RQ HeroQuest - A Rough Visit to Glamour.pdf - Hero Quest - ronin717

A Rough Visit to Glamour

A detailed Scenario outline based around Reaching Moon Megacorp’s “Rough Guide to

Glamour”. It also uses location descriptions and the map of the Lunar Empire from Avalon

Hill’s “Glorantha: Crucible of the Hero Wars”

Author: Ian Thomson. Originally published in 'Pavis and Big Rubble Companion: Vol. 1', which was

part of 'Ye Booke of Tentacles 3' (Tentacles Press, 2000)

Essential Accompanying Material : ‘Rough Guide to Glamour’

This piece is designed as a companion to that publication. Otherwise the Storyteller

would have to create a detailed map and spend some serious time and imagination to fill

in the gaps. Hero Wars details are not included, only RQ3.

Also Recommended : Tales of the Reaching Moon: Iss. 15 (Prax 2) + 16 (Lunar Special);

Gloranthan Bestiary; RQ ‘Monsters’ book; Genertela: Glorantha (Crucible of the Hero

Wars); Rough Guide to Boldhome.

Without these the Storyteller will need to: create an outline map of the trip across the

Empire; exercise some imagination; create statistics; and skip the day in Boldhome. Also

lost would be some useful visual aids.

Acknowledgements :

Principally : The ‘Rough Guide to Glamour’ by Nick Brooke, Chris Gidlow, Kevin Jacklin,

Mike Hagen, David Hall, Michael O’Brien, Sandy Peterson, and Greg Stafford (Reaching

Moon Megacorp, 1998)

Also : Rough Guide to Boldhome; Tales of the Reaching Moon: 15+16; Glorantha Con IV

Compendium; Ye Booke of Tentacles 1; Michael O’Brien’s ‘Vivisculpture’ ideas and

Moonboat suggestions.

Editing assistance, encouragement and suggestions from Nick Brooke; Wesley Quadros for

the current ‘Hero Wars’ ideas on moonboats; Peter Metcalfe for the Moonboat

Chronomancer; Michael O’Brien for discussing some of the ideas here; and general

inspiration from the Glorantha Digest (including David Cake’s comments on ‘Chaos in

Glamour’).

Playtesters : James Squirrel, Peter Ujvari, and Andrew Shelton

Proofing : Rex MF Smith and Derek A Stoelting.

Gian Gero for the details on Agrestis.

1) Explanation

This scenario could commence from a variety of places across Glorantha. I set it to

start in New Pavis, because that was where the campaign was happening, and the

Players/PCs had been fascinated by the arrival of the Coders. I wrote this scenario

outline due to my appreciation of the wonderful ‘Rough Guide to Glamour’. It was an

experiment, starting with the idea to take the PCs to Glamour and see what occurred. The

experiment worked, the Players hugely enjoyed wandering around the decadent capital,

talking with odd people, taking in the sights, and even enjoying simple things like

eating at “Moonrock Cafe”.

Notes : Currently, I am unclear as to the visibility of the Red Moon outside the

Glowline. So you might wish to decide on this for your Glorantha and then reword a few

parts of this piece. Running the Moonboat voyage served as a useful vehicle for reading

out excerpts about the Lunar Empire from the Genertela book, and other sources,

disguised as summaries of conversations with fellow passengers. Finally, please note

that some favorite PCs might be unsuitable for some, or all, of this scenario. For

instance, No Stormbulls!

Abbreviations:

G:G – Glorantha, Genertela: Crucible of the Hero Wars

RGB – Rough Guide to Boldhome

RGG – Rough Guide to Glamour

RM – RuneQuest ‘Monsters’ book

TRM – Tales of the Reaching Moon

2) House Campaign Introduction

Following on from an expanded version

of Borderlands, I was enthused by an

idea on the Glorantha Digest (Nick

Brooke or MOB I think) that Raus made

a reasonable choice for next

Governor. With the Coders in town and

the Cradle episode about to occur, I

was lucky with the timing. Suddenly

Sor-Eel was in disgrace, sacked on

the recommendation of the Coders.

Raus saw his chance and petitioned

Count Julan. Julan responded

favorably, but said that they must

wait on the approval of the Emperor,

and Raus felt his hopes dashed! After

all, the time it took to process the

paperwork merely for an application

to be considered! During that time

any number of people in Glamour would

have twisted the Emperor’s ear and

been appointed to the Governorship.

