Ballad of the Pigeon God #76 - Encyclopedia Columbæ Offeret

With last week's episode, The Ballad of the Pigeon God has finally come to a close.  It was a fantastic run, both compiling the 70-plus weeks of episodes, and the nostalgic trip back to a campaign that ended while Bill Clinton was still President.

As a final gift to this run, I've been compiling an index of character appearances throughout the campaign.  I'll immediately put forth the disclaimer that it's an imperfect, unedited encyclopedia with no direct link

Ballad of the Pigeon God Character Encyclopedia

And for new readers, it should come as no surprise but, **SPOILERS** will abound.

Well ain't this ironic....

Ballad of the Pigeon God #75 Where Are They Now?

On 5th of DecDec in the year 1073 of the Ancien Empire, Rurik Bloodblade was crowned Emperor Rurik IV of the Empire of Feraso.  The great apocalypse had been adverted.  The nations of man were reunited as they had been in generations past.

But unlike fairy tales, there is no happily ever after.

Re-establishing an entire empire based on prophecy and a glowing sword is a hard thing to do, but by the time the formal coronation was conducted four months later, most kingdoms, duchies, independent cities, and principalities fell in line.

Ras-Prythax: Krugraf Henrik I was a weak, but conniving King of Ras-Prythax, worthy of the nickname "The Follower."  With the Knights of Feraso supporting Rurik IV, he immediately pledged his fealty.

Aragain:  The death of William I with no immediate heir caused great issue with the mountain kingdom.  Many of the other cousins and uncles in the line of succession had married into noble and commercial families within the hated Senzar Empire. The noble houses selected Sanzo, a first cousin once removed, king, not for his ability, but for his marriage to a local girl ("Pureblood Ferasean" whatever that meant...), Emesinda.

Crosedes:  The death of the "Dread Lord" Cervinal II, and rumored involvement of his only daughter, Celeste, in his nefarious plans, caused a crisis with the Council of Nobles.  Unwilling to give Celeste the crown, they elected Duke Nobquin Silvershield II of Ferrand, second cousins twice removed from Cervinal, as Council Regent to administer the kingdom for "the will of the nobles and the glory of the Emperor".

Masgoth: King Boson V had been King of the Gnomes since the early days of the Imperial Pretenders' claims right after the barbarian hordes receded back into Galmar.  He acknowledged Rurik as the Lord Protector of the Realms, and never sent a copper piece to them in taxes.

Agenmoor: Rurik let bygone be bygones and allowed the elves equal footing at the Imperial Court.  While relations improved with government official between the countries, even the rumors acts of the lost Winnebago tribe, Markuus Brighthelm, and Torm Touchberry did little to lessen the public hatred for most elves.

Skyforge: Already embarrassed by a dishonored shaved dwarf ex-mushroom farmer in battle, the Dwarves of Skyforge could do little but recognize the emperor, under threat of any other embarassment.

Emron: The Mage-Princes were never part of the Second Empire of Feraso, but with certain key courts in disarray within the Principalities, is was deemed smart to swear devotion to the Emperor.

Ispatlia: In the midst of a religious revival involving Akana pushing out the old Argivian gods, the Ispatlian Sydincrats deemed it essential to join the empire, if only for monetary gain.

Markovia, Weissmach, Talmark:  The other countries once part of the First and Second Empires with their warring tribes, bloodthirsty warlords, and corrupt kings fell in line when the rest of the nations swore their oath to the empire, less they become the first targets of war.

The Third Ferasean Empire bloomed into example of stability in a troubled time.   No surrounding nations dared triffle with their might, and Rurik was wise enough not to be lured into diplomatic machinations beyond his ability.  The future of the empire looked bright.

Except that Rurik and his Empress, Fiame II, could not conceive a child, and with sages and scholars unable to find any other blood relations within his Wyrmnalian villages, the empire was on borrowed time.

With the death of Rurik in 1105 and the ascension of Fiame to full rulership, The demi-human and fringe nations rescinded their oaths, or simply failed to acknowledge them anymore.  Upon Fiame's death ten years later, the empire splintered, much into the same familiar boundaries from 1072.  The last few personal effects of the Bloodblades were still being loaded into wagons headed to a museum, when Ernest II of Ras-Prythax seized control of the Imperial Palace and a Pretender claim to the throne that is rarely acknowledged twenty miles outside of Feraso City.

Ballad of the Pigeon God Presents "Where Are They Now?"

The World of Georic, is a homebrew, ever-evolving campaign that I've been using since 1990.  When I started the next campaign in the world, I moved up the timeline 60 years to 1132, and it continues to advance as we scheme about playing again.  Only the future actual play of "Adventures in Gulluvia is outside this timeline.

For those brave enough to read seventy-plus entries in this actual play, it's only fair to pretend to be VH1 and see where everyone, both PC, NPC, and even towns, nations, and items, ended up.  For fairness, I'll only mention any stories post-1132 if such things were mentioned in either The Journey of Mutumbo or The Burning Trogs Rule! campaigns.

In Alphabetical Order, by First Name: 

A. Warren Corkbarrel:  On-again, off-again mayor of Lowdale.   Became a Knight of the Pigeon by Baron Timoth in 1115.

Ariel the Bard:  Survived the battle and went back to Fayette at the Blue Wizard Inn.  Fayette's sister Emeretta, died in the Siege of Eding, so Ariel took over many of her duties.  Ariel passed away in 1102, and Fayette sold the Blue Wizard in 1113.  In celebration of 1115, the new owners changed the name to the Green Griffon Inn.

Ashe Winnebago:  Ashe and his brother Binkley led the Winnebago tribe of elves retreated back into the darker woods of Agenmoor, until the dark elves erupted from the Shadowdark around 1130.  Rumors have placed some of the lost tribe, and possibly Ashe, around the Elvish Citadel at Ilvablight.

Babette de Hydincall: The Chateau d'Echelon was rebuilt, stone by stone, by "Baron" Felix to the dreams of its former owners.  All of the heroes and their families were always offered a hot meal and a place to lay their head.  When he passed in 1090, Babette de Hydincall purchased the grounds. Her sons, Yuri and Darius, and their families run estate.  There has been no change to the invitation.

Brutus: The dim-witted but loyal ex-gladiator realized soon after the battle that he wasn't getting any younger for mercenary work or manual labor.   He would move out of the Chateau soon after it was rebuilt and worked as a bouncer at the Blue Wizard and new new taverns that opened up after Eding began to grown: The Greedy Goblin, and The Broken Keg.   While clearing up a brawl at the keg in 1094, a travelling drow found a soft spot on the big guy's thick head and killed him.  The entire village showed up for the funeral and Baron Timoth superseded the magistrate's powers in the only time of his reign and instantly sentenced the drow to death.

Celeste Silvershield:  Princess Celeste was the only daughter of the Dread Lord, and following Crosedes' enlightened order of royal succession, should have been next in line for the throne.  The Council of Nobles, who were established to act as a rubber stamp in such simple matters, had other ideas.  Naming Duke Nobquin II of Ferrand as a "Council Regent" to rule was a surprise to all. The one thing the council  did award Celeste was the title of Duchess of Hydincall.  The Duchy of Hydincall was normally awarded to the King to avoid a petty noble from surrounding the capital.  It was never determined if giving her this title was a peace offering to the daughter of the Dread Lord, or a way for the Royal Court to keep an eye on her, but she was an active and congenial member of the Court.  She married Gotzoeff, one of the officials of Magic Lyceum and seemed to settle down to a life child rearing, duchy-ruling, with some courtly affairs mixed for good measure.
In reality, she bid her time in court, waiting for the old guard to die out and influence their heirs.  By the time of her death in 1108, the Council of Nobles decided to overrule the wishes of the second Council Regent, Duke Nobquin Silvershield III, and put Celeste's son, Prince Celowin (V) on the throne.

Celowin Silvershield V: The new King of Crosedes showed none of the sadistic streaks of his grandfather and all the long-term planning of his mother.  He consolidated enough power that, after the death of Empress Fiame II in 1115, Crosedes announced their independent sovereignty with only the loss of some minor pre-1073 territory.   His son Geoffrey II would strengthen the bonds with their immediate neighbors to reassemble the splintered branches of the kingdom, including marrying off his young son, Prince Cassius, to bring in the Duchy of Alois into the fold .

Dag di Velandro: Dag and his family survived the battle, helped rebuild the town, and left to live in Ispatlia and continued to grow a monastery of Akana dedicated to kobold acolytes.  They would travel north to visit the Chateau every year during Yule.

Lady Iris de Hierylat:  Lady Iris was knighted to the rank of White Knight of Crosedes (not bad for a two-bit village thief).  At the Emporer's command, she stayed in Eding to formally act as Regent for Baron Timmy for day-to-day activities.  Upon Timmy's sixteenth birthday in 1078, the Emperor gave her the title of Baroness of Lansluck.  She married a local horsetrader from Ras-Prythax, Timon Weissluck, and had three children.

Kannex:  The fire mage from Talislanta barely survived his encounter with Baraxus the Destroyer, but upon recovery, set out for a new career path.  Apparently a certain cabal of mages from the City-State of Anon-Maxis had openly sided with evil and upon their destruction, opened a power vacuum that Kannex, "The Red Mage of Anon-Maxis", was willing to fill.

Jenny d'Echelon: As the adoptive mother of Baron Timmy, she held a high place in the community.  Upon Timmy's sixteenth birthday, she accepted an appointment as Baronial Magistrate, a title she would hold until her death in 1108.

