Here is where I answer questions, ask questions and generally act like the annoying pain in the ass that I am. Oh, and we get to talk college football here too, as much as we want.

Sweet! As I'm under the weather and the Dawgs don't play until 6, not watching much until then.

How do we do spell books? Thanks for the quick items, I'll get the CS filled in as soon as able.

Thanks for DMing!

You're welcome. I'm looking forward to it!

Get better, seems like the older we get...well, you know. LOL.

Dawgs need to rebound after last week's debacle. Fortunately, the SEC east is wide open - you guys run the table and win the conference championship, you'll be in the playoff. Easy as that, right?!!!

Penn State is hosting gameday - never know if that's a good or bad thing. Kids get too amped up and they wind up not playing well. We'll see, Michigan isn't as stout as it used to be. I'm hopeful they win big.

Penn could be a fine sleeper this year, playing well. My Dawgs... ugh. Lost the entire receiving corps and it showed against SC!

Yeah, that was a tough loss. South Carolina's a sneaky team, though. Played Florida tough for 3 quarters today, so that's 7/8 quarters that they played well against higher tiered competition.

In reply to Stormbringer (msg # 5):

OH, yea. SC and Vandy will bite someone just about every year. It is absolutely soggy and miserable tonight, could be a 3- 0 game... sigh.

Well, Go Dawgs. Enjoy the game. I'm getting settled into my favorite chair, Penn State almost ready to go.

Good luck tonight!

Started strong, got sloppy in the middle, defense ran out of gas because the offense couldn't keep them off the field, yet still found a way to win. Was touch and go through the fourth quarter. After going up 21-7 in the first half, Penn State won 28-21. I'll take it...

Hey, you never know, hang in there and THE Ohio State finds a way to lose a couple... Wisconsin upset last night... stay unbeaten, win couple big ones and good things happen, just ask Nick Sabin.

Will try to work on character but whenever you're ready, we'll jump in and make it up from there.

Sitting drinking coffee, ruminating on the game. 7-0, that's a good place to be.

Character sheet is up and editable. Let me know if you have any issues with it. Don't think you will, but holler at me if you've need.

I'll start putting together the NPC's. Definitely need a cleric. Thinking a wild card for the second one.

;)

Cool, was thinking Ranger or Fighter but hey, you're the DM...

What should we do about spells? I see Kalmus as being the sort that prefers spells that augment his stealth and fighting, so he might no go in for fireballs (gasp!).

You build Kalmus however you want to. I'm here to adjudicate. The two NPC's are supplemental to your needs.

Cleric is a must.

The other, we'll see. Perhaps a Cavelier fallen from grace, or an evoker mage who likes to blow shit up.

Looks like the edit is not turned on the character sheet. Can you fix that for me?

I am thinking he'd probably want Sleep, Hold Portal, Unseen Servant or Feather Fall at first, I take it Read Magic is a given?

I fixed it.

Also outfitted some of your gear - things like rope and such. Feel free to add to that, however.

Also a potion of healing is on there. Roll for your cash.

I will have NPC's done hopefully tonight.

Starting spellbook:

Read Magic
Detect Magic
Identify
Sleep
Unseen Servant
One of either Feather Fall or Shield

Six spells to get you started.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:57, Sun 20 Oct 2019.

Slow but sure - have one NPC done, second one almost done.

I'm shooting for a start to the adventure sometime this week. Busy at work, so that'll play into it, but I should be ready nlt Friday.

Are we basing this mythical city on Babylon, Tanelorn or Lankhmar?

Do me a favor, start thinking about short, medium and long term goals for Kalmus and his posse (such as it is).

When you have some tangible ideas, let's discuss.

Lankhmar! Kalmus will probably spend a lot of time around taverns listening to gossip, libraries pestering the librarians and any local adventuring guild type places. His goal is to find something relatively safe to plunder or maybe even follow a powerful group and finish up plundering, that sort of thing, kinda Greymouser meets Ponder Kresh.... Think I'll take Feather Fall for those days when you just gotta make that stupid climb....

No rush, just let me know that you can get into your character sheet at this point. Your henchmen are ready. A cleric and (drum roll please) a gnoll halberdier (fighter with tracking ability). Bad ass, and I figure she'll have a good time picking on the priest.

Gnoll? Didn't see that coming...

A gnoll with a halberd, no less. Gives it some flavor...but this is Kalmus' story, so if you object, I'll swap it out with something mundane. Just let me know.

A couple things:

I've put together a reasonable list of supplies, you may want to add more. Assume 100 gold on your person, a quarter that for the henchmen.

Part of your kit is a set of masterwork thieves tools. Gives you +10 on all attempts to open doors, find and remove traps and all other things that require tools to use.

Your armor, probably leather - I'd be amenable to studded leather, but that knocks the thief tool bonus down to 5%.

Character sheet?

I will probably have to work on it tomorrow night once I get settled back into work. Tonight looks like I have an unexpected challenge? hassle? Very generous so far!

Also, been 30 years since I read "Swords Against" anything, so I will probably miss a few Newhan references! Maybe I should get a new copy?

I got mine on amazon, the rest I got from the deities and demigods tome from TSR. Frankly, it's a great setting, but I'm only throwing in the Fafrhd & Grey Mouser references in homage to Fritz. As for the two (in)famous wizards, they'll be competing for Kalmus' interest.

And I'm not trying to rush you - I've got medicare open enrollment to contend with, so there will be gaps in all my games from time to time through end of year.

Ugh... government anything just...sucks...

Yes. I'm going to try to sell my book of business come the new year. Had enough of insurance and government interference with how I do my job.

That and the litigation is precisely why I broke with family tradition and became a corporate rat. In the end, I will state categorically that it would have been better to have suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous government than to have been unceremoniously treated to IBM cancelling not one but two pension programs on me, receiving the first round of pay cuts in company history on their 100th anniversary, having them remove all my incentives and limit my bonuses (effectively reducing my salary from 85 to about 55, ouch!!) and then unceremoniously laying me off 6 months shy of 20 official years with the company, a total of 22 in service, making sure that I had no grounds to petition for the pension under the law suits.

Maybe the other way would have been a rough road but dammit, you have a hand on the wheel. I was blinded by my dream of retiring at 62 with a full pension and a lot of fishing in my future. Probably work until the day I keel over dead now...

2007 and 2008 cost me over a quarter million in 401k, stocks and equity, I have just now recovered this year.

Oh, to do it over again... 18 and know what I know now... would have married that cute brunette and robbed a liquor store if I had to do so to finish up college that first try!

Ouch. I think maybe I'll reevaluate things after reading that.

07-08 was miserable for everyone, but a quarter mil? That's A LOT to leave on the table through no fault of your own. Swear corporations, combined with lawyers are the devil's henchmen.

I'm sure there's a way to leverage 40 years of playing dnd, I just wish I had the technical chops to do it. If I have any regrets (and, if I'm being honest, I'm mostly just bitching to hear myself bitch) it's that I didn't get into a tech MOS when I was in the Navy. Loading bombs was great and all, but being an electrician or some other useful job would have done me much better.

As for the cute blond, yeah, I wish I had that one to do over too. LOL.

By the way, and appropo to nothing, but I just got nominated as one of the finalists for a poem I submitted to a contest I entered over the summer. TBH, I forgot about it - got the email yesterday. I'm a bit excited...grand prize is $1000.

Brunette, I married the cute blonde. The cute brunette keeps sending me pictures on facebook to remind me that she looks 20 years younger than she really is, still hot as a firecracker and I walked away from her when I went to college....duh... owns her own business and has a boy toy that looks like he might have a 70 IQ to go with all those muscles.

