Tell me a story?

[Scarlet-Devil]

I'm bored and need inspiration, both as a DM and as a player. Anyone have any inspiring stories or adventuring Aesops'? Campaigns gone well, or adventures that ended disastrously? Really good background stories, world design...

[druid91]

The darkness welcomes all!

It all started with that simple phrase, a greeting by a friendly innkeeper that slowly devolved into a nightmare worse than any fever dream.

It was the 5th of granite year 1302, winter was just setting in and I was traveling with a party of adventurers. We saw a village in a distance and hurried towards it, that halfling.. basil or something, Managed to get ahead of us and convinced the guards to hold the gate open for us. We got rooms at an inn, The deepest-darkness. An odd name but the place seemed honest enough. Soon enough that idiot campaigner Reg had had too much to drink and I had to haul him up to his room, with the elf's help, Auri was her name... pretty name, pretty girl too but she's gone now. The rest of us said our goodnights and went to our rooms.
As I walked upstairs I heard the innkeeper speaking to a newcomer.
The darkness welcomes all! just pay your due!

I awoke in the middle of the night, and herd a sort of muffled thumping coming from outside... And I could see torchlight through my window. I walked over and looking out saw the entire town lined up on either side of the road bowing as hooded figures glided through the shadowy street.
And then one looked up at me. And then I woke up in the morning... In my bed, no hooded figures, no bowing townsfolk...That was the strangest dream I've had in a while I got up and got ready. And met Basil and Auri downstairs. After around half an hour of idle chat basil muttered "Where is that idiot Reg? Is he still asleep?" I shrugged, and Auri walked upstairs to check on him.

And then she screamed.

Basil was the quicker of the two of us, he dashed up the stairs, I was right behind him as the other patrons looked up the stairs curiously.

What we found was... nothing. Or Auri and nothing. She was sitting on the floor In Reg's room, and he wasn't there. All that was there was an odd skull like a humans, Etched all over with strange symbols. The only thing clear was the phrase. "The Darkens welcome all!"

We left that night but no matter where we went in that land, the same thing happened. First Auri vanished, nothing but a skull in her place again following the hooded figures appearance. Then basil.

And now I'm alone... I saw them again... last night. But there is no-one left to take...

[Lurkmoar]

She was a living doll. A rainbow in one eye and the other, bluer then the bluest sky.

This fairy took a stroll among the strawberries. To have some breakfast with the fellow fairies. Some rose petal stew and a drop of morning dew."That will do," she contemplated. Slightly irritated about her frustration towards creation.

Being ethereal could drive her hysterical. Particularly since she has a physical... appetite.

Then this wolf came by and she said "Hi!"

His brown fur stood up straight and his teeth glinted against the light. His shaking paws expressed the state he was in.

But he was very alive, and his drool spattered the vines.

"I'll eat you fairy!" he said. "Right here in this miserable strawberry bed! I'll suck on your marrow!" he insisted. But her ethereal mind was totally twisted right out of her head.

"Good golly, I'm getting rather wet! Is this lousy wolf all I'm going to get? Hardly had a bit of morning dew so I'll settle for you! Still going to come, how about you?"

But the wolf was dead, and in the forest the fairy lay in her bed. And like many of us, with herself she had to play for the remainder of this exciting, wonderful, this strawberry day.

Adapted from a hidden KMFDM song called Fairy. Used it as a child's story a bard tells during a harvest festival to warn the kiddies that fairies aren't very nice.

[Starbuck_II]

I'm bored and need inspiration, both as a DM and as a player. Anyone have any inspiring stories or adventuring Aesops'? Campaigns gone well, or adventures that ended disastrously? Really good background stories, world design...

Well, disasterous adventure in real life?
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23784&highlight=psychodm

[TheCountAlucard]

Dwarf-Fall...This game took place more than a year ago, so bear with me if the details aren't perfect.

The adventuring party heard tell of an army amassed by a necromancer to slaughter the Pelor-worshipping humans to the south. The PCs ended up aiding them in defending the massive, 300-foot-high wall around the city. The army attacks, and the party is made to contend with a goblin on dragonback. The goblin got a lucky hit and managed to eat a severe chunk of the warlock's hit points, but had to dismount to do so. That's when the dwarven fighter, on the last rounds of the enlarge person spell affecting him, decides to use his size advantage one last time, to bull-rush the goblin off the city wall. Naturally, he succeeds, causing the goblin to fall 300 feet.

I rolled for damage behind the screen, and was surprised to note that the goblin was alive, with seven hit points.

However, I decided to call for a Balance check on the part of the dwarf; it wasn't unreasonable, seeing how that part of the wall had been damaged by a previous attack. However, since he's wearing plate mail, has no ranks in Balance, and worst yet, rolled a 1... :smalleek:

So I tried to describe the scene to the players with a straight face. This goblin lancer had been blasted off the wall by a tackle from an armored refrigerator, fallen 300 feet, and was now rooted to the ground by his spiked armor. He gives a little groan, and suddenly notices that he's in shadow... Then our dwarf, now back to his original height and weight, is stuck in this crater twice his size, the goblin now a smear under him.

[Scarlet-Devil]

[I]

Adapted from a hidden KMFDM song called Fairy. Used it as a child's story a bard tells during a harvest festival to warn the kiddies that fairies aren't very nice.

Very nice, I love it when people go the extra mile with roleplaying. I can't help but wonder if I'm the only one who's mind was filled with dirty thoughts while reading that though...:smalleek:

[Lurkmoar]

The original the fairy was implied stated to have sexual intercourse with a punk. While that was amusing in it's own right, I thought it would be more fun to have the fairy eat the wolf, while retaining naughty undercurrent.

Whenever I get stumped, I like going through some classics. Grimm fairy tales, Hans Christian Anderson, Dickens... still haven't put any of Lewis Carrol bits in yet. Music also works wonders. If you're not in the mood to turn out something bittersweet after listening to The Host of Seraphim by Dead Can Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnJOH5PImrw) or Right in Two by Tool (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLjrD-oXkhA)... well, then we probably won't agree to milk and cookies. :smalltongue:

I also remember one Dark Sun tale that was written in one of the books... think it was Dragon Kings, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it went something like this:

Misha was a powerful half-giant that loved his grog. Every time at dusk he would cavort and sing tales of glory while the moons Ral and Guthay rose. And every night he would stumble to his home and cause an uproar that woke his family. Eventually his brother begged him not to drink so much.

"Dear brother, every night you disturb our rest! The days are hot, the work is hard and nights are our only relief! If you rob us of more rest, you must live elsewhere!"

Misha, chastised, agreed that he would only drink half as much. He was careful with his drink and left early that night.

A elf wrapped in rags found the half giant sitting in the dust weeping to himself.

"What is burdens you so?" the elf asked.
"I can't find my way home," Misha replied.
"How can you be lost? There is only one road, the Broken Maiden tavern is only half a mile away, and there are several dwellings down the road."
"That's just it," Misha cried, "Every night I see three roads. So I always take the middle one to get home. But tonight there are only two!"
The elf nodded, and then drew a wineskin from under his rags.
"Here, take a drink of this," the elf said with a smile.

Misha gratefully swallowed the contents down.

That morning, Misha's family searched for him. They found him face down, poisoned. There were elf tracks all around him.

[druid91]

Did I accidentally start a creepiness trend with my attempt at lovecraftian horror?:smallbiggrin:

[Melayl]

These (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116836) are a really good read, and considered by many to be quite inspiring.

[Scarlet-Devil]

These (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116836) are a really good read, and considered by many to be quite inspiring.

Those were fairly interesting, but let's keep 'em coming. I may have to share one of my own soon...