Chaosium Digest Volume 7, Number 4 Date: Monday, August 15, 1994 Number: 2 of 2 Contents: The Reluctant Bride, Part Two (Shannon Appel) PENDRAGON Review: The Octagon of Chaos (Shannon Appel) STORMBRINGER RuneQuest Con 2 Registration (Eric Rowe) MISC -------------------- From: Shannon Appel Subject: The Reluctant Bride, Part Two System: Pendragon [continued from V7.3] THE QUEST OF THE CURSED GROVE On a hill to the East of the Castle sits a grove of trees, some two score in number. Although the grove is small, the dark, looming trees seem nearly to grow together. A knight would have to fight to gain entrance between the trees, and once within, he would be surounded by darkness and gloom. The Cursed Grove is a magical place, with close ties to Faerie. Generations ago, when the first of the Rantelis came to Logres, he came to this place, and arranged a deal with the fay folk. The fay agreed to proect his land from the ravages of drought, plague and pestilence. In exchange, the first Lord Rantelis swore that the Hill of Trees would forever belong to the people of Faerie. Unfortunately, the tradition has not been passed down. Even if the current Rantelis knew of the legend behind the Cursed Grove, he would deem it superstitious nonsense, and ignore it. As the players travel towards the Cursed Grove, they shall meet once more with the Unproven Knight, who is Lady Felicity in disguise. When she sees the knights, she will greet them, and tell them of her recent experiences: "Friends, if you go towards the Cursed Grove, I suggest that you instead turn at once away. I have defeated the champion of the Grove, and won my way through to the Prince of the Place. I spoke with him, demanding that he raise the enchantment which terrorized the peasants of the land. I was ready to cleave about me with my sword if he refused, to hew the entire grove down to the ground. But, instead, he showed me the mark of the House of Rantelis, and swore upon his honor that the land had been granted to him generations ago by the first Rantelis that came to this land. I saw that it would be unjust to drive the fay prince from the land that was rightfully his, and so I turned away, though it nearly broke my heart to do so. I will not stand in your way, but I do again suggest you turn back at once, or you will not be serving justice this day." As stated, Lady Felicity will not stand in the way of the players if they decide to continue on to the Cursed Grove. However, she will not give them any aid, and nothing may be said to change her mind. When the players arrive at the grove, they will see that it is just as it was described to them: dark and gloomy. If players try to enter the grove (a difficult task, doable only on foot) a fay knight shall ride from around the grove, and challenge one of the knights. If the players actually try and destroy the grove, a group of 6 frenzied knights will appear, ready to fight the players to the death to save their home. Once inside the grove, the players will find that it is much larger within than without. The entire place is dark and shadowy, and the journey to the center of the grove may take hours or days. If the gamemaster wishes to introduce additional dangers or the weird distortions of fay, this is an excellent time to do so. Eventually, the players will reach the center of the grove, where they will meet Prince Effin, Lord of the Fay of the Hill. He will show a signet ring bearing the sign of the House Rantelis, and swear that the land was granted to him long ago. This quest may be accomplished in two ways. If the players survive the onslaught of the frenzied fay knights, they may stand just outside the grove and destroy all of the trees that make it up. Once all forty have been destroyed, the portal to the faerie realms shall be forever gone. Alternatively, the players may try and find a way to convince the faerie to move on to another place. They might try trickery or offer promises to the faerie prince. They should beware though, for faerie favors never come lightly. If given sufficient incentive, the faeries will be willing to move on. During this quest, the players may try and return to the Curent Lord Rantelis, and confront him with the fay's tale. He will laugh, insist that his ancestors never would have made such a promise, and demand that the players complete the quest [Players should be granted Just or Arbitrary rolsl depending on what they do during this Quest. Lady Felicity has already earned a Just roll for her actions]. QUEST COMPLICATIONS: THE RIVALS Unless the players are complete bumblers, the rivals will never be true contenders for Felicity's hand. However, they will still offer many complications for