Mythras Solo Play Report (St. Millê): Session 1 Part 2
In the Wilderness Part 2
Recap
In the last session, Rayburn and Mildred set out across the countryside. Mildred said that she had seen something while hunting in the woods (I see her as an aspirational ranger-type). The first post is here if you want to get caught up: Session 1 Part 1.
Play Notes
This is a solo-roleplaying session and largely randomly generated. I used a hex grid edited in Gimp, and each hex is added as R&M encountered that hex. I created some random tables ahead of time (and borrowed a few from the internet), and this seemed surprisingly effective.
The "writeup" is in blockquotes below. If you just want the summary without the mechanical notes on gameplay, you can just read those bits. I hope you enjoy the session report -- I enjoyed playing it!
Tools
- Mythras Core Rules (pdf)
- Recluse v1 Oracle
- The Lair: Random Wilderness Encounters (creaturespotlight.blogspot.com)
- AD&D 1st Edition DMG Random Monsters (Modified)
- Forest random terrain (custom table)
- Reactions table (AD&D 1e DMG pp. 64)
- List of trade goods | Voyage Century Wiki | Fandom
- Random Potions Table : DnDBehindTheScreen (reddit.com)
- Microsoft Excel for Character Sheets and Random Tables
7th Hour
The sun is up.
They have now entered the hex to the northeast of their previous location. Terrain: wooded. The River Mennea runs through this hex as well, and heads roughly eastward. Encounter: 22 vs. 18%, no. Special: 92 vs. 25%, no.
As they head roughly to the northeast the going gets slightly easier. The turf becomes less muddy, and they find themselves avoiding fewer bogs. Within the hour they are walking in a pleasant and airy oak forest. There is little undergrowth, and they make good progress. Other than some crows cawing from the treetops, they see no other creatures.
In this terrain they can cover a one-mile hex in roughly 30 minutes.
Tracking skill check: 94 vs. 51% (Augmented, Locale), fail. Veers too far to the right.Terrain: Woodland.
Encounter: 02 vs. 18%, yes.
Special: 30 vs. 25%, no.
Encounter details: 33, giant lynx.
Perception rolls for the party (Mildred) to detect it: 77 / 58% (48 + 10 augmented), fail. Reaction roll for the lynx: 08, hostile, immediate action (from the AD&D DMG). Lynx perception to detect the party: 97, failed.
Is the Lynx feasting on prey (Likely)? No.Is the Lynx defending itself? Yes.
I will interpret this as meaning that the lynx is currently fighting for its life. Another roll on my random wilderness encounters table gives me a result of “men”. Rolling on the AD&D human sub table, I get a 09 or bandits.
Things just got interesting!
The party continues walking to the northeast through pleasant oak forests. The river is downhill to the southeast, but still visible through the trees. Morning is in its full splendor, and it is a lovely day for a nature walk.
Mildred and Rayburn get to chatting as they hike, but after a few miles they are startled by a scream. Amongst the trees ahead of them, at the foot of a slight limestone outcropping, a man is struggling to escape a great cat which has pounced atop of him. It looks like a lynx but is far larger than any Rayburn has seen before. The beast tears at the man’s throat, ending his screams. It glances at Mildred and Rayburn – who stand speechless – and lets out a wild screech.
There are two bloodied bodies strewn amongst the trees besides the man that the lynx has just slain, and two men stand back with bows and loose arrows at the huge cat. The men are dressed in leather and have short swords at their belts – probably not mere hunters.
“Oh, God,” Mildred says as she spots the giant cat.
