Full Play-Through - "Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar"

Yes, I’ve already sung the praises of this amazing game right here, but I wanted to do a full Tzol’kin play-through, mainly to lock the rules into my brain and give me the ability to table it whenever I want to.

I’ll start off by showing (and explaining) the random Monuments (along the top row) and Buildings (on the bottom row) that I drew for this match, pictured down below from left to right:

Monuments

1. Score VP’s based on the total number of Monuments built by all players. In a 4-player game, that’s 4 points per Monument.
2. Score VP’s equal to the total number of Workers you have in play.
3. Score 3 VP’s for every step you’ve taken beyond the starting space on one Temple of your choice.
4. Score 4 VP’s for every gray-bordered Monument and Building you’ve built.
5. Score points based on when you built it in: first quarter of the game – 40 points, second quarter – 31 points, third quarter – 22 points, fourth quarter – 13 points. (special promo tile) 
6. Score points based on how many Technologies you managed to get to Level Three.

Buildings

1. All of your Workers require one less Corn to feed.
2. One of your Workers needs no Corn.
3. Advance one Theology (Blue) Tech Space and go up one step on the Green (Kukulcan) Temple.
4. Go up one step on both the Brown (Chaac) and Yellow (Quetzalcoatl) Temple.
5. See #1.
6. Gain one level in the Red / Yellow Architecture Technology.

And here are the starting Resources for all four players:

RED gets 3 Corn, 1 Wood and 1 extra starting Worker. To counter-balance this, he also takes an improvement that covers the Corn requirements for 1 Worker.

YELLOW starts with 9 Corn, 2 Stone, 1 Gold and 1 advancement on the Green (Agriculture) Technology Track.

GREEN begins the game with 8 Corn, 4 Wood, a 1-step drop on the Brown (Chaac) Temple space... mitigated by a 1-step advancement on the same track! He also gets 1 advancement on the Red / Yellow Architecture Technology Track.

BLUE kicks things off with 9 Corn, 4 Wood and 1 advancement on the Green (Kukulcan) Temple.

ROUND 1

Red pays a single Corn to place a Worker on the “0” space of the Green (Palenque) and Red (Tikal) Gears.

Yellow places a Worker on the “0” space of the Yellow (Uxmal) Gear and on the 1-Corn Red Gear for a total of 2 Corn.

Green drops 1 Worker on the “0” space of the Brown (Yaxchilan) Gear as well as the 2-Corn Red Gear for a total of 3 Corn spent.

Blue plays one Worker on the 3-Corn Red Gear and 1 Worker on the 1-Corn Yellow Gear for a total of 5 Corn!

Rotation 1

A Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 2

Red hops a Worker off the Red Gear, pays a Wood cube and advances his Green Agriculture Technology by one.

Yellow takes his Worker off the Red Gear and builds a Building for 1 Stone and 1 Gold, advancing both his Blue Theology Tech and the Green Yaxchilan Temple by one step each. 

Green adds his last Worker to the Yellow Gear for free.

Blue takes his Worker off the fourth Red Gear space, letting him build two Buildings. Unfortunately, he can only afford one, paying four lumber for a structure that will reduce his Worker’s Corn requirements by half! 

Rotation 2

A Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 3

Red places two Workers for 1 Corn, 1 each on the “0” space of the Brown and Red Gears.

Yellow spends a Corn to place Workers on the “0” space of the Green and Yellow Gears.

Green hops a Worker off the Red Gear and buys two Buildings, one of which covers the Corn requirements for one Worker and the other advances his Green Agriculture Tech and gives him a Stone. Since he also has the first Red / Yellow Architecture Tech advancement unlocked, this also earns him a Corn. 

Blue hops off the Yellow Gear, scoring a new Worker!

Rotation 3

A Corn is added to the Gear since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 4

Red places his last Worker on the “0” space of the Brown track.

Yellow leaps off the Yellow Gear for a new Worker!

Green pulls a Worker off the Brown Gear for 1 Gold and 2 Corn. After removing a Worker from the trading space of the Yellow Uxmal Gear to get a Wood, he then hops off the Red Track, spending a Wood to go up on the Brown and Green Temple spaces!

Blue places Workers on the “0” spaces of the Red, Yellow and Blue (Chichen Itza) tracks, spending 3 Corn!

Rotation 4

A Corn is added to the central Gear since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 5

Red removes two Workers from the Brown Gear, getting a Corn, a Wood and a Stone.

Yellow pays a single Corn to place Workers on the “0” spot of the Brown Gear as well as the First Player space, letting him collect the 4 accumulated Corn.

Green retrieves his Worker from the Yellow Gear and nets a new Worker.

Blue spends 1 Corn to place a single Worker on the second Brown Gear space.

Rotation 5

Yellow takes the First Player token. They’d like to rotate the central Gear twice, but since this would bump a Green Worker off,  it’s only advanced a single space. No Corn is added to the Gear since the First Player token was taken.

ROUND 6

Yellow places a Worker on the “0” space of the Red Gear for free.

Green hops his Worker off the last action space of the Red dial, paying 1 Stone to advance on the Brown and Green Temple spaces. 

Blue removes a Worker from the Brown Gear for 1 Corn and 1 Stone and then pulls one from the Yellow Gear to trade 4 Corn for 2 Wood. Next up, they hop a Worker off the Red Gear to buy a Building for 2 Wood and 1 Stone, which advances him on both the Brown and Yellow Temple tracks.

Red collects a Worker from the Red Gear, allowing for 2 Technology improvements. Sadly, he can only afford one, spending  a Wood and Stone to go up one on the Green Agriculture Track. He then removes his Worker from the Palenque Corn Gear and, thanks to his new Technology, he collects  9 Corn, even though it’s still covered by Wood. He also gets a bonus Corn from the previous improvement, for a total of 10.    

Rotation 6

Since the First Player token wasn’t taken, a Corn is added to the Gear. 

ROUND 7

Yellow removes from the Brown Gear for 1 Stone and 1 Corn. He then hops off the Red Gear, spending 2 Stone to advance on the Green Agriculture Tech track, making the Wood-covered Corn accessible.  He then removes a Worker from the Green Gear, getting 8 Corn (7+1 for the Tech improvement). Next up, he hops off the Yellow Gear, letting him buy a Building for 2 Corn per regular resource. He returns 6 Corn to the bank, buying a Building that gives him a boost on the Green and Brown Temple track.

Green pays 1 Corn to place a Worker on both the “0” Green and Brown Gear spaces.

Blue spends a single Corn to place on the 1-Corn Green Gear.

Red spends 4 Corn to place on the “0” and “1” Yellow Gear spaces and on the “0” Red Gear spot.

