Sunday, February 9, 2014

Intrigue at the Court of Chaos (Part I) 2014-01-28

Session recap:

Now this was an adventure! This session I ran the recently released DCC#80 Intrigue at the Court of Chaos at my local game store, making it about halfway through the module in a three hour session. I had six players for this session, five returning and one new to the table, if not the system, she having played Transylvanian Adventures before and easily picked up the core rules and pace. One of the returning players leveled up a new cleric after surviving The Old God’s Return - Boogar the witness of Cthulhu. Along with the aforementioned cleric, the party now consisted of two warriors, a thief, and seven to be introduced 0-levels, one of the other returning players deciding to abandon his level one thief in order to try to keep an 0-level elf alive for the night.

This is my third DCC module to run after DCC#79 Frozen in Time and the 2013 holiday one. Somewhat oddly, it is also the third Michael Curtis module I’ve run - so I might be developing a minor author infatuation. But a further explanation is that I have been focusing on running new releases in an attempt to sequester myself from the earlier published modules - I have a lingering hope that I’ll get to play through them someday and experience them unseen - and Mr. Curtis has just been going through a prolific time of recent publication with Goodman Games.

My games have developed a loosely-connected storyline based on the setting and professions of Frozen in Time, with admittedly, sometimes fantastical, integration points to string the various modules together. There also tends to be a lot of “oh the one village in the north decided to send out more of the flower of its 0-level youth, again” to accommodate the opentable philosophy of my game, but I am a really into the advocacy of DCC, and like the tongue-and-cheekiness of the approach from that regard. This time the bridge was simple: as the broken mountain of ice from the just defeated old god’s abode rained down around them, some of the larger chunks came crashing to the ground, rending long scars in the frozen earth. One such scar, not a hundred feet from the party, revealed a smooth stone face with five strange glyphs carved in its face. While they examined them in the failing light, horses arrived from the north, ridden by seven follow villagers who had followed the floating iceberg at a hard pace. After a brief reunion and introductions, they decided to make camp and return to the village in the morning.

The thing attacked them suddenly, a man-shaped horror seemingly formed of hundreds of wriggling and crawling six-digit hands. Anahk, reacting quickly, drove her spear into the creature as it leapt, impaling several of the hands but seeming to do little real damage. The creature swarmed over her, embracing with dozens of grasping dirty sharp-nailed fingers, and pinning her in a tight hold. Hoping to cause it to release its layered grip on Anahk, Stanwick threw a javelin, but his spear only carried away a rudely gesticulating hand from the creature’s shoulder. Sneaking up from behind, Lou of the reeds managed to do better, impaling a dagger deep into the core of the beast. The hands agitated with convulsions, but kept clinging to Anahk. Sensing an opportunity, with a shout of triumph, Praxis the gatherer threw his flint knife at the struggling pair. It hurled end over end and...landed with a crack against Anahk’s forehead. Just as the creature was about to rake into the disoriented Anahk’s flesh, Nymeria the elven scout struck true with her spear, and the mass collapsed, hands hitting the ground and scuttling off into the night. The nearby glyphs seemed to glow bright blue for an instant, then fade.
Recovering his javelin, Stanwick found the impaled hand had three rings on the elongated fingers, each band a series of clasping hands, with two of the rings capped by a ruby and an emerald respectively. They kept a cautious watch that night, looking out for any sign of the hands that fled, and in the morning searched the ground around the rock face, finding nothing of interest. They decided to return for their village. The sounds of winter wolves cried out from the surrounding cliffs in search of horse flesh, or worse. Before leaving, Boogar carved a symbol of his new god into the rock face next to the glyphs.

