Using what you've got. That's what the Cimmerians do.

[Supplement Four]

SILAIGNE SOME FIFTEEN YEARS AGO


Though he doesn't remember much, as none of us do, Silaigne drew his first breath in this world some 15 years ago. This was a time of growth for the Blue Fox Clan as the Separation from the Grath had raged across battlefields just five years before. The only family Silaigne has ever known has been Stenna and her orphans. Silaigne was brought to her as a babe, by a father Silaigne knows nothing about. He left the babe with only a dirk--a fine Cimmerian dirk crafted at the Duncohr forge--and questions that will plague the boy's thoughts for the rest of his life.

That day, Silaigne was left by a father but found a family. Already in the household was Arvel, older than Silaigne, a deaf mute who has become Stenna's caretaker and house watchman.

As most of the older individuals among the Blue Fox are, Stenna was a Grath clansman now considered a Foxman. She's a trapper, by trade, and it is this trade that she teaches all of her children.

For a time, Silaigne believed he would remain a trapper for the rest of his days, supporting the aging Stenna and his multitude of brothers and sisters.

But, recent events have changed his life path forever.

The handle is made from the antler of the Cimmerian moose. The blade is worked steel. You can see the etching in the blade if you look close. It's an example of a typical, well crafted, Cimmerian dirk.

It's simple in design. Cimmerians make these weapons with slightly more rounded blades when compared to other dirks of the world. It's a utilitarian blade for the hard life of a Cimmerian clansman. This one has a serrated edge on the upper blade near the handle. This is used to saw through rope and leather cord. The pommel is wide and curved at the end. It can be used as a palm pressing point when cutting dense meat, peat, or sheepskin.

The weapon comes with this decorated stitched leather dirk-scabbard. There's a loop on the unseen side allowing it to connect to a belt or some other desired location.

 

[Supplement Four]

CIMMERIAN THICKET TREES

These large trees native to Cimmeria grow 80-220 feet tall. Their trunks average 10 feet in diameter, but longer diameters are not uncommon. The tree grows a light bark on its limbs that insulates it during the harsh Cimmerian winters, but this bark easily sloughs off--usually making the tree harder to climb--revealing a birch-like white surface below.

At about 40 feet, large limbs--some 3 or 4 feet in diameter--break out radially from the tree to twist and turn in impossible directions. These heavy limbs would eventually pull themselves away from the tree's central trunk were it not for the fact that the thicket trees grow in close groves to where the limbs of one tree actually merges with the limbs of another, creating lattice-like network of limbs, the trees mutually supporting each other, throughout the entire grove. These trees are uncommon even in Cimmeria, but when encountered, a large thicket grove can take up an area of several square miles. It is usually possible to climb a thicket tree and travel a long distance just by transversing the inter-locking limbs.

The trees attract parasitic vines that root into the thicket trees sloughing bark and wrap around the lattice-work limbs. The vines are typically thick enough to be used to swing from one limb to another.

A very long breed of poisonous tree snake is sometimes mistaken for one of these vines. These strangely shaped snakes are typically 2-3 inches thick but average 40-80 feet in length. Many times, the snake will wrap its taile around the limbs of a thicket tree, hidden among the tree's vines, and dangle with its head close to the ground to catch prey. There are stories of Cimmerians traveling the limbs of a thicket grove, grabbing a vine snake by mistake in an attempt to swing to another limb, having the snake's head curl up and attack it's unwelcomed rider in mid-air.

The wood of the thicket trees is very hard and dense, supported by the minerals in the typically rocky Cimmerian soil.

 

[Supplement Four]

It was three days ago. Not hard to remember. The old lady showed up in the village, riding that ancient wagon like it was her throne, wrapped in her ragged furs as if they were a queen's clothing. She brought that big kid, Silaigne, with her, along with that little girl with the bowl on her head. Mallie was her name. And, the others, too: Mallie's 12 year old sister, Mialee. Then, the two boys, 8 year old Regdar and Jozan, who'd seen 5 years. The old hag and her entourage.

They parked the wagon right in front of the longhouse, right there in front of everyone! Then Stenna marched--yes it was a march, too--right into the longhouse, grabbed the talking stick, and started yelling for Finn Elder.

And he came! And he stood there and listened to the orphanage hag rant and rave!

