Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells: A Solo AP

Played this quite a while back. My blog has moldered, but recently I saw some requests to see a Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells play through. I was pleased with this one. I used MiSo as my only oracle, giving me some control over the direction this went.

wherein I play Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells using its generators along with MiSo in an improvised dark sword & sorcery world

Alzara the Blooded

a crazed warrioress of the eastern steppe, Alzara has fought many wars and collected many scars — she is an imposing tall figure with defined physique and dangerous eyes

Alzara2

Mercenary from the Eastern Steppe (Warrior)
Attributes. 12 Physique, 12 Agility, 13 Intellect and 11 Willpower
Level. 1 (1 adventure needed)
HD/level. d10
Hit Points (10). 10 9 6 10 6 3
Luck. d6 d8 d6 d4
Abilities. Combat Superiority, Improved Damage, Weapon Specialization (broad sword), Improved Maneuvers
Complication. Duty to the Circle of Blood Sisters
Gear. broadsword (d8), dagger (d6), medium armor (-1d), medium shield (2 negative dice), pack, 2 small sacks (sack of opals), rations, torches (d6 usage), waterskin (d6 usage), money (1d4 Resource Die)
Encumbrance. 10; Effected? No

Adventure 1. The Errant Knight’s Lady

Adventure Details. to find an important person in a raider-inhabited desert
Play will answer who is the main antagonist and what complication Alzara faces
An errant knight provides a supporting character


A Cold Welcome

The warrior woman tramped through the dusty waste. Though the sun beat mercilessly from above, the wasteland was cold and windy. Her cloak whipped up in the gusts, threatening to strip the shield from her back. Behind her struggled Sir Edel in his heavy armor.

Why was she here? Why had she agreed to help the foolish lovesick knight was beyond her comprehension…ah yes! She was a sister now, and blind luck had brought the forlorn banner man to her native Hreskania, seeking the very soul she was bound to find on behalf the sisterhood. The problem was that The Great was a vast no-man’s land that was not actually completely devoid of life. The Tusek Raiders haunted its windy vastness, and were likely the culprit of the unfortunate absconded maiden. How Alzara would take the girl from Sir Edel once they found her, she had no immediate answer.

Luck die increases by 1 step

MiSo:

  1. They find cryptic tracks in the dust that defy immediate explanation
  2. They are paid a visit by Raiders

Choice B

Alzara stopped abruptly. A cloud of dust in the distance approached. She knew what it foretold. She warned Edel that raiders approached.

“Good!” the knight said doggedly. “We can ask for their help. You there! Over here!” he shouted.

“Fool!” snapped Alzara. “They will flay your flesh with your heart still beating. You’re in their world, and you have no leave to be!”

The riders in the distance fanned out seven abreast. Their spear tips gleamed and as they drew nearer, their bloody war cries defied the winds.

“By Hala!” said the knight, fumbling for his blade. Alzara could see that there were no words to appease the men.

These will be mobs; 3 HD (1, 5, & 8 hp) worth on Edel and 5 HD (1, 4, 6, 7, 8) on Alzara.
They gain initiative for the first turn.
With Edel and his mob, they will strictly exchange damage each turn. Edel has 8 hp.

TURN 1
Alzara dodges with a +4 penalty, but advantage, succeeding.
Alzara attacks with a +4 penalty, but advantage, succeeding and doing 4, and taking out 1.
Edel gives 1 point, dropping the lowest, but takes 3 (assume he has heavy armor).

The Hreskanian dodged their deadly throws, hewing off the leg of one rider as he passed, dropping him in agony. Edel was hard pressed behind her, but slew one of his three antagonists.

TURN 2
Alzara dodges with a +3 penalty, but advantage, hitting her Agility.
She strikes, doing 5, and taking out another and harming a third.
Edel takes 4 and does 5, taking out another.
He’s reduced to 1 hp.

TURN 3
Alzara dodges, but misses.
Edel takes 2, does 4, and is down.

The fighting intensified, several of the savages dismounting to attack at close range. Alzara turned their blows aside, methodically exploiting their openings when they presented them and making good work with her trusty blade. Edel fought, but bled from numerous wounds. He staggered after a club clocked him over the head.

TURN 4
The mob gangs up on Alzara, becoming 4 HD.
She dodges and hits for 7.
2 remain with 7 hp each.
Morale check — continue to fight.

The last of Edel’s enemies joined the three, and Alzara fought hard. However, she was a formidable foe, and soon two fell, clutching hideous wounds and leaving only two. These continued to fight zealously.

TURN 5
Alzara dodges and does 3.

TURN 6
Alzara takes 1 and does 2.

TURN 7
Alzara dodges and does 6.
One goes down, the other has 3 hp remaining.
Continues fighting.

TURN 8
Alzara takes 3, gives 8.

The last two were tough, giving Alzara more than her fair share of challenge. She took a glancing blow and was winded. She abruptly changed her tactics to more offense. With a spin to close the distance, she impaled one and squared off with last. There were many exchanges between she and her last opponent, but finally the Hreskanian mercenary defeated the last Tusekan.

Luck roll — reduced to d6.
Edel gains 3 hp restored, and gets a penalty die.
Alzara takes a short rest, and succeeds, restoring 4 hp.

The mercenary attended the fallen knight. He groaned and came to consciousness but didn’t look well. He had lost blood and taken a severe blow to the head, but he would survive. Alzara took a drink from her skin and sat. They had defeated all seven savages, and they had their pick of horses.

Intellect test succeeds.

  1. They find a token of Sara among the riders. (d10)
  2. They find a rough map of the raiders’ domain. (d8)

Choice B

While Edel recovered, Alzara rummaged through the warrior’s scant belongings. Most were worthless trinkets, but on one she found a rough drawing on a folded skin. It was a map and clear enough by her knowledge of the area that she surmised its purpose and value. It likely directed to the camp of the savages. Fortune shined despite the beating they had taken.

She knew that in the raiders’ camp would she find lady Sara. Whether she was still alive or not, she wasn’t sure if fate would continue to shine favorably. When Edel had recovered some of his strength, she told him to take a horse back to the border town from which their expedition began. He refused vehemently. She could not change his mind.

She shared the map with him and her guess that it was where they might find the Lady. There was an inaccessible gully they could climb by foot if they left their horses behind. It would grant them the best opportunity to take the raiders by stealth.

“They’ll hear you coming with that armor,” she commented.

Edel ignored her, mounted up, and cantered off. Alzara followed.


The Jackals

Encounter check, negative.

  1. A complication makes itself known.
  2. We learn more about the Blood Sisters.
  3. We learn about the main antagonist.

Choice A

Complication: a sect wants to keep the status quo.

  1. This is a rival tribe of savages. (d12)
  2. This is a wholly alien or weird race of beings that coexist on the steppe. (d8)

Choice A

  1. This tribe makes a pact with Alzara that is impossible to fulfill.
  2. Alzara encounters them when they are making a plan to attack the encampment, thus ruining their plan.

Choice B

Intellect test with +4 penalty, succeeded.

The two rode in silence that day until the dusk. A few more hours would take them to he ridge indicated on the map. With luck, they could complete their task that same night. However, movement to the south caught her keen eyes.

“Stop!” she hissed to her weary but determined companion.

She leapt off her horse and knelt.

“What? I see nothing!” Sir Edel said.

“A war party,” she summarized. She could see low shapes moving in single file. Several dozen warriors moved stealthily under the hazy moon.

“The savages?”

“Another tribe. The ones we encountered always attack by horseback.”

“Have we been spotted?”

Alzara answered at length. “Most likely. But they are not concerned. They make for the encampment. This will get ugly soon, and we may miss out chance. The fighting will be fierce. But unless they are taken completely by surprise, the Dawn Dancers will repel them and move their camp. They will be wary and it will be harder to take your Lady,” she said matter-of-factly.

“What can we do?”

“If we foil their attempt, they will turn their wrath on us, and only then can our borrowed horses save us.”

  1. A small band approaches them. (d8)
  2. The group takes warning shots with arrows. (d12)

Choice B

Agility test with +2 penalty, failed.

Suddenly, the whistle of arrows overhead cut he eerie silence. Their horses screamed as deadly barbs sliced into them, throwing their riders.

“Stay down!” Alzara warned as Edel struggled to get up. Their horses collapsed, and their agonized whinnying was hard to hear.

Eventually, the war party moved stealthily out of sight.

When it was safe, Edel lamented as Alzara ended their beasts’ misery. “What will we do now? We will lose Lady Sara!”

Intellect test with +4 penalty, succeeded.

“Not so fast. We still have the map!” The mercenary unfolded the skin and held it up to the pale moonlight. “You see? The Jackals, as they call themselves if I’m not mistaken, need to cross this shallow gorge. But over here, a single person can run along the dry riverbed and beat them there.”

She told Edel he was too slow and injured to make the run. “You wait here on this bluff, and I’ll bring your Lady Sara.”

“It is my task!” Edel protested.

“Do you wish your Lady to die, and you with her?”

“Better than to allow the savages to have their way with her!”

Willpower with disadvantage, succeeded.

The errant knight was as obstinate as they came. “Look, the longer we argue the sooner your Lady comes to death. You can’t run as fast as I — I’m your best chance for Sara to live. You are sealing her fate now with your bullheadedness!”

With all her effort, she made him realize their predicament, and he finally acquiesced.

Leaving him more of her heavy items, she left at a jog along the almost imperceptible dry riverbed.


The Death-Striken Camp

Encounter check, negative.

  1. We learn more about the Blood Sisters.
  2. We learn about the main antagonist.

Choice B

Uncontrolled Golem — I’ll take this to mean she is watched over by an animated thing.

  1. The camp lies where shown on the map.
  2. There are signs of some other struggle there; many are dead.

Choice B

Alzara climbed the gully and crept on her belly to the edge of the site. She spied through dry scrub and peered over the high heath. The place was eerily quiet.

She waited. The Jackal war party was a godsend. She hoped at the moment of their attack, it would provide the distraction she needed to find Sara. However, the wind carried the sickly stench of death.

She crept closer. There were no lights, voices, or even the sound of rhythmic snores within the tattered pavilions of the Dawn Dancers.

She spied a body. A fallen warrior was bludgeoned into a messy pulp. Flies buzzed over the remains. He had died within the day.

She stood and wandered freely among the alleys between the huts. Many were torn open. Bodies littered every open space. There was no sign of the living.

She hastened to the center of the camp where a more permanent mud and wood structure would have housed the chief and any guests or prisoners. Two guards lay dead, the chieftain was decapitated. A beam dangled with severed twine. Around the beam were pillows. Here they had kept a prisoner, likely a feminine one. A large hole had been punched through the sod, leaving a very peculiar riddle.

Alzara followed this way out of the chieftain’s hut. She knelt to the ground. The riddle deepened. Here, she spied a strange depression in the ground. Several wide-spaced footprints might have belonged to a veritable giant. What deviltry transpired here?

A sudden war cry came from the eastern side of the camp. The Jackals has come!

Agility test succeeded.

Alzara took her leave by the opposite end of camp in the direction of the mysterious tracks.


Sister of Blood

Encounter check, negative.

  1. We learn about the Blood Sisters.
  2. Alzara catches up to her quarry.
  3. Alzara is tracked by Jackals.

Choice A

Alzara was a sell-sword, not a tracker. However, even in the dark in the dry packed earth, these tracks were hard to miss.

The swordswoman had been among the ranks of several mercenary companies, including the Reavers of Stenh and the notorious Black March. She had even once briefly been the leader of a small band of highway robbers.

Random Life Events: An old enemy becomes an ally. What happened?

Alzara had crossed blades during one of these episodes during her tenure among the Black March with the warlord, Telebris, who went by the Hand. Although the Black March was defeated, Alzara maimed him in single combat, nearly bleeding out from her own grievous wounds. She would have surely perished, but for a woman in disguise among Telebris’s war party gave her an elixir in exchange for her service.

Alzara agreed without knowing what into which she unwittingly became conscripted. She was miraculously saved, but the elixir had other properties, and her blood was used in some sort of ritual, binding her into his service for a mysterious group. Scarlet was the name she was given of her recruiter.

Since, she had undergone numerous quests on behalf of her faceless puppet masters, some exceedingly dangerous, and most nefarious, including assassinations. She felt the burn of agonizing pain whenever she refused to comply, something she needed try only once — at least until she could discover who exactly was pulling her strings.

She was a pawn, a puppet, a dancer. She found herself even working along side the Hand, her bitterest enemy, but there was nothing she could do to resist.

Even now, her errand to fetch Lady Sara bore unknown ramifications. Would her bloody sorority murder this innocent woman in a confounded blood ritual or use her as leverage in some elaborate political plot? Alzara’s missions rarely resulted in anything altruistic, nor did she see the final ends or motivation that resulted in or drove her gory demands. She did not enjoy crossing Sir Edel. Even though he was pompous, annoying, and exceedingly obstinate, she did not hate him. Rather, she pitied him that his trusting virtuous ways made him easy to manipulate. Nonetheless, until she found a way to cut her strings, Alzara had to comply, even if it meant her certain death.

She followed the puzzling trail.


Battle at the Standing Stones

Encounter check, negative.
Physique test, failure.

Alzara pressed through the night until the pale gleam of grey light on the horizon heralded the new day. She was tired and thirsty, having left her provisions with Sir Edel. However, her mission demanded she press on or perish. She buried her thirst and her agony to be free, focusing on the only avenue of self-preservation. Despite her bodily protests, she loped into a run.

Press the roll succeeded.

  1. She spies only the girl staked to the earth. (d12)
  2. The kidnappers rendezvous with a war party. (d12)
  3. The camp is empty with no sign of how they left. (d6)

Choice A

I’m going with the certain notion that this is indeed a trap.
I’ll roll some on the Addendum charts to get some inspiration — chaotic obelisk.

Within a couple hours the sun had risen. Exhausted, Alzara stopped in her tracks. Vultures circled overhead in the distance. Far ahead, jutting up out of the barren steppe was a small forest of upward thrusted rock like the great rotted teeth of some forgotten titan. Something was dying within their midst.

