly guarded on the far side.”

“Tricky. But nicely scouted.” Standing in the shadows, the group considered the map in silence. “Do we want to fight our way through them if we don’t have to?” asked Velendo. “Or do we just want to concentrate on the major evil?” 

“Just the major evil.” TomTom fidgeted with the lucky squirrel foot tied to his belt.  “But is that an option?”

 Velendo didn’t directly answer. “And we want the abominations dead, right?” His eyes sparkled with some private amusement.

“Absolutely,” said Tao. “Is that a trick question? I’m just not quite sure how we can do both. Maybe we could dig down to the spot where the really evil thing is, but…”

“Oh, we can summon earth elementals to help us tunnel down, but I have a better plan for our opening salvo. I say we announce our presence in the best way possible.”  Velendo’s lined face finally cracked into a wide grin. “Calphas recently granted me insight into more mysteries of the faith. He’d be disappointed if I didn’t use them, right?” He glanced perfunctorily up at the sky in case anyone chose to answer him. “Right? Right.”  He turned to his friends. “You may want to grab onto something.”

“Umm… why?”

Velendo looked out at the clearing. “Calphas,” he said simply, “smite this place.” He smacked his staff on the ground.

A thunderous earthquake roiled across the clearing, contorting the land like rippling water. 

When the underground complex collapsed, it made the deep sort of vibration that rattles bone. Sections of the clearing sank precipitously. Ancient dead trees creaked and toppled, taking more trees with them and snapping as they fell. Viperbirds and squidbats took to the air by the hundreds, and octoboars grunted in panic as they fled for the far reaches of the woods. Something screamed from deep underground, its voice sounding eerily human, and it kept screaming until a final rumble cut the sound off abruptly. 

When the jagged fissures finally snapped shut and the ground stopped trembling, sections of the clearing were permanently canted at odd angles. Sunken pits indicated areas where corridors and rooms underground had collapsed. The tree that housed the main entrance lay on its side, blocking entrance or egress from the complex.  The Defenders stared flabbergasted as they picked themselves up off of the ground. Then they began to laugh. 

“Can you imagine how much work went into building that place?” snorted Tao. “And gone, just like that!” She snapped her fingers, and started to giggle again.

“Nicely done, Velendo,” said Kiri with a smile. Tipic settled back onto her shoulder as he gave Velendo an aggrieved look. “You could warn a fella next time,” said the pseudodragon plaintively. “That was great, though. Let’s do that _all_ the time!” Tipic looked excited.

“It wasn’t me,” said Velendo with humility. “It was Calphas. Come on, we need to be quick. The longer we wait, the more chance they’re going to regroup or escape. I left the area with the big evil in it relatively untouched so that we could still deal with it. I don’t expect much resistance in the areas I collapsed.”

“You couldn’t just collapse the ceiling on top of the big evil’s head?” asked TomTom, raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t have enough power,” said Velendo, “and if it didn’t die? We’d be worse off than we are now.”  The group ran out across the buckled clearing, clambering over fallen trees and jumping sunken pits. 

“Right around here,” Raevynn pointed.  “Velendo?” The druid called for an earth elemental, and Velendo did the same. Instructing them only took a few seconds. The elementals worked quickly; dirt fountained upwards and slid neatly into mounds. Within a minute or two, the elementals had pulled apart enough of the soil to create a rough tunnel angling downwards. 

Something growled down in the darkness. “Scorpion-bears!” said Valdek, and he waited for Kiri’s lightning bolt before he jumped down the tunnel with his sword bared. There were two of them beginning to crawl upwards. Valdek’s first swing slashed across a chitinous pincher. “Not enough room for them to use their poisonous tails,” he called up. A beam of holiness from Velendo flashed over his shoulder into the monster’s chest, magic missiles from Shara danced around him, and then Tao had slid down the tunnel as well. In the purple light of Warwinner, it didn’t take long to kill the panicked abominations and clear a path into the tiled room below.

The rest of the group slid downwards.

They found themselves in a small shrine. Heavy wooden benches lay scattered across the floor. Instead of an altar, the north wall boasted a huge skeletal dragon head. Mist poured from its nose sockets, blanketing the group, but a quick magical analysis showed the mist to be non-poisonous.

“A religious sub-sect of Orthyss?” asked Velendo, coughing as they retreated out of the small shrine back into a wide corridor. “It certainly seems like a decorating theme.” He indicated down the partially collapsed corridor to the south, where the image of another skeletal dragon head with wide-spread jaws was painted on the plaster wall. They could hear a whistling howl coming from somewhere in that direction, something inhuman and angry and trapped by fallen rubble. Human shouting echoed as well, too faint to make out words.

“Maybe they consider the dragon as a source of strength, worshipping Orthyss as God of monsters instead of God of Abominations?” Tao wrinkled her nose. “Or maybe it doesn’t matter and they just want their ass kicked.”

“I’m guessing that second one,” agreed Nolin. “Which way, Raevynn?”

“North.” 

The corridor ended in a second shrine, this one larger and more brightly lit. Black chains and manacles were bolted into the floor, and a grotesquely carved altar crouched like a trapped animal in the middle of the room. Strands of mist hung in the air, and the northern wall of the shrine was dominated by another huge dragon skull. The plastered walls seemed bright in the torchlight.

“No enemies,” said Shara suspiciously as another gout of mist fountained out of the skull’s nostrils to fill the room. 

“Probably a secret door behind those jaws,” said TomTom. “We’ll have to ah ah ahhhhh…” His voice rose into a scream.

The white mist filling the room suddenly became tinged with streams of crimson red. Everyone felt the mist sucking their blood from their pores, drawing it from their bodies like so much water into a thirsty sponge. The pain was incredible, and for a second there was so much suspended blood in the air that it was impossible to see. 

