Cimmerian Blood
Game Session V Outline
I. WET WOOD AND A NAKED BIRD.
So, we play out the encounter I described to you. Caelis, Thrallan, and Silaigne are sent to the wood to gather sticks for the fire of the Grath warrior that Branoc killed. The festival of the Beltain is over. And, these Cimmerians have been blessed by good weather. But today, the sky turns grey. Remember, no matter what, a fierce lightning storm rages across the heavens. (I was thinking that this could also symbolize Crom battleing with some evil as the events take place down here on earth, good vs. evil).
Stenna has already left the village. Just before the brothers were sent to the wood, Stenna and her young kids made their goodbyes. They're on the road now, back to their homestead.
A slight drizzle begins to fall. This will not only put some urgency into finding the wood--they'll want to gather it before it gets wet--but it will also add a very cool atmosphere to the entire scene. Think about it. Out in the woods. Grey. Overcast. Lightning storm behind the clouds. And a foggy drizzle.
Is that a figure I see out in the woods, moving from tree to tree? Can't see. Grab your spears and drop your wood! Oh, shit! Wait...it's only Chani....running around naked again.
She laughs like a sylvan forest creature and hops over to the pod where she jumps in to skinny-dip (and probably bathe).
I won't dwell on this encounter too long...I just want to introduce Chani and give her some character. It will only go longer if either of the players interact with her and it's going well. I always make room for memorable roleplay moments. I will draw attention to her "lopsided" eye--and how she never talks about what happened to her.
In the end, the game is really about characters, right?
II. A HOODED BIRD.
Just when I think we've played this part enough, I'll draw Bill's attention. Silaigne catches movement out of the side of his vision. He looks up. It's a low flying hooded crow--circling, just above the tree tops. He can draw a line to where it's circling--it circles a spot on the northern trail....the trail that Stenna travels back home.
As I said at breakfast, I'm hoping this will spur action. I'm picturing Silaigne dropping everything and breaking for the northern trail where the crow circles--thinking Mialee might be in trouble. I will reward with experience points every character that immediately goes to the ambush site. If they, instead, go back to the village for help, two things will happen: 1st, experience for the encounter will be a lot lower (and maybe zero, depending on events); and 2nd, by the time they get to the village, gather up a relative or two, and get to the ambush site, the fight will be over. Stenna and the others will be dead, and Mialee will be missing--and, they'll have no idea which way she was taken (but, they will know the general direction to the Grath lands).
If the players do as I hope they will and immediately run, non-stop, to help Mialee and Stenna and the others, They'll be moving through the misty, almost foggy woods, avoiding tree trunks and jumping downed logs. They'll reach the face of the cliff that rises up to where the northern trail is. They'll have to climb, as fast they can.
I don't want to spend a lot of time on this run. I want to build the action and keep it suspensful. I'll probably have each character roll a STR check for the run, then a Climb check, and add the two checks together. This will give me an order at which the characters arrive at the top of the cliff where the trail is located. I'll also remind them of how atmospheric this is: Their hearts beating in their temples. The lightning. The mist and drizzle.
When they get to the top, pulling at grass to pull themselves over the cliffface, their hands and bodies caked with mud from the drizzle and the dirt, they'll begin an all-out run up the trail to where the crow is circling. The trail bends right around a copse of trees, and coming into sight is a little boy, staggering. Barely holding himself up.
It's little Jozan. He's 5 years old. His right eye is closed, and that side of his face is starting to swell. It looks like he's been struck on the head with a blunt weapon.
The little boy drops. His left eye is open, but he's seeing past the PC's. He's in shock due to his injury. He's incoherent. Not even crying. He seems to be gulping at air--having trouble breathing.
I'll have Thrallan stay with the boy. This actually makes sense, too, because Thrallan has the best Heal skill. He's +1, while Caelis is -2 and Silaigne is +0.
I kinda hate that you dropped out of the game because your character has so many skills that are lacking in the other two. There are many areas where I planned to make Thrallan "shine". And, as an NPC, he just won't be around the two PCs the way he would have been.
But, back to the story...I'm sure the PCs will race up the trail, either following the path around the copse or through it. If they go through the copse, they'll get a chance at stealth. I'll give them a chance to catch the ambushers by surprise. They can hide in the woods, make a quick plan, and hopefully take advantage of their situation.
