12 Thaumont 1000AC - Eviction Begins

The group sneaks up to the back door under cover of the fog and lurks in the bushes there until Elias has scouted the room beyond it. He finds a kitchen with old tables in it. A rusty stove and a rusty pump complete the ensemble. On the tables lie a variety of pieces of crockery. None appear to have any value. Against one wall lie some old sacks, their hessian exteriors rotting while the goods that were once inside have rotted away or been taken by rodents. Other than these items the room is empty. Wooden doors lead out of the room in all directions. A quick examination of them shows that they are not locked and nothing can be heard through any of them. A circular staircase leads up to the next floor.

12 Thaumont 1000AC - To the Castle

The group gathers outside Janacek's Inn at the first grey dawning, stamping to keep warm in the chill morning mist. The three new recruits are all waiting and ready. Judging by the straw in his hair Bogdan stayed in the stables last night to make sure that he would not miss the departure. After the usual fussing and fettling all is ready and the journey begins with a quick trip to the town hall to collect weapons.

It is fourteen miles to Antilles Castle, which means that it will be late evening by the time the group arrives there.

As the morning progresses the sun comes up and burns off the mist. The day looks set to be fair and the journey passes comparatively quickly along the road with a pause for lunch, at which point Breccia reveals that he only has a couple of dead rats left to eat. It looks like he will be scrounging food from the others tomorrow.

Shortly before turning off the road into the mountains, a large merchant caravan passes by heading for Threshold and possibly points north. The guards on it are well-armed and plentiful and there are easily a dozen or more wagons loaded with goods. The group leaves the road and heads into the mountains, following the ancient and unused trail that was once a major road leading to Antilles Castle. They arrive near the castle shortly before dusk and set up camp. There is still enough light to scout the castle. A quick check reveals two entrances: the main double doors and a smaller door that is hidden in the shrubbery at the opposite end of the castle.

The group watches the castle until night falls and then sets up watches for the night. The guards not only keep look-out for the camp but also watch the castle for activity. It is not long into the night, on Breccia's watch, that four Goblins are seen entering the main doors of the castle. Later in the night Shalander sees three small dog-like humanoids about 3' tall entering the castle, again by the front door. No other activity is spotted.

The following morning a great fog has rolled in and everyone is hard-pressed to see more than twenty feet in front of them.

11 Thaumont 1000AC - Later that same day

The group is sitting down to a pre-dinner ale or three in the evening when a burly warrior approaches them. He greets Lacrimos first before addressing the rest of the group.

"I am Bogdan Malkovich and a warrior. I seek adventure, fame and glory and ahve heard that this may be had from your leader, Lacrimos. If you will accept me into your company, I shall bring my trusty two-hander to your service. All I require is my fair share of any treasure and rewards that might be gained while I am in your service."

A little later on a balding young man with a long but wispy beard approaches the group. He has a nose like an over-ripe potato and one eye higher than the other. To call him plain would be to insult plain people all over Mystara.

"Greetings, noble ones. I am Vladimir Pushkin, wizard extraordinaire. Your leader, Breccia, put out the word that you sought henchmen and I have come to answer your summons in the pursuit of knowledge and power. Take me into your service and I shall put my not inconsiderable mystical prowess at your beck and call. I require only a full share of the treasure and rewards that we gain while I travel with you and gift you with my powers."

The group responds in the same way to each, telling them to return a little later for a decision.

At this point Breccia states that he would like the magical shortsword. He would willingly pay for it out of his future shares of the treasure but only has enough to pay for half of it right now. What says the group?

9-11 Thaumont 1000AC - In and about Threshold

8 Thaumont - after dinner
"If only we could tell if any of these items in our treasure is magical," muttered Lacrimos over a buttered hotcake.
"Do you think some of them are?" queried Callinicus.
"I don't know," said Lacrimos, "but it would not hurt to find out. The problem is that we don't have a tame wizard to check for us."
"You mean you want someone to cast a spell to see if they are magical?"
"Yes."
"Well, why did you not say? Our gods should be willing to grant me that spell. I shall pray for it tonight and see what we can do in the morning."

9 Thaumont
Breccia mutters something about seeing if his contacts in Threshold can provide any extra muscle for the group and disappears off straight after breakfast.
Callinicus arrives shortly after. He, Lacrimos and Elias all head for their room, where Callinicus calls upon the gods and then points at four items.
"That sword that the Bugbear zombie was wielding, that ring that the skeleton was wearing and that studded leather belt are all magical, as is that blue liquid," announces Callinicus.
"I'm sure I saw that Elf in the common room just now," says Elias, "Shall I see if he can identify any of these for us?"
Elias rushes off to the common room, where he finds Shalander. After a quick discussion, Shalander returns with Elias and announces that he can identify the items for 100 Royals per item, but that he can only identify one item per day. The group decides that the shortsword should be the first item. Shalander chants for a while and then picks up the shortsword. After holding it and concetrating on it for a short while he puts it down and sits down, pale and out of breath.
"This sword is certainly magical but has only a basic level of enchantment on it. Still, that is enough to prevent it rusting and ensure that it maintains a very sharp edge."
[+1 Shortsword identified]

"You want that potion identifying too, eh?" he asks. When he gets a positive response, he sips it carefully, smacks his lips and announces that it is a Potion of Healing. "You can identify potions by sipping a little of them if you have some knowledge about these things. It's a skill I can teach you as we travel."

Following this, Shalander must wait until the next day before he can identify the next item, but the group discusses with him whether he would be willing to join them. He agrees in return for a full share of any treasure and rewards gained. With that he departs to rest and the others get on with their preparations for the next expedition. The first thing on the agenda is selling the treasure. Then it will be time for a shopping spree. The first batch of treasure, including the magical shortsword, nets 838 Royals. Ten percent of this goes to the Church of Karameikos. 100 Royals are paid to Shalander. The rest is divided between the group.

10 Thaumont
Shalander identifies the ring as a Ring of Translation. It grants the wearer the ability to speak a language without learning it first. This particular ring enables the wearer to speak Goblin. He agrees to take this ring as part payment for his services in spell-casting.

11 Thaumont
Shalander returns once more and this time identifies the studded leather belt as a Belt of Lifting. Although it does not increase your strength, it does make anything you are carrying feel lighter.
[Belt of Lifting - reduces encumbrance by one level]
With the items all identified and sold, and shopping done, the group is ready to head for the castle on the morrow.

Pirettes!

In a fairly recent blog post I showcased the Saucy Sue, a mobile den of scurrilous iniquity, or so the authorities would tell you. The Saucy Sue is a landship for our forthcoming Lacpunk game. She has some crew, but I thought she needed some extras and had these 28mm Black Scorpion pirates hanging around from an impulse purchase at a show. So, onto the painting table with them and slap some paint on. I don't think they look too bad, although my photography certainly still needs work and I have still not learnt to like painting 28mm figures: