REVIEW: Sun County

When RuneQuest burst upon the roleplaying game scene in 1978, it quickly became known for both its percentile-based skill system (which would later become the basis for Chaosium's house system, Basic Role-Playing) and its rich Bronze Age fantasy setting, Glorantha. Glorantha is steeped in mythology, both real and fictional, which not only distinguishes it from other fantasy RPG settings but has also made it one of my favorite imaginary settings of all time. 

Between 1979 and 1983, Chaosium released numerous superb supplements, many of them boxed sets, fleshing out Glorantha to the delectation of its growing legion of fans. Then, in 1984, Chaosium entered into a deal with wargames publisher, Avalon Hill, who'd publish a new edition of RuneQuest but stripped of Glorantha. Though the company reversed this decision later, its support for Glorantha was desultory at best, much to the disappointment of long-time devotees. 

I wasn't one of these devotees. I knew of RuneQuest, of course, but I was a diehard player of Dungeons & Dragons and indeed somewhat skeptical of RQ at the time. Consequently, I largely missed out on the game until the early 1990s, when Avalon Hill hired Ken Rolston to revitalize its version of the game. This he did through a renewed focus on Glorantha. His tenure kicked off a RuneQuest renaissance that gave birth to multiple excellent expansions of Glorantha, many of which are still regarded as classics. This was the period when I first fell in love with the setting, a love that has only grown in the three decades since. 

Currently, RuneQuest and Glorantha are undergoing what might well be called a second renaissance. Since the publication of RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha in 2018, Chaosium has released a steady stream of excellent new material for the game and its setting. Just as importantly, the company has made a lot of its older material available again in electronic and print-on-demand form, both through its own store and through DriveThruRPG. Its most recent classic re-release is Sun County, written by Michael O'Brien, with contributions from Rolston, Glorantha creator Greg Stafford, and others. 

Before discussing the contents of the book itself, I'd like to briefly comment on the 2024 remastering. The book's interior layout is clear and straightforward. It makes use of two columns and splashes of column – titles, headers and footers, tables, etc. It's been years since I saw the 1992 original, so I can't say if the use of color is new, but it's attractive nonetheless. There's a new foreword by Shannon Appelcline, which contextualizes Sun County within the larger history of RuneQuest (some of which I've mentioned above). As someone who enjoys learning about the history of the hobby, I love this sort of stuff and am glad it was included. 

Originally published in 1992, the 2024 re-release of Sun County is a 124-page sourcebook, packed with detailed setting material, rules expansions, and adventure scenarios. The first half of the book is dedicated to fleshing out the region of Sun County itself – its geography, culture, and history – while the second half presents a series of interconnected adventure that showcase different aspects of the rigid society of the Sun Dome Templars, a militant theocracy devoted to Yelmalio, Son of the Sun. As a setting, Sun County is one of isolationism and decline. The Sun Domers are a proud but stiflingly conservative people, desperately clinging to a past that has long since left them behind. Their deity, Yelmalio, is cold and indifferent sun and their stiff hierarchy, strict moral codes, and inflexible traditions make them an excellent counterpoint to the vibrant and increasingly chaotic world around them. Sun County leans into these themes, both in its descriptive text and in the several included scenarios.

From a presentation standpoint, Sun County stands out for its strong authorial voice. This is not an encyclopedic setting book filled with dispassionate information but rather a living, breathing culture, conveyed through in-character documents, legends, and anecdotes (as well as game mechanics). This has long been a hallmark of the better Gloranthan materials, but Sun County does it with a degree of clarity and usability that makes it, in my opinion, much more accessible than other books of this kind. The reader still needs to be already familiar with Glorantha, of course, but Sun County does a good job of explaining itself without too many references to other products.

The reader is treated to details about the cult of Yelmalio and related subcults, as well as the Sun Dome Temple itself, the seat of both religion and government within the County. Equally well detailed are its elite soldiers and citizen levies, which play significant roles here. A collection of random encounters and events serve both as sparks for adventures and to highlight unique aspects of Sun County, like the Yelmalian beadles who deal with unlicensed beggars or succubi who prey upon the sexually inhibited Sun Domers. These sorts of details flesh out the setting in straightforward, practical ways that I appreciate.

As I mentioned earlier, slightly more than half the book consists of adventures set in and around Sun County. Two of these pertain to a Harvest Festival in the town of Garhound, just beyond its borders. Garhound makes a great starting point for non-Yelmalian characters to visit the land of the Sun Domers. Another scenario affords characters the opportunity to become landowners in the County, while two further adventures concern the locating of lost artifacts associated with Yelmalio. There's also a collection of ideas for the Gamemaster to flesh out on his own. Taken together, these scenarios cover a lot of ground, though I do wish there'd been a few that dealt more directly with navigating the ins and outs of Sun County's often-strict society. 

The book features strong black-and-white illustrations by Merle Insinga and Roger Raupp (the latter of whom also did the cover) that reinforce the setting’s stark, sun-bleached aesthetic. The imagery depicts the militaristic and hierarchical nature of Sun County, though there are also plenty of pieces that highlight other sides of the setting, like the contests of the Harvest Festival and the hidden threats to the region. The maps, though functional, are generally not as evocative as those found in earlier, Chaosium era products like Pavis or Big Rubble, but they serve their purpose well enough.

Sun County is a great setting book. It captures something rarely seen in RPGs: a genuinely believable culture, shaped by its environment and history, filled with tensions that make it ripe for adventure. This is precisely the kind of supplement I like, where cultural and philosophical conflicts drive the action as much as physical threats. More than thirty years after its original release, Sun County holds up very well. Its portrayal of the Sun Domers is compelling but nuanced, like the best Gloranthan supplements, then or now. It makes a great addition to any campaign set in or near New Pavis and the River of Cradles. Sun County's main downsides are that it was written for RuneQuest's third (Avalon Hill) edition and, as such, its game statistics and the political situation depicted within it will need to be updated if used in conjunction with the current version of the game. That's a small criticism of what is otherwise an excellent and well-presented supplement. I hope its publication is a portent of more to come in this vein from Chaosium.

Unlock the Wonders and Mysteries of Ancient Egypt

Since I mentioned it my earlier post, I thought it worthwhile to share the original advertisement for The Valley of the Pharaohs I remember seeing in Dragon. This particular one appeared in issue #77 (September 1983).

Retrospective: Valley of the Pharaohs

I've said before that I have very little direct experience with Palladium Books or its roleplaying games. With the exception of my old college roommate, I never knew anyone who played any of their games, despite the fact that there seem to be a huge number of them. Even so, I was aware of the existence of Palladium and its products through the advertisements that regularly appeared in the pages of Dragon. One that particularly fascinated me was The Valley of the Pharaohs, which first appeared in 1983. Recently, a friend of mine pointed out to me that the game was available as an inexpensive PDF from DriveThruRPG, so I grabbed a copy and finally had a chance to look at it after all these years. 

In its original form, The Valley of the Pharaohs was a boxed set, consisting of a rulebook, a colored map of Egypt, and about a dozen other maps and diagrams. The rulebook is only 64 pages – short by contemporary standards perhaps but very much in keeping with many RPGs of its time. Written by Matthew Balent, who worked on a number of other early Palladium products, it's designed for adventuring in the political, religious, and mythological world of New Kingdom Egypt. Unlike Palladium’s more well-known roleplaying games, with their kitchen sink approaches to setting design, The Valley of the Pharaohs focuses on a rather more grounded, historically-informed presentation of ancient Egypt, though it does allow for supernatural elements such as magic (or magick, as the book styles it), the intervention of gods, and a handful of fantastic monsters.

In The Valley of the Pharaohs characters are built around occupations appropriate to the ancient Egyptian setting, like scribes, priests, soldiers, merchants, artisans, and so on. Occupations are largely distinguished from one another by the skills they provide the character. The game places some emphasis on social standing (or caste), as ancient Egyptian society was hierarchical, like most pre-modern societies. Caste determines which occupations a character can enter, as well as providing a bonus to a particular attribute. In a certain sense, caste is a replacement for race, since there are no playable non-humans in The Valley of the Pharaohs. 

