Do you use Combat Manoeuvres in your RPG? There are a lot of ways different RPGs allow you to do things like Shield Blow or Two-Weapon Fighting.
For Two-Weapon Fighting, Pathfinder 1E uses normal starting penalties of -6/-10 with primary hand and off-hand, D&D 5E allows you to use a Bonus Action, and the game I’ve been running since 2018 – Castles & Crusades (C&C) – says that you have a -3/-6 with primary and off-hand.
The D&D 5E approach is the easiest to manage by allowing it with a bonus action, but C&C has a very simple and fast action economy, so you do your easy to manage move and attack actions in a round and don’t worry about trying to keep track of additional bonus actions and reactions, this allows combat to run a lot quicker. On the other hand, the penalities that you find in Pathfinder 1E and C&C are cumbersome.
I’ve been running C&C for 5 years and realized the other day that although fighting with two weapons, or a weapon and a shield should be common practice in a fantasy game, my players and I have used those manoeuvres at most only a handful of times. I asked them why recently, and they simply stated the penalties and annoying maths didn’t make it fun. I agreed with them. The question that arises next is, how can I make it fun for my players and myself but keep with the simple and swift game feel of C&C?
My solution was inspired by Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC). DCC makes use of additional dice (e.g. d3, d5, d16, d24, d30) and when you attempt an action you are good at you can use a higher die, and if you are less good, you go down to a lower die. So, Warriors might attack with a d24, but someone who is less good might only roll a d16.
As it happens, I love rolling dice, it is probably my favourite thing about TTRPGs, so I have made sure all my players have DCC dice on those occasions when we need a d3 or d5 to deal with a problem that the normal polyhedral dice can’t handle.
So, what I proposed to my players is that for Two-Weapon Fighting and Shield Blow attacks, characters roll a d20 for their primary hand, and roll a d16 for their off-hand (or the Shield Blow). This does mean they can’t roll a natural 20 and crit, but it removes all the cumbersome maths and gives us all a reason to try new things in combat and roll more fun dice. C&C does have an optional rule for use of Advantages (i.e. Feats), and I allow the use of them, so if a martial character wants to elevate the d16 to a d20, they just need to take that Advantage, and then it will be possible to crit.
When I brought this up with my players, they all loved it and embraced it. Since implementing it a few weeks ago (we game every week), there has been at least one player in every game session that has attempted two-weapon fighting and shield bashes, and I have also had my opponents use the technique against them in every game session. It has really opened up the game and combat options.
As for the Shield Blow damage, DCC uses a 1d3 for damage, and I like that. C&C has a Shield Blow rule, but it is -6 to hit, and the victim makes a Constitution save or is stunned for 1d2 rounds. I like the stun option, but tie it in with the d16 attack instead. Also, if my players want to do more than 1d3 damage with the Shield Blow, there will be an Advantage they can take to increase the damage die above 1d3.
So, there you have it. After five years of virtually no players attempting to attack with two weapons or fight with a weapon and shield, they are now trying it out every week, and it could become a fighting style choice for some of the characters.
These are combat techniques that any warrior-types should be able to do (with Feats/Advantages only entering the equation if you want to augment the fighting style). These combat techniques are also easy to manage. And for a TTRPG, dice rolling is one of the most fun things you can do: holding the polyhedral object of fate in your hand, testing its weight and shape, and wondering how your destiny will change as you roll it. I like the new look of combat in my game with this tweaking of the rules.
[Aufstrag is a product of Troll Lord Games for the Castles & Crusades RPG, but it can be used for D&D since the systems overlap. I have heavily home-brewed Aufstrag with other products and placed it in my own world and altered the lore as I need.
For this new entry, we are shifting to the other half of the adventuring party. Entries 1-6 followed the adventuring party of 10 members over the course of a month that were travelling north through the Drunderry River Valley and then along the Blacktooth Ridge bordering the Aratok Mountains to arrive in the town of Botkinburg from the east. The group of 8 members we are shifting to now are taking the roads connecting the villages west of Malforten and plan to head west and then north in order to arrive in Botkinburg to meet the other group at roughly the same time.