Kane: Kane retired yet again after the Battle.  He helped rebuild Eding and cared for his friend Mohammad.  From time to time, the adventuring bug would bite the water monk and he would don his Chain Mail +3  for "one last adventure," but that ended in a unfortunate encounter with sahaugin off the western coast of Crosedes in 1107.

Mohammad: Echelon's mentor was found in the ruins of the Chateau, completely catatonic.  It was revealed years later that even his moments of clarity hiding in the Chateau's broom closet were all an unfortunate coincidence.  Outside of being a divine lightning rod for the will of Tshang Kai Shing, Mohammad had lost his mind years before. He would live his final eight years (d. 1081) being moved by his friend, Kane, between the second floor broom closet, talking to mops, and once a week to a large windowbox seat down the hall, to watch some of the adventuring family arrive for a communal dinner.  He never responded to anyone.

Norm Dingleberry:  Norm had gained a few minutes alone with Rurik IV, and garnered the Imperial Duchy of Mercadia, a number of miles south of Eding.  He proved to be a far more effective Duke than mushroom farmer.  With Fiame's death in 1115, Norm declared Mercadia independent of any other country, naming himself King.  He's warred with Masgoth, Crosedes, Skyforge, and Emron for territory, and his risky military and diplomatic maneuvers have given him the nickname "The Mad Dwarf" by ally and enemy alike.  He's married multiple times and had a few children.

Pathfinder: Echelon's faithful wolf companion suffered a battering during the apocalypse which was permanent, both mentally and physically.  When Echelon moved into Maless Manor outside Omsjik, he took the pain-stricken wolf with him.   He would spend his days near the hearth in the great hall in the winter or in the observatory during the summer.  His psychic connection with Echelon grew stronger the more Pathfinder was in pain, reaching such a point, that the cleric needed to use Wave to put his poor friend out of his misery.

Rolf Wolfsblood:  Rolf and his new tribe of tattooed warrior-barbarians proved to be a thorn in the side of law and chaos, roaming throughout the land, correcting those who were wronging others, be it brigand or government official, and taking a substantial cut of the loot as their payment.   The clan seemed to disappear before the death of Rurik, and rumors of heavily tattooed warriors leaving the small fishing town of Saltmarsh on a ship known as the Tanaroa Dreams has never been been substantiated.

Sigard Slategap:  The paladin was maimed by the battle, found a place within Eding.  He eschewed the warrior values of being a paladin of Akana and turned into a simple priest of the faith.  He was responsible for constructing the first Temple of Akana Eding had in decades.  He married, and had a number of children.  By the time of Rurik's death, Sigard had been transferred to a larger position as the High Priest of Akana for the Duchy of Draloite.

Sterling Riverbend -  There were rumors after the great battle that Stiriling could be found swinging his Spetum of Awesomeness at the king's cavalry, orcs, or even a displaced pilgrim.  After the battle, Sterling felt great guilt for capturing and collecting on the bounty on Mellandria, enough to travel to the far side of the Empire, but not enough to stop his bounty hunting career.

Timmy d'Echelon (Baron Timoth):  Becoming a hero in an apocalyptic battle and conducting the Imperial Coronation of Rurik IV at the age of ten, might have set a high standard for Baron Timmy, but he strived to do the best for his barony until his death in 1126.  Although an outward opponent of Princess Celeste, and nay vote on the Council of Nobles to elect her son Celowin, the king, he immediately reached out to the young king and established a report with him.  Upon the death of Empress Fiame II and Celowin V's independent rule, now Baron Timoth asked a two favors.  First, he asked to be awarded his barony again, in a full ceremony, but with a new name for the barony: Athelstane, in honor of the old family of landed knights that once protected the area.  Second, he asked that village (now town) of Eding have its name changed on all records as Dechie.   Over the years the traveling pilgrims and tourists visiting the village of Eding were really looking for the village near the Chateau d'Echelon.  That was truncated to d'Echelon, and over the years, the slang had turned it into Dechie.  No one remembered how Eding got it's name, anyway, so it was fitting that it would now be formally relegated to legends.

Thorrin:  Thorrin could be seen tagging along with Norm, acting as the Ducal, then Royal armorer.

Zabty: There was no sign of Count Zabty after the battle.  In later years the Count of Rowand erected numerous statues in his name.

Zoe Alberhold:  The housekeeper still worked at he Chateau into old age.  Her son,  Luke, was the only child living in the Chateau to get bit by wanderlust.  He became a trusted courier throughout the land, getting ensnared in numerous adventures, and rumored to have a certain special lady in every town.  His father Maloran, and Uncle Talis, would be proud.  

Echelon:  After the reconstruction of the Eding and of the Chateau, Echelon decided to spend more and more time at his family estate at Maless Manor.  He would still visit the Chateau on occasion, but with the deaths of his mentor Mohammad, and his companion Pathfinder, he disappeared entirely.  By his accounts he traveled "the world," finding truth and enlightenment.  In the Summer of 1102, he returned, declaring he had discovered a way to ascend into godhood and that Tshang Kai Shing had blessed his journey.  On the 1st of SepDec 1103, Echelon was celebrated at the Chateau before leaving.  A few pilgrims and friends that escorted him to the northern coast of Crosedes claim the "Pigeon-God" simply walked right into the water, trident (Wave) in hand.

The Cult of Echelon soon appeared, supplanting the long-ignored god Brianthos.  The first true priests as a god actually came from a small bird cult originally worshiping Etnosus.

As a recognized religion, Echelon is still small, mostly relegated to well-maintained shrines in coastal communities, although a shrine can be found in between the pigeon coops behind the barn at the Chateau d'Echelon.

In the Echelon mythos, he is assisted by three loyal servants.

• Krazo: Who blesses though that prepare for the trials of the seas, and punishes those who do not.
• Enak:  Who controls the waves and tides 
• Mohammad:  Who blesses those that hunt sharks.

Ballad of the Pigeon God #74 Commentary on the Pigeon God of Tomorrow

This whole entry should be considered DM Notes on episode #73. For the sake of everyone's sanity, I won't put it all in red text like I normally do.

After a marathon session with over a dozen players, fueled by booze and Doritos, the big-bad was apparently vanquished, the hordes of evil scattered across the land, and the Dread Lord got his due.  The campaign was finished, but like I had for a decade before, I would always revisit my home-brew campaign world.

Except I knew things were going to change.  I didn't expect how much.

This was to be my last D&D/F20 game.  Third edition was right around the corner, and that was a direction I did not want to take.   Whenever the next campaign was going to occur, it would (a) have a new map, plugging in my countries into Epic of Aerth map for Dangerous Journeys, and (b) it would be run in more narrative style using Masterbook.

Yes, Masterbook, the West End Games version of TORG without all the cool stuff mixed up. 

For someone who was graduating college in a few weeks, I wasn't thinking properly.

Please stop laughing at me.

 

I figured a step away from the hack-n-slash I ran so well, into a story-based game, using cardboard/paper minis was the way to go.  Sort of like how Savage Worlds is run nowadays.

So with that, I would give everyone a portion of what they wanted with the post-finale wrap-up, plus the possibility that (a) everything their characters went through could still be true, from a certain point of view, and (b) Talis Makolin, or at least a different version of Talis Makolin, did not die.

And with an epic finish and a back-handed compliment to the players, we finished the campaign.

I never did play Masterbook.  By the time my real-life got settled for a weekly campaign, it was a year and a half later.... and Hackmaster had just entered my life, hence The Journey of Mutumbo. 

Seventeen years later, I would go back to Hackmaster 4th Edition in a heartbeat.

Next week, will be the penultimate episode, an bit of an encyclopedic "Where are they now?" post, covering PCs/NPCs/Whole countries over the next 10-40 years of campaign time (Journey of Mutumbo starts just about 60 years in the future).  I'm quite certain only the few ardent readers of the Pigeon God, or certain former players, will find it incredibly interesting.

Next:  #75 A "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue.

Ballad of the Pigeon God #73: Whatever Happened to the Pigeon God of Tomorrow?

The Battle of Apotheosis, as sages who weren't there would call it, cut a scar across the landscape of eastern Crosedes, as well as upsetting the political landscape of the continent for generations to come.

First there were the funerals for MacKay, Beourn, Markuus, Velandro, and even Mellandria, Talis, and Ozark.  

Emperor Rurik IV was very generous to the adventurers he and his group considered friendly foes just weeks before.  

Of course, there was an awards ceremony for all the survivors which took place at the end of the his coronation week.  Plaques, medals, and rewards beyond their comprehension were bestowed upon them.  

Some, like kobold priest Dag di Velandro, took his riches and built a permanent monastery dedicated to kobolds wishing to worship, Akana the God of Law and Order.  

Others, like Ashe and Binkley Winnebago, retreated back into the woods of Agenmoor and away from the horrors of mankind.  

Rolf and his new tribe of tattooed warrior-barbarians proved to be a thorn in the side of law and chaos, roaming throughout the land, correcting those who were wronging others, be it brigand or government official, and taking a substantial cut of the loot as their payment.  

Norm had gained a few minute alone with Rurik IV, and garnered the Imperial Duchy of Mercadia, a number of miles south of Eding.  He proved to be a far more effective Duke than mushroom farmer.

Thorrin could be seen tagging along with Norm, acting as the Duchal armorer.

