On a Pale Steed, Part 1
For the past month or two, I've been playing a game using Mythic Bastionland, my own Sorcery add-on, Black Wyrm of Brandonsford, and Skerples' Monster Overhaul to fill the (very) occasional gap.
But I'm not sure Black Wyrm or the Monster Overhaul—as much as I adore those texts—are even necessary! In fact, they may just "get in the way" of what Mythic Bastionland is really excellent at.
But enough ado, let's meet...
The Cast:
Sir Taurebon the Tankard Knight, always ready to win glory and boast of it. A fine story-teller, and a sometimes devout member of The Church.
The Good Lady Adelaide well aged but still astute Dusk Knight.
Gavon the Mirror Mage, child of the Good Lady Adelaide and Court Magister of the Vested Dead in the castle Velka.
Act I, Scene I
[This retelling is not perfect, or exact, or even complete. Most of all, my hope is that it reminds me of the fun I've been having, and encourages me to keep playing these silly elf games with cool people. Also, some spoilery things have been left out.]
The company set out from Velka Castle at the behest of Queen Irene, in order to restore order to the town of Brandonsford. Reports of a dragon had become more and more frequent, and the town was running out of young men to send after it.
On the road, the company passed a young man washing laundry and singing a tune about "The Knight Who Slew Death." Afterwards, they crossed a river, and were challenged by a knight in black. Sir Taurebon took up the challenge, but was quickly overwhelmed. Gavon and Adelaide came to his rescue, interrupting the duel. At this the knight raged, but was soon overwhelmed. When the black knight saw dishonorable defeat, he took a dagger from his side, and plunged it into his own heart. In a moment, the figure had melted into the soil.
The company, disturbed by this, continued on their journey.
They soon came to Brandonsford, where they found a dead unicorn (and took its horn), befriended an elf, and robbed a tomb. Within the tomb, the Black Knight again appeared before an altar of Arthur, a sacred knight from ages past. The knight mocked Arthur for the ruination of all that was once sung of in great songs. The profane knight vanished when the party approached.
In the tomb, the party recovered several sleeping potions, strange orbs with graven faces, and one other thing. By the tomb of sir Brandon, Taurebon prayed: "Let me take this sword to slay the dragon that terrorizes these lands, as you once did." At the opening of the tomb, the sword was lofted by Brandon's skeletal arm, and a curse was spoken, "In a fortnight, if the dragon dies not, you will lie in the ground with I." So Taurebon took the blade, and set about the hunt with all swiftness.
The plan was simple enough: soak a sheep in sleeping potion, feed it to the dragon, and stab it through the eye with Brndon's sword. The plan proved effective.
In celebration of the dragon's death, the party got riotously drunk on the locals' coin, and took their time traveling back to Velka. They first stopped at the elf's dwelling and asked a question: "Who is this dark knight that haunts our footsteps? What does he want?" And the elf told them, "A knight once slew death, but in slaying death, death he became."
The Black Knight Returns
On their return journey, the Knight in black stopped the company at the final river crossing before Velka, and once again demanded a duel. The loser of the duel would be pierced with the black blade.
Now suspecting the truth, The Good Lady Adelaide offered a duel of riddles, which the knight accepted, on the condition that the black blade would be plunged into the loser's chest.
Adelaide asked first, "I am with you even now, but you will see naught of me but teeth. What am I?" This the dark knight answered.
The Knight of Death asked, "I cannot be bought, but often am stolen, useless to one, but priceless to two. What am I?" And this Adelaide answered.
So Adelaide asked, "There is a map larger than any other, whose eye reads it?" And to this the knight answered "God." But a truer answer was needed, so Adelaide took the black blade, and sliced across the breast of Death, but not so deep as to slay. And Death no more pursued the company.
To Velka
In Velka, the company reported their victory to the Queen, but the Queen was troubled by other things. Her younger brother, Melkis, had fled the castle earlier that day without a word. She worries that he will turn the land against her, and wishes the company to travel out, doing good among the people in her name. And also to find her brother, and talk him into coming home.
Gavon, at this point, found a young conjurer in the Cock & Hen tavern. The fellow was wildly drunk, but grateful to meet "a master of the craft." His own magics were wilder, darker, and less easily controlled. Loflet, for that was the young wizard's name, first conjured magic on accident, wishing to cut a whole harvest at once, he cut down its harvesters also. Now his magic seems turned, defiled, and strange faces haunt his craft.
Gavon agreed to take Loflet on their journey, in hopes of discovering more about this odd craft, and the strange faces.
The party traveled south on river boats, and then made to cross the sea, but a great storm kicked up, and a pod of great sea-beasts attacked! One of the ships was sunk, but Gavon protected the other with magic, so all but two ponies were saved.
The Fishing Village
Drenched and weary, the party came ashore in a small fishing village. There they found a boarding house, and within, a familiar face.
Melkis, prince of Velka, sat playing chess with a stranger. Gavon tried to talk Melkis into writing a letter to the queen, or even coming home with them, but the prince insisted on finishing his game first.
The prince was losing. Or so it seemed. In a final turn, he struck true, and cornered his opponent. Admitting defeat, the cloaked opponent passed a black dagger across the board, and in glee, Prince Melkis slew death, and thus, death he became.
Some Final Notes
Mythic Bastionland is an excellent game. It's core is very simple, but the key components around combat and exploration make for an excellent hex-crawling game that really makes the world feel alive. I didn't actually use the Monster Overhaul much (except for the whales, as my region didn't really have any naval myths.) The game provides plenty of encounters and situations, and I am looking forward to the more "mythic" feel now that we have moved away from the pre-defined (but still fun) area around Brandonsford.
Why did we meet the black knight so much? I didn't plan it that way. My d6 encounter dice just kept rolling 4's!