Blue Blazes

Continuing the tale of The Smurfs and The Palace of the Silver Princess; a classic Dungeons and Dragons Module (B3) run using the upcoming Smurfs Tabletop Roleplaying Game from Maestro Media...

One again, sorry this took so long to write and post. I've been ridiculously busy lately.

This recap comes after the fifth and final session has been played (more on that in later posts obviously). This will be in two parts as will the breakdown of Session Five. After that I will give my overall thoughts on this mini-campaign. 

If this seems like a lot happening in a single session you'd be right but Session Four was longer than any of the others by about an hour and a half. 

Session Four, Part 1

With the key to Court Magician's Sanctum in hand* our smurfy heroes made a mad dash across the Great Hall towards the entrance/exit. The group saw a large shadow move along the floor and realized the tentacled plant abomination was in pursuit, moving along the rafters on the ceiling. As they neared the wide doorway, the monster seemed to disappear into the darkness above. 

Suddenly, Honeysuckle noticed someone hurrying towards the Great Hall...a Goeblin! One of the nasty buggers they'd encountered earlier in the kitchen, he ran at the.with a fork and knife in his filthy mitts. Brash smiled and exchanged a glance with Honeysuckle who smirked back and whispered, "Follow our lead y'all."

Brash Smurf and Smurfhoneysuckle readied themselves and then, at just the right moment, pulled everyone in the party down to the ground. Above them the one-eyed horror descended from the ceiling, promptly colliding with the Goeblin. As the two of them wrestled, each trying to escape from and/or eat each other, the Smurfs run out of the room and moved as quickly as they could to the staircase heading up to the next level. 

Just before they departed in haste, Apathy looked back into the Great Hall to note; Princess Argenta, Sir Ellis the Groom Knight, and Mirabillis the Royal Mage himself were absent among the petrified wedding attendees. If the Princess and her betrothed weren't at their own Wedding...where were they?

The Smurfs passed a ghost on staircase, the haunting spirit of Branuar the Cleric, head clergyman of the Kingdom of Haven. He spoke on and on in whispered riddles but the team was able to glean some insight into what they were likely to face next. 

• The Princess was trapped but safe. The groom was free but in the greatest danger.
• The sword that can destroy the Eye of Arik is guarded by one who can not use it.
• Being the hero can lead you down a dark path. Beware! 

The Smurfs continued on and found the door to the Court Wizard's room. There was no doorknob or keyhole but there was a carving of a hand where these things should be. Standing on each others shoulders to form a Smurf-ladder, Brash at the bottom and Apathy at the top, handed the key upward until Apathy hefted it a little above his head. Cornflower made the suggesting of positioning the key so the blue crystal in its was in the center of the hand carving's palm.

Catching the light from a nearby window the crystal glowed, casting a thin ray of blue light on the middle of the palm. A keyhole revealed itself in the center of the hand and Apathy carefully turned the key over and around (with the help of those below him) to insert it into the lock and *Ch-Clink* the door was opened! Cheering with excitement the Smurf ladder crumbled, leaving the party on the floor laughing out of sheer release of the fear and tension they'd been feeling. 

The door was opened to reveal what could easily be described as Smurfcornflower's dream come true. After going roughly a session and half without her Potions (which is to say, her special Advantage!)**, Cornflower was in heaven as the room was full of spell books, magical components, potions bottles, and a cauldron that was eerily still warm and steaming. Shaking with anticipation, Cornflower ran forward but was caught by Honeysuckle who gave her a finger to the lips 'Shhh' and looked around. The team proceeded slowly but Cornflower was beside herself trying to hold in her enthusiasm. 

After confirming the place was relatively safe, the group took a much needed rest and ate some Smurfberry Dry Biscuits and drank some water. Cornflower joined in but in a rush, eager to get to potion-making.  In addition, with the help of Suave and Apathy, she was able to locate a cure to dispell the Petrification Curse. Yes! 

Stephen, our GM, felt bad that I went so long without the coolest thing about my character; Smurfcornflower - the Potion Maker - had no Potions for a session and a half of our five session campaign. I assured him I wasn't bothered by this at all (See the ** note below). I loved playing Cornflower even without her 'Magic Power'. Her personality and the way she interacted with the other PCs was just so fun. However, I am pleased that Stephen decided to allow me to create 5 Potions instead of my normal 3. This is separate from/in addition to the 'Flesh to Stone' antidote. I should note that this decision was influenced by the fact that previously my multiple use Potions were all used up in one-time actions 

After a bit of 'downtime' the party of Smurfs regroups and gets ready to further explore the Palace, hoping to find the Sword of Arik (which can destroy the Eye), as well as Princess Argenta and Sir Ellis. Perhaps they could even locate Mirabillis himself, which would be really helpful as it would give them an ally who knows Magic Spells. Calling out to Cornflower to see if she was ready to go, the gang hears a vague response from the top of the table in the middle of the room. They all look up to see Smurfcornflower holding up two potions and a moment later, cackling manically. She fades off, notices everyone staring at her, and sheepishly says, "What?! I'm having fun!".

The PCs proceeded to leave the Magician's workshop and searched the second level/floor of the Palace. While looking about, they became aware of someone else moving about the corridors as well. Apathy had a hunch that it might be best to hide the key. The group wrapped the item in a swatch of cloth and Brash started carrying it on his back. 

Turning a corner, Brash and Honeysuckle came face to feet with none other than the Royal Magician himself, Master Mirabillis! Cornflower, initially somewhat behind her friends, ran up to greet the wizard, eager to speak with him. As he looked down at the little blue adventurers, the party could tell something was wrong. Then they noticed his now glowing red eyes!

"What do I behold before me? Enemies of Arik! Stay where you are so that I might turn you to stone!", the Magician cried out, his voice a mingling of malice and madness. 

"Merci mais non."*** Suave Smurf began, "We are very busy and simply can not fit it in to our schedule. Perhaps some other time?".He finished with a polite (but nervous) smile.

Unfortunately, this response only made the furious, corrupted Court Magician...well...furiouser! Mirabillis directed his Wizard's Staff towards Suave while the others scattered, not realizing he wasn't moving along with them. The Magician spoke a dark incantation in an ancient tongue, the gem at the end of his staff glowing dimly, and with a sudden WHOOSH, Suave Smurf was petrified! 

The rest of the party shouted, stamped, and then got down to business. Smurfcornflower fished one of her new potions out of her sack and said to the team, "One smurf each. No more. Got it?", in a voice as even and unwavering as she could muster. Everyone else nodded. Cornflower lightly tossed the potion - a bright and deep blue elixir with sparkles - to Brash Smurf, who took a good sip and hefted it to Smurfhoneysuckle. Honeysuckle took a gulp and handed it off to Apathy Smurf. Apathy drank the final bit of the potion and then licked his lips. The others stared at him for the longest of seconds. 

"What?", shrugged Apathy. He looked Cornflower in the eyes and smiled sheepishly. "It's tasty."

Mirabillis readied another spell but as he brought down his staff, Brash charged him, leaped up, and pulled the troublesome end of it nearly to the floor [with ease!]. Honeysuckle followed by bouncing off Brash's shoulders and running up the length of the rod until she jumped off and kicked the clasp of the Magician's cape. The thick blue cloth came loose and fell about Mirabillis' feet. Apathy was next, yanking the cloak and toppling Mirabillis onto his back, completely prone. Apathy was astonished that had worked.  

The next few moments were a rapid back and forth, with Mirabillis casting balls of fire and curses of Petrification, eventually turning Apathy and Brash to stone and singeing Honeysuckle pretty badly. Cornflower kept trying to cast the counterspell but had to stop to dodge the Magician's attacks and miscast it once.****

Finally, Smurfcornflower executed the reversal spell perfectly (with Effort, a Smurfberry, and Smurf Power!) and the rest of the party were stored to normal (except Honeysuckle who was still injured of course). 

Suave let out a loud exhale as if he'd been holding his breathe the entire time he spent petrified. He then breathed back in deeply and shouted, "Brash, Blow The Whistle!". Brash had all but forgotten that he was carrying a Protector's Whistle and proceeded to blow into it with all he could muster. Somehow distant and deafening, like a hurricane wind outside while you're safe in your home, the Whistle sounded like it was echoing from everywhere at once.

An aura of red flames flared around Mirabillis, his crimson eyes glowing more intensely. At first weakly and in small quantities but increasing steadily the flames began to flicker green instead of red. Once all the flames turned green a fee shifted and become blue! More and more Mirabillis became wreathed in blue fire. 

"What in Blue Blazes?!", shouted a stunned Honeysuckle. 

The azure conflagration flared so brightly the party had to cover their eyes for a moment. When it passed, the Court Magician was found sitting on the stone floor of the corridor blinking and bewildered. As he slowly got to his feet, the Smurfs readied themselves for...well...for anything.

It quickly became apparent that something had changed about Master Mirabillis. First and foremost, his eyes looked normal and were clearly no longer glowing red. His demeanor was calm and thoughtful, not aggressive as he had been just minutes ago. He spoke quietly, his voice a bit shakey, "I...I am free. No longer am I trapped in my own mind. Who...Smurfs? Are you really Smurfs? There haven't been Smurfs in Haven in a hundred years."

"Master Mirabillis, Royal Magician of the Kingdom of Haven, we are indeed Smurfs. Summoned by the Green Fairy Protectors of Haven, here on behalf of Papa Smurf, we have come to aid in freeing your nation", said Suave Smurf in his most polite and proper manner. "It seems someone left clues and a hidden key to your sanctum in hopes that they could be used to help in this regard. Furthermore, we surmise that person might well have been you."

The Court Magician smiled a tight but honest smile. "You are both clever and correct my little blue friends. Perhaps we actually have a chance of saving Haven."

To be continued...

AD

Barking Alien

*By having the Magic Key 'in hand' I actually meaning lugged around on Brash's back or carried by two Smurfs at a time. This was a Human-sized metal key. It was kind of heavy for us Smurfs.

**Remember that I, that is to say my character Smurfcornflower, spent a quarter of one session, all of the next, a little of the one that followed without Potions - her unique special ability. Her Smurf Advantage, a decrease of difficulty when creating or identifying Potions, barely applied to anything during this time. 

From what I've encountered over the past 15+ years, this would have driven the average player mad. Imagine having a D&D Wizard PC who used up all his Spells for the day in one session and the next session and a half took place on the same day. A Wizard with no Spells for about 6-7 hours  [or so] of game time. The player of that Wizard PC would have flipped, right? They'd be furious! 

Not me. Nope. See, without my special power/weapon I had to get creative, be entertaining, engage in role-play, and show that creating and using Potions is a cool thing Cornflower can do but it isn't what makes her cool. 

I could easily see players complaining there was nothing their character could do or nothing for them to do. Some might even say 'the GM didn't give me anything for my character to do'. That is so mentally lazy and creatively empty that it always makes me nuts when people say anything like that.

There is ALWAYS something you can do. You can talk, make a joke, distract, use props in your environment, use the terrain itself, etc. You can contribute. You can make it fun for you and others. Don't be that person. 

***Merci mais non translates in English to 'Thank you but no'. 

****Cornflower is an Alchemist, a Potion-Maker, not a Witch, Wizard, or Magician of any kind. She doesn't have any gift or training at casting Spells. Both I and Stephen (the GM) played into this idea, making casting the anti-Petrification magic quite difficult.

Tangled Up in Blue

Session Three

After escaping from the Kitchen and a quartet of glutenous Goeblins, our party of Smurfs ran down the hall and found refuge in the castle Library.

The Library was a temple to the written word (according to Suave Smurf), with hundreds of books of all sizes on a dozen or so shelves. There were a good number of tomes scattered across the floor, as if someone had been looking for a particular book in a hurry, but otherwise the room was in remarkably good condition. Apathy Smurf suggested that for the most part the current inhabitants didn't appear to be the 'intellectual' type.

Smurfcornflower was in heaven and asserted that the team was exactly where they needed to be. Somewhere in this room were the answers to the riddles they needed to unravel in order to free the Silver Palace from the curse of the Eye of Arik. She was sure of it. 

