Into The Darkness - A Solo Game For A Newbie

Angelsboi

First Post
As most of you may (or may not) know, my boyfriend Randy was curious about my hobby. He thought i was a geek. So last night, we sat down and he told me what he wanted to play. After some dice rolling and discussing things, we came up with Crecent Quarilion, elven ranger.

I will post his character whenever he gains a level or upates it. This way you can see how things progress.

And this ... is his story ...

Episode 1: Kidnapped!


. . .

Crescent was a lithe youth for 126 years old. But what the humans saw was a youth of 18. His golden blond hair wasn't short or long but just the 'right' length. It was messy and tousled, a 'just-rolled-out-of-bed' look so to speak. He wasn't muscular but all the running and playing in the woods deffinately shaped his body into a nice v-shape with abs and pecs. His saphire eyes were bright in the early afternoon light.

He stepped out the front door of his house. A sign above the door had a large herb leaf painted on it and in common read: Midwife. Crescent's mother was the midwife for Star's Hollow and his father the local blacksmith. He didn't come from a wealthy family but they were pretty well off.

"Crescent, hunny? Can you go get your sister?"

His sister, Luna, was very pretty with her milky white skin and her pale blond hair that was almost as if spun like silk. Her pale purple eyes were always smiling and a light that shown in them were always of kindness. She exhibited an unusual talent for magic when she was younger and she has been focusing it ever since. Their parents said she seemed to have a connection with the very earth.

"Where is she?" Crescent called back tighting the straps on his studded leather armor. His rapier dangled by his side and his hunting knife was tucked deeply in his boot. He grabbed his longbow. He planed on going hunting after getting his sister for his mother.

A voice called fromt he house, "In the fields. She should be there with Sol." Sol was her faithful companion. A dog she had since she was a baby.

He grunted, grabbed his backpack and started walking toward the fields. The hamlet was doing very well this year with the harvests and his mother was kept busy. He passed by the general store and waved at the owner. The saw the new church to Corellion was finally done. The hamlet was split between humans and elves and the elves wanted to worship Coreelion and leave the humans to their St. Cuthbert. Crescent didn't mind, but he did admit the temple looked extremely beautiful. Like only an elf could make. It was then he heard the weeping.

Looking behind the church, he found himself in the hamlet's square, where the fountain was. There sat a man, middle aged by human standards, weeping on the side of the stone well. Crescent pulled up a seat beside him. It was the mayor Cyria Starsword, so named because of his namesake. A longsword made of a bright silver metal harder than silver and much more shiny. The cross section of the sword was that of a sunburst inlaid with gold and in the middle of the starburst was a crescent moon made of moonstone and the small circle to fill the gap was onyx. Crescent admired it and knew it came from Cyria's adventuring days.

"Whats wrong Cyria? Why are you crying?" Crescent asked genuinly. He had a reputation in Star's Hollow about being the most compasionate person, always willing to help someone.

"My daughter. She's missing!"

"Where is she?" Crescent asked standing up looking around.

The distraught elf thrusted a peice of parchment into his hands and continued weeping. The youth read the note:

Have gurl. Want gold. Give gold. No gold, gurl die.

"Where did you find this Cyria?" asked Crescent.

"It was on my door this morning. They must have done it early this morning when Illiya was out picking flowers. I tried to track them in the woods but i couldn't find their tracks. I hope she is fine."

Something inside Crescent burned. He could tell the writing. Goblins. Illiya and his sister were best friends. he had to save the mayors daughter. Besides, any excuse to kick some goblin butt would be just fine with him.

"I'll find her for you. Let's go."

Cyria stoped crying and stood up. "You will? Well, id love to go but i have to stay here and watch the town. Are you sure you will be fine?"

Crescent nodded. "Ill be just fine."

* * *

Crescent walked into the woods and started to follow some humanoid tracks he instantly recognized as goblinoid. He followed them and then got lost.

"Damn." he said to no one in particular. "Let's try again." After turning around and searching for the tracks again, he ran into a problem. A small creature stood before him with dark green skeen, sloping brow, oily and matted black hair and a snout. It was wearing armor like his and carrying a stick with a heavy metal spiked ball attached to a chain.

