Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for August 31, 2021, Classic Quest campaign, Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Garadal Davster (Halfling played by Parker Harmon), Katarina Magdanov (Magic-User played by Casey Scruggs), Koehan Rumisar (Elf played by Peyton Harmon), and Valor Eagleclaw (Fighter played by Preston Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

After reviving Byrnwyn, he asked them repeatedly about their plans for when they travel to the location on the Hutaakan map.  They were a bit nebulous about “stopping the Iron Ring” and such.  He posited if they have the map and the Iron Ring doesn’t know where to go without the map, couldn’t they just destroy the map and leave and thus “stop the Iron Ring?”  They scratched their heads a while, and accidentally made Byrwyn believe they were grave robbers.  He tried to flee with the map to save the historic value of the site.  However, his frail form was too slow, and the team blocked the door.  He began screaming for help.  They calmed him down and assured him they would document their findings for history, and he gave them a journal and travel writing kit.

The group decided they would ride up to Threshold on the far side of the river to avoid the road and bandits.  They went to Prestelle and bought riding horses for 90 gp each.  After some debate and conversation with the locals, they learned the terrain on that side of the river was too rough to make good progress on horseback.  Someone suggested they take a boat upriver.  They stabled the new horses and booked passage with Captain Scylla and the Mudlark.

The river boat headed out, and the first evening was uneventful.  The next day Katarina inspired the crew with her musical abilities, and they covered a lot more water than they otherwise would have.  Off in the distance, they spotted the elf Cardia and her magic carpet flying passengers North.  That evening, while on watch a body drifted up to the boat.  It was a woman slain by a trio of black-fletched arrows—a sign of the Scange!  The took the body ashore and buried her before moving on. 

Early the next morning they could see smoke on the water.  Katarina rigged a quick magical feat of engineering to see across a great distance and could tell there was a ruined flaming wagon on the bank surrounded by bodies riddled with black-fletched arrows.  They approached cautiously, and they could hear snarling and barking.  Koehan realized it was a language he spoke, gnoll!  The creatures were feasting on the slain, so the Mudlark drifted as far to the other bank as possible and tried to pass by.  On the shore, the gnolls noticed them and came yelling and taunting the party.  The blood-splattered beasts were fearsome but mostly harmless so far away.  They began howling in a wild frenzy, and in the distance, the party could hear answering calls.  The boat picked up speed, and they sailed away from the marauders.

A short while later, another boat came drifting out from behind a bend enroute to cut off their path. Along with gunwales stood numerous archers with black-fletched arrows.  A large black-armored man stood in the middle of the vessel, the leader of the Scange!

Game summary for August 24, 2021, Classic Quest campaign, Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Arminious Ironkeep (Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Garadal Davster (Halfling played by Parker Harmon), Katarina Magdanov (Magic-User played by Casey Scruggs), Koehan Rumisar (Elf played by Peyton Harmon), Levi Ackerman (Thief played by Andrew Renfrow), and Valor Eagleclaw (Fighter played by Preston Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team took the ferry over into Rifllian and sold a horse to the ferryman on the way over.  Stephan took them over to the Silver Swan Inn, and they met his friend Stubbs Plattermann.  He brought them a fine meal and drinks, and in the conversation they learned that a dark-haired woman and a man named Gactus had been here looking for them.  Throughout the evening several elves came over, and the team sold two more horses.

The next day they headed over to Prestelle, the chief trader, and made a deal to sell the rest of the horses.  While Stephan and Taras finalized that deal and prepared for Taras to return to Sukiskyn, the team went to meet the elven historian, Byrnwyn. 

The old elf talked to the team a while about Xitaqa and their exploits.  He was excited to examine the sword Levi took from the minotaur.  He identified it as the elven blade Cellora, which gives sight to the sightless!  It was last seen in the hands of Ellomir, and elven captain who died long ago at the Battle of the Falling Sun fighting orcs. 

The group showed him the scroll fragment and the completed map.  The elf was stunned by the information and so excited he collapsed!  Arminious leapt to his rescue and revived him there on his floor!

Game summary for August 17, 2021, Classic Quest campaign, Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Arminious Ironkeep (Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Garadal Davster (Halfling played by Parker Harmon), Katarina Magdanov (Magic-User played by Casey Scruggs), Koehan Rumisar (Elf played by Peyton Harmon), and Valor Eagleclaw (Fighter played by Preston Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The group interrogated the Red-Blade goblins and the human captives.  They learned Golthar had fled to Kelvin and had groups scouring the countryside looking for the party.  The team then let the goblins go, nursed the wounds of the humans, and paid them for their “wild” horses. 

Determined to reach Rifllian soon, they headed out toward the gnomes’ ferry.  With little incident, they arrived and spoke with one of the hostel owners.  They agreed on a price for the ferry crossing and also paid him a bit extra to “have never seen the party.”  After making it across, off in the distance some of the team saw some lightly armored riders heading toward the hostel.  The group sped off and found a place to hole up for the night.  The next morning, Koehan scouted around and could find no signs of pursuit. 

Another couple days’ travel put the group right outside of Rifllian on the trade road where they encountered a wagon train and guardsmen.  They talked for a while until the main wagons arrived, and they got to meet with Ahiktos the merchant.  He traded some information to them in exchange for some gemstones.  He let them know Golthar had arrived in Kelvin and had a mysterious tall dark-haired woman with him who has been inquiring about adventurers who meet the party’s description.  He also told them of bandit activity North of Kelvin.  And to top things off, allegedly, the Duke’s daughter has run off with the captain of the guard!

Game summary for August 10, 2021, Classic Quest campaign, Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Arminious Ironkeep (Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Garadal Davster (Halfling played by Parker Harmon), Grozzadeth Boulderback (Dwarf played by Kaliegh Belda), Katarina Magdanov (Magic-User played by Casey Scruggs), Koehan Rumisar (Elf played by Peyton Harmon), Levi Ackerman (Thief played by Andrew Renfrow), and Valor Eagleclaw (Fighter played by Preston Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

Grozzadeth and Levi caught up to the team and swept in to engage the Iron Ring!  The goblins sleepily emerged from the tent, partially blinded by the sunlight.  With a roar, the bugbear came rushing out as well!  Levi began backstabbing enemies while Valor and Garadal continued their tag-team of terror on the south side of the camp.  Grozz went toe-to-toe with the sword-wielding Reaver!  Meanwhile, the Reaver Cleric cast blight on some of the team, which served to strip some of the bless effect.  He also tried to blind Levi with a darkness spell but failed. 

The goblins swarmed into the team but were quite ineffective due to their limited ability and dazzled condition.  They did slow things down and landed a blow here or there.  One of the Hounds tried to get Levi to surrender by threatening to slay a helpless Katarina, but Levi didn’t even slow down.  The Hound tried to trip him up with Katarina’s held body but failed.  Grozz soon found himself surrounded by the Reaver, the cleric, and a goblin! 

The battle was fierce, but one-by-one the enemy leaders began to fall.  Their minions fell as well.  Finally victorious, the team freed their bound and held allies and went to investigate the prisoners.  They found nineteen captured humans and fifteen Red-Blade goblins. 

Game summary for August 3, 2021, Classic Quest campaign, Dungeons & Dragons BECMI / RC Edition, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Arminious Ironkeep (Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Garadal Davster (Halfling played by Parker Harmon), Katarina Magdanov (Magic-User played by Casey Scruggs), Koehan Rumisar (Elf played by Peyton Harmon), and Valor Eagleclaw (Fighter played by Preston Harmon). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.

The team crossed the Volaga river and headed toward the gnome ferry. Off in the distance, they saw four horses on the Moors; they recognized them from their travels in the woods several weeks back.  After some debate, they followed and tracked the horses and came upon the centaur Loshad!  He greeted the party and asked about the white horses with them.  He approved of their plan to sell them to the elves of Rifllian.  He told them about a group of humans and goblins camped nearby who had other humans and horses chained up and were beating them.  After some discussion it became clear Loshad had somehow causes the horses to go wild, but now he believed the humans were going to kill the horses out of frustration.  The team decided to go and try and free the people and horses.

The group snuck up on the camp during the day (believing the goblins to be asleep) and came in from two sides.  They caught the slavers by surprise.  Things went well early on.  Arrows took down some slavers while the melee party members closed in and mopped up.  Valor even cut one slaver completely in half.  Then things went sideways.  The slavers had a cleric in their midst!  A single hold person spell froze four of the party in their tracks!  Several Hounds of the Iron Ring closed in and clamped on some manacles!  Obviously the slavers want as many taken alive as possible.  As the rest of the team came charging across the battlefield to try and save their friends, the first of the sleepy goblins began sticking their heads out of tents!