Earthdawn: Adventure Log 04 - Killing Time

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

In this campaign Bartertown is portrayed a way that is a departure from many published sources of the setting. This entry takes a look at the Bartertown that appeared in this campaign.

Outside the gates of Throal is a libertarian paradise: Bartertown. The settlement was originally built by merchants that wanted to take advantage of the growing cultural nexus that is Throal, but unwilling to pay the high taxes and tariffs to do business in the dwarf kingdom. Since that original collective, it has grown into a sprawl. Lacking any formal laws or government (as well as the protections thereof), Bartertown has developed an economy that accommodates frugal adepts looking to sell their loot or make their way to the Great Library.

The inns provide a variety of services to adventuring adepts, such as bathing, privacy, and safety. Though these services tend to be idiosyncratic, and true luxuries are rare. There are numerous businesses that cater to adepts that require uncommon goods (blood charms, potions, item services, etc), as well those that purchase the (often bloodstained) "surplus" equipment that adventurers always seem to have in vast quantities. Of particular interest are those harvested parts of creatures that can be used for magical creations. This is a thriving market and a great deal of the economy is based around this aspect.

Without any rule of law, Bartertown is a dangerous place. Community members often band together into gangs in an attempt to protect themselves and their property, but just as often these organizations exist merely to prey upon the weak. The strict and orderly nation of Throal subtly encourages this chaos and violence, as it provides a lure for the criminal element that might otherwise reside within the dwarf kingdom. Bartertown also provides a place for Throal to shuffle off their poor and disruptive members of society, all without affecting the quality of life within their stone halls. Additionally, upstanding members of Throalic society can indulge in base pursuits by visiting Bartertown, all without exposing themselves to the unnecessary danger of actually living there. For Throal, Bartertown acts as a sewer drain, where unwanted people and uncomfortable truths can be safely discarded.

It is a shanty town, where nothing is built to last. No one is willing to invest in Bartertown because there is no one invested in it. The population is transient and interested primarily in economic exploitation. It is, without reservation, something of a terrible place. Certainly there are small communities within it, but they are continually taken advantage of in various ways. From extortion by local thugs (perhaps the thugs they once funded to protect them in the first place), to extortion from the local grocer who must inflate prices because of the theft and cost of importing goods. All of this is hidden from the travelers arriving in Bartertown, who see what they are meant to see. This is what keeps Bartertown in business.

Adventure Log – 04 Killing Time

Recorded By: Honeysuckle Sunspray of Glenwood Deep

Date: 27 Raquas – 28 Raquas, 1506 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster (1)
Ting the Swordmaster

Sitting at a corner both in a darkly lit inn, my friends and I were approached by a large troll. While we recognized this troll, he had been our waiter previously; on this night we could tell he needed our help. He described what should be a happy scene: His son (about to be Initiated) goes to celebrate with his friends as a local tavern. The next morning he had disappeared. Being that Hrothruk was a nice troll and we could tell he couldn’t afford to check it out. Hrothruk could provide us with a possible witness – Maguk’s friend Jimon(2).

Our initial investigation leads us to a very shady part of Bartertown. Our first witness (Jimon) seemed less than concerned with the disappearance of his friend. Jimon is a shady guy living in an equally shady place. His version of the night’s events would have to be looked into further. Jimon took us to the last known whereabouts of Maguk, The Juggling Shadowmant, a dark tavern.

Our second witness, owner of the tavern, Brainbiter, was able to give us a bit more information that Maguk had few friends and was one test away from being a Warrior Initiate. While this was good information, it doesn’t give us any new leads. With a dead-end staring us in the face, we headed to question the other Initiates.

The barracks(3) seems a typical place similar, but much larger than the Windmaster school. The initiates returned before Maguk and Jimon went off so they have no new leads to offer.

Back to our corner booth in the darkly lit inn, we mull over the clues and leads over dinner. Hithorn(4), a fellow investigator, believes he can offer some help in digging up leads.

A mysterious note is given to Ting saying information is available at My Dead Father and to go alone. This is just the lead we've been waiting for. This bar is located in a particularly bad part of Bartertown, as we all know good leads come from the worst places. Elmod and I are on stakeout while Ting ventures in. After a half an hour there is no sign of Ting. Elmod and I venture in to rescue our friend. We head in through the back door to draw less attention.

With no sign of Ting, I get some new information from Hithorn. There is a possibility that she has been taken to the fighting pits(5). Locating this place has become a new challenge. Our new contact, Fastoon(6) the human Nethermancer, while very shady seems to be well-connected. As he gave us the password and location of the entrance to the fighting pits.

We work to put together a disguise so that we may infiltrate this place. Fastoon’s information is good and we’ve made it to the fights. We didn’t make it in time to rescue her from the initial fight so we place a bet in support of Ting(7) and hope to save her after this fight.

This crowd is surprisingly high class given the circumstances of the arena, they try to shield their identities, but I know we’ve stumbled upon a larger conspiracy.

