Aswad Veda [OA]

[peteyfrogboy]

I've decided to try my hand at writing a Story Hour for my new campaign. After my daughter was born I figured I wouldn't have time to run a game again, but I just couldn't stay away. I decided to run an Oriental Adventures campaign to try to rid myself of some of the normal D&D cliches. I hadn't really read the book when I decided to run the game, but I knew enough about it to know that I didn't want to use the Rokugan setting. So not only did I start a new campaign, I started world-building again, which is usually a frustrating dead end exercise.

You can decide for yourself whether I was successful:
http://homepage.mac.com/bypung/aswad/index.html

The web page isn't complete yet, but there's enough meat to chew on. The setting is a tropical archipelago loosely based on 13th century Indonesia, with two closely related groups of native islanders (Api Mekani and Hantu Capi), an established Hindu-style kingdom (Naga Kerajaan), and a warlike bunch of invaders from the mainland (Merah Ahadiri) with a Japanese type culture. I've tried to capture the flavor of the various peoples without getting too bound up in the specifics of historical accuracy. This is a fantasy game, after all.

The cast so far, with three of our four regular players:
Emiko, a sea spirit folk shamaness of Hantu Capi extraction
Rafiki, a male vanara monk trained by a Hantu Capi silat guru
Sagwa, a female dekandiri (nezumi) rogue and chronic gambler.

Our fourth regular player didn't make it to this first session, but I have faith that I'll be able to work him in somehow.

As for how the story hour will be written, I don't take notes during the game so this is going to be pure recollection on my part. What dialogue I can actually remember will be used, but I reserve the right to make my NPCs sound better prepared than they actually were. They may even have names. In the future, if any of my players who might read this are inclined to start keeping notes there's bonus XP in it for you. At any rate, on to the story!

 

[peteyfrogboy]

Chasing Spirits

This is an elaboration of the backstory hashed out quickly between me and Emiko's player.

Emiko floated on her back in the warm sea, looking up at the wisps of cloud creeping across the blue sky. She needed no spirit guide to tell her that the rainy season was on its way. After nearly seven score years living in and around Jukunto, she was more than familiar with the cycle of life in the small fishing village.

As she watched the clouds floating by, she contemplated her own fate. For most of her life she had been engrossed by the search for her mother, a sea spirit. She had come to her father in human form and only stayed for a single year before vanishing beneath the waves again. Her father had been left to raise her on his own, though with the support of his family and neighbors it had been no great hardship. When Emiko came of age he told her about her mother and her search began.

For years she had swum aimlessly, ranging up and down the coast and miles out to sea, finding nothing but the creatures of the sea. Though she was embraced by the village, she was always aware of her difference from them. There was great concern in those days about the effect the Kerajaani were going to have on the village now that their internal fighting had drawn to a close. Many feared a new invasion that might come to the shores of Akhzar Banang. Emiko shared their worries to some extent, but her mind was more often fixed on her past than her future.

After her father grew old and died, one of Emiko's nephews, a shaman of some repute, asked her about her endless searching under the waves. When she told him, he offered to teach her how to speak with spirits, so that she might have a better chance of finding her mother. He cautioned her that it was no light undertaking to become a shaman, and that even with contact to the spirit world she might not ever be able to complete her quest. Undeterred, Emiko began her training.

She turned out to be a very competent shaman, gaining the favor of both a many-winged air spirit and a sea dragon from the deep ocean. Even as she served the village in her new capacity, she continued the search for her mother. Even with her new ability to communicate with the spirits in the sea, she gained little ground. None of the spirits she spoke with seemed to know anything about who her mother might have been. She wondered if perhaps she had been a deep ocean spirit that had come only once and gone back to her distant home.
The years rolled by, and Emiko's search became more habit than anything else. She tended to the needs of the village, watching as families changed and grew. Eventually the entire population was related to her in some distant way. The years had been good to Jukunto; the feared Kerajaani attacks never came, and the only effect the invaders had had was a new market for exported fish. New fears had arisen when the Merah Ahadiri brought war from the east, but it never reached to Akhzar Banang.

**

Emiko dove beneath the waves, watching as the sunlight shimmered through the blue-green water. Everything had changed, yet somehow nothing had changed. That Spring, out of nowhere, her endless search had finally borne fruit. A radiant spirit had appeared to her in human form, clad in robes of kelp and shimmering mother of pearl. The spirit had looked her over with cold eyes. There was power behind those eyes, more power than Emiko had felt from any but her own patron spirits.

Finally the spirit locked her gaze with Emiko's. Her voice was as cold as her eyes: "Stop looking for me." Before Emiko had a chance to respond, her mother had melted away into the waves.

After that encounter, Emiko wondered what she should do. She sought the advice of Patimaru, the eldest of Jukunto's shamen. The old woman listened quietly as Emiko told her story.

"It is good," she said. "This has consumed you for too long. There is more to this world than this small village. Perhaps you would do well to see more of it. Few are those who have the freedom to journey far without worry. Perhaps she wanted to set you free."

**

Emiko found it hard to leave her home. She had been here for so many years that she found it hard to imagine being anywhere else. But maybe a change in scenery was what she needed to gain some perspective on her life. The question now was where to go.

As if in answer to her thought, a strange fish swam up to her. Its reptilian head and clawed forelegs identified it as a young dragon, a rare thing to see, let alone at such close range. The golden-scaled creature circled her twice, then swam off to the west. Emiko watched it for a moment, unsure what to make of the display. The creature turned around, returned and circled her once more, then set off to the west again.

The shaman knew a sign when she saw it, and especially when she saw it twice. She set off in the wake of the dragon, wondering where it would lead her.

 

[peteyfrogboy]

Fortune Favors The Bold

Again, an expansion of a briefly discussed backstory.

Viktil coughed as he looked at his cards. He scratched his ear with one ragged claw. Sagwa sat impassively across from him, showing no reaction to either her own cards or the glittering pile of coins and jewelry between her and Viktil. The other four dekandiri at the table had already forfeited and watched silently as the aged Viktil considered his bet.

Sagwa's luck had been stellar all night; she had hardly lost a hand and never with a large pot at stake. Viktil's fortunes, on the other hand, had been on the decline for months. The years had worn him down, and the daring adventurer of years past had become a gray-whiskered ancient. The money on the table wasn't the real stake here; Viktil had made a score of fortunes that size in his time. When luck ran out for one such as Viktil, it was time to hang up his boots and retire from the road.

The old ratling reached into his satchel and withdrew a sealed tube of waxed leather. He placed it on top of the pile of shining coins. A quiet gasp could be heard from one of the spectators. The tube bore the Chandaraya seal; a contract from that prestigious merchant family would mean great renown, and quite possibly a fee that would dwarf the petty trinkets on the table. It was the sort of stake that put an end to betting.

Sagwa blinked, but gave no other sign of recognition. She laid her cards on the table.

Viktil sighed as he folded his hand. Sadness, relief, and a dozen other emotions mingled in his expression. "I hope your luck holds up, youngling. I don't doubt you'll need it."

**

Sagwa stood at the prow of the ship as it cut through the mist-shrouded sea. Viktil hadn't been kidding when he said she would need luck. When she read the contract she wondered if the old rat had played some sort of trick on her. The seal was genuine, though, and the contract was clear: she was to travel to the forbidden island of Akhzar Banang, find one Krisvira Chandaraya, and return him safely to his family. It was a task so incalculably difficult as to be laughable. But if it were genuine, and she were actually able to accomplish it, she would be able to retire in comfort.

Most of her gambling winnings had gone to purchase elegant enough clothes that she wouldn't get thrown out of the Chandaraya compound on her ear when she went to officially accept the contract. She was provided with a drawing of the wayward merchant prince to aid in identification. More usefully, she was given some of his clothing to provide her with a scent to track him by should she require it. As far as his business on the island, all she was told was that he had gone in search of new opportunities for trade. Most likely, thought Sagwa, he was hunting one of the rumored treasures of the Hantu Capi. Why else would they bar Kerajaani from their lands if not to conceal some great stash of wealth?

