Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Guardians of Marib
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="GM_Brad" data-source="post: 2139273" data-attributes="member: 24760"><p>Session Log One: “A Bit of History” and “Hard-Earned Intelligence”</p><p>Characters Present:</p><p> Roderic (a fighter)</p><p> Kristov (a mercenary captain)</p><p> Jenera (a scout)</p><p></p><p>Two generations ago, a small border conflict between the kingdoms of Liguria and Armagh grew into something much greater. It became a long and bitter war, engulfing, at one point or another, all of the other remaining kingdoms of the small, cramped continent of Thassalos. Things began to go poorly for Liguria; her king, Clovis, took a desperate gamble – forging an alliance between his kingdom and a dragon, the vile Anthrakkus, from a faraway land. </p><p></p><p>Anthrakkus had his own plans, however, and soon the whole of Liguria was taken over by the forces of evil. Many people fled, but even more were trapped, enslaved by Anthrakkus. Some say that Clovis himself is now Anthrakkus’ pawn, corrupted beyond reason. Most of the refugees from this war wound up in Marib and Cumbria, who had been Liguria’s allies. Anthrakkus and his mate, whose name is not known, rule from Turin, the old capitol. The other kingdoms that border this forsaken land must now endlessly patrol against incursions into their own lands by the children of Anthrakkus and their soldiers. </p><p> </p><p>It was towards this land that our party set out the morning after their secret meeting with young King Anselm. There were 12 people in total, the three party members, plus Jan, Kristov’s second in command; the rest were soldiers serving in Kristov’s Company. They rode quickly in the late winter sun, stopping only to eat and to sleep over the next two days. The death warrant for Lord Wadleigh, the man who poisoned King Syndor, was in Kristov’s pocket.</p><p></p><p>Marib is a land of farmers and merchants, and the party passed by many small farms and thriving villages as they traveled westward. The farther they went, though, and the closer they came to the border, the more desolate the landscape became. Signs of abandonment became evident everywhere – empty villages, fields left untended, farmsteads falling down in disrepair. Where once the road was full of traffic, going to and from the capitol, now only a few small military patrols were met. It was as if life itself was abandoning them.</p><p></p><p>On the evening of the second day, the party approached Madera. Once a proud, inland city handling the trade between Marib and Liguria, the city possessed high, stone walls and wide gates. At one time these gates would be a flurry of activity; but now there were only guards. Fortunately for the party, they arrived before it became dark, when the gates would be shut until dawn. </p><p></p><p>The city was a reflection of the surrounding land – former prosperity transformed into bleakness. It's buildings, four or five stories tall, and now in disrepair, leaned out over narrow, twisting streets. Most of the city’s inhabitants had fled over time, and now Madera was populated mostly by soldiers who patrolled the border. Inns and warehouses had been converted into barracks and stables. A few establishments remained opened, and our party found themselves staying at one of them: a warm and cozy inn facing the empty city square. </p><p></p><p>Apart from the innkeeper and his two daughters, there were few others in the inn’s main room, mainly soldiers who had stopped in for a drink of ale. The two daughters hardly livened up the place. The “pretty” one had the face of a frog, a frog having a bad hair day, no less. Her sister was much worse. But the three members of that family were jolly and pleasant, happy to see so many travelers arrive who needed shelter and food. Soon all twelve were seated and eating a delicious meal. Kristov got one of his soldiers to begin singing. In no time at all, the main room was full of music as the soldiers, veterans all, sang marching and military camp songs. All the while, the two daughters moved about the room, serving drinks, and “accidentally” bumping into the charismatic Captain Kristov from behind. </p><p></p><p>But there was work to be done. A man needed to be found and killed. Jenera was relieved to slink out the back way of the inn, through the stables, and out into the dark and quiet city. She was a restless person by nature, and exploring the unknown was what she liked to do best. Slipping through the shadows, she began her search. With little idea of where this Lord Wadleigh might be, she spread her search out into the city, in wider and wider circles. Apart from a few lit windows, and the occasional patrol, she met no one. Until, nearly ready to give up and head back for the evening, the sound of laughter caught her ear.