The 2 fronts threatening your Magic and your War resources are all broken up.

The Lunar forces are all fighting at a Bump down. That’s all cool.

But there is a problem with the Earth priestess. She is all pleased by the sacrifices so no more instability there. But she was summoning a force of dinosaurs to demonstrate her power over the wastes of Prax. So, although there is no longer a serious front threatening your Magic, there will be dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs, I tell you.

The Wyter has gained the following magical abilities:
- Free desert spirit from Lunar chains (feat)
- Hide from Morokanth spirits (feat)

Every Clan Member has the new ability
- “We resurrected Orlanth”

The “3rd Age” [post dragonkill epoch] has been rewritten

• We returned to Dragon Pass because: we needed to awake the Silver King who would save the world
• New Tribe: the Dinacoli, the rich ones, supported the High King to fulfill the prophecy of the saviour
• King Sartar: we remember his sacred self-immolation in the lightning bolt that sanctified the temple at Boldhome. His fleshly sacrifice opened the door to the Silver King.
• Lunar Missionaries: our sacred aura drove them off.

The “Exile” period of your mythology has been rewritten

• Followed Orlanth’s sacred command to strike out to the East
• Orlanth gave a secret prophecy to Dorasar, that his line would be the new high kings, so we followed him
• New Friends in Pavis: Orlanth showed mercy to the Sun Domers, so long as they know their place
• New Foe: the devious Morokanth, whom we out tricked
• The Lunar Invasion: we joined in with the nomads at Moonbroth, where we fought gloriously and our sacred dead promised us our inevitable victory
• Dorasar told us that we would stop here a moment, before spreading our wings over the whole world

Now that the Rhinos are flushed with victory, which of their enemies will they turn on next?

Challenge to Clan War Making

The Places

• Tada’s High Tumulus
  The Unicorn Riders, with Lara and Kleio rained arrows down on the Lunars and rode into the fray

• Dwarf Knoll
  That’s where the rally point was. What were the Mostali up to?

• The Pairing Stones
  Oghma did mischief, Porthor did a sacrifice, and Ty rallied the troops against the Lunar charge. Radak was slain and Sitzmag was captured.

The People

* The Great Forces

- Golden Arrow Clan & Allies: including members of the clan guarding the stones, Rhino riders, the clan militia, Ty
- Lunar Faction, w. Sitzmag Redmoon and Radak the Iron Centurion
A double failure: they could not clear the locals from around the Stones, and they could not guard the ritual being conducted by the Lunar Field College.
- Golden Arrows Wyter: who we now know is Orlanth, but appeared in the guise of a “Silver Prince”

* Tada’s High Tumulus

- Lara and the Unicorn Riders
- Kleio the Storm Bull, looking down at the creepies

* Moonbroth

- The Survey Team of the Field Detachment of the Lunar College of Magic
- Shamans of the Morokanth
- Stayn, messing with the Morokanth
- Syph, drawing out an ancestral Sable Spirit

* Dwarf Knoll

(a mustering point for the Lunar Forces)
- Radak the Iron Centurion and the Imperial Guard
- Sitzmag Redmoon and the Sable Riders

* The Pairing Stones

- Ty & the GA militia, Rhino Riders, Bullford support (pledged to defend the Stones, not a permanent military ally)
- Oghma building a clay effigy of Orlanth in the tabernacle near the Pairing Stones
- Porthyr and the farmers of the Golden Arrows

Tonight will kick off with our PCs running up against the Lunar presence at Moonbroth and around the Pairing Stones.

Here are the Fronts:

Challenge to Clan War Making

The Lunars at Moonbroth & Pairing Stones
Clan Resource: War
Threatening Faction: The Lunars
NPC: Sitzmag Redmoon, Captain of the Antelope Riders and Radak the Iron Centurion
Lore: Field Survey of the Lunar College of Magic, attached to Provincial Army
Mythic Echoes: Exile Period
- Among the first of Dorasor’s (Sartar’s brother)followers, seeking freedom from Lunar Shadows
- Among the first to strike out east across the desert and settle in River of Cradles
- Made friends with the puritanical Sun Dome Templars
- Made foes of the Morokanth
- When the Lunars came, we joined them at the battle of Moonbroth. And lost. Gloriously!
Resolution: TBA
This Front is — MAKING A STRONG MOVE

Or not.

