fiction

Sunraya Whittle

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

After the party first met her Sunraya Whittle was an enigma. Nothing obviously wrong with her there lies the problem of why she doesn’t want to fall asleep. But let’s not tally any longer and get on the trail of this curse.

So sit back, have a no-doze and let’s crack onto tonight’s adventure!

Sunraya Whittle

512TuSuWh

Sunraya Whittle – Created in WordPress!?

The party looked at Sunraya, the girl that they found stumbling through the streets, and were shocked at her fight to stay awake. From what they could tell there was no sign of poison, curse or magic that was cast upon the girl to cause her to fear going to sleep. While they examined her parents and the other villagers they all appeared, on the majority, in fine health except for their slow heart beat, slow shallow breaths and dead-like appearance.

Sunraya’s biggest complaint was the hunger. She said that she had been waiting for the merchants to come back so she could trade fish for food that she would eat. Unlike everyone else in the village who had feasted on the freshly caught Laun fish she hated everything about the delicate meat.

So as she didn’t like the fish that the village caught she had been resolute in her belief that the merchant folk would return and she would trade the fish for something edible. However, by time she changed her resolve and decided that even if she hated it she needed to eat the fish – it was all gone. Gobbled up by gulls, cats and other creatures.

So she had survived of what little food stuffs she could find around the village but that was running low. It wasn’t until the party had seen a fish trap bobbing in the water that their luck turned around. Hauling out the twisted reed basket they found it had a few fish and a crab within. Sunraya, while she dislike the taste of fish, was appalled at the though of eating the crab and decided to eat the fish once grilled.

Mild and flaky was the flavour with a touch of natural saltiness which highlighted its appeal with the broader market of people. Yet after their meagre meal the party let Sunraya fall asleep, exhausted but now – watched over by them. That was until they detected the faint magical presence descend upon her as her colour drained, her breathing shallowed and her heart started to beat slower and slower.

With that the only lead that the party had drifted into a dead like sleep. Except for the meagre scraps of the fish that she had consumed as her last meal.

Thanks for visiting tonight to look at something that I now remember I touched upon a few adventures (last year I believe) ago. Never the less! This week we will continue and explore what lies ahead for the port village of Launghui. So don’t forget to come back daily to stay up to date and lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Like the Dead

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Tonight we have a throwback to a distant memory of a story from my childhood with this weeks plot, like the dead. Not all is well in the Port down of Launghui and the party are here just in time to save the day, or join the villagers who lie in a wakeless sleep, just like the dead.

So suit up, grab a coffee as we dig into tonight’s adventure!

The wakeless sleep is an ancient curse that is thought to have disappeared from the memories of all centuries ago. However, in the sleepy port down of Launghui the entire village is gripped by a death-like trance. Every adult is asleep and unable to be roused and their children remain in the same trance.

That is until the party find a single child running through the village, stumbling on worn out shoes. When the party approach the girl responds but does not stop moving, ever moving despite being physically exhausted. The mystery lies around why the entire village except for one single girl appears dead while in a wakeless sleep. Will the party uncover the cause of the curse and break it before they too fall under its spell.

Like the Dead

512MoLiDe

Like the Dead – Created in WordPress!?

As the party approached the village of Launghui the sight of ships docked along the piers was unsettling. Known for the fish that it brings in by the net-load from the bay the village had quickly become a destination for people who enjoyed the mild flavoured fish.

However as the party neared the gate, consisting of a set of giant shark teeth, they heard no reply to their calls for admittance. Despite their multiple attempts it wasn’t until they tried the gate that they found it able to swing inwards. Beyond the gates revealed a disheartening sight. Not a single soul was found to be moving around the houses or buildings. The fish market itself was empty with gulls being startled as they approach and flying off towards the sea.

Everywhere they looked they saw closed doors, shuttered windows and the signs of abandonment. By choice or by force it was yet to be determined. That was until they happened across an open window which revealed a family still, faintly breathing and pale in their beds. The same sight was found throughout the village.

Every adult and child was still as the dead, breathing so shallowly that it appeared as if they weren’t breathing at all and unable to be roused by magic or intervention. A sign from the other side of the road drew the parties attention to find a girl, perhaps in her early teens, stumbling along the road as she moved with as much haste as possible.

