[Actual Play] Session 3-1

I'm introducing a new kind of actual play post: a summary of our chat-based, non-dungeon-crawling roleplaying through the week.

I'll enumerate these like this: everything that occurs between Sessions 3 and 4 will be numbered Session 3-1, 3-2, etc. Hence the title of this post.

TL; DR (October 17 AD 597)

The Abbot Puts a Hit Out. Arrival at the Sacred Grove. Quest Accepted. Charles Not in Charge.

SEE, WHAT HAPPENED WAS . . .

We're starting things during the baptism of the thanes from Session 3.

The Abbot Puts a Hit Out

During the baptism, Abbot Laurentius sidled up to Brother Canus. "Hey, come meet me in my cell afterward. Got a thing to talk to you about." When he does, Laurentius is copying 1 Kings.

Abbot: Brother Canus. I'm copying the passage where King David lies upon his death bed. He's issuing last orders to his trusted men. Do you recall it?

This leads to the Abbot telling (or strongly insinuating to) Canus that he wants Canus to assassinate the brother of the recently massacred druid Wyrd. The brother's name is Byrne. He's a big shot on the whole continent, going on a yearly circuit. He's back in Kent for a week, though, about a day's walk to the west. Guy's a hermit, lives near the irminsul from the prelude session.

Arrival at the Sacred Grove

Brother Canus, toting his gear and wearing snowshoes (because of the 8" snowfall!), makes it without incident to the place indicated to him by the abbot. See above picture for the scene, but put snow in it.

Once Canus gets there, a voice calls out form inside the hollow of one of the idols: "Brother Canus, come in from the cold."

Quest Accepted

They chit chat, and it's the druid. Byrne the druid apparently knows everything. Canus confesses he's come to kill him but might be willing to spare his life if he teaches him his evil druid-magic. Byrne doubts his Roman blood can even accept the power, etc. But Bryne says if Canus does a thing for him, he'll consider it.

Byrne: In a place known to my fathers as [something incomprehensibly welsh], one of the most ancient groves of my line has been destroyed by one of the monsters you Romans have set upon our land. Your king calls it the Realm Wood. It's near Canterbury. Ask for it. Come back with this creature's head, and we will see if you can learn the name of the wind.

Harhar at the above if you've read certain fantasy novels.

Canus asks for a token so that he can prove to the abbot that Byrne is dead, and Byrne offers his laurel of holly. Back to Canterbury for Canus.

Charles Not in Charge

Brother Charles, after the baptism, heads out of the church, and suddenly he's having flashbacks to the war. When he comes to, he still sees the boy he killed. The boy's holding Charles's hand and holding his guts in. Charles freaks out appropriately until Takk the fletcher comes and escorts him to his hut for some milk and mead and washing. Washing, because there's actual blood on Charles's hands.

Charles lays out the story. Takk says you know what? I think a walk would be just the thing. Takk's wife Olga and their three pigs agree. Takk's obviously uncomfortable with this whole situation, but he's a nice guy.

So that's what Charles does. He takes a walk, out in the snow, and sits on a snowbank praying the rosary and fiddling with his cross. Cut.

Now he makes his death save (see this for info on how this works: briefly, it's a way to handle dramatic arcs using the 4e death save mechanic). Fails! That's 1/3 failures so far, but now he's at plus 1 each time he makes them.