About a month ago, we wrapped up Session 6 of our twice-monthly game of oD&D. Our DM was running Yoon-Suin and adding modules from his vast collection as suits his whims. The DM was really feeling the urge to play Apocalypse World, so the group caved and said, "Sure, we'll give it a shot." (I'll discuss AW in another post)
Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to put up my character sheet and a little summary of our campaign. No idea when we'll get back to it. If I had to summarize Sigilis in a sound-byte, it would be this:
Despressed wizard quits dead-end job at Mages' Guild, takes up geocaching and gets a face tattoo. Now lives life of luxury and danger pursuing Neutral Evil agendas.
Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to put up my character sheet and a little summary of our campaign. No idea when we'll get back to it. If I had to summarize Sigilis in a sound-byte, it would be this:
Despressed wizard quits dead-end job at Mages' Guild, takes up geocaching and gets a face tattoo. Now lives life of luxury and danger pursuing Neutral Evil agendas.
 |
| Art by Dreadweasel. |
Sigilis the All-Knowing
Thaumaturgist
of the Order of the Bloody Goat
Neutral (Evil) Human Magic-User, Level 5
Age 24, Ht. 5’11, Wt. 200
Neutral (Evil) Human Magic-User, Level 5
Age 24, Ht. 5’11, Wt. 200
STR 8
|
INT 15
|
WIS 10
|
DEX 7
|
CON 9
|
CHA 9
|
Hit Points: 8
Armor Class: 10
XP: 10,817 (10% bonus) / 20,000
GP: 5,109
Languages: Trade Tongue (Common), Neutrality, Sauvi, Haludi, Parbati, Goblin, Dark Elven, Duergar
Home: Mages’ Guild of the Yellow City of Yoon-Suin; Bloodgoat Keep
GP: 5,109
Languages: Trade Tongue (Common), Neutrality, Sauvi, Haludi, Parbati, Goblin, Dark Elven, Duergar
Home: Mages’ Guild of the Yellow City of Yoon-Suin; Bloodgoat Keep
Equipment
Silvered Dagger Cobra-Skin Quarterstaff Eelskin Backpack Numerous Belt-Pouches Eelskin Waterskin
Engraved
Stone Lantern
Flasks of Oil – 10
Flint
& Steel
Chalk, String
Candles
– 10
Black Antitoxin Tea – 9 doses Purple Opium (nootropic 1) – 190 doses – 10 on person Excessive Hats Fine Silk Robes Sturdy Rubber-Soled Boots
Expert
Climbing Gear
Roma
Wagon
(a) pulled by donkeys (b) with 4 sleeping cots (c) dry good storage for travel (d) two 5’ poles and one 10’ pole (e) oak chest containing empty flasks – 10 |
Library
Scroll: Light, Sleep Scroll: Protection from Evil, Sleep “Surviving the Interobular Aether” “Communications & Signaling the Beyond” “Flora & Fauna of Necropoli Centauri” “Growing Abyssal Crops” (scribed on a desiccated human arm) “Addictions of the Gods” (scribed on thin sheets of adamantium) |
Persons
of Interest
Kurt Angle, Hobbit Thief Solomon, Alchemist (Will) Beludar, Half-Orc (Andrew) Lord Urine [?] Boatmurder, Dwarf Minstrel (Dave) Mān, Renodeep, & Chandra: charmed hirelings from Subarna
Thermidore, Crab-Man Hero
Golothab, Slug-Man Priest
Jang, faithful mind-slave, deceased Bimsin & Tulsey, hapless hirelings, deceased
Animals
Giant Rhino Beetles – 2 Messenger Beetles – 9
Donkeys
– 4
Bees
– 4 crates
Lightning Tattoo (Tower of the Stargazer) (1 in 6 chance to breathe underwater for d6 hours) Sun Tattoo (Temple of the Insect God) (1 in 6 chance to ignore blindness) |
Travelogue
Names in bold represent player characters and their retainers.
