Month: October 2021

Dorkstock and Samhain

I had the pleasure last weekend of attending Dorkstock and the convention that hosts it, Gamehole Con, after a year off for the pandemic. Safety being a priority, the convention required proof of vaccination for those who are eligible (some attendees are too young for the vaccine) and the county currently requires masks for indoor gatherings, and the only place that ever felt crowded was the line for the food trucks. It was a lovely opportunity to be around friends again.

As is likely to happen at Dorkstock, we ran some Munchkin games (among others), but this time we ran them under the title of Munchkin Block Party. Each GameMaster (GM) selected two flavors of Munchkin, and multiple GMs were scheduled at the same time. When the players arrived for the scheduled event, they picked which Munchkin flavor they wanted to play: such as Munchkin Bites or Booty, Legends or Zombies. As an added bonus, we printed Munchkin playmats to track equipment and provided colored pencils for coloring, along with a wooden Munchkin/Dorkstock token; both were sent home with players afterwards (though not the pencils). A fabulous time was had by all.

Yet here we are, approaching Samhain, the religious holiday that predates Halloween, and I can’t help but think about the people we’ve lost. Samhain rituals honor the dead, remembering those who have gone before us, particularly any lost in the last year. For those of us living in the Northern hemisphere, and far enough north to have seasons, this coincides with the end of our growing seasons, which is evidenced as I frantically harvest the last tomatoes and peppers before a hard frost hit.

As you prepare your pumpkins, costumes, and candy, consider taking a few minutes to reflect on the people you would have liked to celebrate with this year who can no longer be with you. Globally, approximately 5 million people have been lost to the COVID pandemic. If you are among the fortunate who have not lost family members to it, spare that moment for someone who has.

Get vaccinated, gather safely, and hope that we learn from this global event.

The Quest calendar (continues)… part 16

Faris and her bodyguard, Kevin, follow a treacherous path to find dragon eggs.

As we travelled into the mountains, I hunted for food, saving rations for the rate occasion when I found nothing. Eventually I spotted what could be the entrance to the Dragon Temple, which we had to climb straight upwards to reach. After some near falls, we reached the top and found a rope bridge, barely safe to cross. We figured out the trick to the bridge, crossing safely until arrows whizzed by me head, fired by lizardfolk on the other side. Stepping carefully, I was able to shoot three of them, though the last one left an arrow in Kevin’s arm. Almost to the other side, I spotted a lizard slicing the rope, and shot him with an arrow. He fled as we crossed the remaining planks.

We continued our climb and were assaulted by another trio of lizardfolk. Frustrated, I quickly let fly two arrows, pausing just long enough to aim at the third as the first two fell. We proceeded to the – of course, closed – door, where I studied the four runes around it. As we were searching for dragon eggs, I touched the rune that most resembled an egg. It immediately lit up and the door glided open. I waved at Kevin to follow me as we explored the temple.

We passed through a grand entryway, scrambling through some rubble, then found a room with a large altar and some gold. We backtracked to a side passage, which led us to a collection of dragon eggs. The cave was warm, incubating dozens of eggs. I gathered several, making sure they weren’t close to hatching.

As we turned to leave, one of the eggs hatched. I moved cautiously towards it, offering one of my rations, which it ate eagerly. I’m calling it Egwin.

Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. As we exited the temple, we were attacked by a dragon spirit. It was an easy fight with Kevin guarding my back and Luc flinging himself at the spirit. In fact, Kevin only got hit once, by the dragon’s tail.

Faced with the daunting task of descending the mountain with a collection of dragon eggs, I quaffed an elixir that made me feel strong, resulting in a near effortless process. En route with the eggs, a crow swooped down bearing a message with Lord Fellmont’s crest. Edvarius indicated that I should hand off the eggs to a man outside Blissfaills, then travel to the Mirenvern Forest to collect the skeletal remains of a dragon. I found the man, Vicini, outside the gates, where we traded gold for the dragon eggs. I immediately set off for Mirinvern Forest.

The Quest calendar (continues)… part 15

Faris travels to the city of Blissfalls, and deals with some ruffians there before continuing on her search for dragon eggs nearby.

Along the way to Blissfalls, I came across a stone bridge. The water under it seemed calm, but something about the bridge itself felt strange. I paused and pulled some coins out, tossing them into the water, then rushed across as a troll emerged, searching for my coins. That gave me just the moment I needed to prepare for a fight, weaving and bobbing around the lumbering troll. I gave better than I got and in short order, defeated the monster. I limped the rest of the way to Blissfalls, where I had to pay to be admitted into the city.

The city itself was not impressive. I wandered through a stench-filled neighborhood where barely-dressed people slept on the street. A man asked me for spare coins, and I would have shared if it weren’t for his young partner who tried to help herself to them. And the prices were higher than I’ve ever seen, 7 gold for a basic health potion! The thieves guild had markings all over, and offered the challenge of stealing a bracelet from a local merchant. I was not up to the task. Being quite tired, I decided to rest at the Talabhash Inn, pondering why such an inhospitable town features a Church of Moordnin, a god who guards merchants and travelers. Just walking down the street was dangerous, a gnomish thug tried to rob me, but I ran away.

After resting, I stopped at the Rusty Tapp for a drink. The bartended, Ulric, mentioned having been robbed several times that week, apparently not uncommon in Blissfalls. He hired me to handle a local bandit group, the Dust Runners, paying me in advance. The thugs were waiting outside for me. I almost felt sorry for them. The one who stabbed me dragged herself away, leaving four of her companions dead on the street. I gave chase, turning the corner just as they entered a building, and they locked the door behind them. For a change, I actually managed to pick the lock.

They were waiting for me, of course, but looked shocked as my animal companions followed me into their hideout. Their shock didn’t last long… and neither did the fight. One bandit managed to stab me, and another was about to punch me when Fola lumbered in. The last bandit fled after seeing her ally struck down by a bear.

I spent some time exploring their hideout. What a dump! There certainly wasn’t a horde or riches like you’d expect from a successful group of bandits. I did find a locked chest, picked the lock, and salvaged a pair of potions and some gold. As I left, I found a beautiful red clock with golden trim, completely out of place in this dump. I put it on.

That turned into a decent paycheck, so I checked the local job board to earn a bit more. I watched a woman’s store for a day, tried unsuccessfully to locate a family heirloom, and lost some gold “cleansing my soul” at the Church of Moordnin. Then I booked a night at the Talabhash Inn, figuring a good night’s sleep was important before heading to the mountains. “Good” is erlative, with shrieking people, breaking glass, and fighting in the streets at all hours. After resting, I stopped at the local guild hall to see if anybody could assist on my quest, and ended up hiring a bodyguard named Kevin.

The Quest calendar (continues)… part 14

The wizard, Edvarius, is finally ready to leave with Faris for West Haven, though he proves fairly useless when encountering dangers on the road.

With the day to myself, I checked the local job board. I couldn’t find everything one woman lost in the river, though she was grateful for what I did retrieve. I fought off some thugs who were trying to strong-arm a merchant into the protection racket. And I gathered moer tassleroot.

I took my bundles of tassleroot to sell at Misty’s Mirecles, and bought some potions and rations for the return trip with the coin I earned. I picked up extra rations on the accurate assumption that the wizard would be useless at hunting. Lucky for him, I found ample game, fresh water, and a steady path, cutting almost a day off our journey.

Along the way, we found a tree laying across the road. It wasn’t a problem for us, but would be for a wagon, so I tried to move it. No luck. I borrowed an axe from another traveler and cleared enough of the tree to allow carts to pass. Exhausted, I quaffed a health potion to speed my recovery. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it seemed deliberate. Though probably not be the feral beasts that erupted from the woods as I was handing the axe back.

I swung the axe at the first beast as Luc launched himself at it. It swiped at my leg with its claws, leaving a streak of blood. I stumbled, missing the second monster entirely, regaining my blanace just in time to chop the head off the third one.

The crash of a tree striking the ground drew everybody’s attention. A giant beast, far larger than the ones just dispatched, loomed over us and used some kind of magic to paralyze everybody. My experience with animals allowed me to break free by slowly backing away and avoiding eye contact. Suddenly, it lunged towards me, sinking its teeth into my flesh. I am not ashamed to say I fled into the woods, leading the creature away from the other travelers. When I collapsed, exhausted, the beast was nowhere to be seen.

I returned to the road, reconvening with my travel companion. He requested we approach the city from a nearby hilltop, where he could cast a location spell, along with a protective blessing on the city. Or so he said. The components he used were not ones I’ve seen used for either of those spells before. I escorted the braggart, claiming to be more powerful than Godwin, to Lord Fellmont. He requested an audience with young Victor and more dragon eggs before I met with Rufus for my payment.

Rufus paid me with gold and urged me to seek out dragon eggs at Blissfalls immediately, at the Dragon Temple. Emphasizing the urgency, he handed me some meal rations. Not that I needed them, I was able to hunt and find water as I travelled.

A Fall Harvest

The sun has barely risen on this first Saturday in fall when I step outside for the first time today. Not to start the harvest, but to dump my coffee grounds from the French press into a garden spot. Today’s should be a large harvest, including pumpkins, possibly all four if they’re all solidly orange. And if all the pumpkins are picked, it turns into a bigger gardening effort to remove the remaining vines, opening access to the raspberries lurking behind them.

I grab the Mickey Mouse bandana to keep dirt out of my hair, a fanny pack for my phone to make up for shallow pockets, and after a brief hesitation, with a step out the front door, my Tigger gardening sweater. Gardening shoes, gloves, and the clippers are acquired in the garage, then I pull a couple small beheaded sunflower stalks on my way to harvesting the pumpkins. As I cut the stalk for the second one, I realize one vine has a baby pumpkin, with flower still attached. The odds are against it ripening, but I leave that one streak of vine while removing the rest, not realizing it was the wrong vine until later.

The spaghetti squash vines are mostly withered already, but the cucumber and acorn squash vines still have some green and young fruit. The acorn squash, like the pumpkin, surprises me with new fruit. I clear the spaghetti squash vines, along with some weeds (mostly mulberries) that were hiding beneath them.

I carry handfuls of fruit to the bench by the garage, peering in the side door at the cats who glaringly say I should be feeding them again. They don’t seem reassured when I tell them I’ll be in after the harvesting that uses clippers. In my mind, that’s just the sweet peppers. In fact, I have one glove off before I remember there’s a muskmelon as well, and the cats are already fed when I realize, while changing the kitty litter, that I need clippers for the okra. Okra is handled slightly differently, since I keep count of that harvest: 73 (so far) compared to last year’s 353. (I have fewer okra plants this year, so the difference is reasonable.)

Cherry & yellow pear tomatoes in a pot, sweet peppers, acorn squash, purple okra, a muskmelon, spaghetti squash, a cucumber, and pumpkins

Having stopped most tomato harvests in recent weeks because the container was full, I select my largest pot, and start at the smallest tomato section, which is by the acorn squash, working my way up to the overflowing keyhole bed. The container decision is a good one; today’s tomato harvest is about double my normal effort. Now I just need some heavy cream and a bottle of V8 for a delightful tomato soup, which may be served with a side of bacon-wrapped acorn squash.