My eyes about popped out of my head.

Then, the big one came up to Finn, and they discussed him. And, the next thing anyone knows is that the Duncohr family could double in size. It all depended on how Silaigne did on the Ras Croi.

That next day, the race was run. Silaigne led the entire length--every lap.

As he ran, I heard all those around me talking about it. All those kids. The unwanted. Those that my kin and clansmen would not take in. The broken ones. By Finn's honor, they were all now Duncohr family.

I can tell you Caelis was not happy about it. Not at all. He said little, old Redbirth did, but he could have been called "redface" that day.

Then, there came that tapping. It was the other Duncohr kid, Branoc, slamming a punt up against the rock. He smacked that stone until the entire village was looking at him. Everyone was quiet. Then he declared his deasghnath with the young Grath warrior we had caught spying on the village from up atop the ridge a few days ago.

None of us knew what to think. We didn't! I got a strange, weasy feeling in my belly. But, then I dismissed it. If the Grath want a fight over this, then I say bring it on. We didn't do anything wrong, and as sure as The Morrigan has black teats, we are not going to run from any fight that the Grath can muster. I'll tell ye that, right now.

Still, some openly spoke of talking Branoc out of it. But, there was nothing to do. No turning back. The way Branoc did it, our honor demanded that he fight the Grath. It was a fair fight. And, both warriors knew going in that only one would be coming out. There were no surprises.

Yesterday, it happened. We all watched. Both Branoc and the Grath were naked except for loincloth. Both had a spear. The fight was quite short. Only a few seconds. Branoc took position,and the Grath swung at him so hard that Branoc's spear nearly cracked in twain. But, the clansman recovered, rebound, circled his grip, then drove that spear deep into the Grath's gut. Dark ichor flowed from the man's gash. From the color of the blood, we all knew the wound was mortal before the Grathman collapsed.

I pulled my axe from my belt. Everyone knew what had to be done. I tossed it into the field. It landed next to the body. Branoc saw it, walked over, picked it up, then bent over the inert Grathman. Gripping the dead man's hair with his free hand, it took Branoc four heavy strokes to break through the cartilage and neck bones. He pulled the head from the body and held it high, gore running down his arm, for all to see.

Branoc had become a man--a warrior. We all witnessed it.

I can only guess what will happen tomorrow.

 

[Supplement Four]

Notable Cimmerian Clans




CENTRAL CIMMERIA

Clan Bain

4 villages in a valley of the central Cimmerian plain, north of the Blood Glens.

Can field 70 warriors among the 120 clansmen.

They are primarily farmers and cattlemen.

Trading clan: Produces the best leather goods in Cimmeria.

Blood feud with the Darkwolf over a find of gold in disputed territory.

Bain fighters are typically not respected among other Cimmerian clans for lack of skill, though the Bain have dominated the Darkwolf in the feud.

Bain's 37 year old chief, Roth Nab Bain, has a Macbeth type relationship with his mother, Mathma Nab Bain.

All clansmen use the "Nab Bain" suffix to their names, which means "of the Bain clan" or "of Bain" in the Cimmerian tongue.

Clan hero Carac Nab Bain, 30 years old, is a contender to be chief.

Each clansman wears highly tooled leather garments.

 

[Spectator]

I like this MacBeth element.

Are they pan-sifting gold (low tech) or mining (high tech).

What are the proceeds of the gold buying? more cattle, grain, iron goods? I want more detail.
With the gold, will they hire mercenary cimmerians to fight their opponents?
With the gold, are they due to be absorbed by the their larger neighbors

I really like this! But please add so much more detail. This is the first "wealthy clan" I've ever heard of and something I never thought of, but I absolutely think its great!

Have the Vanir/ Aesir/ Hyperboreans heard about their trove yet?

 

[Supplement Four]

Are they pan-sifting gold (low tech) or mining (high tech).

I haven't detailed them out, yet, but I plan to. Those notes are the broad strokes.

I really like this!

You'll have to give Lawrence Whitaker the credit. What you see above are the notes from one of the many clans he included in Mongoose's Cimmeria book. I think the book misses on some levels, but it's main strength is the fantastic job Lawrence did on presenting several distinct Cimmerian clans--each with their own flavor.

