Campaign journals, reviews of TTRPG stuff, and musings on D&D.
A zine chronicling the Conquering the Barbarian Altanis D&D campaign.
This issue details sessions 106, 107, 108, 109, and 110
Adventurers escape from trouble and then run into new trouble—because that is what adventurers do!
You can download the issue here.
Overlord's Annals zine is available as part of the Ever & Anon APA, issue 11:
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| Character | Race | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambros | Human | Cleric level 7 | Follower of Aniu, Lord of Time. |
| Beorg the Gravedigger | Human | Fighter level 5 | Inspired to adventure after burying several adventurers. |
| Ignaeus | Elf | Fighter level 4 / magic-user level 5 | A slightly weathered looking elf with dull blonde hair and chiseled features. Seeks wealth and knowledge. |
| Jacob Vin | Human | Assassin level 2 | Slick black hair, inconspicuous dress, youthful for his age, and of keen instincts. |
| Kenso San | Human | Fighter level 4 | An arrogant and self-assured sellsword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. |
| Tam o' Shanter | Human | Cleric level 4 | A boisterous wine-lover of Losborst on a Great Crusade of the Grape. |
| Tarkus the Promising | Human | Cleric level 5 | Follower of Bachontoi, God of Red Wisdom. |
| Thorinda Bung | Human | Monk level 3 | She has blonde hair done up in a tight pony tail and wears light, loose suit. |
The baleful dead—hissing, growling, and whining—lunged at Agathon the Promising who stood in its path. The dead was fleeing from the combined divinity of Ambros and Tarkus, but was unable to proceed for the young Dung stood in its way.
“Move like a willow and get out of its way!”
Kenso, his master, yelled. Young man obliged and dodged the onslaught for the fourth time. Then he jumped back, pivoted, and retreated to the large square chamber where Tam, Jacob, and Thorinda were fighting a skeleton horde.
He arrived just as a dozen of skeletons tore through Jacob and Tam. Assassin was shredded to strips. One of the skeletons backhanded Tam so hard that the drunk was knocked unconscious. Agathon jumped in and swung his spear wildly, destroying several skeletons.
Thorinda, weak and wise, crawled back, shining the light on the horde, letting Agathon do the work. She saw horrible figure fleeing past her, down the long corridor to the north. She did nothing to try to stop it.
“Begone!”
Tarkus came after it, brandishing an open book, the holy symbol of Bachontoi. He dusted four. Soon there were no more of them.
Adventurers dragged the wounded close to the demon mural chamber. Ambros remained with them to watch guard in case any more undead approach.
Beorg, Kenso, and Ignaeus entered the chamber. They pushed on the concealed flagstone. Doors to the secret treasure room opened. Three iron chests, a longbow, a quiver of arrows, and an empty jeweled scabbard were still there, waiting patiently.
Kenso and Ignaeus remained by the open secret doors. Beorg entered. The chests were locked, each with a hefty iron padlock. He took out his shovel. He raised it high above his head. Then he swung it down with all his might, shearing off the padlock.
Beorg now stepped behind the chest. He gingerly held the lid and pulled it up. Hissing sound could be heard as noxious gas gushed all around, filling the treasure chamber and spilling out into the room with the mural.
Gravedigger's veins bloated and turned black, as the fighter died in agony. Ignaeus fared no better, his delicate elven skin turning purple. Kenso took a whiff, but only suffered excruciating pain, as if ghouls rended his lungs, string by string.
Once the gas cleared out, Kenso approached the open chest confidently. Curled and curdled Beorg lay behind it. A great helm of polished black steel and with silver lining running along the axe beak top rested on soft cloth. Next to it was a sword with hilt in the shape of dragon wings, resting in a sheath of red leather. Kenso took both. The broadsword wooshed through the air, obviously of excellent make and with magical properties. Great helm was magical too, for Kenso immediately realised he can see into the dark corners as if they were lit up.
While Kenso was looting, Ambros was healing. He raised Beorg from the dead, much to the gravedigger's regret, and then raised Ignaeus too, expending a scroll in the process.
At this moment half of the party has suffered great trauma and were at the risk of perishing from a single attack or any great exertion. Thus, they made the decision to pick up the two remaining chests and open them in the safety of Ironburg. Agathon the Strong carried one chest, while the other one was carried by Wilbalt and Ambros.
Adventurers trudged through the dungeon, significantly slowed down. It took them hours to reach the exit. Alas, it was not meant to be without any trouble whatsoever.
As they turned the corner towards antechamber with the illusory wall, they faced a gang of pig-faced orcs. The beastmen were ready, having seen and heard them way ahead of the time. They were in tight formation, front rank with scimitars, and back rank with spears.
Ambros and Kenso advanced, meeting them in the room. The latter danced through porcs, slaying three in the process. Thorinda followed, but was check with another group of orcs hiding to the side. Ignaeus, whom had just been brought back to life and was as strong and as resilient as a new born baby, rushed other aid. He was promptly speared through his gut, rending him completely useless and nearly killing him, once again. Kenso continued his deadly dance, slaying five in total. Thorinda managed to kill two, too.
The party finally managed to exit the dungeon. It was night. All members were wounded and exhausted. Still, they marched out in the wilderness, seeking a safe place to camp and rest. They found it by sunrise.
They agreed on the following watch rotation. Thorinda and Tarkus were to take the noon watch, Ignaeus evening watch, Kenso night watch, Jacob midnight watch of the next day, and Beorg the pre-dawn watch.
They opted for cold-camp, to avoid attracting any unwanted attention.
