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Chaosium Digest Volume 21 Number 08
Chaosium Digest Volume 21, Number 8
Date: Sunday, August 17, 1997
Number: 1 of 4
Contents:
The Adventure of the Bandits and the Stag, Part One
(Paul Williams) PENDRAGON
Editor's Note:
Welcome to the newest Chaosium Digest, which you'll find broken into
four parts this week, featuring: a Pendragon adventure (in V21.8 and
V21.9), a set of Call of Cthulhu reviews (in V21.10), and some more
Mythos decks (in V21.11).
I've already got a few articles pending for next issue from: Paul
Williams (another Pendragon Adventure), Frank Sronce (a CoC
Adventure), Dany St. Pierre (CoC chase rules), and Cedric Chin (one
last Mythos deck). Keep those submissions coming!
Shannon
RECENT BOOKS OF NOTE:
* Call of Cthulhu - _Return to Lovecraft Country_ (Triad), edited by
Scott David Aniolowski, is a set of mostly new short stories all
based in Lovecraft Country. ISBN 1-57502-535-3.
RECENT MAGAZINE SIGHTINGS:
Valkyrie #14 was just chock full of Chaosium-related material
including two short articles on Nephilim in Britain; notes on
Yibb-Tstll's avatars for Call of Cthulhu; "Selavial's Curse", a short
adventure for Elric!; and "Tell Me About the Forest You Once Called
Home...", an adventure with conversion notes for Pendragon and Fantasy
Earth RuneQuest. Go buy it.
NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES:
Starry Wisdom Online
http://www.sirius.com/~chaosium/chaosium.html
The first two issues of Chaosium's Starry Wisdom 'zine are now
available online. They feature notes from Greg Stafford, columns on
Glorantha, and more. Issue #2 has a fun article I wrote up on the
Great Race of Yith. Click on the "Starry Wisdom" button from the main
Chaosium page.
The Lhankor Mhy Library
http://www.sirius.com/~chaosium/chaosium.html
An initial offering of introductory material about the world of
Glorantha is now available online. Included are articles from the long
out-of-print _Cults of Prax_ and a number of other sources. Click on
the "World of Glorantha" button from the main Chaosium page.
Lost Realms of Hyperborea
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/winner8/
A web site dedicated to Clark Ashton Smith's prehistoric continent of
Hyperborea.
Mythos Online #4
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/4162/
This online fiction 'zine is all about the Mythos. The fourth issue
features stories by: Peter H. Cannon, E. P. Berglund, Franklyn
Searight, R. S. Cartwright, Ron Shiflet, Stanley C. Sargent, John
Tynes, Ian Davey, Boyd E. Pearson, Peter F. Guenther, James Ambuehl,
John Tynes and John Fultz & Jonathan Burns
A Web Page from a Friend
http://members.aol.com/palo0303/mythos/mythintr.htm
This is a Cedric Chin's Mythos-related web site, which I've mentioned
before. It's also the original source for all those Mythos decks that
have filled the Digest in recent weeks.
--------------------
From: paulw@betanet.co.uk (Paul Williams)
Subject: The Adventure of the Bandits and the Stag, Part One
System: Pendragon
This adventure can be set anytime during the reign of King Arthur,
although its dark tone lends itself towards the latter phases. It
deals with the sudden mental illness of a lord who rode out to a
nearby hill to capture a group of bandits and the sudden disappearance
of the knights who accompanied them. An ancient and malevolent faerie
guardian stands sentinel over the hill and still performs its
appointed task after nearly six hundred years.
The adventure takes place in eastern Somerset (K20) and it is assumed
at the beginning of the tale that the knights have friends there.
Although there are several magical artifacts in the scenario, it is
unlikely that any group of knights will be able to make off with them
all for some years. The guardians present a tough challenge to any
group of knights.
Curing Sir Stephen of his madness is not the immediate goal of this
adventure--defeating the bandits is. Trying to cure the illness that
affects the Lord of Bruton may involve many trips to Creech Hill and
even visits to druids.
A complete bestiary is at the end of the adventure (V21.9)
INTRODUCTION
Whilst resting at a friend's manor house in rural Somerset the
tranquillity of the knights' evening meal is disturbed by the
constable for the market-town of Bruton--which lies just off the main
trade route between London and Exeter--banging on the manor's door as
if the Devil himself were hounding him.