If they run around the copse on the trail, they'll come upon the scene (and they'll be able to see this from the copse, too, if they go that route).
Downt the trail a bit is Stenna's wagon. It's tipped on its side. The two donkeys are down. One isn't moving. The other lies on its side but still raises its head as it it's trying to get up but can't. There's a javelin sticking out of that one's neck. I'll describe how the donkey makes a sound and slaps it head up and then back down to the earth. Obviously, it's dying.
Without drawing attention to it, I'll tell the players that the donkeys are pointed towards them. An alert player will catch on that Stenna was probably attacked on foot, turned the wagon around, and was heading back towards the village before the wagon tipped. A player that figures this out or mentions it gets extra XP for the encounter.
Just behind the wagon, partially behind the cover of it--because you can only see him from his waist up as the wagon blocks the rest, you see a Cimmerian. He's about 16 years old and got flowing black hair, of course, and he wears a white, blousy shirt common among Cimmerians of all clans. He's got a javelin in his hand, and it's raised high. He slams it down into the ground at his feet. You cannot see past his waist because of the up-turned wagon. Later, the PCs will see that Stenna lies at his feet. She's unconscious, lying on her back (-4 hp) at the feet of this Grath warrior has just slammed his javelin into the plam of her hand, stapeling her to the ground.
If the PCs are in the copse, he will not notice their approach. The PCs will have surprise.
If the PCs came bounding around the copse on the trail, the Grath warrior will see them.
III. NOTES ON THE CAMPAIGN'S FIRST COMBAT ENCOUNTER
This next part is hard to plan as it will probably involve combat. Here's a few notes...
There are three Grath in the area. The first is the one I described above. He's a 2nd level Barbarian. Next to him, completely hidden by the wagon, is another 1st level Barbarian. This one has just cut the head off of little 8 year old Regdar. Any PC who studies the wagon (probably from the copse before they are detected, but could happen in a number of ways) will notice the little boy's head hanging from the front, right wagon wheel. The head is tied to the wheel by its hair.
If the PCs spend long enough in the copse, they might detect this hidden enemy. Or, who knows what will happen in a combat encounter. One PC may try to flank the Grath using the woods as cover. If so, we'll use Hide and Move Silent checks and see how it goes.
My guess, though, is that he'll remain undetected because the PCs, especially Silaigne, will be so enraged that they'll probably charge the Grath. I know Silaigne will be looking for Mialee, and he won't be able to find her.
The hidden Grath, if he detects the PCs before he is detected (if he knows he is detected) will watch the PCs thorugh the cracks in the wagon boards. At an opportune moment, he will spring up and throw his javelin at the closest PC.
If the Grath standing over Stenna detects the PCs, he will use a Ready Action with another of his javelins (he has three, in a javelin quiver on his back), placing the point at Stenna's throat. "Come any closer, mate, and I'll stick her through, I will."
The third Grath has Mailee. He took one of the blankets from the wagon, wrapped the little girl with it, then through her around his shoulder like Santa Clause heading for the chimney. The more time the PCs spend with the two Grath at the wagon, the longer this one has to get away.
I'm thinking that the third Grath will get all the way to their hideout cave before the PCs catch up to him, but I will reward good play. If the two PCs catch this third Grath before he gets to the Cave (Howling Cave) for the ritual rape and sacrifce to his god (the demon, Ollam Onga), then I will reward them some major XP--probably taking them to 2nd level right there and then.
Most likely, though, he'll make it back to the Cave, and the PCs will have to track him there.
Also note that Mellie, Mialee's 12 year old older sister, is lying in the grass near the wagon, not that far from Stenna. She's in the negative hit points, too. So, she might die, or she might be saved, depending on dice throws and if she is found. If combat ensues with the Grath that pierced Stenna, there's a chance that the PCs stumble over her while in melee!
So....
Mialee is missing from the area.
Mellie, Mialee's 12 year old sister, has been struck and is dying, in the negative hit points.
Stenna is dying, in the negative hit points.
5 year old Jozan, the PCs saw first on the trail. He's in shock, probably dying.
And, 8 year old Regdar, is already dead. Being the oldest male, I figure he put up the biggest fight, or tried to, at the ambush. At least, if any of the others survive, that's what they'll say. I'll make the 8 year old kid a hero. But, he's got his head hanging from the wagon wheel.
I designed this encounter this way for a number of reasons, but on top of all the story aspects, this gives the players some experience with the healing rules. There's plenty of people to try to save. I'm actually being a bit generous by not making them dead already. If three Grath warriors, even if they were 1st and 2nd level, attacked an old lady (Commoner class) and 5 children (the oldest being a 12 year old female and a 8 year old male), they probably would slaughter them.
And, at some point during the combat scenario, the PCs may notice that both the Grath warriors are not wearing shoes. (They took them off to climb the thicket trees...see later.)
IV. THE CHASE.
At the earliest logical point, I'm going to have the two Grath run. They're not dumb. The Urrogh village isn't far away, and if they get stuck here, more warriors from the Blue Fox clan will show up. They've done what they needed to do...take their revenge on the Urrogh for taking one of their own. They've got a young one, and they intend to have their priests rape and kill the 4 year old virgin to appease their demonic god. It is, of course, the PC's job to stop them.
When the Grath bolt, I'm going to start a chase. They're going to run south. On a 5+ Knowledge (Local) throw (which should almost be automatic), the PCs will know that south leads to a forbidden land. This is called the Blood River Basin. Finn has declared that area off limits because a tribe of proto-Cimmerians live there. These are the cave-man-like-ape-creatures I told you about. They're called the Chakan, and they're 3 HD creatures, so I really don't want the PCs running into them. If they do, they'll run into only 1 of the creatures (although the players won't know this. I'll make them believe that they may run into a clan of them, 5 or 6 of them. These are young Cimmerian warriors, and they should be leary of such things.)
If they run into the Chakan is a matter of a dice throw. It depends on how long they spend in the Blood River Basin and where they go in the area. I've set up some encounter chances depending on where the PCs go.
The chase begins with the Grath running up a slope from the trail into the tree line. The slope crests, then is a gentle slope downward. Picture moderate forest, downed logs, vines, scrub. The soil is very rocky since we're in the foothills of a major mountain chain. Boulders and smaller rocks evidence themselves here and there. Foot purchase is difficult for the skree.
I've set up a 5-round chase with a couple of obstacles. The Grath who speared Stenna (his name is Gerald) will lead the way (since he will bolt first, and he's the "leader" between the two Grath at the combat encounter). There's a jump they make over a log, and the Gerald dives between a "V" where a thin tree branches into two directions. PCs may try to catch up with the Grath during this chase if they roll well. We could end up stopping the chase and having a combat right here on this slope. It all depends on dice rolls.
I won't force it, but I'd like to set up Gerald as a recurring bad guy. I hope he lives for that reason, but if the PCs manage to kill him, I'll give them better than regular XP for it.
I pre-rolled the two Grath as they ran the chase. Gerald did very good--the PCs are going to have a hard time catching up with him. It's not impossible, but I rolled extremely well on all the stunts with Gerald (which is where I got the idea of making him a recurring bad guy).
Gerald's clansman, Bower, isn't so lucky. He makes it over the log, but he doesn't get through the "V" tree. His leg gets caught, and he falls.
This will be an interesting twist on the chase, depending on where Bower is in the initiative line. I imagine Bower will be second, after Gerald, and the PCs will see him get stuck and fall at the base of the tree. I like this dynamic. There's only two PCs. So, does one stop and fight this Grath? As deadly as this game is? Do both of them stop and let Gerald get away? Or, do they keep chasing Gerald?
I'm going to be interested to see what the players decide.
Plus, there's always the chance that Lee will have Caelis at some point during the Grath encounter throw one of his hatchets. If he its, he could potentially kill one of these Grath flat out. An event like that could change this entire outline.
V. A FALLEN GRATH.
If one of the Grath does fall or is captured somehow in all of this, I'll do what I told you at breakfast. The Grath will be down on the ground, the PCs over him. They'll be trying to get info out of him--probably where Mialee has been taken. Depending on how the players do, I may give them a clue or even say "Howling Cave". What I do depends on if I think the players need help or need to be rewarded for good play. Quickly, though, they'll see the downed Grath have his neck straightened, as if something invisible was pulling at his head, and then, at an inhuman speed, his head will flash one way, then another, snapping the neck. The Grath will be dead.
I like your idea (which I use later...keep reading) of having the Grath get up after a time. If the PCs spend a length of time around the body, eventually, at a dramatic moment, it will get up, it's head not supported any longer by bones. They'll have to fight the zombie.
Most likely, though, they'll leave the body before it rises. And, if this happens...I've got other plans for the downed zombie...keep reading.
VI. BLOOD RIVER BASIN.
The chase ends abruptly. The gentle slope drops at a 40 foot cliff. There are these huge (much bigger than normal) trees, called Thicket Trees, that are growing immediately past the cliff down in the basin. These trees are unusual in that they grow tall but have these long, thick branches that grow out from a central location on the tree. The out-growing limbs are so thick that one wonders how the tree stands or grows that way. The thicket trees grow in clumps, and sometimes the limbs grow into the limbs of close-by trees. Thus, the name, thicket trees.
I wanted a neat, Hollywood-style chase and combat environment, so I invented the trees. So much of Conan is set in the "real" world, that I wanted to add something a bit more fantastic. These trees are believeable--I mean, the Red Woods exist, right? These Thicket Trees are just extinct today.
At the end of the chase, Gerald will not slow down. He'll run for the cliff and jump, then catch himself in the vines that are growing like a net over the thicket trees. There's one just 15 feet from the edge of the cliff. He'll scamper around and take off along the limbs of the tree.
I've set up a map of the Thicket Grove. This will be an interesting cat-n-mouse chase.
If anybody falls or climbs down into the basin, I'll also roll for encounters with the Chakan than I described earlier.
Down in the basin, there's a camp spot where the Grath camped before pulling off the ambush on Stenna's wagon. If the PCs find this, they'll find the Graths' shoes. Also, I'll use this spot to give the PCs any reasonable type of equipment they may need (bandages, food, water, maybe even a weapon or a shield--it just depends on if they find the spot, what they need, and how they've played. If they deserved to be rewarded, I'll give them something. If not, then only the basics are here.
Either way, though, there will always be one set of bronze shin guards. Bower took these off so that he would be more quiet and because the guards interfere with his climbing. This will be a piece of armor the PCs can pick up (and there may be additional items...as I've described).
There's a lot that can happen in the basin, between the patch taken on the thicket trees, the rolls to encounter the Chakan, falling to the ground, and all the places to hide among the shrubbery down on the floor of the basin. Plus, the PCs may locate the Grath camping spot (it's just this side of the Blood River--if the PCs follow the river north to find a safe place to cross without swimming, they'll find the camp).
The basin got its name from the swift, cold, mountain river that runs through it and the red-dirt-clay. The ground has a lot of iron in it from the mountain, turning the dirt red. This dirt gets into the river, giving it a red hue.
The Blood River is cross-able at the north end of the map. But, the Thicket Grove is at the south end of the map.
Gerald will try to make it the entire length of the Thicket Grove, crossing the entire basin on the limbs of these strange trees. If he can stay ahead of the PCs (I haven't pre-rolled this part for Gerald. He can fall just like anybody else), the Thicket Grove will eventually end over a swampy region where the vines get thicker. Some of the Thicket Trees are rotten in this area, and they may break if anybody gets on them.
Gerald will grab a vine, swing away from the last tree in the grove, then let go to fall into the Blood River.
The current is quite strong here. Not too far downstream, the river ends into a waterfall. This will test a character's Swim skill. Plus, items not secured may be lost in the rapids. Gerald will try to swim across the river and climb up on the opposite bank.
I'm assuming that Gerald will make it and that the PCs will see him and know where to go. But, if Gerald loses the PCs, they'll probably look for a trail. There won't be much trail to find since Geral used a vine to drop into the river. If this happens, I'll have the PCs find Mailee's bowl that she used for a helmet along the river bank, north of where they are. They'll assume that the bowl floated down from the north (which it did), and if they follow the river northwards, they'll find the spot to cross the river and the camp site I mentioned earlier.
If the PCs do go north, there is a small chance that they will catch up with Rood, the Grath that has taken Mialee. Maybe they catch sight of him, or maybe they hear her scream that is suddenly muffled. It all depends on if the PCs go this way and a dice roll. If they do go this way, I'll give them a higher dice throw for an attempt. If they get the attempt, they'll get a Listen check at night and both a Spot and Listen check during the day.
If the PCs do see Gerald drop into the river and climb to the other side, they can follow him. To spice things up, the first PC that follows Gerald will grab a vine that turns out to be this long, thin, tree snake, called a Vine Snake. These snakes are incredibly think and long (only 2-4 inches in diameter, but averaging 20 feet long). They can grab and swing, but the head of the snake will curl up and start snapping at its uninvited rider.
