One Man And His Dice #3: Onward To Glory

Welcome back to the latest posting of the adventures of Erik, saviour of an as of yet unnamed village; and the scourge of the orcish warband in his wake.

We join our hero early in the morning, and refreshed after a fine night of food and tall tales in the elders home, discussing past triumphs with his new found friends. Gathering his kit, Erik assures the elder of the village that he will not return until he has driven the orcs in the north from this land. The elder replying only with a knowing nod and an assuring smile.

The area of land that Erik is traveling into is no less hospitable than that surrounding the village but for a distinct lack of roads or beaten paths, however as it is sparsely populated and infrequently traveled I decide that both a travel roll and encounter roll should be made.

The travel roll indicated that Erik had become lost, and a subsequent pathfinding ability test was missed by 1. I interpreted this as being more disorientated than lost, but the extra effort required to find his way did result in a temporary loss of 1 Will.. Erik should really buy a map! Taking the path less traveled does have some advantages however, as whilst Erik was taking a left when he should have taken a right he happened upon a small camp of scholars and intellectuals.

Curious about their work they explained that they were archaeologists and historians excavating some ruins that had been recently discovered (or at least I decided that is what they were doing based on the description of the encounter). Not being accustomed to some of the more physical requirements of field work, and seeing Erik as being rather impressive in stature they offer him some work laboring for them at a very good rate.

Tempted as he is by the prospect of some easy gold, Erik declines; putting his responsibilities before financial gain. He also takes the time to explain the situation to the scholars, who he notices are without an escort in these dangerous wild lands. They thank Erik for his warning but do not seem phased by the news. Perhaps they’re not as defenseless as they seem Erik ponders.

As an aside, this random event also struck me as a great seed for a future adventure; especially as four of the five dungeons randomly rolled up for this area are set in ruins. The group that offered Erik the work could be uncovering one of these very dungeons. I can’t deny being impressed with how easily and organically this all fell into place, and likewise I can’t deny that the system made this kind of intuitive leap very easy. Good stuff.

At this point I decided that it was time to allow Erik to find the woodland where the orcs had made their base, but not before the dying light so as to add a sense of foreboding to an already precarious situation. I allow Erik time to set up a simple camp on the outskirts of the large wooded area before nightfall; deciding that he would find it preferable to continue his quest after a few hours rest.

This also seems like a good point in the story to wrap this post up. Join me next time when Erik embarks on the next leg of his journey, as he searches the woodland in the hopes of uncovering his goal.