With a noise like a windstorm, the bloody fog streamed inwards and was inhaled into the nostrils of the wall-mounted dragon skull. Gone within seconds, the Defenders were left standing alone on trembling legs in an empty room. Their skin was white from lack of blood; the hideous bruises wouldn’t emerge until later.

*“Nothing, and I mean nothing, tastes as good as innocent stupidity.”*  The voice was out of a nightmare, and visceral fear swept through the room as the eyes of the skull suddenly glowed red. A few casual shakes of its neck, like a sodden dog shaking off water, and the unmortared stones of the recently built and plastered wall crashed down around the Defenders. Velendo cried out as one dropped onto his leg, but he barely noticed. He was staring horrorstruck as the vampiric dracolich in the cavern beyond rose up, and up, and up.

*"I am Gulthora, daughter of Orthyss. Worship me."*


_To be continued._


----------



## Piratecat

I wish I could express Sagiro's glee at once again circumventing my entire dungeon. There's an inverse relationship between the amount of time I spend mapping and stocking a dungeon, and the amount of time that the players _actually_ spend going through it. When he cast _earthquake_ (for the first time, as he had just levelled), I think my jaw dropped.

Lulling them into a false sense of security with the skulls made me feel a little better, though.  

Gulthora's breath weapon drained 2d4 con, half with a successful fortitude save. I wanted something a little different than a 'standard' undead dragon, and a vampiric one seemed to fit the bill.


----------



## KidCthulhu

Piratecat said:
			
		

> *Part 7: The Forest of Abominations*
> “Nature will tell me,” said Raevynn confidently.




This is, of course, _Commune with Nature_ in action.  Raevynn's casting of this lead to one of the best jokes ever.  Raevynn's player announced that he was going to case _Commune with Nature_.  Either because he slurred his words or because the room was noisy, both Fajitas and I misheard him.

"Commune with Nietzsche?" we cried in unison.  "He tells you God is dead."

Oh, the philosophy funny.


----------



## shilsen

Piratecat said:
			
		

> I wish I could express Sagiro's glee at once again circumventing my entire dungeon. There's an inverse relationship between the amount of time I spend mapping and stocking a dungeon, and the amount of time that the players _actually_ spend going through it.




*thinks of mentioning modrons*

*makes Will save and doesn't say anything*



> Lulling them into a false sense of security with the skulls made me feel a little better, though.




Really? I would never have thought so. Never.



> ...and the unmortared stones of the recently built and plastered wall crashed down around the Defenders. Velendo cried out as one dropped onto his leg...




Hitting the priest of Calphas with part of a wall?

Priceless!


----------



## Jackylhunter

Oh God, I love Velendo...


> Velendo looked out at the clearing. “Calphas,” he said simply, “smite this place.” He smacked his staff on the ground.
> 
> A thunderous earthquake roiled across the clearing, contorting the land like rippling water.



hehe


----------



## Piratecat

shilsen said:
			
		

> *thinks of mentioning modrons*
> 
> *makes Will save and doesn't say anything*



Ha.  
Ha.

Jerk.

Actually, my current plot arc may very well reveal to the players why it is the modrons were marching early -- and why the entire race has subsequently keeled over dead!

Despite the fact that the current assembly of the Defenders of Daybreak didn't know one another when the modrons began their off-year march, if there's any justice in the world, it will _still_ be their darn fault.


----------



## shilsen

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Ha.
> Ha.
> 
> Jerk.




Guilty as charged 



> Actually, my current plot arc may very well reveal to the players why it is the modrons were marching early -- and why the entire race has subsequently keeled over dead!
> 
> Despite the fact that the current assembly of the Defenders of Daybreak didn't know one another when the modrons began their off-year march, if there's any justice in the world, it will _still_ be their darn fault.




Excellent. Now you just need to tie in a couple of the ways they're currently getting screwed (I'm sure they are) back to their choice to ignore the modrons and the great karmic wheel can come full circle.


----------



## RangerWickett

Piratecat, I just wanted to tell you I had an excellent Fourth of July (and a few fingers of vodka), and your storyhour makes for a nice metaphysical nightcap.

However, I am holding you accountable for using the word "chancre." You see, when I don't recognize a word, often I'll go to Wikipedia to see what it means.


----------



## Piratecat

Looking this up on Wikipedia is NOT work safe, gang.  (One definition of chancre involves syphillis, if that's any hint.)  Ahhh, it burns! You'll be wanting to use dictionary.com in the future...

But think of it this way. How often do I use a word you don't know? Dracoliches _and_ dictionaries!

Ahem. Back the the previously mentioned thread.


----------



## orchid blossom

Yeah, I was looking at that word and wondering what in the world it was.  It took me a few moments of thought to realize it was a word I knew well, I've just never actually seen it written before.


----------



## el-remmen

Razzin' Frazzin'!  You lousy story hour authors and your cliffhangers!


----------



## Grog

I think I remember you mentioning this adventure before - this was something of a turning point, wasn't it? You realized that you couldn't challenge your players with dungeons anymore, and had to shift the focus of the campaign. Or am I thinking of something else?

Oh, and nice trick with the dracolich!


----------



## Mishihari Lord

Piratecat said:
			
		

> “Can you imagine how much work went into building that place?” snorted Tao. “And gone, just like that!” She snapped her fingers, and started to giggle again.




LOL


----------



## Steverooo

Piratecat said:
			
		

> “Can you imagine how much work went into building that place?” snorted Tao. “And gone, just like that!” She snapped her fingers, and started to giggle again.




