01-Monday – Plot

Mondays are the days where I discuss plots for Tabletop RPG Sessions

The Kings Hidden Queen

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Welcome to another week at my tabletop where this week we are looking at an adventure that features the kings hidden queen. Normally with a quest giver you have someone, something or somewhere to meet, retrieve or be. This week we have someone giving us a quest for someone who doesn’t exist, well sort of. Now here’s the kicker. The quest giver is a king, a queen-less king, but for years he has organising a great party, a feast for everyone in his kingdom to come and celebrate his queens birthday, yet his subjects believe he is mad as they have never seen this queen. However this year he has sent out a separate invite – one to heroes to protect his queen as he believes that there are those among his subjects who wish his queen ill.

Well all relationships are complex but a mad king with an non-existent queen takes the birthday cake. Well, kind of, not really. Intrigued? Well let’s grab a cup of coffee, sit back and roll into tonight’s adventure!

The Kings Hidden Queen

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King of Rueven before subjects – Created in nightcafe.studio

The king stood in front of his subjects as they gathered in the square beneath him, his worn but strong hands gripping the railing to the balcony he stood at. “My beloved subjects of Rueven,” he stopped as the cheering erupted from his subjects. Gesturing for them to stop he continued, “as you know every year I throw a feast for the kingdom to celebrate the birthday of my queen, our queen. This year is no exception! Come, be merry for under the full moon we will feast, be merry and celebrate queen Celeste!” His voice bellowed forth across the people down beneath him. Another chorus of cheering and rejoicing erupted from the crowd.

“My queen has a request, this party will be a masked festival. There will be games, contests of strength, agility, wit and talent. Everyone will be masked and no one will be treated any different – everyone is equal for this day. You will be invited to dine at the same table as I and the queen and we shall enjoy the feast as one people, one kingdom.” he stopped as the murmuring began in the crowd. An awkward moment passed before somewhere, someone in the crowd began to clap. Soon the single sound of applause grew to a thunderous racket and his people were celebrating the idea of the festivities this year.

The Queens Request

As he stepped back from the applause he walked, alone, past his guards and attendants “Park, a moment.” he requested as his guard captain walked nearby.

“Yes sire, what can I do for you?” he asked, looking around for the queen out of habit, the one no one had seen.

“I believe that we may have some trouble with this event. The queen’s life has been targeted and we intend to catch them in the act. I need you to seek out adventurers. A group that can blend in with the crowd and act as castle staff to apprehend the would-be assassins. We can only trust you in this.” he said as he gripped the shorter man on the shoulder.

“Yes but sire,” he hesitated, apprehensive if his words would bring out his king’s rare but famous anger. “Will the queen be present this time? She hasn’t been present, ” he picked his words carefully “for some time now.”

The king smiled, “she is always present. Don’t play games now Park, you know how my queen likes them. You may end up playing her games and not having time for yourself if you keep it up. Now we have a party to prepare and you have adventurers to find.”

“Yes my king.” Park said, his face hiding his sadness at the state of his king’s sanity.

The king walked through the other housekeepers and guards, sighing as he rolled his huge, broad and muscular shoulders. “Are you sure of this, my queen?” he asked under his breath. “If you believe someone is after you, are you sure you want to make it easier for them to sneak amongst us?”

“Yes, I am. I do love these games.” his queen’s voice came in response, like a gust of wind in his ear.

Thoughts

Games. This week is about games that we play and none out-play the queen of Rueven. Just because someone is never seen or never heard doesn’t mean that they aren’t present. This week is about uncovering who the assassins are, if there are some, and working out what they are really after. After all, if the whole kingdom believe the king to be mad and queen-less then why would someone want to risk killing something that isn’t real.

This is just the beginning of a week. I may also have another surprise this week to come later this week so keep an eye out for perhaps a double-event weekend. So don’t forget to come back each day this week for the King of Rueven’s party and for this weekend. I hope you enjoy what’s in store for this week and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Cult of the Lizard…?

