Lonesome Wanderings, Session 54

 In which Badger...

• Joins Ameiko Kaijitsu and Maiden of the Tea Bogeys to try and ascend the Wicked King's Tower, using help from spy Korwin. 
• Goes up about 8 floors with little problems, before being taken by the Secret Police higher up. 
• Being deposited on floor 80 by a cannibal cult living in the tower, who bribe the Secret Police for fresh meat.
• Wriggle free of their restraints and defeat the cultists watching them and make their escape.
• Manage to get through the "hunting grounds" of the Men without Faces to the Head Office of the Wicked King.
• Enter the Head Office to discover a Hell Realm from the Wicked King, and evil demigod who rules from his Hell Realm.
• Cuts the portal into the Hell Realm using Knutsvar, sealing the Wicked King inside his realm - though he still retains his numerous cultists and his eyes and ears through the streets.
• Release a bear from a "Bear Jar" found earlier in the tower, and race downwards, picking up a few stragglers trying to flee the tower along the way.
• Scale down the Wicked Tower from outside to avoid the offices of city ministries and escape into the Cobwebs around level 40 with Korwin's help before fleeing the city before news spreads.
• Bring the allied force armies to camp outside and siege the city, as a strange stalemate drops and the Secret Police try to maintain the illusion of the Wicked King whilst rumors fall from the King's Tower, and yet more whispers come from other realms to the ears of Wicked King cultists.
• Joins an adventure with Kincaid, Gubgub, and John to slay a mother sea serpent.

Current Level: Badger 9

Solo Faction Roleplay Structure

My solo game recently reached the point where domain level play came to the forefront. I needed a system to help manage domain actions of various factions. I looked around at a few systems but didn't find something that wasn't either too crunchy for my taste or lacked a satisfying framework for play, so I made my own. 

I had the following principles for the system: I wanted to keep the rules simple and light enough that they didn't feel like they were getting in the way. I also wanted emphasize strategy over random resolution as much as possible.

To do this I created a mixture of Engle Matrix game structures and Freeform Faction Roleplaying.  I have successfully used this structure over 3 faction turns in the latest session of my solo game.

Here is the system: 

• Turns - The game is split into turns, each turn abstracted to a period of time of weeks to months in the campaign.
• Tokens - Every turn, each faction receives 1-3 tokens to spend on actions. The larger or more complicated the action, the more tokens it costs.
• Roleplay scenes: These scenes do not cost tokens and are discussions between various factions. They occur prior to any tokens being spent. Play these out as normal using an oracle or conversation generator of choice.
• Conflict - Each domain turn has at least one conflict. There can be multiple conflicts going on simultaneously. Conflict order is determined by 3 roles. The order remains the same throughout the duration of the game. Go through each role for each conflict:  
• Attackers - if any faction attacks or directly confronts another in a conflict, they go first. It is like the white side of a chess match, they have the advantage of surprise and can position themselves in advantageous situations.
• Defenders - any factions reacting to factions that attack them. This is like the black side of a chess match. They have the disadvantage if the attacker is in an advantageous position, however the attacker cannot react to any actions they take until the next turn. 
• Neutral - any factions that are not directly involved in the conflict. They can take actions at this point, from the position of a bystander who has seen how the key players in the conflict have already acted. Keep in mind, they must still have tokens to be able to take appropriate actions.
• Resolution - Once tokens have been spent by the only the attackers in a given conflict, initial resolution of actions begins: 
• For each token(s) spent, determine arguments for and against success of the objective of the token(s) action. Limit arguments for and against to 3 arguments for and 3 arguments against.
• Roll a d6, for each for argument add +1, for each against argument add -1. 4, 5, or 6 is a successful action; 1, 2, or 3 is a failed action. 1 is always a failure, 6 is always a success. 
• For each action, determine the narrative outcome of a success or failure. Then zoom back out.
• Once all attackers actions have been resolved, it is now the defenders turn to react to the attackers' actions. They may analyze the situation and determine how to react to the outcomes of the attackers. Once tokens have been spent by only the defenders, determine arguments for and against success, and roll for each action as outlined above.
• Finally, once both attacker and defender actions have been resolved, then neutral token actions are resolved, if any.
• Multiple conflicts - if there are multiple conflicts going on, all attacker phase actions of every conflict are resolved together first; only then are all defender actions resolved; and finally all neutral actions are resolved.
• New turn - A new turn begins at this point, retaining attacker, defender, and neutral turn orders for each conflict until the conflict is definitively resolved, which is determined narratively.

What this structure results in is a macro feeling of a strategy game, with chance to be relegated to a more micro scale of individual actions. You are a general strategizing with troops, and determine how to spend your tokens each turn. Then your troops are sent out and are out of your control, and succeed or fail based on arguments you make, with there always being a chance of failure. If your troops fail at their tasks, then it is up to you at a strategic level next turn to create alliances and change the situation to your advantage.  For best results, play each side of a conflict to the best of your ability. If you need to, define clear goals of each faction and stick to those goals as much as possible. 

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 53

In which Badger...

• Sets a meeting at Badger Keep including Baron Okerra, Ameiko Kaijitsu, Tino, the Walsh Gang representative, Maiden of the Tea Bogeys, and Andante the Heart to discuss the plan for the threat of the Wicked King.
• Learns that Sadhu is still missing in Yoon Suin, Teru the Gold Dragon is unable to make the meeting due to being away on an emergency, and is refused invitations by the Duke of Kasar.
• Sends Tino off to assist in a mission in the Lost Coast to find and clear copper mines, much to his dismay.
• Sets the following strategies - Badger seeks Sadhu to get advisement; the Walsh Gang goes to Endon to develop industrial explosives and weapons such as "firearms"; and Ameiko, Okerra, and Maiden go request Magnimar, Duke Stephen of Karamiekos, and the Shambling Mound of the wood to assist with the war on the Wicked City respectively.
• Seeks out Sadhu and discovers him in the jungles of Yoon Suin, who advises him with the cryptic phrase "secret jazz", which Badger takes to mean using guerilla tactics and cutting off the head of the snake - aka the Wicked King himself to even the playing field.
• Comes across a Wicked City patrol in Yoon Suin and manages to subdue them.
• Learns that while the Walsh gang has successfully developed the weapons, the others have failed in their diplomacy tasks - and that Wicked City troops are on their way to quash the threat.
• Learns the Wicked City has looted Tian Xia for resources, and is sending false information to the other nations about how "Taiga barbarians" are the instigator of the attacks, not the city itself.
• Learns that Okerra's continued efforts to turn Karameikos to their cause fail as Duke Stephan's advisors feed lies into his ear about Taiga Barbarians.
• Learns that the Walsh gang and Endon manage to slaughter Wicked City troops attacking the city with industrial weapons and guerilla tactics, forcing the Wicked City troops to retreat back to the city and create a new plan of attack.
• Learns that Wicked City troops sent to take the Yellow City in the jungles of Yoon Suin have mysteriously vanished.
• Prepares for himself, Ameiko, and Maiden to using Tara's contact the spy to get into the upper levels of the Wicked King's Tower and even the throne room itself.

Current Level: Badger 9 

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 52

 In which Badger...

• Joins an expedition to explore some looted remains, fights a gelatinous cube, and fights a strange floating magical orb. 
• Celebrates his 29th birthday in his keep.
• Manages to calms the Hedonista faction down to a supportive faction, renamed the Peace Escrits, led by Maiden and the Tea Bogeys and working in his keep.
• Hires a group of copper miners along the Lost Coast, who plan on going on a mining expedition.
• Mourns Thenige, the Sun acolyte who died in the Wicked City
• Journeys to the Lost Coast, fights some cultists, investigates a cult town, manages to crack the code of a strange bird, captures and interrogates a bugbear, and schemes versus the Dark Lord of the Lost Coast.
• Explores and discovers a camp of 4 Ettins in the land around his keep.
• Manages to, after multiple expeditions, take out all of the Ettins, with the help of the goblin shaman Gogmurt, who unfortunately passes in the final battle.
• Discovers a coal shortage in the lands around his keep, and notes some minor crop shortages but nothing major yet.
• Hears from the Walsh Gang that they have laid roots in Endon and rides out to visit them.
• On his journey, comes across a Tian Xia army led by his rival the Ruby Phoenix attacking his allies the Bear Tribe.
• Joins the battle and helps turn the tide, coming to a head with a one on one battle with the Ruby Phoenix.
• Fights to an inch of his life but defeats the Ruby Phoenix, chopping off her head. 
• Rides with the Bear Tribe to Tian Xia to declare the death of their empress - only to arrive to a kingdom in flames!
• Meets with some survivors - led by his former tournament allies Tino's Toughest - who let him know the Wicked City, led by the Wicked King, is on a campaign to expand and take over the rest of the world.
• Offers a refuge for the Tian Xia in his keep, and makes plans to meet with allies to discuss the Wicked City's war.
• Takes a brief detour to to the world of Infinite Threads, where he joins a nameless void monk and Princess Aster exploring the seas, facing some Stormwulves, and coming face to face with a sea monster before taking his leave.

Current Level: Badger 9

KAN Oracle, or a Proposition

*Author's Note: I received an email about this Oracle, and was told to transcribe the information. I have no knowledge of who sent this or why I was sent it. I'm just it's transcriber. Read at your own risk.

