In early 2000, after having not played D&D for many years, we decided to give the 2nd edition rules a try playing online. We bought players handbooks and Mike bought the Dungeon Master's Guide, but we decided that it wasn't going to be much fun with just him and I, so we looked for a recruit. Needless to say we didn't have to look far because we ended up getting our cousin, Rob. Rob had gamed with us many times in the past when he visited on the summers. Rob has two rules: (1) he always has to be a fighter; and (2) he ALWAYS has to be a fighter. Seriously, he once had a character named "Bob the Fighter." So when we approached him about the online game he readily agreed, as long as he could be a fighter.
So it came about that we developed our characters. Rob, to no one's surprise, picked an arabic-like elven fighter. He named him Robhammed. In typical fashion, I spent way too much time on character development and made a female, ranger dwarf with a tortured past, named Baerstolwef (I went as far as to explain the family-naming system in my character's remote dwarven community).
Mike created this adventure as a "starter" mission. He wanted to make sure of a couple things: (1) we could familiarize ourselves with the 2nd ed. D&D rules-set; and (2) we could familiarize ourselves with the WebRPG system (which is basically IRC chat with a shared map- cool). What was supposed to be a simple, throwaway adventure quickly developed into one of the coolest, creepiest one-shot adventures we've had. So enjoy:
CHAPTER 1: Baer and Robhammed saunter into town to make a little money and find some shelter. Way too much fart humor.
CHAPTER 2: Baer and Robhammed visit a local drinking establishment, and discover that a giant dark-elf and deformed dwarf are not welcome.
CHAPTER 3: Baer and Robhammed meek Sherrif Flinn, who reluctantly accepts their help. Later, a creepy farmer freaks them out, although to this day, no one is sure why.
CHAPTER 4: Baer and Robhammed begin investigating the small village's mystery when they encounter an adolescent ogre--- I smell a random encounter table!
CHAPTER 5: Baer and Robhammed return to town and start turning up more clues as to who is killing the village's residents, but then they have a disagreeable confrontation with Sherrif Flinn.
CHAPTER 6: Baer and Robhammed, fresh from their confrontation with the Sherrif, continue to track the killer beast. On the way, they communicate with Sherrif Flinn through one of the earliest known forms of cellular phone technology- the magic mirror!
CHAPTER 7: The exciting climax! Baer and Robhammed finally encounter the mysterious beast and... well... read it! That's what makes it an exciting climax!
CHAPTER 8: The epilogue. Ahhh, the spoils of victory. Mmmmmmm... victory.
