Untold Adventure Seeds

Untold Kids: Swamp Things

In the Lanta Swamps the undead have gathered, encroaching among the ruins of ancient cities, creating hives of death and decay. The Bastion is an isolated NAU base dedicated to hold the line against this encroachment. The undead are not mindless, but rather, they have purpose. That purpose is unknown to men, but what is known is that in order to succeed, the undead need the living. As such, an undead mob have attacked a supply caravan making its way to the Bastion through the swamps from the port city of Battered Wreck, leaving the direly needed supplies but taking the people and making for their hive.

The heroes are the survivors of the attack, whether NAU soliders or other races that serve as guards, or merely those who had joined the caravan. They were left behind for various reasons: They had been scouting the back trail, left for dead, ran away in a panic and now wish to redeem themselves, whatever it might be, they are the only hope the prisoners have.

The Adventure is broken into three encounters:
1. Gree-Gree Guide: A strange swamp dweller aids the heroes by telling them where the prisoners were taken. Even providing back story on the hive. If the encounter goes very well, then a theory on why the hive exists and maybe a clue on how to deal with those that have taken their friends.

2. Mud 'n' Muck: The heroes, racing to save the captured NAU, must battle the lethal denizens of the swamp (i.e. vectors, venus mantraps or maybe grass goliaths) or even the very undead they pursue.

3. Infiltration and Rescue: The heroes need to sneak in among the undead to free the prisoners. It is important that the heroes stop the undead before they reach the hive. If they do not, the prisoners will be lost to them.

Adventure Continuation: Saving the NAU's only the first of many possible problems: first of all, they still have to help the starving High-breds back at the Bastion (who are still awaiting the caravan's supplies). Perhaps they return to the wagons just in time to see them carried off by a large group of roving ruinstalkers. Or maybe they awoke something much more foul, dark and evil while inside the undead hive, but they just don't know it yet.

Or, maybe all of the above...

This was the campaign I ran on Sunday, which met with a far better response than the Undead Campaign I ran the day before. 50 UP for each character, reward more as the GM sees fit.
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The setting is in the North American South, with the heavy undead infestation. A Highbred Base/City called "The Lighthouse" for its massive watch tower in the center of the base. It is stationed on a small island in a swampy bay has been completely overrun by Undead, attacking in a far more organized and efficient fashion. After being forced to withdraw completely from the island and onto a makeshift fort on the mainland. Multiple attempts have been made to reclaim the base by force. However, a massive invasion force is more of threat, since the fallen soon join the ranks of the enemy. The local brass is now offering a reward for any small group to inflitrate the base, destroy whatever is controlling the undead, and help secure a landing area for a larger force. The island the base is set on is roughly 15 square miles, full of multi-storied buildings that once housed scientists and non-combatants. A wall of stone approximately 50 ft in heighth, 10 ft in width circles the entire island, leaving only a few feet of shoreline with the exception of the dock area. The dock is approximately 1200 ft long, with landing areas for two large boats on either side towards the end. The dock connects to the island by a clearing roughly 100 ft in radius. At the south end of the clearing is the gate to the base, a massive archway cut into the stone wall, 30ft in heighth and 10 ft in length. The adventurers are deposited at the farthest end of the dock, in a thick fog that obscures the vision of all except the most keen eyed. The island is under constant cloud cover, making it impossible to tell day from night.

Encounter 1: 3 Rotting Brutes. As the characters approach the gate, it only opens with a metallic groan. Rushing out from the gate come three Rotting Brutes, blocking the entrance for the adventurers. If they defeat all the brutes, they find the gate remains open, allowing them to pass.

As soon as the last character passes through the gate, it slams shut, no matter what precautions are taken to keep it open. The adventurers find themselves standing in a ruined square. To their right and left, run paved roads around 20 ft in width, following the wall on one side, and buildings lining the opposite. In front of them runs a wide road, surrounded by high buildings. Some of the alley ways are blocked by giant rocks or metal heaps, leaving on a few passages for escape. The center road is almost perfectly clear of cover and debris. Before the party decides which way to go, a Disciple of Pain appears suspended in the air above the party, warning them to "Join her or die!" Before they can ask a question or attack it, it disappears into thin air.