The Chateau d'Echelon was rebuilt, stone by stone, by "Baron" Felix to the dreams of its former owners.  All of the heroes and their families were always offered a hot meal and a place to lay their head.  When he passed in 1090, Babette de Hydicnall purchased the grounds. Her sons, Yuri and Darius, and their families run estate.  There has been no change to the invitation.  

Zoe the housekeeper still works there, although her son Luke, was the only child to get bit by the wanderlust.  He became a trusted courier throughout the land, getting ensnared in numerous adventures, and rumored to have a certain special lady in every town.  His father Maloran, and Uncle Talis, would be proud.  

Even young Sigard, maimed by the battle, found a place within Eding,  he eschewed the warrior values of being a paladin of Akana and turned into a simple priest, responsible for constructing the first Temple of Akana in Eding in decades.  

But not everyone gets the happy ever after they deserve.   Echelon's mentor Mohammad, had been found in the ruins of the Chateau, completely catatonic.  Despite all the finest healers and magic, he would live his final eight years being moved by his friend Kane, between the second floor broom closet, and once a week to a large windowbox seat down the hall, to watch some of the adventuring family arrive for a communal dinner.  He never responded to anyone.    

Echelon's faithful wolf companion, Pathfinder, suffered a similar fate.  The battering he took during the apocalypse was permanent, both mentally and physically.  When Echelon moved into Maless Manor outside Omsjik, he took the pain-stricken wolf with him.   He would spend his days near the hearth in the great hall in the winter or in the observatory during the summer.  His psychic connection with Echelon grew stronger the more Pathfinder was in pain, reaching such a point, that the cleric needed to use Wave to put his poor friend out of his misery.   After the tragic loss of his companion, Echelon would disappear for months at a time, only to return for quick streaks of time, before going off in a different direction.

But I entice the noble reader to look further ahead into the future than this writing has already peaked at.  The party is back en force at the Chateau d'Echelon, celebrating a great feast. Most of the heroes are there, even Rolf and Ashe, along with a grown Baron Timmy and his wife and children, and their children as well.   At the head of the table is Echelon himself, much, much older, but still recognizable.  It is his last meal with his friend as his god as told him it's time to take up his duties as God of the Sea... and Pigeons. There is much rejoicing at the table from everyone. 

But as the camera pans out, it gets blurry, refocusing the vision to a dingy tavern in a village that's barely the size of their dot on the map. A group of small children are surrounding a scruffy middle-aged man telling a story. He reeked of alcohol and depression. A tall muscular man covered in furs, his face a mixture of age, scars and tattoos, walks into the tavern and towards the crowd.

"That's it for now, lads. When you can scrounge up a couple more coppers to quench Talis' thirst, I'll tell you about what happened after we went down the rapids from Silver Valley."

"But Talis, you already told us that story."

"yeah, i want to know how came back to life!"

"But I didn't die, I was rescued!"

"No, you weren't. you said you fell into the mud and the group left you for dead!"

"Enough now kids," barked the tall man, "get outta here"

The kids scattered, and the tall man slumped down in the chair besides Talis. Talis took one last swig of backwashed grog from his flagon, and asked, "Rolf, the farmers will be in here any moment, ya wanna go their homes and screw their wives again?"

Rolf was not amused, "Talis, you really want to spend the rest of your pitiful life screwing the fat old wives of farmers and making kids steal money to hear bullshit stories of things that we never did? They think we're actual heros, for Akana's sake! And here you are, deluding them with your imaginary tale."

Talis paused for a moment from staring blankly at the table and said, "Rolf, it is an imaginary tale, which may or may not be true. It's a story about a bunch of young guys who came to a small village to seek their fortune. By luck and by talent they made a name for themselves and had the chance to travel to exotic lands, met fantastic people, and became heroes because of it. They met the forces of evil head on, and despite all their gallantry, some of their friends fell. Not all of them made it to the happy ending, but they all tried to make in happen, dammit. They brought hope to the people, and just like them, these kids today need hope. We may have died inside years ago, but there's no way these kids need to know that. Of course it's an imaginary story.... aren't they all?"

*fade to black*

#RPGaDay 2018 Day 25: Name an RPG That Impacted Me Last Year

We are officially on the last week of #RPGaDay, and I'm taking today's questions, twisting it around, and making shameless plugs for some of my Actual Plays.

"Name an RPG That Impacted Me Last Year"

I've already mentioned my love for Risus, my infatuation with Star Wars: Edge of the Empire and Apocalypse World hacks, my 5e online game of which I'm a *gasp* player, and even My Little Pony, but nothing has tweaked my work on the blog and future considerations more that 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.

*Warning* Lots of shameless links to previous projects lay ahead.*Warning*

Almost a year and a half ago, my college roommate Steve arrived at a gaming session with an unusual long-lost artifact:  the player journal for my 2nd Edition AD&D campaign I ran in college over 1999-2000.

Now, I had nearly perfected the player journal years later in my two Hackmaster campaigns, The Journey of Mutumbo and The Buring Trogs Rule! and I enjoy the write-ups in my more current Call of Cthulhu campaign, but the idea of writing up anything prior to those was lost in the aether.  Seventeen years separated the end of the campaign and modern day, and the player's journal was rife with omissions, plus the journal itself ended prior to a quest to White Plume Mountain for the weapons needed to prevent Armageddon.

It's been a arduous project, keeping track of up to a dozen PCs, tons of "camp followers," plus the regular cast of NPCs, all the while rattling former players brains for any memories that were missing from the journal or my memory.

This past Tuesday, the main storyline of the campaign, Ballad of the Pigeon God, reached it's climax with episode #72 "Ascension."    There are four more weekly episodes after that covering clean-up, analysis, an index of characters, and even a  "Where are they Now" episode.  After that, my Tuesdays are open for posting as of October.

Or maybe not.

As Cthulhu is on a long hiatus, I'm not running anything of great substance.  I do have a few sessions of my Adventures in Gulluvia BECMI D&D game under my belt, but I'd like some more sessions (and a more consistent schedule) before posting those.

So, I'm reaching back well into the past and am creating a bit of an Actual Play/Prose series, covering the adventures I ran in my homebrew World of Georic ever since a drunken warrior, stupid ranger, busty mage, and know-it-all elf  first wandered down the streets of Hommlet in June of 1990.. still using 1st Edition AD&D (for a few sessions).

My memory from an extra decade ago is even more shady than the Pigeon God, so I'm enlisting the help of a certain Elsderth Millbottom to send correspondence to the Viscount of Verbobonc, detailing his journeys and uncanny knack to arrive in areas the old PCs had left some undetermined time ago.

After a bit more research, The Lost Dispatches of Feraso should allow me to solidify my original campaign adventures and tighten up the politics and geography of Ras-Prythax.  It will also allow me to go into further games: the ones I ran during Basic Training in the army, the campaigns I ran to teach kids D&D for the game store I worked at, and of course, the game I ran with a group of high school friends and army buddies that forged the background for the Kingdom of Crosedes and Village of Eding that focused so prominently in the Pigeon God.

There are a ton of projects that could delay the October premiere of Lost Dispatches, but when this project is complete, I should have 15 years of fantasy role-playing chronicled on my blog, with work to begin on Gulluvia and possibly an extended Burning Trogs Redux, covering the remaining 10 years of campaigns (real time) as the timeline keeps going.  

Ballad of the Pigeon God #72 Ascension

For a breakdown of what's transpired, check out the Ballad of the Pigeon God Page.  The "Apocalypse" starts with Episode #64.

Dusk on the 2nd of DecDec 1072
The Ruins of Chateau d'Echleon, Outside the Village of Eding
The Gods, both good and evil, were destroyed, the evil king was vanquished, the armies of evil and darkness that were overwhelming this small, rural corner of the kingdom appeared to have scattered to the four winds in disarray, probably to the foul holes from whence they came.

And as our heroes were licking their wounds, gasping for air, a new threat had appeared atop a nearby hill.  At least fifty heavy cavalry, or worse yet, knights, stared down the ruins of the chateau with their full array of lances, flags, and pennants blowing in the wind.

Our heroes, Rolf, Echelon, Ashe, Kane, and even a badly wounded Norm stood together to stare them down.  Their allies like Brutus, Ariel, and "Baron" Felix, and Mayor Corkbarrel stood behind and beside them.

The cavalry began a slow trot down the hill.  As the heraldry on the shields began to be visible, Felix spoke up.

"These are the Knights of Feraso, the largest knightly order in Ras-Prythax.  We're either saved after the fact, or completely screwed."

Mere feet from the heroes, the trot of the horse was brought to a walk and the knights parted their line around them, barely acknowledging them.  Twenty feet, the line was made whole and stopped, save their leader.

The lead knight of this troupe rode up directly to Rurik, still wielding the blue-glowing Blood-Brand 

"Boy, I am Sir Gunter Riekhoff, Duke of Ostverk, and High Commander of the Knights of Feraso.  How is it that you claim the ancestral sword of the Bloodblades?"

"Umm.... my name is Rurik Bloodblade?"

And with that, Sir Gunter dismounted from his steed, stared Rurik up and down, until finally taking a knee in front of him.  His fellow knights followed suit.

Rurik stumbled a bit back from the knights, until feeling the hand of Fiame in the small of his back.

"Fiame, I-I-I-I-I can't be Emperor.... I-I don't want to be Emperor."

"Rurik," the petite cleric whispered into his ear, "The sword chose you.  My suggestion is start to acting like one..."

Rurik stepped forward, his hand pointing The Blood-Brand to the ground.