Bandit #1 (Mustache)
Action Points 2, Damage Modifier 0, Move 6m, Initiative Bonus 7(AP/HP) RL 0/4 LL 0/2 RA 0/3 LA 0/3 C 2/6 H 1/6 A 1/5
Athletics 45%, Brawn 51%, Endurance 42%, Evade 54%, Perception 40%, Willpower 34%
Combat style: Outlaw (Sh. Sword, Sh. Bow, Dagger) 44%
Short Bow: Size S, Force L, Damage 1d6, AP/HP 4/4 Impale, Reload 2 -- (12 Arrows)
Short Sword: Size M, Reach S, Damage 1d6, AP/HP 6/8 Bleed, Impale
Bandit #2 (Pirate Hair)
Action Points 2, Damage Modifier 0, Move 6m, Initiative Bonus 10(AP/HP) RL 0/4 LL 0/4 RA 0/3 LA 0/1 C 2/6 H 1/6 A 1/5
Athletics 45%, Brawn 51%, Endurance 42%, Evade 54%, Perception 40%, Willpower 34%
Combat style: Outlaw (Sh. Sword, Sh. Bow, Dagger) 44%
Short Bow: Size S, Force L, Damage 1d6, AP/HP 4/4 Impale -- (6 Arrows)
Short Sword: Size M, Reach S, Damage 1d6, AP/HP 6/8 Bleed, Impale
Giant Lynx
Action Points 3, Damage Modifier +1d2, Move 8m, Initiative Bonus 15, Armour HideLocation: 1-2 Right hind leg 1/5, 3-4 Left hind leg 1/5, 5-7 Hindquarters 0/6, 8-10 Forequarters 0/6, 11-13 Right Front Leg 0/5, 14-16 Left Front Leg 0/5, 17-20 Head 1/6.
Athletics 66%, Brawn 61%, Endurance 52%, Evade 54%, Perception 50%, Willpower 44%
Combat style: Great Cat (Bite, Claw) 66%
Bite: Size M, Reach S, Damage 1d4+1, AP/HP As Head
Claw: Size M, Reach M, Damage 1d4+1, AP/HP AS Leg
Leaping Attack: Opposed roll Athletics vs. Brawn or Evade, knocks victim prone.
Initiative: Cat 20, Bandit 1 = 9, Bandit 2 = 16, Mildred = 15, Rayburn = 19. -> Cat, Ray, Bandit #2, Mildred, Bandit #1.
Reaction (Bandits): Uncertain.
Giant Lynx chooses target: Mildred.
Cat’s distance from Mildred and Rayburn: 7 meters.
Round 1
Lynx: Bounds across the forest at Mildred, going to leap.Mustache: Runs for first aid for his comrade. Is the bandit dead? Yes, and Mustache is wounded.
Ray: Steps in front of Mildred and Braces. Note: he hasn’t drawn sword or shield.
Pirate Hair: Shoots at the running Lynx (Hard). 65v29%, fail. Arrow whistles past.
Mildred: Steps behind Ray and draws her hatchet.
Lynx: Leaps at Ray. 15/66% vs. opposed Evade 98, fumble. Ray is knocked prone, and Lynx gains a Special. Ray is prone until he wins a Special Arise or the cat gets off him. Press advantage, and Ray can’t attack next turn.
Mustache: First aid (ineffective, comrade is beyond help).Ray (Prone): Draws his short sword.
Pirate Hair: Reload. Draws arrow from quiver.
Mildred: Attacks Lynx with hatchet. 70 vs. 54%, miss.
Lynx: Bites at Ray. 40 vs. 66%, hit. Ray has no action points, so will have to take it, which gives the Lynx one special. Press advantage, Ray cannot attack next turn. 4 damage from bite to chest, armor absorbs 2.
Round 2
Lynx: Attacks ray with Bite. 94, miss.Mustache: Willpower check, 98 vs. 34%, epic fail. Mustache runs away into the forest.
Ray: Can’t attack. Delay.
Pirate Hair: Reload. Fits arrow to bowstring.
Mildred: Hacks with hatchet. 48 vs 54%, hit! Lynx evades, 30 vs. 54%, success – but is forced off Ray.
Ray (Interrupt): Regain Footing. He is engaged, so he’ll use brawn. 02 vs. 40%, crit! Lynx 80, miss. Ray manages to lurch to his feet as the cat jumps back to avoid Mildred’s swinging hatchet.
Lynx 1/3 pts, everyone else with 1/2.
Lynx: Willpower check: 95%. Great cat is suddenly feeling outnumbered. It will try to withdraw. Evade 34 vs. 54%, Mildred 13 vs. 47%. Lynx flees the battle.