Encounter 2: 4 Caterwauls, 2 Rot Tongues, 2 Plague Belcher, 1 Rotting Brute, 1 Skum Runner. If the players go to the right or left, they soon come to a small stream blocking the road, where the water has leaked through the wall. The stream is around 15 ft across, and undetermined depth. Once half of the party has attempted to cross the stream or has crossed the stream, a Skum Runner appears farther down the road and raises it staff, crying "WE SERVE!". 4 Caterwauls rush out of an alley way, followed by 2 Rot Tongues, positioning themselves in two lines in front of the Skum Runner. 2 Plague belchers crawl out of the water on the opposite shore, and 1 Rotting Brute surfaces in the center of the stream. If the Skum Runner is killed on the first turn, then the other Undead will collapse dead. Otherwise, they will continue to attack the closest targets, unless the Skum Runner is being attacked, and then they will turn to defend it.

Once they are finished with this encounter, they will find a massive pile of rocks and metal debris blocking the road. If they attempt to climb the pile of the debris, it will crumble, and bring down a massive hoard of undead attacking their position. The first character across will also be caught in the rubble, and the other players will be forced to dig them out. The party can only turn back or turn down a narrow dark alleyway, where they can only pass one at a time.

Encounter 3: 3 Howling Horrors, 3 Wretches, 2 Flesh Rippers, 1 Bone Snapper, 1 Skum Runner. The alley way is approximately 5 ft in width, lined with barred up doors and a few ground level windows. The buildings surrounding the alley are several stories tall, blocking out sunlight. Once the party has passed roughly half way down the alley (which is around 200 ft long), a Skum Runner appears approximately 15 ft ahead of the party from a hole in the brick wall and cries out "WE SERVE!" Three Wretches burst through the windows on the right, clawing their way into the alley. Three Howling Horrors descend on the party, falling from the windows above. Two Flesh Rippers appear from other, unnoticed holes in the wall behind the party. Finally, a Bone Snapper breaks through the brick wall block the Skum Runner from the party. Once again, if the Skum Runner is killed on the first turn, the Undead it has conjured fall with it. If the party survives the encounter, they can continue down the alley and will find themselves at the base of the tower.

If the party chooses to go down the center road, they will be attacked by both Encounters 2 and 3, one from the front and one from the back. Once they enter the tower, they find it is comprised of 4 large rooms, cathedral like in nature, full of discarded technology and dry bones. At the end of each room is a stair case leading up to the next level. The room itself is odd, since it seems to be larger than the dimensions of the building, as if a larger space was forced into a smaller one.

Encounter 4: 2 Wretches, 4 Mutamotos, 4 Rotting Brutes, 1 Disciple of Pain. At the far end of the room, next to the stairwell, suspended a few feet off of the ground is a Disciple of Pain. It idenitifies itself as Sharsolon, servant of Nrash'Tyan. It offers the party to surrender or die. If they choose not to surrender, it waves its hand. Appearing the room are 2 Wretches, 4 Mutamotos and 4 Rotting Brutes, protecting the Disciple. If the Disciple is killed on the first turn, the Undead it controls will die with it. If the Disciple manages to severly wound or kill a party member, then it will remain for one more turn to try again. If it does not manage to kill or severly wound a party member, then on the next turn it will flee up the staircase, leaving the Undead to battle the party. If the party survives, then they are allowed to proceed to the next level.

Encounter 5: 1 Hydra Strand, 1 Disciple of Pain. The party finds itself in a room similar to the first, with great piles of bones stacked high against either wall. They will find another Disciple of Pain who identifies itself as Cormantan, servant of Nrash'Tyan. It will make the same offer, and when the party refuses, will conjure a Hydra Strand in the middle of the chamber. If the party manages to kill the Disciple, the Hydra will continue to attack. If the Disciple can severely wound or kill a party member, it will remain for another turn. If it fails, then it too will fee up the staircase behind it. If the party survives, they are allowed to proceed to the next level.

Encounter 6: 2 Disciple of Pain. If both Disciples survive the first encounters, then the party will face them here. If they overcome them, they will see a doorway revealed. If they pass through this door way and up the staircase, they will find a new chamber, filled with bones of all manners of creatures.

Encounter 7: 1 Weaver of Despair. Nrash'Tyan, Weaver of Despair, Bane of the Living. If the party engages her in conversation, they will discover that when she and the two disciples were transported to Apoc Earth, they were found by a local Gree Gree tribe that worshipped them as gods. As such, they thought the degree a form of telepathic necromancy that allowed for a greater control of the undead. After a few months of gathering followers and forces, and then attacked the Lighthouse in force. Since then, they have defended the island, while the Weaver and the Disciples worked out a way to open a portal to allow others of their kind through.

If they defeat the Weaver, they will find the building returned to normal, a 10 story tall lighthouse, with no where near the dimensions it had when they entered. The party will still have to return to the gate, open it, and wait for a band of Apoc Highbreds to come and support their position on the landing. Feel free to throw random encounters with several undead and Skum Runners as they try to make their way back to the docks.
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Enjoy! Thanks for playing along!

