RuneQuest/Glorantha Scenario Set Outline:
THE GREY COMPANY
Copyright 1996 Peter Maranci
"The Grey Company" is a group of
closely connected scenarios designed to bring disparate starting
characters together as a long- lasting adventuring group. It is
set in the Pavis area, though it could be transplanted to another
setting or system if necessary. Although this scenario set allows
characters of unusually diverse backgrounds to be formed into an
adventuring party, diversity is not a requirement.
Several playtests (including a PBEM run) have
been run with various groups; on the whole, the scenario has
worked very well. A version of this scenario was published in Interregnum
#2 on April 1994. For more information about Interregnum,
please take a look at the Interregnum site.
Your feedback is very welcome. Please send
comments to the author at: [email protected].
Alexander Wallis has created a set of
additional scenario ideas based on The Grey Company: The Further Adventures of the
Grey Company. Also compatible with the
Grey Company is the Legendary
Thunder Horse, a new scenario by Evan W.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) The PCs start as young and relatively
inexperienced characters. An unusually broad range of cultures
and backgrounds are possible; the only unacceptable choices are
obvious Chaos worshipers and races/cults so mutually hostile as
to cause immediate bloodshed on sight. Lunars are acceptable,
though their presence may cause difficulties.
2) In a short private session (a half-hour or less
should suffice), the GM runs each PC through a pre-game set of
circumstances in which they are forced to leave their home
culture -- either for a few years, or permanently. Possible
reasons: family feuds, accusations of crime (false or otherwise),
famine in the homeland, avoidance of conscription, disease in
homeland, family poverty, a search for aid for the tribe, or
anything else the GM wishes to inflict upon the players. In one
odd situation, a Dragonewt PC was ordered to spy upon the
"human frontier". If desired, PCs may be of local
origin; in that case, they begin the game by receiving a gift or
legacy.
3) Each PC acquires an unusual grey token from a
kindly- inclined elder or friend of the family, along with a
letter recommending the character to the members of the Grey
Company of Pavis, a mercenary group of
bodyguards/salvors/adventurers for hire. The elder explains that
he/she worked with some or all of the members of the Grey Company
in the past, and that the Company owes him or her a debt of
gratitude. Alternatively, in some cases a token could be stolen,
bought, or gambled for by a PC. In any case, the PCs are urged to
go to Pavis and seek out the Grey Company, which will doubtless
offer an excellent chance for advancement, prosperity, and glory.
4) The PCs travel to Pavis. Some may meet each
other on the road; some may experience minor adventures during
the trip, of the GM's choosing. PCs native to Pavis will
obviously not need to travel.
1) The PCs arrive in Pavis, and find the home of
the Grey Company. At the Grey House a tall and cold henchman
named Abernathy informs the PCs that the members of the Company
are out of town. Abernathy does not recognize the tokens
("It's none of my business, I'm sure; I just look after the
place"). If pressed or persuaded, he will admit that members
of the Company will probably arrive within the week. He is
willing to convey a message to any returning members in exchange
for a small fee. A cosy inn nearby is an obvious place to while
away the days; there are cheap lodgings on the floor of the
common room, and the food is hot and plentiful. While the PCs
wait for their return, they meet and get to know each other.
Numerous minor adventures may transpire in the process, of
course.
1) The ten members of the Grey Company finally
return. They're an interesting and highly diverse group; most of
them seem to be Rune Levels, either Priests, Lords, or both.
Despite this they greet the PCs cordially, and invite them to
spend the night when the tokens of recommendation are presented.
A grand dinner marks the evening, with interesting conversation.
The PCs discover that the Grey Company is an extremely ancient
organization, dating back to old Pavis. Not all members of the
Company are on duty at the same time, since a number of them must
spend a good deal of time at their temples. However, the Company
has done a good bit of work for several cults, which sometimes
allows members to "double up" on their duties, so to
speak.
2) The next day the PCs are given a tour of the
house. Among other areas, they are shown the Armory and the door
to the Treasury. The Armory is filled with magnificent weapons of
all sorts. The PCs are told that they cannot enter the Treasury
because it is protected by a powerful spirit guardian, in
addition to the usual precautions. Since the spirit doesn't know
them, it would attack them once they touched the door or entered
the room. Among the most valuable possessions in the Treasury are
the diaries of the Company, which include rare lore from long
ago. In some cases the Grey Company has been hired because they
are the only ones who have a particular map or scrap of esoteric
information.
3) The PCs are invited to apply for
apprenticeships with the Company. This is a highly prestigious
opportunity, and a great honor. It must be stressed that cult
obligations are understood to come first for all members.
NOTE: There are presently no apprentices in the
Grey Company, though the PCs may not notice this. It is not
called to their attention. If they ask about this mysterious
lack, the elder members of the Company are clearly uncomfortable.
If pressed, they say simply that it was necessary to dismiss the
previous apprentices for malfeasance.
1) The GM may make up any number of tests he
desires. Some options: tests of strength, mock combat, diplomatic
questions, magic. In one of the most revealing tests in playtest,
characters were asked to make up their own test; to do something
to show the Members their worthiness for apprenticeship in the
Company. Player imaginations tend to run wild in this case.
2) Barring disasters, the PCs are accepted. They
take the Oath of the Company. The Oath includes a promise to
guard the honor and keep the secrets of the Grey Company.
1) The PCs take up rote duties and training for
the next several weeks. One or more may notice that they are
being followed by an elusive shadowy figure in the streets of
Pavis.
1) If any of the PCs make a Listen roll late at
night, they will hear the senior members of the Grey Company
(that is, all the NPCs) receive a midnight visitor on what
appears to be a matter of some urgency. They depart immediately
for the Big Rubble, assuring the PCs that they will return within
a few days. They will not discuss the mission.
1) Three days pass, a week...the senior members do
not return. The PCs are in possession of a house, a Treasury that
they cannot get into, and the reputation of the Grey Company --
possibly the most valuable item of all. When it becomes clear
that the members are not going to return, Abernathy quits. He
seems very nervous when he gives notice. If pressed, he will
simply mutter that it is "too dangerous" to stay at the
Grey House.
1) Tax time has come, and taxes must be paid by
the Grey Company. The tax is almost certainly more than the PCs
have. They must raise money somehow, either from outside sources
or by figuring a way into the Treasury, past the Spirit Guardian.
The Spirit Guardian Harfel Sarfaxian, the ghost of
a deceased member. His POW is 21 and and his INT is 16, and he
was voluntarily bound as a ghost many years ago. Harfax knows the
following spells: Glue 4, Befuddle (2), Disruption, Heal 4,
Mindspeech 1, Ignite, Extinguish 1, and Strength 2. Built into
the door is a matrix for the spirit magic spell Spirit Screen 4,
plus 20 points of stored magic points. If the door is touched by
a stranger with additional strangers present, Harfax will cast
Befuddles on each member using the stored magic points. Once all
present are Befuddled, he will Disrupt them until they flee or
die. The reaction of a Befuddled person to being Disrupted by an
(invisible?) ghost is left for the individual GM to decide.
If the door is touched by a stranger who is alone,
Harfax will cast Spirit Screen 4 and attempt to possess the
target.
Should his efforts fail, he will cast Glue 4 on
the door and renew the spell if necessary until he is completely
out of magic points.
If the PCs manage to persuade Harfax that they are
legitimate members of the Grey Company he may allow them to enter
-- but he will be suspicious. If they attempt to loot the
Treasury they may find themselves locked in by an angry ghost!
2) If the PCs fail to pay the taxes, the House and
all of their own property will be confiscated by the Lunar
Government. An auction will be announced, and a group of bidders
will attempt to buy the entire House. (Alternatively) Though the
action is announced, when the time comes the House and contents
will have already been purchased by a mysterious buyer (potential
plot complication).
1) Late one night, a brick is hurled through a
downstairs window. Attached to it is a crudely-scrawled note,
saying "Leave the House or die!"
2) If feasible, magical warnings are given. One
possibility: Ranged Voice Projection (depending on the Sorcery
system used) moaning and warning all within to leave or die,
threatening remarks delivered by Mindspeech to a PC on the street
while in the middle of a large crowd (making it difficult to
guess who has cast the spell), etc.
3) If desired, the Grey House is fired late one
night. The fire is not large, and does not pose a serious threat
to the House unless it is ignored. While the PCs are dealing with
the blaze, an attack will be made upon the House from the
opposite side. The attack is interrupted by the Lunar Guard.
Costs will be charged to the PCs if the Guard must help to put
out the fire. This encounter may take place at whatever point the
GM feels would be most dramatic.
1) The Grey Company has certain regular
contractual obligations. One of these obligations is now due; a
caravan must be guarded for a short trip.
2) Other short adventures may be included in this
manner.
1) The Grey House is definitely being watched.
Both the Lunar Government and the mysterious hostiles are
possible culprits, depending on the PCs' previous actions. Both
at once is also possible.
2) A Spirit spy enters into the House, and
departs.
3) It becomes clear to the PCs that the Lunars
regard them with extreme suspicion, whether they managed to pay
the taxes or not. With luck and effort, they may discover that
they are under suspicion of being Orlanthi assassins, guilty of a
recent murder. They have apparently been the victims of an
anonymous tip to the Lunars.
1) The PCs are summoned by a local noble. When
they arrive, they find that the "noble" is actually the
noble's young son, who wishes to hire them as guards for a trip
he and his noble friends wish to take into the Big Rubble while
his father is away. If they refuse, the child is clearly
determined to attempt to enter the Rubble anyway; the
already-suspicious Lunars will doubtless take an interest. The
situation is best resolved through roleplaying rather than
combat.
In one run, the PCs decided to
"test" the young nobles by taking them on an
overnighter in Prax. Some of the group disguised themselves as
bandits and attacked the party in the night. They were careful
not to main the young nobles, who defended themselves more
fiercely than the PCs expected. In the process several PCs were
injured. Nonetheless, in the morning the chastened young nobles
decided that they weren't ready for the Rubble.
1) At this or some other time the PCs may decide
to enter the Rubble, seeking the senior members. If they are
intelligent, and have managed to get into the Company Treasury,
they will hire as many Humakti or other blooded warriors to
escort them as they possibly can.
2) The senior members may communicate with the
PCs, but are inextricably trapped in the Big Rubble for a long
and indefinite period.
a) They are dead, and are ghosts, or
b) They are embarked on a strange HeroQuest
within an underground cavern of crystal, which will take an
indefinite number of years to complete. (The Crystal Cavern
scenario details have been omitted).
1) The mysterious hostiles eventually make their
all-out attack. They are the old Apprentices of the Grey Company,
who fell into evil ways and were dismissed. They desire
possession of the Grey House and its contents, as well as the
name and reputation of the Grey Company. In their campaign to
achieve these goals, they killed an innocent man; they
anonymously tipped the Lunars that the PCs are Orlanthi
assassins, responsible for the murder. At least one of the old
Apprentices is an Initiate of the Black Fang Brotherhood.
2) If the final showdown is not decisive, the old
Apprentices remain as a thorn in the side of the PCs. They may
proceed in a number of ways against them (details omitted), and
will act as a continuing plot device.
1) The contractual obligations listed in Section
X are a continuing way to introduce new scenaria to the PCs.
2) Additional history of the Grey Company may
also be relevant. The PCs may find that they have friends as well
as enemies, based upon the reputation of the Company.
3) The main force which acts to bind the PCs
together is greed. The Treasury of the Grey Company is extremely
valuable; the Oath of the Company forbids them to loot it
(assuming oaths matter to them). The Grey House itself is most
desirable, and the reputation of the Grey Company more valuable
yet. With the resources of the Grey Company almost any personal
character goal would be more easily attained.
4) New characters can be easily introduced into
the Company; all they need to do is show up bearing a Grey token.
Of course, it's also possible that an enemy (one of the old
apprentices, say) might use this method to infiltrate the group.
In any case, a competent new apprentice might wonder why his new
masters were so comparatively inexperienced.
Many additional elements have been omitted for
brevity. These include:
the strange and unfamiliar magic in the Company
Treasury,
the secrets of the history of Grey House,
and more. These may eventually be written up and
published. On the other hand, GMs are invited to create their own
answers.
Given the open nature of "The Grey
Company", it is best if the GM plays the role of the Lunar
officials and the old apprentices flexibly, as best fits the
situation. Adopt the point of view of each party in order to
decide what actions to take. Events need not take place in the
order listed above; if the PCs are clever, some may never happen
at all.
Download ZIPped ASCII version
-end-
[email protected] Copyright 1996 by Peter Maranci. Revised: January 25, 2003. v.2.3
