Backford Aeolian Campaign

[Richard S.]

On 11/27/2021 at 5:06 AM, Joerg said:

The way the Form/Set spells were written in RQ3 (they don't seem to exist in RQG, yet), there is a linear cost for the amount of matter you want to affect, and a single point will allow you to affect roughly the equivalent of a (modern clinker) brick.

Form/Set does kind of exist in Mostali sorcery, though under different names. Each MP affects one cubic meter, and there's a flat 1 POW cost per cast as well.

[Erol of Backford]

So the year is 1592, a 15 year old Basmoli female has been taken aboard a ship from somewhere along the southern coast of Prax as a slave. What would have been a good location? Possibly a few miles up the Zola Fel basin?

How is she captured? Ideas?

How does she end up in say Leskos or Sklar, shipwrecked or sold again as she is a real troublemaker? Ideas?

She has been on ships for about 8 years before being deposited along the Heortland Coast.

Is Corflu flourishing as of yet? I thought it was founded later but not sure.

Where was Rurik Runesear born, just curious? 

When do the Wolf Pirates pass by Corflu and first land in the Holy Country, I see a base being set up by them in 1605 at the Three Step Islands but when did they first stop/arrive in the Holy COuntry, scouting mission possibly a bit earlier? I see the 1605 date in the Well of Daliath time line.

Sorry for all the questions and thank you in advance for input/ideas!

[Erol of Backford]

Also is there a Crimson Bat timeline somewhere? I thought I read it was defeated at either Alone or Runegate but I thought it ate those towns? I know it was defeated at Whitewall...

[jajagappa]

9 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

Also is there a Crimson Bat timeline somewhere? I thought I read it was defeated at either Alone or Runegate but I thought it ate those towns? I know it was defeated at Whitewall...

In 1602 the Crimson Bat comes to Sartar.  It lands upon and destroys Runegate, then flies to Boldhome.  A dragon appears and the Crimson Bat is driven off.  It is unknown as to whether it was driven back to the Gods World at that point.

In 1619 the Crimson Bat returns to Sartar.  It meanders through Sartar (outlined in the HQG Sartar Companion), and eventually comes to the Siege of Whitewall.  King Broyan drives it from the mortal world. 

In 1626 Jar-eel returns to Pent riding upon the Crimson Bat and destroys the Pentan army at the 3rd Battle of Chaos.

Those are the canonical occurrences.

Sometime in the 1620's it also visits Dorastor/Talastar per Cults of Terror.

[Joerg]

33 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

So the year is 1592, a 15 year old Basmoli female has been taken aboard a ship from somewhere along the southern coast of Prax as a slave. What would have been a good location? Possibly a few miles up the Zola Fel basin?

Best guess - she would have been taken in a nomad raid (or a raid on nomads), handed over to the Morokanth who then hailed a ship near Sog's Ruins.

No Wolf Pirates in the region, yet - the first wave of Yggites to flee the Loskalmi settled at Ginorth, off Old Seshnela.

Possibly Vadeli following the Holy Country ships east. Possibly Hoom Jhis on one of his three circumnavigations might come into play.

 

33 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

How is she captured? Ideas?

A dare, an initiation quest going wrong, or see above.

 

33 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

How does she end up in say Leskos or Sklar, shipwrecked or sold again as she is a real troublemaker? Ideas?

If you can tie her in with the Maslo sailors, she could have been at Oenriko Rocks.

33 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

She has been on ships for about 8 years before being deposited along the Heortland Coast.

 

33 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

Is Corflu flourishing as of yet? I thought it was founded later but not sure.

Founded shortly after the Lunar conquest of Pavis.

 

33 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

When do the Wolf Pirates pass by Corflu and first land in the Holy Country, I see a base being set up by them in 1605 at the Three Step Islands but when did they first stop/arrive in the Holy COuntry, scouting mission possibly a bit earlier? I see the 1605 date in the Well of Daliath time line.

The Wolf Pirates start out in alliance with the Vadeli, who have them harrass their old Malkioni foes.

1605 marks the settlement on Threestep Isles and continuing harassment of the Kethaelan and Manrian coasts.

 

[Erol of Backford]

I am curious have any of the Heortland Cities been mapped? I have Whitewall but on the plateau south of there. I have RQ Adventures 4 and some a map of Whitewall from these pages but are there other city maps out there? I have the Sanctuary box from years ago and was thinking some people were using that as Refuge? If there are maps for any Heortland cities, or suggested maps to us please advise and thank you all. After digging through old boxes I have found I have a stack of about 6' in books, fanzines and boxed sets for Rune Quest. Add this post with its nearly 90 tabs its taking me months to actually catch up. Its like rereading the Wheel of Time books over from years ago to make sure they are true to the plot in the new series!? 

[jajagappa]

2 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

I am curious have any of the Heortland Cities been mapped?

Yes, but part of the Heortland material submitted to Chaosium (and all copyright Chaosium).

Jeff has posted a couple on FB.

The initial sketch of Durengard can be viewed here: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/catalogue/websites/facebook/runequest-on-facebook-july-2021-highlights-2/#ib-toc-anchor-0

Whitewall in 1625 is here: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/catalogue/websites/facebook/2019-04-jeff-on-facebook/image-61-2/

Whitewall in 1618 is here: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/catalogue/websites/facebook/2019-04-jeff-on-facebook/image-59-2/

 

[Erol of Backford]

If any of the other maps are in printed material I may have it. That is, if it has been published? What City you you kind Sirs say that the Sanctuary Boxed Set was good to be used as? Was it Refuge?

[AndrewTBP]

51 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

What City you you kind Sirs say that the Sanctuary Boxed Set was good to be used as? Was it Refuge?

Correct! (IIRC)

Karse is The City of Carse (1980). 

Edited December 6, 2021 by AndrewTBP

[Kloster]

2 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

What City you you kind Sirs say that the Sanctuary Boxed Set was good to be used as? Was it Refuge?

Sanctuary was used to describe Refuge in an article in french magazine Tatou, published by Oriflam, then french publisher of RQ3.

[Joerg]

3 hours ago, Kloster said:

Sanctuary was used to describe Refuge in an article in french magazine Tatou, published by Oriflam, then french publisher of RQ3.

Also, Greg Stafford once said that his RuneQuest products had been playtested in Glorantha. Apparently including Sanctuary.

[jajagappa]

8 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

If any of the other maps are in printed material I may have it. That is, if it has been published?

They have not been published at this point in time.

8 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

What City you you kind Sirs say that the Sanctuary Boxed Set was good to be used as? Was it Refuge?

Yes, Refuge was provided as a place where you could put Sanctuary/Thieves' World in Glorantha.

[Akhôrahil]

On 11/18/2021 at 5:51 AM, Erol of Backford said:

Would not be stealing, Black Horses are intelligent and wouldn't go along with being stolen, would likely eat you if you tried

MGF answer to ”can I steal a Black Horse?” should probably be ”I don’t know, can you?” rather than ”No”. Find some disaffected Black Horse, promise it all the meat it can eat, break it free of whatever hold Sir Ethilrist has on it, ride like hell afterwards… the whole thing will get loaded with complications, but that just makes for good gaming.

[Akhôrahil]

On 12/3/2021 at 9:59 PM, jajagappa said:

Sometime in the 1620's it also visits Dorastor/Talastar per Cults of Terror.

1625 is the year that works from the information in Lords of Terror, but I believe this has other issues.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Akhôrahil

[David Scott]

On 12/5/2021 at 4:54 PM, Erol of Backford said:

 If there are maps for any Heortland cities, or suggested maps to us please advise and thank you all. 

I use this generator a lot! https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator

[Erol of Backford]

Mr. Scott that is great! Just what the Dr. ordered. Thank you Sir.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Erol of Backford

[Erol of Backford]

Is the Syphon salt white or pink? Another color?

[Ladygolem]

Pink looks cooler, in my opinion.

It could also be some other, magically significant color if you want to spice things up a bit. Blue in honor of Larnste and their footprint; grey or purple due to chaos taint; iridescent like mother-of-pearl from flowing over the Fish Roads...

Edited December 8, 2021 by Ladygolem

[jajagappa]

3 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Is the Syphon salt white or pink? Another color?

Interesting question.  The water of the Syphon carries salt up from the Mirrorsea (rather than down from the mountains).  The rock of the plateaus it cuts through are limestone.  Nothing inherently pink from either of those.  But there could be tiny brine shrimp or the like in the waters of the Syphon and get deposited and as they dry turn the salt pink (same reason flamingos are pink). 

Maybe below Backford the salt tends to be pinker as more brine shrimp are present, and less so after Backford as fewer shrimp are carried up the rocky ledges?

I think you could choose either and it would work fine. 

[Ian_W]

It'd also be possible that the salt changes color according to the seasons - reddish in fire season, blueish in sea season and so on.

[Alex]

41 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

But there could be tiny brine shrimp or the like in the waters of the Syphon and get deposited and as they dry turn the salt pink (same reason flamingos are pink). 

That conjures up a much more John Waters (the American, not the Irish one, for clarity!) image of Heortland than I'd had hitherto!  Which kinda works on a couple levels...

[Alex]

4 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

For a moment of cognitive confusion, I thought this salt worker was riding an electric scooter.  Which would be quite the power move, in more ways than one...

[Joerg]

Salt color - I think that pink in the image comes from the algae which grow in saline ponds, and also give flamingos their distinctive color.

Ponds which have spirolina (an edible cyanobacterium aka blue alga) might be green instead.

Chemical precipitation of dissolved minerals can happen in these evaporation ponds. Ochre might lend some orange accents.

 

Mythically, the Syphon as most of the other rivers in the region is a spawn of the Sshorg current, although orphaned when only Faralinthor and then no body of water kept providing it. I don't think that the Syphon ever took water or power from the Creek-Stream River.

The Syphon does take in the local precipitation catchment, though, flowing downhill until it joins the animated body of the river.

[Erol of Backford]

Back to the Fish Roads for another question. What does the Fish Road "Terminal" or entry point look like? Sure it would have a shrine but as an entry, disembarkation point it seems there should be some sort of portal where offerings, spells are cast or prayed for? Is it an underground vault that has a "water curtain" that you walk through, maybe something similar to Asrelia's Cavern holds back the water? For whatever reason the center pool from the Shrine Of The Kuo-Toa comes to mind, set off to the side of the Syphon but underground like in that classic D&D module? Are there samples of what Seapolis or Deeper look like? Do Merfolk have beds?

There must be a place were humans can stop along the way unless the Fish Roads move travelers fast enough to not need stay over night for food and sleep. What would underwater entertainment be? This is a magical world so maybe humans and other land-based creatures "hear" underwater?

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by Erol of Backford

[Ladygolem]

Maybe there's no hard transition. You enter the shrine from the land, walk through a short tunnel, and upon exiting you find yourself at the bottom of the bay, never having noticed the exact point one became the other. And vice versa coming up, of course.