The calendars of stuffed animals are fuller than you might imagine and it's been a while since the group's had a chance to get together.
And so, recently I've sought out other people to play with. This was my first experience playing 3.5. My knowledge of it was based largely on the assessments of its detractors, so I was curious to see for myself. My personal mix of Moldvay/1e/2e suits me fine, so questions of conversion are irrelevant, but there are a few ways that I might make my campaign even a little more syncretic . . .
1) Flanking. It makes sense, it’s easy to implement, and it adds significant tactical interest. Just like it’s much easier to attack something when you’re sneaking up behind them, it’s also a little easier when you and a friend are attacking them from opposite sides. If +4 makes sense from behind, then +2 makes sense flanking. And it encourages players to visualize the scene (probably via miniatures or markers) in order to get that advantage.
2) A player can take on some traffic-direction duties in combat. Maybe not particular to 3.5, but to this DM’s style. He used individual initiative. In 3.5, you roll it once which makes it easier than rolling every round. And the DM’s helper cycled through, giving each person their “turn.” I’m going to try this. More often I make everything happen at once, but that requires me to keep a lot in my head, and results in longer periods of radio silence than I would like.
3) Think about attacks of opportunity. I’m not going to try to use the 3.5 rules, but I will think about the ways that certain actions might allow one’s adversary a “free attack.”
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Gwinch in the ruins of the old city
Based on accounts of Tetsukichi and Beatriss, Gwich decided to make his own explorations of the House of Lord Jourdain. He organized quite a large party, with himself and his assistant Saisho at the core, in partnership with Cair and Myrrha PLUS his newly-recruited sohei (14!) and 2 of his original sohei from Zipang. Khanbaliq has rules about moving about with such a large group, and most people are restricted from moving between the green zone and the outer city—and the reverse is even more strict of course. So Saisho, working over several days, made all of the “new” sohei invisible.
This created its own problems. As more sohei became invisible, the maids of Gwinch’s household began having problems with “spirits.” While Gwinch answered the maids cries for help, the invisible sohei became increasingly ruthless—threatening to kill women who didn’t remain quiet in the face of their advances. Gwinch was more than ready when the time to visit Jourdain’s house arrived.
The Hop Sing (a.k.a. Dirty Rain) gang, had made a claim to the House, with about two dozen of their members camped throughout the ground floor. They were in the process of converting it into a tavern and brothel, and offered Gwinch and associates a promotional discount. But they were also willing to accommodate a desire to kill monsters. The party was admitted in to the dining room, barricaded inside, and told to remove the pile of rocks blocking a hole in the fireplace. Gwinch devised a nice trap to control the outflow of ghouls to about one or two at a time, to be easily dispatched by superior numbers. But the trap malfunctioned a couple times and when this happened, Gwinch lost two sohei . Gwinch decided to take their bodies to the Temple of the Two-Fold Path.
Sheeva was caustic at first, asking the monks around her whether any of them wanted to join Gwinch and get killed. But Gwinch was supplicant, and an agreement was made that Sheeva would accompany Gwinch to his house while the monks prepared their brothers’ bodies for a funeral, and that this would occur the next day.
Back at Gwinch’s house, Sheeva explained that the temple was in such bad place because of the extortionary activities of the various gangs who ruled the ruins of the city. She wanted to go back to the Kobar valley. Gwinch was willing to accompany her, but he was duty-bound to assist in preparing a banquet. So they advised a better plan—Gwinch would insinuate that Sheeva had fled the city, so that her enemies would seek her outside while she was in fact laying low at Gwinch’s house. So Gwinch returned to the temple with Saisho and a group of sohei, to start the rumor and to perform the funeral.
The monks heard the news with anger, certain that Sheeva had stolen from them. Ali, a secular man who resided at the temple, heard Gwinch’s story and responded with shock and outrage, but did not resolve to do anything, suggesting blithely that Gwinch should “just do the funeral himself.” In the course of his short visit, he saw other signs of the temples weirdness. There were twin monks who accussed and attacked each other. And there was talk about the flying creatures in the garden whom some wanted killed and others thought should be protected. At last the funeral was conducted outside the temple, in a clear spot among the ruins.
