Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
There, I've changed to a (first cut) of a ship sailing the planes, having just passed through a gate.
Difficult to get stuff into 64x64 pixels!
Difficult to get stuff into 64x64 pixels!
the Kyri Chronicles - last updated 22 Oct
- Thread starter Plane Sailing
- Start date
KidCthulhu
First Post
Thanks, Plane. Now I feel all special n' stuff. And of course I'm still reading.
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
As Lysander and the others lead the villagers outside, and start helping them come to terms with their ordeal, Trajan and Anne-Marie investigate the arena on the ground floor – and find the two combatants they had seen earlier manacled to stake in the centre of the room, beaten and bloodied. Spotting a key by the door, Trajan moves across and unlocks their chains.
One of them is a tall, blonde Borderlander, with a thick beard and braided hair. The other is a hawk-nosed man with a deep tan and his hair gathered in a long ponytail – who springs back into a wary crouch, facing the new intruders. Trajan makes conciliatory gestures, and smiling attempts to calm the man down.
The Borderlander introduces himself as Sean, a ranger who was captured while he was half-frozen in the depths of winter. He had been following a rumoured trail of fiends at large… but ended up closer than he had intended. Since then they had pitched him against a series of foes, human and humanoid, in brutal fights to the death. It was only when the pony-tailed man arrived that they were able to draw the fights out in a way which fooled their captors – which had been going on for nearly a week now.
Meanwhile the hawk-nosed man, who clearly didn’t speak any of their languages, gingerly approached Trajan, sniffing approvingly. Trajan looks around, hands spread wide, when the man startles him with a clear and distinctive whinny. Puzzle pieces fall into place, and they realise that he must be one of the Dukan nomads, horse barbarians from the far West.
Gathering outside, they decide to donate one of their horses to the barbarian, to give him a chance to find his way home. Discarding the saddle and inclining his head respectfully to Trajan and Sean, the man rides off.
The villagers are obviously distraught at the idea of returning to their village. Barely two thirds of them are left now, and they have terrible, terrible memories of this place. During conversation with the acting head woman Lysander finds out that until last summer they normally had quite a lot of trade with a village in the woods a few leagues downriver from here, a hamlet known as Ossington. It seems that the best thing for them to do would be to travel down to Ossington and set up a new life with friends from that place. Lysander, K’tan, Trajan and the others decide that they will help escort them and their remaining goods to find this new life, before continuing their journey towards Bridlerest. Sean also elects to stay with them, to help provide protection for the people.
Meanwhile, Lysanders thoughts are turning more and more frequently back Westwards, to the refugee shanty town of his people, suffering outside Knightsbridge. What is the point of fighting against evil from outside the world when there is no help for the ordinary people? He has helped many Southlander villagers overcome dire perils; when is it time to help his own Singharese brothers and sisters?
After spending a day packing up belongings onto handcarts and wagons, the party lead the villagers across the river and down past the thick deciduous wood, where leaves are just starting to appear on the ends of twigs as the month of Greening dawns bright and clear.
At last, a time free from unknown horrors!
If only they knew...
(at about this point some of Lysanders training and experience pays off, and he gains another level of Jazumai, making him a Jazumai 9/ Sorcerer 1)
Next: The Standing Stone
One of them is a tall, blonde Borderlander, with a thick beard and braided hair. The other is a hawk-nosed man with a deep tan and his hair gathered in a long ponytail – who springs back into a wary crouch, facing the new intruders. Trajan makes conciliatory gestures, and smiling attempts to calm the man down.
The Borderlander introduces himself as Sean, a ranger who was captured while he was half-frozen in the depths of winter. He had been following a rumoured trail of fiends at large… but ended up closer than he had intended. Since then they had pitched him against a series of foes, human and humanoid, in brutal fights to the death. It was only when the pony-tailed man arrived that they were able to draw the fights out in a way which fooled their captors – which had been going on for nearly a week now.
Meanwhile the hawk-nosed man, who clearly didn’t speak any of their languages, gingerly approached Trajan, sniffing approvingly. Trajan looks around, hands spread wide, when the man startles him with a clear and distinctive whinny. Puzzle pieces fall into place, and they realise that he must be one of the Dukan nomads, horse barbarians from the far West.
Gathering outside, they decide to donate one of their horses to the barbarian, to give him a chance to find his way home. Discarding the saddle and inclining his head respectfully to Trajan and Sean, the man rides off.
