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Hi Tony,<BR>
<BR>
Certainly, that's very flattering. Will you let fix my typos first? :-)<BR>
<BR>
Please send me a link to your site. If you are interested in the two or three other sessions that surrounded this one, I can send those to you, too.<BR>
<BR>
Chris<BR> <BR>> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 08:17:02 +0200<BR>> From: postmaster@runequest.za.org<BR>> To: runequest@rpgreview.net<BR>> Subject: Re: [Runequest] Razor Shells Update<BR>> <BR>> Hi Chris<BR>> <BR>> Would you mind me posting this scenario, attributed to you of course, in<BR>> the Guest Articles section of my site. I think its a fantastic example of<BR>> GMing as well as playing in character, and is pretty well written to boot.<BR>> <BR>> Regards<BR>> Tony<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Chris Gilmore wrote:<BR>> > Hi Tony,<BR>> ><BR>> > I finally used the Razor Shells in game last session. I modified them<BR>> > slightly to fit my plot purposes, taking away the enzymes and giving them<BR>> > a<BR>> > mild poison with a memory loss component (which mechanically results in<BR>> > players losing % from their last skill check gains due to memory lapses -<BR>> > very insidious). I also placed them in a drying lake bed in a location not<BR>> > unlike the Okavango delta.<BR>> ><BR>> > The summary I send to my players concerning the event is here. Hope you<BR>> > enjoy your handiwork:<BR>> ><BR>> > Weekly summary of events from May 14 - part one:<BR>> ><BR>> > Dateline: The City if Assaria, first week of June.<BR>> > Weather: Hot and dry.<BR>> > PCs: Baran and Clovis (two tribelanders from the north), Eshubir and<BR>> > Lugesha<BR>> > (two agents of house Suzur in the southern city of Pavonis).<BR>> > NPCs: Maram, a slave girl of unknown origin (ostensibly from a farm in SW<BR>> > Pavonis) rescued from the Scorpionmen.<BR>> ><BR>> > Having trained for 7 weeks with no result in an effort to build up some<BR>> > muscle tissue (which they hoped would allow them to carry their heavy<BR>> > armour<BR>> > better), Baran and Lugesha decided they needed to give the training<BR>> > another<BR>> > go. Unfortunately the first bout of training depleted their funds, so<BR>> > their<BR>> > trainer introduced them to a friend of his who was willing to hire them<BR>> > for<BR>> > a service. This man was named Gigiris - a chariot maker.<BR>> ><BR>> > Gigiris' business had been very busy lately, with a lot of Akkanians<BR>> > wanting<BR>> > to purchase chariots. In a normal year he would collect all the young wood<BR>> > he needed for the chariot rails in the winter, but this year he ran out<BR>> > early so he sent his young apprentice (Amar) and a labourer (Degdega) to<BR>> > go<BR>> > and cut some more. These were cut from a specific cospe of Dimshilum trees<BR>> > located about a day's travel out in the Savannah to the southeast of the<BR>> > city. Unfortunately, that had been a week ago and neither the boy nor the<BR>> > labourer had come back. Gigiris' business was about to stall, his client<BR>> > was<BR>> > getting anxious, and the apprentice's father was starting to ask<BR>> > questions.<BR>> > So Baran, Eshubir, Lugesha, and Maram agreed to go and look for them. They<BR>> > tried to find Clovis to go with them, but he wasn't around - probably out<BR>> > with his latest girl - so they left on this venture without him.<BR>> ><BR>> > The party made their way south into the savannah by foot. They camped the<BR>> > first night in the long grass and carried on in the morning, following<BR>> > what<BR>> > appeared to be a week-old wagon trail. By noon, the shoulder height grass<BR>> > started to become shorter and then rapidly fell to nothing. They had come<BR>> > to<BR>> > a clearing in the tall grass that was about 300 yards across. The floor of<BR>> > the clearing was caked with mud which was dry and cracking on the surface<BR>> > but still moist down below - it appeared to be an ephemeral lake which was<BR>> > now drying up. Annoying flies of all types buzzed around the place, never<BR>> > settling long enough to swat. Clear tracks of a man on foot, an ox, and a<BR>> > four wheeled cart led straight into the heart of the clearing, and at it's<BR>> > centre could be seen a wagon lying on it's side, and in front of it a dark<BR>> > lump which appeared to be a dead ox.