From: Paul Heinz (paul@runegate.nacjack.gen.nz)
Date: Fri 02 Sep 1994 - 04:11:28 EEST
Paul "RuneLord" Heinz here.
Sam Phillips
I've been running a Sartar campaign using the Varmandi as a base too. I personally think it's the best RQ/Glorantha game I've ever run. This doesn't mean it's that great objectively, just that my other RQ games were worse in terms of Gloranthan feel and "accuracy". I'd like to see your Varmandi saga and as an offering, here some highlights from my game where I am giving much thought to a Kinstrife theme. If any of my PCs are somehow reading this, stop now!
I'm running mine in 1614 after Starbrows rebellion and backdated the Genertela Book stuff and stole bits from other places. In my game Rastorlanth and many of the Varmandi carls died in the rebellion leaving the Varmandi dominated by women who are tired of war. Thus Vastyr the Gentle was elected to be Chief as he is the (henpecked) husband of the local Ernalda priestess, Yolina. The Orlevings are Lunar allies and did not fight the Lunars, rather they raided them and ruined the Varmandi steads around Tarkalor keep, leaving an area that both clans now contest.
The Orlevs are suffering from population pressure and desire to expand. Within there number, I have a group of especially nasty male Orlevings who have formed a warband and are rabidly attempting to convince the rest of the Orlevs to escalate from raiding and feuding to full scale war against the Varmandi. As these Orlevs are known to be killers and wastrels, they do not really have the favour of the present Orlev chief. They are also believed to have slain the family of a member of the chief's bloodline who was forced into a blood feud over some disputed property rights. Justice was perverted as the warband Orlevs called for a Holmgang (they were in the wrong but "Violence is always an option") and as they have a habit of maiming the opposing champion, no-one wished to challenge them and the case was dropped. The warband then proceeded to harass and threaten this family who then left the Orlev lands to live in one of the not-too-ruined Tarkalor keep ex-Varmandi steads but were fell upon and slain hideously. My PCs then had a wild shadowcat that sometimes sleeps in their woodpile arrive with wounds with long dead flesh in them. The slain Orlev family had largely become hideously misshapen ghouls and a nasty draugr.
One of my favourite Orlev NPCs is "Gnokki the Cannibal". This is a huge Orlev carl with twin red pigtails, filed teeth and foul demeanor. He is known for biting the ears of his foes to "mark them" and rumoured to then capture, torture, and eat them in secret to gain their strengths. I'm using an idea of Paul Reilly's that if you act in proscibed chaotic ways, you may fall prey to the Chaos God who the act is "sacred" to, thus Gnokki has become a Cacodemon worshipper and is turning into an Ogre. He is indeed gaining strength from his enemies and, whats more, he likes it. Like the Cannibal cult, he likes to mark and then cultivate powerful enemies. One of my PCs has been marked by Gnokki and it's makes him quite nervous. The PCs found the Orlev warband near their lands after searching for a local clanwoman (Erissa - the year wife of the village Storm Bull Ugbahn) with a large amount of (assumedly) Lunar salt with them (Lunar pay for their mercenary activities). They planned to salt the Varmandi lands (sacrilege against Ernalda!). My reckless (we use Pendragon traits) three PCs charged and attacked the camp of 12 Orlevings in the dark and rescued the about to be raped Erissa (who took a real liking to the PC which caused no end of trouble with Ugbahn but that's another story), one PC was knocked unconscious by one blow from Gnokki and had his ear taken. He then left his body and had a spirit vision, met Old Man Varmands ghost (spooky) and his dead father (even spookier) who helped him and with the help of Ugbahn and brothers (who were chasing their younger brother Ergi) showed up and helped to drive the warband off. The Warband leader (Gnokki's cousin) had his throat slit by one PC but managed to survive and be healed and I plan to have him come back with a Kergan like scar and attitude.
My current plan is to involve the PCs in a HeroQuest style struggle. The Orlev Storm Voice plans to interfere with a Varmandi fertility ritual which is performed each Spring at the end of plowing time.
The Thunder brothers venture into Engiziland to capture the Boar of Plenty. They then sacrifice it and spill it's blood on Esrola's fields to enrich them.
This ritual was performed by Old Man Varmand and each year, the new Orlanth initiates are sent to capture a (magical) boar and bring it back (this idea came via Davids' Blue Boar HeroQuest amongst other stuff). The Orlev Storm Voice is questing to cast the questors in the roles of Vadrus's and Ragnaglar's kin as opposed to Orlantha and his kin which will make the quest more magical, for higher stakes, and much harder. For one, Barbeester Gor will challenge the PCs (calling them unusual names like Vadrus, Gagarth, Molanni, and Ragnaglar).
I picture her in armour of ironwood bark, with a ver-de-gris'd copper shield, a live hissing snake for a belt and a copper great axe with various shrivelled (male) organs hanging from it accompanied by her half pig/half dog hunting beasts (a la Fragment 1611 from Tales).
Anyway, enough for now. More later, if anybody's interested.
TTFN,
Paul "RuneLord" Heinz
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