the questors. These complications may all be played up for comedic value if you like. For a start, the rivals will always be in the way, especially for the latter two quests. The town of Angford and the Cursed Grove will both be thick with knights trying to win the hand of Lady Felicity. The rivals could inadvertantly lead the players upon many wild goose chooses. When a knight yells "Snake!" in Angford, many knights will quickly descend upon the spot, no doubt cutting innocent gopher snakes, vines, and all other manner of serpentine objects to bits. In addition, the rivals will constantly be making false claims of quest completion. When the knights return to the Castle bearing the Blessed Cup of Health and Home, they may very well have to queue up behind a dozen other knights, each bearing some manner of drinking implement that they claim is the quest object. Finally, after the players succeed at the first of the quests, some of the rivals will begin to grow surly, challenging, insulting and threatening the players for no good reason. A small camp of disgruntled suitors will appear outside the Castle, deriding all who arrive or go forth. If the players became good friends with any of the rivals during the first day of this adventure, the gamemaster should play this up. Do they help him if he is doing poorly? Perhaps let him share in the glory? Will they reconsider the quests if they learn that their friend was slain while trying to win the hand of Lady Felicity? CONCLUSIONS Finally, the Quests will be done, and all of the remaining rivals will come before the Lord, to see the Lady Felicity given away. Unless the players did very badly, or gave up on some of the quests entirely, none of the rivals will have completed any of the quests. If one of the players completed either two or three of the quests, he will be named the victor. Else, if either two or three quests were completed by Lady Felicity, the Unproven Knight, she is considered the victor. It should be noted that the latter case is extremely unlikely. Player Knight Victorious As Lord Rantelis speaks, saying that the player has proved his valor and bravery, thus winning the hand of his daughter, the Unproven Knight will ride into the Courtyard. He bears a red favor upon his chain shirt, and proudly proclaims that it is the favor of the Lady Felicity, and none may claim her hand unless they first defeat him. A silence will fall over the entire court, and the gamemaster should take this time to intimidate the players a bit. Let them hear nearby knights whispering that they heard that the Lady had a lover in Camelot, and that a certain knight of the round table smiled upon the Lady Felicity, and that they had heard that the white-shielded knight was a demon with the lance. If the gamemaster can convince the player that he is about to fight Lancelot or some other knight of the round table, he has done his job well. After thinking a bit, Lord Rantelis will say, "So be it! Until one sayeth 'no more!'" The court will quickly move out to the jousting grounds, to watch the challenge being fought. The fight will probably be a short one, for the Lady Felicity is not nearly as adept with Lance as with Sword. In addition, she lives under the burden of chivalry. If the player is knocked from his horse, the Lady Felicity will give him time to remount, so that he can joust again. If Lady Felicity does manage to win the fight, either by scoring a stunning blow, or convincing her opponent that she is the better man, she will take off her helmet, revealing her smiling face, and proclaim "I have defeated all challengers. My freedom shall never be taken from me." Continue as with 'Felicity Victorious' below. It is more likely, though, that Lady Felicity will be knocked from her horse. As she falls to the ground, her helmet will be knocked away, and her flowing locks of brown hair revealed. "You have rightfully defeated me," she will say, "and there is nothing more I may do. I have tried my best to retain my freedom, but it is clear that I was doomed to lose. It grieves me greatly, but you have won my hand in marriage. I will not force my father to break his oath." Picking herself up slowly, the Lady Felicity will walk back towards the castle. A silence will sit across the battlefield. The player has won the right to wed the Lady Felicity, and he may now do so if his wishes. If the marriage occurs, the Lady will do her best to please her husband, for it is the Just thing to do. She will never be truly happy, though, and her husband will be aware of her sadness, no matter how she hides it. Instead, the player may decide to give up his right to Lady Felicity's hand [give the player a check in