Chaosium Digest Volume 25, Number 8 Date: Sunday, May 10, 1998 Number: 1 of 3 Contents: The Adventure of the Faerie Bed (Greg Secaur) PENDRAGON Editor's Note: This week, a digest in three parts, with three articles. The featured systems this time around are Mythos and Pendragon. In V25.8 you'll find "The Adventure of the Faerie Bed", a Pendragon story, for adults only please. V25.9 talks about "Fir Bolg Culture", as a sequel to the Fir Bolg Pendragon article in V25.7. Finally, V25.10 discusses about "Adventuring in Arkham" for Mythos. Also a reminder: GloranthaCon VII is in just a few weeks. You can find info at the Glorantha web site: http://www.glorantha.com/events/ See you all in two weeks. Shannon NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES: Metagame Web Site http://www.metagame.com/ Back in V24.3 I talked about "Metagame", a new LARP magazine, the first issue of which focused on Lovecraftian LARPs, including articles by Sandy Petersen and Michael Tice, all edited by Sandy Antunes, a long-time reader and contributor to the Chaosium Digest. Now you can look at thir web site for some snippets. The next issue of this quarterly will be out in mid-June. The Cthulhu Mythos Fiction of Mike Minnis http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/6140/ You can find the Mythos fiction of Mike Minnis on line at this Cthulhu Mythos original short fiction website. -------------------- From: "Greg Secaur" Subject: The Adventure of the Faerie Bed System: Pendragon Just in time for Mother's Day, here's a Pendragon drop-in adventure, for adults only. Greg ** The Adventure of the Faerie Bed A Pendragon scenario by Greg Secaur This scenario is intended for a player knight seeking to produce an heir. It may be run as a solo or with the entire group. Unless you are willing to bulk up the encounters, it is best used as a very brief insert into an ongoing adventure, since it provides little action for all but one knight. Locate the grove in any forest convenient for your campaign. You may wish to locate it in a forest near the knight's home, making it easy for him to escort his wife or lover there. If a knight has failed a few Winter Phase childbirth rolls, allow him to hear rumors of a druid with miraculous powers to encourage fertility. The rumors might be something along the lines of, "My auntie says Lord Cheswick sought the counsel of the Druid of the Blue Sward when his wife seemed barren. Nine months later, there's a new heir in Cheswick's castle." A little diligent investigation (i.e., asking around, making [Intrigue] rolls) discovers that the druid resides nearby. The knight may not think to escort his lady to see the druid, since he doesn't know what these alleged "powers" are. That's no problem, though, as he can always collect her after visiting the druid. THE BLUE SWARD Unless you wish otherwise, the druid's home is not hard to find. No road leads there, but a set of vague directions from the knights' informant and a [Hunting] success prove sufficient. He is known as the Druid of the Blue Sward because his home is situated in a forest clearing, luxuriously carpeted with soft grass of a deep blue hue and a rich fragrance. The grass has no magical properties, but is always healthy, even in times of drought. It cannot be transplanted. The druid is here when the knights arrive, tending a hedge of roses which surrounds his hut. He does not cut the bushes; rather, the knights see him bend low over the bushes, whispering softly. [Awareness. Success = the hedge moves slightly to shape itself according to the druid's commands.] The druid is either unaware of or indifferent to the knights' presence until they speak to him. He straightens and smiles when the knights attract his attention. "Welcome, friends," he beams. "What assistance can be lent by Llewellyn, Druid of the Blue Sward?" Llewellyn is very friendly, and Suspicious knights may find his manner menacing ("Friendly? I'll say! A little too friendly . . . "). They are wrong. Llewellyn means no one any harm, and will only prove dangerous if attacked. It does the knights no good to lie about their interests. Llewellyn is neither Suspicious nor Deceitful, and so will not see through any prevarication. If the knights are not up front about what they seek, he will be unable to help them. If they do tell Llewellyn what they want, he is all too happy tell them his secret. Llewellyn's Secret The druid does not have any fertility-related magic of his own. All who come to seek his aid in such matters are directed to a grove some five miles from Llewellyn's home. The grove is an ancient Pagan sacred site, actually one of the many locations lying between this world and the Other. At the base of an enormous tree in this grove is an opening into a cave below. In the cave is a pile of sleeping furs. If a man should lie with a woman in this cave, a child will certainly be born. Llewellyn does not pretend to understand this magic; he simply knows it is true. Attacking Llewellyn? Should the knights be rude enough to attack their host, they will find him a dangerous foe. Though his own magic will avail him little, the creatures of the forest respond instantly when he is threatened. Llewellyn retreats into his hut and the rose bushes surrounding it move to cover the entire structure. While the knights hack through the hedge, bears, boars, wolves, and all manner of dangerous forest animals arrive to defend the druid. Use as many of these animals as necessary to demonstrate to the knights that they've made a big mistake. They will find, if they manage to escape the clearing, that the forest conspires to confuse them. Apply a penalty of -10 to [Hunting] rolls as the knights try to flee this hostile wood. They should find themselves returning again and again to the Blue Sward, until you judge them properly punished and permit them to leave. If the knights attempt to find the grove without Llewellyn's help, treat it as a creature with an Avoidance of 17, and penalize [Hunting] rolls by -5. REACHING THE MAGICAL GROVE Llewellyn provides only the vaguest directions to the grove, but assures the knights that they will have no difficulty in finding it. Before they leave his home, the druid whispers a few words and makes a pass in the