Gary Gygax Estate aka Gail Gygax and Producer Tom DeSanto

Since Gary Gygax passed away there has been a lot of speculation and angst in the RPG (read old school D&D) community regarding the legacy of Gary Gygax, the cancellation of all the projects and contracts that were active at the time of his death and the refusal(which we have all witnessed - we are talking public record here) of Gail Gygax to follow or pursue any of the projects/partnerships to publish his work that were in place at the time of his death and her IMO complete disregard of Gary's wishes as he had shared them on the internet prior to his passing.

IMO it has become obvious that Gail Gygax has no concern for Gary's legacy or for his fans. Her IMO only concern is how to cash in and receive the maximum paycheck and that is to partner with the Producer Tom DeSanto and exploit the IP for the maximum financial return. As much as we hate the thought, she owns the IP and can do what she wants for good or ill.

However much we may despise and abhor that, we must also recognize that she was not married to any of us and that she was not a gamer. Unfortunate as it may be we must remember that Gary Gygax is the one that brought the IMO "wicked witch of the west" Loraine Williams into  TSR and had that decision come back with a knife in the back. He IMO seems to have made the same mistake in marrying Gail Gygax and is receiving a posthumous knife in the back. So I despise Gail Gygax, but it is her right to be what she is and I hope that to her the money is worth it. I am deeply sorry that Gary's widow is not, (IMO) it appears is not honoring his wishes.

Another Long Running Game :: Congratulations

Over on Dragonsfoot, a poster known as SilverMoon just posted about their 1300th 1st Ed AD&D starting back in May of 1982.

To learn more go here. 

Great to know that I and my friends are not the only ones with a long running campaign.

The OD&D Paladin in the Tarrozian Campaign

Some of the following is 100% original and some of it is complied from many different sources which have been lost over time.  The Solomon Kane inspiration is completely my own take on Paladins.

 

IMC (current) there is only one Lawful god but many Neutral and Chaotic gods. However, many Neutral & Chaotic gods masquerade as Lawful. While all Paladins (and all Clerics) worship the same god, there are many different types of Paladins with different callings. 

Some of the things that all Paladins have in common, they are born not made. They all have this thing going on from birth that leads them down the road to Paladin hood. They all have visions from time to time. At the age of 13 they all (similar to some rites of passage into manhood in some societies) go off for a fast and vigil, where they wait for a vision to tell them the direction that their life should take. There are specific creatures that appear in their visions and each has a specific meaning.

Some of the creatures that they might see are:

ALLIGATOR, DRAGONFLY, OWL, ANT, EAGLE, PEACOCK, ARMADILLO, FALCON, PUMA, BADGER, ELK, RABBIT, BEAR, FISH, RAVEN, BEE, FOX, SKUNK, BEAVER, FROG, SNAKE, BUFFALO, HAWK, SPIDER, BUTTERFLY, HORSE, SQUIRREL, CAT, LIZARD, TURKEY, COYOTE, LYNX, TURTLE, CROW, MOOSE, WEASEL, DEER, OTTER, WOLF, DOG

Please note that I am not going to list the specific meanings I have assigned. If you do a bit of online research you can see what some of the Native American meanings were; however, some of my younger players that play from time to time are on the internet and I do not want to give too much away so I have assigned my own meanings to the animal seen and you should too

.

I postulate that the whole concept of Lawful (or Lawful Good) as we modern humans conceive it out here in the RW and how deities in a multiple deity world would conceive it allows for a wide range of variation. The way a lot of people view paladins does a lot of injustice to the whole character class and results in a lot of play that does not jib very well with the goal of everyone having a lot of fun in the game. I find that the gritty version of a paladin is a lot more fun for the player and for the group.

Some people follow the test for Paladin behavior, called "WWSD?" This stands for "What Would Superman Do?"

If you can look at a morally questionable situation and you cannot imagine the Man of Steel doing what you are contemplating, then it is probably not appropriate for a Paladin. Using this test tends to clear up some of those cloudy situations.

