Pogre's Story Hour - with Pics of Minis & Scenery (Final Update)

[pogre]

Episode 05
Pogre’s campaign – To Save a Soul

Johann dodged to the side as the tribesman’s battleaxe came flashing down, narrowly missing the fighter. Shannon still could not get through to help and Johann realized he had to save himself.

Johann swung his sword from side-to-side and connected with the tribesman’s mid-section. The metal blade sliced through the soft flesh into his kidneys spilling blood and entrails out of the gash. The tribesman momentarily lowered his weapon and looked at his wound in disbelief. The lull was enough of a window for Johann to pull the weapon and swing it down on his opponent. The sword cut through his ear and part of his neck knocking him to his knees. Johann struck again sending the tribesman face down into the ground with a mortal blow to his head.

Shannon shouted, “Let’s get out and help the others.”

“I don’t know who needs help,” Johann thought, “but I know I sure do.”

The two fighters came out of the tent. Johann went the opposite way around hoping to avoid any hostile encounters. To his dismay a young tribesman ran right towards him. Johann winced expecting a brutal combat his battered body could ill afford. Instead the tribesman threw down his weapon and babbled in some strange language while sinking to his kness. Johann could not believe it, the guy was surrendering to him.

Battle Scene

Meanwhile, a lot had occurred in the few seconds the two fighters had been in the tent. The tribesman Bridget had shot had tried to rise up but was drilled again by the accurate shooting holy woman. Several tribesmen had stumbled out of the blazing tent, including the one that had run square into Johann. The rest were trying to get their bearings.

Scapa saw a group of three tribesmen groggily emerge from the burning tent and began chanting a spell. The spell covered the three in a multi-hued blast, literally overwhelming their senses and knocking them flat.

Color Spray spell.


Two remaining tribesmen ran into the surrounding woods. Bridget stepped up and sent a bolt after the pair, but missed. Johann called out to her, “Forget them. I need some healing!”

Shannon took over watching Johann’s prisoner while the sorcerer, Scapa was busy tying up the three he had dazed.

“Now what?” Scapa asked.

To be continued…

 

[pogre]

Episode 06

Episode 06
Pogre’s campaign – To Save a Soul

“Well, let’s start chopping off heads,” Johann announced.

The four tribesmen the group had just bound cringed and one even whimpered.

“No, not your lot,” Johann explained, “just the dead guys.”

“Now hold on,” Scapa objected. “There really is no need to do that. Let’s just pile the bodies on the cart here and have our friends here pull them back to the Inn.”

All agreed this was the advisable path to take and in a couple of days they managed to make it back to the Inn. Another of the White Stallion’s coaches came in while the adventurers were presenting their grisly trophies. An admiring DuJang Prince had a note sent to the group giving them kudos and words of admiration. The Inn paid the PCs and they continued to make preparations for the trek to Hemmerschneg. They bought another mule to take Turin’s cart and headed back onto the road.

….

It was evening by the time the PCs found the Quail’s Covey tavern and inn and Turin. The taciturn dwarf even managed a smile at the site of his old cart returned with a couple of barrels of brew to boot. He then told the adventurers he had a job for them if they were interested.

Turin Alemaker paced nervously before the PCs covering the same territory with a deliberate walk over and over. He finally paused and stroked his beard and spoke. “As you know I am a brewer. My father was a brewer, his father was a brewer, and his father’s father was a brewer. I am of a family of brewers. The Alemaker name was hailed as the trademark of the finest brew in the world. I would like to think I am carrying the tradition forward. However, in the recent past an event occurred that caused our brew quality to slip.”

“The top of the line ale from our brewery for generations was Thunderbrew twenty-one. That brew has not been made for 70 years because of a theft. [A recent occurrence by Dwarven reckoning.] A tramp by the name of Nulus stole the recipe book. He was hunted down and killed like the dirty dog he was. Now my grandfather and my father always assumed the scab had sold the recipe off, but as I said there has been no Thunderbrew about since the theft. I think my kin may have it wrong. I think ole’ Nulus hid that recipe book.”

“I went through some records and discovered the place where Nulus was holed up when they killed him. It is an abandoned old farmhouse, in ruins even 70 years ago, but it is a safe bet Nulus hid some valuables there – maybe even the book! I want you to search those ruins from top to bottom.”

“Now, I will admit I do not have much to offer in the way of wage. I can pay you 50 gp to offset your expenses, but if you find the recipe book I will be able to reward you very richly. One year after you give me the recipe book I will pay you 1,000 gp and all the Thunderbrew twenty-one you can drink! What do you say? I would consider it a great favor!”

The adventurers accepted and prepared to set off the following morning.

To be continued…

 

[pogre]

Episode 07

Episode 07
Pogre’s campaign – To Save a Soul

The farmhouse and the accompanying barn looked abandoned. The wall surrounding the place was mostly gone and the house had a lot of damage to the roof. The group approached the area brazenly.

Approaching the Farmstead.

