The House of R'yleh: Part 4 - The Art of Negotiation

The House of R'yleh is a Call of Cthulhu adventure set in London in late November 1923.  The Games Master is Mark and play takes place at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club in South East London every Friday night.

Cast

• Yoshi "Kanagawa" Yamamoto - A disgraced former Sumo wrestler turned journalist - Tony
• Chester "Pretty Boy" Lyle - A bareknuckle boxer - Sam 
• Ryan Wurmshurst - A retired policeman turned private sleuth - Steve
• Thelma "Ginger" Purdey - A recently graduated botanist and girl about town - Matt 

Surrounded by Ghoulish Minions

The beret wearing creature ordered his minions to surround the friends but, despite their weapons, it was clear that they were going to have to talk their way out of the situation.  The cavern was dimly lit but four fully finished paintings could be seen leaning up against the far wall.  Chester addressed the beret wearing creature as Peters but the creature said this was not his name.  Yoshi put two and two together and realised that this was the macabre artist Thewlis, who had been drummed out of the Chelsea Art club for creating obscene art. 

In broken English Yoshi claimed that they had come from the Chesea Art Club who had had a change in leadership.  The new regime wanted to right a previous wrong and purchase all of the art on display in order to hold a grand exhibition, one of the conditions was the return of Davies and his two students. 

Thewlis was intrigued and pulled his forces back enabling Yoshi and Ginger to cross the cavern and get a better look at the four paintings.  

 

The first was of a grand country house with a rotting corpse in the foreground.  The second was of a strange ruin in the desert.  The third of the interior of a building its walls covered with intricate hieroglyphs. The final painting was of a fantastical island structure jutting out of a stormy sea.  A tiny boat battled the gigantic waves heading towards this island.  In the centre of the painting a great door imprisoned something powerful which wanted to be released.  Observing this final painting Yoshi and Ginger had a visceral out of body experience.  It was as if they were on board the ship heading towards the island.  Looking down at her feet Ginger noticed that they were wet with seawater. 

 

After some discussion Thewlis agreed to the terms on the condition that the friends retrieve an important artifact for him.  He passed them a grubby manuscript whihc detailed the history of something called The Shining Trapezohedron, an artifact which would enable Thewlis to truly convey the majesty of his art to canvas.  Only then would he release his "students".

 

The foursome agreed and, led by one of Thewlis ghoulish servants, they returned to the surface and cold snowy Lambeth.  

Saturday 17th November 1923

The friends reconvened at Victoria Police Station and Ryan went to inform Det. Sgt. Farrell that they had located the missing artists.  Farrell assembled a five man squad of his finest officers.  This came as a dissapointment to the friends who urged him to bolster his ranks.  Another five men were found and they piled into a black mariah and followed the directions to the tenament in Lambeth.

 

Ambushed in the Sewers

When they arrived in the basement they expected to find one of Thewlis's creatures waiting for them but the room was empty.  They decided that Farell would accompany them in a lead group whilst Sgt Forester and the remaining officers would be following behind as backup.  They proceeded to traverse the sewers until they were about 100 yards from the entrance to the excavated side tunnel when they heard gunshots from behind.  They had been ambushed.

 

a half dozen or so of the creatures came at them from both directions cutting them off from the officers behind and a pitch battle ensued.  They overcame their assailants with great difficulty and all were wounded in some way except for Chester.  They ran back through the tunnels to the ladder stopping only briefly to recover the collar numbers of the slain officers they found along the way.  

 

They only found four of them... 

The House of R'yleh - Part 2: What Lurks in the Darkness

The House of R'yleh is a Call of Cthulhu adventure set in London in late November 1923.  The Games Master is Mark and play takes place at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club in South East London every Friday night.

Cast

• Yoshi "Kanagawa" Yamamoto - A disgraced former Sumo wrestler turned journalist - Tony
• Chester "Pretty Boy" Lyle - A bareknuckle boxer - Sam 
• Ryan Wurmshurst - A retired policeman turned private sleuth - Steve
• Thelma "Ginger" Purdey - A recently graduated botanist and girl about town - Matt

Thursday 15th November 1923

At the Chelsea Art Club, the mystery deepens, more names are added to the list of the missing but the chums still don't have any solid leads to follow.

• Jason Davies - missing for over a month - Art professor at the Chelsea School of Art.
  
• Helen Wilson - missing for two weeks - a student of Prof. Davies.
  
• Ruth Hall -  missing for a couple of days - a student of Prof. Davies.
• Ambrose Draper - Davies patron and the person who sold the silver locket to the pawnbroker.
• Thewlis - An artist and friend of Davies who was kicked out of the club for obscenity.
  

Chester decides to break into the concierge's office and try to get addresses for Davies, Draper and Thewlis.  He narrowly avoids being caught by Percival the concierge.  Ginger decides that what they really need to know is what the papers said about the whole affair.  She takes a cab to the British Library in Kings Cross, arriving just before closing time.  

The news archive is well indexed and she quickly finds 3 clippings which detail the missing persons before returning to the club.

Friday 16th November 1923

The friends meet at their favourite spot, Jenny's Tea Rooms in the Strand.  Armed with Draper's address, Yoshi, Ginger and Chester head to Kensington leaving Ryan to see if his police contacts can tell him more about the case.

The Draper Residence

A large detached house which appears to have fallen on hard times.  The rose beds have been untended for some time and the windows are dirty and curtains closed.  Chester knocks oin the door and is suprised when a man fitting Mr. Draper's description opens the door.  Clearly a lover of the demon drink, Draper seems distracted and apologises for not paying his club dues on time.  They sit him down in the drawing room and after a little questioning manage to extract some useful information.

