Chiarina

4 years are over. This evening we played the battle at the Wolf´s Stand and the characters defeated the Telmori. Unfortunately the player of the shaman - the only moderating force in the group when it comes to the Telmori - couldn´t attend. The victory was bloody. 1620 is over.

Maybe they´ll become trolls? (just a bizarre idea...) - Gaming time in our Red Cow Campaign seems to correlate with real time. We´re playing for 2 1/4 years and it is 1620. The trouble with the Telmori is just beginning. At this rate we´ll have it finished in 2026. - Currently I´m considering to insert "The gifts of stone", the Mostali-Adventure in the Sartar-Companion, but I´m not sure. The atmosphere of the adventure feels different and the story line seems just very loosely tied to the plot of the campaign. What do you think?

Well, the first houserule we used, was a collective pool of HeroPoints. I´d have no problems with this change.

Wow. I didn´t check the rules for a while. Apparently several things changed. I have to read it again.

We just ended our little adventure in the "Black Glass Ruins". The two rebels have a new home, secure from lunar prosecution. Now, they will sleep together with four darktrolls and eight trollings in the same dwelling. The permanent darkness and shiver is bad, but they are armed with warm clothes and an alynx immune to the supernatural blackness. They have to pay attention to giant morels growing in one of the old baileys and some similarly giant acidic moths. Maybe they help the trolls extracting the lead glance under the ruins... and they spoke with the "shadow of the black glass", the godlike genius loci of the ruins. It offered them hospitality for a price. Once in a season the ruin-dwellers have to foist one of the black pebbles unnoticed in a home or in the pouch of another human being... so maybe the shadow may slowly spread his zone of influence. The rebels agreed. Now their eye color is black and if they shed tears, the tears are black, too. Maybe one day the shadow will grant them an enhanced ability to recognize the surroundings in darkness. At times they will have a small talk with Orsta Trades-With-Trolls and the Nameless Humakti. Our campaign goes on.

I´ll read it. Thank you!

Thank you, that was helpful. I´ve some things to think about and will check Lodril/Argan Argar/Only Old One, too.

Allright, allright! The Rubble Runners are a good idea (ghouls are reserved for another place). It would be cool to have some "Draconic secrets". Is there a source somewhere? HeroQuesting back to the Dragon Kill? Wow... but maybe this course of the story leads too far away. I´m interested in your "forgotten deity". The information about the place in "The coming storm" already speaks of a lesser god: "Ancient relics of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends lie here. Huge monolithic blocks of stone mark the remains of an EWF outpost. A great statue of an armored man towers over the broken walls and buildings. Much of the structure is melted like candle wax, as if from great heat, perhaps a dragon´s breath. A lesser god, the Shadow of Black Glass, cloaks the ruins in shadows, and there is a chill in the air. Creatures of Darkness, fungi and insects, thrive. Troll hunters from the nearby Sazdorf troll tribe sometimes visit the ruins of rare foods and medicines." So, what kind of god could it be, the "Shadow of Black Glass"? It sounds like a genius loci to me. If the two player characters settle in his ruins, maybe he demands some veneration or offerings? What could happen, if they don´t satisfy him?

O.K., I understand the reason and the effect of "Summons of evil". Thank you! (...but in my eyes a heroquest is something different than a spell... did I miss something?) One more: Is it possible to find the description for landing place at the fort of the cow? The location 18 has no description. And here, my next challenge: Two of the players characters are rebels in hiding. Their last hideout got discovered, so they are insearch of a new abode. At present they accepted Voranga´s cave as a temporarely sleeping place, but one of them wants to live closer to the fort of the red cow. Now they developed the idea to make a home in the Black Glass Ruins... 3 miles from the fort of the red cow and at least it seems to be a place, where you don´t have to be afraid of lunar soldiers... but of course, other dangers are waiting there. Sooner or later they will explore the location to see if it is a possible accomodation. Do you have some ideas what could happen? Small events, scenario ideas or spectacular plot twists?

We made some houserules and finished 1618. Everything´s o.k. for now. I´ve a question about the possible kinstrife at the end of the scenario "Manhunt": "The clan might decide that later events in 1619 are the results of this kinstrife and choose to perform the "Summons of Evil" in the Sacred Time of 1619 to purge the clan of its curse." What does this mean? I´ve found some meager information about this ritual in the Glorantha-WIKI, but... - who would be able to perform it? - whose enemy would be summoned? - who could be that enemy? - why does this ritual purge the clan of its curse? Do you have some answers?

Yes, this is one possibility. I´ll check QW for this. Another one is a bigger impact of the pass/fail cycle. Actually you add +9 after two great victories. Why not +W?

My heroes made peace with the Emerald Swords. Next time, they´ll learn, that nevertheless Gordius Silveris punishes their clan fpr being troublemakers. The Power Creep in my group is alarming. I have to adjust base difficulties, modifications and the adjusting screws of the pass/fail-cycle to provide challenges for the characters... ...not so easy.

