Gameplay - Chapter 1 - The River Queen

You have found yourselves on a river barge headed to Davokar forest. Your destination is an inn where you will meet with a merchant who will give you precise instructions to find an ancient ruin. He has offered good pay, although the treasures that can be found in such places has provided you will all the motivation you needed.

The River Maiden has three pairs of oars and a small sail, and is a good example of the more speedy cargo ships used on Ambrian rivers and lakes. On the slow waters of the lowland, boats like her are replaced by heavy sail barges that can carry bigger loads, but where the currents are quicker the ships must have both oars and sails to be able to travel upstream. Simply put, close to Davokar and the mountains, boats like the River Maiden are superior.

Upstream the River Maiden is driven by oars, or it can cruise where the river is wide enough. Downstream she often lies in the stream bed and the oars are only used to avoid obstacles in the water.



Map of The river maiden
1. Cargo Hold. The cargo hold runs below the whole deck, but is loaded and unloaded through an opening in the foredeck covered by wooden bars.
2. Oars. Three oar-pairs propel the River Maiden when the winds are calm.
3. Mast and Lookout. When travelling foggy lakes a watcher is needed to avoid collisions. In combat, someone sitting in the lookout has an advantage against those below. Climbing to the lookout during combat requires a successful Quick test with every movement action.
4. Main Deck. On the open deck between mast and the aftercastle, the crew-members and passengers sleep under suspended sailcloths.
5. Aftercastle. "Aftercastle" may be a too fancy word for the permanent tent where the ship’s Captain has his quarters.
6. Tiller. The River Maiden is steered by a fixed oar from a podium in the stern. The podium grants a height advantage in combat and a Quick test is needed to climb it under stress (if one does not use the stairs at the very back of the boat).

Captain: Ogval

Crew: Tamri, Arelo, Nigra

Other Passenger: Harasto

Soon after you have embarked, the ship lies bobbing outside the stream bed, far from the shore. You are wakened by Tamri calling to the river mists: "Arelo, Aaarelo!? No, not you too!" Everyone onboard gather on the deck, drowsy and armed with what weapon lay closest to their beds.

Tamri shudders, holding arms together. "The River Goddess has taken both Belda and Arelo. Ogval disrespected the river by refusing to make sacrifices."

Tamri shrugs at Darthon's query. Captain Ogval exits from his small cabin, saying, "Alright, that's enough lollygagging about." he sets the crew to looking for Arelo overboard, and asks of the PCs: "Why don't you curious lot look around for clues."

Eferneya keeps an eye out, but sees little other than the fog and the lazy water.

Fenya notices the goblin crewmember, Nigra, casting dark gazes and furtive glances at the other passenger, Harasto.

The captain sighs. "I guess I'm just not that superstitious. My mother ran this ship for years and never made sacrifices to appease some snake god or whatever."

He does tell you what he knows:

The Legend of the River Maiden
There are many tales about the rivers of Ambria and Davokar, one of them telling of the River Goddess or River Maiden. The myth is told in many different forms but has the following basic features:
One early morning, a river fisherman harvested his fish traps and found an elderly woman in one of them. She had gills and she had apparently exhausted herself trying to get free. As the fisherman helped the women she asked to be let back into the water, but the greedy human asked for something in return. The woman suggested that his family always would get as much food as they needed from the river. The fisherman wanted more and asked that he should be granted food enough to feed the whole village. With a grunt, the woman accepted his request.

The next day, the fisherman made such a huge catch that all villagers could eat their fill. The joy was slightly clouded by one of the other fishing teams vanishing without a trace – nothing but their rowboat was recovered. The day after that, the lucky fisherman caught yet another motherlode, not as big as the first one but enough for all – since a second team of fishermen had disappeared. And so it continued: a big catch and missing colleagues, day in and day out, until none but the lucky one remained. Then the families of the lost fishermen gathered and forced the man to tell his tale, after which they flung him into the water as an offering to the angered River Goddess. The catches returned to their normal size and all the lost fishermen returned to their families without remembering what had happened. Ever since then, the villagers sacrifice a part of their daily catch to appease the Maiden of the River.

To Ambrians living by the slow rivers of the lowland, the River Goddess is a vague threat, something used to make children and landlubbers sit still in the boat. But among barbarians – and the Ambrians who travel the untamed rivers of Davokar – stories are often told about what happens to crews that do not respect the tradition of making offerings to the irritable Goddess of the river; stories about lone river boats, unharmed but empty, that come floating with the current until they get caught up in the mud along the riverbanks.

The captain waves Eferneya's superstition away. "I've traveled this river my whole life and I've never seen the River Goddess act this way. You are right, however, that there are other, real threats. If you value your lives, you'll help my crew look for signs of whatever has taken him and stop jawing about legends."

Eferneya notices thay Arelo's full set of belongings remains at his bunk, indicating that he hadn't simply ran, or swam, off.

Darthon easily climbs to the lookout. Looking from above, he sees only that the ship lies bobbing outside the stream bed, far from the shore. (Care to make a Vigilant check from up there?)

Eferneya makes a cursory inspection of the area by the railing, but finds nothing before Fenya approaches her.

From the different vantage point, Darthon sees something on the railing on the opposite side to Eferneya and Fenya. From the distance, he can see only a mar or a smudge.

Eferneya notices a gouge in the railing. It looks irregular, as if made with something rough-edged.

As the morning sun rises, the mist of the morning begins to disipate. The captain grunts an order for his remaining crew to prepare to make way.

Eferneya examines the water and the gouge, sees no threat from the first and gains no information about the secind, other than it does not seem to have been made by an instrument of man. She believes that Darthon has some knowledge of animals, given their brief conversations.

Fenya sees the gouge and it looks like something his sow might make with her tusks except that the edges are quite a bit different, rougher, larger.

Darthon hurries down the mast and makes an ungainly exit but sticks the landing. When he examines the marking he can tell that it is a claw mark, where some giant claw grabbed the railing. The exact nature of the beast alludes him.

After examining the mark (you can tell that it is recent), you have exhausted the obvious clues as to what may be going on weird.

The crew makes way, steering the River Queen midstream and then along the way toward your destination. The day quickly grows hot, the light breeze that aids the craft's sails serving only to keep the bugs from settling on your skins.

Ashore, the forest seems to grow denser, more... seething, malevolent.

The River Queen continues, stirring the turbid water, disturbing who knows what below.

Anything you would like to do before the day passes?

The day passes uneventfully but stressfully. The crew of the River Queen are resigned at best, terrified at worst, at the disappearances of their crewmates. The lunch meal is served without any pomp, and the other passenger, the trader Harasco eats quietly by the side while eating his stew and bread. He watches the forest line passing, and doodles images in his notebook.

As the evening curtain slides across the sky, pushing the sun to the horizon, the captain orders the crew to maintain course. Eventually, as the full dark of night robs them of sight, they steer for the sholes and make anchorage. As the sails are tied down, everyone looks anxiously around, serve an unremarkable evening meal, and begin to beddown.

Arelo has first watch for the crew, but if you are going to set your own watch order for the three of you, please do so. Night is about 10 hours long.

During Darthon's watch, he is suddenly attacked from behind. Make two Defense checks, vs your Defense -3, then I'll provide more information.

OOC: Just had a bit much work on my table. Sorry for the inconvenience.

After Darthon switches watches with Fenya, crewman Arelo is leaning over the shoreward side, watching the shore and the lazy pull of the river.

Darthon moves up to the mast, perhaps pondering an ascent for part of his watch, when he hears Arelo yelp. Suddenly, he is struck from behind and two claws jam into him. He spins away, the second claw failing to find purchase. The first claw digs deep. Roll 1d4 for your armor to reduce the damage (from 5).

Before you is a crocodile sized salamander-like creature. Hideous, long eye stalks protrude from its amphibian head, and wicked claws sprout from its wide forelegs. By the way it is pulling on you, you know that if it landed the other claw, it might have pulled you into the water.

Fenya and Eferneya are asleep, but Fenya is awoken by the alarmed short of a Kverula.

Darthon may act. Fenya may act as well but is prone. Eferneya will need to make a Vigilant check to wake.

Having succeeded at the Quick check, Fenya is now standing and can also attack.

Both attacks connect. The creature has an Armor rating of 4 (NPCs have fixed-value armor ratings), so both attacks are reduced by 4. The creature suffers 5 from Fenya and 0 damage from Kverula.The next round the creature no longer has surprise, so Initiative occurs in descending order of Quick scores: Fenya, Kverula/Darthon, Eferneya, and then the salamander thing.

Darthon and Eferneya are up, in either order is fine.

Eferneya's attack is partially deflected by the creatures chitin armor. 3 damage after armor, 8 total.

Darthon has one chance to end this before the River Monster tries to drag him into the water.

Darthon's blade does not appreciably damage the creature. As to his escape attempt, stay tuned...

... he is currently gripped by a claw and must make a Strong test to break free. So roll against your Strong -1. If you succeed, you break free and your successful Acrobatics test gets you out of the way without the usual Free Attack from breaking away from melee. If you fail, you don't move away.

The creature holds on, and snatches at Darthon with the second claw. Darthon now needs to make a test vs Defense -3.

The second claw fails to gain purchase, but the salamander is slowly dragging you toward the railing (for dramatic purposes only, no real movement).

The party may all act, in any order is fine (strict initiative would be in order of Quick high to low, but for PBP, I like to be more flexible.)

Fenya's spear jabs ineffectually at the creature, but Kverula's tusk scores past the chitin armor. (2 net damage).

The creature's cumulative wounds seem to be verging on catastrophic.

Starting to panic because the beast wouldn't let go and he already saw himself taking an unwelcome plunge into the dark waters, Darthon once more stabbed at the thing, trying to finish it off "Will you die already!".

Darthon's frantic attacks swing wide, leaving only Eferneya to save their companion.

Efereneya's swing, perhaps trying to hit it too hard, glances off the creature harmlessly.

The creature, nearly overwhelmed, attempts to dine and dash with its prize. One defense roll and one Strong roll from Darthon, please.

The creature grabs a two-claw hold onto Darthon and pulls him to the side of the boat....(Darthon takes 3=5-2 damage, and is being pulled away toward a watery fate.)

Fenya's attack misses and Eferneya's attack hits but doesn't get past it's armor.

Kverula also gets an Free Attack. The crew have all been roused by the loud shouts and combat, and have weapons to hand as they circle the creature, but let's see if the sow can get the killshot...

The battle boar bashes the battered amphibian, it's pointed tusks penetrating just barely enough to rout out the salamander's last Toughness point like a bloody truffle.

The salamander collapses into unconsciousness, shudders, and dies.

With some teamwork, you're able to free Darthon from the vice-like claws. He his sorely wounded, and requires treatment.

Ogval and the other members of The River Maiden first tend to Darthon's wounds, applying a Herbal Cure which restores 1d6 point of Toughness (Darthon to roll) under Arelo's novice use of the Medicus ability. They are overjoyed to see his life signs normalize, and treat him and you all, especially heroic Kverula, as heroes for the remainder of the journey. Ogval, to the cheers of his crew, offers you free passage on The River Maiden forever that it remains under their command.

Darthon, when finally upright, is able to identify what remains of the creature using Beast Lore. It is known as a Sly River Hunter and while rare, there are stories of such creatures attaching themselves to the keels of river vessels, attacking at night and feasting on its prey while in the water - in the water, they are much more fearsome foes.

After a few days, when Darthon is just about recovered (assume Toughness returned to full), a wooden pallisade comes into view. Ogval announces that is your destination, and they expertly moor The River Maiden up to the simple pier.

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The adventure will continue in a few days in Chapter 2, but feel free to post further on this thread. I'll lock it when we're ready to move on.

Thread locked. The story continues in Gameplay -
Chapter 2 - Dakaj's Solace Inn