Delvers Guild – Session 10 – Fun Guys, Redux

[The Delvers decide to have it out with the fungoids before exploring through the gate.]

[This game uses the Fifth Revised Edition of the Hero System rules along with the Fantasy Hero supplement.  This session happened August 19, 2019.]

Player Characters:
Jala – human female – a person of discretion, studying aspects of the Law [to avoid them] at the Dusk Academy
Clarence – human male – studies Religion in Temples district, coincidentally the group healer
Vorgand – human female – professional porter and Adventurer’s Aide, irregularly attends classes at The Tested military academy, practitioner of Steel Serpent martial arts
Zarek the Red – fox male – a cerebrally-unfettered spell researcher [read: Mad Scientist] turned into a talking fox, studying Natural Philosophy at Monarch University to find a way to become human again
Ricky the Astrologer – human male – has a thirst for knowledge but doesn’t know what he’s searching for, currently studying Astrology at Monarch University
Nick Stalwart – human male – part of the Stalwart family of merchants, studying Mathematics at The Interesting Institute of Profitable People, a college at Monarch University

Non-Player Characters:
Torsten, Fish, Harek – surviving bandits and now torchbearers for the Delvers Guild


Freysday, October 25th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman
Dawn
Over breakfast the Delvers discussed where they wanted to explore this trip.  They had previously discussed going through the gate to the location with the black sky and dead plants, but now that it was time to enter the underground area their thoughts turned to the fungoids.  The fungoids had barricaded themselves into the first lab area, using the airlock doors to keep the Delvers out but the Delvers had no idea how long they would stay in the room.  If the fungoids came out while the Delvers were on the other side of the gate and took one of the stones off the control pedestal, the Delvers would be trapped on the other side, possibly forever, which would make it very difficult to get back in time for classes on Sunday.

After cleaning up from breakfast the Delvers and the torchbearers gathered up their gear and walked over to the entrance to the underground complex, leaving Orm the ox driver to watch the camp.  They climbed down into the complex upper level and walked around to the open stairwell on the opposite corner of the level.  They took the stairs down to the lower level, taking time and effort to safely get Clarence across the gap in the stairs halfway down.  Thanks to their efforts, when Clarence slipped, he did not fall the rest of the way down.

When the Delvers reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the two feet of water that covered most of this level, they became more alert.  They waded down the hallway, past the warehouse area to the intersection at the far end.  The outer airlock doors the fungoids were hiding behind were still shut and immobile to Jala’s testing.

Ricky pulled out the sledgehammer and started hitting the left door.  After a couple minutes he broke off enough of the door to peek in.  Instead of the inner doors or the room beyond, there was a new wall of some sort of creamy-colored substance just in front of where the inner doors should have been.  The new obstacle was wall to wall and ten feet tall, with no visible seams.  Ricky threw a piece broken off of the door through the gap at the new wall.  The piece of door bounced off the new wall with a dull thud and plunked into the water.

Ricky asked the group what they thought about this.  Zarek offered his opinion, which Ricky completely ignored in favor of Clarence’s identical opinion [Zarek has the Disadvantage “Never taken seriously”].  Ricky resumed hammering at the outer door until he broke enough of it off that the Delvers could easily get through.

Inspecting the new obstacle, the Delvers determined the wall was solid but the surface had a little give to the touch.  Zarek borrowed a torch from Torsten and applied it to the wall.  The flames scorched the wall a bit but did not actually burn it any.  Zarek returned the torch to Torsten and then cast a Lightning Bolt at the door.  The new wall absorbed the lightning and grew towards the Delvers a bit!

[Old School Aside: If we were playing any version of D&D, the lightning bolt would have rebounded off the new wall, off the door behind Zarek, and then repeated rebounding a couple more times, hitting Zarek and everyone else in the airlock area six or more times, depending upon the total length of the lightning bolt in that edition.  This quite likely would have been a self-inflicted TPK for everyone in the airlock.  Luckily for the players, the HERO System powers don’t rebound like that.]

Seeing that flame had no effect and lightning made the wall stronger, the Delvers had Ricky cast Dark Leeching on the wall.  That started rotting the fungal wall and a second casting of the spell completely melted the fungal wall away…

…which is when the fungal brutes waiting on the other side attacked Ricky.

Four fungoid brutes laying in wait on the other side of the wall faced off against the Delvers.  Vorgand sipped her potion of haste and stepped forward to hold position in the doorway with Ricky so they only faced two brutes at a time.  The brutes initially attacked with oversized fists, but quickly reformed their hands into spiky masses.  Ricky was stuck in the front rank with Vorgand and was heavily injured before he dove behind Vorgand.  Clarence stepped up to take Ricky's place on the front line.  Clarence had strong defenses from his magic and was able to heal Ricky during the fight.  Vorgand was most effective at damaging the brutes and they had a very hard time hitting her.  It took time and the combined attacks of the Delvers to defeat the four brutes, but they did it.

End of Session

[This is a short write-up, but the session was also brief in action as the fight took up most of the session despite only taking up one paragraph in the session notes.  The fight ran a bit long, which sometimes can be an issue with the HERO System.  The fungoid brutes had 50% Damage Reduction to fire and electrical attacks for reasons that might become apparent to the PCs next session.  This also contributed to the length of the combat.]


Delvers Guild
Session A, Character Creation Part 1
Session B, Character Creation Part 2
Session 01
Session 02
Session 03, Part 1
Session 03, Part 2
Session 04
Session 05
Session 06
Session 07
Session 08
Session 09


Session 11

Delvers Guild – Session 9 – Land Boat

[The Delvers spend time in the city before heading back to the Moon Manor Ruins.]

[This game uses the Fifth Revised Edition of the Hero System rules along with the Fantasy Hero supplement.  This session happened July 22, 2019.]

Player Characters:
Jala – human female – a person of discretion, studying aspects of the Law [to avoid them] at the Dust Academy
Clarence – human male – studies Religion in Temples district, coincidentally the group healer
Vorgand – human female – professional porter and Adventurer’s Aide, irregularly attends classes at The Tested military academy, practitioner of Steel Serpent martial arts
Zarek the Red – fox male – a cerebrally-unfettered spell researcher [read: Mad Scientist] turned into a talking fox, studying Natural Philosophy at Monarch University to find a way to become human again
Ricky the Astrologer – human male – has a thirst for knowledge but doesn’t know what he’s searching for, currently studying Astrology at Monarch University
Nick Stalwart – human male – part of the Stalwart family of merchants, studying Mathematics at The Interesting Institute of Profitable People, a college at Monarch University

Non-Player Characters:
Torsten, Fish, Harek – surviving bandits and now torchbearers for the Delvers Guild


Yggsday, October 19th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman
[Minor ret-con due to the rapid wrap-up the previous session]
The Delvers packed up additional chairs from the underground facility before returning to Aegea.  They packed out the last 2 chairs from the common room, three chairs with wheels (one each from the corner rooms), and the only four chairs still in sellable condition from the conference room.  These chairs were stashed in the Stalwart family warehouse in Little Wytheford.

Sunday, October 20th, through Magusday, October 23rd, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman
The Delvers spent the week attending classes and taking care of guild-related business.  Jala tracked down Batista, a “faculty member” of the Dusk Academy. [Reminder: The Dusk Academy is the loose collection of rogue teachers hidden amongst the stalls of the City Market.]  “Faculty member” term covers a wide variety of sins and sinners at the Academy, in this case it covers Batista, a Locksmaster.  Jala purchased three sets of masterwork lockpicks from him [his entire stock].  She also discussed the advanced lock that stumped the Delvers in the underground warehouse, going so far as to show the drawings of the internal mechanisms she had made.  This intrigued Batista and he offered to do some research she would likely have to pay him for later.  Jala accepted this offer.

After replacing her lockpicks, Jala started searching for a Spellmaster at the Dusk Academy to teach her a shield spell of some sort.  Adventuring was turning out to be dangerous work and she wanted better protection.  Jala was not able to find a teacher immediately and spent the rest of the week tagging along with Nick learning the fine art of trading goods [she wants to buy the Trade skill and is having Nick teach her in-game].

