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Episode 35: Death on First Name Terms - 23 Oct 2021 16:15
Setting
The plot was taken from a mix of getting the PCs together and the Chaosiumn 2018 Dragonmeet free scenario https://chaosium.itch.io/the-whispering-ruins .
IC Play
Fargast, a Humakti in the service of Lord Eril, was sent with a message to the Temple of Humakt at the Shaker Temple. Eril said that if he met up with anyone returning to Boldhome, it would be advisable to stay with them. Lord Heenith had some advice on the path to take, through Runegate, and up through Tarsh.
He went off that way, finding that the Temple of Humakt was painted very red, and decorated in unusual fashion. This was where Grandfather Mortal's blood was spilt and he was killed. Here he met the others, recognising Saronil and being introduced to the rest. Karentha in the mean time had been told by Amara to stay with the group and explore, now that the Shaker Temple plans for Androus had fallen through with his death.
The group headed to Wintertop together, taking Andros' remains, now ashy bone, tied to his golden horse. They stayed with Kerentha's family, and to the general dismay of the party she picked up another mount, this one a stag beetle. Her father was a very political person, asking all sorts of questions.
They left, heading down towards the Dragon Pass itself. A couple of days out, they were followed by bandits, or at least, people on foot and in the treetops. They ran away when waved at. Kerentha tried to speak to them as a noble, and this did not do anything.
In the night they tried to sneak up, twice, but were thwarted, and gave up. The group crossed the river by duck ferry, getting to Boldhome without resistance. There were no problems, and they arrived in the afternoon of water day, in stasis week. All was peaceful, even after they reported to their temples.1 Saronil informed the Sun Dome Temple of Andros' death. Aria talked to the trader lord Feshin abbuot what had happened, and he advised her not to go North again. Kosa was told to stick around Aria, and given travel money. Karentha talked to both the Argan Argar and Maran Gor temples - Maran Gor's priestesses told her to investigate the trollkin if she was around that area again. Fargast reported to Heenith about the journey, and then later, Saronil reported directly to Lord Eril.
Eril suggested that Saronil volunteer to take Androus' horse back to the Praxian Sun Dome Temple. The Temple invested a lot in Androus, but considered him tainted by failure and wished non-Yelmalians to take him as a result. After Saronil had suggested this to Fargast, Eril gave Fargast a letter to take to Lord Roneer at the Temple of Humakt in New Pavis. He was not allowed to tell even Saronil, but was not ordered to defend the letter unto Death. Everyone else had politely-worded notes suggesting that they talk to Saronil, so they arrived to do that, working out that Lord Eril also expected them to volunteer. Entertainment was provided when the Sun Dome Temple arrived to ask for an escort for a body and a horse. Lord Eril was absolutely charming, in public, with the Sundomer obviously feeling trolled.
The group set off through the North Gate, which now had a bridge over the crater. They headed to Swenstown, after an argument with Karentha, who wanted to paint the golden horse to look less horselike, and the others, who insisted it was wrong because that was Androus' horse and he would never have done it. Eventually Kosa's smile shut Karentha up.
Aria managed to find a group of Issarians and arrange getting paid as guards, while escorting the golden horse in the middle. She forgot to mention a suggestion that they could find the Pol Joni, horse-riding Praxians. The group set off, primarily used as scouts.
WHile they were ahead of the caravan, the animals started to get nervous, and some of them started towards a hill - effectively a giant dune. They could see that wind had blown earth clear, and exposed part of a hidden ziggurat, in no style they could comprehend. It was beautiful and ornate, but alien. The animals stayed to graze, amid lush grass with many piles of bones in it. They were all animal bones, and showed no signs of trauma. Kosa was sure she could hear human voices. Karentha was sure she could hear beetles. amd evem saw one inside. Aria, whose mount was unaffected, headed back to tell the caravan and halt it. Fargast and Saronil charged into the ziggurat, with Kosa not far behind. There was no movement within, but they could see what looked like coffin niches lining the wall.
Fargast felt out for the present of the undead, and found there was one thing, half buried under rubble, and a few others. As they made their way towards the undead thing, it rose up from the rubble. Fargast cast Turn Undead on in, and if fled in terror. The warriors gave chase, but Kosa fell behind while the dead drifted in to fight. The ghosts surrounded Fargast, and while he destroyed or banished two of them, a third got past his defenses and he collapsed for a moment, then ran off without his sword. Saronil managed to fight so hard that he hurt himself. However, he was redeemed by fighting the revanant, which he slew, releasing all of the ghosts.
Kosa was chasing after Fargast when Saronil killed the revenant, which released the Humakti. Aria returned at that point, having missed all of the action. They gathered up the monster's old armour and its chain, which was marked with darkness and undeath runes, like those on the chains worn by the cannibal virgins. They decided to take it to a Humakti Temple to be destroyed.
Other Things
I seem to have decided these ghosts were undead. I don't think ghosts are in general, but these were special.
Lord Eril continued to be terrifyingly good at politics, and was therefore able to work out where people would be and what temples would ask of his temple, and get the whole band on the road.
Episode 34: Well, That Could've Gone Better - 28 Jun 2021 15:30
Setting
Include brief summing-up.
Did I get the plot from somewhere? If so, where?
IC Play
The group had settled into the Guest house in the Shaker Temple. Androus had told them that he was going to be doing the Hill of Gold. The Earth temple had been very interested in Zorak Zoran's encounters with the party after Androus' brush with the Dark Troll.
The group was summoned in to see the Priestess Amara once more. The room was dark, lit only by a brazier, and it seemed to be the same room, but it took longer to get there this time. Amara said that they would all be taking part in the Hill of Gold Heroquest, in some way, but that it would have more parts than they knew. The brazier flared, and there was a singer there, who told them of the quest.
At the court of Yelm, Yelmaleo competed with Orlanth because Orlanth wanted attention of Yelm. Yelmaleo decided to see if Orlath was worthwhile, and beat him in a horse race across skies. Yelm was pleased and gave him gifts, including a bow, a spear, and a shield. He lost all of this on the Hill of Gold, and was about to die when his friends found him. Yelmaleo looked in the darkness for his father. Ernalda sent Orlanth away, and told Yelmalio there was a way to get his father’s gift back while Orlanth was gone. Yelmalio traveled as Ernalda sents him to where earthquakes were constant2. He survived, getting to see Asrelia's treasure room, and taking the gift from where it had been stored.
This HeroQuest had apparently not been performed in full since the Silver Age. This might have been before Time began or the sun was killed; things were unclear. However, it should be understood the gift from his father was some part of Yelm's power.
Amara spoketo Kosa privately. She was given instructions to prevent Orlanth from winning the horse race through cheating, and told to make a note of everything that happened, and come back to Tarsh or Sartar and tell Maran Gor. There was a heavy implication that Androus was expected to die.
Everyone went to their Temple to prepare, and then back to the Guest House. After a while, that evening, they smelled smoke. It grew quickly, and Aria passed out. The rest found that their house was surrounded by flame. After a while, they worked out that with the addition of a roof fire, they were in a giant Fire/Sky Rune. Shortly after that, Androus re-entered the burning house and was in his father's Sky Place. They found themselves on the Hero Plane, with Aria most connected to both of the worlds, and able to see the Middle World as well.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Androus: Yelmalio
Kerentha: Zephyr, a light wind
Kosa: an unnamed Doorkeeper
Aria: Aria ("Air")
Saronil: Humakt, the North Wind
Orlanth, half drunk, decided to visit the realm of the Sky, and change things where Yelm was. His brothers came with him, but Humakt refused to play unfair. On reaching the house they were challenged by the doorkeeper, but invited in by Yelmalio, who feasted Orlanth and challenged him to ride across the sky on horses. Orlanth was sure he could do this, and sent his brother Zephyr off to find some - Zephyr also tried to find out what horses WERE. As it turned out, they were hippogryphs. Orlanth could not persuade his brothers to cheat for him, and was not as good a rider as Yelmalio, who left a golden arrow by a star as proof he had been there, and beat Orlanth back. His father was pleased with the victory, and gave him gifts, but less pleased that Change had been invited into the hall. Orlanth went home to be drunk and disorderly.
They came briefly back to the Middle World, where Androus noted that his breastplate was now a round chest piece of gold, and studded leather abdominal pieces. His horse was unhappy.
Then he found himself at the Hill of Gold. He managed to slip away from Orlanth after losing all of his gifts, but was accosted by a Troll, who broke him in half with a mighty blow. The HeroQuest ended, and the others saw Androus' battered body fall. They had been elves, strange creatures grown to interact with humans. (Kerentha was a black elf.)
They mourned him, with Saronil singing his grief, and set off to take his equipment back to the Sun Dome Temple in Boldhome.
Other Things
I asked Androus player how much risk he wanted to take, so this was not a total surprise - he wanted to do as much good as he could for Yelmalio.
Androus: fumbled Scan.
"Everyone else: the roof is on fire." - GM
Kerentha is stuck inside a recurring nightmare regarding loyalties, earthquakes and Judas goats.
"I say we trust the gods." - Kosa
"I say we trust the Shaker Temple." - Kerentha
Kerentha: "Don't win, Androus. Once is understandable, but twice? Near the Shaker Temple? Bad idea."
Episode 4: Hide and Seek - 16 Jan 2020 21:46
Setting
The adventurers were on their way to deal with the dragon, having obtained the loan of magical arms and armour from the ghost of a King.
Plot is from the Chaosium Game Master Adventure Book from the screen pack.
IC Play
The game opened with the adventurers on the road to the Thunder Hills, on their way to fight a dragon. Ahead of them on the path Saronil noticed fighting. Up ahead was a spearman backed up against a rock by a trio of rough-looking men, obviously bandits. They rode up to help, making enough noise that the spearman at least noticed them. Saronil dismounted at speed but could not get the bandits to take notice of him until he finally tapped one and got his attention, meaning that the fight was honourable. Shortly thereafter, with the spearman bloodied and the bandits outnumbered, they fled. Varaema bandaged the man, and he introduced himself as Androuranos, or Hawk-eye. Rather surprising Varaema, he was from the Praxian Sun County temple, but did not speak Praxian, nor did he look blond-haired. Nevetheless he made it known who he was and they introduced themselves.
As they had saved him, it was clear he owed them a life debt, and they found themselves with a spearman, while in possession of a magical dragon-killing spear.3 They repaired to the hills, interrupted on the way only by a strange meeting.
Coming along a path they encountered some dragonnewts. Several were dancing. One was sitting, crosslegged and in a meditational posture, on a bird at least six feet tall, with thick, strong legs and a sharp beak. The dancing dragonnewts froze save for one who made his way towards them with elegant and sacred but above all very strange steps, and introduced himself to the here-and-now-meat-things as the Mouthpiece of Yanah Yaqal. Every time he mentioned his master's name the other dragonnewts took up a different tableau pose and waited again. He told them a dragon was imprisoned and asked them to help free it, offering a sword made of what he haltingly translated as 'flint' and the adventurers failed to recognise as obsidian. However, they had heard stories of enchanted flint, and decided this was the black blade stuff. The dragonnewt told them to cut off the imprisoned thing's head and take it to the place of holy travel, or as they called it, 'plinth'.
They went on to the tomb, while making plans. Soon, they found the place, a carved cave in a hillside.4 They went in, and the Yelmalian spotted tracks in the floor like a huge long weight had been dragged, and claws a half cubit long had scratched the ground. Cautiously, they advanced, with Varaema and Ethrava going first and supporting the great shield, and Ethrava also holding the bag of winds given to them by Dunorl.
They advanced into a chamber which had a sacrifice pit, and discussed fishing out the klanth and the gold they could see there, but decided against it. Then, in the next room, Androus5 (and then others) spotted the dragon they were after, wrapped around a cuboid altar there. On noticing that it had been spotted, it raised itself and with the logic of dreams became a woman who commanded them to worship their once and future goddess. After a resounding round of 'no', she took on her draconic form once more and attacked, and they attacked her. Yerezum Storn breathed toxic fumes, but the air elemental that Ethrava let out of the bag was enough to keep the air clean. Androus was able to stab her in the tail, crippling it, as she concentrated on Saronil initially. He overcame his fear of Dragons to step up to her, only to be met with the Demoralise spell. He ran to hide behind the shield. Seeing him run towards her, Varaema got the wrong idea and cowered away, leaving Ethrava in an exposed position as she had just cast Earth Shield for Androus, and was in the middle of casting Befuddle. Amazingly, this made the dragon pull up, confused. Yerezum Storm failed to cast a spell at the Yelmalian, who stabbed her through a wing, breaking the spell. She ran for it, trampling over the shield and flattening the three under it. Varaema, unarmoured, was hurt - the others were protected by their armour.
Androus was falling behind the dragon but she stopped to breathe fire at him, killing the air elemental but failing to make contact with him fully - the gouts of flame splashed off his shield. He managed to bring his spear to bear and struck his third, killing blow. Yerezum Storn died blocking a doorway.
They soon found a treasure room, where Androus claimed the many golden goblets there in the name of Yelmalio, despite the calls of others. However, as they came out of the room the goddess statue on the cubic altar woke, and declared she was free, and this was her Temple. Her name was Orgovale Summer. For their help she gave Androus a golden amphora, but not the goblets - he relinquished his claim on them. Varaema was given some earrings that were a spell matrix, and Ethrava was given an arm ring and the offer of establishing a Temple. Saronil was given a flat look.
They went out, having cut off the dragon's head and squeezed past its corpse, and soon found a plinth where dragonnewts were waiting, dancing an entirely different dance. This time they were all painted half black and half white, save one who was painted half green and half a slightly different green, and the one on the demi-bird, who was not painted.
The same one as before approached them, and said that Sanah Yaqal was in their debt and would come if they placed purple nardus flowers on the plinth. This was not the same name as it had used before, but it seemed to be the same dragonnewt being indicated.
The news was taken to Queen Leika, who celebrated by giving them land, a hide each, and twenty cattle from her royal herd for Ethrava to divide. Ethrava asked Kalis to provide a new priestess for the Temple, and asked her mother to help oversee it, effectively sharing out her pat on the head from the Queen.
The weapons and armour were returned to King Berenvenos6 and all was well.
Other Things
There was some magical loot. which should probably be recorded. There was some Temple and Magical training, then it was the end of Fire Season. While Saronil was training at the Temple of Humakt in Boldhome, he was challenged for his sword, and won, and his opponent's sword was almost broken in trying. Later, Saronil learned that Eril had personally noted he would be displeased if anyone more tried to challenge that season. Saronil also found out that the Boldhome Humakti had a blacksmith.
Tags: 1625 androus boldhome clearwine colymar earth eril ethrava kalis leika orgovale_summer saronil thunder_hills varaema yerezum_storn
Episode 3: Dragon yer Heels - 07 Jan 2020 18:09
Setting
Ethrava, Saronil and Varaema were in Boldhome, where Ethrava was the newest Initiate in the Temple.
Plot is taken from the Chaosium Gamemaster Screen Pack adventure book.
IC Play
High Earth (or maybe Low Earth) Priestess Kalis asked her dear Ethrava to deliver a letter to Apple Lane, and to take a guard or two with her. Ethrava grabbed Saronil and Varaema and took them that way. Varaema also agreed to get some Red-root powder from the Horsemaster there.
On the way, however, they saw7 a dragon flying overhead. The dragon scared their mounts as it flew off into the distance, meaning Varaema had to put the Sun Elk to sleep to let Ethrava catch it again. They then woke it up and hurried onward, reaching a steading with dead cattle and dead people. The poisonous breath of the dragon had killed much of what had not been killed by the beast itself, including one of the farmers. The survivors, helped by Varaema's knowledge of how to treat poison, burned their dead. The adventurers then gave them an escort to Clearwine, to see the Queen.
Queen Leika was concerned about the report, and asked them to look into whether it was in the Thunder Hills, and also ask the Dryad Tarndisil8 for what knowledge she had. Dunorl, Storm Voice of Orlanth, gave them the run-down on how to deal with dragons, and after that Hastur the Law-speaker told them about the history of dragon-killers in the area, and an old grave or two where he thought they might be buried. Dunorl also gave them a bag that would command the wind inside it, just in case they happened to run into the dragon while investigating. They lodged the letter and the message for the Horsemaster with the Lawspeaker.
Then, they dutifully went off to see the Dryad9, and she did them the honour of coming to the edge of her grove10 so that Saronil did not have to leave his sword behind. She spoke mainly to Ethrava, who was a Priestess-in-training of Ernalda. Tarndisil was generous with information about the dragon known as Yezerum Storn, whom she remembered from the time of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends. She probably wished for worship once more, and was likely in or by the Queen's Tomb - both of the Sartarite Natives knew where that was.
She also said that if Leika wished for a lasting peace, she could create it by bringing Tarndisil the tusks of Red-eye the boar.
They came back to Clearwine11 with the message to find that Leika was away, searching the Starfire Ridge for the dragon. Dunorl bored them for a while until Hastur moved him gently aside to explain a point of law, and suggested that while the Queen was away they could go to Apple Lane with their message, and take the chance to go past the Old Grave he had mentioned, on Malani lands.
This, they did.12 They found their way towards the grave site, pausing along the way only long enough to insult a group of Malani hugely when a trade-talk conversation went wrong13. Fortunately, the person doing the talking was a White Lady and therefore not immediately a target. Thus, they blundered around for a few days, until they found hospitality at a hearth where the farmer knew which old grave they meant, and sent them there with his boy.
They found that the place had already been opened some time ago, but on crawling in - Ethrava first as she was of the Earth14 they found themselves in an offering chamber. There was a body there, a corpse holding a silver cup as if he had died in the act of theft. There were also bowls and cups that might once have held offerings. Saronil put the cup back where it looked like it went, and then filled the cups and bowls a little before Ethrava led the way into the next room. There was a pile of grave goods and the ghost of a big man who appeared to be angry at them that he was forgotten. Ethrava talked him around quickly, and he agreed to let his equipage be used for this single task as long as the Colymar came to make offerings once a year, at his grave.
With this managed, they borrowed his kit, hauled the dead corpse outside to make sure its spirit had gone on, and set off for Clearwine. On the way they saw the dragon flying overhead again, probably heading to the Tomb, and certainly for that area.
Other Things
The group paused a little early to allow other adventurers to join the group next week.
The GM would like a medal for not calling this episode 'enter the dragon'. For one, that might be next week when she kills them all.
Tags: 1625 apple_lane dunorl earth ethrava hastur kalis leika red_eye saronil tarndisil varaema yerezum_storn
