seasong
First Post
This is for anyone who was following the Iron DM competition: Have any of you gone and used the scenario seeds? And if so, how did they turn out?
Here's my own story.
My first scenario in the Iron DM competition was Uggrahd ("Up There"), and (after incognito brutalized me over some of the ingredients and structure) I revised it and ran it, about a week ago.
The PCs include a tomb-robbing scholar (Indiana Rogue type), a very bad *ss mercenary, an elementalist/paladin, and a combat-specialized sorcerer.
The rogue heard a rumor about wishes being granted to those who climbed to the top of "Mount Buhkenahk" and she decided that a wish was just the thing needed to acquire the location of a number of hidden elven catacombs... which she wished to rob for the obvious reasons. So she persuaded the others to help her climb the mountain, in return for all the wishes they imagined getting, and hied off to find this magical mountain.
They pass through the small copper mining town on the way in, find out about the orcs inhabiting the mountain, and freak out.
"TWO THOUSAND ORCS!?" they say, almost in one voice, "TWO THOUSAND!?"
They then spent the next hour trying to figure out how to sneak past all of these lovely orcs and their lovely culture, and completely shoot the main body of the scenario to hell.
So I improvise a trading post, and have one of the miner's wives mention it in response to the numerous questions about the lay of the land.
"Trading post? Who on Earth would you trade with?"
"The orcs, of course. They're not ALL bad."
So the party decides to check out the trading post, if only because they can't believe what they're hearing. They end up talking to a sub-chieftain, and then boldly tell him exactly what they plan to do, expecting a fight ("Climb MY mountain? I kill you!").
Instead, they get something more like, "Climb THAT mountain? You brave for a skinny human!", followed by some orcish odds-setting with his fellows. The orcs escort the party up the mountain to meet with the shaman, who is delighted - he needs to make a bet with the mountain spirits, and he thinks the PCs might make it, so he's betting for them... and if you think it sucks when the mountain spirits are betting against you, you're right.
So the PCs really got into it, making all sorts of bets (my favorite: if I die going up that mountain, my spirit will serve you loyally for one year; if I win, I get one of those big ass drums your scouts use to communicate), and finally start up the mountain the next morning.
Absolute hell. They get hit with winter wolves, an avalanche, and snowballs when they peek over ledges.
The winter wolf fight, in particular, was fun: During the fight, the mercenary did a running slide under the belly of the Huge wolf demigod, slashing under its stomach and then continuing to slide off the cliff to a forty foot drop into a tree trunk, while the elementalist pulled up a small elemental to fight the others, and the combat sorceror rained fiery death down.
(They patched the merc up)
So they finally get to the pass with the ravid in it, and they see the glowy little dragon, and they start yelling, stumbling on top of each other to reach the little bastard and KILL it. They chop the armor to ribbons, and chase the little guy all the way up the pass, climb the last cliff with murder in their eyes...
And this wizened old orc (the celestial) looks down at these bastions of orcish virtue (despite their race), and tosses them a rope to help them the last thirty feet.
The best part? There's only one wish, whatever the tomb robber may have said.
So a big argument breaks out, naked greed and conniving. The orcish celestial's just basking in it. They finally decide on a wish (a tome that maps out the elven catacombs, so they can make up for the wish in loot), and then he teleports them back down, where they have a really rocking party with the Broken Knuckle orcs.
I don't think they'll be looking at orcs the same, anymore,
so incognito, thank you, thank you, thank you for those ingredients.
Here's my own story.
My first scenario in the Iron DM competition was Uggrahd ("Up There"), and (after incognito brutalized me over some of the ingredients and structure) I revised it and ran it, about a week ago.
The PCs include a tomb-robbing scholar (Indiana Rogue type), a very bad *ss mercenary, an elementalist/paladin, and a combat-specialized sorcerer.
The rogue heard a rumor about wishes being granted to those who climbed to the top of "Mount Buhkenahk" and she decided that a wish was just the thing needed to acquire the location of a number of hidden elven catacombs... which she wished to rob for the obvious reasons. So she persuaded the others to help her climb the mountain, in return for all the wishes they imagined getting, and hied off to find this magical mountain.
They pass through the small copper mining town on the way in, find out about the orcs inhabiting the mountain, and freak out.
"TWO THOUSAND ORCS!?" they say, almost in one voice, "TWO THOUSAND!?"
They then spent the next hour trying to figure out how to sneak past all of these lovely orcs and their lovely culture, and completely shoot the main body of the scenario to hell.
So I improvise a trading post, and have one of the miner's wives mention it in response to the numerous questions about the lay of the land.
"Trading post? Who on Earth would you trade with?"
"The orcs, of course. They're not ALL bad."
So the party decides to check out the trading post, if only because they can't believe what they're hearing. They end up talking to a sub-chieftain, and then boldly tell him exactly what they plan to do, expecting a fight ("Climb MY mountain? I kill you!").
Instead, they get something more like, "Climb THAT mountain? You brave for a skinny human!", followed by some orcish odds-setting with his fellows. The orcs escort the party up the mountain to meet with the shaman, who is delighted - he needs to make a bet with the mountain spirits, and he thinks the PCs might make it, so he's betting for them... and if you think it sucks when the mountain spirits are betting against you, you're right.
So the PCs really got into it, making all sorts of bets (my favorite: if I die going up that mountain, my spirit will serve you loyally for one year; if I win, I get one of those big ass drums your scouts use to communicate), and finally start up the mountain the next morning.
Absolute hell. They get hit with winter wolves, an avalanche, and snowballs when they peek over ledges.
The winter wolf fight, in particular, was fun: During the fight, the mercenary did a running slide under the belly of the Huge wolf demigod, slashing under its stomach and then continuing to slide off the cliff to a forty foot drop into a tree trunk, while the elementalist pulled up a small elemental to fight the others, and the combat sorceror rained fiery death down.
(They patched the merc up)
So they finally get to the pass with the ravid in it, and they see the glowy little dragon, and they start yelling, stumbling on top of each other to reach the little bastard and KILL it. They chop the armor to ribbons, and chase the little guy all the way up the pass, climb the last cliff with murder in their eyes...
And this wizened old orc (the celestial) looks down at these bastions of orcish virtue (despite their race), and tosses them a rope to help them the last thirty feet.
The best part? There's only one wish, whatever the tomb robber may have said.
So a big argument breaks out, naked greed and conniving. The orcish celestial's just basking in it. They finally decide on a wish (a tome that maps out the elven catacombs, so they can make up for the wish in loot), and then he teleports them back down, where they have a really rocking party with the Broken Knuckle orcs.
I don't think they'll be looking at orcs the same, anymore,
so incognito, thank you, thank you, thank you for those ingredients.
Last edited:
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