[Although dated Dec. 1999, this was clearly written in early April 2000, given the very topical announcement I made.]
PRYMPTOWN
COURIER
Vol. 2,
No. 12 (Dec. 1999)
EDITORIAL
I have
just recently been reminded that it has been 46 days since I
sent out the last Courier. Admittedly,
that is a long time for
what is supposed to be a monthly "publication." Sadly,
the fact is that I have grown fatigued with writing the campaign
updates. As the sessions have grown
longer, and farther
ahead of the updates, it has been increasingly hard to write
them. I can't wait any longer for my
inspiration to return,
so this issue will be the first to have an incomplete session
write-up.
Does
this mean the end of the Courier? Nah,
but this issue and
maybe a few after it will be a little different than usual. I'll
just focus on what had been back-up features in the Courier
before, like interviews and prologue stories.
I'd also
like to make this a little more like other campaign
newsletters
I've heard of online, which feature news items related
to the campaign world. Not that I need
more plot hooks
right now, but anything that fleshes out the setting, makes it
all more real, sounds good to me. Maybe
I'll even surprise
myself and come up with something entirely new.
Incidentally,
I think I called the last two sessions "The Waffling
Session" in my editorials. No one
called me on this,
though. The last session should have
been called "The
Reverse Session," where everyone turned around and
walked right out of the Pirates of Galdol scenario.
SCHEDULING
THE NEXT PLAYING SESSION
Of
course, the other reason that I'm behind is that I had a kid on
the way, but now MY SON TYLER HAS BEEN BORN! And with this bundle of joy safely ensconced
at home, we
may now discuss when we shall play next.
We're up
to the 22nd session now, and it's the Big One! The
Provincial Army is at the doorstep of Prymp, and if the army
cannot be repelled, then the independence of the Ahlissan
Coast is doomed! Cornered and
out-numbered, the Band
of the Grinning Gargoyle must risk all to make a difference! And yet, lurking in the shadows, are other dangers...
I want
this session to be some time in April.
The first
weekend
is already upon us, so that's got to be out.
The
second
weekend is not so good for me because I have to
work on
Sunday, but if everybody wants to play on the 8th
maybe we
can do that. The third weekend, there
will be a
convention
at the College of DuPage which I'd like to attend
at least
one day. It's called Cod Con V, and
costs $5 a day to
attend. Perhaps we can arrange for some of us to
attend en
masse? Then the following weekend would be Easter
weekend,
so I'm sure that's out for all of us.
The last weekend
is okay
for me, so that leaves the 8th, the 29th, and the 30th.
Not as
great a set of options as I'd like, but there you have it.
All
players -- write back soon with input!
EIGHTEENTH
SESSION
Continuing
Chapter Two: "Curse and
Siege."
Cast
(mid-year review):
Barada,
Neutral male Flannish human mercenary (1st level
fighter,
1,113 xp). Dislikes the upstart Gabriel,
but has come to
dislike
the sea even more.
Alexander
Petrok, Lawful Neutral male Oerdian human
templar
of Zilchus (1st level paladin variant, 2,867 xp).
Secretly
likes Peri, even though he undermines Alex's
authority.
Perpegilliam
Brown, (Chaotic)Neutral male Hairfoot Hobniz
footpad
(2nd level thief, 3,049 xp). Still
bitter about how the
augury
mask told him he was not the coolest thief in the
world.
Hristo
Neutral Good male Wesevud ("Central") noniz ex-
town
watchman and rogue (1st level fighter/1st level thief,
859/1,084
xp). Felt concerned about the curse, but
didn't
want to
make any trouble complaining about it.
Vladamir
Kostitov, Lawful Good male Oerdian human
prestidigitator
for the Graf's Guardsmen (1st level
illusionist,
3,315 xp). Has really come out of his
shell and is
often
considered the co-leader of the party with Alex.
Gabriel
Lanovastorm, Mentherim-Dwur ("Common Hill")
veteran
(1st level fighter, 1,542 xp). Is
determined to show
to the
others that he is the greatest fighter in the world, and
oddly
hasn't been proven wrong yet.
Enlock,
Neutral Good male Oerdian apprentice (1st level
magic-user,
1,214 xp). Is just having a good time,
having
found
the something he likes in adventuring.