That's one massive seed! I love it! Great job, Ben!!! :) Post as many of these as ya like - woot!!

Sweet! Love this area and the ideas.

Here's one that jumped into my mind:

Infestation

Swarms of apoc termite colonies have been transformed from a deforestation nuisance into a nightmare by the Undead Infection. Now, seemingly more organized by the disease, the colonies purposefully infiltrate compounds, where they collapse the most inhabited buildings upon their unsuspecting victims--the new nucleus for an undead force. Worse, in the camps where highbred have tried traditional methods of extermination only increases their number and strength, as any other living insects or termites join the swarms. As such, the minute terrors have slowly, subtly turned thriving bases into ghost towns.

These undead termites are nasty themselves. Given a venom and concrete-like hardness by the Infection, the swarm itself can be deadly. However, they prefer swarming and destroying buildings over individuals and parties. However, some have heard these are really only the scout forces for a larger army on it's way...

Adventurers find themselves at a fort on the frontier edge of the NAU and soon discover all is not well. Inside the place of former refuge, they find rubble and empty-but-pristine ruins, Only a few tale tell clues inform them of the horror unleashed before the revitalized Undead Infection is upon them.

Gm hooks: I would have a few buildings collapse on the party/parties if they stay inside too long, maybe even trap them in a bunker that way, forcing them to travel deeper and deeper into the heart of the new Infection site to find the breeding ground that all the new Undead dwell. As to the mites, use some powers from the Undead Infection Powers Pack with Aspects and maybe other powers (like Iron Claw, Bite 3, etc) to build a critter that is Small/Tiny, extremely tough, and with a wicked bite. Oh, and prefers to swarm, so Dog Pile, Grapple, and Grapple Attack. ;)

I also think Grayfly Swarm (2) would be a lovely addition to their abilities to torment characters, Apoc and Klik alike. :)

Cool concept, Benraven! Another way to involve the party would be to have them be rescuers, trying to dig out some trapped innocents. As they're working, one of their number falls into some deeper chambers and is drug away by a nasty clawed critter. ;)

Also, in terms of using Power Cards as critters, we need to let everyone in on that secret - I've not posted that article yet, but may do so this week. :P You have to remember that not everyone knows some of the stuff that we Alpha Playtesters know. :P

I know there were some awesome games played at Imagicon and I'd pay UP to hear them here!!! :)

I like the idea, suren. :D

And yes, you're right, but a seeds a seed even if it needs some more time in the soil to sprout. I just wanted to toss it"on the table" while it was in my head and realized I had no baddie approximates to stat the critters. If it causes major confusion, save the spoiled eggs to throw at the traveler when he gets back in town. :P

I want to hear the Imagicon stories, too!

::chuckle::

A game I ran at Imagicon.

Location: Australia (the Dreaming) - provided a place where a diverse team could play and it blended well with the backgrounds the group came up with.
Concept: A small soccer game has drawn a crowd (~400 spectators), but forces from Aotearoa plan on causing mayhem and destruction.

Party members are scattered throughout the crowd. Give them ample awareness checks to notice that there are 2 l'na that are roving the crowd who don't appear to care about the game at all. Give them a few rounds to become aware, then storm clouds roll in. Another awareness check to notice that the ground is trembling (epicenter in the middle of the soccer field). Give them a chance to try to evacuate the field and crowd. At an appropriate point all heck breaks loose:
- A Doomdigger (or mag'rin) erupts from the field
- The two roving l'na are a Warden of Ai and a Mindlash
- A Living Lightning descends from the storm clouds
- Enough VRR to make it interesting (and antagonize some innocents) jump in from outside the field

Dude, this rocks on toast! I sssooo wish I could have been in on this game!! :)

Background: A small island off the coast of the Dreaming has been torn apart by a war between a colony of L'na and a colony of Klik. A small force, composed of Klik and L'na Diplomats with Highbred/Churl bodyguards is sent to the island to re-establish the peace before the fighting reaches the Dreaming. Players are dropped into the middle of the "War Zone", a scar running across the center of the island that has been completely devastated by the fighting between factions. The players have three days to accomplish this mission, otherwise the L'na will release an engine of destruction (a mind-controlled Savager) to completely destroy all the Klik on the island.

First Objective: Reach Base Camp. A base camp has been established by a Highbred marines in the middle of the warzone. It is unguarded, but completely stocked with the various supplies the party will need. The base camp is at the edge of a small fresh water pond directly in the middle of the island and the "War Zone". To the Northeast is the Klik colony, built around a small bay. To the Southwest, a L'na colony, set in volcanic mountains.

