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Three Feathered Rivals: Making a bad thing good. Game write up.


Noita

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Another player here to join the fun - I'm Salen Dustchaser, stoner Condor brave and Foundchild disciple. :)

Salen is something of a free spirit, a bit 'out there', and though he usually acts outwith expectations he does always work for the greater good of the Feathered Rivals. He has yet to meet a substance he can't smoke, swallow or drink in some form, and will pretty much try anything. His Condor spirit might best be described as lascivious, and Salen himself isn't averse to such undertakings - he made an alliance with a nereid, a water spirit, back at the time of Kaonu's abduction, and she is now carrying his daughter. That's just one example of Salen at work - he'll do whatever it takes to get the Rivals' mission accomplished, whatever the cost.

There's more than this general introduction, but I'll just reiterate what a cracking game this is. The sheer volume of work put in by Iskallor is quite incredible, but it is a two-way process. Who knows where we go from here?!

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  • 5 weeks later...

Our characters are currently on the way back to their clans after scouting the Zola Fel, inducting new members, losing the Golden disc to heroquesting Yelmalions, dealing with Morokanth at Hoofcrack, eradicating a nest of chaos Harpies, freeing their cleansed queen and her companions, a wedding and a funeral (of the bride) and are now at the ruins of a Second Age trading post, where two of the characters are sat on the roof, keeping watch and sharing stories.

 

Both had recently died and had been brought back to life, here is the Condor Brave's post:

Hoskar's Preface

I'd had a bad feeling even as we reached the serpent below the harpies' rock. We camped below that gang we thought at first were baboons but later found out to be broo - they never showed themselves and sounded like baboons so it was only when they attacked the mounts by night - I'd gone on climbing by then to reach the harpies - we found out what they were. By all accounts, that was a great time for Akala: the stoneface smashed them to bits.

Ohanzee and Amara performed a water rite to get us up there. Think that's why Ohanzee's got more of a water affinity these days, and at the top was an old grove. Our coming woke the dryad, but I was more concerned checking for enemies than anything.

After that, it was a climb to the lair. Up through some sort of living statue, you know. The stomach wasn't nice - it started to digest us and he chuckles Amara picked the downward exit. Literally got shat out.

When we hit the lair, they were summoning some form of foulness. I didn't see that - was too busy being dead. Last thing I remember was firing off slingstones at their hideous shaman. Think I got her with a stone right in the forehead, but that's the last I recall of the battle. There was a stabbing sensation and then...well then I was having visions.

The events as they unfolded

Harmony save us: what is that thing?

Fighting down a gag reflex, Hoskar aims his first stone at the foul shaman, his gaze darting around for the likeliest targets to follow or for incoming attacks then back to the stone's flight to see if it causes any hurt.

He is taken unawares by the sound of a bullroarer elsewhere in the fray. Its voice is grateful here: a reminder of Greeshar and of the Bull's effectiveness against chaos.
_

The air is filled with war cries, curses and missiles: darts, javelins both magical and mundane, sling shot, and arrows by the dozen fired by Leaper, who dances between the sharp rocky outcrops shooting up into the mass of swooping Harpies.

Several go down under the onslaught, but their spells and missiles hit home too...

Amara's god guided javelin pierces the clouds of smoke but is intercepted by a Harpy bodyguard, the creature carried backwards by the force of the cast, deep into the dark void of the cave beyond. This causes the shaman to cackle in mirth, the laugh suddenly cut short by a magnificent  blow between the eyes as Hoskar fells her with a shot in a hundred.

Below, Salen and Henal were simultaneously dodging through the maze of stalagmites, passing Kobal as the Thunderbird brave knocks a Harpy out of the air to stab it to death with his magically charged blade.

It's mayhem and as soon as Hoskar made the shot, he keels backwards from an equally well cast dart, his skin quickly blackening as it's vile poison spreads through his system. No one notices for everyones' attention is on the job at hand...

"It comes...." utters Emesh-Ga, his deep bass voice heard by all...

And from the darkness behind comes a loud chuckling gurgle....
_

In the visions

Lying on the rocky floor Hoskar, his body racked with pain, finds that memories of his childhood have come flooding back....

His father walks beside him, whilst Hoskar, perhaps ten years old, sits astride a young Rhino, deep within a travelling caravan.

Ahead the beginings of rolling hills....Behind the vast open plains of Prax.

