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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.1 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.2 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, Androus3 (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 Berenvenos4 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 saw5 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 Tarndisil6 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 Dryad7, and she did them the honour of coming to the edge of her grove8 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 Clearwine9 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.10 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 wrong11. 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 Earth12 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
