Lands of Cantona - Session 4

Last session our heroes (Ragnar the elven fighter, Larry the human fighter, Tak the human cleric of Trithereon and Cesar the human druid) were in the village of Baz planning to go to the walled port town of Cantona to sell their newfound stash of old coins. They rested at "The Dice & Raven Inn" before starting a 3-day walk from the fringes of the Welkwood Forest to the coast of the Wooly Bay. 

Unbeknownst to them, "Snarl" Davos, the owner of the villages' trading post sent a pigeon with a message to his accomplices at a bandit camp near the fork to Beachcourt on the road to Cantona. 

On the second day of travel, when the party, along with two men-at-arms and two torchbearers (these last two carrying the chest with the coins), reached that point, the alerted group of bandits sprung the ambush. Two archers and a crossbowman peppered them from higher gourd on the sides, while four footmen with sword and shield charged supported by a mounted bandit with spear and shield. All this happened commanded by a mounted bandit leader from the rear. 

While Ragnar charged past the footmen to attack the leader, Cesar cast Entangle on the archers disabling them for the rest of the fight, and Larry, Tak and the men-at-arms faced the footmen. One of the men-at-arms fell, but so did a couple of bandits. Cesar the cast Faerie Fire on the remaining attackers. Meanwhile Ragnar had to sacrifice his shield pierced by a spear strike that  otherwise would have ended him, and continued fighting holding his elven sword two-handed. 

Mortally wounded the leader tried to escape but was killed by Ragnar. At the same time two more bandit fell and the remaining mounted bandit turned his horse and fled, and so did the crossbowmen. Since most of the party members were wounded they decided not to pursue the survivors. They bind their wounds the best they could, with Tak casting Cure Light Wounds on the elf who was hurt worse. The entangled archers were captured and tied down, and they buried the fallen men-at-arms. Also Cesar went after the spooked bandit leader mount and cast Animal Friendship on it. They gathered all the armors (6 leather, 1 chainmail, 5 shields) and weapons (5 longswords, 2 short bows, 18 arrows, 1 spear), and also a signet ring and a note from the bandit leader. 

"The Druid and the Elf have the Arn gold. They drag it in a metal box. Intercept at the fork. — D."

Cesar cast Detect Magic on the lot and determined the bandit leader longsword, the only one with a gem adorning the hilt, had a aura. With that, they looked for a suitable place to camp and spend the night. The prisoners were interrogated separately and, after being threatened with duress, one declared he was new and knew nothing and the other "spilled the beans". The latter told them the leader received a pigeon on their camp in the woods and informed them to prepare to set up an ambush. He also gave up the name of the horsed bandit that escaped (Rollo). They discussed about the fate of the prisoners and finally decided to turn them to the authorities of Cantona. That night, the party's camp was attacked by a giant spider and I randomly rolled who it will attack: it snatched away the tied up prisoners! 

The next day they arrived at Cantona. At the gates the watchmen asked their business in town, a scribe

wrote down their names and collected the entry toll for people and mounts. They asked directions for a moneychanger and went there to sell the chest of coins. After selling the coins Tak and Cesar, along with the men-at-arms and torchbearers went to secure lodgings at "The Giant Clam", while Ragnar and Larry went to the town's market, one to sell the loot (the bandits' weapons and armors) and the other to sell his magical potion. 

To my amazement, Larry's approach was to shout to the four winds "I have a magical potion to sell!". Almost immediately three "customers" showed up interested. They warned him he couldn't be selling things without a permit from the guild and, if he accompanied them, they would gladly sort it out for him for just a 10 gp fee. He made a counter offer of giving 3 gp each to forget everything and let him be, but they pushed it. They told him to surrender the potion to them and they will split the earnings with him. When he refused one of the thieves proceeded to successfully pick pocket the potion (I rolled 05%!). The robbers then ran each in a different direction and Larry chased after one, managed to grab it by the collar, only to end up with a cloak in his hands. Frustrated, he just waited for the Watch to show up and went to their HQ to give a description of the robbers. While he was waiting, a satisfied Ragnar returned after managing to secure a brand new armor, a plate mail. 