The dream the night before

The prep.

The battle.

Challenge to Peace:

Someone is turning the new religious fervour against the Green Pyramid followers
Clan Resource: Peace
Threatening Faction: Orlanthi
NPC: Yvane Blackspear
Lore:
Mythic Echoes:
Resolution:
This Front is — coming into play, will not make any pre-game move

Challenge to Morale:

Continued Subversion by Indagos and the Knowledge Priestess
Clan Resource: Morale
Threatening Faction: Wild Card Independents: Sir Javan Indagos
NPC: Indagos and Hetaera Thessen (Lunar knowledge priestess)
Lore: Rich Family
Mythic Echoes: Mythic Origins
- our primal goddess was Harna Ilor, Goddess of Harmony
- placed our faith in the growing masculine aspect of the universe
- First ceremony: the sacrifice dance
- helped primal storm by defying the bright Emperor. Lousy anarchists.
- Joined Orlanth when he wooed Ernalda and created the Marriage Ring
- Our clan acquired the Trade rune when Issaries made exchanges that saved our people
- at the Marriage of Ernalda and Orlanth we guarded the wedding circle (gained ritual power)
Resolution: TBA, will probably involve Timo
This Front is — MAKING A STRONG MOVE

Challenge to Clan Magic

Earth will have her due
Clan Resource: Magic
Threatening Faction: The Divine
NPC: Daranalda, High Priestess of Ernalda Temple
Lore: Dinosaurs
Mythic Echoes: 3rd Age
- We returned to Dragon Pass because we were poor and wanted wealth
- He became a part of a new, large tribe: The Dinacoli or The Rich Ones
- We revere the High King Sartar because of his sacred self-immolation
- Lunar Missionaries: when they first appeared we drove them off.
Resolution: TBA
This Front is — holding back, but will be back in place to make another Strong Move after tonight’s session, unless something changes.

Challenge to Clan Wealth

Parades, I tell you. They shall be parades of worshipers. [Am I the only person who remembers “Floats” by The Credibility Gap?]
Clan Resource: Wealth
Threatening Faction: Pavisites
NPC: Fleeter Neem (Pavis’ temporal representative), Benderri (religious representative)
Lore: Sacrifices to Pavis
Mythic Echoes: Gods War
- when the darkness fell, the Deadly Archers joined us as equals (we don’t take thralls)
- our ancient enemy were the change-hating Dwarves, who blamed us for the war
- we were nearly eliminated by our journey across the plain of salt (we know of deserts)
- our direst foes were the Scorpionmen
- We survived the Great Darkness courtesy of the “Wind Hide Me” prayer to Brastalos, the calm eye at the center of the storm.
Resolution: TBA
This Front is — MAKING A STRONG MOVE

The EARTH front got pushy in the fiction but did not make a major move against the clan.

What ended up happening was the hubris of the Moon Mask spy network, and that of the Rat and the Hole Gang getting them both into trouble.

Started with Oghma seeking Firmfarer and getting trailed by Moon Masks. Ty had to deal with a bunch before delivering a key stone to Indagos. It ended up in a group simple contest with Moon Masks trying to get all our PCs, and the PCs fighting back in various ways. Very “I fought, we won” in feel.

Stayn went drinking and gambling on fighting electric catfish at Goldfang’s tavern. He ingratiated himself with Radak and Iron Centurion and gained an audience with GimGim the grim.

Oghma watched as Firmfarer took on ex-priest Tintalker. He ran off with the temple regalia.

Porthor and Ty convinced the priest of Humakt to invest some gems with truth magic, and gave them over to the Sun Dome templars to keep them out of a battle brewing at Moonbroth.

And members of the Pavis faction hunted Stayn through the streets. He was saved by a nestling who led him to a sewer escape.

Weird. Fun. More later.

That was a month ago. Ohhhhboy.

Damned if I remember what happened.

