... or something else entirely?
I actually dislike the idea that Charisma represents "Comeliness" or physical beauty, and that is explicitly not what it is in my game. I've had this discussion a couple times at the table to address the assumption that Charisma =/= beauty, but of course it always crops up here and there in offhand assumptions. Not that beauty doesn't play into Charisma, but it is neither necessary or sufficient for high Charisma.
My basic take on Charisma is that it is "charm." Handsome people of course have a natural kind of charm--but it's not difficult to imagine a beautiful person who is so awkward and difficult to get along with that their Charisma actually comes off as "average" right? Likewise, is it difficult to consider a person who would not be considered generically beautiful, and yet when they speak, people are magnetically attracted to their sense of humor, of comedic timing, or just sheer energy? (Hence the table-conversations, pointing out that high Charisma is not just beauty, low Charisma not just ugliness).
(I recently found The Hall of Blue Illumination, a podcast about the setting/game Tekumel/Empire of the Petal Throne, and on Episode 6, around the 16:20 mark, is a discussion of Comeliness in the rules. ... Now, apparently, according to Victor J. Raymond, Comeliness (replacing Charisma in Empire of the Petal Throne) was not original to the rules; and M.A.R Barker, the game creator, did not think that Charisma should be a character abstraction, but should be an outgrowth of actual play; but that Comeliness, as a physical measure of beauty, was an objective thing that a character could possess regardless of the player, like Strength or Constitution. There's something to this as an explanation of the stat ... and I really enjoyed the discussion on the podcast about what Comeliness could do for a game, i.e. slavers or priests hunting for an exceptionally beautiful character ... but for my B/X game I think I still prefer Charisma as something less concrete than mere physical beauty).
Some years ago, I found a post somewhere in the OSR blogosphere (alas, I have no idea where I found it, and I can't give credit where it's due!) discussing Charisma as a measure of fame or reputation. The post suggested that perhaps Charisma should be malleable according to success or failure on dungeon expeditions, to represent Charisma as fame rather than personal charm. I took this and ran with it; so for several years, characters that ran through my dungeons gained 1 point of Charisma (max 18) for every successful expedition (no character deaths, big haul), lost 1 point of Charisma (min 3) for every failure (no wealth, several character deaths), or no change for a wash (good haul and several deaths, or no deaths but no haul). This counted only for "lead" characters--henchmen didn't gain or lose charisma.
I like this rule because it represents well what I think of Charisma, but it has ultimately flattened a part of the game--whenever I turn to certain "old-hand" characters these days to ask for Charisma, I get the same answer: "18". Furthermore, I haven't been using this rule at all in the Greyhame Game ... and that's actually why I'm posting this, because I had a question from one of my old-hand players as to whether I would boost certain recent good hauls with higher Charisma? He offered a suggestion to look at it as fame or renown, a something separate from the attribute as Charisma, and I thought I'd hash something out here.
------
Local Reputation (as local as your referee wants it, be it per bar, per neighborhood, per town, per region, etc.)--roll only for the "captain" of the expedition, if any was elected; otherwise, roll once for one random character who participated
Returning from a Successful Expedition (no character deaths && good haul):
1 - reactions +1 (+4 max)
2 - retainer morale +1 (11 max)
3 - no. retainers +1
4 - basic equipment costs -5% (-50% max)
5 - major services cost -10% (e.g. hiring sages or armorers ... -25% max)
6 - owed one favor (referee discretion, not "worth" more than 1000 gp)
7 - infatuation (someone in town falls for you, for good or ill)
8 - gain attention of Thieves' Guild (referee discretion!)
9 - debt forgiven (1000-6000 gp; OR reactions +1 if no debt owed)
10 - attentions of a patron (referee discretion, but it should be positive)
11 - awesome parties (x2 xp from carousing)
12 - life of the party (x2 gp cost for carousing)
Returning from a Failed Expedition (1+ character deaths && poor or worse haul of loot):
1 - reactions -1 (-4 min)
2 - retainer morale -1 (4 min)
3 - no. retainers -1 (0 min)
4 - basic equipment costs +5% (+50% max)
5 - major services cost +10% (+25% max)
6 - evil reputation (would-be hirelings must roll "accept" twice before taking on with you)
7 - disinterest (someone who was interested in you moves on / you get snubbed in some way)
8 - lose attention of Thieves' Guild / gain attention of loan shark
9 - debt exacerbated--pay now, or owe an extra 50%, and if you don't pay up soon, to jail with you! (if no debt, -1 reactions)
10 - lose patron (if you don't have a patron, gain a bad reputation, e.g. patrons think twice before taking you on as a client)
11 - shunned (1/2 xp from carousing)
12 - ostracized (can't carouse at all!)
This is a rough draft, of course. Is granting it to just the captain too limited? Do d12 rolls offer too many options? Is adding yet another thing to the game too complicating (I would hope that d12 rolls granting 1 addition to a character sheet is better than coming up with some new score to keep track of ... but I don't know.)
Anyway, I'll likely try this out the next Greyhame Game in some way
Friday, December 1, 2017
Monday, November 27, 2017
Greyhame Mountain Dungeon Expedition 11
Orcs have returned to the caverns of the Glimmervaults;
the Goblin King and the Lord of Werewolves have renewed their ancient alliance beneath the Howling Tower;
and the secret treasury of the ancient Bronding Kings is said to lie somewhere behind the Brokenbrand Falls, haunted by enchanting naiads ...
the Goblin King and the Lord of Werewolves have renewed their ancient alliance beneath the Howling Tower;
and the secret treasury of the ancient Bronding Kings is said to lie somewhere behind the Brokenbrand Falls, haunted by enchanting naiads ...
...
and Jaer the Windlord is said to look down on the world below from the Eyries of the Eagles on Greyhame Mountain itself ...
23 November's roster:
Mizer (magic-user 3)
with Thorngrim and Arngrim (two normal men), as well as a mastiff, a half-wolf, and a boarhound
Blackleaf (Elf 2)
with Johann Haybaler and Dol (two normal men), as well as Droopy and Snoopy (both mastiffs)
Blackleaf also bought a sprig of nightshade, said to be helpful against enchantments if worn; and she glanced at the nosegay of dragonrose, said to put reptilian beasties like dragons to sleep, but didn't ultimately purchase it.
Thus equipped and with a full party of hirelings and dogs, Mizer acquiesced to Blackleaf's burning desire to return to the Brokenbrand Falls to seek out the turtle philosopher there, and to denude him of his remaining eleven gems. To this end, they borrowed the maps from Little Bob (who has heretofore generally been the party mapper), and then set out for the falls.
On the first day, a storm blew up, destroying a spear, plate armor, twelve arrows, a week of rations, and a shield; it was raining all the rest of the way. Then, on the third night, just before arriving, the party was surrounded by ghouls--they did what I had hoped "concreteness" for the wilderness attrition would allow, and reacted by offering to use holy water, flasks of oil, and the web spell to help reduce attrition, all of which I allowed (and I rolled a random number for vials of holy water and flasks of oil), and they managed to maintain a defensive ring around their camp and to drive the ghouls away by morning.
Arriving at the falls, Blackleaf got out the maps from Little Bob and realized they made very little sense, given that they're spread over three pieces of parchment, and include distant areas drawn close together on the same map, duplicate areas that don't quite match up, etc. She had a general idea of where to go to return to the great pool, but couldn't see how the areas all matched up.
Nevertheless, they went in, and turning east in the first series of halls where the green slimes tend to grow along the ceilings, they indeed found a colony. Finding it before it could surprise them, they burned it away with oil and torches; and then, looking at the map, figured they could find a quicker route to the large chamber with the falls itself than the circuitous southwestern route taken by other expeditions. This proved true; but the way was also blocked by five large fungal growths in the chamber that led down to the long hall.
Mizer mentioned the possibility of shriekers as the party hurled oil flasks at the fungi; and yet none of the flasks hit, but either sailed over and past, or were just dropped at the feet of the adventurers. Plucking up some courage, Mizer crept into the room with his torch, hoping to burn one, and then sure enough, a horrible shrieking started coming from two of the fungi; meanwhile, the others began shuffling toward the party.
They sent the dogs in, while the humans stayed back and hurled missiles at the fungi; this tactic worked quite well, and soon all the fungal growths were destroyed, largely torn apart by wardog teeth. Only one of the dogs was seriously hit, and had wisps of fungal tendrils sprouting from where a fungus had struck him; Blackleaf carved the infected flesh away with a knife, injuring the dog, but successfully cutting out the infection.
Beyond the fungi, a set of stairs led down into a long north-south pillared hall that at its northern end turned east. Checking around that way, the party found the eastern hall led to a great pool, while the pillars became stalagmite/stalactite columns carved to look like trees and which bore jeweled fruits. There was also a cave leading down into the depths; but Blackleaf remembered that the party had come down from the north after the first encounter with the turtle; checking the water, they found a path of stepping stones in the water that led north, against the current, and along which the party thence followed.
Something struck at one of the dogs from the water's deeps--something silver and flashing and big--but it didn't get a firm bite, and the party went quickly enough against the current to avoid any further interactions with it.
Coming out onto a shore of stone, the party found a stair that led up and to the north; following this, around several windings, they ultimately came out into a sun-filled canyon with the stream flowing south on their right, and a stair leading up under the cliffs. On their left was a door which they ignored, and on their right, into the cliff over the streams, a grotto, which they likewise ignored. Following the stairs all the way, they came to a bridge that spanned over the stream and onto an arcing east/north shore of stone around a large pool of crystal clear water, open to the sun and surrounded by high rock walls. On the north shore stood an image of Astora, Elf-Queen, at the base of which lounged several naiads.
This was the pool where the turtle had been, but the turtle-philosopher was not currently present.
When the naiads saw the party, they swam over, making eyes at the men in the party (everyone except Blackleaf, really)--that is, until they saw that no one had a higher than average Charisma. Dol the former fyrdman exchanged a couple winks with the naiads, which somewhat encouraged them, but Blackleaf put a stop to that by glaring and reminding Dol that he was on her dole.
Without any takers, the naiads rolled their eyes and flounced away downstream.
Looking for the turtle, Blackleaf stuck her head in the water--she saw something glittering at the bottom of the preternaturally clear pool, but no turtle. An attempt to swim down (taking armor off before) resulted in her just getting caught up in the current and swept south until she could grab the shore and haul herself out, dripping and cold.
Now, around the pool, into both the northern and eastern cliff walls, were several entrances into further dungeon areas; the party decided to investigate the one whence issued a stream that fed into the pool. Following that corridor, they came to a room with a basin of water within which stood a naiad statue, and which was filled with the debris of several huge spiders, egg sacs, and several desiccated corpses (Blackleaf here recalled the spiders that almost killed Lead several expeditions back). Heading north from there, the party entered a room with a pool fed by a fall from the northwest, an image of a Bronding king against the north, a stair up and through the west wall--and a sleeping turtle-philosopher with eleven gleaming gems in its shell, off to the northeast.
Blackleaf, overexcited, convinced Mizer to cast web on the sleeping creature, thus entrapping it in a net of sticky strands. The casting of the spell awoke the turtle, and as it opened its eyes and witnessed the party approaching, it began to speak. What's this? Do you all think I'm some kind of beast, inconsiderable of moral standing, or are you such cravens that you just go around casting spells on helpless individuals all the time, eh? Do you cretins even know what moral standing is, or how you would determine whether a thing is worthy of consideration? Well?
All of the hirelings and Mizer as well failed their saves against this tirade of philosophy and stood entranced as the turtle began to elucidate the nature of parsing moral standing (this, while the turtle also began to rock and struggle to break free of the webs--it looked like it would get out before too long ...). Blackleaf, however, succeeded in her save, and with her dogs (which, being beasts, gave not a whit to the turtle's philosophizing), she stepped forward and started attacking the webbed turtle.
I see that you, like all your pointy-eared kind, care nothing for the suffering of others! the turtle declared as Blackleaf's sword and the teeth of her dogs scrabbled and clanged on his shell. But he could do nothing other than rage impotently, trying to break free of the webs. After two short rounds of attacks, he was bleeding and beaten enough that he simply dropped his head. Take all my jewelry, he said. Just please don't kill me.
Then Blackleaf called off her dogs, pried the gems free from the turtle's shell, and then the turtle, with a surprising speed, fled into the water and went away downstream, bloodying the water.
Each of the eleven gems seemed to be worth about 1000 gold; and with their ill-won jewelry, the party elected to quickly return home. Back in the large chamber with the pool, they briefly spied the turtle's head above water, but then he vanished quickly again beneath the waves.
Also, on their way out, they glanced into a shallow cave in the northeast corner of the chamber, and saw within an old skeleton crouched in death on a great throne, with a crown of nine glittering diamonds upon its head. Blackleaf, ever greedy, reached out with her sword to lift the crown, and immediately she touched it, a mist rose up all around, misty figures within, and a ghostly voice questioned, Art thou so certain thou art worthy of mine crown?
Wanting none of this, Blackleaf returned the crown, and the mists dissipated; and then the party fled out of the dungeon, and back down the stairs by the waterfall at the entrance. Dol managed to fall in, and yet never resurfaced. Going into the water to look for him, Blackleaf glimpsed him swim away with a group of naiads, but lost sight of them in the churning water under the falls.
On the way back to town, while fording a river, the party lost 12 arrows, a dagger, a shield, a week of rations, and all of Mizer's torches; then, that night, in a bout of hypothermia, Mizer managed to further lose a shield, sword, another week of rations, and more ammunition (he put them down somewhere during a shivering bout, but when he woke up the next morning, not dead, could not recall what he'd done with them ... sure, that'll work).
Back in town, Blackleaf used her portion of the proceeds from the gems (some 5500 gp) to pay off her 5000 gp debt to the thieves' guild, leaving her barely in the black. She then went to Lailith, the lawful good cleric of St. Ursula in town, and talked over some of the stuff the turtle had said, which had stuck with her, and ultimately felt something of remorse. She now feels that she must do something in restitution for the turtle, if she truly is to gain a human soul and the empathy that it entails.
Meanwhile, Mizer caroused, and managed to win himself a reputation as the life of the party in Brakeridge--any further carousing in that town will cost double for normal the amount of xp, until or unless he does something to change that reputation.
------
Remembrance for the Fallen
Orion II (lion dog), Bacon (boar hound), Tore (half-orc fighter 1/cleric 1), Jimmy the Snitch (dog), Orion (lion dog), Harambe (man-ape 1)
And for those Enchanted Away
Dol (fyrdman hireling)
23 November's roster:
Mizer (magic-user 3)
with Thorngrim and Arngrim (two normal men), as well as a mastiff, a half-wolf, and a boarhound
Blackleaf (Elf 2)
with Johann Haybaler and Dol (two normal men), as well as Droopy and Snoopy (both mastiffs)
Blackleaf also bought a sprig of nightshade, said to be helpful against enchantments if worn; and she glanced at the nosegay of dragonrose, said to put reptilian beasties like dragons to sleep, but didn't ultimately purchase it.
Thus equipped and with a full party of hirelings and dogs, Mizer acquiesced to Blackleaf's burning desire to return to the Brokenbrand Falls to seek out the turtle philosopher there, and to denude him of his remaining eleven gems. To this end, they borrowed the maps from Little Bob (who has heretofore generally been the party mapper), and then set out for the falls.
On the first day, a storm blew up, destroying a spear, plate armor, twelve arrows, a week of rations, and a shield; it was raining all the rest of the way. Then, on the third night, just before arriving, the party was surrounded by ghouls--they did what I had hoped "concreteness" for the wilderness attrition would allow, and reacted by offering to use holy water, flasks of oil, and the web spell to help reduce attrition, all of which I allowed (and I rolled a random number for vials of holy water and flasks of oil), and they managed to maintain a defensive ring around their camp and to drive the ghouls away by morning.
Arriving at the falls, Blackleaf got out the maps from Little Bob and realized they made very little sense, given that they're spread over three pieces of parchment, and include distant areas drawn close together on the same map, duplicate areas that don't quite match up, etc. She had a general idea of where to go to return to the great pool, but couldn't see how the areas all matched up.
Nevertheless, they went in, and turning east in the first series of halls where the green slimes tend to grow along the ceilings, they indeed found a colony. Finding it before it could surprise them, they burned it away with oil and torches; and then, looking at the map, figured they could find a quicker route to the large chamber with the falls itself than the circuitous southwestern route taken by other expeditions. This proved true; but the way was also blocked by five large fungal growths in the chamber that led down to the long hall.
Mizer mentioned the possibility of shriekers as the party hurled oil flasks at the fungi; and yet none of the flasks hit, but either sailed over and past, or were just dropped at the feet of the adventurers. Plucking up some courage, Mizer crept into the room with his torch, hoping to burn one, and then sure enough, a horrible shrieking started coming from two of the fungi; meanwhile, the others began shuffling toward the party.
They sent the dogs in, while the humans stayed back and hurled missiles at the fungi; this tactic worked quite well, and soon all the fungal growths were destroyed, largely torn apart by wardog teeth. Only one of the dogs was seriously hit, and had wisps of fungal tendrils sprouting from where a fungus had struck him; Blackleaf carved the infected flesh away with a knife, injuring the dog, but successfully cutting out the infection.
Beyond the fungi, a set of stairs led down into a long north-south pillared hall that at its northern end turned east. Checking around that way, the party found the eastern hall led to a great pool, while the pillars became stalagmite/stalactite columns carved to look like trees and which bore jeweled fruits. There was also a cave leading down into the depths; but Blackleaf remembered that the party had come down from the north after the first encounter with the turtle; checking the water, they found a path of stepping stones in the water that led north, against the current, and along which the party thence followed.
Something struck at one of the dogs from the water's deeps--something silver and flashing and big--but it didn't get a firm bite, and the party went quickly enough against the current to avoid any further interactions with it.
Coming out onto a shore of stone, the party found a stair that led up and to the north; following this, around several windings, they ultimately came out into a sun-filled canyon with the stream flowing south on their right, and a stair leading up under the cliffs. On their left was a door which they ignored, and on their right, into the cliff over the streams, a grotto, which they likewise ignored. Following the stairs all the way, they came to a bridge that spanned over the stream and onto an arcing east/north shore of stone around a large pool of crystal clear water, open to the sun and surrounded by high rock walls. On the north shore stood an image of Astora, Elf-Queen, at the base of which lounged several naiads.
This was the pool where the turtle had been, but the turtle-philosopher was not currently present.
When the naiads saw the party, they swam over, making eyes at the men in the party (everyone except Blackleaf, really)--that is, until they saw that no one had a higher than average Charisma. Dol the former fyrdman exchanged a couple winks with the naiads, which somewhat encouraged them, but Blackleaf put a stop to that by glaring and reminding Dol that he was on her dole.
 |
| Dol, right before Blackleaf stamped on his foot and reminded him he works for her ... |
Without any takers, the naiads rolled their eyes and flounced away downstream.
Looking for the turtle, Blackleaf stuck her head in the water--she saw something glittering at the bottom of the preternaturally clear pool, but no turtle. An attempt to swim down (taking armor off before) resulted in her just getting caught up in the current and swept south until she could grab the shore and haul herself out, dripping and cold.
Now, around the pool, into both the northern and eastern cliff walls, were several entrances into further dungeon areas; the party decided to investigate the one whence issued a stream that fed into the pool. Following that corridor, they came to a room with a basin of water within which stood a naiad statue, and which was filled with the debris of several huge spiders, egg sacs, and several desiccated corpses (Blackleaf here recalled the spiders that almost killed Lead several expeditions back). Heading north from there, the party entered a room with a pool fed by a fall from the northwest, an image of a Bronding king against the north, a stair up and through the west wall--and a sleeping turtle-philosopher with eleven gleaming gems in its shell, off to the northeast.
Blackleaf, overexcited, convinced Mizer to cast web on the sleeping creature, thus entrapping it in a net of sticky strands. The casting of the spell awoke the turtle, and as it opened its eyes and witnessed the party approaching, it began to speak. What's this? Do you all think I'm some kind of beast, inconsiderable of moral standing, or are you such cravens that you just go around casting spells on helpless individuals all the time, eh? Do you cretins even know what moral standing is, or how you would determine whether a thing is worthy of consideration? Well?
All of the hirelings and Mizer as well failed their saves against this tirade of philosophy and stood entranced as the turtle began to elucidate the nature of parsing moral standing (this, while the turtle also began to rock and struggle to break free of the webs--it looked like it would get out before too long ...). Blackleaf, however, succeeded in her save, and with her dogs (which, being beasts, gave not a whit to the turtle's philosophizing), she stepped forward and started attacking the webbed turtle.
I see that you, like all your pointy-eared kind, care nothing for the suffering of others! the turtle declared as Blackleaf's sword and the teeth of her dogs scrabbled and clanged on his shell. But he could do nothing other than rage impotently, trying to break free of the webs. After two short rounds of attacks, he was bleeding and beaten enough that he simply dropped his head. Take all my jewelry, he said. Just please don't kill me.
Then Blackleaf called off her dogs, pried the gems free from the turtle's shell, and then the turtle, with a surprising speed, fled into the water and went away downstream, bloodying the water.
Each of the eleven gems seemed to be worth about 1000 gold; and with their ill-won jewelry, the party elected to quickly return home. Back in the large chamber with the pool, they briefly spied the turtle's head above water, but then he vanished quickly again beneath the waves.
Also, on their way out, they glanced into a shallow cave in the northeast corner of the chamber, and saw within an old skeleton crouched in death on a great throne, with a crown of nine glittering diamonds upon its head. Blackleaf, ever greedy, reached out with her sword to lift the crown, and immediately she touched it, a mist rose up all around, misty figures within, and a ghostly voice questioned, Art thou so certain thou art worthy of mine crown?
Wanting none of this, Blackleaf returned the crown, and the mists dissipated; and then the party fled out of the dungeon, and back down the stairs by the waterfall at the entrance. Dol managed to fall in, and yet never resurfaced. Going into the water to look for him, Blackleaf glimpsed him swim away with a group of naiads, but lost sight of them in the churning water under the falls.
On the way back to town, while fording a river, the party lost 12 arrows, a dagger, a shield, a week of rations, and all of Mizer's torches; then, that night, in a bout of hypothermia, Mizer managed to further lose a shield, sword, another week of rations, and more ammunition (he put them down somewhere during a shivering bout, but when he woke up the next morning, not dead, could not recall what he'd done with them ... sure, that'll work).
Back in town, Blackleaf used her portion of the proceeds from the gems (some 5500 gp) to pay off her 5000 gp debt to the thieves' guild, leaving her barely in the black. She then went to Lailith, the lawful good cleric of St. Ursula in town, and talked over some of the stuff the turtle had said, which had stuck with her, and ultimately felt something of remorse. She now feels that she must do something in restitution for the turtle, if she truly is to gain a human soul and the empathy that it entails.
Meanwhile, Mizer caroused, and managed to win himself a reputation as the life of the party in Brakeridge--any further carousing in that town will cost double for normal the amount of xp, until or unless he does something to change that reputation.
------
Remembrance for the Fallen
Orion II (lion dog), Bacon (boar hound), Tore (half-orc fighter 1/cleric 1), Jimmy the Snitch (dog), Orion (lion dog), Harambe (man-ape 1)
Dol (fyrdman hireling)
Sunday, November 26, 2017
the Cult of the Beautiful Life -- Worshiping Ke$ha
I've been kicking this idea around in my head for a while, to create a religion using Kesha's lyrics as the sacred texts, but tonight on the drive back up from Boise, Kesha blaring from the CD player, some ideas finally clicked. So here goes ... (all the links except the last about the "Otter Bacchanalia" are links to Kesha's songs on YouTube)
On a certain summer night, when the moon is heavy with light, and the star winds blow and scatter their glimmerings in a great river of light across the sky, the clashing of timbrels and the cries of women in ekstasis will arise in the city. On this night, the central mystery of the Beautiful Life will once more be ritually played out atop the highest hill, in full view of the stars, as it is done every year, and ever has been, and ever shall be.
The women of the city who are members of the cult--they call themselves the Beautiful--will gather in the the market in answer to the cries and the clash of the timbrels. Others will come as well; Elves, as fellow star-children, will be found in their midst; hangers-on who know of the revelry to come, will wait nearby to follow the procession and join in the celebrations after the mystery ritual is complete; and some few men who have been selected to join in the ritual and the revelry, and who are already swaying, drunk from wine, will have already gathered in the square with the priestesses.
Thus assembled, the entire group will process forth through the city, led by priestesses raising the thyrsus-staves, accompanied by girls bearing jars of wine and of water, all chanting incantations to the Star Goddess and her lover, and banging their timbrels and drums. Any who are to be initiated that night go silently, draped in heavy black robes that hide their features, while those who are already initiated have painted themselves with vibrant colors, and adorned their wrists, arms, ankles and waists with silver and gold while their bodies are decked with robes and dresses of every hue.
"We R Who We R!" sings the procession, proclaiming to themselves and to the world their intent to live to the fullest, to fulfill their own desires, and to love themselves as they are. "Got that glitter on our eyes, stockings all ripped up the sides, looking sick and sexified! ... We're dancing like we're dumb, bodies going numb, we'll be forever young ..."
That, and "Take It Off", singing, "There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around, there's a hole in the wall, it's a dirty free for all ... When the dark of the night comes around, that's the time that the animal comes alive looking for something wild ..."
Singing all the way, the procession of the Beautiful march and dance and sway in wine-drunkenness out from the city, marching through half the night until they come to the place of their secret and sacred rites. This is a hill somewhere in the hinterlands, high enough to be close to the stars, and broad enough at its crest thereon to hold a wild revelry. In the days before, a great bonfire has been built up by the women of the cult; but it remains unlit yet, as the cult gathers atop the hill, and the hangers-on wait beneath the crest, afraid of the consequences of profaning the mysteries with uninitiated eyes. (For indeed, they have heard what happens to those who are too eager to join ... "Cannibal" -- "I eat boys up, breakfast and lunch, then when I'm thirsty, I'll drink their blood ... Carnivore, animal, I am a cannibal, I eat boys up, you better run")
------
The first thing that must be done is the initiation of new members. Before the pyre is lit, in the darkness that represents the darkness of death whence the Star Goddess was born, and shall ever be born again and again until the end of all things, the initiates are brought forward in their black robes. The priestess sings to them ("Rainbow"), singing about needing to emerge from the darkness--"I used to live in the darkness, dress in black, act so heartless; but now I see that colors are everything; got kaleidoscopes in my hairdo, got back the stars in my eyes, too, and now I see the magic inside of me."
In the process of this chant, the priestess removes the black robes, until the initiates stand naked before the cult; then, as the pyre is lit, the Beautiful step forward to paint the initiates' skin with paints of red and blue and every hue, and to adorn them with silver and gold, and to wrap their bodies in brilliant robes, which will all stand forth in full color as the pyrelight climbs higher. The initiates are asked to recite the tenets of the Star Goddess and the Beautiful Life--the answers to these questions are found in a number of songs they would have learned back in the city, and sung to themselves to retain their mysteries.
The tenets are:
First, all that matters is the Beautiful Life--life should be a striving toward transcendence, especially through drinking, dancing, and sex, but really through any activity that fills a body with joy. ("All That Matters (The Beautiful Life")
Secondly, be an Animal and a Warrior--love yourself for who you are, not for who you "should" be (this is essentially a basic tenet of Chaos, so it should be obvious at this point that this is a Chaos cult)
Thirdly, the fulfillment of the Beautiful Life is to find and join with the Lover. There are entire myth and poetic cycles of the Star Goddess and her Lover, reincarnated over and over again through vast epochs, ever seeking each other out. This Lover is usually depicted as a man (or especially as a dragon when the Joy he/it represents is more metaphorical), but sometimes the sexes are reversed, and the Star Goddess is a kind of king over the stars, and her lover is the female moon, pregnant with light ... essentially, any imagery can stand in here; the point is that a soul is reincarnated over and over again until it can finally fulfill itself in the Beautiful Life ... "Past Lives" is the best articulation of this idea ("We were lovers in a past life, I can see it in your green eyes; maybe you were one of my wives in a long lost tribe ...")
Lastly, that fulfillment is in the return to the Stars (whence all souls are born) and thence the rebirth of the Star Goddess and another cycle of new souls seeking the Beautiful Life, best expressed in the song "Spaceship" ("I'm waiting for my spaceship to come back for me ... look up in the sky and there they'll be, I bet you'll think of me ...")
------
Once the initiates have sufficiently expressed their understanding of these mysteries, they step back and join the rest of the Beautiful, and join them in two songs, one "Praying," a prayer that is a rejection of the dominance of the Lawful cults, which they see as constricting the ability of human souls to fulfill the Beautiful Life with all their emphasis on duties, self-restraint, marriage, etc. And then they sing a "Hymn" for themselves, which is a full exaltation in their own Beauty and perfectness as they are, and in their seeking for their own ultimate fulfillment.
And then, of course, they TAKE IT OFF! Wine flows, and is cast into the fire as a sacrifice to the Star Goddess, who looks down in gladness from the stars above; incense is burned, and cannabis and opium imbibed; clothes come off, the drums beat to the beat of the heart, bodies writhe, cries of ekstasis and enthusiasmus are raised to the stars and their eternal light. All inhibitions are forgot. All that occurs here is sanctioned by the Star Goddess; taboos are overturned; only excess is sacred.
It is this point at which the hangers-on ascend to the hilltop, to partake in the revelry, which continues until morning, or even well into the next day and evening. Naturally, there are consequences--legendary hang-overs; men and women dead or mad from wine-sickness; unintended pregnancies. But though Lawful authorities hate these revels, they fear to punish those who return, for fear of the anger of the Goddess and her maenads ... certain tyrants in the past have sought to quash the secret rites, and have then ended up in the midst of the revelries themselves, wine-mad, and finally torn limb from limb by the ekstatic Beautiful ...
This cult being Chaotic, it is entirely reasonable for non-initiated but Chaotic characters to act as hangers-on, to follow the procession out into the hills, and to wait until the mysteries are completed, but then to join in the wild revelry thereafter. I would treat this as carousing, but at double or triple the normal xp for the normal cost, and probably come up with a unique table to roll for failures ... sounds like a future blog post, anyway.
Chaotic women may, of course, also just join the cult as initiates. If they do so, they may attend the revelry, gain triple xp, and not suffer any mishaps (not the first time, at least ...)--and yes, this is a female-only cult. In the future, I may write a secondary male cult--or write up rules for male priests like those of Cybele who would castrate themselves--but for now, the Cult of the Beautiful is women-only.
And obviously, attending these rites in any matter as a non-Chaotic comes with consequences. A character neutral in regard to Law and Chaos who joins in the revelry must thereafter be considered Chaotic--they have fully engaged with the raw energy of Chaos, and though they may not be of the Beautiful, they are now aligned against the Lawful cults. As for Lawfuls to attend the revels and enjoy themselves, that is a serious breach of their own alignment, and they must seek atonement from some character of higher rank within the Lawful cults--and they gain no xp bonuses or alignment benefits from Lawfulness until they atone, as well as some other appropriate penalty, e.g. clerics losing their spells, or a curse laid upon a fighter by his god for his failure.
------
Lastly, I should mention that there is another, rival cult, the House of Gog, whose members call themselves Monsters ... I have little to say concerning this cult at the moment ...
... and there are a couple lesser disciples of such Dionysian revelries and lyric poetry--Katherine of Perrin, and Cyris of Milyta--who are semi-Sapphic, and whose lyrics echo both cults (of the Beautiful Life, and of the House of Gog); and yet neither of which have quite the same following ...
------
I'll probably be coming up with some kind of random table for things one might see/find at a bacchanal of the Cult of the Beautiful, probably along the lines of Jesse Goldshear's Otter Bacchanalia, which is great, and you should check it out! ... but piecing together the tenets of this Ke$ha cult has taken up too much space yet.
 |
| The Star Goddess |
On a certain summer night, when the moon is heavy with light, and the star winds blow and scatter their glimmerings in a great river of light across the sky, the clashing of timbrels and the cries of women in ekstasis will arise in the city. On this night, the central mystery of the Beautiful Life will once more be ritually played out atop the highest hill, in full view of the stars, as it is done every year, and ever has been, and ever shall be.
The women of the city who are members of the cult--they call themselves the Beautiful--will gather in the the market in answer to the cries and the clash of the timbrels. Others will come as well; Elves, as fellow star-children, will be found in their midst; hangers-on who know of the revelry to come, will wait nearby to follow the procession and join in the celebrations after the mystery ritual is complete; and some few men who have been selected to join in the ritual and the revelry, and who are already swaying, drunk from wine, will have already gathered in the square with the priestesses.
Thus assembled, the entire group will process forth through the city, led by priestesses raising the thyrsus-staves, accompanied by girls bearing jars of wine and of water, all chanting incantations to the Star Goddess and her lover, and banging their timbrels and drums. Any who are to be initiated that night go silently, draped in heavy black robes that hide their features, while those who are already initiated have painted themselves with vibrant colors, and adorned their wrists, arms, ankles and waists with silver and gold while their bodies are decked with robes and dresses of every hue.
"We R Who We R!" sings the procession, proclaiming to themselves and to the world their intent to live to the fullest, to fulfill their own desires, and to love themselves as they are. "Got that glitter on our eyes, stockings all ripped up the sides, looking sick and sexified! ... We're dancing like we're dumb, bodies going numb, we'll be forever young ..."
That, and "Take It Off", singing, "There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around, there's a hole in the wall, it's a dirty free for all ... When the dark of the night comes around, that's the time that the animal comes alive looking for something wild ..."
Singing all the way, the procession of the Beautiful march and dance and sway in wine-drunkenness out from the city, marching through half the night until they come to the place of their secret and sacred rites. This is a hill somewhere in the hinterlands, high enough to be close to the stars, and broad enough at its crest thereon to hold a wild revelry. In the days before, a great bonfire has been built up by the women of the cult; but it remains unlit yet, as the cult gathers atop the hill, and the hangers-on wait beneath the crest, afraid of the consequences of profaning the mysteries with uninitiated eyes. (For indeed, they have heard what happens to those who are too eager to join ... "Cannibal" -- "I eat boys up, breakfast and lunch, then when I'm thirsty, I'll drink their blood ... Carnivore, animal, I am a cannibal, I eat boys up, you better run")
------
The first thing that must be done is the initiation of new members. Before the pyre is lit, in the darkness that represents the darkness of death whence the Star Goddess was born, and shall ever be born again and again until the end of all things, the initiates are brought forward in their black robes. The priestess sings to them ("Rainbow"), singing about needing to emerge from the darkness--"I used to live in the darkness, dress in black, act so heartless; but now I see that colors are everything; got kaleidoscopes in my hairdo, got back the stars in my eyes, too, and now I see the magic inside of me."
In the process of this chant, the priestess removes the black robes, until the initiates stand naked before the cult; then, as the pyre is lit, the Beautiful step forward to paint the initiates' skin with paints of red and blue and every hue, and to adorn them with silver and gold, and to wrap their bodies in brilliant robes, which will all stand forth in full color as the pyrelight climbs higher. The initiates are asked to recite the tenets of the Star Goddess and the Beautiful Life--the answers to these questions are found in a number of songs they would have learned back in the city, and sung to themselves to retain their mysteries.
The tenets are:
First, all that matters is the Beautiful Life--life should be a striving toward transcendence, especially through drinking, dancing, and sex, but really through any activity that fills a body with joy. ("All That Matters (The Beautiful Life")
Secondly, be an Animal and a Warrior--love yourself for who you are, not for who you "should" be (this is essentially a basic tenet of Chaos, so it should be obvious at this point that this is a Chaos cult)
Thirdly, the fulfillment of the Beautiful Life is to find and join with the Lover. There are entire myth and poetic cycles of the Star Goddess and her Lover, reincarnated over and over again through vast epochs, ever seeking each other out. This Lover is usually depicted as a man (or especially as a dragon when the Joy he/it represents is more metaphorical), but sometimes the sexes are reversed, and the Star Goddess is a kind of king over the stars, and her lover is the female moon, pregnant with light ... essentially, any imagery can stand in here; the point is that a soul is reincarnated over and over again until it can finally fulfill itself in the Beautiful Life ... "Past Lives" is the best articulation of this idea ("We were lovers in a past life, I can see it in your green eyes; maybe you were one of my wives in a long lost tribe ...")
Lastly, that fulfillment is in the return to the Stars (whence all souls are born) and thence the rebirth of the Star Goddess and another cycle of new souls seeking the Beautiful Life, best expressed in the song "Spaceship" ("I'm waiting for my spaceship to come back for me ... look up in the sky and there they'll be, I bet you'll think of me ...")
------
Once the initiates have sufficiently expressed their understanding of these mysteries, they step back and join the rest of the Beautiful, and join them in two songs, one "Praying," a prayer that is a rejection of the dominance of the Lawful cults, which they see as constricting the ability of human souls to fulfill the Beautiful Life with all their emphasis on duties, self-restraint, marriage, etc. And then they sing a "Hymn" for themselves, which is a full exaltation in their own Beauty and perfectness as they are, and in their seeking for their own ultimate fulfillment.
And then, of course, they TAKE IT OFF! Wine flows, and is cast into the fire as a sacrifice to the Star Goddess, who looks down in gladness from the stars above; incense is burned, and cannabis and opium imbibed; clothes come off, the drums beat to the beat of the heart, bodies writhe, cries of ekstasis and enthusiasmus are raised to the stars and their eternal light. All inhibitions are forgot. All that occurs here is sanctioned by the Star Goddess; taboos are overturned; only excess is sacred.
It is this point at which the hangers-on ascend to the hilltop, to partake in the revelry, which continues until morning, or even well into the next day and evening. Naturally, there are consequences--legendary hang-overs; men and women dead or mad from wine-sickness; unintended pregnancies. But though Lawful authorities hate these revels, they fear to punish those who return, for fear of the anger of the Goddess and her maenads ... certain tyrants in the past have sought to quash the secret rites, and have then ended up in the midst of the revelries themselves, wine-mad, and finally torn limb from limb by the ekstatic Beautiful ...
 |
| A man being torn apart by bacchantes (Tiresias, actually) |
This cult being Chaotic, it is entirely reasonable for non-initiated but Chaotic characters to act as hangers-on, to follow the procession out into the hills, and to wait until the mysteries are completed, but then to join in the wild revelry thereafter. I would treat this as carousing, but at double or triple the normal xp for the normal cost, and probably come up with a unique table to roll for failures ... sounds like a future blog post, anyway.
Chaotic women may, of course, also just join the cult as initiates. If they do so, they may attend the revelry, gain triple xp, and not suffer any mishaps (not the first time, at least ...)--and yes, this is a female-only cult. In the future, I may write a secondary male cult--or write up rules for male priests like those of Cybele who would castrate themselves--but for now, the Cult of the Beautiful is women-only.
And obviously, attending these rites in any matter as a non-Chaotic comes with consequences. A character neutral in regard to Law and Chaos who joins in the revelry must thereafter be considered Chaotic--they have fully engaged with the raw energy of Chaos, and though they may not be of the Beautiful, they are now aligned against the Lawful cults. As for Lawfuls to attend the revels and enjoy themselves, that is a serious breach of their own alignment, and they must seek atonement from some character of higher rank within the Lawful cults--and they gain no xp bonuses or alignment benefits from Lawfulness until they atone, as well as some other appropriate penalty, e.g. clerics losing their spells, or a curse laid upon a fighter by his god for his failure.
------
Lastly, I should mention that there is another, rival cult, the House of Gog, whose members call themselves Monsters ... I have little to say concerning this cult at the moment ...
... and there are a couple lesser disciples of such Dionysian revelries and lyric poetry--Katherine of Perrin, and Cyris of Milyta--who are semi-Sapphic, and whose lyrics echo both cults (of the Beautiful Life, and of the House of Gog); and yet neither of which have quite the same following ...
------
I'll probably be coming up with some kind of random table for things one might see/find at a bacchanal of the Cult of the Beautiful, probably along the lines of Jesse Goldshear's Otter Bacchanalia, which is great, and you should check it out! ... but piecing together the tenets of this Ke$ha cult has taken up too much space yet.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Some Local Color ... a Sketch of Brakeridge
The town of Brakeridge lies in the southern marches of the realm ruled by Vialar (self-styled "the Good," but colloquially known as "the Cruel"), a realm which is a remnant of the wider kingdom once ruled by the old Bronding Kings. To the east of Brakeridge by about three days' travel lies the Greyhame Mountain Dungeon, contained within the southern spur of Greyhame Mountain itself, and an object of much interest in the past few months as adventurers have once again begun expeditioning within its depths with some regularity, unearthing ancient treasures.
Despite its name, Brakeridge actually lies mostly beneath the Oak Ridge and to the south of it, a height that was anciently lined with ancient oaks and other trees, but which stands mostly naked of trees in these latter days. From atop the Oak Ridge, the aptly named Oakridge Castle overlooks the town, the castle being the seat of the local overlord.
To the south, across the Whetstone River (not the river fed by the Brokenbrand Falls, for those curious) and about two days' travel on foot, the village of Kallia and surrounding farmlands sprawl through the valleys, also subject to the local lord of Oakridge Castle. Meanwhile, north along the trade road, about a week away at most, the nearest neighbor of civilization is the walled town of Bardastead, a freetown with a charter, ruled over by a council of its own aldermen (still subject to Vialar, of course).
If one were to travel further north, one would cross through a pass and ultimately come into the personal demesne of Vialar under King's Mountain; or, taking the southern trade road beyond Kallia, one would ultimately end up in the southern city-state of Calpurnia (where my other game is "home-based"), or even ultimately find oneself in the original city-state with my first megadungeon, the Catacombs.
And to the east, across the wall of north-south mountains of which the Greyhame is a part, lies the vast and mysterious forest of the Dwimmerholt, wooded realm of Elfin queens, werewolves, and the semi-barbarous tribes of the Getae, who were driven thence by the victorious arms of the Brondings.
------
As of this writing, Morholt remains the local overlord in Oakridge Castle--and yet, he is a usurper, no legitimate heir to the seat of power. The rightful lord, one Albrecht, died some months before the renewed interest of adventurers in the Greyhame Mountain Dungeons; and in a surprise move, Morholt, who had heretofore been a trusted captain, with a small army of mercenaries seized both the castle and Albrecht's widow, the Lady Sonora.
Installing himself as lord, Morholt has made it known that he intends to marry Sonora and thus appropriate the lordship of the castle both physically and legally. However, Sonora continues to resist, and thus continues to be imprisoned in the keep; and it is said that Morholt is in seek of a philter of love, that he might arrange the marriage without the legal trouble of coercion.
Considering these events, the local populace is rather disgruntled, as they thought Albrecht a just lord and the lady Sonora a woman of excellent taste in the arranging of feasts. A delegation of villagers was sent to Vialar in the north to complain, but nothing has been heard back from them, and as Morholt continues to send tribute, there seems little hope that Vialar should care to intervene. Moreover, because Morholt is an avid hunter and an great carouser and feaster, the cost of his lordship has lain heavily on the people he taxes, and the people are suffering under his avaricious demands.
------
Within the town itself are a few places of interest:
the "Citadel" -- a watchtower, part of what was going to be a wall around Brakeridge to help better incorporate the township; the tower remains, but the walls were pulled down by Morholt's mercenaries, as he feared the rising of the locals against his usurpation. Moreover, Morholt has disbanded the local fyrd/militia, and stocked the watchtower with a company of his own mercenaries, who supposedly keep watch and keep the peace, but who more often abuse and fine townsfolk with little reason. The tower is called "the Citadel" as a kind of local joke, it being the only fortification within town, and yet still only a simple thing.
the Brokenoak Inn -- the oldest inn establishment in town, the Brokenoak is a long meadhall in imitation of the old Bronding halls, complete with an oak standing in the center as a support pillar for the center of the roof, and a dais with an honorseat (reserved for special occasions or special guests). The oak, as the name suggests, is broken--of old, a lightning bolt blasted off the top limbs, leaving a kind of pillar, around which the inn was subsequently built. Cheap fares net a guest a shut-bed in the hall; guests with more coin, however, can reserve a room in one of the outbuildings around the hall itself.
John's Place -- a simple watering hole for both locals and for the merchants and traders coming and going on the north-south trade road. There always seem to be men and women here looking for rough work, either mercenaries or laborers willing to port treasure out of a dungeon for a fee; also, the trade in war dogs along the north-south road is strangely constant, probably fed in part by Morholt's and other lords' obsession with hunting, so there are war dogs available for sale here weekly.
the Black Dragon's Meed -- (and note well the pun on "meed: reward/recompense"/"mead: alcohol from fermented honey"!) a new inn in town and a perfect place for adventurers to rent rooms and to carouse after their delves beneath the dungeon. The proprietors are Sten, a veteran halfling adventurer, and Henry, a magic-user of some repute. They may have information, advice, or perhaps even magic available for those with enough coin ...
the Shrine of Saint Ursula -- another new structure in town, built by the higher level cleric Lailith and dedicated to her Lawful Good cult of Saint Ursula, a kind of dual-deity by accident: because of the name and some of the imagery of the cult, the local people have taken Ursula to be a mother-bear goddess; which is not inappropriate, considering that the saint is one known for her especial protection of mothers and children. Lailith offers regular healing services to the local populace, and is also capable of raising dead characters back to life for the paltry sum of 300 gold (her fee as of this writing).
the Shrine of Adonai -- the newest (as of this writing) structure in town, right now a humble wooden image off to the side of the village green. This Adonai is another Lawful Good god, a god of justice, carved as a kingly figure with a sword in his lap, pouring out drink from a horn with his right hand. The image was raised by Aetheulwulf, a newly minted paladin and a delver into the Greyhame Mountain Dungeon.
the Shrine of Peoni -- (yes, I stole this goddess from Harn) the shrine of the local farmers and townsfolk, dedicated to Peoni, a goddess of growth, fertility, healing, and the simple life. Alas, the priesthood here is not capable of any great healing, other than ministering to wounds with mundane poultices; there is probably little of direct interest for adventurers here, other than the fact that local dissidents occasionally use the shrine as a kind of sanctuary place to meet in secret and discuss their hatred of Morholt ...
Thorgir's Smithy -- the local smithy and sometimes armory for the old fyrd; Thorgir and his apprentices, Aldir, Tess, and Freygir, are capable of seeing to the community's need for such mundanities as horseshoes and barrel-hoops, but also of forging simple arms like spearheads, arrowheads, shield-bosses, helms, etc. They once supplied the Brakeridge fyrd/militia; now they supply adventurers; and though they cannot make better swords and armors, they do buy them from passing merchants and resell them at their shop, meaning that adventurers can purchase anything from the B/X equipment lists in town.
Despite its name, Brakeridge actually lies mostly beneath the Oak Ridge and to the south of it, a height that was anciently lined with ancient oaks and other trees, but which stands mostly naked of trees in these latter days. From atop the Oak Ridge, the aptly named Oakridge Castle overlooks the town, the castle being the seat of the local overlord.
To the south, across the Whetstone River (not the river fed by the Brokenbrand Falls, for those curious) and about two days' travel on foot, the village of Kallia and surrounding farmlands sprawl through the valleys, also subject to the local lord of Oakridge Castle. Meanwhile, north along the trade road, about a week away at most, the nearest neighbor of civilization is the walled town of Bardastead, a freetown with a charter, ruled over by a council of its own aldermen (still subject to Vialar, of course).
If one were to travel further north, one would cross through a pass and ultimately come into the personal demesne of Vialar under King's Mountain; or, taking the southern trade road beyond Kallia, one would ultimately end up in the southern city-state of Calpurnia (where my other game is "home-based"), or even ultimately find oneself in the original city-state with my first megadungeon, the Catacombs.
And to the east, across the wall of north-south mountains of which the Greyhame is a part, lies the vast and mysterious forest of the Dwimmerholt, wooded realm of Elfin queens, werewolves, and the semi-barbarous tribes of the Getae, who were driven thence by the victorious arms of the Brondings.
------
As of this writing, Morholt remains the local overlord in Oakridge Castle--and yet, he is a usurper, no legitimate heir to the seat of power. The rightful lord, one Albrecht, died some months before the renewed interest of adventurers in the Greyhame Mountain Dungeons; and in a surprise move, Morholt, who had heretofore been a trusted captain, with a small army of mercenaries seized both the castle and Albrecht's widow, the Lady Sonora.
Installing himself as lord, Morholt has made it known that he intends to marry Sonora and thus appropriate the lordship of the castle both physically and legally. However, Sonora continues to resist, and thus continues to be imprisoned in the keep; and it is said that Morholt is in seek of a philter of love, that he might arrange the marriage without the legal trouble of coercion.
Considering these events, the local populace is rather disgruntled, as they thought Albrecht a just lord and the lady Sonora a woman of excellent taste in the arranging of feasts. A delegation of villagers was sent to Vialar in the north to complain, but nothing has been heard back from them, and as Morholt continues to send tribute, there seems little hope that Vialar should care to intervene. Moreover, because Morholt is an avid hunter and an great carouser and feaster, the cost of his lordship has lain heavily on the people he taxes, and the people are suffering under his avaricious demands.
------
Within the town itself are a few places of interest:
the "Citadel" -- a watchtower, part of what was going to be a wall around Brakeridge to help better incorporate the township; the tower remains, but the walls were pulled down by Morholt's mercenaries, as he feared the rising of the locals against his usurpation. Moreover, Morholt has disbanded the local fyrd/militia, and stocked the watchtower with a company of his own mercenaries, who supposedly keep watch and keep the peace, but who more often abuse and fine townsfolk with little reason. The tower is called "the Citadel" as a kind of local joke, it being the only fortification within town, and yet still only a simple thing.
the Brokenoak Inn -- the oldest inn establishment in town, the Brokenoak is a long meadhall in imitation of the old Bronding halls, complete with an oak standing in the center as a support pillar for the center of the roof, and a dais with an honorseat (reserved for special occasions or special guests). The oak, as the name suggests, is broken--of old, a lightning bolt blasted off the top limbs, leaving a kind of pillar, around which the inn was subsequently built. Cheap fares net a guest a shut-bed in the hall; guests with more coin, however, can reserve a room in one of the outbuildings around the hall itself.
John's Place -- a simple watering hole for both locals and for the merchants and traders coming and going on the north-south trade road. There always seem to be men and women here looking for rough work, either mercenaries or laborers willing to port treasure out of a dungeon for a fee; also, the trade in war dogs along the north-south road is strangely constant, probably fed in part by Morholt's and other lords' obsession with hunting, so there are war dogs available for sale here weekly.
the Black Dragon's Meed -- (and note well the pun on "meed: reward/recompense"/"mead: alcohol from fermented honey"!) a new inn in town and a perfect place for adventurers to rent rooms and to carouse after their delves beneath the dungeon. The proprietors are Sten, a veteran halfling adventurer, and Henry, a magic-user of some repute. They may have information, advice, or perhaps even magic available for those with enough coin ...
the Shrine of Saint Ursula -- another new structure in town, built by the higher level cleric Lailith and dedicated to her Lawful Good cult of Saint Ursula, a kind of dual-deity by accident: because of the name and some of the imagery of the cult, the local people have taken Ursula to be a mother-bear goddess; which is not inappropriate, considering that the saint is one known for her especial protection of mothers and children. Lailith offers regular healing services to the local populace, and is also capable of raising dead characters back to life for the paltry sum of 300 gold (her fee as of this writing).
the Shrine of Adonai -- the newest (as of this writing) structure in town, right now a humble wooden image off to the side of the village green. This Adonai is another Lawful Good god, a god of justice, carved as a kingly figure with a sword in his lap, pouring out drink from a horn with his right hand. The image was raised by Aetheulwulf, a newly minted paladin and a delver into the Greyhame Mountain Dungeon.
the Shrine of Peoni -- (yes, I stole this goddess from Harn) the shrine of the local farmers and townsfolk, dedicated to Peoni, a goddess of growth, fertility, healing, and the simple life. Alas, the priesthood here is not capable of any great healing, other than ministering to wounds with mundane poultices; there is probably little of direct interest for adventurers here, other than the fact that local dissidents occasionally use the shrine as a kind of sanctuary place to meet in secret and discuss their hatred of Morholt ...
Thorgir's Smithy -- the local smithy and sometimes armory for the old fyrd; Thorgir and his apprentices, Aldir, Tess, and Freygir, are capable of seeing to the community's need for such mundanities as horseshoes and barrel-hoops, but also of forging simple arms like spearheads, arrowheads, shield-bosses, helms, etc. They once supplied the Brakeridge fyrd/militia; now they supply adventurers; and though they cannot make better swords and armors, they do buy them from passing merchants and resell them at their shop, meaning that adventurers can purchase anything from the B/X equipment lists in town.
Friday, November 24, 2017
Phantasmal Warriors
 |
| Those blue dudes up to the left are Phantom Warriors, defending a Sorcery Node; later-game they'd be joined by Phantom Beasts ... |
In keeping with the idea of transposing Master of Magic monsters into D&D, I've always thought Phantom Warriors would be great, so here goes.
These guys are like mirror images that can also fight. They strike with phantom weapons that ignore armor, allowing them to hit often, and yet themselves being insubstantial, a single hit destroys one figure.
I figure there are two ways to look at these, one as monsters, the other as a spell:
Phantasmal Warriors (the monster)
No. Appearing 3-18
AC 9
hp "1" (any "hit" kills it)
THAC0 19
damage 1-6
movement 120'
special: all hits by phantasmal warriors ignore physical armor, striking both an unarmored man and a character in plate as if AC 9; BUT dexterity adjustments and magical bonuses to armor still count as AC against these attacks
Phantasmal Warriors (the spell)
level 4
range 1 (allied) creature
duration 6 turns
2-7 phantasmal representations of the target creature appear, randomly armed and armored. Each "phantom" is allowed one attack per round at THAC0 19 (but treating natural or worn armor as AC 9; dexterity adjustments and magical bonuses to armor still apply to this AC), doing 1-6 damage; furthermore, each "phantom" is struck as if AC 9, and any "hit", regardless of damage, dissipates the "phantom" thus struck
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Greyhame Mountain Dungeon Expedition 10
Orcs have returned to the caverns of the Glimmervaults;
the Goblin King and the Lord of Werewolves have renewed their ancient alliance beneath the Howling Tower;
and the secret treasury of the ancient Bronding Kings is said to lie somewhere behind the Brokenbrand Falls, haunted by enchanting naiads ...
the Goblin King and the Lord of Werewolves have renewed their ancient alliance beneath the Howling Tower;
and the secret treasury of the ancient Bronding Kings is said to lie somewhere behind the Brokenbrand Falls, haunted by enchanting naiads ...
...
and Jaer the Windlord is said to look down on the world below from the Eyries of the Eagles on Greyhame Mountain itself ...
21 November's roster:
Baby Face (thief 3)
with Wheskers the Weasel, Wilmander the Weasel, Frita (normal woman), Hughbert the Peacock (normal man)
Blackleaf (Elf 1)
with Johann Haybaler (normal man) and Dol (normal man, former fyrdman)
Finbar (half-Elf druid 1)
with Dorcas Kurlsdotr (normal woman) and Rubadub-dub (mastiff)
Little Bob (traveling man 3)
with Rolf Rolfson (normal man) and two dogs (I forget their names)
So, a full party ...
Baby Face's player showed up first, so he, as a thief, went and did a job for the local guild. He went "carousing" (per the ACKS rules ... basically rumormongering for his boss), succeeded at his "hear noise" roll, and learned that the rumors that Morholt, local lord, was seeking a love potion to coerce the widow of the former lord Albrecht to marry himself (to legitimate Morholt's claim to power), were true. Baby Face's guild handler thanked him for the news, paid him 50 gold; and then Baby Face paid off the 1000 gold he owed the guild with money earned last session.
(Concerning the guild, Baby Face also learned both that the guild is headquartered in Bardastead, a town a couple days north of Brakeridge; and also that the guild is considering a heist of Oakridge Castle, Morholt's seat of power, at some time soon in the future ...)
A snake-killing weasel, a mastiff, and all six hirelings were snapped up by characters prior to the expedition ... also, Baby Face and Blackleaf each bought a "dose" of Elfin willow bark (said to be healing, entry 10 here), while Finbar bought a piece of a dragon heart (said to allow one to comprehend languages, entry 2 here).
The town-game finished, everyone finally agreed to head to the Howling Tower, where a former expedition had revealed treasure and an evil spirit on the third floor (the top floor). They then all bought some last-minute holy water, and then set out ...
During the first night (using my new "concrete" wilderness attrition rules), a freak storm wrecked/destroyed a week of rations, a dagger, and 12 arrows. Beyond that, the journey to the Howling Tower was unremarkable, other than continuing rain.
Outside the tower, the party observed a couple eagles circling above, and the remnants of a large pyre. Investigating the pyre, the party found larger-than-man-sized bones, plus a pair of canine-seeming skeletons, all burned together. They presumed this to be the pyre of Begor and his two wolves; Finbar collected a large blackened femur from within.
At the door into the tower, the party managed to hear human voices and panting canines; throwing open the door successfully, they surprised a pair of ragged-looking humans (one man, one woman), and five wolves. Blackleaf cast sleep over the wolves, Finbar cast animal friendship over one of the wolves (turns out it takes 6 turns to cast! so he was out of the combat); and the rest of the party attacked, assuming these two to be werewolves. They did a bunch of damage with missiles and melee, and killed the woman; the man, winning the next initiative, transformed with a howl into a wolf-man, but missed his attack with a sword he carried; and the next round, Baby Face slew him with a silver arrow to the heart.
Searching the bodies, the party found a goodly amount in jewelry in a cloak and brooch, and a dangling gold necklace on the two humans; and after 5 more turns (50 minutes!), no wandering monsters appeared, and Finbar's spell went off successfully, basically charming a wolf (there was one other survivor; it agreed after a speak with animals spell also from Finbar to accompany the party with its surviving companion ... Finbar named these wolves Walter and Heisenberg, because their names were otherwise unrememberable howls).
With these two wolves added to their number, the party headed south and west to where they knew the stairs led up to the second level of the tower. They passed the baboons crouching there easily, as Finbar with the last moments of his speak with animals spell asked permission, plus giving the blackened femur to a baboon who then proclaimed himself "king". (another runtish baboon came after Finbar, begging, and received only a ratty dress stripped from the dead werewolf woman above)
Upstairs, the party decided to explore the entire second floor before seeking the treasure of the spirit on the top floor; searching around, they ultimately entered into a room with a great throne against an eastern wall, on which crouched a huge ape with a hoplite helm, ill-fitting gloves, and a sword slung awkwardly over his broad shoulders (and there were two white apes nearby, picking nits). When this ape saw Blackleaf carrying a burning lantern, he went wild and mimed his desire for fire in his hearth. (I got to roleplay an ape here, and it was fantastic ... having more apes in my game is just the best)
The party lit a fire in the ape-king's hearth, and he got all enthusiastic, burning a torch in it, all enamored of his fire. He then gave the party his helmet and his gauntlets in gratitude. Slapping his breast, he declared himself, Okok!
The party then continued to explore, and found an empty room that when they searched actually held a silver wine service and a gilt sword; and then they filled the map of the second level and found an area that seemed secret, and ultimately found a secret door back in Okok's throne room. Within was a great horde of thousands of silver and copper pieces, plus a few valuable items. The characters managed to give Okok 2 chests of copper in exchange for his sword, which turned out to be a waterfall sword ...
The second level explored, the party then advanced to the top floor (third level) and sought out the chamber with the bricked-over hearth and the body behind it whence issued the terrible spirit. They found the chamber as they remembered, and again from the body issued a smoky spirit-figure, which filled the room with a supernatural chill. It advanced, and the party threw a volley of holy water at it, enough of which struck that the thing hissed and flinched. Ultimately, the spirit got one attack, which it missed, and then was destroyed by the constant volley of holy water which destroyed it; and then the party found a horde of several thousand gold, plus a number of gems and magical items on the knightly corpse that had been trapped behind the hearth.
And the eerie howling of the Howling Tower ceased, and all was suddenly, eerily silent.
Exploring the rest of the third level, the party also found a cistern, a library with several valuable and magical writings, and a shrine to Chaos and the Elf-goddess Astora, Queen of Stars; and came out with even more treasure.
Thus, the entire Howling Tower (above ground) explored, the party elected to return to town. They skirmished with some goblins during the first night (and lost a dagger, 12 arrows, a week of rations, a shield, and Baby Face took 2 damage); and then on the last night back, a baboon (animal encounter) walked off with a dagger (just one attrition die was rolled for ... this was clearly the same runtish baboon mentioned above, which vaguely wishes to overthrow the new "king").
Back in town, the party found that they had acquired three magic swords, a magic staff, two potions, and three magic scrolls, and a spell-book, all in addition to the monetary treasure they had emerged with. This was the best haul yet dragged out of the Greyhame Mountain Dungeon! (But I can assure that there is much more treasure throughout, still waiting to be claimed ...)
During carousing at the Black Dragon's Meed and around, Little Bob managed to cause a minor misunderstanding with the law for himself, and paid the guard off without going to the Oakridge dungeons ... but meanwhile, Blackleaf got seriously black-out drunk and did something so bad that she owed 6000 gold to the law, or she would be imprisoned in the castle-dungeon; and yet, at the last moment, a shady thief-type character appeared and offered to pay the majority of the fines, if Blackleaf would only be in debt to the guild ...
------
Remembrance for the Fallen
Orion II (lion dog), Bacon (boar hound), Tore (half-orc fighter 1/cleric 1), Jimmy the Snitch (dog), Orion (lion dog), Harambe (man-ape 1)
21 November's roster:
Baby Face (thief 3)
with Wheskers the Weasel, Wilmander the Weasel, Frita (normal woman), Hughbert the Peacock (normal man)
Blackleaf (Elf 1)
with Johann Haybaler (normal man) and Dol (normal man, former fyrdman)
Finbar (half-Elf druid 1)
with Dorcas Kurlsdotr (normal woman) and Rubadub-dub (mastiff)
Little Bob (traveling man 3)
with Rolf Rolfson (normal man) and two dogs (I forget their names)
So, a full party ...
Baby Face's player showed up first, so he, as a thief, went and did a job for the local guild. He went "carousing" (per the ACKS rules ... basically rumormongering for his boss), succeeded at his "hear noise" roll, and learned that the rumors that Morholt, local lord, was seeking a love potion to coerce the widow of the former lord Albrecht to marry himself (to legitimate Morholt's claim to power), were true. Baby Face's guild handler thanked him for the news, paid him 50 gold; and then Baby Face paid off the 1000 gold he owed the guild with money earned last session.
(Concerning the guild, Baby Face also learned both that the guild is headquartered in Bardastead, a town a couple days north of Brakeridge; and also that the guild is considering a heist of Oakridge Castle, Morholt's seat of power, at some time soon in the future ...)
A snake-killing weasel, a mastiff, and all six hirelings were snapped up by characters prior to the expedition ... also, Baby Face and Blackleaf each bought a "dose" of Elfin willow bark (said to be healing, entry 10 here), while Finbar bought a piece of a dragon heart (said to allow one to comprehend languages, entry 2 here).
The town-game finished, everyone finally agreed to head to the Howling Tower, where a former expedition had revealed treasure and an evil spirit on the third floor (the top floor). They then all bought some last-minute holy water, and then set out ...
During the first night (using my new "concrete" wilderness attrition rules), a freak storm wrecked/destroyed a week of rations, a dagger, and 12 arrows. Beyond that, the journey to the Howling Tower was unremarkable, other than continuing rain.
Outside the tower, the party observed a couple eagles circling above, and the remnants of a large pyre. Investigating the pyre, the party found larger-than-man-sized bones, plus a pair of canine-seeming skeletons, all burned together. They presumed this to be the pyre of Begor and his two wolves; Finbar collected a large blackened femur from within.
At the door into the tower, the party managed to hear human voices and panting canines; throwing open the door successfully, they surprised a pair of ragged-looking humans (one man, one woman), and five wolves. Blackleaf cast sleep over the wolves, Finbar cast animal friendship over one of the wolves (turns out it takes 6 turns to cast! so he was out of the combat); and the rest of the party attacked, assuming these two to be werewolves. They did a bunch of damage with missiles and melee, and killed the woman; the man, winning the next initiative, transformed with a howl into a wolf-man, but missed his attack with a sword he carried; and the next round, Baby Face slew him with a silver arrow to the heart.
 |
| The wolf-man's form, right before he was slain by a silver arrow ... |
Searching the bodies, the party found a goodly amount in jewelry in a cloak and brooch, and a dangling gold necklace on the two humans; and after 5 more turns (50 minutes!), no wandering monsters appeared, and Finbar's spell went off successfully, basically charming a wolf (there was one other survivor; it agreed after a speak with animals spell also from Finbar to accompany the party with its surviving companion ... Finbar named these wolves Walter and Heisenberg, because their names were otherwise unrememberable howls).
With these two wolves added to their number, the party headed south and west to where they knew the stairs led up to the second level of the tower. They passed the baboons crouching there easily, as Finbar with the last moments of his speak with animals spell asked permission, plus giving the blackened femur to a baboon who then proclaimed himself "king". (another runtish baboon came after Finbar, begging, and received only a ratty dress stripped from the dead werewolf woman above)
Upstairs, the party decided to explore the entire second floor before seeking the treasure of the spirit on the top floor; searching around, they ultimately entered into a room with a great throne against an eastern wall, on which crouched a huge ape with a hoplite helm, ill-fitting gloves, and a sword slung awkwardly over his broad shoulders (and there were two white apes nearby, picking nits). When this ape saw Blackleaf carrying a burning lantern, he went wild and mimed his desire for fire in his hearth. (I got to roleplay an ape here, and it was fantastic ... having more apes in my game is just the best)
 |
| Okok was shamelessly based on King Louis, I won't lie |
The party lit a fire in the ape-king's hearth, and he got all enthusiastic, burning a torch in it, all enamored of his fire. He then gave the party his helmet and his gauntlets in gratitude. Slapping his breast, he declared himself, Okok!
The party then continued to explore, and found an empty room that when they searched actually held a silver wine service and a gilt sword; and then they filled the map of the second level and found an area that seemed secret, and ultimately found a secret door back in Okok's throne room. Within was a great horde of thousands of silver and copper pieces, plus a few valuable items. The characters managed to give Okok 2 chests of copper in exchange for his sword, which turned out to be a waterfall sword ...
The second level explored, the party then advanced to the top floor (third level) and sought out the chamber with the bricked-over hearth and the body behind it whence issued the terrible spirit. They found the chamber as they remembered, and again from the body issued a smoky spirit-figure, which filled the room with a supernatural chill. It advanced, and the party threw a volley of holy water at it, enough of which struck that the thing hissed and flinched. Ultimately, the spirit got one attack, which it missed, and then was destroyed by the constant volley of holy water which destroyed it; and then the party found a horde of several thousand gold, plus a number of gems and magical items on the knightly corpse that had been trapped behind the hearth.
And the eerie howling of the Howling Tower ceased, and all was suddenly, eerily silent.
Exploring the rest of the third level, the party also found a cistern, a library with several valuable and magical writings, and a shrine to Chaos and the Elf-goddess Astora, Queen of Stars; and came out with even more treasure.
Thus, the entire Howling Tower (above ground) explored, the party elected to return to town. They skirmished with some goblins during the first night (and lost a dagger, 12 arrows, a week of rations, a shield, and Baby Face took 2 damage); and then on the last night back, a baboon (animal encounter) walked off with a dagger (just one attrition die was rolled for ... this was clearly the same runtish baboon mentioned above, which vaguely wishes to overthrow the new "king").
Back in town, the party found that they had acquired three magic swords, a magic staff, two potions, and three magic scrolls, and a spell-book, all in addition to the monetary treasure they had emerged with. This was the best haul yet dragged out of the Greyhame Mountain Dungeon! (But I can assure that there is much more treasure throughout, still waiting to be claimed ...)
During carousing at the Black Dragon's Meed and around, Little Bob managed to cause a minor misunderstanding with the law for himself, and paid the guard off without going to the Oakridge dungeons ... but meanwhile, Blackleaf got seriously black-out drunk and did something so bad that she owed 6000 gold to the law, or she would be imprisoned in the castle-dungeon; and yet, at the last moment, a shady thief-type character appeared and offered to pay the majority of the fines, if Blackleaf would only be in debt to the guild ...
------
Remembrance for the Fallen
Orion II (lion dog), Bacon (boar hound), Tore (half-orc fighter 1/cleric 1), Jimmy the Snitch (dog), Orion (lion dog), Harambe (man-ape 1)
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Eating a Dragon Heart
 |
| Sigurd/Siegfried sucks his thumb after burning it while cooking Fafnir's heart--he is about to understand birdspeech ... |
[after slaying the dragon Fafnir] ... Therewith Sigurd cut out the heart of the worm with the sword called Ridil; but Regin drank of Fafnir's blood, and spake, "Grant me a boon, and do a thing little for thee to do. Bear the heart to the fire, and roast it, and give me thereof to eat."
Then Sigurd went his ways and roasted it on a rod; and when the blood bubbled out he laid his finger thereon to essay it, if it were fully done; and then he set his finger in his mouth, and lo, when the heart-blood of the worm touched his tongue, straightway he knew the voice of all fowls, and heard withal how the wood-peckers chattered in the brake beside him--
"There sittest thou, Sigurd, roasting Fafnir's heart for another, that thou shouldest eat thine ownself, and then thou shouldest become the wisest of all men."
And another spake: "There lies Regin, minded to beguile the man who trusts in him."
But yet again said the third, "Let him smite the head from off him then, and be only lord of all that gold."
And once more the fourth spake and said, "Ah, the wiser were he if he followed after that good counsel, and rode thereafter to Fafnir's lair, and took to him that mighty treasure that lieth there, and then rode over Hindfell, whereas sleeps Brynhild; for there would he get great wisdom. Ah, wise he were, if he did after your redes, and bethought him of his own weal; 'for where wolf's ears are, wolf's teeth are near.'"
Then cried the fifth: "Yea, yea, not so wise is he as I deem him, if he spareth him whose brother he hath slain already."
At last spake the sixth: "Handy and good rede to slay him, and be lord of the treasure!"
Then said Sigurd, "The time is unborn wherein Regin shall be my bane; nay, rather one road shall both these brothers fare."
And therewith he drew his sword Gram and struck off Regin's head. ...
("Chapter XIX: Of the Slaying of Regin, Son of Hreidmar", The Volsung Saga, translated by William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson, 1888, retrieved online from Sacred Texts)
------
Drawing from this instance of Sigurd/Siegfried gaining magical knowledge from the heart of Fafnir (not a true dragon, you might say, being a dwarf transformed by curse into a worm, but bah! a dragon I call him) ... and also from the parallel story of Finn cooking the Salmon of Knowledge, burning his thumb on it, sucking his thumb, and thus gaining knowledge ... in my game, eating the heart of a dragon earns a character magical wisdom, strength, lore, or other strange powers.
Several dragons have been killed over the course of the years, and several hearts eaten, and several powers/advantages gained ... and once I even got a player (my wife!) rolling her eyes at bonuses to her character's attributes, a most coveted use of the wish spell in the ancient days--and she just rolled her eyes! D&D players--you just can't please 'em.
Anyway, for dragon hearts I use a d12 table, because I like the variety without it being overboard. A friend of mine who took to B/X D&D with alacrity and who has hosted a longstanding campaign when I wish to play, took my table and ran with it, adding all kinds of bells and whistles, with saves, percentile dice, etc.--and my characters have taken advantage, believe it well, when we have slain dragons in his game--but I retain the simple d12 table for my game. (Actually, several ... I keep losing them)
So here's the current incarnation:
Eating a Dragon Heart
1 - comprehend languages at will
2 - 1 first level spell, determined at random; can be used even by a character in armor, like an Elf
3 - 1 second level spell, determined at random; can be used even by a character in armor
4 - (1-2) +1 Strength, (3-4) +1 Dexterity, (5-6) +1 Constitution
5 - (1-2) +1 Intelligence, (3-4) +1 Wisdom, (5) +1 INT, +1 Charisma, (6) +1 WIS, +1 CHA
6 - dragon skin, -1 AC, -1 reactions
7 - dragon awe, +1 reactions, enemy Morale -1
8 - dragon power, +1 to hit, +1 to damage
9 - dragon eyes, +1 reactions, charm person 1/day
10 - +1 STR, DEX, CON, max 18
11 - +1 INT, WIS, CHA, max 18
12 - 1 first and 1 second level spell, determined randomly, may be cast by armored characters
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