Not a bad rule of thumb, but I think it can be a bit over the top at times. After all Superman has vowed not to kill IIRC. However what I prefer is a grittier Paladin, a bit more Batman than Superman, kind of a mashup of the two.

Solomon Kane (the Robert E Howard character and a paladin inspiration source) hates magic for instance as it is only evil in his experience and his background understanding of it. Yet he is pragmatic enough underneath the fanatic rage/sense of justice that drives him that he allies himself with and accepts the direct help of a pagan shaman that wields powerful magic in a couple of stories.

Therefore, I model my Paladins after Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane. I read all I could find many years ago, but about 10 years ago, I received a copy of The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane The adventures of the Legendary Puritan Swordsman and have really enjoyed reading it again after all these years along with some new material not published before.

He was ... a strange blending of Puritan and Cavalier, with a touch of the ancient philosopher, and more than a touch of the pagan.... A hunger in his soul drove him on and on, an urge to right all wrongs, protect all weaker things.... Wayward and restless as the wind, he was consistent in only one respect - he was true to his ideals of justice and right. Such was Solomon Kane.

A grim avenger armed with a fanatic's faith and a warrior's savage heart.

All his life he had roamed about the world aiding the weak and fighting oppression, he neither knew nor questioned why. That was his obsession, his driving force of life. Cruelty and tyranny to the weak sent a red blaze of fury, fierce and lasting, through his soul. When the full flame of his hatred was wakened and loosed there was no rest for him until his vengeance had been fulfilled to the uttermost. If he thought of it at all, he considered himself the fulfiller of God's judgement, a vessel of wrath to be emptied upon the souls of the unrighteous. Yet in the full sense of the word, Solomon Kane was not a Puritan, though he thought of himself as such.

Paladins IMCWs have a number of influences, and I tend to view them as a dual subclass of both the fighting man and the cleric classes.

I think I have mentioned this elsewhere, but the Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy by Elizabeth Moon has a very good depiction of a paladin - right down to getting a warhorse at 4th level and everything! The other thing is, though, that she seems to gain some levels as a fighter before being 'chosen' to be a paladin. I only read this a few years ago.

The Pandion Knights from David Eddings’ Elenium and Tamuli series of books are a good example of a Paladin order, but they are not complete goody goody types, they are very tough practical and pragmatic.

BTW This list that follows is a starting point, if you applied all of it exactly and made the PC toe the line, then it would be extremely difficult for the player to maintain and it would tend to make them all cookie cutter characters; that is why I use these as a starting point in my mind and a guide for the players, but I allow a fair amount of leeway. For instance, I let them know if they are moving close to crossing the line, I give them a lot of feedback and as noted elsewhere, I have them read some of the books that I use as a reference and we discuss beforehand what I accept and what I think is going too far. I take this list and leaven it with toughness, pure grit, and pragmatism. In addition, as I think I noted, I give each Paladin a focus on one or at most two of these and those are the most important for that character with a bit more leeway on the other items. I have found that makes it more fun for the player and the other players. YMMV

Knightly Virtues as exemplified by the Paladin.

Faith:

A Paladin must have faith in his beliefs, for faith roots him and gives hope against the despair that human failings create. Paladins must have faith in god's love and righteousness and in the ultimate goodness of the innocent, to be loyal, true and constant to anyone with whom he is associated; to conform to both the letter and the spirit of any matter between himself and others and to be true to his word at all times. The Paladin must be true to that which he believes above all else, for with faith comes strength against every adversity and reverse. Faith is the lifeblood of Courage and Nobility; without it, life has no meaning. With faith, no force, not even death, can defeat a Paladin.