Jacob woke Beorg up. It was his turn. Experienced gravedigger stretched, still a tang of regret of being brought back to life lingering on his tongue, and immediately noticed something was off with Tarkus.
The cleric of Bachontoi was way too still. Beorg approached his comrade. He was dead! His throat was slit wide open. He look calmed—there were no signs of struggle nor any other violence. Sans the gaping wound, that is.
Beorg and Jacob woke everyone one up. Torches and lanterns were soon lit. Jacob, being a professional assassin, studied the wound. It was made most definitely by a sharp weapon. Could be a dagger, could be a sword. It was difficult to say. There were no signs of any poison or venom.
There were no rivulets of blood anywhere around. Even though there was no ranger in the party, it was still easy to follow trails from and to Tarkus. They led to the watch post where all of them were rotating during the day.
“Did one of us do it...” Beorg wondered out loud. “Everyone present your weapons!”
Slowly adventurers showed their weapon, one by one. When Kenso took out his newly acquired Dragon sword, there was fresh blood on it. And there was blood in his dragonskin sheath too.
All hell broke loose. Ignaeus tried to cast web at the warrior. Kenso was quicker. He lunged forward and cut the elf down without holding back. Still reeling from shock, Beorg and Ambros threw themselves at possessed Kenso. Jacob kept to the side, aware of his predicament. Maybe the warrior would spare his life?
For whatever reason, Kenso decided that Thorinda was his next biggest threat. That proved to be partially true as he failed to cut through her defenses and dodged. But it was Agathon whom was his final undoing. Young man swung the spear high above his head, and then struck Kenso with the butt-end of the shaft. The blow was so strong it dented the black great helm and knocked Kenso unconscious.
A spirited discussion followed. What happened? What should happen next? Jacob proposed taking the helmet off with a sharp device, potentially decapitating Kenso in the process. Agathon straight out advocated for killing him.
Ambros knelt and removed the helmet with his hand. Then they stripped Kenso of everything, leaving him in nothing but soiled loincloth. Then they hogtied him so he couldn't move a single limb. Thorinda suggested to tie the rope around his neck, but Ambros said no.
Lama of Aniu and bishop of Forseti raised Ignaeus for the second time this week. Elf was throughouly wrecked, for returning to the living is a traumatic experience that takes toll on both constitution and charisma.
Adventurers slapped Kenso back to his senses. The man glared with angry eyes. Suspecting something foul must be at work, Ambros cast Remove Curse. It was the right call as it drove whatever evil spirit possessed the disgraced warrior. The only think Kenso could remember is taking his night watch and then dozing away. His head throbbed with pain. But pain would pass. Shame, shame was eternal. In Karak, an empire to the far East which Kenso hails from, he would be expected to commit ritual suicide or face the extermination of his whole clan due to great shame he had brought upon himself.
The party trudged back to Ironburg.
After taking a little break, few of the adventurers found a secluded place to experiment with the iron chests. They walked for nearly an hour to ensure a whiff of wind does not accidentally carry the poison gas to Ironburg—an unusual level of care for this company—before breaking them open. They did so by dropping them from height and running away. Thousands and thousands of gold pieces flew out.
Kenso, meanwhile, sat at the Hog's Head inn. It remains to be seen if he had left his culture behind when he left home...
Poster by Lord Jubalon Flux.
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Into the Majestic Fantasy Realms: The Northern Marches by Robert Conley, the spiritual successor to the Wilderlands of High Fantasy, is now available from DriveThruRPG.
It is a sandbox fantasy setting perfect for hexcrawl games, with numerous settlements, factions, bespoke encounter tables, and plenty of space to insert own adventures, locales, and flair.
Rob went to great lengths to support busy Judges:
And all of that released under Creative Commons.
See below to get a feeling for the material:
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| Northern Marches Player map |
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| Guidebook table of contents |
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| Realms and heraldry |
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| Castle Westguard Judge map |
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| Hex entries in the Wild North |
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| Random encounters in the Northern Marches |
Important notice: while both book and associated maps are available as POD from DriveThruRPG, the latter are usually too expensive for non-USA customers. That is because DTRPG prints maps in the USA, which results with high shipping and taxes, for a high final price despite low per-unit cost. Rob has made the print-ready map files available so everyone can take them to their local print shop and get the maps done in any size they want for a low price.
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| Character | Race | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambros | Human | Cleric level 7 | Follower of Aniu, Lord of Time. |
| Beorg the Gravedigger | Human | Fighter level 5 | Inspired to adventure after burying several adventurers. |
| Ignaeus | Elf | Fighter level 4 / magic-user level 5 | A slightly weathered looking elf with dull blonde hair and chiseled features. Seeks wealth and knowledge. |
| Jacob Vin | Human | Assassin level 2 | Slick black hair, inconspicuous dress, youthful for his age, and of keen instincts. |
| Kenso San | Human | Fighter level 4 | An arrogant and self-assured sellsword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. |
| Tam o' Shanter | Human | Cleric level 4 | A boisterous wine-lover of Losborst on a Great Crusade of the Grape. |
| Tarkus the Promising | Human | Cleric level 5 | Follower of Bachontoi, God of Red Wisdom. |
| Thorinda Bung | Human | Monk level 3 | She has blonde hair done up in a tight pony tail and wears light, loose suit. |
Tam laid on the cold dungeon floor; his muscles stiff and paralysed. Four ghouls vied for his tasty, juicy, grape-infused, flesh. Luckily for his Tarkus was divine enough to force the beasts to flee.
