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| UMBROS trots along. |
I then post them, as is, into a news channel on the campaign Discord. Players reaction to this as they like in the subsequent week.
The UMBROS campaign has been running for a few months with an Adventure (dungeon delve) tier and a Faction Tier ran with Type II methods. This essentially creates a TNB! I haven't promoted the campaign much here but realize it might be time.
Most of these news posts are from Players (using SEEN) and not edited by me at all. So the quality of prose is very spotty indeed!
Here is this week’s news from UMBROS.
5/26/26
Those passing by the Glarewood hear rustling within. One soul braving a peek in can see an army of vinelings being assembled. This army of over 70 vinelings looks ready to march out. One vineling was asked what was going on, but only responded with a low groan and tried to eat the wanderer.5/26/26
No Greater Love
Underneath the roiling sky, beneath the ruined stone of the ancient temple, beyond the black and swirling cold, arrows flew and men died. Grark, covered in jackal blood, drove his spear into another as his battle brother Hurok slashed his blade through a jackal’s guts. Tyrone yelled something as he made his way back to the stairs, side stepping Durf’s body as he loosed a silver arrow into the half-skeletal priestess. The thing screamed in pain as the silver seared her flesh, but as Grark looked to Hurok it became apparent that they were thinking the same thing. The battle was lost, and Brokkar is not here.As the Jackal Spirits and the towering priestess descended the fell stairs towards the pair, Grark interposed himself between Hurok and the oncoming foes. Once before, Grark had not been able to save his brother. Never again. Here he would hold, here he would win, or here he would die.
The fighting was fierce, for nearly an entire minute Grark held off the beasts. A Jackal Spirit lay at his feet, the smoking iron spear lodged in its ribs as the giant priestess lumbered within range of Grark, its horrible claws and skeletal features juxtaposed by the beautiful half-face of a woman yet equal in beastial ferocity. With the last of his strength, Grark launched himself towards the thing, his silver spear plunging deep into the creature as its claws tore through his flesh.
As Grark’s world went red, then black, his last thoughts turned to his friends, hopefully safe beyond the black, and to the Homestone, whose light he wished he could see one last time.
05/26/26
Rumor speeds from the West on Mercury’s winged feet.
At the moment the sphere appeared in the sky at the Eastern end of the continent, the shadows deepened in the West. A frenzy of activity has been reported in the Umbral Lands with reports of a long-buried empire awakening. It is said that this empire is digging for its ruins, seeking something since lost to the millennia.Beneath all the disparate rumors, however, runs one common thread: for the first time in living memory, the black gates of the fortress of Hel’s Reach have opened.
The dread Lich Queen Moriva walks abroad.
05/26/26
Impatient Tootch
All morning, various golems were seen building a stage of sorts in the beautifully manicured lawn court of lavender grasses that stretch out at the front door to Tootch’s Tower. Around lunchtime, by the light of the Home Stone brightest, Tootch ascended the stage for a presentation. He cleared his throat as if to speak but then, instead, flicked out text from his finger which hung large above the stage like subtitles for those literate enough to read directly from the Mage himself.
Keblar stood next to his master and read out the words for those among the gathering crowd who could not read, which was most. Keblar’s half elven voice droned on with a nasal tinge.
“Peasants. I grow impatient of my need of more wondrous items from the Helrock dungeon. As such, I have researched a better entrance to the dungeon upon Hel’s Rock. The nearby moon pool has been adjusted, with but a gallon or so of Keblar’s elf blood, to teleport directly into the dungeon proper, thus avoiding the snowy wastes upon it entirely. You may thank me this boon by proceeding post haste to said dungeon and retrieving an item I wish, two globs of PRIMEVELL CLAY. I offer 10,000 GP if this is placed in my hand.
As this is to be found on LEVEL 3 of the dungeon, I will provide further boon. If you are a Magic User who has trained with me or my people in the past, you may borrow my Wand of Magic Missiles for THIS particular mission. If you are a new Magic User who I know and have not trained with me or mine, you may still borrow it, but Tootchland gets an adventurers cut of any treasure brought from Helrock in such a case. It is to be returned to me between delves. If you borrow this item on false pretenses I will know. And I will be very perturbed.
Good luck to all of you. Let not the blood of your former comrades weigh heavily on your mind. For it does not mine.”
Editor's Note: The PCs were getting a bit tired of the lethality of "The Hel Delvers", which is the Adventure Tier (or dungeon delve) portion of UMBROS. Sessions are played weekly and up until recently they were DMed by the most lethal BROSR DM in history: Dunder Moose! He's taking a break from DMing but you can check out his session reports to see just how many hapless level 1 PCs he killed on his mission to do DM Jeffro Johnson proud for proving that "PCs deserve less". In any case, I decided that PCs deserve... something... so I created this news story, and worked with the new DM to give PCs a bit of any easier path into the Megadungeon of Helrock and determined that Tootch the Archmage would help them a bit more to survive. We'll see how it goes and if the PCs will brave the megadungeon now that I've put training wheels on it.
05/26/26
Songs from the Sunless Shore
Songs sing from the waves which lap upon the sunless shore,
That Coralynth and her mermaids are thusly on the board.
Her good heart shines like the Core most shimmery,
But will she work with the Good aligned or keep hidden in mystery?
05/27/26
A Storm is Here
Adventurers were seen leaving Firsthaven in search of the missing ranger Brokkar, whose last known whereabouts were somewhere to the southwest of the city. Some say only Prince Ronan returned.
Witnesses as far away as Tootch’s Tower observed many different sights: a lightning storm, a rain of frogs, rivers running with blood, the inner world itself rumbling, and a huge sphere arcing fire out into the sky.
None can say for certain what happened, but none of these visions bode well for humanity in this dark time.
Editor's Note: This is the news report one player came up with for the Party's TPK this week. This may help explain why the Adventuring Players had the sads about campaign difficulty this week.
05/28/26
The Human Wizard who has been hanging around Tootchville these last few weeks has been seen taking evening walks throughout town these last few days. Yes, it has been a slow news day.
05/29/26
The Caravan Sees Trouble
The fog hung heavily over the Dawnspire Mountains as Hibobu’s merchant caravan departed from Goldhold with a shipment of weapons and ale bound for Firsthaven. Yet the distant clangs and rumbles of heavy machinery and the din of gruff voices shouting to each other could clearly be heard.
For just a moment, the light of the Homestone pierced the fog and the merchants glimpsed a warband of over two dozen moving along the craggy paths, pushing two ballistas over the rough terrain.
05/29/26
Firsthaven Besieged
The citizens of Firsthaven woke, rubbed their eyes, and thanked the Home Stone for another morning.
Then a shadow passed overhead.
They rushed to their windows and looked out to see a terrible sight. Ferigno and his army of vinelings were parked outside the city. Anyone wanting to get in or out of Firsthaven would need to get through the Great Wyrm first.
05/29/26
The Tiger Jockeys Make Themselves Known
The little dark skinned tiger jockeys caught some trouble in a Firsthaven pub until they made it clear that they were now under the protection of the Guild Master, not to mention their unruly mounts.
A lesson was learned in that tavern, though likely not the one intended.
05/30/26
Brokkar’s Dream of Glass
Brokkar’s face echoes from your dreams of glass. He breaks from the echoes into somber silence, the bloody implement clasped tight in his fist. Before him lies the sacrificial altar, the terrible cult arrayed around it. At their center, smiling with sadistic glee, is the Helpriest, Brokkar’s torturer.
He utters a single command.
“Come.”
All of Brokkar’s muscles relax. His mind and heart scream, but the body does not obey. Step by step he follows the finger of the Helpriest. First to be examined, then to the altar.
Above, at the center of the whirling clouds, is a single object. It appears as a stone in the sky, yet silver and white, gentle in its light.
Is it the sister of the Home Stone?
The implement drops to the ground with a small clatter as voices begin to rise. Brokkar’s mind reels, nausea sets in, the etchings across his body begin to flare with blue light, and a curved black dagger is raised.
Then it plunges.
Then darkness.
Edtior's Note: Brokkar was one of the Adventurers who died in the TPK. He wrote this cool little piece to me about it (while the other PCs just messaged me with "X is Dead") so I thought it deserved a spotlight, even though spotlight's ain't nothing but jive.
05/31/26
A Sailor Was Overheard in a Dockside Tavern
“I know what I saw. Them humans skulking on the beach was hunting for treasure, plain as day. One of ’em held a map while another was counting out the steps. Only, I saw ’em leave the beach, and then upon my return, there they were on a second beach further up the coast.
If only we could get a boat and some shovels...”
05/31/26
The Merchants Return
The merchants of the caravan bringing the second shipment of iron and silver weaponry from Goldhold to Hibobu returned to Goldhold looking much worse for wear.
They reported a warband of brigand orcs in the Dawnspire Mountains inhabiting an ancient ruined fort, from which they narrowly escaped.
06/01/26
The Second Stone
Swirling clouds gathered in the Dawnlands west of Firsthaven. In the deepest darkness, long after the Home Stone’s light faded, the sky broke apart and a thunderous shatter echoed for miles.
A circle of silver light soon appeared, as if an otherworldly beam cast its blessing upon all that basked in it.
The clouds soon widened to reveal an immense circular stone. A sister to the Home Stone? A sign of Hel’s dominion? An omen of war?
Observer accounts vary.
Some say they saw the face of Hel herself. Others saw a strange box of black and gold. Others still claimed to see their lost brethren and fallen heroes.
Hours later, the Home Stone’s glow returned, its soft light a small comfort as the dark clouds remained.
06/01/26
Hibobu Walks the City
Hibobu was observed moving about the city and visiting the palace more than usual. Lately he walks with Captain Shulgi and his ten Elite guards. All seem nervous and on their guard.
06/01/26
Statement from Goldhold
A letter was sent from Goldhold to Tootchville and Firsthaven:
“Orcs in the Dawnspire Mountains are disrupting trade. Pressing matters prevent Goldhold from taking military action in response. Goldhold seeks able bodied adventurers to locate and defeat the orcs.
1500 GP reward for the head of the orc chief and recovery of stolen goods, as well as admittance into Goldhold.
Cog Nostril need not apply.”
06/01/26
Hildaga Enjoys Herself
Seemingly unconcerned about events, Hildaga (Hibobu’s girl Friday), was seen buying new shoes and then treating her “girls” to a fine meal.
They were later seen tipsy and dancing in a pub.
Editor's Note: Civilization may tremble. Hildaga, apparently, does not.
06/01/26
Cain Awakened
The presence of monstrous activity awakened Cain from his meditative slumber in Firsthaven.
Cain was heard in fervent Norse prayer, sounding as if he were sending out a call:
“Ahl fah thir, ek bith thess aht thoo vay tir mair bloh tahn aht ay tha skree pum ee nahf nee thee noo.”
After some time, electricity sparked along the sides of the stronghold, and another booming, otherworldly voice was heard speaking Norse in response:
“Ek geff thair reh yin koon nah uhnd ahr hleeff.”
As electricity continued to arc up and down the perimeter of the stronghold, Cain was heard preparing a myriad of blessings and spells.
One witness at the scene claimed:
“I was just standing there minding my own business when I heard Cain’s wild voice sounding like a thunderstorm. I heard him saying something about preparing a Heroes’ Feast. I had no idea that dude could even cook.”
Editor's Note: I bullied this player into taking some action since he has been nonresponsive for weeks now. Bullying works, kids.
Closing Note
So ends this week in UMBROS.
Firsthaven is besieged. Tootch wants his clay. Moriva the undying is back. A second stone hangs in rumor and nightmare above the world. Cain has stirred, and when Cain stirs, wise men stop laughing.
Next week, we will see which rumors become quests, if Ferigno's Siege of Firsthaven continues (or is broken by bold men of Good!), and which adventurers decide that 10,000 gold pieces is worth walking into Hel’s basement with a borrowed wand and a prayer.
