# The Nine Duchies (An Of Sound Mind Storyhour)



## arwink (Aug 16, 2002)

Well, my previous campaign had fizzled and died in the last session - the end result of a bad DMing call on my part and some tension that had been slowly developing in the group.  Two of my players decided to put a new group together from various workmates and friends.  It's an interesting mix of people, moreso because I hadn't gamed with a new set of players in about three or four years.  

Wanting some good karma for the start of the campaign, especially in light of the end of the previous one, I figured I'd start out with Of Sound Mind (Realistically, after reading P'Kitty's storyhour, how could you not?)

The characters are:

Talon Stargazer - A human Bard of noble birth, with a skill for music-magic.

Telaf Waterkin - a Human Psi-Warrior with aspirations of learning to use the spiked chain.  

Stavros Fellhammer - a Human barbarian of considerable strength, with a reputation of rudeness and lack of cleanliness.  Has strong faith in his god, and intends to multi-class to cleric in the near future.

Sara Swiftarrow - Human Ranger.  Sara and Stavross had been travelling together before the party formed, and although skilled with the bow she has a history of accidently nailing Stavros with a stray shot.

Herne - A Human Rogue.  A skilled climber.

Niki Soren - Human Rogue.  Is friends with a wizard in his home town and has received some training in the magical arts.  Started adventuring in order to learn more of the magical arts and eventually train as a fully-fledged wizard.  

At the start of the game, the characters are all travellers heading towards the town of Seluri for their own reasons.  After spending a night together at Bel'Durn (the ruins of a dwarven outpost that's a popular campsite for travellers), they travel together for the remainder of the day and a half journey to Seluri.


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## Plane Sailing (Aug 16, 2002)

Excellent, we can't have enough Of Sound Mind storyhour fun! I love seeing what things other people did with the same adventure.

(n.b. if this influences you at all I prefer to read small and regular chunks, rather than huge pages at wider intervals )

Best of luck!


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## arwink (Aug 16, 2002)

The party heads towards town.  They've shared many stories on the two days of the journey, and discovered they all share something in common.  Like many adventurers, they plan on using Seluri as the launching point for forays into the Bloodstone Hills, hoping to find some of the hidden caverns and mines abandoned by the Stonelost Dwarves in the demon-war.  

News of the town had reached them through travellers they'd met at Bel'Durn.  Tales of headaches and bad dreams had been drifting through the Duchy of Scar for days, although all present dismissed the claims.  Who concerned themselves with bad dreams when there were dangers in the world?  Seluri is still a backwater, despite the influx of mercenaries and adventurers in recent years.  For a century it was the domain of some strange and unusual dragon, and the lingering isolation Copperdeath's dominion enforced still holds for many.

They are within a few miles of the town when they come accross a man chasing two horses down the road.  The scene resembles a bizarre game of tag, with the elderly farmer trying to place a halter over the horses head, then the horses running a couple of dozen feet down the road before pausing to graze while the puffing farmer catches up again.  As the adventurer's approach, he throws up his hand in frustration.

"Again?" he yells, "How can they have escaped again.  Third time this week, and no sign of how they do it.  The gate isn't left open.  They can't jumpt the fence.  It's like they just sprout wings and fly.  Three days in a row."

He notices the party approaching and calms down slightly, shuffling slightly when he realises someone has caught his outburst.

"Howdy youngsters, Coming into town are ye?  My names Othic, I'm a farmer in these here parts.  I don't suppost you could do an old man a favor and try to rope these wayward horses of mine, could ye?"

The party look at each other.  Its hardly the vision of wild adventure they had in mind when they set out, but it seems the right thing to do.  Sara admits to having some empathy with animals, suggesting she may be able to keep the horses calm enough to loop a rope over their head.  She takes one of the halters and moves towards the horses, keeping her movements slow and her voice soothing.  She makes it within five feet of the creatures before they suddenly prance away, cantering down the road twenty feet or so before stopping to feast on the grass once more.  Sara shrugs.  She's done the best she could.  

While Talon starts questioning Othic, asking about why his horses are so difficult to corral, Niki decides on a more direct route towards their capture.  He makes a quick lasso out and decides to rope one of the horses.  He's seen it being done before, and it doesn't look that hard.  The lasso loops over his head three times, then drifts through the air.  Niki grins in triumph as the loop settles over the horses head and he pulls it tight.  There are a few cheers of encouragement and approval from the party, and even Othic looks petty pleased by the development.

