Orlanthi heroquests Special

Orlanthi heroquests
Special
Table of Contents
Editorial
Alison Place:
The Freeing of the Vilinar River
2
4
Eetu Mäkelä:
Destor Forms the First Hero Band 18
Topi Pitkänen:
The Hospitality Story
32
Matti Järvinen:
Rescuing Heler
Introduction
Orlanth Rescues Heler
Ernalda Fights the Drought
38
39
44
ter for drinking, and the continuing harvests of reeds
for many uses, and of fish and other foods from her waters.”
“This year, the floodwaters of the Zola Fel are rising
early and high. This has prompted an urgent mission
that I had actually planned for some time in the future.
I intend to court and marry the naiad of the Vilinar. She
has not been sighted since before the rise of the Red
Goddess, and none know why. Your mission is to find
her, free her or awaken her, and make clear my honourable intentions.”
“You will ride a River Horse, in the company of a shaman of this cult. You will go from the headwaters of the
Five Eyes spring, to the hidden headwaters of the Vilinar.”
“I shall leave you with a final caution. It is possible,
even probable, that some in the Zola Fel cult may resent or resist our attempts to restore the nymph to her
rightful place. Relations with some members of the cult
have not been amicable. Bandits in the Five Eyes
Temple needed to be taught a lesson soon after our arrival. However, you must treat any opposing cult members with as much restraint as possible.”
In the Borderland timeline, Daine,
Raus' Captain of the Guard, is dead.
If Daine is still alive in your campaign, he could be sent, but use caution. As the Captain, his authority
and abilities are likely to overshadow many parties, especially if the
party members are from the Guard.
“I command this for two reasons. Firstly, Pyrrope herself may become ill-disposed if representatives of her
father are treated rudely or roughly. Much depends on
our first impression being the best possible. Secondly,
whether or not our quest is successful, no-one who
lives by the Zola Fel can disregard the power of the
river to harm or help.”
“Daryli shall now continue this briefing. Good day, and
good luck to you all.”
8
Part Three:
The Heroquest
Barntar's Voyage
'Barntar' will find himself being drawn downstream in the company of a very comely woman,
in a small globe of soft light. There will be no
trouble breathing or speaking. She introduces
herself as Pyrrope, the naiad of the Vilinar River.
She obviously remembers the Black Eel story very
well. She will question 'noble Barntar' exhaustively about what has happened since her imprisonment. She is particularly interested in the
character of the Duke. She wants to know what
sort of man is proposing to her. Barntar should
extol the duke's virtues to the skies.
It will take approximately one hour for Pyrrope
and Barntar to reach the Weis Caves. Pyrrope
could easily take them faster, but she wished to
have the time to talk with her rescuer in private,
first.
When they surface, they will be carried into
the daylight, where Barntar should hail his worried kinfolk, and introduce them as the legend indicates. If he does not, Pyrrope will name them
herself. Pyrrope will offer to accompany the party
downstream, taking Barntar by one of the reed
boats, so that she can continue to talk with him.
Ronegarth is 30km away, about four hours travel
downstream.
Meanwhile, Pyrrope is delighted to be free.
You may either let her tell this story to 'Barntar',
or let it come out afterwards at the celebratory
feast in Ronegarth.
Confrontation with the Zola Fel Cult
Halfway down to Ronegarth, they will sight a reed
boat. This is being paddled by two newtlings. The
human passenger will hail Pyrrope respectfully,
and claim that he is Hadrath Ingilli, a priest of
Zola Fel, come to escort her to her father. (The
Zola Fel hierarchy has got water of Raus' expedition, and would like to short-circuit it.) Hadrath
will enquire what Pyrrope is doing with these
people. The shaman Pipiens will be as invisible
as possible. Pipiens has no wish to draw the ire
of a priest of his other cult.
Pyrrope will ask if her father holds enmity
against her rescuers, sent by their duke, who
wishes to propose honourable marriage to her.
Hadrath's reply is that the Duke is an unfit husband for her, and in any case, she must ask permission of Zola Fel first. Pyrrope will reply that
if the duke's fitness is being challenged, the party
16
Destor Forms the First Hero Band
A hero band wyter formation heroquest for the Orlanthi,
by Eetu Mäkelä
In Orlanth's Hall
It was the height of the Storm Age,
and young Orlanth had just toiled
hard weeding the fields for a full
week. Thus, it was natural that he
now felt the need to travel again, to
explore and conquer the unknown.
