Session XIII - Scene III (of V)

When the moon comes out and he still has not changed, Dion is almost disappointed. Eventually the bears leave and he heads back over to look over the remains of his equipment. He manages to salvage his small brass mirror, his tinder box, and his torch (though it does have some bite marks now) along his small hammer. As his backpack and blanket are shredded, he elects to leave the iron spikes behind and make his way back to the others, lighting his torch.

Back at the camp, Artemisia and Chrysostomos spot a torch approaching from the direction Dion left. Chrysostomos is still cautious and notches an arrow. But once the light illuminates Dion's face he relaxes.

Dion calls out to the others and they regroup on the ground, with the barbarian putting his torch out so he won't attract anything else. He explains his encounter with bears, worrying they may wander into the camp. The others aren't as concerned.

The three spend some time discussing the watch rotation but ultimately come up with one where two of them sleep on the ground while a third stands watch in a tree. They will not be having a campfire, however, so their only visibility will be what they can see of the moon through the thick forest.

Later that night, on Dion's watch, an unseen group of crab spiders makes its way over to the camp. Through the moonlight, Dion barely spots something happening below just as one of the huge spiders drops down onto the branch his is on.

The spider bites out at Dion but he quickly moves to jump off and down to the ground below, twisting his ankle in the process. The commotion wakes the others just as other spiders are attacking.

Artemisia manages to blast one with a magic missile just as it bites into her hard, dropping her to unconsciousness.

Chrysostomos manages to avoid being bitten. Praying to the gods, he drives off one of the spiders with fear just as the first spider drops down from the tree and bites him. His body barely manages to fight off the arachnid's poison.

Dion takes his sword and quickly slashes the spider in half while Chrysostomos manages only a glancing blow against the other with his mace. Before it can bite back, Dion drives his sword through it as well.

The barbarian then focuses on bandaging up the badly-wounded Artemisia's wounds. Chrysostomos says a prayer to heal her and once she regains consciousness they move the camp a short distance away and resume resting.

Session XIII - Scene IV (of V)

The next morning, the heroes decide it is too dangerous to continue with the spying mission until they can recover more. Dion suggests heading back towards the old shack they found; possibly using it, or the nearby cave Argus mentioned, for shelter.

Later, Dion spots a cave that resembles the description given by Argus. He wants to investigate it to make sure the area is safe and there are no more were-cats around. No one joins him.

As mighty barbarian approaches the cavern entrance, he smells the foul stench of the lycanthropes. He readies his sword. Much further back, Chrysostomos notches an arrow.

With no one brave enough to help him, Dion lights a torch and carries it into the cave in his other hand. The cave is not very deep. He can tell two humanoids used to live here but it has not been used for some time.

Once Dion declares the area safe, Chrysostomos moves in and looks around. He spots some shiny objects on the cave floor – a garnet, a smoky quartz, and a black pearl. He pockets the jewels for safe-keeping.

Dion declares the cave the safest place to rest for the night. He and the priest build camouflage around the cave entrance to block it from sight. Much to their surprise, the night passes without any attacks. Dion believes the smell of the were-creatures keeps the others away. They stay two more nights at the cave before heading back towards the brigands.

Session XIII - Scene V (of V)

With the brigand camp nearly a day's travel from the cave, the heroes decide to make their camp five miles from the brigands. That night, on Dion's watch, he spots a single torch approaching.

The barbarian wakes the others and tells them to stay quiet. They hide themselves in the darkness as the solitary figure slowly moves closer.

The figure is slightly-built and somewhat short. No features can be seen as it is wearing a heavy cloak that obscures its features.

Dion is surprised when the figure calls out in a feminine voice telling them that it is safe and they can show themselves. From the darkness, he calls out to the figure to remove its hood first. She responds, "as you wish". The female pulls back the cloak to reveal she is not human, but skaven – one of the ratling humanoids living on the island.

Dion asks the skaven woman if she has brought the bandits along. She calls out to the darkness telling her unseen compatriots to reveal themselves. The heroes are surprised when many torches alight at once, showing them to be completely surrounded.

