Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Prymptown Courier - v. 3 no. 1


PRYMPTOWN COURIER
(Vol. 3, No. 1 -- June 2000)

EDITORIAL

Three months from now, the Living Greyhawk campaign debuts at GEN CON 2000.  It's a big event, much anticipated by many of us.  I had initially planned to get involved on the ground floor, developing our local region, the Viscounty of Verbobonc.  The trouble is that Verbobonc was already done -- first in the supermodule Fate of Istus (badly), and then better online by Jeff McKillop.  Now the Verbobonc triad are re-making it, but behind closed doors by themselves.  There's nothing there left to do. 

But then there's the South Province (or the Principality of Ahlissa, as it's known later).  Poorly detailed, with little more than paragraphs to go on, I've had a whole corner of a world to build.  Lately, I came to think that maybe I could have both.  Eventually, the RPGA would take an interest in
Ahlissa, and I'd be there with my own write-up for Ahlissa tailor-made for them.

Then, recently, I mentioned my plan to someone else from the Greytalk listserv.  He responded that he didn't think Ahlissa would ever get adopted to Living Greyhawk.  Kingdoms with evil rulers just aren't getting touched by them.  I was a bit crestfallen.  So far, I had done some good work on an ancient history for Ahlissa. 

Luckily, I've got my South Province campaign.  I'll keep up my work on the setting, and it'll make my campaign that much richer.  Neat how it works out that way...

NINETEENTH SESSION
Continuing Chapter Two:  "Curse and Siege."

Cast:
Enlock, Neutral Good male Oerdian apprentice (1st level magic-user).
Barada, Neutral male Flannish human mercenary (1st level fighter). 
Alexander Petrok, Lawful Neutral male Oerdian human templar of Zilchus (1st level paladin variant). 
Perpegilliam Brown, (Chaotic) Neutral male Hairfoot Hobniz cutpurse (3rd level thief).
Andel Mooriv, Lawful Neutral male Oerdian acolyte (1st level cleric of Pholtus).
Gabriel Lanovastorm, Mentherim-Dwur ("Common Hill") veteran (1st level fighter).
Vladamir Kostitov, Lawful Good male Oerdian human minor trickster and agent of Prymp's Laird (2nd level illusionist).
Hristo, Neutral Good male Wesevud ("Central") Noniz ex-town watchman and rogue (1st level fighter/1st level thief). 

Setting:  Prymp and Skull Keep, Ahlissan Coast, South Province.

Coldeven 15-16, 581 CY.

Vladamir was training every night in his sleep, thanks to the
magic of the Olven Countess, Shadella, though she
confessed that it was through the power of a benefactor who
wished to remain anonymous that Vlad and Alexander had
been able to enter the Dream Garden.  She said that only
Noniz had the ability to enter the Dream Garden otherwise.
Vlad practiced casting his spells under different conditions,
such as with different components and off of different
scrolls.  Shadella critiqued his illusions, and asked him to
pass tests such as standing on top of a phantasmal shield.
It was while looking for loose stones to pile under the shield
that he met Pilf. 

Pilf, the green-hued Noniz whom Hristo had befriended in the
Garden many years ago.  Pilf told him that the Dream Garden
was part of a larger realm called the Dreamlands, and invited
Vlad to explore it with him.  In the Garden was a little round
door in the side of a hill.  Following Pilf inside, Vlad found
himself inside a huge mansion.  In one room, Pilf pulled a
lever which caused the whole room to slowly turn upside
down.  Vlad beat a hasty retreat back into the Garden.

During the day, Vlad sleepily followed his companions as
they descended once more into Skull Keep.  Confident that
the first level had been cleared of monsters, they descended
right away to level two to face off against the ghouls they
had left down there last time.  They found them right where
they left them, but this time they were ready for him.  Alex
held them at bay with his Aura of Protection, Andel caused
them to turn and flee by invoking his god, Pholtus.  Then it
was just a matter of picking them off one by one. 

More ghouls roamed this section of the dungeon, which were
catacombs, but these two were slowly picked off.  Enlock and
Andel's baptism against the undead left them not at all
concerned.  And then there was the treasure!  In some
sarcophagi, they uncovered a glowing magical short sword!
It was the first magical weapon they had found since Vlad's
magic wand.  It was suggested that Peri should get it, but he
was concerned that he wouldn't be able to hide in shadows
with a glowing sword in hand, so he gave it to Hristo who
was glad to have it.

In another sarcophagus, they came across a dagger that rose
into the air as it was touched.  After a few minutes of fighting
it, everyone figured out that no one was holding the dagger.
Everyone fled except for Andel, who was determined to
show the others his mettle.  After a lengthy battle, Andel
knocked the dagger out of the air with his mace and sent it
skidding to the floor.  Andel picked up the dagger, which did
not attack a second time, and claimed it as his trophy.  No
one disputed it.