Generous], perhaps even offering to fight as her champion against all comers. Lady Felicity will be filled with joy if this happens, but her father will barely be able to control his fury. The court will be dismissed, all the knights sent home. Felicity Victorious It is remotely possible that the Lady Felicity may emerge from the trials victorious, either by accomplishing the quests (probably due to the good hearts of the players), or defeating the victorious player in combat. If this occurs, she will proudly reveal her true face, proclaiming "I have defeated all challengers. My freedom shall never be taken from me." Her father, barely controlling his anger, shall immediately call the court to a close, and all knights shall be sent home. The Return of Felicity Even if a player knight lost Felicity, by being defeated, or giving her up when her true feelings were revealed, he has definitely not seen the last of her. Very soon, the players will hear that she is adventuring about Logres, now officialy a Knight of the Realm. In addition, if a player knight especially impressed Felicity, either by allowing her to win the contest of quests, despite her chivalrous nature, or returning to her her freedom, even after winning her hand, he will be hearing from her again, in the form of a letter. It speaks of Felicity's respect for the chivalry of the knight, and asks if, perhaps, he would still like to court her, despite the revelations of her true nature. The letter warns, however, that she plans to never give up her life of adventure and suggests that if the player has any thoughts of changing that, he should give them up at once. If the player knight does decide to court Lady Felicity, he will have to again prove his chivalrous nature. If he can do so to her satisfaction, she will grant him her hand. The Lord Rantelis, will, of course, throw the greatest party that Logres has seen in years. FUTURE STORY IDEAS If a player knight does end up the new lord of Rantelis Castle, a good number of story ideas become possible: * Lord Argun, ruler of the fief to the west of the Rantelis Land, long coveted Lady Felicity and the lands that a marriage to her would grant. He shall not be pleased with Felicity's marriage, and shall do his utmost to test the new lord. If the new lord seems weak, Lord Argun may even invade, or, alternatively, try to destroy the new Lord of Rantelis through political manipulations. * If the marriage occurred after Lady Felicity declared her freedom and won her knighthood, the player knight will constantly have her safety to worry about. Ideally, one of the other players could take Felicity as their permanent role. If that is not possible, Felicity could instead be an NPC, constantly getting into trouble, and extracting her husband from the same. * The new Lord of Rantelis will find himself in dire straights if the Blessed Cup of Health and Home is again stolen. No male child shall ever be born to the Lord of the House, unless the Blessed Cup is also in residence. If a player realizes this, he will clearly do his utmost to recover it. * The Quest of the Cursed Grove may have repercussions. If the fay were driven off, they will surely try to return. Even if they left nicely, after some agreement, there may be problems. Perhaps a new group of less friendly fay will try and move into the hill. Or, the old Fay of the Hill may return, either to do some mischief or collect on some debt. NPCS The Lord Rantelis The Lord Rantelis, a short, stout man, is forty-five years old, past his prime. He hopes to find a good man to marry Felicity, so that the family land may be passed on to one who is deserving. Glory 3107 SIZ 9 Move 2 Major Wound 8 DEX 11 Dam 3D6 Unconscious 4 STR 8 Heal 2 Knock Down 9 CON 8 HP 17 Armor 10 (+shield) APP 12 Combat Skills: Sword 18, Lance 19, Battle 17, Horsemanship 15 Significant Passions: Love (Family) 17, Hospitality 12 Horse: An old, gray charger, past its prime, Damage 5D6, Move 5, CON 11. The Lady Felicity Felicity is a striking beauty. She is tall and slim, and has beautiful, flowing light brown hair. Usually, Felicity is happy and cheerful, a joy to be around. However, Felicity's upcoming marriage sits upon her now, like a black cloud, and she is silent and morose. She wishes to be a knight, not a housewife. When out erranting, Felicity wears reinforced chain and a great helm and bears an entirely white shield. Glory 1031 SIZ 15 Move 3 Major Wound 15 DEX 16 Dam 5D6 Unconscious 8 STR 14 Heal 3 Knock Down 15 CON 15 HP 30 Armor 12 (+shield) APP 24 Special Traits: Beautiful Voice Combat Skills: Sword 21, Lance 16, Battle 12, Horsemanship 16 Significant Traits: Energetic 14, Generous 17, Just 18, Merciful 17, Modest 