This post is a sample character from Rubble Runners Vol 2 which can be found here .

Relic Hunter & Wildsage, Rune Priest of Lhankor Mhy Male, 43, From Nochet Resident in Pavis  

Clever, Intense, Creative. Lighthearted

Ristarl is a travelling Wildsage who has come to Pavis.  He believes the Rubble has opened now the Lunars have left and that there is opportunity from profit, knowledge, and fame. He seeks to exploit this opportunity with his wife and business partner Tarelis a follower of Issaries.

A charismatic man. He has ragged features, long hair and unkept beard. But what stands out about him is his restlessness, intensity, and personal energy. Both a trained sage and rugged adventurer he has told himself that this is his one last expedition before he settles down to a more subdued life. However, he is also aware has said that before.

A scholar and expert on the Empire of Wyrms Friends and is very keen to experience of the buildings, relics and artifacts of the EWF in which can be found in the Rubble.

The local Lhankor Myh priests and the sages at the Pavis temple are very frustrated at his presence, believing that he is encroaching within their territory. Neither will publicly act against him, but also neither see the need to make his stay in Pavis a comfortable experience.

He has developed a strange understanding of the world through an understanding of the dragon rune, he has become Left-handed in the process, but tries to hide it with strangers.

Has developed a way of using the find air spell to locate previous unfound rooms and chambers in ruins and complexes which is novel and has made him a good treasure seeker with the ability to find chambers previously undisturbed for centuries.

Characteristics

STR 11       CON  14    SIZ 12      INT 17     DEX 15 CHA 14     POW 18    

Hit Points: 14               Move: 8

DEX SR:  2                    SIZ SR: 2

Runes: Water 60%, Truth 95%, Harmony 67%, Man 78%, Dragon 24%

Rune Points: 8

Rune Spells:  Analyze Magic, Knowledge, Mind Read, Translate, Truespeak, Clever Tounge, Restore Health, Find Air

Traded Runespells: Path Watch, Lock

Spirit Magic: Farsee, Detect Magic, Detect Life, Detect Undead, Detect Trap, Extinguish, Fireblade, Befuddle, Demoralise

Magic Points:  43 (18 + 11 + 14)

Passions: Devotion Lhankor Mhy 87%, Loyalty Temple 69%, Hate Authority 68%

Reputation: 31%

Spirit Combat Damage: 1D6+1

Location	D20	AP/HP
Right Leg	1-4	6/5
Left Leg	5-8	6/5
Abdomen	9-11	5/5
Chest	12	5/6
Right Arm	13-15	6/4
Left Arm	16-18	6/4
Head	19-20	6/5

Weapon	%	Damage	SR	Pts
Klanth	77	1D10+1	6	12
Large Shield	72	1D6	7	24
Staff	56	1D8	5	10

Armor: Heavy Scale Hauberk, Plate Greaves & Vambraces, Closed Helm

Skills: Evaluate 67%, Cult Lore Lhankor Mhy 94%, Dodge 65%, Draconic Lore 78%, Homeland Lore Pavis 71%, Homeland Lore Esrolia 93%, Celestial Lore 38%, Read Write Esrolian 93%, Read Write Old Pavic 45%, Read/Write Auld Wyrmish 54%, Dodge 65%, Jump 74%, Charm 56%, Customs Esrolian 67%, Customs Pavis 54%, Library Use 54%, Insight Human 65%, Spirit Combat 65%, Listen 58%, Scan 63%, Search 89%,

Languages: Esrolian 87%, Tradetalk 48%, Heortling 67%, Old Pavic 46%, Auld Wyrmish23%

Magic Items: Large Iron shield, POW Storage Crystal 11pt

Treasures: 45L carried with him, Letters of Credit worth 2400L with the Issaries Temple, 650 L of jewelry.

Ransom: 800L from Tarelis or 1250 from Nochet Lhankor Mhy temple

Seeker –Allied Spirit,

INT:  15 POW:  14 CHA: 13

Spirit Magic: Heal 4, Shimmer 4

Associates & Contacts

• Tarelis – (Rubble Runners 2 pg 19) Is both his lover and his business partner. He loves her deeply but worries about the age difference and how much she will love him when he no longer turns her a healthy profit.

• Hoftakt IronBeard – A quiet polite, reserved, educated and discrete individual. Hoftakt makes the perfect bodyguard for man of Ristarls Tastes. An esrolian yelmalian warrior who never served with the Sun Dome Templars, has looked after his master’s safety for the last 7 years.

• Kalste the Beardless – This young man works as Ristarls apprentice and personal servant. Embarrassed by his inability grow a proper beard, he is forced to wear a leather beard like a female sage. He is a somewhat lazy and dishonest individual out to line his own pockets at his master’s expense.

• Kenyr Quickstep – A charming and pleasant young lady who Ristarl employs to gather information about the rubble from local bars, adventurers, and other miscreants. A native of Nochete she is finding Pavis more difficult to navigate than she expected.

• Broosta – Responsible for exploring, retrieving, and recording the history of the rubble for the Pavis and Lhankor Myh temples. She finds Ristarls presence an affront and will find a way to be offended and upset by anything that he does.

• Wind Whistler – A Yelm worshipping venerable Wyrm that hunts the Zola Fell Valley and vultures’ country. Ristral has conversed with him numerous times over the years, but now goes out of his way to meet with him every season.

Plot Hooks & Encounters

• The players are hired to guard Ristral on one of his rubble expeditions the rubble. pay is good but loot shares are poor.

• The players are hired by Taleris to protect Ristral from a similar group of hired thugs employed by rivals in either the Pavis or Lhankor Myh temple.

• Vega Goldbreath wants the players to find everything they can out about Ristral, as she sees him as a draconic threat.

• Vega Goldbreath wants Ristral kidnapped and taken to Sun County for questioning.

• Priest from either Pavis/Lhankor Myh temple want him Ristral to leave town. The players are hired to help him decide to leave. A similar group will be hired to protect him from the PC’s.

• Players are sold a scroll by Ristral, which outlines a long forgotten Heroquest that will give a Yelmalain worshipper a magical advantage over the draconic.
  
  It is a fake created to draw Vega Goldbreath into a vulnerable position, where Wind whistler can attack her.  It is believed with good reason that Vega will do all within he power to Gain access to the scroll, and she will attempt the ‘ritual’ at which point she will be vulnerable.
  
  If the players have been the source of the scroll for Vega they will be in the firing line whatever transpires.

Part 3 of the series of bringing he Balazar timeline up to 1625.

The aim was to create a citadel with a different flavour which was a religious dictatorship, with a capable religious king who had got so ill and paranoid he no longer knew friend or foe.

The old PC’s should be easy to spot but go with it, but I have hopefully stepped away from aren’t the old PC’s great vibe, and rewritten them as potential agent provocateurs, mentors, employers and antagonists to make other peoples games great.

So the 4th of this series will be the history of the Redrock clan.

1617

• Balazar as presented in the Griffin Mountain book
• Remnant of the Redrock  clan of  Votanki Tribesmen arrive in Dykene
• King Skilfuls Kamara son is kidnapped by Ghondol Holst
• Son is rescued by Redrock Tribe

1618

• Increased raiding by broos in Northern Dykene lands
• Redrock Tribe claim to have abated it by cleansing festering isle

1619

• Increase raiding by trolls in Bear Woods. Some clans leave traditional hunting grounds
• Many Griffin allies of King Skillful murder by Redrock clan. Redrock clan outlawed in Dykene lands and flee to Trilus

1620 

• Taklong Woodheart and the other priests move the main Yelmalio Temple in Balazar to Dykene
• Praxinia the kings concubines murdered by poisoning.
• Blueface’s death is reported amongst the clans, Dykene clans in mourning.
• A former apprentice  of Blueface, Namara starts to gain popularity in some southern Clans, is declared outlaw in Dykene lands

1621

• Great winter reaches southern Balazar, Many southern Dykene clans migrate north away from traditional hunting grounds.
• Dykene Citadel Warriors push into Dangerground to make it safer hunting territory
• King Skillfull holds tribal conclave traditional hunting grounds suspended, clan hunting rights expanded into Dangerground.
• Last visit of Joh Mith to Dykene.
• Slyvanthi Brighteyes , Priest of Yelmalio disappears.
• King of Imther pays Dykene to attack Trilus
• Highbridge standoff where forces of Trilus and Dykene faced off. Trilus agrees to pay Dykene tribute

1622 

• Worshippers of all Lightbringer cults are banned in Dykene
• Great winter, Dykene Clans continue to  Migrate North.
• Blueface the shaman reappears, in Dykene lands.

1623

• End of Great winter Dykene Clans revert to southern hunting grounds
• Death of Tayclon Woodheart his follower, Kararni Twelvespear, New High priest of Yelmalio
• King Skillful calls on all hunters to worship Yelmalio instead of Foundchild
• Lan of Redrock clan set up permanent camp and fortification at swim here, with Praxian Bison Riders and Orlanthi refugees from Pavis area. Start to patrol and pacify Dangerground area
• Zorack Zoran war parties raiding in Bear woods, Clans in Bear woods supported by Citadel Warriors and war parties from Swim Here at different times.

1624

• Dwarven Masons start to rebuild lower Bailey of Dykene
• Redrock war band travels to from Swim Here to Trilus and back through Dykene lands. More Lightbringers gather at Swim Here including Eucleua Stromfollower .
• King Skillfull sends large party of citadel warriors under Starnia to clear Redrock Clan from swim here. They met by mixed group of Orlanthi Warriors and Bison Riders. They retreat when realise they are outnumbered and would be overpowered.
• Starnia exiled from Dykene for Treason.
• Namara closes the Southwood to all but her followers, declaring the worshipping of foreign Gods(including Yelmalio and Balazar), use of metal , farming,  animal husbandry and sleeping in permanent building Taboo in Balazar. Kind Skillful puts price on her head
• Battle of Shamans,  Namara casts Blueface down and spiritually binds him.

1625

• 2 clans of Elmswood Hunters migrate to Dangergound area
• 2 Dykene dangerground clans start to seek protection Redrock Clan
• Dykene increases size of Citadel Guard significantly
• The Sundome temple at Ever-Victorious Glory agrees to exchange military aid to Dykene for 2 breeding pairs of Vrock Hawks
• King Skillfil taken ill, ruling from sickbed, aids will not call for Chalana Arroy healers from Trilus

Citadel of Dykene in 1625

• King Skillful is seriously ill.
• His son Karazar is just turned 17,a young a studious devout man, but no warrior or leader is not ready to rule in his stead.
• The Yelmalio cult is dominate within the citadel. High priest Kararni Twelvespear is one of the most powerful men in the tribe, especially in the citadel.
• The citadel is subdued and fearful, ruled over with a strict Yelmalio moral code, with some zealots and some highly resentful.
• Lower Bailey is still partially built, but the dwarves are making good progress

Tribe of Dykene in 1625

• The tribe is fractured
• With a larger group of very loyal Yelmalio worshipping clans, with high loyalty and are very supportive of the King and the priesthood.
• Most non Yelmalian tribes are slowly and subtlety becoming more distant from the citadel.
• A few  conservative south wood clans have moved to support Namara
• A handful of clans in the dangerground have started to support the Redrock clan

To Supplement the Elkoi timeline I published a few months ago. Here is a draft of Trilus timeline to bring us up to 1625.

The aim is to create a citadel with a very different feel to Elkoi. So Trilus is strong, prosperous, stable and well run. It makes a good place for a storyteller/ref/gm to base the players if they want them to have a safe stable base from which to explore the rest of Balazar.

Characters from Old campaigns start to make an appearance in this timeline now. I hope thy add flavour rather than dominate the background, enjoy and feel free to comment. This is a draft version so comments may get amalgamated into a final version.


1617

• Balazar as presented in the Griffin Mountain book
• Remnant of the Redrock  clan of  Votanki Tribesmen settle in Trilus and convert to Worship of Orlanth.

1618

• Rhegus Whitehair killed by Trilus by Redrock Clan stating he was tainted with chaos. Tensions rise between Trilius  and Elkoi and Lunar occupation forces as a result. Torath Manover speaks for the Redrock clan. However the most radical members Redrock clan leave the citadel for a number of seasons.
• Lunar patrols sent across Trilus lands. Yalaring ordered them left alone. One patrol is found slaughtered further increased tensions with Lunars.

1619

• Spring Season; – Raids on Lunar Convoys from Soldier Ferry, Elkoi & Trilus Elmwood Clans aided by Redrock Clan. Metal weapons and armour much more common in Trilus.
• Yalaring send delegation to Eryptus declaring had no part in the raid, and promises to apprehend the ringleaders.
• Dark Season – Redrock Clan claim to have discovered the Windsword in the Elder Wilds.  Retuning to a cold reception from most in Trilus.
• 3 Elmswood clans break away from Elkoi and pay allegiance to Trilus instead. King Yalaring forgets promise to apprehend ringleaders of Elmswood raids. Representatives from Eryptus and Glyptus politely received but ignored.

1620 

• Redrock Clan fight local clan and Lunar garrison at Tarshford. Most taken prisoner but later to escape, believed to have headed south into Dragon Pass.
• Blueface’s death is reported amongst the clans, Trilus clans in mourning.
• A former apprentice  of Blueface, Namara starts to gain popularity in some southern Clans

1621

• Great winter reaches southern Balazar, Many southern Trilus migrate north away from traditional hunting grounds. King Yalaring holds tribal conclave traditional hunting grounds suspended and hunting rights reassigned. Minor clan squabbles over hunting rights continue through the year.
• Last visit of Joh Mith to Trilus marked with extended stay throughout great winter.
• Tusk rider raid into Trilus Hunting grounds , met by Citadel warriors South of Split Hills and driven off back into Elkio territory
• Trilus clans hunt into Imther territory, Imther clans object and starts  the Imther war, which is a series of skirmishes running over 3 seasons.
• Elkoi citadel warriors raid southern Trilus clans as part of the Imther Trilus war, slaves taken and sold to the Lunar Empire.
• Citadel warriors and Orlanthi allies launch punitive raid into Elkoi lands, defeat Elkoi citadel warriors at the Battle of Burning Tree.
• Highbridge standoff where forces of Trilus and Dykene faced off. Matter resolved by an honour duel of champions on the bridge. Trilus won and the Dykene forces agreed to stay on their side of bridge.

1622 

• Great winter, Clans continue to  Migrate North.
• Truce with King of Imther. Imther agrees to pay Trilus tribute in metal goods, grains, textiles and exotic goats cheese for next 5 years
• Lunar sage and petty noble Quintas Von Ortlas buys and sets up residence in the former Red Bear inn. Re-establishing a permanent Lunar presence in Trilus.
• Blueface reappears, reportedly in Dykene lands
• Elkoi descends into Civil war. Trilus supports and continues to court the Elmswood clans.

1623

• Elmwoods clans raid citadel Elkoi supported by Orlanthi, Hunters from Trilus and maybe the odd citadel guard, defeating the Elkoi loyalist faction.
• Trilus allies driven out of Elkoi and back to their  traditional lands.
• Elements of Redock Clan re-appear in Trilus now as Windlords and Priests. Take residence in Lightbringers hall.
• Dushi Sone declares that Quintas Von Ortlas is under her protection.
• The shaman Namara leads many of the southern balazaring clans in rejecting the kings, the citadels, metalwork and foreign Gods. Declaring themselves Votanki not Balazarings
• Namara is outlawed in Trilus lands

1624

• Ongoing skirmishes between northern Elkoi clans and Elmswood clans. Elmswood clans have support from Trilus Orlanthi.
• Lan of the Redrock clan arrives a Trilus with escort of 20 Bison riders, is refused access. He leaves to the east with the Redrock clan already in Trilus and an a number of other Lightbingers heading towards Dykene.
• Namara closes the Southwood to all but her followers, declaring the worshipping of foreign Gods(including Yelmalio and Balazar), use of metal , farming,  animal husbandry and sleeping in permanent building Taboo in Balazar. King Yalaring puts price on Namaras head. 
• Battle of Shamans,  Namara casts Blueface down and spiritually binds him.

1625

• Peace made with Cyriels Elkio & Trade relations opened. Agreement that no retribution be made towards the Elmwood clans that changed allegiance. Agreement that Trilus would not seek to influence any remaining Elkoi clans to change allegiance.

Citadel of Trilus in 1625

• The citadel of Trilus stands strong, the pigs are still outside the walls, and Trilus outside the walls grows.
• Well run by King Yalaring looking to protect the Hunting clans
• Tradesmen have prospered under yalaring and now the citadel can boast a redsmith, weaver, potters, brew master, butchers, lamp maker, leatherworkers, boywer and fletcher.
• The rule of law stands and is mostly fair
• Lightbringers have a stronger permanent presence with many more local converts within the citadel than 1617
• Quintas Von Ortlas is a well respected and liked lunar presence within the citadel, with his own retinue, under the protection of both King Yalaring  & Dushi Sone.
• The Redrock clan though occasional allies are not welcome as permanent residents of Trilus
• The citadel is stable, prosperous and well run.

Tribe of Trilus in 1625

• Significantly  strongest tribe in Balazar gaining all of the Elmswood tribes and other tribes from Dykene and Elkoi
• 2 Southwood clans have renounced the tribe and are following Namara
• Tribal shamans are worried about the influence of Namara with local spirits
• Trilus is still receiving Tribute from Imther

Note; This review has be concluded by building one sprue, and extrapolating results from there. Also the review will be slanted to using these figures for Runequest and Glorantha RPG’s and war games.

Synopsis:

I just really love these figures and they have exceeded expectation in most departments. The design and build quality on them is outstanding. They have a great range of parts and some really neat design features.  

They complement my other plastic miniatures perfectly in terms of build and introducing new, interesting  and different components for my collection of parts.

What you get:

In each box you get 5 sprues, each with.

• 6 Irish warriors 2, with leather jerkins, 4 not armoured. 2 with trousers, 4 with skirts.
• 10 heads
• 6 large shields
• 9 small shields
• 3 decorative shields( 3 variants)
• 2 Cloaks
• 6 arms with spears
• 3 arms with swords
• 2 with shelleighs
• 4 more arms ( rock, sling, pointing & horn )
• Rams head standard
• 3 Assorted scabbards
• 2 Irish Wolf hounds

So in total that 10 Dogs, 30 Bodies, 90 shields, 50 heads, 10 cloaks, 75 right arms and more stuff as well.  Excellent value.

What I love about the box

• The quality of the sculpts and figures are excellent
• The miniature designs are interesting and dynamic
• A shoulder join  and full arm rather than an elbow join on the right arm means we have more variations of figures and better options for conversions imho.
• The sheer number of options is great for bits box, and as the designs are very different they add variation to parts I have available.
• The heads, I was worried about the heads when looked at photos of the sprue but in real life they are awesome on the figures, also very different to standard Victrix/Gripping beast fair, again adding great parts for future conversions
• Wolfhounds – What’s not to love about 10 plastic wolfhounds? I’ve been looking for dogs for my Balazarings for  ages, but haven’t been willing to pay metal prices for an add on, a perfect solution.
• Loads of shields all varied, nicely designed, even the Viking round shields are a nicer large size to make them non standard.
  • One beautifully designed round shield is a piece that would grace an hero figure.
• I always get unnaturally excited about cloaks for mini’s, but one  of the two design strikes me as the best I have seen yet on plastic miniatures.
• Great design feature that means the arms for clothed figures have a different attachment to those designed for naked torsos, so  it much harder to attach the wrong arms to the wrong mini ( not that I would ever be that stupid. )
• These miniatures can be readily modified by exchanging parts with Victrix, Gripping Beast and Fireforge miniatures.

What frustrates me

• Left arms as part of the body and thus locked in place means we have much more limited variations of figures that can be made. Thus from a full box of 5 spues, as a RPG player this worries me on how I can use all 30 effectively. However not a worry if you are a war gamer
• Delivery time on my full box , minis ordered online May 6th and still haven’t arrived on May 27th. ( review was written from working with one sprue purchased from ebay). Hopefully things will get better after initial surge post launch and after Covid stops messing with delivery.

Using them for Glorantha and Runequest

However envisioning these in Glorantha we have a few uses for these guys;

• The wolfhound are immediately useful for use with Balazarings and I feel the two figures with trousers also can be painted up to look right for that culture. I’m unsure on the skirted figures, but will try one or two painted to make it look leather not cloth.
• All of the figures will work very well for Orlanthi Fyrdmen and skirmishes but the lack of heavy armour suggest they would not make great figures for Orlanthi warriors.
• However with a relevant paint job these guys could look like bronze age street hoodlums from the wrong end of any town, or informal skirmishes and peasant militia from most areas of Glorantha.
• Useful versatile figures but I already have many that fulfill these roles ( except the dogs ).

Recommendations –

• Bought By the spru 9 out of 10,
• Bought By the box  8 out of 10

If you are using plastic miniatures for Runequest or any Glornathan RPG, buy at least a couple of sprues of these; good figures and the range of parts you get is well worth it.

If you want to put together an Orlanthi clan or warband, i’d recommend mixing a box of these with other figures ( Gripping Beast, Victrix & Fireforge ) to get a nice varied warband.

Note imagery is from Wargames Atlantic. I will add some shots of my less glorious attempts in a little while.