They Met at a Tavern 19: Visiting Foxtail Grotto

Set up at the brewery on Sunday night, and found a full table. Excellent. I had a few choices in my folder, but with a table of meat, er, PCs, it was time to take on Foxtail Grotto. 

The cast: 

• Freya, Seawolf
• Durl Snuggs, Priest
• (forgot name), Bard
• Eswald, Seer
• Rand, Fighter
• Gilden, Wizard
• Holbarn, Fighter

We started at a small coastal settlement that had been plagued by pirates. The garrison's sergeant didn't have the resources or talent to root them out. But look! A seawolf and a handful of "talent." The party was equipped with a small sailing ship and basic supplies, given a map, and enough rumors to point them in the right direction. A day or so of sailing along the coast and poking around in coves, and they were rewarded with signs of activity, such as harvesting of timber for ship repairs.

Carefully navigating shoals, and they found the pirates' ship, the Meteor (mis-heard as 'meatier'). But it was in sad shape, holed on a rock. The party carefully navigated toward the ship to investigate, and got themselves hung up on the doomed ship's rigging. While clearing the snarl, one of the gaff hooks was snapped off, and a rotting, undead shark made its appearance.

duh-DUHN...duh-DUHN

It got turned away, and in spite of the hazard, three of the PCs hopped over to investigate the damaged ship. It was found to have been stripped of loot, and they were able to return to their ship without incident.

D66 Winter Carousing Happenings, Part II

As a follow-up to my last D66 Winter Carousings list, I recognized that Solstice/Generic Midwinter Holiday/New Years is a field ripe for harvest (bad analogy) and ginned up a second D66 list, complete with more frigid happenings, mishaps, and boons.

Hey, watch where you're driving!

So put on some thick socks, warm that mulled wine, and beware snowdrifts speaking Finnish:

Download me here!

Secret Santicorn 2025, Part III: Pathetic Dragons

And now my last(?) gift to shove under the OSR Discord Secret Santicorn tree:

Sylvanas_iii - A dX table of medieval dragons that look nothing like any self-respecting dragon should (e.g. the original French tarrasque)

First of all, before diving into this assignment, I must ask, who gave St. George all the good press for killing such a puny dragon? I mean, this thing looks like it could barely accost a self-respecting princess. Not to mention an armed and armored knight. This creature looks like a hatchling. Clearly, the dragon was the victim here.

IT'S JUST A BABY!

Obviously, the tale grew in the telling. 

Anyway, let's go find some weirdos.

1. Ah yes, the Septacranial Fluharmonizer. A beast notable not for its breath weapon, but its melodious vocalizations. "Septs" are often curated as local attractions, fed on a fine selection of lamb and lemon balm to coax their performances for the local economy. The six prima heads harmonize, as the posterihead maintains a rhythmic drone. Their songs are described as like "living pipe organs" by aficionados and as "feral bagpipes" by their detractors.

Secret Santicorn 2025: Part II: D66 Winter Carousing Happenings

My second gift as a member of the OSR Discord Santicorn 2025 Reserves(tm). 

energycrow666 - Carousing tables themed around winter and/or its attendant festivals, such as solstice, yule, and the new year.

by Arthur Rackham

Oh no. Don't make me do another D66 list. Please no... 😜

Inspired this morning under the influence of two cups of coffee and a bowl of Chocolate Honey Bunches of Oats.

Party on!

Note: Realized I totally forgot a krampus encounter, as well as a Yule Cat. There are just too many winter traditions and hazards... 

And, from The Resurrectionists, a bit more history of Christmastime Chaos:

Update: Bonus Part II of the table can be found here....

Secret Santicorn 2025: Downtime Happenings...

I was tardy in signing up for the OSR Discord's annual "Secret Santicorn" writing prompt exchange. But I let the organizer know that I'd be happy to pick up an orphan "gift" if need be. And so I was called off the bench.

Hello _ !
Your gift is for Houndmoon, who asked for:
“Set of useful downtime activities & the locations and characters they’re attached to.”

I can do this. In the tune of D66, of course...

Ooo! Downtime. Whee. Another Carousing Table! Can I roll a Suspicious Rash? Sketchy Business Venture? Notice from a Noble?

Nah, give me Something Better. I want a Cool Trick. Preferably from a Mysterious Stranger! Let's get us some Downtime Boons!

How does one come upon a Boon? Not by Gift or Grift but by Reputation. The PC must have Done a Thing that Caught Someone's Attention. Perhaps the fighter doing in the beast in the Arena, the cleric dispelling some Infernal Being, the mage Touching the Arcane, the thief Stealing the Thing. This Deed draws the Attention of a Mentor or Benefactor. Someone not affiliated with the current adventure, but who may become a Part of the World as the story continues. But most importantly, someone who thinks the PC worthy of a New Ability. 

They will contact the PC, perhaps directly, by messenger, or even subterfuge. After all, not all of these mentors are affiliated with Proper Channels or the Orthodoxy. In some cases, gaining this knowledge may even have the potential to Mark the PC as a Heretic or Iconoclast. So Beware. Many Gifts come with a Cost. Not to mention, now that the PC has been Found Worthy of a Boon, the Patron will likely want them to Run an Errand, Return the Favor, or Complete a Deed...

"The Noble Patron"