Kal Arath Episode 4

Transcript

The storm finally passes

Two days of rolling sixes for weather. Today: a three. The storm tapers to light rain. No bonus to foraging, no penalty either. That’s the magic of solo RPGs. Who decides what these dice are going to roll? Not me.

They’re moving. Kethris the mantis (now a real character on a real sheet) is leading Garen back toward where the battle barge crashed. No foraging today. They’re in a hurry.

A hidden shrine

I roll for a place of interest while they move. Got one. But the Kal Arath oracle says flat no — this isn’t the battle barge wreckage. Roll on the place-of-interest table to see what it actually is. 21: a hidden shrine.

Another cult feels like the right hook. Does this idol belong to the same cult we already tangled with? Three. Flat no. But the symbol on the idol matches the brass lantern we looted from the giant skull cave. So this shrine belongs to the cult that desecrated the original shrine, not the one we already killed cultists from.

Intelligence check on Garen to see if he recognizes the cult. 2d6 minus one, looking for an eight. We just barely hit it.

Generating the second cult

I roll up the new cult on the Kal Arath generator:

The Supreme Circle of Manifold Majesties. A hidden mystery cult.

Garen doesn’t personally know about them (they’re hidden), but he recognizes the symbol from the brass lantern. There are bare footprints in the dirt around the idol. He tries an int check to read which direction they lead. Minus two. He fails. So all he can say is the prints either came from the cave they slept in or were heading toward it. No useful direction.

They camp for the night.

Night encounter: angry giant

Night encounter roll. Yes. Roll on the table. Giant.

Reaction roll, 2d6 flat. Angry and hostile. He’s already seen the campfire. He’s coming.

Giant HP is 6d6, which should be terrifying. But these dice continue to roll terribly for the first time in our benefit. Nine HP. Small giant. Thank the dice for once.

Garen tries to fire as the giant crashes in. Misses. Giant wins initiative and throws a boulder. Garen fails the dodge. I had fade points wrong, so I re-roll. Still fails. Six damage minus four armor — Garen drops to two HP. Not great.

Garen shoots back. Misses. Mantis leaps. Strength two leaping attack. Connects. Six damage minus one armor: five. The bite attack auto-hits off the leap. Two more. Giant down to two.

Giant tries to club the mantis off. Mantis needs an eight to dodge at zero agility. Gets a nine. The mantis is a true monster. Garen runs toward the fight but can’t reach to attack this turn.

Mantis claw attack. d6 damage. Roll it in the box. Enough.

Giant down, thanks to our sweet praying mantis soulmate. Garen was not going to go the distance. He’s actually pretty weak for a warrior.

Mantis the secret mage

Worth flagging: Kethris is technically a mage (we rolled that in episode three), but he didn’t cast a single spell during the giant fight. The Man Alone Prima Materia dice told us he’s still wary about revealing his magical nature to Garen. He’s decided to stick around for the long haul, but he isn’t ready to drop the cover yet. For now he’s a giant praying mantis with claws and a leap, and the magic stays hidden.

Looting the giant

Intel check on the body. Garen passes. Finds a tattoo or symbol matching the gold cult necklace we pulled off the cave cultists. Same cult. The Supreme Circle has reach.

Loot roll on the item table: 62 — a gold necklace, not enchanted this time, worth 60 silver. Same symbol. They take it.

Kethris is a she

Garen is genuinely impressed now. Took a giant down solo while Garen sat bleeding at two HP. Time to lock in some details. Is Kethris a “guy”? Roll. Three. No.

So Kethris is a she. A lady praying mantis. Doesn’t change much (she’s still a giant praying mantis), but now we know.

Day six — searching for the wreckage

New day. Weather: three again, light rain. Day six. The original cult (the Hidden Mysteries) is trying to prevent the sun from rising, and the persistent gray is starting to feel less like weather and more like cult activity working.

Search the hex for the battle barge: no. Get-lost check: not lost. Forage: four, good harvest, three rations. Place of interest: no. Encounter: no. Night encounter: no. Finally a quiet night.

Day seven — the battle barge

New day. Rain stops, but the air is unexpectedly chilly. Sun still not really up. Minus one to foraging. Don’t get lost. Search for the wreckage. Six.

They find it.

That’s where I’m stopping. I need to figure out what’s actually inside that wreckage, and that’ll take some prep on my side. So this’ll be the last Kal Arath for a little bit. Next time you see me, hopefully I’ll have a battle barge built. Thanks for watching.