Design Notes for Flight of the Yardbird

I located my DM Notes for the Flight of the Yardbird adventure.  They are not super detailed as I prefer to have an outline to work from and improvise as needed.  This is because players never do what you expect and you cannot plan for everything.

Needed Reagents

I found the list of reagents the players would need to locate and where they could be found:

• Northern Dwarven Kingdom to have the hammer built.
• The Great Swamp or Borot Grotto for Bragolith, a grass that repels insects.  [This is to keep Scathos, the insectile god of secrets and conspiracies, from observing the ritual.]
• The Green Mountains to get Bryony berries from the Staff Elves. The berry is used to purge impurities.
• The Green Mountains to find Ellinrue, a cave algae that grants True Sight.  It will allow the hammer wielder to strike truly.  [I think I changed this later to another kind of berry.]
• The Horse Lords for Mosaliar, a mineral that provides a defense against the energies that will be released. [15 points Power Defense with a fade rate of 1/minute.]
• Freegate herbalists will provide Carsuth Root to harden the skin of the hammer wielder.
• Somewhere to find an Aetherstone anvil.

Description of the Yardbird

[Directly from my notes:]

The airship, named "The Yardbird", will use aether gas as a lifting power and propellers for motive force. There are four propellers mounted on spars, two in the front and two in the rear. Each pair of propellers is spun by an independent power plant consisting of four medium-sized golems working a crankshaft. The propeller spars can be rotated upward 90 degrees to provide additional lift. Otherwise, altitude is achieved via steering rudders and forward motion.

The Yardbird is still a prototype airship. It has four ether cells with an ether generator for each cell. Each cell is built slightly differently to determine the best construction method.

Airship Design Notes:
Inside the Yardbird:

• Four aether cells
• Aether generator for each ether cell
• The Bridge
• Cargo area
• Crew quarters
• Workshop(s)
• Passenger area (an afterthought)
• Eating area (known as "the Mess", because it is)
• Galley
• Golem works (three sets – two for motive, one for interior power)
• Landing craft bay
• Map room

Officers and Crew:

• Captain
• First Officer
• Chief Navigator and assistants
• Head Engineer and assistants

Lift:
Lift is generated via a semi-magical/semi-alchemical process. The source is an "Aetherstone" which is manipulated to release or absorb "aether". The aether is significantly lighter than air – 1 cubic meter of aether lifts 3 kilograms (in comparison, 1 m3 of hydrogen lifts 1.1 kg, 1 m3 of helium lifts 1 kg, and 1 m3 of hot air lifts 300 g). By partially immersing the Aetherstone in an alchemical solution and then running an electric current through it, aether is released in volume. By removing the current and heating the Aetherstone to a high temperature, the aether is absorbed by the stone.

Motive power:
Directional power is provided by two sets of propellers - one pair forward, one pair aft. Each pair of propellers is spun by an independent power plant consisting of four medium-sized golems working a crankshaft.

Gondola Length: 224 m

The Ritual of Keybreaking

The ritual is required to be performed on a 30’ square area of unshaped stone.  The ritual area will need to be prepared and have braziers burning Bragolith grass to keep Scathos away.  The Aetherstone Anvil will be placed in the center of the ritual space and blessed by a dwarven priest of “He-Who-Brings-Justice”.  The orb will be steeped in a mixture of fresh Bryony berries and herbs to leech out any impurities.  It will be ready when the liquid turns blood red.  Wizards will start chain casting The Ritual of Unmaking.  This will take 16 wizards an hour to cast and drain them of magic for 24 hours.

As the Ritual of Unmaking draws to conclusion, Dangar will be ritually prepared (without his armor) by being covered in a mixture of fresh Carsuth Root and Mosaliar to harden his skin and provide protection from the released energies.  He will then be fed Ellinrue (a cave algae that provides True Sight) and enter the ritual space with the Hammer of Unmaking and the vessel containing the orb.  He will quickly, but unhurriedly, remove the orb from the vessel, place it on the anvil, and strike a True Strike just as the Ritual of Unmaking finishes.

The energy release will be spectacular.

Tim's Outlanders: Flight of the Yardbird, Session 10 – August 21-31, 18 IC

[The Yardbird leaves Orpheon, picks up Staff Elf Envoys in the Green Mountains, and shops in Castle Silverloc.]

[This session took place December 21, 2002.  We were playing Champions 4th Edition with the Second Edition Fantasy Hero supplement.]

Player Characters

Oliver – male human monk from “someplace to the south” [secret agent of the Far Kingdom]

Dangar Stonekleaver – male dwarf from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom

Kyle Logan – male human thief and stowaway on the Yardbird

Wendell Dorshield III – male gnome, Captain and Architect of the Yardbird

Malwyn – male High elf fighter and military expert

Darkfox – female human thief from Freegate, secret ID of socialite Karlyn Gryphshaw

Session Begins

August 21, 18 IC

Morning

The Yardbird flew out of Orpheon, taking a wide sweep west, out over Gruen Bay, then south towards the Green Mountains.  As the Staff Elves of the Green Mountains were allied with the rebellious Kingdom of Silverloc, Wendell chose to have the Yardbird approach the Green Mountains from the west to avoid being mistaken as an invading force from the Empire of Crendia.

August 26, 18 IC

Pre-dawn

The Yardbird crossed the coastline into the Green Mountains, looking for a town in order to make contact with the Staff Elves.  The rising light of the sun instead showed them the burned-out remains of a elven town.

Deciding to investigate (and possible add to their food stores), Wendell had the Yardbird anchor near the abandoned town.  Two hunting parties were put down and the business of setting up “camp” started.

Oliver and Malwyn independently decided to investigate the town using their own methods.  Malwyn moved around the perimeter of the town looking for signs of current habitation while Oliver cast a retro-cognition spell to more directly observe what happened to the town.

Through his spell, Oliver “observed” two team wearing cloaks and hoods to hide their features pour what soon became evident was a flammable liquid around the perimeter of the small town.  The teams then took firing positions on opposite sides of the town and lit the liquid with a flamestick.  The liquid burned rapidly and hotly, setting the buildings and trees it touched quickly on fire.  As the elves who lived in the town came out and tried to put out the flames, the teams opened fire with bows, killing anyone doing so.  Minutes later the town was completely engulfed in a fire storm, leaving no survivors.  Oliver was appalled.  He followed the teams as they left the area.

Malwyn noticed that Oliver was under the influence of a spell and seemed to be following something related to the town.  He decided to follow Oliver.  Oliver’s spell led them to a nearby grove where Oliver observed the two teams meet and have a short discussion.  Oliver was finally able to determine that they were all humans and seemed to be part of a military force of some sort.  And then his spell was disrupted by a group of Staff Elves who made their presence known, bows at the ready.  A similar scene was playing out with the two hunting parties from the Yardbird.

The Staff Elves rounded up everyone from the Yardbird and questioned their reason for being there.  After explaining the Yardbird’s mission, Wendell and the leader of this band of Staff Elves, Tibalt of the Western Kingdom, sat down to negotiate for the Bryony and Eel berries needed for the ritual.  [Somewhere I had a list of the items necessary for the ritual to destroy the Orb, but it did not make it into my session notes except when the adventurers secured an item on the list.]  While the gnome cooks prepared a feast, Wendell was able to secure the necessary amounts of the two berry types in exchange for some trade goods and providing transportation to Silverloc Castle for two of the Staff Elves.  Tibalt and his band of elves joined the Outlanders and the crew of the Yardbird in the feast, during which one of the female Staff Elves, Josu of the Charmed Home, took a liking to Malwyn.

August 27, 18 IC

The next day the Yardbird set off south-southeast towards Silverloc Castle with the two Staff Elven envoys, one of whom was Josu.  Josu spent much of the trip pursuing Malwyn.  They both turned out to have a similar obsession with the sharpness of their weapons, except Josu favored the bow while Malwyn favored the sword.  Malwyn spent most of the trip attempting to keep his distance from Josu – he was unnerved slightly by her pursuit.

August 29, 18 IC

5:00 PM

After flying over the (relatively) low Green Mountains and a broad swath of the western Farwood Forest, the Yardbird arrived at Castle Silverloc.  Castle Silverloc was both a fortified city and a castle.  The castle was hexagonal in shape and quite large.  In front of the castle and enclosed by earthen walls with battlements on them was the city of Castle Silverloc.  Wendell rented airspace over a nearby farmer’s field and set up a few pavilions on the ground to do business in.  The two Staff Elf envoys took their leave and headed north into the forests.

The Outlanders headed into the town of Castle Silverloc on various errands.  Darkfox contacted the local thieves’ guild and met with an information broker at a tavern known as the Sign of the Golden Orange.  There she learned what she could about the city of Fordsway and the happenings there.  Fordsway was surrounded by the Southern Horde and may have fallen to the siege – details were sketchy [as are my notes].  She also learned there was an unofficial truce between Silverloc and the Imperial Legions.  The purpose of this truce seemed to be to let the Imperial Legions deal with the Goblinoid Hordes.  How long the truce would last and what the Emperor’s reaction to it would be once he learned of it no one could say, but Silverloc was serious about keeping its side of the deal.

Malwyn searched for the worst drinking hole in the city in order to get some combat practice in.  He eventually ended up at Ernesto Rockheart’s Pukehall-a-Go-Go, a place known for having fights regularly spill out into the streets.  Malwyn participated in several fights and got to know Baldo, the doorman.  He also met “Pops”, an old, irascible fighter who was a regular at Ernesto’s.  Dangar, tagging along with Malwyn, got some drinking in, but also got his pocket picked at some point and returned to the Yardbird without his “walking around” money.

August 30, 18 IC

The day was spent with the Yardbird taking on large quantities of supplies to drop off in Fordsway.  While the head merchant gnome on board, Ethan, haggled and traded, the Outlanders arranged to purchase some items of their own, including improved armor.  Darkfox arranged for the armor with a mix of gold coins and bottles of Orpheon Silver.  The suits of armor were dropped off after sunset, wrapped up in carpets.  No one asked any questions, and Darkfox asked that no one wear the armor off the Yardbird until after it left Castle Silverloc.  Just in case.

August 31, 18 IC

Bright and early in the morning, the Yardbird slowly flew away from Castle Silverloc, heading east, its cargo holds filled to the rafters with goods and materials.

Session Ends.

NPCs Met

Aaron – gnome, one of the two “loser” hunters

“Baldo” – doorman at Ernesto Rockheart’s Pukehall-a-Go-Go in Silverloc Town

Ethan – trader/merchant gnome

Josu of the Charmed Home – Staff Elven female archer, interested in Malwyn

Nathanial – gnome, one of the two “loser” hunters

“Pops” – cranky old guy who likes to fight and is very good at it.  Uses the “sack of flour” trick to “get a good fight happenin’”.

Tibalt of the Western Kingdom – Staff Elf leader who negotiated with Wendell and the Outlanders

Happening Off-Stage

[Nothing in my notes, but the players will get a huge info dump when they get to Fordsway.]

DM Discussion

[So if it seems that Dangar gets his pockets picked fairly often it’s because he did.  He was terrible about spotting pickpockets, especially once he started drinking heavily, so he compensated by only carrying a relatively small amount of coin on his person, 30 or so copper coins.  He left the rest of his money safely aboard the Yardbird and considered getting pickpocketed part of the cost of going out drinking.]

