Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #222

 

Lady Fern and her Darklord Puppets

 

 

Session 222- A Return to Barovia Part 72; Darkon 9

5/10/2026

• Team Rams quietly paddle the 3 canoes back to Nevuchar Springs 

  with their fallen comrade Fritigern’s corpse.

• When they arrive back at the river docks near sunset, they get 

  funerary materials for Fritigern’s burial at sea.

• They row out and say goodbye to their adventuring companion.  

  Words are said before the lit arrow is fired at Fritigern’s pyre.

• Team Rams row back to town and go have a drink at the Riverview 

  Rest Inn.  They learn that Patrina and Elyra arrived down at the beach 

  near the Shrine of Ezra that morning.  Elyra was quickly taken by 

  figures from a canoe on the river.  Toret Lirael saved Patrina from 

  drowning with little thanks.  Patrina Teleports away from Nevuchar 

  Springs.

• Phinara, the owner of Riverview Rest Inn, mentions her housekeeper, 

  Nola, disappeared either late last night or very early this morning.

• Team Rams decide to go speak to Toret Lirael to learn more about 

  what happened on the beach.  Toret Lirael was cleaning the Shrine 

  of Ezra that morning when Patrina and Elyra arrived suddenly at the 

  beach.  Patrina had landed in the surf and was tangled in seaweed 

  and possibly drowning; Elyra landed further up the beach and seemed 

  ok. Toret Lirael went to assist Patrina.  While doing that, a canoe with 

  3 figures in robes rowed up to the beach and Elyra was collected and 

  rowed away.

• Patrina nearly attacks Toret Lirael during the rescue from drowning.  

  She then Teleports away.

• Shelby casts Augury: Weal (Woe actually) to follow the canoe.

• Gugula uses the Luba’s Tarokka Deck to cast Scrying on Patrina.  

  Patrina fails her Save Vs. Magic.  They observe her in a city to the 

  west, petitioning vampires of the Kargat to pursue Team Rams, who 

  she says are in league with Strahd and the Eternal Order in Nevuchar 

  Springs.

• That night, Team Rams camp at the Shrine of Ezra.

• The next morning, they buy another canoe and paddle quietly up the 

  Vuchar River.  They name their canoes Pinto (#1), Santa Maria (#2), 

  and Nina (#3).  As they near the Shroud upstream, they are observed.

• Lady Fern Tenebre flies out of the Shroud and lands on the Vuchar 

  River bank, introduces herself, and reveals the Tiny Doll/Puppet 

  Strahd.

• She throws him into Shelby and Victor’s canoe, Nina.

• Then she pulls out 2 more puppets from under her wing, another 

  Strahd and an Azalin Rex.  She then puts on a mocking puppet show 

  with the 2 tiny darklords.

• Shelby pours Holy Water all over the Tiny Puppet Strahd.  It dissolves 

  into an ashy goo in the bottom of the canoe.

• Lady Fern flings the other 2 puppets into the Pinto and Santa Maria 

  and says she needs to make new puppets.  She then invites Team 

  Rams to come visit her in her lair while she constructs more puppets.

• The Azalin Puppet had landed in the Santa Maria.  Fecus found a map 

  to Lady Fern’s lair in the Azalin Puppet.

Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #221

 

The Font of Darcalus Rex

 

 

Session 221- A Return to Barovia Part 71; Darkon 8

5/3/2026

• While the Green Shadow Dragon disappears into the Shroud, 

  Fritigern sprints into the Gloaming Spire. 

• The various dolls in Team Rams backpack gesture to get the 

  attention of Gugula and Fecus.  The party run after Fritigern 

  and encounter the deadly situation of a Slithering Tracker 

  emerging from the Font of Darcalus Rex.  The Slithering Tracker 

  kills Fritigern as he calls out the name of his wife and children 

  and begs to see their faces.

• Team Rams fight and kill the Slithering Tracker and proceed to 

  the 2nd floor that is open and empty.

• On the 3rd floor, Shelby and the Abbot fail their Save Vs. Magic 

  and have divinatory hallucinations.

• Shelby has a vision of Fritigern reaching towards power, 

  then the Green Shadow Dragon, then herself.

• The Abbot feels both memory loss and soul fragmentation.

• On the top of the Gloaming Spire, Shelby fails another Save Vs. 

  Magic, and again has a strange vision.

• Shelby has a vision she is pulled towards the Font and it 

  introduces itself as her Darklord, Darcalus Rex.

• Slithering Tracker killed = 700 XP

• Tim and Fecus each receive = 233 XP

• Gugula and Shelby each receive = 117 XP

Happy Full Moon in Scorpio

Solo Grinder Session #13

 

 

 

Solo Grinder #13 actual play is out.  

The Substack has the Solo Grinder Campaign actual play reports and the Year of the Goat Campaign actual play reports exclusively.  And free;)  Year of the Goat Campaign is a mostly one-on-one Lamentations of the Flame Princess game.  It is set in the same world as the Ox--->Tiger Campaign (when that campaign is not twirling through the Mists of Ravenloft).  Solo Grinder is my first Solo RPG actual play experience.  Base rules are Scarlet Heroes by Kevin Crawford, but many mods have since accrued in 13 sessions.  Fun stuff!  Happy Full Moon in Scorpio!

Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #220

 

Lady Fern Tenebre

 

 

Session 220- A Return to Barovia Part 70; Darkon 7

4/26/2026

• The party buys 3 canoes to traverse the Whispering Swamp.  

  The produce merchant that sells them the canoes warns the 

  swamp lives up to its name with strange whispers luring 

  travelers into traps and dangerous creatures, such as a Gnoll 

  pack.

• Tim casts Mend on all the canoes before the teams board.

• Boat 1 Tim, Gugula, and the Abbot

• Boat 2 Fecus and Elise

• Boat 3 Shelby, Fritigern, and Victor

• At sunset the 3 canoes depart in a light drizzle, weaving through 

  some confused channels and getting a little off course before 

  finding the defined channel through the first third of the swamp.  

  Shelby casts Giant Strength on Fecus.

• During the second third of the swamp they paddle through a thick 

  fog, hearing giggles and whispers, but they remain on course.

• The last third of the trip is foggy, the giggles and whispers continue 

  until the Gloaming Spire.

• Tim and Fecus “suit up”.  Each have a way to Fly (Tim has the 

  Cloak of the Bat, Fecus has a Magic Carpet) a way to be Invisible, 

  and Fecus uses his X-Ray ring to view the interior of the 

  Gloaming Spire.

• The members of the team that stayed on the ground by the boats 

  are attacked by 4 Gnolls.  Two Gnolls are 1 shotted by PCs then 

  Elise stuns the last 2 Gnolls.

• Something hurls Fire Bolt, then Cone of Cold down at the flying 

  and invisible Tim and Fecus.  The CoC is hard on Fecus when he 

  fails his Save.  Tim made his Save, so only took half DMG.

• Tim casts Dispel Magic and Patrina’s Invisibility is dispelled.  She is 

  now visible at the top of the Gloaming Spire.

• Fecus uses Sovereign Flame power to Fly up and not reach Patrina 

  in time as she Teleports herself and Elyra away from the 

  Gloaming Spire.

• After the party recovers for a minute after the quick fight with Gnoll 

  and Patrina, the team notices the sun rises and a Green Shadow 

  Dragon slowly flies out of the Shroud to circle before sitting on top 

  of the Gloaming Spire.

• She laughs and says “You let her escape.  She has probably 

  returned to the Grotto.”  Then Lady Fern Tenebre flies back into 

  the Mist.

• Tiamat’s voice in Tim and Shelby’s head “She is one of my 

  Daughters.”

• 2 Gnolls killed = 94 XP

• 4700 GP = 4700 XP

• Carnelian 50 GP = 50 XP

• Tourmaline 100 GP = 100 XP

• Total XP = 4944 XP

• Tim and Fecus each receive 1648 XP

• Gugula and Shelby each receive 824 XP

Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #219

 

Elyra and Patrina approach the Gloaming Spire

 

 

Session 219- A Return to Barovia Part 69; Darkon 6

4/19/2026

• As Team Rams are wrapping up their business at Library 

  Pharmacologae, simultaneous events occur.

• They learn Elyra has gone missing from Cascana Sanitarium.

• Ezmerelda is legally summoned to Il Aluk to give witness 

  testimony at her mother’s judicial proceedings.

• Team Rams investigate Riverview Rest Inn to see if Delimira, 

  Elyra’s aunt, is involved.  When they arrive, Delimira is being 

  comforted by the Inn’s proprietress, Phinara, because she has 

  also just learned of the disappearance.  She’s distraught and 

  doesn’t seem to be involved.

• Gugula uses the Scrying spell attached to Mother Luba’s Tarokka 

  Deck to observe Elyra.  Elyra fails her Save Vs. Magic (whether 

  intentionally or not isn’t known by the PCs).  They see Elyra and 

  Patrina in a small raft cruising through a boggy marshy area 

  towards an ancient tower.

• Wondering about the marsh and tower, they visit Toret Lirael for 

  some information.  She tells them it was a lighthouse similar to 

  the Shrine of Ezra she is working in, but before that long ago a site 

  of worship of Darcalus Rex.  Rams are wondering how to get through 

  the marsh.  Lirael suggests renting canoes down on the 

  Vuchar River Docks….

New Moon in Aries, New Puppy, Hello Spring!

New Moon, Who Dis?

 

 

 

New Moon in Aries, New Puppy, Hello Spring!

Spring is here in the PNW.  New Moon in Aries yesterday.  The new puppy arrived the day 

before.  How am I going to resist walking by the chicks, ducklings, and goslings at the feed 

store before game time tomorrow?  I got a big chunk of game prep for the main campaign 

done before Daisy the Kelpie joined the party.  The cats are not Charmed, but the humans 

are failing every Save.  The dinosaurs (chicken flock) are curious, but mostly hungry.  

They’re high on a rat killing frenzy they got into a few weeks back on that Libra Full Moon.  

Wild.  

Ok, on to the Winter Through Spring Gaming Trajectory!  After the most interrupted interval 

of the main campaign AKA Ox Gives Way to Tiger, Etc., we have embraced consistency 

again.  Team Rams explore more of the mysterious and dangerous Domain of Dread, 

Darkon.  

While the late January to early March period disrupted the main campaign, the Solo Grinder 

Campaign (7 sessions), Ctyri Ctvrt Chronicles (8 sessions), and Star Notch Stories 

(2 sessions) games were not only filling some gaming gaps for various players 

(including me!), but some outstanding sessions, emergent storytelling developments, and all 

around great gaming IMHO.  One of my players even ran me through a continuation of his 

version of the LotFP module A Single Small Cut by Michael Curtis.  It was nasty, short, and 

brutish on my first playthrough!  Let’s see if more hirelings, holy water, and equipment can 

get my pack of murderhobos through;)

My Ctyri Ctvrt Chronicles player and myself are playtesting a new system and setting for a 

short period.  During that time, Ctyri Ctvrt Chronicles it on a short pause.  It’s never been on 

a regular schedule, but we have played pretty frequently lately.  Anyway, the playtest 

material has been fun so far we are through a Session 0 (rules and setting quick overview, 

player made 1 character while I made another so I could see how character creation 

worked), a Session 0.5 (player made another character while I skimmed the rules and 

adventure module), and an actual Session 1 with action and adventure!  My initial ballpark 

estimate of playtest was a 5-10 session time frame, but with a better understanding of the 

module I think we’ll wrap up in 5 or fewer sessions.

The Star Notch Stories player is juggling a lot in life right now, so we’re not sure when we’ll 

dip back into the Shudder Mountains.  I do know the moonshine and mysteries will persist 

whether Boy is active or not!

And Solo Grinder Campaign had some epic moments back in the winter months.  The 

seasonal shifts brought significant changes this spring and took me away from the Solo 

gaming momentum I had achieved.  All the farm and ranch kids know the proverbial “When 

there’s day make hay” type of sayings, and it’s not terrible advice, but I’m not sure when my 

Solo gaming kicks back into gear.  I am going to crank out Session 13 of Solo Grinder today 

while Daisy naps.

If you read this far AKA TL,DNR:

• Ox/Tiger (main campaign) played every Sunday night, usually actual play 

  notes up on blogger by Monday or Tuesday morning.

• Ctyri Ctvrt (one on one side campaign) short hiatus, then dive back into 

  Spire of Iron and Crystal!

• Playtesting something fun for a short bit.  Not sure if I’m sharing about 

  what that is because it is not mine to share.  If I do write about it, it will be 

  on Substack!

• Star Notch (the other one on one side campaign) long hiatus?

• Solo Grinder Campaign (my first solo campaign). After the session I play 

  today, I evaluate my schedule for this and see if I can Solo in the Summer?  

  Might just buy a paddle board and fuck off instead, lol;)