The porter of the manor answers the door and enquiries about the
constable's business. From where the knights are gathered in the
great hall they can hear approaching footsteps and the porter say,
"You'd better come in and speak to the lord about this".
A few moments later the porter enters the great hall, apologises for
disturbing the knights, and introduces the constable of Bruton, Glyn
the Stout. The constable is a large set individual and is well over
six feet in height, tall for people of this age. His weathered face
sports a neatly trimmed beard, and deep-set steel-blue eyes peer out
from under his long hair. He is dressed in dirty leather armor and is
visibly out of breath. He carries no weapon, having left his spear at
the front door.
The constable of Bruton bows politely, steadies himself mentally and
then begins to speak to the assembled knights.
"My lords, I beg your pardon for disturbing you at so late an hour,"
he begins whilst still gasping for breath, "I apologise if my speech
is flustered, but I have ridden hard, without stopping for food nor
sleep, from the town of Bruton for I know that the news I bring will
be of most import to your ears. My lord's wife, the fair Lady Rowena,
did send me with news and an urgent request.
"Bandits have been plaguing the road just outside of Bruton and my
lord, Sir Stephen of Bruton, believed them to be camped out on a hill
just above the town. He rode forth five days ago with his three
knights to bring the bandits to justice. Nothing was seen of them for
two days, until a farmer came to my house with a most worried look
upon his face and urged me to follow him quickly.
"When we got to the spot where the farmer was digging his crops I saw
poor Sir Stephen lying there in the filth and muck, laughing like a
madman. His armor was all dirty but I could see that he wasn't wounded
at all. He had lost his sword and shield, and I could see no sign of
his horse. There was no sign of the other knights not their horses
either. We took Sir Stephen back to his manor house and called for
the village priest, Brother Justinius, to come and tend to him. My
mistress then charged me to travel here and bring you this news.
"Begging your lords' pardon for speaking so foolishly, but there is an
old legend amongst the farmers who live near the hill that an evil
monster dwells on the top. Lord Stephen, being a good Christian man,
never paid it much attention. Some say that the same night Sir Stephen
left the manor, the beast was seen performing its strange dance atop
the hill. The Lady Rowena beseeches you sirs in the name of merciful
God, please come and aid us in finding out what happened to my master,
and what has become of his knights."
The player knights may know something of Sir Stephen. [Heraldry.
Critical = Sir Stephen is one of King Arthur's companions and has an
unbetrothed fifteen year old daughter. Success = Sir Stephen is a
staunch and loyal supporter of King Arthur and has fought with him
against the Saxons on many occasions. Fumble = Sir Stephen once fought
against the King and only swears token loyalty to him.]
Sir Stephen is a generous man, treats his peasants fairly and rules
his lands wisely. Whilst not exceptionally wealthy he maintains a
modest manor and has three vassal knights in his permanent service,
each with their own manor on Sir Stephen's lands. Aiding him could
certainly do no harm to the knights' reputations.
The town of Bruton is two days ride from the knights' current location
and Glyn the Stout asks to travel back with the knights, to guide them
as much as secure protection from bandits and wild beasts. The hill
that the constable is referring to is known locally as Creech Hill
(from the Celtic crigh, meaning hill) and it is indeed haunted.
What Happened to Sir Stephen?
Sir Stephen and his three vassal knights left his manor house late in
the afternoon, planning to surprise the bandits when they returned to
their camp after a day's villainy. However the bandit camp was not on
the hill as Sir Stephen had presumed. Seeing the remains of the old
temple that stands on the summit of Creech Hill Sir Stephen decided
that whilst he and his men were there they would explore the place
anyway. Chances are, he reasoned, the bandits may have been here
recently and left signs of their camp.
As night began to fall, having found nothing of interest, the knights
were preparing to leave for the comfort of their manor when the
Guardian of the hill appeared and attacked the group. Driven insane by
the beast, Sir Stephen ran off into the night, dropping his weapons
and leaving his horse. The other knights managed to flee from the
creature with their wits barely intact, but were ambushed by the
bandits of their way back to Bruton. In their panicked state the
knights were easily despatched.
Sir Stephen, by now a gibbering wreck, wandered aimlessly around the
edge of the hill for a day and a night before collapsing in the
farmer's field where he was later found.
