By AWizardInDallas on 12/17/2007 12:11 AM

From the Personal Journal of Saille Siannodel (Player Entry!):

Having established that Tybalt would come with us, and that he’d recovered well enough to walk (and fight, when need be), we proceeded down the staired hallway toward, we presumed, the other fiery door. Indeed, it led where we suspected and the amulet bearing the eye opened the curtain of flame, allowing passage to the platform that moved upward to the room where the statue lay.   We did not, however, ride the platform, having already deduced where it led. Instead, we went onward past the fiery door and down a set of steps. At the bottom, the hall was shored up with posts. The water that flowed from the third armory where Tybalt had been held prisoner also flowed down the hallway and steps, its motion having carved out a rough pool at what was once the corner where the hallway turned. Around the corner, we were greeted by more posts, and a woman dressed in purple robes standing before four copper doors, who introduced herself as Lurazz. After a bit of conversation, it was decided she would come with us, though some of us (myself and Duira in particular) did not trust her. It seemed odd, after all, that one woman could have gotten in this far where it took all of us. Despite her assurances that she’d done it all by magic, Duira and I both felt it best to keep an eye on her. I also intended to keep her away from Jalis.

We spread out across the four copper doors and our companions in front opened the doors at the same time. On the other side, we found a very large chamber, perhaps 100 feet to the ceiling and 70 feet long, with alcoves at its corners and steps leading to a high platform at the far end.

Greeting us, however, was a large insectile creature, which soon emitted a large, poisonous yellow-green cloud, through which we could not see it. Duira, in an apparent attempt to ... Read More »

By AWizardInDallas on 12/6/2007 7:59 AM

"I believe that Wizards of the Coast will continue to hack and hack and hack at D&D until it is no longer recognizable as D&D. No matter the prose, I have absolutely no desire to use any system mutated by the genetic drift of popularity contests and polls, marketing strategies, and general hype.

I have always used my own settings and mythology and don't want one built into the game rules anyway. What many people seem to have lost sight of is that D&D is what you make of it. I don't need anyone legislating setting, mythology or even the difference between moral right and wrong.

There were a multitude of great ideas that went into building D&D, over twenty-five years worth of ideas as a matter of fact, the very ideas that the gaming community is now turning on and complaining about as tired, old and boring. It looks like in this modern age the short attention span wins out rather than imagination.

There are great ideas now being cut from the game in the name of "streamlining" by a small number of "designers." D&D is headed for a huge, severe dumbing down, not streamlining. D&D will never be fast enough, not until it stops being a vehicle for interactive story-telling and becomes the card game, the video game or the miniatures combat game, all of which it is becoming."

Response to EN World Post: Settings - Defining its own Mythology

By AWizardInDallas on 12/5/2007 11:05 PM

Saille: 4th Level Monk/3rd Level Rogue (High Elven Ascetic Rogue)

From the Personal Journal of Saille Siannodel (Player Entry!):

"After much deliberation, we decided on some possible solutions to our conundrum:  Draupnir thought perhaps we could bring down one of the gnolls and hold it up before the eyes, thinking that perhaps the eyes were searching for their particular form.  Duira, however, produced a scroll, from which she summoned a shape of a gnoll with an amulet about its neck in the shape of a triple flail similar to the image that had been on the inner wooden fortification in the entrance above.  She had it move to each of the gates in turn.  While it was much easier than dragging a dead gnoll past the troll, and to each of the doors, it was also ineffective.

Finally, we decided that two of us would have to go through the flames.  Two of the platforms appeared to go up and two went down.  Almost arbitrarily, we chose to go through one of the ones that went up.  It was decided that Hilda should go, as they would need a fighter in the event they met someone on the other side of the flames.  My heart sank as they also decided to send Jalis, because it would mean I could not go through and save him if something ha ... Read More »

By AWizardInDallas on 12/5/2007 11:05 PM

The arrangements had been made and the fellowship would be meeting in the library of the Shining Citadel for teleport to the second sliver of Slaughtergarde.  From there they would activate the gate mechanism built by the bizarre former celestial-turned-dwarf composer and astrologist, Urmanz.  They decided to act on Captain Harrak's seeming belief that it would at last take them to the undiscovered third sliver of Slaughtergarde.  They would then use the Obsidian Fist to close forever a thus far unopened gate leading from hell to the mortal world.  The dwarves would at last fulfill their part in the prophesy whispered by ratlings several moons ago and overheard by Jalis.

An old somewhat decrepit wizard named Ulrich Vorp would be performing the teleport.  They were surprised to learn that he would be doing so from a scroll, though not that he would not be accompanying them, perhaps.  When questioned by Draupnir, Ulrich reassured him that his master had prepared the scroll himself.  Draupnir laughed that such an old wizard would still have a master?  In any case it appeared that the spell would be a simple sending and Ulrich asked them to join hands...

But the fellowship did not arrive at the third sliver of the Slaughtergarde.  They arrived instead in the midst of enemies in the sewers of Sumberton.  Something had gone terribly wrong and they were now surrounded by ratlings!  Before they could contemplate the apparent betrayal that had taken place, a figure spoke from a crumbling make-shift stone throne at the head of the hall.  The hard voice commanded that, "the Obsidian Fist must be taken from them!  Give us the fist.  Now!"  The fellowship was stunned to silence but took note of the commanding man in red dragon armor sitting atop the throne, his hard dark face, cur ... Read More »

By AWizardInDallas on 12/5/2007 10:40 PM

Sumberton Plague Ghoul

The fellowship descended Mount Arachnos in victory at last.  They were satisfied with the results of their negotiations with the dwarves of Kaurak Kholzil this time, having opened a fork of the ancient mine once closed for ten years.  They had also secured aid for the Shining Citadel and adamantine armor for its finest members.  Last, but certainly foremost, they now had the Obsidian Fist.

They also found that, despite a few spider bites, Urmanz had cared very well for their horses, a task he didn't seem to mind.  Urmanz asked the fellowship if he could accompany them as far as Krokarr.  His business with Mount Arachnos was now completed he said.  Redhawk, the griffon that once bore him as a rider of Kaurak Kholzil, had been avenged and he had amassed enough phase potion to sell in a city, allowing him to begin a new life elsewhere.  He was tired of living amongst spiders too.  The fellowship graciously acquiesced to his request and Urmanz rode with Draupnir.  They confirmed their decision to make for Krokarr, expressing some distaste for the lukewarm honor of the dwarves there, but knowing that taking a road south would mean possibly entering the domain of the red dragon they'd started hearing rumors about.

It wasn't long before the fellowship met travelers on th ... Read More »