RuneQuest - 4E - The Smoking Ruin & Other Stories

RuneQuest 50

The Smoking Ruin 51

RuneQuest accompaniment being late today. If the adventurers ask anyone standing nearby, it seems as if she normally performs with a male partner, but he didn’t show for today’s performance. Alternately, they could overhear some ladies in the crowd calling out, asking where her handsome dancing partner is today. Treya looks across the crowd, worriedly, as if she’s trying to find someone appropriate to ask, or to see if someone volunteers. This is a great opportunity for an adventurer to join her on stage if they can play any instrument. Or if they can dance. Or just take up space on stage with her. If they do not think of this, suggest it. Or she may call out to a specific adventurer and put them on the spot, with the audience rapidly joining in a clap and chant to goad them into it. It might be the adventurer with the highest CHA attribute, the highest Dance skill (for a likely pleasant outcome), or the adventurer with the worst Dance skill, for comedic effect. The dance re-enacts moments from the Storm Age and the founding of Clearwine. The dance ends, and Treya is greeted with enthusiastic applause. If an adventurer joined her and wasn’t terrible, she’ll embrace them in thanks, whisper something about ‘saving my hide today’ and gesture for the crowd to applaud the adventurer as well. If they were terrible, she’ll make a joke out of it and be very gracious and say the same thing, but the adventurer notices a tightness in her smile and anger in her eyes as she looks out at the crowd, seeking someone who’s not there. Asking the adventurer if they’ll stick around to accompany her, Treya then sings an original evocative ballad about Korol Kandoros, son of King Vingkot, reminding the audience of his glory. Her beautiful voice, athletic dancing and charismatic presence bring these stories vividly alive for the crowd. Korol’s long-lost homestead plays a prominent role in that song, and it’s clear that even though the adventurers might not know the tune, the residents have all heard it The Performance An initiate of Donandar, Treya, daughter of Pala of the Orlmarth clan but of Esrolian heritage (page 41–42), performs glorious ballads of the world as it was in the Storm Age. Highlighting the history of Clearwine, she play-acts the founding of Clearwine by the Vingkotlings, specifically Korol Kandoros himself. Treya is the epitome of grace and she sings like an angel. A crowd gathered after she began performing, and the adventurers are fortunate enough to have been near the front before it got too crowded, whether they stood up or had a good vantage point from where they were. But as beautiful as her voice may be, her chief skill is that of dance. Beautiful in lithe vigor, splendid in her ferocious energy, Treya seems entranced and filled with the energy of Ernalda, Donandar, Orlanth… whichever energy she is embodying with her movements. The performance is part of a celebration in honor of Leika Black Spear’s recent successes. Anyone paying attention notices that Treya is always careful to link those great past events of which she sings with Leika’s glorious return. Unbeknownst to outsiders, Treya is aware of the Queen’s lukewarm feelings toward her and wants to make amends. She does not know Leika’s reasons, and inadvertently steps in it with her frequent stories involving her grandmother Thinala’s exploits. Many visitors, as well as prominent Clearwine citizens, have come to join the celebration. While Leika herself was here to kick things off earlier in the day, she is not present when the adventurers arrive. However, Asborn is present, as well as Ereneva and Hastur (see pages 45–47 for their descriptions). Casual encounters with these are described below. Treya accompanies herself on the lyre, and when the time arrives for an appropriate ritualistic gesture-driven dance, she must put down the lyre. She appears a little uncertain how to proceed at this point and makes a joke about her

The Smoking Ruin 53 Treya’s Final Performance After Treya finishes her original composition involving her grandmother, she takes a small break, as it is getting late in the day. A young girl, no more than 12, shyly approaches her and asks her to sing ‘the song’ again. This is Asmara, an orphan living in Clearwine. Treya is caught off-guard, but obviously this young girl has made this request many times before, so Treya says she’ll sing it quietly just for her. Treya asks whoever accompanied her before if they would join her on harmony or an instrument. Her grandmother’s song uses an ancient tune, easy to accompany and sing along, but the words are a bit of a jumble. The gamemaster’s goal is make sure the adventurers, at least one of them, hear at least some of the words to this song. If possible, print the lyrics out and have the player whose adventurer is performing read (or sing) it aloud. The song goes like this: What is it, children, that falls from the sky? Whence comes the darkness that covers us all? Hides us in the night? Hides us from you in the night? Mother, protect us from the never-ending night You bring us back Bring us back Bring us back to light You told me I can call you Wherever you roam If I call fervently I can bring you home My voice is small I cannot take a chance I know what I can do I can dance! At this point, Treya takes Asmara’s hands and they dance together. After the song is finished, Asmara hugs Treya, says “See you tomorrow!” and runs off. Treya grows misty-eyed and hurries to change the subject. The audience breaks into applause and many coins are placed in the broad-brimmed hat passed around. When it returns to Treya, it is weighty with praise expressed in the form of Lunar silver. before, and sing along. Particularly, the adventurers notice Asborn and Ereneva loudly singing along, dancing together, and certainly encouraging the citizens to join in. When Treya reaches the song’s bridge, someone near the adventurers (ideally Asborn) is heard wondering “Who will sing the harmony today? Her ballad is normally sung as a duet, with intricate harmonies. It would be shame if no one stepped up.” This is a great opportunity for an adventurer to join her on stage if they can sing at all (the Sing skill). It certainly can be the adventurer who joined her to play but doesn’t have to be. The more who join her, the better. Her performance is so evocative, and the missing harmonies so obvious, that any adventurer possessing performance skills would be encouraged to join her, whether to sing, play in accompaniment (Play Instrument), or to improvise a dance (Dance, again). If they do so, Treya invites them on stage with her, where she happily shares the spotlight with the adventurer(s). Treya seems so confident, and is so collaborative, that it is easy to join her in any manner, whether the adventurers are exceptionally skilled or not. The adventurers can augment these skills as appropriate. While this might seem frivolous, and the players might get a laugh out of this, it is important to implant the idea that these skills might come in use during the adventure. This moment is designed to preview One-Eye’s request later. The collaboration improves Treya’s already impressive performance, and the crowd shows their increasingly enthusiastic appreciation by the end. Treya follows this number with a tale of a campaign waged by her grandmother against the Tusk Riders. This is a sad tale in which the hero dies at the end. The applause for this is lukewarm, and Treya decides that the time has come for a break. Cementing a Bond The gamemaster should attempt, through Treya’s interactions with the adventurers, to form the beginning of a strong emotional bond with them. The primary goal is to get Treya along on the trip, but the uttermost goal is to make the player themselves connect with Treya before she sacrifices herself later for her grandmother’s return. Thus, it not out of the question that Treya might flirt with and possibly become romantically involved with an adventurer. Treya follows her heart and is attracted to whomever she wants to be, so gender is not a concern. The gamemaster should attempt such a liaison if it helps bring Treya closer to one or more of the adventurers (and their players) so that they like and care about her. It should be avoided if it isn’t necessary.

RuneQuest 54 Treya embellishes on the warrior tradition handed down from her grandmother, and her grandmother’s battles with the Tusk Riders (she calls them “Tuskers,” conflating them with their mounts). During this recitation/demonstration, she play-acts her grandmother’s many encounters encounter with Tuskers, grabbing one of the adventurer’s nearby weapons, brandishing it clumsily but dramatically. As she adopts combat stances, misholding the weapon as she does, it becomes painfully obvious to all that, as graceful and coordinated as she might be as a dancer and performer, she is the total opposite as a warrior. She is untrained, over-zealous and uncoordinated in her movements, and is oblivious to proper technique and, even worse, proper safety precautions. She is equally oblivious to how truly bad she is; she lives under the illusion that her grandmother’s prowess has come down through the matriarchal line to her. However, it has not. Letting her brandish a sharpened weapon puts everyone near her in danger of mutilation. This whole sequence should be played for comic effect. As much as Treya extols her grandmother’s accomplishments, she leaves out the part where the Tuskers brutally killed Thinala when Treya was ten years of age. That is not actually how Thinala died, but Treya doesn’t know that. Once the adventurers encourage her to take a seat and not ‘exert’ herself unnecessarily, she enjoys her ale and relates some personal stories, trying to get closer to the adventurers. Treya is very personable and has quite the laugh, high-pitched and pointed. It is unique and unmistakable. Treya confesses she has been told she laughs like her grandmother. Everyone in the bar knows her and recognizes that laugh. As the drink takes its toll, Treya admits she’s longed for the day she can honor the memory of her grandmother and that she’s ready and eager for adventure. Tears well up in her eyes as she talks about Thinala, and how she secretly feels she has let her grandmother down because she is such a poor fighter. Treya mentions how she has picked up much from Hastur walks quickly away after the song is complete. Perhaps he was eavesdropping? If any of the adventurers joined in, after Treya finishes her performance, either Asborn or Ereneva personally thanks the adventurers for helping Treya out. Big in Clearwine If any of the adventurers joined in, their renown in Clearwine increases significantly, and Treya is radiant in her appreciation of the adventurer’s help, regardless of how skilled they may be or how well their performance may have gone. Any adventurers who took part in the performance and acquitted themselves ably immediately receive +1% to their Reputation, plus another +1% at the gamemaster’s discretion if the performance was somehow noteworthy (a critical roll, for example). Various people from Clearwine later recognize them from the show and may buy them drinks, hang out with them, ask them to perform again, try to seduce them, etc. After the Performance After her performance is over, Treya wants to celebrate their great success (hers and any adventurers who joined her), and everyone retires to the Ram’s Head, where Hareva gives Treya a big hug. The first round of drinks are on the house in celebration of Treya’s performance and the help she received from ‘her new friends!’ If the gamemaster wishes to add a complication, have someone suggest that the group choose the White Grape Inn—which Treya wants to avoid. Sora is in attendance there (she owns the place) canoodling with Treya’s missing accompaniment from earlier in the day, a handsome fellow named Harnek. He is very embarrassed to be caught by Treya. Hijinks ensue. The main repercussion of this encounter is that Sora knows something is up with Treya, which means that Leika knows, and the encounter in Beast Valley (Agents of Leika, pages 68–69) may occur. The adventurers may have to scramble to get Daravala the price estimates she desires, as Sora certainly is of no help. During drinks, dinner, or whatever develops, Treya conveys her desire to not only continue singing and performing about those ancient times but to actually live them as much as she can. She launches into a detailed description of her heritage (“My grandmother was the warrior-priestess Thinala of Ezel, Bane of Tuskers, member of the Feathered Horse Queen’s Honor Guard, and I am daughter of Pala of the Orlmarth clan!”). A successful roll of Homeland Lore (Sartar) identifies all these individuals. Gamemaster Note This scene provides a thematic introduction to the more interesting of the potential solutions to this adventure: performing the ritual with One-Eye, the hidden connection between the Smoking Ruin and the cults of Orlanth and Ernalda. Hopefully, when meeting One-Eye, attentive players remember this introductory scene and suggest a repeat performance or become involved in more troll goings-on. The gamemaster may also suggest an INT×5 roll to jog an adventurer’s memory, if a less subtle approach is desired.

The Smoking Ruin 55 They may visit Asborn if they wish, as Treya would be happy to make an introduction. The adventurers could also follow up on Hastur if that quick encounter was observed after Treya sang for the girl. See pages 45–47 for information on Asborn and Hastur if those encounters take place. Maybe Sora and Harnek show up late in the evening, and the adventurers need to shoo them out before a drunken Treya notices. The gamemaster should improvise any other encounters there that might nudge the adventurers toward Daravala, communicating clearly that, whether they take advantage of Treya’s invitation or not, Daravala is their next stop. Meeting Daravala Chan, Priestess of Ernalda Either through encouragement from Treya or through information gleaned through other interactions, the adventurers should be informed that employment right up their alley is available through Daravala Chan, the priestess of Ernalda who resides at the Earth Temple. Daravala’s background is summarized on page 43. The adventurers head to the temple. Non-cultists are stopped outside. If the adventurers do not have Treya at hand, they are turned away and must seek another way to gain the information about the mission Daravala has available. If Treya is with them, it seems like everyone knows Treya and a word from her allows the adventurers to gain entrance to the temple (this is a perfect time for Treya to point out her Earth Rune tattoos and mention “I can get us in. I’m a follower of Ernalda.”). If the adventurers are not using Treya as an introduction, any who do not worship Ernalda or Orlanth must wait outside. As they approach Daravala’s office they are brought up short in the hallway by loud voices. Daravala is having a pointed discussion with a craftsman showing her design sketches for a proposed new shrine to Ernalda. She isn’t at all happy, and chases the craftsman out of her office, yelling at him to “Bring me something worth looking at next time!” The craftsman turns as he leaves through the arch and pleads with the priestess. “But Leika desires a decision! Perhaps I should speak with Ereneva?” A piece of crockery then smashes just above his head as if in response, and he scurries past the adventurers, grumbling and shaking his head. “Good luck!” “What’s next?” Daravala chews her words as she stands, hands on hips in the doorway. “Are you going to make my day better or worse?” her grandmother; her stories, her gestures, some even say her grandmother’s manner of speaking, singing, laughing. Her personality is not morose, however, and she returns quickly to an active, self-deprecating sense of humor. If further prompted about her favorite topic, the Storm Age, she continues: “Korol Kandoros was a Summer Son of King Vingkot. Korol is one of the Four Brothers whose great adventures inspired the Vingkotlings to great deeds. One time he needed a place to live and wanted to make sure it was safe. He mounded up a huge hill to hold his fort and encircled its top with a wall that was so wide that it encircled not only his great stead, but all its plow lands too. Korol ruled his people long and wisely and his people were very, very happy and blessed of Ernalda. Korol died before his father did, being killed in battle by a war god after it got its share of Death.” (This snippet Treya offers without much prompting; it forms the core of her research producing her ritual dance number involving Korol.) She asks the adventurers whether they know much about a place called the Smoking Ruin. She’ll share that she read it used to be called ‘Korolstead,’ home to the Koroltas Tribe, who were farmers raising cattle, sheep and pigs. They worshipped Orlanth and Ernalda. There used to be a temple in the settlement. She whispers that that same settlement is what is now known as the Smoking Ruin. That indeed, she is certain that what is smoking is not, in fact, troll bodies set aflame by Tuskers. She claims that’s part of why she is so interested in Korolstead, because “What if my grandmother fought the same Tuskers that are burning? Besides, the smoke from that awful place puts a stain on all the Grazer clans living in that part of the valley. We could clean it up! We could dig up some Tusker loot!” She grabs the arm of whoever is sitting next to her. If work or adventuring possibilities come up in conversation, Treya gets extremely enthusiastic about possibilities involving herself and the adventurers. She blurts that she recently overheard that Daravala, priestess of Ernalda, has been looking for adventurers to explore some old ruins west of Beast Valley, and that if the adventurers are interested, Treya might be willing to make an introduction? What if the ruins are the Smoking Ruin? Wouldn’t that be amazing? If someone mentions that they had heard the burning bodies were trolls, Treya is incredulous. She has also heard some rumors about trolls, but that they were living near there, not dead. “Docile trolls, can you believe that? They aren’t dangerous, and perhaps need help in some way.” Once the adventurers have finished their celebration and drinks with Treya, they may also wander around Clearwine.

RuneQuest 56 More importantly, however, Daravala was recently informed that deep within the ruins (perhaps buried beneath both Earth and Time) there might be an ancient Ernaldan temple, dating back to the Dawn or Storm Age. This would likely be located near the ruins of the palace courtyard. Treya, if along, can hardly contain herself at this news. She lets out a sound that lands somewhere between a bark and a laugh. Whether it’s trolls or Tuskers matters not to her. First, Daravala needs more information about the ruin— what really happened there, whether there is any information about the temple, whether the stories about the omens and rumors are true, etc. And she may be willing to fund a fully equipped exploratory expedition later if the adventurers can bring her something substantive, something that would justify her delving into the temple treasury and funding an expedition. She needs scouts, eyes on the ground, and she is willing to pay. Daravala’s First Task Daravala is willing to pay an initial sum of 10 L for some preliminary research and negotiates a more appropriate price for the actual expedition if the adventurers find leads that give credence to the rumors. For a comparison about how much of a payment this is, see the Sages and Scribes section on page 413 in the RuneQuest core rules. It’s a good rate for an afternoon’s research. The adventurers’ task is to obtain some verification of the rumors Daravala has heard (“What actually happened at the Smoking Ruin?”) and report back to her as soon as they have something in hand. Questions for Daravala The following points may come up before the adventurers leave Daravala’s office. The gamemaster should use Daravala’s emotional state vis-à-vis the adventurers and any skill rolls to determine how much of this to reveal and to what extent. Remember that Daravala is pressed for time, under pressure, and ideally needs to get the adventurers going as soon as she can. . It seems that not only were many trolls killed there, but their bodies were burned and (somehow) fires continue burning within the ruin to this day. This seems preposterous to Daravala, and of this she is very skeptical. (Treya would, of course enthusiastically agree, and begins to talk about her grandmother. And Tuskers. It is advisable that an adventurer either Talking to Daravala Daravala indeed is not in the best of moods. Now might be an appropriate time for using Communication skills, Passions, or leveraging Treya and her relationship with anyone the adventurers have met. Perhaps if the adventurers have thought of bringing a gift, presenting it could take the edge off things. If Treya accompanies the adventurers, things go easier for them, but it still takes some effort to calm Daravala down after the craftsman disappointed her. If Treya is not with the adventurers, it might take a special or a critical on a Communication-based roll to calm the waters. Any worshipers of Ernalda among the adventurers help the situation considerably. While the adventure may stall if they don’t get Daravala to give the mission, the adventurers should earn this. There are other, albeit trickier, ways to get the information they seek, but this is the most direct. If the adventurers succeed at distracting her from her frustrations, Daravala listens to a pitch (from either Treya or the adventurers, with the adventurers being more desirable), which includes appropriate descriptions of how the adventurers’ skills, passion, and abilities would be useful during this time when the priestess is trying to make her mark. Although it is true that a more politic way of phrasing things would do the adventurers well, it is also true that Daravala needs some help with a task requiring travel to the west. There is a deadline on the horizon, and she feels pressured to show everyone they made a mistake passing her over. Once They Have Gotten Her Attention… Eyeing the adventurers, she does admit their skills and knowledge may be useful, as she does have a long list of tasks needing to be done. One task is very important to her and would be best to have completed quickly. It involves overland travel, and she hopes the adventurers are amenable. If in the room, Treya begins to breathe rapidly, panicking, but says it’s nothing to be concerned about. Daravala recently became aware of a possible rare find in a ruined area the Smoking Ruin, west of here. While rumor describes this area as “full of dangers potentially dire and unfortunate,” she is, in truth, uncertain of the area’s exact status. It seems many trolls died within these ruins in the past, and there are stories of the ruins being haunted. Treya begins to argue the point, claiming it’s not haunted. Hopefully one of the adventurers holds her back.

The Smoking Ruin 57 personality quirks that raises doubts in Ereneva about Treya. Daravala is always aware when she steps over the line, and immediately knots her eyebrows together and takes a deep breath to attempt to mollify the words she just uttered. The upcoming Ernaldan Holy Day is a big one for Daravala, as she knows that if she can make a big impression with her assignment from Ereneva she can go a long way toward changing Ereneva’s opinion of her. It’s very important to Daravala, and the mission she’s giving the adventurers is only one of her plans. If she can really pull off something big, she might even show Leika that someone outside the Ernaldoring clan’s inner circle can succeed. Daravala Chan STR 12 CON 15 SIZ 9 DEX 13 INT 17 CHA 11 POW 16 Hit Points: 15 Move: 8 DEX SR: 2 SIZ SR: 2 Runes: Air 75%, Beast 85%, Fertility 75%. Rune Points: 10 (Ernalda) Rune Spells: All common Rune spells plus Analyze Magic (1 pt.), Absorption (1 pt.), Bear Fruit (1 pt.), Bless Crops (1 pt.), Bless Pregnancy (1 pt.), Command Snake (2 pts.), Dismiss Earth Elemental (1–3 pts., any size), Heal Body (3 pts.), Regrow Limb (2 pts.), Reproduce (2 pts.), Summon Earth Elemental (1–3 pts., any size). Spirit Magic: Befuddle (2 pts.), Demoralize (2 pts.), Heal 3, Second Sight (3 pts.). Magic Points: 16 Passions: Devotion (Ernalda) 90%, Loyalty (Earth Temple) 90%, Love (Clearwine) 55%, Loyalty (Colymar Tribe) 75%. Spirit Combat Damage: 1D6+3 Reputation: 40% Armor: None Skills: Bargain 91%, Cult Lore (Ernalda) 84%, Listen 65%, Lore (Dragon Pass) 78%, Orate 101%, Spirit Combat 61%. Language: Speak Heortling 97%, Speak Tradetalk 77%, Speak Esrolian 51%, Read Write Esrolian 55%, Read/ Write Heortling 70%, Read/Write Theyalan 50%, Read/ Write Tradetalk 60%. Ransom: 1,500 L Weapon % Damage SR Pts Dagger 44 1D4+2 8 12 Small Shield 77 1D6 7 8 stop her mouth or escort her out of the room at this moment.) What foul magic could cause this? .While some say the Tusk Riders were to blame, and that they killed the trolls (the gamemaster should have Treya react at this point), others claim dragonewts were somehow involved—what other kind of being could use the magic causing the horrible, ever-burning fires? (This inspires Treya to retell her grandmother’s tale; it is up to the other adventurers to quash this if they don’t want to hear it once more.) .The location of the Smoking Ruin is within an otherwise peaceful valley (Hiia’s Valley) near a major trading route coming from Sartar heading to Queen’s Post. The Ruin is west of the Dragonspine. That certainly doesn’t jibe with the idea that deadly beings inhabit the Ruin today. . Ultimately, she wants to verify whether the site does contain a shrine or temple to Ernalda, and if so, what remains and whether there are artifacts that should be relocated to Clearwine (likely this involves a second expedition). She is clearly excited about the prospect. . Her scouts (the adventurers) must be discreet in their enquiries. That they are looking for information regarding the Smoking Ruin is certainly fine to mention. They absolutely, under no circumstances, should reveal that they are working for her. Daravala emphasizes this with a pointed “And whatever you do, don’t let the High Priestess Ereneva, know! This is a surprise for her!” “Come back with information!” she snaps at the adventurers to end their discussion. The adventurers must now take their leave to gather the information she seeks. “Quickly!” she yells after them as they go. The adventurers head down the staircase, hoping to avoid a replay of the craftsman’s unfortunate exit. “She’s not always that bad. Sometimes she’s even worse.” Treya exclaims as they hurry off. Daravala Chan, Niece of Erannina Chan Priestess of the Clearwine Earth Temple. Female, age 35. Ernaldoring clan. Second cousin of Ereneva Chan. Daravala has the smarts and administrative skills to back up her words, along with the respect of many, given her relationship with the former High Priestess. Despite this, she has a bit of a temper and sometimes it overcomes her better nature and she just blurts things out. It is one of the

RuneQuest 58 a copy of this map. The fragment is designed to give the adventurers some idea about what to expect when they arrive at the Ruin, but not too much. It leaves much to their imagination, and the gamemaster should keep notes about their guesses as to the meaning of the textures, and colors, and assumptions made during their examination. In this way, the guesses made by the players can turn out to be correct without the gamemaster needing to re-work the Information Available within Clearwine There are two easy sources of information for the adventurers if they wish to investigate within Clearwine to solve Daravala’s requests (traveling further afield doesn’t seem wise, given how anxious Daravala is for them to get going). .Treya is certainly a resource on the history of the Storm Age, some (but not all) the legends about the Ruin, and the general geography between here and there. Admittedly, if the adventurers mention ‘Tuskers’ she retells (again) the story of her grandmother (embellished now by brandishing a makeshift spear in reenactment) and, if she hasn’t yet been able to, leverage her knowledge of the location and legends to wheedle her way into the adventurer group. But most of this has been recounted. If asked, she summarizes again. . More important than any of her ramblings is that she knows where there is a shrine to Lhankor Mhy in Clearwine, and is certain that the priest, Hastur, can help. If for some reason things have gone south with Treya, or she doesn’t really fit into the group’s current composition, the gamemaster could just have the adventurers find their way to Hastur. Anyone seeking knowledge eventually ends up talking to a Lhankor Mhy priest, after all. Hastur is located at the Lightbringers Temple (Location 9 on the map). Information Available from Hastur Some of the information listed in Extra Details on page 39 may be communicated to the adventurers during their interviews with Hastur (or any additional conversations they might have in Clearwine). Remember that some very detailed information should only be available on special or critical skill results. Hastur is thrilled that someone has sought his advice, bringing with them a knotty research problem. The gamemaster should not let the adventurers leave Hastur without the burnt map fragment. The Burnt Map Fragments Deep within a box at the far back of Hastur’s storage room, the adventurers should find an old map fragment of the Dawn Age settlement now known as the Smoking Ruin. This fragment is labeled ‘burnt fragment.’ See nearby for Burnt Fragment Map Notes This map was the original drawing created during the exploration of the Ruins by the centaur named Makes Scratches. Afterwards, Makes Scratches used the drawing to help put out a fire. Years later, scribes of Lhankor Mhy added notes, scribbles and thoughts upon it, which are at times accurate and other times woefully mistaken guesses. How the map ended up Hastur’s in Clearwine is up to the gamemaster. While the various locations on this map (which are, in the main, just hinted at) do correspond to locations on the main map, the gamemaster is encouraged to let the players’ imaginations re-configure the map if desired. Vamargic’s lair doesn’t have to be in the north-west corner; Ernalda’s Well could be in the palace courtyard.

The Smoking Ruin 59 Return to Daravala The adventurers should consolidate their information and whatever questions they have and head back to the Earth Temple. There, they meet with Daravala, who is anxious to see them, especially with the map in their hands. Once the adventurers reveal the information gleaned from around town and from Hastur, Daravala offers the adventurers a magic crystal (see page 60) to assist them in fighting spirits. Daravala asks to see the burnt fragment map and gives some suggestions as to the most logical place for the location of an Ernaldan Temple. Wherever she points (somewhere in the ruined buildings), she is wrong. The burnt section of the map at the bottom almost cuts off the location of the old temple. She is prepared to fully fund the journey and asks the adventurers to put together an invoice listing the items they should need. She pays for transportation, food, lodging, and the adventurers’ time in transit. While the gamemaster should negotiate all this with the adventurers, the pay Daravala offers is more than fair. Any attempt to gather prices to submit to Daravala brings the adventurers into contact with Sora. She would like the adventurers to return by Clayday of Fertility Week, a high holy day of Ernalda—roughly two weeks from now—which would be an auspicious day to reveal any artifacts the adventurers bring back. Chewing at her lip, she re-states the level of importance for this request. “No,” she says. “You must return by Clayday.” The quickest route to the Ruin would be to take a boat downriver to Duck Point and, from there, get some horses and travel cross-country to the ruins. Daravala offers to assist in acquiring these items if it would get the adventurers on the road sooner than later. If the adventurers ask around Clearwine for travel time, a ‘best guess’ estimate to the Ruin would be a “two- or three-day journey” from Duck Point.” This is an estimate given by people in Clearwine. It is a little bit of an underestimate, as it turns out. Act 2: on to the Ruin “The quickest way to get to the Ruin is downstream by boat to Duck Point, and then overland from there… that’s what they said.” Downriver to Duck Point The trip downriver from Clearwine to Duck Point should be uneventful. The adventurers can rent a boat in Clearwine. To get approval for the ‘budget’ that Daravala asked for, the adventurers must shop for prices in Clearwine, which brings adventure. The fragment should, ideally, leave the players with more questions than answers. Hastur knows the story of this map (at least some rumors about its origin). A centaur named Makes Scratches crafted it, so the stories go. This centaur, known as a ‘maverick’ within her people because she tried to learn how to write and draw, had visited the Ruin years ago and created the map. But, upon her return she told tales of ‘dancing fires’ and these fires set her tail ablaze and Makes Scratches used the parchment upon which she had created the map to put out the flames. Parts of the map are long gone. She then traded the map for more ink and parchment, and a trader brought it here and told the tale. There is a key to Scratches’ symbols on the map, as Hastur explains it to the adventurers. The map of the Smoking Ruin has a detailed key to the locations. Lastly, if any adventurers worship Lhankor Mhy or have high literacy skills, Hastur reveals that his research indicates that the Ruin was originally built to house the guests at Ernalda’s wedding to Orlanth. Encounter with Ereneva As the adventurers wander the town gathering info, they run into Ereneva Chan. As noted, Ereneva likes Treya, and was instrumental in getting Treya the job to sing today. Treya is glad to see Ereneva, and the conversation starts off with congratulations on the performance, kind words for any adventurers who assisted, and a general question for Treya about what is next on her plate. This encounter puts the adventurers in a bit of a dilemma. Treya wants to blurt out that they are heading to the ruin at Daravala’s orders, but of course Daravala has given specific instructions to avoid this subject.’ The gamemaster should give the other adventurers ample opportunity to cut her off, change the topic, etc. If the members of the adventurers do anything of this sort, trying to obey Daravala’s command, Treya backs off and Ereneva does not find out what the adventurers are up to. Otherwise, Ereneva finds out, and this prevents the encounter with the agents of Leika from occurring in Beast Valley (pages 68–69). If the adventurers introduce themselves to Ereneva after she praises their contribution to Treya’s performance, and the adventurers do not stop Treya from blurting that they are working for Daravala, that combination adds a bonus to Reputation (+1D2%), but only to those who perform with Treya at the end of this adventure.

RuneQuest 60 While travel times are affected by weather, it takes roughly one long day downriver to Duck Point. If the adventurers are being very efficient and the gamemaster feels the need to put more time pressure on them, the rain could get worse and it might take two days to get to Duck Point. Duck Point Duck Point is a gateway and an adventure decision point; a chance for the adventurers to pick up any materials needed for the trip, and to meet some non-player characters and gather information they might need. Guidance is available here to determine the best route to take to the ruin. Any encounters the gamemaster desires should be included here, especially if the adventurers have mentioned they want to avoid Beast Valley. This assumes they cross at least a portion of Beast Valley; what is important is not whether they cross the majority of Beast Valley but rather making certain the adventurers get opportunities to gather the information they need. Encounter with Four Steps Blue While the adventurers are unloading their boat, they see an odd sight: straddling a floating log, meandering along and keeping pace with the current, is a crested dragonewt (Glorantha Bestiary, page 35). He at first seems uninterested in the adventurers, but as they are fussing about on the docks, Treya is joking with an adventurer about how soaked they all are, pointing the finger (as usual) at herself as the worst of the bunch. During this joking with one of the adventurers, she is laughing loudly. Four Steps cocks his head and begins to paddle over to the adventurers. He seems an expert at piloting his log. If Treya isn’t with the group, the gamemaster needs to invent a different reason for Four Steps to approach everyone. Or not. Dragonewts follow their own logic. Note that combat statistics are not provided for Four Steps. If events devolve to the point where the gamemaster needs this information, things have seriously gone off track and should be dialed back. In extremely halting Tradetalk, Four Steps calls out “Thinala bark!” in Tradetalk. He is referring to Treya’s laugh and mentioning her grandmother’s name. This is designed to get Treya’s attention. Four Steps knew Thinala, Treya’s grandmother. And get her attention it does. Whether the word ‘Thinala’ is quite understood by the adventurers or not, every adventurer should be able to make out the word ‘bark,’ as Four Steps pronounces it as ‘yiap yiap!’—imitating the bark of a small dog., which should them into a possible encounter with Sora. The gamemaster can handle this with Bargain rolls, or simply skip ahead to them already en route, boat rented. Along the River As soon as the adventurers set out downriver, it begins to rain. Steady, never-ending rain. Not a downpour, exactly, but enough that everyone should want to get out their rain gear, cover their weapons, and try to stay out of the rain if they can. The adventurers get to a slow-moving bend in the river and find themselves passing a small, densly forested area at the edge of the Colymar territory. Treya would know this was once held by the Elves and now said to be dangerous. Usually river travelers bypass the place. Assuming the adventurers are on a tight schedule—advisable in general for this adventure— they should glide on by. If the adventurers are curious, a successful Homeland Lore (Sartar) roll reveals that, over the years, many have disappeared into this forest, and there are rumors of dark forces—broos have been sighted—that have taken innocent people before. The gamemaster, and Treya, if that is necessary, insists the adventurers keep going. Daravala’s Spirit Crystal Gift Daravala gives the adventurers a loan of a crystal containing a spell spirit. This spirit knows a combination of spells as determined by the gamemaster at the time of the gift in order to balance the knowledge and abilities of the adventurers. Daravala has already bound the spirit, so it obeys the holder of the crystal. The crystal contains a spirit named Shinga. It casts spells at the command of the holder, but its magic points are only available to Shinga herself. Ideally, a worshipper of Ernalda or Orlanth should use it. If an Ernaldan worshipper wields it, there is a random chance of 50% per use (casting a spell) that the crystal also manifests the Show Spirit shaman ability (RuneQuest core rules, page 361). Once manifest, this ability is always on at the desire of the wielder. Shinga POW 15 INT 12 CHA 12 Magic Points: 15 Spirit Magic: The gamemaster should use as many as makes sense for balance, within the spirit’s CHA of 12. Perhaps some of these might be hidden from the players and used on an ‘as needed’ basis, with Shinga acting to intelligently support the adventurers: Control Spirit (1 pt.), Detect Spirit (1 pt.), Distraction (1 pt.), Extinguish 3, Second Sight (3 pts.), Spirit Screen 2.

The Smoking Ruin adventurers; the goal is to allow Treya to keep some parts of the conversation private while allowing her to share other parts with the adventurers. The conversation consists of the following points: . Four Steps knew Treya’s grandmother and fought with her against Tusk Riders (perhaps a description or some gesturing between the two of them might be described). . Four Steps knows Thinala didn’t die at the hand of Tusk Riders, but rather had been betrayed using magic and is trapped in a nether world. Treya now looks like she was slapped in the face, because her dream of avenging Thinala by killing some Tuskers or stealing some Tusker artifacts has been crushed. And the knowledge her grandmother had been betrayed is crushing. Trolls, the Ruin, adventure... it all doesn’t matter. . Four Steps knows the story of the dragonewts and the trolls and the Smoking Ruin, but doesn’t reveal all the details to Treya, just telling her that Tuskers had nothing to do with the killing or the Atonement magic. When Treya presses Four Steps for further details, she shares that she is going to the Ruin with her friends. This, in turn, causes Four Steps to pause, because he knows the potential danger there and isn’t sure whether there is residual dragonewt magic that could trap the adventurers. But he knows he cannot stop them. At this point, he asks Treya to point out her ‘friends.’ She does. He goes to each of Treya’s friends in turn and says, in very halting Tradetalk, the following three sounds: “At. One. Ment.” His Tradetalk skill is only 15%, so the gamemaster should ask for a Speak strike the players as odd, except if any of them remember Treya’s high pitched laugh. Treya makes out her grandmother’s name, and, having grown up being told she has her grandmother’s laugh, drops whatever she is holding and replies in crude Auld Wyrmish. Four Steps speaks back, a series of hums and growls in the strange and harsh tongue. Treya immediately wades right into the river (becoming covered in mud and garbage) and drags Four Steps up onto the dock, conversing furiously in Old Pavic. Duck traders nearby begin a loud incessant squawking that makes it almost impossible to hear oneself think and renders all conversation between the humans impossible. Whether they are squawking about the odd sight of a fully clothed, mud-covered human female talking to a dragonewt, or simply the appearance of a dragonewt screaming on the docks of Duck Point, or because they may have heard a warning about this group of adventurers from friends of Leika looking for a group of adventurers (see pages 68–69), or all of the above, it doesn’t matter. The gamemaster should play up the confusion and commotion. To continue the conversation, the adventurers must move away from the dock. Treya is oblivious to any of the adventurers; she is entirely focused on Four Steps. She wishes to talk to the dragonewt, but she wants it to happen away from the crowd at the docks. It doesn’t need to be private, just away from all the squawking and shouting. If any of the adventurers knows Speak Auld Wyrmish or Speak Old Pavic, they should be able to understand some of the conversation. If any of the adventurers have Elder Race Lore (Dragonewts), or anything even remotely close which might allow a skill roll to listen or (potentially) to join in, let them make an appropriate skill roll. The idea here isn’t to keep this conversation private from the rest of the

RuneQuest 62 the word, atonement is achieved by paying for past sins. For dragonewts, atonement is achieved by the realization that they never left their Egg, that the split was an illusion. Applying that idea to trolls, atonement is thus the undoing of a split that never occurred, “the way back to what was never lost.” In order to call their attention to this, the dragonewts created everlasting fire and engulfed Vamargic and his minions (and Braineater’s minions, for that matter) in those flames. The ‘sin’ committed by these trolls was to kill each other for food, which Kyger Litor forbids. These flames work as a form of ‘penance’—as we humans understand the word—in order to cleanse the trolls of their aberrant behavior and return them to their mother. One-Eye (see page 90–91) facilitates this ‘penance’ through the ritual of the Dance. One-Eye is particularly well-suited for this task’. Note that trolls would not think of this as penance; the word is used to help understand what is happening when One-Eye performs the ritual over trolls that have been burning for hundreds of years. The ritual is in a small way a heroquest, re-enacting the actions of a small spider which reunited Kyger Litor with her favorite daughter. Dragonewts feel a certain debt to followers of Kyger Litor as she was the first to quit the Second Council, showing dragonewts her wisdom. Thus, in the mind of dragonewts, especially Four Steps Blue, they have done the trolls a favor. The next important question on the adventurers’ minds should be to make sure they have all their needed supplies, and how to get from Duck Point to the Ruin. Following are three potential routes and their distances, as well as any complications that might occur along the way. From Duck Point to the Ruin Once the adventurers get to Duck Point, they need to shift from following the river to hoofing it overland. Leaving from Duck Point, the adventurers could go one of three ways: a) through Dragon Pass on the main road which leads to Wintertop. This route takes five-to-six days going toward Wintertop, then hangs a left and follows over the hills and approaches the Smoking Ruin from the north along Ghost Trail. The description of the approach to the ruin in Act 3 and details about the ruin in Act 4 assume the adventurers did not go this way. If the adventurers go this way the gamemaster may need to improvise to get them back on track. If the adventurers strike up a conversation with anyone at the docks, this the only viable route the players can discover, along with the commonly known time estimate (five-to-six Tradetalk roll for each adventurer to see what they take away from those utterances (roll secretly and relay the results). . If the roll is a critical, the adventurer understands the three words, exactly as written above. . If the roll is a special, the words could be interpreted as any of the following: “Ate. One. Man.” Or “At. This. Man.” Or Ate. One. Moment.” . If the roll is a normal success, use any of those possibilities but leave one word out, so two example possibilities are “This. Man,” or “Ate. One.” And so forth. Each roll should be done in private by the gamemaster to foment as much conversation and confusion on the players’ part as possible. Four Steps is saying “Atonement.” If any adventurers figure this out by simply thinking about it, the gamemaster should award any who figured this out +1D3% to their Speak Old Pavic or Speak Auld Wyrmish (their choice) at the end of the adventure. It is up to the gamemaster whether they should be told they are correct before the adventurers gets to the Ruin. After this exchange, Four Steps whispers in Treya’s ear, then gets on his log once again and paddles off toward the north. Treya simply says, “Four Steps Blue is his name. He knew my grandmother, fought with her. He recognized my laugh.” (This brings up a bit of a catch in her throat, an emotional moment while she blinks back tears) “He says the ruin is very dangerous. We shouldn’t go. Anyone who wants out, should stay here. I’m going. Going for honor.” She pulls out her battleaxe, almost hitting the nearest adventurer in the head, and strides off from the riverbank. She remains silent, staring and focused for the rest of the time in Duck Point. She never reveals her anger at her grandmother’s betrayal. If Treya is not with the adventurers, handle the encounter thusly: if at any point during their time in Duck Point— they have to get horses and supplies—the adventurers reveal enough about their destination that a bystander could reasonably infer their destination is the ruins, the adventurers are approached by Four Steps Blue and he utters the phrase described above. Follow the same procedure. Atonement The dragonewts define atonement for the trolls as the reconciliation of Kyger Litor and her estranged children; the recovering of at-one-ment. As humans understand