Arriving back at the village, they saw that a winter market had arrived in their absence! Colorful southern trade tents dotted the grounds next to the tribe’s drab huts and the sounds and smells of far-off and warmer lands greeted them as they rode past. As they talked of their plans to spend the hard-earned treasure from the various god’s and demons they had defeated, their eyes were drawn to a small theater that had been set up outside one of the more wildly colored tents. Outside, a smiling tow-headed youth beckoned the gathering crowd and gestured at the stage, where the parting curtains revealed a bizarre scene of shadowy figures, some human, others bent and twisted, all dancing in mesmerizing rhythms. They felt compelled to stop, staring transfixed at the unfolding scene while the voice of the youth filled their entire awareness. They seemed to fall into the stage and beyond into blackness as he intoned “My friends, I give you Court of Chaos...”

They awoke in a nightmarish scene of color and confusion: lying on six-pointed star-shaped slab of rock surrounded by a sea of blood, capped at five of the points by enormous stone thrones, the sky overhead a swirling kaleidoscope. The five thrones were occupied by monstrous beings, vast and impassive. A three armed warrior encased in black plate with a cape of screaming human faces, a beautiful dead and decaying woman, noose corded about her neck, a single unblinking eye with no body perched on two spindly legs, a cloaked figure with bandaged stumps for arms and trunks ending in six fingered hands extending from beneath the cowl covering its face, and a hideously deformed entity. The sixth point of the star stood a smaller grey-cloaked figure, half hid by shadow. A crowd mingled on the edges of the platform, comprised of terrible and beautiful beings of all description. Boogar, seeking the divine aid of his god Cthulhu, found no sense of his presence in this place.

The youth was standing next to them, and introduced himself as Tatterdemalion, stating that they were in the presence of his masters, the Host of Chaos. He bowed, and after an expectant pause, gestured for the group to follow suit. They quickly did. The Host then spoke to them in a single powerful voice. Intrigued by their recent encounter with one of the lesser minions of Chaos, they were summoned before the Host to take on a task for them: retrieve an artifact of Chaos from the Plane of Law, where it had lain guarded for eons. Named the Yolkless Egg, it contained a spark of the original primordial Chaos present at the start of time. If they were to return it, the Host would give them suitable boons and gifts. The party were considered ideal for the task as they were deemed too insignificant for the Scions of Law to have yet noticed them, and because the Scions had grown complacent in their duty to guard the egg, making it likely that the group could get past any remaining wards. When asked what would happen if they refused, the Host indicated the sea of blood that surrounded the Court and said they would be welcome to join the screaming faces that could be seen within the rolling waves. They were given a night to consider the offer and presented with well-appointed quarters to retire to.

They debated what course of action they should take, and seeing no other choice the group decided to go along with the request - for now. Stanwick, and to a lesser extent, Boogar, objected to providing any assistance, but both ultimately relented, agreeing to try and find some means of countering the plans of the Host. During the night they all had strange dreams (see judge’s section below).

The morning brought an exotic, but delicious repast attended by slaves from the Court, as well as the return of Tatterdemalion, who escorted them to the waiting Host. The members of the Court wasted no time in asking for their response, and were pleased by the choice of the party. They were told they would be transported to where the egg was kept in a repository know as the Cataphract. Once they had the egg, they were to return to the Court by plucking a flower to be found next to where they entered the plane. Slaves brought forth black weapons, each matched to a character. Tatterdemalion explained these Chaos-forged weapons would be the only thing that could harm the creatures on the Plane of Law, their mundane arms being of little use there.

With an enormous crack of thunder, they were sent to the Plane of Law. An landscape of orderly perfection awaited, the only object out of place being a single blood-red rose, worms crawling through its rotten pedals. In the distance they could see a huge floating diamond, the Cataphract the Host spoke of. An enormous beast, an ox of huge proportions, lay in repose beneath it. As they walked towards the Cataphract, the ox stirred and slowly rose, shaking its shaggy head and huge spiral horns. Lou of the reeds could see writing on the horns and identified it as the language of the beings of Law. He was able to read the words, which named the creature as Taurziel, first-born of Oxen, and bound until “the final concordance or granted manumission”. It spoke, announcing itself the guardian of this place and warning them against any malice. Hoping to gain its trust through truth, Anahk, stated that they were sent by the Host of Chaos to recover the egg. The ox reacted with a shattering bellow and charged the party. It was among them in a moment, Anahk giving it a mortal blow with her Chaos-born spear as it rushed past and gored Craxis the weaver with its horns. Praxis, newly widowed, stabbed out in blind anger with her knife and managed to slay the beast. After Taurziel fell, a staircase of white light descended from the bottom of the Cataphract leading inside. They buried Craxis, digging with their Chaos weapons and leaving the ground scarred and dead, and ascended the stairs.

Inside they discovered a pentagonal chamber, the ceiling high above their heads where a diffuse light glowed. Five golden doors capped by a scrollwork of runes, one in each of the walls, were the only apparent exits. Lou of the reeds again saw that the words were those of ancient Law and managed to decipher the three of the doors: “Judgement”, “Construction”, and “Sacrifice”. After a quick check for traps, they opened the door labelled Construction and with a blinding flash of light, everyone was transported into the room beyond, the golden door closed and unopenable behind them. The new room was vast, with an iron floor and walls. They judged it to be a several hundred feet long and at least a hundred feet wide. In the middle of the chamber was a bottomless chasm filling a full third of the floor, beyond it was a platform where a single golden door was located - their exit. On the same side of the chasm as the party were six glass pedestals, upon each of which stood a single cup filled with a different colored liquid. From left to right the liquids were colored tangerine, azure, emerald, gold, crimson, and plum.

Boogar called upon mighty Cthulhu to reveal any magic present, and all the vessels glowed faintly. They could see no way across the gap. Stanwick boldly picked up the plum glass and drank its contents. He immediately felt a sense of overwhelming doubt and uncertainty. He returned the glass, and everyone noticed it was refilled with more plum liquid. Boogar decided to drink the tangerine liquid, and with a growing horror, felt something alive stir inside him and distend his midsection. Ahiru the gather tried the emerald liquid next. It seemed to expand as it ran through her body, and she felt painful spasms shooting through her limbs and bones as she swelled to the size of a giant with the frailty of a child. Lou of the reeds then drank the gold liquid, and began sweat, a soft golden glow coming from his glistening skin. In each case when the glass was replaced, its contents returned.

Finally, Nymeria drank the crimson liquid, and feeling no change, returned the glass, which did not refill! They tried experimenting with the liquids, trying to mix them together or pour them into the chasm, but they would not leave the vessels unless touched to their lips. Not wishing to leave a possibility unexplored, Boogar drank the azure liquid; his eyes glowed with a soft blue light and he noticed that he now had to squint when looking at Lou of the reeds. Anahk suggested that the glasses needed to be drunk in the order that one finds in nature - the rainbow, and that it would have to be Nymeria who did so. While everyone watched with suspense ,Nymeria next drank the tangerine glass - nothing happened, and it did not refill. She quickly finished the rest of the glasses: gold, then emerald, azure, and finally plum. As she finished the last glass, an overwhelming feeling of the beauty of the world overcame her, and she began to weep. Her tears poured out in multicolored streams that pooled and ran like quicksilver to the edge of the chasm where they arced across and formed a rainbow span to the other side. The party cautiously crossed and opened the door. With a flash of white light they were transported back to the pentagonal chamber, which now had a 20’ stairway of light covering part of the distance to the ceiling.


Tonight’s worthy characters:

Lou of the reeds, neutral thief
Stanwick, lawful warrior
Anahk, neutral warrior
Boogar, neutral cleric
Nymeria, lawful elven scout
Ahiru, neutral gatherer
Sven, neutral weaver
Praxis, neutral gatherer
Burbie, chaotic elven scout
Burbie II, chaotic elven scout


And the gored fallen:
Craxis, neutral weaver


Some Judge’s note highlights (storyline spoilers below):