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Welcome to another start to an exciting week of adventure and this week we encounter a weird group of people who call themselves the cult of the lizard…? This week was actually inspired by my daughter that gave me a “once upon a time…” story and asked me to write about it. So this week I will bring you the story with the cult of the lizard…? So let’s sit down, grab a coffee and roll onto tonight’s adventure.

Cult of the Lizard…?

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Shirkwall temple plaza – created in nightcafe.studio

The town of Shirkwall was a town of progress. Known for its schools, colleges and people of science and learning it was the pinnacle of technology and discoveries. Situated upon the granite cliffs high above the churning bay below it was also one of the oldest cities in the land. In fact one of the reasons it was so famous was the ancient ruins that it built around and on top of – of which none were more impressive than a large, smooth, four sided obelisk.

When the party arrived there was a large gathering of people at the steps of one of the temples, this one to Lathander. Now a gathering on temple steps, especially to the morning lord wasn’t something that uncommon as to invoke curiosity but this was different. A large gathering of men and women from many races were gathered on the steps in green robes and were preaching at the gathering mass.

“Repent now for the time of false idols is over. The gods have left us, they have shunned us for we are the city of progress and discovery. Repent now for the time of the lizard is here. The great scaled one, the behemoth in the dark beckons for your sin to be swallowed whole. Long have you mocked the reptiles of this land, many even deem them nothing more than a poor-man’s food source. But fear my words children of iron. Children of steel and science. The days of blasphemy are at an end and the reign of the lizard will commence!” A tall, thin woman shouted at the growing crowd below her.

Bad for business

“Ah, get her off the steps! This Cult of the lizard..? It’s a joke.” someone heckled from the crowd. “Move on, your drying up business faster than a dwarf dries up tankards at Larry’s Tavern!” another called out, to the laughter of many in the crowd.

“Mark my words heathens. The time is right. The great lizard will consume you all for your sin!” another, this one an elf, called from the steps.

On the street corner near where the party was standing a few guards stood at the ready in case the preaching took a darker turn. “These nuts at it again. I swear we had one a few years back that spouted this nonsense now they have quite the following” one guard said, a captain by her attire.

“They don’t cause any trouble, they just say their piece, say a prayer and then leave. They don’t break our laws” the one on her right. “I guess we’re just here to make sure no one gets hurt again captain?” he asked.

“That’s right. And they aren’t the type to hurt people in any way… Their movement is a pacifist one. In fact it’s probably the most peaceful religion out there apart from the whole end of the world and death by giant lizard.” the captain spoke with a mild chuckle. “Looks like it’s about over.” she added.

Thoughts

An interesting start to the adventure this week. Obviously this is just the start and it should get the cogs turning. In fact I already know what each night of this week will entail, map and all. Hopefully my daughter will be pleased with what I make of her little paragraph story.

Inspiration comes from all sources and this week the.. sorry.. the cult of the Lizard…? is the actualisation of a paragraph. Now for those who have been around the block a few times may know there are a few creatures that may fit the bill for this week and trust me. This one will be a surprise for us all.

So don’t forget to come back each day this week. I hope you enjoy what I, we, have in store for you this week. And finally, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Arbiter Zeds Final Call

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Welcome to an exciting start to another week of adventure, and in particular I invite you to bear witness to Arbiter Zeds Final Call. This week takes inspiration from a book I read when I was very young that drove the inspiration of many adventures after. This was further expanded once I started to use music as thought and adventure invoking material and a little some called “The Black Parade” was released.

Well to find out more you’ll just have to read tonight’s update. So let’s sit down, grab a coffee and roll onto tonight’s adventure.

Arbiter Zeds Final Call

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Arbiter Zed’s Herald – Created in Nightcafe.studio

The afternoon had been productive and despite the unseasonable rain shower they had managed to bring in the crops before they were ruined. Drying off as best as he could he cleared the table and moved to make a start on dinner. A hearty soup with some dried boar and vegetables from the farm. What was missing was some grains from one of the neighbours.

The town of Heartsfern was relatively secluded at the edge of a forest. A tribe of elves guarded the forest and were fiercely protective of its plants and animals. This made gathering wood for the farm or new buildings difficult but also meant that they were guarded from bandits or worse from the forest. A neutral relationship that seemed to suit them both had formed and the elves even came to barter on occasion.

