vallo

Come morning, our intrepid heroes pack up the campsite and get on the road. Soon you can see the dark stone walls of a motte-and-bailey style castle. A single tower rises up over top of it all, and it's surrounded by a high stone wall with a large metal gate out front. It bears a certain resemblance to Minas Morgul.

A half dozen skeletons patrol the perimeter. You don't know yet if the necromancer is aware of your approach. Do you go charging in with your metaphorical guns blazing, or are you going to try a more organized approach?

Hey everybody, I'm the Fox Way reporter for the day! So here's what happened yesterday:

• Katou got his flirt on with a hot shepherd. Good for you, Katou! (Mike was totally useless when I asked if the shepherd was hot, even though he can see everything. He had to ask Kamala if the shepherd he invented was hot or not.)
  
• Kamala lived out the dream of petting an adorable fluffy border collie. This is honestly the best use of anyone's time in the whole game.
  
• Miffany the barmaid who wants to be a wizard enchanted TWO THINGS! You guys, I am so invested in Miffany, I really want everything to work out for her.
  
• Kellach and Nebula fought a bear and won!
  
• And Kellach got some leather pants for it, which I'm into.
  
• Iris broke into a lord's house for a prank war and won a riddle contest with a blacksmith!
  
• And Blue has a magic coat that I've been promised looks badass
  
• Actually just in general they did a lot of shopping. They've got good gear now, so I think they'll do really well when they fight the necromancer
  
• Chet turned his weird flirting into matchmaking, and he and Adaine and Blue got a lady to give her magical ex a second chance. It was really cute, I love hearing about weirdos in love.
  
• Kellach helped a ghost finish her business and move on and made a bard cry
  
• Mike wrote a whole sea shanty about a necromancer being bad at sex but couldn't come up with a better barmaid names than Tiffany, Biffany, and Miffany.
  
• But he only wrote the one song, so mostly the bard does lute covers of 70s and 80s power ballads

Anyway, today they're heading down the road to the necromancer. Mike says it'll probably take a whole day for them to get there and that there's a couple things along the road he can't talk about.

They are all doing so well and I'm so proud of everybody in there for being amazing. GO VALLO!

When our brave adventurers wake in the morning, there is a solid certainty in their bones: they are ready to take on the wicked necromancer Tristan the Black. Bright and early on the morning of their third day in the village, equipped and enchanted and ready for battle, Merfer's Mofos set forth from the Toad and Raven to take The Road to the North winding up into the mountains where dangers yet untold await.

Much of the town has appeared to wish you good luck on your journey. Tiffany, Miffany, and Biffany are all there with hugs for everyone and politely bouncy curtsies for their savior Gamora. Bellamy Corsaire is there, looking decidedly more sober and clean, here to give a handshake to Aoi Tsuki for setting him straight. Greta the seamstress comes out to adjust Merfer's collar one last time and wish him luck. Ben the Enchanter gives a dramatic...HAND GESTURE?! With an extra sweeping bow for Lady Xyrmoira Fogspell. The shepherd makes eyes at Tsuki, while the bard offers to play Veldrin's choice of tunes as they go (luckily he does know "Garryowen" somehow). The disgustingly in love Lord Silas and Edmund are there, looking adorable as always, and Mike will appreciate you not mentioning that they have Steve and Eddie's hair, respectively. The whole crew from the blacksmith's shop comes to bid you farewell, and Oliver the apprentice goes up on his toes to give a shy kiss on the cheek to Twelve the surprisingly sneaky half-orc. Phaedra the Leatherworker stands with arms crossed and gives you a curt nod, while Jamar the Butcher waves cheerfully. And of COURSE the mayor is there! Hob Knoblin wishes you all the best, and thanks you profusely for all you've done for his beloved town.

The villagers have packed you each a good bit of food and water to sustain you as you travel to show their gratitude for all the work you've done in their little village. In addition to proper meals from the butcher of meats, the baker of breads, and the shepherd who spent a bunch of time drawing from the well this morning, you get some treats: Goldie and Kev have one more tray of honey nut treats for Gamora and Veldrin, while Romilda brings one more bottle of spiced mead for Aoi Tsuki and Fabian. It's every bit of a day's journey to get in reach of the Black Tower, they tell you, so you'll need it!

These villagers believe in you. They believe in your skills, in your heart, and they just know you'll be back in a couple days to tell them that the wicked Tristan the Black is done for. Get out there and prove them right! Mike be with you!

[Comment headings for interactions along the road will go up on this post throughout the day. Feel free to use the general ones for chitchat, gossip, planning, or anything else you desire.]

I came to check in on the board game idiots and give Gamora a bottle of mead for getting through this nonsense. They asked if I'd give the update on what's happened so far.

• Chetney Pock O'Pea made an old wizard fall in love with him.
  
• Chetney, Rocket, Katou, and Adaine managed to bullshit their way through an encounter with the most unforgivably stupid gang I've ever heard of.
  
• Kellach did his best to get permanently lost in an enchanted forest. Luckily Nebula is smart enough to keep him out of caves. He doesn't even like caves.
  
• Kellach and Nebula brokered peace between some farmers and a mysterious forest spirit.
  
• Nebula went on to threaten a man's balls for getting handsy with barmaids. Good for her.
  
• Blue, Eleven, and Kamala did what I'm told is called a fetchquest. Blue is getting a garish jacket for her trouble.
  
• Iris and Peter did so much chitchat that they got a sword.
  
• Mike Wheeler is bad at naming things, people, and dogs. He will yell something about placeholders when he sees I said that.
  
• Mike Wheeler can also eat far more Chinese food than anyone as skinny as he is should be capable of. The boy's like an endless consuming void. I can only assume the Fox Way grocery bill is a small fortune.

So there you have it.

Down this street wafts the glorious smell of baking bread. Characters starting here will begin in the street.

This seems to be a fairly quiet part of town, though there are patrons occasionally going in and out of two shops. Characters starting here will begin in the street.

This appears to be the crafters' district. The smell of tanning chemicals is unmistakable, as is the clanging sound of a smith's hammer. Characters starting here will begin in the street.

On this side of the bustling village, you can hear the sounds of music coming from what looks to be a tavern. Villagers come and go from there and a shop a little further down the lane. As the road leads out of town, you can see mountains in the distance. Characters starting here will begin in the street.

In the center of the village are the village green (which would look like a lovely park if not for all the sheep and their droppings) and the Town Hall. Players starting here will begin on the green.

As you are ever-so-gently lowered to the board, something shifts. A few miniatures placed to represent people are now bunches of lively villagers, moving and talking of their own accord. The lovingly painted miniature buildings are no longer just painted plastic; they’re real stone and wood, with real thatching or slate on their roofs. There are real cobblestones under your feet. You are in the tiny world, and looking up shows you only a bright blue sky with no sign of the people who placed you here.

It’s a beautiful day in early spring. There’s a slight chill in the air, but the daffodils have sprung up in a few gardens. The village bustles with its usual daily activity, but there is an air of anxiety about many of the villagers. What’s going on here?

If you want to find out, you should probably inquire with the locals, who are mostly a mix of humans and dwarves. There are a number of locations open to the public in this village if you take a walk around. Check your starting position to see which areas you're closest to and decide where you want to go next.


[Use the location headings under the linked areas for taking actions, talking to your friends, and interacting with NPCs. If you're an early bird, please give Kate a few minutes to get the linked posts up.]


Starting Positions
CENTRAL: Kamala, Blue, Eleven
TO THE NORTH: Peter, Iris
TO THE EAST: Katou, Adaine
TO THE SOUTH: Rocket, Chetney
TO THE WEST: Nebula, Kellach

Okay, so I have a small problem. Literally.

El and I made this map we’ve been calling Vallo Village, right? And we got Billy to do some magic to make it look a little more realistic, which worked, but maybe worked a little too well. Or not exactly. Ms. Maximoff says it seems like sympathetic magic from Vallo got involved because I based some of the map on an old part of the city.

Anyway the point is I just got a prayer? from the village? for help from mighty adventurers?.

It looks like my campaign is happening whether it’s finished or not, so basically I really need some people to come down and save a tiny village from [...] okay I can’t type it, wtf. Call it certain peril. I need people to go into the map and save the village from certain peril. I can’t tell you what the peril is for some reason, probably the magic again, but the peril is bad and it’s going to ruin the lives of all these people who were supposed to just be fictional and now are real.

So, uh…who wants to be an adventurer? Ms. Maximoff says she can work with the magic that’s affecting the map using my extra miniatures, if we can get people to volunteer to be bound to them for a little bit. You’ll just have to kind of be a character while you’re in there - you’ll have whatever powers the miniature’s class comes with, and you should probably come up with a name.

Anyone? Please, I know this sounds stupid, but that little town is a real little town now, and they need our help.

tw: discussion of pregnancy in comments

Things I didn't miss:

Nearly burning down the house trying to make a Thanksgiving dinner.

Things I am missing:

Black Friday. I need new boots and do not want to pay full retail thank you very much.

((pls to ignore the tag dump on this))