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hairylarry
In Tobbins Shire there are Tobbins and Mubbins and Muffens plus an occasional Baggins or Took. It is a trading Shire, on the river, with docks, warehouses, and stores. On one street there are big houses for biguns whose kids like swimming in the river off the docks. Some of the Tobbins, Mubbins, and Muffens join them but you won't catch a Baggins or a Took in the water.

Mr. MistMeister
---
Ari and Caper run across Mr. MistMeister, a dangerous water elemental, on a hike outside of Caper's Shire.

Before he was Mr. MistMeister he was a water sprite. One day when he was flying a potion maker, greatly afraid, threw a potion of gaseous form on the sprite. The combination of magicks locked the elemental into it's gaseous form and Mr. MistMeister was born.

He used to enjoy coralling loads of fish into fishermen's nets so they became so heavily laden that they would break or even capsize the fishing boat. In his mist form he has been corraling people by showing them abandoned houses from the past and luring them into his misty form. He is not evil. He just does what he does because he doesn't know what else to do. He could be convinced to take up another avocation but he can only be destroyed with very high level magic that counters both the potion and fey magic at the same time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:August_Malmstr%C3%B6m_-_Dancing_Fairies_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Pictured is Dancing Fairies painted in 1866 by the Swedish painter August Malmström. Unlike the faires pictured Mr. MistMeister cannot return to the water but is locked above ground as a mist.

Background material above was written by Larry Heyl aka DM Hairy Larry


Cast Of Characters
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Ari is a human healing sorceress who is bossy and good at reading people.
Caper Tobbins is a halfling bard who is likable.
Tude is Ari's pet wildcat who is protective and obnoxious.
Clairen is a friendly bouncy dwarf.
Edge Bravestone is a cautious, friendly fighter.
Wyleth is a soldier who was raised on a farm.
Snurgi Snurgison is a dwarf who is a fighter and a poet.

In The Shire
---
Ari is Vivian's PC
Tude is Ari's pet wildcat and also Vivian's PC
Caper is a Larry's DM PC
---
At Inspired Unreality Ari and Caper visit the Shire. So now we have a Milyagon Shire and we'll have to place it on the map. Probably through Wilken Woods and across the river.

We used Shire friendly dice tables found in the Hearth & Hillside Home.pdf, a name your own price download.

https://weirdandblue.itch.io/hearth-and-hillside-home



Caper's Hobbit Hole


First we rolled up elevenses from the Sweet Treats table. Caper rolled Tart rhubarb pie with clotted cream and an extra flavour that everybody either loves or hates and Ari rolled Sticky honeycomb fresh from the tallest oak this side of Woolshod Hill which Caper had recently rescued from the bees.


As a good hobbit would, Caper suggested they follow up on elevenses with Breakfast for Dinner. Caper rolled Spicy sausages with flavours from the distant empire of Man and Ari folllowed up with a still-twitching boiled crab that always goes for the nose. So sausages and crabs it was after Caper detwitched the crab with a single blow.

Unable to eat any more Caper suggests a walk through the woods to enjoy the sun. Before they get out of town they meet weary halfling travellers trekking into town wearing the scandalous fashions of a distant March. In fact their garb is brightly colored and entirely inappropriate for the shire. They said some fairies had played a trick on them changing their sensible clothes for this rubbish.

Ari escorted them into a second hand clothes shop where, Mr. Muffen, the owner assured them all he could arrange an exchange for more suitable attire knowing that the brightly colored clothes would sell well when caravans of humans passed through town. No accounting for the tastes of humans. Brightly colored scarves just assure that you'll be seen in the woods.

After walking a short way out of town Ari and Caper met A well-groomed pony with courtly ribbons, plodding under the weight of a pompous Shirrif and his tall feathered hat.

The Shirrif was complaining about the fairies who he said, "Tied the ribbons to my pony and gave me this stupid hat. Caper said Mr. Muffen will trade that hat for a better one and he probably knows where you could trade the pony for a sturdier horse. They talked on for a while, as one does well met in the woods, and then Ari and Caper continued their hike while the Shirrif plodded on to town.

The Rescue
---
Ari is Vivian's PC
Tude is Ari's pet wildcat and also Vivian's PC
Caper is a Larry's DM PC
---
Last week the Shirrif was plodding on to town and Ari cast detect magic on him. All the ribbons on his pony as well as his hat and the feathers in his hat glowed with fey magic. Caper thought, "Interesting" and he also thought the Shirrif's stout little pony might make a good gift for the Jenkins kids.

Ari explains aura colors to Caper. Red means blood, white means blind or a child, no aura means the human doesn't care about colors. Ari said the Shirrif had no aura which didn't surpise her.

They continue along the trail and coming to the top of a ridge they see mist filling a field that opens up before them, evening light glinting off the dewy roof of a distant cottage. (from Scenery On Your Long Treks d12 table)

They walk through the field towards the cottage and Ari, feeling like something might be wrong here recommends caution. Tude's fur ruffles up on the back of his neck, a sure sign of danger.

Caper suggests they drink some farseeing tea so they can see through the windows from a safe distance. He quickly gathers twigs and builds a fire boiling water in the teapot from his hiking pack. Ari sprinkles in some of the tea and Caper tends the pot while Ari looks around, wondering.