Having forced the undead into retreat, the adventurers regrouped at the t-junction. Ambros and Ignaeus joined them, having just arrived. Dung, formerly known as Agathon the Promising, and Wilbalt were relegated to carrying Stiff Tam.
Adventurers moved north, then left, and stopped at the doors. Corridor continued further right, connecting to the room with the gilded spider.
Forcing the door open resulted with another clash with esurient ghouls. Tarkus and Ambros spread their divinity upon the dead; Thorinda and Kenso each slayed one of the dead. Jacob, on the other hand, felt the cold claw of the dead, ending as stiff, if not stiffer, than Tam o' Shanter. Kenso killed one more, and others fled through the south doors.
By the west wall rested a wooden coffin on a bier. Ignaeus and Beorg inspected it. A single wrapped corpse that crumbled to dust after being frisked by the latter. Beorg collected some of the gravedust and rubbed it into his armpits. Then he took some more of it and added it to his satchel with squirming maggots.
South room had nothing but gnawed human remains. It connected to a corridor leading to the T-shaped junction where adventurers fought the undead.
Tam regained his facilities and was able to move on his own once more. Dung and Wilbalt were now tasked with carrying Jacob. Assassin stiffened up whilst holding bullseye lantern. The duo now pointed him in the direction of darkness, using him as human flashlight.
Party moved further north, then left past the gilded spider, then right to another t-junction. Right hand side led to the large chamber adjoining the sacrificial altar as well as another entrance into the spider chamber. Left hand path led to the hereto unexplored realms.
Thirty feet down were doors to the left; twenty feet on corridor to the right; another twenty feet down the corridor opened up into the chamber.
Blood-curling, heart-rending screams of pain and anguish could be heard from beyond the doors. Burping grunts and growls accompanied the screams.
Adventurers broke through the doors, weapons drawn. A dozen of orcs in a chamber, some thirty feet wide and fifty feet long, were torturing a child-sized creature. They were unsurprised.
Beorg came first, swinging his halberd. He skewered one orc and beheaded another. Kenso followed, decapitating two more. Ignaeus moved with elven grace, slaying four pig-faced beastmen. Beorg killed two more, offering them no grace. Others killed two more. The last two spawns of chaos fled through secret doors in the south-east corner.
Adventurers spread out. Some scavenged coins from slain orcs, some sought to help the victim of torture, and the elf sought secret doors in the corner.
Ambros knelt by what seemed to be a male gnome. He was stripped naked, bloodied and bruised. His fingers were mangled, his toes cut off. Both of his eyelids were severed. Gnome struggled to speak, so Ambros brought his to ear to mouth.
”... great treasure...” the gnome exhaled, barely audible “...chamber of painted walls!” he grunted, spitting blood. He was no more.
Ignaeus signaled to others that he had identified the portion of the wall that should swing open. This were a rather mundane secret doors. Party aligned behind him and readied themselves for a volley of arrows.
Initially the failed to push them open. On the second attempt, Ignaeus successfully forced them open, but Beorg lost his footing and stumbled straight in. He fell to the ground, amidst three dozen zombies savaging two orcs.
Before horrible (or delightful, depending on whom you ask) fate befell him, Ambros thundered and turned eight zombies to dust. Kenso and Tarkus moved in to help their ally. Remaining zombies turned around and attacked.
Tam was about to join as well, but he heard Dung call for help. North doors swung open and ten zombies limped in from the north. They almost tore Tam to pieces before they were turned back.
In the secret chamber Ambros kept dusting the zombies. Initial cockiness was replaced with slight worry as the cleric of Aniu and Forseti was dusting only one undead per round. Kenso was nearly rended to death before Ambros finally had proper divine intervention and turned a dozen of remaining dead to dust.
Adventurers exhaled as they just beat back nearly fifty zombies. Clerics healed the wounded—with more or less success—while others secured the chamber.
Party decided to investigate the secret chamber. It was empty, but did join to a very long corridor. Following it led to a dead end. Ignaeus investigated until he found another secret doors. The mechanism was the same as before—simple concealed swing doors.
“What!”
“We went up!”
Adventurers emerged in a thirty by thirty chamber on the first floor of the dungeon. The one which was full of zombies. The one where they turned the undead and then fled, sorry, retreated from.
“Let's go back down, there is nothing much left on this floor.”
And so they went down the long corridor, into the tortured gnome chamber, and then back into the corridor. Passageway to the right bent left at an angle and continued straight as far as the Jacob-lantern could shine. Ignoring that route and heading straight into the chamber ahead led to ten zombies that were turned earlier.
Ambros promptly dusted half of them, while Tam turned the other half. The latter were then vanquished by other adventurers. The chamber had nothing of interest. By now Jacob has recovered from the ghoul's gentle caress and was able to point lantern without assistance.
Party continued west, reaching a corridor going north and south. They opted to explore the latter. This led them to iron-bound doors.
“Dung!”
Kenso found one thing Agathon the Promising was truly promising at: forcing stuck doors open. As the youngest son of a blacksmith, Agathon had an iron grip and massive, functional, muscles. The boy got the doors open.
Before them was a chamber twenty feet wide and forty feet long. It was illuminated by two torches burning in sconces along south and north walls. All the walls were painted black. Heavy crimson curtain hung along the west wall.
Adventurers entered and spread out. Beorg poked the curtain. It swung open, as if on a spring, revealed a hideous demonic face painted on the wall.
Several of adventurers, best left unnamed, shattered in the face of such evil. They fled the chamber, shaking uncontrollably.
But that was not all.
Ambros felt that something more was off. At the corner of his eye he spotted shadows dancing! He turned around just in time as two living shadows attempted to jump him. Then he turned them with his awesome presence.
The shadow attempted to flee but were halted by Dung the Wide standing at the sole entrance into the chamber. To boy's credit, he did not cower nor flee. Ambros acted fasted and Dispelled Evil, vanquishing the shadows.
“Something is off here. I sense it.” Ignaeus's elven senses were tingling. There was something hidden in the chamber!
Several of the fleeers attempted to muster enough willpower to enter the chamber. Witnessing the demonic face completely broke Tam, Thorinda, and Jacob, rendering them completely unable to be anywhere close to the chamber. They stood around the corner, “watching our back.”
“Here!”
Ignaeus had detected the secret doors on the east wall. It was a subtle sliding mechanism operated by pressing a concealed flagstone. The elf pushed it down and felt a prick. Poison coursed through his veins. He survived, but suffered greatly.
Wall slid open.
A naked, hunched human, reeking of death and decay crouched in the middle of a twenty by twenty chamber. Wild hair barely concealed his baleful gaze. The monster growled as Ambros held forth his Gold Gavel of Justice.
Adventurers' eyes grew big as they eyed three iron chests by the east wall. Above each an item hung: a longbow, a quiver of arrows, and a broadsword in jewelled scabbard.
The hateful dead retreated behind one of the chests. Ignaeus shoot it, but it only growled backed. Kenso stood at the entrance of the chamber, blocking it.
Without anywhere to go, the monster lunged forth, but was turned back again. Adventurers backed off, creating space for the monster to exit the treasure laden secret chamber. It did so.
Ambros summoned natural light through Continual Light, forcing the undead the flee. But Dung was still at his old post, straight in the way of the undead! Either too brave or too stupid to step aside, he faced the monster.
Vile monster lunged at Agathon, but young boy dodged just in time and avoided fate worse than death. From now on it was all chaotic.
Tam, Jacob, Thorinda, and Wilbalt fled north, back into the room where they fought ten zombies. There they ran into nineteen skeletons. Tam turned four. Remaining fifteen closed in and ripped into the four adventurers.
Ignaeus took out his broke Volmorin's scimitar, a magical sword. Which was now nothing but a hilt and small jagged edge. Kenso closed in, well aware that there is little he could do but act as a distraction.
Beorg ran into the treasure chamber, pulled the sword on the wall out of its scabbard, felt like it was the best blade ever that he should never let go of, and rushed to face the dead.
Tarkus held up his holy symbol, but undead had nowhere to flee but through Agathon. Ambros rushed to the secret chamber, hoping to find something that can be used to vanquish the beast.
Agathon, dodged, and parried, and ducked. He escaped death thrice. Will he be able to do so the fourth time?
Poster by Lord Jubalon Flux.
Discuss at Dragonsfoot forum.
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| Character | Race | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarkus the Promising | Human | Cleric level 5 | Follower of Bachontoi, God of Red Wisdom. |
| Beorg the Gravedigger | Human | Fighter level 5 | Inspired to adventure after burying several adventurers. |
| Thorinda Bung | Human | Monk level 2 | She has blonde hair done up in a tight pony tail and wears light, loose suit. |
| Jacob Vin | Human | Assassin level 1 | Slick black hair, inconspicuous dress, youthful for his age, and of keen instincts. |
| Kenso San | Human | Fighter level 4 | An arrogant and self-assured sellsword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. |
| Tam o' Shanter | Human | Cleric level 4 | A boisterous wine-lover of Losborst on a Great Crusade of the Grape. |
| Wilbalt Abendeurer | Human | Fighter level 1 | AA burly blonde barbarian; Warmund's younger brother and a better swordsman of the two. |
| Warmund Abendeurer | Human | Fighter level 1 | A burly blonde barbarian; Wilbalt's older brother and the stronger of the two. |
Fat stone lizard sat there, immovable. Its two large eyes—green gems—gazed upon woman prostrated beneath it, her belly exposed. Fire cackled in stone bowl.
Blood splattered the ground and walls as adventurers clashed with four vile creatures. Reptilian monsters excreted stench most foul and fought with wicked barbed spears.
Beorg hacked one with his halberd, while Kenso executed the other with two precise slices. Three more troglodytes joined the fray, rushing from the north.
At the same time, two burly blonde barbarians—Wilbalt and Warmund—arrived from the south.
“We are here to crush some skulls!”
Warmund, the bigger of the two, rushed to dame's rescue. He bowled his way through and stepped over her in order to fight. Ge was promptly stabbed and rendered unconscious.
Wilbalt, the younger of the two, was much more successful. He elected to ignore the scantily clad lady, and focused on crushing skulls instead. His focus paid of handsomely as he indeed crushed the skull of one troglodyte.
Kenso focused on the foul beast with glowing dagger. He splits its head in half, and then kicked the corpse away. Tam crushed another one.
Final monster suffered a humiliating death as Jacob slit holes in its back, and then pulled both of its kidneys through them.
“Just like they though me in the school for assassins!”
Adventurers heaved and retched from foul smelling corpses. They briefly scanned the room. Wilbalt took care of his brother, while Thorinda tended to the woman.
The woman introduced herself as Silugnia, Adept of Sinakad. She was captured when her adventuring party was vanquished by the troglodytes. Tam was suspicious of her and wanted to smash her. Thorinda said no.
Ignaeus noticed that something was off in the chamber—there ought to be secret doors or passageway somewhere. Taking a mental note of it, adventurers decided to proceed north, pushing through stuck doors.
Meme by Jan.