Encounter 1: The players are left at the landing zone, a small stream that flows from the pond in the center of the island. As they follow the stream inland, they run across a small skirmish between the two forces. A Klik Tripod and 3 Gear Guards on the Klik side of the stream. A Shell Shepherd and three Roving Maws on the L'na side (Because they cannot match the Klik ability to "produce" soldiers, the L'na have recruited the local wildlife to help protect the island). The players can choose to talk to their respective sides or engage in combat. If they choose diplomacy, they will receive a Roving Maw or Gear Guard (depending on the character) to serve as an escort for the rest of their stay. Once finished with this encounter, they can proceed to base camp.

Encounter 2: The players approached base camp, if they approach from the Klik side of the river, they are accosted by three Wardens of Ai. A L'na Twilight (Mindlash minion), a guerilla fighter and a zealot for the L'na cause, has raided the base camp with his small band. He is immediately hostile if the Klik diplomats are seen. He has two Crag Crawlers enthralled to him that serve as personal bodyguards. If the players choose to engage, they have three rounds until they are spotted by a Draft Rider and their presence is made aware to the L'na leaders.

The Fork In The Road: The players now have a choice. They can proceed Northeast to the Klik colony or to the Southwest to the L'na colony.

The L'na Colony: The Southwest side of the island has become a subtropical paradise, as the magic that the L'na naturally emanate has greatly affected the eco-system. The forests are lush and full of life. As the players proceed Southwest, they follow a game trail to the foot of the mountain. They can then either turn west and follow the mountain trail upward or east and follow the path around the back of the mountain.

The Mountain Path: An old L'na Dawn (Doomdigger) is sole guardian of the path that moves up the mountain. His lair is in a narrow gulley, that cannot be by-passed if one wishes to go onwards to the peak. The L'na has as guardians two Apoc Mountain Goats, who can be called to his defense. The L'na will not engage until the Goats have been defeated. Once finished with this encounter, the party can proceed higher.

The High Road and the Low Road: The players once again have a decision. They can go higher into the mountain and face the leaders of the L'na colony. Or they can proceed down a narrow gorge into the heart of the mountain.

The High Road: If they follow the high road, then they will find themselves in a large cavern that has been articially created. The Cavern holds the three L'na Leaders, a Draft Rider, Rotscourge, Star Runner, guarded by 2 Storm Dancers.

The Low Road: If they follow the low road down, they will find themselves in the heart of the mountain. They approach from a small entrance to find a giant chamber. On the far side of the chamber is a vary large tunnel. Suspended in mid-air by some form of magic, is a Savager in a forced hibernation. If any of the party chooses to investigate the magic that suspends the Savager (i.e., Mind Probe, Arcane Lore), then the enchantment is broken and the Savager awakens, hungry and angry.

The Klik Colony: If the party heads northeast, they'll find the Klik colony built up around a small bay. Built for efficiency, the Klik colony is small and compact. Metal buildings, geometrically perfect, form a grided city that is fiercly guarded.

Open Ground: The Klik have little presence in the "War Zone" and only move there in force. The "War Zone" on the klik side is littered Rust Moths and Iron Mites. If any klik are in the party, the party will be attacked by a swarm of these creatures before they reach the wall of the colony. 3 Rust Moths and 4 Iron Mites will attack the party, focusing on the Klik players.

The Operating Directive: If the players still have the Gear Guard that was sent with them earlier, they will be allowed access into the colony. If not, they will need to find a way in. If still with the guard, the party will be taken to the Operating Directive, a group of two rollers and two tripods that direct and guide the colony. They will have a rentinue of 6 Gear Guards with them. If diplomatic relations fail, then the only way out of the colony is to fight their way out. The Kliks in the party will be allowed to remain as guests of the Operating Directive.

Debriefing: The Klik in this mission are really the victims. Their progress was offensive to the L'na inhabitants and when they refused to stop clear cutting and building, the L'na went to war. By the third day, the Savager will awakened and sent to destroy the Klik Colony. If the L'na leaders can be reached and destroyed, the Savager will no longer target Klik alone, but anything that moves. If they can destroy the Savager, they will stop the chaos and restore order. A delegation from the Dreaming will be sent to sort out the situation, since the island is now secured, and the party will be thanked and rewarded for helping maintain the peace of the Dreaming.
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Enjoy folks! Thanks for playing along!

WOW - totally awesome Ben! If I had to have a nit it would be the lack of role-play encounters (or at least the level of current detail on them) but otherwise - rockin!!!

The roleplaying element is the key factor. I just haven't added in all details. I'm just posting the general idea here so I don't forget it! Like the Mobicon one, I'll add on more post-con season. This is just the preliminary idea. As Lumberklik, Melissa, and Bob can attest, there was plenty of RPing to be had.

Groovy - very glad to hear it, Ben! :)

This is one of the games I ran at Imagicon. I used the following Decks: Flux Horros, Flux Horror Powers, and the Starter Set.

Background: the party is a well-established Special Ops team that works for the NAU. However, they bring new meaning to the term Special Ops. Composed of more than just NAU, the party might include Klik, L'na, even Churl - each considered an elite specialist in their given "field". Under the command of an NAU Officer, they are assigned to investigate an usually high concentration of Flux energy located in an outlying sector not far from their NAU Operations Base. The energy signal is acting strangely: fluctuating in strength and frequency, but always in the same location. NAU High Command needs more intel on the situation and a set of "eyes on" so they can assess.

Unknown to the NAU or the party, a Disciple of Pain, at the behest of its External Lords has infiltrated an abandoned hangar-like wearhouse (it used to be a Super Walmart) not far from the base and is setting up a "landing zone" for a soon-to-commence External invasion. The Disciple of Pain has enslaved some nearby Undead (mostly Wretches and Bone-Snappers) as guards and has a Klik Tripod working to build new interior walls inside the warehouse to its specifications. Each of the newly constructed walls is filled with bricked-up doorways of various sizes and dimensions in order to allow the passage of the different types of Externals that await, hungry and slavering, in an alternate dimension. Each of the bricks in each of the doorways bears a strange, glowing sigil - the combination in the infernal, External language required to open the door. There are thousands of these doorways, and each of their creation takes time, and a large surge of Flux (thus the unusual readings on the NAU scanners).

The party is given a tracker (which can be embedded in a Klik if one happens to be in the party) and coordinates and dropped off via chopper in what looks like a war-blasted and deserted shopping center in what was once the surburbs of Chicago. The area is filled with the twisted and rent memories of an age long past: heavily shelled dollar stores, mountainous piles of twisted shopping carts, burned out husks of automobiles and construction equipment, etc.

Encounter 1: As soon as the chopper has dusted off, call for Awarness Checks. Those who succeed notice the movement of shadows flitting amongst the rubble, or perhaps hear the hissing breath of something foul, or maybe they notice an unusual movement of a slab or rubble.

If they continue deeper into the area, the characters are attacked by a mass of Undead: Wretches, Bone-Smashers, and Caterwauls. For a role-playing alternative, feel free to have the party be surprised as a young, waife-like child burst forth from the far side of the rubble field and make a dash for them, screaming to "Save me!" If the child survives, feel free to let some previews of what's to come slip through her lips, but once they have her, she's theirs until their mission is completed. No EVAC until the mission is "green-lighted" from High Command.

If the party attempts to parlay with the Undead, the Wretches will demand fealty to their "Massster" and demand to know the password. The password (which can be found in the minds of the Wretches) is "Ssvassh" and will gain them unmolested access into the inner compound, escorted by the Undead.

Encounter 2: A fairly well-worn path leads to a nearby shattered construction site. A tumble-down crane crosses blades with a massive rusted and twisted iron girder to create an ominious arched gateway into a world filled with piles of twisted rebar, shattered concrete and long-deserted construction equipment. If they characters were able to discern the password in the previous encounter, then they will have no problems passing through this area. However, if they are not escorted by the Undead, then they will have to battle their way through roughly-made Klik "Wo2k32s" - roughly hewn attempts at Gear Guards by the relatively unskilled Tripod. There is a high likelyhood that the sounds of combat in this area with the piecemealed steam-driven combatants will draw other foes: hungry Undead from the surrounding rubble.

Encounter 3: Ssvassh, confident in its ultimate superiority, awaits the party in the final encounter, which is within his maze-like antechamber within the ruined warehouse. (GMs should feel free to make the maze an encounter all its own should time permit). If asked, Ssvassh is more than willing to pontificate about its race's superiority to the "ample and lush sentient food" that lives upon this world, as well as the "plentiful natural resources" that its kind can drain to fuel their own monolithic homes. It challenges the party to "die attempting to foil its invasion plans..."

Soon, however, the time for words are done and combat will ensue. Even if the party wants to parlay, eventually, the Disciple of Pain will become hungry. It, along with its twisted Klik Tripod guard will wade into the fray. GMs might alternatively have a couple of the doorways begin opening at this moment and pull in some Shardthrowers, Flux Warpers or even a Wrecker to assist.

Continuing the Adventure: Once the Flux Horrors and the Tripod are defeated, GM's can elect to let the doorways remain or have their symbolds slowly fade into non-existence. If the doorways remain, then the party now has a puzzle before them: how to safely dispose of the doorways, how to dismantle them, or how to use them! The NAU High Command would, without a doubt, be interested in a single location wherefrom it could launch countless attacks or reconniasance missions into the Beyond and still maintain their supply lines in relative safety. If the symbols fade - who is to say that they do not someday reappear? Or perhaps they only function in the presence of an External, or maybe Flux?

The options, like Untold - are limitless! :)

I second Ben that there are lots of roleplay opportunities - forethought and talking got our party past the impasse at the stream, whereas charging in with guns blazing would have only made things worse. (And I thought he made up the adventure as we were sitting at the table, having seen what characters everyone had drawn up.)

Do you doubt my creative genius? Lol, actually, I had been sitting on that one for a while. Glad you enjoyed it!

Ben -
I don't doubt your creative genius - even knowing generally what's going to happen, you still have to roll with whatever the players do.

I really want to finish that adventure! It was great.

• A Churl tribe may harbor werewolves among their members.
• Travellers are claiming to have sighted a young savager in the area.
• Fields newly cleared for farming reveal abundant Flux crystals that local denizens might covet.
• Ghostly lights have begun appearing nightly at a PE installation that is supposedly haunted.
• For the last two nights, NAU sentries have been found at dawn, all dead from gunshot wounds that appear to be self-inflicted.
• L'Na have started waylaying travellers along a pass that connects two Churl tribes. The L'Na leave the victims unharmed but confiscate any metal.
• Decades ago, a huge earthen rampart was constructed to protect the area from a Flux region in the adjacent valley. Overnight, something tore a massive gap in the berm and creatures are venturing out of the valley and into populated areas.
• Klik from a nearby gear have been "collecting" so much indigenous fauna that the neighboring communities are threatened with starvation as winter approaches.
• The Investiture Rites are to occur within a fortnight, but the sacred grove where the L'Na usually perform the ceremony has become overrun with undead. (Or for a twist, a powerful creature has its brood there, and the L'Na are reluctant to disturb the nascent family.)
• Flux clouds receded a few weeks ago, revealing a gigantic Klik crankshaft partially buried in the ground. The towering structure has lain dormant since the Event. A couple of days ago, components along the shaft began moving, and several openings appeared, some of them belching a noxious black smoke.
• For years, High Bred miners (and a few Churl pressed into service) have dug coal from a mountain that the L'Na consider sacred. The miners failed to return home yesterday.
• Two Klik gears are seperated by a Flux region. Circumnavigating the Flux by land takes weeks. The Klik have built a "flying conveyance" that can travel over the Flux and complete the trip in hours. The maiden flight is this afternoon.

Looks like the Panhandle is going to have more than its share of epic adventures!

I want some of that Untold action! :)

If you were to play in my games...it might not go well...

Too much role-play, eh? :P

In any game I run, Ashy's character concept has to be first approved by me - I've learned my lessons. ;)

LOL!!!

If I play a game with Ashy, whether I'm GMing or not, I will need to approve Ashy's character before proceeding...

...but where's the fun in that? Declawing savagers because they are TPKers makes them tame,sure, but steals the fun. I think I prefer unleashing the Chaos of an Ashy (and Hall) adventure. :D

Here's another of our Untold: Kids games. Let me know what ya think...

10, 000 Acre Wood

Ai is a planet of pure magic, wonder and danger. The planet is a living thing, an entity beyond understanding. Nature itself. An elder of a L'na village has received a vision of Ai and its destructive nature. This power is directed at strange beings that have come to Ai unbidden, and Ai wishes to have such incursions dealt with swiftly; dealt with by turning nature against the invaders. In its rage to eradicate this perceived foe, many L'na villages will be affected and consequently destroyed.

The L'na heroes are gathered to find and protect these strangers, to defend them against Ai itself and escort them to a place of power and see them sent back to their own world. To facilitate this, the elder shows the heroes where to find the strangers, and gives them items to aid them in awakening the power of the sacred place to allow the passage of the strangers.

The encounters consist of convincing the strangers (two-legs) that they are in danger and need the escort to see them clear of the forest and to the sacred place. As well as combat encounters with Ai's own agents like a grass goliath or the very trees lashing out. Ai's fury increases as the heroes race to get the strangers off world: earth tremors, storms of hail, lightening lancing from seemingly clear skies, all to rid Ai of the strangers. The longer it takes to get the strangers off world, the more intense the attacks and the greater the risk to the surrounding Ai villages.