I _assume_ that Tao charged right over an area of _Spiked Stone_ caltrops, soon after that,... right?


----------



## Look_a_Unicorn

Piratecat has anyone told you you're a great writer? They have? Oh. Right.

Mmmmm... well then if I send you candy* will you do another update? ^_^



*sending of candy entirely fictional


----------



## Fimmtiu

Grog said:
			
		

> I think I remember you mentioning this adventure before - this was something of a turning point, wasn't it? You realized that you couldn't challenge your players with dungeons anymore, and had to shift the focus of the campaign. Or am I thinking of something else?




No, that was the when he ran them through a modified version of the old G2 "Frost Giant Jarl" module. They scouted out the entire place ethereally, sealed off most of the dungeon with _walls of force_, and then waltzed in and gutted the boss, who was trapped alone with them.

(For Pete's sake, why do I remember these things?)


----------



## OakwoodDM

I'm impressed. The cliffhanger's still an effective cliffhanger, despite the fact that I've read the Eversink - White Kingdom years, and so know what the party composition is likely to be...

Man, it must be something in the water in Boston. You, Sagiro and Fajitas (I know that's not where Fajitas is anymore, but it's where he started out), the DMs of my three favourite storyhours. Damn the Atlantic!

I can't believe how long you're able to sustain a campaign, especially one of such consistent high quality. I don't think I've been in one lasting more than about a year...


----------



## Mazlo

Speaking of the White Kingdom, I wonder if Piratecat has seen the art preview for Ptolus from this week's update.  

http://www.montecook.com/images/Ghoul_Worm.jpg

I immediately thought of the worm-ghoul-carrier from this story hour.

--Mazlo


----------



## Piratecat

Great picture. It looks very similar! A little more "ghouls riding around in the mouth" than "made up of flesh-merged ghouls," but otherwise very similar in theme.  I'm looking forward to Ptolus, crazy-high pricetag or not.



			
				Look_a_Unicorn said:
			
		

> *sending of candy entirely fictional



Drat!

Update planned for next week, as we learn a little more about Gulthora. She's been around in my campaign for a long long time, although the PCs haven't necessarily known it. [This might also be a good impromptu lesson in backfilling plot and re-using old story elements in new ways. Or maybe it won't be if I get distracted and natter on about gorillaticks and kangasharks for three pages. We'll have to see.)


----------



## Citizen Mane

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Or maybe it won't be if I get distracted and natter on about gorillaticks and kangasharks for three pages.



It could be the absolutely vile Chinese food that I had last night talking, but this sounds like it'd be *absolute gold* to me.  

What?


----------



## Spatzimaus

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Or maybe it won't be if I get distracted and natter on about gorillaticks and kangasharks for three pages.




I want to hear more about the kangasharks.  Seriously, something that hops around after you at impressive speeds, with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and that goes into a frenzy when it smells blood?  That's the kind of animal that gives nightmares to low-level adventurers, like the exploding bunnies I used once.  Heh, good times.


----------



## Darthjaye

Spatzimaus said:
			
		

> I want to hear more about the kangasharks.  Seriously, something that hops around after you at impressive speeds, with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and that goes into a frenzy when it smells blood?  That's the kind of animal that gives nightmares to low-level adventurers, like the exploding bunnies I used once.  Heh, good times.





Bunny sappers?   Crap that may be worse than vorpal.   At least when vorpal hits the first victim the others get to run away.    But now, it's explode-o-wabbit to muddle things abit.   The shark head mounted on a kangaroo body does bring up some interesting visuals however.


----------



## Len

Piratecat said:
			
		

> made up of flesh-merged ghouls



I've been using that picture as desktop wallpaper on the computer that's hooked up to the TV, where we pull up the SRD during games (usually when someone tries to grapple).

Amazingly, the creature hasn't shown up in any of our games yet.


----------



## Spatzimaus

Darthjaye said:
			
		

> Bunny sappers?   Crap that may be worse than vorpal.   At least when vorpal hits the first victim the others get to run away.    But now, it's explode-o-wabbit to muddle things abit.




Oh, it was much, much worse than that.  The bunnies made a 3d6 _fireball_ when they died... but bunnies aren't exactly loners.  If you killed one while they were in a group (or too close to the warren), you'd get a chain reaction.  To a group of 6th-level adventurers, this can be pretty dangerous.

(Ironically, I got that idea from Nolin's prestige class.)

And before the Rule 1 violation complaints start: I don't think the DoD are really afraid of weak little flaming bunnies.  Now, if I was to give the stats for the nasty epic-level predators that FED on the bunnies, that'd be different.


----------



## Richard Rawen

shilsen said:
			
		

> Guilty as charged
> 
> Excellent. Now you just need to tie in a couple of the ways they're currently getting screwed (I'm sure they are) back to their choice to ignore the modrons and the great karmic wheel can come full circle.




Shilsen thank you for expressing a cosmic truth. All players should be punished for ruining the hours of hard work a DM puts into a game that they then ignore, or, just as bad,  _Earthquake_ (thought honestly that was a brilliant move on Velendo's part  ).

The fact that the 'Modron Issue' keeps getting raised in this SH, even though it hasn't even happened yet, is truly one of the better running jokes I've seen.
Now I just have to hope PKitty doesn't _smite_ me for bringing it up ... again


----------



## Steverooo

*My Turn!*

"GM, I cast _Spike Stone_ on the floor around Richard Rawen...!"


----------



## Richard Rawen

Steverooo said:
			
		

> "GM, I cast _Spike Stone_ on the floor around Richard Rawen...!"




I, um... hover?


