D&D Session 29 (11/10/21): Plumbing The Depths Part Two

Text by Paul O'Connor, Dungeon Master 

The lads make camp for the night, during which Blah single-handedly beheads and BBQs an umber hulk. What a night!

The next day, back through the secret path and on the track of Farrah. Up a winding path, crossing over a dark and fast-flowing river. They intersect an ancient purple worm tunnel.

Khostov suffers one of his fits of madness, loudly proclaiming how "nothing happened!" when he was alone and in the dark with an unconscious Blah. He gets louder, and louder.

Breaking into a waterfall chamber with twin cyclopean stairs, Khostov glides high and ahead of everyone, taunting his fellows with some bullshit.

Khostov is jumped by a flock of darkmantles. His last words are a triumphant declaration that "This IS an old-school D&D dungeon."

Blah leaps to his half-brother's defense as the darkmantles tear strips from the hovering body, cloaked in magical inky darkness.

Sommpher dispels the darkness, and the crew drives away the darkmantles. Khostov's lifeless body hits the stone.

But ... he's only mostly dead. A bit of healing and Khostov is right as rain.

Hopefully no more toilets loom ahead!

D@D Session 29 (11/10/21): Plumbing The Depths Part One

 Text by Paul O'Connor, Dungeon Master 

WHERE'S FARRAH? Picking up the trail of the Kuo-Toa, the gang follows tracks back to an inky pool where an underground stream emerges.

These heroes have faced giants, shipwreck, dragons, and death itself, but nothing vexed them quite so much as an underground toilet.

Angry at the realization that Farrah was likely carried down into the depths and on to who knows what, the crew slaughtered their Kua-Toa prisoners for catharsis.

Some shenanigans later,  Arthur and Blah find themselves in a dark grotto, isolated from their fellows, Blah is unconscious, Arthur is mostly naked but has a glowing dagger for warmth. Arthur finds a little, ill-hidden "secret" tunnel but elects not to explore it. (Hilarity will ensue).

Khostov has a moment of insane insight, displaces water from the pond with a Thunderwave, then blasts it out the grotto end with a Gust of Wind -- hurling himself into the tunnel, he emerges from the water in the grotto like a sub-launched Polaris missile. The water backfills.

Now on HIS own, Sommpher turns a skeletal swarm using his spooky cleric powers, which is enough to win Jenny's affections.

Blah wakes up, but he is in darkness with his pals. Khostov is out of spells. They stumble about a bit, follow the secret path, and find it leads back to an overlook near the pond. They interrupt Sommpher and Jenny, snogging.

Well.

D&D Session 28 (10/27/21): Something Fishy This Way Comes

 

Text by Paul O'Connor, Dungeon Master 

With a locking door the team spent an uneventful night, with the only moment of consequence being Dee Dah curling up with Jenny, striking a spark of jealousy with Blah.

After a bit of debate the heroes decided to go down (the other choice being, "up"), and after several hundred yards travel they found themselves in a tall chamber where the floor had collapsed to natural caverns below. The walls of the chamber told the story of Blue Noggak Dungeon -- a dwarven community founded centuries ago to mine the mountain, and which for a time collaborated with human traders (building the now-demolished Blue Hills Castle) before falling into decline after a war over precious ice opals.

With some floating and glowing, the gang investigated the natural cavern through the wrecked floor. Slimy and wet down there, and getting wetter -- a natural spring gushes from the rocks and sends a trickle down the sloping tunnel. Khostov dispersed a flock of stirges with his pipes.

Lots of arguing and making of loud noises before the group decides to press on down the tunnel, with Arthur getting tangled up in a net by ambushing Kua-Toa ... but it wasn't long before the fish-men were routed, and their arch-priest's tongue fed to the owlbear cub. Three other hapless fish heads were taken prisoner. (Don't call them guides!).

But as the literal fog of battle lifted, Jenny said, "Where's Farrah?" and Khostov remembered that he'd failed to spot something during the melee.

D&D Session 27 (10/21/21): The Clothes Make The Man

 

Text by Paul O'Connor, Dungeon Master 

Remind Arthur the magic-users need their rest, next time ... the plucky rogue may easily have gotten in over his head by exploring the dwarven armory at bed time.

It was bad enough even Sommpher had to mobilize for battle, setting aside his evening prayers, and disappointing Farrah ("He IS a shy one, isn't he?")

But up in the armory, it was on -- flying swords, living rugs, and descending from above with supreme arrogance, a finely-wrought helmed horror of living dwarven armor.

Arthur threw himself on the living armor's shoulders, and gave it his all, but only his elven dagger found purchase, and that only slightly.

Khostov got more than he bargained for with his mage hand gag, and his magic missiles failed to blunt the magic armor's progress, though thunderwave was still money in the bank.

But it really was Blah's Big Day, slicing flying swords asunder with his own vorpal blade, and chasing that hovering suit of armor around with a will, hacking and frothing in fine form.

The battle may well have gone on all day, but for Blah scoring a critical hit and decapitating the living armor. The helmet flew across the room and sounded like a paint bucket when it hit the floor; the light faded. Alas!

Now free to explore the room at leisure, our heroes found all the mundane gear they could use, and a few magical items as well, including a powerful spell scroll for Khostov, and a powerful set of playing pipes that put everyone in the mind of Jethro Tull!

Another good night of D&D. Sarkagan sends out a Thunderwave.

 

Top left to right: Kostov Sarkagan, Blah, and Paul the DM (this time playing as the Helmed Horror)

Lower Left to Right: Arthur Two Penny and Sommpher the Cleric.

D&D Session 26 (10/13/21): Down The Oubliette

 

Text by Paul O'Connor, Dungeon Master 

Well we had three heroes backed in a tiny tunnel with a flaming Gelatinous Cube but somehow no one died. I've lost my fastball.

The grim purpose of the oubliette is discovered -- those side-tunnels are crude prison cells. Took some time to navigate down from one to the next -- all bones and despair.

But then a glimmer of hope -- a prisoner had escaped through a crack in his tunnel cell wall. Following this path, Arthur crawled through a tight natural cavern and came out into abandoned dwarf tunnels.

After scouting up a long ladder -- and backing away when unusually wet stone raise his hackles -- Arthur suggested the heroes follow up and make camp. This took some time, having to transport Farrah and Jenny and all the gear. Sommpher summoned a repast of fresh water and bland food that was gratefully consumed by all.

There was some talk of making camp, but Arthur wanted to see what was beyond a nearby dwarven door. What could go wrong? A bit of work and the lock was sprung -- on the other side, a tall, narrow, cylindrical room, lined with shelves and balconies and sliding ladders. On those shelves -- dwarven arms and armor! On the topmost tier, and ornate suit of armor, and on the floor of the room, an opulent and cushy rug ...

... which came to life, and failed to smother Arthur. Regrouping for another attack, the creepy carpet faced off against everyone's favorite Murderball ...

(to be continued)

N64 Dark Rift Motion Capture Session. Kronos Digital Entertainment. Circa 1996

 Images I found of our motion capture session at the now defunct TSI motion capture studio in Los Angeles for the N64 game Dark Rift.  State of the art optical motion capture (not that old crappy magnetic MC) in an old junky warehouse.  Bring your own outfit, and we will tape the marker balls to your body.  Cutting edge stuff!  I am the guy getting the balls duct taped to my shoes.

Performance actors (Mostly Kronos developers) are as follows: 

John Paik (Niiki, Morphix, Zenmuron, Aaron, and Scarlet), Steve Knotts (Gore, Demitron, and Sonork), Theodore Warnock (Demonica), Sandra B. Christensen (Eve)

https://youtu.be/-_XiC1iA_2Y?t=873