Gwinch agreed with Sheeva that she should be his teacher and this involved allowing her to stay in his room, while he went to stay with the maids. (They were honors to have the master protecting them from the spirits.) And then he decided to make another foray to the House of Jourdain.
Won Lee, of the Sing Hop gang explained that he and his men had dealt with the rest of the ghouls themselves. If they were interested in exploring the basement, they would need to accompanied by some of his men who would expect a share of the treasure. Also, he was required to secure their safe return by leaving a sum of insurance money. Gwinch had no money and so hostages were accepted as a substitute.
In the cellars, they came upon a group of humans adventurers who seemed more or less normal except that they were fast asleep in a dank musty cellar room and that the women in their group was wrestling in her sleep with a fox. When the party entered the room, the fox fled, and the sleepers awakened. The woman was distressed that “Omesa” was gone, while others were distressed that the sumptuous banquet they had just enjoyed was in fact nothing more than cobwebs and dust. The leader of the group was a member of the diplomatic mission from Zipang—he and Gwinch made a mutual agreement to keep each other’s presence in the house of Jourdain a secret and to meet in the future to discuss the mysterious fox.
This created its own problems. As more sohei became invisible, the maids of Gwinch’s household began having problems with “spirits.” While Gwinch answered the maids cries for help, the invisible sohei became increasingly ruthless—threatening to kill women who didn’t remain quiet in the face of their advances. Gwinch was more than ready when the time to visit Jourdain’s house arrived.
The Hop Sing (a.k.a. Dirty Rain) gang, had made a claim to the House, with about two dozen of their members camped throughout the ground floor. They were in the process of converting it into a tavern and brothel, and offered Gwinch and associates a promotional discount. But they were also willing to accommodate a desire to kill monsters. The party was admitted in to the dining room, barricaded inside, and told to remove the pile of rocks blocking a hole in the fireplace. Gwinch devised a nice trap to control the outflow of ghouls to about one or two at a time, to be easily dispatched by superior numbers. But the trap malfunctioned a couple times and when this happened, Gwinch lost two sohei . Gwinch decided to take their bodies to the Temple of the Two-Fold Path.
Sheeva was caustic at first, asking the monks around her whether any of them wanted to join Gwinch and get killed. But Gwinch was supplicant, and an agreement was made that Sheeva would accompany Gwinch to his house while the monks prepared their brothers’ bodies for a funeral, and that this would occur the next day.
Back at Gwinch’s house, Sheeva explained that the temple was in such bad place because of the extortionary activities of the various gangs who ruled the ruins of the city. She wanted to go back to the Kobar valley. Gwinch was willing to accompany her, but he was duty-bound to assist in preparing a banquet. So they advised a better plan—Gwinch would insinuate that Sheeva had fled the city, so that her enemies would seek her outside while she was in fact laying low at Gwinch’s house. So Gwinch returned to the temple with Saisho and a group of sohei, to start the rumor and to perform the funeral.
The monks heard the news with anger, certain that Sheeva had stolen from them. Ali, a secular man who resided at the temple, heard Gwinch’s story and responded with shock and outrage, but did not resolve to do anything, suggesting blithely that Gwinch should “just do the funeral himself.” In the course of his short visit, he saw other signs of the temples weirdness. There were twin monks who accussed and attacked each other. And there was talk about the flying creatures in the garden whom some wanted killed and others thought should be protected. At last the funeral was conducted outside the temple, in a clear spot among the ruins.
Gwinch agreed with Sheeva that she should be his teacher and this involved allowing her to stay in his room, while he went to stay with the maids. (They were honors to have the master protecting them from the spirits.) And then he decided to make another foray to the House of Jourdain.