Then Raus overheard a discussion

about a Moonboat being diverted

urgently from Boldhome, called to

take Sor-Eel and his family and

retinue back directly to Glamour for

debriefing.

Emperor with his command of loyalty

from Praxian residents. Certainly he

would still make sure they were all

immaculately groomed to fit the

stereotypical image of the noble

savage, exotic nomad, or esoteric

specimen of an Elder Race (dependent

on PC types).

2A) Alternate Introductions

From Pavis or from Boldhome, couriers

travel throughout the Empire. Some of

these couriers are shining examples

of Pelorian youth – men and women

destined for Lunar greatness. Others

are more secretive and dubious,

recruited from local populations or

suspicious foreigners. Perhaps

someone you’ve known for a long time

is a Spoken Word agent? He or she

might be suddenly summoned to the

Heartlands, given a cover as an

official courier, merchant or

ambassador, given cash to hire some

bodyguards, and told to be ready to

leave in two days. Or, they might

instead be operating under their own

brief, carrying a vital message for

the Emperor that will somehow also

motivate the PCs to join them (see

below). With no time to find regular

mercenaries that can be trusted, this

person comes running to the PCs,

desperate for their help as his

bodyguards, and offering a suitable

cash incentive, plus full bed and

board for the trip.

Raus had a flash of inspiration, and,

pulling in his every favor, managed

to book passage for himself and a

handful of retainers all the way to

the Capital. (In my game Raus has an

Irripi Ontor brother living in Pavis

– ‘Sardeus of Rone’ – who helped

significantly in calling in these

favors, and in dealing with Glamour

bureaucracy. If you want to use Raus,

and yet such a brother cannot be

added in Pavis, Sardeus might be

either an old friend in Pavis or

still Raus’ brother but one who lives

in Glamour. Whatever you decide, he

is a useful plot device for

explaining Raus’ relatively quick

success (or lack of, if that is what

you decide). Various parts of the

scenario refer to that rationale of

this introduction, so be prepared to

edit accordingly if required.

Using an alternative introduction

might also require adding a couple of

extra encounters. After all, if the

contact NPC is worried enough to hire

them as bodyguards, then perhaps

someone will try and kill him in

Glamour, or even on the Moonboat,

before he can deliver his important

message to the Emperor. Perhaps the

assassins will even succeed, leaving

the PCs to deliver the message. (The

assassins should not succeed before

the PCs have been left for at least

two days to wander Glamour alone,

whilst the NPC spends his time

struggling with the bureaucrats just

to get an appointment with the

Emperor – whom he insists he must see

personally.)

Incidentally, the game reason I gave

for taking his local mercenaries

along as retinue, rather than

polished Lunar soldiers, was that

Raus was hoping to impress the

The plot thickens if this message is

something like the one destroyed in

“An Interview with Roan-Ur” (Penny

Love, Tales of the Reaching Moon:

Iss. 16). In brief, that message

recommended Roan-Ur’s dismissal, due

to chaotic activities likely to

seriously undermine any chance the

Empire has to convince any Orlanthi

peoples of its benign overplan. (See

also ‘Kree Mountain’ if you can find

a copy.) The motivation for PCs to

take over the messenger role could be

Lunar: ‘the courier must get

through!’. Or even Orlanthi: ‘Roan Ur

must be stopped!’. Perhaps one of the

PCs needs to assume the courier’s

identity, although such a thing might

not stand up to zealous Lunar

scrutiny once within the Empire.

I believe that rebellion is

fermenting here as it has been in

Sartar, and if we want to avoid

massive bloodshed then changes must

be made. I believe I am the man to

make those changes. At the moment,

Centurion Radak is acting Governor.

However this cannot continue, as he

is not fit for that position. I

believe I am, but Radak is Sor-Eel’s

man and will not support my proposal.

The only way I can see to cut through

all the red tape is for me to

petition the Emperor himself.

Therefore we will be accompanying

Sor-Eel and his retinue aboard the

Moonboat that will collect him, and

flying to Glamour, the capital city

of the Empire.

I wish you to accompany me as

representatives of the various

cultures that support me. I think

that will help my case. My brother,

Sardeus the Sage, will also be coming

with us (or “will be meeting us in

Glamour” ) , and Daine will remain in

charge of the Fort in my absence.”

(Note: Daine is still alive in my

Campaign.)

