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3/24/2014 1:58 pm  #1


The Tales of Fionbharr

I'l begin this thread with reposting something i wrote on Google+ this summer. My campaign was off and on for many months after the first two sessions, but we've recently started playing with some regularity again and i intend to keep posting updates as the campaign moves along.

Marius wrote:

Just have to share a few things about my AS&SH campaign, because this game is so awesome! Thank you Jeff Talanian, i havent been so enthusiastic about an RPG in years

Ran my first session on friday and the second session today. Both went really well. Players had no experience with older D&D, or other OSR games, but character creation and play so far has been really smooth.

Here is a short synopsis of the first session:
The heroes, a Viking fighter named Hardgripr Knútsson, an Ixian ghost soldier named Licendê thugathêr Kossa and the young Kelt barbarian Fionbharr, discovered a bandit hideout after tracking a fleeing bandit that had been part of a band of rovers that attacked them as they were travelling south from the Gal Hills to Sursuum, a fortified town around Brigand’s Bay. The heroes killed the remaining bandits in the camp and captured a pair of "brazen strumpets" that followed the bandits. The bandit leader however, Tain Dailos, was not present but out searching some nearby crypt. He is also the murderer for Fionbharr’s father and serves the young barbarians uncle.
With the strumpets in tow the characters arrive at a lonely inn in the mountains to the east of the Kimmerian steppes.

Kudos to Jason Zavoda for writing the "Plague of Wolves and Ravens" adventure seed. It is really the inspiration behind the campaign, though that is not apparent yet.

The title of the thread refers to one of the characters. His backstory was central to start the campaign (as evident in the quote), but he is not the main character. I've been encouraging my players to openly explore the campaign world, but thus far they have followed any hints from me fairly slavishly.


Níu man ek heima, níu íviðjur,
mjötvið mæran fyr mold neðan.
(Völuspá)
(Nine worlds I knew,the nine in the tree with mighty roots beneath the mold)
Realmsofmelpomene
 

3/24/2014 2:40 pm  #2


Re: The Tales of Fionbharr

The following is a summary of the second and third sessions.

With the strumpets in tow the characters arrive at a lonely inn in the mountains to the east of the Kimmerian steppes.

The inn was owned by Dennqill Kaitos who lives there with his two pregnant daughters. (Huge yuck factor for my players) The only frequent visitor is the sullen mongrel ranger Euphemios Venn and his dog Konn.

Also at the inn is Ramcair Xonntos, a cleric of Yig, and a female snakedancer by the name of Zenna. As the woman performs her snakedance, the Ixian warlock listens to the Yig worshipper proselytize and becomes convinced.

PC’s hear of a crypt about one day’s journey into the mountains where the bandits they have killed might have been hiding. This area is also the area where Fionbharr’s father disappeared, so the PC’s head out led by the ranger who joined them for a share of the loot. They confront some wolves on the way, but everything is fine and dandy until they arrive at the crypt. Which looks like this (excuse my hand drawing): 


They fight more wolves, and ravens, defending the entrance before they enter leaving the ranger outside to watch their backs. They stave off undead wolves and kill a few ghouls in the third room, but the warlock is paralyzed and carried back outside at which point they realize the ranger has fled.

The VIking figther and kelt barbarian continues on, they have individual visions of their future greatness in the pentacle room before returning to the long encircling corridor. They enter the chamber at the top of a flight of stairs where they break a window only to find themselves staring into the black abyss of empty space. At that point they are attacked by an invisible foe (an imp although they never realized) and the Viking fighter was killed by its poison.

Barbarian carries him out, leaves him with the Warlock (now out of paralysis) before entering once again, finding the secret room at the back of the crypt and walking onto a stone platform surrounded by ink black space. Here he pulls his fathers sword from the stone before being attacked by an insane raving Tain Dainlos, his fathers murderer. The ends his days being thrown from the platform into the endless blackness.