Courtesy:

Courtesy is one of the virtues of Paladin hood. Courtesy and honesty are cornerstones of the Orders of the Paladin. There are two great threats to courtesy. Those are thoughtlessness and reaction to discourtesy, real or perceived. Guard well against speech without thought. The true test of courtesy comes in attempting courtesy in the face of rude, boorish, discourteous behavior. Always remember that the discourtesy of others is an opportunity to test and proclaim your virtue by successfully showing grace under the bond of courtesy in the face of discourtesy.

Prowess:

To seek excellence in all endeavors expected of a Paladin, martial and otherwise, seeking strength to be used in the service of justice, rather than in personal aggrandizement. Prowess is an oft taken for granted or forgotten virtue when discussing the philosophy of the foundations of Paladin hood, but it must remain pre-eminent. Paladin hood is by its very nature a military order and if divorced from the honorable warrior and his code, it loses its force, its hold and its meaning. The exercise of arms is necessary to maintain the Orders of Paladin hood. Prowess at arms is one thing that your character cannot bring you, nor can you will it to be. Your character and will; however, can bring you to the persistence needed to learn the skills of arms and to be of the elite of all fighting men, a Paladin.

Nobility:

This word is sometimes confused with "entitlement" or "snobbishness" and while that is true of some "nobles" not so with Paladins. In the Paladin code, it conveys the importance of upholding ones convictions at all times, especially when no one else is watching. Great stature of character can be gained by always striving towards the ideal virtues and duties of a Paladin, which ennobles the spirit, and the character grows from dust towards the heavens. Nobility has the tendency to influence others by offering a compelling example of what can be done in the service of right. While a man may be ennobled by a King, the soul can only be ennobled by living according to standards higher and purer than those of the common man. To achieve the Chivalrous Ideal is not possible, but the very striving uplifts the spirit, purifies the soul and marks the true Paladin.

Humility:

A Paladin values first the contributions of others and does not boast of his own accomplishments, leaving boasting to others. Tell the deeds of others before your own, according them the renown rightfully earned through virtuous deeds. In this way, the office of Paladin is well done and glorified, helping not only the gentle spoken of but also all who call themselves paladins. Humility is to not have inconsistent pride or arrogance, but to be modest in one's demeanor without being servile, to have a spirit that acknowledges the truth, whether is it in one's favor or against one. The Paladin that looks upon his life without evasion, or self-deception and exercises the virtue of Truth will surely be humbled by the vast gulf that lies between the Chivalrous Ideal and the reality of what is. Thus chastened, the Paladin will surely avoid the error of pride.

Excellence:

The Paladin strives always to do and be his best, no matter what the area of endeavor. They do so not for pride's sake, but rather to infuse even the most mundane task with nobility and thus uplift them. Excellence is its own reward; however, it is the path of self-respect and the respect of others.

Charity:

Sharing what is valuable in this life means much more than the giving away or the sharing of materials goods such as, food, shelter and clothing; true generosity means also the giving away or sharing of our time, our focused attention, wisdom and energy. These things are those that help to build and create a strong and rich community of the heart and spirit. A Paladin will seek to aid those in need, giving succor and assistance to such as may be in need of it, giving as his means permit, and without ostentation or display. True charity includes things such as, a word of encouragement which can mean more than gold, and a friendly ear more than gems and jewels. The spirit of Charity may cause a Paladin to forgive a wrong done himself, if the act is truly repented. Charity will help a Paladin to avoid the twin errors of gluttony and greed. Charity, this generosity of spirit also paves the path of mercy and makes that path easier to tread with a difficult decision of justice is required.

Loyalty:

A Paladin is known for the unwavering commitment to the innocent and to the ideals that he chooses to live by. There are many places that compromise is expected; however, loyalty is not amongst them. Loyalty is the brother and sister of Honor. When once a Paladin has made a commitment, let him never waiver or withdraw; however, realizing that a Paladin does not compromise his loyalty, let commitments not be made lightly or rashly, but only after deep contemplation and prayer.

