Commencing with the first part of a solo playthrough of Warlock!, using random tables built to reimagine Warlock of Firetop Mountain. The first part introduced Warlock!, the random tables and the characters.
British solo - wfrp-1e | dungeoneer | troika | warlock |
Warlock solo - intro | start | approach | outer chambers | at the river | final | all rolling solo
Disclosure - I'm a DriveThru RPG affiliate
Starting Scene
I'm using Warlock! as the rpg, and random tables I'm building for Solo Dungeon Tables (of Firetop Mountain) as my main tool. For any solo prompts needed I flicked through a fantasy novel for words (this time was Red Country by Joe Abercrombie). For any yes/no type questions I went with my own custom oracle.
In the original Fighting Fantasy book, the first part is the prologue / introduction. So to keep it like this I intended there to be minimal danger, finding rumours and resources.
Before the starting scene I went into GM mode and rolled on Mountain Dungeon Overview.
The mountain is a sacred sanctuary where magic was a thing to be celebrated. Now Runescorch Rock has fallen under the influence of an undead Magician, with the fates of its acolytes unknown. Themes -Arcane [ARC], Sacred [SAC]
Ok, enough to go on, although none of our characters are priests or magicians!
And following up with the keys of the treasure I got...
“The keys are made of red stone, which sometimes flare with light and fire
So this was enough for me to know that the Village of Tenstones was where they would start. I got the image of ten large stones surrounding it and went from there...
Adventures of the Seekers of Tenstones
A quick reminder that the three characters are
- Snoranina Durgellasdottir (dwarf mercenary, Impolite, imaginative, brilliant)
- Hakgan (dwarf Miner, warm-hearted, grouchy, generous)
- Erasmus (human tomb robber, puzzled, fierce, unfriendly)
Scene 1, Meeting the Mayor (controlled situation)
When heading to Runescorch Spire along the old trail, the last settlement is the large mining village of Tenstones. Named for ten stone slabs encircling the village, each a perfect cube and forged by magic in past times. One is shattered and its stones said to be cursed.
Coscana Sweet, the gaunt old mayor of Tenstones, had asked to meet the three at the Shattered Stone tavern. Snoranina was known from past visits when she guarded merchants arriving here. This time she had arrived with her cousin Hakgan and been asking about Runescorch Spire. And everyone in the village knew of Erasmus, he was that sort of fellow.
The mayor asked the dwarves to go to the Spire for the village, and she would send Erasmus with them, a local man with a reputation for resourcefulness but few friends. No doubt if something happened to him the village would sorely miss him.
Coscana explained that the village had long sent any youths with signs of supernatural talent to mountain, where there was a holy sanctuary steeped in magical lore. Normally they came back to visit once a year, but hadn't been seen for over a year. Another had been sent to investigate, a rat catcher called Majud who was capable of looking after himself. But they hadn't returned either.
The group agreed to investigate, at the price of a gold per acolyte returned and half for identifiable remains. A minimum of one gold each if they brought back no acolytes but had information of their fate. Snoranina tried bargaining for a higher return, but to no avail.
(I gave each adventurer a free roll on the Rumours table, to help explain why they were there. I re-rolled once if the first roll didn't have theme of Arcane or Sacred)
Scene 2 - Preparations in Tenstones (controlled situation)
Snoranina knew Erasmus from previous visits and she let him into a secret. She and Hakgan were here for another reason. They were on the trail of Majud, who carried a blade of silver to the mountain, said to be enchanted against undead. The blade would no doubt be worth retrieving.
In addition, Hakgan knew a priest who had visited before and and advised “keeping a few coins for the ferry and pay respects to it's owner”. Erasmus in return told them of goblins seen near the mountain, a group of which had seized a dwarven family from their farmstead. No doubt they would seize any other dwarves they met.
The trio spent a couple of days getting ready buying supplies and making plans. A cousin of Erasmus was desperate for work and they agreed to pay her as a torchbearer and look after the pack horse they brought with them. They also got a few descriptions of acolytes and heard rumours of a treasure deep in the heart of the sanctuary in the mountain.
With the good wishes of the villages, they set off towards Runescorch Spire.
(I let each adventurer look for Potential Aid and more rumours, with little luck beyond the cousin of Erasmus. Again re-rolling the first result if it wasn't theme of Sacred or Arcane.)
Next expected scene - Encountering Something before the Mountain...
Plot Threads and Character List
Creating a list of Plot Threads, I had...
- Find the weapon of Majud the Ratcatcher
- Find out the fates of the acolytes from the Tenstones and bring back any they find
- Find out more about the treasure said to be in the heart of the sanctuary
- Find out the fate of dwarves captured by goblins seen in the area
The Character List / Extras is...
- Coscana Sweet, mayor of Tenstones. She is gaunt and cunning
- Sufeen of Tenstones, younger cousin of Erasmus, desperate for work, hired as torchbearer by group
- Majud the Ratcatcher, capable adventurer last seen entering the Spire, said to carry a silver holy weapon
- Goblins of the mountain, rumoured to be capturing dwarves
- Villagers of Tenstones, a mining village of humans and a few dwarves
Seekers of Tenstones
They bought some equipment and supplies and I gave them 1 xp each too, to get things moving.
Snoranina Durgellasdottir
Stamina 18, Luck 9, female dwarf Mercenary. Impolite, imaginative, brilliant.
Worked for - The king's guard, who were in need. Haunted by a death - no one, you are made of stone and death.
Skills - Appraise 6, Bargain 5, Blunt 6, Brawling 5, Command 5, Crossbow 7, Dodge 7, Endurance 6, History 6, Intimidate 6, Language 6, Large Blade 10, Medicine 5, Navigation 6, Pole-arm 5, Repair 6, Small Blade 5, Spot 5, Streetwise 8, Survival 5, Thrown 5
Equipment - arming sword, moderate armour (chain, breastplate and shield), crossbow, quiver of bolts, book of religious scripture, backpack, 9 days food, waterskin, eating knife, clothes, boots, 10 torches, rope, 3 sp, 3 pennies
Hakgan Darunsson
Stamina 20, Luck 13, male dwarf Miner, Warm-hearted, grouchy, generous
Dug up - nothing but dirt and ghosts. Seen a goblin town, complete with brats.
Skills - Appraise 6, Athletics 5, Bargain 5, Blunt 6, Brawling 5, Command 5, Crossbow 6, Dodge 5, Endurance 8, History 6, Intimidate 6, Language 6, Large Blade 6, Medicine 5, Navigation 10, Pole-arm 5, Repair 6, Spot 5, Survival 7, Swim 7, Thrown 5
Equipment - pick and shovel, hardy and rough clothing, lantern, sack, wooden carving of a mine spirit, backpack, 9 days food, waterskin, eating knife, clothes, boots, light xbow and bolts, 3 sp, 2 cp
Erasmus
Stamina 16, Luck 10, male human Tomb Robber. Puzzled, fierce, unfriendly
Robbed - tomb of family Cesst, shattered. Found - body of a ghoul, fat and swollen.
Appraise 7, Athletics 9, Blunt 7, Bow 6, Command 5, Diplomacy 6, Dodge 6, Disguise 5, Endurance 6, Incantation 5, Intimidate 5, Language 6, Large Blade 6, Lie 6, Medicine 6, Navigation 5, Persuasion 5, Polearm 5, Repair 6, Small Blade 6, Spot 5, Swimming 6
Equipment - hammer and chisel, hooded thick cloak, lantern, club, backpack, waterskin, eating knife, clothes, boots, light crossbow, Pike the pack horse (2 small tents, 9 days food, rope and grappling hook, crowbar, metal pegs), 3 sp, 8 cp
Sufeen of Tenstones
Skill 5, Stamina 15, human female villager, cousin of Erasmus hired as torchbearer, desperate.
One weeks food, knife, 10 torches, clothes.
Finishing Up
Originally I had intended to do all the way up to entering the mountain, but it makes sense to do that in the next part of the story...
Next will be approaching and (hopefully) entering the mountain.