13, Valorous 16, Deceitful 13 Significant Passions: Honor 16 Significant Skills: Awareness 14, Chirurgery 12, Courtesy 9, Dancing 11, First Aid 12, Orate 17, Singing 22, Tourney 12 Horse: A beautiful white charger that refuses any other riders, Damage 6D6, Move 8, CON 12 Sir Dustus Aged 53, Sir Dustus is a very old man. However, he is willing to fight to the death if he believes that his family is at stake. Glory 1748 SIZ 7 Move 2 Major Wound 4 DEX 8 Dam 2D6 Unconscious 3 STR 7 Heal 1 Knock Down 7 CON 4 HP 11 Armor 10 (+shield) APP 6 Combat Skills: Sword 12, Lance 15, Battle 8, Horsemanship 13 Significant Passions: Love (Family) 19 Horse: A pathetic looking courser, dirty and bedragled, Damage 5D6, Move 8, CON 12 The Cunning Wyrm Although not one of the great drakes of legend, the cunning wyrm can still be a plenty dangerous foe, capable of killing unwary knights. Glory to Kill: 150 SIZ 20 Move 6 Major Wound 30 DEX 24 Dam 7D6 Unconscious 13 STR 18 Heal 5 Knock Down 20 CON 30 HP 50 Armor 12 APP 3 Combat Skills: Bite 18 Significat Traits: Cowardly 20 Horse: The Cunning Wyrm enjoys eating horses. cows too. The Faerie Knights The Faerie knights will fight to protect their home and drive intruders away. If player knights try and destroy their grove, the faerie knights will go berserk. All combat skills are increased by +2, and the faerie knights ignore the effects of major wounds. SIZ 18 Move 4 Major Wound 18 DEX 18 Dam 6D6 Unconscious 9 STR 18 Heal 4 Knock Down 18 CON 18 HP 36 Armor 14 (+shield) APP 20 Combat Skills: Sword 20, Lance 20, Horsemanship 20 Significant Passions: Loyalty (Prince Effin) 20 Horse: The Faerie knights all ride unearthly looking gray horses which shine with a strange vitality, Damage 7D6, Move 10, CON 13. Effin, The Faerie Prince Effin, the Prince of the Faeries of the Hill looks quite harmless, but that is a facade. In truth, he is a fearsome bargainer, and a fierce manipulator. Effin is somewhat stubborn, and will not be moved from his ways unless he is convinced that it is in his best interests. SIZ 11 Move 3 Major Wound 25 DEX 19 Dam 4D6 Unconscious 1 STR 12 Heal 12 Knock Down 11 CON 14 HP 25 Armor None APP 24 Significant Trais: Energetic 14, Vengeful 14, Deceitful 12, Proud 13 Signficant Skills: Faerie Lore 30 Horse: Effin has no horse -------------------- From: Shannon Appel Subject: Review: The Octagon of Chaos System: Stormbringer A while ago, in V3.3 of the digest, I wrote some reviews on all of the out of print Chaosium Stormbringer supplements. Since, I've picked up one more old Stormbringer supplement, The Octagon of Chaos, published by Theatre of the Mind (TOME). In the mid eighties, TOME was doing supplements for a couple of different Chaosium games. Besides The Octagon of Chaos, they also published five Call of Cthulhu supplements. I've seen advertisements for a second Stormbringer supplement, also, called Bloodlust!, but as far as I know, it was never published. The Octagon of Chaos (068612) written by Tony Fiorito Published by TOME, 1986 54 pages The adventure of the Octagon of Chaos starts quite strongly. The players are abruptly thrust into the time of Sadric the Eighty-Sixth. It is twenty years before the birth of Elric, the White Wolf. Two pages of text detail the time, including information on the various Young Kingdoms, and the important personalities of the era. The actual scenerio too, has a strong basis. It centers around the Octagon of Chaos, an ancient Melnibone stronghold, just recently abandoned by the Bright Empire. At the center of the stronghold is a great statue of Mabelrode, container of forbidden secrets of the ancient chaos god. The adventure revolves around the search for the Octagon of Chaos and the exploration of the ruins. To a large extent, it is a dungeon crawl, in which the adventurers explore an ancient ruin inhabited by monsters. Fortunately, there are several redeeming features. The setup is interesting (if a bit arbitrary in places), and gives a good sense of the Young Kingdoms. The exploration of the ruins is further complicated by a group of Pan Tangians who also which to steal the ancient secrets of the Melniboneans. Several pages of encounters are given, that could be used in any Elric! or Stormbringer game. Finally, the Octagon of Chaos is sufficiently well integrated into the history of Melnibone that it can provide interesting knowledge of the past rather than just another place to bash evil monsters. To be honest, I'd be somewhat reluctant to run The Octagon of Chaos as is. However, I do think that it's just chock full of good ideas which can be used in a Stormbringer campaign. Especially useful is the information on the era twenty years before the birth of Elric. If you don't mind doing a bit of work, I'd say that The Octagon of Chaos is a good buy. Although originally written for the Second Edition of Stormbringer, Elric! should still be fairly compatible with Elric! Some adversaries should probably be given spells, but beyond that, little work would be needed to convert the scenerio. The Octagon of Chaos was originally published eight years ago, but I have seen it in game stores within the last year. If you look around a bit, it should not be too hard to pick up a copy. -------------------- From: Eric Rowe Subject: RuneQuest Con 2 Registration! System: Misc Here is the basic information needed to register for RQCon2. Please read it thoroughly. Registration will not be accepted through e-mail. You must copy the form at the end of this mailing and send it in. The american distribution of Tales will also have copies of this form. Please copy this lots and invite your friends. Runequest Con 2 January 13-16, 1995 San Francisco Clarion Hotel Guests of honor: Greg Stafford, Sandy Peterson, Ken Rolston and the original authors of RQ, Steve Perrin, Ray Turney, Steve Henderson and Warren James Live-Action Gloranthan Role-playing in The Broken Council and How the West was One, as well as other special live-action role-playing events. Role Playing Events: Runequest, Ars-Magica, Skyrealms of Jorune, Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon, Elric!, Nephilim and more. Boardgames and Miniatures: Dragon Pass, Nomad Gods, Pantheons and Miniatures. Special Events: Trollball, Orlanthi Storytelling, Eat at Geo's, Costumes, Auction and lots of seminars by our guests on RQ, Glorantha and the other fine game worlds. Our Feature events are the following two live-action games... How the West was One: The year is 1625 and it is time for the Seventh Ecclesiastical Council of Malkion at the University of Sog City. The prophet Notslor has called this council to try and unite the splintered factions of Malkionism. You play the part of an member of the council hoping to prove your version of Malkionism, avoid civil strife and further your own career, all while the gathering clouds upon the horizon portend the growing evil of the nearby Kingdom of War. Will the West be One? (9 hours, 68 players) The Broken Council: Participate in the most important event of the first age of Glorantha, the creation of Osentalka, the perfect god who will herald the return of the Golden Age. From political infighting to terrible battles, the fate of Glorantha rests in the hands of the representatives to the Second Council in Dorastor. Players will be the great figures of Glorantha's past as they struggle to shape the future in the image of their personal beliefs. This is your chance to help create a god. (7 hours, 46 players) Important Note: It is very important to pre-register for this convention. Space in the two centerpiece live-actions is limited. Participation in the two LARPs will be determined by a random drawing to be held on Sept. 15. If there are still more spaces available afterwards, they will be given on a first come basis. Even if you do not want to be in one of the live-actions, after we get your registration we will send you the Convention packet in two to three weeks. It contains information on hotels, events, gamemastering, volunteering and a questionnaire. By pre-registering you will be able to make sure we will be holding the events and seminars you want to attend. For more information or questions please contact us at... RuneQuest Con 2 rqcon@erzo.berkeley.edu 2520 Hillegass Ave #101 (510) 649-8601 (Eric) Berkeley, CA 94704 (510) 649-7467 (Shannon) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RuneQuest Con 2 membership form. Make your check or money order payable to Eric Rowe. Do not send cash. ___ Full Membership $30 ___ One Day (Sat. or Sun.) Membership $15 ___ Featured LARP $15. List which one here ___________________. If I do not get into the LARP of my choice I would like to be in the other _______[yes or no]. ___ Total enclosed. Volunteers, gamemasters and those not getting into a LARP will get refunds at the convention. Mail this form to: RuneQuest Con 2, 2520 Hillegass Ave #101, Berkeley, CA 94704 Name:________________________________ Phone (_____) ______________ Address:______________________________ e-mail _____________________ City:___________________________State:______ Zip:__________________ -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial discussion forum for Chaosium's Games. To submit an article, subscribe or unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu. The old digests are archived on soda.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP.