RangerWickett
Legend
For simplicity, it'd still be easier if a defeated Pemberton goes to Yerasol, where he won't complicate things politically.
ZEITGEIST [ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
That's what I thought.
I have settled on my big changes to this adventure now that will enable me to finish off one subplot thread - that of Rumdoom's rivallry with his erstwhile NPC contact, Khaled Valcheck of Black Star Mining. We last saw Valchek sailing South with his mercenary Fleet, which he had put together with the help and co-operation of Pemberton Industries. My players had succeeded in denying popular and political support for this venture within Risur, but had not been able to stop the fleet from sailing.
It's been three years. When they arrive at the summer court they will find Khaled Valchek installed as Bruse Shantus' 'Minister for Technology': Khaled Valchek and Benedict Pemberton had a falling out. Turns out Pemberton wasn't really interested in stirring up a hornet's nest by attacking the Deep Ones. He just wanted the ships for himself. Now Valchek languishes in a cell on Isla Dola Focas and his duplicant and Black Star Mining are primed to take the heat should Pemberton's coup attempt go awry...
So Rumdoom will end up rescuing his old enemy, bringing that thread to a close. (Save for the matter of the Stone of Not, an item Rumdoom seeks and which the Deep Ones are said to have in their possession. God knows what I'm going to do with that. There was some talk about it being the fragment of a dead sun way back at the beginning of this thread but I don't know what good it would do, or how the party would get hold of it without a major side-quest. I'll worry about that later.)
My idea is to complicate the end of the 6th adventure by having Seobriga in the hands of Pemberton's mechanical army. But the wily old dragon has underestimated the determination of the Berans, and has reckoned without an old friend of the PCs who has a score to settle with Tinker and a knack for construct control.
I have settled on my big changes to this adventure now that will enable me to finish off one subplot thread - that of Rumdoom's rivallry with his erstwhile NPC contact, Khaled Valcheck of Black Star Mining. We last saw Valchek sailing South with his mercenary Fleet, which he had put together with the help and co-operation of Pemberton Industries. My players had succeeded in denying popular and political support for this venture within Risur, but had not been able to stop the fleet from sailing.
It's been three years. When they arrive at the summer court they will find Khaled Valchek installed as Bruse Shantus' 'Minister for Technology': Khaled Valchek and Benedict Pemberton had a falling out. Turns out Pemberton wasn't really interested in stirring up a hornet's nest by attacking the Deep Ones. He just wanted the ships for himself. Now Valchek languishes in a cell on Isla Dola Focas and his duplicant and Black Star Mining are primed to take the heat should Pemberton's coup attempt go awry...
So Rumdoom will end up rescuing his old enemy, bringing that thread to a close. (Save for the matter of the Stone of Not, an item Rumdoom seeks and which the Deep Ones are said to have in their possession. God knows what I'm going to do with that. There was some talk about it being the fragment of a dead sun way back at the beginning of this thread but I don't know what good it would do, or how the party would get hold of it without a major side-quest. I'll worry about that later.)
My idea is to complicate the end of the 6th adventure by having Seobriga in the hands of Pemberton's mechanical army. But the wily old dragon has underestimated the determination of the Berans, and has reckoned without an old friend of the PCs who has a score to settle with Tinker and a knack for construct control.
Last edited:
RangerWickett
Legend
This Stone of Not could be the calcified eye of the Voice of Rot (otherwise set to appear in a glacier in adventure 11).
Or it could be somehow linked to the savants in the Gyre in 12.
It could be some Macguffin that Asrabey uses to control She Who Writhes in 10.
Or it's some relic the Ob used in their ritual in Methia to shield the Obscurati from scrying, which Nicodemus gave to the deep ones so it could never be found. The party finds it during 8, and if they bring it to Methia, it breaks the Ob's obscurity.
Any of those work?
Or it could be somehow linked to the savants in the Gyre in 12.
It could be some Macguffin that Asrabey uses to control She Who Writhes in 10.
Or it's some relic the Ob used in their ritual in Methia to shield the Obscurati from scrying, which Nicodemus gave to the deep ones so it could never be found. The party finds it during 8, and if they bring it to Methia, it breaks the Ob's obscurity.
Any of those work?
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
They all work! I will have to do some serious thinking.
The myth of the Stone is that it fell from the sky and was held by the dwarves, until a huge tsunami caused by the Deep Ones allowed them to claim it. (Which is how the dwarves know about it and why they want it back.) But this could all be myth, and doesn't stop the Stone from being any one of the things you have suggested. Nicodemus could have aided the Deep Ones to steal it, used it for his own ends, and returned it.
In what way might it grant or remove obscurity? And how would bringing it to Methia bring that about?
Last edited:
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Reboot Session 3 (or Session 126): PART ONE
Spirited Defence
• Brakken was duly cross-examined and reluctantly confessed to using mind magic throughout his long career as an ambassador. He defended himself as best he could, but the baying crowd had to be threatened by Glaucia when they heard this.