Combat is fairly straightforward and leans toward the lethal, in keeping with the idea that violence is not always the best option in a world where political maneuvering and religious influence are just as important as swordplay. Players are encouraged to use guile, diplomacy, and careful planning to navigate ancient Egyptian society, since there are strictures in place that against as stops against typical "adventuring" behavior. The order and stability of the New Kingdom is repeatedly emphasized, as are the potential problems that come with the characters acting without sanction in a way that could potentially upend that order. 

The game's commitment to presenting ancient Egypt as a real place rather than simply a backdrop for fantasy adventure is readily apparent. The Valley of the Pharaohs provides details on daily life, religion, politics, and the role of different social classes. The gods of Egypt are an active presence, but they do not overshadow human action, nor do the limited kinds of spells available to player characters. Reading the rulebook, I couldn't shake the feeling that Balent was actually more interested in writing a sourcebook about ancient Egypt than he was in making a roleplaying game set in that time and place. This dedication to historical authenticity is a strength, as is its attempt to make social and political dynamics just as important as combat. At the same time, I can't help but wonder if this is what it's potential audience would have wanted from a game like this.

There is little in the way of extended campaign guidance and the adventure hooks provided are limited to the point of being skeletal. This would almost certainly make it difficult for a referee unfamiliar with ancient Egypt to know where to begin. It's too bad, because Balent packed a lot of genuinely interesting details in this short volume, but most of it tends toward the encyclopedic rather than the practical. When combined with the fact that The Valley of the Pharaohs has given only a limited amount of attention to fantastical or supernatural topics, its utility strikes me as limited. Who is this game for and what would they do with it?

On the plus side, The Valley of the Pharaohs is amply illustrated throughout, both in the form of black and white line drawings throughout the rulebook and separate maps. I really like the artwork, as it depicts lots of mundane aspects of ancient Egypt, such as clothing and wigs, that are important to both players and referees in establishing the setting. The maps and diagrams are similarly well done and useful for gameplay, particularly when exploring tombs and temples. In many ways, these are among the most important parts of Valley of Pharaohs, since gamers often need good visual guides of settings that deviate from the tropes of vanilla fantasy. 

The Valley of the Pharaohs is, so far as I know, a one-off book and received no additional support from Palladium. This makes it a fascinating historical curiosity, especially in light of the subsequent direction of its publisher. As someone with a lifelong interest in ancient Egypt, I'm glad that I finally got the chance to read this game, even if it's deficient in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a lot of competition within its historical niche. Ancient Egypt is, alongside ancient Greece and Rome, a go-to reference point for fantasy and, by extension, fantasy roleplaying. One would reasonably expect that Egypt would have had more RPGs inspired by it and yet that doesn't seem to be the case. How odd!

The More You Know

I make no bones about the fact that I have long been – and still am – a fan of Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms setting. Of course, I do place an important caveat on that statement. When I say "Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms setting," I mean that quite literally. I'm a fan of the setting as Ed Greenwood originally presented it in the pages of Dragon magazine rather than the version(s) of the setting presented in products published by TSR and Wizards of the Coast. I still enjoy some of that later published material, but, for me, the Forgotten Realms that I love is the one Greenwood wrote about in his many Dragon articles, especially during the early to mid-1980s. That's why you'll find quite a few of those articles featured in my Articles of Dragon series.  

The reason for this is simple: those articles don't explain everything. Instead, they're filled with offhand references and allusions to people, places, and historical events without any clarification. Those references provide color and occasionally context, but their purpose isn't to give the reader a lengthy dissertation on the history of the Realms, let alone something more obscure. Strictly speaking, they could be stripped out of the description of that sword and it would still be perfectly usable in play. However, it wouldn't be as fun to read nor would it be as evocative. Those allusions create a sense of depth, making the world feel larger and more lived-in. They hint at a larger, interconnected setting filled with legends, conflicts, and figures whose stories remain untold. This approach also invites curiosity, encouraging the reader to imagine connections or even incorporate those elements into his own campaign. Without them, the text might be clearer but also flatter, lacking the richness that makes the setting feel like a place rather than just a backdrop.

