The current campaign I'm DMing is set within my homebrew setting, the Riven Realm - a magic rich, alternate reality, renaissance period Scotland - known as Hen Ogledd in the campaign world. In Riven Realm I use the Old School Essentials rules for gameplay and character generation, with a few extra tweaks of my own thrown in for setting flavour.
We've been playing since mid August 2022. There are five player characters (PCs), a Barbarian, a Cleric, a Paladin, a Thief, and a Magic User. Due to other ongoing games within the group, and my work shift pattern we manage to play approximately once a month.
I've extended the gameplay beyond live sessions by utilising downtime activities. The in-game calendar mirrors the real world calendar, thus each week that passes in the real world accounts for a week in game terms. The players have really bought into this, and as a result the PCs have become richly fleshed out in a much shorter period of time than had we relied solely on live sessions. A live session accounts for one week of game play, and I always bring the game session to an end in a manner that allows the player characters to return to base. This then gives the PCs freedom to pursue their own agendas through downtime activities until the next live session comes around.
Two of the PCs have developed a history of religious opposition and personal animosity that finally came to blows in our pre-Christmas live session.
Murray plays a Barbarian - Torcull MacCulliach, a Gahlish minor gentleman of small repute. Torcull is a brash, arrogant clansman blessed by the touch of the Morrigan, and is the player party's main tank. Murray is a great role-player who has invested heavily in cultivating the lore of Torcull, and especially his connection with the Morrigan. In the Riven Realm setting the Morrigan is an ancient goddess of the Sidhe, the aboriginal fae inhabitants of the Isle of Prydein, an island on which the realm of Hen Ogledd is situated. The Morrigan is the queen of winter, and goddess of war, battle, fate, strategy, victory, death, and magic. In game play Murray regularly plays Torcull as dedicating victories to the Morrigan, and also denigrating the faith of the other players, resorting to calling them 'scabby kneelers.'
Graeme plays a Cleric - Conall Argyle, another Gahlish clansman, and a Spirit Aspect of the one true Orthodox Divine Church of the Source, a monotheistic faith that decries the worship of any other god as heretical demon worship. The ODC believe that their God, the Source of All Things is represented by the five elements - fire, earth, air, water and spirit. The five elements are known as the Pentarchy. Certain sects within the church dedicate themselves to one particular element, and maintain shrines to that element. Clerics who take the oaths of office to a specific element are known as, Aspects. As mentioned above Conall is an Aspect of Spirit, and manifests his worship through grave digging, performing funerary rites, and laying hands on the sick.
Graeme, like Murray, is a skilled role-player, and plays his character as a man conflicted in his faith.
In the riven realm of Hen Ogledd the King's writ is loose. The ODC is the true power behind the throne, and outside of the main cities and royal fortresses it holds the power of law, life and death over the populace.
As you can see the faiths of Torcull and Conall are diametrically opposed, and both players role-play their characters well. No session goes by without some sort of in-character religious debate or diatribe from Torcull taking place, usually resulting in manifest and bounteous blasphemies rolling from Torcull's tongue. Graeme plays Conall as a patient priest who is tolerant of Torcull's imprecations against the Source, however, there is a certain amount of metagaming present in this decision.
For the sake of keeping the party together and pushing the story forward, Graeme chose not to have Conall make meat out of Torcull's profane and continuous blasphemies against the Source. Graeme received corroboration in his metagaming by fellow player, Ryan, who plays Maria Jaeger, a Paladin sister-at-arms of the Holy Order of St Olphram, a source fearing order of Hospitallers.
Ordinarily, had both players played their characters true to their form then Conall would have proclaimed Torcull 'heretic', and Maria would have arrested him, and played executioner when the inevitable sentence of death would be deemed by ODC hierarchy. In this respect Torcull should never have made it past the first or second live session. However, this did not happen and the characters went on to rise in level and experience, and in Torcull's case, in power and strength. Torcull become emboldened and ever more pernicious in his blasphemies, and fight against what he perceives as the profane false church of Reme (the campaign world's version of Rome).
As DM I left it to the players to develop and play their characters as they saw fit, and I've enjoyed seeing this dichotomy begin to grow and unfold before the party. I've been keen to encourage and reward the players as they advance, and despite knowing that the inevitable clash would come, I've been happy for Murray to craft his character in the form of Celtic hero, Cuchulainn reborn, and provide him story-developed powers to enhance Torcull's might and blessing from the Morrigan.
In November's live session the party were commissioned to recover the body of a nobleman slain by what was suspected to be a demon. This led the party to Badadden's Ring, an ancient Sidhe boundary encircling a sacred well, that was protected by a powerful nature spirit known as Badadden. Without going into detail, this session provided a spiritual epiphany for Murray's character, Torcull, and also gave prophetic visions to all the characters. The visions were my tool for moving the party forward into a story arc I'd created, instead of the sandbox style play I'd previously been encouraging. Most importantly, everyone received sufficient experience to advance them all to level three.
For the unfolding scenario I'm describing to you this advance to level three is important. In regular behind the scenes discussions with Murray, I had a developed a series of experience based trigger points where Torcull would manifest additional powers granted to him by the Morrigan. Badadden's Ring was a storied tool I utilised to deliver the first mark of the Morrigan's blessing on Torcull. Murray was most pleased when I informed him. The other players were not privy to this development. Not yet.
This advance became a catalyst for a change in direction for Torcull, who went from mere verbal opposition to the ODC, to one of active and forceful physical opposition. The clash I foresaw between Torcull and Conall was fast approaching, and it was one that could not be avoided.
