Dramatis Personae: Pan (Charlie) ; Kyrolan (Richard); Toni (Alan); Viran (Rupert); Marcus (Lynne)
Details
Background Political/Social Events ( end of Earth season )
The marriage of the daughter of the Baron of Rood to Vespasian of Quoril is announced.
A rumour sweeps Bindle that the Count has joined Eurmal!
Maximus Myros, one of the outlying farmers near Genest, is sued by the Weaponmasters guild for several hundred Lunars, which they claim he failed to pay them when he used to teach Gladius, Sheild and Crossbow twelve years ago in Tarsh. He is forced to sell part of his farm as a result.
A Genest villager is beaten up by some lads from Stonebow, who are pissed off at Genies after them 'furriners' were called in to catch two of them (the bandits the PCs caught). Mr Revarnos advises against going there if possible for a while.
Some soldiers passing through the village make fun of the village lads, and Rufus Riddle in particular, who was in the village buying a cartload of manure and did look rather comical in a smelly smock. He swore back at them, and they punched him. Result: one soldier punched unconcious (massive facial bruising and a broken nose), one soldier with a broken arm and one made the mistake of drawing his gladius. Of course, the soldier was trained but he forgot that pitchforks have a better reach: he got it in the chest. The sergeant cast a few Befuddles here to stop it, and Mr. Revarnos had the soldiers healed, then their sergeant had them flogged. Rufus was merely let off with a caution.
Three families of foreigners arrive in the village, apparently peasants fleeing a war to the West: they seem to have fled into the Rathorelan forest and been guided here, a journey of several weeks, by the tribesmen. Sir Julius summons a linguist from Thule, and after talking with them, sends them off to the Baron of Thule. They seem very grateful for the village's hospitality, but are difficult to communicate with, as they haven't learnt to speak Carmanian yet. (PCs can communicate with them at 1/5th Carmanian skill, plus Communication bonus, for part of the two days they're around.)
Everyone is very excited by the prospect of the annual fair at Thule, which normally takes place in week 1 / 2 of Dark Season, for a week. Save up yer clacks!
Kyrolan's family moved to Genest when his Ma was given a land grant because his father died in active service. The family lived in an army camp until he was 6, so Kyrolan has some vague memories of this time.
He recently paid the craft guild to send a letter to Harandash, enquiring about his Grandparents. He gets a reply back which he then has to get someone to read to him:
Dear Grandson
I am dictating this letter to the gentleman from the Craft Guild who has come on your behalf.
I was delighted to hear your part of the family was all right. The family here in Harandash will all be excited to hear of you. Please send details of your side, how your siblings and mother are, what you're doing, and how you've been. We had given you all up as lost, long ago. Do you intend coming to Harandash sometime? Alas, I am too old to travel now but you would be most welcome here. My other grandsons might be too busy to travel to Thule to see you for some time as their employers can be a bit unbending. You know the address of course, Gleaming Street, I still cobble for a living but these days most of the work is done by ... the scribe says I'm talking too fast, never mind, he says it would not be proper to give your address so could you write direct to me at this address? Alas, your grandmother died some years back, perhaps you remember her though you were young then.
The scribe says the parchment is full, please write again with your address.
Drusus Cordwainer X his mark
When in Aquapor, Toni went to the Lodril shrine his Priest Phyros had told him of. It is part of a large foundry, where they make large bronze castings - parts of ships, seige engines, axles, even statues and the more regular armour, weaponry, tools, etc. It employs about 8 men, and is situated just outside town because of its fire risk.
When he presented himself there, he was bundled into a back room (the shrine), out of sight of non-cultists, and the foreman Gyros Forgemaster put on his formal gear and questioned him. He seemed impressed by his dedication and cult knowledge.
Toni was invited to attend the evening ceremony, where he was introduced to some co-cultists - Janus Heartheart and Porphorus Large, two of the workers at the forge, and Klodis Ironsmith and Dreja Smith, who have their own forges in the city. Klodis presented a bizarre appearance, having an eye tattooed in the middle of his forehead, and the couple of times he spoke it was in a curious quiet, lilting accent. He didn't look large enough to be a smith, except for his arms and chest.
As it happened, Toni's priest Phyros was due to visit Aquapor the next day.
Phyros initiated Toni as he was also favourably impressed (incredible series of dice rolls!). Klodis was excluded from this ceremony for some reason, but some 20 cultists showed up to take part in the ceremony after Phyros declared him ready to be initiated that night. The ceremony involved ritual oaths, a stylised fight where Toni struggled with Lodril's enemies, the inhaling of drug fumes, pyromancy (reading portents in flames) and culminated in a firewalk over burning coals which he completed easily. Plus, of course, lots of drinking. (NB: gain d6 SAN from initiation)
Toni gained the secret cult ability of 1 point skin versus fire. The free spell taught to initiates will not be Fireblade in this instance. He must prove himself further before getting that (or Heat Metal). He is offered a choice of: Protection-1, Light, Strength, Detect Magic or Gold (NB: Detect Gold is a cult special, not generally available), Healing 1 or 2, Disrupt, Demoralise or Countermagic-1. However, Toni must travel to Trang for his free spell.
Phyros gave him a rough map.
Trang is more or less north of Rood. Phyros isn't sure how to get from Thule to Rood (he's never travelled directly between them) but thinks it's a couple of days. He advises Toni to take porridge, etc. and cooking implements to travel economically, sleep either in barns or hidden in woods - not a tent - for security, and take the following things to sell at Trang so he can afford food & shelter at the far end: cloth, lace, dried & cured goat testicles, brandy, psilocybin, and possibly good hemp rope (but that's probably too heavy). He warns that he can't be sure of the Lodril temple having space for a travellling initiate to sleep. Good Luck!
Viran was in the right place at the right time for once. Around mid Earth season, an Irippi Ontor came to study the ruins in Knightswood. He heard Viran had dug up a bust from there and offered to buy it.
He examined the human/lizard bust and offered 13L for it. It seems he believes it is of a now-dead god and he would like to possess the bust as he writes about this kind of thing.
Having encountered some elves they could talk to, the PCs (Pan and Viran) expressed an interest in starting to trade in Elf products in a more serious way.... some notes here.... more later in Game Memo 4.
Drug abuse is not widespread, because the society's masses don't have access to sufficient quantities, except for alcohol.
Also... consider: TAXES! Temple monopolies? Guilds? Competition?
Considering the behaviour of young pushers today, it seems highly probable that Pan and Viran will try the drugs themselves; they may well consider them harmless or wish to show a prospective client or hook them through social smoking, etc. -the elves would encourage them.
Agricultural products:
Demand is such that P&V could buy 2-3 full cartloads a year for Genest (obviously the farmers would like to buy more, but don't have huge amounts of spare cash). Much of a cartload is relatively bulky, low-profit stuff but it's all profitable. However, there are going to be several problems to surmount:
Reading'n'Writing (an apology from the GM!!)
Oops! A couple of games ago, Viran looked into Father Groatalus teaching some R/W Lunar. I declared that he decided not to, after being pressured by the nobility / bishop who were worried about peasants becoming literate. However, [due to something Marcus did] I actually read up on Roman attitudes to literacy and learning for commoners.
As I research deeper into the campaign background I am tending to think increasingly of the Empire, even in hyper-feudal Carmania, as being more similar to Roman society, that is to say, a lot more tolerant than a world dominated by a paranoid monotheism.
It seems the Romans thought anyone who could afford it, should be educated. They had no mores against literate commoners (Virgil, for example, was a peasant). But note they didn't educate for free.
I suspect this has all been thought out by Greg Stafford already - Seven Mothers Initiates can get taught R/W Lunar for free.
Anyhow, as a result of Marcus' efforts, Sir Julius' wife has volunteered to hold Reading & Writing lessons for a couple of hours a week in each village, teaching up to a dozen or so peasants R/W Lunar in each class. In return, she expects the students to do some valuable work for each village - for example, rethatching widow Crassus' roof, cutting verges or whatever the bailliff thinks needs doing. She would tour the villages on Claydays. Anyone interested?
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