[CAMPAIGN JOURNAL] News on the March! Episode I. (2024)

Thisblog has been quiet for a while – I haven’t been in the spirit of writing aboutgames, although I have had a lot of fun running, playing and publishing them (on that matter, expect news reasonably soon).Perhaps the blogging drive shall return, but I’d rather not force it than do itbadly. However, these short-form session reports I have been posting (mostly onDiscord) have been fun to write, and may be of interest, so why not? Not a real full-feature campaign journal (there are sessions I didn’t post about), but hey.

18/03/2024

News from theTwelve Kingdoms! While trying to rescue noble prisoners from the dungeonsof the City-Judge of Poicette, King Hjorl and his companions learnedthat they had been transported even deeper than the regular cells. Defeating ashadow guardian and opening a door, they found not a deep oubliette, but anentrance into the Gardens of Lady Haikainen, an enchanted forestilluminated by a starlit sky. Although they first lost their way due tocareless mapping, they eventually found a ruined village, where a herd ofsickly and crazed horses were ruled by Lianar the Centaur, an insane servant ofthe Lady. Nib, the half-orc Cleric-Thief, challenged Lianar to singlecombat, and was trampled to death by his horses along with a press-gangedheadsman's apprentice.

After burying Nib along with his cursed spear, theycontinued to a hedge maze inhabited by young green dragons. King Hjorl subduedone of the dragons, gaining a powerful mount... or so he thought. Just a littlelater, they encountered Minaro the Nomad (the replacement character),who has come to this forest through another gate, but got separated from hiscompanion, Sir Vivensis the Storm-Bringer, in an ambush by forest-dwellingsavages. Thus reinforced, they continued to the savages' campsite, but alas,they were already butchering the good knight's prize stallion, and roasting SirVivensis on a spit. Charging into battle, Hjorl's dragon mount, alreadyweakened by the party's previous magic missiles, received multiple lucky hitsfrom the savages, and was killed at once. "This beast was worth more thanyou!", cried King Hjorl, slaughtering the forest-dwellers with his swordof fire. Collecting the defeated opponents' heavy silver cauldron (a druidicalartefact, probably), they continued to a secret back entrance to LadyHaikainen's castle...

Into the Odd Beneath the City

06/04/2024

News from the City-State of Glourm! It is rumoured that ruffians of a most detestablecharacter have entered the mansion of Morsult the Merchant while he wasvisiting a nearby tavern located above the tomb chamber of Alcazar – and hebrought Captain Froinx, the head of his house guard with him. Subduing theother guards, these thieves absconded with the magic sword kept in Morsult'sthrone room, the contents of his safe, and his valuable talking parrot! Thisbird was then delivered to Grentor Slagoth, a notability of Glourm, whom thebeast had insulted from Morsult's window, and who then wrung its neck with hisown gloved hands.

Renting a roomin the exquisite cupola room of the Spheroid Fish (an upscale establishmentwith a view), the company then left to investigate a secret entrance in an oldcistern, which they thought would lead them through underground connectionstowards Alcazar's burial chamber. An altar to the alien fungal deityGlyuathk'th was discovered, as well as a cyclopean stone face hiding adolm-coloured gemstone. Many skeletons were fought as they animated on pluckingthe gemstone, and on the way back to the surface, an enormous spider withskeletal limbs and mind-controlling eyes attacked - only defeated at greatrisk, and with lots of luck. From its sepulchral chamber, a magical mirroredshield was retrieved. Alas, the dolm gemstone would not survive daylight, andshattered as the rays of the Sun hit it. The search for Alcazar continues inthe depths of the city!

"Shut up! I map this way!"

25/05/2024

News from TheDungeon of 1000 Sins! Two expeditions were conducted to this LBB-onlyOD&D megadungeon run by iudex. The first delve beneath the city includedfour PCs and 7 hirelings. My character, Brosius the Conqueror(Fighting-Man 3) brought Brothellind the heavy footman and Brogthe porter; Tarak (Cleric 3 of Law) brought Tax the porter; Melion(Elf 3) brought Arian the heavy footman, Brutus the heavyfootman, Bruno the bowman and Fergas the porter (Melion was flushwith starting money). Tenlizar (Cleric 3 of Law) came alone, for he onlyhad money for chainmail, and little else. Our funds barely enough to outfitthis force, we descended into the underworld from a wine cellar.

In the dungeons,a heavy curse soon fell on Melion after paying a strange old undertaker tocarve a tombstone for him. While ambushing a group of cultists, six gargoyleswere unleashed, who tore apart Tax and Brothellind - but thecultists' robes and golden masks were captured, giving us an effective disguiselater on. A cursed scroll turned Tarak into 1000 co*ckroaches, and he wasreplaced by Brutus, promoted into a Fighting-Man. Poor Brog wasshot by a goblin with a bow, the keeper of a chaotic altar. A dungeon store waslooted and its proprietor killed after his trap hurt my PC. From a talkinggoldfish, we finally learned of the Triton's treasure, a secret sought by rivaladventurers, and this now became our mission. We first sought it in anAquarium, where Arian dived down for false coins, but grasped apoisonous coinfish, and drowned underwater. We finally retreived a magicscimitar from the place, and other minor treasure - but not the treasure'swhereabouts.

