One Step Beyond

 

Ah, yes! His name is - was! - Nerdlinger. He had a safe, comfortable life and might have enjoyed a promotion or two, met a nice girl and started a family, been content with looking forward to 'Ratball' games at the end of the working week.

He lifted the lid on Pandora's box and paid a heavy price. Living life on a knofe edge is fine for heroes but losing life to a knife edge is almost as easy as losing your balance if you stray from the path.

But in Trollworld, where the magic burns brightly and the nights get shorter year by year, you just never know how the dice will land...

Bad Advice

More trouble afoot. This fellow has decided that the Wizards' Guild don't pay very well. He hasn't really done his sums because board and lodging is thrown in plus first class security, which in a magic-rich, lawless world like this does not normally come cheap.

At first he tried his hand at party tricks for children's birthdays but his 'Sparkle' spell failed to draw the crowds.

Still not having the spare cash to live the high life and impress the ladies as he aspires, his next business foray is into opening dungeon doors for novice delvers. His first assignment ran at a loss because he failed to add in travel expenses so he now finds himself with the prospect of a dismal journey back to town, sleeping rough and looking over his shoulder every step of the way as his out-journey bodyguard (ie the delving party) disappeared into the bowels of the dungeon as soon as he opened the door for them (without paying - another lesson: take your fee up front).

However, his mind is playing tricks on him and he imagines he sees a glint of gold ahead. We might know that all that glitters is not necessrily gold but does he?

Temption is crooking her professionally-manicured finger his way... What to do?

Getting Your Fingers Burnt (Why is life so mean to me?)

The Finloch Glaum game has taken a few more baby steps forward with Pywch managing to get Nosesplatter released from his 4-fight contract with the Khaboom Arena, thanks to Souza's interventions. e has discovered that the dwarf he seeks is not on the West Coast but was plucked from a all-too-dangerous adventure involving the forces of the serpent-fiend Zweetz when some better resourced adventurers stepped in. Wedges and his mate Meaty Mutt are now supposed to be in the small town of Stoneydaze, the mayor of which, the mega-merchant Shoppie, having spiled the beans at a birthday party for his young son - Pywch was delivering a present for Souza, a rather haphazard WIzard-Godfather.

As for the image above, well, our young friend who was on door duties at the Guild had a mishap on the way home after work. Pywch had upset some rich nobs in a carriage who were rather impolite, causing the dwarf to Hold That Pose one of the middle horses in the team of six. This caused the carriage to slew into a surly minotaur, who rather took umbrage.

When the City Watch turned up, the captain, Thickie Puddlebrain, soon arrested the minotaur and got the street moving again. How does the poor, young wizard fit in? Well, hickie is rather extraordinary...

His INT is just 4 but his WIZ is 230, making him almost invulnerable to even top notch wizarding. His mates try to egg foolish mages into bets that they can't zap him. Generally, they can't. He doesn't feel a thing and his mates share the spoils of the wagering with him. Our friend got lured into a bet and his spell backfired on him.

Perhaps he'll just quit his job and leave town.

A Summons from Finloch Glaum

A new game is a-foot!

In downtown Khaboom, a lowly dwarven wizard narrowly avoids bumping into an irascible fellow dwarf. He cannot help but utter a word of displeasure - and promptly find shimslef suspended upside down, 2 feet above a very dirty puddle. His fingers flicker, as do his lips, as he reacts savagely with the thought of  a Take That You Fiend! but he gets a bad feeling and the spell dies before it sparks. This other dwarf is Souza Fortescue, once trapped under the Goblin Crag Mountain and recently enrolled as a member of the High Council of the Wizards' Guild in Khaboom.

Before Souza can decide what punishment is most fitted to the offence, a bird descends from the clouds and bursts into flame some 10 feet above the pair. It is a Flame Bird and it drops a small scroll into Souza's hands which he unrolls and rapidly scans, snorting with derision as he does so.

Once the junior wizard, Pywhch by name, has aplogised and they both think better of losing their tempers so early in the morning on such a public thoroughfare, Souza bids Pywhch accompany him to the Guild building on Pentagram Square where he has a business proposition to make, one which he prefers not to be overheard by street gossips.

After a brief detour to Mrs. Miggins' Pastry Parlour - a sin for a dwarf who is meant to be watching his weight - they arrive at the Guild headquarters, today shaped utterly preposterously as an enormous bulbous nose.

A so begins what is most likely a tale of epic proportions....


In the meantime, here is the Wizards' Guild doorman, somewhat surprised and what is coming his way after he makes the mistake of asking Souza for some ID:

The Great Khaboom Derby (aka Death-Totopoly)

 

 

A horse race for those not afraid to die for their Guild!

Competed for by novices selected to ride for the Warriors’ Guild, the Wizards’ Guild and the Merchants’ Guild.

Only natural magic permitted. Each rider shall possess a riding crop and a dagger. Murder is allowed.

Four horse per team; riders shall be connected telepathically.

Teams shall have their riders drawn by lot as follows:

Kindred	%	% Dice Roll
Human	45	1-45
Dwarf	12	46-57
Elf	12	58-69
Hobbit	4	70-73
Leprechaun	2	74-75
Uruk	4	76-79
Ogre	2	80-81
Minotaur	2	82-83
Vampire	1	84
Were	1	85
Living Skeleton	2	86-87
Gorgon	1	88
Ratling	2	89-90
Kobold	2	91-92
Goblin	2	93-94
Gremlin	2	95-96
Gnome	2	97-98
Pixie	1	99
Other	1	100

Players ger four jockeys each and play one of the three Guilds. All is fair in war and racing in Khaboom! Jockeys attributues will only be rolled when a saving roll is required. Daggers may be freely used on opponents and their horses.

It is expected that the start will be utter mayhem!

Here is Nerdlingler countering the thule spell of the other wizard with the little-known 'Focus Sunlight Through My Palm' spell. While effective, it is very painful for several days after casting and leaves the mage unable to drink water from streams and lakes very easily. Sadly, Nerdlinger has tortoise-like reactions and by the time he cast the spell, the thule spell had already eaten his up to the abdomen, along with much of his left arm.

Not being able to cast a second spell without a bit of recovery time, Nerdlinger bled to death before he could cast his 'Poor Baby' healing magic.

The hunt is on for the culprit who throws thule magic so callously...

What do you think this guy is casting (or maybe it isn't a spell)?

Any ideas gratefully received (and names for him too).

I shall incorporate the ideas and the name I like best into the next game I run and he shall be an NPC to live into fantasy-history!