Arriving back at the brothel with magic purifiers, random texts, and a dwarf named Norm, the party kicked back and relaxed without their resident mage. Norm took over Kannex's room, as it was discovered that the authorities didn't care about a peculiar whorehouse in the middle of a farmer's field, but with the numerous conspiracies involving Tanasian Wizards, Kannex's research raised considerable eyebrows. Our cast of characters stuck on the world of Talislanta:
Kannex - Tanasian Wizard trying to get an entire building transported back to its proper dimension. Currently in hiding.
Alexi - Sarista gypsy native to Talislanta.
Darius - NPC - Sarista gypsy and agent of Abn Qua. Going by the alias of "Yuri"
Kane - Monk of eastern mysticism with an odd elemental control of water.
Babette - Urban street thief swept up with the party when they teleported to Talislanta.
Ashe - Elven Ranger, still fighting a bout of Talislanta Pox.
Rolf Wolfsblood: Bald-headed barbarian from the Plains of Galmar.
Norm Dingleberry - Failed mushroom farming dwarf but surprisingly adept at windship piloting. Arrived separately to Talislanta, by unknown means. Can not speak Trade Common from his world, or Talislanta, just Dwarven.
19th of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
Things had returned to hurry up and wait mode for the mission, as communications with Kannex became even more sporadic than before.
Upon a routine "patrol" around the farm the brothel had appeared in, Kane, Ashe, and Norm skirted the woods, the humans on foot, Norm riding his pony, Mytomek. There wasn't much conversation between the mystic, a half-sick elf with "Talislanta Pox" trying to get some air, and a dumb dwarf whose mastery of Low Talislan and Trade Common was a list of words that make schoolchildren blush.
However, today, Norm spied something shiny in a creek running parallel with their path. He dismounted Mytomek, gestured to the other to follow him and searched the creek. While his companions watched in cofusion, the dwarf splashed through the cold winter water to find... a long lost silver piece. He climbed out of the water, and halfway up the creek bank to present his treasure.
"Sonavuab..!!! *WHAM*"
Norm completely forgot his place on the creek and had come up right behind his pony. His steed promptly kicked him in the head out of fear, knocking the dwarf unconscious and sending him flying back into the water. Kane and Ashe did their best to save him and get him back to the brothel post-haste.
Despite their best healing efforts, Norm remained unconscious. Lucky for him, his helm (and pilot's cap and goggles obtained in the previous adventure that was stretched over it) was quite dented. Without it, Norm may have died.
23th of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
With the group settled in for their normal group breakfast with the ladies of the house, A smiling dwarf came down the stairs and said, "BONJOUR EVERYONE! I LOVE LE BREAKFAST!" in a bombastic and outrageous French accent.
Everyone just stared at Norm with their mouths agape. This was the first time Norm had been awake since the accident, and neither his accent, nor his command of Trade Common was usual.
Kane checked out the dwarf again and found nothing wrong with him, save a lump on the head that was quickly healing.
The dwarf was quite jovial, singing songs and dancing with the ladies. He also inadvertently knocked open Babette's door, displaying the thief and the Sarista gypsy Darius in the midst of mid-morning delight. Somehow, within a house with two dozen people in it, this pair had managed to hide a pretty hot and heavy affair...
33rd of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
A courier for Kannex finally arrived at the brothel. Another necessary item was uncovered and the party needed to travel to the southern jungles to obtain a rare purple flower. Unfortunately, another wave of "Talislanta Pox" had spread through the building and only Rolf and Norm were healthy enough to adventure.
35th of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
The Jade Arcana arrived above brothel, and the barbarian and dwarf boarded from the roof. The journey would be relatively short, but the captain alerted them of one problem: The area the rare prismatic lotus grew in was not accessible by windship. They would need to rappel down into the jungle and climb back up 40-50 feet when they found the it. Over the next three days, the captain and crew worked with them to teach them the ins an outs or rope use so the operation could continue.
38th of Zar, N.A. 150 Kingdom of Taz
The windship flew into a very hot place, hovered over a tall rainforest, and Norm and Rolf climbed down the ropes. Norm had become quite adept at working the ropes, but Norm's gigantic stature complicated his descent, and he got loose and fell from twenty feet onto the soft jungle floor.