Won Lee, of the Sing Hop gang explained that he and his men had dealt with the rest of the ghouls themselves. If they were interested in exploring the basement, they would need to accompanied by some of his men who would expect a share of the treasure. Also, he was required to secure their safe return by leaving a sum of insurance money. Gwinch had no money and so hostages were accepted as a substitute.
In the cellars, they came upon a group of humans adventurers who seemed more or less normal except that they were fast asleep in a dank musty cellar room and that the women in their group was wrestling in her sleep with a fox. When the party entered the room, the fox fled, and the sleepers awakened. The woman was distressed that “Omesa” was gone, while others were distressed that the sumptuous banquet they had just enjoyed was in fact nothing more than cobwebs and dust. The leader of the group was a member of the diplomatic mission from Zipang—he and Gwinch made a mutual agreement to keep each other’s presence in the house of Jourdain a secret and to meet in the future to discuss the mysterious fox.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Play report: More intrigue in Khanbaliq
Both Gwinch and Kishi competed in the second day of the tournament. Kishi showed well against a fierce, “Iron Fisted” barbarian, and Gwinch was defeated only by Sensei Lu-che, the local favorite who went on to win the tournament. Among their fans were a group of hungry monks from the Temple of Two-Fold path who begged Gwinch to let them join his household. While this annoyed their superior, and caused some consternation at the gates to the green city, Gwinch rode the way of popular enthusiasm and no one raised any outward objections.
In the weeks that followed, while Kishi was off on secret business of her own, the new sohei made themselves at home in Gwinch’s compound. The quarters were tight, but the food was plentiful, and while one disappeared, the other 14 remained. They explained that things weren’t good at the Temple, and that Sheeva, the foreign priestess was keeping all the Temple’s money for her own use. Kishi and Gwinch resolved to make a reconnaissance mission to find out more.
Before they could put the plan into effect, Saisho alerted them that someone was spying on them. Saisho made them invisible and they chased the spies through the green city, and over a wall into the outer city, where they managed to apprehend one of them. Sure enough, they were from the Temple, and had been sent to see what Gwinch’s teaching were. When pressed, the captured spy admitted that conditions at the Temple were hard, but expressed confidence in his own master. After washing up his wounds a little, they let him go.
And the next day, they made a call at the Temple. The monks at the gate were suspicious, but after some waiting, Gwinch and Kishi were granted an audience with Sheeva. She met them in the courtyard, then walked them down a corridor lined with fearsome statues and into the great temple room—a three story chamber dominated by the monumental statue of a robed figure holding a sword. Sheeva was supercilious and curt; after silencing Gwinch with her magic, she lectured him on the place of adversity in seeking enlightenment and on the paramount importance of respecting his superiors. She suggested that he should invite her to his compound so that she could further enlighten him.
In the weeks that followed, while Kishi was off on secret business of her own, the new sohei made themselves at home in Gwinch’s compound. The quarters were tight, but the food was plentiful, and while one disappeared, the other 14 remained. They explained that things weren’t good at the Temple, and that Sheeva, the foreign priestess was keeping all the Temple’s money for her own use. Kishi and Gwinch resolved to make a reconnaissance mission to find out more.
Before they could put the plan into effect, Saisho alerted them that someone was spying on them. Saisho made them invisible and they chased the spies through the green city, and over a wall into the outer city, where they managed to apprehend one of them. Sure enough, they were from the Temple, and had been sent to see what Gwinch’s teaching were. When pressed, the captured spy admitted that conditions at the Temple were hard, but expressed confidence in his own master. After washing up his wounds a little, they let him go.