Approaching her and asking had had happened received a chilling answer. ‘The whole village never woke after they brought back the last catch. I didn’t sleep that night too excited for the market following day yet, no one was awake to sell the fish nor open the gate. I was scared so I didn’t open it despite the traders banging on the door and calling out. When I found my courage I opened the gate to get help but they had all left. They have not been back since.’

Despite talking the girl never stopped jogging, always moving along the smooth stony surface of the road. Something was foul in the village and the party insisted on stopping the girl from jogging as her shoes were close to being worn through. She protested and pleaded. ‘No, I must not stop. If I stop I will sleep, if I sleep I will not wake. The wakeless sleep has cursed the village again. My grandmother told me about it when I was younger. A curse that came from when we offended a witch disguised as a merchant – she made the village fall asleep. It wasn’t until we appeased the witch did our villagers start to wake. But the merchants were not displeased last they were here. We were all asleep before they arrived. All but me.’

Thanks for visiting tonight for the start of a new week. Don’t forget that we will expand this adventure each day this week as I continue to work at my tabletop. Don’t forget to come back each day this week to stay up to date with what’s happening and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Carnivorous Creeper

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Night times are the worst time to meet a carnivorous creeper on a evening garden walk. These man-eating plants use paralytic pollen to prevent prey from escaping its questing vines, and the more it eats the more plants it can create in a short amount of time.

So get ready, grab a torch or bonfire as we prepare to do some plant control in tonight’s encounter!

Carnivorous Creeper

511FrCaCr

The streets look different in Morrowell at night as thick twitching vines quest for its next meal. A sweet heady aroma can be smelt wafting through the air that makes the parties skin tickle and itch as it touches any exposed skin, or is breathed in. Something is not right.

Carnivorous Creeper – Created in tetra-cube.

The plant, Colters plant was the source of it and even from here the towering flower was open spreading a golden pollen upon everything it touched. But that wasn’t the problem as there were a few other smaller blooms sprouting from the straw roofs of nearby houses that had smaller questing vines searching for a meal.

There was some serious pruning that was needed tonight, and the party had a big job ahead of them.

Thanks for joining me for a quick one at my tabletop tonight. Carnivorous plants aren’t a new thing nor at they that uncommon in game settings but they are, in my opinion, seldom used. This weeks adventure is a perfect time to get them into the game and in a fun way. But while this may be the, potentially, last update for this adventure this week there is still two more days for my tabletop left. So don’t forget to come back the next two days for the last bits of this weeks content and lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Morrowell Village

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Tonight I wanted to take you through Morrowell Village – where the competition is really getting fierce to look for the next plant to be added to the villages garden.

So grab your pruners and sheers as we do a bit of extreme gardening with tonight’s adventure!

Morrowell Village

511ThMoVi

Morrowell Village – Created in Inkarnate.

The village of Morrowell is no stranger to exotic or rare plants – but a voracious carnivorous plant? That’s got to be a new one. Especially one that reproduces thee more it eats. So the small straw thatched houses that make up most of Morrowell barely stood a chance ones the teethed vines started to creep in. A few parts of this part of the village has clearly visible plants, where as others just have vines sticking out.

The trick is to not trigger the vines by touching them, in theory, and to remove the core – the bulb of the plant itself before it discovers that its next meal is closer than you’d think.

A simple one tonight with a limited pallet. Not overly exciting but a fun little adventure regardless. Three texture paints to make up the background with a mix of watercolour and standard art assets to construct the houses, trees, barrels and plants.

Thanks for coming back for a quick map tonight to see how the people of Morrowell village are fairing. Not good if you ask me. But more on that tomorrow night as we explore the stat blocks of the creepers that have come into the village. So don’t forget to come back tomorrow and the weekend if you want to stay up to date with what’s happening at my tabletop. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Creeping Carnivore

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Tonight we reveal the true baddie tonight with the creeping carnivore coming out to hunt. No real shock to anyone, but there’s more than water, sunshine and good fertiliser that a plant needs to grow up fully.

So get your torches out, grab your pruning sheers as we go extreme gardening in tonight’s adventure!

Creeping Carnivore

511WeCrCa

The Creeping Carnivore – created in WordPress!?

The rest of the day went by without too much of an issue. The party engaged in a few local competitions of strength, skill or intellect but the wait for the flower to bloom, and searching for Jiggo at request of the innkeeper that was housing them.

