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Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2018 12:00 pm
by Tonneau
Potty has extracted the remains of a cooked mushroom from his pancake and is inspecting it with his eye-glass when suddenly his comrades are overcome with a bout of collective lunacy - shouting about johnnycakes and flipping axes about, talking of adventure and the like.

He retreats into the corner (taking his mushroom with him) and casts an eye to the door...
Potty most certainly rates in the 0-1 area on the Bravery scale.

Having moved from mushroom scouting to a town (with its distinct lack of animals and penchant for human-made pitfalls), Potty has traded Speak with animals for Detect Snares and Pits

Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:44 pm
by ehiker133
Dougal stares at the axe as Frederick stumbles his way into the back room.

"Hold on..." he says to the others as they (or most of them) start to lurch forward. "Though I'm quite sure you're the bravest, Chegs, I think I need to go first... or there's a chance I won't ever do it."
Bravery Setting: 7
How about the order called out in the memory below, just to make it easy?
Dougal
Tet
Chegs
Willie
Potty
mushgnome wrote: ...In the firelight I can see young Dougal's laughing face. His chubby friend must be Tet. There are Chegs and Willie. And shy little Potty!

Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:41 am
by Ebon Hearted Soul
"Hold on..." he says to the others as they (or most of them) start to lurch forward. "Though I'm quite sure you're the bravest, Chegs, I think I need to go first... or there's a chance I won't ever do it."

A grin crosses Chegss' face as he steps back & allows Dougal to go first. "Fine by me Dougal", says Chegs with admiration in his voice, while he rests his hand upon the head of his warhammer hanging from his belt.

Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 7:23 pm
by acodispo
ehiker133 wrote:How about the order called out in the memory below, just to make it easy?
Dougal
Tet
Chegs
Willie
Potty
Fine by me!

Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2018 3:36 am
by mushgnome
Dougal rolls 5 on his courage check (less than his target 7) and bravely strides forth to meet his destiny.

@ehiker133: Please sit tight for a bit and let the other players catch up. ;)

Here is what the others see and hear:

Dougal goes into the back room with Frederick and shuts the door. They talk back and forth for a couple of minutes, mostly Frederick's voice, with an occasional reply from Dougal. Then there is a sound like an axe chopping wood. The chopping comes faster and louder, accelerating to a crescendo whackwhackwhackwhack! Suddenly the chopping stops, just as Dougal gives a loud yelp of pain. Then comes a series of muffled thumping and scraping sounds.

Finally the door opens. Frederick is standing there, blindfolded and out of breath. "Who's next?"

Will brave Chegs be next to face the challenge, or shall we wait for Tet?

Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 7:21 am
by waysoftheearth
Owwweeer, count on me lads! says Tet (admittedly somewhat uncertainly) as he waddles toward the bizarre test.
Tet is a reasonably stout lad and he does have a half-full belly, so... let's say his bravery is around 7.

Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 2:19 pm
by mushgnome
Tet is brave enough (roll of 3) and follows Frederick 8 back to the storeroom. It is a small room, cluttered with casks, crates, and sacks of various foodstuffs. There is a sleeping loft above it all, suggestion that Fredrick lives here, too. Notably, there is no trace of Dougal, nor any sign of a struggle. Tet supposes that Dougal could have left through the back door, or gone out a window.

Blindfolded Frederick intones: "Here are the Rules of Adventure Club:"
  • 1st Rule: You do not talk about ADVENTURE CLUB.
  • 2nd Rule: You DO NOT talk about ADVENTURE CLUB!!
  • 3rd Rule: ESPECIALLY not to the HUMANS!!!
  • 4th Rule: NO SPOILERS for new members of the Club.
  • 5th Rule: No snooping around town or causing trouble with the humans.
  • 6th Rule: Do not give in to Chaos!
  • 7th Rule: If this is your first time at ADVENTURE CLUB, you MUST enter the dungeon!
@waysoftheearth please sit tight while the others catch up...

Willie, Chegs, and Potty hear the same as before: Frederick and Tet talk for a couple of minutes, then the chopping sounds. Tet gives a loud grunt of surprise and pain, followed by a heavy thump.

A minute later, Frederick opens the door. Before he can speak, Chegs (whose bravery was never in question) volunteers: "My turn!"

Frederick reads the Rules and asks Chegs to repeat them back. "Do you solemnly swear to uphold the Rules of Adventure Club? Good. Put your hand on the table, palm side down, and spread your fingers."

@Ebon Hearted Soul please be patient...

Willie is next. He passes his bravery test (with a roll of 3) and joins Frederick in the store room. Where did Dougal, Tet, and Chegs go? he wonders. He listens to Frederick read the Rules, recites them back, and puts his hand on the table as instructed. The wooden butcher block surface is pitted and scarred, but Willie is somewhat encouraged by the lack of blood stains. Blindfolded Frederick feels around until he locates Willie's hand, then he positions the axe blade between Willie's first and second finger. "O Great Chopper, weapon of my ancestors, judge this Hero! If he is worthy then may your vorpal blade spare his fingers!" He lifts the axe and lets the blade fall between Willie's 2nd and 3rd fingers. Chop! Then between his 3rd and 4th fingers. Chop! It's a variation on the "knife game"...

Acodispo we'll get back to you soon...

Potty is sitting all alone in the pancake parlour, listening with growing concern to the strange noises from the back room. The ritual call and response, the chopping sounds, the yelps of pain, and then the mysterious silence.

Finally it is his turn. "Are you coming, funny mushroom man?" says Frederick.

Potty's courage falters. (He needed to roll 1 but just missed with a roll of 2.) But then he has a moment of epiphany:

He is an Adventurer! A wanna-be Hero! He has free will! He is not a spore that floats whichever way the wind blows, but rather a mighty mycelium drilling down into the mysteries of the earth! His fate will not be decided by random chance, but by his own decisions and their consequences! Join his friends, or turn back... it is his choice, and his alone.

What would Potty do?

Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 4:53 pm
by Ebon Hearted Soul
@mushgnome I will be, i was busy cooking & then eating Thanksgiving dinner yesterday so forgot to check the forum & the PbP games I am in here.

Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 2:10 am
by Tonneau
Potty casts an eye around the now-empty room.

His gaze rests on the door (outside of which is normality, but also a plague of lurking humans) then drifts back to the backroom, wherein lay axes, screams of pain, and adventure.

...and the possibility of an entirely new species of mushroom!

He steels his nerve (more of a thin, tin-plating really) and heads to the back of the shop "Wait...for me!"

Re: Prologue: The Road to Hornpipe

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 3:13 am
by mushgnome
Potty recites the Rules and prepares for the Trial of Chopper. He places his hand on the butchers block and submits to the blindfolded, axe-wielding maniac Frederick VIII. The first chop narrowly misses cutting into the webbing between Potty's stubby little Hobbet fingers. Whack goes the magic axe between his 2nd and 3rd fingers. Chop between his 3rd and 4th. Potty fights back the urge to flinch and pull his hand away, as the axe falls: chop chop chop, whack whack whack.

Frederick's accuracy is uncanny, but all it takes is the tiniest slip, and the blade catches Potty square in the back of the hand.

Potty screams in pain. Surely he is horribly maimed! How will he practice his druid skills without his fingers? He opens his eyes and counts his fingers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... His hand is throbbing and bruised, but intact!

Fredrick laughs, removes his blindfold, and explains, "The axe is dull and harmless; one of my juggling props. You don't think I would actually use a sharp axe? That would be irresponsible! And I'm not going to keep the real Chopper, my precious family heirloom, hanging on the wall in plain sight!"

Frederick walks over to a large barrel labeled "maple syrup." He moves the barrel aside with a scrape and a thump to reveal a round hole in the floor. "Your friends have gone down the ladder," explains Frederick. "Good luck! I'd tell you more, but you know the rules: no spoilers!"

Potty peers down the hole. The ladder is well-worn but seems sturdy enough. From far below, Potty thinks he can dimly hear his friends' voices...

Your First Adventure begins...

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