[pnpgm] Game Update #6 - File #41 - Dark Forest Welcomes

[pnpgm]

[Another case update copied from openoffice does 
not seem to go out.  I can only assume office is 
adding some special character.  So I'm pasting 
this from notepad.  As result format may be 
goofed .  Can see website ver to see good ver



Sex.....Character Name...Player..................Type....Notes.....
Male...Klorgar..........Tobie.Bonahoom...Tracker...Human,..........
Female.Varo Mineholder..Bess.Hadley......Merchant..Human...........
Male...Razgor...........Wout.Broere......Guard.....Human...........
Nale...Juno.Solace......Gerald.Ford......Tracker...Human...........
Male...Rocky............Alex.Koponen.....Hunter....Dwarf...........
Male....................Gilbert.Isla...............................
Male...Veren.Nor.Tarek..Npc..............Employer..Human...........
Male...Jaren............Npc..............Bodyguard.Human...........
Male...Marusk...........Npc..............Guide.....Human...........

Veren Nor Tarek.

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	Game Update #6 sequence (file #41)
	----------------------------------------------------------------

	Admin: None.
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	[Recap]

	   From Varo: [Re: Actions]
		[Sorry if this seems a bit long, but I hope I 
now better understand the rpg of RQ (I hope) so 
trying to get into it more. I am intrigued as to how this story will go.]  ;)

		After a good, if slightly shortened, night’s sleep, Varo awoke & 


		[OOC – I am assuming a woman cook at the 
ttavern; if it’s a man, you’ll have to 
re-type all the pronouns – sorry ‘bout that]
	   GM: Ack. A very good post.  Thanks.

	-------------------------------------------------------------
       [New Stuff]

	[Windsay, Death week, Storm Season, 1625, Dragon Pass, Genertela, Glorantha]
    	[Town of Demark]
       [Time: 7:10 am – using earth equivalent for ease]

	   After a good, if slightly shortened, night's 
sleep, Varo awoke & made her morning prayers to 
Ernalda, The Earth Queen, Lady of Earth's Balance 
& Harmony. Varo tried her best to keep to a 
personal schedule of morning & evening prayers, 
and tried to remember a short reminder-prayer at 
mid-day to help keep her in Harmony with her 
surroundings & do what she can to keep the 
Balance of the Earth Queen, but sometimes forgot 
when she felt comfortable in her surroundings.

	   She realized that today she was joining a 
very mixed company, all of which were strangers 
to her & to each other, under a new & temporary 
employer who wanted to walk (walk!) to his 
destination. She found she was a little nervous, 
although not afraid. She took a couple minutes, 
after her packing was complete, to meditate on 
this new venture & realized she would have to 
learn to deal with this as a student learning of 
new cultures in class – only this class was on 
the road! She gathered  her pack & gear, and 
ventured to the stables, where it was still dark, 
and saddled & packed her gear on her horse, much 
to Dusty's pre-dawn disgust, then walked the mare 
to a hitching post outside the tavern & putting 
an nosebag on the sleepy mare for an oats snack, entered the tavern to eat.

	   Varo realized she had been too cheerful & in 
a celebratory mood last night, and realized this 
morning that although breakfast was a good, solid 
meal, that the cook looked distinctly grouchy. As 
she finished the meal, she quietly went up to the 
bar behind which the cook was stirring a large 
pot, & called softly to her to come to the 
counter. As the cook started to (perhaps) 
complain about leaving her stirring, Varo quickly 
flashed a copper at her & the lady, already 
looking tired for this new day,  came over. Varo 
thanked her quietly in Tradetalk, & slipped her 
two coppers. “For your extra service this day, 
good woman. The food was good & I thank you for 
your extra trouble for us.”  The cook looked a 
bit happier, and Varo picked up her bow & sheath 
of arrows & left to gather her horse & meet 
everyone at the East gate. Today, she wore her 
rapier & carried her self-bow over her shoulder 
with her arrows & backpack. Her shield & javelin 
were on her horse, along with her other gear. She 
still wore the tunic under her leather armor & 
the wide-brimmed hat to shade her eyes.

	   As she approached the gate, she looked for 
her party members, and began to introduce 
herself, just her name & where she was from 
(Nochet city in Esrolia), to the other members. 
If they seemed willing, she shook hands, but 
otherwise just nodded with respect. She knew it 
would take time to get to know everyone.

	   Unfortunately, she quickly learned that Tarek 
& Dusty seemed almost allergic to each other. 
Neither seemed happy with the other. For the time 
being, she dropped back towards the rear of the 
party, leading her horse until they got away from 
the more crowded gate area. When she does mount, 
she will remain in the rear half of their party 
for the time being. She silently prayed a quick 
thanks to Ernalda, then turned her eyes again to 
the road. She will not speak to anyone unless 
they speak to her first, as she is studying the 
country around her, Tarek'™s two companions & her 
own party members. Where will her role fall in this new company?

	   The party enters deep into the woods that 
slowly turn to moderate size forest.  Jaren asks Murask why not use the roads?”

	   “The roads go west toward Sartar proper and a 
large city.  They do go north through serious 
mountains then slightly turns north east.  But 
it'd add a week maybe even 2 weeks to our 
trip.  In this case a direct route is faster.”

	   As the party moves on Varen moves to the rear 
and talks to Varo. Varo can notice a strong non 
Essrola accent.  She figures he is native to her 
own land. Varen asks about her home, her business 
trips and what she trades.  Varo can tell he is a 
charmer and flirts a lot.  But being only female here may just demand that?

	   Around mid-sun the group stops and takes a 
lunch break.  Marusk does a perimeter tour to 
check for tracks and see what may be in the 
area.  Bears and Wolves are probably the wost 
aside from monsters.  But he returns satisfied.

	   Varen and Jaren talk in whispers.  As the 
Dwarf tells of great battles to entertain the group.

	   Varen nods to Jaren, “if we are being 
followed Marusk would've detected it.  But keep 
an eye out.”  He whispers and one can hear it.

	   The group moves on seeing at most a deer or 
rabbit.  The hunter in the group takes the rabbit 
down and the party has dinner tonight.  As the 
shadows draw close the sun is lowering but its 
actually only 430/5pm.  But the forest canopy makes it far darker.

	   Varen decides its time to camp for 
night.  The party even walking has made about 10 miles so a good amount.

	   Rocky has no tent so stands by the future 
campfire as the pit is being made for it.  Varo 
is in her tent as she places items in it for the 
night.  Juno has no tent but is off gathering 
wood for the fire some distance away – around 60 
feet away to east of camp.  Klorgar has no tent 
as well but is on sentry duty to the north of the 
camp about 20 feet on a clockwise patrol.  Varen 
is near Rocky and Jaren by his side.  Varen and 
Jaren have tents but are not setting the up yet. 
Razgor also has no tent so is around the future 
campfire ensuring the horses are tied up about 15 feet away.

	   So aside from Varo in tent, 1 on patrol and 1 
gathering wood all are around the camp center.

	   About 20 minutes into making camp Jaren turns 
and draws his sword.  He stares at the south and 
hears a few twigs break.  As others turn the 
sentry moves to the south as well to investigate 
but behind bushes as he moves in that direction.

	   “Hail!” A voice is heard coming from the shadows.

	   Then two men emerge from the dim light and 
around bushes.  “Greetings! May we enter the 
camp?” They are wearing light travel tunics, 
leather armor and swords still in their hip sheaths.  Varen nods.

	   “We were hunting and...” they get within 
about 15-20 feet of Varen and the group around 
the future campfire.  Jaren frowns and they stop 
getting the hint. “Yes.  Let's end this 
nonsense.  You,” he nods at Varen.  “left Demark 
and the Commander wants what he was owed.”

	   Rocky notices 2 other men about 20 feet 
behind these 2 hidden in shadows. But based on 
noise they are not hiding the fact they are there.

	   The speaker pulls out a item that is a round 
ball object with a stem about 3 inches under 
it.  “This here is a fire buzzer.  It will 
explode and kill us all and take some of the 
forest with it. You will return with us or we'll 
take what we are owed from the others.”

	   Varen stands confident, “bandits are scum! I 
owe nothing to you or your town.”  He turns to 
the others.  “Escort this scum away from here!  By Force if needed.”

	   The man beside the speaker draws his 
sword.  Metal can be heard as well from the 2 behind them.

	   Jaren pulls a axe from his back and with 
swift dexterity throws it at the speaker.  The 
axe goes flying and hits the speaker right in the 
head.  But the blade is side wise so it smacks 
him in the air not digs deep in to his 
skull.  The impact cracks skin and he stumbles 
back a couple feet as his other hand is taken off 
the fire buzzer as he tries to regain his 
balance.  He does not drop the item just holds it 
in his left hand at this point.

	GM: Actions? Comments?

	    Next Update...Next week...Tue/Wed?

	GM: I had hoped to do more.  But started update 
6 hours late.  So to get this done so next update 
can be Saturday I rushed it out.  Let me know 
what you folks do.  I will assume armor is fully 
on. Weapons on or nearby.  If group simply wants 
to boot them out of camp then it'll be a fast 
update saturday if combat then will do it sat or Monday if run out of time.

	    So the one shot.  One player had to bow out 
due to emergency so just us three.  Googly I must 
admit did things bad but not so bad. It was her 
first ever rpg.  But she WAS IC as a chaotic elf 
paranoid.  With that said it did bog things down 
a bit. Even surprised Booty the gm.  So for those 
who were not there it was a modern dnd which I 
NEVER played.  Set in 1990s.  So was not 
prepared.  Spells, swords and modern gns. ;) We 
were part of a search/rescue team to hep deal 
with those who have gone inside a cave not to 
return.  From a deaf witness who was attacked 
inside we learned it was some music of some kind 
or song that made folks crazy.  So Player 101 get 
ears plugged up.  I played a Aasmiar Ranger and 
Taib/panda played a Goliath.  So 3 of us enter 
and quickly encounter a stone golem. We deal with 
it and move down a passage.  Where one member of 
team attacks us.  We incapacitate. But Goog makes 
it look like (invisible) she was attacked and 
tries to turn the 2 of us against each other.  So 
this draged on trying to figure out this 
situation.  We exit.  I Heal (lesser restoration) 
the insane person and so we save one.  We go back 
in and find a wounded Googoogly and a dead team 
mate.  We take them out and question her.  But in 
end its decided to cut our losses.  Even as at 
least 3 others are in cave missing.  Too 
dangerous.  I was outvoted but the cave was 
destroyed and so we left.  A year later we are 
watching news.  A volcano erupts at that 
spot.  The gal who ran in to find her love comes 
out and starts to sing.  Then enchants the news 
crew.  End Scene.  So a possible part 2 could be 
out eventually.  Booty admitted that he had 
countless Cultist and a lava monster in the cave 
and we'd probably have been TPKed.  Which I 
personally do not like to kill folks just like 
that.  So its good we did not follow through.  We 
did save 1 which is 1 more than last few times he 
has run that adventure.  So that's a plus.  For 
those who stayed you may have noticed easter eggs 
from me.  My name was Varen Nor Tarek.  :) Also I 
was doing stuff that will be important later in 
this adventure.  If you heard the full session or 
pulled the VOD video on demand from stream then 
you may get the gist of the easter egg.  If 
not.  Too bad.  ;)  About a hour till end of 
session I was told my headset was cutting 
in/out.  We were in Discord and I had stream 
muted.  So did not realize this.  It was a old 
headset.  But next time will use a headset I use 
for work. The other 3 were streamers so all had 
good web cam and headsets for their streaming.  I 
did not. :)  Hope you enjoyed it and I gave you a 
feel of my style and who I sounded like. :)

	   GM: TradeTalk Experience -
		 From first update.  For those who talked.
		  Rocky 	-  Failed.
		  Varo 	-  Failed
		  Juno 	-  Success +5%
    		  Klorgar	-  Success +5%
		  Razgor	-  Success +5%