The sequence was vital to the adventure but doesn't really make for an interesting recap. Yes, there was some role-playing and fun banter but I'm going to sum up what they discovered so I can move this 'replay' to the really good parts. Cool? Thanks.

After searching the Library and reading through various texts, the Smurfs found some vitally useful information:

Banquets of The Silver Palace, a combination history book and cookbook*, had a note slipped into it that mentioned a hidden panel in the Great Dining Hall that held a key to the Court Magician's Laboratory and Workshop. 

In The Giants of Haven they learned more about Arik the Vile, including a possible means of destroying the Eye. There was a Sword the Arik made from the same ruby gemstone as the Eye and if the two made contact with each other both would turn to dust (Evil overload?). It is also noted that the sound of merry music irritated Arik and weakened his power. 

Finally, they found what appeared to be a wedding invitation along with a booklet that let wedding guests know who was who and a little about the ceremony. We jokingly called this the Wedding Playbill. It gave more background on the groom, Sir Ellis of the Knights of The White Drakes, and a few key members of the Royal Court**:

Branaur, The Chief Clergyman

Catharmandamus, The Royal Chamberlain

Mirabillis, The Court Magician

Sir Tom, The Captain of the Silver Palace Guard

Finally, Rowena, 'Rose from the Northwest Sea', had been hired to entertain the guests in the form of music and song. 

"Great, now what? What's our next smurf?", asked Brash, excited to be anywhere that didn't involve breathing in dust and doing a lot of reading.

Suave rubbed his chin and said, "The Great Hall seems the obvious destination. The key hidden there would be most smurfy if we wish to enter the Court Magician's sanctum." He then turned to look at Cornflower with a charming smile, "Which is something I assume we want to do." Cornflower smiled and nodded vigorously. Apathy rolled his eyes but with a slight grin.

Brash Smurf and Smurfhoneysuckle left the Library to do some scouting, avoiding the sight of the Goeblins who were still searching for the Smurfs. Luckily, they were far down the hall and the Smurf duo had time to look around. They found a storeroom, empty guard posts and barracks, and of course the smaller Dining Room across from the Library. Hmm. Where were all the inhabitants of the castle? They've supposedly been trapped in this palace for a decade but were nowhere to found?

Reuniting all together, the Smurf party proceeded to head down the length of the long hall to the Great Hall, which was decorated with blue, red, and silver in honor of Princess Argenta and Sir Ellis's wedding. And there they were...

The entire Great Hall was filled with stone statues; life-like, sculptured effigies of men and woman, the old and the young, and even a half dozen hounds. There were nobles and commoners, merchants and knights, four Dwarfs, and a woman with a fancy hat carrying a gittern***.

Apathy Smurf nodded at her, "Rowena? The bard we read about?"

"Indeed", said Suave quietly, as if his voice might disturb the statues. "How horrid? Who or what could have done this?"

"Dark Magic...that's for sure", Smurfcornflower said, matching Suave's volume but with her voice a tad shakey. 

That was when a large shadow moved on the far side of the [very large] room. Honeysuckle and Brash started heading in the direction of the movement immediately, motioning the others to follow. When they reached the area they found a table surrounded by chairs all rather small for the average Human. Hmm. The average adult Human that is. This table had likely been set up for children.  

The Smurfs looked all about the table for what had created the shadow they'd seen. They walked under it, climbed up onto it, searched around the chairs, everything. Confused and unsure if they were indeed alone in the huge chamber (dozens upon dozens of petrified party guests aside), they started to discuss where the hidden panel might be based on the clues in the note they'd found. That's when the shadow reappeared, casting darkness down upon them from above. The thing...whatever it was...had been hiding in the corner of the ceiling. 

A monstrous ball of plant matter and tentacles with a single, massive, emerald eye, the nightmarish thing descended and immediately reached for the Smurfs, drooling and letting out a gurgling growl.

Honeysuckle and Suave were grabbed and pulled high above the others, the creature seeming to chuckle at its fortune. The other Smurfs were stunned for a moment, almost frozen in fear, before shaking themselves and each other out of their initial panic. Brash grabbed a fork and moved towards the monster. Cornflower saw a goblet of fermented pear juice and had an idea. Apathy...wait, where did Apathy go?

Dodging and weaving his way across the small table, Apathy found a hiding spot underneath a cloth napkin. He locked eyes with the others and gave them a nod. They nodded back and that was his que...to suggest to the GM he cut back to the other PCs (although he did say, "Good, they know what to do" first).****.

Suave Smurf and Smurfhoneysuckle struggled to free themselves from the grip of the monster's tentacles to no avail. As a response to their attempts, the horrid thing squeezed Honeysuckle to crush her but she managed to resist with all her smurfy strength! The creature tossed Suave away and he sailed through the air, eventually landing hard...well hard-ish...on decade old stale Wedding Cake. He was hurt but managed to stay conscious. 

Apathy saw that and sprung into action; he sneaked out from underneath his napkin cover only to stand in plain view of the beast's massive eye. It gave another of its wet, throaty laughs and advanced towards him. Apathy stared back at it but was otherwise motionless. The monster let out a gargled roar at Apathy and the little Smurf just rolled his eyes. Confused, perhaps even doubting its own horrifying-ness, the tenacled terror pulled itself up and away a bit. Apathy seemed to be looking at his fingernails. 

This was more than the monster could stand! It let out another moist bellow, its mouth wide as it lunged towards Apathy, when suddenly - GULP! - the atrocity found it had swallowed...something. Something foul. It didn't feel well. Not well at all. The creature's foliage went pale. It tried and failed to hold in a massive belch. Finally, looking much worse for wear, the thing's tongue lolled out as it panted, seeming like it might pass out at any moment.

Apathy Smurf gave Smurfcornflower a thumbs up and she returned it with a goofy smile. As it turned out, throwing a ten year old piece of bread soaked in equally old and spoiled pear juice into ones mouth is a very effective way of making them dreadfully ill. Cornflower looked over to Brash Smurf and gave him a thumbs up.

Brash nodded and called out to Smurfhoneysuckle yelling, "Honeysuckle! Catch!" Throwing a silver fork like a javelin, the utensil sailed towards Smurfhoneysuckle who caught it, spun it around, and then threw it into the monster's open maw. The abhorrent bush recoiled backwards, hitting the wall. The sound of a stone coming loose was noticed by Cornflower. The beast let out a pained, raspy shriek, dropped Honeysuckle to the table below, and retreated up into the rafters.

After freeing Suave Smurf from the long expired cake, the party regrouped and headed to the ground where Cornflower had heard the loosened stone. After a moment or two, the group was able to find the hidden panel in the wall that held a strangle looking key. A note attached said, 'For The Court Magician's - Upstairs One Level - First Room on the Left.' The Smurfs decided that someone had purposely left the note in the Library, as well as this one, in hopes that someone would find it and somehow use the key to aid Haven in its plight. 

But who? And how? 

Well my dear Smurfs...keep reading, 

AD

Barking Alien

*Yet another Tasting History reference/Easter Egg perhaps? lol

**I will cover some of the changes to the original module this adventure is based on at the very end of the campaign but I wanted to take a moment to note some of the alterations the GM/Stephen made to the major NPCs. 

The module has a Chief Cleric and a Cleric who worships Arik. There is a Royal Magic-User and a Royal Alchemist. Stephen combined a lot of these characters or changed their jobs to make everything flow more quickly and smoothly.

***A Gittern is a type of Medieval stringed instrument popular in France and Spain that is believed to be a direct precursor of the guitar.

****At no point was a plan discussed. While Andrew implied there was a plan and acted like there was a plan, there was no plan between Andrew, Brandon, and myself. In our 'After Action Report' discussion Andrew gave us some incredible insight into this scene. 

Paraphrased from Andrew's words: "When Stephen (the GM) told us we were frozen in fear for a moment and then we snapped out of it, I was still very much frozen. My brain locked up and I could not think of what to do next. Stephen then asked Brandon, "What does Brash do?" and Brandon has something. He has Brash take an action. Then he goes to Adam and yeah, Adam has something. I know I'm next and I know I've got nothing. What can Apathy contribute to this?

Then it hit me. He can facilitate the actions of those who DO have ideas. So I acted like I had a big plan but really all I wanted to do was stall or distract the monster so Brash and Cornflower could do something cool."

Now THAT is a truly brilliant RPG player. 

Cry Blue Murder

More Smurf adventuring? You bet your smurf!

Sorry for the delay. I have some difficulty creating or finding images I liked. I just can't put up a post with no art when the game is about something based on an Animated Series or a Comic Book.

The first half of Session Two contained a lot of exposition, problem-solving, and role-play and I want to make it clear we had a lot of fun with it. In addition, it moved a lot faster than it may have seemed in my previous post. I felt the need to explain some of the details that we in-game kind of took for granted or got through osmosis. I hope I didn't over do it. If the prior post didn't bore you too much and you're sticking with me, thanks. I promise that this half of the session is waaay more action packed. 

Once again, thanks for putting up with my style of recap. Anyway...

Season Two, Part 2:

Our Smurf party had made it into the Palace of the Silver Princess thanks to the mystic powers of the Whistles of the Protectors of Haven (an idea that Suave first came up with). Entering invisibly thanks to one of Smurfcornflower's potions, the effect was fading and the group of Smurfs were quickly becoming visible. We begin the session with the team hiding inside a wooden Guard Post located just inside the the castle's front gate. Skeletons dressed in the armor and tunics of Haven Soldiers walked the halls adjacent to the entry way. 

As soon as the invisibility wore off completely and the Smurfs could see each other, Brash and Smurfhoneysuckle peaked out to check for Skeletons and which direction to go in next. They determined that the hall heading Northwest was their best chance. They took off, Brash in the lead and Honeysuckle in the rear.

Nonetheless, the Smurfs came across and had to avoid two Zombie-like undead warriors and one Skeleton. They recognized rooms further down the hall as likely to be a pantry and kitchen and so they dashed for them and ducked in to catch their breath. After a few moments, they looked around to see if there was anything useful they could use. Honeysuckle and Cornflower noted that if this castle has been trapped like this for a decade, any food in the pantry had long gone bad. Just as the others nodded in agreement, a plate fell from the counter above them spilling chunks of old cheese, slimy ham, and stale bread. 

The group looked up to notice Goeblins! There were two of them, rumaging through cabinets and boxes, drinking from jugs of wine, and eating food they must have found or foraged. The Smurfs - quietly and carefully - grabbed what they could and prepared to leave when suddenly...another Goeblin came around the counter and tried to stab Apathy with a fork! Yikes! There are three of them?!

Brash grabbed a Meat Tenderizer he found on the floor, though he could barely lift it. Honeysuckle came over to help him. Sort of. Great interaction of the two of them humorously competing/cooperating to be the 'lead' on smashing one of the Goeblins. The Goeblin in question quickly scooped both of them up in a bowl of gruel porridge. The two Smurfs fell over into the thick, cream broth and...didn't come back up. The Goeblin was perplexed, squinted, and moved his face closer and closer to the bowl until - BLOSH! - the Smurfs popped out of the gruel, thrusting the Tenderizer forward and bashing their opponent right between the eyes. The Goeblin dropped the bowl, spilling two porridge covered Smurfs onto the countertop.  

Apathy reached out his hand towards Cornflower, who just looked at it, then at his face, and said, "What?" Apathy, in his bored and bothered manner asked her for a potion and she informed him she was fresh out. The Invisibility Potion was the last of her concoctions. Apathy made an, 'Of course' expression.  The two of them noticed a shadow looming over them and turned to see another Goeblin coming at them with a frying pan.

Four?!? Yes! There were four Goeblins in total. How did the Smurfs not notice that? As it turned out, the Goeblins have a special Advantage of their own called Sneaky. If the GM spends a Thorn, a Goeblin can appear or disappear into the shadows or behind things in order to escape or surprise enemies. Remember all that Smurf Power the PCs used in Season One, Part 2? Well that gave Stephen at least two Thorns. He spent them here to have two extra Goeblins come out from their hidden hidey holes. 

Back to the action...

