Spes Magna Games

The windswept, arid heights of Mlima-Wa-Moto support little life. The plants that grow there are small and tough. An aggressive, burrowing species of large wingless wasp crawls around, its mottled hair-like covering allowing it blend in with the terrain, providing camoflauge against the shaggy-furred rock badgers that feed almost exclusively on the insects. As for the wasps themselves, they survive on sticky umande, the jabalitika’s dewy excretion.

The jabalitika grows lichen-like on rocks. This strange plant has a rapid growth cycle. Spores take root in a rock’s tiny fissures and quickly mature, spreading over several square feet in just a few days. A mature jabalitika has a thickness of about one-quarter inch (or 0.635 centimeters). Via enzymes, the jabalitika converts minute quanities of the rock’s surface into a micro-stew of minerals and water that the plant uses to survive. Of course, being a plant, the jabalitika also engages in photosynthesis. The aforementioned dew-like excretion, or umande, is a waste product of the jabalitika.

Umande is highly nutritious but slightly punguent. A half-pint (about a quarter of a liter) provides sufficient nutrition for an adult human for a full day. Umande also increases the efficiency of respiratory systems in animals, making it easier to breathe Mlima-Wa-Moto’s thin, high-altitude air. A square foot (a bit more than 900 square centimeters) of jabalitika produces about a half-pint of umande under optimal conditions.

The rugged mountain people of Mlima-Wa-Moto cultivate jabalitika to harvest umande. They domestic rock badgers to help keep their jabalitika fields as free of wingless wasps as possible. While those insects are not especially dangerous, their stings are extremely painful, capable of incapacitating a grown man for several minutes.

Tags: place of power

Who can understand the mind of Shimaus Cruaum? A man of wealth and sophistication, he moved with ease within upper classes, among whom he was widely admired for his erudition and talents as a healer. He also murdered prostitutes, those women Cruaum both desired and hated.

Now that Cruaum is dead, rumors abound about his earlier life. Many say he was no stranger to murder before arriving in the city. He poisoned his first wife, whom he’d gotten pregnant and was forced to marry. A female patient was found dead in the shed behind his clinic. He narrowly avoided imprisonment when two of his patients died under mysterious circumstances, the second one having been poisoned.

Rumors aside, this much is true: After moving to the city, Cruaum established himself as a respected healer and began to murder. His modus operandi was simple. He would solicit a prostitute, introducing himself as a man of medicine. They would take an evening stroll or some such activity. Cruaum would offer medicine, feigning kindness, suggesting that the prostitute appeared ill. He would then depart, and prostitutes who took Cruaum’s medicines would die a painful death by poisoning.

Cruaum murdered nearly a dozen women before he was caught. One of his victims survived, agreeing to take the offered medicine but later approaching a city official with her suspicions and the unconsumed poison. Cruaum met his fate at the business end of the executioner’s axe.

Cruaum’s wealth and property were seized by the city. Many of his moveables were auctioned off, but one lot disappeared before it could be brought up for sale. Cruaum had what appeared to be a thick book that, when opened, revealed an icon of death and several drawers in which he kept deadly ingredients. Tales of Cruaum’s Codex persist to this day. The infamous poisoner’s book reportedly holds insidious magic and also carries a curse.

Barbarians of Lemuria

An alchemist can use Cruaum’s Codex to make poisons, which can be Common, Uncommon, or Rare Preparations. The book counts as having access to the proper laboratory or shop and having the necessary raw materials. Cruaum’s Codex never need be restocked. An alchemist who fails a roll when using the book to make a poison must make a tough (-4) mind check. If the alchemist fails this check, the wicked spirit of Shimaus Cruaum will possess him for several hours the next time he falls asleep.

Dungeon World

Whenever you have time to use Cruaum’s Codex in a safe place, you can make three uses of a deadly applied poison. Each time you use the book, roll+WIS. *On a 10+, you suffer no ill effects. *On a 7-9, disturbingly pleasurable dreams about killing women haunt your sleep. *On a miss, the wicked spirit of Shimaus Cruaum possesses you for several hours the next time you fall asleep.

Swords & Wizardry

Cruaum’s Codex is a magical item usable by Assassins, Chaotic Clerics, and Thieves. Given a few uninterrupted hours once per day, the book’s user can concoct a single dose of deadly poison (save or die). This dose may take the form of a pill or a liquid (either of which must be consumed to be effective). Each time this item is used, there is a 5% cumulative chance that the wicked spirit of Shimaus Cruaum will possess the user for several hours the next time he falls asleep.

Tags: Barbarians of Lemuria, Dungeon World, magic items, Swords & Wizardry

The giant stone swords of Agmundr stand on a rocky outcropping along Sverdsfjord, one of the southernmost bays in that rugged, northland known locally as Izotz. Centuries ago, two kings vied for control of Izotz. Ecgberht and Hildebrand waged war against each other, and the conflict grew increasingly bitter and lawless as both kings sought the advantage over the other. Villages were burned, and their citizens put to the sword. Sacred places were defiled. The blood of innocents cried out for justice, but ambition and malice deafened both Ecgberht and Hildebrand. Into this chaos from out of the ice-locked north strode Guđbrandr.

