Pregame
Our adventurers woke up in various states of cleanliness. Flip and Fold joined the crew at their rest site a few miles outside the city. The group dicked around doing nothing important before entering the city from the East.
Upon entering the city, the group entered an area of vendor stalls and people wearing red cloth strips. The group spotted a crowd gathering around some performers and avoids the man passing out a hat seeking money. The group continued to ignore the performers, and everyone else nearby, and plunged deeper into the city.
Deeper in the city, they reached a blacksmith or forge of some sort operated by a half(?)-dwarf. Reveling in the dwarven kinship, Raleigh pestered the clearly annoyed local to give them directions to the casino. Our merry band then took the northern most of two bridges to the ??? district, where they were in between the Ragged Red Flagon and a huge stadium/coliseum. Bo looked around for a community message board, and upon finding one pasted a poster raising his profile:
Our crew encountered some loosed-lipped passerby who informed them that there was a festival going on, and that the highlight of the day would be gladitorial games starting that evening. The games involved reigning champ Braddock the Bludger from the Barley Coast, who would be fighting up to seven contests back-to-back with no rest, kind of like Game of Death.1Here’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fighting Bruce Lee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ic2k2P_FG0. Also, there would be a cheap-seats area that should be free. King Edgar had been ultra generous lately, between giving seats to all and opening up to visitors the Royal Gardens.
Jhekesan and Flip debated going to the stadium right away or place a quick cheeky fiver at the casino. Flip acquiesced to going to the casino, tho Gregarious Gritty stuck around in the streets and busked for a bit with his bagpipes. Jhekesan placed 2 gold on Braddock to lose in the seventh round at 5:1 odds, and Flip placed 5 gold on Braddock to lose in the first round at 25:1 odds.
Flip also looked around the casino to see if he could spot anyone with some kind of charm, and lo and behold he found some nice patron with a necklace playing blackjack. She told him that the necklace was based on that of a former casino employee Carly who suddenly started winning nonstop win wearing a shoddily assembled seashell necklace. Its unclear yet if she always wore it, or started wearing it and and only then started winning. The patron then gave Flip the similar necklace.
Kickoff
The crew then made their way to the the stadium (Gregarious Gritty still busking). Before entering, Bo did roguish things by scaling some scaffolding or whatever and peaking in the stadium. Inside, Raleigh picked up victuals for the crew. The group got a good view (except for Greg; roll better next time) of the action: Braddock was a huge pony-tailed half-orc wielding 2 axes. His opponent was a tall human fighter, hairless and tattooed head-to-toe. The fighter had nothing but a loin cloth, and the javelin which had already left his hands and fell Braddock as soon as the fight began.
The crowd got pissed an rained in their betting receipt tokens (Jhekesan included). After a pitch invasion started, the tall human fighter ran toward our crew’s section full speed and landed on top of Greg, causing minor damage to his bagpipes.
[The following paragraph was about the length and content of an Abbott and Costello routine:] The tall human, Venner, introduced himself while on top of Greg and suggested that we are all friends and should leave the stadium together. He eventually got off of Greg at Flip’s suggestion. Flip then cast a minor illusion (capable of lasting for ~1 minute) to blend Venner into the dugout-ish part of the stadium. The crew decided that Venner needed a disguise, so Greg passed his disguise kit to Venner, and then reclaimed the disguise kit when THE LORD made clear that Venner didn’t need to possess the disguise kit in order for him to have its benefits. Greg gave Venner a mustache and some makeup to coverup tattoos, and Raleigh passed Venner some tiny clothes. All of this interacting with Venner (still talking) broke the illusion. Everyone decided to walk out of the stadium the way they came, where there was a riotous crowd with pitchforks.
Postgame
The group dallied on where to go next. Venner was in favor of going to the nearest inn, which was in the direction of the pitchforks. Jhekesan was in favor of finding the harbor and stashing on some boats. Venner—potentially unaware of the ridiculousness of his disguise even with a nat 20 red sash—picked up someone passing by and asked for information. Around this time Venner told some sob story about his family being captured along with him and him thinking that his brothers are also in the city. [Some other member of the crew earlier in the morning told their life story to Jhekesan, who respond with ~”OK then”, but I genuinely don’t remember who]
Eventually the group made its way to a luxury neighborhood and some kind of hotel/inn. The hotel had one room with one bed available. Flip footed the 5 silver for the room on the condition that he get the bed to himself (and Fold?). The hotel clerk said he could give information about the area, but when Jhekesan asked him if he had a map or could sketch out one real quick, he refused. Venner pulled Flip aside and attempted to perform a blood oath with the germaphobe, who had Fold give a fisht-bump to the bleeding finger. Venner interpreted this as Flip using the crab as his champion/proxy, and took it well.