Caper pours two small cups and Ari without thinking stirs her tea with the silver wand from the fairy, King Groad, that enhances teas and potions. After putting out his fire Caper is quickly running about exploring the house through the windows and open door from a distance of about 100 feet. He can tell the house is empty and in some disrepair.

Ari, however sees something completely different. Lost in the mist are human men, women, and children. Ari starts making notes in her notebook for future reference.

She glances up and notices Caper sneaking into the house with Tude following ready to protect him. In the cottage Caper finds a lavishly illuminated tome chronicling a time when the Commonwealth was a wild land of barrow-kings and bigfolk. (from the Heirlooms Of The Estate d10 table)

He can't wait to show Ari the book and rushes out to her. Ari glances at the book but she is more concerned right now with the lost souls in the mist. She describes them to Caper who can't see them.

Ari suggests that Caper finishes the tea and gives it a stir with her silver wand. Caper chugs tea straight out of the cold pot and now Caper sees the people too. Ari asks if Caper has brandy and Caper grins tapping his hiking pack.

Ari thinks the minimal amount will help Caper move the people out of the mist and away from here. Caper says he'll take the minimal amount which is usually one good chug followed by another. Ari says take half the minimal amount and then lead the women and children out because we don't want a lot of dead bodies which is where this could go.

So Caper takes a wee nip and then starts playing his flute and dancing with the children in the mist. When he leads them across the field they follow enchanted by his flute. The women follow the children and the men follow the women and soon Caper has them all heading across the field toward the path with Ari and Tude bringing up the rear.

There are seven kids, five women, and six men that follow them out of the mist. Some of the men are younger, without whiskers yet, but full grown.

Ari now sees from the trail another even bigger cottage across the road that is also unlived in.

The people still have no clue about where they are. Some of them gripe and complain about the people running a village. They all calm down and start to get along after fussing awhile. Caper says the fussing is a good sign that they have returned to normal. Big folk are always fussing.

Ari is determined to make sure that the people she's with go a different direction. She's afraid of danger to them. They could be hurt, killed, or locked up.

Caper wants to examine this bigger cottage on the other side of the path. He can't wait to see if there are more books for Ari stuck up on a shelf somewhere. He still feels the effects of the farseeing tea and he's checking out what he can see from here on the trail.

Fey Enigma
----
Ari is Vivian's PC
Tude is Ari's pet wildcat and also Vivian's PC
Caper is a Larry's DM PC
---
After the eighteen people who had been trapped in the mist recovered their senses Caper and Tude looted the big house across the road and (after rolling another one on the Heirlooms table) he found another book. This looked to be a book of Kings with pictures of Kings surrounded by text. It's very fancy. Caper grabs it and takes it back up the hill to Ari. Tude nuzzles Ari's hand.

Caper shows Ari the Book of Kings and Cyndre, the lady boss of the rescued humans, pops over to look. She says, "Oh, aye! I ken him. Old King Cartyr, he died last year."

Ari and Caper look at each other and Caper says, "King Cartyr is legendary. He died 400 years ago."

Cyndre looks up noticing details in Ari's clothing she hadn't see before. Finely woven cloth with rows of silver buttons. She also notices Caper's well made boots, made by the cobbler at Tobbins Shire. She bows to Ari and says, "Sorry, my lady, but I worked in King Cartyr's Castle and he died just last year.

400 years ago, Cyndre and her party left Tobbins Shire and when they crested a ridge they saw a beautiful field covered in mist with an abandoned farmhouse. When they went to see the farmhouse they walked through the mist and that's the last they remember until Ari, Caper, and Tude led them out of the mist and back up to the road.

Ari and Caper have a short confab and decide that there's nothing for it but to take these people back to the shire.

Caper shouts, "Time to eat", thinking they must be hungry if they haven't dined in 400 years and he takes off down the road back to Tobbins Shire singing a merry tune. With Ari's encouragement they follow and Ari and Tude bring up the rear being careful that no children stray from the path.

When they get to the shire Caper takes them all to the Inn where they have a hearty stew. The rescued people still don't believe 400 years passed but they can tell that things are much different then they were when they left Tobbins Shire, as it seems to them, just this morning.

Caper arranges for rooms and breakfast. The Inn only has five man size rooms so the two families take a room and the others bunk up 2 or 3 to a room.

Caper takes Ari aside and says, "It's not too late. Let's check Muffens Used Clothes and see if he bought that hat."

They enter the shop and Caper makes inquiries. "Yes, indeed,' says Muffens, "the Shirrif did come by and I bought his hat." Caper asks the price and pays 4 silver without bartering which kind of bothered Muffens. He's never know a Tobbins to pay asking price once in his life.

Caper also asks about the pony. "Ah yes," said Muffens, "I directed him to Old Took on the south road not a mile from the shire. He may have sold it there. I tell you he looked a sight on that poor little pony."

Caper, thinking of the Jakobs kids and those magic ribbons decided to check on the pony in the morning. Ari and Caper continued on to Caper's Hobbit Hole where they had a nice repast of crab, mutton, and vegetables and decided to end their adventure for the day.

Caper's Pony
---
Ari is Vivian's PC
Tude is Ari's pet wildcat and also Vivian's PC
Caper is a Larry's DM PC
---
At Inspired Unreality Ari and Caper once again adventured around Tobbins Shire. Ari enlisted the help of Dood a th Wood (pronounced Dude ah th Wude) to divine the spells on the hat and the feather. The feather is a large owl's feather, probably from Wilken Woods and it is enhanced with fey magic to be a magic augmenter. The hat makes the wearer lighter. The hat takes 25% off and with the feather 50%.

They went to see old Took where Caper bought the pony with the magic ribbons and also bought some light tack for the pony.



Caper's Pony


Then back to the Inn to see the people they rescued. They now realize they have been thrust 400 years into their future and are at a loss. Ari suggests they make furniture since antique furniture from their era is valued. Turns out a couple of the men are furniture makers and most of them have carpentry experience. They decide to go into business making genuine reproductions with the slogan, hands from the past.


The Ghost Of The Shire
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Ari is Vivian's PC
Tude is Ari's pet wildcat and also Vivian's PC
Caper is a Larry's DM PC
Clairen is Liz's PC
---
Adventuring in Tobbins Shire at Eclectic Geekery

Our granddaughter Liz joined Vivian and myself at Eclectic Geekery to play Just Quest. She's playing a dwarf, Clairen, who is friendly and bouncy.

We woke up in Caper's hobbit hole and had a fine breakfast. Roughly-chopped turnips, baked crispy brown and served with a selection of chutneys. Also Beastie-shaped roast veggies that create visions of long-forgotten magic.

Then Caper served a sweet treat, A suspensefully swaying tower of sponge cake, liqueur, orange pieces and custard, topped with a layer of syllabub cream. (Now if I just knew what syllabub is)

Clairen wanted to head to town and make new friends so off we went. On the way we met Pogbert Piper blowing spectacular smoke rings in his garden. His smoke looked like soot from a roaring black hearth.

We all heard the ghost of the shire making smart ass comments about the game. (When we are playing in Tobbins Shire and a non player kibitzes they are providing the voice of the ghost of the shire.)

Not to be outdone Caper asked Pogbert  for a pinch of bacca and he started blowing smokerings resembling long-gone monsters. He blew a huge ring which floated above their heads and then he blew a Gryphon that flew through the center of the ring.

Caper played a merry jig on his flute and every one was tapping their feet or hoeing in time to the music except Clairen who was bouncing up and down.

Then on to town and a visit to Mr. Muffen's second hand store. Clairen bought a yellow headband. Caper bought a black saddle for his pony. Ari looked at a brown saddle for her brown horse streaked with white but she wasn't convinced she needed it. Then back to the hobbit hole to try out the saddle. When they passed Pogbert Piper's garden he was nowhere in sight. Probably inside for elevenses, which made Caper start to think about what they would eat for elevenses when they got back home.

Acorn People
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Ari is Vivian's PC
Tude is Ari's pet wildcat and also Vivian's PC
Caper is a Larry's DM PC
Clairen is Liz's PC
Edge Bravestone is Anthony's PC
---
Acorn People and Mister MistMeister

Adventuring in Tobbins Shire at Eclectic Geekery on June 18, 2022

On their way back from Mr Muffen's Second Hand Store Ari, Caper, and Clairen met Edge Bravestone, a cautious fighter. Caper said "Well met" and invited him to his hobbit hole for elevenses. They had a floral mix that, when steeped, thickens the air with love and tea infusing aromas from across the Four Marches.

Caper mentioned that he had heard of an interesting tree across the river in Wilken Woods and when everyone said they were up for a hike anyway off they went.

They took a short cut along the riverbank and soon were crossing the bridge and entering Wilken Woods, a magic forest. Ari and Caper had been to the tree before so Caper led the way, a little over a mile on the road and then a slight veer to the north following a barely used woods trail.

Soon they came to a large oak tree with some owls perched in the upper branches and acorns covering the ground. Caper gathered a bunch of acorns in a pile and stirred them with his finger and up popped an acorn man who said, "We are acorns from the sentient oak. When met with intelligent interest we wake up and talk. The sentient oak can talk too but time runs slow for him. We acorns can understand him but other living creatures cannot."

Caper continued talking to the acorn man and Ari, Clairen, and Edge gathered acorns together. Soon they were all talking to acorn men.

After talking about the tree, the owls, and everything (including fairies) Caper's acorn man stepped to the fore. He said, "We need your help. There is nothing we would like more than to lay on the ground and wait to be an oak tree. But acorns lying in the shadow of a sentient oak cannot grow. The owls sometimes help by carrying acorns or acorn men to other parts of Wilken Woods but they never cross the river. We would like to expand our horizons and answer our constant conundrum, which came first, the magic forest or the sentient oak trees?"

Caper said, "I know just the spot.", turning to Ari, "Remember the hill above the mist where we rescued those people from the past?"

Ari agreed that the hill would be more than suitable. Caper said, "We have some unfinished business there too and maybe we can make the misty valley safe with the help of Clairen, Edge, and our new friends, the acorn people.

So each of them carried an acorn man on their shoulder and trekked back to Tobbins Shire and then up the road leading to the misty valley.

When they got to the top of the hill they could see the mist in the valley below and the two ancient houses on either side of the road. The acorn men loved the spot and they jumped onto the ground and ran in different directions looking for a nice place to lie down and wait to be an oak tree.

