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Garrik
3. tammikuuta 2008 kello 16.00
linkki
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Yritän pyristellä irti vastuista. Laitan nää mun ideani suoraan tähän. Voitte sitten helpommin tarttua niihin - jatkaa, korjata ja parannella. :)
Kieli on kauheeta ja lauseet löysiä, juu. Suapi tiivistää. :)
Humis, häiritsikö sua vain toi Stalker, vai ehkä myös Cthulhu? Molemmathan tulevat skenen ulkopuolelta, ja molempia käytin tässä vain heittämään sellaisia visioita, joista lukija kerää haluamansa.
Sinänsä tonne vois listata helposti vaikka muutaman leffan antamaan ideoita ja/tai ärsykettä. Olisko tämmöinen jotenkin huono juttu? Populaarikulttuurissa yleisesti jaetut mielikuvathan ovat helppoa tarttumapintaa, kun uusista asioista yritetään vääntää juttua. Ovatko Glorantha ja/tai Zin Letters tästä jotenkin poikkeus?
-G
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[b:0c60c3e66e][size=20:0c60c3e66e]Unwrapping the Adventure[/size:0c60c3e66e][/b:0c60c3e66e]
[b:0c60c3e66e][i:0c60c3e66e]Hints and Tips for campaigns set in eastern Far Place[/i:0c60c3e66e][/b:0c60c3e66e]
[b:0c60c3e66e][size=16:0c60c3e66e]Styles and Themes[/size:0c60c3e66e][/b:0c60c3e66e]
[b:0c60c3e66e]Meet People, Visit Places[/b:0c60c3e66e]
The material as written supports two styles of play: exploration and social drama. They can easily be combined. If the player characters are not locals, everything they find in eastern Far Place is new and potentially exiting, including the people and their ideas and schisms. On the other hand, for most clans living in the region, the region still hides many secrets. Garrik Clan can be used as scenery for social interaction, or as base for wilderness adventures.
[b:0c60c3e66e]Fight![/b:0c60c3e66e]
The land is sown with the seeds of rebellion. Freedom fighters seek glory and revenge playing seek-and-hide with Harvar’s Yelmalites and Gagarthi, and occasional Lunarites. Friction between clans can flame into a merciless feud. Worshipers of Light seek to challenge the Torkani or the trolls, and vice versa. The Humakti of the Black Finger Battalion have sworn to fight the denizens of the Woods of the Dead, yet they lack warriors.
There is room for classical hack-and-slash style gaming in eastern Far Place. Gaming groups wishing to free themselves from traditional Orlanthi customs – social responsibility, hospitality and keeping to ones own – may choose to take the roles of the Gagarthi, sell-swords who are enemies to all. Can they clear the region from enemies of Harvar and his Bigger Wind? Can they raid, pillage, rape and kill until everyone yields to their power? The old world is over, and those fools who deny this are worthless!
[b:0c60c3e66e]Mystery[/b:0c60c3e66e]
Eastern Far Place is an ancient land, with layers of half-forgotten myths, people, places and magic. The Orlanthi are newcomers, whereas the Dragonewts have been here for eternity, and the trolls and elves almost as long. Empire of Wyrms Friends (EWF) once ruled here, leaving ruins, artefacts and magic buried under layers of ashes and moss. The Deruvadings and Brynavadings were swallowed by the land, yet inhabit it still.
Both scholars from abroad and some of the newly settled clans are interested in finding out what can be learned or taken from the land. Other clans, notably the Garrik, say old things should better be left alone – that they are cursed and will only bring ancient curses on those who inquire too deep.
What if the player characters wake up some kind of sleeping terror? Classical Cthulhuloid horror is never far in Glorantha, especially this close to the Chaos of Snakepipe Hollow and the Darkness of Dagori Inkarth. Some EWF locations may be akin to the alien and deadly Areas in the book/film Stalker.
[b:0c60c3e66e]Trade[/b:0c60c3e66e]
The clans are poor, but they still have some things of value: furs, rare herbs, famous musical instruments of Alone, ancient artifacts uncovered from the earth, and the people themselves as potential slaves. Some clans eagerly seek things of new Lunar civilization: jewelry, art and clothes. Many other clans hate these, and instead secretly seek good weapons. For them, the things them-selves are not the only thing important – also information on Lunar troop movements and connections with the Sartarite rebels are valued.
Good bargains will bring fortunes to those who dare the wilderness trails and find ways to circumvent the heavy taxation imposed by Harvar and Lunar – or those who work with the new rulers. Traders accustomed to the big world and money may find bartering and gift-trade problematic. Many things also hold value because of the personal promise accompanying the meager gift itself. Can such items be traded at all?
[b:0c60c3e66e]Life in the Clan[/b:0c60c3e66e]
The Garrik Clan is perfect place for low-power plays. The clan must cope with new taxes and rules, and make hard decisions between bad options. Mere living itself is challenge. The new fields are rocky, and some of them are plagued by wild and dark spirits craving offerings. Cattle raiders, Gagarthi and trolls sneak about the herds.
Hunting is good, but the hunters are many and hunting ranges can get confused. Trolls, Dragonewts and wolves hunt too, all of them sometimes hunting the hunter. And good hunting is hardly the road to riches. Can the hunter treasure a suitable dowry in order to marry the apple of his eye – or is she forced to marry the rich Pro-Lunar tradethane?
[b:0c60c3e66e][size=16:0c60c3e66e]Scenario Ideas[/size:0c60c3e66e][/b:0c60c3e66e]
[b:0c60c3e66e]Comrades or Foes?[/b:0c60c3e66e]
Sargald the Auroch, leader of an Orlanthi/Uroxi warband, asks the clan for help in a daring raid to destroy a Lunar villa in the Hidden Valley, near Alone. He seeks warriors or magic. It becomes apparent that his world is totally black-and-white (or red-and-blue): those who don’t help him become his enemies. “How can you choose not to fight those filthy Chaos-fuckers and still claim you are people of worth? Help me or fight me!”
If the clan helps, the Lunars will learn of their participation and retaliate when Sargald’s warband has already moved on. And the actual attack is hazardous, as the Lunar villa is well-defended and will get assistance from Alone. Sargald’s plan is simply to ram in and burn the place, and he is not one to take orders from below. It requires a cunning and bold man to make Sargald accept that a more cautious approach might be better.
If the clan doesn’t help, they must drive Sargald’s warband away by force. If not killed, Sargald will come back one day. Should the clan seek help from the tribe or perhaps from Alone to defend against this awkward threat? Many warriors in the clan will not fight Sargald, and some may leave with him without asking for permission.
[b:0c60c3e66e]Swordplay[/b:0c60c3e66e]
Red Estar, a foreign Issaries trader, arrives with two mule loads of straight sword blades hidden under greasy Praxian hides and strange-smelling ebon wood. He is given hospitality, but the chieftain forbids anyone to buy any blades from him, fearing that he is a spy reporting to the Lunarites those clans that rearm themselves. But the blades are good ones, and Estar seems to be honest man.
Estar trades for one day, and then leaves. He asks for guides and escorts, promising good pay. The chieftain allows any willing (i.e. the player characters) to accompany the trader. Estar walks north, visiting other clans, steads and wilderness camps. Will the player characters warn the other clans of Estar’s potential nature as a spy? Or do they perhaps encourage their rivals to buy the blades and see if they land in trouble because of the Lunars afterwards? Estar will definitely not like it if his escorts play against him.
It is up to the GM if Estar actually is a Lunar spy, an independent and honest merchant, or perhaps a messenger from other Sartarite rebels. In any case, those accompanying him will get to tour the region. Also, the player characters may simply steal the swords and perhaps kill Estar. In this case, a year and a season of bad luck in trade for the whole clan follows. However, the blades are excellent.
[b:0c60c3e66e]Divide et Impera[/b:0c60c3e66e]
The Lunar tax collector visits to count the clan cattle. The usual precautions fail, and he understands the clan has more cattle than has been marked in the tax lists. He accuses the clan of fraudulent eva-ion of paying taxes – “A crime of the first magnitude! Very bed, very bed.” But he then suddenly offers the clan a way to get away with it:
The neighbouring clan has made the same crime, and should be punished. If the clan of the player characters raids their neighbours causing widespread damage, the tax collector promises to forget the fraudulence. The neighbouring clan is not friendly with the player characters’ clan, and there have already been talks of raiding them.
Third of the clan wants to pay the taxes and get along with their neighbours. Another third, with the clan warband leader, is ready for a raid. The last third is hesitating, and wants to find another way. The player characters may either be representatives of the three different factions discussing the matter, or representatives of one fraction with set ideas trying to turn the third faction to support their own faction.
[b:0c60c3e66e][i:0c60c3e66e]But there is always another way.[/i:0c60c3e66e][/b:0c60c3e66e] All the Lunar tax collector really wants to see is a couple of burned buildings and some cattle change hands. It is possible to lure him with a fake raid. This requires careful, secret and swift planning with the neighbouring tribe. If the wind would carry just one firebrand into the wrong direction real housing instead of abandoned barns will catch fire. Also, the neighbouring clan will be extremely cautious of a foreign warband operating in their tula.
With the already strained relations, this is very hard to accomplish. However, it would bring the most benefits to the clans, and possibly lead into mutual friendship and new allies. If the player characters don’t come up with this idea, let someone whisper it into their ears. This someone could be a shaman or a member of the Earth Witch Ring, or a person who would not normally come up with such practical ideas, like the Eurmal.
