Campaign Description
his is a description of our adventures in the Peilous Lands. A description of the main characters is available separately.
The description never got beyond chapter 2 and the campaign is now indefinitly not going to be completed.
- Chapter 1: In which an adventure is looked for and found
- Chapter 2: In which the heroes meet the Bumai and Djamas meets something else
Chapter 1: In which an adventure is looked for and found
n a splendid summer evening several young Ba'Rual citizens and a female
Zen'da warrior met in "The Morning Inn" on the Great Market of Ba'Ru city.
Still being nobodies, they decided they would become heroes of great
reknown. This decision was celebrated over great quantities of wine.
1.1 Djamas is fooled
On this night, one of our young heroes-to-be, the merchant Djamas, met a nice-looking girl from La'Ced who took him to her hotel, where, so it was assumed, they would have a great time. Next morning, Djamas returned very upset to his friends: the girl had placed a Geas on him. He was compelled to get the down of a Roc that had never flown. Our young heroes recognized the opportunity of acquiring fame and wealth and set out to find this Rocdown.
1.2 Djamas pays for Smallchange
Zlotti Smallchange had his own ideas about becoming a famous hero. When he saw a woman bargaining over a fish, he decided he needed her purse and tried to steal it. Of course he was caught and sent to prison. Thanks to the mediation of his friend Owen, Djamas paid the fine imposed on Zlotti.
1.3 Professor Kinzohn
The university of Ba'Ru houses a Biology faculty, where the famous ornithologist professor Kinzohn holds office. Our heroes rightly assumed that this expert would know something about the nesting places of Rocs. Owen had a hefty dispute with the professor about the 3D-auto-position-determination of the Roc. In the end, the adventurers learned they would find a Roc's lair in the hills of the Bumai barbarians.
1.4 Djamas pays again for Smallchange
Since the Bumai live on the other side of the Sea of Cholchara, Djamas arranged passage on a merchant ship sailing to Asichi and paid the travel costs for his companions who could not afford it. From the captain, Bori Tambogha, the young Rocdown-collectors learned that the Bumai were not a friendly people. The Bumai seemed to have the nasty habit of sacrificing strangers to their lawful warrior god Atzel. This was the reason that Bori, being an honest merchant, would not let Djamas pay the return fare: he did not expect them to come back alive.
Chapter 2: In which the heroes meet the Bumai and Djamas meets something else
hen Bori dropped the brave company of Rocdown-gatherers on the beach at the
foot of the Bumai Hills, the adventurers made camp. Their sound night rest
was assured by the comforting Bumai trophies of shrunken heads lying in a
niche in a rock standing nearby.
2.1 Vidi...
Unknown to the unsuspecting adventurers, their arrival in the land of the Bumai was noticed immediately by a young Bumai boy playing in the hills. This boy (who is to become a great Bumai warlord) alerted his village immediately, whereupon the shaman Welath and clan chief Alarik mustered all their warriors and started to track the young city-dwellers.
2.2 Veni...
Twenty mighty long-bearded warriors managed to outflank the sacrilegious invaders, who noticed the threat before an ambush had been set. In a desperate attempt to escape, the adventurers made a concentrated attack on one point of the enemy line, suffering damage from Bumai longbows in the act.
2.3 Vici
But alas! The Bumai power was too great, certainly after Zlotti's mighty broadsword-wielding brother had been paralysed by a spell from Welath the shaman. The two magic-users, Owen and Zigz, managed to escape invisibly, while the others surrendered.
2.4 Owen's brave and heroic feats
There they sat, tied by hands and feet, scorned upon, all their equipment taken from them and locked up in a storage room in a Bumai longhouse. Now all depended on the mighty magician Owen. He racked his brains and spent all his mana with no other effect than him becoming invisible for a couple of minutes during which he could do nothing more than walking to the earthen wall surrounding the village and return to his hiding place.