The villagers are obviously distraught at the idea of returning to their village. Barely two thirds of them are left now, and they have terrible, terrible memories of this place. During conversation with the acting head woman Lysander finds out that until last summer they normally had quite a lot of trade with a village in the woods a few leagues downriver from here, a hamlet known as Ossington. It seems that the best thing for them to do would be to travel down to Ossington and set up a new life with friends from that place. Lysander, K’tan, Trajan and the others decide that they will help escort them and their remaining goods to find this new life, before continuing their journey towards Bridlerest. Sean also elects to stay with them, to help provide protection for the people.
Meanwhile, Lysanders thoughts are turning more and more frequently back Westwards, to the refugee shanty town of his people, suffering outside Knightsbridge. What is the point of fighting against evil from outside the world when there is no help for the ordinary people? He has helped many Southlander villagers overcome dire perils; when is it time to help his own Singharese brothers and sisters?
After spending a day packing up belongings onto handcarts and wagons, the party lead the villagers across the river and down past the thick deciduous wood, where leaves are just starting to appear on the ends of twigs as the month of Greening dawns bright and clear.
At last, a time free from unknown horrors!
If only they knew...
(at about this point some of Lysanders training and experience pays off, and he gains another level of Jazumai, making him a Jazumai 9/ Sorcerer 1)
Next: The Standing Stone
Last edited:
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
On the positive side, this is the best that I've ever seen the player of Lysander role-play in two dozen years... it is his first character that I can recall that isn't a min-maxer, and who actually takes his religious role seriously...
On the negative side, the player has been finding things a little less fun recently... as the longest surviving character he feels that some of the newer characters have all kinds of new "cool toys".
In truth, pretty much most of the "new" stuff already existed, but peoples 2nd or 3rd or 4th characters have more been more cannily designed.
During the Standing Stone Lysander bows out of the story... I'm trying to think of some way to encourage the player to not do likewise
Cheers
On the negative side, the player has been finding things a little less fun recently... as the longest surviving character he feels that some of the newer characters have all kinds of new "cool toys".
In truth, pretty much most of the "new" stuff already existed, but peoples 2nd or 3rd or 4th characters have more been more cannily designed.
During the Standing Stone Lysander bows out of the story... I'm trying to think of some way to encourage the player to not do likewise
Cheers
KidCthulhu
First Post
I've always felt that good role playing deserves in game rewards. How about giving him some cool powers based on what he wants to do? Protection abilities. New spells. Godly recognition. All good presents for nice roleplaying.
Also, talk to the player. Is his frustration with the character or the nature of the game? Does he want to do something new, or is he just feeling underpowered with a character he loves. Have an amnesty day, see if he wants to change the character around, swap levels for a PC or other regular class. Maybe he wants to go somewhere with the character that his current class or configuration won't let him. Swapping for new stuff and a tuning up of the stats and skills might make him more eager to get behind the wheel again. And your willingness to accomodate his needs will make a big difference in his feelings about the campaign in general.
Also, talk to the player. Is his frustration with the character or the nature of the game? Does he want to do something new, or is he just feeling underpowered with a character he loves. Have an amnesty day, see if he wants to change the character around, swap levels for a PC or other regular class. Maybe he wants to go somewhere with the character that his current class or configuration won't let him. Swapping for new stuff and a tuning up of the stats and skills might make him more eager to get behind the wheel again. And your willingness to accomodate his needs will make a big difference in his feelings about the campaign in general.
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
Good thoughts, KidC.
I've not been able to pin down exactly what the issue is which the player is unhappy about. I have a feeling that part of it is that this current campaign is the first time that I've run one with some big, underlying stories which the players are involved in... and I don't think that they have caught his imagination. He's not been able to express to me exactly what he is concerned about though - and apparently can't think of any other archetypes which he would like to play (here I'm frustrated because there are approx 10 different character concepts I'd *love* to play, and I can't imagine how he can't think of any!!)
Thinking back, another issue was that although they saved the town of Knightsbridge last autumn, he is frustrated that the town don't rally round the heroes four months later and jump when he was asking for help to look after the refugees who have formed a shanty town outside the walls... Personally I thought this was a reasonable touch of reality, having seen what happens to refugees myself and the way that political leaders can have short memories - plus it is all part of the growing tension about what is happening back in Singh, which was his homeland (along with the late, lamented Azrin).
An amnesty day might work - he took a level of sorcerer some 4 levels ago which really hasn't worked well for him. One of the underlying story issues is problems with the priesthood back home... maybe Asura the god needs a *special envoy/emissary* to start to sort things out?
From reading PC's storyhour I recall that you have been allowed some quite wide-ranging amnesty-days (recalling Tao certainly, and perhaps Nolin too). What particular Pros and Cons are there, and how far do you normally suggest DM's go? I don't want to alienate the other players (who are all loving the current campaign direction).
