“Uncommon Companions” Update T3.41 — Tea house and terror bird thief

Stock image of a Chinese tea house — Tea house in Alfendi

Fellow role-players, here is my update for Session T3.41 of the latest adventuring party in my “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign setting. The teleconferencing team met on Saturday, 4 February 2012, 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 group of adventurers gathered in the northwestern “Vanished Lands” to explore a world full of perils and wonders.

After meeting in the Wisalef Forest, the “Uncommon Companions” encountered the Centaur followers of the mysterious Vappu Lahja and Unseelie Fey in the increasingly dangerous borderlands….

>>Telecom party Player Character roster, as of spring 2012:

-“Asish Chen Ti” [Byron V.O.]-male Tsucharim human archer (Mongol-style Ranger), escaped from Gokuri; owner of Akita dog Genghis and horses Onimusha and Gashmu; NGl, Age 20, Lvl. 4

-“Jovinda Halflight” [Sammy H.]-female Half-Elf (Grugach/Saganim) Cleric of Mekkil, goddess of nature; has horses Wyth-Amoi and Meth-Fenna and falcon Ana-Quessahr; NGl, Age 23, Lvl. 4

-“Kazuo Takenaga” [Taum D’A.]-male Nezumi (Rat-kin) Monk from the Zedu kingdom in the Therud Forest; LNg, Age 20, Lvl. 4

-“Hateem Shisakli” [Josh C.]-male Suthern human Dervish (proto-Arabic Bard/Battledancer) visiting the cold north; Lvl. 4

-“Suki” [Sara F.]-female Tengu Mahotsukai (raven-folk Sorceress/Illusionist) and fugitive; Lvl. 4

-“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); NGc, Age 20, Lvl. 3

-“Kovar” [Beruk A./absent]-male Half-Orc/Saganim human Paladin of Mithras, god of contracts and brotherhood; LGn, Lvl. 3

-“Davven ‘Digger’ Hollysharp” [Robert A.S./absent]-male Faldine Halfling archaeologist (Tallfellow Rogue) from a pipeweed farm in Tarken; CGn, Age 45, Lvl. 3

>>”16 November 1229 B.C.E.:” After recovering from their long journey across the Plains of Sathendo, the travelers continued exploring the city of Alfendi in the Waletku kingdom of the Elves. After asking around about where other easterners may be found, they visited the tea house of Bamboo Spirit Folk (eastern Sylvan Elf) Seng Shiu Jun.

Asish recognizes a tea ceremony in one paper-walled alcove and orders wulong with honey. Jovinda asks for white tea and observes Sylvan Elves in kimonos. Kazuo is reminded of the scents of his distant homeland and orders green tea. Hateem, who is from far to the southwest, asks the confused wait staff for a hookah.

The adventuring party discusses what it has learned so far in Alfendi, including Ranger Asish‘s training with Nannuattan (eastern Dark Elf) exile “Thalissa” [John Z.G./Non-Player Character] and his upcoming dinner date with Saganim/Shengtese human Rogue “Jade Xi Aschent” [Sammy/N.P.C.]. Cleric Jovinda is unsure of how investigating abandoned border forts will help in thwarting Vappu Lahja’s intolerant followers on the Plains of Sathendo.

Monk Kazuo is not interested in more shopping in the city, while Dervish Hateem is pleased when he is eventually brought a small and rare hookah. They wonder how a small establishment in the western Wisalef Forest manages to trade tea with Tong Sheng and the Zedu kingdom despite the barbaric Gusorin Confederation and oppressive Gokuri being in between.

The group orders dim sum, including dow sa bow (red bean paste buns), wu tao go (taro root pudding), larp cheung guen (steamed sausage rolls), and gow gee (dumplings). Kazuo agrees to help guide Asish in the martial arts, on the condition that he abstain from meat and alcohol.

As hostess Seng Shiu Jun greets each of her guests, Asish overhears a woman asking for safe haven in Shengtese, but he unable to see the speaker. The Tsucharim horseman feels honor-bound to offer aid, but his companions recommend caution.