• Gupta noticed that Melissa Amerie was in the crowd, taking notes. Roderigo the half-giant and Bian Insac were alongside her (though Bian looked a bit intimidated by all the jostling).
• Before he could speak as a character witness for Brakken, Korrigan had to subject himself to cross-examination too. He got the distinct impression that Glaucia was fishing for extra information as many of her questions did not seem pertinent to the case.
• When the questioning was over, Korrigan spoke of the positive use to which Brakken put his calming magical powers and emphasised that he had never used his gifts to enslave or manipulate, but to protect others from harm. He went on to remind the court that the two orcs had been put up to their fight by an outsider who sought to sow discord in Ber, where Brakken tried only to bring harmony. His oratory won the day. (Or perhaps it was won by the persistent interjections of a ‘little boy’ in the crowd, who declaimed an account of how Brakken had becalmed his drunken, violent father, and saved his mother from a beating.)
• Glaucia released Brakken and administered a symbolic beating only, admonishing him not to abuse his powers again. (Brakken remained concerned for his reputation and did not seem at all happy despite her lenience.) The two orcs, however, did not escape so lightly and were beaten black and blue to sate the bloodlust of the crowd.
• Glaucia then announced that she had decided to accompany the unit to the summer court. It did not appear that they had any option in this matter. Melissa Amerie also wanted to come along, sensing a story. Korrigan was reluctant at first, but acquiesced on the condition that nothing was to be written or published until they had tracked down and dealt with Tinker Oddcog. Bian Insac and his friend Roderigo also planned to accompany them. Glaucia said they would all need horses, and so Gupta and Conquo went with them to secure some.
• As they left they passed the orcish police officer who had accosted them at the portal. He gave them a confused double-take before returning to his duties, ushering the crowd out of the court.
Gone to Seed?
• Meanwhile, Korrigan, Leon and Uru went to the docks to meet Rumdoom’s ship: a powerful Drakran steamship (radiating energy of Urim) that had made good speed across the Avery Sea. The three craned to see if they could spot Rumdoom in the crowd upon its deck.
• Afforded the honour of descending first down the gangplank was a very rotund, well-dressed dwarf sporting a bushy handlebar moustache, tall bowler hat and blue-tinted sun-spectacles. At his side was a red-haired dwarf maiden wielding a parasol against the Beran sun, and behind them a small retinue. Korrigan & Co. continued to scour the deck for Rumdoom, wondering what had happened to him.
• Gradually, they became aware that the fat dwarf had approached and was now standing right in front of them. They did a double-take of their own on recognising their old friend. Before anyone could say anything, Rumdoom extended a hand to Korrigan and said enthusiastically, “Malthusius, how are you?” His wife whispered something in his ear and he corrected his mistake without embarrassment.
• They told him they needed to make haste to the Summer Court, and Rumdoom took out his Wondrous Carriage Figurine and chatted happily (if a little woozily) while they loaded it. He introduced his retinue as “Gin”, “Tonic”, “Ice” and “Lemon”. Easier to remember! Uru asked if he was back on the drink, but Rumdoom swore he hadn’t touched a drop. Gin was in fact Khoomrung Morkanstall, wheelchair bound and sadly incapable as a result of his terrible experiences. Pushing his chair was Ice (Krithilrak) a young but white-haired scribe whose duty was to record Rumdoom’s life and times. Lemon’s real name went unannounced. He was a beardless youth with thick spectacles, struggling to bear all of his master’s suitcases. Tonic was the ever-patient Hildegaard, Rumdoom’s wife.
• They all clambered aboard as the others arrived with the horses. There were even enormous shire horses big enough to bear Brakken and Roderigo. Despite Hildegaard’s protestations, Rumdoom decided he would ride up top with Uru. Relieved to see a carriage, Bian Insac suggested that he and Gupta should take up the spare seats, but when Gupta demurred Bian struggled to mount his steed instead. Xambria gave him a push, and nearly threw him over the saddle. (She had yet to master Conquo’s enormous limbs. But when it emerged that she would need to run all the way to the Summer Court, and Xambria attempted to hand back control to Conquo, it turned out the golem was sulking and insisted she should do it herself. That would teach her to take control without asking, as she had done earlier that day!)
• And so the group set off, having by now burgeoned to eight riders, a horseless mechanical carriage with six people aboard, and a golem (current occupancy: two).
Spirited Defence
• Brakken was duly cross-examined and reluctantly confessed to using mind magic throughout his long career as an ambassador. He defended himself as best he could, but the baying crowd had to be threatened by Glaucia when they heard this.
• Gupta noticed that Melissa Amerie was in the crowd, taking notes. Roderigo the half-giant and Bian Insac were alongside her (though Bian looked a bit intimidated by all the jostling).
• Before he could speak as a character witness for Brakken, Korrigan had to subject himself to cross-examination too. He got the distinct impression that Glaucia was fishing for extra information as many of her questions did not seem pertinent to the case.
