Securing the Raven's March Pt 2

May 16th Caudex Annales 71 AUP

Less terrifying than REAL ones!

The party left Westbrook, giving their farewells. They journeyed on foot through the forest and came out into the plains that late afternoon. They came upon a destroyed merchant's wagon. There were no bodies, but the party managed to track where the bodies had been dragged. In a fallow field they encountered a giant rhagodessa slumbering in a freshly dug pit. The party did not maintain surprise for long as the beast heard their approach and awoke!  In the short combat that followed, Osparagus accounted for the majority of damage with his fiery magic missiles, and Korian added to it with his crossbow. However, their attacks did not fell the beast before it charged Trebor and mortally wounded him with its crushing jaws! 

Fortunately for Trebor, Erick had been standing next to him, and immediately cast Lay on Hands. It turned out that Trebor had received some broken ribs and a notable scar. Trebor would require a day's bed rest or magical healing to be of any use. So the party decided to camp for the night, and use Lay on Hands in the morning. In the beast's den they found the mangled bodies of two wealthy merchants from the south. On their bodies they found a large amount of gold and valuable gems and jewelry.

The next day the party arrived at Rythey Tower at mid-afternoon. They spent the remainder of the day attempting to sell their loot in the bustling market. After they sold what they could, they retired to an inn for a luxurious night's stay. 

The next day, Trebor stayed in the inn to recuperate his health, and Erick stayed with him. Osparagus and Korian went to the Baron's Keep to seek audience with him. They arrived at the start of the Baron's public audience hour, and Korian's silver tongue secured them the first spot in queue. 


The Baron had other things on his mind and received the news of the kobold attack without much response, however, he offered for his court wizard Azarius to translate the note. Korian also quickly stepped in and offered the magical leather armor and a splendid silver broach directly to the Baron. This piqued the Baron's interest, and he bought both items! The wizard Azarius then escorted the two adventurers to an antechamber to conduct business. 

The wizard cast Read Languages and quickly transcribed the note. He then copied it again leaving one for the Baron, and one for the party. Azarius had no knowledge of who MX might be. Azarius then recruited the adventurers for a job. Azarius told the adventures that beastmen sighting this side of the Great Barrier Mountains were rare. And that evidence of their presence was troubling. He asked them to investigate conflicting reports of goblin sightings on the north edge of the Baron's territory. The adventurers accepted, and then returned to their inn to count their coin.


--My players reached Level 2 in their second session! I had my doubts about how quickly they would be able to level up, but their encounters, and the treasure rolls, worked in their favor! I informed them that Rhagodessa are encountered in groups of 1d6. And that they got lucky in both number of enemies, and the amount of loot. However, I am ok with this. My players now have considerable coin, and they are looking to hire henchmen and buy horses. 

Trebor's brush with death cemented my player's need for more bodies and allies on their side. I enjoy this aspect of ACKS. It is realistic that to conquer the horrors of the wilderness, one should travel in groups. My players are looking to hire a Thief, and I recommend they hire an Explorer as well. They also wish to hire 4 0th level peasants to groom into fighters.

There was more book keeping this session than last, as well as more thumbing through the rules, however, the plot was advanced, and more importantly, the players leveled up!

Securing the Raven's March Pt 1

Right under the "O"

I have started an ACKS campaign, set in the world of Proxima. I am starting the players off in Northeast Elysion.
This area has only been settled for the past 70 years or so, and the players will inhabit an area at the edge of this civilization. I imagine this area is filled with hardy woodsman villages and small farming hamlets. The players are starting in the small village of Westbrook, in an area under the control of Baron Valerio.

I have two players that each rolled up two characters each. The party consists of a Fighter (Trebor), a Mage (Osparagus the Bitter), a Cleric (Erick Celtigar), and a Bard (Korian Lightheart).

Trebor the Fighter was living with his uncle, a woodcutter, after Trebor's father had died in a military campaign. Osparagus the Bitter was trying to be a hermit as he slowly approached middle age. Eric Celtigar was apprenticing at the small parsonage under the local aging priest. And Korian Lightheart had been entertaining for his meals at the small public house.

