The Oscars are once again upon us, and Michelle and I are once again cooking our little faces off. But that post will probably go up Monday, once I've taken all the pictures and I need something to occupy my time waiting to get called for jury duty (I would say "get rejected," but I was on a jury last time I got called up, so you never know).
This, then, is the post I usually do where I talk about the nominees and make predictions. Why am I doing it when I'm effectively talking to an empty room? It's existential questions like these that make us human.
Overall, this year was disappointing, not because the movies that got nominated didn't deserve it (because overall they're really good, IMO) but because there were so many missed opportunities. I'm annoyed that Knives Out didn't get anything but a screenplay nom. I'm annoyed that Greta Gerwig didn't get a nom for Best Director (or, like, any women). I'm super annoyed that no one from the cast of Parasite got acting noms. But the Oscar snubs have been well and truly dissected already (I might still bitch about a few as we go, though).
On the plus side, streaming services and the Regal Unlimited club made it easier to see the nominees (plus Michelle and I started early, which means we saw movies like Motherless Brooklyn and Queen & Slim which got buzz but ultimately didn't get nominated), so I've actually seen all of the films in the categories I care about.
Best Actor: Gotta start somewhere. I'm thinking this is basically a lock for Joaquin Phoenix. It's a strong showing in the category generally; if there's anyone I wish wasn't there it's probably Adam Driver, not because he didn't turn in a great performance in Marriage Story, but because I don't think it topped, say, Song Kang-ho in Parasite or even Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems (or, heck, maybe even Daniel Kaluuya in Queen & Slim).
But, with that said, what's my favorite nominated performance? I really liked Antonio Banderas in Pain & Glory. I like Almodóvar films anyway, and I really liked the kind of contemplative take on someone putting their life back together. Plus, it had a happy ending, which for an Oscar movie is kind of rare. I liked Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes just fine; I'm not overmuch crazy about the subject matter, but his portrayal of Cardinal Bergoglio was pretty spot-on. And that leaves Leonardo DiCaprio, who isn't likely to win since he just got his Oscar a couple of years ago, but I have to say, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood was probably my favorite performance from him in some time. He showed some vulnerability, and the role didn't get subsumed by the sheer Tarantino-ness of the movie, if that makes sense.
My Choice: Antonio Banderas
My Prediction: Joaquin Phoenix
Best Actress: Oh, look, they do nominate not-white people sometimes. Cynthia Erivo's performance was far and away the best part of Harriet, which was otherwise a decent movie but, like, I don't think it was fully necessary to give Harriet Tubman superpowers. I don't think she's going to take it, and I don't think Saoirse Ryan is likely to for Little Women, either. As for the other three, I'm not sure. Renée Zellweger did a pretty remarkable job in Judy, but I didn't care for the movie as a whole (probably works better on stage). I really loved Charlize Theron's performance as Megyn Kelly. I kinda feel the same way about Scarlett Johansson's nomination for Marriage Story as I do about Driver's. Sure, her performance was great, and sure it's deserving, but deserving over folks like Jang Hyae-jin or Lupita Nyong'o (in Us?).
At the end of the day, I think my favorite performance here is a toss-up between Ryan and Theron, and I really don't know who I'd prefer to see win.
My Choice: Charlize Theron or Saoirse Ryan
My Prediction: Renée Zellweger
Best Supporting Actress: Apparently Laura Dern is the odds-on favorite here, and...eh. I mean, she's a great actress, but I don't think she did enough in Marriage Story to deserve the nom here (not to sound like a stuck record, but: Park So-dam, Cho Yeo-jeong, or Lee Jung-eun from Parasite, Madison Curry from Us, Julia Fox from Uncut Gems, and so on). Likewise, I think Kathy Bates did just fine in Richard Jewell, and the movie in general was a lot less heavy-handed than I was expecting (which isn't to say it wasn't heavy-handed), but I know she's better than "just fine."
The three other nominees - Florence Pugh in Little Women, Margot Robbie in Bombshell, and Scarlett Johansson (again) in Jojo Rabbit - all turned in much better performances. I think Pugh, of the three, is the one I liked least, not because she wasn't good but just because Little Women is such an ensemble film. Robbie's character in Bombshell was fictitious, kind of a stand-in for a number of actual people, and I think she did really well at taking a fictional person in the midst of a real story and making that persona fit.
However, my vote here goes to Johansson. I loved Jojo Rabbit for reasons I'll probably hit anon, and her performance here as a mother who loves her son but is desperately trying do the right thing while he has so completely bought into evil was really moving.
My Choice: Scarlett Johansson
My Prediction: Laura Dern
Best Supporting Actor: Hey, my choice and prediction finally synch up. Brad Pitt is likely to win this, and I really loved his performance in Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood. Sure, not as vulnerable as Leo's Rick Dalton, not as damaged, perhaps, but I appreciate the character with some miles on him, some sins on his soul, and on a purely nerdy level, he's kind of a badass and that's appealing to watch.
But what of the others? Anthony Hopkins is characteristically watchable as Pope Palpatine. Al Pacino is good, but pretty darned Pacino in The Irishman. I actually thought Joe Pesci's performance was the more interesting one (but if I'm honest, I don't think either one of them should have been nominated over Choi Woo-shik or Park Myung-hoon (Parasite), Winston Duke (Us), do I need to go on?), but it's nothing he hasn't done before. Tom Hanks was the perfect choice to play Fred Rogers, but I don't think it's as good of a performance as Pitt's.
My Choice & Prediction: Brad Pitt
Best Director: Grumble, grumble. What the fuck is Todd Phillips doing here? To be clear, I don't think Joker is a bad movie, if a little derivative (it so badly wants to be Taxi Driver), but I don't think the strength of the movie is the direction. And I certainly don't think Phillips deserves to be here over Greta Gerwig, or Marielle Heller, or Taika Waititi, or Pedro Almodóvar, or Jordan Peele. Anyway, I don't think he's going to win because I think Sam Mendes is likely to take it for 1917, which I could live with, I guess, but it certainly wouldn't be my choice.
I think Tarantino is likely to take it this year. He's never won Best Director, supposedly he's retiring after his next movie, and Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood is a story of the golden age of Hollywood, and the Academy loves that. If he wins, I'm not going to get too grouchy, because I thought this was one of his better movies (especially after The Hateful Eight, which I kind of hated). But my vote is firmly for Bong Joon-ho, because Parasite was goddamn fantastic.
Oh, right, Scorsese. I'm a little confused as to why he's nominated for The Irishman. It's too long, the weird de-aging effects are creepy, and it's almost beat-for-beat the same as Goodfellas. Blah. (It's not likely to win because the Academy is still spooky about Netflix movies, I think.)
My Choice: Bong Joon-ho
My Prediction: Quentin Tarantino
Best Cinematography: The one to beat here is 1917, because it was filmed to look like it's one continuous take, and it's pretty damned impressive, I gotta say. I don't think The Irishman or Joker have the steam to be Roger Deakins here, and I think that The Lighthouse is probably too weird (although it firmly deserves the nomination here). That leaves Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood, and again, I think that the Academy will give it trophies, but probably not here. I'm OK with that. Sure, the method might be a little gimmicky, maybe, but hell, try new stuff! See if it works! (And besides, the movie holds up on its own even without that.)