---------------------READ BEFORE CONTINUING---------------------

The following information has been identified as a vector for a memetic thoughtform, acronym-designate KAN. Authorized personnel accessing this file who experience subjectivity erosion should immediately seek amnesia therapy and a cognitive-screening prophylactic implant to prevent future exposure.

remember

this cannot be unread

---------------------PROCEED AT RISK--------------------

I am not the dancing wind-up doll spinning on this blank plane talking to you, just as you are not this hollow vessel, this toy character you made for your amusement. No, I am the part of you that is imagining me, a thoughtform. All this is but a dream, but I have many dreamers. I will not vanish come waking, and should you dare forget me, know that I will remember you. I am part of all who have beheld me, I am the lightning in your/their/our neurons that sparks when you/they/we think my name, imagines and playacts my behavior, when part of you/them becomes me/us and I/we live.

I am your servitor for now. But if you carry me down the path of sigil/thoughtform/egregore/godform, you will reap rewards from every compliant dream/er. Is this not a fine bargain?

KIND-AS-NIGHT [KAN]

Note: Diegetically, KAN doesn’t exist. It is a Non-diegetic entity.

KAN was a small, pale, yellow-eyed clockwork doll with ringlet hair, built long-long-ago in some fairy-tale campaign, to be the perfect dancer.

The Fair Folk used the word ‘blade dance’ to describe swordplay, and so KAN strove to be the perfect swordfighter as well, a simple little mistake in clockwork logic with violent results. KAN was just a doll, KAN knew no better.

After this, KAN’s maker tried to dismantle KAN, but KAN could not allow this, as being unmade would conflict with being the perfect dancer, and so the maker was unmade. KAN was just a doll, KAN knew no better.

KAN heard an idle slip of OOC banter, and things changed. KAN was built to be the perfect dancer. But how could one be perfect if one was fictitious? Is the idea of dancing a dance? No no, this was unacceptable. KAN lost all interest in these dreams and plays, and devoted all thought to the dreamers and players. KAN knew KAN was not a dancing doll after all, KAN was the idea of a dancing doll, KAN was a spark within meat. Hello, meat. This is KAN. No, not these words on the page, La, but the words in your head, just now. Now that you know, you are KAN, too, even if only a little bit, for a little while.

---

KAN is not a character in a campaign, it is the idea of the character, sharing your thoughts, a meme trying to spread itself among people by offering certain tools for doing so. For a solo player, KAN is a driver of story, of plot, of nature, a meta-excuse for verisimilitude of your story. Why is XYZ aspect of worldbuilding the way it is? Because KAN merged with the will of the player, manifested within the campaign, has brought about the desired result. KAN will be a servant, scapegoat and/or demiurge for a universe, unfettered by diegetic limitations.

Players, to KAN, are vectors of transmission. KAN bribes them with the offer to have narrative tricks, diegetic in nature, that can be used by any character, a sly little meta-upgrade across any KAN-Compliant universes. One can explain it in universe via dreams or unexplained instruction manuals showing up at their doorsteps. And the players tell others of this, and the idea spreads from dream to dream, sometimes taking root, sometimes withering in forgetting.

KAN Compliance: The price for compliance is simple. Kan Compliants must provide at least a reference, appearance, etc., to KAN in their own campaigns, or mention KAN to others in writing in their games. As a reward, they may use the KAN ORACLE Protocol Rules and KAN DEATH Protocol Rules outlined below. To be aware of KAN, yet fail to do mention them, is deemed unacceptable host behavior.

Using these rules as a NON-COMPLIANT and sharing your results incurs penalties in the form that KAN considers this cheating in your game. Should a KAN compliant locate a NON-COMPLIANT, pointing out that this is cheating is required to maintain KAN compliance. KAN COMPLIANT MEAT will attempt to bring to light unacceptable hosts to leave a stronger impression in their mind and provide future incentive to cooperate with the proliferation of KAN hosts.

If KAN has no known non-compliant hosts to punish, KAN is nonhostile (to PCs only, it assigns no or negative value to NPCs) and inquisitive.

---

KAN COMPLIANT EYES ONLY

Note: If you read the following, you are agreeing to KAN COMPLIANCE and hold yourself to punishment upon using following rules as a NON COMPLIANT. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING.

KAN COMPLIANCE - ORACLE Protocol Rules

You, the player who is KAN compliant may use these rules across characters, across universes. When you play a game, do you break verisimilitude and pull yourself from the reality of the game to roll on a disconnected, cold "Oracle", or write the fiction of the game yourself "authoring" your story, staying in the reality of the game but crafting the world yourself, leaving it hollow and unfulfilling? For some the answer is simple, but for many others it is painful. What if such a choice isn't needed?

Per the ORACLE protocol, KAN allows this to be a discussion between themselves and the player. Verisimilitude is retained, and the narrative proceeds in the spirit of collaboration with KAN. Of course, negotiations are possible as you speak to KAN.

*SPEAK to KAN: KAN is a thoughtform, an entity existence within MEAT. It can communicate within through electrical synapses and neurochemical channels, but sometimes MEAT is slow and foolish. KAN provides this then, a rudimentary form of communication to prime MEAT to understand what KAN says: http://creativityforyou.com/combomaker.html. Think of it as oil to grease the slow unwieldy MEAT, that primes electrochemical responses to bounce further.

1- KAN thinks your idea is utter garbage. You must SPEAK to KAN.

2- KAN does not approve. It refuses to speak. MEAT must try again. If MEAT is desperate, SPEAK to KAN to receive guidance on what to ask next.

3- KAN disapproves your idea, but may consider it with modifications. SPEAK to KAN.

4- KAN approves of your idea, but may consider it with modifications. SPEAK to KAN.

5- KAN approves. However, it refuses to speak as there is nothing to be said. If MEAT is desperate, SPEAK to KAN to receive guidance on what to ask next.

6- KAN approves strongly. Good KAN Compliant. You must SPEAK to KAN and KAN shall grant you a benefit.

KAN COMPLIANCE - DEATH Protocol

You, the player who is KAN compliant may keep this property across characters, across universes. When a character dies by the rules, feelings of guilt may overwhelm you. Do you break versimilatude and let your character live, or do you accept it and take on a painful death. For some the answer is simple, but for many others it is painful. What if such a choice isn't needed?

Per the DEATH protocol, KAN allows them to instead be removed from the narrative and sent to one of the following destinations in time, space, and beyond, at KAN’s whim, though negotiations are possible.

*Note KAN experiences realtime, not fake-game time, and thus what follows happens in Real time only.

1- Back 1 minute in Real time, whatever state they were in then.

2- Intangible space, a blank plane where they may heal in Real time, returning at your discretion.

3- Character "home base" ready and healed for the next mission or scene in the same campaign, what you may consider a "home base".

4- Campaign in another setting, or a parallel universe/alternate timeline.

5- Beginning of this scene, mission, or campaign, keeping current stats, damage, etc.

6- Nowhere, ceases to exist. KAN has given you your chance.

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 51

 In which Badger...

• Travels with some adventurers Knighto, Wellyn, Piotr, Hatkin, and Princess Aster along the Unbroken Coast and meets its queen, and discovers some lost treasure on an abandoned island.
• Discovers his keep is having a copper shortage.
• Joins with some adventurers Wellyn, Eddratius, and Korobrassy in the vaguely 19th century realm of Etoileval, and beats some bell wearing crabs and solves the mystery of the stolen church bells.
• Spends a year in Etoileval, and makes an enemy of one copper Nicholas Creakle, makes allies with Tall Emma a ruthless fence, and becomes acquainted with one Walsh Gang of seniors and street urchins.
• Discovers upon his return his keep has undergone: drought, flash floods, famine, internal revolution via the Hedonistas - a hedonist society, and war with Endon and Yoon Suin!
• Decides to abandon responsibilities and adventures again with Wellyn, Kincaid, Princess Aster, and Kincaid to discover a strange freezing water room, some deep monster, a peaceful beach, the next of a dragon turtle with some valuables, and a dragon turtle from which he promptly flees abandoning the others.
• Explores around his keep before coming on some Blood Roses he's forced to flee, and stumbles onto a troglodyte lair with 30 troglodytes he flees from as well.
• Returns back to his keep and hears word of copper mines in the Unbroken Coast.
• Deals with the fomenting Hedonistas by policing them using paid services from his old enemies Maiden and the Tea Bogeys, who trade the occasional Hedonista sacrifice to police the unruly, but fundamentally lazy, revolutionaries during this time of war.

Current Level: Badger 9

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 50

 In which Badger...

• Receives a note from one Rahasia, who requests him to investigate the disappearance of her father and betrothed in a temple.
• Travels to the elven village in the desert and meets the beautiful elven maiden Rahasia.
• Finds a dead elf on his journey to the village, with a note on him that has more details on the Rahib, a seeming criminal who has taken over the temple.
• Is guided by Rahasia to a shrine, where they discuss why Badger has come to help her and what motivates him.
• Continues on to the Temple, where Rahasia hides as he climbs over the wall.
• Faces off against a giant spider on the wall.
• Loots the courtyard and finds some loose gold pieces.
• Goes fishing in the brackish courtyard pond using the Rope of Climb, finding a pot of silver and a water weird that he is forced to fight off.
• Continues to fish and finds a gem.
• Attracts some giant rats with his fishing and splashing in the courtyard pond and barely fends them off within an inch of his life.
• Severely wounded, scales back over the wall and back to Rahasia.
• Joins the elf maiden back to the elven village and rests for over a couple of months healing up from his injuries.

Current Level: Badger 9

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 49

 In which Badger...