• When the questioning was over, Korrigan spoke of the positive use to which Brakken put his calming magical powers and emphasised that he had never used his gifts to enslave or manipulate, but to protect others from harm. He went on to remind the court that the two orcs had been put up to their fight by an outsider who sought to sow discord in Ber, where Brakken tried only to bring harmony. His oratory won the day. (Or perhaps it was won by the persistent interjections of a ‘little boy’ in the crowd, who declaimed an account of how Brakken had becalmed his drunken, violent father, and saved his mother from a beating.)
• Glaucia released Brakken and administered a symbolic beating only, admonishing him not to abuse his powers again. (Brakken remained concerned for his reputation and did not seem at all happy despite her lenience.) The two orcs, however, did not escape so lightly and were beaten black and blue to sate the bloodlust of the crowd.
• Glaucia then announced that she had decided to accompany the unit to the summer court. It did not appear that they had any option in this matter. Melissa Amerie also wanted to come along, sensing a story. Korrigan was reluctant at first, but acquiesced on the condition that nothing was to be written or published until they had tracked down and dealt with Tinker Oddcog. Bian Insac and his friend Roderigo also planned to accompany them. Glaucia said they would all need horses, and so Gupta and Conquo went with them to secure some.
• As they left they passed the orcish police officer who had accosted them at the portal. He gave them a confused double-take before returning to his duties, ushering the crowd out of the court.
Gone to Seed?
• Meanwhile, Korrigan, Leon and Uru went to the docks to meet Rumdoom’s ship: a powerful Drakran steamship (radiating energy of Urim) that had made good speed across the Avery Sea. The three craned to see if they could spot Rumdoom in the crowd upon its deck.
• Afforded the honour of descending first down the gangplank was a very rotund, well-dressed dwarf sporting a bushy handlebar moustache, tall bowler hat and blue-tinted sun-spectacles. At his side was a red-haired dwarf maiden wielding a parasol against the Beran sun, and behind them a small retinue. Korrigan & Co. continued to scour the deck for Rumdoom, wondering what had happened to him.
• Gradually, they became aware that the fat dwarf had approached and was now standing right in front of them. They did a double-take of their own on recognising their old friend. Before anyone could say anything, Rumdoom extended a hand to Korrigan and said enthusiastically, “Malthusius, how are you?” His wife whispered something in his ear and he corrected his mistake without embarrassment.
• They told him they needed to make haste to the Summer Court, and Rumdoom took out his Wondrous Carriage Figurine and chatted happily (if a little woozily) while they loaded it. He introduced his retinue as “Gin”, “Tonic”, “Ice” and “Lemon”. Easier to remember! Uru asked if he was back on the drink, but Rumdoom swore he hadn’t touched a drop. Gin was in fact Khoomrung Morkanstall, wheelchair bound and sadly incapable as a result of his terrible experiences. Pushing his chair was Ice (Krithilrak) a young but white-haired scribe whose duty was to record Rumdoom’s life and times. Lemon’s real name went unannounced. He was a beardless youth with thick spectacles, struggling to bear all of his master’s suitcases. Tonic was the ever-patient Hildegaard, Rumdoom’s wife.
• They all clambered aboard as the others arrived with the horses. There were even enormous shire horses big enough to bear Brakken and Roderigo. Despite Hildegaard’s protestations, Rumdoom decided he would ride up top with Uru. Relieved to see a carriage, Bian Insac suggested that he and Gupta should take up the spare seats, but when Gupta demurred Bian struggled to mount his steed instead. Xambria gave him a push, and nearly threw him over the saddle. (She had yet to master Conquo’s enormous limbs. But when it emerged that she would need to run all the way to the Summer Court, and Xambria attempted to hand back control to Conquo, it turned out the golem was sulking and insisted she should do it herself. That would teach her to take control without asking, as she had done earlier that day!)
• And so the group set off, having by now burgeoned to eight riders, a horseless mechanical carriage with six people aboard, and a golem (current occupancy: two).
Last edited:
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Rumest Doomest
It’s great to have Rumdoom back. No character has ever breathed such a tragicomic breath of fresh air into one of my campaigns.
Rumdoom has been through the mill: starting with an alcoholic deathwish following a tragic bereavement, he was duped into abusing his Icy End power for financial gain, and eventually sacrificed himself for the good of the party when their adventures off the coast of Ber drew the attention of a kraken hydra. After many months he returned, having been rescued by the deep ones. His fear of boats and of water was gone and his deathwish replaced by a belief in his own immortality. He had a monstrous kraken tattooed across his belly, chest, arms, legs and neck and founded the Cult of Rumschatology – only to have his security team rip him off to the tune of 10000gp, and turn up in support of Grundon Zubov. They murdered his prospective father-in-law into the bargain. Rumdoom was at first accused of being in on the whole thing, as he disappeared at the same time. But this in turn was thanks to a control device similar to a tadpole implanted by the deep ones in the back of Rumdoom’s neck, causing him to attempt to open a portal in Flint that would cause millions of tonnes of seawater to flood the city, sinking all of the ships in its harbour. This act of villainy was prevented and Rumdoom was freed from mind control only to be badly beaten by his bride-to-be (in a violent prelude to make-up sex).
