Recently our group began a new campaign - "The Coming Storm" - a Heroquest campaign set in Sartar leading up to the Hero Wars. It is written for Heroquest, but our GM has translated it to the new version of Runequest.
May Lankhor Mhy bless this record of our first session.
Sea Season, 1618, in the Red Cow lands of occupied Sartar. Three of the clan's warriors, who have been on patrol on the border of the tula, have been summoned to Red Cow Fort, near the Two-Pine clan lands. The three young men are:
* Harolaran - a Humakti warrior, bedecked in bronze armour, riding a fine horse and carrying a razor sharp sword and a strong wooden lance.
* Kerolar - a thin man dressed only in a loincloth and a wolfskin cloak. He is an assistant shaman and has a faraway look in his eyes.
* Wando, Godi of Orlanth. He wears tartan trews, light armour, an myriad of blue tattoos and carries a broadsword also.
They approach the fort - the new Lunar garrison is easily visible as they climb the hill and enter the fort. Bored clan thanes and Lunar guards wave them through. The fort seems unearthly quiet - there is little of the usual hustle and bustle. They are approached by thanes of Brodi, the chief, who tell them to report at once to the chief's hall.
Once there, they see that two other members of the clan ring stand beside Brodi - Jaronalar the Thunderer, and Kernalda Otherways. Many other thanes and cottars besides. all seem pale and weak - a sickness seems to have invaded the clan.
Brodi explains the reason for their summons - a number of children have gone missing, and they are to try and find them. The usual thanes and adventurers are sick, and so it falls to the three young men to undertake this duty. The trio readily accept. Lankhpentos the Blind gives each of them a silver brooch, to show they are agents of the bloodline, and should be assisted. Brodi also offers them Voriof's Crozier, a clan treasure that will help them find the children. Kerolar takes it to keep. Brodi tells them that the children were last seen at Jostal Three-Strikes' longhouse, and they should start there.
The party takes their leave, pledging to return the children. As they walk to the longhouse they debate whether the sickness and the disappearance are related - it seems a strange coincidence for two such misfortunes to strike at once.
At the longhouse of Jorstal Three-Strikes they see everyone there is sick also. The clan healer, Ustana Try-much is working to help heal the sick. She brings comfort but is unable to cure the ill. The warriors ask around - it seems there were seven children who went missing - a group of kids led by a bo called Buranwulf. Farantir, a boy of not much more than six or seven, and Jorstal's nephew, tells them that the missing children liked to play hide and seek, especially in the root cellars. They investigate the cellars but find nothing. Kerolar tries the crozier, but it does not tell him anything.
Back above ground, Ustana suggests that the clan wyter, Many-Breath, might have some knowledge of both the sick children and the disease. She suggests that if they found Ashart Dark-Eater, the outlaw Orlanth rune lord, he could help them commune with t he wyter. The Lunars have outlawed communication with the clan wyter, and have men stationed on the sacred hill where he can be found.
Wando knows someone who might help them find Ashart. He goes and returns shortly with Leikal the Shadow, a grim thane who leads with him a Telmori hostage, Ostling, who he jokes about killing. Kerolar annoys Ostling by making dog jokes, and quizzes him on his lycanthopy.
They travel for about four hours until they reach the village of Greenmeadows. Leikal makes a call, and Ashart, a plump and jolly looking Orlanthi priest, comes out to greet them. hey explain the situation to him, and he says he can communicate with the wyter, but they will need help - Many-Breath will need the sacrifice of a cow, which they will need to get from a friend - Khalina the fat.
They travel to Lightning Lodge, and Khalina readily agrees to help. She selects a cow and together they travel to Grave Hill, less than a mile away. Joining them is a young warrior named Filmore Gravebeard, keen to assist and also unafflicted by the illness. Seven Lunar hoplites are stationed at the hill to prevent just this sort of sacrifice. Hidden in a nearby copse, they debate a plan - finally they decide that Harolaran should make noise and draw them off, while the rest sneak into the barrow in the hill and undertake the sacrifice. Harolaran bursts out of cover, whooping and yelling, and loops the hill at high speed, inspired by his love of the clan. But the Lunars are not fooled - they suspect it is a diversion and maintain their positions, firing arrows at the swift Humakti warrior and his horse...
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