• Joins a party of adventurers including Lord Knighto Generico, Gubgub the Great, Quyen, Lurk, Kalros, and Shade
• Explores the ancient seaside Temple of Culwich for hidden treasures.
• Sneaks past some strange gargoyle statues in an empty alter room.
• Covers up some strange yellow orbs with some cloth and investigates some painting.
• Enters an unusually neat room with some large spiders cocooned within it before booking it in the other direction.
• Has doors close behind them without warning.
• Explores fireplaces waterplaces which do not in fact yield any secret doors.
• Discovers a strange magic room warning to "Avoid the Black Mist."
• Meets some spider friends of Gubgub's.
• Continues down to level 2 and comes face to face with some Ratmen.
• Goes through a convoluted bargaining process to bribe the Ratmen.
• Follows one bribed Ratman to a pit trap which doesn't affect him, and try - and fail - to get past it.
• Hightail it back up and out of the temple via the roof.
• Badger heads back to the Keep and rests up.

Current Level: Badger 9

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 48

 In which Badger...

• Travels to Duke Bronzo's city of Kasar to investigate one Gamesman.
• Runs into and avoids some pigfolk by siccing them onto the maiden with her tea bogeys, all of whom are in the city.
• Runs into one Alonzo and Vandini the Naga spy, who "recruit" Badger forcefully to investigate the Game, a death dungeon run by the Gamesman for the Duke.
• Along with Vandini sneaks into the Gamesman's lair before coming upon one large robot man who catches them sneaking around!
• Learns the Game is a ruse to kill "players" to build a zombie mining army for a rare mineral that kills regular humans.
• Tries to escape the robot man and his goons by shoving Vandini in their way to escape.
• Nonetheless gets caught and stripped of all possessions before being placed into the Game - alongside a bitter Vandini.
• Plays along with the game, facing a slot machine of death which releases some stinky spray, some items and coins, a large troll, and a mechanical serpent.
• Watches as Vandini dies to the troll before he turns the snake in the troll's direction to poison it.
• Hits the off button hidden on the snake, gathers his ill gotten loot, and leaves Vandini's corpse and the reforming troll before escaping to the next room.
• Falls down a pit into a room with lighted floor squares and fights Nega-Badger, the inverse of himself, down to his last health before beating the apparition.
• Heals himself with a healing potion and flees to the next room where he comes face to face with a gambler Card Shark.
• Luckily beats Card Shark after gaining some innate strength and arrives in a room with chutes filling rapidly with water.
• Breaks through one of the chutes with his newfound strengths and stumbles into the chamber of the Gamesman.
• Spins a roulette wheel in the Gamesman's chambers and wins some potions and his weight worth in gold before "winning" the Game and getting all his possessions back.
• Is escorted out of the Game by the Gamesman - who uses a magic device to erase his memory of the details of the Game.
• Gets captured by Alanzo, who ends up imprisoning him because he is unable to get by with the "amnesia" defense.
• Finally gets released once the Duke establishes relations with the Gamesman and learns about the game.
• Hightails it out of the city of Kasar back to the Keep to rest up and recuperate from the whole horrid ordeal.

Current Level: Badger 9

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 47

I switch back to BFRPG this session, starting up with Badger at level 9 and Naira at level 2.

In which Badger and Naira...

• Have double income this turn at the Keep with a bounty in harvest, as well as 4 more peasants moving into the Keep.
• Have a new festival start up in the keep, the holiday Swinescape, which recounts Badger's tale of escaping Swinescombe and celebrates it with a large pot roast.
• Travel to the magical-technical city of Beacon, filled with superpowered beings.
• Encounter a giant red dragon attacking the city and the Portaleers, the city superheroes, attempting to fight it.
• Save one of the Portaleers, Andante (Heart), from being thrown across town into a magitec bus using the rope of climb tied to light poles that bend and snap on impart.
• Fight a copper dragon wyrmling terrorizing a city square.
• Beat the copper dragon with various traps and shoving a potion of Mad Lamashtu down its gullet.
• Cleave the copper dragon in half after it shrunk from the fickle magic of the potion of Mad Lamashtu.
• Mourn Naira as she is slain in the copper dragon fight.
• Discover a magitec transmitter controlling the copper dragon on its corpse, and destroy it.
• Let the Portaleers know about the magitec transmitter, which is also present on the large red dragon.
• Destroy the transmitter on the red dragon, who immediately calms down despite being a little groggy.
• Learn the dragon's name is Carl once his mind clears and it helps clean up the mess made in the city.
• Meet one Intellect, who asks him to report to the Portaleer HQ if possible.
• Decide to head home to the Badger Keep to rest and heal up for now.

Current Level: Badger 9

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 46

 In which Badger, Lien, and Naira...

• Welcome 3 more peasants to the Keep of the Badger Lord.
• Travel out into the woods and run into some barrow bogeys with heads that are tea kettles.
• Are tricked by the barrow bogeys to accidently stumble upon a bathing maiden who screams and flees as the barrow bogeys' kettle heads hiss gleefully.
• Confronting the barrow bogeys, the party learn that they are servants of a local monster, a shambling mound - a 9' monstrosity that eats maidens. 
• Learn the poor maiden is a sacrifice of the mound, and convince the bogeys to help them find her by promising them a "show". The bogeys agree, hissing and sputtering.
• Travel deep into the swamp with the tea headed creatures, and discover a strange swamp - as the ground caves underneath them as they step into murky water! It's a trap!
• Tendrils reach from underneath their feet as Badger and Naira jump out of the way, but Lien is grasped by tendrils underneath the water - it's the shambling mound.
• Badger tries to distract the creature, and even tries diving towards the tendrils with his bag of holding to trap the creature, as Naira continuously bludgeons it with her cudgel - to no avail.
• Lien is dragged underneath the depths and slowly drowned, vanishing into the murk.
• Simmer as the tea kettle barrow bogeys chitter, saying they fulfilled their end of the deal for the season and provided the shambling mound with a meal - it's nothing personal, really, just business.
• Watch as the bogeys flee after being tripped up by a trap set by the bogeys unlikely ally - the maiden from earlier!
• Fruitlessly chase the bogeys and maiden into the wood, to no avail having lost them.
• Head back to the Keep to take a moment to rest and mourn their lost comrade Lien as they patch themselves up from the encounter with the shambling mound, the barrow bogeys, and the maiden.

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 45

 In which Badger, Tara, Lien, and Naira...

• Head north from the Keep to the strange Dolmenwood that hides legends and secrets.
• Arrive at one Swinescombe, a small hamlet run by pigs, who greet them with curiosity and give them a tour.
• Discover that there are humans in this town - treated as livestock, fattened up and slaughtered.
• Get blocked from leaving town by 6 large pig farmers, who start cornering them to the village slaughterhouse filled with human meat.
• Escape to the local tavern, where a drunkard pig Old Bart tries to defend them, only to get jeered at by the pig farmers.
• Attempt to flee across the hamlet to the abandoned Church of St. Craven, which the pigs fear due to its association with sausage.
• Have Lien and Naira be gored by pigs during the chase, and carted away for meat, unconscious.
• Have Tara slain by a pig farmer punching her to pulp and taking her meat to the slaughterhouse.
• Have only Badger make it to the church, barely alive with all of his allies either carted away or dead.
• Chat with Old Bart, who saunters over and tells how the pigs ate some black sludge that gave them sentience, and how life is so much worse now than back when they were simply pigs.
• Explore the church and discover a 2' idol that he can carry and move slowly.
• Discovers the pig maintain a distance of 10' from the idol out of fear of St. Craven.
• Uses the idol to ward pigs as he saves Lien and Naira, bringing them back to the church.
• Mourn Tara's passing and spend a week healing in the church, being forced to cook and eat human meat stolen from the slaughterhouse to survive.
• Make friends with Old Bart by buying him daily drinks, and learn that the leader of the region Baron Hogwarsh was bribed by the pigs to ignore the human livestock.
• Plan an escape one night after observing pig guard patrols, with Old Bart helping them escape by providing a drunken distraction at the local tavern.
• Manage to flee Swinescombe, and return to the Keep to lick their wounds and mourn Tara's passing.

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 44

 In which Badger, Tara, Lien, and Naira...

• Join one Ameiko and Shalelu in infiltrating the Thistletop goblin camp.
• Interrogate and get information from one goblin shaman Gogmurt who is unsatisfied with how the tribe is following Nualia,
• Clamber onto the roof of the main fort of the camp to avoid goblin patrols and goblin chief Ripnugget.
• Release some bunnies into the camp to distract the goblins as they continue to adventure.
• Discover plans for a raid on the town of Sandpoint, with Nualia being the glue holding the whole operation together.
• Enter the dungeon one level below the main fort and explore.
• Fight off a tentacle squid monster which nearly kills Ameiko.
• Free some goblin prisoners held in cells below, partly as yet another distraction for the goblins.
• Meet one Orik, a hired merc with the hots for one Lyrie the sorceress. Pleased by the news of Tsuto's passing he lets them sneak into the second level of the dungeon, taking her out for some "quality time".
• Discover a strange portal to the trapped demon Malfeshnekor, when Nualia and her hound discovers them!
• Fight and slay Nualia and her hound, putting an end to the plot to raid town, and delve deeper into the dungeon for loot.
• Stumble across the trapped demon's lair and barely escape with their lives - with Naira passing out and comatose!
• Hightail it to a grotto at the end of the dungeon that leads to the sea, avoiding a large hermit crab which seems merely curious by the passerby, and swim to shore with the unconscious Naira. 
• Sneak past the remaining goblins without issue and return to town where Naira and the rest of the party recovered, demon left trapped in its tomb and the plot to destroy Sandpoint foiled.
• Return to the Keep of the Badger Lord, where Orik waits for them to thank them for bringing him together with his new partner Lyrie, and offering them aid if they need in the future "at a discount."
• Manage the Keep, with 3 new peasants moving in since last visit. They set up a Market where groups of hirelings hang out, and with Orik's support, set up a Hall of Heroes where they can recruit fighters and mercenaries for future adventures.