Unfortunately, as Greenwood's setting was elaborated upon beyond those original articles, there wasn't a lot that remained forgotten about the Realms. With each new supplement, novel, or sourcebook, more of the implied history and mystery was brought into the light, codified, and explained in detail. While this expansion enriched the setting for dedicated fans, it also diminished some of its initial allure. The obscure references that once sparked my imagination were now meticulously documented, leaving less room for speculation. It was probably an inevitable outcome, given the demands of game publishing, but it's a little disappointing nonetheless.

While I've singled out the Forgotten Realms in this post, it's not the only imaginary setting that suffers from this problem. Even my beloved Tékumel, in which I've refereed the House of Worms campaign for just shy of ten years, has far too much background material than is necessary. In fact, in the case of Tékumel, the depth of background material can be as much a turn-off for newcomers as an enticement. The same could be said of other well-established settings, like Glorantha or the Third Imperium, both of which I love, by the way. I'm not approaching this simply from the perspective of ease of use but also one of enjoyment. I often feel as if less is more when it comes to many settings. Their allure is, to a great extent, their "empty spaces," which is to say, those parts that are, at best, alluded to rather than so fully fleshed out that every possible question already has an answer before play has begun.

I think about this a lot, as I soldier ahead with Secrets of sha-Arthan. Though sha-Arthan takes inspiration from RPG settings like Glorantha, Jorune, and, of course, Tékumel, I have been attempting to avoid their excesses when it comes to the presentation of the setting. That's why I've taken a few cues from those early Forgotten Realms articles, for example, and why I have no plans to produce an encyclopedia of sha-Arthan or anything even close to it. Instead, I want to present an exotic but accessible science fantasy setting with lots of mysteries I'll never solve and even more scope for referees and players to make it their own. In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing some examples of just how intend to do this.

In the meantime, I'm curious: what, in your opinion, is an example of a RPG setting that does a good job with its presentation – one that's compelling without being constraining? One that is rich with detail and atmosphere but leaves plenty of space for players and referees to make it their own? 

Fight On! Fights On

Editor extraordinaire, Ignatius Ümlaut, has informed me that issue #16 of the flagship fanzine of the Old School Renaissance, Fight On!, is now available in both print and digital forms. Dedicated to the late, great Dave Trampier, this 128-page issue includes excellent contributions by a wide variety of writers and artists – from Dave Hargrave and Tim Kask to Peter Mullen and Cameron Hawkey, not to mention Sean "Stonegiant" Stone, Oakes Spalding, Simon Bull, Gabor Lux, Kevin Mayle, Evlyn Moreau, Calithena, Paul Carrick, Sophie Pulkus, J. Blasso-Gieseke, bät, Attronarch, Philipp H., Settembrini, Robert S. Conley, Idle Doodler, DeWayne Rogers, Rick Base, Dyson Logos, Jon Salway, Becami Cusack, Tony A. Rowe, Prince of Nothing, Jasmine Collins, Anthony Stiller, Allan T. Grohe Jr., Will Mistretta, Steve Queen, Zhu Baijee, Thomas Denmark, and many, many more (including yours truly). 

It's this "ecumenical" approach to old school gaming that, in my opinion, distinguishes Fight On! Its contents are incredibly diverse, representing everything from the groggiest of grognard takes to more new-fangled, "old school-inspired" approaches. Not every article is going to appeal to everyone – and that's OK. Fight On! reminds me of what Dragon was like during my youth, when each issue was a grab-bag of the unexpected, some of which I could immediately use and some of which I only came to appreciate later. That's as it should be. Speaking only for myself, I know only too well how easy it is to get trapped inside my own head, limiting myself to my own comfortable ways of thinking. Fight On! shakes me out of my complacency, offering me ideas and imagery that I might otherwise not have considered. I have no doubt that it'll do the same for you.

The Articles of Dragon: "The Dragon Magazine Combat Computer"

Dragon magazine is, of course, most remembered for its many excellent articles published over the course of the three decades of its existence. This entire series of posts is a testament to just how many great articles there were – or at least how many articles captured my youthful imagination to the extent that I still remember them today, long after Dragon has ceased publication. However, there were other aspects of the magazine that I still recall fondly to this day, chief among them being the cardboard inserts found in the centerfolds of certain issues. These inserts were most frequently used for game boards, but occasionally they served a different purpose.

