YOUR MAGIC-USER IS A WANNABE RANGER

So I wanna speak a bit more in depth about Magic Missile...

First, let me spray some thoughts about magic in general regarding Wild Earth, i.e. Furthermoor, Kush & beyond...  As I've mentioned before, the Hooded Periscope blog game I have been running for over 1.5 years now has been a Moldvay/Cook/Labyrinth Lord (B/X) game from the outset.  I have a binder w/ Moldvay Basic & Cook Expert inside & that is basically what I have used exclusively (plus a few LL additions here & there, like 1st level clerics having spellcasting abilities, plus I have introduced NPCs of various classes/races not found in B/X, etc).  The text on that blog in the ruley reference sections for players - Items, Magic, Spell Descriptions, Monsters, etc. - is generally straight from Moldvay, or Cook in some instances.  When I started this blog for our Google+ game, I basically just copied & pasted the Spell Descriptions & Magic Items sections from HP into this blog.  In other words, what you are seeing
in those sections @ right, due to time-saving reasons on my part, are descriptions from Moldvay (there are a few descripts from AD&D & possibly Holmes, but basically right now what's there is Moldvay by majority).  Also, the Magical Items descriptions section only has descriptions for items that have come into play during the HP game, in other words, I was adding that stuff to the blog as the game went along, so these sections are incomplete.  Likewise, the spell lists are not complete either.  And though they are not straight from Moldvay - I'm about to get to this so please bear w/ me - they currently only include low level spells b/c right now in the game everyone is playing a low level character.  So in other words, I just havent gotten to the higher level spell selection yet.  All of that said, when the HP game began, back in April of 2010, I was using the Moldvay spell lists as they are printed in that book.  It actually was not until we had an elf character join the party that I started fiddling w/ the spell lists, & here is why:

I didnt like the fact that magic-users & elves use the same spell list.  In my mind, I felt that the two races would have encountered magic in different ways, or more succinctly, would each have a different relationship to magic.  Whether humans existed before elves, or vice versa, wasnt really the issue.  In the most basic explanation possible, I just felt that elf magic should be more tied to nature & possibly more inherent in some ways as the elf grows in experience, while human magic was more of a learned, "tapping into something"...  I/o/w, there is a reason any ole elf can cast magic, but humans knowing magic are limited to those that dedicate their lives to it.

W/ these thoughts, I began playing w/ the spell list just as the new elf was wrapping up their character.  For timeliness, since he would only be choosing two spells for his spell book, I just referred him to the Moldvay MU/elf spell list to get acquainted, while telling him I was working on a separate elf spell list & would give him a few more choices specific to elves.  Around this time I saw a discussion taking place in the OSR blogosphere regarding the use of Magic Missile.  It began with this enlightening post (which has some sweet ideas for using Enlargement, btw) that came to my attention through this post [I would highly suggest reading through these if you get the time].  And then, of course, I got an email from the elf saying he wants Magic Missile...  Though I'd never really liked the idea or image of the Magic Missile, the above posts had me thinking.  I never really thought to just remove it from the list altogether!  Keep in mind, we're talking about the Moldvay Magic Missile here, the one that is basically a magic, "glowing arrow".  The spell that Bargle, in Mentzer Basic, casts on you, or your lady cleric friend, as you go through the tutorial.  The hovering, glowing arrow.  It just seemed a little hokey then, & still seems sorta silly now.  Why an actual arrow?  A good discussion of the genesis & evolution of the spell can be found here.  I was glad to learn in the comments of these posts that most players abhor the Moldvay image of the "glowing arrow".  But now I had even deeper issues w/ it in regard to my elf vs. magic-user.  Not to stereotype the elf class, but since in B/X they are fighter/magic-users (they do not have any other class distinctions outside of that), many of them are known to carry a bow-and-arrow.  Unless they spend all their starting cash on a two-handed weapon, or whatever, they usually will go for a decent missile weapon.  So I couldnt help but ask myself, if your player has a short bow w/ arrows, & you have spellcasting abilities, why would you fill one of those valuable spell slots w/ what is basically just a bow & arrow but flashier?  I answered my own question.  Magic Missile is flashy.  Esp. to a new player when asked to "pick one of these".  So anyway, I was in a bit of a quandary.  I didnt plan to include Magic Missile on the elf list, but that was the spell from the Moldvay list that the elf wanted.  I knew also that to deny its use, now, would surely have adverse effects on the elf player's view of the game I was presenting.  So first, I tried trickery!  Rolling out the elf spell list, I explained my view of elf magic in the world & then tried to sell him on trading in his Magic Missile for the elfy version, Elvish Spears (a spell I made up, & actually like the idea of, that is modeled after MM).  This was a version of MM I could live w/, esp. for an elf.  But the elf didnt buy it.  He didnt like that to cast it, he would have to be around a tree or trees.  So in the end, I let him go w/ Magic Missile.  Since it wasnt on the elf list, the conclusion was that the elf was raised by a human magic-user & therefore one of the first spells he learned was Magic Missile.  It fit well as he joined the party while they traveled through a hollow hill wizard strondhold called Sunhillow.  FWIW, the second spell he chose was Dancing Lights, which was on the new elf list.