The warrioress proceeded cautiously. The wind howled through the broken crags and sharp corners of ancient stone. It gave off a very unwholesome feeling. As Alzara advanced through the labyrinth of chaotically placed standing stones, ahead in the distance upon a table of rock, the Hreskian spied a single feminine figure staked spread eagle to its surface.

She advanced as close as she dared within several long strides. She sensed a lurking danger there. She drew her blade and slowly made a circle just outside of the perimeter of the small clearing.

Intellect test at +2 penalty, succeeded.

  1. She spies the hidden automaton.
  2. She finds the automaton’s controller.

Choice A

From the corner of her eye, Alzara spied a giant form, which might have been nothing more than misshapen rock. Before she could recognize what it was she had espied, the massive humanoid form lumbered out from its camouflage. A towering lopsided giant consisted of tightened dull brown mottled skin stitched together in a hideous mockery of humanity. As it loomed above the warrioress, a familiar smell wafted over her — the smell of old leather. The creature had no face to speak of.

This is a leather golem with 5 HD and 11 hp.
Scare: Forces targets that see the creature to make a Willpower test or suffer a Negative Die on all tests against it.

TURN 1

Alzara rolls a willpower test at +4 penalty, failing.
Her shield cancels out disadvantage when evading.
She takes 4 and gives 8.

The massive abomination struck with a powerful arm thrust, knocking her hard against a standing stone, and sending motes of dust down on her head. She retaliated in an almost reflexive manner, driving her blade deep into its hard leather bulk. It showed no sign of pain.

TURN 2

Alzara downgrades luck to evade, and misses.

She pressed on, even though she gasped for air. She pried herself away from her compromising position, forcing herself to move. By luck, she stumbled, and avoided getting her head knocked off. A massive first scattered shards of rock in a cloud, nearly knocking down a massive monolith. Alzara countered, but her hasty lunge was cast aside as if she were nothing more than a child’s doll.

TURN 3

She takes 3 and does 0.

TURN 4

Alzara downgrades her last luck die to evade, and does 5, killing it.

The Hreskian was cast into another stone and barely escaped another killing blow. She reminded herself to control her breathing, trying to buy time by distancing herself and using the stones for cover. Then, waiting for the opportunity, she struck at the seams, slicing along its jagged length. The thing split in two, falling apart by its own immense weight. It quivered a few moments before whatever sorcery held it together faded into the ether.

She sagged to catch her breath, but an anguished cry erupted above the howling wind.

I rolled “Frozen King” on the tables.
Sounds like an undead of some sort — I’ll say a corporeal with white eyes and pale skin.
This is a 1 HD creature with 3 hit points.
This dead Sorcerer can cast putrid cloud and arcane blast.
Reaction at -2 penalty — neutral.

“You killed my creation!” wailed a pitiful wretched who presently made himself known. Alzara continued to gasp for air, but put up her guard.

Around a corner a bent shape with pale skin, bony fingers, lanky black and grey hair, and strange milky white eyes lurched within view. Alzara did not like the sight of him.

“You killed him!” he repeated in a thin voice.

“Who are you?!” she asked between gasps. “What do you want of Sara?”

  1. He’s paying off a debt to a greater power. (d8)
  2. He withholds telling. (d10)
  3. He needs her for his own ritual. (d8)

Choice A

“There is one greater than I practiced in the black arts who would have her!” the decrepit man said. “…and lift his curse on me. So as you see, I need her! And you have destroyed my greatest creation! For that, you shall pay!”

Alzara was weakened. Her only play was to fool the man long enough that she could clock him on the head when he wasn’t looking.

“Then let me repay my debt by replacing your abomination. Treat me as you would it, and I’ll guide you to where you need to go, and see that no harm comes to Lady Sara…” she lied, then continued. “I see that you are a powerful sorcerer. I have no wish to test my mettle against the likes of you…” she did her best to portray fear. “I can be of service to you.”

Intellect test at +4 penalty succeeded.

The repellent man cocked his head appraisingly. “Yes, perhaps you will be my new pet.”

A wave of relief swept over Alzara.

“Do as I bid now…” he continued. “Untie the girl. We make ready to travel. I’ve already lost time laying this trap for my pursuer.”

“The Jackals may still be on this trail, magician,” she said. “They were not far behind me.”

The sorcerer turned toward the camp from which he had taken the girl. Alzara saw her chance.

Attack at advantage does 5, killing the man.

With a bound forward at astonishing suddenness, she put all her sudden might into the blow that severed the man’s head when he looked the other way. No blood poured from the corpse. Alzara had no love of sorcery. Her relief was palpable as she slumped to the ground despite the whimpers of the gagged girl.

Alzara fails her short rest Physique roll, and so gains no hit points.

She found the strange sorcerer’s supplies and rummaged through for useful provisions.

  1. She finds supplies. (D12)
  2. She finds supplies and reward. (D8)

Choice B!

Among the wizard’s supplies was food and water for their journey, several other tools, as well as a small leather bag full of polished opals. Alzara gathered up the choicest items and pocketed the loot.

After a moment, she stalked doggedly over to the girl and cut her leg restraints. “Thank you! Thank you!” the girl said when Alzara pulled her gag away.

“You needn’t thank me, girl,” she replied flatly. Sara’s face turned to a quizzical frown. “Come,” Alzara said with a tug of her wrist restraints.

“What are you doing!?”

“I’m saving you,” she said. “Your knight in shining armor awaits. But for your own good, you must appear to be my prisoner, do you understand?”

Intellect test at +2 penalty failed!

The taste of captivity and the fact that Lady Sara was not used to being treated this way backfired. “You let me go this instant!” protested the young pretty noblewoman.

Alzara smacked her hard with the back of her hand. “You will die here, do you understand?! You have no choice if you are to live and see your beloved Sir Edel again.”

The Hreskian yanked her cord mercilessly, nearly dragging the girl along.


Horde On the Road To Hresk

Encounter check, positive!

  1. Trap
  2. Hazard
  3. Barrier
  4. Monster (encounter)

Choice B

Alzara traveled through the day wordlessly towing her indignant noblewoman behind. The girl was nearly as obstinate as her beloved, but easily tenfold more talkative. The Hreskanian had to threaten to cut out the girl’s tongue out to get any reprieve whatsoever.

By dusk, they had covered a number of miles though a circuitous way southward toward the trading city of Hresk. Alzara had doubled back and kept a close look over her shoulder as they went. However by day’s end, they saw a large encampment of raiders.

Who were they? Alzara was at a loss. Their numbers defied her immediate understanding, but she soon had a strong guess. There were perhaps a thousand warriors camped in the depression. That comprised the majority of all the tribes that roamed the Great. A new warlord must have risen, and a charismatic one at that. Tusekans upheld their dangerous rivalries, which is why the raiders were not a great threat to the few populations on the north trade way.

Going back would add perhaps fifty miles, and they didn’t have enough supplies as it was. Furthermore, Alzara risked running into Sir Edel or the Jackals. No, forward was her only course.

She pulled the noblewoman along. “No!” the young woman protested. Alzara didn’t care. No amount of noisemaking would change her course. The more, the better, she thought. She continued to drag the girl.

