Boozer in Khazan, a Trollhalla adventure in Ten Parts, January 10-20, 2007 --- Greetings, O Mighty Ones, It's time for another story of the brave adventurers of Trollhalla. I notice that the mightiest of us all right now is Boozer. Therefore, I am sending him on a trip to Khazan to take a message to the Death Goddess. This is how it works. Once a day I will write a paragraph or two describing what is happening to Boozer. At the end there will be some choices of what should Boozer do. Pick one and reply to your email telling me what Boozer does in the situation. For Tvp, reply quickly. Speed counts. As your first test, look at Boozer's character in the Hall of Champions, and at your rulebooks, and tell me what armor and weapons is Boozer carrying on this trip. Also, if you were sending a message to the Death Goddess, what would it be? The Adventures of Boozer in Khazan have begun. H'aaarrrrggghhh! Khenn Arrth --- Boozer arrived at the river gate on the eastern wall of Khazan with the sun. There were hundreds of farmers with wagons waiting to bring their produce into the city, but the guards saw his weapons and armor, and that he wasn't human, and brought him in through the Warrior's Gate. When he told them that he had a message for the Death Goddess, they gave him a map to the palace and wished him good luck, not bothering to mention that no one had seen Her Frightfulness for years. Boozer remembered what the Trollgod had said to him when giving him the pouch. "Be sure to do any sightseeing that you want to do in Khazan before you go see the Death Goddess. Things might get hairy afterwards." Booozer went to the Trollgod's armory and outfitted himself for the journey. When finished, he looked in the mirror and this is what he saw. He wears soft, ankle-high leather boots, in dark green, with tiny axes embroidered onto them at the front, normal clothing (woolen trousers, cotton shirt and vest!) in 'earthy' tones, including waistcoat and hooded cloak. He has a broad black belt and ornate dragon head buckle. He carries a backpack containing delvers pack, small grapple hook and 20' of fine elven silk rope, a few provisions for the day, flint and steel, water skin, 3 wax candles, magnetic compass and small bullseye lantern and spare oil. A large, battered drinking tankard hangs from his pack. It has a dragon pattern on, and at the bottom, inside, are the words "drink to me only with thine eyes" Is this tankard magical? Not telling! His armour comprises of a buckler and soft green leather armour. He carries only small weapons so as not to appear threatening (as Pacino said in "Devil,s Advocate', "always be the little guy, they don't see ya coming!") so he has a fang-wing dagger, which he can throw if desired, a sax, usually hidden within his cloak, for hand to hand fighting, and carries a very light self-bow across his back, and usually carries a sheaf of fishbow arrows. He sometimes carries a war bola is in wilderness areas or on a journey. Although Boozer is skilled in swordcraft, he does not yet own a sword. he is saving-up for a special one! Once inside the city, he passed by the entrance to the Dwarven City of Thrindol, skirted the already bustling marketplace, and spotted the high colisseum walls of the Arena. On the southern edge of Thrindol, he saw a sign saying "Future location of Gristlegrim: Khosht" that bore picture of a grinning, one-eyed Dwarf. As he wandered toward the palace, he saw a magnificent building all made of green stone. Approaching it, he learned it was the Temple of the Money Gods. "Hmm," said Boozer. "I didn't know that gods had money." As he wandered around the building away from the front, he found himself by a waterfall with a pool. Through the clear water he could see many coins lying on the bottom, only a couple of feet down. Checking to see if anyone was looking--no one seemed to be--he waded in and scooped up a handful of gold and silver (3 gold, 6 silver). As he tucked the money into his pouch, he felt something strange--he was rising, levitating. "I'll give it back!" yelled Boozer, but it was too late for that. The force that held him propelled him through the waterfall and into a cavern of some sort. Enough light came through the water so that he could dimly see a doorway ahead of him and words carved into the stone. They said: "Go forward, thief! To retreat now would be your doom." Boozer had seen stranger things in his life, so he didn't panic. As his feet touched the ground, he looked around carefully to see what his options were. The waterfall roared and pounded behind him, seeming to be the obvious way out. Off to the right was a pile of large round stones, and protruding from the pile was the hilt of a broadsword with a finely wrought hilt. Ahead of him was a tunnel entrance moving into darkness--not that he would have any trouble seeing in such a place. The rest was only stone. "That's what I get for stealing from money gods," Boozer said to himself. "What was I thinking?' ____________________________________________ For tvp, tell me, does Boozer: 1. Try to run back out through the waterfall? 2. Investigate the sword and the stones? 