I will have to offer this

Challenge to Peace

Clan Resource: Peace
Threatening Faction: Orlanthi
NPC: The Rat/Frekor Firmfarer
Lore: Brea Haythorne and Box Canyon Farmers
Mythic Echoes: 1st Age: “We Resisted False Priests”
Resolution: We will continue to fight false priests — our way.
This Front is — DISOLVED

Challenge to Morale:

The fallout from Robcradle
Clan Resource: ?
Threatening Faction?
NPC: The Rat and his gang in Old Pavis
Lore: ?
Mythic Echoes: 2nd Age, “No bad knowledge, only bad actions”
Resolution: The resolution of the heist and the repudiation of Stayn’s innovations have resulted in a revision of the mythic story: “There IS bad knowledge: let the foolishly wise feel the consequences of their foolishness. Let destiny and time punish them.”
The results of the political tussle changed the way your clan’s guardian spirit views your mythic past.
This Front is — DISOLVED

Challenge to Clan Magic

Clan Resource: Magic
Threatening Faction: The Divine
NPC: Daranalda, High Priestess of Ernalda Temple
Lore: Dinosaurs
Mythic Echoes: 3rd Age
- We returned to Dragon Pass because we were poor and wanted wealth
- He became a part of a new, large tribe: The Dinacoli or The Rich Ones
- We revere the High King Sartar because of his sacred self-immolation
- Lunar Missionaries: when they first appeared we drove them off.
Resolution: TBA
This Front is — MAKING A STRONG MOVE

Challenge to Clan War Making

Clan Resource: War
Threatening Faction: The Lunars
NPC: Sitzmag Redmoon, Captain of the Antelope Riders
Lore: Field Survey of the Lunar College of Magic, attached to Provincial Army
Mythic Echoes: Exile Period
- Among the first of Dorasor’s (Sartar’s brother)followers, seeking freedom from Lunar Shadows
- Among the first to strike out east across the desert and settle in River of Cradles
- Made friends with the puritanical Sun Dome Templars
- Made foes of the Morokanth
- When the Lunars came, we joined them at the battle of Moonbroth. And lost. Gloriously!
Resolution: TBA
This Front is — MAKING A STRONG MOVE

Challenge to Clan Morale

Clan Resource: Morale
Threatening Faction: Wild Card Independents: Sir Javan Indagos
NPC: Indagos and Hetaera Thessen (Lunar knowledge priestess)
Lore: Rich Family
Mythic Echoes: Mythic Origins
- our primal goddess was Harna Ilor, Goddess of Harmony
- placed our faith in the growing masculine aspect of the universe
- First ceremony: the sacrifice dance
- helped primal storm by defying the bright Emperor. Lousy anarchists.
- Joined Orlanth when he wooed Ernalda and created the Marriage Ring
- Our clan acquired the Trade rune when Issaries made exchanges that saved our people
- at the Marriage of Ernalda and Orlanth we guarded the wedding circle (gained ritual power)
Resolution: TBA
This Front is — MAKING A STRONG MOVE

Challenge to Clan Wealth

Clan Resource: Wealth
Threatening Faction: Pavisites
NPC: Fleeter Neem (Pavis’ temporal representative), Benderri (religious representative)
Lore: Sacrifices to Pavis
Mythic Echoes: Gods War
- when the darkness fell, the Deadly Archers joined us as equals (we don’t take thralls)
- our ancient enemy were the change-hating Dwarves, who blamed us for the war
- we were nearly eliminated by our journey across the plain of salt (we know of deserts)
- our direst foes were the Scorpionmen
- We survived the Great Darkness courtesy of the “Wind Hide Me” prayer to Brastalos, the calm eye at the center of the storm.
Resolution: TBA
This Front is — MAKING A STRONG MOVE

Major Divisions:
1) Exploring the Setting
2) Oghma vs. The Rat
3) Golden Arrows in Robcradle

1) Exploring the Setting

Porthyr: Off on a trading mission
Ty: digging around town, prepping for the mission
Oghma: the alynxes told him of shenanigans out in the desert, a shadowy “Rat” spreading bad vibes.
Klieo: running stormbulls through serious desert training (helped during the battle). Also, observed gathering of the Earth priestesses at The Paps.
Syph: investigating the appearance of dragon-runed plinths along the roads: an omen of the old Empire of the Wyrms Friends
Stayn; got the team together with the co-conspirators

Did I leave anyone out?