So, wiping the slate clean, w/ the Google+ game, I decided to start w/ the same spell list as the HP game, but just remove MM altogether, then add a few spells found in Holmes & AD&D, but not Moldvay.  Interestingly, the rule set I decided to reference to you all, Swords & Wizardry: White Box, does not include MM in its lists either.  That is b/c MM was not in the first OD&D books.  You can read about that here. 

That said, since you all are experienced players, & we have already had the conversation about using spells creatively (keep in mind that doing so will earn you XP), while I dont plan to add MM to the 1st level M-U spell list, I am open for discussion in regard to its inclusion in the 2nd level M-U list.  It seems clear to me that Amadi is concerned that the power of certain high level monsters may be difficult for the party to overcome if the M-U does not have access to MM & this seems like a valid argument.  While I dont totally agree, hopefully my initial exclusion of MM has caused you all to think about other spells in ways you may not have previously.  Anyways, as of now, I am sort of leaning toward the Holmes version that requires a "to-hit" roll (thanks for the heads up, Zenopus Archives), & if your magic-user can cast off more than one MM, they would roll a to-hit for each.  We can talk about it.  But please, oh please, can we lose the glowing arrow?

HOLMES vs. MOLDVAY (the major diffs)

In reply to Magus' query, here are the "big" differences, & when I say, "I may start using Holmes alone", I mainly mean in regard to stats, i.e. Monster stats, Treasure stats, etc.

vs.

1. In Holmes, a Halfling can be a fighter or a thief, an Elf can be a magic-user, etc. In Moldvay, you can be either a Halfling or a Thief, an Elf or a Magic-user. I/o/w, there is no race & class blending in later Basic.  Races ARE your class.  Only humans can be fighters, clerics, magic-users & thieves.  Take away?  Holmes is more tuned to AD&D w/ "character types," saying, "At the Dungeon Master's discretion a character can be anything his or her player wants him to be...  Thus, an expedition might include...  a centaur, a lawful werebear, & a Japanese Samurai fighting man."  Holmes' perception of the game is definitely DIY & appealing.  Make your own supplement!

2. In Holmes, the Magic-user spell list is bulkier (an additional 14 spells between 1st & 3rd level MU list than Moldvay & Cook) & the difference of spells are all spells that show in AD&D but not in subsequent Basic editions.  Moldvay sticks more to OD&D "basic" spells, trimming off many from the Holmes edition, for whatever reason.  Unfortunately, both have Magic Missile.*

3. In Holmes, there is no "initiative" as we know it.  Instead, the character w/ the highest Dexterity goes first in combat.  In Moldvay, each "side" makes an initiative roll before combat, or there is the "Pair Combat" option where opposing sides pair off & each pair rolls for initiative.  For me?  Going by dexterity every time seems unrealistic, & pairing off seems much too formal for true combat... Face it:  high DEX characters may not "always" get the jump (but they always get a modifier!), so rolling for initiative (each character individually per round) seems better when imagining combat.  Long aside aside, it was Moldvay's lead that got me here (throw in some intense Civil War games & perhaps Arkham Horror).

*Regarding Magic Missile, first of all it shouldnt be a 1st level spell, secondly it shouldnt be a spell @ all.  A magic-user should have to craftily work their magic not have a weak way to turn into a ranger.  The spell is a way to give magic-users an "attack" but the problem is that @ low lev they learn to just be like any other character @ the time of combat, which is sorta lame.