They managed to find a small trace of Jiggo – a scrap of his tunic snagged on a nail of a crate that belonged to one of the other halflings. Marks in the ground indicated that he had been dragged along the ground between some houses where the traces of him vanished. What was strange is that there we no foot prints, scraps of cloth, blood or anything that would indicate a struggle. Nor was anything heard by the neighbouring houses – it was almost like Jiggo was dragged silently.

With the disturbing revelation some of the hostility towards Colter died down, but not all of it. And after another quiet night the morning was a stark contrast. Calls of alarm, shouting and the booming voice from the high druid broke into the parties breakfast time. The source? Two more of Jiggo’s friends had gone missing, both of them having left to get to the bottom of what happened to Jiggo.

Again Colter had an air tight alibi having spent the night under the watchful gaze of the druids for his safety and to guarantee that he was innocent. But with another two missing people, one halfling and one gnome, it appeared that something foul stalked the streets at night. The adventurers that were in town, the party, however offered a unique position.

Experienced in the ways of hunting monsters and combat, unlike the gardeners of Morrowell they could route out the source of the problem and if it wasn’t too late save the missing halfling and gnomes from what ever fate. However, the druids were suspicious that what ever was taking the villagers was only coming out at night.

With a request of aid and offers of hospitality, and some pressure to find the missing people from friends and family within the village the party tried to work out what could possibly be causing the missing people. Their investigations revealed the same story, two bodies dragged off between and around houses with no sign of struggle and no evidence of what made the tracks.

That was until the party walked past a familiar plant, tripping over the vines that had spilled over the edge of the barrel and into the soils below. Could there be an assassin within this midst hiding in plain sight?

Thanks for joining me again tonight for another night at my tabletop! Don’t forget to come back again tomorrow for the map for this weeks adventure where we reveal a bit more than what was hiding before. And lastly as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Colter Danier

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

After an interesting interaction with the gardener named Colter Danier the party quickly become engrossed in the mystery and calamity that unfolds. With more than one innocent life on the line how will the party deal with whats going to happen at the Festival Botanica in Morrowell.

So boots on, shovels at the ready as we get covered in dirt in tonight’s adventure!

Colter Danier

511TuCoDa

Colter Danier and his plant – Created in WordPress!?

The party retired to the inn that night after sourcing all but one of the alchemical ingredients they required from Morrowell. The last one, they were in luck, was from a plant that happened to be an entry for this year but only once it flowered – which would be any day now. So doomed to wait until the plant finally flowered they decided to enjoy the show while they waited.

However an interaction between entrants into the Festival Botanica troubled the party. A hot and fiery halfling had accused a man called Colter Danier of cheating which was passionately denied. But the interaction only declined once one of the judges declared Colter free from foul play. However as the halfling man, Jiggo Greenthumb, had stormed past the party he had been heard muttering ‘I’ll prove it that he is cheating.’

Despite that interaction once the druids had declared him free from unsportsmanlike behaviour his plant was more popular than ever. This caused a the crowd of discontents and those who agreed with Jiggo to move along but more visitors came to marvel at what Colter had managed to grow.

The party decided to check on the Altimus flower shortly after breakfast to see if their reagents were ready yet and their path to check on the grower, and the druids, took them past Colter’s own flower. They were stopped in their tracks as the plant had nearly doubled in size, a large swollen flower bud greeted them as the pioneering vines from the plant now hung over the edge. More than that the bud hung down nearly touching the soil of the barrel it was threatening to break free of as another two smaller buds had appeared and were reaching towards the skies.

‘I don’t know what happened, I came out with the druids this morning to find that Deakon, I named the plant,’ he muttered embarrassed ‘had grown to this size.’ the druids had again checked for sign of magic or tampering but the only sign of something unusual was the swollen flower bud. If it was to bloom it may likely be the size of a adult.

‘You!’ a voice roared from behind the party. ‘Jiggo didn’t come back last night. What did you do with him!’ an older halfling man stormed to threaten Colter with a wicked looking sickle.

‘Jiggo…’ Colter stuttered. ‘I haven’t seen the man since yesterday. I was staying with the druids last night as my previous arrangements had fallen through. ‘he glanced towards the halfling run Inn The Twisted Kettle and the disgust from the owners who stood near the angry mob that was forming behind the irate halfling. ‘So if he was looking to apologise I don’t know where he…’

‘Apologise! Pah! He was going to prove you cheated, confront you and get a confession. But when he didn’t come back we knew you did something.’ the man yelled again. At this point vines erupted from the earth to wrap around the halflings wrists to stop him from attacking the man. The vines separated Colter and the party and herded them to the edges of the streets near the plants in barrels and crates.

