A Simple Task

Scribe Notes

Summary

Adventure: A Simple Task
GM: Terry
Season: Autumn 826 WK
Night: Tue - online
Level: Mediumish???

Party

• Tulip - Hordes of Deadly animals.
• Kurt - Scribe
• Arcadia - Party Leader
• Minerva - Military Scientist
• Boom Boom - Fire, Death, Destruction

Time on adventure

tbc 826 WK to tbc 826 WK

Employer

Sapphire Gold of the No. 1 Hobbits' Detective Agency

Mission

Locate and deal with the source of undead found in Brastor

Pay

5,000sp or equivalent value in invested or amulets.

Scribe Notes by Kurt

Session 1

We meet Sapphire and an apprentice Vigor in the guild meeting room. They brief us on the problem of small packs of lesser undead coming from the direction of the Sea of Grass.
They want us to find out where these are coming from, offering theories such as illegal mining.
A range of services is discussed, and we accept the offer of someone who can handle Greater Enchantments and a Rune Portal to Brastor Landing.
We divert to my farm to enjoy the standard sacrificial rites for the evening.
People to talk to in Brastor.

• Emmitsburg - Magneric Fairfoot.
• South Lending - Rathar Puddlefoot.

2nd Fruit

We head back to the guild in the morning, then to Seagate, with some exciting landings in high winds.
Once in Seagate, we meet our portalist in a high end tailors shop, Instichue, and head through to Brastor Landing. There we stop in the Tavern (The Slippery Duck) and get greaters from retired guild member Uzi.
Tulip also has a fun idea of trying to get her bear into plate armour, so we set up some materials to source before we get too far out.
Arcadia and Minerva perform rituals to see if the skies will pass along any information at this point, while Boom Boom engages in diplomacy with the locals.

Session 2

While we wait, several Astrology Readings
are performed, though they are not particularly conclusive.
Perhaps some hints that this is a trap, or that interested parties are keeping an eye on this. Both of which suggest that there is more going on than a few stray undead.

3rd Fruit

We take breakfast in the tavern, and some take care of feeding their animals.
Boom Boom and I (Kurt) start work on some preparations, while the other three fly off to Emmitsburg to start talking to our contacts. A few communication devices are left to keep in touch in case of an emergency.
The flight there is uneventful, and after landing, they find their way to the HDA to speak to Magneric.

• For the last four months, there has been a steady trickle of undead. (Skeletons, Zombies, Ghouls)
• There have been no signs of control, and they have been poorly armed and armoured, such as a town militia buried on a battlefield. Information on the smithing style is not available yet.
• This has been a lot more common than historically, and more focused on undead rather than other monsters.
• The described locations form a semi-circle around Lewiston. This town is still ruined and often covered in an unnatural fog.
• The most recent sighting was a week ago in Hugler's Ferry.
• They recommend the Burning Heretic as a good tavern in Emmitsburg, and the Elven brainmelter as a good drink. (Said recommendation made to multiple elves.)
• They will get a few of the patrolling guards to meet Arcadia and company this evening.

They proceed to the Burning Heretic and engage in 'light' drinking, served by the proprietor, 'Bonebreaker', a dwarf, and they acquire some nice bottles of spirits to take home, due to their brains melting.

 Arcadia: "Hey boys, hope you're okay. We have talked to hobbits here and got info, now we will be going to have our elven brains melted"

They organise to stay the night after engaging in bargaining over the room and prices.

That evening, Magneric and Runford, a Brastor Ranger, turn up to talk.
Runford describes two encounters with the undead that he personally participated in.

• A pack of seven zombies on the road between Tallwood and Tombstone, a month ago, that were easily dispatched, unlike the Dark Circle undead, which were extremely tough. Some had weapons, some didn't.
  
• The Rangers tracked this group south for around ten miles before they lost the trail.
  
• Notable points include their fairly intact skin and a bird rampant symbol on their armour.
  
• The second group of undead they fought was a group of skeletons found near Oak Heart in the evening, a couple of weeks ago. These were a bit harder to fight, which is in line with skeletons sometimes retaining combat skills, but not excessively so.
  
• The skeletons had no visible symbols, and the bones already showed signs of damage.
  
• Runford did not witness them but was aware of some undead animals, such as undead dogs. These seemed to cause undead fear.
  

The night passes uneventfully for both groups.

The party reunites in Brastor landing that afternoon. Tulip ventures out with the Barenpanzer, and the town reacts as expected.
We pay our public disturbance fine, and a halfling named Siegesmund asks us not to take out our war animals in town again, and tells our escort halfling off a bit.
We then finish off our extra preparations over the next day, being ready to get going on the 5th of Fruit.

