Engines & Empires I: Escape From the Dungeon

[Jack Daniel]

Current status: 5 out of 6 character sheets have been completed. This game is now in session.

OOC Thread

Character 1 (Voda Vosa):

Zajirlum Dor'Kuzad
1st level Chaotic Dwarf

STR 13 (+1)   AC 11        HP 13         Speed 90' (30')
DEX 12
CON 14 (+1)   To Hit +1    Untrained 17             
CHA 11        Mêlée +2     Trained 11    EXP 14%
INT 13 (+1)   Missile +1   Save 11
WIS 12

Skills: Alertness, Crafting, Demolitions, Research,
   Swimming

Special Abilities: Infravision, Stonecraft +3

Attacks: Open Hand, hit +2 (off-hand -2), dmg 1d4+1
     Improvised Flail, hit +2 (off-hand -2), dmg 1d4+1

Eqipment: Improvised Flail (torch + manacles)

Treasure: None

Background: Zajirlum Dor´Kuzad is a stubborn male dwarf 
with a long, white beard; big hands; and deep, black eyes. 
He often shouts loud curses at God Almighty for anything 
that happens to him.  Holding his great axe and charging 
against his foes with great rage is an image that produces 
fear in anyone in his way.
He goes where he must and does what must be done. He 
is a handy dwarf, able to craft weapons and ammo, and 
skilled in setting traps and blowing things up with explosions. 
Also, he brews one of the best root beers!  Despite all this, 
he is stubborn and loses his temper easily, with catastrophic 
consequences.
Before he decided to travel the world looking for money and 
power, he was a smith in the stone halls of Kazad Grum, a 
dwarven city under a small mountain in the eastern region 
of the Belt, the east-west running mountain range that 
separates Eorland and Eckland.

Character 2 (Velmont):

Lyhan
1st level Chaotic Faun

STR 12        AC 13        HP 10         Speed 120' (40')
DEX 16 (+2)
CON 14 (+1)   To Hit +1    Untrained 17             
CHA 14 (+1)   Mêlée +1     Trained 11    EXP 14%
INT 15 (+1)   Missile +3   Save 14
WIS 12

Skills: Acrobatics, Alertness, Climbing, Deception,
   Demolitions, Investigation, Jumping, Legerdemain,
   Persuasion, Sabotage, Stealth

Special Abilities: Infravision, Immunity to Ghoul
   Paralysis, Woodcraft +3

Attacks: Open Hand, hit +1 (off-hand -1), dmg 1d3

Equipment: None

Treasure: None

Background: Lyhan is a faun that never fit into his small 
community. He never really liked the natural world and 
the joy of his peers. He always wanted to see the big 
cities, and he finally decided to travel to Pensula City, the 
capital. There, most people ignored him, some didn't like 
him and showed it, and very few welcomed him. That broke 
all his illusions of the city. As time passed, his economy grew 
thin and he started to steal; but he also quickly grew in skill, 
using some prestidigitation tricks he had learned to be of use 
to his skills. One mistake has been to put his feet on thieves' 
guild territory, but the guild (known in the Pensula City
underworld as the Understable Burglars' Guild) decided to 
recruit him and teach him the few skills he needed to become 
a great cat burglar.

Character 3 (Lord_Raven88):

Dagon
1st level Neutral Mage

STR 10        AC 12        HP 6          Speed 120' (40')
DEX 15 (+1)    
CON 12        To Hit +1    Untrained 17             
CHA 10        Mêlée +1     Trained 11    EXP 14%
INT 16 (+2)   Missile +2   Save 14
WIS 11

Skills: Concentration, Knowledge, Linguistics, 
   Research, Spellcraft, Stealth

Special Abilities: Black Magic, Learn Bonus Spell 10%

Attacks: Open Hand, hit +1 (off-hand -2), dmg 1d2

Equipment: None

Treasure: None

Mana Points, Lv1: 1/1

Spell Book:

Background: Dagon is a gaunt looking human male of 
above average height. Dagon has short cropped raven 
black hair, deep set smoky grey eyes, olive coloured 
skin and a penchant for wearing black.
Dagon is a mercenary, plain and simple.  He isn't interested 
in doing the 'right' thing or fighting the good fight, unless 
he's being rewarded appropriately. 
Dagon's services are availble to highest bidder, but once 
he's accepted a contract he'll carry it through as a matter 
of principle. But he isn't above fleeing if that's what it 
takes to survive.
Dagon's only interests are in increasing his own fortune, 
power, and knowledge.

Character 4 (Jemal):

Kel Vorath
1st level Neutral Mage

STR 14 (+1)   AC 12        HP 5          Speed 120' (40')
DEX 13 (+1)    
CON  8 (-1)   To Hit +1    Untrained 17             
CHA 15 (+1)   Mêlée +2     Trained 11    EXP 14%
INT 16 (+2)   Missile +2   Save 14
WIS 12

Skills: Alertness, Concentration, Knowledge, Persuasion, 
   Performance, Spellcraft

Special Abilities: Black Magic, Learn Bonus Spell 10%

Attacks: Open Hand, hit +2 (off-hand -1), dmg 1d2+1

Equipment: None

Treasure: None

Mana Points, Lv1: 1/1

Spell Book:

Background: Kel was born with a gift, and as he grew 
older was encouraged by his father (His mother having 
died during childbirth) to develop it, and he has done 
so to this day. He seeks Power and knowledge, and 
has learned a number of techniques to gain both. Kel 
is still a young man, only 18 years old, and is just 
starting out in life.
Tall and fairly well built, though he has a glass jaw and 
is prone to sickness, Kel is a real looker and considers 
himself a ladies man with neatly done red hair and dark 
green eyes.

Character 5 (Fenris):

Harold Harrison
1st level Lawful Fighter

STR 12        AC 12        HP 13         Speed 120' (40')
DEX 14 (+1)
CON 13 (+1)   To Hit +1    Untrained 17             
CHA 11        Mêlée +1     Trained 11    EXP 14%
INT 13 (+1)   Missile +2   Save 14
WIS 11

Skills: Climbing, Crafting, Jumping, Navigation,
   Piloting

Special Abilities: None

Attacks: Open Hand, hit +1 (off-hand -2), dmg 1d4

Equipment: None

Treasure: None

Background: Harold Harrison often looked to the sky as a child. He marveled 
at the magnificient airships crossing the sky. He worked hard and became a 
cabin boy aboard one of the Royal Air Force vessels. He was a quick lad, and 
picked up piloting and navigating as well as fighting. He earned the nickname 
Rook, or Rooks, from the crew since he seemed to have wings aboard ship, 
jumping and flying all over the place during battles, in addition to helping
pilot the craft.
Rooks has since finished his apprenticeship, and the R.A.F. certianly is calling 
to him, and there are a number of captains who would love to have him join 
their crew. Yet, adventure and a sense of excitement call Rooks. He has no 
doubt the air force will be there, but soemthing is calling him out to explore 
the world a bit first. A tall, lanky, young man with black hair and eyes, Rooks 
is quick with a smile and a loyal fighter, if a bit reckless.

Character 6 (Wystan):

Aloe Mossleaf
1st level Lawful Hobbit

STR 10        AC 13        HP 9          Speed 90' (30')
DEX 15 (+1)
CON 12        To Hit +1    Untrained 17             
CHA 14 (+1)   Mêlée +1     Trained 11    EXP 0%
INT 16 (+2)   Missile +3   Save 11
WIS 13 (+1)

Skills: Alertness, Climbing, Crafting, Gambling,
   Healing, Investigation, Knowledge, Legerdemain,
   Performance, Persuasion, Research, Stealth

Special Abilities: Stealth +3 (+6 in wooded areas),
   AC +2 vs. large creatures, +1 to hit with missile
   attacks, +1 to individual initiative

Attacks: Open Hand, hit +1 (off-hand -2), dmg 1d3

Equipment: None

Treasure: None

Background: Coming soon to a character sheet near you.

 

[Jack Daniel]

Introduction

All right, five players is more than enough to get this party started. Wystan, as soon as you check in on the OOC thread, I'll go ahead and write you into the plot ASAP.

First, some ground rules. Playing by post takes time, such that two or even three days can go by sometimes before all the players respond with their actions. I, too, might have stretches where I can't check these boards in as timely a fashion as I'd like. So I'm going to keep this as simple and casual as possible.

Rule number 1: If you'd like to quit the game, please don't disappear off the face of the earth. Just say so. No pressure, no hard feelings. One little post (or even a PM) is enough.

Rule number 2: If one or two players have not yet replied, and it holds up the game for more than 2 or 3 days, you either A) forfeit your action/dialogue (if the current scene is not a combat scene), or B), if the party is in combat, I'll "NPC" your character for that round and use whatever action seems fitting. I'll try to be fair, act in a manner consistent with your character, and avoid using up finite resources (like spells, magical ammo, scrolls and potions, and item charges) as much as possible -- players should always be the ones to decide when those things get used, even when the DM has to control the character for a little bit.

That's all.

==========

Now for some campaign details.

I figure, there are some things that everybody who lives on a particular planet ought to know. Everybody who lives on Earth knows certain things about the people, the world, cultures, religions, plant and animal life, and every other topic under (and including) the sun. These things are taken for granted. And the more you narrow it down, to, say, "Western Civilization" or "Europeans" or "Americans" or whatever other cultural group, the more specific and detailed that taken-for-granted knowledge gets.

Obviously, I can't give you the whole planet Faerith in one message board post. But if it were possible to distil the Encyclopedia Faeritha into a few key points, some things would definitely get mentioned.

Faerith is a world very much like our Earth, with seven continents: Lethandria (commonly just called "Lethand"), Tatiana, Oberonia, North Mercutia, South Mercutia, Polonia, and Antiborea.

Faerith is the third of eight known planets from the sun, the others being Odin, Freya, (then Faerith), Tyr, Thor, Njord, Loki, and Aegir. Of these, Loki and Aegir are recent discoveries, spied through astronomers' telescopes. The other planets were known to the ancients.

The present year is A.D. 1824. "A.D." stands for anno domini in Connajan, the common tongue of the continent of Lethand spoken by all educated clergy and scientists. The nations of much of the southern part of Lethand, and even parts of island of Pensula, were once part of the great Connajan empire, which fell many centuries ago. The "domini" in anno domini refers to God, as most of the people of Lethand are monotheists. The dominant religion is a faith called Trinitarianism, which teaches that God exists in three persons: Bahamut, the Great Dragon, who created the world with divine breath; Leviathan, the Great Serpent, who supports the existence of the world; and Alexander, the Great Warrior, who came to the world in human form some 1800 years ago to save it from evil. (Needless to say, Alexander is a very common name in many Lethandrian cultures.)

Your characters all hail from an island known as Pensula, but it is rarely called that anymore. People will speak fondly of "Old Pensula" when trying to be patriotic, but the fact is, the island kingdom is rent in twain, between Eckland in the north (called "Ecadia" in the formal Connajan) and Eorland in the south. Eckland was once Pensula's northern farthing, but in 1735, the duke of Norshire, Sir Norman Merkedar, betrayed and murdered King Henry XXVIII and instigated open rebellion against the crown. The First Civil War was a bitter affair, not least because Sir Merkedar had used religion to attain his position of power -- before becoming a duke, he had been a cardinal archbishop in the Connajan Church.

The war ended in a draw, with Merkedar retaining control of Norshire (now Eckland), and new rulers ascending the throne of Eorland. Sir Clarence Despent, a human fighter, and Lady Judith Allogarde, an elf from the western island of Parús, had both distinguished themselves in the war; and when they wed, Clarence was also given the throne. King Clarence I was a kind and just ruler, but he was also shrewd when it came to international politics. He split Eorland away from the Connajan Church and formed a national Church of Eorland. He sent ships around the world to colonize (and sometimes even conquer), building his nation into a mighty mercantile empire. He also placed many garrisons and guard-posts on the border between Eorland and Eckland, knowing full well that they might attack again.

When Clarence died, Queen Judith retained the throne. She is hated by the elves of Parús for having married a human and condescended to become a leader of humans. She is equally despised by the humanoid denizens of Eckland, for they remember well her valor in the wars. But she is loved by the Eorlish people, who only speak of her with pride and affection.

In 1792, the Eckish did attack again, this time under the rule of Sir Merkedar's grandson, Julian, now Duke Merkedar III. This time, Eckland had made alliances with both Saird, a country on the mainland which is staunchly Connajan in its religion, and with Eorland's colonies in North Mercutia. The end result of that war was, Eckland was almost completely destroyed; Merkedar III was killed; but the Mercutian colonies became independant of Eorlish rule.

Geographically, much of Eorland and Eckland are separated by an east-west running mountain range known as the Belt. The Belt is rugged and infested with monsters: goblins, giants, and according to some, even dragons. The only known pass through this range which might be considered relatively safe (which still isn't saying much) is in the approximate geographic center of the Belt, just north of a bustling little mining town called Betoüs (that's a diaresis over the "u", not an umlat -- the town's name is pronounced "BAY-toe-us"). Betoüs was blitzkreiged and burned to the ground in both civil wars, but since the Second War, it has been rebuilt yet again, and it has become even more prosperous and populous.

It is in this town that you will begin your adventure.

 

[Jack Daniel]

Scene I

Dammatis Personae:
- Zarjilum Dor'kuzad, Dwarf
- Lyhan, Faun
- Dagon, Mage
- Kel Vorath, Mage
- Harold Harrison, Fighter

The five of you are old friends. You all grew up in Betoüs for the most part, except for Zarjilum, who hails from a dwarven city in the Belt, and Lyhan, a faun whose people wander the Ancients' Forest to the south. As a group, you've developed something of a reputation as trouble-shooters, and the folk of Betoüs know that when they have a problem, you and your company can mostly be counted on to solve it.

Why, only yesterday, the five of you and the sixth member of your company, a Hobbit named Aloe Mossleaf, were sitting together in the Tommyknocker Tavern (a reputable establishment well-known for its excellent ales, stouts, and porters), trying to decide upon a name for your group. A good name is absolutely necessary if you want to get into the mercenary adventuring business, after all.

"Light Warriors?"

"Ah. It's been done."

"Hm. Order of the Stick, then?"

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"How about... Led Airship!?"

"That makes even less sense!"

"All right, well if you're so smart, then you think of something!"

And that was when things went to hell in a handbasket. You see, it was at that moment that two dozen thuggish-looking ruffians, their faces covered in black masks, burst into the tavern and started jacking people left and right with saps. Oh, you lot put up a good fight, to be sure (for a party that doesn't even have a group name yet, that is), but ultimately, there were just too many of them.

You were defeated. Knocked unconsious and taken captive. By whom, you have no idea.

==========

The five of you come to in a small, dank, smelly dungeon-cell, about 30' x 30'. Your Hobbit compatriot, Aloe, is nowhere to be found. There is but a single door in one wall, made of thick iron bars. None of you are bound or gagged, but neither do you have any possessions beyond the clothes on your backs. What do you do?

 

[Fenris]

Harold sits up holding his head,

"I told you we should have called ourselves 'Led Airship'. This wouldn't have happend to "Led Airship'" he states as he staggers to the door to peer through the bars.

 

[Jemal]

"Oh, do shut up about the bloody Airship, Harold. If we'd been that then with our luck we would've been knocked out with LEAD pipes."

Kel gets up, dusting off his clothes (Unlike most mages, Kel dresses like a normal adventurer). "Well then, which of you forgot to pay yer gambling debt?" He crosses his arms, looking at the others.

 

[Fenris]

Harold starts patting down his clothes.
"Sorry, No mirror Kel" replies Harold with a mischievious grin.

 

[Jemal]

The meticulous mage grins over at Rook "Well I can't break us out if I'm not properly groomed, so I guess we'll have to wait for Aloe to wake up and... Hey, where in Hades is the halfpint?"

 

[Lord_Raven88]

Harold sits up holding his head,

"I told you we should have called ourselves 'Led Airship'. This wouldn't have happend to "Led Airship'" he states as he staggers to the door to peer through the bars.

Looking around his surroundings with a scowl Dagon focuses on Harold as he addresses the group, and his frown only get deeper as he listens to his friend speak. "Enough of your foolishness Harold, now is not the time for quibbling over our team name"

Winking surreptitiously at the others Dagon focuses once again on Harold "Besides, I thought we'd settled on calling ourselves Dagon's Daggers".

Looking around their bleak cell Dagon lets out an exaggerated sigh "So who is going to pretend to be 'sick' so we can get out of this dump"

 

[Jemal]

Winking surreptitiously at the others Dagon focuses once again on Harold "Besides, I thought we'd settled on calling ourselves Dagon's Daggers".

Looking around their bleak cell Dagon lets out an exaggerated sigh "So who is going to pretend to be 'sick' so we can get out of this dump"

Kel rolls his eyes "Dagon's Daggers? I swear, if you guys keep this up, I won't have to pretend...."

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Arrr.... My head hurts... I curse ya all tugs! I wish that a mortal spider poisons your offpring and a horse mounts your wifes! Your all doomed!" shouts the dwarf as he steps up, rubbing his head. "This could be avoided if we were knowed to be "Zajirlun and the fantastic four"