DCC Homebrews - Loptir, Lord of Flames

Loptir is an aspect of flame - the fire which is bound to hearth and home. For those who live within the northern climate where his worship is most common, lighting and maintaining fires is an essential skill. Without heat, there is only death.

Loptir is in every way the opposite of such harsh extremes – he is forgiving, he is merciful and he is kind. Altruism, communal rites, and the ritual consumption of strong spirits are central tenets of his religion. Those who are destined to live in his service receive their missive through visions in the flickering of a solstice fire.

His favored weapons are the short bow and the spear, emblematic of hunter-gatherers.

Special Traits

Lay on Hands

Roll a 1d4 to determine how the ability manifests: (1) the cleric grips her fist tightly above the wound, ashes and embers spilling from her fingers onto it. As the cleric wipes them away, the injury is revealed to be mended; (2) the cleric places her glowing red palms against the wound, searing it closed; (3) skin blackens and peels away, revealing unmarred flesh beneath; (4) air around the target and the cleric shimmers and waves, as though distorted by immense heat.

Turn Unholy

In addition to entities traditionally considered unholy by Lawful deities, clerics of Loptir may turn entities that are diametrically opposed to flame and warmth (for example, a water elemental).

Divine Favors

Ignite: The cleric may coax a spark to life from her fingertips, enough to ignite a small natural fire. This will typically require suitable fuel, such as tinder, oil, or candlewick, as lighting a fire with a match. The cleric must be able to touch the source of fuel in order to light this flame.

Shelter: Once per day, the cleric can seal an erected dwelling (a standing structure, a common tent, a simple lean-to or other improvised shelter, etc) from the elements; wind, rain, and cold are driven from its roof, walls, and doors (if any) for a period of eight hours. Leaving the shelter causes this ability to expire.

Cleric of Loptir Titles

Level	Title
1	Acolyte
2	Disciple
3	Guide
4	Exemplar
5	Lodestar

Disapproval

Loptir demands his clerics provide comfort and protection to any in need, and those that fail in this duty are subject to severe censure, often being forced to brave and withstand the elements against which they ward others.

Roll	Disapproval
1	The cleric must appease Loptir by staring into the licking flames for an uninterrupted hour during the next rest period.
2	The cleric must teach someone to light a fire using rudimentary means. Until this is complete, cleric loses the ability to manifest her divine favours.
3	Within the next 12 hours, the cleric must dance nude around a bonfire for at least 1 hour. Failure to do so results in the cleric suffering a -2 penalty to all spell checks until the dance is completed.
4	Cleric is accompanied by spectral flames for 24 hours. Stealth is impossible, and sleep will not be restful.
5	Cleric must, at nearest opportunity, construct an effigy at least the size of an adult human, and burn it. Failure to do so results in loss of all spellcasting ability until the effigy is constructed and burnt.
6	The cleric must either donate 100 gp worth of items or eight hours of labour towards providing a community with combustible fuel (ie woodcutting, charcoal making, coal mining etc.). The cleric takes a -1 to penalty to all spell checks until the conditions are met.
7	The cleric must walk everywhere for the next month; she cannot utilize mounts, wagons, boats, or any other conveyance other than her own feet to travel.
8	The cleric immediately incurs a -1d penalty to spell checks on the specific spell that resulted in disapproval (including laying on hands and turning unholy, if those were the acts that produced disapproval). This lasts until the next day.
9	The cleric immediately incurs an additional -2 penalty to all spell checks that lasts until the following morning.
10	No magic is used without consequence! The cleric immediately loses the ability to cast one randomly determined spell until the following day.
11	The cleric is ordered to forego food obtained and prepared by others; The cleric must forage or hunt for meals. Every morning the cleric may attempt a DC 15 will save to overcome this prohibition, she receives a +1 if she did not eat the previous day.
12	Blisters and burns erupt on the cleric's palms. The cleric suffers a -2 penalty to any activity that requires the use of her hands (spellcasting, attack rolls, etc) for 24 hours.
13	The cleric is disowned by Loptir for 1d3 days. During this period the character cannot accumulate XP and may not gain class levels as a cleric. After the time period expires, the character begins to accumulate XP again as normal but does not accrue “back pay” (so to speak) for XP missed while he was disowned.
14	The next time the cleric rests, she must do so in the elemental plane of fire. A portal is generously provided by Loptir. She returns the following morning with 2d4 stamina damage. Her night is not restful.
15	Loptir questions the commitment of the cleric and demands the cleric offer 20% of her personal wealth to a shrine, guild or secret society dedicated to the worship of Loptir.
16	Loptir requires warmth and light be brought to a forsaken place. The cleric must make a pilgrimage to a ruin or other such abandoned site of former civilization and light a great bonfire within 1d3 days, or else lose all abilities until pilgrimage is complete.
17	Loptir demands an immediate demonstration of faith. The cleric must burn the sign of Loptir into her flesh using only a hot poker or other crude implement. If it is not possible to obtain such a device, Loptir will provide one. This act inflicts 3d6 damage and 1d3 stamina damage, and requires a DC 10 fortitude save to remain conscious.
18	The cleric must endure a test of faith. For the next 24 hours, whenever the cleric calls upon Loptir to Turn Unholy, Lay on Hands, or cast a spell the cleric suffers 1d7 points of fire damage as she is overcome by blistering heat.
19	The cleric must rest on a bed of hot coals for 1d3+1 days. Each rest inflicts a point of damage for each hour spent resting. Failure to do so results in the loss of all abilities until the punishment is resumed.
20	The cleric has their warmth stolen by Loptir. For a period of 2d8 days, the cleric generates little body heat, and cannot remain warm no matter what efforts are made to that effect. Her move speed is halved and she may not run or charge. In addition, for each day the effect persists, she suffers a cumulative -1 penalty to initiative rolls, attack rolls, reflex saves and damage rolls.

Canticles of Loptir

Level 1: Loptir's Fantastical Firewater

Once per day, the cleric may bless a container of normal water, imbuing it with the comforting warmth of Loptir. This alcohol may be divided into a number of servings equal to 1d6+CL. Those who drink of the firewater gain a bonus which lasts 1 turn/CL. Drinking additional servings extends the duration but does not increase the effect. If a devout cleric of Loptir partakes of the firewater, they may forsake the bonus to instead immediately breathe a gout of searing flame as a breath weapon. This attack automatically hits as long as the target is not obstructed.The effect of the firewater is detailed on the table below. If the firewater is not consumed before 24 hours have passed, it is rendered inert and non-magical.

Cleric Level	Effect of Consumption	Effect as Weapon
1-3	+1 Fortitude Save, +1d8 temporary hit points, +1 to saves against effects that inflict cold	Breathes fire at a single target to a range of 10' inflicting 1d6 damage, target must make a DC 10 save vs. Reflex to put out the flames or suffer additional 1d6 damage each round
4-6	+2 Fortitude Save, +2d8 temporary hit points, +2 to saves against effects that inflict cold
7+	+3 Fortitude Save, +3d8 temporary hit points, +3 to saves against effects that inflict cold

More to come!

Dungeon Crawl Classics #66.5 - Doom of the Savage Kings - Final Thoughts and Review

Now that we've capped off this adventure, I figured this would be the time to put to paper my thoughts about it. Prospective players, be warned that spoilers will ensue. I probably shouldn't need to say it but eh.

Quick hits:

• Short but sweet, there is exactly the right amount of material here for a little pocket sandbox adventure
• Rewards intelligent play 
• Threatening enemies and environments
• Hirot is well realized and requires little to no expansion by the Judge 
• Very readable format, excellent maps

Hirot is a fantastic little town with just the right amount of detail to support the Judge running it's little intrigues. There is a lot of latitude in how the Judge can run the Jarl. The thanes present a very credible threat to the party, hopefully discouraging them from just duking it out. I was very happy with the detailed NPCs and volume of locations to visit in Hirot. 

The serpent mound was a lot of fun. It's a very nice mini-dungeon with a sufficient number of entertaining rooms to finish within about a session's worth of playtime. It's also got the potential to be extremely lethal to a reckless or incautious party.

My only... I don't think I'd call it a gripe exactly, but Judges should recognize that if their players manage to penetrate the dungeon via the front entrance (as opposed to the very safe and convenient side breach) it seems pretty likely to initiate a TPK. First, there's the very awesome snake spirit and its associated pit trap that it washes characters into. I think this trap is fantastic and I was ambivalent about my party circumventing it. It seems like a super fun and scary encounter but yikes, that thing could easily kill multiple characters. Then there's the huntsmen on the way out who, if the gang leaves via the front entrance, will ambush the battered players at their most vulnerable. A great learning opportunity but I can imagine it cutting plenty of adventures short. Actually, the serpent mound is a great deal more dangerous than the hound, which is but a single moderately tough monster. The tomb ghouls (especially the one hiding in the secret room) are also pretty nasty, but a little more 'fair' to me than the double whammy if the party enters/exits via the main doors. I also love all the misdirection and hidden stuff in the tomb, as well as Harley's details regarding its construction. One thing a lot of old dungeons fail to do is really present any internal logic as to how and why they are the way they are, but here it's very well communicated to the Judge, who will then be able to pass it on through discovery to the inquisitive players. It's also clearly designed not to be looted, which I appreciate, especially the misdirections.

The fens: the random encounters for traversing the fens are fine. Nothing special. Not a huge fan of these but you never know how much blundering around a party will do so it's useful to have. The sinkhole was a fun encounter, good old fashioned environmental puzzle solving.

If I ran this again I would probably think of ways to make the Hound more threatening and insidious. DCC characters are considerably more powerful than their OSR D&D counterparts, and the Hound is probably going to be flattened by most parties in a stand up fight. Our final battle started out tense and ended somewhat farcical as three giant-sized players pinned and bashed the Hound to ruins. Not that I'm unhappy about that, those sorts of moments are rewarding and usually well-earned. 

Compared to Sailors on the Starless Sea, I actually think I prefer Doom of the Savage Kings. It feels very polished, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a good 1st level starter adventure!

Dungeon Crawl Classics #66.5 - Doom of the Savage Kings - Final Session Recap

The Fens

The following morning after destroying the hound (and a late start thanks to the celebrations stretching deep into the night) the surviving members of the party along with a couple supplemental level 0 characters made their way north-east, to the fens where the lair of the Hound was located according to local legend.

A six hour march along the river brought them to the boggy mess. Navigation in the misty uniform landscape would be difficult, but they forged ahead. Their first sign they were on the right track was when they came across some skull totems pattered like wards. Once determining they posed no threat, they noticed they were being followed by some mangy jackals. A cruel beggar named Clyde stepped forward and made a remarkable sling shot that killed the leading jackal at considerable range through the mist, routing the pack.

The Lair

The group arrived at a huge twenty-foot sinkhole bellowing a column of oily fumes. After a considerable amount of cautious experimentation, they eventually lowered one of the new arrivals, an impressively stupid (and likely developmentally disabled) night watchman who went by "Eggs" down by rope to investigate. He got very dirty and covered in swamp water. The group learned the hole was a bit too deep for their 50 feet of rope, so back they went to town to fetch more.

On their way out of the fens they stumbled upon a spout that spewed forth a noxious cloud of toxic gas which most of the group managed to overcome save the frail wizard Sigismund - reduced to 0 stamina he fell comatose and had to be hauled back to town by the stout warrior Ingrid.

They marched back to Hirot, rested for the night, resupplied, and made their way once again to the fens (even Sigismund, having recovered back to a robust 1 stamina!). Knowing that the swamp drained into the sinkhole, they made their way back fairly easily.

Now they went about deploying about half the group down to the base while the others remained up top so as to prevent them from getting trapped. Below they discovered an oily pool of some accursed otherworldly substance emitting the noxious cloud, and into which swamp water drained. They also discovered a tremendous amount of ancient sacrifices, mostly rusted away to rubbish.

While the zero level characters went sifting through the debris, the cleric Myyrah and the wizard Asher decided to contemplate the pool in order to hopefully learn its secrets. Myyrah found the pool quite revolting, and meditating upon it caused in her a crisis of faith, which she barely overcame. Asher was less fortunate - the pool drove him temporarily mad and he attempted to throw himself into it. Myyrah, after some struggle, managed to haul him out although not before both were partially immersed in the strange burning substance.

Despite this incident, Sigismund decided he ought to give it a go as well, in properly irresponsible fashion for a practitioner of the dark arts. He too was driven to try and drown himself in the pool, but was somewhat more successful and managed to drop himself to 0 hp. He was narrowly saved by Myyrah's lay on hands, but suffered a point of permanent stamina damage, putting him back at 0 and unconscious. Not a great couple days for Sigismund.

The group gave up on the pool, but managed to discover some satisfactory loot amidst the old sacrifices, which they hauled back to the surface along with Sigismund's comatose body.

Before departing, Myyrah attempted to call on her god Ashakhan to collapse the sinkhole and seal the Hound's lair eternally. Ashakhan contemptuously declined, and so the group resigned to merely reporting on their findings to the new Jarl.

The Return Trip and Wrapping Up

The group nearly lost not one but two of their zero levels on the trip back when they became lost in the fens. First, they were attacked by a vine creature that tried to drag the barber Lagr into the filthy waters. Ironically, it wasn't the vine that nearly killed him, but Clyde the beggar, who recklessly fired a sling bullet directly into Lagr's skull via poorly timed critical hit. Lagr only survived due to being impressively durable for a 0 level. Clyde and Lagr were both being run by the same player, which made this extra hilarious.

A short while later Clyde fell in a quicksand-type sinkhole that almost swallowed him whole. Clyde had been a bit of a hindrance up to that point so there was talk of just letting him sink, but of course he was wisely still carrying some of the valuable loot from the Hound's lair. He was promptly hauled up by his fellowed.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. They returned to Hirot and reported the situation to the Jarl, who was disappointed at the possibility of the Hound's eventual return, but thankful for everything the band hand done. 

They split the loot, and enjoyed some much needed rest whilst planning their next move.

Dungeon Crawl Classics #66.5 - Doom of the Savage Kings - Session Recap #3

Clearing the Mound

The party resumed their exploration of the serpent mound by discussing a possible alternative to crossing the deadly pit trap room: throwing a torch to see what was even on the other side. One incredible roll later, the group determined that the corridor ended in the true entrance to the mound that they had bypassed earlier, rendering the entire fiasco that nearly killed Arwil a waste of time.

They moved on to the 'great hall' they had discovered earlier but not fully explored. They attempted and failed to force the grand doors on the north face. They then pushed around the snake skins covering the floor and inspected the bronze braziers. Lacking a fuel source, they sent two party members back out of the dungeon to fetch dry wood - more on that later.

Those left inside continued to inspect the room and discovered first the accumulated twigs on the southern part of the floor, then the holes in the south wall that indicated a ladder had been mounted there. This led them to the discovery of the narrow 2' by 2' chimney above the entrance.

Impatient for the wood scroungers to return, after some debate the thief Arwil decided he would climb into the hole for further inspection. His friends gave him a boost and he clambered inside, making his way in. 

Outside, the wood-gathers on their return trip discovered a band of armed men camped out around the entrance, but luckily avoided detection. They reported this to their mates inside, then went about lighting the braziers. They almost immediately regretted this decision as smoke began to rapidly build in the small chamber and then exited via the chimney Arwil was currently traversing. They put out the braziers, but Arwil was forced to accelerate his crawling for fear of suffocating in the confined sapce.

Following this, the warrior Walden Jr. decided to climb in after Arwil, doffing his armour so he could wriggle through. 

Arwil, unfortunately for him, proceeded alone down the entire length of the chimney into the false throne room beyond. He did not, despite his caution, detect the tomb ghoul descending into the chimney behind him. He exited into the false throne room and crouched down to inspect the floor for traps or mechanisms as he made his way to the room's central pillar. In doing so, he made himself easy to ambush, and after a surprise round and losing initiative he was rapidly silenced by the creature.

Walden Jr. shortly caught up and upon detecting the Tomb Ghoul hunched over his fallen compatriot dashed heroically into action! A handful of bad die rolls later and Walden Jr. joined his ally on the floor of the false tomb. He did manage to beat the Ghoul Snake Thing out of its human husk though, so... small victories.

The False Tomb

Walden Jr. had managed to shout a warning to the others before rushing into battle, and so Myyrh and Asher (cleric and wizard respectively) rushed in after leaving just two members behind now. They were quick enough that the Tomb Serpent was unable to retreat to its secret hiding place in the passage before they arrived.

In the false tomb Myyrh hurried inside and attempted to roll over Walden Jr. No luck - in fact, he failed on a result that would have succeeded had he not burned luck in the fight with the Tomb Serpent. Fate can be a cruel mistress indeed! Walden Jr., you were too good for this world.

The Tomb Snake descended from the ceiling but failed to get the drop on the pair. Myyrh tied it up in combat while Asher decided this would be a good time to cast his first combat spell. Not bad either! He summoned a 4HD black bear with animal summoning which promptly tore the Tomb Serpent to shreds.

Myyrh when went to roll over Arwil who was significantly more dead than Walden Jr. (and was at least partially eaten). Natural twenty on the roll, trying to get under his luck. Big ouch. 

Now down two party members from one particularly nasty creature trap, the group managed to extrapolate there was probably a secret compartment from which the Ghoul had originally emerged. Sigismund, the other wizard, managed to find it by probing the earth and roots overhead while climbing along the passage himself. Aha! The ceiling is a woven mat disguised to look like a natural roof of earth. Knowing this the opening to the secret room was easy to find. Within, the true tomb of the Last of the Savage Kings! He took all the loot, including the legendary Wolf-spear, and the remaining group regrouped in the great hall. Well at least, it seemed like they had found the Wolf-spear. Sigismund continued his trend of being totally incapable of casting a spell when he flubbed detect magic and it was scoured from his memory.

Incidentally, since nobody wanted to risk the strange wood and stone pillar in the false tomb, Asher had his bear attempted to retrieve a high-up mounted spear and shield by climbing the rotting pillar while he exited the space which unsurprisingly triggered the collapse of the whole room, burying their fallen companions, the bear, and the leftover loot. C'est la vie.

Returning to Hirot

The band gathered themselves and made their way out with their hard-earned prize. They decided not to risk an encounter with the armed men at the main entrance and proceed on a wider route back to the village.

Unfortunately for them, the huntsmen (led by Iraco the Huntmaster, who the Jarl had sent to deal with the troublesome outsiders) also had to return before dark and managed to pick up their trail on the return trip. Mounted as they were, they were able to catch up to the party at the river crossing.

The ensuing combat seemed initially quite dire, but ended up turning into a brutal one-sided slaughter when Sigismund cast his first successful spell - a spellburned enlarge person on the warrior, Ingrid. Now ogre-sized, Ingrid proceeded to turn all but one of the hunters into flaming mash with her magical flail. She did try to spare the horses, but the deed die wasn't cooperating.

Back at Hirot the group was welcomed by the night watch and proceeded to the tavern, where they were met by some sympathetic 0-level peasants who the two players who lost their chars took control of. Sigismund went to meet with the Mad Widow Ymae to turn in Arwil's hair (they had scalped him for fear that hair from the ghouls would be too dead - some friends, huh?). Ymae spun it into golden shackles for binding the Hound, and reminded Sigismund of his promise to marry her before he returned to the inn.

The Jarl's Rage

The group was working out a plan of attack for dealing with the Hound when the Jarl's thegns arrived to escort them from the inn. A crowd was gathering in the square, and the Jarl and his advisor were prepared to address them. The party was accused of murdering Iraco and his hunters, who according to the Jarl had attempted to stop them from robbing the burial mount, as well as violating his authority, flaunting Hirot's traditions and endangering the community by antagonizing the Hound.

A tense moment ensued and hands moved to weapons. The party made their case and were backed up by some sympathetic members of the village. The Jarl was unrelenting. Eventually, when it seemed as though there would be a battle, the innkeeper Broegan"Bull" Haverson stepped forward and challenged the Jarl to single combat, according to the most ancient traditions of their savage ancestors. While Bull was not a frail man by any measure, the Jarl was clearly a hardened warrior and there was no question who would win such a bout. Ingrid volunteered to fight on his behalf as champion. Bull, a respected member of the community, would not lose face for accepting a surrogate when so clearly outmatched. The Jarl on the other hand, could hardly ignore such a challenge to his authority and maintain the loyalty of his thegns.

Shieldbearers to make up the ring were selected by both participants and armour was shed: both combatants would be allowed a shield and to bring a weapon of their choice. A quirk of their traditions, a dagger was spun atop a flat shield by the impartial Father Beacom, determining who would get to select their weapon from the ones each combatant brought. The Jarl won and and selected Ingrid's mighty flail, while Ingrid was left with the Jarl's ornate but unremarkable sword.

The battle was tense, balanced on a knife's edge. Ingrid managed to squeak out a victory on some burned luck, and lay the Jarl low. Bull had become the new Jarl of Hirot, and none could contest the outcome.

Afterwards, Jarl Haverson coordinated with the party to figure out a plan for dealing with the Hound. With access to the great hall, they would consolidate the town's remaining population together in the one place they could all fit to wait out the night while the party engaged the Hound out doors.

The Hound of Hirot

The party set up a formation on the steps of the great hall, hoping the Hound would choose to attack them in the open rather than attempt to fight into the hall which whose entrances were all guarded by thegns. Their estimation of its behaviour proved accurate.

The Hound still managed to get the drop on them by ascending to the roof of the great hall and diving down onto one of the peasants who had joined them, a herder named Peggy. The Hound was able to kill a second peasant, a hunter named Zurra who had stood for them in the square before the party managed to get control of the situation (and boy did they ever!).

After seeing how powerful enlarge was, they had Sigismund burn again and this time he scored an even more impressive result! Myyrah, Asher and Ingrid were all blown up to the size of giants which gave them the reach and strength to easily surround and (although it took a surprisingly number of attempts thanks to terrible rolling) eventually pin the thing with the wolf-spear and the golden shackles both. Myyrah delivered the killing blow, ramming Walden's sword into the creature which, anchored in the plane material in its corporeal state. The Hound, unable to return to its lair or revert to mist, bled into the spear and vanished. The Hound had been slain!

Celebrations

Finally rid of the Hound, the whole village was happy to enjoy a night of merrymaking on the Jarl's stores of spirits, generously supplied by their new Lord. Privately, Jarl Haverson confessed to Ingrid that he was not certain the Hound was truly gone for good. After all, was it not a nightmare-thing from the ancient days of the savage kings, and hadn't the legendary Ulfeonar overcome similar beasts only to have it return to wreak havoc in the present?

The Jarl, after some discussion, contracted the party to investigate the origin of the wolf-thing and scour its lair to be certain it would never return to terrorize Hirot. The party was also resolved to secretly return to the burial mound to obtain any final treasures they had missed.

For Sigismund's part, he did return to Ymae to become her husband without hesitation, but perhaps that's a story for another day...

Dungeon Crawl Classics #66.5 - Doom of the Savage Kings - Session Recap #1-2

The Return

So after a pretty short (and honestly, poorly run due) session that was called short due to my evident exhaustion, we put our campaign on hiatus for a couple of months due to personal stuff that distracted from my ability to DM effectively. So this recap will cover the session before the hiatus and the one after, since neither was especially long and both cover the same adventure.

The Party

Our intrepid adventurers consist of:

• Ingrid the Warrior, a formerly lawful forester who became damned when she sacrificed a companion to a chaos god-beast to save the party. Cuts quite an imposing figure with her black-iron plate armour and fire-enchanted flail.
• Walden Jr., a lawful chimney-sweep now a wet-behind-the-ears warrior. Eager to prove himself and physically fit, although perhaps not the brightest.
• Myyrah, a mudlark turned cleric of Ashakhan, a homebrew god of death without the evil that is usually associated with the domain.
• Arwil the Thief, who got his start as a wool smuggler and now looks to adventuring as a fast path to fame and riches.
• Asher the Wizard, a capable and worldly caravan guard pursuing the black arts to further his own ambitions.
• Sigismund, still a rutabaga farmer at heart, he nevertheless exhibits at least some characteristics of a spellcaster. He talks to his rutabagas sometimes.

(Anti-)Hammer(space) time

We are using an alternative inventory and encumbrance system called the Matt Rundle's Anti-Hammerspace Item Tracker and it's pretty cool. It avoids most of the issues with conventional inventory systems by focusing on the actual problem with carrying lots of stuff: BULK. As any experienced infantryman or hiker will tell you, the space your equipment takes up usually becomes a problem before the weight does, and modern large packs have all sorts of complex engineering and gimmicks to deal with this issue which is what even allows someone in the field to carry the amount of junk your average D&D character takes for granted. More weight will make you tired faster, but more bulk becomes impossible to carry (and still be able to do things like fight) very quickly.

It also, incidentally, cuts down on a lot of tedious math computation while making inventories a bit of a fun mini-game.

A good chunk of the start of session #1 was spent explaining and orienting players to this new and interesting way of tracking inventories, which in short order had everyone collaborating on how best to stow and haul their equipment.

Arrival

The party had a treasure map sown into a cloak from their previous venture into the old castle on the hill. They waited out the cold season in their home village, honing the skills of their newfound trades, before embarking on a journey to retrieve whatever riches this map would reveal.

For three days, the party ventured north. North, through the Trolltooth mountains, into the lands beyond where the great Jarls rule with iron fists. The trip itself was largely uneventful, save for the gathering of flocks of crows and, one evening, a close call with a pack of wolves.

From the mountains they had spotted a village, and so they descended into a valley and followed the King's Way (a road in name only) until they came upon a mob of peasantfolk forcing before them a girl bound and gagged, and escorted by several mounted men. At the sight of these armed and armoured adventurers, the column halted.

The horsemen advanced and the leader introduced himself as the Jarl of Hirot, before demanding the party withdraw. Ingrid, always aggressive, had intended to press for an explanation but was ultimately convinced to continue on to the village by her compatriots, which the Jarl reluctantly permitted.

At the village they chatted with the eager watchmen who admitted them for a while before heading to the inn. There they met with the innkeeper Broegan "Bull" Haverson who was quite distraught. From him the group learned that the town was being ravaged by a monstrous wolf that killed by night, and that his daughter Morgan had been selected via lottery as a sacrifice to appease the wolf for another few days.

The Wolf of Hirot

The band decided to investigate for more information, and came upon the master of the night watch, Nothan the Younger, who claimed to have harmed the beast and watched it dissolve to mist. They also learned from another villager that those bitten by the wolf transform into wolves themselves. 

Armed with this knowledge, they set out to stop the sacrifice and attempt to best the wolves themselves. They met the Jarl's procession on its return trip and after a tense moment, earnestly explained themselves. The Jarl was not especially receptive, but they nevertheless convinced him with the logic that they themselves would be the ones to suffer at the beast's claws should they fail to drive it off. With so many villagers about, the Jarl could hardly refuse.

The group carried on and as twilight broke discovered Morgan tied up for sacrifice at a set of standing stones. Here, Arwil the thief suggested that they just take the girl and go rather than wait to be killed by a demon wolf - but Morgan shut this idea down when she bravely informed them that she would refuse rescue if nobody remained in her place. As a compromise, the group decided to try and drive off the wolf.  

Once the wolf finally arrived, the group was ready, and the ensuing battle was rather short. Although not weak by any means, the group made short work of it - predominantly thanks to Ingrid scoring a crit with her flaming flail. Myyrh was bitten, however, adding to the party's concerns. The wolf, beaten but not defeated, turned into inky mist and fled into the night.

Session #1 ended here and there was a two-month hiatus before we picked up again.

Returning to Hirot

The party was welcomed back with Morgen in tow, and despite the Jarl's inevitable wrath (as well as that of the returned wolf), the village's mood was lightened a little. Bull was thankful and offered them room & board, and so the group used the rest of the evening to pump the locals for information they might be able to use.

The following morning the band was awoken by the Jarl's men and brought to the great hall. On the walk they befriended one of the thegns, Clohn the Bald, who explained how the lottery worked. At the hall the Jarl cursed them for their meddling, explaining the wolf would now surely return and seek vengeance. Unswayed by their protests, the group was dismissed - they would be allowed to continue their foolish wolf hunt so long as they did so outside the walls of Hirot.

Deciding to make the most of the morning, the group split into three. Arwil and Walden would go to the Three Rats Flophouse to parley with the local criminal element. Sigismund and Ingrid would go visit the Mad Widow Ymae, who all concerned think is a witch. Asher and Myyrh would go to check out the Sky Biers where the village had been cremating its dead. Arwil managed to squeeze in some conversation with the local fire & brimstone priest of Justicia on their way back to the inn, discovering a bit about the region's history - especially some juicy tidbits about the last of the Savage Kings, Ulfeonar, who was known as Wolf-Slayer.

At the flophouse, Arwil engaged in a game of dice with the thieves in exchange for information. After a truly incredible string of excellent rolls, Arwil had extracted not only the information he was looking for, but all the gold at the table - a feat which Walden would excitedly relay to the others later on. They had also learned that three of the thieves number had disappeared after embarking on a treasure hunt to the burial mounds to the north - as well as obtaining a useless and lice-infested sack of their leftover possessions, promptly disposed of.

At the witch's hut, Ingrid and Sigismund discovered of a possible way to destroy the wolf: Ymae could weave the hair of a corpse into shackles for the wolf, which would anchor it and prevent it from escaping as mist. The price for this would, incidentally, be Sigismund's hand in marriage. Sigismund needed very little convincing - his player only asked if that would mean 'the end of his character' to which the answer amounted to 'not necessarily'. Sigismund would spend the rest of the session dispensing relationship advice, a sudden and inexplicable wellspring of knowledge on retaining a long-term partner.

At the Sky Biers a confrontation with the local thegns was averted after Myyrah tried to remove a corpse's wrappings to inspect it. Myyrah remained with Asher to consecrate the dead until Ingrid and Sigismund arrived, hoping to maybe snag some corpse hair from one of the fallen. Fearful and disgusted by the notion of harvesting their dead for magical components, the thegns ordered the bodies burned immediately to keep the party from returning later.

The group returned to the inn and pondered their options. First, they attempted to convince the local entertainer Llore to allow them to kill him to get his hair (the previous night Arwil had discovered he was infatuated with Morgan, and they used her inevitable sacrifice as justification to hurry along their plans). When this failed, Arwil suggested killing someone in the town - perhaps one of the unpopular flagellant priests from the temple, or maybe a sick person? A heated ethics discussion ensued.

Eventually the group decided that, since it was still early, they might as well follow up on their major lead - they would head to the burial mounds to the north. Incidentally, this looked to be the location indicated on their treasure map. 

The Serpent Mound

The group marched north a few hours to the burial mound and made their way to the entrance. Ingrid, a skilled forester, was able to determine the clumsy passage of the three missing thieves along the largely overgrown old paths.

Gaining ingress to the mound proved more difficult. The great circular slab serving as a front door proved too heavy to move. Scouting around the sides they eventually discovered a stream had worn a cleft into the side of the mound and, after taking precautions as to its safety, the group wriggled inside.

The pitch dark interior seemed mostly undisturbed. They explored a few rooms, finding hidden beneath a stone alter in one a great hide cloak woven with skulls and a paired bear helm. Shortly thereafter, while moving single-file down a passage, they were ambushed in the rear by a pair of Tomb Ghouls. Luck was on the party's side and despite several rounds of harrowing combat, the warrior Walden, trapped in the back, wasn't struck even a single time. When one of the Ghouls fumbled and fell on its face he made a run for it and the group destroyed the two creatures from a more favourable position.

They found the bottom level of a pit trap towards the south of the dungeon and Ingrid spent a few minutes destroying the bronze spears serving as spikes. Then, they went back up the stairs to try and cross the room with said trap - discovering that it was in fact slippery with algae, and the curved surface of the floor meant anyone trying to cross it would be dragged towards the hole in the middle. 

Fortunately the group had taken precautions - only Arwil was attempting the crossing, and the two warriors held a rope tied around his waist to arrest his fall should he slip. Which he did. Repeatedly. After a half-dozen failed saves and numerous attempts to scale the slippery wall to the other side, Arwil fell into the semi-disabled spike pit trap. and took exactly enough falling damage to knock him to 0 hit points. Myyrah sprinted down to the pit chamber and managed to heal him before he began bleeding out, sparing him a permanent injury as well as an embarassing death.

As some players had to go, we called it here. Arwil's player indicated she would spend the intervening period deciding whether or not to make another attempt across the trap room.

DCC Homebrews - Ashakhan, God of the Wheel

When a soul sheds its mortal coil, it is bid upon its journey to the next life by Ashakhan. The soul is borne down through the world by a black coach driven by cloaked, skeletal figure. When it reaches its destination, the soul is brought before the Ceaseless Watcher to plead its case. A servitor will produce a scroll that accounts for the soul's complete history, for this life and all those which came before. So too will arrive the petitioners, those servants whose masters have a legal claim on the soul. Ashakhan will oversee the proceedings as arbitrator, and it is his judgement that will determine the soul's ultimate fate.

Before the Ages of Man and the Gods-pact, there was but one eternal truth that governed the mortal races: the Wheel. Souls, endlessly reincarnated, would return to the Source and then be calved free once again as new life rose up, always in an endless and infinite cycle. It was not until the first schism between the Gods that this perpetual cycle was sundered, and souls were not permitted to return to their place of origin. Gods began to hoard souls in an endlessly escalating contest, sealing them away in pocket dimensions known as the Underworlds, or transforming them into new forms that did not return to the Wheel.

Eventually, the Source, known to some as the First Fire and to others as the Tree of Life, began to die. It was in this ancient time that a mortal hero whose name has been forgotten to the mists of time rose up, and blessed by a coalition of Gods from both sides, struck down Nazzarull, the Primordial God of Death. Though not slain, for a God is beyond such things, Nazzarull was forever ejected from her seat on the Pantheon as God of Death, and in her place rose the Ashakhan.

In the Eternal Struggle, Ashakhan remains firmly neutral. Although his methods bear the symbols and mechanisms of Law, it is this determination to mete out the final fate of souls with transparency and detachment that affords him the (often grudging) respect, or least tolerance, from even the powers of Chaos.

All that lives must die - this is the one and only truth in all the Known Realms.

Favored weapon is the scythe.

Special Traits

Lay on Hands

Roll a 1d4 to determine how the ability manifests: (1) the cleric touches the injured area and it becomes immersed in impossibly fine sand which flows clear from the subject, revealing unmarred flesh; (2) the cleric and subject seem to vanish in a cloud of impenetrable magical smoke and dust - when the darkness clears, the injury has been healed; (3) the cleric's eyes turn black and rasps forth a long breath of frigid air which forms into misty skull-faced specters - the specters attend to the injury with bony fingers, sewing the wounds closed with silvery thread before vanishing, revealing the flesh healed; (4) the cleric pushes his hands through the surface of the injured area, her hands and subject alike becoming semi-transparent, revealing underlying muscle, bone and even organs - when the she withdraws the wounds are healed.

Turn Unholy

Ashakhan's hatred of Un-dead means that it is insufficient for his followers to merely turn them away.  When a cleric of Ashakhan successfully uses Turn Unholy on an Un-dead creature and it fails its Willpower save, instead of a 'T' result on the turn table causing them to flee or cower, they are instead stunned for as long as the cleric is able to concentrate and for 1d3 rounds thereafter. The cleric may use one action on each subsequent turn after a successful Turn Unholy attempt, and as long as she is able to do so the Un-dead remain rooted in place as the Underworld reasserts its hold over their twisted souls. Stunned Un-dead may take no action on their initiative, although they are not paralyzed and may still take reactions. The Un-dead do not gain additional saves, so long as the cleric's concentration remains unbroken. Visible threads of silvery light connect the cleric to any Un-dead affected. 

Additionally, if an Un-dead dies for any reason within one round of having been affected by the cleric's Turn Unholy ability, its soul is returned to the Underworlds using the cleric as a conduit. The first time each day that a soul is returned to the Underworlds in this way, the cleric receives a point of Fleeting Luck and heals one hit point. Subsequent souls heal one hit point, but to not provide additional Fleeting Luck until following day.

Divine Favors

Sense Death: Once per day, the cleric may attempt to detect the essence of death in her immediate vicinity. She may accurately detect up to a distance of 50' the location of any corpses or Un-dead and any space in which something has died within the last week. She may estimate how long ago something died within this one week period accurate to the day. This ability cannot determine the nature of corpses or deaths, only their presence and location.

Gentle Repose: By chanting, burning incense and concentrating for one turn the cleric may improve the condition of a corpse and temporarily stave off the effects of rot and decay. This will have the effect of removing minor blemishes and damage and otherwise improve the visible condition of the remains. It will neutralize any smell, and the remains will not begin to naturally decay for a period of one week. A corpse may only be preserved in this way a single time.

Cleric of Ashakhan Titles

Level	Title
1	Witness
2	Watcher
3	Vigilator
4	Arbiter
5	Adjudicator

Disapproval

Ashakhan, though in some respects less demanding than other deities in the explicit terms of his followers day-to-day lives, for those who earn his contempt the cost is suitably unpleasant.

Roll	Disapproval
1	The cleric must appease Ashakhan by contemplating death for an uninterrupted ten minutes at the earliest opportunity (eg. After combat is over).
2	The cleric must swear a solemn oath to a comrade that should they die, she will lay their body to rest in the land of their birth. Should that comrade die, the cleric must immediately convey the body at the earliest opportunity (ie when combat is over) or lose all spellcasting ability until the vow is upheld.
3	The cleric must prove her capabilities to Ashakhan by destroying an Un-dead within the next hour. If she fails to do so, she suffers a -1 penalty to spellcasting until the end of the day.
4	Ashakhan turns his regard from the cleric. For the next day, Lay on Hands is performed with a d16 instead of a d20.
5	Until the cleric performs the last rites for a recent dead, she suffers -2 on spell checks with the spell, ability or canticle that resulted in the disapproval.
6	The cleric must either donate 100 gp worth of items or eight hours of labour as community service dedicated towards funerary rites (ie gravedigging, maintaining burial grounds, stonework or metalwork as it applies to crypts and death works, officiating funerals etc.). The cleric takes a -1 to penalty to all spell checks until the conditions are met.
7	Ashakhan requires a test of faith. For 24 hours the cleric may not use Lay on Hands on herself, although she may continue to use it on others.
8	The cleric immediately incurs a -1d penalty to spell checks on the specific spell that resulted in disapproval (including laying on hands and turning unholy, if those were the acts that produced disapproval). This lasts until the next day.
9	The cleric immediately incurs an additional -2 penalty to all spell checks that lasts until the next day.
10	No magic Is used without consequence! The cast immediately loses the ability to cast one randomly determined spell until the following day.
11	The cleric is ordered to forego her armour. She must either carry it on her back, or before her heaped upon her shield before her like a dinner tray. Every time she rests she may attempt to make a DC 15 Willpower save – a success removes the prohibition. If she has taken any damage that day, she may add a bonus of +1 to this save.
12	The cleric is ordered to perform a pilgrimage to a burial site that contains a minimum of 100 dead within one week, lest they lose all abilities until the pilgrimage is complete.
13	The cleric is disowned by Ashakhan for 1d3 days. During this period the character cannot accumulate XP and may not gain class levels as a cleric. After the time period expires, the character begins to accumulate XP again as normal but does not accrue “back pay” (so to speak) for XP missed while he was disowned.
14	The cleric is immediately whisked away to the Underworlds where Ashakhan and his servitors attend to the souls of the recent dead. She is required to perform the menial task of interviewing and sorting souls for 3d6 hours, after which she is teleported back to the company of her companions, or an appropriate location at Ashakhan’s discretion. When she returns, she is fatigued, suffering -2 to all checks and saves until she is rested.
15	The cleric must immediately begin a fast which will last for a fortnight. Each day of fasting beyond the first reduces the cleric’s Stamina by 1 point but cannot reduce it below 1. These points are regained on the second day after the cleric breaks this fast. If the fast is broken early, the cleric loses all spellcasting abilities until she begins a new fast at the first day.
16	Ashakhan demands that the cleric sacrifice a portion of her living essence for each use of his divine power. Each time the cleric Lays on Hands, Turns Unholy or casts a spell, she suffers 1d8 damage that cannot be healed using any means. This condition lasts for 24 hours.
17	Ashakhan curses the cleric with an unsettling aura of death makes the cleric unsuitable for the company of most normal beings, who will react with fear and potentially violent hostility. The cleric, or any allies of the cleric if she is in their company, suffer a -5 penalty to any rolls made as a result of interactions with NPCs.
18	Ashakhan withdraws his favor from the cleric, granting only a fraction of his power. Until the cleric atones through righteous penance (judge’s discretion) results for any spell checks, including Lay on Hands, or attempts to Turn Unholy will count as one step lower in effects (eg two dice of healing will become one die, one result lower on spell results, et cetera).
19	The cleric must take a vow of silence that lasts for 1d3+1 days. During this period, spellcasting is not possible (however the cleric may continue to Turn Unholy and Lay on Hands as normal).
20	The cleric’s ability to lay on hands is restricted. The ability works only once per day per creature healed – no single character can be healed more than once per day. After 24 hours, the ability’s use reverts to normal.
21+	The cleric dies. She is immediately reduced to 0 hit points and her body (along with all her possessions) dissolves into a cloud of dust and sand. The cleric’s soul is conveyed by the black coach to the Underworlds, where she is required to personally account for her failure. If she is able to convince Ashakhan of her obedience and virtue, she will be returned to the material plane at the dawn of the following day, to a location of Ashakhan’s discretion with full hit points, all of her possessions intact and all disapproval removed. Ashakhan’s patience is formidable, but it is not limitless. If this result is ever rolled a second time over the cleric’s career, no amount of pleading will convince him to change his mind. The cleric’s death is permanent and they may NEVER be raised by any means.

Canticles of Ashakhan

The priesthood of Ashakhan rarely congregate in numbers, and thus the majority of their acts of worship are performed in quiet solitude. Ashakhan's chosen followers take vows of secrecy that prohibit the public display of their most sacred rituals, and so most prayer is performed in meditative silence. Though the secret rituals are manifold, it is predominantly through performing the chosen death rites of others that a cleric of Ashakhan demonstrates her faith. A cleric of Ashakhan is granted the following canticles to aid in her spiritual journey:

Level 1: Glimpse of Destiny

Clerics of Ashakhan are blessed with brief glimpses of their own final fate, granting them a clarity of purpose in life few other mortals can lay claim to. As the cleric's mind becomes accustomed to this new awareness of their own ultimate end, they become relentless adversaries and steadfast friends. Despite this clairvoyance, the wise would recognize that while the glimpses are always true, they are often difficult to interpret, and this blessing is no excuse to recklessly invite a careless doom.

Cleric Level	Glimpse Effect
1-3	Immune to normal fear, +1 to Willpower saves, rolls 1d16 for Luck check to survive when body is rolled over
4-6	Immune to normal and magical fear, +2 to Willpower saves, +1 AC, rolls 1d14 for Luck check to survive when body is rolled over
7+	Immune to normal and magical fear, +3 to Willpower saves, +2 AC, rolls 1d12 for Luck check to survive when body is rolled over

Level 3: Soul Recall

TBD - temporarily allow a former incarnation of your soul to resurface, granting skill training and possibly class abilities

Level 5: Timelessness

TBD - reworking of an AD&D tome of magic spell that allows the cleric to isolate a target from time for a period, freezing them in time and making them totally invulnerable. The target area grows with greate spell checks.