[The interaction between Malwyn and Josu was me trying to set up a possible Romance storyline for Malwyn, but his player wasn't interested at all, so I dropped it.]

Tim's Outlanders Landing Page

Flight of the Yardbird

Previous session: Session 9

Next Session: Session 11 [not edited yet]

Tim's Outlanders: Flight of the Yardbird, Session 9 – August 15-21, 18 IC

[The Yardbird salvages an all but abandoned ship while crossing Gruen Bay, towing it to Orpheon.  There, Tim gets recalled to Freegate.]

[This session took place October 26, 2002.  We were playing Champions 4th Edition with the Second Edition Fantasy Hero supplement.]

Player Characters

Tim, a Wizard - male human from the Free City of Freegate, graduate of Outlands University

Dangar Stonekleaver - male dwarf from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom

Kyle Logan – male human thief and stowaway on the Yardbird

Wendell Dorshield III – male gnome, Captain and Architect of the Yardbird

Malwyn – male High elf fighter and military expert

Darkfox – female human thief from Freegate, secret ID of socialite Karlyn Gryphshaw

Session Begins

August 15, 18 IC

After a perilous journey out of the Worldspine Mountains, the Yardbird flew out over Gruen Bay, taking a long, arcing path across the bay to the city of Orpheon.

August 17, 18 IC

Two days into the flight, a lookout spotted a ship adrift in the current.  Closer inspection showed that the ship and its rigging were very damaged, either by weather or attack.

Wendell ordered the Runaround Mark 4 be deployed – a longboat powered by a golem rower.  Wendell, Dangar, Malwyn, Darkfox, and a few security gnomes were lowered with the Runaround Mark 4 and rowed over to the ship.

The ship was quite large, being a third of the size of the Yardbird.  This was made very evident when the away team arrived next to it.  They called up in Gnomish and in Common to see if anyone was aboard.  At first they got no response, but after a minute of calling, two heads peaked over the railing.  One was human and shaved bald, the other was a large wolf.  The human on board, seeing an elf in the group, responded in Lasse Hinual (High Elven), asking if they were pirates or some sort of circus, what with all of the midgets and such.

After some discussion, the Outlanders learned that the sole survivor on the ship was named Oliver.  He was from some unspecified place to the south where they had never seen dwarves or gnomes before [this raised eyebrows].  He and his wolf companion were all that was left on the ship.  The ship was a cargo and passenger ship that had been caught in a great storm and then attacked repeatedly by pirates.  Oliver was a passenger and so had no real idea of where he was (or so he said).  A search of the ship seemed to confirm his story (and enriched Darkfox 5 bolts of quality silk) and Wendell offered Oliver transportation to a city on the Yardbird’s route.  The Outlanders claimed the ship as salvage and the Yardbird towed it to Orpheon, arriving there on the 20th of August.

August 20, 18 IC

In Orpheon, the various landing and port fees to enter the city’s port were paid from the Yardbird petty cash and the salvaged ship was docked.  The Outlanders agreed to sell the ship to the local representatives of the Gnomish Consortium for 300 gp.  The money was split as follows:

• 100 gp to the Yardbird Petty Cash
• 40 gp to Tim, Dangar, Malwyn, and Darkfox
• 40 gp to Oliver to hold for the ship’s original owner

There was also a delegation from Outlands University waiting for the Outlanders.  Based on the messages sent from the Yardbird regarding the Temple of Camazotz and the knowledge of High Mage Tongue gained, Tim was recalled to the University, effective immediately.  Petregai of the Grey Body, an Earth Wizard, and a small group of adventurers were there to escort Tim back and keep him safe.  The Outlanders convinced Petregai that a going away party was necessary, and drinks were on the Outlanders.  Petregai saw the wisdom of free drinks and agreed.

As the local Gnomish Office was being enlarged to allow for airship trade, Wendell left one of the Yardbird’s engineering groups to assist in that project.  He also arranged with the Legion Commander of the 7th Imperial Legion (stationed in Orpheon) for a Letter of Marque for the Yardbird to hunt down pirates and “others harassing Imperial shipping”.  The Commander clear meant Silverloc rebels to the south, but Wendell was  non-committal on the subject.

In the meantime, the Outlanders took their newfound wealth and rented a tavern for the night for Tim’s “Going Away” party.  The tavern they choose was the “Broken Griffon”, a name that seemed auspicious.  They all got very drunk drinking Orpheon Gold (quality beer), Orpheon Silver (quality ouzo), and a concoction Tim called “The Graduation”, which was a mixture of the two, plus some other high octane spirits.

Before leaving the tavern in the wee hours, Kyle and Darkfox looted the booze supply, splitting 8 bottles of Orpheon Silver between them.

August 21, 18 IC

After the Outlanders slept off their drinking binge, the Yardbird set out for the Green Mountains to the southwest.

Session Ends.

NPCs Met

Rheged “Reggie” Pikethrasher – Orpheon Port Customs Official

Dana bat Channah – Gnomish Consortium Representative

Asa ben Dana – Gnomish Consortium Representative

Commander Alexander Pontikos – Legion Commander of the 7th Legion

Petregai of the Grey Body – an Earth Wizard who has cast Stoneskin a few times too many

Adrik the True – adventurer escorting Tim back to the University

Hakon Grayspear – adventurer escorting Tim back to the University

Viktor of Ltava – adventurer escorting Tim back to the University

Happening Off-Stage

[Nothing in my notes.]

