The World of San'Dora

Saturday April 29th, 2006, San Diego, CA

Clutching Nine Arrows
Who	What	When	Where
Why	How	Disadvantages	Post Game Analysis

WHO

PCs: (Master Summary)

Name	XP	DEX	SPD	SPD Chart
# Kurtzen Kardenssen	2+1	17	3	12		4		8
Critique: Roleplayed well in the flashback sequence. In the current timeline he moved out away from the wagon and horses to face down the cavalry which wasnt the brightest move and could have gotten him killed if the opponents were a little tougher. As it was Kurtzen accounted for himself but took a nasty wound in the process. Kurtzen hacked a couple of Landrothi with his mighty blade.
/ Kjar Kvaransen	2+1	11	3	12		4		8
Critique: In the combat against the Landrothi Cavalry he had good incantations on spells, and was active, but I thought his use of spells could have been a little tighter. Still and all, he was very effective at disrupting the enemy. His major contribution to the fight was to use his new Wind Gust spell to disrupt the cavalry's formation, causing chaos in their ranks and disrupting their initiative.
$ Fyrclian Bergansen	1	20/22	4	12	3		6		9
Critique: Heavy combat session, not much RP. Fyrclian used her bow skills for the 1st time and very successfully at that. Also, a key point, when the fight began she moved to where the groups horses were picketed and set out to defend them from all comers which is very fitting to her character's background. Fyrclian took a couple of riders with arrows and detered greater damage on the supplies and mounts.
/ Saemund Magnussun	2	11	3	12		4		8
Critique: Was extremely effective in the fight against the Landrothi. He loitered by the wagon and held, then when some riders strafed by he lunged out and Shoved one horse from the side into another, knocking both horses sprawling and their riders to the ground. Then he jinked to the left and slashed the legs out from under another rider's horse. All three unhorsed raiders plus one unhorsed by Kjar's Wind Gust spell rushed Saemund in a pack w/ Sabres drawn, but with a mighty swing of his Falchion he cut three fully in twain. He sounded off with his lineage and let the fourth run away to spread the tale (PRE Attack).

Significant NPCs:

Torgath Torethssen

Exiled Raevoring Sea-Reeve.

Bakuda Rabusha

Adventuring Landrothi (and devotee of Tzoruul)

Ssarsa

Lizardman desert guide.

Name	DEX	SPD	SPD Chart
* Torgath Torethssen	14	4	12	3			6		9
Critique: Jay ran Torgath in the fight, I handled his RPing. We managed to establish the beginning of his ongoing relationship with Bakuda
# Kurtzen Kardenssen	17	3	12		4			8
Critique: Kurtzen was very successful in this combat; despite trailing the other principle characters by about 70 points he was about equally as effective as Torgath. Im eager to see where the player rounds him out with the extra 20 points he was given to catch the character up to the other PC's. The character already has a very solid base to build upon so it should be interesting.
$ Bakuda Rabusha	18	4	12	3			6		9
Critique: As expected his Spells vs undead were very effective and basically carried the day. The most significant effect was a Consecrate cast basically in the middle of the ruin that ate at the malginant forces animating the Undead at a rapid pace until they finally crumbled to dust. The RPing of the character could have been stronger though.
/ Ssarsa	18	5	12	3		5		8		10
Critique: Was very consistent with last session's performance. In the combat he started using Telekinesis to good effect after not getting too far with Dimensional Burst.

* = played by GM

/ = played by Jason Roche

# = played by Steve Svarre

$ = played by Kristin Molle

WHAT

Calvary Patrol

In the current timeline I want the group to be waylaid by a Landrothi Light Cavalry Patrol of 10 Cavalry and an Officer, and their Horses of course.

This went off well. We were running short on time so I abbreviated some things from the characters, most significantly their Combat Luck. I ran the encounter just like something out of a cowboy and indian movie, with the Landrothi suddenly cresting a rise and ringing the campsite and baggage train in two files, throwing spears.

I think the players were a little suprised that they didnt even stop to talk, they just swooped right in on the attack. I dont think its really sunk in for them that their people have been raiding and pillaging these peoples lands for two millennia and there is no love lost at all. A small group of Machtig crossing into their lands from this direction are going to be assumed to be a warband intent on plunder.

The Cavalry patrol's goal was to take or disable the groups mounts before riding off to get reenforcments. As it turned out they took about 60% casualties and road off in a rout, but they did manage to injure a couple of the light war horses. Unfortunately they left a couple of warhorse behind after their riders were slain, so the net effect was dismal.

Flashback to Kurtzen' Past

The session is going to revolve around an adventure from Kurtzen's past. A little over 8 years ago Kurtzen and Torgath were hired by a Landrothi aristocrat calling himself Bakuda Rabusha (BAH-KOO-DAH RAH-BOO-SHA) while in Worfinal. The job was to take ship from Worfinal to Alut (the capital of Tinsha), and from there proceed into the deep of the High Desert to search for a long lost and forgotten about ruin.

The purposes of the session are to:

Provide Kurtzen an opportunity for a prelude now that he is an actual PC
Introduce / put a face to some of the antagonists the current timeline's protagonists are facing
Accentuate / reenforce the story-driven / saga-oriented nature of the campaign

The Ruin

To give Rabusha a chance to really shine and be a key player, going to use Undead guardians for the ruins. The Machtig hate all things related to Death magic, and Tzoruul does not support the use of Undead either so its something both Machtig and devotees of Tzoruul can agree upon for starters. For seconders, he has a number of effects that are particularly effective vs Undead.

