From what Hell have you crawled? [Into the Odd + Into the Deep Country solo actual play]
In which we annotate interesting discoveries about the Deep Country fauna
Curious about why? Here. Curious about the rules? Here. Previous episode? Here.
Sector I, continue
Days 5-6
High winds make traveling difficult. The wetlands dry and become thickets. Day 7
Unseasonable warmth. Encounter: Amlir (3), distant. According the Into the Deep Country: “Nocturnal segmented predators with too many legs”. Both Saigarth and Orestes succeed on DES, so they see them from afar.While we walk through the greenery, Peri starts acting restless, and not even a piece of Marvel John’s honey crunchy bar from Orestes’ pocket seems to calm her down. He tells me, “It’s some smell she is sensing. Must be something dangerous. That Lady of the Backwaters business we had still sets my nerves on edge.”
We gain the top of a little hill nearby and stand in silence to observe the dense growth of shrubs. The horizon is cut by lines of pines and chestnut trees. Then, we see them: Three abominable centipedes, each the length of a horse, are creeping around the tangled underbrush. Just looking at how they advance makes me feel uneasy, as if they ought not to be real. I hear Orestes mumbling, under his breath: “From what Hell have you crawled?”
We quickly decide to move away from the area. We look at the map and plan an ample detour that will add hours to our trek. Who cares!, the main objective is to avoid those things.
We roll a night encounter, medium distance. Oracle: Is it the amlirs? Yes, and… and they are hungry! Saigarth, Orestes, and Peri, well, they ALL fail on a DEX roll, so they will be surprised.I wake up hearing Peri barking like crazy. Orestes is pointing the musket in the direction Peri is barking at, but there’s only darkness. It must not be long until dawn. I grab my musket and start loading rapidly. I hear a snapping sound from my left, but when I turn it’s too late. They are already on me.
The damn dog was barking to the wrong direction.
Let’s assume the Amlirs will all attack the closest prey. Rolling randomly, it turns out it’s our Lieutenant-Navigator Saigarth. Damages: 1, 4, 6. As per the ItO rules, multiple attacks on a single target deal the highest dice rolled, not their sum. Saigarth is down to 1 HP.
Orestes can’t fire, otherwise he would wound Saigarth as well (blast), so he drops the musket and impales the first amlir (Am 1) with his sword (4 damages). Perri bites the second (Am 2; 3 damages). Saigarth fires point blank and hits all of them: 7 (Am 1), 1 (Am 2), 4 (Am 3). We let him use the blast effect as they were all attacking him. Also: These damn amlirs also have 1 point of armor! Fortunately Am 1 is down, fails its STR roll, and is dead.
Am 2 and Am 3 put other bites into Saigarth’s flesh, Saigarth goes to -2 HPs, rolls on STR 5, fails, and goes down.There is not a single rational thought in my head. Perception takes it all: The sound they make when they crawl, Peri barking, the smell of gunpowder, the feeling of the blood pouring out from my leg, and the dread of having one of these things eating my own flesh. I feel pure terror as I faint from shock and blood loss.
The dog deals 2 damages to Am 2, and Orestes 3 to Am 3. Am 3 goes to 0 HP and fails its STR test: Dead. Am 2 rolls for morale, fails, and runs away.Day 8
I wake up and smell coffee. I am still alive, and I feel curiously relaxed and well. It must be late morning. I look at my leg: The uniform is torn apart; Orestes stitched up and disinfected the wound, apparently, before making coffee. It still looks pretty bad, but does not hurt. Orestes sees I am awake. I smile at him. He smiles back: “The laudanum is working wonders, huh?”
Overcast drizzle. Nothing to report.Day 9
Unseasonable warmth. The wound is getting better. With one day of food left, they push through with a forced march and reach the target area. They set up the antenna and manage to send the signal. Sparks and crackles confirm the signal is received.
Exfiltration roll: Success! Mission accomplished.
Great read! The Springsteen prompt is so cool.
Do you use WD&B´s Rules of Engagement? It´s a supplement to spice up your combat in solo play. It works really well with more sparse combat rules like ItO.