Yeah, my MOS translated fairly well to the civvie world but the transition was rough for me. It's kept food on the table, opened some sticky doors and generally been good though it probably aged me twenty years. Got recruited by State when I got out along with a few other agencies I'm not going to mention, I turned away from working Govt and went to the private sector, haven't regretted that decision! Regret not realizing Big Blue was set to screw us all over, about 45 to 50,000 of us in similar situations, and walking when I had the chance in 2010.

Poem? Nice? Tried my hand at it in college, while technically sound, it was doggerel at best.

I wrote a lot of poetry in college. I always liked to write - stories, poetry, have a couple full length novels I've been kicking around for years.

Although I had these dreams of being a successful fantasy author, I think parental pressure to 'get a job' after college distorted my goals. Somehow making $40K out of school became more important than my dreams. Don't get me wrong, my parents were great. I just didn't have the vision or the motivation to really deep dive into a writing career. Path of least resistance and all that. It was only after the Navy that I realized how demanding a 'real' job is.

I can't complain: I've had some incredible successes in business, a couple epic failures as well, and everything in between. My biggest regret, ironically enough, was not staying with the little blond girl from Miss State who absolutely adored me. Instead I went with the Vandy Grad. I wish fervently that I had made the right choice on that one. But, we are the sum of all our decisions, so you either I'll grin and bear it, or move on.

Those little Mississippi blondes can sure tear a guy a new one...

I hear ya bout the epic failures, nice thing about yours are you learned and moved on, obviously, mine, I had to hunt a new job. Was never fired though, laid off what? five times now? Ugh. Sux.

The Swords Against thread will be my default after each adventure. FYI.

Gotta run, work calls. I'll be late tonight. Try to get most of the important parts of your character sheet done so we can get up and running. Have some really good ideas...

Looking forward to it!

I will be at work tonight, probably after about....11 Eastern, I'll get on and get some of this done if not all. I will have a lot of catch up after missing last couple weeks!

No pressure and no worries. I'm just excited as hell for this adventure. I think it's gonna be fun.

Well.... 11 turned into 3 which turned into 6 when I realized that all that coursework my boss assigned was just prereq's. Good news is that he's hinting around at a promotion coming up and well, call me greedy but I could use a 10% raise for the job I'm already doing...his...

Should have more time tonight unless the big boss shows up. He loves to pop in around 2 a.m. He's a vet, about my age, old school. I just laugh at him when he shows and says, "damn, I knew I was gonna catch you asleep this time!". We BS for about an hour and he heads home.

Will get the sheet updated soonest, may have time in a couple hours. Will certainly try, W

Wow... when you updated my name, it cut off access to my RTJ posts. Would you kindly copy the stats and whatnot here? I think you'd maybe posted them somewhere but I didn't immediately see the info.

Check out the sheet, made some progress!

This is the RTJ Intro post. I'll keep looking, but may have deleted them.

Enter, Kalmus the Grey. It is time we talked.

You're not sure where the voice originated from, but as the last syllable faded, your feet started walking of their own accord until you came to a crossroads.

There a black man sat on a tree stump, picking at what appeared to be some sort of lute, the music haunting in its beauty. Noticing you, he grinned. His teeth were stark against the dark parchment of his face and yellowed by age. Then, the moment gone, he went back to strutting his cords. An odd occurrence, no doubt.

Suddenly, the gentle touch of a breeze caressed the back of your neck. Turning, you find an ancient elf, probably close to a thousand years old, standing there. In his hand is a cup of tea. Taking a last sip, he dismisses the cup to...somewhere, and says to you, "Come, we have some things to talk about." You realize then that the elf is the famed Wizard known simply as Stormbringer.

Are you ready, Kalmus the Grey?

You're intro post.

Background: Kalmus the Grey was born of a high-born Elf magic-user as result of her affair with a human rogue. Despite the pressure exerted on her by her family and her own misgivings, his mother kept the child and nursed it at her own bosom, the cheerful little bundle bringing some much needed life and purpose to her existence. She taught him magic while he grew, never the best student and, indeed, restless and ready to play at any excuse, he learned surprisingly intuitively.

When Kalmus was older, he grew up far faster than elf children his age and was always a bit of a misfit. The hero Lahnatha, son of Hahrna the Wise, took a shine to the rambunctious waif, teaching Kalmus to fight and to steal (properly), some out of a sense of camaraderie but also to curry favor with his mother.

Always a quick study, Kalmus mastered all three professions by the time he was thirty years old and determined he would set out on his own, adventure a bit, learn what he could. Kalmus knew in his heart that a wider world awaited and that he had to but find his path and follow it, even if there were a few locked doors along the way.

Knew I should've put this in the OOC1 to start with. Scores below - not sure how the scores got deleted, hopefully just a glitch.

FYI: check your character sheet - you have a good bit on there that's already provided. Also a potion of healing for each of the characters to start.

The Manor should be fun.

A couple of House rules: first level is max hp. since you're a multiclass th/mage/ftr, you take the max of all three, add them, then divide by three. In this case 4+6+10 = 20/3 = 6.67. In this case, I round up for HP, so your starting HP are 7 + constitution bonus.

Future HPs are per class and divided by three: so if you're a mage and you roll a four, you get 2 HP. Constitution bonus applies every time you level up!

Your characters level up each class as your achieve enough XP for the next level. You don't have to wait for all three levels to go up at the same time.

Your starting scores:
17 15 14 13 12 11

You can swap totals on a 1:2 basis. In other words, you want to bump 17 to 18, you have to give up 2 points somewhere else.

I should have put this in OOC thread...sorry!

Cool... 17 15 14 13 12 11

Let's go with:

S 14 > 16
I 15
W 11 -2 Str = 9
D 17
C 12 -2 Str = 10
Ch 13

Sound about right?

Sheet is just about done!!

looks good! give yourself a +1 to hit bonus with the sword for having a bit of elven blood in your veins.

Sweet! Thanks.

FYI - list of suppies and a house rule thread. I have to edit the supplies to make it readable. You are welcome to offer House rules that you've found useful in the past.

We've had a lot of them! Some worked out pretty well, some not so much...

What did you like from my games?

I liked that you mostly didn't use gold for XP. I always thought that was redundant. I like that we don't spend game time on training to level up. Those are two big ones.

I've got a bunch too, we can figure them out as we go along.

I'll have something up for you later tonight.

I usually awarded 10% then 100% for gold for XP as strongholds were built but yeah, I always thought it was better to award for quests, missions, objectives and RP...

Anything else you want to accomplish before you head out? And do you want to leave in the morning, or evening?

Nah, time to get going and see what can be pried loose at the Manor...

For future reference, don't wait on me, go ahead and roll your dice, be they thief checks, attack/damage rolls, initiatives, saves, etc.

A small thing that can speed up the game.

You got it!

Post coming tonight.

Thanks for beating FL. Can't stand the Gators.

Our pleasure. Watched Penn and Minnesota on Saturday... geez, those guys are for real! Was a little disappointed but it happens. We have Auburn this Saturday, we win that then we can probably get to Atlanta and then see what we can do about LSU and Burrows, kid's got an arm!

Yeah, it was disappointing but we're still in the mix at #9. A lot has to happen, including us winning out (our schedule includes Ohio State) and then winning the conference championship...which will likely be Minny-ha-ha once again.

Needless to say, I'm not hopeful, but we have a young team, and next year they should be better. Hate to wait for next year, though.

Hey, there's times when something happens like what happened in Happy Valley and the program NEVER recovers. While not a fan, I am thrilled to see Penn State playing well again, college football just doesn't seem right without Penn, Texas, Nebraska, SC and some of the legendary programs playing well.

I'm with you on that. I think the scandal, and Joe's subsequent death brought everything into clear perspective. I root for my team, but I'm no longer a fan, if that makes sense.