Session 1: Sigilis was hired to translate a treasure map leading to duergar ruins in the highest peaks of the Mountains of the Moon. Began planning an expedition with the people who discovered the treasure map, Kurt Angle and Beludar. We’ll need duergar respirators in order to survive the extreme heights of the Mountains.
Discovered four potential sources of duergar respirators: (1) Duergar ruins near Subarna in the Hundred Kingdoms. (2) Duergar ruins on the Isles of Steam. (3) In the private collections of wealthy oligarchs. (4) In far-distant Quelong. Decided to follow up on the Subarna lead.
Original information hinted that a hobgoblin tribe in the ruined districts of the Yellow City would know more, so our group traveled for three days and met with them. Beludar convinced the Hobgoblin Regent to parlay, and made a deal wherein we would hire hobgoblin samurai on a regular basis in exchange for information. The Regent gave us directions to the duergar ruins, and we founded the martial Order of the Bloody Goat.
While traveling to the ruins, we encountered a ghost and bribed it with a donkey’s soul (making careful note not to cross paths with it again). We traveled to the Mosque of Orus, a village in revolt. Cultists of the elephant god were fighting with armored militiamen; we joined on the side of the militia and slew seventy-five cultists. The elders were grateful and gave us each three charmed slaves as payment.
Session 1: Sigilis was hired to translate a treasure map leading to duergar ruins in the highest peaks of the Mountains of the Moon. Began planning an expedition with the people who discovered the treasure map, Kurt Angle and Beludar. We’ll need duergar respirators in order to survive the extreme heights of the Mountains.
Discovered four potential sources of duergar respirators: (1) Duergar ruins near Subarna in the Hundred Kingdoms. (2) Duergar ruins on the Isles of Steam. (3) In the private collections of wealthy oligarchs. (4) In far-distant Quelong. Decided to follow up on the Subarna lead.
Original information hinted that a hobgoblin tribe in the ruined districts of the Yellow City would know more, so our group traveled for three days and met with them. Beludar convinced the Hobgoblin Regent to parlay, and made a deal wherein we would hire hobgoblin samurai on a regular basis in exchange for information. The Regent gave us directions to the duergar ruins, and we founded the martial Order of the Bloody Goat.
While traveling to the ruins, we encountered a ghost and bribed it with a donkey’s soul (making careful note not to cross paths with it again). We traveled to the Mosque of Orus, a village in revolt. Cultists of the elephant god were fighting with armored militiamen; we joined on the side of the militia and slew seventy-five cultists. The elders were grateful and gave us each three charmed slaves as payment.
Session 2: The elders requested we investigate the tower of the stargazer, [spoilers for that module incoming] a rogue member of their order. We obliged, hiring mercenaries
(Sigilis hires two men-at-arms, Bimsin and Tulsey) and traveling some hours
before coming across an ornate tower covered in lightning rods. Eleven men and
women enter the tower, disarming traps and fighting its guardians. Nine leave
with their lives (Tulsey is slain by a ghost during a chess game; another
hireling is killed by a venomous rock spider).
We discover the stargazer, Calcidius, is trapped within a botched summoning circle. He is dangerously insane. Later, we confine him under a veritable mountain of salt (we're pretty sure it has magical properties... like, 90% sure). We also discover a star crystal, an eldritch idol, a library of books on Necropoli Centauri and astronomy, a telescope, and treasure chests full of copper. We return to the Yellow City to sell it.
Sigilis celebrates his new-found wealth by getting a commemorative lightning bolt tattooed on his face. The Order of the Bloody Goat begins building Bloodgoat Keep.
We discover the stargazer, Calcidius, is trapped within a botched summoning circle. He is dangerously insane. Later, we confine him under a veritable mountain of salt (we're pretty sure it has magical properties... like, 90% sure). We also discover a star crystal, an eldritch idol, a library of books on Necropoli Centauri and astronomy, a telescope, and treasure chests full of copper. We return to the Yellow City to sell it.
