Gardens of Ynn - Solo #2
This is part two of a series of blog posts in which I play Into the Odd as a solo rpg. I am using the Gardens of Ynn to procedurally generate a depthcrawl. You can read the first entry here.
You can check out my Depthcrawl Time Tracker sheet for Ynn here [Itch.io].
The party is composed of Grobina Gill the Crossbow-woman, Augosta Parfait the Axe-Mistress, the Dread Pirate Istan Jongler, and Vanissa Gullwin with her new Moss-Rat friend Weckin.
This session takes place over two in-game hours.
And click here for the map produced during the last session.
Adventure Session
Area 5B: Woods + Silver Filigree
After a ten-minute hike from the Ice Rink, the party entered a scattering of trees. Among the trunks were delicate, silvery curly-ques. Finding them rigid and metallic, Istan took a probing bite... "Real silver, me thinks!" The Rose-Maidens seemed to watch closely, though they didn't seem to have eyes to speak of.
The party relunctantly pressed on. Along the path they spotted a sinuous amphibian, bent over some sort of animal carcass. Flaming frills danced around the creature's neck. The Rose-Maidens stepped behind their (somewhat less flamable) escorts.
The creature turned to look at the party, with the Rose-Maidens cowering behind them. It wiped gore from its snout and stood on rear legs, coming up to the same height as Istan.
"Nice lizard..." Augosta said calmly. The Salamander laughed in return. He caught the party in a lengthy discussion of the taxonomic differences between lizards, salamanders, and Salamanders—often broaching the ontological.
After the additional road-side delay, the party continued through the woods. Six massive peacock-esque animals approached them, pecking at the ground around the party members and Rose-Maidens curiously. The birds had beautiful plumage, tempting Vanissa to reach out toward one. She was rewarded with a sharp but light peck! Vanissa insisted they move on quickly.
The light grew noticeably dim. The trees there were freshly pruned. Ten minutes later, the party could hear the clacking noise of wood-on-wood. Ahead in a clearing they spotted a wooden golem tending to the forest. The Rose-Maidens rushed to the Golem Gardener's side. They entreated it for assistance; it seemed to silently agree. The Rose-Maidens bid the party farewell, staying with the Golem.
Continuing on, the party heard the ominous ticking again, like when they had stopped at the kennels. They wondered if this were some sort of giant turtle warning, but at any rate, they decided it meant they should keep moving.
The woods became dark enough to warrant pulling out their lamps. Suddenly the ground began to quake with the sound of footsteps... A stand of trees was pushed to the side as a massive Bonsai Turtle appeared! [RN: I seriously rolled this, unrelated to the ominous ticking event.]
In their panic to avoid the great beast, the party spotted a set of steps leading into a subterranean passage-way. The passage was tiled in black-and-white and lined with candles. The Turtle stuck its head in after them, but could not fit to investigate.
Area 2A: Hedge Maze, pt. II
The party followed the tunnel, suddenly appearing within the Hedge Maze in Area 2A. Already finding themselves full within the Hedge Maze, the party decided to commit to exploring it. After forty minutes, the party managed to full explore the maze. They located both the exit back to the Ponds and deeper into the gardens. Within the center of the maze they found a strange mask with a wide mouth opening and sagging cheeks. [RN: The Gorger's Mask.]
At this point, the party was split between exploring beyond the Hedge Maze or continuing through the Woods (provided the Bonsai Turtle had moved on). Vanissa was insistent on at least briefly checking out the area beyond the Maze, so the party agreed.
Area 3A: Chess Lawn + Rumbling
The party reached a wide square lawn, checkered with 10-yard squares of alternating manicured grass and black stone slabs. A collection of massive obsidian chess pieces stood victorious over a toppled white marble set. Among the pieces were a scattering of humanoid bones. The ground rumbled constantly, causing the bones to rattle against the slabs.
The party stopped briefly to debate going back to the Woods, go forward past the Chess Lawn, or to investigate the board. Augosta and Vanissa convinced the other two to return to the Woods.
Referee Notes
The map after this session:
