Where the dice determine a very long detour to the originally planned detour. But I'm finally up to date with my weekly posts for the year so far.
It takes Dounil 5 days to recover to where he thinks he is
fit enough to travel. HP 1 -> 7. Costing him 24gp in payment to the Inn of
the Welcome Wench, meaning he rides out with another 14 days of horse rations
and a 7 of human food to complement his purloined Brigand preserves (-15gp).
He leaves on day 67
If we assume he arrived on the 25th of Planting, the half-moon and
the Elvish holiday of Lateu'quor. It is now Starday, the 1st of
Reaping, the 7th month and the first of High Summer. It is 85F/29C, being
5 degrees south of 40 north and so the temperature rises 10F more. Dounil is
not wearing armour.
Partly cloudy and no precipitation. I could go into sunrise
and sunset times, but I will not. I won’t do this again until I have to,
hopefully never.
Riding forth, we have to get back to the decision to use
AD&D’s 45 miles per day for riding horses or OSE’s 48 miles per day. I
think we can use 45 miles and claim the missing time for rests.
Riding north again on the road, he is neither lost or
delayed in the morning, but as he rides on after lunch he comes across a most
unwelcome sight before he crests the hills. A warband of Hobgoblins. Here OSE
favours Dounil, as he fights 20 and not 160 as in AD&D.
They spot each other at 120 yards and neither are surprised.
Dounil’s reaction roll is Friendly, that to his Charisma and
he thinks fast. Hailing them in the name of the Temple of Elemental Evil. The
warband calls back, evidently thinking he is a bandit and wary that he is
alone. Only the leader speaks Common but Dounil is quick to explain that they
are sorely needed. Only recently the bandits who comprised the secret raiders
and an entire wing of the dungeon were slain by adventurers!
Should the hobgoblins hurry, they would be able to reestablish themselves in
their place and keep the temple on track. What Dounil is doing?
Dounil is liquidating stolen loot for there are not many bandits left.
These are considered wise words, and the hobgoblins leave
Dounil alone.
Dounil camps only after the hobgoblins have left, his night
is uneventful. He eats a day’s ration 1/14 and feeds the horses 2/14.
Day 68
Riding to Verbobonc, Dounil is not lost nor encounters
things out of the ordinary. He converts his remaining wealth at its full value,
as there are no rules saying he does not. 3025gp which he exchanges for a promissory
note. They are more than happy to do this for a hero. Who by all likelihood won’t
ever get his money back after injecting it into the treasury. 3025/8 = 378 x 1.1/1.05
= FXP 415/MUXP 396
He beds down for the night in an inn (-6gp) and leaves at
6:00am. He trades in the horses for half their value (75gp total) and buys
passage on a river boat sailing down the Velverdyva River to Dyvers, being told
that the merchant ships will wallow once they reach the Nyr Dyv.
His passage costs him 4gp a day, due to the space of himself
and his belongings, he provides his own food. He encounters nothing unusual in
the course, rations 4/14, HP 7 -> 8.
Day 71
He arrives in Dyvers in the afternoon, he pays the entry fee (5cp like all
cities) and dines/sleeps at an inn (-2gp). HP 8 -> 9.
Day 72
He purchases a horse and rides for Greyhawk. It is uneventful thanks to some
very good rolls and clear terrain. Rations for him 5/14 and 3/14 for the horse.
Day 74
Dounil arrives in Greyhawk by midday. Having seen in the
distance the legendary ruin of Castle Greyhawk emerging from the heat haze as
he passed. He is forced to pay yet another entry fee and a 3gp fee as a
freelance adventurer/mercenary, which includes an oath not to attempt to
explore Greyhawk Castle.
He recalls that Celest mentioned last to him, not quite 8
months ago the location she planned to stay at, The Black Dragon Inn. Going
there, he finds the clerk uncooperative, a half-elf woman might have come
through here and might have left a note, but he has no time for non-customers.
Dounil throws down the money and rents a room and stable (15sp), the price is
less exorbitant that Hommlet surprisingly enough. The clerk dutifully hands
Dounil a letter.
Celest has heard of desperate times around Wooly Bay, and
particularly a vague need for heroes around Darkshelf in southern Nyrond. She
left a week ago.
Dounil fumes for a minute, then decides to chase her down
tomorrow.
Day 75
He sleeps a restless sleep and leaves the next morning. He
trades the horse again (37gp), gets another 25sp for all his remaining horse
rations and seeks passage down the Selintan River. Dounil plans to transfer to
a sea-going ship in Harby.
It’s three days by sailing riverboat (-12gp) to Harby, and
the part is a treacherous coastal hug in Wooly Bay. But the land is flat and
well-travelled, nothing interrupts his voyage. In Harby, he spends the night
eating his own rations to save money in a private room (-5sp) 9/14 rations and
HP 9 -> 10.
Day 78
In booking passage, he is informed of the horrible pirates
and slavers which more frequently prowl Wooly Bay. Dounil swears to use all his
arms and magic (that gets a glance) to defend a ship at the cost of his life if
needed, as his life is on the line if the ship is attacked. The captain says
that’s good enough and charges 1gp per day, with hard tack included.
