[Challenge of the Frog Idol] Session #14: Conspiracies over Coruvon Part III

After being released from their incarceration, the characters proceed with their investigation, being more mindful to not get in trouble this time. With the valuable information taken from Uthgat and Vonhilda's mysterious letter, the party decides to visit Dr. Jubal, the head of the the festival grounds. It is there, beyond the city's eastern walls, that Andros is seen, confronting a familiar face - the man with the striking features encountered the day before. As they listen to the confrontation, apparently this trickster, named Damian, was dating Petra, Andros's daughter and the groundskeeper firmly believes he is responsible for her disappearance. Their brawl however brings a mess, as an animal standing nearby is scared off and knocks a cage, where a large white ape emerges and lashes against any onlookers in rage. Aiding in the animal's capture and apprehending the groundskeeper earns the gratitude of Dr. Jubal and Damian, respectively, who relay their story to the characters: the ringmistress had a dispute with the Magistrate over missing tax money from this side of the city, which she eventually paid; the trickster claims Petra came to him in distress, when she found out that the Magistrate disallowed residents of the Red Lanterns to work at the Mancoor Estate but him being the womaniser he is, sent her away in favour of another love interest. Clementine Eugenia Jubal also informs the party of Bicke's whereabouts, the Saucy Maiden tavern, one of the notorious Red Lanterns houses.

Immediately after their meetings in the festival grounds, the adventurers head straight to the ill-reputed tavern, where they happen on an angry mob trying to storm the building and lynch everyone in there. As a violent clash breaks out, the characters jump in to calm things down, with Beldar tossing people out of the brothel. Their actions get noticed by the tavern's matron, Glenda, who shows an affinity to the burly gladiator and, after a turn of free drinks, she divulges Bicke's hideout: the Dragon's Breath, a rose leaf den nearby the City Arena, where the party sets out for right after. Their visit is not without dangers, as the den's staff (all of them thugs and cutthroats) are suspicious of the party and capture them while snooping close to the main office. The thugs disarm the characters and take them to the den's owner, Karl Dulford, and his halfling advisor, Bicke Bitterwood, who recognises them as the late Magistrate's bodyguards and investigators. Discussing briefly, the halfling reveals his side of the story: about a month ago, he found out that the assignment of Jhanos as Magistrate was a sign that the Mireport Emporium Representatives wanted him out of the guild business in Mireport. He informed Jhanos of this treachery and the bittered guildsman decided to resign and transfer his position to Karl Dulford, after consulting with Bicke. Moreover, due to a law enabling the guild with a majority of holdings in the city to have the right of appointing a City Magistrate, Jhanos offered to sell the Merchant House to Bicke, thus denying the Emporium of its right. The Magistrate's death, however, complicates things, as the guild might claim the signed deed invalid and even accuse the halfling of orchestrating the murder.

Further investigation in the Merchant House shows evidence regarding the previous Magistrate, Thaddeus Zephos, who seemed to be involved in cults and scandals, and asking the undertaker, the party is informed that the corpse of Thaddeus was never recovered, as Kendrick claimed his master went in the Black Mire to find a cure for his ailment and never returned. The party now is certain the employees, most of them working for the Emporium, are hiding something sinister and plans on infiltrating the estate, despite being forbidden to even approach. Spying on the building at night, under heavy guard, the adventurers spot a horse-driven cab entering with a few figures in dark hooded cloaks emerging and vanishing into the shadows, and immediately call Silas, the ginger sergeant who arrested them the previous night, to allow them to enter the building by claiming a sacrifice most foul is to be taken. But when they arrive, the cab is nowhere to be found and none of the guards recalls a cab arriving at the scene. Mystery intensifies.

Characters involved
Rolf the Bold, fighter 1
Yudel, dwarf 1
Beldar the Brave, fighter 1
Li, halfling 2

By the end of the session, the players had a general sense of the machinations pertaining the Magistrate's position and a cult possibly linked to his death. They had no doubt the employees of the estate, along with some of the fateful night's guests, were involved in all the grim events surrounding the murder, or even were responsible. The major setback they had was the estate being under heavy guard, thanks to the reckless invasion, from the last session, that alarmed the residents and let their connections to the city garrison take special measures. As they would be immediately arrested, had they had their presence known near the estate, the players were forced to plea for help, first seeking Gylain the city official, then going to the city barracks and trying to persuade the sergeant into letting them gain access to the estate. This route caused them to spend extra time, thus missing any chance of catching the real culprits red-handed.