----------



## Raevynn

*steps in from the shadows* yes....  1 game session and a complimentry corpse...  However it ended up working perfectly for Raevynn as you will all see through the coming adventures because it gave her some personality... "traits" that were VERY fun to play...  I left it in PC's hands to play it as he saw fit..  it just all fell into place...

*Raevynn looks up from some book of some sort...  pages have obviously been torn out and most are stained.....*  Well...  *flick flick flick* can we go deal with the bad people now or are we going to continue to discuss the virtues of action/non-action... cause if that is what you plan....  I will be right back....  *some green mist swirls about her hands...  a dripping green ethereal substance can be seen on the tips of her sharpen finger nails... a small acorn appears in her hand....*  um... be right back....  *steps back in the shadows*


----------



## doghead

I was just having look at the character sheets PC has linked to his other SH thread. I was surprised at how many 10-12's and how few 20+ stats there were. How were the stats originally generated?

thotd


----------



## Legildur

I'm going to take a stab at this..... 3d6 rolled six times, arrange as desired....  Characters started back in 2nd ed (from memory).


----------



## Piratecat

Well, it depends on which characters. The original characters like Velendo were rolled on 4d6 drop one, rearrange as you like. Anyone who joined after 3e launched is a 32 point buy. On my list of things to do is to get updated sheets online, but it's not highest on the priority list. 

Update will be up in a few days. Life is fun, but busy!


----------



## Blackjack

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Anyone who joined after 3e launched




...which, at this point, means everyone but Velendo and Mara.


----------



## KidCthulhu

Yep, certainly the original Defenders were all generated with 4d6 drop worst.  We've never been a hefty stat party, at least not initially.  Check out Dylrath's stats one day.  Rath is a playable character.

Now, of course, most of us have at least one stat that's in the grotesquely large category.  Most of us have at least one skill (or in Agar's case 6 or 7) where we can make a DC 50 check of some kind.  

It kind of makes for nice balance.  We're not all good at everything, but the things we are good at we're obscenely good at.  Which is how it should be in Epic levels.


----------



## Cerebral Paladin

KidCthulhu said:
			
		

> It kind of makes for nice balance.  We're not all good at everything, but the things we are good at we're obscenely good at.  Which is how it should be in Epic levels.




One of the things I like best about d20's system is that it encourages niche-protection like that:  as characters grow in power, they tend to get deeper, not broader, so you don't get the circumstance where one character can do everything and the other players feel like they don't get to do the cool stuff.  Instead, you have a situation where X does the amazing Xthings, and Y does the amazing Ythings, and everyone feels like they get to be cool and badass in their own way.


----------



## Raevynn

We all had our strengths and weaknesses...  it made for a much more cohesive party... and some amazing roleplaying....   


"quick HEAL Valendo!"
"With WHAT? Poison, flame that I got... healing... I have a potion!"


----------



## Raevynn

hrrmuph... finally post and what... dead air....  erg....

*goes looking for someone who looks bad so she can blow them up... er teach them about Galanna...*


----------



## Steverooo

*Heh!*


----------



## thatdarncat

ok, NOW you've got our attention


----------



## KidCthulhu

Raevynn said:
			
		

> hrrmuph... finally post and what... dead air....  erg....
> 
> *goes looking for someone who looks bad so she can blow them up... er teach them about Galanna...*




Raevyn always did have a unique pedagogical approach.


----------



## Sialia

KidC--while you're on--where did you bury P'cat's body?

The teamsters have been wondering.


----------



## Piratecat

KidCthulhu said:
			
		

> Raevyn always did have a unique pedagogical approach.



Psychopathic pedagogy?

(Raevynn, it's a delight to see you posting here!)

Sialia, my body is right here. Fixing board-related problems resulting from the Big Crash (in particular, resetting a whole lot of Community Supporter accounts that got lost - see Meta for details if you're one of these people) has eaten five hours that I'd normally spend writing. I have about half of the next update done. My hope is to get some 'me' writing time this Sunday, and my magic 8-ball says "Signs point to yes."  Nobody bump it!


----------



## coyote6

So, we shouldn't ask it if _Clerks II_ will be nominated for an Oscar?


----------



## Raevynn

*glares at Nolin* "What do you mean by that.. I am a druid. I am supposed to like animals!"
*Tao whispers in Raevynn's ear, who looks slightly red and begins to flick her nails in frustration*

"But  that is besides the point.. they learned right? and if not well... then they wont make the same mistake twice!"


----------



## Waylander the Slayer

Hey PC,

Wolfgang Baur, the original author of the White Kingdom etc. wanted to read your story hour section about the White Kingdom. I am sure it is fine with you, but wanted to check with you first. Thank you!


----------



## Jobu

Raevynn said:
			
		

> *glares at Nolin* "What do you mean by that.. I am a druid. I am supposed to like animals!"
> *Tao whispers in Raevynn's ear, who looks slightly red and begins to flick her nails in frustration*
> 
> "But  that is besides the point.. they learned right? and if not well... then they wont make the same mistake twice!"




They can't make that mistake twice.....piles of ash on the ground that used to be people CAN'T make mistakes twice.  *looking skyward doing her best Valendo impression* You asked me to keep an eye on her?  Not like she's going to listen to me.  Raevynn, when I asked you to help the people cope with the troubles of the times this is NOT the solution I was looking for.  And I'm pretty sure it's not the solution they were looking for either.


----------



## Raevynn

"You say coping, I say whining.  Listen, hear that?  It is a definative lack of whining.  And ya know whats better?  They serve as a VERY good warning to others...."

*fold arms flicking fingernails proudly*


Now where were we? Oh thats right...  free corpse with each character sheet and a new body......


----------



## Ashrum the Black

Piratecat, now that you've successfully nudged Sagiro into updating his storyhour we storyhour adicts think it's time you got on the side of the angels as well.