The PCs had failed to notice a greasy skinned, green and brown humanoid resting in the shadows of the house. As the PCs approached an old garden wall the humanoid, a Hobgoblin, sounded a horn blow.

A Hobgoblin sounds the alarm.

“Dangit,” Shannon exclaimed. “Well, I guess it’s on. Let’s go.”

A javelin thrown from the Hobgoblin narrowly missed Johann.

Shannon charged through some rubble and other debris to close on the Hobgoblin. He held his two-handed great sword high for the attack.

Shannon charges.

“I wish I would have known he was going to do that,” Johann complained. Johann switched from his bow to his sword.

Shannon crashed his great steel weapon down on the Hobgoblin. One swing was all it took as the Hobgoblin’s arm and shoulder were cleanly cut from its body. The humanoid paused looking down at its removed quarter, seemingly amused. Blood quickly rushed out of the cavity and the Hobgoblin collapsed in total shock.

The lookout had done his job, however, and others were stirring in the house.

Hobgoblins in the house stir.

Shannon was now positioned directly under the old farmhouse’s front window. Bridget’s shout of warning came to late as two javelins reigned down on the fighter. One skimmed the back of his studded leather, but the other found a home in his fleshy thigh. Shannon hopped in half-pain and half-fury.

To be continued…

Credit: Steve Pogue built the house for this scenario, and the barn is an old favorite Steve made years ago. I painted both buildings and constructed the stable level of the farmhouse with Hirst Arts blocks.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

WOW!

I was pretty disappointed that the last update didn't have any pics, but this episode's pics totally make up for it.

Is that skyline in the first pic photoshopped in or an actual backdrop?

Very, very nice...

(I think I recognize some of them weedy-lookin' hobgoblins.)


Wulf

 

[pogre]

I was pretty disappointed that the last update didn't have any pics, but this episode's pics totally make up for it.

Thanks for the compliment. There will be a few posts that do not have pics, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum.

Is that skyline in the first pic photoshopped in or an actual backdrop?

Paint Shop Pro actually.

(I think I recognize some of them weedy-lookin' hobgoblins.)

I'm sure! It's hard to believe but those figs are almost 20 years old. At least the building for this episode was new!

I appreciate your kind comments.

 

[Broccli_Head]

Love the addition of the minature pics!

And the story is fun, also.

How did you do the fire? and the color spray cone?

 

[pogre]

Hey Broccli_Head,

How did you do the fire? and the color spray cone?

Fire = An idea I took from Wargames Illustrated Magazine. They use cotton on the battlefield to represent when things have caught fire. Then they add the flames in with Photoshop using picture of real fires. A little rework with the smudge tool - and presto fire.

Color Spray Cone = Define an area with vector lines. Fill it with transluscent color (about 50%).

Thanks for checking in!

 

[Talix]

Definitely enjoying the story, and the use of pics to give it something extra. The integration of the blue sky background was very well done, I did a double-take on seeing it.

 

[pogre]

Episode 08

Talix - thank you!

Episode 08
Pogre’s campaign – To Save a Soul

The Hobgoblins in the house began barking orders. The wounded human had just fled under the house into the old stable/cellar area. There were still others out by the courtyard and a couple of them looked like Shamans.

The Hobgoblins view.

“Cover me,” Scapa instructed the Cleric.

“Where are you going?” Bridget tried to ask, but the Sorcerer had already clambered over to a position near the old house.

Scapa suspected that there were more Hobgoblins in the barn and he wanted a vantage point to deal with them if they came out. He also was keen to get out of the Hobgoblins’ lines of sight.

“Cover me,” Johann told the Cleric.

“I’m shooting the next person that tells me that,” Bridget replied.

As a Hobgoblin poked his head above the window frame to throw a javelin at Johann, Bridget said a small prayer to her god. A bolt of holy energy emanated forth from the cleric and went to the Hobgoblin.

Bridget causes Fear

An irrational fear completely overcame the humanoid and he ran out of the building, diving out the south door. By the time Bridget reacted, he was too far away to get a crossbow shot off.

Johann worked his way up from the cellar of the house. He turned the corner to go inside to join Shannon. His mind was already whirring with possible plans of action. His eyes had just adjusted to the dimness of the cellar, and he was going to share his plan with Shannon when he saw the big fighter climbing a ladder.

“What are you doing?” Johann cried out to Shannon. “They already know we’re here.”

“Exactly!” Shannon yelled as he blasted through the trapdoor and pulled himself up to the next floor.

“I wish I would have known he was going to do that,” Johann complained again.

Shannon quickly found himself in a tough spot. Two hulking Hobgoblins were fully ready for him as he emerged through the trapdoor. His leg was throbbing from the javelin he had just pulled out of it, and his mobility had been affected. The Hobgoblins smiled lewdly at the injured fighter.

Shannon in a tough spot.

Shannon felt weak and he knew he was in trouble even before the first shot from the big humanoids came down on him.

To be continued…

 

[Broccli_Head]

Me thinks that Shannon made a bad decision.