Rotation 7

Corn is added to the Gear Tooth since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 8 

This next round will conclude the first quarter of the game! As such, this is a Feeding Round, with Bonus Resources coming from Temples.

Yellow pays 3 for placing Workers on the “0” spaces of the Brown, Red and Yellow Gears.

Green spends 2 Corn to place a Worker on the 2-Corn Brown Gear.

Blue removes a Worker from the Agriculture wheel, takes a Corn tile and gets 4 Corn.

Red plays their last Worker on the First Player space, taking the two Corn on the Gears!

Middle of Age I - Food Day

Red has 4 Workers, but only pays 6 since one doesn’t eat Corn.

Yellow also has 4 Workers, but no efficiencies, so he pays 8 Corn.

Green has 4 Workers, but pays 6 since one doesn’t eat Corn.

Blue has 4 Workers and a Building that reduces food costs by -1 per Worker, so he pays 4 Corn.

Temple Resource Rewards

Green, Blue and Yellow both get 1 Stone a piece. Yellow, Green and Blue get 1 Wood each.

Rotation 8-9

Red opts to advance the Gears by two spaces, flipping their player card to signify this!

ROUND 9

Red takes a Worker off the Yellow Gear to get a new Worker!

Yellow removes from the Red Gear and buys a Building that advances his Brown Resource Extraction Tech and also gets him a free Corn.

Green places a Worker for free on the “0” space of the Red Gear.

Blue plays 2 Corn to play on the Brown Gear’s “0” space and the 1-Corn Red Gear.

Rotation 10

Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 10

Red removes from the Fifth Yellow Gear space, letting him choose any other non-Chichen Itza space. He opts for the fifth Brown Gear spot, which earns him 1 Gold, 1 Stone and 2 Corn.

Yellow fills up the first 2 slots of the Green Gear, paying 2 Corn to do so.

Green removes from the Red Gear and pays 1 Wood and 1 Stone to take the Green Agriculture Tech advancement, making the Wood-buried Corn accessible. He then gets 8 Corn for hopping off the Green dial, adding +1 for the prior advancement. Finally, he retrieves both Workers from the Brown Gear, getting a Crystal Skull, a Gold, a Stone and 2 Corn.

Blue places their last Worker on the “0” Brown Gear slot.

Rotation 11

Since the First Player token wasn’t taken, a Corn is added to the central Gear tooth.

ROUND  11

Red hops off the Red Gear, paying 1 Stone to take two different Temple steps, namely Brown and Green.

Yellow removes both Workers from the Green wheel, getting 4 Corn for Fishing and then another 5 from the Corn field next door. After recovering a Crystal Skull from the Brown Gear, they finish up by removing a Worker from Yellow and paying 4 Corn to buy a Building that advances any Temple Track. He chooses the Brown Temple. This same tile gives the option to buy another Building at regular cost, but he’s out of Resources.

Green pays 3 Corn to drop Workers on the "0" spot of the Red, Yellow and Blue Gears.

Blue removes a Worker from the double Tech Improvement space of the Red Gear, paying two resources (Stone and Wood) to advance on the Brown Resource Extraction Tech and Blue Theology Tech tracks.

Rotation 12

A Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 12

Red pays 2 Corn to place Workers on the first 2 Green Gear spaces.

Yellow spends 1 Corn to play on the Brown and Blue Gear’s “0” spaces.

Green pulls off the Yellow Gear, paying 3 Corn to advance on the Brown Temple Track. He also hops off the Red Gear and pays 1 Stone to advance on the Blue Theology Tech track.

Blue places their last Worker on the First Player spot, helping themselves to 3 Corn!

Rotation 13 

No Corn is added to the Gear Tooth since the First Player token was taken by Blue. They can’t move the Gears twice, since it would launch their own Worker off the Chichen Itza Gear!

ROUND  13

The completion of this round represents the end of Age I and the mid-way point of the game. Not only is this a Feeding Round, players will also score Victory Points from Temples!

Using good timing, Blue removes from the Brown Gear to get a Crystal Skull and then removes a Worker from the very last Blue Gear space, choosing the play on the previous slot for 13 VP’s, a Gold and a step up on the Gold Temple!

Red pulls off two Green Gear spaces, collecting a grand total of 9 Corn, 4 from the Fishing space and 5 from the Corn fields.

Yellow hops off the Blue gear, placing a Crystal Skull 1 spot higher...thanks to his Tech improvement. This nets him 5 VP’s and a bump up on the Brown Temple space!

Green does the exact same thing, placing a Crystal Skull one slot higher thanks to his Tech improvement. This nets him 6 VP’s and a bump up on the Brown Temple space!

End of Age I - Food Day

Red has 5 Workers, but pays 8 since one doesn’t need to be fed.

Yellow also has 4 Workers, but no efficiencies, so he pays 8 Corn. Unfortunately, he only has 6 so he takes a -3 VP hit!

Green has 4 Workers, but pays 6 since one doesn’t eat anything. Unfortunately, he only has 4, so he also takes a -3 VP hit!

Blue’s Building reduces food costs by -1 per Worker so, with 4 Workers, he pays a measly 4 Corn.

Temple Victory Point Rewards

Green gets 7 points from the Brown Temple, Yellow gets 6 while Red and Blue each get 2 apiece. Bonus points: Green gets 6 more points! 

Only Blue gets points from the Yellow Temple: 2 for the space and another 2 for the bonus for a total of 4!

Green Temple: Green and Yellow get 3 points apiece. The same players get half the bonus: 2 points apiece! Finally Red and Blue get 1 point apiece. 

Rotation 14

Corn is added to the central Gear since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 14 

Age II begins and new Building Tiles replace the ones from Age I

Blue takes a Crystal Skull from the Brown Gear!

Red places on three “0” spaces: Brown, Red and Blue, which costs a total of 3 Corn.

Yellow places on the “0” Green Gear.

Green places on the “0” Yellow Gear.

Rotation 15

Since the First Player token wasn’t taken, another Corn is added to the main Gear.

ROUND 15

Also devoid of Corn, Blue places on the “0” space of the Green wheel.

Red pulls off two Workers from the Green Gear, getting a whopping 6 Corn from one space and 8 from the other!

Yellow hops off the Green Gear to Fish, taking 3 + 1 for his Tech Improvement for a total of 4 Corn.

Green adds a Worker to the “0” space of the Brown Gear for free.  

Rotation 16

One Corn is added to the Gear tooth since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 16

Blue adds a single Worker to the “0” space of the Yellow gear.

Red pays a single Corn to place on the 1-Corn Yellow Gear space.

Yellow removes to get a Crystal Skull.

Green plays on the 0-Corn Green Gear.

Rotation 17

Another Corn is placed on the central Gear since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 17

Blue pulls off the Green Gear, getting 4 Corn, then hops off the Yellow Gear, spending 3 Corn to advance on the Yellow Temple track!

Red pulls off the Yellow dial, trading 12 Corn for 3 Gold.

Yellow places Workers on the “0”-level Green, Brown and Blue Gears, costing them 3 Corn.

Green places a Worker on the First Player space and gains all of the Corn that’s been piling up there!

That Worker immediately comes back and Green gains the First Player Token. Green then decides to move the Gears twice, flipping their player card over to signify this! 

Rotation 18-19 

Of course, no Corn is added to the Gears.

ROUND 18

Green leaps off the Yellow Track, paying 1 Corn to do any action on any Gear, save Blue. He decides to do the fifth action on the Red track, spending a Gold to go up on both the Brown and Green Temple spaces! Since he just reached the top level of the Brown Temple, he flips his Player Board back over to the lighter side, re-setting his ability to move the gears twice!

Blue spends 1 Corn, placing Workers on the “0” space of the Green and Blue Gears.

Red spends 2 Corn to place on the 1-Corn Green Gear and the “0” Brown Gear.

Yellow places on the “0” Yellow Gear for free.

Rotation 20

No-one took the First Player token, so 1 Corn is placed on the Gear.

ROUND 19

Green pulls off the Green Gear, getting 8 Corn and then removes from the Brown Gear for 2 Corn, 1 Stone and 1 Gold. After leaping off the second-to-last Yellow Gear, he pays 1 Corn to tap into the 5’th Red Gear space. This lets him return 1 Stone to progress on both the Yellow and Green Temple spaces!

Blue pulls off the Green dial to Fish for 3 food...I.E. Corn.

For 2 Corn, Red removes from the Brown Gear, fetching 1 Stone and a Gold. He also takes a Worker back from the Red dial, letting him choose any space of any Gear. He decides to advance his Green Agriculture Tech to the top tier and move the Blue Theology Tech up once, for a total of 4 Resources. Then Red removes from the Green dial, getting 8 Corn.

Yellow jumps off the Green dial, getting 8 Corn. He then uses his Blue Theology Tech to remove from the Blue Gear, letting him place a Crystal Skull a level higher than normal, netting him 7 VP’s and also helping him advance on the Green Temple space. He then hops off the Yellow dial to advance on the Green Temple space again!

Mid-way through Age II - Food Day 

Red has 5 Workers, but pays 8 since one has a Corn allergy.

Yellow has no farming efficiencies, so he pays 8 Corn for his 4 Workers. 

Green has 4 Workers, but pays only 6 since one is on a Corn-free diet.  

Blue has a Building that reduces food costs by -1 per Worker, so he pays 4 Corn for his 4 Workers. Unfortunately, he only has 3, so he loses 3 VP’s!  Whoopsie!

Temple Resource Rewards

Green and Yellow both get 2 Stone while Red and Blue get 1 Stone apiece!

Blue is the only one to get a Gold from the Yellow Temple.

Yellow and Green both get a Crystal Skull and 2 Wood while Red and Blue each get 1 Wood. 

Rotation 21

A Corn is placed on the big ol’ Gear since the First Player token wasn’t taken.

ROUND 20

Green spends 3 Corn to place Workers on the “0” spaces of the Brown, Red and Blue gears.

Blue is woefully Corn-poor, so he places a Worker on the “0” space of the Green Gear.

Red pays to place on the 1-Corn space of the Brown wheel.

Yellow pays 2 Corn to play 2 Workers, one on the “0” space of the Yellow wheel and one on the 1-Corn  Blue Gear.

Rotation 22

No one went to the First Player space, so Corn is added to the Gear.

ROUND 21

Green places a Worker on the 0-Corn space Brown Gear.

Blue drops another single Worker on the “0” space of the Green dial.

Red places a single Worker on the 0-Corn Red Gear for free.

Yellow pulls off the Brown Gear for 2 Corn, 1 Gold and 1 Stone.

Rotation 23

Corn is dropped on the central Gear Tooth since the First Player token wasn’t selected.

ROUND 22

Green pulls off the Red Gear to buy a Building which will completely feed 3 more Workers! Since he also has the Level 1 Red / Yellow Architect improvement, he also gets a free Corn.

Blue places on the lowest rung of the Brown Gear for free.

Red pulls off the Brown Gear, gaining a Crystal Skull. Thanks to his Blue Tech, Red can also remove one level higher from the Blue Gear, opting for the 11 VP level, which also gains him a bump on the Yellow Temple track and a free Wood. He then removes his last Worker from the Brown Gear for 1 Gold and 2 Corn.

Yellow removes from the Trading space of the Yellow Gear, trading 1 Stone for 3 Corn and then 2 Corn for a lumber.

Rotation 24

The First Player space was left alone, so one Corn is added to the Gear tooth.

ROUND 23

Green places on the “0” space of the Red Gear for free.

Blue hops off the Green dial, cutting down the forest for 2 lumber!

Red pays 1 Corn, placing 2 Workers on the “0” space of both the Green and Brown Gears.

Yellow pulls off the Blue dial, using their Tech to place one level higher...specifically on the 8 VP space, which also earns him a climb up on the Green Temple space.

Rotation 25

A Corn is placed on the Mega-Gear since the First Player space wasn’t selected.

ROUND 24

Green pulls off the Brown wheel for 1 Gold and 2 Corn.

Blue removes from the Green wheel, picking up the now-revealed Corn tile for 5 Corn.    

Red removes from the Brown Gear for 1 lumber.

Yellow spends 3 Corn to place on the “0” Space of the Green and Yellow Gear, as well as the First Player space! He promptly collects the 6 Corn that’s been piling up on the wheel.

Rotation 27

No Corn is added to the Gear Tooth since the First Player token was taken. Yellow gets the first player token and no additional Gear move is performed.

ROUND 25

Yellow removes from the Green dial and catches 4 elusive Corn Fish. He pulls back from the Blue dial, getting 4 VP’s and a step up on the Brown Temple space.

Green retrieves from the Red dial, letting him construct a Building which gives him a step up on the Blue Tech track and a 1-tier improvement on both the Brown (capped out) and Green Temple tracks, the latter of which locks in the top spot for him! Green then removes from the Blue dial, using his Theology Tech to place a Crystal Skull on the 8 VP space, gaining him 1 Gold and letting him move up on the Green temple track. Since he just unlocked the second tier Blue Tech track, he pays 1 Stone to go up 1 space on the Yellow Temple. Finally, Green spends 1 Corn to take a step backwards to do the Crystal Skull action on the Brown gear!