Some of Asish’s questions are soon answered as the fugitive prepares to leave the tea house. She is a Tengu with black and white feathers, blue eyes, robes, and several pouches hanging from her belt. Rather than draw more attention to themselves, the group and shy Suki go outside to talk. However, she sees someone trying to steal Jun, her Axebeak steed!

Swift Kazuo runs after the would-be thief, as Bard Hateem maneuvers to keep up. Archer Asish draws his bow and fires two leaf-headed arrows, hitting his quarry. Sorceress Suki casts Magic Missile. Jovinda, priestess of nature goddess Mekkil, calls Ana-Quessahr (Sun Wing). The falcon tries to rake Jun’s rider with his claws.

The thief spurs the Axebeak, and Nezumi Kazuo’s Stunning Fist misses. Suthern human Hateem casts Grease, but he trips Kazuo rather than Suki’s steed. Asish whistles for his dog Genghis and horse Onimusha and fires more arrows. Half-Elf Jovinda casts Spiritual Weapon, summoning a staff to whack at the thief.

Fortunately, his flight is interrupted when the Axebeak slips, and the rider jumps clear. Kazuo circles around the slippery spot to fight him, and Hateem swings his scimitar. Genghis tries to bite the assassin, who strikes Kazuo with a poisoned blowgun dart.

Suki’s Magic Missiles eventually finish off the thief. Asish offers to take Kazuo on Onimush to the Chalice of Healing near the temple district, but the Monk declines, insisting on limping there alongside the Ranger. Hateem questions Kazuo’s state of mind, but he and Kovinda search the assassin’s body. Suki tends to her mount.

Jovinda identifies a vial as Black Smear poison. Weakened, Kazuo manages to get to the local hospital, where Asish consults Halfling dentist Glechi Drax. Quelanthi (High Elf/Eladrin) physician Meredemario asks for a sample of the poison for antidote and payment. Asish sends runner Laenvin to report to Aldarion at the Rangers’ Guild.

Back in the alley by the tea house, Hateem finds 200 crowns (gold pieces) and a masterwork dagger and thieves’ tools. Suki claims a disguise kit and notes that Ninjas have been pursuing her. They are surprised when the thief’s visage changes from that of a Sylvan Elf to the blank features of a Changeling!

Asish and Kazuo return to the alley in time to give statements to High Elf guard Gavalaraen, who promises to investigate the possibility of infiltration by spies from the nefarious kingdom of Gokuri. The city watch won’t press charges against Suki for self-defense, and the “Uncommon Companions” go back to the “Unicorn Moon” inn, where they see a chrysanthemum delivery….

Welcome, Sara, to this telecom game! I look forward to our next regular session on Sunday, Feb. 12, our last before you and Josh — and Janice and I — move! I expect my campaigns, including the FATE 3e “Vortex” space opera, to resume in early March.

In the meantime, please remember to take advantage of our Google Groups message board, the Obsidian Portal wiki (which Josh has updated), and stay in touch!

Catching up from Christmas

I hope that all your holidays were happy and that you have a healthy and Happy New Year! Janice and I drove in my new car to her family in Upstate New York for Christmas. The capacious Honda Fit served us well, even if it got its first ding (in the windshield). Fortunately, the weather was mild and traffic was relatively light, even if children and skiers were disappointed by the lack of a white Christmas.

Among other things, I received more reference books on Arthurian lore, some cool Star Wars and gamer garb, food baskets, and a toaster oven. As usual, we also ate very well, caught up on Disney/Pixar movies, and played with my nephews’ superhero action figures and Lego sets. My thoughts are with ill relatives and friends.

Unlike several of my friends, I was busy with work in the week between Christmas and New Year’s, so I was unable to post to this blog. However, I don’t foresee any shortage of genre entertainment, food and travel, or politics to talk about in 2012!

In between work and the holidays, Janice and I ate at our usual haunts: Wild Willy’s Burgers, Acropolis, Subway, Chipotle, and the Ninety Nine (I’ll have to work it all off). I met fellow role-players Beruk A., Brian W., and James B. for lunch in Central Square, Cambridge, as well as fellow blogger Thomas K.Y. with his brother Tony and girlfriend Kai-Yin at Elephant Walk in Waltham, Massachusetts. I’ll look more at recent movies, comic books, and games in upcoming posts.

