And I have advanced the main game plot.  No need to let this hang out all weekend.  If anyone has anything else the wanted to ask the pilgrims, we can possibly backpost, but they were not in a chatty mood - they wanted to get away from here as quickly as possible.

The number of enemies is unclear; the settling dusk and thick mist make it impossible to make out what is beyond the pilgrims.  All you can tell for sure is that there are multiple moaning shapes coming onto the road and into the pilgrims, who are attempting to flee.  At least one shape is much faster that the others, and is giggling like a true madman. 

It should not yet be dusk; normally, it would be an hour or more before dark began to fall.  But the accursed mist does its level best to choke out the sun, and the daylight fades quickly.

"Sir," Gib starts. "Kind sir," he adds. "Who are They and pray tell, what has befallen you? What should we be prepared for? Please, stop and share your knowledge with us that we may not fall prey to the unknown of which you infer."

The leader of the pilgrims shakes his head.  "We have traveled far, lost most of our supplies and a third of our number.  They come at night - the restless ones.  They never stop.  They never tire."

He stops, and his gaunt face fixes as he stares into nothingness.  "As bad as they are, the laughers are so much worse.  They are cunning, and merciless."  He glances towards Kith.  "And they seek the fairer sex... we have lost brothers, but all of our sisters were taken by them."

The pilgrim shakes his head.  "We have tarried too long!" he wails.  "We must go, with haste!  The Blue Lady's blessings be on you all."

The tattered group makes it perhaps thirty yards or so down the road before the giggling starts.

At first, it seems as if the out of place sound comes from one of the pilgrims, but you realize that it is, in fact, coming from beyond them. Then come the moans - first, the moans of fear from the pilgrims, then the moans of several figures emerging from the dusk.

The pilgrims scream in panic. Their leader cries out. "Lysora save us, they have come!"

At that, a dark shape rushes from among the emerging figures, darting in among the scattering pilgrims who scream in terror.

It gets so much worse.

Okay, folks.  We now have your standard D&D fare rolling along... and I hope that you will enjoy the horror twist I just dropped via silver screen moment.

The young mother to be cried out in agony and fell to her knees as the pains ripped through her abdomen yet again.  Her attendant quickly materialized to check on her, but as usual, the accursed blonde bitch just patted her hand patronizingly and spouted useless platitudes about how "motherhood was hard" and "it's normal to have some discomfort from time to time" before helping her to the bed and leaving her alone.

Discomfort, my shiny arse she mused darkly. 

Even though this was her first child to carry,the young woman was no stranger to babies.  She had younger siblings, and growing up on a farm, had even been elbow deep in a cow's nethers a time or two when the calf wouldn't behave when the time came to make its entrance.  She was no fool, and knew full well that pain that felt like one was being cut open from the inside was not normal - especially not when it was unfailingly accompanied by blood in her smallclothes afterward.   

But the attendant refused to listen, and the midwife had not managed to make it by for two weeks, now. 

She was so alone.  Her family had not visited in longer than she could remember.  The baby's father... the truth of the gods was that she didn't even remember the baby's conception, let alone the father's identity.  Garrock had died on the wall nigh on to a year ago, she hadn't been close to a man since.  She supposed there must have been too much wine at the Solstice, but still...

Her thoughts were interrupted by her own scream.  The pain was back, but far, far worse, with her guts clenching in as if they were trying to turn her body inside out.  She felt the gush of wet warmth soak the bed and pool around her bottom, heard the fluid drip against the floor beneath.

The attendent stepped back through the doorway.  "Ah, it seems that it is time," the woman observed mildly. 

Time? No!  It had not been long enough!  The babe should not be here before Pfier at the earliest!

The young woman panicked, tried to cry out, tried to warn that she should have nigh on two months before the baby arrived... but she found that she could only shriek; coherent words were impossible as the internal tearing began anew with her next contraction. 

The useless attendant was at her side now, dabbing at her her face with a cool, damp rag.  "There, there, dear..." she cooed.  "Some pain is to be expected at the miracle of birth."

Gripped in the throes of an agonizing contraction, the young woman's eyes shot open in terror.  Her gaze had settled on her distended belly, but it was not the mound itself that drew her attention, but the tiny claw that now extended out through the skin, some three inches beow her navel.  Her agonized shrieks took on a tenor of mindless terror, but the attendent merely squeezed her hand and smiled. 

In her panicked state, the young woman tried to get up, tried to call for help, but had not noticed the three robed men who entered her room.  She could do little to fight them as they grabbed her arms and legs and held her down on the bed. 

The claw was soon joined by another, then another.  The young woman screamed and sobbed, desperately begging for aid, but the attendent simply smiled and hummed tunelessly as the contractions truly set in...

Cue cheesy 70s music...

bow chicka bow bow

The party takes up defensive positions as the group of shuffling walkers slowly closes the gap between them.  As they approach, moans can be heard from the slow moving group - moans of pain, of fatigue, at fear of the sight of the well-armed party of adventurers blocking their path.