Then the horse bolts, dragging the rope behind it.  

Niki doesn't let go, digging his heals in to try and slow the stallion.  He's pulled along about a foot and a half before he's no longer upright, and another dozen feet before it occurs to him that he's no-where near strong enough to halt a frightened horse.  

Stavros reacts immediately.  He's spent years running as part of his training, can cover a short distance at amazing speed.  He charges forward, leaping for the flicking tip of the lasso rope before it's dragged to far out of reach.  He just manages to lay a hand on it, and for a few feet he's dragged behind just as Niki is.  Eventually Stavros manages to get some leverage, pulling himself to his feet and pulling the horse to a dead stop. He and Niki are both bruised and battered, but don't appear to be suffering from any lasting damage.

The second horse is almost as difficult to capture.  Sara tries to approach it calmly once more, but it shies away.  It bolts towards Talon and Othic, but both leap out of its path.  Niki's prepared another lasso and catches it as it goes path.  This time Stavros has already got a grip on the end of the rope, and his great strength quickly pulls the fleeing horse to a halt.

When the two bridled horses are returned to him, Othic looks unbelievably pleased.  

"Thank ye lad, thank ye.  I'll tell you what - since you've done such a good deed, why don't you come with me for dinner.  It may not be much, but it's as good as you'll get in town at the moment.  And I guarentee I'm no-where near as grumpy as some of the folk in there about these nightmares and all."

The party agrees.  Theres a great deal of discussion as they make the treck towards Othic's farm.  Talon quickly extracts local events from the farmer - learning that the three of the towns children have gone missing, and the local adventuring company that went searching for them has similarly been gone for days.  THere's some talk of the nightmares and the headaches, but Othic seems remarkably seperated from the situation.  He's used to not sleeping, and he's more concerned with his livestock than anything else.  The conversation immediately turns to the mysterious escapes, and exactly what enables the horses to get away.

"Were-horses," Niki comments.  "Mark my words, it's going to be because of were-horses."


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## arwink (Aug 16, 2002)

Thanks Plane Sailing.  It was actually your thread that convinced me this was the adventure I had to run.  I was tossing up between one or two other things, but read the first few installments of the Kyri chronicles and immediately went out to pick this up.  I'd looked at OSM a few times before, but given that I'd been running games for 10th level characters for the last 12 months, I thought I wound't have any use for it.  Then the new group happened, and once the Kyri cronicles reminded me it was out there, and illustrated some of the more interesting ideas P'Kitty included.... Goddam, I love those horses 

I'll try and keep the posts short and regular, especially in contrast to my last storyhour.  It's not my strong point though.  I'm something of a rambler by nature.


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## arwink (Aug 17, 2002)

Dinner with Othic is pleasant enough, although Herne refuses the stewed fish the old man offers and spends the evening picking potatoes and carrots out of the broth.  Othic tells the party a few choice stories about Seluri, and although he mentions the headaches and the recent troubles, it's obvious that he's much more interested in rehashing the old days.  Talon presses the man for more information, particularly interested in the tales of missing children and the adventurers that had gone after them.

"Forget it, lad" Othic tells him.  "The towns seen worse than missing children in its past.  People are just getting antsy and nervous, what with the wizards and the preists leaving town.  You'll see when you get in there.  A quarter of the town just paniced a few days after the dreams started, refused to listen to reason.  Bain't no reason to go fleeing the town though.  When you compare it to the dragon, this is like a summer's walk."

After dinner finishes, Othic bids the party good evening, explaining he's got an early morning ahead of him tomorrow.  He asks if anyone has somewhere to stay in the area, when it becomes apparent that everyone is a complete stranger to the town, he recommends the Bell and Anchor.  The owner, Techic, is a good man, and the ale's quite reasonabley priced.

The party follows the road past the outlying farm and into Seluri.  It's a small, coastal town, wedged in between a thick woodland to the south and the borders of the dangerous Bloodstone Hills to the north.  A small mounatin looms in the darkness, a shadowy presence that makes several of the party uncomfortable.  

Talon has heard a few stories about the town, and is happy to point out the landmarks as they pass.  THe Shadowy Mountain is Steeple mount, the home of the towns copper mine and once the lair of the dragon Copperdeath.  The woods to the south are Fenring Forest, home to fey creatures both wild and dangerous, and rarely touched by the feet of men.  The party pass through the towns wide streets, following Othic's directions towards the inn while they listen to Talon's commentary.  They find themselves in the town square, looking up at a fifty-foot tower where the faint gleem of a giant bell can be seen in the moonlight.

"That's Wyrmcall," Talon says.  "When Copperdeath controlled the town, it was used to warn the townsfolk that the dragon was coming.  The towns known for its craftsmen, you know.  There isn't a church in the duchies that doesn't hire a Seluri craftsman to craft their bell..."

Talon trails off.  He's been reciting the story from memory, momentarily pausing beneath the bell-tower in order to gain some dramatic impact.  Everyone else, having heard all that they need, has already started off down the street and left the bard talking to the empty town squar.  Talon coughs, then scurries down the street to catch up with his new friends.  There's a large building ahead of them, light and the rumble of conversation spilling from its open windows.  In the flickering light of the lanterns set out the front, the party can read the inns name: THe Bell and Anchor.  Thier muscles aching after three days of walking, there's a cheerful skip in everyone's step as they move towards the door.


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## Plane Sailing (Aug 17, 2002)

arwink said:
			
		

> *Thanks Plane Sailing.  It was actually your thread that convinced me this was the adventure I had to run.   *




Woooo! I wonder if PC will give me a discount


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## Plane Sailing (Aug 20, 2002)

So when is the next update, arwink?


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## arwink (Aug 20, 2002)

Sorry.  I've been sick for a few days, and I'm still hurrying to catch up on work that I missed.  Hopefully, I'll get the next part up and running in the next day or two


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## PaynAndispare (Aug 20, 2002)

New to your story hour here ... so far so good 

A fresh party looking for fun ... can't wait to find out what dangers are lurking out there for them.

I'll be back.


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## Piratecat (Aug 20, 2002)

Hee hee... werehorses!


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## Haakon (Aug 20, 2002)

Well I'm glad I didn't get around to reading some of the other story hours, before arwink started this adventure. It is much more fun when you don't know what is coming.

I'm playing Telaf in this adventure. I had played Solomon Ishtok in the previous game that almost ended up being a TPK.


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## arwink (Aug 21, 2002)

Piratecat said:
			
		

> *Hee hee... werehorses!   *




He felt quite validated by the end of the session, especially after the odd looks some of the other PC's gave him during his rant.  

Piratecat, you're an evil, evil man.

Hopefully, I'll get a chance to update tonight (Australian Time), otherwise it'll happen tomorrow for sure.


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## arwink (Aug 22, 2002)

The Bell and Anchor is a well-lit, warm inn, the largest in town and the only taproom frequented by both miners and fisherman.  The Party pushes their way through the front doors, and are almost immediately taken by the strange decorations that hang from the walls - a run of broken swords, cracked armor and aging dragons teeth.  Hanging from a chandelier, pointing towards a wax-spattered table, is a dragons talon the length of a man's forearm.  In a glass case against one of the walls, a diary and an aging battle-axe are kept in a small glass cabinet.  There are a number of patrons, talking to one another in low-piched tones.  There are prominant bags under the eyes of many, and several of the party pick up scraps of conversation turning unnecesarily sharp or angry as they move towards the bar.  Even Tokket, the half-elven bartender, seems to be moving sluggishly.

Well fed after Othic's genorosity, most of the party focuses on sleep rather than carousing.  They quickly pay for five seperate rooms, the only people choosing to share being Sara and Stavros.  The pair have a long established sleeping arangement - Sara gets the bed, while Stavros's job is to lay against the door jam with his sword nearby, blocking the draft and well-placed in the event of an attack.  Used to such spartan sleeping conditions after life among his people, Stavros rarely complains about this arrangement, and his position has even saved their lives in one instance.  Even so, he's slowly learned enough of civilised man's ways to realise the bed is something of a luxury, maybe even a status symbol, and he complains even as he wraps a cloak around his backpack to use as a pillow.

While half the party heads for bed, the other half puts in some quality time with the taproom.  Herne spends much of the evening squinting through the dusty glass of the display case, trying to read the diary.  Talon spends some time circulating among the locals, hoping to pick up a few new bits of lore he hasn't yet learned.  Stavros is still bruised and battered from being dragged by a galloping horse, and decides he should soothe the pain by sampling the best of the house ales.

Herne is the first of these to retire.  The book in the glass case turns out to be a diary, particularly the memories of a dwarven warrior who was involved in the slaying of Seluri's dragon.  He reads for a while, takes a few notes, and contemplates breaking into the cheap lock that holds the case shut and taking a closer look.  In the end, however, the case leaves him just a little to exposed for such skullduggery, and he figures he's learned enough to earn some sleep.

Talon talks to many of the townsfolk, but mostly spends his time talking with Tokkey.  He doesn't learn much that he didn't already know, but does pick up a few additions.  OF particular interest to him was Tokket's theory that the town had insulted a god, and that the dreams were a vengence curse.  He also learns the reason why the townsfolk seem so subdued in their plight, seemingly willing to bear the effects of the sleepless nights without trying to end them - the local seer, Utrish, has seen that the dreams will end in about a week.  This information makes Talon feel slightly better about the town.  Their seeming refusal to take steps to end their plight had left him confused and frustrated, and not a little wary of their motives.  Satisfied that the folk of Seluri aren't mad, lazy or simply stupid, Talon heads off to bed feeling slighly better about his presence in the town.

Stavros drinks for hours, well into the darkest portions of the night.  He outlasts most of the townsfolk, and definately drinks more than any of them.  When he's eventually escorted to his room and it's comfortable patch of floor, he's barely able to stand and relying on Tokket's sturdy arm to guide him.

That night, the party sleeps and dreams.  Their dreams are dark and disturbing, full of images of failure and dispair that leaves them waking frightened and cold.  More than one of them is screaming in their sleep by the time that morning arrives, and Stavros seems to have chewed a hole into his leather scabbard while he slept.  The party gathers in the taproom for breakfast, sees the grey and sleepless expression on the other members faces.  It is decided that the dreams do not bode well, for the party or the town.


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## Plane Sailing (Aug 22, 2002)

Did you follow the suggestions for the dreams, letting them read their one for a short period and then suddenly snatching them back? I tried it, and after the original shock ("i hadn't finished it yet!") it worked really well, as they struggled to recount to one another their dreams.

The "character" of each of the characters is starting to come through nicely.

Cheers


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## arwink (Aug 23, 2002)

Actually, there was very little discussion of the dreams.  Everyone kind of read through theirs, and sat quietly after I took them back.  Stavros and Herne mentioned a few things about theirs, but mostly everyone was fairly quiet beyond "So, you had a bad dream too huh?"

It did lead to Stavros uttering the words "I get angry about not being able to get angry" every time he wanted to rage.  Herne was kind nervous about climbing from here on in, and Talon's player mostly just glared at me at me for a bit, but that may well have been because she'd perused the local area handouts while integrating all the new knowledged she'd gathered, and realised that there was an entire wood full of spiders (she has a phobia).  

All in all, I was expecting the dreams to have something more of an impact.  I blame it on having a relatively new group, with everyone still trying to find their place, and the fact that not everyone seemed that used to this style of adventure.  In the old group, the dreams would probably have led to mass hysteria, hours of research, a furious flurry of e-mails regarding theories after the game and essentially resulted in extreme paranoia.  But then they were used to this kind of stuff and the implications it held, the new guys aren't (yet ).

Have to clear a few deadlines this weekend, but all going well the next update should be Sunday some time.


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## Plane Sailing (Aug 23, 2002)

I'll look forward to seeing it next week then!

Cheers


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## Plane Sailing (Sep 2, 2002)

Just a friendly reminder that we are eagerly awaiting your next installment, Arwink!

Cheers


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## arwink (Sep 3, 2002)

*Appologies...*

My appologies to Plane Sailing and any others who were reading this storyhour, I realise I'd said I'd update a long while ago, but things basically hit the fan, both with work and my thesis, so I've been more or less swamped for the past few weeks.  Worse, it looks like it will continue to be so for quite some time to come.  

At this point I'm not entirely sure I'm going to have time to finish the adventure until after Christmas (finding the time to game has become somewhat straining), so updating the storyhour somehow got continually regulated to the bottom of the list of things-to-do.  I had meant to type this appology a week ago, but I was hoping that I'd somehow manage to get things in hand by now.  

I'll be back to finish this, sooner or later, but I'm not entirely sure when.  Thanks for the support, sorry for leaving the story half finished...


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## Plane Sailing (Sep 3, 2002)

Ah, don't worry - real life DOES get in the way sometimes. I just wanted you to know you weren't forgotten!

I'll keep an eye out for when the Nine Duchies once more rises with an update.

Good luck with the thesis and everything

Cheers


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