Making the decision Trent stood, stretched and scooped up a few silver pieces to take to get the last ingredients for the soup. Leaving the warmth of his single roomed house he walked down the short road that connected all the buildings in Heartsfern. The buildings were predominantly wooden with the inn and general store having stone walls, but everywhere there were smoking chimneys. As the evening chill began to set in he hurried to reach the general store and walked in.

The herald approaches

“Ah Trent. I was about to shut shop. I’ve been meaning to thank you for the boar meat you gave me the other week. It was a lovely addition to the family’s meal.” Shelly said as she beamed at him.

“Think nothing of it Shell. You’ve looked after me many times before so I wanted to repay your kindness.” he said with a warm smile. “I hope I am not intruding too late, I am making a soup and realised that I was wanting barley in it. Do you have any from Baz?” he asked as he approached the counter.

“I have a small bag left for a few copper,” she replied thinking. “If it’s just for one meal though I can give you enough for the meal for one Copper piece?” she offered.

“That would be perfect.” Trent agreed as she fished out a copper from amongst his coin. But as the exchange was made a haunting voice rattled through the street.

“Come one, come all to the tale of Arbiter Zed.” The voice began to thrum as Trent and Shelly left the store and looked at a figure walking down the road. It stumbled but hummed as if trying to remember the tune. After a moment though the humming turned into the man singing a tune.

“Although his boots are worn, and his arms are gone some may call him Dead. Yet he sends me here, to sing and cheer while you make your… bread!” the figure said after a moment’s pause. “So listen well and listen true as he arrives when the moon turns blue. He brings his band, he brings his crew to make his performance true.” The man was now stumbling into the middle of a ring of townsfolk, some having grabbed farming implements or some old weapons.

The Promise

The singing man bowed down low, his ragged clothes stretched over a heaving chest as it stopped walking. The humming began once again before turning into another cackling sing-song. “For if you like his play, you can stay to live your peaceful life. But if like his wife, you hate this band…” the man heaved deeper before standing up taller. His rotten skeleton form revealed itself as the sun set behind it and the moonlight revealed his features. “Then you can join his carnival of the damned!” The man roared with laughter, shocking those around him when the body started to break, shatter and fall to the ground in great sloughs. Even when the herald of Arbiter Zed lay a broken heep of bone, worn fabric and dried flesh the townsfolk still swore they heard the laughter.

A heartbeat or two passed before the town was in an uproar of chaos. A bag of barley lay in the ground, tonight’s dinner now ruined by the grim portents of next week’s blue moon.

Thoughts

I absolutely love, love! the idea of a black parade. The idea of a carnival of the damned travelling across the mortal plane spreading chaos and fear just gets the creative spark roaring to life. This week is about preparation, a carefully executed plan and testing the parties understanding of both magic, them selves and the paranormal. Arbiter Zeds Final call hints at the outcome of his performances. If people truly like his gruesome act them they live, else he takes them to fill out the ranks of his band as it is his final call after all.

Another week begins and this week is another exciting one. Magic, undeath and the potential for truly terrible puns and rhymes. No doubt a fun one is brewing this week that puts the emphasis on the parties ability to prepare. In fact without the party I am fairly certain that the town of Heartsfern will disappear. So don’t forget to come back this week for more content as we expand this weeks adventure. And don’t forget to set some time aside for your own tabletop this week, its important to continue to push through your hobby. And finally, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Feline Filcher

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Welcome to the start of another night of adventure and this week we are introduced to the Feline Filcher. The City of Drileah has a problem, one they want kept under wraps and one that they wish to be dealt with discretely. So let’s crack it open, expose it to the light and while we’re at it, steal a moment to ourselves. So sit down, grab a coffee and let’s roll into tonight’s adventure!

The Feline Filcher

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City of Drileah – Created in Nightcafe.studio

As the sun sets and dusk progresses to night the city of Drileah becomes rich with the sounds of parties, cat calls and other nightlife. But, the sound of guards mailed boots also ring across the cacophony of merriment and display of wealth as they are on the hunt this night.