This led them to an empty chamber. Moving on they reached a turn and doors just before it. Bursting through faced them with four pig-faced orcs clad in chainmail and armed with scimitars.
With nowhere to run, the monster put up a desperate fight. Kenso was nearly hacked to death. Wilbur claimed first kill, followed by Tam. Tarkus soon followed, his hand guided true by Bachontoi. Jacob killed the last one, with a precise throat thrust with spear he had appropriated from the troglodytes.
Sweeping the chamber revealed fifty-eight golden pieces and little more of value.
“Hey, let's take their armour. It is quite difficult to get by chainmail in Ironburg...”
Indeed, the orcs were liberated of their armour quite rapidly.
Returning to the corridor, the party went north-east, reaching a T-junction. To the left were doors leading into a square chamber with broken through wall. Sounds of rushing water could be heard in the distance.
Straight ahead were doors and corridor turning further right. And slightly before the former was another T-shaped junction. At this moment adventurers decided to retreat to Ironburg. Two of them were badly injured, they had dazed Silugnia, and they were hauling a little bit of treasure.
Thus they backtracked, going back to the sacrificial room, then past the golden spider statuette, and straight into a band of ten zombies. Tarkus turned them without missing a beat. Adventurers decided not to pursue. Next was long chamber of the Ratmaster that was incinerated by Ignaeus, pass the doors with Arnulf's flayed face—”What an ugly fucker” Warmund muttered—and up the stairs leading to the first level.
From there they headed straight to the gnome chamber, and then north through double secret doors, then east into the many-doored chamber, through north-west doors, and then west, north, through illusory wall, and up the stairs.
Air was warm. Summer will be here soon. Night has already fallen by the time they left the ruins of Castle Yukanthur. They found a safe spot to rest some time after midnight. There they slept until evening. They reached Ironburg by nightfall.
A party of eight adventurers—Tarkus the Promising, Beorg the Gravedigger, Thorinda Bung, Jacob Vin, Kenso and his retainer Agathon the Promising, Tam, and Wilbalt—returned to the ruins.
Most of the goblin corpses have been picked clean to the bone. Those that did were liquefied, hosting thick, blubbery maggots as well as swollen flies. Beorg picked few of the nastiest maggots and put them in his pouch.
“How about we check the cave?” Tam suggested.
Just east of the castle, twenty feet below the ground level, was a cave entrance blocked by a large boulder. Weeks ago, when the adventurers had found freshly massacred goblins, they also found that they broke a hole through the boulder. At that time the hole was closed shut by dozens of goblins corpses jammed into it.
The hole was now mostly open. If one was willing to crawl through putrid, maggot-infested, and disease-ridden remains. Tam was the man.
He endured and crept through the hole. Smelly but alive he emerged into a spacious cavern. Shining the bullseye lantern to the right revealed two tunnels, one narrow and one wide. Shining it to the left revealed two adjoining caves. More goblin remains were in the cave. Tam could endure no more and he fled the cave.
“Let's go into the dungeon. That we know.”
Party followed by now well established route. Through the illusory wall, into the many-gated room, south-west, through square chamber with double secret doors, past the gnome statue chamber, and then follow the long corridor until the flail wielding statue.
There they ran into nineteen giant rats. Kenso the Ratkiller butchered eight, Beorg the Ratburrier skewered seven, and the rest were dispatched by others.
Party waded through the corpses and descended to second level. This time they turned left, into the unknown. This led them to a thirty by thirty chamber, bereft of anything worth noting except another exit. Following it led to a T-junction splitting north and west. The former connected to corridor leading to south-west entrance into the Ratmaster's lair. The latter led into the unknown.
From the unexplored darkness four ravenous ghoul came charging. They were promptly stopped by Tarkus's holiness. They cried and whimpered and fled for their unlife. Ten zombies pushed through, slumbering towards the party. As Tam turned them, another pack of ghouls came charging from the doors to the far west.
Zombies pivoted, fleeing the awesome divinity of Losborst's vicar. Ghouls, one the other hand, were unaffected. They tore through his defenses, rendering him stiff as a plank.
Kenso, Wilbalt, and Thorinda were now completely exposed. Jacob and Agathon were just behind them. Tarkus and Beorg, the mightiest and most powerful were at the rearguard. Will they have time to help, or will they witness their allies being eaten alive?
Poster by Lord Jubalon Flux.
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Before the dawn of man ...
... there was a covenant between the land and the sea people – a covenant long forgotten by those who stayed on shore, but indelibly etched in the minds of others – the dolphins of Altair.
Now the covenant had been broken. Dolphins were being wantonly sacrificed in the name of scientific research, their waters increasingly polluted, their number dangerously diminished. They had to find allies and strike back. Allies willing to sever their own earthly bonds for the sake of their sea brothers – willing, if necessary, to execute the destruction of the whole human race ...
Margaret St. Clair's novels Sign of the Labrys and The Shadow People are cited in the Dungeon Master's Guide “Appendix N: Inspirational and Educational Reading.” I've read the former couple of days ago, and enjoyed it quite much. It was also fascinating seeing how much of it read like an old-school dungeon delve.
When I researched the author, I read that the latter, The Shadow People, is part of loose trilogy comprised of The Dolphins of Altair (1967), The Shadow People (1969), and The Dancers of Noyo (1973). Since all three are relatively short (~200 pages each), I decided to simply read them in publishing order.
Mild spoilers ahead.
The story is presented from the perspective of a psionic dolphin historian. He narrates how the sea people—dolphins—used Udra (psychic powers, similar to psionics in OD&D) to find and collaborate with three splits—humans—to flood the world.
The writing is punchy, especially in the first half. Everything moves fast, and I enjoyed the implicit writing style. There is action, there is a little bit of mystery, and there are surprises and turns. Some of the hallucinations / visions are quite trippy, which I liked as well.
The Dolphins of Altair is not listed in the Appendix N, so I did not expect any D&D tropes. There is a lot of psionics, and some of the techniques are well described. Only 1-in-100 000 are receptive to it; there are mentions of ESP. If this was an OD&D module or setting it would be labelled as gonzo for sure.
At its core, The Dolphins of Altair is an ecological doomsday book infused with psychedelic and psionics. I found it to be quite a quick and enjoyable read, and am looking forward to discovering how exactly it relates to The Shadow People.
#Reading #Fantasy #ScienceFiction
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For years I've been seeing mentions of Margaret St. Clair's Sign of the Labrys and The Shadow People. Both appear in the “Appendix N: Inspirational and Educational Reading” of the Dungeon Master's Guide, and both are relatively obscure. I was always attracted to their covers, but was unable to just walk to the local library and borrow them.
Something had gotten into me yesterday, and I decided to hunt both down—in their ebook form. I am quite confident there was nothing special in the print version, besides beautiful covers that is, since they were plain small-sized paperback.
Few hours later, and I procured Sign of the Labrys (1963), The Dolphins of Altair (1967), The Shadow People (1969), and The Dancers of Noyo (1973) novels. According to St. Clair's Wikipedia page, the last three form some sort of loose trilogy. Their ebook covers are quite underwhelming so I downloaded the originals from the web instead.
I opened the Sign of the Labrys, “just to check it out,” read first few paragraphs, and realised I couldn't just put it down. I finished it in a couple of hours.
Mild spoilers ahead.
I greatly enjoyed the “implicit” writing style, atmosphere, and post-apocalyptic setting. Things are casually introduced without too much—or any—explanation, leaving it up to the reader to fill in the blanks.
The whole thing reads like an extended dungeon delve, with main character sometimes being alone, and sometimes allying with one or more individuals. Exploration is very focused on corridors, doors, chambers, and implied threat.
D&D tropes I noticed:
Perhaps I read it too quickly, but I do not remember any single character that fits the description of hairy monster featured on the cover.
The novel didn't feel dated at all. In fact, a plague that make peoples' lungs fill with liquid, resulting them in choking to death, sounded very contemporary.
All in all, Sign of the Labrys was quite an enjoyable read. It was fascinating witnessing what might have contributed to Gary's view on dungeons and dungeon delving. I am very much looking forward to reading The Shadow People too.
#Reading #AppendixN #Fantasy #ScienceFiction
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| Character | Race | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarkus the Promising | Human | Cleric level 5 | Follower of Bachontoi, God of Red Wisdom. |
| Beorg the Gravedigger | Human | Fighter level 5 | Inspired to adventure after burying several adventurers. |
| Ambros | Human | Cleric level 6 | Follower of Aniu, Lord of Time. |
| Ignaeus | Elf | Fighter level 4 / magic-user level 5 | A slightly weathered looking elf with dull blonde hair and chiseled features. Seeks wealth and knowledge. |
| Syd Grundy | Human | Ranger level 2 | Tall, middle aged and scruffy looking man of the wilderness. |
| Thorinda Bung | Human | Monk level 2 | She has blonde hair done up in a tight pony tail and wears light, loose suit. |
| Jacob Vin | Human | Assassin level 1 | Slick black hair, inconspicuous dress, youthful for his age, and of keen instincts. |
| Kenso San | Human | Fighter level 4 | An arrogant and self-assured sellsword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. |
| Tam o' Shanter | Human | Cleric level 4 | A boisterous wine-lover of Losborst on a Great Crusade of the Grape. |
“Close the doors, let's check the east ones instead.”
Adventurers had just spent hours in a circular chamber with a levitating fire and four doors—except that doors vanish once they are closed.
Ignaeus figured out the trick—one must approach the doors from the opposite side, walking through the flames—and he was now the true Doormaster.
The elf obliged and closed south doors. He then walked to the west side and crawled through the flames heading east. The doors appeared and did not dodge his opening attempt.
Before them was a short corridor, some forty feet, that turned right. The party moved forth, coming to a square chamber with a statue of an ugly, winged figure crouching atop of a stone pedestal.
“Haha, look, a gargoyle!” some of the adventurers laughed.
The statue opened its eyes, spread its wings, and bared its talons.
The statue was indeed a gargoyle.
It clawed and chewed on Kenso. Then it clawed and gored Beorg.
Adventurers' weapons did nothing to it.
So they did the next best thing.
Beorg, Tam, and Tarkus wrestled and grappled with the gargoyle.
Stone monstrosity cried out as it was brought down and pinned.
Ambros tried to burn it with the torch, but it hurt the creature not.
Then Ignaeus played shibari with it, while the brave trio kept it pinned.
Syd and Thorinda kept in the back, providing light from the furthest safe distance they could muster.
Ambros, never to be the one to miss out on good action, began canvassing the room for secret passages and doors. He begun with south-west corner.
Wall slid to the side, an a sea of giant rats fell into the chamber.
Rats swarmed the room. Beorg, Tam, and Tarkus let got of the tightly bound gargoyle, and began stomping. Crunch cracks echoed aplenty.
Gargoyle broke through the ropes, flew up, and escaped through the open secret passage.
Familiar husky voice spoke from the darkness, dripping with vitriol and contempt.
“I have traded rats for a gargoyle! Well, isn't that nice!”
Ignaeus cast Sleep, knocking out still intact giant rats, Tam, Thorinda, and Syd.
