Since these weekly (or semi-weekly) updates have been surprisingly well-received, I've decided to keep writing and posting them. In addition to simply giving readers insights into the games I'm playing and how I'm playing them, the updates also often serve as useful springboards for other discussions on this blog. It's long been my contention that, while theorizing about RPGs has its place, the most important thing – the very heart of the hobby – lies in actually playing these games. rather than simply talking about them. It's my hope that these updates will thus provide just as much food for thought as more "abstract" discussions.
Barrett's Raiders
The characters continued to make preparations to leave Goleniów and head west toward Bremerhaven, where US forces were marshalling in preparation for evacuating Europe on 15 November 2000. Col. Kettering provided them with a reasonably up-to-date map ("It was accurate a week ago – or so my superiors assure me.") of northern Poland and Germany, including the current disposition of NATO and Warsaw Pact forces. While this made planning for their coming journey easier, it did nothing to resolve the question of the medium atomic demolition munition (MADM) and whether to reveal their possession of it to Kettering. In the end, the characters opted not to do so, feeling it better to turn it over to the appropriate authorities in Bremerhaven.
Before leaving Goleniów, Vadim (Soviet doctor POW), Michael (CIA deep cover operative), and Radosław (Polish People's Army deserter) all needed to obtain Polish identity papers – Vadim and Michael because they needed to hide their true identities from American forces, and Radosław because he had none. To do this, they had to work out a deal with Sergeant Dariusz Kowalski, a logistics officer attached to the forces of the Polish government-in-exile. Nicknamed "Miś" – "teddy bear" – Kowalski was a big, burly man who had black market connections. He could give the characters what they needed but it would cost them in weapons, ammo, or medical supplies. Fortunately, they had plenty of captured AKM rifles and 7.62mm bullets to trade. A deal was struck and they got their papers.
Now ready to go, the characters bid farewell to the Canadians who'd been traveling with them and departed. Their journey across northern Germany was relatively uneventful. They took longer than needed, because their commander, Lt. Col. Orlowski, wanted to be sure they were well rested when they reached Bremerhaven. In addition, he was still somewhat concerned about what would meet them there. The situation back in America was obviously fraught and he had no desire to see his men impressed by the Joint Chiefs into a civil war against their fellow Americans. On the other hand, the evacuation fleet in Bremerhaven was their only ticket home, so they had little choice. That's why, on Saturday, September 23, 2000, the men of Barrett's Raiders elected to head down the road that would lead them to an uncertain future.
Dolmenwood
Now that Clement of Middleditch was Sir Clement of Middleditch, sworn knight of Princess Snowfall-at-Dusk, the youngest daughter of the fairy Cold Prince, he had a quest. His liege lady had asked him to investigate the activities of Lord Malbleat, a dubious breggle noble, who seemed to be behind schemes that threatened both the mortal world and Fairy. He and his comrades had chartered a boat to traverse Lake Longmere, in order to reach the High Wold, the ancestral lands of the breggle. This they did without much trouble – a first in their journeys across the Dolmenwood.
On the other side, they encountered breggle fishermen who greeted Falin with great reverence. This discomfited her greatly. As a breggle cleric – and a somewhat heterodox one at that – she was used to being treated with condescension and suspicion among humans. To now be treated with respect was an odd thing. She learned from the fishermen that just to the south lay the hamlet of Shagsend, whose lord, Windore Hoblewort, was a vassal of Malbleat. If they wanted to know more about Malbleat and what might await him in his lands, Hoblewort was the breggle to talk to.
As they made their way to Shagsend, the characters encountered a grimalkin mounted on a seelie dog. Sophisticated and elegant, he introduced himself as Marid Adventi, an enchanter traveling to Shagsend in the company of the Demoiselle Madrigal de Chanterelle, a fairy fungus cat. Marid is a new player character, so this was an opportunity to introduce him into the campaign, bringing the total characters to four. I was especially happy in this case, as his player is an old friend with whom we hadn't gamed for many years. His return to the fold was thus a moment for rejoicing.
House of Worms
The character continued their interrogation of the moneylender Kautélu huGurudrá. It soon became clear that he had acted simply as a go-between and that he knew comparatively little about the people with whom he interacted – including their schemes. He was, however, willing to aid the characters, provided he did not have to betray any confidences to do so. After some thought, they made use of a series of code words they'd plucked him mind via ESP, in order to present themselves as members of his own Copper Door clan sent to test his loyalty. This proved sufficient and he directed them toward an entrance to the underworld beneath Béy Sü. That's where their quarry, Makésh hiVriyón, had fled.
Crossing a series of basements, sub-basements, and hidden chambers, the characters soon found themselves in a subterranean labyrinth. Making use of Nebússa and Grujúng's tracking skills, they eventually made it to a room guarded by a number of copper-armored undead guardians – Shédra! They defeated them handily, though Kirktá wondered whether doing so was some kind of violation of the precepts of Sárku. Since no one else seemed concerned, they proceeded ahead, eventually finding a chamber that showed evidence of someone's recently passing through. A smoldering torch in a sconce more or less confirmed this.
Inside, they discovered Makésh attempting to make an escape through a trapdoor. With him was an unnerving beautiful woman. Everything about her was perfect by Tsolyáni beauty standards – so perfect, in fact, that it triggered a sense that she couldn't possibly be real, a fact more or less confirmed by the inability of Keléno to use his ESP on her. This was clearly Ki'éna, for whom Makésh worked. She was friendly and non-threatening. She explained she wished no ill upon the characters, especially Kirktá, who, she stated, had a "glorious role to play" in the coming ascension of Prince Dhich'uné to the Petal Throne. She told them that Kirktá would be unwise to seek the Throne himself, but, if they had to know the location of the golden disc identifying him as an heir to the deceased emperor, they should seek it at the Temple of Belkhánu.
The characters briefly considered attacking Ki'éna but opted instead to let her and Makésh go, They assumed her to be a powerful sorceress or some other potent being. More to the point, they had other matters to ponder, including whether or not to flee Béy Sü itself, since it's possible that, whatever Kirktá's "glorious role" was, he might not be able to achieve it elsewhere. This, in turn, led to speculation that maybe fleeing was exactly what Ki'éna wanted them to do. Rather than consider every paranoid possibility, they concluded that they had no real option but to keep pressing ahead in the capital. Whatever was going on and whatever Kirktá's role within it, they needed to prepare themselves.