Courage:

Courage is neither bravado nor bluster; the Paladin must have the courage, the fortitude of heart necessary to undertake tasks, which are difficult, tedious or unglamorous, dangerous and deadly, and to graciously accept the sacrifices involved. Being a paladin often means choosing the more difficult path, the personally expensive one, be prepared to make personal sacrifices in the service of the precepts you believe and the innocents that you value. At the same time, the paladin should seek wisdom for stupidity is the sinister cousin of courage and the paladin must be able to correctly discern between the two. Courage means taking the side of truth in all matters, rather than seeking the expedience of the lie. Seek the truth at all times, but remember to temper justice with mercy or the pure truth can bring grief. The Paladin is charged with the duty of fighting for the right and for good, and is thus destined to face many opponents. The battles may be of the body and the dangers faced by the Paladin my usually be physical, but courage is as greatly in demand and even more important with the subtle opponent of the mind or the spirit. Whatever the circumstances the Paladin must always, face the enemy with valor.

Truth:

Truth is the foundation of virtue. To be truthful is to be genuine, free, and constant in keeping promises and being loyal to friends, ones liege and especially to ones God. To be truthful is to be honest and conforming to law, justice and to live truly and to govern one’s life according to the truth. One who seeks out the truth within himself will surely develop other virtues, such as justice, courage, strength, and humility. Without truth, there is no light, but rather the spiritual darkness of self-delusion and self-deception, which must surely lead to other vices. Seek truth as sincerely as possible, not for any reason of personal gain, but because it is right. Do not restrict your exploration to a small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with truth and all of the qualities of a Paladin. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure, then you will be well remembered for your quality and your virtue.

Honor:

To be truly honorable is to have a true sense of what is right, just and true and to have a true sense of what is wrong, unjust and false. To be truly honorable is to abhor those things that are vile and mean-spirited and to venerate that which is good, lawful and true. The standard against which we measure ourselves, and are measured by others. It is a treasure which if kept grows in value, but once squandered can never be regained. The Paladin’s word must be more certain and sure than any written contract. Moreover, let every Paladin consider carefully before making any Oath, and never do so lightly or without due reflection; but rather let him strive to fulfill every Oath undertaken or stand forever bereft of honor.

Justice:

A Paladin holds himself or herself to the highest standards of behavior, and knows that the little things are just as important as the big things. Seek always the path of "right,” unfettered by personal bias or self-interest. Remember always that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered with mercy. It is the Paladin’s duty to protect the innocent from harm and to punish the guilty. Fulfillment of this duty often requires physical combat; but battles fought differently are no less important. In all areas of life, the Paladin must strive so far as possible to fight injustice and help the right prevail. A Paladin must seek out the path of "right" without giving in to the temptation of expediency, then you will earn renown and honor beyond measure. Justice acts in conformance with what is right and renders unto all their due. Justice is equitable, upright, impartial, and fair and always conforms to the principles of justice in dealing with others. A Paladin knows how to make the hard choices.

Truth:

Truth is the foundation of virtue. To be truthful is to be genuine, free, and constant in keeping promises and being loyal to friends, ones liege and especially to ones God. To be truthful is to be honest and conforming to law, justice and to live truly and to govern one’s life according to the truth. One who seeks out the truth within himself will surely develop other virtues, such as justice, courage, strength, and humility. Without truth, there is no light, but rather the spiritual darkness of self-delusion and self-deception, which must surely lead to other vices. Seek truth as sincerely as possible, not for any reason of personal gain, but because it is right. Do not restrict your exploration to a small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with truth and all of the qualities of a Paladin. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure, then you will be well remembered for your quality and your virtue.

Honor:

To be truly honorable is to have a true sense of what is right, just and true and to have a true sense of what is wrong, unjust and false. To be truly honorable is to abhor those things that are vile and mean-spirited and to venerate that which is good, lawful and true. The standard against which we measure ourselves, and are measured by others. It is a treasure which if kept grows in value, but once squandered can never be regained. The Paladin’s word must be more certain and sure than any written contract. In addition, let every Paladin consider carefully before making any Oath, and never do so lightly or without due reflection; but rather let him strive to fulfill every Oath undertaken or stand forever bereft of honor.