2.5 On the nature of Bumai doors
A typical Bumai door is made from good wood, set in iron hinges in the floor and top beam. These hinges are held by iron pins driven into the wood; furthermore, the door is closed from the outside by a sturdy wooden pole across the door. Anyone who has been held prisoner by long-bearded warriors who have plans of roasting you in praise of their god would appreciate this information, since it provides clues about escape! After Zlotti's pet rat had chewed the ropes that bound him, the adventurers managed to pull out the iron pins which could be used as improvised daggers.
2.6 On dogs and children
Anyone who has tried to escape from pyromanic barbarians would agree that dogs and children are a pest. One sleeping dog is not a big problem if you have an iron door-pin. Four sleeping children, however, are a lot more problematic, especially if one of them awakes and starts to scream.
2.7 Fugitives' dilemma
Startled by the childrens' cries, our heroes ran for freedom, climbing over the wall. Only Maslo was not quick enough to avoid a paralysis spell from the shaman who had awakened upon the alarm call, while the rest fled as fast as they could in the cover of the night. What to do? If they would run all night, they had a chance of exhausting themselves so much that by morning they would collapse from fatigue. If they would hide in the bushes they would have to deal with the pursuing mounted warriors hot on their tail.
2.8 Discovered
They decided for the second option. After dashing several times from bush to bush the former prisoners hid in the trees of a small bushy outcrop not very far from the village. The pursuing barbarians found the fugitives' trail soon enough and most of them retreated to their waiting wives after they had discovered the whereabouts of their prey. Most, that is, since the Bumai had left a sentry of four mounted guards watching the bushes.
2.9 Morning Outbreak
In the first rays of sunlight, our heroes proved their skills and prowess, subdueing two heavily armed Bumai watchposts, taking their weapons and horses. This is an amazing feat, since the fugitive adventurers were unarmed themselves. But one can stretch one's luck too far. The third Bumai warrior was not so easily to be surprised and his cries of help alarmed the village.
2.10 Djamas' Last Stand
Soon after, seventeen fierce barbarians streamed out of the village, yelling bloodthirsty cries of war. Although our heroes were only half-armed, having only two horses and being out of mana, they nevertheless decided to stand and fight, to the Bumai's utmost joy. Djamas fought fiercely, thinking of glory, blood and revenge only. "Surrender" is not a word in his vocabulary. His limited vocabulary was to be his downfall, may he rest in peace.
2.11 Caught again
After Djamas' guts and gore had spilled on the grass, the Ba'Ru adventurers surrendered. Eloquently, Chi'Abra pleaded for mercy, oh wise and brave Bumai warriors, leave us our lives and we will depart from your country at once! A young Bumai warrior was so impressed by Chi'Abra's beauty, battle-prowess and eloquence that he supported her plea and the villagers deliberated. This was the conclusion they reached: "Aye, thou wereth worthy adversaries. Thou shalt leave our country, never to return, but thou shalt leave thy belongings and one of thee wilst meet Mighty Atzel, Warrior of the Sun."
2.12 Guess who?
The adventurers knew that there would be no greater honour than following Djamas to Atzel's Eternal Hunting Grounds and although everyone wanted gladly to be with Djamas, they decided it would be most fair to grant the honour to Djamas' hireling and follower Harry. As for the rest of the terms, they gladly accepted, since none of them wanted to stay in this hapless land a second longer than necessary. Maslo secretly vowed he would return. But next time, he would have an army to back him.
2.13 Epilogue
The journey to Asichi was a hard one. Unarmed, unequipped, on foot, it was the most difficult travel the young adventurers ever had made. Living like wild animals from raw meat, berries and nuts, they arrived starving and filthy in the city of Asichi. And how would you find a place for the night in a town you don't know? Right! Maslo provoked a barroom-brawl during which he was able to sneak away with a young blonde girl whose huge boyfriend was fighting someone else, Zlotti deftly pickpocketed one of the brawlers, Thalan just paid for a room, Chi'Abra slept on the streets while Owen and Zigz drank their full in the tavern's courtyard. Next morning, Maslo arranged passage on a ship bound for Ba'Ru.
To be continued ...