From a wanderingarcheologist we killed with a poisoned playing card, we found further cluesabout the treasure's location, and after multiple encounters (including robbinga group of local aristocrats visiting the dungeons), we found the place in alarger chamber, where a gang of bandits were already trying to dig up theentrance. Under our disguise, we scared away these men, and descended into adeep sublevel. Here, we avoided four forms of terrible death, and eventuallyfound generous ritual supplies of beaten gold, as well as gemstone chalices wecould barely carry. With these, we returned to the surface, Brosius theConqueror proving his incomparable mapping skills by leading the party back tothe starting point. While some miscreants might believe Brosius made multiplemajor mapping mistakes, and mapped the dungeon on diagonals instead of on a 90degree grid, this was foolish talk, and Brosius had a battleaxe to enforce hisopinion!

For the nextexpedition, a larger company was assembled, a few potions were bought, andmagic items were identified. Brosius the Conqueror - now also callinghimself the Explorer - brought Broderic the heavy footman, Brolindthe heavy footman, Browind the crossbowman, and Bronk the porter.Brutus, now a Fighting-Man (level 2), brought Hector the war dogand Fergas, now no longer a porter, but a heavy footman! Melionbrought Bruno the bowman, Cassius the heavy footman, Nestorthe heavy footman, and Priamos the porter. Finally, Temlizar, nowa 4th level Cleric of Law, brought Achilles the war dog.

Alas, this smallarmy fared less well than the initial group. We first started in the Casino ofDeath, where we wished to pick up rumours, but learned only that years of lifecould be wagered here for a lot of money... or a card game played with the sinistermadman called the Fool. This was not to our liking! On the way out, however, wewere ambushed by orcs, dozens and dozens of them. Brolind, Bronkand Bruno died under a hail of arrows, while the orcs' leaders drovetheir men with their whips against us. A second party used side passages toattack us from behind; and Cassius was likewise slain. We finally brokethrough this latter group with a hold person spell and fled, the orcs giving nopursuit. Thus diminished, we descended to the second dungeon level to grab whatwe could. A valuable (magic?) lamp was taken and a horn of blasting stolen froma group of dwarves manning (or dwarfing?) a giant machine. So far so good.

In anotherdungeon section, a demonic idol's small gemstone eyes were stolen through astratagem I shall not detail. We found a narrow passage leading into magicaldarkness, and a place we thought was the lost tomb of a famous brewmaster andhis precious trade secrets. Alas, we were misled. Our followers walked into thelair of Isolde, a talking, demoniac spider (the insane wife of a citycouncilor, no doubt metamorphosed into this horrid form). Here, Brutus, Priamos,and Brosius the Conqueror all succumbed to spider poison. The price wasa cursed ring, a pouch of expensive gemstones, and a magic scroll. Alas,Brosius, hero of the Dungeon of 1000 Sins, met his end here. He was replaced byBroderic, who adopted the name Broderic the Revenger, putting his masterto rest in a viking funeral as he burned out the spider nest. Decimated and lowon resources, the party returned to the surface, eager to escape with theirriches back to the city!

U L T R A R E A L

10/06/2024

News from thedimension of ULTRAREALITY! The expedition from the world of Fomalhaut soughtknowledge in a derelict monastery of the sinister monks of the Path of ExultantWisdom. Located on a plateau about to be destroyed by an active volcano, thecompany nevertheless ventured forth, fighting the monks in several pitchedbattles, finding them to be soulless automatons capable of many strange feats.Magic items and other treasures were won (and some very good ones missed),although the monastery's ultimate secrets remained undiscovered. Arkinos(Fighting-Man 3) was stabbed by a monk's poison needle, assimilated into somesort of hive-mind, and transformed into their unwitting pawn. He was finallyput out of his misery by his own companions. Carrying their gains, the companyretreated to their ship, the Viridian Star, and sailed away through the nightseas of ULTRAREALITY while the ancient monastery was engulfed and destroyed byVOLCANIC FIRE.

The Empire has fallen. Millions must die.

13/06/2024

News from thefallen empire of Kassadia! A group of eight adventurers, drugged with wine incoastal taverns, found themselves in the dungeons under the villa of BasiliusAntonius Proculus, degenerate patrician. To the delight of the revellers at hislavish party watching the events from above, Basilius Antonius exhorted his"guests" about the greatness of personal excellence, animal vitality,and a new age of barbarism, before letting loose the wolves and lions on those below his villa.Trapped there with rival fighters, ferocious beasts, and deadly traps, thecompany nevertheless prevailed without PC casualties (although there were many"almosts"), winning some treasure, and escaping Basilius Antonius'cellars through a secret staircase. Wounded and low on resources, retreatinginto the dark forests outside the infamous villa, they swore they would meetagain under different circ*mstances!