<Gamemaster> Bill, I read your email about Joss' character sheet
and in most cases I'd like him played as is. I'd suggest that we play a
bit of retroactive hindsight though and have the group in Corflu pick up
a decent weapon for him while they are there. Which one or one's do you
want from the list of weapons he has ability with?
<Joss> Spear
<Gamemaster> As for the Tattoo on Joss' arm it is not a rune and
therefore has no direct linkage to Magasta.
<Gamemaster> Magasta's rune is actually something that looks like
two parallell lightning boltrs.
<Varjeela> The Rune under discussion is the Water Rune, is it?
<Joss> Arrh, matey.
<Varjeela> Could be the focus for one of his spells? (At least,
anyone who sees it will assume that's what it is).
<Gamemaster> I was just reviewing your email Bill and lets say that
the ivory is from Pamaltela. Joss does have a fondness of grog and it came
from where you suggested.
<Gamemaster> Are you also asking the group to bring back some leather
armour?
<Joss> Aye
<Gamemaster> Aok on the fishing gear. Consider it part of your existing
possessions.
<Joss> OK
<Gamemaster> The dagger and the 4 barbed darts also on request from
the Corflu bunch?
<Joss> Aye
<Gamemaster> Did I forget or miss anything else?
<Joss> Nay
<Gamemaster> :) At least I can understand this Joss!
<Varjeela> Barbed darts? Well, if he describes what it is he's after,
I'm sure we can get it for him.
<Gamemaster> Joss???
<Joss> Ye, tike a dart, 'n' ye add sum sharp spines
<Gamemaster> Oh no! He's relapsed!!!
<Joss> Givin' yerself an 'arpoon
<Varjeela> Bronze dart? Or is this something made out of bone? I've
seen them being used by fisherfolk in Pavis, I think?
<Joss> Aye, t' fishers use 'em
<NoBison> We should be able to get one from one of the fishers here
<Gamemaster> Of which Joss is one of course ( a fisher of Pavis
I mean...)
<Joss> t' Yelmies too, course they ain't got barbs
<Varjeela> I had heard that the Sun County "harpoon" was somewhat
bigger? We got a look at it on the way down-river, didn't we?
<Gamemaster> I would say 'No' to the harpoon question raised by
Varjeela (Jane). You didn't get a close look at one on the way south.
<Varjeela> Of course, it was up on the cliff and we were down on
the river. They're probably exaggerating its size anyway, right?
<mawth> A large crossbow...? preposterous...
<Varjeela> If it was as large as they say, how could you lift it
to shoot?
<mawth> besides, if it is called harpoon, surely it would require
some enormous giant to throw it?
(Those who appreciate the irony of determinedly ignorant PCs
might like to know that Varjeela is played by the same Jane who wrote the
"Secret History of Sun County"
<Gamemaster> Oh. Before I forget. Bill you mentioned about Prax being
a dry place. Just bear in mind that Corflu is wet and damp being at the
coast and in a swamp. This is where most of the campaign is set.
(Dave may have regretted mentioning this after a while. If it doesn't
interest you, skip to the next bit of Plot.)
<Joss> Aye, 'umid it is. But 't ain't rainy.
<Gamemaster> In my campaign it is wet. In the absence of any other
statement I could find I had to make some decisions... What source would
you quote for a dry Corflu?
<Gamemaster> A little background for the others - Bill has a fair
amount of material I don't have - most of it of older vintage...
<Joss> Prax on t' one side is dry. Vulture's country on t' other
is a desert.
<NoBison> River of Cradles offers 1 or 2 handed spear as cultural
weapon of Zola Fell river folk
<Joss> T' water o' t' Zola Fel all comes from t' Rockwood mountains.
<Gamemaster> OK. So you don't recollect anything specifically saying
that the delta is also dry.
<mawth> the delta is a swamp as far as I can tell...
<Varjeela> It seems unlikely that the delta gets an amount of rainfall
significantly different from that of the rest of the coast.
<Varjeela> Not that I'm a weather expert, of course: is anyone else?
<Joss> T' dela 's less than 20 km wide
<Varjeela> Borderlands gives a precipitation chart for Prax as a
whole.
