Legends recap

[saxikath]

Wow. I am so tired, and I have enough mosquito bites to have fed a battalion. But I had a great time, definitely better than the last time.

I'm going to go over the weekend at length, partially so any of you who might care can read it, but mostly so I get it down before I forget anything. That way I can use this entry later as a reference for writing my official post-game letter. I should warn you, it's pretty choppy writing. (Bad editor! No biscuit!)



So, Friday.

Friday I got myself and my stuff over to MIT, where Merry and Iago (his name is Santiago, I think, but people who know him seem to call him Iago) were. Merry drove us to the site; we got there around 5, I suppose. All the setup was done already, so we chatted with people a bit and then went with a big group to Subway for sandwiches.

And the skies opened. Quite the thunderstorm! Fortunately, though, the rain stopped before the game started for the night, and apart from a brief shower late on Sunday, the weather was lovely the rest of the time.

Then back to the camp (it's a 4-H camp in central Massachusetts), and into costume. The bodice worked well, though it was a bit more snug than would be strictly comfortable, and the skirts I made did just fine. I alternated through the weekend between sandals and a pair of low brown leather boots (must clean those now, it was muddy!), and they were much better than the boots I wore last time, which gave me blisters.

Checked in, got in character, started talking to people. Game started. Got into combat -- helped save a merchant from some shadow trolls. Spent time in the tavern talking to people, then later a gate opened (the game uses doorways hung with Christmas lights or the like to represent gates between the game world and other worlds or places). Two people went in, and then a bunch more of us went in after they didn't come out. Big nasty creatures in there, big nasty fight, barely got out alive, and had used up all my healing spells by then, which boded ill for the rest of the weekend. I must have done other stuff Friday night, but I'm already forgetting it. Talked to the other Kia (a sort of fey-human hybrid race, of which my character is one) and lots of other folks.

Saturday.
Got up at game start, had breakfast in the tavern, then went with a group of folks out to walk around the settlement looking for alchemical components (plastic flowers and animals that are hidden around the campground, which is huge!) we could sell. Found some. First of three walks up the big hill during the weekend. Ran into some hobgoblins; decided we couldn't handle them and went the other way back to town.

Lots of rumors and things going around. Had the town's court at noon; it was announced that the Dragon (a resident baddie) and her followers were coming that afternoon, and that the whole community had decided to stand against them (they'd been wreaking havoc at recent events).

Then went on another walk with a newcomer, who started out seeming friendly but eventually I found very annoying. Made the whole circuit of the campground (hill trip #2). Then had some swordfighting lessons; very fun, glad to learn a little bit more about what the heck to do with that thing. Went and had lunch, then took a bit of a rest.

Everyone started gathering in the town center about four o'clock, since we'd been told by one of the resident seer types that the Dragon et al. were coming between 4 and 5. It was an impressive organizational job; the town militia leaders and other such groups planned out how to watch for them, and we were all divided into various groups -- fighters, healers, body-draggers. I was a body-dragger; my job was to get friendly folks who fell out of the combat area and over to the healers, and to get fallen foes dragged off into the woods so the Dragon couldn't revive them.

The battle was awesome when it finally came. Twelve berserking warriors screaming and yelling as the Dragon's followers came into the area; people running around and thwacking each other with swords. Someone said it was like a scene out of Braveheart, and it really was (especially since a group of our lead fighter-types are from the game land of Tor Loch Maben, which is basically the game analogue to Scotland). We took remarkably light casualties, and it was great community spirit.

Then to a party at the home of some of the local nobles to celebrate the defeat. Made a little in-game money by helping serve drinks at the party. (Non-alcoholic; no alcohol allowed, but all the soft drinks are called by the names of alcoholic drinks for scenic effect. Dwarven Pepper Stout, anyone?)

Then had a bite to eat at the tavern, and then the anxious waiting began. Because the seers and some of the local peasants were warning that Drago, the father of necromancy, was coming. With his undead minions.

Some unseelie fae showed up. Fae politics is a big thing... I may end up involved in it, mostly because we want to keep the Kia neutral and help get the seelie/unseelie balance back where it should be. (Right now the unseelie are too powerful.) Played "snake, snake, mouse" with the Snake Kia (she was creepy!) and some other folks, just to be silly.

And then Drago showed up. Did he ever. With big nasty undead creatures -- skeletons, mummies, vampires, goodness knows what. I went down, knocked unconscious (game unconscious, that is), and then, very weak, tried to get to safety, but was killed. By, as it turned out, one of my cabinmates, who had been killed and then raised by Drago as a skeleton. (He later did some great roleplaying of post-traumatic stress.) Went to Death, came back, things had largely quieted down but Drago was still around. Watched with a bunch of others as Drago and minions moved the town graveyard. (I'm still not sure what that was all about.)

Very tired, went to bed.

Sunday.
Woke up a bit after game start, got dressed et al. Discovered that one of the leading fighters had been kidnapped by a hobgoblin; he eventually turned up as a hobgoblin, but he came back to himself after we killed him. (Go figure.)

Went off with some folks who were trying to find out what had happened to a caravan that got attacked by bandits. Never did really figure out what was up with that, but it was trip #3 up that hill (and a trip up the side of an even steeper hill).

Came back. Then some folks were going through a gate to Tor Lanencrest, one of the other game lands. There's messy politics there, and people (including a PC's in-game fiance) were getting kidnapped -- I don't really know the whole story. So a bunch of PCs were going through the gate to try to rescue the fiance and anyone else. Some of us stood outside the gate to help pull people out & such as they fell.

Apparently there was some sort of prison cell in there. Lots of undead creatures, and the fiance (I think? Not sure) and some other dead prisoners. And another live prisoner, who landed somewhat in my care as he was dragged out. We tended his wounds, got him water (he was such a great roleplayer! fainting and begging for water and all. Don't know when I last had a man faint in my lap. ;-) ), and generally took care of him. Turned out, he was a bigwig from Lanencrest. Helped him up, one of the local nobles and I took him into the tavern. Then I was dispatched to find him some clean clothes (mostly roleplaying, game was nearly over and I have no idea where I could have found them). Got chased by an undead that had come out of the gate -- I had given my sword to someone to hold while I helped with the people coming out, and was totally unarmed, so when I realized the thing was coming right at me, I turned and ran. Took a wound to the leg from it before other people took it down... the person who tended me said I ran pretty fast, though. I imagine the look on my face was pretty silly. :-)

Stayed to help with site breakdown, got to attach some real names to faces. Acquired yet more bruises and tired muscles. (I think I can legitimately skip the gym tomorrow... oof.)

So anyway, an eventful weekend. I'm still not sure what my place in the scheme of things is, and it's still frustrating to feel that there's so much plot going on that I just don't have a clue about, but I'm beginning to find my way, and I certainly didn't have as much time sitting around feeling bored and useless this time.

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[davehogg.livejournal.com]

An imbalance in the Seelies I thought I was sensing.