Campaign Notes!

[Falkus]

Well, I just finished running the first session of Zeitgeist, finishing Act One of Island at the Axis of the world; and we all think it went really well!

Highlights:

The team managed to identify and remove the dockers from the crowd smoothly enough without causing any trouble. There were a few missed checks; but overall, they handled it pretty well without needing to resort to combat. At first, there was debate about arresting the dockers even though they hadn't done anything yet; then realized they didn't have to worry about that (this not being an enlightened, modern nation), and had the cops haul 'em off.

We had a skyseer; and the group figured his vision at being related to the steam engine pretty quickly. As a result; they made sure to keep at least one guy in the engine room at all times after the ship left port. This meant when the sabotage started; they knew instantly, mainly because the engineers had to begin by trying to bludgeon the summoner to death with their shovels. Of course, the team was also spread out across the ship, and several of the constables were late to the battle, being up on the deck and having to be alerted by the others that something was going on. Sokana had exited the bedroom out the window when the team went looking for the duchess; and made her way back in. She didn't get to do much after summoning the fire sprites; but she did almost get the fire gem into the boiler. Only a spent hero point and a lucky steal check stopped her; with them nabbing it out of her hand at the absolute last second.

In the end, the wizard and gunslinger were in the negatives after lucky blows (our wizard was at -7; and would have died had he not spent a hero point to make sure he passed his stabilization save). In order to make things a little more trickier for the large party, I threw in a pair of the Duchesses' personal guard (Guardsmen from the Gamemastery guide) who went below decks as the sabotage began. It worked out fairly well; just challenging enough.

We finished with the briefing from Lya and Delft to set things up for Act Two, and to give them time to decide what to purchase with the 1000 gold they had for their trip to Axis Island. Our gunslinger managed to spot the unorthodox solution to her puzzle, earning the team Lya's respect.

I'll post character profiles later!

All in all, we all had fun. They're really digging the setting; and we're all looking forward to the next session in two weeks!

 

[Falkus]

Well, we just had our second session. We're getting through it faster than I thought, they just finished taking the lighthouse and opening the gate! We'll start with the defense of the tower next time; but I'm going to have to think up a few encounters to stretch it out!

Dramatis Personae:

Doctor Jacob Smith (Male Half-Elf Synthesist Summoner 1): A middle aged Engineer, Doctor Jacob Smith used to be something of a recluse; as he worked on his inventions, until he was badly injured during a train robbery and derailment. After recovering most of the use of his legs (he now walks with the aid of a cane), he turned to the arcane arts to regain his youth; and discovered the means of bonding a creature to his physical form; vast increasing his strength and stamina. He joined the RHC in hopes of stopping crimes like the one that crippled him.

Kellinos (Male High Elf Wizard 1): Born to one of the few free high elf woman in a Vekesh Enclave, Kellinos was exceptionally intelligent and easily mastered the arcane arts and took the teachings of Vekesh to heart. However, he also felt that an alliance with humanity was the best hope for the High Elven people; something many in his enclave disagreed with. They hoped the rituals would change his mind; but after enduring the pain and horrors in the dreaming; he was still convinced; and left for Risur; hoping to prove that his people and humans could work together.

Lady Adoraa (Female Human Gunslinger 1): Adoraa was the only child of a noble family; and thrust into lessons of etiquette and manners and the skills a proper lady should learn from an early age. Naturally, she hated it; and preferred to spend her days in her father's studying; reading his books on firearms. Eventually; after she was injured by bullies at her academy, her father (a prominent member of the RHC), relented, and allowed her to undergo training in firearms and combat and to apply to the RHC.

Bonk (Male Half-Orc Barbarian 1): An adopted member of a clan of Orcs in Ber; Bonk learned how to use the warhammer and Klar from a young age; to compensate for his somewhat lessened strength as compared to his Orcish brothers. When the last Yerasol war happened; Bonk and his clan stood with Risur, but many of them perished during fighting on and around Axis island. Bonk was the only survivor; and has spent the past seven years as a war hero in Flint, under the guidance of Adoraa.

Dorian Lowe (Male Aasimar Druid 1): An ancient Aasimar, Dorian witnessed the Great Malice in person; and was gifted (or cursed) with immortality. He's served Risur for a very long time now, living in Flint for several incarnations (he's even on a first name basis with Governor Standfield); and was part of the RHC in his previous life; until he was shot by Danorish guns smugglers off the coast of Flint. He has a lion companion, Pangor Ban, that accompanies him wherever he goes.

Sebastian of the North Avery Coast (Male Human Cleric 1): Growing up on the North Avery Coast; Sebastian had the tenets off the Old Faith, community, service, respect for all living things firmly ingrained in him from a young age. And then his father sent him off to war at the age of sixteen; following the family tradition of military service. Armed only with the family longbow and quarterstaff, the war scarred him deeply; and he turned to his faith for answer.

Junior Detective Marcus Holmes (Male Human Rogue 1): A skilled investigator and spirit medium, Marcus serves the RHC as a specialist in both investigations and unarmed fighting; preferring to bring in enemies of the state alive for interrogation and imprisonment.

Varlet De La Grange (Male Human Rogue 1): A young man from a rich family, Varlet grew up full of contradictions. He acted as if he wasn't part of his family; learned how to sneak, pick locks, steal and fight. He was constantly getting in trouble in his father's manor; for trying to take jewellery and other items. During the last Yerasol War, out of a burning curiosity to find out what war was really like; he wound up on a major battlefield between Danorish and Risuri forces; and through a sequence of events, wound up the last living man on the battlefield; with the relief forces under the impression that he'd managed to kill the enemy commander; cementing his status as a war hero.