ACKS Session 38: Wilderness Trekking [Crafting Hooks for Real D&D Play]

Players adventured for 22 days and parked in Turos Veren on 12/30/2021. Needing one day of rest as per ACKS rules, players can make downtime requests and participate in sessions on 01/01/2022 and after.

Foreword

I haven't crafted a hook for this campaign in like 30 sessions because having Patrons and real player agency for PCs leads to dozens of hooks. What's more is those hooks are going to be more interesting to players than anything I come up with. Why? Because the players would have had a hand in designing the hook just by virtue of following the threads and concepts in the campaign world that interest them. 

The hook this session was yet another Treasure Map. The map had some scribbled notes about how there were some fancy magic items at an elf mage's "backup lab". This included the "Shield of Stone", assumed to be a shield with some very good protection magic. 

Here's the thing: this treasure map was given to the PCs by a Patron (Magna Legate Drakon) on the agreement they'd bring him the Shield of Stone. Everything else at the "backup lab" was theirs to claim. 

This treasure map was in the world due to Drakon leading a campaign into the forest, randomly generated whenever he hook a Hill Giant's Lair down with his troops. 

So Patron play in downtime created a hook for Session 38; but only because the PC players interacted with a Patron and came to an agreement! This is so much more interesting, and leads to better worldbuilding, than hooks designed by a DM. 

Get Patrons into your campaign asap and you'll never need to push another boring hook on your PCs!

Session Report

Oh my how they traveled.

The party left Cyfaraun with many cavalry mercenaries and a wagon. Gaius (PC Fighter Level 4) didn't show up during the planning phase of the session and PCs were worried he might not arrive to lead his cavalry units. That's kind of his thing.

I made a house rule where allied PCs can trade mercenary units around for session play if their regular PC leader can't make a session. But it instigates a loyalty check, wherein the mercs might quit the employ of their leader. So players were loathe to risk it so Daria (PC Bladedancer Level 5) could lead them.

Thankfully Gaius showed up just before they left Cyfaraun and it didn't come to that. 

The Party traveled for some days to the town of Luseatem (where many PCs were "Parked" after tangling with a xenomorph ). They traded out some PCs notably the monk Radames (PC Mystic Level 1) decided to stay in Luseatem and Aurora (PC Priestess Level 2) joined up with her retinue of very good henchmen. 

This decision in particular may have saved the party from taking some major losses. Read on and find out how.

So anyway the travel continued and there were no hostile random encounters. It seemed no monsters wanted to risk death by taking on the Party and their 35 or so cavalrymen. The party arrived further north along the Line than they have ever been, at Turos Gundan. Players stumbled over themselves and cross-talked the mics with all various forms of jokes about giant robots and weebs. Gaius, for his part, kept the jokes in character and riffed on what a long strange trip his adventuring career has been. He's one of only two PCs that has survived since session 1 and recently got Energy Drained (Level Drained) so lost some memories.

He got drunk at the tavern and waxed nostalgic about old PC allies, putting his arm around Daria (calling her Darius, the player's assassin that died back in session three lol) and asked about where various LONG DEAD comrades were. "Don't worry Darius, with Mandonio (Deceased PC Fighter Level 3) holding the front line with me, we'll never fail!"

It was good stuff.

on the road again

The next day the party left Turos Giant Robot and a few hours into their northward travel I rolled a random encounter of 70 wild horses with a Neutral reaction (??????). The dice are weird.

The players realized this right here was a resource and Daria used Charm Animal spell on "the alpha horse". Then cast "Speak with Animals" to convince the Alpha Horse to take all of his herd with the PCs. The Players enjoy making me do the animal voices in the campaign... forcing me to do more and more outlandish animal voices and thought processes is a running joke on its own.

Alpha Horse thought Daria was just a great gal and he agree to lead his herd up to Turos Veren. Once there the party double crossed Alpha Horse and penned him and his crew up so they could be sold later at great profit. 

The next day the party took a ferry across the Krysivor River and treked into the Istrith Forest for the first time. Rumor has it the Istrith Forest is a land of elves and fey, now nomadic and angry since the beastmen and an ancient dragon claimed the city that once hid in the midst of the tall redwoods of the forest.