From somewhere ahead comes the voice of Becx, his mother, issuing commands.
_

She fell.

Where? How?

"Father? We journey again? But why are there harpies in this caravan, looking new-hurt as we walk towards the hilly gorge; that one pure, it seems? Didn't know you knew Peat too; or is that his uncle that walks with us, dog beside him?"

Why will he not turn towards me, looking forever on towards the horizon so I see but one side of his face?

Mother's ahead, sounding more like the god than ever; guiding us true in caravan; but to where? Pain, and the thought there is something I should remember. Do I belong here? Do I belong here yet? Do I belong anywhere?

A sudden sense of homecoming but a sudden sense of loss: is this my caravan at all? To stay with it seems easy - the joy of family and the peace of fate - but a call to leave remains.

"Father. Why do you walk when I ride? Does mother watch our path true? Wasn't Greeshar kind back there - don't think he meant to hurt me when he threw me over that rock and it was fun to wrestle till the snap."

Maybe that's why I still hurt so.
_

He turns; turns to look at me, but his face is a mask. What face is that? Fringed with black feathers, it is. Father? No, not father.

The mask smiles, and it's the smile of a Raven. Between a song and a joke, a voice chortles.

Melock? But you're not here.

As I blink, the mask falls away as if into deep water, earth-solid earth-rippled like a marriage of elements, leaving behind a face that is gazing ahead.

It is twilight now. Where did the light go? Where does the wind go behind the stars?

"I guide one path: choose yours" calls the voice of Becx...or is it the god...far ahead.
_

Twilight is peaceful. Shadows lengthen as Bright Treasure moves on his appointed path. Sounds of battle at the edge of hearing. Maybe they ought to matter - a memory nags like an itch but will not form - nothing matters except the stony skin of the rhino textured like the floor of a cave, the fact of the journey, and the aching.

"I must choose, mustn't I father?"

Jondar turns at last. His other eye is closed, hiding what lies beneath its lid.

"I saw you in the Rocklands: you already chose how you would run. Here you do not choose. Here you are chosen."

He smiles regretfully, listening.

"I hear it too. We're family after all. Heard something like it once myself, but only a moment. When the sound fades, you'll know one way or the other: connect with earth here and you're here. Why do you think I brought the rhino?"
_

A cat lopes from the plain; self-satisfied, content, and faintly amused. Passing form, passing support.

She jumps well, as if practised with rhinos; landing square on the stone skin of an old companion once left behind with honour that Hoskar now recognises as the tears well up in his eyes. "Hello cat. Sorry I couldn't give you longer".

He looks round and down to his father's form; happy-sad as the sound of battle dwindles.

"She does look like mother, doesn't she?" he asks; preparing to dismount only to feel an old-familiar strong and steadying hand on his leg, keeping him seated.

Jondar nods back. "Yes: the sound fades all right my son. No harm to give it a while first. I think you'll like the herd, but forever's a long time."
_

Cat-warmth and strong hand upon me. Family and friend-in-faith. Noises dwindle, aching slackens. Feathers rustle in the gloaming as above a bird is soaring: brown, alone; joy and sorrow balanced. With the caravan it travels, leaders twain I have in the one journey.

"Came to the clarion reddened with wrath
Garden guard 'gainst predark demon
Faced is the foe of baleful breathing
Come, my Hoskar"

Is my path so sure, then? My choices all made?
_

In the cavern

Blood drips from Hoskar's wound; not the bright and flowing red of health but viscous-black; portent of hate fulfilled and harbinger of an ending.

Rasping breath hisses and the wound bubbles faintly.

In the vision/crossover

Over the caravan, a bird soars still; waiting not impatiently but expectant. Planes cross a moment; words there and here together.

Already, my Lord?

But your work is not done.

Another rasp; the eye-twitches smaller and more febrile, lips slackening to an unexpectedly peaceful smile.

Wotcha. It's alright.

Lids snap open suddenly, but whatever the clouded orbs beneath are seeing, it's neither Amara nor Kobal; nor indeed anything beneath these stars.

Find...white lance...it's not what you think, Becx... wheezes from the Ranger's lips as the cord snaps.

Unseeing eyes stare up into the cave.
Hands stiffen to claws.
A fly from the harpies' mess, inquisitive, buzzes its erratic way towards this new and interesting mass of flesh.
_

A familar released

Down below Four-Paws is padding, wary, round the camp. Stoneface struck some mighty blows there.