Somewhere the softest of footfalls could be heard as a dark figure opened a latch on a window. The laughter from the owners and occupants, guests at the party, were loud from downstairs. The shadow stopped as it watched the flare of light from a pipe glow from a corner in the room, a trap. However this was not news for the burglar. Raising a fine hand it summoned the sound of a creaking board in the room over. Instantly the figure hiding in the corner of the room stood up and left the room, casting a great deal of light and noise in the room.

The Job

‘Good that will keep him busy for a moment‘ thought the thief as the window swung silently inwards. Soft soled shoes met intricate rugs and cloths strewn on the floor, but he moonlight illuminated the trip wires which allowed the shadow to dance around them. Within heartbeats the door to a cupboard was open and the near-silent clack of lock picks was the only thing that she could hear. A moment later and the lock was open and a gloved hand grabbed the object that it knew was there. In fact everything had gone so well to plan that the noise from outside the door was almost a welcome relief to the noise of the party.

“What the” was the only noise the mercenary made before a handful of dust was thrust into his face. Within a second the robust, well muscled man was falling towards the ground. The figure, a woman, dashed forward to catch the paid guard before his body hit the ground. The slightly bent nose a mark of pride for many, but for this man it gave him a distinct look. Not something one wants when they want to blend in and be forgotten.

With a flick of her wrist his purse was also in her hand, a bonus in addition to the gold she was getting paid to retrieve the object in her bag.

“G..Guards!” a voice called from the hall as they saw the unconscious man. The alert was of no worry though as the thief was already out the window and dashing, silently across the rooftops. A tiny black cat was left in the palm of the mercenary – the mark of the Feline Filcher.

Thoughts

I am quite excited to bring this adventure to life this week. I have a history of trying to add excitement and mystery to my adventures for my party. The theme of this week is the power of the bare minimum. In fact this could be a level 1 encounter and I plan to show my players just what you can do with some creativity.

The Feline Filcher is a cat burglar. However there is always a ulterior motive for key NPCs and this weeks no exception. In fact this old trope should bring nostalgia for my players and I am looking forward to the look of confusion on their faces.

Thanks for joining me tonight. I find the imagery helps sell the story and this week the moonlit streets tells a tale by itself. So I want to welcome you to a fun week, one that you may just learn something knew to add to your campaigns. However it does introduce something that is hard to pull off, so I will do my best to it justice. Don’t forget to join me each night this week as we expand this adventure. Don’t forget to set some time aside for your own tabletop and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Return to the Crusade

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Tonight we have a special edition of the month where I continue to create our Soulbound campaign and tonight we see the binding attempt to return to the crusade. Now a refresher, the Dawnbringer crusade is what the cities of order and the free people in conjunction with the Stormcast eternals hope will see new cities created. With the forces of order pushing back against the forces of chaos the people of the realms have a chance to reclaim what once was theirs. But enough wasting time, let’s sit down, grab a coffee and roll into another night at the tabletop.

Return to the Crusade

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As the sun rose the binding looked across the landscape around them. The warclan would send additional scouts to investigate their missing members, and they didn’t like the idea of staying here another night. Not with those spectres, the Nighthaunt, haunting this area. With Brung’s ship no longer viable they had to find another way back and unless one of them had a hidden talent for summoning beasts to ferry them across the land they would have to travel under what little cover there was amongst the rocky outcrops and sparse trees.

Despite the distance they made good distance towards the direction of the crusade. They hoped that The Keeper made it back to the crusade with the Amberbone despite being attacked on his flight from the research outpost. But more than that they hoped that the Orruks were distracted with the gathering of the crusade in the distance. Well distracted enough that they wouldn’t notice a party of four travelling by foot.

Gathering clouds

Despite the distance the party could tell where the Crusade was, and it was on the move. A large plume of dust and smoke was drifting from towards the centre, off to the right. But there was something more that increased the pace of those on foot. A large thunderous cloud was gathering above the dust and smoke – Sigmar was preparing to send down his Stormcast Eternals to defend the Crusade, or launch an attack. If they wanted to fight off against the Orruks they may need the help of the binding. With a renewed urgency to their pace they doubled their march with Kathe darting ahead on her wings to scout the area ahead of them.

Brung longed for his craft, but with the damage done to it the day and night before it had to be left behind. Besides with the Orruk sharpshooters and, if what they had seen take down the griffon, artillery build to take out large beasts were near by they were potentially better off on foot. Despite this being only the second time they had been tested the binding was somehow holding together. They seemed to be doing well and working together as a team, the presence of each other constantly within themselves probably had something to do with this. The worries of the Keeper and Lord Brighthammer were for naught.

Thoughts

I am super excited to continue on with more Soulbound. With the promise of local interest in the system springing up I will be looking more into this RPG in the coming weeks. Now this current adventure see’s the party moving back across the land, on foot with danger all around as they traverse through potential enemy territory. I have a plan for this however and an opportunity to explore another destruction race before the adventure is out.

However there are plenty of opportunities for additional encounters. I hope to weave some chaos and potentially more undead into this encounter this week but we will have to wait for that. With the Orruks creating havoc and the party on an extreme flank I will orchestrate a moment where the party can aid in the success of a large battle. This is something that typically you may not find and I think it will be rewarding for the party. But I will need to see how I can maneuverer the party to such a state so that’s for a future me to worry about.

Thanks for exploring Soulbound

Thanks for joining me tonight for an expansion to Januaries Soulbound adventure. If Soulbound isn’t your cup of tea don’t fear for I will be bringing more D&D content back in the near future. In fact, I would tweak this adventure for D&D by changing the content from a Dawnbringer crusade to a large migration of refugees. I would have the party as mercenaries defending the procession from bandits and marauders. A neat and familiar scene for some of us.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow where I expand this Soulbound adventure some more as we return to the crusade. So before I go I want to wish you the rerolls you need to succeed and hope that you return to continue with adventure with me,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Ostentatious Aarakocra

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Welcome to another night at Brazen Wolfe Tabletop where tonight we being our adventure with the arrival of The Ostentatious Aarakocra. These fine feathered friends have a deal for those willing to put their life on the line and from the looks of it have the money to back it up. But will the prejudice of man allow for open trade and this type of mercenary work for this elusive species? Well we better sit back, grab a coffee and roll on with the adventure of tonight.

The Ostentatious Aarakocra

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As the party look around the lively streets and brightly coloured fabrics of the market stalls they enjoy the first break they have had in a while. Not having to adventure or fight off goblins, ghouls or gnolls is a relief and the food here beats anything they could cook while on the road. But like all good things the moment of peace comes to an end.

A commotion is coming from a few streets down saw townsfolk moving away and guardsmen moving towards it. Mention of “wings” and phrases like “did you see all that gold” could be heard from people passing by. The party moved towards the commotion and came across the central fountain. A large noticeboard stood next to the fountain adorned with adverts for work, rewards for missing people or pets and items and other such trivialities. But today it had something very different being nailed into the wooden board. A tall Aarakocra, an avian humanoid race was putting up a large advert for work next to the others. Carefully and meticulously the figure hammered it in. Ensuring that the advert was placed in a space by itself so that it wouldn’t overlap someone’s else’s request.

The Dignitary

The guardsmen watched in peace from a distance whilst some of the townsfolk nearby yelled offense from the side-lines. However none dared approach as a huge eagle stood next to the Aarakocra and its men. After a moment the humanoid turned around to reveal a series of golden chains and thread was holding up golden plates and jewels. The Townsfolk went silent for a moment as the regal looking birdman looked around the gathering.

‘I am Sashik,’ it said in a males voice with a very chirp heavy tones. ‘I come with a formal offer of work with ample reward. Those who complete this task for me will be made wealthy enough to not need to work for several years.’ he stopped as he looked around the gathering. ‘As a show of good faith, each and everyone who agrees to provide assistance will receive twenty gold pieces after they arrive at our village. A chest of gold will be provide for the ones who can complete the task.’