Last edited by Crisippo (3/25/2014 3:45 am)


Níu man ek heima, níu íviðjur,
mjötvið mæran fyr mold neðan.
(Völuspá)
(Nine worlds I knew,the nine in the tree with mighty roots beneath the mold)
Realmsofmelpomene
     Thread Starter
 

3/24/2014 2:40 pm  #3


Re: The Tales of Fionbharr

EXcellent! I want to hear more!

 

3/24/2014 5:30 pm  #4


Re: The Tales of Fionbharr

Great stuff! Which one ended his days, though, Fionbharr or Tain Dainlos? I feel like that could have repercussions!

 

3/25/2014 3:51 am  #5


Re: The Tales of Fionbharr

Handy: First of all thanks! He was actually killed by the Imp's poison sting (save or die poison is really dangerous). I've made an edit to the post for clairity now.

Jason: Thank you for that, more will be coming soon


Níu man ek heima, níu íviðjur,
mjötvið mæran fyr mold neðan.
(Völuspá)
(Nine worlds I knew,the nine in the tree with mighty roots beneath the mold)
Realmsofmelpomene
     Thread Starter
 

3/27/2014 9:11 am  #6


Re: The Tales of Fionbharr

Following is a summary of the fourth session

As Fionbharr exits the crypt he, and the ghost soldier Licêndê, comes to face to face with a black clad ancient looking druid surrounded by fearsome wolves and a flock of ravens circling above his his head. Choosing not to attack they parley with the druid who offers them to revive their ally Hardgripr, for a price. 

The druid tells Fionbharr he expects great things of in the future, that he is destined to be a king and that he alone deserves the right to carry the mighty sword Caladbolg which his father wielded before him. He also explains that Caladbolg is a powerful instrument for a leader of Keltic warriors. He also urges Fionbharr to seek the Oracle Queen in the Pit of Ishtar, because she is good at reading the fates of powerful men. He explains that the Pit of Ishtar is an underground complex beneath the town of Quirton, one of many hives of scum and villany that lies around Brigand's Bay. The druid then retreats with Hardgripr's body to perform a ritual.

As Hardgripr awakes from death he has a terrible vision of being buried in snow on a lonely remote island. He never speaks to the druid but can remember the druid creatures single command: "Baron Xullgar of Saarsuum must die". (Note: The baron was Hardgripr's and Licêndê's former employer and this is their return journey from one of the Baron's missions to the town of Saarsuum) 

Hardgripr also realizes his body has changed. He has become white skinned, taller than before, his ears have sharpened into points and he has grown small fangs.

After resting for a while the party returns to the inn only to find it taken over by a band of Keltic warriors sent by Fionbharrs steph-father, who usurped Fionbharr's father's power by hiring the assasin Tain Dailos and afterwards marrying Fionbharr's mother. He has no desire to see the heir of his rival return home and have dispatched a warband to kill the mighty warrior.

The PC's become aware of the situation however and sneak into the inn for a surpize attack. On the way they ally themselves with Zenna, the snakedancer, and the cleric Ramcair, before launching their assault. The fighting is fierce but the PC's gain the upper hand and are able to kill every last one of the attackers. Unfortunatly the cleric Ramcair is killed and with his dying words reveal to Licêndê that his holy mission, from Yig, was to kill Baron Xullgar of Saarsuum. Zenna corroborates this and explaines (she also displayed it during the figthing) that she is a trained assasin.

A final shock hits the PCs as they open the locked room where the warband had imprisoned the innkeeper, his daugthers and the brazen strumpets that were the PC's prisoners. The women are all dead, half-eaten by the innkeeper Dennqill Kaitos who reveals himself in his true form as half-rat, half-man creature that Fionbharr quickly kills with his mighty sword.

The PC's bury their strumpet prisoners. Hardgripr and Fionbharr feeling somewhat guilty over their deaths, while Licêndê regrets not being able to sell them as slaves. Afterwards they set the lonely mountain inn ablaze and head for Saarsuum.