The travelers are human men, clothed in ratty gray and light blue robes.  They are filthy from the road, damp from the oppressive  drizzle, and half-starvd by the look of them... and they certain;y appear to be in no way threatening.  Several lean heavily on staves, but no other items that could be construed as weapons are visible among them.

Their leader - a slightly less gaunt human with a stringy, dirty beard, calls out in a scratchy voice.  "Block not our path!  We cannot tarry here, not with what stalks this road at ight.  We seek the blesed shrine of Lysora in the Taverton wood; we dare not stop, lest we never reach it."

He fixes the party with a baelful gaze.  "You would do well to be off this road come nightfall.  They are coming.  They never rest!"

His companions groan in agreement, and the pilgrims shuffle past the party, headed south and east at a relentless - albeit it slow - pace.

Looks like we have a party leader nominated. 

Okay, folks - I'm going to go ahead and make my next post.  Oz, you can jump in whenever.

I know that more than half of you are new to the Inn, and (obviously), new to me as a DM.

If you would be so kind, try to add a little flavor to your posts.  Share with us what your character is thinking, feeling, etc.  Ideally, posts should be a minimum of two to three short paragraphs, butif you go longer, that's awesome.  Read the posts by Eeol Fefalas, Bromern Sal, PrincessAli.  Note how much fun they are to read, how they really bring those characters to life. 

In a play by post game, you're comitting to months of reading a collaborative story.  It can take some getting used to, but I think a little more effort makes the game so much more fun for everybody.

Thanks!

I had intended to cap this game at six players.

When we were at five and needed a player, I had reached an understanidng with a guy that was going to join the Inn to make a mage.  A new member joined (GrinNoCat) and sent me the concept for Midge, and I approved it.

Turns out, this was NOT the new player I had expected.  Oz_magiccity joined the next day and sent me his mage.  Which also happened to be a Secret Storm Evoker.

I hate to tell him "no" to playing altogether.  So I am going to bump the party to seven, and just add bad guys/hit dice/terrible things to make the game still fun (read: deadly).

So, meet Atharis the Meek.  Youngest of four boys, alway a target of bullying as a child.  Atharis seeks magic - and the power it brings - so that he may be known as Atharis the Great.

I have suggested Transmuter to Oz; this gives him plenty of access to blaster magic, yet allows him to have enough of a different approach - and variety of spells - to add variety to the game. 

So, here is what I'm looking at, in terms of marching order

Aranwen
Gib
Kith
Cedric
Midge
Ch'dau

If I'm wrong (flip flop the second cleric and the mage?), say so. 

Sheets are done for Ch'dau and Aranwen, save a couple of minor items here and there. 

Kepe in mind that as a cleric of Therassor, Gib is a competant warrior, too.  He's not going to match the brute strength of Ch'dau or the skill and finese of Aranwen, but he will hold his own in any battle; his base THAC0 is only one point lower that you guys.  Of course, Ch'dau gets bonuses to hit for specialization and strength, and Aranwen gets them due to racial bonus, specialization, and silly skill level... but Gib is no pushover.

You don't say?

I will roll for you and provide this in your character sheet.  I don't hand out max HP, but I do tend to reroll generously... as you need the HP in my games. 

Reminder: you have all been together at least two or three months.  You may not know one another's deepest, darkest secrets, but you are familiar with basic personalities and such.  You've completed one adventure together, ridding a village of a reasonably organized band of bandits. 

I have gone ahead and tossed out two intro posts to the game; you may all jump in and post now. 

Please note that you should always post your character's thoughts and intentions, but never the results of actions unless I have already provided them to you via PM.

We should probably figure out party leadrship before this goes very far.  You can handle that however you want, but experience tells me that you need somebody in charge - even if everyone votes on actions - as disorganization kills parties.

One final admonition - this is a horror flavored game and I am an evil DM.  I will be very surprised if every character survives this adventure.  That is no fault of anyone here, it's just reality.

And speaking of death - we have three players who have never adventured in Audalis.  Please note that death is pretty final in this world.  This is not Greyhawk, where death is a worse than normal boo-boo, but you can always drag your friend to the corner healer for a resurrection before rigor sets in.  Resurrection is draining to the gods, and is reserved typically for true heroes.  Most who die, die.

Divine casting is funneling the miracles of your deity.  The typical person will view a divine healing as a legit miracle; raising from the deal is the stuff of legend.

11th Sempore (Thirkday), 453 E.R.
Woods near the village of Crandel (southwest of Daviena Castle, near the Sendrian border)

Summer was in full swing, with the countryside a recent recipient of a major heat wave that had held strong now for two full weeks. This afternoon had finally seen the accumulation of clouds, and while the farmers blessed them, the group of travelers trudging down the dirt road did not necessarily share that viewpoint. As evening fell, it had begun to drizzle. Rather than alleviate the heat, the precipitation had simply driven the humidity through the roof, causing clothing to become damp, sticky, and altogether uncomfortable. Slowly, a mist rose in response to the drizzle, which further choked away the visibility offered by the dying light of the day.

The companions expected to make Crandel by nightfall, and most - if not all - of them were looking forward to the chance to get in out of the weather for a bit. Indeed, the prospect of a dry bed and a hot meal was enough to quicken their pace.

As they walked along, the mist seemed to grow almost oppressively thick. Aranwen Galandel, sylvari bladesinger, began to feel uneasy. She had spent years out of doors, had experienced many types of weather, had witnessed the fury of nature firsthand... but this, this simply felt unnatural. Wrong.

Soon, every member of the party could feel the same things - the stifling atmosphere seemed to carry strange sounds, as well as cast strange shadows. More than once, one or more of the travelers were certain that they saw something in the mists, but the shapes always faded away, and never quite seemed to become fully visible.

The road (if one cared to use such a generous term for a dirt track in the middle of nowhere) took a sharp bend, and once the group reached the other side, they lay eyes on another group of travelers ahead. This new group - comprised of eight or ten individuals on foot - was headed in the opposite direction, and though they were surely close enough to see the companions, they made no sign of recognizing this fact. Instead, they slowly shuffled along, heads down, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings, and continued to head directly for the party. If one had to wager a guess, one might speculate that these pilgrims were quite old, wounded, or ill - they were quite slow, indeed.

Okay, folks - I have made a very brief "silver screen" intrr post for the game - the title of our game will be "The Corruption Hidden Beneath the Surface", and will show as "Hidden Corruption" in thelatest updated topics at the top of the site. 

I have also set up a Q&A thread for the game, so any further questions about the game, your characters, etc should be posted there.  Please leave this thread for recruitment-based communication only.

This will be the Q&A thread for my D&D/Horror game, "The Corruption Hidden Beneath the Surface". 

If you have any questions of rules, if you need clarification on a game situation or NPC, if you need to know something about your character that isn't private enough to warrant a PM to me - post here.  Please limit your in-game posts to actual actions and thoughts for your character. 

Characters in this game:

Ch'dau - male kazari warrior.  Ch'dau is tall, muscular felanoid warrior.  Stands well over six feet tall, and is covered with shaggy, gray striped fur.  He carries two broad-bladed, curved swords.  He wears a breastplate, bracers, bandoliers. 

Aranwen - male sylvari bladesinger.  Has blong black hair, green eyes, rather tan for a syl.  He wears finely tooled learther armor and carries a fairly ornate longsword.

Gib - male human cleric of Therassor.  Shoulder length wavy black hair, beard and moustaches, green eyes, muscular physique. Broken nose, pointed chin, tan (rough) skin.  Wears chain mail, carries a longword and shield, also carries a mace. 

Midge - male cidal wizard (evoker).  Stands just over three feet tall, has dark hair.  Carries a staff sling and wears the navy blue robes of his order. 

Kithran - female half sylvari rogue.  Tall, slender, but still muscular.  Long, straight black hair, dark eyes. Wears leather armor and carries a pair of daggers, has a short bow slung over her shoulder.  Wears dark clothing and a cloak. 

Cedric - male human cleric of Solanis.  Short (5'6") and slender, has brown hair, hazel eyes, and a moustache.  Wears chain ail under his faded yellow robe and carries a staff. 

Atharis - male human wizard (transmutr).  Average looks (player needs to specify hair, eye color).  Wears the dark blue robes of his order (same as Midge), carries a staff. 

The Dark One shifted ever so slightly on his throne of skulls. Something unexpected had caught his gaze, causing him to stare deeply into the scrying mists.

His attention piqued, he considered this unexpected development. Slowly, his normally baleful expression morphed into a terrifying rictus of a smile.

This situation was promising. More then promising, in fact... it opened all sorts of delicious possibilities.

One of the Eyeless Ones gestured, wondering if it should inform Her of this new discovery. For the slightest of moments, the Dark One pondered, but shook his head, causing the Eyeless One to melt into the shadows.

No, there was no point in informing Her yet. Furthermore, if things worked out to their full potential... well, the possibilities were very interesting, indeed...

Presactly.

Shoot me the PM, let's make this happen.

I love it.  Very off the wall.  Halfling wizard, eh?  Why not?

Go to the Audalis section of the site and check out the Cidals.  These are the halflings of Audalis; you'll need to familiarize yourself with them, and pick a subrace.

I can help with your character sheet.  You don't need to know the rules, just have a good concept (you do) and work with me to flesh it out. 

Have you checked out the Circle of Arcane Enlightenment yet?  This is the mage guild of Antaron.  You don't have to be a member, but it can open some doors for you.

Are you thinking generalist mage or specialist?  Specialist mages pick a school of mgic (conjuration, evocation, transmutation, etc) and gain extra spells with it - at the cost of access to another school or two. 

Bunnies. Goblins.   Starving pirates wearing rags and carrying rusted weapons.    Same diff, oh hero daughter of mine.

So, as some thread necromancy, I wanted to record seeing six Innmates logged in.  Considering that two has been rare enough of late, I felt like this was notable!

Just be warned, you may not like me after we get deep into this game.  You may be glad to have not played, Silent!