Ok – since our group have just started playing in a Glorantha set Runequest game, we thought it would be an interesting exercise to put together an ‘Actual Play’ from the players perspective.
What I’m going to do is set out some basics here about what we are doing, and then hopefully my other two fellow players will post to introduce their characters and perhaps post some of the background information they received from the GM before we commenced play. From there we can let you know of our characters’ adventures and what we thought generally……….
Who we are.
Ok the group consists of:
Michael (the GM). Michael is very familiar with the Glorantha setting and has been following ‘developments’ there and collecting material since 2nd edition (or possibly earlier). He has run several campaigns using the setting with other players.
Me. Kinnygraham. Aka Graham (or whatever insulting terms my fellow players can come up with ). I’ve had experience with Glorantha / Runequest from a long time ago from one or two aborted games. What I remember is generic fantasy action and not much of the flavour of the world – so I’m hoping I can get much more out of the setting as a player this time around.
Matt. ‘Pelorus’ on rpg.net. I think Matt had some basic knowledge of Glorantha based on its general popularity as a game setting – but little in the way of actual play (guys, feel free to correct me if I am wrong in any of this). Matt has posted some snippets of fiction (which foreshadows some of the stuff that happened in our first session) and his thoughts about the game on his blog here: www.lategaming.com
Jim ‘Elvis Waxman’ on rpg.net. Like Matt, I believe Jim was aware of the setting but not too much of the detail behind it. He did know it had a reputation for being ‘quirky’ though and like the rest of us was wondering about stuff like the ducks etc !
A note on system: Michael advises that he will be using a combination of Runequest 3rd edition, Runequest 4 (a draft set of rules which never were published I believe) and Stormbringer 5th edition. How relevant this will be in game or to this thread I don’t know – personally I’m not too hung up on mechanics. We are all familiar with BRP though from the Cthulhu stuff we play and from previous exposure.
While we were been finishing off the latest instalment of our Delta Green game we were also doing chargen for Runequest, and Michael was very good at supplying copies of the source material on cults, religions and peoples so we could get a closer feel. Personally I found a lot of this quite daunting at first but soon noticed that if I got past the epic creation cycle / mythology stuff I was much more interested in the more practical stuff – how the cultures looked ‘now’, how they interacted and how they lived. So our characters were rolled, backgrounds teased out and portraits selected (Michael has an extensive collection of Osprey military history books which are great for this stuff).
Not much more to add. For reasons that will be explained I will be holding off introducing my character just now.........
The date, in game, is as follows: Water Day / Illusion Week / Fire Season 1616 ST and Our Heroes begin the game in the town of Queenscliff in the south of Sun County. It is hot, dry and dusty - and disease is spreading.........................
For various reasons (nothing too exciting guys...) I don't want to reveal too much of my character background right now. I must say - as Matt has also mentioned on his blog - that it is a real change playing in a fantasy setting after so long. Also pretty cool - I've been enjoying visualizing the blazing sunsets, chaparrals and mesas of the borders of Sun County. The 'Spartans in the Wild West' (plus all sorts of magic hippie weirdness) vibe is also great fun.
Zakary Sunrunner is a 19-year-old Yelmalion, born and raised not far from Sun Dome Temple, and currently doing a stint in the Sun County Militia. His father was a notable scribe and his brother a wealthy merchant (both his sisters have been married off - it's a very patriarchal culture, our file leader, Mara Goldbreath, being one of the few exceptions to this). Zakary recently took the trip of a lifetime into Prax with a scholar (who was doing some mapping and needed an escort), Turtle (another member of his half-file), and Cheveyo (a member of the Rhino Rider nomad tribe). The trip really opened Zakary's eyes and he'd be keen to go back.
He knows that soon he, Anaxippos (his half-file leader) and Cheveyo will be taking part in the Garhound Contest. He's amazed he was picked - Yelmalio must be smiling on him (and may he continue to do so, considering all the resentment this has caused among his fellow grunts!). He can't imagine winning, but hopes an honourable defeat will bring his family some honour - Yelm knows they need it.
Zakary was sipping some weak Yelmalion beer, taking some shade from the roasting sun and hoping Anaxippos wouldn't make them drill, when a stranger entered their compound and handed a note to the half-file leader...
Last edited by Elvis Waxman; 02-22-2008 at 05:20 AM..
Reason: Spelling
Being stuck out in a small town for several years distances one from the politics and jockeying of the City. Since his brief but sadly undistinguished service at Moonbroth, Anaxippos has been at Queenscliff as half-file leader for many seasons now. He's loyal to his file leader, Mara Goldbreath but the ennui of 'helping' commoners through their militia service is beginning to wear upon him. The relative peace of the area has dulled his attention and with half of the file now incapacitated with some sickness he feels like an opportunity for destiny could not be more remote.
His trip to Garhound was uneventful. He was obviously going to be chosen to challenge because when there is peace there is not much more you can do other than practice, drill and practice some more. He feels proud that young Zakary managed to succeed in the basic tests and looks forward to the contest as a diversion from watching the clouds pass.
This afternoon, under the shelter afforded by some reed mats strung from the barracks, Anaxippos is debating with his file on the merits of drill and practice in the blazing heat because, in his own words, "Broo will not wait for the shade" when a rider arrives and hands him a sealed scroll. Anaxippos eyes the other notes, all identical, in his bag and sends the rider to get refreshments while he opens the message. His eyes widen as he reads the signature of Lady Vega herself.
At last, adventure.
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-- lategaming - a gaming design and commentary blog by yours truly... The 23rd Letter, Zombi and SpaceNinjaCyberCrisis XDO available now from http://www.lategaming.com Zombi, Testament and Creed free download from http://www.lategaming.com/
Zakary was someone surprised that Anaxippos shared the contents of the note with him - the half-file leader had a tendency to be remote and autocratic - but it turned out to be no ordinary order. Gaumata the Strange, a noted sage from Sun Dome Temple, had had a disturbing vision. He was looking down on a village at the top of a cliff, from which a narrow stream ran down. A great pool of blood and haggard men wandering around with sticks through their bellies were just some of the images of desolation. It was clear that something terrible had either happened or was about to happen, and imperative that militia units find out whether the ruined village was in their area. After some discussion, it was decided that the most likely candidate was the village of Black Rock, up in the nearby mountain range. Anaxippos decided his unit - those who were fit, at least, considering the outbreaks of disease - would disembark as soon as the sun's heat eased off.
As they left the small band - less than half a dozen men and one pack zebra - found themselves followed by a baboon, the same one Zakary had noticed hanging around their compound over the past week. It was smeared with ochre, and carried rudimentary cuirbouilli armour and a stone dagger. 'Make me Light Brother!' it called after them; the men laughed. Zakary suggested indulging the creature and perhaps iniating it into their cult; Anaxippos dismissed the idea as ridiculous, despite Zakary's arguments that Yelmalio made many strange friends on his travels, and that if the rich and powerful Lunar culture expanded their religion to suit more primitive peoples, perhaps we Yelmalions should do the same? Anaxippos seemed unimpressed by Zakary's impertinence, and the young man considered he should try to hold his tongue in future.
They made camp at the base of Queen's Pillar, a great mesa, and took turns at watch. The next morning it transpired the baboon - whose name was Melo Yelo - had caught a wild turkey for the unit's breakfast, which lightened Zakary's heart. Later that day the dangers of the mission were brought home as they crossed the foothills and began to make their way up a precarious mountain path. Zakary shuddered to think how easy an ambush would be, and in the late afternoon light it was easy to mistake every bulging rock for a cliff toad, and every twisted root for a young dinosaur. As they neared the top they saw a young boy at the top of the cliff, but he scarpered before they could come nearer. After the two-hour climb a stroll across some run-down fields was a relief. The silence was broken only by the tread of their boots and the baa-ing of sheep and goats. Anaxippos and Hesiod, the middle-aged cook, shared a grim joke about broo sounding exactly the same. Zakary tightened his grip on his spear and wished Cheveyo, that steadfast adversary of Chaos, was there to give him some straight-up advice, rather than the Yelmalion bluster he was all too used to.
And then they arrived at the village of Black Rock...
Just some information from me at this point before we continue with the story.
The Yelamalio militia half file consists of:
Anaxippos (played by Matt)
Zakary (played by Jim)
Lynell Turri - commonly called 'Turtle' (NPC*) a young, friendly, outgoing sort of soldier.
Delishi Korris - commonly called 'Del' (NPC) also a younger man, he is much more arrogant and hot headed than Turtle ; the two are fast friends though.
Old Hesiod (NPC) A balding old grumbler, though reputed to be useful in a fight. He often cooks for the rest.
* I should mention at this point that my 'main character' for this campaign is intended be Cheveyo, the Storm Bull worshipping son of the Rhino Rider clan whom Anaxippos had hired as a local guide after he and Zakary had met him in Garhound. However, for the moment I would be playing 'Turtle' as Cheveyo was visiting his clan.
Following receipt of the message from the Sun Dome, Anaxippos set off with only these men, because the rest his others were laid up at Queenscliffe with the lurgy that had affected many of the villagers.
This news of Gamauta's Vision was of serious import - when a holy man such as he had such a dream then obviously it should be investigated. They discussed it as they journeyed. Anaxippos went over the details as related to him in the message. In fact it was not the men whom Gaumata had seen with sticks driven through their bellies - but the women. The men were old and shrivelled and gaunt and wandered the streets mournfully at night...........
But there were lighter moments on the journey too. Their strange 'shadow', the baboon who followed them seemed to wish to be a soldier with them !
'Turtle' was also quick to point out the resemblance between Hesiod and both the balding turkey they eat for breakfast, and their baboon companion - jesting as the latter scratched and groomed himself that he hadn't expected to meet so many of the old man's close relatives on the journey ! This brought a smile even to Anaxippos's lips and hearty laughs even from Hesiod.
However, their mood became more sombre as they approached the cliffs leading up to Black Rock. If there was something wrong up there then their approach would have been seen for miles. They wondered if the child they glimpsed up there was a lookout - and if so, who for...........
Fethil, Blackrock's headman and a former Templar, looked taken aback as Anaxippos harangued him over the state of the village's walls. Zakary felt embarrassed for the older man, but what disturbed him more was the disproportionate evidence of chuckling senility in the village elders, and the sullenness of Fethil's son, which was something more than natural in a boy his age. It was growing late; Anaxippos had told the villagers they were on patrol and would rest a couple of days. Privately, it was clear something was not right and they would need to stay until they had found out what it was and righted it. In the evening light, Zakary noticed Melo Yelo crouching on the wall - until a well-aimed rock from one of the village kids sent him scuttling for cover. Anaxippos took pity on the beast and sent Zak over with a dish of beer. 'Bad place, Light Brother' he muttered as he lapped at it. Zak reported this comment with some solemnity and was greeted with levity by the other troops - 'Course it'd call it a bad place, they just chucked a rock at it' was Del's response.
Nightfall. Zakary and Anaxippos were berthed in Fethil's hut, while Hesiod, Turtle and Del shared another hut not far off. Zakary drifted off in the corner, wondering where Fethil's son had gone to - surely children usually shared a hut with their parents? He heard the sounds of the village nightwatch - several men and a boy - going out to guard the perimeter.
He woke to hear a curious noise on Fethil's side of the perimeter curtain. 'Shhhh....' said a voice, and made an indistinct tittering sound. It sounded most unlike the headman or his wife. Zak grabbed his shortsword and crept towards the curtain, hoping to catch a glimpse of the intruder without being spotted or creating a disturbance. Unfortunately [fumbling his Sneak roll!] he succeeded in ripping down the curtain, with predictable results. No intruder was discovered, only an understandably distressed couple. Zak successfully feigned that he'd been sleepwalking, while Anaxippos employed his somewhat leaden diplomatic skills. The half-file leader also cast Lantern for a better look inside the hut - again no sign of an intruder, but Fethil's wife looked terrible, her face streaming with tears which predated the disturbance. Fethil maintained that she had recently lost a child, and politely asked the two visitors to leave the hut. They found Turtle keeping watch, and explained what had happened. Neither Turtle nor Anaxippos took Zak's claims seriously, but there was an increasing sense of 'wrongness'.
In the morning the half-file visited the Yelmalio and Ernalda temples, ostensibly to pay their obeisances, though the intention was to gain more insight into what exactly was happening in Blackrock. The Yelmalio temple seemed rather bare and structurally quite unsound, with rotten beams. At the Ernalda temple the priestess seemed a touch senile and merely laughed when Zakary greeted her. The most unusual feature was that the statue of a local death goddess had been pulled forward into the temple, and had clearly been the object of recent veneration. The men checked the coast was clear and Zakary, disarming as a mark of respect, crept through a trapdoor and down to the temple cellar. His flickering candle could not dispel the ghost stories he had heard as a child, but the most intriguing feature was a large set of temple records, unfortunately in Earthspeech which none of the men could read. A quick look at the shelves of shrivelled bodies suggested the recent death rate had been no higher than normal.
Another check on the Yelmalio temple seemed prudent, and this time the discoveries were disturbing. Inside the altar, underneath the sacred objects, Zak found the word 'rape' carved in Pavic. High on one of the beams, scratched in small letters, were 'Kill and Deceive', while low on one of the walls was a strange glyph - hard to decipher but it seemed to incorporate a death rune. Fethil was summoned to account for this and seemed genuinely shocked and distressed. At this point a number of buzzards were noticed over the field in front of the village. Anaxippos and Fethil went to see what had happened, while Zakary examined the temple's exterior wall. He saw a curious mark near the top, facing the cliffs, and scrambled up, noticing as he did so that Anaxippos was poking at something in the long grass. It came as a punch in the gut when he later discovered that this was Melo Yelo, disembowelled and with his eyes stabbed out.
Zakary reached the top, squatted and examined the symbol. With a start he exclaimed loudly, cursing himself inwardly as his cry echoed all around the cliffs:
'It is the mark of Chaos. Chaos, Chaos,CHAOS!!!!!'
As the last echoes of that dread word reverberated into silence, the townsfolk seemed suddenly gripped by fear and panicked cries emanated from the dwellings as mothers sought out their children and old men quailed visibly and muttered fearfully into their beards. Turtle saw an opportunity in the commotion and shouted back at Hesiod, ‘Tell the commander that I’m going to try and quieten these people – our well heeled Sunrunner has created quite a stir !’. He did not notice the glare directed at him from Del as he sprinted off.
Turtle’s heart quickened as he approached the house where his love lived. How could he have known when he arrived in this poor forsaken place – only a day ago - that he would find such happiness ?
The prospects had certainly not been good. They had climbed the steep rocky path which mounted the cliff, fearful of attackers hurling rocks from above. Black Rock had a reputation as a place rarely troubled by bandits or raiders and Turtle could understand why. Lookouts placed here would see any approaching force and even a militia pressed from the local population would be able to mount a stiff resistance; lawless men would find easier pickings elsewhere.
As they reached the summit they had saw before them a broad plateau of perhaps a mile or more, on which could be seen cultivated fields and the distance walls of Black Rock. Another impressive cliff face loomed over the village and blocked their view further West; it was as if in ancient days the Gods themselves had carved two giant steps to ease their passage into Prax. Broad winged birds, possibly carrion, circled lazily high above the settlement and even the looming cliffs. Of the child there was no sign. As they approached the village walls, Anaxippos spoke in clipped tones, pointing out that these fields were unkempt and neglected.
A welcome party was being readied to greet them when they arrived ; Turtle had scaled the low walls to try and spy out if any hostile force was lying in ambush – but the stone had crumbled beneath him sending him spilling ignominiously into the dust. He had dropped his spear in the process and he warily eyed a tall man who approached him with suspicion bearing a finely made lance of his own. Thankfully, Anaxippos had decided to be bold and he and the others had strode through the unguarded gate to announce their arrival; as a Templar of the Sun Dome he and his soldiers commanded immediate respect.
Introductions were made – the village headman was ‘Fethal Giltthelm’ who had himself been a Templar. However, it was quite clear that this cut no ice with Anaxippos – if anything it made him less well disposed towards the man. Anaxippos had formed a clear, and less than favourable, impression of the village from the untended fields and crumbling walls. It smacked to him of sloth. And sloth allowed to fester on the watch of a man who had served the Sun Dome was inexcusable. The man’s surly son, Varloz by name, did little to dispel this opinion that Fethal’s standards were not what Yelm demanded of his followers. The other man whom Turtle had encountered was ‘Thosah Strongspear’ who was in nominal charge of the Black Rock militia. This latter force seemed to exist more in theory than in actuality; the men of Black Rock looked like an unkempt and unhealthy lot. With Anaxippos’ permission, Turtle had excused himself from the embarrassing dressing down of Fethal to remind Del and Hesiod – who were inspecting the outer works in more detail - not to speak of the dream that had brought them here. Hesiod informed him that in his considered opinion that all of these folk were in-breds; the men especially were babbling idiots.
But Turtle’s opinion on the merits of the village was to change that very night. He, Del and Hesiod had been assigned a house of their own to rest in. Troubled by thinking about the vision of Gaumata, Turtle had suggested that they each take a watch. He had settled down outside the house for the first stint – plucking gently at the guitar he had played since his teens. But his quiet thoughts had been interrupted when one of the village women – bearing a child – had passed close by on her way to the temple of Ernalda. Turtle knew that it was common for the women to seek assistance from the priestess in soothing restless babes in this way. He exchanged a few words with her and she told him her name was Asiya. He was immediately struck by her beauty – she was by far the most beautiful woman in the village and he doubted that Queenscliff held any to match her either. As she walked to the temple he could see that the moonlight seemed to illuminate her modest dress, so that he could see the lovely shape of her hips, breasts and legs. Lust stirred him and his mouth was dry with excitement when he saw that minutes later she was coming back this way. She came to him and explained that her husband, like a lot of the village men, had deserted her and little Visla, he babe, when the village fell on hard times. Now she was lonely. Now she yearned for human love. She begged him to come to her this very night ! Turtle’s mind raced – she was a married woman and Yelm frowned on such affairs. But he told himself that surely it wasn’t right for her to be punished because her fool husband – a madman surely – had deserted her. And he was a young man with a young man’s wants. He gently wakened Hesiod and slipped him a few coins to stand his watch. The old man caught a glimpse of Asiya as she stood in the doorway to her dwelling and winked at Turtle knowingly…. He went to her, and on her bed spent an interlude of unsurpassed bliss, promising to come to her again when he could as the sweat cooled on his trembling body .
Of course, he said nothing to Anaxippos or Zakary when they appeared later that night. It seemed that Sunrunner – as naïve a young lordling as ever Turtle had met, though not a bad fellow with it – had managed to abuse the laws of hospitality get them kicked out of Fethal’s house.
And now, the next day, as the commotion caused by Sunrunner’s reflexive exclamation sent ripples of panic through the village, Turtle went again to his love. He found her in the cool shade of her dwelling, waiting for him with open arms…………...
). I’ve had experience with Glorantha / Runequest from a long time ago from one or two aborted games. What I remember is generic fantasy action and not much of the flavour of the world – so I’m hoping I can get much more out of the setting as a player this time around. 
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