Sigilis celebrates his new-found wealth by getting a commemorative lightning bolt tattooed on his face. The Order of the Bloody Goat begins building Bloodgoat Keep.
Session 3: Two months pass. Bloodgoat Keep is finished,
and a score of our hobgoblin mercenaries seize the local topaz mines,
creating unrest but establishing the Order’s presence in the region. Sigilis
discovers it’s possible to travel to Necropoli Centauri, a planet apparently ruled by plant-men, but it will be very
expensive and difficult.
Kurt hires an alchemist named Solomon. A slug-man priest named Golothab takes up residence near the Keep.
Eventually, the Order sets out to the duergar ruins near Subarna. Our expedition consisted of Sigilis, Beludar, Jang, Caca, Bimsin, and Paris, all riding beetles. Our trip took 9 days (18 round trip). On day three, we were attacked by a giant planarian and Bimsin was slain instantly. We killed it with fire; it was super effective. On day six, We met five celestial lions called Chinthes. We bargained for their service by giving them the star crystal. They will serve us for two months. They are VERY powerful. More on them later.
On day seven, we were ambushed by a huge scorpion-thing which Beludar killed single-handedly. We later encountered humans who worship the spider goddess Gou. They are from Subarna. Friendly, but they hate hobgoblins and their religion is really awful, so we will have to tread lightly (the spider goddess Gou ‘gives pleasure’ to the world… ugh). The Subarnans will buy our topazes for triple price. We did the math – it will cost 200 gp to send a guarded caravan to their city once a month, and anything we sell past that is pure profit.
We then found the duergar temple. It's in a sinkhole in the swamps. A ghost guarded the approach. We asked it what it wanted, and it said it wanted vengeance on its brother, the man who killed it. We agreed to find the ghost's brother and entered the what we believed to be the temple (later, we'd find out we were wrong - we went into a nearby ruin occupied by human bandits, not the temple proper). We ambushed a patrol, and the DM rolled to see if we'd found the ghost's brother. He rolled a 1 on a d30, and declared that, in fact, we had. We backtracked and gave him to the ghost to eat. We are thusly poised to investigate the rest of the temple. Because we have to rappel to get in, the chinthes can't accompany us, so they are guarding our mounts. The temple is full of humans who worship "the Insect God," and we believe they are gathering sacrifices for a potentially disastrous Dark Ritual...
Kurt hires an alchemist named Solomon. A slug-man priest named Golothab takes up residence near the Keep.
Eventually, the Order sets out to the duergar ruins near Subarna. Our expedition consisted of Sigilis, Beludar, Jang, Caca, Bimsin, and Paris, all riding beetles. Our trip took 9 days (18 round trip). On day three, we were attacked by a giant planarian and Bimsin was slain instantly. We killed it with fire; it was super effective. On day six, We met five celestial lions called Chinthes. We bargained for their service by giving them the star crystal. They will serve us for two months. They are VERY powerful. More on them later.
On day seven, we were ambushed by a huge scorpion-thing which Beludar killed single-handedly. We later encountered humans who worship the spider goddess Gou. They are from Subarna. Friendly, but they hate hobgoblins and their religion is really awful, so we will have to tread lightly (the spider goddess Gou ‘gives pleasure’ to the world… ugh). The Subarnans will buy our topazes for triple price. We did the math – it will cost 200 gp to send a guarded caravan to their city once a month, and anything we sell past that is pure profit.
We then found the duergar temple. It's in a sinkhole in the swamps. A ghost guarded the approach. We asked it what it wanted, and it said it wanted vengeance on its brother, the man who killed it. We agreed to find the ghost's brother and entered the what we believed to be the temple (later, we'd find out we were wrong - we went into a nearby ruin occupied by human bandits, not the temple proper). We ambushed a patrol, and the DM rolled to see if we'd found the ghost's brother. He rolled a 1 on a d30, and declared that, in fact, we had. We backtracked and gave him to the ghost to eat. We are thusly poised to investigate the rest of the temple. Because we have to rappel to get in, the chinthes can't accompany us, so they are guarding our mounts. The temple is full of humans who worship "the Insect God," and we believe they are gathering sacrifices for a potentially disastrous Dark Ritual...
Session 4: Joined by Solomon and his manservant Mandalay, the Order explores the tunnels surrounding the temple proper. We
are beset by filthy, ragged bandits in close-quarter fighting, and although we
ultimately prevail it is not without heavy costs: Mandalay is killed and
Beludar, Caca (his henchman), and Jang are all grievously wounded. Solomon proved his worth
ten times over with well-placed alchemical bombs (acid, fire, smoke – the
bandits were no match).
Amusingly, the bandit leader, despite being a dirt-covered hovel-dwelling half-feral man-monster, wore enchanted armor and wielded an enchanted weapon (all of which went to Beludar). We looted their substantial horde of uncut gemstones and made for Subarna, where we spent the next two weeks recovering and resupplying.
We sent the chinthes along with a caravan (1500 lbs of chives) and detailed instructions for their further employment back to Bloodgoat Keep to be overseen by Kurt.
Additionally, we discovered a map leading to a single potion of plant control (Siglis is thrilled at the implication: We could mass manufacture these and launch an invasion of Necropoli Centauri!) and brokered a trade agreement with Subarna for monthly shipments of uncut topaz. Sigilis & Co. spent two weeks in Subarna, then, smoking opium, resting up, planning our return to the Temple of the Insect God, brewing acid, studying magic, and buying a small army. Specifically, Sigilis hired five crab-man warriors: Bisque, Thermidore, Newburg, Colorado, and Salad.
Amusingly, the bandit leader, despite being a dirt-covered hovel-dwelling half-feral man-monster, wore enchanted armor and wielded an enchanted weapon (all of which went to Beludar). We looted their substantial horde of uncut gemstones and made for Subarna, where we spent the next two weeks recovering and resupplying.
We sent the chinthes along with a caravan (1500 lbs of chives) and detailed instructions for their further employment back to Bloodgoat Keep to be overseen by Kurt.
Additionally, we discovered a map leading to a single potion of plant control (Siglis is thrilled at the implication: We could mass manufacture these and launch an invasion of Necropoli Centauri!) and brokered a trade agreement with Subarna for monthly shipments of uncut topaz. Sigilis & Co. spent two weeks in Subarna, then, smoking opium, resting up, planning our return to the Temple of the Insect God, brewing acid, studying magic, and buying a small army. Specifically, Sigilis hired five crab-man warriors: Bisque, Thermidore, Newburg, Colorado, and Salad.
Session 5: Lord
Urine Boatmurder, a dwarf minstrel of some renown, is hired on to assist us at the
Temple of the Insect God under the pretense that he is a “sneaky guy.”
Unfortunately, the Temple is now swarming with chint-on (ant-men) who are
looting/piling bodies in a sinkhole. After a quick battle in which we dispatch
a dozen warrior chint-on, an invisible Boatmurder sneaks into the Temple where
he quickly discovers two horrible truths: It’s bigger on the inside, and he’s
been cursed to transform into an insect. He miraculously escapes and Sigilis
attempts to perform minor surgery but realizes the nature of the curse and
stops while Lord Boatmurder still has a face.
We travel back to Subarna and supplicate the priests of Gou for aid – they succeed in halting Boatmurder’s transformation but warn us against further excursions. Poorly. They go on and on about treasure, and a greedy Sigilis needs to go back.
We sew beetle parts into our skin. We prepare our crab-men for war. We brew acid and drink nootropic teas. We recall two chinthes and build special rope climbing-harnesses for them and the crab-men. We return to the sinkhole and make an aggressive, focused attack on the treasure horde of the chint-on and, disastrously, we are defeated. All our crab-men except Thermidore and Mandalay Two are casualties. Beludar’s enchanted armor is ruined by acid. Even the chinthes are wounded. Despite felling over forty chint-on, we are forced to retreat back to Subarna to nurse our wounds. We tell the diarchs of the chint-on threat but are dismissed offhandedly—the fools! Thus, we prepare to find the potion of plant control, return to Bloodgoat Keep, and reassess the chint-on threat.
We travel back to Subarna and supplicate the priests of Gou for aid – they succeed in halting Boatmurder’s transformation but warn us against further excursions. Poorly. They go on and on about treasure, and a greedy Sigilis needs to go back.
We sew beetle parts into our skin. We prepare our crab-men for war. We brew acid and drink nootropic teas. We recall two chinthes and build special rope climbing-harnesses for them and the crab-men. We return to the sinkhole and make an aggressive, focused attack on the treasure horde of the chint-on and, disastrously, we are defeated. All our crab-men except Thermidore and Mandalay Two are casualties. Beludar’s enchanted armor is ruined by acid. Even the chinthes are wounded. Despite felling over forty chint-on, we are forced to retreat back to Subarna to nurse our wounds. We tell the diarchs of the chint-on threat but are dismissed offhandedly—the fools! Thus, we prepare to find the potion of plant control, return to Bloodgoat Keep, and reassess the chint-on threat.
Session 6: We discovered the potion of plant control in the
nearby temple to Taj, God of Suffering Women (Not as evil as it sounds – Taj is
a god of childbirth). Acquiring it required the sacrifice of numerous reptiles
in the presence of a mummified priestess. Returned to Bloodgoat Keep after a
troubled journey (exploding snails; poor Jang was slain by a velvet hunting
worm) and decided to conquer a nearby gold-mine.
Sigilis and Solomon traveled to the mining town of Jing Chun* with a coterie of henchmen, met with the foreman’s trade minister, and failed to charm him. Sigilis was beaten by guards and sentenced to hang, but Solomon paid his bail and we escaped. We returned to Bloodgoat Keep in time to witness a peasant uprising which, characteristically, we put down with ruthless enthusiasm, killing 2,000 peasants in a week.
Our bloodlust sated, we prepared to return to Jing Chun only to find a small battalion of hobgoblins marching on the keep, offering their services to us. Our current hobgoblins were incised by this, being of a rival clan, so Kurt thought quickly and told them he would hire them if they slew the rhino-demon haunting a nearby village – an impossible task. They left for the task with Kurt’s enchanted bone dagger, slaying an elephant along the way.
Kurt and Sigilis traveled to Jing Chun. While Kurt and his henchmen were visible, Sigilis and two chinthes were invisible. Using stealth and guile, Sigilis charmed both the trade minister and the foreman, extorting them thereafter to tithe most of the town’s income to Bloodgoat Keep. When Kurt and Sigilis returned to the Keep, fifteen of the seventy hobgoblins were waiting for us with the rhino-demon’s head. Kurt retrieved his bone dagger and inquired about the elephant meat they carried – rhino-demons can be hurt only by ivory, apparently – before ordering the Keep’s archers to fire and eliminate all survivors. A very satisfying, very profitable session.
Sigilis and Solomon traveled to the mining town of Jing Chun* with a coterie of henchmen, met with the foreman’s trade minister, and failed to charm him. Sigilis was beaten by guards and sentenced to hang, but Solomon paid his bail and we escaped. We returned to Bloodgoat Keep in time to witness a peasant uprising which, characteristically, we put down with ruthless enthusiasm, killing 2,000 peasants in a week.
Our bloodlust sated, we prepared to return to Jing Chun only to find a small battalion of hobgoblins marching on the keep, offering their services to us. Our current hobgoblins were incised by this, being of a rival clan, so Kurt thought quickly and told them he would hire them if they slew the rhino-demon haunting a nearby village – an impossible task. They left for the task with Kurt’s enchanted bone dagger, slaying an elephant along the way.