 

-Ashrum


----------



## Piratecat

An excellent idea. The annoying thing is, I haven't been procrastinating; a work milestone + crazy heat wave + no AC in my study + a little brother to visit + a busy couple of weekends (a game day and a gaming con) has resulted in very little free time. With an 100 person BBQ to host this weekend, GenCon next week and the need to build characters for a game I'm running there, I'm not sure it gets much better in the short run - but we do finish our milestone on Friday.


----------



## Greybar

In the words of a wise Count: "If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything."

When you get back to it, we'll be here (gnashing our teeth in anticipation).


----------



## Richard Rawen

Greybar said:
			
		

> In the words of a wise Count: "If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything."
> 
> When you get back to it, we'll be here (gnashing our teeth in anticipation).




Let us hope PKitty is more wise than Rugen *chuckles* . . . and more to the point, you know we're hooked... we'll wait. What choice have we ?


----------



## Craer

Could someone in the know please post the stats of Warwinner, Valdek's sword?  It sounds neat, and I'm a sucker for named weapons.


----------



## Piratecat

Craer said:
			
		

> Could someone in the know please post the stats of Warwinner, Valdek's sword?  It sounds neat, and I'm a sucker for named weapons.



Hey, look - content I can quickly provide!  

Warwinner has a history (I believe Valdek found it under the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief), but I'll just provide the mechanical info. It's a bastard (I believe) or two-handed sword that gains in power when used against multiple foes: +1 vs one foe, +2 vs two foes, up to +4 vs four foes. 'Foes' is defined as a creature that is actively attacking the wielder (ie in the combat and acting offensively - DM's call.) When a creature attacks the wielder, a purple beam of light shoots from the sword to unerringly pinpoint the location of the attacker (reveals the square the attacker is in).

In 3e, I would probably add the abilities of keen and cleaving when used against more than five foes.

I really like this weapon. It's generally strongest when the PC is most in trouble, and that's kind of fun.


----------



## Enkhidu

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Hey, look - content I can quickly provide!
> 
> Warwinner has a history (I believe Valdek found it under the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief), but I'll just provide the mechanical info. It's a bastard (I believe) or two-handed sword that gains in power when used against multiple foes: +1 vs one foe, +2 vs two foes, up to +4 vs four foes. 'Foes' is defined as a creature that is actively attacking the wielder (ie in the combat and acting offensively - DM's call.) When a creature attacks the wielder, a purple beam of light shoots from the sword to unerringly pinpoint the location of the attacker (reveals the square the attacker is in).
> 
> In 3e, I would probably add the abilities of keen and cleaving when used against more than five foes.
> 
> I really like this weapon. It's generally strongest when the PC is most in trouble, and that's kind of fun.




You were reading a lot of Saberhagen when Valdek found that sword, weren't you?


----------



## Piratecat

Two points to the man without an avatar. Although that's not quite right - I definitely wanted the _feel_ of a powerful sword that would be effective against big groups, but I needed to carefully balance it for mid-level play. It wasn't intended to be a fanboy-esque ripoff of the Saberhagen swords, since I got that out of my system at 14, but the concept of a sword that cuts through an army like a scythe? I really love that image.


----------



## the Jester

Enkhidu said:
			
		

> You were reading a lot of Saberhagen when Valdek found that sword, weren't you?




In all fairness, I once had a god based on Townsaver in my old campaign...


----------



## Richard Rawen

*Yoink!*



			
				Piratecat said:
			
		

> Hey, look - content I can quickly provide!
> 
> Warwinner has a history (I believe Valdek found it under the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief), but I'll just provide the mechanical info. It's a bastard (I believe) or two-handed sword that gains in power when used against multiple foes: +1 vs one foe, +2 vs two foes, up to +4 vs four foes. 'Foes' is defined as a creature that is actively attacking the wielder (ie in the combat and acting offensively - DM's call.) When a creature attacks the wielder, a purple beam of light shoots from the sword to unerringly pinpoint the location of the attacker (reveals the square the attacker is in).
> 
> In 3e, I would probably add the abilities of keen and cleaving when used against more than five foes.
> 
> I really like this weapon. It's generally strongest when the PC is most in trouble, and that's kind of fun.




And the Title says it all... the group's underpowered fighter has an unidentified magic sword (Greatsword in this case) which is now Warwinner =-)  
Since it was the end of the session and I knew their Lore capabilities I figured I had time to come up with a little something different.  Thank you for providing that !


----------



## Sepulchrave II

Bump.


----------



## Shieldhaven

/\
|
|
|

Wow, that's irony.

--Haven


----------



## Seule

Raevynn said:
			
		

> "You say coping, I say whining.  Listen, hear that?  It is a definative lack of whining.  And ya know whats better?  They serve as a VERY good warning to others...."
> 
> *fold arms flicking fingernails proudly*
> 
> 
> Now where were we? Oh thats right...  free corpse with each character sheet and a new body......




Malcolm (c. 1997) by the Arrogant Worms (http://www.arrogant-worms.com/)

Billy solves his problems by calling up his mom
Heather solves her problems with drugs and alcohol
Daniel solves his problems with a doctor and the law
But Malcolm has his own way and it's better than them all

'Cause 
Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw
Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw
Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw
and he never has the same problem twice.

Whether it's a bill or a cheque arriving late
Rancid marble cheese or a steak that's second rate
Awful TV programs or a broken Elvis plate
Or his fiancee who dumps him because he's gaining weight

Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw
Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw
Malcolm solves his problems with a chainsaw
and he never has the same problem twice.

Aaaaggghhh Aaaaggghhh
problem solved!



Similar tactics, yes?