Vorgand spent the week inventorying the guild’s wealth, which, due to the loot acquired, was not inconsequential, and looking for a building the guild could buy and make its guildhall.  She polled the other guildmembers and her list of requirements included:

• A tower [for Ricky]
• A cellar to store booze
• A common room [for parties] with side rooms for privacy
• Short-term sleeping space for guild members (crash space, not living quarters)

Vorgand and Clarence searched the city for buildings available for purchase and found several candidate buildings.  They need to consult with the rest of the guild to narrow the field.  Vorgand also wanted to get Nick involved with the negotiating as he has the skills for it.

Ricky meanwhile tracked down a book specialist to preserve the High Elven book on gated teleportation the Delvers found under the Moon Manor Ruins.  He eventually ended up in the shop of Jaunti of the Hidden Country, a dwarf bookman operating in the Crafter District of Aegea City.  He looked over the book and stated he could have the book stabilized and safe to read by Cromsday, October 31st.  Ricky turned the book over for preservation.

Zarek spent the week with his muzzle deep in books, researching magic absorption and nullification theory [and making his KS: Magic Circles from cramming last week permanent by spending an experience point on it].

Cromsday, October 24th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman
Dawn
Early in the morning, the Delvers assembled at the City Docks and caught the morning ferry across Dragon’s Bay to Little Wytheford.  Nick took the time to verify his little brother Les was not tagging along.  The trip across the bay was pleasant and most of the Delvers napped during the crossing.

Noon
The ferry put in at the River Docks at Little Wytheford and the Delvers disembarked along with the other travelers.  The Delvers wanted to haul back some of the heavier furniture from the underground, so they needed more of a cart.  Nick went to talk to Konrad Moonclub, the Stalwart family chief factor in Little Wytheford, and ask for local recommendations.

Konrad sent the group to a reputable cartwright in town where they purchased an oversized, double-decked vardo that needed two teams of oxen to pull it.  The lower level was for carrying cargo and supplies and had steep steps providing access to the upper level via a trap door.  The upper level had hammocks, a small kitchen, a stove, seating, and in front a bench for driving the oxen.  A ladder in the upper level provided access to the roof with covered railing and the ability to set up a temporary framework to support a canvas roof.  [I was inspired by the Neverland Haul, but designed something less Victorian Steampunk.]  The Delvers had to hire four oxen and a teamster [Orm Axethrower] to drive the “wagon”.

With a “wagon” plus the hammer, nails, and lumber the torchbearers requested and all the rest of their supplies loaded, the Delvers left the vicinity of Little Wytheford [due to its height, the vardo could not enter the town proper] and followed the road south.

Dusk
The wagon pulled up to the Moon Manor Ruins as the sun was setting.  The torchbearers had seen it approaching and were both amused and filled with wonder at the unlikely conveyance.  With some effort the oversized vardo was brought into the outer courtyard of the ruins and parked.  The oxen were herded over into the inner courtyard with the goats and chickens.

End of Session

[I finally detailed the loot the Delvers had acquired so far, which took some time as I related it to the players.  Additionally, we futzed around in town taking care of various background activities as I wasn’t completely ready for running the characters through the gate.  As a result this session didn’t get a lot of adventuring done, but it caught us up on the “support” activities around adventuring and got the PCs to the starting point for the next phase of exploring.  Plus I got to introduce the “land boat” vardo.]

[Background note: I changed the name of the Dust Academy (located in Aegea City and named such from the dust that rises in the city market from people walking around) to the Dusk Academy.  I made this change as the player “attending” this academy mis-heard me the first session and thought I said Dusk instead of Dust.  When I tried to correct her later, she stated she liked Dusk better and it was cooler than Dust, so I made the change.  Dusk Academy does sound cooler and it lets me do some story stuff with the instructors.  When the players embroider upon your world, take it.  It means they are getting invested in the game and that is priceless.]

[This blog entry is a week late as my Dayjob and my social calendar have gotten busy and eaten into my prep time.  On top of that, scheduling issues with some of the players is making regular games this month a bit iffy.  I will be posting an updated gazetteer post in two weeks to cover a gap where we aren’t playing as three of the six players will be out of town.  Things should settle down in September.]

Delvers Guild
Session A, Character Creation Part 1
Session B, Character Creation Part 2
Session 01
Session 02
Session 03, Part 1
Session 03, Part 2
Session 04
Session 05
Session 06
Session 07
Session 08


Session 10