Births
TO MANISH GRUNDIE ... IT'S A BOY!!! Born by Caesarian - "ee, it looks just like its Pa!". Except for the horns and lack of legs. Sadly, the father did not survive the birth.
Deaths
AGVAN SMITH EVISCERATED
Agvan Smith died a noble if untimely death fighting to rescue a maiden in distress. The brother of our own Smiffy, he will be sorely missed by the entire village. Tributes are pouring in: "He could put away an impressive amount of ale" (Jack Shephard, publican) "He was much more devout than that Pan fellow. He would have become an initiate in a few weeks" (Father G) "Excellent militiaman. Always ready to scrap, never afraid, even when facing superior armour and numbers" (Sir Julius) "All us young lasses used to like to watch him have his monthly wash in the stream" (anonymous) "A healthy obsession with fire" (Priest of Lodril)
EVIL CURSE STRIKES DOWN MANISH GRUNDIE Genest was in shock last night after the reported unexpected explosion of Manish Grundie. "I was just eating my tea when he thoughtlessly erupted, quite putting me off my food" described eyewitness M. Wodesmon. The authorities put forward the theory that he had tightened his corset too much, resullting in the sudden catastrophic rupturing. This was contested by witnesses who claimed to have seen a Thing emerge from Manish's gizzards and make off into the woods. Most locals agree that Manish's "Big Mistake" was in chanting "2-1, 2-1" at an Evil Sorcerer and his minion as they were executed by the Droods, for shortly thereafter it was "2-all". One can only wonder ... who's next? Manish was last night being mourned by his bosom buddies Morag, Gertie and Goritha, and old Granma Stone. Boris Balthasar III was reported to be saddened at the loss of his good friend.
MANISH'S SPROG
The Authorities are still hunting for the Mad Axeman who tracked down Manish's poor, defenseless baby, set his dogs on it and finally set upon it with a two-handed axe. Manish's parents never even saw their grandchild before it was cruelly taken from them. Keep an eye out for this demented soul - he obviously needs 'Advanced Coaching in the Lunar Way'. May the Goddess bring Harmony to all.
PAN WOODSTOCK SPROUTS EXTRA LEG!
"Tripod" Woodstock was said to be recovering "satisfactorily" today after an operation to render him bipedal again (eventually). The plucky young corporal had discovered the hard way that attacking an unarmoured man from behind, whilst leaving your friends to take on the armoured thug, isn't always the easiest option. Perhaps it was the arrogant way the fellow nonchalantly ignored the dashing militia man's comrades that first alerted him to the possibility that things might not be quite what they seemed. Perhaps it was the way Pan's bastard sword failed to actually cut the man when he was struck, or the way the man's spells took more than a round to cast. Or perhaps it was the way his leg suddenly turned a funny grey colour ...
MARCUS WOODSMAN'S 48 HOUR SEX ORDEAL (turn to p.4 for details)
S m a l l A d s
Join the Crusade against the Orlanthi Heathens! The Red Army welcomes all fit and willing volunteers - on second thoughts, no need for the 'willing'. Come and join the glorious slaughter!
Come back Kyrolan, we need you - Marcus, Pan, (there's no-one else left!)
For Sale or Rent: stone leg, ideal for coffee tables. P. Woodstock.
Wanted: enthusiastic shock troops for short but exciting tour of duty. Cpl Woodstock.
Adventurers wanted for gross scenario. Paul, Steeple Aston.
SEND NO MONEY NOW, send off for our exciting and profitable Adventurers' Kit. Includes: Treasure Map, Bucket - er, helm, Quality Weapon and Sack for Loot.. Apply Box 999
Blood Donors required for medical research. Count Vlad, Harandash.
Join the Castle Builders! Your country needs you to join the War Effort in the service of Count Kaufan. No time-wasters please.
Summary
The PC's travelled through Wyldwood collecting ancient lore from the quaint Drood woodsfolk. As they started their journey back, they intercepted two suspicious characters who killed Agvan, and petrified Pan's leg. The PC's ran / hobbled away, but saved a dryad and reported the atrocity. The Droods captured the offenders and sacrificed them. A couple of days later, a broo larva erupted from Manish's stomach, killing him. This completely screwed the Kalikos Icebreaker mini-scenario I ran out of sequence for Pan and Agvan, because now Pan would still be regrowing his leg and Agvan would be dead, at that time! A minor inconvenience.
Details
Dramatis Personae: Pan (Charlie); Agvan (Alan); Marcus (Lynne); Gelert (MarkB); Manish (MarkLD).
See map of Wyldwood
This village immediately strikes the eye as being extremely disorderly and ramshackly, a characteristic the PCs were to find is common to almost all Drood works. The PCs took rooms for the night at the Bent Tree Inn, formed like most Drood houses from huge boles and distorted branches. The people here 'grow' treehouses through an art they know.
The locals were enchanted by Gelert's looks and Drood bloodline, and he was immediately taken under their wing. This proved a stroke of luck for the others, too, as any friend of Gelert's must be OK, figure the drood folk...
The priest of the village is called Llew Longbeard, who seems to be known already to Gelert. He leads ceremonies at the village's Yew-tree shrine to the forest spirit, and Erath.