Insults could be heard no more.
Ignaeus instructed adventurers to wake up the sleepers and then fall back to the door leading into the circular chamber.
Then he walked up to the secret passageway and cast Fire Ball into the chamber before him.
Flames filled the volume of the large room, leaving the elf unscathed.
When everything calmed the party spilled in, weapons drawn.
At the far south side was a charred skeleton. The only thing that survived the Fire Ball was a melted sword inlaid with gems. Next to the charred remains were stone fragments, including a horn and an ear. Adventurers reasoned those must have belonged to the gargoyle.
Tam undid his pants in order to air his manhood. Then he proceeded to urinate on the blackened bones of the enemy.
“Come on, just one more door!”
Kenso pleaded with others as he put his ear against the south-west doors.
“No!”
But no came too late as the doors in front of Kenso swung open. Six confused pig-faced orcs stared at him. Neither side was surprised.
Ignaeus stepped in and slayed three, Beorg skewered one, Tam rushed in, dangling all around. Somehow he managed to miss. Orc, on the other hand, delivered a surgical strike, leaving Tam circumcised. While cleric sobbed other adventurers mopped up the survivors.
“Now, let's get out!”
They reached Ironburg by noon of Redleaves 1st, Airday.
Altanian sun still burned bright, as if winter were not just around the corner. Party of eight advanced to Castle Yukanthur.
Jacob Vin replaced Syd Grundy. The latter was badly wounded on recent expedition and must rest for at least two full weeks before adventuring again.
Specter of recent conversation haunted them all, but perhaps Ambros most of all. He was the one whom had commissioned Xaver, a cheerful dwarven junk trader residing in Ironburg, to travel to Hara and procure him a set of plate mail, two bastard swords, and few other pieces of gear.
Xaver was initially late, but did eventually return to Ironburg. He brought disconcerting news—chief among them that mentioning Ambros “opened doors” for him, and that he was able to get everything because of that.
Plate mail that he brought back was the ceremonial type that adventurers recovered more than a year ago from a tomb near Midway. They were the only ones with such armour. And the only remaining suites of it used to be stored in the vault beneath the adventurers' townhouse. Yes, same townhouse that first burned down to the ground, and was then flooded.
What that might mean was anyone's guess.
But that was then, and now was now—with adventurers descending into the ruins once more. Goblin corpses were still ever-present, albeit mostly consumed by carrion gobblers.
Party went straight down, to the first level. Past the warning statue, through the illusory wall, into the room with four doors, down the long corridor and into a large chamber, through two secret doors, past the shooting gnome statue, around the guardian with the morningstar, and down the stairs.
One the second level they turned right, through the doors upon which Arnulf's face was rotting away, then left where Tam left a piece of his skin, then right through doors yet unopened.
A square chamber, some thirty by thirty feet, with little to show for but a three-foot-tall pedestal in the center. Atop the pedestal was a gold statuette of a spider with glittering red gems for eyes.
Inspecting the statue revealed little information, for it had no inscriptions, writing, or symbols. Touching it triggered a horrific metamorphosis. Statuette shook and shivered as it molted and flaked away the gold. Long bristles emerged, and huge spider broke out.
It was promptly hacked by Thorinda, Beorg, Ignaeus, Kenso, and Jacob. The spider crumpled back into a gold statuette.
Adventurers touched it again. The process of metamorphosis repeated. This time Beorg, Thorinda, Tam, Ignaeus, and Ambros smashed it. Once more, the spider remains on top of the pedestal reformed into gold statuette.
“Wanna touch it for the third time?!”
“Maybe later.”
Party decided to proceed through north-west doors. This led them to an irregular corridor and another doors diagonally across. Going through they found yet another large square chamber. This one was completely bereft of anything. Another doors were at the far side, again diagonally across.
Breaking through led into a chamber that was not empty.
Fire crackled in a stone bowl resting in the center of the chamber. Besides it laid an unconscious woman. Above her crouched a monster most foul; beaked and spindly. It held a curved, glowing dagger high above, about to strike at the woman's exposed torso.
Behind it sat a stone statue of a lizard with two large green gems for eyes. Before them three similar beastmen laid prostrate. The chamber reeked of dried pus and vomit.
Adventurers charged in; monsters reciprocated.
Which side will emerge victorious?
Poster by Lord Jubalon Flux.
Discuss at Dragonsfoot forum.
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| Character | Race | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarkus the Promising | Human | Cleric level 5 | Follower of Bachontoi, God of Red Wisdom. |
| Beorg the Gravedigger | Human | Fighter level 5 | Inspired to adventure after burying several adventurers. |
| Ambros | Human | Cleric level 6 | Follower of Aniu, Lord of Time. |
| Ignaeus | Elf | Fighter level 4 / magic-user level 5 | A slightly weathered looking elf with dull blonde hair and chiseled features. Seeks wealth and knowledge. |
| Syd Grundy | Human | Ranger level 2 | Tall, middle aged and scruffy looking man of the wilderness. |
| Thorinda Bung | Human | Monk level 2 | She has blonde hair done up in a tight pony tail and wears light, loose suit. |
| Kenso San | Human | Fighter level 3 | An arrogant and self-assured sellsword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. |
| Tam o' Shanter | Human | Cleric level 4 | A boisterous wine-lover of Losborst on a Great Crusade of the Grape. |
A murder of crows blocked the sun above Castle Yukanthur, as they crowed and feasted on decomposing corpses littered throughout. Twelve feet tall mounds of goblinoid corpses—smashed, ripped, gutted—emitted horrible stench. Syd made his way around them, observing that castle portcullis have been bent out of shape. The corpses were most definitely of goblins. And they were everywhere.