Now you see why I need to simplify my campaign.
Anyway, Rumdoom is back, weighing a good few extra pounds having enjoyed a life of luxury as a cult leader in Trekhom. He’s got an aversion to teleporting instead of boats, and has been up to all kinds of shenanigans. His player and I were throwing around ideas about what might be ‘up’, and why he wants to return to the field. Some of the ideas included: a sex scandal; assaulting Vlendham Heid during an 'intervention'; a drug problem; a health scare (not good for a cult leader boasting of immortality).
We decided on all four!
So when Rumdoom finally got the call from Korrigan, he was only too happy to get out of dodge and get back to doing what he does best: Granting good endings to all of his foes.
It’s great to have Rumdoom back. No character has ever breathed such a tragicomic breath of fresh air into one of my campaigns.
Rumdoom has been through the mill: starting with an alcoholic deathwish following a tragic bereavement, he was duped into abusing his Icy End power for financial gain, and eventually sacrificed himself for the good of the party when their adventures off the coast of Ber drew the attention of a kraken hydra. After many months he returned, having been rescued by the deep ones. His fear of boats and of water was gone and his deathwish replaced by a belief in his own immortality. He had a monstrous kraken tattooed across his belly, chest, arms, legs and neck and founded the Cult of Rumschatology – only to have his security team rip him off to the tune of 10000gp, and turn up in support of Grundon Zubov. They murdered his prospective father-in-law into the bargain. Rumdoom was at first accused of being in on the whole thing, as he disappeared at the same time. But this in turn was thanks to a control device similar to a tadpole implanted by the deep ones in the back of Rumdoom’s neck, causing him to attempt to open a portal in Flint that would cause millions of tonnes of seawater to flood the city, sinking all of the ships in its harbour. This act of villainy was prevented and Rumdoom was freed from mind control only to be badly beaten by his bride-to-be (in a violent prelude to make-up sex).
Now you see why I need to simplify my campaign.
Anyway, Rumdoom is back, weighing a good few extra pounds having enjoyed a life of luxury as a cult leader in Trekhom. He’s got an aversion to teleporting instead of boats, and has been up to all kinds of shenanigans. His player and I were throwing around ideas about what might be ‘up’, and why he wants to return to the field. Some of the ideas included: a sex scandal; assaulting Vlendham Heid during an 'intervention'; a drug problem; a health scare (not good for a cult leader boasting of immortality).
We decided on all four!
So when Rumdoom finally got the call from Korrigan, he was only too happy to get out of dodge and get back to doing what he does best: Granting good endings to all of his foes.
Last edited:
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Reboot Session 3 (or Session 126): PART TWO
Monument Road
• The party passed by the statue of Vairday Bruse, and the parks devoted to each of his co-founders (including Bruse Shantus, the current ruler of Ber). Glaucia pointed them out proudly and talked about her dedication to the cause of ongoing revolution in Ber. (No one really noticed at the time, but later they would remember that the statue of the founder ‘El Extrano’ was curiously absent from its empty plinth.)
• It was a hot evening. In the distance, they saw goatherds wrangling goats the size of bison, using trained bears like sheepdogs. The group stopped twice – once to water the horses at a river, and again for an evening meal. This gave them all the chance to talk with one another:
• Uru tried to get to the bottom of what was ailing Rumdoom, but Rumdoom wasn’t keen to dwell on such matters. Instead he was focused on enjoying himself. His wife was worried that he was getting burned. She took off his hat and his face was a very different colour to his shaven head.
• Korrigan spoke with Glaucia and talked about the danger they were trying to counter. He did not mention the Obscurati by name, but tried to give her a sense of the scale and scope of this international conspiracy. It was not, he stressed, a matter for Risur alone, but a threat to the whole world.
• Brakken asked after the officers of unit B, who had escorted him in Flint. He was saddened to learn that Theren, Niniel and Sevitar had all been killed during the assault on the Cauldron Hill facility.
• Gupta spoke with Melissa Amerie and found that she got along very well with the droll half-orc journalist. Amerie filled her in on all the details she had learned about Tinker when researching her article, including his early career in Slate, where his erratic behaviour led to a series of dismissals. Each one was followed by serious industrial accidents involving those responsible for giving Tinker the sack… Soldiers in military installations throughout Seobriga have been complaining about the behaviour of the gnome. (It was these rumours that led Amerie to become aware of him.)
• Gupta also received an anxious sending from Stover Delft. It had been almost 48 hours without any report from her. The unit were concerned that the Obscurati had learned how to intercept sendings, and suggested further communication be limited until a functioning code could be established.
• Over dinner, Glaucia asked about Risuri skyseers, but only Krithilrak answered. It transpired that the scribe fancied himself as a skyseer, though his response was a trifle condescending. This appeared to go unnoticed by Glaucia who said she would like to know whether her own future would include the chance to revenge herself on an old foe. She was put in mind of all this by their journey to court, as one of her foes would be there, protected by the Bruse.