SIR STEPHEN'S MANOR
On arriving at the manor house the knights are met by Maurice, Sir
Stephen's senior squire, who greets them, has their horses led to the
stables, and welcomes them inside for food. He does not yet know who
the knights are or why they are at the manor, but he is following
standard custom by offering the knights hospitality. He is polite but
is a little reserved with his information.
[Suspicious. Success = the seneschal does not entirely trust the
knights. Fumble = the seneschal is plotting something.]
Only when he is told that the knights are at the manor in answer to
the request for aid given to the constable by Lady Rowena does he
relax and speak more freely. As he takes their travelling cloaks he
says "I shall inform my mistress of your arrival whilst you freshen
up. I am sure that she will be with you shortly. Unfortunately," he
adds, "my lord is still bed-ridden and cannot come down to welcome you
personally, although I am sure that in his heart he thanks you." If the
knights so wish, hot water and clean clothes can be made available for
them.
CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS
Lady Rowena
Sir Stephen's wife, the attractive Lady Rowena, is informed of the
knights arrival by Maurice. Lady Rowena is a tall, slender Cymri woman
whose clothing accentuates her perfect figure. Her brown hair is kept
neatly up in a bun. As a young woman she had many suitors and enjoyed
flirting with attractive young knights, but now she is devoted to her
family.
She greets the knights in the great hall whilst they dine. "Brave
knights, I thank you most kindly for offering your services so
quickly. It is reasuring to know that in moments of need there are
knights who would so speedily aid a lady in distress. As you are no
doubt aware, my husband suffers from an unknown malady and his vassal
knights has disappeared. You are most welcome to stay at the manor
house whilst you make your enquiries into husband's sudden ill health
and the disappearance of our loyal retainers. I insist that during
this time you eat at the lord's table, which, alas, is deserted except
for myself."
Lady Rowena has no idea what happened to her husband whilst he was
hunting the bandits. If questioned she merely answers, "When my
husband left here with his knights he was in good spirits and
anticipated being home before nightfall."
If the knights know of Lady Rowena's daughter and mention her in
conversation Lady Rowena is immediately put her on her guard and she
begins to doubt the veracity of the knights' claims to be here to aid
her husband. After all, there is no reason for the knights to bring
her daughter into a conversation, especially since they are strangers
to Bruton and the girl is not around. [Courtesy. Success = openly
asking about a host's daughter is bad etiquette unless you know the
host well.] Inquiring knights are informed icily that her daughter is
currently at Sarum. Wiser knights find out information about the young
lady by more subtle questioning of the manor staff. [Intrigue.
Critical = Lady Rowena is extremely protective of her only
daughter. Success = Lady Rowena's daughter Madeline is fifteen years
old and unbetrothed. Failure = Lady Rowena has a daughter.]
Sir Stephen
Sir Stephen currently rests in his bed and is still insane. He
continually speaks of the "dark one" and the "horned beast." His
personal servants believe that he is possessed by spirits. During his
mad ramblings he laughs continuously, shouts at the top of his lungs,
and is frequently seized by fits. He is of no use to the knights if
they attempt to ask him questions about his ordeal.
Brother Justinius
The local Christian priest, Brother Justinius, has taken it upon
himself to tend Sir Stephen around the clock and can be found at his
bedside at almost every hour of the day. What little sleep he grabs is
at Sir Stephen's bedside and his meals are taken up to him. Only trips
to the latrine cause him to leave Sir Stephen's side for any length of
time. Brother Justinius is a little overweight and has the tell-tale
bags under his eyes that go with a lack of sleep.
If questioned about Sir Stephen's health he emphatically tells the
knights that "poor Sir Stephen is possessed by the Devil himself!" If
asked about the legend of the creature on Creech Hill he dismisses it
as "peasant superstition and too much strong drink." [Deceitful.
Success = Brother Justinius does believe in the legend. Critical = the
good Brother obviously fears whatever lives on the hill.] No matter
how hard he is questioned he does not venture any other opinion about
Creech Hill or its supposed inhabitant. Under no circumstances can he
be persuaded to leave Sir Stephen's side.
The Villagers
The knights may wish to approach the inhabitants of Bruton to discover
more tales of Creech Hill. It is not common practise for knights to
question peasants in matters such as this, but few others know the
hill or its legends, as well as the folk that live near it.