Cheers
Alex
I've not been able to pin down exactly what the issue is which the player is unhappy about. I have a feeling that part of it is that this current campaign is the first time that I've run one with some big, underlying stories which the players are involved in... and I don't think that they have caught his imagination. He's not been able to express to me exactly what he is concerned about though - and apparently can't think of any other archetypes which he would like to play (here I'm frustrated because there are approx 10 different character concepts I'd *love* to play, and I can't imagine how he can't think of any!!)
Thinking back, another issue was that although they saved the town of Knightsbridge last autumn, he is frustrated that the town don't rally round the heroes four months later and jump when he was asking for help to look after the refugees who have formed a shanty town outside the walls... Personally I thought this was a reasonable touch of reality, having seen what happens to refugees myself
and the way that political leaders can have short memories - plus it is all part of the growing tension about what is happening back in Singh, which was his homeland (along with the late, lamented Azrin).An amnesty day might work - he took a level of sorcerer some 4 levels ago which really hasn't worked well for him. One of the underlying story issues is problems with the priesthood back home... maybe Asura the god needs a *special envoy/emissary* to start to sort things out?
From reading PC's storyhour I recall that you have been allowed some quite wide-ranging amnesty-days (recalling Tao certainly, and perhaps Nolin too). What particular Pros and Cons are there, and how far do you normally suggest DM's go? I don't want to alienate the other players (who are all loving the current campaign direction).
Cheers
Alex
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
Wulf and Dinkeldog can answer this better than we can; they have amnesty days all the time. As for me, though, I have no regrets. The players like their PCs better and have more fun. Isn't that what it's all about?
I think one redesign is reasonable for each player. More than that, and you probably have a player who is discontented for other reasosns. Once, though, I think that it makes sense to let players take advantage of new rules. for instance, Sagiro let Dranko drop a seldom-used feat in order to become a lasher. I was thrilled.
I always try to time these with dramatic events in the PC's life. For Tao, it was bonding with the Al'Quith, her holy tree. For Nolin, it was truly cementing his bond with the phoenix. That makes it more plausible in terms of the story.
I think one redesign is reasonable for each player. More than that, and you probably have a player who is discontented for other reasosns. Once, though, I think that it makes sense to let players take advantage of new rules. for instance, Sagiro let Dranko drop a seldom-used feat in order to become a lasher. I was thrilled.
I always try to time these with dramatic events in the PC's life. For Tao, it was bonding with the Al'Quith, her holy tree. For Nolin, it was truly cementing his bond with the phoenix. That makes it more plausible in terms of the story.
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Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
I'd love to come up with something for this chap that will allow him to feel fully "engaged" again. I'll discuss things with him, and check out the kind of stuff that he would be interested in. The time is pretty ripe for his god to choose a Divine Agent to start kicking righteous booty, and I can imagine an interesting event which could surround such a change...
I'll let you know how it goes.
Meanwhile I've got the entire Standing Stone adventure to write up - three 8-hour sessions over the last month and a bit
During the process there will be revelations and an untimely death.
Oh dear.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Meanwhile I've got the entire Standing Stone adventure to write up - three 8-hour sessions over the last month and a bit
During the process there will be revelations and an untimely death. Oh dear.
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
(I missed out Anne-Marie finding her magic boots! that was the whole purpose of going to the tower. Doh!)
Back in the tower, in the machine room, Anne-Marie noticed a large cardboard box, battered with age and chewed by insects. It has a label on the side… with her name barely visible in long-faded ink! Almost reverently she opens up the box, and finds inside a pair of fine leather boots, long and in exquisite leather. A little old and dried, so she spends a while to rub oils in to make them soft and supple once more. Then she tries them on. She has a lightness to her movement that she has never known before… a spring in her step that makes every pace an effortless glide. As an experiment she runs a few paces and then leaps forwards – and soars through the air, covering over 50 feet in an effortless bound! “Excellent” she thinks. “It took longer to get hold of these than I’d thought, but well worth the wait”.
It is a days walk down the road beside the fast-flowing silverlode before they come across the wide track which leads through dense woodlands towards Ossington. Heading up the train of villagers, Lysander, Trajan and the rest lead the way into the forest which is showing the first spread of green leaves appearing on the trees, and with heavy growths of bracken obscuring the forest floor to either side of the track.
Pressing on, they start to realise that there is something a little strange, something which they are finding it difficult to put their finger on – until someone realises that there are no bird calls. The woods should be full of the noise of small wildlife at this time of year, and yet there is an eerie silence. Waving the villagers to a halt for a meal, the company press onwards up the path.