Draper was given the locket by a man called Peters who uses him as a go-between.  Whatever money he gets he uses to buy art supplies for Peters.  Draper struggles to describe Peters and Yoshi detects that there is definitely something Draper is witholding either out of fear or some other psychological reason.  They convince Draper to take them to Peters.  Draper insists that they will need to take Peters a gift of some brushes or paints. 

The World's End

Ryan's investigations begin at the World's End Public House on Victoria Street, an old haunt and a regular watering hole for the constabulary's finest.  He is immediately recognised by one of his former colleagues, Constable Tim Barley.  Ryan is not shy in asking about the Chelsea School of Art missing persons case and Barkley complains that they don't have the manpower to do a search of the riverside, they are effectively just waiting for a body or three to wash up on the banks of the Thames. 

Barkley mentions that these are strange times, in fact he had a chap come into the station the other day.  He claimed that someone had dug up his dead mother, stolen her locket and sold it to a pawnbroker on the Fulham Road.  He didn't know what to make of it, but the man seemed a little out of sorts. 

Ryan leaves the pub and as he ruminates on the case he realises he is near to his informant and sometime errand boy Jim.  Jim is a greasy looking young ruffian and is more than happy to help Ryan out for a few shillings.  Ryan tells Jim to go to Stokes Pawnshop and see if he has a silver charm bracelet with butterfly charms on it.

An Encounter with Mr Peters

Freshly furnished with art supplies the friends and Draper take a cab to Lambeth.  The dereliction and squalor of the tightly packed ramshackled tenament buildings an anathema even to Yoshi and Chester whose rented rooms in the East End were still classified as comfortable.

The cab sped off as soon as the four alighted.  Draper led them through narrow alleys and passageways to a boarded up half ruined building.  Opening the door with a key he led them inside the dark confines through corridors and down stairs until they entered a basement room with what looked to be a well.

Leaving the art supplies against the low wall of the well, Draper was keen to leave.  Chester and Yoshi shone their lantern into the well.  Something caught Yoshi's eye, a glistening in the light.  They climbed down into the well for a closer look.  The bottom of the well clearly entered into the subterranean warren of the London sewer system.  The ground at the bottom of the iron rung ladder was dry, poking out of the earth was a silver butterfly which matched the description of the charm bracelet worn by one of the missing girls from the art school.  As Yoshi turned the charm over in his big hands he could hear the sounds of someone sloshing through the water from down the tunnel.  Chester and Yoshi scampered up the ladder and the group cowered in an adjacent room leaving one of the lanterns on the floor next to the well.

As they watched a long withered hand and arm reached out from the well grasping at the bag with the art supplies.  This horrifically contorted creature, they presumed was Mr Peters...

The House of R'yleh - Part 1: The Mysterious Case of the Silver Locket

The House of R'yleh is a Call of Cthulhu adventure set in London in late November 1923.  The Games Master is Mark and play takes place at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club in South East London every Friday night.

Cast

• Yoshi "Kanagawa" Yamamoto - A disgraced former Sumo wrestler turned journalist - Tony
• Chester "Pretty Boy" Lyle - A bareknuckle boxer - Sam 
• Ryan Wurmshurst - A retired policeman turned private sleuth - Steve
• Thelma "Ginger" Purdey - A recently graduated botanist and girl about town - Various

Tuesday 13th November 1923

Six weeks had passed since we buried Freddie's mother Josephine at the Kensal Green Cemetary.  She finally succumbed to the polio that had made her final years a struggle.  We had arranged to meet Freddie, who we had not seen since the funeral, in the Princess Victoria Public House on the Uxbridge Road and were looking forward to spending some time with our ebullient chum.

It was quite the shock when the normally dapper Freddie burst into the boozer looking somewhat worse for wear.  Ginger immediately ordered a double whiskey for Freddie and he gulped it down, desperate to tell us his story...

"I can't believe that they would do such a thing, to my poor old mum who never hurt a fly.  I was just browsing in the pawnbrokers for a bit of something for my girlfriend Sophie, you know the one from the bank I was telling you all about.  Anyway, I popped into Stokes Pawnbrokers, the one on the Fulham Road, and there I spotted it... My mum's silver locket... the one I put in the casket with her when we buried her.  I had it out with the bloke, questioned him, but all he wanted was 15 nicker.  What sort of man would steal an old woman's locket from her dead body?"

Freddie's story gripped us all and we all agreed that we would solve this mystery and bring the culprits to justice. We shared a few drinks with Freddie and decided to take a cab down to the pawnbrokers to see if we could get to the bottom of it.  It was about 10pm when we arrived and the place was closed.  We vowed to take up the case in the morning and meet at the undergound station at 9am.

Wednesday 14th November 1923

Another damp day loomed as the gang trudged along the Fulham Road towards Stokes Pawnbrokers.  Yoshi went in first aiming to distract the fellow behind the counter with his oriental guile.  Briefly looking around, he turned his attention to the jewellrey case behind the counter.

"Sivur Rocket, Arigato"

The man, presumably Mr. Stokes (or one of his employees) took the bait and was pleased to take advantage of this foreigner and charge Yoshi the princely sum of £50 rather than the £15 he charged Freddie.  Incensed with this blatant display of price gouging, Yoshi grabbed the fellow under the armpit and tried to hoik him over the counter.  Sadly Yoshi's best days as an Ozeki were behind him and the chap was a little too heavy for The Great Wave.

Yoshi's friends came to the rescue and shooed him out of the shop.  The perfect ruse to act as saviours and get some info out of him.  After some questioning it turned out that the man did not know the locket was stolen and that it had been sold to him by one of his regulars called Mr Draper.  A clearly wealthy man Mr Draper dressed shabbily and exhibited the signs of drinkers palsy.  He did sport a lapel pin from the Chelsea Art Club and Stokes commented that he always brought him tasteful objet d'art from time to time.  According to his ledger Draper's last visit was 5 days ago.

