I am now playing the third session of my solo Through Sunken Lands and Other Adventures game featuring the characters Tilly, (a Licenced Rogue and native of Jundarr, the impossible city), and her friend Moonwane, (The Cosmic Champion, from a great city state somewhere in the Western Lands).
Having found themselves reunited in Jundarr along with the little winged cat Whiskers, they have come to the aid of a woman with an poorly child and fallen foul of a haughty merchant in the process.
Tilly has been sent a bunch of poisonous flowers by a secret admirer or more likely someone who wishes her harm. Now staying in a temple along with the woman and child, can Tilly and Moon survive the night and can they actually trust anyone in Jundarr.
You can read the first session here https://solorpg.co.uk/through-sunken-lands-part-1-jundarr/
and you can read session two here https://solorpg.co.uk/through-sunken-lands-part-2-jundarr/
I have no idea as I type this post what will happen next, to find out with me read on.
Toolbox
I am using a minimal set for this game
Through Sunken Lands RPG
MUNE GM emulator
Randomlists.com for when I need a random verb or prompt
650 City Encounters by Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips if I get stuck for a plot or an encounter.
Finally, I have used Nightcafe Studio AI art program to generate the art pictures for this post.
Threads
Main thread – who is Dithea, the woman with the child, and why is she so evasive when asked about the child.
Secondary Threads – who are the trader and his wife who brought Tilly to Jundarr
– who is the mysterious man who sent the flowers to Tilly
– does the haughty merchant still have a part to play in all this, whatever this turns out to be.
Possible NPC’s.
- Haughty Merchant (the PC’s have already had a run in with this one, has Intelligence 12).
- The Master Thief
- Petty Eldritch Noble
- Priest
- Trader and his wife (the PC’s have already encountered these two NPC’s)
- Shadowy Sorcerer (just because I like the sound of it)
Possible Monster Encounters.
- City Guards
- Skeletons
- Gargoyles
- Ghouls
- Slithering Terror (may be found in the city sewers)
- Giant Rats
- Bats (the temple district must have some bats in the belfry)
- Dog (feral or guard dog)
Magic Items.
Tilly has been given a Mirror of the Cosmos.
Once per day, the owner of such a mirror may commune with one spirit from another realm. Such conversations may only last for 15 minutes. The user must make an Intelligence check to contact a known spirit; failure means they will be talking to an unknown entity.
In the previous post I tried to find out why Dithea wanted to remain in the temple overnight so I got three random verbs, prevent, appear, unpack, (see the end of scene 4).
At the time I did not know what these verbs could be referring to but now I do.
Scene 6, a night in the temple.
Tilly makes it back to the temple of the Lady of the Balance without any further incident. She see’s that Moonwane (Moon for short) and Dithea have managed to make the doors slightly more secure. After she enters the temple Moon pushes the doors closed and uses some broken pews from the temple to jam them shut, “A temporary repair but it should be enough to keep any unwanted visitors out, we got a small fire going too, a little smoky but it will keep us warm and you have us some food, we should be fine tonight then” Moon takes the basket from Tilly and begins to unpack it, in the bottom of the basket is a small ornate hand mirror.
I get both Tilly and Moonwane to make wisdom checks to see if either know what the mirror is. Tilly needs 12 or less and rolls a 20, a bad fail. Moon has cosmic lore skill so needs 11 or less, he rolls 2, success.
Oracle Question. Does Dithea know what the mirror is for? Yes.
Moon picks up the mirror and inhails sharply, “where did you get this from Tilly”?
Tilly tells them of her meeting with the Trader and his wife, “she gave me the mirror, kind of her, not that I would use it, I thought the child would like it though”
Dithea is quick to reply, “do not give it to my child, do you not know what this mirror is”?
Moon explains, “A mirror of the cosmos. The traders wife gave this to you! Learn how to use it and you can speak to the spirits from other realms”
Dithea touches the mirror, “only the one who owns the mirror can use it but I can show you its secrets. First we must eat”.
As night draws in Moon keeps the small fire alive by breaking up some of the wooden fittings with his battleaxe. Dithea gives her child some of the healing potion and the child’s health begins to improve. They enjoy the bread, fruit and even manage to cook some of the veg on the fire. Moon looks to see if there any candles in the temple to help light the place as darkness descends.
Oracle Question. Does Moon find any candles, (roll at disadvantage as the temple has been robbed), No, but…
Oracle Question. Does moon find anything else useful whilst searching the temple, Yes, and… (+1 intervention point, now at 2 intervention points)
Moon search amazingly turns up a small lantern and even a flask of oil. He hangs it up near them giving them a little extra light to see by, there is enough oil to last the evening.
With nothing else to do, Tilly picks up the mirror of the cosmos, “so this allows me to talk to spirits not of this world”
“It will” says Dithea, “look in to the mirror and let your mind reach out behind the glass, a spirit will look back at you, ask it what you will”
Tilly does as Dithea instructed and is startled when the face of a woman unlike her own looks back at her.
Tilly makes an Intelligence check to see if she knows the spirit in the mirror. Needing 13 or less she rolls 9, success.
Who is the spirit, roll d4, 1 a spirit of Law 2/3 a spirit of Balance 4 a spirit of chaos. Roll = 2
Tilly recognises the face in the mirror as the deity the temple was built in honour of, “my lady of the balance” Tilly bows her head in deference.
The spirit smiles, “I am known by many different names throughout the many realms that make up the multiverse. I call myself Taurins”
What does the spirit tell Tilly, attack, break, grab.
The spirit in the mirror looks away from Tilly and looks directly at the child, “The girl, she is not safe here, the girl must come with me”. Taurins arm comes out of the mirror and moves to grab the child.
Dithea screams out “No…” and she pulls her child to her away from Taurins. The Spirits pulls her arm away from the child back towards the mirror.
“There is nowhere on your realm the child will ever be safe but there is one who may hide her until her time comes” the spirit opens her hand and there on her palm is a beautiful crystalline butterfly, “this spirit will guide you to them. If you value your lives and that of the child’s, go there and leave before the attack”.
With that the spirit vanishes and the mirror breaks into small shards leaving only fragments in the frame, the rest droping onto the floor.
Tilly stares at the broken mirror, Moon is the first to speak “You got a sword Tilly”
“No, why? Oh…”
1d6 Skeletons have appeared from the cellar and are moving towards them, roll for number =4.
SKELETONS
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 HP)
AC: 13
Attack: +1 to hit, 1d8 damage (longsword)
Alignment: Neutral
XP: 20
Notes: Dead and Mindless (skeletons are immune to sleep and charm effects)
Moon passes Tilly his sword, “try this. Dithea, do you think you can open the doors, I jammed them shut so no one could get in but I never thought we would need to get out in a hurry”.
Oracle Question. Can Dithea get the doors open before the skeletons attack, Yes, but
As Moon and Tilly ready themselves to defend against the four oncoming skeletons, Dithea knocks the wood propping the the entrance doors shut out of the way, as wood clatters to the floor she screams out.
1/2 the doors remain shut 3/4 a door falls on Dithea, 5/6 there are 1d6 skeletons outside. roll=2
Ditheas screams “the doors wont open”, the doors have only opened slightly, the gap too narrow for anyone even the child to get through and she sees the skeletons are heading straight for her daughter.
Tilly and Moon, sensing the imminent danger to the little girl charge towards the skeletons, weapons drawn. Dithea picks up her child and goes back to attempt to force the doors open again.
Combat
Round 1.
Tilly has the highest initiative and attacks first. Needing 13 or higher on d20 she rolls 1. Tilly is not yet use to the weight and balance of Moons sword and she misses her target wildly.
Moonwane rolls 17, he smashes his battleaxe into one of skeletons causind 1d8+2 damage, rolls a 6 making 8 damage in total. One skeleton is now just a pile of broken bones on the ground.
Two skeletons bypass the PC’s and move towards Dithea and her child at the doors. The last Skeleton attacks Tilly, rolling 12, Tilly manages to side step the skeletons longsword.
