some knights i stay up

 

Seb McKinnon

Played some Mythic Bastionland a little while back (fun! Weird! Typically easy to internalize lite rules from C McD!) and then watching that Dunk and Egg show and then thinking about Odyssey discourse and how strictly historical (or rather, historical analogue) settings still have plenty of room for interesting scenarios, and also how the best Good Guy Capable Of Violence superhero stories manage to layer ethical needs to create moral dilemmas much more interesting than "Murder A Kitten Or Save An Orphan???" and how the social framework of knights come preloaded with restrictions and expectations of noble and violence that are fertile opportunities for a series of interesting choices - where sometimes the best option is ultimately an estimate of what one can afford to lose, be it from the coinpurse or from the soul.

Howso gameable? Some hooks for mundane encounters on the road in a realm of knights. Many have a more obvious invitation to player involvement but some don't at all. They are extremely gendered and assume a more strict hierarchy than Mythic implies so they maybe layer over that setting more than integrate to it (not really sure what game they are for, I have never read or played Pendragon but maybe?). Posted some on bsky but doing more here for posterity

1. This knight has started a grassroots crusade to right some foreign injustice but needs a guide to get there

2. This knight stands watch over a stretch of road, and is concerned that he has not seen the signal fire of his brother across the valley for three nights. He needs to find out what has happened but is reluctant to leave his post

3. This knight searches far for a lost token of his liege - but it seems the "relic" of a nearby monastery is the item in question

4. This knight accompanies a priest on their way to reconsecrate an abandoned (and supposedly cursed) town. When they come across an unguarded treasure the priest will fall to avarice and cowardice and immediately abandon all companions to whatever devilry now resides there

5. This knight appears nervous and awkwardly stands slightly in the way. If pressed he sheepishly admits losing a token of his lady's favor somewhere around here after boasting widely and is too embarrassed to present himself to court without it

6. This knight boasts that he is protected by a guardian angel or saint. He will try to disprove any perceived skepticism with daring behavior that gets more and more risky

7. This knight carries a fishing rod and will take any opportunity to spend time angling. He inquires about any bodies of water you may have passed and their environments

8. This knight demands satisfaction from an uncouth traveler on the road but is hesitant to commit to an actual duel. His liege was just insulted in his presence, but he is serving a vow of nonviolence after failing to protect a monastery

9. This knight has heard disturbing rumors that his brother in arms is false. He needs to find out more without creating any scandal for him, his family, or their liege's court

10. This knight is en route to greet an honored guest of his liege. BUT! he has sworn vengeance upon this person for an injury upon his house

11. This knight is searching for a missing child he has sworn to recover. Though somewhat vague, the last description of the kidnappers he was given matches yours

12. This knight is ensuring their liege's child arrives at their betrothed safely. The knight has encountered increasing evidence the betrothed behaves dishonorably or has ill intentions

13. This knight guards a bridge, stopping travelers to ask if they have seen the knight’s quarry who has fled facing justice. He names an acquaintance of yours

14. This knight is walking alongside his mounted squire and carrying all of their equipment. They are returning from foreign lands where the knight acquired strange “egalitarian” views at odds with local orthodoxy

15. This knight cheerfully warns all he meets of an imminent ending, but whether by invasion, plague or disaster he is unsure. He hails from a small, weak realm but anticipates a greater New Kingdom to be built from the ruins

16. This knight has been charged to discretely track down and silence someone blackmailing his liege, but finds the expected methods extremely dishonorable and has turned to drinking to avoid thinking about it

17. This knight travels with a covered shield and crest. His entire family is dishonored by a murderer within their house and he hunts the fugitive to restore them

18. This knight is returning to his house with medicine for his family's wasting disease, but is dying of it as well. It is valuable to the unscrupulous buyer, and there is not enough to cure everyone

19. This knight rides an exotic steed home to impress his peers, but the local liege whose land he is crossing has sent a messenger to request it as a gift

20. This knight escorts a fallen brother's body back to their family. Following only hours behind is an out of breath lay priest - due to some kind of error or perhaps fraud the knight is transporting the wrong corpse

21. This knight is followed by a bound prisoner who protests loudly when you are noticed. The knight claims this is an outlaw brigand while the prisoner claims they are a knight in service to a local liege and the actual brigands have stolen all their belongings

22. This knight has taken a vow not to hold a weapon until he receives absolution for an accidental death from a distant church official. He appears not to notice his young squire following at a distance, who wields the knight's large (possibly cursed?) sword and stays overly alert for approaching enemies

23. This knight aimlessly wanders the woods and fields. He has undertaken a hunt for a singular beast to gift his liege after causing some embarrassment, but is much more at home at court or tournies than this wilderness errand

24. This knight is questing out in devotion to a certain lady of whom you have acquaintance. He has never met her but has had extensive correspondence through messages and now attempts to track down some knaves that have caused her dishonor. Several details he mentions do not match what you know of the lady

On making your own Think of the typical duties and order of obedience that might be expected here - something like serve God, serve king, serve liege, serve lady, protect family, protect own honor, protect misc innocents, ...have a hobby idk. Then place two of these at odds, or imply the PCs are at odds with one. The smaller scale the better. A knight whose brother has sworn service to a different noble and now leads men to attack this knight's liege is way more grounded than like "the king has ordered his knights to kill all the priests" or whatnot. Leave world ending drama to the Myths.