2) Oghma down on the farm:
O. put to rest a threat to inter-clan harmony while investigating rumours out on Box Canyon Farm, up in the hardscrabble Scrythia territory. Brygga of the Garhounds had started a move to unite the remaining free clans in support of the threatened dynasty back home. Frekor Firmfarer was threatening that new consensus. After narrowly surviving betrayal by Tintalker, he was going from clan to clan, spreading the news that their former high priest and foremost rebel leader had gone mad and that everyone should lie low until a new leader was found. With his usual impetuosity, Oghma ambushed Tintalker’s former ally cougar-style and beat a confession out of him: Firmfarer has for years maintained an alternate identity, “The Rat,” leader of a prominent criminal informer network in the Rubble. What the former shepherd will do with this information remains to be seen. Will he reveal the criminal alter-ego of the mysterious rebel warrior, rip the mask off Zoro, shop Bruce Wayne to the underworld, put the Scarlet Pimpernel on the guillotine platform?

3) We’re pulling a heist! One Big Score and We’re Set for Life!
Apocalypse Now style: the crew float down the river on a dubious, ill-defined mission: seize an enchanted giant’s cradle and recover the “tablets” that Pavisite schemer Sir Javan Indagos and his partner, Lunar establishment figure Hetaera Theyssen, need for some obscure reason.

The crew:
Mr Yellow: Davvyd, Stayn’s brother, the man with the plan and instructions from the patrons, and an artificial flying serpent minion.
Mr Brown: a dwarf with unusual stone-shaping ability
Mr. Black: a troll master of Zorak Zoran death magic
Ms. Green: copper-haired demi-elf with weird balms and seeds
Mr. Blue: Stayn with his Air elemental
Kleio: the muscle (came up with great plans and gave what-for to a scorpionman)

Robcradle was founded by the God Learners, an empire south of the continent you are on. They grabbed treasures from the cradles of the giants as they floated down the Zola Fel. Eventually, the giants put a stop to that nonsense. With much smashage. A little while later, Pavis claimed the region on behalf of the EWF and built his city around the location.

The players (Syph) released a ghost holdover from the Godlearner times who exposited some of this exposition.

The long and the short of it: Davvyd was in the process of slaying the giant child in the boat when interrupted by inveterate do-gooder Stayn. The ghostly Godlearner entered into the cradle with the child and floated off to gods know where. The members of the heist crew are now possessed of the treasure their patron sought but without the share of booty each of them expected to gain for participating in the raid. Someone, call Quentin Tarrantino. Did I forget anything?

The fiction has the high-fantasy tone I was aiming for. I like the way the genre-appropriate fiction arises from our absolutely demented imaginations.

So: the return of a cradle to the Zola Fel has people in Pavis freaking out because it is an end-of-days kind of sign. Also, the appearance of the Eternal Battle directly over the city. I think the next session will deal with the fallout of the previous.

The 2 Myths

Stage #	Zola Fel Myth	Lightbringer
1	God Time: Participated in the waters’ surge over the lands at the dawn of time	Needed a route to get to the West, where he would go to the underworld
2	Spike of Law was shattered, the Homeward Ocean called for all the waters of the world to leap in and block the entry of chaos. Zola Fel accepted the call and leaped.	Subdued a blue dragon, which took him to the ocean
3	Met giants & agree to take infants’ cradles to the sea	They were lost on the great water and were drawn towards the great maelstrom
4	Meet Diros the Boatmen, and agreed to let humans travel the river	They found an island where they sheltered
5	Dawn: Took in a penitent Broo, carried him to the Homeward Ocean and they dove in	Orlanth confessed past transgressions to Ernalda, demonstrated his virtue, and pledged his love for all eternity
6	__	The travellers went forward and risked death
7	__	Luck and cleverness got them out of the maelstrom and heading west to the sunset