Caper filled everyone in on the danger of the mist while he started boiling water for tea.

"Ari and I drank this tea before and then we braved the mist and pulled about 20 humans out and guided them to the top of the hill. They wandered into the mist 400 years ago and when we brought them out it was still the same day to them. It wasn't until the next morning that they began to believe they were 400 years in the future."

Everyone wanted to solve the mystery of the mist and dispell the danger.

Ari pulled out a bag of tea and four cups. Caper made the tea and poured it. Ari stirred each cup with the silver wand King Groad had given her in feyland. Caper added a drop of Brandy.

"So drink this down." said Caper, "It's not safe in the mist and we don't want to be waking up 400 years in the future, if we're lucky enough that someone comes to rescue us."

Ari said, "The tea protects against fey magic and when enhanced by the fey magic in the silver wand it is very powerful protection, indeed."

When the party entered the mist it was Edge Bravestone that started a conversation, calling out to the mist believing there was a persona involved.

The mist was soon showing multiple faces and waving hands. Although his conversation was disjoint and punctuated with oooos and ahhhs here's the essence of his story.

"I was a water elemental and one night I took to gaseous form to explore the dry land near the river. I got in a fight with a mage and his magic crossed my fey magic wrong and I got stuck in gaseous form. That's how I became Mister MistMeister."



Mister MistMeister


"Time doesn't mean much to me so I don't know how long ago this happened. Later a party of humans wandered into the mist. They were lost and distressed. I liked them and I didn't want to hurt them so I froze time for them."


"Later on two of you came into the mist and took them off. I don't know why you weren't lost and distressed. I tried to freeze you in time anyway but it didn't work."

"And now here you are back again with two others. I like you and I'd like to keep you but my magic isn't working on you again."

Caper kept an eye on Mister MistMeister while Ari, Clairen, and Edge tried to come up with some ideas to fix things. Disperse the mist? Turn it back into water? What kind of spell could do something to a water elemental?

Ari said, "Ah, but you forget, I am Arimeth, and I am not new to this game." She picked up a D20 brandishing it in front of us and then she made it disappear. It reappeared on the floor and it was a 5.

Checking the Entirely True Tales From Beyond The High Hedge dice table we read.

The Dwarf-King’s royal artisan has a secret technique for brewing molten metal into heavenly spiced mead.

Clairen the friendly bouncy dwarf is still a dwarf and she could read between the lines. Maybe we need to get Mister MistMeister drunk. That seems to solve most problems for dwarves.

That got Caper's attention. He tipped his hat to one of Mister MistMeister's many faces and said, "I believe we're going to help you out in a bit."

Then he led the party out of the mist, to the top of the hill, past the resting acorns, and on towards Tobbins Shire to get a keg of ale.

Mister MistMeister Gets A New Name ... Twice
---
Ari is Vivian's PC
Tude is Ari's pet wildcat and also Vivian's PC
Caper is a Larry's DM PC
Clairen is Liz's PC
Wyleth is Conley's PC
Snurgi Snurgison is Carl's PC
---
Tobbins Shire July 16, 2022
Session summary (with some additions for narrative flow (or jokes))

The party went to town for a keg of ale to get Mister Mistermeister drunk. In town Edge Bravestone got called away and Wyleth, a soldier who was raised as a farmer and Snurgi Snurgison, a dwarf who is a fighter and a poet, joined us. We carried the ale in our pony cart back up the hill towards the valley.

On our way we saw two farmers taking a picnic break from their toil. Wyleth hailed them and asked if we could join them. They said, "Sure." and asked about the ale so Caper poured a round. Clairen was happy to have an impromptu picnic with new friends.

Snurgi was inspired to compose a poem on the spot.

We was walking along and found some farmers
We knews they was safe, they wore no armors
Our friend sat down plop, to eat a potluck
And we was confident, no one would harm her

One of the farmers was an idiot but they were both really nice and we enjoyed their company.

And then off we went to the top of the hill overlooking Mister MistMeister in the valley. Caper quickly brewed some tea that protects against fey magic and after Ari stirred it with her silver wand and Caper added a drop of brandy we all drank the tea.

Then we filled buckets of ale and tankards for ourselves. Mister MistMeister was quite curious about the buckets. Caper called out, "We brought you some ale." and everyone set the buckets down on the ground. Mister MistMeister liked it and he made a face for every bucket and then some smaller faces started trying to steal the ale from our tankards. Caper covered his with his hand but everyone else just chugged their ale down. Snurgi emptied his whole tankard in one quaff with most of it going down his throat but some spilling onto his beard. Mister MistMeister made a dozen little faces to drink the ale from his beard.

After drinking nearly a keg of ale Mister MistMeister was drunk. Pretty soon the mist started thinning revealing a yellow rivulet cascading down the valley towards the river. The party decided to follow him down to the river to see how he was doing.

When they got to the river his face popped up out of the river as yellow as can be. He said, "I used to be Mister MistMeister but now I'm Mr. PissMeister. Clairen suggested that he could try some cranberries. Nobody had any cranberries but Ari had some Panacea Berries which look like cranberries and have general healing properties. She tossed one to Mister PissMeister and he turned pink. Everyone thought it was an improvement. He certainly smelled better. Mister PissMeister said, "I used to be Mister PissMeister but now I'm The Red Headed Rascal." He did a series of swoops and dives all the time remaining careful not to take his gaseous form and become mist again.

He asked if he could do something to repay us. Caper said, "I know time is different for you and you don't think in days and years like we do but when those people wandered into the mist that was 400 years ago for us. Can you show us this valley 400 years in the future?"

The Red Headed Rascal said, "Easy as pi. In fact I can take you there if you want."

Caper demurred, "Oh please no, I just want to look, I'm happy enough in my own century."

The Read Headed Rascal said, "Look." and he looked up the valley. When the party followed his gaze they saw a large circle colored green and yellow and some colors they didn't know. In the circle was the valley, fully populated by sentient oak trees. And when they looked under the trees their was a village of acorn people with houses, roads, and carts pulled by beetles. The sentient oaks did so well growing in the valley that the acorn people lived lives of their own before finding a final resting place where they could lay down and wait to be an oak tree.

And looking up to the top of the hill they saw four giant sentient oaks that must have grown from the acorn people they had carried across the river. They decided to name them the sentinel sentient oaks.

After bidding fare thee well to the Red Headed Rascal the party climbed to the top of the hill and looked around. No more mist. And no more houses either. When Mister MistMeister returned to his liquid form he must have lost all connection to the time when he captured the humans in the mist.

On the way back to town they saw the same portly shirrif wearing a hat with a feather and riding another pony all bedecked in ribbons. Caper talked to him for a while but he told Caper he was the shirrif and he could ride a pony if he wanted and it wasn't any business of his. The shirrif said, "The last pony I had wouldn't carry me after I sold my hat to Muffen. I'm keeping this pony and the hat." After the shirrif passed Ari detected magic and sure enough the hat, the feather, and the ribbons glowed with fey magic. Caper shook his head and said, "Those fairies have been having fun with the shirrif again.

They made it back to town before dark and returned the empty keg to the tavern. They saw some of the people they rescued in the tavern and they decided to join them, have a drink, and fill them in on The Story of Mister MistMeister and his Many Transformations.

---

We played using the dice rolling tables in Hearth & Hillside Home, Being a book of pastoral pleasures for Halflings and Bigfolk alike.

https://weirdandblue.itch.io/hearth-and-hillside-home

During play at the last session dice were rolled against the Idioms For Idiots D20 table for all conversation from Farmer 1. He was the idiot.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/968

Thanks to DM Kier for the Mister PissMeister joke.

Thanks to Eclectic Geekery in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, for providing gaming space.


Ari and Caper have been campaigning together for over 30 years.


---


Illustrations

Gamer+ Photo Gallery
https://gamerplus.org/photo/useralbum/hairylarry/127

Capers Hobbit Hole
by jawajeziorski - Pixabay License
https://pixabay.com/zh/photos/the-land-of-the-hobbits-new-zealand-6314749/


Caper's Pony
from FREE*SVG
https://freesvg.org/cartoon-pony-color-drawing


Dancing Fairies

by August Malmström - public domain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:August_Malmstr%C3%B6m_-_Dancing_Fairies_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
hairylarry
Tomorrow morning at 11:00 Central. Open game chat on Inspired Unreality. Bring your own topic. Everyone is welcome. All gaming is on topic.

Inspired Ureality is held in the gamerplus chat rooms at Tenkars Tavern on Discord. Here's a link to more info and an invite.

https://gamerplus.org/index

Last week on Inspired Unreality. Actual play at Eclectic Geekery.

Acorn People and Mister MistMeister from hairylarry's blog

On their way back from Mr Muffin's Second Hand Store Ari, Caper, and Clairen met Edge Bravestone, a cautious fighter. Caper said "Well met" and invited him to his hobbit hole for elevenses. They had a floral mix that, when steeped, thickens the air with love and tea infusing aromas from across the Four Marches.

Caper mentioned that he had heard of an interesting tree across the river in Wilken Woods and when everyone said they were up for a hike anyway off they went.

They took a short cut along the riverbank and soon were crossing the bridge and entering Wilken Woods, a magic forest. Ari and Caper had been to the tree before so Caper led the way, a little over a mile on the road and then a slight veer to the north following a barely used woods trail.

Soon they came to a large oak tree with some owls perched in the upper branches and acorns covering the ground. Caper gathered a bunch of acorns in a pile and stirred them with his finger and up popped an acorn man who said, "We are acorns from the sentient oak. When met with intelligent interest we wake up and talk. The sentient oak can talk too but time runs slow for him. We acorns can understand him but other living creatures cannot."

Caper continued talking to the acorn man and Ari, Clairen, and Edge gathered acorns together. Soon they were all talking to acorn men.

After talking about the tree, the owls, and everything (including fairies) Caper's acorn man stepped to the fore. He said, "We need your help. There is nothing we would like more than to lay on the ground and wait to be an oak tree. But acorns lying in the shadow of a sentient oak cannot grow. The owls sometimes help by carrying acorns or acorn men to other parts of Wilken Woods but they never cross the river. We would like to expand our horizons and answer our constant conundrum, which came first, the magic forest or the sentient oak trees?"

Caper said, "I know just the spot.", turning to Ari, "Remember the hill above the mist where we rescued those people from the past?"

Ari agreed that the hill would be more than suitable. Caper said, "We have some unfinished business there too and maybe we can make the misty valley safe with the help of Clairen, Edge, and our new friends, the acorn people.

So each of them carried an acorn man on their shoulder and trekked back to Tobbins Shire and then up the road leading to the misty valley.

When they got to the top of the hill they could see the mist in the valley below and the two ancient houses on either side of the road. The acorn men loved the spot and they jumped onto the ground and ran in different directions looking for a nice place to lie down and wait to be an oak tree.

Caper filled everyone in on the danger of the mist while he started boiling water for tea.

"Ari and I drank this tea before and then we braved the mist and pulled about 20 humans out and guided them to the top of the hill. They wandered into the mist 400 years ago and when we brought them out it was still the same day to them. It wasn't until the next morning that they began to believe they were 400 years in the future."

Everyone wanted to solve the mystery of the mist and dispell the danger.

Ari pulled out a bag of tea and four cups. Caper made the tea and poured it. Ari stirred each cup with the silver wand King Groad had given her in feyland.

"So drink this down." said Caper, "It's not safe in the mist and we don't want to be waking up 400 years in the future, if someone comes to rescue us."

Ari said, "The tea protects against fey magic and when enhanced by the fey magic in the silver wand it is very powerful protection, indeed."

When the party entered the mist it was Edge Bravestone that started a conversation, calling out to the mist believing there was a persona involved.

The mist was soon showing multiple faces and waving hands. Although his conversation was disjoint and punctuated with oooos and ahhhs here's the essence of his story.

"I was a water elemental and one night I took to gaseous form to explore the dry land near the river. I got in a fight with a mage and his magic crossed my fey magic wrong and I got stuck in gaseous form. That's how I became Mister MistMeister."

"Time doesn't mean much to me so I don't know how long ago this happened. Later a party of humans wandered into the mist. They were lost and distressed. I liked them and I didn't want to hurt them so I froze time for them."

"Later on two of you came into the mist and took them off. I don't know why you weren't lost and distressed. I tried to freeze you in time anyway but it didn't work."

"And now here you are back again with two others. I like you and I'd like to keep you but my magic isn't working on you again."

Caper kept an eye on Mister MistMeister while Ari, Clairen, and Edge tried to come up with some ideas to fix things. Disperse the mist? Turn it back into water? What kind of spell could do something to a water elemental?

Ari said, "Ah, but you forget, I am Arimeth, and I am not new to this game." She picked up a D20 brandishing it in front of us and then she made it disappear. It reappeared on the floor and it was a 5.

Checking the Entirely True Tales From Beyond The High Hedge dice table we read.

The Dwarf-King’s royal artisan has a secret technique for brewing molten metal into heavenly spiced mead.

Clairen the friendly bouncy dwarf is still a dwarf and she could read between the lines. Maybe we need to get Mister MistMeister drunk. That seems to solve most problems for dwarves.

That got Caper's attention. He tipped his hat to one of Mister MistMeister's many faces and said, "I believe we're going to help you out in a bit."

Then he led the party out of the mist, to the top of the hill, past the resting acorns, and on towards Tobbins Shire to get a keg of ale.
---
https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/956

Dice tables from Hearth & Hillside Home
https://weirdandblue.itch.io/hearth-and-hillside-home

And I posted some photos of Wilken Woods. (Taken in our yard.)
https://gamerplus.org/photo/useralbum/hairylarry/40

Please forward this email to your gaming friends and share this link.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/957

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
https://mastodon.social/@hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

hairylarry
Join Ari and Caper adventuring around Tobbins Shire. Will the humans they saved from Mr. Mistmeister start building brand new antique furniture? Will Ari and Caper meet Mr. Mistmeister and somehow abate the danger? I mean being transported 400 years into the future isn't nice. And if Ari and Caper hadn't found them and rescued them how long would they have been trapped in the mist?

Inspired Unreality open game chat is held every Saturday morning at 11:00 Central in the gamerplus chat rooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. This week it's actual play in and around Tobbins Shire, home of river halflings and even some humans!

As we do on the first Saturday of every month we discussed fantasy and science fiction last week. We are also good with bring your own topic. As long as its games.

If you are interested in hosting a game on Inspired Unreality let me know. I'd love to play in one of your games.

As Spring weather arrives we are at a wane in the ebb and tide of covid so we are looking forward to playing music in the park, playing games at Eclectic Geekery, and spending time with our family.

What are your plans? Let us know.

Please forward this email to your gaming friends and share this link.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/907

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
https://mastodon.social/@hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
hairylarry
Tonight! Inspired Unreality open game chat. Bring your own topic. All gaming is on topic.

Inspired Unreality is held in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. For more info and an invite link click here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

Last week DM Sarah ran a DCC one off with a party of 3. It was great fun and we did get the magic sword from the hermit's tower. Thanks to Peaktime for joining us.

December 6 we'll discuss Fantasy and Science Fiction. On December 13 we have another one off scheduled hosted by VB Wyrde creator of Elthos.

Tonight and next week will be open game chat. Our favorite.

Tabletop Games for Thanksgiving Gatherings.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4341

Please post your game suggestions for Thanksgiving in the comments.

