Well, Markus does it again in this session. He’s gone and got himself into trouble, but this time there probably isn’t much at all that the group can do about it. Oh, before that, they explored an odd room behind three locks, encountered a less than friendly ghost, avoided falling into a trap set by a less than competent will-o’-the-wisp, tried again to fertilize some catfish eggs, spent time at the Goblin Market, pissed off a goblin, and later met a very nice old woman. And just in case you were wondering, yes, the trouble that Markus has gotten himself into involved his self-proclaimed sexual prowess. I could swear that I gave the other players a magical chastity belt already. Details below the break.
Everyone was in attendance. There will, obviously, be spoilers for Nightmare Over Ragged Hollow from The Merry Mushmen along with our mangling of this very fine adventure. My GM comments, as always, are in italics.
82nd of Summer
- Having gotten into Olias’ hut after he departed to check all his traps, Dieter was able to break all three of the locks on the door.
- Beyond is a room of worked stone. Lights flared to life as the door was opened. There are about a dozen bodies posed in the room. Four are around a central table posed as though they are having a tea party. Another is playing a fiddle. A pair are playing chess. Others are just sitting. Markus, carrying a torch just in case the lights go out, steps in.
- The bodies are all taxidermy…expertly done. Various ones have valuable items such as a gold monocle, a nice brooch, some scintillating snakeskin boots, and, of course, an ivory pipe. (The item the party has come to find to trade to Doya.)
- Greatly tempted, Markus, for once, shows some self-control and makes his way to the body with the pipe…all the way in the back. When he attempts to remove the pipe, it becomes clear that it is wired on as part of the “decoration.”
- Markus yanks harder and pulls the body over, but the pipe still has not come free. He starts to drag the body towards the door. If the pipe won’t come free, they’ll just take the whole body to get it free later. Liesl comes in to help him.
- Marlena also come in and recognized one of the bodies…Mr. Langtag, a farmer from Ragged Hollow who went missing about five years ago.
- Reaching the door, Markus takes the lead exiting with the front of the body. Liesl has the feet and is at the back. As soon as the body crosses the threshold, it starts turning to dust with an agonizing shriek of utter frustration and anger.
- A spirit is released and is clearly not happy.
- Markus drops to his knees to, digging through the dust to find the pipe and does.
- Meanwhile, Liesl is trapped in the room as the spirit is blocking the doorway. As the others start to flee into the sunlight outside the hut, she pokes at the spirit with a weapon. It passes right through.
- Liesl runs through the spirit and out of the hut. As she passes through it, she can feel the life drained out of her (three points of Constitution damage).
- Meanwhile, Liesl is trapped in the room as the spirit is blocking the doorway. As the others start to flee into the sunlight outside the hut, she pokes at the spirit with a weapon. It passes right through.
- The group departs and heads back to Ragged Hollow with their prize.
- Beyond is a room of worked stone. Lights flared to life as the door was opened. There are about a dozen bodies posed in the room. Four are around a central table posed as though they are having a tea party. Another is playing a fiddle. A pair are playing chess. Others are just sitting. Markus, carrying a torch just in case the lights go out, steps in.
83rd of Summer
- In the morning, the group heads for Doya’s dam again.
- As they cross the river near Ragged Hollow, a small witchlight starts to bob near them and clearly is attempting to lure them. It is quickly recognized as a will-o’-the-wisp which is odd as they are usually spotted at night.
- The group follows for a little bit out of curiosity. It leads them along the river bank to a location where, if it were dark and if they were not paying attention, they would step off an overhang and into the river. As it is, they easily avoid the clumsy attempt and continue on their travels.
- They make it to Doya’s without much of anything else interesting happening.
- The pipe is traded for the Potion of Growth.
- Doya is asked what she might trade for Biggus Stickus (the knife that Radomir would like back in exchange for the magic ring he gave Markus). She decides that a pound of a certain tobacco…wacky tobacky…would do it.
- Wouldn’t you know it? The party…or at least Markus…already knows someone who might just be able to sell them some of that.
- But first, Markus has some “manly” duties to see to back at Sunny Island with Nazata. So the group heads there.
- At the island, Markus lets Nazata know that he is here to fertilize her eggs.
- He attempts to use the magic ring to polymorph into a catfish…concentrating clearly…focusing furiously…and nothing…he remains his normal form.
- Nazata is not pleased. She makes it clear to Markus that his “biological” clock is ticking and she will kill him or send him back to Old Man Windler within a day or two.
- Knowing that Markus can’t try to transform again until the next day, the group takes their leave and heads for the Goblin Market.
- He attempts to use the magic ring to polymorph into a catfish…concentrating clearly…focusing furiously…and nothing…he remains his normal form.
- Arriving after dark, the market is already in full swing. A number of wagons are circled in a clearing with goblins milling about. Standing stones circle the perimeter of the clearing. A satyr leans against one such stone watching the group as they arrive.
- Markus starts to ask the goblins about purchasing some wacky tobacky. They are all respond that they don’t sell that kind of illegal stuff…instead would he be interested in a pair of socks…or a magical bowl…or wolf pups…or…you get the idea.
- Eventually, the satyr approaches the group and introduces himself as Master Neven. He asks if there is anything he can do to…help…clearly eyeing the female members of the party.
- Markus jumps in and asks if there is anything Master Neven could provide to make him smarter so he can get the ring to work.
- The satyr says that he might be able to provide something…perhaps a potion…to those ends. But only if Markus, who has yet again bragged about and loudly proclaimed to all that his virility cannot be beat, agrees to meet Master Neven’s friend and, well, spend some time with her.
- Markus agrees and Master Neven departs.
- The teenage goblin, Angel, previously encountered struts into the scene.
- He is not at all pleased that Markus his honing in on his “territory” and wants him gone. Angel does not seem very inclined to providing the group any of the tobacco that Doya has requested.
- The teenage goblin, Angel, previously encountered struts into the scene.
- Master Neven returns. He is accompanied by a woman of unearthly beauty. She has a pale porcelain complexion, golden hair, and deep green eyes. She wears a tight gown of leaves. Master Neven introduces her as Aspen.
- Markus willingly departs with her, disappearing into the nearby trees.
- When asked by the group, Master Neven admits that he has no idea of Markus will ever return. Some men do, but most do not. Those that do return are “changed” by their experience. Any returns are usually within a week.
- The satyr does offer to assist with anything else that the party might need.
- Master Neven is willing to work with Angel to get the group the pound of tobacco for Doya in exchange for one of Beatrix’s cookies.
- The remaining trio quickly realizes that the satyr is speaking of the old woman who lives in a cottage about an hour into the woods from Ragged Hollow.
- Master Neven is willing to work with Angel to get the group the pound of tobacco for Doya in exchange for one of Beatrix’s cookies.
- Markus agrees and Master Neven departs.
- The trio sets up camp for the night.
- As they cross the river near Ragged Hollow, a small witchlight starts to bob near them and clearly is attempting to lure them. It is quickly recognized as a will-o’-the-wisp which is odd as they are usually spotted at night.
84th of Summer
- Dieter, Liesl, and Marlena head to the cottage in the woods.
- It is surrounded by a living fence of thorns. They can smell cookies and hear a woman’s voice mumbling beyond the fence. A pair of wriggling goblin legs stick out of the fence on this side.
- Circling around, the trio find a gate and call out. They share that they are from Ragged Hollow. They are invited in.
- An old, stooped woman introduces herself as Beatrix and, despite her reputation in town as an old hag, is quite pleasant and nice.
- She offers the group a batch of cookies with one stipulation…do not share with goblins.
- She also offers her animated broom, Broomy, to anyone that can make the goblins stop trying to steal her cookies. When the group indicates that they wouldn’t want to take Broomy from her, she shares that she can just make another.
- More niceties are exchanged and the group is free to come back in the future and if she, Beatrix, can assist them, she’ll be happy to help.
- An old, stooped woman introduces herself as Beatrix and, despite her reputation in town as an old hag, is quite pleasant and nice.
- Circling around, the trio find a gate and call out. They share that they are from Ragged Hollow. They are invited in.
- It is surrounded by a living fence of thorns. They can smell cookies and hear a woman’s voice mumbling beyond the fence. A pair of wriggling goblin legs stick out of the fence on this side.
And that is where we ended the session.
Markus…Markus…Makus…when are you going to learn to stop thinking with your, well, you know. When will the party slap that chastity belt on Markus to force him to start behaving. It turns out that Dieter was saving the belt to put on his father once he is transformed from a toad back to his normal philandering self.
More “quests” and more travel to come…but will there be more Markus Mischief or have we seen the last of him???
