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Episode 8: Shinty Town - 14 Feb 2020 16:23
Setting
Dark Season in Sartar is a time of snow and gales, and also, I decided ice shinty grudge matches against nearby clans.
What is ice shinty? Well, like ice hockey, but with less armour and more cheating.
Plot devices were provided by other members of my RPG group.
An extra player and a missing player meant Asprag, Ethrava's tenant, was promoted from NPC to PC for the evening.
IC Play
Asprag the Farmer found himself voted in as captain of the Shinty Team for the in-no-way-a-grudge-match against the Varmandings, the clan team from across the river. With so few people living in Apple Land and the clan, and with travel difficult, he appealed to the adventurers for help. Laika, Rastar, and Ethrava were in the village, and agreed to help.
Laika was already a competent skater. The rest were issued with skates and some quick lessons. Rastar turned out to get the hang of it pretty quickly. Ethrava… less so. Asprag sent Laika out to check out the river where it was going to be held, and Laika managed to work out that yes, it was a river, and frozen, and then came back.
Meanwhile, Saronil had been offered a quick bit of escort duty by Graria, the Lay Captain1 of the Temple of Humakt. Escorting a man to Apple Lane was exactly the sort of thing he felt he could do. Graria asked if he knew what Shinty was. When he didn't, he was invited to take a healer along; naturally, he plumped for Varaema.
The journey was not difficult. On the way Saronil worked out that he was with another Humakti, but one he did not recognise. At Apple Lane they met the large group of clan players and hamlet folk on their way out, and quickly followed along.
Asprag went out to help the opposing captain cut the centre line, as tradition dictated. His opposing number asked why there was a White Lady present, complaining that he wanted to get home that day. It was agreed that if someone had been healed of a major injury, they would not go back on the ice.
Rastar, as the person in the brightest clothing, was sent to choose a sapling for a puck. After the tree had been chosen and looked at for a bit, Laika was sent to help him choose a better shaped tree, and it was cut down and the puck made.
Asprag chose to put Ethrava and himself on the ice first, with Rastar and a few others. He got himself in control of the puck pretty quickly, and Ethrava fell over and got stamped on pretty heavily. Apple Lane drew ahead in the game, but the Varmandings were definitely more violent.
While sitting on the sidelines and cheering, having had her ribs put back in place by Varaema, Ethrava noticed blood on the snow, and rather more than she remembered anyone spilling. She called over Laika and they investigated - the ground was bleeding. Varaema's patient noticed and the WHite Lady came over, to say she could not do First Aid on the ground. Ethrava called up an earth spirit to find out what was under there. It was prepared to talk to her and to Laika - Laika even understood from its habits of speech that it was the sort of spirit that wanted blood. It said there was a dead thing under the ground.
Laika, Ethrava, and a couple of farmers began to dig.2 They got to a bit of a body, and a ghost began to form, and this was not the talkative kind - it attacked them instantly, and they had to destroy it, which caused the game of shinty to be paused. Laika got covered in the physical touch of the ghost, a layer of frozen gunk.3
Afterwards, they were able to ascertain that the bit of body they had pulled up was just that - a bit. A quartered corpse had been buried, with pig teeth embedded in the skin here and there. Reluctantly they asked for a longer pause in the game and began searching for the other bits. They found more, and fought another ghost, while the Varmanding team did nothing to help, but did at least agree to the game being paused. This was fortunate, as Asprag was rendered unconscious in the fight, and had to be put somewhere warm for a bit. Laika got gunked again. It was just as unpleasant the second time around.
While Rastar built a snow-corpse to help with the preparation of someone who was missing a lot of himself, one of the Hiordling team turned out to be a hunter who went out to get his alynx. Using her skills, he found two more spots under the snow, and one where he was sure there would be… something. Asprag was just about awake enough to decide to use all of his Rune Points to protect himself in spirit block… and they fought two small ghosts and then a huge angry pig-ghost. Asprag ended up unconscious again, and so Saronil was put in charge.
Then, leaving Varaema to put the spirit of the corpse safely to rest, the others went back to finish the shinty match. The other side were not prepared for the tactical Humakti's instructions to his team, and could not keep up with the skill and ferocity of Laika and the other farmers. With the healer occupied, it was over before dark, and the Hiordlings won, taking the trophy, an arm ring with some history. Asprag came round again in time to take the trophy home.
There was a lot of celebration, and the Humakti who had been escorted to Apple Lane seemed entirely unmoved by it.4
Other Things
A man with a hide and a half of land including some oak trees made an agreement with Laika to have her pigs on his land.
Shinty is hilarious because extra rules keep cropping up. Yes, you DO have to be conscious AND holding the stick, in a hand that IS still connected to your body… and there is precedent for every single ruling.
Tags: 1625 apple_lane arm_ring asprag dark ethrava hiordling humakti laika malani rastar saronil shinty varmanding
Episode 6: There's a Moose Loose - 27 Jan 2020 00:18
Setting
Mostly on Fireday of Disorder Week.