Event 2 - Temptation
  • Part of the fun of the adventure is the subplot of party deception that is triggered by the machinations of the competing members of the Court, and the agents of Neutrality and Law that are also present. During the night they spent at the Court of Chaos, each character was visited by one of the Host, or the representative of Neutrality - the Chiaroscuro Envoy, or the hidden agent of Law, the slave Lexaliah. Each sought the egg for their own purposes, and tried to strike a bargain with the character to bring the egg directly to them once it was recovered. Everyone entered into a bargain, though the players own motives were yet to be revealed. The characters were visited as follows: 
    • Lou of the reeds - visited by Klarvgorok, the merciless gaze and accepted its pact in return for the Astrolabe of Avarice (infallibly guides the owner to a lost or undiscovered treasure hoard). 
    • Burbie the elven scout - visited by Hekanhoda and accepted its pact in return for the Stave of Ekim (enchanted staff that grants a +6 to all spell checks) 
    • Anahk - visited by Dzzhai and accepted her pact in return for the Mask of Tears (enchanted mask that grants +6 AC and allows the wearer to pass through solid barriers). 
    • Nymeria the elven scout - visited by Magog. At first she openly doubted whether she should help, and in the end reluctantly accepted its pact in return for her weight in rare jewels. 
    • Stanwick - visited first by Chiaroscuro Envoy who asked him to bring the egg to him and place it in the care of the Balance. While Stanwick listened to him, he does not commit to do so. 
    • Stanwick and Boogar - taken aside by the agent of Law Lexaliah as she poised as a slave during their breakfast service. both agree to bring the egg to her. 
  • In my session-haste, I grabbed the wrong player for the Chiaroscuro Envoy meeting. I intended Boogar to be the focus of that one, not Stanwick. We played on one of the coldest nights of the year and I was taking folks outside to talk to them, by the fifth one, I was hurrying too much! It worked out fine, though, and gaves that player a glimpse of two options - Balance and Law. 
  • I also didn’t manage to work in any of the suggested tricks such as pulling a player out and talking of nothing or pointing out other deals that had been made. 
Area 1-3 
  • I was expecting the construction room to be easier than it was; talking about it afterwards with some of the players, they were truly thrown off by a couple of things: 
    • Using non-primary colors, as suggested by the text. 
    • My (deliberate) off-hand manner in naming the colors, as if I were just coming up with them on the spot. While I made sure that I was describing each as distinct, the manner in which I described them threw them off track. 
  • What happens to the glasses once drunk was not covered in the text, so I made it a bit easier on my group by having glasses drunk out of order refill and when drunk in the correct order stay empty. 
  • The big mistake I made was forgetting that the PCs get a DC 8 will save against the potions. I plan to open the next session with the save, the reason being they overcame the room and have a chance to leave the effects behind.. It might end up working favorably as they get a sample of the potions potential this way, if just temporarily. 
General notes
  • Intrigue does a great job of playing with alignments, an underused core component of OSR-type games in my, albeit limited, experience. It builds on a lot of concepts presented in DCC with regard to the struggles of Chaos/Neutrality/Law, much of which I took to be an homage to the Elric stories. Elric fascinated me as a kid, though I was much too young to really get the existential facets, but they were a great read a couple of years ago as an adult. I was also a fan of Warhammer RPG, another system that pushed alignment to the forefront as a mechanic and storytelling device, detailing whole armies and arcs of Chaos as a main part of the system. I spent one whole summer saying that my favorite color was puce as a result. 
  • It also has a lot of exposition early on, and it was hard to determine how that went over. As a judge, I need to work on techniques for pushing the content of long module text to the players in a captivating manner.. 
  • I was a bit inwardly gleeful that they started making all these plans to go shopping that I dashed. It is becoming a bit of a theme of the campaign that they have had no time to rest between adventures. 
  • I gave two XP for the Clutchculus fight, which had an interesting tense moment when Anahk was pinned and struck by her own party. In the end it was an easy battle for the group. 
  • For slaying Taurziel I only awarded a single XP each as it was not really a difficult fight and they did not find any other possible solutions, even after they deciphered the horns.

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