And the next day, they made a call at the Temple. The monks at the gate were suspicious, but after some waiting, Gwinch and Kishi were granted an audience with Sheeva. She met them in the courtyard, then walked them down a corridor lined with fearsome statues and into the great temple room—a three story chamber dominated by the monumental statue of a robed figure holding a sword. Sheeva was supercilious and curt; after silencing Gwinch with her magic, she lectured him on the place of adversity in seeking enlightenment and on the paramount importance of respecting his superiors. She suggested that he should invite her to his compound so that she could further enlighten him.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
play report: martial arts tournament in Khanbaliq
We played another Princes’ Kingdom + D&D mashup game, this time with Bubu Singe playing Gwinch, his regular character, and one of Bubu’s human child friends playing a mysterious urchin who refused to give his name, but allowed himself to be called “Bucko.” The session was part of my “regular” D&D campaign and took place in Khanbaliq, with most of the action centering around a “komite”, TSR’s word for a martial arts tournament. Combining D&D with The Princes’ Kingdom made sense to me in two ways. First, the subject matter was more child-appropriate than most D&D games. Second, the mechanics of The Princes’ Kingdom do a better job than D&D with non-lethal physical challenges.
Besides the tournament itself, there were a couple side-plot elements. The Great Kam called a short meeting of representatives from Zipang, including Gwinch, where he announced that he would be welcoming an important visitor from Zipang in a couple months, and wished to invite the entire Zipang contingent to a banquet to honor the event. Because Gwinch understood Zipangese etiquette, but was deeply ensnared in its factional politics, the Great Kam wanted him to devise arrangements that would properly honor all attendees.
While in the forbidden city, Gwinch also made the acquaintance of Cair and Myrrha. Gwinch found that Cair and Myrrha spoke a language that while crude, was intelligible; for their part, Cair and Myrrha understood at least some of what he said in Alyan. So, while the conversation was one-sided, they were able to converse freely in front of Cair and Myrrha’s handlers. Among other topics they discussed Cair’s relation to wicked old Jourdain and the pair’s hopes to get some money and leave Khanbaliq. Cair also offered to give Gwinch some magical assistance in the martial arts tournament.
The tournament began with a series of speeches that doubled as test for stamina, weeding out the less qualified contestants. Here the Princes’ Kingdom rules really helped—instead of rolling a couple con checks, the players played from a pool of dice, calling on their previous experiences as the hours of speechifying wore on. I used the rules again for the test of speed and the test of reflexes. Rolling a dex check just doesn’t work for bringing out the drama of dodging a volley of arrows. And while the module I was using exhorted the DM to fully describe the events, it’s a much better tactic to ask the players to do some of the work of describing what they do and what happens to them.
Once it was time for the actual bouts to begin, Gwinch proved that he was more ensnared in factional politics than the Great Kam seemed to realize. His first opponent was Uesugi Kenchu, a former retainer of Sato Masoko, who seemed to regard the tournament as an opportunity to at last avenge his late master. Besides his martial prowess as a veteran samurai, Kenchu showed signs of having received some magical assistance. Not as much as Gwinch, however who, besides accepting Cair’s offer, also asked Saisho to use his powers against Kenchu. It was a short, brutal battle, and Gwinch came out on top.
Bucko, meanwhile, won his battle against Kwan Wan Lo.
Besides the tournament itself, there were a couple side-plot elements. The Great Kam called a short meeting of representatives from Zipang, including Gwinch, where he announced that he would be welcoming an important visitor from Zipang in a couple months, and wished to invite the entire Zipang contingent to a banquet to honor the event. Because Gwinch understood Zipangese etiquette, but was deeply ensnared in its factional politics, the Great Kam wanted him to devise arrangements that would properly honor all attendees.
While in the forbidden city, Gwinch also made the acquaintance of Cair and Myrrha. Gwinch found that Cair and Myrrha spoke a language that while crude, was intelligible; for their part, Cair and Myrrha understood at least some of what he said in Alyan. So, while the conversation was one-sided, they were able to converse freely in front of Cair and Myrrha’s handlers. Among other topics they discussed Cair’s relation to wicked old Jourdain and the pair’s hopes to get some money and leave Khanbaliq. Cair also offered to give Gwinch some magical assistance in the martial arts tournament.