Since he doesn’t have a Crystal Skull, Blue’s Worker on the Blue Gear is stranded. So, he just pulls off the Brown Gear for 2 Corn and 1 Gold.

Red removes from the Red Gear and pays 3 Wood and 3 Gold for the Monument which gives VP’s for Workers. He then removes from the Green dial for 7 Corn.

End of Age II - Food Day

Red has 5 Workers, but pays 8 since one doesn’t need any Corn.

Yellow also has 4 Workers with zero efficiencies, so he pays 8 Corn. 

Green has 4 Workers, but pays “0” because his Buildings cover the food costs for all of them.

Blue has a Building that reduces food costs by -1 per Worker, so he pays 4 Corn for his 4 Workers.

Temple Victory Point Rewards

Brown Temple

Green - 8 points

Yellow - 7 points

Red and Blue - 2 points

Bonus: Green - 2 points

Yellow Temple   

Blue - 4 points

Green - 2 points

Red - 1 points

Bonus:  Blue - 6 points

 Green Temple

Green - 10 points

Yellow - 9 points

Red and Blue - 1 point 

Bonus: Green - 4 points 

Goods Conversion 

Red 4 / 4 = 1 point

Yellow 20 / 4 = 5 points

Green: 10 / 4 = 2 points

Blue 24 / 4 = 6 points

Crystal Skulls

Green - 3 points  

Monuments

Red - 13 points

FINAL SCORES

Green 60

Yellow 53

Blue 40

Red 31

   ***    

Key rules to remember:

• The Golden Rule: you can only either place Workers by paying the Corn cost based on the how many you played and their gear position or remove Workers in whatever order makes the most sense to you.
• When you remove a Worker you can take a lower action space by paying 1 Corn per step back.
• During Food Days, you lose -3 VP's per Worker you can't feed.
• If completely out of food you can Beg For Corn. Lose all of your current Corn and take 3 from the bank. Unfortunately, this pisses off the Gods and you have to take a -1 step down on any Temple track. Pro-tip: if you have to Beg for Corn, do it when you have 0 Corn and not 1 or 2.  
• If you place a Worker in the First Player position you collect all of the accumulated Corn, get the Worker placed there back at the end of the round and collect the First Player token. If you currently hold the First Player Token, pass it to the player on the left. You can move the Gears twice if you want, but only if it won't throw a Worker off the last space of a Gear.  

***

So, clearly I absolutely adore Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar, to the point where it might have a permanent home in my top five favorite games of all time. I love the Mayan theme, the aesthetics, the efficiencies you can create and the unique combination of worker placement combined with the timing involved with removing them from the gears to what you need to pursue a strategy. 

By performing and recording this complete play-through, I'm hoping that the fundamental rules will be permanently locked in my brain. If not, I can just pop back here for a quick refresher. Hopefully there are a few like-minded out there who will find this somewhat handy as well.

Before I go, I suppose I should address a point related to this game or, more accurately, its designer. Apparently Daniele Tascini has said some pretty stupid shit in the past, which he received well-deserved criticism and repercussions for. This, in turn, makes my love for this game a wee bit...complicated. 

I firmly believe that there comes a time when a popular work of art ceases to be the sole domain of its creator and the general public takes partial ownership of it. Daniele Tascini isn't the only person to work on Tzolk'in, after all, it was co-designed by Simone Luciani, beautifully illustrated by Milan Vavroň and published by the lovely folks over at Czech Games Edition. The hard work of these people shouldn't jettisoned merely because of the stupid comments of one person. 

Above all, I firmly believe that Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar is a genuine work of interactive art. And, as such, it's a baby that I'd rather not see cast out with the bathwater.    

     

The Story So Far - Part 12 - “Running The Gauntlet”

"The Story So Far" is an ongoing series recapping the details of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found here:  

Prologue                    Part I                    Part II                    Part III              Part IV  

Part V                        Part VI                  Part VII                 Part VIII            Part IX 

Part X                        Part XI 

I've "fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make them more "entertaining."   

And now, our story continues...

***

Moonday, Solstice 27, 1492 (supplemental)

Rincewind might have been restored to life but, but between his erratic behavior and memory loss, his friends were left wondering if the cost of his revival was already too high. As for the group’s primary mission, Kiras Toth had been liberated, but the threat of enemy reinforcements arriving at any moment was a very real concern. 

Operating on just enough sleep for the magic-users to regain their spells, the Fellowship made preparations for their journey back to Castebridge. After putting the recuperative powers of the Spirit Well to good use, everyone was in perfect health by the time they departed the dwarven fortress at the crack of dawn. 

Ulfgar and the other dwarven survivors had done a fine job trussing Giran Oakenshield up in a sturdy travel pallet. Although short of stature, the dwarf’s comatose form was heavy to lift and awkward to carry. Only Roman and Pol were strong enough to heave the dead weight and carry for any length of distance across the treacherous ground. 

Bria was the first one to peek her head out through the exit. Unfortunately, she failed to notice the presence of an ogre hunter, waiting patiently just outside to play a game of “whack-a-dwarf" and she was immediately grazed by a brutal sneak attack from the monster’s massive club. So towering and muscular was her assailant that the dazed rogue first mistook the behemoth for a small hill giant!

Trapped like rats, the group was forced to scramble away from the exit as a massive hand came grasping into the confined space. Somehow, Rincewind managed to blast the monster square in the jaw with an unerring, and completely random, “Magic Missile.” Lorelei attempted to distract the beast by summoning a badger, only to have it scamper a few feet before it was popped like a furry blister underneath the creature’s massive club. 

As the ogre turned back towards the entrance, several of the adventurers plugged it in the flank with some well-placed missile-fire. When Rincewind cast an incidental “Open / Close” spell, the hinge-less hatch flew up off the ground and smashed the beast just under the jaw. With that, the creature flew into a rage and started jamming its club down the corridor. This caught Bria square in the ribs, sending her flying into the wall and knocking the wind out of her. After Lorelei deftly used a spell to “Daze” their foe, Roman and Elster immediately piled on. Finally, Pol spun her greatsword in her hand and delivered a dramatic coup de gras.

The adventurers immediately searched the ogre’s leather sling-pack, finding 331 Gold Crowns and an oily phial of liquid that felt oddly “sharp” and hot to the touch. 

As if that wasn’t a rough enough start, the weather above ground was absolutely terrible. It was unusually cold for a late Solstice day, with driving rain, wind, thunder and lightning. Knowing that Giran’s condition was only getting worse, the Fellowship decided to grit their collective teeth and move out, carefully trying to pick their path through the Broken Lands. Given the steep decent, treacherous terrain and jagged rocks underfoot, this was certainly no easy task.

