Chaosium Digest Volume 12, Number 2 Date: Monday, November 13, 1995 Number: 1 of 1 Contents: The Duchy of Normandie, Part Three (Frederic Moll) PENDRAGON Where the Gods Walk (Shannon Appel) ELRIC! Editor's Note: Welcome to the newest Chaosium Digest. Within, you'll find the final part of Frederic Moll's Normandie article, and also a new Elric! article of my own, describing a magical place blessed by the Lords of Law. Until next week. Shannon MAGAZINE SIGHTINGS: * Call of Cthulhu - "A Slither in the Dark", three pages of information on the Naga, a lesser independent race for CoC, Dragon #222 [October, 1995]; "The Right Monster for the Right Adventure", five pages of suggestions for the keeper, on how to best use the various Mythos races in a variety of scenerio types, Dragon #223 [November, 1995] -------------------- From: fm10@calvanet.calvacom.fr (Frederic Moll) Subject: The Duchy of Normandie, Part Three System: Pendragon Here is the last part of the Duchy of Normandie Article. One quick note: I've cut the adventure of the Mount St Michael from this text, although I mentioned it in the second part. This was caused by useful remarks made by some of my players/testers. I'm rewriting it to take into account their remarks. Frederic ADVENTURES IDEAS The Adventure of the Berserker (recommended as a winter solo adventure) A Northmen berserker settled a few years ago in the village of Quincampoix, near a great wooded area known as "the Green Forest". He then became a woodsman and was well accepted by everybody living in the village. Recently, after a couple of days in the heart of the forest, he came back and began to frighten shepherders and other peasants. Initially, it was only with gestures and shouts. Later, he violently attacked a young herdsman and wounded him and a couple of cows with his great axe. After that, he was frequently seen near the egde of the forest, never outside, shouting in a language unknown to nearly everybody (some say that it is Northman talk). The inhabitants of Quincampoix were frightened, and asked their lord to free them of this dangerous man. The PC knight is either their lord or sent by him to solve this troublesome problem. Arriving at Quincampoix, the knight should be able to see the wounded herdsman and speak to elder people of the village. During this initial investigation, a young boy arrives, shouting that the mad woodscutter has been spotted near the village and is again shouting and waving... Travelling on horseback in the forest is a very difficult task, so the knight should go afoot. When the woodscutter spots the knight, he will shout something in Northmen language and make gestures to invite the knight into the forest. If there is no reaction, the woodscutter will then try speaking the common language, and ask again that the knight come to him. Once inside the forest, the woodscutter will speak in Northmen language or in common language. He'll say that he didn't wish to brutalize the young herdsman, but that was the only way to attract the attention of the ruler of this area. In no way does he wish to leave the forest. Rather, he wishes to show the knight some of the wealths of this forest. He asks the knight to accompany him into the heart of the Forest. If the knight wishes to fight against the woodscutter, treat the woodscutter as a Saxon berserker at the top of his abilities. This should be a hard fight. Note: if the woodscutter is killed, this is the end of the adventure, but the knight will miss a couple of interesting things inside the forest. Give him some Glory points for killing the madman but the economic level of Quincampoix will go down every year, and the forest will slowly enroach on the fertile lands the peasants are trying to maintain. During the trip inside the forest, the woodscutter will lead the knight to trials to evaluate his ability to handle and administrate the forest. Here are a couple of suggestions: * the poachers: a couple of poachers are seen in action. Will the knight rush to arrest them or leave them flee with their catches? * the beasts: a pig and a boar are facing each other aggressively. Will the knight let them fight until the end or try to separate them before the end of the fight? * the dream: the knight suddenly finds himself in a clearing with about thirty people (men, women and children). They rush to him and ask him how they should install themselves and how the lands will be shared? (this is a test of Stewardship...) If the woodcutter thinks the tests are successfully passed, he will lead the knight to the heart of the forest. Here, he will tell him the whole story: In the heart of this forest was a great and old tree. The Green Man, a powerful forest spirit that roams in different forests of the country, counted the old tree as his favorite resting place. One day, the berserker went inside the forest and found this tree. Seeing it was very good, he began to attack it with his axe. Quickly feeling that his home tree was endangered, the Green Man rushed to the tree, only to see it downed. At first angered, he tried to kill the woodscutter with heavy branches. When the berserker was heavily wounded, the Green Man reached into his mind. What he felt inside was very perplexing: his forest was threatened by the humans who are destroying it to obtain land. But, the land was also necessary for the humans to survive. Must he try to protect the life of the forest and let the human beings die of starvation? To solve this dilemma, he decided to possess the woodcutter and attract here a representative of the human beings living near the forest. Inside the forest, he will test him to see if this representative will ensure that the forest will be handled correctly in human hands (he wishes to know that the laws will be respected, that the forest will not be quickly destroyed but progressively exploited to allow the renewal of the trees and of the animals living inside, etc). If successful, the Green Man will allow the exploitation of the forest by the humans and will leave the Green Forest for another resting place not reachable by men. Before leaving, he will bless the forest and the lands surrounding it and free the body and the spirit of the woodcutter. The benefits of this blessing will be seen during the next twenty years. There should be no starvation or diseases in the Quincampoix area and the crops will be numerous. If needed, the forest will easily furnish animals for meat and wood for fire and building. No danger will exist in this forest. The Adventure of the Dwarf Knights The players come upon a caravan that is being attacked by bandits. This is a ducal caravan that brings to Rouen (or the Mortemer Abbey) merchandise coming from the ducal monopoly on sea wrecks. It is defended by guards and valiant dwarf knights mounted on ponys. If help is given to the dwarf knights, they will invite their rescuers to the castle of Chambois which was built specifically for small sized persons. The Adventure of the Ghost The streets of Rouen near the Cathedral are deserted during the night because the ghost of Duke Hrolfr is again out of his crypt. The Archbishop of Rouen is seeking valiant people who will free the city from the threat caused by this ghost. There are at least two possibilities for adventure: * the real ghost is out in the streets. * this is a bandit disguised as a ghost. While he is out, people flee, allowing other members of his group to steal the contents of merchant's or rich men's houses. The Adventure of the Plague Demon During the year 520, the plague is ravaging all of Normandie. The Archbishop of Rouen, during a night of prayers, had a vision and announced it at mass: the demon who is responsible for this disease is living on the Island of Abomination, which can occasionally be seen at the mouth of the Seine, emerging from the fog. If the left hand of this demon is brought to the cathedral and blessed, the epidemic will quickly stop. On this mythic island lives a creature that eat all the corpses that arrive on the shores (corpses from wrecked ships, corpses thrown in the Seine, etc). Progessively, parts of the eaten bodies are replacing his original body. It should be a horrible vision for the valiant knights. The Ducal Roads The Ducal Road that runs from Rouen to Carusberg, passing by Elbeuf, Lisieux, Caen and Bayeux, is the main communication way (built on the remains of a roman via) of the Duchy. Other roads are being built progressively: * from Carusberg to Mount St Michael, passing by Coutances. * from Coutances to Lisieux, passing by Falaise etc Protection or exploration of the lands crossed by these new roads offers many possibilities for adventures: beasts, magical places, etc. -------------------- From: appel@erzo.org (Shannon Appel) Subject: Where the Gods Walk System: Elric! This article describes a magical location for the Young Kingdoms. It may be set in just about any out-of-the-way forest location. THE GLADE OF THERIL Today, the Young Kingdoms slowly slip into the unbreakable grasp of Chaos. But, it was not always that way. Once, balance ruled in the Young Kingdoms. Those were times when even the Lords of Laws were able to walk freely in the Kingdoms, and this article describes one of the places so visited. It was long ago that Theril came to the Glade now named after her. When her perfection shone upon the place, it became one with order as well: flowers turned to crystal and leaves to gold. Now, though aeons have passed since Theril left the Glade, still it bears her mark. The Glade of Theril is located within a totally normal wood. Adventurers will see no hint that the Glade lies nearby until they turn a corner, and find themselves within it. Three tall, unnaturally straight trees mark out the glade, forming a perfect triangle. The bark of the trees is smooth, like leather, while the leaves seem to be of the finest silk. An even growth of short grass lies across the entire glade; like the leaves, it is silky, and unnaturally resilient. A variety of flowers grow within the glade as well. They seem to be made of colored glass, or crystal, and are extremely beautiful. Many small woodland animals live about the glade. They are quite docile, and totally unafraid of men. Some strange creatures, regular and orderly, are found nowhere else in the Young Kingdoms but the Glade of Theril. Though all of the physical details of the glade should be eerily orderly, they are nothing compared to the music of the glade. At first, adventurers will not notice it, but after they have been in the glade for a few moments, it will slowly begin to break through the edges of their perceptions. It is totally unearthly, but also very beautiful. True Dreams Though it is clear that the glade is intrinsically magic, it can have even greater effects upon those who sleep within. Whenever a player sleeps within the glade, he will have a True Dream if he rolls under POWx1, provided that his Chaos allegiance is not greater than his Law or Balance allegiance. If several characters all sleep within the glade, all who make their POWx1 roll will have the same Dream. These Dreams will always be of the past (many say that the Lords of Law live forever within the past). They may show ancient battles, long-destroyed cities or dead people. These dreams will always be of special significance to the Lords of Law. They may show items the Lords wish retrieved, families they wish destroyed, or cities they wish rebuilt. Typically, once someone has seen a True Dream within the Glade of Theril, he will continue seeing it whenever he sleeps (in the glade, or elsewhere), until he has done something to advance the particular goal hinted at by the dream. Knowledge from the Glade Art (any musical instrument) and Art (song) can both be learned within the glade, simply by sitting and listening to the haunting music. For each full week that someone sits within the glade, concentrating upon the musc, they gain 5% in their chosen Art (to a maximum of 100%) and 1 point in Law Allegiance (to a maximum of 10 points above the next highest allegiance). In addition, the spell Will of Theril (Bronze Grimoire, pg. 40) will be learned if a character sits within the glade for a week when they have an appropriate Art of 50% of higher (this is in addition to the normal benefits gained from meditating within the glade). Adventure Ideas * If the players are servants of Law, they may quest for the glade, hoping to find a place that will bring them closer to their gods. Servants of the balance may also want to find the glade, hoping to use its power to slow the growth of Chaos within the Young Kingdoms. * The forces of chaos would work to destroy the glade if they knew of it. When the armies of chaos begin to move, the players could find themselves sudden war leaders, needed to bring together an army of law to protect the glade. Often, foulness is hidden by fairness, and the players would thus have to deal with traitors within their army, determined to bide their time, and sully the glade by acts of chaos when attention is turned elsewhere. * Unknowing characters might sleep in the bizarre glade, and suddenly find themselves plagued with the same dream. Such unfortunates would have to seek out seers and soothsayers in an attempt to discover the meaning of their dreams, and then would have to do the work of the Lords of Law to free themselves from them. Alternatively, they might throw themselves fully towards Chaos, hoping to find magic to banish the words of Law. * A new cult, The True Seers, could spring up around the Glade of Theril. Each member of the Cult is initiated when he sleeps alone within the Glade. He is then tasked to find the meaning of his vision, and accomplish the desires of the Lords of Law. True Seers could be found throughout the Young Kingdoms, each one a questing traveller. * There is always the underlying question of Why Theril once walked the Young Kingdoms here. Do other things nearby show her mark? Is something valuable (or inimical) to the Lords of Law nearby? It would probably be easiest for Theril to return to the Young Kingdoms in the Glade. Great prophecies could foretell her return. And finally, perhaps it is easier for other things to come to the Young Kingdoms, here, in the Glade, as well? Shannon -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial electronic 'zine about Chaosium's Games. In no way should it be considered representative of the views or beliefs of Chaosium Inc. To submit an article, subscribe or unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.org. 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