Suddenly, they hear a cry for help ahead of them – a farmer rounds the corner a dozen pages ahead of them, running for his life – and bursting after him with the sound of thundering hoof beats is an armoured knight on an armoured steed.
Trajan and Lysander run forward to meet the peasant and block the horsemans path – but the figure rides right *through* them, their scimitars connecting with nothing but thin air – and with a mighty blow the peasant is cleaved in two.
A crossbow bolt is launched at the fearsome horseman, but passes through him and thuds into a nearby tree. Unperturbed, the horseman gallops off into the woods, riding straight through the thick tree trunks in his path.
Stunned, The party check the farmers corpse – very dead, gutted from stem to stern. Middle aged, his pockets are empty apart from a few acorns. Checking up the path and round the bend they find a wagon with two more corpses: a woman and an older man, both bearing marks of being killed within minutes, hot blood staining the woodwork.
They don’t want to expose the villagers rescued from the wizards tower to yet more horror, so they ask Sean to take them back down to the main road and set up a temporary camp “while they go and square things with people up in Ossington”. Lysanders charisma and compelling use of words soon persuades the villagers of the right of this idea.
Having seen the villagers settled, Lysander, Trajan, K’tan, Anne-Marie, Arilyn and Dala gird their loins, check the condition of their weapons and prepared spells, and then set off along the path towards Ossington, eyes peeled for the mysterious horseman.
It is late afternoon, and in the fading sunlight they see an old farmhouse amidst a cleared but overgrown field just off to the right. The faint glimmer of light is visible through the shutters, and so they decide to investigate. Rapping smartly on the door, Lysander makes himself known.
“who is it?” responds a reedy voice from inside “what do you want?”
“We are just some friends, travelling to Ossington, and seeking shelter for the night” Lysander responds with all the charm he can muster.
“You don’t have any ghostly horsemen with you?” the voice enquires
“Certainly not!” Lysander laughs.
The door is opened by a thin and withered old man who is grimly gripping a rusty pitchfork.
“Well, perhaps you’ll come in and share supper with us then?” he says. He motions to a young woman at the far side of the shack who puts down the crossbow she had prepared.
The company crowd into the small room, and look on as watery gruel is spooned into small bowls. Trajan and Lysander exchange glances, then bring out some of their own rations and share it with the farmer and his daughter. They eat hungrily, as if the iron rations were the best meal they’ve eaten in weeks.
The village of Ossington is a village under siege. Since last autumn, a horrible ghostly horseman has cut the people off from the outside world. In addition, evil fey creatures of the woods have been killing the farmers in their fields. Last year so many people went missing that much of the harvest was not taken in and rotted in the field. A peace party led by the village elder was massacred up by the meeting stones further into the woods. Everything had been fine for years and years, but now – the villagers are starving to death while anyone who attempts to leave is cut down by the ghostly horseman. They need a miracle to save them, surely they do...
After some more conversation, the old man retires to his bed, but his daughter flirts with Trajan, Lysander and Dala – and in Dala finds a willing response. So much so, that by the time it is dark outside they are busy canoodling in the corner. Half the party think this is not appropriate, so Lysander, Trajan Anne-Marie and K’tan leave, deciding to ride on to the village that night. Arilyn curls up under her blankets at one end of the room and tries to ignore the noises coming from the rather larger bundle at the other end...
Meanwhile, riding down the pathway at night, the moon throws stark shadows on the ground and turns the branches overhead into looming claws. There is a very spooky atmosphere. After half an hour a dimly lit structure becomes visible beside the path – the moonlight shows a squarish mausoleum with a low wall completely surrounding it, encompassing unkempt tombstones. Both the Jazumai have the uneasy feeling of supernatural evil present in this place, and they decide to press on, hoping to reach the village before midnight
Another half an hours ride crests a small rise, and in a clearing some three hundred paces across nestles a small village. It is built entirely within a circle of granite standing stones, and a small aisle of standing stones lies either side of the pathway as it extends down into Ossington. They ride carefully into the village, heading for the largest buildings in the centre of town.
Back in the tower, in the machine room, Anne-Marie noticed a large cardboard box, battered with age and chewed by insects. It has a label on the side… with her name barely visible in long-faded ink! Almost reverently she opens up the box, and finds inside a pair of fine leather boots, long and in exquisite leather. A little old and dried, so she spends a while to rub oils in to make them soft and supple once more. Then she tries them on. She has a lightness to her movement that she has never known before… a spring in her step that makes every pace an effortless glide. As an experiment she runs a few paces and then leaps forwards – and soars through the air, covering over 50 feet in an effortless bound! “Excellent” she thinks. “It took longer to get hold of these than I’d thought, but well worth the wait”.