At one point, Roman lost his grip on the pallet and it slid out from underneath him, bowling him over. Bria tried to snatch the wooden stretcher as it slid towards her, but she missed it. Elster bodily leapt onto the litter but his limbs weren't long enough to anchor it. Eventually it came to rest at the foot of a hill, leaving Giran with an additional bump on the noggin as a silent testament to this wild ride. 

Mercifully, the rain tapered off around noon and the rest of the day’s travel was largely unremarkable. Eventually the group broke for camp, finally giving them a chance to talk to Rincewind about his resurrection. After a short conversation, the “WIZZARD” confessed that he didn’t really trust the group, but he was going along with them because he thought it was his only chance to regain his memory and make it back home.  

Godsday, Solstice 28, 1492

The early-morning dampness soon gave way to vibrant sun and, by mid-day, it was hot and humid. After reaching the bottom of a gully, the heroes promptly began a new ascension. Eventually the stone underfoot got a bit smoother and now large boulders were littering the path. 

As the broken ground gave way to light scrub and trees, the climb got decidedly steeper. To the west: impenetrable forest. To the east: the shimmering expanse of a lake could be glimpsed just beyond the tree line at the bottom of a rocky embankment. Directly ahead, the shrubs and rocks divided the path into three possible routes. The crusaders decided to take the left route, and soon found themselves in a rocky clearing formed by a relatively-flat patch of tableland. Ahead they could see an inviting, but narrow, path leading back into the thick woods. 

Unfortunately, between the loud, lingering debate about which route to take next and their dense, overgrown surroundings, the group failed to notice the approach of their stealthy pursuers. Suddenly, the underbrush behind the Fellowship exploded in a wave of snarling, barking, and howling as a pack of four wolves bearing diminutive goblin riders charged at them. Taken by surprise, the adventurers were momentarily caught flat-footed. 

Two of the riders circled around the rocks to try and cut off the group. At the back of the pack, Lorelei and Rincewind were pounced upon by two more of the beasts.  After having his arm crippled by a Goblin’s morning star, Rincewind attempted to swig one of his healing potions. Unfortunately he ended up drinking a tiny amount of poison that he was also keeping in his backpack by mistake. Instantly, the “WIZZARD” became violently ill. 

Lorelei cast "Burning Hands", charring the goblin rider and wolf duo intent on her blood. She took a nasty bite in retaliation but, just as she was about to have her throat ripped out, Elster came to the rescue. At the same time, Pol launched herself from the top of a large boulder at the lead goblin rider, impaling it spear-style with her greatsword. 

Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, Bria managed to perforate one of the wolves before she got pounced on by another. Roman performed double-duty, healing her while fending off his own feral opponent. 

Lorelei blasted the now rider-less wolf with a "Ray of Frost." That same wolf received a sound smash upside the head as Elster tried to ward the beast away from Rincewind’s prone form. Pol then rushed up from behind and split the animal’s hind quarters abroad with a double-handed chop, just as Roman subdued the wolf intent on chomping down on his neck. 

Deciding that discretion was now the better part of valor, the last goblin expertly leapt from his dead mount and scampered away. At that same moment, Bria got mauled by the wolf stalking her and Roman rushed in to try and distract it. Now a whirling dervish, Pol jumped in to finish the deed as Elster attempted to stabilize the poisoned Rincewind.    

After recovering from this unexpected battle, the group found 87 Gold Crowns on the dead goblins, as well as a pretty blue quartz gemstone.

Thankfully, the rest of the day was uneventful. That evening, while settling in for the night, Lorelei noticed that Rincewind wasn’t studying his spell-book. 

“Pffft, I already read it,” he said dismissively while scrutinizing an odd-looking rock. “Why would I want to read it again? It’s not exactly a page-turner!” 

Lorelei settled into her bedroll, but had a hard time sleeping as she pondered the dark implications of Rincewind’s seemingly-effortless new displays of power and knowledge.

Waterday, Eathlife 1'st, 1492

Although it clouded over and threatened rain early the next morning, the mid-day sun emerged triumphant and burned away the gloom. The Fellowship made its way through a well-worn path with tall trees to the left and right, waist-high ferns and needle-covered roots and boulders underfoot. The air was humid, but fresh, with the smell of pine, peat and plants still in full bloom.

“How in Pelor’s name do the dwarves get horses through these trails to transport goods?” Roman growled.

“We dwarves don’t typically trust horses with such precious cargo,” Elster reminded. “More often than not, we just carry the goods to Castebridge on our backs.”

After getting whacked in the face with a half-dozen tree branches, Bria insisted on moving to the front of the marching order. Not long after, she halted the procession after an orange length of rope lying across the path suddenly started moving! Upon closer inspection, she realized that the “rope” had beady eyes and was sampling the air with its flicking black tongue! After spooking the snake as much as it spooked her, the creature turned tail and wriggled back into the woods, allowing the group to press on.  

Although the path was reasonably clear, at one point the heroes were forced to leap across some rocks to cross a small river. During the crossing, Rincewind’s luck went from bad to worse as he sprained his ankle, further hampering the group’s travelling speed. Roman also stumbled, losing a few items out of his backpack in the process.   

Close to dusk, the group approached a river.  As they broke into the clearing, Bria and Lorelei heard an alarming “PFFFFFTT!” sound.

“DUCK!” Lorelei yelled.

“Ambush!” Bria echoed. “Take cover!”

A platoon of orc archers sprang up out of concealment and launched a coordinated sniper attack, but thanks to the keen ears of the thief and the mage, they all missed their marks. A pitched ranged battle quickly ensued. 

Knowing that she’d be more effective in close combat, Pol slid down the bank and began to wade across the river, all the while dodging a deadly hail of bow-fire. Unfortunately, she was so preoccupied by her quarry that she failed to notice a massive black-and-grey river spider lurking just under the bridge. As soon as the creature spied her, it skittered down to the base of the stone bridge to intercept her.

After casting a completely random “Truestrike” spell on himself, Rincewind got into a long-range shootout with the orc commander, first softening him up with a "Magic Missile" to the face and then nailing him with a couple of crossbow bolts. Elster’s aim also proved true as he hit another orc right between the eyes. Bria got clipped with an enemy barb, but diligently returned fire, covering the approach of her allies. 

While attempted to cross the rocks, the spider got swept up by a sudden surge of rushing water and was promptly carried downriver. With its eight spindly legs displacing its body out of the water, the critter spiraled close to some shoals, secured its footing and then skittered up onto the bank. Her path now unopposed, Pol completed her crossing and surged up the hillock. 

After casting a quick “Bless” spell, Roman charged across the river after the warrior. Although he stumbled when the water got waist-deep, he still managed to keep his footing in the roiling waters. Just as the cleric crested the hill, he spied a figure on horseback half way up the trail.

"Wait, is that Duran?" Roman muttered to himself, stunned by the incongruous sight of the Chief Bailiff of Castebridge. 

As soon as the horseman recognized the heroes, he immediately turned his mount around, spurred it into a hard gallop and raced back up the trail. 

Roman moved to give chase but was forced to deflect a point-blank arrow and then close with his assailant. Focused only on the closest orc, Pol hurled herself into combat, surprising one of the creatures with her unerring speed. It tried to cast down its bow and draw its sword, but by the time its blade cleared the scabbard, it was already too late. 

When the spider arrived at the top of the hill, it spied motion from the orcs and immediately charged at them. Within moments, the massive arachnid had poisoned one and was dragging the hapless creature back into the underbrush! Adding to the chaos, Lorelei cast “Summon Animal”, and the conjured mystical badger immediately charged into the fray. Assailed from every angle, the orcs soon collapsed into a rout.

Among their dead assailants, the Fellowship found 46 Gold Crowns, 4 longbows (identical to the ones used by the Castebridge town guard!) and a note written in common which read:

Destroy the bridge and guard the pass.

Ambush and kill any dwarf refugees, survivors and merchants.

Above all, make sure that the humans don’t get across the river alive. 

The group noticed that these orcs also bore the standard of the bloody crescent moon, the same brand that Bria had been tagged with as a child.

After recovering from the battle, the Fellowship decided to move off the main trail and break camp for the night.    

Earthday, Earthlife 2nd, 1492

The following morning the adventurers pressed on to Castebridge, anticipating an arrival before noon. As the sun crept up overhead, it became blazingly-hot on the forest trail, and soon everyone was sweating profusely under their heavy cloaks and armor. 

Eventually the canopy of trees overhead cleared and the group emerged out of the hills and into light scrub. This soon gave way to knee-high grasslands, which could be seen swaying in the distance right up to the town walls. Feeling the warm, reassuring heat of the sun on their bodies and the cool breeze coming across the field, the crusaders suddenly felt refreshed and fortified. 

But half-way to the gates, the sky clouded over and the heroes felt a loud gust of wind above their heads. They looked up to see a massive, bat-shaped creature diving straight towards them: presumably the same young red dragon that destroyed Vanguard Tower at Kiras Toth! The Fellowship watched, terror-stricken as the dragon shot back up into the air, banked sharply and dove down again for another pass. 

Sensing that their only chance for survival was to reach the town’s defensive perimeter, the adventurers charged into a flat-out sprint, which quickly degenerated into a marathon endurance run. The dragon strafed down again and again amidst the pack, badly clawing up both Lorelei and Rincewind. Tired of being used as the creature’s plaything, Elster stopped running and decided to take a stand, but got mercilessly slashed up for this act of valor.  

Half-way to the north gates, the group could see a small handful of longbow-armed guards manning the battlements, led by Berowne, the Captain of the Guard, and Fellowship alumni Barant des Apres. They were clearly readying their weapons and preparing to cover the town’s champions as soon as they made it within range. 

As they got closer, they witnessed Duran de Montford appear from out of nowhere and order the guards to seal the gate and take cover behind the wall. Berowne and Barant immediately ignored this and commanded the guards to stay put. During the heat of battle, Duran slunk away down below, only to re-appear in a successful bid to get the north gates locked up tight.    

Watching helplessly as the portcullis slammed shut, the group decided to join Elster in a brave last stand. After the dragon pitched down between the Fellowship and the town wall, the crimson wyrm began to toy with its human prey. Rincewind and Lorelei gamely hammered the creature with "Magic Missiles" and "Frost Rays", but the damage seemed akin to insect bites. All the while, Bria fired off a constant barrage of crossbow bolts, also to little discernible effect.  

When Pol managed to bury her sword in the creature’s leg, the dragon’s attacks immediately went from play-time to murderous. The warrior woman was the first to experience the beast’s genuine wrath, slashing her with such force that she was launched into the air. Frustrated by his inability to reason with the beast and seeing his brave ally nearly eviscerated, Rincewind’s eyes suddenly filmed over.

To everyone’s shock, the "WIZZARD" stretched his hand out and three massive boulders lying nearby flew through the air, striking the dragon full-bore, knocking it back into the gate and breaking it off its hinges. Try as he might, the “WIZZARD” attempted to duplicate this remarkable feat, but this unexpected wellspring of mystical energy seemed to be spent.   

Peppered by arrows and wounded by the stony projectiles, the creature launched itself skyward, its wings frantically beating at the air, propelling it back north in a hasty retreat. After taking an inventory of this miraculous turn of events, the group limped through the shattered town gates. 

Berowne and Barant scrambled down off the wall to offer concern and congratulations. Denneth, the town Major, suddenly materialized from out of nowhere to pepper the heroes with a constant barrage of rapid-fire questions. All the while, Duran de Montford was skulking around in the background and scowling at these unpredictable turn of events. 

With Giran still at death’s door, the group was forced to ignore all of these theatrics and bring cart him off to Moira at the abbey. Within minutes, she'd stabilized the poisoned dwarf with her healing arts, all the while directing a few acerbic barbs towards Roman for his long absence. 

When quizzed about his sudden. magic-based flex, Rincewind once again claimed to have no memory of what had happened. In fact, he didn't even seem to believe his friend's first-hand account of the battle! 

When the Fellowship turned on Duran, he claimed that he was just acting in the town’s best interest, insisting that it’s standard procedure to seal the gates and get the sentries off the wall when the town “eez attacked by so formidable a foe.”    

Accusing the Chief Bailiff of plotting against them, the heroes presented their evidence to Denneth. Not only did Roman testify that Duran turned tail and ran away during the ambush, they presented the longbows, the severed head of the orc chieftain and, most importantly, the note.  

Seeing that the longbows were indeed Casterbridge town guard standard issue and swayed by Roman’s conviction, the Mayor quickly turned a critical eye on the Bailiff. 

Duran swore up and down that he no-where near the battle. Before anyone could ask him for an alibi. Denneth gasped audibly at the note:

“Your right...this note was indeed written by a trusted member of the town. But this isn’t Duran’s hand-writing...it’s Stefan's!” 

The adventures stood in shocked silence as the town guard were ordered out to his home and instructed to escort the fiery young farmer straight to the stockade!