The frying pan came down on the two Smurfs and they did their best to scatter. The horrible sound of metal-on-Smurf-on-stone caused Cornflower to spin around, shouting as she saw the fairly flattened form of Apathy. "Get away from him you Monster!", Cornfower called at with both anger and fear in her voice. Swinging the frying pan again, this time like a tennis ratchet, the Goeblin sent Cornflower flying through the air. She landed in the Pantry atop a bag of flour. Badly hurt and trying hard to stay conscious, she noticed a shelf above her with numerous spice and jars of herbs. Fighting her aches and pains, Cornflower climbed up onto the shelf as the Goeblin creeped towards her. 

The remaining Goeblin caught Suave, lifted him into the air and then tossed him onto a plate. He landed softly [for the most part] in a pile of mashed up small potatoes and bit of spoiled butter. The Goeblin leaned over him with a fork and knife, licking its lips. Suave Smurf's eyes darted about, landing on a fancy bottle. "Red wine? With Smurf?! Oh no, no, no. That simply won't do. Are you a culinary barbarian?" The Goeblin was completely dumbfounded. He put down his fork, took the bottle in hand and gave it a swig.

"Ez good wine. Wat you know?", asked the Goeblin.

"It's not the vintage Mon Ami, its the type of wine. Of course its good but Smurf pairs better with something lighter or perhaps a rosé. Yes! A rosé. And these potatoes? Garlic, a bit of black pepper, and a dash more salt and Mwah! Magnifique!". As Suave Smurf went on the Goeblin was practically drooling. It wiped its mouth, nodded enthusiastically and reached for the salt and pepper, garlic, a grater, and then turned around to search for a bottle of rosé. Suave meanwhile hurriedly assembled a fork, a spoon, and the pepper container just so. 

"Ah-ha!", exclaimed the Goeblin with excitement. He turned back towards Suave with a wine bottle in hand. Suave Smurf then proceeded to jump on the prong end of the fork, launching the pepper into the air - spending a Brawn Effort and Smurf Power - and sending the pepper right into the Goeblin's face. The nasty cretin proceeded to sneeze uncontrollably, dropping the bottle of and allowing Suave to get some distance. 

Brash and Honeysuckle got up and made a break for the opposite side of the counter table, catching up with Suave and finding themselves between a rock and hard place, as well as quite high above the floor. Suave had an idea and pointed to ragged cloth napkins. A whispered plan and both Honeysuckle and Brash grabbed one each. Suave leapt onto Brash's back ("My apologies. So undignified!") and after a few spent Efforts and Smurfberries the three Smurfs 'parachuted' off the countertop, angling back towards the door to the kitchen (the door they used to enter this room). Mere inches from escaping into the hallway, the three heroes turned around to look for their friends.

Apathy was behind them, running towards the Goeblin with the frying plan, who was himself heading to the pantry to squash Cornflower no doubt. As the loathsome thing stuck its head through the doorway, Apathy lept up on the Goeblin's trouser leg and started crawling up the creature. The Goeblin was distracted only for a moment, as suddenly something sprayed from out of the pantry and the bogey dropped the frying pan and yelped in pain. It rubbed its tearing eyes to no avail and Apathy took advantage of the creature's misfortune. He pulled the cretin's hat down over its eyes and than slide down the Goeblin's coat. Leaping off to the ground, he rushed to the pantry where Cornflower had herself slide down the aforementioned bag of flour. 

"What was that?", asked Apathy as he watched the Goeblin flail around and whine in agony.

"I call it Pepper Spray! (It had black pepper, dried spicy peppers, onion powder, and vinegar)", replied Smurfcornflower, too proud of herself to think about how terrified she was. 

"Nice", Apathy started, "I was...worried. I was worried about...*throat clear*...about you." He said this last part looking directly into Cornflower's eyes and she darked a much darker shade of blue. Her mouth hung open for a moment, completely flabbergasted, and it only then occurred to her that Apathy had basically admitted to caring about something. Someone! Wait..gulp...me?

"HEY! You two! Come on!", Honeysuckle called out, waving the pair over. Apathy took Cornflower by her suddenly cold and sweaty palm and the two ran to join their friends. As the Goeblins cried, sneezed, tripped, and bumped into each other in the background, the Smurfs ran out into the hall and raced to find another open door. There was a large dining room on the right and what seemed to be a library to the left. "Library!", Cornflower called out, pointing at the room. Everybody double-smurfed it to the door, squeezed through the thin space, and then leaned on the inside of the door to close it behind them. 

As the team tried to catch their breath, their eyes darted about the huge room and its seemingly endless collection of books.  "Oh my Smurf!", said a panting Cornflower, "I think we're right where we need to be..."

To be continued,

AD

Barking Alien

Blue Green Red

Continuing my telling of the tale of our Smurfs RPG  mini-campaign, 'The Smurfs and The Palace of the Silver Princess', here is Session Two, Part 1. 

You can find tour party of Smurf Adventurers here:

Blue Smurf Group

You can find the recap of Session One here and here:

Part 1: Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Part 2: Singing The Blue

I would like to point out, as I should have on my previous posts, that these recaps are obviously not a play-by-play of every moment in the game. I have edited out most of the 'rules talk', many discussions both in and out of character, and some of the finer points of world-building for the purposes of retelling the key parts of the adventure within a reasonable amount of words. 

If you dear reader have any questions about anything I have potentially glossed over, please feel free to ask me questions in the comments. 

Onward...

Our band of Smurf adventurers now stood on the damp forest floor facing a trio of green clad warriors an apple taller than themselves. They all carried swords, though the fairy in the center had a larger and fancier one than the others.

It was she who spoke first. "We are The Protectors of Haven. Who blows the Protectors' Whistle who is not themselves a member of our order?"

"I do! Brash Smurf!", exclaimed Brash as he quickly stood up and tried to achieve a heroic stance. Unfortunately his balance was more than a little wobbly, still in pain from being flung by the rat they'd encountered. Smurfcornflower came in his aid, subtly helping to keep him upright. 