I have an announcement to make. <trumpets> On December 18 I will be graduating ... again. I took my Computer Science degree 35 years ago. I was a math and music double major. Now I am taking my Bachelors of Music in Composition. <trumpets> Yayyy!

Please forward this email to your gaming friends. And share this link to Gamer+ News on gamerplus.org.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/849

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
hairylarry
Tonight! On Inspired Unreality. Actual Play!

GM Sarah is running a DCC one off. It will be fun. I've played in her games before. She is a convention GM for DCC hosting games at major gatherings.

Sarah is also one of the volunteers leading the NEA Gamers Guild and their convention, NEA Game Fest. They had a successful convention in Jonesboro, Arkansas, just last month.

Inspired Unreality open game chat is held every Monday night at 9:00 Central in the gamerplus chat rooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. You can find more information and an invitation to Tankar's Tavern here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

The game tonight starts at 9:00 but we will be there early for character generation and other pregame prep.

Next month, on December 13, we'll have actual play again with vbwyrde hosting.

So we have a schedule.

First Monday of the month we discuss fantasy and science fiction. Third Monday of the month we have a guest or a game. All other Mondays are for open game chat, bring your own topic, all gaming is on topic.

So, now, to go off topic for a minute, Vivian and I went out to the Craighead Forest Bandshell yesterday for live music. I played chill jazz piano for a small and rotating audience. Eleiser joing me on trumpet for the second set.

A good time was had by all. We saw some old friends for the first time in two years. And we stayed warm with coats and throws. It was 60 degrees so great temperature for playing music but a little chilly in the audience when the wind blew.

This is a safe way for Vivian and I to return to our old habit of gigging out regularly. We might get warm Sundays this winter (after all it is Arkansas) but unless there is yet another surge we really look forward to Spring.

I tried to livestream with a hot spot but that didn't work so I just settled for recording and I don't think that worked either. But the plan is to livestream and record from the bandshell just like I do from the twitch studio and the twitch porch.

If you're on twitch follow me here.

https://www.twitch.tv/hairylarryland

I also added our RSS feed to the right column on the Main Page at Gamer+. Here's that link again.

https://gamerplus.org/index

If you have a gaming blog, vlog, podcast, or channel with an RSS feed let me know and I'll add you to our feed.

Please forward this email to your gaming friends and share this link.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/846

Thanks,
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
hairylarry
Tonight! Inspired Unreality open game chat. Last week we discussed fantasy and science fiction and had some readings. Next week we have a game. Tonight it's bring your own topic. Or suggest a topic for our RPG chat topics D20 table. (soon to be a D100 table)

Inspired Unreality is held every Monday night at 9:00 Central in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkars Tavern on Discord. You can find more info and an invitation here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

Next week on Monday November 15, GM Sarah will host a DCC one off. The game will start at 9:00 but we'll be their a half hour early doing game prep. We'll be done by 10:30 or 11:00. GM Sarah is a DCC convention gamemaster and she is one of the hosts at NEA Game Fest. They had a successful convention just last month.


https://gamerplus.org/user/Sarah


So, actual play on Inspired Unreality next week. This is sure to be a blast.

D20 table for chat topics about RPGs
soon to be a D100

 1. What is railroading and why is it bad?
 2. Sandboxes
 3. What makes OSR better? What makes OSR worse?
 4. Free Kriegspiel
 5. Hex crawls
 6. Megadungeons
 7. Random Encounters
 8. Combat free roll playing
 9. Systems of handing out XP to players
10. Group XP vs Individual XP
11. How online play has changed RPGs
12. Fudging rolls?
13. The Quantum Ogre
14. Premade maps vs maps drawn at the table
15. Is there really only one tavern? How to make your tavern memorable.
16. Don't generic barkeeps or waitresses deserve at least a sentence.
17. NPCs are color and more
18. Writing your own game
19. How good is DriveThruRPG anyway
20. Do I want to have a Kick Starter?

This is usable but we have not begun to scratch the infinite universe of possible RPG chat topics. Join us tonight to add your favorite chat topics to an expanded D100 table.

Please welcome "GameCows - The #1 site for board game enthusiasts" to Gamer+.

https://gamerplus.org/user/GameCows

I write about a cool concept. An illusionist who fights wearing an illusion and when killed it's really only the illusion that is broken. The PCs see a corpse that bears the actual appearance of the illusionist and mistakenly think they're dead. But, lo and behold, the next time their attack rolls around they are up and fighting again, although probably with fewer hitpoints and less dangerous attacks.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4320

Please forward this email to your gaming friends. And share this link.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/843

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

hairylarry
Join us tonight on Inspired Unreality open game chat. Will Ari and Caper explore new tea blends? Will the witch learn more about the silver wand King Groads gave her? Or will we just chat about games and gaming? Nobody knows??? Because we're winging it!

Inspired Unreality is held at 9:00 PM Central every Monday night in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. If you haven't been to Tenkar's Tavern we have an invite for you here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

I posted another article about Setting Up A Twitch Studio where I discuss workflow. In any job workflow is important. In video production a streamlined workflow is essential. I know workflow sounds boring and wonky but it's not. This may be the most important article in the series.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/post/775

Gamer+ Gamers Do Stuff

Peter_R posted Troika Cards! Woo Hoo! to his Solo Roleplaying & Game Mastery blog.

https://www.ppmgames.co.uk/2021/02/09/troika-cards-woo-hoo

https://gamerplus.org/user/Peter_R

TheEvilDM posted another episode to his actual play podcast, The World of Arkonis Episode 51 – Evil Lair 3, is this the one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGZrFFLGH4M

https://gamerplus.org/user/TheEvilDM

If you're doing stuff let me know. I want to add your stuff to Gamer+ News.

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry

hairylarry@curators.mixremix.cc

hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
 
hairylarry
Tonight, on Inspired Unreality we are keeping our options open. So bring your own topic to our open game chat or we might continue with actual play in Milyagon. We've been winging it and it's been fun!

Inspired Unreality open game chat is held every Monday night at 9:00 Central in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. If you are new to Tenkar's Tavern, a notorious drinking hole for OSR discussion, we have an invitation for you here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

Ari, Caper, and Tude survived Feyland after an exchange of gifts with King Groads. They are on Wilkin Way heading back toward Milyagon after their three fey friends helped them return. Tintee danced up a fairy circle that opened up into the rapids. Quin went through first and got all wet so when he came back Tintee danced up another fairy circle and this one went to the owl's eyrie just north of Wilkin Way. After feasting on the mushrooms Caper found (his gift was he would be lucky finding mushrooms in the woods) they said goodbye to Tintee, Quin, and Pantoo.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4099

I have added another post to my twitch series, Setting Up A Twitch Studio - Equipment. Here's the link.

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/764

Have you played Keep On The Borderlands? Of course you have. At the Save Or Die podcast they discuss B2 or not B2?

"The Keep on the Borderlands! The name alone evokes images of battling monsters in caverns and wilderness in the earlier days of Dungeons & Dragons. But is the module really all it’s cracked up to be! The Sodcast discusses the good, bad, and chaotic of the most famous basic module."

http://saveordie.info/?p=1990

Post you adventures on Gamer+. Everything takes equipment whether it's webcams or miniatures. Let us know about your recent equipment aquisitions.

And have you done any role playing on twitch? Just how does that work? I am very interested in this and would like to cover it on Inspired Unreality and in my twitch series.

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@curators.mixremix.cc
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
hairylarry
Tonight, on Inspired Unreality, we continue our quest into feyland.

Ari and Caper were joined by Droggin the dwarf and Quinthalas the elf on their quest into feyland. The Milyagon witch has a message for King Groads, who is only a king on his own property. We meet our friends the fairies from our previous quest to Wilkin Woods and they don't have much use for the pretend king. But we still get along with them fine and they do show us the way. We are standing outside his gate hoping to complete our quest and hurry back home. Feyland is nice ... but dangerous.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4093

Join us every Monday night at 9:00 Central for Inspired Unreality open game chat held in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. If you haven't been to Tenkar's Tavern we have an invitation for you here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

ZDL has big news. "The greatest epic fantasy movie put to video has finally been released!" Baelin (Rowan Bettjeman), a simple background NPC in the video game, Skycraft, has been walking the same route for as long as he can remember.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4094

I wrote a blog post about Setting Up A Twitch Studio - The Big Idea. "It's all Megan's fault. When she set up https://www.twitch.tv/megantopia Vivian and I started watching. Before that I knew it was a popular site for live gaming but twitch flew under my radar. Once I saw what Megan was doing and I started to understand how twitch worked, and how it can be used for videos that are not about gaming, I became interested."

https://gamerplus.org/blogs/761

Are you on twitch? Have you watched a good video or read a book? Have you ever been to Feyland? Let us know on Gamer+.

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@curators.mixremix.cc
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
hairylarry
Tonight on Inspired Unreality DM Hairy Larry is taking us to Feyland. The Milyagon witch has another job for Ari and Caper (and don't forget Ari's cat, Tude). The game will be run in Just Quest a rules light OSR system that only uses D6 and D20.

This actual play adventure is open for everyone. We will be playing in the gamerplus chatrooms at Tenkar's Tavern on Discord. The game starts at 9:00 Central. Everyone is welcome.

If you haven't been to Tenkar's Tavern we have an invite for you here.

https://gamerplus.org/index

I'm reading the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull and so far I'm impressed. My thoughts are here.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4088

Sound muses on the end of the school year and what it means to grandparents.

https://gamerplus.org/newsfeed/4089

Besides my weekly Gamer+ News I also do a monthly Delta Boogie newsletter that's more music and less games but still usually some of both. This month it's about Megan and I on twitch.

Megan and I are both on twitch.

https://www.twitch.tv/megantopia

https://www.twitch.tv/hairylarryland

Megan plays indie games and I practice piano. I've been excerpting the best bits from my practice sessions and turning them into videos.

Here they are up on Hairy Larry Rocks Peertube.

https://peertube.hairylarry.rocks/video-channels/twitch/videos

I also have them up on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/hairylarry/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0

Enjoy!

Are you on twitch? Send me your link.

I am planning on adding a twitch section to the Gamer+ RSS feeds found in the footer of every page on Gamer+. If you do streaming let me know so I can add you too. Have you had any experience playing D&D on twitch? If so we would like to discuss it sometime on Inspired Unreality.

Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/user/hairylarry
hairylarry@curators.mixremix.cc
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

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