Perhaps the most memorable example of this occurred in issue #74 (June 1983), which included "The Dragon Magazine Combat Computer," designed by Laura and Tracy Hickman and brought to life by Roger Raupp. The titular Combat Computer is a pair of cardboard discs that, after being cut out, can be placed one on top of the other and connected with a brass paper fastener. When assembled, the topmost disc (the plate) can spin atop the lower disc (the base). Doing so enables the user to calculate the number needed to hit for any AD&D character of any class or level against any armor class. The Combat Computer even aids the user in making use of "weapon vs AC" adjustments that most people in my experience generally ignored.

Here's what the plate of the Combat Computer looks like, courtesy of the Dragonlance Saga website (yes, I am aware of the irony):

The Combat Computer is a clever piece of analog technology, from the days before desktop computers were commonplace. I absolutely loved it when I got my copy of issue #74 in the mail and made ready use of it. My main complaint was how flimsy it was. After months of carrying it around with me, the cardstock on which was printed started to bend and tear, rendering it less useful. To some extent, I'm to blame for this. I should have taken more care with it. I also probably should have headed the article's suggestion of gluing it to a second sheet of cardboard for increase durability.

Interestingly, the RPGA sold a product called the AD&D Fighting Wheel in its member-exclusive gift catalog that was very similar to the Combat Computer but made of plastic. I've never seen the Fighting Wheel for myself, only photos, so I can't speak to the quality of its manufacture. However, I imagine that simply being made of plastic would be a significant improvement over the Combat Computer. Even so, I retain many fond memories of the Combat Computer, many of them tinged with my current ambivalence about the tradeoffs we've made in embracing computers in nearly every aspect of life, even our hobbies – but that's a topic for another post ...

When Were You First Introduced to Roleplaying Games?

The ongoing results of the polls I've posted here over the last month have been very instructive in giving me a better understanding of Grognardia's readership. I've still got several more polls (at least) in the works before I attempt to draw any conclusions. Among those polls is today's, which I consider an important one: when were you first introduced to roleplaying games? My assumption has long been that most of my regular readers are middle-aged, the vast majority of whom entered the hobby during the period between 1979 and 1983, when Dungeons & Dragons was at the peak of its faddishness. However, that's just an assumption and may well be wrong.

So, for today's poll, I've presented lots of three-year periods – from 1974 to 2000 – in which readers can identify the period when they first started roleplaying. My apologies to anyone who entered the hobby from 2000 on. I've compressed the last quarter-century into a single option, both for my convenience and out of a sense that it'll still be a minority choice. If I'm wrong about that, I can always do a follow-up poll to distinguish between the various three-year blocs of the last 25 years.

Operation Resolute

PROTOCOL FOR THE REINTEGRATION OF U.S. MILITARY FORCES

I. PURPOSE

Operation Resolute is the authorized protocol for the redeployment of United States military forces from the European Theater to American soil. This operation is designed to:

• Support national recovery efforts following the nuclear exchange of November 1997 and the subsequent breakdown of civilian governance.
• Ensure the preservation of the U.S. Armed Forces as a cohesive and operational entity.
• Stabilize the domestic situation by restoring order and securing critical resources.
• Provide a unified chain of command under the direction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during this period of unprecedented constitutional and political uncertainty.

The success of Operation Resolute depends on the discipline, commitment, and cooperation of all personnel. The United States military remains the backbone of the Republic’s survival, and every service member is expected to conduct him or herself with the highest level of professionalism and honor.

II. EXECUTION

Operation Resolute will be conducted in two primary phases: Troop Withdrawal and Repatriation.

PHASE I: TROOP WITHDRAWAL

Objective: To consolidate and redeploy U.S. forces from Europe to designated points of embarkation for return to the United States.

    1. Staging & Embarkation

• Units will assemble at Bremerhaven, FRG for withdrawal operations.
• Priority embarkation will be given to combat-ready units, critical support personnel (medical, engineering, logistics), and command elements.
• Units unable to withdraw due to operational constraints will receive alternate redeployment orders.

    2. Logistical Considerations

• Coordination with remaining NATO allies and neutral shipping contractors will facilitate transport.
• Airlift capability will be extremely limited and reserved for high-priority personnel and cargo.
• All personnel will be briefed on supply conservation measures during transit.

