Runequest solo 2 - part VII, Town & Country

scene 10

chaos: 6

setup: 2=interrupt (was: continue next day)
Interrupt: Close a thread 1d3=3 no one else coming after her

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage
3. don't get caught and dragged home

[Meanwhile, back at the ranch in Anzakàr... Enzzal has given up trying to send anyone else after his sister and harassing the Sorcerous Colleges for information on her whereabouts. Alkinu returns to active duty, as dispatches from the frontier begin to come in, speaking of increased chaos-monster activity.]

scene 11

chaos: 5

setup: press on

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage

The next day Ni'arouj leads the caravan onwards. They make poor time, and so she elects to stop for the day at the campsite they would have reached the day before, had they not stopped by the ruins. The wind picks up the next morning, and soon a sandstorm is blowing across the desert.

[Q: Are there any problems caused by the sandstorm? 50/50: 82, No -- but they are effectively losing a day of travel].

The storm eventually lets up enough that the caravan can pitch their tents. The following day is a long, steady trudge to the next campsite, and the day after that another grim march, but in the late evening they finally reach their destination, the city of Peren'osh.

Peren'osh, 'House of the Cedar' (in a half-forgotten tongue), is a moderately-sized city nestled at the foot of low, cedar-forested mountains, from whence the wealth of the city derives. It is self-governing, but a client state of Anzakàr. Peren'osh's own small military is little more than a police force; Anzakàrite forts protect the logging concerns in the mountains (owned by the city's wealthiest families) and keep the surrounding area free from bandits and monsters. Anzakarite is the language spoken by the majority of the populace, and sages believe that the people fleeing the hosts of chaos from Peren'osh-of-the-time-before were the first humans welcomed into the safety of Anzakàr's bosom.

scene 12

chaos: 4

setup: stopover lasting 2d4=6 days

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage

Ni'arouj has business to conduct in Peren'osh, but intends to be off again for Hasharu after six days. She will be staying at the caravanserai. She cares not where Lachaidiga and Wihiyaba stay, though she politely requests they send her word of their habitation, that she may contact them should there be need of their assistance.

Lachaidiga decides she would like to stay somewhere comfortable after all that time sleeping in a tent. She sets out into the city with Wihiyaba, and homes in on the most opulent inn in the merchant's quarter, or indeed in the whole of Peren'osh. Wihiyaba protests that it's far too rich for his meagre purse, but Lachaidiga won't hear it; she insists she has plenty of money for the both of them.

As curious as she may be to see a new city, for the next few days Lachaidiga hardly steps foot outside the inn, making only a daily pilgrimage to the baths at the end of the street. Wihiyaba is a bit shocked at the amount of money she seems willing to spend, but after the first day gives up altogether at trying to convince her to economise -- a word of whose very existence she seems scarcely aware.

[Finally, a chance to use the City Catch-up Tables in Cities. They are much more geared to standard D&D-type FRP worlds, so I may take some liberties. And some things, like the looking-for-work/employment steps don't apply to our independently-wealthy heroine, but I've been looking for a chance to try them out so...

Each cycle through the tables represents a week of time, so just one go for each of our heroes before the caravan continues on its merry way.

First, I need to check for random events. High INT or POW (WIS) allows a +5% or up to a -20% on the event roll. Wihiyaba is inclined to lay low, so with a -20% he gent No Event. A certain sorceress is much more prone to trouble, so rolling with a +5% modifier does result in an event.

Rolling on the event table produces "Your friend has offended someone". Characters who don't have friends in the city yet get to roll to see who the new friend is, but as I rolled Employer, I figured that it must be Ni'arouj. Another roll determined that she offended the guildmaster of the jewellers' guild. Rather than just going with the table results (bonus/penalty to getting arrested based on who you decide to help), I played out the scene.]

Lachaidiga leaves the baths late one evening, as is her wont, and is coming back to the inn, preoccupied with the weighty decision of which wine to sample with supper, when the concierge rushes up to present her with a letter. She breaks the wax seal and opens the wooden tablets to find the following lines therein:

Ni'arouj to Sorceress
Problems with a guild
Come immediately

Lachaidiga arrives at the caravanserai to find a more-than-unusually agitated Ni'arouj puttering about, checking over the camels with a bewildered assistant.

"Well, well," she calls out the caravan mistress, "so herself has finally seen fit to grace us with her presence!"

"You're not the only one with important business in the city!" snaps Lachaidiga.

"Yes, I've heard. Making eyes at the bath attendants is work that must require great industry!"

"Hmpf! Do you require my services or not?"

Ni'arouj explains her disagreement with the jeweller's guild, and Lachaidiga promises to see if she can smooth things over. The next morning, Ni'arouj leads her to the guildmaster's personal shop. She consents to wait outside whilst Lachaidiga attempts to negotiate. Lachaidiga peeks into the shop to make sure there is a visible statue of Nuriu, the earth god, and upon finding it strides in with confidence.

[I'll save the negotiation scenes for Star Trader, and just let the dice determine this.

Lachaidiga needs to make a Courtesy (45%) roll, resisted by the jewellers' Willpower (1d6+1 x10 =50%) to solve the problem.
Rolls of 67 and 78 are both failures. She's too offensive (in both senses!), he's overly defensive.

As there was no clear winner, negotiations go into a second round. Her Influence (63%)vs. his Willpower to force an agreement.
Rolls of 83 (failure) vs. 13 (success) show the jeweller as the clear winner.]

Ni'arouj hasn't long to wait before Lachaidiga stomps out of the shop, flushed with rage. "Some people!" she exclaims, "I've never met anyone as absolutely pig-headed before. It was like talking to my brother!"

"Why didn't you use your magic?" asks Ni'arouj.

"Are you mad? Do you have any idea what sort of trouble that would cause? I'd be ejected from the college for such flagrant abuse of its teachings. What do you take me for?"

"As it stands now, fairly useless," responds the nomad, and so saying turns to walk away from the sorceress still standing there mute, with mouth gaping, fists balled, and tears beginning to cloud her vision.

When she returns to the inn, one of Ni'arouj's lieutenants is waiting for her in the common room. "The mistress wishes you to have this," says he, handing her an earthenware bottle "and says she hopes the unpleasantness will be forgotten."

Lachaidiga unstoppers it and sniffs the contents. "Istridzian date wine!" she says to herself. "If this isn't poisoned, she must be truly sorry!"

[I had asked Mythic-- Q: Does Ni'arouj stay mad? 50/50: 53, No.

The rest of the time passes without incident, and there isn't anything of note on the Catch-up Tables except Cost of Living. Lachaidiga spends 80sp each for her and Wihiyaba on room and board (Living Level 6, the highest), and 300sp (again, level 6) for Companionship, which is a generic entertainment budget. Aside from a few silver a day for the public baths, I ruled that upon checking out of the inn, she is presented with the world's biggest bar tab. Fortunately, she brought a bag of silver and 7 gold coins (1gp=100sp) with her, in addition to her least favourite jewellery which she is planning to sell if things get desperate. She also bought a new travelling dress to replace the one that got ruined in the battle with the shaman.]

scene 13

chaos: 3

setup: back into the desert

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage

The caravan sets out from Peren'osh, traversing more sandy dunes and rocky wastes. By mid-day Lachaidiga already feels the want of the comforts of her suite at the inn, but resolves to face the resumption of hardship courageously. Her efforts are nearly undone when she finds a (fortunately dead) scorpion whilst pitching her tent that evening, but Ni'arouj tells her they only have two more days before they reach Hasharu.

The following day is as uneventful as the first. There is some minor hesitation near the end, when they see shapes moving in the oasis, their destination. Ni'arouj peers at them for a few moments then orders the march to continue.

[random encounter: monster; random picture
Q: Are they friendly? Very likely (just look at them!): 46, Yes.]