Up in the room, the crew hit the showers. The group then called it a night.
Epilogue 1
At some point during the shower scene, Venner began talking about his background to the rest of the crew and it hit the high points of this
The Village of Gleann Skellag
Life was harsh, but content, in the village of Gleann Skellag, and for the Whiteclaw tribe which inhabited it. In the cold tundra of the nameless land where the people of Skellag lived, various tribes competed constantly over resources and territory. The tenuous balance was kept by the tribal warriors who represented their respective villages, known as Gestatae. Venner Whiteclaw was one such Gestatae, born to one of the many cycling chiefs of the Whiteclaw tribe, and descendant of the village’s founder Harktos Whiteclaw. Legend has it that Harktos himself was the son of Artios, the patron bear spirit-god of the Whiteclaw tribe, and frost giant. The latter part of the story may even be true, given the existence (if relative scarcity) of giants in the region, and the descendants of Harktos’ striking size, strength, and affinity for the language of the giants.
The village’s primary rivals were the nearby Snowfang tribe, followers of the wolf god Tiremakos. Over time, the rivals settled into an equilibrium, and although still competing often, war was rare, and peace had become the norm for the people of the cold north. The summers seemed warmer, crop harvests aplenty, and times were good. The nights were filled with the humming of lightning bugs, and on occasion, the dancing of the northern lights which the local tribes believed to be the nightly hunt across the stars of the hundreds of spirit animals.
Venner Whiteclaw
Venner Whiteclaw, as a Gestatae, was trained from the age he reached manhood to be a defender and enforcer for his people. He learned to track large food animals such as elk and mammoths, and to excel in combat among the local human and orc tribes. As was tradition, he ascended to the mantle of Gestatae upon living in the wilderness for 50 nights alone, living off the land and fending for himself. While not the strongest or bravest of the Gestatae in his village, he was respected and honored. That was much known by his tattoos, which showed that he had won several battles, taken the lives of strong opponents, and downed at least one of the mighty saber toothed tigers. He lived, like most of the local tribes, in a large family yurt consisting of his wife Burnhilda, his son Artek, his elder brothers Garvath and Karsen, and his ailing father Reyghos.
The Darkest Night [paragraph breaks, MD, ever heard of them?]
On his last night in the village, Venner was returning home late from a hunt. He had tracked a particularly wily mammoth herd to their resting place, and along with his good friend Pwyll, were venturing home to report their findings to the village for the next day’s hunt. Within a mile of the village, they noticed smoke billowing from the treeline behind Gleann Skellag. The village was burning, and the two made haste to aid the village however they could. What they witnessed was far worse than they could have ever imagined. Gleann Skellag was burning, and the scene was utter pandemonium. Men, women and children were being slaughtered in the streets, and those that weren’t were bound and chained. Venner noticed that the attackers were a collection of humans and orcs, but none from any tribe he could recognize. He even thought for a moment he saw a lizard which walked like a man. There was no time to process however – his family needed him. In the thick of battle, Venner lost Pwyll, and slowly but surely made his way through the fray to his home. When he arrived, it was too late. His home was burned, and no living sign of his family remained. Burnhilda laid lifeless on the ground, her throat slit – thankfully, a quick death – and Venner’s father lay dead with no apparent wounds. Doubtless he died from the smoke, or his heart finally gave out in the commotion. There was no sign of his son or brothers – only the family’s precious whiteclaw medallion, passed down from generation to generation from the hand of Harktos himself. Venner pulled it from the ash, and in a barbarian rage turned back to the thick of the attackers’ ranks. His only thought was to make his way towards the mass of cages, in the hope of saving his son and brothers alive. Ultimately, he failed. He was overwhelmed by his attackers, and restrained by several of the foul cretins. It took nearly 5 men to restrain him, and Venner would be lying if he were to say he was ashamed it didn’t take more. As a sack was placed above his head, and his shackles were locked, he heard a gruff, yet sinister voice say “this one will make good fodder for the arena.” A voice Venner would not soon forget. The next thing he knew, the sounds of the wailing of villagers became quieter, and quieter. And soon enough, the village felt further and further. When his face covering was removed, he was alone. Alone in a room surrounded by wood, and hearing waves crash up against the walls. On the largest canoe he had ever seen – one large enough to carry an entire yurt. Over the next week he was starved, fed, kicked and tortured. But he endured. When he finally saw sunlight again, he saw a vast sea. Only it wasn’t the one he knew. The air was warmer, the ice floating in the water had evaporated, and in the distance, he could see a great village. Once with homes made of great stone, and odors so offensive he could smell it from the shore. Shackled and beaten, he was taken to a great stone coliseum, equipped with a sword and armor, and told to fight to the death in the arena. Stoic and silent, he did as the trainers asked him, sized up his opponents, and searched for friends. He would bide his time, and do as he needed to until he could find the right moment to escape. He would find the voice he heard in Gleann Skellag, he would find his brothers, and he would find his son. By the claws and roar of Artios, he would avenge his village, and find his path forward in the world, whether as a wanderer or a settler. He examined his body for space for future tattoos commemorating great victories, breathed deeply, and turned his head up as the doors to the arena pit raised.
