Play Report: The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford, Using The Forgotten Lands GLOG and an Open Table, Session 2
Introduction, And A Warning
MY PLAYERS DO NOT READ IT OR A HORRIBLE CURSE WILL BEFALL YOU(r characters).
Obviously, his contains spoilers for The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford.
Dramatis Personae
Lyra, The Mithraditist
A poisoner from the far-away land of Grease, seeking enlightenment and a way to become more than human. She knows the secrets of using poisons to hurt and make one stronger, as well as Bosk, the secret language of plants, which uses scents and slow touches to tell things to others. A single sentence in Bosk takes up ~1 hour.
Racoor, The Trapper
A hunter who seeks to find enough money to retire in comfort and peace. An absolute unit of a man (17 STR, other stats are all really good) who wields a two-pipe "shotgun" and speaks Clacktrack, the clicking and dancing language of bugs. A person speaking in Clacktrack could be mistaken for having a seizure.
There were supposed to be 2 other players, but one had to miss for medical reasons, the other due to a sudden change of their family's plans. The two that remained have decided to try regardless of my warning.
The Actual Play
While Wilhelm and Neith have decided to take part in swine-killing (a lot of work to do, and so they could earn some money), Lyra and Racoor decided to go on a more exploratory mission, to try and get the nectar to put the dragon to sleep, as well as the Leprechun's jar of gold.
And so, the party have decided to first go to the Clumsy Fox and buy some good alcohol, then use Lyra's botanist/poisoner skills to fortify it with herbs bought from Ingrid. They also asked the innkeeper where their rival party went (who, after a few nice words about their fair-play deal and how Lyra and Racoor would save them if they were in danger, told them about how Lady Hilda and her soldiers of fortune went north-east to search for Sir Brandon's tomb). Lyra's brewing has resulted in some damn fine drink (which concentrated into 1 bottle). They also bought a waterskin, bandages and some torches from Cedric (who screwed them over and overcharged the stupid adventurers).
What the tiny innkeeper didn't know (and neither do the players) was that Lady Hilda's Merry Adventurers have encountered the Giant's House on their way to the tomb; a cottage three times the size of a normal house built from cyclopean rocks. They have slain the giant by sneaking up on him while he sleeps and slitting his throat with a longsword, then finishing him off with magic as he managed to try and attack them while bleeding out. They have freed a wandering monk (Brother Dirk) caught in the giant's bag, but were hurt and thus have returned to Brandonsford after a few days, recuperating but rich. Hilda is considering fortifying the giant's home and making it into her fortress.
Let's go back to the players. They walked toward's the Faun's Grove. On their way there, Racoor found tracks left by a Fox; he reminesced how when he was a child, hunting foxes was only for the lords. Now everyone can do it, and get their furs - those are great for the winter. After following it, however, he has encountered a golden fox. The party has decided not to kill it, as they saw Fae hunting in these forests and didn't want to insult "The Lords and The Ladies" by stealing their elusive quarry. Thus, they have returned to their way towards the Faun's Grove.
After some more walking, they have reached a place where they heard a strange music and the sounds of mirth. Soon, the party has entered its middle, Lyra taking her wine+ and her flute out, joining in the music. After a minute or 2 of playing, four fauns have emerged from between the trees stained with red sap. They were playing their music together with the trees, dancing to the wonderful tune. They were friendly to the beautiful people as well as to their music, and have accepted the gift of fortified wine, which Lyra drank together with them. They have then exchanged access to their magical wine in return for her flute, the final item that bound her to her homeland. They have then exchanged goodbyes and invited the party to come over again later - one of the fauns has offered Rancoor some Faun fun if he returns, which the Trapper has interpreted as hunting together. The player pretended to be confused, but was giggling.
Then, they walked further north, encountering a trio of goblins armed with spears and wearing hide armour. The goblins were pushing a barrel stolen from a destroyed caravan - they ordered the party to move over and let them push it over the path "By The Authority of The Goblin King". The party obliged, letting them move the barrel. Then, however, they followed the goblins to find their loot.
Only to find that they were going to the Old Temple, exactly the same as the place where the gnome said he hid his wealth. They watched as the goblins partied, led by their leader, The Goblin King Hogboon - an Elf with the head of a boar, who snorts and spits when he speaks. They tried to count the goblins and observe their base and behaviour, so that they may defeat them when they get both the rival party of adventurers as well as the villager militia to attack the goblins (so that they may get rewarded both for the tip-off about an imminent threat, as well as get access to the jar full of gold). Then, they moved a bit away and went to sleep. They woke up to far away howling at night, but no wolves approached, even if the party was a bit scared.