A tribe of skiapodes ended their own day's journey at the oasis. The strange and delightful creatures are known to many of the nomads, who converse with them in a pidgin language neither Lachaidiga nor Wihiyaba can understand in the slightest. The evening is passed in general merriment, and even though Lachaidiga can barely make herself understood, she enjoys their lively piping music and even joins one of them in an awkward, hopping dance.

[Ni'arouj talks to the tribal leader, and picks up a rumour
Location Data - small scale - specific location. (nearby ruins)
magnitude: minor annoyance (-1/-5%) : Ambush/Intrigues
Interpretation: the chief skiapous tells her that the ruins are occasionally used as stopover by bandits.]

The next morning, the skiapodes bid their friends the caravaneers good-bye, and the two march off in opposite directions through the desert. Before nightfall, almost before Lachaidiga even realises it, they arrive at Hasharu.

[Time for XP-- er, Improvement Rolls.

For her adventures with the caravan, Lachaidiga earns 4 (+1 bonus) Improvement rolls. Wihiyaba came halfway through all the significant encounters, so he gets 2+1. They're both going to sit on these for the time being (mostly because I don't want to have to update the PC page).]

Runequest solo 2 - part VI, Investigating the ruins

scene 9

chaos: 5

setup: investigate ruins

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage
3. don't get caught and dragged home

[Ni'arouj sends the PCs (+1d4-1=0 warriors for backup; so just the PCs)
Q: Are the ruins inhabited? 50/50: 63, No.
Q: Are they dangerous? 50/50: 30, Yes.]

Lachaidiga and Wihiyaba walk half a mile over the dunes towards the ruins. When they are near, they peer over the top of a dune and watch patiently. The structure was evidently once a temple, though they cannot tell which god or gods it once honoured in its broken state. Nothing seems to move amongst the crumbling stones, so they move closer to get a better vantage point.

Nearer and nearer they creep, until they can discern the vague shapes of men and beasts carved on the walls, once gaily painted and gilded, now only known through long familiarity and guesswork. "There's Nuriu," says Wihiyaba, "and Ziburrun, and that one there, I think it's Yqoureh."

"No, it can't be," says Lachaidiga. "It has to to be Ta'ok. Hasn't it?"

"Well, they are all gods welcomed by Anzakàr, so it's not a temple of chaos at any rate."

"But what could have happened to it? It can't be from... the time before. Can it?"

"You're the scholar. How old can it be, in your estimation?"

[Lachaidiga has Lore - History (42%); she rolls a 97, so isn't sure.]

"I'm not sure. So much was lost..."

The pair lapse into silence for a while; news of a massing chaos army has brought fears of another world cataclysm to the fore. Still they detect no movement amidst the toppled stones. They decide to head into the ruin to explore.

[Formidable (skill x1/2) Perception rolls are required to notice the danger. Lachaidiga (51/2=26%) succeeds with a 16, Wihiyaba (24/2=12%) fails with a 20.]

"Look!" cries Lachaidiga, "So many skeletons littering the place. Wait-- stop a moment. I don't think we should go any further. The bones are all too perfect. Prey, scavengers, predators-- all arrayed as they fell, as if they rotted away undisturbed. Let's away from here."

[Q: But have they come too close? 50/50: 43, Yes.
Narrative first, then mechanics in a separate section at the very end.]

Wihiyaba is about to open his mouth to reply when a something begins to stir round the bones of a great cat. Like an angry swarm a spirit begins to swirl and coalesce into a diaphanous shape.

"Get out of here!" says Lachaidiga, "Warn the others. I'll hold it off."

Wihiyaba wastes no time, but turns to run. Lachaidiga sits down calmly in the sand, watching the spirit assume an ever more frightening visage. She reaches for the small stone about her neck and presses it over her heart as she was taught by the shaman, vaguely hoping it wasn't another of Qes' lies. The stone still pulses against her skin, but she can't quite tell if it is working or not.

The phantom flits towards her, covering dozens of paces in the blink of an eye. It surround her like a whirlwind. She feels as if dozens of tiny talons are clawing at her very being. She resists its pull, but it renews its attack. She feels her awareness being drawn into the spirit world, as the phantom tries to separate her soul and body altogether. Her eyelids go heavy. It would be so easy to just slip away, to fall asleep and walk the spirit realm in a dream. But no! she must fight back. She summons all her will, and pushes back. It becomes angry, unused to such might in a mortal creature. It comes back, ever more furious, a flurry of spectral nails and fangs. Not to be outdone, Lachaidiga shrieks like a banshee, lashing out with pure force of will. She knows not even if her mouth is screaming, or just her soul. But it is enough. Waves of energy crash through the spirit, seeming to shred and flay its very essence. It turns and flits back to the temple, to hide, vanquished, amongst the stones of the ruined pile.

Lachaidiga snaps instantly back to the world of the living as it departs. She lays back on the sand for a moment, exhausted from the struggle. But then she realises there may be more spirits lurking nearby, and without a moment's hesitation leaps to her feet and runs all the way back to the caravan.

[Once more, with die rolls...

Spirit combat is a lot simpler than mêlée, but also a bit less interesting in the purely mecahanical sense.

Before the combat, Lachaidiga tried to activate her Spirit Shield matrix, so needed to make a Folk Magic (31%) roll. A 96 is a failure. She didn't bother to try again because she isn't certain that the item is even genuine. The attempt cost 1 Magic Point, so she has 16 going into the fight.

Back at the end of scene 3, I rolled up 3 death spirits, assuming that a battle with them was immanent. Scene 4's alteration made this a waste of time (I have learnt my lesson -- no more stats until the fight is unavoidable). When Mythic said the ruins were dangerous but uninhabited, I decided spirits would be a more interesting encounter than dodging falling rocks from structural collapse. Plus, it gave me an excuse to use that way cool picture.

Death Spirit
Intensity        1
INT             11
POW             11
CHA             17
Discorporate    72%
Spectral Combat 78%
Willpower       72%
AP               2
SR              14
Damage         1d8

[round 1]
First off, Initiative (Strike Rank +1d10).
Lachaidiga SR13+2=15
Spirit SR14+7=21; it goes first.

Before the spirit can actually engage Lachaidiga in spirit combat, it must successfully pull her awareness into the spirit realm. This is accomplished with a resisted skill roll, its Discorporate (72%) vs. her Willpower (79%). The first attack costs it 1MP, with the cost increasing by 1 for each subsequent attempt.

The spirit makes two unsuccessful attempts (41 vs. 69, resisted; 34 vs. 73, also resisted). This takes 2AP and 1+2=3MP; the spirit has (POW)11-3=8MP remaining.

Lachaidiga can't do anything this round, as she is not Discorporated, nor does she posses any shaman skills.


[round 2]
Once again the spirit makes a discorporation attempt, for 1AP and 3MP. This time the rolls are in its favour: 61 vs. 48.

The spirit pulls Lachaidiga into the spirit world, and the fight begins in earnest. It works rather like mêlée, though there are no special effects. The spirit uses its Spectral Combat (78%) skill, does 1d8 damage per successful attack (based on its skill; there is a chart), and MP are used as HP. Lachaidiga, lacking shaman skills, uses half her willpower (so, 40%) for her skill, which gives her a mere 1d4 damage rating.

Now it's finally Lachaidiga's turn. She attacks (1AP) and it defends (1AP): 84 vs. 05, miss.

It's out of Action Points, so Lachaidiga gets to attack it without resistance. A roll of 38 scores a hit for 1d4=4 damage; it now has but one Magic Point left.


[round 3]
New round, it goes first. It attack and she defends: 49 vs. 61; it hits for 1d8=7 damage. Lachaidiga has 9MP left. They've both spent their first AP.

For the second AP (both of them), she attacks and it defends. Some truly awful die rolls result in a miss against an equally poor attempt at defence.

Lachaidiga has one AP left, which she wastes with another crummy attack roll.


[round 4]
It attacks, she defends (1AP each). 15 vs. 72 is a hit, but only 2MP of damage are inflicted. Lachaidiga has 7MP left.

She attacks, it defends (1AP each). 89 vs. 96, miss.