Now to find where competitors are kept as Ting was victorious. Next in the pit is the missing Maguk. This must be a well established place if they are able to capture adepts and initiates. Maguk’s fight is about to begin – Elmod does some magical thing and Maguk is able to take down his opponent. Being the honorable Warrior initiate he did not kill his opponent causing the guards to threaten Maguk.

Which is where I, the Windmaster turned detective, join the fray, knocking down the guards into the pit! After defeating them I take off to save Ting. The competitors were taken through a very scary hallway filled with a large ork and a human guard. I whip around and cut them both to get past and rescue Ting. Ting and I make quick work of the shabby lock and cage door. With the grace and artistry of the best Windmaster and Swordmaster, Ting and I take out the guards with finesse and ease. The rescue of Maguk is successful and we make an easy escape. Upon our return to the inn a larger question comes to mind – how are they luring people into the fighting pits and who is the financer behind it all? Larger mysteries remain, but for now we have temporarily shut down illegal cage fighting.(8)

(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) Jimon, full Name unknown, is a known associate of Tarr.
(3) These are the barracks of the, colloquially known, Bartertown Irregulars; a project of Maester Bleys.
(4) The group is associated with Hithorn (full Name unknown), this bears investigating, though may mean nothing given his proclivities.
(5) Fighting pits in Bartertown? This is disturbing and suggests Tarr strongly.
(6) If they, particularly the Nethermancer, are going to become associates of Fastoon Julari Makanth Phunkot of Iopos (full Name) they should be watched.
(7) What can be said about this?
(8) Received and edited by Zamirica One-Knee

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This session was about introducing the characters to Bartertown and how things are not always as they appear. The world is a much worse place than it seems. There is slavery and gladiatorial fighting right outside the gates of Throal, champion of the rights of Namegivers, and attended by dwarfs of Throal. A number of recurring characters were also introduced in this session and it began to set the stage for some far reaching plots in which the players would have a direct impact. Some of the names from the Throal sourcebooks will look familiar, but a considerable amount behind the scenes has been changed. Thus continues the experiment with adapting material to the campaign.

Another part of this plot was to toy with and examine some common investigation plots, and player abduction. The latter is almost always an abject failure, but I wanted to try it out in a way that made the player feel pretty awesome even though they were captured and forced to fight for the amusement of others. It is worth noting that as soon as Ting's companions arrived and found out she was "about" to enter the ring, they spent a considerable amount of time debating how much to wager on her, and if they should wager on her opponent instead. She also earned her nickname from this endeavor, which should show up during the next log (stay tuned).

The tactile element introduced during this session are 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 - 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.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 01 - Misguided Ambition

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

As requested, I am starting a new column as a part if the ongoing series on Earthdawn: Adventure Logs. My goal is to use these to not only showcase actual play in Earthdawn, but to introduce setting elements, discuss GMing in general, using props, and adapting material that is already out there for use in an ongoing campaign. These are the logs as recorded by the players in-character. All of the players for this game had never played Earthdawn previously.

Adventure logs are a clever piece of the setting that gets players to take notes on the session - something that players are not always willing to do (it can feel like work), but Earthdawn puts an in-setting spin on it that provides rewards. The premise is that the Great Library of Throal will purchase logs detailing the activities of adventuring Groups and make them available to in the Library to others for research. Their stated goal is to gather as much information as possible, particularly the dangers, new environs and kaers that have been opened, but as well the cultures, people and happenings within the world. The Group is paid based on the "importance" of the work, and it goes into the Library to be referenced by others. The payment is a fraction of the Legend Points earned during the events in the logs, and additional Legend Points are earned when it is turned in to reflect that the characters' legend spreading through others reading of their exploits.

Within my setting, there are some other things taking place which are not openly discussed. The Great Library processes astounding volumes of intelligence from around the province and beyond through these adventuring logs. This information is potentially vital to the security of the dwarf kingdom, particularly with regard to the looming conflict with the Theran Empire and other more local threats (Horrors, Iopos, scorchers, crystal raiders, etc). The Great Library performs the public mission statement, but the scribes are also intelligence analysts. The junior scribes will read incoming logs and if anything raises a flag, it will be handed off to a more senior scribe who will route the log appropriately and it may be altered during transcription to be entered into the Library; originals are never on the floor (adventurers and dirty hands). This goes unnoticed; few adepts are so narcissistic that paying to read their own exploits is worth their time. Handwritten copies are also prone to all of the errors that come with handwritten copies.

This means is that the original adventure logs contain footnotes from the scribes of the Library which reveal Throal's interest in the contents, as well as the identity of the scribe who performed the detailed analysis (and some personality of the scribe). These notes are not available to those outside of the senior scribes. The out-of-character goal behind providing this extra analysis to the players (not the characters) is to communicate some of the bigger picture if they are interested.