The creature charged at the elf and missed terribly. As it went to strike him with the weapon, the creature accidently released its grasp on it, throwing his weapon away.

"Die goblin!" The elf made fast work of the little critter as he sliced into it with his rapier and stabbed it with his hunting knife. The creature keeled over, its blood running out of its two serious wounds.

The elf knelt down to check it for anything of importance. Nothing. He did take the morningstar and put it in his backpack. Just in case.

He immediatly found the tracks again and followed them to their final destination. A tree stump. Looking around and searching the area, he noticed a set of roughly hewn stairs leading down into the earth under the tree stump. This is where they had to be he thought.

He noticed it was dark downthere, so he light a torch and proceeded to follow the stairs down 30 feet into a room about 20' by 25'. It was all dirt and clay, as if it took something a while to do this work. He had to admit, it was ingenius; a sect of goblins living this close to Star's Hollow and no one knew until today.

His ears picked up to the supersensetive noise into a far room the torch light shed some light into. He also heard rough, steady breathing coming from a room to his left. Stepping quietly to the door frame, he noticed a room 15' by 20' and four cots spread out. Two of them were occupied by sleeping forms. He took another step foward and they both started stirring from their slumber. Goblin heads rose from the cots and looks of surprise were evident on their faces.

Dropping the torch, he unslung his bow and knocked an arrow and let it fly. Twang .... thwack! The arrow hit its disgusting mark, right between the eyes. The other goblin quickly woke up upon seeing his friend and commrad slaughtered screamed something.

"Bree-Yark!" the creature screamed out.

Crescent spoke goblin as well. He screamed intruder. Another arrow was let go and creature stopped its screaming as blood started running out of its mouth. It, too, slumped over the bed.

Crescent turned around to see two goblin figures standing behind him dressed like the goblin in the woods, also carrying morning stars. Confident of his abilities, he dropped his bow and pulled out his rapier and dagger.

They attacked him. One swung at Crescent who dodged it but ran right into the oncoming attack. It hit him in the side of the head, but didnt do much damage.

Crescent swung his rapier and followed up with his dagger, dropping one of the sick little goblins. Fancy footwork was prevailant with both goblin and Crescent. Crescent kept hitting his armor but not periceing it and the goblin couldnt seem to hit the lithe elf. Finally, Crescent managed to stab it with his knife after missing with the rapier. the knife cut across the goblins arm hitting a major vein. The goblin just grinned and swung with all of its might and hit Crescent with his morningstar so hard, there was a loud crunch.

Crescent was seriously hurt by now and images of his young life started flashing before his eyes. he tried to hit the goblin but no such luck. This is it. He thought. Im going to die.

The goblin went to deliver the finishing blow when the blood from his cut caused his morning star to slip from his grasp. As the goblin ran to retrieve its weapon, Crescent delivered a final touche with his rapier, dropping the little bugger. Out of breath, he heard the shuffling was no longer in the next room but one room over. He quickly searched the fell bodies and found a pinkish liquid in a vial on the goblin he just killed.

Shrugging his shoulders and throwing caution into the wind, he quaffed the peppermint tasting liquid and quickly fealt rejuvinated. He felt his broken bones knit back together, although, he still had a bruise. He picked up his longbow and readied it just in case.

He continued on and found a room that was quite large. It had a dying fire pit in the center and two half-eaten bowls of some sort of stew. He heard a grunting from behind him and with the torch, he saw another room and a creature sitting on a make-shift throne. The creature looked like the others except his skin was a reddish hue and his eyes a dark yellow. It was still a goblin none the less. Beside him, chained to the wall, was a young elvish girl with black hair and in a dirty dress.

"Illiya!" Crescent cried out.

"Crescent! Save me!" the young girl pleaded.

Crescent dropped the torch and went to shoot the goblin but the goblin was too quick. He moved off his throne and slashed Crescent in the arm with his hand axe. Crescent just barely dodged. he knew had it connected like it was supposed to, it would have taken an arm off.

Crescent shot the goblin with an arrow and it holwed in pain, not even its finely made stuuded leather armor stopped it.