A merchant ship on the sea moves 30 miles a day according to
the Greyhawk Box Set but 60 miles per the DMG and 30 miles according to the OSE
book. So, a planned 21 days upon the sea. Greyhawk Box Set, DMG and OSE all
give different speeds, so I’ll stick with Greyhawk, which seems setting
specific. Skirting the desolate shores of the Bright Desert and fearing attacks
from monsters only slightly less than pirates.
Dounil measures out his what’s left of his rations for 5
days, then forcing him to subside on the same food as the crew.
On Day 80 a random encounter, Weed Eels, which is a bit of a
non-event because they don’t attack ships and Dounil doesn’t want to swim down
to them, HP 10 -> 13.
On Day 81, another random encounter, four Sea-Lions (half
lion and half fish). As I skipped the last one and these are noted to be
aggressive, they begin swimming towards the boat, intent on snatching something
or someone from the decks. Neither are surprised and they encounter each other
at 130 yards.
Round 1, Dounil buckles on his armour. The sailors arm
themselves with shortswords, bows and shields, 1 Sea-Lion HD 6 -> 4.
The sea lions swim their movement of 180 yards and clamber onto the deck, this
counts as a charge so they can attack. 10 sailors die in a grotesque spray of
blood and organs.
Dounil takes 2 damage, HP 13 -> 11.
Round 2, Dounil attacks doing 5 HD of damage to the wounded
one killing it and wounding another HD 6 -> 5. The sailors do 4 more HD, HD
5 -> 1. The Sea-Lions pass morale. One Sea-Lion massacres the remaining
crew. The rest attack Dounil who takes 2 damage, HP 11 -> 9.
Round 3, Dounil hits for 5 HD of sword and spell. Killing 1
more Sea-Lion and wounding one of the two pair, HD 6 -> 2. The Sea-Lions fail
their morale and flee, leaving Dounil standing on the gore-splattered decks.
FXP 75 MUXP 72
He can’t sail a ship; the best he can hope for is to lash
the tiller/wheel (delete whatever is more anachronistic for Greyhawk) and sail
dead on to the coast. And bandage too, HP 9 -> 11. It’s a night camped away
from the stink and the gulls on the highest deck before the ship smashes into
the dry hills where the Abbor Alz meet the Bright Desert.
Day 82
He at least recovers his money and twice portion besides as
“salvage”, 21gp.
Now he must either drag his goods the length of the bright
desert and beyond or struggle back to Hardby and try again. He resolves that he
should have just ridden.
He begins to drag his possessions on a spare sailcloth and
travois, mitigated by the occasion he can cast Floating Disc. He has a long
walk of 19 days to get back. Nothing annoys him in the day or night, 13/14
rations.
Day 83, He eats the last of his rations and find no forage,
but otherwise an uneventful journey. He sees a tower further inland but does
not venture to it, it is too wild to have towns he knows of.
Day 84
He walks; it is day 3 of 19. He is hungry, he finds 4 days’
worth of forage on the way, eating as he walks (1/4 rations), nothing bothers
him in these desolate hills.
Day 85 and 86, 4/19 days, nothing and no forage (2/4
rations)
Day 87, 6/19 days, no forage (4/4 rations) and an encounter,
6 Lions, some 90 yards away. Neither are surprised.
Round 1, Dounil being a hero, goes first takes the round to
put on armour. The lions advance 50 yards.
Round 2, Dounil can’t advance so her just casts his Fray
magic at them. Doing no damage. The Lions close and begin to attack with their
3 attacks apiece. Somehow Dounil is bitten 2 times though no claws penetrate.
Dounil takes 3 damage, HP 11 -> 8.
Round 3, The magic does 1 HD damage to one, 5 -> 4. The
sword kills the lioness. The pride fights on. Doing 2 bites for 3 damage, HP 8
-> 5.
Round 4, Another lioness dies. One rakes with a claw for 1
damage, HP 5 -> 4.
Round 5, Dounil kills another and the remainder flee at 50%
strength. FXP 50 MUXP 48. OSE Treasure Type U is nothing. He bandages, HP 4
-> 6. Dounil instead cuts chunks from the lionesses, taking only the
tenderest pieces of a lean carnivore, but he is also not a skilled hunter or
butcherer, he salvages 3 rations.
He must move on a bit to complete his journey and avoid scavengers.
Day 88, Not lost on day 7/19 and eaten 1 hunk of gamey and
muscled meat (1/3), he is confronted with yet more encounters. 150 Tribesmen,
who are surprised to see a foreigner among them. He also forages 3 rations.
In addition to the 150 warriors, there are 15 - 3rd level fighters,
15 - 4th level clerics, 3 - 4th level Sub-Chiefs, 1 - 5th
level Chief, 5 – 5th level clerics and 1 – 8th level
witchdoctor.
Further digging in extra sources of lore tell me these are a
Flann people, and they know of the outside world and are none too friendly (-1
from the MM and -1 for limited language connections). But are unified against
hostile outsiders. So maybe Dounil must prove himself to not be hostile.
No one is surprised and they see each other at 150 yards.
Dounil knows these people can barely speak Common and he
must wow them. As the Flann were friends of the Elves and Gnomes, he tries those
languages as well. A roll of 8 becomes 9 thanks to his +3 charisma modifier.
He is brought before the chief, who is interested in what
this scrawly, battered valley-man has to say. Dounil relates his epic tale of
travelling to meet with his companion for a quest against evil. He was
shipwrecked and has fought ferocious lions of land and sea as he treks back to
Harby to sail again.
This is impressive but the Chief wants his travois and what
is on it let him pass. Dounil protests this I his gift for his companion and
gifts for his fiancée. Celest is not his fiancée and he’s not even sure if she
will agree to join his quest. But two people in need of a monster-slayer and evil-defeater
might go down better. He instead promises the Chief a gift of magical items
(interesting) and knowledge of where to find the shipwreck to plunder (useful).
In addition, Dounil asks if he may purchase food from the tribesmen so he may
keep going.
The Chief agrees but warns Dounil that he may not stay in
one place for longer than a night. Dounil gifts him the Dagger +1, a quiver
with nine arrows + 1 and the Potion of water breathing. This will greatly help
the Chieftain as he was intending to scour the ruins of Zarak for dwarven
equipment before raiding the Bright Desert proper with his assembled host of
many tribes. With these rich gifts and knowledge, he instructs the tribesmen to
charge Dounil fairly for rations. Dounil buys 7 days of iron rations in the
form of dried meat and roots (-15gp).
Dounil leaves, hoping to put some distance between himself
and the camp.
Day 89, somewhat more at ease, Dounil has an uneventful day (8/19)
but at night after eating (2/13) he is met by a band of horsemen, who wear the
livery of Harby. Some 35 strong, they are a Medium Patrol.
Neither are surprised and saw each other from 160 yards
away. They want to know who he is and what he knows. Dounil tells his story
about how he was shipwrecked and has dragged his belongings for many days, passing
through the Hillmen’s encampment. The patrol was out on long-range because the
Hillmen were moving to a centralised location and are sceptically relived to
hear the raid target is the Nomads of the Bright Desert. They cannot spare a
horse for him but congratulate him on his luck and divine favour.
Day 90, 9/19 Dounil is accosted during this day as well. Fifteen
Wolves with mutual spotting at 90 yards. They have an indifferent reaction to
Dounil, so he wisely keeps walking, but has a very nervous but uneventful
night. Rations are 3/13.
Day 91, 10/19 days and rations are 4/13. Dounil is lost and
wanders into he hills while getting around an escarpment.
Day 92, Dounil realises his mistake and corrects, but is a
day off, 10/19 and rations 5/13, he is a day of on food. Also, some 140
tribesmen come from behind. These were tribes who are going home, the attack being
called off until the looting of the shipwreck is over. Dounil buys a day’s
ration from them. But without the word of the chief, it is double priced at 1gp,
4sp and 8cp.
Day 93, which is now 11/19 and rations 6/14. During the day
he meets 10 orcs at a mutual 50 yards. Once again, his reaction goes down well
as he overcomes the language gap with impassionate visions of the Temple of
Elemental Evil and the benefits for humanoid troops there. The orcs will think about
moving there.
Day 94 and 95, days 12-13/19 and rations 7-8/14. The
flatlands peek ahead as Dounil climbs rises and clears the coastal hills. Otherwise,
nothing.
Day 96, On the flat but still as wild as Greyhawk gets, He
passes a party of 3 adventurers and 4 henchmen, all mounted. Theya re friendly enough
and applaud Dounil’s tale of bravery, they are off to look for mysterious
cairns for their patron. Day 14/19 and ration 9/14.
Day 97 and 98, nothing except odd looks from outlying
farmers and peddlers. 15-16/19 and 10-11/14. On day 98 though he finds some 5
rations of forage from hedges, groves and opportune overhanging trees.
Day 99 and 100, 17-18/19 and rations 12-13/19, nothing
happens. It is Earthday, the 6th of Goodmonth and Dounil has been forced
to travel with a loaded travois under the hottest two months of the year. Only
by almost never wearing his armour did he not die of heatstroke. Not how he
thought he would spend his adventure.
Day 101, Dounil finally reaches Harby in the evening and is
nearly denied entry for his vagabond appearance, before he produces the 5cp fee
to enter. He imminently finds an inn, washes, shaves and eats what is left of
his food, throwing away what is left.
Day 102
He again attempts to board a ship. While many people have
heard of his survival, there is a bit of awkwardness about him as the sole
survivor of a monster attack and shipwreck. He must pay 2gp for his passage
(-42gp).
The trip is mostly uneventful, HP 4 -> 18 on days 115 and
116 they spot merchant ships and Dounil thinks he might have to fight if they
turn out to be pirates, until they pass and disappear.
Day 122
Dounil is dropped off with limited grace in Darkshelf,
with all of 3cp and 9sp to his name and a stack of gear he hopes to convince
Celest with, if she is not busy herself.
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