Digressive Musings on Old-School D&D

Category: Campaigns Page 5 of 6

A Violent End

Well, it’s been awhile since the last post; however, a lot has happened in our gaming group. Three members of the party were attempting negotiations with a mysterious winged creature inhabiting a vast chamber accessed via a magical portal. Unfortunately, the so-called negotiations (really just a lot of hemming and hawing by the players) ended in a terrible battle that cost the cleric, Euland, his life. Two beloved retainers, Marculus and Tasha, were also slain by the creature and its minions. The magic-user fled and survived, but this was only possible because of the fighter, Dagnit the Fingerless, who bravely remained behind to cover his escape. Dagnit barely survived and the portal was destroyed.

Unfortunately, this was not to be the end of terrible events. When two other players in the party that were away on a short excursion returned to hear about the death of the cleric and others, they resorted to chastising the surviving magic-user and fighter for what they perceived as reckless and poor decision making. Threats were made and offense was taken on both sides. Eventually, swords were drawn and more blood was shed as the surviving party members split into two opposing groups. The evening ended with the death of the magic-user and the fighter fleeing for his life.

This is all rather abbreviated. Still, with the surviving party members disbanded and others slain, this signaled the end (at least temporarily) of the campaign that has been running for the last couple of years. Our group had a debriefing session after things had simmered down a bit. After all, it was a pretty suspenseful and tense evening.

In the end, we all decided to step away from the megadungeon for awhile to start a new campaign that will be set in 6th-century Anglo-Saxon “England.” Specifically, the game will begin in 536, a year described by medieval historian Michael McCormick as the “worst year to be alive.” There were three other ideas, but this is the one that got the most votes. I am tentatively calling the campaign The Long Night, and it will begin this October.

Peace

The Priests of Niotha Qurghai

Long time no write! Ah, the other demands of life. Work has been good, but busy. I’ve gotta new batch of students motivated to learn about providing emotional and spiritual support in a hospital setting. I like teaching, but this kind of work is nothing like teaching in a university setting. The transition is stressful at times, but I’ve got great support from my own family and friends. Being with them really fills my cup when it’s empty.

Anyway, I’ve been rolling a Sword & Sorcery campaign around in my head for a few months now. Unfortunately, I’ve only made two posts on the topic. Of course, there is no rush since I’m already running a game that continues to be awesome (thanks guys!). I just like to work on this other idea in my free time so it will be ready to go in the future. I could just be lazy (or smart and efficient, it’s a matter of perspective) and set the new game in the land of Hyperborea, the city of Lankhmar, or even the city of Sanctuary and simply move on. But where’s the fun in that? I think I’ll just use such literature for on-going inspiration and ideas.

Now, on to the Priests of Niotha Qurghai . . .

The Fortress of Zulma Kal & the Red Hands

Well, I was hoping to get another post out earlier this week about some sword & sorcery campaign ideas; however, other life stuff took precedence. Work at the hospital this week wasn’t too bad since I was not super overwhelmed like much of the past year. Instead, the week was steady, not overwhelming, and I had a lot of meaningful visits with patients and families. Still, I’m definitely glad to have the weekend off! I threw down with some chicken wings last night, and I was even able to enjoy some cocktails and beer on the porch. Feeling good. Anyway, I want to get some of my initial ideas out for this new campaign setting. Everything is preliminary, of course. For this post, I’m just going to include some basic writeups of notable areas and a little about the Red Hands.

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