The female goes on to explain that she has come as a friend, not an enemy. She wishes to help Dion and his companions take down Garakion, the leader of the brigands. Her deal is that if Dion and the others kill Garakion and his personal guard, she and her people will leave the island in peace.

She goes on to explain her situation. The skaven first came to the island many years ago when a ship crashed into the swamplands. The survivors who were not eaten by the reptillians fled to dark corners of the island, with her faction joining up with Garakion.

Chrysostomos asks if the brigands are holding a centaur prisoner, noting that one of their companions is missing. The skaven woman answers him no, stating that the brigands do not keep prisoners.

Instead, she suggests that perhaps their companion was taken hostage by one of the various factions of creatures living at the Caves of the Unknown. She suspects Sharag is most likely the prisoner of Ochskelli, the king of the arachnoids at the caves. She does also note that a faction of skaven, led by their king Nyfitsos, could also be responsible.

Dion, for his part, wants the brigand's treasure to pay back the local farmers for their losses. The skaven female disagrees, saying her people will need the money in order to travel to the port at Stegnolimani and secure a ship to leave the island.

When Dion and the others seem apprehensive about the terms of the deal, the ratling menacingly reminds them that the alternative is an unpleasant encounter between her group and theirs. Dion notes that none of them want things to go that way.

The female explains Dion's group has already wiped out much of the brigand force. With Balkios and Kakios both dead, and many of their men, the primary concern they will have is Garakion's personal guard of six men. And, the female cautions, a mysterious dark sorcerer named Zulfiqar.

When Dion and Chrysostomos suggest the ratling group assist them, the female notes that her group will be busy with the other brigands. Dion argues she has been dishonest as she did not mention the other brigands previously. She retorts by noting that the other men will not be a problem as she and the other skaven will "secure their loyalty".

To sweeten the deal, the skaven leader notes the group will have the fort for themselves after, as well as pointing out to Artemisia that Zulfiqar's library is in the basement of the fort. She explains her men will make sure the main gate of the fort is open so Dion's men can get inside, and all they need do is to kill Garakion, his guards, and Zulfiqar and then she and her people will leave in peace, even taking the brigands with them.

Dion and the others agree to the terms, though they remain cautious. The female seems happy, and gives her name as Skilira. They agree to meet back at this location in a couple of days after the group has a chance to get back to town and recruit more help. Once the arrangements are made, Skilira and her men quickly put out their torches and scatter into the night.

Session XIII - Translation Notes by Prof. Barker

One of the more interesting aspects of these legends is how often the fortunes of the heroes rise and fall. After a brutal previous chapter, this story has the heroes on the rise again, fending off deadly giant spiders and making an alliance with the mysterious Skilira.

Skilira is an interesting character archetype, the devious female. Both Dashielle Hammet and Raymond Chandler were said to be influenced by this character as the inspiration for the "femme fatale" of noir. This inspiration is more easily seen in her next appearance.

Over the years, many have speculated for the reason of Gayloria's sudden departure back to Hellasia. An exact reason in the stories is never given, but the most popular theory is that she had an arranged marriage.

The interesting thing here is that girls in ancient Hellas were typically married off at 14 to 18, and by all accounts Gayloria's age was that of a veteran soldier, 30. This also happens to be the age when Spadonian soldiers typically went back to their wives. So, the speculation is that a female warrior like Gayloria also returned home to marry at that same age. The real question is – did she go back to marry a man or a young girl?

Session XIII - Session Notes

This was actually quite a short session, just over 2 hours in length. It was difficult to find all that much for just the three of them to do (because they get nervous about not having a large group and thus avoid risky things).

If I had known ahead of time I would have just cancelled the session. I had just recently gotten back from a business trip and could have used the extra relaxation time. But the Sharag player was sick, Gayloria's player is getting ready to move across country, Theodysus's player had something come up at the last minute, and the father/son team of the deceased Jonas/Hector characters didn't show up or send a message why (though the kid is getting ready to graduate high school so I'm guessing he just got busy).