Haunted by visions of those innocents caught in the conflict between the two kings, Guđbrandr swept into the borderlands between the kingdoms. The opposing armies broke against Guđbrandr’s righteous fury. Others, war-weary, flocked to Guđbrandr’s banner. Before long, Ecgberht and Hildebrand found themselves on the defensive. When winter came and the polar bears arrived to support Guđbrandr, the warring kings decided that perhaps peace was a better option.

In the dead of winter, Guđbrandr met with Ecgberht and Hildebrand at Agmundr by the frozen Sverdsfjord. Guđbrandr took the kings’ swords and thrust them into the rocks. Then he took his own blade and did the same with it. The two kings knelt and swore fealty to Guđbrandr and amity between themselves. The witnesses to this agreement stood awed as the three swords turned to stone and grew to enormous size. The largest sword belonged to the victorious Guđbrandr, and the two smaller swords to the defeated kings Ecgberht and Hildebrand.

Since that day, those northern lands are ruled by a triumvirate of kings descended from Guđbrandr, Ecgberht, and Hildebrand. Each king’s coronation takes place at Agmundr, and the ancient oaths of fealty and amity are repeated in that god-touched place.

Anyone who dedicates himself to a cause or quest may journey to Agmundr and swear an oath on the power of those stone swords.

Barbarians of Lemuria

Upon swearing an oath on the power of Agmundr to accomplish some task, a hero gains 1d6 Fate Points. The hero can use these Fate Points to grant himself a one-off boon, just as if he were a priest.

Dungeon World

When you bolster yourself prior to swearing an oath on the power of Agmundr, you gain preparation as normal, plus you gain hold equal to preparation+2. If you violate your oath, the power of Agmundr will make its displeasure known. As long as you act to fulfill your oath, you may spend hold, 1 for 1, to choose an option:

• Defy danger as if you rolled a 10+ instead of rolling the dice.
• Heal damage equal to half your max HP.
• Inflict maximum damage with an attack.
• Use an advanced move appropriate to your class one time as if you were one level higher.

Swords & Wizardry

A character who swears an oath on the power Agmundr to accomplish some task gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws until that task is fulfilled. If the character does not diligently work at performing the task, a deadly weakness sets in (50% reduction in Strength), and an attempt to entirely abandon the quest incurs a curse.

Tags: Barbarians of Lemuria, Dungeon World, places of power, Swords & Wizardry

Man Day Adventures continued the hot jungle action this past Saturday. We had two additions to the group:

* Clovis the Giant, dwarf barbarian, played by the long-lost Wes
* Grister, human unforgiven spellslinger, played by Alex

It being a Dungeon World tradition, the heroes had separated into two groups last session. Adding two more players meant more divisions.

Gentleman Starkey & Clovis the Giant

Unable to access the vault without the key, Starkey turned his back on the Crucible of Steel and began the arduous climb back down the volcano. On his way, he encountered Clovis the Giant, two-handed-sword-toting jungle dwarf barbarian. Clovis hailed Starkey as the Chosen One and explained that he, Clovis the Giant, had come to help Starkey with this quest to retrieve the Spear of Serpents and slay the Lizard God. Starkey in turn explained that he had to travel to the Land of the Goliaths and find the vault key which was lost there generations ago.

“You’re in luck!” said Clovis the Giant. “I know the Land of the Goliaths quite well, for I am a Goliath, the son of the Goliath king!”

This was the first clue that Clovis’s sanity was questionable.

Still, traveling with a squat, muscle-bound barbarian seemed better than traveling alone, and so the pair set out. Clovis suggested skirting the lava fields toward the western coast to reach the village of Driftwood. He claimed intimate knowledge of the safest, quickest routes. A few hours later, Clovis’s quickest, safest route passed right by where the Lizard God itself was wallowing in a lava pool!

As the 80-foot-tall, red-scaled, lava-wallowing Tyrannosaurus rex reared to its full height, roaring loud enough to shake the heavens, Starkey and Clovis fled as quickly as they could. Starkey slid down into a shallow crevasse with Clovis not too far behind. The ground shook as the Lizard God took up the pursuit. Starkey deftly dodged through a narrow pass. Clovis did not. His two-handed sword, carried crosswise across his back, got caught in the rocky walls of the crevasse. He shouted. Starkey turned to see the Lizard God’s massive, clawed foot moving upward, about to come crashing down over Clovis.

Clovis strained with all his might, and his sword’s harness snapped. Clovis sprawled forward, and his blade rebounded backward. The Lizard God’s foot slammed to the earth, crushing stone.

“My sword!” lamented Clovis.