Kurt and Sigilis traveled to Jing Chun. While Kurt and his henchmen were visible, Sigilis and two chinthes were invisible. Using stealth and guile, Sigilis charmed both the trade minister and the foreman, extorting them thereafter to tithe most of the town’s income to Bloodgoat Keep. When Kurt and Sigilis returned to the Keep, fifteen of the seventy hobgoblins were waiting for us with the rhino-demon’s head. Kurt retrieved his bone dagger and inquired about the elephant meat they carried – rhino-demons can be hurt only by ivory, apparently – before ordering the Keep’s archers to fire and eliminate all survivors. A very satisfying, very profitable session.
*As a quick footnote, our DM admitted to using a random Chinese name generator to come up with Jing Chun, and I love the idea that it was, perhaps, done very poorly. I don't speak any dialect of Chinese, but I like to think maybe Jing Chun is the equivalent of an English town called Springfield Houston or London La Croix. Something about this just makes me chuckle.
Servants and Henchmen
MᾹN, Silent Samurai
|
||||
STR
INT
WIS
DEX
CON
CHA
|
10
|
Poison/Death
Ray
|
12
|
|
10
|
AC: 4 (Chain,
Shield)
|
Magic
Wand
|
13
|
|
10
|
HP: 8
|
Turn
to Stone/Paralysis
|
14
|
|
14
|
Sword
1d8
|
Dragon
Breath
|
15
|
|
11
|
Longbow
1d6
|
Spells
or Magic Staff
|
16
|
|
13
|
||||
Mān wears a suit of lacquered armor and walks with a limp.
He dresses primarily in white and never speaks, for his tongue was cut out long
ago. He wears a solid iron amulet which resembles a skull.
RENODEEP, Mutant Wretch
|
||||
STR
INT
WIS
DEX
CON
CHA
|
9
|
Poison/Death
Ray
|
12
|
|
5
|
AC: 5 (Chain)
|
Magic
Wand
|
13
|
|
8
|
HP: 7
|
Turn
to Stone/Paralysis
|
14
|
|
14
|
Battle-Axe
1d8
|
Dragon
Breath
|
15
|
|
11
|
Longbow
1d6
|
Spells
or Magic Staff
|
16
|
|
7
|
||||
Renodeep was forever changed during an excursion to the Temple of
the Insect God. He has mutated insectile legs which, while hideous, allow him
to climb difficult surfaces with ease. He is also missing his left hand (an
unrelated incident).
CHANDRA, Proud Warrior
|
||||
STR
INT
WIS
DEX
CON
CHA
|
14
[+1]
|
Poison/Death
Ray
|
12
|
|
11
|
AC: 2 (Plate,
shield)
|
Magic
Wand
|
13
|
|
10
|
HP: 7
|
Turn
to Stone/Paralysis
|
14
|
|
8
|
Greatsword
2d6+1
|
Dragon
Breath
|
15
|
|
11
|
Longbow
|
Spells
or Magic Staff
|
16
|
|
10
|
||||
Chandra is a proud warrior from Subarna. She dresses provocatively
and wears a skull amulet identical to Mān’s.
THERMIDORE, Crab-Man Hero
|
||||
STR
INT
WIS
DEX
CON
CHA
|
14
[+1]
|
Poison/Death
Ray
|
8
|
|
9
|
AC: 5 (Natural
Armor)
|
Magic
Wand
|
9
|
|
10
|
HP: 9
|
Turn
to Stone/Paralysis
|
10
|
|
15
|
Crab
Claws 2d8+1
|
Dragon
Breath
|
13
|
|
9
|
Spells
or Magic Staff
|
12
|
||
12
|
||||
Thermidore is the only surviving Crab-Man from the battle at the
Temple of the Insect God. He has an insatiable appetite for reptiles, slugs,
and other crab-men. Sigilis respects him and paints his shell with bright
yellow designs when the mood strikes him.