The following morning, they tried to walk towards the river, only to feel the horrible stench of sulphur. They immediately hid in nearby bushes, and have narrowly avoided detection by the lumbering beast. They saw its poison dripping from its mouth, as well as the horrible size and the glistening black scales. They have decided to follow it to see the exact place where the lair is. Rancoor decided that it's possible for them to kill the dragon now, and take all the money (and EXP) for themselves. The player wondered for a moment if it's okay towards the other players, but then said that they'd do the same if he wasn't here (It's true), and that if he levels up he'll be able to protect them better. It was incredibly stupid.
They found a cave in the base of nearby mountains, surrounded by dead and shrivelled trees and plants. The dragon went inside, making yellow clouds of sulphur through which glints of gold were visible. The party went back to hunt a creature whose body they would fill with the sleep-inducing nectar - after half a day of searching they found a shewolf abandoned by her pack. Rancoor killed her with a single shot from his bow, then they filled her up with the poison and Rancoor left her in front of the cave entrance.
Then they waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing approaches the dragon's nest, as it is too dangerous. Thus, they killed their time; Lyra played with (and trained) her Cobra while Rancoor made some simple eating utensils from pieces of wood that he found, using his knife to get them into the right shape. After a day and a night of waiting, in the morning the dragon finally awakened, and so they hid behind a pair of dead trees and watched it eat the poisoned wolf. Now, the question was - will it fall asleep, or will it just be a bit under the weather.
I rolled randomly which way the dragon will walk after drinking, and passing its save (thus rendering it just ultra-drunk, but still capable of action). It went towards the players. And so, with Lyra believing that it'll just take a while for the poison to knock the dragon out while Rancoor aimed with his shotgun, they waited. First, it got in the range of his shots. Then in range of a throw. Then, only an arm away, Rancoor jumped out and fired (getting surprise bonus) right into the beast's forehead. His shotgun couldn't penetrate the beast's scales; nothing non-magical could. He just caused it a headache. Rancoor was knocked right onto his ass by the power of his shotgun.
Lyra, seeing that their plan was a horrible mistake, started to run. Rancoor just grabbed his spear and tried to stab the beast's open mouth, in a last desperate attack to try and stay alive. He has managed to strike the open mouth, dealing a bit of damage and holding the mouth open so that the dragon couldn't advance. Instead, it breathed its sulphuric fumes onto him, bringing his HP to 0 (leaving him vulnerable to Death and Dismemberment but otherwise able to act). He tried to stand up and run, but the beast fell upon him, tearing him apart. Lyra was already quite far, but not far enough; she heard the bones of her once-friend crack in the beast's maw, the tearing of his flesh, then the swallowing. Crying, she just ran.
She ran, until she was stopped by the river. Then, afraid of the dragon going the same way she moved into the forest, managing to find the Faun's Grove at last, trying to tell the Fauns what happened through tears. They comforted her and gave her their tree's sap, so that she would fall asleep and she wouldn't suffer. She accepted, drifting off into good sleep (she has resisted the poison due to her Mithraditist abilities, but has still chosen to use it to fall into sleep).
After she woke up, Lyra has used a mix of the sleeping draught and the magic mushrooms she got from the old witch, together with the traumatic events she went through and the magical place she was in to go on a vision quest, to try and find her way to Ascension. Lyra fell asleep, felt herself sink into the earth. The mushrooms, the roots and the grass told her that she needs to die to be reborn. She needs to die at a specific time "when the sun is black, or the rain red, or the hail horrible, or the thunder serpentine, the light is everywhere or the nume is brume". They also told her that she needs to first put down her roots, connect to them in a way that is deeper than the fleeting connection they have now. They told it to her through their scents, through touches that have lasted hours. She woke up and it was getting dark again.
Lyra decided to show her gratitude to one of the Fauns in a carnal way; nothing more will be described (as it wasn't during the session, they faded to black), in an effort to wash away the pain of death with the fires of lust, maybe even some sort of love, if only for a single night.
The next day, she has returned to Brandonsford. She met the people in the tavern with the words "Rancoor died trying to ambush the dragon. I fled, crying". Then she fell onto the straw mattress and fell asleep.
Post Scriptum
This is what happens when you decide to try and kill a dragon with 2 people and a half-baked plan. The idea was decent. The execution was bad, and so was their luck. They overplayed their hand, and thus died.
This session was a bit shorter due to some breaks in the middle (for technical reasons, we were playing online), there was also little XP. Even so, the players both said that it was great.
Also, added a new rule that says that you get a bit of extra EXP for each new type of unusual creature your character has encountered.
This was written fresh after the session, please forgive me any mistakes.
Also, the weather is changing at the start of the next session. Hopefully something horrific.