Earthdawn: Adventure Log 27 - Dark Heart

This is the twenty-seventh Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

This is not a canon location.

Not all of the background and secrets of Ashwood Forest can be divulged since the characters may not yet be done with this place.

They have learned the forest is a place of power, inviolate to Horrors and those who bear their mark; at least, that is the claim. Though surveying astral space confirms it is completely free from their taint. Some who pass on to death come to reside in the forest, trapped as shades for reasons unknown, though there were a few theories put forth. The transformation into a mindless shade takes time and those who can resolve whatever keeps them in this place will pass on from it.

It has a bounty of natural resources, with true elements and living crystal forming within its borders. There are also plenty of natural dangers, not to mention the shades, to go along with this. Such is the draw for this place, the guardian related a story told to him by his predecessor that the war between Cara Fahd and Landis was fought over the forest and everything within it. There was some circumstantial evidence to support this of ancient battles outside of the borders where their airship had crashed.

Adventure Log – 027 Dark Heart

Written By: Coriolis of Travar

Date: 27 Rua – 30 Rua, 1508 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Bongani the Scout
Coriolis the Swordmaster
Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster
Ting the Swordmaster

We are currently in the Ashwood. This area is filled with spirits and mysteries. The guardian of this place cryptically tells us about the many dangers that await us in this place.

We now stand in a sea of ash trees without a solid plan on how to find the one tree we're looking for, so we turn to the spirits for advice. The forest spirits stand about 16 inches tall. They are curious little child-like things(1). Apparently they're also hungry things as well.

Ting showed them that they can eat our food during Elmod and my watch. They ate almost all of the food we had. Which means rather than focus on finding the tree, we now have to use our skills to find food and survive.

Growing up in Travar has taught little of wilderness survival. I talk to the forest guardian for help, hit while polite, he didn't offer much help. Luckily the rest of the group had a little bit more success than I did. Bongani came back to camp with enough food to get us through the day, but only one day.

Using the rest of the day light, we combined our efforts into a single hunting party. Our party came across three behemoths. Luckily, with Elmod's magic we were able to scare off the biggest of the beasts. The rest of the beasts quickly fell to my more blood thirsty companions. We harvest any useful bits off the beasts and head back to camp.

The next day, we leave foraging to Bongani and the rest of us forget the dangers of yesterday and set off, leaving the safety of numbers and traveling alone through the woods. Our solo adventures reveal the wealth of riches that is in the forest(2). The most interesting of these riches was the tree Elmod was looking for this whole time.

A group of shades seem to hang around the tree. Shades are small, Horror-like beings(3). Getting to this tree is going to be a problem.

That night our camp is visited by these shade creatures. We draw weapons for battle and Bongani works on restarting our fire. The fire lights before the blood bath can start. At the sight of the light, the shades recoil to the edge of the light. We don't pursue the confrontation and keep within the safety of the light until dawn breaks.

The next morning, we set off on our own adventures, but are quickly brought back together by the battle cry of Bongani. We ran together to find him set upon by five nightmares(4). Their coats were black as a moonless night. The battle was epic and there were many wounded on both sides. It was a hard fought battle, but we came out the victors.(5)

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(1) We have no information on what this could be. The description is specific; refer to an Elementalist for more information and taxonomy.

(2) What kind of riches? Need details. 

(3) What is a shade? Again, this seems to be specific, but we have no records of anything like this; refer to a Nethermancer for more information and taxonomy.

(4) Are these literal nightmares given form, or yet another thing which we have no information about? Details, people, details!

(5) Received and edited by Ela Pono

Par for the course, there was a great deal left out here. Some is covered in the introduction, and a large portion regards the specifics on what they did and found each day. Everything left out of this log was a deliberate choice of the group. There were a great deal of specifics they did not want getting out. Including specific information about Ashwood Forest, the strange things which reside there (spirits and shades), the wealth and rarities which can be found within the borders, and the fact they murdered a herd of unicorns. Yeah, those were the "nightmares". To be fair, they were pre-Scourge unicorns who had been living with the forest for generations, untouched by the Horrors, one got away (though it did stalk them), and they only took a few of the horns to sell. If a few is all of them. Yes, the engaged in unicorn horn smuggling and ended up selling it all to their favorite Nethermancer in Bartertown, Fastoon.

From an actual session planning perspective, this was fairly intensive and allowed some of the less used abilities to have their day. It was pretty simple to have the group separate themselves from their supplies. Which was the first time they were far from a base of operations, in dangerous territory, with nothing to eat, or safe to stay. Wilderness Survival became incredibly useful. Though there is a bounty of life, much of it is strange and dangerous, making every expedition potentially dangerous. This also meant time had to be divided between staying alive and finding the secrets of the forest.

Which leads to the major feature of their time in the forest:

I created a bunch of envelopes (well over a hundred), each with an encounter of some kind within. The characters would set out into the forest and use some kind of ability to help them in their exploration. Each of the envelopes fell into a category, whether it was botanical in nature, an animal encounter, mystical, or random, and the ability used would dictate what category of envelope they drew from. Result level would give how many encounters they had in a given day.

Included in a number of the envelopes was the tree they were looking for, The Dark Heart. This was very popular with the players and caused them to make all kinds of terrible decisions which nearly resulted in their deaths; if you disappear into the forest alone, no one will be able to use a last chance salve on you. They spend significantly longer than they had probably intended in the forest, just exploring.

Some examples of encounters include:

Dead Ash: A black ash stands lifeless. There are no leaves or forest spirits in its branches.

Fruit of the Forest: Protruding from the trunk of a giant ash tree are nuggets of wood which appear exceptionally vibrant.