Suave put his hand on Brash's shoulder, smiled at him and Cornflower, noddled reassuringly, and stepped forward. He removed his hat and bowed low with a deep flourish. "Enchanté! My name is Suave Smurf. These are my companions - Brash, Smurfcornflower, Apathy, and Smurfhoneysuckle. We have been sent here by our elder, Papa Smurf, who received a vision from...well I assume from you. We, the five of us, also had visions...dreams really...and we want to help. We want to aid Haven and The Princess Argenta. How may we serve?"

The First Fairy whispered, "Smurfs...so these are Smurfs."

The Third Fairy squeaked with joy, "Ah! Of course! It worked! The Mistress will be pleased."

The Second, Middle Fairy, spoke up with clarity and calm, "Well Smurfs, we are very happy to have you in our land. Follow us; we'll take you to the Mistress Knight Commander."

With that, the three Protectors stepped off the ground and floated a dozen apples or so over the Smurfs' heads, proceeding westward, trailing faint sparkles of pixie dust that twinkled in the late afternoon sun. The Smurfs exchanged glances and then proceeded to accompany the green fairies.

After some time, though it was impossible to say how much, they all arrived in a tiny clearing surrounded by small mushrooms and lit by hovering fireflies. There were a good number of Protectors in and above the clearing, all looking practically identical except for one:

With the kind of pomp and circumstance afforded royalty but abridged for time due to the dire situation, the Smurfs were introduced to The Mistress Knight Commander of the Protectors of Haven. She was in turn introduced to them, far more humbly, by Suave Smurf. While regal of bearing and disciplined in demeanor, the Mistress Knight Commander smiled warmly at the Smurfs. 

She spoke softly but clearly, "Long ago, when I was a Protector in training, I met a young Smurf who was wise and kind and we became fast friends. We were only in each others company for a short time but we connected. We shared dreams and formed memories. Sadly, it has been a tree's age since last we saw each other." 

"Papa Smurf?", whispered Suave to the rest.

"I guessed, and rightly so it seems, that if I called out to him he would hear my plea. I can not thank him, and all of you, enough for coming all this way to help us", the Mistress said sweetly. This was followed by her motioning them all to sit down on rocks or the forest floor. Other fairies, less armed and armored, brought tea and water to the assembly. Once everyone had settled and felt as comfortable as possible, the Mistress Knight Commander began to tell her tale...

The story was a sad and tragic tale; when Princess Argenta announced her pending marriage to Sir Ellis, The Dragon Rider Knight, the Dwarfs of Thundertop Mountain were so happy for her, for the couple, that they gifted her a spectacular gem. They called it the 'Lady's Heart', a round ruby the size of a large plum. What they didn't know is that the jewel already had a name...The Eye of Arik. 

Once used to replace the right eye of Arik the Vile, a powerful and terrible giant who terrorized these lands many centuries ago, the ruby 'waited' until the day of the wedding before it struck. It released a spell of dark magic that trapped all within the castle inside a crimson glow. Anyone trying to escape would be drained of their life essence, either driving them mad or transforming them into the undead. The same is true for anyone from the outside trying to enter through the deep scarlet veil. 

Well...aside from those with ill intent. 

Based on what the Protectors have witnessed, Bandits, Goeblins, and other nasties have been able to come and go as they please. Perhaps the purer of heart you are the harder it is to pass through the jewel's curse? Uncertain.   

"We faced a rat with a red glow in its eyes. It seemed more angry than hungry. When Brash blew your Protector's Whistle, it lost that glow and appeared confused", said Apathy quite plainly. 

"Hmm", Suave contemplated, "honored hosts, have you tried to blow those enchanting whistles near the castle? Perhaps if several of you sounded in unison it might weaken the barrier."

The Protectors (and Stephen the GM!) were taken aback by the Smurfs' idea. The Fairies admitted they had never tried that before but they were aware of their whistles' ability to free animals from madness and even drive off evil spirits and undead. 

"May I...may we...keep this one Protector's Whistle Mistress Knight Commander? It could be of great use in freeing of the Silver Princess and her Palace", asked Brash, trying to rein in usual bravado. Many of the Protectors glared at him. Others, including their leader, gave a faint smile as they were impressed by the Smurf's bravery and cleverness. 

"Very well", the Mistress Knight Commander began, "You may."

The Smurfs, the Mistress, and a good number of her Protectors discussed the situation further and made plans to head to the palace at dawn. The Fairies invited the Smurfs to stay at their camp for the night. 

Honeysuckle was able to restock some provisions. The Protectors' Healers shared some of their medicinal herbs and mosses with Cornflower. Brash talked fighting styles and tactics with the Mistress' Second-in-Command. Suave filled in a captivated audience of Green Fairies on the finer points of Smurf Culture. Apathy was there as well (Haha!). *

As evening became night, all assembled had a meal together and then the Smurf party had a good night's sleep inside a surprisingly spacious tree trunk.

The next morning a troupe of Green Fairies from the Protectors of Haven escorted our Smurf adventurers to the Palace of the Silver Princess. Upon arrival our heroes prepared for the plan they devised the day before. As several of the Protectors took flight and positioned themselves near the portcullis at the castle's entrance, the Smurfs stood in a straight line, one after another. The front gate was raised half-way, giving anyone ample access were it not cursed by evil magics. 

Cornflower pulled out her last alchemy bottle, a Potion of Invisibility! I convinced the GM to let me have five uses of it instead of our agreed upon three at the cost of spending extra Mind Effort. Instead, the other players offered to pay 1 Heart Effort from each of their Smurfs so that I needed to spend only 3 Mind. Stephen loved the idea of the team working together like this that he approved it. The result was each PC was given one splash from the potion, rendering them Invisible** but only for half of the usual duration (in this case 5 moments).***

As coordinated beforehand, a half dozen Protectors plus the Mistress Knight Commander blew on their whistles, the high, clear, piercing sound causing the red glow at the entry way to waver. It rippled like a pond with a stone dropped into it. After a moment or two, a hole opened up, a portal through the crimson barrier. The hole wasn't large and it wouldn't hold long (since the Fairies would run out of breath) so the Smurfs ran through the opening, immediately scanning the entry to find a good place to hide. They saw soldiers coming down the hall towards them but as they came into the light it turned out they were Skeletons! Apathy whispered a "Psst!" to the group and ran down a separate hallway and tapped on a wooden door. The other raced toward the sound and hide instead a small Guard Post. 

The whistling sound faded and the red glow sealed the hole like it never was. 

The Smurfs were inside The Palace of the Silver Princess. 

Season Two, Part 2 coming soon...

AD

Barking Alien

*While the rest of the gang each did their thing, Apathy Smurf investigated the Protectors of Haven camp to learn more about them: the members, the structure, what they protected exactly, how they protected it, etc. It was Apathy's questions and observatiions that really got the team to accept the meta-context/world-building of an organization called 'The Protectors of Haven' that didn't seem to be able to protect Haven. If that paradox was on your mind dear reader, trust me it was discussed and explained and it made sense.

To summarize it, the Protectors guard the natural world of the Haven region and at first did not get along with the Humans there. The fairies resented the civilizations of Humanity and how they treated their surroundings. Eventually, when Princess Argenta became ruler, she took great strides to be conscious of the environment and work with the Fairies. She was very kind and generous to the animals of the woods, the fairy peoples, and in general how a good heart. 

When evil befell the Silver Palace and its residents, the Protectors were not present at the wedding but were ensuring the safety of local wildlife, plants, and the travel of people to the castle. They weren't at the wedding itself. After the Red Glow erupted and enveloped the palace, the fairies found the dark magic of it was more powerful then their own overall. After several unsuccessful attempts to penatrate the curse, the Mistress Knight Commander went out on a limb (literally! Haha!) and sent a vision to Papa Smurf and by accident the members of the party. 

**The party was only invisible in the first one or two Moments after getting the Potion of Invisibility poured on them. For the next two Moments they were essentially transparent, as if clear like glass but they wre not impossible to be seen at all. For the final Moment they were barely semi-transparent, perhaps best deescribed as colored in camoflauge matching their surroundings.

***Moments are a vague measurement of time in the Smurfs game largely defined by and dependant upon the narrative of what is happening at the time. I love it.

Singing The Blues

Recapping the first session of our Smurfs RPG mini-campaign - based on the classic Dungeons and Dragons Module B3 Palace of of Silver Princess - our party of Smurf adventurers walked the path to the Western Lands Beyond and got to know each other a little better.

Session One, Part 2:

We open with the party leaving Smurfy Grove, home of the Smurf Girls, where Smurfhoneysuckle and Smurfcornflower picked up some extra supplies and other things they thought the group might need for its trip to the Kingdom of Haven in the Lands Beyond. Afterwards they walked for some time before the day wore on and the Sun started to go down, coloring the land in shadows and the hues of twilight.

The group decided to set up camp with simple tents and plans to cook dinner. Brash decided he would start the fire and Smurfhoneysuckle said to let her do it as she'd probably do it better. Suave Smurf diplomatically stepped in to get them to work together, though they still tried to outdo each other in the cooking prep. Honeysuckle had some ingredients from her Barn, while  Smurfcornflower helped with some herbs and spices from her Ingredients pouch. Apathy wasn't really hungry so he made sure the tents were sturdy. 

The team ended up making a vegetable soup and discussing the adventure ahead. After some much needed camaraderie and laughter, the group went to sleep. The party members traded watch duties like any typical D&D group but with Honeysuckle reluctant to switch with the next Smurf to prove she could stay awake and sharp longer than Brash had.

The next day, the party found out their path lead them  to a Human made road. As they continued along their journey, Honeysuckle joked about singing a travel song to make them go faster; the idea being that the act of singing such a song actually accelerates you through time. Without further preamble, Cornflower started humming and then suddenly broke into singing*...

"Smurfy Road,

Smurf me home,

To the Cursed Lands,

Where I belong.

Mushroom Village,

Smurfy Grove,

Smurf me home,

Smurfy Road."

Out of know where, as the group walked between hills on the left and a dense forest to the right, a half dozen Growlers jumped the PCs, likely attracted by Cornflower's offkey singing.

Growlers are hairy, blue-black 'monkey-goblins' who have plaqued the Forbidden Forest of the Cursed Lands for a very long time and can be found in other deep forested areas as well. 

Growlers of the Northwestern Woods

Suave Smurf stepped forward to reason with these uncouth creatures only to discover the Growlers don't speak and aren't quite as intelligent as Smurfs, though clearly smarter than animals. Apathy suggested a plan might help but Brash declared that "Plans are for wimps!" and dove right into the gang of Growlers, knocking some over and startling the rest. Unfortunately he ended up completely surrounded by the angry beasties. 

Honeysuckle shouts, "If he can do that, I can knock'em all down!", and leaps into the fray too, tackling at least four of the creatures. Cornflower rolls her eyes, steps back and searches her bag of potions. Meanwhile, one of the Growlers holds Brash down and tries to pound him with his fist but Apathy grabs the critter's wrist. The Growler turns to look at him and growls loudly in Apathy's face, causing him to let go, stumble backwards, and land on his butt. 

"OK fine. Whatever", grunts Apathy. 

"Found it!", exclaims Cornflower as she holds up a bubbling hot pink potion. 

"Oh Smurf! Everybody get clear!," Honeysuckle yells as she dives behind a rock. All the PCs roll Quick to jump away from the Growlers. Everyone makes it, though Apathy rolls exactly what he needed, indicating a Success with a Complication. Smurfcornflower hurls her Boom Juice bottle and it shatters on the ground amid the Growlers, resulting in a fuchsia explosion that threw them all a good dozen apples away in all directions, their fur steaming with pinkish smoke. Dazed and sniffing themselves, the Growlers run for it, disappearing into the woods. 

Everyone pats Cornflower on the back or shoulder, congratulating her on her great move. All but Apathy, who approaches sniffing at himself. "Hey, does any Smurf smell..",Apathy begins but before he can finish the rest of the group backs away from him holding their noses. 

"By Smurf my good Smurf! What is that atrocious stench? It is as if Smurfberries went sour and were then set ablaze!", cried Suave Smurf, putting a silk hankerchief over his face. Apathy looked very cross and Cornflower very embarrased. 