Pirate Hair: Shoots at Lynx. 00, fumble. Arrow splinters and does 3 damage to his left arm. Gasping and holding his arm. Willpower check: 44 vs. 34%, fail.
End of Combat
Pirate Hair leaves the fragments of his bow and runs away.
Lynx has fled. For reference, I’ll cite the Mythras rules that discuss wild animal tactics. Likely, the lynx is not just out to murder some forest bandits, and certainly not if it’s outnumbered!
The lynx lays eyes on Mildred, and despite being many strides (~7m) away, it immediately bounds toward her as its next victim! Its eyes are fixed on her, and it moves like lightning across the leaf-strewn forest floor. Mildred lets out a little cry of terror as Rayburn steps in front of her and braces himself in a forward stance, yelling at the giant cat and waving his arms. He has no time to draw sword or shield, and so is defenseless.
One of the leather-clad men, who sports a large mustache, rushes to aid his dying comrade. The other draws back his bow (the arrow already fitted to string) and fires at the lynx, shouting something as he fires the arrow, but it whistles harmlessly past.
Mildred fumbles for the hatchet in the leather loop at her belt and stands behind Ray as the lynx barrels down on them. It all happens in a few heartbeats: the lynx pounces, knocking Ray completely off his feet, snarling at him. He lands hard on his and it knocks the breath out of him.
Ray struggles beneath the lynx, managing to draw his short sword but unable to get any leverage to slash at the giant cat. The lynx, meanwhile, tears and bites at his chest, drawing blood. Ray tries to squirm away from the vicious cat, but he cannot. Mildred steps in and swings her hatchet with a shout, but she’s not close enough. She steps nearer to the snarling beast and swings again, and the lynx backs off Rayburn to avoid the chop. The cat has fixed its attention on Mildred now, and Ray manages to scramble to his feet, sword in hand.
The mustached forester glances around at his three fallen comrades and runs off into the woods, leaving only one standing bowman, who fits an arrow to his bowstring, draws back, and… The arrow splinters as he lets the bowstring fly, driving spikes of wood into his left arm! He drops his bow and grabs hold of his arm, letting out a miserable moan of pain. He also thinks better of this fight and makes a run for the nearest trees, leaving his bow behind.
Now facing a tall man wielding a stout short sword and a dark-haired woman with a hatchet, the great cat backs away, and thinks better of the odds. It dashes away into the woods in a flash, leaving Ray and Mildred winded but mostly unhurt.
Mildred applies First Aid to Ray’s minor chest wound: 31 vs. 25%, fail. They rest and each take a drink from the canteen (using 2 servings). Then they investigate the area.
There are three dead men each with serious claw and bite wounds. They all appear to be in the similar mismatched clothing and light leather armor. They have the following gear:
Short bows (3), Short swords (3)
Quivers (3), with 18 total arrows
Purses with 15 sp, 20 cp between them
A large, old silver coin on a leather cord (10 sp value)
Daggers (3)
Now I have a classic conundrum: how to deal with the bodies? As a former refugee, I think Rayburn would feel fine looting the valuables, but Mildred would be less comfortable – although I have established her as very practical. Mildred has 50% loyalty to Rayburn, but I rolled 58 for her so the loyalty doesn’t sway her.
Does Mildred take anything from the bodies of the outlaws? No.Do the outlaws return while they’re investigating? Yes. How many? 4 of them.
Mildred, Perception (48%): 91, fail. Outlaws, Stealth (33%): 96, fail. The outlaws approach without trying to ambush them.
Mildred spends a few minutes cleaning Ray’s wound after the fight, and they lean against a tree to catch their breath and drink some water from the canteen.
After this, they investigate the area. There are three dead men amidst the trees. They are dressed like the other two men who were here, in leather and coarse cloth. They all are badly scratched and bitten – clearly, they died from wounds received from the giant cat.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Mildred says.
The dead men have a variety of items and Ray starts searching the bodies quite casually.
“What are you doing?” Mildred says. “Have you no respect for the dead?”
Ray looks at her with some surprise. “They aren’t needing any of this stuff now,” he says.
