Tag name：rpg

Cyberpunk Session 18

First published 29th October 2025

It's a week after we get back to Section 9 and report. Shadow recovers well (with many thanks to Tharbin's medical expertise) and joins the rest of us in the office as it seems things are getting back to normal allowing us to do a little research and recovery time. There are more reports that Sergeant Masher1 is still active and causing trouble. We also note scientific papers about the spate of stars going nova (including that there have been more of these than earlier reported). Some of us also do some more specific pieces of research including:

Tharbin
There are several rumours/conspiracy theories about big spiders (including around the Inagawa Kokusai farm).
Tremen
is reportedly sane despite his paranoia about his mental health!
Wakiya
Her pictures and photos from our trip to the icy world. They all match her memory and seem to be good photos. All that is apart from the photos of the mural which still cause a chill and a shudder when viewed.
Nameraka
Researches european myths and fables about mothers and finds there are many but none match the statues under the temple on the icy world.

At the end of that working day, Savan, (the taller of the two gentleman working directly with Kitsune arrives in our office and tells us that Kitsune-san wants to talk with us. He then immediately leaves and we scramble to follow. Arriving in Kitsune's office she informs us that she has some new information for us, but that it is best if we get it directly from her contact and she gestures for us to accompany her. She leads us to a short corridor we haven't been down before and through a curtain that is across the corridor. From behind the curtain wafts a smell of cooking that reminds each one of us of our childhood. We follow Kitsune through the curtain...

A cobbled japanese street scene at night. There is a small japanese style castle in the distance behind which is a full moon. Many people, both human and non-human are in the street buying things from the many street vendors lining the road.

The view behind the curtain

And we're in the past and in the middle of a street market! Kitsune is in her fox form. Unsurprisingly we all feel out of place (but the passers-by do not treat us as unusual). Most of us get distracted by a stall selling tempora but eventually we all follow Kitsune into a small store where a gentleman greets Kitsune in English2. He gives Kitsune a manila envelope in which there are five reports:

  1. A report on the Sample from the leg. The leg was from some sort of spider although there is no correlation to any known spider in the earth database. As whatever this belonged to is an unknown more time will be needed to make a better assessment.
  2. The vials of stuff we collected. Four of the vials contain common ingredients bu the fifth contains an unknown substance.
  3. A translation of the parchment. It was written in Maithili3 and its translation lists the following: Mount Everest, Olympus Mons, Mons Huygens, Skadi Mons, and Point Hermes4.
  4. A second document has not been translated as it's in an unknown language (unknown even to the gentlemen and (presumably) his contacts.
  5. The notebook was initially considered to be just rambling. However further examination revealing that all the rambling are about dreaming

As we absorb this information we are jolted by a general alert: Masher has struck again but the New Port City PD (NPCPD) have managed to corner him. He is holed up in the storeroom of a supermarket but he has three hostages. The NPCPD have set up a cordon outside the building. With Kitsune's permission we leave her and gentleman and quickly head back to our office, grab some kit and race to the site.

A view of a small supermarket surrounded by a police cordon. The supermarket is on the corner of a T junction and has three floors of apartments above.

The supermarket as we arrive

The officers on site are relieved to see us (since it means backup has arrived) and happily hand over command to us. They report that about 5 to 10 minutes ago there was a scream from within the building.

After disabling the beep from the main door Wakiya and Shadow cautiously enter the supermarket. There is a spilled basket of shopping on the floor and a small trail of blood leading to the storeroom at the back of the store. Meanwhile Nameraka moves to the alleyway behind the supermarket to cover the fire exit from the store room.

Wakiya finds a swipe card for the store room and hands it to Tremen so that she and Shadow can burst into the room while Tremen uses the card to open the door for them. This done Shadow and Wakiya find that the room is dark and the floor is slippery - slippery enough for Shadow to lose his footing for a second or two. Wakiya spots a woman crying huddled next to a mangled mess of body parts. Two other people are also there - the first is a man in flight or fight mode and definitely would be fleeing if it wasn't for the second man. He is wearing a businss suit and is obviously squeezing the first man's head. This second man says Don't let me do it again!.

Wakiya fires - her shot hits and takes down that second guy while simultaneously knocking him back. She calls for Termen to get and remove the two remaing hostages who does so.

The body of that second guy is still twitching as if his cyberware (or something) is still trying to move his body. As the body has a jack plug Wakiya calls for Tharbin to jack into her own jack plug to monitor her and pull her connection as she jacks into the body.

Her impression at first is that everything is dark and then she hears an agongising scream. Following the ghost line leads her to a defensive barrier which seems to have many minds. Wakiya pushes through the barrier and gets the image of many hands squeezing her head. She quickly retreats but has managed to trace the ghost line to an apartment in Dejama.

Checking the body of that second guy shows him to be a corporate wage slave with an apartment in Dejama.

Tremen organises for forsenics to attend, thanks the local police on the scene (assuring them that he will be handling the paperwork). We all then pile into our vehicle and Shadow rushes us to the building housing the Dejama apartment (rattling Tremen and Nameraka around the vehicle in his haste to get us there). Dejama is an island originally used to house refugees.

Sketch of a floor plan of an apartment. A short corridor leads to a living area. There are three doors in the corridor (one on the left, two on the right). The one on the left leads to a bathroom. The two on the right lead to a small kitchen and a utility room. Off of the living area is a door leading to a bedroom with a closet.

Rough floor plan of the apartment. There is a power generator and computer in the bedroom.

The apartment block is 15 floors high with the ground floor housing reception etc. and with parking below. The top floor is used for service equipment such as heating. The apartment we're interested in is floor 12. After worrying some of the other residents we enter the apartment and start to search it. It appears unoccupied. The Bedroom has a power generator (still running) powering a computer.

The bedroom also has a builtin closet and Wakiya opens the door to the closet....5

Footnotes

  1. Last mentioned in Cyberpunk Session 11 ↩
  2. Tremen has learnt English and can follow the conversion. He speaks with an upper class english accent ↩
  3. National Language of Nepal ↩
  4. The tallest mountains on Earth, Mars, the Moon, Venus and Mercury respectively - at least according to the internet (mainly Wikipedia) ↩
  5. And the session ended on this cliffhanger ↩

Cyberpunk Session 17

First published 30th September 2025 (Last Modified 29th October 2025)
A cobweb covered cavern with a statue at the far end. The statue is carved out of a rocky base made up of hundreds of small children, each raising the arms towards the statue, although there are no facial features it seems they are begging for attention. The statue itself is in the female form hands lowered towards the children, hands open wide as if ready to grasp. There are a row of pillars either side of the statue and candles line the walls. In front of the statue and its base is a low altar with a single candle

The cavern and the statue

As we continue to move down the unexplored path it's hard to tell exactly how much time as past - even with checking our watches it's still uncertain and the cold is continuing to sap the warmth from our bodies. The murmuring ahead has a rythmic chanting feel to it. Shadow and Wakiya lead the party - using the technique of one moves, one covers even if there's no cover in the passage for them to use (the rest of the group lag behind to give them the room to do this).

The chanting gets louder and the passage brighter and the last few steps lead out onto a flat surface and a balustrade overlooking a rough hewn cave. On either end of the balustrade is a flight of steps leading down onto the bottom of the cave. Looking into the cave we see a cobweb-strewn floor with carved columns on either side of the cave. At the far end of the cave is a statue of some sort (from this vantage point it's hard to distinguish of what the statue is).

A quick radio check shows that those are working (in gact, working better than they did on the surface since it seems that the interference from the weather conditions is actually minimised.

We split up three and three to take the two sets of stairs in tandem (trying to keep roughly in step as we descend). The cavern is lit by candles set into alcoves in the left and righthand walls of the caves. The floor itself looks like a sheet of ice (i.e., smooth and highly polished, it's not actually made of ice!).

We stop on the bottom step of the staircases (there's about 20 metres between the two staircases). Nameraka cautiously touches the floor - it is cold, but not ice cold. Shadow moves onto the floor and hugs the wall as he moves deeper into the cavern. The room itself is symmetric (the statue at the far end, while centred in the cavern is not symmetric). The light is quite blue and bright with the polished floor being quite reflective (so much so that we can easily see our own reflections. We cautiously move up the room (along the walls) towards the far end of the cavern. Neither our footsteps nor the chanting is echoing.

The columns are made up of hundred if not thousands of bones, it is hard to tell it they compose the whole column as there is no way you can see past them, you have no idea what sort of animal the bones came from. These alcoves have been carved out of the rock - but using relative old techniques (no evidence that power tools were used). In the alcoves stand blood-red candles with red flames. The candles stand between one-and-a-half and six inches tall and are about two inches in diameter.

From a distance the statue seems to be carved out of a rocky base but as you get closer you can see detail in what you thought was bare rock. The base is made up of hundreds of small children, each raising the arms towards the statue, although there are no facial features it seems they are begging for attention. The statue itself is in the female form hands lowered towards the children, hands open wide as if ready to grasp. Again the face is featureless but it hard to overcome the feeling of dread that emanates from it. As we approach the statue the chanting stops and a very strong breeze blows from the hole above the statue. The candles flutter but don't go out. This lasts for a few seconds and then the breeze stops. There is a sweet smell to the breeze.

Ricky approaches the statue and looks up through the hole above it. The light is from it is dazzling in comparsion to the light in the cave and is coming from moss and crystals lining the hole which continues upwards beyond the moss and crystals. The cobwebs look like a cloak drapped around the statue.

Behind the statue there is no sign of any additional tunnels but to see the back of the statue requires climbing over the statues of the small children (they stretch the whole way either side of the main statue). Wakiya does climb over them but that doesn't reveal anything odd or strange about the back of the statue if you ignore the cobwebs.

Nameraka approaches the altar in front of the display of statues. This altar is made from black stone and there is a single blood red candle in the exact centre of the altar. Wakiya remarks that, to her at least, the chanting was coming from the small statue of the children. This leads Nameraka to closely examine the small statues - they are extremely detailed - except that their faces are blank. The clothing on the small statues is old-style european (i.e., not modern and not japanese). Nameraka now takes the glove off of his human hand1 and, using a glancing touch, touches one of the small statues. He is freaked out to hear the word Father in his mind and a few seconds after that Nameraka keels over and collaspes.

Tharbin tends to Nameraka who is in shock and brings Nameraka round though he remains a little shocked. Wakiya now takes a more determined touch of the children and gets the same response (i.e., a mental sound of the word Father and then collapsing after a few seconds). She is in a worse state than Nameraka and takes several minutes to come round (during which time her face is caught in a rictus of terror).

I am now considering (a) whether we have any way to destroy the statue and (b) whether it would be a good idea to do so (as it could be cause of the portal). On reflection the team decides that returning and reporting to Kitsune is the best course of action at this point. As we leave Shadow sweeps the candle from the altar to the floor. The altar now shows no sign of ever having the candle on its surface nor is there any indication of the dead centre of the altar.

We return to the entrance of the temple. The amount of time that's passed seems to be different to our internal body clocks but, as it's night time, we camp in the relative warmth of the courtyard of the temple. During the night there is minor earthquake2.

In the morning we head back towards the cave with the portal. This takes two days and on the second day we can see the cave and, looking back, Shadow sees a shape entering the temple (and this isn't the same shape(s) we saw leaving the temple on our original journey towards the temple). Looking more closely at the shape through binoculars Nameraka is able, after throwing up the remains of his breakfast, that the shape seems to be horrible and enormous spider.

A giant spider dimly seen in a dark forest

Could this be the cause of the rustle and the webs?

We return to the portal and travel through it. Shadow sets up a shaped charge to attempt to destroy the portal. The explosion does cause the portal to flicker but when the dust clears it's obvious that the portal is undamaged and still operational. The same can't be said for Shadow who clearly mishandled the charge and is very badly injured and requires hospitalisation. As we return down the hill and through the second Torii, Wakiya spins round and sees both the rustle of leaves and some fresh webbing.

At the farm there is still many Section 9 operatives and they quickly call for medevac transport for Shadow. The rest of us move to return to base and report to Kitsune.

Footnotes

  1. The other hand being a cyber hand as Nameraka lost that hand in Cyberpunk Session 13. ↩
  2. Say about 4 on the richter scale. ↩

Traveller Session 14

First published 13th October 2025 (Last Modified 14th October 2025)
Game Date
237-1105
Location
886-945
A map of the local jump map around Bularia

View of 886-945 from space (with cartographic information added). Source of the radio jamming is shown as a pink ≏ at roughly the seven o'clock position about half way from the centre of the circle of the globe (and in a mountainous hex)

We use the asteroid belt around the Gas Giant as our launch point and set our trajectory towards the planet. We all man our own stations and are equipped with all our weapons, Cyn has medical supplies in a pack for emergencies, Junebug and Kimbley are in her quarters for safety. Masuyo has set up the recording device, and is on the bridge along with Cyn, Tharbin and Chase are in the pilot seats, Earl is in the Gunner seat and monitoring sensors and finally I am in engineering. Our pilot makes a perfect trajectory plan and pulls it off flawlessly.

The planetary maps we got from the previous surveys the first of which shows no water and the second one shows around 20 % water on the surface, but we estimate around 30%, we approach from the North and ship is holding up well, no active scans as far as we can tell as we make our approach. Respirators are required as the atmosphere in very thin (again!).

Two ships on a mars like surface. The ships are separated by a shallow canyon and overlooked by a large dark brown cliffside. The left hand ship looks like a standard type S scout ship. The right hand ship is larger and two decks in height.

The site of the radio interference. The left hand ship looks like a standard Type S scout ship. The right ship is larger and has two decks. The ships are separated by a shallow canyon (easy to climb from the lighter colour base of the canyon to the darker colour of where the ships have landed (taking, say, only one combat round to do). The site is overlooked by a much taller and larger rock/cliff made of a much darker brown than the rest of the scene.

Tharbin stays with the Hope and the rest of us except Junebug and Kimbley head out. We are around 11km away from the installation which will take us a day or so to reach on foot. After we several hours of walking we begin to see a narrow ravine in the distance, with two ships on either side of it. Neither of them are Imperial ships but one is a Scout ship at around 100 tons the other ship is of unknown origin and is around 300 tons, we don’t see any signs of movement around either of them but they do have running lights on. we approach from the North and pick out a discreet campsite to watch the ships overnight and forming a plan to get to them unseen. Watches are set and the night passes uneventfully, no signs of movement and no other signs of change overnight except for one cabin light that came on towards to front of one of the ships for about an hour before it was turned off. I have been asked to have another look at the unidentified ship to see if my time in the Navy jogs my memory for its configuration but nothing comes to mind, but I can confirm that it is not Imperial. The scout ship is armed as is the unfamiliar ship. Earls time with the Scout Service allows him to guess at it possibly being Darrian or Zhodani.

A blue bipefdal creature wreathed in some kind of white light. The creature has claws and a crazy grin

Artist's impression using the description of the creature as described by Earl.

A hatch opens and someone climbs out and then disappears as if they have fallen to the ground, we are in pretty open ground with very little ground cover for us to take shelter behind. Earl tells us of a humanoid approaching us but he is the only one who can see it???? He thinks it might be a Vargr, which is a humanoid canine, bipedal and sentient.

Why is Earl the only one who can see it?