IMAGE CREDITS

Ogre: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/ogre

Goblin Warg-Rider: https://www.deviantart.com/bruumbaraztarag/art/Yellow-Goblin-Worg-Rider-144208053

River Spider: https://dmdave.com/flying-spiders/

Young Red Dragon: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/young-red-dragon

"The Story So Far" - Part 11 - "Sometimes They Don't Come Back Quite...Right"

"The Story So Far" is an ongoing series recanting the details of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign that I've been running since 2002. Links to the previous entries can be found here:  

Prologue                   Part 1                    Part 2                    Part 3              Part 4  

Part 5                        Part 6                    Part 7                    Part 8              Part 9

                                                               Part 10

I've "fictionalized" the session reports in a likely-vain attempt to make them more "entertaining."   

And now, our story continues...

***

"No!" Pol screamed, bringing her sword down in a deadly arc.

This alerted her quarry, and the potentially-deadly strike resulted in little more than a superficial flesh wound as the creature twisted around to face its assailants.

Roman swore under his breath as events continued to spiral out of control. Given the creature’s preternatural speed and agility, their strategy of flanking the beast and killing it quickly was now completely in the wind. Backed into a corner, the beast was fortified and lashing out viciously. Roman’s wild swing drove it sidelong into Elster’s reach just as the dwarf rounded the corner. The priest’s glancing blow only served to push it back into a coiled defensive stance.

As Bria moved up, swapping her crossbow for her staff, Lorelei’s Frost Ray managed to thread through the wild scrum and strike the beast. As it recoiled from the icy sting, Pol moved to the forefront. Failing to anticipate the speed of the creature, the fighter suddenly found herself on the receiving end of two barbed tentacle strikes. The first pierced the fine links of her mailed forearm and the second shredded the clasp of her cloak, taking metal links and flesh along with it. Her peers gasped collectively as the mighty warrior fell to her knees.

Channeling her pain into rage, Pol stabbed forward, catching the displacer beast in its taut, muscular shoulder. The creature spat out a savage snarl in response and slunk back, looking for another opportunity to lash out. Both Elster and Roman delivered what they thought were well-placed follow up swings, but both came up short. Bria’s next attack also looked to be perfectly gauged, but she was stunned when her battlestaff missed by a mile.

Thinking that an indirect route might be wiser, Lorelei began the process of conjuring up a creature to fight at her behest. Intrigued by the tasty-looking morsel offering itself up, the displacer beast lashed out at Elster. The dwarf took a vicious slash to the right shoulder and back, but managed to bat away the second tentacle.

As Roman healed the now worse-for-wear Pol, Elster surprised himself when a blow intended to fend off his attacker actually struck the displacer beast in the snout. Bria cursed audibly as she telegraphed another attack. Lorelei watched helplessly as her temporary familiar flailed uselessly at their quarry and the beast skillfully avoided being blinded by her "Flare" spell.

Temporarily fortified, Pol grasped her two-handed sword like a spear and launched herself at the creature. Just before colliding with her opponent, she caught a lightning-quick tentacle strike to the neck and head, stunning her. Her strike still landed true, and she managed to pin the beast to the floor. Elster piled on, bringing his hammer down on the monster’s iron-coiled haunch over and over. Roman, seeing Pol fall unconscious, launched himself at the displacer beast and delivered the killing blow to the creature’s skull. It howled and spasmed into a violent series of death throes.

The fracas finally over, Bria tried to drag Pol free of the mayhem but slipped in a pool of blood underfoot and went down. After wiping the gore from their respective weapons, Roman and Elster rushed over to aid Bria in her efforts to revive Pol. Eventually the warrior came to and sat up. Without saying a word, she got to her feet, swayed in place, pushed away several offers to help and then staggered over to where Rincewind was felled. Lorelei was already there and immediately their worst fears were confirmed.

"Poor bastard," Roman lamented. "He didn’t even know what hit him."

"At least it was quick," the sorceress added.

Pol breathed a wavering sigh, wiped blood from her eye and began to weep. The sight was so incongruous, it took her peers by surprise.

"It’s my fault," she managed to say, her voice leaden with emotion. “I couldn’t get to him in time.”

Roman shook her out of her reverie.

"No, don’t think that for a second! We had no idea that it was going to be so fast and agile!"

Sniffing back her tears, Pol bent down and gently picked up the fallen wizard. She turned towards Elster, who was observing the scene in respectful silence.

"Your people owe us," the amazon said to him

Elster nodded solemnly and soon his cheeks were stained with tears as well.

"Aye, Milady. The weight of your sacrifice isn’t lost on us and our people will forever be in your debt.”

Pol suddenly towered over the diminutive cleric, striking such an imposing presence that the dwarf shifted back a step.

"Then it’s settled," she said in reply. "You’ll bring him back."

The fighter marched out of the room on pillar-esque legs, leaving her fellow heroes standing around in stunned silence. After exchanging quizzical looks, they all began to chase after her.

"Pol, where are you going?" Roman yelled, wincing as his voice reverberated down the stone passageway. He couldn’t decide if he was more fearful now of goblin patrols or his friend’s response.

"We’re taking him to the Soul Forge," Pol intoned, her stride back to the smithy inexorable.

Upon arrival, the warrior kicked the door open and then delicately laid Rincewind’s body on a table by the bellows. Elster marched over and grabbed her by the arm as the others crowded in.

"It’s not that simple, Pol. The Forge's power is exclusively the domain of Parn Golddelve, under the direction of Moradin himself. Others have tried to use it and...well..."

"Well, what?" Roman demanded.

Elster shuffled nervously in place before responding.

"A few years ago, one of nobles from the Undercity was killed in a freak mine accident not far from here. His aides had heard tales of the Soul Forge and demanded that the priest presiding over Kiras Toth in Parn’s absence use the device to bring him back. Things...didn’t go according to plan."

"What do you mean?" Pol demanded. "Did it or did it not bring him back to life?"

"Oh, it did," Elster replied, looking ill-at-ease. "But sometimes they don’t come back quite...right."

The dwarf’s words hung like a bat in the air, ready to take wing amidst the stony silence.

"Lets put it to a vote," Pol said. "If the majority of us say that it’s the right thing to do, then we’ll do it."

Pol’s hand shot up at once, followed quickly by Bria’s. Lorelei’s vote to act followed not longer after and Roman’s tentative hand make it nearly unanimous.

"Do it," Roman told Elster in a tone that didn’t invite debate.

The dwarven priest heaved a world-weary sigh.

"Let the record show that this is against my better judgment. I need you to leave me alone with him. Go back to Ulfgar’s quarters and recover what you can while I make the preparations."

