Session 2 writeup, Dubar

Tonight marks the beginning of a new ACKS campaign set in +John-Matthew DeFoggi's bronze-age fantasy world of Kalypsis. I've been raring to play a full campaign of ACKS for a long time now, so I'm pretty excited about this, and the first session was about as fantastic as it could have been. We miss you, +Byron Bose!

I expect this to be a long campaign, and as usual I'll be writing it up as we go (hopefully accompanying each writeup with something special from an in-game perspective, as here). We're playing using the playtest rules for the ACKS Heroic Handbook, as well as some classes from the core book and Player's Companion, if you want to follow along at home.

A brief note on the cultures referred to below: Luathi and Trauj are both human cultures. Hulathi are the "men of silver," a sort of high-men culture (and the analog of the Auran Empire Nobirans). Hann are elves - or at least, elf-ish.

The Plains of Aeco: Session 1 - A Helping Hand

1st of Aecorach, Year of Falling Stars. 9th year of Sar Nasim’s reign in Ameena Noani

The five of us met in Sentem, a largeish village/settlement in the middle of the Plains of Aeco. Though each of us had come for his/her own reasons, all of us were seeking work as "Jackals" - the local slang for itinerant mercenaries and adventurers. The rumor was that one of the sons of Sar Jepeth, the lord of Sentem, was paying good coin for Jackals willing to kill beastmen, hunt the walking dead, and run more... esoteric errands. We are:

Dabar, Luathi Paladin and Bulwark of Alwain - Once a lowly shepherd from Densem, Dabar was given armor, a spear, and other blessings too by a messenger of Alwain, and commanded to take up those arms in the service of Law. Played by yours truly.

Kohuru - a Hulathi Mystic and Aspirant - Having been trained in the ways of the last remaining 'men of silver,' Kohuru descended from the distant mountains to see for himself the evidence of rumors that the age of Chaos had passed. Played by +Nick Johnson.

Arina, a Hann Spellsinger - One of the first Hann to have entered Zaharets in ages, Arina has come to the Plains of Aeco seeking rumors of a fragment of the ancient Hannic moon-road. Played by +Sophia Grace.

Malek Bear's Son, Beastmaster - Strange even for the Trauj, Malek was raised by bears. Actually raised by bears. He is accompanied by his wolf, Cousin. Played by +Benjamin Feehan.

Toara the Learner, Luathi Loremaster - Toara is a good-natured, bright-eyed young Loremaster, come all the way from Ameena Noani to learn what secrets are hidden beneath the Plains of Aeco. Played by +Jessica Feehan.

We had heard that the Gerwa named Ba-en-Nafer would be the person to contact about work, and luckily we found the dark-skinned man sitting in the gate of the village, helping the village elders adjudicate matters of property disputes. After waiting our turn to speak to him, we learned of three possible tasks for which the son of the local Sar would be willing to pay us: - Bounty hunting of the Beastmen near Bar'tak Kentak (worth 40 GP for anyone who came back alive). - Investigating rumors of the walking dead near the ancient fortress of Orsem Val (worth 80 GP for the whole party). - Working to procure rare ingredients for the local Loremaster, a Luathi woman named Arshat. These ingredients were needed since Japeth, the local lord, had been afflicted with a dread illness. Arshat had been working for some time to concoct a cure based off an ancient Hann tablet, but she still needed two extremely rare ingredients: the heart of one of the green deer of the Aeco Wood (deer which, if they give their hearts willingly to their hunter, will reincarnate again the following year) and a piece of the ancient Hann moon road, said to have fallen somewhere in the A'hule Asa mountains to the north. There was no fixed price on this quest except to say that we would be "greatly rewarded."

After some discussion amongst ourselves, we met with Arshat, and learned of the ceremony (and acquired the knife) necessary to slay the green deer properly. Then, after a bit of preliminary shopping, we set out towards Densom, following a well-worn track through the plains of Aeco. It would take us a day and a half to reach Densom, but we had not traveled far before we came upon a caravan that had been ambushed by huge, hulking beastmen, led by an especially ferocious Beastman chief. 8 beastmen where attacking 3 wagons which had been circled, while another 6 beastmen were already some way off with another wagon. Dabar's righteous spirit rankled within him to see the creatures of chaos plaguing the good Hulathi merchants and farmers, and as he readied his spear for battle he made this prayer:

"O great Alwain, you who led me from my sheepfold into the sacred gove, who hung these arms upon the mighty cedar, who wreathed his messenger in cloud and by his hand blessed these limbs to ward them from blade and pestilence, speed now my spear to do your will. If you grant me victory this day I will offer upon your altar three yearling rams and three sheaves of barley, and I will pour out a votive of wine to you upon this field of battle. Lend strength to my arm, Giver of Law."

Charging forward, we attacked the nearest group of 8 beastmen, Dabar slaying one with his spear on the initial charge. There were a few rounds of tense combat, with the farmers defending themselves (felling two of the beastmen, but also suffering three casualties in the process), and Melek and his wolf Cousin charging into the very thick of the fray. Arina peppered the beastman leader with arrows while Melek and Dabar challenged him head-on, cousin wounding the champion badly. Even the loremaster Toara got a hit in, striking one of the beastmen between the eyes with her staff and slaying it with a single blow! Kohuru faired less well, fighting valiantly and even going into a battle-trance before a series of heavy blows (and a fumble) stretched him out on the sward.

Arina stepped in to heal him, spreading acacia sap over his wounds to close them. He was saved, but his left hand was irreparably crushed - a particularly heavy loss for a man who had wielded a pair of twin blades. But the beastmen had suffered heavy casualties from our party and from the farmers, and now began a fighting retreat toward the wood. Exulting in his victory, Melek charged their leader again, who met him this time head-on with his mighty horns, stretching Melek out on the ground. Dabar shouted as he charged forward, cleaving the leader's head from his shoulders in a single blow, and the remaining beastmen fled. The day was ours.

As Arina saw to Melek (who it turns out had only lost a couple of teeth), Dabar first used Alwain's gifts (his Lay on Hands ability) to restore Kohuru, then placed the beastman champion's head upon the tip of his spear and poured out a Votive offering to Alwain...

The Battle-song of Dabar, Bulwark of Alwain

Alwains' servant was a shepherd -
kept a flock of grazing she-goats,
tended ewes among the cedars -
When there chanced a kid to wander
far from safe and verdant pastures
to a grove of ancient cedars.


In a grove of ancient cedars
Alwain's servant came a-wandering
seeking there a bleating she-goat.
In a grove of ancient cedars
there was hung the ancient armor
blessed by Alwain, hung for ages.


"Take the armor, holy shepherd,"
so the unseen one commanded,
filled the grove with smoke and fire.
Then he blessed the hero's body,
warded from it blade and sickness,
hallowed by the hand of Alwain.


Now that Shepherd swears to slaughter
Three young rams upon your altars
Sheaves of barley, burning votives.
These my vows, and I will pay them,
Only give me help in battle,
Only guide my heavy spear-shaft.