Bows, arrows, sturdy short swords, arrows, a few coins, daggers, and a few other odds and ends are piled on the ground in mere minutes as Ray loots the bodies. Mildred refuses to help, but she makes not further protest. They’re both so focused on what he’s doing that they don’t at first notice the sound of voices approaching. Mildred raises a palm.
“Voices,” she says in a whisper. “Let’s get out of here.”
Stealth (30%, Easy +15%): 74, failed. Mildred and Ray run into the woods but they’re not able to get away without the bandits noticing them. Ray snags the coin on the leather cord as he flees.
Do the bandits try to pursue (unlikely)? No.
8th Hour
Ideal direction: northeast. Mildred, Track (43%) + Locale (1/5th of 39% = +8%) = 51%; Roll: 88, fail.Wrong direction: 1 hex segment to the left (northwest).
Terrain: 13 = Light Forest and meadows.
Encounter chance (4% half due to recent encounter): 71, no.
Special (21%): 41, no.
Basically, easy going for the next 30 minutes through pleasant meadows and trees.
Ideal direction: northeast. Mildred, Track (51%): 27, success.
Terrain: Light Forest and meadows.
Encounter (4%): 12, no.
Special (21%): 5, yes! Sack with toys.
Insight (26%): 27, no. Ray thinks they’re quite old, but that’s about all he knows.
For the next hour or so they travel to the northeast with Mildred confidently picking the trail. After the brief battle with the lynx, both adventurers are cautious and alert. They speak little. The landscape gradually changes from forest of oak and shimmering aspen to meadow dotted with trees and a pond here and there.
As they are walking through a pleasant meadow lightly shaded by birch trees, Mildred spots a burlap sack not far ahead. She opens it cautiously with a stick and is puzzled to find wooden toys inside, old and with chipped and fading paint. There seem to be no other signs of a child or any person.
“Odd,” Ray says.
Ideal direction: east. Mildred, Track (51%): 27%, success.
Terrain: 84, same as previous area. Light forest and meadows.
Encounter (4%): 03, yes! Scrub: 55, Men. 1e D&D Men sub table: 33, merchant. Trade goods table: 43, ivory merchant.
Special (21%): 69, no.
Reaction Roll (AD&D 1e DMG pp. 64): +20. Uncertain, but leaning positive.
Perception (48%): 40. They are aware of the merchants before the merchants are aware of them.
Do they hide? Yes.
They attempt to hide. Stealth (30 + 11 = 41%): 94, fail.
They continue at a moderate pace to the northeast. The chill of the morning is gone and between the brief bout of action earlier and the trek they are both beginning to sweat. The fog that hugged the lowlands has burned away and the sky is clear and sunny.
They hear the jingling of harness heading toward them and at Mildred’s urging they sneak into a copse of birch trees nearby. A warrior rides slowly into view. He is clad in mail, with an iron cap atop his head, and a grey cloak over his shoulders. A sword hangs from his belt, and he carries a crossbow. A few meters behind him rides a portly man on a grey mare, followed by a caravan of three mules and their tenders. At the end of the caravan is a woman dressed in hard leather armor with a loaded crossbow rested on her thigh.
The warrior in front holds up his hand and the caravan halts. He shades his eyes and squints toward the birch thicket.
“Come out from there if ye mean no harm,” he says loudly.
Certainly, Mildred and Ray know that their only options are to do as he says, or to run away from the caravan. Since the caravan seems like it is not a threat, I think they would not risk running from mounted warriors armed with crossbows.
Ray and Mildred emerge from the birch thicket and walk slowly through the tall grasses toward the caravan.
“That’s far enough,” the lead warrior says. He has a stout, sturdy look and seems to be of middle years. “I’ve heard rumors that there are bandits in these woods,” he says. “And you can’t be too cautious. You don’t look much like bandits, though.”
Ray speaks up. “We may have met some of these bandits a few miles back,” he says. “And the biggest wild cat you can imagine.”
“Hmm, really? Thanks for sharing, we’ll look out for them. And the cat.” He grins, probably not believing Ray’s story. “So long as you go your own way, we have no quarrel with you.”