It is a days walk down the road beside the fast-flowing silverlode before they come across the wide track which leads through dense woodlands towards Ossington. Heading up the train of villagers, Lysander, Trajan and the rest lead the way into the forest which is showing the first spread of green leaves appearing on the trees, and with heavy growths of bracken obscuring the forest floor to either side of the track.
Pressing on, they start to realise that there is something a little strange, something which they are finding it difficult to put their finger on – until someone realises that there are no bird calls. The woods should be full of the noise of small wildlife at this time of year, and yet there is an eerie silence. Waving the villagers to a halt for a meal, the company press onwards up the path.
Suddenly, they hear a cry for help ahead of them – a farmer rounds the corner a dozen pages ahead of them, running for his life – and bursting after him with the sound of thundering hoof beats is an armoured knight on an armoured steed.
Trajan and Lysander run forward to meet the peasant and block the horsemans path – but the figure rides right *through* them, their scimitars connecting with nothing but thin air – and with a mighty blow the peasant is cleaved in two.
A crossbow bolt is launched at the fearsome horseman, but passes through him and thuds into a nearby tree. Unperturbed, the horseman gallops off into the woods, riding straight through the thick tree trunks in his path.
Stunned, The party check the farmers corpse – very dead, gutted from stem to stern. Middle aged, his pockets are empty apart from a few acorns. Checking up the path and round the bend they find a wagon with two more corpses: a woman and an older man, both bearing marks of being killed within minutes, hot blood staining the woodwork.
They don’t want to expose the villagers rescued from the wizards tower to yet more horror, so they ask Sean to take them back down to the main road and set up a temporary camp “while they go and square things with people up in Ossington”. Lysanders charisma and compelling use of words soon persuades the villagers of the right of this idea.
Having seen the villagers settled, Lysander, Trajan, K’tan, Anne-Marie, Arilyn and Dala gird their loins, check the condition of their weapons and prepared spells, and then set off along the path towards Ossington, eyes peeled for the mysterious horseman.
It is late afternoon, and in the fading sunlight they see an old farmhouse amidst a cleared but overgrown field just off to the right. The faint glimmer of light is visible through the shutters, and so they decide to investigate. Rapping smartly on the door, Lysander makes himself known.
“who is it?” responds a reedy voice from inside “what do you want?”
“We are just some friends, travelling to Ossington, and seeking shelter for the night” Lysander responds with all the charm he can muster.
“You don’t have any ghostly horsemen with you?” the voice enquires
“Certainly not!” Lysander laughs.
The door is opened by a thin and withered old man who is grimly gripping a rusty pitchfork.
“Well, perhaps you’ll come in and share supper with us then?” he says. He motions to a young woman at the far side of the shack who puts down the crossbow she had prepared.
The company crowd into the small room, and look on as watery gruel is spooned into small bowls. Trajan and Lysander exchange glances, then bring out some of their own rations and share it with the farmer and his daughter. They eat hungrily, as if the iron rations were the best meal they’ve eaten in weeks.
The village of Ossington is a village under siege. Since last autumn, a horrible ghostly horseman has cut the people off from the outside world. In addition, evil fey creatures of the woods have been killing the farmers in their fields. Last year so many people went missing that much of the harvest was not taken in and rotted in the field. A peace party led by the village elder was massacred up by the meeting stones further into the woods. Everything had been fine for years and years, but now – the villagers are starving to death while anyone who attempts to leave is cut down by the ghostly horseman. They need a miracle to save them, surely they do...
After some more conversation, the old man retires to his bed, but his daughter flirts with Trajan, Lysander and Dala – and in Dala finds a willing response. So much so, that by the time it is dark outside they are busy canoodling in the corner. Half the party think this is not appropriate, so Lysander, Trajan Anne-Marie and K’tan leave, deciding to ride on to the village that night. Arilyn curls up under her blankets at one end of the room and tries to ignore the noises coming from the rather larger bundle at the other end...
Meanwhile, riding down the pathway at night, the moon throws stark shadows on the ground and turns the branches overhead into looming claws. There is a very spooky atmosphere. After half an hour a dimly lit structure becomes visible beside the path – the moonlight shows a squarish mausoleum with a low wall completely surrounding it, encompassing unkempt tombstones. Both the Jazumai have the uneasy feeling of supernatural evil present in this place, and they decide to press on, hoping to reach the village before midnight
Another half an hours ride crests a small rise, and in a clearing some three hundred paces across nestles a small village. It is built entirely within a circle of granite standing stones, and a small aisle of standing stones lies either side of the pathway as it extends down into Ossington. They ride carefully into the village, heading for the largest buildings in the centre of town.
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