Authors Note
These adventures are never quite as sequential or direct as written, so I would suggest reading the scenario as written, taking the flavour and letting the players attack the plot in the order of their own choosing, ( or more likely to get distracted and do something else).
I have created plot, setting, characters and storyline here. I leave many of the stats open so it can be played with whatever Gloranthan system takes your fancy, but has been created with RQG in mind so key stats will be provided for that system.
I’ve set it in Swaton next to Apple Lane, but location could be moved to any small village in Sartar. The scenario will be in 4 posts all of which will be made over the next week. All character writes up and stats will be in part 4
The adventure is not one that should test the characters combat abilities, but social, discernment, spirit combat and magical powers should be to the fore.
Backstory
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
27 years ago Garanth Oakfriend married for love, Aresta Landottir though a well disposed and pretty girl was an orphan from one of the less significant bloodlines in the Hiording clan, he was a prominent young man from the clan chieftains family. His family was not keen but the couple were smitten and all seemed good.
12 years later the couple were still childless, Garanth put aside Aresta to take up a new younger prettier, more fertile wife from a well-connected family. Aresta was given a cottars holding on clans lands, but no one was surprised when she slipped away and out of the clan lands. Alone, spurned and shamed she had little to stay for.
In the intervening years’ things went on as if Aresta had never existed, Garanth and Kendrella are happily married but never had children, the clan has neither prospered of suffered more so than any other through recent upheavals and troubles.
But it now Aresta has returned and she seeks retribution. She has been slowly twisted in bitterness and regret towards the whole clan which she blames, and has come back as a disease mistress of Malia, to wreak havoc on the community and people that spurned her.
She is well aware of the ways and personalities in the clan, as well as her vulnerability in direct conflict, so she has come up with a way of infecting the clan and delivering a little payback with little personal risk to herself.
Authors Note: It is very possible that the ruthlessly efficient players will never find out the who or why here. The threat can be dealt with no understanding why. However, Garanth and Kendrella always did have a sense of guilt in how Ernala was treated, which will turn into a sense of shame and self-blame if details become apparent.
A Roadside Confrontation –The Gottirs Brothers
If you characters are based in Apple Lane we can move this encounters into apple lane itself, as it would work easier.
The party is travelling on the in Hiording lands on the road towards Swaton. The party hear a female scream from the next bend around the road.
As they move towards it 3 young fit aggressive men The Gottir brothers local Stormbullites ) standing over a bloodied girl on her knees, an older peddler lies on the floor in a pool of blood his wares scattered about him.
The older man is unconscious, with a badly bruised face and three broken ribs. The warriors are demanding the girls tells them where the “Chaos Witch” she serves is? The Girl is obviously has been struck more than once and is terrified and is claiming to know nothing. The warriors are three Stormbull worshipping brothers, from the village of Swaton. Hopefully, the player characters will intervene ( if not it will be a short nights gaming.
When questioned The Gottir brothers claim, the couple have been spreading chaos diseases within the area and must be the service of a Chaos Witch to do so. The two older brothers seem keen to kill both of these accused chaos cultists on the spot, the younger seems to be pushing to spare them to investigate and catch the chaos witch.
The brothers claim to have had a vision from Stormbull that the disease attacking the comes from a chaos witch, and this pair must be her servants.
If the girl is questioned she will state her name is Entale and the figure on the floor Taralor. She will claim that they are merely peddlers selling everyday items as well as herbs, medicines and charms of protection. After sickness broke out in the village the brothers started to blame them so they then left. She also claims the accusation is because she turned town the younger brother at the tavern two nights ago.
This will be met by laughs and a couple of uncouth comments from the older brothers and a red blushed faced from there ‘Virgin Little Brother’, before saying it doesn’t matter as they can tell these two are ‘Servants of Chaos’.
The brothers can be threatened, cajoled, persuaded or bribed into not killing the couple on the road, but insist that they must be taken to the village of Swaton to face the village elders. The brothers a will refuse to pick up the items, touch them or heal or aid either of the accused. The older man Taralor has been badly beaten and will need successful first aid or travel to allow him to travel. Entale will use her magic to heal him if the players can convince the brothers to let her do so.
If attacked the brothers will fight till they think they can’t win. If it seems obvious that they are outclassed Broamast will fight a rearguard action and allow his brothers to run. However, the brothers have an inflated view of the own abilities seeing themselves as Bullsmen and warriors when their capabilities are those of yokel bullies.
Players examining the wears spread over the floor will find a mix of small bronze utensils, dried healing herbs, useless ointments and potions, a number of useless charms, but three of the charms contain disease spirits(Soul Waste) containing spirits are in forms sacred to Malia, which wearing them will release spirit to attack the wearer.
Powerful magic, special roles on treat disease or very specialist knowledge skills will be needed to determine the nature of the items.
Authors Note: Playing this scene initially with a hint of the ‘She’s a Witch’ scene from Holy Grail would give the scene a sense of the ridiculous, which will then juxtapose very strongly with the very real threat that becomes apparent through the conversations.
More to come in part 2…..
