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Chaosium Digest Volume 13 Number 12
Chaosium Digest Volume 13, Number 12
Date: Sunday, April 7, 1996
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
The Adventure of Uther's Burial (Shannon Appel) PENDRAGON
Herbs for Nephilim (Rick Festa) NEPHILIM
Editor's Note:
This time around, an article on Nephilim herbs, some of which
originally appeared over on the Nephilim ML, and also a Pendragon
adventure from my own campaign.
Except for a few articles from the Nephilim ML which I want to reprint
here, this clears out the current queue. So, send those new articles
this week. Call of Cthulhu and Elric! articles have been light in
recent weeks, so those are especially welcome.
Shannon
(FRENCH) MAGAZING SIGHTINGS:
Thanks to Frederic Moll.
* Elric! - "Le Coffre Sculpte", a four page scenario, Casus Belli #93
[April, 1996]
* Nephilim (French) - "Les Chemins de l'Anti-Terre", a four page
scenerio, Casus Belli #93 [April, 1996]
--------------------
From: Shannon Appel <appel@erzo.org>
Subject: The Adventure of Uther's Burial
System: Pendragon
This adventure, set in the year 495, assumes characters come from the
Cambrian land described in "The Talgarth Campaign" V13.7. It can
easilly be adapted to any other less civilized Kingdom, while the
seeds of the adventure may be used in many other campaigns.
The majority of this adventure simply involves travel. It is intended
primarily to introduce characters to the setting and the Pendragon
rulesystem.
THE ADVENTURE OF UTHER'S BURIAL
[Copyright 1996, Shannon Appel]
Year: 495
Setting: Talgarth to London, and Back
HUNT!
As with all Pendragon campaigns, this one begins with a Hunt. It is
April 17th, a Wednesday, and the hills of Cambria have finally warmed
enough for people to venture forth from their hill forts and maenors.
The young players have set out from Brecon looking for game. As the
game opens, they have come across the track of a Boar, which clearly
lies very near.
Stress to the players how dangerous a wild boar can be. It is likely
that they have never faced such a fearsome beast alone before. Players
may be awarded [Prudent] checks if they elect to avoid the Boar. If
this is the case, have them pick up the trail of a Fallow Deer
[Pendragon pg. 341], Avoidance 18, a short time later.
Let the players break up into as many groups as they wish. The leader
of each group should make a Hunting roll on the HUNT VERSUS AVOIDANCE
RESULTS TABLE (Pendragon pg. 306), opposed to the Boar's avoidance of
10. Remember that Cambrian natives get a +5 to their Hunting, and
that all players get a -3 due to the Hilly Terrain (thus natives have
a sum of +2, foreigners a -3).
Once the boar is located, begin combat with it as usual, using the
stats on Pendragon pg. 340. Remember that players must make an
unmodified Valorous roll to face the beast. After each round of
combat, allow uninvolved hunters to roll Hunting. Since the Boar is no
longer avoiding, they only need make a normal Success to burst into
the clearing where the combat is occuring.
Glory: +5 to the hunter for found the boar, +10 to the warrior who
slew it.
THE RETURN HOME & TIDINGS
The players may be a bit disappointed when they return home, for
despite any trophy or wounds that they might bear, it is clear that
everyone is interested in something else. [Proud] checks may be
appropriate depending on how much the players flaunt their kill.
[Intrigue. Success = Sawel (a local warrior who went to fight the
Saxons with High King Uther) has returned. Critical = Sawel has
brought word that High King Uther is dead.]
If the players do not seek Chief Cadfael out on their own, he will
shortly summon them. He is talking with Sawel, a Talgarth warrior who
left two years ago to join High King Uther's army to fight the Saxon
rebellion.
When Cadfael sees the players, he will bid them sit down, and tell
them of what he has recently learned:
"I am glad that are returned. I am afraid that Sawel brings ill
tidings. As you know, he has been in the British kingdom, helping
High King Uther fight against the Saxons. Just a few weeks ago,
Uther finally won a decisive victory, in the town of Saint Albans,
near London. The Saxon forces were shattered.
"But, the Saxons are dishonorable folks, unable to accept a honest
defeat. That night, one of their spies snuck into the victory
feast, and poisoned Uther's wine. The High King is Dead."
Allow the players to express their shock. Those that come from
Talgarth will probably be as upset with the misuse of the wine as they
are with the High King's death. When order has returned, Cadfael will
make a request of the players:
"The High King Uther was not our Lord, but he was a valiant man
who fought against the invading savages. He is to be buried on May
the First, and I would like you, my first son and his friends, to
go to London for the funeral, to represent Talgarth."
THE TRIP TO LONDON
All told, the trip from Brecon to London should take 11 days (see
TRAVEL TIMES IN THIS ADVENTURE, below). Noted here are the Highlights
of the trip.
Llangorse Lake (Day 1)
It is a tradition among the Talgarth to divine at Llangorse Lake
before setting out on any great journey. When the players arrive, they
will find the Lady of the Lake, puttering about, as usual. Today, the
lake is thankfully dark blue.
The Lady of the Lake is studied in Divination, and Llangorse Lake is a
place that aids her in that art. When she speaks with the players, she
will agree to divine for them provided that they gather some simple
herbs for her. She is specifically looking for Fly Agaric, a type of
mushroom.
[Hunting at -5. Critical = You find a patch of 1d20 Fly Agaric.
Success = You find one Fly Agaric. Fumble = You find a poisonous
mushroom that you think is Fly Agaric.]
Each Hunting roll represents half a day of searching. It may be
appropriate to award [Generous] or [Selfish] checks depending on how
hard the players work to find the Lady mushrooms.
If the players have at least tried, the Lady of the Lake will divinate
for them. Looking into the water she will say: "I see bleak times
ahead. The ancient roads crack and fade away. Invaders surge over the
land, and there is no King to drive them away. Two dragons war, and it
is the Saxons who are victorious. Everything falls apart, in Britain
and at home. The peace is gone, and there is only war."
After such a dire reading, the players will likely be reluctant to
continue forward on their journey.
The Roman Road (Day 6)
On the morning of the sixth day, the players will set forth on the
ancient Roman road that leads out of Cirencester. This should be a
sign of civilization and security to them. Though Cambria is home, it
is a rough-and-tumble place. Now that they are upon the Roman Road,
they are under the protection of the High King, and utterly safe.
Or so things were under Uther.
Ambush! (Day 7)
Riding along the road, the players will see a knight ahead. He waves
happily in greeting.
[Heraldry. Failure = Appears to be one of Uther's knights. Success =
You recognise the knight as Sir Ulprus, who is said to be a coward and
a traitor.]
If the players learn this information, but continue forward, they will
gain [Trusting] checks. [Suspicious] characters may scan the nearby
woods.
[Awareness. Success = A number of men are hiding in the woods.
Critical = There are 3 men hiding in the woods with bows drawn.]
When the players get near, Sir Ulprus will approach the leader with a
smile on his face, and then suddenly attack him. At the same time,
three bandits will fire bows, leap forth from the woods, and attack.
Their goal is to subdue the players, and then take the leader captive,
and hold him for ransom.
Use Ordinary Knight stats for Sir Ulprus (Pendragon pg. 329), but
replace his armor with normal chain (10 pt) and Bandit stats
(Pendragon pg. 330) for the others, but replace Light Crossbow with a
normal Bow (3d6), and Great Spear with a normal Spear.
The bandits are all cowards. Each must make a Valorous roll to avoid
fleeing whenever another bandit goes down. If Sir Ulprus goes down,
they will automatically flee.
This fight will show the players that the Roman roads are no longer
safe, since Uther's death.
Glory: +50 for defeating knight; +10 per bandit
More Bandits (Day 10)
Just a day and a half out of London, the players will meet another
group of 3 skulking bandits. They seem to size up the players when
they see them, but unless they're badly wounded, the bandits won't try
anything. The bandits will look very definitely guilty and up to no
good, but it would be quite [Arbitrary] for the players to do anything
without provocation.
If the players do fight the bandits, use the modified stats from
Pendragon pg. 330, as per the previous encounter.
Glory: +10 per bandit defeated
London! (Day 11)
Finally, the players will arrive in London. Point out the grandeur of
the city to them, so different from the maenors of home. It is clear
that London is bustling with activity, and that many people have come
to see the High King buried.
THE STAY IN LONDON
The players will probably arrive in London a few days before the
funeral, and stay until the feast on the night of May First.
Visiting London
While waiting around in London, players will probably want to enjoy
the town. Possible actions include: shopping (Pendragon pg. 242-243),
carousing ([Indulgent] rolls), womanizing ([Lustful] rolls),
sightseeing, etc.
You may use the following random encounter table to further complicate
player's lives:
RANDOM LONDON ENCOUNTER TABLE
1. Sir Avitus, a [Cruel] knight who has upheld the law in London
since Uther's death, strikes up a conversation with a player.
He will be interested in word of lawlessness on the High King's
roads, and will be quite friendly with anyone who captured or
slew Sir Ulprus, the Robber Knight.
2. You encounter Prince Pellinore, a young Knight from the Isles.
[Use Young Knight stats (Pendragon pg. 329), with the traits:
Lustful 16, Modest 16 and Valorous 16.] Pellinore is not yet
King of the Isles, and will be quite Modest about his Princely
status. He will be quite friendly with the characters, since
they hail from so near his homeland.
3. You meet Decmia, a young woman (APP 16) who loves stories of
warriors [Chaste/Lustful]. If Decmia forms a relationship with
a player, she will try and hold on to him. Unfortunately, she
has no status and no dowry.
4. You encounter Young King Lot of Orkney [Proud 16, Reckless 16,
Indulgent 16]. Players may not immediately recognize Lot as a
King, and thus could inadvertantly insult him. He is quite
proud, and will want little to do with the players.
5. A young rake purposefully insults a player. He is trying to
draw them into a fight, so that he can kill them and take their
weapons and armor [Prudent/Reckless. Use Notable Knight stats
(Pendragon pg. 329), except the rake has no horse and only
Leather (4 pt) armor]. If the player defeats the rake, they
will be justified in taking the 1L in coins he carries.
6. Sir Galerus, a Knight of King Uther, will bring attention to
a player, calling him a "Primitive". He doesn't particular
intend to start a fight, but he doesn't like have Cambrians
around. [Proud/Modest. If a fight does start, Sir Galerus is a
Notable Knight (Pendragon pg. 329) with Chain (10 pt).]
The Funeral for High King Uther
Finally, May 1st will arrive, and the time will come for High King
Uther to be put to rest. The ceremony before Uther is buried at Saint
Paul's Cathedral is grand one. Due to their low status, the players
will be relegated to the far back of the crowds at Saint Paul's.
[Proud] players may push their way forward. The ceremony is conducted
by Archbishop Dubricus, though Merlin is close at hand. This will
probably be the first time that the players see either of these
notables.
During the burial ceremony, players may run into friends or enemies
they have met earlier in London. Use these encounters to spice things
up a bit.
As the ceremony draws to a close, Dubricus will say the following:
"Though the High King left us no heir of his own body, he did
leave us an heir of his heart and mind: the Kingdom of Britain. If
we keep alive that child, nurturing it carefully, then Uther's
sacrifice will have been worthwhile.
"The Supreme Colligium has found no man fit to be High King, and
thus a Council of Regents has been elected. There are four: Bishop
Baudwin, Duke Corneus, Duke Ulfius and Duke Cador. I swear to you
on God that we will keep Uther's dream alive until there is a new
King of All Britain."
At that moment, there is a flash of light from outside. Players who
have not pushed to the front of the crowd will be the first to see the
block of red marble, the anvil atop it, and the sword thrust through
the twain. If they can [Read Latin] they will be the first to read the
words "Whoso pulleth out this sword from the stone and anvil is
rightwise born King of all Britain".
Glory: +10 for attending the funeral of High King Uther; +10 for
attempting to pull the Sword from the Stone and Anvil.
The Great Feast
Following the surprising events at the Funeral of Uther, a great feast
will be held. As usual, the players will be seated at low tables, but
they will still find the foot quite delicious. The air is one of
Indulence and frivolity. It is just the way Uther would have liked it.
Use the FEAST EVENTS TABLE (Knights Adventurous pg. 114). Also, you
may wish to let the characters run into allies and enemies that
they've gained one more time before leaving London.
Glory: notable skill use at the Feast will gain glory.
THE RETURN HOME
Finally, the time will have come to head home. If the players became
friends with Prince Pellinore during their visit, he will ask to
journey with them as far as Cirencester, before he departs Northwards,
heading for the Isles.
With all the warriors travelling to London and back for Uther's
funeral, the roads have grown quieter, and there should be no problems
on the way home. However, feel free to use encounters as per "Getting
About" (_Blood & Lust_ pg. 15-16).
MORE TIDINGS
The rest of 495 should be relatively uneventful. Word will come later
in the year that Saxons have invaded Hampshire, but it is unlikely
that Cambrian players will wish to fight against this incursion. When
winter comes, things will look bad for the British Kingdom, as it
faces foes on all sides.
Glory: +20 for each player who paid Talgarth's respects at the funeral
of Uther.
TALGARTH NPC STATS
Sawel
A tall and robust warrior, Sawel is one of Cadfael's favorite and most
trusted men. Bored by the relative peace of Cambria, Sawel left two
years ago to help High King Uther fight against the Saxons.
Glory 1274
SIZ 17 Move 2 Major Wound 15
DEX 11 Dam 5D6 Unconscious 8
STR 13 Heal 3 Knock Down 17
CON 15 HP 32 Armor 6 (+shield)
APP 7
Combat Skills: Spear 19, Battle 15, Horsemanship 18
Significant Traits: Energetic 18, Valorous 18
Significant Skills: Faerie Lore 10, Hunting 19
Horse: A dun Celtic pony who is unpleasant around everyone but Sawel,
Damage 3D6, Move 5, CON 16
The Lady of the Lake
An old gnarled crone, the Lady of the Lake is the oldest living person
in Talgarth. She is skilled with prophecy, and uses the properties of
the lake to help her look into the future.
SIZ 7 Move 2 Major Wound 6
DEX 10 Dam 2D6 Unconscious 3
STR 6 Heal 1 Knock Down 7
CON 6 HP 13 Armor 0
APP 5
Significant Traits: Pious 17, Trusting 16
Talents: Divination 20
Significant Skills: Chirurgy 21, First Aid 21
Horse: A ancient chestnut Celtic pony who loves children, Damage 3D6,
Move 5, CON 16
TRAVEL TIMES IN THIS ADVENTURE
Brecon to Aberyavenny - 1 day
Abervenny to Carlion-on-Usk - 1 day
Carlion-on-Usk to Gloucester - 2 days
Gloucester to Cirencester - 1 day
Cirencester to Wandborough - 1 day
Wandborough to Donnington - 1+ day
Donnington to Silcester - 1 day
Silcester to Staines - 1+ day
Staines to London - 2 days
Total - 11 days
--------------------
From: <Synclin@aol.com>
Subject: Herbs for Nephilim
System: Nephilim
In this article, I will detail a few commonly used herbs for Nephilim.
I should also note that you should get the GM Veil if you do not have
it yet. It has a good list of poisons and effects. There are a few
problems with it, most notably the entry about "Amanitia". The common
edible table mushroom is in the genus Amanitia (A.bruncesens). I
assume Chaosium meant the Death Cap (A.phalloides) or maybe the
Destroying Angel (A.virosa). Amanitas cause about 90% of all mushroom
deaths. The initial symptoms the GM Veil gives is not what kills you.
The poisons in the mushroom wipe out your liver, and frequently,
patients survive the initial symptoms and appear to recover fully.
They get sent home by some poor first-year intern, and then they keel
over and die at home without warning after about two or three days
from end-stage liver failure.
There are two other Amanitias worth mentioning. Notes on them, as well
as several other interesting herbs, are included below.
The Fly Agaric
The FLY AGARIC (A. muscaria) is a very powerful hallucenigenic, which
common people everywhere think is a poison. It has been used by
numerous cults throughout history, from the Taoist Alchemists to the
Hindu Kush, to the Egyptians (raven's bread), to the Greeks. Several
Alaskan indian tribes still consume the plant. It can be smoked with
tobacco, brewed, or eaten. It produces sexual arousal, clairvoyant
visions, resistance to pain, and sensations of flying. One strange
aspect of the mushroom is that its active ingredient, ibutenic acid,
is processed by the body of the user into the final form, muscimol.
Thus, it is intensified by the person consuming it, and then excreted
in the urine. So, drinking a user's urine was the strongest way to use
the drug, and an accepted way of sharing this limited resource.
In game terms, this herb raises hit points by 20 - 50% for perhaps
three hours. It causes a strong sense of bilocation, which drops Scan
and Scrutinize rolls by say, 45%, and it increases Ka sense rolls
somewhat, maybe +30%. If you want to allow ESP, it would allow maybe
10 minutes of clairvoyance. It was widely believed to allow divinatory
visions, but this would require GM's input.
The Panther
Another Amanita is the PANTHER (A. pantherina). It was not widely used
in herbalism or magic, but causes delirium, raving, and a coma-like
deep sleep. It is thought that some of the Indian warrior cults of
North America may have used it to produce a resistance to pain and
even berserker rages.
In game terms, this herb also raises hp by 20 - 50% for four to six
hours, and heightens reflexes (Agility) by a similar amount.
Unfortunately, it reduces the intelligence (Idea) and language ability
(Persuade) of the user by 40%. Primary after effects include the
mentioned coma-like deep sleep, and the mother of all hangovers.
Balche Bark
The bark of the BALCHE' tree (L. violaceus) was used in numerous
rituals by the Maya, Lacandon, and Pokomchi peoples, who held it
sacred. It is often brewed with honey water (which makes it a kind of
mead). A large number of other herbs are often added to it, including
Tobacco, Water Lilly (Nymphaea ampla or Nuphar luteum.), Thornapple
(Datura spp.), spices (cocoa, vanilla, frangipani), toads (Bufo
marinus and other spp.), and tree frogs (Dendrobates spp.). The choice
of additional ingredients alters the effects substantially. Effects
last eight to ten hours. The actual herbal beer contains 1-5% EtOH,
and produces an intoxication similar to that of beer or other
alcohols, with additional euphoric effects as well as other effects
from the additional dissolved herbs. The ancient Maya practiced a
ritual in which balche' was administered rectally. The Lacandon drink
it in all-night bouts with thornapple (up to 17 liters in a period of
two or three hours) that induce visions of the normally invisible
domains. Balche' heightens perception, relaxes the muscles, empties
the bowels and induces laughter. If large amounts of fresh bark are
used, it acts as a mild psychedelic.
In game terms Balche' has a wide set of possible effects. It gives the
user every appearance of being seriously drunk (reduce HP by 10%, Idea
and Resist by 20%). However, it also counteracts most poisons due to
its purgative effects, increases Ka vision, Scrutinize, and Scan rolls
in normal humans by 30%, and aids any medical roll by 30%, by easing
pain and patient distress. Excessive use (which is hard to do
according to the literature) causes loss of bowel control for several
days, dehydration, and loss of drive.
If Toads or Frogs were added, the user will experience heightened
awareness of past lives (+50% to all rolls) and possibly gain
knowledge which was forgotten or never even learned, but the player
will have difficulty focusing on the present. Excessive use causes
loss of contact with the present, or severe psycosis.
If Water Lily was used, the user is considered to be protected from
all forms of witchcraft and spirit presences, as well as acting as an
aid to seeing such spirit presences.This may require a lot of GM
interaction to play well. Excessive use causes respiratory paralysis.
If spices were used, it tastes better.
Betel Nut
Betel Nut (Areca catechu) is one of the most popular drugs in the
world, although few westerners have heard of it. Commonly called
"supari" by the Hindus, and "ping lang" by the Chinese, it is a
powerful CNS stimulant that aids physical labor and affects time
perception. It is commonly mashed and mixed with lime for consumption,
although the Malayans add nutmag, cardamon, or tumeric to flavor it.
In India, it is commonly sold on the streets (without government
control) as candy. Arecoline, the prime ingredient of the plant, is in
the same group of compounds as muscarine, and thus shares some of the
effects of consuming Fly Agaric. In Asia, the herb is commonly used as
a means of intensifying journeys and ceremonial labors, but its
attention-altering effects kill users with poor judgement every year,
much like alcohol in the west.
In game terms, this herb increases the user's work capacity (Con), so
add 20% to it and 40% to Resist rolls, and add one action. All
perception is enhanced (Ka vision +25%), and the mind fixes data
easier, so any attempt to remember anything that happened while the
player was under the influence is nearly certain. However, the user
may not recognize something as important, or notice the severity of
any injury recieved while under the influence, so always describe any
injury to the player as if it was less severe than it is, and give
them an altered amount of hit points lost, etc. Feel free to have any
healers in the party notice the player's lack of concern. Keep track
of the "hidden" points, and when the damage approaches the character's
normal total, tell them that they are suddenly aware that they are
VERY bady injured and give them every chance to survive this close
call. the overall perceptual effect of the drug is to temporarily
reduce Idea, Scan and Scrutinize rolls by 15% while under the
influence, and to raise them and associated intelligence checks
afterwards by 80%!
Excessive use will cause dizziness, drunkeness, and diarrhea. Regular
use damages the teeth from the lime, and semi-permanently stains the
mouth, teeth, and gums a deep ruby red; but the stains are considered
quite attractive in some asian countries. This drug is the original
source idea for the memory drug from Frank Herbert's novel Dune.
--------------------
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