Orlanthi scenario outlines

From: Charles Corrigan <charles_at_indigost.demon.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 21:36:14 -0000


Here are some outlines of scenarios that I am (trying!) to write for my embryonic Sartar campaign. I hope that they may be of use to others.

Assume that it is now 1617. The clan (any clan) is under the Lunar occupation and is paying heavier taxes 'cos it took part in the 1613 rebellion. Also the clan lost a lot of its fit adult men during the fighting.

The players, initially anyway, will take up roles on the clan ring and as thanes. Later (after they have developed a sense of what this Orlanthi stuff is all about) they will develop up beginning characters.

For the first time in 5 years, the clan is close to initiating its older children into adulthood. The final ritual for the boys is a test of their survival and teamwork skills but the adult men will keep a discreet watchful eye on them to ensure the success of the ritual. During the last night of the test the clan enemies launch a major raid (I think that trolls would be MGF).

The clan cannot afford to lose any more members, particularly the about to be adults and cannot afford to lose any sheep of cattle because the Lunar tax is due in a few weeks time.

But... protecting the boys too overtly will break the ritual - which will delay the initiation for another year. Perhaps the initiation could be part of a larger quest to break the curse of infertility that has struck the clan for its "sin" of the treaty with the Lunars (I think I have stolen this idea from Dave Dunham's web site).

My thinking is as regards numbers is that there are about 50 boys and 50 men and say 10 trolls and 50 trollkin (this will need a very rules light system to resolve it). The problem for the players is how to split their forces to protect the boys in the wilderness (who as part of the ritual are all fired up to fight the raiders), protect the cattle and sheep and protect their homes. The far fewer trolls have the advantage that they do not have to split their forces but can opportunistically choose their targets.

Perhaps there will be some magical protection effect over the boys generated by the 50 or so girls who are in the women's secret place undergoing their part of the ritual with the women supervisors. I haven't really though out what the girls initiation ceremony will be like.

A few weeks later.

The Lunar tax is due. The tribal ring is sending a delegation round to collect the equivalent of the tax in cattle (the tribal king or his representative has to pay the tax in silver on behalf of the tribe). However a neighbouring war-like clan has sent their "peace-keepers" round with a suggestion that the time has come for another payment of the traditional "protection" that our clan has paid them.

Can the clan afford to pay both "taxes"? With the new adults from the recent initiation could the clan think about refusing to pay the protection and fight the war clan? I would allow the clan ring to think about not paying the tax to the king but would heavily discourage it as being much too dangerous. Perhaps the clan could improve the earthworks and log wall around the main settlement? Might the Lunars take this as evidence of incipient rebellion?

regards,
Charles Corrigan

PS I tried to send this message earlier but it seems to have broken the digest mechanism. As far as I can make out, my mailer did not put line breaks in and some of the "lines" were almost 1000 characters long!


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