| Saturday February 28th, 2004, San Diego, CA |
|
|
| WHO |
| PCs: (Master
Summary) |
|
Name |
XP |
DEX |
SPD |
SPD Chart |
| $ Ayden Hrdaled |
0 |
15 |
5 |
12 |
|
|
3 |
|
5 |
|
|
8 |
|
10 |
|
|
Good night for Ayden. He
was very active during parts and started
showing signs of being a major asset to the
group. |
| $ Fyrclian Bergansen |
1 |
17 |
3 |
12 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
|
Not as strong tonight in
my opinion, but the rest of the group when I
put it to a vote indicated that Fyrclian
deserved a point but not Ayden. I went with
the majority on this, but personally felt
the opposite. Had some good dialougue with
Kaenha, but was easily trapped by him into
admitting her guilt in the attacking of the
outlanders last session. |
| @ Hrani "Refskegg" Thrarinnsson |
.5 |
17 |
4 |
12 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
6 |
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
Pretty good night of
play. Had some really good bits.
Unfortunately, he always seems to loose out
to Thrymri in the players attentions. |
| / Kjar Kvaransen |
1 |
11 |
3 |
12 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
|
Good stuff tonight, had
some good interaction. The player was very
active in following up on opportunities to
play up several of his Disadvantages, even
though the character was "quiet" most of the
time. |
| - Rogate Turvoldsen |
1 |
17 |
4 |
12 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
6 |
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
Solid work tonight. This
is the players best character to date in the
2 or 3 years he's been gaming in my group.
I'm really happy with the direction the
player is taking with this character and am
very interested in seeing where it goes. Was
very active in this session, and helped
shape events by his actions. |
| / Saemund Magnussun |
2 |
11 |
3 |
12 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
|
A major player in this
session, Saemund is definitely the
"strongest" character in the group so far
IMO, slightly edging out Thrymri. Though
Saemund says little, his bearing and
mannerisms are very overt. The character is
very conducive to versimilitude for the
other players, and also an asset to the
party in a bigger picture. I often have a
vote for an extra point to be awarded to a
player via secret ballot on a "low-XP"
session. This is an MVP type situation, and
includes any NPC's a player might have
picked up or handled during the session.
Jay, Saemund's player, took the majority of
votes this
session, IMO for his portrayal of Saemund,
and appropriately allocated the point to Saemund. |
| # Sonnenwende Mondfeuer |
1 |
15 |
3 |
12 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
|
In retrospect, I think I
should have given a point to Spatzenjager,
but not Sonnenwende. Initially I gave a
point to Sonny because he piped up with some
amusing snippets, particularly at the end
before the Druidic Ritual kicked off, and
because he demonstrated the practical nature
of his character at the end by questioning
the Grand Druid a little more closely about
supplies and provisions when everyone else
was content with a pat on the back and a
pointed finger towards the north. All good
bits, but other than the practical attention
to details nothing was "new" for the character or
defining. Overall, my
understanding/perception of the character
wasn't braodened. Maybe a half point like
Hrani got would have been better. |
| # Spatzenjager |
0 |
11 |
4 |
12 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
6 |
|
|
9 |
|
|
| Spatzenwere |
|
20 |
4 |
12 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
6 |
|
|
9 |
|
|
| Spatzenwolf |
|
17 |
4 |
12 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
6 |
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
Spatz on the other hand
had very few speaking lines, but his scene
with Ayden and handling of the guards with
nothing more than about 3 words and a lot of
body language was a lot more definitive. For
the first time I got the impression that
lurking behind Spatz's feral features is a
real willingness/urge to take violent action
if necessary. The player tends towards
passive characters who react rather than
proact, so this was a welcome indication
that the barbaric Rage-prone werewolf
character will get-in-your-face if
interfered with. |
|
Originally I granted 0
points for this character. The player was
only able to make the later half of the
session (in truth, the 1st half was mostly
stalling until he got there so that the
Druidic ritual could be conducted with all
the players here). In retrospect the above
mentioned scene was probably worth a point,
as it is new ground for the character and an
indication of growth for the player. |
| @ Vmundr "Thrymri" Finnvarsson |
1 |
12 |
2 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Huge growth for this
character. Started off the first half of the
session kind of bumbling around though with
some good flavor bits, but after a talking
to and "moto" speach by the Hoher Skalding
Hundi, the player seemed to find some
direction for the character and became much
more coherent and focused. Hopefully this
focus will be maintained between sessions... |
|
| NPCs: |
| At the Laird's Hall
Environs |
| * Kaenha Kennering: (Clan Laird of Pargori and
Oberlaird): Will not be pleased by this turn of events and will be in something
of a bind. He knows the Druids will be angered if he interferes with the Nine,
but on the other hand he can't let Thegns go around attacking Outlander
merchants unpunished. |
| * Brand
Jormundreksson: Pargori Reeve of Alarsvik; middle
aged man, greying at the temples. In town for politicing
