Eaglesford Campaign: "Strange Lights"
- Thread starter Nail
- Start date
Nail
First Post
pogre said:My kinda' gaming - enjoyed reading your tale. Hope your school year is going well too.
Thanks! I've enjoyed yours too. Esp. the minatures pictures!
I've tried to "expand" my DMing skillz by including paper-cut out minatures maps...but I'm afraid I've only got "counters" rather than minatures. Easier to haul around, harder to look impressive.
For my players: The next post is Rowan's animal companion ceremony. In with the desciption you have already seen are scenes that only Rowan was privy too. I trust you all can keep Out of Character stuff separate.
Nail
First Post
Rowan's Animal Companion ceremony, part 1
Rowan, Druid of Eaglesford, decided to get an animal companion. ("A fuzzy wolf, please!"). Camped in a cave in the cliffs under Alderslook, the party waits, while Rowan performs the ceremony. This is what happened.
*********************************
You are cold and wet.
Sharp bits of pottery and angular rocks poke at you as you stir uncomfortably in your spot.
It's dark, with only a bit of daylight filtering around the brush piled by the cave entrance. There are the preparations for a fire in front of you....but Rowan has forbidden it. It might frighten away the animal she is hoping to summon today. Riva grumbles about being frightening all by himself if this goes on too long... as the steady drip - drip - drip of the cave drums off his helm and rolls into his beard.
As you sit on the "least wet" rocks you can find at the back of the cave, Rowan has arranged herself in the middle of the cave, face towards the daylight. She has laid out various bits of food, a broken piece of pottery with some water in it, and a bundle or two of fragrant herbs. "What had she called that stuff again?", Garret thinks to himself, "....had some sort of "bug" name or another.....ah well, as long as it doesn't put Bavic off, and gets the job done....."
Rowan interrupts the thoughts of the others as she turns to speak, her small, usually shy voice sounding firm in this place, "Now remember, I am summoning an animal here. That means that an animal will come to me. Please don't kill it when it enters the cave! And whatever happens, don't interfere, things may look weird or dangerous, but it's all normal and I will have it under control, I promise!" Rowan looks around the cave and adds "Honest, this will help us....."
Riva tests his weapon's edge, just in case.
Rowan turns away, sits, and begins her prayers and meditations. Her chanting is quiet, but audible above the dripping of the cave. ...You can hear it, but her words are indistinguishable.....they sound old...they carry a pattern...they come and go, weaving themselves in and out of the sounds of the cave around you.
You wait, and hope for what will come.
****************************
For Rowan, only:
Your ceremony starts smoothly enough, given the damp and uncomfortable conditions. As you chant, you think to yourself "If only this were all out under the clean open air, in the forest...." Your memory of your first animal companion, the raven, floats back into your mind. That ceremony was so easy, so fresh and new.
...You have been chanting for several hours. Your companion's presence has faded from your mind. It is only you, open to the forces of the earth and sky around you.....
....There is a presence nearby. You can feel it. Its heart beats. It does not yet beat in time with yours...but you feel confident it will soon.
....There is something else. There is a voice. ...An old voice, a voice that speaks words without meaning. It sounds like earth, like rock. It's breath sounds like the wind passing over hills of stone. The words of this voice are a rhythm, a beat of a ceremonial drum, a cadence that you cannot hold or understand....only feel as it passes around you.
....The animal heart that you heard before is beating, drawing closer to you, and it swallows the rhythm of the voice. It mirrors the beat and intent of it. You do not understand the voice....it is too big for you....but the little heart, the animal heart, takes it all in effortlessly. That is its nature.
The animal heart has drawn closer still. It flows toward you as you call for it. It will be with you if you ask for it. It can teach you....it carries ancient secrets....if you do not turn from it. It has seen so many turn away.....
It is here. You open your eyes.
******************************
For the remainder of the group:
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
....She has been chanting for hours. The druid has been sitting, swaying slightly, in the center of the cave, her back to the rest of you. Once in a while her hand darts out to pull in a sprig of herbs or a few drops of water, which she scatters around the floor. The herbs mix with the broken sarcophagi that litter the ground, catching here and there on the sharp points of it.