9th Hour
Ideal Direction: east. Track (51%): 68, miss. One segment left (northeast).Terrain: River/wetlands
Encounter (12%): 52, no.
Special (12%): 72, no.
Movement rate: 1 hex / hour (slow).
10th & 11th Hour
Ideal Direction: east. Track (51%): 32, success. Blocked by the river.Is there a ford in this hex? Wrong supposition. There’s a boat.
Terrain: Wetlands.
Encounter (12%): 40, no.
Special (12%): 19, no.
Movement rate: 0.5 hex/hour (slow).
Quality of the boat: 3d6, 3 means it will sink immediately, 18 means it’s good enough to take to sea. Roll = 13. Pretty decent shape.
By midmorning the travelers find themselves back in marshland, picking their way between bogs and ponds. Their boots are thoroughly muddy, and flies and gnats buzz around their heads. The nice hike of earlier in the morning is no longer so pleasing.
They come upon a small river that flows swiftly through the wetlands. It’s hard to tell if it would be safe to cross.
“Well, now what?” Ray says a little grumpily. “We swim?”
“Follow me,” she says.
Mildred leads them through the reeds for about a half-mile until they reach an abandoned cottage. Pulled up on the shore and covered by an old oilcloth is a boat. Mildred pulls back the tarp and puts her hands on her hips.
“Well?” she says. “Not bad?”
Ray inspects the boat, and it seems to be in decent shape, with a strong pair of oars. He shrugs.
“It’ll get us across,” he says.
Ray will want to explore the cottage. Is there anything interesting? No, and it’s been burned down, so the interior is mostly charred. He’ll search anyway. Perception (36%): 92. If there were anything to find, he wouldn’t have spotted it.
A strange skull is nailed to a nearby pine tree. Do they know what kind of skull it is? No, only that it looks vaguely human but is clearly not human.
Ray searches the cottage, which was clearly burned down to the stone walls. Inside is nothing but charcoal and ash and smells faintly burnt. The fire must’ve happened a long time ago. In any case, there’s not much to be found in the cottage.
Around the cottage they find a pile of old firewood, an empty satchel, and a rusty bucket. A strange skull is nailed to a nearby pine tree. The skull is strange: vaguely human-like, but it has sharp, yellow teeth like a beast and is too small to be a human skull.
“You know, my gran always told us that there are strange things in the wild places,” Mildred says.
“Sounds like superstition,” Ray replies, but the skull still makes him feel uneasy.
To get across the river, they’ll need to make a boating check. Mildred has the better score (22%), so we’ll use hers. The current is flowing swiftly south, so for every roll they will drift ¼ mile/hex downriver. It will take two successful rolls to cross the river fully.
- 1st roll: 22%! They make it halfway and drift ¼ hex south.
- 2nd roll: 70%! They make little progress against the current and drift ¼ hex south.
- 3rd roll: 13%! They manage to cross the river and drift ¼ hex south.
Ray needs to make a Fatigue check once they reach the shore. 05 vs. 29%, success. He’s sweaty but still good to continue.
12th Hour
After securing the boat to a willow tree on the far side of the river, they will find a patch of moderately dry ground and eat. They also finish the last of the water in the canteen, but they find a green bottle of ale amidst the roots of the willow tree.
Is the ale safe to drink? False presupposition. It’s not actually ale, it’s just in an ale bottle.Is it a potion? Yes.
Random potions: Elixir, Effects: user is completely immune to magic, duration seemingly permanent, side effect: drunkenness, looks black with stripes of green, chunky texture, smells like garlic, tastes like something that stirs memories, the label has a heartfelt love letter for someone.
Random Potions Table : DnDBehindTheScreen (reddit.com)
Is the label in a language either can read? No.Insight roll to get more information, 26%: 61, fail.
Ideal Direction: northeast. Track (51%): 03, critical!Ray rows while Mildred steers. The current is strong, and the small boat is pulled downriver to the south. It takes a strong effort before they manage to bring the boat in on the far side of the river, and with effort they drag it into the reeds and tie it to a willow tree. Ray is winded, but quickly recovers.
