GM's Session 1 Report

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Version 3.0
Otherwise known as “I haven't GMed in 5 years, and haven't done Hero for longer than that - what the frell is happening!”

I should point out that this is a different style of campaign than I've ever run before. It's very free flowing and interactive - the players are almost as much world builders as I am. I don't have an overall plot for the campaign. I have a series of things that happen, and some important NPCs doing stuff. Every thing that occurs is the result of consequence. I basically “wing it” according to player actions. It's a bit like interactive storytelling like the Baron Munchausen game. Unfortunately, sometimes the PCs don't go along the path I think they will take which has huge melodrama and I actually work out many of the details and consequences. If it won't affect the PC's actions in the campaign, I will reveal some behind the scenes stuff.

• (A) Baron Alden von Elbe-Elster (an undercover mage, because magic is illegal according to the church)
• ( Wu Shi (Mage) Wang Chian Tzu Kongzi Chen: Mage of the fifth circle for the Feline Empire of Kartar (now in the body of a Rakshasa with no memory) - Magic is not illegal in Kartar, but must be done for services of their liege lady (Imperial Matriarchy).
• (C) Thodric Jarl, Mercenary captain late of the Zylistani Empire where he was sent on a suicide mission, but decided to abscond instead. Who fled to Zylistan after being betrayed by his cousin, Constantia. His actual name is Erbmarkgraf (although as his father is now dead, he should be the full Markgraf) Theodoric Recared von Ostmark.
• (D) Cadmus the bard, undercover agent for Loki's Hand and ex-pirate who stole some druidic magic.

It starts with ( waking up in a forest clearing beside the body of a feline mage, who also regains consciousness and runs off. In ('s hand is a strange device and nearby is the body of a chewed-on and tortured dead feline guard.

(D) meets the new version of ( in a forest near the bodies of several of the guards that had originally accompanied ( but had fallen victim to the Rakshasa earlier. The amnesiac ( is looking over the victim and checking pockets, briefly he changes shape to that of the victim. ( also has the pieces of the device, and shows them to (D).

At this point (D) knows what has happened (or has a very good idea at least), but no one else does.

(A) the mage, wants immortality and is willing to go to great lengths to get it, and has contacted a foreign power ( a legendary mage from a neighbouring empire.

( has a mind transfer device. Gets attacked by a Rakshasa on the way, and it goes off (and is damaged in the process). ( is put into the monster's body with no memories - the Rakshasa's mind (with all memories) goes off back to the empire to cause evil (as is its wont) and become Dread Nemesis ™ for later in the campaign.

(A) gets worried because ( doesn't show at a neutral rendezvous point and hires (C) a well travelled mercenary to help him search for (. (C) is slightly worried that (A) may recognise him, as (A) is the baron of the nearby March, and (C) is the condemned traitor son of the last Margrave who fled his cousin's treachery. Meanwhile (D) the bard/terrorist member of Loki's Hand (an anarchist organisation) has intercepted the communications between (A) and ( and the Hand has sent him to recruit ( if possible, and at least get his device.

(A) and (C) and their party of guards come by, discover various victims, worry, then make camp (not wishing to enter an unknown forest at night, where the tracks lead). (A) senses magic nearby which is because (D) can also change shape - but only into animals (wheras ( can only change shape into humanoids) - and he scouts the camp as a high flying bat, which (A) sees (after casting some perception spells himself). This puts (A) and (C) on edge.

(D) then comes to the camp from a different direction in his guise as a wandering bard. They let him in, dubiously.

(A) and (C) then get to the camp, find the penultimate victim and the struggle, and while there, (D) goes off to fetch ( who now looks like a midget version of (D), could even be a brother. Except that ( is wearing (apparently) the uniform of one of the victims (he doesn't realise its a uniform). At this point they are even more suspicious, but decide not to do anything about it yet. The investigate a lot, find that the tracks for ('s body retreat back east but can't continue because there's a tribe of centaurs hunting in the way. Sometime later the centaurs leave and go south.

One of the things that ('s player wanted besides amnesia, was enormous quantities of unluck (or bad luck), which can be seen as a magical side effect of mind-transferral going wrong in my opinion

During the night after they make another camp, ( sneaks off to have a look at the centaur camp, alerts two of the sentries by mistake, kills one by suprise and runs off. The other sentry wakes the rest of the camp. ( drops the device in the forest on the way back to the other PCs.

The centaurs arrive, wake the camp, negotiate and surround it. One of the centaurs is seen by ( and (D) to have the pouch with the device in it. (A) recognises the pouch as being of Feline design.

Next morning the PCs are forcibly organised into search parties by the centaurs (who outnumber them 2-to-1) to try to track down the monster that killed their sentry (as ( assumed his normal monster shape for the sentry attack). (A) and (C) are together in one party. ( and (D) are in the party containing the centaur carrying the pouch.

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