Stokes gave Chester a small discount as thanks for saving him from the oriental beast.

To the Cemetary

Their next port of call was the grave of Mrs Brydon located in the Kensal Green Cemetary. 

Kensal Green Cemetary

The grave was undisturbed, a dead end.  The friends considered that the locket must have been lifted before she was interred which left only one option.  The undertakers.  Perhaps Draper works there or has a man on the inside.  They headed to the funeral parlour.

Fowler & Williams Funeral Directors

Mr Fowler and Mr Williams were most upset to hear of the disturbing incident and were extremely helpful with the gang's enquiries.  An employee lineup was hastily convened, none of whom matched the description of Mr Draper and none of the staff had heard of the man.  

 

 

Funeral Hearse

Another dead end left the team with only one lead...

The Chelsea Art Club

Situated in the heart of the Latin Quarter the Chelsea Art Club had some notoriety as a private members club for the appreciation of art.  Posing as a dilettante and her entourage, Ginger managed to get the friends into the club so that they could enquire about this Draper fellow.

Their enquiries were fruitful and they were introduced to two members, Mr James Cummings and Mr Charles Young.  Both independently wealthy men, they were art lovers and patrons of some of the bohemian types who frequented the club.  Draper had not been seen for some time since the disappearance of his protege Jason Davies, a professor at the Chelsea School of Art and a promising talent in the macabre scene.  The papers aluded to some sort of scandal at the School and at least two of the students had likewise gone missing... 

Out of the Abyss - Part 2: Escape from Velkynvelve

Out of the Abyss is a Dungeons and Dragons (DnD 5e) game set in the Underdark. Play takes place every Friday night at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club in Chislehurst South East London. The Dungeon Master is Joshua.

Cast of Characters

• Janek Boone - Human Champion (Tony)
• Targonis - Wood Elf Ranger (Steve)
• Aur - Aarakocra Rogue (Suresh)
• Selya Skag - Vedalken Alchemist Artificer (Daniel)
• Sunna Mortas - Tiefling Sorceror (Jo)

The Drow Bridge

Taking the middle tunnel the motley bunch of prisoners head towards the sanctity of the Darklake. The sounds of battle recede as they they enter a large chasm.

A stagnant river cuts the cave in two barring their progress save for what looks like a bridgehead marked by a pair of stone pillars on each side. Atop the righthand pillar of each pair squats an effigy of Lolth the spiderqueen Goddess and below her a strange carved hole large enough for an arm to fit in. Flecks and smears of blood can be seen on the ring of strange runes which surround the hole. On the floor on each side lies a drow guard, butchered by the attacking demons no doubt.

After some trial and error the group work out that Sarith is the only one who can activate the strange drow bloodmagic and not a moment too soon. Emerging from the tunnel is the deposed drow leader Jorlan Duskryn, a band of drow warriors and the drow priestess Asha Vandree. Jorlan boasts to the prisoners that he aims to recapture them and in so doing reclaim his honour in the halls of Menzoberranzan.

Drow archers open fire and Janek is wounded as the braver escapees briefly consider a battle at the bridgehead, the rest run for the tunnel settling the issue. Fleeing through the tunnel at pace they can hear the sounds of their pursuers following them.

The Abandoned Camp

After a couple of hours they emerge into a large cavern, from it's roof and walls hang strange vines festooned with purple flowers which emit a bioluiminescent glow. In the middle of the cave is a small encampment of three square tents surrounding a long dead fire. The weaker escapees begin to set a fire and rest whilst Janek and others search the tents. Barrelstalk and Waterorb fungi are plentiful and the escapees refresh themselves and fill their waterskins. Janek urges them onwards, their drow captors will not be far behind.

Nightmarish Visions

After several more hours of travel through numerous caverns and tunnels they are utterly confused about which direction they are headed in. Shuu-Shar assures them that they are headed in the right direction and before long they find a large dry cave in which to sleep. Barricading the entrance with scraps of zurkhwood and one of Skag's warding concoctions they rest.

During the night they are each visited by vivid and strange nightmares. Targonis dreams of his flight from the dark one in the Endless Chasm, Skagg is plunged into the void their only companion a foreboding giant orange eye that pierces into their very soul. Janek remembers fragments of his capture at the hands of the drow and how he utterly failed to protect his patron the wizard Marek Mardoolin butchered in front of him. Likewise Aur is visited by a nightmarish vision of his kidnapped mate Allekra whose eyes have been plucked from her skull. Sunna dreams of her missing contortionist friend from the circus who appears before her climbing the walls of her mind like a bizarre and nightmarish spider.

Awakening they all appear to have suffered these strange dreams brought on by exposure to something in the cave or during their flight through the underdark. Shuu-Shar holds a brief group meditation session to calm their fears before the group move out into the tunnels once more.

Hours later they enter another large tunnel whihc radiates with the magical energy known as faerzress. The cave is spotted with crystal outcroppings which take Skag's fancy and they pocket three specimen. Their journey is halted briefly as they emerge into a large tunnel dominated by what looks like a road. Voices can be heard from the righthand side and the group decides to follow them.

The Traders on the Road to Gracklstugh

The sounds come from a small travelling caravan consisting of a Duergar and some Quaggoth carrying a sedan chair whose occupant is an extremely wealthy merchant called Kaerthara. Aur decides to investigate but as soon as Kaethara spots the Aarakocara she is besotted and insists that she rides with her.

The two groups travel in safety towards the Dueregar stronghold of Gracklstugh some 20 days journey away but Janek worries about little Stool who needs to be returned to his Myconid people. The captain of the guard Gunthar Bloodhammer agrees to take them the side tunnel which leads to the Darklake.