Starkey lunged and stabbed the Lizard God with his rapier, but to no effect. The slender blade didn’t even scratch the Lizard God’s scales. The giant reptile shifted, raising its foot for a second stomp.

“My sword!” rejoiced Clovis, and the dwarf dives forward as the foot descended and Starkey leaped aside. Clovis grabbed his blade. The Lizard God’s foot struck again, and this time the thick crust of stone caved in. Clovis and Starkey tumbled down, rolling to a stop in a subterranean lava tube.

“This way!” Clovis said. “I know these lava tubes like the back of my hand!”

The Lizard God raged and gouged the earth. The heroes fled in the direction Clovis indicated. A short while later, they reached the wave-splashed coast, still able to hear the Lizard God roaring farther inland. The pair’s perilous journey after this proved uneventful enough, and they reached Driftwood shortly before sundown. Eager to continue his quest, Starkey decided to shop around for a map that he could follow to the Land of the Goliaths, perhaps betraying a certain mistrust of Clovis’s knowledge. As Starkey entered a promising shop, Clovis crossed the street to grab a chair and some ale in a tavern.

While Clovis regaled interested ladies with tales of his exploits, Starkey talked to the shopkeeper. Then, a heavy hand fell on Starkey’s shoulder, and the thief turned to see a well-dressed gorilla.

“You Gentleman Starkey?” the gorilla said.

“Uh, yes?”

“The boss wants to see you.”

“Uh, what for?”

The gorilla frowned. “For whatever he wants to see you for. Are you coming along, or are you coming along?”

The emphasis on the second use of “coming” caused Starkey to make up his mind. “Sure,” he said. “Let’s go.”

The gorilla, followed by Starkey, left the shop. Starkey made some small talk, and then whipped out his rapier and back-stabbed the gorilla! Clovis watched much of this from the tavern, surrounded by a few admiring females. Consequently, Clovis noticed the three men peel themselves from the crowd, clubs in hand, about the same time Starkey did. Starkey somersaulted between the gorilla’s legs, and the talking ape and the goons collided with each other. Starkey looked about, hoping to see a quick way to exit the scene. He didn’t notice he was standing on a trapdoor until the gorilla pulled a sconce. The street opened up, and Starkey plunged downward. Clovis raced from the tavern.

“I’m with him!” the dwarf shouted to the gorilla and then dived into the shaft.

At the bottom of the shaft, Starkey found himself in a thick-roped net, hanging from the ceiling. Clovis deftly caught hold of the net, landing on Starkey.

“You Starkey?” another gorilla asked.

“Yes, he is,” Clovis answered. “He is the savior of the universe! He’ll save every one of us!”

The gorilla instructed Starkey and Clovis to follow him, and a short moment later the pair stood in a well-furnished chamber facing a silver-furred gorilla. Handsome Jim, first mate, and Dev, sailor, from Destiny’s Maiden, the ship that brought the heroes to the island, sat in the room as well.

“I’m Boss Silverback,” the ape said. “Seeing as how you’re associated with Blind Sema, I thought it was fair to clue you in as to the change of command aboard Destiny’s Maiden.”

(Question to Christopher, Starkey’s player: “Blind Sema is master of the thieves’ guild in Nussazasuhr. How do you know him?” Answer: “The con Starkey and Tiern have working was set up by Blind Sema.”)

Boss Silverback continued, “Handsome Jim is the new captain. The old captain, Jack, and the crew what didn’t want to go along with the change in command are locked up. Handsome’s going to do some pirating for us, and you’re welcome to help or not. Of course, Tiern and Mack need to be dealt with. They could cause trouble later on, seeing as how they’re friends with Jack. You, Handsome, and Dev need to find Tiern and Mack. Bring some heads back in bags.”

Starkey looked at Clovis, and then looked back at Boss Silverback before saying, “Works for me. Let’s head out in the morning.”

Grister

While Starkey and Clovis were evading the Lizard God, Grister sat in a tavern in Driftwood. An elderly woman approached his table, a worried look deepening the wrinkles on her face.

“Grister?” she said. “I’m Old Mother Gibbard, and I need your help.”

“Oh?”

Old Mother Gibbard explained that her son Jack and her granddaughter Kelly had gone up the Blackfang River yesterday to pick mangos, and that they hadn’t returned. She was afeared something had happened, and she had heard Grister was the kind of man who looked into problems.

“What’s in it for me?” Grister said.

Old Mother Gibbard slid a weathered scroll across the table. “I got this here map,” she replied, “that shows the location of an ancient temple in the Swamp of Sirens. Take it. There could be ancient treasure there. The map’s potentially the most valuable thing I own.”

Grister considered the offer for a few seconds before he wrapped his fingers around the scroll.

“I’ll bring your family back, ma’am.”

And so Grister set out alone, borrowing a boat and poling his way along the coast to the river delta before heading up the wide, slow-moving Blackfang River. A couple or so hours had gone by when another boat came into view heading downstream. A haggard man guided this other craft. Grister intercepted the boat and met Jack Gibbard.