Massacre: A macabre scene happened here. There are eight bodies resembling bipedal wolves, slightly smaller than a human. Fur has been sloughed off in places, revealing long, black marks on their skin. The eyes have been plucked and their tongues torn out.

Message in a Bottle: Perched in the boughs of an ash tree is a very small scroll case. At the base of the tree is the corpse of an ork. They haven't rotted, but show some signs of being picked over by scavengers, black marks on their skin, and broken limbs. The scroll case contains some scraps of paper with cramped, but tidy, cryptic writing.

A Monument to... Something: A step pyramid has been constructed of skulls. They appear to be mostly human and ork, but all Namegivers seem to be represented. The ground in the surrounding area is torn up and a buzzing drone fills the air.

Unexpected Undergrowth: Around the base of an ash tree are protruding some small, green, opaque crystals. A bit of excavation reveals there is significantly more underground.

Unnatural Remains: A number of ash trees have grown around a large, otherworldly corpse. A single, pristine, white ash is growing through what would mostly likely be consider its "heart".

Those in the picture, which are ones they did not find, are:

Murder Scene?: A large swath of ash trees and undergrowth are brittle, dry, and dead. Eventually, you discover briar and wood in the shape of a woman with a long iron spike in "her" chest. her face has a look of terror and her body is frozen in pain.

Penny Lane: You come upon a lane of trees, black and white. Some have grown around copper-colored chains, others just starting. Some of the chains hold skeletons. Shades climb down the trees, faces contorted in pain, reaching out, stretching their long limbs and fingers.

A Tale of Two Kaers: A skeletal arm emerges from the trunk of an ash tree. Clenched in its bony fingers is a scroll case. Within the case are notes which imply the existence of two kaers located somewhere south of Jerris. The evidence is in the form of Theran supply logs, ancient letters to family members from a destroyed kaer in Landis (in Dwarf, not Throalic), and records of some news spread by Hugh Louis - famed pre-Scourge Troubadour.

Topo Berry: This black and pink berry is bitter and causes severe nausea in anything who consumes them for a day. Prolonged exposure can result in death.

The Wreckage of Stars: Scattered through this portion of the forest is the wreckage of a Theran kila. It has long been destroyed and overrun by the forest. There is a cemetery nearby, overgrown with ash trees, though the gravestones are untouched. 

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 10 - A Tear for Jaspree

This is the tenth Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn.Introduction and Index.

Jaspree is the Passion of nature in Earthdawn, and has grown in importance since the ending of the Scourge. Many Namegivers have turned to Jaspree for help in reviving the corrupted landscape to what it once was, restoring farmlands and forests to support life. In turn, the Passion has aiding in restoring the land to what it once; Barsaive has steadily turned green and seen the bloom of life return in those years. The ideals of Jaspree are care of the land, growth, and love of the wilderness.

Most commonly referred to as "he", I also prefer to associate Jaspree in the form of a windling; in my game each of the Passions has a common Namegiver to be depicted as, when not in the form of the viewer or artist that is. When not a windling, he is invariably shown as half animal and the gender depends on the role - male most commonly for protector and female for nurturer. The common elements associated with Jaspree are farms, flowers, forests, seeds, trees - really, any indication of animals or plants growing and alive. Namegivers are not associated with Jaspree, that is the domain of Garlen.

While the text depicts Jaspree as valuing plants over animals, I prefer to have Jaspree involved in protecting the natural order over just plants. This generally means questors will lead solitary lives away from most other people, perhaps in small and dedicated communities, tending to a particular area and defending it violently from despoiling. They may be sought for advice regarding the land by those who respect their ways. More social questors will be actively involved in communities that owe their existence to the land and rely on the questor to help them ensure that balance is maintained between their needs and the land's needs. Others, generally adepts who have considerably more power, travel to enact Jaspree's will and spread his teachings. All questors prefer peaceful measures, but part of nature is violence and death, which they will not shy from if required.

Adventure Log – 10 A Tear for Jaspree

Recorded By: Jak’Tak the Weaponsmith

Date: 01 Doddul – 22 Doddul, 1506 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Elmod the Nethermancer(1)
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster(2)
Jak’Tak the Weaponsmith(3)
Sogun the Messenger(4)
Ting the Swordmaster(5)

Ting teaches her students and Jak and Sogun advance in circle. We return to Bartertown. Sogun receives a gift of living armor. Fastoon(6) brings us up to speed on the local color. Bleys(7) has cornered the espagra market(8). He is a clever dwarf. Honeysuckle bought a comfortable hammock. We visit a tailor “Hardly Fitz”. He needs us to check up on a possible espagra supply. The town “Safeway” has a tanner, Urzon. We agree to take the job. A consortium is forming against Bleys. Tol the Warrior gives advice about the scorchers around Ardanyan. Nine days into the journey, we are attacked by a swarm of espagra. We find a clearing with a statue of Jaspree and a white espagra(9). The statue holds a copper bowl, the water gives life(10). We heal the creature’s wounds. Someone approaches. Dwarfs. They go for our espagra, but they are insufficient for the task. They appear to be craftsman – peasants, not bandits. Safeway is a small village in the process of being fortified. The locals are friendly. The tanner’s wife tells he is missing. The tannery is deserted, with signs of a struggle. The innkeeper is friendly and gregarious; Ting and Elmod pump him for information. We track Thom to his home. The apprentice is there. He tells a tale of kidnapping. The local weaponsmith may be involved. He leads us to a farmer, who points us to some woods. Honeysuckle and Sogun are approached by a pretty elf who claims to be trying to get to the bottom of the espagra issue. The white espagra seems to like him. We regroup, then strike off to the forest. We find some dwarfs in the midst of tenderizing(11) an espagra. One challenges us to a duel, and Ting answers. The contest is over in one blow. Beogard’s brother has a plan: to poison small animals, thus weakening the espagra. He kidnapped the tanner to preserve the hides. Beogard leads us to the camp. We speak with the thief, and come to an agreement. The trappers leave and the espagra are released. The tanner is freed, the deal is brokered and we return to Bartertown.(12)