    3. Operational Messaging & Morale

• Units will receive official briefings on the necessity of returning to the United States to preserve the Republic.
• Military leadership will emphasize duty, honor, and service to maintain discipline and morale.

"We Are Going Home."

From the prepared remarks of Lieutenant General William Hawthorne, Commanding General, V Corps (U.S. Army), European Theater, delivered November 15, 2000, just prior to the departure of Task Force 34 from Bremerhaven, Federal Republic of Germany: 

We have fought, bled, and suffered together through the worst war our nation has ever seen. We came to Europe as the vanguard of American strength and, for years, we held the line. But now, our mission here is over. The order has come: we are going home.

Some of you may be asking why. Why now, when there are still battles to be fought? The answer is simple: America needs its soldiers. The war left deep scars on our homeland. Cities burned, families scattered, and the institutions we once took for granted are struggling to stand. We are no longer just warriors; we are builders now. Protectors. The fight ahead is not one of trenches and frontlines but of restoring order, defending our people, and ensuring that the nation we swore to serve does not crumble in the face of anarchy.

This will not be easy. The country we return to is not the one we left. The rules have changed. The faces in charge may not be the ones you remember. But our duty does not change. Honor does not change. We stand for the United States, not for any one man or council. And whatever shape the future takes, it will be built by those who refuse to give up on what America stands for.

Some of you have doubts about what lies ahead. I won’t tell you not to. The road home is uncertain. But I know this: wherever we go, whatever comes next, we go together. You have fought beside your brothers and sisters in arms through hell itself. You have carried each other through the fire. That is what will see us through the storm ahead.

So pack your gear, say your goodbyes, and steel yourselves for the road home. Our duty is not finished. It is only just beginning.

Soldiers: let’s move out.

Campaign Updates: Tous les Trois

Since these weekly (or semi-weekly) updates have been surprisingly well-received, I've decided to keep writing and posting them. In addition to simply giving readers insights into the games I'm playing and how I'm playing them, the updates also often serve as useful springboards for other discussions on this blog. It's long been my contention that, while theorizing about RPGs has its place, the most important thing – the very heart of the hobby – lies in actually playing these games. rather than simply talking about them. It's my hope that these updates will thus provide just as much food for thought as more "abstract" discussions. 

Barrett's Raiders

The characters continued to make preparations to leave Goleniów and head west toward Bremerhaven, where US forces were marshalling in preparation for evacuating Europe on 15 November 2000. Col. Kettering provided them with a reasonably up-to-date map ("It was accurate a week ago – or so my superiors assure me.") of northern Poland and Germany, including the current disposition of NATO and Warsaw Pact forces. While this made planning for their coming journey easier, it did nothing to resolve the question of the medium atomic demolition munition (MADM) and whether to reveal their possession of it to Kettering. In the end, the characters opted not to do so, feeling it better to turn it over to the appropriate authorities in Bremerhaven.

Before leaving Goleniów, Vadim (Soviet doctor POW), Michael (CIA deep cover operative), and Radosław (Polish People's Army deserter) all needed to obtain Polish identity papers – Vadim and Michael because they needed to hide their true identities from American forces, and Radosław because he had none. To do this, they had to work out a deal with Sergeant Dariusz Kowalski, a logistics officer attached to the forces of the Polish government-in-exile. Nicknamed "Miś" – "teddy bear" – Kowalski was a big, burly man who had black market connections. He could give the characters what they needed but it would cost them in weapons, ammo, or medical supplies. Fortunately, they had plenty of captured AKM rifles and 7.62mm bullets to trade. A deal was struck and they got their papers.

Now ready to go, the characters bid farewell to the Canadians who'd been traveling with them and departed. Their journey across northern Germany was relatively uneventful. They took longer than needed, because their commander, Lt. Col. Orlowski, wanted to be sure they were well rested when they reached Bremerhaven. In addition, he was still somewhat concerned about what would meet them there. The situation back in America was obviously fraught and he had no desire to see his men impressed by the Joint Chiefs into a civil war against their fellow Americans. On the other hand, the evacuation fleet in Bremerhaven was their only ticket home, so they had little choice. That's why, on Saturday, September 23, 2000, the men of Barrett's Raiders elected to head down the road that would lead them to an uncertain future. 