"Echelon, Norm, you are your friends..." he continued, moving his hand back to point out the others, "have sacrificed greatly to keep evil at bay.  I could imagine some peasant many leagues away would willingly knell upon knowledge of my title, but I can not make any of you knell before me."

Echelon chuckled to himself, "Rurik, your emmenence, your highness, o' wielder of that magic sword...

He began to kneel.

"I kneel first because, like you, we are all exhausted, and second, I wish these Knights off this property, so we can visit Eding and survey the damage there.  Keep your humility like you are trying today, and someday, I will be happy to kneel as a courtesy of the office."

Echelon gave a look to his compatriots, and everyone, even the Galmar Barbarians under Rolf Wolfsblood rose from their bedrolls to grant Rurik the new found respect he was supposedly deserving.

Fiame took a knee beside him, and while everyone's heads were down, grabbed his left hand.

With that, everyone rejoiced over their survival, and Rurik's prophetic luck, and all the survivors journeyed to Eding.

The village stunk of death ten times as bad as the Chateau did, with bodies of dead orcs, goblins, and other creatures getting stacked like cordwood to be put to the torch later.  In the twilight hour of the second of Decdec, the party saw terrible carnage, but a resolute group of survivors who overcame a tremendous odds, just trying to get by.

They met with Lady Iris, Torm Touchberry, and Jenny d'Echelon near the baronial manor.  Despite all the damage, Torm assured everyone, "It was far worse during the Goblin Invasion of 1062.  They were caught unawares and it took the last ten years to rebuild.  This time we were prepared to fight, and it will be a much quicker affair to recover, plus I won't get three dozen lashings."  The elf laughed, but no one else took solace in his own dark self-deprecating humor.

"Mother!"  A voice shouted before the light of the fire.  "Who are you talking to and why aren't they helping?  They seem able-bodi..... Echelon!  Norm!  You're alive."

A young boy came running into the light.  He has heavily bandaged from numerous wounds, and wore a small suit of chain mail soaked with someone else's blood.   It was Baron Timmy, or just Timmy to his friends, the now ten-year old former orphan and urchin, who ascended to become baron .
The boy finished hugging his friends, and looked over at Rurik and Fiame.

"Rurik?  Fiame? What do I earn the pleasure of your company.... you look famished, perhaps we should find some rations in the manor hou..."

"Baron Timoth, your brave grace, we arrived with William and everyone else to see the reveal of Apotheosis, only to be swallowed up in the betrayal of evil.   We have fought alongside your friends at the Chateau.  William and the others were all killed, unfortunately, but these men to my right are the so-called Knight of Feraso. "

He pulled out the Blood-Brand.  "They claim that by wielding this sword, I am to be granted the title of Emperor of Feraso.  I guess we just wanted to let you know," he finished, still a little unsure of the situation.

"Well congratulations Rurik, but I've been forced to study all the pomp and procedure of nobility, and you can not be Emperor until a proper coronation can be granted." The young baron paused, as if waiting for a response.

It took a few moments for the viking to compose his thoughts, "That is all right and good, you grace.  While we assemble that coronation post-haste, what can you use these big, burly knights for?"

5 DecDec 1072 - The Public Common, Village of Eding
It was cold, with spitting snow on the public grounds.  Over the previous two days, the village center had been cleaned, bodies burned or buried, and a few structures had begun repairs to beat the real oncoming winter.  But now was the time for a celebration, Rurik's coronation as Emperor of Feraso, a nation that had not existed for the last 250 years.  News of the discovery of The Blood-Brand and the new emperor was leaving with the Knights of Feraso in two groups, one to Feraso City, where the coronation would take place, and one to Hydincal, to also let the Archbishop know about the death of King Cervinal, in addition to his coronation duties.

But following Baron Timmy's forced studies of heraldry and courtly affairs, the only true requirements for a coronation, was a royal decree OR having a vassal loyal to the office in question conduct the ceremony.

So the "Emperor of the World" was to be given a his official role and duties in the Public Common in battle-torn Village of Eding, by ten-year old Baron Timoth "Timmy" d'Echelon.

Given their documented heroics the days before, the few Knights of Feraso staying for the ceremony were not going to question the low-theatrics on a baronial service.

But first, one other ceremony needed to be conducted.  For you see, Timmy in his recollection of his studies relevant to the neophyte Rurik's peculiar situation, discovered numerous procedural issues, namely a bachelor Emperor would be forced to marry for political convenience to a short list of eligible maidens in a ceremony blessed by Akana. 

So, twenty minutes before the coronation, the entire village of Eding, and all local guests of acclaim were invited to wedding of Fiame Runyon and Rurik Bloodblade, to avoid the whole courting process.

Conducting the ceremony was the closest thing to a Priest of Akana they could find that wasn't in the ceremony.  Fiame was a cleric of Akana, scheduled to helm the new church being built in her stead, but the closest approved alternate was Sigard of Slate Gap, a still injured paladin from the battle.  The young man was gravely wounded in the hobgoblin assault and crawled to the hidden safety of part of the collapsed Chateau and was found barely breathing just the day before.  Luckily, healing magics restored him to be well enough to conduct both ceremonies with the use of a just a crutch.

Both ceremonies were short and bit more raucous than other previously recorded imperial coronations.  But Emperor Rurik IV and his Empress, Fiame (the Second) began the day united in marriage, with a formidable task of uniting the countries together under the banner of Feraso.

The "official" ceremony to all the countries involved, with all the pomp and circumstance would take place in the Royal Palace in Feraso City, Ras-Prythax on the 1st of QuadDec 1073, but in all the official documentation.  Rurik and Fiame were gifted their duties as Emperor and Empress by Baron Timoth d'Echelon of Eding, with Sigard Slategap officiating in stead of the Archbishop of Hydincall, Adolphus.

And despite many questions left unanswered, like who was behind this apocalyptic charade, who would become the King of Crosedes, subservient to the new Emperor, and why the hordes of monsters finally stopped,  Rurik IV began his rule, and the Kingdom of Crosedes had new legends for bards to write legends of....

**FLASHBACK**
2 DecDec 1072  (Near Sunset)  Crypts of the Kings, Lake Apotheosis, Kingdom of Crosedes
Thick acrid smoke and and the stench of sulfur began wafting into the crypts of the former emperors of Feraso.  While no being of good nor ill inclination had tried to ferry themselves across the lake over to the cliff-face entrance, only one member of the Cult of Apotheosis stood guard of the dead and their treasures, Theodard 'The Historian.' 

He had a direct view of the appearance of the God of Goodness and Light.  He could make the wincing visage of the half-orc who backstabbed the god from the top of the cliff above.  He regretted the vantage point as the pure sight of their god turned into the foul arachnid form of Baraxus the Destroyer. 

For the entire battle, he acted as a lone sentry, loaded crossbow in one hand, and a heavy mace right beside him.  Even the explosive battle between the mysterious mage and Baraxus netted no attention to the tombs, once the clouds of destruction abated.  But it was later, with siege engines, and piles of burning flesh that forced the Historian to venture further into the crypts.  Running low on good air, Theodard risked going down an unstable passage the emptied upriver a few hundred feet into the Nightwood Forest.

But as he made the turn towards the concealed passage that led to his safety, he worked his way past the sarcophagus of Leif VII.  Sitting in an inlaid cut on the lid of the sarcophagus was a large dagger, the Dagger of Mymindosa.  He had received it as a find from an elderly cleric up among the halfling villages, and despite a command to put it in storage, he felt it better suited in a slot specifically carved for it.

With the orange smoke overtaking what little good air was left in the tomb, Theodard regretted his historically sound decision of just a few months ago.

He grabbed the dagger from the slot, and with his breath held, staggered towards the storage area, where he found the protective box that had contained the dagger upon its delivery.  Putting the dagger inside its box, he made one last look down the path that might offer him salvation, and turned further into the stone, box in hand, gasping for air.

He arrived at a long-untended part of the crypt.  The bones of many a hero of the 1st Ferasean Empire lay inter-mixed among themselves.  It had been picked clean of any sort of magic or treasure during the lean years of the Galmar Barbarian incursions, and had been left as a cursed dumping grounds, long forgotten.

Nearly succumbed to the poisonous gas, Theodard put the box behind his back and crawled under the ancient bones.  With two or three layers of the former heroes of the land, Theodard the Historian took his last small breath, expiring into anonymity, while hiding the dangerous cursed weapon away from immediately prying hands.

No one knows of the sacrifice Theodard made that day.  But those that survived should thank him everyday.

DM Notes: And there you have it, folks, the formal completion of what happened within the Ballad of the Pigeon God, at least everything that happened in my campaign that I centered at East Stroudsburg University from 1999-2000.

There are more episodes coming:  at least one to cover the "Where are they know" of all the surviving PCs and NPCs, with a few connections to the Journey of Mutumbo, set sixty years later.

One note about managing all the PCs/NPCs, and special guest stars for the long finale.  Sigard, a character whose real name and class was lost to history, was run by Albert, a teenage regular at the store I ran.  There was little recollected from any of the other players, and I doubted he would remember anything from half his lifetime ago. But I did have one important note early on as I assembled the "apocalypse's" timeline.

His character lived.

Then I realized I completely omitted his death (or survival) in episode #71.  It's much more logical and fitting to have him help with the coronation instead of Fiame or some unnamed cleric of Akana that lived to tell the tell.

