Session 1

We had our first GURPS Dungeon Fantasy session on August 19. The players in attendance were Lisa (playing Sydney Swann, human swashbuckler), Phil (Finnegan Longstride, halfling cleric of the Stranger), and Adam (Ash, shadow elf ninja).

Recap

Our heroes meet in a tavern. The tavern is on fire. Little is standing except for the kitchen walls. A rain begins to fall. There are three heroes; a halfling priest named Finn, a swordsman named Sydney Swan, and a dark skinned elf in black clothes who doesn't introduce himself.

They investigate the town, called Haven, and find many bodies. The elf examines bodies, finding ample evidence that the people died violent deaths. The other two find that the tavern's larder is stocked with fresh vegetables, grain, and meat. The priest discovers two kegs of beer in the larder, and pours everyone some warm beer. He and Sydney drink, but the elf sets his down without tasting it. The rain turns to a downpour.

A shrine to the Seven Gods, a sept, stands uphill from the town. In and around it, the three find more bodies, mostly of women and children. The elf and the priest begin collecting the bodies around the shrine. Finn collects the tools and coins carried by the villagers and places them at the shrine. He says prays to put the bodies to rest. The elf also collects coins from the villagers' bodies (netting himself 40 copper farthings).

Sydney find a house with three bodies inside, only minor fire damage, and some food and dry fire wood. The elf joins him, but refuses to help remove the bodies. Sydney removes them and prepares to sleep on the deck, under the eves. The elf makes a fire and meditates. He sleeps inside, leaning against a wall with the fire pit between him and the entrance to the kitchen. At the shrine, the priest lies down to sleep among the dead, under the shelter of the sept's roof.

Sydney awakes when the rain stops, shortly before dawn. A child cries out from the edge of town for his father. Sydney intercepts the child, who is leading a rope of pigs. He asks the child where he has come from. He is told that the child was in the woods feeding the pigs. He took shelter in a cave during the night, when he heard many men pass. He remained through the storm. Sydney informs him of what has befallen the town. The child hands off his pigs and runs toward one of the ruined houses. Sydney releases the rope and chases him. The elf awakens to the voices and follows.

After searching for a bit through the rubble of the boy's home, Sydney and the boy are joined by the elf. The boy is startled, but calms when the man reassures him that the elf is not a threat to him. The swordsman and boy gather the pigs and re-rope them. Sydney takes the child to the sept to speak with the priest.

Finn comforts the boy and questions him further. They find that the angry men who frightened him the night before spoke a language the boy didn't understand. Finn leads everyone to the tavern's kitchen, where he makes a barely edible meal. The boy introduces himself as Murray. Finn settles the boy on the deck where Sydney spent the night, and Murray falls asleep.

After the meal, the elf goes to the north end of town to search for tracks. He's joined by Sydney, who suggests that the elf may be as dangerous as the raiders, if he is not in fact connected to them. The elf counters that if he sought the swordsman's death, they would never have met. They continue to menace one another for a bit and then notice very heavy footfalls from the north. The two hide in a nearby ruin and watch as the steps grow louder.

Finn hears, too, and wakes the boy. They hide beneath a neighboring house and wait.

A train of giant beasts of burden approach town. As thet come closer, Sydney and the elf see a rider on the lead beast. Sydney decides to step from cover and greet him. The elf stays hidden and watches.

The rider stops his train and comes to talk to Sydney, mistaking him for a resident at first. Sydney informs him of the massacre and leads him toward Finn. The man's name is Declay. His animals are called yeddim. He has come to buy the early summer harvest from the village. He mentions that his route includes Shayfrem (the local capitol to the north) and this village. He also mentions that intends to visit a border keep established by King Brandin, west of here. He says that he never goes as far south as Yanowarr, as the elves don't trade.

As the two make their way into town, Sydney tells him about the elf. Declay takes in the damage, and seems a bit overwhelmed by it as they walk.

Finn and the man speak as the elf joins them. Finn vouches for the elf's conduct thus far, but presses him for a name when the elf begins to question the merchant about who else Declay may have encountered. The merchant takes this in, then smiles and answers the elf cheerfully. The priest and merchant discuss what is to become of the boy. Ultimately, Declay agrees to take him on as an apprentice in exchange for the goods remaining in the town. Maurray begins to bargain with Declay with some shrewdness at this, and the two start taking an inventory.

The elf, halfling, and swordsman return to the shrine to build a pyre. Finn breaks to prepare another disappointing meal, with Sydney's less than capable assistance. Declay helps gather bodies with one of his yeddim. Finn and Sydney finally pry a name out of the elf- “you may call me Ash.” As evening darkens, the fire burns and sends black smoke into the air.

In the morning, Declay, Murray, and the yeddim have already left. The three discuss where to go in pursuit of the raiders. They decide to head east, into the mountains.

Traveling carefully along a trail through dense bamboo groves, they come over a ridge to see a clearing bounded to the east by pine trees and a stream. Cautiously, the three circle the clearing and stop at the stream to rest and drink some of the beer they have brought from town. Ash studies tracks in the mud near the bank instead of waiting for his beer, and Finn dangles his feet in the water.

Finn feels a tugging on his toe. A dented, beaked head emerges from the water near Finn. “May I have some beer, too,” it asks. Finn greets the creature politely. They exchange introductions. The creature is named Maki. He is a kappa. Tilting his head back to drink the beer, he spills the water from his head. He is paralyzed where he stands, until Sydney scoops up some water and refills the dent in his head. Maki explains his vulnerability to spilling from his sara, the dent in his head. He thanks Sydney profusely and offers his friendship, mistaking Finn for a servant. After being set straight, and warned of the lurking Ash, he helps the three cross his stream. He tells them that the stream contains many kappa, his cousins. He tells them of the cult of Surse, which crossed downstream a couple of days ago, and how they often ford the kappas' stream. The kappas catch and eat the cultists when they can, but cannot fight them successfully when there are many together. Maki doesn't know where the cultists have gone, but he heads up stream to ask his cousins.

Maki's friends, Ash, Sydney, and Finn make camp at the stream bank to await Maki's return. Ash carefully explores the immediate area while Sydney rests at the water's edge, and Finn starts to experiment further with cooking.