Being knights, the players are treated very well by the peasants, who
are extremely courteous and give the knights no reason to be offended
with them. The locals are mainly farmers and herdsmen. Knights who
question the peasants about legends concerning the hill may roll [Folk
Lore. Success = a monster lives on the hill but it only comes out at
night. Critical = (told only to a Pagan knight or a knight wearing
pagan symbols) within the temple atop the hill stands a magical statue
whose tears and blood can heal the sick. Failure = a monster guards
the hill. Fumble = the monster is just some local lads fooling about.]
CREECH HILL
Location
Creech Hill is a long wooded hill situated approximately two miles
north-west of the market town of Bruton, which is in east Somerset.
The hill, according to local history and superstition, is haunted by a
maniacal, large black figure that is often seen bounding around the
hilltop at night. The locals do not venture onto the hill after
sunset, save for the most dire of circumstances.
On the summit of the hill stands the remains of an old Roman temple.
Description
The hilltop is some 215 feet higher than the surrounding landscape,
and is only twelve feet wide at the top, where it is relatively flat.
An overgrown but passable trail leads up the hill and passes along the
entire length of the summit. From the summit the hill slopes away
steeply to each side before it begins to level out into farmland. The
north side is considerably steeper than the south side, although a
little-used track winds down it. The hill is only lightly wooded, but
the amount of ground ivy, nettles and other such vegetation, the
majority of which grows to around two feet high, makes travel on foot
a slow business. During the autumn and winter the rain makes the
ground very slippery, and it is easy to lose one's footing. Horses
have great difficulty climbing the hill by any route other than one of
the two trails [Horsemanship rolls suffer a -10 penalty]. In the
winter months a light mist seems to hang over the top of the hill,
adding to the peculiar atmosphere.
Observant knights may notice that whilst birds can be seen nestling in
the trees and occasionally walking along the ground foraging for food,
there is no sign of any actual ground animal life, such as badgers,
voles or rabbits. [Awareness. Success = no signs of ground living
wildlife are visible.]
Upon the hilltop there once stood a temple to the Celtic stag god
Cernunnos. When the Romans invaded Britain in the 1st century AD they
took over the site, built their own temple on top of the existing one
and continued to worship Cernunnos, although in the changed form of
the Romanised stag-headed god Silvanus.
Given that the Romans only vacated the British Isles comparatively
recently, it is perhaps not surprising that the temple is virtually
intact. The elements have done some minor damage to the outer walls of
the building and ivy now covers much of the stonework, but, all things
considered, it has faired very well.
The Hill by Night
At night the hill is a much more daunting place. The undergrowth seems
thicker and the trees appear to bunch together, making passage even
more difficult than it already is in the day. The air temperature is
also noticeably colder than elsewhere in the area, sometimes by
several degrees. The knights certainly notice how their breath seems
suddenly frosty when they are on the hill.
Anyone remaining on or near the hill for more than a few minutes hears
footsteps behind them, although no one can be seen. Distant, cackling
laughter can also be heard on moonless nights.
During the hours of darkness the guardian prowls the hilltop, looking
for those who would trespass upon the site it has been bound to
protect. Knights and their squires are as fair game to the guardian as
unarmed peasants are.
The guardian gives trespassers one half-hour to be gone from the hill
before it materialises and begins to torment them. It gives no warning
to trespassers that they are on a time restriction, nor does it warn
them of its impending arrival. Once started, only the coming of dawn
or the trespassers leaving the hill stops it tormenting further. In
the latter case this is not always enough as the creature delights in
the terror it causes.
Upon seeing the guardian, the knights may recognise it from general
legends and superstitions [Faerie Lore: Success = it is an Unseelie
faerie guardian. Critical = the creature is unlikely to cause physical
harm but will have dark powers at its disposal.]
THE ROMAN TEMPLE
Description
The temple itself is divided into two sections. The outer most section
was open to the public and allowed them somewhere to pray in peace and
to discuss matters that troubled them with the priests. The inner
area, known as the sanctum, houses a statue of the god and was open
only to the priests who attended the temple. Members of the public
were forbidden from entering the area on penalty of flogging.