</p><p></p><p>Creeping along a flat rooftop, Jenera peered out into the street below. There, she saw a well-dressed, portly man, staggering drunkenly down the street in the center of a large group of people. Fortunately for Jenera, her eyesight is particularly well suited to poor lighting, and she was able to make out many details. Along with a woman walking with the fat man, there were three other men who were as drunk as he was, and all of them had shapely women on their arms, too. Two other men were not drunk at all, but moved in front and behind the fat man and his entourage with military efficiency, scanning the area for any signs of trouble. The drunk men and the prostitutes, if that’s what they were, seemed unaware of any possible danger; in fact, they were singing baudy tunes at the top of their lungs, laughing at each forgotten line. </p><p></p><p>Jenera watched them for a few moments, noting the direction in which they came and in which they were headed. When the group had turned a corner and was out of sight, she backtracked along the route they had come until she came to one of the few other establishments left open in the city. And this one was doing a brisk business. It was obviously a brothel, and light from its many windows illuminated the street as if it were daylight. Men came and went, lewd women leaned out from those same windows shouting obscene solicitations to passers-by, and music, singing and laughter rang from the open doors on the first floor. Acting on the hunch that the man she’d seen in the street was Lord Wadleigh, who had been rumored to have come into a large amount of money recently (suspiciously enough, after the battle in which King Syndor was killed), Jenera headed back to the inn to report what she had discovered. </p><p></p><p>Once there, she sat down with Kristov and Roderic and described all she had seen. Both of them agreed with Jenera that the man might be Wadleigh; and, lacking any other avenues of approach at the moment, the two of them decide to go visit the brothel and do a bit of reconnaissance on their own. With Jenera’s directions, they find the place with no problems. Roderic spends an hour researching upstairs with a prostitute, while Kristov scouts out the main room below with a mug of ale. Based on the description, they find out that the man Jenera saw was Lord Wadleigh. Also, they find out that (1) he comes to the brothel every night; (2) that he has hired bodyguards in the past, and may be in the market for more; and (3) he always frequents the same prostitute, an attractive, dark-haired woman. No one else will do, it seems, though many of the other whores have tried to win his affection (and his coin). Armed with this new information, Roderic and Kristov head back to their inn, where things have quieted down and most of the others have headed off to bed. Any further plans will have to wait until the morning.</p><p></p><p>Soon to come: “Breaking and Entering (is easier with a rogue)” And “An Ambush Surprise”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GM_Brad, post: 2139273, member: 24760"] Session Log One: “A Bit of History” and “Hard-Earned Intelligence” Characters Present: Roderic (a fighter) Kristov (a mercenary captain) Jenera (a scout) Two generations ago, a small border conflict between the kingdoms of Liguria and Armagh grew into something much greater. It became a long and bitter war, engulfing, at one point or another, all of the other remaining kingdoms of the small, cramped continent of Thassalos. Things began to go poorly for Liguria; her king, Clovis, took a desperate gamble – forging an alliance between his kingdom and a dragon, the vile Anthrakkus, from a faraway land. Anthrakkus had his own plans, however, and soon the whole of Liguria was taken over by the forces of evil. Many people fled, but even more were trapped, enslaved by Anthrakkus. Some say that Clovis himself is now Anthrakkus’ pawn, corrupted beyond reason. Most of the refugees from this war wound up in Marib and Cumbria, who had been Liguria’s allies. Anthrakkus and his mate, whose name is not known, rule from Turin, the old capitol. The other kingdoms that border this forsaken land must now endlessly patrol against incursions into their own lands by the children of Anthrakkus and their soldiers. It was towards this land that our party set out the morning after their secret meeting with young King Anselm. There were 12 people in total, the three party members, plus Jan, Kristov’s second in command; the rest were soldiers serving in Kristov’s Company. They rode quickly in the late winter sun, stopping only to eat and to sleep over the next two days. The death warrant for Lord Wadleigh, the man who poisoned King Syndor, was in Kristov’s pocket. Marib is a land of farmers and merchants, and the party passed by many small farms and thriving villages as they traveled westward. The farther they went, though, and the closer they came to the border, the more desolate the landscape became. Signs of abandonment became evident everywhere – empty villages, fields left untended, farmsteads falling down in disrepair. Where once the road was full of traffic, going to and from the capitol, now only a few small military patrols were met. It was as if life itself was abandoning them. On the evening of the second day, the party approached Madera. Once a proud, inland city handling the trade between Marib and Liguria, the city possessed high, stone walls and wide gates. At one