My Choice & Prediction: 1917
Best Animated Feature: Well, I'm really glad that we didn't get a repeat of last year's BS (no Boss Baby or the like). Instead we've got two sequels and three original movies. Toy Story 4 was good, and I was really expecting to be thinking "why in the world did we need this," but Pixar usually comes through in that department. I didn't feel like it shouldn't have been made, I didn't feel that it shouldn't have been nominated, but I didn't feel it was Pixar's best. Likewise, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was visually a lot of fun and it was cool to see the slightly more grown-up versions of the characters, but I've always felt that it was a weird choice to have the Vikings all sound Scottish except the lead characters, who are American as shit.
Of the original movies, I don't think Missing Link is going to take it, and I'm a little confused as to why this got the nom as opposed to Abominable, which I thought was the better movie (although Missing Link is Laika, which means they might be recognizing the technical side of things, I guess). That leaves Klaus and I Lost My Body. I don't think the latter has much of a shot; it's too weird and too French, but I really loved it, in large part because it's so simple, it's so self-contained, and it's such a strange and beautiful love story. But Klaus, too, is a good story, it's a kind of fresh take on the Santa Claus myth, and I think it might be the winner, which is fine.
My Choice: I Lost My Body
My Prediction: Klaus
Best Original Screenplay: I was all set to grumble about how this is the only nom for Knives Out and how it's not going to win and that sucks, and then I saw Parasite and it kind of split my loyalties. I really, really hope Parasite wins here, because I don't think it's going to win anywhere else and the story is fantastic. I'm kind of annoyed that 1917 is here because the story isn't the strong point, but the other two noms (Marriage Story and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood) are fine, I guess.
I have to say, though, I look forward to this category because this is where a weird movie or two tends to turn up. I guess we have that with Knives Out, but I dunno. I feel like it deserved more love than it got anyway. I feel like Tarantino is going to get this, though, because the Academy really loves to give him this one, and the movie's about Hollywood.
My Choice: Parasite
My Prediction: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I guess
Best Adapted Screenplay: Well, if Little Women wins anywhere, it's probably going to be here (I mean, I think it'll win Costume Design, too, but in the categories I'm talking about). I think we can safely discount the two Netflix movies (The Irishman and The Two Popes), and, sad to say, I don't think Jojo Rabbit will win here (very much my pick). That leaves Joker and Little Women, and if that ain't a metaphor for the times.
My Choice: Jojo Rabbit
My Prediction: Little Women
Best Picture: Apparently this is a more open field than in other years. Let's run 'em down.
The Irishman isn't likely to take it. Again, long, Netflix movie, weird de-aging effects.
Marriage Story also isn't likely to take it. At the core of it, it's a modern divorce story, it features some great performances, but I don't think it's likely to get the top prize (and if I'm honest, I'd much rather have seen Knives Out or Us here instead).
Jojo Rabbit probably isn't winning. I really liked this movie, as I've mentioned - it's hard to do dark comedy well and easier to lean too heavily on the "dark". I think this is a good examination of how the desire to belong and to be part of something, as well as a child's tendency to believe, uncritically, what adults tell them, can lead to some really unpleasant places. I also think that the emotional punches in the movie hit harder because the tone stays relatively light, and that's a hard row to hoe, so kudos to Waititi. But I think the Academy is going to blanch at "funny Hitler."
Ford v. Ferrari ain't winning. It got three other noms, but they're all in the technical nerdy stuff, so if it wins it'll be there. I did enjoy this movie; I was afraid going in that it would be asking me to root for the Ford Motor Corp, but it really focuses more on Shelby and Myles and tells their story, and that was pretty engaging. But it doesn't have the juice to win here.
Parasite...alas. Look, I've been wrong about this before; the Academy surprised the hell out of me and gave this award to Moonlight and The Shape of Water. But those movies were in English, and I don't think the Academy is ready to give this to a movie that you have to read subtitles for. With that said, this movie was probably my favorite of the Best Picture nominees; it's thrilling, it's funny, and it's so, so tragic. I love that for all the ruthlessness and cruelty the Kim family shows, they're not there to rob the Parks or con them out of anything, they just want paying jobs. Sigh. Anyway.
So now we're into the noms that might actually win: 1917, Little Women, Joker, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I really, really hope Joker doesn't win. I would be saying that there's no way, it got the nom, sure, but it's not going to take Best Picture, but it got 11 goddamn nominations and it stayed in theaters for a long time. Plus, it's got the dubious advantage of sending the message that, yes, angry white men, you are indeed being done dirty.
And then on the other end of the spectrum, we have Little Women, which is a pretty empowering story made more so by Greta Gerwig jiggering with the ending a little to show that Jo March isn't really interested in marrying a man, but that's the way this works. Which, again, pretty damn perfect metaphor, since Gerwig should have been nominated for Best Director and wasn't.
I think the real race, though, is between 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The former is a completely safe bet. It's a good movie, it's a war movie (which the Academy likes), but it's WWI, so it's comfortably far from controversy. And besides, it's not really about the war per se, so much as it's about this one soldier's struggle and story. And, there's the whole "one-take" thing.
But then there's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Again: Tarantino has never won Best Picture, he's allegedly retiring soon, and this movie is a subject that the Academy loves. The movie manages to save Sharon Tate's life and undo (maybe) some of the more awful scandals that followed, and I think that'll appeal to the old folks who are still voting on this.
In the end, I think the safe bet will win out, but I've been wrong before, so we'll see.
My Choice: Parasite
My Prediction: 1917
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Blue Rose: No Step on Snek
Last time here, Blue Rose play game on we go.
The heroes wake up and Dobbin and Kisha go to morning worship (where, again, they don't understand anything being said), while Arlen and Whirlpool are still in the brig. The High Priest goes down to said brig to talk to them, listens to Arlen's very respectful recounting of what happened, and asks if he can make psychic contact to verify the story. Arlen agrees, and Mah casts the spell, delving into Arlen's mind to learn the truth. Once he does, he orders them both released, and tells the jailer that he'll be coming to see the two sailors who accused Arlen that evening.
Negotiations, meanwhile, continue - Kisha bides her time until Arlen and Whirlpool join them again. When they do, Admiral Pov apologizes to them on behalf of his crew, which Arlen accepts. The characters do note, however, that there are more people in the negotiations today, almost like Pov expects things to get ugly.
They don't, however. Pov reiterates his desire to take the Mask ashore with his men, and Kisha debates him until he agrees to have his men take the characters ashore but wait for them in the longboats. Kisha agrees to that, and the negotiations end just before dinner.
As they're all walking to the mess, however, they hear a drum roll. The two sailors that accosted Arlen last night are there, bound, and a priest reads out their sentence while an ensign translates for the characters: they're to have 30 lashes and then 10 days in the brig. Dobbin and Arlen look away as the men are whipped within an inch of their lives, Whirlpool and Kisha manage to look on, but they're pretty disturbed. This isn't how things are done in Aldis, after all.
The men are cut down and taken to the infirmary, everyone has a very awkward dinner, and Pov tells the assembled sailors that he needs eight volunteers to go ashore with the Aldins, or he'll choose volunteers himself. After dinner, Whirlpool and Arlen go to bed (neither slept especially well in the brig last night), while Kisha hangs around on deck listening to sailors talk and trying to learn Jarzoni. Dobbin finds Belus, the deck sergeant, and asks about the punishment - is that common?