Feels uneasy, needing comfort, leaps upon her friend Ram Rhino; circles round but cannot settle till fatigue has dropped her lids.

Oh, my friend. I wonder when...

...Four-Paws struggles once for memory...can't recall what I was...

Surrounded by a familiar and comfortable smell it knows by instinct and habit, a Manul cat goes back to sleep.
_

In the cavern

The Queen Erish-El then follows Amara  and picks up Hoskar's body as if he is a small child. Then walking over to the rear of the cave she places him beneath the statue...

"Make your companion comfortable....I shall need you all to watch over him. Burn Acacia if you have it and beware of other spirits. I must travel to the other side and catch your friend before he leaves for ever."

 "I need a beat, slow and steady like a healthy heart. A libation of liquid must be poured to the four corners of our world and then each of you must prepare yourselves as you see fit."

The Golden Queen then squats once more, resting her wings over the corpse, hiding him from view and once covered she begins to chant in the ancient languages of both Sky and Earth.
_
"Yes Your Majesty." Ohanzee says and finds something to thump with. He then takes a moment listening to the thumping of his own heart in his ears. He picks this up verbally first "Bump, bump, bump, bump." and he starts hitting a stalagmite with the wooden stake he's found.

It resonates through the cavern Thump, thump, thump, thump.
_

Kobal passes on the report from his manul cat acting as forward observer.  To his familiar, he replies, Let us know if you sense any other spirits approach apart from that of Hoskar.

If he had any of the small gifts he received from the Shallow Waters clan, he would lay them at the corners of the square, but they together with most of his gear are packed away on Black Hoof.

Instead, he looks for a stone to scratch out a large fertility/life rune with the boundaries of the square, then takes up position at one of the corners of the square, thumping the edge of his shield into the ground in time with the others.

You swore an oath,
this land to heal.
Return to us Hoskar,
don't break the deal.

Your task awaits:
bring back the Green.
Return to us Condor,
answer the Queen.

To call your soul,
the price is paid.
Return to us Feather:
more chance to trade.
_

Ohanzee nods to Leaper and then expertly adjusts the beat of his own drumming to intersperse the beats of the pygmy's forming a combined sound akin to the double hard soft beat of a human heart.

Thump bump      thump bump     hump bump     hump bump

He starts up a chat, on without words but with vocalised sounds that bring to mind the joys of life.
_

The Harpy queen's body sags slightly as if something has departed and then moments later rises once more as if something has arrived.

Muscles form and her head slowly changes to that of a beautiful Eagle.

Her fetch, come to watch over her as she searches for Hoskar's spirit.
_

In the vision

The sounds have all faded. Only the caravan remains; Peat and his faithful dog afoot close by.

Jondar smiles again, and releases his grip. "I suppose that's all then, my son. Dismount if you like: there's much I would hear from you."

"Wotcha" the relaxing Hoskar grins. "It's alright".

A white flash from above; like a lance that splits the world for us. Something that goes everywhere. If Amara had such a thing, it could slay any predator, I'll be bound. "Becx! Find the white lance! It's not what you think!" he calls ahead.

Hoskar sets his new self to dismount when...


The sheltering sky rent, a fledged beauty comes; circling above lord Condor in a strange fight; not touching or tearing but seeking an opening to dart beneath the great soaring spirit of the air. Once, pinions touch and a single white feather tumbles slowly, lazily from the new arrival.

The beating of a heart; from where?

From the back of the wind, a swoop.
From the dark behind, a rustle of feathers.
In the last rays of Bright Treasure, lambent plumage.
Above, riderless brown still protecting his servant from the newcomer.

A voice on the wind: "for the heartbeat of our chosen ones and for the song, my word is let her pass".
A dark croak cackles: "By all means, for the fartbeat".
Golden tones cut commandingly through; seeing: "Just look at what she is - use your eyes if you have any".

Riderless brown pauses, and looks up.

"Erish-el. How unexpected.

"Work and warring for you till the world's ending, it seems my lad: shield and serve, the green renewing."

King Condor slips sideways, to guide the dismounted Peat and his dog.

"Catch the feather" instructs the newcomer....Erish-El, was it?

Hoskar looks to his father for guidance, but he just shrugs. Looks yearningly towards King Condor, seeking to follow; but the will of beauty is too great. Involuntarily, his hand takes the falling feather as it tumbles down. His other hand clenches convulsively on the scruff of the Four-Paw cat-spirit nestled warmly by his side, throwing it firmly into the rent from which beauty issued.

Hoskar slips sideways; the stone skin of the rhino becoming the simple stone of a cave.

In the cave

A Ranger awakens; two feathers bound into his hair where before there was only one.

Hands relax from claws.
The cloud behind the eyes clears as the morning of life returns.
A fly, disgruntled that the buffet has closed early, meanders off to find some dung.

And Hoskar Two-Feather murmurs "so beautiful: so very beautiful" as he relaxes to a light and peaceful sleep.

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My first time here: I play Hoskar in this merry escapade. Thought I'd best say "hello" as any infelicities in the previous post are likely to be mine - it's an amalgam of a lot of my postings with interpolations from our beloved GM, Ohanzee, and Kobal.

I'm quite pleased with how this set of postings turned out...and it was a unique chance (for me anyway) to explore death and liminality in Glorantha.

Edited by Freddie
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  • 3 months later...

Reading through some old game posts, I happened upon the following: my impression of what it would feel like to have been trapped in the Harmonization of a scrawny, underfed, but hungry Jack O'Bear. Which, thankfully for my character, someone else killed sharpish. An attempt to get into the thoughts of one of those creatures outnumbered in battle but going down fighting...

Hunger. Hunger and desperation. Hunger for the void. Un-fed for so very long. Emptiness upon desire upon the memory of the taste of moist flesh; then gnawing old bones on an empty pile. Teeth crack for the last of the marrow and still I am not satisfied. Too many of them, but death to these pickings. Eat or find the maw of the master.

...pain...run...bad...

Urrgggh.


The freed Hoskar shakes his head, trying hard to clear the fog of chaos and sensation which had assailed him....

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
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  • 1 month later...
On 12/29/2015 at 10:56 PM, Iskallor said:

No that's cool, It's nice to know that someone appreciates it :). I'm happy for questions etc...

The players are a few weeks ahead of the last update (game time), I shall try and get the rest written up once I get a spare moment.

A quick update: The last weeks of Earth Season: They have crossed the Chaos filled Bleak hills, suffered kidnappings from cannibals and fighting scorpion men. Found the Giant Finger Holes to be surrounded by hostile forces. Mythically faced off Yelmalions hunting for their map to lassiter's reef, hooked up with some odd Agimori, been sent on a mission to rid the Sandstorm Hills of a nest of chaos Harpies by the Earth Witch, travelled via Hoofcrack to gain some anti disease magic from the Morokanth there (Zakeen Two Thumb's clan the Black Muds). Found an ancient Golden Age ruin, taken part in a heroquest marrying a serpent to the local earth goddess, fought the Harpies, discovered that some have heroquested to return to their pre dawn glory as guardians of their Earth Goddess, where we find them now on the way back to the Earth Witch, in the company of a bunch of Vingan Impala braves, a family of Rhino riders, the Harpy queen, and the Black Mud Morokanth shaman who has been banished with his followers. Tomorrow is Vinga's holy day...

There's a few Jack O'Bears somewhere in there that got chopped up too....

So time for an update. 

The party made it's way back to the Earth Temple, meeting Melock who had been brought back to life a slightly changed man this time, still a Raven, but connected to the Earth. It's time to return to the Bison Khan and Rainman grasslands to report on their scouting trip. The cleansed Harpies and their queen remain at the Giant Finger Holes, a new faction to add to the already complicated politics of the oasis. There's a wedding too, one of the Rangers is wed to the Red Thorn chieftain's daughter, to cement relationships between the clans, a ploy more than likely to make it difficult for the Prairie Thunder clan to oust the Red Thorns from their powerful position as guardians of the area.

One evening an ancient horror is fought, a giant Cliff toad warped by chaos, destroying limbs and swallowing folk. Inside it's belly an ancient crystal is found, part of the water spirit that once dwelled in the pools of the Earth Temple and now by the looks of it trapped far below ground.

At last the Wandering Rangers leave, heading first to a place where they can try and summon the long dead Yelmalion who had been in possession of the Golden map now held by the Sun County party previously encountered at the Temple. It seems that a trip to Yelmalio Hill or the old temple in Sun County is in order, the spirit promising to help when they arrive.

