Crouching Bandit, Hidden Party, Redux!

Counter to my previous post, I've decided that if anyone actually makes the effort to come to the blog to read it, it's cruel and unusual to make you click through to another place to read the only things of any worth here anyway (at the moment...).

So, whilst I'm still going to use the Google Site as my central repository, and a place for the players to keep an eye on the campaign, I'll continue to post play reports here as well.

So here they are for last weeks session. Tonight, we shall see what they make of their situation...

From the perspective of the Judge:

A reasonably successful session I think. The party regrouped, found out a little more information and even recruited (I was generous) some additional help. Then they plumbed the dungeon once more. This time, the dungeon was waiting for them and once again Yannik was took rocks to the head; this time from the slings in the darkness (which turned out to be Kobolds).

I'm not sure whether they've been very brave or very foolish at this point, as the session ended with them having slain 5 kobolds but roused others - an as yet unknown number. And they may have forgotten something else too. We shall see what happens next week!

In any event, assuming they survive to make it back to civilisation they've earned themselves 25xp, but no loot as of yet.

Biggest regret this week - forgetting the Reaction Roll for the kobolds (but assumed that they were hostile, for.. reasons)
Biggest pleasure this week - the continuing roleplay interaction of the party. They are a delight.

Yannik, the Ox

It was glorious, yes it was.  A charge into history the likes of which my ancestors and the Saints would be proud.  The less said about Sol the better.  I wasn't entirely sure that my charge would be followed, but my comrades came

through and my meager sacrifice was truly magnificent. 

Rocks still hurt, however and am a little hazy.  My brother said I would get used to it... alas, it does not seem like I have done so yet.

I will provide Context!

I am told we spent the rest of day 2 stumbling away from the ruin and camped beside the road.  As a man concussed, I concentrated my efforts on waking up again while others took watch... both our efforts were successful and after

someone spent an excessive amount of time babbling about Sol, we moved off in the direction of the village.

Day 3
Upon this day we found the village!  Three sheepish-looking soldiers and a nervous-looking villager soon revealed that the fighting men had fled the wagon when it was attacked in the night.  They were easily impressed when the magical light of Sol healed my brain from the head wound I was suffering from.
This is why I am now able to record insights.

Quill used their awe to recruit them to her cause, spear-men in service to avenge their fallen comrades and regain their honour for when they have to go back to the Town.
Bomani used the time to find out if the village could survive without the supplies.  It could, but without ale... so no.  We must return to the deeps.
Paige used the time to assess Quill's new recruit: she has suggested that they might be roguish in nature, as they ended up in convict force.
I used the time to assess how well protected this village is, the answer being barely at all.  Five good men of my people could put it to the torch with ease. Put it to the torch again, that is, for it is being rebuilt out of ruin.

Day 4
A welcome day of rest, the throbbing in my head subsides with the help of

nurturing from Quill.  Whatever I think of Sol, I am growing fond of Quill.

Day 5
We return... the announcement booms again, but only when our new troops step over.  We hear growling from behind the barricades, as we prepare around the corner.

We hear them and are ready.  They hear us and are ready.

I am to lead, torch thrown in to the darkness to show us our foe.  I stand forth, my arm raised... their petty rocks strike me but I am not moved.  The torch soars and illuminates the twisted forms of little beastmen.

Blood rises in my veins, I roar as I charge... a God of War, as my ancestors before me.  One falls, I swat another with a backhand swipe that cleaves its face in twain.
The remainder cower before me and scramble over themselves to retreat and reload their sl...

---

I am rapidly becoming displeased with rocks.

As my vision clears I see into the bright light: a vision of my father, my brother and Paige.  They wear the wounds of battle, scarred as they fell in turn... each reaches down to me, but the hand I take is Paige's.  I think it is a sign, we share ancestry and my kin reached out to show me.

My head hurts and I hear the rush of combat and the yapping of the dog-men dies in a gurgle.  My comrades gather around us as the sounds of battle die... and the sounds of the dungeon awaken around us.

They are coming.

Paige

I didn’t promise answers, did I? Or at least, I hope I didn’t promise to provide them straight away, because this whole place is as much of a mystery as ever. I hope one of my new friends can make sense of it all and eventually explain it – in the meantime I’ll stick to scouting, tracking and otherwise make myself useful without being hit by quite as many rocks as Yannick.

We headed back to the village to rest and let Yannick heal – I hadn’t mentioned that I was hurt and tried not to let on, but Quill had noticed so I spent a day catching up on rest in yet another ruined Thylian house. Yannick seemed to spend more time peering out of the gaps in the walls and counting out the ways in which he and his friends back in Thembria could burn everything to cinders, which seemed to help him pass the time. It certainly didn’t help me to sleep any more easily.

We found the three caravan guards who’d ran away when the wagon was attacked, and played them into coming with us to restore their honour (though Quill’s offer of gold must have helped). Honour. Hah. They’re all criminals of the worst kind – the kind who are easy to spot and who got caught – but having them between me and what’s down here with us is fine with me. After the day spent recovering we made our way back down into the tunnels (I don’t want to call it a lair) and once again tripped the sound trap.

This time the barricade was… manned?... by a lot of small aggressive creatures with slings – Yannick charged in and, judging by the mess on the end of his spear, managed to clear the barricade before he was taken down by more rocks to the head. Everyone else followed his lead and chased them off behind the barricade. Bomani’s plan worked.

I was towards the back of the group so I didn’t see everything – maybe I should mention that giving the torch to the child who gets the shakes when he’s not full of wine and is unsteady on his feet when he’s had a drink doesn’t really help the archer see her targets – but by the time I’d helped Yannick to his feet most of the fighting was over. There’s more noise out there in the tunnels, and it sounds like more of the dog things are on their way. The barricade is behind us along with the door which led to the human bandits last time we were here.

Let's stay positive, shall we?

I’m glad we brought the three spearmen along, regardless of what they once did.
I’m glad Yannick is back on his feet, though I wish he wasn’t so woozy and that he’d stop squinting at me like that.
I’m glad Quill has amazing healing magic and seems surprisingly good with those swords, though I have no idea how Sol would find us down here.
I’m glad that Bomani seems very good at leading the fight, since being trapped between angry dog things and a door which might hide bandits wanting revenge for their dead friend doesn’t seem like a place we’d want to stay for long.