The tournament began with a series of speeches that doubled as test for stamina, weeding out the less qualified contestants. Here the Princes’ Kingdom rules really helped—instead of rolling a couple con checks, the players played from a pool of dice, calling on their previous experiences as the hours of speechifying wore on. I used the rules again for the test of speed and the test of reflexes. Rolling a dex check just doesn’t work for bringing out the drama of dodging a volley of arrows. And while the module I was using exhorted the DM to fully describe the events, it’s a much better tactic to ask the players to do some of the work of describing what they do and what happens to them.
Once it was time for the actual bouts to begin, Gwinch proved that he was more ensnared in factional politics than the Great Kam seemed to realize. His first opponent was Uesugi Kenchu, a former retainer of Sato Masoko, who seemed to regard the tournament as an opportunity to at last avenge his late master. Besides his martial prowess as a veteran samurai, Kenchu showed signs of having received some magical assistance. Not as much as Gwinch, however who, besides accepting Cair’s offer, also asked Saisho to use his powers against Kenchu. It was a short, brutal battle, and Gwinch came out on top.
Bucko, meanwhile, won his battle against Kwan Wan Lo.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Return to the House of Lord Jourdain (Part II)
In the week or so since B&T’s first successful venture into Jourdain’s house, words of their having successfully lifted the curse had spread throughout Khanbaliq. A small crowd gathered around the party as they passed through the outer city, and once outside the city walls, they found a larger crowd, perhaps two hundred people milling about on the flood plain between Khanbaliq’s walls and the river, with Jourdain’s house the focal point. They spectators kept a safe distance; many perched in trees or in the remains of other buildings at least one hundred yards from Jourdain’s compound. Likewise, the hangers-on fell away as the party neared their objective.
As they reached the gates, however, they met another group, about a dozen men, armed with swords, spears, and an abundance of bravado, patrolled the area just outside the gate. They were making sure nothing comes out. “And to keep everyone safe, no one goes in.”
“No one” did not mean Tetsukichi and Beatriss. Of course they could go in. And maybe they’d like some assistance. The leaders of the group, Ho-Jun and Chong, were accepted to accompany the party.
The party revisited some rooms on the main level, this time looking especially for objects of value. Ho-Jun and Chong were willing to open doors, and took first choice from Jourdain’s liquor collection. The party went upstairs and went wandering around, looking for locked doors to open. Behind one, they heard a woman’s voice: “Jourdain? Please. I forgive you. Let me out now. Please?”
When Beatriss answered, “It’s not Jourdain,” the voice inside turned angry, and a vengeful spirit stepped through the wall. Between Cair’s magic and the swords of Beatriss and Tetsukichi, they made short work of her and, with nothing left to talk about, opened the door. Here they found the look dead body that had once belonged to the angry spirit. After removing the body’s jewelry, they decided to leave the house. Ho-Jung and Chung loaded up on more alcohol on the way out, and all were greeted as heroes by the gang outside.
The party returned the very next day, this time determined to take a more methodical approach, and to make a map of the upstairs rooms. The tough guys outside had adopted a new strategy themselves. There were two guards outside the now padlocked gate. After paying a small courtesy fee, the party passed through the gates and entered the house where they found Ho-Jun, Chung, and the rest of the guys, several of whom had invited dates. Having drunk most of Jourdain’s alcohol, they had found his opium. Chung did not seem to be in any condition to do anything that required standing upright, but Ho-Jung was invited to once more assist the party. One of the women insisted that she wanted to see upstairs, too, and no one objected.
It was a short trip for Ho-Jun and his friend. Both were killed in the explosion triggered by the opening of a secret door in the library. And in the little room behind the door, the party found the dead, but well-preserved corpse of Jourdain, a collection of magical implements and, sitting cross-legged inside a chalk circle, Bayemon, the demon.
Beatriss refused his request to erase the circle, and while Tetsukichi was curious, he acquiesced to Beatriss’s command. Likewise, Beatriss wouldn’t allow anyone to search Jourdain or take anything from the room. The demon became threatening. Someone, he suggested would erase the circle eventually, and wouldn’t they rather be his friends than his enemies?
They hurriedly left the room, and closed the secret door, intent that no one else would see where it was.
They explored most of the rest of the upstairs, and looted the belongings of a dead wizard after dispatching his invisible guardian.
Finding themselves both wounded and semi-encumbered with treasure, the party decided to leave the house. Downstairs, they were confronted by Chung. They admitted his friend was dead and offered him 10 taels. He wanted more—he demanded “that whole bag.” The party backed out of the room; Chung and his men followed them. When they reached the gate, Cair cast a spell to knock of the lock, and the party fled successfully.
As they reached the gates, however, they met another group, about a dozen men, armed with swords, spears, and an abundance of bravado, patrolled the area just outside the gate. They were making sure nothing comes out. “And to keep everyone safe, no one goes in.”
“No one” did not mean Tetsukichi and Beatriss. Of course they could go in. And maybe they’d like some assistance. The leaders of the group, Ho-Jun and Chong, were accepted to accompany the party.
The party revisited some rooms on the main level, this time looking especially for objects of value. Ho-Jun and Chong were willing to open doors, and took first choice from Jourdain’s liquor collection. The party went upstairs and went wandering around, looking for locked doors to open. Behind one, they heard a woman’s voice: “Jourdain? Please. I forgive you. Let me out now. Please?”
When Beatriss answered, “It’s not Jourdain,” the voice inside turned angry, and a vengeful spirit stepped through the wall. Between Cair’s magic and the swords of Beatriss and Tetsukichi, they made short work of her and, with nothing left to talk about, opened the door. Here they found the look dead body that had once belonged to the angry spirit. After removing the body’s jewelry, they decided to leave the house. Ho-Jung and Chung loaded up on more alcohol on the way out, and all were greeted as heroes by the gang outside.
The party returned the very next day, this time determined to take a more methodical approach, and to make a map of the upstairs rooms. The tough guys outside had adopted a new strategy themselves. There were two guards outside the now padlocked gate. After paying a small courtesy fee, the party passed through the gates and entered the house where they found Ho-Jun, Chung, and the rest of the guys, several of whom had invited dates. Having drunk most of Jourdain’s alcohol, they had found his opium. Chung did not seem to be in any condition to do anything that required standing upright, but Ho-Jung was invited to once more assist the party. One of the women insisted that she wanted to see upstairs, too, and no one objected.
It was a short trip for Ho-Jun and his friend. Both were killed in the explosion triggered by the opening of a secret door in the library. And in the little room behind the door, the party found the dead, but well-preserved corpse of Jourdain, a collection of magical implements and, sitting cross-legged inside a chalk circle, Bayemon, the demon.
Beatriss refused his request to erase the circle, and while Tetsukichi was curious, he acquiesced to Beatriss’s command. Likewise, Beatriss wouldn’t allow anyone to search Jourdain or take anything from the room. The demon became threatening. Someone, he suggested would erase the circle eventually, and wouldn’t they rather be his friends than his enemies?
They hurriedly left the room, and closed the secret door, intent that no one else would see where it was.
They explored most of the rest of the upstairs, and looted the belongings of a dead wizard after dispatching his invisible guardian.
Finding themselves both wounded and semi-encumbered with treasure, the party decided to leave the house. Downstairs, they were confronted by Chung. They admitted his friend was dead and offered him 10 taels. He wanted more—he demanded “that whole bag.” The party backed out of the room; Chung and his men followed them. When they reached the gate, Cair cast a spell to knock of the lock, and the party fled successfully.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Return to House of Lord Jourdain (Part I)
Since their arrival in Khanbaliq roughly six months ago, both Gwinch and Beatriss have heard rumors that there are people “like them” in the city. When they heard this in Zipang, the people “like them” turned out to be simply foreigners from Zhou-dang, or even “barbarians” from the far north of the country. But Khanbaliq is cosmopolitan city. Most of the people are native to northern Zhou-dang or have emigrated from the “Horselands,” but besides the Zipang contingent, there are representatives from most every known empire, kingdom, nation between the Sea of Zipang and the Western Mountains.