Justice:

A Paladin holds himself or herself to the highest standards of behavior, and knows that the little things are just as important as the big things. Seek always the path of "right,” unfettered by personal bias or self-interest. Remember always that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered with mercy. It is the Paladin’s duty to protect the innocent from harm and to punish the guilty. Fulfillment of this duty often requires physical combat; but battles fought differently are no less important. In all areas of life, the Paladin must strive so far as possible to fight injustice and help the right prevail. A Paladin must seek out the path of "right" without giving in to the temptation of expediency, then you will earn renown and honor beyond measure. Justice acts in conformance with what is right and renders unto all their due. Justice is equitable, upright, impartial, and fair and always conforms to the principles of justice in dealing with others. A Paladin knows how to make the hard choices.

Additional ones that I have not yet expanded on, but perhaps should be considered: Chivalry, Chastity, Compassion, Determination, Diligence, Endurance, Forgiveness, Good Cheer, Helpfulness, Honesty, Hope, Kindness, Patience, Perseverance, Piety, Prudence, Sincerity, Temperance, Wisdom, Valor. I think most of these are included in my detailed list under one item or another or some like Chastity or Temperance, I would not want to bind on Paladins IMC anyway. Although of course, you are free to do so if you want to.

A little bit of quick advice for new players:

It is a brutal campaign; we do not pull punches or fudge rolls. I know many people have a problem with the death toll and their players would rebel if they died that often. We were in our mid-30's when we started playing Chainmail fantasy and late 30's when we started playing OD&D. Character death is not a failure, it is a learning experience. What many people call Meta gaming is just smart play. 

Here is what OD&D says in the Introduction in Men & Magic:

…and keep the rules nearby as you play. A quick check of some rule or table may, bring hidden treasure or save your game "life.”

OD&D assumed that you as a player knew everything there was to know about the rules and the game world that was available to know, hence the house ruling nature of the game to keep it fresh.

A little bit of quick advice for new players:

1.      Do not depend on the dice to get you out of a jam, because they will let you down; instead learn to anticipate and avoid being in a jam.

2.       Be familiar with what your character can do, especially Magic-Users and Clerics, know your spells and the details of what they do and learn what ones are the best to take for any given situation.

3.       Always know what equipment you have with you and what magic you may have and what it does. Do not die because you forgot you had something with you that could have saved your life. Know the limitations of magic and magic items.

4.       Learn about the intelligence of the monsters you face and their strengths and weaknesses. Also be aware that monsters in widely separated places may not be identical in these things and that differences in appearances from the ones you are used to are likely different in other ways too.

5.       Learn to minimize personal risk for yourself and for the group. Always remember that you are a team and have each other’s back.

6.       Remember that you will develop a reputation, you are not anonymous, and if you never show any mercy or forbearance, you will never receive it.

7.       Death happens, TPKs happen, dying is part of living, get over it. No moping around, roll a new character so the ref can work you back into the game.

8.       Always remember that the bad guys do not fight fair. Only Paladins and the best of the Clerics fight fair, everyone else usually uses any trick or advantage they can.

9.       Create allies and do not create enemies when you do not have too.

10.   Remember you are out to explore and garner treasure. Combat will come to you more often than you want, so do not seek out combat when you can avoid it. Staying alive will be tough enough as it is.

11.   To maximize fun, and maintain harmony in your group, do not stab your fellow players in the back; they will make you regret it.

12.   Remember it is not about how many monsters you kill; it is about coming back alive. Hopefully you are coming back alive with new knowledge and treasure, but above all make it back alive.

13.   When the ref says, “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” be sure and pay attention, it will save your life.