"Sorry Apathy and...well...everyone. My Boom Juice Potion sometimes has side effects. At least you didn't turn pink. That can happen do to the inclusion of...", Smurfcornflower gives a nervous smile, looks at her feet, and rubs the back of her neck. "Again, really sorry Apathy."

While Apathy might have still been annoyed, he appeared nonplussed. He told her it was fine and the group got back on track with their mission. The Growlers popped up a few more times, each time in greater numbers, yet our heroes managed to always stay ahead of them and eventually escaped their territory.

The party walked for another full day and a half before hitching a ride on the backs of a small group of wild boar. Dropping off of the boars' on a rise overlooking the valley beyond, the team could see the ruined front gate of the Palace of the Silver Princess in the distance. The was somehow bathed in a dull red glow and at the same time it seemed to emanate from within. The party proceeded with caution, even Brash, though he'd describe it as 'confidence rather than 'caution'...

Rain clouds rolled in. The sky darkened and a cold wind picked up. Before long a full on storm seemed to be upon them, making walked down the rain-soaked hill extremely difficult. Brash, Cornflower, and Suave slipped and tumbled down to a muddy trail, while Honeysuckle darted after them. Apathy continued steadily at a failed casual pace, neither hurrying nor slowing. When they all got together, Apathy noticed a hollow log that might serve as a shelter from the downpour. 

"Excellent!," exclaimed Suave, "I must change into something clean and dry. It just won't do to continue on in these filthy clothes. It just won't do I say!"

Waiting out the storm in their impromptu shelter, Cornflower and Honeysuckle passed around bowls of leftover [and cold] vegetable soup and Smurfberry Dry Biscuits**. All sat quietly, eating and listening to the rain, save Suave who was busy changing in a tree stump right next to the log.

That's when Brash heard a strange hissing squeak and the snap of a twig. He reached for a mossy rock and walked to the opening of the log, increasing his pace as he went, startling everyone. He than swung the green stone just in time to have it connect with the nose of a massive rat! The huge rodent reared back in pain before letting out a snarl.  It recovered quickly, staring at Brash with glowing red eyes and diving at him. For a brief moment everyone else froze, then Honeysuckle's eyes darted around frantically for a stone or something else to throw. Apathy looked to Cornflower and said sharply, "You have another potion, yes?"

Cornflower was startled back into the present, nodded, and reached into her potion sack. She pulled out a bottle with a slimy, milky, gray liquid. Cornflower held the potion up and shook it a bit, "I've got this! It's Web Water!" Apathy gave her a blank look with tired eyes and one raised eyebrow. "It's really sticky", she offered with a shrug. 

"Good enough", said Apathy. He called out to Honeysuckle and grabbed the Web Water flask. "Throw this." He tossed it to her, she caught it, and as she wound up for the throw she saw Brash go flying by, tossed like a ragdoll by the raging beast. Apathy rushed forward to distract the rat and used his Smurf Power, a Smurfberry, and Effort! Taking her que, Honeysuckle waited until the foul creature snapped at Apathy and then chucked the potion also using her Smurf Power, a Smurfberry, and Effort! 

SPLORCH! 

The bottle shattered and thick, quickly hardening webs spread from wall to wall and rodent to floor. Its head was still free and nashing chaotically but the creature itself was otherwise immobile. Honeysuckle and Apathy quickly made rope out of some roots and vines. Cornflower saw to Brash's injuries. Just then, they heard a noise behind them and everybody spun expecting trouble. Instead, Suave Smurf stepped into the log from the other end that was up again the tree stomp where he'd been changing. "What in the smurf is all the commotion?!" When he looked at the trapped beast and wounded Brash he gulped and whispered, "Oh. So I see."

As it turned out, Suave had not been dressing all this time. Nor had he been idle. The interior of the tree stomp was odd, with some clues that lead Suave to think someone had been there before him. As he looked through some disgarded cloth of a most unusual nature, he found a green whistle made of leaves and lacquered wood. He showed it to his friends as he explained where he'd found it. 

Brash reached out to it and asked if he could see it. Suave handed it to him and Brash turned it every which way as if searching it for some secret wisdom. Then, being Brash Smurf, he blew the whistle. The sound was like the wind blowing through the trees but higher, clearer, and it echoed within the log and somehow from without as well. It lingered, fading slowly. All the Smurfs were silent and remained motionless for a few seconds. It was Cornflower that broke the moment by pointing towards the rat and saying, "Hey, look at that..." The rat no longer had red eyes and it seemed so much calmer. "I wonder if..."

Before Smurfcornflower could finish her thought, the rain outside seemed to ease up considerably and the late day sun shimmered off of the remaining water droplets. A green light came into view, getting closer and brighter as it seemed to float down towards them from above. Honeysuckle rolled up her sleeves and very carefully cut the webbing where it was driest and most brittle. Freed from its sticky bindings, the creature ran into the woods as fast as it could. Not a heartbeat later, the green light landed several feet in front of the opening of the hollow log. Looking to each other for support, the party of Smurfs walked out of their shelter to see what the emerald glow was all about. 

In doing so, they came face to face with three green fairies, The Protectors of Haven. 

End of Session One.

To be continued...

AD

Barking Alien

*Yes, I did come up with and sing that song impromptu during the game. Obviously it's a parody of 'Take Me Home, Country Roads', the 1971 Country/Folk classic by John Denver. Thing is, I love that sound but I am by no means a great singer. Or even a good one. Or even a singer. I used to but only for fun and long ago. 

Heather on the other hand...

After the game was over and it was just Andrew, her, and me left on Discord, Heather asked me to sing it again. I did and towards the later half she joined in. Then she sang. She, unlike myself, is an amazing singer. Her voice...WOW. I was like, "What the heck? Are you a 'ringer'?A professional singer or something? Am I gaming with Reba McEntire and no one told me?"

**Smurfberry Dry Biscuits were invented by Heather and are essentially Smurf hardtack. If you've never seen the Youtube Channel Tasting History - first, you are missing out - you might not have seen the episode on Hardtack and the re-occurring gag where it pops up in other videos. I highly recommend checking out the channel if you are interested in Food and History. Very useful for learning about what different people ate in various places at points throughout history. Great for world-building.