Here's the very rough first draft of the log of the third session.
Please reply to this message with more details, or you'll end up with
only this rambling biased view as the permanent record.
I'll post this to P.D.F's forum after everybody has had time to comment.
Actual Play
Somebody (the mine owner?) hires the group to help rebuild a bridge on the
old road out past the village, where they want to open another quarry
(marble?). Onchu and Polonius are to help Brock Stonearm, old dwarf
who lives in a suite inside the iron ore mine, rebuild the bridge
while Bartha and Droston guard and supply food.
Leave at dawn and get to bridge site at 9:30 am.
Bartha: 19 on Survival, a deer; Droston: 16 on Survival, 4 rabbits.
Droston leaves out cakes at likely places.
Lots of wolf sign; usually pack of 30, but now split into small groups
of 3 or so? Also the tracks of a huge creature: Bartha says "Man
Bear" — feathered, beaked, bear.
Droston insists on plenty of fires.
Second watch Droston heard something. He quietly work Bartha, who yelled
and carried on. Eventually whatever it was went back the way it came.
Droston insists on more fires.
Tuesday? Day 2?
Bartha ran into 2 wolves 75 yards from camp. The wolves end up dead
and skinned.
Droston insists on even more fires.
Day 4? Droston kills a turkey for dinner, but is attacked by a giant
demonic weasel with horns and barbs, which he just barely manages to
kill by himself, but is severely wounded. The group estimates the
demonic weasel weighed 500 to 600 pounds, and its tracks come from the
north. The group skins it and takes the head, paws, and pelt to show
the village.
Bartha heals Droston to the best of her ability and treats his wounds.
Stonearm tells the friends that he had heard of such creatures, called
dire animals, and had even seen one in his childhood, though he didn't
want to discuss it any further. He suggests they head back to the
village immediately in the morning.
Brock said stay at the mine to get first aid — old Gerdie there is the
best in the village.
Somebody (Brock?) mentions that there is a witch in a swamp at
Riverton who is said to be able to make potions that can heal wounds.
Town meeting on Saturday, 2 cp bounty for wolf skins starting with the
two the group brought back.
Saturday, 2 gp, Monday fully healed.
Polonius is given a heirloom shortsword and a chaw of ‘baccie by old
man Grillus.
Brock tells the friends that the only smith who can make weapons is in
Riverton.
Back to bridge site on Monday.
On rock where Droston left sweet cake and Bartha left a pretty stone
is a marble that tingles when one holds it, the colors swirl and
change, and one feels happier when holding it.
Once back at the campsite the group discovers that some of the large
tools that they left and some of the timbers are missing, the campsite
has been picked through, and things moved and things missing — some
turn out to have been thrown down the ravine. Unfortunately, the
timber that Polonius (?) spent so much time shaping and the pulleys we
need to finish the bridge are missing.
The tracks told Bartha and Droston that four creatures wearing boots,
with very small feet, smaller than dwarven feet, were the culprits.
Brock said he hadn't seen gnomes here since the dwarves left, and
thought these tracks were were definitely not dwarven, and didn't seem
like gnome tracks.
The tracks lead them up a mile S.E. to a camp, which was filthy and
stank terribly. Found the big timber with end cut off with a rusty
saw and hacked about. Didn't find pulleys Droston and Bartha both
failed to follow the tracks any further (both rolled 17).
On the way back they found a vine covered carved opening in the hill
half way back to the bridge site — dwarven sized, with unknown complex
runes around the opening. Droston copied one simple glyph on bark,
after Polonius came up with the idea of using bark.
Brock comes back with them to the opening and translates the dwarven
rules: “Here lies Rorn (decayed) the savior of (decayed).” He tells
them that Rorn Golden Eye was a hero of the first goblin war, 1200
years ago. His chosen weapon was a large hammer, and he died young
saving a bunch of dwarves. Brock says leave the opening uncovered —
if this is his tomb it should be honored.
Tuesday morning there was a problem with the timber, rope, and pulley
arrangement erected to move the keystone into place, and Brock ended
up hanging at the end of a rope. Onchu made a furious effort to pull
things back to a stable position, but was unable to make any
progress. Luckily Polonius had better luck, tied off his side,
pulled Brock to safety, and didn't even loose the key stone.
The bridge is done Friday, hear wolves, get two more deer, which will
be enough hide to make another suit of leather armor.