The Smoking Ruin 63 The adventure assumes the ‘around the Dragonspine’ route. But, ideally, the way the adventurers uncover this best route should require some digging or interactions with non-player characters. Rumors in Duck Point During their time in Duck Point, the adventurers can acquire information about the ruin. These rumors may include: .All those stories about the dragonewts killing the trolls are false. “It was Tuskers! And there is proof! The reason the troll spirits are trapped is that Death Binding was used. This is obvious, right? And, if that isn’t enough, there’s a memorial trophy to their victory on a butte sticking up from the valley floor that has a Beast Rune etched in the base. You’re crazy to go there! Death, Fire Darkness!” At this rumor, Treya becomes a bit crazed, and tells the story of how her grandmother died with honor (again!). She’s very days). That time estimate alone should discourage the adventurers from using that route. The second way, down and around the Dragonspine through Seven Fouls Valley, sometimes called the ‘Rack Route’ for reasons lost to history, takes two-to-three solid days (estimates for this route are guestimates: there are too many variables, the route can be tricky to follow, it’s Grazer territory, weather, etc.) This route is affected by weather more than either of the other routes, but it is the only route that gets them to the Ruin close to schedule. There are warnings about Beast Valley and Beast Men which accompany these details. “At least you skirt north of that crazy Wild Temple,” some say. The third route they hear about is the ‘known trade route’ which takes them down and around along the established trading route to Queen’s Post (although you wouldn’t go all the way to Queen’s Post: they’d leave the route early and cut overland north east toward Smoking Ruin). This is safe, the roads are maintained, etc. This takes seven-to-ten days.

RuneQuest Act 3: From Duck Point to the Ruin The adventurers’ travels from Duck Point to the ruin should occur as expeditiously as possible (keep reminding the players of the deadline) but should never feel like the adventurers are in danger. The tone should almost be contemplative as information is revealed. The adventurers should get a sense that there is much more to this story than they know, and hopefully arrive at the Ruin with many of their preconceptions unraveled. If the adventurers choose not to go through Beast Valley or heads down to the Ruin from Dragon Pass, adjust these encounters so the source of the information is changed, but the purpose remains the same. The goal here should be to increase the level of confusion the players have about what they are going to find when they get to the Ruin, increase their concern regarding exactly what Four Steps Blue told Treya, and hopefully open their minds to any possibilities that might come their way. Beast Valley The most direct route over the Dragonspine takes the adventurers through Beast Valley. The map shows the most direct route, which takes them north of the Wild Temple. The weather gets worse, rain and wind increasing the entire way as they cross Beast Valley and over the Dragonspine. The trek across Beast Valley is an opportunity to gain information about the Ruin from an encounter with Dappled Light, as well as other encounters depending on what has occurred to the adventurers leading up to this point. Following are some suggested encounters in Beast Valley. proud. It’s as if she is trying to convince herself that she is worthy of her grandmother’s legacy. .This rumor is false. However, Treya both wants and doesn’t want it to be true. She’d love to skewer some Tuskers, though, if just for the fun of it, given the mood she’s in. Note that Four Steps’ story refutes this rumor. The gamemaster may determine to have this rumor proceed the encounter with Four Steps or follow the encounter, as she sees fit. The goal here is to confuse the issue slightly—were there Tusk Riders or not—and to allow for moments during the trip where Treya must decide how much of what Four Steps has told her she reveals to the adventurers. .The Ruin is actually a holy site for centaurs. There was a centaur priest of Arachne Solara who created a reincarnation ritual that uses ink found only at a holy spring in the old Courtyard. (This rumor is true and sets up a conversation with Dappled Light that may happen in Beast Valley.) .The original Citadel was where Orlanth and Ernalda held their wedding feast. (This rumor is true.) .The Dragons destroyed the Citadel at one point and still guard the location. (This rumor is false.) . Korol Kandoros is buried there, but his tomb has never been uncovered. (This is left to the gamemaster to determine. Another adventure could be constructed based on this rumor.) The gamemaster should use these as best fits the players and their curiosity, depending on which rumor most excites them. Equipment Any equipment the adventurers need should be available in Duck Point. Prices are 85% normal going market rate.

The Smoking Ruin 65 If the adventurers mention that the Ruin is their actual destination, the centaurs question the adventurers’ sanity, discussing the dangers in vague terms. Spirits, ghosts, elementals, and, above all else, trolls. If the adventurers continue to talk and offer them any kind of gift for passing through Beast Valley, the centaurs allude to old grievances between centaurs and trolls, but imply that was all long ago, now forgotten. They never mention their part in the battle against Vamargic but warn the adventurers about a ‘dread horror’ that lives in the Ruin. This horror carves up victims and makes jewelry out of the body parts. Dappled joins in on this point, confirming it. They know that the dragonewts did something after the Beast Men killed all the trolls, but they don’t understand what. If asked about Makes Scratches, they are interested in hearing the entire story as it has been told to the adventurers. They ask whether the adventurers have told them everything even after the adventurers have told them everything they know. Dappled Light pushes for more details. If shown the burnt map without mentioning the Makes Scratches’ story, one of the patrol members hands it to Dappled Light, who says nothing, but who reacts with a smile, gives the map back, and immediately turns and heads off with her command. This event triggers a later event on the adventurers’ return trip back home after the adventurers has finished at the Ruin. Dappled joins them at this point. Centaur Scout Command After crossing the stream into Beast Valley, the adventurers notice a group of centaurs tracking them. There are two more centaurs than the total number of adventurers (including Treya). They keep pace with the adventurers but remain 200 meters off; observing them from a rise a slight way off and then circling around to observe from some other location. The centaurs observe but do not approach on their own. They are described on page 67. Even at a distance, one of the centaurs seems more tattooed and exudes magical power. She is the leader of the patrol; her name is Dappled Light (the pattern on her forequarters looks like sunlight passing through a leafy tree). They leaves the adventurers alone if they simply pass through the valley. If any of the adventurers peacefully approach the centaurs, to ask for information or guidance, the centaur patrol members talk to the adventurers haltingly in Tradetalk. They never let on their true degree of fluency in Tradetalk (65%, but they pretend it is much lower). Points of conversation might include: If Tusk Riders are mentioned, the centaurs spit and curse, but say they haven’t seen any. They laugh if the Tusker rumors regarding who killed the trolls in any form are related, joking amongst themselves, but say nothing more about it. If pressed, they claim that Tuskers ‘absolutely’ killed the trolls. Who else? This gets Treya a bit excited, and she may ask Dappled a question about what she knows. The Lost Valley This sourcebook contains another adventure, Urvantan’s Tower (pages 124–158), set in the Lost Valley, a region called Long Home by its denizens (pages 113–116). The valley’s major settlement is a village named True Ford, a site well-known to traders and travelers through the region. Long Home is technically a Grazelander protectorate, but the people there are mostly Old Tarshite culturally. True Ford serves as a pleasant way-stop for those passing through. If the gamemaster is running Urvantan’s Tower, this adventure could present a perfect opportunity for foreshadowing, introducing the valley prior to that adventure. If desired, Treya suggests a stop in True Ford while en route to the Smoking Ruin, in which time the adventurers might meet some of the denizens and learn about the area before being sent there by Queen Leika in the latter adventure. A visit to Long Home should be relatively quiet and pleasant, but the primary issue of whether to open the valley to the outside world is prevalent on everyone’s minds, whether to the Lunar Empire (which has established a prior claim, described on page 111), pledging itself officially to the Grazelands and the Feathered Horse Queen, or to neighboring Sartar. The gamemaster can introduce any number of the town’s residents, including Danbar the Warden Captain, Maroftoor the Elder, or even a brief meeting with Urvantan the sorcerer himself, in town for supplies. A return to the valley during the second adventure should then have additional emotional resonance, as the adventurers may remember their pleasant stay in the town and be especially moved at the peoples’ plight when they are threatened by the Company of the Manticore (see page 125).

RuneQuest 66 Dappled Light STR 21 CON 13 SIZ 25 DEX 14 INT 15 CHA 14 POW 17 Hit Points: 18 Move: 12 DEX SR: 2 SIZ SR: 0 Runes: Air 75%, Beast 85%, Fertility 75%. Rune Points: 0 (Arachne Solara) Rune Spells: All common Rune magic. Spirit Magic: Countermagic 3, Heal 3, Mobility (1 pt.), Second Sight (3 pts.), Slow (1 pt.). Magic Points: 37 (17+10+10 for allied spirit and magic crystal) Passions: Hate (Trolls) 80%, Hate (Tusk Riders) 80%, Honor 90%, Loyalty (Ironhoof) 90%, Loyalty (Patrol Members) 80%. Reputation: 30% Spirit Combat Damage: 1D6+3 Armor: Equine body has 1-point hide. Leather cuirass and vambraces (human body, 2 pts.), composite helm (3 pts.). Skills: Play Instrument (Flute) 40%, Orate 102%, Sing 47%, Spirit Combat 102%. Language: Speak Beast Speech 85%, Speak Tradetalk 65%. Allied Spirit: (in Beast Rune tattoo on cheek) CHA 8, POW 10. Knows Countermagic 4, Detect Spirit (1 pt.), Dispel Magic 3. Magic Items: 10-point magic storage crystal. Treasures: Carries 20 L in coin. Ransom: 7,500 L Dappled Light’s Hit Locations Location D20 Armor/HP Right Hind Leg 01–02 1/6 Left Hind Leg 03–04 1/6 Hindquarter 05–06 1/9 Forequarter 07–08 1/9 Right Foreleg 09–10 1/6 Left Foreleg 11–12 1/6 Chest 13–14 2/9 Right Arm 15–16 2/6 Left Arm 17–18 2/6 Head 19–20 3/7 Weapon % Damage SR Pts Broadsword 80 1D8+1+2D6 6 8 Javelin 45 1D10+1D6 2 10 Hoof* 48 1D8+2D6 5 1 * Can kick with hoof at the same time as striking with a broadsword. Dappled Light Normally Dappled remains silent. However, if the adventurers mention the involvement of the Beast Men in the original battle (see page 39), or if the adventurers mention the Ruin or if the adventurers return after the Ruin with an artifact from the shrine to Arachne Solara found on the butte, she speaks. Once she starts, she won’t easily stop. She hates trolls—which is rare for Beast Men—but Dappled had clan who died at Vamargic’s hands. If Dappled learns of the adventurers’ mission she encourages them to avoid Vamargic (“the horror”) at all costs. She reveals the entrance at the bottom of the hill leading to Orlanth’s shrine, which would allow the adventurers to climb up to the top if they lack the magic to fly. She also encourages the adventurers to climb Orlanth’s Hill to get a view of the inhabitants. Dappled does not know of Ernalda’s temple. Dappled Light knows Make Scratches’ clan, and upon hearing that her writings exist or if shown a map fragment from the adventurers, wants to inform Makes Scratches’ clan that her work continues to tell her story. This gains the adventurers Reputation (see Act 5 on page 100). If the adventurers have somehow found their way to Beast Valley without the burnt map fragment, Dappled Light gives the map fragment to the adventurers, asking for its return after they are finished. At the Ruin, an old forgotten shrine to Arachne Solara is located on a thin spindly butte near the Ancient Road to the Wild Temple (see the gamemaster map). The butte can be climbed and explored by the adventurers, and there are centaur artifacts located on the top of the butte. If the adventurers share the Makes Scratches story with the centaurs, and if the adventurers return and reports their find and/or brings an artifact back, Dappled Light becomes a lifelong friend to them. The worst thing that can occur with the centaurs is that the adventurers don’t interact with them at all. There is nothing the adventurers can do to provoke a negative reaction from the centaurs. Dappled Light of Beast Valley Initiate of Arachne Solara. Female centaur, age 30. Patrol leader. Her primary goal is to observe that the adventurers—and anyone else—traverses the Valley in peace, leaving the land undisturbed.

The Smoking Ruin 67 inform the adventurers that one of Orlanth’s gifts to Ernalda on their wedding day was a Mirror in the shape of a swan. A Minotaur at Prayer Looking north from the path the adventurers can easily see Kero Fin at it reaches for the heavens. As the adventurers gaze toward that impossibly high peak, the gamemaster should ask them to make a Scan roll. Any success allows that adventurer to see a minotaur in a pose of prayer, slightly hidden behind a tree. This minotaur seems to be gazing at the same aweinspiring sight. If an adventurer approaches the minotaur, the minotaur explains in halting Tradetalk that Kero Fin is the mother of Verhala, the Lady of the Beasts, as well as the mother of Orlanth, and that much in this land is sacred to both humans and Beast Men. If the adventurers ask the minotaur about the Smoking Ruin, he advises them to stay away, that the relationship between fire and earth, light and dark have been upended and the earth burns, and darkness blocks the light of Yelm. That even Orlanth’s breath cannot cleanse that place. He says he’s heard of travelers who go near there being unable to breath in the fetid air. Typical Centaur Patrolmember Initiate of Arachne Solara. Ages 21–35. Centaurs are described in additional detail in the Glorantha Bestiary on pages 30–31. Centaur Patrolmember STR 20 CON 13 SIZ 27 DEX 14 INT 14 CHA 13 POW 10 Hit Points: 17 Move: 12 DEX SR: 2 SIZ SR: 0 Runes: Beast 75%, Fertility 75%. Rune Points: 1 (Arachne Solara) Magic: All common Rune spells. Spirit magic such as Heal 1, Mobility (1 pt.), and Slow (1 pt.). Magic Points: 11 Passions: Love (Kin) 60%, Loyalty (Ironhoof) 60%. Armor: Equine body has 1-point hide. Leather cuirass and vambraces (human body, 2 pts.), composite helm (3 pts.). Skills: Dodge 40%, First Aid 50%, Play Instrument (Stringed) 80%, Sing 75%, Spirit Combat 40%. Languages: Speak Beastspeech 50%, Speak Tradetalk 35%. Patrol Centaur Hit Locations Location D20 Armor/HP Right Hind Leg 01–02 1/7 Left Hind Leg 03–04 1/7 Hindquarter 05–06 1/10 Forequarter 07–08 1/10 Right Foreleg 09–10 1/7 Left Foreleg 11–12 1/7 Chest 13–14 2/10 Right Arm 15–16 2/7 Left Arm 17–18 2/7 Head 19–20 3/10 Weapon % Damage SR Pts. Composite Bow 60 1D8+1 2 7 Lance 50 1D10+1+2D6 2 10 Broadsword 50 1D8+1+2D6 4 12 Medium Shield 50 1D6+2D6 5 12 Hoof* 50 1D8+2D6 6 Leg * Can kick with hoof at the same time as striking with a broadsword. The White Swan The adventurers pass by a pond as they travel further into Beast Valley. Swimming in the pond is a beautiful white swan. Any adventurer with Cult Lore (Ernalda) should be given a chance to make a skill roll. On a critical or special result,

RuneQuest 68 Agents of Leika This encounter only happens if all three of the following are true: .Treya is with the adventurers. . Leika has discovered that Treya’ is under the employ of Daravala (probably from Sora). .The adventurers have not spoken to Ereneva, breaking their promise to Daravala to keep their mouths shut about their destination. Before the adventurers crosses the Dragonspine, a fastmoving patrol of hired soldiers intercepts them. Hailing the group, the leader announces that they are in the employ of Leika Black Spear and insists that the adventurers stop. Use the statistics for Leika’s Hired Scouts found on page 69. The adventurers can: .Take off and try to outrun them (unlikely, as these are experienced horsemen). As with most situations like this, taking this kind of action indicates a guilty conscience, and there is nothing that the adventurers need to be guilty about. However, if the adventurers have done something, stolen something, attacked or killed someone, this encounter is very different, as these guards know about anything the adventurers have done. . Stop and find out why they are being hailed (the best way to handle it). Clatterhoof Initiate of Verhala. Male minotaur, age 18. STR 25 CON 13 SIZ 26 DEX 14 INT 7 POW 13 CHA 10 Hit Points: 16 Move: 10 DEX SR: 3 SIZ SR: 0 Runes: Air 60%, Beast 80%. Magic: Minotaurs normally disdain magic, except for Healing or Fertility spells. Magic Points: 11 Armor: 3-point skin plus leather armor (2 pts.). Skills: Dodge 25%, Track 45%. Languages: Speak Beastspeech 30%, Speak Tradetalk 20%. Clatterhoof’s Hit Locations Location D20 Armor/HP Right Leg 01–04 5/6 Left Leg 05–08 5/6 Abdomen 09–11 5/6 Chest 12 5/7 Right Arm 13–15 5/5 Left Arm 16–18 5/5 Head 19–20 3/6 Weapon % Damage SR Pts Great Axe 55 2D6+2+2D6 5 10 Head Butt 70 1D6+2D6 7 Head Note: A minotaur can go non-magically berserk in combat, striking at half again their normal attack value. This ability is identical to the Fanaticism spirit magic spell but does not allow Dodging and costs no magic points.

The Smoking Ruin 69 Spirit Magic: Bladesharp 2, Heal 3, Protection 1, Strength (2 pts.). Magic Points: 14 Passions: Honor 60%, Loyalty (Temple) 60%, Worship (Orlanth) 60%. Armor: Leather cuirass (2 pts.), leather greaves and vambraces (2 pts.), open helm (4 pts.). Skills: Battle 30%, Climb 60%, First Aid 50%, Herd 60%, Hide 45%, Jump 60%, Listen 50%, Ride (Horse) 85%, Scan 60%. Languages: Speak Heortling 65%, Speak Tradetalk 55%. Ransom: 500 L Hired Scout Hit Locations Location D20 Armor/HP Right Leg 01–04 2/5 Left Leg 05–08 2/5 Abdomen 09–11 2/5 Chest 12 2/6 Right Arm 13–15 2/4 Left Arm 16–18 2/4 Head 19–20 4/5 Weapon % Damage SR Pts Broadsword 55 1D8+1+1D4 6 12 Javelin 40 1D6+1D4 6 8 Medium Shield 55 1D4+1D4 7 12 Javelin (thrown) 50 1D10+1D2 3 — Past the Dragonspine The adventurers cross beneath the Dragonspine without any further incident. From the point where they enter the Valley, the view of Kero Fin, looking north along the Dragonspine, is astounding. Dragonspine Map This detailed map depicts the two logical routes for the adventurers. In the north, they can go north past Ghost Around, and thence into Wintertop. From there, they travel south along Ghost Trail and can enter the ruin from the north. If they take the quicker route south, they’ll pass Laughing Dog clan, through Seven Fouls Valley, through the Gap, and then north and west to the ruin. While passing through these lands, the adventurers encounter a Grazer mercenary band (see Encounter with Grazers, following). Once stopped, the guards inform them that they are aware the adventurers are working for Daravala. While being engaged in such a task is not in itself illegal, the guards are also aware that Daravala gave the adventurers an item which was not hers to give (the crystal containing Shinga the spirit, page 60). The patrol informs the adventurers this item was given to them illegally, and demand they surrender it. The adventurers have options: . Skill Use: They can try to simply try to talk the patrol into letting them keep the crystal. Skills such as Bargain, Charm, or Fast Talk might be useful. . Politics: These guards are Orlanthi initiates. If any of the adventurers also worship Orlanth, there is a chance any adventurer knows one or more members of the patrol and might appeal to the patrol on the basis of their shared faith and the obvious danger the adventurers face when they arrive at the Ruin. This approach could call into play the patrol’s Honor and their Devotion (Orlanth) Passions. If any such tactic succeeds, the patrol allows the adventurers to keep the crystal, but informs them that, if they survive and return to Clearwine, they are to report directly to Leika, not Daravala. If those tactics fail, the adventurers can either simply refuse—which is guaranteed to arouse the anger of Leika, as the patrol inform the adventurers—or give it back. Throughout this entire discussion, Treya remains uncharacteristically silent. Leika’s Hired Scouts Initiates of Orlanth Adventurous. These mercenaries have no real desire to cause the adventurers trouble, and the gamemaster should use Treya’s Reputation if all else fails to insure they don’t rough the adventurers up when they are encountered. They are brusk and steely-eyed but back down if things get testy. They have no desire to have blood on their hands. Hired Scouts STR 15 CON 14 SIZ 15 DEX 12 INT 13 CHA 12 POW 14 Hit Points: 15 Move: 8 DEX SR: 3 SIZ SR: 1 Runes: Air 85%, Movement 75%. Rune Spells: All common Rune magic, plus Shield 1. Rune Points: 1 (Orlanth Adventurous)

RuneQuest ridden by a ghost. The mount clearly is comfortable with this arrangement, and the rider is also clearly guiding the mount even though the ghost cannot physically guide the horse. This ghost appears as a mature Grazer male of indeterminant age, dressed as a shaman. Whether he appears as he did in life or this is an affectation of his current existence is unknown. Oxus and his companions are confident, peaceful, and chatty. They are in their home territory, their riding ability clearly exceeds the adventurers’, and they come and go as they please without the adventurers being able to do much about it. The following is gleaned from a conversation with them: They are all members of the Grazer Four Gifts clan. Their herd’s summer pasture is found in the northwest corner of Grazer country. (Mare Graze Valley, northwest of here.) The Clan forms the core of the Golden Bow Spirit Society (an elite Grazer Cavalry Troop), and Oxus, a Sun Lord of Yu-kargzant, leads that unit. In his duties he is assisted by his wife, Andretta, a priestess of Ernalda. A successful Customs (Grazelands) roll would reveal that Yu-kargzant is the Grazer name for Yelm. Andretta proudly declares she co-leads the troop and is “the second cousin of the Feathered Horse Queen, Sorana herself, with whom I have some considerable influence.” She follows this with an incomprehensible gesture related to her statement. A successful Speak Pure Horse Tongue roll would communicate that Andretta is signifying “What I say is undeniably true for all to hear.” As the adventurers observes the husband and wife, it seems clear that Oxus is very respectful of his wife. Encounter with Grazers Heading west to north-west as they come out of the forest and start down the long gentle slope that heads them toward Hiia’s Valley, the adventurers spy a small group of four Grazer riders heading east along the path the adventurers just trod. From their markings (the brilliance of their horses, the colors of their clothing) these are clearly Grazer nobles. As the riders approach, it is obvious that one mount has saddle, bit, and bridle, but no rider. That horse is not being led by any of the others but is keeping up with the pace set by the leader. This leader is a tall slender male in his late 20s or early 30s, with adornments that signify a high-ranking priest. He signals a peaceful approach. His three companions come to a stop and he trots his mount a few steps forward to talk with the adventurers. He begins by welcoming them to Grazer Lands, hoping their journey along the Grazer Road (indicating the almost imperceptible path the adventurers followed) went well, and offering them any directions or assistance as they enter Hiia’s Valley. While his markings indicate he is a Sun Lord, any Yelm worshippers might note some slight variations on standard Yelm markings and regalia. He introduces himself as Oxus, leader of the Four Gifts Clan. As the adventurers begin to talk with Oxus, he gestures for his companions to come forward. At this moment the adventurers can clearly see two women (one mature, around Oxus’ age; one older, 50 years of age or so). The fourth mount is saddled but riderless. If the adventurers have abilities allowing them to see or detect spirits, they discover the fourth mount is being

The Smoking Ruin 71 . Second Gift: “While living near Smoking Ruin,” (Gedua spits as she mentions this name) “we obtained some ash from the Smoking Ruin. We kept these ashes safe after being driven from our pastures by the dragonewts.” . Third Gift: “Dryads themselves give many gifts! While taking shelter with the dryads, we gifted the dryads the Smoking Ash we had recovered from the ruins in exchange for refuge. We are not ungrateful guests. Our Sun Lord Taryn was escorted away by one of the Wild Women of the dryads, only to return many years later with an elm sapling and a mysterious gift of which only he knew, but of which he never spoke to the women. This sapling was later planted in the clan’s new home in Mare Graze Valley and is the centerpiece of a sacred dryad grove which thrives there. Every year, this elm yields magical shards of wood that are crafted and magically combined with bone to craft the Golden Bow Spirit Society’s renowned bows.” . Fourth Gift: “This gift is the secret given to Taryn by the dryads. The current Sun Lord, Oxus, knows of this gift, but its exact nature remains unspoken to the women.” Gedua’s mount finishes with a low trill as Gedua herself completes the song, also in a low register. The two sing the last notes as one. Andretta gestures. “As it should be.” Oxus asks why the adventurers are traveling on the road. If the adventurers reveal their destination, all the Grazers warn them of the great evil at the ruins, and in the clearest possible way encourage the adventurers to turn back. If asked where they are traveling, Oxus explains that every year they return to the ruin of the original clan settlement during Sea Season to tend to the graves of their ancestors. They normally winter their herd at Queen’s Post, and when Sea Season arrives, Oxus, Andretta, and Gedua ride around the extent of the queen’s lands in her name, visiting the clans and gifting her blessing as a welcome to the new year. Their herd is brought north to Mare Graze Valley by other members of the clan. They have paid their respects at their ancestors and are now heading east, then on to Wintertop, where they turn northwest to their pastures. As they gather their mounts and begin to move off, Treya, who has been silent throughout this, goes up to Andretta, bows and kisses her robe. Andretta traces a sign of the Feathered Horse Queen, and Treya bows again and returns to the adventurers. A successful Customs (Grazelands) or Homeland Lore (Grazelands) roll reveals that Grazers are a patriarchy, so this relationship between Oxus and Andretta might strike the adventurers as odd, given Oxus’ status as the leader of the Golden Bow Spirit Society. The ghost riding the horse is Andretta’s allied spirit. She introduces it as ‘Savarac.’ The last member of the foursome is named by Oxus as ‘Gedua All-Seer,’ Oxus’ mother and advisor to the clan. Her markings indicate she worships Polaris. If asked about the clan, Andretta discusses the clan history. “Our clan name comes from gifts given and received over many years of history. Our Herd once grazed in the hills south of the Peaceful Trail which leads west out of Hiia’s Valley. We lived far upstream from Queen’s Post, though it hurt my mother’s mother’s mother’s heart to be so far from our queen. While there, feeding our horses in the shadow of the Smoking Ruin, our pastures were raided by dragonewts. They stole from us a gift of great value. Barely alive, we were driven west, past the banks of the Oslir River, and thence arrived at last in the woods where dryads reside. There we lived, aided by the dryads for many years, learning from them, before we returned to the Grazelands. Moving downstream past North Post, we settled in Mare Graze Valley to re-establish our herd.” If asked about the gifts, Andretta gestures “refusal to answer at this place.” However, upon hearing the word ‘gifts’ uttered by the adventurers, Gedua All Seer begins to sing a ballad which describes the gifts. Her golden mount puffs itself up, his head high and proud, his coat gleaming with the light of Yelm. Her song has a rat-tat-tat pulse to it, like the sound of running horses. Her horse, his eyes previously just gold in appearance, now clearly glow with inner light. Easing back on his haunches, he lifts first one front leg, and then the other, marching along to his mistress’s song. At the appropriate moments, he shakes his head, snorts, and even pins his ears. The adventurers can see no visible way Gedua might be cueing her mount, but the horse is clearly an important participant in this display. . First Gift: We were performing a favor for Ironhoof, and he set us free from all ancient rulers. Now on our own, he told us “Here’s some gifts, you’ll need these” and gave us Golden Horse Anklets and an Iron Spear. A successful Scan roll reveals that the Anklets are currently worn by Oxus’ horse Loves Chestnuts and the spear is wielded by Oxus himself.

RuneQuest hurtful to breathe. Everyone coughs and their eyes water, but it is bearable. As they get to the base of their last climb toward the settlement, Yelm somehow manages to break through the acrid smoke, the rain clears, and it becomes insufferably hot. They have arrived at the Smoking Ruin. Exterior Exploration of the Ruin Approaching the Smoking Ruin from Hiia’s Valley is not easy. Even in the glory days it was a steep, rock-strewn slope, intentionally designed by Korol, who built it, for defensive purposes. The Ancient Road was the only easy way up to the settlement plateau, and to navigate the slope it needed multiple switchbacks. The Beast Men tore up the road itself after their slaughter of the trolls to keep trespassers away, and its present-day advantage as a road is only when compared to climbing the raw slope itself. The plateau is approximately 100 meters above the valley floor, though the road is about two hundred meters of steep ascent. Once the adventurers start to climb up the cliff-face, and certainly when they reach the plateau, Treya’s demeanor has lost any of the easy-going, friendly nature it had prior to Four Steps, but she abandons the silent ‘say nothing at all’ approach of the trip through Beast Valley. She is communicative, but all business. She wants nothing more than to get inside the citadel walls, but she is be foolhardy or put anyone’s life at risk. Once inside the walls, this changes. Mules can make it up the slope near the settlement, but horses find it very difficult and those using horses must tie them up near the bottom of the hill. It does not appear that the horses need to be guarded, as the surrounding valley can be viewed for miles from the plateau level. Near the top of the incline, they come across a transverse fissure in the rock, which blocks their way. Given the steep They depart with Oxus, telling the adventurers, “Come visit us after your eyes stop burning!” “If you live,” Gedua All Seer adds. A special or critical Homeland Lore (Grazelands) roll would reveal that the Four Gifts Clan is wellknown as the source of many elite bodyguards to the Feathered Horse Queen. Hiia’s Valley When the adventurers leave the riders from the Four Gifts clan, they are two days’ march upriver from Queen’s Post and have entered Hiia’s Valley. As the adventurers begin to turn to look northwest toward the Ruin, clouds of acrid smoke fill the skies in the distance. It is impossible to lose one’s way as they follow the smoke toward the once-beautiful settlement of Korol Kandoros. At the sight of this smoky sky, even though it may foretell danger and risk for the adventurers, Treya perks up and regains some of her enthusiasm and spark, which has been missing entirely since the encounter with Four Steps Blue. Near the Ruin The putrid smoke from the Ruin has been clearly visible for some time now, but as the adventurers approach it begins to irritate the eyes, mouth and skin. Even the continuing rain does not seem to cut through the smoke. The adventurers cross the river Hiia and come across a notch in the hills bordering the valley. Smoke billows from this area, and the slope begins to steepen as they turn toward the canyon. The plateau where the settlement used to lie is one hundred meters above the level of the river, a long and arduous climb. An ancient road is the easiest path, but even that highway is ruins and rubble. The adventurers approach what remains of the walls and structures of the old citadel. The air is thick with acrid smoke,

The Smoking Ruin 73 swirls in sharp diagonals through the smoke eddies, and everything appears less solid and much more dramatic. Curious Colored Smoke The smoke issuing from the corpses is tinged with colors which identify which army the dead troll had been part of. Corpses of Braineater’s troops were dressed in somber earth colors, greens and browns, and smoke from their corpses has a distinct green hue, blending from solid grey to the green rise to the citadel plateau itself, from this point they have two clear choices to finish their ascent. The first is an approach toward the west side of the structure, up past the thin spire of rock (the Beast Men Monument). That route uses the old road to gain access. On the eastern side the face it is more climbable, and access that way is easier. A stream cascades down the center of the cliff, which makes climbing up that route far too slippery. If the adventurers approach the citadel any time but Sea Season, the stream is a muddy, slippery streak down the face of the cliff. In either case, climbing right up the center is impossible. Standing impossibly thin and tall and rising right out of one of the steepest parts of the slope is a butte-like spindle, the Beast Men Monument. The spindle rises 30 meters off the side of the slope, and the only way to reach the top is to use ropes and pikes and climb up the side. It is treacherous, to say the least, but climbable for those with skill. This is a different type of rock than the slope and a successful Craft (Masonry) roll indicates that it was most likely built, not natural, and created later than the slope itself. Looking Up The main source of smoke appears to be coming from an area in the center of the citadel ruins (near the location of One-Eye’s family on the gamemaster map), but smoke is also issuing from Locations A and B and the waterfall. There are other areas of smoke, but those are the dominant locations. The outer walls of the ruins are about 10-to-12 meters tall, built of huge blocks of stone. Some have been knocked over, other sections remain in decent shape, and some are burnt and scorched as if by great heat, a heat far greater than even the ever-burning corpses of the trolls could generate. Rune-carved Cliff Face The last bit of climb before the adventurers reaches the courtyard plateau level is an almost sheer cliff-face, hewn out of solid rock. Climbable with rope and pitons, but impossible to scale any other way, this face is decorated with carvings and paint that describes Orlanth’s tests and how he claimed Ernalda from Yelm. To decipher this requires a successful Cult Lore roll related to Yelm, Ernalda, or Orlanth. Time of Day If the gamemaster can arrange it, an ideal time to approach either the west or east side of the citadel is dusk. The sun’s setting casts long shadows, highlighting the parts the gamemaster wishes to emphasize and hiding those part in shadow that are better left stumbled upon later. Yelm’s light Key to the Ruins Map Master These notes are specifically for the gamemaster. .The settlement was built on a plateau 100 meters above Hiia’s Valley floor. The traditional way to walk from the valley floor to the plateau is up the Ancient Road, which is now mostly in extreme disrepair. .The waterfall flowing off the southern cliff-face is now just a slippery flow of water during Sea Season, and a muddy scar at any other time of the year. .The ‘reddish’ splotches on the sketch are general indications where Makes Scratches sensed or encountered spirits, and the gamemaster can use them if spirit encounters are desired to link the map to what the adventurers encounter. The specific encounter areas called out are Location A, Location B, and Vamargic’s Lair (Location C) and the ruins of the original settlement (Location D). .The contour lines indicate a 20-meter shift in elevation. All height measurements are relative to the plateau itself, which is treated as ‘0’. .The rough outlines of individual buildings within the settlement should be treated as guidelines. These structures are 1,500 years old and have withstood a Dragon attack as well as the troll battle itself. There’s not much left. .At the extreme northern end of the settlement are the remains of the human palaces and royal residences. These remains might be of a slightly more elevated architectural style. .In the center of the ‘gardens’ is an area where the earth remains fertile; plants don’t grow anywhere else on the plateau, and the land itself shows the scars of the battle. This was the location of Ernalda’s original temple, as well as the location of Ernalda’s and Orlanth’s wedding. Regardless, Ernalda’s temple is buried seven meters underneath the current ground level. .The ruins of Orlanth’s shrine on the hilltop in the northwest part of the map should not be clearly visible without climbing the hill (or perhaps flying up to it). The only clue concerning that location would be the ‘scratched’ version of the Air Rune on Make Scratches’ original map.

RuneQuest 74

The Smoking Ruin 75

RuneQuest 76 One-Eye warns the adventurers if they consider attacking any of the spirits. But if the adventurers have already begun spirit combat, One-Eye runs and hides after warning the adventurers of ‘the horror.’ The adventurers are on their own. Viewing the Spirits There are normally a few ways to sense or see spirits. The shamanic abilities of Show Spirit and Second Sight would certainly facilitate viewing the spirits. Since Vamargic has a physical skeletal form, he’ll never ‘appear’ without warning. As the adventurers view any area where corpses are found (areas marked with a Spirit Rune on the map), some spirits are always returning to their corpses, some leaving to wander again, and others rest within their corpses. So, the adventurers should never be in doubt about the active nature of the spirits within the Ruin. One-Eye is always visible; she wants to be found. Approaching the East Side Using this approach (at the point labeled ‘Climbable Road’), the adventurers can clamber up to the plateau’s citadel level. Once the adventurers reach the plateau it is obvious that the steep face of the hill to the right forms an alleyway between those heights and the eastern wall of the Ruin. The steep climb up the hill on their right can be navigated but with some difficulty: ropes and gear would be a great help. East Side (Location A) Once the adventurers begin to walk down the plateau toward Location A, they can see (and smell) many smoking troll corpses littering the grounds. At first, they only come across a few scattered corpses, noting that while the clothing and weaponry is long gone, the bodies lie face-down, as if they were cut down in the act of trying to escape. Each of these corpses is still smoldering, much like white-hot charcoal. The smoke is acrid and intensely irritating; the gamemaster should reduce any Perception skills used in the swirling smoke near any of the spirit locations by –20%. As the adventurers comes closer to Location A, they perceive what looks like small human-sized fires burning just outside the opening in the wall. (If night has already fallen, these flames are much more obvious at a distance.) While observing these fires, it becomes obvious they are not standing still; they are instead hovering about, moving from side-to-side, sometimes in circular patterns. They are not hovering above any of the corpses but seem separate from them. The flames don’t seem to avoid the corpses, but they do not stay near them either. of fresh cut grass. When viewing a Braineater corpse up close, the embers that glow do seem to glow greenish-amber. The corpses of Vamargic’s army glow reddish-gold and follow the gaudy pins and buttons of rank and award that Vamargic festooned all his troops with a false sense of bravado. The embers of these corpses glow cherry red. When combined, the smoke from the two sets of corpses combines in the air above the settlement as a dark, swirling earth brown. Three Ways to the Plateau Level The adventurers can get to the flat plateau level on the west side (using remnants of the Ancient Road), or the east side, near the section of the cliff labeled ‘Climbable Road.’ A third way, heading toward the waterfall, is also described. The Cycle of the Burning Troll Corpses If the adventurers carefully examine any of the troll corpses, they notice there is a visual cycle to the changes apparent in the burning corpses. This cycle is a result of the dragonewt Atonement magic. At the beginning of the cycle, the corpse is entirely covered with flesh, although horribly decaying and consumed by active flames. This effect lasts for five minutes. Then the flames die out and the corpse’s spirit, which has been wandering during this time, invisible to all without magical means (see below) visibly returns to slips back into the body. This is viewable by any adventurer, regardless of their state (see Viewing the Spirits, below). The body then begins to glow like white-hot charcoal over its entire surface, spreading from the area of the heart toward the extremities. As the glowing spreads throughout the flesh, the smoke emitted by the corpse begins to thicken and becomes increasingly rancid, adopting the appropriate color as described in Curious Colored Smoke, above. This lasts another 10–15 minutes. During this period the spirit visibly rises from the body, bows its head in supplication and begins to wander the Ruin (fading from visibility as it does). Once the spirit leaves, the flesh begins to melt away, and the remains then become a troll skeleton without any flesh at all. The bodies stay in this state for half an hour. The smoke finally stops for a few minutes, the flesh slowly reconstitutes, the body not smoldering, and remains that way for a few minutes before the process resets. The troll corpse spirits do not interact with or harm the adventurers in any way, unless the adventurers attack them, or they are ordered to by Vamargic. If the adventurers attack them without provocation, Vamargic becomes alerted to the adventurers’ presence (see Vamargic, on page 95).

The Smoking Ruin 77 The elementals do not attack the adventurers unless the adventurers attack them first. They respond to One-Eye’s dancing ritual choreography and join in the dance, either before the adventurers do, or after (whichever way the gamemaster feels would be more dramatic and helpful to the adventurers). Air and fire elementals are described in additional detail in the Glorantha Bestiary, page 177–181. Small Air Elemental STR 9 SIZ 3 cubic meters DEX 0 POW 16 Hit Points: 9 Move: 12 Runes: Air 60%. Magic Points: 16 Air Elemental Hit Location Location D20 Armor/HP Body 01–20 0/9 Weapon % Damage SR Pts Dropping Attack* — 2D6* 12 — * Elemental pits its STR vs. target’s STR in a resistance roll to pick up. Damage is falling. Medium Fire Elemental STR 22 SIZ 3 cubic meters DEX 0 POW 16 Hit Points: 19 Move: 6 Runes: Fire 60%. Magic Points: 16 Fire Elemental Hit Location Location D20 Armor/HP Body 01–20 0/19 Weapon % Damage SR Pts Engulf* — 3D6* 12 — * Elemental can engulf up to 1 human sized target per 2 cubic meters. At the end of the round roll 3D6 and pit against the target’s CON in a resistance roll. If the fire elemental is successful, the target takes 3D6 damage against general hit points. If unsuccessful, the target takes half damage (roll and divide by 2). Armor does not protect, but Protection and Shield spells do. Approaching the Merchant’s Gate (Location A) Without magic to ‘see’ the spirits, the adventurers can perceive only the elementals, as those are visible to the naked eye. If the adventurers can detect or see spirits, the fires are revealed to be fire elementals; the dervishes are air elementals. In addition, the spirits of many dead trolls weave in and out among the elementals. Some spirits seem drawn to certain corpses; hovering near that body. Other spirits move about in a random pattern. While it looks easy to gain entry to the citadel interior through this gate (it is wide open, and the adventurers can see into the courtyard, where the Clearly these are not normal fires. Watching their movement closely, the adventurers notice what appear to be whirling dervishes interweaving with the flames. The blotches of fire are fire elementals; the dervishes are air elementals (see below). These air elementals interweave with the flames as they move about. When an air elemental passes near the flames, the flames almost extinguish, but then renew as soon as the elemental moves off. While the movement of both tends of make counting difficult, there are about a dozen figures of flame and an equal number of air elementals. All these figures center their movement near what appears to be a ruined gate leading into the settlement. The elementals are manifestations of the quarrels between Orlanth and Yelm during Orlanth’s tests and when Ernalda left Yelm (or, put another way, when Orlanth stole Ernalda away). Elementals These elementals only appear outside the Ruin, along the sides near the Merchant’s Gate and the Ceremonial Gate. They are manifestations of Orlanth (the air elementals) and Yelm (the fire elementals). The gods desire to rescue Ernalda’s property from the temple, which has been hidden these many years. If the adventurers encounter these elementals, the gamemaster might remind the players of the contests between Orlanth and Yelm for Ernalda’s affections.

RuneQuest 78 should allow one player whose adventurer is not speaking to One-Eye a skill roll to hear something. Pick an appropriate skill or a Luck roll if nothing else makes sense. On a success, the adventurer finds they can hear the music the elementals and One-Eye are responding to. On a success, the adventurer can make sense of their movements. If that adventurer then attempts to hum the tune, they are caught up in the troll magic circling about the area. The adventurer receives an automatic check for the Sing skill as if it were rolled successfully. If the adventurer then attempts to mimic the admittedly clumsy movements of the elementals or the movements One-Eye was making, they receive an automatic Dance skill experience check and learn the new skill of Elder Race Lore (Troll) at 10% (if they already have it, give them an additional +10%). One-Eye perceives the enlightenment in the adventurers and conceive of a plan to get them to help her. As soon as any adventurer begins to move with the tune (or hum it), One-Eye screams “Hombadaka Boko!! Hombadaka Boko!!” over and over, and more conversation smoke is more intense and there are many more corpses), how do the adventurers navigate the spirits and elementals to gain entry to the courtyard? It seems impossible to gain access to the gate without coming close to an elemental, a spirit, or both. It is certainly possible the adventurers may decide to try and hack their way through the elementals. It is also possible (but not likely) they could succeed with this strategy. Assume there are a dozen fire elementals and a dozen air elementals. These elementals ignore the adventurers unless attacked. Once one elemental of either type is attacked, all elementals of that type becomes hostile to the adventurers. If none of a certain type are attacked, all the elementals of that type remain neutral and let the adventurers pass. If worshippers of Yelm only attack the air elementals, the fire elementals join the adventurers to attack the air elementals. If worshippers of Orlanth only attack the fire elementals, the air elementals join those adventurers. What kind of movements do the adventurers perceive in the elementals? Any adventurer(s) with a skill, Passion, or Rune affinity over 60% that the gamemaster feels is appropriate should make a roll to notice something about the movements of the elementals. A successful roll reveals their movements to be both rhythmic and purposeful. A special or critical result allows the gamemaster to use the word ‘dance’ when describing what the elementals seem to be doing. A beautiful dance to a melody only they can hear. Any adventurer succeeding at the skill roll can predict their repeating pattern. The adventurer can understand this pattern and working within the pattern allows the adventurers to slip in between the elementals (and spirits, if they can be perceived) to get inside the citadel. At an appropriately dramatic moment, a trollkin ghost (One-Eye Bugleg, as the adventurers may discover) steps out of the swirling smoke. This ghost is obviously moving to the same rhythm and in the same patterns as the elementals. However, the troll spirits, whose movement is much more random, are not. A successful skill roll (Dance or Scan, or a Luck roll) would reveal that One-Eye is, perhaps, even leading (choreographing) the movements. The full encounter with One-Eye is described on page 88. After first encountering One-Eye, the gamemaster

The Smoking Ruin 79 rubble is the Well, described on page 85. One-Eye appears if the adventurers enter the courtyard here. Approaching the West Side (toward Location B) Walking up the slope along the Ancient Road, it is possible for the adventurers to stop and try to examine the spindle upon which the shrine to Arachne Solara has been erected. This is described on page 80. To approach the base of the spindle, one would have to clamber up, around, and over boulders strewn down the slope. As the adventurers climb up the Ancient Road (or, perhaps, using a different route up the western side) it becomes clear that the hill overlooking the Smoking Ruin (just beyond the road to Queen’s Post on the map) has a ruined structure sitting on a outcrop of rock, overlooking the citadel and potentially allowing the adventurers to see into the courtyard area. This is an ancient shrine to Orlanth and is described on page 80. Moving on along the remains of the Ancient Road, the adventurers come to the Western Gate (Location B) and begin to get a clearer sense of the ancient grandeur of Korol’s Citadel. These details could be hinted at if the adventurers arrive at night and then be fully fleshed out if the adventurers arrive in the light of day. This entrance was the ceremonial entrance to the settlement, and the walls display remains of inscriptions and bas-relief illustrations carved into the blocks of stone, celebrating life in the First Age, worship of Orlanth and Ernalda, and the glory of that age. Blocks of stone have fallen from the walls, and indeed the road has been, in parts, torn up, but it is clear this once was a glorious place, and care was taken to impress visitors approaching from this side of the citadel. As the adventurers approach the Main Gate, may occur between the other adventurers and One-Eye, depending on the language capabilities of each. One-Eye only wants to talk to the adventurer who had the realization. She tries to get the adventurers near to her family inside the courtyard. One-Eye is always willing to talk with Treya. A successful Elder Race Lore (Troll) roll reveals that Hombadaka Boko was a troll settlement during the Dawn Age, thousands and thousands of years ago. The gamemaster should refer to Come, Dance with One-Eye!, page 91. The waterfall Area Climbing up the cliff-face near the waterfall is impossible. The waterfall in Sea Season, while not cascading, is of enough volume that the falls area itself is extremely slippery and treacherous. Be sure to inform the adventurers that it is clearly easier to gain entry to the plateau by using either ‘Climbable’ section as noted on the map. The adventurers should be easily able to see that by going either just east or west of the Falls and stream there is easier access to the plateau. Once up on the plateau, be certain to mention how the adventurers see ‘balls of flame’ near Locations A or B, as appropriate. The adventurers can enter the courtyard through the ruined walls here if they wish, but the mud, the steep slope toward the cliff edge, and slippery areas make the risk of falling back off the cliff edge very real indeed. Smoking troll corpses are strewn about on the plateau level, both on the ruined wall as well as outside the walls. From their postures, they died defending the walls from an attack. Once on the plateau, the adventurers see (with magical aid) troll spirits near their corpses, wandering along the fallen walls. There is no ‘dancing’ because One-Eye is not encountered outside the walls in this section. Inside the Sixteen pieces of Limestone Sixteen centaurs died during the attack on Vamargic’s troops. As a memorial, other centaurs created an altar to Arachne Solara on the top of the butte, while their graves were placed at the base. The butte itself was built with the aid of craftsmen from a Grazer clan who lived in the Hills south of the river Hiia. They built the butte in return for a gift they received from Ironhoof after the butte was completed. They have since moved from the site into the northwest part of Grazer territory and now are known as the Four Gifts Clan. These 16 pieces of limestone are found lying at the top of the Beast Men Monument. They are incredibly thin and fragile, much like pieces of thick wire. They appear to have been expertly crafted and are so thin they give the holder the idea that if one blew on them with a determined breath, they would break into small pieces and disintegrate into dust. If the adventurers desire to take one or more of these pieces, extreme care should be taken to prevent damage. The pieces, when laid flat side-to-side in the proper orientation, form a web, reminding the viewer of the web created by Arachne Solara that bound the gods into the Compromise.

RuneQuest 80 the importance of the shrine to Orlanth on the hill gains prominence, as the adventurers can easily envision priests of Orlanth delivering booming vocal invocations from in front of the shrine that would echo along the road and down into the valley. Location B If the adventurers have not yet encountered One-Eye (by approaching Location A first) the gamemaster should repeat the encounters with the elementals as described on page 77 and then follow that up with the encounter with One-Eye. If those encounters have occurred already, the adventurers can certainly gain entry to the citadel by avoiding the elementals (they know how to match their patterns of movement already) or, if the adventurers wish to avoid the elementals and spirits entirely, can proceed north along the wall and enter the citadel city section through the point labeled ‘Servant’s Gate’ on the map. Regardless of which side of the citadel the adventurers try to enter first, the gamemaster should make sure they: a) encounter the elementals outside the walls; and b) encounter One-Eye before they get inside the citadel. It doesn’t matter which through which side they gain entry. The other ways in (these do not trigger an encounter with One-Eye outside the walls) are the waterfall, the servants’ entrance, and the rubble area north of Location A. Shrine to Orlanth The Air Rune scratched on the burnt map indicates the shrine to Orlanth. If an adventurer wishes to investigate the shrine, the climb might be tricky, but any adventurer who worships Orlanth should always succeed at this climb. Atop the ridge, the wind is blowing far in excess of what might seem logical when standing on the plateau floor. There are the ruins of two small buildings here, an ancient shrine to Orlanth. The power inherent in these stones is palpable, and every adventurer (but most especially those who worship Orlanth) feels light-headed and senses a distinct buzzing in their teeth while they are there. From the hilltop, adventurers can see into the courtyard of the citadel. The view of Kero Fin is breathtaking. A successful appropriate Lore roll reveals that one of the ruined buildings (near Location D on the map) is an upper floor of an underground tomb. To investigate would require tools and time, which the adventurers do not have available. Any Orlanth-related magic (such as a Divination) performed within the boundaries of the ancient shrine should succeed unless the roll is a fumble; any simple failure or normal success should be treated as a special, and any special should be treated as a critical. Weather on Orlanth’s Hill Even though it is very warm outside the walls of the Ruin and Yelm shines brightly as the adventurers climb up the sides of the hill (or, as they did in one playtest, fly to the crest of the hill) the weather becomes more and more windy and stormy until, while on the crest, the rain is pouring down and the wind is howling intensely. It is glorious, indeed...for worshippers of Orlanth, of course. If the adventurers on the hilltop, focus on the green-tinted area in the courtyard, they ‘know’ that this is holy to Ernalda. How much more information the gamemaster wishes to reveal at this point depends on how well the adventurers are figuring things out. The intent is that standing on a spot holy to Orlanth, gazing down at a spot holy to Ernalda, should give the players some hints about the special nature of their relationship in this ancient location. Even their wedding ceremony took place in that courtyard. Adventurers on the hilltop might also be able to see into Vamargic’s lair (Location C). While this area is deeply covered in smoke, the gamemaster could certainly give a premonition that: a) there is still a malevolent force awake and active inside the citadel; and b) it is possible (even probable) that their activities might arouse the interest of these forces. Shrine to Arachne Solara (Beast Men Monument) This appears as a ‘crafted’ spindle of rock, approximately 30 meters high and 2 meters in diameter. Casual examination of the base reveals the rock to be similar visually to the type of rock used in the plinths of the Wild Temple in Beast Valley (assuming an adventurer has seen those plinths). Successful Mineral Lore rolls reveal the rock to indeed be identical. That type of rock is not found near the Ruin and must have been brought here. It appears to be some form of limestone. More careful examination reveals the spindle was erected here, placed (or balanced) in its current location. Viewing the spindle from the side (perhaps from the plateau level) shows that some type of ‘trophy’ or ‘shrine’ has been placed in the top of the spindle. But without climbing up and taking a closer look, it is impossible to tell what exactly has been placed there. Carved into the base of the spindle is, indeed, a Beast Rune, as was crudely indicated on Make Scratches’ map. Also

The Smoking Ruin 81 Act 4: the Smoking Ruin The adventurers likely entered the Ruin through either the West or East Gates (Locations A or B on the map). They may have entered escorted by One-Eye, or they may have navigated the elementals and entered on their own. Regardless, they are surrounded completely by the wandering troll spirits in various stages of transformation. While wandering, the spirits are only visible through magical means or if under the influence of hazia (see Viewing the Spirits, below). The troll spirits’ movement is only be choreographed if One-Eye is nearby, directing their dance. In all other cases it appears random, as if lost and trying to feel their way in the dark. Inside the citadel, and during their transitions to and from their corpses, spirits are visible to all members of the adventurers without needing magical aid. Once they wander, they fade from visibility unless magical or herbal means are employed. The descriptions below depend on which entrance the adventurers used and the order in which the encounters take place. The gamemaster should determine which by considering the way the adventurers gained entrance, whether they encountered One-Eye, and whether is she escorting the adventurers into the Ruin. Treya’s attitude and demeanor irrevocably change once she encounters her first dancing entity, whether that be a spirit or elemental choreographed by One-Eye or one of the earth elementals near the waterfall. Instead of the clumsy ‘would-be’ fighter trying desperately to embody her grandmother Thinala, she is the embodiment of the charismatic dancer/performer the adventurers saw on stage in Clearwine. With every step and gesture, she becomes more regal, charismatic, and self-assured. The transformation is due to the presence of the dragonewt Atonement magical energy flowing through the Ruin. This shifts dramatically once One-Eye’s ritual begins. Weather inside the Ruin In Ernalda’s Courtyard, Yelm shines brilliantly from behind white puffy clouds, only partially concealed at the extreme northern and southern portions where the smoke from the troll corpses continues to rise. Unlike outside the walls, where it is insufferably hot, in Ernalda’s Courtyard it is a perpetual spring day with a gentle breeze blowing. In any settlement area (with the grey background on the map) it perpetually gloomy, humid and smoke filled, as if carved into the base are glyphs written in multiple languages, which, if translated, reveal the following: Arachne Solara has many limbs. She has many forms. All the world lies in her web. All the world is her prey. All the world is her love. All the world is her child. She lives upon death and dies from life. She makes the living and she slays the dead. Here sixteen Children of Arachne Solara gave their lives repairing her Web One of the languages used must be a language the adventurers can read. The gamemaster should pick such a language. On the top of the spindle are a group of 16 delicate pieces of limestone. See the description on page 79 for details. Lastly, if this spindle is viewed from above (the level of the Ruin) it is obvious that 16 cairns surround the spindle. These are difficult to discern when clambering up the slope. Main Gate Entering the Citadel through the Main gate gives the adventurers a sense of extreme contrast. There is the obvious glory and grandeur evident even over a thousand years later in the design and craftsmanship of the gate itself. However, this is where most of the trolls died when the Beast Men attacked and ambushed them. The Beast Men had torn down the walls by the waterfall and chased the trolls across the courtyard while another battalion broke through the main gate. The trolls were trapped along the Parade Way and the northern end of the courtyard. Bodies here are piled very high and the smoke and sense of death is most prevalent at these locations. There are many troll spirits wandering here. Near the Main Gate are carvings etched into the cyclopean stones. These carvings depict moments from Orlanth and Ernalda’s courtship, specifically the New Flint, the Mirror, and the Kittens. (Should the gamemaster wish to know more, see King of Sartar, page 62.)

RuneQuest 82 are simply events the adventurers might find or see or hear while wandering. Upon entering the ruins, using either the Formal Entrance or the Servant’s Gate, the gamemaster should roll 2D6 once, add the appropriate modifier noted below and look up the combined result on the table above. Have the resulting encounter occur within an hour of entering the Ruin. If the adventurers enter the Vamargic lair section, cancel the first encounter and re-roll. If the adventurers enter the Former Royal Residences section cancel the first encounter and re-roll. If the adventurers move into Yelm’s light cannot penetrate. This is especially true the closer one gets to Location C (Vamargic’s lair). This is the influence of Vamargic himself, and his stubborn nature resisting any attempt at Atonement. Random Encounters in the Interior Buildings (Including Vamargic’s Lair) The gamemaster should use this table to add some danger while the adventurers are exploring the outer areas of the ruins. Some encounters result in possible combat, others Interior Buildings Encounters Roll + Modifier Encounter Less than 2 Vamargic is tracking the adventurers. He knows they are within his grasp, and he comes around a corner in two melee rounds. Begin with a statement of intent by the adventurers after they hear the clanking of skeletal bones nearby. That’s all the adventurers hear as Vamargic closes. 2–3 The adventurers encounter two members of Vamargic’s honor guard (see page 97). One of the spirits tries to engage the adventurers in spirit combat while the other heads off to alert Vamargic and gather the remaining honor guard. This is not good at all, for Vamargic appears very soon now (2D8 combat rounds until he arrives). 4 The adventurers are ambushed by dark troll skeletons equal in number to the adventurers. The adventurers are surprised. The skeletons fight until destroyed, regardless of odds. Their goal is to subdue the adventurers and take them bodily to Vamargic. 5 The adventurers run smack into a single dark troll skeleton walking a patrol for Vamargic. The skeleton is startled, and the adventurers get six strike ranks to do something before the skeleton can react. The issue with this entity is that he won’t care about the adventurers as much as he blindly obeys a command from Vamargic to return to Vamargic’s lair and alert him. So long as the skeleton can move in any fashion, he moves back toward the lair. 6 One random adventurer (lowest POW or pick a suitable victim) slips on some liquid on the weathered cobblestones and goes sprawling, tumbling across some rubble. Have the adventurer’s player try to succeed at a DEX×3 roll. If the roll succeeds, the adventurer regains their footing. If the roll fails, the adventurer slips and falls. On a fumble, the fall results in 1D3 hit points of damage to a random hit location (no armor protection). After the adventurer has been helped up or regains their footing, the slippery liquid is revealed to be a puddle of troll blood that has never coagulated. 7 The adventurers hear the distant sounds of battle; trolls fighting trolls; dying, decapitation, death, followed by sounds of victory and a glorious feast. These sounds waft on the wind, lasting or a few minutes. They evoke dread in the adventurers, and these sounds haunt their dreams for weeks. These sounds are ghostly echoes of the attack by Vamargic on Braineater’s forces. Exhortations and screams from Vamargic echo above the din; the adventurers only know it is Vamargic they hear if they encounter him later. 8 The adventurers hear the ghostly sounds of a cavalry charge; a thunderous cacophony of hoofbeats, following by screams as trolls die. Many, many trolls die. 9 The adventurers clearly hear (sounding as if a whispering their ear) singing of a sort, a strange droning, warbling sound that barely seems to come from a mortal throat. This repeats an indecipherable phrase, three times in a row. The singing ends and is followed by the unmistakable sound of a roaring fire. 10 The adventurers run into Asborn Thriceborn (see page 45). He followed the adventurers here, and now offers his support. 11–12 One adventurer spies a weathered one-handed war hammer lying beneath a fetid pile of excrement. While the haft has seen better days (and shatters the first time the weapon hits anything) embedded into the head of the weapon is a POW 4 spirit supporting crystal (see page 123 of the Adventures book in the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen & Pack). 13+ If One-Eye has not been encountered yet, she comes up to the adventurers, trying desperately to get them to leave this dangerous area and follow her directly toward the Ernalda’s Courtyard area and away from danger. Now!

The Smoking Ruin 83 spirit or elemental the adventurers may have encountered (or will encounter) that have been ‘choreographed’ by One-Eye. These elementals ignore the adventurers entirely except for Treya and any initiate or priestess of Ernalda, who they approach and with whom they wish to dance. Treya dances with them and needs to be physically dragged away if the adventurers move on to enter the courtyard. If the adventurers have not met One-Eye yet, she runs up to talk with them. Proceed to the One-Eye encounter on page 78. If the adventurers have met One-Eye and the ritual is complete, proceed to the section describing Ernalda’s Well. If the adventurers have met One-Eye, completed the ritual, and been to the Well, they should be encouraged to return to Clearwine. Servant’s Gate (West Side) Moving through the Servant’s Gate, the adventurers have entered directly into Vamargic’s lair (page 87). Note there is also a way inside north of Location A. This route is unlikely because the adventurers need to move past the elementals and spirits at Location A. But if the adventurers take this route, they can gain entry through the broken section, and then they are in the middle of the settlement buildings and need to navigate either across (where they run into Vamargic) or down (where they emerge into the palace courtyard and from there into the area where One-Eye’s family is, and they run into One-Eye. Locations Palace Courtyard The palace courtyard was a frequently used site of the dayto-day business of Korol’s court. There are remains of both an Orlanthi shrine as well as a shrine to Ernalda. If any rumors of the Orlanth/Ernalda wedding emerge, this would be the location mentioned, but everything of value or interest that once was here has been looted by Braineater, Vamargic, or their minions over the years. One-Eye’s Family Just inside the entry way to the courtyard (either coming from the Ceremonial Gate or the Merchant’s Gate) lie the bodies of One-Eye’s family (trollkin siblings and mother). They were part of Braineater’s troops, and have the markings of his troops on the remains of their clothing, belts, etc. They are not the only trollkin corpses, but they have been pulled aside from the main group of corpses. One-Eye’s own corpse is in that group. If the adventurers encounter One-Eye within the Courtyard, she is waiting for those moments when the spirits Ernalda’s Courtyard before the current pending encounter occurs, cancel the encounter and re-roll using the Ernalda’s Courtyard Encounters table below. If the table is used more than once and an encounter is rolled more than once, ignore the second result and re-roll. Encounter Modifiers Condition Modifier Daytime +2 Nighttime -2 One-Eye not yet encountered +3 In palace courtyard +1 In Vamargic’s lair –4 In former royal residence +3 Entryways Location A (Merchant’s Gate) Upon entering the Ruin, the adventurers get a breath of fresh air, even though smoke from the burning corpses still wafts from the troll bodies. The adventurers are surrounded by many troll spirits, and the ground is littered with troll corpses. One-Eye and her family are just inside the walls, if the adventurers haven’t encountered her yet. All the wandering troll spirits are dancing along with One-Eye. See Encountering One-Eye Bugleg, page 88. If the adventurers are being escorted into the ruin by One-Eye, these troll spirits, once they see One-Eye, begin to dance. At this point, One-Eye wants to begin her ritual. Location B (Ceremonial Gate) Once the adventurers walk through the Ceremonial Gate, they perceive the change from hot, sunny and humid to gloomy and cloudy, almost dark. Vamargic’s presence fills their thoughts, though the adventurers cannot name the feeling. One-Eye tries to hurry the adventurers down into Ernalda’s Courtyard, and Treya immediately steps aside and vomits her last meal. As soon as she can stand up again, she runs down into Ernalda’s Courtyard. Depending how long the adventurers has remained in this area, Vamargic may become alert to their entry. See page 94. Waterfall Within this section of the Ruin, once past the troll spirits, Yelm shines in all his glory and it feels like the most amazing spring day inside the courtyard. As the adventurers scramble over the boulders strewn from the ruined walls, they see a beautiful group of earth elementals moving in a rhythmic pattern. This movement is like the pattern displayed by any

RuneQuest Ernalda’s Courtyard Encounters Roll + Modifier Encounter Less than 2 The adventurers encounter a blackthorn tree (see the Glorantha Bestiary, page 197). All the spirits are dark trolls who served Braineater. They may be friendly, or they may be hostile. 2–5 One member of the adventurers comes across a smallish herb with large grey flowers. This is dreamweed (Glorantha Bestiary, page 198). The adventurers may pick the leaves and take a handful with them. 6–7 The adventurers encounter a small garden of hazia plants (see RuneQuest, page 412). They are arranged in rows, much as if they had been planted there. There are enough plants to yield 20 pipefuls of the drug. 8 Lying in the wild grass near the walls, the adventurers discover a bronze belt clasp in the shape of a bagpipe, worth roughly 20 L. 9 A small, worn leather satchel can be seen on the ground near the Well. Inside are a half-dozen arrowheads, each with a Speedart spell matrix. 10 The adventurers run into Asborn Thriceborn (see page 45). He followed the adventurers here, and now offers his support. 11 The adventurers come across a spring which seems to be black liquid. If the adventurers closely examine the liquid, they discover that it is a kind of ink. It was this ink that Makes Scratches used when creating the map. The adventurers can gather a half-liter of ink, and scribes of Lhankor Mhy would spend 30 L for it. 12 A thumb-sized emerald, set in a pendant with the inscription: “To my daughter Eonislora, with love,” found inside the toe of an old half-eaten leather shoe. When cleaned up, the stone and setting are worth 2,500 L at least. It is worth much more if the inscription can be verified. 13+ If One-Eye has not been encountered yet, she approaches the adventurers, welcoming them to her home. She tries to convince them to follow her up toward the Palace Courtyard where she explains what she’s trying to do and how they can help. 11–12 One adventurer spies a weathered one-handed war hammer lying beneath a fetid pile of excrement. While the haft has seen better days (and shatters the first time the weapon hits anything) embedded into the head of the weapon is a POW 4 spirit supporting crystal (see page 123 of the Adventures book in the RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen & Pack). 13+ If One-Eye has not been encountered yet, she comes up to the adventurers, trying desperately to get them to leave this dangerous area and follow her directly toward the Ernalda’s Courtyard area and away from danger. Now!

The Smoking Ruin 85 Otherwise, the courtyard is filled with detritus of the ages, dating back to the Dawn when the citadel was built. In addition, the troll occupations (both Braineater’s and Vamargic’s) left its own remnants (war gear, weapons, trinkets, sporting gear, etc.) as well as bits and pieces left by random visitors (something left behind by Make Scratches) who have braved the danger through the years to wander here. The gamemaster should place the exact location of these items to reward the bravery and inquisitiveness of the players, but not make to their placement so difficult as to leave the players frustrated or derail the spine of the story. Living throughout this area are snakes of all manner, shape, and size. This alone should communicate to Ernalda worshippers that the goddess is still present here. Ernalda’s Courtyard Encounter Table Use this table while the players are exploring any areas south of the Palace Courtyard. Some encounters result in possible non-player character interaction, others are simply events the adventurers might find or see or hear while wandering. Upon entering the courtyard by any means, the gamemaster should roll 2D6 once, add the appropriate modifier noted below, and look up the combined result on the following table. Have the resulting encounter occur within 15 minutes of entering the courtyard. If the table is used more than once and an encounter is rolled more than once, ignore the second result and re-roll. Encounter Modifiers Condition Modifier Daytime +4 Nighttime –1 One-Eye not yet encountered +4 Near Plant Rune symbol –4 Near the Well +2 Entered through the waterfall area +3 The Well (Ernalda’s Sacred Area) As indicated on both the burnt map as well as the main map, in the central courtyard is an area tinted green. Make Scratches noted this that, even hundreds of years after the slaughter, beautiful plants still flowered here, filling the central area of the courtyard with color and a perfumed ambiance, enhanced by Yelm’s light and attention. This should signal to the adventurers that the power of Ernalda of her family are visible, and she exhorts them to join her as she dances. She believes if she can get them to join her, the Hombadaka Boko can be invoked and her family are freed to join Kyger Litor in hell. She needs more to join in the dance, but she doesn’t know this yet. There are 15 corpses of One Eye’s family present at this location. Mother, father, siblings, grandmother, aunts, etc. The number matters as, with the adventurers’ assistance in One-Eye’s ritual, these corpses and their spirits are freed. Ernalda’s Courtyard The north and south areas of the courtyard contain stillburning troll corpses. Within the courtyard is also a shrine to Flamal, a Well (which is an entrance to a long-lost temple to Ernalda) and the source of the spring which drains off the face of the cliff and forms a waterfall. Ernalda’s Courtyard was, in the heyday of the settlement, sometimes the parade grounds, sometimes a farmer’s market, sometimes used as a royal garden. Settlement feasts were held here, ceremonial rituals performed, and many times, weddings were performed near the Well. Other times the stables for Korol’s horses were placed out here. Often, in times of siege, this area was plowed and farmed, and along the peripheral walls many of the settlement’s leaders and well-known residents are interred. The Palace Courtyard was once walled off from the courtyard, but these walls were dismantled long ago. Whether the original residents knew of Ernalda’s temple, now buried beneath the Well, is not known. But the temple was constructed at the site of Orlanth’s and Ernalda’s wedding ceremony, and the temple and surrounding courtyard remain sanctified to his day. Presently, however, the area immediately inside the Ceremonial and Merchant’s Gates is covered with piles of troll corpses, left burning by the dragonewts. In addition, any area near the corpses is filled with troll corpse spirits. There are far too many troll corpses to count, and the combination of eerie light coming from the embers of the troll corpses, the swirling fire of the elementals, and the thick, acrid smoke from the smoldering corpses has turned the north end of the courtyard into a hellish environment. Once one moves south toward the center of the space, beyond the corpses, the once-beautiful courtyard can be visualized. It is quite overgrown with all manner of flowering plants, a surprising oasis hidden inside such death and devastation. In a nook on the western wall is a shrine to Flamal (located at the Plant Rune on the map).

RuneQuest 86 still holds sway here and was not affected by the slaughter of trolls nor whatever dragonewt magic remains. Toward the southern end of the courtyard is a Well that is sacred to Ernalda, the source of the power embodied in the ever-flowering plants in the center of the courtyard. The Well gains its water from the spring, and a secret entrance to the hidden temple is accessed at the bottom of the Well. The fragment of Ernalda’s Mirror is found at the base of the Well (see below). Anyone looking into the Well sees Yelm’s light glinting off the glass. Once covered by sediment at the bottom, time and Ernalda’s will has brought it to light, literally. The time has come for the Mirror’s recovery. If the adventurers neglect the Well, One-Eye describes it to the adventurers after the ritual as the holiest part within this area. The Mirror most certainly gives Daravala the proof she needs that the temple remains are located here, motivating further exploration and digging at the site. The base of the Well is also an entrance to Ernalda’s Temple, which lies buried seven meters below the current level of the courtyard. This description is not included in this adventure. The adventurers can certainly discover the entrance, but any serious exploration would put them well behind schedule. Even the use of an earth elemental would take more time than the adventurers have. And, of course, there is always Vamargic. Powers of the Mirror Holding the Mirror and visualizing Ernalda are all that are needed to use it. It has the following powers: .There is enough of the Mirror left that an adventurer can hold up the fragment and still see a reflection of themselves in the world, not as it is but as it was in the Storm Age. Physical objects surrounding the adventurer appear as they were in the Storm Age, such as the Smoking Ruin settlement when it was full of life and a vibrant place to live. . Once, and only once, unless the other fragment(s) are recovered, the wielder can call Ernalda, who appears and grant the holder of the Mirror one instance of divine intervention, without the need to sacrifice POW (see the core rules, page 272–273). .If the Mirror is returned to a temple of Ernalda, that specific temple becomes a center of Earth worship and a site deemed holy to Ernalda. The Reputation of that temple’s High Priestess immediately rises by +25%. .Any wounded worshipper of Ernalda who seeks the Mirror can, if they laugh in a genuine, heartfelt manner while holding the Mirror and succeed in a successful Devotion (Ernalda) roll, immediately heals all wounds entirely and re-attaches (or regrows) any severed limb as if the Rune spells Heal Body and Regrow Limb were cast upon them. .Any temple of Orlanth or Ernalda that houses the Mirror becomes by default a Great Temple and grows to that size if not already a Great Temple (see page 284 of the core rules). .Any wedding performed by a priest in in the presence of the Mirror automatically becomes a fertile bond, at the gamemaster’s discretion, ignoring any rolls of 01–50 when determining offspring (see the Childbirth table on page 426 of the core rules). . Snakes of all varieties are drawn to the Mirror, and any temple to Ernalda in which the Mirror is stored becomes overrun with snakes. These snakes are not hostile to Ernalda worshippers. The Mirror fragment is easily worth 300,000 L to the cult of Ernalda, though there are few circumstances by which they would pay this much. If the other fragment(s) are discovered, the combined value is incalculable. Despite its divine aspect, it is very much a “mortal” item, and has 4 hit points. Should it be broken again, the Mirror loses all the properties described above, though the pieces are still be worth perhaps 1,000 L as curios. Treya and her relationship to the Well is complicated. Her Storm Age knowledge is extensive, and she is very aware what this Mirror might mean if she sees it. If she discovers the Well, and if the Mirror is uncovered before she performs One-Eye’s ritual, she may become so enamored with the Mirror that she would be tempted to avoid ’the ritual so that she can recover Thinala’s soul. Ernalda’s Hidden Temple Whether the adventurers are aware or not, while they are examining the Well and possibly getting their hands on the Mirror, Vamargic is hunting them. If there is doubt about how to handle this sequence, have One-Eye (who most likely guided them here) urging them to “Hurry up! Throw a rope down the Well. See the shiny thing! Hurray!” Recovering the Mirror itself could be handled a variety of ways: an adventurer can be lowered or Climb down a rope into the water to pick it up, or an improvised scoop could be made, its success equal to DEX×3 of the adventurer attempting to recover it. The gamemaster should evaluate any other methods—including any using magic—to determine how feasible they are. Vamargic, should he be aware of the adventurers, almost certainly chooses to strike while the adventurers are indisposed or distracted with the Mirror’s recovery. The dramatic potential created by the adventurers

The Smoking Ruin 87 Vamargic is alerted to the adventurers’ presence once they enter through the Servant’s Gate. See Encounter with Vamargic on page 94. Residences and Tombs (Location D) Location D on the map indicates ruins of residences and businesses dating back to the First Age. While this area has been mostly looted, it is possible that artifacts with some value to collectors might be found as a result of careful exploration. Korol Kandoros’ tomb remains in this section, but that exploit is beyond this adventure’s scope. attempting to recover and protect a hand-sized shard of silvered glass in the midst of an attack by spirits and skeletons should definitely be taken advantage of. Vamargic’s minions (see pages 97–99) come at the adventurers from the courtyard, and the best escape route is over the broken wall at the waterfall. Zorak Zoran Temple (Location C) Leading back toward the former city itself, the adventurers notice Runes of Darkness, Death and Disorder carved into the lintel of an arch (just inside the walls near the Servant’s Gate, just before entering Location C). This area is Vamargic’s lair, in which he is trying to create a temple to Zorak Zoran. The temple is currently incomplete. Er na lda's Mir ror (fr agm ent) This shard of a mirror is a small piece of that which Orlanth gave Ernalda as he was trying to prove himself to her. It is a highly polished shard of copper in the shape of a disk with a small handle protruding from the bottom, but it is only a piece of the Mirror itself; perhaps amounting to half the original mirror when undamaged. It is human in scale, and the piece of mirror remaining is roughly palm-sized. On the rear of the Mirror is an etching which shows Ginna Jar transmogrifying into Ernalda, thus seemingly proving that Ginna Jar was the ghost of Ernalda. This artifact is sacred to the cults of both Ernalda and Orlanth. Knowledge of the Mirror is a common story told about the wedding of the two gods. One day Orlanth saw Ernalda, who was a prisoner in the Emperor’s Palace. He took his army and stormed the castle, killing everyone who resisted. He rescued Ernalda just before the guards sold her to troll slavers. Orlanth asked if she was pleased with his actions, and she said that she certainly was. But for one thing, she added. “And what is that?” “So much fighting, so many deaths. Must this always be so?” “It is the way,” said Orlanth. “Violence is always an option.” “There is always another way,” she said. Ernalda was happy to have been rescued, but she was no fool. Orlanth had to do many tasks to prove himself to her before she would consent to become his wife. So, he got her the New Flint, and the mirror, and kittens to chase out the rats from the cereals. When he got the New Flint, Orlanth broke down a fort and chased a whole clan to the forest. When he got the mirror, he had to kick the dogs, and he knocked down the door of Asrelia’s hut. He did other destructive things, too. And every time Ernalda would be pleased, except by the means he used. And the two of them always said the same things. “Violence is always an alternative.” “There is always another way.” Finally, Orlanth said, “Why is it this such a big issue to you, anyway? I don’t understand. Am I defective? Do I lack some awareness?” Ernalda did not answer this with words. Instead she agreed to be his love-wife for a year, and they held the wedding feast and stated their vows. In the wedding bed that night Orlanth learned the pleasures of married love. The discovery of the Mirror’s shard might prove that the settlement was the location of the wedding. But how the shard of the Mirror found its way to the bottom of the Well is unknown.