  --Seule


----------



## Rackhir

Shieldhaven said:
			
		

> /\
> |
> |
> |
> 
> Wow, that's irony.
> 
> --Haven




This had me laughing hysterically. How true.


----------



## Berandor

A note and a question here. Recently, the PCs in my campaign visited a kuo-toa shrine, and I stole both the idea of warring parties and the kuo-toa art from your Story Hour. I just wanted to say the moving ethereal craftsmanship really helped giving the whole shrine an alien atmosphere (especially the giant statue of Blipdoolbulb (sp?)), and the disposed king smuggling the PCs in was a nice change from the automatic-alarm set-up that module originally featured. So thanks.

Now, as a Story Hour writer myself, a question on your "technique". I know you record sessions (we don't), but how much of a game's events end up in the story? How many quotes do you make up, how close do you keep combats to the original length, etc. Since I do my writing from memory (except for a few notes I make), I tend to abstract a lot, only hitting major points in combat and changing table talk to something resembling character speech. The barbarian in our group, for example, gets a lot of "cool but stupid" one-liners, which fits the character (and the player likes it), but which doesn't often happen at the table.


----------



## KidCthulhu

I can answer that PC generally puts our own words in our mouths.  He might paraphrase to shorten things up, but generally he doesn't write dialogue that's not there.  

Yes, we are just that witty and clever.


----------



## Berandor

I guess recording helps. Do you use a simple tape recorder, by the way?


----------



## orchid blossom

I don't know what PC uses, but my husband uses a digital voice recorder for his game sessions.  Then he downloads it onto the computer and listens to it there.  If for some reason one of the players is going to write the synopsis for that week he can just send them the audio file.


----------



## Enkhidu

Piratecat said:
			
		

> ... It wasn't intended to be a fanboy-esque ripoff of the Saberhagen swords, since I got that out of my system at 14, but the concept of a sword that cuts through an army like a scythe? I really love that image.




To be fair, it wasn't meant as a "fanboy" comment. Townsaver was probably the "sword most likley to have a D&D counterpart," and it's cool, to boot.


----------



## Sejs

Sepulchrave II said:
			
		

> Bump.




*blink*


*blink*


*head explodes*


----------



## Slife

Well, since the image thread hasn't been updated for over a year, I figured I'd post this here instead.  Hopefully you can tell what event it's of.

http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=25879&stc=1

EDIT: the attachment function HATES me.


----------



## Darmanicus

Man, there must be an update like now, my  spaceship in EVE-Online hasn't finished mining yet


----------



## Everett

What's the deal here, is this thread just beyond repair?


----------



## Baron Opal

That picture above looks suspiciously like a photon torpedo.


----------



## Berandor

Baron Opal said:
			
		

> That picture above looks suspiciously like a photon torpedo.



 It's from when the Defenders helped Kirk against the Tribbles?


----------



## Richard Rawen

flagrant bumpage


----------



## Graywolf-ELM

Richard Rawen said:
			
		

> flagrant bumpage





Much better than *fragrant bummage* 

I miss the DOD.

GW


----------



## Berandor

I guess day has broken and needs no more defending, now.


----------



## coyote6

Graywolf-ELM said:
			
		

> I miss the DOD.




That's no surprise; have you seen their ACs?


----------



## Aurora

<pokes story hour with a stick>
Did you abandon us Piratecat? I was told "read Piratecat's story hour, it is really good." So, I finished reading it......... a while ago, and am still waiting for an update....along with everyone else.  
edited because I can't spell.


----------



## Gulla

No wonder PC isn't writing for us. He's over in another thread posing for an artist (just look)   

Håkon


----------



## Aurora

what a traitor


----------



## Darthjaye

So this may be a slightly obvious question, but is this thread dead?


----------



## Greybar

All things must come to an end.

p.s. I have never seen brail on an drive-thru ATM.  Was this in Venice for drive-thru gondolas?


----------



## Rackhir

Darthjaye said:
			
		

> So this may be a slightly obvious question, but is this thread dead?




_That is not dead, which can Eternal lie. When in strange Eons, even death may die._


----------



## Rackhir

Greybar said:
			
		

> All things must come to an end.
> 
> p.s. I have never seen brail on an drive-thru ATM.  Was this in Venice for drive-thru gondolas?




It's cause they use a lot of the same mechanisms as regular ATM which do have to have brail, such as the keypads. Originally it probably was not worth the time and expense of getting a non-brail keypad made just for the drive through versions.

I'm sorry I didn't read your link first, but that quote had always bothered me since I figured it out. Very funny Greybar.


----------



## Darthjaye

Rackhir said:
			
		

> _That is not dead, which can Eternal lie. When in strange Eons, even death may die._





Thank you Vorlon, but for the rest of us is there ever gonna be more posts from PC regarding the early years of said gaming group?


----------



## Rackhir

Darthjaye said:
			
		

> Thank you Vorlon, but for the rest of us is there ever gonna be more posts from PC regarding the early years of said gaming group?




That's HP Lovecraft, not the Vorlons. It's one of the inscriptions commonly associated with dead Cthulhu as he lays dreaming in the sunken city of R'lyeth. 

I thought it was very appropriate.


----------



## coyote6

Rackhir said:
			
		

> _That is not dead, which can Eternal lie. When in strange Eons, even death may die._




So, you're saying that KidCthulhu is going to take over the story hour?


----------



## Darthjaye

Rackhir said:
			
		

> That's HP Lovecraft, not the Vorlons. It's one of the inscriptions commonly associated with dead Cthulhu as he lays dreaming in the sunken city of R'lyeth.
> 
> I thought it was very appropriate.





It was necessarily the quote I was making direct reference to but rather the vague answer to the question of to post or not to post.