DM Discussion

[Oliver was the new character for Tim's player and why Tim was recalled back to Freegate.  Oliver was a monk from a continent far to the west and considered himself a scout, although what he really was was a spy.  The peoples of the Far Kingdom were still cleaning up from a continent-wide war to free themselves from a despot deity who had oppressed and abused them for millennia.  Having overthrown that deity with the help of the New Gods (a more recent, and genuinely helpful, generation of deities) their scholars were shocked to discover secret histories indicating other Middle Gods (same generation as the despot) and their followers escaped to the east in the distant past.  Oliver’s job was to seek out these people and determine if any of the Middle Gods still existed so they could be eliminated.]

[Spoiler: they do.]

Tim's Outlanders Landing Page

Flight of the Yardbird

Previous session: Session 8

Next Session: Session 10

Tim's Outlanders: Flight of the Yardbird, Session 8 – August 3-15, 18 IC

UPDATE: Corrected the leader of the opposition's name.

[The Yardbird flies south through the Worldspine Mountains battling the weather as well as creatures and their mysterious opponents, sometimes at the same time.]

[This session took place September 21, 2002.  We were playing Champions 4th Edition with the Second Edition Fantasy Hero supplement.]

Player Characters

Tim, a Wizard - male human from the Free City of Freegate, graduate of Outlands University

Dangar Stonekleaver - male dwarf from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom

Kyle Logan – male human thief and stowaway on the Yardbird

Wendell Dorshield III – male gnome, Captain and Architect of the Yardbird

Malwyn – male High elf fighter and military expert

Darkfox – female human thief from Freegate, secret ID of socialite Karlyn Gryphshaw

Session Begins

August 3, 18 IC

Early in the morning the Outlanders said their goodbyes to the dwarfs and boarded the Yardbird.  The Yardbird retracted its anchors and increased the volume of aether in the gas envelopes, increasing its lift.  It then turned away from Karak-ud and flew south.

August 5, 18 IC

A couple days into the flight, the Yardbird was attacked by a flight of three griffins.  This was not a particularly unexpected thing.  What was unexpected was their behavior during the attack – the griffins landed on the Yardbird and started ripping in to it!  Several of the Outlanders went out onto the top of Yardbird to fight the griffins.

After a brief but fierce struggle, the griffins were killed.  However, due to the actions of the griffins, one of the major aether cells was ruptured and needed to be repaired.  The Yardbird made a sprint as best it could to exit the area it had been spotted in and to find an area in the mountains where it could land to make repairs.

To fend off further Griffin attacks, one of the ship’s repeating ballistae was remounted on top of the Yardbird.  [The Yardbird had three repeating ballistae aboard, all mounted underneath as the only envisioned enemy attacks were expected to come from below.]  While repairs were under way, Tim investigated the body of the griffin that made its way into the aether cell and discovered it was wearing a magical collar.  Tim was able to determine that the collar both controlled the griffin and allowed the controller to sense what the griffin saw and heard.  Further, it appeared to still be active!  Tim quickly wrapped it in thick cloth and shut it inside a small chest.  He then had it buried in the ground away from the Yardbird.

Periodically throughout the rest of the flight through the Worldspines, griffins were spotted circling in the distance, but they never attacked again.

August 7, 18 IC

During the night of August 7th, the Yardbird stopped to shelter from high winds and a storm.  An exploration party from the Yardbird set out to search the area for anything useful.  Instead they ran across a “winter worm”, a 64 m gargantuan worm covered in fur.  During the fight, through means unknown, Tim caused a magical effect wherein the exploration party and the worm were englobed by a sphere of pale blue light, blinding all for a short period of time.  [I believe he missed a spell casting roll and this was the side effect – a large Area of Effect Flash.]  The light also provided a beacon for a rescue party from the Yardbird, who were able to arrive in time to help put down the winter worm.

August 14, 18 IC

While flying through the Worldspines, the Yardbird was attacked by a small team laying in wait along the Yardbird’s flight path.  An unnamed wizard cast Fireball spells at the Yardbird, setting the airship on fire!  Tim eventually returned fire with his Arc Light spell, causing an avalanche that killed the attackers.

After searching for and then searching of the bodies, the Outlanders were able to determine that their attackers were mercenaries and had been paid to attack the Yardbird and bring it down.  Unfortunately, the letters hiring the mercenaries and identifying the Yardbird did not identify their enemy.  The opposing spellcaster had a Ring of Warmth that Tim acquired.

After the surprise attack and all it suggested, Wendell chose to plot an alternate path in order to exit the Worldspines as soon as possible.  Wendell charted a route through a pass that was almost too high for the damaged Yardbird to fly through to leave the mountains by the next dawn, rather than several days later.  Merriwether, Wendell’s best pilot, was able to fly the Yardbird through the pass, only scraping the bottom of the Yardbird a little at the pass’s highest point.

August 15

The Yardbird exited the Worldspine Mountains and sailed out over Gruen Bay in the early morning hours.

Session Ends.

NPCs Met

Alfred – gnome from the Yardbird’s Security Detail

Benjamin – gnome from the Yardbird’s Security Detail

Chaz – gnome from the Yardbird’s Security Detail

Dwain – gnome from the Yardbird’s Security Detail

Edward – gnome from the Yardbird’s Security Detail

Felicity – gnome from the Yardbird’s Security Detail

Merriwether – female gnome, best pilot on the Yardbird

Happening Off-Stage

[Nothing in my notes.]

DM Discussion

[Clearly, Lord Taurkauld's plans were in motion.  By leaving the mountains early, The Yardbird avoided two more ambush attacks.  The Betdmuans still had more plans in action, but it would be a while before the Outlanders learn of them.]

[In the meantime, Tim’s player wanted to experiment with a different character from another part of the world, one with a very different relationship with the gods.  We worked out their history along with some additional material about higher level magics.  Next session his new character, “Oliver”, will make an appearance.]

Tim's Outlanders Landing Page

Flight of the Yardbird

Previous session: Session 7

Next Session: Session 9

Tim's Outlanders: Flight of the Yardbird, Session 7 – August 1-2, 18 IC

UPDATE: Corrected the leader of the opposition's name.

[The Yardbird arrives at the Northern Dwarven Kingdom and Dangar is tested.]

[This session took place July 27, 2002.  We were playing Champions 4th Edition with the Second Edition Fantasy Hero supplement.]

Player Characters

Tim, a Wizard - male human from the Free City of Freegate, graduate of Outlands University

Dangar Stonekleaver - male dwarf from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom

Kyle Logan – male human thief and stowaway on the Yardbird

Wendell Dorshield III – male gnome, Captain and Architect of the Yardbird

Malwyn – male High elf fighter and military expert

Darkfox – female human thief from Freegate, secret ID of socialite Karlyn Gryphshaw

Session Begins:

August 1, 18 IC

After passing the tallest portions of the central Worldspine Mountains, the Yardbird turned northwest and cut across the “lower” portions of the mountains to reach Karak-urd, Capital of the Northern Dwarven Kingdom (NDK), arriving on August 1st, 18 IC

The unexpected approach of the Yardbird set off alarms and the gate to the underground city was sealed.  It was observed by those on the Yardbird that the defensive towers were also sealed, except for the siege weapon emplacements, which were active and tracking the Yardbird.  Wendell maneuvered the Yardbird into the valley in front of the main gate and dropped anchors [the Yardbird used three for stability] to bring the Yardbird to a stop 100 m from the Gate.  Tim and Dangar descended in the Runaround 3, which looked like a longboat with a large balloon instead of a sail.

Once on the ground, Dangar approached the 30 m tall, heavily reinforced Gate and used the knocker (set at dwarf height).  A small port embedded in the doorjamb 30 m above the knocker opened and the Gate Guardian challenged Dangar to identify himself.  A 10-minute conversation ensued with the Gate Guardian explaining why Dangar could not be Dangar (shabby beard, broken axe, armor in poor condition, etc.) and Dangar explaining why these things were and ‘yes, he was Dangar Stonecleaver, thank you very much’.  Eventually Dangar was directed to ‘Sub-Door number 3’ – another test as the sub-doors (doors set into the main gate) were not numbered.

Dangar led Tim to the correct sub-door where Dangar faced additional questions about his ancestors.  After another 15 minutes of questioning, the Gate Guardian finally agreed that Dangar really was Dangar.  Then Tim was questioned about who he was.  His questioning lasted two minutes and ended when he produced a fresh pony keg of Tim’s Old Sock and let the Gate Guardian sample it. [See Footnote 1]

Once identities were established, the two were directed to take their contraption [the Yardbird] over to Ally’s Valley and wait there.  This was yet another test for Dangar – the valley was marked differently on maps.  [Northern Dwarfs tend to be conservative about positive identification.]  Dangar and Tim returned to the Yardbird and Dangar gave Wendell the proper instructions to Ally’s Valley, a broad valley nearby where the dwarfs park allied armies during wartime.  

After they landed the Yardbird again, a delegation emerged from the city.  It consisted of Underboss Garl Ringbane, his bodyguard detail, his assistant (Argus Scalewearer), and his advisor (Arkon Worldbender, a spellcrafter).  Tim and Dangar explained to the Underboss their mission to destroy the Orb and that they needed a hammer of the highest quality built to certain specifications, which they had on a scroll.

The Underboss decided to have a pavilion set up for further discussions.  Arkon Worldbender looked over the specifications for the hammer and said he could translate them into proper smithing instructions.  The Underboss went back down into Karak-urd to report to the King.

While the Underboss was reporting, Tim chatted with Arkon, providing some basic descriptions of how the Yardbird worked.  Later, once the Underboss returned, Tim overheard a side conversation in Dwarvish between Arkon and the Underboss.  Arkon told the Underboss he could duplicate what made the Yardbird fly.  Neither was aware that Tim spoke fluent Dwarvish and so spoke relatively openly.  Tim decided to keep that information to himself.

The King agreed with the Underboss’ assessment and provided the Underboss with a Token of Authority for the Outlanders.  The Underboss returned to the pavilion above ground and gave the Token to the Outlanders.  He told them it would provide them with safe passage in the Northern Dwarven Kingdom.  Further he instructed them to go talk with Mastersmith Durzh Ironbeater about making the hammer and provided them with directions to the mastersmith’s workshop.  The Token would convince the Mastersmith to make the hammer.

The Underboss told Tim that he had heard of something called “Tim’s Double-Distilled” and its use as an explosive.  He asked if Tim might have any with him.  Tim admitted he did and asked if the Underboss would like a demonstration.  The Underboss did and so a demonstration was set up.

While the demonstration was being set up, Dangar was contacted by one of his uncles and they went down into the city so Dangar could visit his family and get his axe repaired.  (It just didn’t do for Dangar to be walking around with his axe broken like that – it looked bad on the clan.)  Dangar also showed his family what happens when Wow-Wow Sauce was applied to Dwarven Bread.  Everyone eventually got their hearing back and Dangar helped sweep up the broken plates and cups.  [Footnote 2]

Back on the surface, a bottle of TDD was set at the far end of the valley on an exposed bolder and portable blast shielding was set up for the observers.  When everyone was ready, Tim fired a small magebolt at the bottle.  The batch of TDD was stronger than expected.  It blew over one of the pavilions and broke some of the windows on the Yardbird.  The boulder it had been sitting on became a crater and rubble was spread over a very wide area.  The dwarves were very impressed with the TDD but did not ask how TDD was made.  They felt that their recently invented black powder was more stable and, more importantly, safer to use [Footnote 3].

August 2, 18 IC

The next day the Outlanders took their leave and traveled two hours northwest in the Yardbird, towards the Dwarven Deeps [Footnote 4] to meet with Durzh Ironbeater.  They arrived at a short, squat tower next to a waterfall, where they saw some dwarfs standing around out in front of the tower and landed via the Runaround 3.

The dwarves out front were wearing poorly fitting chainmail and claimed to be merchants from the south (which made Dangar instantly dislike them), despite not having any wares to trade.  They claimed that they had arrived that morning to trade and found that the tower had been attacked.  They showed several dwarven bodies laid out in front of the tower.  The bodies showed signs of a cutting weapon and ragged tears, as from a beast.  The Outlanders, true to form, were instantly suspicious of the dwarves and had Wendell signal the Yardbird to Yellow Alert.  The dwarfs completely failed to recognize the Outlanders by reputation, much to their later dismay.

The dwarfs offered to lead the Outlanders into the tower to their leader.  The Outlanders cautiously accepted and followed the dwarfs into the tower.  The inner door had a pit trap in front of it, but the dwarves easily hopped over it into the room beyond.  The Outlanders were reluctant to jump, but Dangar eventually did so.  When he got to the other side, he could only see three of the four dwarves and an open door leading further into the tower.

In the meanwhile, Tim looked down into the pit and spotted a body.  He used his telekinesis spell to pull up the body, which was a partially transformed dwarf.  Sensing the jig was up, the dwarfs attacked the Outlanders, transforming into were-rats!

In the ensuing melee, Dangar, Malwyn, Kyle, and Darkfox were all heavily wounded, using the last of the Outlander’s healing potions to remain standing.  The three were-rats were reinforced part way through the fight by the rest of their compatriots and their leader.  Wendell summoned troops from the Yardbird.  The troops deployed via Gnome battle-kites, but arrived just as the battle finished.  The were-rat minions were cut down but, near the end of the fight, the were-rat leader fled back into the tower, finally recognizing who the Outlanders were by their reputation.

Dangar and Kyle pursued the leader of the were-rats, but the leader was killed by one of the Yardbird’s ship's guns when he tried to squeeze out a window on the second floor.  [This was a good thing for Dangar and Kyle as neither were really in condition to face him if cornered.]

After mending their wounds as best they could, the Outlanders explored the tower further.  Kyle and Dangar started from the top of the tower and worked their way down while Darkfox headed down from the main level.  Darkfox found a surviving guard in the barracks and talked him down from a blind panic.  She learned from this young dwarf that the were-rats attacked by surprise in the night, catching the dwarfs of the tower by surprise.  Together, she and the young dwarf searched deeper in the tower and found the Mastersmith in his locked and sound-proof lab.  He had been there all night and was unaware that anything had happened.

In return for defeating the were-rats and saving his life, Durzh rewarded each of the Outlanders with a healing potion from his emergency stores.  Most of these were immediately consumed to finish healing the wounds received from the were-rats.  Tim offered his last two pony kegs of Old Sock for the rest of the healing potions and Durzh accepted.

The Outlanders finally explained why they were there and provided Durzh with the hammer specifications and the Token of Authority.  Durzh looked over the specifications and the Token of Authority and agreed that he would do the work and finish it in two months, but he would need to be transported to Karak-urd for the necessary supplies (and more assistants/guards).  Everything Durzh needed from his tower was loaded into the Yardbird and it flew back to Karak-urd.  During the flight, Wendell provided Durzh a tour of the Yardbird and a basic explanation of how it worked.

Session Ends.

Footnotes:

1. Dwarves don’t expect much in the way of knowledge of family history from humans and, as a result, find quizzing them on their great-great-great-grandfather’s brothers’ children pointless.  Plus, a dwarf vouched for him and it was very good beer.

2. Wow-Wow Sauce and Dwarven Bread were both taken from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, of which we are all big fans.  Several of us in the group are also fans of particularly spicy sauces and foods so our version was closer to sauces that come with disclaimers and a high Scoville count.  It was early on established that Tim, as a wizard from Outlands University, regularly carried a small bottle with him to season food other people provided.  At some point the party was out of food except Dangar’s Dwarven Bread and Tim put some Wow-Wow Sauce on it to make it more edible.  Instead, it chemically reacted and then exploded, because it was that kind of campaign.  The PCs kept that secret to themselves and at some point used it tactically.

3. Many people feel the same way when exposed to Tim’s Double Distilled (the magical equivalent of very sweaty dynamite) for the first time.  Also, “Dwarven Black Powder” was invented in game sometime around 13 IC, so it was still a very young technology at the time.

4. Paradoxically some of the tallest mountains on the continent.  The actual tallest are the Upper Reaches, an area the PCs travelled to early in the campaign.

