This has been seen before, as typified by a statement engraved in my mind for ever: "My character knew every battle magic spell in the book. He had to loose loads of 'em and ended up with 300% Ceremony, Enchant and Summon!" All said in a tone of indignation.
I tried hard to keep a straight face. A mate of mine did quote the mighty Greg *genuflects* and replied, tongue in cheek: "Didn't Greg Stafford say when they reach Rune Level characters should be encouraged to retire....?"
We added this to the 5 other great corkers heard in certain RuneQuest circles (no one on the digest I hasten to add - well not that I reckon anyway.)
Now the scenario idea:
A Whale of a Time - Scenario Idea
The Problem
A fishing village or trade port is being terrorised by something. It's sinking or damaging all craft as they leave the harbour. The ecconomy of the area is falling to rack and ruin. One night something sank three boats in port and stole Ol' Capstan, a well respected old sea dog right off his boat. No-one has seen what's causing the damage except for a dark shape under the water moving really fast.
The Apparent Cause
There's an Orca, Big Fin, sinking the boats. He's big for his species, about 40' long (the sort of size specimen found in most Sea Worlds is about 20' - and they look huge!). To add insult to injury, he's not only capable of sinking boats with his size and strength, but he's a shaman and priest of Delphis, Father of Dolphins as well. He's got some special cult special spirit and divine magic that let him stay underwater far longer than a dolphin could unassisted and intensify his Sea Sense (sonar). With magic, his sonar is capable of stunning or killing people. Have a poor NPC sailor demonstrate for the sceptics! He knows loads of Mobility and Silence as well. When he wants to be, Big Fin is a real hunter killer submarine.
There's no way the adventurers can beat him in a stand up (or, as it turned out in my game, splash, splash, glub) fight. The only solution to this problem is to find out what the Whale's after. However, to do that, they've got to get someone to talk to him. He only speaks Sea Speech and then, only through Mind Speech, which he doesn't know.
The Real Cause
If the Adventurers manage to communicate and negotiate with the Whale, he'll reveal that a magic user from the port has stolen it's Pod's fertility spirit. Needless to say the shaman is a bit miffed by this as it was his responsibility. He needs their spirit back, otherwise none of the females in his pod can concieve.
If the adventurers can convince the Whale that they can find the spirit for him, he'll let them go. He does say that anything else coming out of the port is going to be sunk summarily until the spirit is returned.
Simoni the Appropriator
Now for the real villain. The Whale Pod's spirit was stolen by a freelance Lunar magic Appropriator, Simoni. Simoni retrieves magic items and spirits on commission. Simeonus is trying to obtain the spirit for a sterile or impotent client of his. It's up to the referee exactly where Simoni is found and how easy the spirit is to get off him. [In my campaign he was a Carmanian sorcerer, the first the adventurers had met.]
Rewards
If the adventurers succeed, they'll have the friendship of the Whale Pod. Big Fin will provide a spell teaching spirit for some rare, specialised sea spirit magic and teach anyone who wants to know Sea Lore for 100 hours.
The port authority will no doubt throw something of value at the Adventurers for their trouble as well.
Who was Simoni's Client?
Pick anyone in your campaign who's a bit worried about his sexual performance and who's got oodles of cash to employ Simoni.
If you've read the secret history of Sun Country in QL II you might like to use Solanthos Ironspike as the client - especially if the campaign is set when he's still married to Penta. Solanthos would have used Belvani as an intermediary in Pavis to hire him, so Simoni wouldn't know who the ultimate client was.
What about this Barran bloke?
Referees with "Strangers in Prax" might like to have Barran, the monster slayer hire the Adventurers to get the fertility spirit back. The rationale can be that Barran hunted Big Fin, who somehow got the better of him and got something of value to Barran. Barran needs the spirit to ransom the thing he's lost and he won't spend longer on land than he has to. No doubt Big Fin would go to the top of Barran's personal hit list after this.
Cheers me dears,
Ash
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