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Chaosium Digest Volume 19 Number 09
Chaosium Digest Volume 19, Number 9
Date: Sunday, May 25, 1997
Number: 2 of 2
Contents:
Sir Padraig's Castle (Warren Hately) PENDRAGON
CF: Bokrug (Shannon Appel) MYTHOS
A Bokrug Deck (Shannon Appel) MYTHOS
--------------------
From: "Warren Hately" <oghma@argo.net.au>
Subject: Sir Padraig's Castle and the Knight of the Orchid
System: Pendragon
SIR PADRAIG'S CASTLE AND THE KNIGHT OF THE ORCHID.
This short scenario is an excellent and interesting way for younger
player knights to gain their own manor, possibly far removed from
their native kingdom and lord, thereby providing gamemasters new
political motivations for their games.
The story is simply this: the knight's lord, when a younger man, had
many battle companions, one of whom was Sir Padraig, most recently of
Dal Riada, known by the title The Knight of the Bristling Shield. If
knights are from a kingdom ruled by a Queen -- of which there are many
-- then Sir Padraig can be the deceased husband's former battle
companion. In recent years, Sir Padraig, who was once a common visitor
to the lord's castle, has not been heard from or seen. Players are
sent to investigate the cause of Sir Padraig's absence and rectify the
situation by extending to Sir Padraig an invitation to the next "major
event" in the players' homeland.
Sir Padraig's small and modest keep is located some forty miles
south-south-east of the Isle of Eigg, at the border of the expanding
Dal Riada territory. Sir Padraig's castle is set in thick forest in a
hilly, sometimes mountainous area. Apart from charcoal burners in the
woods, there are no villages nearby. As a result, Sir Padraig has in
the past relied upon his own prestige and martial prowess to earn the
income necessary to live as a standard knight. He has acted as a
cailleach-like figure, accepting gifts brought by young knights in
exchange for passing on his numerous battle feats and his knowledge of
the strategies of war.
Furthermore, because Sir Padraig's castle seasonally attracts many
virtuous and challenge-seeking knights, the castle is also visited by
numerous squires of noble rank, each hoping to find a knight that
might him them under tutelage. At any time (including winter) the
castle is home to 3d6 knights and 1d20 squires. When the players
arrive, on top of these figures there are two specific persons
present.
PANICK: Sir Padraig's steward, who maintains the castle's daily
operations and acts as a go-between for young knights offering tribute
in exchange for education.
SIR TAMQUIST: The chief knight currently staying at Sir Padraig's
castle. Sir Tamquist maintains himself as a Rich Knight, though his
character and behaviour show that he is not the most adventurous nor
valourous knight the players have ever beheld.
Panick and Sir Tamquist will readily inform the players that Sir
Padraig has not been absent from court of his own free will. Indeed,
as they understand things to be, the previous year Sir Padraig was
captured whilst on a hunt by a mysterious person called the Knight of
the Orchid. This knight has set a ridiculous (though glorious) ransom
for Sir Padraig's release: 50 white milking cows, 10 white bulls, 50
shields embossed with gold, 50 spears with golden tips, 50 swords with
sheaths inset with gems worth no less than 5 Librum each, 50 suits of
reinforced chainmail and 50 slaves to wear and wield them. Furthermore,
the knight demands rich clothing to the equivalent of 50 Librum, and
silver, gold and gems worth 50 Librum each.
Alternatively, the Knight of the Orchid has also offered to duel any
knights who declare that they are skilled enough to release Sir
Padraig. The duel is to the death. Obviously, with the Knight of the
Orchid's death, Sir Padraig would be free to go. Although it is an
issue of contention, Sir Tamquist has not as yet gone to meet the
challenge, and Panick the steward is in no way able to meet the ransom
demands. Panick attended the Dal Riada court the previous year, not
long after the ransom was set, and was unable to gain any financial
support to release Sir Padraig, though seven knights came back to duel
the Knight of the Orchid. Each one was slain in turn.
THE REAL STORY
The Knight of the Orchid resides in a castle much the same as Sir
Padraig's, less than a day's ride north through the forest. Panick and
the others have no idea from whence this castle sprang, as the last
time those areas was scouted, the only fortifications were about the
occasional Pictish settlement. Now, even the Picts have cleared
out. The reason for this is that the Picts are very clever.
The Knight of the Orchid is not, in fact, a knight at all, but a
sorceror of considerable though waning power, desperate to appease
Arawn with a sacrifice (coincidentally the same amount as the ransom
for Sir Padraig) in order to extend his life. The Knight of the Orchid
which has duelled with 12 knights so far (seven of these from Dal
Riada) is actually Sir Padraig, under glamour, with his famous
Bristling Shield covered by a bear-hide painted with an orchid. The
sorceror dwells in the castle's only tower, controlling events as they
occur with his magic.
APPROACHING THE ENEMY CASTLE
Knights may wish to try and demand hospitality from the Knight of the
Orchid, but this will prove foolish, as the sorceror has no sense of
hospitality. After allowing one of his two real human servants (two
14-year old boys acting as Sir Padraig's squires in duelling) to get
the knights and their retinue inside, the servant will flee. In the
courtyard of the modest motte and bailey, the sorceror will set his
Ghost Knights upon the players. The sorceror has six of these. They
will not attack immediately, but without speaking they will try and
make it apparent that the knights do not wish to stay the night. The
ghosts will attack if the player knights try and pass them and enter
the actual castle in order to demand explanations. If the players
live, they will find that the massive door into the castle is locked,
requiring a strength of 40 to open it (with room for only two people
on the handle).
If the players then leave the castle (though they are free to sleep
the night in the courtyard so long as they take no actions), one of
the squires will appear at the gate and call to them that the first
duel will be met an hour after dawn the following morning.
DUELLING
The duel itself is fairly normal, with the glamoured Sir Padraig
allowing fumbling opponents to recover their weapon, etc., with much
grace, though he does not speak. Otherwise, he fights with all his
abilities to slay his opponent. I If his shield is struck more than
three times, the bearskin will begin to rip loose. The fourth blow
[Awareness -10], the fifth [Awareness -5] and sixth [Awareness] may
reveal Sir Padraig's Bristling Shield. Other characters not duelling
may make [Awareness rolls at -5] no matter what state the covering
bearskin is in to notice the prominent tusks of the shield.
For Sir Padraig to be defeated, he must be slain, or the tower must be
penetrated and the sorceror found and killed. Killing the sorceror
breaks the spell. If Sir Padraig is able to linger on before finally
succumbing to death, he will pass his shield to the knight who felled
him, and bid the player return it to his lord.
GLORY
Killing Ghost Knights: 50 each
Opening Castle Door: 25
Spotting the Bristling Shield: 10
Knight speaking for the entire party: 20
First to Challenge Knight of the Orchid: 20
Saving Sir Padraig from death with healing or other means: 100
Killing the Sorceror: 100
Killing the Sorceror and releasing Sir Padraig alive: 200
Defeating Sir Padraig: 200 (-1 Honour)
Failing to Allow the most senior knight the right to duel first: -50
Senior Knight failing to Challenge first: -50
FINALLY...
When the players eventually return to their homeland, they are called
before their lord to report. If Sir Padraig was killed then the player
with the shield must present it to his lord. The lord will inform the
knight that the shield and Sir Padraig's land are his; this is the
significance of giving the shield over at the moment of death. The
lord feared such might have happened, as there is a geas upon the
shield that it may only be borne by those who are chosen as successors
by the shield's (previous) owner.
The lord's praise is worth another 25 glory to players, and the
assignment of the new manor is another 100 Glory to the single
knight. However, Sir Padraig's castle has no revenue other than what
it gained by Sir Padraig's teaching. Unless the player is skilled
enough at knightly combat, he will lose the interest of all clients
within the space of a year. The gamemaster may decide what constitutes
possessing the necessary skills, but an annual heroic deed and all
combat skills above 15 should be the minimum.
SOME STATISTICS
Sir Padraig
Cymric/Pagan
STR 17 SIZ 15 CON 16 DEX 12 APP 11
Hits 31 Damage 5d6 Armour 12 (reinforced chain) + 8* (bristling shield)
Attacks: Sword 23, Lance 19, Spear 20, Dagger 10, Morningstar 16.
Personality Traits: Chaste 10, Energetic 19, Forgiving 08, Generous
16, Honest 19, Just 18, Merciful 12, Modest 09, Pious 05, Prudent 11,
Temperate 16, Trusting 10, Valourous 22
Passions: Honour 18, Loyalty Vassals 12, Loyalty (Player's Lord) 15,
Hospitality 20, Fear Spirits 12
* The Bristling Boar Shield: resembles no other shield at all. It is
circular and made of pure iron. The shield is as much a bas-relief as
it is a thing of defense. The shield provides 8 points protection in
addition to its magical power. The shield depicts the front
perspective of a wild boar charging, tusks fully extended, cast in
iron. The tusks and snout of the boar protrude from near the boss of
the shield.
Once per month, renewed at the waning moon, the wielder of the shield
can call forth a magical boar from the shield that is intelligent
enough to follow almost any command given. Most powerfully, the boar
can be sent to track down and slay a foe, with a maximum range of 30
days running without stop. The statistics for the boar are the same as
in the Pendragon rules, with the exception that it has double armour,
and appears metallic grey.
The Sorceror
Cymric/Pagan
STR 12 SIZ 16 CON 10 DEX 17 APP 10
Hits 26 Damage 5d6 Armour 4* (black aura)
Magic Limit: 65 Life Force 3d20
Attacks: Staff 12, Dagger 12.
Personality Traits: Chaste 03, Energetic 10, Forgiving 08, Generous
13, Honest 19, Just 04, Merciful 0, Modest 12, Pious 03, Prudent 19,
Temperate 04, Trusting 03, Valourous 13
Passions: Hate Saxons 08, Hospitality 03, Honour 06
Talents: Glamour 22, Shapeshift** (Weasel) 18, Healing 15, Travel 12,
Curse 9, Bless 6, Sacred Space 16, Protect 10.
Talismans: for Glamour (3), Healing (1), Curse (1).
*The sorceror wears a talisman about his neck that provides a black
aura which radiates 4 points of armour.
** Shapeshift is the sorceror's natural talent.
Ghosts of Doomed Knights
faerie
STR 20 SIZ 14 CON 20 DEX 10 APP 3
Hits 34 Damage 6d6 Armour 4* (phantasmal armor) + 6 (shield)
Attacks: Sword 15, Lance 12, Dagger 10, Mace or Flail 10.
* The Ghosts appear as solid, helmeted men clad in partial plate
armour, though the metal is only phantasmal. They carry real shields.
Warren Hately : oghma@argo.net.au
--------------------
From: appel@erzo.org (Shannon Appel)
Subject: CF: Bokrug
System: Mythos
** THE CARDS FILES: BOKRUG **
THE CARD
--------
Name: Bokrug
Set: Dreamlands
Type: Monster
Subtype: Great Old One
Requirements: Ruins Location, Storm
Special Effect Box: All Locations feature the Water attribute. Do not
Bury Storm Events. No investigators may gain Sanity unless they are in
Mnar.
THE SOURCE
----------
"It is also written that [the Beings of Ib] descended one night from
the moon in a mist; they and the vast still lake and grey stone city
Ib. However this may be, it is certain that they worshipped a
sea-green stone idol chiselled in the likeness of Bokrug, the great
water-lizard; before which they danced horribly when the moon was
gibbous."
-"The Doom that Came to Sarnath", Howard Lovecraft
Bokrug is most prominently featured in "The Doom that Came to
Sarnath". There, we learn that Bokrug was once the god of the strange
beings of Ib. After the beings of Ib were slain by the fierce
inhabitants of Sarnath, Bokrug patiently waited 1000 years, and then
he became the DOOM that came to Sarnath, and the city was destroyed in
an evening. Now, the water-lizard Bokrug is worshiped throughout
Mnar.
CLARIFICATIONS
--------------
As with all GOOs, *YOU* must have the requirements in play to bring
out Bokrug. That is, your Current Location must be Ruins, and you must
have a Storm card out. There is only one Waking World Ruins, The Old
Brick Powderhouse in Kingsport. There are Dreamlands Ruins in The
North (1) and Mnar (3). As of the Dreamlands, there are eight
different storms, from Blizzard to Twister.
As with all GOOs, Bokrug becomes a part of your Threat when he is
played. He counts as one Monster in the Threat. He can be affected by
cards that affect the Threat (such as Sign of Eibon).
GOOs can never become part of Directed Threats.
As is stated on Bokrug, "Do not Bury Storm Events". Days, Nights,
Droughts, and other cards that Bury Storms may be played normally, but
all Storms remain out.
QUESTIONS
---------
Q: If I play a Day Event, and then Bokrug is Buried, do any Storms go
away due to the Day Event?
A: No. Days (and Nights and Droughts) only Bury Storms the instant
they're played.
STRATEGIES
----------
As with all GOOs, variants of a few standard strategies will help you
make better use of Bokrug.
* Standard GOO Strategies - Use the Shining Trapezohedron to help get
your GOO out. The Stars are Right can also help, since Storms are
pretty common cards. Gain Sanity while your GOO is out by using the
Mao Ceremony. Protect your GOO from the Sign of Eibon by always
adding Monsters to your Threat very early in the Round (Voonith are
also very good for shielding GOOs). Use the Servitor of the Outer
Gods in your deck.
* Keep Bokrug Out - This isn't a totally standard strategy. Often,
you're happy to say adieu to a GOO after a few turns because you're
running low on Sanity. This may not be the case with Bokrug, because
you can gain Sanity while in Mnar. Stock up heavy on Thirty-Five
Abominable Adulations of the Bloated One and the Idol of Bokrug, so
you can keep your big buddy about.
It also happens that a number of cards work well in conjunction with
Bokrug.
* Storms - Clearly you'll have Storms in your deck, to get Bokrug out.
You can make an even better deck by choosing one each from a variety
of the better Storms. Blizzard prevents Travel by Land. Hurricane
prevents Travel by Air and Travel by Sea. Downpour forces walking in
Cities. Set up your deck so it doesn't require any of these Travels.
If you use Downpour, it shouldn't particularly depend on Cities
either. If you need forms of transport, Travel Underwater, Travel by
Cats, and the Fly Spell should all work fine. With Bokrug, you can
keep all these Storms out. This will put your opponents at a
disadvantage: they'll draw worthless cards; they'll waste time
walking; and they might not be able to play Adventures if they need
to traverse Regions or play certain Travel cards. Meanwhile, your
deck will be optimized for this environment.
* Deep Ones - The MSGS Deep Ones are +2 in Storms, which works great
with a GOO who keeps Storms permanently out. If you add in the
Jewelery of the Deep Ones, you'll be dropping down 4 point Monsters
for 0 Sanity.
* Hydrophobia - When it rains, it pours. Bokrug makes all Locations
Water. Hydrophobia will ruin someone's day.
* Cthulhu Rising - Cthulhu Rising Discards Water Locations, and when
Bokrug is out, all Locations are Water. Ouch.
As is the case with all GOOs, Bokrug will work best if you construct
an entire deck around him. In doing so, make sure to take advantage of
all the individual cards and strategies already noted.
* The Mnar Deck - Since you can gain Sanity while in Mnar, the best
Bokrug Deck is clearly one centered there. The deck should start out
with Doomed if You Do, which rewards you for playing Bokrug. Seeking
Everlasting Life I is playable in Mnar (using the Hunter, the
Wandering Peddlar, Howard Lovecraft, and Randolph Carter for your
Steadfast Allies), as is Knee-Deep in Doom. Unfortunately, getting
all the way up to 20 points is a little trickier, so you'll end up
having to either add some Surprise Meetings or Trains (to pull an
Ally from elsewhere, to complete an Adventure), or to make a short
detour to another Dimension or Subregion, to find a missing Ally or
Location for a specific Adventure.
A nice thematic combination is The Mystery at Martin's Beach. Add in
two Martin's Beach cards and two Silver Keys, and everything else
can be played in Mnar. Doomed + Seeking + Mystery makes a very
appealing deck, although you need to stack up on several different
types of Tomes. Doomed + Kneep-Deep + Mystery is perhaps simpler.
Remember to add in a few of the Sanity-gaining spells (Call Power of
Nyambe and Steal Life are suggested) since there's only the one
Sanitarium in Mnar. The Zoog Chieftain would be another nice
addition, since he speeds Country travel, but you'll need to devise
a way to hijack him from the Enchanted Woods. One possible Bokrug
deck is included in the following article.
COUNTER STRATEGIES
------------------
The standard GOO Counter Strategies will work against Bokrug:
* Standard GOO Counter Strategies - Bury the GOO with the Sign of
Eibon, the Elder Sign, or Wakalea. Use the Mao Ceremony to avoid the
GOO's effects. Pass to cause the GOO to quickly leave play. Use the
Servitor of the Outer Gods in your deck.
The following strategies also works against Bokrug:
* The Face of Fear - Giving your opponent Hydropohobia will give him a
real good reason not to play Bokrug, or to get Bokrug out of play if
he's already been played. Since Mnar is all-water this will tend to
work well even if Bokrug isn't out.
* Cthulhu Rising - Prevent your opponent from playing Bokrug. The Mnar
Ruins Locations are Water, and thus very vulnerable to the Big Green
Guy.
* Destroy Storms - Storms are pretty easy to get rid of, since Day or
Night buries them. If your opponent is heading for ruins, bring the
Storms to an end.
--------------------
From: appel@erzo.org (Shannon Appel)
Subject: A Bokrug Deck
System: Mythos
** A BOKRUG DECK (62) **
INVESTIGATOR
Brilliant Egyptian Archaeologist
ADVENTURES (3)
Doomed if You Do x1
Mystery at Martin's Beach x1
Seeking Everlasting Life x1
ALLIES (7)
Any Country:
The Hunter x1
Randolph Carter x1
Wandering Peddler x1
Any Dreamland:
Howard Lovecraft (Dreamlands) x1
Mnar:
Ghost-Being of Ib x1
Taran-Ish x1
Oukranos Wilds:
Zoog Chieftain x1
ARTIFACTS (5)
Dr. Hammonds Nerve & Brain Tonic x2
Shining Trapozohedron x1
Silver Key x2
EVENTS (9)
Misc:
Cthulhu Rising x1
Discover Secret Cache x2
Surprise Meeting x1
Phobias:
Hydrophobia x2
Storms:
Blizzard x1
Downpour x1
Hurricane x1
LOCATIONS (14)
Danvers:
Massachusetts State Hospital x1
Miskatonic Valley:
Martin's Beach x2
Mnar:
Ilarnek x2
The Nameless Lake x2
The Ruins of Ib x2
The Ruins of Sarnath x3
The Temple of Bokrug x1
Oukranos Wilds:
The Temple of Loveliness at Kiran x1
MONSTERS (9)
Beings of Ib x4
Bokrug x2
Deep One (MSGS) x2
The Martin's Beach Monster x1
SPELLS (10)
Death:
Resurrection x2
Dream:
Command Lamp-Eft x1
Deflection x1
Embody Charnal Odor of Xura x1
Vortex of Far Journeying x1
Yellow Sign:
Steal Life x2
Thirty-Five Abominable Adulations of the Bloated One x2
TOMES (5)
Book of Black Stones x1
Kitab Al-Azif x1
Letter From a Friend x1
Necronomicon (Greek) x1
Papyrus of Ilarknek x1
Strategy Notes:
Doomed if You Do should be played first. It will prove easier to get
the GOO out when your opponents aren't worried about you winning, and
Doomed if You Do benefits less from setup than other Adventures.
Seeking Everlasting Life I can be totally laid out while playing early
Adventures. Make sure to keep your Resurrection Tome and the requisite
Allies out. Mystery at Martin's Beach is a bit tricky because it
includes two unique cards: The Martin's Beach Monster and Cthulhu
Rising. Use the Kitab Al-Azif to play the Monster as an Ally, so you
can keep him in play. Since the Adventure refers to the Martin's Beach
Monster by name rather than type, you can score the Adventure even
when it is in play as an Ally. Make sure to hold on to that Cthulhu
Rising in your hand when you're setting up for Mystery at Martin's
Beach.
The Tomes are a bit of a weakness in this deck, due to the scant Mnar
Tome Locations. Tomes can be played via the following seven cards:
Massachusetts State Hospital x1, Temple of Loveliness at Kiran x1,
Discover Secret Cache x2, and The Ruins of Sarnath x3. Don't throw
these cards out, assuming you'll have plenty more opportunities to
play Tomes. Conversely, it should be very easy to play the Artifacts
in the deck.
There is such a variety of Tomes because three different icons are
needed, as follows. Seeking Everlasting Life I requires a Tome with a
Skull Icon. The Kitab Al-Azif and Letter From a Friend fulfill this
requirement. Doomed if You Do requires a Tome with a Dream Icon. The
Book of Black Stones and the Papyrus of Ilarnek fulfill this
requirement. You'll be able to keep Bokrug out, and perhaps get a
little added Sanity, if you have a Tome with the Yellow Sign Icon. The
Kitab Al-Azif (again) and the Necronomicon fulfill this requirement.
Kitab Al-Azif and the Greek Necronomicon will also give you more
options in game play.
Most of the spells have pretty obvious effects, but remember the
following strategies. Resurrection can pull an Ally from your Story
Deck just before you play an Adventure. This may help set up your next
Adventure, and reduces the number of cards you'll be shuffling.
Command Lamp-Eft can be cast just before you play a Storm to Summon
Bokrug. It halves the number of cards that can disrupt your
Storm. Embody Charnal Odor of Xura can Summon your Beings of Ib, so
you can quickly add one to your Story Deck. It can Summon your Deep
Ones too, for what that's worth. Steal Life should be cast whenever an
opponent has a three of four-point Ally out. It's a free Sanity boost.
The Zoog Chieftain has been haphazardly thrown into the deck because
he can make life easier in Mnar. You can only play him if you're at
the Temple of Loveliness at Kiran, or have Surprise Meeting. Don't
shed a tear if you have to toss the Zoog into the Discard pile.
This deck does best if you can get Bokrug out with certain associated
cards. Namely: Thirty-Five Abominable Adulations of the Bloated One
(in a book), Steal Life (in a book), and the three Storms. No one but
you will gain Sanity (unless someone happens to be in Mnar). Everyone
will be walking every place, without the benefits of Air, Sea, or Land
Travel. Some people will not be able to play Adventures due to the
restrictions against Travel cards. You'll be able to keep Bokrug
out. As long as at least one player has a three-point Ally, you'll be
able to stay even on Sanity thanks to Steal Life.
If you wish to tighten up the deck, you could drop half of the Dream
Spells, one each of the Yellow Sign Spells, the Zoog Chieftain, the
Surprise Meeting, and two of the Beings of Ib. That would bring the
deck down to a slightly more manageable 54 cards. At that point, you
might as well switch the Kitab Al-Azif for a second copy of Letter
from a Friend. However, the deck as recorded above is at about the
level I like for Maximum Game Fun.
--------------------
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