NPCs Met

Underboss Garl Ringbane – a dwarven aristocrat, speaks for the King

Arkon Worldbender – a Dwarven spellcrafter (their magic users) and advisor to Underboss Garl Ringbane

Argus Zertson Scalewearer – assistant to Underboss Garl Ringbane

Durzh Ironbeater – Dwarven Mastersmith, currently considered to be one of the best in the NDK

Clan Gurart – a SDK dwarven clan that is currently hunting Dangar over a Grudge [came up in conversation between Dangar and his family]

Happening Off-Stage

[Argus Scalewearer is part of a dissident group of young Dwarfs who feel that upward advancement is stifled by the Elders.  They share information with each other to help all of them advance faster.  He shared everything he heard and saw up on the surface.  Unfortunately, one of the group is a Betdmuan spy.  The spy relayed to his controller his understanding of what the Outlanders are doing via a Far-Talking Amulet.  This included the following:

• The Outlanders are on a mission for Lord Gamrin
• Dangar is the Chosen One
• They are trying to destroy an orb
• They have commissioned Mastersmith Durzh to build a great hammer
• They will return for the hammer in two months
• They are traveling in an airship
• They have two forms of explosives on board: TDD and something that causes battle-bread to explode

The Betdmuans of the Deep Temple realized that the orb was part of the Great Key needed to open the Vault.  Knowing the magics contained in the Vault are the key to a quick victory and that the Great Key is the only way into the Vault now, they appoint Trithallos Buhrodar, known as Lord Taurkauld, as responsible for stopping the Outlanders and retrieving the missing piece of the Key.

Lord Taurkauld has instituted multiple plans of attack against the Outlanders.  The initial phases are:

• Send a flight of mind-controlled griffins to attack the Yardbird.  Their goal is to get information about the defenses of the Yardbird.
• Place Special Action Teams on the Yardbird's likely paths through the Worldspine Mountains.  These teams have ranged magical attacks in the form of Lightning Bolts and Fireballs cast from wands and scrolls.  Their goal is to cripple the Yardbird and bring it down so infantry can attack it.
• Agents in Freegate will attempt to locate the Orb.  (It will take them some time to verify it is in the University.)
• Additional agents will be sent to Karak-urd to steal the hammer or stop its production.]

DM Discussion

[First time I used wererats in Fantasy Hero.  I was not impressed with their infection power.  In a D&D fight, all of the party took enough damage they would have needed to check for infection.  In this fight, it was never an issue as the power was separate from damage done.  Now-a-days I would change that to make the infection power linked to their attacks instead of separate.  Live and learn.]

Tim's Outlanders Landing Page

Flight of the Yardbird

Previous session: Session 6

Next Session: Session 8

Tim's Outlanders: Flight of the Yardbird, Session 6 – A Couple Days Later, July 18 IC

[The Great Hunt and Feast.]

[This session took place June 15, 2002.  We were playing Champions 4th Edition with the Second Edition Fantasy Hero supplement.]

Player Characters

Tim, a Wizard - male human from the Free City of Freegate, graduate of Outlands University

Dangar Stonekleaver - male dwarf from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom

Kyle Logan – male human thief and stowaway on the Yardbird

Wendell Dorshield III – male gnome, Captain and Architect of the Yardbird

Malwyn – male High elf fighter and military expert

Darkfox – female human thief from Freegate, secret ID of socialite Karlyn Gryphshaw

Session Begins:

The Next Day

The gnomes finished working off the passage debt accumulated to Afrah, the Nereid, turning her room in the catacombs into a work of art. The gnomes then packed everything up and the Yardbird continued flying north, travelling along the backside of the Great Nef, between the desert and the Worldspine Mountains.

Four Days Later

Over the next several days, observers on the Yardbird discovered several geographic abnormalities in the landscape below (unusually round meadows, two new "scoop mountains", some ruins). They also observed a good deal of wildlife.  It was decided that a stop for hunting to replenish the meat supply aboard the Yardbird would be a good idea.

The Yardbird dropped anchor and a “temporary hunting camp” was established.  The camp was an assortment of pavilions, tents, and kitchens that would do most restaurants proud.  The cooking staff aboard the Yardbird deployed their mobile ovens and stoves in anticipation of a successful game hunt followed by a feast.  While the camp was being assembled, three small hunting parties were established, each headed by one of the Outlanders (because the gnomes had never gone hunting before, only read about it). 

The first party was led by Malwyn, who required that any gnomes hunting with him must be able to start a fire they could cook over.  This started an impromptu fire-building competition amongst the six gnome volunteers.  Malwyn took the winner with him (an inventor gnome named Hershel).

Darkfox took the two gnomes who failed to make fire (accountant gnomes) and a female gnome bodyguard named Rebecca, who had the foresight to bring a boarspear (sized for gnomes).

The final hunting party was led by Dangar, who took the remaining three gnome volunteers and Kyle (who could not pass up the potential for humor).  Tim decided to stay aboard the Yardbird and continue his studies while Wendell managed the setup of the camp.

Malwyn and Hershel’s hunt was cut short when they encountered a bear that was hunting the same prey they were.  The bear noticed their scent and started tracking the elf and gnome instead.  Malwyn and Hershel readied for the bear and awaited its charge.  When the bear finally saw them, it charged them, bellowing fiercely.  Both hunters fired their bows at the bear several times before Hershel hit the bear in the eye and killed it.  Hershel then promptly puked.  Malwyn cleaned the kill and they dragged the bear carcass back to the hunting camp.  Malwyn choose not to explain the whole "drink the blood of your first kill" thing to Hershel.

Darkfox, Rebecca, and "the losers" eventually found a mother boar and her piglets. The mother boar caught the scent of the hunting party and charged them.  Darkfox shot arrows at the boar, Rebecca readied her spear, and "the losers" panicked and froze, unable to shoot their bows.  Rebecca managed to catch the boar on her spear but failed to kill it.  She and Darkfox (who pulled out her sword) fought the boar until it was dead, getting injured in the process.  Once the mother boar was dead, "the losers" snapped out of their panic and shot some of the fleeing piglets.  Darkfox and Rebecca bound their wounds and then this party headed back with their kills.

Dangar and company took a long time to find anything to hunt as Dangar made a lot of noise. They eventually found a meadow with a small herd of antelopes grazing in it.  Dangar took position with his crossbow and axe and sent the gnomes out to flank the antelope and drive them to him. Kyle, spotting a flaw in the plan, moved 20 feet away from Dangar and watched.