There was a slight change in the air. It wasn't the most familiar scent, but Sagwa knew a city when she smelled one. Just then, the dockyards of Kurutapo began to materialize from the mist ahead. The ratling had seen the great cities of Taj Naga many times, but still she was taken aback by the beauty of Kurutapo. Most of the construction was of wood, unlike the stone buildings she was used to to. What made the architecture so stunning, however, was the carving. Every visible surface seemed to be decorated, crawling with animals or festooned with leering faces. Even the barnacle encrusted pilings of the docks themselves were rendered as pillars of writhing fish. Many of the carvings were gaudily painted or clad with gold, silver, or other metals.

Sagwa shouldered her pack as the boat docked. She made her way into the city, eager to begin her work.

 

[peteyfrogboy]

An Eventful Afternoon

This was the actual beginning of the adventure. I did a fair amount of strong-arming to get the party together, but I don't think it was too much of a railroad.

Rafiki's tail twitched as he started another set of exercises. From what he had seen as he and Guru Kundugga had arrived in Kurutapo that morning, the city was a very interesting place. Strange people, new foods, exotic trinkets -- all of it was very exciting. Kundugga had told him to stay in the courtyard of the inn and practice his forms, though, so there was to be no exploring.

It was hardly surprising that the guru didn't want his student wandering the streets of the city. Their whole purpose in coming to Kurutapo was for Kundugga to attend a council of village elders who were discussing the impact of the Kerajaani culture on the Hantu Capi. The growth of cities, excessive logging, and other perils of this so-called "civilization" were of great concern to Kundugga and his peers. They pointed to the expanses of cultivated land in Kerajaani lands that had once been pristine jungle. Shamen feared the wrath of the jungle spirits, while others like Kundugga simply wanted to defend the way of life that had been passed down from one generation to the next since time immemorial.

The vanara paused in his exercises as he saw an interesting person come in from the street. It (she?) looked like a cross between a rat and a human. Certainly there were rat shapechangers -- as well as many other animals who could take human form -- but it was almost unheard of for one to be in the city, much less walking around in its half-man form. The rat-girl looked around the courtyard, then headed for one of the doors leading to the lodging halls.

**

It had been a long day for Sagwa. She *thought* she had learned to speak Aswadi, but she had been unprepared for the sheer variety of dialects that she had encountered. Dozens of regional variations mixed with a double handful of bastardized Kerajaani loan words had been enough to make her ears itch. She was diligent, however, and had finally managed to glean some information. It seemed that Krisvira had been asking around about sources of jade, and not too subtly. He had been guided toward a couple of legendary lost jade mines, and one could easily assume that he had set off in search of one of them.

The question remained, however: which one? One was rumored to be somewhere on the eastern half of the island, which was far more dangerous than the more densely populated western half. The other supposedly was on the upper north slope of the mountain that gave the island its name. The higher one went on the mountain, of course, the more likely one was to be devoured by monsters.

Krisvira's trail had gone cold before the ratling could determine which way he had gone, so Sagwa had started asking around about the six retainers he had brought with him. How he managed to get out of the city and into the jungles where his kind were forbidden was still a mystery, but a mystery for another time. Fortunately, the merchant's followers shared their master's high profile. One of them had spent some time at a particular inn, in the company of a particular winsome native girl.

Sagwa made her way down the dimly lit corridor, at the end of which was a grim-faced man with several fighting knives thrust through his sash. She inquired about her quarry and was directed to a door immediately to her right. She swung the flimsy wooden door aside and stepped inside. "Etti?" she asked of the girl sitting cross-legged on the floor next to a ragged straw mat.

The girl looked up at Sagwa. "Yes. What can I do for you?" It was clear from her expression that she hoped should wouldn't have to do what she was used to doing.

Sagwa squatted down nearer to Etti, doing her best to put the girl at ease. "I'm looking for a friend of mine named Abadi. I was wondering if you might have seen him."

"Oh, yes," said Etti with a smile, "I remember Abadi. He was very nice."

