Players' alternate title: "This is Why Azin Travels by Carpet"
Our Heroes:
- Braeden (Human Ranger) played by Battletech Terry
- Sir Kentor (Human Paladin) played by Paladin Steve
- Sir Lantor (Human Fighter) played by Boom Gun Brandon
- The Mighty Xyzzifax (Human-ish Wizard) played by Blaster
- Samson (Halfling Mechanist) played by Shootist Will
- Jaric (Human Cleric) played by Variable David
- Malice (Human Bard) played by Grognard Mike
The party is mostly level 5 at this point. This account is mainly written by Malice.
The party returns to Hommlet. Braeden goes to the temple, and Xyzzifax heads to speak with Burne. Samson fixes the battered silver plates, that we’re able to sell for a total of 400 gold. We spend a hundred of it purchasing a pair healing potions from the temple. Burne’s prices for scrolls are up in the stratosphere – this is what happens when he’s the only wizard in town. We decide to wait until Azin the flying trader returns to Hommlet before we make the trip to Verbobonc. Sir Kentor is able to get a saddle in town, but the local smith isn’t an armorsmith, so isn’t able to craft him barding. During the wait for Azin, Xyzzifax purchases four sets of robes from the tailor, one in red and three in black, with an embroidered insectine symbol.
In town there was a lot of discussion about new abilities and items - what spells the ranger should take, the usefulness of the ebony fly figurine, picking up more holy water and healing potions - a lot of routine party chatter but the kind that tends to happen more when they are in a civilized place.
Days later, Azin arrives with a new trove of magical items for sale. A periapt of the small but mighty, a ring of swimming, featherlight leather armor, and he still has the reciprocating pole arm for sale. The more powerful items he has is a robe of useful items, a +1 shield, and a he has another set of wings of flying. We continue to make Azin richer by purchasing the +1 shield, and we offer to sell him the wand of wonder, and he is willing to pay 10,000 for it. So, we purchase the wings of flight. Xyzzifax asks Samson if he can modify the cloak to appear like insect wings, but sadly he can not. Sir Lantor, against Malice’s better judgement, is granted the Wings of Flying. The party ends up being paid 890 gold in this transaction. And, Malice, in a bit of a snarky way, suggests Samson get the Periapt of Small but Mighty. And, he goes for it! So, the party makes 840.
They only got half price for the wand of wonder because a) it's not a super-useful item, more of an accident waiting to happen an b) because the DM was sad to see such potential for amusement leave the party.
And having made these purchases, the next day we head to Verbobonc. With Braedon leading us, we can make thirty miles a day, so it is a less than a three day trip to the city from Hommlet. Sir Kentor rides his new summoned steed, the rest of us are in the party’s carriage. We know the route is through monster infested lands, so there is a chance of danger. So, none of us are ignoring the terrain that we pass through. Midday through the first the day, an ettin steps onto the road a hundred feet in front of us.
 |
| The first of many, many, ettins that will show up in this campaign |
Xyzzifax leaps out of the carriage and into the air, and throws a lightning bolt down range. The Ettin manages to surprisingly nimbly dodge from most of the blast. But this just gave him a path where Braedn could lead him perfectly, and hit him square in the center of the chest with a well shot arrow. Of those initial attacks, Braeden’s arrow was certainly the more damaging. And if that weren’t enough, a second arrow flies, this time taking the ettin in one of its necks. Blood flows freely from the two headed giant. The ettin charges towards the carriage, but before it closes, Lantor throws himself out of the carriage and charges as well, meeting the giant a mere twenty feet in front of the carriage. The knight’s large blade might as well have been made for this kind of work. Then, Sir Kentor spurs his steed forward, and slashes with Verminax. The Paladin’s holy power surges through the blade, and slays the Ettin.
Jaric brings the carriage to a halt upwind of the corpse, while Braedon and Sir Lantor pull it off the road. Xyzzifax suggests we sever the heads, and mount them as trophies as he calls his war wagon. Not satisfied to leave his corpse unrfiled as Sir Landor is refusing to behead the corpse, Xyzzifax searches the Ettin’s bag. It has a number of shiny rocks, and 56 pieces of silver. The rest of the day passes uneventfully, and we’re able to make camp through the night without being attacked.
The morning of the next day, Sir Kentor makes his infamous chili. There is entirely too much talk of “Ettin Oysters” for any but the Paladin himself to partake this morning. More people are interested, instead, in listening to the bad or repetitive stories, and this morning Sir Lantor and Braeden have bigger audiences than usual. But before long, we’re on the road again. It is late in the morning when Jaric, Samson, and Sir Kentor spot a disturbance beneath the ground burrowing their way towards us. Its moving at a fairly rapid pace. Sir Kentor is the first to announce that there is a creature incoming.
Once more, Xyzzzifax leads us into action, flying out from the carriage, and flies away from the approaching creature. Jaric begins the prayer for sacred flames. Braedon draws his bow, taking aim and waiting for whatever it is to pop out of the ground as well. Then, the creature bursts out of the ground and leaps through the air, landing on the right hand side of the wagon. As it slams into the ground, a wave of damage. One of the horses pulling the carriage is nearly killed instantly by the waves of force and thunder, and the other is terribly wounded. Sir Kentor and Malice both take a strong blow, and the side of the carriage is shattered.
The sacred flame from Jaric singes the land shark, but Xyzzifax’s lightning bolt is much more effective. And, Braeden hits with an arrow, but for a change the first arrow glances off the beast’s heavy armor. The second arrow finds a weaker spot, and is buried up to the fletching into the creature. Samson aims his crossbow at it, and hits it square in the underbelly, and then he bails out of the carriage and puts some distance between the creature and himself. Sir Kentor gets to his feet, and his wounds close somewhat. Then, he lunges with Verminax, shouting to his celestial steed that it should get to safety. It gallops away as the blade as the Paladin gets a lucky hit in, and a pair of blows manages to split the creature open. Malice calls out words of magic, healing her own words and granting the same power to her companions. Braedon charges the Land Shark, hitting with a series of powerful blows, killing the bulette.
