Treasure from previous games was discussed. Magic bits were assessed and the PC's found they had a Healing root (which expired before use) and a fetish which could heal too, like a one-use Healing matrix. Pan had to use that later. There are some scrolls no-one can read from the 8 barbarian raiders of Storm 1620. And a magic carrotlike root obtained from them is still healthy-looking.

Pan & Myra's baby was born. It was a healthy boy . Pan, being a mature & responsible sort of father, invested his cash in a sturdy female slave (Franela, PA10, STR decent, age 30) who could look after the baby and do farmwork for him. He & Myra have leased a smallholding from Sir J but Pan doesn't see any sense in labouring behind a plough when he could be off adventuring in, say, a Ulerian temple somewhere.

The PC's worked hard on their farms, etc. during Sea Season. A young woman in the village was horribly murdered; the PC's tracked down the "culprits", two barbarians from the Blackarm Tribe. The barbarians were killed resisting arrest, but Viran's arm was badly damaged. A magic pendant was found on the bodies which allowed the wearer to shoot ice-arrows from their index finger; the PC's attempted to sell it in the town of Rood, but weren't offered enough to make it worth their while & returned home. The Blackarm Tribe, a.k.a. the Black Karma tribe, turn out to be the remnants of the Black Karmanians, the hard-core fanatic terrorists who withdrew into Rathorela and waged guerilla war on the Lunars after they conquered Carmania. In the last 100+ years of isolation they appear to have aquired some unpleasant habits such as cannibalism. They appear to be sending scouts back to the Lunar border now...

Game dates: Sacred Time 1620-1 to the end of Sea 1621(see Calendar).

Dramatis Personae: Viran (Rupert); Pan (Charlie); Anastasia (Alan); Marcus (Lynne). New player Mark Buckley was going to show up, but was struck down by the lurgy a few days before: entry delayed until next game. Richard's character Kyrolan is now out of the game due to Richard moving to Chicago.

Black Karma?

Two odd looking tribesmen saw Pan, Anastasia and Viran practising militia maneouvres near the forest. They didn't look like the other Rathori, and had much more metal in their equipment - even a bronze plate armour breastplate. They talked with them a little (in Carmanian). P/V/A reported this to the bailliff because they thought it odd (these guys looked tooled up for war). Mr Revarnos sent word to Thule of a new tribe in the area and sent P/V/A over the river to their friends the Burnt Tree Clan to find out more.

On the way to the BTC they met Og, the large but stocky bloke with hideously wrinkly skin, stomping down the path in a bad mood. They tried hiding but Pan couldn't see anywhere to skulk, so stayed on the path whistling and smiling. Og took umbrage at this behaviour and nutted Pan unconcious with one mighty meeting of bonces, then simply walked over him and down the path. Pan's helm still has the dent. The BTC told them that Og was always like that, and the newcomers were called the Black Karma Tribe. They had been sealed behind a Closing to the north for many years and had sent out scouts to reestablish contact with the other tribes and find out what was going on in the world; they only reappeared this year. They seemed to have become much more vicious since they were last seen. They used to wander everywhere, having no territory of their own but travelling through others' lands. The PC's returned to Genest with the news (slightly delayed by a tree falling on Viran and pinning him).

In early Sea Season, a young woman villager developed stigmata of wounds similar to those received by the Red Goddess when she fought Nysalor. If healed, they reappeared the next day. An intense local superstition arose that she was somehow holy, a miracle worker blessed by the goddess. Within weeks many preposterous powers were attributed to her - healing the sick, levitation, prescience, even virginity. Pilgrims flocked to see her and the further they'd come, the wilder their expectations. The villagers knew a good thing when they saw one and Mr Icarnos and those with sleeping space in their barns flourished under the flux of traffic. The PC's considered setting up a Relics franchise, e.g. locks of hair, fingernail clippings, phials of blood from her wounds, T-shirts...

At its peak about 6 - 12 visitors arrived every day to see the phenomenon. Believers in her powers tended to be slightly on the unstable side or desperate for a cure. Typical visitors included: - a hysterical religious nutter, a woman who believed the world would end in 3 years (screamed abuse when Maria denied knowledge of this) - people begging for cures (some seemed to get better!) - people wanting relics

And people investigating the truth of the matter: - an Irippi Ontor Inquisitor - a Red Goddess Riddler - religious fanatics from Newfaith - a bloke describing himself as a "Thaumaturgical Investigator" i.e. an idly curious bloke who'd heard the rumours in Thule - various priests

There was also a travelling theatre in Genest as the Legend neared its climax. They put on a play about a vampire. The actors kept in costume throughout the day and had great fun hamming it up in the village.

Then one morning she was found dead by the stream, her throat ripped open and all her blood drained out into the water (a martyrdom all but proving her Sainthood). The PC's were the ones to discover the body. They spotted some tracks on the other side of the stream and followed them to find those two Black Karman tribesmen having breakfast. The bits bobbing in their pot smelt a bit suspect. The PC's questionned them skillfully and attempted to persuade them to "visit" their village... all seemed to be going well until Anastasia blurted out " Yeah! You're all under arrest!". The tribesmen had no intention of being arrested by some damned Lunars in their own forest, grabbed some weapons and fought (luckily they hadn't time to don armour). The PC's (well...Marcus actually) managed to kill them, no doubt helped by Marcus' dogs biting their legs, but suffered sorely. Pan's leg was broken by one with a mace, and he had to use the one-use healing fetish to survive. Viran and Marcus fought the other, rather taken aback when he breathed fire and fried off 80% of Viran's arm! He also set Marcus' arm alight. Anastasia was pretty ineffective, relying on darts as she's small and weak. The PC's had thought they figured out at least one of these guys were vampires (perhaps because I used a Vampire figure for one, perhaps because they had pointy teeth and the breakfast stew contained human remains) and had gained a distorted idea of what to do from the play they'd seen. They staked them with sharpened sticks and stuffed garlic up their noses.

They left the stripped, looted bodies behind and took Viran home. Viran was taken immediately to Thule by Mr Revarnos where some healer bloke was found who used a spell to regrow his arm. Militiamen who get injured fighting for their village get a high priority in Count Kaufan's Bindle. (An 01 Luck roll helped - didn't know about that, did you Rupert?) It should be regrown by Fire 21.

The PC's discussed the event with Sir J. He blanched when he saw the equipment they'd brought back and their shield designs. Apparently these were identical to the Black Karmanians', the fanatic remnants of the Carmanians that the Lunars fought hundreds of years ago in the Blood Kings' Wars; this particular group had never surrendered and withdrew to Rathorela from whence they waged guerilla war to liberate Carmania. They were cut off by the Syndics Ban 100+ years ago and no-one had heard of them since. He immediately ordered a continual nightly patrol of the area by the militia, and alerted Thule. Sir J helped the PC's analyse their magic amulet (see Loot).

Comment: It occurred to Marcus after this game that if these Blackarm tribesmen were the culprits, why hadn't they taken any of Maria's flesh to eat? They were after all cannibals. He discussed this with Sir J: their current theory is that the Blackarm Tribe only eats human flesh under certain circumstances, i.e. not from bodies you just find but just from enemies you've killed perhaps? Whatever the reason, it seems likely that someone else did the deed, and are still around. If they were innocent, no wonder the Blackarms resisted arrest. But perhaps they knew something about the goings-on? Have the PC's killed vital witnesses? What will their friends think if they discover the bodies, stripped, staked and with garlic stuffed up their noses?

See Map :Pan and Marcus only

Anastasia wanted to accompany Marcus and Pan to Rood, a town about the size of Aquapor off East somewhere, to sell the amulet with them. But they weren't having any of it. She'd been no use in the fight and they were fed up with having a girl hanging around them sponging off of their rightful loot shares. Viran's arm is regrowing and he didn't feel up to going. So M & P hired horses and spent 3-4 days riding to Rood.

When they got there they tried hawking the amulet around the temples to Kalikos Icebreaker and Irippi Ontor, but the best price they were offered was 1000L. Sir J had advised them that it was probably worth more than 1500L. They were mulling over this in their inn when a friend of Marcus' came round to warn them that the guards had been asked to look for them, apparently by the Kalikos Follower (who had expected them to show up at an appointment they'd missed). So P & M, feeling paranoid, left Rood sharpish like. They never gave their names or home village so they think they're untraceable.

Calendar for the above 1621:

Loot from 2 Blackarm barbarians, Sea 1621 Between: Marcus, Anastasia, Viran, Pan.

The following was taken by an officer from Thule: 15L Heavy Mace; 25L 2 L shields, ochre unicorn on a brown base; 25L 2 odd shortswords; 150L 2 sets of armour inc. bronze breastplate and pointy helms; 5L 1HL spear; 45L 1 composite bow.

Marcus and Pan only: If you put 6mp into it, you get one ice-arrow and a "Shield of Cold". The wearer radiates Cold which does d6 general hp damage to anyone within melee range - i.e. about 2m. This lasts 10 rounds and works against both friends and foes. Fur or leather armour counts against this Cold. During the game I said, "only the thinnest part counts", but I suspect it's more realistic to use the average leather / fur AP of an opponent. It probably makes no difference ... I'll let you know next game.

... Resolved as thinnest.

What next? Next game will probably have some militia stuff in it - (1) lots of duties guarding the village, (2) Fire Season's military games vs. other militias. Tough luck, all you militia PC's who wanted to adventure. In addition, Pan and Viran may be initiated into 7 Mothers if they don't do anything too outrageous. Ho ho ho. [Also Kyrolan, Richard: perhaps he'll show up at his home shrine for the ceremony?] My GM  Death Rating is getting a bit low so be on yer toes. That vampyr may return...

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