You might have noticed that this is a large adventuring party! I like large adventuring parties where players can swap out characters as needed for the needs of the adventure, it helps promote a larger sense of family, doesn’t force people to play restrictive roles, and allows the campaign to show off its many different features.
Since this part of the group is travelling through very different territories (towns and villages instead of forests and mountainous borders), the narrator(s) of the adventurer’s exploits will also shift from the previous entries, providing a new perspective and new insights into the adventuring group and the campaign.
Finally, you will see references to sorcerers and warlocks in this entry. Castles & Crusades does not have those classes, and although I have brought sorcerers and warlocks into my game, I view these character types differently than the way D&D 5E has presented them. Sorcerers are non-traditional spellcasters focused on subjects such as alchemy, astrology, wild magic, and chronomancy. Warlocks are made up of different class combinations – not just spellcasting – and focus on the occult, demonology, afflictions, lunar-based shape changing, and dragon cults.]
Dear Lady Edith,
It is Perthyra Draxina, Painwrithe Warlock of our Patron Alixandra Chatham. I write to you with news on the Crna Ruk incursion into our area. As you well know, these sorcerer assassins work tirelessly in their desire to bring back Unklar, the Lord of the 1,000 year-long Winter Dark. No one wants to return to those dark, oppressive, centuries, and we must do what we can to stop their plans.
We had made contact with the Chronomancer Sorcerer Ganondorf, as he and the fellow sorcerers in his Order study the currents of time to gain insight into the movement and workings of the Crna Ruk. This is a difficult task, for the Scholars of the Crna Ruk are masters of scrying and can usually catch those that attempt to eavesdrop on them (which explains how Unklar and his followers ruled these lands with an iron fist for a thousand years). Sadly, the Crna Ruk did indeed discover Ganondorf’s divination attempts on them, and they sent their Initiates out to kill him – and they succeeded.
Zhanna Naifonova, the proprietor of the House of Charms in Pathstow, had reward posters put up at the Inns located at The Crossroads, and I (along with my husband, both of us in disguise) were following up on leads regarding where the Crna Ruk had fled after their killing.
Unknown to me, a group of adventurers out of Malforten (on an emotional high from their recent success taking down the Gnoll Bandit Lord Gritznak “the Bold”) were taking up the Crossroad’s Wanted Poster’s offer to find Ganondorf’s killers for the reward. They arrived at the Inn in Pathstow not long after my husband and I had arrived, and the adventurers took up residence with us in the large Common Room (the Crna Ruk had purchased all the private rooms for themselves).
Most of the members of this adventuring group didn’t have a clue of the larger picture behind Ganondorf’s murder and what they might be getting themselves into. However, there was a Hobbit with them who had some noticeable roguish skills. But even she is only in the early stages of her career and didn’t notice all the cues.
This turned out to be good for me, for this group caught the attention of the Crna Ruk. This allowed me to lie back and observe the happenings from a more secure, hidden position.
As evening descended, the Crna Ruk left their rooms and headed to the Common Room to take care of the adventurers that were getting too close to them. They cracked open the door to the Common Room and used their illusionary magic in an attempt to distract the group with what appeared to be shadows of people outside the windows of the upper story of the Inn. Luckily, the adventurers saw past the illusions and were able to focus on the Crna Ruk as they sneaked through the shadows to assault the group with their short swords and poisonous daggers.
The Hobbit used concussive bullets with her sling, a Heisen Fodt dwarf bolted forth to attack with his axe, and some magical missiles were fired by the mage in the group. I was surprised by this group’s ability to take on the Crna Ruk with such vigor and success (although a couple of them had been poisoned by the Crna Ruk daggers). They took down five of the Crna Ruk, with the sixth – their leader – escaping. I also played my part during this fight, and threw some of my daggers to speed up the take-down of the Crna Ruk.
The fight caused quite a commotion and the Innkeeper showed up. He is truly clueless (which is probably why the Crna Ruk stayed at his Inn), but he called in a senior member of the Pathstow Watch, a most skilled Celtic Sorcerer, Seer, and Prophet in his own right named Cathal.
Not long after, Zhanna Naifonova showed up with her disturbingly intelligent black cat Shadow, and scanned the area. Zhanna’s skills in magical arts and secrets are top-notch, as you well know, Lady Edith, and she was doing her best to ensure the Crna Ruk were no longer anywhere nearby.
I get the feeling that Zhanna will speak with these adventurers about the dangers of the Crna Ruk, perhaps she can get these bold heroes to take further actions.
[Previous entries were told by an undead Remnant named Stanleigh Claiborne, observing a party of adventurers exploring the frontier lands between the collapsed evil empire of Aufstrag (in the north) and the crusader kingdoms of New Aenoch (in the south). His entries described what my players did during each game session. However, due to a situation described in my previous entry, his future is now uncertain. This entry will be a private journal entry from a Hobbit named Waddo, who is travelling with the group of adventurers after they freed him from imprisonment by an Ogre set on eating him.
Aufstrag is a product of Troll Lord Games for the Castles & Crusades RPG, but it can be used for D&D since the systems overlap. I have heavily home-brewed Aufstrag with other products and placed it in my own world and altered the lore as I need.]
The Journal of Waddo of Ludensheim.
Wow, I am so glad to be free of Kruggle’s Lair! I was imprisoned for months. This group of adventurers has done a splendid job in making sure I have been fed and healed as we make our way along the Blacktooth Ridge to Botkinburg and my home, the nearby city of Ludensheim.
So many things have happened to us on the journey to the northern frontier towns. We ran into some kind of immortal witch-like creature named a Fraonoth with super powerful divination abilities, who shouted out that something was observing us. I wonder what it could be? She never provided any details. The Shaman Kazik and his pet wolf decided to remain behind with her and learn from her in the ways of divination. He was an interesting but somewhat spooky fella – since he would burn incense and beat drums and speak with spirits during the evening before bedding down for the evening. Still, he was good at setting up camp while the Centaur Hunter got us food. I’ll miss the human.
We travelled for a day or so and as we were about to descend the Blacktooth Ridge to follow the Hruesen River to Botkinburg and Ludensheim, we saw some Bandits with pack mules carrying cargo. Our group set up traps, and as the bandits followed the winding road that criss-crossed back and forth to reach the top of the Blacktooth Ridge 500 hundred feet above the river valley, our group ambushed them. We discovered after defeating them that they were taking food and supplies to a place called the “Vargolg.” It apparently has some dark fey Goblins there, as well as Ludensheim agents looking to take over Botkinburg.
When we get back to Botkinburg, I’ll have to touch base with my Hobbit Guild Master, Merton. I am sure he knows about this, and perhaps he can shed some light on what should be done. Merton operates Merton’s Merchants, which is quickly becoming the chief trading guild in the region and trade between Botkinburg and Ludensheim is important to our prosperity, in part due to our immediate proximity, but also because Merton wants to set up possible trade routes with the shifty territories north of the Frontier lands of New Aenoch well into the lands still in Aufstrag’s territory, and he has to pass by Ludensheim to do this. He is a most ambitious Hobbit. It is rare for a Hobbit to attempt something so bold and dangerous. But I guess the years he spent in the Borderlands delving into some strange Barrow Maze has given him an increased sense of bravery. He sure collected some unique trinkets and bits of treasure there. I still remember him showing me a skull with a gem embedded in its forehead, which he had placed in a little shrine-like alcove inside his hillside Hobbit home. When I saw it a year ago, it was a complete skull, but Merton tells me that when he originally picked it up, it was missing the lower jaw. Is the skeleton slowly growing back? Ha ha ha. Nah. I am guessing he was probably just joking with me. Then again, the Borderlands with their Chaos Cults, Chaotic Caves, and other wild things can alter reality.
But I digress, and I only have a limited amount of parchment I can borrow from the adventurers to write my personal journal before they might get a little annoyed with me. Still, after getting ambushed by Orcs and Ungern, and then getting snatched up by Kruggle, the Ogre, I now have stories to tell, so I had better write this stuff down, since who knows, perhaps someday this might get published and seen by many people, and I’ll become a famous Hobbit!
So, anyway, we had taken down some bandits with their mules that were on their way to this Vargolg place, and my adventuring group decided that they would look up this place later, but at the moment, they took the mules and supplies from these dead bandits and continued to head toward Botkinburg.
It was while we were camping one night, just a few days away from Botkinburg, that we were ambushed by the elderly Ogre Kruggle and a Troll friend of his named Trosh. Even though these guys are very large creatures, they were also both old and experienced on moving around at night, and they don’t wear any fancy armour that would impede them. Thus, in the middle of the night, they ambushed us!
Boy oh boy did they attack with power! Kruggle swung a big club, but the adventurers luckily disarmed him. Trosh clawed and attempted to bite at people as well. A few were beat down hard, and one poor fella even fell unconscious and was moments away from death (from what I could see). I was frightened – I did not want to get imprisoned by Kruggle again and get eaten by him and his Troll friend! But this group is pretty darn good at fighting, and they killed these giant monster people. Several of the adventurers decided to trace the footprints of Kruggle and Trosh back to Trosh’s lair, which was a series of underground and underwater tunnels beneath a bridge that crossed the Hruesen River. Now, I am a Hobbit that works at an inn in Ludensheim (well, most of the time), I am not a sewer rat! So I stayed above ground with the Centaur hunter and a few others to guard the mules and the supplies we had commandeered. Luckily, Trosh’s lair was empty, so they just grabbed some treasure and returned.
We have continued travelling, and now we are only a day away from Botkinburg. I can’t wait to meet up with my boss, Merton, and get the lowdown on the gossip I’ve missed during my time away from home. My family, which owns the Bricker Inn (in Ludensheim) will give the adventurers a reward for saving and returning me, and I am sure Merton will as well, for I am one of his true up-and-coming merchant operatives (if I do say so myself!). By golly, I am so close to home I can almost smell it – I can’t wait!
[These are the stories told by the undead Remnant Stanleigh Claiborne, observing a party of adventurers exploring the frontier lands between the collapsed evil empire of Aufstrag (in the north) and the crusader kingdoms of New Aenoch (in the south). It describes what my players did during each game session. Aufstrag is a product of Troll Lord Games for the Castles & Crusades RPG, but it can be used for D&D since the systems overlap. I have heavily home-brewed Aufstrag with other products and placed it in my own world and altered the lore as I need.]
Dear Reader,
Last time, I described how the adventurers had entered the lair of an elderly Ogre named Kruggle. They destroyed his Cadaver Caterpillar pets and freed two Kobold house spirits and a Hobbit. I left the entry with the adventurers about to enter the territory of a Fraonoth – an ancient witch-like creature of the Void. I took a break in my entry to check up on Kruggle to discover where he had gone after escaping his lair. I should’ve paid closer attention to what the group were doing.
You see, Neegle – for that is her name of the Fraonoth – is a powerful, ancient, perhaps immortal being that has lived in these lands since the Days Before Days. She is a creator of potions and herb pouches. More importantly in this instance, she is a powerful diviner, drawing upon her long life and knowledge of how people behave, and her incredible magical skills in divination. I should’ve known to have focused all my attention on what the group was doing instead of relying on my eyes and ears in the sky and land. But let me continue the narrative, and you can see for yourself the problem I now face.
The adventurers first came upon Gunald, a stunted dwarf from the early years of the Winter Dark. With a tumour, club-foot, and scars from the torture he received in the fortress of Aufstrag, he is one of the rare surviving individuals from what Unklar and his followers did during that thousand-year reign of evil and tyranny. Gunald escaped during the Trench Wars and was taken in by Neegle. Even though the Dwarven fortress city of Silverkeep is not far away, he has spent these many centuries living with the Fraonoth, shifting his Dwarven loyalty and hard work ethic to assist her in payment for what she did for him so long ago. He is not alone, numerous Faeries also assist Neegle and Gunald, flitting about invisibly serving as observers and helpers when needed.
When Gunald first encountered the adventurers, he asked them many questions, including inquiring into a strange polyhedral divining object that Graz – the Dwarven Rune Mark – had found hours before meeting Gunald. He also noticed that several members of this group were suffering from diseases from when they were in the filth ridden lair of Kruggle. He led them to Neegle, for he knew that she could help them.
art credit: WotC
When they first saw her, they immediately saw that she was a witch-like being, albeit with longer than normal thin arms and legs. In the clearing where she lived, the branches in the canopy of the trees intertwined above them, forming a sort of textured roof of living branches. She also had many fires with bubbling cauldrons filled with various potions, elixirs, and other alchemical fluids in the process of creation. Spread out on tables were the finished products, as well as many bowls and jars of herbs waiting the creation of new potions.
She met the members of the group, eying them over, and happily worked out the possible futures of several of them. She alluded to Ogre tribes fighting for control of territory to the West that overlapped with the new Frontier lands of New Aenoch and was sure to cause problems if it wasn’t dealt with. She suggested to the Changeling (who still thinks it is a human) that it will discover something new about itself, since “you are not what you think you are.” The Vargolg was also mentioned, the major location of Dark Fey Goblins in the area run by Rottenkip and his Lieutenant Marglerod. Vargolg is important to her because of the Eye of the Serpent within it, and if someone can bring it back to her, she will be very pleased indeed.
She also healed the diseased members of the group as a sign of goodwill and offered themall a safe place to sleep that night.
The problem arose for me when she asked Graz for the polyhedral divination device. Its magic allowed the user to briefly project their vision hundreds of feet forward to see what was happening. This could be quite disorienting, but also quite useful. However, she could do even more with it. Graz handed it over, and she peered into it with one of her eyes as another – almost chameleon like – looked in a different direction, she was using her divinatory sight in a unique way only a Fraonoth could. That was when she “saw” my Observers, the ones visible and invisible. You do not want to make a Fraonoth angry, especially by using divination to spy on them! Her eyes bulged, her mouth widened unnaturally, her claws grew sharper.
She screamed out loud to the group, “YOU are being watched! I AM being watched! GET THEM, my minions!”
And her invisible flying Faerie followers darted off into the air and began pursuing my Observers as they frantically departed in different directions.
It was at this point that I was alerted to what was happening, for during this time I had traced Kruggle to the lair of a friend of his – an old Troll living in an elaborate underground series of watery tunnels under a bridge. I was interested in observing the interactions between these two old friends when my Observers alerted me to the danger. Normally I would’ve gathered the information on the adventurers given to me by my Observers and take some time to mull it over and assess it. I have lived in my undead status for many centuries, I am rarely in a rush, for barring extreme dangers, I could exist forever in this wretched state.
But suddenly I have now found myself in a challenging situation. This is not the first time, of course. In fact, it is not even the first time I have faced challenges while observing this group, for several weeks back a Lammasu that was serving as Guardian of Kuthrad Ondal, the ancient Elven Tower the adventurers were staying at, showed up at my location, but I was able to deal with that (well, at least for the moment…). A Fraonoth makes things more difficult. Fortunately, my minions have emergency escape plans in situations such as this when they are discovered, and they scattered in different directions, and I have protective magic that serves me well in avoiding detection. Neegle, however, is a unique being, and her powerful divination powers could prove to be a threat and danger to me. I have a lot of planning to do to ensure my survival. Will my techniques work? I may have to take a break from these entries. Perhaps someone else can take up this narrative while I work out how to deal with Neegle. I may have to call in some favours…
[These are the stories told by the undead Remnant Stanleigh Claiborne, observing a party of adventurers exploring the frontier lands between the collapsed evil empire of Aufstrag (in the north) and the crusader kingdoms of New Aenoch (in the south). It describes what my players did during each game session. Aufstrag is a product of Troll Lord Games for the Castles & Crusades RPG, but it can be used for D&D since the systems overlap. I have heavily home-brewed Aufstrag with other products and placed it in my own world and altered the lore as I need.]
Dear Reader,
When I last left off, the adventurers on Blacktooth Ridge were camping for the night and were attacked by a group of Orcs. Using the campfire to illuminate the group, the Orcs attacked from a higher ridge behind rocks with their long bows. The adventurers scattered in different directions away from the camp fire into the darkness to attack the Orcs. A Rune Mark used a rune which caused an Orc to forget how to use his bow. Other spellcasters cast light on other Orcs, highlighting them for others to launch their attacks with spears and more accurate bow attacks, and the Orcs were whittled down to nothing. The late night attack meant that some awoke the next morning with some exhaustion, but overall the night turned out well.
The next morning, the group continued onward and came upon a boulder the size of a cottage, something didn’t look right to some with the ability to sense illusionary magic, and they discovered that the rock was a semi-solid illusion that hid a stairway that led downward into an old complex used by Unklar’s troops during the great Winter Dark. The place was overflowing with the stench of carrion and crawling with thousands of beetles, worms, cockroaches, spiders, and rats. They knew that if they fell into this filth that a disease of some kind was almost guaranteed. The complex was large, with 20 foot wide corridors and high ceilings of similar height, so even the Centaur member of the group could descend into the structure. They explored many long empty and abandoned barracks until they arrived at a large room roughly 160 feet by 300 feet, only illuminated by some light coming in from slit windows looking out over the Drunderry River Valley below (this was once a Blacktooth Ridge watch post). Just outside the dim light streaming in and partially behind a wall, the voice of an elderly Ogre asked them what they were doing in his home. The old Ogre spoke with the group from his hidden position for a bit before deciding he’d rather rob them (and eat anyone who might be a tasty hobbit or gnome sized person). He yelled out that there was food and the group heard the clattering sound of oversized centipede-type beasts coming toward them, along the floor, walls, and ceilings!
Younger adventurers identified these creatures as Cadaver Caterpillars, but the older and more ancient Dwarven and Elven folk knew them as Carrion Crawlers. There were six of them, each with 8 paralysing tentacles, allowing them to devour their prey later. The adventurers thought they were doomed. The arcane magic-users threw out colorful sprays of magic, which rendered some of them blind. Others attacked with long bows and spears. I was genuinely surprised by how lucky this group was, there were less than 10 of them fighting off 48 attacks from the Cadaverous Caterpillars and yet the aberrations missed many of their attacks. Eventually Oryan, the Centaur Hunter and Homonoea the Human Giant Killer/Dragonslayer became paralysed and collapsed onto the filthy floor where grubs, beetles, and other creepy crawling beasts climbed over their warm bodies and tried to enter their moist mouth, ears, and nose.
While fighting the beasts, the adventures were surprised that the Ogre didn’t join the attack.
The Ogre’s name, by the way, is Kruggle, he has been raiding farms and nearby communities along the Blacktooth Ridge for many decades. It is rare for an Ogre to reach old age, for as you get older your physical attributes tend to weaken, but of course, with age also comes experience, and Kruggle initially watched his pet Cadaver Caterpillars attack the group and saw how the intruders remained strong and were not falling like he thought they would. He realized that he had better retreat and deal with them under more advantageous circumstances. He had been living and roaming in this area for many years and knew many of the hills, forests, caves, and hiding places along the Blacktooth Ridge. They were in his territory. Let them kill his pets and take some of his goods, he would get his belongings back…eventually, and he knew there were Corpse Wyrms – which are younger and more immature versions of Cadaver Caterpillars – in another room waiting to mature, and with all the waste in this large complex, more of these beasts would gather to his home and he would train them all again. Like I said, Kruggle is a most unusual Ogre – careful, non-impulsive, and a long-term thinker, something that has served him well over his long years. He grabbed a few essentials and left in a hurry as the group was pre-occupied with the dozens of paralysing tentacles that were waving about near them, attempting to drop them onto the filthy floor.
After a strenuous fight, the intruders in Kuggle’s Lair defeated the aberrations and searched Kruggle’s chamber. They found some simple treasure and some maps where he had marked out places of interest along the Blacktooth Ridge – would this information be helpful? I think so – if they can decipher his personal shorthand markings – for Kruggle’s map identifies forts and other points of interest that highlight locations of dark fey, undead, and other creatures.
After going through Kruggle’s belongings and looking over Oryan and Homonoea (who both had picked up diseases from their fall into filth), they made their way to an even smellier chamber where they worked out the Cadaver Caterpillars laired. Lewis, a warrior wizard, decided to enter the room by himself thinking he would not get attacked [GM Note: he is a Monk/Illusionist with Fighter supporting class, see the Players Archive for unique C&C multiclass options].
Why? Because Lewis is a member of the party who is, like me, a Remnant. He is undead. This, surprisingly enough, gave him an advantage. For although creatures like Cadaver Caterpillars and Corpse Wyrms have names that imply they like corpses and the dead, there is a difference between a freshly dead victim and someone who has been dead for years (or decades, or centuries) and is now animated by an unknown force or magic. Cadaver Caterpillar senses usually tell them that undead are not fit for them (which is why some in the undead underworld like to keep some of these beasties around as pets and hunting partners, they can work well together…). Still, it has to be said that Remnants have what might best be described as “light” undead status. We don’t have the strong undead presence of a Wight, Ghost, Spectre, Vampire, or Lich, we can frequently pass among the living through the clever use of distracting scents and disguises, so I hope Lewis doesn’t get too confident about walking among Cadaver Caterpillars untouched, it was probably because they lived and had been domesticated by Kruggle that these Corpse Wyrms seemed oblivious to his presence entering their birthing chamber.
Lewis entered this room with oil and torches and proceeded to toss the oil and torches into their gelatinous hive. The door to the room was then shut behind them, and as the fire raged they could hear the splatter of the young Corpse Wyrms as the heat burst their bodies.
Next the group found a group of prisoners in another room – a Hobbit and two Kobolds [GM Note: I use Kobolds from Germanic folklore, so they are small fey-like house spirits, not the dog-like or reptile kobolds from D&D]. The two Kobold house spirits were grateful for being freed, and the Hobbit – name Waddo Bricker – looked forward to his freedom and being able to return to his town of Ludensheim.
The group made their way out of Kruggle’s Lair into the fresh outdoor air near a stream and camped for the night. They parted ways with the Kobolds, and then headed – with their new Hobbit companion – into a forested area filled with gnarled oaks with twisting roots. Oryan’s Ranger instincts told him this was going to be slow-going to navigate. They encountered a Brown Bear and her cub, and seemed happy with the encounter with the animal – which supplied them with food and a pelt that could help clothe Graz, the Dwarf in the party that had to give up her clothes when she angered some guardian Fír Glas fey (which I described in my previous entry).
If only they knew what is about to happen to them next. A Fraonoth is nearby. What is a Fraonoth, you ask? I will gladly describe this ancient creature from the Void to you, but I’ll do that next time, I want to consult my contacts and agents in the sky and land to verify that Kruggle did indeed head to where I thought he might go. I will speak with you all soon.
A personal journal to share my artistic works, to write about Norse shamanism and traditional paganism, European History, Archaeology, Runes, Working with the Gods and my personal experiences in Norse shamanic practices.
The World of PhilosopherZeus 
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