They immediately were hunted by a pack of flying apes who harassed the windship so much that the Jade Arcana left for the sake of the crew and ship. Now abandoned for an unknown period of time, our heroes waited for the apes to return, and promptly killed them without mercy.
The jungle was an unforgiving place, with herds of violent beasts forcing Rolf and Norm to climb a few trees and stay fleet of foot. Norm attempted to catch something in a trap, but after Rolf found him missing for more than an hour, he went out and found the dwarf wrapped up in his own trap.
Rolf: "Thank Galmar the little man is decent with an axe... I hope he prays that continues."
39th of Zar, N.A. 150 Kingdom of Taz
In the morning Rolf awoke to the sound of small children screaming. He dragged Norm out of deep sleep and the two dashed to a small nearby lake. Small, pale, loincloth-clad children were being eaten by some strange eggplant-shaped creatures with tentacles and sharp teeth. Norm was terrified, Rolf immediately ran to the back of of the creature to attack.
Norm: "He must love children!"
He stabbed the monster once before a tentacle grabbed him, forcing him to drop his Sun-Sword. He used his dagger, but it ate it right out of his hand. Rolf ended up punching the tentacle enough to break free. Norm tried to usher the kids away from the water, but most seemed more shocked by the bearded man. Some ran back into the monster's clutches!
Rolf ended up pulling out the greatsword he had picked up months before in the Cymril marketplace. It was a long fight, but the added weight of the greatsword was enough to not only wound the beast, but eventually kill it.
He reached into the water, recovered his sun-sword and walked out of the water towards the dwarf. The sound of trumpets filled the air.
A company of well-armed Thralls emerged out of the jungle. The Thralls were one of the major races of the Seven Kingdoms. A race that was magically engineered by sorcerers long ago to be a warrior slaves, but the sorcerers' destruction allowed them to become their own culture. Virtually identical at birth, the distinguished themselves with an elaborate series of tattoos on their entire body. Most Thralls could know another Thrall's history simply by reading their tattoos.
The Thralls took Rolf and Norm prisoner. They marched them to their village and separated them.
45th of Zar, N.A. 150 Kingdom of Taz
For many days, Rolf was kept in a rather comfortable hut, under constant guard of five of the Thrall warriors. Eventually he was given his freedom and reunited with Rolf, however, there was something wrong with the barbarian. He had a constant satisfied grin across his face, and he would occasionally give a hearty laugh when talking with the Thrall. It might have had something to do with the new tattoo he had received on his face, stretching between his left eye and ear. It looked very similar to those of the Thrall.
Rolf: "Norm, These are good, noble people. They will give you the flower for Kannex, then escort us back to the spot to meet the Jade Arcana."
48th of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
The duo arrived back to an empty brothel. They were informed that the another component was found and the rest of the party had gone off to get it.
Norm was happy for the rest, but he was worried about Rolf. The barbarian had spent the entire journey back staring towards the Jungles of Taz until they disappeared over the horizon, and kept staring to the south after that, grasping his greatsword, the true weapon of the Thrall, with a nervous energy.
DM Notes: As I continue to cobble together these scant notes about Talislanta, certain vital pieces of information, like when Norm got knocked in the head and started speaking Common with a crazy French accent, were never mentioned in the journal. It took some emails and some gnashing of teeth to corroborate everyone's recollections, but I feel I did this big event the justice it deserves.
I always use 4d6, removing the lowest die, for character creation, and characters like Norm are a possibility in each campaign. I wasn't ready for a non-human with a Int low enough to prevent him from speaking Common, so I may have taken some heavy-handed plot control to keep things going for a character who was otherwise playable. He already appeared on the world by unknown means (although in his new accent, he would insist that a farmer with a long scarf let him use his privy that was painted blue and *poof* he was in Talislanta. The knock to head certainly didn't knock any sense into him.
The encounter with the Thrall was a turning point for Rolf. Meeting a group of warriors that were the same stature as him, with the same dedication to the martial studies gave Rolf an immediate attachment to them. It certainly helped his side of the relationship that he single-handedly save the village youngsters from a beast though long-extinct. Pretty obvious foreshadowing, but Rolf was given an open invitation to return to that village, and that will weigh on his mind.
NEXT #23 - The Harbinger of Darkness
Kannex - Tanasian Wizard trying to get an entire building transported back to its proper dimension. Currently in hiding.
Alexi - Sarista gypsy native to Talislanta.
Darius - NPC - Sarista gypsy and agent of Abn Qua. Going by the alias of "Yuri"
Kane - Monk of eastern mysticism with an odd elemental control of water.
Babette - Urban street thief swept up with the party when they teleported to Talislanta.
Ashe - Elven Ranger, still fighting a bout of Talislanta Pox.
Rolf Wolfsblood: Bald-headed barbarian from the Plains of Galmar.
Norm Dingleberry - Failed mushroom farming dwarf but surprisingly adept at windship piloting. Arrived separately to Talislanta, by unknown means. Can not speak Trade Common from his world, or Talislanta, just Dwarven.
19th of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
Things had returned to hurry up and wait mode for the mission, as communications with Kannex became even more sporadic than before.
Upon a routine "patrol" around the farm the brothel had appeared in, Kane, Ashe, and Norm skirted the woods, the humans on foot, Norm riding his pony, Mytomek. There wasn't much conversation between the mystic, a half-sick elf with "Talislanta Pox" trying to get some air, and a dumb dwarf whose mastery of Low Talislan and Trade Common was a list of words that make schoolchildren blush.
However, today, Norm spied something shiny in a creek running parallel with their path. He dismounted Mytomek, gestured to the other to follow him and searched the creek. While his companions watched in cofusion, the dwarf splashed through the cold winter water to find... a long lost silver piece. He climbed out of the water, and halfway up the creek bank to present his treasure.
"Sonavuab..!!! *WHAM*"
Norm completely forgot his place on the creek and had come up right behind his pony. His steed promptly kicked him in the head out of fear, knocking the dwarf unconscious and sending him flying back into the water. Kane and Ashe did their best to save him and get him back to the brothel post-haste.
Despite their best healing efforts, Norm remained unconscious. Lucky for him, his helm (and pilot's cap and goggles obtained in the previous adventure that was stretched over it) was quite dented. Without it, Norm may have died.
23th of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
With the group settled in for their normal group breakfast with the ladies of the house, A smiling dwarf came down the stairs and said, "BONJOUR EVERYONE! I LOVE LE BREAKFAST!" in a bombastic and outrageous French accent.
Everyone just stared at Norm with their mouths agape. This was the first time Norm had been awake since the accident, and neither his accent, nor his command of Trade Common was usual.
Kane checked out the dwarf again and found nothing wrong with him, save a lump on the head that was quickly healing.
The dwarf was quite jovial, singing songs and dancing with the ladies. He also inadvertently knocked open Babette's door, displaying the thief and the Sarista gypsy Darius in the midst of mid-morning delight. Somehow, within a house with two dozen people in it, this pair had managed to hide a pretty hot and heavy affair...
33rd of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
A courier for Kannex finally arrived at the brothel. Another necessary item was uncovered and the party needed to travel to the southern jungles to obtain a rare purple flower. Unfortunately, another wave of "Talislanta Pox" had spread through the building and only Rolf and Norm were healthy enough to adventure.
35th of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
The Jade Arcana arrived above brothel, and the barbarian and dwarf boarded from the roof. The journey would be relatively short, but the captain alerted them of one problem: The area the rare prismatic lotus grew in was not accessible by windship. They would need to rappel down into the jungle and climb back up 40-50 feet when they found the it. Over the next three days, the captain and crew worked with them to teach them the ins an outs or rope use so the operation could continue.
38th of Zar, N.A. 150 Kingdom of Taz
The windship flew into a very hot place, hovered over a tall rainforest, and Norm and Rolf climbed down the ropes. Norm had become quite adept at working the ropes, but Norm's gigantic stature complicated his descent, and he got loose and fell from twenty feet onto the soft jungle floor.
