JJB's Solo Roleplay Session Report

[jongjungbu]

I thought I'd take another trip into that classic Buffalo Castle and write a roleplay session report of my experience into the fray. I'm not a writer, but I thought it would be fun. And for those few solo lovers who haven't played BC, maybe they could see its potential and acquire it for themselves.

I provide no game mechanic specifics, because they're copyright of course. And I don't want to provide too much spoilers, so I'll keep my trip short. Well I attempted to, as you will see if you read. I will attempt to attach the character sheet of the Warrior I took into BC, using Hogscape's homebrew character sheet no less!

Hope you like.
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The castle stood gloomingly before the jaded warrior. An embankment of clouds threatened menacingly behind the silhoutte of the castle. Doubt filled his mind as he questioned whether he really wanted to enter Buffalo Castle.

"Why am I doing this again?" muttered J quietly aloud.

J shrugged the pack on his back, allowing the weight to settle a bit higher on his shoulders, and stepped through the central door that lay gaping like an open mouth awaiting its meal. A darkness immediately clouded his mind and a dizziness spelled over his eyes; and as quickly as this strange sensation surrounded him, it ceased with all of its mystery.

J blinked his eyes a few times, as if this would undo whatever magic that had befallen him. A stirring noise caught his attention, and the stench and dampness of the room accompanied it. Before him lay an octopus like no other--eight tentacled arms of immense size, strength, and hunger! Two of the arms reached quickly for J's torso, but with his quick reflexes he managed to unsheath his two poniards before the tentacles wrapped his body in their gut-wrenching grip. J immediately slashed the arms in half with his dual blades, but one by one another arm came lunging for him, the giant octopus relentless on acquiring its meal despite the dismemberment. For some reason, the gods must have been watching over the jaded warrior during this immense foray. Over a dozen rounds of battle, a few blows to the head, and yet he remained one step ahead of the Octopus' deadly arms until finally he slew the beast onto the castle floor. Wiping the blood from his brow, J pulled himself together gathering his restraint and his breath, and gathered up some of the loose treasure in the room.

"My fallen brothers in arms will not be needing these coins where they've gone, I imagine," spoke J with a weak attempt at a smile. The Octopus had nearly bested him, and he hadn't forgotten the fate that could have befallen him. He pocketed the ten coins he managed to scavenge off the remains in the room and stepped through a nearby door to the west.

"Hopefully, it won't be so challenging in the rest of the castle," thought J to himself, "My head is still pounding from that sea creature. Probably the Lord of this castle's pet, the poor beast." The exhausted warrior meandered out of the Octopus' lair and into a long corridor and took what he felt was a northerly direction. He stopped cautiously at an intersection of corridors, looking left to right warily.

"Hmm, I thought I heard something," thought J. He squinted into the darkness, attempting to make out any moving forms in the dimly lit halls of the castle. No movement seemed to stir his attention. After awaiting patiently for any danger, J was satisfied that nothing was tracking him and continued his northerly trek through the castle and around a sharp bend to the left. There, he stopped dead in his tracks, marveling at the strange oddity swinging back and forth before him.

"Why would they put such a huge pendulum in a hallway?" wondered the warrrior aloud. He glanced back to the way he came and around the bend to the south, "Well, no turning back now I guess." J took a leaping stance, swaying to and fro, gauging the momentum of the pendulum to time the perfect leap and tumble through the swings. With a grunt he lunged awkwardly through the strange contraption, feeling a whiff of air graze the edge of his pack, but otherwise coming out unscathed on the other side.

"That was a little too close for comfort, J," said the warrior jokingly, "Why am I talking to myself?" J adjusted the loose pack on his back and continued west through the castle. Soon, he came upon a room with many a gold coin strewn serendipitously across the floor.

"By what fortune do I come across more coin. Some unlucky brethern were yet unfortunate here as well." J snagged handful of the coins and stuffed them into his pack. "I wish I could carry more, my golden friends, but alas I can't handle any more without weighing myself down."

"That's right, you need your agility in case another large creature comes up from behind...I am talking to myself again," said J exasperatingly. As he tightened up his pack, the remaining coins strewn across the floor vanished out of existence.

"What by the gods..." Coming from out of nowhere an ugly giant leaped toward J swinging heavy-handed fists like hammers. J dodged out of the way, deftly weilding his poniards and swiping at the giant's exposed legs. The huge attacker bellowed in pain and made another clumsy swing at the warrior.

"Dead on!" yelled the warrior as he took another swipe at the giants legs, then tumbled away. J suddenly felt a searing pain burn through his skull, he reached behind his head and felt the warm sensation of blood. He had miscalculated his tumble and slammed into the wall of the castle room.

"Agh, this room is too dark, can't see a thing in th--" J's afterthought was nothing but a thought as his face met with the head-sized fist of the clumsy giant.

This time, there was no clumsy miss, and J felt the world slip away. He blinked his eyes slowly, watching through blurred vision of tears and blood of the giant standing before him. He felt his limp body lifted into the air, then darkness came over him.

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[Hogscape]

An exalt for this fine bit of writing JJB! I hope this is the start of a trend with others recounting their solo travels!

[jongjungbu]

Thanks, HS. I also have a Deathtrap Equalizer roleplay session I will post here at some point too. Not to say I'm posting in order or whatnot. I have no Labyrinth session written, and not sure if I want to haha. Love the mythology, don't really like the solo in spite of that.

[Hogscape]

Ah, DED - now that brings back fond memories... Yes please!

[jongjungbu]

As you wish.

Deathtrap Equalizer Dungeon



Yeru stepped forth and quickly snatched the shiny ring from the palm of Umslopagaas of the Shiny Teeth. The ring was dull, obviously well worn, and had the insignia of a frog.

"A little patience would do you well there, young rogue," said Umslop with a wide grin, "The Equalizer is quite deadly you know. If you are not both cautious and careful, it may very well take your life."

"I understand the conditions. You needn't worry about me. Believe you me," said Yeru rather confidently.

"Very well, then. If you are ready," Umslop said calmly as he waved a single hand across the air. Yeru donned the ring, now glowing brightly, and a flash of light temporarily filled the air.

"Well...that went well..." said Yeru abruptly.

"It sure did, me friend, it sure did," bellowed a stout fellow with a long, braided beard. Yeru took in his surroundings, a large smithing shop, and was amazed at the sheer number of weapon racks that lined the walls. Swords, swords, and more swords. In addition, there was a well-worn anvil and other smithing tools at one corner of this shop. As he looked below eye level, Yeru saw the source of the voice--a dwarf smoking a pipe with a large sword, twice his height, strapped to his back.

"Aloishius. Aloishius W. Dwarfi," said the dwarf, right hand extended in greeting. Yeru took the fellow's hand openly.

"Yeru Abendroth. I take it you're a proprietor of swords, by the look of things," inquired Yeru.

"You would be correct, me friend Yeru. Welcome to Weland's Sword Shoppe. Anything take your interest? Hmm, actually I have just the thing," Aloishius beckoned Yeru to a table where rested seven swords on a finely woven purple cloth.

"Magic swords? I'd surely love to acquire one of these," said Yeru as he lifted one of the blades and handled it with a few choice moves.

"That one there, that is the cheapest magic sword I have available, it is called the Caliburn...10 gold pieces it is yours," said Aloishius proudly.

"Oh, hmm, I'm afraid I can't afford this one then. I guess none of them really," said Yeru disappointingly, shaking his money pouch lightly. He placed the Caliburn back onto the finely woven cloth.

"That is a shame. Truly a shame. Maybe next time, me friend Yeru. Take care of ye self," he said with a wide smile. Aloishius then winked at Yeru, and with a nod the ring with the frog insignia began to glow then flash with a bright light.

"Here we go again," said Yeru matter of fact.

"Welcome back!" cried Umslopagaas. "I've been watching you in this magic mirror. So, what do you think?"

"That wasn't much of a challenge, Umslop," replied Yeru, looking around at his new found surroundings warily, though he was here but moments before. "I'd like to go back in again," he added.