Naturally, the noise drew the attention of outlying sentries. Soon a handful of light riders bearing torches sped to investigate and intercept the strange disturbance. Their light fell upon the Hreskanian warrioress. Alzara held her arms out in peace, but held onto Lady Sara’s cords. The noblewoman shrank and finally corked up. They issued a challenge and leveled their spears.

“I am here to meet the warlord,” Alzara responded. “I bring a prize and offer my services.” Lady Sara shrieked and tried to crawl away. She was stopped. “He will find I have much to offer.”

Intellect test with advantage succeeded.

Lady Sara was separated from her captor with a shriek, and Alzara surrendered her arms voluntarily. She was ushered to the tent of the warlord.

  1. She finds a friendly face from the past.
  2. She finds Scarlet.
  3. She finds the Hand.
  4. She finds someone wholly new and unknown.

Choice D

Rolls on title generator for inspiration.

Alzara was thrust within. Inside the pavilion were lavish rugs and throws, incense and burning braziers. Seated on a throne within was an exotic man of Tusekan heritage, long mustaches, and dark hair under a skull cap. Heavy shadow limned his eyes in a way that struck Alzara as unnatural. Various tribal chiefs were collected within, and all turned to greet the intruder. The captain of the sentinels barked a brief, and likely unflattering introduction in their tongue.

Intellect test at +7 but advantage to know the language, fails.

The chieftains looked hungrily down at the mercenary. Alzara straightened, then relaxed to play on the allure of a singular woman.

“I am Alzara, a Hreskanian,” she said. “No doubt you have no one to offer you insight on your enemies’ tactics or advise you of their treachery in dimplomacy. I am that woman.”

Reaction check at +2, Affinity.

With her words, the warlord cocked his head with amusement. “Our goal is conquest, Hreskanian, not diplomacy,” he said in a deep baritone voice and thick Tusekan accent.

“All the better to crush your enemies by treading upon their customs.”

“The Khagan doesn’t need these things, woman! All will be crushed…” said one of the chieftains before the warlord silenced him with a hand.

She was in, she thought. If perhaps she could be close to the Khagan, she could monitor or even control what happens to Sara, or even direct some of his tactics so she could be free during a time of distraction.

“What else do you have to offer?” the Khagan asked.

“You have my sword, and an offering — the girl is a noblewoman of some import from the west. I slew her knight in waiting. Surely she’ll bring you much luck and leverage when bargaining with the kings of the west.”

“We do not bargain!” repeated one of the chieftains, again to be silenced.

“It would be unwise to waste such an important captive. She will bring opportunity…”

  1. Alzara is placed under guard alone and weaponless. (D8)
  2. She is given a pavilion of her own within the chieftains’ circle and a place in the war council. (D8)
  3. Something in between with a trial of some sort later. (D12)

Choice C

Alzara was told to meet them in the morning, but she was placed under guard to sleep among the few slaves that accompanied the United tribes.

  1. Lady Sara is there. (D10)
  2. Lady Sara is not there. (D12)

Choice B

However, she noted Lady Sara was nowhere to be seen. She worried that her compulsion might soon agonize her, driving her to complete Scarlet’s task. With nothing to be done for it for the moment, Alzara drew her cloak around her and did her best to find rest.

Short rest failed.


An Early Summons

  1. Alzara is allowed a long rest.
  2. Alzara is not allowed a long rest.

Choice B

Encounter check, positive!

  1. Trap.
  2. Hazard.
  3. Barrier.
  4. Encounter.

Choice B

Rolling for inspiration, the slaves carry disease.
Physique test at +3 penalty to avoid disease, failed.
Note: treat like a PL 3 pestilence spell.
Willpower test #1 passed; no attribute points suffered.

Sleep was impossible to obtain. The slaves were poorly cared for, and many hacked throughout the night with a gurgling cough. Alzara was exhausted when she was rudely awoken by a warrior who spoke nothing of the trade tongue. In the early morning, Alzara’s throat felt raw and painful, but she buried those feelings under a facade of strength.

  1. Alzara is challenged to single-combat.
  2. Alzara is tasked with a small quest.
  3. Alzara is interrogated.

Choice B

She was nudged roughly. Obviously, the Khagan wanted to see her…

This marks the end of adventure #1.
For the purposes of this game, subtract 1 from the number of adventures required to advance.
Thus, Alzara advances to level 2.
New Hit Die roll, 10 (current hit points will be set at 13, since there’s no rest).
Attribute advances: Physique, Agility, and Willpower.

Advances

Mercenary from the Eastern Steppe (Warrior)
Attributes. 13 Physique, 13 Agility, 13 Intellect and 12 Willpower
Level. 2 (2 adventures needed)
HD/level. d10
Hit Points (20). 13
Luck. d6
Abilities. Combat Superiority, Improved Damage, Weapon Specialization (broad sword), Improved Maneuvers
Complication. Duty to the Circle of Blood Sisters
Gear. broadsword (d8), dagger (d6), medium armor (-1d), medium shield (2 negative dice), pack, 2 small sacks (sack of opals), rations, waterskin (d6 usage), money (1d4 Resource Die)
Encumbrance. 8; Effected? No
Notes. During each of next 2 days, succeed in a Willpower year or lower Physique and Agility each by 1

Monday, February 24, 2020

Analogue Diceless Solo RPG Survival Kit

Behold! My analogue diceless rpg setup, good for a plane trip or camping without a tote bag of holding containing one's entire gaming collection.
  • coil-bound ruled notebook
  • Pocket Dice Roller - Seth Kenlon
  • The Wheel of Fate: A Mythic Fate Chart Alternative - Spencer Salyer (so cool! finally just assembled this)
  • pencil



With a cheat sheet from one's favorite lite game system or even a digest-sized physical copy, this setup is pretty useful while still in keeping with a minimal table space. The pocket roller, while I do like it, is pretty slow for generating percentiles. So I thought of a receipt tape sized pocket containing a loaded list with a few hundred pre-generated numbers in d6 and d100 variety that I can feed out line by line that keeps upcoming numbers concealed.

After giving it a try, I came up with this and found its even faster than rolling dice. Furthermore, I can reference it by set number, making record-keeping a breeze.


Add this to a new style of journaling that only records mechanical notes, Mythic Fate Questions and answers, and I have something that actually speeds up my normal mode of play substantially — that is, my normal manner of writing prose as I go. If, later, any of these game sessions get transcribed for blogging purpose or social media sharing, that can easily transpire post factum.

Friday, February 14, 2020

Myths of Lemuria, part 5

Weeks after I intended, my Hangouts group finally convened for part five of our Myths of Lemuria campaign. In this meeting, Agroc’s player couldn’t commit, but we swapped in another longtime friend of mine. In our last session, the heroes sought the black lotus in the temple of Afyra in Lysor. The mark of a successful adventure is not necessarily when the heroes ultimately succeed, but when do so leaving behind a messy fallout forcing them to go on the lamb.

And so, they did.

Their previous exploits left them with a team of kroarks, supplies for a lengthy journey, and their eternally grateful tagalong, Rat. Garde noted that he still had Agroc’s onyx idol original found at the beginning of session one but handed over to Garde when the old pirate was seduced by the demon on their final session four confrontation. Their flight from Lysor followed one best course — the open swards between the Festrel Swamp to the east and the nameless jungle to the west. If their path took them to Oomis, so be it, or perhaps adventure plumbing a forgotten ruin along the way might occupy their flirtatious attentions. Whatever their fate may be, this trackless no man’s land was the clearest, fastest overland path by foot or claw from the (no longer) Serene City.

The newest member of the group was Menekar Kaio. I presented him as a pregen for my friend who was a Barbarians of Lemuria novice. As such, I tried to give him a few things that would help plug him in to the group: he filled in some missing skills with careers in scholar, tracker, healer, and beastmaster, giving him a reason to join as a guide through the wilds and as a competent beast handler to manage their brutish reptilian mounts. He was also a light fighter relying on archery, and had a dire wolf pet. I also picked an origin of Lemuria that would require little to no investment in the setting for my player, so chose his background from the Empty Lands with a quasi ancient Egyptian feel.

The group had been traveling the barren grasslands for over two weeks, braving storms, depletion of supplies by scavengers and vermin, and other hardships. Evidence that they were being stalked by a clutch of terror birds drove them. They decided to stake their additional kroark to the ground (again, Agroc never showed up to their departure rendezvous) and unload their unnecessary supplies to gain speed. This worked, but left them almost entirely depleted with hundreds of miles to the nearest civic populace.

The next day, they chanced upon a savage girl bound to an old withered tree. You guessed it! The tree of woe. Brom rescued the unconscious girl who, after roused, was at first hysterical. However, she quickly warmed to the unlikely pack of heroes after being fed. She spoke gibberish, but Menekar, the resident authority on the area, recognized her as a native of the Festrel.



We used language quite a bit in this particular session, including some esoteric and ancient tongues. Very cool! None spoke Frestrelish, however. She called herself Talasa. Through a series of mimicry and basic words, they learned from the girl that there were men not far north, and she didn’t characterize them as particularly dangerous. So, the four, now with Talasa clinging behind the mighty Brom, ventured that way.

They soon came upon a sizable gathering encamped at the base of a large mound. At seeing this Talasa leapt from Brom’s saddle and refused to go further, but promised to wait there until the four returned with provisions. After a debate, the four decided to approach the camp.

Even from the distance, they estimated many scores of men among a handful of tents fanned out in a semi-circle at the southern base of the mound. A stockade of stout zannibal timbers held a beast pen, which included at least two mighty eldaohon, and a separate stock for slaves. A modest watchtower looked out southward from the mound. Some labor was underway here, and there was dust and trampled earth everywhere. However, the men of the camp did not have the look of a war party.

Their approach went unnoticed until they were a few dozen yards from the entry. A handful of armed but bored lookouts challenged them. Brom announced their straightforward purpose. (Note that both he and Mendkar repossessed the “can’t lie” flaw.) A guard quickly brought a wizened veteran scarred by wars who greeted them and invited them to his tent. Rat remained behind with their kroarks.

Falzon Bryn introduced himself as the captain of the armed men and offers them wooden bowls of lavish roku-wine and a platter of water fruits. He spoke candidly, explaining that their expedition here was financed by a wealthy madman who uncovered the existence of a ruin here. They were conducting a dig, aware of some treasure long forgotten mouldering in a ancient ruin under the earth. They had discovered an entry but uncovered only misfortune when none of the slaves lowered within returned alive. Screams of horror ensued after each instance of lowering them down.

The group negotiated to solve Falzon’s problem dealing with whatever guardian or trap prevented their ingress in exchange for supplies. Falzon was smug, dismissive, but eager to agree — most likely on account of his boredom and that he expected no different result from the newcomers.

Before they went to survey the only known entrance, Menekar challenged Falzon whether his men enjoyed leaving slave women staked out in the open. This angered Falzon who ordered them to move along without his aid or accept the task. They agreed to the latter.
When they passed through the camp, they noticed many unusual slaves. Galgilon was their slave master, and among his stock was a great number of mighty blue giants, which most of the heroes had rarely, if ever, before seen. The dig site had many stones unearthed and cast aside, an assortment of hoists erected and line descending into a ten foot square hole down into the gaping portal. The burly and cruel Galgilon reported that some fifteen feet of earth covered a stone chamber, and another twenty feet descended to its floor. They didn’t know what peril lurked within, but once lowering slaves in, it was only a matter of moments before their terrified screams were forever silenced.

The heroes took torches, supplies, and were granted two very malnourished slaves to join them. It was clear Menekar could not take his wolfish companion with him. He remained behind momentarily while Brom and Garde descended within to take an initial assessment.



Once lowered, they found a pile of rubble directly below. It formed an island amid a worked stone chamber of ancient aspect and decor. Many bodies were strewn about. One was impaled upon a spear like stake that was thrust up through a hole in the floor. All about the uncovered portions of the stone floor were many similar round orifices. Brom tested one cautiously, discovering the trap mechanism.

Over the next two hours, they ordered stone lowered which they carefully placed in order to create a sturdy covering leading to the far northern recesses of the rectangular chamber where eventually the room’s only visible exit was revealed. Once they extended their bridge halfway toward this exit, they spied a mysterious and hideous shape moving ahead. Garde lit an arrow and fired it forward, revealing a huge, revolting snake possessing the head of a woman that lurked in the darkness. She hissed a curse at the two, and suddenly the spears throughout the room activated in full, protruding up and down at random from their mechanical pockets.

Menekar quickly joined them. The stones they had placed began to crack from the violent spear thrusts beneath. Menekar called out to the creature which had darted at the edge of the chamber to one corner. He tried Sorceric, one of his languages, and the creature responded!

“All die who enter the realm of Zaglazar!” it said, and disappeared.

Next the guide attempted to discern a pattern among the thrusts, which he determined. After a count of seven, he darted north to the relative safety of the passageway. He was clipped by a spear during his dash, but did not suffer any lasting harm. He discovered a series of winch levers, one of which deactivated the trapped floor. The others crossed without mishap.

At the end of the short passage, they came to a great bronze door. There was no sign of the creature. Menekar again deciphered a puzzle — the ancient versions of the gods lined a sunburst dial relief. However, there were 21 instead of 20. By process of elimination, Menekar located Zaglazar, which was a dial control to open the ancient seal.

The portal swung away revealing a circular domed chamber spilling over with jewels and precious things treasures. The hiss of the guardian was heard within (this was Salishme, a slorth — one of the sorcerer-kings’ ancient creations and one of the original species of Lemuria). In Sorceric she cursed them: “Stupid man things! Here, you will die hideously!” Menekar was able to reason somewhat with the thing. “Take what you want and begone,” she then said, “never to return! But do not touch Zaglazar’s velum!”

They deduced something was concealed in the back recesses of the treasury. Menekar asked if there was another exit. Salishme hissed, unwillingly to reveal and further information despite assurances the group would help her. As they probed, Salishme suddenly ambushed Menekar, wrapping her powerful coils around him. Garde had an arrow prepared, but only grazed the monster. Brom, in his usual style (and a few hero points spent), cut her in two.

After Menekar recovered some of his strength, they probed the far recesses, discovering on a pedestal a strange black leather swath. When Menekar touched it, his hand recoiled. This strange unwholesome skin writhed and pulsated, being covered by an apparent web of living veins. It had the look and texture of a bat’s wings. Garde put a torch to the horror and it burned with a audible screech of agony until it was reduced to dust.

The three lined their pockets with treasure and sought an exit, planning to tell the excavators that they had accomplished their directive. When they came to the exit, they saw an unfamiliar gaunt figure staring down within. The heroes explained there was treasure.

“Bring me the vellum,” the repugnant new figure demanded. “Bring it to me or be buried within.”

The heroes retraced their steps. Inside the treasury, after a search they found a trap door in the floor — one Salishme might have been able to access. It led into a muddy, slug infested narrow watercourse far below. The heroes delved into the muck and followed the flow, making sure to reactivate the trapped floor and reset the treasure vault’s bronze seal before they did.

The underground stream dumped the three into a boggy area a mile or more from the mound.

What will the heroes do next? Will they retrieve their mounts, Menekar’s wolf friend, and Rat, their youthful follower? Or will they take their pocketfuls of ill-begotten gains and leave all behind them? What about Talasa, their freed slave girl? What is her part in all of this? Will Falzon and the mysterious new figure hunt them to the far corners of savage Lemuria? Find out next time!

Friday, November 22, 2019

Myths of Lemuria, parts 3 & 4 combined

I realize my blog has flagged and fermented, but, Glory be! I had a game last night! Meeting with my fellows, including the fine players of Agroc, Garde, and Brom, we continue from here with the Myths of Lemuria campaign report. No, this is not a solo report, but a Hangouts small group that plays Barbarians of Lemuria. So sue me! Back sometime around May of 2018, we had our third session. I never wrote a play report after that session, so our collective memories are somewhat sketchy. Last night was our fourth session.



Session three involved the heroes arriving in Lysor aboard Pavo Rin’s captured ship, the Sea Drake, along with their “crew” — intended victims rescued from the clutches and machinations of the black druids back in Urceb. Once anchored, it is not long before they meet a friend of Pavo, Orlar, captain of a vessel moored at the harbor. Orlar challenges the heroes, and the harbor master gets involved. It is resolved, but not without grudges.

By night, Orlar and his men raid the Sea Drake. The heroes, expecting some duplicity, repel and kill the captain and his men, disposing of the bodies. The Sea Drake is partially burned in the process. The next day, the heroes cut in the harbor master on the spoils, selling what remained of the ship and stores.

This signaled an advancement. The following downtime events took place:
  • Brom learns of a harlot – owner of the Winking Wench in the Warren (seedy north part separated from the town proper) – who needs the night lotus, a rare flower in the dangerous bogs; the Afyraneum — the temple devoted to Afyra — also houses the flower in their guarded garden under the dome; she will help the characters to flee the city
  • Agroc gets into debt after gambling and must spend two weeks fighting in the pits to win his freedom
  • Garde buys supplies, but also pays an old crone who knows a secret way through an old crypt in the cliffs that leads secretly into the bottom of the Afyraneum
The heroes continue their new adventure. Using their loot, they have bought kroarks to make a later escape from Lysor when they have finished their quest. Rat, the rescued errand boy of the black druids, has vowed to join the three on their journey. He agrees to stay behind at the Winking Wench to guard their kroarks while the heroes plunder the Afyraneum. Before leaving the Wench, the heroes notice a fierce warrioress with blood-red hair and teeth filed to points loitering in the common room. She is both repulsive and at the same time strangely alluring; and she can out-drink any man. Although she never seems to speak, she notes the heroes comings and goings.

Garde’s contact, an old crone, leads them into the cliffs overlooking Lysor to an entrance behind a small cascade. There, a warren of tunnels leads into an old crypt that eventually joins with the new catacombs under the Afyraneum. Through this way, they can gain entrance unnoticed.

Inside the ancient crypt, the pass through wet caverns, slick with algae. Agroc takes a minor spill. They soon join to an ancient looted crypt, likely pre-dating even the establishment of Lysor as it is currently known. Their exploration takes them to an iron door which Brom opens, but they quickly get lost within. Inside one of the tombs, they find a sarcophagus in a cramped little chamber. The lid is off and the occupant writing something in a strange script on the walls. A dead being by the name of Thuzzul-Khan demands they find the wrist bones of someone in the new crypt under the Afyraneum and return to him. In exchange, he instructs them on the way to the under-temple.

Fast forward a year and a half, and we pick up with SESSION FOUR — starting from the new crypts of the temple. Again, memories were foggy and I made several mistakes from overlooking notes, so not all the details were consistent. But fun was had (I believe), nonetheless.



Picking right up, the three heroes explored the new catacombs. The encountered two attendants, men charged with removing detritus from a recent ritual. The companions cornered the two and coerced their help. They were terrified by the sudden and unexpected heroes’ presence. First, they were led to the tomb of he who Thuzzul-Khan directed. Disarming a sarcophagus that was charged with poison gas, they found within only some fine linens and a glass jar containing only the minute wrist bones of someone long deceased.

One of the two crypt keepers escaped. However, the heroes were little concerned. They coerced the remaining captive to lead them to the access point into the temple. Dorn, their captive, did as he was asked.

However, when they came to the lengthy stairway leading to the temple proper, Dorn’s escaped companion was leading two temple guards down into the catacombs to find Dorn and the looters. The three heroes laid a trap for them, injuring Dorn’s companion and quickly incapacitating the two guards.

They got a quick layout from Dorn about the great temple’s features…a main central dome housed the Jungled Atrium, where the night lotus was known to lay. A jungle of wild and tended foliage grew under a beautiful dome with great crystal windows. It helped create one of Lemuria’s most beautiful architectural wonders. Only the high priestess and her entourage were allowed within the atrium, and even then only on special holidays of the new moon. A keeper had a set of keys to the main entry — a great pair of bronze doors.

Four towers marked the corners of the temple, and each had such amenities as the harem (priestly dormitories), the vaulted library, the shrine of crystals, and the baths of new life along with its attached vestment room. The heroes made for this direction. The hour was pre-dawn, and they crept easily undetected there. After choosing their appropriate priestly disguises, they decided the best way to the Jungled Atrium was to climb a tower and gain entry from the outside of the dome, down to a grand balcony, and then to the atrium floor.

They parted ways with Dorn, paying him well for his service, and offering the promise of death if he should double cross them. They attempted a furtive entry into the atrium, but the crystal window through which they were trying to pass shattered. They entered quickly, repelling down a line of rope.

Inside, they noted the wild thick growth, well-tended paths, fountains, and gardens. They made for the center, but Brom, the Valgardian barbarian noted the presence of something bestial. They lit a torch, and immediately a massive two-legged reptilian predator leapt out of the foliage to attack them.



This was a pet bronyx (a small chark, or T-Rex) that served as the guardian of the precious night lotus. Although there was much chaos and awkward fighting space, Brom killed the primordial monster in two very powerful blows. (In truth, a bronyx is a very formidable opponent. Brom’s player rolled boxcars twice…in a row! on each of two rounds. These he augmented to Legendary Successes with two Hero Points, thereby scoring about 20 damage each. This is a very uncommon occurrence.) After its death, they noted a collar and harness about the beast.

The horrendous shriek of the beast alerted the temple guards. In the center pond, the three found the lotus and took it. They made their hasty exit, climbing up to the dome, and repelling off the outside wall of the temple to disappear in the city streets outside the grounds before they could be located.

A heist (nearly) perfectly executed!

The three returned to the Wench where they gave the prize to the very surprised harlot. She planned to produce a powerful intoxicant from the precious flower. Inside the Wench, the strange red-haired warrioress remained, watching the three intently. The group still planned to re-enter the ancient catacombs to deliver the wrist bones to Thazzul-Khan. Agroc decided to find out more about the woman.

In truth, this woman was a lesser demon in human form. They learned from others that she was thought to originate from Zalut, the City of Magicians. In actuality, this was a summoned demon who worked for Tharungozoth the Slaughterer directly. Unable to control it, the demon devoured its summoner and slew Morgatha, an infamous Zaluti assassin, taking her place through disguise.

Agroc was charmed by the demon, and she let it be known that she wanted the little onyx statue he still had from their exploration of the undercity of Urceb. Agroc’s companions managed to pull him away from her in order to complete their delivery to the undead sorcerer.

This they did, traveling back into the cliffs overlooking Lysor. Thuzzul-Khan got what he wanted. But when the heroes climbed back out to safety, they encountered the demon impersonating Morgatha just before leaving. By this time, Garde had possession of Agroc’s statuette for safekeeping.

Brom knocked out Agroc to prevent their ensorcelled companion from doing anything unwise, which drew many laughs among the players. Morgatha drew her blade and charged Garde, now bent only on obtaining the statuette. She was a formidable opponent, and again, Brom managed to land the killing blow. The demon was reduced to a foul sizzling pool of black ichor. Agroc remained unconscious during the fight, and Garde was seriously injured.

However, they had accomplished what they set out to do, and the messier, the better! One note to myself, I feel BoL works well with only 2-3 heroes. Any more than that makes it difficult to balance encounters to provide enough of a challenge. BoL characters are very competent! I’m finding I’m already having enough trouble challenging Brom in particular. He is a tank that can do little other during combat than melee with his trademark Valgardian blade and well-endowed Agility and Strength. Granted, rolling boxcars (and many other high rolls) made it a more extreme example. The other characters are perhaps more balanced with points spread more evenly over their attributes and combat abilities. As a result, they got their share of scrapes and bruises.

Poor Agroc! Not only would he not his wedding dreams with Morgatha crushed, really unfortunate rolls plagued his evening. We hope that won’t prevent his player from returning in two weeks for session #5. :-)

Next session, the heroes attempt a dangerous overland escape from Lysor over dangerous wilderness atop irritable kroark mounts. What could go wrong?

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

SoloAModule — Dragonblade: Heroes

Continued from here (my #SoloAModule proof of concept) is my second post for 2019 Solo a Module Month, in which I discuss the heroes. In adapting the Dragonlance story to a different setting with wholly different themes and tone, the original characters, as much as I enjoyed them, just won’t do. But they still provide some inspiration. Why not take a look at the original Dragonlance trilogy’s iconic roles to help design Lemurian analogues?
  • Sturm – honor, from a disgraced/unpopular faction
  • Tas – troublemaker, comic relief, confidant of the gods
  • Flint – stubborn, wise veteran, doting fatherly figure
  • Goldmoon – chosen one, true priestess
  • Tanis – outcast, conflicted leader, the responsible one
  • Laurana – coming of age tag along, entitled upstart to noble leader
  • Caramon – physique, heart of gold, torn down by his brother
  • Raistlin – frail, magical power, dark heart, destiny
  • Riverwind – protector, underdog hero
  • Tika – female extension of Caramon, with a bit of Lauranian coming of age
  • Kitiara – ambition, skill, opportunist
I would never contemplate running so many characters (although running Untold in default mode is a breeze, since an action allotment makes it no harder to run a bunch than just one character), so some roles and concepts will get rolled up into one or else discarded entirely. Some are clearly NPCs (namely, Goldmoon, Riverwind, and Kitiara), and so can be exported to such uses when the action necessitates.

For my #SoloAModule PC ideas, how about a dishonored noble on the run with lots of experience who has taken a savage refugee princess under his wing? There’s a little of Sturm, Riverwind, and Flint to go around in that one concept.

We need a troubled Tanis figure, which has enough complication already wrapped up in him not to require another role thrown in. He could have his romantic interest tag along coming-of-age person with a heart of gold (Laurana, Tika, Caramon) always on his coattails.

Could you guess? I’m throwing out Tasslehoff, because I see plenty of trouble without throwing in everything he implies. Not that I hate Kender or anything, really. He’d just be me least favorite to have around when I’m consolidating roles into a reasonable number.
A mysterious, troubling magician type will be there, of course; maybe even someone who is secretly a morgul (vampiric type) from the Lemurian setting. Naturally, that’s our Raistlin counterpart.

That’s four, plus an NPC to represent Goldmoon when the time is right. Still a big number for me to run for a solo game, but that will do fine. Although Untold recommends setting a first scene before introducing the characters, there are different implications at play here. I’ll go ahead with introductions now…



Severan Shildmont

Strength 2, Agility 1 (0), Mind 1, Appeal 0
Melee 2, Ranged 0, Defense 2, Initiative 0 (-1)
Noble 1, Priest (Fyrzon) 1, Knight 1, Vagabond 1 
Origin. Satarla
Languages. Lemurian, Ygddari
Traits. Arrogant, High-born, Marked by the Gods
Lifeblood. 12
Hero Points. 6
Fate Points. 1
Trappings.
  • medium armor (protection:2, -1 agility)
  • small shield (+1 defense against one attack)
  • helm (+1 protection, -1 initiative)
  • sword (d6)
Born of the House of Shildmont in Satarla, Severan was mentored and brought up to be a scion [noble], his father, Avitus, a notable advisor to the king himself. As all high-born boys were bade, Severan became a disciple of Fyrzon the Steadfast, where he learned honor and the word of his god [priest]. When the priests there anointed him at the end of his trials, he entered the Order of the Battered Shield, the King’s most trusted circle of guardians, and highest of all knights in Satarla [knight]. Alas, misfortune and woe fell upon the Order when its leaders were accused of corruption. So deep did the malfeasance run that few escaped its taint. The order was broken and its members were hanged or driven away in dishonor. For years since, Severan has wandered far and wide to try and restore the order’s once great standing by protecting the oppressed accordingly an obsolete code [vagabond].

Jafar

Strength 0, Agility 2, Mind 1, Appeal 1
Melee 1, Ranged 2, Defense 1, Initiative 0
Hunter 1, Beastmaster 1, Minstrel 1, Trader 1 
Origin. Qush Tribesman
Languages. Axian, Lemurian, Malakutian, Shamite, Ygddari
Traits. Beast-Friend, Distrust of Sorcery, Jungle-Born
Lifeblood. 10
Hero Points. 5

Trappings.
  • light armor (protection:1)
  • bow (d6)
  • daggers, 2 (d6L) 
Born among a tribe of reclusive men of uncertain origin, Jafar excelled in jungle-craft and hunting like many of his kind [hunter]. Even among his kin, Jafar had something feral within him more akin to the beasts he frequently hunted, even attracting unto himself a shaggy wolf named Graul [beastmaster]. He traveled often deep into the jungle where his brave kin dared not go, delving secrets, and picking up bits of ancient poetry and knowledge some say he either found amongst forgotten ruins, or was given him by strange spirits [minstrel]. Nonetheless, he oft passes on such esoteric knowledge and wisdom which has proven useful countless times among his closest friends. Not wholly wild, and actual possessed of an out of place trustworthiness and likability, he is friendly to city folk, picking up gossip and swapping tales and learning new languages [trader]. He has a hatred of sorcery, the bloodless, and other unnatural summoning. As such, his tolerance of Raz-Thuzzul wears thin.

Graul (shaggy wolf companion)


Runa

Strength 0, Agility 2, Mind 1, Appeal 1
Melee 1, Ranged 1, Defense 2, Initiative 0
Barbarian 0, Slave 0, Serving Wench 2, Mercenary 2
Origin. Axos
Languages. Axian, Lemurian, Shamite
Traits. Born Athlete
Lifeblood. 10
Hero Points. 5
Trappings.
  • light armor (protection:1)
  • small shield (+1 defense against one attack)
  • duel swords (d6)
  • daggers, 4 (d6L)
  • sling (d6L) 
Runa, a fair-skinned Axian, was a shaman’s daughter among the tribe of the black bear in the foothills of the Axos [barbarian]. She wasn’t old before her village was raided, and she was taken as a slave [slave]. Sold, she worked for an owner of a tavern in Shamballah [serving wench]. Her master was very abusive toward her. It so happened that the first time Jafar saw her was in this tavern taking her lumps. Jafar intervened, slew the owner, and helped Runa escape. She immediately fell in love with him, but he rebuked her as an empty-headed girl. Since, she learned the art of warfare and worked several hard years  among mercenary companies, including the infamous Legion of the Eldaphon [mercenary]. Reuniting again with her friends, they begin to see how she has changed into every bit their match in arms and equally fearless.

Raz-Thuzzul

Strength 0, Agility 1, Mind 4, Appeal -1
Melee 1, Ranged 0, Defense 3, Initiative 0
Slave 0, Vagabond 0, Sorcerer 3, Alchemist 1
Origin. Zalut
Languages. Beshaari, Giantish, Lemurian, Malakutian, Sea Tongue, Sorceric (read/write), Valgardish, Ygddari
Traits. Arrogant, Cravings, Delicate, Distinctive Appearance, Magic of the Sorcerer-Kings, Obsession (Power), Power of the Void, Unsettling
Lifeblood. 8
Hero Points. 5
Arcane Points. 15
Craft Points. 1
Trappings.
  • sword (d6)
  • dagger (d6L)
  • scrolls and tomes
  • one bloodthirst abatement potion (3 doses)
Raz-Thuzzul (formerly Rastil) is a pale and black-garbed figure of frightening aspect when un-cowled. He has few memories of his youth before he was a slave upon Zalut [slave]. And how his masters had tormented him! He escaped the Sorcerer’s Isle by luck and wits to wander the ports of Lemuria [vagabond]. He chanced to meet a few friends during his travels and even lent them what aid he could. A turn of fate graced him. He chanced into his old slave-master again at the Port of the Sea Lords and there slew him. He returned under his master’s guise to Zalut and learned sorcery and dark secrets through the many works his master owned, as well as through mentorship under a powerful servant. By agreement with this fell being, he became one of the morgul, exchanging his soul for the power he sought [sorcerer]. Still in the early changes of this transformation, he can still pass as a man. However the urges of blood have began to creep over him. He mastered a concoction that grants a momentary relief from his urges. Animals and children sharing his company exhibit fear or anxiousness.

Together

The four heroes have crossed paths many times. Their trials and tribulations have oft centered around the twenty gods of Lemuria. The debates continue on whether or not only the dark ones truly exist, for the twenty have not directly intervened in the betterment of man for more than an age. Were the names and natures of the gods merely myth only to give man a sense of hope that not all was dark or lost? The legends of the  orb-blade wielded by the previous age’s heroes are the true evidence of what connects the gods to Lemuria. But did such heroes and such a blade truly ever exist?

For the last five years, these old companions ventured on their individual quests to answer these questions. And now the time of their reunion drew nigh…

In my next post, I begin episode 1, The Road Travels East.

Sunday, February 24, 2019

SoloAModule — Dragonblade: Abstract



March is Solo a Module Month (SAMM). For my 2019 #SoloAModule month entry, my thoughts dwell upon Dragonlance. How does one solo a module? Last year, although I hadn’t gotten far, I used Mythic to determine whether established setups as presented in the book were true or not. That way, some parts might be recognizable, but the new life it took on maintained the element of surprise.

This year, I want to find a way to use Untold: Adventures Await. This product guides a structure to create an episodic story game. The Dragonlance modules are very railroaded, by design. I’ve approached this setting (especially with regard to the original trilogy) multiple times with very limited success. I always muse over where I go wrong, and chalk it up to the nonmalleable nature of the setting’s established canon. Other than my readership of the first trilogy, I’m also not very savvy on the intimate details of Krynn.




The idea then hit me… what happens if I use Untold with Dragonlance, using each module chapter to present a context of interpretation for each episode? Furthermore, to free myself from setting paralysis, what happens if I adapt the story and its themes to a wholly different world? Now that’s an idea I can easily work with.

Dragonlance is about heroic action and ebbing a new tide of evil. It’s also about the gods, once regarded as dead, returning in an active way, and holy relics being bestowed upon unlikely heroes in their fight against evil. My current go-to is Barbarians of Lemuria. What if I adapt the story to Lemuria? Of course, just by its strong sword and sorcery roots, it’s going to be quite a different beast. Other than both being fantasy worlds, there aren’t too many similarities between them. Nonetheless, Lemuria’s first age of man has the orb blade made of ore cast down from the heavens. Could this be the analogue of the blue crystal staff or the legendary namesake weapons? Dragonlance has the return of mythical dragons and the rise of a strange new race of evil draconic progeny. There are plenty of critters that can take these roles in Lemuria, including some lesser form of demons.

I’d dub this game for now, Dragonblade.

Using each module chapter’s themes, ideas, and generally character roles, these elements will form a very powerful context for interpreting Untold scene events and help direct questions. If some of Dragonlance gets retold whole-cloth in the new setting, so be it. At least its new cladding will breathe in new life. However, I know that won’t happen. Invariably, it’ll be its own thing. Nonetheless, I’ll be drawing heavily from the module’s events, chapter for episode, thus helping to drive the project.

Will I make through a module? Likely not, but we’ll see if I can sustain a few episodes and enjoy the twists and turns enough to see how recognizable the original will be.