He also fits an empty part of the backstory that I'll fill in more next week.  Sigard will renounce with Paladin warrior ways, revert back to a simple priest and oversee the construction of the Church of Akana in Eding, completed in 1078.

Next: #73 An Epilogue of Sorts....

Ballad of the Pigeon God #71 The Stand

For a breakdown of what's transpired, check out the Ballad of the Pigeon God Page.  The "Apocalypse" starts with Episode #64.

The Mid-Afternoon of the 2nd of DecDec 1072
The Chateau d'Echleon, Outside the Village of Eding

Fiame Runyon had been a simple farm girl from the village of Agtir in Crosedes.  She was ardent follower of Akana, becoming a cleric in her nineteenth year.  With her faith, skill, and years of networking, even the most conservative clergy knew she might one day become the first female Bishop of the Duchy of Draloite, but first she fell in with Prince William. 

She disliked being relegated to a "healing check" in a party full of warriors, but she performed her role, and most of those inconsiderate bastards were dead.  She was still here. 

But now, her best friends and the last line of defense for the realm was face to face against the Cabal of Anon-Maxis, the twelve most ruthless, most powerful mages on the continent.  Defended by one hundred of their Iron Guardsmen, they had just disintegrated what appeared to be an avatar of the rumored God of Goodness and Light, and now only needed to push the remaining heroes mere feet to fall down a steep cliff and out of the battle.   

Laying on the ground before her was the body of King William.  His coronation did nothing to serve his wanderlust... or improve his administrative powers, but the group had helped him obtain The Blood-Brand from White Plume Mountain.  Despite overwhelming odds, he had rallied many to maintain a thin line between the monster hordes and the rest of humanity.  But now he was dead.

They were all dead from the party, save the viking Rurik from the fjords of Wyrmnal.  He was impetuous, but he might have been the only fellow party member who was inherently good.

The duo stood with the last members of the estate owned by the "Pigeon Baron" Echelon.  He was a deranged man with mysticism from the far off eastern lands with a disturbing interest in pigeons.  And his whole party had been simply horrible at the adventuring lifestyle.  William's party had earned the most coin cleaning up half-finished adventures from Echelon and company.  Heck, they had managed to acquire the two ancient weapons, Wave and Overwhelm, and left an open path for William to obtain The Blood-Brand and become Emperor of the World, as per the prophecy.

His friend, Kane was also of eastern origin, and somehow manipulated water, but after nearly a full day of fighting the armies of evil, he had tapped all his abilities, using his staff more to hold himself up than for defense.

A dwarf, not the quirky one with the accent, but a stoic dwarf named Thorrin stood alongside these two, wielding Overwhelm, a flying boomerang battle axe.  It had belong to the other dwarf, Norm, but he was lying motionless on the battlefield.

Lingering near the entrance to the barn besides them was a red-headed bard with a bow named Ariel, and a wolf, Pathfinder, whose wolf looked dark-red with the caked blood and gore.  Both were past exhaustion, both hoping for a miraculous change, or a swift and honorable death.

That was everyone who was left...  and in a few moments they'd all be dead and this cabal of mages would move on to decimate the innocents in the nearby village of Eding.  From there, who knew....

As the mages began the somatic components of the spells to destroy these remaining interlopers, a divine strike from the ruins of the estate arced right into the center of the mages.

"Mohammad's alive!"  Fiame could hear Echelon say in great relief.  She didn't know who this Mohammad was, but any miracles were gladly accepted.

As the mages and the surrounding Iron Guardsmen recovered from the blast, a tall and lanky elf rode in on a war horse, he dove off the horse right into the dozen spellcasters, only mace in hand.

Fiame and heroes stood flat-footed, simply amazed at the relief coming from all directions.  The remaining hobgoblins behind the mages encountered Ashe and his lost Winnebago tribe of elves.

Rolf Wolfsblood, a vicious tattooed barbarian, and his other heathens from Galmar met the Iron Guardsmen's right flank.  And on the left, a kobold with blood soaked vestments of Akana, Dag di Velandro led his remaining kobold acolytes harassed as best they could.

The heroes moved forward, but the Iron Guardsmen seemed to take inhuman amounts of punishment, and with the help of one of the surviving mages, they pushed out into the encircling attackers.

Once again, everyone was pushed to the brink.  The Guardsmen merely toyed with the hero, even once disarming Rurik of his longsword.  The viking fumbled around the ground for another weapon and pulled out the sword under the body of Norm Dingleberry.

It was The Blood-Brand.  And unlike all other interactions, the sword glowed bright blue in Rurik's hands.

The mere sight of the blue glowing runes on the black made made the three surviving members of the cabal to instantly flee, one by flight, one by teleport, another by gate.

More aid came over the eastern hill, near the old vineyard.  Dozens of halflings on war ponies, led by Mayor A. Warren Corkbarrel, charged down the hill and into the fray!

The halfling cavalry from the nearby villages and Rurik wielding the Blood-Brand with an effect completely opposite of how it was in William's was just enough to save the day.

With the death of the Iron Guardsmen, and the ultimate rout of the hobgoblins and other lingering creatures, the monster races seemed to almost vanish instantly.  Pockets of resistance could be found, but most could be seen fleeing the area at full speed.

The heroes all reunited at the barn to rejoice at the apparent (and largely unexplained) collapse of the forces of evil.  Echelon, Thorrin, and Kane searched for their friends among the casualties, and to the relief of all, Norm, Felix, and Brutus were all still alive, but just barely.  Markuus, the large elf, had died a heroic, if foolhardy death.

Thorrin returned Overwhelm to Norm once they took him inside the barn for medical attention.

Fiame and Rurik were still dumbstruck by what had transpired.  The Blood-Brand was still glowing a light blue.  The pair simply collapsed from where they were standing, each putting their head on the other's shoulder.

For the others, Rolf, Ashe, Binklen, and Dag, it was a time to catch up on lost time, and tell some tales as their followers secured a perimeter.

But it wasn't a big enough perimeter.  The eastern hill had assumed secured with the halfling cavalry, but Rolf spotted a large mass coming over the hill.

Lots of cavalry, unknown markings, and worst of all, they appeared fresh to fight.

The day was not over yet....

RIP: Markuus Brighthelm

Next:  #72 Ascension

#RPGaDay 2018 Day 12: Wildest Character Concept

There's always a few #RPGaDay topics I've already covered.

Day 12: Wildest Character Concept:

Introduced as Echelon, simple cleric who wielded a trident and loved to raise animals....

Then my college roommate Steve showed me his character backstory.

Echelon, in kinder, lazier days....

Spoilers: I brought back Mohammad, revealed his long-lost father was also the father of the party bard, Talis Makolin (Seriously, two characters backstories of mothers who were prostitutes in the same town, and they didn't see that obvious plot hit smack dab in the back of their heads), gave him a Chateau, a Barony, killed him off, brought him back from the dead  because his replacement character was worse, raised a rebellion, and at the end of the campaign, he becomes a god.

Not bad for a pigeon loving freak.

#RPGaDay 2018 Day 11: Wildest Character Name?

The weekend of #RPGaDay gives me an easy question for Day 11, but it might very well be one of the longest posts of this year's campaign:

"Wildest Character Name?"

I'm pretty tame when it comes to naming my characters.  Odd names tend to attract unwanted attention.

Unfortunately, the players in the games I run haven't figured that out yet.

After progressing through high school with characters we simply referred to as "The drunken warrior, stupid ranger, and busty mage," my groups obviously moved on to famous fictional characters, only adding or removing a letter, to my college campaign where we had a wide range of names like Rolf Wolfsblood, Kane (like in Kung-Fu), Ashe Winnebago, Echelon....

and Norm Dingleberry.

Like most college games, we had core group of guys, while others fluttered in and out of the game.   Nate was one of the guys we spent considerable time trying to get into the game, but he had one small problem:  He was a commuter who lived a half hour away with his parents.  The Obligatius Familius overrode any attempt to hang out with friends on a Saturday night.

Eventually, Nate worked out some arrangement and was able to attend, but dice held him back.

My 2nd Edition AD&D game stuck by two simple rules:  replacement characters started two levels lower than the party and new characters rolled stats in book order, 4d6, removing the lowest die.

Nate's rolls were horrendous.  a healthy, strong, but otherwise incompetent dude.    A few racial adjustments later, and he had Norm Dingleberry a failed dwarven mushroom farmer.  Norm had a horribly low wisdom, and an intelligence so bad, he could speak his racial language to start.

With the current campaign off the regular campaign map, I invited him to play in a game with a partial group of the regulars, and a partial group of the "Not ready for primetime players" who played in game by my dorm neighbor TOWN (The Other White Nate).

Norm's inaugural combat involved two trips and accidentally hitting Echelon the cleric in the back with his battle axe.  That and some non-communicative nose picking set the tone. 

Nate's availability over the Summer created another situation, and a fateful GM fiat.

Our campaign regulars who were available for Summer play had already been transferred to the world of Talislanta for some cross-game fun.  I could bring Norm in late, perhaps with the help of a "companion," but I also decreed early on, that he would get hit in the head, and upon waking up, could speak Trade-Prythax, the universal Common, but with an outrageous French accent.  

The new ability to communicate expanded Norm Dingleberry's horizons.

No longer was he comic relief, rather a beneficial part of the team.  He created tearful drama, as he was forced to kill the doppelganger of his beloved Dew, then torched the doppelganger agent's hideout, only to discover her real body, burned to death.

Norm ran off to fight wars, ally himself with the despicable Dread Lord as a double agent, defeated armies, single-handedly destroy legendary vampires to obtain legendary weapons, and in the direst moments of the apocalypse, could lay a claim to be the Emperor of the Known World.

The vintage picture of a younger, bearded Norm on his character sheet.

Not bad for a failed mushroom farmer.

When the campaign ended, Norm was awarded a Duchy, part of the Kingdom of Crosedes, but reporting directly to the newly crowned Emperor. 

And dwarves live a long time, so with the next campaign starting up, decades later (and in Hackmaster), I couldn't help to give now King Norm a cameo.

So, as a conversion to Hackmaster, 4th Edition, here are the updated stats for King Norm.  Keeping at a high honor level has allowed him to improved his stats a bit quicker when he levels.

King Norm Dingleberry of Mercadia  (1142)
12th Level CG Dwarf Fighter

Homeland: Skyforge
Birth Date: 1006

Sex: M Age 136 Height 4’3”
Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Weight 162 lbs.

Quirks/Flaws: Anosmia, Excessive Drooling, Tone Deaf, Socially Awkward

STR: 15/16
DEX: 12/97
CON: 17/21
INT:   11/26
WIS: 11/33
CHA: 13/08
COM: 13/14

Hit Points: 95

"Overslayer"    +9/+10      3 attacks/round 2d6/2d6/2d6
Can be thrown 150’ 3x daily, illuminate on command, communicate with owner, makes wielder agoraphobic. Additional +2 to hit and damage vs. goblins, giants, trolls, and orcs

Grand Master: Battle Axe
Warhammer
Dagger
Shortsword
Short Spear

Talents:
Axe Bonus
Close to Earth

Blindfighting

SKILLS:
LANG DWARF 100% d6
LANG GNOME 28% d6
LANG TRADE PRYTHAX 32% d6
R/W Trade Prythax 16% d6
R/W Gnome 28% d6

Administration 27% d6
Civil Administration 28% d4

Agriculture 19% d10
Ancient History 24% d12
Animal Lore 33% d10
Clever Packer 19% d8
Current Affairs 27% d6
Customs: Crosedes 27% d8
Customs: Dwarves 20% d8
Diplomacy 18% d8
Fire Building 15% d6
Liar, Skilled 40% d6
Mime 23% d6
Riding, Land 33% d6
Rope Use 66% d8
Rousing Speech 26% d8
Rules of Fair Play 17% d6
Set Snares 70% d8
Shaving/Grooming 100%
Cricket-in-a-Pea-Pod 26% d5
Eye of the Tiger 18% d5
Groin Punch 17% d4
Leadership: Basic 73% d4
Leadership: Committee 47% d5
Military: Battle Sense 54% d4
Military: Small Unit 42% d6
Arcane Lore 23% d6


Titles
King of Mercadia

Imperial Duke of Mercadia Premier
Blue Knight of Crosedes
Former General of the Eastern Army of Crosedes
Emperor of the Known World
Disputed Count of Rowand
Failed Mushroom Farmer

Equipment
2 Short Spears
Dwarven Warhammer
Splint Mail and Open Face Helm

**Honorable Mention goes to General Fonzie "The Fonz" Schlepprock, a gnome titan fighter that joined the campaign in the midst of a war ravaging the continent.  Fun times for "The Fonz."

Ballad of the Pigeon God #70 The Return of the Kings

For a breakdown of what's transpired, check out the Ballad of the Pigeon God Page.  The "Apocalypse" starts with Episode #64.

The Morning of the 2nd of DecDec 1072
The Chateau d'Echleon, Outside the Village of Eding
After the third wave of gnolls, our heroes realized that they should have attacked the first scout wave much more vigorously than use General Norm Dingleberry inside a sphere of force like a giant hamster.  Gnolls weren't indigenous to Crosedes, so they had never fought one, let alone hordes of them, but they were far better organized than any of the other monsters.  The heroes resorted to standard slugfest tactics to beat them back to the main road, but they had alos brought some small, portable siege engines, hurling explosive balls of clay.  One landed beside Norm, sending him flying in one direction, and his battleaxe Overwhelm, in another.

Echelon, Sigard, Kane, Felix, and Brutus fell back, but quickly felt hands grabbing them by the shoulder.  It wasn't gnolls, but rather King William and his two friends, Rurik and Fiame.  All three looked worse for wear, but William still held the bright white glowing Blood-Brand.

"We've got this," the king stated as they waded into the gnolls.

Finally watching the Blood-Brand in action was a pleasure as it sliced through gnolls, broke weapons, and pushed back attacks.  Within a minute, the three rival adventurers had cleared the battlefield of the enemy.

Sheathing his weapon as he walked back to the group, William was met but a barely appreciative Echelon.

"Thanks," Echelon deadpanned, "How did you come up with the sword?"

William laughed and made a quick look towards his friends.  "We've been cleaning up your messes over the last two years, once I got word that someone seemed to heading the White Plume, I assembled my team.  You folks were long gone, but with the carnage inside it seemed like you got two weapons and left the third."

Norm awoke from the explosion and wandered over the the conversation, rubbing his head, and looking around for Overwhelm.

William continued, "I don't know why you skipped it, and I don't care.  But we obtained it without losing a soul, and now I wield it."

"And I don't know what you guys learned from legends, but those of royal Ferasean blood that wield the Blood-Brand become the Emporer of the ancient lands of Feraso. I let the sages and scribes do all the research, but I am a distant cousin of those kings.  Right now, I'm effectively ruler the whole world!"

"That's great your royal majesty-ness," the dim-witted Brutus exclaimed.  "Can you make those hobgoblins coming at us surrender with your shiny sword?"

Knowing that a portion of some prophecy might be coming true, everyone returned to the battle.  Norm hacked at a random hobgoblin with his hand axe, but without his ancient axed, fighting was becoming bleak.

Thorrin Slatebelt, dwarven blacksmith and ardent fan of the Norm, had scoured the fields for the missing weapon.  When he did come upon it, he ran back with it, throwing it to it's rightful owner.

It flew halfway to Norm, and turned back to Thorrin, landing right in his hand.  Throrin tried a few more times to toss it to Norm with the same result.  Eventually, the hobgoblins pushed forward, and Thorrin was forced to use the axe for his own defense.  Neither dwarf was pleased.

The hobgoblin advanced stopped, and fell back, to the surprise of the heroes.  But that left enough time to let their guard down.  Three ranks of hobgoblin archers burst out of the retreating units and unleashed a barrage of arrows take no shield could withstand.

With a second to react, Echelon looked around.  Felix and Brutus were down, and Kane and Thorrin were near deaths door.  And worst of all, William, King William, maybe even Emperor William, stood motionless on the battlefield, blood gushing from his mouth, the Blood-Brand fallen from his hand a mere second before his body collapsed.

Echelon put himself and Kane into a Cube of Force and charged the archers.   Thorrin starting hurling Overwhelm at the hobgoblin infantry, and Norm Dingleberry....?  William's friend, Fiame and Rurik followed suit.

He picked up The Blood-Brand

"I'm zee king of zee world...I'm zee king of zee world...I'm zee king of zee world..."

The counter-attacked worked for awhile.  The hobgoblin archers dropped their bows and fled, while the infantry had trouble following.   But as Ariel the Bard was firing as many arrows as she could from the safety of hayloft of the Chateau's barn, she could spy Echelon's faithful wolf companion Pathfinder, running from the eastern flank, closest to the village of Eding.

The hobgoblins were getting reinforcements... and they were pinning the heroes.

The "last stand" Echelon had set-up at the barn was in a horrible location.  The barn stood right next to a very sheer drop that led down to a small stream.  There was a switchback path down to the bottom, but in the midst of combat, some poor footing, and *whoosh* your in the stream.

The reinforced hobgoblins pushed back and our heroes were forced to fall back to that precarious drop.  It had been amazing enough that this small group fought for as long as they could, even more amazing that only one person (Echelon) was proficient in the legendary weapon he was wielding!

Norm finally succumbed to his wounds and Echelon was trying to get Pathfinder and Ariel to escape down the path, when everyone noticed an individual coming up the path.  He wore a glistening suit of full plate, a white cape, and held a longsword in one hand, and a shield with a strange shimmering pattern on the front.

He put a hand on Echelon's shoulder, and with a smug look on his face, he said, "Sorry I'm late..."

He knocked aside a few of the hobgoblins with a single blow of sword, then positioned himself behind the shield like he was preparing to take blow.  Instead, the shimmering surface of the shield shot on an energy bolt into the hobgoblin forces, vaporizing a ten foot swath of them from the barn, all the way to the main road, well over a quarter mile.

Could this be the true God of Goodness and Light?  The shiny armor and perfect demeanor supported the cause.  But as he turned back to give anther smug expression, multiple energy sources struck the man.  Fire, Arcane, and Divine magic, as well as a Disintegration spell hit the shining man, until he let out a yelp and turned into ash.

Past the smoke stood twelve men who, if they weren't wizards, made a great impression that they were.

A beaten Echelon could only sigh, "Evil Wizards???  C'mon...."

Next: #71 - The Stand

Ballad of the Pigeon God #69 The Giant Sphere of Annihilation

For a breakdown of what's transpired, check out the Ballad of the Pigeon God Page.  The "Apocalypse" starts with Episode #64.

The Morning of the 2nd of DecDec 1072
The Chateau d'Echleon, Outside the Village of Eding
Echelon, former Baron of Eding, and his fellow adventurers, Kane, Sigard, and Thorrin Slatebelt, arrived just in time to save his wolf companion Pathfinder from a messy death by falling.