As they travel they share stories of how they came to be in the Underdark

Aur's Tale

Aur is a dark skinned Aarakocra from the Sky Mountain dwelling Maztica tribe. A once loyal sky warden to the matriarch Asharra, Aur believes that her partner Allekra was kidnapped by the expansionist faction leader Kazra. To what end she cannot fathom but Aur has abandoned her sworn duty to protect the tribe in order to rescue her beloved. Perhaps Aur is walking into Kazra's trap, but she has decided to put love before duty and ventured into the lands below the Sky Mountain before being captured by unseen Underdark forces...

Out of The Abyss - Janek Boone's Story - Part 1

Out of the Abyss is a Dungeons and Dragons (DnD 5e) game set in the Underdark.  Play takes place  every Friday night at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club in Chislehurst South East London.  The Dungeon Master is Joshua.

Cast of Characters

• Janek Boone - Human Champion (Tony)
• Targonis - Wood Elf Ranger (Nero)
• Aur - Aarakocra Rogue (Suresh)
• Selya Skag - Vedalken Alchemist Artificer (Daniel)
• Sunna Mortas - Tiefling Sorceror (Jo)
  

Captured by Drow

All that Janek remembers is that he was in the employ of the wizard Marek Mardoolin on an expedition to find rare fungi, plants and herbs for his laboratory.  They were surrounded by Drow who used their poison crossbows to subdue him.  When he woke he was in a slave pen in their underground stronghold.

Over the next couple of days more slaves were added to pen, in fact it was becoming a veritable menagerie of species.  Accompanying Janek and the others were:  

• Bupido - A relentlessly optimistic Derro (Deep Dwarf)
• Derendel - A Quaggoth who claimed he was an elven prince under an enchantment
• Ront - An Orc who had run away from a battle between his clan and some Dwarves
  
• Eldreth Faldren - A female Dwarf who was the focus of Ront's anger.
• Shuu-Shar The Awakened - A Kuotoa mystic who spent most of his time in meditation
• Stool - A Myconid child who exuded spores which enabled telepathic communication
• Topsy & Turvy - Twin Deep Gnomes
• Jim Jar - A Deep Gnome with a penchant for gambling
• Sarith Kzekarit - A Drow garment merchant slung in gaol for murdering his brother
  

Night after night the slaves would gather in Stool's spore cloud to silently discuss their escape plans.  The following day they would try them out.  All their attempts ended in failure no matter how they tested the Gaol and the Drow's defences.  They always seemed to be out numbered or outwitted by the vicious commander of the Drow outpost and her guards and Quaggoth labourers.  

The outpost, which they learned was called Velkynvelve, consisted of a series of hollowed out stalactites hanging from the roof of a chasm.  The stalactites and caves which dotted the chasm walls were connected to each other by a series of wooden walkways.  The floor of the chasm could be accessed by a rope elevator which was always attended by two Quaggoth at the top and two at the bottom.  A fast flowing waterfall cascaded down the chasm wall into a murky pool below and three tunnels exited the chasm.  The entire chasm was filled with fine tracery of spiderwebs and their incessant chittering echoed throughout.   

After Ront was cruelly beaten and tossed over the chasm edge to become food for the giant spiders, the slaves were beginning to lose hope.  However, during the night the outpost was attacled by dark shadows.  The deposed Drow commander came to them during the attack and released them.  He told them that the outpost was being attacked by Demons and that he had unfinished business to attend to.  Their only chance of escape was to jump into the pool below.

Amid the sounds of ferocious battle from the chasm floor, they shuffled in their manacles towards the barracks where their equipment was stored.  Crossing the wooden bridge into the first stalactite they surprised three Drow donning their armour and quickly sent them to the afterlife.  Grabbing their weapons they made the short journey to the barracks.  The Drow must have all been engaged in the fight against the demons because their path was unimpeded.  

Aur used his lockpicks to release the slaves manacles and the to unlock Skag's pet ooze Nug from his tiny cage.  They donned their armour and followed the Drow's instructions jumping into the pool below.  As they emerged from the water a giant grey ooze rose out of the pool attacking them.  They valiantly battled the ooze gradually reducing it to a pool of scum floating on the water.    

With no time to spare they dashed for the first exit past a dying demon.  The tiefling engaged in a brief infernal conversation with the demon who intimated that they had picked up "the scent" and followed it to this outpost.  He died shortly after.

Shu-Shar excitedly told them that this tunnel would lead them to his home on the shores of the Dark Lake some eight days journey.  The slaves quickened their pace and it was only then that they realised that Jim Jar was missing...

Trouble in Sommerlisse - Part 5 - The Thrymstone Curse

Trouble in Somerlisse is a Savage Worlds campaign using the Hellfrost setting.  The Games Master is Mark Hamilton and play takes place every Friday night at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club.

Examining the Thrymstone

As the night and the cold draws in Vigo drinks and dances in the firelight casting strange shadows around the room. Athura and the others sit by the fire examining the stone. It is long, flat, icey blue in colour and very, very cold to the touch. Carved upon its flat side are frosttongue runes, just a single word, POISON. 

 Historians call this is a Thrymstone a creation of the followers of Thrym the God of Frost also known as The Ice King. During the Blizzard War, the Thrympriests used Thrymstones to curse the land and the people as they spread their influence South. Athura surmises that this explains how the quarryfolk of Lier were poisoned, but not why the Ridder’s daughter, Aylsluf shares their affliction. 

Vissarel wonders if those who died at the quarry of the poison became the zombies which attacked them. It sounds plausible but a more learned opinion from some priests would no doubt say that zombies are the bodies of those who have been cursed and occupied by Demons released by Hela.

They retire to sleep their dreams filled with ancient mysteries and a sense of dark foreboding. Athura feels the connection to her Goddess strengthen and she feels as though she is being watched, her actions scrutinised. 

A Return to Somerlisse

Thingol lights a fire and cooks a small breakfast of venison and dried fruit. They need to return to Sommerlisse with haste but he wants to secure the Forge before they leave. They cross the bridge over the small river. Winter is approaching and the river is beginning to freeze. 

They search the forge and find evidence of the work of the quarrymen. Pottery in all stages of production, mostly homeware such as bowls, pots and plates. Some are raw clay others have been fired in the kilns, their lustrous green hues dance in the light.

They find tracks of the goblins who were clearly searching for something, but find none of the foul creatures. Vigo finds a cache of seven gold shields, 

“goblins don’t know where people like to hide their money, but I do” 

he chuckles brandishing his find like a prize. Athura tells him to put it back, it’s owner will need it when he recovers from sickness caused by the curse. Vigo grumbles and makes a show of returning the money to its hiding place whilst deftly transferring it into one of his many hidden pockets.

It is time to head back to Somerlisse and our heroes retrieve their horses from the barn. Vissarel takes the time to milk the goat for the journey. 

They lead their horses out of the quarry on foot and soon leave the rocky section and mount up. As they get on to the road to Somerlisse it is still very cold and with a light snow covering and by mid afternoon they arrive back at Somerlisse. 

The Saviours of Sommerlisse Return 

Athura heads immediately to the infirmary whilst the others had for the warmth and ale of the Copper Kettle Inn.

Vigo is looking for someone to sell his loot to. The last time he was here he thought he saw a couple of Engrosi. He was right and he speaks them out engaging in loud conversation whilst secretly speaking in fingerspeak to arrange a more private liaison where they can talk business.  Thingol has never seen Vigo with his own kind and notices how animated their hands are, it's as if they are having two conversations at the same time. "What a curious folk the little people are" he muses. 

 

Vissarel and Thingol talk to the innkeeper who tells them that the people of Somerlisse had started to give up hope. Their return has really lifted the peoples spirits and their return is the talk of the town. Some have even begun to refer to the four of them as the Somerlisse Saviours.

The Infirmary

When Athura enters the infirmary she is greeted by Ydonia who inspects the Thrymstone. Athura once again tries to appeal to the Goddess to use her as a conduit to heal these people of the sickness but to no avail. 

Runa arrives shortly after and thanks for retrieving the Thrymstone. Now that they know that they are dealing with a thrym curse they can help stabilise the sick. However, the only way to lift the curse is to kill the one that put the curse on the stone. The heroes must find and kill the Thrympriest. 

Athura says that it still doesn’t explain my Aylsluf is sick. She didn’t drink the poisoned water from the well at Lier. Ydonia says that Aylsluf frequently visited her step mother's burial mound in the Somerhlaw Valley perhaps the answer lies there.

Athura returns to the inn. “Our work is not done” she tells her comrades explaining everything that Runa and Ydonia told her. 

Somerhlaw valley lies an hours ride Southeast following a less well travelled path. They leave immediately and ride out with haste.

Among the Burial Mounds 

An hour later they are overlooking a small valley dominated by 20 or so earthen mounds. The paths between the mounds are overgrown with bushes and small trees and there is a gloomy somber feel to the whole place. The people of sommerlisse have abandoned the ancient practice of burying their dead in mounds and this site hasn’t been used for nearly 20 years.

Athura explains that Penfrick's first wife and Aylsluf's mother, died in child birth and it was his second wife Friggyth who raised her as her own. Friggyth died almost 20 years ago and that it is her name which will be carved in the lintel of the tomb.

The heroes move between the mounds searching the lintels for the name Friggyth Skalsunu. they find it on one of the newer mounds. 

In Frosttongue Athura shouts “Servants of Thrym, the Ice King, reveal yourself”.

Athura repeats her cry and Thingol booming voice ads “we are waiting!”

Still no response and so Athura clears her mind and attunes herself to the sounds of the animals whispering a prayer to the goddess. Nothing. Has her Goddess abandoned her? As she ends the prayer she suddenly feels feint and staggers on her feet. 

Vissarel watches Athura intently realising that this is some form of prayer magic and she weaves a spell of mimicry. She calls out to the beasts of the valley, their voices fill her ears and a deer bellows

“undead are near”

Lying in the snow in the doorway of the mound is a Thrymstone. Athura brush the snow off of it revealing a crude flint like knife with traces of a rune for wounds carved into it. 

"Reveal yourself murderer" she cries into the sky.

Vissarel hears the restless chatter of the the birds, "The undead are here" they sqwalk, as they launching themselves into the sky with a cacophany of cawing. 

Hurriedly, the four climb up onto the mound to get to high ground. With the birds and the beasts silent all that can be heard is the cracking of branches.

Something wicked this way comes... 

Sessions

• Session 1 - Trouble in Somerlisse - A Savage Worlds Hellfrost Campaign
• Session 2 - What Ill has Befallen Sommerlisse?
• Session 3 - The Quarry at Lier
• Session 4 - Well, Oh Well, Oh Well  
• Session 5 - The Thrymstone Curse
  

 

Trouble in Somerlisse - Part 4 - Well, Oh Well, Oh Well!!

Trouble in Somerlisse is a Savage Worlds campaign using the Hellfrost setting.  The Games Master is Mark Hamilton and play takes place every Friday night at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club. 

Aftermath of the Goblins

At the Mill, the heroes search the bodies of the 5 dead ice goblins who attacked them. They find several bags of food which have clearly been looted from the barn and six silver shields. They find no new information on why the goblins are here. Thingol decides to check out the level above and cautiously climbs the stairs to the storage area. This has been recently used by the goblins as some sort of camp and there are five bedspaces. Judging by their excreta, they have been here for more than a day, maybe two.