It was decided that the second level had also been cleared off,
and the party headed towards the spiral staircase to reach the
third dungeon level.  The third level appeared to be a system
of caves, and two caves into their exploration they
encountered some strange new monsters.  They appeared on
first inspection to be Blu-Jebli, but during the battle they
changed into hawk-like men.  There were four of them in all. 
Enlock and Vlad hurled Grease and Color Spray spells at them
which only slowed the monsters down.  It came down to the
fighters having to whittle away their opponents until three
were dead and one fled. 

With several party members wounded and most of their spells
spent, the band decided to rest.  The party adjourned to the
first level to camp out in an empty room.  Unfortunately for
them, the first level was now home to the gnolls they had
encountered once before, and one of them rang a gong to
alert his brethren as the party entered.  The first dungeon
level was no longer safe, so they descened back to the
second one.

In the wizard's workshop, they found the ape they had left
in the cage was dead.  Andel bent a poker with his bare
hands to show off his prodigious strength again.  With
everyone rested and healed, it was decided that they could
return to the third level.

Back in Prymp, Peri was training to advance in the
thiefly arts.  Picking his trainer's pocket proved easy, and
Peri smugly waved it in his face.  Unfortunately, the goal of
that exercise had been to steal the key so that Tilwich didn't
know when it was taken, and Peri had to wait half the day for
another opportunity.  On his second day of training, he had
trouble moving silently through a room full of obstacles.  But
Peri shone when it came to hiding in shadows and
backstabbing a dummy.  They hammered out techniques for
six days, dipping deeply into Peri's personal fortunes. 
Luckily, he had tricked Vlad earlier into giving him a loan
from the party treasure in the pretext of being poor.  When it
was all over, Peri earned the thieves' cant title of cutpurse.

Once they were rested and healed, the party returned to the
third level.  They found the remaining hawk-man hiding in his
cave.  It silently (as they did not speak) offered them its
treasure chest for its life.  It was a much different, more
mature party which had once plunged captive Jebli to their
deaths, but this time let their captive go free.  

Inside the locked chest, they found a large quantity of
treasure.  Moving on to the next cave, they could hear a
sound like someone mumbling inside.  When they
investigated, a stalactite fell from the ceiling at them.  The
muttering, jabbering "voice" came from the stalactite, and
as they examined it, an eye on a stalk sprouted out of it. 
Spooked, the adventurers decided to retreat.  They had
retreated to the first cave to plan what to do next, but they
did not get the opportunity.

In between sessions with his trainer, Peri had been seeking
information about Prymp's old thieves' guild.  What few
thieves remained in Prymp complained that the Band of the
Grinning Gargoyle had been responsible for wiping out the
thieves' guild and killing its leader.  Peri wasn't sure when
they had done this, but they had killed so many people by
then that it was hard to keep track.  Peri also ran into a human
who was looking for him at Harensh's Inn.  The man
introduced himself as Estophon, an old associate of Barada's.
Estophon had been asked by the shepherd Demetaliph to
find Peri and inform him that his friend, Taver Royskov, had
been found dead out by Vecheld Gesto.  Peri was not
overly concerned, but tipped Estophon for his time.    

Under Skull Keep, giant rats poured into the cave.  They
were as large as Hristo, and the party was outnumbered. 
Still, they expected an easy win until the battle was actually
joined.  The rats overwhelmed Enlock, Barada, Alex, and Vlad,
leaving them all unconscious.  They overwhelmed Hristo and
mauled him nearly to death.  The battle only turned on a
stroke of luck when the rats fled.  It was time to return to
Prymp.

NEXT SESSION

The 23rd session has come and gone since I started writing
this, so our next session is the the big one!  At the end of Year
2 of the campaign, the Provincial Army is closing in, Prymp is
in burning, and the followers of Hextor say the Master is
coming.  Can things get better, or much, much worse?

The game will be June 10th, Saturday, at 2 pm.  The location
will be at Rob's house if he confirms this.

GABRIEL'S STORY:  PART THREE

Gabriel was running as fast as his little legs could carry him. 

He dared not run straight back the way he came, as the road
would be open and he would be vulnerable to missile fire. 
That meant running into unknown territory, and possibly
traps, but it couldn't be helped.  Making matters worse, there
was little cover even off the road.  The nearest tree was still
twenty yards away, but the ground was uneven, so that left
ditches and valleys to conceal himself in. 

Gabriel was about ten yards from the tree when he paused in
a ditch.  He listened for his followers, but only heard his own
heavy breathing.  A twang of shame crept over him.  Thank
Clanggedin he had traveled alone so no one could see him
running from six goblins! 

Just as he emerged from the ditch, a sling stone hit the
ground next to him with a thud and sprayed dirt in the air.  It
came from his left.  They had him flanked.  He sprinted out of
the south end of the ditch and didn't stop. 

