ales of the Freespirit' is the name of the collected adventures of my gaming
group, in a campaign that began in 1997. We've been able to gather only sparsely over the last
several years, and so, the need for these tales arose from my desire to keep my group's history
together in a form we could all refer to during the 'down-time'. Since I had to write everything
down anyway, I thought 'why not make these histories entertaining'? Well, I hope I've done just
that.
The following stories are written with the reader's enjoyment foremost in mind, and less so as a simple historical record. This is to say, rather than dryly recount the histories of characters you know nothing about, it's my aim to make your experience of this campaign as enjoyable as it has been for my players and I. As you read, remember - all of these stories actually happened!
Now, you're no doubt thinking, 'I'm a busy person, why would I want to spend time reading about someone else's campaign?'. For you, I've included here a review of Episode I - Discovery, which originally appeared on the Holonet discussion forums. Hopefully, it will pique your interest, and encourage you to take a closer look at the goings-on in Elrood sector!
I hope to have a new episode published here every month. Writing these stories takes time, but I think that's reasonable. At any rate, I certainly don't intend to put up a couple of stories and then let the whole website fizzle out. When a new Tale goes up, it should be accompanied by new, related entries in the Sourcebook, which can not only be reached by way of the home page, but through numerous hyperlinks within these stories as well. Warning: depending on where you're at in the Tales, you might come across major spoilers in the Sourcebook entries! If you're more interested in getting caught up in the twists and turns of the campaign, you might consider looking only at the stats in the Sourcebook, or avoiding that section of the site altogether.
If you're enjoying reading these Tales (or not), please vote in my Holonet poll! It's nice to know if your work is being appreciated by someone, and your response should tell me how much time I should be devoting to this little project of mine.
Incidentally, not every episode of the Tales of the Freespirit is a full length short story. Episode V, for example, is presented in a fast and furious screenplay format, and Episode VI appears in an even more quickly read 'crew journal' style. I'm very interested in finding out which format readers prefer - so after reading some, why not pop by the Holonet and vote in my other poll?
And now, without further ado, I present the 'Tales of the Freespirit', starring:
Avery Kranzt - John
Arnold
Mirren Anjivar Resh - Johnny Hartmann
Itar Grendling - Sean Thompson
Gamemaster - I. J. Thompson
Episode II - The Great Wide Open
Episode VII - All the Wrong People
Episode VIII - Heroes' Welcome
The heroes, with Deladra accompanying, set off across the jungles of Kidron to rescue their abducted friend. Their search brings them to an ancient temple, home to a renegade sect of Orfites known as the Black Sahh. Here, these beings have been summoning horrifying, extra-dimensional creatures known as Terata, and sacrificing their victims to a mystical force embodied in an alien skull made of a glowing, fiery red crystal.
The heroes assist Deladra in the delivery of a Golan Arms DF.9 artillery cannon to an unknown buyer on the planet Dega. The nearby Imperial training camp is alerted to their activity, and chaos ensues. Their contact, a Talz named Wilo, is ultimately able to escape the planet with the weapon, while the Freespirit engages the Imperial Skipray Greetbos in orbit. They dock and take over the vessel, discovering the following message in its databanks:
ISD Thunderflare/41.8.6.02/BOD - Lt. Tentrata, the Greetbos is required in the Bodrin system immediately. An important excavation has begun there, and I need you there to perform system patrol duty. Don't worry about Capt. Zed and his General's ground forces - my mission takes priority, and I am transmitting a message to the ISD Stalker directly, explaining this. Transmit confirmation upon receipt of this message.
Capt. Tanda Pryll
Rote's investigations into Avery's strange, jewel finger have revealed it to be Qathol crystal, an extremely rare material with Force-enhancing capabilities. Armed with this knowledge, Avery, Resh, Itar, and Rote return to Avery's homeworld of Bodrin to investigate the Imperial excavation. Avery's hometown of Bent is under 24-hour curfew while the Empire, in the person of imported slave labour, cuts into the countryside. Infiltrating the labour force, the heroes discover Captain Pryll's target. An ancient, derelict spacecraft, which houses the blood-red bones of an ancient, alien Sith lord. The encounter culminates in a battle between these reanimated remains and the heroes, who, with a little help from Avery's old friend Stav Pollos, win the day.
