Tonight I had planned to run a Halloween Special. I always run a game that's Halloween themed. Since we game on Wednesdays, tonight's game was it. Not everything goes according to plan, however.
Tonight's session, instead, became a game about honor and caste...quite by accident.
In my game, the PCs are travelling by caravan across the mountains that divide Kuetta from Dar-Puram. It is the last caravan across the mountains before winter, and is cutting it close, since it is late autumn.
The caravan hired a group of mercenaries led by a Monitor Lizard named "Lord" Bekhan. The honorific is in quotes because he does not act like one of the Sunborn. In fact, he was born an Outcaste, and preteneded to be low caste as a soldier long ago. He decided to pretend to be Sunborn a few years ago when he raised his mercenary band.
The PCs did not like Lord Bekhan the first time they met him. This was intentional, since I wanted him to be a villain. However, in tonight's game, he refused to help the caravan shift a band of Kothan because his contract only stipulated the "defense of the caravan against attackers," and not moving animals. The PCs went instead of the mercenaries and shifted the Kothan. When offered a reward from the caravan's leader, they declined once, politely, and when the issue was pressed suggested the leader deposit the money at a temple of her choice.
Later, the caravan came upon an old goat who insisted the road ahead was filled with hungry ghosts. I wanted my Halloween game to be full of zombie soldiers...but things didn't turn out like that.
Lord Bekhan told the leader that his band was only concerned with defense, and that the ghosts would depart after a few days (which the goat affirmed). One of the PCs then called him a coward.
The PC in Question was Svarti, a Clydesdale Huntsmaster. When Bekhan challenged him to a duel of honor, Svarti accepted. Another PC, Rakesh (a wolf Master of the Spiral Arena), agreed to officiate the duel. It was agreed that it would be natural weapons only, and be to the death.
Svarti was killed in short order, and rather gruesomely. The PCs were stunned and began funerary rituals while Bekhan went and cleaned himself up. Sensing that something was off about Bekhan, the groups Healer entered the Dream and attempted to divine Bekhan's origins. He saw the egg of a washer-woman hatch into Bekhan, and his trials and lies from untouchable to Highborn. He then forced Bekhan to confess his lie using his powers in the dream.
Bekhan confessed to Rakesh and another PC, and when they challenged him, he attacked. It was a magnificent battle, with many florid descriptions and much poetry. Eventually, Bekhan was killed and beheaded, his corpse displayed to his mercenaries. While in the dream, the Healer captured Bekhan spirit and bound it to his use, in order to better punish him for his lie.
The game was not what I expected or was gunning for, but ended up being better than my wildest imaginings. It was one of those sessions that will live forever in my mind as one of the best I have ever been present for. There was glory, speeches, exciting actions in the Dream...it was everything I love about playing RPGs. Shard is quickly becoming one of the best games I've played with this group, and is creeping into my list of best games I've ever played.
Tonight's session, instead, became a game about honor and caste...quite by accident.
In my game, the PCs are travelling by caravan across the mountains that divide Kuetta from Dar-Puram. It is the last caravan across the mountains before winter, and is cutting it close, since it is late autumn.
The caravan hired a group of mercenaries led by a Monitor Lizard named "Lord" Bekhan. The honorific is in quotes because he does not act like one of the Sunborn. In fact, he was born an Outcaste, and preteneded to be low caste as a soldier long ago. He decided to pretend to be Sunborn a few years ago when he raised his mercenary band.
The PCs did not like Lord Bekhan the first time they met him. This was intentional, since I wanted him to be a villain. However, in tonight's game, he refused to help the caravan shift a band of Kothan because his contract only stipulated the "defense of the caravan against attackers," and not moving animals. The PCs went instead of the mercenaries and shifted the Kothan. When offered a reward from the caravan's leader, they declined once, politely, and when the issue was pressed suggested the leader deposit the money at a temple of her choice.
Later, the caravan came upon an old goat who insisted the road ahead was filled with hungry ghosts. I wanted my Halloween game to be full of zombie soldiers...but things didn't turn out like that.
Lord Bekhan told the leader that his band was only concerned with defense, and that the ghosts would depart after a few days (which the goat affirmed). One of the PCs then called him a coward.
The PC in Question was Svarti, a Clydesdale Huntsmaster. When Bekhan challenged him to a duel of honor, Svarti accepted. Another PC, Rakesh (a wolf Master of the Spiral Arena), agreed to officiate the duel. It was agreed that it would be natural weapons only, and be to the death.
Svarti was killed in short order, and rather gruesomely. The PCs were stunned and began funerary rituals while Bekhan went and cleaned himself up. Sensing that something was off about Bekhan, the groups Healer entered the Dream and attempted to divine Bekhan's origins. He saw the egg of a washer-woman hatch into Bekhan, and his trials and lies from untouchable to Highborn. He then forced Bekhan to confess his lie using his powers in the dream.
Bekhan confessed to Rakesh and another PC, and when they challenged him, he attacked. It was a magnificent battle, with many florid descriptions and much poetry. Eventually, Bekhan was killed and beheaded, his corpse displayed to his mercenaries. While in the dream, the Healer captured Bekhan spirit and bound it to his use, in order to better punish him for his lie.
The game was not what I expected or was gunning for, but ended up being better than my wildest imaginings. It was one of those sessions that will live forever in my mind as one of the best I have ever been present for. There was glory, speeches, exciting actions in the Dream...it was everything I love about playing RPGs. Shard is quickly becoming one of the best games I've played with this group, and is creeping into my list of best games I've ever played.
-JFC Wolz
HISTORIAN
HISTORIAN