• Barenpanzer armour and silvered claws/bite made.
• More restoratives made (12).
• Some anti-disease herbal remedies, and some scarves soaked in herbal remedies to help combat the diseased fog.

6th Fruit

We land at the intersection of the main road between Brastor and Hugler's Ferry, and the ruined road to Lewiston.
Heading a bit towards Lewiston, we reach the edge of the fog bank, circling around to the south over the next hour we find tracks of three skeletons and four humanoid boot sets, potentially zombies, but impossible to tell.
These head to the south.
DA's on the Fog.

• Nature of Magic: illness.
• Nature of illness: Tepps Kiss.
• Power associated with: No answer.

Heading into the fog from the south, there is about a 100' of boundary fog which gets thicker as you get further in, then it stays relatively steady.

The party is 'Kidnapped

After another few hundred yards, the animals report a person ahead.
They approach, calling a beggars cry for coppers. They are wearing robes, showing blonde hair, and wearing a clearly fake moustache.
After Kurt gives them a pouch, they reveal themselves as Seir. And mention that we 'were' in Brastor.
After he clears the mist, we are now standing in a stone room, with a demonic dwarf with only one horn (Horn) to the side.
Seir engages in blackmail, and we are advised that we are representing Seir in 'The Games', and given the first instruction to "Perform the most impressive entrance".
We ask for more information, Horn tells them "All the information's on the task" but Seir ignores Horn and we are told that we are at the Colosseum and can watch other teams perform their entries.
Before each event, we can ask for three things (depending on how well we have done), and we will be granted one of them.
We have a day to get ready for this.

Astrology Readings

Minerva

The room is quiet except for the faint hiss of oil burning in the lamp.
Minerva sits perfectly still at the table, the small brass lamp placed directly before her, its flame steady and bright. The shutters are closed, the rest of the room dim, leaving the flame as the only true light. Shadows gather in the corners like silent witnesses.
She leans forward slightly, eyes fixed on the flame.
Minutes pass.
Then more.
At first the flame flickers normally, but as the ritual deepens it begins to burn unnaturally steady, the light growing sharper, almost crystalline. The reflections in Minerva’s eyes begin to shift as though she is no longer looking at a lamp at all, but into something far deeper.
Half an hour passes.
The air grows strangely heavy, and the flame stretches upward for a moment as though reaching toward something unseen.
Minerva’s breathing slows.
Finally she speaks, her voice quiet but certain.
“Strange…”
She does not look away from the flame.
“This light… it is not alone tonight.”
Her fingers slowly trace invisible lines across the table, following patterns only she can see.
“There is a star watching us. Not one of the familiar constellations… something older.”
The flame suddenly flickers sideways, casting long warped shadows across the walls.
Minerva blinks once, slowly.
“It watches with interest.”
She finally leans back from the lamp, rubbing her eyes as though waking from a long dream.
“The signs say that soon our deeds will be… observed.”
Her gaze drifts briefly toward the party.
“Not judged by battle or strength alone.”
She pauses.
“But by how well we perform.”
The lamp flickers again.
For a moment—just a moment—it seems as though the flame bends toward the group, like a curious eye examining them.
Then it settles back into an ordinary flame.
Minerva exhales slowly.
“The stars are… very interested in what comes next.”

Arcadia

The tavern has grown quieter as the night deepens.
Below, the common room still murmurs with the low sounds of conversation, the clatter of mugs, and the occasional burst of laughter. But up on the narrow wooden balcony above the street, the noise fades into a distant hum.
Arcadia sits alone at the railing.
She has chosen a spot where the lanterns from the street do not reach, leaving the sky wide and dark above her. Her staff rests beside her chair, and a half-finished drink sits forgotten on the small table.
For the next hour she does nothing but watch the stars.
At first her gaze moves slowly across the familiar constellations—the Crown, the Lantern Bearer, the Hunter. Patterns she has studied countless times before. Her eyes track them carefully, measuring angles, distances, the slow turn of the heavens as the night passes.
Time stretches.
A breeze drifts through the street below, carrying the scent of woodsmoke and roasting meat from the tavern kitchens. Someone inside starts a song. Arcadia does not notice.
Her focus narrows.
She lifts a hand and begins tracing faint lines in the air, connecting stars that only she can see the meaning of. Invisible geometry forming between distant points of light.
Then she pauses.
Something about the Hunter catches her attention.
The constellation burns bright tonight, its familiar shape easy to see even above the dim glow of the town.
Arcadia tilts her head slightly.
The shape feels wrong.
She studies it longer, narrowing her eyes. Slowly she turns her head to the side, adjusting her perspective.
The pattern becomes clear.
The Hunter is inverted.
The spear that should point proudly across the sky now angles downward, the stance twisted in a way that makes the whole figure look unbalanced—almost as though the heavens themselves have turned the constellation upside down.
Arcadia lifts a finger and traces the shape again, confirming the alignment.
The hunters stand where the prey should be.
She exhales slowly.
Her gaze drifts outward, scanning the surrounding sky.
There are other stars there tonight—dim ones, scattered around the Hunter’s position. Not part of any known constellation, but present nonetheless.
They cluster loosely around the inverted figure.
Watching.
Arcadia sits very still as the thought settles in her mind.
The hunters are not alone in the sky tonight.
She lowers her hand and leans back in her chair, committing the strange pattern to memory as the stars continue their silent march across the night.
Whatever the heavens are arranging…
…it is almost as though the hunt itself is part of something larger.

Loot

Expenses

• 12,000sp each for greaters.

Buffs & Mil Sci

Long term Buffs and Abilities

Long Term (assumed always on)

Magic (caster)	Rk	Effects	Duration	Tulip	Bear	Python	War Dog	Raven	Midsummer Vixen	Kurt	Arcadia	Luna (Dire Wolf)	Minerva	Aquila (Eagle)	Boom Boom
Cat Vision (Ku)	11	See 160' in the dark.	12 Hours.	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N
Coruscade (Mi)	18	+38 defense	9.5 hrs	Day	Day	Day	Day	Day	Day	Day	Day	Day	Day	Day	Day
Armour of Earth (Ku)	11	+24% defence, +1 damage reduction.	6 hrs	Night	Night	Night	Night	Night	Night	Night	Night	Night	Night	Night	Night
Fire proofing (BB)	13	Immune to non-magical fires up to large bonfire strength.	14 hrs	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Fire Armour (BB)	13	56 magical fire ablative.	14 hrs	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	?	Y
Overland Way (Ku)	11	Up to 12 Entities get +7 mph to overland speed in good terrain. Total speed is then affected by terrain. -3 Exercise Ft/hour.	hrs	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Witchsight (Mi)	12	See invisible, see in dark 150ft	6.5 hrs	Tal	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Tal	?	Y	?	Y
Strength of Stone (Arc)	13	+13 to EN.	11 hrs	-	-	-	-	-	-	Y	Y	Y	?	?	Y
Strength of Stone (Tu)	11	+11 to EN. ST for bear	12 hrs	Y	Y	-	Y	-	Y	-	-	?	?	?	-
Corriscade/Shadow Form (Arc)	13	28 Defence, half in close	? hrs	Y	Y	N	Y	N	N	?	N	N	?	?	?
Name	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

Short Term

Short Term/Situational

Magic (caster)	Rk	Effects	Duration	Tulip	Bear	Python	War Dog	Raven	Midsummer Vixen	Kurt	Arcadia	Luna (Dire Wolf)	Minerva	Aquila (Eagle)	Boom Boom
Trollskin (Ku)	10	Heal 1 EN a pulse, and do not die from (non Acid/Fire) damage.	80 sec.	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Diamond Weapon (Ku) (Tu)	11 (10)	+11% S.C. Attackers fumble 5% more often.	16 Min.	?	?	?	?	?	?	Sit (Warhammer)	?	?	?	?	?
Create Light Sword (Mi)	8	SC+9 DM+3 vs Dark	13 mins	?	?	?	?	?	?	-	?	?	?	?	?
Weapon of Flames	15	+16SC +8Dmg	20 mins	Y	?	?	?	?	?	Sit (Warhammer)	?	?	?	?	H1/2 Glaive
Resistance to Light (Mi)	15	+32 resistance to light spells. See in Rk20 light	2.6 hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Creating Light/Dark Sword	13	+14%, +4 DM vs everything, +6 vs the right aspect entity.	18 Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?	-	Y	?	?	?	?
Name	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

