[Conan] (Actual Play) The Chalice of Life

[Burgonet]

Well, as promised originally in this thread (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=107434) presented for your entertainment, gentle reader, is an actual play thread.

I ran the game in the spirit of a Robert E Howard short story, and made it clear to the players that they were the major characters and protagonists in a short story, entitled The Chalice of Life.

Rather than present pre-generated characters, and so that the players could have more of a hand in the story, we spent some three or so hours beforehand creating the characters for the story. Most of that time was spent with the players discussing the background and contemplating character ideas, all the while taking turns with the one copy of the rulebook we had.

In keeping with the Howard tradition, I asked the players to create interesting backgrounds and they certainly provided me with interesting characters. I suggested that two characters should be previously friends (Tito and Mery-Assur were the result), as well as one character that should be a sorceror (Mery-Assur and Ramun-Acris split the role) and one character as a slave to the local noble hiring them (Jasmine). Baruk was the result of the player having a free hand, he decided to attach a background/destiny with Jasmine. In the end, it all worked out rather nicely, as you shall see.

Let me introduce to you the Dramatis Persona!

Tito [Pirate 4]: 'Tito was more than swarthy, a barrel chested man who loved to laugh, to fight, to love. His crewmates swore the Argossean climbed the rigging using only one arm. Those who had met with the sharp of his sword often did not live to tell the tale.' Tito, despite being a Man of the Sea had come to Aghraphur with his new found and mysterious companion Mery-Assar, on the promise of quick gold to aide in his own personal quest to raise a crew of his own and reclaim his standing amongst his fellows in The Red Brotherhood.

Mery-Assur [Scholar 4]: 'No one dared lock eyes directly with the Stygian. The Beloved of Assur (the pre-Greek name for Osiris) searches worlds, known and Unknown, looking for signs from his Damned God, seeking a way to revenge the wrong done to Assur by the most treacherous of the Gods, Set, God of Deceivers, Usurper to the Underworld.' Mery-Assur (Beloved of Osiris) had previously travelled with Tito upon the Seas far to the West, seeking Power where Tito sought wealth.

Baruk [Nomad 4]: 'Of steady foot and sure hand, Baruk has left his beloved omeland of Shem, seeking to reclaim his tribe's honour. Their hearts had sunk low the day Jasmine had been stolen them. But he pondered still his headman's final words. "With a tongue of a viper, with the softness of a fawn, she will plead, she will beg. Listen not. Seize her and return her to us. Reclaim our tribe's honour." As he saw her enter the Inn that night with the strangers, he saw the Wisdom in the Headman's words now.'
Baruk, one of the finest warriors of his tribe, has sworn never to return to his beloved lands of Shem until he has returned Jasmine, the tribe's princess and betrothed to the Headman of the nearby tribe (sadly, I've forgotten the name of these two tribes). He has received word she is to be found here in Aghrapur, a slave to one of the local Noble families. Selling his skills with sword and bow to this family, he hopes to find Jasmine and either convince her to return.

Jasmine [Nomad 1/Thief 1/Pirare 2]: 'Growing up the lazy daughter of a Headman of Shem, Jasmine dreamed of far away lands, where she fought, loved and laughed with the Men, like the Men did. When the time of her betrothal came, Jasmine escaped across the sands, sailing up the Ilbaris river and to a new life. After a few years as thief and pirate, she found herself captured by Turanian soliders during a failed raid. Captivated by her beauty, the local Lord Vhizal, brother to Anahita, bought her to serve in their House.' Jasmine's greatest asset is not her looks, but her
manipulative ways. She has already managed to win the favour of the Lord's sister Anahita, whom she suspects is actually the power behind the House of the White Wolf, direct descendants of the founders of the original Hyrkanian Turan.

Ramun-Acris [Scholar 1/Soldier 3]: 'The Black Stygian lived a haunted life. Forsaken by Set, unaccepting of the "Gift" of Sacrifice his cult has destined him, he had fled his beloved land, travelling far and wide, seeking answers to unspoken questions. Ramun sought solace in the affairs of man, his skill with a blade, quick wit and devilish cunning a welcome asset of the fields of battle as a sword for hire.'
Ramun fears his discovery by the Temple of Set and is understandably nervous around the company of his fellow countrymen. He seeks sorcerous power from alien gods now, believing that if Set has forsaken him, then every God’s power must be partaken and tested.

A Prelude to The Tale itself

The story The Chalice of Life is intended to be set about a year after the events in an original RE Howard story, The People of the Black Circle. The Premise of the adventure is that the original Founders of Turan, the Cult of the Wolf, seek to reclaim control over their own politics and destiny and to wrest the throne away from the current king, Yezdigerd. Previously, the Priest of the Turanese God Tarim held sway over the King. But with the death of the Master of Yimsha, a political and sorcerous vaccum has been created.

It is said that on an Isle, Cast by Erlik himself to be Outside of Space and Time, lies the heirloom of Turan, The Chalice of Life. With this artefact, under the traditions passed down from the Turanese forefathers, the Cult of the Wolf can claim their own, Lord Vhizal, as the rightful heir and King.

It is into this light that Tito and Mery-Assur rode one night, on promise of riches in exchange for completion of a simple task…

More of this tale to follow…

[Mijoro]

Sounds good and Howard-esque. Looking forward to reading the rest. :)

[Patrick Ogaard]

Originally posted by Mijoro
Sounds good and Howard-esque. Looking forward to reading the rest. :)

Motion seconded and carried. :) Nicely done so far.

Fourth level does seem just about right. Sufficiently tough that a character could take on one or two first level NPCs without breaking a sweat, but a squad of eight to ten first or second level soldiers or nomads is going to just be too much to handle (except at long distance with a bow and with the support of a few unpleasant compatriots with nasty sharp swords).

[theCimmerian]

Consider this a subscription to the story. :)

[mathey]

Neat-o Burrito.

[Brand_Robins]

More please!

[Stoerm]

Wish I had more literate RPers in my area... sounds good!

[Burgonet]

In writing up the game, I’ve decided to recount the game in short chapters, much as Howard himself did when writing his short stories for publication. Most of the initial scenes were partly planned by myself, the rest created by player interaction. Once the players arrived on the island however, the results were entirely the result of their own making. When dialogue is included, I’ve done my best to recall actual in-game conversations and to attribute them to the correct character. I’ll put out of game comments and conversations, comments on rules, and so on in brackets.

Meeting at the Inn of Seven Veils

Tito and Mery-Asur proceeded into the Inn of the Seven Veils, the designated place to which they were set to meet their contact. Three weeks prior, Mery has spoken to a vassal of Lady Anahita, sister to Lord Vhizal. The vassal has made promises of riches to be made ‘for someone with the talent that you possess’. Mery took this to assume someone with his ‘learned’ background. Tito took this to mean that he had no idea of what the vassal wanted them to do… but there were riches within the deed! They have been told that when they arrive, a large Hyperborean will meet them on the night in question.

Arriving a week late, the pair makes their way into the Inn. Not seeing the Hyperborean (a large snow haired barbarian certainly stands out in a crowd of Hyrkanian and Turanian locals), Tito secures a table and orders some wine, encouraging Mery to sit. They soon attract attention of the denizen employees of the house, seeking to relieve them both of their small purse of gold. Tito, a woman on each side, asks Mery to recant a tale of their past exploits. Mery, being the Stygian sorceror he is, selects a tale to chill them all to their bone.

“And when the Moon is full, the workers on the docks of Khitai assume their true form! Revealed under the Light of their Dark Moon God, they came for us, their teeth glittering like knives! Next time you see a short man from this far land, beware!” Mery concludes his tale (the player actually telling the last part of this as quoted, complete with theatrics, and that booming voice expected of sorcerers in this genre), slamming his hands upon the table as he concludes. The tale has a differing effect than Tito had hoped, cowing the serving girls into a fearful state. Tito is left to stare at his bald compatriot and contemplate his spurious motives.

And then the Hyperborean made his way into the Inn.
Easily a foot higher than his fellows, dressed in the local finery of the Turanians but all in a rich colour of black. He sits by himself, looking once across the room, his face falling into a scowl when he saw the bald-headed Stygian.

“You… are… late.” Hyperboreans are reputedly to be slow and Gorm of Sorrows is no exception. He is invited of to the table of Mery and Tito, he sits and discusses with the pair, slowly, the task at hand. He explains that his patron, the lovely lady Anahita, wishes to meet with them to discuss a proposal of expedition. Tito asks a few questions, curious as to why the Lady herself cannot have men from her own house undertake such a journey. Gorm answers; looking at Tito, then looking to the Stygian and nodding. Tito ahs, suspecting this task must require the talents of a great sorcerer. They finish their drinks and arise, following the enormous man outside. Gorm explains that his Lady Anahita awaits for them at an undisclosed location, and that they must be cautious – “The city. Have Eyes and Ears. Must be. Dis… creet.”