• Xambria tried to tell Glaucia that skyseer visions weren’t very specific and might not be able to help her. Glaucia did not want to hear this from a ten-foot golem and moved away. Xambria also tried to encourage Conquo to take over for the rest of the run, but he wouldn’t budge.
• Back on the road, Gupta talked more with Glaucia and heard her terrible story of how her village had been attacked by gnolls from the Cult of the Steel Lord. Rather than see her pups enslaved she had killed her youngest, and had intended to kill them all and then herself. But the raid leader freed her and the rest of her children, to spread the word of the cult’s might. She dedicated herself to the Executores and trained her children to defend themselves.
• As they rode Leon found a moment to talk to Korrigan alone. With the help of the Thinker (his star pact patron), he had managed to throw off the Obscurati geas, but had not been able to share what he knew before now. Han Jierre was not the head of the conspiracy, but appeared to share power – even take orders from – Kasvarina Varal and Nicodemus. (When he learned of this, and discovered that he was not a part of a Danoran military venture, Leon had taken steps to expose Han Jierre, leading to his own assassination.)
Rexes in the Vineyard
• The first sign that something was amiss came when the mechanical carriage plunged into an enormous pit. Korrigan managed to rein in his mount, but Leon’s horse plunged in headlong. Leon managed to teleport away but the horse began screaming and thrashing when it landed, having broken its leg. Korrigan gave Uru an order to put it out of its misery.
The mechanical carriage was unharmed, but the occupants were shaken. Rumdoom had been thrown off, and picked himself up awkwardly, reclaiming his hat.
• They were in a forest of giant Sequoia, with row upon row of grapevines. The carriage had crashed into an artfully covered pit at the centre of a crossroads, where a pair of stone arches stood to either side of the main road. Roderigo was first to hear the rumbling from the North and craned to see over the grapevines. A stampede of goats (yes, goats) was heading straight for them!
• The quick-thinking half-giant grabbed Bian’s reins, as the nebbish writer was struggling to control his mount. He led Bian through a gap in the hedge and spurred their horses eastwards, urging Glaucia, Brakken and Melissa Amerie to follow. They did so. Though the Executores spared a backward glance for those caught by the pit, her main concern was seeing the others to safety.
• The goats (yes, goats) bore down on them. Gupta and Korrigan dismounted hurriedly. Leon ported onto the wall near the arch and tried to see what was happening. Dust from the stampede blinded him, but everyone heard the tremendous roar that echoed through the forest.
• The dwarves were all clambering up a web provided by Uru, and those that could not make it out of the pit were hoisted out by Conquo. (The golem had finally agreed to take control of himself now that trouble had arisen.)
• Korrigan used his Icon of Urim to raise a wall in the northern archway. Leon cleared his eyes and used his dream magic to place the illusion of a wall in front of the real wall. The stampede bisected, streaming in a fork to the east and west, driven on by fear of what pursued them:
• A pair of enormous tyrannosaurs stomped through the trees from the North; they immediately ignored the goats they had been chasing and made a bee-line for the unit. The goats crashed through hedges to get away from them. A strange ringing noise could be heard from the branches of a fallen Sequoia to the South, causing the goats that had gone past the road to mill about in chaos, and driving them towards the pit. Korrigan and Gupta scrambled up the wall to get away.
• Rumdoom demanded that Lemon pass him his blunderbuss. He took aim at a tyrannosaur, fired and missed. Leon hit one with a beam of Starfire, and their eyes sparkled strangely in response. One bore down on Korrigan and Leon while the other unleashed a terrifying, territorial roar.
• Having rescued the dwarves, the simian Conquo leapt across the pit and swung in front of the nearest rex, sending the archway crashing into the road behind him, unable to bear his weight. The tyrannosaur chomped down on him, but he was able to pry its jaws apart. Rumdoom demanded his mordenkrad, and jumped across to join him, though the extra weight he now carried meant he almost fell backwards into the pit. The golem and the dwarf went toe-to-toe with both tyrannosaurs while Leon provided covering fire and Korrigan issued orders. One tyrannosaur managed to pin Korrigan in its jaws, but the unit leader’s form flashed with Avilona energy and he vanished, reappearing on the wall next to Leon. Gupta began to wonder if every fight they had would be as terrifying! She jumped back off the wall, rather than end up on the menu.
• On the other side of the road, Uru searched the fallen sequoia for the source of the eerie ringing noise. He spotted a hidden figure but before he could take aim, the figure leapt out of the branches and lurched towards him. It was Merton Goncala, Lya Jierre’s second bodyguard. Thunderous noise emanated from him and he struck the ground with his arcane sonic staff, assailing Uru with waves of sound. Uru’s sudden disappearance confused the half-orc who ran forward seeking other targets. Finding only Rumdoom’s retinue, he was given pause, appearing reluctant to attack non-combatants. Uru took advantage and unleashed a volley of shots that plunged Goncala into the Bleak Gate.