time these gates would be a flurry of activity; but now there were only guards. Fortunately for the party, they arrived before it became dark, when the gates would be shut until dawn. The city was a reflection of the surrounding land – former prosperity transformed into bleakness. It's buildings, four or five stories tall, and now in disrepair, leaned out over narrow, twisting streets. Most of the city’s inhabitants had fled over time, and now Madera was populated mostly by soldiers who patrolled the border. Inns and warehouses had been converted into barracks and stables. A few establishments remained opened, and our party found themselves staying at one of them: a warm and cozy inn facing the empty city square. Apart from the innkeeper and his two daughters, there were few others in the inn’s main room, mainly soldiers who had stopped in for a drink of ale. The two daughters hardly livened up the place. The “pretty” one had the face of a frog, a frog having a bad hair day, no less. Her sister was much worse. But the three members of that family were jolly and pleasant, happy to see so many travelers arrive who needed shelter and food. Soon all twelve were seated and eating a delicious meal. Kristov got one of his soldiers to begin singing. In no time at all, the main room was full of music as the soldiers, veterans all, sang marching and military camp songs. All the while, the two daughters moved about the room, serving drinks, and “accidentally” bumping into the charismatic Captain Kristov from behind. But there was work to be done. A man needed to be found and killed. Jenera was relieved to slink out the back way of the inn, through the stables, and out into the dark and quiet city. She was a restless person by nature, and exploring the unknown was what she liked to do best. Slipping through the shadows, she began her search. With little idea of where this Lord Wadleigh might be, she spread her search out into the city, in wider and wider circles. Apart from a few lit windows, and the occasional patrol, she met no one. Until, nearly ready to give up and head back for the evening, the sound of laughter caught her ear. Creeping along a flat rooftop, Jenera peered out into the street below. There, she saw a well-dressed, portly man, staggering drunkenly down the street in the center of a large group of people. Fortunately for Jenera, her eyesight is particularly well suited to poor lighting, and she was able to make out many details. Along with a woman walking with the fat man, there were three other men who were as drunk as he was, and all of them had shapely women on their arms, too. Two other men were not drunk at all, but moved in front and behind the fat man and his entourage with military efficiency, scanning the area for any signs of trouble. The drunk men and the prostitutes, if that’s what they were, seemed unaware of any possible danger; in fact, they were singing baudy tunes at the top of their lungs, laughing at each forgotten line. Jenera watched them for a few moments, noting the direction in which they came and in which they were headed. When the group had turned a corner and was out of sight, she backtracked along the route they had come until she came to one of the few other establishments left open in the city. And this one was doing a brisk business. It was obviously a brothel, and light from its many windows illuminated the street as if it were daylight. Men came and went, lewd women leaned out from those same windows shouting obscene solicitations to passers-by, and music, singing and laughter rang from the open doors on the first floor. Acting on the hunch that the man she’d seen in the street was Lord Wadleigh, who had been rumored to have come into a large amount of money recently (suspiciously enough, after the battle in which King Syndor was killed), Jenera headed back to the inn to report what she had discovered. Once there, she sat down with Kristov and Roderic and described all she had seen. Both of them agreed with Jenera that the man might be Wadleigh; and, lacking any other avenues of approach at the moment, the two of them decide to go visit the brothel and do a bit of reconnaissance on their own. With Jenera’s directions, they find the place with no problems. Roderic spends an hour researching upstairs with a prostitute, while Kristov scouts out the main room below with a mug of ale. Based on the description, they find out that the man Jenera saw was Lord Wadleigh. Also, they find out that (1) he comes to the brothel every night; (2) that he has hired bodyguards in the past, and may be in the market for more; and (3) he always frequents the same prostitute, an attractive, dark-haired woman. No one else will do, it seems, though many of the other whores have tried to win his affection (and his coin). Armed with this new information, Roderic and Kristov head back to their inn, where things have quieted down and most of the others have headed off to bed. Any further plans will have to wait until the morning. Soon to come: “Breaking and Entering (is easier with a rogue)” And “An Ambush Surprise” [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Guardians of Marib
Top