And, rumor has it, even beyond. But while Beatriss has met someone who swears that she knew another woman who looked just like her—pale skin, pale hair, wide eyes, she had not met another Cynadicean. Likewise, Gwinch has not met another traveler from Alyan.
Enter Myrrha and Cair.
Myrrha tried to speak to Beatriss in a couple different languages, one of which sounded somewhat like Cynidicean, but was functionally unintelligible to Beatriss. (So they were forced to communicate in Zhou-dang.) Her features were similar to those of a Cynidicean, but her skin was darker than a Cynadicean's, and her hair nearly as dark as anyone in Zhou-dang or Zipang.
And Cair (the same shadowy man who had pointed out to Beatriss where to find Myrrha’s apartment) was also from a distant continent. According to Cair, he was in fact related to Lord Jourdain. Their common ancestor had visited Zhou-dang, and started a family in the predecessor city to Khanbaliq, but then had chosen a second wife to take back with him to his own country. Thus, while Cair stood out as a foreigner in Khanbaliq, he was also regarded as an outsider in the city of his birth. Although, overall, he had been disappointed to have not found a “real home” in Zho-dang, he was interested in paying his respects at the house of his long lost relative.
And so an agreement was soon reached. Beatriss, Tetsukichi, and Hatsu would be joined by Myrrha and Cair in making a follow-up visit to the House of Jourdain. Cair and Myrrha needed special permission to exit the forbidden city but the House of Mehwa was able to arrange this. Su-Laing’s relatives seemed to understand Cair’s sense of filial duty was at least partly pretextual, but they were also interested in getting a share of the wicked old foreigner’s fabled loot. Askaa and Ganbold would join the party to represent the family’s interests.
And, rumor has it, even beyond. But while Beatriss has met someone who swears that she knew another woman who looked just like her—pale skin, pale hair, wide eyes, she had not met another Cynadicean. Likewise, Gwinch has not met another traveler from Alyan.
Enter Myrrha and Cair.
Myrrha tried to speak to Beatriss in a couple different languages, one of which sounded somewhat like Cynidicean, but was functionally unintelligible to Beatriss. (So they were forced to communicate in Zhou-dang.) Her features were similar to those of a Cynidicean, but her skin was darker than a Cynadicean's, and her hair nearly as dark as anyone in Zhou-dang or Zipang.
And Cair (the same shadowy man who had pointed out to Beatriss where to find Myrrha’s apartment) was also from a distant continent. According to Cair, he was in fact related to Lord Jourdain. Their common ancestor had visited Zhou-dang, and started a family in the predecessor city to Khanbaliq, but then had chosen a second wife to take back with him to his own country. Thus, while Cair stood out as a foreigner in Khanbaliq, he was also regarded as an outsider in the city of his birth. Although, overall, he had been disappointed to have not found a “real home” in Zho-dang, he was interested in paying his respects at the house of his long lost relative.And so an agreement was soon reached. Beatriss, Tetsukichi, and Hatsu would be joined by Myrrha and Cair in making a follow-up visit to the House of Jourdain. Cair and Myrrha needed special permission to exit the forbidden city but the House of Mehwa was able to arrange this. Su-Laing’s relatives seemed to understand Cair’s sense of filial duty was at least partly pretextual, but they were also interested in getting a share of the wicked old foreigner’s fabled loot. Askaa and Ganbold would join the party to represent the family’s interests.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Play Report: The House of Lord Jourdain (Part IV)
After winning the keys from Jourdain’s servant, the party decided to try some of the locked doors in the basement. They discovered first an alchemy lab, and then some asphyxiating mold. Afu, somewhat panicked by the mold wanted to try to exit the compound, but as expected the gate would not open and there wasn’t even a keyhole to try one of their keys. Concluding that there must be another way out, the party ventured back into the house, checking out some of the rooms they’d missed on the first floor.