In an ironic twist, the Chrysostomos player brought his wife that night to observe. Boy that must have seemed dull. Honestly I've never liked having people come watch a game; always makes me self-conscious. Particularly in this case because his wife is quite attractive and I hate looking "nerdy" around attractive females.

Anyhow, hopefully everyone will show up next time (except perhaps for the Gayloria player, who is not sure if he'll be back for more gaming before he moves away). I'd like to get the brigand thing resolved; and the Skilira plot promises to be interesting (hint - she's totally lying to Dion about several things; though getting him to kill Garakion isn't one of them)

I'm not sure how much longer this campaign will go on. Gayloria is out and I'm assuming the kid who played Hector won't be around much longer either (going off to college and all).

The Artemisia player has started making comments about wanting her soon to be a teenager neice to join, but that would kill a lot of the jokes (making inappropriate jokes around a teen boy is one thing but I don't think anyone would do that around a teen girl). I can't remember if that might be a year or more away though - I can't remember what she said.

In any event, we'll see how the campaign plays out. I have enough plans for just this island to keep things going for a while.

Session XIV - Cast of Characters

Artemisia, the magic-user and scholar
Dion, the crude barbarian

And introducing:

Bernadino and Fredo - twin Oscanii barbarians

From the Epic Poem, as translated by Prof. Arty Barker, Ph.D.
Session XIV - Scene I (of VI)

By the time the heroes make their way back to Castellios, Chrysostomos has come down with a bad case of dysentery. Dion knows he will need to lead the assault on the brigands without the priest's help.

But as they search the city for their other comrades, Dion and Artemisia realize they have other problems. Gayloria has already sailed off for Hellasia so she will be unable to assist them. And the other priest, Theodysus, has decided to retire from adventuring and tend to the needy at the temple. Combined with Sharag still missing, and likely dead, they realize they have no allies left.

Meanwhile, a pair of twin brothers sit inside the local tavern. They ask around about their cousin, Jonas, who arrived on the island on an earlier ship and are told that he joined up with the mighty warrior Dion. Serendipitously, Dion and Artemisia happen by during the conversation and are pointed out to the brothers.

They approach the barbarian and give their greetings, giving their names as Bernadino and Fredo. Artemisia recognizes them as being from Italia, possibly Oscanii barbarians who joined the Hellasian colonies there. Dion, however, is merely amused by their strange names, calling them "Barney" and "Fred" for short.

Bernadino explains they are looking for a cousin of theirs, a cabin boy named Jonas who traveled to the island a week before. Dion invites the men to return to the tavern, where he buys them a drink and explains how Jonas was killed by the gang of local brigands. He does not, however, mention how he attacked Jonas in his were-cat form, as he wants to keep that a secret for the time being.

The sorrow of the brothers is quickly mollified when Dion mentions their cousin owned a share of his group's treasure. The barbarian goes on to explain that they will need to make sure to get a letter from the archon so that the banker will release the money, noting they've had some problems with the banker and sharing his opinion that the banker is little more than a thief.

The twins ask Dion more questions about their group, wondering what other allies and enemies they have. Dion notes that most of his group is now dead, retired, missing, or suffering from illness and he is in need of new allies.

As for enemies, the warrior discusses the liberation from the Xersians and the Xersian contingent still active on the island, as well as the brigands, the reptilian tribes of the swamps, the skaven, and the other creatures of the caves of the unknown. Bernadino proclaims that should they rid the island of all those threats, they should surely be awarded Castellios itself.

With the evening approaching, Dion realizes they should get over to the archon quickly to arrange a meeting. They head over and he makes an appointment with the archon's servant to meet with Archon Aristedes the next morning.

Afterwards, Dion and Artemisia head back to their rooms to rest while Bernadino and Fredo spend the night talking to townspeople about local events in the tavern.

The twins hear some of the townspeople discuss the skaven, noting that the creatures arrived on the island years ago on a wrecked ship. Since then, the creatures have bred quickly, leaving some to fear the ratlings will take over.

As the night wears on, different stories are told to Fredo and Bernadino, including a discussion about the lost heroes of the island, Rhesos and Zolios. Some say their fortress in the mountains has been taken over by a clan of kobalosi. Others suggest the two are prisoners of the reptilians in the swamplands.

Session XIV - Scene II (of VI)

The next morning, the twins meet back up with Dion and Artemisia. Bernadino is excited about the stories he heard and believes they should go rescue the two lost heroes held prisoner in the swamplands.

Dion, however, cautions him that the stories from the townspeople can be unreliable. He himself heard a different story that Rhesos and Zolios were killed by a beholder living in the caverns under the island. He then tells the brothers about some of the other rumors he has heard – including the rising of a king of the reptillians in the swamps and the three alternate versions of where the Xersians went (to the caves of the unknown, to the brigands, and to the reptillians).

The barbarian insists the correct course of action is to return to the forest and root out the brigands. Bernadino asks how many are left; clearly a bit concerned about the number of men Dion has lost in his fight against the forest dwellers. Dion notes they will have assistance this time, but does not elaborate.

In the end, Bernadino agrees and the group heads over to meet with Archon Aristedes for their pre-arranged meeting. The archon listens to the story and has the scribe write out a letter, but cautions Dion this is the last time he will interfere in the local commerce between the group and Mordecai.

Dion thanks the archon for the letter but Bernadino is less gracious. Just from the stories he's heard, he's certain the moneylender is a thief and believes the archon should be more helpful for them.

His mood is not improved when they reach Mordecai's shop and see a sign on the door noting it is closed, mentioning a Levyriantian word. No one knows what the word means but Dion assumes it must be some kind of holiday in Mordecai's religion. He figures they will have to come back another day.

Bernadino, however, is not satisfied. He pounds on the door but no one answers. Eventually his calmer twin Fredo must pull him away as he shouts about it all being a conspiracy between the archon and the moneylender to steal his money. Before they leave, he carves a threatening note in the moneylender's door, warning the man he'll be back.

Session XIV - Scene III (of VI)

After a day's travel, the group makes it to the outskirts of Brigand Forest once again. They set up camp, with Dion taking the first watch.

As it starts to get dark, Dion hears horses approaching in the distance and quickly wakes everyone. He notches an arrow while ready their weapons and step behind trees.

After a short while, the horses emerge into view but quickly pass through the area. They have no riders. Fredo lets them pass by him while Bernadino attempts to catch one. He fails.

Dion wonders if they were the three horses that ran off from him, Chrysostomos, and Artemisia during the giant spider attack a few days back. He tells the others they can go looking for the horses in the morning but it is too dangerous at night.

The next morning, the group looks around but does not find the horses. Tracks from the equines appear to lead out of the forest and into the farming hills beyond. Dion wants to keep them moving in order to rendezvous with Skilira. They can go looking for the horses after.

They continue on into the forest, finding the marks Dion left. As they get closer, Dion reveals his deal with Skilira the ratling to the brothers. But based on what Bernadino has heard about the skaven, he isn't as sure about Dion that the creatures are really their allies.

He asks Dion why the skaven can't just kill Garakion and Zulfiqar themselves. Dion notes the skaven appear to be a servant class of the brigands and tells the story of how they just want to arrange passage to leave the island. Bernadino is skeptical, noting that as servants they could just poison everyone. Dion dismisses the idea, noting that perhaps the skaven have no access to poison.

Session XIV - Scene IV (of VI)

The heroes reach the heavy part of the forest by dusk. Bernadino and Fredo use their skills to construct some blind screens for camouflage.

That night, Fredo hears something rustling outside. He wakes the others and they ready their weapons and armor.

Behind the screen and in the thick forest with little moonlight, they cannot see anything. Dion believes he can hear three different creatures out there, but isn't certain. He tells the brothers they have had problems with dire wolves and mountain lions in the area.

After a while, the noises begin moving away and eventually cease. The next morning, Bernadino spots several deer tracks around the camp.

Grabbing his bow, the warrior follows the tracks out until he spots one of the deer. He fires a shot but scores only a glancing blow and it runs off. Bernadino elects not to chase it down, knowing it could take hours.

Later that day, the whole group spots a large elk off in the forest. Using their bows, Dion and Fredo score hits on the creature. The large ruminant charges at Dion in rage, but the barbarian readies his spear in time to skewer the beast. Bernadino then finishes it off with his own spear.

Rather than haul the entire large animal with them, the heroes elect to sever the legs and leave the rest of the corpse. As they near their rendezvous point, Dion spots three large brown bears heading their way; clearly they are attracted by the scent of the fresh meat.

Learning from his previous encounter, Dion throws out one of the elk legs to the bears and has everyone make a run for it. The gambit pays off and they escape the creatures.

Once they make it to their camp site, Bernadino digs out a small pit and puts a fire in it to smoke the remaining elk meat.

After it gets dark, Skilira slips quietly out of the shadows and into the light of the camp fire. She greets Dion and notes he has brought his allies. Dion starts to explain that technically these aren't the allies he originally intended to bring but she assures him they will do.

Skilira tells Dion and the others to come to the fort in two hours. She instructs them to circle around the fort walls to the right, the side the skaven live on, so that they will not be spotted by the other guards.

The plan is for Dion's group to circle around the walls and make their way to the main gate. There, the skaven will have someone to open the gate and sneak the group in. Then, they must go and kill Garakion, Zulfiqar, and Garakion's personal guard while Skilira secures the loyalty of another lieutenant named Agron and his men.

She especially warns Dion and the others to not underestimate the power of Zulfiqar, noting they should kill him as quickly as possible in his dungeon. Dion asks for a map of the dungeon but Skilira says she cannot help for the skaven are never allowed in there.

Dion and Bernadino offer her the elk legs as gift. She takes a bite out, calling it a delicacy, then wraps them up and explains she will bring them back to her people. After giving her thanks and wishing them luck, she slips back into the shadows and disappears.

Session XIV - Scene V (of VI)

Later that night, Dion leads the others in following Skilira's plan. As they move slowly around the fort walls, he spots a series of trees with buildings built up in them. Based on the shadows he sees moving around there, the barbarian believes the tree homes are the dwellings of the skaven.

As they approach the gate, it opens and a voice calls out for them to move quickly through it. Inside they find a skaven male. He explains Skilira has tasked him with getting the heroes to the main keep without being spotted by the human guards.

He leads the group into the shadows along the wall and through the wooded area of the courtyard.  He then tells them they are on their own.

Bernadino sees no reason for continued stealth. He and Fredo head straight for the main door before Dion can attempt to discuss a plan.

Just inside the door to the main keep are stairways to both sides and the main hall. At the end of it sits a hawk-nosed man on a throne with several guards nearby; Dion surmises the man must be Garakion.

Garakion calls out to the four heroes, asking what the meaning of their intrusion is. Bernadino and Fredo begin moving toward him and he calls out for the guards to kill them.

The guards rush in. Dion jams his spear into one of the men and draws his sword. He yanks the spear back out of the man as the guard collapses into a pool of blood. Bernadino and Fredo attack with their spears as well, with the quieter brother killing with his first strike, stabbing a man through the throat, while Bernadino needs two strikes to kill his opponent.

Artemisia elects to attack from afar by blasting another guard with a magic missile then switches to her quarterstaff. Two solid hits to the guard's head crush in his skull.

With the four guards in the room dead, the heroes approach Garakion who rises and draws his own sword. Artemisia holds back, keeping an eye on the stairs leading down to the dungeon.

Garakion and Dion fight each other to a standstill, but Fredo manages to stab the man twice and Bernadino once.

Artemesia hears men coming up the stairs and alerts the others. But they stay focused on attacking the brigand leader. Dion finally scores a hit with his sword as Fredo spears him through his liver.

Unfortunately, the rush to kill the brigand leader leaves Artemisia unprotected. Two guards come up the stairs and attack her, slashing into her badly.

Dion moves over to assist, cutting down one of the guards with his sword. Artemisia attacks back at the other, assisted by Fredo's spear.