----------



## Rackhir

Darthjaye said:
			
		

> It was necessarily the quote I was making direct reference to but rather the vague answer to the question of to post or not to post.




_Understanding is a three-edged sword._


----------



## wedgeski

*burble burble tweep* _yes_ *tweep burble burble*


----------



## Ximix

What happened to this story?
I was very much enjoying it... please continue Piratecat!


----------



## Richard Rawen

Is it five or six months since the last post?  Vacations over Pkitty, back to the slave pits!
*cracks literary whip*
We know you are out there... somewhere!

This post is in no way to be construed as a

BUMP!!


----------



## Ashy

orchid blossom said:
			
		

> I don't know what PC uses, but my husband uses a digital voice recorder for his game sessions.  Then he downloads it onto the computer and listens to it there.  If for some reason one of the players is going to write the synopsis for that week he can just send them the audio file.




I sorta do the same thing for my Misfits campaign, except that I record directly to my laptop during the game.  I use my laptop as my DM screen/tool throughout the game and simply run mics out on the table so I can catch all the action (with up to 9 players at the time, if everyone shows, there can be alot of this action...).  It works pretty well, and then I upload the zip files of the audio to my website (wowweezowwee.com - see sig) after the session where anyone can snag them.  

We also write story hours (inspired by the great Pkitty himself)...which brings me back on topic - Pcat, where ya be?


----------



## sheelba

After several years away from this board (I originally joined when it was Eric Noah's website), I found my memory jogged by DDO. Mainly because I kept wishing PC had been in charge of DDO. Anyway, I found this thread apparently dead. If it really is, (and I have delayed making this post in the hope that PC would reappear), then I would like to say a big thank you to PC and his group for the hours of fun and stimulating ideas, and the spare time which you have freely given. I hope that what every has stopped you from writing up these wonderful tales is as pleasurable to yourself as reading your work has been for us. Much as I want more, I think it fair to say you have given your dues and I hope your campaign keeps getting better and better - even if we don't get to hear about it.

That plus Merry Christmas Defenders of Daybreak, is all.


----------



## justinsluder

Not asking for anything here.

I just want to tell you Mr. Kulp that this work of art is worth reading again and again.
If you ever get back to this thread, I assure you I'll be here, reading and rereading.

Thank you,
Justin Sluder


----------



## Piratecat

You're kind!

So, when Capellan was out, he said "You going to swing by your story hour and offer people false hope?" Yowtch! But true. I'm in crunch at work (we ship a game in a few months) but I'm writing, in drips and drabs, in my off moments. I'm hoping to have something interesting up as a New Year's present to all of us. Let's see how I do.


----------



## spyscribe

Race you?


----------



## Capellan

Piratecat said:
			
		

> I'm hoping to have something interesting up as a New Year's present to all of us.




So the answer to my question would be "Yes", then? 

(He said, blithely ignoring how long it's been since he updated Q-Ship)


----------



## Lela

Capellan said:
			
		

> (He said, blithely ignoring how long it's been since he updated Q-Ship)




Blithely, even.  Wow.  That's like flippant but more apathy and less fingers.


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## the Jester

Hey PC, I'd love to see more DoD stuff written up someday- but I'm all too aware of how much work a story hour (or multiple ones!) is (are!) to keep up with.  Frankly, "story hour fatigue" is something that I can understand- and I can understand that, at a certain point, the agony of the story hour being further and further behind can turn into an agony over getting too far ahead while gaming, especially if your players read your SH feverishly.  So don't stress on it, mang!  You'll give us something or you won't, and you'll do it in your own time (or not), and either way, I for one have to thank you for all the time that you've put into entertaining us.

Now I have to go back to work.  My break's almost over.


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## KidCthulhu

Capellan said:
			
		

> (He said, blithely ignoring how long it's been since he updated Q-Ship)




Yeah, but it's not New Year's yet where you are, right?  On account of it being Summer and the international date line and all.  You've got time.


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## Zaruthustran

Capellan said:
			
		

> (He said, blithely ignoring how long it's been since he updated Q-Ship)




Yeah man, what _about_ that? We need some more chord-worthy moments!

-z


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## Doc_Souark

~sniffle~ I've been away for awhile, glad to see Ole PuttyCat's story hour is still here, some things shouldn't change. O before I forget HIYA KidC ~Waves~ Give the Puss a hug for me !


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## Tremere

*Distant eyes*

I have been away for some time and thought It'd take a while to catch up.
Whoops!


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## Thornir Alekeg

Tremere said:
			
		

> I have been away for some time and thought It'd take a while to catch up.
> Whoops!



 Thank goodness you are back, I think the SH hasn't been updated because PCat didn't want you to miss anything.  Now that you are here, we can get an update soon, right?


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## Piratecat

Thornir Alekeg said:
			
		

> Thank goodness you are back, I think the SH hasn't been updated because PCat didn't want you to miss anything.  Now that you are here, we can get an update soon, right?



Right!

Heh. Time for a state of the life comment. I'm in the final stages of ENnies judging, and I'm lead designer on a game that ships in late July. We're still playing every other week, and I have recordings of the sessions. I'm not going to promise updates until I actually have them written and in my hot little hands. 

But life, as a whole, is in a great place right now. And that includes creativity. I'll let folks know as soon as it's focused back to writing.  

And on a separate note, we had a mini-reunion last weekend with the players for Shara, Arcade, Dylrath, Claris, Valdek, and all the usual suspects. We missed Tremere (TomTom Badgerclaw) and WisdomLikeSilence (Kiri), though!


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## Shieldhaven

...I don't even _know_ these people.  Never met them in my life.  But I've read and so thoroughly enjoyed your SH over the past several years that mention of a reunion makes me happy.