The encounter is not as dangerous as it sounds as the PC just needs to let go of the snake and drop after the first attack. I could get lucky on the attack, but that's what Fate Points are for. If the PC makes it to the river, the snake will also drop into the river. I want to make this moment very tense for the player. He doesn't know where that damn snake went, and now it's under the water. Where will it pop up and attack him?
Unknown to the player (this is strictly a "get him scared" moment), the snake isn't a strong swimmer. It dropped into the river, got caught in the undertow, and went over the falls. I may tell the player, as he swims for his life to the opposite side of the river, though, that his foot feels something slide past it. Then, I'll roll some dice behind the screen and not say anything. That should give the player the heebee-jeebies.
So, the Blood River Basin looks like this....
The Basin is uneven ground, rocky, with lots of hiding places in the form of scrub brush sometimes reaching 6 or 8 foot in height, but averaging about 5 foot. The area is distinguished by its red dirt and clay.
The east side of the Basin is a 40 foot cliff that leads into Blue Fox territory. The main trail is not far from the cliff.
The south side of the Basin features a large, long, egg-shaped grove of Thicket Trees, with their interlocking branches. Below the grove is another cliff that drops into the Hoath Plain.
The west side of the Basin is bordered by the Blood River. Consisting of mountain run-off, the river is extremely cold and hued red due to the red clay and dirt. At places, the river is quite calm, and fordable by walking across. At other spots, especially where the river runs off the southern cliff, the river consists of a strong current and rapids created by large rocks.
VII. ON THE TRAIL OF THE GRATH.
Once the PCs make it to the western bank of the Blood River, they'll be getting close to the Grath hideout in Howling Cave. The terrain is much like that on the other side of the Blood River--all uneven ground, rocky, hilly, with plenty of gullies and even a few copses of regular trees. Howling Cave will be hard to find in this region without a skilled tracker. My original idea was to focus on Thrallan and his skill at tracking. I meant to try to make him the "star" of this section. But, since the character probably won't even be in this section of the adventure, I have to come up with contingency plans.
The goal is to find the entrance to the Howling Cave--the place where Mialee has been taken to be sacrificed.
Here's some other ways to find Howling Cave (besides following Gerald or Rood to the cave).
1. They can attempt to track Gerald. Silaigne has a shot, with Survival +6. (Thrallan's Survival +9 was a much better chance, though.) Caelis, at Survival +2, is no help, though.
2. Gerald is wet from being in the river. If they are hot on his trail, and Geral is in sight, they can just follow him. But, if they are close behind Gerald without having him in sight, I'll give them some easier Tracking throws to follow the water trail he leaves behind here and there. At night, the DC for this will be much harder, though.
3. There's a small chance that they catch sight or hear Rood (much like their chance to see him at the north end of the Blood River above). If this occurs, then I'll give Gerald a chance, too. If Gerald also knows of Rood's approach, Gerald will use stealth to hide, follow, and try to support his clansman. If the PCs catch sight of Rood and plan a quick ambush, they, themselves may be ambushed by Gerald before they spring the attack. This could turn into quite a cool encounter if it works out this way.
4. If it's at night, the PCs might as well stop and rest. They're not going to get far with tracking, and the PCs need to eat and sleep sometime. If they persist in the dark, they may get lost. There is a 0% chance of running into a Chakan on this side of the Blood River during the day, but at night, the Chakan sometimes cross in search of game. If the PCs insist on moving in the dark, the chance of encountering a Chakan out in the dark triples.
But, I've got a neat idea based on your zombie idea. If the PCs camp at night while on this side of the Blood River, and if they've killed on of the Grath previously, then they will see the dead Grath walking towards Howling Cave. He will ignore the PCs unless attacked and make for the shortest line back to the Cave. If a body part is missing, then he will be draining blood and innards and probably carrying the missing body part. If the dead body can't walk, it will crawl. And, don't forget that it will be wet from crossing the Blood River.
All the PCs have to do is follow zombie, and it will lead them straight to Howling Cave.
If, for some reason (maybe a Chakan encounter?) the PC's can't follow the zombie at night, then, when day breaks, there will be a fairly easy to follow trail of blood and guts to the Cave.
Finding the Cave will start the next chapter in this campaign.
Comments and suggestions welcome.