The gnomes circled around the antelope and indeed scared them into running towards Dangar.  Dangar shot one and then grabbed his axe, ready to sweep any that came near him.  He attacked the first three antelope, killing two and injuring a third, but then got trampled by the rest of the herd, which could not change direction as fast as they would have liked.  The herd split into two groups, running in opposite directions, half heading towards Kyle (who was doubled over in laughter at this point).  Kyle stood up straight and screamed at the top of his lungs before the herd got to him [he made a Presence Attack to convince the antelope to avoid him].  This spooked the herd [he rolled high enough on the dice], which reversed direction and trampled Dangar again, knocking him completely unconscious.  The hunting party gathered up their kill (and Dangar) and headed back to the camp.

A great feast was held in honor of the hunters, with recognition for Hershel and Rebecca.  The scent of the feast drew some displacer beasts, but they were spotted by lookouts on the Yardbird and killed/driven off quickly.

Session Ends.

NPCs Met

Hershel – gnome inventor, now also known as either “the Hunter” or “Bearkiller”

Rebecca of the Guard – gnome bodyguard

Happening Off-Stage

[Nothing in my notes on this front.]

DM Discussion

[This session was impromptu and not something I had planned.  That said, everyone had fun and two of the gnome NPCs developed some character.  They started showing up somewhat regularly after this.]

[I did resume tracking in-game dates once the Yardbird reached the Northern Dwarven Kingdom, so those should resume shortly.]

Tim's Outlanders Landing Page

Flight of the Yardbird

Previous session: Session 5

Next Session: Session 7

Tim's Outlanders: Flight of the Yardbird, Session 5 – End of that Day, July 18 IC

[Finish exploring the entire temple and made contact at the Altar on top.]

[This session took place May 18, 2002.  We were playing Champions 4th Edition with the Second Edition Fantasy Hero supplement.]

Player Characters

Tim, a Wizard - male human from the Free City of Freegate, graduate of Outlands University

Dangar Stonekleaver - male dwarf from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom

Kyle Logan – male human thief and stowaway on the Yardbird

Wendell Dorshield III – male gnome, Captain and Architect of the Yardbird

Malwyn – male High elf fighter and military expert

Darkfox – female human thief from Freegate, secret ID of socialite Karlyn Gryphshaw

Session Begins:

[The notes for this session are exceedingly sparse – a single paragraph summation.  I’ve expanded it a very little and added some paragraph breaks, but it has been 24 years since this session happened so I remember very little of what exactly happened.]

The Outlanders finished exploring the middle and upper levels of the Temple, nearly dying twice, once due to a soul jar trap in a statue with Darkfox’s face.  [My notes do not indicate what the second near-TPK involved, but it was likely something Tim or Dangar did.]  The Outlanders finally exited out the top of the temple and found themselves in the ruins of the Altar of Camazotz, on top of a hill near where the Yardbird was anchored.

Camazotz himself appeared to the Outlanders when they disturbed a trap along the back wall of the Altar area.  For reasons of his own, Camazotz talked to the Outlanders.  The Outlanders asked the deity if he knew the location of an Aetherstone Anvil, one of the items they desperately needed to unmake the orb and save the world.  Camazotz told them the location of the last Aetherstone Anvil – the Temple of Baharat.

After a pause, the Outlanders asked where the temple was located as it too had been lost.

Camazotz sighed.  He then made a glowing dot appear on the Outlander’s map.  The dot appeared deep in the center of the Great Nef, a desert made of magic-nullifying sand.  The Outlanders thanked the deity for his assistance and politely said goodbye.

Back on the Yardbird, the Outlanders discussed the location with Wendell.  The route to collect all the items they needed required the Yardbird to fly by the Great Nef a second time to pick up the enchanted hammer they were going to request be crafted in the Northern Dwarven Kingdom.  They decide to investigate the Temple of Baharat on their second trip by the Great Nef due to time constraints now.

Session Ends.

NPCs Met

Camazotz – the bat-winged god of Darkness and the Dead.  Considered a Lost God as no one in the present day remembers him.  [Campaign Secret: Camazotz was part of the pantheon belonging to the first humans on the continent, the Anunnaki, whose descendants are the nomadic Horse Lords, not the rest of the humans on the continent, who arrived later.]

Happening Off-Stage

[Still the same day, so nothing new.]

DM Discussion

[Past me got super lazy here and wrapped up a full day of roleplaying in a single paragraph.  Shame!  Shame on Past Me!]

[The PCs did finish exploring The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan.  While I have notes on how I modified the dungeon for the campaign, I have no notes on how the PCs actually interacted with it.  This was early in my career as a GM and the importance of record keeping had not yet landed.  I think it was a year or so later in 2003 when I realized I was starting to forget the details of past adventurers that I started typing up session summaries, which is what these blog posts are based off of.  I didn’t start blogging until 2007, so the summaries were just to track what happened in a way that I could reference back to for later adventure writing.  Once I had the blog, it occurred to me that maybe I should keep better notes of what happened each session, then I could type things up.  Gradually my notes, and the write-ups, got better.]

[Oh yeah!  I keep forgetting to add that the PCs had a list of various things they needed to collect for the ritual and where most of them could be located.  Those known locations were scattered and the rare and powerful magical herbs needed to be very fresh.  Luckily the Outlanders had discovered (and claimed) a small set of magical Stasis boxes on their first adventure and did not destroy all of them when trying to force them open.]

Tim's Outlanders Landing Page

Flight of the Yardbird

Previous session: Session 4

Next Session: Session 6