**Thanks boss!  These guys are too tough for me.... All yours**  the wolf telepathically spoke to his master.

"Hold on a second, Pathfinder," Echelon spoke aloud, "Start running towards the giants."

The wolf paused a moment and began walking towards the monsters.  The square sides warped outward and turned into an sphere.  As Pathfinder began running faster, the sphere picked up speed, until it crashed into a collection of stone giants.  Kane and Sigard took out a hill giant, and Baron Felix, Brutus, and Thorrin fell two more.  Despite whatever calling was compelling them to attack, the remaining giants turned tail and ran.

With the coast clear for the first time in hours, Babette and Zoe were set down the steep path to the stream below and the secret rendezvous in the caves upstream

Most of the Chateau d'Echelon, the old stone farmhouse everyone had turned into a home these last few years, was in ruins.  The only benefits of the giants' rampage was that some of the supports collapsed away from the portions that were on fire.  It would be a total loss, but it wasn't a total flaming loss.

It would be mere minutes until the next wave in this mindless attack would commence, unless the giants, minotaurs, and trolls turned to the village of Eding, but something seemed to make the larger monsters avoid the fray between the goblins and the local militia.

Standing outside the Chateau's large barn were the last adventuriers left to stop the hordes:

Echelon:  Priest of the Eastern God of the Sea, Tshang Kai Ching, pigeon aficionado, former Baron of Eding, and rabble-rouser against the now-dead Dread Lord.  He wielded Wave an ancient trident whose special abilities he was still discovering.  His wolf Pathfinder, whom he shared a telepathic link, skulked around the back of the barn.  After rolling spheres and giant attacks, he needed a moment to compose himself.

Kane: an Eastern monk with elemental control of water.

Sigard:  a young paladin of Akana who threw in his lot with the adventurers before the return of the God-King turned into a horrible, evil hoax.

Thorrin:  a dwarf blacksmith that Echelon and company had only met a few weeks before this apocalypse.

Ariel: a feisty bard that gave up the adventuring life, only to return to defend the first place that was ever offered as a home to her.  She scanned the surrounding woods with her bow from the hay loft.

Felix: the current owner and caretaker of the Chateau.  His middle-aged frame and constitution was beginning to fail him.

Brutus: the large, hulking ex-gladiator had somehow lost his shirt in the fighting.  Brutus practiced swinging a huge two-handed sword, oblivious to a huge head wound that, oddly, did not seem to affect him.

There was no sign of Echelon's leg-less mentor, Mohammad, who had been holed up on the second story of the demolish Chateau.  There was no time to mourn friends.

While they stood around the barn, waiting for demons or titans to attack next, a certain dwarf nearly walked up to them on their flank.

"Allo, everyone!  It's just me, Norm!  You are missing the monster as well?"

After some precautions  to ensure the dwarf wasn't one of the evil spider-people doppelgangers, our heroes were finally relieved.

Norm explained that his army delayed the goblin hordes from assaulting Eding, but ultimately most of his men were pushed into the river and into the Nightwood Forest.  Thanks to his loyal lieutenants, most survivors were able to cross the river on the other side of the village and reinforce the villagers.

The village/baronial militia, led by Torm Touchberry and Lady Iris stood firm against the goblin onslaught.  A strange elf cleric by the name of Markuus marched behind the lines, pulling the injured away, healing them, and filling holes when needed.

Things had begun getting desperate when a great commotion came up from the village square.  Everyone turned, to see the halfling militias from Lowdale, Welldale, and Elmshire arriving.  Leading the charge atop a halfling pony was ten-year old Baron Timmy himself!   His mother, Jenny was close behind, armed with a shortsword and a morning star, but it was the surprise the villagers needed to push back the invaders.  More were soon to come, but for Norm, it was a perfect time to sneak out and see how his friends were fairing.

With that, a snarling pack of gnolls came around both sides of the ruined Chateau.

"Hey Norm," Echelon exclaimed, pointing his glowing trident at the dwarf.  "Prepare to start running..."

GM Notes: Finally, after all the chaos, our heroes were catching a break.  The endless waves of humanoids and monsters seemed to at least slow down.   Not enough time to sleep, but with Wave and Overwhelm ready for action, they seemed poised for anything. 

As I discussed the last great battle of the finale, Norm's player, Nate, brought up an interesting fact that most of us had forgotten:  Wave could create cubes of force, usually for oxygen for air-breathers underwater, or perhaps a land-locked aquarium.   Nate fondly remembers Echelon casting them around Norm and Norm pulling off "the 'ol hamster ball" versus giants, ogres, and the like.  Things are going to heat up awfully quick as we race towards the finish, but it felt wrong if I didn't mention the only battle tactic Echelon had that didn't seem to include running away. 

On a different note, there will only be a slight modification to Tuesday publishing of the episodes while I participate in #RPGaDay for August.  The #RPGaDay posts should appear early (by US Eastern Time Zone), and the Pigeon God posts should follow around Noon.

Next: #70 The Return of the Kings?

Ballad of the Pigeon God #68: The Guardian of the Chateau

For a breakdown of what's transpired, check out the Ballad of the Pigeon God Page.  The "Apocalypse" starts with Episode #64.

The Early Morning of the 2nd of DecDec 1072
The Chateau d'Echleon, Outside the Village of Eding
The coming of the God-King was all a ruse.  Felix knew from start that it wouldn't come true, but some people looked for hope anywhere they could find it.   First rumors of evil gods showing up spread through the village of Eding like wildfire, then the fleeing pilgrims, followed by General Norm's army being chased by goblins and orcs as far as the eye could see.

Since his rescue from the dreaded spider-people only a year and a half ago and an invitation to stay at the Chateau, Felix had always taken pride in how the estate looked.  Even in their darkest of times financially, he always tried to touch up some worn paint or replace a battered board on the barn.

But now, he and Brutus, a man whose brain was inversely proportionate to his huge muscles and giant heart, were intentionally damaging the main building of the Chateau, as well as the barn behind them.  Knocking out expensive windows, ripping off shutters, and smearing soot across the front to make the appearance of the Chateau had already been ransacked and torched

It worked surprisingly well.  Only small groups of cowardly (or greedy) goblins and orcs took a peek inside, and Felix, Brutus, and Baron Echelon's old wolf companion, Pathfinder were there to take them out.

The defense of the Chateau before Echelon and company (hopefully) arrived was of great importance.  Hiding in the empty wine cellar were  the housekeeper Zoe Loup-Alberhold and Babette de Sarista, each protecting their own small children.  If the adventurers gave them enough time, he could get the mothers and their babies to the next safer location, but for now, this was all they had.

Somewhere on the second floor was their wild card.  Mohammad had been Echelon's mentor, but a blast of divine energy turned him dumbstruck and agoraphobic.  He spent his days hiding in closets, praying to his god, Tshang Kai Ching.  But since the Echelon and company had left, he had been praying non-stop to his god, randomly pushing his legless body on a scooter, moving from room to room.  Felix didn't know if it was doing any good, but after all the fighting he still felt refreshed and awake... the normally sweaty Brutus hadn't even worked up a bead.

As the goblins moved through to the east, one lone figure moved against the flow.  Ariel the Bard had left an abortive adventuring career with our heroes to spend nights playing at the Blue Wizard Inn and spending time with the woman she loved, but now she returned as a messenger.

"Norm's army is holding off the monsters just outside the palisade, but they can't hold out much longer.  There were Spider-People among the militia!  We're very weak, I don't think the villagers will hold out, no matter how Torm and Lady Iris try to rally them."

"Lady Iris had the royal garrison swear loyalty to her, and even I'm impressed the bastards agreed. They're patrolling the other side of the village, and it's eerie.  Nobody even circles around the town, human or monster.  Hell, we haven't even heard from the halfling villages in the last day."

"Jenny and Baron Timmy are holed up in the Baronial Manor. When everything falls apart, I don't even think Echelon's fancy new trident could save them. It's sad..."

Felix had the woman shut up and guard the backdoor, while he ordered Brutus to grab some sleep.

2nd of DecDec 1072 - Chateau d'Echelon, Kingdom of Crosedes
With nightfall, the march of the monsters seemed towards Eding finally began to abate.  Felix's eyes were finally beginning to droop, but still spied the front of the estate for a troll, an orc, or even a  weakly goblin.  Nothing.  In fact, a few more of the cowardly monsters began fighting the magical call to fight and were deserting, evil instincts be damned.

Ariel peered around a second story window towards Eding.  The sounds of battle could be heard in the distance, and the fires of the village could be seen over the tree line, but it wasn't the light of wanton destruction.  Norm, his remaining soldiers, and the villagers were holding their own.

As the sun began to rise, Pathfinder sensed something outside.  He nudged the heavily snoring Brutus awake, and the snuck out the back door to investigate.

Giants.

Hill, Stone, Frost, hell even Forest Giants were towering over the nearby woods, ripping up everything in their path.

Brutus alerted Felix and Ariel, and they in turn got the mothers and their children out of the wine cellar, and out past the barn.  Once there, they could work their way down a steep but hidden path towards the small stream at the bottom.  They could follow the stream out towards the swamp, where they had secured some small caves with supplies... and hopefully enough camouflage.  That was supposed to be the fall back point, if everything fell apart, the goal for everyone was to reach the caves.

But first they needed to hold off a towering army of giants.