Also, Kurtzen is relating this tale to the modern era surviving Nine Arrows, and him relating the tale of Rabusha destroying Undead might force them to reconsider what they think they know about what they are getting into with the Cult of Tzoruul. They think the cult practices Death Magic due to seeing two women sacrificed in their vision from the Druids Circle. The distinction might be too subtle for them however, and sentient sacrifice is also very much against Machtig beliefs in any event, whether its technically used for Death magic of some sort or not.

Overall, as long as the morality of it all gets confused and things become less polarized black / white, the purpose will have been served.

This went pretty well and I thought it was a fun combat. We got off to a late start so I had to trim the encounter by dropping a more powerful opponent I had planned but I think the overall purpose of the flashback was accomplished and the tougher villain, while it may have made the event even more memorable, wouldn't have really contributed to the narrative thread.

Gotta know when gratuitous violence works and when it needs to be trimmed after all.

The important thing is Bakuda recovered the relic, and the groundwork for why Torgath and Bakuda have remained allied 11 years later was laid.

WHEN

Current time:
- START: Age of Power Year 1 Month 3 Week 1 Day 3
- END: Age of Power Year 1 Month 3 Week 3 Day 5
Flashbacks:
- 8 years ago

WHERE

Main Locality

Current timeline:
- A days travel out of the Vold into Landroth.
Flashbacks:
- Worfinal
- Alut
- High Desert

WHY

KURTZEN FLASHBACKS: I want to cover the back story of Kurtzen, which provides a perfect opportunity to detail what's going on in Zerlaaga by showing the history behind it.

CAVALRY ATTACK: Several purposes to this:

Show that the PC's can't just waltz around as they please and go unmolested; I wan't them to get used to the idea of mounting a watch, staying aware of their environment, and practicing some trail craft. This first encounter is a set up though, of course -- no way around it.
Demonstate that while the PC's are far more capable than individual Landrothi and collectively are more than a match for small packs of them, en masse cavalry assaults are still very dangerous to them and they should be careful.
Give Jason and Kristin a chance to get used to their characters again in a scenario where they are practically guaranteed to win.
Have some action in the modern timeline to keep the focus on the main thread of the adventure.

HOW

Flashbacks.

DISADVANTAGES

Make sure the players keep up with their Disadvantages.

The players did a good job on keeping up on their combat related disadvantages, and Fyrclian played up her general horsey-gaurdian shtick as well.

NAME	DISADVANTAGES
*Fyrclian Beorgansdotter*	DF: Druid-touched (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) DF: Human (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) DF: White Streak in Hair (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) Enraged: Horses mistreated (Uncommon), go 14-, recover 8- Enraged: When in Claustrophobic Environments (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 14- Hunted: Osfrid 8- (Less Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish) Money: Poor Normal Characteristic Maxima Psych. Lim.: Claustrophobia (Uncommon, Strong) Psych. Lim.: Daredevil (Uncommon, Moderate) Psych. Lim.: Equestrian Mentality (Uncommon, Moderate) Reputation: Killer of Thralls, 14- (Known Only To A Small Group)
*Kjar Kvaransen*	Normal Characteristic Maxima DF: Aura of Random Elemental Sensory Affects (smell of ozone, smoking hair, rocky skin, moist air, sound of creek, crackle of fire, etc) (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) DF: Druid-touched (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) DF: Human (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) Psych. Lim.: Easily Distracted By New Magic (Uncommon, Strong) Psych. Lim.: Obsessed with Finding New Magic (Uncommon, Strong) Soc. Lim.: Zauberer Stigma (Machtig) (Frequently, Minor, Not Limiting In Some Cultures) Susceptibility: Entropic/Chaos Energy 1d6 damage Instant (Uncommon) Susceptibility: Negative/Unholy Energy 1d6 damage Instant (Uncommon) Susceptibility: Positive/Holy Energy 1d6 damage Instant (Uncommon) Susceptibility: Static/Law Energy 1d6 damage Instant (Uncommon) Unluck: 3d6
*Kurtzen Kardenssen*	Distinctive Features: Human (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) Enraged: When reduced to Half Body or Half Stun (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 11- Hunted: Raevoring Clan 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish) Money: Poor Normal Characteristic Maxima Psychological Limitation: Overconfidence (Very Common, Moderate) Rivalry: Professional (with other Warriors), Rival is More Powerful, Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival, Rival Unaware of Rivalry, Rival is a Group Soc. Lim.: Dark Secret: Raevoring Exile (Occasionally, Major, Not Limiting In Some Cultures) Unluck: 2d6
*Saemund Magnussun*	DF: Druid-touched (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) DF: Human (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) Enraged: If Quality Of Work Or Honor Questioned (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 11- Hunted: Kor-Daen Tribe 8- (Mo Pow, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish) Hunted: Pargori Huscarl 8- (Mo Pow, Limited Geographical Area, Watching) Normal Characteristic Maxima Psych. Lim.: Aggressive Combatant -- Takes on Toughest Possible Opponent In Battle (Common, Strong) Psych. Lim.: Honest Quality Appraiser -- Announces Quality Of Weapons Fairly, For Better Or For Worse (Uncommon, Total) Psych. Lim.: Honorable Craftsman (Common, Total) Notes: Always fulfill contract to spirit and letter, keeps word, will not sell shoddy goods, guarantees work. Reputation: Miser, 8- (Extreme; Known Only To A Small Group)

POST GAME ANALYSIS

Good session. Heavier combat than usual, but I think in this case it actually worked out for the better. A couple of important messages relating to the intended narrative thread were made and it allowed the players (and me) to get back into the swing of their characters and the game system after a hiatus.

The flashback was succesful and I think Ill employ the tactic two more times before the end of this arc.