Tavern Tales

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The Exploits of Prometheus, Verse One.

It was at twilight when the Centennial Hawk was set upon by unseen archers in the cavern passage. Cruel black arrows rained upon the would be adventures as they scurried out of the currents of the Conqueror's River to make shore on the rocky banks. It seemed Stonehell had sought to welcome these men to the bosom of Glazya, The witch Queen, in short order. Men with no names died in the black waters, but those that pulled themselves from the flowing grave discovered a stone staircase that led into darkness.

After regaining their wits in the cover of gloom, a Leader of Men emerged. Prometheus, Son of Kelainen, mustered the courage to push the darkness from the minds of the men, and reminded them that glory and fortune awaited only but those brave enough to claim it.

The Night Haunted Halls were thick with webs and dust, but a trail had been gleaned by the sharp eyed Leader of Men. Cautiously, the ragtag band of explorers followed the footfalls into the unknown. Prometheus slowed the party's descent to explore what turned out to be the crypts of long dead Dwarves, where few baubles and glittering trinkets where found.

Ahead in an ominously carved archway - depicting tormented Men and Dwarves trying to escape Daemonic tormentors, his quarry was found, and serpent-headed men in blackened armor met their charge. The Ferryman, Soloman Hawk, fired his smoke-powder pistol with a crack and echoed deafeningly in the torchlit archway. Prometheus bore his twin bastard swords against the reptilian foes, while dark hearted Ryel the Godless slit the long soft throats of the snake men.

When the bloodletting was through, Prometheus found himself a rescuer of several men who were ceremoniously tied to stakes. They knew little of the Serpent Men's aims beyond what would be grizzly deaths at the taloned hands of their captors. They gratefully fell into the dwindling ranks of Prometheus' men, taking up the arms of the fallen ...

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The Travels of Farkus, Canto the First

The Swordsman of Darkfield was known for his campaign against Draugr in Tethys Keep, but his name would be sung of in taverns of Northwind for a chance meeting in the misty swampland to the South. With his men and horses equipped for an expedition to Twinhorn Pass, where word of Goblin raids had spread, they sought a direct path through the fog shrouded wetlands of Meremist Swamp.

But their journey was fraught with danger. The Black Hands of Glazya set upon the travellers, unleashing dark chaos magic upon the riders, some of which fell to Hell Haunted Slumber, but Farkus' blade found the Witches hearts. He looted their vile corpses and came ahead with an arcane bag that could hold all of his pack's provisions without totally filling up.

Night was soon falling upon the travellers, and they searched for a clearing in the swamps to make camp. It was Dwarven born Delg who stumbled upon the great beast, and the night black horror answered his startled scream with a stream of acid from it's gullet. Mahal smiled his favor upon Delg and only the Dwarf's plate mail perished from the initial attack. Farkus rallied his men against the Dragon, but the ground surrounding the beast was deep with water and movement in the soup was perilous. The Black Worm belched it's bile upon two others, who melted into the darkening swamp. Before the daemon could take flight, however, Farkus' mighty swordarm felled the creature. Little rest was gotten that night, for the party spent it collecting coins and treasures of gold from the mire and placing it in Farkus' newly found magic bag ...

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The Journey of Darkedge, The First Stanza.

(This was my son's very first D&D adventure when he was 6 years old … he played like a vet!)



(suggested music for mood … )

In the far away Kingdom of Karnak, there was said to be a terrible Wu Jen known as Lo Pan. From his towered keep, he terrorized the surrounding country side with his magic, great and powerful. Lo Pan was however, cursed. He existed as an immaterial ghost, unable to revel in the terrible deeds he committed. After consulting with soothsayers and sages, he discovered a way to break his curse. He would have to marry and sacrifice a girl with green eyes.

Lo Pan mustered his mystical servants, The Three Storms, to kidnap the Princess Miao Yin, who was blessed with green eyes. A call for a hero was issued throughout the country side, yet no man stepped forward to heed the call, such was the fear of Lo Pan.

It was the Ninja, Darkedge, who scaled the Wu Jen's wall and entered his gleaming fortress. Like a a gentile zephyr, he stalked the courtyard unseen by the wizard's skeletal guards. It was near a pagoda covered Coy Pond where Darkedge decided to scale the tower, but the clever Ninja did not escape the notice of all the crafty Wu Jen's guardians. Crawling from the shadows of the Coy Pond, it's pale white eyes fixed on the unsuspecting intruder, the watery fiend struck at Darkedge from behind. The Ninja recognized the beast from ancient legend handed down from his Master as a Kappa, and it's skill in the art of fighting was renowned and feared. The pair squared off in the courtyard, sizing one another up for weakness in their form. The Kappa snarled curses to Darkedge, yet the Ninja remained silent as the grave. A flurry of long practiced blows commenced, and Darkedge reeled from the inhuman strength of the turtle-like demon. Ignoring the searing pain of the creature's taloned attacks, the Ninja summoned his inner strength, his totality of chi, and delivered a flying kick upon the monster, tipping him over. The unholy waters that filled the beast's bowl shaped skull spilled upon the ground, and there it remained, defeated.

Like the wild monkey of the forest, Darkedge scaled the tower and crept into a window. The hall was gently lit by candles surrounding a ceremonial shrine. Two great Foo Dog statues stood as frozen sentinels, flanking the alter in the dim light. Cautiously he crept forward, drawing his enchanted blade as he went. The movement of shadow crept across the wall and Darkedge took refuge behind the dog-like statue. In a mere breath of time, two skeletal guards on patrol emerged from the shadows, both oblivious to the black clad intruder in their midst. The danger apparently passed, the Ninja emerged from his hiding place and started down the shadowy hallway from which the skeletons came. But before he could fully be enshrouded by the shadows he called home, there came an unearthly growl behind him. Darkedge wheeled around to be face to face the very Foo Dog he hid behind, the statue animated by some hellish spirit from beyond ...

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Current Clack

As of Gloomfrost the 2nd ...

Giants are on the move in the North, creating much havoc and destruction in their wake. The Church sponsored Adventurer's band known as The Order of the Dragon has been organizing and training a Dwarven militia in Anvil (2509) to hold back the advance of the Giants. If interested in adding your axe or sword to the militia, see Sir Domanid at Forlindon Fanghorn's Tower Hawkwind.

Travellers along the Rorystone Road report raids made by Dwarves, in which women have been abducted for wifing, particularly where the River Stillring crosses the road, just North of Shewolf (2015).

Gnomish lumberjacks have said that a Dragon is nesting to the South of the village of Lightelf (4622.) One of the twelve Lumber Camps has already been routed into the Palewood.

As if the plague of the Undead weren't enough, tribes of Orcs from all over the Wilderlands have been migrating Southward to the Fallen City State of Corpsewatch. There is speculation that this is a sort of pilgrimage for the Greenskins, as it is relatively common knowledge they consider themselves The Children of Orcus, unholy God of Undeath and consort to the witch Queen herself, Dark Glazya. The Sages Guild of Northwind, in a rare instance of uniformity, call for the powers of all that is righteous to ally and descend upon the remains of St. Donor's Rest and push back the powers of Chaos before it spreads further to the North.
In related word, the village of Luckstone (2630,) currently besieged by Ghouls and worse, has received aid from the Church sponsored Adventuring Band known as The Vanguard, but this has divided the forces of the Sky Temple in Corpsewatch. Envoys of the Church claim that some aid has trickled in from Ossary (4829) in the form a Norseman mercenary company known as The Wolves of Odin and that they have engaged Ghouls and Gnolls in the city square.

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The Travels of Farkus, Canto the Second

The rain was cold on their backs as Farkus and his men rode into Twin Horn Pass. A Ranger calling himself Averill of Flint had lead them through the Pass to the mouth of the goblin lair. The tunnels carved into the mountainside were cramped so a man could only crouch, much less swing a sword. At first it seemed only the remains of human miners littered the passageways, but the goblins would show themselves soon enough.
Cautiously, Farkus lead his men deeper into the dark, cramped, and cavernous gloom. A half lowered portcullis had to be ducked under to continue, and as the made their way past the rusty obstacle, war drum sounded throughout the tunnels and the merest glimpse of red eyes could be seen glowing ahead in the inky blackness. Farkus ordered his men to give chase after the goblins, their sputtering torchlight making their advance all the more hindering them in the narrow tunnels. Pit traps plagued the body of men, who in their haste, fell victim to filth smeared spikes in the depths; all the while, war drums keeping a steady and mocking rhythm.
The band of hearty adventurers came upon a long hallway, and realized the ambush far too late to react, as a hail of arrows rained down upon them from murderholes carved in the upper part of the walls. Men died in the flickering torchlight, as the living scurried in vain for any cover they could find. The rain of death pushed them deeper into the lair, where in a depressed smooth stone crossway, the hail of goblin arrows ceased. At first it was as if the cross-way breathed fresh air upon the staggered men, but it would turn out to be a death rattle, as the flowing air erupted with a roar of oncoming water. Farkus and his men were swept into the oncoming rush of water into this smooth stone corridor, the torrent sweeping them into the unknown ...

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The Exploits of Prometheus, Verse Two.

The stone door could only be opened by the might of Prometheus, and even then only with great effort. Beyond the door was a small tomb clearly prepared for the likes of one of some importance. A stone dragon encircled the sarcophagus, it's ruby inlaid eyes staring blankly at the group of men who had violated its sanctuary. Behind the sarcophagus, was constructed a simple alter with another detailed carving of a holy man seeking donation with an outstretched palm. On the alter was golden treasures and jewels, dusty with the passage of time, but clearly for the taking, thought Ryel the Godless.
As the Godless one loaded his sack with the wealth of the faithful, the ceiling opened up to deposit a Gelatinous Cube on top of the rogue. Prometheus fetched an oil flask to hurl at the amorphous beast and a wizard readied a spell to ignite the inflammable flask. The flask was splashed upon the sticky skin of the monster as Ryel fought against his acidic and viscous prison to escape.
Either the weirdness of the chamber or the whims of the gods leveled against the mage, but his spell was wracked with Chaos and set everyone in the tomb to floating against the pull of the world.
Prometheus manage to light a torch to set the tumbling and floating Gelatinous Mass ablaze while his men were suspended helplessly in midair. The Leader of Men set the creature ablaze, yet poor Ryel was still engulfed, his skin of his face eaten away by the Cube-like Horror. As the flames melted away the beast into a shapeless ball of jelly, Ryel emerged, alive, yet horribly burned and disfigured. The Cleric did what he could for the severely burned man, while Prometheus pilfered the sarcophagus, acquiring Elven Chainmail and a curious Ring …

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Double Post ... Oops. Here's something, rather than the same post twice ...

The Wandering Jukar of Northwind
Created 1982, updated 1989

FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 4-32
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVE: 8"
HIT DICE: 4-6
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE: By weapon
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Gaze
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: N
PSIONIC ABILITY: yes, 33PP
Astral Projection (0), Dimensional Walking (8), Probability Travel (10)
XP: 245 +3/hp

The Jukar is a very unusual creature, to say the least. This somewhat lizardoid being has thick, club-like legs and scrawny arms barely capable of weapon use, this doing 2 points less damage than a normal hit by their weapon might otherwise inflict. Their profoundly large eyestalk is their signature characteristic, however. Several things can happen if a Jukar successfully meets the gaze of their foe, unless a save vs. Paralysis is made. There is a 25% chance each for any of these effects: HOLD PERSON (as the spell cast at 5th level mastery), CHARM, SLEEP (20 round duration), or FEAR (8th level). The Jukar will always attack first any character rendered helpless in some way by the gaze.
Because of a pseudo-lycanthropic (were-lizardoid) ancestry, Jukar can only be hit by silver or magical weapons, but have no other abnormal resistance to magic.