Dolmenwood

Now that Clement of Middleditch was Sir Clement of Middleditch, sworn knight of Princess Snowfall-at-Dusk, the youngest daughter of the fairy Cold Prince, he had a quest. His liege lady had asked him to investigate the activities of Lord Malbleat, a dubious breggle noble, who seemed to be behind schemes that threatened both the mortal world and Fairy. He and his comrades had chartered a boat to traverse Lake Longmere, in order to reach the High Wold, the ancestral lands of the breggle. This they did without much trouble – a first in their journeys across the Dolmenwood. 

On the other side, they encountered breggle fishermen who greeted Falin with great reverence. This discomfited her greatly. As a breggle cleric – and a somewhat heterodox one at that – she was used to being treated with condescension and suspicion among humans. To now be treated with respect was an odd thing. She learned from the fishermen that just to the south lay the hamlet of Shagsend, whose lord, Windore Hoblewort, was a vassal of Malbleat. If they wanted to know more about Malbleat and what might await him in his lands, Hoblewort was the breggle to talk to. 

As they made their way to Shagsend, the characters encountered a grimalkin mounted on a seelie dog. Sophisticated and elegant, he introduced himself as Marid Adventi, an enchanter traveling to Shagsend in the company of the Demoiselle Madrigal de Chanterelle, a fairy fungus cat. Marid is a new player character, so this was an opportunity to introduce him into the campaign, bringing the total characters to four. I was especially happy in this case, as his player is an old friend with whom we hadn't gamed for many years. His return to the fold was thus a moment for rejoicing.

House of Worms

The character continued their interrogation of the moneylender Kautélu huGurudrá. It soon became clear that he had acted simply as a go-between and that he knew comparatively little about the people with whom he interacted – including their schemes. He was, however, willing to aid the characters, provided he did not have to betray any confidences to do so. After some thought, they made use of a series of code words they'd plucked him mind via ESP, in order to present themselves as members of his own Copper Door clan sent to test his loyalty. This proved sufficient and he directed them toward an entrance to the underworld beneath Béy Sü. That's where their quarry, Makésh hiVriyón, had fled.

Crossing a series of basements, sub-basements, and hidden chambers, the characters soon found themselves in a subterranean labyrinth. Making use of Nebússa and Grujúng's tracking skills, they eventually made it to a room guarded by a number of copper-armored undead guardians – Shédra! They defeated them handily, though Kirktá wondered whether doing so was some kind of violation of the precepts of Sárku. Since no one else seemed concerned, they proceeded ahead, eventually finding a chamber that showed evidence of someone's recently passing through. A smoldering torch in a sconce more or less confirmed this.

Inside, they discovered Makésh attempting to make an escape through a trapdoor. With him was an unnerving beautiful woman. Everything about her was perfect by Tsolyáni beauty standards – so perfect, in fact, that it triggered a sense that she couldn't possibly be real, a fact more or less confirmed by the inability of Keléno to use his ESP on her. This was clearly Ki'éna, for whom Makésh worked. She was friendly and non-threatening. She explained she wished no ill upon the characters, especially Kirktá, who, she stated, had a "glorious role to play" in the coming ascension of Prince Dhich'uné to the Petal Throne. She told them that Kirktá would be unwise to seek the Throne himself, but, if they had to know the location of the golden disc identifying him as an heir to the deceased emperor, they should seek it at the Temple of Belkhánu.

The characters briefly considered attacking Ki'éna but opted instead to let her and Makésh go, They assumed her to be a powerful sorceress or some other potent being. More to the point, they had other matters to ponder, including whether or not to flee Béy Sü itself, since it's possible that, whatever Kirktá's "glorious role" was, he might not be able to achieve it elsewhere. This, in turn, led to speculation that maybe fleeing was exactly what Ki'éna wanted them to do. Rather than consider every paranoid possibility, they concluded that they had no real option but to keep pressing ahead in the capital. Whatever was going on and whatever Kirktá's role within it, they needed to prepare themselves.