3) Preparations for Departure

Raus knows that a Moonboat is

arriving in Pavis any day now, to

collect Sor-Eel and his family and

then return them to the Lunar

Heartlands. (The Lunars don’t want to

be seen to be losing face and so it

has to look all nice and official.)

Raus calls the chosen PCs together,

probably only 3-5, and tells them his

plan. He has arranged permits through

his brother to allow them to be in

the Empire for up to one Season on

special business.

Duke Raus draws the Rone Sword from

its scabbard and suddenly seems

taller and more commanding.

(Any PC that fails a POW-2 roll bows

automatically in deference.)

“My mercenaries. As you well know,

the Cradle fiasco caused Sor-Eel to

overextend himself and he squandered

his resources. The Coders had also

cautioned him for mishandling the Air

Temple incident. ( Delete this second

reference if you have not run “One

High Priest Too Many” from Strangers

in Prax .) In private I think he is

prone to foolish actions. If the

Empire is to continue here in Prax,

we must cultivate a relationship of

respect with the natives and the

Sartarite colonists. We should have

halted the Cradle at Pavis or Corflu

only to study it temporarily, simply

putting Knowledge cultists on board.

We should not have attacked it like

it was treasure in a locked chest

protected by dogs.

“With the power of my ancestors bound

into the Rone Sword to support and

advise me, I feel my case is strong.

I am the right man for the job, and

can turn Prax into a place that

Lunars, Praxians, and Orlanthi will

be proud to live in. I do not believe

that brutal oppression wins anything

except armed resistance in the long

run, and forging a new Prax requires

diplomacy and understanding. I am

hoping you will support me in this!

(Pause) It is a great journey, but

swift by Moonboat. If my petition is

accepted we shall return swiftly the

same way. If it is rejected we shall

have to make our own way back along

the Oslir River and then I would be

greatly appreciative of your

protection and loyalty, as I shall be

if I become the new Governor.”

(Note: It is entirely possible that

Raus is a dangerously deluded

idealist, but for this scenario that

does not matter.)

a generous ‘donation’ to the Temple

of the Seven Mothers, and gained

Visitors' Visas for himself and his

party for the City of Glamour,

itself. Raus will wait until all

other passengers and their luggage

has gone aboard the Moonboat. Then he

will have his party and their

belongings rushed up the boarding

plank. This gives less chance for

anyone to argue, especially as his

paperwork is in order and the

Moonboat has some space anyhow. He

will browbeat the Moonboat Security

Officer into allowing them on board,

flourishing their passes, and using

the full power of the Rone Sword.

4) Sor-Eel’s Retirement Party

The Lunars organize a street Festival

for Sor-Eel in New Pavis. The

Moonboat will arrive in the early

morning and depart in the evening. It

moors again (use cover of “Strangers

in Prax” as a visual aid if

available) atop the Pavis Temple.

This day is declared a public

holiday, and the Lunars ‘encourage’

the whole populace and the different

interest groups to come out and throw

flowers, and send representatives to

make speeches. Even Sor-Eel is forced

to take part in this charade. The

official word is that he is retiring

for family reasons, but anyone with

half a brain knows that it is because

he made such a mess of the Orlanth

Temple Incident and the Cradle

Fiasco. Krogar Wolfhelm is ill and

unable to attend the festivities,

however Faltikus the Good thanks Sor-

Eel on behalf of the Orlanthi

Citizens of Pavis. PCs in the streets

may notice that much of the cheering

for Sor-Eel actually consists of

howls of the foulest abuse.

5) The Moonboat “Darjini Enterprise”

and her Crew

Notes :

i) It is likely that Moonboats, like

Lunar Regiments, are quite varied in

personnel structure, due to the

requirements of individual missions.

(The single common factor is that all

essential flight crew are worshippers

of Vargar the Sky-Mariner.) What

follows is merely one (attempted MGF)

example of a crew, albeit based

strongly on current ‘Hero Wars’

thinking.

ii) For this part of the scenario you

might like to devise a simple series

of deck plans as further aids for

players in visualizing their

situation during the voyage. (See

later for Moonboat details.)

iii) All worshippers of Vargar are

Darjini, or descendants of Darjini,

and their secrets are handed down

only to blood relatives. They will

not discuss any such secrets, but

otherwise are boisterous and

approachable in a rough moon-sailor

kind of way. As senior crew, their

coarse and unusual ways have been

transmitted to varying degrees to the

other non-Darjini personnel.