The druids rushed forward and with stern words disarmed the mob that had rallied against Colter. As the party looked around where they were they felt a tug at the back of their clothes. Looking backwards the only thing that lay there was Colters plant and the man himself was also a few feet away separated by the druids vines. Looking back at the plant the questing vines it produced now touching the earth at the sides of the barrels – but surely that was just their imagination.

Thanks for joining me tonight for another botanical update for this weeks adventure. Now the clever or veteran amongst you all may realise what is going on but – let’s just wait and see how the next few days unfold. So don’t forget to come back each day this week as we expand this adventure further. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Battle for Botanica

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Tonight I bring to you the battle for botanica – an adventure that will kick start this week with a change of pace. However despite the name being flora related there is something different about what was on display at what was supposed to be a friendly competition.

So suit up, grab a coffee as we dig into tonight’s adventure!

The annual Battle for Botanica festival that was held in Morrowell had a long tradition in sourcing, growing and finding the plant that wins the high druids prize. The winning plant gets accepted into the garden of harmony and the village celebrates with a festival that trumps all others.

However, this year one of the entrants has disappeared without a trace and the only suspect is foul play. Will the party be able to locate the truth behind the disappearance in time or will others become plant fertiliser?

Battle for Botanica

511MoBaBo

Morrowell Festival Botanica – Created in WordPress!?

As the sun hit the village of Morrowell the lush greens of the leaves and the myriad of colours from the flowers instantly told the party they were in the right place. Morrowell was famous for the plants and occasional fungi that the village cultivated under the watchful and caring eye of the head druids. The village itself a central hub where dozens of neighbouring villages came to partake in the Festival of Botanica.

The party had come to Morrowell as some of the rarest herbs and medicinal plants could be found within the small community. However their timing could not have been better as the festival was well under way. Anyone could participate and the rules were simple. Grow a plant and if the druid circle ruled it unique, healthy and important enough they would add it to the cultivated gardens within the village.

The single story houses were a mixture of mudbrick and wood woven together to give it and earthy and natural feel. It was to no one surprise that elves, halflings and gnomes were the primary races that inhabited the village. As the party walked down the only street within the village they noticed that either side of the walkway – as long as it wasn’t blocking a doorway there were large wooden crates and barrels that housed the plants – leading towards a large tiered hill that was the cultivated gardens of the druids.

There was a small tavern, general store and blacksmith that only had farming and gardening implements amongst the houses and the village was filled with people enthusiastically talking about their plants to whoever would stop to listen to them. a few large plants caught the parties eye as the vibrant colours indicated that they would have come from a tropical forest rather than where they were. As the party were drawn to it mutterings from other gardeners indicated that this was the least favourite plant by the growers – but the enthusiastic crowd painted it in a different light.

Large vines wrapped around the lip of the barrel it resided within and a few tuberous looking flowers were on the cusp of opening. A dizzying scent could be smelt which appeared to attract the bee’s flies and even beetles from their hiding place to come and investigate what could be making the smell.

‘It’s not from round here pops.’ one halfling said as the owner, a human, talked excitedly how he found the little tendrils in a bag of beans he had bought from a distant merchant.

‘A plant like that wouldn’t live in these places if it wasn’t for magic, ‘gainst the rules that is. Filthy cheat.’ the older man muttered to the younger. The party had to agree but the man insisted that he cared for it like any other plant. Sunshine, good soil and lots of water and fertiliser is all that he said he gave the plant. But there were many others gardeners who were busy spreading rumours about the man and his nearly too colourful plant.

Thanks for visiting for another night here at my tabletop. As we kick start the 11th adventure for the year I thought I’d mix it up a bit with something a bit less horror-inspired. Don’t forget that while this may start of a bit slow that we have the rest of the week left to go. So don’t forget to come back each day this week to keep up to date with what’s happening in the adventure and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Relics Bound

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Tonight we expand with a final piece of the puzzle with the cultists performing a desperate action in order to see the Relics Bound together. However this bodes poorly for the party and survivors.

So sit back, grab a coffee and join me in the slog of tonight’s adventure!

