In which I get ready for a new campaign in an old system...
The Wizard's Tower
The campaign is The Wizard's Tower in which the party are snatched out of their lives to be put to the test in a tower owned by an evil wizard. What could possibly go wrong?
It sounds a bit like the Death Zone from Dr. Who and hopefully will test our roleplaying while almost definitely killing our characters in hilarious ways. I wont reveal too much about the campaign on here as I think the DM may wish to re-use it in the future.
Our characters are rolled and tonight we start in earnest!
A Cat Named Jasper
I will be playing a Tibbit adjusted to work with 2nd ed. So far I have only decided on his common name (cats have 3 names, see below), Jasper, for his green eyes and because I used to have a cat called Jasper. I'm looking forward to randomly transforming into a cat to the befuddlement of my enemies and the party.
I am playing a pretty standard rogue (expect for the turning into a cat part) but I'm planning on roleplaying as conceited a character as possible. He will look down on all the others as inferior. So basically a humanoid cat!
I'm also toying with the idea of him being of noble birth (or at least thinking he is) we'll see how that turns out as the campaign progresses.
Jasper's Diary
At some point during 24 hours our characters are going to be kidnapped and the DM wanted to know what we'd be up to. I have written the events of Jasper's day in the style of his diary:
The Diary of Jasper: 2nd of Eleasis
It was a normal midsummer’s day and I awoke, as is my want, at the leisurely time of ten. I sauntered down to the kitchen and prepared a light breakfast of smoked kippers and toast. I perused the local paper over a cup of aromatic tea.
Having divested myself of my silk pyjamas I put on my finest clothes to head out into town. I was meeting Saskia for lunch and was looking forward to hearing news from home. I always set off early so that I could meander through the alleyways and enjoy the warm sun on the road.
At around noon I had made it to the outskirts of the town and, with at least an hour left to spend, I dallied at the local bookshop. Sadly my new copy of Carnesîr’s “I Thelion”* had yet to arrive so I sat in the park and basked in the warmth of the midday sun.
We met at my favourite bar. It had been years since I’d last seen her so we talked for hours about home, friends old & new and all those little things you do with old friends. The wine flowed generously and so did the port. The hours flew past and it was as if no time had passed at all. A truly glorious afternoon!
It was about five as I hugged her goodbye and set-off home. I felt an inebriated need to run free so I crouched and changed into my feline form in a nearby alley. I jumped to a low garden fence, then leapt to a nearby roof. I ran with reckless abandon. It was so good to feel the find in my face and skitter across the rooftops. I chased a finch from near the edge of town, pounced, and missed it by a hair. Then I landed gently at the town’s edge and bounded off down the path towards home and a well-earned afternoon nap.
I ran home and arrived a little after half five. I proceeded around to the back of the cottage and clambered through the window I always left ajar for such occasions. I curled up in front of the fire to have a long, luxurious nap.
Or at least that’s what I had planned…
Jasper Esq.
*Who’s Who in Sindarin Elvish
Tom Out!
P.S. The Naming of Cats
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter, It isn't just one of your holiday games; You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES. First of all, there's the name that the family use daily, Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James, Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey— All of them sensible everyday names. There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter, Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames: Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter— But all of them sensible everyday names. But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular, A name that's peculiar, and more dignified, Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular, Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride? Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum, Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat, Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum- Names that never belong to more than one cat. But above and beyond there's still one name left over, And that is the name that you never will guess; The name that no human research can discover— But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess. When you notice a cat in profound meditation, The reason, I tell you, is always the same: His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name: His ineffable effable Effanineffable Deep and inscrutable singular Name. T S Eliot