The goblin leader took another swing at Crescent and hit him hard in the chest. Blood started oozing from the gash and Crescent thought the end was near again. Dead, at the hands of a goblin. He found a reserve of inner strength and lashed out with both rapier and dagger. Both hit with such precise accuracy, only Corellion could be watching over him. The goblin leader gurgled a final insult and fell flat on his face.

"I hate goblins." He mumbled. Crescent, still hurt, limped to Illiya. "You are free now."

She hugged him thanking him profously. As he started taking the armor off of the dead goblin, Illiya was looking at one of the walls. "They used to press something over here and the wall would open. I know, i would hear it."

With Illiya's help, Crescent discovered the secret door and inside the cache'. 4 bags: 1 small, 1 large and 2 medium, 3 stunes with a lightning bolt on them and a chain shirt made for someone his size. He opened the small bag and found it held 4 gems. The large bag contained copper and the two medium bags contained one of silver and one of gold. With Illiya's help, they carried it all back to Star's Hollow.

Upon returning, the mayor was ecstatic to see his daughter. "I know this isnt bound to be much, but whatever you found in the goblin's lair, you can keep tax free."

Crescent just handed it all over. "Use it to help the city."

The mayor was astonished. Here was a selfless youth who was giving up his finder's rights."

The mayor looked though the bags. "Here." He gave Crescent the three stones with the lightning on them and the large emerald. "Its got to be worth at least 600 gold peices." he said weighing it in his hand.

Crescent nodded and hugged Illiya. "Stay out of trouble."

He left them to hug and be reunited as he left to the fields to get his sister. Only a couple hours had passed and he finally became a man. He couldn't wait to tell his family of what happened and how he became the town hero.

. . .

"Crescent Quarilion" male elf Ranger 1: CR 1; AL NG; Size M; HD 1d10+1; hp 11 (11); Init 4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 18 (Touch 14, Flat-footed 14); Atk +1 (Rapier/Dagger -1/-1 1d6/1d4 x2/x2), or +1 (Ranged +5 Longbow 1d8 x3 100'); SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2; Str 11, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 14; Height 5 ft. 7 in.; Exp: 750

Languages Spoken: Common, Elven, Goblin

Skills (ranks are in parenthesis): Spot 5 (1), Listen 5 (1), Search 5 (1), Hide 5 (1), Move Silently 5 (1), Gather Information 2 (0), Diplomacy 2 (0), Knowledge (Nature) 3 (2), Intuit Direction 3 (1), Animal Empathy 6 (4), Handle Animal 6 (4), Heal 3 (1), Wilderness Lore 4 (2), Swim 1 (1);Two Weapon Fighting, Ambidexterity, Track, Point Blank Shot

Class Abilities: Favored Enemy (Goblin): +1 Attack/+1 Damage, +1 Bluff, +1 Listen, +1 Sense Motive, +1 Spot, +1 Wilderness Lore; Track; Ambidexterity (light or no armor); Two- Weapon Fighting (light or no armor); Point Blank Shot (+1 Attack/+1 Damage if in 30 ft)

Racial Abilities: +2 Dex; -2 Con; Immune to Sleep spells and effects, +2 vs Enchantments, Lowlight Vision 60', +2 vs Spot, +2 vs Listen, +2 vs Search, Proficient with Short/Longbow, Profficient with Composite Short/Longbow, Proficient with Rapier

Possessions: 90 gp, Emerald (600 gp), Longbow (with 40 arrows), Rapier, Dagger, Backpack, Flint and steel, 4 torches, Morning Star, 3 Thunderstones, Chainshirt, Masterworked Studded Leather Armor, Studded Leather Armor, Morning Star
 

log in or register to remove this ad




Angelsboi

First Post
"Sworn Enemies"

By

Ryan Boell

Crescent Quarillion sat down to dinner in the small house he shared with his mother, father and sister. He explained what happened in the woods and how he saved Illiya Starsword, the mayors' daughter. His father looked at the two suits of studded leather armor and the morning star he had brought back from his adventure.

"Take it out to my shop and ill look them over and tell you how much they are worth." The middle-aged man with long dark hair tied back with a leather thong looked at his new chain shirt. "Take that off as well and i will see what I can do with it. Maybe i can make it even better for you, my young man."

Crescent returned quickly and finished his dinner. His mother explained that she idn't think it would be a very good idea for him to continue with his adventuring. He continued talking to his parents of the things as his sister Luna fell into meditation by the hearth nestled up to her huskie, Sol. He eventually went to his room to meditate on what he learned that day.

* * *

The next few weeks were grueling on Crescent. He helped his father around the shop as his father tempered and remade his chainshirt. It turns out that one of the suits of studded leather armor was very finely made. As it was nearing the third week, Crescent saw a cart drawn by a horse with two people riding on the bench from the North. The cart held melons and corn and even pumpkins. Crescent recognized the young man riding beside the older man. As the cart drew closer, the young man spoke to his father in elven; "I will be home a little later papa." The lithe youth jumped fromt he cart and did a couple flips in the air and landed on his feet, smiling a bright smile at Crescent.

"Ri'yon!" Crescent hugged the young man.

Ri'yon smiled. He looked human to some, and like an elf to some. His ears weren't as defined as Crescent's and Luna's. His brown tunic was open and showed off his cut chest. His pants were firm and form fitting. His bare feet were oddly clean. His short dark was spiked a bit and his smile, was bright.

"Hello sweety. What's been going on?"

"Not much. I saved Mayor Starswords' daughter." Crescent boasted.

"Illiya?" Ri'yon asked stunned.

"Yupp. Saved her from some goblins. Damn filthy things." He looked at his beloved. "How was your trip?"

Ri'yon smiled. "It was boring in Featherdale. My father took me to some farmer's market and I didn't get to attend some musicians festival I wanted to check out. But I did hear some interesting information though."

"Like what?" Crescent quizzed.

"Well, it appears that a couple of adventurers in the villiage Featherdale ran into some orc raiders. On them, they discovered a parchment with some orc writing on it they couldn't read. Me, being able to read orcish, helped them out. It spoke of someone named Chief Van Dekk who was heading to the Dark Woods in order to uncover some hidden temple to Gruumsh." Both youths spat at the name.

"The Dark Woods? Thats where the goblins kidnapped Illiya. Let's go find them and stop them!" Crescent said in a hurry.

"Only if you take me too." A small voice piped up from behind him.

Crescent slowly turned around to his his little sister, the same age as Ri'yon, standing there with her ever faithful companion, Sol.

"No, you need to stay here."

"Im coming regardless what you say, Crescent." She was young, yet defiant.

He sighed, getting a little frusterated. "You will only get in the way."

"I can help." She said pulling out two sickles with strange engravings on them.

Crescent examined them unable to make out what they say. Ri'yon took a hold of them and looked at them and snickered at the writing.

"What's it say?" Crescent inquired of his lover.

"It's in the tongue of the forrest. It says, 'May all that come from Correllion, return to him.'" Ri'yon translated. Luna just smiled.

Crescent sighed and started to head to the woodline. "Let's go then."

"Wait." Said Ry'ion. He bolted of int he direction of his house. Crescent and luna followed and waited outside for about ten minutes. When he re-emerged, Ry'ion was wearing black stained leather armor and a coiled bullwhip on his hip. He smiled his devlish grin. "Ready." He said.

And with that, they walked together into the woods.

* * *

The three set off for the woods and even though the midday sun rose high in the sky, the thick trees blocked out most of it. Thanks to the three's low light vision, they could see quite clearly, and even better than a human. Crescent started looking at the ground and found a set of medium-sized humanoid footprints. He could tell they were deffinately not gooblin.

He followed them and, as usual, he got lost. After about 30 minutes of arguing with Ry'ion and Luna, they got back on track and followed them deeper into the Dark Woods. After about an hour, they found a stone building that was hidden very well behind trees and vines. Broken and crumbled stairs led up to the building that appeared to have a set of double wooden doors leading in. There was strange carving written across the top.

Ri'yon walked up and started looking. "Abandon all hope ye who enter here. Very ominous I must say."

Crescent started looking around. "I wonder if there are any traps?"

"Let's find out." Suggested Ri'yon. He looked around the door frame and above it. "Nothing."