For New Year’s Eve, Janice and I walked to the First Night events in Needham, Mass. We enjoyed listening to the West Newton Ceili Band, Melodius Funk, and comedian John Colliton. In addition, we saw the newly renovated town hall, melting ice sculpture, and the colorful Quinobequin Quilters show.

This morning, Janice and I watched the annual Rose Parade, and we’ll be taking down our decorations as the holidays wind down. I hope that the global economy improves, people strive to peacefully overcome their differences, and to find time for all my friends and interests!

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows review

Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. — The game is afoot -- again!

On Friday, 16 December 2011, I picked up the registration for my new car and got it inspected. I also handed over the title to my old automobile. The next day, Janice and I met role-players Sara F. & Josh C. for lunch at Whole Foods at Legacy Place in Dedham, Massachusetts.

We then went to the Showcase Cinemas de Luxe to screen Sherlock Holmes [2]: A Game of Shadows with Sara & Josh’s friend “Viking.” We enjoyed the steampunk movie, which had even more action than its 2009 predecessor and was somewhat faithful to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s detective stories.

Director Guy Ritchie is still fond of explosions, Gypsy music, and slow-motion fisticuffs. Actors Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. John Watson appear to be having a blast playing up their “bromance.” Downey Jr.’s comedic chameleon owes at least as much to Peter Sellers‘ manic Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther flicks as it does Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett’s sleuths.

Jared Harris, the son of the late Richard Harris and already a villain on Fringe, acquits himself well as that “veritable Napoleon of crime,” Dr. James Moriarty. As with the original serialized fiction, women are merely in supporting roles in Sherlock Holmes 2. Mrs. Mary Watson (Kelly Reilly), Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), and fortuneteller Madame Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace) are involved in Moriarty and Holmes’ chess game as attractive pawns.

Noted Sherlockian Stephen Fry does get an amusing turn as Holmes’ older (and smarter) brother Mycroft. In A Game of Shadows, Sherlock Holmes, Watson, and Mme. Simza race across Europe to investigate anarchist bombings and a profiteering scheme to plunge the continent into war. This plot is surprisingly faithful to “The Bruce-Partington Plans,” “The Final Problem,” and the historical facts of how the Victorian era eventually led to World War I or the so-called Great War.

I’m not sure that Conan Doyle would recognize his world in this latest cinematic adaptation, however, with its steampunky emphasis on grime, crime, and pyrotechnics over erudite detection. Still, it’s worth remembering that the late 19^th century was an era of technological change to match our own, with electrical street lights, the horseless carriage, telegraphs, and machine guns all changing daily life.

Fans and practitioners of the steampunk subculture will no doubt find inspiration in A Game of Shadows, which includes swordplay, waltzes, and fights aboard a rushing train. Both Tim M.B.‘s GURPS “Arth” and my GURPS/D20 “Gaslight Grimoire” scenarios used similar elements, as do recent role-playing games such as Airship Pirates and the FATE 3e Kerberos Club.

More serious Holmesians (Janice and I have been to 221b Baker Street) may prefer the upcoming second series/season of the BBC/PBS Sherlock, coming soon. Despite its modern setting, I’ve also enjoyed the latter adaptation. Like other enduring British icons, such as King Arthur, Robin Hood, James Bond, and Doctor Who, the great detective can be interpreted in many ways.

Overall, I’d give Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which is rated PG-13 for violence and innuendo, a B+, three out of five stars, or 7.5 out of 10. The movie is good popcorn entertainment, and another sequel is reportedly in the works, even though its box-office performance could have been better.

We also saw promising trailers for the actioner Haywire and Christopher Nolan’s Batman finale The Dark Knight Rises, but even the previews for Marvel’s Avengers, sword-and-sandals sequel Wrath of the Titans, and Disney/Pixar’s animated fantasy Brave didn’t excite me the way those for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit [1]: An Unexpected Journey have. I look forward to returning to Middle Earth, and genre film fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming year!

Santa’s sleigh

On Saturday, 10 December 2011, Janice’s parents, her youngest sister Melinda, and Melinda’s children Amanda and Joshua came over to celebrate Janice’s birthday and to bake holiday cookies.