Last edited by Crisippo (3/28/2014 8:06 pm)


Níu man ek heima, níu íviðjur,
mjötvið mæran fyr mold neðan.
(Völuspá)
(Nine worlds I knew,the nine in the tree with mighty roots beneath the mold)
Realmsofmelpomene
     Thread Starter
 

3/28/2014 9:59 am  #7


Re: The Tales of Fionbharr

Great game, Crisippo, I like the strangeness you've inserted at various places. I also like to build the game around character backgrounds as you have done...very interesting stories that way!


ravengodgames.blogspot.com ~ cartography, writing, game design
Author, Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess
 

3/28/2014 7:56 pm  #8


Re: The Tales of Fionbharr

Thank you, joseph! I try to keep things somewhat strange, but not blow the lid of the wierdness too soon.

The character backstories all point towards them having some sort of grand destiny or goal. Fionbharr is the most obvious, he is a rip-off Hamlet, but this is true for the other PCs aswell. If their destiny is for good or bad i don't know yet, only playing the game will tell. That is why i love rpgs.


Níu man ek heima, níu íviðjur,
mjötvið mæran fyr mold neðan.
(Völuspá)
(Nine worlds I knew,the nine in the tree with mighty roots beneath the mold)
Realmsofmelpomene
     Thread Starter
 

3/30/2014 6:08 am  #9


Re: The Tales of Fionbharr

An account of the fifth session in which a new player character is introduced:

The PC's Hardgripr, Fionbharr and Licêndê arrive in Saarsuum where they leave Zenna to her own devices. She has explained to them her plan, which is to inflitrate the Baron's court, posing as a dancer, and strike when the right moment arrives. The PC's propose to hide in the town until she can get in position before they try to seek out the Baron. So they seek out an rowdy inn to enjoy themselves a little.

The inn is full of people crowding around a pit in which a young beautiful woman is about to be mauled and eaten by a huge ape. The mood is festive as this is seen as good entertainment. Even the commander of the Baron's personal guards are here, a menacing looking man with a skull mask called Lord Kell.

Now, my memory is sort of hazy on this next part so i'll keep it vague.

Out of pity or, perhaps spite, one of the PC's throws the woman in the pit a sword just before the huge monstrous ape attacks her. About the same time some of the Baron's soldiers and Lord Kell recognize Hardgripr and Licêndê as former soldiers of Baron Xullgar. They exchange a few hostile words (why i can't remember) and suddenly there is a fight brewing.

The woman in the pit is a pirate captain out of the Hyborian Age named Katia. She has recently been deposited in Hyperborea by the Boreas along with her ship and crew. After this she spent much time learning the difficulties of Hyperborean navigation, before taking on a mission from a lord in Port Zangeiros to deliver a spy to the city of Saarsuum.

Katia was run by my ex-girlfriend. She was converted from a Conan the Roleplaying Game one-on-one campaign that i ran for her a few years ago.

Now, being from the Hyborian age Captain Katia has dealt with huge apes in the past and doesn't have too hard of a time dispatching the ape. This causes some confusion with the crowd that has clearly been underestimating the beautiful woman. At the same time blades are skinned all around the inn as Licêndê, Hardgripr and Fionbharr is attacked by Lord Kell and his men.

After a fiecre fight the trio flees the inn with Captain Katia while the wounded Lord Kell returns to the Barons stonghold to fetch reinforcements. Not having much time to think the PCs agree that their best chance to escape the city lies with signaling Captain Katia's ship. No sooner said than done. The ship cruises into the harbour as the PC's are spotted by guards on the walls of the Baron's castle. Amid whistling crossbow bolts they leap into the water and swim for safety aboard the ship which continues out into the night.

Last edited by Crisippo (3/31/2014 6:28 am)


Níu man ek heima, níu íviðjur,
mjötvið mæran fyr mold neðan.
(Völuspá)
(Nine worlds I knew,the nine in the tree with mighty roots beneath the mold)
Realmsofmelpomene
     Thread Starter
 

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