Lachaidiga again fails (roll of 67) at the unresisted attack, squandering her 3rd AP.


[round 5]
It rolls a successful attack (28) but Lachaidiga defends with a 30.

She then counterattacks, and it defends. 82 vs 31, miss.

Her final, uncontested attack roll is a 31; this time she hits for 3MP damage; it is defeated.]

Runequest solo 2 - part V, Good tidings and bad

Scene 5

chaos: 5

Setup: 1d10=4, interrupt (was: head back into desert after uneventful village stay)
Interrupt: PC Positive - Pursue / Ambush

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage
3. don't get caught and dragged home


The trial is concluded the next morning quickly, but with all due ceremony. The truth of Lachaidiga's testimony is evident even without supernatural confirmation. Mighty Anzakàr promises swift justice to those who date harm his people; she is sentenced to be buried alive in the desert, and taken away to her fate forthwith. Lachaidiga does not go to watch the execution, having no stomach for such things.

The wind blowing off the lake makes Ni'arouj nervous, as she watches it kicking up dust clouds over the sandy plain. She decides the caravan is not setting out again until the weather turns.

Being forced to wait in the village makes Lachaidiga nervous. They're scarcely a week out of Anzakàr; any pursuers, even had they set out a few days behind, could be on the verge of catching up with her. She has no doubt but that Enzzal will use his old army contacts to have scouts sent to track her down and drag her back home, perhaps even from their brother Nid-dallum's very unit. And Alkinu -- though the gods alone know how such a useless idiot could become so -- is an elite warrior himself. His comrades would almost certainly offer to help find his runaway bride.

The priest of Anzakàr offers her every hospitality, even providing her quarters adjoining the temple. He seems desperate for talk of home, and gratified to entertain a noble lady of rank. The two spend their evenings together in cheery conversation. When he is busy during the day, Lachaidiga swims in the lake or reads books form his personal library. She's still wary of having offended Ni'arouj, and gives her a wide berth.

On the third evening, Lachaidiga is reading quietly under the shade of an obliging palm tree when the priest comes to find her. "My lady," says he, "an elite warrior has just arrived in the village, and he's asking after you."

She is on the point of attempting to flee when a loud voice stops her in her tracks. "Lachaidiga, my dear friend! A happy day it is whenever I see you!"

"Wihiyaba!" she cries, and runs up to him, throwing her arms about his neck, hugging him tightly as he spins her round, her feet dangling several spans from the ground. He sets her down gently and steps back to look her over.

"You're looking well. The desert must agree with you."

"Hardly. My face is bright pink and there are tangles in my hair and not even my magic can get all the sand out of my linens. Oh, and look! I've a battle scar of my very own now."

"Whatever has happened to the girl who tried to hide in the command tent to avoid drilling with spear and shield?"

"Someone tried to kill her... but come, we've things to discuss. Privately."

The priest bows and excuses himself as Lachaidiga leads Wihiyaba down to the lake for their interview. She stretches out in the grass whilst he sits down beside her.

"So, I suppose you've come to fetch me back home," she says after a long silence.

"That is the mission for which I volunteered."

"You know I can't go back, don't you? At least not for a while. Not until things have settled. How bad is it?"

"You've caused quite a commotion.  Enzzal is in a constant rage, and has vowed to do everything within his power to bring you home and see -- how does he put it? -- that you do what's expected of you. He's petitioned your godfather to perform an official augury, but the clergy of Anzakàr will, of course, never get involved in purely familial disputes. For a few days he was convinced you were hiding in the sorcery college, and some serpentmen, I hear, had to forcibly eject him from their doorstep. He has pulled some strings, though, and gotten the army involved. Well, some scouts form his old unit. And some of us in the elite cadre have volunteered to help for Alkinu's sake -- esprit de corps and all that."

"So Enzzal is going round offending everyone in the City, and yet somehow it's all my fault!"

"I have not come to assign blame. But, you know, you're not entirely innocent in this matter."

"Hmpf! If he had listened to me, none of this would have been necessary in the first place! It is he who forced my hand! And he who is still trying to make me submit to his will, sending the army all the way out here to find me."

"Your family is still very powerful in Anzakàr, and has many friends and allies. And as a family friend, I could not refuse to help. Indeed, I stood in the presence of the sacred axe, and swore a solemn vow that, though the desert be full of terrors, I should brave them all to find you."

"And...?"

"And so have I found you. My oath is fulfilled."

"Wait -- you've not come to take me back?"

"As if I could! But honestly: you saved my life. I owe you at least this much. Alkinu's not a bad sort, but I understand why you wouldn't want to marry him -- or anyone else your brother picked out for you."

"I cannot tell you what a relief this is. But what will you do now?"

"I mustn't return yet to Anzakàr. That would look suspicious."

"Come with me to Hasharu."

"And whatever shall you do there?"

"Not marry Alkinu!"




Scene 6

chaos: 4

Setup: head back into the desert

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage
3. don't get caught and dragged home

After two more days of leisure by the lake in Pahem, the threat of sandstorms being past, the caravan once again continues in to the desert. Wihiyaba goes with them; Ni'arouj does not begrudge him food or water; she is pleased to have an elite warrior in addition to the sorceress for protection.

From the village the caravan travels down the shore of the lake and into the rocky hills for a day. The next two days see slow progress through the hills. The hills are nearly devoid of life. Only once is there any sign of life, a wisp of smoke rising in the distance. Lachaidiga and Wihiyaba are sent ahead to investigate, fearing that it be the cooking fire of a group of bandits. But it turns out to be a priest and a small group of worshippers, making an expiatory sacrifice to the gods of the air.

[only one random encounter in three days.
Q: Anyone want to stop? 50/50:47, No.]

The caravan continues past them, leaving them to their worship. Everyone is exhausted from the journey, and anxious to make the oasis by nightfall. Led onwards by the promise of cool water, shade, and rest, they wend their weary way over the unforgiving terrain.

But when they crest the last hill before the oasis, they look down to see a horrid sight [the Remote Event rolled back in scene 2]. The body of a man is silhouetted against the pool, lashed onto a great wooden pale.

Ni'arouj orders an immediate halt. She dispatches Lachaidiga and Wihiyaba to investigate. They creep forward, but soon find the place to be deserted. The man appears to have been a warrior -- possibly one of Anzakàr's elite -- and dead for several days. His body is already shrivelled and desiccated from the desert heat. Strangely, no scavengers appear to have been at him. His broken axe and shield are found discarded nearby. A pattern of stones has been arranged on the ground before the stake. "I fear this whole place," says Lachaidiga, "has been used as an altar of chaos!"

[Q: Is the oasis otherwise ok? Unlikely: 54, No.]

Finding the oasis empty of any obvious dangers, they report back to Ni'arouj. She is visibly shaken by Lachiadiga's explanation of the import of the dreadful find. She decides to examine the oasis herself [Survival roll: 43, success]. She is not there for a minute before she has discovered that the water of the oasis seems tainted. She orders the caravan to make camp well away from the corrupted place. A small party of volunteers (led by Wihiyaba) go back to retrieve the man's body and give him a proper burial. A double guard is posted that night.


Scene 7

chaos: 5

Setup: 2=interrupt (was press on)
Interrupt: Move toward a thread (1d3=#3)

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage
3. don't get caught and dragged home

As the caravan is packing up to leave the next morning, the sentries spot a rider in the distance, coming hard towards the oasis. A detachment of armed camel-riders are sent to head them off, with Lachaidiga and Wihiyaba in tow.

They are relieved to find that the rider is a courier wearing the uniform of a soldier in Anzakàr's army rather than some chaos cultist. They warn the woman off from the tainted oasis, and bring her to their camp to see Ni'arouj.

"I must back to Anzakàr at all speed," says the woman. "There has been a disturbing increase in wild broo activity in recent months, and we have intercepted some dispatches -- the chaos-men are forming an army of monsters! We haven't a strong enough body of troops in Peren'osh to withstand them, should their numbers not be exaggerated. We need the City to send more soldiers for defence."

