Yours, Mine, and Our Mine.

Recounting the second game session, Sunday, August 16, 2009.

In attendance:
Jacob/Archer (NG Elf Ranger)
Ted/Lagolas (NG Human Fighter)
Matt/Marsh (CN Half-Elf Druid)
Jon/Bob (NG Half-Orc Barbarian)
Jim/Tim (NG Half-Elf Sorcerer)
Kenny/Kentar (NG Human Wizard)
Brian (DM)

Bob took off immediately and quickly disposed of the fleeing goblin. Archer commented that had the small villain been captured, instead, he could have provided information about the area and its affairs. It took awhile for a simple consensus to be reached on burial of the dead goblins, mostly to hide the evidence. Then, some degree of quibbling took place over the matter of the unconscious form of the sorcerer, whom some call Tim. Bob initially recommended a rather unsavory solution, but eventually relented to the simple task of carrying Tim over his shoulder.

Continuing down the overgrown trail, the party spied a layer of vegetation that didn't look quite right. Marsh sent his viper to investigate and a trap was discovered beneath the foliage. Kentar used his skills in magic to probe the trap from a distance, eventually triggering deadly clamps of spikes to close on that small stretch of the roadway. The party passed by with care.

Not long after, the voices of goblins rose from the woods to the right of the trail. Our adventurers went to hide off the left side of road, but encountered another trap. This time a net was laid to snare passersby, the noisy goblins having made an intentional forewarning. Bob managed to jump clear of the net, but was knocked unconscious by a hobgoblin. Marsh sent his viper to attack and it managed to inflict multiple injuries on the offending goblinoid, but soon suffered its own wounds, the likes of which would be fatal a second time around. Not wishing his animal companion dead, Marsh sent it away to hide.

Captives of the goblins, the party was thrown into a wagon and transported to the main camp outside their destination, the adamantine mine of Kettle Mount. They were forced into a cage which was then suspended by a rope pulley. In the cage were two other prisoners, a human, Lagolas, and a halfling, Monte. Lagolas, claimed to be the rightful heir to the mine, saying it belonged to his great, great, grandfather.

A series of options for escape were discussed, but no one could answer how to bypass the thousands of goblins surrounding them. The wretched creatures seemed to be led by a trio of hobgoblins, who made their intentions known the following morning. Due to the goblins' superstitious nature, they had refused to work in the mines, claiming they are haunted. The new prisoners were given a choice to work or die. Seeing the potential for escape, a newly revived Tim advised they go along with the demands.

Once inside, they found it a very small mine, reaching back no more than 50 feet. There were no other apparent exits. Thinking it would be best to show some product of their time, the PCs began hammering away at a section of wall that had already been mined for a vein of the precious ore. Within minutes, three of their picks flew out of hands to clatter against the wall behind them. Then, a violent apparition flew out of the wall at them, wielding a pick axe before it, screaming at them to get out of his mine. Before anyone could run off, Lagolas stood his ground, addressing the ghost with his own claim to the mine. The ghost was caught off guard and a conversation took place in which they realized this was the spirit of Lagolas' late ancestor who had been killed by goblins, his bones left in a pile of rubble nearby.

The ghost conversed with distracted confusion about his current state, leaving the group and returning with a fervor each time they began striking the wall again. But on each return, he seemed to grasp a little more the reality of the situation. He finally returned with the intention of helping his descendant and his companions escape with their promise that the mine would be reclaimed. Before the PCs could break through the wall he indicated would lead them out, they were called back outside, their captors citing the day's end approaching.

Tomorrow, they hoped, would be their last as prisoners.

Updates

Our next session is set for Sunday August 16th at 1pm at the Baier house.

We will be introduced to Ted's character, for whom I'm cooking up some exciting plot integration.

If any of the players would like to expand on their characters' origins, go ahead and imagine away. Let me know what you've come up with and I'll help those ideas make sense in the Lios game world.

Also, if you haven't already seen them, the sidebar to the right now contains:

- Fun & Useful Tools for Our Game (links)

- Maps of the Lios Game World (photo album)

- Some Entertaining Video and Audio (funny because it's true)

Your Friendly Neighborhood Dungeon Master

You Don't Know Me From Adamantine

Recounting the first game session for the Raiders of the Grand Forks.

In attendance:
Jacob (NG Elf Ranger)
Matt (CN Half-Elf Druid)
Jon (NG Half-Orc Barbarian)
Jim (NG Half-Elf Sorcerer)
Kenny (NG Human Wizard)
Brian (DM)

Marsh, a half-elf druid, cared little for the conventions of civilization in any physical way, but cared enough about friendship to help Archer, an elf ranger and childhood companion, learn more about the creature known as a Rakshasa. They went to Marsh's friend Kentar, a wizard apprentice, who in turn arranged for them all to meet an associate sorcerer, whom some call Tim. Tim invited a half-orc weapon smith colleague named Bob.

The five of them met and discussed what little they knew of Rakshasas, which was little. Then Tim suggested another topic of interest: monetary opportunities. He had heard of an abandoned adamantine mine at Kettle Ridge, about five days travel from the their current location. All were interested in the venture. After buying the necessary food, transportation, and equipment, they set off.

The first day is not worth noting. The second involved rain, a stuck wagon, and complimentary sporks. On the third day, they stopped at a trading post while waiting for a barge to ferry them across the Byrrd River. Marsh and Bob overheard two travelers speak of Kettle Ridge and increased activity of goblins in that area. The party chose not to fear this news, but perhaps be more wary. Tim admitted he left out the portion of the story where workers at the mine began disappearing, worried the group might be less willing to go along. Not far past the river, they party needed to leave the road, traversing the the forest, to stay on course toward their destination.

The initial night in those woods was uneventful, though earlier they did find an overgrown road heading the right direction and a decaying wagon with traces of adamantine ore onboard. The second brought an attack by goblins. Kentar overheard the villainous creatures and was able to alert the camp, avoiding a surprise attack. While one goblin each targeted Tim and Kentar, three of the mangy curs converged on Bob. Four of the five goblins were soon dispatched leaving the final to shriek in goblin-tongue his need to gather reinforcements.

Following the battle, Tim lay battered and unconscious, Kentar looked worse for wear, and Bob was amazingly untouched. Archer and Marsh contributed in the skirmish, but were not attacked themselves. So ends this first installment.