The Tarrozian Campaign World

I have four OD&D campaigns that share the same planet. The main campaign is called the Tarrozian Campaign and it is the most deadly of the four. The other three are more starter campaigns than anything else; they are where children and new players start.

I started the world from the bottom up and that is all I did for several years. Then I decided to do a little bit of top down just to define where we were. So what we have is a planet with an earthlike climate and gravity, but the surface area of Jupiter. (just keep thinking, "magic makes it work this way.” I played around with a few very rough sketches of the planetary surface and defined that the four campaigns are a long ways off from each other, a very long way. Even though we are now in the 45th (real world) year of the campaign and over 3800 game sessions in the campaign only a fraction of the world has been mapped or explored. We like it that way, knowing that there is really a vast unknown out there.

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Here is a little bit about one of the things IMC where there was a diversion from the main campaign.

The players decided that they wanted me to start them out in a completely new area of the world, so they had no map, info, or anything and had to find out everything about where they were. At the time they had mostly 4th & 5th level characters with a 6th level magic-users IIRC. They told me this as we were starting a regular gaming session, so I told them I would think about it and have something completely new for them soon. And we started our game. They headed out and traveled to the dungeon that they were making their forays into and as they entered the first new room that they hadn't been in yet the door slammed shut behind them the room went pitch black and spun around holding them tight to the walls as it spun faster and faster and then the bottom dropped away from their feet (yeah, just like the carnival ride), then as it slowed down they started to fall and landed in the middle of a field in bright sunlight at sunrise. (I.e. they were a long ways to the west of where they were)

Well they spent a few days of game time getting acclimated to the area, which was complicated by a bit of a language barrier, which they had to overcome. They also were taken a ride on converting their money to local currency. They gradually learned about a massive ruin that was about a 2-day journey away to the southwest that no one ever returned from. They decided to go look anyway.

When they arrived, they found a ruin that was about a mile on a side, it was an enormous pile of rubble and as they searched, they found the remains of four city gates, one at the center of each side and a path that led into the ruins. Each path was similar and it was narrow with rubble piled high on each side. They picked one to try and as they crossed into the ruin onto the path, instead of seeing a path that looked like it had had some recent use, it changed to a path with deep piled dust that looked untouched for centuries. The rubble was covered with dust. This was quite odd since outside the ruins there had been recent rain, since they arrived, but the ruins, which looked weathered from the outside, looked untouched by the weather from the inside. They found through trying that they could not leave the path, well they could but it was like moving through cold molasses there was so much resistance to moving. They went in a little way and decided that they would go back outside camp and start in in the morning.

That is when they discovered that they could not leave because as they moved back toward the outside they begin to age. They first realized this when they started getting weaker and they noticed that each other’s hair was going grey at a rapid pace. They moved back toward the center and this reversed itself. They then saw that they had no choice at this point and set out toward the center.

(for anyone crying railroad, it is just giving them what they asked for, something completely new.)

As they continued towards the center the dust became progressively thinner until eventually it disappeared altogether. They tried turning back several times each time with the same results. They also continued to try to leave the path, especially after they barely survived several traps along the way, but could not do so. They also noticed when they looked at the sky that the sun flickered and seemed to move rapidly back and forth (not in the east-west direction but in the north-south direction. As they traveled further down the path it finally seemed that the sun was one solid sun several suns in width. They were unable to tell the passage of time as the sun (aside from its weird side-to-side movement) seemed to stay in the same place in the sky and not move. Nevertheless, as the traveled down the path they had to stop and eat many times, even though they did not grow sleepy or excessively tired. Even rationing the water, they were growing concerned about running out.

As they drew nearer to the center and rounded the last corner they could see a ruined tower in the center as they moved toward it, it started to become less ruined in appearance. In addition, the ruins around them started to look fresher and fresher as they went.

As they drew nearer to the center, they started to be able to smell smoke and hear the screams of women, the crying children, the shouts of men, and the shouts of the invaders. They began to see shadows of people all around them and things grew more visible as they continued.

They stopped several times studying everything they could see, and trying to plan for whatever was going to happen. They were a few feet from the where the path entered a large courtyard around the tower and they could see that it appeared to end at the courtyard.

They finally got to just outside the courtyard and stopping for a moment they made final arrangements and then stepped thorough into the courtyard and immediately stumbled over a huge pile of dead bodies, not of the defenders of the city or the invaders but men dressed as they were from their time, and before, hundreds of bodies (they realized) of all the adventurers that had proceeded them. All around the pile of the dead was another circle of the dead invaders that had fought these other-time arrivals. Several score of invaders guarded the base of the tower, a score of these invaders were struggling towards them over all the bodies, and they immediately retreated toward a wall and then back down the street that had replaced the path they had just traversed. The noise was deafening, with screams and shouts. Over it all, they heard a loud chant in an unknown tongue that the magic-users in the group recognized as a spell being cast. It seemed to come from the tower.

They hotfooted it around a corner and down an alley. It was chaos all around them. They made it several streets further from the center and then they saw a women furtively slipping along and just as she was entering a building a few invaders appeared (the invaders are at this point an unknown humanoid that seemed to be a strange mixture of reptile, insect and mammal)and quickly entered the same building.

They decided to follow them into the building and moving rapidly they entered the building and with all the noise where able to slip up behind the invaders and kill them. In the process of doing this, they freed the women whom the invaders had just captured. While a couple of the group secured and watched the doors, the two with the greatest charisma bowed deeply to the women and tried conversing with her. However, they were unable to find any language in common. Therefore, they resorted to sign language to try to ask her some questions, but after looking very doubtful and ill at ease, she then seemed to come to a decision and relax after no one tried to touch her.

She then signed for them to follow her and led them to a lower level and a secret door. They all followed her in and lighting a torch found several women and children. The women, a redhead, pointed to herself and they traded names, after this Taibiatonia (or Red for short) led them through passages sometimes down and sometimes up, a long twisting route. They often heard shouts and the clash of arms in the distance. Once they came face to face with a few invaders and rushed to close with them. They killed the invaders but not before sustaining several wounds among them. These were bound in a hurry and they continued along.

Red led them along and then she signed for quiet and for people to wait and slipped ahead, the stealthiest member of the group went with her and when they came back he told the rest of the group that they way out was blocked by a group of invaders and it looked like there were too many to fight our way thorough, but Red signed for everyone to follow her and after back tracking a little she led them out a different way. After passing through a choke point, the way started up at a steady angle. They walked like this for some time until the floor leveled out and led to a wall.

Red went to this wall and tripped a mechanism and it opened out of the side of a hill into a wooded glen. They closed it back and hid it again as best they could. She led them another mile to a hidden shelter and there they stopped. After eating and setting up watches they were looking back toward the city where it glowed way in the distance (and at a much lower elevation) from the fires and then all of a sudden there was a kind of pulse and then the city went completely dark. A few minutes later a terribly loud shattering sound was heard.

The senior magic-user stated that the spell that was being cast must have been completed and it probably explained all that had happened to the group since they had entered the ruins.

We played out about 50 game years (these characters and their children) in this new campaign area at the rate of about every other gaming session. They eventually learned the language and the lay of the land, about the invaders, married, had children and accepted that they were not going home. By the time, they reached the 11th-12th level they were able to inflict some major defeats on the invaders and drive them from the land by continuous guerrilla warfare, a lot of luck and by stealing some of the invaders magic. Eventually they were able to neutralize the spell on the ruins so that no one else would be trapped in the past and they were able to release hundreds of women and children that were trapped in their hidey-holes in stasis. The original characters were able to retire and then played on in this part of the world as some of the children and other characters. These later characters were quite bold and a number of TPKs occurred as they adventured far and wide.

They were eventually able to estimate (i.e. get enough hints out of me) that they had went back in time about 2500 years.