Jaric goes to tend the badly wounded horse. And then, he sees to the cart with his mending cantrip, and quickly the cart is in movable condition once again. We discuss possible solutions to the dead horse. The magical fly won’t be around long enough to solve the problem, and bringing the horse back an an undead. In the end, Sir Kentor consents to allow his celestial steed take up the second duty pulling the carriage.
Only an hour later, Bubo and Braedon can see that their a pair of creatures high in the sky circling above us. Bubo quickly lands on the carriage, and gets Xyzzifax’s attention. Xyzzifax, alert to the danger, sends the mechanical bird back into the sky. As the creatures get closer, they look like a large reptilian creature. Sir Lantor spreads his wings of flight, and starts out. Sir Kentor calls out that he shouldn’t fly off on his own. We pull the carriage to a halt, and hurriedly Jaric ties the one normal horse off to a tree.
Malice gets out of the carriage, and gets beneath it, and quickly Xyzzifax joins her. Braedon nocks his arrow, and Jaric joins Malice and Xyzzifax in preparing to cast spells. Eventually, they’re close enough for us to clearly identify: Wyverns!
Samson and Braeden aim at the creatures, and Sir Lantor fire his crossbow at the dark green one, but manages to miss the whole giant reptile. Xyzzifax manages to strike with his firebolt, and then Jaric is close thereafter with his guiding bolt. Braedon is blessed as well, and his arrow finds the way home. Then, he’s quick to loose a second arrow, that is even a more accurate shot. And, Malice helps as well with a firebolt of her own. Sir Kentor has unsheathed Verminax, and is ready to strike them should they get in melee
Samson fires up at the dark green wyvern, missing as well. And then, Braeden shows the gnome how to hit – the arrow is a perfect shot, burying itself in the beast’s mouth. There is a terrible shriek as the blood showers from above. Sir Lantor fires again, and misses as well. The wyverns circle ever closer, as Xyzzifax hits the dark green one again with a firebolt. Sir Kentor moves to the back of cart, ready to defend against the light green one. As he looks to Malice that he might charge one, Malice says don’t do it, and tries to use the wand of binding to paralyze the lighter green one. She fails, though, and Jaric spreads his wing of flying.
Samson fires his crossbow, continuing to miss the wyverns. Braedon does not have as good of a shot as the reptiles go into a steeper dive. One of his arrows just barely manages to hit, but the second one is much more deadly. The dark green wyvern is bristling with arrow shafts. Sir Lantor activates his wings of flight just in time for the Wyverns to finally swoop in. It comes down at Sir Lantor, and he parries the beast’s great claw, but the stinger pierces right through his plate armor. It doesn’t go all that deep, but the wound burns with the terrible poison of the Wyvern. But he powers through it, and keeps his feet. The light green one claws at Xyzzifax, and tries to sting Sir Kentor. The wizard casts a shield, and his wards flare, protecting himself. Sir Kentor swings with a quick series of slashes on the Wyvern. Though he cuts number of times, slashing at the wyvern’s wings. The tear in the wing is enough to ground the beast, at least for the time being.
Xyzzifax flies out from beneath the light green wyvern, and throws a lightning bolt through both of them. This is the last of the damage that the dark green one can take, it falls the handful of feet to the ground, dead. The light green one’s tail snaps, and slaps Xyzzifax to the ground. Sir Kentor chops with Verminax, hacking again and again, taking great chunks of flesh out of the beast. Malice says a few words of the black speech, and three scorching rays sear into the Wyvern. Jaric pulls the staff of striking, it crackles with power, and it sounds like a clap of thunder when it hits. And then, as the lizard still lives, the war cleric does it a second time – bringing the threat of the wyverns to an end.
As Jaric tends to Sir Lantor’s wounds, and Xyzzifax and Braeden discusses whether anything can be made of Wyvern parts. Malice doesn’t have any experience in trying to milk poison from a creature, so isn’t even going to try. Braedon is going to sort of try – they are severing the entire tail, hoping that poison survives. Since he poisonous part has been removed, though, Sir Kentor can turn the remainder of the lizard’s best bits into his chili.
We make it to a camp without being attacked again, and one more throughout the evening without incident as well. During the night, Samson is able to get the carriage back in full working order. After a hearty breakfast, we get on the way, and its not even a full hour that the road we see an approaching caravan – a pair of wagons manned by dwarves.
As we close, Xyzzafix is ready to attack them, but Jaric and Braeden call out to them in dwarvish. Jaric warns them about the creatures we’ve run into, and they tell us that the road to Verbobonc was clear for them yesterday – so we may well not run into anything more. We reach the gates of Verbobonc!
This was our first extended travel episode and we all got to get familiar with the overland travel rules. I ended up writing it up on a cheatsheet for my own sanity because the roads between Verbobonc-Hommlet-Moathouse-Nulb-Temple could all see a lot of use and I wanted to ensure some consistency over the couse of the campaign. The ranger messes up the calculations a bit as normally they would travel 24 miles/day but if he is there then it's 30 miles/day. This ended up being something like 26 encounter checks. There have been times in the past where I have rolled things up in advance but this time I just let it happen as we went and it felt a lot like the old days. I went pretty much by the ToV book for this trip and it went well, no complaints.
This was a nice change after the big fight in the water temple - out on the open road, the whole party present, and no one getting crushed by a juggernaut.
No comments:
Post a Comment