Marcus shacked up with a woman called Cerridwen, and Agvan was surprised to find the smith here is blind, but apparently unhindered by this in his work.
Quaint Customs in Coppertree That night, there was a party in the village. The PCs were feted with the local vile sap wine and a wide variety of acorn dishes. Most of the newcomers were targeted by old women as 'fair game': in Drood society, the females can command males into their beds! Manish was taken by Morag, aged about 50, who still had some of her teeth left. Agvan avoided his nemesis by outdrinking her. Pan was surrounded by two stout matrons who refused to believe he could deny their charms ("Stuff & Nonsense!"), so - to everyone's horror - he fought them off. (The other players persuaded him not to inflict serious injury.) Next morning, to save face, they claimed they'd 'had' him... but that he wasn't very good: his 'weapon' was miniscule, he drooled a lot, suffered from premature ejaculation, and had no stamina. Of course the other PCs believe this. They agreed it was their duty to keep an eye on him for his wife...
Anthropological note: Drood Bangles Drood women wear bangles on their ankles as a memento of each of their lovers. It would be impolite to sleep with any and not give one as a gift afterwards - although outsiders are not really expected to know this or to give bangles! Men who can afford it have a metalworker make them out of bronze (very affluent men supply the smith with copper!); most men carve their own out of hazel. Naturally, women prefer metal - for one thing they make a noise when they walk and thus draw attention to their desirability and sexual prowess. The men like to boast that their 'mark' is on more women than the others... Marcus and Gelert knew about this custom before arriving. Gelert had already carved some wooden bangles, selling a couple at vast profit to Manish - thus spreading his 'mark' on even more women, though he probably didn't count on most of them being OAP's. Also, on arrival in Wildwood Marcus strolled over to the Coppertree metalworker to get some bronze bangles made... only to find that Gelert had run there and booked up the first day's production! Gelert paid for 'silver' bangles, displaying them prominently on his wrist whenever Marcus showed his bronze ones.
The second day's calm was shattered when Marcus ran back from a walk in the woods raving about two 'tigers' which had attacked him. The other PCs were used to his occasional bouts of overexcitement, but the villagers were a bit panicked. Llew, their priest, went out into the woods and came back to report that it was just a couple of mischevious spirits.
Pan and Marcus decided to play a wee jape on Manish and the next night they waylaid him with masks on. They tied him, naked, to a tree, and 'sacrificed him to the Granny Mafia', i.e. let his prescence be known to Stuff & Nonsense. They Had Their Way with Manish, then later enticed Agvan into their house, where he was forced to spend the night, being too gentlemanly to fight them off(?).
Old Drood Sayings: "If you get a prick in your hand, stick it in cid'er." "Little Red Riding Hood should have stuck with the wolf, it's the Grannies that are dangerous round here."
Travelling on from Coppertree, the PCs encountered an odd couple on the path: a snooty fellow called Tyrol, who claimed to be a trader, and his guard Luther (bald, heavily armoured and very sinister looking). When Marcus began asking lots of nosy questions becoming increasing suspicious that they were not what they seemed: "What are you trading in? Lets have a look then? What do you mean you haven't got time to show me your wares?", Tyrol got annoyed and they rode on.
This village has a distinctive custom of hanging wind-chimes from trees around and about, so it is always surrounded by faint music. It is also Gelert's place of birth, and the PCs stayed a couple of days whilst he caught up on family gossip with various relatives.
Esk is even messier than Coppertree, which explains a lot about Gelert. It was here that the players met Tyrydd Pegleg, a Drood who lost his leg; when it was regenerated, it came back as wood rather than flesh! They also met a green elf, the first they've met in the Empire. The Droods have always got on well with elves and, even during the Blood Kings Wars and the height of the anti-elf paranoia amongst the Lunars, had a few in their woods. Marcus Woodsman noticed several new tree types, such as Oristree: an evergreen giving excellent resin-drenched firewood; the Maimon tree, pollarded to force it to grow masses of luscious red fruit; the Yiros larch, whose bark makes good paper; and Maple-like trees being tapped for sap. The players were offered some gum, a chewy resin produced by a type of tree which gives you a pleasant buzz.
It was here that the players met the drood King, an incredibly handsome (and vain) man who was passing through on his way to the Festival. After a couple of days, the PCs split up. Gelert traveled into the deep forest with other droods to attend a religious festival. The others weren't allowed to attend, so travelled on to the next village.
This village was almost deserted, most droods having gone to the festival, but some old folks were left. It was immediately apparent that these droods were a different stock to the normal ones - smaller, darker, different dialect and customs. The main feature of this village was a large communal long house, built on the ground, rather than treehouses. As it was a single room, it was apparent to the others when both Marcus and Manish were Chosen by some of the women as Companions for the night...
The PCs then headed towards the centre of the forest to meet with Gelert again. It was easy enough to see where to go, for the centre is marked by an impossibly tall tree, a Yew whose top is lost in clouds!
As the PCs travelled through the woods they encountered Tyrol and Luther again. They had been preceded by a creepy silence. Then, as Tyrol & Luther passed by, the trees rustled & even seemed to turn menacingly to face them.