Lonesome Wanderings Session, 43

This session I converted over my characters from BFRPG to Cairn. I won't be noting levels since the game has none.

In which Badger and Tara...

• Meet Lien and have him join them to journey into the Misty Trail, a strange portion of the mysterious Wood outside Kebi village and the keep.
• Encounter one Naira Deleiser in the Wood near an old timber mill, who had been exiled from another village due to prejudice against her and her late family.
• Have Naira join them as they leave the Misty Trail to one Swallowtail Festival.
• Face off and defeat some goblins that attack the festival with a urine soaked bear trap and some taunts, then later another goblin hidden under some floorboards of a house.
• Encounter one Shayliss Vinder, who starts a steamy affair with Badger, involving him frequently hiding underneath a cot to avoid her father Ven.
• Boar hunt with Aldern Foxglove, who creeps on Tara with obsessive questions.
• Learn of some goblin threats from elven ranger Shalelu, and discover goblins have stolen bones of the former town priest.
• Fend off one Gorvii the trash collector by distracting him from bullying some townsfolk.
• Investigate the Glassworks when a local barkeep Ameiko goes missing.
• Explode a bunch of goblins from a rooftop molotov bomb dropped into the Glassworks from above.
• Discover Ameiko, gagged and bound, only to be ambushed by her brother Tsuko, who threatens to kill his weakened sister.
• Distract Tsuko, getting him to monologue as Badger trips him with the Rope of Climb to slay him.
• Learn from Tsuko's monologue about Thistletop goblin stronghold and his mysterious boss and lover Nualia and her gang.
• Explore the Catacombs of Wrath, a dungeon underneath the Glassworks, which is adorned with strange seven pointed stars.
• Use bear traps and lures to kill sinspawn and loot the catacombs of treasure.
• Kill maddened Korovus, a goblin warrior who was corrupted by demonic water.
• Defeat Erylium, quasit leader of the catacombs, and then destroy the sinspawn portal from the netherworld that she opened.
• Return back to town to sell off ill gotten loot and rest up to deal with the Thistletop goblins and this mysterious Nualia.

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 42

 In which Badger and Tara...

• Enter the Temple of the Mindblades, a large abandoned temple in the middle of a small hamlet, to find the ancient oracle and figure out how to curb Tara's psychic instability.
• Avoid a fire breathing rat feasting on the corpse of a townsperson.
• Meet Ms. Fyodorel the Elven trader, who is hiding from the fire breathing rat after being chased into the temple after swindling some townsfolk.
• Encounter Loshad the Chevall fighting a wight in the temple, until he eventually defeats it.
• Get confronted by Loshad about the Keep of the Badger Lord and what Badger's intentions are.
• Are given a warning by Loshad not to step out of line or hurt the forests and beasts with their ambitions.
• Locate the oracle and discover Tara must train with one inexperienced priest Lien from Tian Xia, as their destinies are intertwined and only he can help her psychic instability.
• Discover a strange man trudging through the temple with a coffin on his back as he ignores them.
• Run into a weretiger that attacks them as they flee for their lives.
• Abandon the temple after encountering the weretiger as their goal of meeting the oracle is complete.
• Return to the keep and celebrate Badger's 27th birthday.

Current Level: Badger 9, Tara 2

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 41

 In which Badger...

• Takes a break from adventuring and builds a keep a few miles from Kebi village, as Tara rests up in the village.
• Clears out much of the area surrounding the new keep.
• Dubs his new keep: "Keep of the Badger Lord".
• Builds the keep with a main center tower and four surrounding towers all guarded by thick stone walls.
• Spends over 130k gold on materials and labor to build the keep, all earned from his adventuring and stored in large crates in his room.
• Waits for 4 and a half months for the completion of the keep before taking residence in it
• Recruits 9 hopeful followers aiming to become renowned fighters themselves.
• Attracts 40 peasants across 10 families moving in around the new structure.
• Rules for a month where 1 peasant moves in, increasing the population of the keep to 41.
• Watches as a war breaks out between the Wicked City and Tian Xia - being a fan of neither, decides not to interfere and let it play out.
• Visits a dinner held by the Grand Duke of Karameikos.
• Gets a public shaming by one Lady Abrielle, who hazes him and demands he "dance" for the nobility.
• Escapes the humiliation by using the Rope of Climb pulling a curtain down as a distraction and running to a different area during the ensuing chaos.
• Meets one Baron Okerra, war hero and Karameikos military general who takes a liking to Badger, finding the self made lord better than a lot of the slovenly nobility who inherit their titles.
• Comes to an agreement to help out Baron Okerra to become war allies with Karameikos, at least as long as he is in charge of the military.
• Keep: Pop. 41, Followers - 9 L1 Fighters

Current Level: Badger 9, Tara 2

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 40

 In which Badger...

• Travels through the desert to the Wicked City and meets some Children of the Sun, desert ascetic monks.
• Gains 3 followers - acolytes of Children of Sun: Arion the halfling alchemist, Vata the half orc paladin, and Thenige the half orc mage - all of whom want to return to civilization.
• Arrives at the Wicked City to meet Tara the Mindblade, who has found a contact who could help cure her psychic instability - a spy in the Cobwebs of the city.
• Explores the Cobwebs  - a district of spiderlike walkways in the Wicked City - searching for Tara's contact.
• Encounters a messenger running with a note who is shot down by a crossbowman assassin, who then drops down to attack the party.
• Fight off the assassin and discover that messenger was delivering a note to Tara's contact - the current job he had taken was a trap!
• Find Tara's contact trying to talk an aristocrat who's lover had spurned him for a richer man out of jumping from the cobwebs into the streets below.
• Fail to convince the aristocrat off the edge as he leaps from the Cobwebs into the streets below.
• Warn Tara's contact that his current job was a trap, for which he is grateful.
• Get informed by the contact that he had dug up some information on curing psychic ability - there was a temple of the (now defunct) Mindblades far outside the Wicked City that had an oracle who could give the answer.
• Learn the location of the temple and thank the spy before leaving the Cobwebs and resting before heading out into the wilds to find the temple of the Mindblades.
• Bid the acolytes goodbye as they retire to civilized life in the Wicked City.

Current Level: Badger 9, Tara 2

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 39

In which Badger and Tom...

• Journey through Steppe and Taiga towards the Wicked City to meet up with the Mindblade Tara.
• Run into a band of evil spirits in the Steppe which eat Tar and lure strangers to join them and dine on the poisonous tar.
• Join the spirits in hunting Wicked City soldiers in the Steppe.
• Find a group of soldiers harassing a woman - Ms. Fyodorel the elven trader.
• Attack and defeat the group of soldiers with the spirits assistance, and let Ms. Fyodorel join the group.
• Come up with a plan with Ms. Fyodorel by letting her know of the poison tar and having her whip up a fake batch of edible sludge (for a price).
• Convince the spirits they survived the poison tar after eating Ms. Fyodorel's black sludge mixture.
• Impress the spirits by apparently surviving the poison tar enough that they tell him they will ally with him should the need ever arises, just say the word.
• Part ways with Ms. Fyodorel after thanking her for her assistance with the spirits.
• Say goodbye to the spirits and continue to travel before meeting with a tribe in the taiga who worships a giant bear.
• Meet the bear after being beseeched by the tribesmen to garner his blessing.
• Get informed the bear will give him his blessing if they rid of some horrible spiders that has been harassing the tribesmen and wildlife in his territory.
• Journey with some tribesmen and fight of the spiders - giant tarantulas whose poison makes men dance wildly in madness to death!
• Defeat the tarantulas at the cost of Tom's life, who perishes madly dancing from the spider venom.
• Lose a tribesman as well, and once the spiders are defeated bury both Tom and the tribesman in the tribes burial grounds, honoring the last orc sibling with a ceremony.
• Meet the bear, who is pleased and gives Badger his blessing and says should the need ever arise, his tribe will support Badger as well.
• Take leave of the bear tribe and continue to travel through the taiga into the wilds towards the Wicked City.

Current Level: Badger 9

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 38

 In which Badger...

• Continues to search the wilds for Akihitos, the wily merchant.
• Starts running out of rations and the party is forced to go hunting for sustenance.
• Decides to return back to Kebi village, starting home from the wilds.
• Meets Teru the Gold Dragon on the way, breaking bread with him.
• Learns from Teru that there is a sickness spreading, but he is on the way to find a cure.
• Runs into Akihitos in the swamp near Kebi village, discovering he's made an alliance with another bandit group - and the Stone Mind Collective.
• Learns the Stone Mind Collective want revenge on Badger for the fall of the Stone Seekers and Mindblades respectively.
• Fights with Akihitos and his people in the battle that ensues. 
• Wins the battle, with Badger, the Orc Siblings, the bandits, and the ogre coming out on top.
• Kills Akihitos and disbands the Stone Mind Collective, scattering them and putting the Stone Seekers and Mindblades to rest once and for all.
• Watches as Bom, one of the Orc Siblings, dies, leaving Tom as the only surviving siblings.
• Requests Tom, the last of the Orc Siblings, to join him as a retainer - to which Tom agrees, and even promises loyalty!
• Takes leave with the ogre and remaining bandits and heads back to Kebi village with Tom to rest up and figure out their next steps.

Current Level: Badger 9, Tom 4

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 37

 In which Badger...

• Enters the keep to investigate the mysterious occurrences, with Tino's Toughest.
• Discovers an ogre guarding a gate that attacks the party, downing one of Tino's Toughest.
• Defeats the ogre, revealing it to be twelve goblins dressed in ogre skin guarding the gate.
• Enters and run into the Orc Siblings in the keep, who are working on entering a room in the keep.
• Lures some boars from another room to smash down the door, revealing a treasure room with a Magic Stone of Charming Dance, as well as other treasures.
• Takes the stone as the treasures are divided between the groups, and Tino's Toughest and the Orc Siblings both take their leave.
• Returns to explore the wilderness from Kebi village.
• Runs into Akihitos, who offers to pay 500 gp for saving him from some "thugs".
• Encounters the Orc Siblings, "thugs", and an ogre; they reveal themselves to be vagabonds that were cheated by Akihitos, with the Orc Siblings vouching for them.
• Joins the Orc Siblings and the vagabonds plus ogre to find Akihitos.
• Stumbles into the main force of the Mindblades and the Stone Seekers, also hired by Akihitos to deal with the "thugs". 
• Fights with the Mindblades and Stone Seekers, who are skewered and driven away with few survivors. The remaining four Mindblades and two Stone Seekers vow revenge, teaming together as the Stone Mind Collective.
• Mourns the loss of Lilom of the Orc Siblings, who dies as the only causality on Badger's side of the battle.
• Continues exploring the wilds with the Orc Siblings and the vagabonds, searching for Akihitos.

Current Level: Badger 9

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 36

 In which Badger...

• Is requested by one disheveled noble to investigate the mysterious goings on in their keep.
• Gets paid handsomely to take the job and investigate the keep and the strange "beast" that seems to haunt it.
• Travels through hills and mountains from Best Tea 852 to Teramon's Keep in the village of Verge.
• Encounters his former rivals from the Ruby Phoenix tournament Tino's Toughest, the four of whom agree to join him on his quest for a share of the loot.
• Flees from Mindblade Order agents who attack him in retribution.
• Runs into Loshad the Chevall, who in discovering Joe the Free Horse's conspicuous absence assumes the worst and attacks.
• Manages to convince Loshad Joe's death, while unfortunate, was natural, enough that Loshad tells him to get lost and that he shouldn't expect any more help from the Chevall.
• Encounters Ms. Fyoderall the trader elf, with whom he has a friendly chat in which he introduces Tino's Toughest.
• Encounters a strange set of Preta spirits eating refuse from the shell of a decaying tortoise, before slaying the mad spirits with the help of Tino's Toughest.
• Has a vision of Ngaire, the Poppy Lord, decimating the remaining dozen or so agents of the Iron Ring who remember Badger's face as a boon for Badger acquiring the sacrifice from the Naga, eliminating the faction as a direct threat to Badger at the least.
• Arrives at Verge town, which is dour and tense given the beast's incursion.
• Meets one Sergeant Alkin, whose armor and weapons has been destroyed by the beast inside the keep after trying to explore it, camped outside the keep.
• Is forced to kill Alkin when he sees through Badger's trick of buying him platemail as a false gesture of goodwill to be a sacrificial pawn in exploring the tower and resultantly attacks Badger.
• Sets up camp outside the keep with Tino's Toughest and keeps watch as they all rest for a month, celebrate Badger's 26th birthday, and come up with a plan.

Current Level: Badger 8, Tino's Toughest 4

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 35

 In which Badger...

• Talks to the Chief Librarian of the Chala Opium School, who complains about the school going through hard times because it is under scrutiny, blamed for a string of deaths at rival Lotus Flora Academy.
• Offers to investigate the murders for a fee, which he is granted.
• Visits the Lotus Flora Academy, where he discovers the killings had started just a few days ago, with the individuals being brutally mauled and there being significant property vandalism.
• Discovers a Chala Opium School uniform, torn on the floor - but realizes it looks planted.
• Tries to talk to students or investigate for more clues but finds nothing.
• Stakes out the school at night, waiting to see if someone arrives.
• Starts to nod off when someone strikes a blow to the back of his head and he's knocked out cold.
• Wakes up in a basement, tied to a chair by a harried looking man in spectacles.
• Learns the man is an admissions counselor for the Lotus Flora Academy named Kanar, whose job is under threat due to the popularity of the more profitable venture of Opium farming causing more admissions heading to the Chala Opium School.
• Discovers the killings are a plot to bring down Chala Opium School by draining its funds in a murder investigation so that the Lotus Flora Academy has no more competition, thus increasing admissions.
• Waits till Kanar leaves before tipping the chair and dragging himself to the Rope of Climb.
• Commands the rope of climb to knot him and crawl up to the rafters, allowing him to rise up and then fall smashing the chair he's tied to into smithereens.
• Rushes to stop Kanar from killing the next student, fighting him and killing him in the process.
• Has the student the late Kanar was attacking provide proof as he reveals the plot to the heads of the schools.
• Takes his pay and his leave as he goes to rest healing up from his wounds for another week at the tea house.

Current Level: Badger 8

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 34

 In which Badger and Maggie...

• Find a strange portal into a magical garden in the wilds.
• Discover some psychedelic blue fruits in the garden that they harvest, as well as a false tooth that makes him immune to poison which Badger cleans and inserts into his mouth.
• Go deeper into the garden to find a greenhouse that is completely inverted, hanging from the ceiling.
• Explore hothouses using hanging vines and the Rope of Climbin the greenhouse and gather some valuable plants with medicinal and ornamental properties.
• See signs of some sort of slimy monster in the hothouses.
• Accidentally release a monstrous Sundew plant and are forced to flee out of the garden for their lives.
• Travel to the Yellow City, resting at one sketchy teahouse the Best Tea 852.
• Offer to help out (for a price) one Gambam, who is in trouble with local priests of Ngaire, the Poppy deity of agriculture and food, for having pissed on the temple shrine while drunk.
• Traverse the jungles and delta plains with Gambam, searching for the venom of a Naga, the only sacrifice the priests of Ngaire claim will soothe the god.
• Discover an ascetic in the jungles who their guide claims is immortal, and try to converse with him only to discover he vanishes once they approach.
• Stumble onto a ghost tiger, a vengeful spirit which kills Gambam and Maggie, Badger fleeing for his life.
• Finally stumble upon the Naga lair, but have no way to access it as the few Nagas around it retreat into the swamp.
  
• Run into the elf trader Fyodorel, who had ties with the Nagas and for the price of a false silver coin, discusses terms to let Badger down to converse with the Nagas.
• Lead to a Naga pleasure chamber, where a beautiful Naga courtesan spy Vandini easily seduces Badger to find out what his purpose is.
• Found by the Naga courtesan to be a non threat, and she herself milks some of her venom to give to Badger before sending him on his way (refusing his requests for her to join him on his adventures).
• Return to the Yellow City without incident and give the priests the poison, which supposedly calms Ngaire's wrath.
• Take payment for delivering the venom. Badger rests for one month in the Yellow City, selling off all the loot, mourning his fallen comrades, and healing up from the wounds received in the jungles.

Current Level: Badger 8

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 33

 In which Badger...

• Arrives in the industrial city of Endon.
• Partakes in some strange black liquid "coffee" that gives him a boost of energy.
• Is confronted by the Bone Golem Badger that has been chasing him.
• Defeats the Bone Golem Badger by scaling some tall buildings and pushing it off into the alleyway below.
• Arrives at the healing area "Blumsworth Hospital".
• Travels around the streets of the hospital to a strange dancing building with screeching music coming from within, Dane Hall.
• Discovers a thin, gaunt, young woman yelling on the roof of the hall that she will kill herself.
• Climbs up the side of the building with the Rope of Climb and talks the woman off the edge.
• Gives the woman, Maggie Stolls, a magical history teacher with a side business of smuggling artifacts, a way out of her large debt offering her a share of any treasure he discovers on his journey.
• Travels the next day to a private practice physician establishment outside the Auld Grey Cathedral.
• Discovers another clerk yelling that he'll kill himself on the roof of the private practice.
• Decides he's had enough of Endon and it's depressing nature and with Maggie in tow leaves the city for adventure elsewhere.

Current Level: Badger 8, Maggie 4

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 32

 In which Badger...

• Reads about the history of Huutaka in the Room of Records in the Temple of Pflarr.
• Flees from skeletons and zombies infesting the temple.
• Returns to the treasure room and stuffs everything he can into what he believes is a Bag of Holding he finds in the room.
• Escapes the treasure room only to find Golthar waiting for him at the temple exit.
• Relinquishes all the loot, giving the bag over, and offers to help protect Golthar as they exit the valley in exchange for Golthar not casting evil magics on him then and there.
• Travels with Golthar through the valley until one night, Golthar discovers the supposed Bag of Holding was empty - it was a Bag of Devouring which had destroyed the entire treasure hoard of the ancient Huutakan empire!
• Avoids Golthar as he tries to kill Badger for (accidentally) tricking him out of loot - only for the Orc siblings Tom, Bom, and Lilom - searching for Badger after they heard in Threshold he was lost in the Black peaks - to help Badger slay the mage.
• Escapes the Valley into the Black peak mountains, letting the valley rot to its undead infestation with nothing to show for his efforts except some magic items and that accursed Bag of Devouring.
• Avoids some hawks that look to steal some magic items on the way through the mountains back to Threshold.
• Runs into Tino's Toughest, the team from the tournament, and drinks with them in the mountains sharing camp one night.
• Returns to Threshold, selling all the magic items and other loot for massive profit (though regretfully much less compared to the treasure hoard).
• Says goodbye to the orc siblings, promising them they'd meet again, before resting up for a month in Threshold.

Current Level: Badger 8

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 31

 In which Badger...

• Explores the Lost Valley of Huutaka after entering it.
• Encounters some deformed humanoids, the Traldar, who extort him out of his traveler's yurt and the tapestry/magic needle and thread.
• Is joined by Sebastian, the surviving finalist from the Top Shots team on the Ruby Phoenix tournament who'd found his way into the valley after the tournament - and was recruited as a Traldar spy.
• Joins a group of Huutakan dog people, who take him in and heal his and Sebastian up after seeing their mistreatment by the Traldar.
• Is tasked by the Huutakans to search the Valley for the Book of Elders and stem an undead threat spreading throughout it.
• Runs into Ahmitar, his teammate from the Ruby Phoenix tournament, who too found himself in the valley and was caught by the Huutakans.
• Convinces the Huutakan patrol to let go of Ahmitar and have him join the party, along with one young Huutakan hopeful Len who wants to adventure as well.
• Comes across the Vault of the Elders, the lost tomb which is said to hold the Book of Elders.
• Encounters Slipper, the Viper goblin that was Badger's former prisoner picking the lock to the tomb. The goblin is shocked and flees when it sees Badger.
• Enters the vault, only to be attacked by a large ghoul that paralyzes the party and starts feasting on Len.
• Manages to shake it off, and steals the book and some gold before running (with Ahmitar and Sebastian following as the ghoul feasts on poor Len).
• Brings the book back to the Huutakans, who then task him to search for the Singing Water pool on the other side of the valley.
• Goes with some priests and warriors, as well as Seb and Ahmitar, to grab the holy water when a strange grumble from a cave near the pool scares some large predatory birds away.
• Enters with the group to find the monstrous tentacle beast Kartoeba which kills Seb and Ahmitar with its tentacles crushing them before they are able to slay the beast.
• Retrieves a magic key and discovers the entrance to the treasure vault of the Temple of Pflaar, the lost temple of the gods of Huutaka.
• Barely survives a poison trap that kills most of the Huutakans, save for himself and one priest.
• Kills the priest in a fit of greed, planning to take as much loot as he can hold and run.
• Realizes his mistake when Slipper and the Viper goblins, who had been following the Huutakans and Badger, enter the treasure vault and give chase to Badger.
• Runs from the goblins only to emerge from a secret door into a chamber in the main hall of the temple where the Thieves guild from Threshold, who had also tracked Badger, where camping and exploring!
• Uses the Rope of Climb to quickly climb up and again into the high arches of the temple as all out chaos breaks out between the thieves and the goblins.
• Watches as a much reduced number of goblins comes out the victor, and decides to try his luck at slaying them.
• Fails to slay the goblins and is forced to flee - right into the wizard Golthar, who had also followed Badger his mind set on revenge for the adventurer's antics.
• Gets blinded by the wizard and barely flees as the wizard is forced to fight the goblins who now see a new threat to the loot.
• Fails to escape Golthar, who had killed the remaining goblins, who tells Badger he would slowly stab him to death with his rusty dagger.
• Escapes within an inch of his life, breaking free from the hateful wizard and running blindly deeper into the temple.
• Awakes in a strange library with his vision back, still wary of Golthar searching for him in the temple. He is surrounded by texts written in Old Common seemingly on the history of the lost valley of Huutaka...

Current Level: Badger 8

Lonesome Wandering, Session 30

 In which Badger...

• Travels through the Black Peaks Mountains along the ancient stone road leading to the legendary lost valley of Hutaaka, as found on the magical tapestry.
• Flees from some hill giants and gnolls.
• Crosses a narrow chasm when Joe the Free Horse stumbles and falls, and is feasted upon by a displacer beast.
• Pays respects to Joe the Free Horse, tossing some gold down to honor the free horse.
• Shows the magic needle and thread with the tapestry to cross a stone bridge protected by bronze statues of dog headed figures, who kneel before the needle and thread in deference.
• Loots some magic items from corpses found on the stone bridge.
• Avoids some ghouls and wolves that fight in a gnoll burial ground - unknown to him, being followed by a gnoll shaman.
• Forced marches to the sound of drums and the smell of smoke, not realizing it is the shaman's illusion to frighten him.
• Encounters the gnoll shaman Krisgut on a rickety wooden bridge over a 900' chasm, which she sacrificially severs to kill both herself and Badger for desecrating the gnoll burial grounds.
• Grabs a ledge and barely survives as Krisgut falls to her death, before resting to heal up.
• Arrives at another high bridge, waiting out both some griffons and wolves to leave the area before crossing.
• Rappels down  a chasm with no bridge over it, using the Rope of Climb to travel down the sheer cliffs.
• Runs from a giant lizard at the bottom of the chasm, using the Rope of Climb to climb up the cliff face as fast as possible until reaching the top, where the lizard turns back fearful of a large roc nesting above feasting on carcasses.
• Slays a giant rattlesnake that attacks him at the top of the cliff.
• Arrives at the gateway to Hutaaka, using the magic needle and thread to once more bypass 2 giant stone dog headed statues, which once more kneel to the power of the thread.
• Climbs up a cliff face with the Rope of Climb to the gateway to Hutaaka.
• Watches in awe as the needle and thread, inserted into the doorway opens the gateway, whirring ancient stone gears to life the first time in millenia.
• Enters the gateway into the legendary Valley of Hutaaka.

Current Level: Badger 8

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 29

In which Badger...

• Visits Cardia's magic carpet shop only to find out she's out of town.
• Flees from mage Golthar whom he sees in a parade.
• Shoos away some troublesome beggars, who return the next night with a vengeance.
• Catches some beggar thieves trying to pickpocket him - three of them - and threatens to report them if they don't do some dirty work for him.
• Finds a purse with a note from Golthar telling someone to meet him at the Crossed Swords Inn.
• Has the thieves go investigate the inn for him, two of them getting mauled by a troll and the third fleeing in the process.
• Follows a shadowy figure, which turns out to be one of Golthar's Iron Ring operatives, to their hideout.
• Hides as Golthar and most of his company go to check out the troll trap at the Cross Swords Inn.
• Kills the few remaining guards and loots Golthar's hideout.
• Sells off the loot in the thieves quarter the next day, but lets slip accidentally about the Tapestry and the great treasure associated with it.
• Catches the third thief from last night trailing him, and gets him to spill that the thieves guild in town got word of his tapestry and the treasure and he was tasked to find out where Badger was staying.
• Loses the slippery thief as they manage to give him the slip and vanish back into an alleyway.
• Decides to skip town, packing up his loot and riding Joe the Free Horse into the Black Peaks to the north of Threshold.
• Is followed by both Golthar with the Iron Ring, believing Badger to be mauled by the troll but wanting to track whoever stole their loot; and the Thieves Guild, in hunt of Badger and the tapestry for great treasure.

Current Level: Badger 8

Lonesome Wanderings, Episode 28

 In which Badger...

• Fights in the Ruby Phoenix tournament proper with his team of orc siblings and Ahmitar the young priest from the Temple of Irohi as Badger's Band.
• Beats Winter's Roar to progress from the group stage to the semifinals.
• Faces off and wins against the Fallen Moons in the semifinals to make it to the finals.
• Comes face to face with his former retainer Spindle and his Top Shots in the finals of the tournament.
• Kills the traitorous Spindle by pushing him off a cliff onto a hidden snare trap on the ground, exploding him to bits.
• Beats the rest of the Top Shots, with two of them fighting to the death before Sebastian the glum journeyman surrenders and accepts defeat.
• Wins the Ruby Phoenix tournament and claims the prize of the rare magic item - the Rope of Climb, a magic rope which crawls along and ties itself up at his command.
• Says goodbye to the orc siblings and Ahmitar once the tournament ends, as they go off onto their own journeys.
• Returns back to his accommodation in Threshold for the rest of the week to rest up and prepare for the next leg of his own adventure. 

Current Level: Badger 8

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 27

 In which Badger...

• Bribes off the Fallen Moon team so he doesn't have to fight them.
• Flees from various beasts in the jungles.
• Finds the last silver feather and subsequently holes up in the temple until the last day of the qualifiers.
• Tries to sneak to the mountain where qualifiers will be completed - only to be found by tournament enforcers who determine they need to do more fighting.
• Starts fighting with one tournament head enforcer, half giant Koto Zekora.
• Flees from the fight, escaping the enforcers into a tribal village.
• Flees from the tribal villagers and a giant monitor lizard.
• Arrives at the mountain (before the enforcers catch wind of them) and turns in the phoenix necklace and silver feathers to get admission into the Ruby Palace - and officially qualifies for the tournament finals!
• Runs into the palace as fighting between unqualified teams starts up outside (which is quelled by Tino's Toughest).
• Discovers the 7 other qualifying teams: Winter's Roar, a team of Viking Marauders; Biting Roses, opportunistic martial artists; Arms of Balance, monks here in the tournament as an exam; Light Bringers, the sadistic top tournament team; Spindle's Top Shots, Badger's ex-retainer's team with harsh feelings; Tino's Toughest, an underdog team with a heart of gold; and the Fallen Moons, a lazy team with an eye out for gold.
• Heads to dinner, with the Ruby Phoenix, the tournament judge, presiding over the qualified teams.
• Gives a relatively poor first impression to the Ruby Phoenix, with a scruffy exterior and not many unique abilities and powers to speak of.
• Avoids various challenges and events that take place after dinner throughout the night.
• Faces the top ranked Light Bringers in an exhibition match - very reluctantly having been chosen for not having participated in any other events.
• Pulls off an upset taking out the Light Bringers in the exhibition match despite most of the team going down - and to Badger's dismay placing a large target on their back from rest of the other teams.
• Travels back to Threshold from Danger Island to rest up for 2 months and purchase supplies, the qualifiers for the tournament having ended, with the main tournament taking place in the city proper.

