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Chaosium Digest Volume 07 Number 03
Chaosium Digest Volume 7, Number 3
Date: Monday, August 15, 1994
Number: 1 of 2
Contents:
The Reluctant Bride, Part One (Shannon Appel) PENDRAGON
Editor's Note:
Fans of Elric! will be happy to know of _Herald of Doom_, the
newsletter of Elric roleplaying. It's published by Malcolm Wolter,
and I've heard that it looks excellent. Send queries or four dollars
for a sample to:
Pale Prince Publishing
2900 Rolido, #168
Houston, TX 77063
Also of note for French Elric! enthusiasts is the fact that the French
version of Elric! is now out, published by Oriflam. It's apparently a
nice-looking hardcover book.
Necronomicon Press recently uploaded two new files to the Cthulhu
section of the Chaosium archives (/pub/chaosium/cthulhu/necropress).
They are:
necronomicon ; info on the second edition of NecronomiCon, _the_
; Mythos convention
update94-2 ; an update to the 1994 Necronomicon Press catalog
See you all next week.
Shannon
Recent Sightings:
These are both French sightings, sent my way by Frederic Moll.
* Elric! - "Parole de Demon", a ten page scenerio allowing beginning
players to choose between Chaos, Law and the Balance, part one, Tatou
#19 [June/July, 1994]
* Hawkmoon - "L'exorcisme", a six page scenerio, Tatou #19 [June/July,
1994]
--------------------
From: Shannon Appel <appel@erzo.berkeley.edu>
Subject: The Reluctant Bride, Part One
System: Pendragon
Back in V3.5 of the Digest, Eric Rowe presented an article on "How to
Marry Up in Pendragon". Below is a new adventure, intended to help a
knight win a bride. It expands on some of the ideas presented in that
earlier article. I intended it as a short piece, and planned to
finish it yesterday, but somehow it ended up being the longest thing
I've ever written for the digest.
** THE ADVENTURE OF THE RELUCTANT BRIDE **
This adventure is set in 531, but could probably be moved to another
time period with little trouble.
INTRODUCTION
"Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Let it be known by all and sundry that the Lord
Rantelis, Banneret Knight of Logres, Vassal to Earl Robert of
Salisbury, has announced that his only child, the lady Felicity, most
beautiful woman in Salisbury, second only to Gwenever in all of
England, is now available for courting by any of the Knights of
Arthur. A great dowry has been offered, equal to all of the Lord
Rantelis' holdings, minus but a tithe which shall be given to the
church upon his death."
Such is the announcement made in the hall of the player knight's lord,
upon one fine Summer day. This announcement represents a tremendous
opportunity, for rarely does a banneret knight make his daughters
available for courting even by the landless, household knights.
The player knights will know that the Lord Rantelis controls some
dozens manors, including fiefs given out to four vassal knights. In
addition, his daughter is both quite lovely (APP: 24) and said to have
a beautiful voice. At once, several knights will set out to visit the
castle of Lord Rantelis. This will surely include any player knights
currently seeking a bride.
Before player knights leave, they may wish to try and learn more of
Lord Rantelis and the Lady Felicity [Intrigue. Success = the Lord
Rantelis will not allow his daughter to be wed unless a suitor is able
to complete three dangerous tasks. Critical = the Lady Felicity is
fiercely independent, and may not easily accept a husband decreed by
her father.]
THE JOURNEY TO THE CASTLE RANTELIS
As they travel along the road, the players will encounter several
other groups of knights, all heading in the same direction. Many are
from nearby locations in Logres, but some have travelled far. This
would be a perfect time to reintroduce old rivals or create new ones.
All of the knights are travelling to Castle Rantelis to try and seek
the hand of the Lady Felicity. By the time the group arrives at
Castle Rantelis, it will be some forty knights strong.
There will be a sense of comraderie between the knights as they travel
towards Castle Rantelis. Many times, they will burst into song [Sing.
Success = 10 Glory. Critical = 20 Glory, and many knights suggest
that the knight should try and win the Lady with his beautiful voice],
brag of their exploits [Orate. Success = 10 Glory. Critical = 20
Glory, and gain the respect of many of the knights present], and speak
of the latest gossip. If the players listen closely to what others
know of the lord Rantelis and the lady Felicity, they may learn
various rumors of interest [Intrigue. Success = player learns a
random rumor from the following random table (roll 1D8). Critical =
player learns a true rumor from the following table (roll 1D6)].
Rumors of the Lord Rantelis and the Lady Felicity
1. The Lord Rantelis will require three tasks of a suitor before
giving him the lady's hand. These tasks will be dangerous, and,
perhaps, deadly. (T)
2. An ancient family heirloom, The Blessed Cup of Health and Home,
was stolen from Castle Rantelis some thirty years ago. The Lord
desperately wishes it returned. (T)
3. A cunning wyrm terrorizes one of the lord's villages. He has
sent his knights out to find it many a time, but they have never
been able to locate the beast. (T)
4. Once, the Lady Felicity disappeared from her father's castle
for nearly a week. The Lord was about to declare war upon one
of his neighbors, the Lord Argun, who he was sure had stolen her
away, when she turned up, refusing to give any explanation for her
disappearance. (T)
5. Just a few miles east of the Lord's castle, there is a small
hill, covered with strange trees. It is an enchanted place that
the peasants all fear. (T)
6. The Lady Felicity and her father fight often. (T)
7. The Lord Rantelis really doesn't wish to give away his daughter.
He just wants some knights to accomplish some odious tasks for
him. (F)
8. The Lady Felicity already has a suitor, apparently one of the
most chivalrous of all the Round Table knights. Even if a knight
were to win the lady's hand from her father, he would still have to
contend with a knight of the round table before he could make the
lady his. (F)
Overall, the trip to the Castle Rantelis should be an enjoyable
interlude. Knights will be quick to apologize if they inadvertantly
give offense, and friendship will reign. When the troupe finally
arrives at the Castle, the players should know many of their fellow
knights, and probably have befriended a number of them.
ARRIVAL AT THE CASTLE RANTELIS
When the group arrives at the Castle, the scene will quickly become
chaotic. Once let through the gates of the lord's castle, the knights
will begin to mill around in an area too small for the pack of them.
Fights will break out between knights for space in the already crowded
stables [Horsemanship. Failure = the player is unable to find a place
to stable his horse. Perhaps he should challenge that other knight
who took away the space he was heading for. Success = the player
finds a place to stable his horse, but another knight challenges him
to a joust for the right. Critical = the player is able to find a
place to stable his horse without offending anyone else into
challenging him.] One of the players who finds himself a place in the
stables will be approached by a knight who is clearly his better. He
will demand that the player give up his space in the stable [check
Proud or Modest as appropriate]. Some knights may choose to be
devious, and steal a stable spot while the owner is off fighting a
joust for it [check Honest or Deceitful as appropriate].
As the knights mill around, argue and fight, they will inadvertantly
crush many of the gardens of the Castle Rantelis. Servants will run
madly about, trying to minimize the destruction. Some players may
choose to help them in this task [check Generous]. If so, they will
be able to convince some of the knights to move away from the tender
gardens with just a few simple words. Other knights will be
beligerant, however, and only move if challenged.
After chaos has ensued for a while, the Lord Rantelis will appear. A
quiet will quickly fall over the crowd and the Lord will speak:
"I must apologize for the insufficient accomodations, but I did not
expect nearly so many to arrive. Clearly word of my daughter's beauty
has spread wide."
"And word of your land", quietly interjects a knight near the players.
The lord continues, saying, "I bid you all welcome to my Great Hall,
where a tremendous feast is being prepared. Do not worry about your
horses. My servants will see to them, and I give you my word that
they will all be stabled appropriately."
The knights will all be escorted into the Lord's Great Hall. It is a
bit crowded, but room is found for all. Meanwhile, outside, a team of
carpenters goes quickly to work, making sure that accomodations exist
for all of the horses.
Seating at the feast is very carefully planned. The most Glorious
knights sit near to the Lord, while the less Glorious ones sit far
away. Only extremely Proud knights will be unhappy with the
arrangements. The Lady Felicity is notably absent from the
proceedings.
The meal is quite good, and the knights will quickly forget the
problems associated with their arrival at the Castle. By the time the
meal ends, much of the good-natured amiability of the group of knights
will be restored.
Players should be allowed to interact with the other knights during
the meal. Serving wenches may flirt. Lord Rantelis' household
knights may tell of the attitude or strange doings of the lady (see
THE LADY FELICITY'S SECRET, below). Knights may show their Courtesy
or Hospitality.
LORD RANTELIS SPEAKS OF THE QUESTS
At the end of the meal, Lord Rantelis will rise and speak to the
gathered knights:
"Good men, I know that you are all here gathered to try and win the
hand of my beautiful daughter, Felicity. I am eager to see her wed to
a good man, who may rule my lands well after I pass away. To ensure
that the man who weds my daughter is a true and trustworthy warrior, I
have set forth three tasks. He who can accomplish these tasks shall
have my daughter's hand.
"First, he must find and return The Blessed Cup of Health and Home,
stolen from my house over thirty years ago by a thief in the night.
It is a golden tankard, bearing the arms of my house upon the side,
and it always brought good luck and good sons to the line of
Rantelis.
"Second, he must slay the wyrm which terrorizes the village of
Angford, just to the North. It is a cunning creature, and none of my
knights have ever been able to find it. Yet, when the knights are
away, it eats peasant babies, devours their livestock and destroys
their crops.
"Third, he must raise the enchantment which lies upon the Cursed
Grove, to the East. Long, its shadow has loomed across my land, and
now, it may finally be removed!
"The Lady Felicity will be presented to you all in morning. Until
then, I wish you good night!"
When morning comes, several of the knights will already be gone,
having determined that the quests are too difficult, and that there
are easier dowries to be had elsewhere. However, the rest will be
saddling up, and preparing to head out.
At the gates stand the Lord Rantelis, the Lady Felicity, and several
men-at-arms. As each knight leaves, he will be presented in turn to
the Lady. She is as beautiful as the knights have heard, but she
shows no emotion as she meets the knights. She will nod her head
slightly at each of the the knights, and briefly answer their
questions if they have any (her voice is indeed lovely), but little
beyond that [At this time, players may generate a 1D6 or 2D6 Amor for
Lady Felicity if they wish].
Finally, the knights will be outside the castle, ready to confront the
quests that they have been given. The fellowship will split in all
different directions, as the players and their rivals try and
accomplish the different quests, each in their own fashion.
THE LADY FELICITY'S SECRET
However, things are never as they seem. The Lady Felicity has a dark
secret which she has never revealed to even her closest confidant.
The Lady does not wish to sit at home, minding the manor of her
husband, for the fire of chivalry burns bright in the Lady Felicity's
heart, and it can only be fed by acts of bravery and valor.
To the Lady Felicity, marriage would be a fate worse than the darkest
death, for it would forever crush her dreams of knighthood. Thus, she
has concocted a plan to ensure that no other may succeed at the quests
and claim her as their reward.
Shortly after the knights leave the Castle Rantelis, the Lady Felicity
will slip away. Donning armor, sword and a blank shield, she will
secretly ride forth, intending to accomplish the three tasks that her
father has set forth herself.
NOTES ON THE QUESTS
The notes given on the three quests are somewhat brief, since they
could each be a full adventure in their own right. All of the
following ideas will need to be expanded and modified to fit into your
individual campaign. However, the background is provided, and that
should be a decent starting point.
THE QUEST OF THE BLESSED CUP OF HEALTH AND HOME
The Blessed Cup of Health and Home is a large tankard, of the type
that one would drink ale or mead from. Emblazoned upon the side of
the cup are the arms of the Rantelis family, a golden Maltese cross
impaled. Long ago, a curse was placed upon the Blessed Cup of Health
and Home, that said that the Rantelis clan would fall if the Blessed
Cup ever left the Rantelis' hall. The Lord was frantic at first when
it was stolen, but eventually decided the curse was simply an old
wives' tale, for nothing dire happened to the family. However, since
the Blessed Cup was stolen, only women have been born to the Rantelis
line, and never shall another male child be born unless the Blessed
Cup is returned.
Thirty years ago, the cup was stolen by Sir Dustus, a vassal of Earl
Robert who controls a manor half a day to the Northeast. He is
vaguelly related to Lord Rantelis through a grandfather's aunt's third
cousin's brother, or something of the sort. When he began to despair
of ever having a child to pass on his lands to, he consulted with an
ancient hag. She told him of the Blessed Cup of Health and Home,
saying that it was an ancient talisman of fertility for his family.
She bid him steal it away, and he did. A son was born to his wife
nearly nine months to the day after his return. Although old and
decrepit, Sir Dustus still rules his fief. His son, Dustus the
Younger, has proven to be a bitter disappointment, more interested in
singing and playing the harp than fighting and horsemanship. The
Blessed Cup of Health and Home still sits upon the mantle in Sir
Dustus' hall.
The players' greatest challenge in The Quest of the Blessed Cup of
Health and Home will be in finding exactly what happened to the cup
and where to start the search. Here are a few ideas for how to get
things rolling:
* A seer, sage or witchwoman could tell the players to search for the
cup "in the glade where the giant kneels". This refers to a glade in
Sir Dustus' land where a particularly gnarled trees rests. It indeed
does look like a kneeling giant. Other strange prophecies would, of
course, work equally well.
* Knights could note the similarity between the arms of Sir Dustus and
Lord Rantelis. Sir Dustus' shield is quartered. In the first and
fourth sections lie a golden Maltese cross.
* A political rival of Sir Dustus could tell the players of seeing the
cup in Sir Dustus' hall. Of course, knights following up on such
information might inadvertantly find themselves in the middle of
political intrigue.
* Knights could speak with all of the acquaintances, scouring the
courts of the land until they find someone who knows of the cup. Such
a task would be time consuming, but ultimately successful, as Sir
Dustus has not tried to hide his stolen cup for decades.
With some work, the players will eventually find themself in Sir
Dustus' hall, the Blessed Cup of Health and Home before them. Sir
Dustus, of course, will refuse to give up the Cup, for he has been
told that his House will fall if he does. He will claim that it is
his and always has been, begging that his memory fails him in his old
age if knights insist that he has stolen it.
In the end, players are likely to choose one of three methods to
retrieve the Blessed Cup of Health and Home. They may steal it [grant
Deceitful checks as appropriate], they may call upon Lord Robert for
justice [grant Just checks as appropriate] or they may challenge Sir
Dustus for it. If Sir Dustus is challenged, he will fight the battle
on his own, despite the fact that he is old and tired. He will refuse
to fight for love.
Near the climax of the Quest, the Lady Felicity should appear.
Disguised by her knightly armor, none will recognise her. If asked
her name, she will simply state (in a very deep voice) that she is The
Unproven Knight. The Lady Felicity should be half a step ahead of the
players. They might see her heading towards the Castle of Sir Dustus,
or she might be confronting the steward of the castle about the
Blessed Cup of Health and Home when the players arrive.
However, the Lady Felicity will be abruptly called away at the last
moment, when a peasant woman begs the Lady to help her peasant son,
doomed to be executed by an unjust lord. The Lady Felicity will ride
off at once, and the players will thus be able to complete the Quest
of the Blessed Cup of Health and Home on their own [Lady Felicity is
granted a Merciful check, as are any players who might join her].
THE QUEST OF THE CUNNING WYRM
In the city of Angford, there dwells a vile wyrm. It is not great
beast, not the sort one would write legends of, nor does it belch
forth streams of fire or clouds of noxious gas. However, it is mighty
enough to scare the townsfolk, eating their livestock and destroying
their crops. And, more importantly, it is cunning enough to hide when
knights are nearby.
Getting to Angford should be easy enough, and the townspeople will be
more than happy tell their tales of the ferocious beast which
terrorizes their town. After talking with the townspeople, the
players should have no doubt that an awful beast does indeed lurk in
Angford. However, no matter how long they stay in the the town, the
creature will not appear.
In order to confront the cunning wyrm, the knights will need to
convince it that there are no knights about. First, they will have to
discover a way to drive the rivals out, for a half dozen of the
knights who came to seek the Lady Felicity's hand are lounging about,
waiting for the wyrm to appear. Alternatively, the players might be
able to wait the rivals, for they will become bored if the wyrm does
not attack within a few weeks. Then, the player knights will need to
find a way to hide their horses and armor, and disguise themselves, so
that the cunning wyrm will come out of hiding.
When it appears that there are no knights in the village, the cunning
wyrm will strike. Listening for screams in the knight, the players
should be able to corner and kill the beast with ease.
However, just as they close in on the beast, Lady Felicity will once
more appear, clad in her full armor, disguised as the Unproven Knight.
Well before the players, she realized that the wyrm hid from knights,
and she has been pretending to be a peasant in the village ever since.
For the entirity of the battle, Lady Felicity will fight at the
player's side, although the serpent will never attack her. It should
be obvious that she is a brave and doughty fughter.
When the battle is over, Lady Felicity will shake her head sadly.
Counting the player knight's numbers, and pointing towards their
wounds, she will say, "I can not take credit for completing this
quest, for there were many more of you, and you all bear the wounds of
the battle with this snake, while I am untouched. Take the beast's
head as your trophy. I shall not contest you in the court when you
claim it as your prize." If the player's try to share the quest
victory, the Lady will state "I know the Lord well, and he would not
allow two to share victory. If I were to claim credit as well, the
Lord would declare that none had won the quest, and create a new one
to take its place. We would both lose, and I could not do that to
you, for you fought bravely and valorously." Unless the players
insist that the Unproven Knight take all the credit for completing the
quest, Lady Felicity will leap upon her horse and ride quickly away
[acrueing a Generous check along the way. if the players insisted
that Lady Felicity take credit, they may have that Generous check
instead].
[The Adventure of the Reluctant Bride is continued in V7.4]
--------------------
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