AAR: Queen Knife's Request

playthrough

#1

A phenomenal session with @Achris_K_Ringle as DM, and @Lakins @KungFuSpaceBarbarian and myself slinging spells and swords. This game ended with an incredible sense of wonder, and I believe what helped really set the stage for everyone was the RPing that happened in Discord the week prior to game.


Gather round and hear this tale so that it may be told for generations. Learn of the brave men who went forth seeking glory and found themselves in the realm of the gods.

They gathered there, beneath the great Thushum Wall, at the Goblin Queen’s request. Hundreds of adventurers, warriors, soldiers, and treasure seekers looking for glory, the first outsiders to ever cross the goblin wall. The Goblin Queen had asked for the best of men to help rid her kingdom of a new threat. A sinkhole had opened up and inside this hole a tunnel blazed with strange runes through which no goblin could pass. Death had claimed every single one.

At the wall, the commander of the goblin army, Sir Thaleon, made his pick of the hundreds before him. He chose the best of the lot, and our tale tells true of this.

Selected from the horde of adventurers were HaRaKa the ever resourceful fire wielder, Rawhide the grizzled and leather skinned warrior, and Falco of the Rockshire who fights for his god Crom.

Lo, not all dangers awaited our intrepid party beyond the goblin wall. Perhaps attracted by the commotion, by hunger, or simply due to their evil nature, Ogres beset upon our heroes. Massive forms that cast shadows at noon, built of muscle and might, and an insatiable hunger for flesh. A tree, thrown as precisely as a javelin, drove Sir Thaleon’s body into the earth. Chaos ensued as the now leaderless goblins dashed about the field, some for the safety of the wall and others for cover.

Our heroes, owning that title by deed, ran into danger to retrieve the commander’s lifeless body before it could be eaten as a morsel. Rawhide hacked at the thick old tree so the body could be recovered. Falco knelt on the ground and worked his healer’s touch. HaRaKa engaged the ogre in a battle of flame versus might.

Freeing the downed commander from the weight of the tree, Rawhide heaved the goblin across his shoulders and ran for the Wall gate. He lowered the goblin at the gate and Falco once more worked his healing touch, reviving the commander. The two heroes looked to the field, still strewn with frenzied goblins, and witnessed HaRaKa engulfed in flame still battling the massive ogre. Bushes and trees were ablaze as was the tree the ogre now wielded as a club. Rawhide ran to his friend’s side and swung his great sword with skill and grace. Falco recklessly dashed in, head down and shoulder forward, and threw himself into the Ogre’s knee. As the fight continued, Falco would fall under the might of the ogre but, after the final death blow to the ogre, revived under the skill of HaRaka and Rawhide.

There was no celebration, however. Work was still be done.

Sir Thaleon guided our heroes into the depths of the goblin land to a large hole in the ground. It was here the goblins stopped while our heroes ventured onward.

The tunnel, humid and acrid, gave no light. Darkness encircled the heroes until, with a sacrifice of blood, HaRaKa swung his sword into a flaming beacon to light the way. They came upon a deep, black chasm with only a narrow bridge for a crossing. As they ventured across they heard something across the way but could not see it. Not until a ray of red focused light shot across the bridge and struck the party, did they notice several balls of toothed slime bouncing on the other side of the bridge.

Rawhide belied his age and swiftly reacted. He ran forward with shield up to catch another ray of deadly light. The shield shattered and he tossed the pieces aside without a break to his stride. Next to him sprinted HaRaKa, engulfed in flame from head to toe. Then followed Falco, his short legs racing twice as fast as the others to keep up.

Advancing just as menacingly came the razor toothed flime balls. The flime bounced and bit at the heroes, growing in size and ferocity the more they gathered. Rawhide cut them down, Falco ran around punting them from the bridge, and HaRaKa stood in his flame and magically drained their life to strengthen his own. Seemingly as fast as they were dispatched, though, more spawned from the deep chasm. Finally, our heroes had a respite amidst the battle and made for the rune covered archway lest they be overwhelmed by the increasing flime.

As they passed through the archway our heroes encountered a strange sensation. A thrumming of power emanated from the entire room. The room was built of a stone that was not stone. It had ridges and markings like stone but was far too smooth to be nature made. In the center of the room was a large pit with a wet pool of blood around it. As they began to explore the room Rawhide was caught in a shimmer of light and vanished into the air. HaRaKa and Falco frantically searched but their efforts to find their comrade were cut short.

From beyond a closed door they heard a scuffle and harsh words from multiple voices. Stealthily Falco opened the door and the two peered inside the room. Two giant ogres completely filled the room, still managing to argue and push each other around in the cramped space. HaRaKa and Falco pulled back and developed a plan.

Falco darted across the room and stood on the opposite side of the pit, HaRaKa taking cover in a corner of wooden crates and boxes. One of the ogres eventually walked from the room, looking to satiate his hunger. Falco attempted to look as appetizing as he could while heckling the ogre. Easy to anger the ogre ran towards Falco and into the illusory trap set by HaRaKa. The sorceror had made the pit appear to be on another side of the room and, in his rage, the ogre strode right into and down the actual pit. Cleverness beat brawn that day.

There was another door behind Falco. From behind it a blue light flashed repeatedly and, when it did, the hairs would raise on his arms. Confidently, Falco strode over and again attempted to stealthily open the door to peer in. The gods sometimes have a joke at the expense of heroes. So, as Falco opened the door he threw it wide and fell face down into the room.

As he raised his head he found himself in a room completely full of sharp toothed flime. The hero scrambled to his feet and darted out the door, slamming it behind him. By this point, HaRaKa was battling the other ogre beside the pit. Falco pulled several crates from the corner of the room to blockade the flime door, then joined HaRaKa. Together they were able to make quick work of the ogre.

Then, “Bring more flime!” bellowed a voice from behind yet another door. This was a large double door, also bearing the look of not quite natural wood and stone. The door began to swing open and our heroes took cover. An ogre, larger than the others and dressed in fine clothes, squeezed through the doorway. Thinking quickly, HaRaKa cast an illusory version of his self in front of the pit.

“You are here to serve me? Work to be done. Bring flime!” The ogre went to turn away but when the illusion of HaRaKa did not heed his bidding he became angry and attempted to kick HaRaKa into the pit. His foot passed through and broke the illusion. He bellowed with rage.

Seizing the opportunity the heroes attacked the ogre magus, stifled his spells, and chased him through the double door. In the center of the chamber was a large metallic cube, covered in mysterious runes. Dark black tendrils whipped and waved from it’s sides as it sat atop a large crystal in the floor.

Falco heard the flime door burst open in the room behind them. He quickly slammed shut the double door, locking he and HaRaKa in the room with the ogre magus.

HaRaKa, in flames, was relentless in his attacks on the ogre magus. Falco became entranced by the cube and the many voices that spoke in his head. “There is work to be done. Travel now? Finish the work!” HaRaKa stretched out his hand and pulled the life force from the magus then turned to his friend. He, too, had heard the voices in his head. Falco snapped from to attention and they both attacked the cube. Not fire or muscle damaged the odd metal cube, it’s black tendrils pushing them back.

Falco then turned his attention to the tendrils. In a berserker fury he grabbed, ripped, pulled, and chewed his way through the tendrils until block ichor oozed from them, leaving them flat and deflated of life. Only then could the two push the cube from its perch atop the crystal. “Stand back” cautioned HaRaKa who then placed his hands upon the cube, uttered an incantation, and exploded. The fire blast was immense, the cube shook and shriveled into nothingness.

The room began to hum and resonate with power. “We travel now?” said a voice in their heads.

Falco stepped forward onto the crystal, “It’s either travel or flime. We travel!”

The room shook and at first it appeared as if the stone walls were collapsing but no, the stone itself was an illusion. Falco and HaRaKa looked around the room, now composed of a strange metal with lights. The room shuddered and our heroes felt the entire room move. Their minds were filled with a vision of a great being who had, long ago, crashed into the earth and was only now able to rise up and leave. This great being took them beyond the sky and into the stars. They soared along the avenues of the gods where they were able to look down and see the marble of their planet.

Even for heroes such as they, such a sight can be overwhelming. It’s not everyday a mere mortal travels as gods do, sees horizons as only gods can.

HaRaKa and Falco eventually woke to find themselves on hard brown earth once again, outside the great Thushum Wall, to walk this land as heroes.

Tell this story to your children. Let them grok that life exists beyond what is plain and in sight. And tell this story so that our heroes names live on.


#2

Great AAR, and I love the maps. Seems like an amazing game.


#3

FAAAAAALCOOOOOOO!!!

Love it


#4

This was an excellent AAR I concur! Sounds like a great group of people :slight_smile:


#5

Epic recap! Even if the game was half as good as the recap, it should have been a blast.


#6

Lol what da Fudge happened to Rawhide?!?!


#7

we dont know. he vanished


#8

but but… the player???


#9

i think he had to bail, maybe family stuff. its totally cool.
life happens


#10

He was a grizzled warrior. I think the Valkyries maybe took him too soon.

As for the player, some say if you speak the name @KungFuSpaceBarbarian three times he appears.


#11

say it once@KungFuSpaceBarbarian, say it twice@KungFuSpaceBarbarian, third times the charm@KungFuSpaceBarbarian


#12

So say the legends…