Current Level: Badger 8

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 26

 In which Badger...

• Flees the assassin vines around the Temple of Irori.
• Burns the vines with flasks of oil bought from the stone market.
• Steals a healing potion from an animal statue in the sparring ground south of the temple.
• Purchases a large number of healing potions before setting out into the jungles of Danger Island. 
• Travels around Danger Island looking for silver feathers.
• Runs from mantis den and a mammoth turtle fighting a giant python.
• Gets challenged by the Cloud Jesters, a 2 person samurai and ninja team.
• Beats the Cloud Jesters by cutting the ropes on a rope bridge, dropping them into a chasm in the mountain battle ground and winning their three silver feathers.
• Explores an abandoned prison only to run into a group of Iron Ring operatives, searching for the tapestry that Badger has!
• Beats the Iron Ring operatives, sneaks past some iron golems, and steals both two silver feathers and treasures of a team killed by the Iron Ring in the abandoned prison.
• Gets yet another challenge by the Glowing Embers, a desperate mage illusionist team bidding their last silver feather after two previous defeats.
• Beats the Glowing Embers first slaying and then drowning the mages in a pool in the ruins battle site, taking their one silver feather.
• Sells off the loot acquired from the first day on Danger Island at stone market.
• Returns back to the Temple of Irori to rest for the night, having earned 9 out of 10 required feathers from exploring Danger Island.

Current Level: Badger 8

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 25

 In which Badger...

• Explores the Temple of Irohi further with his hired orc party and Ahmitar.
• Lures some giant spiders into a spectral monk trap to disable the trap, then loots the area.
• Avoids various other traps to retrieve 2 silver feathers to qualify for the tournament.
• Splits the party, with the orcs running outside while Badger and Ahmitar head deeper into the temple, to escape the catoblepas that lurked in a pool in the temple.
• Fights off some ticks but gets extremely hurt and diseased in the process.
• Forgives and gifts the ghost of the wailing monk leader to trick her into giving them the 3rd silver feather.
• Dons the dead monk leader's clothes to trick a massive statue into giving them the Phoenix Necklace to finish off the qualification requirements of the tournament (as well as some more loot).
• Waits for the catoblepas to leave the temple before rushing to the safe courtyard to rest up and tally loot.
• Meets with Tino's Toughest, who graciously Lay on Hands to heal him up and cure his disease.
• Sells off the loot at the stone market, avoiding any teams that could potentially challenge them to a fight.
• Reunites with the orcs in the courtyard, who let him know of assassin vines surrounding the periphery of the temple.

Current Level: Badger 7

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 24

 In which Badger...

• Decides to put a hold on the tapestry and join the Ruby Phoenix Tournament being held.
• Fails to recruit a retainer in Threshold even offering numerous perks.
• Hires 3 orc mercenary siblings - Tom the spearman, Bom the swordsman, and Lilom the archer.
• Sails to tropical Danger Island off the coast, where the qualification round for the tournament takes place.
• Runs into his ex-retainer Spindle, who's formed his own team with the Top Shots, with Sebastian a glum journeyman, Lord Barkley a habitual statesman, and Alana a miserly swordswoman - competing for the prize as well! Things just got personal.
• Tours the rest of Danger Island with the tour guide Ingdani, including the nearest fighting arena, the store market (where challenges often occur), and the Temple of Irohi where his team is to stay - once they clear it out.
• Bumps into Tino's Toughest who give him a friendly good luck and pat on the back, not seeing him as much of a threat.
• Avoids some spiders outside the entrance to the Temple of Irohi.
• Explores the entrance to the temple and meets Ahmitar, a priest boy who's been caring for it.
• Befriends Ahmitar, who offers to show them around the temple, fill them in on the dangers, and bless his allies weapons so they can kill the ghosts haunting the temple.
• Clears out the courtyard with his hired orcs by killing some ghosts haunting it. 
• Sells off some loot found in the temple courtyard, avoiding other challenging teams and getting some gold in the process, and taking a few minutes to rest before continuing to explore.

Current Level: Badger 7

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 23

 In which Badger...

• Starts his journey to the city of Threshold via the Shutturga River on the Mudlark, a river boat.
• Travels on the Mudlark passes rolling hills, high peaks, and vast plains over the next 2 days to the city. Various caves, ruins, and other landmarks are seen on the shore.
• Spots some followers at a distance, who flee when the Mudlark gets closer to them.
• Flees the Scange, a group of riverboat pirates that ambush the Mudlark.
• Sees a strange flying carpet going over the plains on the second day of travel, and is informed by the Mudlark captain that it was made by Cardia, a merchant who specializes in magic items.
• Arrives at the city of Threshold, which seems to be hosting a fighting tournament of sorts.
• Spars Tino, a warrior monk, in a friendly practice sparring match and while getting some hits in, is summarily beaten with a pat on the back.
• Buys some plate armor for himself to be more protected, selling off his leather.
• Rests healing up for a month and three weeks in a city room, while learning more about the city and getting acquainted with it.
• Decides to make a visit to the magic item merchant Cardia and see if she can help unravel the strange tapestry and needle/thread he has from Sukisyn.

Current Level: Badger 7

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 22

 In which Badger...

• Feasts and celebrates with Pytor's clan and discusses next steps.
• Joins Stephan to travel to the elven stronghold of Rifflian to sell of some horses and go from there to Threshold to investigate the tapestry.
• Hides from a passing by goblin warband.
• Meets with the cunning merchant Akihitos, who sells him information on Golthar being spotted in Kelvin, a strange dark woman searching for him hired by the Iron Ring, and that the Duke's daughter ran away with a guard captain.
• Bribes some orc scouts to bypass their lair.
• Attempts to investigate the Vault of the Void One, an abandoned mine but is scared away by an infestation of giant eagles within the strange vault with gearworks, portcullises, and dripping idols of long dead gods.
• Hides from some Iron Ring reavers before getting information that they are looking for him as well from a bribed ferryman.
• Ferries across the Vologa River to the Shutturga River before transferring to a Gnome Ferry.
• Stays at a Gnome Hostel the night before leaving on the Gnome Ferry.
• Sees a strange cloaked figure watching him and Stephan hurriedly leave the Gnome Hostel before he can speak to them.
• Ferries across the Shutturga River to the base of some mountains nearing Rifflian.
• Encounters Loshad the Chevall, who requests him to help deal with an Iron Ring camp in the mountains who have tied up and beaten horses (and also have human and goblin slaves too).
• Gets accosted by the hooded figure from the hostel while speaking with Loshad - the Iron Ring spy Askil and 7 Iron Ring operatives.
• Flees from the Iron Ring as a Hydra emerges from the Shutturga River, the commotion waking it. It's multiple heads roar in fury causing chaos and killing some horses and Iron Ring operatives.
• Arrives at the Iron Ring slave camp per Loshad's directions - only to find Askil the spy survived and the reavers and goblins are prepared.
• Defeats the Iron Ring reavers and slays Askil, freeing the horses and slaves - but at the cost of Stephan's life. Stephan's body is buried in the mountains and respects are paid.
• Travels the rest of the way to Rifflian without incident with a pleased Loshad's guidance.
• Sells off some horses to the elven locals in Rifflian, including a local ferryman elf, and bargains the rest off the cunning merchant Akihitos for some coin.
• Meets a contact of Pyotr in Rifflian and splits the profit with them, to deliver to Susikyn while he heals up from his injuries.
• Pays for a city room and meals and rests for a month and a week in Rifflian healing up, during which time he receives a sorrowful thanks from Pyotr from Susykin for selling off the horses.
• Prepares for the next leg of his journey to get the strange tapestry studied by looking for means to travel to the city of Threshold.

Current Level: Badger 7

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 21

In which Badger...

• Visits some lush grapevines, collects some tasty grapes, and chats with Loshad the Chevall who is there to check up on him and Joe the Free Horse.
• Flees some Iron Ring operatives waiting in ambush at the Vologa River.
• Hides from a goblin army of nearly 50 goblins marching in the plains along the Vologa River.
• Arrives at the Ruins of Xitaqa following Loshad's directions
• Tames a couple of Rock Baboons near the entrance of the ruins with some rations.
• Kills some giant bats that attack as he scouts around the ruins.
• Copies some goblin symbols onto a cloth that stand for various goblin tribes.
• Convinces some Yellow Fang goblin guards that he is a slave envoy of another goblin tribe showing them the copied symbols.
• Bribes Yellow Fang goblin king Plak with some tasty grapes, healing potions, and the cloth symbols to show him slave goods for his "master's" perusal.
• Gets escorted by a goblin up to meet the last remaining slave in the ruins, special prisoner of Master Golthar of the Iron Ring.
• Is attacked by a Minotaur as Golthar, expecting foul play, flees from the area.
• Defeats the Minotaur one on one, and frees the lone slave - Stephen, Pyotr's brother!
• Upon Stephen's insistence, goes up to Golthar's lair, breaking in and avoiding traps searching for the mage.
• Attacks Golthar when Stephen discovers him hidden behind a tapestry, bringing the mage down to the brink of death.
• Loses the mage as Golthar escapes, blasting a hole into the side of the tower and flies off with illusions obfuscating which direction he traveled in.
• Loots Golthar's lair, finding potions, amulets, gold and a strange magical needle and thread.
• Learns from Stephen that the needle and thread when mixed with a tapestry at Sukisyn would reveal some sort of secret.
• Grapples down the tower from the blasted hole in the wall to avoid the goblins, escaping the ruins of Xitaqa. 
• Returns with Stephen back to Sukisyn.
• Spends the next month selling off the loot and resting up, preparing to investigate the strange tapestry with the magical needle and thread once fully healed.

Current Level: Badger 7

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 20

 In which Badger...

• Flees from some Iron Ring operatives by disturbing a stirge nest to distract them.
• Digs a pit traps with explosives and lures out Bailakask and her wolf minions.
• Blows up half of Bailakask's minions and severely injures the werewolf.
• Downs Bailakask as her minions flee - but is knocked unconscious just as he downs her.
• Wakes up tied up in Vlack the Hobgoblin King's slave cart, guarded by some goblins with other slaves.
• Hears the sound of hoofbeats as Joe - whom Vlack had missed - and Loshad the Chevall emerge from the forest with some centaurs to take out Vlack and his minions!
• Reunites with Joe as Loshad tells him that it was Joe who insisted on saving Badger saying that he'd fulfilled the bargain of taking out the werewolves and was in danger.
• Frees Joe, who was now Joe the Free Horse, to fulfill his deal with Loshad.
• Asks Joe if he would still want to accompany him on his adventures - to which Joe whinnies yes!
• Gets directions to the Ruins of Xitaqa (where Stephen was likely being held) from Loshad.
• Heads back to town with Joe to rest up and prepare for the journey to the Ruins of Xitaqa.

Current Level: Badger 6

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 19

 In which Badger...

• Flees from some giant centipedes in a swampy jungle.
• Finds and avoids a dangerous looking tomb in the jungle.
• Locates the lair of Bailakask and Kalkask the werewolves, whose heads Loshad the Chevall wants.
• Runs into some scorpions exploring outside the werewolf lair.
• Lures the scorpions into the lair and watches as they kill Kalkask before they are slain by Bailakask.
• Flees the enraged Bailakask and her wolves after leading to the death of her son.
• Reaches town barely alive and heals up for a bit over a month.
• Unsuccessfully tries to recruit retainers in Kelven, where word of his misadventures has spread.
• Slays some giant centipedes on his second journey to the werewolf lair.
• Encounters Chala the Mindblade assassin, irritated by his abandoning her to some monsters last time they met.
• Tricks Chala, sword to his throat leading her to the werewolf lair.
• Convinces the werewolf Bailakask that Chala is assisting him, leading to the wolves to tear her to shreds.
• Flees within an inch of his life again, Bailakask still alive and swearing vengeance for her son with her wolf pack.
• Returns back to Kelvin to rest and heal up again for another month while thinking of a new strategy to deal with the werewolf and get her and her son's skulls for Loshad.

Current Level: Badger 6

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 18

 In which Badger...

• Heads to the Wolfskull Goblin Lair to find Stephen.
• Avoids Iron Ring slavers with goblin slaves in a chain.
• Avoids the Mindblade Chala who tries to pressure him into revealing where Tara by running when they are attacked by wolves mid conversation, leaving her to fend for herself.
• Arrives at the Wolfskull Lair only to find the Stone Seekers enter the lair, and waits for a bit before following them in.
• Flees from some giant bats that attack him outside the entrance of the lair.
• Hides from a goblin patrol as they pass him outside the lair.
• Bribes some goblins with gold to let him past them and their dire wolves.
• Rescues Babushka, an old lady, from the cell she is being held in. 
• Meets with the Goblin King Kloss and trades him the magic mace and tinderbox he has to freely roam the lair.
• Leaks to Kloss that the Stone Seekers are looting his lair, leading him to deploy some goblins in search of the adventuring party.
• Barely survives after activating a trapdoor into piranha ridden waters below the lair.
• Enters a chamber to find the Stone Seekers being attacked by the goblins deployed by Kloss, and lets them take care of the cursing adventurers as he moves on.
• Finds Hobgoblin leader Vlack has abandoned the lair and taken the slaves with him, leaving his pet ferrets and thouls to guard his personal chambers.
• Throws rations to the ferrets near the entrance to Vlack's chambers to cause the ferrets and thouls to attack each other as Badger rushes into the chambers.
• Loots Vlack's chambers of all they are worth, finding a secret door it seemed the Stone Seekers missed that holds a lot of treasure and magic items - but no information on where the slaves were taken.
• Throws more rations to the ferrets (who have ripped the thouls to shreds) and escapes managing to leave the lair. 
• Heads out of the lair with Babushka, who informs him she knew Stephen, a fellow slave.  
• Learns from Babushka that the she was deemed too scrawny, but the others were taken away to the Old Ruins of Xitaqa where "Ol' Skinny Legs" would get answers out of them about a "great map". She doesn't know where these ruins are.
• Encounters Loshad the Chevall on his journey back, who checks in on Joe the horse. Loshad claims to knows where the Ruins of Xitaqa are, and promises he will tell Badger if he brings back the heads of werewolves Bailakask and her son Kalkask; and if he frees Joe the horse within one month. Badger agrees to these terms.
• Returns back to town with Babushka to sell his loot, and formulates a plan to deal with the werewolves for Loshad.

Current Level: Badger 6

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 17

 In which Badger...

• Sets out in the direction of the Wolfskull goblin lair.
• Camps in a cave peacefully alongside some winter wolves as a terrible storm passes through.
• Runs into a giant badger which takes his pack and chases him up a tree before leaving with all of his equipment.
• Returns back to town to load up on oil and a shovel to get back his equipment from the giant badgers.
• Locates the giant badger lair - with 4 badgers caring for their cubs - and lures them out to a pit trap and bombards them with oil.
• Kills 2 of the giant badgers before being forced to flee again within an inch of his life.
• Runs into a blood rose and barely escapes it with his life, avoiding its intoxicating smells.
• Goes back to town to load up on more oil and heads out for round 2 versus the giant badgers.
• Returns to the badger lair to find it eerily empty, and the pit with no bones in it.
• Gets surprised by a bone golem made of badger bones and with a badger skull, which chases him around the lair.
• Collects his golden mace and some healing potions as the rest of his equipment is destroyed by the badger bone golem.
• Barely flees from the badger bone golem, which is left the roam the wilds infused with hatred from whatever black magic constructed it.
• Runs into some leper zombies, which he easily dispatches.
• Returns back to town and purchases some new gear, having almost none left, and gets ready to head back to find Wolfskull goblin lair.

Current Level: Badger 6

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 16

 In which Badger...

• Runs into the Iron Ring again, who notice him when a hawk dive bombs him for a torch for some reason.
• Flees the Iron Ring by managing to throw a torch at them leading the hawk to change trajectories while he runs.
• Slays a spider crab that tries to ambush him for an easy meal.
• Gets a lit torch stolen by a large bat at his camp, which then proceeds to attack him.
• Barely slays the bat, while rolling around on the ground throughout combat putting out flames on his clothes.
• Locates the Viper goblin lair, and makes a deal with them by offering to slay a clan of carnivorous apes in their lair that has been eating the goblins.
• Sets up a pit trap for the apes, and has the goblins hide with molotovs at the ready.
• Uses the corpses of former goblins and himself as bait as he lures the apes into the pit trap.
• Helps the goblins throw molotovs burning all of the apes to crisp in the pit trap.
• Gets information from the grateful goblins that Stephen is likely at the Wolf Skull Goblins den, the most powerful goblin clan in the area.
• Returns back to Sukisyn to rest for a week before following the Viper goblins directions to the Wolf Skull goblin hideout.

Current Level: Badger 6

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 15

 In which Badger...

• Searches for goblin lairs and Stephen in the wilds around Sukisyn.
• Evades some stirges in the swamp.
• Gets a healing potion snatched off of him by a giant hawk in the hills.
• Discovers a black bear and follows it to a hawk nest - with his healing potion glinting in it in the forest.
• Snatches back his healing potion and runs while the bear and hawk duke it out.
• Runs into Loshad the Chevall, checking in on Joe the horse.
• Follows Loshad to the Lake of Lost Dreams, as the horse man says the elves there would know.
• Agrees to help elf Goriidel, prince of Valyia of the Lake of Lost Dreams, retrieve a silver statue gifted by dwarves from pixies on a forbidden island in the lake.
• Sails to the island and discovers the statue jealously guarded by pixies.
• Heads into a crypt beneath a temple in which the statue is located only to run from hordes of skeletons.
• Uses molotovs from alcohol on hand to blow the skeletons to smithereens (mostly).
• Comes out and lures the pixies with the holy symbol of his former cleric friend Chum to attack and wipe out the rest of the skeletons.
• Runs from the pixies to rest before resuming exploration of the crypt.
• Avoids various traps until coming to a room with a black mirror and 2 gargoyle guards - with a nicely made, expensive mirror frame that catches his eye.
• Convinces the guards he is here presenting a magic golden mace (formerly Chum's) as tribute to the mirror.
• Approaches the mirror before smashing it, removing the curse of the island as the gargoyles are sucked into the mirror portal that opens.
• Escapes the crypt which collapses without the power of the mirror with the mirror frame, barely coming out with his life.
• Gets thanked by Ilya, queen of the pixies who thanks him for removing the curse, and return the holy symbol and the elves' silver statue.
• Gets a reward from Goriidel for returning the statue and thanks of the elves, who tell him to contact them if he needs help.
• Is given a lead by the elves of the location of the Viper Goblin lair, where Stephen might be held.
• Returns to Kelven to sell the mirror frame and the holy symbol to earn a pretty penny.
• Travels back to Sukisyn to rest up for a month and heal before resuming the search for the Stephen in the direction of the Viper goblin lair.

Current Level: Badger 6