Giants of the Middle West

When summer comes, and the heat hangs in the air, the giants appear low on the horizon matching ponderously from some distant sea.

Chimes hang over many doors and herald their coming

1. The faintest chiming. Half-light as the sun doesn't quite manage to appear. Business as usual about town albeit a touch morose.

Can cast depression and fog cloud.

2. The soft patter. The bright sky reflected on puddle-dotted roads. Mothers more annoyed than worried usher children indoors and fret at muddy boots.

Can cast Plant Growth and rainbow. 

3. Dark but distant rumbles, flashes of light reflect from somewhere high above. Still, too still. Old men rock slowly on their porches and watch.

Can cast silence and lightning bolt.

4. The storm.

The chimes are no longer enough and now a high droning howl comes from all around. The sky tints green and dusk arrives early. Empty streets and fields as anxious faces brace behind cellar doors.

Roll morale every ten minutes. Much of the time these encounters are blessedly brief.

Can cast disintegrate structure and teleport other.

 

d100 dark souls

 I recently returned to Lordran and have some thoughts on applying the lessons of Dark Souls 1 to ttrpgs slowly percolating. In the meantime, a stocker:

1. A mute and imprisoned priestess, watched by a duplicitous warrior

2. A prison with a demon trapped in the basement

3. A monster in a courtyard, unaware of a balcony above

4. A hidden barterer using delivery birds

5. A priest who plans to betray his snooty noble ward

6. Large nest, man-sized eggs

7. A stash of red crystals. Can be crushed to visit another world

8. A tall epitaph, a corpse pinned to it with a greatsword

9. A toothy serpent under the floor of a disused shrine

10. A large creature that eats rare minerals and spits out others

11. A merchant with a freakish appearance. Keeps a legendary sword hidden among his things

12. Soldiers watch a narrow path from above, firebombs at the ready

13. An old witch peddles poisons from behind bars

14. A gang of thieves sneak around from behind as dogs provide distraction

15. A cooperative knight. Quirky interest becomes a consuming monomania

16. A town, its front gate hijacked by a great creature

17. A large animal and armed herders. It wear excessive custom barding

18. A portcullis, closed until its keeper hears the signal bell

19. A church tower where a goth dude offers absolution

20. Beasts guard a rooftop, wearing ornamental armor and wielding halberds

21. A slime hidden above, drops down to engulf passing heads

22. A rodent the size of a bus, caged

23. A merchant, cheerful in a wretched place, sells powerful exotic weapons

24. A misshapen, waddling beast. Its ribcage is a gaping maw

25. On a shadowed ledge, a sneak shoots venomous missiles. Carries the antidote

26. A brute swings a massive club coated in poison. In his pockets: actual shit

27. An enormous filter feeder. Its body obscures a scroll with a self destructive spell of great power

28. A rickety wooden elevator driven by a cobbled-together water wheel. Surrounded by biting insects

29. The sister of devils sells her secrets to those she deems worthy

30. The hollow roots of a massive tree reach deep underground

31. An inept knight waits at a high window, surrounded. Knows a holy blast spell

32. An ornate bridge can rotate to connect different areas

33. Down a hidden staircase, a demon sits in a chapel

34. Silent archers guard a precarious side entrance

35. Imps, in service of the church, wield javelins

36. In front of the doors of a great hall lies a chance to hunt down a traitor

37. A skilled giant bound to his craft in service knows the secret of lightning

38. A magic ring empowers divine spells

39. A teleporting mage guards a hidden but empty tomb

40. A renowned dragonslayer and his corpulent lackey issue a challenge

41. An ambush of thorny treemen waits among the bushes

42. A stone clad knight emanates an aura of slowness

43. The grave of a legendary knight, locked with a mystical seal

44. An old smith looks for a blessed flame to enable forging special weapons

45. A living statue of rare metal wields a mancatcher

46. A huge glowing insect perches on a ruined tower

47. Massive felines charge and tumble into their prey

48. A band of warriors protect their forest from otherworldly invaders

49. Easily dispatched myconids. Their death cries call the larger ones

50. A warrior from a distant land. Welcomes any to join as he hunts people for sport

51. A spirit. Can only be harmed by someone who has been petrified

52. An elevator, its mechanisms inert and underwater

53. The remains of a city destroyed to contain a spreading evil

54. A red-robed mage applies his knowledge to physick

55. Behind a locked door, a crank to unseal floodgates

56. A giant mass of tortured souls slowly oozes forward

57. A hooded warrior, seeks to drain life force. Leader claims they are merely antiauthority

58. A wizard craftsman, self sequestered to avoid losing his lucidity

59. A hidden crevice connecting two disparate areas, home to winged raptors

60. A winding pathway up to snow covered steps, surrounded by impaled bodies

61. A wielder of acid magic, his head bandaged and bulbous

62. A rooftop corpse. Harpies watch to swarm the curious

63. A bloated wretch charges blindly and swings a flaming torch

64. A thin sword dedicated to a raven goddess

65. A warren of tunnels at the bottom of a well

66. A phalanx that has guarded a gate for an age, the soldiers stooped and melted from waiting

67. A rotting undead beast who pulls itself apart to give chase

68. A fur-covered giant with a weapon made to kill the gods

69. A beautiful woman bids leave the kind denizens in peace

70. A hefty golem examines an orrery. Holds a key to an ancient time

71. Zombie soldiers sprout iridescent crystals

72. A dragon's attendant uncannily danced with a trident

73. Multistory bookcases, stairways crisscross between

74. A huge monster whose breath sends victims to jail

75. A snake man alerts the area with a megaphone alarm

76. A cage of cephalopod mutants. Evidence that they were once women

77. A warrior emerges from the belly of a beast. She searches for her father

78. An invisible bridge marked only with bloodstains

79. A giant butterfly lapping at the sparkling walls

80. A cavern of skull-eating mollusks. Can sometimes break a curse

81. Floating heads. They moan then explode

82. A narrow canyon. Archers hide among crypts and tombs

83. Dead warriors continue to pursue as long as a skull shaped lantern is lit

84. A pathway lined with statues, several have spike traps. Skeletons give chase

85. A pit full of rolling spike monsters

86. A masked shut-in studies, surrounded by books. Can create illusory clones, lacks hands

87. A priest-hating thief who sells the belongings of his victims

88. A paradigm-altering vista of cosmic proportions

89. An undead paladin, the legendary founder of his order, attacks any trespassers

90. Among stalagmites, a shambling noble wields a huge scythe

91. A tortured witch. Her servants prey on others for the means to ease her suffering

92. A bunch of parasites skitter down a corridor. One is grossly incandescent

93. A ledge overlooks a huge hall; several of a previously encountered 'boss' monsters loiter about

94. A deformed giant guards his sister's tomb from grave robbers

95. A petrified monster made from multiple giant insects animates when someone nears

96. A pathway lined with gargoyles. Some are fire-breathing demons

97. A tentacle monster eats weapons outside an exotic style shrine

98. A bridge back to safety guarded by a living statue

99. A flustered warrior offering to clear the path ahead out of gratitude

100. A tangle of writhing roots contain a straining elemental of fire

welcome to ossic county

Alex Colville

 

TRAIN

1. Conductor Hennifer - grumpy, whistle (warning travelers away from Shekel)

2. Gregor Volkov - mute, carries carved walking stick, in TM Gang (playing chess with…)

3. Hugard - tall, smug, TM Gang (singing Kate Bush songs to himself)

4. Jess Brenkow - independent, overalls (polishing rifle parts, joining Ossic Mining as a deputy)

5. Fassifer Pols - fop, perfumer (looking for new scents, meeting trappers)

6. Leonore Samarkand - reserved, guilty (knitting, looking out window, fleeing from an accident)

Jessica Rossier

SHEKEL STATION

1. Conductor Hennifer again - grumpy, whistle (hurrying everyone off of the platform so she can leave)

2. Rustup Whelk - wealthy, earnest (waiting with flowers for Leonore Samarkand to disembark)

3. Jaki - pet cobra, leery (stroking pet cobra and waiting for Hugard to take her to meet Terrence Mito gang)

4. Krader Maize - afraid, skitterish (sneaking silver nuggets, fleeing from ghosts by the old mine entrance)

5. Secretariat Zhakah - veiled, stern (taking notes on town’s flaws on clipboard, travelling back to Ossic Mining HQ)

6. Lefty Baird - scrawny, charming (selling this week’s Ossic County Omen for 50¢)

David Lloyd

SILVER DOLLAR HOTEL

1. “Skinny Step” Huber - high-strung, talented saxophonist (demanding Caruthers do something about the bees in the walls. It’s actually Renfro’s device)
   Lemuel Caruthers - bartender, calm, eyepatch (hefting beer barrel)

2. Zedediah - goatee, quiet (debating the nature of spirits) with
   He-Who-Swims - stern, (examining Ossic County Omen)

3. Giles Cuneiform - middle-aged, jolly (bargaining over machine parts) with
   Renfro - short, impatient (doodling a schematic on a napkin)

4. White Spear - embroidered beads, spectacled (reading Faire Wood Withering)

5. Ophelia Hennifer - innocent, long braid (propositioning)
   Deborah Barnes - armed, disillusioned (becoming more and more vocally annoyed)

6. Grint Visper - shifty, unseasonably bundled (carrying $2000 in cash beneath long coat, waiting for meetup with Terrence Mito gang tomorrow)

Renoir

OSSIC COUNTY OMEN

1. WHAT GHOSTS? Sheriff dismisses haunting claims

2. Evan Dunderling Scandal

3. Rev. Nathy Carn Cole warns of locusts

4. Tracks to be built to Desacado, says Company

5. Whiskey Short After Smash at Yves Still

6. UNNATURAL BONES: Dry spell reveals unusual fossils in Lake Donahey