Noah Steven's run Sour Springs Holla

When I spotted Noah posting a game on the DCCRPG Google group, set for Thursday night, I was hooked. Past experience with Noah as a Judge was he runs a pretty fast paced and wild game - sold! Noah'd posted either Sour Springs Hollow or another funnel (with a vote on which) - but I could not tell you what that other funnel was - I latched onto the Sour Springs / Chained Coffin adventure - which I've wanted to run or play in for a while. I passed my Luck check and the voting was something like 78% for Sour Springs...winning!

Players and 0-Levels

Cast:

Todd

Lars the Potato farmer and his goat Cloe
Frederick the Arm Wrestler, a woodcutter

Eric

Bo the witch liquor bootleggers asst

Carver the muscular buxom blonde woodcutter

Paul
Jules the Dwarf

Jeff the Woodcutter

The characters were invited to the 140th Birthday Party of  Ando Moscovitch in Absentia (a Hobbit with a shady past). Each arrived with their gifts - and a most of the part were woodcutters, Ando was not going to want for firewood this winter! Everyone was made to disarm, as the mixed crowd and hootch known to flow, made a sensible type say, lets leave it to JUST fisticuffs fer later.

Bo earned instant popularity with a party gift of some XXXX Witch liquor, and Lars won the most unusual with a gift of an old goat (Cloe). Also in attendance were neighbors and friends, but also those Sacksville-Bagginses, some cross-eyed kobolds and, worst of all the Clampets. The party was just warming up when Elly-May Clampet started flirting with Jules the dreadlock wearing Dwarf} and sassing Carver, a giant black hound appeared on the table.

The big critter howled and the next thing the party (and Elly-May) knew, they were standing near a busted well in a small (four building) village, surrounded on all sides by cornfields as far as the eye could see. The sky above was a sickly yellow and the only thing breakin' the monotony was a trellised hill with what looked like an old scarecrow on top.

It was hot and there seemed to be sumthin' wrong with the wind - like ah thing was swoopin around through it. Best git movin!

The party decided to check out the house to the northwest of the well. Just as they got there, sure enough, Elly-May needed to go pee. Of course, despite their differences, Carver had to follow the code of sisterhood and not let Elly-May go it alone. So the two trooped off to the corn, while the rest checked out the house. The building was a sad affair, but it had some gear (though no rope) and a couple of curious halves of a broken white hawthorn staff. Bo took one and Frederick took the other {I may be off there}.

At this point Carver came running from the cornfield - without Elly-May! Carver explained that the damn Clampett shrew had just disappeared, tied off checkered shirt and short-shorts and all!

Fortunately the boys didn't suspect Carver of foul play, and raced to the cornfield. There, they discouvered a cornstalk doll that looked creepily like Elly! While the boys cried at the loss, Carver thought 'Now I just need to get ride of that Duke girl to be the prettiest gal in the Hollar!'

When asked what had happened, Carver related that she'd turned her back and felt a rush of heat, and some flappin wings - when she turned Elly was gone!

Things get a little hazy here. Most of the party went to the next building and one of them had a vision of a redhead coming to the village and confronting a frightening man in a black hat. The village turned on the redhead and took a necklace of hers and threw it down a well, broke her white walking stick, and then chased her up a hill...hmmm, sounds like soemthin' thar...

Outside, Lars was (chasing) Cloe when they heard some flapping, the man and his goat made to run, but...were too slow or unlucky. Now, some tentacle smoke figures appeared outside.

Meanwhile, in the house, Carver had found a crossbow, while the boys took stock and made efforts to barricade the doors, and drink out of a jug labeled X...not as good as XXXX though. Carver wandered to a window and looked out seeing a smoke monster with glowing eyes. When she shot a crossbow bolt between the glowing eyes, the smoke dissolved revealing the tall older man in the hat - who said "Boo" and disappeared.

Following the vision, the gang was now on a mission to avenge their girl and dead friend.

The house to the south looked nice and colorful, so half the party ran in there...and the door slammed shut! Turns out, this house was some kind critter! Between Jules the Dwarf hitting the door on the outside, and Carver smackin it from inside, they got out before being digested. Once out, Bo thought he'd burn the house down and ran back to throw oil and a lit lantern...it didn't work out for him and he was eaten by the house...moving on...

The fourth house had some rope and Jules started knotting himself off for a well dive. Towards the back was a bookshelf and a ominous black book. The group commented that, Bo would shur have liked to look at that - he always liked his lit-rature...and then Jules went running for the well, natty dreads flying behind. He got to the bottom and found a cross - the necklace from the redhead. He grabbed it and felt compelled to dedicate his life as a cleric to the Crucified Man. Then, that dwarf got outta that well fast!

Carver borrowed Bo's old hawthorn stick from Frederick, who'd picked it up outside o' monster house. and reunited with Jules, the group started heading for the hill...

...when the Bads appeared. All of 'em.

Nine corn-luvin vampires, their three pooches and a flock a crows.

The head one (who Carver had shot earlier) stepped up and wanted to parley, but the new cleric of the Crucified Man wasn't in the mood and turned on tha Turnin'! Most of the cultist freaks were stunned, but the pooches and some crows were flat blow'd away!

The party started running for the hill, knowin' they didn't have much of chance or time. Sure enough, the corn folk were soon on them. Frederick smacked at one of the vampires with the white cane and did some damage, but not enough to lay it out and was turned into a corn doll the next second, Jeff punched a vampire...but it didn't do nuthin' and he got drained to corn. Carver nailed some cruel guy in the face with Bo's old stick and dropped the thing...but was about to be swamped by the rest.

Jules got up to the top and found a (non-animated) skeleton reaching to the heavens...figurin' this must be the remains of the redhead, he placed the religious icon in the skeleton's hand and...

...Jules and Carver were back at the party.

Ando told a story about an evil cult of corn worshipers and the redheaded cleric that banished them to a pocket dimension...and how the village was called Sour Springs...