"Kyriela Hit the Mother Lode! I Looked Into the Pool and Sauron Was Staring Back at Me"

[the_gneech]

...and thus began the portion of my game I like to call, "Doom Doom DOOM, Doom-dee-doom-DOOOM" (a little Deekin the Kobold ref. there). Tonight's session was the lull before the storm ... the characters got back to town, collected bounties and stashed stuff, and generally relaxed a bit. That part was pretty straightforward.

They also met up with an old acquaintance (a shapeshifting kind of werespider who is a powerful wizard that hired them once), picked the pocket of a particularly annoying barkeep and initiated "Operation: Bilk the Castellan." Then, things took a turn towards the dark...

Tucked away in a small hole-in-the-wall in town is a scroll-and-potion shop operated by an elvish seer; in her shop is also a silver basin named "Sehanine's Vision," an artifact which sometimes gives visions to those who look into it. She doesn't charge anything for people to look into the pool, but she does warn them beforehand that they may not like what they see.

camstone's ranger looked into it and saw a fortress spewing forth an army of orcs.

jamesbarret's fighter looked into it and didn't get anything but the echo of a distant battle. When his wizard looked into it, on the other hand, she made contact with a dark power in the form of a bloodshot eye rimmed with tentacles -- which just also happens to match the emblem on a talisman of somebody they encountered previously (and didn't like, let us say), and is also on the banners of the fortress the ranger saw. This dark power didn't seem happy to see her -- and she certainly wasn't happy when the tentacles reached for her. Fortunately, she broke the link quickly.

lythandra's fighter/rogue looked into it and saw a wizard school up in the mountains being attacked somehow; the exact situation was unclear.

The party then went back to the castle, where their new patron informed them that a wizard school in the mountains was having monsters surge up from the catacombs below -- and sent them off to deal with it.

Pretty soon, they'll be saying, "Remember the good old days, when we used to fight fiendish gray oozes?"

Heh, heh, heh. ;)

-The Gneech

Comments

[jamesbarrett.livejournal.com]

Stuff like that makes me think my game isn't wicked enough. Then I remember what I have planned for you next and go "Then again......" -Frisk

[tr-wolf.livejournal.com]

Gneech, my boyfriend and I are going to Florida on holiday/vacation next October, and Im trying to find a guide to American customs etc that UK Tourists might want to know before visiting etc, any ideas where I could find one? Or any advice yourself? :)

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

My first suggestion on where to find a guide would be W.H. Smith's, or amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1843531941/qid=1102258243/sr=1-9/ref=sr_1_3_9/026-8062092-8346008). ;) Does Britain have public libraries? (Something I've never heard, actually ... does it?)

For my own tips, let's see...

First, don't get anywhere near Miami. (Actually, I would suggest avoiding Florida all together; there are lots of much nicer places to go in the U.S. But I'm probably biased. I've been there many times when I didn't have a choice -- now that I have a choice, I'm not going back again.)

Hmm, what else?

For the most part, Yanks love Brits, and even any faux pas you make will be seen as adorable. Especially in the south ... the cliché is that every woman in the south believes herself to be secretly descended from Mary, Queen of Scots. All you need to do is speak poetic nonsense at most people and they'll be eating out of your hand.

However, there are the occasional yahoos who think anyone who speaks with a British accent (even if it's one that would be "dead common" back home) is some kind of snob, and will get all huffy about you putting on airs. Alas, there's nothing that can be done about said yahoos, except to avoid them if at all possible.

Yanks who are not anglophiles don't know the subtleties of "British" vs. "English" vs. "the U.K." so don't get stroppy about them. (I don't know if you would, but I've met a few who did.) FWIW, in Florida, you might get similar grief about "Yank" vs. "American," although that's a lot less common than it used to be. (In the south, "yankee" referred to Union types during the Civil War, and there are extremely small pockets in the south where they're still trying to fight it.)

Drive on the right side of the road. ;) Watch speed limits -- they tend to be slower here than they are there, and they can be vigorously enforced. Also, if you're renting a car, you'll probably get an automatic rather than a stick unless you specifically ask for one.

Remember that everything in the U.S. is Very Far Away from everything else in the U.S. You won't be making any day trips to see the Grand Canyon, for instance. ;)

Don't snigger when somebody asks you if you like their pants. ;)

You'll have a tough time finding any decent tea, but if you can cultivate a taste for iced tea with sugar and lemon, you'll be in great shape.

Keep your eyes open and ask lots of questions, particularly of hotel concierges and restaurant managers. If you have any local friends, pump them for information. :) If you get what seems like a condescending tone in response, don't take it personally -- when explaining the everyday business of life, most people revert to "teach a child" mode out of habit. They don't think you're stupid, they're just trying to keep things simple.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head, but if you have any more specific questions, I'll be glad to answer 'em as best I can!

-The Gneech

[tr-wolf.livejournal.com]

Well thanks for all that help, thats great!

Firstly, course we have public libraries! We have Public Libraries older than the USA! (Hell, my local pub is older than the USA!) ;)

We're going to Florida specifically for a lil Disneyworld vacation (we're usually Disneyland Paris fans, but we're going to try out WDW!), We're not hiring a car (stick-shift = gear-stick right?), just sorting out transfers.

I'm gonna have to find SOMEWHERE that does "English Breakfast" (as you call it) teabags or cups of tea, British people melt if they dont drink tea!!

Also, I was looking for info like this online, not at WH Smiths etc, as I've been to California but it was quite a few years ago, I dont remember anything I needed to know aside to avoid Denny's, lol.

Only questions... Now it's like £1 - $2, I wanna buy lotsa chocolate and souveneirs etc, so why does your candy suck? lol, www.BritishCandy.com (get the real thing!) ;)

But ignore me, lol, thanks again! I'll keep looking online, but you've been a great help! :)

[praeriedog.livejournal.com]

When his wizard looked into it, on the other hand, she made contact with a dark power in the form of a bloodshot eye rimmed with tentacles -- which just also happens to match the emblem on a talisman of somebody they encountered previously (and didn't like, let us say), and is also on the banners of the fortress the ranger saw.

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