Lord Jourdain seemed to have a lot fun with is visitors, the high point for him being when Beatriss, in trying to open the door to his drinking parlor, came under the effect of a powerful hallucinogenic. White Bear raised some angry objections, and refused to roll “to hit” when I explained her friends had suddenly taken on demonic aspects and she had no choice but to fight them in deadly earnest. Lord Jourdain’s laghter increased with the party’s despair, and then at once fell silent, to be be succeeded by a flash of light and an explosion in the courtyard. In trying to grapple with the deranged Beatriss, the party lost both Qasqari and Hajip; they retreated to another room and barred the door. White Bear suggested, and I agreed, that Beatriss need not pursue them, but since she perceived them as a danger, flee in the other direction.
After poking around in the drinking parlor, the party decided to see what might have happened to Beatriss. They went back into the courtyard and saw two of Jourdain’s hounds, both standing tentatively in the arch of the now open gate, one of them holding something in its mouth. The party fired a volley of arrows and both hounds, turned and barked threateningly (the one dropping the thing in its mouth), but after being hit with a couple more arrows, ran away—out the gate.
The “thing in its mouth” turned out to be boot—chewed and charred, but still with traces of blue dye, and a couple of crushed bells attached.
The party left the compound, and found Beatriss, distraught over what she had done, but reconciled with her more customary perceptions of reality. Relieved to have escaped and with some evidence of what happened to Ikhbayar , the party decided to retrieve the bodies of Qasqari and Hajip and then returned home. Even in the ruins of the old city, carrying dead bodies invites questions. The party freely explained where they had been. And that wicked man was supposed to be rich? Maybe. They hadn’t found anything worth taking.
Back at the House of Mewha, there were questions about money. Tetsukichi gave the boot to Su-Laing and left with her the job of deciding what to tell Kei-lo.
Finally, on her way out of the forbidden city, Beatriss was approached by a shadowy man with a message. A priestess named Myrrha, who had quarters in the forbidden city would like a meeting at her convenience. The man pointed out where Myrrha could be found and then slipped away.
Lord Jourdain seemed to have a lot fun with is visitors, the high point for him being when Beatriss, in trying to open the door to his drinking parlor, came under the effect of a powerful hallucinogenic. White Bear raised some angry objections, and refused to roll “to hit” when I explained her friends had suddenly taken on demonic aspects and she had no choice but to fight them in deadly earnest. Lord Jourdain’s laghter increased with the party’s despair, and then at once fell silent, to be be succeeded by a flash of light and an explosion in the courtyard. In trying to grapple with the deranged Beatriss, the party lost both Qasqari and Hajip; they retreated to another room and barred the door. White Bear suggested, and I agreed, that Beatriss need not pursue them, but since she perceived them as a danger, flee in the other direction.After poking around in the drinking parlor, the party decided to see what might have happened to Beatriss. They went back into the courtyard and saw two of Jourdain’s hounds, both standing tentatively in the arch of the now open gate, one of them holding something in its mouth. The party fired a volley of arrows and both hounds, turned and barked threateningly (the one dropping the thing in its mouth), but after being hit with a couple more arrows, ran away—out the gate.
The “thing in its mouth” turned out to be boot—chewed and charred, but still with traces of blue dye, and a couple of crushed bells attached.
The party left the compound, and found Beatriss, distraught over what she had done, but reconciled with her more customary perceptions of reality. Relieved to have escaped and with some evidence of what happened to Ikhbayar , the party decided to retrieve the bodies of Qasqari and Hajip and then returned home. Even in the ruins of the old city, carrying dead bodies invites questions. The party freely explained where they had been. And that wicked man was supposed to be rich? Maybe. They hadn’t found anything worth taking.
Back at the House of Mewha, there were questions about money. Tetsukichi gave the boot to Su-Laing and left with her the job of deciding what to tell Kei-lo.
Finally, on her way out of the forbidden city, Beatriss was approached by a shadowy man with a message. A priestess named Myrrha, who had quarters in the forbidden city would like a meeting at her convenience. The man pointed out where Myrrha could be found and then slipped away.
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