(1) Known associate of Fastoon Julari Makanth Phunkot of Iopos. Trained under Mestoph, if that information is possibly correct.
(2) An uncommon Discipline, particularly in this part of Barsaive, the Windmaster is a community guardian, similar to a Warrior, for Windlings of Glenwood Deep.
(3) Known associate of Maester Bleys and Omasu.
(4) Part of the Ayodhya Liferock and Brother of Omasu by the way obsidimen measure such things.
(5) Known associate of Tarr. Trained under T’Skee “the Magnificent”, Swordmaster of V’Strimon. See cataloged: Adventuring Groups: Exploration: Fourfathers.
(6) Fastoon Julari Makanth Phunkot of Iopos. Nethermancer and representative of the Denairastas within Bartertown. Operates a storefront.
(7) Maester Bleys, origins unknown. Warrior and Weaponsmith, operates the largest Forge within Bartertown. Suspected associate of Tarr.
(8) During this time there was a shortage of espagra skins due to a fashion trend originating in Iopos.
(9) Incredibly rare. Espagra are primarily blue in color, though variations have been found depending on the environment. Of those, green is the most common from jungle areas. White would be from the high mountains and there is rumored to be red around Death's Sea.
(10) Entirely uncertain what this refers to, but bears investigation.
(11) Is this an ork euphemism; investigate.
(12) Received and Edited by Zamirica One-Knee.

*     *     *

This session followed on the heels of what was the low watermark for the campaign and turned things around considerably. The pacing was tight, always something going on, the fights were interesting, and the overall events revealed more about the world as a whole and some nuances. It was an excellent session and it introduced espagra, who are one of my favorite creatures in Earthdawn. During conflict with them, the players realized they may be in over their heads. The final confrontation was diffused through social interaction rather than combat, which was a different kind of victory than this particular group was accustomed.

Events in Bartertown have started to develop and the stage is being set for a conflict that will begin brewing and getting ugly. Much of that is long-term and those events will span a considerable amount of time. Some NPCs get more development and details on the character is shared, along with hints as to the roles they will play in things yet to come. In all, there was a considerable amount of foreshadowing regarding future troubles that our intrepid heroes will face.

The creature trophies that were made for this session were my most ambitious project: espagra scales. To start with, I got variety packs of sequins. Those were sorted by color, including the slightly off colors (which are important). There were four types of espagra that I wanted to make trophies for: blue, green, red and white. The blue espagra used blue and purple sequins; green used green and a turquoise off-color; red were red and gold; and white were white opalescent and silver. The second color was to give some additional depth and variation to the main color, make them look more like something you may find in "nature". The sequins were sewn to cross stitch fabric in an overlapping scale pattern. That was glued to a piece of soft leather then cut out when dried. This gives it a tanned animal skin look and feel and protects the sewing from overhandling (having met my players, this was important). I think the end result looks great, though my players have only gotten blue and green skins thus far. Hopefully, they will meet some red espagra sooner than later - for me, hopefully for me. 

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 09 - Kept in the Dark

This is the ninth Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn.Introduction and Index.

The Servos Jungle is my favorite locale in the Barsaive setting. It borders a number of other important locations, including Kratas and the Serpent River, and is rather huge. I prefer to think that it is even larger than can be depicted on a map. That it contains so plateaus and vistas that have not been seen by a Namegiver since the Scourge began. This is a place of wonder and darkness, where rivers flow uphill and within the boughs of the trees. Where predators that have not yet been given a name dwell. Where lost civilizations and the Horrors that brought them to an end wait to be discovered.

Despite how much I enjoy the Servos, like many things it is best not to over use it - it will lose it's mystique at that point. My goal is to instill in my players a distinct sense of fear and excitement over venturing into its depths. The jungle t'skrang and Cathan tribes are some of my favorite. The former because they are enormous, savage cannibal lizard people, and the latter because, well, they deserve their own paragraph. There will be danger, excitement, treasure, things to explore and legends to be made. Above all else, it cannot be boring. There is always something within the Servos that is bigger than you, and they are always hungry. 

The Cathans are a small and wiry ethnic group of humans that lived out the Scourge within the Servos. Given Blood Wood, this should make everyone who knows anything about them at least a little nervous. Each campaign I try to give them a different backstory and will inevitably have them feature in some way (I cannot actually help myself). For this particular game they are nearly peerless Nethermancers (just don't tell the Iopans) and certainly talented Elementalists and Shamans. How exactly the rode out the Scourge remains a mystery, but there was not a jungle in the middle of Barsaive prior to the coming of the Horrors.

If you are looking for a place to hide a citadel and a lost empire without resorting to extensive magical hoops (this is in no way a condemnation of magical hoops for such things), the Servos is an excellent place to start. It possesses water and once had easy access to the rest of Barsaive. The interior has been poorly explored at best (it's not very safe, to put it lightly), and even then mapping a nearly trackless jungle darkened by an extensive canopy is not a simple task. This is one of the finest places in the setting to develop as you see fit and any Group will almost certainly pass by at some point, moving through the glowing waters of Lake Pyros on the way. Adventure, excitement - an adept craves these things.

