Session 2: DM Update

Update: Group was surprised by a pack of Barghest attacking a young lady, they followed them into the local graveyard. They did battle against four skellies. After defeating them, an astral projection of an old friend from their home plane, a cleric by the name of  Malee. The players received info on a possible necromancer that could cause major problems for them. The next day, the players contacted the Captain of the Guard and new light was shed on Val's vision. A high ranking council member had an assassination attempt on her life, the archer's arrow missed her and hit the priest during her wedding of all places. A couple of side quests picked up to get a weapon forged and new robes purchased.

During the day you hear news about other goings on in the city. A company is building a new ship and looking to hire sailors. Postings going up for different odd jobs. The grand opening of the new museum is going to be held and all of the public is invited to look at the displays. The bardic group known as "The Pan's Pipers" will be performing.

During the last few sessions, our players have come across new information to help in their quest for an assassin and why exactly they were sent to this plane.

New developments

More questions seem to come up as new light is shed on her attacker, an unknown force seems to be feeding Val with visions of bits and pieces of when Julia was attacked seen through the eyes of the attacker to seeing flashes of a meeting between Julia and her advisers after yet another attempt at her life.

Strange symbols being written in the sand in old dragonic script and undead popping up in different places now are leaving some uneasy. Our own Vad even had an encounter with a hooded fellow outside the bar.

A new mystery pops up during another odd job Vad took on at the docks. Parragon Inc is showing off their new purchase of the ship named Desire. As our half gold dragon moved barrels onto the newly restored ship he accidentally found it not only full of veggies but short swords? Where are these weapons going? And more importantly why are they in a barrel with the squash?

A visit to the graveyard to retrieve a widows ring, gives way to a new party member. Seems group of goblins was hired to break into a mausoleum of a well known warrior and an unlucky Pally and his young recruit got jumped. Those green devils tied up the recruit and buried him under ground under the floor boards, taking the Pally with them.

Lucky for the Pally though, our heros went after the captured the "holy man". Again, coming back with interesting info, finding that the goblins had maps and charts of some of the buildings in town and of all things the sewer system.

First Session: Two Half Dragons Walk Into a Bar Part 2

Meanwhile with Vad...


As Vadagun walks towards the stairs he notices a man watching him. The stranger has a hood over his face partly and is smoking a cigar. A sweet smell of strawberries comes from the smoke.  Vad thinks to himself "What does this guy want?" and continues walking toward the man to head up the stairs. Upon seeing the man nod at him, he get's a puzzled look on his face, nods back. Vadagun then continues on up the stairs and to his room. Upon reaching the door, Vadagun pulls out the key, unlocks and opens the door, and walks in. Just a few feet inside the room, he takes off his shirt  and tosses it off into the corner of the room. Vadagun then glances back at the closed door and thinks "Hmmm, I'll go ahead and leave it unlocked in case the waitress shows up, that way she can let herself in." He then walks over to the bed, lays down and stares at the door, waiting for her to show up.

Vad  hears the footsteps come closer from down the hall and pause at the door way. The door slowly creeps open but strangely no light from the hall away creeps in. The footsteps start again this time at the end of the bed. A soft breathy voice whispers in his ear. "I will only warn you this one time, Mortal. The pleasures of the evening are not yours to give. You do not wish to anger The Lady of the Night."  Vad feels a hot tongue lick along his neck with a hissing sound.  The darkness slowly fades, and the light creeps back in the room is empty. Vadagun sits up, bringing his legs up enough to rest his arms on his knees, and begins to contemplate what just happened. "Hmm, It's something that I've done several times before, without anything like this happening. I mean I have 134 kids running around in random places, or at least the last time I counted it was 134.  Oh well at least it was all with no strings attached. None of them are my problem. Guess I should go see what Val is doing so we can meet back up with, what was her name again Faith?" Vadagun then gets up off the bed, and walks over to the corner where he threw his shirt. He then grabs his shirt, puts it on, and heads out the door locking it behind him. From there he walks down the hall to Val's door, and bangs on it with the side of his fist. Are you in there Val?" He then points down the hall in the direction of the stairs. "I think it's time we go help the fiery one."

And where we left Val...

Valerius had just closed his eyes for meditation when a vision of sorts come over him. Sounds of people talking fill the room and then an organ starts playing, and the sound of large group stand all at once. Val very quickly realizes he is watching this scene through the eyes of another who is high above the crowd of people. A bow is drawn in his hands, he can even feel the the tension of the  string drawn back. His breath holds a moment and the string is released, there are gasps. Who ever the target was the assassin is sorely angered that they missed and another was struck; a Priest nothing the less!! Suddenly Valerius is brought out of the trance, sweat pours from his brow and chest. Feeling someone's else's emotions leaves Val a little dizzy. An assassin?  Who was the target? And a Priest was hit by mistake? And who would send such a vision?

First Session: Two Half Dragons Walk Into a Bar Part 1

Vadagun looks over at Valerius with a slight smile "Finally a little excitement in this place." His head then begins to swivel as his eyes dart around around the room as if looking for someone. After a few seconds go by he slowly turns his head back to Valerius with a giant smirk on this face"Now where did that waitress go? You know priorities friend!"

Valerius nods his head in agreement, he was ready for a bit of fun. "Its about time we had ourselves a good time. I think that waitress ducked in to the back, I'll go find her and set up the deal. You head up to our rooms and make sure everything is ready.  I can get good price off this one."S
Vadagun got up from the table and headed to get prepared for the nights festivities

Val got up from the table with a sly grin on his face and walked toward the bar, as he passed the woman named Faith he placed a piece of parchment by her arm and walked to the back of the inn. On the paper he had wrote that he and his companion would deal with the man named Pete and his friends before dark watch starts that night but only after the took care of another business deal, and they would do it at a bargain price if she only wanted them roughed up a bit. 

Faith read the parchment and raised an eyebrow towards the man who left it. The hoodlums that disrespected her mother should be taught a lesson, but she wasn't so sure she wanted someone else doing her dirty work for her. Ordering another ale from the bar she waited for the man to return.


The waitress was busy back in the kitchen, filling orders for customers and making sure the cook was still well stocked. She hadn't noticed anyone had come in when the man (Valerius) came in from the front of the bar and was slightly startled when she turned and faced him. "Aye, sir? Can I help you?" she asked

Valerius stood before the young woman clad in plain brown robes with the cowl drawn up over his head that cast his face in shadow as he had since they entered town.There was a slight scent of rain about him that people noticed when he passed close to them."I have an offer for you.My companion that I travel with is looking for a bit of...shall we say entertainment” a small grin comes across his face “ My friend has taken a liking to you and wishes your company tonight. Now I am fine with this but I myself am a businessman and ask that a small price of say 1 silver for two nights, now I'm not saying you have to pay up front but just keep it in mind, he has away with people that most find irresistible. I believe you know our rooms, hope to see you there." He then turned and walked up to his room smiling to himself.


The waitress couldn't believe what she just heard. Standing stunned for a few moments as the man walked away. Shaking off the creepy feeling she just had, one of the other waitresses comes in from the front. "Who was that Minnie?"

 Tucking her blonde hair back be hide her ear, Minnie replied "I have no bloody idea, Sara. He came in here offering to have his friend show me a good time but that I'd have to pay for it?" shivering once more before adding "I don't think he's from Bianca's they were women only I thought, must be from some where else."

Sara patted her friend on the shoulder  "I'll tell Garrot to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't bother you anymore" 

Minnie took up the steaming hot bowls of stew she had been waiting on and went out the double doors, giving a smile to her friend. "Thanks, Sara,  you're the best. " 

Val notices another waitress exit from the kitchen carrying a tray of mugs out to the bar and stack them, she glances over at you, Val. She seems also to be talking to one of the patrons sitting near to her right. With a nod of their head, the stranger stands and exits the bar.)

Over hearing the conversation between the two women, he heads up to his room. "Its her loss then, most would love to be in the company of a half-gold dragon and well...me but now is not the time to reveal myself yet." he thought to himself. Once he reached his room, he opened the door but did not walk in right away, instead he reached into the sleeve of his robe and pulled out a crystal that was just fit in the palm of his hand and  glowed with a soft red light "Is it time for a fight yet huh huh huh? a voice similar to his own asked in his head. "No, not yet. I want you to keep watch of the top stairs and make sure that no one sees you. Let me know if either of the young waitresses comes up. I perhaps shouldn't have made the sales pitch so early but none the less there is a chance.  They have let someone know that may be a problem.  So be on the look out for the man she mentioned and let me know if he is coming up here."he instructed the small psi crystal, it sprouted little spidery cytoplasmic legs and scurried down his robes and positioned it's self near the top of the stairs to keep watch. Val walked in his room and shut the door. Sitting in the middle of the room on the floor and begun to meditate.

Tales From the Past - Lightsabers and other things

In the many stories I've been apart of this one always makes me laugh every time I think about it.

My best friend and I were in a D20 future campaign together. I was playing the rebel-hacker-mecha engineer chick and she was the proper big time officer in of this fleet of starships.

Somewhere in the story, my character was captured and taken aboard her ship. During one part of the game, we got into an argument over something and started fighting each other. Partly because of the late hour we never said any of the damage we were doing was non-lealth so our DM (her husband) said we killed each other.

Of course we both were like "WTF?", because of our fail we died before we even really started. We did what all women do. Pouted, whined, and finally got our way. :D Well, sorta, he said we didn't die but instead because of the way they brought us back to life our minds somehow got fused together. In other words, we shared each others thoughts. I'm not talking like, we could read each other's minds, no we could hear each other thoughts, everything.

It was annoying, and at times we had to roll a will save every so often so our characters wouldn't go insane. Needless to say, we never fought through our characters again.

Past Tales - Miself

She awoke from her journey and in her hand she held a large two-handed sword. Master Chen stood over her. "Did you find what you sought, young one?" 


The young warrior looked over the sword, puzzled she read the engraving on the blade just above the hilt  "Miself?" she questioned


"Ah child, this is the treasure only few find. One's self." the old man replied


"But I already knew who I was.." Maggie protested 


"Nay. If that were true you wouldn't have found it." Master Chen replied helping the warrior to her feet. "Come child." motioning for her to follow him. 

 I didn't even have the feat to wield a two-handed weapon without taking a huge penalty. I had made an archer who used only light blades. So after completing this epic dungeon, thinking all the while I was going to get a bow. My DM gave me a two-handed sword I couldn't use.  


 I was upset but to be honest I had it coming. During the campaign, I (the player) was being difficult (okay I was being a jerk) about my fellow party member taking on different aspects of a dragon. I had declared my character a hater of all dragons and sworn to slay them all. My counter part (who was playing a cleric) decided to mother a pair of dragon eggs we had found after finding their mother slain. Because they contained great magic and her care of them (and the DM allowing it) she started taking on different dragon traits one of them being a hunger for metals. Yes, she tried to eat part of the gold we had stored up. 


 In being difficult and refusing to see past my stubbornness, my DM took us on a mission to find as he put it "Great power". We were put into this dungeon with none of our gear. We managed to make crude weapons and how we were able to solve some of the puzzles I have no idea. 


 After all this, she got a cool dragon ability and I got a two-handed sword. When I questioned my DM, he basically said he could have just killed my character and made me start over. Instead he wanted me to, one stop being a jerk, and learn to adjust. It was okay for my character not to like dragons but my party member was someone my character was friends with (and also my best friend in real life) and to instead refuse to change my (or my character's) outlook to look past it that not all dragons were bad. My friend didn't turn "evil" because she was becoming a dragon. 


 So as it turned out, the sword wasn't a bad thing at all. Once I stopped being difficult the sword was actually really sweet. It turned out to be an enchanted intelligent sword that my character learned to throw and catch. Which came in handy, a lot. 


Just remember that sometimes your idea of how the story should be maybe different than what the DM is intending which is cool but don't forget to have fun. And if you do get the "Miself" treatment like I did, it doesn't  have to end badly. You can end up with something far more epic in the end. 

The Book

 (I am writing my first book and this is part of what I have so far completed. Constructive feedback is welcomed. It will be under the label "The Book" for references in the future)


  It all started with a scream. Now don’t misunderstand, not the scream of life or fright or surprise. But of complete and utter despair. The kind of scream which comes from the depths of ones soul.

She stood and watched everything unfold in slow motion. Standing fixed on, what in her mind, couldn’t possibility be happening. It just didn’t make sense. Logic was always her way of sorting things out. What was taking place just  
didn’t fit within any web of rational thought.
      
No one is alive one moment laughing, talking, breathing, and then dead the next. It simply does not occur. To even give into the notion that it could or even that it had taken place was completely absurd.
  

After about forty-one seconds and someone saying “He was a good man.” it hit. Even if all the numbers didn’t add together and the moon wasn’t in line with Mars. The cold hard reality had slapped her awake from the illusion she had been holding on to.
        

A month later...
     
 “It doesn’t matter.” She repeated for the millionth time. “Lady Faith...” He tried again “No!” She insisted, to her the matter was closed. No other power on earth could change her mind once it was made up.
  

There was no reason to continue on with the fantasy that things would go back to normal. Even as hard as it was to admit, the death of her father forced her into this position.
  

"Milady, reconsider. This is not something to be taken lightly, if your father were here.." the man persisted. She held her ground, slamming both hands on the desk "No, but I am here. It doesn't matter what the council has suggested. The choice is mine. The council has no say in this matter."
   

 She was partly right. The High Council had no control what she did with her father's estate. Except for the contracts already in place for the horses, but when those expire at the end of the year it would be up to her to decide if she wanted to renew.
   

 The man picked up his cloak that hung near the door. Shaking his head, he thought to himself, even as a child she was always just like her father. She did things as she pleased and be damned the rest.
   

 She stayed standing until she heard his horse ride away and sighed deeply falling heavily into the old leather chair behind her. Trying to run her father's business had been harder then she had thought. Never did she imagine so many would want to persuade her to sell. She expected the Council but some that stepped forward with their offers blew her away.
   

 She had letters from almost every business owner in town. Even the owner of the local pub had stopped her in the street saying he would "Take it off her hands." To which she had politely explained she would remove his hand permanently from his body if he didn't let go of her arm.
  

 "You died on purpose. To try and teach me responsibility." She said out loud to an empty room. "Another life lesson. How ironic." she sighed again and looked at the pile of orders she hadn't managed to put a dent in. Sitting up she began the task to sort through the orders, the endless unmanageable sea of orders.
    

 It was well after dark and the crickets had started their nightly song when she finally crawled into bed. She hadn't wanted to but her body betray her and demanded sleep. Her long auburn hair flooded the feather stuffed pillow as she stared at the ceiling of her room.
     

 Though her body was exhausted her mind kept going over the orders and the discussion she had with the Councilman's assistant. Not that she had been surprised the Council was interested in buying her father's..no HER business but the one whom they chose to send to make the offer.
    

  If it had been anyone else she wouldn't have questioned it. Everyone on the Council she knew and for the most part respected, well almost everyone. The exception had been sent to make her the offer. His assistant, yes but him none the less.
  

 Faith had a feeling that he had volunteered for the task. Couldn't confirm this of course, although finding out wouldn't be too difficult if she asked the right person. However, she wasn’t going to be bothered by it anymore, at least not tonight.
        

 She woke with a start as someone was banging hard on the door to her bedroom. Climbing out of bed “What in the bloody hell is it to wake me up at this hour of the night.?” Faith asked as she openned the door.
        

 “I’m so sorry Mi’Lady, but they insisted they see you.” The maid wearing her bathrobe answered.
        

 “Who?” She replied rather annoyed.
        

 “If this is how you greet me I’ll go” The voice said from the shadows of the hall.
   

 She felt her heart pause and then start again in an eruption of different emotions. Just the sound of their voice sent chills through. Pushing past the sleepy maid, she found herself in their arms holding on for dear life.

 “Hey” He whispered as his powerful arms wrapped around her. She was shaking so hard she wondered vaguely how he could keep a hold of her.
  

 “You’re dead.” She almost couldn’t say the words. “How can you be here? I saw what happened, Daddy.” She sobbed

  He just gripped her harder as she cried. “I need you to be strong for me.” She looked up at him. His eyes were sad as he scanned her face for a long moment before saying. “It was my time, sweetheart.”
   

 “Please, please Daddy don’t leave me. I can’t do this. I need you with me.” She pleaded, gripping his suit jacket with both hands.
     

 “I wish I could.” He whispered as he faded away in her hands. “No!” Faith yelled choking back her tears and trying desperately to hold on to him.
   

 She woke up on the floor of her room with a death grip on her pillow. The morning sun peering through her window. “It was all a dream.” The tears started again and the pain hit her all over again. It felt as if someone had taken her heart and set it on fire. The hurt returned like it had earlier in the day.
        

 It was the last day of the week. She hurriedly went through all the morning chores eagerly awaiting what came that afternoon. As the clock struck three, she raced down the hall and out the kitchen doors towards the barn, but something wasn't right.
  

 Her horse wasn't saddled and waiting for her at the post. The stable doors were closed. It hit her all at once, like someone poured out all her happiness on the ground infront of her.
  

 There wasn't going to be anymore rides out to their favorite fishing spot. All the trips to town just to get peppermint candy from the general store was a thing of the past.
   

 She didn't shed a tear as she slowly walked back to the house. No one spoke a word as she wondered back into her office and shut the door.
   

 The next few days went on as smoothly as she could have hoped. The orders were steady and the business was doing well. She started spending more and more time away from the manor.
  

 Some took it as being dedicated to her work, but it was more than just the work keeping her away. Home, if she could call it that anymore was just a place to sleep to her . There was no home now.
    

  Rain poured out from the sky and made the day seem to drag on longer than it should. The scratching of her pen was the only other sound that echoed off the walls of the small office she kept in town. Interupting the silence was the unexpected knock at her door "Enter" Faith said without looking up from her work.
  

"I had thought I would find you here. " an all too fimilar voice broke through the silence.

 She didn't realize what had happened until after it had already taken place, but there was her paper weight being thrown across the room and a disappointing thud when it connected with the wall missing the intended target.

 Dodging the evil paper weight, he managed to ask with an amused grin 

 "I knew you'd be happy to see me."
  

"Get out!" she said coldly "Go back to the hole you crawled out of.." nearly yelling as she searched for something else to throw.
  

"Look, I understand you have this unatural disliking for me. "

"Dislike? Oh, dear man it runs MUCH deeper than dislike.."
        

 "Now, Faith you don't mean that.." He said taking a brave step towards her, both of his hands up
  

 Sighing deeply, she didn't want to have to deal with him any longer than she had to "Two minutes." sitting down in her chair
        

"Good." Lucas sat down in the leather chair infront of her. " I want to first say that I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your father. He was a good man."
  

That word again, was, she brushed it off and nodded as she had all the times someone meantioned her loss. "Thank you, I hope it isn't all you had to say to me because this whole meeting could have been avoided with a simple card, but please continue. "

"I work for the council now as a messenger. " He said as though she should be impressed, ingnoring her comment "I decided a real job was better than any of my other schemes."

Nodding again, "They are scrapping the barrel if this is the only help they can get." she thought
   

He sat there for a moment, waiting to see if she respond, and when she didn't he continued. "I also came to bring you this message from the coucil." Handing her a note from his bag.

"They wish your presence at the meeting. Since you are the heir to your father's chair, they need to publicly accept the position or decline it. Of course you know if you decline, his chair is up for council vote to the next junior member. The note is a formal invite to present when you arrive. " He said trying to sound official.
  

 It wasn't that she hadn't excepted the invite, she had been dreding it. The coucil was important to her father, she knew this and she knew it had been his dream for her to take over for him. "Wonderful, I suppose I should have to knock three times on the door and give some kind of password." she said scasticly

"Actually, since you've accepted the invite. Another letter will be coming with a password.."
  
"You've got to be kidding."
 
 He shook his head.

 Faith gently rubs her eye lids, "Very well. Let the coucil know I accept their invitation." She looks back up at him. "Now, you've had more than your two minutes. Get out."

"I thought we could catch up on old times." She raised her head sharpy and shot daggers at him with her glaze , but he spoke again more boldly "Have dinner with me, I'm staying at the hotel until tomorrow." He said leaning forward just a bit in his chair.
  
 "Get out, Lucas." she said again, trying to hold the growl in her voice.
 
 "But I ..."
  
"Get out!" she said raising her voice. "I don't want to remember the 'good old days' with someone I wish to stab repeatedly. You've done you're job. I won't ask you again."
  
"Very well. If you change your mind I'm at the hotel up the street. You know the one.."
  
She started to get up.

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving." Nearly leaping out of his chair, with a grin on his face. Lucas hurried out the door.

  Another heavy sigh escaped her, muttering to herself about getting a lock for her door, and sank back into her chair.

  Faith stared at the invitation laying on her desk from her reclined postion in her chair. As many times as she told herself the coucil wasn't important to her, she couldn't deny it had been important to her father. And though she hated to admit it, the horses did sell partly on the fact that they were used by King's Council for their army.

Past Tales: Ordered the Chicken

 One of the top funniest moments we had during a game session was late one night. My fellow party member and myself had tracked a wizard to a large tavern. We both hadn't ate anything so we settled down in the dinning area with a good view of the upstairs entry way where the wizard and his traveling buddy were staying. We were pretty sure he had information about an attack that was being planned on one of the major cities we were protecting.

 My traveling companion, being a halfling, thought she could climb up into the dumbwaiter shaft and spy on him. As small as she was it didn't take much to meet the hide checks going into the kitchen area to where the dumbwaiters were. Getting lucky, she managed to find the one that (she hoped) connected to his room.


 Dusty and dirty she peered through the crack in the little door. The wizard wasn't there and the room was empty. Thinking she had just missed him, she suddenly heard a soft squeak above her. Before she knew it, she was greeted by a pointed nose and two red eyes staring directly at her.(The wizard had a rat as a familiar, which we had spotted earlier that day riding on his shoulder.)  Knowing that she had been "ratted out" she made her way down the dumbwaiter and made the trek back to the table where I was still sitting. 


Out of breath and still dusty, she said " The rat squealed on me." Deciding to finally order food, we settled down to eat when my friend felt something near her foot. Landing a perfect natural 20 she managed to step on the rat's tail trapping him under our table. 

Grinning from ear to ear she continued on eating making sure the rat wasn't escaping. A few minutes later, the wizard humbly comes to our table and after clearing his throat he said "I believe you have my rat."


And my friend smiles ever so slightly and replies "No, I ordered the chicken."