RECAP: When we last left Hal and Teela, they had just survived their first battle together in a creepy, woman only tribe. Hal was about to be…bred…and then sacrificed to a demoness, and possibly eaten by the tribe. Luckily, one of the woman, Sirella, killed the leader and helped Hal fight his way free. Sadly, Sirella lost her life, both Hal and Teela were wounded but able to leave the tribe. It is now Day 5, still in Hex 4. We are still in Autumn.
Weather: 5, strong storm (half travel, no foraging, -1 getting lost) Not lost but miles walked cut to 10 miles due to weather
-POI: another obsidian field. Teela collects 5 for trade
-Emotions: Hal and Teela are somewhat quiet after the eventful night. Teela apologized to Hal, letting him know that she will listen to his instincts from now on. Hal is still shocked at how close he came to horrible death.
-Encounter: None Camp for the night— 2 rations Night time encounter: Rolled a 9-Wolves x 6 (oh crap) 8 HP each
I rolled on the reaction check: and got a 7, the wolves are Neutral!
As Hal and Teela sat by a warm fire, eating their rations, 6 pairs of yellow eyes started to stare out at them from the darkness. Hal jumped up, grabbing his sword. They were surrounded. Teela, the explorer, knew a little bit about wolves and their pack tactics. She stopped Hal from attacking. (Oracle: can Teela read the body language of the wolves? NO. Will she still approach? Yes, but very slowly. Can she figure out which one is the Alpha? Yes and, he allows her to approach)
Teela studied the wolves covertly, making sure she did not look them directly in the eyes. She decided correctly that the biggest wolf must be the Alpha. She slowly and submissively lowered a bit towards the ground. She talked gently, and finally bared her throat. Hal held his breath. This was one of the bravest things he had ever seen. (Skill check for Teela: INT: 4-fail!) The wolf was intelligent. He seemed to know her intent yet he growled at her as she got closer. He watched her as she submitted to his leadership. Two legs never submit. They fight. They die. He became intrigued. Again, slowly, Teela reached into her pocket. He stiffened. She took a piece of beef jerky out of her pocket. (Second INT skill check: 9. Pass!) His nostrils twitched. She held out her slightly sweaty hand with the meat. He sniffed the meat, and pronounced it safe. He took it in his large mouth and gulped it down. (-1 ration) (Oracle: do the wolves leave? No but they seem to relax.) All of the wolves sensed the body language of the Alpha. Alpha happy. Alpha safe. Alpha relax. The wolves all laid down in a big pile by the fire, and spent the night with the humans. The next day, the wolves were gone. Hal started to see Teela in a different light.
Day 6 Hex 4. Weather: 1, clear skies (+1 getting lost, +1 foraging)
-Teela decided to forage: 4, Good harvest, 4 rations. Not lost. POI: none No encounter. Camp: -2 rations. No nighttime encounters. (Able to leave hex 4).
Day 7 Hex 5. Weather: 1, clear skies
No foraging. Not lost. POI: 20 foot statue of a headless humanoid. Hal and Teela stared up at the top of the statue. Teela had seen these before, but Hal had n not. “What the feck is that?” Hal asked. Teela answered. “I’ve seen these before. Some tall, some not. I asked a wise woman once what they were, what they meant. She said keep walking past the statues. Do not touch them. If you touch them, you will disappear, and the next morning, a new head will start to form on the statue, your head.” Hal scoffed. “Teela, you jest.” He reached out to touch the statue. She slapped his hand away and spoke harshly. “Hal, do not tempt fate. Have we not seen some weird things lately? Let’s be safe. There is always some truth in old legends.” Hal grunted and started to walk away, but looked back to make sure that Teela followed. Teela smiled to herself. When they started this quest, Hal would not wait for her. Now, at least he looked back.
No encounter. Camp: -2 rations. No nighttime encounters. Able to go 20 miles across Hex 5. 1 XP each, will probably level them up when they get to the first cache.
Day 8 Hex 6. Weather: 1, clear skies ( also about 40 miles away from first cache)
Lost: YES! POI: 41, High rock formation. Teela and Hal are lost, so they decided to climb a large, high rock formation that loomed ahead of them to get a high view of the area. While climbing, Teela foraged. (Rolled a 5, bountiful harvest, gained 5 rations).
-Encounter: at the top of the rock, they met a “Cursed Traveller”. He was an older man, who sat staring out at the view of the land. Rolled a 9 on the Reaction check, the traveller is friendly. (I can work with this, just need to think about how and why he is cursed). Rolled on more tables for the traveller, Elder, Attain Enlightenment, thoughtful. I decide to name him Rauf the Unlucky.