I wanted to take notes like the above on all the Cimmerian clans, but I got side-traked. I'll get back to it at some point.

Writing up the "Cliff's Notes Version" of the clans helps me learn them and think of how I'm going to incorporate them in my game.

 

[Supplement Four]

CIMMERIAN THICKET TREES

These large trees native to Cimmeria grow 80-220 feet tall. Their trunks average 10 feet in diameter, but longer diameters are not uncommon. The tree grows a light bark on its limbs that insulates it during the harsh Cimmerian winters, but this bark easily sloughs off--usually making the tree harder to climb--revealing a birch-like white surface below.

At about 40 feet, large limbs--some 3 or 4 feet in diameter--break out radially from the tree to twist and turn in impossible directions. These heavy limbs would eventually pull themselves away from the tree's central trunk were it not for the fact that the thicket trees grow in close groves to where the limbs of one tree actually merges with the limbs of another, creating lattice-like network of limbs, the trees mutually supporting each other, throughout the entire grove. These trees are uncommon even in Cimmeria, but when encountered, a large thicket grove can take up an area of several square miles. It is usually possible to climb a thicket tree and travel a long distance just by transversing the inter-locking limbs.

The trees attract parasitic vines that root into the thicket trees sloughing bark and wrap around the lattice-work limbs. The vines are typically thick enough to be used to swing from one limb to another.

A very long breed of poisonous tree snake is sometimes mistaken for one of these vines. These strangely shaped snakes are typically 2-3 inches thick but average 40-80 feet in length. Many times, the snake will wrap its taile around the limbs of a thicket tree, hidden among the tree's vines, and dangle with its head close to the ground to catch prey. There are stories of Cimmerians traveling the limbs of a thicket grove, grabbing a vine snake by mistake in an attempt to swing to another limb, having the snake's head curl up and attack it's unwelcomed rider in mid-air.

The wood of the thicket trees is very hard and dense, supported by the minerals in the typically rocky Cimmerian soil.

This pic shows how I envision Thicket Trees.

The big limb is about 40 feet from the ground--you can tell by the female in the background. That's about average for most Thicket Trees. The trunk's circumfrence is quite large, and the tree is covered with vines. People climb the tree and walk across the tops of the limbs.

 

[Supplement Four]

Crossing the Blood River, west of Seven Stones Ridge, in the southern foothills of the Eiglophian Mountains.

Several leagues southeast, the river flows, carrying its icemelt through a mountain bog area, then into extreme rapids, ending in a 200 foot waterfall, where the river continues down across the Hoath Plain, into the Field of Chiefs.

 

[Supplement Four]

Two Handed Weapons that can be created at the Duncohr forge.

And popular Cimmerian swords. Notice the influence from the different cultures surround Cimmeria.

 

[Supplement Four]

Caelis Redbirth: In the Cimmerian tongue, "caelis" means "he who hacks with force", and this usually refers to a weapon, not a farming implement or a hammer.



Silaigne Deepblade: From the native Cimmerian, "silaigne" translates as "one of great health" or "un-conquerable; one who cannot be conquered".


Remember that both names, Caelis and Silaigne, were taken from the Titans that Crom slew just before Crom took the throne and became the god of all gods. The names are descriptive of those Titans, "the one who hacks with force" and "the one who cannot be conquered".




Now that the village recognizes you as one with "Battle Destiny", many will refer to you as Cath'bran. A strict translation of this from Cimmerian means "Battleraven". "Cath" means "battle". "Bran" translates literally as "raven". Remember that when a Cimmerian sees a Raven flying in the sky, especially when it is circling, the Cimmerian believes the Raven to be flying over a battlefield (and this battle could be recent or many thousands of years old).

When the raven is spotted, a Cimmerian will spit three times (one time for each part of the soul), and usually mention or curse one of the three war goddesses, The Morrigan, Nemain, or Badb (bath).

The raven is more associated with Badb than the other two (The Morrigan favors hooded crows).

A battlefield is sometimes referred to as "the land of badb".

The term "bloodbath" comes from this war goddess.

Those known to have Battle Destiny are thought to have been kissed by the goddess Badb.

Badb is believed to physically take her place on the great battlefield, not as another swordarm, but influencing the battle through the fog of war, battle confusion...by making it easier for one side or the other to enter the Land of Badh and pass to the other side...and by her selection of those with Battle Destiny.

The term Badb'catha also translates as "Battleraven", but this form of the word refers to the actual goddess taking the form of a raven or carrion crow, flying over the battlefield. Cath'bran means a human, kissed by Badb, acting as a "Battleraven" on the field of battle.

 

[Supplement Four]

CIMMERIAN BLOOD - part one

In broad strokes, I give you the outline of the first selection of our massive Hyborian Campaign. Think of the overall campaign as a series of books, with each book telling a part of the overall story. Or, like a TV series, we've finished the first season, waiting for the second to start.

This first story introduced us to some of the main characters (probably more to come) and their world. This first "season" told the story of how these barbarian children became men. We saw the tests they needed to take to prove themselves. We saw them make their first kills. And, we've been tantalized by a dark evil that will stretch much farther than this first story-arc of the overall campaign.



PART ONE: In Part One of the story-arc, we saw these children (age 12) run the Ras Croi--the test that sets them upon the path to manhood. The characters trained with weapons and learned to become fighters. This part was also designed to teach the game mechanics to the players.



PART TWO: We drove things up a notch in Part Two. This is when the little girl, Mallie, was taken by the Grath. We saw the boys' first dangerous foray away from the village. Into the thicket trees they chased the Grath attackers in a daring chase, high above the floor of the Blood River Basin, across the branches of the massive trees that interlock with one another, making a giant, tree, thicket, grove.

It's not long before the characters learn that dark sorcery lives in the Blood River Basin. Time is not constant in this witched wood. And, it is populated by creatures known as the Chakans. The area Cimmerians believe these beasts to be kin to their ancestors from the time of the Breaking of the World. They are thought to be early Cimmerians that never developed and evolved, and thus, the local modern Cimmerians consider the Chakans as another Cimmerian clan. The Chakans are used in tales and myth among the local Cimmerians, sometimes as a way to scare children into sleeping in their skins. The characters, though, met these tribal, beastial people and found them to be more ape-creature-ish than human. Yet, a definite tribal intelligence abides among the Chalkan. And, the players learned that the Chalkans seem to have adapted to the strange way Time exists in the Blood River Basin.

As the adventure continued, the PC's survived capture by the Chakans and contact with Grath warriors. A big confrontation took place as the characters found where Mallie had been taken--a cave just south of the Blood River Basin at the edge of the dry and rugged Cracked Lands. This place is a mystery itself. Called Howling Cave, this place was discovered to be a natural cavern that had been worked by miners of some skill thousands of years ago. The characters encountered Grath warriors, and people, not Cimmerian, from another land...and worse. Sorcerous, demonic beings inhabited the cave as well, and the young Cimmerian warriors found themselves faced with the scaly hide of a demon from the deepest, darkest regions of the shadow world.



PART THREE: The last part of the story-arc saw the Cimmerian heroes rescue the little girl, Mallie, from the Howling Cave only to find themselves in a race for thier lives across the Cracked Lands as the demon tracked them with a band of risen dead--the same dead that the player characters had killed in the Howling Cave. The heroes faced a flash-flood, exhaustion, a hurricane force storm, and a climax with the risen-dead and the demon itself, before our main characters dragged themselves back into their home village of Seven Stones Ridge.

It had been just over two weeks since they had disappeared and started their chase after the young girl, Mallie, and their clansmen in the village were quite pleased to see them alive.

The two young Cimmerians, Silaigne, the orphan, and Caelis Redbirth, son to the clan chieftan, had earned their right to be called "warrior" and sit among the adults at the new moon gatherings. They had survived where adult, seasoned warriors probably would not have. They faced overwhelming odds, and won.

The two, since, have been recognized to have been born with Battle Destiny--the blessing by the war goddess Badh that makes them more suited than normal for the blade and the axe and war.



Several questions remained unanswered. Be sure to note that those will become paramount in the future story-arcs of....CIMMERIAN BLOOD!


NOTE: During this first story-arc, the two PC's, Silaigne and Caelis, have gone from 1st to 3rd level Barbarians. At the end of this first story, the PC's are 15 and 14 years old, respectively. They started the adventure as children and ended it as battle-hardened men.

 

[Judge Shaw]

I just read your posts over at the "Game well done" thread and I have to say that I am impressed. That is a coulple of scenes that most GMs wish they could include in their games. Well, done!

Is the above a direct continuation of that campaign (I recognize the name Caelis...same one?)

You certainly seem to have set up a smashing game...and a long lived one as well. 8)

 

[Supplement Four]

Is the above a direct continuation of that campaign (I recognize the name Caelis...same one?)

You've found my development thread. Think of it like a place to brainstorm. People are welcome to comment, though the traffic around here is sparse lately. What I do is post ideas in this thread. Some make it to my game. Some don't. Some stuff is altered. Some stuff is totally disregarded.

It's a place to throw down ideas and see what sticks.

Put it out on the porch and see what the cat licks up, so to speak.

 

[Judge Shaw]

I hope you don't mind if I ask this here, as this is the most lively thread on Conan at present I figure it is my best bet for info. If I were interested in running a game of Conan which supplements would you suggest I should keep an eye out for?

Thanks.

 

[Supplement Four]

I hope you don't mind if I ask this here, as this is the most lively thread on Conan at present I figure it is my best bet for info. If I were interested in running a game of Conan which supplements would you suggest I should keep an eye out for?

That depends. If you're going to run a Cimmerian/Barbarian focused game, like I do, I'd suggest a few books. But, if your game is going to feature a group of brigands raiding the Nemedian border, I'd suggest another. And, if you're going to run a game featuring thieves among the Maul of Shadizar, I'd suggest others. Or, maybe you're looking for a globetrotting game, where the PCs cross the known world?

Different types of play invites different sourcebooks.

For example, my Cimmerian game is low sorcery. There's not a lot of sorcerers in Cimmeria. Thus, the section on sorcery in the 2E core rulebook is all I need. But, if you were running a game in Stygia, or a game that features a powerful Stygian necromancer, then I'd recommend the two books on sorcery in addition to the core rulebook.

No matter what style of game you run, though, I'd suggest using the 2E core rules in favor of the other two editions. The second edition really is the most cleaned up version of the rules.

Other than that, I'd have to ask you: What kind of game are you going to run?

Slave gladiators in Messantia?

Pirates on the Vilayet?

Kozaki mauraders in the Great Desert?

A Free Company of mercenaries charged to protect Ophir?

A powerful sorcerer and his minions in search of a dark, hidden, Archeronian tomb?

Answer that, and I'll be better able to recommend which books you might want to get.

 

[Judge Shaw]

You ask a good question. However, at this moment in the planning process I was referring to general information. I'm thinking probably the Thieves and Pirates (knowing my players), and the Companion might be good to have.

 

[Supplement Four]

I'm thinking probably the Thieves and Pirates (knowing my players), and the Companion might be good to have.

All three of the "F" books are good to get. Finest. Fiercest. Fallen. Each covers 3 of the 9 character classes, providing new feats (and sometimes new skill uses and combat maneuvers), character templates (great for ideas), general information about the classes based on race (for example, a barbarian from the Black Kingdoms is quite different from a Cimmerian barbarian), and special rules tuned to the specific class covered.

You'll probably need all three unless you know, up front, what type of class each of your players will play. Even then, it's very easy to multi class in this game. In fact, it's one of the areas where the Conan RPG stands out, allowing a player to make just about any type of character by combining the 9 base classes. (A ship's captain might be a Pirate/Noble. A bounter hunter might be a Thief/Borderer. A cult leader might be a Soldier/Scholar. etc).

The Players Guide, I like, but if you're hurting for cash, you can wait on this one. It's a lot of odds-n-ends. A system for creating character backgrounds. Naming charts. Variant starting packages based on race. New feats and equipment. And, more stuff. But, there's nothing here that you can't live without by just using the core 2E rulebook.

In fact, althought they're quite good, you can wait on the "F" books, too, if money is an issue. The main rule book is quite comprehensive.

Tito's Trading Post, although it has new info, also duplicates the info in the core rule book. Again, you can wait on this one and just use the ample equipment section in the 2E core rulebook.

Not necessary but quite good are the Barbaric books by Misfit Stuidos. Excellent books, but, again, not something that is absolutely necessary.

THIS THREAD will give you a lot of useful GMing advice.