Ni'arouj is concerned enough by the courier's report that she freely allows the woman to water her horse using the caravan's supplies.

Wihiyaba tells the courier that he is travelling with the caravan to ensure its safety, and asks if she would convey a personal, though not private, message back to to Anzakàr as well. She assents, and he dashes off a missive to Lachaidiga's brother on a scrap of old leather.

"To Nid-dallum say, thus sayeth Wihiyaba: I am well! Greetings to you. I am travelling to Peren'osh and then on to Hasharu with a trade caravan, to protect them from the increased dangers in the area. I will check in with the garrisons in those cities. Tell my unit commander of my movements, and tell your good brother Enzzal that I have nothing that I may report to him."


scene 8

chaos: 4

setup: press on

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage
3. don't get caught and dragged home


The caravan continues ever on its way through the wastes. After leaving the poisoned oasis, the route goes a few more leagues through the hills, and then out into sandy dunes. The camels are starting to feel the effects of their missed watering-hole, making progress difficult.

[The first random encounter roll came up a 0, Wilderness Event. I drew the above picture from the folder. Some of the camels are really suffering from the missed oasis. This will result in a one-step penalty to Ni'arouj's Navigation rolls. Traversing hills already puts the difficulty at Hard, so the additional step pushes the day's roll up to Formidable (skill at 1/2; so, 40%). Luckily she rolls a 38, so they stay on course.

The second random encounter roll this day came up an 8, Ruins & Places. Random picture below...]

Some toppled stonework is seen in the distance. Large sandstone columns still rise into the sky, and a main building and partial wall is still visible between two gate towers. A murmur goes through the caravan, and many are the fingers that point towards the structure.

[Q: Does Ni'arouj want to send scouts to see if there's a well? Likely: 77, no. +Event NPC Negative - Ni'arouj - Refuse / The public]

"Ruins in the desert like this," says Ni'arouj to a certain inquisitive sorceress, "generally mean bandits. Or broo. Or worse. I do not propose to deliver my goods straight to their door!"

"But mistress," says one of her lieutenants, "there could be a well. There is a great rumour passing through the ranks. They are anxious to know, and I fear they may contest your leadership if you order us to pass by this potential source of water."

"Very well," sighs Ni'arouj, "we shall stop here. Now, who shall I send to investigate?"

Runequest solo 2 - part IV, The witch-duel

Scene 4

chaos: 6

Setup: 1d10=5, Altered (see below)

Qes, assistant shaman
STR: 11
CON: 14
SIZ: 9
DEX: 4
INT: 10
POW: 11
CHA: 13

Action Points    2
Damage Modifier +0
Magic Points    11
Movement         6
Strike Rank      7

1D20  Location  AP/HP
01-03 Right leg 0/5
04-06 Left leg  0/5
07-09 Abdomen   0/6
10-12 Chest     0/7
13-15 Right arm 0/4
16-18 Left arm  0/4
19-20 Head      0/5

Skills: Athletics 75%, Binding 78%, Brawn 49%, Dance 42%, Devotion 49%, Disguise 72%, Endurance 45%, Evade 33%, Folk Magic 87%, Influence 48%, Locale 74%, Lore(Animal) 73%, Navigation 78%, Perception 46%, Sing 49%, Stealth 71%, Track 77%, Trance 71%, Unarmed 40%, Willpower 47%

Folk magic spells: Beastcall(Local Bird), Disruption, Find Life

Equipment: Bracelet - MP storage matrix (holds 6 Magic Points)


The ground around the mouth of the cave is littered with the bones of small animals. The air in the cave feels decidedly clammy after the scorching desert heat. Lachaidiga shudders as she feels a moist exhalation of damp earth wash over her. The cave smells strongly of soil, tinged with the sharp odour of a cooking fire. Dancing firelight spills onto the cave wall from around a bend.

The two girls sneak into the cave, mindful not to step on the detritus on the floor. As they creep round the corner, Lachaidiga beholds the cave's occupant. A horrible old hag sits before a cauldron, stirring the steaming brew and muttering to herself. Strange ragdoll fetishes hang here and there, and looming over the scene, as if looking down over it, is a great and terrible idol. At first Lachaidiga is struck with terror at the ominous collection of bones and skulls, but then a sudden realisation hits her: the idol is the triple-moon goddess of witchcraft, with whose blessing she herself was marked at birth!

[Two sets of opposed tests were rolled.

First, the girls' Stealth (L:44%, Q:71%) vs. the witch's Perception (53%):
L:17, Q:47, W:18 - the witch hears Lachaidiga's footsteps

Secondly, Lachaidiga's Insight (60%) vs. Qes' Deceit (35%)
04 crit vs. 63 failure - Lachaidiga realises she's being set up

N.B. To determine how the scene was Altered from "help the shaman destroy the evil spirits", I had asked the following Mythic question:
Q: Is Lachaidiga helping the wrong person? 50/50: 11, Exceptional Yes + Event: NPC Action - Ni'arouj - Stop / Weather (Ni'arouj will want to stay in the village for 1d6=5 days for fear of sandstorms.

Also, had this not been an Altered scene, I'd have used a different witch picture. Now, back to the story.]

"Now!" whispers Qes, "you can kill her before she has a chance to strike!"

Lachaidiga hesitates as the witch suddenly looks up. "Ah, my assistant finally returns," she says, "and with a guest, no less. Who might you be, dearie?"

"Assistant--?" says Lachaidiga.

"She's mad! She'll say anything to confuse you. Don't give in to her power. Strike now!"

"Lachaidiga weakly puts her hand on her sword, but does not draw. She feels the witch's eyes bore deeply into her own.

"Moon-daughter, I bid you welcome into the sanctuary of our goddess," says the witch. "Do not be fooled by the lies of this upstart into violating its sanctity."

Qes turns to flee but finds her feet rooted to the spot.

"Such a mess she's made, too," continues the witch. Stealing a powerful fetish and loosing the spirits within. Three soldiers dead... such a waste."

"What do you propose to do now?" asks Lachaidiga hesitantly, to which question she quickly appends the word "mistress".

The witch laughs in spite of herself. "I see the sorcerous college has left its mark on you as well. 'Mistress'! We don't follow the snakes' hierarchy out here, missy. But let me ask, what do you intend to do now? Are you going to kill me for this little brat to take my place, or did you have something else in mind?"

"No, of course not. Not kill you, I mean."

[Q: What does the witch want? Oppress / Investment - her apprentice (investment) to be taken to jail (~oppression)]

"You're a funny one, letting her get to you so. Vanquished you without her magic, I see.  Well, if you want to redeem yourself, why don't you take her to the village magistrates and have them lock her up. I'll be along in a day or so, but I need to sit here and mind the spirit traps. I've managed to recapture two of the rotters, but the third is proving a bit of a nuisance."

Lachaidiga finds a ball of heavy string and binds Qes' hands behind her back. The witch salutes the eerie idol and thanks the goddess for her protection. Lachaidiga is certain that the skull nods its assent. Qes stumbles a bit as she is loosed from the magic's power and can move again of her own accord -- but not very far, for Lachaidiga has a firm grip on her arm. She prods her prisoner in the small of her back with her sword, and orders her to start marching.

Outside, the early evening sun is still as ardent as it was at noon. Fortunately, the lake is still visible from the crest of the hill, so Lachaidiga need not worry about finding the village. After they trudged down the hill and through the rocks and sand of the plain for a quarter of an hour, Qes turns to her captor.

"Please, Lachaidiga, This is all a mistake. She's a horrible person. Horrible! Trying to turn us all to black magic. I had to try to stop her like that. There was no other way. And I really like you!"

"Don't make me hurt you."

[Qes had tried to pit her Influence (48%) vs. Lachaidiga's Willpower (79%).
80 vs. 61 - She did not weaken Lachaidiga's resolve at all.

Q: Will Qes make and escape attempt? Likely: 35, Yes.
She'll need to make a Brawn (49%) roll to slip her bonds: 47, success.]

As they make their way across the empty plain, Lachaidiga lets her mind wander. At first she starts to chastise herself for not minding the prisoner carefully, but then reasons that there is nowhere for the girl to run, and certainly nowhere to hide. Qes takes advantage of Lacahidiga's carelessness, and manages to slip her hands free of the poorly-tied cord. She runs forward a few steps, then turns to face her startled captor.

"I gave you a chance!" hisses Qes. "You'll never know what you gave up. And I... well, I can't begrudge the vultures a nice piece of flesh now and again!"

Before Lachaidiga can protest, Qes spits out an angry incantation and stabs furiously at the air before her. A wound opens up on the sorceress' arm as if rent by an invisible dagger.

[Qes cast Disruption (Folk Magic 87%), which is resisted by Lachaidiga's Endurance (28%)
Qes rolled a 58, success. Lachaidiga managed an 09, also a success, but since Qes rolled higher the spell still takes effect. Lachaidiga takes 1d3=2 damage to the (random it location, 1d20=13) Right Arm. Each casting, successful or not, will cost Qes 1 MP; she has 11 of her own and 6 stored in her bracelet.]

The momentary shock of the pain gives way to indignation, and the sorceress begins casting a spell of her own in return. As Lachaidiga pronounces the words of power, Qes gesticulates again, and a bloody cut is slashed across her stomach.

[Qes rolls 57 for another casting of Disruption, Lachaidiga fails to resist with a 23. She takes 3 points to the Abdomen.

For taking a Minor wound during spellcasting, Lachaidiga needs to make a Willpower (79%) check, or the difficulty of the casting roll will increase by one step (-1/3 skill level). Fortunately she rolls a 41 and is unhindered. She is, of course, once again casting Smother (Invocation 63%) which will be resisted by Qes' Endurance (45%); It takes her 2 AP and 2MP to cast (1MP for the base spell +1 for range (POW in metres).
Lachaidiga rolls 06, critical success vs. Qes' 20. Critical beats normal success, so the spell takes hold. Qes will suffer Fatigue beginning at the end of the following round.]

[round 2]
Lachaidiga gestures as wildly as her adversary, practically throwing the magic against her. The spell pulls all the air from the shaman's lungs and stops her throat. Qes chokes on the words of spell as she lashes out again and again, but her magic is still strong. Lachaidiga's thigh starts bleeding, and a second gash opens up across her stomach, criss-crossing the first.

[2 successful Folk magic rolls vs. 2 failed Endurance rolls. Lachaidiga takes 2 damage to the Left Leg, 3 more to the Abdomen, leaving her 1hp from a Serious wound in that location.

At the end of the round, Qes rolls a 68, failing her Endurance roll. She accrues 1d2=2 levels of Fatigue. She's now Tired, and all her skills are reduced by 1/3.]

[round 3]
"Please," implores Lachaidiga, "stop this madness! You're only making it worse for yourself!"

Qes is starting to falter under the weight of the baneful sorcery, but her only response is to keep flaying the sorceress with her own vicious curses. Lachaidiga winces as she suffers a slash on one shin, then the other.

[30 vs. 34, 20 vs. 12; even when Lachaidiga makes and Endurance test Qes always rolls higher. 2 more damage to the Left Leg (2 more hp until a Serious wound), 1 to the Right Leg.]

"Don't be a fool!" continues the sorceress. "My spell will destroy you even if you kill me!"

Lachaidiga is lying, of course. But whether Qes believes her or not, there is no escape without victory; she either kills the sorceress or faces the gallows. But the pain in her lungs is sapping her strength.

[She rolls a 16, making her Endurance roll, so only gets 1 more level of fatigue. She is now Wearied: all skills at half.]

[round 4]
Qes is moving clumsily now, but the hatred in her eyes is undiminished. She again lashes the air. A great rent opens in Lachaidiga's right arm, cutting down to the bone.

[Disruption 17 vs. 57. Lachaidiga takes 3 more damage to the Right Arm, reducing it to 0HP: a Serious wound. She will bear a permanent scar from the experience, and must pass an Endurance test (opposed by the attack roll) or the limb will be useless until healed. She fortunately rolls an 18, so can still use her sword arm.]

The agony causes her to scream like a Fury. Before she even realises what she is doing, she is charging full bore towards her opponent, sword already besmeared with her own blood. Qes stands her ground, and tries to throw another curse, but this one doesn't take. And then Lachaidiga barrels into her, running her through, burying the short sword up to its hilt in her stomach.

[Qes rolled a 57, failing to cast the spell (skill reduced to 44% from Fatigue).

A charge attack is at one difficulty level higher, so Lachaidiga's effective skill is 22%. Her attack roll is an unsurprising failure, so she expends a Luck point to re-roll.
An 09 results in a hit, with 1 special effect since it's uncontested. She chooses Impale (roll damage twice, use the better one). Her damage modifier goes up one step for the charge so rolling 1d6+1d2 results in 8 damage to the Abdomen, reducing the location to -2hp, a Serious wound. Qes falls but makes her Endurance roll (opposed by the attack roll, but her 12 beat the 09) so remains conscious.]

Lachaidiga loses her grip on the hilt of the sword, greasy with both their blood now, and it remains protruding from Qes' midsection as she is knocked down into the dirt. She thrashes about for a few moments, struggling to the last to vanquish the sorceress standing defiantly over her, until she herself is overcome and slips away into unconsciousness.

[--series of failed Folk Magic and Endurance rolls redacted--]

Lachaidiga flops down beside the bleeding girl, notes that she's still breathing, then decides to attend to her own wounds. Her own healing charms are enough to repair most of her injuries, but she has no spell strong enough to put her right arm to rights. Even with the bleeding staunched, she can still see exposed muscle and bone. She tears a strip from the hem of her gown -- another thing her magic is powerless to repair, she thinks -- and binds the wound as best she can before turning her attention to Qes.

At first she tries to retract the sword, but finds it won't budge, being lodged in a bone somehow [failed Brawn roll to retract impaled weapon]. Giving up, she says her healing charm over the wound with the sword still in it, hoping to keep her prisoner from losing too much more blood.

Lachaidiga finds the cord that she had used to bind Qes' hands, and this time uses it to bind the girl's feet together, pulling the cord as tight as she can until she's sure they'll turn blue. She then tears another long strip from her dress, and binds her hands in front, leaving some trailing to grab onto herself. Qes begins to stir, but a quick slap on the sword hilt sees her cry out sharply and faint away again.

"Right," says Lachaidiga to herself, "onwards to the village."

Taking hold of trailing fabric, she begins to drag her unconscious prisoner across the rocky plain. It's slow going, and awkward with her left hand, but she is determined that justice will be served, that Qes will pay dearly for her crimes and betrayal. She has to stop many times to catch her breath, and is more than usually alert to the possibility of another attack, but Qes never quite comes back to herself. And whenever Lachaidiga suspects that she is on the verge of coming to, a quick kick to the sword hilt puts her right back down. After the first few stops, she does not wake up again.

[Lachaidiga's Healing spell actually did stop the bleeding, but I ruled that the dragging and general mistreatment would inflict another 1d6 damage. I rolled a 2, so it doesn't degrade to a Major wound.]

The villagers of Pahem are horrified at the bloody spectacle of Lachaidiga dragging Qes into the town square. The village elders rush out to see the cause of such commotion, flanked by soldiers for protection. Lachaidiga answers their bewildered questions, and recounts the meeting in the cave under the moon goddess' image. [Influence roll 12; they believe her.] Once during the questioning, Qes begins to come round and Lachaidiga kicks her again without thinking. The soldiers become tense, some even unsheathing their weapons, but none are brave enough to move against the gore-bespattered sorceress.

The elders are sorely grieved to hear of Qes' actions, and summon the magistrate, a young priest of Anzakàr sent -- some might say exiled -- to mind the small temple of Anzakàr in the village and serve as a sort of territorial governor for this minor colony.