“Your ma sent me to find you,” Grister said.

Jack explained how he and Kelly had been ambushed by lizardmen, how they’d been separated and Kelly had been taken toward Mount Sacrifice, how other lizardmen were going to throw him to the Lizard God, but a polar bear with ram’s horns and a man with a wolf had rescued him. This pair of heroes left him with the boat and traveled farther inland toward Mount Sacrifice.

“Then that’s where we’re going,” Grister said.

Shortly before sundown, Grister and Jack reached the yawning cavern from which the Blackfang River originated. Dozens of lizardmen in canoes were racing from the cavern, armed and eager for the hunt. Grister left Jack with the boat in a hidden spot and approached the cave on foot. He entered through the arch adjacent to the cavern and discovered a dead lizardman. Tracks in the blood indicated two men and a dog had been through the chamber. Grister followed the tracks, entering a guard room to find four more dead lizardmen.

That’s when he heard the sounds of a fight echoing down the stairs leading out of the guard room.

Tiern Longshot & Mack Corkindale

After winning the fight in the guard room, Mack took a moment to apply a healing poultice. He then shifted into a bumblebee and buzzed his way up the stairs. The lizardman king, his champion nearby, still sat on the throne, listening to the hissing report from three lizardmen warriors. Mack buzzed down the stairs toward the sounds of the lizardman horde cavorting and yelling.

At the bottom of the stairs was a wooden deck built over the bubbling spring from which the Blackfang River was born. Several canoes were tied to the deck. Lizardmen jumped and hissed and banged on drums. One wild-eyed warrior cut his chest with a stone knife and hurled himself into the eager jaws of crocodiles in the spring. As the fevered pitch of the grotesque celebration grew hotter, Mack flew back. It was time to act.

Mack shifted from bumblebee to human to polar bear and charged the lizardman champion. Tiern, hearing the roar, unleashed Shadow and moved up to the top of the stairs, firing arrows. The lizardmen were caught quite off-guard. Tiern glanced an arrow off the champion, stunning him as Mack mauled him. The king sprang from his throne, changing color and texture to almost completely blend into the wall behind him as the warriors moved to attack Mack and Shadow. Unknown to the heroes, the king also sent out a silent, magical call to a pair of scaly guardians.

Grister, Tiern Longshot & Mack Corkindale

Grister started toward the stairs as one of those scaly guardians, a huge constrictor snake, slithered in behind him. The spellslinger just managed to dodge the snapping jaws, firing off a blast of magic from his wand at the same time. The battle raged on two fronts now.

The champion recovered enough from being stunned to counterattack polar-bear Mack. The champion’s axe inflicted serious wounds, but not as serious as those caused by Mack’s eviscerating claws. Shadow received a glancing blow that wobbled the wolf. Grister rushed for the stairs only to have the constrictor catch his foot in its jaws. Grister’s wand continued to inflict minimal damage as the spellslinger found it difficult to aim with a few hundred pounds of reptile shaking his leg. Tiern rapidly diminished his supply of arrows, peppering the guards as the camouflaged king rushed toward the stairs leading down to the spring.

Tiern moved into the throne room, but couldn’t seen the king. Mack shifted back into bumblebee form, evaded the warriors, and picked out the tell-tale differences between the king and his background. Near the ceiling, he resumed human form, throwing his spear at the king. The spear struck true, but Mack twisted his ankle badly upon hitting the floor. Grister finally managed to inflict serious wounds with his wand, and the constrictor retreated.

Just when it seemed the battle had turned in favor of the heroes, after only the king and one warrior remained standing, a monster crocodile rushed into the throne room from another passage. The king slipped away down the stairs. Grister and Tiern dealt with the remaining warrior while Mack tried to parley with the croc.

The croc wasn’t listening. It charged Mack, who scrambled on his hurt ankle to jump onto the croc’s back, thinking he could hold its fanged maw shut. Unfortunately, the croc’s jaws snapped shut on Mack’s arm, and the savage reptile began to roll. Grister, Tiern, and Shadow killed the croc, but not before it had nearly tore off Mack’s arm. The druid faded into unconsciousness as his life drained away.

Mack saw the windswept fields of ice, the Hall of the Valiant. A valkyrie rode a winged horse toward him, her visage stern and judging.

“Prepare for your final reward,” the valkyrie said. “You have been judged and –. Hey! Wait!”

Mack regained consciousness, sputtering on the healing potion Grister had forced down his throat. Death had been cheated, but Mack had also been judged. What could this combination of facts portend for Mack?

Beaten, bloody, but victorious, the heroes searched the lizardman caves. They found no sign of the king or Kelly. The cavorting lizardmen in the spring cave were gone. The heroes did uncover some loot, including a stone dagger concealed under the king’s throne. Grister recognized the dagger as a sacrificial blade.

Hey, Hey! The Gang’s All Here!