Talents, Skills, other buffs

Magic / Skill / Etc	Rk	Effects	Duration	Tulip	Kurt	Arcadia	Luna (Dire Wolf)	Minerva	Aquila (Eagle)	Boom Boom
Ranger - Detect Hidden and Traps.	##	Chance to detect ambush.	hrs	126%(142% w.spell) +10% woods -5roll	116% (Rk 3 Plains)	?	?	?	?	?
Ranger - Tracking.	##	Magic	hrs	76%(100% w.spell) +10% woods -5roll	99% (Rk 3 Plains)	?	?	?	?	?
Herbalist - Find herbs.	##	Modified by herb being searched for.	hrs	101%(127% w.spell) +10% woods -5roll	213% (Rk 5)	?	?	?	?	?
Thief - Detect Traps.	##	Magic	hrs	?	65% (Rk 2)	?	?	?	?	?
Thief - Find hidden.	##	Magic	hrs	?	65% (Rk 2)	?	?	?	?	?
Spy - Enhanced Memory	##	Magic	hrs	74% (rnk 2)	?	?	?	139% (Rank 6)	?	?
Detect Fumes	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	74 (rank 10)	?	?
Name	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	##	Magic	hrs	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

Animal (and other) Companions

Animal	Base key stats	Always on	Effects
Bear (Tu)	22PC 39PS 15MD 14AG 6TMR 9WP -MA 34EN 38FT	animal growth, armour earth, strength stones, blending, in combat: enchanted fang	bind animal, in-card, natural weapons are magical weapons of cold +5dmg, enchanted fang +3dmg,
Massive Python (Tu)	18PC 50PS -MD 12AG 9TMR 16WP -MA 30EN 35FT	slithering 450, climbing 200	magical staff
War dog Sabrina (Tu)	24PC 11PS 19MD 20AG 8TMR 21WP 18EN 33FT	armour earth, strength stones, blending	vanilla bound animal, in card
Raven (Tu)	18PC 3PS 23MD 22AG 12TMR 22WP 10EN 24FT	blending	vanilla bound animal, in card
Midsummer Vixen (Tu)	12PC 5PS 19MD 24AG 6TMR 7EN 12FT 8MA	special ritually bound, blending	petit mort self, firelight and pyrotechnics from her tail

Other buffs

• Kurt: Transformation to a Werebear, and the ability to grow vines from himself.
• Boom Boom: 4 * Thorny vines that can be targeted by Enchant Plants.
• Tulip: 4 * Thorny vines that can be targeted by Enchant Plants.
• Tulip's Bear: Trial Heavy Plate armour (with minor environmental comfort controls). Silvered Claws and Teeth for undead fighting. (Rank 0)
• Lady Arcadia: Can into a duplicate of La Luna, can cast druidcraft

Daily Casting

• Tulip party Strength Stones, 4 * converse animals, bear, dog, raven, fox, 1 * Tracking 1 * Detect Traps & Snares
• Kurt - 1 * Herbal Lore, 1 * Detect Traps & Snares, 1 * Overland Way, 1 * Cat Vision.
• Arcadia
• Minerva Witchsight x3or4 Coruscade x1or2 Resistance to Light (when needed)

(Minerva can buff the entire party in one cast - so cheap on fatigue).

• Boom Boom - Fire Proofing, Fire Armour (How much Ft does Boom Boom use for this?)

Ft Recovery

• Herbal Teas - +4 Ft per meal.
• Fireball Whiskies - Restoratives from Boom Boom - 8/16. (36)

Unengaged Initatives

• Minerva: D+39
• Kurt: D+23 (26)

Watch Order

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1			2			3			4
5				6				7

Marching Order

Skirmish Formations (Front)
Default 1 2 3 4 5 6	Tracking/Scouting 1 2 3 4 5 6	Single File/Danger 1 2 3 4 5 6

Calendar

Autumn
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday		Th'rsday		Frysday		Reapsday		Sunday
	Lugnasad
Fruit (4)
			1	Guild Meeting Astrology: Warrior	2	Portal to Brastor Landing.	3	Arcadia, Tulip, Minerva to Emmitsburg.	4		5	Preparations completed.	6
	7		8		9		10		11		12		13
	14		15		16		17		18	Astrology: Warrior ends	19	Astrology: King starts	20
	21		22		23		24		25		26		27
	28		29		30
Harvest (5)
							1		2		3		4
	5		6		7		8		9		10		11
	12		13		14	Astrology: King ends	15	Equinox Astrology: Mother starts	16		17	Seagate Autumn Fair	18	Seagate Autumn Fair
	19	Harvest Moon	20		21		22		23		24		25
	26		27		28		29	Michaelmas	30
Vintage(6)
											1		2
	3		4		5		6		7		8		9
	10	Astrology: Mother ends	11	Astrology: Magician starts	12		13		14		15		16
	17	Blood Moon	18		19		20		21		22		23
	24		25		26		27		28		29		30	Beerfest