Session XI - Translation Notes by Prof. Barker

There is no doubt about it; this is one of the bloodiest chapters in the mythology with the deaths of three characters and the near deaths of three more.

This chapter is generally used to show how dangerous the uninhabited areas of the island are as well as show that even though the heroes have taken on many human enemies, the inhuman ones are far more dangerous.

Dion's battle with the ogre Balkios is the most popular fight in the mythology series, with the mighty barbarian taking on all his enemies by himself. The near death (or in some abridged works, death) of the literary character after taking down the monstrous enemy is a common device and one sees it over and over again in fiction (many attribute this story as the source for Beowulf's fight with the dragon).

Once again, I will note that "cougar" is an imperfect translation and the creature in question was likely a smaller cousin to the Asiatic tiger or lion. Similarly, I use the translation "dire wolf" here not to refer to an actual dire wolf (Canis Dirius), which is found only in the Americas; rather, it would refer to a giant version of either the Eurasian Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus Lupus) or possibly the Indian Wolf (Canis Lupus Palipes).

The deaths of the three characters is not always popular with readers, particularly students who start to identify with the characters. Some feel that Argus was hardly given enough time to develop. Others felt that Duanos was killed too arbitrarily, or that Hector should have been able to have been saved by his companions waking more quickly. And given those deaths, many wonder how it is that Dion managed to survive his mortal wounds.

Many students note how sometimes the heroes go into the wilderness for days at a time without any real danger, while other times it seems that danger lurks around every corner. It can seem rather random, as if the gods were flipping a coin or rolling a die to determine when the heroes will face mortal peril. This is by intention; the gods and world of men were shown in these tales to be arbitrary and unpredictable, as a reflection of the ancient Hellasians and their beliefs about the chaotic nature of the universe.

But also note that the stories also show the characters, themselves, were fallible and made poor decisions at times. Hector's overconfidence and not waking his companions before rushing into battle caused his death, just as Artemisia failing to realize she was not a soldier nearly led to hers. And Sharag clearly made a poor decision to try to help the mortally wounded Duanos while putting herself in a dangerous position. And many of the difficulties with the cougars were the resulting of overconfidently charging into battle instead of intelligently attacking from a distance.

Truly, it was just as much poor tactics and execution on the part of the heroes as it was the capriciousness of the gods to blame for the terrible events that unfolded here.

Some readers may still wonder why, if facing such difficult odds, the heroes ever left the safety of civilization at all. But this is exactly why these characters were written about as heroes, for daring to face the threats others would not and risk their lives for fortune and glory. Without that heroism, these characters would not be heroes and not worthy of writing about.

And so, the tales continued on and with them the opportunity for new heroes to emerge.

Session XI - Session Notes

To be honest, this wasn't exactly how I wanted the session to go. I was expecting a larger focus on the party heading back to the brigand's fort and finishing off the brigands (and the dungeon filled with stuff under the fort, naturally).

But, the dice were not kind to the PCs this session. First, they had a random encounter right away. Then, after being wounded and immobilized, I rolled another random encounter. Then a third on their way out.

Between getting the encounters, them rolling particularly bad in combat, and some pretty bad decisions made by the PCs, we nearly ended up with a TPK all for just heading into the forest.

The fictional "translation notes" pretty well sum up my thoughts on that - sometimes the fates aren't kind, and if you add bad judgment into that mix then bad things will happen. I'm not trying to be a killer DM, but I don't usually fudge bad rolls for the PC's benefit, either.

So why didn't Dion, Artemisia, and Sharag die? Well, for starters, by that point I'd already killed off nearly half the group and I didn't particularly like the idea of a complete slaughterhouse. I also thought Dion's heroic taking on of the ogre (and beating him while simultaneously being defeated) was cool enough to get a pass. Granted, the idea of almost the whole group dying except for Gayloria (who's player missed the session) would have been funny.

I think in the end the session ended up being a lot of fun. The one thing I did regret doing was not sketching out the cougar fight a little more as there was a fair amount of confusion on who was where or what distances were.

The next session is this coming Friday and I'm curious to see what we end up with for new PCs. Ideas were tossed around last session about Hector being replaced by a nymph, Argus by a cleric, and Duanos by a barbarian (possibly even a brother to Dion), but I haven't heard if any final decisions were made.

Session XII - Cast of Characters

Artemisia, the magic-user and scholar
Chrysostomos, the stoic cleric
Dion, the crude barbarian
Gayloria, the sapphic warioress

And introducing:

Jonas, the barbarian youth
Theodysus, the warrior priest

From the Epic Poem, as translated by Prof. Arty Barker, Ph.D.

Session XII - Scene I (of VI)

After the journey back to Castellios and time to rest, the heroes meet up for breakfast at the local tavern and discuss what to do next. All except for Sharag, who elected to stay out in the hills to give her time to mourn for her companions (and, Chrysostomos suspects, her lack of breeding opportunities).

Dion decides the first thing they should do is pay a visit to the archon to let him know what has happened. When they arrive at his fortified home, his attendant greets the heroes but regrets that Archon Aristedes is not at home; he has gone down to the beach to meet a ship that has landed.

The heroes decide to head to the beach and meet the archon there. By the time they get there, the ship itself is already leaving, with three newcomers talking with the archon and his attendants.

One of the newly-arrived men is large and burly, and focused on loading some cargo into a wagon. The man talking with Aristedes appears to be some kind of warrior-priest. And next to him is a young, unkempt youth who appears to have been serving aboard the ship as a cabin boy.

Archon Aristedes greets Dion and his companions and the barbarian explains he has bad news – conveying the deaths of Hector and Duanos, and the disappearance and presumed death of Argus. Aristedes agrees it does not sound good for the archeologist.

While the burly man hauls off cargo, the other two ship passengers introduce themselves as Theodysus, a priest of Athena, and Jonas, a young barbarian warrior. Dion is happy to see strong new adventurers have made it to the island, as they could use the help with their recent losses. He also knows Gayloria intends to return to her homeland soon.

The two men accompany the heroes back to the tavern where Theodysus gladly offers his service. The youth Jonas, however, is more wary; he has Dion explain how his previous companions perished. Then, as Dion and the others debate how to best stop the brigands, the youth slips out to ask around about Dion's group.

After hearing from more than one source that Dion's group was successful in liberating Castellios from the Xersians (though most note that Aristedes was far more so), but that the heroes have had hard luck adventuring outside the fortress walls, Jonas returns to the tavern.

He finds the heroes still discussing the assault on the brigand fort in the woods. Dion considers the matter closed, noting they shall all leave at daybreak.

Jonas intends to follow Theodysus along with these heroes, but is still wary. He is also short of coin and plans to sleep in an alley between two buldings when Dion spots him and offers to pay for his room. The miserly youth quickly agrees, though Theodysus finds the offer untenable and insists on paying for his own room.

Session XII - Scene II (of VI)

That evening, as everyone prepares to rest, Dion gets a knock on his door. It is one of the town guard. He explains that refugee farmers have arrived at the gate and are reporting the outlying farms are under attack by brigands scouring the countryside.

Dion has the guard confirm the farmers were let into the city walls. He knows the brigands are punishing the country folk for helping them and worries about the fate of Sharag. The barbarian quickly gathers the others to let them know.

Jonas asks Dion about what the farmers have reported, but the warrior notes he has not spoken to any of the survivors yet. The barbarian decides the youth has a good idea and has the guard take them down to where the survivors are being quartered, at the stables. Jonas himself elects to stay behind in his room and rest, as it looks as the others have the situation well in hand.

When the heroes arrive at the stables, they find that all of the refugees save one are badly injured. Dion and Artemisia note that one of the injured survivors is a young girl who was part of the family that saved them. Artemisia grimly notes that the rest of the family members are not among the survivors.

Chrysostomos uses his powers to heal the young girl while Dion asks the unharmed farmer about seeing a centaur. The farmer notes there was a centaur fighting the brigands, but she was lost in the confusion of battle. He later saw the severed back half of a horse, but was not sure if it was the centaur or perhaps an actual horse. A few feet away, the priest mumbles to himself that he often had the same problem.

When the little girl is healed, she can offer little more clarity. She notes her family was attacked by big, beastly, wild men (whom Dion interprets to be berserkers) but also says there might have been men on horses as well. She has a hard time remembering, and becomes hysterical, talking about all of the blood everywhere.

Convinced the stables are no fit place for the brave wounded, Dion goes over to the Archon to make a personal plea to move them into the old temple, now empty. Aristedes is a little taken aback, noting that commoners living in a temple could anger the gods.

Dion appeals to Theodysus and Chrysostomos to offer their wisdom of the divine. Theodysus, not ready to take a side, pretends not to hear the barbarian and instead focuses on bandaging the wounded. Chrysostomos takes a different approach, asking which gods are enshrined at the temple. After Aristedes explains the Xersian priest Parastar destroyed the old shrines and replaced them with a single one of the Xersian Lord of Light, Chrysostomos notes the temple is already defiled so there is no concern with letting commoners live there.

Concerned about the wounded, Dion asks Aristedes if any acolytes of the old temple survived, but the archon explains the Xersians put them all to the sword when they took over. When he asks about simple healers, Aristedes again shakes his head, noting that all learned men here live across the island in the city of Asylopolis. He also points out that no messengers have yet returned from that city, leading him to believe that it is either still under Xersian control or that other evil forces block the way.

With nothing more to do, Aristedes and his attendants head back to the archon's fortress. The heroes decide to head back as well, but Dion makes sure to give the farmers a platinum piece first to allow them to rebuild.

Session XII - Scene III (of VI)

As the sun dawns over Castellios, the heroes awaken and meet for breakfast at the tavern. Before heading out, Dion wishes to talk to the moneylender Mordecai to make sure the accounts for Duanos, Hector, and Argus are redistributed amongst the group.

The barbarian enters Mordecai's shop as the old Levuriantian banker is eating his breakfast of circular disks of unleavened bread and thin cuts of cured fish. He greets the barbarian and before he can get into one of his soliloquies, Dion cuts him off and tells him three of his companions have died and he needs their accounts redistributed.

The old banker smiles and explains he has already heard of the group's misfortune and has gone ahead and taken care of the accounts. Dion is first confused, then angered when Mordecai explains as per his "standard contract", anyone dying with an open account agrees to relinquish that money back to the moneylending business.

Dion manages to hold his anger in check, first arguing about whether or not he truly agreed to such an arrangement and then threatening to involve the archon. But the mention of Aristedes does not sway the banker and so Dion storms out while Mordecai is still explaining the finer points of his agreement.

The barbarian heads straight to the archon, with the others following except for Chrysostomos and Theodysus, who feel their time would be better spent at the temple. When they arrive at the archon's fortress, his attendant notes that Aristedes cannot meet until the afternoon.

Undeterred, Dion strongly insists to see the archon right away and the attendant relents, taking them to Aristedes as he eats his breakfast. The archon is understandably upset at the interruption, and not very sympathetic to Dion's cries of unfairness.

Aristedes notes that Mordecai is following the usual customs of the area, and that he would interfere only if Mordecai was preventing actual heirs from claiming the money. Jonas, who up until now has wondered why the barbarian is so concerned over a relatively small amount of money, decides to end the argument by falsely claiming to be Argus' nephew and heir.

The archon is a bit suspicious but would rather not waste any more time and agrees that Jonas is entitled to Argus' portion of the money, less Mordecai's standard "transfer fee". Jonas insists the scribe taken down a written directive they can give the banker.

An hour later, the scribe completes the decree and Dion gleefully heads back to Mordecai's office. The old banker is quite suspicious about Jonas being the heir of Argus, but lacks the standing to argue the point and instead notes he will be charging the transfer fee of 10%.

He does balk, however, when Dion also insists the accounts for Duanos and Hector be transferred. After some arguing, Mordecai concedes Sharag may be considered the rightful heir of Duanos and Hector, but insists he will not transfer the money until she presents herself to him, as he has heard she may be dead.

Session XII - Scene IV (of VI)

After being bested again by the vexing moneylender, Dion and the others decide to head out of town and towards the outlying farms. Everyone travels on foot except for Chrysostomos and Gayloria, who still have their horses. Along the way, Jonas admits he lied to get the money and offers to give it back to the group to use.

