A look at some of the first people that came to live in Southeast Asia.
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Saturday, August 5, 2023
Elephant Queens & Tiger Kings - 10: Conspiracy of the Idol
Some ambient music for this episode.
(Click map to zoom)
Recap: I've been recruited into a diplomatic and trade mission from the City of Pearls to Nanbeg Gakwha, the city of the Longheads a fearsome war-like people that are known for their practice of skull-binding. After two weeks our boats reached their city where we unloaded our mysterious cargo.
During our stay we discovered that an idol has gone missing and that our group has been accused of stealing it. The ambassadors (3 from each boat) were held captive as well as 4 mariners (including myself). There is no evidence of us being involved and it seems that we are being used as pawns in political game between rival factions within the city of the Longheads. After being searched and questioned we are taken back to a holding cell, unsure of our fate.
Read the other episodes here: Game Diary: Elephant Queens & Tiger Kings
We are held in our cell all day with no explanation and eventually all go to sleep, not sure what the future holds. Together our group consists of 9 ambassadors and 4 mariners (including myself).
Will we get more clarity in the morning about our fate? Ask the Oracle.
Action: Investigate
Theme: Ruin
Major Plot Twist: A trap is sprung
I wake up in the middle of the night, there is only the faint moon light from small windows high up in the room. I notice a figure skulking nearby, moving to the centre of the room. There is something gleaming in his hands. I think it's the idol. A small golden statue.
I decide to get up quietly and see if I can manoeuvre to a position that will give me and advantage to pounce on him.
Thursday, August 3, 2023
Real History: How an advanced civilisation vanished 2,500 years ago – BBC News
A look at a Bronze Age civilization in Southern Spain. This site was deliberately buried so the architecture is well preserved and you get a great sense of what it must have been like to walk through the building thousands of years ago.
Learn more about this civilisation here: Wikipedia: Tartessos
Friday, July 28, 2023
Real History: Chaco Canyon
A look at the Chaco Canyon culture in New Mexico. The architecture of the great houses is especially interesting and a provides great inspiration for alternative types of urbanism in an ancient setting. The average contains 200 rooms and some as many as 700.
Read more about the: Ancestral Puebloans
Note: I've collected all my Real History posts in one place: Real History
Saturday, July 22, 2023
Real History: Rice farming in India much older than thought, used as 'summer crop' by Indus civilisation
Thought to have arrived from China in 2000 BC, latest research shows domesticated rice agriculture in India and Pakistan existed centuries earlier, and suggests systems of seasonal crop variation that would have provided a rich and diverse diet for the Bronze Age residents of the Indus valley.
Rice farming in India much older than thought, used as 'summer crop' by Indus civilisation
Sunday, July 16, 2023
Real History: Did Polynesians Reach America? DNA evidence
A look at whether there is evidence for Polynesians reaching the American continent.
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Sundaland Sword & Sorcery Adventure Generator
Yet another Sword & Sorcery Adventure Generator, but this one is tailored to my Bronze Age to Antiquity setting.
After my tables I've collected some more great free Sword & Sorcery adventure generators (From which I myself have taken inspiration or outright borrowed).
Use the following tables in any configuration you wish as many times as you need to spark your imagination. Go to the content overview for more random tables that will be of use. The Random RPG Faction Generator is particularly useful for adversaries and allies in ongoing campaigns.
Location: Where does the adventure take place. 1d12
Setup 1, 2 and 3: The situation at the start of the adventure. 3d20
Hook: How the players get involved. 1d6
Patron, ally, client, help-seeker: Who is asking for help or on your side. 1d6
Task: What has to be done? 1d6
Reward: What's in it for the players? 1d6
Antagonist or Adversary: Who is working in opposition to the players? 1d6
Obstacle: What stands in the way? 1d12
Complication: What makes the situation complicated? 1d6
Twist: What unexpected thing happens? 1d12
Location (1d12):
1. Island: Archipelagos, bays, lagoons, coral reefs, sand bars, cliffs, limestone karsts. Pirates, serpents, leviathans.
2. Savanna: Open grasslands, scattered trees, rocky outcrops, bush lands. Heat, herd animals, predators.
3. Valleys: Cliffs, crevices, hidden paths, winding trails, boulders, deep rivers, waterfalls, rock falls, ledges, overhangs.