Adventure Log – 09 Kept in the Dark

Recorded By: Ting V’strimon the Merciless of Urupa

Date: 25 Teayu – 18 Borrum, 1506 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster
Jak’Tak the Weaponsmith
Sogun the Messenger
Ting the Swordmaster

As always after a big problem is solved, it is now a time of a lot of puttering around. I spend most of my down time swimming in the river and throwing various nasty things at people looking like they deserve it. After a while we make our way to Bartertown. Elmod is doing stupid wizardy(1) stuff in the library, while Jak is… fixing random crap. Figured I would check out the arena again(2). Got myself a fight with some dwarf who spends way too much time on his face. Invited my friends to come watch me show off. The fight was drawn out and quite invigorating, and after much persistence, I managed to make him yield, making me and friends some cash. All is well. Also got an awesome eye cross scar. Spend some time healing up, and met Sogun, who seems to get dumped on us.

Elmod also is wanting to get us killed going into the woods so he can find out more about his creepy-ass doll; so I spent all my winnings on poison preventing potions and rations. Broke again. Hoping I can take training money out of the party treasure.

Took a riverboat into the jungle, to talk to some dudes from Throal. In the middle of nowhere. One was a windling(3). The other had a task that we could do. Something plant-like and glowy. In a temple somewhere. The dwarf is old, not sure I would want to travel the jungle with this guy. But he’s insistent and has money. So we go into the jungle. Windlings buzz around, old dude is on a donkey. And I don’t sweat. Everyone but the rock guy(4) is getting stinky. Got attacked by a howling wooly bear-like(5) critter that night. It’s blue(6) and probably really hot with all that fur. Honeysuckle chased it off and I went back to sleep. Nothing really happens in the next day except we keep seeing something spying on us. Next day we manage to make contact. They did not seem impressed by my greeting, which was a shame. Threatened us vaguely, and let us know that others were traveling in the area, don’t sound like anyone we want to encounter. After some charting, we manage to get lead back to the village by giving them some spare weapons. Guys have some cool tats(7), but they don’t want to talk about them.

Notable village! Most people here tend to shy away from he, though there was some crazy great dancing. Got as may tips as I possibly could! Elmod got his talk in with the elders. When I saw him the next time, he still looked pretty high. After that we go back out into the woods. Old dude starts getting sicker. We met some t’skrang with the scary masks the villagers warned us about. Wrested a promise not to hurt them or reveal their location. Which we made. Seemed cautious, but seemed willing enough to let us go on our way. They did take us to their village for the night. Swapped some stories and techniques on murdering.

Traveled a day, and got attacked by some pretty moth creatures. Huge with awesome wings, we cut them off once we murdered them(8). Next day’s encounter was a giant mantis creature which turned out to be a guy from Theran Empire(9). Offered to share camp, which we were awkwardly led to, be we declined and left the group. We met the ork, pretty boy, two t’skrang(10), six soldiers, several elf slaves. Left at that and made camp a couple miles away.

We traveled a bit and found the temple. There was a suspicious pile of red gems(11) at the entrance we grabbed, and then went inside the courtyard. Found some fancy looking water we filled a skin with water, know when that might be awesome. Inside the temple was fucked up. The flower fungus was found as well as this really trippy Horror skeleton(12). With faces and screaming bones. Jak found a huge sword made of solid water. Super wicked looking. We left the temple, we go to make camp. Old dwarf made tea out of the mushrooms, which we all drink. Next day we find a different t’skrang village that was deserted, that an elf slave that escaped was hiding. Jak made heal checks and we chatted him up. But Therans crashed in, saying t’skrang are after them. Where they were. I was all for the t’skrang to finish them, but Elmod managed to convince them to take Blood Oaths from the surviving slavers, never take slaves again. They then accompanied us the rest of the way out of the forest. We met up at their airship(13), and they gave us a ride out, as well as a shit-ton of gold. Beautiful, beautiful gold. I’ve been sleeping with it ever since.(14)

(1) Most likely stupid Nethermancy.
(2) Ting is a known associate of Tarr, see entry catalogued under: Adventuring Groups: Miscellaneous: Mismatched Steel – 004. We have had little success in tracking Tarr and his fighting rings.
(3) These would be Wivun and Skreet, my condolences.
(4) Or obsidiman if you don’t like offending the Namegiver that weighs half a ton and can do pull-ups.
(5) A brithan, not to be confused with the caterpillar.
(6) This is very doubtful, but if it is blue, we’ll all hear all about it from Wivun. Part of his theory of adaptation due to environmental stimulus or some-such.
(7) This makes me suspect Cathans. You have no idea how cool.
(8) Death moths.
(9) WHAT!?! This needs to get kicked upstairs.
(10) We need more information on these t’skrang. Are they K’tenshin?
(11) Curious.
(12) Good thing Zamirica didn’t receive this one!
(13) A vedette this far East? This is bad.
(14) Received and edited by Ela Pono.

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Without any sugar coating, this particular adventure (in conjunction with the previous session) were the low water mark of the campaign. The adventure itself was adapted from a published adventure and it was not without problems from the beginning, which were compounded by mistakes on my part and some of the players having little desire to engage with the events. It was a trifecta of issues that worked out in the end.

The Therans, as presented originally, are totally and completely unsympathetic. Why anyone would ever want to interact with them beyond the initial meeting is beyond my understanding, let alone protect them in the end. Given the time period of my campaign (pre-Triumph), the presence of Therans is rather unusual, so I used that to announce future badness. The composition of the group was altered and made friendlier in general, though I included two t'skrang of the K'tenshin arapagoi as part of the deeper plot. They also weren't simply a hunting and slaving party, but actively looking for something.

All of this may have gone well, but the ultimate decision was to not interact with them at all. There was the fear that the Therans would simply try to kill them outright, coupled with an outright hatred of them by some characters that I didn't know about. Which was when things started to fall apart. There is a valuable lesson about communication and knowing your audience in here, as well as fostering healthy group dynamics. Above all else, communication; it is the most difficult and most important part of gaming.