The inner walls and floor of the temple sanctum are covered in mosaics
depicting mundane scenes. Although weathering and plant growth have
damaged some of the mosaics they are still clearly discernible. Each
mosaic had a specific meaning, mostly for propaganda purposes, to the
priests who designed them.
It is important that the gamesmaster describe each mosaic with the
same detail and tone of voice, so as not to draw attention to the
mosaic on the floor.
The north wall mosaic depicts a legion of Roman legionnaires
travelling down a paved road. This signified the strength of Rome and
its armies and also showed that the Roman army could quickly reach
anywhere it wanted.
The east wall mosaic shows a band of Romans hunting a wild boar and
was designed to show that the Romans were lovers of sport as well as
fighting. In some respects it also shows the Romans mastery of nature.
The southern wall mosaic shows a collection of non-Romans offering
gifts to a Roman lord, signifying that the local people adored their
Roman overlords. That this was not always true mattered little to the
priests who designed it.
The west wall mosaic shows a group of priests dressed completely in
white and holding hands to form a ring whilst a naked man stands in
the middle. This is actually a representation of an old Roman healing
rite once performed at the temple.
Finally the floor mosaic depicts a procession of people standing
before a closed door. The only meaning to this mosaic is to conceal
the trapdoor in the floor. The trapdoor is constructed from wood but
has been covered with a layer of clay, into which the ceramic mosaic
pieces have been pressed to help camouflage it with the rest of the
floor design. It is an ingenious piece of craftsmanship and the
knights have little chance of discovering it by accident. [Awareness.
Critical = spot door hidden in mosaic.]
Observant knights who take the time to examine the mosaics closely may
see a glint of gold in the mosaic covering the south wall. [Awareness.
Success = spot gold item hidden in the mosaic.] The mosaic contains a
gold key which hangs from the lord's belt. It can easily be pried from
the wall. It may take the knights some time to realise that the door
in the floor mosaic has a keyhole which is not a piece of tile but is
an actual hole in the mosaic. Knights examining the mosaics in detail
spot this automatically when they examine this particular design. The
gold key fits perfectly into the lock and when turned the knights hear
an audible click. Merely applying gentle pressure to the door causes
it to swing downwards. This leads to the Celtic Temple, below.
A slightly damaged stone statue of the horned god Silvanus stands in
the centre of the inner sanctum, his arms spread wide, facing the
rising sun. The face of the statue is carved so the god seems to be
glaring at those who would dare to enter his sanctum.
Pagan knights who see the statue may recognise it. [Religion Pagan.
Success = recognise the god as a Roman representation of the Celtic
god Cernunnos, the god of wild nature. Failure = recognise it as a
Romano-Celtic god but cannot remember which one. Fumble = mistake it
for the Roman god Jupiter, who is often depicted as wearing horns.]
The Temple's Secrets
The temple holds two secrets. The first, that a Celtic burial mound
rich in treasure lies under the temple floor, was known only to the
priests. The priests sealed the mound and built on it when they ran
across the avatar of Cernunnos that guards it (see The Celtic Temple
in V21.9). They hoped that their god would be powerful enough to
subdue the spirit.
The second secret was known to the locals as well and was cause for
great celebration twice a year. It is of a more mysterious nature than
the first and is only visible on certain days of the year. Each
spring, on the High Holy Day of Silvanus, blood drips from the
statue's chest, where the heart would be in a normal man. On
mid-winter's day the statue cries tears of water. There is no logical
explanation for this phenomena.
The current locals know of this miraculous event, and some even come
to watch it unfold over the course of the day, although they keep it a
secret in case the Christian priests ever hear of it and destroy the
statue. It is said that the blood and water can be used to heal sick
animals and plants, as well as humans. Enough blood or water flows to
fill a typical drinking flagon.
If the blood or water is collected in a vessel and drunk it heals 1d6
hit points worth of damage to man or beast. Crops sprinkled with water
containing either liquid are exceptionally healthy the following
harvest. Of course these are pagan acts and Christian knights may balk
at physically having to drink blood or pour it on the earth.
Christians must test their faith if they wish to drink any of the
liquid. [Pious. Success = remain strong in their faith and will not
partake in so pagan a ritual.]
If the knights somehow discover the healing powers of the blood or
tears they may use either to cure Sir Stephen of his madness. Once
again, Christian knights may refuse to allow a good Christian to be
healed by such pagan methods.
[continued in V21.9]
--