Athura Magnussdottir
A Sister of Mercy

Athura hypothesises that the goblins must be working for whoever killed the ranger, perhaps they are a trap left to waylay any who returned or even an investigating party like themselves. This is too organised for goblins. The prints found at the funeral pyre are too big for goblins, they must be in league with another, possibly a human, maybe even a frost mage judging by the way the ranger was slain.

Vissarel votes to investigate the world and Athura finds a vessel with a stopper to carry a sample of well water.

Athura winds down the bucket which hits the bottom with a thunk. The well is either dry or frozen over. The steads people have left a large rock tied to a rope besides the well for this specific purpose. She drops the stone-on-a-rope into the well to break the ice and it lands with a crack. She hauls it out and it's dry.

Thingol casts 3 firebolts into the well illuminating the sides as they descend. With an echoing boom a hot shockwave of steam bursts forth and immediately turns into pretty snowflakes in the icy air.

Viggo picks himself up out of the snow and Vissarel ties her rope around his waist. Thingol casts a smite spell on the engro's tiny dagger and the blade bursts into flame. "Be quick about it, the flame will not last" the paladin says. Viggo leaps over the edge of the well and disappears from sight. Thingol grabs the rope assisting Thingol. The engro comes to a sudden stop dangling inches above the surface of the water. His mission, although not an impossible one, is to retrieve the bucket.

In the daggers fire he sees that the bucket is trapped under a strangely shaped rock. However, he does not see the huge snake that lives in the bottom of the turnip shaped well chamber. The snake strikes and misses.

Athura grabs the rope and climbs over the low wall wall as Vissarel casts a deflection spell upon her. Vigo strikes at the snake but misses and Thingol is pulled towards the well edge straining with the added weight of both Vigo and Athura. The rope slips in his hands and Viggo splashes into the water.

At that moment three frost zombies burst out of their hiding places in the snow surrounding Thingol and Vissarel. "Sorry Athura '' he sighs and drops the rope needing both hands to unleash a flurry of fire bolts at the zombies. Each hits a separate target but they just are shrugged off. Vissarel responds with her own spell conjuring tiny frozen stars of air which circle the well before slamming into their targets without effect. Digging deep into her reserves she casts again and all three hit their intended targets. The spinning stars decapitate one and slice another zombie's head in twain but the third remains it's cold, evil grin haunting the elf. Thingol strikes the hellfrost with his mace but misses.

An ice zombie

In the well Athura with one foot in the bucket and smacks the snake in the head with a mighty blow from her mace temporarily stunning the beast. Her triumph is very short lived and the snake strikes again, it's bite parried by the Sister of Mercy. A blustering Viggo emerges from the water with and stabs the fiery blade into the soft underbelly. The flaming blade smite is extinguished as viggo repeatedly sinks the dagger into the snake. The quiet darkness is punctuated by the snick,snick,snick of his blade and the creature lets out a death rattle.

The last zombie summons its strength and punches Thingol in the chest, denting his armour and breaking his ribs. Vissarel fashions her bolt in the shape of an air demon which arches into the sky and slams into the zombie crushing its skull.

Panting with exertion, Viggo stands triumphantly atop the snake. "We have to get out of this well before we catch our death" says Sister Athura. "Wait" replies the Engro and thrusts his hand under the water retrieving the oddly shaped rock which he stuffs in the bucket. Thingol shouts "Hold on" and hauls the pair up.

Shivering they rush to a house which has not been raided. Thingol sets a roaring fire in the hearth with his firebolts and the heroes warm themselves. Athura tends to Thingol's wound. Viggo strips off and triumphantly dances in front of the fire as Vissarel conjures air currents which weave between then all.

“Who would have thought getting a bucket of water would be such an adventure”, Thingol mutters.

 

An innocent looking frozen well

Sessions

• Session 1 - Trouble in Somerlisse - A Savage Worlds Hellfrost Campaign
• Session 2 - What Ill has Befallen Sommerlisse?
• Session 3 - The Quarry at Lier
• Session 4 - Well, Oh Well, Oh Well  
• Session 5 - The Thrymstone Curse

Trouble in Somerlisse - Part 3 - The Quarry at Lier

Trouble in Somerlisse is a Savage Worlds campaign using the Hellfrost setting. The Games Master is Mark Hamilton and play takes place every Friday night at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club.

Athura Magnusdottir - a healer - Tony
Thingol Chillblane - a paladin - Tony
Vigo - a rogue - Martin
Vissarel - a mage - Kat

The Quarry at Lier

Our heroes have been tasked with a most urgent mission. They must find the source of the poison which afflicted the Ridder's daugter Aylsluf and the quarryfolk of Lier. They don't know how long these people have and the urgency of the mission weighs heavily on their minds. Athura assembles a quick breakfast and they head out.

Passing by the gaol hut they notice that the door is ajar. They rush in to find the orc lying dead on the floor still chained to the post but with his throat slit. Someone has murdered him in the night. 

Thingol states grimly 

"Well that saved me the bother of hunting it down and killing it" 

and casts a knowing glance at Vissarel.  Athura sighs, says a quick prayer to the Goddess Eira and replies "It is done and there is naught we can do but focus ourselves on the task at hand, saving the people of Lier.  We must hurry"

Athura's words kindle a new sense of urgency and they ride out with haste on the snowy path to the quarry.  

It is not long before the path through the hills gets more rocky and they must dismount to lead their horses on foot.  By late morning they crest a hill to find the valley of Lier stretched out before them.

Searching the Abandoned Quarry  

200 yards outside the stead on the left hand side of the rode lies a small patch of tilled ground which must be where the quarryfolk grow food. The ground is frozen into neat littel rows and furrows but the shape of a dead body is clearly visible in the snow in the snow.

Thingol dismounts and approaches cautiously. He brushes the freshly fallen snow from the body and discovers a man lying face down in the snow, naked from the waist down.

