Hail and well met, fellow traveler!
Welcome back to the chronicling of a mighty solo adventurer, the Elf called Glendal Lorg the Visionary, once a member of the Phantom Cabal. To refresh your memory after his extended and unintended absence, Glendal is a Thief who wishes to explore the world and get rich (yet with a heart of gold).
No one has ever explained why he is named "the Visionary." It never seems to come up in conversation.
The world he explores is not entirely unlike the ones you are accustomed to, with minor differences. The "rules" by which he lives his life are called "Scarlet Heroes," however, the world in which he lives is decidedly "Western" and not "Oriental."
This was all explained previously.
O.K., enough of that pablum.
Glendal has been exploring the Fort of the Unholy Mound. When last we left our erstwhile hero he had made a deal with a Cleric of Cernunnos (god of virility), a man by the name of Fargle Nex the Polygamist from the Accursed Island, to help him find a certain ingredient for a recipe for a cure for Fargle's beloved, Raglia Bazh, the Scribe from the Fallen Castle. This, Glendal has done, retrieving the cursed salted blackberries. He then battled a Giant Toad, slaying it but not before taking damage of his own.
Ain't this just like a Soap Opera?
Our last look-in was to see Glendal bandaging his wound and pondering whether to go back downstairs immediately in order to give the blackberries to the Cleric, or should he obey that unspoken urge to continue exploring and go through the door into the next room. Glendal is at 4 of 6 hit points.
That ended Turn 15, still in Room 7 (of 12 total).
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Scene fade in
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Turn 16, Room 7:
Setting his baser instincts aside for the moment, Glendal decides on a course of action, halfway between "giving" and "taking." He calls down the stairs to the waiting Cleric, telling him to come up and get his poultice. The Elf doesn't feel quite like going all the way downstairs just to be a delivery-boy; after all, this Cleric has now met the soon-to-be-fabulously-wealthy-and-important Glendal Lorg. Expectations must be maintained.
There is only a momentary pause before the Elf's sensitive ears hear the heavy tread of boots on the stairs. An instant later and Fargle Nex's expectant and shining eyes appear. His face is a picture of suppressed enthusiasm.
"Yes?" he asks eagerly. "Have you found it?"
When Glendal makes him wait just an extra half-second before replying, he asks again, more urgently, "Have you?"
Oh these young, impatient races, thinks the Elf. Taking on an unaccustomed pity, Glendal nods, holding out the small ceramic jar containing the blackberries. The Cleric of Cernunnos reaches out hesitantly at first, then with decisive swiftness, snatches it from the Elf's grasp. He inspects the contents as Glendal explains how he acquired it.
Having explained the trap, Glendal is attempting to show the bite marks from the Giant Toad before he realizes the Cleric has not heard a word he has said. He is simply too caught up in his plans and happiness.
Glendal taps his foot, somewhat impatiently. No response. He clears his throat, holding out his wounded arm (from an earlier fight). Nothing. Finally realizing that the human is too far deep into his own concerns for subtlety (not to mention the fact that most humans qualify for that description all the time), Glendal finally closes his fingers over the jar -- not to take it, but to interrupt the Cleric's concentration.
"Do you think your god would mind if you floated a bit of healing my way?" he asks. "That Toad wasn't the only thing I've had to face today."
"What?" the Cleric blurts, startled and embarrassed. "Why, yes, of course! My gratitude to you is immense. Hold still...."
A few mumbled words later and Glendal feels the warmth of magical physical healing. His aches and pains disappear completely, leaving him feeling whole and sound.
An awkward silence descends on the two men. Glendal suspects he knows the answer to the question he is about to ask, but he asks anyway. "Are you interested in coming with me to explore the rest of this dilapidated fort? It's always helpful to have a healer."
The Cleric lets out a hearty laugh. "You think I want to explore? No, I want to go to my woman! But here, take this potion." He reaches into his pack and hands Glendal a small vial of liquid. "Consider it a token of my unending thanks."
Turning to leave, the Cleric of Cernunnos adds over his shoulder, "And look me up if you're ever at the temple of Cernunnos. Farewell, my friend!"
With that, he goes downstairs.
Glendal examines the potion. The tiny, neat handwriting reads, "Ironhide." Smiling to himself, he places it carefully in his pack, then readies himself to enter the next room through the door to the southeast.
Here's how all that unfolded.
I had Glendal call for the Cleric to come up. I asked the Scarlet Heroes Oracle, p115, "Does the Cleric come up?" I assigned odds of Very Likely. d20 = 10 = "Yes."
Fargle came up, Glendal gave him the cure. I rolled for his reaction on NPC Reactions, p117, with "+3 for a PC who saved their life or did similar service." NPC Stranger = 2d6 + 3 = 5 + 3 + 3 = 11 = "Helpful Consent."
I asked the Oracle, "Does the Cleric see the Elf's wounds?" Likely, d20 = 1 = "No." I figured he was too preoccupied to notice.
So Glendal asks to be healed. Does the Cleric heal him, Mr. Oracle? Very Likely, d20 = and oddly enough I don't have the die result written down, however I do have written, "Yes (Grateful)." It's been over six months since I wrote that, so whatever happened is lost to the mists of time and bad memory.
Fargle cast some sort of healing spell, either Hand of Merciful Succor from Scarlet Heroes, or Cure Light Wounds. I have both written down, I think to see how they compare to each other. HoMS gave me 4 hit points, CLW gave me 2. All Glendal needed was 2 anyhow. Back at full HP, 6 of 6.
I then asked the Oracle, "Does the Cleric want to go with Glendal?" just to find out what to do with this NPC. I gave it Very Unlikely, d20 = 15 = "No, but..." The d6 "But" roll = 3, "An error in an assumption some NPC is making." So I wrote that part about Fargle wanting to go to his woman, and giving Glendal a potion. The potion was a roll on the Scarlet Heroes potions table p85, d100 = 60 = "Ironhide," which is almost the same as regular "Invulnerability." When I need it I'll probably use it as "Ironhide," as it's a little better.
The Cleric left and Glendal got ready to go.
And then I took a six month break.... Finally I could stand it no longer, not knowing what would happen to my eager Thief. I dragged the papers out and began scribbling and rolling dice again.
And it felt good.
So now we can finally continue with Turn 17.
<evil laugh>
