Any adventures/reasons where/why the characters can be exiled?

[dracopticon]

Hello all!

I am starting to get frustrated here. My overall plan as a GM is that I want to run an adventure that can get the player characters exiled/ousted from their own settlement and clan, and therefore are forced to relocate. My idea is that one of them (and their family) have relatives living i Riskland/Dorastor, so they start their long travel to that place and hopefully a "better future".

My question is, is there an adventure existing where the PCs can be subjected to this, or could one devise reasons for it to happen?

Very glad for all answers on this! //Erik

[metcalph]

An unpleasant VIP is found dead on their property.  The PCs are innocent but the potential for a feud with the VIP's kin s ugly.  The local bigwig decides to send the PCs on a quest to the Risklands to pay wergild to the VIP's next of kin - whom the VIP had contrived to exile to Dorastor several years back.

 

[dracopticon]

39 minutes ago, metcalph said:

An unpleasant VIP is found dead on their property.  The PCs are innocent but the potential for a feud with the VIP's kin s ugly.  The local bigwig decides to send the PCs on a quest to the Risklands to pay wergild to the VIP's next of kin - whom the VIP had contrived to exile to Dorastor several years back.

 

That's awesome! Many thanks. You idea will certainly be considered. My first idea was to run the Broken Tower scenario and then making the PCs responsible for turning the clans cattle-supply essentially over to the main encounter persona that they meet in the ruins, and I don't mean the Grey Dog. This was done in a moment when they all felt their fear of death. But the clan has no great feeling about their "arrangement", so ousts them, could that perhaps work?

//Erik

[svensson]

1 hour ago, dracopticon said:

Hello all!

I am starting to get frustrated here. My overall plan as a GM is that I want to run an adventure that can get the player characters exiled/ousted from their own settlement and clan, and therefore are forced to relocate. My idea is that one of them (and their family) have relatives living i Riskland/Dorastor, so they start their long travel to that place and hopefully a "better future".

My question is, is there an adventure existing where the PCs can be subjected to this, or could one devise reasons for it to happen?

Very glad for all answers on this! //Erik

There are lots of reasons for a person to be outlawed. By Orlanthi legal definition, an 'outlaw' is someone who is no longer protected by his clan's laws. They may be beaten, stolen from, or slain with impunity. Most outlaws are not career criminals but they did make a very nasty mistake. Also outlawry is not always permanent, initially it's for a term of years [5-10 usually] and then the outlaw can return and claim their rights again.

HOWEVER, COMMA, BUT during the Lunar Occupation MANY Orlanthi were exiled from Sartar for a host of reasons... rebel activity certainly, but also tax bills, crime against the Empire [punching the lights out of an Imperial official who implied your daughter's virtue was for sale was often enough], and, of course, there was just simple land confiscation. Some Lunar wants your land to make a slave plantation and trumps up evidence that you are a rebel. You're dispossessed and the clan has no more land to spare you without going to war.

The simplest way to get the PCs outlawed is for involve them in a blood feud. The PCs catch a bunch of cattle thieves trying to raid their herd and in the ensuing scuffle somebody important gets killed. That someone's daddy is important in the clan across the way and demands either an excessive weregeld or a blood feud. To avoid both [and the PC's clan can afford neither the money or the feud], the Clan Ring outlaws the PCs. However, the Ring knows it's being somewhat unjust, so they offer them a wagon, some cattle [say, four heifers and a bull], and load that wagon with tools to get the PCs started in Riskland.

[French Desperate WindChild]

PC may exiled for good or bad reasons

 

good reasons : they did something wrong, the ring know it, as it is very important they are banned

bad reasons : they did nothing wrong, but someone (a ring member, a priest, anyone "more" important than the pc) accuse them.

Both are interesting to get some hook:

- with good reason, maybe someone influent obtained that they were exiled for 5 years and not for ever (or killed once they are outlaws). Should the pc know this favor or will they discover it in few months is up to you. In all cases could be a good reason to involve the pc back in the clan for a scenario ("do you remember Ingulf ? He saved your life years ago, now he needs you")

- with bad reason, why someone accuse them ? Is it a jealous husband / wife ? a rejected lover ? A vindictive leader of another bloodline ? or just for political, amibitious reasons ("these lands should be ours but they are on pc families ownerships, we must weaken them )

 

Now what could be the event ?

In addition to obvious crime, you could have many other reasons :

- a bad year, or a bad omen.

- some spirit wants the PC to be ban (maybe because the spirit knows their fate or wants something good for them, who knows)

- maybe the pcs obtained a great weapon/crystal/gear/ treasure and refuse to share with / offer it to the clan / ring. After bad words, or even some struggle, they banned

- a love story : NPC A loves PC B but NPC A has to be married with NPC C from another clan (because tradition, because some political agreement) If it doesn't happen, there is a loss of honor (or worst) for the clan. Of course NPC A disappears when NPC C comes and the clan, after a long time, succeeds to find her/him in PC B's home. Did the pc knows A's plan ? Did B help A ? In any case, even if B agrees that A must leave, there is a good reason to ban B (and friends). The last option may be that C's clan ring will say, even if B is innocent of anything, we can't risk that A will join B in few seasons, you (the B's ring) must send B away, far away, for ever. Note that even more "fun", A may loves B but B doesn't love A, and must leave

 

 

another option is there is not real

 

[Nozbat]

Everyone above has good ideas.. though I think the best one is the Lunar Invasion. That way the players may be able to eventually get back either as part of the resistance or eventually as older people when the Lunars are defeated. Blood feuds are amusing but tend to be bloody and inconvenient for clans. Also it wholly excludes the players from the area they are outlawed from. 

The forced exodus from Sartar also allows you to use Borderlands and Pavis as backdrops for further adventures. And there are lots of published information on that! 

I was also going to suggest looking at some of the Icelandic Sagas. Lots of people getting outlawed for reasonable, dubious and petty reasons. I think I once read a list of all the outlawry cases (maybe Icelandic Saga Database??) which was fascinating and laughable.

I just looked back and you didn’t mention their homelands.. so maybe Lunar Occupation doesn’t fit in with your current campaign. Not everyone wants to be an Orlanthi

[Joerg]

Falling afoul clan politics is a typical reason for exile. Player characters complaining about unfair distribution of plunder (by an antagonistic chieftain) might act outside of the tolerated parameters for outside interactions, or at least be accused of that, and sent into temporary or permanent exile.
The Coming Storm/The Eleven Lights has a potential story arc

Spoiler

for conflict with the appeaser chief of the Red Cow clan.

 

[Ali the Helering]

A vindictive priest/god-talker who 'had a vision in the night' presaging disaster unless the PCs are exiled.

[dracopticon]

7 hours ago, svensson said:

There are lots of reasons for a person to be outlawed. By Orlanthi legal definition, an 'outlaw' is someone who is no longer protected by his clan's laws. They may be beaten, stolen from, or slain with impunity. Most outlaws are not career criminals but they did make a very nasty mistake. Also outlawry is not always permanent, initially it's for a term of years [5-10 usually] and then the outlaw can return and claim their rights again.

HOWEVER, COMMA, BUT during the Lunar Occupation MANY Orlanthi were exiled from Sartar for a host of reasons... rebel activity certainly, but also tax bills, crime against the Empire [punching the lights out of an Imperial official who implied your daughter's virtue was for sale was often enough], and, of course, there was just simple land confiscation. Some Lunar wants your land to make a slave plantation and trumps up evidence that you are a rebel. You're dispossessed and the clan has no more land to spare you without going to war.

The simplest way to get the PCs outlawed is for involve them in a blood feud. The PCs catch a bunch of cattle thieves trying to raid their herd and in the ensuing scuffle somebody important gets killed. That someone's daddy is important in the clan across the way and demands either an excessive weregeld or a blood feud. To avoid both [and the PC's clan can afford neither the money or the feud], the Clan Ring outlaws the PCs. However, the Ring knows it's being somewhat unjust, so they offer them a wagon, some cattle [say, four heifers and a bull], and load that wagon with tools to get the PCs started in Riskland.