"Indeed. Indeed." Umslop waved his hand, and yet again the ring began to glow and a flash of light initiated the next teleport into the Equalizer. This time, Yeru entered total darkness. The sound of wind screeching overhead was the only sensation. Yeru fumbled around in this pack, attempting to find matches and a torch. After some time of working blind, he managed to make a light. The glow from the torch pierced the darkness, revealing an immense circular room with a spear-filled pit at its center. Levitating above the pit was an emerald, shaped like a bat. Yeru contemplated how he could attempt to snag such a find, but he realized he didn't bring a rope with him. The more he thought about how he could take such a treasure that was obviously trapped, the stronger the feeling that arose that the room itself might be the trap. Yeru decided to leave the emerald be and move forward--concentrating on finding a way out would be a better suited task with his time.

The young rogue probed around the edges of the floor and wall, running his hands along the stonemanship, looking for a potential trigger. This was, after all, something that Yeru excelled at. And indeed, the fruits of his labor paid off as he soon discovered a hidden door along the far wall. Slowly, the rogue slid the door open. Only darkness and dust poured forth from the new opening. He coughed and waved the clouds of dust aside with an open hand. With the other, he raised his torch, extending his arm forth into the darkness. A cacophany of screeches immediately accompanied the sound of wind above. Yeru leaped backward, stunned, as a plethora of bats shot forth from the opening and swooped in towards him aggressively. Quickly he attempted to slice at the bats with sword and dagger. He was suredly outnumbered here, and the little bit of magic he picked up from his father would be no help here either. It wasn't long before the bats overwhelmed the young rogue, and his over-confidence finally bested him. A flash of light signaled the end of Yeru's life on this plane.

"So is the life of the brave," said Umslop as he removed the Ring of the Frog from the lifeless hand of Yeru Abendroth. Still warm, the hand gave a false sense that breath still remained in the young man's lungs. "Perhaps you'll fare better in the abyss, young rogue. Or, perhaps not."

[jongjungbu]

Not a fan of Labyrinth, but I went back into it and wrote up a roleplay session. So I'll post that up soon. I gave it a chance, but now I can see again why it's not one of my favorites. It's hard and though greek mythology is awesome, I prefer not to roleplay in it.

[jongjungbu]

This is my longest session report so far! Whew!

Labyrinth
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Groius Laen palmed the coins tightly and smiled greedily. "Good luck there, warrior," said the man as he nodded in the direction of a cave-like entrance some distance ahead. Behind them, the palace stood in its grandeur, a contrast to the Labyrinth that opened before them. "You won't need a torch, I imagine, and there are a few other entrances...or exits...spotted about. This was just the closest one to the palace. I know, you and your short legs, probably couldn't handle much farther," laughed the Cretan soldier.

"Amusing, very amusing. But this ya will do just fine anyway," remarked the dwarf known as Aleriham of Sanoiston, "I can take it from here." Aleriham twisted the warhammer within his tight grip, feeling confident in what lay ahead in his future.

"I still think you're crazy for doing this, dwarf," said Groius, shaking his head slowly, "I mean, what if you run into the Minotaur... or worse."

"Then I'll smite the beast down with my hammer! Simple enough. Ya got your gold pieces, so here we depart, friend," replied the dwarf, as he waved a hand goodbye and stepped into the entrance of the Labyrinth. The Cretan soldier was indeed correct, noted Aleriham, as the dimly lit passages appeared to lack any need of a torch. Shortly after stepping within the maze-like dungeon, the earth began to tremble as if a dragon were unfurling its wings within the chamber. Aleriham fell backwards, crashing into the ground and losing grip of his war hammer. When the dust settled, the dwarf found himself sealed within the Labyrinth--the entrance near the palace had collapsed.

"Well, looks like I'll be needin to find one o' them other ways out that lout was talkin about," thought the dwarf. Aleriham picked up his hammer from within the loose rubble and walked cautiously towards the only remaining portal in the chamber. Through the doorway, he found the passage forked in three directions--west, north, and east.