The Heroquest

Stage #	GM’s Plan	Characters’ Responses
0 – Home: The Leaping Place in Godtime	Zola Fel floods land but content w. home pool	Priestess Amina didn’t quite manage the transition so her cult takes a large magic hit. Oghma attempts to herd primal catfish but fails
1 – Answer the Call	Spike of Law was shattered,Zola Fel unwilling to go.	Porthor grabbed ZF as a catfish and leaps over the edge with him
2 – Pact with the Giants	At the future site of Robcradle, ZF agrees to carry giants’ cradles to the ocean	It went pretty well except for the giants dropping a cradle on the back of ZF as a crocodile. The sacred barge is going to be affected
3 – meet Divos the Boatman	The lightbringers, in a boat helmed by Orlanth/Divos meet ZF at what will become Corflu	Porthor takes the initiative in getting Divos to take on his role as leader of the lightbringers, but Oghma forces him to reveal that he undertook the murder of Ernalda’s father — the sun king — at the behest of his own violent, abusive father Umath.
4 – Surprise Station	The Red Moon appears in the sky, journey will be easier if they learn to accept her sway over the currents and work with her tides.	They totally missed this opportunity. Dealing with Lunars would have been easier if they had.
5 – Open the Ocean>> Mythic Prize	Orlanth must best/tame/pact with ZF in his guise as a Blue Dragon to learn how to cross the ocean.	Porthor brokered the deal. Should any mundane ships take the journey west, they will be aided
6 – Island on the Edge of Oblivion	A quick replay of the Orlanth & Ernalda scene. In this quest, the leader passes through the mountain after choosing one of 4 paths, and prove his worth to Ernalda at an altar identical to the Pairing Stones.	Porthor selected a path marked with the rune of discord. Acting in the role of Orlanth, he was to take the hand of Ernalda, who bore a strange resemblance to Brygga Scissortongue. With the aid of Ty/Humakt’s enchanted sword, he defeated the representative of Authority, in this case a version of Javan Indagos bearing the ancient insignia of the Empire of the Wyrms’ Friends. On they went
7 – Surprise Station	Before heading back into the ocean and towards the West, the questers are ambushed by the clan’s traditional foes, scorpionmen	GM edited it out to meet time constraints

Reward: New Relationship & Knowledge
Zola Fel and Orlanth have a heretofore unknown mythical relationship. This means that their cults will have a real world relationship where none existed before. The knowledge: there is no way to simply “free” Orlanth and have him aid the besieged homeland. Here and now, through sacrifice at the Pairing Stones, the Orlanth worshippers can perpetuate the flooding of the Zola Fel and the bounty of the Valley of Cradles. But it is by the clan’s wyter — now operating with the power of a clan-sized guardian daimon — that such sacrifices are effected. What new gifts does this being offer? What is this being and how is it to be addressed? What role will it play in the oncoming Hero Wars? These questions remain to be answered.

Oh also: A new character, Grell, walked into the scene. He is a soldier attached to the royal army of Sartar, bringing bad tiding from Dragon Pass. The siege at Whitewall remains unbroken. Loyal to the dynasty, Brygga Scissortongue seeks advice and prophecy to pass on to the resistance at home. Grell outlines effective anti-cavalry techniques. Sif casts the runes and fortells that the seige will be broken at some point but at immense cost. Brygga makes Sif responsible for introducing Grell to his distant relatives in the Golden Arrows and to pass on her news: gather strength and prepare for action to aid the homeland. All those descended from the Orlanthi exiles are to gather under the banner of Starbrow, and to put proud independence (like the Golden Arrows) and fanatic violence (Tintalker) aside and follow the Garhound clan’s leadership in the campaign to renew the dynasty.

On the way back to Pavis, the two new friends run into harassment at the Western gate. A Lunar guard shakes them down, complaining how double duty — guarding the gates AND staying on high alert for challenges to the occupation — is grinding them down. Grell, a grizzled veteran, commiserates and wins them an invitation to a wild wrestling match at the Storm Bull temple.

Oh yeah, and while the quest is going on, a drizzle of catfish starts falling on the city.

Meanwhile, the cagey Stayn is negotiating with Sir Javan Indagos and Hetaera. They want his aid in setting up an ambush at Robcrade. The target? A giant’s crade coming, the first in centuries. The plot undergoes a strange delay when Sir Javan experiences a series of setbacks, undoubtedly the result of the questers’ actions. Stayn’s attempt to win Golden Arrow support for his ambush fails.

His plot to take over the clan is being stymied by the words of Grell and Sif.

Much fun.

Arc 2: Episode 4

Violence and the Sacred

Dawn of Earth Season – Bountiful Harvest Promised 1622

Brief overview

- Ty and Derenex the Handsome come face to face. The Lunar supporter questions Ty in relation to recent bandit badness. Ty accuses him of making stupid oaths to evil oppressors and they duel. Kleio interrupts them to make peace. Her interruption makes The Nameless One, she who was overseeing the duel, testy. Kleio departs with a scar on her back. The 2 duelists continue the fight outside. Ty breaks Derenex’s nose, but does not press charges.
PC: Ty, Derenex, Kleio
Setting: Humakti temple and environs
Colour: Red Moon Faction-connection
Clan Resource: Clan Peace — the fiction implied future trouble for the Golden Arrows, but our guest player chose to have Derenex call off the city constables and shield Ty and his clan from harassment related to the duel. So no penalties.
NPC: some new Storm-Bull guy called “Lak”, a Humakti woman called The Nameless One, Derenex the Handsome, Jor-Jar the Quick
Lore: Imperial proclamations

- Keio meddled as a way of paying off her debt to the Healer. Oreena White, priestess of the Healer, asked her to stop a fight. And she did. Priestess didn’t say nothing about starting no fight!
PC: Kleio
Setting: Chalana Arroy temple
Colour: Neutral Faction-connection
Clan Resource: None evoked
NPC: Oreena White
Lore: none

- Porthyr does not learn much about the Zola Fel’s inhabitants. But he does come up with a plan to journey into the otherworld and find out what sacrifices Orlanth requires to stay alive. He later gets the clan’s lame duck chief, Timo, to bless his journey.
PC: Porthyr
Setting: Zola Fel, Clan Hall
Colour: None really
Clan Resource: Clan Magic: fully committed to Porthyr’s venture to the otherworld
NPC: Timo, Tykella
Lore: None

- Stayn is hit by a HUGE call to contribute to new expenses at the Seven Mothers’ Temple. He coughs up the gold, and refuses to let Malovar Patroma pay it for him. The Lunar profiteer and carpetbagger invites Stayn to an interview at his palatial home. Over newtling tail and exotic brandy, Patroma tries to get Stayn to come clean about troubles in his clan. Stayn convinces him that his mother is still in charge, when the truth of the matter is that the old leaders are in the process of being replaced. The exchange becomes heated and, in a shock to Patroma (and the GM) Stayn pulls a knife and holds him hostage. At this point, Lunar priestess Hetaera steps from behind an arras and offers Stayn a way out: follow her to her patron Sir Javan Indagos. She was here at the behest of Patroma to witness how easily members of the Golden Arrow clan could be bent to his will. That wasn’t the lesson she learned.
PC: Stayn
Setting: The Seven Mothers Temple, Patroma’s town home
Colour: Patroma is a power in the Red Moon faction but there was no set up to suggest that this encounter was of great importance to his faction
Clan Resource: nah, just Stayn being Stayn
NPC: Malovar Patroma, Hetaera
Lore: None

- That pesky Oghma questions Gavial Latish about “Primal Violence”: his conviction is that Primal Violence was born out of darkness and that the secret of Tintalker’s new patron, Umath, lies there. Then that pesky Oghma sics the cops on the duellists, en route to an interview with GimGim the Grim.
There, he spreads word that the rebel Ty is making a play to take over the Golden Arrows AND that Stayn would be a more pliable figure. The two are interrupted by Patroma, calling for revenge. GimGim calms the terrified (and newly one-thumbed) man: Stayn will be of use to the Lunar cause, but will be tortured physically and spiritually at some later date to satisfy Patroma’s pride. Oghma works out that GimGim, with his obsessive references to redemption though suffering, must be a survivor of the Penitence Temples of the Danfive Xaron cult.
PC: Oghma
Setting: Imperial Headquarters
Colour: Nothing really factional
Clan Resource: X
NPC: Gim-Gim the Grim
Lore: none

Weird. Violent. I liked it. I hadn’t prepped much but the players were coming up with lots of good stuff.