This is the gameplay thread for "The Broken Tower", the Runequest Quickstart adventure.
You’ve been on the road for a couple of days, riding in pursuit of the thieves that stole a large portion of your tribe’s cattle—one of its greatest sources of wealth. In the course of this heinous crime, they slew two of your kin and wounded another: simple herders, not even tribal warriors. Zarah, your clan-chieftain’s wife set you—her boldest and most able-bodied allies—to follow, recover the cattle, and exact retribution for the insult.
One of your injured kinsfolk recognized members of the Greydog clan among the raiders, particularly a man named Danakos, an ambitious and bitter Greydog. The raiders’ path led in the direction of Lismelder tribal land, specifically to the Greydog’s home village.
Yanioth moves with grace and charm, her bow, axe and shield close to hand at odds with her soft curves and delicate hands. She looks more like some lazy noblewoman than an a troubleshooter of any kind, but the set of her face is detirmined to follow this task through.
Harmast, son of Baranthos, rides along at the back of group. Astride one of his two Praxian Zebras he is quietly singing a paean to Issaries. At his side he wears his sword and there are 3 javelins in a quiver on his back. His second zebra bears his miscellaneous equipment as well as his battle axe.
He breaks off singing his song and sighs briefly before raising his voice to call out to those ahead of him.
By the Seven, Yanioth! How much further till we catch these dogs? Are we still even following their tracks?
Ha, as if you were not a more experienced tracker than I Harmast. Though I feel we are close, the earth seems tense with anticipation.
Vasana lets her bison have it's rein, though she still grips them in her left hand. In the other, her lance.
She smiles at the banter, looking fondly down at her half-sister , Yanioth, the over to the others in their band.
"I trust you both will bring us to the craven 'dogs village, my friends... their doom is soon upon them."
Harmast also smiles, both at the ease within the group as well as the thought of soon bringing justice to the Greydogs.
To be fair, I am more used to tracking a herd animal that has wandered off from the group than I am men. But I help as best I am able
Yanioth smiles slightly "Are you implying I often hunt men?"
Harmast looks slightly startled at Yanioth's words for a moment, but then suddenly bursts out laughing.
Oh indeed not. I would never be so rash. I am sure a Priestess of Ernalda hunts men just as often or as little as she desires. But it far from my place to comment on such things.
Yanioth's smile widens, "Well answered. I forget your tongue is lined with silver."
Harmast will climb down off his zebra and attempt to assist ...
By the Seven! It is such a muddle here. Boots and Hooves in all directions! Who can tell which is what?
Yanioth and Harmast carefully search the ground near where the tribesman was killed. Even though it is plain to see in which direction they fled with the kine, the two have a hard time ascertaining the details of the ambus.
Vasana slides down from her mount and walks him over to Harmast's zebra, knowing the herd animals will stay together.
She then joins the others in examining the pasture for clues...
Vasana searches the ground for clues. To her trained eyes, she guesses that a half-dozen Greydogs took the cattle judging from their tracks.
Vostor comes to the same conclusion as Vasana: a half-dozen cattle rustlers seem to have been involved.
"Well, onwards then." Yanioth sighs, she didn't really think anything much would be detirmined from the site, but better the check than regret it later.
Harmast nods silently and returns to his zebra. He briefly pauses to check that everything is strapped in place just so on the two animals before mounting up on the one he is riding today.
Once mounted up he sits atop the zebra staring quietly in the direction the rustlers took the stolen kine.
As you continue following the cow tracks across the valley and up into the higher-elevation Badlands, you suddenly come across a prone body lying among the hoof prints, not 25 meters away.
From your current angle, it appears to be a human female with dark hair, lying face-down in the mud. She is dressed in the blue-edged woolen tunic that is characteristic of the Greydog clan, but seems to otherwise unarmed.
A number of crows are pecking at her exposed flesh.
"Perhaps myself and Harmast should investigate the body, Sister, Voster, keep an eye out in case this is some kind of trap?" Yanioth's tone indicates a suggestion, not an order.
At Yanioth's suggestion, Harmast slips quietly off his zebra. Leaving the beast where he dismounted it, he moves half way to the body lying on the ground. There he draws his dagger and closing his eyes in momentary concentration, calls on the spirits to aid him.
If no enemies are detected he continues moving up to the body and waves the crows away.
If the spell detects enemies nearby he hisses Ware! There are foes nearby! and unslings his shield off his back and onto his arm.
Harmast concentrates on the tattoo on the back of his left hand that serves as the focus for the Detect Enemies spell.
Harmast's concentrates on his tattoo, but doesn't feel the familiar twinge that would normally direct his arm in the direction of the nearest enemy, convincing him that all is safe ... at least for the moment.
He and Yanioth move up to the prone body and begin their investigation.
Their search convinces them that the woman was indeed a member of the Greydog clan that stole your cattle, and that she hasn't been dead for very long, as the muscle stiffness of the deceased has only just begun to set in. Turning her over, they find that her throat was cut. Her tunic is empty and she carries nothing of value, as the leather cord holding her coin-purse was severed. Only a small eating knife is sheathed at her belt, and she lies next to a ring of stones containing the remnants of a fire.