Next stop on the way home is a ruined Second Age trading post, a failed venture to open up a trade route with the Eastern lands...

Edited by Iskallor
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  • 3 months later...

The newly weds and Rangers begin their journey south with a large herd of Bison, where they are ambushed by Impala braves led by Angry Wasp the estranged husband to one of the Vingan girls who are now travelling with the Rangers. Tricked into disturbing a Scorpionman nest the Rangers are sorely pressed and lose not only some of their herd but Kobal's new wife is killed!! How to explain this one?

Continuing onwards they reach the Trading post .

The compound's ruins were occupied by a group of feral Broo, who had captured the Impala braves that had previously been in control.

With the help of Grandfather Hyena, his family and the Vingan Impala gals the fort is re taken. Several Impala braves are rescued and a magically locked door opened, revealing an untouched office beyond. There's a ghost who reveals secrets and the fact he was murdered. A Black Feather first eluded to in the Mostali tomb is revealed to be a second Age Pavic official. A well is also discovered with a mostali designed pump.

Whilst hanging out in the courtyard a pit is opened by accident, depositing all of the Vingan girls on top of a Mostali guardian which promptly tears them apart. After this it becomes docile and for some reason begins following one of the Rangers around like a dog.

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On 11/3/2015 at 8:44 PM, Iskallor said:

Whilst recuperating, a cat mysteriously explodes deep underground, resulting in the group discovering an ancient Mostali tomb, linked to an EWF official. Notes on a map, found on a mummified corpse, point to an old ruin south of where they are and a tower glimpsed sometime ago on the banks of the Zola Fel.

If a cat explodes in a dungeon and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound, does the cat enter a state of being neither alive nor dead until discovered? 

Undead cats want to know!

Bishop Berkley meets Schrodinger?

I was reading this in your fifth post Iskallor and I confess I found it mysterious and pretty funny too.  Now I am figuring the cat tripped some sort of booby trap set in the tomb, but it raises a few questions...  What sort of cat was it? Wild?  Domesticated ? Was it some Orlanthi's allied spirit?  What was it doing there deep underground?  Just being a cat?  What sort of tomb designer creates a trap that can be set off by the weight of a cat, especially an expensive explosive trap that can't really be reset?  Or did the car explode for some other reason?  Chaos springs to mind, but is there any evidence?  Or was it some sort of ancient warding the cat hit? I found this little episode strangely intriguing.

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The Rangers return back to their clans, being met by a patrol who informs Kobal that he is to be wed to the visiting Black Shield's chieftain's daughter. No one in the clans knows yet that he married an enemy clan's chieftain's daughter. Whom he let get killed on their honeymoon of sorts.

Arriving back they meet up with their families and are summoned to a debriefing of their scouting trip with the Elders. Folk are both pleased and angry, and it soon becomes clear that the bosses of the three clans have decided to put the Red Thorn clan in it's place and now's the time. A war party is gathered and much to the Rangers' annoyance they are informed that they can't take part as their loyalties are in question. The three clans will oust the Red Thorns from the Giant Finger Holes oasis and take control of the access to the Earth Temple there.

The Rangers are then informed that instead they will form a bodyguard to escort the Skywatcher clan's Vingan priestess first to Pavis and then to the Pairing Stones for the High Holy days rites and initiations of those that follow both Orlanth and Vinga. They will follow in the rear of the War Party and visit the Earth Temple on the way, collecting and depositing various NPCs and PC's. The Mostali construct will be left as a guardian of the Earth Temple, though many wish to kill the sorcerous monstrosity on the spot.

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21 hours ago, Iskallor said:

It was a bound familiar, a Manul cat owned by one of the players. Bloody Mostali, they hate cats, saving their love for Hamsters. The Hamsters explode too, but that's on purpose...

Sounds like a most unnatural love they Mostali have for hamsters if they explode.  Perhaps they should use gaffer tape? :0

Edited by Darius West
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On 2/17/2017 at 8:43 AM, Iskallor said:

It was a bound familiar, a Manul cat owned by one of the players. Bloody Mostali, they hate cats, saving their love for Hamsters. The Hamsters explode too, but that's on purpose...

Of course they love hamsters, how else are they going to power their World Machine Wheels? I can imagine Grandfather Hamster running a great World Machine Wheel and powering a Mostali complex.

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Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. 

www.soltakss.com/index.html

Jonstown Compendium author. Find my contributions here

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