“Thingol what do you see?” Arthura demands. He turns over the body, there are no signs of obvious wounds. his eyes are open and his face contorted in agony. One leg is frozen solid from the mid calf Down. He is missing one leg of his hose, he didn't die of exposure, he died of a sudden extreme exposure to cold.  Searching nearby Vigo find his missing clothes with some money, a travelling bag and a short bow. Vissarel thinks he has been exposed to cold fire, magic quite a powerful frost mage spell or a breath weapon from a hell frost dragon. 

Thingol and Arthura carry the corpse and place it on the large funeral pyre standing just outside of the palisade. Someone had been preparing to burn many dead here judging by the size of the pyre and the many booted prints surrounding it. Despite being covered in last night's snow they are clearly visible and could be from one or more of the quarryfolk, it is hard to say for sure.

The Barn

Vigo and the Vissarel take the horses and investigate the barn inside the pallisade. It contains some livestock, sheep, goats, chickens, sacks of grain and the body of a dead goblin. It has been beaten to death and there is plenty of blood on the ground. The animals keep their distance from the goblin and seem content to munch on spilt grains and straw. As Vissarel ties up the horses, Vigo takes the opportunity to check the dead mans travelling bag. It contains some dried meat, snares and other small items consistent with that of a woodsman trapper or hunter.

The team briefly unites at the barn and share what they have found. The quarry looks deserted and they agree to split up and cover more ground. They need to make this place safe quickly. Thingol and Sister Athura head for the first house just inside the pallisade walls. It has been ransacked by something, probably goblins. They scour the ground floor for evidence of poisoned food and collect some scraps in a sack.  

Vissarel crosses the snow to the second house. She is stopped dead in her tracks by an ice zombie who bursts out of the snow to attack her. It whirls its clawed hands at her but misses and is inceremoniously sliced to pieces by a flurry of air daggers unleashed from her hands with elemental wizardry.

Vigo checked out house number three and finds it is in good order. It has not been ransacked and he spends some time rifling through the owners precious items before uncovering a shard of fired green pot clay. "Didn't someone say this stuff is valuable?" he mutters to himself.

The sounds of conflict bring Athura and Thingol running to Vissarel's aide but as they arrive Vissarel is dusting off the remnants of the snow that showered her when the zombie attacked. She can handle herself well if need be. The Engro is nowhere to be seen.  

The Watermill 

The group approaches the water mill, outside its walls the snow has been disturbed by lots of footprints. Thingol opens the door and is surprised by five goblins who immediately attack. Vissarel kills two with a flurry of air bolts. Athura pushes past the paladin and attacks a third with her mace a solid hit which momentarily shakes the creature. 

Thingol boldly strides straight into the centre of the mill and casts a trio of fire bolts one bolt for each goblin. They all strike their targets but he only succeeds in shaking two of them who recover immediately. Athura brings her mace down on the head of one near her killing it. She apologises to the goddess.  Vissarel lets fly a trio of air stars which wheel around the big frostborne paladin and slam into their targets stunning them.

Thingol attacks the remaining goblins with his warhammer but today luck has abandoned him. Vissarel weaves the elements together into a great spear which shoots across the room impaling the pair of goblins onto one of the mills supporting wooden beams. 

As the magic dissipates they slump to the floor quite dead.

Sessions

• Session 1 - Trouble in Somerlisse - A Savage Worlds Hellfrost Campaign
• Session 2 - What Ill has Befallen Sommerlisse?
• Session 3 - The Quarry at Lier
• Session 4 - Well, Oh Well, Oh Well  
• Session 5 - The Thrymstone Curse

Trouble in Somerlisse - Part 2 - What Ill has Befallen Sommerlisse

Trouble in Somerlisse is a Savage Worlds campaign using the Hellfrost setting. The Games Master is Mark Hamilton and play takes place every Friday at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club.

Athura Magnusdottir - a healer - Tony
Thingol - a paladin - Tony
Vigo - a rogue - Martin
Vissarel - a mage - Kat

The Aftermath of the Bridge Attack

On the bridge which crosses the moat our heroes try to calm the sole surviving and now captured orc. Sister Athura orders the guards to fetch The Ridder. The stunned militiamen look at each other in confusion and run off into the town. They soon return accompanied by a man who announces that he is Oswulf, the Hurscarl.

They drag the bound orc to a well built round hut, which passes for a gaol, and tie him to the central post which supports the roof. Vigo searches the orc and finds 4 silver shields. Oswulf posts a guard and orders "none may enter and if the orc tries to escape... kill it". 

Meeting The Ridder 

The heroes are led to the house of The Ridder and to the Great Hall where the are fed a hearty meal of meat stew and bread. The Ridder, Penrick, enters accompanied by a Taiga Elf who he introduces as Runa a priestess of Eostra the provider of bread.  

Penrick says that the orcs have not been this bold in over 15 years. Vigo presents Runa with the four silver shields. 

They have heard nothing from one of the outlying steads so a rider was sent to visit the Brinya Family and get them to retreat to the safety of the town. 

There was an incident at the quarry at Lear. A number of the miners became sick of a fever and died, those that could fled to Somerlisse where many have become sicker and died. Runa tends them in the infirmary.

The Ridder explains that his own daughter, Alsluf, has come down with a sickness and Runa takes Sister Athura to examine her. Despite the windows to her bedroom being wide open, Alsluf is sweating and feverish. Athura examines her and finds a fresh wound on the falm of her hand which does not appear to be healing. This must be the source of her affliction and is likely to have been inflicted by someone she knows.

The Ridder tells them that he has arranged for lodging at the Copper Kettle Inn and his Huscarl Oswulf will give them any assistance that they need. 

The Interrogation 

With Oswulf leading, they return to the gaol and interrogate the orc. In orcish, Sister Athura promises the orc that no harm will come to him if he tells them what they want to know. He will be released to return to his tribe. It is hard to say if Athura's kindly manner and soothing tongue are more persuasive than the imposing shadow of Thingol Paladin of Kenza which looms over the orc.  

With a grunt, Thingol leaves for the sanctuary of the inn and ale. The thought of aiding an agent of the Hellfrost does not sit well with him and he wrestles with his conscience as he slakes his thirst.

The orc tells them that they were paid to raid the human settlements. He does not know who paid them, he was just told to attack anyone trying to get to the town. The tribe numbers 20 to 30 orcs but he does not know where they will attack next or in what numbers.

Athura opines that attacking the steads is not normal behaviour and the incident at the quarry seems far too coincidental to be such. She suspects that the raids are a diversion and that they should strike out for the quarry in the morning. She tells the orc that he will be escorted out of the town in the morning and he can return to his tribe. The Huscarl tells the guard that he has done a fine job and that he is relieved.

The Copper Kettle Inn  

Retiring to the warmth of the Copper Kettle Inn, the group rest. Athura excuses herself from the party and goes to the infirmary to see if she can be of any use. Vigo tells tall tales to the through out the night to anyone who will listen. He gathers a crowd around him as he tells of Athura the midwife who saved the golden calf. Thingol takes this opportunity to satisfy his religious code which demands that he destroy the orc, as he cannot in good concious allow aid as agent of the Hellfrost. He sneaks out of the inn and heads to the gaol, Vissarel follows him in the shadows.

Athura meets Runa and her assistant at the infirmary. The room is full of people exhibiting the same symptoms as the Ridder's daughter. Examining them she discovers that unlike Alsluf, none show any signs of physical injury and surmises that they have ingested a poison. She tells Runa that whoever poisoned Alsluf is probably here in Somerlisse and possibly travelled with the miners. The Ridder needs to be told and if the poisoner is human then there is some other plan at work. Tomorrow they will ride out for the quarry and try to bring back samples of food and water. If they are lucky they will find the source of the poison and can treat these unfortunate people. She returns to the inn.

The Orc

Thingol approaches the unguarded gaol hut in the darkness and opens the door. The orc is slumped on the floor still tied to the post and asleep. He readies his warhammer raising it over his head to deliver a killing blow when a hand reaches out of the darkness and grasps his arm softly. 

"A quieter approach is necessary on this occasion" whispers Vissarel and she walks around the other side of the post slitting the orcs throat with her dagger. The pair close the door and walk back to the inn confident that the fresh snow fall will cover their tracks.

Thingol Chillblane - Original art by creativeuncut.com

Sessions

• Session 1 - Trouble in Somerlisse - A Savage Worlds Hellfrost Campaign
• Session 2 - What Ill has Befallen Sommerlisse?
• Session 3 - The Quarry at Lier
• Session 4 - Well, Oh Well, Oh Well  
• Session 5 - The Thrymstone Curse

Trouble in Somerlisse - A Savage Worlds Hellfrost Campaign at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club

Trouble in Somerlisse is a Savage Worlds campaign using the Hellfrost setting. The Games Master is Mark Hamilton and play takes place every Friday at Dragons Keep Roleplay Club.

A Cold Day in Watch Gap Fort

It was a cold day in Autumn when our heroes were summoned before Sword Commander Unrock one of the most respected Hearthknights that manned the 150 strong garrison at Watch Gap Fort.

The fort is nestled in the Ice Barrier Mountains which form the last bastion of defence against the encroaching winter and the spawn of Hellfrost contained within.

Heligioland in Rassilon

Our assembled heroes are:

Athura Magnusdottir (Tony) - a Saxa (human) and member of the Sisterhood of Mercy, a reknown healer tasked by her order to bring the Goddess Eira's gift to the folk who eke a living in the winter lowlands of Heligioland.

Vigo (Martin) - An engro of varied and useful talents who has a propensity for getting himself in and out of tight places.

Vissarel Nerinen (Kat) - A Taiga Elf with some mastery of the element of air.

Thigol Chillblane (Tony) - A Frostborn Saxa and Paladin of Kenaz the Lord of Volcanoes. A stoic and fierce warrior dedicated to erradicating the agents of Hellfrost in whatever form they appear.

Commander Unrock revealed that they had received word from fastriders that the town of Somerlisse and its steads had recently been attacked by orcs. The farmers are scared and some have fled their steads to the safety of the town.

The town lies in the Southern Greenpot Hills some 3 days ride from Watch Gap. Its population number some 2,000 with a small militia ill-trained and ill-equipped to deal with an orc incursion. Our mission is to travel to the town and meet with the Ridder Penfrick Scalsooner to find out what is going on.

The Greenpot Hills are craggy and difficult terrain for horses but the ore that is mined there is an important resource of great value to the region which must be protected.

Our heroes set out on what turns out to be an uneventful journey stopping at inns and steads along the way to shelter from the bitter cold night. Winter seems to come earlier every year these days.

Arrival at Somerlisse

On the third day they reach Somerlisse which lies in a shallow valley surrounded on all sides by the Greenpot Hills. As they cross the small moat bridge and begin to enter the protection of the towns stout wooden pallisade walls an arrow thunks into the right guard tower.

They have been followed by a scouting party of 2 orcs and 3 goblins. The fight does not last long and the agents of Hellfrost are slain with the exception of an orc which Thingol successfully wrestled to the ground.

Perhaps it will divulge some useful information if it values its life.

Sessions

• Session 1 - Trouble in Somerlisse - A Savage Worlds Hellfrost Campaign
• Session 2 - What Ill has Befallen Sommerlisse?
• Session 3 - The Quarry at Lier
• Session 4 - Well, Oh Well, Oh Well  
• Session 5 - The Thrymstone Curse