The following notes are from an exchange of text messages between myself (GM) and David Pettit (Fizzle) as a pre-game setup.
D&D Game Notes by David Pettit
Chapter 0
1/11/2019
GM: You hadn’t been in M’Ka long (couple months), when your idol/mentor Master Foswith asked you to travel to Goremont to fetch a recently discovered map of the Ruins of Amara and the hidden tunnels below.
A vision suggested that there was trouble brewing to the south and that something about the Ruins of Amara might hold the key to turning the tide of great darkness.
Do you take the trip?
Fizzle: … Oh ya. Yes I have to get the map I love maps.
GM: Eager to put your new found holy powers to practice in the real world, you head out on your solo journey. “Real world” meaning outside the temple.
Fizzle: … Haha I got that.
GM: In the temple it’s been holy scriptures, cleaning, sleeping, eating. Perhaps not as exciting as you had envisioned?
Fizzle:… But the library was great.
… Latrine duty sucked.
GM: You didn’t have near the amount of free time you’d hoped for to read all those books. Practicing those cantrips over and over was exhausting. And then to have to clean the latrines …
It’s a good thing you’re such a positive, optimistic gnome.
Would your gnome ride a pony? Or walk? Or cart?
Anyway, your trip to Goremont was long, but uneventful. Goremont is probably the largest and noisiest city you’ve ever been in.
Do you do anything in Goremont aside from your assigned task?
This is also the first time you’ve seen people like full orcs, tieflings, goliaths, hobgoblins, and other such politely walking the streets and carrying on business with humans, dwarfs, gnomes, and halflings.
Fizzle:… Well am I rich enough for a pony?
GM: Would be on loan from the temple.
Fizzle: … I’d want to look around. You know, see the local library. Maybe take the underground haunted tour.
GM: They’d also provide you with a small stipend for meals.
Fizzle: … Oh ok a pony then.
… Good I get hungry.
GM: Sadly Goremont does not have a library nor a university. The closest you’d get would be the shelf of books/scrolls in the small Temple of Pelor.
Fizzle: … Oh well ok. I’ll look at those.
GM: You play tourist for a few days, taking in all the new exciting sights of this border harbor town. Sadly, at some point in your wanderings about the city you lose all your gold.
Fizzle: … I’ll have to see if I can get an advance from the local temple.
GM: The reading material in the small temple is mostly observations/notes on the different races of Glorte and Heshtia. (Neighboring countries) A couple of stories involving the mating habits of dragons that read more like bard tales.
Also some tombs on medicine, herbs, and non-divine healing methods
The small temple is sadly lacking in coin.
They’re happy to offer you lodging and share their food with you while you visit.
Fizzle: … Well that’s good. Maybe I can sell a chess set.
GM: You can certainly try. Did you character start with one?
Fizzle: … I bought one and I could craft one. It’s my hobbie.
GM: It takes you awhile to find someone interested in buying this strange game of yours, but the figures are pretty and will look nice on their mother’s mantle. They offer you 5 silver for the set.
Normally I’d have you roll a crafting skill and a diplomacy for negotiation, but this is all pregame.
Fizzle: … Ok was that a good price?
I better get the map and skedaddle before anything else get stolen.
GM: That’s half a gold. Your new to big city living. Do you think it’s a good price?
Fizzle: … They cost 1 gold normally.
Fine
😛
LOL
GM: Congrats. You’ve sold a chess set and have funds.
Fizzle: …Whoo hoo. I’m a success!
GM: Map and info dump in hand (to be provided later), you and your pony travel back to M’Ka. It’s as uneventful as the trip up.
The citizens of Amara had been harassed by a decidedly evil dragon that was destroying their crops and livestock and demanding they pay tribute. Even giving into the extorsion, the dragon continued to pillage the town and the surrounding area. The townsfolk went to a nice, friendly elder dragon and asked if it would be so kind as to remove the dragon from their lives. The nice dragon was welcome to all the treasure that the evil dragon had extorted from them.
There was an epic battle between the two dragons. Magic flew. Breathes of fire and acid spewed. Buildings were hurled at the enemy. By the time the battle was done, the village was in ruins and the entire population was dead. The spirits of these dead villagers haunt the ruins to this day, demanding to know why their savior failed them.
Fizzle: … Go me. Happy Gnome!
Travelled through Obsidian (Lower level human upper gnome) on the way back to M’ka.
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