As the other women fled to the barn, Ariel took her bow and tried to distract the creatures.  It only succeeded in making some of them mad.  What took Felix and Brutus all day to ruin the front of the Chateau, the giants' clubs did thrice-fold damage in mere seconds.  Neither Felix or Brutus were fleet of foot, but against these gargantuans, their tactics were to wound and stay out from underfoot.

As a particularly nasty stone giant walloped the back porch, Pathfinder finally had his fill of this destruction, leaping up and latching his mouth onto the being's arms.  The giant wailed in pain, but the force of his attempt to shake the wolf off sent the beast flying thirty foot high and over one hundred feet away.  Certain doom for such a basic creature, but as Pathfinder braced for impact, he found himself floating in a near-invisible cube a mere five foot off the ground.  As he gently floated  to the ground, the force-field dissipated.  Pathfinder looked around, and down a little used hunting path, he could see his master, his friend, Echelon, wielding the glowing trident Wave.

The true guardian of the Chateau had returned.

Next:  #69: The Giant Sphere of Annihilation

Ballad of the Pigeon God #67: The Battle Shifts

For a breakdown of what's transpired, check out the Ballad of the Pigeon God Page.  The "Apocalypse" starts with Episode #64.

1st of DecDec 1072 (Dusk) - Lake Apotheosis, Kingdom of Crosedes  (Continued...)
The prophesied return of the God-King was all a ruse.  Baraxus the Destroyer, an inter-dimensional spider god, had managed to trick thousands, all the while setting the forces of evil upon a populace, whose greatest sins were hope and naivety. 

Our heroes had watched the evil king slain by an old ally (wielding ancient sword the humanoid hordes did NOT like), the gruesome death of a dear friend, and a long lost inter-dimensional friend take on the spider god mano y mano.

Kannex, the Red Mage of Cymril, had returned from his world of Talislanta, a bit more aged, but throwing crazy fire magic at Baraxus.  Bolts, barriers, and fiery hexes confounded and pained the god.  Only his own magicks and web magic kept the wizard off-kilter as he hovered forty foot in the air.

Our heroes, Echelon, Thorrin, Sigard, Kane, and Beourn the Ranger (in bear form) had recently reunited with elf ranger Ashe Winnebago and his clan. Elvish arrows and blades had cut a swath into the hordes of monsters, but there were more pouring forth from the surrounding forests and swamps.

A portion of the goblin horde pursuing General Norm Dingleberry's troops back to the defenses of Eding, turned back and attack the heroes and elves.  Spears flew fast and hard, and while many tried to form a defensive formation, Beourn, still in bear form, rampaged into the greenskins. The heroes could only watch in horror as the goblins simply overwhelmed the lone figure.  He would not rise again.

Cut off from the main road, the heroes left the elves, who still sought to quench a longstanding blood thirst, and began a fighting withdrawal, through the thick underbrush running parallel with it, towards the Chateau d'Echelon.  If Kannex couldn't fell the god, no one else could.

Within minutes of the withdrawal, the mass of goblins chasing them seemed to dissipate, replaced with giant men wearing dire wolf furs and wielding gargantuan swords and axes.

While they looked frighteningly threatening, the nearby warriors seemed to beckon their back ranks forward.  As they neared the heroes, their torchlight revealed elaborate facial tattoos and heavy scarring.

Finally, their leader reached the front, with the facial tattoos running down the neck and covering a portion of his chest and left arm.  Pulling out an other-worldly sword, Kane began to smile.

"Brother Rolf?  Rolf Wolfsblood?  Is that you?"

Rolf Wolfsblood was a barbarian from the plains of Galmar who was one of the original party members, along with Kane and Ashe.   He had traveled to the world of Talislanta, thanks to Kannex, and had become enraptured by the culture of a warrior race known as Thralls, returning to this world with a number of their tattoos.

Realizing he had no interest in magic weapon quests and the general tomfoolery of the Dread Lord, Rolf left the Chateau and wandered east into Ras-Prythax, towards Galmar.

He was amazed how each town seemed to have a half-civilized Galmar barbarian in their population, and upon conversation after conversation, Rolf discovered each one to be miserable.  He convinced many to form a company of Galmar ex-pats, who were to be marauders for hire.  Almost all of the barbarians were enthralled (pun intended) with Rolf's stories of Thrall tattoo histories. It's been a short time, but few learned to tattoo, and many were already setting up standard patterns and designs to extol the history of Galmar.

But the barbarians felt the pull of the Dagger of Myrmindosa, and thanks to Rolf, decided to hold off their impulses.

Echelon was pleased. "Go back and get your bloodlust filled, but make sure this path is open for those fighting with us."  We're falling back to support Eding, check on the Chateau, and figure out what's next...

Rolf nodded, and with a quick wave of the arm, his barbarian cohort turned back to the battlefield.

His men emerged from the woods to a scene of chaos.  Ashe and the Winnebago elves had formed circle and had killed so many monsters with their bows that they were using the the bodies as walls for a redoubt, fighting the oncoming rushes with spears and swords, while a few spied the distance for shamans and flying monsters.

On the far side of the battlefield, King William trudged through the blood and the gore, still wielding the legendary Blood-Brand.  All of the elite cavalry from King Cervinal had perished, so it was only his friends, Rurik the Viking and Fiame the Cleric of Akana, following his wake of destruction.

It was odd that the waves of humanoids from the surrounding countryside seemed to diminish once twilight had hit.  It would make more sense for them to attack at night, but perhaps the greatest of hordes had already arrived.  William worried, though, of what type of stragglers would show up.  Eding was a good place to rest...

But perhaps the monsters were frightened by the pyrotechnics and arcane auras coming from Kannex the Red Mage and Baraxus the Destroyer.  By this point, the battle had been going on for the better part of an hour.  Everyone else vacated the lake area, as at least a quarter mile in all directions was scorched earth.

Only Rolf, his compatriots, and a few awe-struck humanoids watched Kannex's final blow to Baraxus, a dual fireball that streaked past each side of the spider-god, turned around and enveloped him from behind.  When the light of the blast subsided, neither combatant could be seen, and no one was brave enough to search for them.

But with the death of Baraxus, something came over some of the heroes and warriors for good across the region.   Whether it was militiamen in Eding, Rolf's barbarians, or even Ashe's Winnebago brothers, some of them twisted and contorted... into spider-people doppelgangers!  They would ambush their supposed brethren beside them, and wreck havoc on the defenses.  Treachery!

With new threats lurking on the outskirts of the battlefield, Rolf felt it wise to slay the magical pretenders and retreat through the woods, to establish a new defense away from where gods and wizards played so recklessly.  The barbarians, the elves, King William's troupe, and a few remaining survivors left the fields of death around Lake Apotheosis for Eding.

And as the forces of evil bid their time, there was but a single unit of ogres still on the battlefield pillaging the dead bodies.  They had many bags of loot, but they prominently displayed the head of Velandro d'Ispatlia on a pike.

The monsters in the woods didn't see large group of smaller creatures sneak behind the ogres, but everyone could hear the ogres wailings and pleadings for mercy.  No wound on the ogres was above the groin, and within moments, they were all on the ground.

Crawling over the corpses were three dozen dozen small figures, armed with maces and shortswords.  They eschewed the ill-gotten gains of the ogres and collected body parts.

The leader of the group wore a tabard with the symbol of Akana.  He found the head of Velandro and removed it from the pike.  His subordinates gathered near him and dropped what they had collected at his feet.

The remaining body parts of Velandro.

The leader pulled off his helm and revealed a well-trimmed dog face with two large beady eyes, both welling up in tears.

Dag di Velandro, faithful kobold acolyte, protege of Velandro, and full-blooded holy warrior of Akana was too late to save his one true friend.

The other kobolds, including his wife and children, removed their helmets to pay homage to the father of the Kobolds for Akana movement.  With the noises moving closer, they hastily collected Velandro's remains in a large sack, put it in one of their backpacks, and scurried off into the woods towards the Chateau.

DM Notes:  Baraxus appears to have been destroyed, but the most powerful wizard in the campaign is missing.   Ashe and Rolf have returned (with help) to stand by their friends, but even their secret plans are rife in deceit.  The powers of evil continue to descend upon the river valley and begin to move towards Omsjik and Eding, but even kobold paladins-in-training are here to save the day.  

Time for a mea culpa on my part.  When (1) you're transcribing a character journal into Actual Play episode and (2) said journal entries are nearly twenty years old, it's tough to fill in the details that the characters may have forgotten.  Then (3) you realize all you have to construct the campaign finale from memory because the last journal entry was covered back in episode #58, you may forget certain details, such as (4) I changed world maps from this campaign to my Hackmaster campaign, and for the sake of consistency I've adjusted travel times and locations for all of the Pigeon God based on these new map.  With that in mind, I might be the only person to care, but (5) Lake Apotheosis is a mirror image of the old map, which means (6) the goblins overflowing the cliffs and subsequently swooping down onto the pilgrims came from the Nightwood Forest, which is on the wrong side of the lake!  The cliff face is actually against the southern swamps.  Starting with this episode, everything is pouring out of the Nightwood Forest, which is to the north of the lake.

It also leaves a desperate geographic conundrum, as the Hydincall River, which was a natural boundary for the village of Eding and the Nightwood Forest, is now on the opposite side of the village.  

I'm sure they'll tweak the story elements when I sell the rights to Netflix.

RIP: Beourn and MacKay (King William's warrior associate)

Next:  #68 - The Guardian of the Chateau