He entered his hall and reached
for his traveling cloak, but it was
nowhere to be found. "Wife! Where
is my traveling cloak?" , bellowed Orlanth from the vestibule. From inside, the sweet voice of Ernalda
calmly replied: "It now warms our
marriage bed, and I will not give it
to you, for that would also mean losing the heat of your body pressing
into mine." Orlanth accepted her
claim. His faithfulness to his
new wife did not allow him to
leave, no matter how much the
world beyond beckoned to
him. 1
Requirements for the
ritual to embark on
this heroquest:
•
•
•
•
Total support from the members of the hero band to be
formed
A well-worn traveling cloak called Warmth: +4
A week of hard monotonous labor in the fields: +6
A strong black ox to sacrifice to the gods: +2
19
The only persona actually required for
the heroquest is that of Destor, but
any worshipper of Orlanth Adventurous can fill the role. Destor should
also surround himself with as many
friends as possible. Any worshipper
of the Storm Tribe is eligible to join.
Orlanth sat in his great chair, at the
head of his great table in his great
hall, deliberating his quandary intensely. He sat there the whole
evening, growing ever more angry
and frustrated. No-one dared approach him, dreading the lightning and rain from the brooding
clouds above him.
It came to pass that Lhankor
Mhy, All-Wise, happened to be
wandering the lands of the
Storm, and he got word of this
peculiar weather phenomenon.
He proceeded to enter the hall
of Karulinoran, and sat beside
the door, observing. Finding
the happenings of Karulinoran
most intriguing, he began to
furiously scratch findings,
parameters and conjectures on
the pieces of bark he had with him
for just such occasions. However, Orlanth's lodge
was large and lively even then, and so much was
happening there that Lhankor Mhy finally ran out
of bark. Yet Lhankor Mhy did not despair. He used
his Light of Knowledge, took a part of himself,
named it Chernan the Seeker, and commanded it
C O N TE S T :
Defeat Vaneekara the
Hurler in a throwing contest
Applicable skills: The magic of Hedkoranth, Sling
throwing (‒10)
Typical modifiers: Augmenting with Wind and Storm
magic
Resistance: 20W3
Any Victory: Destor wins the price he has named from
the Dark Woman. While this need not be her tooth, it
has the following abilities: Eat Anything 5 W, Darksense 5 W, Command Shade 5 W, Aggravate trolls 5 W3
23
23
23
A major or complete victory: Great Weighty flies far
through the lands, scooping up little pieces from each
of them as it goes along. From this, Hedkoranth receives the ability "Know places where I haven't been" at
12 .
A tie: The stones fly equally far. The contest ends in
a tie, and both sides must leave unsatisfied.
Any defeat: The party must surrender to be eaten.
Any attempt to escape violates the Ancient Laws, and
brings on a powerful (15 W3) curse. The result of being eaten can be death, failure of the heroquest, or
the loss of some ability or affinity.
Defending the Walls
In the lands to the West, Destor encountered a fierce warrior in the midst
of building a series of great fortifications. Destor deemed his artisanry
worthy, and beckoned him to join his
band. "I cannot leave, for I must guard the
defense against the Westmen" , came the
reply. Destor struck a deal with the man.
He and his companions would defend the
walls against the coming attack. 11
C O N TE S T :
Beat the army of Westmen storming the walls
Mass combat of the defending army: 15 W3
Typical modifiers: Augmentation with Desemborth, Ohorlanth
and other suitable magic, as well as leadership abilities
Resistance: 5 W4
Any victory: The western army is routed
A tie: The fighting ends in a stalemate. The fortifications hold,
but neither does the attacking army yield. The siege continues.
Any defeat: The horde of Westmen bursts over the walls. The
heroes must battle the champion of the Westmen in order to
escape.
C O N TE S T :
Defeat the champion of the Westmen
Applicable skills: Any combat ability
Typical modifiers: The results of the previous contest
Resistance: 20W3
Any victory: The champion of the West lies defeated.
The concept of ransom is unknown to the Westmen,
so he must either be killed or released. Healing may
also be given. Releasing the Westman may win the
hero unexpected friends in the mundane world. The
full plate armor of the Westman is durable, but not
particularly magic (+6)
A tie: Neither combatant is victorious. The duel rages
on until the scales are tipped decisively by the armies
fighting around the combatants.
Complete defeat: The champion of the heroes is killed
by the Westman
Any other defeat: The champion of the heroes is defeated by the Westman, and the party must flee
wounded.
Fearsome was the Western
army, full of metal plate and
clanking. Yet, fearsome also
were the walls erected to
block their way, and a pleasure it was to hurl down destruction from them upon
the attacking horde. Destor
and his companions were instrumental in gaining a triumph for the defenders.