[More to follow...]

[Burgonet]

At the Dead of Night, A Lady

Mery and Tito follow Gorm for a few hours into the Turanian night, winding their way through the narrow streets of Aghrapur. After some time, the pair realise that their path is not a direct one, Mery notices a few familiar faces in the crowd from time to time.
[The Players at this point did joke amongst themselves… “Best not to lose sight of him, we’d be gormless otherwise” and “How the hell does HE sneak around? And so on. I must confess Gorm is a pun character, but it was one I underplayed, rather than overstated during play, and was a clue as to the nature of their ‘patron’].

Gorm suddenly stops, steps to his right, and furiously gestures for the pair to follow him down a narrow set of stairs beneath the streets. The pair looks to each other, then oblige the Hyperborean. After some minutes wandering through narrow corridors that seem to run deeper and deeper beneath the streets and lit only by the pitch torch Gorm carries in front of him (which he took as he entered below from the wall). Eventually, the corridor widen out, opening into a large rectangular room, lit by hanging braziers and torches. On the far side of the room, a female figure sits upon a divan, fanned by a pair of muscular slaves. Upon his arrival, Gorm bows to the figure.

“Step forward, so that I may see you both.”
The woman is Lady Anahita, sister to Lord Vhizal and Noble of Turan. She stands, inspecting the pair. She looks straight to Mery.
“And who is your companion, Mery? I was not aware that you were travelling with a companion?”
Mery speaks, explaining that Tito has proved himself time again in his skill with the sword, and is also a sailor of some repute. Anahita introduces herself, and explains the task she requires the pair to fulfil.

“It is said that somewhere upon the Sea of Vilyet lies an Island untouched by the Ages. This island’s location is known only to a few. One of these men I have under my care. I require you to travel to this Island and recover for me a cup. A Chalice. The Chalice of Life, also known as the Chalice of the Wolf, crafted by ancestral Erlik and given to my ancestors as a gift to commemorate the founding of our great Nation. I require this Chalice on behalf of my brother, who seeks to reclaim our rightful place in the Court of Turan, a place stolen from us by the woeful Priest of Tarim.”

Ahahita explains that the House of the Wolf will be eternally grateful for their role in the expedition if successful and that riches would follow.

For Mery, this is not enough.
“I know a little of your true nature, Anahita. Paltry coins and trinkets will not sate my lust! I seek knowledge, and demand that you share with me some of your secrets as my payment!”
[Mery’s player did a excellent job of playing up the arrogance; lust for power and over the top personality you would expect from a sword-and-sorcery Sorcerer.]
Anahita agrees and informs them that they must leave Aghrapur this night, to ride for a day until they come to a small port town, where the rest of the crew and the expedition await! At this, the Lady claps her hands, and a serving girl appears, dressed in finery befitting the most pampered of slaves.
Enter the Nomad Princess, Jasmine.
Jasmine pours wine, a toast to celebrate the Pact just made.
With the agreement made, Gorm leads the pair back out from the room.

Anahita took Jasmine by the arm. “Go with them, my sweet childe. Go, and be my eyes and ears. Do not reveal my hand through yours, play them for the fools that Men are. Do not return until they have the Chalice. Then, I shall grant you what you seek most. Your freedom!”
Jasmine agrees and hurries to catch up with the rest, to announce to them that the Lady is sending her along ‘to keep Gorm company.’ Gorm grunts, barely comprehending, the pair of adventurer’s seem oblivious to the development.

And so, Gorm and Jasmine in tow, the group rode for a night and a day, arriving to the sleepy village by the sea; a place of smuggling used by the House of the Wolf to secure items into their homeland without the watchful eyes of the King’s men.

[Burgonet]

The Village of the Red Queen
Gorm, Jasmine, Tito and Mery-Assur enter as a group into the only public house in this small village, to rest and drink after a night and day’s hard ride.
As Jasmine enters, she notices straight away the Shemite that sits at the corner table. It is Baruk, a childhood friend and champion of her village.
Without flinching, she grabs the arm of Tito nearby and giggles.
Baruk and Jasmine continue to speak from time to time over the next few hours solely by their eyes, an anger welling within Baruk as he sees his beloved tribe’s princess lowering herself to the role of a mere supplicant and consort.

Baruk sits at a table with Ramun-Acris, a black Stygian and solider for hire and Arjun, Captain of the Sea Witch. Arjun is also a member of the Red Brotherhood of pirates, his crew also drinking here. Gorm leads the others to their table and makes halted introductions.
Ramun avoids direct eye contact with Mery, who seeks it. [The other players expecting some form of sorcerous conflict early on…]
Baruk and Jasmine do not speak, Arjun introduces himself to all comers, Tito and Mery seek a separate table with Jasmine joining them.

A night of drinking ensues, as Arjun has made it clear this will be their last night at port for some time. Fearing to be alone with Baruk, Jasmine seduces Tito, convincing him to take her upstairs to a room.

[And this is where I thought I’d have a Total Party Kill – although the spirit of the game was friendly, this would not prevent the developed factionalism spilling their blood!]

Baruk leaves for upstairs a few minutes later, listening at their door, hearing a hearty laugh from Tito, followed by churlish giggling from Jasmine. In fury, he pounds their door, crying out (in Shem, which only he, Ramun and Jasmine spoke) “Why do you dishonour our tribe?!”. Seeing a potential problem, brewing, Mery makes his way upstairs, standing beside Baruk.

Mery demands to know why he disturbs their rest.
Baruk refuses to meet the Stygian’s eyes (‘for that is how they work Their ways...’ comments Baruk’s player as character monologue), Mery continues to stand next to him and demands he leave them be.
Inside the room, Tito asks Jasmine what this is all about. Jasmine explains (ie. Lies!) that the man is from a wild Shemite tribe, one that captured her a few years ago. She further explains (more sweet lies!) as to how she escaped from said dreadful tribe and how he must be here to retrieve her again as dreadful property!
Tito, offended at the prospect, reaches for his sword inside the room.

Sensing trouble, Ramun makes his own way upstairs, stopping half way up the stairs - locking eyes with the Stygian!

[And it was here I thought that a War of Souls would occur! I saw the idea flash through Ramun’s player’s mind, but I suspect he has second thoughts, in all likelihood the weaker sorcerer of the pair]

Baruk, sensing that more than his own life was at risk let the matter settle. He left his place outside the room, heading off to his own to rest. Jasmine, the threat of Baruk gone for now, apologises to Tito and leaves his room, leaving Tito entirely bemused about the whole series of events.
Consequently, the others dispersed. But the air became very unsettled between Mery and Ramun in future – for each now knew the other was a sorcerer.

[The players did know beforehand, but now each of their characters were aware of each other, in the story. This brought interesting complications, as Ramun assumed that Mery was a servant of Set, and ergo an enemy to be faced and vanquished at some point.]

The next morning, Captain Arjun gathered his sailors; ten swarthy men and the players, who proceed to the dock. There sits the Sea Witch.
A sail and galley ship, with thirty slaves below deck, whipped to work and row, until they die.

“Those men are damned” said Tito.
“It is their lot in life,” replied the fatalistic Baruk.

And the sea voyage had begun.

[Burgonet]

Voyage Across Time and Space

Every morning at dawn, a chained, starved and bearded man would be taken from the galley below and placed on deck. He would survey the landscape, shake his head and then be returned to his prison in the hold.

This had observers confused. Who was this man?
Mery surmised that this individual was a sailor from a previous foray to this Nameless Isle. The others chose not to pry, but Tito noticed that the man wore a curious bronze medallion, a symbol much like the sun upon its center. Jasmine spent most of her time in the company of Gorm, Baruk became sullen but kept counsel with Ramun. Tito and Mery spent most of their time with the Captain, who grew increasingly impatient at the seemingly futility of their quest.
The crew grew nervous, talk amongst the free men and slaves alike centered on their destination – How can one find an Isle that is Nameless and Uncharted? What was on this Isle? Was it accursed?

For two weeks this confused ritual began their day.
But one day, a sense came to these actions.
On a day that at first seemed like all the others, the chained man arose.
Then, he simply turned to the Captain, and nodded.
On this day, a thick mist had fallen upon the Sea, with visibility limited, sailors reporting the presence of shallows and reefs to either side of the ship.
The bearded man produced his medallion and held it aloft.

And lo, did the item catch the light of the Sun!
A coherent beam shone forth, parting the mists. The man instructed the sailors to row forward, and not turn or deviate from their current path.

And after some time of this, as dawn became late morning, the mist parted ahead, revealing the shoreline of an Island!
Impossibly high cliffs greeted them; despite trepidation the bearded man implored them to continue ahead. Soon, a parting in these cliffs became visible, a harbour as their destination.

They had arrived.

[Burgonet]

Steps of the Giants

Sighting a landing ahead, Captain Arjen on advice from Mery sails into the ancient harbour. Little can be seen beyond a rock peninsula, the waters deep on either side, vertical cliffs all around otherwise. Then, as the ship draws in, they catch sight of what appears to be an enormous set of stairs, which ascend upwards, carved into the cliff. The Captain takes advice and decides to tie up at the stone dock.

The slave crew was put to work, unloading some basic provisions.
Gorm pulled Mery aside. “Lady Anahita tell me to tell you, you are in charge now. On land, of exped.. ishon.” Gorm’s pronunciation of Hyrkanian is stilted at best, but Mery-Assur comprehends enough – he has been placed in charge of the foray upon the Isle. As they are unloading, Baruk and Tito notice the figure of a hunched, robed figure looking down upon them, staff in hand atop the cliff face.
Mery dispatches Baruk ahead, up the Giant stone stairs to investigate and potentially capture this figure.

Baruk finds the stairs are enormous, cut and smooth from the stone, as if for a man at least twice his size. Baruk asks for a blessing from “the white bosom of Ishtar” before he heads up the elephantine staircase. The rest of the group watches Baruk ascend, until he is mostly lost to their sight by the mist above.

Meanwhile the rest of the group has been discussing strategy with each other, Gorm present only to grunt and nod in agreement on occasion. It is decided, lest the ship be attacked while the expedition is away, that the Sea Witch should weigh anchor off shore and await a signal from the expedition to collect them.
Mery, sensing that the presence of Jasmine would sow discord in the group [and because I suspect Mery’s player wished to test the swimming rules – more later], left Jasmine along with Gorm on board of the ship. Taking what food and water they could carry, the expedition also took five of the ten Red Brotherhood pirates with them as well, in case there was a need for extra furtive or violent hands.

The Sea Witch cast off its anchor, and set sail away from the shore. Far above on the cliff line, Baruk signalled to the group that all was clear. Although the figure is gone, he can find traces of the man’s passing. He walks with a hunch, and leans upon a walking stick or staff by the looks of his tracks, which wind back from the cliff edge and inland, towards what looks to be a open, reeded marsh of some kind. Indeed, Baruk has done a brief visual survey of the landscape of the Isle – bleak, open and stony plains in a northerly direction, a tangle of tall tropical trees to the northwest (of sorts not normally seen in the Sea of Vilyet) and the marsh to the northeast.

Back on board the ship, Gorm has become usually distracted; he sits on board the top deck with the Captain. Below deck, Jasmine becomes increasingly concerned with the attention she is receiving from a few pirates. Grabbing a dagger from one of their belts, she at first threatens them, then races upon deck and leaps over the side!
The rest of the party on shore are oblivious to this – bar Baruk, who can only look on in horror as he sees Jasmine struggle against the currents. His fear is further compounded as he notices a large, dark shape rise and fall again into the churning sea, making a direct line for the approaching princess…

NEXT! The Beast of the Sea!

[Burgonet]

The Beast of the Sea

“To the Sea!” cried Baruk, “Jasmine!”
Tito reacted quickly, leaping into the uncertain waters.
And dashing his head on the rocks as he did so.

Meanwhile, Jasmine struggles against the currents, all the while unaware of the approaching shape behind her.
[Both player and character were unaware, as were all players bar Baruk’s, however faces were made when Baruk’s player in an aside let out a theatrical gasp…]
Ramun, who had already spent some minutes on land donning his armour, could naught but look on. Mery was entirely indifferent, continuing to organise the expedition as the struggle offshore continued.

After a few seconds of semi-consciousness Tito awoke, surfacing and swimming with bleeding head towards the floundering Jasmine. The rest could only look on, all except Mery who had already begun to make his ascension upon the Stairs.

[As an aside… drowning is a real danger to characters in a d20/OGL based system at low levels. Even with swimming difficulties at 10 or 15, there was much panic amongst the players. But, as Yasmine’s player commented… ‘Swimming isn’t normally dangerous… just when the GM is looking.’]

Baruk kept sight of the Beast, and saw it clearer now; a creature with a serpent’s head and body on one end but like a whale or crocodile on the other end. He waited until he believed it was within range of his mighty Shemite bow and began to unleash a rain of arrows upon it!
[GM note: It was of course an Elasmosaurus. I did download a nice, Victorian era pic of how they believed the beastie looked, and showed Baruk’s player on my end of the GM screen. Baruk has both advantages as a Shemite in archery, the Far Shot feat, and a Shemite bow. He easily could shoot 500 yards (1500 ft) and hit with regularity.]

Jasmine saw the arrows raining down, and fearing that these were meant for her, ducked under the surface of the water, swimming deeper to try to reach the stone pier under cover.
[Prompting a rare comment from myself and Baruk’s player: ‘Why does no one ever take Sheriff Brody seriously?’ ‘Da nun.. Da nun…’.]

Tito saw Jasmine faltering underwater, and dove under to reach her.
But he too found himself a victim of an undertow!
[Well, they were both failing those swimming rolls. Drowning, or almost drowning, would appear again in the session, and seemed to be the natural hazard of choice for the story.]

Mery, Ramun and the others became aware of the Beast at this point, as its head reared above the surface, letting out a bellowing roar as a pair of arrows finally struck home and did considerable damage! Mery, putting together the presence of the cloaked man before, along with the presence of the Beast now, surmised that the Creature had been summoned. He walked to the end of the Pier, and in a loud voice (speaking in Old Stygian, I believe) intoned.

“Begone, Beast of the Sea! I command you to return to the Depths! Away from my Presence!”
[The player was even kind enough to spend a Power point. At this point, with the Beast at 2/3 damage from Baruk’s arrows, and not believing a meal should be that difficult to seconder, it retreated beneath the waves. Hey presto! Magic really works! Just don’t show the wires…]

Jasmine struggled to Tito’s side in the waves mere yards from shore, gasping and struggling for breath, making sure that Baruk was indeed watching on.
Mery stepped to the edge of the stone dock, and offered his hand to Tito.
“Hurry up, you two are holding up my expedition!”

Baruk watched from the shore. He saw a brave man in Tito. And for the first time, he saw Jasmine’s intentions and machinations. The Headman had spoken Words True. Time would soon come for direct action.

Regrouping, the party of heroes, along with five pirate accomplices, made their way up the Stairs and onto the Island itself. Mery asked if Baruk could follow the tracks made earlier.

NEXT… The Village of the Yuetshi!

[Derulbaskul]

SALette,

Thanks. This really is excellent bith as a piece of writing and as inspiration for my own Conan campaign. I'm definitely subscribing to this.

Cheers
D

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by Derulbaskul
SALette,

Thanks. This really is excellent bith as a piece of writing and as inspiration for my own Conan campaign. I'm definitely subscribing to this.

Cheers
D

Thanks.
I will be continuing this thread, although the realisation that the thread so far amounts to just under 5000 words is more than a little intimidating.

:)

I'll post more tomorrow and hopefully conclude the tale then.

[Jason D]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to relay this info from your campaign. I did a 30-session log for a Lord of the Rings game, so I understand the work which went into this.

[Patrick O'Duffy]

Who's playing this baby, Scott? Anyone I know?

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by Patrick O'Duffy
Who's playing this baby, Scott? Anyone I know?

Yes, you'd know about 1/2 the people at the table.

:)

[Burgonet]

The Village of the Yuetshi

Baruk guided the group through the marshes; a place of tall reeds and wide, meandering watercourses. The sure-footed Shemite warned them not to deviate too far from the path they were following, lest the ground be unsteady. Ramun took this advice to heart, being the only member of the expedition that was wearing heavy armour [Mail Shirt, Brigandine Coat and spiked helmet – this would come back to haunt his later].

After a few hours and as the sun rose high to noon, Baruk signalled to the group that ahead laid a village! The expedition gathered on its edge and in hushed tones discussed a course of action, with Baruk and a few pirates keeping watch on the village. They watched the village for a few minutes, seeing the women folk go about their business with children at their side. There was no sign of any men. There was some discussion as to where the men might be but it was clear that this was a Yuetshi village. And in the eyes of Mery in particular, this made them ‘an uncivilized, miserable people.’
Mery was also quite clear on his intended course of action – make a grand entrance to instil a sense of fear! This way the people would be pliant and a possible resource in their mission to find the Chalice. Ramun agreed and pointed out which of the huts he believed what that of the Headman. Above this hut, a circular wooden symbol was carved; the symbol of a serpent. Jasmine remained tight-lipped, Tito expressed interest in locating the valuables of their tribe. His fellow pirates agreed.

With Baruk granting cover and Jasmine left bemused by his side, the remainder of them charged into the village with a hue and a cry! Only women and children could be seen, Mery and Baruk alike took to a momentary red mood, swinging their axe [Bardiche, the alleged ‘nuclear weapon’ of the Conan RPG world] and dagger into the helpless! Baruk and Jasmine could only watch on, the male Shemite in particular entertaining the notion of loosing a few arrows on either Stygian. He saw the delight they took in taking such innocents as prey and it sickened him.

[After a few rounds of slaughter, where Mery in particular sought to garnish Power points, his interest spurred by his possession of the Ritual Sacrifice Feat, promising each of their souls to Assur as he waded through them. The player himself was happy to play the role of the villain, although he did comment it was the first time many years of gaming where he felt he missed some form of alignment system. I just reminded him of the Fate of such terrible men in these tales and we both nodded and returned to the game.]

The band made their way to the Headman’s hut, where the same hunched figure from before emerged. The group had noticed a series of running traits of deformity amongst the villagers with the Headman as no exception. The Headman stepped boldly from the Hut, a proclamation that the Invaders should cease their assault, for He knew the location of what they must surely seek!

Mery gave the signal; Ramun’s booted foot upon the throat of a strangely scaled child is lifted. The group came to stand outside the Headman’s hut, weapons still drawn but for now, sated.

A parlay had begun.

NEXT... A Deal with the Dagonites!

[Burgonet]

A Deal is Struck
Mery and the Headman of the Yuetshi begin a parlay, on the steps of the Great Hut in which he resides. Ramun pushed the Headman aside and made his own way inside. The rest stand in the center of the village, weapons drawn and at the ready, a nervous female populace encircling them gathering what little in the way of weaponry they have. After a terse discussion, the Headman agreed to lead the group to the location of the Chalice in exchange for a promise that no one from their expedition would harm another villager. Mery agreed but warned the Old Man attempted to double cross, betray them or do any of his expedition harm that “a massacre that would spare no man, woman or child” would be perpetrated in brutal response.

[Mery was easily shaping up to be power mad and downright evil at this point. Which was fine with me, a practicing Stygian necromancer is hardly a vassal of mercy. I was increasingly getting the vibe that a ‘fitting end’ for Mery would be entirely acceptable in the mind of his own player, as he was ever showing his hand as a despicable character spoiling for his ‘just desserts’.]

Inside the Great Hut, Ramun is drawn to twin statues in wooden effigy, icons with long, fish-scale arms and frightening, bulbous heads. After a few minutes of inspection, he surmises that these must be obscure versions of Dagon and his apparent sea-wife, Mother Hydra. Drawing a small curved dagger from his belt, Ramun drew blood from his hand and offered some of his essence as a blessing to the Twin Gods. [Taking 1 HP and using 1 Power Point in the process]
Somewhere over the sea, Ramun swore he heard an echoing sigh emanating from the Depths.

With his re-emergence from the Long Hut, the group set out again across the marsh, led by the slow but surefooted Headman. Led westwards across the Marsh they soon found themselves back in more rocky, open and drier terrain. Now following an ancient, ruined road the group came over a hilled rise, to then look down upon a deserted necropolis!

The party made their way straight up the very center of this wide, deserted road.
Ahead as the destination for the ruined road they saw it – the ruins of a once great city! From the surrounds of the city they heard an echoed howl; not man, not pig, not fowl.

“We will meet our end in this place,” said Baruk.


NEXT... Into the City of the Dead!

[Burgonet]

Apologies for the length of both the story, and the time it is taking to post.
I will be completing what I started, however.

[Derulbaskul]

Thanks again, SALette; this is excellent. I hope you post more such story hours in future.

[Patrick Ogaard]

Originally posted by SALette
Apologies for the length of both the story, and the time it is taking to post.
I will be completing what I started, however.

If it's good, the length is at worst a secondary concern.

If it's good, then it's worth waiting for.

I have spoken. :D

[Arbane the Terrible]

Originally posted by Patrick Ogaard
If it's good, the length is at worst a secondary concern.

If it's good, then it's worth waiting for.


Agreed, but what do you mean "if"? This is good stuff.

[DeusIrae]

This kicks ass. I'm very much looking forward to Mery's comeuppance.

More RPGs should involve comeuppance.

[Patrick Ogaard]

Originally posted by Arbane the Terrible
Agreed, but what do you mean "if"? This is good stuff.

Exactly. :D

[Stoerm]

Nooooooo! I have to leave for a 5-day, no-internet-having trip tomorrow morning without hearing the end of the tale!

No need for apologies about the length. I actually find it a plus. You realize that with all the info you've provided, it's nearly a ready-to-run adventure for a decent GM, right?

My only beef is that I don't get to read about the City of the Dead until I return from my trip.

Great work!

[Derulbaskul]

Just a friendly bump because I'm looking forward to the next instalment.... ;)

[Squid]

You have made any doubts I had about purchasing the Conan game disappear...and also made me eagerly await your next installment.

[AusJeb]

Fun play reports. Great work on introducing the PCs.

Did Mery have to make a Corruption check during the sacrifice of the villagers?

[Burgonet]

I'm working on the rest of the session's write up, and will post in the next day or two.

Thanks for reading thus far.

[Burgonet]

Into the City of the Dead

The expedition followed the main road, the road growing with age, width and grandeur as they walked along its path. The background noises of the island, already subdued by the standards of the wild, shrank even further from their ears.
The only noises they could hear now were associated with the grind of gravel under their feet, the slow but chill wind that blew across them and the echoing howls. And the howls began to grow in intensity, seemingly from all around.

The group was understandably nervous.
“Out with your swords!” cried Mery, his own voice not stained by the fear that had crept across many of his men. “Pause not, tarry not. We will have the Chalice and you shall have your riches. Onward!”
[Mery’s player was keen to stress that he feared little, especially the Unknown. He explained that Mery was solely concerned in obtaining the Chalice and saw the expedition as a vehicle to gain access to ‘Great Knowledge and Power, Power!’ Complete with theatrical hand waving. ]

The whooping and grunting, the bellowing and shrieking grew as they headed into the city itself. As they walked now the grey and weed choked stone of an unknown and un-named civilization ringed them on either side. The Old Man led them ever forward, a smile growing slowly on his face.

“If this is your doing old man, I can promise you a slow and miserable death” said Ramun, who marched with mighty axe clutched as extension, eyes darting to in all manners of direction.
[Ramun had made it clear he was mainly concerned with the actions of the Old Man. If he was seen to be enacting any form of sorcery, or if Ramun suspected the Old Man was at any time working contrary to their own goals, Ramun’s player indicated he would kill the Old Man without question. And later, I learned, Ramun’s player remembered that the foe they faced was indeed encountered in a previous RE Howard tale set on the Vilayet Sea.]

“They are talking. They know – we are coming,” said Baruk, who blesses himself and mutters Ishtar’s name as the dirge march continued.
[‘Well’ said Baruk’s player during this section of the game. ‘At least they won’t be Orcs.’]

“Let them come,” said Tito, his arm an extension of his unwavering cutlass. “I am yet to meet an enemy that does not bleed”.
[‘I’m going to die this combat, I just know it’ best sums up the mood of Tito’s player at this point – but the player was looking forward to some form of conflict. And hoped to at least get a chance to ‘wrestle with something’ before he died.]

Jasmine said nothing as she walked by Tito’s side, her eyes cast down upon the stone road in front of her feet, her heart and soul praying for escape.
[Jasmine’s player was much more talkative than this thread may suggest, indeed much of her own dialogue involved manipulating the other player characters against each other, particularly Baruk versus anyone else. I regret not having captured more of her conversations. They were more elaborate, rather than quotable one-liners. ]

The road through the city itself came to a rise. And they saw beyond, on the next rise and atop the largest hill on the island an impressive stone temple!

“That is our destination,” said the Old Man. “Your Chalice lies there”.

And then as the Old Man turned, Terror itself leapt upon them all!

NEXT – The Man-Apes attack!

[Patrick Ogaard]

Good chapter. :)

[Burgonet]

I'll be away for the weekend here, but aim to return early next week with the rest of the Chapters written in summary.

Plus notes on the system, the game session itself, and so on.

All in time, gentle reader.

:)

[Burgonet]

The Man-Apes attack!

Using the roofs of nearby double storey stone buildings, They attacked.
The Expedition had walked into an ambush!

With an inhuman whoop and cry, two pairs of enormous, bestial creatures leapt upon them. In an instant, two of the pirates at the very rear of the group were crushed dead, fierce simian fist smashing their skulls like unwanted pottery. Two more of these revealed attackers leapt down, crash tackling the Old Man and beginning to pull and tear on his limbs!

[I asked for Surprise checks at this point; all but Ramun and Jasmine succeeded at this. I ruled the five pirates as surprised, for dramatic effect. Before the roll, I’d pulled out the whiteboard, giving them a brief sketch of the terrain. From that, I asked them to determine their party’s method of marching – and yes, the dreaded establishment of marching order. The Old Man led the group, with a second rank consisting of Mery and Baruk, with Ramun and Jasmine and Tito in the third rank, with the Pirates marching five abreast at the rear.]

Their attackers whooped and cried out, emboldened by their ambush. The rest of the group reacted at once; Baruk loosing arrows at the apes towering over the Old Man, Tito throwing himself at the apes attacking the Pirates, Mery preparing to defend himself and muttering half-heard incantations and invocations under his breath.

A battle ensued. The remaining pirates made an effort to fight back, but found their numbers decimated to nils in just a few exchanges of blows. For as each Ape struck, one of their number fell dead, screaming their last. Tito managed to draw out one of the Apes, which attempted to grasp his small frame between its own massive arms, trying to crush him dead! Tito’s resolve however proved formidable, while an initial blow to his unhelmeted head has drawn some blood he found himself able to keep the Beast at bay with his incredible strength.

Baruk soon found himself tackled by an Ape from the front. The creature loomed over him, its meaty paws seeking his throat! Roused from his surprise, Ramun drew his enormous axe (Bardiche) and struck the Beast, a scarlet spray drenching them all! Jasmine looked on in horror from the beginning, but now found herself roused to attack. She leapt as well onto the Man-Ape on Baruk, her dagger finding the creature’s vitals. It collapsed, dead from shock, atop Baruk!

Baruk struggled to join the fray, the corpse of the dead beast upon him. The creature lay dead for no more than a few seconds, before Mery bellowed out from afar.
“Oh no! It is not your time yet, Man Beast. Arise! And serve me… attack my enemies!”
His eyes blazed with a baleful fire, the Beast dead atop of Baruk stirred to life, towering above him.

At this time the other Ape at the front, satisfied the Old Man dead, leapt upon an unguarded Mery! Mery did his best to defend himself, but soon found himself pounded into a bloodied unconsciousness in a mere few seconds.
[At this point, I pulled Mery aside. I asked what Mery’s subconscious might consider as enemies of his own. He concurred that the greatest threats to Mery’s schemes were in the party itself, with Baruk and Ramun as the two greatest threats. Hence, the Ape corpses actions hereafter.]


At the rear of the fray, Tito continued to struggle with his own Ape; the thing unable to crush him in its grip, he in turn unable to raise his cutlass to strike effective blows.
[We were amazed at this point that Tito was still alive, but was he not only alive, he was holding his own in a grappling contest with a creature with an extra +2 of strength over his own.]

A reluctant Ramun raced to Mery’s defence, burying his own axe, again and again, into the body of Mery’s assailant. The second ape at the rear, seeing this development and having slain the last of the pirates, raced forward and came to his fellow’s aid.

With Mery unconscious, the magic wrought by him would soon dissolve. In absence of specific commands, the animated Dead Ape arose, attacking the nearest threat to Mery – Baruk!

It lumbered towards Baruk, it’s dead eyes locked upon him.
“By Ishtar’s Ivory Breast… what manner of foul sorcery is this?”
The animated Ape corpse lumbered after Baruk, who drew the thing away from the group, stopping occasionally to empty a few arrows into its advancing frame.

Ramun continued to battle twin Apes, his armor battered by their powerful blows. He exchanged their blows, his bardiche biting into Ape flesh, the blood flowing thick and fast between them all.

Tito all the while had continued with his struggle, the Ape unable to choke the life from him. Jasmine looked on, too afraid to intervene, the rest of the expedition busy with their own woes, or very dead. But in a sudden reversal, Tito found his strength! He drew the Ape down along his blade, the creature letting out a shriek of rage as Life passed from its lips.

By this time a battered and bloodied Ramun has managed to slay one of his apes, and was about to slay the second when Baruk let loose a final volley of arrows from afar, finishing the skirmish.

As the last Ape died, it let out a howl to its fellows in the distance.

“We should take shelter, marshal our forces” said Ramun through broken lips.

NEXT… The Temple of the Wolf!

[Burgonet]

The Temple of the Wolf

The weary and battered remnants of the Expedition took shelter in a nearby abandoned building. Ramun led the way, dragging his Stygian compatriot behind him.
[Mery had rolled when he was reduced to –1 Hit points for that rather odd, random 1 in 10 stabilization rule, and had succeeded in stabilising. As a quick note, I wish to comment that I believe this should be an escalating Fortitude saving throw instead, the difficulty based upon the descent in numbers from zero.]

Tito and Baruk stayed outside, Jasmine staying close to both of these men lest more of the Man Apes attack. The trio spoke; Tito of the terrible losses thus far, Baruk of how he feared that this battle had served merely to infuriate the rest of their ‘Ape Tribe’, Jasmine praised both men for saving all of their lives.
[There was some confusion from these three players at this point as to whether they should take shelter with Ramun, as there was growing distrust of both Stygians at this point.]

Inside, Ramun treated and bound Mery’s injuries. And, while he was there, drew some of his power away from his unconscious form.
[We did not roll for this, as Mery agreed that this was a fair price for saving his life. Ramun was more comfortable around Mery now, as Mery had invoked Assur earlier in his magic and thus indicated that he was not a Setitie.]

Mery awoke, but instead of a subdued confusion or terror, there was manic glee.
“What? Not dead yet!” he exclaimed in his birth tongue.
His following laughter echoed outside from the building, Baruk blessing himself and again invoking Ishtar, begging for her protection from the Evils of the World.
And from the Stygian especially.

The group took shelter in the ruined shelter, applying healing and aid where they could to each other, soothing each other’s nerves and bolstering each other’s resolve. Once Mery was well enough to stand, he insisted that they should move on.
“Why should we cower here like the condemned, when we are so close to our goal? Onward, I say. Onward!”
[The role-playing of Hubris can often be a wonderful thing to watch, if portrayed well. Mery’s player certainly had played this sort of role in the past, and was doing an good job of it in this instance.]

And so onward they did travel. They made haste through the remainder of the ruined city, the caterwauling from the remainder Man-Apes growing in ferocity and intensity. Baruk swore he saw several lit fires, with figures dancing about them in the distance. And the unmistakable beat of drums.

Over the next ridge they saw their goal – The Temple of the Wolf!

Making haste with their journey the group soon arrived at the temple, an enormous and open aired place held by a myriad of dark columns that held the roof aloft above it.

Mery strode triumphantly in, with no regard to what lay inside beyond their prize. Ramun and Tito followed in close behind, Jasmine and Baruk remaining on the outside steps of the Temple to keep watch.
Mery continued along the stone temple floor, coming to the center of the Temple where a raised altar held upon it the object they sought - the Chalice of Life itself.
Both Stygians continued to the altar, Mery running and snatching up the chalice in his avaricious fingers. Tito continued on, but paused for a moment to examine the majesty of the Temple they were within.
[Tito’s player was keen for a larger description of the Temple, Mery and Ramun's players cared not for these things, instead ONLY for the Chalice itself!]

As he did so, he noticed a pair of large stone wolves, either side of the altar as the statues were positioned – spring to life!
The sounds of stone grinding upon stone alerted the others outside, Baruk yelling a warning.
“The Stone… it comes alive!”

Ramun drew his axe while Tito drew his own blade, the pair making a slow retreat away from the Stone wolves, calling for Mery to retreat.

He had no such intention. Mery spoke aloud in Hyrkanian.

“Hear me, Guardians of the Wolf, Guardians of the Chalice! I am Mery-Asur, here on behalf of Anahita, sister to Lord Vhizal of Turan; heir to the Cult of the White Wolf, whose ancestor Erlik set asunder this Isle from Time and Space Itself! I command thee – stand before me and witness the return of the Chalice to its rightful heir!”
[At which point, Mery’s player also insisted to spend a power point. As this was the right thing to do; there were instructions written in ancient Hyrkanian on the altar’s side itself and although Mery’s player never ever bothered to look, I decided this would definitely work.]

The stone wolves came to heel at each side of Mery and once again, with an audible thunderclap above, they became stone and very still.
Mery left the Temple, holding aloft the Chalice of Life as he did so.
Jasmine looked to Mery, she noted from her studies that indeed, this was the artefact that they sought.
The pair nodded to each other in causal agreement.

Baruk had become even more disturbed by the sounds he heard in the night air. According to his reckoning, there were at least fifty and perhaps more of those Man-Ape creatures out there. Beating the drums of War!

Having secured their artefact, the expedition beat a hasty retreat back through the center of the Island, back towards the waiting Sea Witch, which sat offshore.

The retreat was hurried, distant noises of hoots and howls drawing ever closer, the bravery of the beasts marshalled; a war band raised with intent to slay all the intruders upon the Island, once and for all.

As the group returned to the Stone Stairs, they gazed down.

And were taken aback by what they saw waiting instead down at the stone dock below.

NEXT… The Acolytes of Yimsha!

[colbabe]

Originally posted by SALette
Mery had rolled when he was reduced to –1 Hit points for that rather odd, random 1 in 10 stabilization rule, and had succeeded in stabilising. As a quick note, I wish to comment that I believe this should be an escalating Fortitude saving throw instead, the difficulty based upon the descent in numbers from zero.

I agree. Did D&D make this change in v3.5, anyone know?

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by colbabe
I agree. Did D&D make this change in v3.5, anyone know?

Not that I am aware of.

I suspect there might be a variant rules somewhere, perhaps published in their 'Unearthed Arcana' supplement?

[Burgonet]

The Acolytes of Yimsha

The group stopped, their collective mouths agape.
For below the dock and lower area had been taken over by Kozaks! With scimitar and bow their enemies had come to the Isle, somehow aware of what needed to be done to unlock this Isle, accursed from Space and Time.
Two ships worth of soldiers swarmed over the area, their actions directed by bald men in billowing robes.
Ramun cursed under his breath. “The Acolytes of Yimsha. They have come for the Chalice!”

Offshore they could sight their own ship, running a series of signal flags to indicate the emergency. Hiding atop of the Stairs and unseen by their enemies, the group met to decide on a course of action. It was decided from the outset that direct confrontation was suicide. Jasmine pulled Baruk aside, apologising to him about what she had done. But she made her intentions quite clear – she would never again return to their tribe. And Baruk made himself clear – he would never leave her side until she did.

A course of retreat was being discussed when Mery chimed in with his plan of action.

“Clearly, we are doomed. Only by Unlocking the secrets of the Chalice can I... we triumph!”

For indeed, Mery was aware of the Chalice’s magic; it had whispered to him, it had spoke to him in sweet and ancient tongues, preparations and incantations to perform a powerful ritual. A ritual that culminated in the drinking of his own blood, purified by the Chalice that would give Mery the Gift of Eternal Life!

Ramun’s looked to Mery; his distrust of his fellow Stygian now palpable.

While the rest of the group watched on, Mery began his insane ritual above on the cliffs overlooking the dock. Holding the Chalice aloft he chanted, he howled, he cried to the Gods, he slashed his hand and bled drops into the Cup.

[And Jasmine’s player at this point passed me a note under the table. It simply read: Baruk and I sneak away. Baruk’s player nodded as I read the note. I asked them each to make move silently rolls, against opposed listen/spot rolls for Tito and Ramun, the Shemite pair succeeded with relative ease. Exit Jasmine and Baruk.]

[Ramun’s player also pulled me aside at this point, to inform he that he was priming his bow, and would shoot Mery in the heart moments before he could complete the ritual.]

Thunder bellowed above as Mery held the Chalice aloft in triumph! He lowered the Chalice, to drink from it.
Only to feel the sting of a Stygian arrow buried through his heart!
[We did roll to hit, the damage was enough given Mery’s 2 HP beforehand to bring him to –10 HP outright. Mery’s player however spent a Fate Point to allow a few drops of the blood from the Chalice to fall into his dead lips as he fell. As to what effect that would have, all will be revealed in good time, gentle reader. ;) ]

Mery fell off the side of cliff dead, his cold hands clutching the Chalice between them as his body plunged into the sea. This in turn caught the attention of the small Kozakian army gathering at the harbour. A cry from below went out.

“It is they, the Servants of the Red Queen! Get them… Kill them all!”

“No!” cried Ramun, who himself almost fell off the cliff trying to grab the Chalice as the pair fell.
[And he almost did as well. Later, the player revealed that he would have been quite happy falling to his death at this point, their folly being the death of them both. ]

Ramun’s eyes met Tito’s briefly, before Tito himself ran from the scene.
Ramun looked down, to see a sea of Kozaks ascending the stairs, armed to the teeth, their sorcerers leading the charge.

Outnumbered some eighty to one, Ramun was the last to flee.

NEXT… Escape from the Accursed Isle!

[Squid]

Why can there be no one like you to run Conan around here?

I weep!

[Arbane the Terrible]

Very cool.

I note that Mery and Ramun's players don't seem to have any problem with getting their PCs killed, which seems a bit unusual--most players I know just won't let their personae get gacked just for the sake of a good story.

Is this usual for your group, or something you discussed ahead of time?

[colbabe]

It seems like there's a lot of games going on out there that are sadly deprived of players who play generously, or care enough about the greater story rather than their own "victory". What's with that?

My advice to you all: get yourself another group of players! Don't settle with second-best. :)

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by Arbane the Terrible
Very cool.

I note that Mery and Ramun's players don't seem to have any problem with getting their PCs killed, which seems a bit unusual--most players I know just won't let their personae get gacked just for the sake of a good story.

Is this usual for your group, or something you discussed ahead of time?

It was designated as a 'one-off' game.
Hence, the gloves were off, so to speak.
The goal of playing the game was to have fun.
And we set set for that goal.

There was no set goal however for any player killing action.
That just happened, as part of the game.
It was all in good fun, no one complained, in fact, everyone had a rip roaring time. I'll speak more on this issue in my wrap up, after the Epilogue.

I have to admit that I have access to an excellent pool of roleplayers, both in this game, and a horde of decent to excellent roleplayers outside of it. I used to assume the gaming 'scene' in Brisbane was the norm... but perhaps it isn't, after all.

Ponderous thoughts.

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by colbabe
It seems like there's a lot of games going on out there that are sadly deprived of players who play generously, or care enough about the greater story rather than their own "victory". What's with that?

My advice to you all: get yourself another group of players! Don't settle with second-best. :)

Here, here!

PS. It's bad luck to attend your own funeral. Hence, I won't be attending The Night Watch this Sunday.

I'll send around some Kleenex, though.
;)

[Burgonet]

Escape from the Accursed Isle

And flee they did.
A considerable distance fell between them; Baruk leading Jasmine through the marsh, Tito some distance behind with Ramun losing considerable distance due to the heavy burden he wore in the form of his armor.

[At which point, I had each of the three groups make survival rolls, with Baruk rolling on behalf of the pair. Before, the Old Man had led them across the marsh. Now, in an attempt to lose their pursuers, each of the players had the same idea – lose the Acolytes of Yimsha and their Kozak warriors in the tangle of the Marshes and make a retreat to the Village of the Yuetshi. I included armor penalties for the roll, for soon to be obvious reasons.]

Jasmine made her way ahead of Baruk but the mighty Shemite was quick to grab her before she could make another fateful step.
“Stop, Princess. There are places in this marsh that would swallow a man whole. That there is such a place.”

Baruk pointed to the mired ground with the last sentence, the Princess nodding in muted and frightened agreement.
“Tha… Thank you.”

Tito ran past the same patch of ground some time later, oblivious to both the passing of his fellows and the presence of the ground.

Ramun was not so fortunate. Weighed down by his heavy armor he blundered straight into the middle of the mire and was soon swallowed from sight!


Peace settled upon the surface of the mire but for only a moment.
Ramun’s axe erupted from the murky depths, biting into nearby ground! After a lengthy struggle, Ramun freed himself from the marsh’s clutching depths.

Meanwhile, Jasmine and Baruk had returned to the village of the Yuetshi. A large crowd of them had gathered around the Long Hut, the Men having all returned from their hunting foray against the Man-Apes. The men circled the pair, brandishing their primitive weapons. Baruk spoke aloud, addressing the men.

“Your All Father is dead… slain by the Man-Apes! I come to return his things to you.”
Baruk at this point produced the fish-comb, beads and other personal effects he had taken off the corpse of the Old Man after he was slain, unfolding a cloth in which he had placed these things.
[And indeed, Baruk’s player did this earlier, rather than spend a fate point. I suspect I neglected to mention it in my write up, it was something that as GM I forgot he did at the time, but proved a lifesaver.]

Baruk continued – “I come also with news. The Stygian is dead! I saw him myself fall to his death, from atop the very cliff that your Headman sighted our arrival. Now, Jasmine and I are free of his tyranny!”

There was a muted celebration from the mourning members of the Yuetshi; for on one hand their Headman was slain however on the other the Stygian had met a grisly end. After some discussion between Jasmine, Baruk and a young man who appeared to be their new tribal elder, it was agreed that the Yuetshi would aid the Shemite pair in their escape from the Isle.

A wooden platform was revealed on the cliffs near the village, a way that the Yuetshi had to lower boats and people down into the sea below. As they were about to depart, Tito stumbled into the village. After some brief and tense negotiations, he was allowed to accompany them.
The trio accompanied by three village youths were paddled secretly out to sea in a long canoe, re-uniting them with the Gorm and the crew of the [I]Sea Witch.
The young men however left their canoe behind, leaping into the sea and under the surface – never to be seen again.

Informing Gorm that the five pirates, Mery and Ramun were all dead, the Chalice was lost and that the Acoloytes of Yimsha would attack them soon, the Sea Witch sailed in retreat away from the Accused Isle, chancing shoals and reefs and piercing the veil of mist to escape back to the Sea of Vilyet.

Ramun stumbled weary and exhausted, some time after the rest of the surviving members retreat. A village of angry, hostile Yuetshi circled Ramun. He opened his mouth, to explain his situation.

The Yuetshi closed the circle, advancing with weapons drawn.
Revenge in their eyes and hearts.

FINALLY… Epilogue!

[Ubermonkey]

Fantastic.

[nemo]

Treasure your players. Do not let them out of your sight. Keep them manacled to the table if you have to. Players like that are a rare and beautiful thing.

[Stoerm]

Yes, excellent stuff I say, again.

I believe that one reason most players are unwilling to sacrifice their characters for the sake of good roleplay is that most GMs are unwilling to allow the new characters to start at advanced levels. One thing that I imagine must suck for a player is to be a member in a group that is generally far more competent than they are.

What I typically do is allow for very swift leveling of re-rolls after PC death. I usually encourage PCs to start off as lvl 1 because I feel that character growth and attachment in a longterm campaign is greatly enhanced by experiencing the stages of growth. However, re-rolls level much more swiftly than they did the first time. When they reach the relative level of the other players, XP gain and level speed tapers off to normal.

[Burgonet]

Epilogue

[Please note: The epilogue section occurred in play, but more in summary, to wrap up the loose story threads from the adventure proper, and give the players and myself that satisfying sense of closure. Read on…]

The intended sea voyage back to Aghrapur did not entirely go as planned. Gorm had specific instructions to not return until such time as they had secured the Chalice. The surviving members of the expedition, knowing that this was an impossible task, were in a dire situation indeed.

Tito however harboured aspirations of his own.

Inspiring the remaining crew of the Sea Witch, the crew mutinied against Captain Arjun. In a swift but decisive duel, Arjun was slain by Tito and by right of the Red Brotherhood, was now their new Captain!

In his first Act as Captain, Tito had Gorm imprisoned and instructed the men that they would serve the Red Queen no longer. Instead, they would seek their fame and fortunes on the high seas of the Sea of Vilyet. Tito mourned the loss of his friend Mery; although he was a ‘questionable man’ Tito had journeyed with the Stygian for some years. His loss was more than offset however by gaining his own crew.
Glory and riches would be his after all!

Jasmine and Baruk were at a stalemate – Jasmine would never return willingly to her village, Baruk would not force her but nor would he leave her side until she did return.

The pair soon parted company with Tito, on the run from the Turanese, the wizards of Yimsha and the Red Queen herself.
And following on the path of adventure, the pair in time found fame, fortune and glory.

But that is another story.

+++++++++++++++++

Ramun sat upon his throne of the Sea, looking towards his twin disciples.

The two men, older than boys by a mere year, cowered in disgrace at their failure.
One of the boys fidgeted with the webbing in his hands, uncomfortable where his hands had calloused from his hold upon the Beast of the Sea.

“We tried, Great One. We dove deeper than we have even before, feeling the pressure upon our sea-blessed heads, swimming where even the Beast feared to journey, where Light itself could not pierce. But still, we have not seen…”

Their Head Man cut them off.
“What do you mean you can not find it? I MUST have the Chalice! Search again, and again! If you cannot find it, perhaps you will sacrifice your own lives to Dagon, much as the two before you did when they could not succeed. Again! Your very lives depend on your success!”

Ramun sat atop the throne and seethed. Soon, soon he would have the Chalice.
And its whispers of power, its promise of Eternal Life… would be his!

+++++++++++++++++

The Vendhyian fisherman had made a meagre catch this season; it was as if something had frightened the fish away from this very boat.
But now the Gods had smiled upon him, his nets heavy with the bounty of the sea.

He was not prepared by what he found.

“By the Gods! Is that a man a-tangle in my nets?”

For indeed, the fisherman had found a man; dead as any that had drowned, his flesh strangely preserved, a glittering Chalice of gold and jewels clutched in his dead hands. His garb was unfamiliar; he was certainly no Kozak, no Turanian, no Hyrkanian, no Ghuli.

Celebrating his luck, the fisherman tried to free the cup, the dead hands like steel around his newfound prize. Generating no luck in this regard, he noticed a dark arrow, buried deeply within the corpse’s chest. This also interested him, so he removed the barb for further inspection.

His back turned to the corpse for a few moments; his screams were virtually unheard across the tumultuous roar of the sea as life was torn from him.

+++++++++++++++++

In the dead of Night, the Red Queen sat and pondered her loss.
A foul mist had settled on Aghrapur, the guards more nervous and superstitious than normal, her son Vhizal again asleep from overindulgence.

[This is not a mistake on my behalf. Anahita is actually mother to Vhizal; for she is indeed far older than she appears.]

Her expedition to recover the Chalice had simply disappeared. She had received word from her allies to the north that there had been a mutiny, the former allies of the Red Witch allegedly led by a short and stocky Argossian.

Anahita cursed his name under her breath. It had been a mistake to trust the Stygian.

But the power of the Chalice had not been felt in the Halls of Turan, from Yimsha through Tarim, or through her own allies within the cult of the Wolf.
Had the Chalice been lost to the Ages?

She became aware of a Dark Presence, entering her Domain. She sat on her divan, waiting for whatever approached, gathering her infernal strengths and instructing the guards to come at her calling.

Mery was the last person she expected to have seen before her this night.

“I have returned, as promised, Anahita. I bring you the Chalice.”
Mery held the artefact aloft and let a wicked smile fall across his countenance.

“But I come not as your servant. I come to you as your brother, your King.”

And thus the Red Queen did finally find her King.

FIN

IN RETROSPECT – Comments on the game, the OGL/Conan RPG system and assorted dénouement.

[Burgonet]

IN RETROSPECT
Comments on the game, the OGL/Conan RPG system and assorted dénouement.

I’ve received a few private messages, citing confusion as to the outcome of the tale, so I shall attempt to clarify a few pointers here and there:

1. Mery did indeed die. But he went further than death. Some of the blood from the Chalice did indeed pass through his lips. He is now an evil, blood-sucking vampire. So is the Red Queen (hence her name), in case you had no guessed. Mery is now an evil creature of the Night, and as such, is no longer a PC. But he did crown himself as the Red King, and ruled, plotted and schemed with his partner in damned crime, Anahita.

2. Ramun did not die. He used his Hypnotic sorcery to enslave the entire tribe of Yuetshi, over many months. He used them mercilessly to try to recover the Chalice from the bottom of the sea. And was fated to a Doomed failure, as Mery has the actual Chalice of Life. This is Ramun’s ending, it is likely he will not see play again with this group, so his own tale is told here as ending.

3. Tito became a Pirate Captain by his own hand. We left his ending open; as there is a chance he may show up in another tale at some point. I’d like to see Tito in action again down the track, that’s up to his player in the future.

4. Jasmine and Baruk probably spent the next few years on the run and probably fled either further East, or to the West, depending on circumstance. We left this open, in case the characters show up in play again. At this stage, it’s not likely we’ll see these pair again in play, as both feel their tales are fairly much told. I’ll keep readers posted if and when the pair return.

5. The Chalice was an evil, accused artefact. It was not created by Erlik, but Erlik did banish the Isle from Time and Space, to keep the Chalice from its followers, the Cult of the White Wolf. Yes, this is I, seizing the bull by the horns, and getting in an in-joke.

6. In this vein, yes Gorm of Sorrows is an in-joke. He’s a black clad wearing, WW junkie (or parody therein) in the Conan Universe. No, I do not believe all WoD players dress in black, are slow and angst ridden. But a certain percentage of them are, and it is to this measure within a means that I poke a little fun. It was an understated in-joke, but it was there.

7. Generally speaking, we all had fun on the day of the game. Sadly, none of my players made any entries on the thread, but I am aware that most of them have been reading it. Congratulations to them for being a fun and entertaining lot.

8. In perhaps a good omen for the session, a green snake passed under us on the deck here as we created our characters. Ramun’s player had just finished explaining his own character’s flight from the Cult of Set, when the four foot long serpent snaked under us. The snake did no one harm, we had some localised flooding here, it looked as if it were a refugee from the nearby creek. After we watched it with some interest for about half and hour or so, it gave up exploring our yard, and went back to the wilds from whence it came.

Now, on the matter of the RPG rules themselves:

1. The combat rules were similar in parts to d20, however combat was a far deadlier affair. Ramun’s armor in particular really felt as if it earned it keep… you could literally see how much damage it had soaked, total. Combat overall reminded me of a mix of 3.x, old 1st edition AD&D, and for the feel… old Runequest/BRP. Combat was a sombre, deadly affair. And, quite frankly, so it should be.

2. The sorcery rules captured the flavour of the RE Howard-verse quite well. As Mery’s player commented… “Man, sorcerers in this game on should perhaps be NPCs! They’re simply on the fast track to ruin, with brakes being the only way to slow an otherwise inevitable, damning process”.

3. Swimming is only dangerous when the GM is looking.

4. The corruption rules looked interesting, but I found I did not need them. Both sorcerers were eager to have the Evil that is vile sorcery swallow them whole, and thus there was no real name for random rolls to test how damned they became. However, I can see their necessity if a player wants to claim Power, and will not accept the consequences of their action. As, I suspect, this is how 85% of the gaming community plays.

5. The Bardice is nasty, however the real weapon of death is a Shemite bow in the hands of a trained Shemite bowman! Baruk easily could hit things at 500 feet, and at 1500 and more feet, if he truly wished to. The poor old Beast of the Sea was target practice, and little more. Still, managed to frighten my players with it. Baruk especially.

6. I was not a fan of either method of attribute generations, and on personal tastes am using attribute purchase systems as used in 3.x, Star Wars d20 and the like, as a house rule.

7. The descriptive nature of the core classes is a nice touch. Rather than calling oneself a ‘Fighter’ (whatever the hell that means, apart from the obvious), found calling oneself a ‘Soldier’, ‘Nomad’ and so on more enlightening and less interpretive.

8. Conversely though, having all Spell casters (and potential spell casters) count as ‘Scholars’ lends apprehension and distrust towards this class by non-Scholar players. Which, in the Conan RPG context, is a good thing. Anyone with the potential to practice Sorcery should be both revered, and feared, in my book. The desire NOT to look said characters in the eye was a nice touch… by default; this would often hoist Mery especially in the game to the top of the social pecking order, which would no doubt be the case if met on equal footing.

That’s all I can consider right now, however I will be taking questions from those of you reading the thread, if you have them. So, if you have a specific question, please feel free to ask away, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

On a final note, and a continuing one, we are playing the game again this coming weekend. It’s with the exact players as this game, but with one notable exception – I am playing!
Ramun’s player will be running the game, and has had my copy of the rules for a week and more. Promises to be interesting, the game will be with pre-generated characters, created after initial input from we the players.

It will be set in the Pictish wildlands, the exact story of which I am not privy to. I shall be playing the part of the native guide (Barbarian 6th), so I’ll let you know how the game goes.

And, Mitra willing, I’ll be able to capture the events of the game and write a perhaps shorter, and more concise, thread as a result.
Thank you for reading, and if I can pass on one bit of wisdom, it is this.

Strive for excellence in your own games. Don’t accept mediocrity as your norm!

That’s all the ranting I’ve got in me for now. Have a good week, and if you have any questions or comments, let’s hear them.

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by nemo
Treasure your players. Do not let them out of your sight. Keep them manacled to the table if you have to. Players like that are a rare and beautiful thing.

The more I keep learning, the more I read and post here (and in other RPG related places).

I used to take this level of player capability for granted. I can see however that my own local gaming scene is an abberation of sorts, rather than the norm.

Perhaps we should consider it as an export industry.

;)

[Tito]

Tito, here, or at least the person who played him. Must thank S for an excellent write up of an excellent game. Cheers!

Tito will be back this weekend I think, having lost his crew again and in the employ of a nobleman, with S as the pictish barbarian acting as guide, other players from this adventure in various other roles. Should be a good game.

P.

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by Tito
Tito, here, or at least the person who played him. Must thank S for an excellent write up of an excellent game. Cheers!

Tito will be back this weekend I think, having lost his crew again and in the employ of a nobleman, with S as the pictish barbarian acting as guide, other players from this adventure in various other roles. Should be a good game.

P.

Tito is fulfillling the soldier role? Very cool.

Thanks for popping by.

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by Jeb Boyt

Did Mery have to make a Corruption check during the sacrifice of the villagers?

No. At the time, I honestly forgot about the rules for Corruption. However, given that Mery was already acting fairly mad, and was clearly on a path to destruction by hubris, I suppose the mechanic's implimentation would have been arbitary.

But can appreciate such mechanics, for use on players (rather than for them) that wish/want for the rewards of Sorcery, while refusing to accept the payments/drawbacks.

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by SALette
Not that I am aware of.

I suspect there might be a variant rules somewhere, perhaps published in their 'Unearthed Arcana' supplement?

I'll repeat the question, in lieu of starting another thread:

Are there existing OGL/d20 mechanics out there that replace the issue of stablisation with something OTHER than the '1 in 10 to stablise per round, otherwise lose -1 HP' rule?

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by Stoerm
Yes, excellent stuff I say, again.

I believe that one reason most players are unwilling to sacrifice their characters for the sake of good roleplay is that most GMs are unwilling to allow the new characters to start at advanced levels. One thing that I imagine must suck for a player is to be a member in a group that is generally far more competent than they are.

What I typically do is allow for very swift leveling of re-rolls after PC death. I usually encourage PCs to start off as lvl 1 because I feel that character growth and attachment in a longterm campaign is greatly enhanced by experiencing the stages of growth. However, re-rolls level much more swiftly than they did the first time. When they reach the relative level of the other players, XP gain and level speed tapers off to normal.

My own take on this whole notion of 'levels'?

It's an arbitary affair... if you want to play low/high level, or whatever, it's hardly something you need to 'earn'. Most of us earn - it's called employment, and I don't see the need to extend this to our leisure hours!

I say, if it works for the game, do it. But at the same time, don't hold the reigns too tightly.

[Jim DelRosso]

Originally posted by SALette
I'll repeat the question, in lieu of starting another thread:

Are there existing OGL/d20 mechanics out there that replace the issue of stablisation with something OTHER than the '1 in 10 to stablise per round, otherwise lose -1 HP' rule?

In d20 Modern, it's a Fort save, DC 20, to stabilize.

Great write-ups, by the way. :)

[Burgonet]

Originally posted by Jim DelRosso
In d20 Modern, it's a Fort save, DC 20, to stabilize.

Great write-ups, by the way. :)

Thanks.

I'll be seeing if we can use that mechanic tomorrow, in our next game. Ramun's player, if not all the players, expressed their collective disgust in the existing rule. And, it was the only rule that we found difficulty with.

[Burgonet]

We did.

But there won't be an Actual Play thread, as I was too busy being a second class citizen to capture enough information to begin another actual play thread.

Suffice to say, being a Pict was quite difficult, but a lot of fun.

So, thanks to all for reading, but I suspect this is the end of the thead.

[Ramun-Akris]

Just a few notes about Ramun-Akris the character.

Sorry it took me so long to get around to replying to the thread Scott.

Ramun was modeled on a character originally played in a GURPS Conan (yes, Scott has told me there is little regard for this rpg on this board) campaign about 12 years ago. The character was a stygian acolyte who upon killing a large python trying to "bless" (read eat) him fled Stygia with his life forfeit. He wound up joining a small mercenary company and many adventures followed in the true Conan vein.

Ramun always considered himself a sorcerer and despit his power being quite paltry it was sufficient to carve himself a niche in the company as well as gaining him the fear and respect he believed he deserved.

Game mechanics-wise Ramun was actually a Scholar 3/Soldier 1 not vise-versa. Not a big deal really, being primarily a scholar gave me more skills and enabled me to model the original character's Hypnotic and Astrological fortelling powers.

The only downsides of scholar over 3 levels of soldier were about 4 HP (on average), 1 soldier feat and maybe a point of parry and dodge.

Ramun was originally designed to be the sole scholar in the party and while Mery's generaion stepped on my toes a little bit I soon realised the roleplaying potential. Ramun being an exiled stygian sorcerer trying to lay low so the Cult of Set doesn't slay him was bound to assume that Mery-Assur was a member of the cult and that if Mery recognised him his life was forfeit.

Cool for a little character interplay right away ,I decided I liked it and as it turned out it worked well for the game.

We ended up with Ramun posing as an exiled stygian noble making a meagre living for himself as a mercenary.

Ramun's clothing, heavy armour and quality Stygian warhorse (stolen from a stygian noble whose throat was slit whilst under Ramun's hypnotic thrall) greatly assisted in the believability of his guise.

[Ramun-Akris]

"Baruk sits at a table with Ramun-Acris, a black Stygian and solider for hire and Arjun, Captain of the Sea Witch. Arjun is also a member of the Red Brotherhood of pirates, his crew also drinking here. Gorm leads the others to their table and makes halted introductions.
Ramun avoids direct eye contact with Mery, who seeks it. [The other players expecting some form of sorcerous conflict early on…] "

Ramun immediately recognised the sorcerous power of Mery form his confidence and posture and sought to remain hidden from the Eyes of Set, thus he did not meet Mery's eyes and lowered them as would any "other" man who did not have the Power.

I am sure that Scott expected a War of Souls at this point but it was the furthest thing from Ramun's mind, should he defeat this Settite (as he was certain he would) and drink the life from his empty husk he would still have to flee this land as word would soon reach the Tower of the Serpent (through the sorcerous news channel).

[Patrick Ogaard]

Okay, Ramun-Akris, keep it coming and nobody'll get hurt. :D

[Burgonet]

Thanks for stopping by... Ramun.

:)