I am Brandr part 1:

Welcome!

This is a retelling of the AD&D2ed game my friend Jay ran on Roll20 Wednesday night.

My character is a 3^rd level Barbarian named Brandr.

This is his version of the events , others might differ, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle.

I don't get to play all that often so I try to take notes when I do, this is the result.

Others:

Guthar Wulfhar a Preist of Thodin

The Master, A druid

Cyrus Magnus a thief? Were still not sure, he is cagey.

Johann Tyree, Assistant Professor from Achoo University and Gnomish Lecturer

I am Brandr part 1:

I am Brandr. I have come south from my tribe because in a dream I heard the call of the Druids. Dream Magic is powerful and it is all I needed to leave my home. I am near the city of Krom, this is far form my mountain home, I will miss the bear hunt this  year, but this I must do.

I have arrived here near a cave with a group of travelers, one it was said is a Druid perhaps even the last druid, so he must be the one I seek. I join them, quietly, they except me as hired muscle, though in the end I will except no coin, I am no mercenary.

We enter the cave, I was told that a beast known as Krampus was hiding inside and that this beast was behind the theft of several children from nearby city. I care not for the city folk, but their children are innocent, so it has come to pass that this “Krampus” will die by my ax.

We immediately blunder into a nest of large cave spiders, I have not seen their like before, and hope to not again. The spiders are aggressive, in the fray most of the group keep their distance, wanting to fling arrows and use crossbows, one of them even manages to hit me in the shoulder with a stray bolt. Such is bound to happen in such tight quarters. Foolish to use bows in such a tight area. As it turns out there are two of the beasts and I manage to parry one then the other, be damned.

My ax ends one of the creatures admit is a shame, majestic beast.

The priest and druid of the group step forward and strike out with hammer and scythe. A priest of Thoth the cleric claims, though I know not the god to whom he speaks. The priest is grazed by one of the beasts, and steps away. The second spider falls dead under my ax. I kneel and prey to the lords of battle that I may fight with the aggression of these two spiders.

The rest of the group consists of a tiny man with odd features. I have heard them called gnomes or tinkers, where I come from and another man named Cyrus who fights with a crossbow and keeps to himself.

A strange group but this is where I must be, I feel it.

I attempt to harvest any poison glands from the great spiders but find none, perhaps they held no venom, unlikely, I have just never hunted such beasts before.

My companions look though the room and find two strange bottles, they offer them to me, though I am grateful I already carry a water skin and it shall sustain me. The group finds this funny.

The quiet one Cyrus does not believe in this Krampus, no matter, Cyrus is here risking his life to kill the Krampus anyway. Strange city folk. If I read the legend correctly this Krampus will enjoy dining on his eyes if he does not take care.

We pass door, with much discussion about how to open it and much examinations in the end one of the group simply pushes it open. Never has a door been such a riddle, I think they fear Krampus has trapped every hinge.

Within the next chamber three goblins who do not look to have been expecting us. I have no love for the underworld fiends and I make my ax ready.

The priest calls on his God and I behold the vines moss and lichen of the cave beginning to grow and entangle the goblins! What ever god this Thodin is he shares his power freely with this priest Guthar.

I swing at one goblin not yet ensnared and he dodges away I slip and lodge my ax well into my leg! A deep wound no less, the gods of battle must be punishing me for looking on the work of Thodin , and I will repay them with goblin blood in haste. I feel like a fool , but soon this goblin will pay.

Arrows fly from both sides again in the dark cave, the room is cramped and there is little to be gains form this ranged combat. The priest lunges forward, swinging wide also missing a goblin, his hammer far to high in the air. The druid, whom I now know is called simply “The Master” is fairing better as he separates one goblin from its head.

I hear a goblin in the back of the room muttering some wretched incantations in a foul speak, but the sound is cut short as an arrow takes to goblin in the throat, a fine shot in the darkness of the caves. What ever magics he was weaving died with him in a pool of blood on the floor.

I swing again this time missing the goblin but catching the priest , I wound him slightly , it is not serious but it is regrettable, damn these close quarters, I am getting ever closer to drawing my short sword and returning my ax to my back.