"I'm sure he was," replied Sagwa. "I wonder, do you recall him saying where he might be going when he left the city?"

"I assume he's going to the haunted jade mine. I gave him my grandmother's map."

"Gave it to him?"

"Well, not exactly. It was the only thing my granny left me, so I didn't want to part with it. But things are very expensive here in the city..."

"I see," said Sagwa. It didn't take keen dekandiri senses to smell the fishiness here, but it was the only concrete lead she had. Whether the map was real or not, she'd bet her whiskers those fools were following it. "I don't suppose you made a copy of it?"

"No, why would I do that?"

Sagwa sighed. "Do you think you might be able to remember enough of it to make me a copy?"

"I don't know," said Etti, "I hadn't really looked at it in a while."

Somehow it was comforting to Sagwa that so much could be the same in different cultures. "What might it take to improve your memory?"

"I could use ten rupees to help pay my rent."

Ten rupees was, of course, highway robbery. Fortunately for Sagwa she had more than a passing acquaintance with robbery herself. She counted her last ten gold coins into a small pouch as Etti went to work drawing out a new map. Sagwa took the map and palmed the pouch of gold as he handed the girl an identical pouch full of clipped coppers. The ratling made some not-too-hurried goodbyes and hustled out the door with Etti seeming none the wiser.

Sagwa froze as she heard a low growl from the end of the hall. The burly man with the knives was scowling her way. She noticed for the first time the rather large cracks in the wall of Etti's room through which her "friend" had been watching. He drew one of his knives and rushed the ratling.

 

[peteyfrogboy]

First Meetings

Rafiki froze as he heard a squeal of pain. The rat-girl came rushing out, leaving a trail of dripping blood behind her. "Help! He's trying to kill me!" she cried as she ran past. That was enough for the vanara, who moved to intercept her pursuer at the doorway.

**

The bird Emiko had been following since the dragon had left her at the Kurutapo docks lit on the arched gate of an inn. As she wondered where it was leading her, she heard cries for help and a bleeding ratling came barreling up to her. Not entirely sure what was going on, she erred on the side of compassion and called on the spirits to heal her wound.

**

Back in the hallway, Rafiki faced off against the keris-wielding man. "Out of my way, monkey man," he said as he thrust with his blade. The monk twisted out of the way, receiving only a small nick on his arm. The move put him off balance, however, and he fell to the floor.

Emiko had moved further into the courtyard, trying to determine what was going on. Sagwa, meanwhile, drew her short sword and crept up next to the door and made ready to strike the man if he came out. Emiko shifted her gaze into the spirit realm and was surprised to see a multitude of small agitated spirits swirling around in the vicinity. Unsure what to make of the display, she asked her avian guide to help her determine who she should be helping in this brawl. In response, the small bird flew down and pecked at the knife-wielding man's head. He slashed at the bird as it flew off into the sky, but he was unable to do it any harm. When the bird left the spirits seemed to calm down, and Emiko called on them to aid Rafiki and Sagwa.

Seeing the vanara lying prone and unarmed, the man put his knife away and went to grab him. Much to his surprise, Rafiki sprung to his feet and made a quick elbow strike that broke the man's nose. This was followed a moment later by a knee to the kidneys. The man slumped to the ground, blood streaming from his face. The shaman went to tend to the man's wounds, making sure that he would not bleed to death.

At this point another door opened in the courtyard. A crowd of muttering elders spilled out, with Kundugga at their head. He surveyed the scene quickly, noting his blood-spattered student with a frown. "What's going on here?"

Rafiki and Emiko glanced at each other, then both looked at Sagwa. Weighing her options, she decided to tell the whole story, edited only slightly to remove the part where she palmed the gold. The elders were quite agitated by her story. Kundugga glowered at the ratling. "Kerajaani sneaking around trying to loot our homeland? Somehow I'm not surprised." He rubbed his chin. "I'm tempted to just toss you back into the sea."

Emerging from the dark hallway, Emiko offered, "The spirits seem to favor her, for what it's worth."

