23rd February 2022

It's a Wednesday evening and we're round Simon's in Woking for the next session of Matt's Romance of the Perilous Land campaign.

The company had taken an uneventful journey to Camelot Castle, tasked with travelling to the village named Spindleston to investigate the appearance of a mysterious creature and their road took them through the famous stronghold.
More than its name suggested; Camelot Castle contained within the reach of its immensely thick alabaster stone walls, battlements and imposing towers a city known for its bright gleaming architecture, said by some to be lined with gold.

On their approach, the company had been awed to view Camelot’s tall ivory and glittering spires painted crimson by the day’s dying light as they loomed over a gloaming horizon and upon closing in, they had spied colourful pennants fluttering briskly on a stiff breeze against the reddening hue while Arthur’s own device hung from the tallest pole. Carrying message of their mission gave the company unimpeded entry into the city.
Passing under the colossal gatehouse led them along one of the city’s main paved white-stone thoroughfares and equally white buildings. Despite this pale lustre, the even-shadows grew longer over the brilliance that surrounded the company, casting a strangely glum pall over the otherwise gleaming city. Local folk and passerbys shifted their ways along nervously, the glint of suspicion marked out their eyes while numerous armed patrols, well armed with sword, decorated shield and tabard marched the avenues and streets diligently with a grim-eyed countenance to their faces. No amount of architectural brightness could conceal the air of gloom that hung over Camelot
The company’s way eventually led them to Camelot’s formidable, tall-walled inner keep, again their task granted them swift access through iron-shod gates into the interior.

Met by the seneschal and led through polished, curving corridors decorated with shields and various paintings to their guest chambers, the company rested a little and refreshed themselves. From their vantage they watched night blanketing Camelot City, waking a swathe of glittering lights along the streets and throughout the towers.
Later, the company was given an audience with King Arthur and invited to supper in his feasting hall. An enormous chamber, its walls were decorated with ornaments and the prizes of hunting and war, a raging fireplace bathed the room an orange glow while keeping the chill of night at bay. The company was seated at a heavy, ancient looking oak table resplendent with roasted meats, pies, bread and mead.

The company’s task was discussed at length with Arthur who while in his youth, exuded the tired worriness that came with the experience of many seasons.
A man not given to social niceties, King Arthur spoke frankly with the company and admitted to knowing of their quest, having relayed the information itself to the Iron Hawks some days ago. Arthur continued; following a two day hike from Spindleston a commoner had come into Camelot with talk of a Princess Margaret and Prince Dinadan going missing. This had been three weeks ago.
Princess Margaret was known to the king, being the daughter of an ally - King Mark of Norhaut. Word had reached Arthur of a calamity striking at the heart of Norhaut but details were fleeting.
Regardless of this, King Arthur wished the company to continue their investigation into the events at Spindleston. Talk continued into the night until the company retired.

The dawn, quiet and cool, had come as the company exited Camelot Castle’s great walls and rows of parapets, under an arching cerulean sky punctuated with drifting cotton-white cumulus clouds.
They made good time on the first leg of their two day journey and soon enough, the castle with its soaring spires and bright pennants had receded over the horizon. The company now found themselves travelling a wilderness as the trail took them beyond the various farmsteads that dotted agrarian plains which surrounded the castle and over a low rolling verdant landscape while skirting uninviting shadowy forest and babbling stream that glittered in the unfettered sunshine.
Shadows were at their shortest while the sun sat at its zenith when cheerful pipe music came floating on the air! Emerging from a nearby, dense, woody copse came a diminutive, lithe figure - a fairy!
The lithe figure was twinkle-eyed, displaying a sharp bent to their smile when they proposed playing the company a merry tune for but a gold piece. It seemed a hefty price but nonetheless, the company - suspecting some trickery - flipped him a coin and he did indeed pipe out a song as sunny as the day to entertain the company before they continued.
Travelling until dusk, the company made for the indistinct outline of a settlement they had spotted against the sky's failing reddish light. They found a remote farmstead whose occupants were happy enough to allow the company to sleep the night in their haybarn.

Another cool morning followed as the company departed. A blazing sun rising into the clear blue sky drove away dawn’s early chill as they rode deeper into the wild. The low undulating grassland that had marked out the previous day continued and soon all visible signs of civilization were swallowed by the tall, rippling stretches.
Traffic on the trail was nonexistent or at least was until the company encountered a mushroom hunter: This old woman with a wrinkled, ruddy complexion and straying grey hair carried a wicker basket brimming with all sorts of fungi and mushroom on one arm, flagging the company down with an energetic wave and yells as she hobbled from a ditch at the trailside.
Eager for company it seemed, the old woman explained that she lived in a hut some miles from Spindleston and made talk of The Copperwood, the forest that bordered the village, calling it an ancient place and warning the company of a monstrous wolf known as The Gwyllgi which at night, prowled the grounds surrounding ‘The Whistler, a gigantic standing stone said to consist entirely of jet. She also warned them of some scaled beast of sorts that had recently emerged and tended to linger in the depths of forest’s gloomy dells.
Finally, the old woman provided each of the company with a fat, red-coloured toadstool which she explained, when eaten could confer health on the eater.
A cursory examination from Hobard revealed that they would require cooking to sufficiently prepare the toadstools.
Trefor though, had already foolishly eaten his toadstool and the effect was almost immediate. Soon after we had bid the old woman good day, he found himself, while riding, vomiting noisily and worse. This would intermittently continue for the remainder of the day.

Later that day Trefor still did not have his retching under control and had been reduced to a miserable dry-heaving wreck as the company rode through the afternoon.
His predicament’s grim comedy had been almost enough to distract the company from the vicious attack of a bugbear that came lunging from a spread of dense thickets that flourished close to the trail. It charged, a twisted rage-filled countenance writ across its face.
To Hobard’s honed ranger’s eye  it was apparent the beast was clearly emaciated, he was quick to pull a ration from his haversack and lobbed in at the starving creature. It was enough to distract the bugbear, allowing the company to gallop on briskly, avoiding its ire.

The day’s heat was subsiding as lengthy shadows began sliding across the ground when the company encountered a wide but shallow river and further along its gnarly, grassy banks they spotted a distant, dark smear across the backdrop of foreboding forest - distant Spindleston village and beyond that, The Copperwood. Canting along the rapid, gurgling waters the company soon found themselves at the settlement’s outskirts.

A clamorous din welcomed them, numerous energetic voices and whoops of laughter mingled with the clang of clashing steel and a harsh, loud commanding voice. Spindleston bustled despite its small size and while riding through walled gates, the company found themselves in a short lane that led to a busy town square. A smattering of market stalls dotted the square, along with haggling traders and customers while at one end a juggler entertained children.
Further activity caught the attention of the company. In another corner of the square a young man, bearded and square-jawed, resplendent in fine armour displaying a forceful bearing was yelling at his complete opposites; a small band of poorly equipped and ill-fitted villagers brandishing spears and implements of various sorts while responding with particular ineptitude to his shouted instructions.
Being a knight himself. Trefor recognised it for what it was: A captain drilling his new recruits  - albeit fairly poor looking ones.

Trefor approached this captain who identified himself as Sir Dinadan! He went on to explain that he was preparing his men for an incursion into The Copperwood on the next morning where they would attempt to vanquish the wyrm which was said to prowl the forest’s gloomy, sunstarved boundaries.

Sir Dinadan went on to explain that Princess Margaret, his bride to be and he had recently reached Spindleston. Weeks past, Margaret had been cursed by her step-mother Behoc, put into a malevolent week-long deep sleep prior to their wedding by means of poisoning. Before Margaret woke, Norhaut was attacked and fell into the clutches of Mordred and Margaret’s father, King Mark slain by The Black lance. Barely managing to rescue Margaret, the pair fled, travelling for weeks before crossing the border into the protective sanctuary provided by Camelot.
They planned to rest for a time as their coin was dwindling but then Margaret had gone missing three weeks ago. Soon after, whispered words spreading throughout Spindleston had begun speaking of a wyrm, a monstrous creature which had spotted deep within The Copperwood.
Dinadan admitted he had been driven near mad with worry that Margaret has been eaten by such a monster and has now recruited some locals with what little coin he still has in his possession and plans to find and slay the dangerous beast.
Trefor explained that the company had been tasked with investigating The Copperwood and the wyrm, they could provide aid to Sir Dinadan. The knight seemed taciturnly satisfied with this and the company bid him good luck and good day before looking for lodgings.

The company continued on and found signage for The Pooka - a pub nestling among a row of homes in Spindleston: Its weatherworn sign creaking on an old post outside a limestone brick building.
Before entering, the company diverted to the village stables. There they found a youngish burly man with tight sandy coloured curls. Introducing himself as Jevan, he was the stablemaster and was willing to stable the company’s horses. While dismounting, Hobard couldn’t help but notice the despondent countenance on Jevan’s face.
Jevan explained that while in The Copperwood he had lost his wedding ring which greatly upset his wife and was now forced to sleep in the stable until it was recovered. While in the forest, Jevan had also found ‘Brinny’, stroking the mane of an already stabled but skittish, speckled grey horse, Jevan said he was a ‘friendly but strange pony’ who spent the hours of night staring out into some distant dark place outside the walls of Spindleston.

Entering The Pooka, the company found it to be a homely place that smelt of spilt beer and old oak, a faint smokey pall lingered below the exposed rafters while a stuffed fireplace crackled energetically, spreading a comfortable warmth throughout the common room while a handful of patrons conversed cheerfully. Among their number was a slim woman strumming a well made, silver inlaid harp and whose flame hair matched the fiery tongues of flame that flickered at the hearth. Her fingers plucked at the strings casually as she watched the company enter.
The company was enthusiastically greeted by the barkeep, a rotund man with a pronounced limp and who sported an enormous bristling grey mustache on a rosy cheeked, corpulent face.
The company exchanged coin for lodging and made small talk, which turned to The Copperwood and to the wyrm. At that, the barkeep’s face darkened. Quietly he told the company that he was desperate; his two children had gone missing, taken by the monster he believed and would willingly pay sixty gold coins to anyone who returned them.
It transpired that the barkeep’s opinion was not shared by the flame-haired harpist - the bard known as Laudine who had overheard the barkeep’s words, Laudine believed the wyrm was simply a beast from the wilds beyond Spindleston and any malicious behaviour it displayed must be the work of foul witchcraft.

Later, once the shroud of dusk had settled upon Spindleston, Hobard walked the now quiet and unlit streets to the stables. Jevan’s talk of the strange horse had piqued his interest and he sought to learn more.
Hobard found that Jevan had not bed down for the night and the stables were currently empty save for the horses. He approached Brinny and could see the horse was staring out beyond Spindleston. Something about the horse’s eyes did not sit well with the ranger and he intensely scrutinised them.
Abruptly, the eyes appeared to lighten from chestnut to ochre and somehow become rounder. Then where once stood tall Brinny the horse was a small hare at the bottom of the stall!

The hare stared at Hobard for but a moment with those disquietingly intelligent eyes before bounding powerfully out of the stall. Hobard gave chase as the hare streaked out of Spindlestone and towards The Copperwood. The inky gloom of the day’s failing light enveloping Hobard and the indistinct, irregular lights of the village grew distant, soon he lost sight of the hare as it entered the forest’s murky treeline.
Frustrated, he marched back to The Pooka, telling the incredulous others of his strange encounter.

With little that could be done during the onset of night, the company ate and drank for a while before retiring for the night.

Covid-19 continued to be an issue in 2021 and significantly affected some of the roleplaying I took part in.

The Saturday RPG group, which is now played over video-chat was easily the most prolific, most of this was Matakishi running nearly 2 entire 'seasons' of his Wired Neon Cities campaign in the earlier part of the year.

Different RPGs: 4
Sessions I ran: 9
Total sessions: 41

During 2021 I participated in 41 RPG sessions over 4 different RPGs, of those I ran 9 sessions.
This is mostly down on 2020, where I participated in 74 sessions over 10 different RPGs, however, I only ran 1 session in 2020.
​
The break down is as follows.

Wired Neon Cities: 25
Beach Patrol (Ran): 9
Romance of the Perilous Lands: 5
Those Dark Places: 2

I'm also seriously running late with my blogging, being over 6 months behind and will add links when I'm able to.