Post by ednote on May 2, 2014 1:54:31 GMT -5
Up the Zombiesie (Zom-BIE-sie)
Up the Zombiesie is an adventure with a dark comedy flavor for three to six characters.
BACKGROUND
The village of Reeve’s Bank is a normally-ignored spot a bit too far up Greefoot River for most people’s comfort. The population seems to be generally content to stay there pursuing the vocations of farming, fishing, hunting, & logging. The village has had some bad times in the past. It has been devastated by floods and at least one wildfire. It also suffered from a plague of zombies a generation ago. There was a terrible flood which came roaring down the Zombiesie Creek without a warning rain. The creek washed out and became a long, multi-branched slough (pronounced “slew”) now known as Zombiesie Slough. Shortly after that, decaying bodies came floating down. Unfortunately the bodies started moving and it took a great deal of effort to put things right. For the next few years, the occasional zombie still wandered down to trouble the locals. The village provided land and stone to a wizard to build a small tower and home near the river to help look after the good villagers while he studied his tomes.
Word has come downstream to the civilized world that things are not as they should be in the neighborhood of Reeve’s Bank. It seems that no word has been received from the Hamlet of Dain’s Skull for weeks and a party which went up the slough came back, much worse for the wear, with tales of zombies and other fearful things. Now a reward has been offered for word on what has happened to the hamlet along with a foray of the surrounding area.
The opportunity to earn renown and silver has brought out all manner of adventurers. They have travelled by boat up to the quay at Reeve’s Bank. Others have ridden horses, ponies, or donkeys. Some have hired carts or wagons and appeared with much baggage. Most have plodded up on their feet. The players have boated or walked up and arrived in the evening. Given that rooms to let are in short supply, the player characters paid their coin to stay in the inn’s common room. Those of more modest means slept rough or in a barn. There are ex-mercenaries, wet-behind-the-ears wannabes, a few who appear to be wizardly types, those down on their luck and game for a chance, and maybe a few cultists of various flavors. None of those looking for honor and wealth seem to be locals. The characters rise early and stretch out as many aches as they can. Being experienced, they settle down to a hearty breakfast of gruel, bread, cheese, and meat. They top-up their wineskins with water from a clean-smelling well and hope to avoid any digestive distress. Each of the characters also have a small, wooden jug or keg with a cork stopper and containing good ale or small beer to sustain them. The characters are not likely to become drunk on the contents but quench their thirst and have some nourishment. After breakfast, you move to the quay and make your application to be selected. Being selected as an officially sent party means a free boat ride for the first several miles. You queue up and wait to see the local headmen, the local wizard, and the shire reeve. Along the quay are some low, slender rowboats about 25 feet long. Given that there are several of the same pattern, you have to assume, or at least hope, that the locals know what they are doing with regard to making and using these craft.
CHARACTERS
Up the Zombiesie is an adventure for 3-6 characters. The rules for character generation are easy enough. Start by generating 34-point characters. Everyone starts for 4 skills or a combination of 4 skills and spells for wizards. Then each character gets two more skills which are not combat skills (and are not spells). Everyone speaks the common language but one of these skills must be used to must be used to give characters the ability to read and write. Wizards spend one point to speak, read, and write both common and wizard’s language. After this is done, everyone gets two more skills. Wizards may take spells in lieu of skills. Everyone starts with 1 karma point.
For gear each character may have:
The clothes which they are wearing and a full change of clothing.
Two main weapons, one of which may be silvered and twenty projectiles for a missile weapon.
Slings, daggers, hatchets, and clubs are free. Sling stones are free, how much weight do you want to wear (in a pouch) on a small, tippy boat?
Leather or cloth armor. (Chainmail and small, tippy boats might be a less than brilliant choice.) A shield may also be taken.
A pack or satchel and pouches are assumed. A few days’ worth of food is carried as well as a couple of wineskins (filled with modest, but palatable red wine) and a wooden jug (1-2 gallons) of ale or small beer as mentioned above. Each character may have a waterskin.
Characters may have a mess kit with cup and eating dagger, a tinderbox with flint and steel, a 20-foot coil of basic rope, a 20-foot skein of tough cord, a couple of torches, a basic bedroll, a cape, a hat or helmet (no helmets for spell casters), a small candle (beeswax or tallow – player decides), and a few bandages. The characters may have 2d6 + 10 silver pieces. Rolls can be generated here: invisiblecastle.com/roller/ . Players may appeal for additional items.
I hope to have players who can check in and take their turn at least every other day.
Up the Zombiesie is an adventure with a dark comedy flavor for three to six characters.
BACKGROUND
The village of Reeve’s Bank is a normally-ignored spot a bit too far up Greefoot River for most people’s comfort. The population seems to be generally content to stay there pursuing the vocations of farming, fishing, hunting, & logging. The village has had some bad times in the past. It has been devastated by floods and at least one wildfire. It also suffered from a plague of zombies a generation ago. There was a terrible flood which came roaring down the Zombiesie Creek without a warning rain. The creek washed out and became a long, multi-branched slough (pronounced “slew”) now known as Zombiesie Slough. Shortly after that, decaying bodies came floating down. Unfortunately the bodies started moving and it took a great deal of effort to put things right. For the next few years, the occasional zombie still wandered down to trouble the locals. The village provided land and stone to a wizard to build a small tower and home near the river to help look after the good villagers while he studied his tomes.
Word has come downstream to the civilized world that things are not as they should be in the neighborhood of Reeve’s Bank. It seems that no word has been received from the Hamlet of Dain’s Skull for weeks and a party which went up the slough came back, much worse for the wear, with tales of zombies and other fearful things. Now a reward has been offered for word on what has happened to the hamlet along with a foray of the surrounding area.
The opportunity to earn renown and silver has brought out all manner of adventurers. They have travelled by boat up to the quay at Reeve’s Bank. Others have ridden horses, ponies, or donkeys. Some have hired carts or wagons and appeared with much baggage. Most have plodded up on their feet. The players have boated or walked up and arrived in the evening. Given that rooms to let are in short supply, the player characters paid their coin to stay in the inn’s common room. Those of more modest means slept rough or in a barn. There are ex-mercenaries, wet-behind-the-ears wannabes, a few who appear to be wizardly types, those down on their luck and game for a chance, and maybe a few cultists of various flavors. None of those looking for honor and wealth seem to be locals. The characters rise early and stretch out as many aches as they can. Being experienced, they settle down to a hearty breakfast of gruel, bread, cheese, and meat. They top-up their wineskins with water from a clean-smelling well and hope to avoid any digestive distress. Each of the characters also have a small, wooden jug or keg with a cork stopper and containing good ale or small beer to sustain them. The characters are not likely to become drunk on the contents but quench their thirst and have some nourishment. After breakfast, you move to the quay and make your application to be selected. Being selected as an officially sent party means a free boat ride for the first several miles. You queue up and wait to see the local headmen, the local wizard, and the shire reeve. Along the quay are some low, slender rowboats about 25 feet long. Given that there are several of the same pattern, you have to assume, or at least hope, that the locals know what they are doing with regard to making and using these craft.
CHARACTERS
Up the Zombiesie is an adventure for 3-6 characters. The rules for character generation are easy enough. Start by generating 34-point characters. Everyone starts for 4 skills or a combination of 4 skills and spells for wizards. Then each character gets two more skills which are not combat skills (and are not spells). Everyone speaks the common language but one of these skills must be used to must be used to give characters the ability to read and write. Wizards spend one point to speak, read, and write both common and wizard’s language. After this is done, everyone gets two more skills. Wizards may take spells in lieu of skills. Everyone starts with 1 karma point.
For gear each character may have:
The clothes which they are wearing and a full change of clothing.
Two main weapons, one of which may be silvered and twenty projectiles for a missile weapon.
Slings, daggers, hatchets, and clubs are free. Sling stones are free, how much weight do you want to wear (in a pouch) on a small, tippy boat?
Leather or cloth armor. (Chainmail and small, tippy boats might be a less than brilliant choice.) A shield may also be taken.
A pack or satchel and pouches are assumed. A few days’ worth of food is carried as well as a couple of wineskins (filled with modest, but palatable red wine) and a wooden jug (1-2 gallons) of ale or small beer as mentioned above. Each character may have a waterskin.
Characters may have a mess kit with cup and eating dagger, a tinderbox with flint and steel, a 20-foot coil of basic rope, a 20-foot skein of tough cord, a couple of torches, a basic bedroll, a cape, a hat or helmet (no helmets for spell casters), a small candle (beeswax or tallow – player decides), and a few bandages. The characters may have 2d6 + 10 silver pieces. Rolls can be generated here: invisiblecastle.com/roller/ . Players may appeal for additional items.
I hope to have players who can check in and take their turn at least every other day.
