Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Man with the Cats

Nolan, a druid, lives in Baldur's Gate. Normally a city is not a place for a druid to live long-term, but Nolan is quite content. The neighborhood where Nolan lives is rather shabby. He squats in an abandoned warehouse and for months no one has come by to evict him.

     Nolan's residence is a magnet for dozens of stray cats. They come from all across the city, drawn to the druid's presence. Nolan is fascinated by the felines and studies them closely. He takes meticulous notes on their family structures, rivalries, offspring, territories, births and deaths. His observations have already filled three large tomes. The detailed notes and striking watercolor illustrations have earned the first volume shelf space in Candlekeep.

     The druid tries to remain as neutral as possible in regards to the cats and their lives, not wanting to interfere in their urban ecosystem. Nevertheless, his very presence does bring the cats a certain degree of protection. Few of the neighbors are willing to harm the cats, as they are aware that Nolan is a man of some power. How much power is unclear, but he does have a presence that hints at some degree of mystical ability. Many neighbors play it safe by leaving the occasional saucer of milk out for the numerous cats.

     Still, there are a few in the area who do not appreciate all of the cats milling about. The frequent fighting and caterwauling have driven a few local residents to complain to the city officials. The grievances were dismissed due to their trivial nature. This has incensed one resident in particular, a sour-faced fellow named Davis.

     Davis has begun leaving poisoned fish in the alleys around the warehouse where Nolan lives. Several cats have become sickened and died, causing Nolan a fair amount of concern. The deaths are not natural, so his curiosity - and anger - have been roused. If Nolan is able to identify Davis as the culprit, he will be hard-pressed to maintain a neutral stance and may very well do something he might later regret.

Nolan, Male Human, Druid 2; Armor Class: 10, Hit Dice: 2d8, Hit Points: 9, THAC0: 20,  No. of Attacks: 1, Damage:1d4 (dagger), Alignment: Neutral, Move: 12

Spells: Animal Friendship, Cure Light Wounds, Purify Food and Drink

Strength: 11, Dexterity: 12, Constitution: 12, Intelligence: 10, Wisdom: 15, Charisma: 15

Saving Throws: Parlayzation, Poison, Death Magic: 10, Rod, Staff, Wand: 14, Petrification or Polymorph: 13, Breath Weapons: 16, Spell 15

Equipment: Dagger, catnip, medicinal herbs, 5 gp, flask filled with milk

Notes: +2 to magical based saving throws due to Wisdom, +2 to saves versus fire or electrical attacks due to Druid class

6 comments:

  1. You should introduce Mr Nolan to Mr Thaddeus Blythe...

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    1. Now this is where I get terribly embarrassed. I know that name, but am struggling to place it and a search of the documents on my computer is yielding no results. :(

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  2. I think he's in Loviatar #2. The shady wizard who brews potions.

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    1. Gah! Of course! It was the last name that was throwing me off. Oh my gosh, Nolan's cats could help shoo away Thaddeus' bats. It occurs to me that my Baldur's Gate is a real dump, but perhaps that's okay. :)

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    2. Big bats + a lot of cats + wizard + druid = that's how the flying cats were born...
      Everthing in the zine is connected!

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    3. In my addled mind, the Baldur's Gate materials in Loviatar nos. 1-3 were written for Pathfinder, while this fellow was written for 2e. At first I thought, "Can they exist in the same universe?" I worried that they simply could not because the stats were different. I have realized that they may be kind of foolish.

      I think I need to draw some kind of map to show how the denizens of Pigeon Street connect with the material that I draft here.

      Then again, I feel torn in general. The zine is getting harder and harder to write and I'm not sure what to do anymore.

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