Track (10%)
Customs (Heortling) (30%)
"Infighting among the 'dogs? Or is there another party involved?"
Harmast studies the tracks and clues around the body and deduces that the woman was probably killed while sitting at the fire and then dragged away and abandoned. The tracks fo the cattle cross over the path of the drag-marks, indicating that she was killed before the animals were driven away.
He also thinks that it is very unusual for a member of the Greydog clan to kill one of their own and leave them face-down for crows to peck at. Normally a Greydog (as well as a Colymar, your clan) would dig a grave or even just arrange the body in a respectful manner. Harmast thinks that it would be honorable to bury the body, although that would increase the surviving Greydogs' headstart even more.
Harmast stares at the body for a moment, puzzlement uncharacteristically showing on his face.
This is odd. Very odd. Craven and thieving the Greydogs may be, but it is not like them to kill one of their own and abandon the body in such a disrespectful manner. Perhaps they did not know she was dead when they left. From the look of things she may have been killed by the fire and then dragged over here. But surely they would have come looking for her? It is not like she was difficult to find. There is a strange tale here and we seem to only know the end of it.
He pauses and looks concerned. Then sighs before continuing...
Low though the Greydogs stand in my regard, it is not right that she should be left so, unregarded and without proper rites. I know we are pressed for time, but I think we should bury her. Our task though is set to all of us, so what say you all? Should we pause to give this unfortunate wretch a proper burial, or should we press on?
"As we are formeed of the earth, to the earth we should be returned. We draw strength from rite and ritual, it shows we still respect the gods"
Unless anyone offers dissent Yanioth will start to dig, lacking any real tools she will use her shield as an improvised spade, loosening hard-packed earth with a dagger first if necessary.
After a few moments consideration of his equipment, Harmast concludes that he has nothing that will help with the actual digging of a grave and begins gathering rocks to start building a cairn.
Yanioth follows suit, as much as she'd rather direct the operation, there was not the time to waste.
As Yanioth and Harmast look over the body and seek a means to inter it, Vasana keeps watch for possible threats...
... and sees nothing but pretty clouds...
The group continues its burial activity, but it is hard going, as the rocks are half-buried in the rough ground.
As you are about halfway down collecting the stones, Harmast and Yanioth notice that there is someone watching them from a ragged copse of trees off to the west of the cattle-trail. He is far enough away that you cannot tell any fine details about him or her.
Harmast glances at the figure from the trees and then makes a point of not looking directly at it again, while trying to keep it in the corner of his eye.
Don't look now, Daughters of Vareena, but it would appear we have an audience. Over in yonder trees. Shall we finish our task and then go speak with them? They have have seen something of use to us.
"We should do, perhaps our good deed is rewarded already?"
The figure in the distance seems to want to stay hidden behind the gnarled copse of trees, and is not acting offensively in any way.
Vasana's head snaps around at Harmast's warning, seeing the figure. Shaking her head at her lapse in not noticing the watcher, she says to the others, "Finish your work, I will watch this one."
With a little nudge of her knees, she has her bison take a position a few more feet towards the figure, then she settles it down and back straight, regards the figure intently.
The figure watches your group from his/her hiding place, seemingly unaware that you have spotted him/her, while work on the cairn continues without interruption, allowing you to finish in a relatively short amount of time. You don't exactly know why the Greydog tribeswoman died, or if she deserved to be murdered (you're guessing not), but at least you feel a sense of calm knowing that you have done the right thing and honored her departed spirit.
As you brush the dirt from your hands you can see that the figure is still watching you.
"From clay we were formed, to the Earth we return." Yanioth brushes the dirt from her hands and stands up.
"Let us go see who watches us?" she sets off towards the watcher, leaving her weapon sheathed.
Your group heads off toward the copse of trees where the figure is hiding. As you get closer, you can see that it seems to be an old man wearing only a loincloth and a ragged cloak that is frayed at the edges. He seems to still be watching as you approach, but as you close to about two spear throw lengths away, he jumps as as if realizing just then that you are heading in his direction (even though he should have seen that quite a bit farther off), and begins hobbling away.
"Hold, we just want to speak with you."
Yanioth will leave her more athletically inclined brethren to pursue.
The old man turns as he is hobbling away when he hears Yanioth speak. He backs himself against a boulder and holds out his staff in a defensive gesture.
"Do not harm me, great warriors, I am but a feeble old man!" he calls out pitifully.
Int (80)
Lore (Dragon Pass) (25)
Luck (75)
"Relax old man, we are here in peace, Ernalda's blessing upon you. Can you tell us how this woman died, the circumstance seems odd..."
The man relaxes visibly upon hearing Yanioth's words.
"I do not know how she died, but we must lay her spirit to rest. If she is not properly ushered into the afterlife, she will remain in this place, for it has been tainted by evil spirits."
Since Yanioth began talking the old fellow down, Harmast will just stand quietly watching and listening. (unless the successful Luck roll triggers something of course)