One piece of loot was the suspicious red gems they found are blood gems. An element of my setting that exists on a meta level as a warning: something bad happened here. They are produced from blood magic that a Namegiver died for. Whether that was from a dying act to save a friend, or as an unwilling sacrifice, is impossible to determine. Sometimes the droplets of blood from that act will crystallize into small, faceted gems that always look slick and sometimes gleam with an inner light. Their monetary value is minimal (there is something of a taboo in openly trafficking in them), but they do have some value in magical creation. They can be used as an ingredient (no more than half of the cost in ingredients), or to provide a bonus to the enchanting process - just not both. So far nothing has been done with them, but I strongly suspect no one actually remembers all of this no matter how many times I repeat it.

The other piece of loot introduced was death moth wings. For these I used a yard of crushed tulle and cut it into triangular sections in an effort to replicate moth wings. Since they still needed to fit in the boxes, I decided to keep it simple. The downside to this is the tulle has interacted poorly with later introductions into the boxes. Particularly jehuthra webs, which is really just fitting. These would later become one of the favorite pieces of loot to decorate. It got... elaborate and expensive. More on that in a future adventure log.

Earthdawn: Part 18 - Play Aids 1

This is the eighteenth part in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

This article is a compilation of five game aids that were introduced in the Adventure Logs, and discussed how they were constructed (if applicable) and what they brought to the game. Covered here are player boxes to hold trophies, coins, dice and sundry; physical coinage; note cards; binders; and a party treasury. If you have been keeping up with the Adventure Logs, there isn't much to see here. If you have given them a pass, there may be something of here of interest.

The first play aid I introduced for my players was binders. They were created for each character and have a combat summary; a chart with the action dice, steps, and result levels; combat option sheets; expanded character sheets; full descriptions of all Talents and skills (including any relevant tables); and pouches to keep note cards. Everything is in sheet protectors and all of the players have dry erase markers, which can be used to make notes on the sheet protectors - track damage, make notes, reminders, gibberish that can only be interpreted as some kind of psychological warfare as I puzzle over it for hours, you know, player stuff. All of this is to try and move things along quickly, particularly combat, by putting all of the relevant information at each player's hand without anyone getting lost in the Player's Guide. The ability to write on the sheets and then easily clean it up means that everything stays legible longer and combat notes are easy. For games that have a lot going on, this is a very helpful system for me. In other games I have included information from between games in the binders as an easy way to disseminate information without exactly letting each player know fully what was going on.

One of my favorite play aids, no matter what the game, is note cards. These are the best way for me to distribute things that I want players to have in some way and tend to quickly go on replacing traditional ways to track various things. For example, I have cards for every piece of equipment with the game effects and stats (including weight and cost), along with a description. This helps save time looking things up (including buying more, or even making it), gives a place to take notes and also tracks who actually possesses the item in question. All of this is doubly true for Thread Items. They make great handouts and a useful way to introduce new characters. Make a card with their Name and some key traits about them; easy descriptors to convey the important elements about them. Players can then take notes about that character in one place. I prefer to color code my note cards, so I know at a glance what I have; for example, purple is people, green places, red blood magic, white equipment, blue key items, and yellow consumables. An interesting way to implement theft is to quietly remove a card from a stack and then have the theft noted when the player notices the item is missing. This is not a good idea for every group or player, though can be effective for groups that appreciate that kind of play.

To really up the ante on personal production values and give them a place to keep all of their stuff, I introduced boxes for each player. Since they were going to be getting more props, it was clear that they would need something in which to keep them. Also, dice rolling was getting a little out of hand at times - I'm not a fan of dice continually rolling off the table and onto the floor. To solve all of these problems, I picked up some pine boxes from a local craft store (Jo Ann's), wood stain in a variety of colors, and adhesive backed felt in a number of colors. The boxes were stained and the bottom of the interior and underside of the lid had felt applied to them. The idea being that the box would be a holding place and the lid would be used for rolling. Unfortunately for me, the lid tended to just become another holding place for Karma dice. The best laid plans.

In a continuing effort to remove actual bookkeeping from my players and give them tactile elements to play with, I introduced Campaign Coins. While the players were hesitant at first (it seemed something like an extra step with counting and all to manipulate the monies), it was quickly shown to be a success. There is something visceral about handling actual money that writing and erasing numbers cannot replicate. It is difficult to write about because it is purely physical. Funds become more real, and players are both more willing to spend them - a cost may be incidental if all you have to do is hand over some coins - and also more aware of them: their piles of coins start to actually vanish. From a GM perspective, it's much easier to track funds: players either physically have them, or they don't. Doling out treasure can be as simple as grabbing a handful of the right color and size; much faster than a die roll and has a more random feel since it will be in different denominations. This is made much easier by having a box to put all of these coins in for each player.

The group treasury was an element which really helped to bring everyone together. The idea certainly isn't a new one, but many players are hesitant at the idea of one player recording all of the group things and effectively having control over this resource in addition to their own resources. This is not an unfair sentiment. To directly address that, while still providing the benefit of pooled resources, I got a physical box to keep everything in. It's similar to the player boxes, but a little smaller, a different shape (hexagon vs. circle), with hinges and a latch - it is clearly a different box. Since money is tracked by actual coins and nearly all of the other consumables have tokens, everything fits in the box nicely and can be clearly interacted with by each player. This means there is no gatekeeper to the funds, that donating to it is as simple as tossing coins inside, and what is available is readily apparent. The actual results are very different as well. Since it's introduction, most of the players donate nearly everything to the group treasury. One player only donates most of it, and he gets some gentle ribbing, which is still remarkable. The physical construct focuses attention in a way that abstractions do not. For any groups looking to promote more cohesion, I cannot recommend these enough.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 08 - Ardanyan's Revenge

This is the eighth Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn.Introduction and Index.

Prior to the Scourge, the Mad Passion Raggok was known as Rashomon. At that time his ideals were endurance, leadership, perseverance and tolerance. None of the other Mad Passions were twisted to the degree of Raggok, and now he has the ideals of bitterness, jealousy and vengeance.

Raggok is closest Earthdawn comes to the standard fantasy evil god, often appearing as a large man with a ram's head and open, festering wounds. The common elements associated with him include cold, insects, skeletons and the undead, weapons and wounds. His generally associated powers involve calling up painful memories to torment, inspire hatred, raise the undead and just generally everything you would expect the localized incarnation of evil to do.

His followers, questors, tend to either wallow in debauchery, flaunting their wealth and wasting it, or to lead lives of deprivation and spend all of their resources doing whatever they can to make things worse for those around them. Though there are certainly shades of grey between those extremes, all questors of Raggok have an investment in making the world a generally worse place to be, particularly on a personal level.

Adventure Log – 08 Ardanyan’s Revenge

Recorded By: Elmod of Glenwood Deep

Date: 13 Riag, 1506 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Elmod the Nethermancer(1)
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster(2)
Jak’Tak the Weaponsmith(3)
Ting the Swordmaster(4)

Ting and I found Honeysuckle and Jak left town quickly. I talked with Issir Faang(5) again and was reinspired to look for the amulet he previously spoke of – the spirits being restless. He also offered an old item in exchange for the amulet expedition.

Ting and I then gallivanted into the forest at night, trying to be quiet, but either way were undisturbed by the forest elves. We found the amulet in an old shallow grave of a humanoid skeleton. We returned, Issir looked and inspected the amulet, and returned it to me. Also he gave me a strange doll. We parted.

Ting made friends with Wuschwusul, a new t’skrang in town, that also came in with an obsidiman Warrior, Caedrus. Ting had fun gallivanting with Wuschwusul.(6)

Returning to have tea with Issir again, I found he had vacated the premises. Asking around I found no one even recognized he had been there until I found a poor willed soul that revealed Issir had fled anonymously and threatened death to those around his house – and he’d left through the West gate (which also did not see him leave). His place vacant, I began to live in his house.

I saw Ting shortly thereafter reporting that our companions, Honeysuckle and Jak’Tak had returned to town. Reconvening with them, we discussed leaving the town to catch up on the poor climate of the elves in town.

On leaving, however, we found that posters identifying us as outlaws (including an obsidiman Honeysuckle and Jak had met outside of town). Guards were promptly alerted to our leaving and we fled through town.

Down an alley. Honeysuckle and Jak’s friend, Titoo, gets our attention to come and follow him and we proceed to follow and hide in a cellar of his.

He discussed how Grankar Eisengeisser was captured by the local elf conglomerate, also looking for the kaer that Honeysuckle and Jak found previously. A hastily devised plan is made to rescue Eisengeisser at the Council Hall’s basement. Ting asks her new friend to try and create a distraction to five us advantage. We set forth with disguises from Titoo.

Explosions are heard in Hangside(7) as we near the Council Hall’s rear gate. Many guards are seen leaving. Honeysuckle flies through the gate and mostly kills the two guards, one of which I finish off with an Astral Spear quite handily. Keys are found as Titoo opens the gate and we proceed through the house.

We meet a group of six guards at the front door. We battle for some time. My foe wounded me most furiously before I eventually ripped his spirit from him finally. The others fought well too. We locked the doors and fought the remaining guards in the cellar and the stairs. Grankar and hooded prisoners were found along with a secret passage in the treasury.

Following the passage since the prison doors could not be opened, we found a shrine to Raggok – a Mad Passion. The passage eventually leads to a passageway with pit traps and a magically concealed passageway to a cave passage to an underground kaer.

The kaer was teeming with life and population. We were still quite haggard from the battle and were noticed as outsiders – not least by some Illusionist that tried to “summon” some Horror-like lizard beings(8). It was enough to let him get away, though he was spotted as associated with the City Council of the city of Ardanyan by his ear clasp.

Finally reaching the Council Hall in Kaer Ardanyan, a dwarf, Joran, lead us to a chamber to talk (in deference to the angry mob alarmed at our entrance and presence). We informed him and his elven counterpart about the end of the Scourge and corruption of their Council members who were corrupted the city of Ardanyan. Leldrin was also additionally responsible for deluding the Kaer by claiming a Horror at the gates to the kaer. Other things about the Questor of Garlen.

We reluctantly agreed to appear in chains to assuage the townspeople’s fears – however somewhere we were also duped as Joran was impersonated by the Illusionist Leldrin (one of the other corrupt leaders of the city of Ardanyan). We chased him to the entrance of the Council Hall, but he escaped with invisibility.

Returning to the commotion in the city of Ardanyan, we revealed the corruption of the Council to the angry mod of townspeople – lead by Ting and eventually backed up by Joran.

Joran bestows us titles of Protector’s of Ardanyan as well as giving us a recently vacated property in Hangside.

Jak sold some of our recent loot to purchase an alchemy lab that I helped prepare. I hope to soon learn additional alchemy skills and knowledges. Other people people improve their skills as well.

