Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[mongo]

[Sitting Duck]

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Session 15


Real World Date: Friday November 4, 2011

Campaign World Date: Amar’s Day, Goldmonth 16 to Halen’s Day, Goldmonth 17, 1,000 FF (From the Founding of Tyros City)


The Roll of Heroes

Heath

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. A brawny, attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He wears naught but a loin cloth. He is accompanied by his sidekick, Bailee, a bard and a pleasure slave.

Thomas

Kumar. A rogue and an archer.

Eric

Dar. An attractive beastmaster and shapechanger from the Erendor Forest. He wears naught but a loin cloth with a magnificent golden codpiece. He is accompanied by a she-wolf and by Princess Dacia, a Yari from out of the past. Dar is also capable of turning into a wolf.

Danny

Agar. An attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He wears a loin cloth and a bear skin cloak complete with the bear’s head.


The Story So Far

The party had just ended a quest to return a giant mastodon, the Shaker of Mountains, to its home in the Ice Spires. The heroes were in Ruusland, a land near THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s and Agar’s homeland in the Ice Spires. The Ruus are fierce, seafaring warriors. The heroes ended up in the village of Candlefish, home of Olaf, a childhood rival of THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. Olaf sought the Valley of the Fourth Moon, a place sacred to THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s and Agar’s clan. When THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! refused to divulge the location. Olaf revealed his allegiance to Yar and ordered his men to attack. After an epic combat with Olaf’s warriors and two Avatars of Nohar (large, bull headed creatures created by some fell Yari sorcery), the party was defeated . . . .


The Tale of Heroes

Jailbreak

• The heroes awoke inside a pit, open to the sky but also surrounded by a cage built of timber. Agar, who had been missing for several days, was there. A joyous reunion turned somber when Agar said that he had told Olaf about the location of the Valley of the Fourth Moon. After he had told Olaf, Ruus warriors had attacked and subdued Agar. He awoke in the pit with the rest of the party.

• Kumar had busted out of tougher prisons than the one he was in. He nimbly climbed the wall of the pit and then shimmied up the rough hewn timbers that formed a cage around the pit. He then stood on top of one of the timbers. A Ruus child spotted him and started throwing stones at him. Then some Ruus warriors saw what was happening and started chucking spears and axes in his direction.

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, meanwhile, had climbed up the walls of the pit and thence up the timber cage. He jumped to freedom on the other side. Then he grasped one of the timbers that formed the cage and, straining every one of his mighty thews, lifted it out of the ground. He threw the timber into the pit to serve as a way out for this fellow party members.

• Dar, his she-wolf companion, Princess Dacia, and Bailee ran up the improvised ladder. The small band of heroes gleefully engaged in combat with an entire village of Ruus warriors. The odds didn’t look good. Suddenly, warriors from the Clan of the Saber Tooth, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s and Agar’s people, poured over the walls of the village. [Someone played the “Here Comes the Cavalry” Adventure Card.] Taking advantage of the situation, Dar demanded that the Ruus throw down their weapons and surrender. To emphasize his demand, Dar shapeshifted into his wolf form. The Ruus warriors, caught by surprise and intimidated by the beastmaster, complied. [Eric rolled well on Dar’s Intimidate check.]

The Blizzard

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Agar could only spend a short time with their clan. Olaf was not in the village. Ruus prisoners said that their chieftain, a Yari sorcerer named Afzal, and several Avatars of Nohar had left Candlefish several hours before. The party had no doubt that their enemies were headed to the Valley of the Fourth Moon. The heroes had no idea what Afzal was up to, but it couldn’t be good. The party quickly gathered up supplies and then took off in pursuit.

• The Valley of the Fourth Moon was two days away through frozen plains. The sky was clear when the party left Candlefish, but a blizzard quickly struck. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Agar both knew this land, however, and they quickly built an improvised shelter. The party hunkered down to wait out the storm.

• Agar was on watch while the rest of the party slept. He heard, over the howl of the wind, a feminine voice singing one of the most beautiful songs he had ever heard. The barbarian was tempted to open the door of the party’s shelter to see who could be singing such a melody. Then Agar shook his head to clear his thoughts. Going out into a blizzard was madness. Agar sat back down while the voice continued to sing. He didn’t think someone singing in a blizzard with a voice powerful enough to be heard over the wind and through the walls of the shelter was that big of a deal, so he didn’t bother to wake up his fellow party members.

• Then BOOOOM!!!!! The party’s shelter collapsed as two frost giants battered it with their clubs. Outside, in the howling winds, stood a woman, wearing naught but a chain mail bikini. She sang a beguiling song. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Agar both recognized her as a Frost Maiden, an evil creature of ice and snow. Frost Maidens used their song to befuddle men.

• Groggy from being awoken and disorientated by the singing of the Frost Maiden, the heroes had a bad time of it early in the battle. Kumar kept up a steady volley of arrows against the Frost Maiden. Several arrows ending up hitting, but didn’t seem to do any damage.

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! climbed one of the frost giants. Once he reached its head, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! started screaming into its ear. The frost giant swung its club at its own ear, attempting to hit the barbarian. Not once, but twice it ended up clobbering itself. Concussed by its own actions, the frost giant was not able to defend itself. The rest of the party hacked into the legs of the frost giant. Freezing cold water poured from its wounds where blood should have been. It soon fell, dead. [After successfully having THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! scale the giant, Heath had THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! attempt a couple of Smart tricks against it. This was funny because THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! has a d4 Smarts. Thank the role-playing gods for the Wild Die.]

• Even with one frost giant down, the party was having trouble killing the second. Then, out of the blizzard ghostly warriors of the Sabertooth Clan appeared. The ghost warriors surrounded the remaining Frost Giant and helped the party kill it. The ghostly warriors then faded away into the whirling snow and winds. [Someone played the “Burn the Witch” Adventure Card.]

• When both of the giants fell, the Frost Maiden turned and ran off into the blizzard. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Agar knew better than to follow.

• The next day the blizzard stopped and the party continued on their trek. They soon ran across an abandoned campsite. A quick search revealed a magic circle carved into the ground. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s sidekick, Bailee, who knew something about magic, said that the circle seemed to deal with changing the weather. It seemed that Afzal had conjured up the blizzard to delay the party.

Battle at the Entrance of the Valley of the Fourth Moon

• Finally, the party arrived at the Valley of the Fourth Moon. A large tent sat in front of the entrance. Kumar tried to sneak up to investigate the tent, but he was spotted by its inhabitants, four Avatars of Nohar!

• Yet another glorious combat broke out. The Avatars were skilled combatants, using their size and speed to charge the heroes to overwhelm them. One by one, however, the Avatars fell to the blows of the party.

• Alas, Agar died in this combat. An Avatar charged the barbarian and gored him with its horns.


And that’s where we stopped for the night.


Locations Visited

Candlefish Village. Home of Olaf, Chieftain of the Russ.

Ruusland. Cold, windswept plains north of the Ice Spires. Home to the Ruus, fierce sea raiding barbarians.


Active Plot Hooks

Death to Afzal!

Afzal is a Yari sorcerer, the head of the Iron Ring slavers, and Dar’s nemesis. Afzal wants to sacrifice Dar for some heinous purpose.

The Fourth Moon

The Black Hand (an evil cult dedicated to Nogar-Sai, the god of the undead) is up to something most heinous concerning Erisa’s legendary fourth moon. Afzal appears to be mixed up in this nefarious plot as well.


Open Plot Hooks

King Dar?

Dar is related in some fashion to the Ironhawks, the former royal house of Umbria. Dar grew up under Afzal’s cruel tutelage, learning to speak Yari and Tyrovian, and act halfway civilized. The beastmaster escaped shortly after discovering that Afzal planned to sacrifice him. The Yari sorcerer had branded the beastmaster’s palm with a rune of royalty and sacrifice; and had said something about the “royal blood of Umbria” flowing through Dar’s veins.

The Heart of Silsato / Quest for the Grey Queen

The Heart of Silsato is a magic gem, ensorcelled by the serpent men of Valosa, an empire that predated Zove. The gem is heart-shaped and always points in the direction of Valosa’s greatest treasure. That treasure is guarded by a fearsome monster. Hala, the goddess of death, wants THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! to slay the monster.


World Records

Damage Inflicted

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 7. Against a soldier of Fort Attalus. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blow was so powerful that he killed another soldier standing next to the original one.

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 10. Against Yurgle the Demi-God of Giants. This one gets an asterisk because Heath actually hit for 28 damage and then used the “Deadly Blow” Adventure Card, doubling the damage.

Damage Received

47 Points. Alzar, Session 2. During the Test of Combat against Vitar, the defrocked War Priest of Kesh. Luckily, Jack rolled a Raise on Alzar’s Incapacitation roll. Unluckily, he also rolled a 2 on the Wound chart: the Unmentionables. Vitar uses a maul. So, um, yeah, make up your own description on this one.


Experience and Glory

3 XP awarded.

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! gains an Advance. Congrats Heath!

XP and Glory for current characters:

Agar 44 XP 26 Glory
Dar 63 XP 29 Glory
THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! 62 XP 36 Glory
Kumar 44 XP 19 Glory


Legend Chips Awarded: 5

Active. We have a House Rule that there is always at least 1 Legend Chip in the bag.

Active. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 14 for returning the Shaker of Mountains to his home in the Ice Spires.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 10 for killing Yurgle, the Demi-God of Giants.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 9 for killing the 150 long serpent at the Serpent Mound near the Erendor Forest.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 7 for killing Elslae, an evil priest of Nogar-Sai, an evil god of undeath, and for killing Ronald von Sturm, an evil warlord.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 3 for killing Joubert and putting an end to the depredations of the River Rats.

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Session 16


Real World Date: Friday November 18, 2011

Campaign World Date: Halen’s Day, Goldmonth 17 to Vand’s Day, Goldmonth 18, 1,000 FF (From the Founding of Tyros City)


The Roll of Heroes

Heath

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. A brawny, attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He is accompanied by his sidekick, Bailee, a bard and a pleasure slave.

Thomas

Kumar. A rogue and an archer.

Eric

Dar. An attractive beastmaster and shapechanger from the Erendor Forest. He wears naught but a loin cloth with a magnificent golden codpiece. He is accompanied by a she-wolf and by Princess Dacia, a Yari from out of the past. Dar is also capable of turning into a wolf.


The Story So Far

The party is chasing Afzal, a Yari sorcerer, and Olaf, a Ruus warrior. Afzal and Olaf are heading for the Valley of the Fourth Moon. Afzal certainly has some nefarious scheme in mind involving Erisa’s legendary Fourth Moon, which legends say fell from the sky ages ago. The party has reached the entrance of the valley and has slain four Avatars of Nohar, large bull-headed creatures sacred to the god Nohar. Alas, Agar had been killed as well.


The Tale of Heroes

The Burial of Agar

• Agar had been killed in the epic battle against the Avatars of Nohar. The party buried him with honors. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! gave a moving speech about his friend and follow tribesman. [“Eulogy” Adventure Card played.]

• Just before entering the Valley of the Fourth Moon, the party noticed a group of people on the horizon headed their way. Allies? Enemies? The party opted not to find out.

Entering the Valley of the Fourth Moon

• Entering the Valley, the players saw a couple of bodies lying on the ground. A tall cliff lay beyond. Investigating carefully, the party discovered that the bodies were men, though both were large, hairy, and had misshapen heads. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! recognized them as Cave Men, bestial folk who lived in the peaks of the Ice Spires. They were dumb brutes, but excellent hunters who stalked and ate THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s people.

• The party moved forward towards the cliff. As the party climbed a narrow set of stairs cut into the cliff face, a large group of Cave Men appeared above them. Spears and rocks came hurtling down on the heroes.

• Yet another epic combat broke out. It was a near run thing, but the party emerged victorious.

Appeasing the Wind Spirits of the Valley of the Fourth Moon

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! had been to the Valley of the Fourth Moon many times for religious ceremonies. He knew angry wind spirits dwelled on the plateau where they stood. The shamans of his clan appeased the spirits with their prayers and offerings. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! himself did not know how to keep the spirits at bay, however.