<BR>> ><BR>> > The group started to walk out into the clearing toward the wagon when<BR>> > first<BR>> > Baran and then Lugesha felt a sharp pain in their feet. They had not been<BR>> > wearing armour due to the heat of the season, and whatever had stung them<BR>> > cut right through their skin. On looking down they found that they had<BR>> > been<BR>> > pierced with small barbs attached to leathery tethers that disapeared in<BR>> > the<BR>> > mud. The tethers has the appearance of tough intestines and were about 2<BR>> > yards long when pulled taught. Baran first tried to run back to the edge<BR>> > of<BR>> > the clearing, but was almost tripped up by the tether. So instead he<BR>> > hacked<BR>> > at the tether until it broke, and then ran for the edge with Maram at his<BR>> > side. He was narrowly missed by another barb as they ran, but she was<BR>> > struck<BR>> > and cried out in pain. Baran rapidly cut her tether and the two of them<BR>> > dove<BR>> > for the edge of the clearing where they gingerly removed the barbs and<BR>> > healed themselves with magic.<BR>> ><BR>> > Lugesha had a harder time of it. Armed only with his spear and net and<BR>> > lacking a cutting edge, he decided to try to pull the offending<BR>> > dart-launcher from under the mud while the barb was still stuck in his<BR>> > foot.<BR>> > After several good heaves, though, he couldn't dislodge the culprit<BR>> > (though<BR>> > he could see the mud heaving slightly where it was buried), so he resorted<BR>> > to yanking the barb from his foot instead, causing himself more pain and<BR>> > leaving a large purple wound. He limped to safety at the edge of the<BR>> > clearing. Meanwhile, Eshubir, being light of foot, managed to avoid<BR>> > getting<BR>> > barbed at all and sat on the side shouting advice to the others.<BR>> ><BR>> > Rather than attempt to cross the mud again, the group circled the clearing<BR>> > to the west. After travelling around about a third of they way, they<BR>> > discovered a flattened spot in the grass - a place showing signs of recent<BR>> > activity by many people. Examining the ground here, they also noticed a<BR>> > series of small, round holes leading out towards the fallen wagon. These<BR>> > holes were about 2-3" in diameter and 6-12" deep. The party followed the<BR>> > flattened grass as it lead away from the clearing to the west came to a<BR>> > north-south running game trail. They followed the game trail north for<BR>> > ways,<BR>> > then south and found that it led to a copse of trees that had been<BR>> > pollarded<BR>> > for the harvest of many supple young stems. This was apparently the place<BR>> > Gigiris got his wood. Upon seeing this, Baran had an idea and cut two long<BR>> > straight stems with his axe. He then drove one knife into the side of each<BR>> > of them at about waist height, tying the knives in place. He held the<BR>> > posts<BR>> > upright and stood on the horizontal knife handles and found that they just<BR>> > might hold his weight and, with some agility, he could walk on these<BR>> > artificial legs, which he called 'stilts' after his uncle Stiltibris back<BR>> > in<BR>> > the tribelands who had long legs.<BR>> ><BR>> > They returned to dried up pond and Baran coaxed Esh (who was the most<BR>> > agile<BR>> > of the group) up onto the makeshift stilts. Esh practiced a bit on the<BR>> > makeshift legs and then walked carefully out into the mud where he could<BR>> > hear the occasional popping of a dart beneath him. He made it to the<BR>> > fallen<BR>> > wagon without incident and upon investigation found it to be empty. The<BR>> > black ox, though, was clearly dead and was laying on it's side still<BR>> > harnessed to the wagon. A thick cloud of flies hovered over ox, buzzing<BR>> > angrily when Esh came near. From this vantage point on the 'stilts',<BR>> > Eshubir<BR>> > could see a single set of human footprints heading from the wagon to the<BR>> > opposite (east) side of the clearing. Judging by the tracks, whoever had<BR>> > made them must have fallen about halfway across, then got up and continued<BR>> > but this time dragging something behind them. Esh shouted his discovery to<BR>> > the others and, wiping the sweat of the afternoon sun from his brow, set<BR>> > off<BR>> > on the stilts again to the east. The others ran around the south end of<BR>> > the<BR>> > clearing and joined up with him. Lying in the long grass a few yards from<BR>> > the edge was a human body - probably that of the labourer, Degdega.<BR>> ><BR>> > The body had been dead a few days, too. One of the sharp barbs was stuck<BR>> > into the inside of the upper thigh and this connected to a two yard long<BR>> > tether. Attached to the other end of the tether was an oblong object caked<BR>> > in dried mud. It was about 3' long and 8" wide and 2" thick and seemed to<BR>> > be<BR>> > made of two hard shells held tightly together with a round protuberance at<BR>> > one end from which the tether extended. Baran pried this thing open and<BR>> > found it to be fleshy inside - like the inside of a clam from the lake<BR>> > near<BR>> > his home.<BR>> ><BR>> > He cleaned out the insides and fashioned a makeshift pair of ski-like<BR>> > shoes,<BR>> > tying them to his feet with rope. He was about to set off again toward the<BR>> > wagon when Lugesha spoke up.<BR>> > "Hey - wait a minute. Didn't you see that those tethers are about 6 feet<BR>> > long? Those shell shoes of yours aren't going to protect your groin. Look<BR>> > at<BR>> > this poor sap pierced in the upper thigh!" he said, pointing to Degdega's<BR>> > body.<BR>> > "You're right." said Baran, and so took off the shoes and donned his<BR>> > ringmail pants, then put the shell shoes back on, and marched out to the<BR>> > wagon.<BR>> ><BR>> > On the way, he could hear the pops of more darts, but nothing penetrated<BR>> > his<BR>> > skin. He reached the wagon just in time because the ropes holding his<BR>> > shoes<BR>> > on fell apart. He jumped into the wagon and tied them up again. Then he<BR>> > hopped back to the ground and untied the ox harness and, with a great<BR>> > heave,<BR>> > righted the wagon. He then took hold of the harness and, walking<BR>> > backwards,<BR>> > slowly dragged the wagon about 10 feet closer to the edge of the pond,<BR>> > whereupon he hitched a rope to it and, with the help of those on the edge<BR>> > of<BR>> > the clearing pulling on the rope, pulled it the rest of the way. In the<BR>> > last<BR>> > few yards he heard a 'POP' sound and a dart nailed him in the groin, just<BR>> > piercing his ringmail pants through the seam. With a yell he cut the<BR>> > tether<BR>> > and leaped for the edge of the grass where he once again lay down and<BR>> > healed<BR>> > himself.<BR>> ><BR>> > The group spent the rest of the afternoon hauling the wagon to the copse<BR>> > of<BR>> > trees and set up camp there for the night. The next day they awoke to find<BR>> > that a fever had ravaged all those who were stuck. They hade been weakened<BR>> > by a poison coupled with a loss of memory which seemed to impact Lugesha<BR>> > the<BR>> > most. They spent that day recovering from the poison and taking turns<BR>> > cutting stems with Baran's axe, piling them into the wagon. On the third<BR>> > day, they set off north again, this time following the game trail they had<BR>> > previously discovered. It was a tough slog, but taking turns they managed<BR>> > to<BR>> > do it. They camped one more night in the open, and on the last day they<BR>> > came<BR>> > across a party of Zalamaran nomads coming south, their long spears seen<BR>> > dancing high above the top of the grass long before they themselves were<BR>> > seen.<BR>> ><BR>> > Eshubir seemed to be able to communicate best with them, despite not<BR>> > speaking their language. First he tricked them into selling a number of<BR>> > exotic striped animal hides for a pittance, and then he seemed to get<BR>> > across<BR>> > to them that they were looking for a boy - one who might be injured. At<BR>> > this, the Zalamarans gestured that they had seen just such a boy and<BR>> > rescused him (making stilt-like walking motions) and brought him to some<BR>> > farmers at the south of Assarian territory. With that, the two parties<BR>> > left,<BR>> > the Zalamarans continuing south and our adventurers heading north.<BR>> ><BR>> > Soon the adventurers arrived at a small farm on the edge of the settled<BR>> > lands of Assaria. Sure enough, they found the boy in the care of the<BR>> > farmers<BR>> > and so they took him back to Gigiris. The boy, it seemed, had been so<BR>> > impacted by the poison of the razor shells that he had forgotten who he<BR>> > was<BR>> > and where he belonged. Gigiris was happy to have his wagon load of wood<BR>> > (and<BR>> > paid the adventurers fairly for it) but not too glad to hear about the<BR>> > death<BR>> > of Degdega and to now have an apprentice who couldn't remember what he had<BR>> > learned. "At least," said Baran "he also doesn't remember his bad habits."<BR>> > Gigiris only sighed and paid them their money. Our party then then<BR>> > departed<BR>> > to get a good night's rest in a reasonable bed and look for Baran's<BR>> > brother<BR>> > Clovis, whom they had not seen now in four days.<BR>> ><BR>> > End of part one.<BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>> > _______________________________________________<BR>> > Runequest mailing list<BR>> > Runequest@rpgreview.net<BR>> > http://rpgreview.net/mailman/listinfo/runequest_rpgreview.net<BR>> ><BR>> <BR>> <BR>> _______________________________________________<BR>> Runequest mailing list<BR>> Runequest@rpgreview.net<BR>> http://rpgreview.net/mailman/listinfo/runequest_rpgreview.net<BR></body>
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