Belus says that the punishment for starting a fight is usually time in the brig, but lying to the High Priest is really what got them in trouble. He says that even then, 30 lashes is excessive, and he's seen men die under that kind of punishment (the sailors in question are OK, though). He notes that the whole crew has been violent and on edge lately, and Dobbin wonders if the Mask might be responsible.
At this point, a loud whistle echoes over the deck, and Belus goes pale. He runs over the railing (Dobbin following, and Kisha joins them), and a deckhand points off into the distance. Belus calls for light, and out in the waters of the bay they see it: An immense serpent's coil disappearing into the waves.
Belus orders the men to arms and alert, and the ruckus wakes Arlen, who wakes Whirlpool. They head out to the railing and Whirlpool, the most knowledgeable about sea creatures, identifies the giant serpent as a constrictor (which is odd, because they aren't usually aquatic). It's huge, but probably not big enough to crush the Tempered Heart. It is, however, easily big enough to crush the Misery.
Kisha runs to the other side of the ship to warn Shira to cast off, but the captain can't hear her. Dobbin ties a note to an arrow and fires it into the mast, and the Misery untethers from the Heart and starts sailing off. Whirlpool, though, notices the serpent's head emerge and start heading toward the fleeing ship. Belus tells Dobbin that they can fire the ballistas at the snake, but that's going to take a minute to aim and ready. If the characters have a better idea, now's the time.
Dobbin fires an arrow into the snake and Whirlpool casts Cold Shaping, but the thing is so massive that even these attacks don't really bother it. But then Arlen realizes that it's just an animal, and casts a spell to summon it. The snake stops, turns, and swims over, rising up out of the water and staring at him. Belus nearly gives the order to attack, but Dobbin stops him just in time, and Arlen commands the snake to go out to the middle of the bay and wait (using the Animal Messenger spell). The snake obligingly swims away, and everyone gives a sigh of relief.
The Admiral comes to talk to the characters, and thanks them for their help. He also has noted the violence on the ship, and asks the characters if they know what's happening. They're tempted to blame the Mask, but they do note that the Mask has never had this kind of effect before. The violence started when the characters came aboard, so maybe something followed it, or awakened because of it?
Pov doesn't know, but he wants the characters (and the Mask) off the ship as soon as possible. He has his engines burn all night to get to the Teeth, and helps the heroes get on longboats with some sailors and head in through the choppy waters, bound for Miriana's Tomb.
Next time, we'll see how that goes.
The heroes wake up and Dobbin and Kisha go to morning worship (where, again, they don't understand anything being said), while Arlen and Whirlpool are still in the brig. The High Priest goes down to said brig to talk to them, listens to Arlen's very respectful recounting of what happened, and asks if he can make psychic contact to verify the story. Arlen agrees, and Mah casts the spell, delving into Arlen's mind to learn the truth. Once he does, he orders them both released, and tells the jailer that he'll be coming to see the two sailors who accused Arlen that evening.
Negotiations, meanwhile, continue - Kisha bides her time until Arlen and Whirlpool join them again. When they do, Admiral Pov apologizes to them on behalf of his crew, which Arlen accepts. The characters do note, however, that there are more people in the negotiations today, almost like Pov expects things to get ugly.
They don't, however. Pov reiterates his desire to take the Mask ashore with his men, and Kisha debates him until he agrees to have his men take the characters ashore but wait for them in the longboats. Kisha agrees to that, and the negotiations end just before dinner.
As they're all walking to the mess, however, they hear a drum roll. The two sailors that accosted Arlen last night are there, bound, and a priest reads out their sentence while an ensign translates for the characters: they're to have 30 lashes and then 10 days in the brig. Dobbin and Arlen look away as the men are whipped within an inch of their lives, Whirlpool and Kisha manage to look on, but they're pretty disturbed. This isn't how things are done in Aldis, after all.
The men are cut down and taken to the infirmary, everyone has a very awkward dinner, and Pov tells the assembled sailors that he needs eight volunteers to go ashore with the Aldins, or he'll choose volunteers himself. After dinner, Whirlpool and Arlen go to bed (neither slept especially well in the brig last night), while Kisha hangs around on deck listening to sailors talk and trying to learn Jarzoni. Dobbin finds Belus, the deck sergeant, and asks about the punishment - is that common?
Belus says that the punishment for starting a fight is usually time in the brig, but lying to the High Priest is really what got them in trouble. He says that even then, 30 lashes is excessive, and he's seen men die under that kind of punishment (the sailors in question are OK, though). He notes that the whole crew has been violent and on edge lately, and Dobbin wonders if the Mask might be responsible.
At this point, a loud whistle echoes over the deck, and Belus goes pale. He runs over the railing (Dobbin following, and Kisha joins them), and a deckhand points off into the distance. Belus calls for light, and out in the waters of the bay they see it: An immense serpent's coil disappearing into the waves.
Belus orders the men to arms and alert, and the ruckus wakes Arlen, who wakes Whirlpool. They head out to the railing and Whirlpool, the most knowledgeable about sea creatures, identifies the giant serpent as a constrictor (which is odd, because they aren't usually aquatic). It's huge, but probably not big enough to crush the Tempered Heart. It is, however, easily big enough to crush the Misery.
Kisha runs to the other side of the ship to warn Shira to cast off, but the captain can't hear her. Dobbin ties a note to an arrow and fires it into the mast, and the Misery untethers from the Heart and starts sailing off. Whirlpool, though, notices the serpent's head emerge and start heading toward the fleeing ship. Belus tells Dobbin that they can fire the ballistas at the snake, but that's going to take a minute to aim and ready. If the characters have a better idea, now's the time.
Dobbin fires an arrow into the snake and Whirlpool casts Cold Shaping, but the thing is so massive that even these attacks don't really bother it. But then Arlen realizes that it's just an animal, and casts a spell to summon it. The snake stops, turns, and swims over, rising up out of the water and staring at him. Belus nearly gives the order to attack, but Dobbin stops him just in time, and Arlen commands the snake to go out to the middle of the bay and wait (using the Animal Messenger spell). The snake obligingly swims away, and everyone gives a sigh of relief.
The Admiral comes to talk to the characters, and thanks them for their help. He also has noted the violence on the ship, and asks the characters if they know what's happening. They're tempted to blame the Mask, but they do note that the Mask has never had this kind of effect before. The violence started when the characters came aboard, so maybe something followed it, or awakened because of it?
Pov doesn't know, but he wants the characters (and the Mask) off the ship as soon as possible. He has his engines burn all night to get to the Teeth, and helps the heroes get on longboats with some sailors and head in through the choppy waters, bound for Miriana's Tomb.
Next time, we'll see how that goes.
Thursday, February 6, 2020
Character Creation: Tales from the Floating Vagabond
Sure, why not. Looks fun.
The Game: Tales from the Floating Vagabond
The Publisher: Avalon Hill, originally
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one, I think
Tales from the Floating Vagabond is an early 90s sci-fi humor game, centered around the titular Floating Vagabond, a bar in the center of an ever-expanding pocket dimension. It's run by a dude called Hawk Luger, whose nickname is "Spit." That seems to be pretty much where we're at.
But that's not a bad thing. Sure, there are a lot of terrible puns in the text of the game, but some of them are actually kind of funny. Sure, there's a lot of "game designers lol" kind of humor, but like, this was in the early 90s, and it's nice to know that someone was having a good time making games. I'm not crazy about the fact that most of the depicted characters are men and what women there are seem to fall pretty decisively into the cheesecake category, but again, early 90s, what are you gonna do.
What I do want to know, though, is what the expectation is for characters in this game. Looking at the sample adventure, it seems like it's basically wander into the pub and have adventures thrown at you, which is fine by me. Means I just have to make someone who would wander into a pub.
I kind of want to make a mostly normal, very chipper fellow who just got lost and figures that maybe someone in this place might be able to give him directions (he's from Pumpkin Falls, Iowa, but he was on a road trip). Walked into a bar, physics went weird, and here he is in the Floating Vagabond. Sure, it's a little shocking that aliens are real and that he's in a space-bar trillions of light years from home, but hey, as long as he's here...anyone know how to find the Interstate? His name is Allen Boyd, "like 'bird' if you're from Brooklyn!"
OK, good start. How do I actually make a character? I start with 20 stat points that I divvy up into seven stats, minimum 1, and they're one-for-one up to level 6. Can't divide them evenly, dangit. Two is average. Let's put 1 point into Cool, because Allen is so very not Cool, and 1 point into Common Sense, because Allen thought going into that biker bar to get directions was a good idea. That gives me 18 points for 5 stats. Better.
Well, I want a fairly high Luck score, because Allen's still alive, so I'll put 5 there. I'll put 5 into Smarts and 4 into Aim, which leaves me 4. I'll split them evenly between Strength and Nimbleness. That's 20, I think.
Oops! Points (which are like Hit Points) are Str + Luck + 2d6, I rolled 9, so that's 16. Luck points are equal to Luck, so 5. Easy enough.
Next up, Skills and Schticks and FUCK ME I get 1500 points. What the hell. I think we probably could have divided all these costs by 10 and been fine, but whatever. I'm actually going to skip ahead to Schticks because I can only take one. Huh. I can spend 500 points and buy a particular Schtick, or spend 200 and roll on a table. Ooh, that's tempting. Let's look at them and see if one is just perfect for Allen.
Oh, there's actually two: the Murphy Effect (Murphy's Law is in effect around me, but I can use it to my benefit) and the John Doe effect (people recognize me, because my face is so generic). I'm gonna spend 500 and buy the John Doe Effect, because it seems like exactly the sort of trouble Allen would get into. Neat, now I have 1000 points for Skills.
Well, I want Allen to be able to get out of the way, so I'll take Dodge and Duck at level 3 (which is 300 points, altogether). I'll take Drive Car at 1 (50 points, down to 650). Calculate at 1, sure, 100 points. I'll take Trivia 3, even though that eats a shitload of my points, because I think Allen knows a lot of useless stuff (holy shit, I'm making Del Griffith from Planes, Trains, & Automobiles). 250 left. I'll take Juggle at 2 (200) and then put the last 50 into a point of Throw.
I start with 2500 bucks, and of course I could go shopping, but I won't.
I figure Allen is in his early 30s. He tells a lot of dad jokes - probably even is a dad, because it'd be fun to have him pulling out pictures of his kids and boring the teeth out of people in the Floating Vagabond. He's white and has brown hair, he's slim but not athletic, he's handsome in a generic sort of way, and man, people always mistake him for someone else. Allen, for his part, is willing to cheerfully go along with whatever's happening, and he'll have you know that back in college he was known to have the odd beer or two - even on weeknights! Hoo-nelly!
Anyway, that's me done.
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Character Creation: Super Heroes Unite!
Wasn't necessarily planning on doing something this simple, but what the heck.
The Game: Super Heroes Unite!
The Publisher: DD Art Studio
Degree of Familiarity: None, but there ain't much to it
Books Required: Just the one
Oh, wait, one thing: "Keep in mind this game is meant to be kept very simple, so rules are not necessarily meant to make 'sense.'" What the hell. If it's simple, it needs to make sense, otherwise you're just telling the kids what happens and making shit up rather than including them and letting them figure out the game.
Look, free play is awesome, but if you're making a game with numbers and rules, that's necessarily not what you're doing. Ah, screw it.
I have three stat kinda things, Super Strength, Speed, and Intellect. I'm meant to roll a die for each of them (or roll 4 and throw out the lowest). I get 6, 5, 6. Holy cats. Oh, wait, using these traits is a d6 roll, and you need to roll equal to or less than your trait, but 6 is always a failure, so there is no benefit in having a trait of 6, is there?
Oh, wait, Defense Rating is the total of your three traits. OK, then, at least that's something. 17 Defense, and since I'm level 1 (of course this game has a level system) I have 10 Life Points.
Move is 4, I guess, for everyone. Powers, then! I get two, and I could choose them but how about I roll instead? The roll gives me Flight and Elasticity, which aren't powers you see together very often. I think I'm gonna reroll that second one. Flame Blast, sure, why not.
That's basically it, I just need to tie this all together. Let's say that my hero's name is Bonfire. He got his powers after stumbling upon a strange, alien artifact in the woods at scout camp (there's nothing that says these characters have to be kids, but the game is meant to be for kids, so that's kinda where my brain went). Bonfire's super-outfit is a red hoodie and black pants, but he creates a fiery halo that make it look all shimmery. The alien artifact also made Bonfire super-smart, but he's still pretty young, so his knowledge base is limited. And I've already put way more thought into this than the game really demands, so I think I'll stop.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Marvel Heroic: Covered in Bees
Last night was Marvel, bibbty-boo. Here's last time.
Somewhat battered, the heroes press on, still in the black site in Nigeria. The giant bees swarm over them (which let me give them a complication called Covered in Bees, which is all I really wanted). Inferno, in what would become a theme of the evening, burned the bees away from him, and Spore just lets them sink right through him, but the other three have giant squirmy insects all over them.
Inferno tries to fill the hall with smoke to pacify the bees, but they don't seem to mind. Arcanix lets loose a blast of magic to squish the bees on him, Juno absorbs some of the magic energy from him and redirects it to get rid of the bees, and Rift teleports down the hall to get away from them. The wall caves in, cutting Rift off from the others, and she turns to see a huge pile of debris, wax, bees, and moss, and the Multitude surfaces out of it, bees emerging from his mouth.
She opens a gate and calls out for the others, and Juno scoops everyone up and pulls them them through with her force field. Inferno lets loose, throwing fire at the monster and burning/melting it, but the Multitude lashes out with a torrent of giant bees. Juno, Arcanix, and Rift are all stung repeatedly, and Rift collapses. Arcanix tries to bind the creature with magic, but it smashes through the bindings and buries the robot in rubble and hot wax, incapacitating him. Inferno blazes hotter, destroying part of the wall and vaporizing most of the creature, leaving only a human-looking Multitude.
Spore tries to infect him, but the bees just soak up the moss and swarm over the three of them. Once again, Inferno and Spore aren't harmed, but the stings overwhelm Juno. Inferno flings another gout of flames and incinerates Multitude.
Exhausted, the heroes return to the Sanctum. All of them are injured (everyone has some Trauma), and they aren't sure where to find Logic. Arcanix goes up into the prison and talks with Oleado, who isn't interested in cooperating, but does mention "nuclear winter." Arcanix searches out anomalies in nuclear facilities, and finds that Cheyenne Mountain is returning some weird activity. There, they figure, is where they might find Logic.
Next time, the end of Act Two!
Somewhat battered, the heroes press on, still in the black site in Nigeria. The giant bees swarm over them (which let me give them a complication called Covered in Bees, which is all I really wanted). Inferno, in what would become a theme of the evening, burned the bees away from him, and Spore just lets them sink right through him, but the other three have giant squirmy insects all over them.
Inferno tries to fill the hall with smoke to pacify the bees, but they don't seem to mind. Arcanix lets loose a blast of magic to squish the bees on him, Juno absorbs some of the magic energy from him and redirects it to get rid of the bees, and Rift teleports down the hall to get away from them. The wall caves in, cutting Rift off from the others, and she turns to see a huge pile of debris, wax, bees, and moss, and the Multitude surfaces out of it, bees emerging from his mouth.
She opens a gate and calls out for the others, and Juno scoops everyone up and pulls them them through with her force field. Inferno lets loose, throwing fire at the monster and burning/melting it, but the Multitude lashes out with a torrent of giant bees. Juno, Arcanix, and Rift are all stung repeatedly, and Rift collapses. Arcanix tries to bind the creature with magic, but it smashes through the bindings and buries the robot in rubble and hot wax, incapacitating him. Inferno blazes hotter, destroying part of the wall and vaporizing most of the creature, leaving only a human-looking Multitude.
Spore tries to infect him, but the bees just soak up the moss and swarm over the three of them. Once again, Inferno and Spore aren't harmed, but the stings overwhelm Juno. Inferno flings another gout of flames and incinerates Multitude.
Exhausted, the heroes return to the Sanctum. All of them are injured (everyone has some Trauma), and they aren't sure where to find Logic. Arcanix goes up into the prison and talks with Oleado, who isn't interested in cooperating, but does mention "nuclear winter." Arcanix searches out anomalies in nuclear facilities, and finds that Cheyenne Mountain is returning some weird activity. There, they figure, is where they might find Logic.
Next time, the end of Act Two!
Monday, February 3, 2020
The Strange: Back from Halloween
It's an actual play post, y'know the drill. Last time here.
Arnauld, Roxanne, and Edward are in a dark room with something calling itself "the bogeyman." Roxanne thinks quickly and, remembering that in folklore these creatures flee from light, yells "we need light!"
Arnauld lights his candle, but that just makes the room spookier and the bogeyman's silhouette appears, big and scarier and with red eyes. Arnauld then sets his ghost costume on fire, and the room blazes with light. The bogeyman deflates and flees into the dark, and the characters head out a door.
They find themselves in a hallway, and Black Posie, Hazel's familiar, sits in the middle of it watching them. They get their bearings and realize that they're in the same hallway that Arnauld fled from before (when he crashed out the window). Arnauld takes a moment to grab a sheet off a bed so he can make a toga. They peek down the stairs and see a pumpkin golem sleeping on the landing. The window is still there, still smashed out, and they decide that fleeing that way is going to be easier than sneaking by that golem (particularly since all of them are getting low on stat pools). Hazel smears her broom with a cypher paste that enhances effort, and Edward activates a cypher belt that allows him to float. Arnauld climbs onto the broom and holds onto his sheet, while Edward holds the other end and gets towed behind.
They zoom for the window and fly right through it...but too late, realize that something shiny and thin is strung across it. They're all cut up a bit, and Arnauld falls off the broom. Edward keeps hold of the sheet and Arnauld winds up hanging over the ground. And then behind them, the characters hear the incoming TROMP TROMP of the pumpkin golem. It bursts through the wall (OH YEAH!) and, no one wanting to fight it, Arnauld takes on werewolf form and runs like hell for the fence.
Roxanne swoops back around to help, but Edward gets a bright idea. He throws his voice (he's a magician, remember) and impersonates Hazel, yelling at the golem to get back inside. That works and the golem backs off, and Arnauld jumps up on the fence, trying to scramble over. And then the crying bats swarm in.
The crying bats are a horrible amalgam of baby faces, sharp teeth, and big ol' bat bodies. They flock around Arnauld and Edward, biting them. Roxanne swoops in and pushes Arnauld over the fence, he tows Edward along, and all of them collapse on the cobblestone street, off the grounds of the House on the Hill.
Hazel Jenkins comes out of the house and confirms that all of the captured recursors have been freed, and then stomps back in. The characters pick themselves up (Edward slings Arnauld, now in goblin form and quite unconscious) over the broom and they all head back to Roger Reaper's house to rest.
Alex and Carmen, meanwhile, decide to head back to Reapers to see how everyone's doing. They find, of course, that everyone is bleeding and getting cleaned off and tended to by goblins, and they rest up and perform some first aid. While the others are healing, Alex and Carmen go out to do some trick-or-treating, and Carmen gets beckoned into an alley by a goblin. The goblin tells Carmen that he knows what "James" is up to - he's trying to get a key from the Tattooed Woman that unlocks an artifact chest in a recursion called Silverwood. The goblin, who calls himself Soot, was here trying to get the key first, but got captured by Hazel Jenkins and was only recently freed. Carmen notes that the folks responsible for saving him are right over there in the cobbler's shop, if he wants to thank them; Soot notes that he still smells like a jar and he needs to clean off first. He does, however, give Carmen a cypher syringe that can be used to pull a tattoo off of the Lady's body, and suggests she steal the key before James does. Soot hints that James is attempting to bottle the spark, and that the contents of the chest have something to do with that.
Carmen and Alex go back to the cobbler's and explain all of this. Alex is suspicious - it seems a little convenient to him. Carmen points out, though, that the others did just free a bunch of recursors from Hazel, so the timing does synch up. They all talk about it a bit, and then Soot does indeed come to visit.
He explains his position a little more - he's actually from Atlantis, but he's been traveling recursions for some time. Edward uses a cypher to identify him, and although his name is a little muddled, learns that his home recursion is indeed Atlantis and his name is Maythis. Satisfied that he's telling the truth, they ask about Silverwood. Soot tells them that Silverwood is a recursion with horses and cowboys and guns, which the others identify as a western-themed recursion, probably created by fictional leakage. Alex and Carmen both realize that the silver star that the Bridge Tender saw James wearing was probably a Marshal's badge, and if it had that form here, it's got to be an artifact of some kind. Maybe that's James' home recursion, then?
Soot doesn't know, but he tells them that time is a factor - Silverwood is under threat and getting the chest out isn't going to be easy, because on Silverwood, it's a safe. The characters agree to go and talk to the Tattooed Lady and try to get the key.
They go and talk to her, but it doesn't go well. She doesn't much care about Silverwood, and she just laughs every time they mention the chest. She doesn't care what's in it (though she does mention knowing what the key unlocks), and she's not willing to part with her tattoos. She even swipes the syringe from Carmen, and then dismisses them all.
Dejected, the characters head out of the circus when Soot approaches. Hearing that they gave up and lost the syringe, he becomes distraught, and begs the characters to reconsider. He points out that since Carmen has taken the Vow of Begging, she can even steal the key as a prank, as long as she doesn't get caught. Carmen notes that this is going to be hard, but is glad to have an approach that might work. The characters decide to go looking for cyphers, and figure that the pumpkin patch is a good place to look.
Tum, the Power of the Pumpkin Patch, initially roars that he doesn't like golems, but Carmen tells him that Alex isn't a golem because he can talk (which Alex confirms), and Tum calms down. Tum is actually a very cheerful and accommodating sort, as long as no one is going to make any pies (which he considers abominations). The characters search the patch and find a variety of cyphers, including an abeyance trap (which can make a target effectively cease to exist for an hour), a visual displacer (which projects holographic doubles of the user), and a glove that calls an object to it from a distance. They also find a charging capacitor, which they use to sap the charge from a cypher Arnauld is carrying and give an extra charge to the abeyance trap.
Carmen gears up, taking these cyphers, lighting her candle, and heading for the circus. The others go along as backup as necessary, but hope that Carmen can handle this. Roxanne flies Carmen to the back of the Big Top, and Carmen sneaks into the Lady's quarters. She finds the syringe in a locked armoire, nabs it with the glove, and hides under the bed. The Lady comes in, but smells the smoke from Carmen's candle, and animates a hell-hound from her tats.
The hound drags Carmen out from under the bed. Carmen hits it with the abeyance trap and it vanishes. The Lady animates a serpent, which bites Carmen, and a demon, but Carmen activates the displacer and the images confuse the tattoos and the Lady.
Outside, Soot finds the others and tells them that Carmen needs help. Roxanne enters the tent and uses Enthrall to stun the Lady, and Carmen stabs her in the key tattoo and removes it. Alex charges in, grabs what he thinks is Carmen, and bursts out of the tent, but then realizes he grabbed one of the duplicates. The Lady, now free of the Enthrall, animates spikes on her arm and slams them into Carmen's neck.
Carmen wriggles and perishes, and appears as a new tattoo on the Lady's body. Horrified, the others flee (Edward does grab the syringe, however). They fall back to the pumpkin patch, and lick their wounds.
Soot appears, and asks to see the key. Edward shows it, and Soot smiles, and shoots Edward with the abeyance trap (which Carmen must have dropped). Edward ceases to exist, Soot catches the syringe as it falls, and vanishes in a puff of smoke. ("I knew it," growls Alex.)
An hour later, Edward returns. Roxanne asks Tum how he goes to the meeting of the Powers, and he says he doesn't, he sends a goblin to take notes. Come to think of it, though, the one he sent last time didn't come back. He describes said goblin, and Arnauld recognizes it - it's one of the Five-Headed Thing's heads. Tum sends a goblin to invite the Lady here under truce, because if someone killed that goblin, that's a violation of several of the rules around here.
The Lady is in no mood, but she does show up, and agrees to let the characters talk with the head of Aloysius (the former "notes goblin" for Tum) and use one of her tents in the Midnight Circus to translate home (and therefore back into Halloween, should they wish to), if they tell her where her key is. They tell her, and she grudgingly leads them to the Five-Headed Thing, who gags his main head and frees Aloysius.
Aloysius tells them that James shoved him into the Thing's tent, but he isn't sure why. He heard a conversation between James and Gomez Snake, but nothing they said was new - but then he remembers that he heard Gomez call James by his last name. Mr...Mortimer? Mordecai? Mortuary? He's pretty sure it was "Mortuary."
Roxanne noodles this, and then figures it out. A fellow named "James" whose last name sounds like "mortuary" and has a proclivity for manipulation and crime. Moriarty.
The characters decide to head home, report to Belding, and then figure out their next move. They translate out, but then they wake up on Earth at the mansion. Alex is on the range shooting, Roxanne is in her room, Edward is in the library reading A Study in Scarlet, and Arnauld is in front of his computer. Roxanne apparently sent a text to Belding an hour ago, and he's on his way. Arnauld reviews the surveillance and realizes they appeared an hour ago, but then lost the time.
They all get together and talk with Belding, and he tells them that a brief period of lost time isn't uncommon upon translation, especially if you've had a rough go of it. They explain what happened and that Carmen is gone, and he asks their next move. They consider going to Atlantis to track down Maythis, going to 221B Baker Street to find more on Moriarty (and maybe Holmes), or going to Silverwood to find the mysterious chest. In the end they decide that Silverwood is their most solid lead, so yippee-kai-yay!
Next time, we'll see what these cowpokes get up to.
Arnauld, Roxanne, and Edward are in a dark room with something calling itself "the bogeyman." Roxanne thinks quickly and, remembering that in folklore these creatures flee from light, yells "we need light!"
Arnauld lights his candle, but that just makes the room spookier and the bogeyman's silhouette appears, big and scarier and with red eyes. Arnauld then sets his ghost costume on fire, and the room blazes with light. The bogeyman deflates and flees into the dark, and the characters head out a door.
They find themselves in a hallway, and Black Posie, Hazel's familiar, sits in the middle of it watching them. They get their bearings and realize that they're in the same hallway that Arnauld fled from before (when he crashed out the window). Arnauld takes a moment to grab a sheet off a bed so he can make a toga. They peek down the stairs and see a pumpkin golem sleeping on the landing. The window is still there, still smashed out, and they decide that fleeing that way is going to be easier than sneaking by that golem (particularly since all of them are getting low on stat pools). Hazel smears her broom with a cypher paste that enhances effort, and Edward activates a cypher belt that allows him to float. Arnauld climbs onto the broom and holds onto his sheet, while Edward holds the other end and gets towed behind.
They zoom for the window and fly right through it...but too late, realize that something shiny and thin is strung across it. They're all cut up a bit, and Arnauld falls off the broom. Edward keeps hold of the sheet and Arnauld winds up hanging over the ground. And then behind them, the characters hear the incoming TROMP TROMP of the pumpkin golem. It bursts through the wall (OH YEAH!) and, no one wanting to fight it, Arnauld takes on werewolf form and runs like hell for the fence.
Roxanne swoops back around to help, but Edward gets a bright idea. He throws his voice (he's a magician, remember) and impersonates Hazel, yelling at the golem to get back inside. That works and the golem backs off, and Arnauld jumps up on the fence, trying to scramble over. And then the crying bats swarm in.
The crying bats are a horrible amalgam of baby faces, sharp teeth, and big ol' bat bodies. They flock around Arnauld and Edward, biting them. Roxanne swoops in and pushes Arnauld over the fence, he tows Edward along, and all of them collapse on the cobblestone street, off the grounds of the House on the Hill.
Hazel Jenkins comes out of the house and confirms that all of the captured recursors have been freed, and then stomps back in. The characters pick themselves up (Edward slings Arnauld, now in goblin form and quite unconscious) over the broom and they all head back to Roger Reaper's house to rest.
Alex and Carmen, meanwhile, decide to head back to Reapers to see how everyone's doing. They find, of course, that everyone is bleeding and getting cleaned off and tended to by goblins, and they rest up and perform some first aid. While the others are healing, Alex and Carmen go out to do some trick-or-treating, and Carmen gets beckoned into an alley by a goblin. The goblin tells Carmen that he knows what "James" is up to - he's trying to get a key from the Tattooed Woman that unlocks an artifact chest in a recursion called Silverwood. The goblin, who calls himself Soot, was here trying to get the key first, but got captured by Hazel Jenkins and was only recently freed. Carmen notes that the folks responsible for saving him are right over there in the cobbler's shop, if he wants to thank them; Soot notes that he still smells like a jar and he needs to clean off first. He does, however, give Carmen a cypher syringe that can be used to pull a tattoo off of the Lady's body, and suggests she steal the key before James does. Soot hints that James is attempting to bottle the spark, and that the contents of the chest have something to do with that.
Carmen and Alex go back to the cobbler's and explain all of this. Alex is suspicious - it seems a little convenient to him. Carmen points out, though, that the others did just free a bunch of recursors from Hazel, so the timing does synch up. They all talk about it a bit, and then Soot does indeed come to visit.