Party of eight adventurers were back, intent on discovering great riches hiding beneath the castle. Ambros and Ignaeus were relieved to be rejoined by two experienced adventurers, namely Tarkus the Promising and Beorg the Gravedigger. They spotted something was off from quite afar, and bravely sent Syd the Ranger to scout ahead.
Upon hearing that it was naught but corpses, the party approached the dilapidated gatehouse. Cracks in the walls they used to go through were jammed with goblin remains. The only way in was through the bent portcullis.
“Hey, look!”
A trail of corpses and remains led to the cave opening—the one that was blocked by a large boulder. Broken pickaxes and shovels were mixed with goblin limbs, heads, and torsos. A whole in the boulder was filled with more corpses and remains, buzzing with flies and maggots.
“Uh, let's ignore this and go down the stairs.”
And so they did. The party entered the ruins through bent portcullis, and then descended down, past the statue uttering its warning. As they moved they brought Tarkus and Beorg up to speed, telling them about illusory walls, gnomish statues, and what not.
Following their hunch that there must be a shortcut through secret passageway, they investigated the chamber where they rescued the ungrateful hobbit. Indeed, they found secret doors in the south-east corner of the chamber, connecting to the chamber with dark walls, which was adjacent to the gnome statue chamber which shoots at peoples' backs.
But not only peoples', as attested by two goblin corpses with bolts in their backs. Adventurers moved further south, following the long corridor, past the statue with morningstar, and then down the stairs.
The corridor reeked of death. Nothing but dried blood and one ear was left of Idris. Turning right, adventurers approached the Ratmaster's chamber. A horrific sight greeted them—Arnulf's skinned face was pinned to the doors.
Adventurers sighed and turned right.
“I'll open the secret doors. Mind your step!” Ignaeus warned as he pressed on the flagstone. Portion of wall slid open, as did the trapdoor to his left. Party moved into the dark, long corridor.
“Look!”
A sword levitated in the air, surrounded by dozens of gold pieces.
“Attack!”
First exchange went shameful for the party full of experienced warriors. Kenso got slapped by acidic jelly. He retreated to be healed. Ignaeus cut into the cube, slashing it in half. Beorg then moped up the remains.
They were left with ooze covered sword, gold pieces, and a vial of liquid. All were cleaned and packed away. Then the party continued forward, following the long corridor until they reached a bend. Before them were two doors opposite each other, as well as a corridor stretching onwards into darkness.
Party fanned out—some listened at right doors, some at left, others watched guard on both sides. Nothing noteworthy was heard.
Ignaeus forced the left doors open.
A seven-headed hydra roared at him.
No one was surprised.
Ignaeus cast Web. Beorg charged in. Others opted to remain outside.
Great glob of webbing engulfed hydra's lower body. The Gravedigger approached, swinging his halberd. He slashed right through three of the heads. Hydra vanished in a puff of smoke.
“Ha!” Beorg declared victoriously.
Unsure what to make of it, several adventurers came into the chamber to investigate further. It was a sixty by thirty room, illuminated by four smoke-less torches in sconces. Syd, Thorinda, Kenso, and Tam remained outside, watching guard.
Syd gagged as he inhaled an offensive mix of dried vomit and rotten fish guts. The source in the form of six reptilian creatures armed with wicked barbed spears revealed themselves. Both sides clashed.
Adventurers were overcome with horrible stench, many heaving and retching, feeling weakened. Syd was repeatedly brutally stabbed. He succumbed to the assault. Monsters hooked him and pulled him.
Ignaeus cast Sleep, downing all six monstrosities, as well as Thorinda and Kenso. Beasts were promptly executed. Ambros healed Syd, but the ranger will forever carry the scar of feeling abandoned by more experienced and better armoured allies.
Everyone moved to the chamber formerly inhabited by the seven-headed hydra. Searching walls did not produce anything of interest. Forcing the west doors only led to another doors. Second doors led to a circular chamber with high domed ceiling. The chamber was thirty feet in diameter. There was an open flame, much like a large campfire, burning in the center. It was levitating a feet or so above the ground. Pure flame.
This chamber, my dear reader, perplexed the adventurers for the time it takes three torches to burn through.
From outside, the chamber had four doors, one at each cardinal direction. From inside, there was only one door—open door they came through. But once that doors were closed, another appeared, opposite of the entrance.
These new doors would avoid anyone whom tried to open them—they would slide to the side and up, way out of reach. When looking through the flame one could see all four doors.
Adventurers caressed all the walls, left no stone unturned (there we no stones in the chamber). They tried bathing in the fire, dancing in circle around the fire, first clockwise, then counter clockwise. Kenso kept yelling “I DISBELIEVE!!! NONE OF THIS IS REAL!!!” his voice echoing. Alas, the doors remained elusive.
Finally, Ignaeus walked to the side they came through. He looked through the flame, his eyes locked on the opposite doors. Then he went through the fire, walked up to the doors confidently, and opened them.
Adventurers now faced yet another dark, long corridor.
Will they keep playing with the flame or move on?
“Never Mind the Troglodytes Here's Thorinda” by Lord Jubalon Flux.
Discuss at Dragonsfoot forum.
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A zine chronicling the Conquering the Barbarian Altanis D&D campaign.
This issue details sessions 103, 104, and 105.
Fresh adventurers go on three different side adventures.
You can download the issue here.
Overlord's Annals zine is available as part of the Ever & Anon APA, issue 10:
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