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A quick note about Game Master (GM) notes for campaigns. These notes are the GMs
has made about running his campaign, and thus can continue information not known
to the in-game characters.
(As usual, GM's notes follow the script) (1)
After a long night of sleep, the quartet slowly rose from where they slept in the
blacksmith's hovel. (1) Sore and still fatigued from their nocturnal encounter with the
mysterious undead, Rosalyn, Ash, and This One made a quick search through the two
remaining huts, as the smoldering remains of the town hall still smoked in the
background.
Slowly, they began to gather their meager possessions to head out. Traversing the
woodland wilderness was no easy task for the group, but Ash used his natural expertise to
guide them as much as he could. After a long walk, a slow buzz began to fill the ears of
the travelers. Thought at first to be simply the sound of this long-forsaken forest, the
adventurers ignored the noise until it began growing louder and closer to their position.
(2)
As the trio made their way into a less-dense grove, a mysterious sight awaited
them. A hulking bald man, wearing a bronze breastplate and bearing a shield in the shape
of a large scarab, was maneuvering a strange brown beast in and out of the trees,
swinging a mace wildly at a group of hideous creatures fluttering in and out of the
underbrush. The creatures appeared as a hideous blend of bat and mosquito, with long
clawed legs groping for the bald man's chest and throat.
Immediately, the heroes leapt to the attack. This One smashed creatures beneath
his Herculean fists; Rosalyn fended off her own assailant with her rapier before finally
running it through; Ash, with both scimitar and dagger drawn, became as a whirlwind of
blades. However, Ash's daring attacks left his defenses slightly open, as one of the
creatures attached itself to him, drawing forth his vital fluids. The druid swiftly felt his
blood drain away, becoming light-headed and woozy. (3)
However, without much difficulty, the creatures were routed and the trio asked
the mysterious warrior his name. Sheathing his mace, the bald man introduced himself as
Thutmose, a warrior-priest of the god Ra. While the majority of the group was not
familiar with the worship of Ra, Thutmose was quick to lecture them on Ra's brilliant
glory. This One, for the most part, shrugged off Thutmose's ideals, as he was unable to
understand the guttural form of Balok that Thutmose understood. (4)
Ash began looking quizzically at the beast Thutmose had been riding. While
similar to a horse, this creature had massive feet, a huge mass of flesh protruding from its
back, and a dire smell about it. (5) Seeing Ash's befuddlement, Thutmose referred to this
creature as a "camel", which apparently were quite common in the land of Har'Akir,
from where Thutmose claimed to be from. Again, none of the group had heard of such a
land, but the aid of this warrior seemed to prove to be a useful commodity, so they
quickly introduced him to their merry band.
The road grew on, as the travelers walked. Thutmose continued to preach the
glories of Ra, but few of his new comrades paid much attention the priestly warrior. At
long last, the sun began to set and the group decided to rest. A fire was built and watches
were set. Thutmose began to tell the group of his history—once a cleric in the militias of
his homeland, Thutmose became separated from his battalion during a vicious sandstorm.
He had not been long in the swirling sands, when he found himself in another land with
strange foliage and the vicious insects that he fought. It was only shortly thereafter when
the group found him.
Eventually, sleep drifted over the group. Awake, Rosalyn began hearing the
sounds of shambling footsteps in the forest. She quickly awoke This One, who heard
nothing. Disconcerted, yet unworried, This One returned to his rest. However, the
sounds persisted, and Rosalyn again woke up her companions.
At last, This One and Ash cleared their heads and began to see what Rosalyn had
been hearing. Distended humanoid forms began encircling their campsite, ringing them
closely in a noose of horrid dead flesh. Immediately, Ash slid into the shadows and
attempted to out-flank the group. To his dismay, the undead fanned out and surrounded
him.
As the ring around them tightened, This One leapt to the offense. (6) His
swinging fists pummeled one of the undead in front of him, but the creature stood firm.
As it turned to retaliate, This One garnered a full view of the creature's hideous nature.
Its limbs were attached to its body with long surgical staples, while a series of sharp pins
kept its bluish-gray lips sealed shut. However, as it turned, the pins snapped open with a
flash of arcane energy and a horrid scream erupted from its lips. Pelted by this unholy
sonic energy, This One fell to the earth unconscious. (7)
The undead began pushing the remaining trio forward. Thutmose, while irate at
the very existence of the undead, allowed them to direct his motion. Ash, not as willing
as Rosalyn or Thutmose, dropped to the ground as if in a faint, yet the undead merely
picked up his arms and dragged him, along with the inert body of This One. (8)
After a harsh hour-long march, the group arrived in a shaded grove, where a two-
story cabin stood silhouetted in the light of a crescent moon. Pointing silently towards
the entrance, the creatures pushed the heroes towards the door, indicating for them to
enter. The door swung open, and the two characters being dragged were deposited
unceremoniously on the inside of the doorstep.
Inside, a figure in his mid-50s stood appraising them. He slowly rubbed a hand
across his receding brown hair, and then directed his steel-gray eyes to each of them in
turn. Gesturing and turning from the group, he told Ash to rise, as he wasn't fooling
anyone any longer. Embarrassed, Ash rose to his feet and asked what was going on.
The gentleman introduced himself as one Dr. Gregorian DelShonar. Immediately,
Rosalyn's ears picked up. (9) Among the various knowledge that she'd picked up over
the years, the story of the mysterious DelShonar was one which most definitely intrigued
her. She remembered that this doctor was a respected professor of the arcane sciences at
the Great Academie of Pont-a-Museau, after working in medicine and alchemy under a
then-medical-doctor Rudolph van Richten. After publishing a theory on robotics which
was reviled in the intellectual community, DelShonar all but disappeared from the public
eye.
Also at the table sat a young warrior with long hair. After some conversation, the
quintet found out that this man, Zai by name, was not associated with DelShonar. (10)
Rather, he too was marooned in this forsaken land and taken captive by the mad scholar.
Immediately, Rosalyn asked the doctor if she could have a copy of his renowned
book, and DelShonar's eyes lit up. For a long while, the pair discussed the finer points of
Gregorian's theory, until the doctor remembered his manners. Gesturing towards the
kitchen behind them, a blasphemous sight awaited the adventurers. Huge automatons in
the shape of men skittered forth from the kitchen, laden with platters and bowls. The
largest of the four automatons set its platter in front of DelShonar, who then began
carving a succulent piece of peppered lamb in wine sauce. (11) With a series of hideous
rattles and quakes, the creatures returned to their lair.
Thutmose could no longer contain himself. During the meal, he raised issue with
DelShonar's lack of faith and his blasphemous activities. Unconcerned, DelShonar
argued the young priest down and left Thutmose saying only "We shall see what comes
of this…"
At long last, DelShonar proclaimed their dinner to be over. He told the six that
they had five minutes to leave, as the doctor would soon set a new group of undead upon
them as a twisted form of 'test' for his new batch of creatures. Alarmed, they dashed for
the door, mounted up, and began their flight through the forest.
Running headlong through the forest, the silence of the night was shattered by the
group's frantic footsteps. Not long after, a hideous beating filled their ears. Looking
over his shoulder, Zai noticed four skeletal forms winging their way on bony, batlike
wings over the trees, gaining on them. Guiding his mount with his knees, the warrior
loosed an arrow, striking one of the creatures. It hissed in pain, but regained his flight.
Thutmose felt his holy symbol of Ra grow warm against his chest, and
immediately he knew what to do. (12) Calling an incantation to the Lord of Light,
Thutmose began channeling Ra's power into the world. Two of the flying undead burst
immediately into flame, as the four rode on, leaving only heaps of fetid ash falling to the
ground. Crying again for Ra's aid, Thutmose channeled his god's divine power again.
With a tremendous cry of prayer, the other two creatures screamed in pain, then
disintegrated and fell to the forest floor.
At long last, the six reached a wide river. Searching frantically for a bridge, they
had to settle for a small rope crossing, which barely looked like it could support one man
at a time, much less a horse. This One and Rosalyn were the first to cross, doing so with
little difficulty. Zai kept watch with his horse on the far side, and nocked an arrow for
any of the undead that might come forth from the woods. Ash went next, and made his
way across as delicately as possible.
Thutmose took hold of Zai's reins and gestured for the warrior to run. Zai began
making his way across, but slipped on one of the rotting planks and plunged into the
raging river below. Immediately, Thutmose leaped onto his camel. Following Zai
downstream and holding the reins to Zai's horse, the intrepid priest began tossing a rope
down to his half-drowned comrade. After nearly a mile's run, the river-gorge tapered off
into a ford, where, at long last, Thutmose dragged Zai back to the shore. The undead in
the forest began growing closer, though, and time was of the essence.
For lack of options, Zai and Thutmose mounted up and spurred their mounts
through the river's ford. Zai burst through onto the far shore in a spray of foaming water,
but Thutmose's camel balked at the water, flinging the cleric from his saddle. (13)
Undeterred, he re-mounted and forged again through the river. This time, though, the
camel quickly made its way through the water, and Thutmose joined his comrades on the
other side.
Making their way back to the far side of the bridge, the six quickly noticed the
shadowy forms of undead lurking on the former side. Drawing his scimitar with a flash,
Ash severed the bridge-ropes, sending the pass to the bottom of the river's bed. Ducking
quickly into the woods on the other side, the six were finally able to make camp for the
night and attempt to shake off the horrors they had so recently encountered. Who could
say what lay ahead of them in the future?
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