[Astromancer]

I'm reposting something from another thread that relates to the ongoing campaign I'm running.



I'm starting a fantasy campaign.

I started the players with an errand through a wilderness of collapsed caves (based on hyper rough real world terrain). I gave them some minor problems. Yellow and black striped flowers that are a cross between poison ivy and stringing nettles with the dials turned to one hundred and eleven. I also threatened them with a creature out of Irish folklore, Water Dogs, think giant otters the size of Nile crocodiles and just as deadly.

I also tossed clues at them. Walls craved and enameled with red thistles and blue oak leaves, but the oak leaves are often painted over or scratched out. Miles of elaborate cravings and architectural finishings in wildernesses and caves. All of which are hundreds of years older than the town founded by the people who came from another reality and found the world they live in deserted.

I left them climbing up a tower. They entered through the kitchens. They're finding clues. Many are pointing to a Mary Celeste type mystery. Others should let them know something about the symbols used around these ruins.

I thought the doors marked with butterflies and orchids would have been obvious. But they missed the jewels in the courtesan's rooms.

You would think that miles of decorated floors in a cavern/wilderness would excite more curiousity.

The PCs are part of the crew of a flying ship sent out to map the world the people of the town the PCs came to. (I encouraged them to be towns folk, but they all ignored that). The Captain is based on William Hartnell's take on the Doctor. The ship's surgeon is based on Gates McFadden (but as a half elf). The half orc security chief is basically Worf. (Yes I am having fun).


Second week of my fantasy campaign.

The PCs are beginning to realize how weird the set up of the tower is.

When they tried to explore a door with the crest of a miniature castle surrounded by roses. A writing desk scuttled into their way. An inkwell then asked for formal invitations. The PCs managed to get around the inkwell. They also picked up the fact that the social secretary hadn't been around for 700 years. The inkwell asked if he was coming back.

When they got into the antechamber packs of cards formed into tall stickmen and threatened the PCs with razor edged cards.

The Grandfather Clock interrogated the PCs. He was a bit suspicious, but the Princess had been missing for Seven hundred years too. So he wanted the PCs to ask the Wardrobe what she knew.

Sorry can't edit right now.

Once they got to the Wardrobe (a large room) she advised the PCs, after a short conversation, that they were in danger. The Steel Guard (animated steel warriors) would hunt down and kill anyone without a proper invitation.

The PCs asked how to get invitations. The Wardrobe told them about the Princess's special playroom. She also warned the "toys" might want to play with them.

They got to the "Playroom" and found the writing desk with the invitations, or rather the standard forms to write invitations on. By this time a Fairy had joined the party and the Kendu and the Tabaxi (correct spelling later) were with the fairy.

The fairy found himself blocked by two "rag" dolls made of leather and dressed as the Queens of Hearts and Spades respectively. The Tabaxi found herself threatened by a white leather bunny rabbit with a scalpel and grappled by a four armed and legged clown doll covered in bells. The Kendu got to the desk and forged some invites. They all barely escaped before the other toys came.

Once back at the Wardrobe the PCs discovered they would need to rescue the other party members.

After tracking them down they rescued them from animated objects intent on washing the PCs up to make them presentable. As a strategy to keep them from being butchered.

The PCs found considerable evidence that the animated objects in the tower were under serious stress from being abandoned.

The PCs are now climbing up the tower to question the library about the tower.

They did escape the tower and prevent any of their party from being butchered. Everyone but the Kendu got a long rest. The Kendu got a short rest and created a forgery.

The Steel Guard saw through the forgery but the other PCs tricked the Steel Guards into thinking the Kendu found the forgery and brought it to the guards for security reasons.

The Steel Guards then rewarded the Kendu.

While passing through the ballroom the candelabras asked them to dance. Some of the Steel Guards clearly wanted to dance as well.

Third session of the fantasy campaign.

Realizing that the party was getting tired of the tower and its mysteries I gave the party a few more clues. I had the apartments get grander as they climbed higher.

I also introduced the idea of armorial quarterings and mentioned that the heraldic shields painted on the doors had scary large numbers of armorial quarterings on them. They soon came up with the idea that what ever happened to the kingdom was caused by the nobility becoming inbred and decadent. I'm stealing that.

I tossed out clues from mottos on the armorial shields. "Rosey head dreamer you sleep as if dead/ while worlds within worlds revolve in your head." They are wondering if Sleeping Beauty was a lich.

Two more clues. "...to strike the sleeping world awake." And "the fitful slumber floats and flows/ about the tangle of the rose "

When they got to the Library it wanted a deal. It would give the ship all the tower's riches in its command if the crew would take all the conscious objects with them. The Library knew the tower was sliding into madness.

The Library then gave the party a magical Atlas that could always tell people were they were. The Library also offered them the chance to study the local area through a crystal ball.

For inexplicable reasons the party declined to use the opportunity. Go fig?

The Captain of the ship sent the PCs to explore the forest road while he took the first load of Living Objects back to the community the ship had come from. The Captain gave the PCs amulets that would let the Captain easily find the PCs again. Each amulet had a magic feather that would block one fatal attack. The Captain also gave them backpacks of food and camping gear holding. Other items kept their full weight.

After a quiet first day in the forest. They came to an obnoxiously cute little house that offered more clues.

One area of the forest marked "Airy Mountain" and/or "Rushy Glen" had the additional message. "To watch her till she wake."

By an island in a lake was scratched "I wept to dream again."

An area of the forest was marked "Leucrotta."

Deciding not to risk the rapids marked on the map the PCs took the forest path. After trying to lure the PCs away from the path. The Leucrottas decided to attack in the middle of the night. The PCs did very well against equal numbers of Leucrottas.

They decided to travel by water to avoid the Leucrottas. Reasoning that Leucrottas were desert animals and might not swim well. (I'm going with their judgement).

They are now dealing with an island filled with seductive illusions. A very odd Harpy (the bird part of her body was a gigantic dove, and the human part was a beautiful young woman) warned them that the island was brutally dangerous. Though unlike other fairy islands the food and water were always safe, but anything else could be deadly.

I don't think they registered that the Harpy said "water" and not "drink." They seemed more interested in the family issues of a Lawful Good Harpy.

When we ended the session a child was trying to get the PCs to take some flowers with them.

They noticed the child's teeth were rather long and sharp.

more later.
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