If it were me, I'd probably start off with just the 2E Core Rulebook and the Beastiary of the Hyborian Age. Then, I'd add books as they became important. Once I knew what classes my characters were playing, I might pick up the appropriate "F" books. Once I knew where my game was going to be set, I'd pick up the appropriate supplement or boxed set. Then, as the game got more popular with my players, and we got a few sessions under our belts, I'd keep adding things if I thought the book would be useful. For example, if my game is set in Messantia, then there's probably no use for me to get the Khitai or the Stygia source books. I'd add the Road of Kings or Return of the Road of Kings only after my players started travelling away from the original setting (and you can run an entire campaign in one area, trust me). And so on.

If there's a particular book you'd like to know something about, I'll try to give you my opininon on it (although I own them all, I haven't read them all yet).

 

[Supplement Four]

I'm thinking probably the Thieves and Pirates (knowing my players), and the Companion might be good to have.

Idea: Set your game on a ship. Allow the players to roll up either a 1st level Pirate or a 1st level Thief (that has been clubbed on the head at the last port and woke up on the ship). Or, better yet, let them all just be 1st level Commoners who were shang-haied to serve the ship, and over the first adventure, they can multiclass into Pirates (Commoner 1/Pirate 1).

I like the idea of allowing only one character class, especially if my group is new to the game or genre, and I am new to running the game/genre. It's less to learn. And, the players can make up other types of characters later (or multi class into them) once their character grows or is killed with a new one created. The Conan RPG lends itself well to all PCs being the same class. This isn't D&D where a mix of character types is usualy best.

So, you only allow the Pirate class (I only allowed the Barbarian class in my Cimmeria based game--it works great), and you can spend some time getting to know the class by making up the rest of the crew.

I'd get the 2E Core Rulebook, The Beastiary of the Hyborian Age, and The Pirate Isles (and maybe the Fallen book). You'll probably want to look at the Barachan Isles article and the few pirate based articles that are available for free in S&P.

Then, you've got a really neat campaign to start. You can use the ship-to-ship combat rules provided in Pirate Isles. Your campaign would be mobile and customizeable, because you can easily transport your game setting up and down the Western Coast or even up and down the Vilayet. If a player loses his character, it's easy to just roll up a new Pirate and say that he's been part of the crew all along.

You game can be scalable, too. As you take it slow, wading into a new game, you can just have your players explore a small island. If you're the type that likes grand, huge stories, then there's the Red Brotherhood and the Barachan Pirates. One adventure can be set in Stygia. The next in the Black Kingdoms. The next in Pictland. Even Nordheim in the summer. And the Hyborian Lands any time.

As your campaign grows, think about getting the Messantia boxed set, which can provide you with a ready-made home port where you can set all sorts of intrigue.

If you're the type that prefers ready-made adventures, there are some out there. In S&P, there's an adventure set in and around Turan, for 1st level characters. You could play that, and at the end, have the characters rewarded with a ship that they are given/stolen/or bought. Then, you're up and down the Vilayet.

Or, you can start with the adventures in S&P (I remember two in particular) that are set on a ship (I think one crashes, though). I forget the level, but I'm sure you can adapt it: Isle of Smoking Peaks. It's quite high level (9th, I think) but there's also the Mongoose published Reavers of the Vilayet. You could use that as your campaign finale, if you wanted.

Just thinking outloud here.





EDIT: Plus, there's plenty of Conan stories, both by Howard and by other authors, that feature pirates and sea/island adventures. You could easily adapt one or several of those, customizing the story to fit your game. Don't forget the comics, either. There's some good sea-bound tales out there (Dark Horse Conan plus the Marvel reprints of Chronicles of Conan and Savage Sword of Conan).

Along with your own imagination, there's no shortage of material.

 

[Spectator]

I agree with S4, your primary books should be: the players Core Rules (duh), the bestiary, and since I am a reformed sorcery fanboy, I like Secrets of Skelos.

 

[Judge Shaw]

I have the 1st Ed Core Rules and will be sticking with that (if this idea takes off), the 2nd Ed books are priced up in the "stupid" category on line, and I have The Scrolls of Skelos as well. I'm not looking to go full bore into Conan (I like the back ground, but I want to keep the spending to a bare min.) I am just looking for enough info to make a game interesting.