MISSILE WEAPONS IN MELEE COMBAT + FRIENDLY FIRE

In discussion of rules surrounding "Can I or Can't I fire off an arrow, etc," I flipped through various books & pdfs & here's what I came up with:

CHAINMAIL (combat rules used for OD&D)
-------------------------------------------------------
"Missiles cannot be fired into a melee...  Missile troops interspaced w/ other footmen forming a defensive line may refuse combat & move back 3" out of melee range."

HOLMES BASIC
----------------------
"Once the party is engaged in melee, arrows can not be fired into the fight b/c of the probability of hitting friendly characters."

AD&D DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE
-------------------------------------------------
"discharge of missiles into an existing melee is easily handled.  It is permissible, of course, & the results might not be too incompatible w/ the desires of the discharging party.  Assign probabilities to each participant in the melee or target group according to sheer numbers.  In the case of participants of varying size use half value for size "S", normal value for size "M", and one & one-half value for size "L" creatures which are not too much larger than man-size.  Total the values for each group & ratio one over the other.  [Seriously? ed.]  If side A has 4 man-sized participants, & side B has 3 smaller than man-sized participants & 1 size "L" bugbear, the ratio is 4:3.  Then, according to the direction of the missile discharge, determine hits by using the same ratio.  If 7 missiles were loosed, 4 would have a chance to hit side A, 3 side B...  [there's a bit more of the same, then] You may assign a minor chance of the missile striking a friend if you wish, but this writer [Gygax], for instance, always allows archery hits to hit a giant or a similar creature engaged against a human or smaller opponent."

MOLDVAY BASIC
------------------------
"Missile fire is a type of combat used when the enemy is too far away to fight hand-to-hand (more than 5 feet away)...  is fought @ a range beyond 5 feet but still within sight...  The DM must check for surprise (or initiative) to see which side fires first...  If the distance between enemies is reduced to 5' or less as a result of movement, hand-to-hand combat may take place."

MENTZER BASIC
------------------------
"Devices cannot be used in hand-to-hand combat, or against targets within 5 feet."

Interestingly, there seems to be an actual evolution of thought here.  First, it's no missiles where there's melee then no missiles once melee begins b/c then there seems to be a bit of a sea change on the topic when Gygax works up AD&D strangely stating "it is permissible, of course..." & then goes on to spell out how to do it which proves to be a royal pain in the ass to execute in any decently sized battle...  He then refers to the older rules about friendly fire, but tries to simplify the thought by saying, basically, make it easy on yourself, if the monsters you are firing at are much larger than the bowman, dont sweat it...  THEN, w/ the following editions of Basic, unless I missed something, you dont see "you can't fire into melee" anymore...  Now, it appears permissible, but you must be at least 5 feet away from the target to do so, & also, you must have the initiative*, not be surprised, etc.

My general ruling on this will always have a lot to do w/ what exactly a player tells me they do, how the initiative falls, & if there is any question as to whether there can be success of actually getting an arrow or missile fire off...  If so, a Dexterity check may come into play...  HOWEVER, if a player gives me solid info to go on beforehand, e.g. I move a bit away from the party, toward the monsters' rear & jump on a table, etc.  Generally there will be no questions asked.  But when assumed melee combat begins, initiative starts being rolled & a player just says, "I fire my bow" when it gets to them, there are just too many variables that cannot be determined, therefore, it cannot even be an option, especially when the player does not have initiative*.  It is mainly just a role-playing thing.  If a player has thought out their attack then I should hear about it, but if they havent, it becomes obvious, & therefore their character shouldnt be able to suddenly do so.

So anyway, what if a player is able to fire their missile into melee combat per above? What about "friendly fire"?  As the threat should be real, any miss where the to-hit roll (w/ modifiers) is lower than the discharger's DEX score subtracted from 20, has a 10% (1 on 1d10) chance of hitting a friendly PC or NPC; generally the closest to the missed target. Here's an example:  Legolas in an impressive feat of dexterity, skirts the melee & lofts himself into the air from a treetrunk, firing off an arrow @ an Orc that is surrounded by 2 friendly fighters.  Legolas rolls a 5 to-hit (rolls a 3, but gets +2 for DEX bonus; NOTE: in this instance, missile fire does not get a to-hit bonus for close range - only so when discharger is stationary when firing).  Legolas has missed the Orc, therefore you take his DEX score of 16 & subtract it from 20.  That tells you that if Legolas' to-hit was below a 4, then there is a chance he has hit one of the friendly fighters.  As his to-hit is a 5, he hits no one & battle resumes to the next w/ initiative.  That said, no matter what one's DEX or modifiers, if the discharger rolls a natural "1" to-hit, they will always hit a friendly unit (no 1d10 roll necessary), though in some situations a GM may devise another situation they find more appropriate.



*as for Initiative, I do it a bit differently than most I'm sure, perhaps it's my experience w/ other games, but the closest D&D "option" would be Moldvay's "Pair Combat" rule.  In that variant, instead of each "side" rolling for initiative & one "side" attacking after the other, you pair off one member from each party attacking another member of the opposite party & then each "pair" rolls for initiative against one another.  The way I do it, however, is w/o the pairing.  Instead, every character & monster rolls for initiative, adds any modifiers, & then the combat executes from 6 down to 1.  Personally, I feel this gives a more visual flow to combat.  Someone may get a jump that usually doesnt, etc.  (However, two-handed weapon wielders always go off @ 1, unless they have DEX modifier - that is, if using variable weapon damage)

MAP FROM GNOLLS

[CLICK TO ENLARGE]

SESSION 3 - CRACKENMORE

[I cant do this everytime, but since we were having a bit of mapping transition, here ya go]

The star is where ya'll are @.  ANYWAY, somewhat here's what happened previously:

The party, now w/ Djinnger, made a beeline for the cemetery in search of the statue of Dagwood Talbot where in a tangled convo @ the bar Magus had heard Crackenmore could be located, if lucky...  The party moved in, still early day, glancing around, they notice some fog has moved in, they pass Sloppy Jims' grave & move across to where Leif randomly scans D. Mineral's grave...  As there is nothing odd the party moves on, noticing a statue in the distance in front a grove of trees.  However, on their way, they notice a random grave that appears much like Sloppy Jims', a newish pile of dirt w/ older dates...  Magus takes a whiff of the dirt & concludes that it is not dirt normally found in these parts, like the other dirt, the amount of minerals is only reasonable in the southern part of Furthermoor...  B/c of this the party decides to dig below the pile where they locate a wooden crate holding another midget freak, this one wearing a habit & donning a necklace w/ a spiral/tempest charm around its neck.  Amadi grabs the necklace as the others decide to toss the box back & move on their way.  The statue is indeed Dagwood Talbot's & there is an inscription that reads, "My eyes are closed only for a little while" - he seems to have once held a lantern w/ his left hand but the lantern has long been broken off & w/ his right, he is gesturing outward, as if orating, as his mouth & face match, a leader in his best moments perhaps...  The party looks around but notices nothing & heads to the grove of trees...  On the way they pass the mausoleum of Gabriel Solar which they search only to inspect the interesting engravings on two sides, one of Gabriel doing carpentry w/ large finished constructions behind him, the other, him performing on a stringed instrument of some kind, a crowd appreciative & a circle dancing behind him...  The party spends some time searching the mausoleum but find nothing peculiar.  Next, they move into the woods to find dead trees & nothing particular, stepping back on the path, a lychgate around the plot across the way to the NW...  After some discussion, the party decides to return to the statue b/c of Magus' hazy lead recollection.

On returning to the statue of Dagwood Talbot, Amadi goes to lengths of resecuring the eyeball from his pouch after cutting it out, climbing a bit on the statue to poke the eyeball @ the statue.  Nothing happens.  Amadi retreats, nods, then returns the eyeball to his pouch where it slides back into the stitching.  In the meantime, Djinnger has been studying the left hand of Talbot's statue, where it appears a lantern may have once hung.  Djinnger notices a nice gap that goes through the hand & decides to place Kumiss, his Great, Great, Grandfather's War Hammer into the hole to see what happens.  The hand of the statue grips the war hammer & the party hears a scraping noise in back.  They walk to find a passage now open @ back of the statue leading down a stone staircase.

As they move from the staircase into the passage, the first thing they notice is a splash of healthy vegetation, abnormal since the cemetery, outside of that plant monster & a strain of particular vine throughout, seems to be dead...  Secondly, they notice the black rock that the corridor is cut into...  it smooths out into something quite impressive, something none of them have ever seen...  The party moves down the corridor & coming to a heavy, wooden door, move through it, as Magus realizes it has been hacked open previously, chips falling away where a lock used to be...  Passing another alcove station, the party comes to another & suddenly from the sides come magic mouths from the walls:  "Who dares enter this place & intrude upon the sanctuary of its inhabitants?" says the east mouth, then the west mouth, "Only a group of  foolhardy explorers doomed to certain death!", then both mouths together, "Woe to any who pass  this place - the wrath of Zimbo & Kinchen will be upon them!"  The mouth then erupt in mocking laughter & then fade from view w/ no trace as suddenly as they appeared.  A short set of stairs is before them, & a number of dead bodies are sprawled about:  4 humans & a dwarf - a little coinage is had searching the bodies (7 gp & a pouch of garlic buds), & Djinnger - after catching a Detect Evil spell & sensing something off - feels tghe pull of evil to the NW...  Also, Djinnger equips himself w/ a war hammer from the dead dwarf & returns Amadi's staff.  The party moves up the stairs & looks around...  Noticing paths north, east, west, doors to the NW & NE, direct east & west passages...

They go west & follow the passage south for some time, eventually landing on a thick, wooden door.  Again, Djinnger sensing evil, this time directly to the west of the party.  Once the door is knocked in, the party moves through & Djinnger decides to wedge it w/ a spike.  The party moves south a bit then turns west until coming upon another door they enter to north, rattling it, they then move east & north until they come to the door of a Meeting, or Situation Room, it would seem.  The party busts through the door & 4 Gnolls are waiting, crouching behind tables.  Somehow, either b/c of Djinnger, or Knolls confused, the gnolls stand w/o attacking...  Djinnger begins a conversation w/ them, speaking in orc, but while @ first it seems they understand, it becomes obvious they dont.  They spread a bit examining the party.  That's when Amadi starts humming & casting off his Charm spell toward the larger of the gnolls, to the far left.  The other three gnolls then attack in a frenzy, the party moves to the south part of the room to defend.  Battle ensues, & though Leif & Magus take considerable hits/damage, no one dies.  The charmed gnoll does not join in the battle, but looks on w/ confusion.  Afterward, the party searches the dead gnolls & first off, Amadi locates a map of some kind, rolled behind the belt of one... It is crumpled a bit, but the image intact...  The others, after a deep search locate a few items & some lose gold: a bone pendant in shape of cloisonne elongated dog for 9 cp + 2 sp, an armband of silver for 6 gp & a medal ring of substantial electrum for 18 gp, also, among the pockets 23 gp is collected & finally, a potion vial of some sort is found containing a brown liquid...The charmed gnoll still seems confused, seeing the others dead, but stays nearby Amadi.

SESSION 2 - TALBOT CEMETERY

Magus sits on the dirt, slowly nodding off what just happened, while Leif & Amadi look on, concerned; Magus looks up & sees something approaching from the darkness, about 8' tall, a green monster of sorts, a plant w/ a head like a Venus Flytrap, fuzz covering & long pincers, opened mouth...  Amadi somehow sensing it, turns & swings his staff, planting a massive hit on its lower lip, the lip tears a bit, green & red & water dripping, hanging...  But it keeps on & plants its upper mouth into Magus' side...  Magus resiliently hops up & takes a swing w/ axe but misses the plants head as it recoils...   A number of misses go about as Leif tries arrows, Amadi takes another swing...  Then it heats up as everyone misses in a tangle...  Eventually Amadi strokes the Green Monster again in the stem area, below it's "head", it misses whirling around, then finally, after missing Magus, Magus plants his axe in the mouth of the plant, pinning it to the ground.  It writhes for a bit & then gives up, lifeless.  The party examines the Giant Plant & notices a green sack that bulges out from the stem just above ground level.  They cut it open & find it full of spinning eyeballs.  Magus stomps his boot into the eyeballs & pulling away finds that 3 of the eyeballs are now lodged into the bottom of his shoe, they are spinning around, looking.  He takes the edge of his axe & plucks out each, one by one.  Amadi then stabs one of the eyeballs w/ his dagger & they leave, heading back out of the cemetery, while taking a cursory look for D. Mineral's gravestone.  They find nothing, leave the cemetery, & head back into Talbot.  @ this time it's around 1:40 AM.  Around 2, as they turn in the fork of the road south of the Black Dog Tavern, Amadi's lantern goes out.  Being in town, they have no problem getting back to the Green Lantern Inn & as they get back, around 2:10 AM, Goody is cleaning up.  They tell him about the cemetery & b/c of their choice of location, he asks if they were there searching for Crackenmore.  They ask about Crackenmore & he tells them a short tale about Dagwood Talbot's two sons.  Dagwood Talbot was the knight that planted himself in what was once referred to as Talbot's Fee.  He had two sons - among other children - that took a hankering for adventuring.  One, into magic, became known as Zimbo the Unknown.  He was the shy one.  No one in town ever "knew" him.  The other was Kinchen the Freebooter.  Quite the opposite, Kinchen was known by everyone, & generally loved, but as he got older, he became wilder & eventually ransacked a small village near Talbot's Fee, thus earning his title.  He would go on to much greater exploits, but the brothers @ one point became "questionable" throughout town.  The fact that they chose adventuring was not admirable, given their upbringing.  Therefore they decided to move their operations to an unnoticable locale north of town & underground.  There was a bit about them commanding orc slaves & such to construct the space, etc.  Though the town of Talbot knew what was going on, they did nothing, & when they were considering doing so, a surprise Barbarian attack came from the East.  Having bypassed Furthermoor, the Barbarians came straight to Talbot for a stronghold, which they would have easily won, if it were not for Zimbo, Kinchen & their minions.  This is when rumors circulated about their massive underground lair, Crackenmore.  After savingTalbot, the two of them were never bothered again, & as far as anyone knows, rumors & otherwise, they left for travel to the north, but never came back...  The party shows Goody numerous spoils (pincer, toe, etc.), but he finds none of it worth much, saying, "many adventurers come through here..." - lastly they ask Goody where D. Mineral's grave site is & are told it occupies the same plot as the statue of Dagwood Talbot.

The party decides to get some rest in their room.  Crack of dawn, they're up, head across the street to the stonecarver's, who is already hard @ work.  He is an older gent, unfazed by entrance, or the stabbed eye that Amadi is brandishing.  They eventually strike up convo which basically informs them that Delly is 1) looking for delivery help (to outlying areas), 2) telling them that he doesnt work on cemetery stuff normally, that'd be Denarius, 3) informing them that the Black Dog may be a good place for hirelings & the Chapel of the White Widow may be a good place for healing & 4) though he doesnt believe in the
"Black Dog" per se there have been some odd killings of livestock lately w/ a strange, yellowish substance present.  The party decides to move it to the Chapel of the White Widow where they find Bingo, a young adept who intercedes on their behalf, takes them into the chapel where they see a large fake white spider hanging over a lectern & not only does he grant Magus w/ a healing potion (he says it is for free this time), which Magus drinks ASAP, but once Magus hands over a gp in thanks, Bingo gifts Magus a vial of holy water.  While exiting, Amadi asks where he can find some lantern oil & is directed to the Outfitter @ the head of town.  The party heads there & Amadi stocks up on oil.  They then head to the Black Dog Tavern.

It's early, though the Black Dog is surprisingly populated.  After trying to chat up the bartenderess, but getting nowhere, the party moves to a large table where some locals are sitting.  There's Chain the Mason, Denarius the Stonecarver, Jane the Vet & Coppy the Bowyer.  Denarius is asked about the cemetery, but he tells them that he makes the stones, but never goes there.  Like everyone in town, he knows it as an insane place.  The party asks for hirelings & the table basically directs them toward the half-orc sitting across the room @ a table (there are other tables & folks here but the party did notice the half-orc when they came in, though Leif was extremely wary).  Amadi ends up going to talk to the half-orc & buying him a drink.  Ends up the half-orc w/ red hair, who's name is Djinnger, is from Debthaven & is here b/c he's never been to Talbot & decided to journey here to see where his Great Great Grandfather slaved away for someone.  When Amadi hears this he naturally mentions Crackenmore & his party's current standing.  Amadi signals Leif over who soon has the half-orc convinced of joining their party.  As Leif questions him, he reveals to the party an eldritch war hammer, the cratfsmanship like nothing theyve seen.  Djinnger also has a sling for certain situations.  Amadi & Leif surmise that he must be a cleric of some sort.  Djinnger professes his belief in the Great Tulip & feels he has been directed to the party in some way.  It's 10:30 AM as they consult w/ their new hireling about the terms, etc. w/ conversation mainly leading toward Crackenmore...

SESSION 1 - TALBOT

Amadi, Leif & Magus meet up @ the Green Lantern Inn in Talbot & even though Amadi is a bit under the weather, by evening are all enjoying brews together in the bar where they chat up the barkeep, Goody Threeshoe.  Goody tells them about the new undertaker, & how something just doesnt seem right about him, how he saw him @ twilight a few weeks ago hangin' from a tree by his legs...  He also warns them about speaking of the actual Black Dog in public...  lastly, before leaving, possibly to test their reaction, he mentions a rumor he'd heard about a group of Talbot thieves that were masterminding an assassination of Lord Dimmings.  The party learns that though Goody doesnt care much for Lord Dimmings, Lyla Dimmings, the daughter, is a sight to behold.  Other things @ the Green Lantern:  Magus inquired about finding work in town & Goody suggested Delly, the stonecarver, across the street.  A table of townsfolk agreed w/ this, & also told Magus that while a lot of folks think the Black Dog attacks livestock, there are also rumors that  a family of werewolves lives in the Enchanted Waste & has been feeding off Talbot livestock.  After discussing the new undertaker w/ Goody a bit more, the party decides to head to the morgue @ the north edge of town near the cemetery.  But first, Amadi goes upstairs to study his spell book for Enlargement.

Nearing the white morgue, the party notices how the trees nearer the cemetery gates (about 100 yards north) are in worse shape, dying...  They lurk around a grove of trees near the house until Leif spots a possum hanging from a tree limb by its tail.  He casts his SPEAK TO ANIMALS spell & has a conversation w/ the possum about the undertaker & the cemetery.  The possum used to live in the cemetery but due to the death there, has moved out.  He also speaks of the undertaker as someone he likes to watch, & that the undertaker sometimes also has smaller people w/ him @ night...  coming & going...  he speaks of him as being tall w/ white hair.

Leif approaches the large, metal door of the morgue, & knocks.  There is no answer.  Magus lurks around the house & locates a few curtained windows, as well as a wooden door in back that is locked by inner chain.  After discussing their options out front, the party decides to enter the cemetery to the north.  With Amadi's lantern bright, they search the SE & E sides of the cemetery a bit, glancing tombstones for death dates around when the Black Dog killed D. Mineral.  They finally locate a grave that matches the dates, 40 years ago, to one Sloppy Jims, "best known barkeep & fisher"; however, what is odd, is that the dirt on the grave appears to have only recently been placed there, i.e. a loose mound sits atop.  Magus decides to start digging into the dirt w/ his axe.  It is then that the party notices 4 zombies approaching from the west.  After a brief battle, they conquer the zombies, search them to no avail & Magus continues his digging of the grave, finally locating a wooden crate which he ends up smashing up w/ the axe.  Inside the crate is a human-like creature w/ a sticky, yellow substance (mucousy mustard) all about...  It could be a midget, but it is hard to tell due to the axe slicings...  but clearly it is not of normal human size & the face looks aged.  Next, Magus tries to dig further w/ axe but locates nothing.  Amadi then stabs around w/ his staff & eventually hits on something hard...  Magus reaches his arm down there & grabs onto it, trying to pull it up...  As he grabs it, something attaches his hand to it quickly.  It is a root, or stem of some kind...  Magus pulls it up & they see how his hand is tightly tied to the bright green stem that trails back into the dirt in two different places.  Leif tries to rub the stem but gets his hand stuck as well, but then is able to free it w/ a precise knife cut.  Magus on the other hand is still stuck.  Amadi tries hacking into the root but only pisses it off, it begins rumbling & shaking, moving Magus w/ it...  Leif tries to free Magus' hand but just pisses the thing off worse...  Finally, Amadi pours a vial of oil around the two areas where the stem trails back into the dirt & then lights it...  The flames cause the root/stem to retreat back into the ground, first pulling Magus down into the dirt, pulling his arm...  but then releasing him & disappearing.  Magus sits up, catching a scent from the dirt, crammed in his nostrils & beard, remembering that scent from down south around Moloch, the soil there...  A smell that generally doesnt permeate the soil in these parts...