Of course, she said it would take this long. But.....sitting still is a chore. Tieran lit a small candle, and reads his book with it, sheltering the pages from the drips from above. Riva sits back, idly honing the blade of his greataxe... ...strange how the strokes of his sharpening stone keep time with the druid's chanting. Thaile looks idly at the ceiling, searching for patterns in the twists and cracks of the rock. Garret watches, and waits with patience.
It must be early evening, judging by the reddish light peaking through the round cave opening. "No animal yet?", you hear Riva mutter. Thaile looks over, and gestures for patience, then resumes her study of the dim cavern ceiling. "Thank goodness for Tieran's candle", Thaile thinks to herself. "Without it I wouldn't be able to make out that......"
There is a stirring in the cave. Something moves. Out of the corner of her eye, Thaile sees something move in the ceiling above her. She looks again, studying....part has moved, somehow. A sinuous crack is there, that wasn't there before.
Garret brings himself to attention. A piece of pottery, perhaps once a corner of a sarcophagi....there is a long thin symbol on it, worn by the years....did the symbol move, just now?
Tieran looks up from his reading, and gently shuts his book. He sees something move, maybe shimmer, near the cave entrance. The lighting is terrible...but there is something there. Tieran's hand closes around the stock of his crossbow.
Rowan's chanting has grown louder now. She sways back and forth, casting small bits of things to her right and left. You can all feel something drawing closer. It is long, it is dark, and it moves with the earth of the cave. Pieces of debris in the cave move with it...the bits do not move when you fix your eyes on them, but slip out of sight at the edge of your vision. They move back...and forth.....and here....and there..... They are still as shadow, and yet they move.
Riva crouches, tense, his hand wrapped tightly around his greataxe. Garret has a hand about the collar of Bavic, the other hand holding his sword.
Silence.
Rowan has stopped chanting. Her arms are outstretched, and though her back is to you, you feel sure her eyes are open.
In front of her rises a shape. A long, sinuous shape, black as shadow. Its thin form towers over the sitting form of the druid, its eyes glittering in the light of Tieran's candle.
It lets out a low hisssssssssssss............
Rowan reaches out her hand toward it.........
....and with a sudden motion, the serpent strikes her, sinking
it's fangs deep into her arm.
Rowan, Druid of Eaglesford, decided to get an animal companion. ("A fuzzy wolf, please!"). Camped in a cave in the cliffs under Alderslook, the party waits, while Rowan performs the ceremony. This is what happened.
*********************************
You are cold and wet.
Sharp bits of pottery and angular rocks poke at you as you stir uncomfortably in your spot.
It's dark, with only a bit of daylight filtering around the brush piled by the cave entrance. There are the preparations for a fire in front of you....but Rowan has forbidden it. It might frighten away the animal she is hoping to summon today. Riva grumbles about being frightening all by himself if this goes on too long... as the steady drip - drip - drip of the cave drums off his helm and rolls into his beard.
As you sit on the "least wet" rocks you can find at the back of the cave, Rowan has arranged herself in the middle of the cave, face towards the daylight. She has laid out various bits of food, a broken piece of pottery with some water in it, and a bundle or two of fragrant herbs. "What had she called that stuff again?", Garret thinks to himself, "....had some sort of "bug" name or another.....ah well, as long as it doesn't put Bavic off, and gets the job done....."
Rowan interrupts the thoughts of the others as she turns to speak, her small, usually shy voice sounding firm in this place, "Now remember, I am summoning an animal here. That means that an animal will come to me. Please don't kill it when it enters the cave! And whatever happens, don't interfere, things may look weird or dangerous, but it's all normal and I will have it under control, I promise!" Rowan looks around the cave and adds "Honest, this will help us....."
Riva tests his weapon's edge, just in case.
Rowan turns away, sits, and begins her prayers and meditations. Her chanting is quiet, but audible above the dripping of the cave. ...You can hear it, but her words are indistinguishable.....they sound old...they carry a pattern...they come and go, weaving themselves in and out of the sounds of the cave around you.
You wait, and hope for what will come.
****************************
For Rowan, only:
Your ceremony starts smoothly enough, given the damp and uncomfortable conditions. As you chant, you think to yourself "If only this were all out under the clean open air, in the forest...." Your memory of your first animal companion, the raven, floats back into your mind. That ceremony was so easy, so fresh and new.
...You have been chanting for several hours. Your companion's presence has faded from your mind. It is only you, open to the forces of the earth and sky around you.....
....There is a presence nearby. You can feel it. Its heart beats. It does not yet beat in time with yours...but you feel confident it will soon.
....There is something else. There is a voice. ...An old voice, a voice that speaks words without meaning. It sounds like earth, like rock. It's breath sounds like the wind passing over hills of stone. The words of this voice are a rhythm, a beat of a ceremonial drum, a cadence that you cannot hold or understand....only feel as it passes around you.
....The animal heart that you heard before is beating, drawing closer to you, and it swallows the rhythm of the voice. It mirrors the beat and intent of it. You do not understand the voice....it is too big for you....but the little heart, the animal heart, takes it all in effortlessly. That is its nature.
The animal heart has drawn closer still. It flows toward you as you call for it. It will be with you if you ask for it. It can teach you....it carries ancient secrets....if you do not turn from it. It has seen so many turn away.....
It is here. You open your eyes.
******************************
For the remainder of the group:
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
....She has been chanting for hours. The druid has been sitting, swaying slightly, in the center of the cave, her back to the rest of you. Once in a while her hand darts out to pull in a sprig of herbs or a few drops of water, which she scatters around the floor. The herbs mix with the broken sarcophagi that litter the ground, catching here and there on the sharp points of it.
Of course, she said it would take this long. But.....sitting still is a chore. Tieran lit a small candle, and reads his book with it, sheltering the pages from the drips from above. Riva sits back, idly honing the blade of his greataxe... ...strange how the strokes of his sharpening stone keep time with the druid's chanting. Thaile looks idly at the ceiling, searching for patterns in the twists and cracks of the rock. Garret watches, and waits with patience.
It must be early evening, judging by the reddish light peaking through the round cave opening. "No animal yet?", you hear Riva mutter. Thaile looks over, and gestures for patience, then resumes her study of the dim cavern ceiling. "Thank goodness for Tieran's candle", Thaile thinks to herself. "Without it I wouldn't be able to make out that......"
There is a stirring in the cave. Something moves. Out of the corner of her eye, Thaile sees something move in the ceiling above her. She looks again, studying....part has moved, somehow. A sinuous crack is there, that wasn't there before.
Garret brings himself to attention. A piece of pottery, perhaps once a corner of a sarcophagi....there is a long thin symbol on it, worn by the years....did the symbol move, just now?
Tieran looks up from his reading, and gently shuts his book. He sees something move, maybe shimmer, near the cave entrance. The lighting is terrible...but there is something there. Tieran's hand closes around the stock of his crossbow.
Rowan's chanting has grown louder now. She sways back and forth, casting small bits of things to her right and left. You can all feel something drawing closer. It is long, it is dark, and it moves with the earth of the cave. Pieces of debris in the cave move with it...the bits do not move when you fix your eyes on them, but slip out of sight at the edge of your vision. They move back...and forth.....and here....and there..... They are still as shadow, and yet they move.
Riva crouches, tense, his hand wrapped tightly around his greataxe. Garret has a hand about the collar of Bavic, the other hand holding his sword.
Silence.
Rowan has stopped chanting. Her arms are outstretched, and though her back is to you, you feel sure her eyes are open.
In front of her rises a shape. A long, sinuous shape, black as shadow. Its thin form towers over the sitting form of the druid, its eyes glittering in the light of Tieran's candle.
It lets out a low hisssssssssssss............
Rowan reaches out her hand toward it.........
....and with a sudden motion, the serpent strikes her, sinking
it's fangs deep into her arm.
Last edited:
Nail
First Post
Rowan's Animal Companion Ceremony, Part 2
*********************************
Rowan's thoughts:
Suddenly, her earlier words about this really being a helpful thing come back to her. "....maybe I was wrong about that she thinks, "....should have waited until we were somewhere safer and more....wholesome...."
"I wonder if this is a poisonous snake....I hope it doesn't kill me....maybe this is part of the ritual.......I hope it doesn't hurt any of the others....was this what I heard speaking to me? Is this what was coming to me? Many have turned away....I will not turn away....I will not turn away......teach me....ancient secrets....I will not turn away....."
(but she's still kind of frightened by this latest development....the raven didn't bite....)
********************************
DM’s secret note to Rowan’s player:
Warm up that d20, when you get a chance, and roll a Fort save.
...no rush.........
(Druidic Knowledge: Yup, this sucker's poisonous, and its poison does Con damage. That is: Its poison could kill you, unlike the poison of those wussy spiders, which only made you weaker. What wimpy little vermin, those spiders.....)
***********************************
The player rolls well....Rowan makes the Fort save.
***********************************
To the rest of the group, they see:
Rowan makes a small sound as the serpent strikes. Her arm jerks slightly in reaction to the bite, but she remains still aside from the involuntary movement, silent, waiting.....
Riva, whispered to Garret: "A snake, eh! Y'know, me father always said they were good eatin'.. skewer 'em and marinate 'em in good dwarven ale and barbecue 'em.. a real treat that's common up over in the dwarven lands.. tunnels y'know.. well, something to think about if that snake gets to be a problem"..
Garret (just barely audible to even Riva)"If that snake has just killed her you can take what's left of it back to your pappy, because we'll be heading home straight from here! Now, keep quiet and still!"
******************************
To Rowan, only:
Your eyes are open.
The snake's venom courses through your veins, but does not harm you. It mingles with your blood, flows through your heart, passes into your mind's eye. Its fire illuminates you from within.
Your eyes and the serpents eyes. Locked together, you are held by them, but not mastered by them. You are the initiator, you have plunged into their depths, allowed entrance while the deadly venom courses through you.
The adder speaks to you, in a soft voice you've not heard before: "I am here, mistressssss......you call me from thissss place, the place of beginningsssssss....you survive my fire....I will protect you if you wishhhhh it."
Rowan holds out her hand, again. The serpent slithers up her arm, and wraps itself around her, under her cloak. "Welcome, my friend." Rowan says to the serpent, suddenly happy that this creature has come to her. "I wish for your help and your friendship. I must come up with a name for you, if you have no preference of your own.....
The black snake speaks into Rowan’s ear, in a low, soft whisper:
"My name is Asmathiassssssss.... My fire burnssssss within you for a sssssshort time.... Only with my fire within you can we whissssssper together..... Let usssss sssssspeak of ssssssssecretssssssssssss... What do you wish to know of beginningssssss, misssssstressssssss?"
Feeling under pressure, Rowan blurts out what questions she can think of:
"Sssssssso many questionssssss.....I do not know the answerssss to all of themssssss.......The great voice sssspeakssss to me, but I hear only piecesssssss.........
"This is a place of beginingsssss....beginingsss of my people, beginingsss of many otherssss....it is a sacred placesss, abandoned by the godssssss.....desssssecrated by the humansssssss...... tended by the children of the old onesssssss......
"The godssss hide thissss placessssss..........only one wantsssss it found again.........
"...The great serpent'sssss eye? It issss a place of dreamssss at the beginningsssssss....... Dreamssss now condemned by godssssss..... It is ancientssssss......of an ancient race that once guarded these placessessssss.......it lookssssss to itssss children........many things looksssss to these children........dangerous thingssssssssss......bright thingssssss........there issssss hope in the eye'sssssss lightssssssss.............
"Thesessssss other thingssss you ask......I have not heard the great voice sssssspeak of themssssssssss......I will lisssssten......My fire in your blood fadessssssss.......I hope we can speakssss again.........."
The serpent's voice, his whisper, fades into nothingness. He is wrapped around you, but only his animal intellect remains.
You have recovered from the poison.
*********************************
Rowan's thoughts:
Suddenly, her earlier words about this really being a helpful thing come back to her. "....maybe I was wrong about that she thinks, "....should have waited until we were somewhere safer and more....wholesome...."
"I wonder if this is a poisonous snake....I hope it doesn't kill me....maybe this is part of the ritual.......I hope it doesn't hurt any of the others....was this what I heard speaking to me? Is this what was coming to me? Many have turned away....I will not turn away....I will not turn away......teach me....ancient secrets....I will not turn away....."
(but she's still kind of frightened by this latest development....the raven didn't bite....)
********************************
DM’s secret note to Rowan’s player:
Warm up that d20, when you get a chance, and roll a Fort save.
...no rush.........
(Druidic Knowledge: Yup, this sucker's poisonous, and its poison does Con damage. That is: Its poison could kill you, unlike the poison of those wussy spiders, which only made you weaker. What wimpy little vermin, those spiders.....)
***********************************
The player rolls well....Rowan makes the Fort save.
***********************************
To the rest of the group, they see:
Rowan makes a small sound as the serpent strikes. Her arm jerks slightly in reaction to the bite, but she remains still aside from the involuntary movement, silent, waiting.....
Riva, whispered to Garret: "A snake, eh! Y'know, me father always said they were good eatin'.. skewer 'em and marinate 'em in good dwarven ale and barbecue 'em.. a real treat that's common up over in the dwarven lands.. tunnels y'know.. well, something to think about if that snake gets to be a problem"..
Garret (just barely audible to even Riva)"If that snake has just killed her you can take what's left of it back to your pappy, because we'll be heading home straight from here! Now, keep quiet and still!"
******************************
To Rowan, only:
Your eyes are open.
The snake's venom courses through your veins, but does not harm you. It mingles with your blood, flows through your heart, passes into your mind's eye. Its fire illuminates you from within.
Your eyes and the serpents eyes. Locked together, you are held by them, but not mastered by them. You are the initiator, you have plunged into their depths, allowed entrance while the deadly venom courses through you.
The adder speaks to you, in a soft voice you've not heard before: "I am here, mistressssss......you call me from thissss place, the place of beginningsssssss....you survive my fire....I will protect you if you wishhhhh it."
Rowan holds out her hand, again. The serpent slithers up her arm, and wraps itself around her, under her cloak. "Welcome, my friend." Rowan says to the serpent, suddenly happy that this creature has come to her. "I wish for your help and your friendship. I must come up with a name for you, if you have no preference of your own.....
The black snake speaks into Rowan’s ear, in a low, soft whisper:
"My name is Asmathiassssssss.... My fire burnssssss within you for a sssssshort time.... Only with my fire within you can we whissssssper together..... Let usssss sssssspeak of ssssssssecretssssssssssss... What do you wish to know of beginningssssss, misssssstressssssss?"
Feeling under pressure, Rowan blurts out what questions she can think of:
- "What began at this place, why is it the place of beginnings?"
- "Who built this place?"
- "What do you know of the dragon's eye?"
- "Do you know anything of the dragon idol that was removed from here by the kobolds who were living here before the goblins?"
- "Do you know what the goblins are doing here?"
- "Is there a reason that they have chosen this place over others?"
- "Is there a way in that the goblins don't know about?"'
"Sssssssso many questionssssss.....I do not know the answerssss to all of themssssss.......The great voice sssspeakssss to me, but I hear only piecesssssss.........
"This is a place of beginingsssss....beginingsss of my people, beginingsss of many otherssss....it is a sacred placesss, abandoned by the godssssss.....desssssecrated by the humansssssss...... tended by the children of the old onesssssss......
"The godssss hide thissss placessssss..........only one wantsssss it found again.........
"...The great serpent'sssss eye? It issss a place of dreamssss at the beginningsssssss....... Dreamssss now condemned by godssssss..... It is ancientssssss......of an ancient race that once guarded these placessessssss.......it lookssssss to itssss children........many things looksssss to these children........dangerous thingssssssssss......bright thingssssss........there issssss hope in the eye'sssssss lightssssssss.............
"Thesessssss other thingssss you ask......I have not heard the great voice sssssspeak of themssssssssss......I will lisssssten......My fire in your blood fadessssssss.......I hope we can speakssss again.........."
The serpent's voice, his whisper, fades into nothingness. He is wrapped around you, but only his animal intellect remains.
You have recovered from the poison.
SpaceBaby Industries
First Post
Oh, and that is such a close match to a fuzzy wolf.
How each character spent the idle hours was an excellent touch, and really shows the variation of personalities in the party.
Riva should publish a cookbook. Presuming he can read and write of course. On the other hand, a picture book showing the ingredients and general preparation tasks for any number of reptiles and tunnel dwelling creatures would be a best seller for the hungry Battlerager in the field.
How each character spent the idle hours was an excellent touch, and really shows the variation of personalities in the party.
Riva should publish a cookbook. Presuming he can read and write of course. On the other hand, a picture book showing the ingredients and general preparation tasks for any number of reptiles and tunnel dwelling creatures would be a best seller for the hungry Battlerager in the field.
Nail
First Post
The party *can* sneak! See th' proof!!
Alright! I’m finally beginning to catch up to our present game. The following is session #16, which happened on a few weeks ago - Sept 4th - and therefore is still pretty fresh in my memory. Since then we’ve had another meeting (session #17). So I’m only one behind!
Thank goodness Rowan’s player takes such good notes.
The other thing that’s got me exited -- from a design standpoint -- is that the players have finally arrived at Alderslook. I spent a great deal of time thinking about this place and its inhabitants. I’ve got all sort of charts and stat blocks, showing me what’s related to what, and why. I’m sure those of you that have written your own homebrew can empathize when I say "Thank god the PCs didn’t skip it!"
....’Cause if they did, I’d have had to hurt ‘em. Bad. Not that I would normally do such a thing.
Right; enough blather. On with the story:
*********************
Session #16: Sneaking through the Gates of Alderslook?
RL Sept 4th, 2004
After Rowan’s animal companion ceremony, the party spent the night in the cave/tomb. Morning came without conflict.
The night had no attackers, but it had left Thaile with a memorable dream. She had dreamt of a silver dragon with outstretched wings ....that the dragon was some sort of septre, like the dragon idol Kytum-up now carried. In her dream the dragon idol gave her wisdom, and the power to drive the goblins from Eagelsford. She had felt that she should be the one to hold it.....then somehow the idol in her hands turned into a knotted ball of string. She was unable to unravel any of the knots, no matter how hard she tried.
The party discussed this dream, but came to no firm conclusions. Thaile even suggested that she carry the idol, for use in battle, but the others voted against it. During the conversation, Kytum-up keep a sharp eye on Thaile, as if he suspected that she might try to steal the idol from him. Thaile did her best to reassure the kobold that she would not.
The party started their uphill walk to Alderslook.
End of session #16
Alright! I’m finally beginning to catch up to our present game. The following is session #16, which happened on a few weeks ago - Sept 4th - and therefore is still pretty fresh in my memory. Since then we’ve had another meeting (session #17). So I’m only one behind!
Thank goodness Rowan’s player takes such good notes.
The other thing that’s got me exited -- from a design standpoint -- is that the players have finally arrived at Alderslook. I spent a great deal of time thinking about this place and its inhabitants. I’ve got all sort of charts and stat blocks, showing me what’s related to what, and why. I’m sure those of you that have written your own homebrew can empathize when I say "Thank god the PCs didn’t skip it!"
....’Cause if they did, I’d have had to hurt ‘em. Bad. Not that I would normally do such a thing.
Right; enough blather. On with the story:
*********************
Session #16: Sneaking through the Gates of Alderslook?
RL Sept 4th, 2004
After Rowan’s animal companion ceremony, the party spent the night in the cave/tomb. Morning came without conflict.
The night had no attackers, but it had left Thaile with a memorable dream. She had dreamt of a silver dragon with outstretched wings ....that the dragon was some sort of septre, like the dragon idol Kytum-up now carried. In her dream the dragon idol gave her wisdom, and the power to drive the goblins from Eagelsford. She had felt that she should be the one to hold it.....then somehow the idol in her hands turned into a knotted ball of string. She was unable to unravel any of the knots, no matter how hard she tried.
The party discussed this dream, but came to no firm conclusions. Thaile even suggested that she carry the idol, for use in battle, but the others voted against it. During the conversation, Kytum-up keep a sharp eye on Thaile, as if he suspected that she might try to steal the idol from him. Thaile did her best to reassure the kobold that she would not.
The party started their uphill walk to Alderslook.
End of session #16
Last edited:
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