The Shrine of the Azure Goddess

From my Tuesday Night Group (playing Tekumel, of course).... 

Tsechelnu Flats swamp,
not far from Jakalla

 ...It was James, Dave, Tristan and myself, so we picked up with Tristan's original character, Shemek. Shemek has found a patron in the Temple of Karakan, Lady Visaya, a member of Prince Rereshqala's court. The noble lady had originally wanted to go on an Underworld expedition, and had hired Shemek for that purpose. However, a new mission arose: protect a recently discovered shrine to Lady Avanthe in the ruined city of Ngala. The lady sent along two bearer-slaves and two native guides, and Dave and James generated two new characters: a merchant-adventurer human from Mmatugual, and a Pygmy Folk sorcerer (Odd! But also the sort you might find at Rereshqala's court hoping for some mission or opportunity). The Temple of Sarku was sending a mission to "investigate" the new shrine, and that simply would not do.

Ngala city wall section

They set off on the 9th of Shapru (about 5-6 weeks behind the party in Bey Sy), taking two boats once they reached the far side of the Mssuma River estuary. Rowing through the hot, steamy mangrove swamps, the guides used a local plant to ward off predators and insects, by burning leaves in a smudgepot fire. They told Shemek that it was "good" to chew, and Shemek accepted some. After chewing it for awhile, he began to experience a deep sense of serenity and peace. Over time, this built into a seeming connection with all surrounding life. The female guide, Onne, sensing a kind of psychic change in Shemek, offered herself to him - but Shemek felt that that would not be appropriate right then. 

Ngala clanhouse courtyard

By the third day, the boats had reached a village centered around an old Engsvanyali watchtower, which was slowly sinking into the swamp. The guides went ashore with some gold to obtain information and safe passage. Shemek sensed there were 63 people in the village, and 2 of them were pregnant. Even though the surrounding jungle and swamp were teeming with life, the Pygmy Folk and Mmatuguali human noticed none of it was attacking their boats.


The misty - almost steamy - morning of the fifth day brought them closer to the ruins of Ngala. By this time, Shemek was sitting in a full lotus position in the boat, wearing little except a string of beads and his new, finely decorated steel sword over his back. As the boats were rowed cautiously through the swamp channels, the edges of old Bednalljan canal banks emerged. The faint sounds of axes thudding into wood reached the ears of the Pygmy Folk, while Shemek became aware of harm being done to the Life of the Swamp. Avoiding the troops clearing away jungle growth, the party reached the southwestern edge of the city, near to where they needed to be. The party chose a nearby half-ruined watchtower as their base of operations, as it afforded a view of the recently revealed entrance to the shrine, next to the original Bednalljan fortress. A large pack of Chnelh nearly 150 strong made it clear that they regarded the fortress and temple as their turf, and the Pygmy Folk used a spell of Calm to have them leave the party alone.

Ngala ruined temple entrance

That evening, during Shemek's watch, an elder of the Chnelh appeared out of the darkness, escorted by another four younger specimens, descending from the half-ruined roof of the tower.  Speaking in accented but clear Tsolyani, the elder communicated with Shemek - they, too, served the Azure Lady, and would follow Shemek's lead (even if he was human). We left it there.


Next week? We shall see how things develop.... 

Engsvanyali bas-relief

 (photos courtesy of Google search; their use here is purely for non-commercial purposes)

The Bag of (Sometimes) Holding

Writing up new magic items is fun; using them is a completely different story.  This one came out of a whimsical conversation with my significant others:

The Bag of (Sometimes) Holding:  This magical item appears identical to the usual Bag of Holding.  However, it's qualities are somewhat different - while it can hold at least as much as a Bag of Holding (it is apparently possible to put in even more), the Bag of (Sometimes) Holding is uncertain in its ability to keep everything inside.  Rather than rupturing, however, the Bag will simply open and the contents will erupt into whatever area the owner of the Bag is currently occupying.  Why this happens is unclear, though some careful research would reveal that items placed willy-nilly into the Bag, or overloading the Bag, tend to exacerbate the problem.  Referees should determine a percentage chance of the Bag letting loose, based on the quantity and variety of what's inside.  Then roll 1d12 to see how many turns before the eruption takes place.  In the meantime, you may wish to provide clue of the upcoming event.

For referees: the Bag may be played as a straight-up magic item of uncertain character, but it is suggested that you allow the bag to demonstrate signs of "indigestion" - occasional loud burps, the exterior of the Bag churning every now and again, minor rumbling sounds from within.  For full effect, you can have the Bag emit a contented belch after disgorging its contents, followed by a slight sigh.  Everything inside should be perfectly fine and unhurt.  Do not let player characters use rope or other means of attempting to keep gear separated within the bag - imagine what it might feel like to the Bag!

Fall Gaming Hoopla events

So I'm not able to attend Geek.kon 2011, which is something of a shame, but I am also pleased to report that my colleague Nix will be running some events there.  However, I will be at the Fall Gaming Hoopla in Janesville, on September 23rd-25th, running the following games:

RUNNING OUT OF AIR

SATURDAY, 10 am - 2 pm

You're on a lifeboat.  The ship you were on was shot up by pirates.  They seemed to come out of nowhere; was it an inside job?  Worse, you've just discovered you are venting atmosphere, there's no sign of rescue, and the nearest planet is across the star system.  Can you survive?  (Classic Traveller rules)

A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS

SATURDAY, 2 pm - 6 pm

Traveling with a merchant caravan in a faraway mountain kingdom, you hear rumors of a new discovery in a high mountain fastness, of strange items of the Ancients, gold coins with the faces of long-dead kings, and voices in the darkness.  But there are also legends of terrible guardians who can slay with a single strike; remember the old saying: "Sweet is the harbor - but Death is the ferryman." (Empire of the Petal Throne rules)

BACK INTO THE DUNGEON!

SUNDAY, 10 am - 4 pm

Grab that 10 foot pole and 50 feet of rope!  Have you got your weapons and armor?  Do you know where your spellbook is?  It's time to go back into the depths of the dungeon, kill things, and take their stuff.  This is a classic "dungeon crawl" using the Original D&D rules.

Leaving a Sense of Mystery...

One of the aspects of adventure gaming that I really enjoy is the sense of exploration and sometimes revelation you get when you discover something neat about the background setting.  It's probably one of the reasons I have been so deeply immersed in Tekumel, a world so complex and detailed that it is "...a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma: but perhaps there is a key."  (Okay, so this might also explain my fascination with Russia, but I maintain that's separate.)

I've been having fun with this as I've been working through a guide to Empire of the Petal Throne, over on the ODD74 Discussion Board.  But in the midst of all of this, I've been struck at how much some gamers want definitive answers to How Things Work.  I know I've shied away from this kind of thinking, as it often seems like a precursor to certain kinds of min-maxing and meta-gaming.  Yet I also understand how much it matters - that sense of discovery.  So there's a tension there.  From a refereeing perspective, how much do you reveal, and when? weighed against how many plot coupons do your players have to turn in to get to the end of the quest, right?

One aspect of Prof. Barker's genius in his creation of Tekumel is just how multi-layered the "truth" actually is, how much an answer to one mystery immediately begets another puzzle.  I know it drives some players nuts, but it's something I actually look for in a game - a world so intriguing that there is always something more, something unknown.  I don't pretend to have an answer (that would subvert the entire point of this post, right?), but I do think that the search for the "truth" is chimerical at best - I mean, what would you do if you discovered it all?

The Seal Emperor wants YOU!

I'm getting into the groove of making Tekumel better known.  I'm interested in doing something with ConstantCon 2011 - more details on that as it develops.  There is more room in my text-based game, which I am just re-starting on the ODD74 Discussion Board.  Drop me a note if you might be interested in either of these.

An Appeal to the Internet Fount of Wisdom

Back in the late '70's and into the '80's there was a series of D&D ads that appeared in comic books and elsewhere.  I never paid much attention to them, but I know they were part of what got people into the hobby.  Now, however, I find myself curious about the ads and the characters depicted - for some reason, I associated them with Holmes and possibly Moldvay Basic - but I've been unable to find them on a quick Google-search, which is frustrating.  I know about the ads with Grimblade, Saren, Indel and Valerius, but I clearly remember a different set of characters in a different set of ads.  Can the internet Fount of Wisdom help me out here?

An embarrassment of riches

Between now and the end of the year, I have the following opportunities to introduce Old School Goodness to people - just in Wiscowsin or nearby:

• Geek.kon - September 9th-11th
• Fall Gaming Hoopla - September 23rd-25th
• Oshkon 2011 - October 15th-16th
• Rock-Con 2011 - November 4th-6th

And that's not counting the monthly Madison Traditional Gaming get-togethers on the 3rd Saturday of each month.  I think I ought to take it easy on myself when putting together the one-shot adventures for these cons - it's going to get busy!