As it gets closer it becomes obvious to Earl that it is not in fact a Vargr as it does not have any fur or the distinctive long snout and it does not appear to be wearing any clothing. Earl tries to communicate with it but gets no response and it attacks Earl with long claws but misses. He jumps back away from it, putting Chase in its path for the next attack and Chase feels a breeze pass his face. Masuyo radios for Tharbin to bring the ship to us and gives him our position, Cyn is next and her Armour seems to somehow fail and she is in a lot of pain but has no idea why. After several shots from all of us Earl informs us that it appears to be retreating and that it seems to be glowing. After having a careful look around Earl confirms that it has completely retreated and it appears safe for us to proceed. We head for the airlock on the Scout ship.

Again the question that most bothers me is why was Earl the only one able to see that creature? I ask him but he has no idea himself but Cyn decides she wants to runs some tests when we get back aboard the Hope.

Mongoose Traveller 2e Character Creator

First published 8th September 2024 (Last Modified 11th October 2025)

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            DJV's Mongoose Traveller V2 Character Creator Plugin Version 3.327.0

            Traveller Session 13

            First published 5th October 2025
            Game Date
            211-1105
            Location
            Iderati → Ucella → Bularia → 886-945
            A map of the local jump map around Bularia

            Preparations for departure have gone smoothly and you've completed the small amount of maintenance needed between jumps (The annual maintenance covers the major overhauls and servicing, but there is always some inexpensive checks that must be made between jumps).

            Chase and Earl hear that Captain Vexar's activities have picked up lately.

            Permission for take-off is denied as we await agents, four of them arrive at our dock with a warrant to search our vessel based on reports of us carrying Imperial contraband. We are only carrying standard cargo, so permission for them to board is given as we have nothing to hide. They will not provide us with any information on our accuser. Masuyo however accompanies them and makes sure they make quick work of their search, they are thorough and make a general search, the only information we get from them is that it came from an anonymous tip off... Masuyo asks Chase to check on all recently departed and currently departing ships. The Customs agents do not find anything, all the paperwork has been thoroughly checked and signed by Captain Earl. Only two ships have left within the past hour, a Far Trader and a Bulk Cargo Freighter. Junebug is suspicious in regards to our delayed departure. Launch clearance is finally given and our jump plot is successful.

            Masuyo asks me to look through all the engine and power systems and to keep an eye on things just in case of sabotage. As far as I can tell everything is running fine. The standard Jump nausea has passed so it should all be fine, but I will keep a watch on everything anyway.

            A smoggy view from several thousand feet. Through the smog we can see a town on the left hand side and in the centre is a hill also visible through the smog. A tower or grain silo is visible on the hill. Other hills are poking through the smog in the distance.

            The view of Ucella Town as seen during the approach.

            We reach our destination without incident and plan to land at the D-class star port, as we radio for landing permission, we are instead directed to land in a nearby playing field next to the river, we request authorisation to refuel from the river which is granted. LSP have had an accident of some kind is what we have been told. The star port will send trucks to us for unloading our cargo. Junebug decides to stand guard on-board for this as she is again suspicious. As we come in for our landing Chase makes a flyby the Star port which is no longer there, (smog causes visibility issues) but what we can see is a 10,000 ton freighter lying in what was the star port. We land and set up our hoses for the water refuel transfer.

            I make quick check on all our power systems and all is good.

            According to the star port staff LSP are crap, they have been planet-side for twenty years and own the star port for their freighters, but sometime within the last week one of them took off then crashed a few minutes later taking out the star port as well as the freighter. They are not overly forthcoming with information on repair times etc. The Merchants Hall is open for us to be able to acquire more standard cargo for our next stop.

            There is nothing of note happening (aside form the crashed freighter) for the day that we are on the planet surface, no strange incidents, we do have Kimbley sniff at the cargo as it is loaded to check for anything untoward which is great practice for her.

            We request launch approval and offer to pass on the information regarding the star port to Bularia which is our next stop. Our Jump this time was slightly more turbulent than usual and the nausea lasted a bit longer than normal as a result. I need another 8 week study period to up my Engineer(Power) to 2.

            A clean view of an agricultural town from a few thousand feet above. A wide river is flowing from the top of the image to the bottom of the right hand side of the image while the town is surrounding by farm fields.

            View on approach to Bularia Town

            We reach 110 diameters from Bularia (due to Jump), and contact star port control for landing permission and are assigned docking pad 7. We are informed that refuelling is 100 credits per tone of unrefined fuel. We pass on the news about the star port on Ucella, and we are thanked for the news and told an advisory note would be issued. We land and offload our cargo and pay for some fuel. We don’t take any cargo from Bularia as our next stop does not have a star port but they seem very keen to sell us their grain, we ask if they can keep 20 tons of it for our return trip. Bularia is an agricultural world.

            We all decide that this is a great opportunity to have some down time, 2-3 days, Chase heads to the pub to glean some information/gossip, and finds that a fair amount of non Imperial traffic comes through here from the Sword Worlds, Zodani and Darrians. Chase is approached by a journalist about the LSP freighter on Ucella but declines to give any information. He does ask about entertainment in the area and is told that there are dances and radio stations available and there is gambling as well (music and dancing is 1930's style). Chase tries out the gambling with a few bets and breaks even, while doing this he hears that pirate activity has increased which is unusual for Bularia. Traders have seen some action with laser scoring on the hulls. There is no specific route which stands out as being targetted. Masuyo and I offer to keep watch on the ship so Junebug can Get Kimbley out for some much needed fresh air and exercise and longer walks. Our downtime winds down and we plan for our next Jump.

            Launch clearance is given and we perfectly plot and execute our Jump. The trip is smooth and we all continue with our training/education. We emerge from Jump and a familiar level of static comes across on comms. We head for the systems gas giant as fast as possible, as the jamming affects the sensors too. We all dash for the windows to see if we can visually see anything unexpected, Cyn tries the sensors again but we are sitting in a ball of static and it's no use. Possible pirate activity, there are no active scans only passive ones. The jamming does appear to be coming from the plant we have been sent to survey, which seem to have a frontier style installation. We put the gas giant between us and the planet and any further scans do not net us and further information. The jamming does not appear to be affecting any of the other plants in the system, so we discuss our options for approaching the plant. We talk about trying to approach when the installation is on the dark side of the plant but as it is tidally locked to the gas giant this is not an option. we decide to approach with minimal systems online to leave as little signature as possible for any scans, which will essentially make us appear as a falling rock. as we will be running with very minimal life support we all put on our Vacc suits and put Kimbley into an emergency Vacc ball, then we turn off all no essential systems and head for the planet. We aim for a near miss by the installation so we can try and land on the backside of the planet as fast as possible.

            Cyberpunk Session 16

            First published 8th September 2025 (Last Modified 28th September 2025)
            Kitsune showing her form as the nine-tailed fox of asian mythology

            Kitsune, as seen by Tremen when he was giving his report

            We return to the farm where there is now plenty of Section 9 activity (the normal parts of Section 9, not that part of it to which we have been assigned). After retrieving our gathered cold weather equipment we head up to the track that leads up the hill (attracting strange looks from the operatives in the area - but they know better than to inquire). We soon pass the first torii where, again, we get the feeling of being watched. This feeling only intensifies as we head further in and past the second Torii (Ricky reports that the feeling is no longer of unconstrained hatred but now has a tinge of restocking the larder about it).

            Now we're far away from prying eyes and ears (or, at least, those of Section 9 and the general public), Tremen shares his experience reporting to Kitsune and her apparent change in appearance. The consensus is that this is more evidence of the secret world that is really behind what is going on in the world. In addition we also conclude that we need to investigate the temple we saw on the other side of the portal and then find a way to deactivate that portal (preferably with us on this side of it). If we don't then Kitsune is going to have to do so herself and that is likely to be a lot more violent than any closing solution we're likely to come up with.

            We continue through the cave entrance and into the cave. There is now a noticeable breeze in the cave and the temperature is colder than our previous visit (e.g., the mist is deeper and thicker). We continue to the portal and do through.

            There is a storm raging outside the cave on the other side and we decide to wait it out (mainly because the ice crystals in the wind can be quite irritating. Shadow does take the opportunity to scout the downwards slope, but can't risk going too far.

            The storm passes in a couple of hours and the day become crisp and clean (even if the sunlight is somewhat pale and wan). We gather ourselves together, ensuring we have a rope tether to minimise the risks if (when) any of us stumble. A check of our short range walkie-talkies shows these are working - albeit with a limited range and a bunch of static. The path down is, initially at least, relatively easy going. Shadow, for he has taken point, spots something ahead and signals for Wakiya to join him. Through her scope she sees five figures - all hooded and larger than human apart from one. They seems to headed for the distant mountains and don't seem to have spotted us. We resume the journey towards the temple that was visible from the cave entrance - but now being more cautious about being spotted.

            A snow field showing some tracks (which stop a short distance away). Mountains are visible in the distance

            A view of one route we examined and then decided to avoid

            The terrain is relatively flat (there are small undulations in the snow but nothing too severe and definitely flatter (and easier) than the surrounding terrain). We do a quick check of the snow depth which shows it's at least four feet deep. Despite Nameraka struggling a little with the journey we feel we're making progress towards the temple, even if it's often a case of It's just over the next hill. It's at this point we realise that it might have been a good idea to record our route so we take some time to record the terrain of the hills we left together with some compass bearings.

            As the day wears on, we reckon that (a) we've come about half-way and (b) we have to make a camp that will have to be snow shelter dug into the snow. Digging the shelter takes a lot effort - so much in fact that Shadow collapses from the effort and Tharbin soon suffers from the cold (if in a slightly milder way than Shadow). Nameraka takes charge of getting Shadow and Tharbin into the shelter and working on restoring their core body temperature by any means necessary (including sharing body warmth). An uncomfortable night is passed by all with a light, intermittent watch being kept by Tremen.

            After breakfast the next morning (and we're relieved to see that there's no wind this morning) we set off - now with Wakiya taking the lead and Tremen stumbling at the rear.

            After taking most of the day we actually arrive at the temple. Its entrance has a large arch over it and there's no snow on the ground around the entrance. We welcome a warming heat from the entrance that not only has melted the snow, but dissipates the chill within us as well. To Shadow reminds him of South American monuments such as Machu Picchu.

            Inside the temple a green glow is coming from the walls - in fact from the lichen on the walls and a corridor leads onwards. Following it we soon come to a crossroads (i.e., passages to the left, to the right and ahead as well as the corridor we came down). Tremen stays to watch the crossroads as the rest of the team explores down the right hand passage.

            This leads to a large room with four closed and empty cages in it. Tharbin reports that one of cages shows scrape marks from its cage door and there's a black goo in the scrapes. A sample of the goo is gathered and Ricky observes that the cage itself has moved - but the cage is too massive for any (or even all) of us to move. On the wall a worn and indecipherable bas-relief - possibly a picture of some kind. Wakiya takes a film camera picture of the bas-relief (with Ricky standing next to it both as a marker of scale and cast a light along the surface to highlight any remaining relief to the bas-relief).

            A temple in the style of a south american pyramid but topped by a dome in the form of Cthuthlu

            The bas-relief in the left hand room

            Tremen is able to distinguish a faint machine/mechanical hum coming from the left hand passage and with investigation of the right hand passage being completed the team heads across and down the left hand passage. The hum is coming from a generator that is powering a bank of freezers (well one freezer - the others are not powered on at this time) and some fluorescent lights. The room also holds a pair of benches with a sheet over something laid on the benches plus what is obviously some kind of rest area (cots and furs are strewn about). However it is another large bas-relief that catches the eye of both Tremen and Ricky. This one is in much better condition and, for a brief period, Tremen and Rocky are capitivated by it - until they rouse themselves and hastily leave the room complaining of a nasty headache (Tharbin moves to deal with this leaving the others in the room). The bas-relief is of some kind of building/temple that is vaguely familiar to Wakiya.

            Nameraka examines the benches and lifts the sheet to reveal a large long segmented leg (approxiamately twice as long as Nameraka is tall). There is more black goo on the leg - presumably its blood and Nameraka surmises that it looks like it comes from a (huge) spider.
            He also checks the working freezer and determines that it seems to have a frozen block of the black goo (a sample of which is also taken).

            Ricky explores the rest of the room. In addition to the cots there's a ricketty desk (one that looks like it's a cheap flat-pack). On the desk is a test tube rack with a test tube holding a silver liquid within and two parchments. One parchment has a five item list, the other has unknown writing but with the logo of Neuf mères on it. There's also a leather satchel (containing a pack of cigarettes, a pen and notepad - inside of which is another five item list (including Moon Cow Milk), bad song lyrics and worse poetry).
            Wakiya scoops up the parchments and test tube, puts them carefully into the satchel and then moves the satchel into her pack.

            We now leave that chamber, head back to the crossroads and down the one unexplored path. This continues downwards and after a hundred metres or so it starts getting cold again. In addition the light cast by the lichen changes from green to blue. There's the murmer of some kind of indistinguishable language ahead.....

            D&D Session 8

            First published 22nd September 2025
            • The party proceed to the broken boundary wall and spot a path that heads off towards the woods.
            • Silanne takes the lead and examine the paths and observe several tracks, then heads to the isolated tree and then skirts to the south of the woods, before heading north into the woods. The path is well hidden under the canopy of the trees, Silane continues quietly up the path which emerges at a rock wall. Silanne points to the wall and signals Fiorana to come up and examine it. A hidden door is discovered that Fiorana proceeds to open.

            Excerpt of the Phandalin Map showing a path marked around the southernmost part of the woods to the east of alderleaf farm

            The faint path around the woods

            The party order

            The party order

            • The door opens into a tunnel that is just about wide enough for 2 persons, Fiorana takes lead followed by Crom, Silanne & Bluebell, Tarqual, Trem & lastly Tharbin. The tunnel continues north leading to and opens up into a cavern. Fiorana whispers to the group I'm hearing an ominous voice in my head, anybody else hear it?
            • The Tunnel eventually opens up into a cavern & Crom takes lead preparing for what ever lays ahead, Crom moves forward and steps up to a bridge, as he does so the bridge emits a loud cracking sound and collapses underneath him. He tumbles down.

            The map as initially seen by Tarqual

            The map as seen by Tarqual after the initial moves

            • Fiorana heads east along a path then disappears down stairs out of sight, A expression of concern that turns into a look of worry comes over Tarqual. He whispers something to Bluebell
            • I heard the words i like it when i can play with me food which I mention to Bluebell. I then hear the words you’re not like the redbrands are you? you seem too know what you are doing

            The map as seen by Tarqual after moving deeper into the caves

            • Fiorana disappears I hear the sound of a door being open, and all hell breaks open, Drunken voices and Crom screaming down the corridor to the east can be heard
            • There are sounds of shouting and whispers all round, and the party proceeds to disperse and target at range. Silanne hasn’t been seen since disappearing down the right hand tunnel near where we entered the cavern.
            • Fiorana & Crom attack the band to the east down the stairs, whilst Tharbin myself & bluebell target the creature to the North

            The map as seen by Tarqual at the end of the session

            D&D Session 4

            First published 10th June 2025 (Last Modified 22nd September 2025)

            Some debate about the plan1 to burn down The Sleeping Giant inn is pursued and the party takes note of Silanne's wise guidance of being cautious, until we have more information. The talk is upsetting to hear from the party, any innocent life lost is not something that I could align myself to. I am relieved the party have seen sense.

            The party assembles for breakfast next morning, Tremen receives a person who pulls up with the cart outside the inn, it appears to be loaded with some provisions. Tharbin eyes the keg of ale on the cart and ensures it is secured for the trip, some raised eyebrows from the party are ignored by Tharbin.

            After a short time preparing, the party head back down to the trail before heading up the path to the north.

            Some time later we spot Silanne who signals to us, Tremen directs the cart to a spot on level ground. Silanne then heads off to scout further up the path as we make camp, waiting for information before proceeding into possible danger.

            A female halfing rogue examing a body on the path.

            Fiorana cautiously examines a body on the path

            A small cave entrance with a small stream leading from it

            The cave entrance (or, at least, one intepretation of it)

            Silanne appears a short time later and signals the party to proceed in formation, and follow him. Fiorana examines a body on the path wearing a red cloak. The wounds don't appear normal, poison is ruled out, magic is suspected by Fiorana. The party than continues down the path in formation. An hour later Silanne pauses and examines the ground, then is seen advancing more cautiously, we assume some tracks have been spotted. The party eventually arrive at a stream that is exiting a cave. Silanne lets loose with a bolt towards the right bank of the river, we hear a roar, the rest of the party move up the river to cross to the other bank, quickly some goblins are engaged & dispatched. Tharbin, Silanne & Fiorana enter the cave, some wolves snarling are heard somewhere inside. Silanne moves ahead towards the wolves, a short moment later some whimpering is heard and the snarling dissipates.

            Tharbin proceeds further into the cave and takes a turn to the left - a possible fork up ahead on the path, I proceed up to the right and spot a goblin patrolling a bridge fording the stream.

            Footnotes

            1. DJV: Tremen is completely unaware of this plan and its discussion ↩

            D&D Session 7

            First published 22nd September 2025
            A view of a farm in a valley over a stone wall. There are woods on the slopes of the valley.

            A view of Alderleaf farm

            • Summary of last session: A discussion takes place about dealing with the Redbrams. Tremen is reluctant to confront the Redbrams, without any further evidence of wrongdoing, and then proceeds to talk to the town clerk to see what his position is on the goings on of the Redbrams & the sleeping giant.
            • Monkeys name Fortenbrass. Dwarf Grundrem who gave us the initial quest is Fortenbrass friend.
            • Tremen goes to the town hall and gives a report to Town Clerk with Sildar present, whom confirms details of Tremen report.
            • Sildar confirms presence of the Redrams presence in the caves, & the town clerk mentions concerns arts of extortion and strange disappearance of a family that lived opposite the sleeping giant. The discussion continues with the town clerk not committing to an exact amount of payment or precisely what he wants us to do. Eventually Tremen agrees to investigate the missing family.
            • Silanne investigates the pathway that they observed last night whilst monitoring the goings on from the Sleeping Giant.
            • Tremen heads off to the building that the missing family were residing in, on arrival he observes the building looks like it has been ransacked, and notice the mouldy food looks like a couple days. On exiting the building Tremen notices some scuff marks on the door and appears it tracks out towards the sleeping giant.
            • Fiorana brings back some apples from the orchard.
            • Bluebell & Tarqual head of to the Smithy and have a general pleasant chat and discover he is Sildar’s son. Eventually the party reassemble and Tremen briefs us on the party. We decide to collectively head off to the sleeping Giant and investigate.
            • Tremen & Silanne approach the front door first, Tremen casts a check evil & good before casting detect magic. Tremen approaches the door and observe its ajar so pushes open. He did sense the presence of magic.
              • Cromagon casts danger sense and seems unworried
            • Fiorana sneaks into the back upstairs and is surprised by another halfling jumping out of a box, who mentions he lives at Alderfarm, & often sneaks in to play with his friend Narse who lives across the road.
            • Tremen enters the room and it appears empty, Bluebell heads to the bar and seeks out a drink, with their familiar in tow (an otter). After a quick survey notices the door at the ear and heads towards it, with some of the party following behind. The door leads to some stairs that lead down to a storeroom.
            • Silanne notices a chute that most leads to the outside, and further exploration starts to examine a barrel
            • Silanne shouts out for Fi to get downstairs sometime during the search of the building.
            • Tarqual finds 2 scraps of red cloth that appear to be part of ropes tucked away behind the bar.
            • Cromagon heads off to talk to the locals to inquire last time any of the Redrams were seen.
            • Trem & Bluebell head off to the house, Trem is a little surprised by the transformation of bluebell into a wolf as they enter the house.
            • Tharbin appears at the door at the back of the room and beckons us towards him and we head down the stairs, Silanne asks where Bluebell & Tremen are; & I mention that I overheard them saying they were heading back to the home of the missing family. He proceeds to dash upstairs out of the building, and a loud whistle is heard a short time later.
            • Eventually everybody is assembled in the cellar/storeroom and caught up on the party’s exploration.
            • I offer the scarps of the red cloth for examination and Tremen suggests passing them onto Bluebell who appears in wolf form. Eventually we decide on proceeding through the hidden door down into the tunnel. The tunnel just about holds 2 abreast but it would be difficult to swing a 2 handed weapon. The party descends with Bluebell in wolf form at the forefront with Silanne behind. The party eventually climbs out of the tunnel and emerge at the broken wall to the North of Alderleaf farm and to the west of the wooded area. Silanne reminds us of their observations of the movement of people from last night.

            Traveller Session 12

            First published 28th August 2025 (Last Modified 14th September 2025)
            Game Date
            200-1105
            Location
            Debarre then Iderati
            Jump map around Iderati

            We plot a course for Iderati and we aim to drop out of Jump close to the gas giant to scoop some fuel before making our landing on the planet.

            GM⇒Fiorana

            203-1195 - The engines(Jump, maneuver and power) are all operating smoothly. In fact they are running slightly better than on the Jump between Flammarion and Debarre.

            Our present Jump is progressing smoothly and during the Jump we decide to land at the low star port to offload the Debarren Bear. Our exit from Jump close to the gas giant puts us around three days out from Iderati, Masuyo contacts Star port control to alert them to our presence and our intention to gather fuel from their gas giant before requesting a berth in the low star port and giving them a quick report. Tharbin successfully scoops some unrefined fuel for processing.

            While we are travelling towards Iderati we find out that they have and A class star port, a dense atmosphere so masks may be required and a lot of oceans, we are not allowed to carry weapons or armour as they have a Law level of 8. We are assigned berth 36 after letting them know that we have the Bear on board which is tranquillised. We have a good landing and an official is heading towards us with all of the relevant paperwork of customs etc., Masuyo pays the docking fees from her own personal funds on this occasion. we have 20 tonnes of standard cargo to be offloaded to the Merchants Hall and the Brokerage may be the best place for us to sell the Bear. The official asks if we need any supplies and she replies with a not right now we are here for about one week.

            We get 18,000 credits for the cargo we brought, and we split up to do our own thing. I receive an email:

            We get an offer of 4,000 credits for the Bear, we know we can get more for it but that will take longer and we may have to transport it elsewhere so for the sake of convenience to us we sell it but tell the buyer they have to collect it or pay us more for delivery. the buyer opts to collect it but tells us it may take a few days to organise transport for it.

            I tell the rest of the crew about the email I received and Masuyo is instantly suspicious why I am I getting this email and not the Captain of the The Hope? Who is the person sending it? She then does some research and it seems that the email is in fact legitimate, she also finds out that he is quite high in the Chain of Command for the sub-sector, he is in fact the Knight in charge, I find out when and where this dinner is to be held, and what kind of dress code is required, We need to be clean neat and tidy, smart clothing but not dress uniform. The dinner is to be held two days hence at his personal estate.

            Earl heads to the market to mosey around, whilst Cyn heads out to the pub, they both kind of get similar information, we are near the edge of The Imperium, no trouble is expected in the area, there are the occasional Sword World travellers for trade but nothing more dramatic and there are no reports of Zhodani ships.

            We decide who is attending the dinner with me and Earl decides to stay behind while the rest of us go, we call for a taxi to take us. We arrive at the estate and are greeted by Mamon Wakisha, he takes us inside and makes sure we all have a drink, then he asks us about our recent adventures and talks about the events on the Nicholas de Nicola, it turns out that he chose to crew rosters for the trip out to Leviathan. Masuyo notes that I am being treated as nobility by him even though I am not. We openly tell him about what we have been up to since we became a detached scout unit and he seems to be very impressed about our rescue of the town in danger from the volcano. he then moves on to tell us that he is not impressed with the Nobility and Navy on Iderati, but he has no real clout to make any real changes in the sub-sector. We finally get to the reason he invited us and it seems he has recently come across some conflicting reports on the planet 886-945 one report E800000-0 states that there is an atmosphere and water but no people and E833000-0 states that there is no atmosphere and water, he offers us 250000 credits to investigate and carry out a more thorough survey of the planet for him. we discuss potential travel routes one of which would take us to Gothe which has a Law level of 11 and we are vert reluctant to take this route so we check for alternatives. I negotiate with Mamon and he agrees to 300000 credits or he can arrange for a weapon for the ship. We agree to take the job but ask him for some time so we can discuss which reparation option we want to choose, this seems to impress him.

            After quite a bit of discussion we opt to take the money, and as for the question on Annual or Monthly maintenance for the Hop we opt for the yearly maintenance and aim to get her in at around 50 weeks.

            View of dry desert-like environment. There is a small moon visible close to the horizon

            A view of 886-945 from the first scout report

            A view of a canyon showing massive outcropping of uneroded rock. There is a river at the bottom of the canyon. A spacesuited figure is gazing at the landscape


            A view of 886-945 from the second scout report

            We have a few questions for Mamon:

            Has anyone else been sent to 886-945 and not returned?
            No.
            We need copies of the Scout reports.
            Copies of the reports are sent to us, surveys were carried out from orbit, ground surveys from different locations, the first one was carried out 20 years ago and the second 10 years ago.
            What if we take damage?
            Repairs will be carried out if there is demonstrative damage.

            The reason he has asked us to investigate is that he would like to know if the planet is habitable, he has only recently found to two conflicting reports which is why we are being asked to carry out this task now. From the reports he has it seems there are no people, infrastructure or Government etc. We make the final agreement and officially accept the mission. We take on some standard cargo for our next stop.

            Jump route Iderati → Ucella → Bularia → 886-945.