3. Enter the dark tunnel before him? Remember, my mighty ones, speed counts on this contest, but not nearly as much as simply sending in your choice. --- "Hurmmm," said Boozer, "a sword in some stones. If I pull it out, maybe I'll become the King of Khazan. Naaaaahhhh, that only works in fairy tales, and I'm no fairy. Still, let's take a look at it." He walked over to the sword. As he got closer he noticed that some of the rocks seemed to have a few chips and scratches on them. And the sword looked better and better. He also felt a kind of tingle in the back of his mind, but whether it was a good tingle or a bad tingle he couldn't tell. He stretched out his hand to take the sword. . . . _______________________________________________ At this point it is worth mentioning that Boozer failed a L1SR on INT. He rolled an 8, needed a 14. I'm giving the real Boozer saving roll and combat xp. He can still choosee. Take the sword or don't. Remember, speed, and having your name in the message counts. Khenn --- Boozer stretched out his hand and pulled the sword from the stone. As it came free it rang like a bell and began to glow with a white light. Just then the rock pile began to pull itself into a vaguely humanoid form. Even as the legs form it is lunges at at Boozer. The sword seems to know what to do, as it pulls Boozer's arm out straight into a stop thrust. Magical glowing metal hits stone and enters a crevice between two stones with a clang. The rock monster seems to pause for an instant when the sword penetrates it. "Oops," said Boozer to himself. "Out of the waterfall, into the whirlpool. Yikes!" ____________________________________________ Should Boozer stay and fight the rock monster? Or should he release the sword and run for it? --- Boozer stuck the glowing sword into the onrushing rock monster as it flailed wildy at him. Then he ducked as a huge rocky arm came swinging at his head. It missed and whooshed over. (L3 DEX SR to see if he put the sword back in the right spot. Rolled 8, missed it, but got 24 xp. L1 LK SR to see if running away would save him. He rolled 19 and made it handily. 19 xp.) Then Boozer turned and sprinted for the dark passageway. At the end of the passageway, he exited in a circular white room with two silver pillars standing in the center. Each pillar was about waist high on a human, and they seem to hum faintly as he approached them. Boozer walked all around the silver pillars. In the far distance he heard the sound of sword and rocks clashing together. It didn't seem to be getting any closer. Then he walked between the pillars and the world changed around him. He found himself in an intersection. Four corridors led away into the darkness. Above each one was a symbol, the symbols being stylizations of fire, water, air, and earth. (L1SR on INT. He rolled a 6 and missed it by 8. 6 ap.) Boozer felt a cold breeze spring up, and a momentary sensation of danger, but it passed without anything happening. (Check for wandering monsters--none appeared) "I guess I've gotten away from the rock monster," Boozer mumbled. Now which way should i go?" _______________________________________________ Follow the fire path? Follow the water path? Follow the air path? Follow the earth path? Stay where he is until someone appears so he can ask directions? --- Boozer studied the symbols for a minute and then turned down the earth path. He walked along for a while, and it seemed as if the walls widened out on both sides and the ceiling got higher and higher, and the rock underfoot got softer and greener, and . . . He found himself standing in the middle of a green field under the open sky, and worse, he was standing there in the nude. All that nice equipment that he had taken from the Trollgod's armory just magically crumbled away. "Hey, Boozer!" yelled a voice from behind him--a voice not unlike his own voice. Boozer turned around and saw a being that looked exactly like him charging at him. "This world isn't big enough for the both of us," cried the duplicate. "You got that right," said Boozer. There was a terrible fight. I'm happy to report that the original beat the duplicate without taking even a scratch of damage in return in a mere 8 combat rounds. Still he had nothing to show for it. Looking around the meadow a bit more, he saw two signs. One said: "Blue Frog Tavern" and had an arrow. The other said "Danger and Death" and had an arrow pointing the other direction. _______________________________________________ Which way did Boozer go: Blue Frog Tavern? Danger and Death? --- Once Boozer set out upon the path to the Blue Frog tavern, it was as if an irresistible force swept him along. As he walked the sky darkened into night, and the buildings of the city appeared around him. In the distance he could see a half open doorway with bright light spilling out of it, and a raucous noise coming from within. Just before he reached the tavern, Boozer noticed an old goblin lying in the gutter. The goblin was snoring loudly, and as Boozer approached he detected a stench of cheap beer rising from the unconscious one's mouth. The old drunk didn't seem to have much but he did have a ragged brown tunic, a belt, and a small dagger thrust through it. That was a lot more than Boozer had at the moment. It occurred to Boozer that he didn't have to walk around completely naked