The Beginning of Group 7 in Worlds of Beru

Though many others have played in my campaign running since the 1980s, I started the current count of group numbers for this campaign since moving to Spokane in 2004 (and first Beru campaign here started around 2007).

This group previously tried out an evil campaign in Middle-earth using MERP/RM hybrid rules. The information on that short-lived campaign here: http://spokanerpg.com/forum/rpg-group-discussions/248207091 - See the forum postings for that group for details on how their campaign went.

They have now elected to play in my home brewed multi-verse heroic campaign setting of "The Worlds of Beru" with the standard start in the Port City of Balchoth.

The wiki for this setting can be found here: http://spokanerpg.com/beru

It takes 4+ hours, especially for those new to the system, to complete characters. So with only an hour left in the session, we began that process, and here is what they chose:

Jacob = Great Man, Beastmaster (non-identical twin to Ryan's character).

Justin = Common Man,

Dawn = _____, Shaman

Drake = High Elf, _______

Heather = ______, Duelist

Ryan = Great Man, Beastmaster (non-identical twin to Jacob's character).

Due to prior family obligations, Ryan, Justin, & Heather won't be able to attend next week, but Dawn, Jacob, & Drake will be there to continue working on their characters.

Then the following week all 6 should be there to finish character creation, and if all goes well, begin the first leg of the adventure!

 World Map

Several sessions later...

The party has escaped Port Balchoth.

They made it to the farmhouse, and found the dead family (apparently from the plaque) with one little girl nearly dead. They took her in though very nervously.

Then went to Torschalan's cottage and spent the night.

The following late morning/early afternoon, the two Great men and the hobbit, were out for a jog, the hobbit significantly behind. When they were on the hill above the cottage they saw a pair of Mordredian scouts at the farmhouse below. The party members made it back to the cottage undetected and the party prepared to leave and to watch for, and if necessary, a fight with the Mordredians.

The hobbit put an arrow through the head of the lead scout, who was walking alongside his horse, pinning his head to the saddle of the horse.

The other scout mounted, wheeled, and fled north across the country side. The PCs ran after him, the Great men somewhat keeping pace. Brighteyes actually eventually caught up to the exhausted horse, and they spoke under duress. Gaining information about the Mordredian forces. But then the scout fled.

The party gathered one last time at the cottage and decided to ride due north, with the carriage, across the countryside.

Along the way they found the scout's dead horse (exhaustion). And footsteps running west.

They continued north.

The PCs continued on into the woods, and some more clearings. They eventually that evening made camp, finding a stream near in a small ravine where, surrounded by trees.

The girl had some flushed (feverish) color to her cheeks, but that was an improvement form her deathly pale pallor previously. One of the large postures on her check had rusted and was hanging deflated on her cheek as she moaned in a feverish delirium.

Brighteyes searched the area with his special astral vision, and found a ring with a star, faintly glowing a few hundred feet southwest of the camp. The mist elf indicated that there were places where the veil between worlds was thinner, and there were ancient stones with runes of old, embedded in the ground here, clearly for some powerful rituals. She recommended they leave it alone and not to touch anything lest they disturb something.

That night, while Jektor is on watch (being played by Drake since Justin had scheduled in advance he would be unavailable that game session), he sees a glowing bluish-purple light back near the ring (though the other party members hadn't told him about it. Jektor awoke Jehan, then went to investigate. He wanted to stick his finger into the glowing ring, hearing scored (hundreds? thousands? millions?) of voices whispering.

He waited unti; Jehan joined him. Jektor was feeling intense waves of emotions going through his body.

Drake then dialogued between Jehan & Jektor ("playing with himself" as he said), debating what to do.

Jehan decides to poke his left pinky finger into the ring.

Rolling Self Discipline, he rolled very low.

His finger was then stuck to the circle, and something started pulling him within (slowly). Jehan spoke to the ring asking "before you pull me in, can we make a deal?" The whispers consolidated into a soft echoing whisper asking "what you want? who are you? what you bring? true name?". Jehan could see stars beyond, but some great blackness, with many tentacles, blocking out a huge swath of have the stars, and jehan felt like a tiny speck compared to what was beyond. He realized whatever it was, wasn't even really aware of Jehan, it was only a sub-sub-fraction of focus brought Jehan.

Ivanna was in her elven meditative trance during this time.

Jehan feels something enter into his body, and then he blacks out.

The next thing Jehan knows, someone is over him with a torch, as he slowly comes to.

Ivanna and Jektor looking worriedly at Jehan.

Inspecting his finger it looked fine, but smelled of sulphur.

When Ivanna asked, "Did it touch your mind", Jehan responded, "Define touch my mind?", smirking cockily.

Jehan seeing lights in motion have purplish tracers, and walking staggering. Going to sleep exhausted.

When they came across an intersecting road (from Port Lewellyn to the southeast), they spoke with a poor farmer refugee fleeing Port Lewellyn. The NPC's name was Steburr. He said he couldn't find his son and assumed he was dead.

Then some Arthurian horsemen arrived on the road, indicating trouble not far behind and that they needed to get to Camelot ASAP.

At this point Torschalan bid the party adieu, taking the carriage with him, though he did leave them a valuable array of herbs to help them in along their way.

The party went north, and while above the road, saw another group of fast riding horsemen form the southeast. They saw they were 8 Mordredian soldiers. They watched in horror as the riders accosted, and then after clearly getting information from Steburr, decapitated the poor old farmer.

4 of the horsemen continued on the road riding rapidly northwest, while the other 4 doubled back slowly riding on the road southeast, scanning the road. The party made a run across the clear field, for the trees 1 mile to the north of the road.

They watched from the treelike (just making it in time), as the scouts climbed ridge north of the road, clearly following the party's tracks.

The scouts didn't follow.

As the party travelled through the woods, Jehan's cat leaped out and attacked Fluff, landing on his face and scratching him significantly. Shredding his face terribly. Jehan grapples with the cat to pull it from Fluff's face, and stuffed the cat, yowling, back in a sack.

It turns out Fluff has an issue where cats of any size, attack him upon sight!

The party is traveling at half speed through the woods, though it is possible to remain on horseback most of the time.

When we wrapped up for the night, the party had made camp for the night in the woods.

The adventure resumes on December 22nd, 2015!