"Hmmm," Aleriham scratched his chin through a short, matted beard. "East or west...Let's see what Lady Luck be sayin." The dwarf pulled out a single coin and tossed it in the air. "Heads, I go east," he said as he caught the tossed coin in one hand and rested it on the back of the other. After eyeing the coin warily, the dwarf pocketed the gold piece and trekked into the eastern passage. After a short uneventful walk, he came upon a door at the end of the eastern passage. It was simple, made of wood, with no peculiar markings or ornamentation. The dwarf unstrapped a shield from his back and cautiously pushed the door open with its frame, holding his hammer firmly in the other hand. Within the new room, the walls rose almost infinitely into the sky and the chamber felt large as if the size of the very Coliseum itself. Aleriham spotted a man chained to a large boulder that was affixed in the center of the room. Surrounding the foot of the boulder were many blood-red roses in a green bed of leaves and vines. Upon the man's body, giant eagles clawed and ripped tissue and organ from the poor soul's chest.

"What kind of sacrilege be this?" muttered Aleriham, "that not even the dead can lie in peace." The dwarf charged at the vulturine eagles with hammer raised high, yelling hoarsely, "Get back, beasts!" The eagles seemed to ignore his initial war cry, until his hammer struck hard the nearest eagle in the chest. The bird screeched loudly in pain, made a lunge for Aleriham's neck with its beak, and then fell dead with the second blow to the skull. Taking notice of the loss of its fellow feaster, the second eagle flapped its enormous wings and swooped in toward the dwarf. Aleriham tucked and rolled out of the way of the diving bird, taking an opportunity to shove the head of his hammer into the eagle as it swooped by. The bird tumbled to the ground, one wing broken, and the dwarf quickly chased down the fallen eagle to finish it off.

"You have my gratitude, dwarf," spoke a voice coming from the central rock. Aleriham, startled and still catching his breath, quickly moved to the source of the voice. Upon closer inspection, he could see the man on the rock was yet still breathing.

"How can ya still have the life in ya?" said Aleriham as he strapped his shield to his back.

"I am an immortal. My name is Prometheus, and this is my punishment, by the god of thunder, Zeus.", replied the chained man.

"Immortal, huh? Well, I'm but a mortal maself. The names Aleriham...of Sanoiston," said the dwarf proudly. "Well, at least those buzzards won't be harrasin ya any longer," added the dwarf, "I took care of em rightly."

"That you did, but more eagles will be here tomorrow. It is forever and neverending," said Prometheus calmly, "But, I thank you for the short respite."

"Nothing is forever, even for an immortal. I'll smash ya loose there, no problem" said the dwarf as he swung his hammer heavily against the chains on the rock. A crash of thunder resounded throughout the chamber, and a flash of light sent Aleriham falling backward from the blow of metal against rock.

"I'm afraid the chains are unbreakable, dwarf Aleriham," said Prometheus, "but I appreciate the effort. And in return for your kindness, I shall grant you a gift. Beneath this rock, you see many a plant growing. They are seeded by the blood of my misery, and the red roses are the fruit of my pain. You may take some of these blood roses. Make a poultice from them, and it shall protect you for a short time in your next battle to the death. I give you this, as a token of friendship." Aleriham gathered the roses as the immortal instructed and created the makeshift poultice under the chained being's supervision. "You should take your leave now. There is nothing more you can do here, dwarf Aleriham. There is another passage to the north, not from whence you came."

"I thank ya, and wish we had met under better circumstances, friend. Maybe in another time, I can free ya," said the dwarf as he took toward the north exit suggested by Prometheus, poultice in hand. This doorway opened into another long passage that turned a sharp corner to the east. At this corner stood another door, this time ornamented with metallic leaves shining with a green tint. It seemed to beckon the dwarf to open it, but he felt this was more his own curiosity than the actual door projecting any sentience upon him. Upon opening the door, the Labyrinth unfolded into what appeared to be the outside world.

"Have I found me another way outta here," thought Aleriham. A thick forest, alive with birds and insects, sounded in reply to the contemplating dwarf. Aleriham's eyes caught the gaze of an unclothed nymph at the edge of the woodland. More out of curiosity than desire, the dwarf started up a conversation with the forest creature.

"Why ello there, I be Aleriham of Sanoiston. By what name are ya called?" inquired the dwarf. He took a few steps closer to the nymph, lowering his armed hand and allowing his hammer to rest playfully against his leg. The nymph replied in a language unfamiliar to Aleriham, and then she beckoned him to follow her with an outreached hand. "Ya want me to follow, eh? I guess what harm could come from such a beautful lass like yerself," smiled the dwarf, following her without question.

The nymph led Aleriham to a remarkable tree, adorned with golden leaves and studded with a crystalline bark. She beckoned him again, to come closer to the tree. "I guess ya be sayin I can help maself? I don't mind if I do." Aleriham reached as far as his the limits of his short stature would allow, pulling but 3 of the golden leaves from their stems. Pleased with his prize, the dwarf attempted to snatch a few more, but stumbled and fell to the ground. The nymph giggled cheerfully, then danced quickly off into the deepness of the forest.

“Wait!” called Aleriham after the forest creature. He quickly moved to his feet and headed into the forest after the nymph. No sooner than he had stepped through the thick woodland had he stepped out of it, finding himself back in the corner passage he originally had stepped out of. “Hmph. Some wicked magick that forest, eh?” said Aleriham to no one but himself. A slight smile danced across his face as he peered once more at the treasured leaves in his hand. Stashing them into his pack, Aleriham trodded forward, east into the Labyrinth.

After passing uneventfully through an intersection, the dwarf traveled east meeting a dead end and another non-descript door. Donning his shield and readying his war hammer, the dwarf slowly pushed the portal open. Inside, he could make out the figure of a smallish dragon-like creature, bearing many heads. “A hydra, perhaps,” thought Aleriham, “this might very well be a mistake.” Slowly he backed away, closing the door slowly. However, the hydra heard the noise of the clumsy dwarf and lunged one of its heads through the door. Aleriham made a dash westward, as fast as his stubby legs could carry him. He felt the breath forced out of him as one of the hydra heads knocked him forward onto the passage floor. Winded, the dwarf quickly scrambled to his feet and ran further down the corridor. He took a risky glance behind to find the hydra was not in pursuit. Once he had reached the previous intersection, he took a short rest to catch his breath.

“That was a close one, don’t I know it,” said Aleriham aloud. After a short respite, the dwarf readjusted his pack and took again to the dungeon delve before him. He walked through the northern passage off the intersection, passing by many other corridors, but keeping his northerly track. After many hours of walking through the maze, Aleriham came upon another door along the eastern wall of the corridor.

“Perhaps a way out,” thought Aleriham, “I’m a bit fed up with this here Labyrinth. Almost lost ma life already.” The dwarf readied his shield and opened the eastern door. The room was empty. No sign of occupancy or other interesting markings or objects of note could be found. However, a faint music could be heard in the distance. Aleriham moved along the walls, cupping one ear against the stone in an attempt to locate the source. “Strange…but beautiful,” said Aleriham quietly. The music began to ring louder, and a feeling of serenity washed away the dwarf’s worries. He leaned against the stone wall, sliding slowly to the ground, and sat for hours listening to the enchanting melody. Slowly time seemed to pass. His vision faded in and out until it swirled and mixed into a vortex of sights and sounds, as if he were in a dream of some kind.

Eventually, the images before him solidified. Aleriham found himself sailing on a ship on some unknown sea. An island came into view upon the starboard and the enchanting melody came stronger from that direction. The ship turned toward the island, intent on meeting the source of the music. The dwarf felt no control over the ship, nor any desire to turn back.

Once more, as quickly as it had formed, the images before him swirled and mixed into a dreamlike vortex. Soon, they reformed into the guise of a beautiful woman. Aleriham was stunned by her beauty, but his warrior skills did not prevent him from blocking the catlike leap of this woman upon him. He bashed her away with his shield, and she screamed in anger and pain. She began to froth at the mouth and Aleriham had trouble focusing his eyes upon her. The image began to swirl until the figure of the woman had reformed into an older, fatherly man. He leapt toward Aleriham, swinging a fist with a fury in his eyes. The dwarf dodged easily out of the way and smashed the man in the back with his war hammer. The body lay limp upon the dreamlike ground.

Before Aleriham could catch his breath, the limp figure stood up and the image swirled again. This time, it reformed into a giant and came upon the dwarf with a mighty club. He felt a pain in his elbow as the power of the giant’s club met with the plane of the dwarf’s shield. Aleriham attempted to disarm the giant by making a blow against the monster’s hand, but instead came full force upon its forearm. The giant yelled some odd obscenities in its native tongue and raised the club again for another swing. Aleriham barely managed to dodge out of the way, deflecting a portion of the blow with his shield. He rolled under the giant’s legs and swung his war hammer out until it met shin. The giant fell to the ground, blabbering incoherently, and Aleriham could tell the monster was in pain. “This be no time for mercy,” exasperated the dwarf, as he pounded the hammer into the giant’s skull. Having learned his lesson, the dwarf backed away quickly and awaited what new form this dream monstrosity would take.

Quickly, the figure arose once more into the form of a werewolf-like creature. His shield raised, Aleriham was ready for her attack this time. Her strength was immense and her initial attack sent the dwarf flying upon the ground. He glanced at his armor, noting the deep tears but no sign of blood. He stood his ground and blocked her next attack more easily with his shield. He had begun to see a pattern in the she-wolf’s moves, and soon began to take opportunistic swings after each lunge. One lucky blow to the head sent the werewolf limp to the ground, and Aleriham awaited the next assault that was yet to form.

A demon-child arose from the everchanging form that was the she-wolf. Aleriham raised his shield and made the first attack. The demon deflected the dwarf’s attack easily, breaking a piece of his armor off in the process. Aleriham leaped forward, bringing his war hammer down hard upon the demon child. She evaded his attack with a sidestep and slashed at his armor with clawed fingers. Aleriham took a swing against the child’s legs, knocking the creature to the ground. From this vantage, he was easily able to dispatch the demon and send it back into the dream world.

Images swirled about Aleriham, and he lost his footing, though he felt nowhere to fall upon. Soon, all images of the dream had faded and he found himself slumped against a stone wall in an empty room. The music was gone. The dwarf stood up slowly, and once he had regained his composure, he stepped through the eastern door and out of the room. Slowly, Aleriham trekked easterly through the maze, hoping to find a way out. Exhaustion was beginning to set in, and who knew how much longer his provisions would last him if he were trapped. He came upon another door. Aleriham felt he had no other choice but to open it and see what lay beyond, if he hoped to return to the outside world. Inside the room, he found a number of drunken women performing a mysterious ritual. Through their raucous sing-song words, he was able to discern that this was a devotion to Dionysus. Perhaps they would help him out of here, or provide food and rest.

Aleriham approached the drunken women, with weapon lowered. “Greetings, ma ladies,” he spoke in salutation. They turned to face the newcomer, screamed a deafening cry of laughter, and all leapt upon the dwarf with an animal-like speed. Aleriham fell to the ground, trying his best to push away their claw-like hands and ravenous, foaming mouths. Soon, he found he was outnumbered as dozens of these drunken worshippers were upon him, dragging his body along the ground and stretching his limbs in unbearable pain. It wasn’t long before Aleriham felt his life slipping away, and his venture into the Labyrinth came to an abrupt end. The worshippers sacrificed the poor dwarf to Dionysus and the Abyss welcomed the young Sanoiston to its dark rivers.

[jongjungbu]

Forgot to attach the character sheet. Don't think I can attach to a modified post, so here's a new post.

This character was made using the T&T character generator program that Grrraall and Hogscape have made available!

I think I may mix it up on my next roleplay session and write one for one the "that company" published solos I have. Just trying to decide which one is the question. Heheh.

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[koraq]

way cool.

btw, why don't I visit this board more often?

[mahrundl]

Yes, koraq. Why don't you...?

jongjungbu, an Exalt for posting these play sessions!

[jongjungbu]

Yes, why don't you visit more?
Now that I've joined, even if I'm not posting, I'm still here every day. heheh.
Eventually, Sea of Mystery and Bedlam will go up at some point as roleplay sessions. Don't ask me when though. But, they are in progress.