Date: ??? Location: ????
Once the swirling mists abated, Rolf Wolfsblood poked his head out the front door of the brothel. The dirty streets of Hydincall were gone, replace with rows of tall crops as far as the eye could see. It looked like some sort of grain, yet the stalks were a peculiar midnight blue, shining against the sun. :
"Wait, are there two moons in the sky??? KANNNNEXXXX!!!!" - Rolf
From the Journal of Kannex of Cymril, Tanasian Wizard, translated from High Talislan...
16th of Ardan 150 N.A. - Outskirts of the City-State of Cymril, The Seven Kingdoms
I've done it! Thanks to my oscillating Heka on the world known as "Crow Sad Eyes," I've actually been able to funnel my power into an inter dimensional gate spell with half the effort. Or so I believed. What I though would be a simple effect taking me and my possessions within the ritual circle back home has transported the entire Hostel for Wayward Women I was residing into a farmer's field outside of Cymril. Lucky for us, it appears to be far enough outside the city limits to avoid the Tarkus-mounted Thrall patrols. News of a strange building full of humans and an new alien race known as an "Alf" would attract the magicians and windships would be instantly upon us.
I emerged from my ritual trance to the sounds of the sub-man Rolf Wolfsblood, screaming my name. It's no surprise that magically-backward being was the first to panic, even before the wayward women. By the time I descended into the barroom, the mystic Kane was already calming him, so I directed my attention to the Alf Guide, Ashe and his oversexed companion, Maloran. I explained to them my magical miscalculations, how we all were residing in my home world of Talislanta, and advised them how dangerous the world might be for everyone in the building. I would be dedicated to returning them back home, but due to the differing Heka energies of the realms, I would require much more time and assistance in conducting the reversing ritual. I pledged their protection as paramount, so pooling our coins together for long-term provisions, bribes to the farmer to keep things quiet, and some armed mercenaries to ensure it stayed that way.
40th of Ardan 150 N.A. - Outskirts of the City-State of Cymril, The Seven Kingdoms
Kannex purchased supplies and security, with unintended consequences. The mercenaries, a variety of warriors living within the Seven Kingdoms, took their job of protecting the brothel very serious, but were not secretive in anyway of the foreign pale-skinned concubines when speaking with their associates in Cymril and beyond. Soon, Maloran's cousin, Duane, was back in business, courting the pleasures of the locals,
Kannex brought in his sister, Loorina, and cousin, Esdath, to the brothel to teach everyone the customs of the land. Duane's girls learned to speak and write Low Talislan, as that would be the language of their client, while the party (including Babette and Maloran's cousin, Duane) learned Low and High Talislan. Kannex was researching the gate/teleportation spell to get everyone home, and his Tanasian people not always welcome in the parts of Cymril he needed to visit, his work was very clandestine and very slow.
2nd of Phandir 150 N.A. - City-State of Cymril, The Seven Kingdoms
Almost five months of time passed and the party was adept enough as the language and customs that Kannex had let them travel the the green glass city of Cymril. If Hydincall had overwhelmed the party, Cymril blew their minds. Dozens of races walked the streets, countless exotic plants, salves, creatures, and magic items filled the bazaars, and windship hovered above the buildings in ways that baffled the entire team.
On the second of Phandir, Kannex set them out alone on a specific mission, during Cyrmil's famous Magic Fair. With the influx of even stranger races for the festival, their pale skin wouldn't seem so it would not seem strange for a group of bumbling foreigners to look for a Kasmirin Trap-Smith and merchant by the name of Abn Qua. But first a little exploration of the fair was in order.
The group carefully tried to avoid pickpockets and thieves while imbibing every alcoholic creation this new world had to offer. The food tended to be less forgiving than the brews, as many many delicacies were had harsh ingredients. Spices aside, the idea of a barbberry muffin still containing the barbs perplexed Kane as his tongue swelled twice its size.
Amid the tents and outbuildings was a makeshift arena of logs, offering tournaments in martial combat, archery, and magical prowess. Rolf and Ashe signed up for martial combat and both breezed through the first round. In the second round, Ashe was easily bested by a Danuvian Swordswoman, while Rolf encountered a mentally disturbed Cymrilian Swordsmage that manged to crack the barbarian's sword in half, automatically winning.
"I'm relieved that I did not use my prized Sun-Sword in combat. While it's superior quality may have survived the trained blow, it will be far more useful to cleave the heads of those who prevent us from returning home." - Rolf
With minor winnings for reaching the second round, everyone agreed to shop to the weapons merchants. Kane picked up a beautifully carved quarterstaff, Ashe a sturdy shortbow, and Rolf coveted a used Greatsword, a weapon commonly used by the heavily tattooed Thrall people. His Sun-Sword would still be his primary weapon. The Greatsword was significantly heavier than the his old sword, but it almost felt magically balanced.
Their initial curiosity finally satiated, they finally set out to meet the person Kannex arranged to help them get home, Abn Qua.
Weaving through the throngs, they asked, bribed, and cajoled a number of people to get a location on Qua. After the fourth or fifth person, the noticed a strange furry creature that was obviously tailing them.
The creature didn't immediately notice the heroes advancing, but after a few moments, it caught wind of the situation and clumsily stumbled through the crowd. The party kept tabs on the furry rodent man until he got himself cornered around three tents. It turned around and a disgusting mist emanated from its hind end, Rolf and Babette taking the blinding brunt of it.
The creature crawled under a tent, but Ashe and Kane dove after it and captured him inside.
A gnarled old man in desert garb started clapping from a corner of the tent.
"Ferrex is an excellent tail for a Ferran and you noticed him only a few moments into his assignment. You are either very skilled or very lucky. If you are here to help Kannex, you will need to be both. I am Abn Qua."
Upon cleaning up, he explained that he needed them to travel past Cymril to discover why a Thrall's amulet ended up getting sold in market from distant merchants.
"Sounds rather insignificant to me, but if it gets us closer to getting home so be it." - Rolf
DM Notes: Here, my friends, is the the start of the campaign's "Summer session." Certain players have been magically teleported back to Kannex's home world of Talislanta. Kannex doesn't have the best reputation with the Cymrillian magic community, so the research and reagents needed to send them home would be earned by a series of jobs.
Character conversion to OMNI was pretty easy. The Talislanta +/- stat system lines up with the old bonuses/penalties from basic D&D. Thrown in level bonuses and everyone had respectable Combat Ratings.
Fun fact, as I ply through the Talislanta journal. I added the reference to Rolf's Sun-Sword, as it is mentioned in later episodes.
While I've tried to list significatn magic items the characters acquire, after 18 years, it's by no means perfect. I don't remember doling out an actual Sunsword, but it could have happened... or it could be a sword with a Continual Light spell cast on it... or a magical +1 sword with the spell. Future episodes will bring up an attachment to the sword, so it is a prized possession.
Although those Thrall greatswords kick ass.
NEXT #17 - The Scent of the Beast
Once the swirling mists abated, Rolf Wolfsblood poked his head out the front door of the brothel. The dirty streets of Hydincall were gone, replace with rows of tall crops as far as the eye could see. It looked like some sort of grain, yet the stalks were a peculiar midnight blue, shining against the sun. :
"Wait, are there two moons in the sky??? KANNNNEXXXX!!!!" - Rolf
From the Journal of Kannex of Cymril, Tanasian Wizard, translated from High Talislan...
16th of Ardan 150 N.A. - Outskirts of the City-State of Cymril, The Seven Kingdoms
I've done it! Thanks to my oscillating Heka on the world known as "Crow Sad Eyes," I've actually been able to funnel my power into an inter dimensional gate spell with half the effort. Or so I believed. What I though would be a simple effect taking me and my possessions within the ritual circle back home has transported the entire Hostel for Wayward Women I was residing into a farmer's field outside of Cymril. Lucky for us, it appears to be far enough outside the city limits to avoid the Tarkus-mounted Thrall patrols. News of a strange building full of humans and an new alien race known as an "Alf" would attract the magicians and windships would be instantly upon us.
I emerged from my ritual trance to the sounds of the sub-man Rolf Wolfsblood, screaming my name. It's no surprise that magically-backward being was the first to panic, even before the wayward women. By the time I descended into the barroom, the mystic Kane was already calming him, so I directed my attention to the Alf Guide, Ashe and his oversexed companion, Maloran. I explained to them my magical miscalculations, how we all were residing in my home world of Talislanta, and advised them how dangerous the world might be for everyone in the building. I would be dedicated to returning them back home, but due to the differing Heka energies of the realms, I would require much more time and assistance in conducting the reversing ritual. I pledged their protection as paramount, so pooling our coins together for long-term provisions, bribes to the farmer to keep things quiet, and some armed mercenaries to ensure it stayed that way.
40th of Ardan 150 N.A. - Outskirts of the City-State of Cymril, The Seven Kingdoms
Kannex purchased supplies and security, with unintended consequences. The mercenaries, a variety of warriors living within the Seven Kingdoms, took their job of protecting the brothel very serious, but were not secretive in anyway of the foreign pale-skinned concubines when speaking with their associates in Cymril and beyond. Soon, Maloran's cousin, Duane, was back in business, courting the pleasures of the locals,
Kannex brought in his sister, Loorina, and cousin, Esdath, to the brothel to teach everyone the customs of the land. Duane's girls learned to speak and write Low Talislan, as that would be the language of their client, while the party (including Babette and Maloran's cousin, Duane) learned Low and High Talislan. Kannex was researching the gate/teleportation spell to get everyone home, and his Tanasian people not always welcome in the parts of Cymril he needed to visit, his work was very clandestine and very slow.
2nd of Phandir 150 N.A. - City-State of Cymril, The Seven Kingdoms
Almost five months of time passed and the party was adept enough as the language and customs that Kannex had let them travel the the green glass city of Cymril. If Hydincall had overwhelmed the party, Cymril blew their minds. Dozens of races walked the streets, countless exotic plants, salves, creatures, and magic items filled the bazaars, and windship hovered above the buildings in ways that baffled the entire team.
On the second of Phandir, Kannex set them out alone on a specific mission, during Cyrmil's famous Magic Fair. With the influx of even stranger races for the festival, their pale skin wouldn't seem so it would not seem strange for a group of bumbling foreigners to look for a Kasmirin Trap-Smith and merchant by the name of Abn Qua. But first a little exploration of the fair was in order.
The group carefully tried to avoid pickpockets and thieves while imbibing every alcoholic creation this new world had to offer. The food tended to be less forgiving than the brews, as many many delicacies were had harsh ingredients. Spices aside, the idea of a barbberry muffin still containing the barbs perplexed Kane as his tongue swelled twice its size.
Amid the tents and outbuildings was a makeshift arena of logs, offering tournaments in martial combat, archery, and magical prowess. Rolf and Ashe signed up for martial combat and both breezed through the first round. In the second round, Ashe was easily bested by a Danuvian Swordswoman, while Rolf encountered a mentally disturbed Cymrilian Swordsmage that manged to crack the barbarian's sword in half, automatically winning.
"I'm relieved that I did not use my prized Sun-Sword in combat. While it's superior quality may have survived the trained blow, it will be far more useful to cleave the heads of those who prevent us from returning home." - Rolf
With minor winnings for reaching the second round, everyone agreed to shop to the weapons merchants. Kane picked up a beautifully carved quarterstaff, Ashe a sturdy shortbow, and Rolf coveted a used Greatsword, a weapon commonly used by the heavily tattooed Thrall people. His Sun-Sword would still be his primary weapon. The Greatsword was significantly heavier than the his old sword, but it almost felt magically balanced.
Their initial curiosity finally satiated, they finally set out to meet the person Kannex arranged to help them get home, Abn Qua.
Weaving through the throngs, they asked, bribed, and cajoled a number of people to get a location on Qua. After the fourth or fifth person, the noticed a strange furry creature that was obviously tailing them.
The creature didn't immediately notice the heroes advancing, but after a few moments, it caught wind of the situation and clumsily stumbled through the crowd. The party kept tabs on the furry rodent man until he got himself cornered around three tents. It turned around and a disgusting mist emanated from its hind end, Rolf and Babette taking the blinding brunt of it.
The creature crawled under a tent, but Ashe and Kane dove after it and captured him inside.
A gnarled old man in desert garb started clapping from a corner of the tent.
"Ferrex is an excellent tail for a Ferran and you noticed him only a few moments into his assignment. You are either very skilled or very lucky. If you are here to help Kannex, you will need to be both. I am Abn Qua."
Upon cleaning up, he explained that he needed them to travel past Cymril to discover why a Thrall's amulet ended up getting sold in market from distant merchants.
"Sounds rather insignificant to me, but if it gets us closer to getting home so be it." - Rolf
DM Notes: Here, my friends, is the the start of the campaign's "Summer session." Certain players have been magically teleported back to Kannex's home world of Talislanta. Kannex doesn't have the best reputation with the Cymrillian magic community, so the research and reagents needed to send them home would be earned by a series of jobs.
Fun fact, as I ply through the Talislanta journal. I added the reference to Rolf's Sun-Sword, as it is mentioned in later episodes.
While I've tried to list significatn magic items the characters acquire, after 18 years, it's by no means perfect. I don't remember doling out an actual Sunsword, but it could have happened... or it could be a sword with a Continual Light spell cast on it... or a magical +1 sword with the spell. Future episodes will bring up an attachment to the sword, so it is a prized possession.
Although those Thrall greatswords kick ass.
NEXT #17 - The Scent of the Beast
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