The PC saw them without being spotted themselves, and saw also that a small woman was stumbling along between them. She looked odd - drugged, or asleep perhaps. Marcus figured she was a "Holy Woman" and it was agreed the furtive pair were up to No Good.
Pan and Marcus decided to bushwhack them, though Manish and Gelert counselled caution. "Nonsense," said Corporal Pan, "we outnumber them, and we have surprise on our side." So the PCs set up an ambush.
They let off a volley of arrows, concentrating on the unarmoured Tyrol. It was a bit disconcerting to see most hit, but fail to hurt him. Luther charged Agvan: maul vs. maul. Whoever hit first was going to win... unfortunately it was Luther, completely excavating Agvan's abdominal cavity. He died.
Meanwhile Marcus, using arrow-fire from up a tree, had been spotted by Tyrol who was casting a spell and ignoring Marcus' continued rain of arrows. Marcus began to realise something was horribly wrong when Tyrol was still casting his spell at the end of the round... suddenly he found himself paralysed.
Manish scooped up the woman and ran off with her into the forest.
Marcus was lucky. Pan had reached Tyrol and struck him from behind, only to see his sword stop an inch from his skin. Tyrol (real name Irios) turned, sighed theatrically - another bandit? and began casting another spell. Pan's leg froze.
Tyrol turned his attention to Luther. "Get the woman!"
He turned back to Pan, who was trying to slink away as best he could. "And just where do you think you're going?" But he considered the woman more important than killing a brigand, and set off after Manish with Luther. They disappeared into the forest, leaving Pan, Marcus and Agvan's body.
By a stroke of good (dice rolling) fortune, Manish shook them off and ran as far as he could with the strange woman. When he stopped to rest, she fell asleep, and he saw she was of unusual appearance - bark fingernails, hair like fine vines.
He travelled on until he came to a group of Droods, who arrested him for trying to carry off a dryad! They took him to the Central Clearing, where he explained himself to the King - curiously, a completely different felllow ? - who immediately called all remaining menfolk in the area to follow him and capture these two blasphemers.
The Drood force (including Gelert) ran off into the woods, howling with rage. Soon they met Marcus, helping Pan hobble through the woods, and a couple helped them to the central clearing.
The Droods managed to capture Tyrol and his minion, with some losses, and they were dragged back to the clearing and burnt in a huge wicker effigy that night as an offering to the Earth Mother.
The Drood priests took the dryad (Elamel) off somewhere for medical attention - Oak dryads shouldn't be woken in winter.
Pan's leg had been turned to stone; in gratitude for saving their dryad, they amputated it and cast a Regrow Limb on the stump.
Unfortunately, they don't have Resurrection. (So on to character number 4 for Alan!)
As they rested at the central clearing, Manish felt growing stomach pains. He had been troubled by strange cravings, mood swings, morning sickness and suchlike for some months, but never realised he was pregnant. But now, the larva inside him had come to term and tore its way out of his abdomen in a scene reminiscent of one from "Alien". Unfortunately, it did so much damage, he died.
The slime-covered creature scuttled away into the darkness. The others were in shock for some moments, but once he'd calmed down, Marcus tracked the Thing down using it's distinctive slime trail and killed it. The PCs still don't know what it was. Most of the players guessed, but MarkLD had never heard of broo reproductive techniques, so was a bit surprised. "What the #@*%* was that?". Of course this happened so soon after the encounter with the sorcerer that it is more likely attributed to his dying curse.
Unfortunately for Manish, he was unknowingly raped by broo many games ago (he was unconcious) and during the course of several games I hinted that he was been putting on weight, had stomach pains and other symptoms of pregnancy. Not surprisingly he never twigged. This game, it was time to give birth...It did him 2d6 damage as it burst out. Chaos Feature: vomits 6-point acid, 5 times / day; acidic blood. Not cute. Unfortunately Manish died - hadn't counted on that - just too much damage - dice rolled12. Lots of SAN loss to all involved. Mark (Manish) was gratifyingly stunned when his stomach split, though.
The King felt that the PCs should be rewarded for their efforts and offered each a spell. In practice, this means Pan and Marcus - Manish died shortly thereafter, Agvan was already dead and Gelert wasn't involved in the first fight with the sorcerer.
Pan and Marcus are asked if they wish to accept any of the following: Befuddle, Bladesharp-1, Calmmind, Coordination, Countermagic-1, Demoralise, Detect Magic, Dispel 1, Disrupt, Extinguish, Healing 1 or 2, Light, Mindspeech, Protection-1, Shimmer-1, Strength, Vigour.
The King asked if Agvan had any dependents? and awarded Luther's horse to his family.
There are shrines to Pelora, Erath and Crom Serpos here. CS is another snake cult - you may recall seeing a Snake / Fertility shrine in the village of Addernest. But the main "temple" is the immense One Tree, surrounded by a number of "small" trees the size of Redwoods - normal trees grown to giant size, referred to as "The Elders" or "The Parliament of Trees".
Appendix A: More Drood Tales
Appendix B: Drood Cult Lore