[Challenge of the Frog Idol] Session #13: Conspiracies over Coruvon Part II

Continuing on from their previous session, the characters come into various conclusions as to who may have wanted the Magistrate dead, as well as why and how. For some reason, they're certain one of the guests is the culprit, maybe assisted by one of Jhanos' latest visitors, so they're looking for possible motives and suspicious behaviour on their part. After the aged captain commands the burly gang leader to be taken and locked in the old barracks, his fate to be decided later on court, the party gets back to their quarters, leaving everyone free to return to their residences. An unexpected visit by the estate's keeper Andros, bringing food and drink served by the cook Bertram, alerts the characters; the bottle of brandy offered to the jailed crooks is too obvious to pass on and, upon breaking it, they find traces of the same poisonous substance they noticed on the Magistrate's body.

Right in the middle of the storm, the party makes the decision to free the two captured street gangsters and infiltrate the estate, believing that some of its employees are connected with the murder. Having no means to enter quietly, however, the characters barge in through the back door, waking Andros and Bertram, who attempt to send them away, and Kendrick, who immediately runs away to call the guards. As soon as the characters assault the two men and start interrogating them, in hopes of gaining any clues concerning the murder, the guards arrive and arrest them. The party faces several accusations (break-in and attempted murder, amongst others) but Gylain manages to get them out of jail, demands explanations and, after hearing their story, gives them a few days to investigate and come with something concrete, while the city guard imposes a bunch of sanctions on the party, such as not being able to leave town or approach the Mancoor Estate, until at least the investigation is over.

The first person the party decides to visit for help is Uthgat, the street gang leader. On their way, they come across a mysterious figure named the Oracle passing by, who suddenly turns and speaks, asking them to see her after they're done with their hassles. The gang leader is welcoming and, after a brief conversation, wishes to give the party an interesting bit of information, as a thanks for freeing him and his companion: Vonhilda, one of the guests, had recently bought a scrolls with a mystical and complicated ritual of unknown nature. This is enough for the party to pay a visit to her trading post, only to find it unlocked and the owner absent. Snooping around, they find the impression of a later referring to a secret meeting and a rite of some sort, at dusk. Intrigued by the involvement of a cult, the party plans to delve deeper into the mystery.

Characters involved:
Rolf the Bold, fighter 1
Yudel, dwarf 1
Beldar the Brave, fighter 1

With this session, the players were a bit too eager to accuse someone. A player previously recalled the board game Cluedo and brought the idea that the killer should be at least one of the guests, and the rest of the players were quick to jump in and come up with their own plots. While they weren't exactly wrong, as it will be shown at the end of the adventure, they nevertheless acted kinda brash, earning the notice (and wrath) of the estate's residents and getting arrested and accused of possible involvement in the murder of Jhanos, a setback that would have several repercussions in their later investigations.

AD&D2e: The Era of Transition

Amongst D&D players, fuelled by sometimes heated discussions, emerges a clear distinction between old school and modern gaming notions. Such notions are muddled and can represent all sorts of gaming habits or techniques, but loosely defined:

Old school gaming puts emphasis on events over story, strives for slow-paced dungeon delving and wilderness adventuring, demands player skill and common sense over character abilities, and presents combat as a deadly and not-so-rewarding affair. Character death rate is considerably high, given the multitude of dangers that can insta-kill one, but character generation can be quick and easy.

Modern gaming assumes that story takes precedence over events, is characterised by fast-paced action scenes with a variety of backdrops (above or under ground), requires a die roll for most actions, and embraces combat as the cornerstone of D&D, with corresponding rewards. Character death rate is significantly low, despite the endless trials and tribulations, and character creation takes some effort to be completed.

Having said that, there doesn't seem to exist a clear line between old school and modern in D&D. Sure, the '70s can be easily labelled as old school gaming and modern gaming features prominently since the '00s, but the time in-between appears to bring different styles and experiences to most gamers. The age running through the '80s and '90s is filled with experimentation, shifts in tone and theme, and blends different styles to create an amalgam that caters to a variety of players*. While the changes of old school gaming can be traced throughout the '80s, adventures that focused on story and rulebooks that codified rulings and house rules, I believe that AD&D2e's publication in 1989 cemented the co-existence of both old and new style. It is the time we see the term module and adventure used interchangeably; the emergence of a strong narrative in adventures, exemplified by excessive, sometimes, boxed texts; and the appearance of new ways to reward characters, for reaching goals and successfully overcoming encounters without resorting to violence, with the introduction of Story XP. These features ran along typical dungeon crawls (albeit with a narrative twist), random encounter tables, and deadly battles. Even the Gold-as-XP rule, while optional, was there (DMG Revised, pg. 69).

