Thoughts on Gaming II

So I am looking at my large collection of books and thinking I should really run one of these games. Now granted I don't think anyone reads this so I don't suppose I will get much of any feedback but if I am gonna post this it has to be here (with maybe a cross-post to Pointless Pointer).

Anyhow the short (or not) list: Exalted (1st or 2nd Ed), New World of Darkness (mortals only tho), Blue Planet (1st or 2nd Ed), Nobillis, Jovian Chronicles, D & D including Forgotten Realms, Scion, Ptolus (technically D&D), Forgotten Realms (also D&D), Rappun Athok (more D&D), Serenity, The Red Star (a D20 modern variant), Engel (a D20 variant), BESM (2nd or 3rd Eds), Haven: City of Violence, Lord of the Rings RPG (the Decipher version), Rifts, Fireborn, Trinity and last but not least Fading Suns.

I should really break those out and describe them for people at some point. If anyone shows any interest let me know. Or if anyone reads this...

Prospero Hall 2

Well the party meets up with our last member who is a Wilder/Barbarian (Julie). The party heads for the door but has a somewhat frustrating quarrel over tactics and teamwork. While its debatable whether anything is solved several statues are destroyed, Ironman (Casey) gets himself a magical rod and we eventually get to the doors after taking 40 minutes on the stairs.

Needless to say the doorman is less then happy to see quests and makes everyone wait while he checks with his master. When he returns his attitude is quite different and he leads the group in. In the entry area there appear to be people enclosed in something in the ceiling. The hall is decorated in a very macabre fashion which would normally creep people out but considering the group it goes without comment. Eventually the party is shown to the public baths so they can clean up.

No sooner does Mira (Teckla) get into the water then the water surges up around her and attempts to drown her while the doors lock the party in. Ironman, Lowran (myself), and Julie's character (forgot her name) attack the water while trying not to hurt Mira who struggles to get free. Lowran's dust of dryness fails to kill the creature but Julie uses telekinesis to push Mira free and then blasts the creature with acid. Subdued the creature returns to the pool while the party backs off. Ironman attempts to psionically unlock the door but fails so Lowran removes the door from its hinges and/or temporal self.

Tired Julie's character calls it a night whilst the rest of the party prepares to go the big masquerade ball being held that evening with the intent of meeting Prince Prospero. Ironman goes as himself with a shrinking belt make him smaller as does Mira although she is dressed to look like Ironman. Lowran goes as himself carrying the other two on his shoulders.

The ball consists of various rooms looping (in an upwards fashion?) with different groups of people. The party makes their way through the rooms. The rooms start out with commoners and basic revelry and goes to more important people whose revellry becomes baser as the floor progress. Eventually murder, sex, and mayhem are presently part of the festivities in the highest rooms. The topmost room is different however. It is made of obsidian with giant (armed) statues and weapons along the way. The party is warier and moves slowly through this room which appears to be entirely deserted. Mira opts to use a psionic power that will tell her more about the room while Ironman and Lowran investigate an object at the far end of the room. That object turns out to be a grandfather clock that chimes horribly disrupting Mira's power and injuring her mind. Ironman tells Lowran to take down the clock and he does in full charge reducing it to debris/dust. As soon as he hits it though he dissapears...

Sidereals, the Kukla, and the Apocalypse

So paging through the 2nd Ed Sidereals reading up on the setting part namely the Convention on Natural Disasters and I came to the part dealing with Arcadelt, God of World-Shattering Events. Fairly easy job since he's had exactly three (3) to deal with in his long storied career. However he also happens to be the keeper of (tada!) the scrolls that can release the Kukla and his new (?) progrenny Oo-Tahn the Annohilator and the Black Cloud of An-Teng. Fun stuff especially since security only stops Gods. A mortal could absentmindedly walk in and acquire the access to one of the most legendary monsters of Exalted. In 1st Edition at least. I am about to embark on a book-binge reading the 1st Edition informaton on the Kukla and on An-Teng- do they mention the Black Cloud of An-Teng? - and then peruse the 2nd Ed about the Kukla and see if BCoAT is in there as well.

However being a diligent officer minion it has struck me in general how close to home Sidereal lives are. Working for multiple bosses is a well known joke amongst corporate folk (see Office Space those of you thusly unemployed or ridicuously blessed to work someplace without this) and the Sidereals have that in the form of divine beings no less. What can be worse then having multiple bosses, try ones with mandated powers to rule existense, fun stuff! Seems like a good way to keep the plot flowing and have a legit way of controlling the story a little bit. Plus how much crazy fun will it be when your boss(es) order you to recover a lost scroll to release Kukla or else you'll get sacked!

Prospero Hall 1

I amused myself with my own quotes. Hopefully others will contribute as well:

"But I can barely read in six different languages!"
"Guys! I've come back and seen the light! OPPRESS THE LESSER RACES!"

Well we spent a lot of time getting characters up and going but the short of it was we're gestalt characters. There's Casey's (I cannot remember his character's name) warforged monk/psion/rogue/warblade/swashbuckler/maybe something else, my Yak-folk barbarian/fighter (Lowran "Wallbreaker") and Teckla's blind half-elf psion/monk (Mira). Julie will be joining us as a wilder/barbarian I believe.

The party starts out en-route to Prospero Hall. The city next to the Hall seems to have been struck with a plague causing a steady trickle of refugees whom avoid the odd party of a heavily robed monk flanked by a warforged and a yak-folk. In the city the party determines that the nobles and high priests packed up a while ago and retreated to Prospero Hall. Since then the gods have quit speaking to them and the temple has been boarded up. The plague is raging out of the control. The party opts to investigate the temple but after removing the door from its hinges discovers that the temple is cursed as a plague ridden man finds out by entering and dying a somewhat more violent death.

Opting to leave the temple be the party heads to Prospero Hall which is on an island just beyond the city. The bridge to the island has been destroyed but the party easily swims it. On shore they encounter an old man who tells them the Mariner and the Sea story ("Yes I have read a poem, try not to faint.") and then walks off into the water. Shortly after a void mind mountain troll attacks. Initially it gets the upper hand grappling the warforged and smacking up Mira's psi-crystal and Lowran. Howver Mira pummels it with some choice psionics and the warforged and Lowran get in some choice blows and eventually the troll drops. Rather luckily for a badly pummelled Lowran. However the troll proves impervious to fire, cold, electricity, sonic, adamantine, cold iron, and alchemical silver attacks so the party is forced to keep pounding it down. Observations conclude that acid (if it had been available) would not have done anything either leaving the party wondering what to do until the sun rose killing the troll in a permanent fashion.

The Hall itself awaits a party already somewhat bruised from its first encounter.