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9/11/2019 1:53 am  #41


Re: Nightfall

Session 8:  The Tower
 
For this session we were joined again by ahi but rob and EOTB were absent.  It was a near TPK but the party was triumphant in the end. 
 
PCS
mike – Ole Oleson, Viking Fighter (Level 2)
terry – Sparky, Keltic Pyromancer (Level 2)
wind – Zambrosia, Keltic Cleric (Level 2)
ahi-  Talia Shirazz(Formerly TPK), Ixian Cryomancer (Level 2)
 
NPCS
Lutho – a tiny red humanoid
Tiresia – a one armed Amazon
 
With the great horned beast slain the party turned their attention to the tower.  In the aftermath of the battle Von (and Lutho) decided to rest and recover in the shelter of a boulder pile while the Nameless Legerdemainist had remained in bird form and flown out of sight of the rest of the party.   The remaining party started for the tower when they were joined by Talia who had been captured soon after her foray through the gate and carried in a basket for several days before escaping.  Amazingly this was near the tower!  Hearing the sounds of battle she investigated and was astonished to find her old companions.
 
Thus reinforced the party continued to the tower.  This structure was made up of massive boulders piled up like a cairn.  It was about 100 feet tall and the only entrance (besides window openings higher up) was a stout wood door.  In front of the tower they found a post to which was tied the recently dead body of a bulbous headed lizard man.   As the party contemplated this sight the door opened, and a pair of humans emerged.  They called out to the party inviting them into the tower.   Though wary the party decided to accept the invitation and entered the tower.  Within were three humans.  One in armor and two others dressed in the normal garb of Torth.   They said they had ended the menace of the wizard lizard and offered the party refreshment.  During this conversation another man made his way downstairs.  He was disheveled and half naked – in one hand he carried a silvery cane with a golden head in the shape of a lizard.  He glared at the party balefully before one of the other humans told him to get dressed before he spoke to their guests.  As he was doing this the other humans said that this person was their leader - the wizard Karash - who had been behaving erratically since they slew the lizaed wizard.  They then offered the party a drink of the local liquor – Taranteen – a fiery substance flavored with native herbs.  After drinks the party was given a room on the ground floor and fell (too) quickly to sleep. 
 
They were awoken several hours later (all save Talia) by the sound of guttural voices in the next room.  Trying the door they found it locked from the outside.   Listening at the door they realized that the humans were selling them to somebody for a substantial amount of treasure.  As the negotiation ended they made plans to escape.  Sparky started priming his Eel Skin Gloves, Vambrosia cast Sanctury on herself.   As the door opened they sprung into action and found themselves in a fight with 7 lizard men.   Vambrosia scouted around to the open door of the tower and found that there were many more lizard men outside – including several heavily armored ones mounted on enormous horned reptiles and at least one with a bulbous head.    Vambrosia quickly shut and barred the door.   The rest of the party slew the remaining lizard men after a tough battle.  Sparky was injured and returned to the room to rest with the still sleeping Talia.  Seeing the way out blocked Vambrosia and Ole decided the only way out was up. 
 
They crept up the wooden stair to the second level of the tower which was a single large room.  They were horrified to find that it  contained a two legged reptile at least 25 feet in length.  It snapped at them with its dagger sized teeth and they quickly retreated.  Seeing a stair leading further up in the creatures chamber they decided to see if they could distrac the beast with the corpse of a lizard man. Rigging the corpse as a crude puppet they were successful as the creature grabbed the dead lizardman and began shaking it giving Ole and Vambrosia just enough time to scramble to the stair.  They made their way up the stair and found yet another one room level – the sleeping place of the humans.  All save the leader were here.  They sprung into action at the sight of the party.   The two civilians each put on rings and began to change into something – a process interrupted when Vambrosia managed to cast hold person on all three.  They were quickly dispatched, and the party continued upward after taking note of a large chest filled with gold and ingots of lift metal.
 
On the next level they found another room this contained a fairly completed wizards laboratory.   Of note were several human size “birdcages” and a butchers chopping block that had apparently been used very recently.   Vambrosia also found two stones that seemed to want to float around her head – she put those in her pouch.   The only way up from this room was a ladder at the top of which was a trapdoor that looked to open to the roof.  Ole led the way – to his misfortune – as he was immediately hit by several magic missiles as he emerged onto the roof.   He managed to strike back once but a second volley knocked him from the ladder and into unconsciousness onto the floor below.   Vambrosia considered her options but suddenly Karash appeared next to her and began a spell but he was not fast enough as she stopped it short with her sword.   Picking up the man’s cane she made her way to the roof. 

Down below she could see the band of lizardman at the base of the tower.  The bulbous headed one called up and  said for her to give them the rod as it belonged to his sire. 

At the same time the cane or rod began to speak to Vambrosia and offered her great power – as long as she ate one of her fellows – an offered she spurned.

Vambrosia held the rod aloft and threatened the band below with its power and she was surprised to see them make a hasty retreat.  Returning to Ole she brought him to consciousness with a drink of liquor and left the cane with him.  

The rod tempted Ole as well, more successfully,  but he was too week to take it up on the offer.  However he did look longingly at the body of Karash.

Vambrosia then made her way to the stair to the great dinosaurs chamber and casting speak with animals convinced the creature to give her passage for the corpse of Karash and the promise of release from his prison.  While the creature ate the corpse of his old captor, and with the help of sparky and the now awoken TPK, she dismantled the wood stair to the second level opening just enough space for the creature to squeeze out and escape.   The party were now the masters of the tower!

 

2/24/2020 7:19 pm  #42


Re: Nightfall

Well I've gotten quite a ways behind on my recaps!  I'm going to try to start posting the long forms again but to catch up I'm going to post slightly edited version of the capsule recaps I send out with my game scheduling emails.  

Session IX - Run through the Jungle wherein the party:  met up with companions old and new, set out on a journey to the outpost of Dr. Agama, fought off a squamous mage and his mesmerist pterodactyl henchmen, decided against exploring a vast pit (with caves at the bottom) that was heralded by a swarm of carrion "birds" hovering over a scene of carnage, arrived at a vantage overlooking the great river, and fought off a second squamous mage - this time assisted by a pair of pachycephalosaur mounted knights - in a pitched battle that left one party member unconscious. 

Session X - Rivers Edge wherein the party :  made an new ally, crossed a rivers, survived a crocodile attack , tamed a pachycephalosaur (after many attempts), found an ancient stele covered with Hyperborean writing marking a path into the mountains, discovered a small shrine and blood covered idol, found a secret door, began exploring an enormous underground structure, and contemplated opening a door sealed with blood.  

Session XI - A Bloody Temple wherein the party:  Opened a blood sealed door, fought a demonic turtle, were ambushed by an albino alligator, descended to an underground pool, through careful planning successfully got the jump on determined group of enemies, and survived a late night attack by a pair of ring bearing monsters out for revenge.  

Session XII - The Outpost wherein the party: Surveyed the outpost of Dr. Agama from a high vantage, went on a scouting expedition near small temple, saw a human wearing a large-brimmed black felt hat duck into recently excavated burrow,  shouted for human at entry to burrow, were answered by three giant black acid spitting lizards, followed last lizard dragging remains of Taledorn Phoenix) into burrow,  after a series of missed opportunities said goodbye to Vambrosia and Tiresia, limped back to camp, and said hello to two new travelers from the wilds of Torth.

Session XIII - New Companions wherein the party: Welcomed a new companion, recovered the remains of Zambrosia and Tiresia, agitated a whole colony of deadly lizards with fire, met  Lord Hyskos the master of the outpost (formerly of Hyperborea), learned of Lord Hyskos’ feud with the underground dwelling and black hat wearing folk the Oon, and were given the command of a troop of tiny lizard men.
 
Session XIV - A Personal Army wherein the party:  Led a small army of half-size lizardmen, defeated a nest of acid breathing lizards, unleashed an environmental catastrophe, discovered an ancient underground laboratory, recovered gold plates covered with unknown writing, awoke a monstrous lizard-toad beast, and charged into battle against laser axe wielding undead lizardmen.   
 
Session XV - Strange Doings Underground wherein the party:  Further explored the ancient laboratory under Lord Hyskos's fortress,  defeated a corpse throwing lizard-toad beast, sadly lost the services of an eminent explorer of the Amazon,  had a supernatural encounter, discovered many locked metal boxes, were given passage by more laser axe wielding undead lizard men, and discovered a possible portal to two separate worlds.   
 

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2/27/2020 11:42 am  #43


Re: Nightfall

This was a fun read, lige. I gotta go back and read the rest some time. But I am a fan of the one-line recaps! Torth! My players are STILL complaining about it, ten years later!

 

2/27/2020 8:12 pm  #44


Re: Nightfall

Thanks Handy!  I hope to have that sort of longevity with the complaints - I'm already hearing a fair amount!  

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3/24/2020 12:31 am  #45


Re: Nightfall

Session XVI:  Open Gates 
I’m going to catch up one of these days!

PCs
mike – Ole Oleson, Viking Fighter (Level 3)
wind – Snake Eyes, Neshfal Abomination (human combined with snake)* Fighter (Level 2)
rob – Vonn the Unyielding, Kimmerian Cataphract, (Level 3)
tellion – Rogue Wolf, Keltic Barbarian (Level 2)
 
NPCS
Varago – green vegan lizard man agent of the Green Empire (Monk)
Several half-size lizardmen warriors
 
*Players making replacement characters on Torth were given additional options beyond the cultures of Hyperborea.  The wizards guild of old Neshfal has a long running program of combining humans and reptiles – most of these are released into the wilderness.  Some survive to become adventurers. 
 
TLDR:  The second half of the party  re-entered the underground laboratory, did a forensic reconstruction of a battle, avoided the corpse of a toad-lizard beast, watched the barbarian make a mighty leap, discovered the shocking nature of a strange metal studded rift, found several football sized eggs, discovered a neatly organized collection of human skin suits, watched Snake-Eyes don one of said suits and then appear as a Hyperborean grandee, were given safe passage from two laser axe wielding guards, entered a gate to another land,  laid bones to rest, viewed a battle between two elephant riding armies, left that land and entered a gate to Hyperborea, fought a pack of giant rats, emerged from a burrow into the backstreets of Khromarium, had a good night’s rest and a hot meal, and engaged the services of a magician to examine some of their stranger items.

Recap:   Following up on the adventures of Sparky and the late lamented Percy Harrison Fawcett (tellion’s 2nd PC) the remaining party left the outpost to follow their lead.  After an exploration of the tunnels of the acid spitting lizard, finding said tunnels abandoned, they entered the ancient laboratory.  In the second chamber they discovered the corpses of several of Lord Hyskos’ small lizardmen warriors as well as the mangled corpse of Percy Harrison Fawcett.  The signs of battle were everywhere.  Opening the door to the hallway beyond they were confronted by the lizard-toad beast they had encountered before.  This time it was strangely adorned by a broadbrimmed black hat perched atop its head.  The party made sure the beast was dead and continued onward. 

After traversing the long hallway, they pushed on to see what had been guarded by the laser axe wielding undead lizardmen.  This was found to be a small circular chamber with walls of metal and two levers and another door leading beyond.  The party ignored the levers and continued through the door.   After a short journey the passage ended at a chasm extending for 30 feet on either side.  On the other side of the chasm they saw a landing and door.  Looking down the walls of the chasm were studded with evenly spaced metal rods.  At the base of the chasm the party saw another broad, brimmed black hat identical to the one worn by the toad-beast.  Rogue Wolf leaped across the chasm but found the door had no lock or latch.   Meanwhile Snake Eyes decided to climb down into the chasm to investigate and was zapped by lighting arcing across the chasm.  He quickly climbed out and Rogue Wolf leaped back.  

Deciding to leave this door for later investigation the party went back and moved into the auditorium area where they had originally encountered (and awakened) the toad beast.  Searching this area further they found 3 football sized leathery eggs.  They debated whether or not to destroy them but in the end Snake Eyes put them into his pack.  They continued onward, tracing the path of their companions and found themselves in a chamber with a stack of 16 metal boxes.   After braving a nuisance trap of electricity, they managed to open one of the boxes.  It contained: fine robes, a small repair kit, the hilt of a dagger and the folded skin of a human with platinum hair.  After some debate Snake Eyes decided to try on the skin suit and after donning it appeared to be a Hyperborean of noble bearing.

Snake Eyes decided to continue wearing the skin.  The party continued on and were confronted by two undead lizard men guardians at a door.  On the floor they saw the decapitated remnants of another lizard man.  Snake Eyes went forward and commanded them and the two stepped aside and the rest of the party entered the room beyond where they found Sparky and Varago and the small lizardmen.  The room contained a complex device that appeared to be a gate.  Sparky and Varago had earlier found two keys to the device which appeared to open it to two different locations.  One a stone hallway with a five-sided door and the second a dimly lit, rubble filled room with a mosaic of Thaumagorga upon the wall opposite the gate. 
  
The party decided to enter the gates.  They first entered the gate with the five-sided door.  They found themselves in a corridor with a glowing portal back to where they came partially blocking the corridor.  After some investigation they figured out how to open the five sided door (which folded back into five equal triangles).   Beyond they found a semi-circular room with panoramic window overlooking a tropical valley.  Through the window they could see a battle between two armies of men.  Each army had a number of war elephants in addition to regular infantry and cavalry.  In this room they laid the remains of a human Sparky had found earlier in the laboratory and felt compelled to return to that human’s home.  Leaving the panorama  room, the party explored further and discovered a number of other chambers as well as a pentagonal amulet, a coronet studded with blue gems and several jars of very good wine.   In one of the chambers they found a pentagon inscribed on the floor – Sparky (and the barbarian) were sure it had sorcerous import.  They also found a passage that seemed to lead outdoors but they decided to return and try the other gate.   

This is just a taste of one of the more divergent settings for MERP  - Ardor - I'm thinking I'll be using it with some of the serial numbers filed off if the players decide to come back. 

Stepping through this gate the first thing they noticed was the bitter cold. The second was the odor of rats.  The room appeared to be an underground chamber – possibly a long-abandoned shrine of Thaumagorga.  The party was quickly confronted by a number of giant rats which were quickly dispatched.  A search for exits found one door blocked by rubble and a crude burrow leading upward out of the chamber.  The cold caused the lizardmen to stay behind in the gate room while the party decided to see where the burrow led.  Ole took the lead and started slowly climbing up the burrow – his knife in his teeth.  After climbing about 15’ he was confronted by a giant rat blocking his way.  After a long battle (and after sustaining several bites) Ole was victorious and pressed on and emerged into an alley in the back streets of Khromarium.  The rest of the party followed.   A small group of slum denizens warming themselves at a fire the only witnesses to this emergence.  Finally at home the party searched out accommodations and found The Manticore – a respectable establishment – where they ordered food and rented rooms.   The weak stew of roots and unknown meat was the best thing most had eaten since entering Torth.  This was washed down by some of the wine they had discovered beyond the other gate.  The next few days were spent buying supplies, searching out a cure for Ole's rat bite infection,  and asking for sorcerous help in identifying some of the items they had discovered.  In particular the rings they had recovered from the pair at the lizard wizards tower (when Ole had tried them on one caused him to grow fangs and the other caused him to grow a short tail)..

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4/08/2020 10:50 pm  #46


Re: Nightfall

Session XVII:  The Boys are Back in Town
In this session Vonn’s player couldn’t make it but terry rejoined with Sparky.  And we had a new player, matthew, who made a Keltic shaman.  
 
PCs
mike – Ole Oleson, Viking Fighter (Level 3)
wind – Snake Eyes, Neshfal Abomination (human combined with snake) Fighter (Level 2)
terry – Sparky, Keltic Pyromancer, (Level 4)
tellion - Rogue Wolf, Keltic Barbarian (Level 2)
matthew – Jodito, Keltic Shaman (Level 2)
 
TLDR: Wherein the party met a pair of wizards and a trained monkey, discovered that certain rings were more dangerous than they realized, were tasked to find a transformed apprentice, journeyed to an ancient tower, found a shrine to a bat, had a view of ancient Khromarium, failed to use a net, wrestled a ring off a monstrous beast, triggered and survived a trap, broke into someone’s home with a laser ax, and settled in at the base of the tower.

Recap:   The party was still resting up at the Manticore in Khromarium when they met a Keltic Shaman (Jodito) who told them of a misadventure at the market and made cryptic reference to his totem the Jaguar, apparently some sort of mythical jungle cat.  Soon after they were visited by two magicians.  The elderly Tartek and young sorceress Phaedra, student of the great Praxigoras.   Phaedra was also accompanied by a liveried monkey.  Tartek was the sorcerer who the party had hired to examine the two rings.  He told them that during this examination his apprentice Ayatha had put on one of the rings and transformed into a ravenous beast and fled his tower killing another apprentice and several guards.  She had then fled into the outskirts of the city leaving a trail of dead and sometimes half eaten corpses in her wake.  

Tartek said the party had some complicity in the events and implored them to capture the transformed girl alive.  He explained that Ayatha was the daughter of a powerful nomad chief of the Fields of Vol and this chief would hold him, and anyone else involved, responsible for anything that happened to her.   He said he presumed removing the ring would reverse the transformation.  The party prevaricated and he then offered a reward of 2000 gp for bringing her back unharmed.  At this the party accepted and made plans for the expedition.  They went to the market and bought a stout net.  They also found a witch that would sell them a healing draught which she said was efficacious but only potent if several quarts were drunk at one go. 

Thus fortified they sought out the location of the girl – an ancient tower in the ruins at the outskirts of the city.  In the moonlight they could see the tower was cylindrical and at least 100’ tall.   A pair of closed stairs spiraled around the tower and the ancient masons had given these the semblance of a serpent.  At the top of the tower they could see a horned statue.  Talking to locals they had heard that a flock of birdmen lived at the top of the tower and on approach there was indeed telltale sign of these creatures. 