If only he could turn and face them!  He could make short
work of them with his axe if only he could reach them. 
Cowardly goblins!  They would cut him down with sling
stones before he reached the first one.  That first tree was too
close to the goblins now, but there was another tree he had
passed not long ago.  He could retreat to that, but to what
good?  Cover would only save him for a brief time before he
was surrounded.  What could he do?  What?

Before he could think of something, something happened. 
Running through the dark, Gabriel had completely failed to
notice a steep slope down on his left side.  His foot went
over the edge and didn't find anything beneath it.  Gabriel
couldn't regain his balance and went over the side.  He lost
his grip on his axe on the first bounce.  He was tumbling out
of control, and rocks were bruising him through his armor. 
Finally, the ground leveled out and he crashed into it.  His
mind whirled as it tried to restore balance, but it was vaguely
aware that his axe was missing.  Then Gabriel's eyes widened
as he saw a glint of metal in the air over him.  He rolled to one
side as his axe blade bit the dirt where he had been.

"And then what happened?"

"Then it started raining."

"No, about the goblins!"

"Oh."

Gabriel was sitting across from a human farmer in the kitchen
of his house.  Lopokin was a village too small to even have a
tavern.  The farmer, his wife, and son, were fascinated by
their houseguest.  The son had never even seen a dwarf
before.

"I knew I would never be able to defeat all ...twelve of those
goblins on my own," Gabriel continued.  "At first, I made my
way east to Lodvobo planning to hire any man with a
weapon, lead them against this goblin chief, Jurid, and march
all the way north to Galdol.  Maybe even swing over to
Icespire and find out what that was about.  When I went to
Ovonrut Oklam, I was hoping to get at least a few people to
help me against the goblins."

"And you hope to find men to aid you here in Lopokin?  I
don't know if we could..."

"That is what I hear from every man's lips."  Gabriel paused
to drink the man's beer.  "It is not the goblins they fear. 
They are afraid that the goblins work for the Herzog.  There
is too much fear in you humans."  He eyed the farmer and
his family, who looked about to complain, but were
embarassed by the truth of it.  "I hear there are towns along
the north coast of this province which have men brave
enough to stand up against this Herzog.  I will go there, and
find companions who will fight beside me."

And so he did.  The day would come when he would reach
Prymp, and his adventures resumed.

KENTOL AKHPOV'S STORY

It was the year 556 CY, and Prymp had been independent for
five years.  The heraldic device of the free town had at first
only flown above Prymp Keep, but now it could be seen
everywhere -- decorative banners, newly-painted on
storefront signs, and even on the tabards of the town watch. 
Kentol Akhpov passed the device four times on one street,
not that he really paid it much attention. 

Kentol Akhpov was given a wide berth wherever he walked. 
It was not because he was an acolyte of Pholtus, because a
lowly acolyte was unworthy to bear religious trappings except
on an important mission -- and this was nothing more than a
routine errand.  No, he was given a wide berth because at 6
feet and 200 pounds he was a mountain of a man.  The staff he
carried was neither a symbol of office nor an aid in walking; it
was used for prodding people out of his way.

At this pace, it did not take him long to reach the home of
Dunold the White.  Dunold was mildly important because he
was both a watchman and a follower of the One True Path,
and Priest Galvos thought this was something to be
encouraged to stave off worship of the false god, Kelanen. 
Naturally, the family was grateful to see any member of the
clergy there to attend Dunold's deathbed.  His parents
practically tripped over each other trying to appear humble
and reverent before him.  It was all Kentol could do to keep
from rolling his eyes.

Finally, Kentol was left alone in a room with Dunold the
White.  Indeed, the man was pale, undoubtedly moreso now
than when he first earned his namesake.  The man looked
haggard even in his sleep, and appeared to even be sweating. 
Sure enough, Kentol felt a hot fever burning in the man's
forehead.  Surely some serious malady had imbalanced his
humors.  Poor Dunold.  He couldn't be older than 35.

Dunold opened his eyes.  "Praise Pholtus," he said with a
weak voice, "he has sent me a cleric..."

Kentol sat and nodded.  "You are a man said to follow the
One True Path.  I had to come."  Someone had to come, he
thought.

"...Am I to be healed?  Or is my time to serve Pholtus in the
next world come already?"

"Your time approaches.  You know how the miracle of healing
works.  Pholtus heals those whose service to his plan is too
important to be interrupted by death.  What importance could
you have in the eyes of almighty Pholtus?"

Dunold, trembling, tried to sit up.  He surrendered to the
futility of it after a few seconds and settled for leaning back
on his elbows.  His head started to roll to one side, but he
forced it to hold steady so he could look Kentol in the eye. 

"You would not think it, looking at me now, but five years
ago, I was a promising soldier.  I had worked hard to
overcome the low position I was born to in life.  There was
even talk of my becoming an officer."

Kentol started to say something, but Dunold wasn't finished
yet.  He was staring at something far away and five years
past...

TO BE CONTINUED

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