Grister, Tiern, and Mack hooked back up with Jack Gibbard, and the group camped for the night. Early the next morning, they set out in the boat, heading downstream. About midmorning, they rounded a densely wooded bend in the river. Several yards ahead, they saw in another boat Gentleman Starkey, Handsome Jim, Dev, and a jungle dwarf.

“There they are!” Handsome Jim yelled. “Kill ’em!”

Handsome and Dev raised their crossbows to aim just as Starkey and Clovis attacked them by surprise. Starkey’s rapier punctured Handsome through the torso a few times. Clovis dealt a messily forceful two-handed sword blow to Dev, showering the scene with intestines and blood.

“What the hell!?” yelled Tiern.

Starkey and Clovis explained about the mutiny, Boss Silverback, and the mission to kill Tiern and Mack. Introductions were made. Clovis opined that the lizardmen were probably heading into the Swamp of Sirens since there was an ancient lizardman temple therein.

“If I were a lizardman, that’s where’d I go to sacrifice people,” said Clovis. “Especially if I wanted to summon the Scaly Beasts.”

Grister showed Clovis the map Old Mother Hibbard had given him.

“That’s the place,” Clovis confirmed. “I know it well. The swamp is a dangerous place, for the horrible uzandikis lurk there, luring the unwary into watery graves.”

Farther downstream, the heroes left Jack again with the boat and struck a path toward the swamp. Most the day had passed by the time the heroes reached the swamp island on which stood the vine-covered, crumbling ziggurat of stone.

“My uncle helped build this,” Clovis said. “I know a secret way in.”

While Mack took bird form and scouted overhead, Clovis quickly revealed that his knowledge about secret ways left a great deal to be desired.

“I don’t understand,” the jungle dwarf explained. “Maybe this is a different temple?”

Mack returned and reported that the upper structure was open, and that he heard drums echoing up from it. The heroes quickly ascended the steep stairs and looked down the even steeper stairs leading into the ziggurat. After rigging a harness to carry Shadow, the group entered the shadowy structure with Clovis in the lead. They emerged through the ceiling of a cavern beneath the ziggurat. Dark waters rippled in a deep pit in the middle of the cave. On the other side of the pit, the lizardman king raised a stone knife, hissing a horrible litany. Kelly struggled, tied to a stony altar before the king.

“I got this!” Clovis yelled, dropping into the cave and hurling his two-handed sword. The weapon tumbled end over end and smashed into the king, knocking him down and alerting the several lizardmen in attendance that intruders had arrived.

Grister used a rune of power and his wand to shoot the stone dagger out of the king’s clawed fist. Mack turned into a great snowy owl, soared across the cave, and snatched up the dropped dagger while dodging hurled spears. Tiern loosed Shadow and readied his bow. That’s when he noticed his sister held in the shadows with a lizardman’s knife pressed against her throat. The ranger hesitated.

Gentleman Starkey raced around the watery pit, trying to avoid lizardmen in order to get to the king. Unfortunately, he zigged instead of zagging, and slipped into the pit, splashing into the chilly water several feet below. Mack turned back into a human and tucked the knife into his belt as he dropped into the pit as well. Grister fought a retreating battle against lizardmen. Tiern realized that his sister and the menacing lizardmen were both an illusion cast by an uzandiki. He struck the monster with an arrow. In the pit, Starkey saw Clovis struggling to remain above the rippling surface and swam to his aid. Meanwhile outside the pit, Clovis drew his dagger and proceeded to butcher a lizardman warrior.

Starkey quickly discovered that drowning Clovis was in fact another uzandiki, which promptly attached its fang-filled sucker mouth to Starkey’s face. At long last, Mack got to turn into a narwhal. He speared the uzandiki, and then Starkey finished it off. Clovis rushed across the cave, snatched up his sword, and used it to cut Kelly free while Grister and Tiern provided covering fire. The dwarf tossed the maiden over his shoulder and raced away. Kelly, jostled by short Clovis’s running, found herself both carried to safety and smacking into the floor at the same time.

“My — ow! — hero! — ow! ow!” she exclaimed.

A few tense moments later, the fight was over. The assembled lizardmen lay dead or dying, including their king. The maiden was saved. The lizardmen’s horrible summoning ritual had been disrupted.

But what about the vault key? Is Clovis really the son of the Goliath king? What about Boss Silverback and the loyal crew of Destiny’s Maiden? Will these (and other) questions be answered next session? Only time will tell!

Tags: Dungeon World

Saturday, 31 May, Man Day Adventures voyaged into new territory for most of us, specifically Dungeon World. Out of the four of us who showed up, only Gary had played DW several times. I’d GMed the game a grand total of four times, all for 5th graders. My son Christopher and friend Terry had not played DW before.

