Game Logs

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Episode 13: Lucky for Some - 21 Mar 2020 00:22

Setting

Everyone was in Boldhome. It was early Storm Season.

Plot was largely made up to move things into the next plot arc.

IC Play

Everyone was in Boldhome.

Aria was happily trading and got threatened by an offended Malani, who first of all looked for her in the market, and then at the inn where she was staying, finally stepping out in front of her in an alley as she left her inn hurriedly. He explained, while being large and irritated1, that she had offended both by returning the alynxfish skin in a bad condition, and by having it sent by courier instead of coming in person, despite it being the remains of a holy animal. He called on her to come talk to him, with or without her champions. He would be staying at the Tribal Mansion for two weeks, and then would be back in his lands.

Quite naturally, Aria called on the others who had been involved2. Androuranos was particularly irritated. He and Saronil both offered to stand as her champion, and they explained what the word ‘champion’ meant in tradetalk. They all went up to the Malani mansion, where they were welcomed to Tribal Lands as guests - each of them accepted this hospitality. Those who had met him recognised Donalf ‘Elkshagger’ Malani, the man greatly insulted by Varaema’s fumbled trade talk.

Aria, as the person who had initiated the insult, talked to Graslian about the matter, after Varaema had failed to persuade him to be entirely peaceful, despite her lovely personality. Aria managed to persuade Graslian to accept a public apology in the Prince’s court (with Saronil speaking for Rastar and Laika, mostly to ensure that Rastar wouldn’t blurt out something rude) and a cash payment for the damage to the fish skin.

On their way out to arrange these things, Donalf Malani stepped in front of Saronil to challenge him for his sword. They walked out to deal with it right away. Donalf and Saronil both called on their Sword Trances, and Donalf used less magic, and his began first; he struck Saronil, who was still preparing, and won the sword, which he had wrapped carefully and taken away. He then went back to the Temple to admit what had happened, first to D’Val and then, at his suggestion, to Lord Eril. Eril was less than pleased, deploying the full finger-steepled stare.3

Varaema took the money for the fish skin to the Malani lands, as negotiated - in this case, the Malani Tribal Mansion. That being dealt with, she donated the rest of her money to her Temple, clearing her tithe, and giving rather more than 50% of her income.

Androus reported to his temple to say what had happened. Farenor himself spoke to the Initiate, asking him to return a week before Sacred Time for a secret mission. Those who had no reason to stay in Boldhome left for Apple Lane, agreeing to come back to Androus if possible. Laika was unsure whether her husband would want her to leave so soon before Sacred Time, and how her pigs would do in her absence.

On Humakt’s High Holy Day, Saronil got the taint of failure from Alda Chur removed from him, by dancing, prayer, worship, and meditation. He also had the power of the Challenge Sword returned to his second weapon4.

Varaema Divined to work out how to bring Granshi around, and took the advice from her High Healer, Beneva. Laika went back to Apple Lane as her pig (Stif) was homesick. And also to visit her husband. Varaema, Aria & Rastar went too, so that they could attempt to wake the Storm Bull, Granshi, clearing Aria and Pellia of the possibility of being Chaos Tainted. They woke up the storm bull and got him to proclaim the traders as chaos free.

They came back to Boldhome with pigs to sell, and Durggi to help sell them. Aria did her best, but was not a pig expert, and didn’t get the prices she could have for ten of the forty Durggi hoped to sell. Kalis, however, was delighted to meet Durggi and the pigs, and talked to him for a long time about porcine care. Knowing that Laika was going to be away, she suggested standing in as a proxy wife for him. Durggi sighed and looked at Laika and refused5, which Kalis told them was very sweet. She had her nails painted to match Stif’s trotters.

Andoranous was asked by Farenor to go to a lake by Jonstown, and take with him a group of people, and act casual. He was to bring back water from a pool there, in his gold amphora, without invoking the name of Orgovale Summer. Right outside, he was spotted by Helver, who advised him to take care, suggesting that people would already be aware that Kallyr was planning a Lightbringers’ Heroquest, and the Lunars or others might be attempting to stop them.

The water collection was a complete success, but on the way back, they spotted a stead with several animals lying down. It was the last before the run-in to Boldhome itself, and the North Gate.

Other Things

Log by Androus: episode-13-logged-notes

I am SO happy the elk-shagger trade-talk fumble finally saw the light of day again.

Tags: 1625 androus aria donalf eril farenor granshi graslian helver kallyr laika malani rastar saronil storm varaema

Comments: 0

Episode 12: Dam Them - 12 Mar 2020 15:20

Setting

The PCs were all in one place within an hour and a half of game start, which confused the GM mightily. But at least they began in three different places. Most of the group had traffic or life hold-ups, so RP started pretty slowly.

Plot was largely created by sewing up plot threads from recent times.

IC Play

Saronil got VERY lost trying to avoid the effects of wet weather as a storm came down as he travelled from Jonstown to Apple Lane, after taking a message there and staying a few days. He went too far North, and ended up in Malani lands instead of going through Birne's Squeeze. This meant he was availing himself of the hospitality of a Malani farmer who really did NOT like his Colymar accent, but there were no fatalities. The farmer's wife, at least, was highly hospitable. He left in the morning.

The others got back into town, or were already there, such that people could meet up in Apple Lane. Laika met her husband again, and stayed at home overnight, then he gave her a small pig to look after, and she went to meet her friends. Varaema had been rained in for a couple of days, but it was finally decent weather for travelling, or so they thought.

Dagryr suggested to Aria that she go with the others, who were setting off to escort and protect Varaema. This would allow her to trade, which was forbidden in Apple Lane until Granshi awoke. She might be able to find some way of waking Granshi, or some hint about the missing bracelet, also.

The journey to Boldhome was not without event. First of all, nobody native to the Hiordling clan was present, meaning they were taken by surprise by the extent of the floods. This led to them crossing a flat field that was in fact a knee-high lake at this point, when the alynxfish they had been after decided to visit. Laika put her basket (complete with pig, which she was taking with her) into the water as bait, and the fish started heading that way. Saronil got off his zebra, preparing to fight. Aria got off her horse, found she was in a deep bit, and wisely got back on again. Androus popped off an arrow, which bounced off a stone under the water, failing to hit. He cast Firespear instead. Saronil struck at the fish at it launched itself from the water, and then Androus managed to pretty much cut it in half with his fiery spear.

Laika performed the Peaceful Cut, and then once she had released the head, caught it again to take with her. They did their best to get the skin off it, despite the damage, but found that the flesh was so old and tough as to be inedible. They went on their way, with the giant fish head and the heavy skin on Laika's bison. Thus, they entered Birne's Squeeze.

After an hour or two of travel uphill, gently, they spotted a dam ahead, with three people standing up on it, or at the edges. One called out that there was a charge to pass, of ten Lunars each. After consideration of their options, and the big lever-stick in the hands of the man on top, they decided they should pay, and sent Aria forward to negotiate. She argued the men down to five Lunars apiece. They paid this by leaving it in a small pile, while they were far enough back to avoid sudden catastrophic bathing. The self-proclaimed tax officials left, via a rocky mountain path too steep for most mounts, and they could go on.

They did - and found out that the dam was a bluff, holding very little water, and with a strem diverted to run through it. Rastar started destroying it, and then Laika added her bison's head to the effort, but they could not get rid of all the rocks. They did send bits of wood downstream to make it harder to rebuild.

They got back to Jonstown, and from there sent the alynxfish skin and head with a herald, rather than going in person. Rastar was the only person who knew exactly how insulting this was, and he beamed a lot and kept quiet.

They went on to Boldhome. Varaema went to see her High Healer, who suggested taking the arm ring - for the good of all, of course. Varaema refused.6 After a little discussion, she was told to leave the Temple until she saw sense.

Laika went to the Earth Temple, where Kalis was delighted to see her, and her pig, which was put with the holy swine to make friends. Laika and Rastar both went, separately, to see D'Val and tell him about Laika's marriage and the latest news. D'Val listened patiently while Laika talked about pigs, and was apparently pleased to find out she was married and happy.

Laika's pig, Stif, was gilded and decorated at the temple, and she showed it off to people. Kalis told her that Varaema was walking up and down outside her own temple, and had been for some time, and could she please go be sure her friend was alright? About the time Laika got there, Varaema plucked up courage to go back into the Temple7 and hand over the arm ring.

Rastar was contacted by a 'friend' at his Temple, who showed him a small shrine area where he could sacrifice for the Trespass Rune Spell. Naturally, this included breaking into the shrine, which was in the palace. It went badly, but the Eurmalite was able to point out that this was a Eurmal thing, and fast-talked the guards very successfully indeed. Rastar also had his pocket picked for the tithe he owed so far. The reason for learning this spell, of course, was that the Eurmalite wanted Rastar to know there was a certain arm-ring in the Temple of Chalana Arroy, which needed to be liberated.

Just about everyone spent a week learning a new spell - Eril kindly assigned D'Val to help Saronil learn Bladesharp.

Other Things

Tags: 1625 androus boldhome colymar dval kalis laika malani rastar saronil storm varaema

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Episode 10: One Wedding and a Funeral - 22 Feb 2020 23:34

Setting

Laika had some of her pigs on someone else's land, although not all of them had been driven from Clearwine.

Androuranos was slightly out of time, having missed a couple of sessions.

Plot was based on working out what would happen in winter, and doing it, plus the scorpion men and scorpionid stat blocks from Stone and Bone on DrivethruRPG.

IC Play

Androuranos returned to his Temple in Boldhome, to silence and then whispering and the direct greeting of the Light Son, Farenor. He was questioned by Farenor and others about the exact circumstances of the change on the Hill of Gold. He spoke of what had happened and demonstrated the ability to create fire on his spear-head. He talked about successful bridge-building, but Farenor reminded him that Yelmalio stood alone, and was strongest that way.

The Temple called on Andros to take up his seasonal service so that they could study the spear, with the warriors falling into a faction - by far the largest - that supported the notion Yelmalio's power had been returned by his bravery, and a faction that supported the idea friendship had helped him. Andros' understanding of the sacred Lore was that it was his own actions and bravery that had pushed Zorak Zoran aside, and nothing to do with the bridges he was building with others.

Helver Swordsman did thank him personally for the Hill of Gold victory, mentioning a lost spear and bow. The thanks came with a warning not to go through Birne's Squeeze alone, if he was travelling to Apple Lane, as there were many bandits reported. Androus went via Clearwine instead.

Laika's pig-landlord - the man with the hide and a half - suggested marriage to her. She considered it, and decided it was time she found out his name.8 She was happy with the notion of a year-marriage. They decided to wait for Saronil to come round, so he could attend.

Thus, some days later, Saronil woke up to find one of the pretty initiates at the Ulerian Temple was flirting with him outrageously. He did not notice that part at all, but listened carefully to her instructions on eating.9 He went over to the Tin Inn to be asked if there was anything he could not eat at the wedding feast, which rather surprised him, but he was happy for Laika.

There was threshing to be done, and everyone took a hand at it. After a while it was decided that Varaema should look after the children instead of trying to move the flail or the sieve, and the threashing got faster. Varaema was very sweet with the children who from the age of about four up swore to defend her with violence if necessary. One of them tried to vanquish Saronil, but was defeated by the man's scabbard. Varaema sent them off to fight oak trees.

Androus got into Apple Lane just in time for the wedding, and to have an emergency gift made. He gave the pair an earring each, a golden pig that Squinch helped him to cast from a Wheel. Saronil gave Laika his best, very expensive, sharpening stone, because her axe frankly needed it. Varaema gave her a little lead pig charm on a necklace. Rastar, as an entertainer, was exempt from gift-giving in an official capacity. Durggi, Laika's new husband, gave everyone gifts of food and drink, and there was a great party.

In the morning, Rastar took a couple of the older boys of the village out ice-fishing, and they showed him how to hook and cast, and then one, Arlan, of them spotted a monster fish below the ice. One massive yank later, and Arlan had been pulled into the water. Rastar wisely decided not to go in, but his friend Duli started stripping off to swim and Rastar tied a rope to his ankle, so he could be pulled back if need be. There was a disturbance beneath the water and a lot of blood, and the rope went limp. When Rastar pulled it back it had only the leg attached. He stabbed down through the ice hole with a spear and got the fish, which swam away. Arlan managed to get back up, gasping, and dressed in Duli's clothes to survive the trip back.

Back at Apple Lane, Duli's parents were informed and Varaema used White Lady magic to heal Duli's body so there was enough to bury.10 They discussed what to do. Rastar recognised the sort of fish as a Malani Alynxfish and Saronil (was it Saronil) remembered where the Alynxfish Clan were, out on the edges of the Malani-Colymar land argument.

After some discussion the young man's blood price was fixed at 60 Lunars, and the group set off to to Malani lands to tell them a holy catfish had killed a Colymar boy. This involved going through Birne's Squeeze, which was fair enough, as they were in a group. They set off between snow falls, as the God-talker of Orlanth said that the weather would be good for a day.

They set off, with only light snow, which soon stopped. On the way through Birne's Squeeze to Jonstown, they encountered strange footsteps which Varaema confidently pronounced to be Impala11, although they seemed a little pointier than that. After about an hour, they came across a man standing alone in the rocky valley, and he asked them about Chaos he was hunting. He had Air and Beast and Death signs very prominent. However, as he sniffed the air something went wrong, and he decided that Androus was Chaotic.12Fortunately Varaema intervened13 and calmed him, and he tried again and admitted maybe it was not Androus. He asked14 them to come with him to fight it. They turned back, and soon found the pointy tracks again.

These tracks were followed, and turned out to belong to some scorpion men and a set of strange carapaced humanoids with stinging tails. The beasts went under the snow and emerged from a tunnel. Fortunately, no stings managed to hit the adventurers, and they made short work of the problem. One surviving scorpion man fled down his tunnel, as Granshi the Storm Bull gave chase, losing both of his weapons in his berserk frenzy, and punching it hard enough to break carapace. Androus caught up with them and unwisely but nobly finished off the scorpion man, resulting in a berserk storm bull with no obvious foes turning on him. Fortunately Granshi had lost both of his weapons already, but he managed to do damage to himself, Androus, Saronil, and Saronil's shield before Varaema caught up. After this he thanked them, and they told him about Apple Lane needing a hero. He said he had heard, and was heading that way if nothing else got in the way.

The bodies of the scorpion things were burned, and they parted ways with Granshi, with him going to Apple Lane and them on to the Malani lands and the clan of the Alynxfish.15There, the chief of the clan, also confusingly called Saronil, listened to the complaint, and said it was not his problem, and he would not be paying the blood money. He also refused to deal with the fish, but said that the skin belonged to the Malani.16

The group returned to Apple Lane with this news.

Other Things

Tags: 1625 alynx_fish androus apple_lane colymar dark granshi laika malani rastar saronil varaema

Comments: 0

Episode 9: Moon Unit - 15 Feb 2020 20:28

Setting

Androus the Yelmalian was still away, but the others were all present in Apple Lane.

Plot was a list of things that needed to be done for winter, but with an understanding that the adventurers might have their own ideas. They did, and it was entertainingly terrible. Plot enemy was provided by Tom McKinnell, who has deployed him against innocents.

IC Play

After a little time spent attending to such things as the cutting of trees and the dragging of wood, the adventurers gathered, their Rune points replenished, to decide how to deal with the great boar, Red-eye. Led by Ethrava, they concluded they were going to have to Heroquest to weaken the boar and strengthen themselves. They considered Orlanth and Aroka, but settled on a Yinkin quest, with Rastar to play Yinkin, and Laika to be Odayla, a huge figure out in the wilds.

Aileena did not offer to help, but Kareena the god-talker was happy to help them into the Heroplane, in the hope of seeing more of the great things they had previously done. Laika set off to the wilderness, carrying her crossbow just in case of trouble. Kareena danced a spiral in the snow for some time, and then the adventurers found themselves outlined by a longhouse, and Ethrava began to lament how her people were being attacked. She sang about it, and unfortunately did so without reference to the correct song.17 At that point, the enemy of the house - tusk riders - rode through the ritual. Laika, who was at a bit of a distance, noticed them, but everyone else was surprised as they burst out of the snow. One went for a farmer with a lance attack. Three went for Varaema, the softest-looking target.

Saronil snapped up a shield spell for Varaema, which undoubtedly saved her life, and she was hit twice, hard. However, it used up all of his Rune points. The tusk riders got away, with Ethrava failing to Befuddle a tusker.18 Laika tried to shoot, but missed, and the tusk riders got away into the snow. The adventurers turned out to be bad at tracking, and could not work out where they had come from or where going to.19 Varaema healed herself, first with magic and then with First Aid.

That evening, Rastar was earwormed by the music Ethrava had been singing. There was something wrong about it, and for a while he could not work it out. When it finally hit him, he realised there had been someone else singing too. Ethrava had made mistakes, but the other voice, also a woman's, had been malevolent, and taken advantage of Ethrava's errors to invite disaster in. When Rastar told his friends this, they managed to decide on another Heroquest to go after the voice and defeat their enemy, so they could get on with defeating Red-eye, without the previous defeat and the tusk rider enemies hanging over them.

Kareena was still happy to help, and Ethrava managed to cajole and persuade the farmers into enthusiasm, based on their cachet in the town20. They set off into another Heroquest, this one started inside where they could not be attacked, with lookouts posted. As they started to move into the Hero Plane to look for a thing, the Durulz cook from the Tin Inn came running to say their trophy had been stolen.

This time, they set out from Ernalda's longhouse. Ethrava found herself playing Uralda, the cattle mother, an Eirithan aspect. Ernalda was Laika. Rastar was Yinkin, but inside he was sure he was Eurmal really. They tried to set off, but Yinkin could not find any tracks, no matter how hard he cast spells or tried.

Ernalda, however, could feel something lying on the Earth that did not belong there, and they set off towards it. Soon, at the edge of the Storm Tula, they came across a longhouse in a round enclosure. Reddish smoke was issuing from a chimney, of all things. Humakt, or Saronil, recognised the shape of house, path, and wall as making up the Moon Rune. Ernalda, annoyed by the newfangled chimney or the Rune itself, ignited the thatch, which caught nicely but did not all burn away. In fact, the fire just stayed where it was, tame.

Yanafil Tarnils came out of the house to invite everyone in.21 Uralda accepted, and Ernalda hinted to Yinkin to go around the back, not through the door of hospitality. Saronil told Yanafil Tarnils he had nothing to talk about, and drew his sword.

Inside, Uralda was offered food and drink by a red-headed woman. The same red-headed woman simultaneously opened the back door to put out fish scraps and talk to Yinkin, although they did not realise this at the time. Time itself was a little strange in that longhouse, and they spent some hours eating and drinking, with the woman showing off all of her master's things but hardly mentioning the glowing, beautiful arm-ring that was set on a shelf. Yinkin, recalling he was really Eurmal in disguise, snaffled it. They left, and the door was barred behind them.

Outside, there had been all sorts of drama, subjectively fitted into a few seconds. Ernalda had cast Absorption on Humakt, while Yanafil Tarnils failed to cast his own magic. Humakt called on his own godly power, however, and managed to shatter the scimitar. Yanafil Tarnils did not surrender at that point. Instead, he cast Repair. The Moon God was plainly a better warrior, and Humakt was without his magic, but the magic that Yanafil Tarnils cast next went into the spell, and Ernalda felt her spirit refilled from the ignition of the roof. They put almost identical cuts on each other. Finally, Yanafil Tarnils got brought down by Humakt, but then his massively boosted Mindblast went off, punching through Humakt's spell protection. Then Ernalda went for him with an axe, and she'd spent all of her magic but Yanafil Tarnils hadn't, and defended himself successfully, then used Madness on her. Like Humakt a moment before, she fell.

The warrior god healed himself as Uralda and Yinkin stared, and he limped back to his home, and they went and sanctified an area for Ernalda, which gave them a cubic pit to climb out of back in the Middle World. Rastar had the arm-ring, which he excitedly showed off to the others and Kareena. Unfortunately, it now had a Moon Rune on it. They hid it, thanked everyone, and sent for Squinch. He was able to identify its magical properties - people would want it, and it was designed to bring Disorder. Ethrava noted they could use the Dragonnewt Plinth to get rid of the thing. Squinch suggested he look after it just to be safe, and was quickly pushed out of the door with thanks.

Varaema decided to Divine on it, and had a vision in which she could see people arguing, and… fumbled Harmony. And put the arm ring on. To save others from arguing, of course. To everyone else, it disappeared, and most people thought that Rastar had squirrelled it away.

Other Things

Apple Lane is now more likely to be quarrelsome and greedy. All of the worshippers will take a 10% boost to Darkness and Disorder. Those who took part, including Kareena, are immune to that, but may have other effects.

Saronil was imprisoned in his own mind, fighting Kargan Tor and losing every time.

Tags: 1625 apple_lane arm_ring chalana_arroy dark ernalda ethrava eurmal heroquest humakt kareena laika onjur rastar saronil uralda varaema yanafil_tarnils yinkin

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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 Captain22 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.23 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.24

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.25

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

Comments: 0

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.26

The group prepared for the coming fight, with a warding in front of the Tin Inn and one at the back gate.27 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.28

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 ice29 and came in sideways, and was hit by the fourth in line, also sliding30. The other pigs managed to charge the gate but did not do much damage. Meanwhile, Androus peppered them with arrows31. 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.32 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 several33 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.34 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 spell35, and Androus turned36 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.37

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

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