Crescent walked up to open the doors and instinctivly he and Ri'yon dodged out of the way as an arrow came flying past them. Ri'yon looked at the arrow that targeted a tree and back to Luna and Crescent. He blushed. "Sorry."

The door opened into a large room with two doors ont he right side about 20 feet apart and another set of doors on the left about 2 feet apart. There were two rows of four pews, every other pew had a humanoid figure sitting in it facing the alter at the far end. Candles were aglow in sconces and on the alter. As the fearless trio entered the unholy cathedral, the four figures turned at looke dat them with hollowless eyes and stood up and started moving toward them with a hastened speed.

Crescent pulled his dagger and rapier and struck one of the skeletons just chipping its bones. Luna tried to attack one with her two sickles while ever-faithful Sol tried to gnaw on one of the bone legs of the orcish skeletons. Ry'ion started singing a ballad of the great God Corellion Larethian and how the undead tremble in his wake. This seemed to rally his two close friends and they seemed to hit just a little bit harder and a little bit more accurate.

Claws shredded armor and flesh and sickles, teeth and metal scraped bones. It was a grueling fight for the three and even though they were desperately hurt, they prevailed in the end. Luna was bleeding profusely and Ry'ion needed help walking.

"We need to go to the church of Corellion for help Crescent. We are hurt bad." Ry'ion suggested.

Crescent agrreed afetr looking at his lover, sister and her companion. They quickly found there way back through the woods to Star's Hollow and the sun was past the midday mark by a couple of hours. At least that was what Luna said. They headed toward the elven temple as luna sent her friend home. As they enetered, there was an unseen celestial choir singing in elven the praises of Lorethian. Two robed figures quickly rushed up to help the trio.

"Good Corellion what happened?" Asked the young man.

His blond hair had a touch of mess and a rumpled look. It complemented his baby blue eyes, which in turn, complimentd his dark and light blue robes. He had a crescent moon tattooed in the middle of his forehead. The other figure, a young lady about the same age as the young man, walked up to Luna. She too bore the same robe and tattoo but her hair was coal black and her eyes the green of limes.

Crescent explained of what happened and both youths shuddered at the mention of Gruumsh, the orc god of evil. The young man, who introduced himself as ?, led Ry'ion back into a room to be healed. Crescent purchased a total of six potions of Corellions healing to help them in their fight. The young lady, ?, healed both Crescent and Luna. Crescent handed her the only posession of value he had. The large emerald he found int he goblin's lair. She nodded and took it into another room, where, she returned just five minutes later with change for Crescent. The young man returned with a healthy Ry'ion as well. After re-gearing back up, they headed back to the temple to finnish what they had intended to start.

* * *

Back in the temple, all three headed to the alter. There was a large peice of what appeared to be rotted elven flesh stretched above the alter on a wall with a red circle and a black diamond with rounded edges in the middle. All three were equally disgusted.

"The symbol of Gruumsh." Ry'ion said to the other two.

"Gee, Ry'ion, what was your first clue?" Luna said sarcastically. She loved giving Ry'ion a hard time with all of his book smarts. After all, she thought it was funny. While she had been around on the earth for about 90 human years, he had been around onnly 80 human years and they were both roughly the same age and yet, she was wiser than he.

They moved over to the far right door with Ry'ion in the lead to check traps. After finding none, Crescent opened the door into a room that had a small desk, chair and a book case on the left wall. The candlelight was enough for the two elves and the half-elf to see by.

"Nothing in here." Said Luna and started to walk out. Crescents ears perked up.

"Wait a minute." He walked over to the bookcaes and started searching it. "There is something -" He picked up a book and pulled it and the bookcase slid along the ground. "- Here."

Crescent walked through the passage with Luna behind him and Ry'ion taking up the rear. They heard some gruff and rough voices from below as they followed the spiral staircase down into the earth.

"They are speaking of blighting out fields and crops. They are hoping to starve us out of Star's Hollow so they can take over." Whispered Ry'ion.

"Over my dead body." Crsescent whispered back. That's when he heard them stop talking. All three charged down the staircase, no one surprised.

"Give it up orc scum!" Cried out Crescent.