and unarmed. The drunk was going to be able to resist if he took his tunic and weapon. ______________________________________________ Should Boozer take the drunk goblin's clothes and dagger before entering the Blue Frog, or should he just walk into the place in the buff and give all the ladies a thrill? --- Boozer steps fastidiously over his sodden comrade in the gutter, but reaches down and nicks his dagger. (2D6 + 1). Then he pushes open the door to the Blue Frog Tavern and steps into the place. The Blue Frog Tavern is a typical Khazan bar. Sawdust covers the floor to soak up the blood and puke. A dozen tables, along with some benches and chairs fill the room. A large blazing fireplace fills one end of the room and a wide wooden bar lined with stools fills the other. Behind the bar is the entrance to the kitchen. A swinging front door, four large windows across the front of the tavern, and a multitude of lit lanterns hanging from chains attached to the ceiling finish off the simplistic decor. A wooden door also leads into a meeting room in the back. Boozer sees Lucky (the one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged bartender) and Chereva (the hot centauress bouncer). He scans the place to see if anyone he knows is there. "Hey," shouts Chereva. "The entertainment has arrived, and it looks like he started without us." A roar of laughter greets this sally. Boozer scans the room and sees a wide variety of kindreds sitting around getting sloshed. Ah, there is one person there he knows--it's Taran Dracon the Uruk and his brother Jax. He also sees two wizards, a drunk, a skeleton man, two ladies of dubious virtue, and a winged toad. "Ahem," said Boozer, clearing his throat loudly. "I have just escaped from some sort of magical otherplace . . ." "By the skin of your teeth!" shouts Taran. "And I'm on a mission for the Trollgod to see Lerotra'hh . . ." "Looks like she'll be doing the seeing," snorts the centaur. "and I could use a little help, mainly clothing, and a drink." ________________________________________________ Who steps forward to help Boozer at this time? Taran? Jax? Chereva? Lucky? wizard one? wizard two? the drunk? the skeleton? Lady one? Lady two? the winged toad? nobody? ________________________________________________ --- "That's not the entertainment," cried Taran, leaping to his feet. "Jax, give me your cloak." He jerked it off his brother's shoulders and poked two holes in it with his claws, holes big enough for goblin legs to fit through. "Here, step into this," Taran told Boozer. Now we fold the front and back up like this and pin them at the shoulders. Desuma, some pins please." The demoness snapped her fingers and two cheap broaches (not roaches) appeared. In less than a minute the goblin was decent again, although just barely. "What happened to you, Boozer?" asked Jax. "Magic. There was this fountain. I took a couple of coins out of it, and got attacked by a rock monster that stole my magic sword . . ." Heads around the tavern were nodding. "Yep, yep, that kind of thing happens here in Khazan all the time." Boozer joined the uruk brothers at their table. Taran signalled for Lucky to bring Boozer a drink, and then asked, "What are you doing in Khazan, Boozer?" "Trying to deliver a package to the Death Goddess for the Trollgod, but I lost it. Do you think I'm in trouble?" "Don't worry about it," Taran answered. "Nobody has seen the Death Goddess in these parts for a dozen years or so. Just tell His Forgetfulness that she wouldn't see you. "And that a thief ran off with your package," added Jax. "Hey, Boozer, looks like many of the regulars are here tonight. Would you like to meet anyone at the Blue Frog? A better crew of adventurers you'll never find." "Hmm," said Boozer looking at the motley bunch with some dread. As he was thinking it over, Shippy the Hobbit walked in. "Him, her, it." said Boozer pointing at someone at random. ________________________________________________ Who does Boozer really want to meet? Who did Boozer point at? The wizard Cobalt Darkwater? Michael of the Midnight Magics? The drunken Tosal Thoth? Chereva the sexy Centaur? Skeleton man Jack de Crampon? Lucky the Bartender? the winged toad Glarghj'nasik'ncdl'n? the demonic ladies Domina and Desuma? nobody? He just wants to get back to the Hobgoblin Tavern. --- "I'd like to meet her," said Boozer. Taran beckoned to the doorguard. She trotted over to see what he wanted. "Chereva, I'd like to introduce my friend, Boozer," said Taran. Jax lifted Boozer up to stand on the table top. From that elevation he could almost look her in the eyes. "Well, short, green and bold," said Chereva, tossing back a flagon of ale that Jax had procured for her. "Why would you want to meet me?" "I've never met a Centaur before," said Boozer, "and anyway I'm looking for a ride back to Trollhalla. I wouldn't be much of a burden for someone as magnificent as you, and I can make it worth your while when we reach the stronghold of the trollgod." "A chance to get out of this dump for a while," neighed Chereva. "Done! Meet me at the front door at dawn, and we'll be on our way." With transportation arranged, Boozer relaxed and partied on through the night with the two Uruk brothers. The End ---