Round 2.
Tilly rolls another 1, a miss. She is struggling to fight with Moonwanes sword.
Moon turns and attacks another skeleton, he rolls 20, a perfect strike with his battleaxe and causes 5 hits, enough to destroy the skeleton.
The skeleton fighting Tilly rolls 18 and lands a blow with its longsword. Tilly takes 3 hit points.
The last skeleton lashes out at the child but Dithea is able to put herself between them. The skeleton rolls 14, hits Diathea who takes 2 hit points (Diathea started with 7hp)
Round 3.
Tilly rolls 13, with her Attack Bonus of +1 that is a hit causing 6 damage with Moons sword. Finally she has got use to it and a third skeleton is destroyed.
Moon attacks the final skeleton, rolling 8, with bonuses totaling +4, that’s still a miss. He could not get a good swing at the last remaining skeleton as Dithea was in the way.
The skeleton rolls 15 and hits Dithea again, Taking 7 hit points damage Dithea drops to the floor, the blow is fatal.
Round 4.
Tilly runs to help fight the final skeleton. She rolls another 1 to hit, again she misses the skeleton with another wild swing of the sword.
Moon rolls 13 this time, he does strike the skeleton causing 8 damage. His blow fells the last attacker.
The child throws herself on the body of her dead mother. Tilly goes to comfort her, “what now Moon?”
The crystalline spirit butterfly hovers by the slight opening between the doors, Moon tries to force them open.
Moonwane makes a strength roll, needing 15 or less he rolls 19.
Moon cannot budge the doors, “I guess we follow the butterfly, these doors are stuck fast, if it wants us to go this way we have a problem unless there is another solution”.
Moonwane makes an Intelligence roll, he needs 12 or less and rolls 11
Moon spots a possible opening through a damaged window but its up near the roof, he points it out to Tilly who thinks she can climb up to it.
Tilly has the gifted climber trait, she makes her dex roll as usual, needing 14 or less she rolls 10 and makes the difficult climb easily.
Oracle Question. Can Tilly get out of the damaged window? Yes, and… (+1 intervention point, now 3 in total so intervention) Intervention is ‘Regress Plot’
Random Verbs, Cry, Spark, Pass.
Tilly breaks through the window and is able to climb down. She runs to the doors, from inside she hears an explosion then crying and she can see sparks and flames inside the temple.
Moon is at the other side of the door, fanatically trying to open them again. Tilly asks Moon what has happened, he replies “when you jumped out of the window the lantern exploded sending sparks everywhere, the temple is on fire, we need to get out Tilly, if you push and I pull we may shift the doors together”
Tilly expends one of her fortune points to give +2 bonus to Moons Strength, he needs to roll 17 or less to open the door, he rolls 16, success (just).
Oracle Question. Does the door open far enough to let them both pass? No, But…
They manage to force the doors open just enough to get the child through but Moon is still stuck inside. Tilly cannot see what is stopping the doors from opening, she suspects magic at play. Moon decides his best option is to attempt to climb out of the window Tilly got out from but without any climbing skills its going to be nearly impossible.
I allow Moonwane to try and climb up to the window but give him a penalty of -4, meaning he needs to roll 6 or less to get out, he rolls 2, Success.
Moon manages to climb up to the window, flames licking all around him. It was hard work but his only other option was to go through the sewers and that was the direction the skeletons came from, that knowledge gave him strength to make the awkward climb.
Moon makes a second dexterity roll to see if he manages to climb down the outside. He rolls 18, fails, falls and takes 1d8 hit points, luckily rolling 1.
Moon drops from the outside wall and lands rather badly, slightly hurting himself, nothing serious, pride hurt more than anything. He makes his way round to Tilly and the child. Whiskers the cat who had disappeared when the skeletons appeared, reappears.
The spirit butterfly begins to move off towards the harbour district. Moon picks up the little girl and pops her on this shoulders and Whiskers sits on the little girls shoulders, “well Tilly, looks like we have no choice but to follow that thing then, to the harbour we go”.
Next time. A sea journey.
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