In our pre-Christmas session it all came to a head. The usual in-session religious debate and verbal sparring took place between Torcull and Conall, but in this instance it exploded into a full on physical challenge from Torcull.
"You, and me, outside now. NOW!"
As DM I said, "Are we actually doing this?"
Murray remained in character and laid down the challenge again. Graeme said, "Okay, let's do this." In-game the characters moved outside, accompanied by the rest of the party, and Torcull drew his two-handed sword, bellowed his challenge and unleashed his new, previously unseen, Morrigan's blessing - the Warp Spasm.
I got everyone to roll individual initiative.
In the ancient Irish tale of Tain Bo Cualiagh, or the Cattle Raid of Cooley, the hero Cuchulainn manifests the Warp Spasm prior to entering into battle. I'll use Murray's own words to describe how it looked -
"His shanks and his joints, every knuckle and ankle and organ from head to foot, shook like a tree in the flood, or a reed in the stream. His body made a furious twist inside his skin, so that his feet and shins switched to the rear and his heels and calves switched to the front… On his head the temple-sinews stretched to the nape of his neck, each mighty, immense, measureless knob as big as the head of a month-old child… he sucked one eye so deep into his head that a wild crane couldn't probe it onto his cheek out of the depths of his skull; the other eye fell out along his cheek. His mouth weirdly distorted: his cheek peeled back from his jaws until the gullet appeared, his lungs and his liver flapped in his mouth and throat, his lower jaw struck the upper a lion-killing blow, and fiery flakes large as a ram's fleece reached his mouth from his throat… The hair of his head twisted like the tangle of a red thornbush stuck in a gap; if a royal apple tree with all its kingly fruit were shaken above him, scarce an apple would reach the ground but each would be spiked on a bristle of his hair as it stood up on his scalp with rage."
Beautiful florid bardic rhetoric for what was in effect a berserker going nuts prior to slaughtering his enemies. Murray used this rhetoric to describe Torcull going into battle, but he wanted it to mean more than that. Upon reaching level three, and as a mark of the Morrigan's blessing upon him for his devotion I ruled that Torcull received the following power -
Gain +2 to hit per attack, and force all humanoid and animal opponents, in line of sight, to take a morale test whenever Torcull enters the warp spasm.
Armed with this, Torcull unleashed the War Spasm against Conall. I ruled that not only Conall but all the PCs had to pass a morale test. I asked them all to roll to Save vs Paralysis/Petrification.
They ALL failed!
What ensued should have been the death of Conall, but due to very poor rolls from Murray, Torcull's raging attacks missed on every occasion. The PCs wet their pants and fled from Torcull's wrath, and he ran after Conall's fleeing form swinging his muckle black obsidian blade to no avail.
One of the other PCs, Drazahn, a Scourged Magic User played by Ian, successfully made his next saving throw, pulled himself together and cast Sleep. I allowed Murray a saving throw versus magic, but he failed, and Torcull in one moment went from raging murderous monstrosity to a collapsed snoring mound of flesh. It was at this point that the rest of the PCs passed their saving throws, and Graeme revealed something that Conall had been working on during several downtime activities - a magical pair of manacles called Irons of Immobility.
Foreseeing that Conall and Torcull would eventually come to blows, Graeme had determined that he wanted to create a pair of manacles that would inhibit any manifestation of eldritch powers within Torcull. He believed that Torcull was possessed by something evil, and he had spent a significant amount of downtime activities, gold, and influence with NPCs to craft and bless these manacles. Mechanically I determined that they were imbued with the Hold Person spell, and once secured around a person's wrists the spell would enact. I allowed Murray a Save vs Magic, but he again failed, and was summarily bound.
The session ended there, but after the game both Graeme and Ryan remained online to discuss their concerns. They could only see one outcome for Torcull, him being put to death for heresy. I agreed that in-world this was the only sensible outcome. To their credit they said they would rather that Torcull did not die, as Murray had invested so much time and effort into developing him, and despite Torcull being a pain in the arse, they really liked him as a character.
However, the problem existed - what to do with a habitual blasphemer, a denier of the Source, and a creature of a false god that just tried to kill an ordained Aspect of the Source. Troubling. I advised them to approach Murray, and between the three of them come up with a workable solution that will mollify the inquisition, keep Torcull alive, and keep the party together.
They did just that, and the next evening came back to me. Torcull would face a full Inquisition trial, and upon the sentence of death being passed, because it would be, he would demand trial by combat. This would take place with a champion of the church, and if he won, he'd be placed in the care of Maria and Conall, on sufferance of banishment or death. This would allow the party to stay together to complete tasks set them, and then Murray would retire Torcull as he transitions into a future BBEG.
That's the plan. The next live session is tomorrow, and it's going to be the inquisitorial trial, as the game cannot progress until Torcull is dealt with.
I'm planning on having Graeme and Ryan play as their characters Conall and Maria, who will bear testimony against Torcull. I will have Chris, who play's they party's resident locksmith Alistair Corbie, join with Ian to play two ODC prelates on the inquisitorial panel. They will each cross examine the witnesses Conall and Maria, and interrogate the accused, Torcull. I as DM will play the lead inquisitor, and guide the trial. In the end the inquisitors will pronounce their sentence, and Torcull will fight for his life.
Will he fight and win his freedom, or will the champion cut him down and send his soul to the nine hells?
We'll find out tomorrow.
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