They take a few minutes for water and eat some of the dried beef and hard tack that Mildred brought along. They’re surprisingly hungry after the morning’s trek. Its already been quite an adventure! Ray is enjoying himself. It’s nice to be out in the wilds instead of hammering hot iron all day. He feels the open road beckoning…
Unfortunately, they finish the last of the water in the canteen.
“We’ll have to find some fresh water before long,” Mildred says, and Ray nods. Just then he lays eyes on a green bottle nestled in the roots of the tree. He picks it up and sees that it’s full of a strange chunky black liquid with green stripes in it. The bottle is like an ale bottle, but the contents are clearly not ale. There’s a handwritten label stuck to it overflowing with words, but it’s in a language neither of them can read.
“What in the world is this?” Ray says.
“It doesn’t look good,” Mildred says, blanching. “Maybe it’s poison or something?”
They decide not to mess with the strange bottle and leave it where they found it. Then they gather their strength and head to the northwest.
Terrain: Marsh/wetlands.
Encounter (13%): 81, no.
Special (15%): 14, yes. Type: 25, mundane object. Canteen full of ale.
Movement rate: 50% of normal.
To reward the critical on the Track roll, I’ll let Mildred automatically succeed on her next Track roll.
13th Hour
Ideal Direction: northeast. Track (51%): success.Terrain: Marsh/wetlands.
Encounter (13%): 04, yes! Lycanthrope (43 vs. 12% chance to encounter it). Instead, they find a heap of rotting offal and a set of shredded clothes, including some filthy trousers.
Special (15%): 24, no.
Movement rate: 50% of normal.
Endurance roll for the stench: Ray 25 vs. 29%, success. Mildred: 24 vs. 47%, success.
The sun is now at its zenith and is beating down from above. The day is hot and humid, and they continue to struggle through the wetlands.
“We’re getting close,” Mildred says.
Still, it seems like they’ve been walking forever. The air is heavy and there is a growing stench, until they must cover their noses and mouths to continue. They spot a pile of rotting offal ahead with flies buzzing gleefully around the mess. It’s difficult to know what kind of animal the unfortunate owner of these guts was. In the same area there is dirty and bloodied clothing which has been torn asunder and strewn about, including a pair of filthy pants with the legs torn top to bottom.
“Almost looks like something… tore its way out,” Ray says, gagging at the smell.
In either case, there is nothing else of interest and they press forward.
Did these clothes have something to do with the potion? Yes, and the lycanthrope was to drink it to remove the curse – but devoured its former lover instead. In human form, it’s very sad but may still like to know where the cure is…
In either case, there’s still a lycanthrope in the area and we may want to weave that into the play at some point. Also, this was kind of a cool bit of random generation plus interpretation. I certainly didn’t start out with either such idea. The potion was completely dice-generated, as was the lycanthrope, and the link between them was based on the oracle. Pretty great.
14th Hour
Ideal Direction: northeast. Track (51%): 90, fail. They head east instead of northwest.Terrain: Marsh/wetlands.
Encounter (7%): 85, no.
Special (15%): 14, yes! Type: 79, interesting things. Circular holes created by a giant burrowing creature.
Movement rate: 50% of normal.
The marshlands are difficult terrain and the two are driven gradually eastward, although Mildred keeps looking toward the sky and shading her eyes. The marshes and bogs transition into light forest and meadows, but the long trek through the swamps has left their boots, pants, and skirt spattered with mud from the knees down. They are sweaty, dirty, and covered in itchy bug bites. At least the woodlands are much easier for walking.
“I think we are too far to the east,” Mildred says.
They begin to veer northward and as they are walking through the trees they spot numerous large holes in the ground, large enough for a man to fall into. They look like something erupted from the earth, leaving mounds of dirt and stone around the holes.
“What in the world do you think caused this?” Rayburn says.
“There are strange things in the wild places,” Mildred replies, echoing her grandmother.
15th Hour
Ideal direction: north. Track (51% + Easy 26% = 77%): 80, failed barely. Actual direction: northeast.Terrain: unchanged.
Encounter: (7%): 18, no.
Special (15%): 40, no.
Movement rate: 100%.
They continue walking through gentle woodlands, turning their path toward the north, but after about a mile Mildred stops and checks their direction again, steering them toward the northwest.