After Larry left with the Watch, Ragnar made some inquires around the market to see if anyone had seen anything. A beggar pleading "A coin for a veteran of the wars!" caught his eye and he asked him about the robbery. "Ah yes, they belong to the Syndicate..." said the beggar after securing some coins from the elf, who pressed for more information on where to find it. More coins changed hands and the beggar delivered "Look for any place with an inverted V over a line (the same symbol the signet ring had!) discretely engraved on the door jamb...". After asking for a precise place and some more coins, he came with the name of "The Red Rapier", a tavern on South of town. With that information he went back to the "The Giant Clam" to relay what happened to Tak and Cesar, and wait for Larry.

On his way back from the Watch HQ, Larry lost his way and got distracted by a lady of the night, just enough for a thief to get behind him and try to knock him out with a sap. Too bad for the thief that failed his move silently check and Larry swiftly managed to attack him (my nephew rolled a natural 20!). I ruled that he chopped the poor's guy hand clean off. The screams of the wounded thief and the street walker alerted the hood. Soon enough Larry was running for his life chased by an angry mob. Luckily he managed to get back to his friends unharmed. Over a dinner the group decided to check "The Red Rapier" the following day.

The tavern was a seedy and shady place with few patrons, a couple chatting over their drinks, one drunkard slumped over a table full of empty mugs, a lonely man smoking a pipe and the bartender. Ragnar, wearing the signet ring went sat at the bar while Larry, Tak and Cesar took a table. The bartender served Ragnar and noticed the ring, the went to serve the table. While pouring the drinks for them he asked Ragnar "Is the tower still standing?". The elf was caught off guard by the question and just replied "Unfortunately not anymore." and the bartender knew he was not a Syndicate member. He casually adjusted a torch sconce and went about his business. The elf found that odd and started asking questions about it, but the bartender just dodged them. Things got heated as Ragnar started demanding answers and got none. The bartender headed for the kitchen followed by the elf. One of the patrons darted for the door while the other two stood up. Cesar went for the fleeing one hitting him on the back of his head. The guy stumbled out of the tavern. The guy that was smoking threw darts on Cesar, Tak and Larry. They all got hit, but only Larry slumped on the floor asleep. The remaining patron, short sword in hand, closed on Ragnar from behind while he knocked the bartender out. The cook moved to attack the elf with a meat cleaver. Cesar caught the stumbling guy outside and helped him back into the tavern as if he was too drunk. Once inside he closed the door. Meanwhile, Tak got stabbed by his attacker and Ragnar exchanged blows with his' killing the cook. Cesar and Tak, despite being both wounded, managed to take down the remaining attacker. They then woke up Larry and rounded up the bartender and the fleeing one, from which they got some answers before the Watch arrived.

• The question the bartender asked was a safe phrase between the Syndicate members.
• "Over the waves" was the expected answer.
• The torch sconce position was a signal if the place was secure or not.
• A guy named Rollo (the one that escaped at the ambush site) came a few days ago "to gather some muscle for a job"

Gygaxian Scroll of Honor

Today, I finally received an email from Paul J. Stormberg, President of the Gygax Memorial Fund (looks like yesterday there was a hiccup with their mail server) saying that my Gygaxian Scroll of Honor was ready for download. Now the only thing left to do is print it (maybe after removing the red background?), frame it and hang it on the wall.

The rewards as a 7th Level Adventurer of Gygax includes, apart from this scroll, that my name would be on the Gygaxian Wall of Honor and also the maps & keys of Greysterne Castle that cover the Lands & Ruins as well as the following dungeon levels:

1. Warrens of the Rat King
2. Gates of the Goblin Chiefs
3. Temples of the Orc God
4. Mines of the Hobgoblins
5. Hunting Grounds of the Gnoll Pack
6. Lagoons of the Lizard King
   
   And, since I choose the Complete Castle Greysterne add-on, I get the entire 18-level dungeon!
   