Does anybody has a tip? Two characters of my group were identified by imperials after attacking two soldiers at the gravehill of the Red Cow Clan. Since then they live in the secrecy of a barn in Green Meadows, because the Lunars consider them as rebels. But meanwhile the player of one of this characters is somewhat bugged by the situation. While the other players every now and then experience the village life of Red Cow Fort with their characters, this two players unsually wait until their characters get picked for the next adventure by the others. Do you see a possibility to bring them back into the village life? ...or an attractive alternative?

Wow. That´s so beautiful!

Yes, that´s possible, too. For any reason I´d like Janara to go to Frithan. Maybe it´s, because I like the idea of her stealing from the lunar commander. Perhaps she could instruct the characters to do the trick, but in addition it is necessary for herself to make the Lunars believe it (typical Eurmal magic, if I understood this correctly)...?

Allright, thank you!

That´s an important question, I know. First of all I have to consider how Janaras deception works. Perhaps she only provides a tool that the characters have to use. Do you have a proposal? How does trickster magic work? Great! I´ll use it! Thanks a lot! (Bye the way: How do you insert the names of the originator in a quotation?)

I´ve read something about Eurmal and his followers and want you to tell about my current ideas. Maybe you can tell me, if you´d be o.k. with my planning. Let´s say, Janara the Swarthy is the only tangible trickster far and wide. The characters of my players should know her whereabouts: Queen Ivartha the Skinner and her household stay at the Red Cow Fort this season. Janara is with her. The Characters currently are at Frithan. They have two days at most, rather one and a half. Then the captain of the handful imperial soldiers takes 50 Frithan warriors and moves off to the next war clan, continuing his conscription tour. He promised to halve the tribute of the Frithan for the current year, if he could take the 50 warriors with him. A single rider could gallop back to red cow fort, convince Janara the Swarthy to support the emissaries and hurry back to Frithan together with her. Time runs short, even if the two are fast, they won´t have much time. Granted that Janara is successful nonetheless - with the help of Eurmal she convinces the lunar captain, that there is an illness starting to break out among the Frithans and the lunar soldiers leave the village in a hurry... then I´d like to show the players the downside of Eurmals help. What about Janara, speaking after the successful deception to the Frithan about the tax relief, that slipped through their fingers? Probably at least some of the Frithan will regret the success of the deception. Maybe they are old or young or no warrior... When the characters and Janara set off on their return journey, they leave behind a clan in imbroglio. What do you think?

Thanks a lot. I´ve got something to read and think about.

Probably you´re right. The Sartar Sourcebook doesn´t mention someone with an illusion rune. The Red Cow Clan (we´re playing "the eleven lights") doesn´t have a trickster. The Frithan don´t have a trickster (at least no one is mentioned). Anyhow... the household of Queen Ivartha has Janara the swarthy... maybe this is the right contact person. And then, there is one more possibility: One of the characters is a shaman... he lived some years with the Telmori. Some of his abilities and spirit contacts are more Telmori spirit society based than Kolating. So far he keeps his past a secret. One Telmori spirit is called "Raven the Trickster"... it is mentioned once only in "The Coming Storm". Does anybody know more about him? Of course I could invent some trickster... but first of all I want to see how far I can get with published material.

Hello, the characters of my players want to prevent a lunar recruitment troop to conscript 50 warriors of the Frithan Clan. Their idea is to fake a contagious desease. They have the advice of the Frithan healer Minarika the Lark and one day to travel to Jonstown (only a few miles), get the right ingredients and/or aid and travel back to Frithan. How would you convince a Lunar captain of an illness spreading in a village without being real? Is it a case for rune magic? shamans? herbalists? I´d appreciate your ideas.

Yes, but it is in german.

Good explanation. We´ll have to better watch out for the difference between goals and actions. I´ll wait and see if this ends our difficulties.

Yes. I understand... but perhaps, I wasn´t able to describe my problem adequatly. Let me try it this way: I´m describing the situation: "The enemy is coming! What´s you´re goal?" And now, one of the players says: I´m swinging with my talisman to summon ghostly craws and let them wreak confusion in the enemy lines! The next player says: I transmute into my bear shape! Initially that sounds like two different goals. Sometimes it is difficult for me, to realize that all the single goals my players have in mind essentially serve the same purpose - and this purpose is the group goal. The more I think about it, the more I see it as a framing problem. What does the framing process in your groups look like?

I often get into a situation in which all characters aim for the same general goal, but they use very different means. For example: General goal: defend against an attacking enemy warrior group. Character 1 climbs a roof to shout tactical instructions Character 2 joins the shield wall of his comrades-in-arms Character 3 summons ghostly craws to wreak confusion in the enemy lines Character 4 takes a sniper position to shoot arrows at the enemies Character 5 transmutes in his bear shape and assaults the enemy with load roars What kind of test would you take? Are this 5 seperate simple tests? Or is it a group contest? Is there any rule of thumb that could ease my insecurity?