Possible expansions on this particular Adventure: perhaps there are other L'na acting as agents of Ai itself to destroy the strangers. Or, you could play it such that the strangers have actually taken something that Ai wants back or will not let said item leave the world.

Enjoy!

The enclave of Maoru is under a grave threat: A massive flux storm is manifesting on its border and heading straight toward its heart. A handful of Maoru initiates and their gurus (two Mindlash), along with two Wardens of Ai, are the only L'na in the area to help ward off the threat. The gurus know of a shard of crystalized air, known as the Borras Polestar. The fragment is a strange mixture of Dawn and Twilight powers, able to invoke the powerful winds of Ai, but only able to be wielded by a Twilight disciple of Maoru. The gurus hypothesize they can use the Borras Polestar to redirect the warping touch of the flux storm from their sacred center.

The L'na begin with their final studies for the Investiture of Maoru, preparing to enter into the rites that bring them from pupil to practitioner. They start the ceremony only to be interrupted by the ghastly flash of terrible orange and blue lightning, followed by the heinous wail of twisted thunder. Looking over the apprentices shoulders to the East, they can see massive clouds of ominous disaster brewing out of nothingness. The flux storm manifests in mere second, blowing its fetid gales that taste of mechanical fluid and human bile and countless other unwelcome scents, the arcaneless air of the other realities outside Ai, upon the initiates and their leaders. Any skilled eyes can already see the flocks of featherless creatures and mangled sights flitting among the towering clouds, emissaries of the dreaded storm. The players have moments to conduct any Awareness or knowledge/lore checks and make decisions before on of the gurus interjects his/her own insight about the Borras Polestar and its strange history. The mysterious relic happens to lie on a small craig between the dale and the storm. The party can then decide to rush for the Polestar or offer their own solution to save their beloved grove.

If the party continues with the quest (I see little options otherwise, but let ingenious players do their worst ;), they will cover the distance between the dale and the woods edge in a matter of minutes [in game time]. At its edge, they will run into two desperate Wardens making their own way to see how extensive the front is and who offer their own assistance once they hear of the quest. The redoubled party will make a third of the way across the plains to the craig before the first ill effects of the storm break upon them. A small pack of Howling Horrors* (*unfamiliar with current monster stats, so insert any shocking low-level baddies that are both horrific and terrifying to L'na newbies) crest a knoll, intent on feasting on the fresh meat in front of them. The wardens and gurus jump into the fight, allowing the party to join in as well though cautioning them to be careful with such vicious beasts. If the battle lasts for three rounds or more, the storm intensifies and moves that much closer, causing three living lightnings to surge down among the combatants. At their arrival, the Mindlash send the initiates onward to retrieve the crystal alone.

When the party arrives at the craig, have the world around them emphasize the severity of the storm. The winds themselves are causing the beauty of Ai to transmute into the repulsive caricatures of the other worlds: Trees become warped into steel chimney spewing smog, grass withers into Earth-like stalks, and the air takes on the dead pan of a smithy. The craig, a small mountain of granite, seems strangely unphased in its inherent self, though the flux winds howl among its crevices and hollows. The party must make the ascent soon or be swept into the transmogrifying power of the storm. I would even have a stormdancer appear suddenly above, only to be ripped from the air into a swirling arm of cloudy bastion. The initiates, should they rush to the foot of the mountain, find themselves facing three trails. They can either split and try to see who can gather the Borras first, or join each other on the trail. Modify accordingly.

Should they separate, each will meet with a test on the mountain. The first will find themselves face to face with a doomdigger that is fully blind (*again, that is if it is not already blind) and relies on tremorsense. Try to make this clear by accenting its jerky movements to any shifting rock or footfall. The character can choose to engage the burly obstacle or attempt to scale around the beast. Place a few conspicuous overhanging rocks on one side of the small trail and a series of handholds on the other to give them options. This is more of a skill in feints and elusion than combat.

The second trail leads directly upward into the face of an Apoc Mountain Goat. This will be a contest of diplomacy or single combat, depending on the skill of the character(s) to pass the territorial guardian. Have the goat act tempermentally to any advance into its domain, forcing the player(s) to come face to face with the beast wherever they position themselves on the trail, as it jumps from ledge to rim to floor in order to cut them off. It will attack should they advance more than twenty yards after coming into sight, unless they can otherwise subdue its irritable nature.