He explains his position a little more - he's actually from Atlantis, but he's been traveling recursions for some time. Edward uses a cypher to identify him, and although his name is a little muddled, learns that his home recursion is indeed Atlantis and his name is Maythis. Satisfied that he's telling the truth, they ask about Silverwood. Soot tells them that Silverwood is a recursion with horses and cowboys and guns, which the others identify as a western-themed recursion, probably created by fictional leakage. Alex and Carmen both realize that the silver star that the Bridge Tender saw James wearing was probably a Marshal's badge, and if it had that form here, it's got to be an artifact of some kind. Maybe that's James' home recursion, then?
Soot doesn't know, but he tells them that time is a factor - Silverwood is under threat and getting the chest out isn't going to be easy, because on Silverwood, it's a safe. The characters agree to go and talk to the Tattooed Lady and try to get the key.
They go and talk to her, but it doesn't go well. She doesn't much care about Silverwood, and she just laughs every time they mention the chest. She doesn't care what's in it (though she does mention knowing what the key unlocks), and she's not willing to part with her tattoos. She even swipes the syringe from Carmen, and then dismisses them all.
Dejected, the characters head out of the circus when Soot approaches. Hearing that they gave up and lost the syringe, he becomes distraught, and begs the characters to reconsider. He points out that since Carmen has taken the Vow of Begging, she can even steal the key as a prank, as long as she doesn't get caught. Carmen notes that this is going to be hard, but is glad to have an approach that might work. The characters decide to go looking for cyphers, and figure that the pumpkin patch is a good place to look.
Tum, the Power of the Pumpkin Patch, initially roars that he doesn't like golems, but Carmen tells him that Alex isn't a golem because he can talk (which Alex confirms), and Tum calms down. Tum is actually a very cheerful and accommodating sort, as long as no one is going to make any pies (which he considers abominations). The characters search the patch and find a variety of cyphers, including an abeyance trap (which can make a target effectively cease to exist for an hour), a visual displacer (which projects holographic doubles of the user), and a glove that calls an object to it from a distance. They also find a charging capacitor, which they use to sap the charge from a cypher Arnauld is carrying and give an extra charge to the abeyance trap.
Carmen gears up, taking these cyphers, lighting her candle, and heading for the circus. The others go along as backup as necessary, but hope that Carmen can handle this. Roxanne flies Carmen to the back of the Big Top, and Carmen sneaks into the Lady's quarters. She finds the syringe in a locked armoire, nabs it with the glove, and hides under the bed. The Lady comes in, but smells the smoke from Carmen's candle, and animates a hell-hound from her tats.
The hound drags Carmen out from under the bed. Carmen hits it with the abeyance trap and it vanishes. The Lady animates a serpent, which bites Carmen, and a demon, but Carmen activates the displacer and the images confuse the tattoos and the Lady.
Outside, Soot finds the others and tells them that Carmen needs help. Roxanne enters the tent and uses Enthrall to stun the Lady, and Carmen stabs her in the key tattoo and removes it. Alex charges in, grabs what he thinks is Carmen, and bursts out of the tent, but then realizes he grabbed one of the duplicates. The Lady, now free of the Enthrall, animates spikes on her arm and slams them into Carmen's neck.
Carmen wriggles and perishes, and appears as a new tattoo on the Lady's body. Horrified, the others flee (Edward does grab the syringe, however). They fall back to the pumpkin patch, and lick their wounds.
Soot appears, and asks to see the key. Edward shows it, and Soot smiles, and shoots Edward with the abeyance trap (which Carmen must have dropped). Edward ceases to exist, Soot catches the syringe as it falls, and vanishes in a puff of smoke. ("I knew it," growls Alex.)
An hour later, Edward returns. Roxanne asks Tum how he goes to the meeting of the Powers, and he says he doesn't, he sends a goblin to take notes. Come to think of it, though, the one he sent last time didn't come back. He describes said goblin, and Arnauld recognizes it - it's one of the Five-Headed Thing's heads. Tum sends a goblin to invite the Lady here under truce, because if someone killed that goblin, that's a violation of several of the rules around here.
The Lady is in no mood, but she does show up, and agrees to let the characters talk with the head of Aloysius (the former "notes goblin" for Tum) and use one of her tents in the Midnight Circus to translate home (and therefore back into Halloween, should they wish to), if they tell her where her key is. They tell her, and she grudgingly leads them to the Five-Headed Thing, who gags his main head and frees Aloysius.
Aloysius tells them that James shoved him into the Thing's tent, but he isn't sure why. He heard a conversation between James and Gomez Snake, but nothing they said was new - but then he remembers that he heard Gomez call James by his last name. Mr...Mortimer? Mordecai? Mortuary? He's pretty sure it was "Mortuary."
Roxanne noodles this, and then figures it out. A fellow named "James" whose last name sounds like "mortuary" and has a proclivity for manipulation and crime. Moriarty.
The characters decide to head home, report to Belding, and then figure out their next move. They translate out, but then they wake up on Earth at the mansion. Alex is on the range shooting, Roxanne is in her room, Edward is in the library reading A Study in Scarlet, and Arnauld is in front of his computer. Roxanne apparently sent a text to Belding an hour ago, and he's on his way. Arnauld reviews the surveillance and realizes they appeared an hour ago, but then lost the time.
They all get together and talk with Belding, and he tells them that a brief period of lost time isn't uncommon upon translation, especially if you've had a rough go of it. They explain what happened and that Carmen is gone, and he asks their next move. They consider going to Atlantis to track down Maythis, going to 221B Baker Street to find more on Moriarty (and maybe Holmes), or going to Silverwood to find the mysterious chest. In the end they decide that Silverwood is their most solid lead, so yippee-kai-yay!
Next time, we'll see what these cowpokes get up to.
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Blue Rose: Drunken Sailors
Behold, the further adventures of...the party, which doesn't really have a name.
Last time, the party ran afoul of a darkfiend called Nettas, but then Kisha became a noble and they received a quest from the Queen: Take this damned mask to the Leviathan's Teeth and destroy it (no hobbits, no volcanoes, no Gollums).
We jump forward several months into autumn, the month of Anawar. The party has received a warded box to hold the Mask - any two of them can open it, but it won't open for just one of them, and it won't open for anyone else (not without breaking the ward, anyway). They travel over land to the coast of Basketh Bay, and board a ship called Misery to take them to meet a Jarzoni barge, as their quest will take them into the Theocracy of Jarzon.
The captain of the Misery, Shira, welcomes them aboard and they set sail. Arlen is nervous (he's never been on a boat this big before), and Kisha is having some difficulty finding her sea legs, but Whirlpool is overjoyed to be back on the water. That night, they dine at the captain's table, and Shira informs them that the ship they're meeting is under the command of Admiral Tarros Pov, a highly decorated sailor and hunter, who knows these waters better than any man alive. He tells them that Pov is a fair man, but he's still Jarzoni, and that means he's a highly devout guy. Jarzon also doesn't looking kindly on vata'sha (like Arlen), and they don't trust sea-folk. The Jarzoni worship Leonoth, the god of hearth and family, but they don't really acknowledge the other gods (other than Maraunel, whom they see as his consort). This rankles Arlen just a bit, of course.
They sail for a few days to the middle of the bay, and there they meet the Tempered Heart, a huge Jarzoni barge. Shira accompanies the party aboard, and the admiral greets them and introduces them to his high priest and advisor, Kravus Mah. He then excuses Shira (who mouths "good luck" to the party) and has an ensign show them to their quarters - they'll have dinner, and then commence negotiations tomorrow. There are some sideways glances cast at Arlen, but everyone remains formal and polite.