• Freezing hammer blows, searing starfire and crushing golem fists caused one of the fearsome tyrannosaurs to flee. This was too big a quarry to allow to escape, so instead of helping Conquo wrestle with the second rex, Rumdoom called for his blunderbuss, which Lemon had reloaded. He took careful aim, and brought the beast down with a well-placed shot. By now Conquo had its mate in a headlock and had squeezed its jaws tightly shut. It stumbled off, confused by its predicament, with Conquo holding on stubbornly. Korrigan yelled at him to stop fooling around and Conquo let the beast go.
• The fight was over. Glaucia arrived, clearly intending to help, having got the others to safety. She leapt off her horse next to the dead rex, and began to smash out its teeth with her staff. Rumdoom watched, a little put out, but he didn’t voice an objection when Glaucia handed him a single tooth. “I would like to keep the rest if you don’t mind she said.” Something about her piercing gaze caused his words to lodge in his throat. Instead, he turned back to the others, proudly waving his tyrannosaur tooth and said, "That's the most fun I've had in years!" (I'm still not sure if that was in or out of character.)
Monument Road
• The party passed by the statue of Vairday Bruse, and the parks devoted to each of his co-founders (including Bruse Shantus, the current ruler of Ber). Glaucia pointed them out proudly and talked about her dedication to the cause of ongoing revolution in Ber. (No one really noticed at the time, but later they would remember that the statue of the founder ‘El Extrano’ was curiously absent from its empty plinth.)
• It was a hot evening. In the distance, they saw goatherds wrangling goats the size of bison, using trained bears like sheepdogs. The group stopped twice – once to water the horses at a river, and again for an evening meal. This gave them all the chance to talk with one another:
• Uru tried to get to the bottom of what was ailing Rumdoom, but Rumdoom wasn’t keen to dwell on such matters. Instead he was focused on enjoying himself. His wife was worried that he was getting burned. She took off his hat and his face was a very different colour to his shaven head.
• Korrigan spoke with Glaucia and talked about the danger they were trying to counter. He did not mention the Obscurati by name, but tried to give her a sense of the scale and scope of this international conspiracy. It was not, he stressed, a matter for Risur alone, but a threat to the whole world.
• Brakken asked after the officers of unit B, who had escorted him in Flint. He was saddened to learn that Theren, Niniel and Sevitar had all been killed during the assault on the Cauldron Hill facility.
• Gupta spoke with Melissa Amerie and found that she got along very well with the droll half-orc journalist. Amerie filled her in on all the details she had learned about Tinker when researching her article, including his early career in Slate, where his erratic behaviour led to a series of dismissals. Each one was followed by serious industrial accidents involving those responsible for giving Tinker the sack… Soldiers in military installations throughout Seobriga have been complaining about the behaviour of the gnome. (It was these rumours that led Amerie to become aware of him.)
• Gupta also received an anxious sending from Stover Delft. It had been almost 48 hours without any report from her. The unit were concerned that the Obscurati had learned how to intercept sendings, and suggested further communication be limited until a functioning code could be established.
• Over dinner, Glaucia asked about Risuri skyseers, but only Krithilrak answered. It transpired that the scribe fancied himself as a skyseer, though his response was a trifle condescending. This appeared to go unnoticed by Glaucia who said she would like to know whether her own future would include the chance to revenge herself on an old foe. She was put in mind of all this by their journey to court, as one of her foes would be there, protected by the Bruse.
• Xambria tried to tell Glaucia that skyseer visions weren’t very specific and might not be able to help her. Glaucia did not want to hear this from a ten-foot golem and moved away. Xambria also tried to encourage Conquo to take over for the rest of the run, but he wouldn’t budge.
• Back on the road, Gupta talked more with Glaucia and heard her terrible story of how her village had been attacked by gnolls from the Cult of the Steel Lord. Rather than see her pups enslaved she had killed her youngest, and had intended to kill them all and then herself. But the raid leader freed her and the rest of her children, to spread the word of the cult’s might. She dedicated herself to the Executores and trained her children to defend themselves.
• As they rode Leon found a moment to talk to Korrigan alone. With the help of the Thinker (his star pact patron), he had managed to throw off the Obscurati geas, but had not been able to share what he knew before now. Han Jierre was not the head of the conspiracy, but appeared to share power – even take orders from – Kasvarina Varal and Nicodemus. (When he learned of this, and discovered that he was not a part of a Danoran military venture, Leon had taken steps to expose Han Jierre, leading to his own assassination.)
Rexes in the Vineyard
• The first sign that something was amiss came when the mechanical carriage plunged into an enormous pit. Korrigan managed to rein in his mount, but Leon’s horse plunged in headlong. Leon managed to teleport away but the horse began screaming and thrashing when it landed, having broken its leg. Korrigan gave Uru an order to put it out of its misery.
The mechanical carriage was unharmed, but the occupants were shaken. Rumdoom had been thrown off, and picked himself up awkwardly, reclaiming his hat.
• They were in a forest of giant Sequoia, with row upon row of grapevines. The carriage had crashed into an artfully covered pit at the centre of a crossroads, where a pair of stone arches stood to either side of the main road. Roderigo was first to hear the rumbling from the North and craned to see over the grapevines. A stampede of goats (yes, goats) was heading straight for them!
• The quick-thinking half-giant grabbed Bian’s reins, as the nebbish writer was struggling to control his mount. He led Bian through a gap in the hedge and spurred their horses eastwards, urging Glaucia, Brakken and Melissa Amerie to follow. They did so. Though the Executores spared a backward glance for those caught by the pit, her main concern was seeing the others to safety.
• The goats (yes, goats) bore down on them. Gupta and Korrigan dismounted hurriedly. Leon ported onto the wall near the arch and tried to see what was happening. Dust from the stampede blinded him, but everyone heard the tremendous roar that echoed through the forest.
• The dwarves were all clambering up a web provided by Uru, and those that could not make it out of the pit were hoisted out by Conquo. (The golem had finally agreed to take control of himself now that trouble had arisen.)
• Korrigan used his Icon of Urim to raise a wall in the northern archway. Leon cleared his eyes and used his dream magic to place the illusion of a wall in front of the real wall. The stampede bisected, streaming in a fork to the east and west, driven on by fear of what pursued them:
• A pair of enormous tyrannosaurs stomped through the trees from the North; they immediately ignored the goats they had been chasing and made a bee-line for the unit. The goats crashed through hedges to get away from them. A strange ringing noise could be heard from the branches of a fallen Sequoia to the South, causing the goats that had gone past the road to mill about in chaos, and driving them towards the pit. Korrigan and Gupta scrambled up the wall to get away.
• Rumdoom demanded that Lemon pass him his blunderbuss. He took aim at a tyrannosaur, fired and missed. Leon hit one with a beam of Starfire, and their eyes sparkled strangely in response. One bore down on Korrigan and Leon while the other unleashed a terrifying, territorial roar.
• Having rescued the dwarves, the simian Conquo leapt across the pit and swung in front of the nearest rex, sending the archway crashing into the road behind him, unable to bear his weight. The tyrannosaur chomped down on him, but he was able to pry its jaws apart. Rumdoom demanded his mordenkrad, and jumped across to join him, though the extra weight he now carried meant he almost fell backwards into the pit. The golem and the dwarf went toe-to-toe with both tyrannosaurs while Leon provided covering fire and Korrigan issued orders. One tyrannosaur managed to pin Korrigan in its jaws, but the unit leader’s form flashed with Avilona energy and he vanished, reappearing on the wall next to Leon. Gupta began to wonder if every fight they had would be as terrifying! She jumped back off the wall, rather than end up on the menu.
• On the other side of the road, Uru searched the fallen sequoia for the source of the eerie ringing noise. He spotted a hidden figure but before he could take aim, the figure leapt out of the branches and lurched towards him. It was Merton Goncala, Lya Jierre’s second bodyguard. Thunderous noise emanated from him and he struck the ground with his arcane sonic staff, assailing Uru with waves of sound. Uru’s sudden disappearance confused the half-orc who ran forward seeking other targets. Finding only Rumdoom’s retinue, he was given pause, appearing reluctant to attack non-combatants. Uru took advantage and unleashed a volley of shots that plunged Goncala into the Bleak Gate.
• Freezing hammer blows, searing starfire and crushing golem fists caused one of the fearsome tyrannosaurs to flee. This was too big a quarry to allow to escape, so instead of helping Conquo wrestle with the second rex, Rumdoom called for his blunderbuss, which Lemon had reloaded. He took careful aim, and brought the beast down with a well-placed shot. By now Conquo had its mate in a headlock and had squeezed its jaws tightly shut. It stumbled off, confused by its predicament, with Conquo holding on stubbornly. Korrigan yelled at him to stop fooling around and Conquo let the beast go.
• The fight was over. Glaucia arrived, clearly intending to help, having got the others to safety. She leapt off her horse next to the dead rex, and began to smash out its teeth with her staff. Rumdoom watched, a little put out, but he didn’t voice an objection when Glaucia handed him a single tooth. “I would like to keep the rest if you don’t mind she said.” Something about her piercing gaze caused his words to lodge in his throat. Instead, he turned back to the others, proudly waving his tyrannosaur tooth and said, "That's the most fun I've had in years!" (I'm still not sure if that was in or out of character.)
Last edited:
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
DM's Notes
I don't normally post detailed or blow-by-blow accounts of combat. Mainly because I don't take notes, and don't find the minutiae and mechanics particularly interesting. But this encounter was a fantastic reminder of the third 'pillar' of Zeitgeist's success*: hugely memorable and original encounters. They're sometimes so original it takes me a while to figure out how to run them, and I sometimes miss the 'point' right up until we start, and only really understand the dynamics as the encounter unfolds!
It was a great moment for Rumdoom to return, because the group really needed two tanks here. But it was a surprise when the addled Rumdoom opted not to grab his most optimal weapon from the get-go, instead calling for his gun. I thought perhaps the player had misunderstood the mechanics and gently reminded him that this might be the wrong time to experiment, which gave him the chance to reply, "
all that! I get to shoot a tyrannosaur with a blunderbuss!"
Point taken. I should have kept my nose out.
Gupta is out of her depth in these encounters, but that is a really nice dynamic too. Her player handles it well, and says he's really enjoying it. (Just surviving is almost as much fun as dropping the bad guys, it seems.) Every character got a chance to shine, which is ideal.
My only regret is that I forgot about Merton Goncola's resonance bomb. I hate it when I do that!
* The first and second pillars being: a complex, satisfying, mature narrative sustained across the whole AP; fully fleshed-out and three-dimensional NPCs.
I don't normally post detailed or blow-by-blow accounts of combat. Mainly because I don't take notes, and don't find the minutiae and mechanics particularly interesting. But this encounter was a fantastic reminder of the third 'pillar' of Zeitgeist's success*: hugely memorable and original encounters. They're sometimes so original it takes me a while to figure out how to run them, and I sometimes miss the 'point' right up until we start, and only really understand the dynamics as the encounter unfolds!
It was a great moment for Rumdoom to return, because the group really needed two tanks here. But it was a surprise when the addled Rumdoom opted not to grab his most optimal weapon from the get-go, instead calling for his gun. I thought perhaps the player had misunderstood the mechanics and gently reminded him that this might be the wrong time to experiment, which gave him the chance to reply, "
all that! I get to shoot a tyrannosaur with a blunderbuss!"Point taken. I should have kept my nose out.
Gupta is out of her depth in these encounters, but that is a really nice dynamic too. Her player handles it well, and says he's really enjoying it. (Just surviving is almost as much fun as dropping the bad guys, it seems.) Every character got a chance to shine, which is ideal.
My only regret is that I forgot about Merton Goncola's resonance bomb. I hate it when I do that!
* The first and second pillars being: a complex, satisfying, mature narrative sustained across the whole AP; fully fleshed-out and three-dimensional NPCs.
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Couple of Questions
I wonder if you can help we with these questions, [MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION]:
1) I just spotted a potential problem with adding 3 years to my timeline, in that it kind of ruins the serach for Leone in adventure #7. I'm wondering if there's a 'quick fix' to this. How likely are the Ob to simply hav eleft him cooling his heels at the Quital family vineyard for, er... two years?
2) Is there any point in the campaign when the PCs actually get to see someone summon Nicodemus via needlewire? It suddenly occurred to me that this is very cool, but my players don't know anything about it. I wondered if it might be fun to have Lya Jierre summon him right in front of them, while trying to convince them to co-operate in adventure #6. But I didn't want to spoil a big reveal that I've missed later in the campaign.
Oh, and PS:
3) Why is it called needlewire?
I wonder if you can help we with these questions, [MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION]:
1) I just spotted a potential problem with adding 3 years to my timeline, in that it kind of ruins the serach for Leone in adventure #7. I'm wondering if there's a 'quick fix' to this. How likely are the Ob to simply hav eleft him cooling his heels at the Quital family vineyard for, er... two years?
2) Is there any point in the campaign when the PCs actually get to see someone summon Nicodemus via needlewire? It suddenly occurred to me that this is very cool, but my players don't know anything about it. I wondered if it might be fun to have Lya Jierre summon him right in front of them, while trying to convince them to co-operate in adventure #6. But I didn't want to spoil a big reveal that I've missed later in the campaign.
Oh, and PS:
3) Why is it called needlewire?
RangerWickett
Legend
1) Leone goes to Drakr to locate a suitable factory site for colossus II, and spends a few years enlisting dwarves and giants in the far north, setting up a new industrial hub up there. But it'll be years before they have the capacity necessary to maintain the illusion that they're legitimate while gleaning the needed metal to start building their replacement for Borne. They don't want to get noticed again. Somewhere along the way, though, he risks a trip back into Risur to recover some items from the Cauldron Hill facility, and though he gets in and out through the Bleak Gate without being noticed, someone spots him at the docks, which gives the PCs a lead to follow him back to Alais Primos.
Basically, just insert 'he did some stuff for a while, and then he came back to Risur recently.'
2) Nope, nothing official. I think I had something planned for it, but it fell by the wayside, so now it's more of a background thing.
3) Way back when I was first coming up with the setting, I intended to have telegraphs. I decided that was too advanced, but I still liked the name, which was meant to evoke a telegraph in a syringe.
Basically, just insert 'he did some stuff for a while, and then he came back to Risur recently.'
2) Nope, nothing official. I think I had something planned for it, but it fell by the wayside, so now it's more of a background thing.
3) Way back when I was first coming up with the setting, I intended to have telegraphs. I decided that was too advanced, but I still liked the name, which was meant to evoke a telegraph in a syringe.
Similar Threads
ZEITGEIST
Tet's Zeitgeist Campaign