Earlier in the day there had been an attack on a farm outside Apple Lane, by two Tusk Riders, who had kidnapped a farmer. He had been rescued, and the group repaired to the Tin Inn. Saronil, who had not been there, was escorting a group from Clearwine.
Plot taken from Chaosium GM Pack. This was the actual Defending Apple Lane plot as written, with last week's used as an expanded preamble.
IC Play
Saronil, Laika Pigwife (no close relation to the famous Leika) and Rastar the Entertainer were on their way from Clearwine to Apple Lane when the weather came down hard, and they had to force their way through the snow. About an hour away they saw shapes in the trees, and Saronil made the decision that they should not investigate, but press on despite the weather. They met a horseman coming the other way in the dark, and he had met Saronil before - he was Hendroste from Apple Lane. He took them via routes that were mostly clear of snow, and they got into the Tin Inn safely, if a little cold. Hendroste reported to those who were there that he could not get through - the shapes in the trees were probably Tusk Riders. Instead, he had brought back Saronil the warrior, and some famed members of the Ernaldori.
Introductions happened - Laika was chiefly famous for having negotiated with a Stone Goddess and brought her into an alliance with the Clan, while Rastar claimed to be an entertainer, but had a fine sword with him, and armour to wear as well as his bright clothes. Laika said she was there to try to arrange to buy cattle. Ethrava recognised the story, and knew that Laika was enmeshed in politics. The Colymari knew a little about each other already.5
The group prepared for the coming fight, with a warding in front of the Tin Inn and one at the back gate.6 They spent much of the night pouring water onto the ground where it could freeze under snow. A wagon was pulled into position to help bar the big front gate, and the Sun Elk, Gnasher, was tied just behind the wagon.7
Around dawn, six Tusk Riders came, along the road and then filtering through the trees. They stopped out of spirit magic range to put on their own magic, and then charged. The first one in line slid on the ice8 and came in sideways, and was hit by the fourth in line, also sliding9. The other pigs managed to charge the gate but did not do much damage. Meanwhile, Androus peppered them with arrows10. Saronil leaned down to Repair the gate, using his spirit magic. After one of the tusk riders was left dead the group split up with some going around to the back while others stayed at the front.
Saronil and Ethrava dashed for the back, and Androus stayed up top on the wall. The biggest Tusk Rider took down his shield and he aimed for that man as they charged. Things got a little complicated as the gate took hammering after hammering. At the back a tusker managed to break the gate, but came to a dead halt as it did, only to run itself into Ethrava's befuddle spell, blocking the doorway. Its rider leapt off to face Saronil, and Laika stepped up to be the Humakti's back-up.
Despite Hendroste and Androus' defence at the front, the main gate gave way, but there was only one Tusk Rider there as a second lay dead on the ground with an arrow in his eye. On the ground were Rastar and the Sun Elk, Gnasher. Rastar stepped up and put his sword through the last Tusk Rider's abdomen, but got his sword stuck.11 This made very little difference as no sword could have helped him - the tusker completely mashed his head, destroying his helmet on the way.
Saronil managed to bring the Tusk Rider down, eventually. Laika calmly stepped in and finished the job when the man just refused to die. Ethrava then befuddled one of those who was going back around to the main gate.
Varaema threw herself off the wall where she had been crouching in case the archers were injured, and cast Harmony, making everyone calm. Everyone except Gnasher, who calmly ignored the calm peace offered by Chalana Arroy and threw a tusker into the air, damaging it badly.
The end result was a very dead Rastar, a sleeping Gnasher, and the bodies of several12 of the riders and tuskers. Androus saw one of the Tusk Riders pulling away the body of the leader, dead with a Yelmalian arrow through his eye. His geas to challenge darkness creatures to a first blood duel kicked in. With Saronil alongside and Asprag the farmer as a tracker, they set off into the snow. Pretty soon they saw the body of the leader of the tuskers, but they had to keep following the trail - three of the beasts had left this way.
Laika and Hendroste escorted Varaema and the body of Rastar (with extra bits in a bucket) to Clearwine, as fast as they could, with the body tied onto Varaema's High Llama. As they cut through the forest they found they were being followed by something, or else something huge was going in the same direction as them. Once they were out of the trees they could hurry along, but Hendroste was very apologetic over the danger he had put them in.
In Clearwine, Varaema had the body brought into the Lightbringers' Temple, where she used Heal Body to give Rastar a head back. They asked for their friend to be brought back to life, and on the spirit plane, Rastar met a goddess dressed in white. He recognised her as Chalana Arroy, and took an apple from her and ate it, on her instruction. This reminded him of the world, and it was delicious but strangely heavy.13 He woke with the taste of apples in his mouth.
Meanwhile the group had successfully followed the trail of the Tusk Rider who got away, but only Androus could keep up, so he ended up pulling ahead of his comrades. He managed to draw blood on his enemy, but the tusker charged him, the rider kept using some sort of spell14, and Androus turned15 and found Saronil again. They did not pursue further.
Back at the inn, Ethrava had calmed people down, helped make sure all was going well, and settled in. Everyone gathered there, and shortly there was a party in their honour. Hastur Lawspeaker arrived the next day to thank them on behalf of the Queen, and ask them as great killers of pigs to deal with Red-eye the boar.
Right at the end of the session, on Godsday, a letter arrived for Saronil. It was from Lord Eril, asking him to call on the Boldhome Temple as a personal favour.16
Other Things
Laika has decided to pick up Command Swine. Rastar has decided that Eurmal stole his Divine Intervention Rune Point, and is sulking. He is also rather poor again, having spent his ransom. He and Laika did some serious talking about wills and property if they should die.
Tags: 1625 androus apple_lane asprag colymar dark eril ethrava gnasher hastur laika leika rastar red_eye saronil varaema
Episode 5: This Little Piggie - 18 Jan 2020 17:16
Setting
The characters had arranged to meet in Apple Lane in early Dark Season, after the harvests, to greet those who would be on their land and formalise the relationships. Saronil, who was not present, was assumed to have been held up.
Plot came from Chaosium GM's guide.
IC Play
The various farmers met up with the group in the Tin Inn, a large place with a ridiculously expensive roof that had hammered tin tiles on it. They were Asprag, Farnona, Ellinya, and Drostos, on the hides of Ethrava, Androuranos, Varaema and Saronil respectively. Everyone seemed to be competent. Varaema gave up the share of the Royal herd she had to her companions on proviso the tithe to her Temple was paid. Asprag was worried, which Ethrava and Varaema both noticed. He had had a minor argument with his husband, who should have arrived but had not. Varaema standing on her High Llama could not see anyone coming along the roads, so they headed out to the farmers' house with the last of the light. They could see smoke as they approached. Ethrava managed to get the Sun Elk to move at speed for once, and even in the right direction. She was the first there, and Asprag was close behind.
There was blood on the snow and evidence of someone having been dragged away. The thatch was smouldering but not burning properly, it being Dark Season and everything being wet. Inside Ethrava and Asprag found his spear was missing, and so was his money. However, Androus found a bill hook that had been used as a weapon, and pulled off the part of the thatch that was burning. They found the trail of large trotters leading away.17 The group wanted to send Asprag back to the hamlet to warn people, but his husband was missing and he was having none of it. He demanded they burn the house as a warning, so he could come with them, and after a quick round of discussion18 they agreed to this plan.
In the near darkness they were able to follow the trail until it went into a copse of trees and did not come out of them. Asprag blurted out his fear that it was tusk riders who had taken his man, and he and Ethrava explained a bit about what was known of the Bloody Cult. As they were making up their minds how to approach, they heard a thin, wailing scream. Asprag ran for the woods and Ethrava managed to wrestle him down. With Androuranos still on his horse, they crept, loudly, into the forest.19 Ethrava had Spirit Sight to see what was up ahead in the darkness, which gave them warning there were five spirits up there, two moving like people, one not moving like a person who was tied up, and two moving like pigs. In short order, they were charged. Androus drew one away on horseback while shooting. To his annoyance several good shots were blocked by the rider's shield. Meanwhile Ethrava and Asprag fought the other, with Asprag putting his bill hook through the man's abdomen and getting it stuck there. Varaema ran around to see to the tortured man, who had been burned. She dealt with that by casting Sleep and then tending to the problems mundanely.
Androus out-rode his opponent in the woods, and finally managed to do enough damage the rider turned tail and fled. He put an arrow through his opponent's spine and chased down the tusker as well. Meanwhile, Ethrava had had a disaster with the tusker, which had broken her arm so badly it was shattered, and she had passed out from shock. Asprag managed to get his bill hook back, and killed the giant pig, and Varaema arrived and set the arm by using magic, and then Androus got back as well. They rescued the farmer Saraskos and put him onto a travois to take him back to town.20 Ethrava tried to heal him by Spirit Magic and then Rune Magic, but found that neither worked. They were met partway out by Hendroste, on horseback.
A quick planning session happened. Hendroste volunteered to go overnight to the Black Spear clan, to fetch warriors, and the others settled to make decisions, fortify the Tin Inn, and prepare in case more Tusk Riders attacked. Aileena and the god-talker of the Temple of All Gods, and Squinch, all had a few ideas. The villagers were moved into the inn for safe keeping for the night. Ethrava set up wardings across the front gate and Squinch across the back gate.
Other Things
A modest amount of loot from the Tusk Riders included two signalling horns, two broadswords, and the spear from Asprag's house, but the armour the riders wore was left, as they were in a hurry.
Tags: 1625 aileena androus asprag dark drostos ellinya ethrava farnona god_talker hendroste saraskos varaema