And so we assembled in the living room, and I plopped the stack of blank character sheets down on a table. A few minutes later, we had three heroes ready for action:

* Gentleman Starkey, human thief, played by Christopher
* Tiern Longshot, human ranger, and Shadow, his wolf animal companion, played by Gary
* Mack Corkindale, human druid, played by Terry

This being DW, all three characters came with some interpersonal history. Mack believes a great danger follows Starkey. Starkey thinks he and Tiern have some sort of con in the works. Tiern, for his part, doesn’t trust Starkey because of his disrespect for nature, but Tiern trusts Mack because he does respect nature. What’s more, to add some additional details, I yoinked! these custom opening moves from Alex Barrett and tweaked them a wee bit. The players chose their opening moves from a list, and ended up with these results:

* Starkey had run up a tab at the Drunken Gryphon in order to get some strangers to drinking, talking, and sharing. As a result, Starkey ended up with a phial of a strange red liquid and a scroll that contained a cryptic bit of verse.
* Tiern worked security for Prince Zaph, who promised he owed Tiern a favor for saving his life during an attack by raiders.
* Mack stole a map from a tome kept in a Recondite Order library. He also made away with a mysterious scroll, presumably magical but written in an unknown tongue.

And so, with this done, it was time to hammer out some final, pre-adventure details. The first question that had to be answered was, “Why are you going to Salmagunderland?” Mack, who hails from a more arctic clime, had been told by a goose about the many strange animals that live in southern latitudes. Starkey figured the cryptic verse he’d acquired in the Drunken Gryphon hinted at something fabulous to be found in that jungle frontier. Tiern was simply capitalizing on his good reputation as a hired guard.

More questions and answers:

Q: “Is the Recondite Order good, evil, or something else?” A: They’re evil.

Q: “What is the name of the ship you’re sailing on?” A: Destiny’s Maiden.

Q: “What is the captain’s name?” A: Captain Jack Owen

Q: “How did you get passage aboard the ship?” A: As hired guards.

Q: “Have you made any friends among the crew?: A: Mack has become friends with crow’s next lookout Jorge Prido. Tiern has become friends with the captain. Starkey has become friends with Deadhand Dan, the ship’s resident gambler.

Q: “Have you made any enemies among the crew?” A: Mack has earned the dislike of Dev Purkayashta, who has a profound dislike for animals. Tiern has earned the enmity of First Mate Handsome Jim, who feels that the captain’s choice to hire guards is a slight against Jim’s abilities.

After all this, which took about a half hour, it was adventure time, using Will Doyle’s excellent winning entry for the 2014 One-Page Dungeon Contest.

Our heroes had been selling aboard Destiny’s Maiden for several days, sticking within sight of land, until reaching the proper latitude, at which time the ship set out westward, leaving the coast behind for the open sea. The storm hit suddenly about a week later. The crew performed admirably, but Destiny’s Maiden was blown off course. The storm left, but a dense fog settled in as the sun rose. Fortunately, Mack’s keen eyes spotted the tell-tale shadow of an island.

While Tiern alerted the captain about “Land ho!”, Mack transformed into a ram-horned seagull to scout out the island. (Nota Bene: No matter his form, Mack always has curving ram’s horns.) He saw a volcano oozing lava into the sea, thick jungles, mountains in the distance, a black river snaking through the jungle. Mack returned to the ship and reported to Captain Jack.

“I know where we’re at,” Jack said. “Head to the starboard! We’re making for Driftwood!”

Driftwood, the captain explained, was founded years ago by shipwrecked sailors who took shelter in a series of sea caves. Since then, others have come to Driftwood, seeking asylum from the civilized world. “Today,” Captain Jack said, “Driftwood is a collection of scuttled ships, huts on stilts, and scaffolds and bridges connecting everything. It’s not exactly a wretched hive of scum and villainy, but it ain’t paradise either.”

Captain Jack, Handsome Jim, and a few trustworthy sailors took one boat toward Driftwood while Gentleman Starkey, Tiern and Shadow, Mack, and Jorge took the other boat farther along the south beach, heading toward the swampy mouth of the river. Mack wanted to study some local fauna, and everyone wanted some fresh fruit and water.

While Tiern and Jorge worked on gathering fruit and water, Mack and Starkey decided to get a closer look at the crocodiles. Mack observed their movements, their shapes and sizes, and their modes of communication. A whole new world of animals was opening to him in these tropical lands! As Tiern and Jorge loaded the boat, Tiern’s keep eyes spotted a particularly large crocodile slithering up from out of tall grass toward Starkey.

“Watch out!” Tiern yelled, and just in time. The crocodile lunged forward, its jaws snapping shut mere inches from where Starkey had been standing. The nimble thief staggered in the mud and fell just a few feet from the reptile’s massive jaws. Tiern fired an arrow that glanced off the croc’s scaly head, momentarily stunning the beast. Starkey and Mack retreated.

“Tiern!” shouted Mack. “Kill that bird!”

Tiern put an arrow through the water fowl, and Mack retrieved the animal, slowly approaching the crocodile, doing his best to speak its language, offering the bird. Starkey made haste to get as far away from the reptile as possible. When the croc took a few steps forward and opened its maw, Mack tossed the fowl into the waiting jaws and then departed as well. (Nota Bene: I statted up some DW monsters and put them in this PDF. For the aforementioned croc, I adjusted the crocodile found in the PDF by applying solitary rather than group tag. Easy peasy.)

At this time, the foursome decided to pole their way farther upstream. The current was sluggish, and shallows near the banks were easy enough to navigate. Some distance later, they spotted a cluster of mango trees with sweet, ripe fruit just waiting to be picked. As they filled their baskets, they also noticed something was amiss. That cluster of plants over there wasn’t quite natural for someone had pulled the plants together to form something like a hunter’s blind. A quick check of the area revealed that a brief skirmish had taken place recently, that two victims had been dragged away, that one of the victims had likely been a maiden judging by the size of her footprints and the blue ribbon found tangled in a branch. That the attackers had been lizard men was undoubted. Gentleman Starkey found a cache of primitive javelins and distributed them.

“We cannot leave a maiden to whatever tortures lizard men may practice,” said Tiern, and the others agreed.

And so our heroes and Jorge, led by Tiern, tracked the lizard men through the jungle in a roundabout path that intersected the river even farther upstream. There the trail ended. Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the jungle. More tracking ensued, and the heroes and Jorge found a lake around which were the tracks of some enormous bipedal lizard. At this time, Starkey decided to head off on his own backtracking the monster west by southwest through the jungle in direction of the volcano, while Tiern and Shadow, Mack, and Jorge moved in the other direction, heading east by northeast through the jungle toward the mountains. (Nota Bene: I’ve run DW a grand total of five time as of this writing, and every single time the party has split up.)

Our story now bifurcates!

Tiern, Shadow, Mack, and Jorge

The larger part of the group tracked the monster until they reached a rocky ridge before which sank a large depression and in which a gigantic red-scaled monster stood, roaring up at three lizard men who had a bound and hooded prisoner with them atop the ridge. It was evident that the lizard men were going to toss the prisoner into the gaping jaws of the giant lizard.

Mack sprung into action, transforming into a powerful polar bear and then charging around the pit and up the ridge toward the lizard men. Tiern fired an arrow, wounding and stunning a lizard man guard. Mack smashed through the other lizard men, gripping the prisoner with his powerful jaws, but not before a lizard man warrior grabbed his flanks with scaly fingers. Polar bear with prisoner and lizard man in tow rushed down the other side of the ridge before the magic of Mack’s transformation wore off. Tiern and Shadow broke cover, Tiern’s arrows and the wolf’s jaws making short work of the lizard man.

Then the monstrous lizard turned its attention toward the exposed heroes. Mack transformed into a caribou, and the prisoner and Tiern rode Mack like the wind, racing away as the monster thundered after them. After several minutes of high-speed pursuit through the jungle, Mack left the gigantic lizard behind. As he resumed human form, Mack realized that they’d left Jorge behind!

The prisoner, Jack Gibbard, explained that he and his daughter were in the jungle picking mangos when they’d been ambushed by lizard men. The lizard men split up in the jungle, the larger group taking his daughter toward Sacrifice Mountain, wherein the lizard men lair at the source of Blackfang River. The smaller group, which our heroes encountered, took Jack to the Pit in order to sacrifice him to their Lizard God. The group made their way back to their boat and left Jack there, promising him that they’d rescue his daughter.

But first they had to find Jorge. Unfortunately, after retracing their path to the pit, they discovered Jorge had been captured. The clever sailor left trail markers behind, including one of his hoop earrings, which made it easier for Tiern to track the group. Deep into lizard man territory traveled Tiern, Shadow, and Mack, intent on their mission. They avoided several lizard men patrols and arrived at Sacrifice Mountain as the sun set.

From a large cave surged Blackfang River. Adjacent to this cave was a worked archway across which the heroes spotted a lizard man walking as if on guard duty. Mack and Tiern adroitly ambushed the guard, slaying him without trouble. The chamber beyond had two exits, one leading upstairs toward an area from which they could hear the horrid, joyful sounds of perhaps dozens of lizard men celebrating some obscene rite. The other direction was a simple corridor, and this is the route the heroes took.

At the end of the hallway was another guard room. Four drunken lizard men hissed in private celebration, neglecting their duties. Another flight of stairs ascended out of the room. Mack turned into a ram-horned, white-furred mouse. He scurried through the guard room and up the stairs to discover a throne room complete with something like a lizard king, a huge lizard man guard, and several lizard men courtiers making some sort of report. Mack could again hear the horrid, joyful sounds. Realizing his magic would soon run out, Mack raced back down the stairs, but didn’t make it all the way through the guard room before he returned to normal form.

The guards stood stunned at the sudden appearance of this ram-horned human. Mack turned into a crocodile, and the lizard men jumped to their feet, exclaiming loudly and upsetting their table. Tiern, hearing this racket, knew something had gone wrong, and attacked. A fierce battle ensued. Mack was seriously injured before he, Tiern, and Shadow managed to kill the guards.