RuneQuest 88 contradict her Loyalty (Vamargic), which is how she feels free to continue her attempts to invoke Hombadaka Boko. Since Vamargic doesn’t particularly care about the Ernaldan temple (except as it continues to attract potential victims), having One-Eye give directions or lead the adventurers to the Well isn’t a direct violation of her Passion. Getting the Adventurers to Help One-Eye One-Eye’s goal is to encourage the adventurers to join in her ritualistic dance (see Come, Dance with One-Eye! on page 91). This is risky because Vamargic needs that last human eye for his necklace, and, odds are, one or more of the adventurers are human. Thus, the longer the adventurers stay inside the Ruin, the greater the chances Vamargic wakes and comes after the adventurers. The biggest risk of this is if all the following occur: . First, Treya performs her ritual and returns Thinala to life. . Second, One-Eye performs her own ritual, communicates with her grandmother and sends her family to Hell. .Third, the adventurers (with or without One-Eye) explore the Well. At that point, Vamargic comes after the adventurers, trying to ambush them and preventing them from leaving the Ruin, becoming an overwhelming menace. Communicating with One-Eye One-Eye acts open and friendly with the adventurers upon encountering them. If the adventurers are willing to communicate with One-Eye (either through Speak Tradetalk or Speak Darkspeech), the following information can be exchanged: . One-Eye begins by asking if the adventurers hear the music. (Treya absolutely hears the tune; she starts to hum it, and adventurers may identify it as the tune Treya sang in Clearwine.) One-Eye begins dancing (any transitioning troll spirits nearby—and there are always some—begin to dance with her). She invites the adventurers to dance with her. If they refuse, she returns to ask again. Once an adventurer (or Treya, if all else fails) dances with One-Eye, refer to Come, Dance with One-Eye! below. . If asked about any dangers, One-Eye moans and wails about the ‘eye necklace.’ Even mentioning or Climactic Encounters Encountering One-Eye Bugleg The gamemaster should be familiar with One-Eye’s description, motivations, and abilities before proceeding with this encounter. The adventurers may react in unpredictable ways upon seeing a ‘friendly’ trollkin Ghost. One-Eye always makes herself visible to the adventurers. One-Eye can be encountered either outside the East Gate (Location A), the Main Gate, (Location B), or, if the adventurers has entered from the waterfall, near the Well. If the adventurers enter through the broken walls near the waterfall, One-Eye comes running up before the adventurers encounter the Well. One-Eye needs the adventurers, and she is afraid that the Well might distract them. The most interesting way to first catch sight of One-Eye would be while she is dancing or trying to choreograph the troll spirits, but the gamemaster should feel free to craft a better moment if inspiration strikes. One-Eye and Vamargic One-Eye fears Vamargic and wants to avoid any actions that rouse him; she doesn’t know or trust the adventurers, and triggers that might rouse Vamargic are everywhere, especially since Vamargic needs that last human eye for his necklace (page 95). However, she needs human help to enact Hombadaka Boko, and eagerly approaches the adventurers to see if they might help. It’s a bit of a dilemma for her; Vamargic has stolen other dancing partners from her before. One-Eye never wants to put herself within reach of Vamargic or his bodyguard, regardless of how things are playing out. That would put her desire to contact her grandmother at risk. Guidelines for the Encounter The adventurers should see One-Eye in the most nonthreatening manner possible to encourage communication first, fighting second. But the adventurers may be inclined to take a different path. One-Eye’s conflicting Passions of Hate (Vamargic) and Loyalty (Vamargic) should be used to flavor any request the adventurers might have relating to goals the adventurers or One-Eye herself have that conflict with Vamargic’s goals. The gamemaster is free to improvise any reactions One-Eye might have; Passion rolls are useful if she can’t make up her mind. One-Eye’s goal of freeing the spirits of her family (specifically her grandmother) does not explicitly

The Smoking Ruin 89 . If controlled, she gives answers to direct questions, but no more. If the adventurers convince her that they might be willing to help her dance, she immediately shifts from being uncooperative to suppliant. If controlled, use Treya to advocate for releasing her from the control. If the adventurers control One-Eye and specifically order her to lead the adventurers to the ‘Earth temple’ or ‘remains of Ernalda’, or any variant statement alluding to the adventurers’ goal, she knows the way but tries to bargain to get what she desires in return for that info. If she is convinced that the adventurers are friendly or, at least, that the adventurers can be bargained with, she gives up anything to get them to help her with the ritual. One-Eye and Treya As soon as One-Eye begins to explain that she wishes the adventurers to join her in a dance, Treya, enveloped in the high-energy magic present in the ruin, begins to realize that One-Eye knows magic Treya has only heard rumors of: the ability to communicate with those who have passed. She asks One-Eye about the magic, and One-Eye teaches her some gestures. Treya begins movements so liquid and beautiful that One-Eye stops to watch, amazed. Treya then teaches One-Eye a gesture which One-Eye amplifies and gestures back. At this moment their communication is symbolic, not verbal. One-Eye has just taught Treya the gestures and steps to communicate with her grandmother, the same gestures and steps One-Eye plans to use with the adventurers’ help. Treya stops, breathless, as she realizes what this opportunity can mean for her. She looks at whichever adventurer she has become closest to. Treya wants to communicate with Thinala. Treya also understands that this ritual can be used to reunite the spirits of the troll corpses and allow them to return to the Mother, and this is what One-Eye has planned. And indeed, this act is an act of Atonement, just as Four Steps told her. Treya understands exactly what One-Eye is trying to do and sees a chance to re-interpret it. She knows what Four Steps told her, and communicates to One-Eye in Tradetalk that, if she changes the ritual and gets the troll spirits to achieve Atonement, One-Eye can free all the troll spirits. One-Eye doesn’t care, and indicates distrust of Treya’s motives, warning Treya and the adventurers that Treya “is no newt! She is human! Understanding newts is crazy! Come with me, girl! Help me now! If you right, we are all free. Help me now!” alluding to ‘danger’ makes One-Eye very nervous, even terrified. However, One-Eye must succeed at a Hate (Vamargic) Passion roll to explicitly warn the adventurers about Vamargic’s intentions. She warns the adventurers of vague potential dangers, but not the explicit intent of Vamargic. . If the adventurers push the issue, One-Eye may mention the name ‘Vamargic’ under her breath. but nothing more. One-Eye would never actually say that name out loud, but only whispers it, as if saying the name out loud might summon him (as indeed it will if uttered out loud by one of Vamargic’s servants). . If the adventurers tell One-Eye to leave this place, disturb no others, go to her final rest, any variant on that, One-Eye shakes her head, as if to imply she can’t, and says, “Hombadaka Boko; join me, won’t you?” . If the adventurers talk about dance, hum a tune, or gesture at One-Eye’s dancers, refer to Come, Dance with One-Eye! below. Possible Conflicts with One-Eye Suggestions depending on other tactics with One-Eye: . If the adventurers make clear to One-Eye their goal of obtaining an Ernaldan artifact, she tries to make a deal wherein she leads the adventurers to the artifact (to the buried Temple, as she doesn’t know about the artifact itself) if the adventurers dance with her to free her family. If the adventurers try to reverse the order “Take us and then we’ll dance” she refuses, unless commanded to. . If the adventurers ask to be led to Korol’s tomb, or imply they wish Vamargic harm, that could cause One-Eye a great deal of consternation. One-Eye knows Vamargic desires Korol’s remains (and has not yet found them) and knows Vamargic would want to be warned of enemies within the settlement, so the gamemaster must decide (or roll) to determine how to make peace with One-Eye’s emotional conflicts. . If the adventurers try to engage One-Eye in spirit combat, One-Eye stops dancing and defends herself, trying just to stop the conflict. If she defeats the adventurers, she goes back to her movements, assuming at that moment that the adventurers are of no help to her. If she is defeated, she is uncooperative at first unless commanded or controlled or convinced the adventurers are there to help her.

RuneQuest 90 Kyger Litor. Her grandmother is dead, and her mother’s body lies near the Merchant’s Gate. Her missing eye is one of the eyes on Vamargic’s necklace. She became a ghost when Vamargic ‘accidentally’ killed her while he was removing her eye for his necklace. She died prior to the Beast Men’s attack and avoided the everlasting fire of Atonement from the dragonewt magic because she held no hatred in her heart. The only thing she holds in her heart toward Vamargic is fear. She was originally a priest of Kyger Litor, in service to Kajak-ab Braineater. One-Eye had been studying life and death magic before Vamargic’ slaughtered Braineater’s forces. She knew of this holy dancing ground (Hombadaka Boko). She had learned some of the gestures and rituals used there and had undergone training in shamanism and worshipped Xiola Umbar. All her immediate family had been in service to Braineater and all were killed by Vamargic. She observed the dragonewt ritual and learned something from it, although she did not know its purpose (dragonewts felt the trolls needed to Atone for their never-ending hunger). The dragonewts knew she observed the ritual and let her escape its effects. Vamargic spared her life during the Braineater slaughter because of her obvious knowledge. Later he removed one of her eyes to add a trollkin eye to his necklace and to gain some of her magic, killing her in the process. Vamargic allowed One-Eye to remain with the ghosts in the courtyard because he observed her reaching out to any visitor (mainly treasure hunters) who came to the Ruin. Her interactions with the visitors would alert Vamargic, who would then seek out the visitors and kill them, using them to increase his little army and possibly feed his magical power. What Vamargic ’doesn’t know is that One-Eye was working all these years to break the bonds of the dragonewt ritual and release her family. One-Eye is hoping to find a dancing partner (or partners) for her ritual to free her grandmother. She also hopes to free all the remaining trolls but isn’t sure she’ll be able to manage that. This Kyger Litor ritual ceremony creates a ‘gateway to hell’ that allows spirits within range who are trapped in the Middle World to pass on to their birthplace. The dance itself re-opens the secret passages Kyger Litor discovered when her children fled to the surface to escape Yelm’s terrible light. One-Eye knows a single priestess is not enough: the priestess must guide others who exist on the surface world to join her and participate in the dance in order to free spirits. Treya ignores One-Eye, turns to walk away and announces to the adventurers that she is ‘calling’ or ‘going to’ Thinala. She asks the adventurers for help. She begins to dance, energy swirling about her as she spins in time with music that only she can hear. She reaches her hand for someone to join her. One-Eye pulls the adventurers back away from Treya. “Fool Girl! Death! Death!” One-Eye doesn’t want this because it potentially delays her getting the adventurers’ help to free her own family and her own grandmother. One-Eye really doesn’t trust Treya to perform One-Eye’s steps correctly (“Not enough practice!”), and believes it is potentially dangerous for anyone to think they understand what a dragonewt wants. One-Eye frantically tries to enlist the adventurers’ help in stopping Treya, shouting “Atonement kill you!” The adventurers should be put in a difficult position. If the adventurers start to help Treya in any way, One-Eye says, “I not help find Earth Mother.” She crosses her arms, becomes resolved that today might not be the day and starts to walk away. If One-Eye walks away, Treya asks for help. If any adventurers choose to dance with Treya, the ritual increases its intensity and speed. Soon it is impossible for any other adventurers to join the steps. It culminates immediately after One-Eye’s ritual ends as described below. If no adventurers choose to join, Treya continues the ritual by herself while One-Eye begs the adventurers to assist her and the Rehearsal (page 91) begins. The adventurers can certainly keep track of Treya’s progress while they rehearse and perform One-Eye’s ritual. Atonement The dragonewts believed the trolls needed to be cleansed of Braineater’s debauchery, which was followed by Vamargic’s annihilation of Braineater’s force and the engorgement that followed. The dragonewts felt both sides were wrong, and that such genocide was no good for anyone: dragonewt, Beast Man, or human. It had to stop. The trolls needed to be cleansed, to atone for their misdeeds. Fire was the best form of cleansing, even better that water or wind. So, they set the corpses ablaze, thus preventing their spirits from returning to hell. Only if they asked for forgiveness would they be freed. One-Eye Bugleg Priestess of Kyger Litor. Female trollkin ghost. One-Eye Bugleg wishes to free her grandmother’s spirit as well as her siblings’ spirits so they can go to hell and join

The Smoking Ruin 91 If the adventurers are friendly with One-Eye, she tries to broker a deal whereby the adventurers join in the ritual and leave ‘Crazy girl Treya!’ alone. Note that One-Eye’s ritual and Treya’s ritual may be going on at the same time. This should be played for as much dramatic effect as possible, and the two rituals should climax at the same time. There may be any number of reasons why the adventurers may ignore her pleas, but if they agree, the ritual plays out as described below. Rehearsal Here is how the tangible results of One-Eye’s ritual can be determined. Alternatively, the gamemaster can improvise this whole situation and measure the adventurer’s contributions to the ritual in any fashion she desires. This system below simply quantifies the skill rolls the players might make. Either method works. Note that no such system exists if the adventurers join Treya. In that situation, the gamemaster should improvise it all. One-Eye Bugleg STR — CON 12 SIZ — DEX — INT 16 POW 24 CHA — Hit Points: — Move: 18 DEX SR: — SIZ SR: — Runes: Darkness 70%. Rune Points: 6 (Kyger Litor). She has saved these up for the moment when she finds someone to help her perform her ritual. Rune Spells: Harmonize. Spirit Magic: Disruption, Countermagic 3. Magic Points: 72 (24 + 48 more in trinkets) Passions: Devotion (Kyger Litor) 80%, Hate (Vamargic) 50%, Loyalty (Family) 70%, Loyalty (Grandmother) 90%, Loyalty (Vamargic) 50%. Spirit Combat Damage: 1D6+1 Hit Locations: None; spirit combat only. Armor: None. Weapons: None. Skills: Choreography 85%, Dance 115%, Sing 85%, Spirit Combat 80%, Worship (Xiola Umbar) 40%. Language: Speak Darktongue 85%, Speak Spiritspeech 45%, Speak Tradetalk 75%. Magic Items: Trinkets found during her years looking for help from visitors. These are mainly children’s toys: dolls, small clay soldiers, bits of doll clothing, etc. They remind her of the days with her grandmother. Each has a few magic points invested in it, from which she can draw. Treasures: None. Ransom: None. Come, Dance with One-Eye! Ah, the dance. One-Eye’s goal is to release her grandmother’s spirit (along with as many family members as possible) by encouraging the adventurers to join her in a performance of the Hombadaka Boko ritual. If the adventurers accept her invitation to dance or asks her about what she is doing with the other troll spirits, or comes even close to any such topic, she starts repeating “Hombadaka Boko!!” “Hombadaka Boko!!” over and over, while twirling around in an imitation of the movements she was doing when the adventurers first saw her. It is important to mention here that the movements made by the elementals might have been clumsy imitations of One-Eye’s movements, but, then again, it might just be a figment of the adventurers’ collective imagination. What the gamemaster is looking for is for the players to make that connection. Suggest a Dance or Elder Race Lore (Troll) skill roll, or something similar.

RuneQuest Once every participating adventurer has rehearsed, proceed to the performance. Performance When (or if ) the adventurers perform the ritual, the gamemaster should keep track of any dice results for the various rolls performed during the rehearsal phase, noting any normal successes or failures and paying special attention to any fumbles. Once they are ready, the ritual is performed. The gamemaster should describe One-Eye’s choreography, first playing the role of Kyger Litor as she finds her way through the secret paths, leading her children up to the surface world. During this phase, all adventurers should attempt either Dance, Sing, or Orate rolls (pick one, based on what the adventurer wishes to contribute to the ritual). If a critical or special success was rolled during rehearsal, now count their roll in the performance as if it was a critical or special success, respectively. Treya’s performance should be added to that of the adventurers. Consult the following table and add the results. Performance Result Value Critical 3 Special success 2 Normal success 1 Fumble –2 The resulting value is the overall success. Starting with One-Eye’s mother and kin, count those successes as troll spirits being released from their ever-burning corpses. The more successes generated by the adventurers; the more troll spirits are freed. The adventurers see each troll spirit hover above its corpse, which then dissolves into dust beneath the spirit, swirls in a helix-like shape, and flies away in the breeze. At this point, One-Eye’s dance reenacts Kyger Litor’s journey back down through the paths, leading the freed spirits home. Both One-Eye’s ritual and Treya’s ritual end together. Atonement If the adventurers release all 15 of One-Eye’s family, they have sufficiently resolved the dragonewts’ desire for Atonement and all of Braineater’s trapped troll spirits are released. The adventurers can see these spirits rise from their corpses and swirl away in a helix formation. The Braineater corpses cease to burn, and their body One-Eye begins the dance by teaching one or more adventurers the steps. Adventurers can attempt a Dance roll at this point. If the result is a critical or special, the adventurer does not need to make another roll throughout the dance; their roll in this phase suffices. Note the result of the roll. .A critical success results in additional members of One-Eye’s family being released (see below). .A special success also results in an additional family member released. .A fumble means that One-Eye must spend more time working with her family to prepare them. Note any such rolls, because at the end of the dance this delay increases the chance the Vamargic shows up. An adventurer without Dance may, if they wish, use Sing or Orate instead. These adventurers can either Sing or Orate during the actual performance. Adventurers with none of these should attempt DEX×3 or Luck rolls to avoid embarrassing themselves, even if they cannot contribute meaningfully. If Treya is with the adventurers, and for some reason has not already performed her own ritual, she goes off to the side, performing her ritual now.

The Smoking Ruin 93 After the Ritual One-Eye immediately leads the adventurers to Ernalda’s Well where they can locate the Mirror fragment and return to Clearwine. If the adventurers have been successful in avoiding Vamargic to this point, he becomes aware of the adventurers’ shenanigans after they have the Mirror in their hands and chases them off the grounds in a suitably dramatic fashion. Thinala Tindal of Ezel, Queen’s Defender Axe Maiden of Babeester Gor. Human female, age 38. Grandmother of Treya, Orlmarth clan. Born 1562 in Ezel, Thinala spent her early years as a temple guardian for the great temple to Ernalda in Nochet. She attended that temple’s High Priestess on a diplomatic mission to the Feathered Horse Queen in 1581. She met the queen and swore fealty to her, accompanying her when she and Tarkalor went to war with the Lunars in 1582. Thinala fought at the Battle of Grizzly Peak and survived but continued in the service of the new Queen until her death in 1600, when she lost her life defending Terasarin against the duplicity that took his life. Thinala mentored Treya at an early age, even though Treya did not have the body or emotional toughness to become a warrior. Thinala conveyed her sense of duty and honor to her granddaughter, along with some bits and pieces of Thinala’s adventures and conclusions concerning Lunar activities as they intersected Sartar politics. It is these last bits of info which ultimately drove Treya’s determination that her grandmother’s mission was cut short, and it is Thinala that deserves a rebirth. Treya is certain of few things, but this is one of them. While Thinala won’t leave Treya’s friends undefended, once they have escaped from the Ruin, she immediately heads to Queen’s Post to renew her commitment. Thinala Tindal STR 20 CON 17 SIZ 9 DEX 15 INT 17 POW 21 CHA 12 Hit Points: 15 Move: 8 DEX SR: 2 SIZ SR: 2 Runes: Death 80%, Earth 85%, Fire 40%. Rune Points: 12 (Babeester Gor) Rune Spells: All common Rune spells, plus Axe Trance (1 pt.), Berserker (2 pts.), Earth Shield (3 pts.), Summon Earth Elemental (1 pt., small). Spirit Magic: Bladesharp 2, Demoralize (1 pt.), Heal 2, Protection 2, Strength (2 pts.), Vigor (2 pts.). parts crumble into dust. Vamargic’s trolls, approximately 50% of the remaining bodies, continue to burn. Vamargic himself must Atone to achieve the release of his troops’ spirits. Thinala’s Heroic Return As Treya’s ritual reaches a climax, Thinala’s spirit appears to Treya and any adventurer that might be watching (certainly any adventurers dancing with Treya). Any adventurer dancing with Treya also sees an ancestor of theirs appear, standing alongside Thinala. Treya reaches out her hand, and Thinala shakes her head as if to say no. At this point the gamemaster must ask any adventurer dancing with Treya to describe their ancestor—improvise if none have been generated during adventurer background creation—and ask whether the adventurer reaches out their hand. Once the decision is announced, ask again to be sure. Be careful not to tell the player what the repercussions are; none have been detailed yet. The gamemaster is encouraged to be clear to the player that this is no small thing: asking twice (once and then confirming the answer) should be warning enough. Treya reaches out again, and this time Thinala reaches out as well. They grasp hands. The adventurer should be allowed at this moment to take back their hand. If they choose not to, their ancestor reaches out to grasp the adventurer’s hand. Thinala then pulls Treya across the liminal barrier between Life and Death. Treya disappears, and Thinala has returned to life. The same thing happens with the adventurer: they are gone, and their ancestor is now living. The player can now create the ancestor as if they were an adventurer, working with the gamemaster to derive their attributes and skills using the adventurer creation rules. At the end of Treya’s ritual, she has vanished, leaving Thinala of Ezel in Treya of Ezel’s place (see below). Thinala has achieved a heroic return, the sort of legendary occurrence that epic heroquests are made of. Thinala, though similar in many ways to Treya, is not the same person, and does not share any of Treya’s memories or feelings. However, she is quite aware that she has returned from the dead through Treya’s intervention and that many years have passed since her death. At this point, depending on how the adventurers react to her, Thinala may choose to accompany them back to Clearwine or may choose to leave the group after they have escaped from the Ruin. She heads east to Queen’s Post, where some unfinished business awaits. She would rather not have company and dissuades the adventurers from accompanying her there.

RuneQuest Encounter with Vamargic The adventurers shouldn’t leave the Ruin without seeing Vamargic. They may fight him, negotiate with him, or simply run away from him, but they most certainly should leave the Ruin with a Vamargic story to tell. Note that if any spirits, ghosts or servants of Vamargic state his name or mention the ‘necklace’ in any form, it may alert Vamargic. Note that One-Eye is not a servant of Vamargic, she was a servant of Braineater and does not want Vamargic to eat the adventurers. This would be bad for One-Eye’s plan. Alerting Vamargic Vamargic might become aware of the adventurers in any of the following circumstances: .The adventurers are engaged in combat with any troll spirit. . One-Eye fails a Loyalty (Vamargic) roll and alerts him to the adventurers’ presence. .The adventurers enter Ernalda’s Well in her holy area in the courtyard. .The adventurers enter the temple to Zorak Zoran constructed by Vamargic. .Any adventurer encountering any of Vamargic’s spirit bodyguards. Once Vamargic is alerted, all the spirits and/or skeletons visible to the adventurers, including One-Eye, knows it, and they become very excited, both from fear as well as from exultation. Any spirits or elementals that One-Eye has choreographed into dancing immediately ceases the dance and begins a wail of mourning for all those friends and family who died here. Spirit Combat: 45% Spirit Combat Damage: 2D6+3 Magic Points: 14 Passions: Devotion (Babeester Gor) 80%, Hate (Lunar Empire) 90%, Honor 90%, Loyalty (Feathered Horse Queen) 90%. Reputation: 65% Armor: Composite helm (3 pts.), plate cuirass (6 pts.), heavy scale skirt and sleeves (5 pts.), cuirboilli greaves (5 pts.). Skills: Battle 40%, Climb 60%, Dodge 45%, First Aid 70%, Hide 25%, Jump 60%, Listen 70%, Ride (horse) 85%, Scan 70%, Track 90%. Languages: Speak Earthtongue (40%), Speak Esrolian 65%, Speak Old Pavic 55%, Speak Tradetalk 45%, Read/ Write Esrolian 45%. Ransom: 3,500 L Thinala’s Hit Locations Location D20 Armor/HP Right Leg 01–04 3/6 Left Leg 05–08 3/6 Abdomen 09–11 5/6 Chest 12 6/8 Right Arm 13–15 5/5 Left Arm 16–18 5/5 Head 19–20 3/6 Weapon % Damage SR Pts Battleaxe, 2H 130% 1D8+2+1D4 7 8 Javelin, 1H 105% 1D6+1D4 8 8 Hoplite Shield 90% 1D6+1D4 7 14 Javelin (thrown) 160% 1D10+1D2 1/MR —

The Smoking Ruin 95 Vamargic’s Appearance The chance Vamargic appears can be determined as follows: . If the adventurers enter the Servants’ Entrance: 100% . If the adventurers enter through the eastern collapsed wall and wander through the older part of the settlement: 25% .After the adventurers have encountered One-Eye and: • Treya has been taught the Ritual and summoned her grandmother Thinala: 10% • One-Eye has completed her ritual with the help of the adventurers: 50% • One-Eye escorts the adventurers to the Well, and an adventurer has gone down the Well and grabbed the Mirror fragment: 100% Roll whenever one of these conditions is met. As always, these are guidelines only, the gamemaster should adjust them to heighten the dramatic tension as desired. Vamargic Vamargic enters the story owing to any number of specific circumstances, described above or determined by the gamemaster. A direct combat encounter with him is intentionally tough for the adventurers. It is ideal if the adventurers can escape from him and can return to efficiently confront him, either after having become more skilled and prepared with the passage of time or augmented in some other fashion. Depending on how things go, Thinala might appear in the nick of time, attempting to sacrifice herself to stop Vamargic, sparing the adventurers. When he arrives, Vamargic is accompanied by two to four bodyguards, either skeletons or spirits, as desired. If the adventurers have already fought a skeleton or two, use the spirits; and vice-versa if they have already fought spirits. Vamargic can be handled by the right adventurers and with some luck; but remember that Vamargic uses the bodyguards to keep the adventurers from attacking him directly. If he senses things turning against him, he quickly heads deeper into the ruins, leaving his bodyguards to keep the adventurers occupied. Vamargic Death Lord of Zorak Zoran. Male dark troll revenant. Undead horror. Like many of the other trolls entrapped in the Ruin, Vamargic is burning, but his magic (fueled by the necklace and its relationship with Chaos) allows him to animate his Vamargic’s Eye Necklace Vamargic’s necklace is his attempt to create a Zorak Zoran artifact of great power, secretly combining it with some hidden knowledge acquired from a worshipper of Thanatar he killed for the first eye (the Tusk Rider). His use of the spell isn’t quite correct, in that the knowledge of the victim isn’t quite absorbed into Vamargic but sits outside of him. He can command some of that knowledge, as if these spirits were allied spirits. As with everything Vamargic-related, it is a bit of a compromise, just one more thing that annoys him. The name comes from the mummified eyes that make up the ‘stones’ of the necklace. Each is a crystal into which has been placed an actual eye from each different race of beings. The following races already have ‘eyes’ on the necklace: Elf, troll, centaur, trollkin, Tusk Rider, dragonewt. Vamargic needs one more eye to complete the set. When he is notified that humans are in the Citadel, he’s thinking he can finally complete his set of eyes and the necklace. When killed by the centaurs, he wasn’t finished with the necklace. The trollkin eye is One-Eye Bugleg’s. The troll eye is Braineater’s eye. Who’ll be next? Eyes and their Magical Properties Eye Spells Magic Points Present Elf Coordination 5 10 Troll Vigor 3 3 Centaur Slow 6 12 Trollkin Heal 3 3 Tusker Bludgeon 4 8 Dragonewt Disruption* 4 * When the dragonewt casts a Disruption spell, there is a 10% chance it targets an ally of Vamargic.

RuneQuest 96 corpse while he still burns. While the other troll corpses (both Vamargic’s followers as well as Braineater’s) go through this burn/regenerate cycle (see page 76), Vamargic’s spirit is trapped within his burning flesh. His flesh continues to burn unendingly, and Vamargic himself is in terrible pain from this never-ending fire. As he walks, chunks of his flesh drip and slough off his animated corpse and continue to burn, sliding along the ground behind him, trying to keep pace with the corpse. Whenever he stops, these pieces slither toward him, then climb up his corpse to re-seat themselves in the spot (or as close as they can get to) from which they had sloughed off. As this process is continuous (he loses a bit of flesh every time he takes a step, only to have this flesh re-join once he stops) there is a sense that his flesh is ‘alive’ and moving in a distinct manner from the underlying skeleton animating the entire corpse. This is a special Chaos feature all Vamargic’s own. Vamargic is unaware of how the dragonewt magic has entrapped him. All he knows is pain, hunger, and retribution. Hovering slightly behind and above Vamargic’s head are the spirits of the victims he has stolen eyes from: one troll (Braineater), one trollkin (One-Eye), an Elf, a centaur (Makes Scratches), a dragonewt, and a Tusk Rider. These spirits act as an audience for Vamargic, applauding him and cheering on his efforts to acquire the last eye. When in combat, Vamargic sings a troll drinking song to amuse himself and distract himself from the pain of the flames. It helps him concentrate on the task at hand. He alternates that with the screams he utters, owing to his Chaos feature. Ultimately, his goal is to fill out the last spot on the necklace; it is missing one eye—that of a human—and once Vamargic becomes aware that humans are in the area, he’ll attack them. Vamargic STR 18 CON 0 SIZ 24 DEX 11 INT 17 CHA 18 POW 0 Hit Points: —* Move: 8 * Vamargic is treated like a skeleton in that if any attack against a body part overcomes the Protection and armor, that body part is cut off or shattered. To kill Vamargic, one must attack and cause damage to every part of his body. A successful hit to Vamargic’s Chest breaks the necklace, destroying its ability to store magic points or cast spells. DEX SR: 2 SIZ SR: 0 Runes: Darkness 75%. Rune Points: 0 (Zorak Zoran, normally 12). However, he cast the last of his Rune spells long ago when defending against the Beast Men and has no way to regenerate Rune points. Spirit Magic: Protection 6 Magic Points: 0* Passions: Devotion (Zorak Zoran) 90%, Hate (Beast Men) 90%, Hate (Braineater Clan) 80%. Spirit Combat Damage: 2D6+3 Damage Bonus: +3D6 (enhanced by his long simmering anger) Chaotic Features: Confusing Appearance (–20% to hit); Utters Agonizing Screams When Moving. Magic Points: In any combat round, Vamargic may command one eye to either give him magic points to spend to fuel ’his spells, or have the eye cast the spell that eye knows at any target the eye can see. Note the eye cannot see Vamargic, because he wears the necklace and the eyes can only view straight ahead. Special Ability: Vamargic has the spirit ability Slow Death, described on page 167 of the Glorantha Bestiary. He may use this once on SR 1 of any round. Skills: Sing 47%, Spirit Combat 187%. Language: Speak Darktongue 65%, Speak Tradetalk 47%. Magic Items: Eye necklace (see Vamargic’s Eye Necklace sidebar). Treasures: Kept in a hole in his lair is a clay jar with Braineater’s brain, now dried and shriveled. Ransom: 750 L Notes: If Vamargic knows the adventurers are coming, he casts Protection on himself and has various eyes cast spells to enhance his honor guard. He has skeletons and troll spirits already under his command accompany him while he wanders. He commands his skeletons to try a capture one of the adventurers and drive the rest off, trying to separate his intended victim from their friends. He really doesn’t care much about humans; except he needs that last eye. If any of the adventurers is a troll or centaur, he becomes crazed, attempting to destroy and eat them. However, being undead, he can’t properly consume anything, and it is driving him further insane. The gamemaster can balance this encounter by using lowly skeletons as his bodyguard, which most beginning adventurers can generally handle. Troll spirits are tougher; his honor guard is very tough. Vamargic plus one honor guard member is a good solid encounter. If Vamargic senses he is losing, he’ll retreat deeper into the complex, tell his honor guard to hold off the adventurers, and gather reinforcements.

The Smoking Ruin 97 Skills: Spirit Combat 75%. Spirit Combat Damage: 1D6+1 Note: These cave troll spirits have no hit locations or armor. Weapon % Damage SR Pts Bite* 65 1D10 6 — * The bite attack affects either magic points or hit points, at the gamemaster’s discretion. Troll Corpse Spirits Each of these spirits is attached to a still-burning troll corpse. They only attack if the adventurers attempt to move any corpse or physically interact with one. If they attack an adventurer or are attacked by one, Vamargic is immediately alerted to the adventurers’ location. These spirits attempt to possess their victims, placing the victim effectively under Vamargic’s control. Use these values if Vamargic summons reinforcements or if a weaker spirit guard for Vamargic is desired. Armor: Vamargic wears a hodgepodge of heavy and light leather armors stolen from his victims. The armor values in parenthesis include Protection 6, which the gamemaster may rule he casts before any combat begins. Vamargic’s Hit Locations Location D20 Armor/HP Right Leg 01–04 5(11)/0 Left Leg 05–08 3(9)/0 Abdomen 09–11 5(11)/0 Chest 12 5(11)/0 Right Arm 13–15 5(11)/0 Left Arm 16–18 3(9)/0 Head 19–20 5(11)/0 Weapon % Damage SR Pts Maul 121 2D8+3D6 4 15 Fist* 102 1D8+2+3D6 + fire 6 15 * Any target struck by Vamargic’s fist can be set aflame from his burning flesh. See page 157 in the RuneQuest core rules for more information. Vamargic’s Relationship with Thanatar Vamargic encountered the worship of Thanatar long before the events at the Smoking Ruin. He studied a bit, enough to know he should steer clear of making any long-term commitment to that Chaos god, but long enough to conceive the plan for the creation of his necklace. The necklace itself is his shoddy attempt to utilize some of that magic, and that use has tainted Vamargic with Chaos. Vamargic registers as ‘Chaotic’ to any magic means of detection. He has suffered some Chaotic features (described above) because of his use of Chaos rituals. Cave Troll Spirits Vamargic’s Honor Guard These cave troll spirits are directly under Vamargic’s control, and 2D4 spirits always are on guard near him, unless the gamemaster has determined that only skeletons are with Vamargic at this point. These spirits attempt to possess their victims through spirit combat, placing the victim effectively under Vamargic’s control. Vamargic’s Honor Guard POW 17 INT 9 CHA 15 Hit Points: — Move: n/a Base SR: 0 Runes: Darkness 80%, Spirit 60%. Rune Points: — Passions: Loyalty (Vamargic) 60%. Magic Points: 17

RuneQuest 98 (Glorantha Bestiary, page 124) may be substituted for the cave troll skeletons if desired, the mortal remnants of other treasure hunters who have tried in the past to take on Vamargic. If the adventurers are familiar with the origin of the burnt map fragment (page 58), they might notice that one of the skeletons is that of a centaur—possibly the skeleton of Makes Scratches (gamemaster’s discretion). This particular skeleton is perhaps the most dangerous of Vamargic’s servants, one he keeps in reserve. Whenever Vamargic needs a servant to physically manipulate an object, he makes use of these skeletons. All skeletons are extraordinarily brittle: each hit location has only 1 hit point and a blow to the head that does 1 hit point of damage destroys them, causing the bones to collapse in a pile. Cave Troll Skeleton STR 22 CON — SIZ 26 DEX 9 INT —POW — CHA — Hit Points: — Move: 8 Base SR: 3 Runes: Death 70%. Magic: None. Magic Points: — Damage Bonus: +2D6 Spirit Combat Damage: — Passions: None. Armor: Scraps of leather tied together with rope (1–4 pts.). Skills: Dodge 45%. Languages: None. Treasures: None. Cave Troll Skeleton Hit Locations Location D20 Armor/HP Right Leg 01–04 2/1 Left Leg 05–08 0/1 Abdomen 09–11 1/1 Chest 12 4/1 Right Arm 13–15 0/1 Left Arm 16–18 4/1 Head 19–20 5/1 Weapon % Damage SR Pts War Maul 45 1D10+2+2D6 4 12 Troll Corpse Spirits POW 11 INT — CHA 9 Hit Points: — Move: Base SR: 0 Runes: Darkness 80%, Spirit 60%. Rune Points: — Magic Points: 11 Spirit Combat Damage: 1D6+1 Passions: — Skills: Spirit Combat 45%. Note: These troll spirits have no hit locations or armor. Weapon % Damage SR Pts Bite* 65 1D8 6 — * The bite attack affects hit points. Skeletons These servants of Vamargic are useful in many ways. Because they are so brittle and so unskilled with their weapons, one or two of them can harass the adventurers without too much danger and yet be a threat because of their clout. The cave troll skeleton usually serves as a bodyguard for Vamargic when he is not being guarded by spirits. Human skeletons

The Smoking Ruin 99 Centaur Skeleton Hit Locations Location D20 Armor/HP Right Hind Leg 01–02 0/1 Left Hind Leg 03–04 0/1 Hindquarter 05–06 2/1 Forequarter 07–08 3/1 Right Foreleg 09–10 1/1 Left Foreleg 11–12 1/1 Chest 13–14 3/1 Right Arm 15–16 2/1 Left Arm 17–18 1/1 Head 19–20 2/1 Weapon % Damage SR Pts Lance 85 1D10+1+2D6 2 10 Medium Shield 85 1D6+2D6 5 12 Hoof 85 1D8+2D6 6 — Dark Troll Skeleton STR 17 CON — SIZ 17 DEX 11 INT —POW — CHA — Hit Points: — Move: 8 Base SR: 4 Runes: Death 70%. Magic: None. Magic Points: — Damage Bonus: +1D6 Spirit Combat Damage: — Passions: None. Armor: None. Skills: Dodge 15%. Languages: — Treasures: None. Dark Troll Skeleton Hit Locations Location D20 Armor/HP Right Leg 01–04 0/1 Left Leg 05–08 0/1 Abdomen 09–11 0/1 Chest 12 0/1 Right Arm 13–15 0/1 Left Arm 16–18 0/1 Head 19–20 0/1 Weapon % Damage SR Pts Maul 55 2D8+1D6 5 15 Centaur Skeleton STR 17 CON — SIZ 29 DEX 17 INT —POW — CHA — Hit Points: — Move: 12 Base SR: 1 Runes: Death 70%. Magic: None. Magic Points: — Damage Bonus: +2D6 Spirit Combat Damage: — Passions: None. Armor: Scraps of leather tied together with rope (1–4 pts.). Skills: Dodge 55%. Languages: None. Treasures: None.