The request

An uproar of approval and amazement came from the crowd. Even some of the guards started to move forward with the promise of a year worth of their salary on offer. ‘What do we need to do?’ a voice spoke from the crowd, a shred looking man.

‘We need your assistance to kill a giant…’ the Aarakocra dignitary declared. The crowd was plunged into silence. In fact several of them stepped back as if they had been slapped across their face. ‘In fact, we need heroes to fight with us against a giant and its men’ it added.

Thoughts

Fighting a giant and it’s servants is no easy feat but the promise of gold is significant. This week my aim is to find out which party members are lured into quests by gold. However it is not just about the motivation but to also initiate something I am fond of, mission boards.

Many RPGs, anime’s and games have this concept of Mission boards. Going to a board, selecting a mission according to your rank and completing it for a reward. However they can go either way. If used poorly they detract from the main story and we can find our party getting stuck in that “side quest” loop. But if used well we get a happy middle ground were we have just enough little adventures to aid in breaking up downtime. How we use these adventures is up to us and can enrich or upset the adventures we give our Party.

Thanks for joining me tonight. Having come from giant animals to bandits and undead, to a cursed manor and lately a dragon I wanted to kick it up a bit. So don’t forget to come and join me again this week as we continue to expand our adventure. Tomorrow is NPC night and I am going to have a bit of trouble creating or finding Aarakocra portraits but I will try! And as we begin a new week, the second last week of Feb, don’t forget we have more non-D&D content coming soon. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to let me know your thoughts on this weeks adventure and don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Pine Ridge

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Tonight heralds one of my favourite early game encounter that can be scaled up to any level. This weeks adventure centred around Pine Ridge; a small farming community, looks to serve as that adventure that ups the ante. So without giving any more away for this week let’s grab a coffee, sit down and roll on with the adventure.

Pine Ridge

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The trip through the hills and mountains upwards towards the large expanse of land at the top of the rise. This land was extremely fertile and it was evident by vast amount of vegetation growing in any suitable soil. The party had however ran into several obstacles on the way up. Hunting snares, pit traps and the like were frequent on the path or just off it. The oddest of them all were traps that released beasts that attacked them on sight. Without a cause or evidence of who caused them they were written off as the pranks of youths the party continued their trek to the town of Pine Ridge who was reportedly in need of heroes.

As they pushed past the last few crests of the mountain range they were ascending they stumbled into the large, oaken gates of Pine Ridge. A few moments of talking to the guards they were let through with nothing less than cheering. In fact the guards proclaimed that they were the adventurers sent to them to aid them. This only increased the volume of noise and frequency of well wishes. However, moving their way through the streets they saw that things were grim. Several wagons had belongings piled up high and several draft horses or mules were attached already or nearby. In fact as they were led towards a large central house the sense of worry increased with each step. Something was not right in Pine Ridge.

The Job

Entering the house they were greeted by a elderly man, woman and a young woman who was dressed like a hunter or scout. They walked through the halls of the house and noticed many of the paintings in the house had images of heroes or hunters who had slain a great beast. There was even one of a dragon hunter mounted at the top of the stairway they ascended. Moving into a small room they were sat down to a small lunch of hot meats and fresh bread.

‘Sadly this is all I can offer you’ the woman said who sat opposite them, the elderly man stood to her left. ‘We have a problem you see. All the game is disappearing and sometimes our livestock goes too.’ she said softly nodding to a servant who closed a door.

‘It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just the animals. It’s not that frequent that I lose my beasts.’ the standing man said. ‘But I lost one of the farms I maintain just last night. Burned to the ground and the people and animals lost or taken.’ he continued. ‘I have had Rashel look into it trying to track what happened. What she found is troubling.’

The young hunter nodded and leaned onto the table. ‘I think we have dragons…’ she breathed out slowly. ‘One or two, young ones at best. But its the only thing that could burn down the houses and that would take and eat that much meat.’ she continued. ‘But I also found something else that confirmed my suspicions.’ she said as she reached into a pouch on her hip. After a moment she produced a long, scaled digit that ended in a sharp claw.

