Latest “Vanished Lands” telecom team, Update 17 — Haunted inn

The "Vanished Lands" heroic fantasy campaign setting — The "Vanished Lands"

Fellow role-players, here is my update for Session 17 of the latest adventuring party in my “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign setting. The teleconferencing team met on Saturday, 19 February 2011, and has been using Pathfinder, Skype, and an online dice roller.

In one ancient world, there was a region where strange majicks and demihuman races thrived. After “Holy Steel‘s” journey to the distant empire of Khemet, another motley group gathered in the northwestern “Vanished Lands” to explore a world full of perils and wonders….

>>Telecom party Player Character roster, as of spring 2011:

-“Kovar” [Beruk A.]-male Half-Orc/Saganim human Paladin of Mithras; raised as an orphan; contact of the Order of the Golden Lion; LGn, Lvl. 2

-“Davven ‘Digger‘ Hollysharp” [Robert A.S.]-male Faldine Halfling archaeologist (Tallfellow Rogue) from a pipeweed farm in Tarken; contact of “Tunnel” [Stuart C.G.]; CGn, Age 45, Lvl. 2

-“Asish Chen Ti” [Byron V.O.]-male Tsucharim human archer (Mongol-style Ranger), escaped from service to Nannuattan (eastern Dark Elf) Wizard Arbalas; contact of “Sukhov” [Beruk A.] and owner of Akita dog Genghis and horse Onimusha; NGl, Age 20, Lvl. 2

-“Jovinda Halflight” [Sammy H.]-female Half-Elf (Grugach/Hifalendorin) Cleric of Mekkil, goddess of nature; owner of horse Wyth-Amoi, or “Wind Spirit”; NGl, Age 23, Lvl. 2

-“Kazuo Takenaga” [Taum D’A.]-male Nezumi (Rat-kin) Monk from the Zedu kingdom in the Therud Forest; LNg, Age 20, Lvl. 2

-“Favelhorn Riftbringer” [Dexter V.H./absent]-male Mountain Dwarf Summoner; CGn, Age 51, Lvl. 1

-“Gawain Keary” [Paul J./absent]-male Saganim human Illusionist (proto-Celtic Wizard) and contact of “Kimo” [Beruk A.]; NGc, Age 20, Lvl. 1

“14 to 15 August 1229 B.C.E.:” The unlikely band of adventurers had tracked hostile Centaurs from the edge of the Wisalef Forest to a mysterious woman named Vappu Lahja. Returning northwest across the Plains of Sathendo, the party had found the Hifalendorin (proto-Western European) human hamlet of Alarn deserted, except for two mischievous Korred and their prisoner.

Digger and Jovinda question hairy duo Connacht and Maldrod in the cellar of the “Mellow Mule” inn. The Korred claim that the Halfling and Hifalendorin peasants had been driven away by a surly giant who recently stomped through the area. He had been followed by a fearsome storm and a huge serpent in the Aspar River, further scattering the local inhabitants, according to the Fey.

In the inn’s common room, Asish and Kazuo talk with “Sir Bonner of Runnymeade” [Jon B./Non-Player Characer], whom the Korred had released from a Stone-Shaped cell. The tired knight explains that he had stayed in Alarn for some time while searching for a worthy quest.

Sir Bonner notes that some people had abandoned Alarn after the hamlet was visited by Centaurs and Satyrs, possibly followers of Vappu Lahja. He went on patrol into the surrounding wilderness, only to be ambushed by the devious Korred.

Kovar rides in to provide backup, leaving Gawain with the other steeds. The Half-Orc sharpens his weapons, strengthening Connacht and Maldrod’s desire to leave. Digger and Jovinda eventually allow the Korred to return to the Wisalef Forest, on the condition that they find or release other refugees and send them home.

The party reunites to compare notes. Digger thinks that the Korreds’ tall tale is nothing more, but Kazuo observes that they could be speaking in metaphor or riddles. Jovinda reminds her companions that the Fey don’t adhere to the same moral codes as humans do and that their sense of priorities is skewed by their long lives and chaotic nature.

Digger, Kazuo, and Gawain point out that the giant, storm, and serpent could have been illusions cast by mischievous Fey folk. Alarn is empty but otherwise undamaged. The wanderers agree to look for more tracks in the morning.

Archer Asish stokes a fire in the hearth and sets watches for the night. Kovar is still wary of Digger and Kazuo, whose judgment has been compromised since they underwent Centaur rituals and met Vappu Lajha. Nimble Kazuo and arcanist Gawain have an uneventful first watch.

During the second watch, armored Kovar leaves wary Digger in the common room to check upstairs. He climbs the creaky stairs and finds a long hallway with four doors on either side [cue spooky music]. In the first room on the right, the Paladin of Mithras, lord of oaths, sees undisturbed beddings and a crow sitting in the open window.

In the next guest room, Kovar finds a broken mirror on the floor. He looks at the shards and is surprised to see eyes that are not his own looking back! Quickly moving on, the brave holy warrior enters a room whose furniture seems to have been thrown out the window. As he examines the damaged sill, a splinter leaps out and penetrates his gauntlet!

At the last room on the right, Kovar is unable to open the door all the way because of a weight behind it, possibly a corpse. The wise Paladin returns to Davven, and they agree to tell the others later about the strange findings. Asish and Jovinda’s watch is quiet, and they let Sir Bonner rest.

Digger keeps track of the remaining provisions at breakfast the next morning. Kovar and Jovinda lead Asish, Digger, and Kazuo upstairs, while Gawain stays with Sir Bonner. The crow left a feather on the straw-stuffed mattress of the first room. Rogue Digger grabs a sheet, which Kovar uses to gather up the pieces of the enchanted mirror in the next chamber for later study.

On the left side, the first room’s furniture is all suspended from the ceiling! Digger tosses in a copper coin, which floats in midair. Everything in the second room is covered in ice, and Kovar upends the bed to reveal a frozen chamber pot.

The Paladin’s Detect Evil and the Cleric’s Detect Undead reveal that the building is definitely haunted, but the malicious intent or presence is diffuse. It gets stronger down the hallway, however. Ranger Asish readies weapons, and Monk Kazuo clenches his fists.

Jovinda uses her quarterstaff to test the damaged window where Kovar got the splinter. Like a maw, more toothy pieces of wood fly at the Grugach’s staff, forcing all to withdraw! The last room on the right does indeed contain a corpse — the unlucky innkeeper, hung upside down.

Digger notes that his position is reminiscent of the Hanged Man card in the Tarot deck, as well as certain aspects of Skaevingol [Norse] beliefs. Barbari raider Asish recommends burning down the “Mellow Mule” as a precaution, but Jovinda observes that even though evil may have been gathering before Alarn was abandoned, destroying the inn won’t necessarily dispel it.

In the last room on the left, the group is horrified to see the remains of Sir Bonner’s horse strewn about like some unholy decoration. Jovinda suspects the Unseelie Court, or malevolent faerie folk, rather than followers of Vappu Lahja. This comes as small relief to Digger and Kazuo, as they agree to press on toward the city of Nadwi….

I hope that all of you enjoyed our latest game as much as I did! Dexter and Paul, let us know when and if you’ll be able to rejoin us — both “Favelhorn” and “Gawain” could be helpful as your party continues its adventures. Rob will be out next weekend.

Paul and Beruk, I look forward to seeing you and the rest of Team 2 for tonight’s FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures: “Vortex” space opera! Erik B.L. and family’s visit to the Boston area from New York went well this past weekend. Note that we’ll be moving back to Sundays as of the next “Vanished Lands” session, on 27 February 2011. Take it easy, -Gene

Holiday update 2007

: Holiday 2007

As I prepare to move my blog from MySpace and Yahoo, here’ s a look back at one of my first posts (note that some of the links may be broken):

Friends, I hope that your holidays have been happy thus far. Instead of sending out the usual annual update letter, I hope that people are reading this blog.

The week before Christmas was busy, even though Janice and I had finished most of our gift shopping. Working on two issues simultaneously to get most of this week off kept CW‘s copy desk humming. On Saturday, 22 December 2007, we went to the local dump and post office, and I got my car inspected (which went more quickly and was cheaper than the previous week’s repairs).

We also had a Chinese-American buffet lunch at the Hunan New Taste, stopped by the Walpole Mall and the Big Y supermarket, and picked up my subscription at the New England Comics in Norwood, Massachusetts.

On Sunday, we stayed in because of the latest snowfall and caught up on television. What are your favorite holiday specials? Mine include classics such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and various versions of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Janice’s include A Garfield Christmas, Bill ‘n’ Opus: A Wish for Wings That Work, and Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas.