And
introducing --
Andel
Mooriv, Lawful Neutral male Oerdian acolyte (1st
level
cleric of Pholtus, 306 xp). A
good-natured fellow
who's
just eager to tell people about the One True Way.
Quote of
the month: "I still don't believe
in that curse. I
think it
was just some bad chicken!"
Setting: Prymp and Skull Keep, Ahlissan Coast, South
Province.
Dream
Prologue I
Before
the seawolf curse had been lifted, Hristo again
arrived
in the Dream Garden. But this time, his
sight was
hazy (or
was the Garden hazy?). Both the gnome,
Pilf, and
the
elven countess, Shadella, were there, leaning over him.
Hristo
was on the ground and couldn't get up.
He felt
horribly
ill. Pilf was saying something about
whacking
Hristo
with a club, but Shadella shushed him.
She said
there
was something important Hristo needed to hear.
She
couldn't
help him, but if Hristo looked for the dragon...
After
mentioning the dream to Vlad once, Hristo forgot all
about
it. So did Vlad.
Dream
Prologue II
On the
night of the 8th day of Coldeven, Vladamir woke in
the
night to see his room's door was open, but that it lead
not into
the hall but into a garden. Vlad knew
something of
the
Garden from Hristo, so he knew this was an invitation.
Cautiously,
he went through the door.
An elven
maid of comely looks in a long grey dress was
waiting
for him. She introduced herself as
Countess
Shadella. It had taken a long time to get Hristo to
describe
one of
his spellcasting associates to her. Once
she knew
more
about Vlad, she was able to invite him to the Garden.
There
was an important mission she needed heroes for, but
she did
not think Hristo was the one she should discuss it
with.
She
asked if he had ever heard of Acererak.
Vlad
responded that he had not. Shadella
explained that
Acererak
was a menace who was ancient by human
standards,
who had once ruled over what is now the
County
of Sunndi as his own kingdom. Acererak
had long
ago
vanished, but there were portents that he was
returning. Vlad asked cautiously if she wanted them to
deal
with
this Acererak, but she had a smaller, somewhat more
local
quest in mind. Auguries and other
divinations
revealed
that Acererak had an agent who was coming to the
Sud
Graufult region, southwest of the Greyflood River. If
this
agent reached it, he would conquer it in preparation for
Acererak's
coming.
Shadella
claimed to know no more than this, but that she
would
try to find out more. The nature of this
threat was
still a
mystery. However, she was prepared to
make it
worthwhile
for Vlad to convince his teammates to take up
this
quest. She too was an illusionist, and
she was
prepared
to train Vlad in exchange for his cooperation.
Vlad
told her about his lost spellbook, and she considered
replacing
it as soon as Vlad had the party at least halfway
to the
Sud Graufult.
When
they had finished deal-making, the Countess asked
Vlad to
describe his teammate, Alexander Petrok.
When he
was
done, she led Vlad to a grassy knoll, on which Vlad
found
the grass so soft and comforting that he quickly fell
back to
sleep as he laid on it.
Coldeven
9th. Sunday.
It was a
cloudy, drizzly day, but a strong breeze was
blowing
towards Prymp, and hopefully that meant the
Band of
the Grinning Gargoyle would reach home all the
sooner. Vlad had booked passage for them aboard The
Sea
Gull, a
coast-hugging cog somewhat larger than The
Cormorant
which had brought them there in the first place.
Enlock
was making last minute purchases, asking every
merchant
and hawker loitering about the ships' stores for
scroll
cases and parchment. There was an
itinerant book
binder
that some of them knew, but he was not in town, and
so
Enlock was directed to some private book owners. He
was able
to convince them to part with what he needed --
though
upon returning to the party, Peri offered him a
scrollcase
he owned but had never used.
Hristo
amused himself with playing nine men's morris
against
some of the locals. It continued to
drizzle outside
all
afternoon and evening, and so everyone stayed indoors
at the
Happy Nymph Tavern. As night fell, they
retired next
door to
the Travelers' Rest Inn. Alexander slept
soundly,
until he
found himself woken up by the door to his room
opening. Vlad had warned him a little about his own
dream
the
night before, and so Alex was trepidatious but prepared.
The
Countess Shadella was waiting for Alexander, and
suggested
they go for a walk through the Garden.
Shadella
explained to Alexander some of what she had told
to
Vladlamir the night before. It seemed to
be important to
her that
the Band of the Grinning Gargoyle take up her
quest to
thwart the mystery agent of Acererak, and she
wanted
some assurance that they would do so.
Alexander
would make no such assurance, except to say
that he
would urge his fellow adventurers to accept the
quest. This seemed to please the Countess, who
promised
to invite Vlad back to the Garden the following
night to
begin his training.
Coldeven
10th. Moonday.
It was
cooling off again. It was still cloudy,
and the
strong
breeze continued to blow in their favor.
The band
bade
farwell to Shargallen. The Sea Gull left
the docks and
sailed
eastward along the coast for the whole day.
Barada
did not
become sick this time, but no one was much
interested
in the journey. Even Gabriel, who loved
the sea,
chose to
play the passive role of a passenger instead of
involving
himself with ship's duties. That
afternoon they
did
encounter a single ship, which perked up everyone's
attention. The cog bore Prymp's flag, and was named The
Scout. The ships passed without incident.
Vlad
awoke directly in the Garden. The
Countess started
his
training. She asked for Vlad to cast
every spell he had.
Lacking
his spellbook, Vlad only had his Color Spray spell
to
cast. The Countess observed his casting
for flaws. She
gave him
a scroll with Phantasmal Force on it to cast, and
critiqued
the quality of his illusion. Finally,
she asked him
to try
to gather spell components from about the Garden.
As Vlad
was strolling about, the gnome, Pilf, tried to sneak
up on
him. Vlad and Pilf exchanged
introductions, and Pilf
invited
Vlad to explore the Garden with him.
Vlad politely
turned
him down. Perhaps some other night.
Coldeven
11th. Godsday.
The Sea
Gull had passed Skull Keep in the night, and
came
into Prymp late that morning. Everyone
disembarked
and went their seperate ways. Some of
them had
important tasks to deal with, while others
retired
straight to the Grinning Gargoyle Tavern.
It
should
only be a matter of days until everyone was
ready to
return to Skull Keep.
For
Perpegilliam, the most important thing was getting
more
training. Despite how recently it was
that he
trained
last, he was positive that he could use more.
And so
he set about looking in all the familiar haunts for
Tilwich
Tourmaline, the noniz who had handled all of Peri's
training. Sure enough, it did not take him long to find
the
gnome. Tilwich was incredulous that Peri could be
ready
for
training again so soon, but Peri was persistent.
Finally,
Tilwich agreed to train him for one day to see how
it went,
starting two days from then.
Andel
had heard that Prymp had a chapel dedicated solely
to
Pholtus, and with some brief instructions from the
others,
he set off to find it. The chapel was
much smaller
than the
monastery to which he was accustomed.
However,
what this chapel had which the monastery
lacked
was parishoners. Andel marveled as he
watched
lay
persons enter the chapel and receive blessings.
And what
a crowd of parishoners it was! At least
a
hundred
people were waiting in line to get in.
The
neighboring
chapel was nearly as packed. Yet Andel
could
see that
there was a uniform look of trepidation on all the
faces he
saw. For some reason, these people were
not here
just to
enjoy hearing of the One True Path!
Alexander
reported to his own chapel, and saw the same
scene. It was easier for him to get the attention of
his
superiors,
and soon Leris Borgev was telling him about
the
troubles which now faced Prymp.
The
Provincial Army had attacked Vecheld Gesto.
Vecheld
Gesto was the village to the south from which
Graf
Lopozos Cranden ruled over this region of the
province. Now, the Graf's castle was under siege, and
the
people of Prymp were terrified that they were next.
Vlad
reported to Town Hall. He did not have a
good report to
make, as
their mission to Galdol had ended in failure.
However,
Laird Seron Tapinov and his advisor, Nemis
Coraz,
had too much on their mind to worry about pirates on
the far
end of the coast. Prymp was beset by
problems from
within
and without. With Vecheld Gesto under
siege,
refugees
from the south had come to Prymp and set up a
small
village of tents outside the pallisade-protected New
City. Messengers had been sent to the free towns of
Porton
and Shargallen to the west, asking for soldiers to
help
fight the Provincial Army. But the Laird
could not
even
coordinate efforts in town. Philip
Petrok -- father to
Alex,
Captain of the Guard, and Chief Templar of the
Chapel
of Zilchus -- was not cooperating with Town Hall,
and the
Graf's Guardsmen in the Garrison were not
allowing
anyone in or out at all.
Gabriel
was approached by Goromin Emoker, the dwur
priest
who maintained the chapel of Vergadain.
Goromin
was in
touch with a large number of dwarven citizens who
were
very interested in engaging Gabriel for a speaking
engagement. Gabriel agreed to do it the next day at the
Vergadain
chapel.
Peri was
looking for some old contacts. He
finally found a
prostitute
he knew named Hindi who knew some other
thieves
in town. Peri wanted the names of anyone
who
had been
involved with the old thieves' guild in Prymp.
In
exchange for some coinage, Hindi gave him a few names
and
other favors.
Vlad
returned to the Dream Garden.
GABRIEL'S
STORY, PART TWO
The dwur
known as Gabriel Lanovastorm was striding along
the path
leading to Onidar at the best pace his short legs
could
manage. Every so often he would glance
westward to
look for
the waters of Dunhead Bay. He reckoned
that he
was at
least five miles away from the shore, and it saddened
him
somewhat to recall the days he spent out on the bay
living
the good life of a fisherman.
Up
ahead, the land looked more cultivated than it had been
for the
last fifteen miles. Soon, he was within
sight of
farmhouse. There was a field of roses leading from the
side
of the
path all the way up to the house.
Gabriel snorted.
It was
just like a human to waste valuable planting time on
such
things as flowers. A dwarf would see a
much more
valuable
use for all that land -- strip mining.
The
village of Onidar was very small.
Gabriel suspected
there
were not even 200 humans in the area. As
he came
upon the
greatest concentration of structures, he began
looking
for a tavern or the like in which to wet his lips.
Unfortunately,
he saw no obvious sign of one and was
getting
no help from the locals. Doors and
shutters were
being
closed before he reached them, and Gabriel was
beginning
to think he might be unwelcome.
He had
already passed through the center of the village,
and was
resolved to pass by the odd community entirely,
when he
passed a young man sitting on a fence.
"What
are you?" asked the dusty-haired
Oerdian lad.
Gabriel
would normally pay no mind to such a person and
move on,
but since this was the first voice he had heard all
day...
"I
am a dwarf. I come from Bronzegate, far
to the south."
"Well,
you should head back the way you came, because
if you
head the way you're going you'll only reach trouble."
"I
am looking for trouble. This sounds
good."
"If
you say so," the human said lazily.
"If you're lucky,
you'll
reach Galdol in a day or two. Then you'd
just have to
worry
about pirates. But if you're not lucky,
you'll be stuck
out in
the plains come nightfall. And then the
goblins will
rise up
out of the ground to get you."
This
gave Gabriel pause. Humans had not
worried him at all.
His
brethren from Irongate had been humilating these South
Province
men in battle for years. But goblins
were something
to be
concerned about. Long, long ago, goblins
had been
such a
problem in the Iron Hills that the dwarves had needed
to
eradicate the entire goblin population.
Despite the fact
that the
goblins were long gone, all dwarves will still trained
to fight
them and their ilk.
"And
that's not the worst of it," the young man continued.
"Pirates
and goblins are nothing compared to what's on the
cape."
"And
what would that be?"
"You
don't know about Enim Cape? Some call it
The Frozen
Tusk. It's always winter there, no matter how hot
the days
may
become."
All this
news both intrigued and intimidated Gabriel.
There
seemed
to be an awful lot of danger here for even one dwarf
to
handle.
"Hmm..."
Gabriel pondered out loud. "Perhaps
what I need
are some
other adventurers to go with me. Do you
know
where I
might find some?"
The
human leaned back on the fence, squinted his eyes,
and
mulled it over. "Well...I don't
know about that, but I
think
you'll find folks more kindly to your kind out at the
vineyards. Most other people around here probably
think
you're a goblin."
"I
can't imagine anyone being that stupid.
But tell me, if
dwarves
are so unknown here and treated with suspicion,
then why
have you been so helpful?"
The man
laughed. "I'm the village
idiot! I just don't know
any
better!"
Krillo
was the elderly patriarch of the family which owned the
local
vineyards. Though some distance east
from the center
of town,
the path there was well-trodden for Krillo's house
was the
closest thing to a tavern this tiny community
possessed. Krillo knew something of dwarves, and out of
curiousity
offered Gabriel a bench to sleep on for the night.
Krillo
was also fairly knowledgable about the goblins to the
north. Apparently, it was a small band which had
harassed
the
village for years. While dangerous to
anyone who
strayed
too far north, the goblins never ventured into the
village
except to pilfer the occassional cow or goat.
However,
Krillo had heard of a tinker named Orlo who had
tried to
reach Galdol just eight months ago. This
poor man
had been
captured by the goblins. They took
everything he
had,
roughed him up, and may have killed him had their
leader
not appeared. While the other goblins
had yellow
skin,
this one had black skin. He called
himself Jurid, and
gave
Orlo his life in exchange for the task of returning to
Onidar
and warning the humans there never to venture
north into
the goblins' territory.
Gabriel
had heard enough. He vowed to face these goblins
the very
next day.
AN
INTERVIEW WITH PHILLIP PETROK
Not long
after the Band of the Grinning Gargoyle returned
from
their journey to Galdol, and before they set out to
return
to Skull Keep, the Prymptown Courier was lucky to
be
granted an audience with one of Prymp's most
prestigous
citizens. Phillip Petrok has the
distinction of
being
not only the Captain of the Watch, but also Chief
Templar
to the Chapel of Zilchus, and father to Alexander
Petrok
-- an adventurer finding enough reknown these days
that an
interview of him may be necessary soon as well.
Phillip
Petrok was generous enough to receive us at Petrok
Manor,
one of the finest homes in Prymp. He was
clothed
in a
simple white cote, and black tabard and hose.
A red
silk
scarf descending off his hat and curling around his
shoulders
was his only display of wealth. He cut a
commanding
figure, though, even without the platemail
armor we
would surely have seen him in at Prymp Keep.
PC: We thank you greatly for this audience. It is a rare
treat
alone merely to be allowed in Petrok Manor!
PP: Well, yes, it is much more rare for me to be
having
guests,
though it is not so uncommon for Ingrid.
PC: And Ingrid is?
PP: She is family. Godmother to my son, Alex. Ingrid is much
more
sociable than my wife and I. We prefer
our privacy with
what
time we have together.
PC: Yes, you are quite a busy man. And we understand
that
there is much needing your attention these days.
PP: Oh...how so?
PC: Well, rumors abound that the Provincial Army
is already
on the
move, and may be already attacking Vecheld Gesto.
That is
only a day south of here.
PP: I am well aware of the distance, young
man. But there is
no
reason for concern. Remember that this
land belongs to
the
Herzog, no matter how much the merchant class might
wish
otherwise. It is his lawful right to
have his troops here,
no
matter who it might inconvenience.
PC: We understand that steps are being taken here
in Prymp
to
prepare for the possibility of either an attack or a siege of
the town
by the army. Can you verify this?
PP: I think you speak out of turn. I had thought the notion
of
letters of news was a suspicious one, but the laird assured
me that
this was just some new way of sharing tales such as
bards
do. Yet the sort of questions you are
asking seem
most
impertinent from a civilian man.
PC: We are sorry to offend, sir. Perhaps if you told us what
we can
inquire about?
PP: Well, certainly. Perhaps you would like to ask about
my son,
Alexander. He is about to lead another
expedition
to Skull
Keep, you know.
PC: Yes, there has been much interest of late in
Skull Keep,
which
until recently had been assumed abandoned.
Does
the fact
that Skull Keep is in fact monster-infested account
for the
town's interest in it, or are there other motives
involved?
PP: The presence of so many monsters so close to
town
has been
both surprising and disturbing. I am
sure we
would
all sleep sounder at night when we know that Skull
Keep is
abandoned again.
PC: Yet Skull Keep, if the upper levels were
rennovated,
would
make an excellent stronghold to defend against the
Provincial
Army crossing the Ahlissan Coast.
Conversely,
if the
Keep fell into the army's hands, it would be able to
cut off
Prymp from its allied towns -- Porton, Shargallen,
and
Dargvonessa.
PP: Your words sound dangerously close to
treasonous
suspicion
of your leaders. This audience is at an
end.
THE END
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