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Urutsk: Bad vibes on the bayou #1
(following Memory and Mangrove)
Riverboat journey - party travel with the merchant Kariq and his three boathands - cargo of spirits, medicinal herbs, hides, cages of small beaked marsupials, and a triptych of painted metal panels depicted a comet streaking over the wetlands. Night falls - much chittering of creatures and gaseous light forms(fae?) follow at a distance - exhausted PCs cannot stay awake - in the long hours before dawn mud-encrusted bark-armoured humanoids (very primitive) attack from overhanging trees and coracles with spearsticks and blowpipes - party and crew fight them off but not without injury (all PCs bar Mouwles) and death (Kariq and 1 boathand). Boat reaches military stockade after fraught journey - boat impounded at gunpoint as officer disbelieves account of Kariq's death (or chooses to disbelieve it). PCs and crew put in lockup - separted in morning - PCs to travel under armed guard to Fort Stalwart via airship that arrives at midday. It seems the PCs are of interest to someone of importance. Future of 2 boathands looks grim, slavery perhaps. The session ended.
Much of the session was taken up with the battle. By now we'd sussed out that Stephen had us statted up using TSR's clunky 'Amazing Engine' ruleset. After receiving the pre-release version of the Vrun Player's Module from Timeshadows I wish we'd swapped over straight away as I would've loved to utilise the cool unarmed combat and ranged fire rules. The biggest in-game discussion was as to whether we took the boat to the stockade or not, player knowledge vs. playing in role.
And yes..more bits of paper passed to the players, but we all seem to be keeping things to ourselves !
(Riverboat trip was accompanied by Dr John's wonderful 'Gris-gris' album)
(more to come plus *ahem, Stephen* GM's notes)