• Dar said that they should sacrifice Dacia, the Princess of Ancient Yar. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Kumar both said that killing an innocent (even a whiny one) was not a good idea.

• Dar then decided to tie Princess Dacia to a rock to appease the wind spirits. He said a prayer to call the wind spirits to use Dacia as an oracle. It seemed to worked: Dacia started muttering incoherently. Quickly, the party moved on.

• [Princess Dacia and Dar had been a running joke for the last couple of sessions. Dacia was the classic stuck up, arrogant princess who nevertheless was in love with Dar. Eric was doing his best during this scene to get rid of Dacia. No one was going to let Eric succeed at this, of course.]

Afzal, his Demonic Allies, and the Ritual

• Following a trail, the party came to another cliff face. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! said that on top of the cliff was the Red Rock. Legend had it that the Red Rock was a shard from the Fourth Moon. The party heard chanting from the top of the cliff. Clearly, Afzal was conducting some foul ritual.

• The party raced up a narrow set of stairs. They were met by Afzal’s demonic allies: large hyena headed humanoids, including one who was clearly their leader. The demons were accompanied by a demonic boar and a demonic hyena. Olaf stood off to one side. He didn’t seem entirely happy about what was happening. The Red Rock was a large round stone, at least 10 feet high. The chanting came from the other side.

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! moved to engage the demons, Kumar peppered them with arrows. Dar and his she-wolf moved to circle around the Red Rock, sure that Afzal, their bitter enemy, was on the other side.

• Perhaps the most epic combat of the campaign played out. The demonic boar charged. The demonic hyena cackled, striking fear into the hearts of the heroes. The demon leader drew two great swords and attacked THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. The other demons moved to block Dar and his she-wolf from hitting Afzal. Olaf charged THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, determined to kill his rival.

• The appearance of Dar appeared to distract Afzal. He stopped chanting and started yelling at Dar. Afzal was enraged that the beastmaster had consistently foiled the sorcerer’s plans. [Eric laid down the “Villainous Verbosity” Adventure Card, effectively stopping the ritual. Well played, Eric, well played.]

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blows and Kumar’s arrows brought down the demon leader and his demonic animal companions. Olaf landed a mighty blow on THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! that would have killed any other man. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! simply shrugged it off and then ran his sword through Olaf’s heart.

• In their moment of triumph, however, Afzal escaped the party’s vengeance. He chanted words of power and shadowy arms appeared from the ground. The shadowy arms seized the sorcerer and then drug Afzal into the ground. The Yari laughed evilly (MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!) as Dar screamed in frustration.

The Yari War Party

• Having foiled whatever nefarious plot Afzal was up to, the party licked their wounds and made their way out of the Valley of the Fourth Moon.

• They picked up Princess Dacia on their way out. [I told you that Dar couldn’t get rid of Dacia so easily.] The encounter with the wind spirits seemed to have calmed her down somewhat.

• A Yari war party waited for the heroes as they left the valley. This was the group that the heroes had spotted earlier. A priest of Yago, completely bald in the Yari fashion, stepped forward. He introduced himself as Kalin of Yar and demanded to know what had become of Afzal.

• Kalin explained that Afzal had gone rogue. The sorcerer’s actions had not been approved by the Priest-King. Kalin was here to bring back Afzal in chains.

• Not unexpectedly, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! grew tired of the talking. He drew his sword and attacked Kalin. Yet another epic combat started. Once again, the party emerged victorious. Kalin, the Priest of Yago, and his men lay dead at the party’s sandaled feet.


And that’s where we stopped for the night.


NPCs met

Olaf, Chief of the Ruus. He’s dead, Jim.

Afzal, the Yari sorcerer.

Kalin, Yari priest. He’s dead, too.


Locations Visited

Candlefish Village.

The Valley of the Fourth Moon.


Active Plot Hooks

Death to Afzal!

Afzal is a Yari sorcerer, the head of the Iron Ring slavers, and Dar’s nemesis. Afzal wants to sacrifice Dar for some heinous purpose.

The Fourth Moon

The Black Hand (an evil cult dedicated to Nogar-Sai, the god of the undead) is up to something most heinous concerning Erisa’s legendary fourth moon. Afzal appears to be mixed up in this nefarious plot as well.


Open Plot Hooks

King Dar?

Dar is related in some fashion to the Ironhawks, the former royal house of Umbria. Dar grew up under Afzal’s cruel tutelage, learning to speak Yari and Tyrovian, and act halfway civilized. The beastmaster escaped shortly after discovering that Afzal planned to sacrifice him. The Yari sorcerer had branded the beastmaster’s palm with a rune of royalty and sacrifice; and had said something about the “royal blood of Umbria” flowing through Dar’s veins.

The Heart of Silsato / Quest for the Grey Queen

The Heart of Silsato is a magic gem, ensorcelled by the serpent men of Valosa, an empire that predated Zove. The gem is heart-shaped and always points in the direction of Valosa’s greatest treasure. That treasure is guarded by a fearsome monster. Hala, the goddess of death, wants THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! to slay the monster.


World Records

Damage Inflicted

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 7. Against a soldier of Fort Attalus. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blow was so powerful that he killed another soldier standing next to the original one.

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 10. Against Yurgle the Demi-God of Giants. This one gets an asterisk because Heath actually hit for 28 damage and then used the “Deadly Blow” Adventure Card, doubling the damage.

Damage Received

47 Points. Alzar, Session 2. During the Test of Combat against Vitar, the defrocked War Priest of Kesh. Luckily, Jack rolled a Raise on Alzar’s Incapacitation roll. Unluckily, he also rolled a 2 on the Wound chart: the Unmentionables. Vitar uses a maul. So, um, yeah, make up your own description on this one.


Experience and Glory

2 XP awarded.

Dar gains an Advance. Congrats Eric!

Kumar gains an Advance. Congrats Thomas!

XP and Glory for current characters:

Danny’s New Character 39 XP 10 Glory
Dar 65 XP 29 Glory
THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! 64 XP 36 Glory
Kumar 46 XP 19 Glory


Legend Chips Awarded: 5

Active. We have a House Rule that there is always at least 1 Legend Chip in the bag.

Active. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 14 for returning the Shaker of Mountains to his home in the Ice Spires.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 10 for killing Yurgle, the Demi-God of Giants.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 9 for killing the 150 long serpent at the Serpent Mound near the Erendor Forest.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 7 for killing Elslae, an evil priest of Nogar-Sai, an evil god of undeath, and for killing Ronald von Sturm, an evil warlord.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 3 for killing Joubert and putting an end to the depredations of the River Rats.

[Virgobrown72]

This is some of the most epic, amusing, and entertaining gameplay I've ever read!!! Keep it coming!!! ( I'm loving THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!)
_________________
"Anything smaller is just fiddly, and fiddly is not one of SvgW's three Fs..."

[Sitting Duck]

So when Is Danny going to get a replacement character? Or has he left the group?
_________________
The rabbit is cuddly. Kids like little cuddly sidekicks. I mean-- The rabbit-- It's a time-tested-- Okay, the rabbit bites.
Blog: http://sittingduck1313.livejournal.com
Evil Wig Enterprises Minion #10 - The Fink

[heathd666]

danny spends every other weekend at his dads house and becouse of the holiday's wasnt able to make it at the last game hopefully he will be there at this fridays game

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Session 17


Real World Date: Friday December 16, 2011

Campaign World Date: Vand’s Day, Goldmonth 18, to King’s Day, Sunsebb 6, 1,000 FF (From the Founding of Tyros City)


The Roll of Heroes

Heath

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. A brawny, attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He is accompanied by his sidekick, Bailee, a bard and a pleasure slave.

Thomas

Kumar. A rogue and an archer.

Eric

Dar. An attractive beastmaster and shapechanger from the Erendor Forest. He wears naught but a loin cloth with a magnificent golden codpiece. He is accompanied by a she-wolf and by Princess Dacia, a Yari from out of the past. Dar is also capable of turning into a wolf.

Rudy

Brawlinks. An assassin who sometimes goes berserk.


The Story So Far

The party is in the Ice Spires, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s homeland. The heroes had finished a great quest to stop an evil Yari sorcerer named Afzal from conducting some foul ritual involving Erisa’s fabled Fourth Moon. For several months, the party has rested on their laurels.

Lately, however, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s dreams were often of a tall, stern woman dressed all in gray. In one hand, the lady held a shining sword. With her other hand, she beckoned THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! to follow her. The barbarian knew this was Hala, the Queen of Death. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! had used a sword dedicated to Hala for several months, slaying hundreds of foes with it. Impressed with her newfound champion, the Grey Queen had ordered THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! to go on a quest for her. The machinations of the Yari sorcerer Afzal, however, had detoured THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and the rest of the party from their divine mission. Outside of the evil city of Broaq Nohar, the barbarian had driven the Sword of the Grey Queen into a large stone, promising that he would not use it until he could fulfill the goddess’s quest.

Hala was making it clear that it was time to take up her quest again. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and the rest of the heroes boarded a ship to take them south to the city of Broaq Nohar.


The Tale of Heroes

The Sword in the Stone

• The party arrived in the city of Broaq Nohar and then proceeded out of town to where THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! had driven the Sword of the Grey Queen into a stone. When they arrived, a large tent covered the sword in the stone. Numerous other tents surrounded that tent. The encampment was full of Yari and Noharian nobles. A carnival like atmosphere prevailed as jugglers, troubadours, and other entertainers were everywhere.

• The party approached the large tent, under which was the sword in the stone. A squad of Noharian soldiers blocked their way. A sergeant told them that only Yari or Noharian nobles were allowed to try to pull the sword from the stone.

• Dar was appalled that anyone would try to steal THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s sword. So the beastmaster shapeshifted into his dire wolf form, then leaped on the sergeant and tore the soldier’s throat out. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! rushed into the tent to grab the Sword of the Grey Queen. The rest of the party attacked the other guards.

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! was surprised to find the tent empty. Where a large boulder with a sword sticking out of it should have been, there was a shallow depression. Out of the corner of his eye, the barbarian saw a large cat, like a mountain lion, then it was gone. Confused, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! left the tent to join in the general melee.

• [I had anticipated that the party would start a war in the middle of an enemy encampment containing dozens of well armed and well trained nobles, and hundreds of foot soldiers, to say nothing of the inevitable Yari sorcerers and their demonic allies. So I announced that we could have a three hour combat that would result in a TPK, or the party could surrender. Surrendering would garner the players a Fate Chip. It was at this point that Eric threw down the “Contact” Adventure Card.]

• Prince Yahtee, a Yari noble, knew Dar from visiting Afzal’s compound when the sorcerer was raising the beastmaster. The Yari called for Dar and the party to stand down.

• The party negotiated with the prince. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! said that the sword in the stone had been stolen by a mountain lion. Prince Yahtee did not think that the barbarian was smoking black lotus. He mentioned that “The Cat” had been stealing items for years in Broaq Nohar and no one had been able to catch him or her.

• Prince Yahtee knew the party’s reputation and deduced that they might be able to capture The Cat for him. He and the party made a deal: the heroes would capture The Cat, preferably alive, and turn the thief over to Prince Yahtee. In return, the party could keep the Sword of the Grey Queen. Prince Yahtee deputized the party and absolved them from the death sentence hanging over their heads.

The Crooked House

• The party went back to Broaq Nohar to investigate The Cat. Several Streetwise checks later they had some information: 1) The Cat was a she. 2) The Cat was more than a simple burglar. She stole from Yari and Noharian nobles and gave to the Noharian poor. And 3) She was rumored to lair at an inn called the Crooked House in Shantytown, a wretched hive of scum and villainy located outside of the city walls. Noharian officials knew about the Crooked House and The Cat, but they had never been able to catch the thief regardless.

• The knowledge that The Cat stole from the rich and gave to the poor meant that the party was no longer interested in turning over The Cat to Prince Yahtee.

• The heroes found the Crooked House. It was indeed crooked: decrepit and falling apart, it leaned precariously. The party entered and nearly stumbled as the floor tilted under their feet. An androgynous waiter named Pak served the heroes some really horrible, warm beer. Rats were heard scurrying in the walls. Mangy cats and a couple of dogs were seen under or on the tables, eating scraps. Kumar and Brawlinks seemed at home. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Dar were definitely not happy about the place.