The orc chuckled. He was about 5'10 and sitting on a makeshift throne 40 feet on the other side of the room. 5 feet in front of him on his left and right were two orcs standing at about 6'2 and well muscled. Each had on chainmail armor and one carried a greataxe and one carried a heavy pick. The chief wore armor made of bones and was carrying a shortspear and a foot and a half long stick decorated with something was sticking out of his belt. A shield was strapped to his arm.

"Foolish elves." It spoke in rough common. "I am Priest Van Dekk, Speaker to Gruumsh. You shall die here in our guards temple this very day!"

The pool in the middle of the room was filled with a red liquid although in the center was a black shape opening. A diamond shape with smooth edges. It was the Eye of Gruumsh.

The two large guards moved in as the priest started chanting. Crescent, Luna dna Ry'ion knew that it was all over and they couldn't retreat. The guard with the greataxe moved in as Ry'ion started singing a beautiful epic ballad of Corellion stealing the eye of Gruumsh in the name of elves all over. The priest was getting quite irate. Crescent struck with his rapier and his dagger, missing with his rapier as it glanced off the greataxe but landed a blow with his dagger in the orcs side. It howled in pain as blood started gushing forth. Luna tried to strike with both her crescent shaped sickles but missed the orc badly.

The other guard sat down and started listening to the ballad Ry'ion was singing, buying the trio a bit more time as the priest started casting another spell. The orc guard chuckled and brought the greataxe down both handed on Crescent hurting him very badly. Blood was gushing from a bad wound in his arm. Luna reached out as her hand was glowing green and touched her brother healing the wound slightly.

The battle was going back and forth with the second guard finally getting up and heading into battle. Ry'ion's whip tripped the second guard buying Luna and Crescent more time to try to take down the first guard. They all fought bravely but eventually Luna and Ry'ion fell to the might of the orcs as only one orc fell to the elves. Crescent saw that his lover and sister were down and things were looking pretty grim. He struck the second bodyguard with his rapier and dagger landing a blow exactly in the guards weakspot bringing him down to his knees. It was now just him and the orc priest and Crescent was bleeding pretty badly.

The priest snickered. "Give up elf. Gruumsh will win today. Two sacrafices in his name to destroy three elves will suffice. He will thank me for destroying you."

"They arent dead yet and neither am I bastard." Crescent lashed out with his rapier and dagger landing ablow causing the orc priest to howl.

The priest tried to stab the elf and succeeded in peircing his side. Crescent was loosing blood and feeling light headed. He took out a potion and quickly drank down the minty brew as his wounds sealed up and the blood stopped. The priest was wide-eyed and shocked.

Rapier and dagger blows glanced off the shield and the shortpear couldn't hit the deftly quick elf, but each landed a small blow here and there. It was the rapiers final blow across the orcs face that dropped the evil priest in a heap. Crescent quickly ran to his sister and dropped a potion down her throat and did the same to his lover. After stripping the orcs of their posessions, they wuickly got the hell out of the temple.

* * *

They limped back into town as the sun was setting on the horrizon.

"I'm heading home. I'll meet you there k Crescent?" Luna said, tired. Her brother just nodded.

"You almost died today love." Crescent said to his dark-haired mate.

Ry'ion nodded, weak and tired. "I'm going to head home."

Crescent grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. "You could come stay the night with me. I could heal and dress your wounds."

His lover smiled. "I'd like that."

And with that, they walked to Crescents' house holding hands, anticipating the stories they would tell his parents of stopping an invasion of Gruumsh's orcs and protecting Star's Hollow against the blight of Gruumsh.
 

Meds

First Post
Thanks for the story hour Angelsboi!

Angelsboi said:
"Bree-Yark!" the creature screamed out.
Heh, that was a blast from the past!

Are Ry'ion and Luna both NPCs? How does the dynamic work out there? I guess with a solo PC, how do you avoid taking control away from the player?
 

Angelsboi

First Post
well he needed some healing help and he wanted a boyfriend in game so since Luna and Ry'ion are such good friends, they stayed silent most of the time except to insert witty banter and to help in a fight =)
 

Remove ads

Top