Gentleman Starkey

Meanwhile, Gentleman Starkey traveled alone through the jungle, intent on some errand but without much of a plan in mind. He quickly found himself blundering into the middle of several jungle dwarfs, the leader of whom informed Starkey that he trespassed on sacred ground and for that he must die. Outnumbered, Starkey surrounded. He was disarmed, bound, and dragged to the jungle dwarf village, where he was presented to their chieftain.

The chieftain pronounced sentence, but Starkey noticed a dwarf woman behind the chief’s throne who whispered something to the chief. The chief then demanded to know why Starkey had trespassed on their sacred lands.

“I was brought here by a cryptic verse,” Starkey said, and then he recited the verse he had acquired in the Drunken Gryphon. It spoke of a pale stranger who would free a people from a terrible curse.

The dwarf woman’s eyes widened, and she whispered to the chieftain again. He ordered Starkey be placed in the sacrificial hut to await his fate. Starkey was tied up in the hut a few moments later. Fortunately, he’d hidden a slender blade on his person, and he used it to cut his bonds. Just as he’d freed himself, the dwarf woman entered the hut. Starkey pretended to be bound.

“You know the story,” the dwarf woman said, “but do you have the blood of the Forge God?”

“Yes, I do,” Starkey said, revealing that he had freed himself as he pulled the strange phial of red fluid from its hiding place to show the dwarf woman. She dropped to her knees in reverence.

Shortly thereafter, Starkey was the honored guest in the village. He was bathed and oiled and dressed in clean clothes. He was given a grand feast. The chieftain explained to his people that the Chosen One had come at last. In the morning, the Chosen One would ascend the volcano to the Crucible of Steel in order to retrieve the Spear of Serpents, which he would then use to slay the Lizard God. There was much rejoicing. The chieftain presented Starkey with one of his virgin daughters. Starkey, being a gentleman, refrained from this last gift.

In the morning, Starkey’s weapons and armor were returned, and he was escorted to the edge of the jungle dwarfs’ territory and given rough directions to the Crucible of Steel near the volcano’s crater. Hours later, tired and begrimed with ash and dirt, Starkey reached the cliff top he had been seeking. He handily defeated a dwarf zombie, and then approached the formidable-looking structure built into the side of the volcano.

Inside, he found himself staring at two rows of three anvils each. He could hear the clang of hammers, but could see now smiths. Heat and the glow of lava filled the chamber. To his left, Starkey could see a massive portal in the wall, but no floor led to this portal, which stood many yards above a lava pit. As he entered deeper into the Crucible, sparks flew and six dwarfish smiths manifested, each seemingly made of smoke and flame.

“Once I was forging a mighty axe for a king and the blade fell into the coals. Without hesitation, I reached into the furnace with my hand and retrieved the blade,” boasted one ghost.

“Another time, a cave bear came into my hall. I leapt upon its back, gripped its top and bottom jaws in my fists, and then cracked open its skull,” boasted another.

“Impressive,” said Starkey. “Uh. One time, I, uh, saw a crocodile?”

The six ghosts roared with laughter as weapons manifested in their hands. A few seconds later, Starkey, injured and scared, fled from the Crucible. The ghosts laughed more and then faded from sight. The clang of hammers resumed. After catching his breath, Starkey re-entered the Crucible. The ghosts appeared again. One of them gestured for Starkey to come forward as the ghost swung his battle axe meaningfully. Starkey shook his head and gestured for the dwarf to come forward. The ghost chuckled.

Then Starkey pulled the bottle of dwarfish ale from his adventuring gear. He tossed it to the closest ghost, who deftly caught the bottle, smashed it open on the anvil, and then chugged from the bottle’s jagged neck. With a mocking grin, he tossed the bottle back. Starkey caught it and then chugged the remainder, sifting shard of glass with his teeth. He locked eyes with the ghost.

Then all six ghost dwarfs laughed merrily, and one asked Starkey why he had come to the Crucible of Steel. Starkey explained his quest.

“Do you have the key?” a ghost asked.

“Key?” Starkey asked. “What key?”

“You cannot open the door to the vault and retrieve the Spear of Serpents without the key, which was lost generations ago in the Land of Goliaths on the far west side of the island.”

“Oh,” said Starkey. “How can I find the key?”

“The blood of the Forge God glows ever brighter the closer to the key it comes,” a ghost explained. “If you have the Forge God’s blood, travel to the Land of the Goliaths, retrieve the key, and then return here. Only then can you enter the vault.”

The End…for Now

And so ended our first session. Did other lizard men heard the conflict in the guard room? Should Mack, Tiern, and Shadow press on, or should they retreat? Can Starkey descend the volcano and travel to the Land of Goliaths in order to retrieve the key? What of Jorge? Is he still alive?

Tags: Dungeon World, One-Page Dungeon