air. He declares that the knights are guests in his forest and will not be molested by its mundane creatures. Additionally, the forest will aid them in finding the grove. This boon is extended for a period of one month. (The full month of this enchantment should allow enough time for the heir-less knight to return home and retrieve his lady, if necessary.) Llewellyn is true to his promise. Though the knights may see plenty of ordinarily dangerous animals, they will be ignored. Also as the druid promised, the forest will reveal paths leading the knights directly to the grove. Travel is uneventful and peaceful, and by the next morning the party reaches the bole of an enormous oak. At the base gapes a wide opening. To the left of the oak stands a knight's pavilion. No horse is near, and no squire appears. A shield hangs outside the tent; the shield is plain red. If the player knights approach the tent, an armored knight emerges. If the player knights attempt to enter the opening in the tree, the same knight emerges from the tent and blocks their entry into the tree. He seems to do this at normal speed, but no matter how quickly the knights move he will appear in time to intercept them. He carries a plumed helmet under one arm and a naked sword in the other hand. The knight is astoundingly handsome, and his speaking voice is mellifluous. He says to the knights, "Those who would enter must be proven. Who champions the lady?" Of course, the lady's husband should speak up, but there is no reason why he must be the champion. As soon as one knight identifies himself as the champion, check to see if he embodies the Pagan virtues (that is, qualifies for the Pagan Religious Bonus). If he does, the Faerie Knight declares, "One such as you needs prove nothing," and he returns to his pavilion. Otherwise, the Faerie Knight settles into a fighting stance. When his adversary is ready, the Faerie Knight attacks. The Faerie Knight will yield if he receives a Major Wound; should he win, he will allow the champion to yield. (Use the statistics found on page 341 of Pendragon 4th Edition for the Faerie Knight.). Until the Faerie Knight is vanquished, all the knights are free to declare themselves the champion and face him in turn. When he is vanquished, he will return to his pavilion and the knight and lady may proceed. Until they have completed their business here, the party may come and go from the cave as they please. The Faerie Bed The opening into the tree is impenetrable to torches or daylight. From outside, all appears dark. Once someone steps through the portal, though, he finds himself on a steep ramp sloping down into a dimly lit chamber. If he looks behind, he can see his friends waiting just a few yards away, but he can hear nothing of the outside world (They, likewise, can hear nothing that occurs inside.). At the foot of the ramp is a circular chamber, at the center of which is a rough-hewn dais. Atop the dais is a pile of sleeping furs. The chamber is lit by six torches evenly spaced around the room. Above, the roots of the massive oak resemble the beams of a roof. As they proceed down the ramp, the knight and his lady find themselves agitated by lust [Lustful +4. Success = He or she becomes uncontrollably amorous. Critical success = As success, and he or she gains an immediate, permanent +1 to Lustful.] The possessed lovers throw themselves onto the sleeping furs. What happens next must be left to the imagination . . . - . . Later The lovers do not emerge until the following morning. As promised, this union produces a child. There is no chance the infant will die per the Childbirth Table, but the mother may (roll as normal to see if the mother dies). If a son was desired, a son is born in nine months. He has the same Statistics his father did as a child, with a bonus of +1 to any two Statistics or Skills. Additionally, all the Pagan virtues (Lustful, Energetic, Generous, Honest, Proud) receive a bonus of +1. The Lustful trait, though, will receive an additional +3 (for a total of +4), reflecting the magical nature of his conception. If a daughter was desired, one is born in nine months. She receives two Women's Gifts, one of which is always +1d10 APP (If you roll the same for the second gift, disregard that and roll again.). Her APP should exceed that of her mother. The daughter will, however, be exceptionally vain about her appearance, resulting in a bonus of +5 to her Proud trait. OTHER LOOSE ENDS If any other knights brought along their ladies, they may use the magic of the Faerie Bed to conceive children of their own. Anyone experiencing the magic of the Faerie Bed gains a +1 to the Lustful trait (possibly in addition to one already earned, for critically succeeding at the Lustful check above). Someone may get the clever idea of returning to the Faerie Bed again and again, producing lots and lots of heirs. Nothing prevents them from doing so, but the big Lustful or Proud (depending on the sex of the child) bonus gets bigger every time. Add an additional +2 to each subsequent child (so the second son gets a +6 Lustful and the third gets a +8; the second daughter gets a +7 Proud and the third gets a +9!). At the GM's option, Llewellyn might simply forbid a return visit (using his magic to render the grove unfindable). If the Blue Sward is within the domain of a player knight or his lord, the knights may wish to cultivate Llewellyn's friendship for the future. Though he will make a useful ally, he is entirely disinterested in politics or civilization. He may ask occasional favors of the knights, leading to other adventures. If word gets out that the knight has been to the Faerie Bed, it earns him 50 Glory. He probably wouldn't want people to know, though, so he'll likely keep it under his helmet. Of course, there is Glory to be gained from defeating the Faerie Knight, the druid Llewellyn, or any forest creatures whose wrath they may have incurred. Lastly, the GM may opt to alter the bonuses and penalties to children conceived on the Faerie Bed. It seems as if every Arthurian hero has some strange circumstance surrounding his birth or his childhood. If your campaign allows PCs to have similarly unusual origins, this might be used to explain any superhuman characteristics. --