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beansideSubject line of the day is from the very catchy song Darkside. I've been humming the chorus for the last couple of days, so of course I had to inflict in on someone else.
My morning didn't really improve from when I posted yesterday. I spent most of the day a little bit overstimulated and on edge. My sister was actually fairly restrained, I just couldn't settle back down. We made on trip out to get more gloves and my sister's prescription, but aside from that, I pretty much did nothing until game time.
I did decide around noon that I didn't like the one-shot module I'd bought to run for MotW, so I went looking on Drive Thru RPG and found a different one. The nice thing about MotW is that I know my group really well. (This does not mean that I know what they're going to do. God doesn't know what they're going to do, so I sure as shit don't.) But I know what might work, and what might not. I also know that I need the barest hint of a plot and they'll do the rest.
I think I've said it before--my first MotW game, I wrote three pages of notes. Three pages! Now, I write maybe a paragraph? I typed out a few key points of the module I bought, adjusted it for our game's mythology, and away we went.
The hunters were called to a familiar forest by the park ranger, a creaky older man named Ranger Richard. He suspected strange things in his park. A teenager disappeared from the park, but his friends didn't even remember that he'd come with them in the first place. They discovered via tiktok footage that he was actually in the truck when they'd left to come up. Now, one of his friends is searching the campgounds for information.
The ranger tells them that the park board is making noises that the park's resident grizzly bear might be at fault, but Ranger Richard is sure that Brogi wouldn't do something like that. He recommends checking in with Brogi.
On their way to the campsite, a grizzly bear with earphones skateboards past them. They flag him down, and Brogi greets them. He is a rad dude, out doing some sick flips on his board. (The party, ignoring the fact that this is a talking, skateboarding bear, immediately loves him.)
After a bit of chatting, and some empathy checks, the truth comes out. Brogi was once a normal bear, but about 6 months ago, thanks to another case, the fey Mole King obliterated the evil spirit of nature, and created a vacuum. Brogi, being the nearest creature, got hit with that magic, and became the new spirit of nature. Unfortunately, there was more magic there, the magic of potential. And recently, something formed from that potential. Something evil and terrifying.
Brogi saved, and kidnapped the teen to prevent him from being eaten. The team takes the kid home, and find bizarre and terrifying tracts in the mud near his campsite. They are snake like, but with handmarks, dragging the creature along.
In the woods, a flash of gray. And a haunting singing begins. The Flake immediately forgets what they're doing, why they're there and what is going on. The Apprentice and the Divine forget something, but are able to mostly retain what's going on, and the Spell Slinger remains untouched.
They give chase and find a nightmare creature with multiple death heads, It's a False Hydra, one of the favorite monsters in D&D. (look them up, they're terrifying.). It disappears before they get too close.
Deciding to round up everyone at the campsite, they bring them all to the nature preserve and call in a friend, a sniper to remove the heads from play, one at a time. Then, they cast a spell to ring the dinner bell.
The creature shows up and begins singing with all its heads. This time, at disadvantage, only the divine make's their save somewhat. When they come back to themselves, nearly half a dozen people are gone, including the sniper.
They follow the trail and catch up to the hydra when it curves back around to go for more food, drawn by the dinner bell spell they didn't remember casting.
They fight it in a truly ludicrous fight that involves the Spellslinger and the Divine riding Brogi the bear's skateboard back and forth around it, swinging swords and blasting it with magic as they go. Faced with such a mindboggling display, and with the Apprentice and Flake hitting it from a distance, it has no choice but to die.
They find everyone but the sniper alive, and reunite them with their families, who now remember them, as the hydra's power broke.
They leave Brogi to be the protector of the woods, and to get in touch with them should something else tap into the potential of the woods and come to be.
Next up, TTRPG week. I have a game on Wednesday, Friday, two games on Saturday and a game on Sunday. I'd better rest up my voice this week!
But for now, I suppose it's time to get ready for work, boo. Everyone have a wonderful Sunday!