Roman pondered this for a moment and decided not to press his luck. He herded everyone out of the smithy, but this time Pol didn’t let herself by moved.

"I’m staying here," she said emphatically.

"Look, if we run into anything nasty, we’re going to need our best fighter with us," Roman insisted.

Pol managed to tear her gaze away from Elster’s puttering. Instantly, her expression softened and Roman reciprocated with a smile.

"Do you trust him?" the fighter asked as they left the room to join the others. "If no-one’s there to keep an eye on him, he can just say it didn’t work and that’ll be the end of it."

"Let’s face it, even if we were all staring right over his shoulder, none of us would have a clue what he was up to," Roman replied.

Taking stock of the crestfallen looks on his friend’s faces, the cleric tried to boost their spirits on the trek back to Ulfgar’s quarters.

"Do you think it’s going to work?" Bria asked plaintively.

"Honestly, I have no idea,” Roman confessed. "The dwarves aren’t exactly renowned for their healing arts. But we’ve all seen some pretty bizarre stuff down here, so I guess anything is possible."

Aware of the constant threat of enemy reinforcements, the group did a hasty pass on the sergeant’s quarters. Even though the displacer beast prevented the invaders from sacking the room, its struggles to escape created a spectacular mess. From the chaos, the group managed to salvage Ulfgar’s masterwork warhammer, a striking-looking greatsword, a silver necklace, a potion of some sort and a painting depicting a grand battle between dwarves and goblins.

When the Fellowship returned to the Soul Forge, Elster quickly hustled everyone through the smithy and back into the corridor leading to the Forgemaster’s quarters. His shushed everyone as a flurry of questions started to fly.

"Be silent!" he implored, pushing everyone out of the room.

He shut the door behind them and then led them down the hall.

"So?" Pol demanded, no longer able to contain herself. "What happened?"

"Yeah!" Bria chimed in, getting in Elster’s path. "Is Rincewind alright?"

"Yes, yes!" the dwarf replied, sounding testy. "We just need to let him rest right now."

As the sound of jubilation filled the tight quarters, Elster winced, dropping his arms to his sides in resignation. He promptly maneuvered around Brea and entered the next room, his compatriots trailing after him.

Once inside, the Fellowship saw that Ulfgar and his ally had not been idle. The group's unexpected return distracted the sergeant from his finishing touches, and everyone crowded around to admire his handiwork. Giran was now securely trussed up in a cot and ready for transport.

Ulfgar was also delighted to have his items returned to him. He went on to explain that the warhammer was a gift from the forgemaster, and getting it back seemed to fortify him considerably. At the sight of the still-intact painting, his eyes lit up, and he proudly told everyone within ear-shot that he painted it himself. But, just as quickly, the sergeant’s mood turned somber when he noticed Rincewind’s absence. He then listened in rapt silence as the group recounted their fight with the displacer beast.

"You’ve saved us all," Ulfgar declared. "If Giran could speak, he’d offer heartfelt thanks as well as a great reward. I don’t believe I speak out of turn when I offer these tokens of appreciation to you."

After presenting the greatsword, the silver necklace and the unidentified potion to his human allies, Ulfgar invited the Fellowship to help themselves to the contents of the vault.

"We appreciate the gesture," Roman replied. "But you’ll need that gold to rebuild. Keep it."

"Wait...whut?" Bria blurted, sounding desperate.

"Besides," Roman emphatically stated, pausing momentarily to fire a stern look over his shoulder at the thief, "we’re going to have to travel lightly and we can’t be laden down with a bunch of heavy chests."

"Well, I insist on this, at the very least," Ulfgar interjected. "When everything is back to normal, I’ll personally delivery a masterwork weapon to each of you, crafted straight from the Soul Forge. As adventurers, the value of such things will easily eclipse any trinket and bauble that you’ll find lying around here."

"Pffft, doubtful," Bria mumbled, crossing her arms and drifting away. She continued to mutter this diatribe under her breath until Lorelei poked her in the ribs with an elbow.

"Well, we should get going," Roman said, sounding unconvinced by his own words.

"No, my friends," Ulfgar insisted. "The hour is very late and you’re exhausted. Get some well-earned sleep."

"But what if reinforcements show up?" Lorelei asked.

"We’ll just have to chance it," Elster spoke up. "Besides, we can’t move Rincewind yet. I’ll go back out to the Soul Forge and stay with him to make sure everything is okay."

With that, the members of the Fellowship settled down into a restless night of elusive sleep. Bria dreamt of a shower of gold coins, none of which she could catch or pick up. Roman had a nightmare about surviving the trip home, only to be cast out of the church by Moira for being absent for so long. Lorelei tossed and turned, imagining a walk through a beautiful wooden glade ending in horror as she fell into a pit and the earthen walls closed in on her. Pol had a dream about Rincewind coming back...but then suddenly turning on her and strangling her.

Solstice 27'th, Moonday

That morning, Pol excitedly woke up her allies and soon they were all crowding the entrance to the Soul Forge. Roman knocked on the door and a sleepy Elster opened it, blearily rubbing his eyes.

"Are you ready to go?" the priest of Pelor asked.

"As ready as we can be, I suppose."

"How’s Rincewind?" Pol quizzed.

"See for yourself," Elster replied, gesturing for his friends to enter.

Once inside, they saw that the “WIZZARD” was sitting hunched over a cluttered workbench, curiously examining the entire contents of his back pack and spell pouches which he’d poured out onto the table. Still clad in the torn and blood-stained remnants of his robes, he seemed nonplussed by his near-nudity. Despite his threadbare state, everyone was surprised to see that the exposed skin underneath was perfectly healed.

As the group approached, Rincewind suddenly looked up in surprise, grabbed a tiny steel bar from his tinder kit and brandished it as if trying to defend himself.

"Hey, buddy" Roman ventured, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. "How are you feeling?"

"Yes," Lorelei echoed. "Are you okay?"

The magic user blinked violently, spinning his head around as if surrounded by phantoms.

"Who...?" he began.

"Yes?" Roman said, leaning closer to hear.

"Who...?" Rincewind repeated.

"Yes?" Lorelei replied, silently imploring more words out of him.

"Who are all you weirdos?"

With that, the heroes turned and exchanged glances with each other, suspecting that their flight back to Castebridge might be the least of their immediate challenges.

Next up:  In a desperate, time-sensitive bid to save Giran's life, the group tries to run a deadly gauntlet from Kiras Toth to Castebridge...now with a loopy wizzard in tow! 

Image Credits

Displacer Beast: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Displacer_beast

The Soul Forge: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/XBmA9l

Rincewind: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c5/Rincewind.png