I took my nephew Josh to New England Comics and Newbury Comics in Norwood, Massachusetts. I later took Josh and Amanda to a talk about birds of prey at the local library, and the family had dinner together at Mick Morgan’s pub. We’ll be seeing them around Christmas.

In addition to housecleaning and shopping for gifts for family, friends, gamers, and co-workers, I’ve been dealing with automotive issues. A few weeks ago, I had some expensive repairs and maintenance done on my 1998 Honda Civic coupe. On my way from the local dump to work yesterday morning, my car started overheating.

I called into work and brought my beat-up green car (which I had bought used in 2000) to Boch Honda in Norwood. I’ve had to postpone several meetings to later this week. Another coolant hose had come loose, and more problems were likely coming soon. While waiting for the assessment, I went into the dealer area and eventually bought a 2011 Honda Fit Sport.

My family and friends are much more excited than I am about the new vehicle, which I consider merely a means to get from Point A to Point B in relative safety and comfort. I’m not a fan of gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles and the distracted soccer moms or cellphone-using drivers behind the wheel. Still, the Fit is pretty stylish.

I had hoped to nurse the Civic through another harsh New England winter. Ice, salt, potholes, and tree sap take their toll. In 12 years here, I’ve been hit several times — never my fault — and the engine may have had another 100,000 miles in it. I was also in no hurry to begin making car payments anew, but repair bills were starting to become bigger and more frequent.

My red Fit has more passenger and cargo space than the Civic, despite being about the same compact-car length. Although most of my driving is stop-and-go, short-distance commuting with the occasional out-of-state trip to visit family, I hope to get good mileage. As of this writing, the four-door hatchback has only 17 miles on it so far.

What do you think I should name my new car? I’m asking only readers of this blog! I nicknamed my first car, a used red Chevy Cavalier, the Millennium Falcon for its utility and temperament. I sometimes called my Civic a “Runabout,” after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s long-range shuttlecraft.

Weekend update: One step forward…

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas...

On Friday, 2 December 2011, I brought my 1998 Honda Civic coupe to Boch Honda in Norwood, Massachusetts, for maintenance and repairs. The 120,000-mile oil change, annual inspection, bumper reattachment, and new water pump and hoses totaled close to $2,000, which is nearly what the automobile is supposedly worth! If I can get through the winter unscathed, it’ll still be cheaper than car payments — for now.

I also “snailmailed” the first batch of holiday packages to friends, including Byron V.O.’s raffle winnings from the Super MegaFest. (I often don’t get all my cards done until after Christmas.) At work, I’ve been busy with assignments and planning for the year ahead, including TT‘s annual company meeting in mid-January. Janice and I had dinner at Wild Willy’s Burgers in Needham, Mass., and the next morning, we brought the last load of autumn leaves to the local dump.

We then met my former boss Michele L.D. and her husband Paul D. and onetime co-worker Ken G. and his date Sarah for a pleasant lunch at British Beer Co. in Framingham, Mass. From there, we joined gamer Sara F. at the AMC Framingham 16 to screen The Muppets, which we all liked. I’ll review the movie in more detail soon.

Sara, Janice, and I did some shopping at Shopper’s World and had dinner at T.G.I. Friday’s. We then went to the Natick Mall — formerly the pretentiously named “Natick Collection” — and got dessert at Red Mango. Since it was getting late, I didn’t get to the Lego Store or the recently moved Newbury Comics.

On Sunday, Janice volunteered at the animal shelter, we put up our Christmas decorations, and I ran the latest virtual session for my Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” fantasy campaign. I’ll try to post an update for that game, which will probably take another hiatus as the role-players travel in the next several weeks.

Neither team for my FATE 3e “Vortex” space opera is meeting tonight because I’ll be celebrating Janice’s birthday by taking her to the Fuji II Steakhouse. Happy Birthday this week also to my cousins Socorro and Joke, college chum Ron J.K., and niece Becky Z.! I’m mostly caught up on genre television (including some good science fiction documentaries), but I have several books, comics, and DVDs waiting…. What have you been reading or watching?