H&Y Infinite Open Table Session 29 (The Hydra Egg)
Characters:
Zenecki Osset (Laggs)
Caspian Greyspoon (Talison)
Tanzi (Duress)
Autumn 17, 6023
Tanzy and Zenecki hear about a hydra terrorizing Frogville via a letter sent from Malcolm Redmountain to Rolof in Circlebrook. The two gather up a third party member (Caspian) and set off to figure out what's going on in the frogfolk village.
The party finds a lone hill in the midst of the swamp covering in vines and willow branches. They circle the hill, finding a pool filled with piranha-beetles and a ravine with an injured elf sitting on a giant egg. They lower themselves down into the ravine and interrogate the injured elf (Isaac) with his broken leg until they determine that the egg is a hydra egg and that he's trying to sell it, but got injured on his way out. They agree to help Isaac in exchange for a large split of the profits of selling the egg, then raise him and the egg out of the ravine. Tanzy shoves the orc-sized egg into her Extradimensional Sphere to ensure the egg is not damaged during travel.
Autumn 18th, 6023
The companions and Isaac make their way back to Croakpool to get Isaac some medical attention and meet up with his buyer. They sell the egg to Loreto in exchange for 7 gold bars (their cut) and leave Isaac to be assisted by the elven merchant. Loreto and Isaac sail off, Loreto mentioning that he was merely the middleman for an even more lucrative deal.
Party loops back to Circlebrook for supplies.
Autumn 22nd, 6023
Party returns to the hydra hill with the rest of Tanzy's strychnine and a cow stored in Tanzy's extradimensional storage. They taunt the hydra into eating the poisoned cow, which it does and dies, but not before cursing the party for acting before they knew the consequences of their actions. The party loots the hydra and its lair, finding 6 broken hydra eggs with iron spikes driven into the top of each to kill them, spikes of the same variety that Isaac had with him for use in climbing out of the hole.
The party head back to Frogville to notify Malcolm that the danger had been defeated, getting a further reward from the frogfolk there.
*GM Note: This is also when I started allowing Frogfolk PCs in my open table, figuring that the player characters had made sufficient allies of the amphibians to allow for frogfolk characters now. This method of "unlocking" character options at the table is my preferred method of expanding options, I wish I created opportunities to do it more.
Below is the blurb I gave for Frogfolk PCs, feel free to use something similar in your Knave2e or B/X derivative games:
Frogfolk have always lived in the swamps of Hither and Yon, though they haven't always been recognized as equals by the other humanoids of the region. Only recently after long bloody skirmishes and tense negotiation have your people been recognized officially, though individuals and smaller communities got to that point a long time ago. Many frogfolk carry a grudge and even more carry literal scars from their history of armed conflict, but neither is the majority.
You are amphibious. You can breathe underwater and on land, and can swim as fast as you can walk, even against a current. You have a difficult time staying warm, especially in the winter months. You take a -2 penalty against cold-based effects and resisting the effects of low temperatures.*
Autumn 24th, 6023
Party returns to Croakpool. Caspian hires Nervetti the monster slayer to make magic hydra armor for him, to be finished Autumn 43rd.