"Interesting," said Kundugga, though he still did not seem pleased. "I suppose you probably have the best chance of finding this man and extracting him from where he should not be." He turned to Rafiki. "Go with her and make sure she does not stray from her task. If what she says is true, she will no doubt need protection as well." Finally, he addressed Emiko: "She will need someone to vouch for her and may need aid from the sprit world. Go with them and make sure they don't get in trouble." Emiko raised an eyebrow. Kundugga lamely added, "Um... please?"

The shaman smiled. "It seems as though the spirits had set me on this task anyway. I will do as you request."

Kundugga nodded. "We will not be here when you return, but I will inform the authorities of this incident. If your quarry still lives, he will not escape punishment for his transgression."

 

[peteyfrogboy]

Dangers Of The Road

The three unlikely companions passed the night uneventfully, meeting again in the morning to discuss their plan. Puzzling over the crude map, they decided that they essentially had two choices: either they could try to make a straight line for the supposed mine, which would take them across the slope of the mountain, or they could go around to the north coast of the island and then go straight up toward the peak. The former plan would potentially be quicker, but the latter made for easier navigation. The only strong opinion was expressed by Emiko, who preferred the coastal route. Sagwa was unsurprised; the woman smelled like fish.

After eating breakfast they set out on the road, which was little more than a wide dirt path through the underbrush. They were within sight of the sea, but well above the high tide mark. Travel was easy, especially for Sagwa who found the pace to be rather leisurely. After a few hours they came to a small wooden bridge spanning a creek running out to the sea. To one side of the bridge was a wagon that looked as though it had run off the road and fallen into the small gorge cut by he running water. From up on the road it was hard to see any details of the wreckage. Sagwa was able to make out what looked like a human foot sticking out from under the front of the wagon, and she could smell the stench of death. She also smelled rats, which was no great surprise if there were corpses. Curious about what valuables might be among the wreckage, she began to pick her way down toward the wagon. As soon as she approached the wreck, however, rats the size of large monkeys began swarming out from under the broken wood.

Sagwa scurried back up to the road, receiving a couple of bites from the filthy creatures. The nine rats rushed up the bank, surrounding Rafiki and Sagwa. Rafiki received several bites as he tried to fend off the creatures, managing to strike two of them down. Sagwa was surprised by the rats' speed, and was quickly overtaken. Emiko was able to evade most of the rats and attempted to heal the multitude of wounds her companions were receiving, but her powers were reaching their limit quickly. Sagwa succumbed to her wounds and fell beneath the swarm, which crawled over her to try to get to Emiko.

Just as things looked very bleak, a frightful moan arose from the wreckage of the wagon. The sound chilled Emiko and Rafiki, but fortunately it caused the rats to flee in terror. The monk and shaman looked on in horror as the two corpses pulled themselves from beneath the wagon and began shambling toward them. Exhausted from the battle with the rodents, the two picked up Sagwa between them and hustled over the bridge. The rat-eaten corpses tried to give chase, but they found themselves unable to cross the bridge and stayed there howling with frustration. After putting some distance between themselves and the bridge, the group stopped to rest and tend to their wounds.

DM Note: I somewhat overestimated the party's rat-killing abilities. Fortunately, this is a exotic, mystical land where the dead often conveniently rise from the dead to avoid a first session TPK.

 

[Silver Moon]

Oriental Story

A good start and very intertaining. I really like the use of the historically-based settting that you created, and the fact that it is somewhere other than a China or Japan setting.

We recently ran a campaign with an Oriental setting, during which the origin and history of the O.A. race known as the Hengeyokai were a prominent part of the story. I have started to post the detail about that race on the "Plots & Places" messageboard under the thread title "Village of the Blessed Children", which also lists an excellent Internet referece to that race. The campaign itself is in "Story Hour" named "Chinese Take-out". Your introduction indicated that Japanese culture would play a part in the story. Some of the early chapters in my story hour were set in a historically-based Japanese city, and I have included my main Internet reference in a DM's note.

Good luck with the campaign, I will definately keep reading.