during the Midsummers Festival. Rival to Kaenha, too powerful
for Kaenha to dismiss, but not powerful enough to wrest
power from him (yet). |
| There is a rumor
going around (STARTED BY RESEREI) that with the death of the
Reeve of Feihaus, Thorfid Arnvidsson, that Kaenha is
contemplating merging the Reeve-halten of Feihaus with the
Reeve-halten of Rollenhurst (his own former Reeve-halten),
which is of course held by his son-in-law and heir apparent
Earak Beransen. |
| Brand is
overheard by Thrymri while in the Lairds Hall saying to his
Gefolgsman and Ward Gudmund Yngvisson that if this is
true he will rally support and challenge Kaenha. |
| Later, Brand
steps up and defends Saemund when Kaenha fines him 50 gc for
the slaying of Aleth Farthenssen. |
| - Athenra, Clan Skald of Pargori |
| @ Tennric, Druid representative to the Oberlaird. Kind
of an incompetant, doesnt like arcane spell casters |
| * Theron
Allorssen: Huscarl captain
leading detail that arrives at the scene after the altercation. Will take the
lot of them involved into custody |
| Escorted PCs to
Laird's Hall for the Oberlaird's judgement. Gave brief
testimony (in Kaenha's chambers as to what he saw when he
arrived). Later escorted PC's out of Laird's Hall to the
Guest Hall while Kaenha retired to speak with the
newly-arrived Doran. |
| When Aleth
Farthenssen popped up and asked Rogate, Refskegg and Saemund
to be his Kampfernamer (with Thrymri witnessing), Theron
tried to put a stop to it, but was talked over. After Aleth
challenged Saemund, Theron tried to stop it. Theron even
asked Saemund to go easy on the lad, but of course Saemund
rejected that idea out of hand. After Aleth is slain
brutally by Saemund, Theron is very angry, but control his
rage, and has the PCs sent to the Guest Hall while he takes
care of the boys remains with a couple of other Huscarl and
goes to inform the Kaenha of this newest slaying by Saemund. |
| * Aleth
Farthenssen: Son of the
Huscarl that Saemund slew in episode 1. 15 or 16 years old,
smallish by Machtig standards, but athletic. Blue eyes,
dirty blonde hair, ~160 lbs. Seems eager. |
| See
Saemund and the Huscarl
below. |
| * Hundi Idmundsson: Herodi Hoher Skalding, has been chasing
information about the Prophesy of the Nine because he senses that there is
something the Druids are hiding. |
| * Geirrod Thorsteinsson: Herodi Zauberer (Obermancer),
travelling companion of Hundi. Spoke
w/ Kjar and traded spells with him. Kjar showed him how to
cast Living Monolith in return for Blistering Skybolts.
Geirrod mentioned that his mentor was Skar Ofeigsson.
He also indicated that he knew higher level spells than Kjar
does. |
| * Doran Murfon : From Ieshali originally.
See Character Sheet. Doran is a major opposing villain for the PC's
during the first story arc, but what his motivations are will remain a mystery
for now. He will show up late into the meeting with Kaenha if it seems like a
good play and act the wounded innocent to good effect. |
| *Thoneth-Gar &
Kirano-Tynson: Outsider: Mostly work as a caravan guard for the Black
Shields Mercenary Company.
Kirano-Tynson and Thoneth-Gar are captive. Neither speak
Machtig. |
| * Hlothver Skorrisson: Wainright. Pargori
Merchant. Witnessed event. To his eyes, Fyrclian and Rogate ran over to attack
the newly arriving Outlanders without provocation. |
| * Harek
Idmundson: (no relation to
Hundi; Idmund is a common name); Pargori Clan Skald that
speaks Vargaanese and has been to Shidaal before. Brought in
to translate for Thoneth-Gar & Kirano-Tynson before Kaenha.
Relates 1) that they are from Shidaal, work for the Black
Shields Mercenary Company, and were hired to guard Doran and
2) Doran is a spellcaster. |
| At Caer Broinig |
| * Carus
Feredsol (FAIR-odd-SALL; "Iron Arrow"):
(Jagrling) Grand Druid, mid 60's, emits a strong presense,
and to those with magic detection, he is surrounded by
swirling energies at all times. Wears a simple darkbrown
woolen robe with a mantle of thick dark green cloth and a
heavy golden amulet that marks his station. Speaks in a
measured deep tone. |
| * Skalla Baugorsson
and Haeming Ormsson: Druids that assist/direct the PCs at
the Druid ritual, instructing them and putting them where
they needed to be. |
| * = played by GM |
| - = played by Ron Darbee |
| / = played by Jason Roche |
| @ = played by Jonathan Bristow |
| # = played by Jake Ellena |
| $ = played by Kristin Molle |
| WHAT |
| Backdrop |
| At this point, Kaenha will be wheeling and dealing,
entertaining important guests & visitors at his hall and the staff at the
hall will be preparing for an extensive evenings feast. The Lairds hall will be
a very confused place to be around. |
| Aftermath of Fyrclian and the
Beaten Horses |
| Last episode
Fyrclian's Enraged lead to a bloody altercation with a group
of five outsiders, resulting in two of the outsiders being
dead afterwards. Here's the thing of it: technically the
outsiders have no rights and are completely and literally
outside of the Machtig caste system and therefore their
legal system. So, technically any Thegn could slay any
outsider that lacks status. Now on the otherhand the Pargori
actively encourage trade and want Outlanders to come into
the Vold to do business and having Machtig running around
killing them is not conducive to engendering a spirit of
free trade. To accomodate having outsiders run around the
Vold, particularly in the Fallenheim environs, in the
past half a
century the Pargori Lairds have made a practice out of
allowing outsiders a tacit Thralldom so long as they agree
to honor the traditional rules of the Merchants Code and pay
sufficient "besterung", which amounts to a trade tariff.
Since the Pargori Lairds have been the Oberlairds for the
past century, other Clans have had to grudgingly respect
this accomodation. |
| But Doran had never
been in the Vold prior and had never sworn before the
Pargori Laird, and nor had his guardsmen. Therefore they are
all "non-people" technically and Kaenha doesn't have much of
a leg to stand on legally. The only thing Kaenha could do
is claim the outsiders as Slaves and then permit them
to do as they wish, but that is real borderline and the
outlanders generally wouldn't have it regardless. So, Kaenha
will be infuriated, but on the other hand not be able to do
much. Plus, he knows that the Grand Druid is in the area and
very interested in the Nine being available at some ceremony
that evening, and he certainly doesn't want to irritate the
Grand Druid. |
| However, Doran will
arrive after Kaenha has had the opportunity to shout a bit,
will swear to uphold the Merchant's Code, give a besterung
of 50 gold, and then insist reperation for the loss of his
two guards. Kaenha, stuck between the proverbial rock will
give him back his 50 gold as weregild. Doran will insist
that Rogate be punished
(following up on the previous episodes bit that the
chauvinistic Doran ignores Fyrclian as a threat/opponent), but Kaenha will have to refuse as
this is not permitted under Machtig laws. Doran will
eventually leave in a huff, and Kaenha will angrily dismiss
the PC's. |
| Executed more
or less as planned. |
| The session
resumed where the last left off, with the arrival of a
contingent of Huscarl who gather up all involved and escort
them to the Laird's Hall. While in the Laird's Hall waiting
for Kaenha to make an appearance, Thrymri listens in on
the conversations of some
of the Reeves and wealthy merchants in the Hall pending the
planned festivities of the afternoon/evening. Fyrclian and
Saemund talk about Otrygg, Rogate and Refskegg dawdle, Kjar
falls asleep next to the fire, and Ayden looks for a way out
if it should be needed. Towards the end a teenaged boy
(Aleth) kind of sneaks/saunters in and tucks himself away
out of sight; Ayden and Refskegg notice him, but make little
of it. |
| Kaenha
essentially deposes the witnesses after exerting his
authority and working the PC's over a bit. He traps Fyrclian
neatly into admitting that she moved over with intent to
attack the outsiders. Only a timely speech by Thrymri (with
65 Presense and a massive Oratory roll made by 14 (due to
his boosted PRE and Overall Levels), which swayed all those
in attendence) prevented Kaenha from steamrolling Fyrclian
and Rogate into the ground. |
| Just as Kaenha is
about to dismiss the matter as an unfortunate occurance
however, Doran arrives and demands that Rogate be punished
(again, he dismisses Fyrclian as a woman and focuses on
Rogate as the instigator). He and Rogate trade heated words,
threats, and sneers. |
| Doran talks up
his ties to important men is Shidaal, Kasaad, and Zorlaaga
and the money that will be lost in trade once he has used
his influence with them to the detriment of the Machtig.
Kaenha quickly calls for a pause in the proceeding so that
he might have a private conversation with Doran. |
| The PCs are
escorted to the Guest Hall in the interim. During this
interim the Aleth Farthensen encounter (detailed in the
Saemund & the Huscarl section)
occurs. After that encounter, several interactions between
PCs and NPCs also occured (as detailed in the
Waiting for
Judgement section). |
| Saemund & the Huscarl |
| The Huscarl are busy policing the city and maintaining an honor
guard around the Lairds Hall at this point. They just dont have the time for
playing practical jokes or messing around w/ Saemund at this point. The man
Saemund killed was one of the Huscarls best swordsmen, and the casual,
basically contemptuous way in which he disarmed the Huscarl and pinned him to
the ground with his own sword was sufficiently impressive to ensure that none
of the Huscarl are in a hurry to get into an actual direct confrontation with
the intimidating mountain warrior. |
| However, in a devlish twist, I think Ill
kill two birds w/ one stone. I've been
trying to work in
the roles of the different social castes in the setting and
wanted to have a young warrior request three of the Thegns
in the party and Thrymri as a Skalding to bear witness
to his weapon skills, so that he may be named a Thegn. |
| So if I can work it in, young
Aleth
Farthenssen will approach the group after the Oberlaird sees them --
maybe even do it in the Lairds Hall. After the 3 Thegns name him Thegn, he
will then challenge Saemund on the spot -- he is of course the son of the man
Saemund killed. I want to see if Saemund will take the challenge and kill the
kid in accordance with his background, or seek some other way out of it. |
| Went off exactly
as planned. |
| Aleth slips into
the Lairds Hall while the PCs are waiting to be questioned
by Kaenha regarding the attack in the corral. He tucks
himself away in a corner where he wont be noticed by Kaenha
before Kaenha arrives, but is noticed by Refskegg and Ayden |
| After the first
session w/ Kaenha ends, he pops out as the PCs are being
escorted from the hall and names Rogate, Refskegg and
Saemund as his Kampfernamers. The Huscarl captain Theron
tries to put a stop to it, but can't interfere with the
highly traditionalized naming of Thegnship, and is shouted
down by others in the Hall. |
| Saemund tests the
lad's blade (AND BLOWS HIS PER CHECK TO RECOGNIZE IT AS THE
SAME BLADE HE SLEW THE LADS FATHER WITH THE DAY BEFORE BY 5
OR 6), and then deliberately dulls the blade and hands it
back, telling the lad to sharpen it. The lad of course
doesn't have a whetstone (this is a highly unusual request
BTW), but Saemund lends him his. The boy sharpens the blade
back up. |
| Then Rogate has
the lad try to imitate an attack pattern which he
demonstrates, and the kid does an ok job at it, though he
doesn't know that style already (ROGATE HAS A LOT OF LEVELS
WITH LONGSWORD, WHICH JUST TRANSLATES OUT TO HE KNOW SEVERAL
DIFFERENT ATTACK PATTERNS WITH IT). Then the lad, feeling
like he isn't doing well so far, asks if he might
demonstrate the style he knows, and executes it well, though
his style is different from the Herodi's. |
| Then Refskegg
hands him his Battle Axe and has the lad do a turn with that;
the boy professes he's never used one before, but manages to
handle it well enough after a few practice swings, though he
weilds it more like a sword than as an axe -- he has Common
Melee Weapons proficiency, so suffers no penalties. |
| Finally Saemund
hands him his Hammer and asks him to demonstrate with that
weapon. The boy seems put off by the weapon, and some
interesting back and forth occurs between the three Thegns
(ROGATE AND REFSKEGG QUESTION THE CHOICE OF HAMMER, SAEMUND
BASICALLY QUIRKS AN EYEBROW, AND THEY BOTH HASTILY AGREE
IT"S A GOOD WEAPON). The lad is clumsy with it (THE HAMMER
IMPOSES A -1 OCV PENALTY) but manages. |
| All three Thegns
agree that the lad is skilled enough to be a Thegn, and
Thrymri witnesses it rather grandiosely. As soon as the
words pass Thrymri's lips the lad turns and says "I
CHALLENGE YOU!" to Saemund, to much suprise all around. "I told you not
to name him Thegn!", says Theron bitterly. It is then
revealed that this is the son of the man Saemund killed. |
Saemund gives a
speech which for him was quite lengthy, essentially saying
Ill give you a chance to back out of this kid, and if you
dont take it I wont maim you, I will kill you. The lad
insists. Refskegg then tries to talk the lad out of it
saying "Boy, this man will KILL you. Spend a few years
getting better and THEN try to kill him!", even offering to
send the boy letters telling him of where they are on their
faring so that he will know where Saemund is. The lad
dismisses this saying "I dont know how to read", to which
Refskegg had to admit, "Oh, well truthfully I dont know how
to write either."
  |
| Finally even
Rogate, the Herodi tried to discourage the boy saying "If a
Thegn is slain today, that will be one fewer shieldbrother
tomorrow when you might need one most." |
| Several of the
onlookers also voiced platitudes to the child asking him to
reconsider. But the boys youthful pride would have none of
it, and as the duel began Thrymri wrote under the passage in
his logs naming the boy Thegn,
"And so the lad Aleth son
of Farthen was slain by his own Kampfernamer, Saemund, son
of Magnus, son Farbjorn, son of Gunnbjorn, son of Rolfyr,
son of Hirger, son of Arngis, son of Ungor after challenging
him, Midsummers Day VY 2000, before the doors of the Laird's Hall at
Fallenheim." before the fight had even truly started. Before
he had finished listing Saemund's anceastry the boy had been
mercilously slain. |
| The lad struck at
Saemund's head, but Saemund cooly blocked it with his
battleboard (shield) and with a quick pivot deflected the
lad's blade aside creating a perfect opening for a return
across-the-chest strike at the lads chest with his
battlehammer, sending the boy flying back on his heels 20 or
so feet with the sound of breaking ribs. Wasting no time
Saemund surged after the now-prone boy and landed a brutal
overhand smash into his chest again knocking the lad into
unconsciousness and near-death. Seeing breath still bubbling
from the boy in the bloody spittle around his nose and
mouth, the stern mountain warrior Saeumund reversed his
hammer and kneeling low drove the head straight down,
crushing the boy's skull like a melon and drawing murmurs of
suprise from most onlookers and growls of anger from several
of the Huscarl. |
| As the towering
Wundvolding calously ripped the boys cloak off to clean his
weapon and spectacularly expensive armor with, even the
Herodi Rogate was heard to say, "You could have let the boy
live.". Saemund's reply was, "To face me is to face death.
No mercy, no exceptions. I'll not have an enemy at my back." |
| There were many
witnesses to the entire event, including the Reeve Brand.
Though many thought killing the boy once he was unconscious
was unecessary, Saemund was within his rights to do so and
had been heard clearly warning the boy that he would slay
him if he persisted in his challenge. |
| Saemund's
reputation as a slayer will grow in the telling, though the
group's departure will ensure that it wont mean anything in
the midterm. If Saemund survives to return to the Vold he
will find that he will be called the Pargor-bane. |
| Waiting for
Judgement |
| After a bit,
while Saemund tidies up his precious armor, Hundi Idmundsson
the Hoher Skalding shows up. He is a tad put out with
Thrymri and retires with him to another room to basically
berate him a bit for withholding information from him. He
then basically gives Thrymri a motivational/inspiration
speech about what the Hoher Skalding are supposed to be all
about and a request that in the future Thrymri remember that
they are supposed to working towards the same goal. The
Hoher Skalding are meant to help keep the Machtig together
as a single people. He tells Thrymri that he must guide the
Nine and help accentuate their similarities rather than
allow them to fall apart or seperate along Clan lines.
|
| While this is
occuring, Kjar is trying to draw out Geirrod, Hundi's
traveling companion who remained in the common area while
the two Skalds talk Skalding business. Kjar manages to
negotiate a spell trade with Geirrod and teaches him Living
Monolith in return for Blistering Skybolts. {Kjar made his
skill roll dead on and had the 2 pts to spend. Normally it
would take ~3 hrs to learn a 3rd level spell, but I figured
that they could copy the spells into each other's spell
books in the time available, and Kjar could find 3 hrs to
learn it on his own time before it became an issue so let it
fly in the interests of moving the story along). |
| Blistering Skybolts: Killing
Attack - Ranged 3d6-1 (vs. ED), Lingering up to 1 Turn
(+1/2) (60 Active Points); Spell (Cannot be Spread or
Bounced, etc) (-1/2), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4),
Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Extra Time (Delayed
Phase, -1/4), 6 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Turn each
(-1/4) |
| While the more
brainy characters were engaged, Rogate and Hrani decided to
pass the time with a little arm wrestling. Hrani initially
slams Rogate straight out of the gate, but in the second
round Rogate resists an initial surge from Hrani and
manages to fight back to top, where the two then struggled
back and forth, until eventually Hrani overexerted himself
and had to concede the match. {Rogate has 1/2 END on his
STR, so was fine, but Hrani did not and actually burned
himself down into his STUN} |
| Sonnenwende was
finally awakened by all of this commotion {his player, Jake,
arrived late after taking care of some unavoidable school
things}, but was a bit out of it while waking up and being
brought up to speed on events that had transpired. Rogate
tried to get him to go take care of buying supplies, but
Sonny was hesitant to take on that responsibility
unassisted. |
| After time for
Rogate to get his wind back, Saemund stepped up and took
Rogate in the first round though Rogate managed to fight
back after his initial surge. Some smack-talking ensued.
Incensed, Rogate slammed Saemund cold in the second round.
In the final round it looked like Rogate was going to win
initially after a opening push, but Saemund held on, his
rock-like muscles halting the Herodi's progress, and then
BAM! brought the Herodi's fist over the top and into the
boards with a single mighty flex. |
| Arm Wrestling: We decided that
Arm Wrestling would be handled by opposed STR rolls, 3d6
under 9 + STR/5. Overall Levels (and in the unlikely chance
that a character had them Skill Rolls with STR based Skills,
but not All Skill Levels) may be used to modify this roll. |
| Starting at the "top" there are 10
"steps" to the board, which corresponds in a 1:1 ratio to
the amount by which a character makes their STR roll.
Character's with higher SPD are assumed to hold their action
until their opponent's Phases where possible, taking extra
Phases when this is not possible due to the two characters
already going on the same Phase. |
| When a character has an extra action
to take the opponent may only resist on their roll, not
gaining any benefit if they win the opposed roll. A
character must spend END each time they use their STR as
normal. |
|
Example: Rogate
has 20 STR, a 13- STR Roll, 4 SPD, +1 Overall Level, and 1/2
END on his STR. Saemund
has 23 STR, a 14- STR Roll, 3 SPD, and +2 Overall Levels.
Starting off the arm wrestling bout at "top position" on
Phase 12 Rogate and Saemund make an opposed STR Check.
Rogate rolls 10 and Saemund rolls 11; Rogate made his roll
by 4, but Saemund with his 16- roll made his by 5 and
therefore wins, moving 1 step (5-4) from top towards the
board; Saemund spends 2 END, Rogate spends 1. Neither gets a
Post Segment 12 Recovery because they are considered to be
exerting continuously. |
|
Rogate
would go in Phase 3, but is considered to be holding until 4
to match up with Saemund. In Phase 4 the pair make another
opposed STR roll. Rogate makes his by 5 by rolling a 9,
while Saemund makes his by 3 by rolling a 13. Rogate beat
Saemund by 2 (5-3), so struggles back to top and then 1 step
towards the boards on his side. Saemund spends 2 END, Rogate
spends 1. |
|
Rogate
would go in Phase 6, but again holds until Phase 8 to match
Saemund. Again they roll off and this time Rogate makes his
roll by 4 with another roll of 10, and Saemund makes his
roll by 2 with a 14. Rogate moves two steps closer to the
board on his side and needs 7 more steps to win. Saemund
spends 2 END, Rogate spends 1. |
|
Rogate
goes in Phase 9, and since he cant match up with Saemund in
Phase 12 (since they both go in Phase 12 already), he gets
an action which Saemund can only resist. Another opposed STR
roll occurs. Rogate makes his roll by 1 with a 13, but
Saemund makes his roll by 12 with a roll of a 4! However,
since Saemund can only resist he does not push Rogate back
over the top, merely managing to maintain the previous
position. Saemund spends 2 END, Rogate spends 1. |
|
Both
Rogate and Saemund go in Phase 12, and another opposed STR
Roll occurs. Rogate blows his roll, failing by 3 with a 17,
but Saemund makes his by 10 with a 6. This is a difference
of 13, so Saemund takes Rogate back up to the top and slams
him all 10 steps to the board on his side, winning the match
in a mighty heave. Saemund spends 2 END, Rogate spends 1
(all total, Saemund spent 10 END to Rogate's
5 END). |
| While everyone
was distracted by the goings-on, Ayden went invisible and
slipped out a window unnoticed. Walking down the hill from the
Lairds Hall with the intention of seeking out the Druids for
aid, he passes Spatzenjager coming up the hill to check in
after spending the day romping around in the forest {Jake
also plays Spatzenjager}. The werewolf smells the invisible
Ayden {good PER check} and Ayden becomes visible when Spatz
hails him. Ayden tried to catch Spatz up on events, but his excited
chirping irritated the iracible Ulthferen, and he left Ayden
behind, walking straight up the hill and to the Guest Hall
as Ayden ducked out of sight again. The four Huscarl
gaurding the door initially refuse Spatz entry, but the
towering 6'10" feral-looking monstrocity glowered menacingly
with a growl or two for counterpoint and the guards changed
their mind. |
| Ayden decided to
continue with his plan and ventured off with the intention
of finding his way out of Fallenheim and up to Caer Broinig,
but quickly got lost, twited around, and disoriented in the
party-filled streets. {Ayden has a Disadvantage: Easily Lost
In Non-Forests}. |
| Hundi wraps up
with Thrymri telling him he will go loiter about the Laird's
Hall, and will make his appearance known if it looks like
the Oberlaird's judgement is going against the group. As a
former Ehren Meister, Hundi is an expert on Machtig
traditions and rulings of justice. Hundi and Geirrod depart. |
| Another 45
minutes or so pass and the group is summoned again to the
Laird's Hall. Sonny and Spatz tag along. |
| Judgement |
| After the
intermission the PCs come before Kaenha again. He reveals
that Doran has reached an accomodation with him and Kaenha
is extending Thrall status to him (as the Pargori often do
for outsiders to facilitate trade) and that he, Kaenha, has
settled the matter of the dead guards and the attack out of
his own pocket, but sternly makes it clear that he will
heavily punish any similar occurances in the future. |
| Then he turns to
the matter of Saemund slaying Aleth in the interim of the
1st and 2nd sessions. Of course, the Huscarl witnesses have
given a highly slanted account of the occurance, and Kaenha
is predisposed to dislike Saemund as it is. Kaenha lets his
anger show and declares the weregild for the lad at a
staggering 50 gold, an insane amount of money. |
| Saemund questions
the Oberlairds judgement saying "Dont you think fifty is too
much for a mere boy? He was not of your Huscarl." {referring
to Kaenha's threat to charge him 50 gold should he slay
another of the Huscarl in session 1}. Kaenha starts to get
high handed, and Hundi steps out of a side hall and makes
his presense (literally, his high Skalding-assisted PRE}
felt. He cites a precedence almost five centuries old {older
is better among the Machtig -- they are very traditionalist
for the most part} of a lad challenging the killer of his
father and being slain despite urgings for the boy to
reconsider; the weregild was set as nothing -- the lad
brought it on himself. |
| Kaenha persisted,
and was going to charge Saemund regardless, when Brand, the
Reeve of Alarsvik stood up and protested the matter. He
stepped up and related his version of the deed based upon
being a witness. Presented with protest from one of his most
powerful (and dangerously competitive) Reeves, Kaenha got
cagey and traded words with Brand. Finally, Brand was able
to win out, and Kaenha took the tact that he was misinformed
by members of his Huscarl who described the event to him.
However, he left the matter settled with a parting shot
threatening to raise Brands besterung (taxes) in a later
meeting. |
| Tenneric stepped
forth at this point and facilitated getting the PC's out of
the Laird's Hall before any other altercation could occur, and
escorts them to Caer Broinig. Doran and Rogate trade parting
threats/promises as the PCs depart. As the lot gather their
things and leave the Laird's Hall area, Ayden manages to
stumble out onto the road before them and rejoin their
company. |
| The Prophesy |
| The day of the Prophesy kicks in. This is for all intents and
purposes the first day of the Age of Power. It should be a portentious day,
with lots of omens and symbology falling off the trees. Big time "Window of
Opportunity" type day -- the begining of a new Age. |
| In the evening the Nine are required at Caer Broinig to take part in the Druidic ritual. |
| The
Ritual |
| This will be the location of a major "Window of Opportunity" and "Ritual" Spell cast by the Grand Druid himself in the evening, supported by all Nine Great Druids, who are each supported by Nine Elder Druids. In all
90 other Druids are backing up the Grand Druid in the working of a spell intended to break through the "mists" that have been increasingly occluding the future the past hundred years and seek out the direction that the Nine Arrows must be aimed and loosed. |
| The nine player characters are required for this ritual, and their blood must be mingled at one point in the ritual into a silver bowl. As the ritual progresses, the enviroment will get very surreal; hairs will raise up on the back of necks, the air will smell like ozone, and most significantly a white mist will roll across the sky and fill the area around the circle but not enter into a very distinct invisible dome around the stones. |
| After several hours, each of the Nine Greate Druids will let the PC's with ceremonial silver knives, and then the Grand Druid will take the bowl and finish the ritual. Lifting the bowl high towards the full moon, he'll "push" the bowl at the sky, and an almost-visible force will gush forth from the bowl to pierce the mists, pushing them back in a rough circle directly over the stone circle. |
| Past the mists, across the night sky, a scene takes from, showing the Nine PC's standing on the hill in a "V" pointed towards the north arrayed from shortest to tallest back. Then the POV rotates and shows them set forth towards the north |
| The POV leaves the PC's trekking nortward, and then zooms out, panorama style, over the Vold straight towards the north, crossing the Wundvolding mountains and pushing into the lands of the Landrothi to the north, where it zooms back in as the POV "nose cams" into a well appointed room in a rough "palace" located in the capital of Landroth at Zerlaaga (the PC's dont know the location, but one of the Druids will). |
| The POV stops in a top-down ceiling cam view of a small man with the pale, almost pearlly skin, and inky black hair typical of many Undari hunched over a complicated prayer wheel he is detailing upon the floor, with two barely clad north-women dancing around in a circle as he finishes the circle. A palpable feeling of evil is projected to the Machtig observing this scene, and a feeling of vast foreboding. |
|
Visual |
| As the man finishes the ritual, the two women look suprised and terrified as they begin to fade from the feet up, sucked into the prayer wheel in their entirety with nothing but howls of terror. As the two women die a dark formless mass comes into being before him, oozing up from the pattern on the floor. The man begins another long incantation, gesturing to form and shape the darkness into a black inky ball and finally into a hard black pearl which he takes into his hand and places onto his brow. |
| To this point the observers have not seen this man's face, seeing him from the top down. As he places the stone upon his brow, his entire body jerks and stiffens, and then looks slightly up towards the POV of the observers giving a small glimpse of his features, including one of his piercing black eyes. He seems to be aware of the observers and with a discernable smirk he projects an inky black beam through the POV, which streaks through the sky and slams into the invisible dome over the standing stones, driving several of the Elder Druids to the ground as they fight to maintain the shield. |
| The man says, and is clearly heard by all those observing, several words in Vorgaanese in a powerful, seductive voice. Translated into Machtig, he says: "Fools, your magic is as nothing against the might of
Tzoruul! The Undari will have their revenge!" |
| With the Druids maintaining the mystic sheild overhead flagging under the continued assault, the Grand Druid ends the ritual. |
| The
Meaning |
| The rede of the Druids will be that the Nine Arrows are meant for the heart of this evil death magicker, and that they should make for Zerlaaga in the lands of the Landrothi. The Grand Druid will also indicate that this man is trafficing with powerful "demons", and that just as the Druids chose this auspicious night for their ritual, so too did the enemy work a great ritual, pulling great power from his dark master through the boundaries of this world and the greater cosmos. His power is finite, but fearsome. |
| If the idea of just sending a Machtig horde in that direction
comes up, the Grand Druid will merely shrug and say that the auspices indicate that such an attempt would fail, or cause other dangers. The omens are clear; the path most likely to see the Machtig survive starts with the Nine and only the Nine going forth. |
| Went off exactly
as planned. |
| This was a big
exposition bit, which I normally try to avoid. I hate just
talking at the players, particularly when they aren't
allowed to interact. So, though this event took a lot of
text to describe, I actually blew through the core of it in
under 10 minutes. Leading up to the meat of the exposition I
used in-character direction by the Druid Skalla, moving each
PC into position in turn and giving each essentially the
same direction with a little bit of humorous personalization
for each character to get the players/characters involved in
the main event, giving them a chance to project how their
character was handling/reacting to this turn of events. This
involved each character in the "ritual" directly and gave
the impression that they had an important, though passive,
role to play in this part. |
| I wanted to
accentuate the idea that the PCs are the focus of the
action, not the NPC's and get them used to thinking in
self-reliant terms.. So I genericized the 90 Elder and
Greater Druids, not giving them much description (even the
Druids the party knows weren't singled out), and had all of
them positioned "behind" the characters in a circle, with
only the Grand Druid in the middle described in detail.
This, I think, helped focus the players on the idea that of
the 100 odd people involved in this ritual, they were the
most important people there aside from the Grand Druid
himself. |
| The Gifting |
| The Druids are not going to send the poor schleps out completely unpreparred however. They intend to give each of the Nine a Gift indicated by their nature and by the guidance of the nature spirits. As part of the previous Ritual, each was infused with a special gift. |
| Ayden recieves the Gift of Spring
Breezes. |
| Druidic Gift of Spring Breezes:
Gliding 10", combat acceleration/deceleration (+1/4) (12
Active Points); May Not Gain Altitude (-1/4);
Real Cost: 9 Points |
| Saemund recieves the Gift of
Mountain Winters. |
| Druidic Gift of
Mountain Winters: +8 CON (16
Active Points); Only When In Contact With The Ground
(natural earth, stone, and soil only; -1/2);
Real Cost: 11 points |
| Thrymri recieves the Gift of Summer Glories. |
| Druidic Gift of Summer Glories: PowD (10 points);
Real Cost: 10 Points |
| Spatzenjager recieves the Gift of Autumn Twilights: +3 with Stealth, Shadowing, Tracking (9 RC); Applies to all three forms (+1 point into Multiform). |
| Druidic Gift of
Autumn Twilights: (Total: 15 Active Cost, 9 Real
Cost) Stealth 12- (5 Active Points); Costs END (-1/2)
(Real Cost: 3) plus Tracking 12- (5 Active
Points); Costs END (-1/2) (Real Cost: 3) plus
Shadowing 12- (5 Active Points); Costs END (-1/2) (Real
Cost: 3); Real Cost: 9 points |
| Fyrclian recieves the Gift of
Spring Fortunes. |
| Druidic Gift of
Spring Fortunes: Luck 2d6;
Real Cost: 10 points. |
| Rogate recieves the Gift of
Summer Winds. |
| Druidic Gift of
Summer Winds: Defensive
Manuever I-IV; Real Cost: 10 points |
| Hrani recieves the Gift of Autumn Storms. |
| Druidic Gift of
Autumn Storms: Physical Damage Reduction,
Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); BODY Only (-1/2), Costs
END (-1/2), Restrainable (Must Be Able To Move; -1/2),
Nonpersistent (-1/4); Real Cost: 10
points |
| Sonnenwende recieves the Gift of
Winter Winds. |
| Druidic Gift of
Winter Winds: +3 with DCV (15
Active Points); Only When Outdoors (-1/2); Real Cost: 10
points |
| Kjar recieves the Gift of Elemental Bounty. |
| Druidic Gift of
Elemental Bounty: Healing (Regeneration) 2 BODY,
Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (40
Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Hour (-2
1/4), Self Only (-1/2), Only When In Contact With An Element
(Natural Element Only; -1/2); Real Cost:
9 points |
| This Gifting is paid
for with the following Distinctive Feature which is visible
to Detect Magic and other esoteric Detects, including Danger
Sense for folk which the Druids are inimical to -- it will
show up as a "potential danger" to them. |
| Druid-touched: DF: Druid-touched (Not Concealable; Always Noticed
and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual
Senses); Real Cost: -10 points |
| I was real
hesitant to do the Druidic Gift bit. I hate just handing
things out to the players. Thats a slippery slope, and I
tend to be a "stingy" GM, keeping the PCs relatively poor
and making them work for what they get. However, in this
case it seemed warranted. The Druids are basically saying
"The future of our people hinges on you!"; to have them then
say "See you later kids, and have fun storming the castle!"
just feels kind of flat. The Druidic Gift bit basically
communicates the idea that a) the characters are actually
special and valued and b) the Druidic magic of the Machtig
is a real and palpable thing in the setting and therefore by
extention their prophesies and omens have actual weight.
Subtle, but I think it helped set the tone. |
| The players all
seemed to take to the idea well, actually excited by it. The
cynical old GM in me says, no kidding -- players always like
getting more free stuff. But the idiotic idealist in me that
keeps me running these games says that they were excited
because the intended subliminal message was communicated to
them. We will see..... |
| The session ended
with the PC's setting off to the north towards Feihaus as
the son rose, unwearied despite the all-night ritual they
took part in. |
| WHEN |
| Midsummers Day Age of Power Year 1 Day 1.
There is a full moon out. |
| WHERE |
| Main Locality |
| Fallenheim, Vold, in a longhall near the Laird's Hall |
| Two Net Hook Tavern |
| Run by Aornic Yargenson, a middle aged Pargori merchant. |
| Tavern at the bottom of the hill which the Lairds Hall sits upon. Basic Longhall, but coin is charged for food and lodging. Houses more well-to-do guests, often those in town to do business at the Laird's Hall. |
| There is always the opportunity for a bar fight here, though it is a pretty sedate place by Machtig standards. Throw together a couple of average Clansmen |
| Didnt get used
this session. |
| Pargori Clan Skalding Hall |
| Agni Heimirsson & Galag Gorbinssen are currently "on duty". |
| There are many Skalds in and out of here at any given time. The Clan Skalds trade off "meet & greet" duties every 3 Zwieblechs (36 days), with two Clan Skalds being "on duty", meaning that one of them is expected to be in the Meet Hall, or public area of the Skalding Hall at all times during daylight hours. |
| Didnt get used
this session. |
| The Golden Hoof Smithy and Farrier |
| Wereg Radgarssen, Waffshmeid,
Pargori |
| Dael Weregsen, Smith,
Pargori |
| Uriel Weregsen, Smith,
Pargori |
| Io-Zoru, Waffshmeid,
Shidaalman |
| Wereg is a bluff but generally friendly man. He has made a good living since his family smithy had the good fortune to be located near the South gate of Fallenheim, now generally called the Shidaalarch. He has made good money from Outlander merchants plying the Shidaalweg, getting most of the business from those coming in off the road or about to set out. |
| His smithy is large, with 5 full size anvils, three forge fires, and two half-anvils for shoeing horse. His two twin sons Dael and Uriel assist him, each having an anvil of their own and sharing a forge. They both are large men and look much like their father, though they have green eyes like their deceased mother, who was a Huarthmunn from the Baelish lands. Uriel does all the talking of the two, but Dael is really the brains of the operation. The two communicate subtly through body language and shrugs, and both generally know what the other is thinking. |
| A number of years ago Wereg hired a smallish (by Machtig standards), swarthy Shidaalman man named Io-Zoru (EE-OH ZOAR-RUE). Io, as he's called around the smithy, is a very skilled smith, able to make all manner of metal goods in both steel and finer metals. His job is to turn out common and uncommon items focused to sell towards the Vorgaanese traders traveling the Shidaalweg. Not that they are any better than the Machtig equivalents of the same items, but many of the merchants are more comfortable buying items made in the fashion of their homelands even at a premium. Io has learned the Machtig language very well, though he speaks with an odd accent to Machtig ears, and is a smiling, jovial man who is much liked by the Machtig that know him. He wears an elaborately detailed "sheild-brooch" (a brooch styled to look like the round metal-rimmed and bossed sheilds favored by the Machtig) featuring a Pargori fish crafted in several fine metals and featuring an emerald for an eye a leaping over an upright sword, marking his status as a member of the Clan and a Waffshmied, when outside of the smithy. He has become something of an Uncle figure to Wareg's two sons, and lets a room in their home. |
| Didnt get used
this session. |
| Caer Broinig |
| Many Druids |
| This is the site of the most powerful Druid Circle in the Pargori Hold, which stands among the ruins of the Pargori's original steading in this region
on a rocky hill about a half mile away to the west of Fallenheim, visible on
the horizon above the city, particularly at sunset, with the sun behind the
stones. |
| The entire area is considered Druid-space and given a respectful berth by Clansmen. Many Druid reside here, in chambers carved out beneath the surface of the hill. |
| The Laird, his chosen companions, and Clan Skalds are sometimes invited to witness Druidic ceremonies on the hill at various times of the year if they so wish, but generally non-Druids do not frequent the area. |
| Zerlaaga |
| Seen in the Druidic vision, this is the
capital of the Undari nation of Landroth due north of the
Vold. |
| WHY |
| Time to get the show
on the road. The goal here is to
have the send off before th end of the session. |
| HOW |
| Essentially the Druids give them the big
kick into the storyline. The PC's should have no doubt that
they are in a bit over their heads or
where they are supposed to be going. |
|
DISADVANTAGES |
| Make sure the players
keep up with their Disadvantages. |
| This
session the Disadvantages were less crucial than other
sessions, since such a short in-game period of time was
involved and there was no real conflict or combat either.
Overall, Kjar played up his DFs and new-magic-fetish well,
Ayden got lost, Saemund played up his background story, and
overall everyone did a good job. So, I'm not going to stress
over the minor Disads for this session. |
| POST GAME ANALYSIS |
| Excellent session
overall. Very happy with the outcome. Good roleplaying
overall, despite a slow start initially. Some real standout
character defining moments this time around, particularly
for Saemund, Ayden, Spatzenjager, Rogate, and Thrymri.
Personally, I can picture all of the characters now and have
a pretty good bead on how each should react to most
situations, but I think everyone has a strong idea what
Saemund and Thrymri in particular are all about. |
| Sonnenwende and
Fyrclian need to be accentuated a bit more and be given more
of a spotlight. I want to make a point of devising something
particular for both to help the players show of their
character's strengths and strongly define their
personalities before the other players. |
| Rogate is making
a strong bid to be the leader of the group, though Saemund
has been by far the "strongest" -- as in most extreme --
character, and Thrymri has been the flashiest/loudest.
Saemund does not seem interested in leading, prefering self
reliance. He just does things when he wants to do them
regardless of whether others decide to back him up. Rogate
has so far tried to rally support and get people to move
together. |
| Should be
interesting. Rogate has tried several tacts to draw out the
bluff, stoic Wundvolder, and I think if Saemund openly
backed Rogate most everyone else would fall in line too.
Currently there is simply a respectful tolerance from
Saemund. In game, Saemund is the wealthiest, best equipped,
best armed member of the group, with the best lineage, and
has shown both his martial prowess and relentlessness not
once but twice, with a total willingness to live with the
consequences of his drastic actions. Most of the other PCs
are at least a little intimidated by him. Like when he sat
down to arm wrestle Rogate in this session after Saemund
slew his second Thegn in a challenge in as many days, Hrani
warns "Careful Herodi; if you win he'll have to kill you --
it would be a matter of honor!"; Rogate looked uncertainly
at Saemund to see if it were true (it wasn't by the way,
just a little lockerroom humor). |
| All that aside, I
think the point has finally been driven home that the group
has no one to count upon in the clinch other than each
other, and they've started to show vestigial signs of
pulling together as a team.... |