Rauf’s stats: Male, age 45, Warrior
STR 1. TOU 1. AGI 1. INT: 0. PRE: 1 HP-7
Skill level 1: Roll an additional attack per round at disadvantage.
Equipment: Rough clothes, rope, Hatchet (1d6 damage) 2 rations This dude is poor and unlucky!
Hal and Teela arrived at the top of the rock formation. Sitting near a ledge, was an older bald man with a beard and very dirty clothes, cross legged, staring out at the land. Teela approached him tentatively. “ Um, hello? Are you ok? My name is Teela.” The old man’s voice was deep and raspy. “Young man, put your weapon away. I’m harmless.” “Says you,” Hal scoffed. The old man rolled his eyes. Youth. “I am Rauf, Rauf the Unlucky. I suggest you move on, stay away from me or my bad luck will follow you too.”
Teela answered, “We are lost. We climbed up here to take a look at what direction we need to go. We want to get our bearings.”
Rauf grunted. “Where you headed?” Teela started to answer “To our….” But Hal cut her off. “We are on a noble quest.” Rauf grunted again and said nothing. Hal questioned him. “Don’t you want to know the quest?” Rauf was blunt. “No.”
Teela asked him if it was ok if they camp for the night and leave in the morning. Rauf looked at her amused. “I don’t own this rock. Stay where you want. I won’t bother you.”
Teela and Hal turned and looked out over the land and started pointing, talking quietly. They saw a rushing river in the distance that they would probably have to cross. (Oracle: is there a fast current? Yes, and some huge rapids, level 4&5’s. Is there a bridge? No, but there is a log.)
Hal started a fire for the night. Teela invited Rauf to join them. He hesitated, she smiled warmly, waved to him. He came over and sat by the fire. Hal asked him why he was called Unlucky. Rauf did not answer, just stared deeply into the fire. Hal shrugged. Teela asks Rauf if he’s heard of any rumors.
“Well I heard from a passerby that there might be a lost caravan around here, full of goods and treasure, but you know how that goes…” He grunted.
An idea starts to form in Hal’s brain. “Teela, what if we find that caravan, maybe act like we are merchants, and roll on into the battle barge area?”
Teela shrugs with a hesitant look on her face. “Maybe? Maybe it could work….” Rauf started to look at the two travelers with an interested look. Is this his chance to redeem himself? Break the curse?
Nighttime encounters: none. -2 rations for Teela and Hal. -1 for Rauf
Day 9 Hex 6 Weather: Light rain. No need to forage, enough rations for now.
POI: More high rock formations and a river that needs to be crossed.
Hal and Teela stare at the rushing river. The land around the river is barren, which is strange, but not uncommon. There is a wobbly wet log across the river that does not inspire confidence. Hal mutters under his breath while pacing, “ Don’t these people believe in bridges?”
Rauf climbed down the rocks and stood next to Hal and Teela. “Quit your moaning and quit starin.’ You’re not gonna just fly over the river. Let’s go.” Teela and Hal look at each other, Teela with an amused look on her face.
Teela spoke to Rauf, “So, you’ll come with us? You don’t even know what we have to do.” (Social Skill checks: PRE 9, success)
Rauf smiled at Teela crookedly. “It sounds like you need all the help you can get. You can explain to me while we walk.”
Skill check on crossing a wet, slimy log: Teela: 8 Hal: 9 Rauf: 10 All successful!
No encounters. Camp: -3 rations Nighttime encounter: 7, Nomads (neutral) no issues. Rauf traded herbs for food rations.+2 rations
Day 10, Hex 7 Weather: Clear skies
Hal is very impatient to find the trail of the slavers. The small group is fast approaching the first cache that Hal had hidden. They are about 20 miles away from it.
Not lost: in fact, they are starting to get back into the village territory. They can smell smoke. Ten days later, and the smoke still lingers.
No foraging. Hal wants to keep moving quickly. POI- bridge across a deep span. No encounters. Camp for the night:-3 rations
Nighttime encounter: Dark Sorcerer/Mystic 9: Friendly (rolled on traits and motivations table: make amends, fulfill duty, loyal and shrewd)
While a tired Hal, Teela and Rauf are sitting around the fire, a dark shadowy woman draped in a long cape strolls up to them.