Titoo was employed to watch over our new alchemy lab for 50 silver/mo.(9)

(1) Known associate of Fastoon Julari Makanth Phunkot of Iopos. Trained under Mestoph, if that information is possibly correct.
(2) An uncommon Discipline, particularly in this part of Barsaive, the Windmaster is a community guardian, similar to a Warrior, for Windlings of Glenwood Deep.
(3) Known associate of Maester Bleys and Omasu.
(4) Known associate of Tarr. Trained under T’Skee “the Magnificent”, Swordmaster of V’Strimon. See cataloged: Adventuring Groups: Exploration: Fourfathers.
(5) Human Nethermancer residing in Ardanyan.
(6) Wuschwusul, a Swordmaster of Syrtis. Caedrus, a Warrior of Ayodhya. See cataloged: Adventuring Groups: Mercenary: Scale and Stone.
(7) Regarded is as the “nice” part of Ardanyan where the ruling elves and their favorites resided. A forested area on the South side that is elevated and overlooks the rest of Ardanyan.
(8) Leaping Lizards, I believe.
(9) Received and Edited by Zamirica One-Knee.

*     *     *

This session marked the conclusion of the "Ardanyan's Revenge" arc. Some old threads were followed up on and I introduced the first real Thread Item, the Sinistral Puppet. The first half of the session went very well. Returning to Ardanyan and evading the guards was tense, and the wanted posters gave clear hints that all was not right (they were based on characters present during the previous session, not the Group as a whole). Following that was some planning and a daring nighttime raid on the Council Hall. This was exciting and full of action, the pressure was high and the pacing excellent, right up until they started exploring the kaer.

When the characters arrived at the kaer things took a turn for the disgruntled. The immediate actions of the Illusionist within and the responses from the kaer-dwellers served to frustrate some players. Essentially, a lot of the details and importance is lost if you are not actually from the kaer. With that buy-in, the tension can be maintained as there are different repercussions and some investment in how things go (also real fallout from actions outside). The big meeting at the end had something of a deus ex moment where the overall villain makes his escape. Given the significantly differing power levels, he has tricks at his disposal that the players are powerless against, but all he does is make an escape. Regardless of how you approach this adventure (from within or outside), some players will be unhappy with how this plays out.

In all, it is a good introductory adventure and plays best as the starting point of a campaign. The end is somewhat dodgy, but everything leading up to that is good. If nothing else it can be mined for a lot of ideas. The epilogue was fine and the fallout from what happened can keep Ardanyan a simmering issue for quite a while. It holds a lucrative location and will always be a target for scorchers, but now lacks any cohesive leadership. The town is bursting at the seams with new inhabitants and clearly cannot support all of them. Also, the relations between the various factions is approaching an all-time low with the betrayal that was revealed - the money that everyone is fighting over is all gone. I went with a slow burn on the problems as everyone has just gotten out and there is relief, but the tensions and resentment remains. The local adepts largely left to see the world, leaving the city even more vulnerable. Things in Ardanyan are going to get worse before they get any better. Certainly the Protector's will continue in their new responsibilities?

While it wasn't introduced in this session, the group treasury was an element which really helped to bring everyone together. The idea certainly isn't a new one, but many players are hesitant at the idea of one player recording all of the group things and effectively having control over this resource in addition to their own resources. This is not an unfair sentiment. To directly address that, while still providing the benefit of pooled resources, I got a physical box to keep everything in. It's similar to the player boxes, but a little smaller, a different shape (hexagon vs. circle), with hinges and a latch - it is clearly a different box. Since money is tracked by actual coins and nearly all of the other consumables have tokens, everything fits in the box nicely and can be clearly interacted with by each player. This means there is no gatekeeper to the funds, that donating to it is as simple as tossing coins inside, and what is available is readily apparent. The actual results are very different as well. Since it's introduction, most of the players donate nearly everything to the group treasury. One player only donates most of it, and he gets some gentle ribbing, which is still remarkable. The physical construct focuses attention in a way that abstractions do not. For any groups looking to promote more cohesion, I cannot recommend these enough.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 07 - Mystery of Ardanyan

This is the seventh Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn.Introduction and Index.

Passions are the Earthdawn equivalent to gods in other fantasy worlds. They fill similar functions: Passions have portfolios (Garlen's ideals are hearth and healing), Namegivers honor them for their blessings, powers are granted for their most ardent followers (known as questors), and the Passions work to advance their agendas in the world. They are different in key ways, however. The Passions are born from the Pattern of their land and have sway only there. This means the Passions of Barsaive are different than those of Cathay, though the same as those of Thera because it was Thera that Named Barsaive.

Anyone can follow a Passion and most Namegivers have one they favor above others. It is through the small acts of continual devotion and following those ideals which lead most Namegivers onto the path of a questor. While any Namegiver can be a questor, it is more uncommon for adepts to follow that calling. Following a Discipline requires dedication and focus that few can muster, even if they have the ability to do so, and even less can serve two different "masters" to the necessary degree. Also, the powers are not free and adepts have other things to spend points on.

When the Passions manifest, typically in dream, the viewer will see them in the form they most expect. Generally this will mean in their own race and of the gender they associate with that Passion. Each Passion has particular elements associated with them that will always be present, though not all. For example, Garlen may appear as a motherly woman with arms open in acceptance, or as a kindly man ready to offer comfort and safety. She could appear in a home with evidence of children present, perhaps even address the character as in the manner of their mother, while he could appear within a kaer, or gathering water for his family.


Thera and Barsaive have twelve Passions and prior to the Scourge all were largely benevolent to the Namegivers of the lands. During the Scourge, however, they were assaulted just as the people whom they spring from were. Three of the Passions went mad from the actions of the Horrors and their natures were changed. Known now as the Mad Passions, they became dark reflections of themselves and began pursuing their own insane agendas across the land. Their disruption of the previous balance between the Passions has caused strife among these entities. Now, instead of existing in harmony, they compete and pursue their ideals to the exclusion of others. Whether these attitudes are filtering down to Namegivers, or even stem from the collective consciousness of Namegivers, is unknown.