Sample from the adventure Tower, Temple, Tomb (1994),
featuring dungeon delving and rich backstory shown in long texts.

As can be discerned from DM David's post, experience points awards were a key component in determining the switch from old-school to modern gaming. As the '90s progressed, more emphasis was given to story awards (DMG clearly defines group and individual awards, the latter being optional), and hefty amounts of XP were expected to be handed out if the characters acted in accordance to the adventure's plot. And by the time 3e rolled out, experience was only given for defeating enemies and completing adventures or reaching certain story milestones. D&D in the '90s also marked a distinct departure from the notions of old-school gaming, with the publishing of the famous boxed campaign settings. Each setting relied on the world's quirks, themes, and strong narrative, which necessitated story-driven adventures, and each one was accompanied by literature novels that were influential in developing stories within the world, and in some cases (see Dark Sun) even created meta-plots that would change the whole campaign setting considerably. Still, the sensibilities of mega-dungeons were still popular, as was dungeon-crawling, and some were even published as boxed sets (see Dragon Mountain).

Dragon Mountain (1993) and Dark Sun (1991), glorious boxed sets.

So this amalgamation of styles and systems could be considered the norm for AD&D 2e's era and for the most part, it was true. Your extensive dungeon would now be backed by an equally extensive backstory, explaining all the details that your party would encounter during its expedition. If a dungeon wasn't planned, random encounters (generally combat-oriented) would fit your party's venture into urban or wilderness settings, to keep things tense and interesting. As the societies evolved in the two last decades of the previous century, to gain their modern sensibilities, so did it seems D&D, with a plethora of modules, novels, and rulebooks dominating the RPG scene and shaping the future of the game, towards a more narrative style, one supported by substantial rulesets and fiction. And as the need for sneaky treasure-looting gave way to the need for epic action/combat scenes, a far riskier but more exhilarating experience, so did subsequent editions turn their attention on how to better narrate and implement such wondrous moments.



*Also, you might want to check out this brilliant work from James Maliszewski (of Grognardia blogspot) on the Ages of D&D; he tackles TSR years specifically, as he doesn't comment on post-2000 editions.

[Challenge of the Frog Idol] Session #12: Conspiracies over Coruvon Part I

As the city commander is preparing an excursion around the city's vicinity with a sizeable army, rumours at alehouses abound with sinister plots being unfold between the members of high society. High-ranking city officials and administrators, noble houses, wealthy merchants and trading houses, all seem to be involved somehow in various conspiracies against each other, in order to gain more power in the city commander's absence. Gylain, an official of the city council, calls the party once again to inquire about any new findings concerning the smuggling den but most importantly to assign them as personal bodyguards to the city Magistrate. He believes that his life is jeopardised by his many enemies and wishes the characters to provide protection at least for as long as the city commander is away.

On their way to the Mancoor Estate, the Magistrate's home and base of operations, the party is greeted by a man with striking features and is almost run over by a young woman riding a horse, clearly upset for something. The estate's stable master, tight-lipped Kendrick, and the estate's blacksmith, the mentally-challenged Roggi, meet up with the party at the gate and soon are warmly greeted by Magistrate Jhanos Myrkeer, who is seen conversing and exchanging items with a halfling. Their meeting is brief, however, as the Magistrate is still busy, but he invites them to tonight's dinner. Roggi takes the characters to the Merchant House, warehouse of the Mireport Emporium Representatives trading guild, located at the docks, and down to the basement, which used to be barracks for the city garrison before the Emporium bought the building. It occasionally serves its old purpose, as the furnishing remains the same, with small bedrooms, lockers, and holding cells occupying most of the space, and a hobgoblin locked in one cell, whom Roggi states is an nasty criminal. The characters are left to use the basement as their quarters.

After settling down, the party heads back to the estate, when a violent storms breaks out. At the estate's dining room, an assortment of guests are sitting silently, giving concerned looks at the back door and trying to overhear the muffled argument happening at the backyard. The characters soon find out what follows is a grim scene: the Magistrate lies dead out in the backyard and a imposing figure stands next to him, claiming he didn't do anything. A brief chase ensues, in which the characters manage to capture the man, who turns out to be Uthgat, leader of a small street gang called Privateers. Examining the body shows some sort of black goo in the mouth and nose. At this point, the party suspects someone from the several guests has poisoned the Magistrate. There's Andros the estate's keeper who thinks the Magistrate's death is somehow connected to the two halflings that visited him this evening; Fenn, one of the halflings, who was still there at the time of Jhanos's death and expresses his concerns over Dr. Jubal, who may have cast a curse on him; Kendrick the stable frontman, who believes that Uthgat killed him, as he seemed threatening and out of his mind; Vonhilda the manager of a trading post, who is certain the Privateers wanted to harm the Magistrate; Bertram the estate's cook who points out that a halfling named Bitterwood served Jhanos some brandy shortly before his death; Captain Remy LeDuc, an aged captain of the guard, who insists that Uthgat and his lackeys are to be blamed; and Eve Saint Clair, a widowed noble from Mireport who also points at Dr. Jubal as the sort of person to place a curse on someone. Clearly, several plots encircle the murder that deal with many matters, which could be responsible for this vile act.