When the enemy sent their
cavalry against the walls, it was Ohorlanth who transformed the ground before them into mud that sank their
horses. When they attacked with great siege engines, it
was Desemborth who snuck into the machinery to saw
the axles and cut the ropes so that the towering behemoths crashed into each other and fell. When the
champion of the westerners, clad all in steel from head
to toe, climbed the wall, it was Destor who fought the
duel. 12 At first he was losing, and he suffered terrible injuries while his blows merely glanced off the armor of
the Westman. Finally, his speed and skill guided his
weapon to a weak point in this opponent's armor. Their
champion down, the Westerners fled, and the builder of
the great walls of the West joined Destor.
24
24
24
Destor Forms the First Hero Band
a mythalysis by Torbord Agraviann the Eloquent,
of the Clear Conscience School of God-Learnerism
As we know, the myths of the pagans serve three
distinct purposes to them. First, most myths include lots of culture-informing material. They explain why the world and culture is what it is, and
also provide guidelines as to what the proper action in each situation inside the culture is. To us,
this is of little direct use, except when it allows
us to more deeply understand and thus deal with
the culture we are studying.
Second, myths usually hint at the deep, hidden
truths of the cosmos. While lost on the pagans,
or at best subconsciously integrated, for us these
provide a goldmine. When abstracted and collated
across enough myths, they will reveal to us the
laws and relationships governing the interactions
of the first order Erasanchula, or Primal Runes,
that make up the cosmos.
Finally, and most familiarly to us, the myths also
have a functional component to them, in that they
29
provide actual functional power in the center
world, be it through re-enacting the feats of a god
in the mundane world, or following their footsteps
in heroquesting.
Now, the myth at hand is mostly a functional one,
with little primary culture-informing material. Yet,
like all myths of the barbarians, this one is also
chock full of reaffirmation for the general personalities and characteristics of their gods. Ernalda
is gentle yet unyielding, Orlanth powerful yet just,
Urox a brute, yet still family and so on. Besides
making the stories more recognizable, these
themes also carry cultural significance. Through
learning of how the gods acted in various situations, the Orlanthi learn the possible choices for
their own behavior, and what consequences each
will probably entail. As regards deeper truths,
this myth also contains quite a number of connections and connotations to other myths and underlying cosmic principles.
Topi Pitkänen
The gift of warning
Kolat made the very first hospitality.
Umath's Camp was a special place – and it was
above all – a place that was only allowed for Umath, the
lord of the Mountain, Champion of the gods, Slayer of
the Howling Void and Liberator of Justice and Umath's
Ring of Eternal Storms. It was a secret place no one
could enter uninvited. Ratslaff's whiffs however unclothed it. Thereafter, even though they killed the fartbloated fool, odd strangers were seen there around the
camp perimeter. It was nothing the Primal Storm
wanted.
Umath enjoined Kolat, his secret breath, to organize
his Six Stormsons to guard the Six Directions. The old
Umbrol set up a watch station in each direction and
Spike to the centre. Thus was Umath's Camp defended.
Kolat told the Stormsons that approaching strangers
were to be halted. If they did not depart willingly, they
were to be driven away or killed. If one of the guardians
should fail, the other brothers were to come to his rescue. So they did.
Strangers were hailed with terrible thunder. If they
did not leave, the primal winds gathered – fully armed
and whooping – and met the intruders with Unbounded
Violence.
Uncle Kolat, who remembered how once Great
Umath had said to the Evil Emperor: “ Generosity is a
virtue, not greed,” encouraged the Stormsons of
Umath in the name of Freedom to offer some fair intimation of the unsurpassable bloodshed the brothers
would resort to. So they did.
This was the first hospitality, and so it still remains.
To issue a threat before attacking is an act of generosity, even more so if we warn strangers.
33
33
Orlanth Rescues
Heler
Once, the Storm Tribe suffered from severe
drought. Heler had disappeared, and rains did
not come. The Tribe gathered to discuss together
where Heler could be. No-one had seen him or
heard of him, but with his magical skills, Lhankor
Mhy found out that the cursed Daga had captured
Heler, and taken him to his desert far away.
Orlanth swore he would find his relative and
punish Daga. But Ernalda said there was another
way: that they could negotiate with Daga. Maybe
Daga would agree to free Heler if they offered
him something in return. Barntar, the loyal thane
and ploughman, supported Ernalda’s suggestion
and promised to tend the dry fields himself while
waiting for the results of the negotiations.
reward, which he had formerly wrested from the
body of an enemy. Orlanth asked Urox to
accompany him on his quest. However, Urox did
not bother listening to Orlanth. Instead, he
rushed, bellowing, towards the Desert of the
Outlaws, in the direction he had seen his
tormentor disappear.
Orlanth wandered through the stony terrain of
the Urox Hills. As he walked, he heard grating
wails from the top of a high cliff. There was a
great king condor mother, who mourned for her
nestling, who had fallen from the nest into a
gorge. When Orlanth saw this, his sense of mercy
awoke. So Orlanth climbed down into the gorge,
and brought the nestling, unhurt, back to its
mother. She thanked Orlanth and promised him
anything she had in thanks. Orlanth merely asked
the majestic condor for her favour.
However, Orlanth held to his decision, and he was
supported by the warlike men of the Tribe and by
his spear-wielding daughter Vinga. While the
others were distracted by their argument about
the appropriate course of action, Orlanth left
alone to search for Daga and Heler. He walked
through the Storm Village and past the steads,
but stopped at the Shining Hall of Elmal. There,
Orlanth tasked Elmal with guarding Storm Village
while he was absent. Orlanth also loaned his
Storm Spear to Elmal, which scatters enemies
like leaves in a gale. Trusting to his own might,
he took only an ordinary spear with him.
Then Orlanth set out for Daga’s Desert. Soon he
saw the Urox Hills ahead, which Urox the Chaos
Killer had chosen for his dwelling place. At the
foot of a mountain, Orlanth found Urox tied to a
tall stone by a leash. Urox was running around
the stone like a madman, trying to reach his tail,
from which a nasty little creature was hanging
by its teeth. A powerful stranger had lassoed
Urox, and then left Urox tethered.
Orlanth slew the pest with his spear, climbed up
the stone and released Urox from the leash. Urox
was so berserk with that he almost attacked
Orlanth, who had to soothe him promptly. After
Urox had calmed down, he recognised his debt
to Orlanth, and gave Orlanth his Brass Horn as a
Orlanth strode on, leaving the Urox Hills behind,
and finally arrived at Daga’s Desert. The desert
was scorching and hot dust coated Orlanth’s feet.
Even the slightest breath of wind was lacking,
because the desert also was the home of evil and
windless Molanni.
40
Ernalda Fights
the Drought
Once, the Storm Tribe suffered from severe
drought. Heler had disappeared, and the rains
would not come. The Tribe gathered to discuss
together where Heler could be. No-one had seen
him or heard from him. Eventually, Lhankor Mhy’s
magical searching discovered that evil Daga had
captured Heler and taken him to Daga's desert
far away.
Orlanth swore he would find his relative and
punish Daga. But Ernalda insisted that there was
another way: they could negotiate with Daga.
Perhaps Daga would agree to free Heler if they
offered Daga something in return? Barntar the
Ploughman supported Ernalda’s suggestion. He
promised to get ready for ploughing while waiting
for the results of the negotiations.
Too impetuous by nature, Orlanth could not wait
until discussion was over, but left by himself on
the journey to Daga’s Desert. Meanwhile, Ernalda
and Barntar convinced most in the tribe that it
would be more reasonable to negotiate than to
fight. Ernalda promised to ask her mother,
Asrelia, for something valuable to buy off Daga.
With support from the tribe, and friends to
accompany her in the journey – even Eurmal
joined the group – she left for her mother’s house.
PART ONE:
The Bottle of Refreshing Water
When Ernalda came to her mother’s
house, she did not find Asrelia there.
Asrelia’s servants said that their mistress
had gone to see her sister, Ty Kora Tek.
They were in the Caverns of Silence,
which could be reached only by a
lengthy underground journey.
Ernalda sat down to ponder the
situation. Eurmal then sneaked
in, grinning cunningly. He
twitched Ernalda’s hem and
pointed to a trunk in the corner
of Asrelia's house. Ernalda
45
knew her mother’s treasures were kept in there.
Eurmal said that the trunk could certainly be
opened by Ernalda, and that she could take
whatever she liked to free Heler from Daga’s
droughty grip. Asrelia would surely accept that.
But Ernalda did not listen to Eurmal’s slick words.
She reminded Eurmal that a guest should not
take from her host anything without the host
agreeing, even if the host was her mother. She
had to meet Asrelia in person to ask for her
favour.
Ernalda moved her mother’s throne, knowing that
it hid a secret hole leading into the Underworld.
The servants warned Ernalda that the way would
be dangerous for her because she was not
familiar with it. Ernalda said she greatly needed
to speak with her mother, but promised to be
careful. So, the servants reluctantly gave Ernalda
a holy basket, which could help her on the
journey to the Underworld. If she showed the
basket to the Gatekeeper, she could pass by.
Ernalda descended deep underground with her
retinue and arrived at the Gates of the
Underworld. There stood the frightening
Gatekeeper, standing guard with his huge axe.
Ernalda showed the Gatekeeper her basket and