• Dar came up with the brilliant idea of asking the rats, cats, and dogs of the inn if they had ever smelled the scent of a mountain lion in the inn. [Dar has the Speak with All Animals Edge from the Legends of Steel book.] The animals said that on the highest perch, where the sun rose, there was a cave that they all avoided because they often smelled a great cat there.

• Kumar and Brawlinks went to investigate. Climbing two flights of crooked steps and negotiating a crooked hallway, they came to the last room on the east side. From beyond they heard voices arguing. Then a loud cry and the sounds of a scuffle. Kumar threw himself against the door. And bounced off. Brawlinks threw himself against the door and it shattered. Brawlinks then mocked Kumar.

• Inside they saw a dark shape perched on a windowsill. The dark shape had another figure tossed over its shoulder. Brawlinks charged the dark shape just as it was about to leap from the window. The assassin was surprised to find that the dark shape wasn’t human. It had hot and leathery skin, bat like wings, and a barbed tail. Brawlinks grabbed the thing’s tail just as it leapt out of the window. With a mighty heave, the assassin dragged the thing, and whatever it was carrying, back into the room.

• Another figure, this one human, emerged out of the shadows of the room. He attacked Brawlinks with a silvery blade. The assassin merely shrugged off the attack. Kumar ended the man’s life with a single well placed arrow.

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Dar heard the commotion upstairs. They charged up the crooked, rickety stairs. The entire inn seemed to sway back and forth and the heroes nearly stumbled a couple of times in their mad dash.

• The demon, for that it what it was, put up a fierce fight. However, Brawlinks held onto it so it couldn’t escape; THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! managed to wrench the human it was carrying out its grasp; Kumar hit it with some precisely placed arrows, and Dar kept biting it. Eventually, the demon exploded in a flash of bale fire.

• The demon had a been carrying a woman bound silver chains, held by a fancy lock. The woman, presumably The Cat, seemed incoherent and faded in and out of consciousness. Kumar tried to pick the lock. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and then Dar tried to break the chains with their mighty thews. Nothing worked. It was obvious that the chains were magical and beyond their ken.

• The party searched the room for the Sword of the Grey Queen, but they didn’t find it.

• At that point, Pak, the androgynous waiter showed up, meat cleaver in hand, to see what the all of the commotion was about. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! distracted the waiter while the rest of the party sneaked the woman in silver chains out of the Crooked House. [I won’t go into detail about how Heath had THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! distract the androgynous waiter. Let’s just say that he got a Fate Chip out of it and everyone at the table threw up a little in their mouths.]

• The party took what they hoped was The Cat with them outside of town and made camp. The incoherent woman kept muttering two things: “Rain Barrel Man” and “Epeus.”

Dar’s Legacy Revealed

• The next day, the party returned to Broaq Nohar. They left the woman in silver chains with Bailee and Princess Dacia.

• The heroes spent several hours crawling the pubs of Broaq Nohar. Their drinking was rewarded by information about the Rain Barrel Man: he was an insane prophet who always preached from atop a rain barrel in the Black Gate Market.

• Proceeding to the market, the heroes easily found the Rain Barrel Man. Dirty and unkempt, a man stood atop a rain barrel and loudly proclaimed the end of the world, the coming of the age of worms, and the approach of the king that crawls. Dar approached the man to see what he knew of the woman in silver chains. The wild eyed preacher took one look at Dar and suddenly, lucidity seemed to overtake him. Mouth agape, the Rain Barrel man looked at Dar and said, “Your Highness.” It was more of a statement than a question.

• The Rain Barrel Man leaped down from his perch, grabbed Dar by the arm, and drug him into an alley. He immediately started asking questions. Where was Brother Stern? Had there been a disaster in the highlands? What of the Great Druid? The Rain Barrel Man said that they had to get to the warehouse immediately.

• The beastmaster said that The Cat had been bound in silver chains and was delirious. She had muttered the name “Rain Barrel Man” several times. The Rain Barrel Man said, “Yes, Your Highness had ordered The Cat and me to Broaq Nohar to set up a resistance cell.”

• Dar had no idea what the man was talking about. The Rain Barrel Man said that he was talking with Prince Talon Ironhawk of Umbria. Dar said that he was Dar. The argument about who Dar was went on for several minutes. Finally, Dar asked, “Can your Prince Talon do this?” Dar shapechanged into his dire wolf form. The Rain Barrel Man fainted dead away.

• The party woke Rain Barrel Man. He seemed calmer. The party agreed to go the warehouse to meet a man named Lucius. At Warehouse 57, the Rain Barrel Man introduced His Highness and the other heroes to Lucius, an older man. Upon seeing Dar, Lucius identified the beastmaster as Prince Talon Ironhawk of Umbria. He started asking questions: Where was Brother Stern? Had there been a disaster in the highlands? What of the Great Druid? Dar, by now exasperated, shapechanged into his dire wolf form. Lucius fainted dead away.

• Upon waking up, Lucius called for Praetor the physician. Lucius said that Praetor could help Dar remember and explain what had happened.

• Then Lucius realized what was going on. He said that Dar must actually be Prince Falcos of Umbria, Prince Talon’s younger brother. Prince Falcos was just a babe when Marshall Jagan and the other traitors betrayed and murdered their king. A man named Brother Stern had gotten Prince Talon out of the palace. It was always assumed that Prince Falcos had been killed.

• As proof of Dar’s true identity, Lucius asked to see Dar’s palm. Dar held up his hand, revealing the strange rune branded upon it. Lucius and the Rain Barrel Man both fainted again. Prince Talon had the exact same brand on this palm This was proof that Dar was Prince Falcos, if he wasn’t Prince Talon.

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, bored with this entire conversation, asked about the name “Epeus.” Lucius said that a man named Epeus worked at the warehouse. However, he had not shown up for work today. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Kumar, and Brawlinks went to investigate Epeus’s house.

• Epeus was not at home, so naturally the three adventurers broke into the house. They found some strange herbs and elixirs on a table. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! looked for the Sword of the Grey Queen, but didn’t find it. He did find a snake in a cage. The three returned to Warehouse 57, bringing the snake with them.

• The party was in the office on the second floor of the warehouse plotting their next move, when suddenly, screams erupted from the floor of the warehouse. Looking down from the office, the party saw the stuff of legend and horror: large serpents with human heads and arms were moving through the warehouse. All of the heroes had heard stories about the evil serpent people of ancient Valosa. It seemed that the legends of some of these abominations surviving to the present day were true.

• One of the serpent folk cut down a warehouse worker. Another serpent folk shot an arrow and killed another worker. The heroes all drew their weapons and moved to engage the serpent folk.


And that’s where we stopped for the night.


NPCs met

Prince Yahtee. A Yari noble. He knows Dar from when the beastmaster was being raised by Afzal.

The Cat. A woman currently bound in magic silver chains that render her helpless and incoherent. She certainly knows the location of the Sword of the Grey Queen.

Rain Barrel Man. A member of the Ironhawk resistance cell in Broaq Nohar.

Lucius. A member of the Ironhawk resistance cell in Broaq Nohar.

Praetor. A physician and member of the Ironhawk resistance cell in Broaq Nohar.

Pak. An androgynous waiter who works in the Crooked House in Broaq Nohar.


Locations Visited

Broaq Nohar.

Shantytown. A squalid slum outside the city walls of Broaq Nohar


Active Plot Hooks

Find the Sword of the Grey Queen

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s magic sword has been stolen by a thief called The Cat.

The Heart of Silsato / Quest for the Grey Queen

The Heart of Silsato is a magic gem, ensorcelled by the serpent men of Valosa, an empire that predated Zove. The gem is heart-shaped and always points in the direction of Valosa’s greatest treasure. That treasure is guarded by a fearsome monster. Hala, the goddess of death, wants THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! to slay the monster.

Dar is Prince Falcos Ironhawk of Umbria

Umbria was conquered twenty years ago by Yar and its Noharian allies. King Tarn Ironhawk was killed. However, Prince Talon, then a child, escaped. Now a man, he has recently returned to his island kingdom, determined to win back his throne. An Umbrian resistance cell in the city of Broaq Nohar has indentified Dar as Prince Falcos Ironhawk, Talon’s younger brother. The leaders of the cell are determined to send Dar/Prince Falcos to Umbria to join the rebellion. And to get him married to a proper Umbrian noble woman. And to get the beastmaster a shave and a haircut.


Open Plot Hooks

Death to Afzal!

Afzal is a Yari sorcerer, the head of the Iron Ring slavers, and Dar’s nemesis. Afzal wants to sacrifice Dar for some heinous purpose.

The Fourth Moon

The Black Hand (an evil cult dedicated to Nogar-Sai, the god of the undead) is up to something most heinous concerning Erisa’s legendary fourth moon. Afzal appears to be mixed up in this nefarious plot as well.


World Records

Damage Inflicted

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 7. Against a soldier of Fort Attalus. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blow was so powerful that he killed another soldier standing next to the original one.

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 10. Against Yurgle the Demi-God of Giants. This one gets an asterisk because Heath actually hit for 28 damage and then used the “Deadly Blow” Adventure Card, doubling the damage.

Damage Received

47 Points. Alzar, Session 2. During the Test of Combat against Vitar, the defrocked War Priest of Kesh. Luckily, Jack rolled a Raise on Alzar’s Incapacitation roll. Unluckily, he also rolled a 2 on the Wound chart: the Unmentionables. Vitar uses a maul. So, um, yeah, make up your own description on this one.


Experience and Glory

3 XP awarded.

Dar gets 5 XP because he turned in not one, but two Legends Chips for XP.

Dar gains an Advance. Congrats Eric!

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! gains an Advance. Congrats Heath!

XP and Glory for current characters:

Danny’s New Character 39 XP 10 Glory
Dar 69 XP 30 Glory
THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! 67 XP 37 Glory
Kumar 49 XP 19 Glory
Brawlinks 23 XP 10 Glory


Legend Chips Awarded: 5

Active. We have a House Rule that there is always at least 1 Legend Chip in the bag.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 14 for returning the Shaker of Mountains to his home in the Ice Spires.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 10 for killing Yurgle, the Demi-God of Giants.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 9 for killing the 150 long serpent at the Serpent Mound near the Erendor Forest.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 7 for killing Elslae, an evil priest of Nogar-Sai, an evil god of undeath, and for killing Ronald von Sturm, an evil warlord.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 3 for killing Joubert and putting an end to the depredations of the River Rats.

[Sitting Duck]

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Session 18


Real World Date: Friday December 30, 2011

Campaign World Date: King’s Day, Sunsebb 6, to Sun’s Day, Sunsebb 8, 1,000 FF (From the Founding of Tyros City)


The Roll of Heroes

Heath

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. A brawny, attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He is accompanied by his sidekick, Bailee, a bard and a pleasure slave.

Thomas

Vega. A masked barbarian. [Don’t even ask.]

Eric

Dar. An attractive beastmaster and shapechanger from the Erendor Forest. He wears naught but a loin cloth with a magnificent golden codpiece. He is accompanied by a she-wolf and by Princess Dacia, a Yari from out of the past. Dar is also capable of turning into a wolf.

Rudy

Brawlinks. An assassin who sometimes goes berserk.

Danny

Captain Jack Smith. A pirate with a parrot on his shoulder.


The Story So Far

The party is in the evil city-state of Broaq Nohar. The heroes hope to reclaim the Sword of the Grey Queen, a magical blade dedicated to Hala, the goddess of death. The Grey Queen has tasked her champion, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, with a quest to slay a monster inimical to her ethos.

The Sword, however, was stolen before the party could retrieve it. The party eventually found the thief, named the Cat, bound in silver chains that they could not break or unlock. The Cat in turn led them to an Umbrian resistance cell led by a man named Lucius. Lucius identified Dar as Prince Falcos Ironhawk, long thought killed in the usurpation 20 year ago.

As the party was trying to digest all of this, snake men attacked the warehouse where the heroes were staying….


The Tale of Heroes

The Fight against the Serpent Folk

• The party drew their weapons and moved to engage the snake men. They were surprised to see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder fighting the serpent folk. They were even more surprised to see another figure strike at the snake men from the shadows of the warehouse.

• It was another epic combat and again the party emerged victorious.

• After the last of the snake men was killed, the newcomers introduced themselves. Captain Jack Smith was a rover of the high seas who had run afoul of the serpent folk previously. His investigations had led him to Broaq Nohar. Vega was a barbarian who was also stalking the serpent folk. A tattoo on his back matched one on Brawlinks back: they both came from the same tribe.

• [Both Thomas and Danny brought in new characters. Naturally, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Dar, and Brawlinks asked the newcomers to join their happy little band.]

Carousing in Broaq Nohar

• After the epic combat against the snake men, the party decided that they needed to go pub crawling to bond with their new found compatriots. A night of carousing, revelry, and debauchery ensued.

• I offered a Fate Chip to whomever was willing to roll on the on the Carousing Table here:

o http://evildm.blogspot.com/2010/03/hangover-sword-sorcery-style.html

• Thomas rolled a 04 for Vega:

o 04-06 Your character gets married while drunk. His spouse is very attractive.

o During his drunken revelry, Vega married Malvina Alric, the very attractive daughter of Hamar Alric, the Captain of the Watch in Broaq Nohar. Malvina had been engaged to Flavius Equius, a member of a powerful Noharian noble family. Their engagement was to have been celebrated at a party at Captain Hamar’s mansion tonight.

• Rudy rolled a 70 for Brawlinks:

o 70-72 Your character defeated the town bully, ruffian or #1 bad guy. Everyone in town loves him, except the kin of the man he defeated.

o Brawlinks beat up Rufio Redshield and sent him home with a broken nose and some missing teeth. The Redshields are a local clan of cutthroats, thieves, mercenaries, and general ne’er-do-wells.

• Danny rolled a 56 for Captain Jack:

o 44-56 Robbed while drunk - lose all your character’s treasure and equipment.

o Captain Jack woke up completely naked. Everything he owned and wore was gone. He still had his parrot, though.

• Eric rolled a 42 for Dar:

o 41-43 Your character has spent all of his earnings on wenches, wine, narcotics, etc.

o Dar had a great time.

• Heath opted not to roll for THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. Instead, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! spent the night laughing at his mates.

• The Carousing Table can take a campaign to places the group never imagined or intended. I told the players that, depending on what they rolled, we may have to resolve the roll next session. As it was, we had two new storylines emerge from the rolls: 1) Vega being married to the daughter of the Captain of the Watch and making an enemy of Flavius Equius and the powerful Equius family; and 2) Brawlinks making an enemy of the Redshield clan.

• I told the party that we could deal with one storyline this session. The other one would be next session. The party rolled with Vega’s marriage, hence the background with Malvina’s father and former suitor. Next week: The Redshields’ Revenge!

Party at Captain Hamar’s House

• A grand ball was to be held at Captain Hamar’s mansion that evening to announce the engagement of his daughter, Malvina Alric, to Flavius Equius. All of the rich and powerful citizens of Broaq Nohar would be there. Malvina, however, was now wed to Vega. Malvina planned to take Vega to the ball so that they could announce their marriage. She was sure that her father and ex-fiancé would understand.

• Malvina made a grand entrance arm in arm with Vega. Together, they announced that they were husband and wife. Flavius, the jilted fiancé, moved to kill the masked barbarian. Captain Hamar, the enraged father, called for his men to arrest Vega.

• Suddenly, Vega jumped up on a chair and announced that he had killed the snake men in the warehouse down at the docks. (The news about the combat had spread throughout the city. The fear of the serpent folk had led to rumors about an imminent takeover or conspiracy by the evil snake men.) Vega’s eloquent speech won the crowd over to his side. Flavius looked at him with murderous intent but stood down. Captain Hamar didn’t look entirely pleased, but he told his men to also stand down. [Thomas played the Tale Teller Adventure Card and made his Persuasion check.]

• It was at this point that THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Dar, Brawlinks, and Captain Jack crashed the grand ball. Within a few minutes, complete chaos reigned. Encouraged by the heroes, fisticuffs broke out as all of the petty jealousies and rivalries amongst the rich and powerful of Broaq Nohar boiled over.

• The heroes used the ballroom brawl to get away. Malvina had Vega swear that he would return to her. Captain Jack stole a carriage and the heroes went careening down the streets of the city.

The Sewers of Broaq Nohar

• After a couple of nights of misadventure, the party decided to finally work on solving the mystery of where the snake men came from. Dar knew parseltongue, the language of snakes. The beastmaster interrogated the snake that THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! had found in Epeus’s house. This led the party to a sewer entrance.

• Once in the sewers, Dar shapeshifted into his dire wolf form. He sniffed the foul air, searching for the scent of serpent folk. Luckily one of the abominations had passed through recently, and Dar easily followed the trail. [I had called for a Dramatic Task, a Tracking roll at -2. Eric aced Dar’s roll multiple times, scoring a total of 21, or five successes on the very first round.]

• The trail ended at a blank stone wall. A rat swarm attacked the party when they started to investigate the wall. Dar was able to communicate with the rats, and he ordered them to stop attacking.

• There was some discussion as to whether there was secret door and how to find it and open it. Soon, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! of the Mighty Thews grew bored with the talk. He launched himself head first against the wall, which exploded in a cloud of dust and bricks. A room lay beyond. Two humans stared in open mouthed surprise at the barbarian.

• A short melee ensued and both of the men fell to the blows of the party. The heroes stared in horror as the two corpses suddenly shifted into the forms of the serpent folk: bodies and torsos of snakes but with human arms and heads.

The Demi-Plane of Dread

• A short and narrow tunnel led out of the room. The party followed it and eventually came to a branch that turned to the left. The heroes decided to turn left. After a long walk, they came to a round chamber with a large statue made of a strange green stone. The statue was that of a serpent folk, but with six arms. Its face also seemed more demonic than human.

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! investigated the statue and found a hole in the statue’s chest. The Heart of Silsato fit the dimensions of the hole perfectly. After a brief debate, the party decided to place the Heart in the statue’s chest.

• [The Heart of Silsato was a heart shaped, glowing, green gem that the party had found several adventures ago. The Heart was magical in that it always pointed in the direction of the Treasure of Valosa. The Treasure in turn was guarded by a fearsome monster. Hala, the goddess of death, had charged THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! with killing the monster.]

• [I was a little surprised that the party opted to go ahead with putting the Heart into the statue. They had not yet recovered the Sword of the Grey Queen. Thematically, it would seem to make sense to have the Sword of the Grey Queen when one is on the verge of fighting a fearsome monster in the name of the Grey Queen. Oh, well. What do I, a humble GM, know of the thoughts of players?]

• Dar placed the Heart into the statue’s chest. Slowly, the walls of the room fell away. The stone roof gave way to a starry sky, though none of the heroes recognized the constellations. The party seemed to be on a platform floating in the night sky. Behind the statue, a stone arch appeared. A hellish red light fell on the party from a source within the gate. .

• Looking through the gate, the heroes could not believe their eyes. They saw the same starry sky with the strange constellations as in the other room. A red moon hung low in the sky and cast a scarlet glow over everything. They saw a lush jungle with the crumbled stone ruins of a building. Statues covered the ground. In the distance, there was a tower built of earth and stone. Ramps ran around the outside of the tower, leading to a platform at the top. There stood a large statue of a six-armed human-snake creature.

• The party bravely entered this strange, new world. Shadows emerged from the jungle and converged on the party. The shadows shuffled forward and the heroes realized that they were fighting serpent folk zombies. Worse, the party saw snake forms emerge on the ramps of the tower. The heroes saw that these creatures had snakes in their hair. Medusas!

• Yet another epic combat broke out. It was a near run thing, as the gaze of the medusas and their poisoned arrows took a toll on the party. In the end, however, the heroes emerged victorious.

• Most of the heroes were on the tower when they killed the last medusa. Suddenly, the large statue on top of the earthen tower increased dramatically in size and came alive! An angry 20 foot tall serpent folk armed with six terrible, swift swords confronted the party. Its golden breastplate (the Treasure of Valosa?) gleamed in the moonlight. The earthen tower could not bear the weight of the creature and it started to collapse, taking most of the party with it.


And that’s where we stopped for the night.


NPCs met

Malvina Alric

Captain Hamar Alric

Rufio Redshield

Flavius Eqius


Locations Visited

Broaq Nohar.


Active Plot Hooks

Find the Sword of the Grey Queen

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s magic sword has been stolen by a thief called The Cat.

The Heart of Silsato / Quest for the Grey Queen

The Heart of Silsato is a magic gem, ensorcelled by the serpent men of Valosa, an empire that predated Zove. The gem is heart-shaped and always points in the direction of Valosa’s greatest treasure. That treasure is guarded by a fearsome monster. Hala, the goddess of death, wants THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! to slay the monster.

Dar is Prince Falcos Ironhawk of Umbria

Umbria was conquered twenty years ago by Yar and its Noharian allies. King Tarn Ironhawk was killed. However, Prince Talon, then a child, escaped. Now a man, he has recently returned to his island kingdom, determined to win back his throne. An Umbrian resistance cell in the city of Broaq Nohar has indentified Dar as Prince Falcos Ironhawk, Talon’s younger brother. The leaders of the cell are determined to send Dar/Prince Falcos to Umbria to join the rebellion. And to get him married to a proper Umbrian noble woman. And to get the beastmaster a shave and a haircut.


Open Plot Hooks

Death to Afzal!

Afzal is a Yari sorcerer, the head of the Iron Ring slavers, and Dar’s nemesis. Afzal wants to sacrifice Dar for some heinous purpose.

The Fourth Moon

The Black Hand (an evil cult dedicated to Nogar-Sai, the god of the undead) is up to something most heinous concerning Erisa’s legendary fourth moon. Afzal appears to be mixed up in this nefarious plot as well.


World Records

Damage Inflicted

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 7. Against a soldier of Fort Attalus. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blow was so powerful that he killed another soldier standing next to the original one.

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 10. Against Yurgle the Demi-God of Giants. This one gets an asterisk because Heath actually hit for 28 damage and then used the “Deadly Blow” Adventure Card, doubling the damage.

Damage Received

47 Points. Alzar, Session 2. During the Test of Combat against Vitar, the defrocked War Priest of Kesh. Luckily, Jack rolled a Raise on Alzar’s Incapacitation roll. Unluckily, he also rolled a 2 on the Wound chart: the Unmentionables. Vitar uses a maul. So, um, yeah, make up your own description on this one.


Experience and Glory

2 XP awarded.

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! gets 3 XP due to Heath turning in a Legend Chip at the end of the night.

Captain Jack gets 3 XP due to Danny turning in a Legend Chip at the end of the night.

[There was only supposed to be 1 Legend Chip in the bag, but somehow 2 ended up there. I think the players smuggled one in.]

Captain Jack, Vega, and Brawlinks are all eligible to gain an Advance. However, none of them has turned in a character background. So XP is being withheld until they spend at least 5 minutes of their busy lives thinking about the campaign and their characters.

Everyone gets 2 Glory for killing the snake men at the beginning of the session.

Vega gets another 2 Glory for Thomas playing the Tale Teller card at the Grand Ball. He’s hit 20 Glory and therefore gains the Connections Edge: Noharian Nobility.

XP and Glory for current characters:

Captain Jack 39 (42) XP 12 Glory
Dar 72 XP 32 Glory
THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! 70 XP 39 Glory
Vega 44 (46) XP 23 Glory
Brawlinks 23 (25) XP 12Glory


Legend Chips Awarded: 5

Active. We have a House Rule that there is always at least 1 Legend Chip in the bag.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 14 for returning the Shaker of Mountains to his home in the Ice Spires.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 10 for killing Yurgle, the Demi-God of Giants.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 9 for killing the 150 long serpent at the Serpent Mound near the Erendor Forest.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 7 for killing Elslae, an evil priest of Nogar-Sai, an evil god of undeath, and for killing Ronald von Sturm, an evil warlord.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 3 for killing Joubert and putting an end to the depredations of the River Rats.

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Session 19


Real World Date: Friday January 27, 2012

Campaign World Date: Sun’s Day, Sunsebb 8, 1,000 FF (From the Founding of Tyros City)


The Roll of Heroes

Heath

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. A brawny, attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He is accompanied by his sidekick, Bailee, a bard and a pleasure slave.

Thomas

Vega. A masked barbarian. [Don’t even ask.] He fights with a pair of bladed gauntlets.

Eric

Dar. An attractive beastmaster and shapechanger from the Erendor Forest. He wears naught but a loin cloth with a magnificent golden codpiece. He is accompanied by a she-wolf and by Princess Dacia, a Yari from out of the past. Dar is also capable of turning into a wolf.

Rudy

Brawlinks. An assassin who sometimes goes berserk.

Gregator. An expert in hand-to-hand combat.


The Story So Far

The party is in the evil city-state of Broaq Nohar. The heroes hope to reclaim the Sword of the Grey Queen, a magical blade dedicated to Hala, the goddess of death. The Grey Queen has tasked her champion, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, with a quest to slay a monster inimical to her ethos.

The party had gained a magical gem, the Heart of Silsato, in a previous adventure. That gem always pointed to the Treasure of Valosa, which was an empire of serpent folk that disappeared from history thousands of years ago. The Gem led them to the sewers underneath the city. There the party came to a statue of a six-armed demon with a hole in its chest. Placing the Gem into the chest cavity of the statue opened a portal to a magical, secret realm.

In that eldritch place, the party fought an epic battle against undead serpent folk and bow wielding medusas. The heroes came to a tower built of earth and stone. On top sat a statue of a six-armed demon, wearing a golden breast-plate (the Treasure of Valosa). The statue started expanding in size and coming alive. Then the tower on which the heroes stood started to collapse …


The Tale of Heroes

The Demi-Plane of Dread, Part Deux

• The party engaged in an epic combat with the 6 armed snake demon as the tower on which they stood slowly collapsed. [I had the players make a Dramatic Task while fighting the demon. The needed 5 successes on 5 Agility rolls at -2.]

• During the fight, the brave hero Brawlinks died.

• Dar shapechanged into Dire Wolf form and charged the demon. He managed to sink his jaws into the golden breastplate of the demon and with a mighty snap of his teeth, the beastmaster ripped the cords that bound the breastplate to the demon. [Eric made a Called Shot at -4 to try and dismantle or negate the breastplate. He succeeded brilliantly.]

• With its breastplate gone, the demon was more vulnerable to the blows of the party and it quickly fell. With the demon dead, the party grabbed the golden breastplate and crawled off the mass of rubble that used to be a tower. [I ruled that the Dramatic Task was over if the Demon was killed.]

• The heroes had little time to relish their victory, however. Above their heads, the party saw the stars winking out one by one. The blood red moon was cracking into pieces and meteors were falling on the ground.

• The heroes raced for the exit, dodging fireballs from the dying moon and leaping over fissures that appeared on the ground. [This was another Dramatic Task with Agility checks at -2.] It was a near run thing, but the three survivors made it. They yanked the Heart of Silsato out of the statue and were relieved to see the walls of the sewers emerge around them. They were not relieved to smell the stink of the sewers, though.

Against the Serpent Folk

• The party knew that there were serpent folk living in the sewers underneath Broaq-Nohar. The party decided that they needed to wipe them out. So instead of returning to the streets, they continued deeper into the sewers, determined to find and kill the nest of snakes. The heroes were not disappointed.

• The party stumbled across a group of serpent folk who were guarding a bound and naked prisoner. As the two sides fought, Vega ran up to the naked man and cut the ropes that bound him. Freed, the naked man picked up the nearest weapon and charged the snake men

• When the last of the serpent had been dispatched, the naked prisoner introduced himself. His name is Gregator. [This was Rudy’s replacement character.]

• The party continued forward. They eventually came to a dark temple dedicated to a snake god. A host of serpent folk had gathered there to repel the invaders. Near the alter lay the Sword of the Grey Queen, still enclosed in the stone that THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! had driven it into.

• Yet another epic combat took place. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! ran through the snake men and pulled his sword from the stone. The barbarian of the mighty thews then laid about him with enthusiasm, hacking off snake heads left and right.

• It was close, but the heroes emerged victorious once again. Two of the serpent folk fled the battle. At the opposite end of the temple from where the party had entered, there was a pole that went up to a trap door in the ceiling. The pair of serpent folk scaled the pole by twisting their coils around the pole. They disappeared through the trap door.

Sigfa’s House of Herbs

• The party followed the serpent folk. Opening the trap door, the heroes saw what appeared to be the basement of a building. It seemed as if they were back in Broaq-Nohar.

• The party searched the building, but there was no sign of the serpent folk. The building was an herbalist’s shop called Sigfa’s House of Herbs. Who was Sigfa? The party did not know. With the serpent folk’s ability to shape shift from snake to human, they wouldn’t be able to recognize her either.

• While searching the shop, Gregator told the party a story about his lost love, Tabitha. [We went with an Interlude here.] Tabitha had been captured by Marshall Jagan in Umbria. Gregator wanted to rescue her, but needed help As fate would have it, the party was going to Umbria to resolve Dar’s fate as Prince Falcos of the house of Ironhawk.

The Temple of the Grey Queen

• The party had recovered the Treasure of Valosa: the golden breastplate of the giant, six-armed, snake demon. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Dar had no use of the shiny things that the weak men of the cities craved. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! wanted to give the treasure to the Temple of Hala, the goddess of death and his seeming patron. Dar agreed with THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. Gregator was indebted to the party for freeing him and offered no objection. Vega was a little put out, but he was outvoted.

• The party proceeded to the Temple of Hala outside the walls of Broaq Nohar. There, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! gave the treasure of Valosa to the High Priestess.


And that’s where we stopped for the night.


NPCs met

Sigfa. The party didn’t really meet her, but her shop was used as a lair by the serpent-folk.


Locations Visited

Broaq Nohar.


Active Plot Hooks

Dar is Prince Falcos Ironhawk of Umbria

Umbria was conquered twenty years ago by Yar and its Noharian allies. King Tarn Ironhawk was killed. However, Prince Talon, then a child, escaped. Now a man, he has recently returned to his island kingdom, determined to win back his throne. An Umbrian resistance cell in the city of Broaq Nohar has indentified Dar as Prince Falcos Ironhawk, Talon’s younger brother. The leaders of the cell are determined to send Dar/Prince Falcos to Umbria to join the rebellion. And to get him married to a proper Umbrian noble woman. And to get the beastmaster a shave and a haircut.

Find Tabitha

Find Gregator’s love, Tabitha, who is a prisoner of Marshall Jagan in Umbria.


Open Plot Hooks

Death to Afzal!

Afzal is a Yari sorcerer, the head of the Iron Ring slavers, and Dar’s nemesis. Afzal wants to sacrifice Dar for some heinous purpose.

The Fourth Moon

The Black Hand (an evil cult dedicated to Nogar-Sai, the god of the undead) is up to something most heinous concerning Erisa’s legendary fourth moon. Afzal appears to be mixed up in this nefarious plot as well.


World Records

Damage Inflicted

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 7. Against a soldier of Fort Attalus. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blow was so powerful that he killed another soldier standing next to the original one.

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 10. Against Yurgle the Demi-God of Giants. This one gets an asterisk because Heath actually hit for 28 damage and then used the “Deadly Blow” Adventure Card, doubling the damage.

Damage Received

47 Points. Alzar, Session 2. During the Test of Combat against Vitar, the defrocked War Priest of Kesh. Luckily, Jack rolled a Raise on Alzar’s Incapacitation roll. Unluckily, he also rolled a 2 on the Wound chart: the Unmentionables. Vitar uses a maul. So, um, yeah, make up your own description on this one.


Experience and Glory

3 XP awarded.

Dar gains an Advance. Congrats Eric!

Everyone gets 2 Glory for killing the 6 armed demon and for turning in the Treasure of Valosa to the Temple of the Grey Queen.

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! hits 40 Glory and has acquired a Minor Enemy. (To be determined, but probably Sigfa, the serpent folk.)

XP and Glory for current characters:

Dar 75 XP 34 Glory
THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! 73 XP 41 Glory
Vega 49 XP 25 Glory
Gregator 23 XP 12 Glory


Legend Chips Awarded: 6

Active. We have a House Rule that there is always at least 1 Legend Chip in the bag.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded tonight for killing the 6 armed demon, gaining the Treasure of Valosa, and retrieving the Sword of the Grey Queen.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 14 for returning the Shaker of Mountains to his home in the Ice Spires.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 10 for killing Yurgle, the Demi-God of Giants.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 9 for killing the 150 long serpent at the Serpent Mound near the Erendor Forest.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 7 for killing Elslae, an evil priest of Nogar-Sai, an evil god of undeath, and for killing Ronald von Sturm, an evil warlord.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 3 for killing Joubert and putting an end to the depredations of the River Rats.

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Session 20


Real World Date: Friday February 10, 2012

Campaign World Date: Amar’s Day, Sunsebb 9 to Halen’s Day, Sunsebb 10, 1,000 FF (From the Founding of Tyros City)


The Roll of Heroes

Heath

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. A brawny, attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He wields a magical two-handed sword blessed by Hala, the Goddess of Death. The Barbarian of the Mighty Thews is accompanied by his sidekick, Bailee, a bard and a pleasure slave.

Thomas

Vega. A masked barbarian. [Don’t even ask.] He fights with a pair of bladed gauntlets.

Eric

Dar. An attractive beastmaster and shapechanger from the Erendor Forest. He wears naught but a loin cloth with a magnificent golden codpiece. He is accompanied by a she-wolf and by Princess Dacia, a Yari from out of the past. Dar is also capable of turning into a wolf.

Rudy

Gregator. An expert in hand-to-hand combat.


The Story So Far

The party is in the evil city-state of Broaq-Nohar. They have just completed an arduous quest for Hala, the goddess of death. They are preparing for a trip to the island nation of Umbria. Dar the beastmaster has been identified as Prince Falcos Ironhawk, once thought dead. Dar’s older brother, Prince Talon Ironhawk, is currently in Umbria, leading a rebellion against Marshall Jagan, the man who usurped the Ironhawk throne. Marshall Jagan has also captured Tabitha, the love of Gregator.

The party is currently in a bathhouse, giving Dar the very first bath and haircut of the beastmaster’s life.


The Tale of Heroes

Naked and Loving It

• Lucius, a leader of an Ironhawk resistance cell in Broaq-Nohar, had taken Dar away to be pampered and bathed. The beastmaster’s hair would also be cut and styled by the best barber in town.

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Vega, and Gregator were relaxing in one of the hot pools when Dar emerged from his makeover. Dar’s face was freshly shaven. Daffodils had been woven into his styled and oiled hair, and the beastmaster smelled of jasmine. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! broke out laughing at the sight of his old friend.

• Suddenly, a hue and cry was heard from the front of the bathhouse. Yari soldiers had arrived to arrest the party. The heroes leapt from their bath, completely naked, to engage the enemy.

• Another epic battle was fought, and the party emerged victorious again.

The House of Captain Hamar

• After the fight with the Yari soldiers, the party decided to go to the house of Vega’s father-in-law, Hamar, a captain of the city watch. Hamar told the party that their erstwhile patron, Prince Yahtee, had revoked the party’s pardon. They are now wanted men under the death penalty again.

• Dar realized that he had left his magnificent golden codpiece back in the bathhouse. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! was still buck naked and needed his loincloth back. Dar decided to go back to the bathhouse to retrieve the items.

• At the bathhouse, the beastmaster saw that more Yari soldiers were there, as well as a pair of Yari sorcerers were seemed to be conducting some infernal rite. Dar overheard some of the soldiers talking about the capture of Lucius. The old man had been taken to the Tower of Flame, an imposing fortress where Prince Yahtee lived.

• In dire wolf form, Dar successfully sneaked into the bathhouse; grabbed his magnificent golden codpiece and THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s loincloth; and snuck back out.

• When Dar returned to Hamar’s house, he told the party about Lucius and the Tower of Flame. The Cat said that the Tower of Flame was literally a tower of flame. No one could draw near the tower, much less enter it, without being burned. She had heard that there was a way to be protected from the flames, but she didn’t know what it was. The Cat knew a man, Anga, who might know the secret. Anga had been an apprentice sorcerer under Prince Yahtee. Anga had been dismissed from the prince’s service, though, due to lack of devotion to the cause.

Slumming It in Broaq-Nohar

• The party hit the streets and went pub crawling. They asked around about an apprentice sorcerer named Anga. They eventually found the man in a seedy tavern down by the docks called the Mermaid.

• Anga was deep into his cups when the party approached him. He had no desire to tell them anything. Eventually, though the party won him over. Anga said that a short way outside of the city walls, there was a place called the Pools of Azoth. If one called out to Azoth and offered a sacrifice of blood (cutting oneself and letting the blood drip into the water would work), an angry and terrible water spirit would emerge. Azoth could grant immunity to fire for a day, but he didn’t do so willingly. Prince Yahtee controlled the water spirit and could force Azoth to do his bidding. Unfortunately, Anga didn’t know how the Yari controlled Azoth.

• The heroes figured that they could get Azoth to work with them, one way or another. They headed for the Pools of Azoth.

The Pools of Azoth

• The party approached the Pools. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! cut himself and let his blood flow into the water. He called for Azoth. The waters bubbled and churned; and then a swirling column of water formed. The party demanded that Azoth give them protection from fire. Azoth refused. The party attacked. Another epic combat broke out. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! was sucked into the column of water at one point and almost drowned.

• In the end, Azoth was defeated. The column of water collapsed and the pools became still. None of the heroes were quite sure what to do next. They decided that bathing in the pool would work, so they all jumped in.

• After submerging themselves in the Pools of Azoth, the party made their way back to Broaq-Nohar and to the Tower of Flame. Seeing the tower for the first time, even the stout hearts of the heroes wavered. One hundred feet high, it was a tower of stone wreathed in fire. Even 100 yards away, the brave adventures could feel the heat. No hand of man had created such a building; sorcery and demoncraft was at work here. Girding their loins, the heroes moved towards the Tower.


And that’s where we stopped for the night.


NPCs met

Anga. A former apprentice sorcerer to Prince Yahtee.

Azoth. A water spirit that dwells in pools located just outside the walls of Broaq-Nohar.


Locations Visited

The Pools of Azoth.


Active Plot Hooks

Dar is Prince Falcos Ironhawk of Umbria

Umbria was conquered twenty years ago by Yar and its Noharian allies. King Tarn Ironhawk was killed. However, Prince Talon, then a child, escaped. Now a man, he has recently returned to his island kingdom, determined to win back his throne. An Umbrian resistance cell in the city of Broaq Nohar has indentified Dar as Prince Falcos Ironhawk, Talon’s younger brother. The leaders of the cell are determined to send Dar/Prince Falcos to Umbria to join the rebellion. And to get him married to a proper Umbrian noble woman. And to get the beastmaster a shave and a haircut.

Find Tabitha

Find Gregator’s love, Tabitha, who is a prisoner of Marshall Jagan in Umbria.


Open Plot Hooks

Death to Afzal!

Afzal is a Yari sorcerer, the head of the Iron Ring slavers, and Dar’s nemesis. Afzal wants to sacrifice Dar for some heinous purpose.

The Fourth Moon

The Black Hand (an evil cult dedicated to Nogar-Sai, the god of the undead) is up to something most heinous concerning Erisa’s legendary fourth moon. Afzal appears to be mixed up in this nefarious plot as well.


World Records

Damage Inflicted

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 7. Against a soldier of Fort Attalus. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blow was so powerful that he killed another soldier standing next to the original one.

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 10. Against Yurgle the Demi-God of Giants. This one gets an asterisk because Heath actually hit for 28 damage and then used the “Deadly Blow” Adventure Card, doubling the damage.

Damage Received

47 Points. Alzar, Session 2. During the Test of Combat against Vitar, the defrocked War Priest of Kesh. Luckily, Jack rolled a Raise on Alzar’s Incapacitation roll. Unluckily, he also rolled a 2 on the Wound chart: the Unmentionables. Vitar uses a maul. So, um, yeah, make up your own description on this one.


Experience and Glory

2 XP awarded.

Dar gets 7 XP for turning in “The Hard Way” Adventure Card, allowing him to convert his leftover Fate Chips into XP.

Dar gains an Advance!

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! gains an Advance!

Vega gains an Advance!

Gregator gains an Advance!

Everyone gets 1 Glory for fighting naked in the bathhouse.

XP and Glory for current characters:

Dar 82 XP 35 Glory
THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! 75 XP 42 Glory
Vega 51 XP 26 Glory
Gregator 25 XP 13 Glory


Legend Chips Awarded: 6

Active. We have a House Rule that there is always at least 1 Legend Chip in the bag.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded after Session 19 for killing the 6 armed demon, gaining the Treasure of Valosa, and retrieving the Sword of the Grey Queen.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 14 for returning the Shaker of Mountains to his home in the Ice Spires.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 10 for killing Yurgle, the Demi-God of Giants.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 9 for killing the 150 long serpent at the Serpent Mound near the Erendor Forest.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 7 for killing Elslae, an evil priest of Nogar-Sai, an evil god of undeath, and for killing Ronald von Sturm, an evil warlord.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 3 for killing Joubert and putting an end to the depredations of the River Rats.

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Session 21


Real World Date: Friday February 24, 2012

Campaign World Date: Vand’s Day, Sunsebb 11, to King’s Day, Sunsebb 27, 1,000 FF (From the Founding of Tyros City)


The Roll of Heroes

Heath

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. A brawny, attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He wields a magical two-handed sword blessed by Hala, the Goddess of Death. The Barbarian of the Mighty Thews is accompanied by his sidekick, Bailee, a bard and a pleasure slave.

Thomas

Vega. A masked barbarian. [Don’t even ask.] He fights with a pair of bladed gauntlets.

Eric

Dar. An attractive beastmaster and shapechanger from the Erendor Forest. He wears naught but a loin cloth with a magnificent golden codpiece. He is accompanied by a she-wolf and by Princess Dacia, a Yari from out of the past. Dar is also capable of turning into a wolf.

Rudy

Gregator. An expert in hand-to-hand combat.


The Story So Far

The party’s friend, Lucius, has been taken prisoner by Prince Yahtee, an evil Yari sorcerer. Yahtee is holding Lucius in the Tower of Flame, a magical fortress located in the city of Broaq-Nohar.

The heroes have found a way to protect themselves from the magical fire of the tower. They have girded their loins and are approaching the tower . . . .


The Tale of Heroes

The Tower of Flame

• The heroes strode boldly into the courtyard in front of the tower of fire, eschewing stealth. Human shaped creatures of fire detached themselves from the wall of the tower and moved to intercept the party. Cones of fire shot from the outstretched arms. The adventurers suffered some singed eyebrows, but ultimately defeated the fire elementals.

• Entering the tower, the party saw that the structure was hollow. A fiery, winding staircase, sans handrails, hugged the fiery walls and led up to the fiery top of the tower. The floor at the bottom of the tower seemed to a pool of liquid fire.

• The party climbed the fiery stairs. About 50 feet up, the heroes saw a large number of flying creatures alight from the top of the tower and head for them. The creatures were demons: humanoid in shape, but with bat like wings, red leathery skin, and sharp claws and teeth.

• The flying demons swooped in to attack. They tried to pull the party members off of the stairs and into the abyss. One of them grappled THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and succeeded in throwing the barbarian off of the stairs. At that moment, Dar saw above him a phoenix that had been chained to the wall. The beastmaster ran to the bird and cut its chains. In gratitude, the phoenix swooped down and grabbed THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! in midair. The firebird returned THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! to the stairs then flew straight up and out of the tower, making its escape. [Eric played the “Here Comes the Cavalry” Adventure Card to try and save THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. There was some discussion about this, as the card had nothing to do with what Eric hoped it would do. In the end, though, I allowed it. My thinking was: 1) Eric was being creative and 2) the game is all about the larger than life heroes, so why not.]

• The heroes eventually killed the last of the flying demons. They continued up to the top of the tower. The stairs ended at a trap door, which was stuck fast when Vega tried to open it. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! sprinted up the stairs and threw his body against the trap door. It shattered. A large demon had been sitting on the trap door, and it went flying across the room.

• The trapdoor led to a circular room. The center of the room was open and led to a 100 foot drop to the pool of liquid fire at the bottom of the tower. Demons of all sorts inhabited the top of the tower. Prince Yahtee stood on the opposite side of the tower from the party. The party’s friend, Lucius, lay bound and gagged at the Yari’s feet.

• Yet another epic combat took place at the top of the tower. The demons attempted to grab the party members and toss the heroes to a fiery doom. The party attempted to grab the demons and toss the creatures to a fiery doom. [In retrospect, I should have given the demons the ability to fly. Oh well.] Yahtee lobbed fireballs at the party.

• In the end, the party succeeded in killing most of the demons or throwing them to their death. Dar and THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! charged Prince Yahtee. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! decapitated the Yari sorcerer. Dar (in dire wolf form) picked Lucius up carefully in his jaws and started down the stairs.

• With Yahtee’s death, the magic flames of the tower started to fade. The heroes were 100 feet in the air, and they knew they had to get down to the ground immediately. Unfortunately, several demons were still alive, and Yahtee’s death had not affected them. What followed was an epic running combat as the adventurers fled and the demons tried to stop them. [A Dramatic Task was called for. The PCs had to make Agility checks at -2 to get out. Fighting the demons would count as a Multi-Action Penalty.]

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! volunteered to stay behind and keep the demons from chasing any other party members. Vega and Dar (with Lucius still clamped between his teeth) made it out safely. Gregator almost made it, but was about 20 feet up when the flames went completely out. He was battered but survived.

• THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! was 100 feet in the air when the flames were extinguished. The barbarian grappled not one but two demons. He then threw himself and the two demons into the abyss. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! fell 100 feet, but he used the demons to break his fall. Laughing at death, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! dusted himself off and walked away. [THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! took 60 points of damage from the fall (I rolled really well on damage). I ruled that the demons absorbed half of that, so THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! took only 30 points of damage. That Incapacitated the barbarian. After the epic combat in the Tower of Flame, Heath was out of Fate Chips for THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. Heath picked up the dice for THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s Incapacitation roll. It was all or nothing for THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. Heath rolled and . . . got a Raise! THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! would live to fight another day.]

Interludes on the good ship Dolphin

• Lucius led the party to the docks of Broaq-Nohar. There a ship named the Dolphin was waiting to bring the heroes to Umbria.

• During the voyage, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! told everyone a sad story about his first wife.

• During the voyage, Dar told everyone a sad story about his upbringing by Afzal, an evil Yari sorcerer.

• [We usually only do one Interlude per session. I don’t remember why we went with back to back ones here. My players consider an Interlude a punishment, so I can only imagine that Heath and Eric did something to annoy me.]

An Encounter with a Yari War Galley

• On the horizon, the party saw a Noharian war galley approaching their ship. The war galley proved to be much faster than the Dolphin. As it drew near, the party could see that the war galley was called the Infernal Machine.

• The captain of the Infernal Machine demanded that the Dolphin heave to and prepare to be boarded. The crew of the Dolphin wanted to give up. Dar had noticed that the captain of the war galley was Yari, while the crew was Noharian. The beastmaster and prince of Umbria stood on the railing of the Dolphin. He announced that he was fighting for freedom from Yar, not only for Umbrians, but for all men. He dared the Noharians to show some spirit, overthrow their Yari masters, and join him. Dar’s words were so eloquent and so insightful that the Noharian crew of the Infernal Machine mutinied. [Eric played the “Tale Teller” Adventure Card and rolled a 28 on his Persuasion check. The galley’s crew mutinied against their Yari captain and officers.]

• The party swooped in to help the Noharian crew. Then they claimed the Infernal Machine as a prize.

Smuggler’s Cove

• The Dolphin sailed to a hidden cove used by the Umbrian resistance. There the people of a small village loyal to the Ironhawks greeted the party. Many of the villagers mistook Dar for Prince Talon, who was last in the highlands, from what they had heard.