The third trail is on the Eastern edge, closest to the storm. The storm itself will be the looming obstacle, obscuring and hazarding the passage with its flux mist and lightning. The player will have to skillfully move through an obstacle course of fog banks (moving around them; a trip into one will cause them to suffer a random bane or boost and alter in appearance slightly as befits the effect) and a couple shard throwers on the cliff wall along the way. The player(s) can attempt to engage in combat with the throwers or rush through, using the banks as cover and blinding lightning to elude detection.

Play the timing down to rounds, switching among the characters in their feats of skill. Maybe have them roll initiative to represent their starting speed, then determining by progress who reaches the top first. For that one, skip down to the shard site and insert the others as they arrive.

Should they enter a trail together, utilize the tests and advance them as needed to include teamwork. Have them uncover ways to integrate their abilities to move along the trail to the summit, where they will discover the Borras Polestar's resting place.

Here, the party (or player) will find a plateau overlooking both the gigantic storm and the tiny rim of trees that represent all they call home. Forks of lightning should be tormenting the local landscape, the eerie howls of unwanted intruders echoing from both the clouds above and on the winds of the gales from below. Have the swirling dirt on the flatlands below whip marauding packs of ugly externals or rolling cogs or a retrofitted tank into existence--any distant example of the realms beyond, to inspire future adventures--which fade from sight on the next blast of grit. in the center of the plateau, on a raised berm of sandstone crafted by a skilled and diligent mind (no hand seems to have touched the masterpiece), rests a shimmering pale gemstone. Closer inspection shows the jewel seems to be in constant motion within its many-faceted borders, a swirl of azure, cerulean and sapphire. The colors fascinate anyone who studies them, causing them to feel the need to collect and hold the stone. Once the stone is in hand, have the storm pulse with fury, hurling a shockwave across the plateau to instill sudden alarm and panic.

The player or team all hear a voice whisper on the swirling winds, a whisper that wars with the terror trying to grip their souls. This disembodied speaker invites them to continue what they had started long before in the grove and conclude the Investiture of Maoru. The wielder of the Borras feels the ceaseless energy of Ai and its thirst for freedom from the foul bane well up inside them, inspiring them to side with the voice. The party can then initiate themselves in call-response to the windy voice, their chant gaining gusto and crescendo over the howling storm. Once they complete the rite, the swirling colors within the Borras Polestar surge to its center before erupting out to blast into each of the players (even if they blast must rush down the trails to find straggling players). The winds around the craig begin to race in a cycle around the mountain, creating a whirlwind that blasts across the plains in all directions, wiping away the visible and tangible taint of the storm. A pristine calm befalls the surrounding lands, giving the party a sense of renewal and change: They and the world of Ai would not be the same with the Borras unleashed.

When the party returns toward the dale, they will find trees still shattered and blackened by fire, a pathway carved by gruesome gouges of flux. Allow the quiet and emptiness of their field of vision clue them that a total recovery has not been made. The players have new powers (give them Investiture of Maoru and any added UP buffer to grant them use of some of its powers) and now will have to use them. Have a flux warper or two defiling the dale, with what is left of the two wardens at their feet and a mindlash struggling to hold on to life. The guru will notice the party and reach out with its mind to warn them to not come close, that the other was abducted into the storm, and that the grove is lost. They can choose to rescue their fallen guru, seek revenge on the warper(s), or even follow their guru's advice to flee. However, he will attempt to aid them should they choose to dive forward and fight. Let the battle play out with them utilizing new powers and skills to bring down the baddie(s) and redeem their dale.

The adventure concludes with a sober reminder of their losses and the powerful gift: Their guru dies among them afterward (if not killed in battle), though they have the Investiture and its derivative powers. Let the winds blow fragments of the Borras over the dale, blossoming blue petaled flowers on the defiled dale, and bring forth a general knowing that a mission lies ahead for them, a dark road to find their remaining guru and bring him safely home. Or, in seeing the wonders and terrors of the other realms, the players may be inspired to end all contact with flux to Ai and go on a conquest to understand the terrible phenomena and possible seal Ai forever from its fatal effects.

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A diamond in the rough to an extreme, and probably in need of tons of work--I for one could not adequately insert battle encounters without a better recall/review of the minions available. However, this is made with the intention of creating a breathless, dramatic introduction to the Investiture of Maoru, giving the players a memorable experience that is to both forge a party and a trail for further adventuring in the world of Splintered Serenity. Edit and apply this as you would like, engaging the storm as a tension building device as you see fit. And please post your results and insights on the forum, so I can see how they turned out. Thanks! :)