Uncertain Allies

This is a High Fantasy campaign set on our existing continent in the realm known as Durkin (Map #5).

Character Creation

From Fantasy book:
In low fantasy, and in fantasy based on folklore and fairy tales, point values below 100 often work well. An ordinary man thrown into adventure can be a 50-point character. In higher fantasy, characters built on 100-200 points work better; the added points can represent the Rank, Status, and Wealth of aristocrats, or the skills of veteran adventurers such as the heroes of sword and sorcery. In a dark fantasy setting, PCs may need the added points just for survival! Still higher point values are possible, but move the campaign to the level of epic, with heroes who can contend with the gods or challenge fate. This chapter assumes that the base for typical characters is 100 or 150 points, with up to 50 or 75 points in disadvantages.

Characters should have diverse but realistic skill sets. That is if you've been a baker's assistant your whole life, you're probably not an expert rider and swordsman, but you may have high manual dexterity, a good cooking skill, some herb lore, and perhaps be strong from lugging around bags of flour and making deliveries or such. In that example you may also be overweight for gorging on your own tasty sweet specialties.
I expect role-playing, not just hack'n slash dice rolling. I will be awarding extra character points for playing your character and for good role-playing.

The starting location will be Raal.

You are likely a novice adventurer or perhaps elder citizens who've never risen to heroics previousl, or perhaps a veteran adventurer whose career is in decline. At 120 points you are not likely complete rookies. Possible idea would be Ozgarnian barbarians, Wild Wood elves, devout religious followers, wandering gypsys or mercenaries. I would like interesting back stories to tie in and enhance the campaign. It's possible you are not an experienced adventurer, but then it would be unlikely that you have a 15 riding skill and a 18 broadsword skill, for example. Your points might be invested into trade skills or "book learning".

As you can see in the description of Raal, if you desire to be another race, likely templates would be:
Elf - -5 pt unusual background
Half-elf - no cost
Half-orc - -2 pt unusual background
Other race - with DM consultation

Characters will have 120 points to start with and up to -45 points in disadvantages with an optional additional -15 points to be used specifically for Enemies, Reputation or Debt disadvantages, but these must be a tangible part of your back story and your character during role-play.
Characters will be illiterate by default. Being semi-literate (B p24) in the Common tongue will cost 1 pt, literate 2 pts.

Equipment

• Characters will start with the TL3 starting wealth of $1000.00 which in Gurth recently has been one-thousand silver pieces. This can be modified by choosing the Wealth advantage or disadvantage accordingly. Clothing, weapons, armor and gear should be purchased at base cost in the Characters book from starting wealth. If you have $1000.00, you have nothing and are naked walking the streets of Gurth. A gold piece is ten silver pieces.

Specialized adventure gear and magical items from Dungeon Fantasy - Adventurers are fine. Magic items must be purchased with character points, at a cost of 1 point per $1000 cost.
* You may buy power stone(s) by spending 2 character points per power level, with a maximum of 15 power level total in all stones/items. Spending 20 points gets you a single 10 point powerstone, or two 5-point stones, etc.

Party

• Camille-Sophie Trillian, played by Niki
• Cyril Chadwick, played by Dan
• Kemble Coyote, played by John
• Chloe, played by Melissa

Prologue

A rapscallion band or road thieves "led" by Danris, tried to use a Draconian prisoner to rob a wagon manned by the half-ogre Sevog. During the ambush Anis, the haughty elven archer shot her ally, Danris as he stumbled and drove the half-ogre into the thieve's muscle, the half-orc Krog.

The ambush ended when the raid was raided by a shiny knight woman, exclaiming justice done by Donblas and a pale-skinned gray-lipped ghoulie who was perhaps a vampire. The draconian had climbed a tree to hide and watched as the armored woman vanished and the pale one drug bodies away.

What Happened

While Kemble had his toes sucked by a girl for hire in Randy's, Chloe sought out her white-haired goal, as Camille-Sophie Trillian snuck away from tea with her acquaintances to seek escort north back to Nottingham. Cyril Chadwick wandered into Raal from a farm and cold. Eventually, all were at Randy's.

Camille looking for a strange white-haired traveler, met Cyril and charitably invited him to stay at her home after Cyril finished his milk and dismissed the attention of Randy.

Kemble dismissed Trixi and Dixie to saunter over to the stern-looking woman watching him from the shadows beneath the balcony. Chloe and Kemble conversed a bit before Chloe tried to get a room and Kemble gambled with some locals and a large red-haired barbarian, losing no more than he gained on his way to the table.

Eventually, Chloe joined the drunken Kemble to his room where she massaged him into submission, then relocated his sword to the care of Randy downstairs. When Kemble realized this, he wore the bedsheet and marched her back down the stairs to reclaim his blade.

Cyril procured firewood from Camille's neighbor and learned that her husband passed on.

The night passed with little incident.

The next day, Cyril went about to try and obtain funds from his remote bank account while Camille packed for her journey north and Chloe told Kemble of a Mister Heebs whom they learned is a shady tax collector working for the guvner who reportedly skims some of the money for his own purposes and spends some of that at the Dripping Dinghy, a saloon with a water wheel on a stream by the southern edge of town.

After consulting with some town guards, namely Teddy (or Theodore), Kemble and Chloe worked their way to the nicer district of town where they happened to stumble across a young brick layer who pointed them towards where he'd most recently seen Heebs.

As Cyril approached, Camille was being accosted by a large man in a long black coat and hat who grinned slyly when she mentioned her husband. Cyril introduced himself and Mr. Heebs demanded that Cyril help Camille settle her debt in the next two days or else, before briskly walking away.

Kemble and Chloe arrived, just as Heebs marched away. As they questioned Camille and Cyril, a large owl flew from inside the house and landed on Camille's shoulder. This triggered Kemble to draw his short sword and run after Heebs, who had a couple of blocks lead.

Cyril loped after Kemble. After turning a corner and seeing no tax collector, and being pursued by the shouting Cyril, Kemble gave up the chase and they all returned to Camille's house.

The four now sit in front of her fireplace as Chloe breaks Camille's furniture and throws it into the fire while Camille crys into Cyrils supportive shoulder and Kemble drinks cooking brandy in the chilly mid-morning. It has just began a light snow.

Encounters in the Night

After a light lunch of Camille's remaining food, Kemble and Chloe retreated upstairs for a "nap". Sir Chadwick went about the house readying himself anything that seemed useful for their journey as Camille sat and stared into the fireplace forlornly.

When Kemble rose, he and Chadwick went out in seek of the money collector known as Mr. Heebs. After speaking to a laborer delivering fire-wood, they found Heebs boxing in a pit fight in the Dripping Dinghy saloon, by the side of the south stream. Unbeknownst to the men, Chloe was shadowing them. After losing money (borrowed from Kemble) on the match, Cyril spoke to Heebs about their plan to leave town without settling Camille's debt first. Heebs told Cyril to keep his white-skinned spook at bay and get him his money if he knew what was good for him and Camille. The three left after the encounter to retrieve Camille and go to Randy's for dinner.

Walking back with full bellies, discussing whether to leave town that evening or the following morning, the party noticed a strange orange glowing light from Camille's neighborhood. Upon closer observation, Camille's house was ablaze. After a brief disagreement with some city guards, Cyril ran into the house, released the caged owl within and grabbed his and Camille's smoking packs from the blaze. Kemble drifted away into the night shadows.

Later, Kemble came racing back toward the blaze with four saddled horses as Chloe was leaving the scene. Kemble handed the horses over to her as she was in some disagreement with Camille and they agreed to meet up outside of town.

Kemble retrieved Camille and Cyril as a wizard who had built a containing ice-wall about the burning house re-entered his wagon. The party convened outside the city and rode late into the night on the main road north.

They made camp in trees near the road and all promptly fell asleep in the light snow after a harrowing day.

Kemble was awoken by a slavering orc, pulling his pack from beneath his head. He shouted and, though naked, he gave chase, while Chloe ran after the routed horses in her underwear, Cyril attacked an orcish archer and Camille watched in shock. Before the brief skirmish ended, a strange pale-skinned gray lipped man and an armored woman attacked the orcs and an odd magical hemisphere of complete black erupted in the middle of the fray.

The armored woman and her pale accomplice dragged off an orcish body and she shouted a warning for the travelers over her shoulder. "You should be more cautious through these dark hills. There are many bandits and orcs. Also, I sense a great darkness among us. You'd best keep vigilant watch at night."

Points