• At that moment, a warning horn sounded. The secret smuggling cove had been discovered! Running to the edge of the village, the heroes saw Yari soldiers massing for an attack. A single bridge separated the Yari from the people of the village.

• The party sprang into action. Vega and Gregator moved to the front of the bridge, blocking any Yari from entering the village. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Dar threw themselves into the mass of the enemy. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s Sword of the Grey Queen sent many men to meet the goddess of death that night. Dar shape-changed into his dire wolf form. He and his she-wolf tore into the Yari, their jaws snapping flesh and sundering bone.

• The enemy came at the party in seemingly endless waves. Ultimately, though, the heroes prevailed. The morale of the Yari eventually broke and the survivors fled the field of battle.


And that’s where we stopped for the night.


NPCs met

Prince Yahtee.


Locations Visited

The Tower of Flame. Broaq-Nohar.

Smuggler’s Cove. Umbria.


Active Plot Hooks

Dar is Prince Falcos Ironhawk of Umbria

Umbria was conquered twenty years ago by Yar and its Noharian allies. King Tarn Ironhawk was killed. However, Prince Talon, then a child, escaped. Now a man, he has recently returned to his island kingdom, determined to win back his throne. An Umbrian resistance cell in the city of Broaq -Nohar has indentified Dar as Prince Falcos Ironhawk, Talon’s younger brother. The leaders of the cell are determined to send Dar/Prince Falcos to Umbria to join the rebellion. And to get him married to a proper Umbrian noble woman. And to get the beastmaster a shave and a haircut.

Find Tabitha

Find Gregator’s love, Tabitha, who is a prisoner of Marshall Jagan in Umbria.


Open Plot Hooks

Death to Afzal!

Afzal is a Yari sorcerer, the head of the Iron Ring slavers, and Dar’s nemesis. Afzal wants to sacrifice Dar for some heinous purpose.

The Fourth Moon

The Black Hand (an evil cult dedicated to Nogar-Sai, the god of the undead) is up to something most heinous concerning Erisa’s legendary fourth moon. Afzal appears to be mixed up in this nefarious plot as well.


World Records

Damage Inflicted

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 7. Against a soldier of Fort Attalus. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blow was so powerful that he killed another soldier standing next to the original one.

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 10. Against Yurgle the Demi-God of Giants. This one gets an asterisk because Heath actually hit for 28 damage and then used the “Deadly Blow” Adventure Card, doubling the damage.

Damage Received

60 Points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 21. When the barbarian fell 100 feet during the collapse of the Tower of Flame. Just before his fall, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! managed to grapple not one but two demons, which he used to break his fall.


Experience and Glory

2 XP awarded.

Everyone gets 2 Glory for killing Prince Yahtee and destroying the Tower of Flame.

Dar gets another 2 Glory for convincing the crew of a Noharian war galley to join the other side.

XP and Glory for current characters:

Dar 84 XP 39 Glory
THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! 77 XP 44 Glory
Vega 53 XP 28 Glory
Gregator 27 XP 15 Glory


Legend Chips Awarded: 7

Active. We have a House Rule that there is always at least 1 Legend Chip in the bag.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded tonight for killing Prince Yahtee, destroying the Tower of Flame, and seizing a Noharian war galley as a prize.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded after Session 19 for killing the 6 armed demon, gaining the Treasure of Valosa, and retrieving the Sword of the Grey Queen.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 14 for returning the Shaker of Mountains to his home in the Ice Spires.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 10 for killing Yurgle, the Demi-God of Giants.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 9 for killing the 150 long serpent at the Serpent Mound near the Erendor Forest.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 7 for killing Elslae, an evil priest of Nogar-Sai, an evil god of undeath, and for killing Ronald von Sturm, an evil warlord.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 3 for killing Joubert and putting an end to the depredations of the River Rats.

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Session 22


Real World Date: Friday March 9, 2012

Campaign World Date: Freeman’s Day, Sunsebb 28, 1,000 FF to Sunday, Festival of Needfest 1, 1001 FF (From the Founding of Tyros City)


The Roll of Heroes

Heath

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. A brawny, attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He wields a magical two-handed sword blessed by Hala, the Goddess of Death. The Barbarian of the Mighty Thews is accompanied by his sidekick, Bailee, a bard and a pleasure slave.

Thomas

Vega. A masked barbarian. [Don’t even ask.] He fights with a pair of bladed gauntlets. He is accompanied by his beautiful wife, Alvina.

Eric

Dar. An attractive beastmaster and shapechanger from the Erendor Forest. He wears naught but a loin cloth with a magnificent golden codpiece. He is accompanied by a she-wolf and by Princess Dacia, a Yari from out of the past. Dar is also capable of turning into a wolf.

Rudy

Greggator. An expert in hand-to-hand combat.


The Story So Far

The party is in Umbria. Dar the beastmaster has been identified as Prince Falcos Ironhawk. The heroes wish to find and help Dar’s older brother Prince Talon, who is trying to regain the family throne after Marshall Jagan usurped it 20 years ago.


The Tale of Heroes

Smuggler’s Cove

• Captain Asoka was the headman of Smuggler’s Cove. He told the party that a Yari sorcerer named Afzal had arrived in Umbria several weeks ago. Since that time, Marshall Jagan and his Yari allies have always seemed to know where Prince Talon was and what he was doing.

• Asoka said that Prince Talon and his rag tag rebel army were currently trapped by Marshall Jagan’s much larger Yari army at the entrance to the Valley of Ulom. That valley was haunted. No one who entered ever came out again.

• After some questions about the lay of the land, the party determined that there were two ways to reach Prince Talon and his entrapped army. One was to sneak through 10,000 Yari troops, sorcerers, and demons. The other was to go to the opposite side of the Valley of Ulom. There, a series of caves known as the Paths of the Dead led into the valley. The caves were supposedly haunted by the ghosts of King Keenos and his army of Oathbreakers. (Yes, King Keenos and his men had failed to fulfill an oath to follow a former King of Umbria. Yes, I totally stole this idea from Tolkien So sue me.) Just as with the Valley of Ulom, no one who had entered the Paths had ever returned.

• The heroes decided to go through the Paths of the Dead.

The Paths of the Dead

• The entrance to the Paths of the Dead was a narrow gash in a high cliff. A soft breeze blew out of the gap. If one listened closely, the wind seemed to carry the moans and wails of the dead.

• The heroes bravely entered the caves from which no one had returned. A narrow passage led down and down, finally emerging into a large round cavern. Skeletal remains of armor clad warriors littered the ground. As the heroes entered the cavern, the bodies started to stir and rise! Fear clutched the hearts of the party, but they shook it away.

• Dar yelled out to the skeletal warriors that he was Prince Falcos Ironhawk. He was here to demand that the warriors fulfill their oath to the House of Ironhawk. The undead stopped fighting and kneeled before their new lord and commander.

• The party and their skeletal allies moved deeper in the caves. The next chamber held more skeletal warriors. It also held a large throne with a skeleton in ornate plate mail, a shining spear clutched in one boney fist. The party had found King Keenos.

• Dar entered the chamber and demanded the allegiance of King Keenos and his bodyguard. The spirit of King Keenos still refused to acknowledge his oath, however. The skeleton king rose from the throne. He commanded his undead warriors to attack Dar and the rest of the party.

• The heroes engaged in an epic combat, this time with skeletal warriors on their side, while fighting other skeletal warriors. Dar changed into his dire wolf form and charged the skeletal form of King Keenos. The battle swayed back and forth, but eventually King Keenos went down under the teeth of Dar and the blows of the rest of the party.

• Returning to human form, Dar claimed the spear of King Keenos.

Into the Valley of Ulom

• Having crossed the haunted Paths of the Dead, the party now needed to cross the haunted Valley of Ulom. Prince Talon and his trapped army were about 15 miles away.

• Entering the valley, the party was soon ambushed by a large number of naked warriors covered in blue war paint. Another epic battle went down. In the end, the heroes routed their foes and took a prisoner.

• Greggator recognized the strange language of the blue painted men. [Rudy played the Epiphany Adventure Card.] He interrogated the prisoner and found out that the blue men had captured a great chief of the white skins. The prisoner was held in a village of the blue men. The plan was to sacrifice the great white chief to Ulom the Tree God at sundown. Fearing that the blue painted barbarian was referring to Prince Talon, the party proceeded cautiously toward the village.

• The village of the blue men was surrounded by a wooden palisade. A fresh set of severed heads decorated the gate. One of the heads still wore a helm, which was emblazoned with, the symbol of the House of Ironhawk. It appeared that the party’s fears about prince Talon having been captured were true.

• A huge tree, over 100 feet stood in the middle of the village. The tree had black bark and grey leaves. The party assumed that this evil looking tree was Ulom, the tree god.

• The party opted for a headlong charge into the village of the blue painted barbarians. A hundred naked, blue warriors rushed out to defend their home. Once in the village, the party saw two people staked out under the huge, evil looking tree. One appeared to resemble Dar. The other was a large, older man. Prince Talon and a companion of his (Brother Stern?) had been found!

• The heroes now engaged in the mother of all battles. They still had about 20 skeletal warriors as followers. There were over 100 of the enemy. The battle raged back and forth. One of the heroes rushed forward and freed Prince Talon and his companion, who was indeed Brother Stern. Their equipment had been scattered at the base of the evil looking tree. Prince Talon and Brother Stern quickly snatched up their weapons and happily joined the fight.

Fighting Ulom the Tree God

• As the last of the blue painted warriors fell, the 100 foot tall, evil looking tree in the middle of the village started to move! An evil face formed out of the bark and eyes appeared that glared at the party!

• Bloodied and exhausted from their battle with the blue skinned barbarians, the heroes adjusted their loin clothes and moved to fight this new, fearsome foe. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! climbed the monstrosity and started hacking away. Dar turned into a dire wolf and attacked its roots. Greggator and Vega kept pummeling it. Prince Talon and Brother Stern stood shoulder to shoulder with their new allies.

• It was a near run thing, but in the end, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! drove his sword into one of Ulom’s eyes. With an awful moan, the tree god fell to the ground. The heroes all dodged out of the way.

Reunited and It Feels So Good

• The brothers Dar and Prince Talon greeted each other for the first time. They were twins of each other, with Talon being 10 years older. They shook hands, and then hugged.


And that’s where we stopped for the night.


NPCs met

King Keenos the wight. He’s (it’s?) dead.

Ulom the Tree God. It’s dead.


Locations Visited

Smuggler’s Cove, Umbria.

Valley of Ulom, Umbria.


Active Plot Hooks

Dar is Prince Falcos Ironhawk of Umbria

Umbria was conquered twenty years ago by Yar and its Noharian allies. King Tarn Ironhawk was killed. However, Prince Talon, then a child, escaped. Now a man, he has recently returned to his island kingdom, determined to win back his throne. An Umbrian resistance cell in the city of Broaq Nohar has indentified Dar as Prince Falcos Ironhawk, Talon’s younger brother. The leaders of the cell are determined to send Dar/Prince Falcos to Umbria to join the rebellion. And to get him married to a proper Umbrian noble woman. And to get the beastmaster a shave and a haircut.

Find Tabitha

Find Greggator’s love, Tabitha, who is a prisoner of Marshall Jagan in Umbria.


Open Plot Hooks

Death to Afzal!

Afzal is a Yari sorcerer, the head of the Iron Ring slavers, and Dar’s nemesis. Afzal wants to sacrifice Dar for some heinous purpose.

The Fourth Moon

The Black Hand (an evil cult dedicated to Nogar-Sai, the god of the undead) is up to something most heinous concerning Erisa’s legendary fourth moon. Afzal appears to be mixed up in this nefarious plot as well.


World Records

Damage Inflicted

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 7. Against a soldier of Fort Attalus. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blow was so powerful that he killed another soldier standing next to the original one.

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 10. Against Yurgle the Demi-God of Giants. This one gets an asterisk because Heath actually hit for 28 damage and then used the “Deadly Blow” Adventure Card, doubling the damage.

Damage Received

60 Points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 21. When the barbarian fell 100 feet during the collapse of the Tower of Flame. Just before his fall, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! managed to grapple not one but two demons, which he used to break his fall.


Experience and Glory

3 XP awarded.

Everyone gets 2 Glory. 2 for Ulom the tree god.

XP and Glory for current characters:

Dar 87 XP 41 Glory
THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! 80 XP 46 Glory
Vega 56 XP 30 Glory
Greggator 30 XP 17 Glory


Legend Chips Awarded: 8

Active. We have a House Rule that there is always at least 1 Legend Chip in the bag.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded this session for killing Ulom the tree god.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded after Session 21 for killing Prince Yahtee, destroying the Tower of Flame, and seizing a Noharian war galley as a prize.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded after Session 19 for killing the 6 armed demon, gaining the Treasure of Valosa, and retrieving the Sword of the Grey Queen.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 14 for returning the Shaker of Mountains to his home in the Ice Spires.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 10 for killing Yurgle, the Demi-God of Giants.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 9 for killing the 150 long serpent at the Serpent Mound near the Erendor Forest.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 7 for killing Elslae, an evil priest of Nogar-Sai, an evil god of undeath, and for killing Ronald von Sturm, an evil warlord.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 3 for killing Joubert and putting an end to the depredations of the River Rats.

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Session 23


Real World Date: Friday April 20, 2012

Campaign World Date: Amar’s Day, Festival of Needfest 2, 1,001 FF to Star’s Day, Festival of Needfest 4, 1001 (From the Founding of Tyros City)


The Roll of Heroes

Heath

THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!. A brawny, attractive barbarian from the Ice Spires. He wields a magical two-handed sword blessed by Hala, the Goddess of Death. The Barbarian of the Mighty Thews is accompanied by his sidekick, Bailee, a bard and a pleasure slave.

Thomas

Vega. A masked barbarian. [Don’t even ask.] He fights with a pair of bladed gauntlets.

Eric

Dar. An attractive beastmaster and shapechanger from the Erendor Forest. He wears naught but a loin cloth with a magnificent golden codpiece. He is accompanied by a she-wolf and by Princess Dacia, a Yari from out of the past. Dar is also capable of turning into a wolf.


The Story So Far

The party is in Umbria. Dar the beastmaster has been identified as Prince Falcos Ironhawk. Dar’s older brother, Prince Talon, is trying to regain the family throne from Marshall Jagan, who usurped it 20 years ago. Prince Talon has raised an army in Umbria, but it had recently been trapped by a larger Yari force at the entrance to the Valley of Ulom, a haunted vale from which no one who entered had returned. The heroes had entered the Valley through the equally haunted Paths of the Dead. The party had defeated an army of undead, then had defeated an entire village of naked, blue painted barbarians and their evil tree god. The Valley of Ulom was now cleared.


The Tale of Heroes

The Council of War

• Have just won a great battle against an entire village of naked, blue painted barbarians and their tree god, the brothers Prince Talon and Dar met for the first time. Prince Talon had managed to escape on the night when Marshall Jagan betrayed King Tarn, father to Prince Talon and Dar. Everyone had assumed that Dar, then known as Prince Falcos, had died along with the king on that bloody night.

• Prince Talon had returned to Umbria and raised an army to win back his throne. His army had been trapped between a Yari army and the entrance to the haunted Valley of Ulom. The party had defeated a tribe of naked, blue painted barbarians and had cleared out the haunted Paths of the Dead. With the way through the Valley of Ulom open, Prince Talon led his army out of the Yari trap.

• Once his army had emerged from the Paths of the Dead, Prince Talon and the party made plans to put an end to Marshall Jagan’s rule. Afzal the sorcerer would die as well. The party had recently captured a Yari war galley, the Infernal Machine. That ship contained code books for the Royal Anchorage in Umbria City.

• Brother Stern, who had saved Prince Talon 20 years ago, said that there was a labyrinth under the royal citadel. If the party could sneak into the labyrinth, they could sneak into the royal castle and kill Jagan and Afzal. Of course, the labyrinth was guarded by a fearsome monster and traps.

Sailing to Umbria City

• The party boarded the Infernal Machine and set sail for Umbria City. A great storm blew in, but skillful handling of the ship saved them.

• The battered ship sailed into Umbria City’s harbor. They headed for the Royal Anchorage. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! allowed himself to be chained to the bowsprit to appear as a prisoner. A Yari official rowed out to the Infernal Machine and demanded the password. Using the papers found on the ship, the party successfully bluffed their way into the royal harbor. They even convinced the Yari official not to announce their arrival to Marshall Jagan, for they had captured THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! of the Mighty Thews. They wanted to surprise the Marshall.

The Labyrinth

• Once docked, Brother Stern led the party to the secret entrance to the labyrinth. They dodged a couple of Yari patrols. A small demonic imp noticed them, but THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! smashed it to smithereens before it could raise an alarm. Finally, the party arrived at a stature of Ranni, goddess of secrets. Brother Stern told the party to push the statue aside. Upon doing so, they uncovered a flight of stairs going down.

• The labyrinth was guarded by an Avatar of Nohar, a monster with the body of a man but a bull’s head. The beast hounded and harried the party as they made their way through the maze.

• Finally, the party came to a door that led out of the labyrinth and into the castle. The door was covered with runes in an unknown language. Brother Stern said that these runes were not there when he served King Tarn. Obviously, the runes meant that foul Yari magic was involved.

• Princess Dacia cast a spell to make Dar smarter, so he could figure out how to open the door. While Dar puzzled out the meaning of the runes, the Avatar attacked for the last time, determined to kill the interlopers once and for all. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! and Vega fought the monster.

• Finally, Dar had the answer. He touched certain runes in a certain order, and the door opened. He yelled for his companions to hurry through, for he couldn’t keep the door open for long. The rest of the party broke off the fight with the bull-headed monster and made a mad dash for the slowly closing door. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! was the last through. The door closed on him and only his mighty thews saved him from being crushed. Gasping, the barbarian pushed his way through. The door slammed shut behind him.

The Final Battle

• The party emerged in the lowermost levels of the royal castle. Brother Stern led them up and up to the royal throne room. Pushing open the doors, the party saw their enemies, Marshall Jagan and Afzal, the Yari sorcerer. A squad of Avatars of Nohar protected the two evil men.

• The heroes charged into combat. They engaged in the greatest and most epic combat of their lives. Demonic spiders laired in the shadowed ceiling of the throne room. They shot webs to trap the heroes. The Avatars charged, trying to gore the heroes with their horns. Afzal called upon his dark masters as he slung spells at the party. Marshall Jagan laid about his sword.

• In the end, Prince Talon delivered the death blow to Marshall Jagan, avenging his father. Dar killed Afzal, whose body suddenly aged, leaving only a pile of dust behind.


Epilogue

So it was that our heroes helped Prince Talon regain the throne of Umbria. Dar helped rule the island nation as Prince Falcos Ironhawk, Princess Dacia at his side. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Vega, and Greggator stayed with their friend, the beastmaster, on his new island home. Many were days that the four friends hunted and feasted in the forests and hills of Umbria.

Soon however, the heroes felt the lust for adventure stirring in their hearts. They again wondered what lay over the horizon. From the Desert of Skulls, rumors reached them of another Yari plot. Leaving their life of luxury behind them, the heroes boarded a ship and set sail for the south. There, under a blazing sun, the heroes fought the scorpion men of Kazadar, felt the bite of the Vampire Queen, rang the Demon Bell, and wandered the streets of the fabled City of Brass.

But that is another story.


NPCs met

Afzal the Yari sorcerer. He's dead.

Marshall Jagan. He's dead.


Locations Visited

Umbria City


World Records

Damage Inflicted

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 7. Against a soldier of Fort Attalus. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!’s blow was so powerful that he killed another soldier standing next to the original one.

56 points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 10. Against Yurgle the Demi-God of Giants. This one gets an asterisk because Heath actually hit for 28 damage and then used the “Deadly Blow” Adventure Card, doubling the damage.

Damage Received

60 Points. THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!, Session 21. When the barbarian fell 100 feet during the collapse of the Tower of Flame. Just before his fall, THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! managed to grapple not one but two demons, which he used to break his fall.


Experience and Glory

5 XP awarded.

Everyone gets 10 Glory.

XP and Glory for current characters:

Dar 92 XP 51 Glory
THARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! 85 XP 56 Glory
Vega 61 XP 40 Glory
Greggator 30 XP 17 Glory


Legend Chips Awarded: 9

Active. We have a House Rule that there is always at least 1 Legend Chip in the bag.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded this session for killing Marshall Jagan and Afzal, a Yari sorcerer and Dar’s bitter enemy.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded this session for killing Ulom the tree god.

Active: One Legend Chip awarded after Session 21 for killing Prince Yahtee, destroying the Tower of Flame, and seizing a Noharian war galley as a prize.

Spent: One Legend Chip awarded after Session 19 for killing the 6 armed demon, gaining the Treasure of Valosa, and retrieving the Sword of the Grey Queen.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 14 for returning the Shaker of Mountains to his home in the Ice Spires.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 10 for killing Yurgle, the Demi-God of Giants.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 9 for killing the 150 long serpent at the Serpent Mound near the Erendor Forest.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 7 for killing Elslae, an evil priest of Nogar-Sai, an evil god of undeath, and for killing Ronald von Sturm, an evil warlord.

Spent. One Legend Chip awarded after Session 3 for killing Joubert and putting an end to the depredations of the River Rats.

[mongo]

Legends of Steel: Shadows of Yar

Campaign Journal, Deep Thoughts


The campaign wrapped up a couple of weeks ago. It lasted 23 sessions, just over a year of real time. It was the first campaign I’ve run that actually had a definite, and happy, ending. All of my other campaigns just kind of died with a TPK, or a whimper; or of loneliness.

I wrote in an earlier response that this was my first attempt at a sandbox type of setting. I demanded backgrounds from the players that would provide readymade plot hooks, either in the form of Friends or Foes, or from Character Goals. I planned an adventure only for the upcoming session. I had no overarching plot, though one eventually emerged involving Afzal and Dar’s lineage. There was another plot in the background about Erisa’s fourth moon, which never really got explained or resolved, except that it too involved Afzal. The fourth moon plot came from Tharr’s background. Heath had given me a Location: The Valley of the Lost Moon. However, in my campaign handout, I had stated that Erisa had three moons. So I renamed the Valley of the Lost Moon to the Valley of the Fourth Moon to emphasize the numbers of moons.

The campaign was a great success because of the players involved. Not only did they provide the hooks necessary to keep the campaign going, they also got into the whole sword and sorcery mind set. Money and wealth was easy come, easy go. (Neither Tharr nor Dar ever grasped the obsession that civilized men had with gold). The characters were men of action, who knew in their hearts that the right thing must be done. They feared no living man on Erisa, and even gods and demons barely gave them pause.

I can’t forget to heap more praise on Legends of Steel by Jeff Mejia (a.k.a. The Evil DM). The sword and sorcery world of Erisa as presented is a marvelous mosaic of countries and cultures. It is bursting with adventure hooks, political intrigue, duplicity, and sorcery. Every time I pick it up and read a section, my imagination gets fired up. I used Yar as presented in the book, a nation low on population but wealthy. Its demon worshipping sorcerers and priests were slowly infiltrating every nation of Erisa, accomplishing with subterfuge what they couldn’t with might.

Finally, I have to give a shout out to Savage Worlds. I don’t know if Shadows of Yar could have been done without the SW rules. It’s so easy to build the character you see in your mind’s eye. It’s so easy to improvise and wing it.

I’m running my players through The Day After Ragnarok next. I hope we have as much fun with DAR as we did with Legends of Steel.

mongo

[Sitting Duck]

That was some good stuff you had there. Can't wait to hear about the exploits of your players in Day After Ragnarok.
_________________
The rabbit is cuddly. Kids like little cuddly sidekicks. I mean-- The rabbit-- It's a time-tested-- Okay, the rabbit bites.
Blog: http://sittingduck1313.livejournal.com
Evil Wig Enterprises Minion #10 - The Fink

[The Evil DM]

[eric.kiser]

Mongo,
It was really cool to be able to see the story through to the end. I've enjoyed it so much that I have read parts of it two and three times. I hope to see that you post about the new game.

Thanks for the great read,
Eric

[ashenwolf]

Me as well loved reading this thread, would also like to hear how Ragnarok goes.