Too much sense, I don't watch the NFL anymore but that's the relationship I had with the Falcons for the last 20 or so years. They've done nothing to change my opinion for decades. Like I've said before, I love football but the NFL disrespected something I love even more.

I find sweet irony that Colin Kapernick is still without a job.

No irony, that guy doesn't want to play. All his antics are publicity stunts, good, even mediocre NFL calibre QB's are hard to come by and he'd have a job if he really wanted it.

You make a good point. I still think the owners are unintentionally blackballing him, though.

Maybe but NFL owners also want to win and a few would break ranks, guaranteed.

Yeah, I agree with that. No honor among thieves and Billionaires.

post tomorrow - fyi.

you're on the right track.

Sounds good! Sorry about Penn St. Was pullin' for them! Damn Suckeyes.

I like the fight in the team after going down 21. The problem is us going down 21. Thought the back up showed some grit. Think there's going to be some stiff competition for the starting QB job next spring.

Tired of waiting for next year, though. I know it's crazy to wonder if a coach who consistently wins 10 games a year should be on the hot seat, but Franklin's so dogmatic about his approach...I dunno, we were in the last three games against OSU, but lost all three...beginning to wonder if he can take the next step as coach.

Despite liking and respecting the man, he's a lot like Mark Richt. You're going to get some wins you thought you'd never get and scratch your head other games. Richt was the most consistent coach I think we ever had at UGA but never took that next step. We had two great years under him in which the BCS jobbed us, can't really blame him for that but the Dawg nation thought that it was because he'd never had a signature win against Alabama or beat Florida 7 years running, something impressive, that he didn't get the respect. Time will tell, he may get it going next couple years.

Tommy Bowden, Bobby's son, coached Clemson before Dabo. He had a lot of the same idiosyncracies. Would win a huge game, then lose to cupcake. Seemed like he could never beat Duke, when Duke was flat out bad...

Ah well. Like I said, we'll see. Would make me very happy if I could see one national championship before the Lord calls me home.

Seems that way here as well, 1980 was a LOOOOOONG time ago...

Oh, Snap!

I'll have to put something together tomorrow for you. Nice roll!

It was! Got to admit, wondering if it's all connected or did we find the family graveyard?? Might be a little spotty next couple days but work Wens night and there should be NOTHING to do... W

A point of order: I'm going to describe things to the best of my ability to give you as much info to make good decisions as possible. I do find that sometimes my transitions are a bit...lacking. For instance, you open the lock and that's where I stop. I do like to add a touch of suspence to my transitions, but would you rather I just move you forward IF there are no encounters waiting for you, or would you rather take it step by step?"

Depends on what happens, if I need to react, pause, if not, give me a result. I've seen so many different styles, it really doesn't matter. WG is one of the most intuitive DM's I've ever seen, watch how he transitions from item to item. Had a great DM back in the day, Gene, retired from it, still buds but he was really good, too. He'd come up with the coolest off the cuff ideas! Variety is fun, so don't sweat it too much.

WG is a great DM. Enjoyed you as a referee as well.

I've had some really good moments as well, ran the Melford campaign years ago that reached more than 7000 posts. I can be intuitive, but sometimes I DM like I'm writing a novel, and that doesn't play as well in a DnD game.

But, I think, so far this is off to a pretty good start. Baby ghouls are always fun...

Yeah, it's an easy trap. You catch yourself writing a book and wonder why "your" characters ain't behaving. Guilty!!

glad your Bro-in-law is okay. Scary stuff.

Called them earlier, they're off to Grand Caman, it was already planned, so they headed out but cancelled the scuba trip. Looks like a relaxation trip rather than a dive trip. Turned my l'il sister onto diving about  25 years ago, now she goes WAY more than we do...

Post coming soon. Last three days of Medicare Open Enrollment have me rockin', so if you don't hear from me, it just means I'm running. Hopefully tomorrow...

No worries, we're probably out of town Sunday and Monday, will post on other games when I know more...

dice roller playin' nice, eh? lol...

Ain't my week, I guess... first UGA goes to the shed and now Kal gets eaten by zombies...

I don't think it's that bad. Pretty sure you'll survive this one. Light fare. Next one...not so much! LOL.

Yeah, but I'm the light fare! Ouch...

As an aside, Ningauble of the Seven Eyes and Sheelba of the Eyeless Face are but two purveyors and advocates for the 'hidden' arts. The head of the thieves guild practices his own rites, as do a host of other notables in this milieu. It is a land rife with magic and intrigue; this being Kalmus' first real introduction to the depths of the profane arts, despite the early training he received.

Part of why I'm sharing this, is that the clues I provide are going to be important as the campaign goes on. Use your scratch pad to take notes. Even the most innocuous seeming tidbit might be something of import.

Without saying too much, there have been a couple items shared already that may yet offer clues that you can use. And remember, you can always go back and re-read some of what's transpired...

Most important, I hope you're enjoying yourself.

Cheers.

Yes, the game is fun and I am trying to remember my Newhen lore but it's been a loooong time since I read those books. Can't find them easily anymore!

You can get the complete series on Kindle, kind of how I found Kane's Bloodstone. They're affordable, but not cheap.

Assuming you accept the spirit's offer:

Kalmus gains one level in magecraft for successfully negotiating with the spirit.

Going back into the lion's den, eh? LOL.

I did want to ask, which of your three classes do you have the most affinity for? Just something I want to keep track of as we play. Risk/reward - when you play well, I tend to be generous, and vice versa...

You know, I don't really know yet. When I played f/mu/t in the past, I would tend to be a mega-thief, one nearly unstoppable once he got a few levels and some magical geegaws. I haven't gotten a feel for how Kal operates but the offer of the spells was very tempting, so I think he slightly leans towards magi with thief a close second at the moment.

When I was in WG's Lost God game, Ponder came out, full bore, personality and everything as if I'd been thinking of him for years. Kal not so much, so I'm feeling my way around. He's sort of distant and takes things as they come, not one to push too hard, opportunistic and pragmatic...

I'll know more as I play him a bit. I know that sounds weird but it was some great advice I got from a nice blond lady who gamed with me some years back. I guess it lets the subconscious stuff ooze out, dunno, but works.

Totally understand. Nothing wrong with being a bit reactionary as you develope the character - that's one thing I won't do, is tell you how to run your character.

Hope you enjoy the Christmas Holiday. I'll be hit or miss this week. Need the downtime.

Enjoy the downtime, becomes more precious every year. 2019 was a pretty good year, no National Championship but hey, they don't come around very often unless you're Alabama.

Happily, Alabama's not an issue this year. I'm rooting for LSU - brother went there, was one of the great football venues I've been to. I'll start ramping the game up again today and moving forward. Just need to clean up the Christmas mess.

Going to be a long couple nights coming up but I should be able to do some writing. I think we'll get back into a routine come January. The wife and I are doing a cleanse so there may be a couple days when I don't post or don't make a helluva lot of sense. If you've never done one, about two or three days in, you feel like you've been hit by a snowplow. It's just toxins exiting and joint pain from the junk moving out but it's rough like having played a hard football game the night before and you move and wonder why you've never felt that particular muscle before!

Happy New Year, Winter

I've been through cleansings. In recent years I've been a lot more health conscious than when I was younger. After leaving the Navy at a fit and trim 6' 2" 185lbs, I ballooned up to 296 by 2005. That year, I bought a treadmill and worked my way down to 225. I've maintained since then, fluctuating between 225-240. Weighed in yesterday at 228.

REALLY want to get down to 200 again. We'll see, my metabolism isn't as accommodating as I hit my 50s as it once was.

No worries on the game. It'll still be here when we're ready to play again. I've found myself demotivated the past two weeks, but starting to get the itch again. I'll try to get something up for Kalmus today.