“We may have gone too far south, and overshot our destination,” she says. “Perhaps we drifted further in the boat than I thought.”
It is now the middle of the afternoon.
16th Hour
Ideal direction: northwest. Track (51% + East 26% = 77%): 97, fail. Actual direction: northeast. (Why?)To determine “why” I’ll refer to Mythic: disrupt tension. Interesting. Let’s roll encounter and special first.
Terrain: Lightly forested and meadows.
Encounter (4%): 20, no.
Special (25%): 35, no.
Disrupt tension sounds like they might have been driven off-course by something in the woods. Was it the creature that made the holes in the ground? False presupposition. A creature didn’t make those holes. They were made by strange underground tremors! We’ll say that they’re driven off course by tremors.
Ray and Mildred attempt to head northwest, but they begin to feel the earth trembling from time to time, with the occasional deep rumble. It sounds like a giant is awakening in the bowels of the earth!
They stop and listen as the rumbling grows louder, their surprise and concern clear on both of their faces, and the earth erupts about 20 meters in front of them! A tree is uprooted and tumbles to the ground. A jet of hot gasses and steam bursts in a vaporous pillar toward the sky. The air sours with a sulfurous smell, and clods of dirt and small stones rain like hail all around them as they run away.
They fear for their lives. What evil slumbers beneath the earth?
“This is the Devil’s work,” Ray says.
“I’ve told you; you wouldn’t believe me if you didn’t see it for yourself,” Mildred replies, but her face betrays her fears.
“You didn’t tell me anything about earthquakes!” Ray said. “This is what you brought me to see?”
“No,” she says. “It’s still further, if we can ever get to the place…”
17th Hour
Ideal direction: northwest. Track (51% + East 26% = 77%): 17, success.Terrain: Forested, rocky, ruins.
Encounter (27%): 33, no.
Special (25%): 10, yes. Broken down catapult.
Stealth: 31 for Mildred, 93 for Ray.
They trek toward the northeast, and the forest thickens. The terrain is dotted with outcroppings of vine-draped stone and gulches choked with fallen trees. They come upon the ruins of an ancient complex of some kind, now little more than stone walls covered in ivy hidden amidst the woods. Mildred urges caution, and they sneak as well as they’re able through the ruins of what might once have been a monastery.
They pass the broken remains of a catapult, oddly out of place in this wilderness. Mildred now sneaks from tree to tree.
About a half mile beyond the ruins rises a strangely symmetrical rise, covered in trees and outcroppings of rock. At the base of the hill is a large triangular opening into the darkness beneath the unusual hill.
Next to the entrance leans the largest man Ray has ever seen. Even at this distance he must be… ten or twelve feet tall! A giant! They hide behind a large oak tree and peek around the trunk at the enormous man. He wears a mismatched outfit of leather, cloth, and furs. His hair and long beard are red, and he carries a huge axe.
Does Ray’s miss on Stealth have any consequences? Yes, and they are spotted by a guard patrolling the woods.
Just then they jump as they hear a shout and see a mail-clad soldier fitting an arrow to his bowstring. He yells for assistance. The giant, suddenly alert, looks around for where the trouble is, but he doesn’t at first spot Mildred and Ray.
The weary travelers break from their hiding space and take off through the forest. They hear a roar as the giant spots them and begins running after them, its huge strides eating up the forest…
This giant is about 12’ tall, so we’ll use the stats for a 4m giant from the Mythras rules. They’re not going to fight this thing, of course -- that would be insanity. A 4m giant moves at 12m, which is twice their fastest pace, so they’ll have to be smart, or they will get stomped.
The soldier is going to fire his arrow, but this will be a Formidable task to succeed since they’re sprinting away from him. He’ll have a 22% to hit: 51, fail.
An arrow whistles overhead and thunks into the trunk of a nearby tree. Normally, having arrows shot at them would have been totally unsettling, but that feeling is now nothing compared to the terror of hearing the giant crashing through the forest behind them.
Now I’ve got a problem: these two are being chased by a giant who is much faster than they are, and they can hardly expect to escape or to survive if they fight. (This might be a good time to try out some reach rules, however!) Without intervention these two are probably doomed.