"Lady sorceress," stammers the young priest, "I am saddened that your first visit to this fair village be tainted by such... such terrible events. I would like to extend my gratitude for apprehending this... this dangerous renegade despite to obvious peril of so doing. I shall see to it that your injuries are attended to and that you suffer as little further... discomfort from the affair. But, I am sorry to add -- and you understand the necessity of this I am sure, good lady -- that tomorrow we must conduct a formal hearing of this matter in the sight of the image of Anzakàr in his temple, that his Sacred and Benevolent Justice may guide us to a proper judgement."

"Of course," says Lachaidiga, "I shall happily give a formal deposition in the Sacred Hall. But for now, all I really want is my arm looked at, then a bath, and a clean dress. Oh, and I want my sword back!"

Runequest solo 2 - part III, The shaman

Scene 3

chaos: 5

Setup: (6=unaltered) I rolled a random wilderness event, and randomly picked the picture above.

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader
2. Pahshub & his mercenaries
3. whoever that is in the picture

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage
3. don't get caught and dragged home

[Mythic questions to flesh out the encounter--
Q: is everything as it seems? 50/50: 87, No.
Q: is there still danger? 50/50: 12, Yes.
Q: is it a trap? 50/50: 93, No.]

In the dusty plain, four bodies lie sprawled. Ni'arouj orders the caravan to stop some distance [3d6x10=130m] off. At first they all seem to be still, though it is hard to gauge through the wavering heat. But one of them still seems to be moving, and even sitting upright.

"Well," Ni'arouj asks Lachaidiga, "don't you think you should go see what that's about before we continue? In case there's any danger?"

"Oh, I suppose," says the sorceress. "Maybe you should send a pair of swordsmen with me, though. Just in case." [Influence (63%) roll: 71, failure.]

"What am I paying you for?"

Lachaidiga makes no reply, but dismounts from her camel with a sigh. She throws her travelling cloak -- with the concealed shortsword scabbard -- over her shoulder and walks up to the sorry scene. As she comes closer she sees a young girl weeping over the bodies of three men. One of the men is in a simple tunic, the other two are clad in even less, though a long cloak lies twisted around one of them. A spear and shield and a pair of war axes lie scattered in the dust amongst the fallen. The weapons, like the men's bodies, are wholly unbloodied, but the taut expressions on their faces and the twisted attitude of their corpses suggests they met anything but a peaceful end.

The girl wears the simple and inexpensive style of dress of the masses in Anzakàr. Her face is buried in her hands, but she looks up as Lachaidiga draws near. Her tear-bedewed cheeks are swollen and nose is bright red. A sob shakes her small frame as she tries to say something.

"What happened?" asks Lachaidiga gently.

"Stay away," the girl croaks in reply. "It's not safe."

"Why not? Who... what did this?"

"Evil spirits walk abroad. They killed these soldiers from our village."

"They were Elite Soldiers, weren't they?" asks Lachaidiga.

"Yes -- nor man nor monster could best them, but they were powerless against the spirits. They ripped their souls right out!"

"Let me help you."

"I don't see how you can!"

"I'm a sorceress."

"Oh... maybe you can help. But it will still be dangerous."

"I'm not afraid. Is the village safe?

"Not if we don't put a stop to this."

"What will happen?"

"The spirits will claim more souls -- and devour them."

"Do you know what needs to be done?"

"Of course. I'm a shaman from the village. I... I only wish I hadn't arrived here too late... We shall have to work quickly. Would you give me a few more moments with my brother here? Just to say goodbye."

Lachaidiga runs back to tell Ni'arouj that she is going to help the shaman clean up a small matter, and that she will meet up with the caravan again in the village. Also not to worry and to save a place for her at supper.

[Mythic questions &c which fleshed out the scene:
Q: What killed the men? (series of Unlikely questions until one comes up yes): The girl? no. Soldiers? no. Each other? no. Bandits? no ? Monsters 02; Exceptional yes. So I grabbed the first random picture out of my Monsters folder that wasn't wild animals.

Q: Did the girl survive because she is a shaman? 50/50: 22, Yes + Event: PC positive - Overindulge / Magic. The shaman will give her a Spirit Shield matrix (stone pendant)

Her reaction roll (using the chart in the back of Legend): 02, Extremely friendly & willing to impart info at no cost.]

When Lachaidiga returns, the girl is standing with her back to the bodies, looking deeper into the desert. "There," she points, "it is that way we must go."

"I'm ready."

The girl takes her by the hand and leads her by what seems a trail known only to her. Lachaidiga can't seem to follow their progress, nor can she determine the landmarks the girl is using. As they crest a stony hillock, the girl abruptly stops and turns to Lachaidiga.

"We're just about there," she says, taking the sorceress by the hands. "But there's something I must tell you. Something I should have already said... oh, it's too late now. But you must know."

"Just tell me. I won't be cross."

The girl takes a deep breath. "The spirits," says she, "are not all we face. They're merely the servitors of something much worse: an evil witch."

"Then it's a good thing I've brought my sword. I felled an undead creature with it once before. I doubt a witch will prove as resilient to its trusty blade. Don't worry; I will look after you."

"I'm so glad you're coming with me. I was frightened to confront her alone. I'm sure we're going to be such good friends if we live through this. I'm Qes. It's short for Qelath-ganès, but only my parents ever call me that."

"Pleased to meet you, Qes. I'm Lachaidiga. I'm sure we shall be very close when this is through."

The girl smiles sheepishly, then reaches inside her tunic. She produces a delicate, hook-shaped grey stone tied on the end of a cord. She removes it from round her neck and presses it into Lachaidiga's hand. "This is my good luck charm," she says solemnly. "I want you to have it. It will protect your dear soul."

Lachaidiga opens her hand to examine the trinket. She fancies that the stone is almost a living thing, pulsing with life-energy. "Here," says Qes, "let me put it on you." She takes the cord and ties it round Lachaidga's neck, then takes her hand and silently leads her down the hill to the mouth of a cave. "When malevolent spirits are near, press it over your heart. Like this."

[The stone is a Spirit Shield matrix. It requires 1 magic point and a successful Folk Magic roll to activate.]

Lachaidiga blushes. "I feel safer already"

"Come on then," says Qes, "in we go."

Runequest solo 2 - part II, Caravan to Hasharu

The morning after the mercenaries' departure, Lachaidiga at first fancies the mood in the camp to be somewhat nervous, but once they are once again underway, she begins to realise that it is she who is worried. The nomad's songs are no less fervent, their jokes no less ribald than they have been before. Ni'arouj is still cold and distant, but that has always been her way toward the sorceress. Lachaidiga's fears slowly subside; not, in fact, because she feels any more ready for the unimagined or perhaps unimaginable horrors lurking in the wastes, but rather the monotony of the journey through the plains of sand and rock begins to make her feel quite dull. From time to time she jerks awake out of a half-dreaming state, ever fearful of drifting off completely and falling from her mount. She tries in vain to speak with Ni'arouj. The nomad woman responds by becoming more than unusually taciturn, and brushes off all Lachaidiga's petty questions and feeble attempts at conversation. Lachaidiga soon gives up, fearful that she'll provoke the woman to anger and be left behind in the desert. "Perhaps she really does despise me," she reasons, "for exposing her caravan to such danger."

Lachaidiga slows the pace of her camel slightly and falls back in with the rest, and seeks other sorts of diversions. She studies the terrain about her, tries to see it as the caravan mistress must. She starts to find that it isn't all the same, though it be much less varied than the splendid wards of her beloved Anzakàr. And there is so little relief from the omni-present sun. But despite her painful sunburn, she finds for once she cannot fault the daytime orb, for it brings her thoughts ever back to her sweet Nillath whom she had to leave behind in Anzakàr, lovely Nillath who would glory in the radiance of the desert, dear Nillath who would tease her mercilessly for her pink and peeling face. "One day," she thinks, "when this is all behind me, when Enzzal realises I was right to run as I did, perhaps I will have to take Nillath out here to see this beautiful desert. Although if Enzzal's rage doesn't subside... she'll just have to come visit me in Hasharu. But whichever of the two the fates decree, I hope there can be horses for travel instead of these smelly camels!"

[Hexcrawl time...

Each hex = 5km
Random encounters will be determined by grabbing a random picture from one of three folders according to the die roll; check 2/day, 1/night on 1d10

1-7 no encounter
 8 ruins & places (or no encounter if not moving)
 9 monsters
 0 wilderness events

I thought I remembered camel stats in some edition of Runequest, but I couldn't find them (not even in Call of Cthulhu). So I did some looking online. Baggage camels typically travel at human walking speed, with the handlers walking beside, so the caravan will travel an average of 6 hexes/day. Hill hexes will halve the movement rate. Camels need to be watered once every three days in the summer, so I'll take that into consideration should anything go wrong. It's late summer now.

Each day, Ni'arouj needs to make a Navigation (80%) roll to lead the caravan to the next stopping place on the route. Hills increase the difficulty to Hard (skill x2/3). Travelling along the coast of the lake grants an automatic success.

Scenes will change in response to encounters & events.

As of scene 1, the caravan has spent three days travelling. The first day they left Anzakàr and travelled down mountain roads to the first camp. The second day traversed rocky desert to a frontier fortress, and the third continued through rocky desert to an oasis amongst the dunes. Here the mercenaries turned back.

So scene 2 begins on the 4th day. Before resolving that, however, I decided it might not be a bad idea to see where things stand between our heroine and her employer as outlined above, so--

Q: Does Ni'arouj actually despise Lachaidiga? 50/50: 78, No.
Insight (60%) check to realise Ni'arouj just likes to ride in silence: 82, failure. Lachaidiga just thinks she hates her.]

Scene 2

chaos: 6

Setup: (9=unaltered) caravan continues to Hasharu

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader
2. Pahshub & his mercenaries

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage
3. don't get caught and dragged home

The caravan travels the whole day through the rocky desert without so much as spotting a bird flying overhead. Towards evening the air becomes a bit sweeter and less parching, as a cool wind sweeps into the desert from over the lake. Their destination is an Anzakàrite fort near the shore. "At least I won't have to worry about desert creatures or brigands tonight," thinks the relieved sorceress.

[Q: Are there any problems at the fort? Unlikely: 47, Yes.
Q: What's going on? Inform/Tactics]

Ni'arouj trots ahead on her camel to greet the guardsmen on the wall above the gate. She comes back to address the caravan as the portcullis is being raised. "Good news everyone," she says, "we can sleep within the walls tonight and stable the camels inside too. Most of the soldiers are away fighting bandits. I dare say those left guarding the fort are lonely, and just want some company."

[In case it might affect things, I decided to see which way the army went. Going clockwise on the points of a compass starting with North, 1d8=6: South West.
Q: What are they fighting? (rolling each as Unlikely odds until a yes comes up) Monsters? No; Bandits? Yes.]

Lachaidiga is at first reticent to be seen by the soldiers, lest she be recognised. But as she does not know any of them, and there are so few, she decides the promise of a decent conversation is worth the risk. The ranking officer can tell by Lachaidiga's speech and bearing that she is one of the nobility, and offers to let her dine at her table, an invitation which the sorceress is happy to accept. The soldiers have been stationed here a long while, and are eager for news of the City. Lachaidiga is very obliging, and decides to take the opportunity to sound them for information on her own predicament. She relates the story of her flight from the wedding as if it were just the latest gossip, and casually inquires whether any such fugitives have passed through the fort lately. She is relieved to hear that they know nothing of such events, and joins in at the general laughter at such improper behaviour.

[rolls for the above:

Q: Has any news reached fort about Lachaidiga? Very Unlikely: 44, No + Event:  Remote event (1-2 in Anzakàr, 3-4 on caravan route, 5-6 at Hasharu) =4, route. 10 travel days left so 1d10=4; the caravan will discover the after effects of the Event at stop #8, an oasis, when they get there.

Lachaidiga needed to roll an Influence (63%) check to get information out of the soldiers, and a Deceit (59%) check to pretend the gossip wasn't about her. Rolls of 07 and 48 both succeeded.]

Lachaidiga sleeps soundly that night. In truth, she has been sleeping quite well since joining the caravan, but this is the first night she has fallen asleep feeling relaxed and reassured rather than collapsing from exhaustion.

The next day sees easier travel. Travelling along the lake shore is so much nicer than trudging through the rocky wasteland. There are waterfowl to observe, plants, and even some fish are caught by some of the more enterprising nomads for lunch. High spirits and an easy route results in a trip of record speed. By mid-afternoon the lakeshore village of Pahem is in sight.

But the sharp-eyed caravan mistress spots something amiss out on the plain, and decides to send the sorceress to investigate.

Runequest solo 2 - part I, "Rather the desert take me..."

Gallamah, youngest daughter of the great general, was reclining serenely on her divan as a somewhat flustered Lachaidiga entered her incense-perfumed chamber. She surveyed the harried sorceress with her soft, heavy-lidded eyes, which seemed always to be half-dreaming. "Come," said she, with a majestic wave of her hand, "sit by me and tell me whatever is the matter, my dear."

Lachaidiga slumped heavily into the plush cushions beside her friend. She breathed deeply of the spicy, scented air and let it out in a great sigh. "I... I am in need of advice," she began. "I had a plan all worked out to... avoid a certain awful entanglement..."

"Yes, my dear, I received the invitation yesterday."

"But now I'm afraid. It's a dangerous plan -- oh, but worth it to be rid of that dolt! I won't back down. I just wanted to know... what to expect."

"Are you after my advice as a friend, or as a prophetess?"

"Well... both, if I may be honest. But especially the second."

The prophetess laughed sweetly. "O moon-daughter, you know that yours is the future I cannot see. Turmoil surrounds you and confusion follows ever in your wake. You bear the great mark of a mysterious goddess in your strange and changing eyes. Perhaps it is to her you should be turning for wisdom. Some there are who would look into your eyes to know the phase of the moon. They must chase you down, and get you to sit still. I don't say this as a reproach, but that's quite a feat, my dear friend. Such an effort, when they could just as easily look up."

"You've reached a new level of cryptic."

"I'm a prophetess; it's in my nature. If you wanted a straight answer, you should have asked your brother Enzzal."

"I could do without his opinions!"

"Say what you will about him, but he never lies to you. And nor shall I. You are decided on a course of action; I say stick to it bravely. Your courage has ever been an asset. Do not waver. And come to me freely with your troubles. I may not be able to advise you as a seer, but I shall always be here as your friend."

"But I shall not be here! To escape the wedding, I must leave Anzakàr entirely."

"I see. Little wonder at your distress. Have you ever been outside the City before?"

"Yes... no. No farther than the militia training field. And of course the harbour, but that doesn't really count, either."

"Whither shall you go?"

"Anywhere. Through the desert. Somewhere I can't be found."

"There are many dangers and nameless terrors lurking in the desert. Even the greatest caravan masters cannot avoid them all."

"I'd rather the desert take me than that useless fool Alkinu!"

"And so it shall if you proceed rashly."

"No, don't worry. I'm not running out into the wastes. I've... or rather Master Hhsasv has made arrangements for me to travel, and given me a message to deliver to another sorcerer in Hasharu. Oh, I shouldn't have said! You won't tell, will you? Please, say you won't tell."

"You were never fated to be bound to Alkinu; I need no gift of prophecy to see that. You may rely on my discretion, my dear. I will not tell a soul."

. . .   . . .   . . .

[It is time to chronicle Lachaidiga's next adventure. I'm using the exact same toolbox as her first one: Runequest 6, Mythic with Mythic Variations, Cities, and random pictures.

I will be presenting things a bit out of order, however. At the close of her last adventure, she had approximately 5 weeks before her wedding day. I had used Mythic with the Personal theme tables from Mythic variations to play out the entire time as she went around the city plotting her escape. I had originally intended to present it all under the somewhat joking title 'Escape from Anzakàr', but... honestly it would be a little too boring. Nothing truly spectacular happened, and no one came close to discovering her plans; the Chaos factor even sunk all the way to 1!

I'd briefly thought of just summarising the whole thing, or even scrapping it all and starting over, but there are a few scenes worth keeping. These will be related at the appropriate junctures, whenever they may be. I'll set them off from the current adventure in some obvious way when they come up (and use the past tense to write them). The above proöemium is in fact scene 8 of 9. Other scenes, like the thrilling trip to the market with neither encounters nor incidents (scene 7, chaos 3) can be safely forgotten.

For playing through all of that, Lachaidiga will earn the minimum (2) experience rolls, and since she ends up outside the City when she receives them, she is ineligible for her +1 bonus roll for high Charisma.

The new adventure will start off again with scene 1. As it's entirely open ended at the moment and has no overriding theme, I'm going to use the standard mythic chart. To make things more interesting, I'm going to use the rule from the Action theme where all doubles rolled on the Fate Chart result in a random event. And for sanity's sake I'll start off again on Scene 1. So,]

Scene 1

chaos: 5

Setup: something interesting happens to the caravan (1-2 encounter, 3-4 environmental hazard, 5-6 internal dispute): 6=dispute
1d10=3 days into the ~2 week journey

NPC list:
1. Ni'arouj, the Caravan leader
2. (dissenting party)

Threads:
1. get to the city of Hasharu
2. find a certain sage (task given by her Ophidian master from the sorcery college in Escape scene 3; more on this later)
3. don't get caught and dragged home

As the caravan plods through the desert, Lachaidiga fidgets uncomfortably atop her camel. Ni'arouj, the caravan mistress, bids her second to lead the train and slows her pace to ride near the sorceress. The shrewd nomad can barely repress a smile as she looks at the miserable city-dweller.

"Why so glum, sorceress," asks Ni'arouj.

"I just thought," replies Lachaidiga, "that my first time out of Anzakàr would be more momentous, is all. Instead there's just sand and rock and heat and sun. I don't know what's worse: my face going all red from the sun, or my arse from the saddle. It feels like we've been travelling forever, even though I know we haven't. How long since we set out?"

"Three days. And probably eleven more to go before we reach Hasharu."

"Three days... today was to have been my wedding day. You know, suddenly I rather love the desert."

"I shall remind you of that," says Ni'arouj, "when you start complaining again tomorrow."

. . .   . . .   . . .

That evening finds Lachaidiga sitting by a campfire with some of the caravan mistress' subordinates, absently poking the ashes with a stick and listening to the incomprehensible babble of nomad speech around her. A hand on her shoulder shocks her back to her senses.

"Come, sorceress," says Ni'arouj. "It's time to earn your keep."

"What's going on?" asks Lachaidiga as she stands and dusts off her robes.

[Q: What is the nature of the dispute? Usurp / Opulence + random picture (below) to find principal disputant]

"The mercenaries are grumbling about their pay. Just follow my lead."

At the other side of the camp, groups of armed and sometimes armoured warriors sit around their own fires. Lachaidiga recognises some of them as belonging to Ni'arouj's clan -- and therefore beholden to her in some sort of feudal/familial sense which Lachaidiga, as an outsider, cannot understand -- but there are a score of foreign mercenaries hired on as well to protect the richer-than-normal caravan. The mercenary captain, a gruff veteran by the name of Pahshub, stands silhouetted before one of the large fires, haranguing his troops with bitter invective.

"...they say they need us to protect them from bandits. Look at our paltry wages! I think we all know who the real bandits are!" cries Pahshub. His words are met by a chorus of muttering approbation.

"That's enough out of you, Pahshub," says Ni'arouj sternly. "You've done nothing but grouse since we left the harbour. I kept your company on retainer whilst I conducted my business in Anzakàr, and we've had no trouble the whole time. You share my food, you share my water. Your wages are more than generous. Let us end this foolish talk before things get out of hand."

"Afraid to negotiate without your new pet sorceress?" says Pahshub.

"Hardly," replies Ni'arouj, "but if this is going to get ugly, I want it ended. Quickly and definitively. Understand?"

"Please," implores Lachaidiga, "can't we all play nicely together? I'm tired and sore and I just want to go to sleep, which I can't do whilst you're arguing. Don't make me use my spell. It isn't pretty -- for the survivors!" This last she snarls out in the Ophidian tongue; whether or not they understand it, the sound of the serpentfolk's language is often more than enough to frighten the superstitious and ignorant.

[So do the threats of a petulant sorceress carry any weight? She's definitely bluffing; even though she could affect up to 6 opponents with a single casting of Smother, there's no way she could survive a 1 vs. 20 fight. But they don't know that. So, she'll need to make a roll against Deceit (59%) for them to believe she's that powerful, and then if that succeeds, a roll against Influence (63%) for them to fear her wrath. These rolls will be resisted by Pahshub's Insight (43%) and Willpower (60%) respectively.
Deceit: 59 vs. 34; both succeed but her roll is higher, so she wins the test.
Influence roll: 62 vs. 66; success vs. failure.]

Pahshub looks angrily at Lachaidiga as if he's about to say something, but never does. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, which seem an eternity for his quaking soldiers, he turns and stalks off.

"Anzakàr be praised," sighs Lachaidiga. "I just had this dress cleaned..."

Ni'arouj conducts Lachaidiga back across the camp to her waiting tent. "You certainly put Pahshub in his place," says the caravan mistress as she is about to take her leave, "but try not to overdo it next time."

. . .   . . .   . . .

[Q: Is that the end of it? Unlikely: 97, Exceptional No.
Q: What do the mercenaries do? Return / Military]

The next morning, one of the nomad lieutenants bursts into Lachaidiga's tent and shakes her roughly awake. She rubs the sleep from her eyes, takes the sword from beneath her pillow, and hurriedly exits the tent in her night-dress, oblivious to the shocked expression of the caravaneer.

Outside, the camp is in commotion. Ni'arouj and Pahshub are shouting, both so consumed with rage that they've switched to their mother tongues, of which neither rightly understands the other. Their intent, however, could not be more plain. Behind Pahshub, the mercenaries are packing up their gear.

[Lachaidiga will try to intervene. She'll need to make a Difficult Influence roll (63% x2/3 = 42% adjusted skill level) to even be heard: she rolls 23, a success.]

Lachaidiga interposes herself between the two and makes herself heard. The furious pair lapse into silence as the sorceress bellows out some equally inarticulate imprecation.

"Would anyone like to tell me what's going on?" asks Lachaidiga calmly.

"The mercenaries have elected to turn back, and return to the city." says Ni'arouj.

"You've got your witch to protect you," spits Pahshub, "so you won't need us any longer." So saying, he turns and marches off. His soldiers fall in behind him.

"You're making a mistake," calls Lachaidiga after him, but a half-hearted rude gesture over his shoulder is his only response. Ni'arouj crosses her arms and watches them go in silence.

[Lachaidiga failed a Difficult Influence roll to change Pahshub's mind (which would have been resisted by his Willpower in any case).

Q: Once back in Anzakàr, will the mercs tell anyone that they know where Lachaidiga went? 50/50: 51, No, but just barely -- they're probably too far down the social ladder to hear about her scandalous flight. Pahshub would leap at the chance to get back at her, if he only knew.]

As the last ranks of the mercenary company are receding in to the distance, the caravan mistress turns to address Lachaidiga. "Well, I hope you know what you're doing," she says. "You are now our only defence against the monsters and marauders of the wastes."

"But..." protests the sorceress.

"We had a deal: your magic in exchange for passage... and my discretion as to your whereabouts. You share my food, you share my water. We have a deal, and you're going to stick to it, little miss!"