<mawth> the delta has cliffs either side of it, so perhaps the higher
ground is drier, but the water collects and spreads lower down...
<Varjeela> I'd guess that the delta is humid because it's full of
water. We know it has (had) a mosquito problem.
<Varjeela> But the water in the air rises up, it doesn't fall out
of the sky any more than in other bits of Prax.
<Gamemaster> I have considered the issue of course and concluded
that there must be coastal breezes in order to cause the formation of a
coastal swamp stratching from Esrolia to Teshnos. That coastal swamp only
has one river in it at Corflu so there must be significant rainfall along
the coast to maintain the swamp.
<Joss> From Corflu to t' desert in Vulture's Country is about 40km
<Gamemaster> Agreed. That is why I'm saying caostal breeze.
<NoBison> ROC says it receives heavy year around rainfall
<mawth> "The Rozgali coast receives year-round heavy rainfall; the
climate is humid and unopleasantly warm in the summer, clammy and raw int
eh winter" (RoC p 18)
<Varjeela> It's the coast that will have most effect on rain. Sea
breezes, like Dave says. Isn't there a cliff along the coast, too?
<Gamemaster> Yes. Cliff runs all the way paralell to the coast.
<NoBison> No these are brackish swamps
<Varjeela> So not only do we have the RoC evidence (thanks, guys),
we have a cliff causing a rain shadow for the rest of Prax.
<NoBison> Oh cliff is back of the swamp
<Gamemaster> Combination of heavy rain (fresh water) and tidal flooding
then.
<Gamemaster> The coastal breeze would be blocked in that case by
the cliff
<Joss> Highest point on t' cliff is 300m above sea level
<Varjeela> Not much of a rain shadow, then. But some.
<mawth> "Normal tides rise gradually with the Blue Moon to an average
of six meters, while flood tides may reach 10 meters." (p19)
<Joss> Found t' rain chart
<Gamemaster> Collision of winds then as coastal breeze hits the
wind patterns of the Vulture Country - an event which happens to occur
in the proximity of the cliffs.
<Joss> Sea season 10", Fire 0", Earth 2", Storm 6"
<NoBison> Something like the convergence zone I live in N. of Seattle
<Varjeela> My chart divides the seasons into "early" and "late",
too. Look at the days of rain!
<Varjeela> Storm (early): 28 days of rain! In four weeks! Only 25
days in the second half, though.
<Gamemaster> That chart is for Prax though.. My position is that
it does not apply at the coast.
<mawth> a real 'wet and dry' season divide! :-)
<mawth> yes I agree Dave
<Varjeela> OK, so we're in a swamp, and it's probably raining.
<Gamemaster> Ok. So everyone now knows that the coast has heavy
rainfall and that the official reason is that there are coastal breezes
colliding with inland breezes at the cliffs.
<Joss> Pretty unrealistic, less than 1/4" per day
<Joss> If you blink you miss it
<Gamemaster> Sorry Joss. This is the way it is in this particular
locale under this particular GM.
<Varjeela> Joss, my chart gives 10" for half of Storm Season, and
6" for the other half. Any better?
<NoBison> It's that maritime misty rain that can take 4-6 hours
to get to quarter inch
<mawth> I would have thought "heavy -year round rains" would constitute
more than 1/4 per day...
<mawth> but there it is...
<mawth> where were we?
(Good question.)
<Gamemaster> Most of you are in Corflu.
<Varjeela> Running an Issaries ceremony, chatting to Varza, and
getting information, I think?
<NoBison> Yes let's get on with Varjeela's conspiricy hatching!
<Gamemaster> You've been through the ceremony and Varjeela was a
smash hit. Most of the afternoon was consumed talking to people and the
like.
<NoBison> Any good drinking?
<mawth> (these people look more like town folk than river folk?)
<Varjeela> I seem to remember at the end of last session I put forward
some theories that in fact we wouldn't have been able to discuss privately.
GM want to comment? Others want to pull my theories to bits?
<Gamemaster> Its Ancestor's Day (Bill, this is equivalent to Sunday)
so it would be hard to get any goods from the market but there are other
ways...
<Varjeela> I was assuming we'd leave shopping till tomorrow?
<NoBison> Mine also
<Gamemaster> Nope. They were good theories Varjeela. Tell me what
you want to do and we'll see how it works out...
<Gamemaster> Yes, just wanted to point out that shopping wouldn't
work on this day..
<Varjeela> Let's let other people comment first. For instance, do
we trust Varza?
<mawth> (hence the town folk question...)
<NoBison> Ok by me. Sounds like you want to start a trade
skirmish with Etrities
<Gamemaster> There are only a few town-folk present. Most of the
people are Pavisites.
<Varjeela> (GM: was that a Ceremony Tick I heard there?)
<Gamemaster> It was indeed.
<mawth> Pavis = town/city in Mawth's eyes... dodgy lot...
<mawth> can't be trusted... they hide behind walls...
<Gamemaster> How does NoBison feel?
<mawth> "Have you heard about the Lunar patrols looking for lost
ruins?"
<NoBison> Always, I like a skirmish
<Gamemaster> Varza replies, "Yes! Isn't it exciting - to think that
one day we might find glorious Feroda!"
<Varjeela> OOC for a moment: the plot as suggested would leave Varj.
as HP of trade cults in Corflu. She'd love it. It leaves the rest of you
with nothing to do, and me needing a new character. So I'll stay quiet
for a bit.
<NoBison> sounds like one might come of this
<mawth> That's OK - you could pay us out and we could try to protect
the ruins from discovery... :-)
<mawth> (Mutters... as I suspected, "townfolk")
<mawth> These town folk stick together - Lost city was bad for river
people, adn all townfolk want to find it again.
*** SimonMoon has joined #RuneQuest
*** SimonMoon is now known as Huff
<Huff> Hiya everyone
<Varjeela> Hi there! (Have we ever had this many players before??)
<NoBison> (Clap mawth on back) It could lead to a glorious fight!
<Gamemaster> I think this is a record!
<NoBison> Hello (never since I joined)
<mawth> Fights are usually bad for riverfolk, unless we are all
united...
<NoBison> How then do you protect from chaos and prove you are a
brave man!
<mawth> Fights against chaos are right and must be done, but fighting
the moon people and all the town people dangerous...
<mawth> Better to keep the information from them...
* Huff nods vigourously in the background to noone in partiular
<mawth> Of course that could be better done by having a friendly
person in power here.
<Varjeela> (Reading back through the log: is Huff with the rest
of us? Or back at the camp with Joss?)
<NoBison> Oh I agree about the information I was speaking of bringing
back the brain damaged Etrities Priest!
<mawth> Yes - if the moonpeople have more to fight over that is
good for us.
<mawth> Just don't trust these townfolk either...
<Gamemaster> Huff is with you all in Corflu. Only Joss remained
behind with the brain damaged Lunar
<NoBison> Varjeela that was what you were plotting wasn't it?
<Varjeela> The two are linked, though. If we bring Gharan back,
he may well mention Ducks. And then half our information is out.
<mawth> (On the swamp thing - I think we could pretty safely say
that the swamp is much drier in fire season than in storm/sea seasons...)
(nooo! not the humidity argument...! - it's all right, he was trying
to get a word in past Varjeela. We're safe.)
<Varjeela> The plot as I recall it went like this. At present there
is no Trade priest in Corflu. Messages have been sent to Pavis, but a replacement
will take time.
<mawth> Yes - Gharan may remember too much - even knowing about
the ducks is too much...
<NoBison> and both Etrities and Issaries are interested in sending
a priest
<Varjeela> While both cults are sending their replacements, the
only trade priest around is me. Possession is nine-tenths of the law, and
so on...
<mawth> get in now!
<Varjeela> When the Lunars send a replacement, he will be someone
competent. Having Gharan around, in competition for his position, would
hinder him. I hope.
<mawth> We want to stop the moonpeople finding the ruins, not stop
them doing trade here!
<NoBison> Save Gharan untill the replacement comes then bring him
out. during confusion mention of ducks may be attributed to his damage
<Varjeela> I think we need to discuss the whole idea with Varza
to see if it could be worked: and she may well be the person who had him
dealt with in the first place!
<Huff> Big Big Trouble if you take Lunar market priest's place
* Huff shifts around restlessly
<Varjeela> Yes, Huff. Exactly. Big trouble, but also big opportunities
for me. Of course, it get the rest of you into trouble as well.
<Huff> Huff knows this!
<Huff> Huff not liking trouble
<Huff> Huff ESPECIALLY not liking Big Trouble!
<Varjeela> I'd do what I could to make sure you all did well out
of the situation, of course, but I'm not sure if it would be worth it for
you.
* Huff thinks a moment
<Huff> How Huff do well from this?
<mawth> Worth it if moonpeople don't find ruins, and don't do bad
things to river people
<NoBison> A good fight makes me forget my affliction
<Huff> a good fight makes Huff get inflicted!
<Varjeela> "What would you like, Huff? I could pay you to guard
the ruins. I could hire you as a guide on the trade trips to the ducks.
Whatever you would prefer. Do your family need anything?"
* Huff ponders
<Huff> Huff very good guide for nice trips to Ducks
<Huff> Huff no good at guarding
<Huff> Huff will help
<mawth> trade with ducks brings moon people to ruins!
<Varjeela> No, an Issaries trade route brings Issaries people to
the ruins. No Lunars invited.
<NoBison> scratches head
<Huff> Huff crafty guide....not let Moon people come!
<Huff> Huff very smart
* Huff taps his head and smiles
<mawth> How long information stays out of moon hands? much suspicion
raised by people carrying goods out into swamp
<Varjeela> Probably not very long. I doubt if it would in any case.
Who do we want to tell about it, in the meantime? If it's under someone
else's control by the time they find it, no problem.
<mawth> soldiers and others may follow
<Huff> Huff want more than just payment to help the Market priestess....
<Varjeela> Certainly, Huff. What would you like?
<mawth> when lunars find ruins, ruin come to baboon people
<Huff> Huff want to have promise from you that his tribe get to
have say about things
<Huff> Huff no like Lunars come to his family!
* Huff bristles and growls towards Mawth
<Varjeela> That seems only fair. Would you act as the representative
for your tribe, or is there someone else who would do that?
* Huff turns to Mawth
<mawth> whoah there - "We keep moon people away from river people"
<Huff> Good thing...no Lunars come to me family!
<NoBison> Are ducks river people?
* Huff settles down a little, and replies to Varjeela
<mawth> Yes, all people who live from river, not town are river
people
<Gamemaster> Yes. Huff would know that as a Shaman Mawth and his
ilk do a good job at keeping the Lunars at bay.
<Huff> Huff be mouth for family for a while, until better mouth
comes to speak.
<Huff> Huff knows Mawth good man, but angry at lunars if come to
hurt family.
<mawth> Yes - that is why moon people must not come to ruins or
duck village
<Huff> Huff knows. Huff smarter than moon people
<NoBison> How about if we convince ducks to set up a trade point
further from the ruins
<Varjeela> Good idea, NoBison. Somewhere between here and there.
And nowhere near Skull Rock, either: we don't want that found!
<mawth> mmm - that might be better - prove that we have searched
area, and give no reason to keep checking further
* Huff listens, nodding.
<mawth> no reason for moon people to come and check again is what
i mean
<Varjeela> Yes, it's an excellent idea for all sorts of reasons.
We just need to pick a spot. Huff? You know the area best.
<mawth> An with good Trade Priestess in charge in town, Lunars have
trouble to think about here, and not in swamp
* Huff thinks
<Varjeela> For as long as the Trade Priestess lasts, anyway... well,
the Issaries temple will send a replacement soon, I'm sure.
<NoBison> We can scout out a good broad series of waterways to the
trade point and Huff can keep them off the smaller waterways
* Huff tries to think of good place, easy to get to and away from secret
places.
(Pause till next week while Huff Thinks. Actually, that may have been unfair and unkind. But at least he isn't thinking about how hard the rain is.)