   
7. Burrows of the Bugbear Chief
8. Halls of the Ogre Lord
9. Mind Maze of the Minotaurs
10. Tiers of the Troll Dens
11. Halls of the Hill Giant Chief
12. Glacial Crevasse of the Frost Giant Jarl
13. Forges of the Fire Giant King
14. Castellan of the Cloud Giants
15. Aerie of the Azure Dragons
16. Infernal Pits of the Dragon Queen
17. Sepulcher of the Vampire Lord
18. Necropolis of the Lich King

On 2024, I travelled to Lake Geneva all the way from URUGUAY for Gary Con XVI and the 50th anniversary of D&D. Hope to visit again to see this memorial!

Happy Birthday D&D from 330 Center Street

Today everyone who supported the Kickstarter of the "Gary Gygax Memorial Game Table for Dungeons & Dragons Fans by Gygax Memorial" received an update from Paul J. Stormberg, President of the Gygax Memorial Fund. In there we could read about a nice tidbit of D&D history: on February 18th, 1973 Dave Arneson met with Gary at 330 Center St., Lake Geneva, WI to show him his Blackmoor game.

Check the video Paul J. Stomberg made to celebrate that milestone:

We can read more about that date in the video description: "On this date in 1973 when Arneson met with Gary to show him Blackmoor and Dave Megarry's game, DUNGEON! In a letter to Dave Arneson, Gary Gygax says, "looking forward to seeing you around the 19th" and "I'm eagerly awaiting information on BLACKMOOR" and in another postcard from February 7th, 1974, Gary Gygax tells Dave Arneson, "Printer has D&D nearly done, so your copy should be in mail next week." Thus Dave would have likely received his copy around the same time as the game concept was originally demonstrated a year earlier, around the 18th of February. That ties the introduction of Blackmoor through the development of D&D to its release into a neat little 1 year time frame. So, happy birthday D&D!"

Knowing that the original manuscript of Castle Greyhawk from 1973, the original characters' cards and the dices, all of them invaluable pieces of D&D history, are being so lovingly kept and preserved is very refreshing and evocative. 

Campaign update

What happened since last update on March 2025? A lot!

When we last left our heroes they were deep in the Suss Forest and about to begin exploring the Ruins of Nol-Daer (Dungeon Magazine #13). After tracking missing dwarven miners to the ruins, the group faced a gauntlet of spriggans, manes, and a couple of deadly Black Dragons. They also found an old ally, Naahzruhn the cambion, who had the miners digging under the ruins while he bides his time to go after Markessa. He bargains with the group the freedom of the miners for information about Markessa's hideout in the Suss.

With that, they set for the villainous Markessa and a brutal siege of her underground semi-flooded stronghold ensued (A6 Die, Marquessa Die! from casl Entertainment). The party and its allies prevailed against her human and norker minions, but at a heavy price. Rivers, the party's elven thief, fell in battle, only to be brought back by the ultimate magic: a Wish spell. While Markessa and her lieutenant fled, the party secured a massive dragon hoard—though transporting "two crates and five chests" through a forest full of Kobold hordes and six-legged displacer beasts proved to be a logistical nightmare.

After that, the party took to the waves aboard the "River’s Bargain" from the port city of Fax back to the Pomarj's northern shore. Meriven, the cleric of St. Cuthbert, and Stengar the cavalier had a promise to fulfill, free the town of Lost Fenrill from its ghostly curse. They explored the shadow-haunted town and they didn't just survive; they conducted a masterclass in looting, emptying the Merchant’s Guild vaults of gems, paintings and ancient tomes. When 150+ Orcs of the Crooked Claw clan cornered them, the party broke the line with steel and spell, eventually using Hallucinatory Terrain to craft a ghostly "Earth Dragon" mist to cover their departure towards Safeton.

The party returns to their winter quarters, sailing up the Wild Coast, upriver the Selintan river past the Free City of Greyhawk and into the Nyr Dyv, around the Greyhawk Peninsula and into the Velverdyva river estuary to finally dock in the city of Dyvers. A final leg by land to Sobanwych and Twilight Falls just before the end of the year.

Sobanwych: Stengar will spend this downtime time patrolling his lands and training his followers, as well as strengthening the ties with the Gnarley Rangers and the several elven clans of the forest. Meanwhile Meriven will supervise the progress on the construction of the "Cuberthine Abbey of the Steadfast Way" and also scribe some scrolls.

