I just wanted to draw your attention to the fact that I've collected all the writings of Alom Tikal on one page and linked to them from the right hand menu. I will keep the page updated as I discover more tales from Sundaland.
Now you can read them all in one place if you wish: An Account of Sundaland by Alom Tikal
Read the the previous episode: Elephant Queens & Tiger Kings - 4: Safe Passage
Last time Auko and my character (Kiakro) facilitated a reconciliation process between two villages. As a reward we were provided with supplies and a guide to take us the rest of the way to the City of Pearls.
We've been travelling for a couple of days, leaving denser forests behind and moving further into the lowlands. Except for occasional low undulating hills the landscape flattens out. Since the rainy season has only just finished the landscape is lush and green. We walk across grasslands and through lightly forested areas. When cresting a ridge we often have an unobstructed view.
With each passing day we start coming across more villages and settlements. Most of the people living here survive from hunting, fishing and tending gardens of fruit and vegetables. Some have figured out how to reliably attract wild pigs with a designated rubbish dump, which provides the villagers with easy pickings.
On the third day we come across a wide, raised and paved road, a minimum of knee height above the surroundings, sometimes higher. This is where our guide leaves us, pointing us in the right direction to reach our destination within another day's walk. We make camp by the side of the road and will set out at daybreak.
Since we already had a partial success on the Reach Your Destination move in episode 3 (which resulted in the encounter with the village in episode 4) I'm going to assume there are no further complications ahead.
The following day we start walking down the road and soon start encountering other travellers. There are merchant caravans, sometimes a couple of water buffalo pulling carts, other times leading groups of captives carrying goods on their heads and backs. There are also pilgrims, priests and groups of soldiers with plumed helmets and long spears, occasionally lead by commanders riding elephants. Little attention is paid to lowly people like ourselves but we're careful and weary of being captured again. We keep our distance and our heads down.
Finally in the mid afternoon we see it on the horizon, the walls of the City of Pearls.
I decide that this is a milestone in our relationship. We successfully escaped our captors and reached the city. I will trigger the Forge a Bond move with Auko.
Move: Forge a Bond
Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Hearts (1) = 2 + 1 for a total of 3.
Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 1 and 1.
Strong Hit and an Opportunity because of the matched Challenge die.
I can choose either +2 momentum or +1 spirit. I've already have a maxed out spirit of +5 but only 9 momentum so I decide to take that to 10 (I can't increase momentum above 10).
I also decide that because we've started to Forge a Bond that I can add him as a Companion Asset. I mark the Bonded option.
I'm going to roll up some details about the city and the culture of its people using my Sundaland tables. I won't weave all the results together just yet, but will do so as the game develops. I hand picked the first result, for the Cultural Archetype because this city is going to serve as a base for my character and I don't want it to be too 'out there'. All the other results are random.
I've been following a great new blog about a setting inspired by late Antiquity Persia called King of Kings. The feeling of the setting has many similarities with what I'm trying to achieve with the Sundaland setting.
Here's a particular interesting article with some tables for generating patrons, people that will give the players missions and quests:
In King of Kings, the characters are outcasts, criminals, paupers, foreigners, and travellers, people that are fundamentally outside of the local social order. There is plenty to explore in the social structures of the Sasanian Empire (which is the main inspiration for King of Kings), but in creating this setting I didn't necessarily want to build in a Skerples-style feudal hierarchy into character creation (though I definitely intend on writing more posts about social hierarchy in late antique Iran in future honestly). Even though I didn't want to establish a structured system for social hierarchy for characters, I did want social hierarchy to matter for the game... so, I concluded that the best way to do both of those things is to have players outside of the social hierarchy, but still make that hierarchy matter, through the player characters having someone that patronizes their activities!
Check out the tables here: Patrons in Kings of Kings
Read the the previous episode: Elephant Queens & Tiger Kings - 3: Journey to the Lowlands
Last time Auko and Kiakro (my character) were travelling through the forest after having escaped our former captors. Auko is now attempting to take us to the City of Pearls where we can start a new life.
After several days travel we start noticing evidence of slashing and burning, fewer tall trees and more open spaces, this is evidence of a nearby settlement.
Suddenly a threatening voice calls out.
We both freeze. While the voice is speaking in an unfamiliar dialect we understand enough to know we must stop.
Is there only one person or are there more?
Ask the Oracle 50/50: 41
A single figure steps out form behind some tall ferns, holding a bow and arrow that's pointed right at us. He's wearing only bark-cloth shorts and a couple of feathered bands around his arms.
He asks us where we are from
Roll on the Disposition table: 77 Unfriendly
He's not happy to see us. It's sensible to be weary of strangers.
We hold up our hands to show we have no weapons with us and tell him we've escaped capture. The man cautiously comes closer.
We trigger the Compel move. Charm, Pacify or Banter
Action Die: Roll 1d6 + Heart (1) = 4 + 1 for a total of 5.
Challenge Dice: Roll 2d10 = 6 and 1.
Weak Hit, +1 Momentum
The man doesn't seem convinced but we decide to offer him the fruits and nuts we've collected along the way. We hold the food out in front of us and place it on a large leaf, then step back. It's not much but it's a universal gesture and all we have (-1 supply, we now have 0)
He steps forward slowly, lowers his bow and picks up what we left him, scooping it into a pouch he is wearing around his waist.
"What are you doing travelling through our territory? Where are you going?"
We explain that we're only passing through and that we are heading to the great city. As he is closer we are able to show him the scars on our body which indicate our cruel treatment while we were held captured and this seems to satisfy him to an extent.
"You may rest in our village, but you can't stay for long."
His bow is now lowered but the motions a direction for us to walk in. We walk for a short while until we get to a clearing where there are around ten small homes built with wood, bamboo and various grasses. There is one larger building in the centre. There are around fifty people, men women and children going about their business.
I'll ask the Oracle whether there is an issue that the villagers need help with. There must be a reason why the man was unfriendly yet decided to bring us to his village. 25% there's no issue, 75% there is.
90, yes there's something wrong.
Roll on the Settlement Trouble
Result: Rival Settlement.
I roll on the Action and Theme tables: Communicate, Risk
The people of the village notice us and the women start gather their children inside their homes. All the men rush up towards us but our guide tells them not to worry, that we're not from the the next village. He explains that there's been tension between the various people's of the lowlands. Over the past couple of months there's been increased competition for food and resources resulting in occasional clashes between both groups. Everyone is weary of strangers. However this village wants to make amends and would like to offer a gift to the nearby village.
They believe it's too dangerous for one of them to go but we could be a neutral party to open up communication. In exchange the villagers say they will provide us with food, escort us through their territory and point us in the right direction to the City of Pearls. We agree since we don't have any other options right now.