[b:0c60c3e66e]Trading with the Dragonewts[/b:0c60c3e66e]
Brutha Turfskin, a Lhankor Mhy sage travelling with a chained man, asks guides to lead her into the Dragonewt City of Contemplative Rest. She is very secretive, but it becomes apparent that she tries to trade with the Dragonewts, and the chained man is trade goods. The man is foreign, an enslaved warrior from distant Wenelia. Will the player characters help Brutha in her mystical mission? Or do they perhaps want to free the enslaved warrior?
If the player characters accompany Brutha to the Dragonewts, they will travel a couple of days in the wilderness, seeing more and more signs of the Dragonewts, possibly being harassed by some beaked scouts who try to hunt them. On the third day they will meet a welcoming party. At this point Brutha will no more need escorts. If they try to follow, the Dragonewts will drive the escorts away.
[b:0c60c3e66e][i:0c60c3e66e]Seven weeks later[/i:0c60c3e66e][/b:0c60c3e66e], the Wenelian will return to the clan. He is wide-eyed, alone and still chained, starving of hunger. He doesn’t have words to explain what has happened, but apparently the Dragonewts let him go and kept Brutha instead. What consequences this has is entirely open, as is the success of Brutha’s quest.
The clan must decide if they want to adopt the Wenelian, or to make him a thrall, or to help him return home, or to drive him away, or kill him, or perhaps try to return him to the Dragonewts. They may also want to free Brutha, but this attempt will meet with invincible Dragonewt resistance, resulting in deaths of many warriors. The player character may represent different agendas, or try to advocate one agenda in front of the disagreeing clan ring.
[b:0c60c3e66e][i:0c60c3e66e]Seven seasons later[/i:0c60c3e66e][/b:0c60c3e66e], Brutha herself will return, her left arm turned into a hideous claw, her eyes the colour of silver, and her tongue split in half. If the clan welcomes her, she will thank them and gift them with a miniature mirror that reflects the Spirit World. If Brutha finds out that the clan has kept the Wenelian, she will insist them to free him. If Brutha is attacked she will defend herself ferociously, fighting with her claw, turning arrows and javelins with her eyes.
[b:0c60c3e66e]Wall of the Damned[/b:0c60c3e66e]
Hunters tell that deep in the wilderness, in a ravine covered in icy mist, part of the rock face is smooth and beautifully carved. There is an almost real-life sized relief of ancient beasts, Dragonewts and individuals belonging in several humanoid races. One of the pictures can even be recognized as the Moss-Moose. The pictures move, very slow.
One of the Dragonewts, of the warrior caste, seems to stand guarding a doorway. The Warrior almost never moves, but when he does, a doorway into the rock is open for the period of one day. This is what the hunters know. They say the place is cursed. They say shamans sometimes enter the doorway but never tell of what is inside. They say ordinary people entering never come back.
The doorway leads into a maze of rooms and downward winding stairs, into a youf mansion and temple. The ground floor is empty but some human physical remains right behind the door. The lower rooms are inhabited by spirits and have several youf artifacts lying on the floors or on the stone tables, probably altars. The spirits don’t seem to be hostile and can be contacted with proper magic. The only thing they know or can do is to sing with pitched, beautiful voices.
Touching any of the artifacts will cause one of the spirits to attack. The attack is not painful, but instead fills the head of the target with music and song, forcing him to start moving and making gestures with the artifact he touched. The ritual takes hours to complete, but in the end the victim will be totally swallowed into the dance. His body will appear on the Wall outside, and his spirit remains imprisoned, forever singing and acting out the ritual.
If the adventurer can win the spirit, he is free to take the item he touched. Most of the items are of no apparent use or value, but some are potent. Many need to be used together, however, to be functional. Thus even potent items may be just humming with power yet not able to release it. Every item should be interesting to any visiting scholar, though.
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humis
3. tammikuuta 2008 kello 20.31
linkki
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[quote:e4ed9b270a="Garrik"]
Humis, häiritsikö sua vain toi Stalker, vai ehkä myös Cthulhu? Molemmathan tulevat skenen ulkopuolelta, ja molempia käytin tässä vain heittämään sellaisia visioita, joista lukija kerää haluamansa.
Sinänsä tonne vois listata helposti vaikka muutaman leffan antamaan ideoita ja/tai ärsykettä. Olisko tämmöinen jotenkin huono juttu? Populaarikulttuurissa yleisesti jaetut mielikuvathan ovat helppoa tarttumapintaa, kun uusista asioista yritetään vääntää juttua. Ovatko Glorantha ja/tai Zin Letters tästä jotenkin poikkeus?
[/quote:e4ed9b270a]
Ehkä mua häiritsee se tuolla tekstin seassa. En tiedä Stalkerista, joten mun lukukokemus keskeytyy enkä tiedä jäikö jotakin olennaista paikasta sen takia ymmärtämättä. Jos ne olis erillisenä listana jossa on tarpeeksi esimerkkejä se ei haittais ollenkaan yhtä paljon. Tai sit pitäis avaa vähän enemmän mistä on kyse (jollon taas populaariviittauksen arvo vähenee).
Luen itse tekstin myöhemmin.
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