Session Eighty-Three: On the Offensive

The group woke up and healed. They decided that they made enemies of the firenewts, so maybe they could make friends with the giant and grimlocks. Alaxander opened a dimensional gateway, which cut down their travel time significantly. They moved close enough to see grimlocks manning the walls of the giant's fortress.
Alaxander used the way to amplify his voice. He called out, in every language he knew, that they were arriving with peaceful intentions and had no desire to fight. They saw the giant peek his head up, from behind the wall, and look down at them. Grimlock archers lined up on the walls, but the group made sure they were out of bow range.
Alaxander used the way to amplify the voices of the other members of the group and they yelled out their messages of peace and alliance, in the various languages they knew. Soon, they saw the giant emerge from the fortress. He was wearing a harness that held four grimlock archers on his chest. Nyla put her hands up, palms out, to show that she was unarmed. Everyone else followed suit.

Aloe Lacerta - New Athasian Monster

Aloe Lacerta

Climate/Terrain: Any, except Forest and Silt Sea
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Herd
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Herbivore
Intelligence: Animal (1)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 2-24
Armor Class: 6
Movement: 12
Hit Dice: 4+4
Thac0: 17
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attacks: 1-6
Special Attack: Poison Spit
Special Defense: None
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: L (8' Long)
Morale: Elite (13-14)
XP Value: 650

AthasCon Game

Saturday, October 29, 2022, I had the privilege of attending and participating in AthasCon. I was able to run a game, which five players signed up to play. Unfortunately, only two players showed up. However, my wife was able to fill in and I played an NPC, so we had a full party. There was a human preserver, Nekhosz; a mul gladiator, Klak; an elf thief, Jamila; and a dwarf fire cleric, Abbas.
My two players were Luke and Adam. They were both fantastic. They role played well and understood the setting. They were also patient with my lack of experience running a virtual table top.

The story began in Tyr, while Kalak still reigned.
The characters all received letters requesting that they meet an unknown benefactor at the Drunken Giant Wine House. Klak did not know how to read, but pictures were able to relay the information adequately.
Klak entered the Drunken Giant and approached the wine steward. He asked for an ale. The human wine steward rolled his eyes and explained that this was a wine house, not a tavern. Klak was embarrassed and quickly ordered a cheap glass of wine. He took a drink and decided that he preferred ale.

Pre-generated Characters for Athas Con

 I had to draw up six PCs for my upcoming game at Athascon. I thought they would be a great addition to my blog and may be of use to other AD&D 2nd edition Dark Sun players and Dungeon Masters.

Halfling Psionicist (Psychokinetic)

Human Preserver

Mul Gladiator

Thri-Kreen Fighter

Elf Thief

Dwarf Cleric (Fire)

The character sheets are are form fillable, so the information can be changed. As is, they are all 3rd level. I hope you enjoy them and find them useful for your games.

Secrets of the Dead Lands Review, Chapter 10

Athas.org recently released Secrets of the Dead Lands. The book is a D&D 3.5 version of an unfinished manuscript, originally for AD&D 2nd edition. Although, most of the information is system neutral and can be used for any rule system. The original draft was written by Timothy Brown, co-creator of the Dark Sun setting. 

I did not compare the Athas.org version with the original manuscript. I gave my opinions on the completed Secrets of the Dead Lands. I broke down the review into separate parts, by reviewing it chapter by chapter. I did not criticize the artwork or maps, as this is a free book, that was put together by fans. Although the artwork and maps have been surprisingly good.
The review of Chapter 1. 
The review of Chapter 2.
The review of Chapter 3.
The review of Chapter 4.
The review of Chapter 5.
The review of Chapter 6.
The review of Chapter 7.
The review of Chapter 8.
The review of Chapter 9.

Chapter 10 - The Dead Lands and the Tablelands
This chapter starts off with a question that I have had the entire time reading this book. Why don't the undead of the Dead Lands invade the Tablelands? Instead of a single, unvarying answer, we are given a list of reasons.
The first reasons make a lot of sense. They basic idea is that the undead are unsure if they will continue to survive upon leaving the Dead Lands. This could be tested and I am sure it has been, but likely with unintelligent undead. If the intelligent undead leave the obsidian plain, will they become mindless? How long will they really last? Even a century is not long to such deathless creatures.

Session Eighty-Two: Uncertainty

Alaxadner explained to Lilith, that he did not believe the Lord of the Many could be destroyed. In addition, they needed it to destroy the Tyrant of Tyr. Lilith calmed down, but did not want the Lord of the Many near her.
Jessel informed the group that he was being summoned by the lords of earth and had to leave. The group said their goodbyes and Jessel stepped through a dimensional door. Nyla asked if his sudden disappearance was normal and the group said it was.
Raco and Shade decided to scout ahead of the group and look for a proper volcano entrance. They jogged ahead, while the rest of the group walked casually in the same direction. Whenever Shade and Raco thought they saw something, Raco would become a living shadow and Shade would hide.
Despite several scares, they did not encounter anyone for a few hours. They finally spotted a cave, carved into the side of the volcano. There were four firenewts guarding the entrance.
Raco turned and started making his way back to the group, but Shade decided to take a closer look. Shade moved closer, but stepped on a patch of loose gravel and slipped. The noise alerted the firenewt guards, who turned toward him. The firenewts threw javelins at Shade, who dodged them. Shade ran away, as more firenewts spilled from the volcano entrance.
The firenewts did not chase Shade very far and he escaped. When he and Raco met up with the rest of the group, no one had any idea what they should do next. They made multiple plans, but would discard them after a few minutes. In the end, they decided they needed more information. They finally agreed to have Alaxander use the way, to teleport, and scout the island.

Along the Shore of the Silt Sea - A Dark Sun Fable

Two travelers were walking along the shore of the Silt Sea. They looked out, across the loose silt and they saw something moving above it.
"Look," said one traveler, "a skimmer is rolling in from distant lands. It's bound to be filled with riches!"
The object they saw came closer to the shore.
"No," said the other, "that is not a skimmer filled with treasure. That is a skimmer filled with food and water!"
As they watched, it came even closer.
"Maybe it's a skimmer filled with beautiful concubines for us to buy!" they cried.
The two travelers rushed to the edge of the sea and a silt horror grabbed them. The two travelers were never seen again.