“Peace and well met,” she said in a smooth, soft voice. “May I share your fire?” Hal answered gruffly. “You may if you have no ill intentions towards us. If you do, keep moving.” She smiled gently. “I just want to get warm for awhile.” Hal noticed that Rauf was on high alert, watching the woman intently.
“My name is Sarnara. I have been cast out of my coven and am wandering to find a new place.”
Hal answered. “Hal, Teela and Rauf.” Everyone is quiet for a few minutes. Hal spoke again. “In your travels, have you seen anyone with a red banner and a skull on it? Bony hands holding swords?” (Oracle: Does she recognize the description? NO. Does she recognize revenge in Hal? Yes, and…)
Saranara cocks her head. “Mmm, no, but you, Hal, I see revenge in your eyes when you name this banner. Be warned, revenge does not always turn out the way you want it to.” She looks over at Rauf the Unlucky. “I see old man, that you know of what I speak about.” She had seen the curse aura glow around him (I rolled on a table for Rauf: accident, conflict, capture.)
Rauf clears his throat. “Aye, I do. Tis a sad crazy tale. When I was younger, I was married to a great woman, and a beautiful daughter. But I didn’t appreciate what I had. I drank too much. I was driving our cart with my daughter and her best friend, another little girl, both about 10 summers old at the time.” He hesitated, his throat bobbing up and down. “This time again, I was drunk, not paying attention. The cart hit a huge furrow in the road, and the two girls flew out. The cart ran over them, killing them both. The other girl, she was the daughter of a local witch who was good and kind and helped our town often. But when she saw the mangled, crushed body of her daughter, she snapped. She cursed me and in my sorrow, I didn’t believe she had the power. I was holding my own crushed daughter, my heart broken, hearing the screams of my wife. Wasn’t that curse enough? To live with what I had done?” He was silent for a few seconds, then went on, his voice breaking slightly, “I started noticing little things at first, not going right, failing. Food becoming rotten after one day…my horses running away…my…my wife left me…and then bigger things happened…the town well ran dry…people were getting sick for no reason…no one would hire me. Buildings burning down, but no one could figure out why. Things like that. It was then I figured out, it was me! I was the bad luck, I truly was cursed. I left the next day, the only home I had ever known, and have been wandering ever since. Every time I tried to make friends, or live somewhere, bad luck followed.” Rauf bent his head low as a tear rolled down his cheek. Teela put a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Oh Rauf, I’m so sorry, “Teela said. He raised his head and smiled slightly. “I think I’m not long for this world lass. I’d like to do one good thing, and redeem myself before I go. Maybe be lucky enough to be reunited in death with my child. I think she’d be proud of me if I helped save yer people. Maybe that will break the curse.”
Hal spoke up. “Is that why you have a straw doll tied to your waist? Was that your daughter’s doll?”
Rauf looked at Hal with narrowed eyes. “Aye you dolt. You think a grown man would carry around a doll for nothing?”
A few hours went by, and Sarnara gets up to leave the group. “Teela, Hal, Rauf, thank you for the stories, and sharing your food and fire. Teela, do you have a special object on you by any chance?”
Confused, Teela grabs her pouch and showed Sarnara the mantis claws. Sarnara touches one with magic flowing out of her fingers and created a magic necklace for Teela. She tells Teela to wear the necklace always for protection. (+1 to attack rolls)
“Hal” she says, “I warn you again. Be careful for what you wish for.” She slowly turns her head to Rauf, staring intently into his eyes. “Rauf, a sad story indeed. For you, I only see death.” He nods, accepting. She walks slowly away, her back to them, until a strange fog swallows her up.
Stats for Rauf the Unlucky: Age 40, Warrior STR 2 TOU 1 AGI 1 INT 0 PRE 1 HP 7
-Skill level 3: Roll additional attack per round at disadvantage. Roll attack and damage at a +1.
-Equipment: rough clothes, rope, hatchet (d6 damage), light leather armor, reduces damage by 1
Welcome to the party Rauf! I hope he doesn’t jinx this quest. Thank you for reading as always. I appreciate it and I hope you enjoy the continuing saga of Hal and Teela in Kal-Arath. Please stick with them. I have actually finished the campaign and the ending is WOW! After, I plan on writing about my notes and some of the format that I tried for this play through. I think I’ve found the style that I am most comfortable with.
Really great write-up of your playthrough. I really like Rauf's character and back story. You've created such an interesting mix of characters! Can't wait for the next part!
Great writing and I love the miniatures setup! I love this game and actually have completed most of a successful campaign. My first two were over brutally fast. Made some bad decisions.