The characters sit at the head table for dinner, but at the ends, away from Mah and Pov. The meal begins with a prayer (and Whirlpool commits a minor faux pas by taking a drink before the prayer has begun), and then everyone eats, simple fare well prepared, meat and buns and so on. After dinner, everyone goes back to work or to their quarters, except Dobbin, who walks Pansy around the deck. She clears this with a deck sergeant (who fortunately speaks Aldin, a lot of these guys don't), and he introduces himself as Belus.
As she's walking, she hears a fight break out, and sees two sailors involved in a brawl while others crowd around. They just manage to rassle a bit before Belus breaks it up and sends the rowdies to the brig, and then advises maybe Dobbin should go to her quarters.
In the morning, Dobbin tells the others about what happened, and she and Kisha go to morning services (Arlen skips it on principle and Whirlpool can't be bothered). And then negotiations begin. The Jarzoni, after hearing the basics about what the mission entails, tell Kisha (who is obviously leading negotiations) that they would prefer to take the Mask to the Teeth themselves, rather than let the characters bumble around with a cursed artifact on their land. Kisha tells them that the party has been carrying this Mask for a long time and is accustomed to handling it, and therefore ignoring its blandishments, but Pov isn't really listening, and then an ensign bursts in and whispers to Pov in Jarzoni. Mah gets up and follows him, and Pov tells the characters that an internal matter has come up and negotiations will resume presently.
They don't; hours go by (during which the characters check on the Mask - yep, still there), and then an ensign tells them that Admiral Pov is still dealing with the "internal matter" and they'll resume tomorrow. They go to dinner, much the same as last night, but on the way back, two Jarzoni sailors accost Arlen, calling him "shadow man" and "anathema". One even spits in his face.
Arlen manages to take this with aplomb, but Whirlpool is also nearby, and he responds a bit more threateningly. The sailors don't speak Aldin anyway, so it escalates; one slugs Arlen, who tries (and fails) to put them to sleep with magic. Whirlpool shouts at them to piss off, but they don't understand, and press the attack. Arlen pins one against the wall with magic and Whirlpool pins the other in a hold, and Arlen manages to fire off the sleep spell to knock them out. And, at that point, the deck sergeant and other sailors tromp in and put them both in the bring.
Belus finds Dobbin and tells her what happened, more or less, except he says that Arlen started it and used "magical bewitchery" on the sailors. Dobbin gets Kisha and they go to the brig to visit their companions, and realize that there a bunch of sailors here who have clearly been in fights. Something is going on.
They tell them that the high priest is going to talk to them in the morning, but they're stuck here until then. They speculate that this arrangement may not work - they might have strike out on their own and get the Mask to the Teeth, but they aren't sure how exactly they'll do that.
Next time, we'll see what the morning brings.
Last time, the party ran afoul of a darkfiend called Nettas, but then Kisha became a noble and they received a quest from the Queen: Take this damned mask to the Leviathan's Teeth and destroy it (no hobbits, no volcanoes, no Gollums).
We jump forward several months into autumn, the month of Anawar. The party has received a warded box to hold the Mask - any two of them can open it, but it won't open for just one of them, and it won't open for anyone else (not without breaking the ward, anyway). They travel over land to the coast of Basketh Bay, and board a ship called Misery to take them to meet a Jarzoni barge, as their quest will take them into the Theocracy of Jarzon.
The captain of the Misery, Shira, welcomes them aboard and they set sail. Arlen is nervous (he's never been on a boat this big before), and Kisha is having some difficulty finding her sea legs, but Whirlpool is overjoyed to be back on the water. That night, they dine at the captain's table, and Shira informs them that the ship they're meeting is under the command of Admiral Tarros Pov, a highly decorated sailor and hunter, who knows these waters better than any man alive. He tells them that Pov is a fair man, but he's still Jarzoni, and that means he's a highly devout guy. Jarzon also doesn't looking kindly on vata'sha (like Arlen), and they don't trust sea-folk. The Jarzoni worship Leonoth, the god of hearth and family, but they don't really acknowledge the other gods (other than Maraunel, whom they see as his consort). This rankles Arlen just a bit, of course.
They sail for a few days to the middle of the bay, and there they meet the Tempered Heart, a huge Jarzoni barge. Shira accompanies the party aboard, and the admiral greets them and introduces them to his high priest and advisor, Kravus Mah. He then excuses Shira (who mouths "good luck" to the party) and has an ensign show them to their quarters - they'll have dinner, and then commence negotiations tomorrow. There are some sideways glances cast at Arlen, but everyone remains formal and polite.
The characters sit at the head table for dinner, but at the ends, away from Mah and Pov. The meal begins with a prayer (and Whirlpool commits a minor faux pas by taking a drink before the prayer has begun), and then everyone eats, simple fare well prepared, meat and buns and so on. After dinner, everyone goes back to work or to their quarters, except Dobbin, who walks Pansy around the deck. She clears this with a deck sergeant (who fortunately speaks Aldin, a lot of these guys don't), and he introduces himself as Belus.
As she's walking, she hears a fight break out, and sees two sailors involved in a brawl while others crowd around. They just manage to rassle a bit before Belus breaks it up and sends the rowdies to the brig, and then advises maybe Dobbin should go to her quarters.
In the morning, Dobbin tells the others about what happened, and she and Kisha go to morning services (Arlen skips it on principle and Whirlpool can't be bothered). And then negotiations begin. The Jarzoni, after hearing the basics about what the mission entails, tell Kisha (who is obviously leading negotiations) that they would prefer to take the Mask to the Teeth themselves, rather than let the characters bumble around with a cursed artifact on their land. Kisha tells them that the party has been carrying this Mask for a long time and is accustomed to handling it, and therefore ignoring its blandishments, but Pov isn't really listening, and then an ensign bursts in and whispers to Pov in Jarzoni. Mah gets up and follows him, and Pov tells the characters that an internal matter has come up and negotiations will resume presently.
They don't; hours go by (during which the characters check on the Mask - yep, still there), and then an ensign tells them that Admiral Pov is still dealing with the "internal matter" and they'll resume tomorrow. They go to dinner, much the same as last night, but on the way back, two Jarzoni sailors accost Arlen, calling him "shadow man" and "anathema". One even spits in his face.
Arlen manages to take this with aplomb, but Whirlpool is also nearby, and he responds a bit more threateningly. The sailors don't speak Aldin anyway, so it escalates; one slugs Arlen, who tries (and fails) to put them to sleep with magic. Whirlpool shouts at them to piss off, but they don't understand, and press the attack. Arlen pins one against the wall with magic and Whirlpool pins the other in a hold, and Arlen manages to fire off the sleep spell to knock them out. And, at that point, the deck sergeant and other sailors tromp in and put them both in the bring.
Belus finds Dobbin and tells her what happened, more or less, except he says that Arlen started it and used "magical bewitchery" on the sailors. Dobbin gets Kisha and they go to the brig to visit their companions, and realize that there a bunch of sailors here who have clearly been in fights. Something is going on.
They tell them that the high priest is going to talk to them in the morning, but they're stuck here until then. They speculate that this arrangement may not work - they might have strike out on their own and get the Mask to the Teeth, but they aren't sure how exactly they'll do that.
Next time, we'll see what the morning brings.
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