While traveling, the heroes stop at farm houses to see if anyone has spotted Sharag. None have, though some now house other refugees who talk of both berserkers and horsemen.

Five hours later, while traveling along the road, the heroes spot smoke off in the distance. They know they are getting close.

Jonas suggests setting up an ambush on one of the farms. Dion disagrees, noting they are only a couple of hours away from reaching the location where Sharag was last seen. But Jonas holds his ground, arguing that after their recent losses they need to use better planning.

Dion relents and decides to go along with the youth's plan. They move in half the distance to the outermost farms, placing themselves at one of the farms most likely to be attacked next. The farm is surviving, but the inhabitants have already fled for their lives.

The farm consists of a barn, a house, and storage shed with a large olive grove behind them. The barn contains three goats the family left behind and Gayloria and Chrysostomos decide to stable their horses there.

The buildings are too spread out to be of much use, and the olive grove trees too short to use as well. The heroes decide they must make their stand inside the house. Dion wonders about taking down the roof thatch to prevent burning, but Chrysostomos mentions it would be too suspicious looking.

To lure the brigands in, the heroes light candles inside the home. And knowing the brutes will likely attempt to ride by and light it afire, Theodysus finds a rope in the storage shed and cuts it in half. Each half is then tied to a tree outside of the windows on either side of the house, with the other end inside the home, ready to be pulled up to dismount the riders.

Dion decides the best place for him is to be up on the roof as a scout with his bow. Sensing that's where the action will be, Jonas decides to go with him. And because a third shift will be needed, Artemisia agrees to go up as well, noting it will give her a better vantage point for her spells. They also make a hole in the roof with a rope down it to allow them to easily get back inside.

As night falls, Dion looks up and notices it is a full moon.

Session XII - Scene V (of VI)

Jonas and Artemisia are awoken suddenly to a loud howl. Jonas looks up to see a fearsome were-cat standing over him. As Artemisia notices the monster appears to be wearing Dion's armor and equipment, Jonas quickly backs up to shoot at the creature with his bow, but the shot goes wide.

Downstairs, Gayloria makes sure to wake the priests but isn't sure what is going on up on the roof. She can only hear the screaming as the were-cat slashes its claws into Jonas then bites into his shoulder.

Up on the roof, Artemisia attempts to back the creature off by blasting it with a magic missile. Down below, Gayloria elects not to use the rope to head up to the roof but instead heads out the window and climbs up the side.

Theodysus steps out the front door and spots the creature moving back towards Jonas. He throws his spear at the beast but the monster catches it in the air then bites it in half.

Chrysostomos, following Theodysus out, tries a different tactic. He prays to the gods to blast the were-cat in the eyes, blinding it.

Seeing the beast stumbling around, Jonas tries to charge at the creature but he trips over some loose thatch and misses, falling off of the end of the roof and crashing to the ground below.

The were-cat manages to stumble off of the roof as well, but lands on his feet. He runs off randomly into the dark. The heroes elect not to follow him but instead focus on taking care of the badly-wounded Jonas.

After Artemisia stabilizes Jonas' badly-broken body, Theodysus and Chrysostomos do what they can to heal the boy, but their prayers result in Jonas being conscious, but still badly wounded. When Artemisia explains what happened, Jonas is concerned. He knows that with his injuries, he will be the next one to become a were-creature.

Session XII - Scene VI (of VI)

With the Dion were-creature gone, the heroes scramble to get back into position. With all of the commotion that occurred, and the position they placed themselves into, they know it will not be long before the brigands appear.

An impetuous youth, Jonas wishes to return to the roof even though it would be safer for him to be inside the house. Artemisia rejoins him as well while the others elect to remain inside the house.

Late into the night Jonas spots torches approaching the house from two directions, a half dozen in each. One set moves quickly coming from behind the olive grove. The other moves slower and appears to be heading for the front door. The faster ones appear to be riding horses, while the slower must be on foot.

The boy warrior alerts the others then fires an arrow into the lead rider, killing him while Artemisia stays behind the chimney as cover. Chrysostomos and Theodysus quickly ready their ropes as Gayloria gets ready by the door with her javelin.

Arrows fly out as the riders approach, with several hitting Jonas. The youth collapses and his blood soaks into the thatch. As they move in, the riders lower their bows and hurl torches up at the roof, lighting it on fire.

However, their path also takes them straight into Chrysostomos' rope. Before they realize what has happened, they are knocked off of their horses, with one of the men breaking his neck in the fall.

Gayloria steps over to the window and finishes off another of the riders by pinning him to the ground with her javelin.

Up on the roof, Artemisia takes a different approach. Knowing Jonas will never survive, she rolls his body through the flames and onto the prone riders. The impact kills another of them while Artemisia escapes the roof inferno for the relative safety of the house.

Just then, a berserker smashes through the door but is skewered by Gayloria's spear. Another berserker follows in, but Theodysus crushes his skull with his mace.

Chrysostomos, meanwhile, takes a bow and fires an arrow out the window into one of the remaining riders attempting to flee. Finding his target, the man collapses with an arrow in his back.

Theodysus and Gayloria press the attack against the berserkers, with Theodysus smashing in the chest of another warrior while Gayloria holds the rest at bay with her spear.

Artemisia, meanwhile, sneaks out the other window and behind the berserker attacking Gayloria. She crushes his spine with her staff as Theodysus takes down another with his mace.

The final berserker attempts to assault her, but Gayloria spears him in the side with her spear. As the berserker turns to attack, Artemisia finishes him off by cracking his neck with her staff.

With all of the brigands dead except for one rider who escaped into the night, the heroes abandon the burned out house and move into the barn to rest for the night.

The next morning, Dion awakens to find himself somewhere in the hills. Next to him appears to be the severed leg of a goat. His hands are caked in dirt and blood and he has the taste of blood in his mouth. He has no idea where he is or how he got there...

Session XII - Translation Notes by Prof. Barker

This chapter begins with the introduction of two new potential heroes in the myths, only to have the reader surprised by the sudden death of Jonas (it is said Hitchcock was inspired by this passage for famous story-twist in Psycho). While Jonas fought heroically, this shows he was not a hero, but merely a fragile boy who attempted to follow in their footsteps.

The brutal, unexpected death of Jonas is clearly the direct result of Dion's curse, making it necessary for him to attempt redemption in the next chapter. Flawed heroes who must redeem themselves for the deaths of innocents is a common theme in the Hellasian mythology, whether as presented here or in the stories of Heracles. And Dion's waking the next morning has inspired a host of werewolf depictions in film, becoming a cliché over time.

But the boy's death and Dion's shame are not the only points of this chapter. For this is also where the heroes begin to turn the tide with the deaths of a large number of brigands as well as showing the emergence of the new hero, Theodysus.

Session XII - Session Notes

Longtime readers will note that I often have a love/hate relationship with running RPG sessions.

On the one hand, the session was fun, laughs were had, and it was generally a good time.

On the other hand, sometimes I grow awfully tired of the sheer repetitiveness of it all. The players can be very unimaginative at times (characterization, tactics, risk avoidance, tunnel vision, purely reactive nature, etc.) and I often feel like they have all played D&D so long that every campaign becomes an attempt to recreate the same "greatest hits" experiences and we're just going through the motions at times.

In all honesty, I probably do need a break from DMing, but I dislike being a player and the other people who DM always have painfully boring campaigns so I feel kind of stuck.

Take a break and give another person a chance to GM; it sounds like you need it right now.  The only path to becoming a good GM is through running games.  If you're always running, then how is anyone else in the group going to improve their GM skills?

Change your mindset from 'this is boring' to 'this is a growth experience' in regards to another player donning the Viking Hat.

Session XIII - Cast of Characters
 
Artemisia, the magic-user and scholar
Chrysostomos, the stoic cleric
Dion, the crude barbarian

From the Epic Poem, as translated by Prof. Arty Barker, Ph.D.

Session XIII - Scene I (of V)

The morning after the large battle, Theodysus and Gayloria say their prayers over the burned out house that was used as a funeral pyre for the dead brigands and the cabin boy Jonas. Artemisia and Chrysostomos decide they will spend their morning trying to find Dion. Taking the group's two remaining horses, they head out into the farmland hills, heading off in the direction Dion was last seen.

Three hours later, a lost Dion is trying to make his way back towards the main road to Castellios when he spots a pair of riders off in the distance. He cautiously makes his way towards them, using the hills as cover. When he gets close enough to recognize them as his companions, he waves them over.

Greeting Artemisia and Chrysostomos, Dion explains that he has no idea how he got to this part of the hills. Artemisia explains that Dion's injuries in the fight a couple of weeks ago with the were-cats must have caused him to become cursed. She also tells him how his actions contributed heavily to the death of Jonas.

Dion is less concerned about the cabin boy than he is excited about his new ability. He claims it to be a gift rather than a curse from the gods and that he need only master his ability to transform in order to become a more powerful warrior. Artemisia and Chrysostomos aren't so sure they agree with his assessment, but do not contradict him.

Instead, Chrysostomos focuses on discussing the brigand attack and how their plan worked except for the part about Jonas getting killed. Dion asks if all the brigands were killed but Artemisia explains that one did, in fact, manage to escape; unless Dion ate the man while in were-cat form. The barbarian notes that he only found the remains of a goat next to him, and not a man.

As they head back to meet up with Theodysus and Gayloria, Chrysostomos asks what the group should do next – focus on finding out what happened to Sharag? Or should they head back to assault the brigand's fort? Artemisia speculates that perhaps Sharag had the same problem as Dion because she was also heavily wounded in the were-cat fight. Dion argues they need to meet back up with Gayloria and Theodysus before deciding on their next course of action.

Several hours later, the three make their way to the burned-out farmhouse, only to discover Gayloria and Theodysus have left. Artemisia finds a note on the barn wall from Theodysus explaining they have gone back to Castellios so that Gayloria can make her ship off of the island to return back to Hellasia.

Once again, the heroes are forced to contemplate what they can do next. With only three of them, a full assault on the brigand's fort is doomed. Chrysostomos, however, argues that Sharag is likely a captive of the brigands. He suggests the three of them perform a scouting mission on the fort. Dion agrees, noting if she is not dead or captured then Sharag would be back in Castellios by this point and they can meet up with her along with Theodysus later.

Session XIII - Scene II (of V)

By late afternoon, the three heroes have made their way through the hilly part of the forest and on to the heavier, flatter part. They decide to make camp before dusk falls.

Chrysostomos wonders if they should keep the horses with them or let them run off. Artemisia argues strongly for keeping them, both because they need them for transport and because letting horses loose in the forest would surely leave them vulnerable to predators.

Dion is more concerned about whether he will or won't transform again when the moon comes out. Artemisia notes that lycanthropy is unpredictable and all accounts are that the affliction works differently for each individual.

Chrysostomos suggests tying Dion up, but the only rope the group had was burned up in the fire at the farm house. Dion wonders about using the horse bridles, but they are not long enough to tie him securely.

Instead, Dion decides to head out a fair distance into the forest and wait to see if he changes. Meanwhile, Chrysostomos and Artemisia climb a tree and try to hold watch, though without any fire they know it will be difficult to spot anything in the dark.

As the light begins to fade, Dion notices a large claw mark on a tree nearby. It is up too high for a dire wolf or mountain lion, and the claws too large. He realizes it is the mark of a large brown bear marking its territory.

Just then, he spots two lumbering bears coming out of the trees nearby. One growls and starts to approach. Not wanting to appear hostile, Dion lowers his head but does ready his sword.

The bears continue to advance slowly, sniffing and giving out a light growl. Dion tries to will himself to transform into a were-cat, but nothing happens.

Seeing the bear almost face to face now, Dion slowly takes a step back as the bear slowly raises its paw. It swipes out just as he moves back. Thinking the bear is ready to attack, Dion makes a wild swing with his sword, but misses.

The bear doesn't seem to notice. Instead, its claws tear into Dion's backpack, ripping it from him. The other bear comes over and joins the first, the two tearing into the backpack and eating.

Dion realizes the bears were only after his rations. He quickly and carefully moves away from the bears and lets them eat. He makes his way up a nearby tree and waits for the moon to come up.