That's rough. I hit 290 after getting out of the Army. I had been 6'5", 230 at 7% bodyfat before I got hurt. 4 hours a night in the gym. Used to scare the hell outta people. These days, late 50's and about 275... sigh.

I intend to do the diet and get back to walking more but this time with a weighted bag. Maybe get it down to 230 again... would love to have those 19 inch biceps back but that ship's sailed long ago...lol.

I wanted to move this discussion because I find religious studies to be increasingly interesting as I grow older. I'm not trying to force any set of beliefs on you; if you find this discussion to be out of bounds, let me know and I will certainly stop.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baptism as we know it today is an offshoot of the purification ceremony the Hebrews practiced shortly after the birth of a child. It was particularly important for male babies as part of the ceremony was the bris, which included the circumcision of the foreskin.

Christ was indeed baptized by John as an adult, however tradition has it that he also went through the bris as a child as well. Obviously, he was without sin, but Mary and Joseph would have followed the traditions of the day including said rites of purification - at least, that's how a couple of priests and pastors have described it to me over the years.

Now, I'm no scholar, so I'm going to discuss this specifically on Sunday with my priest. He talks a lot, but he's a smart guy. I would not want to give you any 'wrong' info, so I'll let you know what I find out.

For the record: I'm pretty ecumenical, and have worshiped in various churches including Lutheren, Catholic, Church of Christ, Baptist, Methodist, Evangelical. Although I don't consider myself to be a 'good' Christian, I do find the study of the Christian religion to be fascinating, including the Jewish roots of the Christian faith.

Sounds great! My understanding was that the bris was circumcision and ritual cleansing. Baptism from "baptismo" or "to immerse" is more in line with Evangelical doctrine, that dates back to John the Baptist, so that's what I meant.

No worries, we can avoid the conversation. Looking at WG's game, we seem to have spiraled into this weird discussion in which a couple of the players seem to be buttressing a weak argument with very large words. Not sure how we got from Sam Cooke to political talk anyway....

LOL. Yeah, I'm with you. A strange segui indeed. I was reminded again why WG abruptly ended the last campaign. Between Elderon's player and Kiley's it was like an episode of Days of Our Lives...


So, my long winter's (as opposed to 'Winter's nap!) nap has come and gone (sadly). Time for us to move Kalmus' story along. Let me know if you need any clarification on supplies and such. The next step is heading north, but I'll refrain until you give me the go-ahead.

No, no go ahead. I have had a couple unexpected things happen then overdid it digging up a rose bed. OY! my aching back. Who knew knockout roses had such huge roots! I'm good with things and we took the more expensive equipment so everyone doesn't freeze to death.

I hesitate to mention it, but "Kiley" really pissed him off. Hard to do, after all, he had to put up with me 'n Auto clowning around the first what? year or two the game was running? Constant bickering but all in good fun. Actually know Auto, he lives less than 30 miles from me...

I like Auto too. Funny guy, plays in a few of our games.
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Brain fart
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:44, Fri 10 Jan 2020.

Will check out the inn...

Was this supposed to be on this thread?

I've culled 4 games from my play list the past two weeks, have gotten the Rpol herd down the 4 I play and two I DM. I think I am going to slow Kalmus down to 2x/week so that I can spend more time on my writing. One post will be midweek, the other on the weekend. Based upon your post rate in your game and here, I don't see that as a problem, but if you have thoughts to share, I'm all ears.

Thanks for playing, look forward to see how things shake out with Elora and Kalmus.

Given recent changes to the game, wondering if you're still committed to playing Kalmus. No harm no foul if your focus is elsewhere. Just let me know! And, as said before, good luck finding the pot at the end of the rainbow. Hopefully I'll get an invite to the party. LOL>

I'm good, though I admit my focus has been off!

Pretty good game, so far, if I do say so myself. I'm liking the twists and turns, and the use of characters to push the plot along. That said, things are going to get spicy in a turn or two. :)

May want to watch your rating on the game, the Flying Monkeys are fairly strict on adult stuff...

LOL! I just now took a good look at Leannin Shee! ROFLMAO!

I am so in trouble here...

Looks an awful lot like a certain character I once knew...

Did you ever bump your MU level to 2?

Will check, should have some time to read up Monday morning, can't speak for the rest of the weekend, just got couple hours in due to insomnia...

ugh...

Additional post tomorrow sometime. I'm beat.

Heading to FL for a week vaca. Plan on posting some while down there. FYI

No worries, it will be busy here, so enjoy yourself! Don't worry about this too much. Drive safe!

Fear not, I've a post coming soon.

Perfect timing! Had the snow storm and the usual panic around here. I just woke up from back to back brutal nights at work. No worries though, time flew by and that's all good.

That old tale is an Irish folktale that's been around since the dark ages. The telling it a lot longer, but it's one of my favorites. The antagonists in the story are an old witch, her son and the Prince of Darkness...other than that I tried to stay true to the rest of the story.

Hope you enjoyed, though I suspect you've heard it or read it before.

Rings a bell. Good retelling, tho!

figured I would reply in ooc:

Have to admit to a serious case of RPol fatigue. Am slowly trying to get back into the swing, so no worries on your end. I get where your coming from...too much to do, not enough time to do it.

Anyway, it's supposed to be fun, so don't sweat the small stuff and take care of the big stuff. I'll still be here tapping on the keyboard.

All good. I am dropping two games and decided that the new game I joined wasn't worth it then turned down an invite to a fate game (not sure I have even heard of the system much less played it). Sticking with "Dull Little Town", "Gods" and "Crosswhen" and participating in a couple of games, that's about it.

Put out way too much effort here for the amount of fun we have.

Man, I miss those days of sitting around the table with my buddies, cheeto's ground into the rug, softdrink cans stacked to the ceiling in the corner and 20 hour marathon sessions...

Back when I had buddies that gamed instead of posting on Facebook about how much they miss it...

I am very blessed to be part of one of the best games I've ever played in. Only drawback is it's 3.5, but it sure beats the shit out of not playing at all. We typically play once a month. Fun, and the DM likes to farm out his responsibility when he feels like being a player now and again. I've run a few sessions, super fun...like being a player tho.

I'll get something up tomorrow for you. This is a good game...like to see it keep going.

I'll have something for you this evening.

Check the house rules first, if you still have questions, holler at me and clarify.

Initiative is a straight up dice roll, add dex bonus.

Master points are given for singular play/actions At this point, Kalmus is sitting on three: One for interaction with the Ghoul, a second for interaction with the spirit of death and three for interaction with Elora.

I'll roll up Agrax and Pious attacks today sometime.

OK

Sorry about Crosswhen. It's difficult to run free form on RPol. I've tried a couple times, but usually the forum gets taken over by one person, or it just dies of apathy.

Regardless, this game has been fun thus far and I think we're doing Old Frizt proud.

Let's hope so, I think he would have liked the exchange with the ghoul.

Oh, Crosswhen, it got dull for me when no one wanted to interact with the characters in the tavern that I wasted hours creating... no one wanted to tell stories. I liked Moya's player but they didn't want to take on a new game, you and WG are regulars, so I know where to find ya'll, the other three... no loss.

I think things are about to get fun!

I'm interested to see how you break out the experience.

? Me? You're the DM. I'm all for equal shares though I think the DMG specifies XP based on the status of the individual involved, hireling, henchmen, etc...

I'm doing it differently due to the deliberate nature of RPol. So, if you look in the XP/Treasure thread, you'll see that I awarded you 6700xp.

You can divide that three ways -or- You can lump sum one class -or- anything in between.

I know that's not the traditional rule, but being triple classed is slowing you down. Put it this way: Pious and Agrax are level 2 and effectively ahead of you.

Oh! I hadn't realized and not given it much thought it needs. It's nearly enough to advance in all three. Very generous considering what we've encountered...

I'm trying to be fair. Let's face it, a 3-class character takes forever to level up...this seems a decent compromise.

I'm used to it, played 3 class characters...oh, at least 4 times! Will think about this and get a split done.

Helia seems to have become even more 'Helia-like' after her long nap. Regarding the street girl, recall, the entire West is under the control of 7 or 8 powerful wizards and they consider the population as a resource. Sort of like how the world would be if IBM ran the entire world and you were reduced to your name, band, job title, race and sexual preference instead of management actually getting to know you and your skills, strengths and weaknesses.

"You, cut wood. You, fetch water. You, head upstairs and grab the lard, I'll deal with you in a minute." Meh.

The politics of demographics. Gotta love the new world order. Somewhere George Orwell is laughing. I have a feeling that there's a really deep pit in hell reserved for beuracrats.

The witches are Magic Users, Seers and practitioners of the arcane arts, specialize in hexes and curses, rituals, with some evocation offensive & defensive spells.

In contrast, Elora is more enchantments and charms, w/ some evocation.

Ok, so basically an MU and not one of those Dragon Magazine horror shows!

Elora good with charms, who woulda thunk? You should select a portrait for her.

Did I answer your questions?

Yes, I will update the sheet, may have enough time today! Sorry, it's been a busy week. With the facilities locked down, our customers are paying for remote tech work from the staff and several of our big customers know I'm a retired Field Engineer... had a LOT of tickets this week!

Again, no apologies necessary!

Ugh... freakin' wiped out. Definitely too old for this shit. Damn near dislocated my shoulder last night snakin' some fiber. What freakin' idiot customer puts a double density UCS chassis on the bottom of a standard rack??? Where am I supposed to run your fiber, dumbass? Pretty sure he walked right by the big sign that says "Best Practices" that leads off with "leave some room to work".

Grrrrrr....

I recall similar when I was in the Navy. Worked on A-6E Intruders - Grumman. Great plane, but they packed every available space on the aircraft full of wire bundles. Made fixing and troubleshooting a great big pain in the ass. About had to dislocate my shoulder to get in to work on it.

Quick note on "Syssiah", just go ahead and post up action, she reacts better. Her English isn't great (at least I think she's a she and not some 50 year old dude with his junk hangin' out) and she has limited range in RP but where she's good, she's good.

Okay - I'll take the lead. Posting rate's gonna be about the same though. But I think I've got enough chops in the sex department that we can at least keep it entertaining...

Do you want to sleep, or maybe suss out some rumors or make conversation with any of the clientele?

Need coffee... talk, I think.

I have to ask, where'd you find this group of players for your Decadent game. I only know one for sure from other games you've put together (The guy always says 'boss' - think he was Auto in WG's gnoll campaign). Most of the others are pretty tempermental. 2 in particular.

Reminds me of adolescent girls going through the change...
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:17, Wed 13 May 2020.

Actually, that's not Auto. He, Iky and Seger are all new. Advertised the the game and had them and two guys that were even bigger jerks that I declined. Syssiah is the only one I'd played with before. They remind me of some guys I was stationed with in the Army always pestering me to join them but I was happy with Gene, one of the better DM's around, and my group included a guy that I would game with FTF for the next six or seven years. Still close friends even though he lives up north now...

W

Ah, well, I guessed poorly. They still act like a bunch of adolescent girls.

I'll try to play nice in the sandbox, but you know Helia...

:)

Indeed I do. I will post when able, wiped out and the neighbor keeps setting off his car alarm. If you don't seem me post after today, probably in jail for lightin' his ass up.

Hate to admit it, but I had a short in my alarm system that kept causing the alarm to go off. One thing about car alarms, they typically don't go off in the middle of the day. So, my apologies for being one of 'those guys.'

:)

No worries, you're not the one who kept me up all day. I believe we will have a solution to the problem soon though I do not know how well it will work out... "change is good as rest" the old folks back home used to say.

Remind me when we get to Winter's Home to have you roll for two 1st & 2nd lvl spells. I do this a bit differently: the first spell of each level you choose is a gimme - you don't have to roll for learning the spell. The second you do, so if fail to 'learn' the spell you have to choose another one. That's for both levels.

For the record: I rolled really crappy for every treasure opportunity, except one. I rolled a natural 100 for magical treasure. If you beat this giant, I think you'll be happy.

I like when my players are happy, so think big!

Giant: already thinking big...

I'm guessing we're all dead and you have to notify the next of kin first...

Just checking in. How's house hunting going?

The Beldame awaits.

At your convenience - I know you're busy.

Fell thru. Shit.

Ah, well, can't sell if you don't put the time in. Looks like the market's a little lower than we thought, we'll talk to the agent on Tuesday, maybe drop it one more time.

Damn...

If I would have known that it was going to sell for the price of the rest of these houses, I would have NOT dumped all that money into fixing everything and all the updates.

Geeeeez... W

My wife and I said when we moved into the house, we'd be upgrading within 2-3 years.

Almost 20 years later, here we are. At least I only have 10 years left on the mortgage.

It is what it is...it'll happen when you least expect it. All of a sudden the stars will align and you'll look at your wife and say, "Damn good thing the other place fell through."

I have maps I have to draw for the Beldame's settlement. I'm not really motivated, so might take me a day or two...or three or four. I've got an idea of what I want to accomplish, so that's a start. There's going to be a huge round house similar to the old viking steads that is going to sit in the middle (think 13th Warrior). The rest of the village will surround it. Off to one side, the men have their own, much smaller meeting place, but the Beldame rules all.

Young women are supposed to bide and earn their way into the coven. Getting pregnant is priority number one - these harsh lands, death comes in many forms. Those who cannot bear children are relegated to slave status, or just killed outright.

The men are tough, rangers, fighters, trackers, but they cow beneath the eye of the Beldame. Mostly they spend their time out in the wastes; easier to face down yeti and giants than the woman they euphemistically call the Bitch.

Of course, she embraces the role.

Many do flee south to get away from her manipulations. Once in warmer climes, they lose any sort of interest to return. The Beldame sometimes sends trackers after these deserters, but even they get a sense of freedom once away from her pull.

That'll give you something to think about for the nonce. I'll get maps done pretty quickly...once I get motivated.

Another homemade map for you, buddy! Only the best for ya! LOL.

Actually it's not a bad rendition, but it is more than a little bit busy. I started all black, the added the red when I couldn't read just the black. When you have questions and need  clarifications, I'll happy to fill in the details.

you got xp waiting for you in the xp/treasure thread. fyi.

I will get caught  up soonest. Been a wild week! No offers on the house yet but still hoping. Thanks for the words of wisdom, I have a strange feeling that they might be prophetic.

Long post to start. Things will start to move pretty quick, tho.

Cheers.

I posted elsewhere but we sold the house! Out of the blue, it all came together.

Apologies about Syssiah, I did promise her that she'd have her gangbang... hope you're not too offended. Will try to get caught up but man, am I tired. Lots to do before we go!

Hmmmm blew a save vs mental magic. When Kal wakes up on 20 years, will the Beldame have castrated him or just have him as a slave for her amusement?

Asking for a friend.
(LOL) W

Hey, mentioned in the other thread, but exciting times for you. Hope the new digs are everything you hoped for.

If might: make sure the termite bond is up to date. I had swarm about 5 years ago...if I wouldn't of had the bond, we would've been screwed.

Just renewed it, but man, thanks! I know a lot of guys that overlook something like that and it cost them $$$$$$$$.

Big time cost, no doubt.

Btw: neither you, nor Sys need to apologize. I'm a big boy, doesn't hurt my feelings at all. I agreed to be part of this, so there's not surprise on my end. IIRC, Helia went toe to toe with a lich back in the original run...that was pretty gross in hindsight...but she survived and so did I.

Kind of weird, kinda kinky, but all is good.

