Murder hobos gonna murder hobo. The motivation for the a-murderin’ doesn’t matter. Sometimes its for noble purposes, such as discovering that a bunch of orcs kidnapped a human (or other non-monster monster like an elf) and a swift purging of all orc life commences. But if we’re being totally honest, the hypothetical orc in question didn’t really need to do anything except be an orc. And if you’re just orcing around thinking there will not be consequences, well then, you might get yourself murder hoboed.
Dramatis Personae (terse edition)
PCs
* Calvert, dwarf
* Stacia, cleric
* Nick, wizard
* Poundfoolish, halfling
Overslept, missed the action
* þordis, þief
Foes
* Hastor, Cleric of Set, possibly mad
* Merth, Sheriff, bad cop
* Han Filo and Bolt of the North Marches, more bad cops
* Ishpemo prison guard and potential ally
The party had spent one whole night in Mitra’s Fist before starting fresh in the morning to do a little light homicide. Stacia, an early riser, decided to see if any services were being held at the Shrine of Mitra. Now if there ever was an act of true role playing, its David pretending he’d a) willingly wake up early for anything short of an incoming tornado and b) would do so in order to go to church of all places. As Stacia went on on her morning walk, a random encounter was rolled. Random encounters are a big part of the Dark Tower. DCC adventures usually avoid them, but honoring the game design of Jennell Jaquays, Dark Tower is all in on them. Keeps judges and players alike on their toes.
In this case, I rolled an encounter with Hastor, who was wearing his Set worshipping credentials loudly and proudly. After a catty exchange between the two opposing clerics, Hastor made is way to the Grain Exchange and Stacia went to gather her merry band of murder hobos adventurers in the name of Mitra.
Soon the party was on its way to confront Hastor in the relative seclusion of the Grain Exchange. It appeared no grain had been exchanged there in some time. And the unusual bookkeeping records the party discovered cast even more suspicion about the Grain Exchange’s true business.
In the back room they found Hastor. Another catty exchange escalated into mortal combat. Spells were cast, swords were swung, and murder hobos murder hoboed. Hastor did get off a curse on Calvert right before the coup de grace was delivered. But soon the party was alone, with no witnesses to their crime, with a dead cleric of Set who possessed nothing of any real apparent value.
The party, led by the zealous Stacia, went to the Shrine to Mitra and told the acolytes about the fate of Hastor. Two of the acolytes tended to Old Cornelius as he processed this ill news, while the other two slunk off to tell the sheriff. Narcs, right? Soon the party found itself again in peril. Merth the Sheriff and the two goons accompanying him, Bolt of the North Marches and Han Filo, proved to be very dangerous. There was a comical crit that resulted in Bolt’s two-handed sword’s blade falling off at the hilt. It was the one good thing that happened in the party’s favor that fight. I should’ve taken better notes because I recall some other noteworthy crits happened.
It is worth mentioning that by this point Nick had lost all but two spells due to a comically bad series of dice rolls. The two spells, I believe, were Comprehend Languages and Rope Work. Historically not the most useful spells in close-quarters combat. But Nick may have saved the party by continuing his cold streak and rolling a fumble with Rope Work. The botched spell misfired and entangled the whole party, which led to a rather expedited surrender by the party. Did it save them from a TPK? We’ll never know, I suppose. The party was then blindfolded and knocked out by Merth and his men.
Later, the party awoke in a cell. Disarmed and their armor removed, they were now prisoners in a dungeon cell. Less than 24 hours in the village, the party had been captured. In light of this grim turn of events, a hasty and violent escape was acted on almost immediately. Murder hobos gonna murder hobo.
Stacia managed to pull off a solid roll for a Word of Command spell which got things going. Nick was almost killed again. It was a desperate, chaotic fight. Of the three cell guards, one was slain. The leader asked to parlay and that is where the night ended.
When I left the game that night I found myself wondering how I was going to handle the next session. This was an unexpected turn of events. But then I reminded myself that I’ve gone on and on about how I was looking forward Jaquaysing a dungeon and this is exactly what had happened. And I believe this is going to result in a very exciting session next time. When its all said and done, I’m pretty glad murder hobos gonna murder hobo.