They are difficult to communicate with due to their melodically obscure language, which at least one sage has claimed was defined as "doo-whop" and has an extra planar origin.

Wandering Spiritualists of Northwind

Spells – 2,2,2,1,1
Cure Light Wounds x2, Neutralize Poison, Cure Disease, Cure Serious Wounds, ESP, Cure Lycanthropy, Raise Dead.

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Braving The Barrowmaze ...

I decided to interpret the popular megadungeon, Barrowmaze Complete, as the scenario/campaign of choice for our FLGS bi-weekly game. There were three players that braved the Desolate Swamp to get to the infamous dungeon.

The Dwarf Tunnel-Fighter had bought a pony to ride and carry supplies, while the stealthy Shinobi elected to run. On the way, the Shinobi, Kurayoshi, fell behind the Dwarf , Theogeon's, pony and nearly became lost. Kurayoshi discovered a camp of goblins not far from Theogeon's campsite - where he was cooking a hearty meal of bacon as he waited for the Ninja to catch up. The scent of bacon carried into the goblin camp and four went off to investigate. Kurayoshi followed them in secret, thinking their sense of smell was keener than his and they'd lead him straight to his Dwarven companion.

But the Shinobi got flashy and tried to pass the goblins to better prepare the unsuspecting dwarf for the encounter, which is when fierce goblin eyes spotted the crafty Easterner. A running melee was engaged as the Shinobi desperately tried to defensively get away and alert his comrade to the approaching danger. Kurayoshi ran into the campground and scurried in the marshy ground to a tree to conceal himself as Theogeon did the same. The goblins were fooled by the tactics, split up and further engaged our two heroes.

Melee was quick and four goblins met their end in the gloom of the Desolate Swamp. Theogeon sought to move the camp further into the marshland, so as not to attract a goblin search party's attention.

This is where they met the Mage-Thief, The Sorcerer, Seleukos, who also sought wealth in the Barrowmaze. After applying bandages to their wounds, they settled down for a night's rest.

The night was uneventful, and the rosy fingers of dawn woke them to a fog covered ground. They knew the Burial Mounds were to the North, and judged by the rising sun which way to travel. In a matter of hours they came across the first Burial Mound, which had apparently already have been plundered, as the stone seal had been shattered leaving a somewhat man-sized crevasse that lead straight into musty darkness. The party entered the ancient tomb, and proceeded down a roughly hewed set of stairs that snaked downward into the earth.

The Dwarf's keen eyes mapped out a rough hallway that had east and west passages every ten feet down 60 plus feet, but his mapping came abruptly to a halt when peering down the first intersection, he came face to face with a great beastly humanoid. The green creatures screamed a warning to Theogeon as it rose to its full height, some seven or eight feet tall. Its ferocious claws wracked the diminutive Fighting Man as he desperately tried to fend the beast off. The Shinobi grabbed a torch, recognizing the foul creature as a Troll and began using the torch as a weapon to sear the beast's wounds. The Sorcerer, Seleukos, worked his art to hide in the arcane arms of an invisibility spell.

As the Shinobi and The Tunnel-Fighter fought a defensive withdraw from the hallway and back up the stairs, the Sorcerer, Seleukos, took advantage of his magical stealthiness and began searching the hallway complex for signs of treasure ...instead, in the next hallway north of their location, he discovered the Troll's much bigger sibling waiting in ambush. The mage-thief attempted to move silently away from the beast, still masked by his invisibility spell. The Troll started sniffing the air and moving in his direction, not quite understanding the new scent in his dungeon home. Thinking quickly, the Sorcerer, Seleukos, emptied a bit of wine from his wineskin on the floor of the dark dungeon and scurried up against the wall opposite of his lure. The troll stopped to taste the wine, still not sure what to make of it. A trollish scream was heard on the stairwell as a hard fought fight was won by Kurayoshi and Theogeon . The other troll took the scream to be not one of defeat, but one of delight, and continued to lap wine off of the floor. Seleukos manage to quietly slip past the beast, considered discretion the better part of valor, and hurried to rejoin his comrades ...