Yeah, that lead to a whole new meaning for 'boner'....

Syssiah popped in, said 'hi' but didn't post. I have this feeling she's having a rough week. Kinda wanted to move things along but thought maybe I shouldn't so she won't get too far behind. Posted up something to keep Helia busy in the meantime...

No worries on my end. I like the oriental chick you put up - reminds me of Bangkok - what an ironic name, don't you think?

Remind me to stop using purple for dialogue in this game. I can't keep track - must be getting old!!!

I did not select the picture, Syssiah did though I'm not 100% certain why. Yes, that young lady does seem to be of Siam, the first thing I thought. Of course, I don't always know where Syssiah is going with something only that it will end up with her on her knees eventually. Perhaps Helia should relate her 'lich' story in camp later? Syssiah may take that as a challenge but it could be fun to watch!

Got a few minutes with nothing to do! Not quite sure how to feel about that to be honest but I am enjoying it. Let me read up see what I've missed here.

Thanks so much for DMing, Winter

So, no comment on the vision(s)? Thought you'd enjoy them!

Which visions are you talking about? I've been half assed - this weeks been a meltdown, so if I missed something or forgot something, jog my memory.

Ah! check Helia's thread. I was having trouble believing you'd pass up a post like that!!

http://the-eye.eu/public/Site-...8Levels%201-3%29.pdf

I hope you can follow that link! Not sure it's any use but I enjoyed paging through quickly. I had forgotten all about it when my eye lit on it trying to find a better pdf of the Deities and Demigods book.

The one thing I'm having issue with in this adventure is that Fafrd and Mouser were anti-heroes. In the tradition developed by Fritz, most of the female characters either were killed off or had a bit role then were forgotten.

As it's played out, this adventure has evolved into a more traditional game. Unfortunately, that is not what I was looking for (to be honest, dark fantasy runs counter to my preferences).

So...it's a small quandary, but a quandary nonetheless. I could go the extreme route and kill Elora off, which would set up Kal up nicely with multiple fey antagonists. Or, I could go the Robert Howard route and just have a line of femme fatales and slam pieces to amuse Kal with.

Or I could just play it out and see how far we get. At the least, this current adventure has solid Leiber undertones. We can probably just see what happens when this one is done.

Let me know your thoughts on that.

I apologize! I didn't see them as anti-heroes, just offbeat heroes. I had no idea you wanted to go that route with no perpetual NPCs. No worries, I'm enjoying the subplot, etc. but we could go darker, maybe break it off with Elora over something... dunno, open to suggestions.

Actually: started thinking about using the fey as a primary source of inspiration. TBH, I'm so busy right now I'm finding it hard to find inspiration. I am fragging tired. LOL.

I'll get over it and come up with something. This game deserves batter than I'm giving.

No worries, same deal here...

My man, you've officially broken the dice roller.

You might say 'still broken'... sigh...

I updated your character sheet with your new spells. Be advised, third level spells are still beyond you unless you plan on using them in scroll form. If that's the case, it would be a 5 hit dice lightning bolt or dispel magic at fifth level. After which the spell would disappear.

Just wondering if you caught any clues leading into this next adventure? I'm not giving away spoilers, just curious if you have any ideas.

good start. I'll have a post up tomorrow. I'm as tired as Kal is right how. I'll have something for Helia as well. Ahren pretty much is getting along without my help for the nonce...once we get closer to the destination I'll be a bit more lively.

Ana is keeping Ahren occupied with the weird jealousy thing but, seeing as she's a bit of an outcast, she's probably never had a romantic relationship.

Raise your Magic User and Thief levels to 3 each. Fighter it already 3rd level. At some point you might want to declare a particular class as the dominant one. I'll leave that to you to decide.

This should be a fun adventure.

Am I getting the min xp to move up?

Yes, min XP.

You know, you're a good player. The only thing I worry about is you eventually falling behind with your 3 classes. With each class leveled up at this point, you should probably consider bumping one of them.

I would probably either go full on mage while keeping the skills already learned with the other two classes, or I would go Thief/Mage while keeping the benefits of a third level fighter.

At some point (soon) you're going to face a seriously bad ass foe. The nine levels you've accumulated are nice and fairly won. But they are watered down. Your three levels as a mage equal 2 1st level spells and one second (plus any bonus spells). Again, nice, but there is something to being a specialist. Think of it this way: right now you would be casting spells of fifth level.

This next story is a big deal and will likely segue into a second chapter. I figured I'd offer a stream of consciousness for you to chew on. Looking forward to your reply.

I like options playing a solo game and yes, played a tri-class several times over the years. I tend to focus on what the character is good at doing. Example: my fave multi-class loved to get out front, sniff out danger, invisibly loot and wreak havoc on whatever poor monsters were in his way. I got a Wish once, so wished that he could solo-advance first in fighter to 9th, then thief to 10th and then MU from then on. When last we played, he was 9/10/14.

Let me give it some thought,
Winter

Okay, just my tuppence. There are other ways to work around the progression of each class. Magic Weapons for one, which you've already seen. I'm not trying to be a tyrant, just want you to have a great gaming experience.

G'night!

I'll be out of town from the 14th - 20th. I will have I-net access, so shouldn't miss too much, though posting will slow a bit. FYI.

Bump!

Stage is set. I've got a good idea how this will play out. Of course, one of you will do something completely unexpected and totally screw up my plan...

Welcome to DMing.

The secret handshake is a simple facepalm.

Haven't laughed that hard in awhile.

I got wineguy to spew coffee out his nose once. I consider that the gold standard of humor.

Thank you! Thanks! You're too kind! I'm here 'til...whenever. Try the veal!

I have so got to update Kal!! I've been so busy integrating a new character into Helia's game and with my other projects that I've barely touched him nor my new character in Pharoh!

I  have to remember to take time and PLAY every once in a while face the kind of burnout I had back in what? 17/18 I guess.

Thanks for DMing, the game has been fresh with couple nice curveballs! Just my style.

Winter

I am glad you're enjoying it. So far so good. I think this is gonna be a pretty epic chapter in Kal's story.

He's put down a troll and a giant, all he needs is a dragon on his resume and we're good! Er... not to give you any evil thoughts, you know, just sayin'.

I'm gonna disappear for the rest of the day. If you have a minute, update Kal to straight 3's. I've got the combat matrix about ready. Need your initiative roll and actions. Again, when you get a chance. No hurry.

Finally reading Port of Shadows. About 1/3rd in, really slow. Hate to say it because he's one of my favorite authors, but so far I'm not impressed. I hope it starts speeding up soon.

It's... different. It looks like what he wanted to write instead of "Shadows Linger".

Wasn't Shadows Linger published in one of the old fantasy magazines? My understanding was that Cook agreed to republish the PoS as a full length novel at the behest of TOR books.

Not sure, it's actually my favorite outside "The Black Company".

I loved the first three books. Really good storytelling. The rest were good and a fun read, but those first three had me hooked.

From the Beldame after talking to the lady monk: Gith'zerei are typically not evil, more neutral, with chaotic tendancies. They are strong in the martial arts, have significant resistance to magic and can also cast offensive spells to great affect. The Gith'zerei make their home on the plane of Limbo, a severe place where fortresses of adamantine rise from the dirt. Occasionally they will build smaller versions of the great fortresses on the Prime material plane. These outposts are used as bases to attack humans as well as mind flayers and Gith'yanki. They're not above attacking other races as well, and will capture weaker races to act as servants/slaves.

AFK starting tommorow. Just a friendly reminder. I'll have I-net connection + my computer, so I'll be around. Can't wait to see what the next chapter holds.

Cheers.

Just checking in. I'm in FL safe and sound, Atlantic Coast so we should escape the hurricane. Seems you're busy - that's good, me too! I'll try to post Thursday and I'll be home Saturday or Sunday. I'll check RPol periodically.

No rush at all! I am kinda busy. Catch up when able.

Updated Kal, 5 extra hit points, 3 better a/c... nice!!

Ready to get going again though the romp with Elora is probably going to be nicer than any nasty ol' Gith we encounter.

All that +4 banded mail...

I want to keep those swords and any other possessions the Gith woman doesn't want, btw.

She has no use for mundane swords. They're all yours.

Bet they'll fetch more than a few silver!

They are masterwork. In a big city you could fetch 200gp per sword. In the great white north, perhaps half that...and you'd have to find a tinker or a merchant of substance. Whiskey Jack would pay 100 gold for each.

You about ready to resume?

Kal. C'mon buddy, it's time to wake up. Adventure at the top of the world, remember? Let's go!

yes! sorry, i coulda swore I posted up 'let's roll'? Sorry!

Kalmus. I have some bad news. I am going to shut this game down. Great concept, but I'm not feeling the Fritz vibe. And honestly, I'm DM of another game that takes a great deal of effort to manage.

Furthermore, and probably more important to me, I've got a shit ton of work to through the end of the year. I find my energy to run two games lessens the older I get.

I am still playing Dull Little Town and of course I'm not gonna leave Helia stranded.

Sorry if this catches you off guard. Perhaps I'll pick it up again in the new year. I'm not going to delete it for right now in case I decide to pick it up come January.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:43, Wed 07 Oct 2020.

No worries, I am feeling the fatigue as well. We're trying to get that last few acres ready for Spring and it's tough going. Cut brush 10  hours on Tuesday and another couple yesterday and I'm wiped the hell out! Too damn old for this shit.

Ironically, we're entering the slow time of year which this  year may not be so slow with two big customers just having signed on. This is when I usually have time to play! No worries, with the work around the farm being done soon, I should be in normal mode by first of November.

Thanks for DMing and I'll just wait to see if you can pick it up.Either way, been a lot of fun!

Open enrollment for medicare runs from October through Dec 7. Then I've got clean up and I'm heading to PA to visit my sister come January. After that, we'll see how it goes. I don't plan on deleting the game any time soon, which is probably a good sign. It's really just one less thing for me to worry about as the holidays come upon us.

Thx for understanding, good luck with the yard work and new clients. And no worries about Helia: she's still stirring up trouble in that game. And Ahren's still poised to gain the fire ring.

Hey. I should have the calls to my book of business done by end of week. Once done, I'll have more time. Went quicker than I thought it would. So, that in mind, and given the hiatus in Helia's game, it seems to make sense to continue. None of the games I'm in are moving quicker than the speed of dogshit. Figure we can get Kal and the gang back together, maybe November.

What say you?

Sounds grand! I have tried to get the games rolling along better but seems that there is only so much pace some games can handle....

Ebb, meet flow, right? For a game like this, it's okay to take stock. I wasn't really sure what direction you were going to take - I always feel like I should let players play and try not to be surprised when they do something out of the norm. This game has a number of elements where the norm often gets kicked to the curb.

No worries! We have only been gaming together what??? 10 years?

Is that all? LOLOL!

I think my first Rpol adventure was The Village of Hommlet. St. Stevens was the DM. Did a good job getting us to the gate house, then it fell apart. He kept telling me to slow down. LOL.

Anyway, I've (hopefully) have a bit down time today. I have an outline, just need to firm it up.

No rush, I'm having fun with my various projects!

Post up here when we get back in gear, joined another game while you're busy with the open registration...

Winter

will do - sorry for the lack of posts - think it'll be January before I'm done with all this stuff. I'll try to keep my hat in the ring for Ahren.

Rather you played Ahren anyway! Other players to consider and I can wait until January, besides, I picked up an additional game earlier this week.

The rest of this week will be taken up by Continuing Education Requirements. I have until the end of January, but I'm not going to wait that long. I'll push this game into gear soon, perhaps as soon as this weekend. I have to read up on my notes, anyway.

Cheers.

No worries! Been a helluva week for me anyway...

Good morning, Sir. I am glad that my busy time was fruitful and I am glad that it is over. I'm going to enjoy some RPol and other entertainments and I'm going to eat as much as I possibly can over the next two weeks.

So with that said: the last thing I recall was the attack by the winter wolves. I think that is ongoing, and not yet finished, though feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

If  you're not interested in moving forward, That's fine as well. Just let me know. Whatever your decision, I've enjoyed being your DM.

Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Let's continue when you are ready. I had posted on post 46 my two courses of action based on the number of winter wolves, so let's just pick up right there when able.

A Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!!

A plan. Very good. I'll post in the next day or so. We'll take it from there.

Well, we got our feet wet again. Fun scrap. Those are some tough buggers, though they have to recharge the breath weapon, which makes them vulnerable.

I'll post something in the next day or three to get it started again. I'm glad that the Winter Wolves were a good scrap for you. Don't forget the treasure...interesting piece, actually. We can roleplay that if you'd like - I believe Kal has Identify.

whoa! thought it was just valuable!!! Kindly consider Kal as identifying it while huddled up next to his honey...

Kal beds down next to Elora, takes a gander at her leathers and shakes his head at the sudden and almost painful arousal that he feels. Now definitely was not the time to be getting their groove on. Elora grins at him, aware of his discomfiture.

"Did you want to play a bit, lover? Kinda close quarters in here for that right now."

Kal takes out the...gem, maybe? It actually looks more like a pearl, though a bit darker in color, almost a beige. Elora, helpful soul that she is, detects magic. "Ooh!" she said. "There's an enchantment on this bauble."

Her eyes light up in excitement.

Kal casts Identify: There is an enchantment indeed. The school is Transmutation - the item in fact changes something. Given that the dead wolf was wearing it on his collar, it seems likely to you and Elora that the magic affects animals in some way.

Beldame, listening nearby, said, "Have you given thought to a Familiar, Kalmus?"

Shouldn't this be on the main thread?

Kal, caught off guard by the comment, regarded the Beldame, arousal fading quickly. He kept his hand in Elora's, enjoying the closeness and comfort, he replied, "I had given it no thought. Familiars are frequently liabilities, so... perhaps I should ask why you ask and why I would want one, please."

Hey Mano, Happy New Year. Thank the Lord, 2020 is over. I pray that 2021 is better. Be Well!

Happy New Year! Not sure it's going to be better but think it will be different!

Did we stall out here?

No, I don't think so. I think I deep dived into Ahren, and also I have a bit of business on my plate that was a bit unexpected...not that I am complaining.

We'll get Kal situated soon, no later than this weekend. If nothing else, this should be a fun combat. Then we can take stock.

To add: I just looked in on my group, they've been waiting a couple days for my response. Life is like that, sometimes.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:13, Wed 06 Jan 2021.

No worries, just seemed an odd time to pause. Ahren's been fun! I think we may have not seen the last of the Fire Wizards.

One things I like about this adventure, none of it is contrived. You put a lot of thought and effort into bringing this to life. I like that attention to detail. I'd like to keep playing as long as you want to keep playing.

that' was a nice thing to say about not contrived.

I've set the stage for round 2. It is posted on game menu now.

I've got some work pending this morning, so I will post this afternoon. FYI

I'll have something for you tonight. FYI

Kal was right - she was down to about 10% of total hit points. Gonna take more than a Cure Light wounds to get her up to snuff. The saving grace was that her opponent got the snot knocked out of him as well, though not so bad.

This might be a good time to roleplay amongst the party. Beldame certainly might have some thoughts, and tactically, Olaf might as well.

Also, you might consider giving one of those swords to Agrax. Her halbard isn't magical. That's up to you, though.

I am happy to roleplay over the next couple days until everyone is up to snuff.