Wow! Simply wow, this is marvelous. Especially the last part you wrote. As I was on my way running The Broken Tower which inconsequently is about such a cattle raid, one could have the main human protagonist die in battle with the player characters and then, the oh-so delicate newly reached peace agreement between the Varmandi clan and the Greydogs gets thrashed because the newly killed cattle raider chief was of course the Greydog clan chief's son! Yes, yes, this is dynamite. I might definitely run with you ideas. And the wagon-image when they are off to Riskland is just priceless. Many thanks! 🙂

Edited August 19 by dracopticon

[dracopticon]

5 hours ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

PC may exiled for good or bad reasons

 

good reasons : they did something wrong, the ring know it, as it is very important they are banned

bad reasons : they did nothing wrong, but someone (a ring member, a priest, anyone "more" important than the pc) accuse them.

Both are interesting to get some hook:

- with good reason, maybe someone influent obtained that they were exiled for 5 years and not for ever (or killed once they are outlaws). Should the pc know this favor or will they discover it in few months is up to you. In all cases could be a good reason to involve the pc back in the clan for a scenario ("do you remember Ingulf ? He saved your life years ago, now he needs you")

- with bad reason, why someone accuse them ? Is it a jealous husband / wife ? a rejected lover ? A vindictive leader of another bloodline ? or just for political, amibitious reasons ("these lands should be ours but they are on pc families ownerships, we must weaken them )

 

Now what could be the event ?

In addition to obvious crime, you could have many other reasons :

- a bad year, or a bad omen.

- some spirit wants the PC to be ban (maybe because the spirit knows their fate or wants something good for them, who knows)

- maybe the pcs obtained a great weapon/crystal/gear/ treasure and refuse to share with / offer it to the clan / ring. After bad words, or even some struggle, they banned

- a love story : NPC A loves PC B but NPC A has to be married with NPC C from another clan (because tradition, because some political agreement) If it doesn't happen, there is a loss of honor (or worst) for the clan. Of course NPC A disappears when NPC C comes and the clan, after a long time, succeeds to find her/him in PC B's home. Did the pc knows A's plan ? Did B help A ? In any case, even if B agrees that A must leave, there is a good reason to ban B (and friends). The last option may be that C's clan ring will say, even if B is innocent of anything, we can't risk that A will join B in few seasons, you (the B's ring) must send B away, far away, for ever. Note that even more "fun", A may loves B but B doesn't love A, and must leave

 

 

another option is there is not real

 

YES! I dearly need this kind of "meat on the bone". I can come up with the overall idea for things to happen, but to lay out this framework for my ideas is so perfect!
I think the clan the player characters will come from is Varmandi, as it is also not to outlaying travelwise towards Dorastor and Riskland. Thank you! 

[dracopticon]

5 hours ago, Nozbat said:

Everyone above has good ideas.. though I think the best one is the Lunar Invasion. That way the players may be able to eventually get back either as part of the resistance or eventually as older people when the Lunars are defeated. Blood feuds are amusing but tend to be bloody and inconvenient for clans. Also it wholly excludes the players from the area they are outlawed from. 

The forced exodus from Sartar also allows you to use Borderlands and Pavis as backdrops for further adventures. And there are lots of published information on that! 

I was also going to suggest looking at some of the Icelandic Sagas. Lots of people getting outlawed for reasonable, dubious and petty reasons. I think I once read a list of all the outlawry cases (maybe Icelandic Saga Database??) which was fascinating and laughable.

I just looked back and you didn’t mention their homelands.. so maybe Lunar Occupation doesn’t fit in with your current campaign. Not everyone wants to be an Orlanthi

Good tips! I just happen to own all the Icelandic sagas in hardbound and filigrained books, inherited from my late father, who - believe it or not - was called Rune as his first name. We're Swedes, so that's why we can be named in such ways. 🙂 Rune Brickman was his name, and mine is Erik Brickman. So the whole Runequest thing is probably enmeshed in my personal quest to learn more about him. He died in 1969. I was five. Anyway! I totally disgress. Thank you for your ideas.

[dracopticon]

5 hours ago, Joerg said:

Falling afoul clan politics is a typical reason for exile. Player characters complaining about unfair distribution of plunder (by an antagonistic chieftain) might act outside of the tolerated parameters for outside interactions, or at least be accused of that, and sent into temporary or permanent exile.
The Coming Storm/The Eleven Lights has a potential story arc

  Hide contents

for conflict with the appeaser chief of the Red Cow clan.

 

Thank you! I have the hardback of The Eleven Lights for Heroquest. I'll look it up. Good idea!

[dracopticon]

4 hours ago, Ali the Helering said:

A vindictive priest/god-talker who 'had a vision in the night' presaging disaster unless the PCs are exiled.

Hehe! Yes, that could be a good reason for an exile. Maybe I should move the seeress Gaumata to this story and have her prophesize it? 🙂 Thanks!

Edited August 19 by dracopticon

[Nozbat]

1 hour ago, dracopticon said:

Good tips! I just happen to own all the Icelandic sagas in hardbound and filigrained books, inherited from my late father, who - believe it or not - was called Rune as his first name. We're Swedes, so that's why we can be named in such ways. 🙂 Rune Brickman was his name, and mine is Erik Brickman. So the whole Runequest thing is probably enmeshed in my personal quest to learn more about him. He died in 1969. I was five. Anyway! I totally disgress. Thank you for your ideas.

One of the reasons I'd suggested it as I thought being Swedish and into RPGs, you'd have a good knowledge of the sagas. Egil Skallagrimson, Grettir Asmundarson and Erik Thorvalson where all major protagonists of their respective sagas, but there were other lesser characters who in my opinion were much more interesting (I take that back .. no one can match Egil and Grettir). Gunnar Hamundarson is a fascinating character and for all his prowess and goodness was outlawed and killed. Gisli Thorkelson's saga is one that I think might be useful in getting outlawed. The saga of Horðr, in which outlawry by association is also a good theme. Or the Saga of Ale-Hood, Ölkofra, and interesting short saga about powerful men and outlawry. 

It's interesting what people say about possibilities for outlawry or possible banishment. I think if you go along those lines, I'd make the punishment as a consequence of their own actions, rather than something 'done onto them'. Players need some level of agency, but maybe a tangle of loyalty and conflicting passions get in the way of making peace and the situation escalates (thinking Skarp-Héðinn Njalsson, who was one of my favourite minor characters).

My view would be to let the characters make their own choices all the way, but goad them with insults and pettiness. Maybe some deaths of people they are responsible for (thralls, tenant farmers), perhaps the death of a younger sibling even, theft of sheep or cattle. It is clear from the Sagas how fragile most of the men's egos were and how easy it was to enrage them on some minor slight or passing comment. Most situations ended up in murder. 

But, and I stress again, always give them choices lol because as all Orlanthi know.. "Violence is always an option"

 

[Ian Absentia]

7 hours ago, Joerg said:

Falling afoul clan politics is a typical reason for exile.

Honestly, in my experience, too many player characters qualify for outlawry.  A character that I played recently started out as an NPC who created too much friction between his Sartarite clan and the neighboring Grazelanders by staging unauthorised horse raids; in the interest of tamping down potential hostilities, his clan booted him off to Prax where he could engage in banditry with impunity.

It looks like opinions are leaning that way already.  Give the players enough rope, and they'll probably exile themselves.

!i!

[Squaredeal Sten]

Another approach; The Adventurers' clan gets deprived of their land.   No-fault of the Adventurers, that's tough.  Hit the road or die.

Jeff's recent Facebook post on the Varamandi made me think about this

Of course I can't claim that's original, since [SPOiLER] it is the lead- in for C.O.D..  

Edited August 22 by Squaredeal Sten
bad typing

[Zit]

That's not all being an outlaw and being exiled, but you need a reason why in the Risklands ?

In my campaign, PCs have been condemned to a number of years of slavery by the Lunar authorities and sent to serve Duke Raus as soldiers. This is a simple way to send them where you want and to give them tasks.

[dracopticon]

On 8/20/2024 at 1:07 PM, Zit said:

That's not all being an outlaw and being exiled, but you need a reason why in the Risklands ?

In my campaign, PCs have been condemned to a number of years of slavery by the Lunar authorities and sent to serve Duke Raus as soldiers. This is a simple way to send them where you want and to give them tasks.

Yes, good insights there. But I will start playing in 1625, so is the Lunar Empire really in charge since the Dragonrise and Kallyr's and Argrath's freedom wars, and can send people off on slavery? The player characters will come from the Varmandi clan.

[jajagappa]

20 minutes ago, dracopticon said:

But I will start playing in 1625, so is the Lunar Empire really in charge since the Dragonrise and Kallyr's and Argrath's freedom wars, and can send people off on slavery? The player characters will come from the Varmandi clan.

Before Earthseason 1625, yes, the Lunars are still a strong presence in Dragon Pass. After Earthseason, no, as the Lunars who survive are driven from Boldhome, Jonstown, and other enclaves (except Alda-chur).

Some options to consider if you're starting post-Dragonrise:

• Have the PC's be from a clan in Tarsh rather than Sartar. King Pharandros is exacting vengeance upon Fazzur Wideread and his allies. Either accused of treachery against the king, or indebted for failing to help pay Fazzur's "tribute", the PC's are sent off to the Risklands as a way out.
• If Varmandi, the PC's were allies of King Kangharl (now eaten by the dragon) and foes of Leika. But now that Leika is Queen, she outlaws/exiles the PC's for "aiding" the Lunars. They hear of opportunity in the Risklands.

 

[Zit]

Paying debts can be a reason as well.

[dracopticon]

18 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Before Earthseason 1625, yes, the Lunars are still a strong presence in Dragon Pass. After Earthseason, no, as the Lunars who survive are driven from Boldhome, Jonstown, and other enclaves (except Alda-chur).

Some options to consider if you're starting post-Dragonrise:

• Have the PC's be from a clan in Tarsh rather than Sartar. King Pharandros is exacting vengeance upon Fazzur Wideread and his allies. Either accused of treachery against the king, or indebted for failing to help pay Fazzur's "tribute", the PC's are sent off to the Risklands as a way out.
• If Varmandi, the PC's were allies of King Kangharl (now eaten by the dragon) and foes of Leika. But now that Leika is Queen, she outlaws/exiles the PC's for "aiding" the Lunars. They hear of opportunity in the Risklands.

 

Thank you for the more obscure info. Had read about the feud between Kangharl and Leika, but not that Varmandi were involved, thought Kangharl came from the Taraling.

[dracopticon]

16 hours ago, Zit said:

Paying debts can be a reason as well.

Thanks for the tip!

[dracopticon]

I am also thinking of using (only for my group) the french made "Swenville" picture by Thomas Ray, remade for Oakton and the Varmandi clan (it has a huge tree on the right side, perfect for The Oak of Vengeance!).

This also demands that I change the Varmandi into a bigger clan, and not quite as 'warmongery' as they are in the original take. What do you think? Can I use it? Ts it OK to change the Varmandi into a bigger clan?

 

Edited August 22 by dracopticon

[Joerg]

23 minutes ago, dracopticon said:

I am also thinking of using (only for my group) the french made "Swenville" picture by Thomas Ray, remade for Oakton and the Varmandi clan (it has a huge tree on the right side, perfect for The Oak of Vengeance!).

This also demands that I change the Varmandi into a bigger clan, and not quite as 'warmongery' as they are in the original take. What do you think? Can I use it? Ts it OK to change the Varmandi into a bigger clan?

 

YGWV, but the settlement of Swenstown has more than twice the inhabitants that the Varmandi clan has in total (canonically), and those distributed between Oakton, Tarkalor's Keep and Apple Lane and possibly isolate steads.

It is unlikely that Saronil would have built Tarkalor's Keep if there was a well-fortified town in the region, except to keep Orlevings and Varmandi from bashing their heads over and over again.

The Varmandi backstory makes them an embittered underdog clan, once masters of Greenstone Temple and surrounding lands, then of Arfritha Vale west of (not yet built) Jonstown, now reduced to a small area in between those two.

[dracopticon]

35 minutes ago, Joerg said:

YGWV, but the settlement of Swenstown has more than twice the inhabitants that the Varmandi clan has in total (canonically), and those distributed between Oakton, Tarkalor's Keep and Apple Lane and possibly isolate steads.

It is unlikely that Saronil would have built Tarkalor's Keep if there was a well-fortified town in the region, except to keep Orlevings and Varmandi from bashing their heads over and over again.

The Varmandi backstory makes them an embittered underdog clan, once masters of Greenstone Temple and surrounding lands, then of Arfritha Vale west of (not yet built) Jonstown, now reduced to a small area in between those two.

All true, but is Swenstown an important town or can it be that it is not so central in importance to Sartar as one of the more famous clans? And there is absolutely no map of Oakton anywhere. But, I could change the map into a smaller one and stay with the basic version of the Varmandi.