I was happy something finally got the PCs to go into the wilderlands of my campaign. They've been running circles around the inside of the borders since session 1, only braving the wild side of the river (and the Unbroken Line) two times. 

The travel went quite well. It took many days of in-gameworld time for PCs to trek deep into the Istrith Forest in search of the Elf Home ("backup laboratory") that was marked on their treasure map. They got lost for a day and needed to backtrack at one point. But they even stumbled upon a random treasure cache which was hidden in an old elf ruin. Big bags of coins in the floorboards just waiting to be pulled up and claimed. There was a love potion in with the treasure as well. 

They made their way to the location of the treasure map and were able to pinpoint the exact location within a few hours; which is quite amazing considering the d20 rolls they have to make to find the X on a wilderness treasure map with my house rules.

On the way back from the Elf Home to Turos Veren and civilization they came upon an Evil Altar which I improvised as being the stick figures hanging from trees from "Blair Witch Project". Spooky! But also a resource since the players blessed the location and destroyed the stick figures gaining 100 XP for every Lawful PC or Henchman of the expedition. 

There were no hostile random encounters after days and days of travel in the deep dark forest. I was shocked. Considering how profitable this trek was turning out to be, I was annoyed it was going to be so easy! My reputation as a Killer DM was hanging in the balance. Could I live this down?

On the last day before they got back to Turos Veren to cash out with their treasure and gain XP they were attacked by like 9 Hostile Werewolves who go surprise on the party. It was on. I was surely going to take some henchmen down at the very least. I was pumped!

Aurora's player stopped me with a question. "Niveeda (Henchman to Aurora, Explorer Level 1) has less chance of being surprised. Did she perhaps not get surprised?" I checked my dice. Oh no. Most groups are surprised on a 1 or 2 on a d6 but Niveeda is only surprised on a 1. I rolled a 2.

maybe next time, fellas

Because she wasn't surprised and because she had a special ability to evade wilderness encounters more effectively, Niveeda was able to get the group out of a combat with the werewolves where they'd certainly take some losses.

I was crestfallen. 

The party got out of the Istrith Forest, having been there almost two weeks, without any hostile encounters. Amazing. It was a very successful wilderness adventure for the party and, despite my jokes above, I'm proud of their success.

Surviving PCs Present

Aurora (0% XP bonus) Level 2 Priestess. 1,455 XP Gained. Total: 3,063 [LEVEL UP TO 3!]

Daria (0% XP bonus) Level 5 Bladedancer. 1,455 XP Gained. Total: 17,323

Gaius (10% XP bonus) Level 4 Fighter. 1,601 XP Gained. Total: 10,114

Marn (10% XP bonus) Level 3 Mage. 1,491 XP Gained. Total: 8,248

Timur (10% XP bonus) Level 2 Barbarian. 1,491 XP gained. Total: 3,650

Xanthos. Level 1 Cleric. 1,491 XP gained. Total: 1,958 [LEVEL UP TO 2!]

Henchmen present

Niveeda (Level 1 Explorer for Aurora)

Prajna (Level 1 Fighter for Aurora)

Akshat, Faruk, Kudret, Shems, Umashtar (Level 0 bros to Timur) 

Deceased:

Dama (L1 Venturer) played by RR.  Current total xp: 75. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Darius LeVay (L1 Assassin) played by JB. Current Total XP:451. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Donald the Guardsman (L1 Fighter) played by MP. Current Total XP:570. DECEASED. Intra-party justice in Session 3.

Felix (L1 Thief) played by Nicholas. Current Total XP:431. DECEASED. Poison gas in Session 3.

Hektor (L1 Paladin) played by Moai. DECEASED. Cause of Death: goblin warg rider throat removal surgery in Session 2

Leonidas the Inquisitor (L1 Cleric) played by RR.Current Total XP:498  DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.

Mard the Mage (L1 Mage) played by Nicholas. DECEASED. Frozen undead blistering cold aura left his skin frostbitten and broken in Session 6. Body not recovered.

Yolo Baggins "My friends call me Swaggins" (L1 Gnomish Trickster) played by J. DECEASED. Paralyzed and eaten by ghouls in Session 12. Body not recovered.

Jack Filcher (L1 Thief) played by C. DECEASED. Shot full of arrows by Inthorn's brigands in Session 12. Body not recovered.

Swoleous Maximus (L1 Paladin). DECEASED. Captured then drawn and quartered by Inthorn the Brigand warlord in Session 12. Posthumously named "Petty Hero of Turos Tem" by Legate Valerian. Ashes offered a place of pride in the Hospital.

Damianus (L1 Cleric). DECEASED. Captured and beheaded by Inthorn the Brigand warlord in Session 12. Posthumously named "Petty Hero of Turos Tem" by Legate Valerian. Ashes offered a place of pride in the Hospital.

Bucky (L1 Barbarian). DECEASED. Became a illegal pit fighter during his downtime. Had two bouts to the death, winning the first and losing the second. Was killed by Young Jack Sparrow who sashayed into the ring, drank rum, and mogged on Bucky before putting a dagger into his ribs, killing him. This happened during downtime between Session 17 and 18.

Broll Wolf-Eater (L1 Barbarian). Current total XP: 1079. DECEASED. Carried off by harpies after falling for their enchanting song in Session 19.

Brother Franklin (L1 Cleric). DECEASED. Decapitated by a mad cultist of a Lovecraftian slime thing in Session 19.

Felix the Elder (L1 Bard). Total XP 825. DECEASED. Captured by mad cultists and fed to a Lovecraftian slime monster in Session 19.

Templar Flavius Africanus (L1 Cleric). Total XP 7. Killed by the claws and beak of mad harpies in Session 19.

Xendi (L1 Explorer). Total XP 6. DECEASED. Carried off by harpies after falling for their enchanting song in Session 19.

Yllmeeton (L3 Shaman). Total XP 4,563. Bludgeoned by the corpse of a bowmen by Rosie Odonnel hag in Session 21.

Longinus (L2 Assassin). Total XP 2,036. Had his face ripped off by Rosie Odonnel hag in Session 21.

Mandonio (L3 Fighter). Total XP 4,779. Charred to a leprous crisp by diseased Dragon breath in Session 22.

Corydon (L1 Joker). Total XP: 0. Burnt to a crisp by chimera breath so thoroughly his corpse wasn't even fit for the crows. Died with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. that's life and as funny as it seems... some people get their kicks, stomping on a dream... In Session 25.

Donny Keebler (L1 Elven Spellsword). Total XP 2,238. Had his legs burned completely off by chimera fire breath in Session 25.

Marina (L2 Fighter). Total XP: 2,204. Burnt into ash by a chimera fire breath in Session 25.

Gundro (L2 Gnomish Trickster). Total XP: 2,575. Had his mouth and tongue bitten off by a lizardman ambusher in the dank sewers below Cyfaraun in Session 26.

Polydoros (L1 Fighter). Total XP: 0. Had his legs ripped off and eaten by Akira monsters in the dark canopy of the Viaspen Forest in Session 28.

Odrum (L1 Explorer). Total XP: 287. Javelin to the heart from the hands of weird vine goblins hidden in the walls of Ferigno's lair in Session 30.

Garvin the Nutless Wonder (L1 Mage). Total XP: 0. Fell off the side of Ferigno's lair 20 feet to his death in Session 30.

Blackmoon (L1 Assassin). Total XP: 768. Choked to death by BOB from Twin Peaks while stealing treasure from Ferigno's dragon horde in Session 30.

Xanthus (L2 Cleric). Total XP: 2,364. Choked to death by BOB from Twin Peaks while hanging out on the roof of Ferigno's lair in Session 30.

Lord Zyklon (L1 Elven Spellsword). Total XP: 0. LORD ZYKLON DISEMBOWLED LORD ZYKLON upon finding himself on the losing side of the Desolation of Turos Tem.

Turin (L1 Cleric). Total XP: 0. Eaten by Wargs in Session 32.

Rat Face (L2 Thief) Total XP: 1,577. Seemingly grabbed in the dark by a Xenomorph in Session 36. In a sinkhole your party can hear you scream! 

Smarticus (L1 Mage) Total XP: 0. Captured by a Xenomorph in Session 36 for all the party to witness. Taken deep into a sinkhole.

Alexa this is so sad play "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burle Ives.