Works for me! I thought you'd said that the swords were not magical, otherwise, I have no problem at all giving one to Agrax.

Round two is forthcoming, possibly tonight more likely tomorrow. Have some work issues that need my attention.

today turned out busier than expected - invited to a luncheon from 1-3, then a client meeting that ran for four hours - a lot of questions. I'll probably be posting all day tomorrow given how backed up I am.

Sounds great! It's snowing in the ATL and snow means chaos and extra work so timing is fortuitous. Will look for posts soon. In Helia's game, if you have a notion o f what to do, post it up and we'll get going soon.

I'll be intermittent until the weekend. I have a number of cases that need my attention. Sorry about that.

Happens, headed to the ATL to get some work done in a couple hours! W

Happy trails.

Okay, so the scene is almost set. Any last minute items should be discussed in character. I'll lay the scene out this evening. Thanks for you patience.

So I got my mojo back. These are compelling characters and NPCs. I recall the Temple of Elemental Evil and the idea of 'Nodes' as pocket dimensions. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but perhaps another player might be in order - the Beldame was always meant to be an NPC.

Of course, I'm a bit inconstant with my playing, but this is a good game and deserves my attention.

Give it some thought - the fight's still on so you don't make any decisions right now. But something to think about when this chapter closes.

Have fun and the fishing hole.

Mike

Do you mean "am I ok bringing in another player?" Sure, I guess, just please, please don't invite Tern. He's in about forty games, is about sixty-five going on 109 and gets them confused. He drove me half crazy in the other two I had him in so moved him to a lower effort game in which I'm basically running them through series of encounters and super-easy clues with super-chatty npc's that just tell them everything.

It would bore you to tears...

Since I have committed to the Red/Tern thing, that's what I'm going to do but will probably gently write him out of the game. I had three players ask if he was in the game and refuse to submit characters! Sigh... I always seem to wind up with those!

LOL! He's very proud of his play by post acumen.

I am throwing it out there, but that's your call. I think Agrax will move on after this adventure, but Pious will stay. A lot of my thoughts revolve around the nodes in Temple of Elemental Evil and the compressed nature of pseudo-dimension. At least that's what I have so far.

We are far from that at this point. And Elora will certainly be your boon companion through the end.

And no, it would not be Tern. LOL! I do like him, but he regularly mixes 1st edition with every other edition and I find that to be aggravating.

All good, recruit a good player, perhaps someone who can play a ranger or straight fighter with a taste for ale and adventure...

Why would Agrax leave? Did I  miss something??

Honestly, I can't give you a good answer. I think in the back of my mind Agrax was always expendable. If you feel like she's important to the plot, I'm good with her staying.

Your call: I liked having her about... except for that wet dog smell.

Agrax: I do not have 'wet dog smell...ever.

FYI - I'm back. It'll take me a couple days to get situated. Thanks for your patience!

LOL...

I'll have a post up for you sometime today. LOL - back atcha!

I think Kal has to do an action. Correct me if I am wrong. I love visiting my family, but I hate coming back to piece together whatever topic I was on before leaving. Sigh...

I hate it when I'm all fired up in the moment and the dice roller lays an egg. That's worse than bad sex. Well, not really, but you get what I mean. LOL!

Here ends The Run Toward Darkness.

Treasure: 4 +1 bastard swords. (Agrax leaves the old halbard in the snow. Yes, she will remain with the party).

1 +4 bastard sword.

One medallion that somehow gives the ability for animals to understand humans & their ilk.

One +3 Quarterstaff

4 +4 suits of splint mail

Let me know if I missed anything.

Start thinking in terms of what you want to accomplish next. Give some hints - this is your adventure, I'm just here to facilitate.

Sounds Grand:

OK:

1. Let's get the Beldame back in one piece and get her healthy again. Somehow, she started a mysterious old witch, now I've grown quite fond of her.

2. Let's get the loot sorted, hand out what's wanted, what's not, we'll sell and perhaps buy other goodies or maybe a rainy day fund.

3. Elora's people had some interest in this venture but I did not really understand it. I know they were being oblique on purpose but somehow I feel that we have loose ends to wrap up there.

4. The creepy old house needs a second look. I'd like to talk that ghoul again and see if we can figure out what is going on in the crypt, perhaps destroy that undead.

5. After that, well, probably take a month and make love to Elora.

All good plans - keep that in mind when we head back to Lankhmar

Looking over your list, I'm considering all of them. I'll put something together in the next few days.

Seems that we should tie off loose ends first then see what trouble we can find.

I am gaming today, face to face. Won't be back until late.

In the meantime, help me figure out how to post a picture in Rpol again. I completely forgot how to do that. Thanks.

Sure thing!! Here's an image of our next destination:

that was funny.

There is a picture of Calli on the "View description" page fyi.

The link is broken, you might want to check it. Easy to put an extra space in!

Hint: use preview to see the post before posting it.

Hint two: Go to properties and turn on spell check. If you're using Mozilla products, you can build your own library of terms in your browser so that it won't tell you that you're misspelling 'cromazofram' which we all know is a sci fi lubricant used by space orcs to sodomize Klingons.

Really helps when building a long post, I transpose letter ALL THE F*****G TIME with the injury, my fingers are still numb.

that was helpful. I think she's still in there, somewhere. I don't feel like messing with it tonight. I'll look at it tomorrow.

Give me the link, will fix it for ya.

Mondays are usually sedate. Today was not. I'm tired. I'll put something together tonight, if can stay awake.

I cut brush all day, I was wiped out! Today won't be so bad but still a lot of work to be done and no help (which is getting to be the norm, my younger son needs a painful life lesson, I think).

I'll post something soon. Right now I'm going back and forth with the artist doing my front cover for the 3rd story. FYI

Do you have any issue with Agrax and/or Pious wearing the +1 splint armor that you guys acquired?

Pious, Agrax both leveled up. Given the nature of this adventure, I'll give Kal one level up if he does not have enough XP to level at least one class. You choose whatever class you want.

Elora also leveled up 3/3 fighter/mage - she also has a bunch of special abilities that she can access. Olaf and Calli don't have enough XP for the next level.

Okay, ready when you are - make sure to level up where you can - you can't, go ahead and level up one class of your choosing.

This should be fun.

IIRC: It took about 3 days to get from Beldame to the first outpost with the monk, then about another two days to engage with the Warrior. Does that sound right?

Seemed a bit longer, but not too much, perhaps a few days.

Let's give it a full week then for travel. I'll start on maps and details tomorrow.

Kal is really after information, to see if maybe someone noticed something or maybe overheard something that might give them a clue about the stone...

Before we get deeper into the game, I think you had a question?

I'll have something more substantive for you tomorrow.

1000 posts! Give Kal 1000xp. He might actually be able to go up a level in another class!

Nice! thanks for the xp! sorry so slow, planning Helia's new plot and dusting off the notes on the Fat Man. I will get back in the swing of the game soon.

No worries, man. It's been slower than slugs on RPol the past week.

Just an fyi: The party has come across an Ramorhaz.

I will say, we might want to carry on that battle once I get back from my trip. It'll be about ten days...you can put Helia in storage too for the time being.

I sent an RPol message, but I guess I could have just used the OOC of this game. Anyway, disregard the Rpol message.

I'm shutting down Kal's campaign. I'm also shutting down Land of Song, the other game I was DMing. I will keep Kal's adventure open so that you can grab any info that you might find useful.

However, I am starting a new campaign that features the assorted works of Lovecraft, Leiber, Howard and others. Might even throw a magic ring in there for shits and giggles.

Wanted to know if you'd be interested. I have two players who've gamed with me before. I believe you've played with one of them if I'm not mistaken.

Anyway, I hope you are mending and good as new. Best Wishes in all you do! And thanks for being a great DM.