Twilight Falls: Kothar’s ambitious library project, a shrine to Delleb, is nearing completion under the close inspection of cleric-librarian Adso of Mol and magic-user apprentice Aladram. With the addition of the tomes from the Sanctum of the Absent Mage, Markessa's stronghold and the vaults of the Merchant's guild of Lost Fenrill, it starting to slowly grow into a beacon of knowledge. Kothar works with Guy of Korbin, his alchemist, to craft some potions. Seraktikor, the gnomish sage at his service, successfully completes the study of the exotic objects from the Merchant’s Guild of Fenrill and answers a specific question about contacting a creature from another plane (noctral). Kothar also spends some time researching a new spell and scribing a scroll.

Dyvers: Rivers and his crew sails the "River's Bargain" up and down the Velverdyva and western Nyr Dyv ports dealing on different goods and making a substantial profit out of it.

Winter turns into Spring, and the party decide it is time to explore the map Rivers found some time ago hidden in his ship's figurehead. Kothar travels to Sobanwych to join Meriven and Teodric, and together they travel to the port of Caltaran to rendezvous with Rivers. From there they sail to the west coast of the Greyhawk Peninsula (WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk - The Tomb of Karyne).

While the party is busy with all these tasks, a silent threat looms. Kothar's Leomund’s Secret Chest, a long reliable storage solution, has been compromised. An Intellect Devourer discovered the chest in the Ethereal Plane and it is currently waiting inside... lurking for the moment the chest is next summoned.

Lands of Cantona - Session 3

Happy New Year! This is the recap of Session 3 of my new campaign "Lands of Cantona" that I am running for my two nephews, my son and my wife. The party is composed by Ragnar the elven fighter, Larry the human fighter, Tak the human cleric of St. Cuthbert and Cesar the human druid.

~ o ~

In the end they decided to go up and out and follow the treasure map that showed 3000 coins buried about 10 miles East from the castle. On their way out of the castle they find a patrol of 8 dwarves from the Bloodaxe clan led by Gatnur Bonechin.

After that they follow the path South and, before reaching the bridge, they turn East following the stream under a thin fog. Under Cesar’s guidance they manage to keep from getting lost. After a couple of hours they reach a fault scarp that runs North-South and drops about 30 feet to a hilly terrain. Everyone manages to navigate the way down except Larry that tumbles down the last 10 feet suffering minor injuries. By Cesar’s estimations they must be near the place shown on the map but they see nothing that marks it.

They were atop a hill looking around when a 9 feet tall brutish humanoid wielding a crude wooden club charges at them! A fierce combat ensued with hits and misses by both sides, with the fighters scarifying their shields to avoid deadly blows, and spells cast by the cleric and druid. The creature was defeated and the party was binding their wound when another, similar but smaller creature, attacked them. Some lucky blows brought the creature down before it could be a threat.

They searched the ogres, as they called them, and found that the bigger one had a bag with gold pieces (500). When they find they are all of the same mint (a tower over waves on one side and a man's profile with the letters ARN SON BARONIS on the other), one they didn't recognize. They decided to search for the lair of the creatures and their findings led them to a nearby cave filled with bones, hide and half eaten carcasses. Among this filth they found a metal chest filled with 5 large sacks all containing silver pieces (2500) with the same mint as the gold ones.

They prepared camp away from the cave and the next day under a great storm they started their way back to the village of Baz dragging the treasure chest. The travel was uneventful until they reached a stream by nightfall where they came across a herd of wild cattle. After a miserable but uneventful night, the next day still under a heavy rain they enter the woods. By late afternoon they found a group of Sylvan elves with whom they share camp. They manage to get from the elves a longbow, arrows and a dagger. 

By midday of the next day they arrived to the village of Baz and went to see Arin the moneychanger. They didn't agree on the exchange rate for the coins and said they were going to the city of Cantona. With that idea in mind they went to the trading post, run by the nefarious "Snarl" Davos and his partner Gregam, but they found their prices of goods and horses too high.

~ o ~  

The session ended with the party in town, with some treasure and divided about what to do.