4. Caves: Shallow caves, deep cavern systems, giant sink-holes, cenotes. Echoes, eyes in the dark, hiding places.
5. Temples: In ruins or pristine, abandoned or in use, huge complex or small as a house. Worshippers, fanatics, priests, acolytes.
6. Village: Along the river bank, high on a cliff's edge, on stilts over water, distributed across a wide area, closely packed with defences. Fishermen and women, hunters, weavers, warriors, gardeners.
7. City: Abandoned or occupied, falling into ruin or thriving, enclosed within walls or spread out across a wide area. Merchants, guards, soldiers, artisans bureaucrats.
8. Table top mountain: Cliffs, hidden access, unusual flora and fauna.
9. Volcanic: Ash lands, lava streams, geysers, geothermal pools, noxious smells.
10. Swamps, marshes, bogs, mangrove forests: Occasional islands of firm ground, tides. Bottomless quagmire, mosquitos and insects, movement in the water.
11. Rivers: Wide and slow, narrow and fast, waterfalls, rapids.
12. Forest: Rainforest: dense canopy with little undergrowth. Jungle light canopy with dense undergrowth.
Setup 1 (1d20):
1. Pirates, brigands, raiders or thieves
2. Nobles
3. Ambassadors
4. Common city dwellers
5. Slavers
6. Enslaved
7. Courtesans
8. Sea-gypsies
9. Merchants or traders
10. Crafters and artisans
11. Mercenaries
12. Villagers
13. Guards
14. Soldiers
15. Sailors, fisher-folk
16. Explorers
17. Ambassadors
18. Bureaucrats
19. Cultists
20. Priests or shamans
Setup 2 (1d20):
1. Attack
2. Ally with
3. Bribe
4. Lead
5. Subjugate
6. Worship
7. Trade
8. Build
9. Take
10. Replace
11. Kill or destroy
12. Buy
13. Rescue
14. Seek or find
15. Guard, protect or escort
16. Capture
17. Discover or explore
18. Hide
19. Make
20. Escape
Setup 3 (1d20):
1. Spices
2. Animals such as elephants or water-buffalo
3. Metal such as Bronze or tin
4. Gold, silver, jade or obsidian
6. Jewels or jewellery
7. Boat or ship
9. Astrological knowledge
10. Herbal and healing knowledge
11. Maps
12. Weapons
13. Tablets
14. Idols
15. Scrolls
16. Statues
17. Tombs
18. Ruin
20. Star Gods
Hook (1d6):
1. Characters owe someone a debt or favour.
2. Characters are blackmailed into helping.
3. Characters are hired specifically for the job.
4. Characters hear there is a reward for any volunteers.
5. Characters hear an enticing rumour or legend.
6. Circumstances force the characters to get involved.
Patron, ally, client, help-seeker (1d6):
1. Old friend
2. Old ally
3. Superiors from your culture
4. Superiors from another culture
5. Common folk
6. Travellers or strangers
Roll on Setup 1 again to know more about the Patron / Ally
Task (1d6):
1. Rescue
2. Escort, defend or guard
3. Find or explore
4. Transport, trade or exchange
5. Destroy
6. Attack
Reward (1d6):
1. Treasure such as precious metals, jewels, artefacts, spices or jewellery.
2. Special rights, privileges, future favour or personal debt.
3. Weapons or tools.
4. A house, mansion, palace or fort.
5. Elephants, water-buffalo, boat or ship with crew.
6. Information or clues.
Antagonist (1d6):
1. An old or former friend
2. An old or former ally
3. Someone with a neutral or indifferent relationship to the players.
4. An old adversary
5. A sworn enemy
6. An unknown adversary
Roll on Setup 1 again to know more about the Antagonist
Obstacle (1d12):
1. Animals
3. People (Roll on Setup 1 again to know more)
4. Geographical feature or barrier such as mountains, rivers, waterfalls, swamps, reefs, deserts, ravines, jungles and such things.
5. Natural disaster such as typhoons, torrential rains, mud-slides, volcano explosions, plagues etc.
7. Restrictive local laws
8. Subterfuge, deception or trickery
9. Mistaken identity
10. Sudden loss of an important person, resource, tool, knowledge or weapon.
11. Curse
12. Secret
Complication (1d6):
1. Lack of appropriate resources.
2. Lack of appropriate people.
3. Lack of appropriate tools or weapons.
4. Lack of appropriate knowledge or information.
5. Misleading information.
6. The clock starts ticking because... (roll on another table such as Antagonist, Obstacle or Twist)
Twist (1d12):
1. The ally is a potential enemy.
2. The enemy is a potential ally.
3. The Setup is not as it seems.
4. The Obstacle is not what it at first seemed to be.
5. Adversaries are forced to help each-other.
6. The antagonist's goal is more worthy than at first seemed.
7. What seemed mundane is actually super-natural.
8. What seems super-natural is actually mundane.
9. It's a trap or trick.
10. The goal of the mission is superseded by something more immediately important.
11. Failure results in unexpected consequences.
12. Success results in unexpected consequences.
Let's roll up a random Sword & Sorcery Adventure:
2d12 (I want two locations), 3d20, 5d6, 1d12, 1d6, 1d12
Location:
7. City: Abandoned or occupied, falling into ruin or thriving, enclosed within walls or spread out across a wide area. Merchants, guards, soldiers, artisans bureaucrats,
10. Swamps, marshes, bogs, mangrove forests: Occasional islands of firm ground, tides. Bottomless quagmire, mosquitos and insects, movement in the water.
Setup 1: 15. Sailors, fisher-folk
Setup 2: 7. Trade
Setup 3: 1. Spices
Hook: 4. Characters hear there is a reward for any volunteers.
Patron, ally, client, help-seeker: 5. Common folk
Task: 1. Rescue
Reward: 1. Treasure such as precious metals, jewels, artefacts, spices or jewellery.
Antagonist: 6. An unknown adversary + 11. Mercenaries
Obstacle: 3. People (Roll on Setup 1 again to know more) + 3. Ambassadors
Complication: 4. Lack of appropriate knowledge or information.
Twist: 11. Failure results in unexpected consequences.
Weaving this together I get:
The adventurers arrive at s a city that lies deep in a swamp. The reason the city lies in a swamp is because it is a collection and trading hub for rare spices that are only found in the vicinity.
Common folk that live in the swamp (who otherwise live as fisher-folk) gather spices and bring them to the city in exchange for goods and services. While perusing the street markets the characters overhear that some of the swamp people have been kidnapped by a band of unknown warriors (they are in fact mercenaries) They are holding them hostage in order to force their families to divulge the secrets of where to find particularly valuable spices and how to harvest them.
The adventurers may wonder what properties do these spices have that make them so valuable?
The swamp people are offering a reward of some of these spices to anyone who can rescue their family members. The origin, culture and character of the kidnappers is unknown and the leaders of the city are reluctant to send out guards or warriors on a rescue mission because they believe they will be at a severe disadvantage in the swamp. In fact there are ambassadors from several other city states in attendance and they have all agreed to forbid anyone from aiding the common folk of the swamp. It is unclear if this decision was unanimous or if there was a vote or some kind of ruling.
The complicating factors of this task are a lack of information of the whereabouts of the kidnappers or any other information including their numbers. All they swamp-folk can offer is a scroll detailing the demands (Or so they've been told, they can not read this language and needed the aid of one of the cities' scribes).
The twist in this adventure is that if the adventurers fail to rescue the kidnapped people the swamp folk will turn on the adventurers and offer them up in exchange for their family members.
What will happen?
Will the adventurers aid the swamp people?
What is the nature of these particularly valuable spices?
Will the characters try to play both sides in order to secure the knowledge of how to find the spices themselves?
Why do the city leaders and ambassadors not want to help?
Do all parties agree this is the right course of action?
Will the city leaders and ambassadors actively try to hinder the adventurers?
Did one of them hire the mercenaries?
What happens if the adventurers succeed?
How will the city leaders and ambassadors react? Will they be pleased, or will it anger them?
Will they each react differently because of different motivations and involvement?
What will the adventurers do if they fail and the swamp people turn on them?
What will happen to the mercenaries in each different scenario?
Some more generators and random tables:
Random Sword & Sorcery Adventure Generator
Random sword and sorcery table
Hyperborea: Random Sword & Sorcery Adventure Generator
Random Sword and Sorcery Adventure Generator
Random Sword & Sorcery Adventure Generator
Sword and Sorcery Adventures Generators Overview
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