The locals have heard of the failed excursion through the Green Pass recently. Also, in the past two days, there have been reports from Westbrook's neighbor, Applethorn, of dead and missing livestock, as well as theft and ransacked storehouses. The inhabitants of Westbrook have thus been uneasy and on edge.

May 14th Caudex Annales 71 AUP

Just before dawn, smoke and the glow of fire was seen in the direction of Datherby farm. Elder Silas, the leading authority figure in Westbrook formed a posse of the town's best combatants: Trebor, Osparagus, Erick, Korian, Silas himself, and three able-bodied peasants. Had it not been for the troubling news as of late Silas would have formed a bucket brigade instead.  The posse marched determinedly towards the farm, while Korian Lightheart bolstered their courage with an inspiring tale.  

*Only 2 feet tall

The group arrived at the farm just as the sun rose. In the dawn light, and the flickering flames they saw a gang of cavorting and shrieking kobolds. The kobold's bloodlust was at a frenzy and they charged the approaching humans. However, Osparagus immolated the lead kobold with a fiery magic missile. Seeing their comrade meet his demise stole the courage from the kobolds and they made a fighting withdraw, only to be cut down by magic and sweeping strikes from Trebor's polearm.

In the farmhouse the party found Mr. and Mrs. Datherby. Mr. Datherby had been killed instantly by the kobolds, but Erick Celtigar was able to save Mrs. Datherby by using Lay On Hands. Mrs. Datherby would eventually recover, but her wounds had left her lamed. 

Silas instructed the peasants to take Mrs. Datherby back to town, and send runners to the nearby Fort Bragendale. Meanwhile, Erick, and Korain had been moderately wounded in the exchange, and the party decided to rest at the farm for the day. During this time they burned the kobold corpses, and buried Mr. Datherby. Before nightfall, a very winded peasant arrived to say that a contingent of guards would arrive from Fort Bragendale in a day or so.

Intense life or death struggle!

In the morning, the party set out following the Kobold tracks to their source. Half a day into the wilderness the party found an abandoned campsite near a stream. Korian again bolstered the party as a bellow of challenge issued from the other side of the stream. A hulking Lizardman and several more kobolds rushed across the stream. The Lizardman nearly smashed Silas into the ground, but Silas was able to just barely survive the blow. A the kobold charge was blunted by polearm and warhammer, but the little beastmen's courage held. however, after the third magic missile, the Lizardman brute was finally slain, and with him went the kobold's taste for fighting. They were cut down as they fled, with the final kill being claimed by the mage's staff!

The party then recovered some of the raider's stolen loot, chief of which was a set of +1 Leather Armor! The party also found a note carried by the lizardman written in a language they could not decipher.

Silas recommended the party take the note to Rythey Tower, to inform Baron Valerio of what happened, as well as to seek someone capable of reading the note. With that, the party returned to Westbrook.

Overall I enjoy the ACKS system very much for skirmish level encounters. I was very worried about the mortality of my players, but the morale system for monsters and NPCs really balanced that out. The combat felt very heroic thanks to the Cleave attack rules, which let a character attack again after killing a monster. Also, charging with spears and polearms featured heavily in our two combats. Despite owning both encounters, my players felt mortal, and I like that. The ACKS system has rules for just about everything, giving the Game Master a clear idea of what should be happening. The trouble is finding those rules in a timely manner. I will be working on a GM screen of useful tables to have close at hand.

Introduction

Hello reader! I enjoy strategy and role-playing games. Until recently I always felt that large and complicated games were out of my reach. However, my good friend Edward Hamilton over at A Wilderness of Tygers showed me just how fun and achievable big huge games can be.

I will be using this blog to chronicle my experiences playing such games.

"Praxis is the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practiced, embodied, or realized. 'Praxis' may also refer to the act of engaging, applying, exercising, realizing, or practicing ideas." -Wikipedia