Of course, numerous Rankin-Bass cartoons and stop-motion specials have marked the holiday for generations, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and The Year Without a Santa Claus. More recently, we have A Muppet Family Christmas and Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Robbie the Reindeer, and Shrek the Halls.

I also had a quip-filled City of Heroes (CoH) virtual session with David I.S. and company, and Janice baked in preparation for seeing her folks. We plan to have a relatively quiet New Year’s Eve, since we’ll both be working that day.

We drove to Upstate New York on Monday, Dec. 24, first to Janice’s parents’ home. Like my parents, Marvin and Linda M. live atop a hill on five acres in the country. Unlike my family, they have numerous pets and a steep, icy driveway. Janice’s middle sister Shelly was already there with her husband Melvin W. and children Rebecca, Laura, and David.

I checked out photographs of friends on teenager Becky’s Clie handheld device, played chess with tween Laura, and played pool with 9-year-old David and his father. Shelly told us about her missionary work in inner-city Utica, and after a tasty lasagne dinner, we drove down to Janice’s youngest sister’s home, where we were staying.

We joined Melinda and Gary L. and their children Amanda and Joshua for Christmas Eve. I helped keep the kids occupied while the other adults finished wrapping a pile of presents. Amanda demonstrated her recent violin lessons, and I talked with 6-year-old Josh about various superheroes. Their cat Chocolate kept us company as we slept.

On Christmas morning, unwrapping continued, as the Manwillers and Wrights reconvened at the Lewis home, which has the most open space. Among other things, we got DVDs and an electric snow shovel. We had a ham luncheon, followed by Laura and 8-year-old Amanda playing with animal toys and David and Joshua playing with action figures and videogames. Becky is old enough to participate in most adult conversations.

Thanks to Gary’s PlayStation 2 and Xbox, I played an off-road racing videogame with Melvin, as well as Justice League Heroes with Josh. Although I don’t have the money or time to add console systems to my crowded tabletop (pen-and-paper, dice-and-pizza) role-playing, teleconferencing, and CoH PC gaming schedule, it was nice to try them out once in a while. Josh also demonstrated Spider-Man and Star Wars Lego II for us. (Lego Batman and Indiana Jones games are coming!)

I telephoned my family in Virginia, but I still missed being with my parents, brother Peter, sister-in-law Kelly, and nieces Ava and Lili. I hope to see them sometime in spring of 2008. But first, we’ll be at Dexter V.H.’s latest wedding in New York City in just over a week!

We returned to the Boston area on Wednesday afternoon after taking out the Lewises and Janice’s mother to lunch at Applebee’s. On Thursday, I caught up on e-mail and prepared for various games, including last night’s D&D3.5 “Vanished Lands: Holy Steel” teleconferencing team and tomorrow’s D&D3.5 “Vanished Lands: the Broken Chains” holiday makeup fantasy session. I’ve got to work today.

Of course, no year’s end blog post would be complete without a set of “best of” lists. IGN.com has a pretty good rundown of movies, genre television, and comics, but here’s my abbreviated version for 2007:

–Favorite movies: Children of Men, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Ratatouille

–Favorite SFTV shows: Avatar: the Last Airbender, Doctor Who, and Pushing Daisies (Fellow blogger Ken G. has also noted the untimely demise of the underrated time-travel drama Journeyman, but at least Pushing Daisies and Reaper got picked up.)

–Favorite comic books: Captain America, Detective Comics, and The Spirit

–Favorite musical singles (and videos): “Gone Gone Gone” (Robert Plant and Alison Kraus), “Rehab” (Amy Winehouse), “Umbrella” (Rihanna)

–Favorite RPG releases: D20 Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Ed.: Ultimate Power, A Practical Guide to Monsters (Dungeons & Dragons 3.5/4e), D20 Star Wars: Saga Edition

What were your faves? I look forward to blogging about such entertainment and more in the coming year, and may it bring good health and prosperity for all!

22 July 2010: Catching up — movies

On Sunday, 18 July 2010, I met Thomas K.Y. in Burlington, Mass., to screen Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending technothriller Inception. Like Memento, Dark City, and The Matrix, the cyberpunk heist flick examines the nature of identity, perception, and reality. Inception has a strong cast and some nice set-piece action scenes inspired by James Bond films, but it lacks emotional resonance or the surreal vision of movies with similar themes, such as What Dreams May Come.

Inception is certainly more intelligently written than the blockbuster Avatar, but I didn’t find it to feel as fresh a speculative fiction mashup as last year’s District 9. At the same time, I didn’t find the layered plot to be as confusing as some viewers claimed. I’d give Inception, which is rated PG-13 for violence, a 7.5 out of 10, a B+, or three out of five stars.

So far, this summer’s films have been relatively lackluster, with the usual Hollywood recycling of ideas through sequels and remakes. There have been some lively debates online about the best years for genre movies, and I’m partial to 1982, which is when I came of age cinematically. It’s hard to believe that it has been 30 years since the release of The Empire Strikes Back. Of course, each generation will have its own favorites, as I was reminded by my younger co-workers at a TT staff lunch yesterday at Waltham’s Elephant Walk, a Franco-Cambodian restaurant.

This year, I’ve already passed on seeing the horror remake of The Wolf Man, the video game adaptation Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, comic book Western Jonah Hex, and the live-action adaption of a beloved fantasy anime TV series (Avatar:) The Last Airbender (which is getting a spin-off) in theaters because of mixed and poor reviews.

I wasn’t especially interested in Tim Burton’s twist on Alice in Wonderland, the A-Team remake, or computer-animated sequels Shrek Forever After and Toy Story 3, but I’m sure that I’ll eventually see them and Despicable Me, thanks to nieces and nephews. I’d rather see modern supernatural film The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, imperial Roman dramas Agora and Centurion, and the fantasy Legend of the Guardians, but time will tell.

1 July 2010: English vacation, Part 2

In a previous post, I blogged about the first few days of Janice’s and my vacation in England. The Internet enabled us to act as our own travel agents, conducting research on sites to visit and helping us book travel through Expedia. The London Pass program allowed Janice and me to get into museums (although most were free) and other attractions without waiting in line/queue for tickets.

On Wednesday, 23 June 2010, Janice and I went to the Tower of London. Janice remarked that it isn’t so much a tower as a castle (based on a Norman keep). We saw the crown jewels and Traitor’s Gate, and I noticed that the armor exhibit had changed since my previous visit 24 years ago. We had lunch at the Armories Café and then walked past the Golden Hinde (Sir Francis Drake’s ship) to the reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.

We weren’t able to tour the theater because a production of Macbeth (the “Scottish play”) had just begun, so we walked across the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral, observing a range of architecture on the way. The church is as much a testament to British nationalism as to the Anglican faith, having been redesigned by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of 1666. St. Paul’s magnificent crypt contains grave stones of numerous notable scientists, artists, statesmen, and military leaders.

Janice and I then strolled by the antique stores of Portobello Market and Notting Hill, made famous by movies. Many of the stores were empty, but the pubs were overflowing with fans and spectators of soccer’s World Cup. The Wimbledon tennis tournament was also occurring that week, but we couldn’t tell if it affected traffic or tourism. We later enjoyed Indian cuisine at Masala Zone, which I liked even more than Wagamama because of a friendly and informative staff, healthy and tasty food, and reasonable prices.

The next day, Janice and I went to the grand British Museum, which had a special exhibition of Renaissance drawings. We also checked out the significant collection of artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt (such as the Rosetta Stone, mummies, and statuary related to my Pathfinder: “Holy Steel” campaign), Greece (including the Elgin Marbles or contested sculpture from Athens’ Acropolis), Rome, and several other civilizations. We could easily have spent more time exploring London’s many museums and palaces, just as there are other sites in the U.K. that would be worthwhile destinations for day trips.

Janice and I had dinner at Pret a Manger, which is similar to and slightly nicer than Au Bon Pain in the U.S. We then walked through Bloomsbury and Soho (no relation to Manhattan’s Soho, other than being a neighborhood frequented by artists). Among other things, we stopped in at some comic book shops, including Gosh!, Comicana, Orbital Comics, and the multimedia extravaganza of Forbidden Planet, which has few equivalents here at home.

On Friday, June 25, I mailed two boxes of books and a few souvenirs home to lighten our luggage for our return. Since Janice and I had been unable to get inside the Globe Theater two days before, we returned for a tour. Whenever we return to England, Janice and I would like to try to take in a show.

After a simple but good lunch of wine and cheese at La Fromagerie, we walked to the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221b Baker Street. Janice and I are both fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective, so it was fun to enter a replica of Holmes’ Victorian apartment. In nearby Covent Garden and Marleybone, we liked the markets and had a decadent snack of Nutella and peanut butter at Crème de la Crepe. We browsed at Daunt’s Books before dinner at Café Pasta, a local chain.

Janice and I flew back to Boston on Saturday, June 26, watching most of Up in the Air on the way. (I screened the OK juvenile fantasy Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief on the flight to Chicago.) After “comfort food” at Wild Willy’s Burgers in Needham, Massachusetts, we began catching up on chores such as mowing the lawn, doing laundry, and grocery shopping.

In addition, I’ve enjoyed the latest episodes of Doctor Who (continuing our Anglophilia) and Leverage. I’ll have to try to post more soon about the end of the regular television season and this summer’s genre shows.

On Sunday, June 27, we met Janice’s middle sister Shelly, her husband Melvin, and our nieces Rebecca and Laura for lunch at a Chili’s in Worcester, Mass., after they dropped off our nephew David at a summer camp for kids with diabetes. We had seen them a few weeks ago at Becky‘s high school graduation party in Utica, New York.

This past week, the “Holy Steel/Dragonslayers” teleconferencing team and face-to-face group skipped more sessions, but we’ll soon be getting back to the fantasy game, a few more one-shots, and the upcoming “Vortex” space opera (about which I’ve been blogging).

This coming weekend, Janice’s parents and the family of her youngest sister Melinda will be visiting us around Independence Day. College chums David I.S. and Dexter V.H. also hope to visit the Boston area. So much to do, so little time!

21 April 2010: Byron’s visit — food, games, and fun

Friends, I hope that you had a good weekend. Byron V.O., a former member of the Boston-area social/role-playing groups, visited from St. Louis this past weekend. He arrived on Friday, 16 April 2010, and Thomas K.Y. met us for a late dinner at Bertucci’s in Needham, Massachusetts.

Our conversations throughout the weekend focused on work and travel, family and
relationships, history and politics, and of course, genre entertainment and gaming. The next day, Byron and I went to the Museum of Fine Arts for the “Secrets of Tomb 10A” exhibit of ancient Egyptian artifacts, which Janice and I had first seen a month ago. We grabbed lunch at Qdoba before catching a commuter rail train back in time for a Pathfinder: “Holy Steel” teleconferencing session.

Beruk A. and Thomas joined us for burgers at Wild Willy’s, and Dexter V.H. in Brooklyn and Robert A.S. in North Carolina called in at various points in the evening. Their Player Characters reunited in the city of Hesolin in my “Vanished Lands” fantasy campaign setting. The heroes compared notes after their mission to the distant empire of Khemet (New Kingdom Egypt) and began considering strategy for the ongoing war against the dreaded ghost fleet.

We also talked about starting a new adventuring party that would have ties to previous teams, such as the “Dragonslayers” and “Holy Steel.” Fellow Game Master Brian W. stopped by to chat with Byron, a former cohort in the “Seekers of Lore” and “Broken Chains.” The face-to-face group has been playing one-shots and miniseries in a variety of genres and rules systems since we wrapped up a Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition game, and I’m preparing to run my “Vortex” space opera, but our schedule will be disrupted in the coming months because of travel.

After a few hours’ sleep, Byron and I drove out to the Minado sushi buffet in Natick, Mass., for brunch with Thomas and Paul J. While we were disappointed that half of our gang didn’t show up, we had a good meal. Thomas went to screen superhero satire Kick–Ass, while Byron and I saw the remake of Clash of the Titans at the AMC Framingham multiplex.

The sword-and-sandals fantasy movie was fairly entertaining, if not particularly
faithful to Greek mythology or even its predecessor. The computer-generated
monsters paid homage to Ray Harryhausen‘s stop-motion masterpieces, and the
humor and action were well-balanced. I’d give Clash of the Titans, which was rated PG-13 for violence, three stars, a solid B, or a 7 out of 10.

Paul and Thomas came for Janice’s soup and homemade rolls at dinner, and we resumed our “Holy Steel” logistics discussion on Sunday night. Dexter wasn’t able
to log in, but Beruk did. I was disappointed that more of the local group didn’t attend, but it worked out fine. The next day, I drove Byron to Logan Airport after lunch at Acapulco’s Mexican restaurant. Speaking of food (again), I enjoyed lunch today with some co-workers at Bison County on Waltham’s Moody Street.

Coming soon: Catching up on SFTV and the crowded calendar!