Adventure Log - 01 - Misguided Ambition

Recorded By: Honeysuckle Sunspray of Glenwood Deep

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

Group Members

Honeysuckle Sunspray the Windmaster

Valara the Beastmaster

It was time to be going. Leaving Glenwood Deep for a life of adventure was a difficult decision to make because my teachers wanted me to stay and be a Windmaster for the community. I wanted to see Barsiave and the great cities. Travelling alone for the first few weeks was lonely; outside of Glenwood Deep you don’t see many other windlings(1), but I have seen many new races like orks, trolls, and dwarfs that don’t usually travel through Glenwood Deep. I met Valara at a fork in the road, she was also pondering the way to go as she too had just left her home for the life of adventure, we decided to head into the nearest town together and stock up on supplies before continuing on our journeys.

This was a small town near the woods and many of its people were lumberjacks. Upon entering the town of Tsennan(2) you could tell something was not right. Hearing that Valara and I were adepts, the townsfolk asked up to head into the woods to look for a group of missing lumberjacks; including three humans, two orks, and a dwarf. They were to return days ago and have not been heard from. Before leaving we met with the local healer Genna (who was the mother of Tartuk, one of the missing orks), who gave us some healing supplies to help us on our journey. We reached the camp before sundown and found it abandoned and in ruin. Food was left of the table rotting (knowing how poor this village was, food would never be wasted like this) we knew something terrible had happened to the lumberjacks. We took some time to search the camp finding a trail in one direction and no other clues. I could tell we were being watched as we searched. I checked out a strange rustling in the brush and was nearly eaten alive by a snow leopard cub(3). Valara insisted we pursue the cub to care for it and after tracking for a bit we caught the cub and Valara turned it into her new pet. I can see that being friends with a Beastmaster will be more dangerous than I originally thought.

We headed down the trail left by the attackers and found the first body not too far past the camp. This body fit the description of one of the lumberjacks, the dwarf Geleem, he was badly beaten but you could tell this was not done by animals. Following the trail we came upon a clearing with a cave entrance, tied to the trees were the bodies of four more lumberjacks, the only body missing was Tartuk. Wandering around this area strangely were these creatures that looked like they should be dead. We went toward the opening of the cave when these things attacked us. Valara and I knew we had to fight, though Windmaster training didn’t cover bodies that rise from the dead(4). It was a gross, ugly fight. As we fought these things they exploded with a vile stench spraying everything in the vicinity. It took almost everything we had, but we defeated them. As disgusting as we were we didn’t wait to go into the cave, whatever was happening must be coming from there.

The cave was dark down the tunnel and then opened up into a large room where a fire was going, with a large pool of blood and a large troll was performing some type of ritual. I thought we had seen the scariest part of this and boy was I wrong. Out of the pool of blood arose one of the missing lumberjacks with axes for hands, it was Tartuk(5). He had been sacrificed for something evil. Not wanting to see what happened next we rushed in to fight this evil Nethermancer and the unwilling sacrifice. Turns out this was a really bad idea after the fight we had outside. This sorcerer sent his sacrifice after us and then casted some type of magical darkness in the room making it impossible to fight. Valara and I decided to retreat and regroup. Outside the cave we took time to clean up and rest while strategizing what to do next.

We headed back into the cave because we couldn’t return to the town with one of their lumberjacks being controlled by this Nethermancer. It took all of our tricks and strength to defeat the sorcerer and put the sacrifice out of his misery, but we managed to be victorious. Searching the cave we found the Nethermancer’s journal(6) bound with the skin of some poor creature and the mark of a horror upon it. This was bigger than we had imagined, this Nethermancer had been corrupted by a Horror(7).

We returned to the town to deliver the devastating news of what had happened to the lumberjacks and warned the townsfolk not to go up there. We spared Genna from what actually happened to her son; instead we told her he was simply killed by the Nethermancer. We didn’t stick around the village very long; it was too depressing after what they had been through. Valara and I headed off for our next destination, whatever that may be. (8)

(1) I hear that Glenwood Deep is infested with them.

(2) Find location of Tsennan, see further footnotes.

(3) If only...

(4) This is a curious and unexpected piece.

(5) Perhaps this bears investigation.

(6) This journal should be found for safekeeping.

(7) Tragic, but unsurprising.

(8) Received and Edited by Ela Pono.

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This was the first adventure, though not all of the players were able to make it. Instead going with the original plan (which never happened as intended), I used an introductory adventure that used to be available on Redbrick's website and adapted it to fit where I wanted things to go. It has all of the rules you need to get started along with pregenerated characters. The adventure itself has some good moments and strong horror elements. It is a fine, free adventure, though fairly challenging for only two characters that are highly specialized and unfamiliar with the rules.  Both players were initially reluctant to use Karma; it is a resource that is not infinite. Both remarked, in retrospect, that they would have used Karma more often if they had understood better how easy it was to get more. The Beastmaster and Windmaster can use Karma with starting Talents that improve damage, Claw Shape and Dive Attack respectively. These Disciplines are not the most straight forward, particularly the Windmaster which has some of the more complex Talent interactions.