From: owner-rq-rules-digest To: rq-rules-digest@hops.wharton.upenn.edu Subject: RQ Rules Digest: V3 #17 Reply-To: rq-rules Errors-To: owner-rq-rules-digest Precedence: bulk Content-Return: Prohibited Return-Path: owner-rq-rules-digest RQ Rules Digest: Wednesday, 7 August 1996 Volume 03 : Number 017 TABLE OF CONTENTS Jim Bickmeyer Fumbles or OOPS! SPerrin@aol.com RQ in Medieval Spain Alain RAMEAU Enchantments RULES OF THE ROAD 1. Do not include large sections of a message in your reply. Especially not to add "Yeah, I agree" or "No, I disagree." Or be excoriated. If someone writes something good and you want to say "good show" please do. But don't include the whole message you praise. 2. Use an appropriate Subject line. 3. Learn the art of paraphrasing: Don't just quote and comment on a point-by-point basis. When paraphrasing you demonstrate exactly how well you understand the point someone was trying to make. 4. There is no number 4. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jim Bickmeyer" Date: Wed, 7 Aug 96 02:48:36 UT Subject: Fumbles or OOPS! Hi All. I like that there are fumbles in RQ. I don't like some of the Fumbles. I have a hard time dealing with Crit shelf for max weapon damage. I find that hard to do with many of the weapons. For those results I have in the past rerolled and took what I consider more reasonable results. Now the question. Has anyone come up with an alternate Fumble chart that doesn't have unreasonable results, and are they willing to share? I ask this to save myself some work. If not I will make my own modifications. Jim 0- ------------------------------ From: SPerrin@aol.com Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 00:08:33 -0400 Subject: Re: RQ in Medieval Spain In a message dated 96-08-06 10:28:00 EDT, you write: >If anyone want to hear about just who San >>Horhai was, and some other interesting items (many of which are >>contradictory, I find) let me know. > >I'm a sucker for hagiographies and contradictory information. Yes, please! >Send it on, either here or to the list. > >Guy > > Okay, Guy Hoyle talked me into it; blame him. The following are some further supplemental materials on the land of Estrania. Contradictions to look for compared to the other posting: The day the Son is said to have died (now I'm thinking about it again) The number of moons in the sky (I'll stick with three) If you find any others, let me know. NEW BACKGROUND STUFF FOR CARCASONA GAME The Streets of Carcasona (This is slightly supplemented with details on the gangs, who are the focus of the start of the campaign) Carcasona is a city of about 40,000 people. There are about 4,000 Judgites living in the Judgite quarter, about 30,000 putative Warriors and the rest are Sons. The Governor is Jirak Beyz, a onetime general of the Khan who took the reins of power from the official Governor after the murder of the Khan. Nothing links him to the actual murder, which seems to have been initiated by the aggrandizing emir of Lizhon. Jirak was simply being opportunistic. A firm follower of the philosophy of Jhazira, Jirak attempts to keep all factions of the town peaceful and allows house of worship for Judgites and Sons. His chief adviser is Judge Rebec bat Menzies, the chief justice of the court system and notable follower of the Way of Jhazira. The defense of the town is in the hands of Elizan ibn Benjan, a veteran captain and Jirak’s former second in command. He is said to be strong on fighting, organization and training and weak in tactical and strategic matters, but Jirak will take the field himself if creative generalship is necessary. Elizan is mostly concerned with the defense of the city against outside aggressors. His Chief Lieutenant is Rahdam ibn Aldaran, whose job it is to run the town constabulary on a day-to-day basis. The gate guards are a separate command but usually under Rahdam’s command unless the town is mobilizing for war. The Marshal in charge of training troops and guards is a Son called Alfredo de Corlona, a veteran mercenary who took a Judgite wife and held the same position under the former governor. He is said to be a good friend of Jirak Beyz. While the constabulary tries to prevent theft and outright violence against the more influential townspeople, the real social contract is enforced by the street gangs, or Brotherhoods. These collections of adolescents offer a certain regulation of the commerce and social interactions of the city for a price usually taken out in trade. There are eight known gangs, each consisting of perhaps a hundred members, usually a core of a dozen or so and the rest either wannabies or "retirees" on call to fill out the ranks when needed. There are three Warrior gangs, known as the Swords, the Stars, and the Scirrocco. There is one Son gang called The Saved and a Judgite gang called the Scales. The other three gangs patrol the interfaces between the living areas of these cliques and are multi-ethnic. These are the Scorpions, the Snakes and the Sharks. The Sharks control the docks (they got their name from stories of seamen who made the trip up the river to Carcasona). The Snakes are the gang of the very poor area where the impoverished of all faiths find themselves. As such they can be very desperate and deadly. The Scorpions are said to be the oldest gang in the city. When they opened themselves up to Judgites and Sons more than a century ago, it caused the creation of the three Warrior gangs. For the most part the Scorpions operate in the shadows of the government area. Just why all of the gangs have names that start with "S" is a tradition lost in the mists of time. Each gang controls most of the activity in the following in its territory. · Selling Protection to shops and restaurants/inns · Operating illegal gambling halls (legal ones have major taxes) · Operating illegal liquor halls (see