They immediately were hunted by a pack of flying apes who harassed the windship so much that the Jade Arcana left for the sake of the crew and ship. Now abandoned for an unknown period of time, our heroes waited for the apes to return, and promptly killed them without mercy.
The jungle was an unforgiving place, with herds of violent beasts forcing Rolf and Norm to climb a few trees and stay fleet of foot. Norm attempted to catch something in a trap, but after Rolf found him missing for more than an hour, he went out and found the dwarf wrapped up in his own trap.
Rolf: "Thank Galmar the little man is decent with an axe... I hope he prays that continues."
39th of Zar, N.A. 150 Kingdom of Taz
In the morning Rolf awoke to the sound of small children screaming. He dragged Norm out of deep sleep and the two dashed to a small nearby lake. Small, pale, loincloth-clad children were being eaten by some strange eggplant-shaped creatures with tentacles and sharp teeth. Norm was terrified, Rolf immediately ran to the back of of the creature to attack.
Norm: "He must love children!"
He stabbed the monster once before a tentacle grabbed him, forcing him to drop his Sun-Sword. He used his dagger, but it ate it right out of his hand. Rolf ended up punching the tentacle enough to break free. Norm tried to usher the kids away from the water, but most seemed more shocked by the bearded man. Some ran back into the monster's clutches!
Rolf ended up pulling out the greatsword he had picked up months before in the Cymril marketplace. It was a long fight, but the added weight of the greatsword was enough to not only wound the beast, but eventually kill it.
He reached into the water, recovered his sun-sword and walked out of the water towards the dwarf. The sound of trumpets filled the air.
A company of well-armed Thralls emerged out of the jungle. The Thralls were one of the major races of the Seven Kingdoms. A race that was magically engineered by sorcerers long ago to be a warrior slaves, but the sorcerers' destruction allowed them to become their own culture. Virtually identical at birth, the distinguished themselves with an elaborate series of tattoos on their entire body. Most Thralls could know another Thrall's history simply by reading their tattoos.
The Thralls took Rolf and Norm prisoner. They marched them to their village and separated them.
 |
| A Thrall Warrior |
For many days, Rolf was kept in a rather comfortable hut, under constant guard of five of the Thrall warriors. Eventually he was given his freedom and reunited with Rolf, however, there was something wrong with the barbarian. He had a constant satisfied grin across his face, and he would occasionally give a hearty laugh when talking with the Thrall. It might have had something to do with the new tattoo he had received on his face, stretching between his left eye and ear. It looked very similar to those of the Thrall.
Rolf: "Norm, These are good, noble people. They will give you the flower for Kannex, then escort us back to the spot to meet the Jade Arcana."
48th of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
The duo arrived back to an empty brothel. They were informed that the another component was found and the rest of the party had gone off to get it.
Norm was happy for the rest, but he was worried about Rolf. The barbarian had spent the entire journey back staring towards the Jungles of Taz until they disappeared over the horizon, and kept staring to the south after that, grasping his greatsword, the true weapon of the Thrall, with a nervous energy.
DM Notes: As I continue to cobble together these scant notes about Talislanta, certain vital pieces of information, like when Norm got knocked in the head and started speaking Common with a crazy French accent, were never mentioned in the journal. It took some emails and some gnashing of teeth to corroborate everyone's recollections, but I feel I did this big event the justice it deserves.
I always use 4d6, removing the lowest die, for character creation, and characters like Norm are a possibility in each campaign. I wasn't ready for a non-human with a Int low enough to prevent him from speaking Common, so I may have taken some heavy-handed plot control to keep things going for a character who was otherwise playable. He already appeared on the world by unknown means (although in his new accent, he would insist that a farmer with a long scarf let him use his privy that was painted blue and *poof* he was in Talislanta. The knock to head certainly didn't knock any sense into him.
The encounter with the Thrall was a turning point for Rolf. Meeting a group of warriors that were the same stature as him, with the same dedication to the martial studies gave Rolf an immediate attachment to them. It certainly helped his side of the relationship that he single-handedly save the village youngsters from a beast though long-extinct. Pretty obvious foreshadowing, but Rolf was given an open invitation to return to that village, and that will weigh on his mind.
NEXT #23 - The Harbinger of Darkness
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