Dramatis Personae

A commenter to my recent post about the coming end of my House of Worms Empire of the Petal Throne campaign asked to know a little bit about each of the characters depicted in this illustration by Zhu Bajiee.

I thought that was a pretty good idea for a post, but I thought I'd expand upon the question a bit and talk about most of the player characters who've appeared in the campaign since it began in March 2015. Doing so isn't just a fitting commemoration of these characters but also reveals something of their range of personalities, a range that's played a huge role in ensuring the campaign for all these years.

I'm going to start with the six characters depicted in the illustration above, since they're the originals who kicked off the campaign. The figure on the bottom left, wearing skull face paint is Znayáshu hiNokór (played by Barry Blatt). Znayáshu is a lay priest (magic-user) of Durritlámish with a keen interest in astrology. He originally made his living creating horoscopes before he became involved in the schemes of his clan-mates. His fiancée, Tu'ásha hiNarkóda, of the Mourning Rock clan of Thráya, died before the two could wed – but that didn't stop Znayáshu, who had her corpse carefully preserved and later reanimated as a Shédra, a form of intelligent undead (who then became a secondary player character). 

Next to Znayáshu is Ssúri hiNokór (played by Ron Edwards). A ritual priestess of Durritlámish with a keen knowledge of dance and acrobatics, Ssúri makes use of these talents in contexts outside her temple, such as when facing off against enemies in battle. Sharp-tongued and no-nonsense, she regularly acted as the public face of the characters, often with boldness equal to her actions in combat. 

Standing in the middle, attired in the robes of a priest of Sárku is Keléno hiNokór (played by Doyle Tavener). Keléno prefers to keep his nose in books when he is able (which, sadly, isn't as often as he'd like). He developed an interest in demonology, after successfully – and unintentionally – summoning dread Srükárum to fight against an army of Ssú in the Dry Bay of Ssu'úm. Keléno has married three times in the course of the campaign, firstly to Hmásu hiTéshku, a priestess of Belkhánu, with whom he shares many interests. Here's a depiction of their wedding, also by Zhu Bajiee.

Standing above Keléno is Aíthfo hiZnáyu (played by Stephen Wendell). He's an adventurer who's the lone member of the original group not to worship Sárku or Durritlámish, instead being devoted to Ksárul. Aíthfo is the groups tactician, commanding an ever-changing group of mercenaries and men-at-arms with great skill. He's also a sea captain who hopes to travel the length and breadth of Tékumel in search of “cash and prizes." During the time when the characters were in Linyaró, Aíthfo acted as its imperial governor, though he much preferred exploring the uncharted Achgé Peninsula to overseeing the colony.

The large bald fellow wielding a sword and spear is Grujúng hiZnáyu (played by Dyson Logos). He's an older, ex-legionnaire (formerly of the 6th Imperial Medium Infantry) who found life in Sokátis dull and so travels around with his clan-mates in search of excitement (and good fishing spots). His dream of one day commanding a legion of his own was fulfilled (somewhat) during the characters' time in Linyaró, when he was placed in charge of the colony's military. Mostly, though, he protects the others from anyone who'd do them harm.

Finally, on the far right is Jangáiva hiTlélsu (played by Jason Ermer). A temple guard of Sárku, Jangáiva gained the patronage of an officer of the Omnipotent Azure Legion, who is testing her for possible formal induction into that august force. During her travels outside of Yán Kór, she obtained a demonic hammer that calls itself “Little Sister” and revels in destruction. Jangáiva does her best to keep the weapon under control.

Of these six characters, two – Ssúri and Jangáiva – dropped out of the campaign within the first year or so. Znayáshu also left earlier this year, leaving only Aíthfo, Grujúng, and Keléno of the originals. However, shortly before the departures of Ssúri and Jangáiva, another character joined: Huné hiNokór (played by Scott Kellogg). Here's an illustration of him by Zhu Bajiee.

Huné is a sickly, scheming priest of Hrü'ü, with a penchant for indulging in dangerous psychedelics. He is not a member of the House of Worms clan, but rather than much more prestigious Dark Flame clan. He joined the other characters in part due to a belief in a common ancestry, as evidence by his lineage name (hiNokór). In addition to his other pursuits, Huné had a keen interest in the Hirilákte Arena and liked to acquire unique gladiators – "freaks," in his words – to sponsor in the fights there. Huné eventually departed the campaign.

Joining not long after Huné was Nebússa hiTéshku (played by Kevin Brennan). A clan-cousin of Keléno's first wife, Hmásu, Nebússa is a member of the Omnipotent Azure Legion and a worshipper of Ksárul. A master of politics and intrigue, he's had a strong effect on the campaign, ever since his first appearance. He eventually married the Lady Srüna hiVázhu, an aristocratic scion of the Iron Helm clan of Mekú. Here's another illustration of the happy couple by Zhu Bajiee.

In time, Keléno acquired an apprentice by the name of Kirktá hiNokór (played by Alex Klesen), a young scholar priest of Durritlámish, who had formerly been a priest of Belkhánu, as well as a member of another clan (Red Sword). While it is not unknown for someone to change his temple affiliation, it's quite unusual for a priest. Changing clans is more unusual still, yet Kirktá did both. In time, the reasons for this strange state of affairs became known – Kirktá is a hidden heir to the Petal Throne – and this secret has proven an important element of the last couple of years of the campaign and, perhaps, its ending as well.

Znayáshu, too, acquired a colleague in the form of Chiyé hiNokór, a magician devoted to Sárku. Chiyé is a schemer and a social climber, hoping to acquire not just knowledge but also political power. For a time, he worked to create a marital alliance between himself and the Livyáni colony of Nuróab, but that unfortunately came to nought. Now, he's more interested in discovering the secret of repairing and manufacturing eyes, the devices of the Great Ancients that enable the user to employ all manner of incredible powers.

The most recent addition to the campaign is Qurén hiQolyélmu (played by Brett Slocum). Qurén is a scholar of antiquities and among the very few humans with a knowledge of the nonhuman Mihálli language. Nominally in the employ of Prince Rereshqála, a revealed heir to the Petal Throne, he joined the House of Worms characters on their planned expedition to some Mihálli ruins to the northeast, with the purpose of acting as a translator. However, events did not go quite as planned and he now finds himself with a front row seat for the upcoming Kólumejàlim, in which his new companions may play a significant role.

All of the foregoing characters played in the House of Worms campaign for at least a year. There are three others who played for less and I've not included them here, since their lasting impact is smaller. Presently, there are seven active characters: Aíthfo, Chiyé, Grujúng, Keléno, Kirktá, Nebússa, and Qúren. It's worth noting that, with the exception of Aíthfo, whose situation is unusual, there have been no player character deaths. To some degree that's because the characters avoid combat whenever possible, but it's also just a matter of luck. For a time, I refereed a second Empire of the Petal Throne campaign in parallel with this one and all but one of its starting characters died (and many more besides). Apparently, Lord Sárku smiles upon them, knowing that, in the end, he will claim them all anyway. Why not grant them a few more days upon Tékumel until then?