As the day draws on, and the

festivities fade to a close, Sor-Eel,

Bor-Eel, Agrestis (Sor-Eel’s jester

in ‘Sun County’), and the rest of the

ex-Governor’s retinue and family

(about 18 souls in all) gather

together outside the Lunar Barracks

with their packed belongings. They

are bodyguarded by the Lunar Coders,

and Julan shakes Sor-Eel seriously by

the hand, wishing him the fortune of

the Goddess in his future endeavors.

Raus has been ready for a few days

and has ascertained that there is

space for him and his people aboard

the Moonboat. He has obtained from

the Irripi Ontor Temple (via Sardeus

or some other friendly contact) a

permit for himself and his bodyguard

to be given passage. He has also made

Vargar the Sky-Mariner

This is a Lunar hero-cult of

Yestendos the Reed-Boatman, who is

the Darjini god of boat builders and

sailors. Vargar himself was an

outspoken Lunar advocator and led

pirate raids against the Alkothi

during the Jannisor rebellion. He was

later rewarded with a trip to the Red

Moon, where he accidentally

discovered that objects made of

moonreeds would float in response to

his magic. Much experimentation

later, the first Moonboat was

launched, and their construction and

operation have remained secrets known

only to the Vargari ever since.

donated by any willing participant in

the ritual, and is sometimes stored

in the boat’s Truestone.)

Whilst this occurs, the passengers

are invited to a talk on procedures

on the stern deck. In this voyage,

the Medical Officer gives this talk.

She informs them that naked flames

are not permitted anywhere on board,

gives an outline description of the

crew and their duties, and describes

the route they will take and any

specific sites to watch out for. She

also offers any Initiates of Lunar

Cults the opportunity to sacrifice

for the special Rune Spell:

“Moonfall”.

Voyage Procedures

Behind the scenes, a Moonboat

operates through a Vargari altar that

focuses Lunar magic attuning the

vessel to the Moonbeams. Moonbeams

are available at any time, except

during the dark phase of the moon

whilst outside the Glowline. (The

moon’s phases outside the Glowline of

course regulate the ease and speed of

travel.) A Moonboat outside the

Glowline can travel for only very

limited (and POW expensive) periods

if it is out of sight of the Red

Moon. The onboard altar is a shrine

to Vargar, and the Red Goddess, but

such details are probably unimportant

to ‘landlubber’ PCs in any case. I do

share (unofficial) visions with

Wesley, of such an altar requiring

constant attention from Vargar

Initiates overseen by the crusty

First Motivator: “I’m tellin ya

Capt’n, the moonreeds are almost gan,

we’ve given it all we can. If ya push

her any hardar, we’ll drap like a

stoon!”

At the end of each section of the

voyage, the Moonboat must moor to

some object, as it is continually

buoyant during its active life. In

the Heartlands these are pylons on

special Moonports, but outside the

Glowline they might be such places as

the top of the Pavis Temple, or even

a particularly sturdy palm tree. The

mooring ceremony is less impressive

than the launch ceremony, but just as

essential, as it holds the vessel in

place long enough for a secure

mooring to take place. At each

mooring, a specially trained 'ground

crew' comes aboard the vessel, to

politely and efficiently clean it and

restock the supplies (food, linen,

moist towelettes etc). Occasionally a

stopover will also bring Lunar

Priests or Priestesses on board, to

ceremonially renew the formidable

protective enchantments.

At the start of each section of the

voyage, the main flight crew (all

followers of Vargar Sky-Mariner) -

Captain, First Officer, Pilot(s), and

Ship’s Magicians - perform the

embarkation ritual. This is a

relatively brief ceremony performed

on the foredeck, and the publicly

comprehensible sections call for the

blessings of Vargar and the Goddess

on their voyage. The Captain

activates the Rune Spell “Attune to

Moonbeam”, and the boat begins to

move. (This spell has no cost to the

crew within the Glowline, but costs

1POW outside it. This POW may be

Moonfall : 1POW, automatic on leaving

a Moonboatduring flight.

This single-use spell will, in the

extremely unlikely event of Moonboat

failure, cause the user to drift

slowly and safely to the ground.

Directly above the user, a dome of

pink glowing Moon-energy hangs,

acting as magical interference with

the forces of the earth (gravity) and

the air (wind). (In practice, strong

air currents may still make a

controlled descent difficult.)

RQ HeroQuest - A Rough Visit to Glamour.pdf

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