above) · Prostitution (see above) · Illegal magical components (using most components in magic is considered bad because many components are parts of various animals and even people). Major criminals traditionally leave this stuff to the younger groups wherein they recruit their members. All of these gangs have some degree of allegiance to the "adult" gangs that operate the more serious criminal activity in the city. The major criminal networks tend to specialize in things like smuggling the illegal materials that the street gangs sell, breaking and entering, fencing, mugging, picking pockets, begging, kidnapping, assassination and so forth. Members of the street gangs are just as likely to move on to legitimate enterprises as to membership in the major gangs. It forms a sort of lower and middle class Good Old Boys network that frequently is responsible for quiet or unrest in the city. The Brotherhoods are as much social organizations as criminal gangs, especially for the adult members. Right now, things are fairly quiet. Al-Waiz is not threatening because it is engaged in an undeclared struggle with Palasilla and the threat of the Emir of Lizhon is far away. Physical Layout Carcasona was an Imperial town, built more than 1000 years before. However, it was not built on the Imperial plan, because it (1) was a trading down of the Judgites before the Imperials took it and (2) the local topography is not conducive to the carefully gridded design favored by Imperial engineers. Similar towns elsewhere were destroyed by the Imperials when they defied the Imperial legions, but the city fathers of Carcasona surrendered readily to the Imperial conquerors and the town was allowed to stand and prosper. Its position as a trade center is based on its location on cliffs running east-west that are broken by falls that mark the furthest up the Carconilla River a ship of any size can travel. Below the falls (which are only about 20 feet high) is the Dockside Quarter, protected by walls of its own but also blocked from the rest of the town by walls with three gates, one from each of the other three quarters of the town. The river runs west to east until it hits the falls, then turns south from the falls The Three Quarters area runs along the ridge of the cliff, making the town plan an elongated oval. Other springs in the town add to the water supply. The river cuts under the city walls, dividing the Governor’s Quarter to the south from the Sun Quarter to the north. The Judge’s quarter is further south, and divided from the Governor’s Quarter by a wall. The Governor’s Quarter is by far the largest and further divided into five wards which radiate away from the central Market like spokes on a wheel. The Five wards are the Khan’s Ward, the Merchants Ward, the Nobles Ward the Cliff Ward and the Farmers, which lies between the Judgite Quarter and the Nobles Ward and largely consists of the landed farmers whose fields lie outside the town. The Fifth Quarter The so-called fifth quarter is outside the walls and across the river from Dockside. The shacks and hovels are scattered over a couple of acres of hills and rough country. It is known as the Tombs, because the three cemeteries for the three Faiths are there, apparently built on the ruins of a more ancient town. Early settlers are said to have taken stone from the ruins to build monuments to their loved ones. The space between the cemeteries has been filled up with the homes of the dispossessed and poverty-stricken. There are also churches and brotherhalls of each faith that help these people, because charity is a major pillar of all the faiths. The Tombs are a typical paradise for thieves and malcontents. One of the adult gangs’ major sources of income is the Thieves’ Markets they maintain and protect throughout the warren. LEGENDS OF CARCASONA Herewith some of the legends of the city of Carcasona San Horhai and the Dragon This story comes from the time when Carcasona was a part of the squabbling lands of Estrana—after the Empire and before the Horde. The lord of Carcasona at that time was Durbek, a powerful sorcerer, though some call him a priest. He commanded great magics and lived well beyond his normal time. His greatest power was command of a dragon. The dragon was a fearsome beast who would act on Lord Durbek’s slightest whim. The dragon had been in the area for centuries. It was worshipped as a god by the local population and fed itself on worshippers and the traders brave enough to use the river for their trade. Durbek came to power by learning how to command the dragon. Some say that Durbek was actually a creature of the Dragon’s, rather than the other way around. It was the size of armies, it could crush a man to pulp in its jaws, and it breathed a great breath that destroyed troops of men with each exhalation. Many brave heroes and bands of heroes tried to slay the dragon, but none survived. The dragon live in caverns beneath the city, looking out on the falls and the river as it sent to the sea. Sacrifices were tossed over the cliff to the dragon on a regular basis. There came to Carcasona one day a wandering knight who said that his name was Horhae. When asked, he said that he owed fealty to no lord. Rather he served the True God as his sworn man. Since that time, the Church of the Lord God has made him a saint, but he is actually claimed as a Warrior and a Judge, as well. Horhai heard the lamentations of the people of Carcasona and swore that he would slay the dragon. The stories of how he entered the cave of the dragon are many. One of the most popular is that he learned of an upcoming sacrifice and took the place of the sacrifice. Stories differ as to whether he disguised himself as the sacrifice or simply persuaded Lord Durbek and his priests to take him instead of the sacrifice. Swords, even those enchanted with the most fell magic, had failed to harm the dragon before, but Horhai’s sword was blessed by the Sun itself. He evaded the deadly breath and closed to close quarters. His thrice-blessed armor protected him from the worst of the dragon’s claws, though he bled from many wounds. His sword struck deep and powerfully. Eventually, the dragon died. The people, aided by companions of Horhai who had their own magics, rose and overthrew Durbek. He was tossed over the cliff and died broken on the ground below. The city offered to make Horhai their new ruler, but he declined, for he had many other feats to accomplish. One of his companions, the sorcerer Delane, took up the offer and became the new ruler of the city. His descendants were killed or driven out of the city when the Horde took it many years later. The Caverns of the Dragon still exist under the city. The great First Cavern is said to have been the home of the Dragon and features in the festivals praising the town’s delivery. From the first cavern there are many twisting and turning passageways. City laws forbid the traveling of these passages, but children are lost within them at least once a year. It is said that the local thieves and smugglers use some of the caverns for their illicit trade, and this is probably true. There are also stories of those, especially amongst the dispossessed, who still venerate and worship the Dragon. The Dragon figures in many curses and swearings around the city. There is a chapel of St. Horhai in the Sun Ward. It still boasts the skin and head of the Dragon over its altar. At one time the Sword of Horhai was also displayed there, but that disappeared during the Horde’s governance of the city and no one knows its current location. The Knockers Beneath The Knockers are a longtime tradition amongst the people of Carasona. It is said to date from before there was a city. In fact, some legends have it that the Knockers were responsible for directing the river to its current course and supplying the water wells that serve the city. No one has seen a knocker, and the distinctive knocking vibration from the earth that used to sometimes be heard near the foundations of the older buildings has not been heard for some time. However, the knockers are considered a friendly spirit and shamans claim to use Knocker spirits in some of their magics. The Knockers are builders and engineers. They are said to have built the caverns that the Dragon used. There are legends that they are not human. Some philosophers speculate that they are, in fact, humans who were driven underground in pre-Empire times by others and have formed a society there entirely in the dark. Others say that the local thieves just exploit the legends of the Knockers. Some thefts are blamed on the Knockers; when the theft takes place as about the same time as some good fortune for the victim, the Knockers are said to have been taking their due for the good service. Haunted Halls Several of the stately homes of Carcasona lie ostensibly empty. No one has entered or left them for many years, but the Governor has not condemned them and no one has expressed an interest in moving in, even though the people are otherwise hard-pressed to find quarters within the walls. All of these homes belonged to families with strong magical backgrounds. Some were priests, some shamans, and some sorcerers. As a rule, their occupants disappeared with all servants one day, and no one wishes to be there when they get back. "Going over the wall" into one of the houses is a common dare amongst the children of the city. Not all of those who take the dare come back over the wall. Some of the houses have proven to be hazards. Strange creatures wander out of them. These are closed down, burned out, and cursed with salt to prevent these incursions. Most of the abandoned houses have not unleashed unwanted tourists. They just stand alone in various stages of decay. And yes, sometimes the houses are re-inhabited, generally by close-mouthed former occupants who have nothing to say about where they have been. One of the best preserved dates from the time of the Empire. There are others from that time, and from later times. Some look like they are waiting for their masters to come back through the doors. Others are less well-preserved. All are usually shunned. The only exception is a house in which the inhabitants are known to be consorting with the Ones Outside. Houses of such apostates are invaded and destroyed and cursed with salt. There is no law forbidding anyone to rebuild on such a lot, but the number of bare lots in otherwise bursting neighborhoods shows the disinclination of the citizens to have anything to do with such places. The Ones Outside None of the versions of the religion of the One God have a Satan figure. This is because there is no need to look for a fallen angel to originate evil in the world. All know that the One God is He who made the Earth and Created Mankind, but there are other powers Out There, and each in its way wants the Earth for its own. Men who follow Those Out There can gain great and unique powers, but the way to such knowledge is dark and mind-shattering. The mighty Durbek, the Master of the Dragon, is said to be one who followed Those Out There. THE CALENDAR AND CELEBRATIONS OF CARCASONA The Carcasona, and Estrania, year starts with Son’s Day, approximately December 21 in our world. You might say that the Christmas (or Saturnalia) and New Year’s Day celebrations are combined. For the sake of simplicity, assume that all the months are much the same as ours, with oddball numbers of days and all. The only difference is that Carcasona’s December 31 is essentially our December 20 and Carcasona’s January 1st is essentially our December 22. Our December 21 (and sometimes 22nd on leap years) are the Day(s) of Endings and Cleansings and are not numbered. Son’s Day, the day the Son was Reborn, The day after the Winter Solstice The day before is a day of great bonfires as old goods are destroyed with old memories. On the day itself, oaths are sworn or renewed, and gifts are given. The new year starts on this day. Every four years there is a two day festival of burning complete with great rituals to bless the new four-year cycle. Warriors and Judgites celebrate it without the references to the Son. Ancient religions had Baldur-Tammuz style stories commemorated on this day. San Horhai’s Day Commemoration of the slaying of the dragon by San Horhai. Takes place in spring, on Carcasona’s March 31—not so coincidentally about the time of the equinox. It is said that San Horhai’s magic was strongest at that time and thus his sword was more powerful. There was an older festival of planting and fertility that is celebrated by most of the rest of the world at this time, originally a celebration of an ancient fertility goddess. In Carcasona this celebration has been co-opted into the celebration of San Horhai. Midsummer, the day of Glory Celebration taking place around the Summer Solstice, June 30. The crops are all planted, two-per-season crops are being harvested and re-planted. The Sons see it as the day of greatest glory for the Son, The Warriors think of it as the start of battle season, and the Judges see it as the day when the most truth can be illuminated. Shadows, the day the Son starts to Die Approximately at Fall Equinox, September 30, this is a day of atonement and appeasement. The Son turns from his people. The Warriors must stop their battles and the Judges must watch the Shadows. Traditionally the day (actually night) when the Gates to The Other Worlds are most ready to open. This is also a Harvest festival time, which is not the happy time it might be elsewhere. The fruits of the harvest are seen as an inducement for raiders and Other Things. The One God is seen as being weakest at this time. Other Festivals There are other festivals throughout the year, some tied to phases and conjunctions of the moons (there are three—known as the Sisters), some to various horticultural activities, such as first planting, the rising of the river and first reaping, and some to commemorations of famous historical and religious events. Many of these festivals are not shared by the entire population of the town, but are tied to one particular sect. THE SEASONS OF CARCASONA In general, Carcasona has what might be called a High Mediterranean climate, for much the same reasons Spain does. There isn’t much in the way of severe weather. Not much baking heat, not much bitter cold. What Carcasona has a plenitude of is wind. It seems like every possible source of winds targets Carcasona at some time during the year. Winter Winter in Carcasona is cold and marked by wind and rain. Snow appears perhaps every other year, and never for long. If it weren’t for Carcasona’s height above sea level, it wouldn’t get that much snow. Winds are generally from the west and the storms are generally the remnants of the Western Ocean storms that have managed to work their ways over the entire central plateau of the peninsula. Wind is constant but not very powerful except in some roads and alleys where the layout of the buildings concentrates the force of the wind. Spring The winds change and come from the south and east, off the Middle Sea. Sometimes they bring rains, but usually the rains are over from about mid-April on. An elaborate irrigation system based on the yearly floods of the Carconilla river keeps the crops on the plain watered. If it has been a dry winter, this can be a problem for the farmers and feuds have sprung up that cross sectarian lines as to who deserves the water more, the farmers or the merchants who need the river traffic. Merchants from the coast often sail up the river in this season, since the wind pattern pushes them that way. Summer Summer is time of almost no wind except for some storms that blow in from the high mountains to the north, which can be devastating to grain crops if they catch them at the wrong time. This generally happens when the sects are feuding in the town and cannot cooperate in the proper rituals. Merchants stop using sail craft and move to the equivalent of keelboats. Some merchants who have a long merchandising cycle sail up the river in Spring and sail back down, using the northwinds, toward the end of summer when many of the short-term crops are in. Summer is the traditional season of adventuring and exploration and warfare. Fall Windstorms are common in the Fall and sometimes they are even helpful, if they help harvest the grain crops. Many farmers in the area have planted thick-leafed hedges that can block the flying grain. Sometimes half the harvesters are simply picking grains out of bushes. Wind at this time slowly shift from northwinds to westwinds. It is a time of starting to put away things for winter, harvesting, and so forth. ------------------------------ From: Alain_RAMEAU@total.fr (Alain RAMEAU) Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 09:19:53 +0200 Subject: Enchantments To answer to Robert McArthur's question about enchantment, I would say yes. For me, most Runelords do that : I mean that they have others things to do (i.e. learning combat skill and combat magic) and prefer to let the priest learning enchantments, summons, and the like.I do not think Runelords would take a risk to try on them an enchantment (armoring, strengthening,...) with a low skill ! They prefer sacrify their power and let experienced people in that matter (Priests) make the enchantment. Alain ------------------------------ End of RQ Rules Digest: V3 #17 ****************************** This is the bottom of the RuneQuest Rules Digest. 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