Er. This is either high praise for your story hour, or very, very creepy. 

Discerning between the two is left as an exercise for the reader.

Haven


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## darkhall-nestor

is piratecat still alive?


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## Graywolf-ELM

His Profile says "Last seen: Today"

GW


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## wedgeski

PC is alive and well on the boards, even if his SH is not.  When he gets back to it, I'm sure we'll all be here.


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## Thornir Alekeg

He's just building anticipation for DoD Story Hour: The Next Generation.


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## Ashrum the Black

Man, I got so excited when I saw this back at the top for a moment. Ah, well. Back to lurking and brooding.

Ashurm


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## the Jester

Yeah- again, here's hoping PC eventually gets back to this, and here's a million thank yous for all the writing he's done previously!


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## KrazyHades

PC, I've been reading your awesome storyhour, and a couple of questions came to me.

First off, how much of each session (if any) is improvised?

How much time do you spend doing prep (brainstorming, writing the adventure, stating out important NPCs, etc) for each session?

And how long has it been since the whole apathy towards the marching modrons? Not that you're upset about it or anything, of course. You would never be irked by something like that.


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## justinsluder

*poke poke*  Seems like it's still alive.

*kick*  Move damn it.

*kick kick kick*  There now you're back where you should be.  On the first page.


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## Ruined

Sneaky PC. He now has a tiny link in his .sig pointing to this thread. Maybe there's hope yet!

(I didn't bug you at Game Day about it, but you're fair game here.)


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## Piratecat

Heh. I sure am. Sagiro is updating his as well, which is totally shaming me. I'm busy right now -- refining a game design doc for work, taking a writing class on process (so how to avoid stalling!), working on a novel, and reading a jillion ENnies books. I'm still recording my games, possibly for future story hour writing. And I'm going to be writing a story hour for my nine-game 4e Practice Game. Woo!

The Defenders campaign is probably within ten runs of actually ending, drawing to a close after over 16 years. We've had two deaths in the last three games, at least one of them permanent. The bad guys are currently winning. We ended last game with Velendo immersed inside a worm that walks with a vermiurge closing in. Exciting times, and I love my players more than ever. But things are looking pretty scary right now.

To answer KrazyHades, the best way I've found to run an epic lvl game is to get to the point where I need to do as little prepwork as possible. I typically have a one page outline of what I expect the players to do or handle in a given session. I usually improvise anything not on it, or improvise to expand on things that are there. For instance, last night Agar used a _greater wish_ spell to find out exactly what happened to one of their allies from the last time they saw him, to the point where something utterly horrible happened to him. I had completely forgotten about this when doing game prep! So I made it up on the fly, based on what he would have been doing and what I knew of his downfall. That's good fun.

Right now I'm spending about 1-2 hours prepping for a game, as I've already done most of the grunt work. It varies some; the Defenders recently finished raiding the tomb of the God of Rot, and I had a lot of unique magic items to create. I've turned to using existing monsters and adjusting them to the right level, as it saves me a lot of fiddly time.

And the poor, dead modrons? The party first spurned my modron adventure back when it came out in 1997. The poor little buggers all apparently stopped working simultaneously soon after 3.5 came out, so maybe in 2005. _That'll_ teach 'em.


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## Fimmtiu

Nooooo! The poor modrons!


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## Jackylhunter

Good to hear you haven't forgotten us...=)  Hopefully you will find time soon to tell us the rest of the defenders adventures.   

Please also let us know more about your Novel, I know I'll be buying it, but is it Sci/fi, or something else...=)


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## Destil

Happy (belated) birthday, PC. Glad to hear the campaign is still going strong. Hopefully you'll get a chance to tell us about it in detail at some point.


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## Blackjack

*Finis!*

I realize that the Story Hour hasn't been kept up-to-date in some time, but for those of you who once followed PCat's Story Hour, I thought I'd mention that last night we played the final(!) session of the campaign, bringing the tale to a satisfying conclusion after 16(!) years!

 -Malachite


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## Rackhir

Blackjack said:


> I realize that the Story Hour hasn't been kept up-to-date in some time, but for those of you who once followed PCat's Story Hour, I thought I'd mention that last night we played the final(!) session of the campaign, bringing the tale to a satisfying conclusion after 16(!) years!
> 
> -Malachite




Wow! Congrats! So you finally just poured water into Spira to drive the worms out?


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## Jackylhunter

Wow, 16 years.  Glad to hear it was a satisfying final session.


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## justinsluder

Blackjack said:


> I realize that the Story Hour hasn't been kept up-to-date in some time, but for those of you who once followed PCat's Story Hour, I thought I'd mention that last night we played the final(!) session of the campaign, bringing the tale to a satisfying conclusion after 16(!) years!
> 
> -Malachite





Spill!!!


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## Mathew_Freeman

Rackhir said:


> Wow! Congrats! So you finally just poured water into Spira to drive the worms out?




I heard a rumour it involved a really big magnifying glass and a lot of _searing light_ spells.


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## Steve Jung

Tallarn said:


> I heard a rumour it involved a really big magnifying glass and a lot of _searing light_ spells.



Naw. It was salt, lots and lots of salt.


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## Elric

Wow, I remember the very first Piratecat Defenders post, in 2000 when he was a 3e playtester before he had a formal story hour.  The Defenders fighting Minotaur pirates on the seas to Eversink, as I recall.

I'd really like to know how this campaign ended if anyone is kind enough to write a summary.


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## Graywolf-ELM

Steve Jung said:


> Naw. It was salt, lots and lots of salt.




You mean they were all slugs?  well, then they needed Mages big bowl of beer then.  

GW


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