More than just pests

‘A kobold. In fact I believe we have a den of them. My master told me that kobolds gather in great number under the rulership of a Dragon. They worship them like gods. I have no doubt in my mind that there is a dragon somewhere in this mountain.’ she finished as she held out the finger to the party.

‘That’s where you come in. I am the one that placed the request for aid. I hope that you are fit for the task and up to finding out what’s happening in Pine Ridge. For all our sakes I hope its just a few kobolds but we can’t be sure yet.’ the elderly lady said as she sipped on some tea. ‘I hope you will accept our request for aid, we may not have much to offer as a feast but these mountains are full of gold and we have ample to share.’

Tonight I wanted to bring my favourite early encounter to light and bring with it the promise of something more. A dragon is a great encounter to have that really sets the tone for the campaign. We also have the prospect of a kobold nest and I find them one of the most fun low level encounters to be had. However, despite being fun they are quite dangerous and this weeks adventure is going to be a testament to that. So don’t forget to come back daily to keep up with what I am writing here. I hope that you find this encounter as much fun as I believe it will be. Don’t forget to let me know how you go with the adventure and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Flying Owlbear

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Well I promised a coastal adventure to start this week and I deliver you the Flying Owlbear! Yup, I’d be a bit confused too but I do have a plan for this week inspired by, apparently, the imagination of a 4 year old. So without giving away anything let’s roll into this weeks adventure.

The Flying Owlbear

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Rumour’s have flown around for a many years about the pirate ship known as the Flying Owlbear. For many years the ship and its crew raided the southern coasts, no merchant vessel was safe from the pirate crew. However the stories didn’t finish there. Stories started to pop up of their owlbear crested ship crashing across the land, its broadside cannons roaring as they fired across the hills, valleys and plains.

But then they stopped and a new story started to emerge. One of ghosts and a lost treasure that would make anyone as wealthy as a king.

Spectral Envoy

As the party sit at a tavern, the Iron Crustacean, the room went silent as the grave. The scratching of claws on timber was the first sound that the party noticed as the spectral parrot squawked once and then silently flew down to land on the table in front of the party and their drinks.

‘The Owlbear rises once more, batten down the hatches. Load the Broadsides for it rides once more!’ it squawked before manic, yet squawky, laughter erupted from the tiny spectral bird. Slowly the sounds of broadside cannon fire could be heard from across the hills.

Tonight I get back to other RPG adventures that aren’t part of the Soulbound story ark. Don’t forget that tonight is only the beginning of the week and so you’ll have to come back each day this week to follow along. Also don’t forget to set some time aside this week for nurturing that creative spark and as always, don’t forget to roll it with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Gathering Storm

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Tonight we start the first week where I focus on Soulbound and the Gathering Storm that is occurring in Ghur. With one more character to be introduced from the story (or playthrough Zine) all we have left is the rest of the adventure. Not much right? So sit back, grab a coffee and let’s roll into it.

Gathering Storm

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The Orruks gathered around the hills and rocky formations. Calling out to the Gork and Mork in their frenzied battle cries they feasted on the beasts they had hunted during the day. Despite the festivities and the humans that had camped nearby they held back from a fight as the cunning shamans had a plan, one most cunning.

The humans relied on their scouts to tell them the lay of the land, but the sudden appearance of Kruleboyz and the shamans that they brought with them gave them pause to think. And think they did. As the Kruleboyz pet sloggoths dragged the gargantuan bow to the peak of a hill they waited and continued to rally, gathering in force until their warrgh couldn’t sustain itself. Despite their frenzy they still managed to contain their urge to fight. Soon the trap would be sprung and then the humans would be ripe for the slaughter and the boyz would be ready.

The plan

The sloggoth placed the large crossbow on the hill and the lanky kruleboy orruks strode up to its side. Placing a large cruel hand on its flank the sloggoth moved away to cower elsewhere as the boss looked at the fine machine. Bolts as large as a ships mast were brought up by hobgrots. These bolts were large enough to take down even stardrakes or their lesser kin the draconith, but their target was something else.

Rumours of flying wizards and the cursed soulbound had come to them through a source. This bow would be trained on the skies waiting for the elite warriors and leaders of the forces of order to rally forth, then it would be too late to turn back.

With the party potentially riding out into a trap we find ourselves with a question. What does this weeks adventure hold for our members of the binding. We will continue to unravel this adventure as the week continues so don’t forget to come back and check in. And while we look at a different system I think its a good reminder that there are more than one great TTRPG.

There are many in fact and I hope to gradually explore several of them, and who knows what the future holds. So I will leave you with a thirst to look outwards and explore and finally a blessing or rerolls to ensure that you don’t miscast,
The Brazen Wolfe

Crelion Manor

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Well another week is here and this week it just goes to show that there is indeed no rest for the brave. This week we have the party stumble across something a bit odd on their way to the city, Crelion Manor. What lies within its tall well preserved walls and what secrets does it contain?

Crelion Manor

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Wooded Road

The road was long and as night was quickly approaching the party of adventures quickly were finding that they were running out of options for safety. Thick clouds were forming overhead and the gusts of winds were increasing by the minute. The road had swerved into a small forest a few miles back and gradually an uneasy feeling had grown within them as the they began to doubt the traveller’s advice.

‘There’s an inn along this road, a few miles down the road. If you make haste you should be able to get there before the weather hits’ the man had said. The party had thought it odd since there was not a cloud in the sky, but the man had been right as quickly the wind had picked up and the clouds had rolled in. Then, as if on queue a sign appeared staked next to a tree. “Crelion Manor – Inn and Lodgings” they sign said with an elegant writing that spoke of pride and elegance. Up ahead the dark silhouette of a building suddenly flared into life as a glowing light appeared in several windows. The unease grew and the snapping of twigs sounded from somewhere behind them but when they whirled around there was nothing in the growing shadows as night encroached.

Making a dash for the light spewing from the windows the sound of heavy frantic footsteps could be heard nearby, but still no sign of pursuer. Passing the open gates the pounding of earth suddenly vanished and the creaking of a sign hanging from the front porch heralded the appearance of the Crelion Manor.

Crelion Manor

The building was three stories high and big enough to house a few dozen people at most. There was a small stable to the right of the entrance and the warm glow of lanterns and candles beckoned them onwards, the sense of unease dwindling as they walked into the light of the lanterns.

The door swung open slowly but forcefully and a large, heavyset man with a mighty moustache looked down at the party. As he stood there he didn’t say a single word and stared them down, grunting in response to the parties questions he strode into the building leaving the door open.

Entering after the man the inside was cosy, warm and inviting. A sense of warmth was present in the building and unlike the man who now sat behind a desk with a large ledger they felt welcome. ‘Hello travellers! Welcome Guests!’ a shrill and excited voice sang out from behind them as a thin woman stood in the doorway to a sitting room that housed a roaring fire. ‘Don’t just stand there. Welcome! Close the door dear if you will – you’ll let the cold in.’ she said as she moved to stand next to the large man.

‘Welcome to Crelion manor’.

Crelion Manor – created in Nightcafe.studio

Thoughts

Now this week leaves a lot to the imagination. Rarely do you find Inns, manors or buildings in creepy woods and something not being wrong with them. But they always promise three things. A roof over your head, protection from the draft and adventure.

The custodians of Crelion Manor are your regular yin and yang couple. One being stoic and quiet, the other cheerful and sociable to the point of being overbearing. This week we look at a smidge of horror and puzzle solving so be prepared to have hints and tips for our party this week. But that doesn’t mean that we wont have combat. I have a few idea’s up my sleeve to throw at the adventurers this week.

Thanks for dropping by tonight for another start of the adventuring week. I am pretty excited this week as we move ever forwards with our one shot adventures. With my planning and format I should be able to create more Zines at the end of the week so let’s look forward to that. Don’t forget tomorrow brings us more NPCs to add to our growing collection so you best return. Also the days after bring us the meat of the adventure, maps, extra content and the encounters… So don’t forget to come back each day this week and as always, don’t forget to roll it with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe