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Chaosium Digest Volume 25 Number 08
Chaosium Digest Volume 25, Number 8
Date: Sunday, May 10, 1998
Number: 1 of 3
Contents:
The Adventure of the Faerie Bed (Greg Secaur) PENDRAGON
Editor's Note:
This week, a digest in three parts, with three articles. The featured
systems this time around are Mythos and Pendragon. In V25.8 you'll
find "The Adventure of the Faerie Bed", a Pendragon story, for adults
only please. V25.9 talks about "Fir Bolg Culture", as a sequel to the
Fir Bolg Pendragon article in V25.7. Finally, V25.10 discusses about
"Adventuring in Arkham" for Mythos.
Also a reminder: GloranthaCon VII is in just a few weeks. You can find
info at the Glorantha web site:
http://www.glorantha.com/events/
See you all in two weeks.
Shannon
NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES:
Metagame Web Site
http://www.metagame.com/
Back in V24.3 I talked about "Metagame", a new LARP magazine, the
first issue of which focused on Lovecraftian LARPs, including articles
by Sandy Petersen and Michael Tice, all edited by Sandy Antunes, a
long-time reader and contributor to the Chaosium Digest. Now you can
look at thir web site for some snippets. The next issue of this
quarterly will be out in mid-June.
The Cthulhu Mythos Fiction of Mike Minnis
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/6140/
You can find the Mythos fiction of Mike Minnis on line at this Cthulhu
Mythos original short fiction website.
--------------------
From: "Greg Secaur" <gsecaur@frostbit.com>
Subject: The Adventure of the Faerie Bed
System: Pendragon
Just in time for Mother's Day, here's a Pendragon drop-in adventure,
for adults only.
Greg
**
The Adventure of the Faerie Bed
A Pendragon scenario by Greg Secaur
This scenario is intended for a player knight seeking to produce an
heir. It may be run as a solo or with the entire group. Unless you are
willing to bulk up the encounters, it is best used as a very brief
insert into an ongoing adventure, since it provides little action for
all but one knight. Locate the grove in any forest convenient for your
campaign. You may wish to locate it in a forest near the knight's
home, making it easy for him to escort his wife or lover there.
If a knight has failed a few Winter Phase childbirth rolls, allow him
to hear rumors of a druid with miraculous powers to encourage
fertility. The rumors might be something along the lines of, "My
auntie says Lord Cheswick sought the counsel of the Druid of the Blue
Sward when his wife seemed barren. Nine months later, there's a new
heir in Cheswick's castle." A little diligent investigation (i.e.,
asking around, making [Intrigue] rolls) discovers that the druid
resides nearby.
The knight may not think to escort his lady to see the druid, since he
doesn't know what these alleged "powers" are. That's no problem,
though, as he can always collect her after visiting the druid.
THE BLUE SWARD
Unless you wish otherwise, the druid's home is not hard to find. No
road leads there, but a set of vague directions from the knights'
informant and a [Hunting] success prove sufficient. He is known as the
Druid of the Blue Sward because his home is situated in a forest
clearing, luxuriously carpeted with soft grass of a deep blue hue and
a rich fragrance. The grass has no magical properties, but is always
healthy, even in times of drought. It cannot be transplanted.
The druid is here when the knights arrive, tending a hedge of roses
which surrounds his hut. He does not cut the bushes; rather, the
knights see him bend low over the bushes, whispering softly.
[Awareness. Success = the hedge moves slightly to shape itself
according to the druid's commands.] The druid is either unaware of or
indifferent to the knights' presence until they speak to him.
He straightens and smiles when the knights attract his attention.
"Welcome, friends," he beams. "What assistance can be lent by
Llewellyn, Druid of the Blue Sward?" Llewellyn is very friendly, and
Suspicious knights may find his manner menacing ("Friendly? I'll say!
A little too friendly . . . "). They are wrong. Llewellyn means no one
any harm, and will only prove dangerous if attacked.
It does the knights no good to lie about their interests. Llewellyn is
neither Suspicious nor Deceitful, and so will not see through any
prevarication. If the knights are not up front about what they seek,
he will be unable to help them. If they do tell Llewellyn what they
want, he is all too happy tell them his secret.
Llewellyn's Secret
The druid does not have any fertility-related magic of his own. All
who come to seek his aid in such matters are directed to a grove some
five miles from Llewellyn's home. The grove is an ancient Pagan sacred
site, actually one of the many locations lying between this world and
the Other.
At the base of an enormous tree in this grove is an opening into a
cave below. In the cave is a pile of sleeping furs. If a man should
lie with a woman in this cave, a child will certainly be born.
Llewellyn does not pretend to understand this magic; he simply knows
it is true.
Attacking Llewellyn?
Should the knights be rude enough to attack their host, they will find
him a dangerous foe. Though his own magic will avail him little, the
creatures of the forest respond instantly when he is threatened.
Llewellyn retreats into his hut and the rose bushes surrounding it
move to cover the entire structure. While the knights hack through the
hedge, bears, boars, wolves, and all manner of dangerous forest
animals arrive to defend the druid. Use as many of these animals as
necessary to demonstrate to the knights that they've made a big
mistake. They will find, if they manage to escape the clearing, that
the forest conspires to confuse them. Apply a penalty of -10 to
[Hunting] rolls as the knights try to flee this hostile wood. They
should find themselves returning again and again to the Blue Sward,
until you judge them properly punished and permit them to leave.
If the knights attempt to find the grove without Llewellyn's help,
treat it as a creature with an Avoidance of 17, and penalize [Hunting]
rolls by -5.
REACHING THE MAGICAL GROVE
Llewellyn provides only the vaguest directions to the grove, but
assures the knights that they will have no difficulty in finding
it. Before they leave his home, the druid whispers a few words and
makes a pass in the air.
He declares that the knights are guests in his forest and will not be
molested by its mundane creatures. Additionally, the forest will aid
them in finding the grove. This boon is extended for a period of one
month. (The full month of this enchantment should allow enough time
for the heir-less knight to return home and retrieve his lady, if
necessary.)
Llewellyn is true to his promise. Though the knights may see plenty of
ordinarily dangerous animals, they will be ignored. Also as the druid
promised, the forest will reveal paths leading the knights directly to
the grove.
Travel is uneventful and peaceful, and by the next morning the party
reaches the bole of an enormous oak. At the base gapes a wide
opening. To the left of the oak stands a knight's pavilion. No horse
is near, and no squire appears. A shield hangs outside the tent; the
shield is plain red.
If the player knights approach the tent, an armored knight emerges. If
the player knights attempt to enter the opening in the tree, the same
knight emerges from the tent and blocks their entry into the tree. He
seems to do this at normal speed, but no matter how quickly the
knights move he will appear in time to intercept them. He carries a
plumed helmet under one arm and a naked sword in the other hand. The
knight is astoundingly handsome, and his speaking voice is
mellifluous. He says to the knights, "Those who would enter must be
proven. Who champions the lady?" Of course, the lady's husband should
speak up, but there is no reason why he must be the champion.
As soon as one knight identifies himself as the champion, check to see
if he embodies the Pagan virtues (that is, qualifies for the Pagan
Religious Bonus). If he does, the Faerie Knight declares, "One such as
you needs prove nothing," and he returns to his pavilion. Otherwise,
the Faerie Knight settles into a fighting stance. When his adversary
is ready, the Faerie Knight attacks. The Faerie Knight will yield if
he receives a Major Wound; should he win, he will allow the champion
to yield. (Use the statistics found on page 341 of Pendragon 4th
Edition for the Faerie Knight.).
Until the Faerie Knight is vanquished, all the knights are free to
declare themselves the champion and face him in turn. When he is
vanquished, he will return to his pavilion and the knight and lady may
proceed. Until they have completed their business here, the party may
come and go from the cave as they please.
The Faerie Bed
The opening into the tree is impenetrable to torches or daylight. From
outside, all appears dark. Once someone steps through the portal,
though, he finds himself on a steep ramp sloping down into a dimly lit
chamber. If he looks behind, he can see his friends waiting just a few
yards away, but he can hear nothing of the outside world (They,
likewise, can hear nothing that occurs inside.).
At the foot of the ramp is a circular chamber, at the center of which
is a rough-hewn dais. Atop the dais is a pile of sleeping furs. The
chamber is lit by six torches evenly spaced around the room. Above,
the roots of the massive oak resemble the beams of a roof. As they
proceed down the ramp, the knight and his lady find themselves
agitated by lust [Lustful +4. Success = He or she becomes
uncontrollably amorous. Critical success = As success, and he or she
gains an immediate, permanent +1 to Lustful.]
The possessed lovers throw themselves onto the sleeping furs. What
happens next must be left to the imagination . . .
- . . Later
The lovers do not emerge until the following morning. As promised,
this union produces a child. There is no chance the infant will die
per the Childbirth Table, but the mother may (roll as normal to see if
the mother dies).
If a son was desired, a son is born in nine months. He has the same
Statistics his father did as a child, with a bonus of +1 to any two
Statistics or Skills. Additionally, all the Pagan virtues (Lustful,
Energetic, Generous, Honest, Proud) receive a bonus of +1. The Lustful
trait, though, will receive an additional +3 (for a total of +4),
reflecting the magical nature of his conception.
If a daughter was desired, one is born in nine months. She receives
two Women's Gifts, one of which is always +1d10 APP (If you roll the
same for the second gift, disregard that and roll again.). Her APP
should exceed that of her mother. The daughter will, however, be
exceptionally vain about her appearance, resulting in a bonus of +5 to
her Proud trait.
OTHER LOOSE ENDS
If any other knights brought along their ladies, they may use the
magic of the Faerie Bed to conceive children of their own. Anyone
experiencing the magic of the Faerie Bed gains a +1 to the Lustful
trait (possibly in addition to one already earned, for critically
succeeding at the Lustful check above).
Someone may get the clever idea of returning to the Faerie Bed again
and again, producing lots and lots of heirs. Nothing prevents them
from doing so, but the big Lustful or Proud (depending on the sex of
the child) bonus gets bigger every time. Add an additional +2 to each
subsequent child (so the second son gets a +6 Lustful and the third
gets a +8; the second daughter gets a +7 Proud and the third gets a
+9!). At the GM's option, Llewellyn might simply forbid a return visit
(using his magic to render the grove unfindable).
If the Blue Sward is within the domain of a player knight or his lord,
the knights may wish to cultivate Llewellyn's friendship for the
future. Though he will make a useful ally, he is entirely
disinterested in politics or civilization. He may ask occasional
favors of the knights, leading to other adventures.
If word gets out that the knight has been to the Faerie Bed, it earns
him 50 Glory. He probably wouldn't want people to know, though, so
he'll likely keep it under his helmet. Of course, there is Glory to be
gained from defeating the Faerie Knight, the druid Llewellyn, or any
forest creatures whose wrath they may have incurred.
Lastly, the GM may opt to alter the bonuses and penalties to children
conceived on the Faerie Bed. It seems as if every Arthurian hero has
some strange circumstance surrounding his birth or his childhood. If
your campaign allows PCs to have similarly unusual origins, this might
be used to explain any superhuman characteristics.
--