As a solo GM, should I allow a loophole to give them a chance to survive? Should I let the dice/Oracle decide at the risk of this potentially being a short trip? What does the rule of fun say? Should I add an element to make the scene more cinematic, or more realistic?
What would a real Mildred and Rayburn do? They would run and try to find someplace to hide, surrender, or fight a last stand. The more that I consider this, it seems unlikely that two brand new adventurers would try to fight for their lives in this situation. They would run and find a hiding place, and if caught they would surrender.
I think the way that I want to resolve this is to play out the chase using the mechanics and go from there.
Mildred, Ray, and the Giant are sprinting which the rules say are 5 times movement rate, so this is 30m for our heroes and 60m for the giant. Ray has a 1 x 6m penalty for armor, and Mildred has a 2 x 6m penalty for armor. The giant has a 1 x 12m penalty for his hide armor. This puts us at Mildred: 18m, Ray: 24m, Giant: 48m per round.
Mildred and Ray are ~80m from the giant when they are spotted, and the giant will gain 30m on them every round, which means he’ll overtake them in less than three rounds. Mildred wouldn’t even have time to stop and fire an arrow at the gargantuan hulk.
The outcome here seems clear: surrender. Anything else is suicide.
Giant’s reaction roll: 68, uncertain but 55% prone toward positive.
Durlag Brustus
Giant (12’ tall) Move: 12mSTR: 22 CON: 15 SIZ: 28 DEX: 11 INT: 9 POW: 6 CHA: 11
Mildred and Rayburn sprint through the forest, crashing through the undergrowth in an attempt the escape the giant man lumbering after them. His long legs devour the meters and the two have no chance to escape – even a mounted man would struggle to outrun the giant.
Unable to escape (and a fight would be a quick and terrifying way to die), they turn around and offer their surrender. Both Mildred and Ray are panting, hearts racing from their sudden sprint into the woods.
The giant looms over them. He’s huge – twelve feet at least!
“What are you doing here?” he booms. “Who are you? Did Gillesby send you?”
Ray has a 33% in Deceit. He’s going to use that to try to trick the giant.
Roll: 27, success!
Giant Insight roll: 75 vs. 15%, fail. The giant is easily duped.
“Uh, yes. Yes, I’m a blacksmith,” Ray says.
“And her?” The giant points with his axe.
“She is… My guide. I didn’t know how to get here.”
The giant ponders, narrowing his eyes at them.
“Then why did you run?” the giant grumbles.
“You’re pretty scary,” Mildred says honestly, and the giant grunts, but seems satisfied.
The mail-suited guard who shot an arrow at them jogs up, clearly out of breath. He’s lost the bow someplace but has his hand on his sword.“What’s this?” he says.
“Blacksmith,” the giant rumbles. “From Gillesby.”
The soldier nods. “We could use a blacksmith.”
I’m going to put this adventure on the shelf for awhile just to switch gears to something else.
We’re coming up quickly to part of the adventure that I have only vague ideas about. Mildred said that she knew where Griel’s “loot” is hidden, she saw what happened to the one who hid it, and she knows what guards it. Beyond that, I don’t have much idea of what’s in store for them. Perhaps a bit of preparation is in order?
What is this place?
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An outcropping of natural stone oddly out of place in the forest is a ziggurat of the ancient world, now covered over by trees so that it looks like a rise in the forest.
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Currently inhabited by a giant, who is ensorcelled by Lord Gillesby’s witch.
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Gillesby has reopened an ancient mineshaft far beneath the surface based on information from a diabolist’s tome. A thousand years ago, dwarves mined here in search of what they believed was potent magic, but instead they found an ancient evil far more terrifying…
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The giant protects the caves and mine from intrusion while slaves do the mining. Some of Gillesby’s soldiers watch over the operation, along with a diabolical warlock.
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The instability of the area is caused by the mining as they grow closer to uncovering the ancient evil…
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Less than a mile from the stone outcropping are the overgrown ruins of a monastery from many hundreds of years ago.
This seems like it has promise!
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