Sins of Our Fathers - 2/10 - Final Update

[Destan]

A note, gentle readers: We've now reached the part in the campaign wherein I can peruse old in-character posts that my players made on our campaign's web site. What does this mean? It means I can know, with certainty, what was said and what was not.

A couple more updates and we'll reach another point that I've been yearning for - one of my players begins to keep a (very detailed) campaign journal. You must remember, we still weren't sure if this was but a weekend or two of nostalgic gaming or if it was the start of a campaign. By this point, we began to realize it was the latter.

Hence, no more writing from memory alone! The events recounted above happened nearly two years' ago. We have a lot of ground to cover, friends. A lot.

This most recent post may push the envelope of good taste, or bad taste, a little bit. I'm very, very hesitant to do so. I can't help but feel I lost folks when I ventured a little too far in the blackness of Ostia Prim in those early updates. Still, this was a crucial event in terms of the characters' personalities and their reactions to one another. I felt I shouldn't pull too many punches (though I did pull some).

Now...this is a community, dammit. If you're reading this, this is your story as much as it is mine, as much as it is my players'. I figure I owe it to you owe folks to write in a manner that's entertaining. If it's too over-the-top, tell me to cool it a little bit. If you prefer shorter updates, with more frequency, then drop a post or an email saying as much. This recent update is a little longer than my normal fare.

Finally - don't leave me. But, if you do, please let me know why.

I should be in bed. Ugh.

G'night!

D

 

[darkbard]

first, thanks for another great update, destan. now, please release the self-editing reigns. sure, you may lose the occasional reader who finds your story and its telling too dark. but there are far more of us who are enthralled with your grim vision. would you prefer to be thought of as a writer who pulls back to gain in popularity or as an artist who pursues his vision with honesty and clarity? i've always felt that the latter are by far the more successful.

 

[Fimmtiu]

This most recent post may push the envelope of good taste, or bad taste, a little bit. I'm very, very hesitant to do so. I can't help but feel I lost folks when I ventured a little too far in the blackness of Ostia Prim in those early updates.

The gritty reality of your setting, Destan, is a refreshing antidote from the tone of most heroic fantasy. Don't ever lose it. I doubt I'm alone in wishing that you please won't tone it down. It would be a tremendous disservice to you and your excellent players.

 

[Despaxas]

I really don't care about the darker side of this SH. This is what blew me away:

The fog disappeared. The sun was blinding. Raylin mac Larren spread both arms, his swords slivers of reflected sunlight. “My fathers! Hear me! I say – Let the land answer! Let the land show its wrath!”

And the land did answer; the land did show its wrath.

The brambles and thickets of the Weedsea, the heather and grasses of the Cormick plains, the briars and tendrils of Valusia – these were the instruments of the land’s anger. And, now, they lived

all that for a simple entangle ... I weep at night in the hopes that I may find a group like yours.

 

[Mahtave]

Destan,

You would do yourself a disservice if you "toned" this story down. Please continue to write as you have been. Any readers turned off by it should not be given the chance to enjoy this anyways.

This is the second time I have come out of "lurker mode" and both times is to give praise to this story hour. Keep up the good work Destan!

 

[frostrune]

But the Songs Say They Do (meta-game)

First off - well done Destan!

This last battle was a pretty big one for the party. I kind of saw it as the point where the party really started to come into their own and gel as a team. It's difficult to write but everyone really contributed here. And Raylin's entangle spell turned steep odds to our favor rather quickly.

As Destan hinted at, it also marks a significant point in the campaign where we started to do a lot of IC (in-character) posting between gaming sessions. This should provide him with a wealth of information to draw from as we go forward.

The intent of this post was to hopefully clear up a couple things about Poridel and more importantly Baden's reaction to his wound. Since we're talking grim here I'll spell it out. Poridel was impaled through his anus and died a horrible and slow death. When Raylin commented on not seeing the death wound, that is why. A blood trail down the back of Poridel's robes and legs is what originally led Baden to the discovery. Baden was horrified and enraged at what they had done to the old man. The humiliation he must have felt. No one should die that way. Hence his comments to John. And to his credit John picked up on it right away. To steal a bit of Destan's poetic license, Baden originally stuck the crossbow quarrel in Poridel's back then cut his own palm smearing his blood from the crossbow wound to merge with the bloodtrail from his real wound.

Destan feels he needs to be a bit careful about how he writes things and who he might offend. These are truly evil guys we are up against. They don't pull any punches. Hope I don't get Destan into trouble for this post.

Vaclava!

Baden Dost

 

[Joshua Randall]

A mighty battle, but what became of Henratt? A villain that sarcastic and eeeeevil deserves to have his messy death written about.

 

[Destan]

A mighty battle, but what became of Henratt? A villain that sarcastic and eeeeevil deserves to have his messy death written about.

I could only add this...

The Cyrics were no more. Where once seventeen living, breathing men had stood, there was now only bodies, tossed haphazardly about like a child-god’s dolls. Somewhere in the crimson mess was Henratt.

...because I can't recall how Henratt died, or which PC or PC's did the deed.

I've also been told, via emails, to stop my abject whining about whether the story is too dark or not. Ok, ok - I'm slow to take a hint, but I've got it now.

D

Edit: Come to think of it, I think Vath may have dropped poor Henratt very early in the combat, after charging across the plains.

 

[Ruined]

Okay, where's that pesky Subscribe button...? =)

 

[Greybar]

Great job, Destan. And a great line from Baden, frostrune!
I like the feel of this story: dark, gritty, whatever you care to call it. The characters are certainly growing, with some more established than others.
Good stuff all 'round!
john