Epilogue 2
RALEIGH WILL SHARE HIS BACKSTORY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING HIS BATH. WITH A SMALL HOTEL ROOM FULL OF FRESHLY CLEANED MEN WITH NOTHING ON BUT THE TOWELS AROUND THEIR WAISTS, HE FIGURES NOW IS AS GOOD OF A TIME AS ANY.
Through a series of harebrained travels and quests, Raleigh (then known as Jodun Thunderseeker) found himself at the Anvil of Talos, deep in the Spires of Wind mountain range. He’d played his role in getting them here, but now as he watched his family (4 older brothers and mother) begin to prepare the ritual, he felt as though they were about to provoke forces beyond their control. The goal of having the heavens strike with lightning and thunder for them to forge the Hammer of Fulmination had never sounded quite as insane as it did at that very moment…..and then…boom. One second there was blinding light, the next a thunderous boom, and his concerns were immediately validated. His family, once spaced so evenly around the anvil, now nothing but piles of ash beginning to blow away in the wind. Another boom from the heavens quickly follows and Jodun hears Talos’s voice echo through the mountains. “SPREAD MY WORD…GIVE ME YOUR ALLEGIANCE…SWEAR YOURSELF TO ME.” Jodun briefly kneels at the anvil, quickly turns around, and barrels down the mountain, thunder booming behind him the entire way.
Not wanting to serve the god who struck his family down, Jodun does his best to disappear from the world and thus Talos in the process. He abandons the Thunderseeker name, changing from Jodun to Raleigh, and hunkers down in a forest of no importance. Decades passed without anything of note, Raleigh satisfied with living and dying alone in this forgotten place, as long as he can remain out of the servitude of Talos. That sentiment is an easy one to hold for a handful of decades, but as decades turned century and the kingdom of Argylia continued to grow, the once large forest of no importance wasn’t a safe place for him to hide any longer. Raleigh knew if he couldn’t hide from the deity anymore that only left him two options, go out and fulfill his half-hearted oath to Talos or face the storm god’s wrath.
Bo feels a sense of connection, as he too has lost loved ones to cruel and unusual forces. he nods attentively as he scrubs Raleigh’s back in the bathtub
Venner tells Raleigh his tale is a sorrowful one, and for helping save his life he will do battle with him to the ends of the earth. If Venner need to storm the halls of the god Talos himself.
Postscript [meta]
Our crew’s IRL counterparts gave their intellectual takes on the campaign so far and dumped the above text. As an aside, I find sharing world-shaping things in the chat immediately after the session ends kind of unfair to D________ [Gregarious Gritty’s name redacted for privacy] and anyone else who can’t participate at the back-and-forth at the time.
On the pace and direction of the campaign, I think R_____ nailed it with the tensions that 1) our characters don’t have a great reason to all travel together but none of us want to do things on our own to lead the group astray and 2) the obvious hooks for adventure have not been in enough characters’ interest that any one person felt obligated to pursue them at the expense of the group. Like even those travelling performers might have been worth talking to for one character and who knows what they would have said. But there was a goal of getting to the casino that had inertia that didn’t require anyone to stick their neck out.
In my opinion the biggest problem is the inexperience of the group [myself included] at both roleplaying games in general and with each other. I feel like PD and me do the most talking and suggestions/deciding; I feel like if I talk much more then I’m monopolizing time, but if I talk less than no one else will participate instead. To the “stick their neck out” problem, there’s currently no collective understanding on how decisions are supposed to be made besides everyone acquiescing to a path or voting affirmatively. The other approach to doing this though is just for one person to go guns-blazing and pick a direction and drag everyone along. I can tell MD is quick to embrace that path, and I can’t say I enjoy it. My character suggested going to the harbor (and was shut down by THE LORD and met with silence from everyone else), but I do not think it would have been within the spirit of the game for me to insist and have my guy Leroy Jenkins it over there (which probably wouldn’t have been in his character anyway). If that would have been fine, then I’ll just have to get used to MD-style guns blazing. Overall tho, I’m hopeful that this will become less of an issue as the group spends more time doing this.
Also, MD, is Venner related to Nico from Runaways? If not, then the sword has to come from your asshole.
Notes
- 1Here’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fighting Bruce Lee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ic2k2P_FG0