Characters involved
Rolf the Bold, fighter 1
Yudel, dwarf 1
Lolék, thief 1
Beldar the Brave, fighter 1

This session was the opening to a seemingly straightforward murder mystery. What the players are called for is not only to solve the whodunit case by figuring out the real culprit, who may or may not be one of the guests, but also unfold any machinations and sinister plots that lead to the Magistrate's murder. What the players, and subsequently the characters, don't get at the moment is the various schemes surrounding the figure of the Magistrate, that are more or less linked to his untimely demise, as well as the dire implications such a death will have in the future political scene of the city. The adventure was somewhat of a break from the party's delving into underground jobs, and was chosen over two others, one being a simple journey to find the whereabouts of an expedition (the previous party), the other being getting involved in bloody intrigues concerning the Iron Overlord, merchants and nobles, and the notorious city arena.

[Challenge of the Frog Idol] Session #11: The Iron Overlord

After returning laden with treasure from their previous adventure, the party is recuperating at the city, somewhat unwilling to get back and keep on with their investigating the smuggling hideout. Three uninterrupted days pass when the characters receive a letter from a mute street urchin, personally addressed to them. While what's written seems cryptic and intentionally vague, the letter's author nevertheless asks the party to cease any investigation regarding the smuggling operation and meet each other for a lucrative business. Intrigued by the offer, the party decides to ditch any further exploration on the "haunted house" and follow the instructions given to meet an unknown person who will take them to the author's base.

Even though some of the characters are at first bit hesitant, the party heads at the docks and comes into contact with an agent in disguise, a beggar who leads them to the back of a tavern and the office of the Iron Overlord, the one responsible for the slavery operation in Coruvon and the master behind the smuggling den under the dilapidated house. He awards the adventurers with an expensive red ruby for choosing their allegiance and accepting the invitation and then offers them the job of getting rid of a cartographer who seems to know too much about the business and thus went into hiding, as part of their initiation into the "family". The party immediately begins the search of the traitor, which is not difficult to locate her, as she's hiding under her house, beyond a well-hidden trapdoor that descends into the foundations of an older building and what seems to be the entrance to an ancient tomb. Before they act, the cartographer attempts to counter-offer them any treasure found in the tomb, supposedly belonging to a chieftain of some hillfolk living in the area centuries ago, as long as they let her live and help her explore the ancient site. She believes the place will be protected from tomb-robbers by special wards and traps.

Taking advantage of the woman's dire situation, the party agrees to aid the cartographer in her exploring the tomb and goes through various ancient traps, clashing with undead guards and collecting lost treasures. After all, the characters plan to never let the cartographer escape the halls of the gravesite. The battles deep in the hill-chieftain's tomb are fierce and claim Aurora's life, the party's cleric, as well as the cartographer's life, stumbling on a trap while fleeing frantically to save her skin from the cold clutches of the undead. Finishing their exploration and having fulfilled their mission, the characters head back to the Iron Overlord to bring the news, who seems pleasantly satisfied and hands over another red ruby that the characters delightfully pocket. A sinister collaboration begins between the intrepid adventurers and the head of the slavery operation.

Characters involved:
Rolf the Bold, fighter 1
Aurora, cleric 1 [KIA]
Yudel, dwarf 1
Lolék, thief 1
Li, halfling 2

Raine the Despised, cleric 1 (retainer)

This marked the first session where one of the characters gained a level. It was also a clear departure from your typical good-natured party seeking adventure; this time, their mission was to murder a person who posed a threat to an underground business, a task the characters were eager to accomplish. They even went the extra mile of helping the cartographer explore the tomb and retrieve any ancient treasures, only to betray her later. Clearly, the campaign has turned from a neutral, mercenary party looking for gain and glory to a chaotic group bent for undermining the human settlement. This gives me the chance to twist the ultimate goals of the mini campaign (we're running Challenge of the Frog Idol, after all), to better fit the theme of the game, as long as the players keep up playing Chaos-inclined characters.