A second goblin charges but my armor takes the blow, I almost pity the goblin. The priest is not so lucky as he is struck again and backs away from the goblins and begins another prayer somewhere behind me. He asks for healing and again he is heard, a generous god indeed. For his part the druid has similar bad luck chasing a goblin in the dark I see him trip, cutting himself on his scythe, these caves are treacherous and so far we have been more harm to ourselves than anything!.

My anger is now up , this has gone on long enough I swing my ax with no kind intent killing a goblin with the blunt face of my ax and sending it flying a crossed the room. 

I move forward into the room as arrows seem to endlessly zip this way and that in the darkness, do they find their mark? I do not know.

The final goblin stands bravely , I don't know what compels them to stay and fight, he is dead where he stands yet he does not flee, I admire that, so I ready myself to kill him as cleanly as possible. The priest Guthar clashes with the goblin but it is wily and avoids being smashed to bits by his hammer. The creature puts up a brave defense avoiding both my blow, and parrying that of the druid, it took the gnome's crossbow to finally fell the creature.

The others search the room while I offer a prayer of thanks for such brave foes. I think they found some more bottles and some coins, no matter. Another door this one locked, no one seemed to know how to deal with the mechanism so I was about to put my ax to the timbers , when the gnomes steeps forward and deftly dismantles the hinge and latch. The stories of Gnomes intelligence must be true as this little fellow has proven quite useful.

The newly opened door reveals a long chamber with two more goblins these two seem ready for us , as they must have heard the fight in the room before. I move to attack and the goblin dodges away but it does not escape the Master, the scythe of the druid takes the goblins head, killing him where he stands. Once again the gnome shows his mettle with a perfectly placed crossbow bolt ending the second goblin.

This room is much larger than the other, with another door to the south. The priest commits last rights on the fallen goblins, his god must need some souls to clean the kitchens.

As we are searching the room a cowardly goblin attacks from the shadows, he is quickly dispatched by the one who calls himself the Master. That goblin showed no bravery except in the act of leaving the shadows to attack, what kind of hold must this Krampus have on these creatures that they will willing die for him? It matters not I will kill them anyway.

A simple door from this room to our south remains untouched as we press forward into a hallway and the growing darkness. We move towards a larger more solid looking door to The east. The group stops momentarily to go over supplies at a crossroad and search a strange empty chest.

There are two of these heavy doors here, one directly ahead of us what I recon would be east, and yet another to the south off of a short hall, we choose to press east but that door is locked. The gnome examines the door, and there is some continuing discussion about if the quiet one knows how to work locks. The gnome is stymied by the mechanism so I attempt to kick it open and fail.

We are left only with the similar door to the south or to backtrack, luckily this door is not as well built and I kick it to pieces.

Beyond the door two orcs are laying in wait for us. I move forward to block the brutes progress into the door way. I am hoping to introduce them to my ax before the can meet the others. More arrows fly from behind me, dangerously close in the narrow passage, and my attacks are turned by crude orc armor. The priest who is standing to my left mumbles a prayer to his god, Thodin is generous and some of my wounds are closed by his power. The gods of battle must know this Thodin, for he seems to hold me in his favor. The orcs counter but we defend deftly, they are not warriors but fighters and their crude techniques will undo them. An arrow finds it 's mark in one of the orcs thighs, the druid sees this as an opening.  The druid known as the Master calls fourth a flame from the very earth! It is a violent miracle, the druid throws fire at the orc burning it to death where it stands. 

The smell of burning flesh and hair permeate the small room, now it seems a real fight. The second orc is stunned by the sudden immolation of his clansmen. I feel for the orcs loss, so I cleave him in twain with my axe, that they may be together again. I offer a brief prayer for the orc warriors, they were outmatched, but still fought on, the gods of battle will favor them.

We move forward deeper into the cave of Krampus...

To be continued.

Quick note : roll 20 hates me , I rolled three "1's" almost back to back to back in combat. I took more damage from fumbles than I did from enemies!

Questions, comments, shenanigans are welcome!