But the guard remains resilient. He slashes at Artemisia again, causing the sorceress to collapse. Just then another man emerges from the stairway, wearing dark robes and with strange tattoos on his body.

The man casts a spell, blasting Dion, Fredo, and Bernadino with a lightning bolt. Both of the brothers are downed by the attack, but Bernadino suffers the brunt of it, being fried to a crisp.

As the lightning bolt reflects around the room, Dion charges at the wizard. But Zulfiqar casts another powerful spell, blasting the barbarian with fire from his hands. It is the last thing Dion sees.

Session XIV - Scene VI (of VI)

Fredo opens his eyes to find himself in rags and chained up in a dungeon cell. Next to him are the unconscious bodies of Artemisia and Dion.

Looking around the cell, he notices several other prisoners – a middle aged man, a middle aged woman, a young man, and an unconscious Xersian.

The older man notices Fredo is awake and greets him. He gives his name as Nicos, and introducing his wife Eunice and son Pankratios. He explains he was a merchant traveling from the port town of Stegnollimani to Castellios when they were captured by the brigands.

Nicos talks of his imprisonment with bitterness, noting that they are prisoners of "the witch" who enjoys torturing them. He explains severe torture is the reason the Xersian is unconscious. When Fredo asks about the Xersian, all Nicos knows is that the man, named Jawdat, came as an emissary from someone named Salar Manush. But rather than treat with the Xersians, Garakion had the man sent to the dungeons and gave him over to the witch to torture.

Fredo asks how he came to be in the cells. Nicos tells him he has been there for around a week, brought there by Zulfiqar along with Dion and Artemisia. Nicos has no knowledge of what happened to Bernadino when Fredo asks, though the warrior already knows in his heart that his brother is dead due to their twin bond.

With little else to do, Fredo tells Nicos about how his group killed Garakion but were taken down by Zulfiqar's magic. Pankratios seems particularly interested in the tale. Nicos is glad to hear Garakion is dead, blaming the cruel brigand for giving him over to the witch.

The merchant notes that Fredo's companions are likely to recover but that is not necessarily a good thing, since they will be tortured by the one he calls, the "she-bitch". Her proper name, Nicos mentions, is Skilira...

Session XIV - Translation Notes by Prof. Barker

The twist ending of this part of the tale is always a reader favorite. Again, the femme fatale archetype is in full force here, with a story that inspired such later stories as the female vixens of James Bond.  Note that the capture of the heroes rather than killing them outright is also a well-loved trope of espionage fiction.

An interesting part of the story is the important foreshadowing where the skeptical Bernadino correctly notices something doesn't feel right but agrees to go on with the plan of the overly-trusting Dion. This act, of course, leads to his untimely death.

Some readers have noted that Bernadino's death so soon after Jonas' death seems to make a tale a bit too bloodthirsty. But, again, the tales of mythology are full of men who tried to become heroes but failed.

It is also a cautionary tale about being overly trusting of mysterious allies, and of focusing on fighting soldiers when there is a dark sorcerer around. For it is clear that had the heroes descended into the dungeons to take out Zulfiqar first, this tale may have ended very differently.

Finally, this tale is part of a large transition as Gayloria and Theodysus have now left the story, Sharag remains missing, and Dion and Artemisia are forced to join with new allies.

Session XIV - Session Notes

This session actually occurred 2 weeks ago, on May 11th. It has just taken me a while to get around to posting the notes. Normally we would have had a session this last Friday (May 25th), but I canceled that for Memorial Day weekend.

My "meh" feeling towards the campaign continues, unfortunately (and is one reason it is taking me longer than normal to write up and post my notes). Just prior to starting the session I learned the Sharag player was sick again for the 3rd session in a row, the Chrysostomos player was unable to make it, and the Theodysus player was moving to another state and wouldn't be joining us any more.

Thankfully the father-son team showed up this time. Alas, they are hopeless at creating their own characters so decided to use the same (unfinished) character sheet and play "twins". Originally the Fredo player was supposed to be the burly man on the docks from the earlier session. Since they went the twin route, yet another ship had to arrive at Castellios to deposit them. Another annoyance is that the Gayloria player keeps mentioning he may be back for more sessions but isn't sure.

The thing I like the least about DMing is dealing with the people problems. I manage seven people at my day job, I dislike having to manage seven more for my recreational activities (and if my employees were anywhere near as flaky as my players, I'd have to fire them). Is it really so much to ask that people be able to create/manage their own characters, show up or at least give proper notice ahead of time, and pay some fucking attention?

Then there's the complaining I have to hear. The Bernadino player is whining about having three of his characters killed already. To which I always think, maybe if you didn't play them all so dumb they'd last longer.

It's always the same thing - they are fine with chewing through enemies but complain any time an enemy can actually hit back. And the leading tactic always seems to be "charge ahead into the fray". But if it's not the enemies then it is complaining because they don't get enough treasure (not that they have ever once spent a dime of it). Or complaining that the NPCs won't do everything for them.

One thing I really don't get - every single time they go to leave town or make camp in the wilderness, it's all I can do to not have them debate for an hour about every bit of minutia. Yet, when they arrive at the bad guy's lair, it's "let's walk straight up and have a stand-up fight and completely ignore the evil wizard we've been warned twice about".

Part of me thought I should have just gone through with a TPK for the session and been done with it. But, honestly, having them show up alive in the dungeons fit in with the personality for Skilira that I had already planned. Plus, its a fine fantasy trope.

Bernadino, however, is still dead. Next time that player gets to be Pankratios, the merchant's son in the dungeon cell (and a thief, natch).

I'm still not sure how long the Fredo player will be around. Maybe through the summer (though, honestly, after I graduated HS I found plenty to do my summer before college that didn't involve hanging out with my dad and his friends so I'm not counting on it).

If Sharag ever manages to recover from her allergies and illnesses she will definately return. I think some of the players misunderstand that I've actually killed her character off "off-screen". They sometimes have issues understanding that whatever excuse I give for a PC not being there is just a story thing and that it doesn't actually impact the PC.

As for the Gayloria player, I'm thinking the PC could either reconsider and return as-is, or just let him play a different one-off character.

Other points of note from the session:
* Dion's lycanthropy hasn't shown up again, but I am tracking it. Basic D&D had no real rules about how lycanthropy worked so I'm making those up as I go (I found the AD&D rules a bit too punitive). and using a cop out to the players that the legends of the time are inconsistent because it is a curse from the gods that never behaves the same way for people. Basically he had several chances to transform since the full moon but the dice have dictated he stay human... for now...

* I admit it, I had Mordecai be closed just to mess with the players because I thought it would be funny (granted, the "I'm his cousin" thing is wearing thin for me, hence the archon's warning). It's part of my "the banker is a crook" running gag. Just wait until the next time they go...

* Similarly, Skilira screwing over the PCs was long-planned and foreshadowed but still came as a surprise to the players for some reason. Sometimes I wonder if they've ever read/watched any piece of fiction at all; and if they do, do they just never pick up on fictional tropes? Her actual plan was to have them kill Garakion and Zulfiqar so she could take over. Since the wizard is still alive, the plot will thicken...

* Bernadino and Fredo were actually called Barney and Fred during the game, solely because those players couldn't think up names and the Dion player thought the names would be funny. To make the write-up less anarchronistic, I went with older Italian names and explain them to be Oscanii. Granted, they still aren't historically accurate names but at least they don't sound American now.

* I'm still using my "rumor table" whenever they hear rumors. I think they've caught on that at least half the rumors are false, but I'm never sure (again, despite gaming for 20+ years the players always seem surprised when everything they hear isn't the gospel truth). I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but the table is a modified version of the one from Keep on the Borderlands.

Session XV - Cast of Characters
 
Artemisia, the magic-user and scholar
Dion, the crude barbarian
Fredo, the Oscanii barbarian
Chrysostomos, the cleric
Gayloria, the sapphic fighter

And introducing:
 
Pankratios, the young thief