There were two entrances on the ground floor each opening to a stair going up and to bottom level of the tower.  At the entry they found a crude painting of a bat with numerous small jars and dishes holding a variety of items including candles, dried flowers, and remnants of food stuffs arranged beneath the painting.   Moving within the tower proper they found a large round room encompassing the entire first floor of the tower.  Within this room they found only the bloody and dismembered corpse of a hyena-man and a trap door.  Checking the hyena man, they found the corpse still warm and partially eaten.  They robbed the creature of its coinage and then dragged it atop the trap door.  They then then checked the other entry and found that there was a blood trail leading up the stairs.   They decided to take the other stairs and advanced to the second level.  They found another room also encompassing the whole level.  The room was filled with rubble and a few bones.  They found a stringless crossbow at the edge of this room.  Moving upward again they entered the third level, again a single room, this one having a fresco depicting an ancient and wondrous city that wrapped around the entire inner side of the wall of the tower.  Upon closer examination of the moonlit view through the windows the party surmised that it might be a depiction of Khromarium in an earlier time.  A section of the painting was marred by bloody handprints and hand and remnants of an arm were found nearby.  Also found was a suit of banded mail crushed and rent as though it was foil.  The insides of the armor were covered with frozen blood.

Undeterred the party soldiered on up the stairs.  Suddenly a hairy arm with a taloned hand thrust itself through a window and grabbed at Rogue Wolf.   A struggle ensued and Rogue Wolf broke free.  Ole leaned out the window and saw a beast matching the descriptions of Tartek making its way up the side of the tower to the next level.  At the same time Snake Eyes sprinted up the stairs to intercept the beast.  In a chamber that seemed to be the beasts lair Snake Eyes readied himself with the net.  The beast charged and Snake Eyes cast his net.  The beast easily dodged, and Snake Eyes was sorely wounded by the beast’s claws, bite and spiked tail.  The rest of the party joined and again failed with the net.  At this point Sparky cast a fire net on the beast and succeeded in trapping it for a moment.   The party spent precious moments trying to wrest the ring from its hand and failing until the fire web ceased.  The freed beast again attacked felling Snake Eyes but eventually the force of numbers prevailed, and the party wrested the ring from the beast and it became again the young apprentice of Tartek.

 The party took her back to the Inn and soon received their reward and the gratitude of the sorcerer.  They rested until Snake Eyes was back on his feet and then returned to the tower as they had not reached the top in their earlier foray.  Moving past the erstwhile beasts lair they overcame a deadfall trap and came upon an apparently inhabited level of the tower and were blocked entry by a stout door.

They cut through the door with the laser axe and found themselves in a wood walled hallway.  The saw that entry into the hallway would leave them vulnerable to a series of murder holes.  They cut through the wood wall and into an inner sanctum where several humans were waiting with spears.  These humans had a distinctive costume that included a high fur hat and a dagged leather cloak.  The party parleyed with them and decided in the end to leave them alone.  Though not before questioning them on their odd choice of habitation.  The humans deflected these questions and the party continued to the roof.  After seeing the bird men dwelt upon a platform that would require a dangerous climb the party descended and decided to rest up again and then venture into the trapdoor at the bottom of the tower.

Last edited by lige (4/08/2020 10:58 pm)

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8/21/2020 1:53 am  #47


Re: Nightfall

With Covid we've switched to an online game and an increased frequency.   This means I have gotten way behind on my recaps!   To catch up again I'm posting my weekly recaps I use in my scheduling emails along with a few extra comments in italics.   The players have been:

(at almost all sessions)
wind – Snake Eyes, Neshfal Abomination (human combined with snake) Fighter  
terry – Sparky, Keltic Pyromancer,  
tellion - Rogue Wolf, Keltic Barbarian 
joel - Kerryan, Kimmeri-Kelt Ledgerdemainist

(with the occasional appearance of)
mike – Ole Oleson, Viking Fighter 
rob – Vonn the Unyielding, Kimmerian Cataphract  
matthew – Jodito, Male Amazon Shaman  


Session XVIII: Laughter in the Dark  wherein the party:  entered a trapdoor beneath the serpent encircled tower, surgically removed a door with a laser axe, defeated a band of hyena-men, found a gruesome walk-in freezer, explored strange tunnels beneath the city of Khromarium, picked a glass fruit from a silver tree, fought a colossal centipede, and narrowly escaped being entombed in ice.  
 
Session XIX : Font of Mordezzan wherein the party:  Explored more of the undercity, fought a pair of colossal centipedes, learned how to suck poison from a wound, tried out different mapping procedures, found another way out, saw a true feat of dexterity, found the back entrance to a tavern, fought a band of hyena-men, puzzled at the sudden appearance of floating octozoids, killed said octozoids, rested, assaulted and sacked a shrine of Mordezzan, and recovered a large bronze bowl.
 
Session XX: Enclave of the Cyclotron wherein party met a new friend, rested up at the inn at the sign of the Manticore, sold the bronze bowl to a priest of Mordezzan, bought a bunch of rope, followed a treasure map,  descended deep into the earth, fought a giant red beetle, failed to foil some traps, defeated a bronze cyclops, used a laser axe to slice through a priceless work of art (some really nice bronze doors) , and removed hanging lamps from a ceiling.
(This session was the first appearance of joel’s character Kerryan, a Kimmeri-Kelt Ledgerdamainist – he had the treasure map.)
 
Session XXI: Buried Memories wherin the party:  fought an unnatural armored beast, almost succumbed to ennui (exuded by said beast), looted more furnishings, bashed in a lock, recovered the equipage of an ancient warrior and left the undercity, emerged near a heated pool in a grotto behind a ruined mansion, fought an angry oyster for its pearl, commandeered the grotto, met a "Hyperborean" (and his ravenous children) who turned out to be an old friend (Varago and several of the tiny lizard men wearing human suits), were given a message from Lord Hyskos, commissioned a suit of armor be made from the skin of the armored beast (this was Rogue Wolf), correctly guessed the most bloodthirsty beast of all, opened a glass door, and brought a painted lady back to life. (The whole underground complex appeared to be an abandoned shrine dedicated to Yondeh with a sleeping women kept behind a glass door as an object of veneration)
 
Session XXII: Wolverines!!  Wherein the party: Bought clothing for their new friend (the Tigress apparently a shaman of ancient times – she had been interred in an underground chamber to recover from a battle aeons before - she wished to reward the party her but needed her mirror which been taken from her by the Bonewoman – another sorceress of the olden times -  before she began her confinement ), followed her to a shrine of Mordezzan (the mirror was sensed below the shrine but the shaman was blocked from entry), looted 3 tombs, fought a beetle and the mummy of a libertine, recovered 3 bronze skeletons (these were decorating the tombs – the party bashed them  out for sale later) , found a potion of partial speed, walked a long stair, performed a blood sacrifice, explored a pleasant vale, rescued a blue man, fought an agglomerative crow-beast,  battled a brace of wolverines. and went fishing.
 
Session XXIII: Skeletons Intact
Had disturbing dreams, allowed Kerryan to sleep off a potion of moderate speed, released an ancient braggart, fought a brace of striped wolverines, built a raft, slept within a raven infested ring of trees, defeated a trio of spectral birdmen, crossed a river, climbed a mountain of bones, bargained with an ancient sorceress (the Bonewoman), swore a mighty oath against their skeletal integrity (as part of a deal for the mirror they agreed to find a way to release the Bonewoman from her demi-plane), regained a mirror, acquired an alien statuette, evaded a sinister group of sparkly aliens, received the blessing of the Tigress, and attended a great celebration at a temple of Yondeh (when the group went there to sell a statue from the shrine)
 
Session XXIV: Skeleton Crew wherein the party:  spoke with a severed head (the remnants of the lich of a former high priest of Mordezzan procured by the Blue Man ), set fire to the severed head, commissioned a sage (from the conversation with the lich they had learned of a sorcerer named Oudvarr who may have created the barrier on the Bonewoman’s vale.  Oudvarr was said to be of Viking ancestry and self described as the “Son of Ymir” – he had not been seen in Khromarium for over a 100 years. They commissioned the sage to learn more), descended into a dungeon, fought a trio of wolfmen (not without injuries!), broke the ice, encountered a giant fish, webbed a priestess of Xathoqqua and her Viking guards, invaded a temple, restrained a party member, fought a combined skeleton and rested with the bones of a rhino.
 
Session XXV: wherein the party:  fought a priest and his hulking guardian, almost lost Rogue Wolf, saw Snake-Eyes make an amazing shot, staked out a shrine, received research on the location of Oudvarr (possibly on an island beyond Vikland),  learned that they had gained the enmity of the temple of Mordezzan, sold a nausea inducing artifact to an aristocrat,  auditioned captains (choosing the Viking captain of the knorr Fjellfross over the Ixian Master of the galley The Mollusk) , and made preparations for a long voyage.  
 
Session XXVI:  Kings of the Hill Wherein the party:  Started a sea voyage (on the Fjellfross – joined by the Priestess of Xatthoqua they had met earlier), apprehended a familiar werewolf (Snake-Eyes), witnessed a white ship, sailed to a deserted fjord (Ketil’s Fjord), fought a pig-headed monstrosity, met a viking priest, defeated a bleating hammer and scythe wielding creature, set right a desecrated shrine of Skadi, climbed a mountain, battled a frozen woman and her ghostly wolf allies, discovered they possessed a laser shooting crossbow (Kerryan)  and threw down the horse headed standard of a ghastly curse.  
 
Session XXVII: Piracy! wherein the party:  viewed the village afire from a ridgetop, entered with stealth, climbed the roof of a temple, slew a berserker, rallied the villagers, fought a crew of raiders, journeyed to the Blue Realm, destroyed a living skeleton, triumphed over the raiders, dropped a necromancer with a single shot and failed to prevent the hijacking of the Fjellfross.
 
Session XXVIII: Wooden Ships and Iron Doors wherein the party:  questioned the skull of an ancient Viking priest (gaining better directions to Oudvarr’s island), fought a pair of sea monsters, raised a chain, explored a sawmill, exploded a small boat (and its occupants), slew some berserkers, set fire to a sawmill, gained new followers,  invaded a longhouse, turned sawblades into shrapnel, lost new followers, discovered an iron door, nearly lost Kerryan and recovered a stolen ship.

Session XXIX: Monkeys & Mayhem wherein the party:  Rested at sea, burned a longhouse, sank a rowboat, defeated a sea troll, opened an iron door, fought a trio of self-immolating berserkers, explored gargantuan tunnels, discovered three headless skeletons along with a living head in a bronze container (and a mysterious black felt hat), fought a bad of insect monkeys, and returned to Ketil’s Fjord to rest.  

Session XXX: Eve of Apollonalia  wherein  the party:  Decided to move on from the tunnels beyond the iron door, left Ketil’s Fjord, sailed to a shrine of Xattoqua, violated Norse taboos, were invited to upcoming Apollonalia festivities, drank weak beer at an inn, followed a Kimmerian hunter to an ice trolls lair,  fought a furred snake, recovered a winged golden helmet (and many coins), discovered signs of a sinister gathering, warned a group of cultists, and set watch for a raid. 

Session XXXI: Apollonalia wherein the party:  Tried to warn disinterested villagers, scouted an odd snow storm, drank copious amounts of weak beer, met a goat, set a beacon, attended a ritual sacrifice, saw the first sunlight of the new cycle, witnessed a glacier attack a village, fought a magic wielding giant and his wolf-alligator, descended from a crag, defeated a pair of ice trolls, set fire to a village, and escaped from a band of Viking fanatics in a rowboat.

Session XXXII:  Island in the Stream wherein the party:  were pursued by cultists of Uller, attempted to reach Eriksgard, decided to change course, avoided a whirlpool, followed the prophecy of a skull to an uncharted isle, docked near an iceberg stocked with crocodile-wolf beasts, found a feast, defeated a band of Vikings, destroyed a zombie crab, ate a nice meal, summoned a ghost, raised a sunken shield, and met the daughter of the son of Ymir.  

Session XXXIII:  The Light Fantastic wherein the party:  explored the island, traded insults with a pair of Frost Giants, befriended a family of large villagers, relayed their question to the great Oudvarr (via his daughter), cooled their heels, solved a poorly hidden murder, made an alliance of convenience, betrayed the affections of a helpful maid, broke into a icy palace, began climbing a tower of light, melted icy doors, and  fought two great cats formed of living ice.

     Thread Starter
 

8/21/2020 7:39 pm  #48


Re: Nightfall

Wow, 33 sessions!  Makes me feel slow in these Covid-19 times.  Even though the writeups are shorter, it allows me to kind of imagine what went down.  I like it!  Keep playing and I can't wait to read more!  I think you do a great job utilizing setting material and the feel of the world, better than I do in fact.  This has inspired me to incorporate some more Hyperborian lore in my own games.  Great work!


Other bands play, Manowar kill!
 

8/27/2020 2:41 am  #49


Re: Nightfall

Thanks!  It's been a real scramble keeping ahead of my players but it's been a fun challenge.  The mixture of pulp fantasy and real world cultures in Hyperborea gives you a lot of stuff to  work with.  I've really been enjoying your write-ups too - glad to see you're back at it!

     Thread Starter
 

12/04/2020 1:44 am  #50


Re: Nightfall

Still playing pretty regularly!  Another batch of my weekly recaps I use in my scheduling emails along with a few extra comments in italics.   The players and characters have been:

terry – Sparky, Keltic Pyromancer 
tellion - Rogue Wolf, Keltic Barbarian 
wind – Snake Eyes, Neshfal Abomination (human combined with snake) Fighter  
joel - Kerryan, Kimmeri-Kelt Ledgerdemainist
rob – Vonn the Unyielding, Kimmerian Cataphract /Garr, Kimmerian Necromancer (after session XXXIX)
hobie – Xarial, Keltic Cleric of Apollo

Session XXXIV: Ark of the Dream wherein the party:  met a spiritual advisor (hobies character Xarial), traded insult with frost giants, rested for a coming battle, were foiled by numerous locks, ascended to the top of a tower of ice, discovered a man encased in ice, decided to trust a witch, entered the dream of an ancient sorcerer, (much of what follows thru session XXXVIII is within this dream), scared off a brace of lynxes, drew the attention of a moon, crossed a bridge,  contemplated a statue, slew a brace of creatures with a soporific bite, interrupted festivities, watched an abduction, and ascended to the gateway of a castle. 

Session XXXV: A Fleeting Glimpse wherein the party:   Witnessed an attack on townsfolk by faceless men in green armor, entered a castle, examined a statue, found a trap door, cowed a trio of overgrown children, enjoyed the performance of a golden dancer, spied upon a group of bathers, bantered with an axe-throwing marmot, ignored a feast, met a two tined servitor with a plan, discovered the truth behind gilded lies, looked into a pit and found the pit looking back at them, fought with themselves,  climbed to the top of a tower, viewed a noble court, and fell from a great height back into consciousness.

Session XXXVI: Fly Me to the Moon wherein the party:  Reunited atop a tower of Ice, fought an ancient phantom, got authorization from a 3-tined servant, climbed a spiral stair, watched as Snake Eyes romanced a mermaid, imagined a door, hopped a chasm, met a sorcerer, slew a crone, made a deal, found a group of cats, pretended hypnosis, took a journey aboard a barge, battled a trio of lynx's,  circumnavigated an island, stopped a bubble, journeyed to the moon, fought a group of priests and headed off into verdant fields.
 
Session XXXVII: Fools and Sages wherein the party:  travelled across lunar meadows, observed mixed herds of ungulates, fetched a cage from an enormous warden, met a kitten, retrieved a scourge, took a baton, fought a long necked demon, witnessed the appearance of a wizards nemesis, climbed a tower,  wrapped a sorceress in chains, celebrated the coronation of the king of the moon, slew a pair of gigantic would-be regicides, drifted back to earth in a bubble, walked the streets of a deserted city, shocked an old man, awoke on a beach, bantered with a goat herder, fought a giant cat on a narrow path, descended into a pit, saw the end of a sentence, and pocketed a key.

Session XXXVIII: Awakenings wherein the party:  saw Xarial conjure a boat, took command with a kiss, sailed to an island, bantered with a sea monster, did a deep dive into the concept of a reptilian gopher, watched a prisoner freed from a cage of bones, shifted scenes, imagined a bridge, widened said bridge, chose to release a demon, climbed a mountain, fought shifting cats, failed to state a theme, watched dumbstruck as Sparky engaged a sphinx, shrunk said sphinx, captured a sphinx in a golden cage, watched the sacrifice of a goat, grabbed goods at the end of a dream, recovered the secret to freeing the Bonewoman, gained great rewards, saw the creation of a portal to another dimension, rested, and observed personal growth.

Session XXXIX: When the Music’s Over wherein the party:  Said their goodbyes to Oudmai, left Oudvarr's island, decided to make sail for Eriksgaard,  discussed achievements just out of reach, came across a drifting cog, witnessed Snake-eyes communicate with a myriad of sea creatures, puzzled over strange music and a mysterious harmonizer, met a trio of be-wigged musicians, descended into a hold, fought a quicksilver cat, recovered a case of ingots, descended further into the ship, fought a mass of centipedes, discussed the merits of a unleashing a fireball, decided on a less flashy form of arson, ascended to the main deck, reasoned with the musicians, ended a debate when Vonn smashed a harpsichord with an axe, tried to avoid a long-tongued music lover, battled bravely as some were squeezed in the creatures claws, watched with shock as Vonn was bitten in half, defeated the creature, and escaped from the burning ship.

Session XL: Pyramids and Purloiners wherein the party:  Sailed to Eriksgaard, learned the strict rules of the Viking kingdom, met a necromancer (robs new character Vonn's brother Garr), hired a priestess, participated in the summoning of a hyperliterate slug demon,  read an unreadable map, made a secret landing, fought a glowing troll in enhanced moonlight, opened a gate in a standing stone, read a poem, descended a stair, harassed a mobile pyramid, and fought a trio of three legged "insects".

Session XLI: An Escalation of Conflict wherein the party: Investigated a tower of glowing lattice work, took samples of and tasted an iridescent distillate, startled a pair of hopping tripodal creatures, descended down an enormous escalator, fought three legged "insects", exchanged shots with a party of strange humans, ended the conflict with a fireball into a tiny room, stopped the escalator mechanism with same fireball, examined still giants, gazed out upon the night sky, utilizing all methods at hand broke into a three legged egg shaped construction, tested a few weapons and made plans to chase the hopping creatures.

Session XLII: Triple Jump wherein the party: Fought a star-spangled spectre, theorized on gravity and how it worked on a flat earth, took a step into the black gulf,  ascended an escalator, traded fire with iridescent women, captured a warrior, gained a bit of empathy, climbed a giant staircase, peeked behind a golden curtain, discussed the advantages and disadvantages of engaging the enemy, upon deciding on a policy of disengagement continued on to a triangular door, used ropework to cross a pool, were trapped in a chamber with a vicious beast, utilized a web to perfection, after victory picked through the bones of previous victims, and recovered a number of treasures.

Session XLIII: Sourcery  wherein the party:  Rested, continued deeper into the complex, fought a pack of 3 legged "insects", met an old man, took an elevator to a "sun filled" cavern, partook of healing draughts, set out for the ship, encountered a small army, renegotiated a deal, rode another elevator, crossed a pit, stood in the presence of the Source, pulled treasure out of the sand, rang a bell, faced glowing serpentine skeletons, witnessed a bolt of lightning from Kerryan destroy a brace of enemies,  caused a bony explosion,  were attacked by metal spiders, forestalled an attack with a web, took out two enemies with the death of another, smelled the summoning of two sluglike demons, ascended to a ram headed door, checked for traps, picked a lock, and watched Kerryan launched into the unknown.
 
Session XLIV: A False Sun wherein the party: were stunned to see Kerryan disappear into the Source, burned a web, fought a Hyperborean sorcerer accompanied by metal spiders and a brace of snakemen, felt burned by some late breaking information from an old man, saw the invocation of a storm of tiny fireballs,  foiled an inept ambush, witnessed Rogue Wolf flour an invisible warlock, watched with dismay as they failed to bring down their quarry, tossed a glowing pistol into the source, followed directions into a pit, ascended a stair, found a room of repose and numerous items of possible utility, met a frog man with glowing eyes near a subterranean reservoir, descended a stair, rested on fine beds, continued down to a room of strange devices, fought a band of still more frogmen, interrogated a captive, went down further, declined to enter a room with numerous suspicious opening and a bisected corpse, ascended again and then descended a spiral stair,  returned to the domain of the iridescent men, failed to start an elevator, and made plans to kidnap another helper.

Last edited by lige (12/04/2020 1:44 am)

     Thread Starter
 

7/28/2021 1:07 am  #51


Re: Nightfall

Posting another batch of capsule recaps.  All zoom/Roll 20 up until last session.  It turns out zoom games when people are housebound are easier to schedule but looking forward to the next in person game!  The players and characters have been:

terry – Sparky, Keltic Pyromancer 
tellion - Rogue Wolf, Keltic Barbarian 
wind – Snake Eyes, Neshfal Abomination (human combined with snake) Fighter/ Njal Viking Runecaster  
joel - Kerryan, Kimmeri-Kelt Ledgerdemainist
rob – Garr, Kimmerian Necromancer/ Iphinessa, Half-Amazon Fighter
josh – Zarathia, Common Fighter

Session XLV: On Top of the World
Wherein the Party:  took stock of a disorganized museum, were surprised by an unlooked for reappearance, viewed a pocket world, searched a string of deserted cottages, recovered armor and ancient idols, took a well needed rest, befriended an iridescent maiden, rode an elevator, received telepathy, bargained with an ancient alien, agreed to assist in a succession, agitated a pyramid, battled children, anointed an heir, made an escape, froze a pair of sentries, fled across snow covered hills, set an ambush, killed a horse, nearly lost a priestess, and defeated a band of vikings.

Session XLVI - Back in the High Life
Wherein the party: escaped Vikland, fought a sea monster, gave a hitchhiking wizard and his pet golem a lift (and received a potential lead), returned to Khromarium, moved back in to a ruin, asked a wizard about Kerryans condition, ventured to a skeleton strewn vale, freed an ancient sorceress, fought (and won) a big battle against followers of Mordezzan, and were given items of power by the Bonewoman .      

Session XLVII - Monkey Business
Wherein the party:  Met with a wizard, discovered some explosive news about Kerryan, discussed possible endeavors, made plans to visit an alchemist, hired a pair of mammoth drawn sleighs, headed out across the frozen swamps, encountered a wealthy hunter, declined to pursue a valuable swamp weasel, visited Kerryan's home, were unable to buy safe passage, journeyed across hostile plains, slew a wyvern, severed its head for a trophy, reached the River Vol, took a wrong turn, hid from a troop of mounted raiders, found the alchemists lair, climbed down a cliff, declined to interrupt a besieging party of apemen, worked out a plan to enter building using a great deal of rope and a mammoth, closed the one hole in the plan with a note tied around a rock, opened a hole in a window with a rock, had a conversation with an alchemist,  and successfully executed a plan.

Session XLVIII - Metal City
Wherein the party:  learned of the craft of the ape barber, met a blue woman, watched Kerryan go through a distillation, heard the tale of an escaped princess, received a portable gate, entered the door to Metal City, explored a road by the sea, were shocked by a fence, set a watch, fought and defeated a flying guardian, had half its members encased in  suits of metal discs, tried to free those trapped, surrendered to a second guardian and their metal creatures, entered a submersible boat, took a journey, were relieved of all items, and found themselves imprisoned in a metal room.  

Session XLIX: Gleaming the Cube
Wherein the party:  explored their cell, awaited their captors, had an interview with the Assayer, proved the existence of magic, were still disbelieved, were questioned on the nature of their arrival, returned to their cell, watched as Snake Eyes feigned an injury and Kerryan failed to pickpocket a key, plotted in their cell, set an ambush, decided on code words, unleashed the arcane arts, captured their captors, engineered the return of their equipment, rescued a simian princess, declined to rescue a monstrous reptile, recovered a cube, and headed out into Metal City.

Session L: Unwanted Guests
 Wherein the party:  left their prison, viewed a map, instructed Shumash to guide them to tunnel, saw garls driving a wheeledvehicle, fought a gem studded colossus, were victorious in the middle of Metal City, collected some spoils, tossed a cube, witnessed spider riding citizens, entered station, found tunnel, let Shumash go, encountered a dead man and his hounds, wandered around a wreck, resisted the lure of a silver disc, journeyed to the surface, saw more garls, wandered around island, entered an open gate, erected another portal, returned to Hyperborea with Ape Princess, bantered with Alchemist, and fought and defeated flying interloper.  

Session LI - Women Who Run From Wolves
Wherein the party: :  watched an ape woman get a hair style, discussed closing a gate, declined to pursue jumpsuited garls, accepted ownership of a dubious cube, rejoined the mammoth sledge, started back towards Khromarium, sent Kerryan and Thyra to investigate strange howling, narrowly missed losing them to a pack of werewolves, came to the aid of a trio of amazons,  agreed to help amazons look for tomb, had their sleep interrupted by an acid dripping lion, found marker to tomb, used fallen statue to find an entrance, and set forth into a bone strewn tunnel.

Session LII - Wheel in Time
Wherein the party:  Entered an ancient tomb, rumbled with a band of axe wielding monkeys, spoke with an aged priest, view crude paintings of a cephalopod deity, saw a statue of a woman with the head of squid, found a hidden treasure, discovered a head, broke the ice, opened a hidden door, descended into a rosette of chambers, fought living statues, hunted for a door, pushed a great weight, started a mechanism, and found a secret stair down.

Session LIII - Across the Frozen Tundra
Wherein the party:  descended down a spiral stair, investigated a giant golden bird, explored an underground temple, opened a gold casket, released a swarm of heat seeking insects, set fires to distract the swarm, were interrupted by a band of red humanoids with a mysterious box, debated the finer points of lightning bolt geometry and how many times a person might be hit, defeated red humanoids with a fiery web, waited for the entrance to reappear, stopped the wheel, had their rest interrupted by stone axe wielding monkeys, rested more, left the Amazon tomb, found the wreckage of the mammoth sledge, tracked a fleeing mammoth across the frozen plains, ignored a cloud of crows and found themselves at the edge of the plains.

Session LIV - The Right Place at the Right Time?
Wherein the party:  found a missing mammoth, read tracks in the snow, heard bells in the distance,  followed a trail to a shrine of the toad god, rescued their frozen guide, learned of a demonic rider and an upcoming hunt, debated a course of action, camped for the night, fought a pair of antlered monks, left the pachyderm and its keeper, returned to the tomb, looked for the aged priest, endured a sermon on the squid god, enjoyed a meal of gruel, observed an unspoken truce with a band of monkeys, retraced their steps, distracted heat eating insects, searched diligently, climbed a temple, broke a golden bird, recovered a key, took a turn for the better, descended down a stair, viewed a queen under glass and demonesses encased in crystal, considered a giant bronze mallet, took a stair to a sulphuric hall, and contemplated what to do next.

Session LV: The Journey Home
Wherein the party:  formulated a plan, webbed a fury encased in crystal, shattered a dome, snatched a bracer, awakened a six armed snake demon, began a desperate battle, fled up a spiral stair, released a pair of furies and a fire breathing dog, watched a teleportation, fled from a demon, rejoined the battle, witnessed demon fighting demon, called for aid, nearly lost Rogue Wolf, directed a healing spirit, watched a revived barbarian slice through a near impervious demon, foiled an act of treachery, destroyed a tiger, gathered the treasure, learned they may have killed the one that was sent to aid them, rested on the frozen plains, headed out, fought a band of red cube hunters,  recovered an earth shaking flail, and returned to the mammoth.

Session LVI: Set a Course for Adventure
Wherein the party:  Declined an invitation from a bison riding priestess to join a wild hunt, discussed the route home, headed out across the tundra, dodged the attack of a great worm, grudgingly accepted Kerryan's enthusiasm for a pair of azure mannikins, entered Swampgate. completed the journey to Khromarium, commissioned research into the cube, and began looking for transport to Thamagorgas Teeth and the Tower of Gold.

Session LVII: Need a Bigger Boat
Wherein the party:   Learned new spells, saw glimpses of the machinations an old enemy, made plans for a sea voyage,  interviewed captains,  chose the biggest ship,  enjoyed sumptuous quarters, encountered an even larger ship,  refused a forcible transfer, slew the captain, threw a bomb, freed the galley slaves, avoided sailing off the map, navigated successfully, and prepared a landing craft for Thaumagorgas Teeth.

Session LVIII: Cultists and Carnage
Wherein the party:  picked volunteers, lost a pict they picked, made landfall, searched for food, began climbing a mountain, encountered a stone face, defeated a bi-mouthed amethyst studded giant, set a lure for an unknown band, bantered with a priest, met a trio of Gallic castaways, traveled to a hidden base, resisted the blandishments of a cult leader (with extreme prejudice), battled to maintain a route to escape, struck down cultists only to unleash more powerful foes, lost Thyra to a bolt of fire, and continued on with a desperate battle.  
 
Session LXI: Weird Owl
Wherein the Party:  Continued a desperate battle, killed numerous demons, lost a frenchman, cut a rope and dropped a foe, grabbed a crown, emerged victorious, searched a priests house, found an owl, slew a storekeeper, raised a two headed demon, recovered a treasure of whiskey and bat meat, questioned captives, defenestrated those with the wrong answers, interviewed a new cleric, learned of the caverns below,  and made plans for the long wait until the full moon.
 
Session LX: Nine Lives 
Wherein the party:  reflected on their experiences, were rejoined by Gar, rested up, debated when to feed a sacrifice, fed the sacrifice, rested up, interviewed the sacrifice, learned of a demon princes skull, imprisoned a witch and a priest in a cage, searched a hidden room, discovered a quartet of figureheads, released a fiery demon, triumphed, found a spell book (and a lot of coin), debated on what to do with sacrifice, decided to slay a witch, dropped a cage, witnessed a feline transformation, and declined the opportunity to precipitate a priest.

Session LXI: Following in Her Footsteps
Wherein the party:  Befriended a wandering runecarver, made plans for a fight, defeated a spiked beast, examined the aftermath of a previous execution, discovered bloody footprints, cut their way through stone thorns, opened a door with an action best left forgotten, fought an aerial shark, examined a fountain with a sculptural tableau of a decapitated merman, entered a vast cavern, ate glowing red fruit, began to emanate auras of different colors, and viewed a colossal idol of Thaumagorga.

Session LXII- First Strike
Wherein the party:  made camp atop an underground mesa, discovered an ancient body, took a green amulet,  watched another party move into the cavern, rained fire and arrows upon them, debated the next action, decided to pursue, after pursuit through twisting corridors defeated the other party in pitched battle, took an old man prisoner, learned of a boat that could sail through the black gulf, heard more about the missing witch, allowed a proper burial, and looked for the right place to rest again.

Session LXII: Return of the Cat
Wherein the Party:  explored further within the demon's lair, examined a towering idol, laid hands upon a strange oud, played a blistering tune, request a service from a demonic music lover, were presented with a missing witch, heard a forced confession, decided to take a chance on a new companion, headed back to safety, defeated pursuit with a web, summoned and sacrificed a mighty steed to open a door, fought a beast in a bramble of stony thorns, said goodbye to a new friend far too soon, returned to safety, allowed a spell to be cast to return Snake Eyes to "human" form.  

Session LXIV: Shark Week Continues
 Wherein the party:  rested, identified some items, tried out a dubious owl, descended into the tunnels, fought a familiar beast, used a giant bat cave for corpse disposal, were given respect by a door, once again entered the alleged realm of Carcharos, took a boat trip across shark infested water, came in through the window, explored a vast column of rock illuminated by a flock of statues, attempted to gain entry, caught a fish, gave blood, gave more blood, debated the death of a pair of mastiffs, triggered an attack of jumping stone skinned sharkmen, began a desperate retreat, gained the attention of even larger sharkmen rising up from the waters, lost a warrior, and found safety (however temporary) behind bronze doors.

Session LXV: Blue Skies, Smooth Sailing
Wherein the party:  entered a sandy chamber, examined figures atop green pillars, crept along the walls, contemplated a key tied with three keys, searched a silver shark-shaped ship, found an enormous box labeled with an elephant, convinced a Frenchman to attempt to fetch a key,  summoned a demon, bound a demon with a fortuitous scroll, unlocked a door, found a sleigh and 9 elk teeth also a howdah, loaded all within ship, launched ship down a ramp into the beyond, enjoyed a sunny day on the water, saw a tall tower in the mists,  met a troop of warriors and a robed councilor, were tasked with the decapitation of a minstrel, set forth on strange seas for the mainland, found another demon in a shell, and broke out the folding boat and made ready for landfall.

Session LXVI: Fools and Horses
Wherein the party: set off in search of the head of a minstrel, rowed through an mangrove swamp, headed through the jungle, found a river, made their way upstream, encountered a village, crashed a wedding, enjoyed some musical stylings, followed a man on a tapir, discovered the abandoned temple of a love goddess, fought a smoking horse headed ogre and his crocodilian huntsman, made a horse laugh, gained a golden belt, and captured a minstrel. 

Last edited by lige (7/28/2021 1:08 am)

     Thread Starter
 

7/02/2022 12:52 am  #52


Re: Nightfall

Dropping some more mini-recaps.  Next session will be the 100th of this campaign! 

The Players have been:
terry – Sparky, Keltic Pyromancer, (Level 7)
tellion - Rogue Wolf, Keltic Barbarian, (Level 7)
wind – Snake Eyes, Neshfal Abomination (human combined with snake) Fighter,  (Level 7)
joel - Kerryan, Kimmeri-Kelt Ledgerdemainist, (Level 7)
josh - Zarathia, Common Fighter (Level 5)
hobie – Xarial, Keltic Cleric of Apollo (Level 6)
EOTB – “Nameless”, Ledgerdemanist (Level 4)
gabe – Venecius, Keltic Grocer (Assassin) (Level 4)

NPCs (along for the ride at various times)
Klaen - a one legged old minstrel.  Head may have been removed at least once
Skur Dye - a drummer
Tistaine - a woman who turns into a cat
Authmir - warrior daughter of ancient sorceress
Flatnose - a caveman shaman
Valsuul - a warrior and liegeman of Snake Eyes

Not all PCs or NPCs present in each session of course.

Session LXVII:  Memorial of Ice
Wherein the Party:  discussed whether to take head of trussed minstrel, decided to allow him to guide them to an overgrown garden, heard tales of blood drinking fiends, opened a door without a latch, battled a brace of vampiric apes, entered a pyramid, found respite from the heat, sipped libations and donned multicolored furs, entered a depiction of a frozen landscape captured a statue, caught sight of a spectral panther, and began to explore further. 

Session LXVIII:  Breakfast of Champions
Wherein the party:  were presented with reinforcements by a piscine demoness, explored a freezing tableau, caught a blue eyed cat, glanced at a series of murals, found a seed bank,  tried to figure out a golden belt, watched Sparky immolate and then reconstitute, rested in relative safety, passed through a misty veil, kept Snake Eyes from a watery grave, defeated a maned crocodile, sliced a jewel from its crop, viewed and were viewed by a column of fire, lost the attention of an heiress, found a slice of home, saw a representation of the Blue Plane, fought off 10 legged arachnids, battled a gang of vampiric apes, were assisted by a magic wielding female warrior, were victorious and received a invitation to breakfast.

Session LXIX:  Five Sides to a Story
Wherein the party:  joined a new friend for breakfast, enjoyed bark tea and nut biscuits, viewed some dance moves, talked with a very old woman, rested up on beds of leaves, learned about missing golden gardeners, heard tales of a light eating gem, were offered gold and gems, failed to open a door, captured a vampiric ape, still did not open a door, left the garden with a new companion, headed out to look for horses, and observed the pentagonal fort holding said horses.

Session LXX:  Jungle Life (Far away from Nothing)
Wherein the party:  discussed tactics,  sent Kerryan to see a man about a horse, gained a nag, pickpocketed a painted tile, fled into the forest, set an ambush, took a band of troops by surprise, unleashed a flurry of magic, prevented a mass broadside, watched Snake Eyes survive a deadly shot, killed a beast man, captured a captain, liberated 5 more horses, tied captives to trees to face jungle justice, headed to the northeast, heard calls of the Uvaag-aak, and camped by a river.

Session LXXI:  Take me to the River
Wherein the party:  headed down a river, arrived at the main fork, headed upriver along a major road, avoided a Tanturaki guard post, interviewed some boatmen, decided to look for some friendly priestesses, headed up a mountain road, arrived at a roadblock, was caught in pincer by more enemies, saw Snakeyes make a mounted charge ending with a leap over the barrier, unleashed a storm of magic, really started missing Rogue Wolf and Sparky as battle continued, was relieved when Authmir broke up a firing line of reinforcements, and with way back to river cleared decided not to visit priestesses after all.

Session LXXII - Total Costneration
Wherein the party:  licked its wounds by the river, had a rude awakening by trio of vampire apes, slew two apes and watched another escape into the jungle, decided to head back to temple, crept up a mountain path, spied a fortress, speculated on stratagems employed in various Kevin Costner movies,  formulated a plan,  got into position, watched Snake Eyes ride into fire and survive a shot from a cannon (though alas not his horse), unleashed fire and lightning on clustered defenders, set off the powder, blew open the wall, stormed the ramparts, made short work of the defenders, took the fortress, and watched a gigantic colorful bird fly away with its rider.

Session LXXIII -  Bear Necessities
Wherein the party:  Interviewed a drunken bear, found a fortune, interrogated a prisoner, broke into a temple, sent Kerryan to scout, ran into a giant sleeping serpent, poked the bear again, returned to temple, fed prisoner to snake, slept for night, bantered with a bald merchant on a donkey, and made plans to re-enter temple.

Session LXXIV -  Hot on the Trail
Wherein the party:  made plans to defeat a serpent, descended into the darkness, unleashed hell upon a snake, sliced open a serpent and found the remains of their captive, discovered a goddess in a net, removed the net, watched sparky revive the goddess with a kiss, discovered a fiendish plot, found a secret door, chatted with a newly revived bear, tracked a thief to a river, and made plans to recover a stolen essence.    

Session LXXV -  Snakes for the Memories
Wherein the party:  set off in pursuit of thief, witnessed Sparky's inadvertent transformation into a flying golden serpent, climbed a mountain, explored a tower, decided to abandon the hunt, said goodbye to a new ally, scouted an ancient road, learned of an ancient power, found their horses stolen, walked to town, caused a scene at a temple, hired a wizard to investigate Sparky's condition, and looked into purchasing some ponies.

Session LXXVI -  Misty Mountain Top
Wherein the party:  left through the back room window, were asked for a belt, decided to decline an invitation by the authorities, made plans to visit a bujong, drank all day in a dockside bar, fought a band of priests and guards on the riverside, covered escape with fire, headed downriver in a collapsible boat, rained more fire on a wooden city, made it past an encampment, floated further downriver, made way back up a cliff, witnessed another band of horsemen from a safe vantage, found a tower and white column, followed an ancient road, and in want of a bridge climbed 1000 foot pinnacle of stone to a stairway leading upwards into a fog.

Session LXXVII  - Dance on a Volcano
Wherein the party:  ascended a stair, fought electric centipedes, emerged from the mist at the mountain top, were served refreshments beside a lake, had an audience with an ancient power, told their tale, asked for Sparky's deliverance from a life of serpitude, experienced an earth quake, were granted their wishes, were tasked with a minor delivery, were sent on their way magically, met a drummer, took out a band of garls in an ambush from the top of a tower, witnessed a great eruption, journeyed through falling ash, rested on the heights, and saw a lizard-bird alight on a branch and begin to speak.

Session LXXVIII  - Star Crush
Wherein the Party:  talked to a lizard bird, were asked why they hadn't delivered a head, killed the messenger, observed clouds of ash and a grey sky, journeyed across the lowlands, frightened peasants in their fields, arrived at Seremban, delivered a calf,  were made welcome, learned of a source of honey on an occupied isle, headed to a temple of the old enemy, found a secret door, viewed a planetarium, opened a fortified door, discovered a trio of thrones behind a door marked with a missing constellation, sat in thrones to ill effect, and destroyed a stellar model of hanging crystals.

Session LXXIX  - Tower of Power
Wherein the party:  half sealed a temple, rested up, debated the merits of various plans and varying levels of violence, negotiated with a band of mercenaries, climbed a tree, collected a jar of honey, fulfilled a vow, headed north, fought sparkling ghosts in the night, entered the mountains, spied a flock of red birds and a four armed man, followed their cue to a lonely tower, searched for a secret entry, and made their way into it through a hidden entry.

Session LXXX  - One for the Vault
Wherein the party:  began to explore the tower, battled guards and lizard bird beasts, frightened the kitchen staff, interrogated a scullion, fought more guards, headed upstairs, rifled through a library, pursued more guards, defeated guards, recovered a red stone hooked throwing knife, headed upstairs again, opened a vault, discovered a blindfolded seer and a great deal of gold.

Session LXXXI  - Catch a Falling Star
Wherein the Party:  Questioned a seer, stashed seer back in vault, climbed higher in the tower, explored a library, fought several lizard birds, raided a sumptuous apartment, followed squawking to an aviary, suffered the laughter of an ancient astrologer, decided to stop it, battled with astrologer and his servants and consorts and his lizard bird mounts, were beset with falling balls of fire, slew many and watched astrologer retreat, saw Authmir leap upon fleeing birds,  finished off lizard birds with magic, recovered a silver sword, climbed out of tower and confirmed death of birds, body of astrologer and consort missing, books and scrolls recovered, breached top of tower, discovered a troop of guardians around star seeing device, and declined to challenge final guards.

Session LXXXII  - Along Came a Spider
Wherein the party:   decamped from the astrologers tower, acquired a seer and lizard-bird, rested in the rain, headed across the mountains, looked for and found a village, were welcomed with some wariness, overcame the villagers suspicions, were treated to a feast, rested in bed for the first time in days, inquired of a the location of a crag spider, learned of a tribe of spider worshiping garls and their sacred spiders in the hills to north, and resolved to look for the head of a spider (for purchase preferably) in the lowlands. 

Session LXXXIII  -  Robbing Leech
Wherein the party:  Were guided by village youths to the city of Kudah, found a comfortable drinking establishment, searched the markets for a spider skull, met an ancient sorcerer and his collection of cats, purchased an item from a pair of magical twins, bought a fine string of horses + 2 mules, followed rumors of a spider skull to a wizards mansion, stabled the horses, set off an alarm,  found evidence of violence, searched through the mansion, waded in the marsh, discovered the presence of salmon sized leeches the hard way, looked into a shrine, discovered a spider skull in a locked metal room, opened a plug in the skull, and released a life draining shimmering cloud from within.

Session LXXXIV  - Chasin’ Down a Hoodoo
Wherein the party: took spider skull for safe keeping to the stables, explored further inside Sulek's mansion, found evidence of murder, discovered an unconscious women with very long hair, removed a dart, were trapped by tresses, talked themselves into being released, met a horned servant and a metal dog, rode a walking house into the swamp in search of a witch, decided to let sitting frogs lie, crept up on a stone barge, made an assault, shot a witch at long range with a crossbow, fought off humanoid leechlings, battled a giant mud man, webbed a gang of witchmen, took control of the barge, and rescued a hanging sorcerer. 

Session LXXXV  - Pyramid Dreams
Wherein the party;  learned of a plot to wake a sleeping goddess, after some debate decided to follow a swamp witch to another location, came upon a quartet of metal pyramids, found an empty stone boat, scared vines with a torch, opened a door, fought a lightning wielding undead sorcerer, saw some of party dematerialize atop a lighted podium, fought an armored giant, finished off giant after a stunning punch by frogman, followed others onto podium to another pyramid, tried to negotiate with band of priests, learned of a separate invasion, and left to see if they could find the pyramid that the swamp witch entered.

Session LXXXVI  - Out of the Briar Patch
Wherein the party:   Descended under a second pyramid, followed a trail of destruction, dodged lightning from a legless sorcerer, joined a battle in progress, webbed a metal man and a swamp woman, traded blows with scimitar armed bodyguards, witchmen and swamp dogs, avoided the slimy touch of the swamp witch, avoided the edge of pit down to the fires of the earth, had an audience in the form of a bethroned figure, after a fierce fight emerged battered but victorious, watched the throned figure push the last bodyguard to her death, and grudgingly acquiesced to an ultimatum. 

Session LXXXVII  - Cat Powers
Wherein the party:  relinquished their weapons, rode a sled of energy across a fiery pit to captivity, were introduced to a pair of brass servants, received a dinner invitation, gazed upon a sleeping goddess, were subjected to family tensions during a meal, returned to their cell, began a plan of escape, waited tight as Kerryan and the swamp wizard ventured forth on a quest for the relinquished weapons,  were released by Kerryan after his return from Lyrins quarters (wherein he foiled numerous traps and locks, retrieved the weapons, gazed upon a metal spider, and was joined on his way back by Lyrin's shape changing daughter), fought two metal guardians, upon the guardian's defeat released a pair of witchlights, used lanterns to banish the witch lights, made their way around the pit, and stood before the doors to freedom.
 
Session LXXXVIII  -  Rocky Top
Wherein the party:  Made their way out of the pyramids, fought a reanimated crocodile, boarded a walking house, began to flee, witnessed a  collapse, braced for an attack by a guardian riding a fiery bat, watched as the guardian was frozen by a spell from Kerryan, made way back to Sulek's mansion, journeyed with Sulek and family to a caravansary, left for Urugallu, observed multiple forces arrayed around the ancient fortress, camped in the lee of a stone, moved camp at instigation of a cavalry troop, flew over Urugallu in a nighttime reconnaissance, dodged gunfire, and got a sense of what lay beyond fortified walls.
 
Session LXXXIX  -  Headless in Urugallu
Wherein the party:   reviewed observations made on a scouting flight, sent Authmir to look for Klaen, on her return examined the headless body of the minstrel, moved camp to the fortress known as the Bastard, examined the scene of a decapitation, dodged a strange net, fought a pair of stone ogres, were guided to an entry under the ruins by a cat, observed a large creature in a pool at the bottom of a pit, saved Kerryan from consumption by witchlights, and retreated back to their camp.
 
Session XC -  Sharp Dressed Man
Wherein the party:  rested up after a sojourn under the fortress named the Bastard, made plans for opening a door, noted the approach of a group of lizard bird riders, took a defensive position within a tower, took out an enemy with a net, terrified another with magic, blasted a caged and floating magician, saw Kerryan fall to a magical bolt, caused the enemy to retreat, watched the leader demonstrate the dangers of a weapon that returns to one's hand, captured two prisoners, pursued the two survivors on bird back, decided to turn back after thinking of the consequences of losing ones mount, looted the bodies, found at least one was not what it seemed, recovered some objects of familiar construction,  watched Snake Eyes try on some new threads, decided to move the horses to the tunnels under the fortress, and prepared to carry out their original plan.

Session XCI -  Ghost Dog
Wherein the party:  opened a latch less door, found a pair of corpses, examined a lineup of murder holes, recovered some treasures,  descended a stair, fought undead guardians and their spectral dogs, lost a friend, emerged victorious, and retreated to safety. 

Session XCII -  Pitfall
Wherein the party:  dodged an assassination, reconnected with an old companion, returned some heads to a treacherous lieutenant, saw Venicius gain a brace of fiery potions and a body guard for Snake Eyes, made another assault on the murder hallway, nearly fell from a falling bridge, attacked a gang of undead guardians, watched Rogue Wolf get swallowed by a pit, and emerged victorious to stand in front of two featureless metal doors.

Session XCIII – Let’s Get Physical
Wherein the party:  Looted ancient corpses at bottom of a pit, recovered ivory armor and a gilded weasel (among other items),  broke down a door, fought a guardian, recovered a crown and coin, broke down a second door, defeated an undead dog, pulled the switch to open a wall, avoided most of a trap, descended a stair, contemplated the physics of crossing a chasm on a giant hanging rope, found this complicated by the triggering of pendulum mounted blade, circumvented all of this with a spider climbing thief, made it across, fought a mass of brambles and a thorny ape, and emerged victorious.
 
Session XCIV – The Bird is the Word
Wherein the party:  Said goodbye to a favorite grocer, said hello to a long lost bird, came across a statue of the Briar Prince, investigated a hanging box, released a giant creature of light, defeated creature unscathed, recovered an amulet, made camp in the underground, investigated some interesting recovered items, rested, sallied forth to engage with a hippo, had the shaman to do the talking, learned what a one eyed hippo most desired, sent Kerryan to lure witchlights, successfully delivered witchlights to hippo partially thanks to newly discovered footwear, dived into a pool, made way underwater to new chamber, declined to ring a gong, opened a door, headed down a rough passageway, and saw a ball of light coalesce into a strange being. 

Session XCV – All Night Long
Wherein the party:  Bargained with a ancient being, offered the life force of a loyal retainer, explored a creche of humankind, gazed upon a carillon of skulls, awakened an ancient guardian, fought a desperate battle, soothed a savage beast with an ossified melody, left the musician  playing on, ascended a ramp, broke through a floor, released someone long imprisoned, rested in a shrine,  fortified doors at the sound of approaching battle, escaped from an explosion, hid in the sheltering light of a candle, and considered the grim options for their future.

Session XCVI – Shot Down in Flames
Wherein the party: found themselves in bad way, scouted a little, made a fortress of nets and blankets to wait out the night, met up with a chatty wraith, awoke rested,  made a plan of attack,  sent in a zombie distraction, put enemies to sleep from a great height, fought with an old antagonist, blew up a garrison with a fireball, accepted a surrender, rescued a statue for a dream woman, rescued a bear and assorted prisoners, drew cannon fire, and headed inside a cavern to make plans for their next move.  

Session XCVII –  Elephants and Castle
Wherein the party: interviewed some blue robed magicians, sent signals to the top of Urugallu, listened for the sound of music in the depths, set a guard, had a discussion with a bear, learned of the creation of a new godling, bantered with a supercilious servant, entered the wooden temple of a an ancient prophet, climbed a long and winding stair, had an audience with an newly returned wizard, made a bargain to deal with a general, viewed the battlefield from above, and rested in comfort before the undertaking. 
 
Session XCVIII – For those About to Rock
Wherein the party:  Debated multiple courses of actions and which factions to deal with, descended stairs to the bottom of the rock, recruited the services of a bear, listened to the plaintive wail of an ossiferous  violin, reunited with old companions, learned of the survival of an abandoned minstrel, made a strategy for a meeting, set a watch as Rogue Wolf parlayed with two captains, bought the loyalty of a group of mercenaries, questioned a Tanturaki captive, held a summit at high noon with a girl general and her elephantine priests, made a new deal and a plan for an assault, gained a small army, waited until dusk, reinvaded a fortress, found a secret door, dodged an assassin, defeated a pair of mirrored warriors, took control of a stair, and planned for an assault on top of the rock.  

Session XCIX:  Cannonball Run
Wherein the Party:  headed up narrow stairs followed by small army of allies, emerged carefully from a trap door, used invisibility to gain drop on guards, learned that they were backup by a familiar grocer, took control of an audience hall, blocked the doors, allowed allies to summon help, heard the first blast of a great bombard, were staggered by great explosion, used confusion to advance, fought cleaver wielding giant baboons, sent Venecius into the sky to scout upon his bird, advanced further into the complex, fought a band of garls, watched an ancient spire fall, spied a glowing stone,  battled to center of the complex, witnessed the emergence of an ancient sorcerer, were staggered by yet another blast of the great bombard, and while awaiting the incoming projectile spied a flying squadron accompanying a four armed godling enroute to enter the fray.
 

     Thread Starter
 

7/04/2022 1:01 pm  #53


Re: Nightfall

These are fun to read!

100 sessions is quite impressive!

 

7/05/2022 4:46 am  #54


Re: Nightfall

Agree +1

 

7/08/2022 9:20 pm  #55


Re: Nightfall

Boy, I'm amazed... we just finished session 27 not too long ago.  Loving reading the write-ups.  I don't know that I'll hit 100 sessions.  Granted, I don't know how long yours are as ours are at a minimum three and a half hours and the maximum has been around eight hours.  But, I still have plenty of story yet.  I'm hoping to hit at least 50.  Great work Eli!  Keep posting!


Other bands play, Manowar kill!
 

7/28/2022 12:47 pm  #56


Re: Nightfall

Wow, just taking a look at these now. I am inspired! But we are close to session 300 in my current campaign, so I don't think I have the bandwidth to write that many mini-recaps! LOL

Great work, Eli.


HYPERBOREA- A Role-Playing Game of Swords, Sorcery, and Weird Science-Fantasy
 

8/04/2022 6:32 pm  #57


Re: Nightfall

Thanks guys!  Luckily I write the recaps for my weekly scheduling emails so all I had to do was go thru and harvest them out of my sent box - I jogged my own memory doing that.   Played session 100 but summer has slowed down the schedule significantly as usual.  

     Thread Starter
 

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