Adventure Log - 07 Mystery of Ardanyan

Recorded By: Honeysuckle Sunspray of Glenwood Deep

Date: 09 Riag – 12 Riag, 1506 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster (1)
Jak’Tak the Weaponsmith(2)
Ontheros the Horror Stalker

Awoke to Jak’Tak screaming and dealing with a thief trying to steal the debt paperwork. We left for Throal early the next morning looking for answers.

At the first crossroads we met up with a traveling group. Ontheros, the obsidiman whose brothers were corrupted and destroyed a village(3). Where we were joined by a group of psychic chakta birds. After moving along for a while we encountered an injured dwarf that had been attacked by a group of elf raiders over a map of a mine near Ardanyan. As we were about to leave we were attacked by a group of elf raiders on horseback who kill Tungar. He was carrying a letter from Grankar describing the map and how much wealth can be made.

We head to the cave and encounter a super scary bear/goat monster lives. Though I was not afraid and managed to get the beast to retreat.

Farther in the cave we find a cave trap and were once again ambushed by elves.

We successfully defeated the elves. They thought they had us trapped, but I valiantly went after their leader while Jak and Ontheros took out the others. Once we defeated them we ventured into the cave to search for treasure.

This cave was filled with many intersections and the first room of any note was filled with dark, writhing black worms. It was scary and gross. We quickly left. The next room led us down a ladder and faced with more intersections. After some exploration we discovered we needed to cross these giant pits filled with some kind of mist that sucks out the air. While I was fine, being able to fly and all, Jak and Ontheros braved the pit and were able to escape unscathed. The first major room we encountered had a wondrous purple crystal(4) in the middle of the room. It was so beautiful and made you forget everything else. Ontheros claims it is meant to trap Horrors. I guess he’s right, being that he’s spent quite a bit of time tracking Horrors. The next room had lots of vegetation and a stream running through it. The next large room was dark and kinda creepy. While looking around we were ambushed by two large flying creatures that were kind of flat with long stinging tails. It was if they were swimming through the air.(5)

These menacing creatures were quickly dispatched. And we claimed their stingers as tokens. The next path showed that the stream have become a river with a heavy current. Getting Jak and Ontheros across the river proved to be a quandary once more.

Being the brave Windmaster that I am, I decided to explore a small crevice where the river enters the rock. This cavern was very dark and dangerous. With a low ceiling and a fast moving river(6) I wasn’t sure about this but I persevered. Towards the end of the cavern I saw some gold veins running through the rock. I decided to return and report my findings. Not finding any obvious treasures we decided to return to the surface and then to Ardanyan in order to gather our friends to return in order to further explore the river section.(7)

(1) An uncommon Discipline, particularly in this part of Barsaive, the Windmaster is a community guardian, similar to a Warrior, for windlings of Glenwood Deep.
(2) Known associate of Maester Bleys and Omasu.
(3) Refer to entry cataloged under: Adventuring Groups: Miscellaneous: Mismatched Steel – 02.
(4) I have read of these before, but never a purple one.
(5) Likely shadowmants.
(6) This is exceptionally brave and foolhardy behavior for a windling due to their size and inability to fly with wet wings.
(7) Received and edited by Zamirica One-Knee

*     *     *

Technically the much larger female krillra.

This particular installment was mostly meeting some fauna of Barsaive and minor dungeon-crawling. I enjoy throwing in a some color to the proceedings (when I remember) as it can make the setting seem more vivid and remind everyone present just how other everything is in the world. Chakta birds are a personal favorite for this: they are largely benign, but many players cannot seem to trust them. Ironically, the windling was most offended by their existence - threatened by competition? A brithan, krillworms and shadowmants also made appearances and are all interesting because of the different responses they evoke. Particularly krillworms, which are largely harmless, but just icky. No one likes to fight krillworms.

The plot of the adventure proceeded largely as expected, though some clues were missed or overlooked. There happened to be enough pointing to what was going on (even if things were addressed in a curious order at times) that events kept moving - this is a good thing. The Group figured out where the main entrance to the kaer was roughly, but couldn't find the actual door. Discovering the door and gaining access is amazingly difficult, which makes sense since the kaer is supposed to protect against Horrors with hundreds of years to patiently grind away.

One thing the events reminded me of is how some of the basic assumptions of Earthdawn are different than most fantasy games. The best and most basic examples of this are obsidimen and windlings. Both of these Namegivers change the fundamental nature in how characters move around in various situations. Windlings can fly, though not carry much, which is a special thing generally reserved for bird familiars at low levels. Obsidimen, on the other hand, can severely limit travel. There is no common rope that can support their mass; even doing a single push-up is a feat for these Namegivers. What this comes down to is the following: don't forget the unique abilities and limitations that your particular Group may have and face. Handwaving can be effective, but it isn't very satisfying and once you have gone down that road, it is a difficult up-hill battle to bring back those elements that were ignored for convenience.

The loot I introduced in this session were the shadowmant stingers. There isn't much to say about them - I ordered small glass icicle ornaments. I got two different sizes to make certain they would fit in the boxes. This plan had foresight since I had to use the smaller size even though I liked the design less.

Another play aid that I have not talked about yet, despite introducing them much earlier, are binders. I created binders for each character that have a combat summary, a chart with the action dice, steps, and result levels, combat option sheets, expanded character sheets, full descriptions of all Talents and skills (including any relevant tables) and pouches to keep note cards. Everything is in sheet protectors and all of the players have dry erase markers. All of this is to try and move things along quickly, particularly combat, by putting all of the relevant information at each player's hand without anyone getting lost in the Player's Guide. The ability to write on the sheets and then easily clean it up means that everything stays legible longer and combat notes are easy. For games that have a lot going on, this is a very helpful system for me. In other games I have included information from between games in the binders as an easy way to disseminate information without exactly letting each player know fully what was going on.