The Relics Bound

510SaReBo

As the cultists swarmed towards the party a concerning glance between the leader and the party was the only sign that something was wrong. Rushing to have several of the other cultists in between her and the party she ripped two relics from her forearms and slammed them together. A moment later a pulsating and sickening gushing noise as the spilt blood and broken bodies started to slide towards the leader.

‘Power borrowed, returned willingly. To the shadow in the relics, the giver of choice and power, we relinquish it back to you.’ the bodies moved quicker and even as blood and tissue slide into a forming mass of energy and refuse. Discs of metal could be seen as a beam of light glimmered onto the forming mass, the relics from the cultists. As the final fighting cultists were pulled back into the forming mass some of them returned the chant whilst others screamed and fought as they were pulled towards the form that was being built from magic and flesh.

A large figure formed from the flesh as it knitted together to create something new. A demonic form stepped forward, causing some of the room to collapse and break as the relic-studded creature stared at the adventurers before it.

Thanks for joining me tonight for small update that is perhaps a bit darker than normal. As a created demon from the bodies of those that borrowed the power stored within cursed relics it likely much stronger than the cultists themselves. No surprise that it should be a challenging encounter for the party. Don’t forget that tomorrow night we will complete the zine with the content that I created this week. So don’t forget to come back for the final day this week and lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Worshipers of the Relics

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Tonight we meet two such individuals who are causing a lot of troubles for the town of Khumric. But these aren’t just collectors or the like, no. This group are worshipers of the relics, fascinated and corrupted by the dark powers of the long lost slithers or evil energy that crept into these carved discs.

So buckle up, watch your back as we prepare for tonight’s encounter!

Worshipers of the Relics

510FrWoRe

The moment the party saw the stairs down they knew that it was not a way out of the city. as they looked back at the unconscious man, the one who had tried to push them down the stairs, they knew that what was down there was the answer to where the dwarves had gone missing.

Pushing forward into the dark room those who descended the creaking stairs found a room filled in by stone walls. A place for storing goods rather than a way out of the town. A sound from one side of the room hinted at something more, deeper and beyond the stone and that’s when the trap was sprung.

Forced, coerced or even willing descending the stairs left a brief opportunity for the door to be closed behind them, a soft click the only sign that it had been locked. The sound was more feverish from the otherside of the wall and it wasn’t long until they found a loose stone that enabled the wall to be slid aside. Bewildered and terrified eyes greeted them of four dwarves as they rushed into the cellar behind them.

Relic Cultist – Created in tetra-cube.

There were more, according to the dwarves, those that had gone missing from the other delves. All of them in the caves, all mad, barely fed and talking feverishly about the relics, their gleam and how they were going to save the town if they gave into the power of the one relic.

A bad sign if the party had ever saw one but any attempt to get through the door had failed so far. So they were stuck, for now. Sooner or later their ambushers would check on them and that would give them an opportunity to get out, to push through back into freedom.

Relic Caller – Created in tetra-cube.

Thanks for joining me tonight for another expansion of this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back this weekend for more tabletop content and lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Relic Traders

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Tonight we look at the small Relics traders shop, a place where many adventurers have sold their relics sourced from the three hellscapes that surround the town of Khumric. But there lies a darker secret in the storage room of this suspicious shop which the party will find out soon enough.

So check your coin purses, ensure you have the right allotment of coin as we hit the shop in tonight’s adventure!

Relic Traders

510ThReTr

Relic Traders Basement – Created in Inkarnate.

The rooms around the shop are small enough to be cosy yet big enough that a few people can more comfortably. That is until you find the basement that is meant to store additional goods for trade. A disguised wall enables a passage that was dug under the neighbouring building and a section of the wall.

In the tunnels, tired and delusional adventurers are found. But they are not feeling themselves and lash out at not only their captives but also the party who have come to rescue them.

A simple one tonight with overlapping tiles, a blend of five texture paints (with nearly two variants per texture) and a few art stamps. Getting the building proportions still seems to be my biggest problem with sizing being difficult as well as making it feel natural. The tunnel was a lot easier and was otherwise run of the mill for what I normally like doing, minus closing mushrooms or crystals.

Thanks for joining for a quick map night tonight with the content for this week nearly wrapping up. Don’t forget that we have a few more nights left of this week so make sure you come back each night this week for more content. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe