A River Runs up it is a free adventure for Glorantha the Second Age. It can be downloaded from Mongoose Publishing or below. The adventure was written by Bruce L. Mason - who also produced the whole PDF. Many thanks Bruce!

1. ARiver Runs Up It
Bruce L. Mason
Caught up in an elf’s quest, can the player characters reach a temple that holds the secret of purging chaos from the
Syphon River and holds the key to rescuing them all from a collapsing myth?
INFORMATION the initiation ceremony has become entangled with the elf’s
quest and the candidate’s destiny is now linked to the elf.
To save their friend and to possibly cure the river of its
This was originally submitted as a Living Glorantha chaos taint, they must accompany the elf on a journey along
scenario. It has been presented on Mongoose Publishing’s the river that runs backwards to the very edge of one of the
Website from where it can be downloaded without charge. foulest chaos nests in Glorantha while a God Learner team
Layout has been performed by the author, Bruce Mason, tries to get their first.
therefore all mistakes are the author’s alone. There are no
maps or artwork associated with this scenario. I wish to The scenario is set in the north west area of the Savage or
thank Loz and Pete for their assistance and Jeff Richards Steal Woods, approximately three days travel from the
for permitting me to use excerpts from the Stafford Library locale of Flowers in Her Hair. The recent expulsion of the
collection. Thanks also to Mongoose Publishing for hosting EWF from Dara Happa (see Dara Happa Rises) has
this. emboldened Orlanthi traditionalists, and missionaries from
the Dragonbreaker cult founded by Alakoring
INTRODUCTION Dragonbreaker have started to arrive, preaching revolt. The
king of the Hendrikings, Androfin the Defiant, is feted by
his people for his role in the destruction of the Clanking
This is a scenario for 3-5 novice or seasoned level player City but is reluctant to engage in open warfare against the
characters. The PCs are expected to be traditionalist EWF. So there is tension among the Hendrikiland Orlanthi.
Orlanthi or sympathetic to their cause. This scenario can be Most follow their king but many wish to openly embrace
run as a follow up to Flowers in Her Hair. Although there the Dragonbreaker cult. For this reason, initiation
are no direct links in terms of recurring characters, players ceremonies such as the one that starts this scenario are
might notice certain thematic similarities. Both scenarios relatively rare and usually held either in friendly steads or
explore the relationship between myths and culture in in wilderness areas. Although initiates of Orlanth
Glorantha. Both scenarios introduce agents of the two great Dragonbreaker are unlikely to be ostracised by their family
empires of the Second Age – The EWF and the God or clan, they may well be seen as extremists by many. If the
Learners – to the player characters. player characters took part in Flowers in Her Hair it is
likely that they have a reputation as dragon killers.
It is set around about the year 920 ST, after the fall of the
Clanking City. It is possible to set the scenario earlier, in The scenario can be run in one of two modes. In the first
which case the God Learners are agents from the Clanking mode, the initiation candidate is one of the Player
City who are seeking water magic secrets in an attempt to Characters who wishes to join the Dragonbreaker cult. In
find a weapon they can use against the besieging forces. the second mode, the initiate is a Non-Player Character who
is known to at least one Player Character. Games Masters
The scenario starts with the player characters taking part in should examine the Player Character Background events
an initiation ceremony that is interrupted by an alim, a and family information for a good link in this case.
freshwater elf. The elf summons the characters to a
Lightbringers’ quest. Before they have time to gather their The events of the scenario take place along the Syphon
wits, a God Learner band arrive on the scene, attack and River. More detailed information about the river is given in
gravely injure the presiding Rune Priest and steal some the appendix at the end. The river is considered to be
precious items belonging to the elf before departing. Once cursed. It runs uphill from the sea to the “Foot Print,”
the dust has settled, the elf explains that he is on a life quest through Foul Blood Forest where it drains into a hole in
to heal the chaotic Syphon River and has discovered the existence. Most Hendriki consider the river to be evil and
whereabouts of a drop of “primal water” in an abandoned believe it was cursed when it failed to join the other river
temple on the very edge of “The Footprint.” He needs the gods in trying to fill the gap left by the exploding World
help of surface dwellers to get to the temple. Normally the Mountain, “The Spike,” during the Gods Time. Bringing
player characters could choose to ignore this summons but the river to life is one of the key challenges of running this
A River Runs Up It 1

2. scenario. Imagine what it is like to see a river running You have been travelling for days now. Weary and footsore
uphill, to see water laboriously climbing up rocks which you accompany the great god Orlanth on his quest to defeat
would normally form rapids. Tributaries to the river snake the dragon. In front of you, his stern unbending figure
off to the sides and sometimes it seems as if the land itself strides ahead, allowing no rest, no respite.
shuns the water’s touch. The water is salty and brackish and
what it touches it seems to foul rather than cleanse. The Sometimes it feels as though you can hardly remember
only thing worse than the river is its destination: the lost your homes, your family, the clan folk. You feel stretched
world of Foul Blood Forest where petrified trees and
out somehow, as though you might break asunder with
animals fight some unknowable war against armies of slime fatigue. The storm is blowing as Orlanth approaches the
and pus. Despite all this, Orlanthi live near the river and it river yet for some strange reason you cannot feel the wind
is the best trade route to the sea so they deal with the river
on your face. Everything is still.
as best they can.
Something is horribly wrong.
This will not be an easy scenario for most Player Characters
and it is entirely possible that they may fail. They are likely
to be somewhat outgunned but the antagonists are over- A Perception roll reveals the water in the river bubbling as
confident and arrogant. Providing the Player Characters can if something is emerging. A Culture (Orlanthi) roll reminds
determine when to act rather than attacking blindly, they them of the expected events of the myth of Orlanth’s
should prevail. slaying of the dragon Aroka. However it feels wrong
somehow. It will be worth giving the players copies of the
Orlanth and Aroka myth handout and briefly reprising it.
OUTLINE Right now, Orlanth has reached the dragon’s lair and the
rest of them are there to act as Orlanth’s loyal thanes. This
1. PCs are at an initiation which is interrupted first by a is an initiation ceremony so it ought to be relatively safe.
water elf performing the Lightbringers’ summons Orlanth starts to speak his ritual challenge but the water
then by raiding God Learners. The presiding priest is erupts in front of him and then the sky cracks into two.
gravely injured and the initiation ceremony has Lightning erupts around them. Characters who make a
become entangled in a “This World” HeroQuest. The Persistence roll can stay on their feet and see what happens.
PCs must accompany the elf on its mission to cleanse
the Syphon River. Shockingly, what ought to be the head of the dragon
2. The PCs get outfitted and hear about the elf’s quest appears to be some sort of kelp-encrusted elf in the water.
to a long abandoned temple. The elf raises up until it’s half out of the water and then
3. The PCs must raid a tomb to gain a key to the starts to speak. What it says in its stilted Theyalan (the local
temple. language) is one of the oldest, most sacred passages in
4. The journey up river continues. Orlanthi culture. It is the Lightbringers’ Summons.
5. The edge of the “footprint.” The PCs must climb
down a cliff to gain access to the temple. Chaos stalks my world.
6. Encounter with a guardian of living water. Broos have bruised me, the Hand has pawed me.
7. The heart of the temple. Can the PCs retrieve the I have taken up the impossible path,
Tear before the God Learners? And seek those who must aid my task.
8. Epilogue. If the PCs have succeeded they must You are not the first of my friends.
decide what to do with the Tear Others walked with me to Heal.
The Devil took them, they died.
ENCOUNTERS I failed to save them, chaos grows.
Give the players a moment to take stock. Instead of facing a
Encounter 1 – An initiation dragon they are being summoned on a Lightbringer’s quest
by a water elf. This is extremely dangerous because the
elf’s intervention is causing the HeroQuest to break down
The scenario starts as the player characters are taking part
around them, exposing them to the risk of a backlash.
in a HeroQuest as part of an initiation ceremony. The quest
Clearly they are in a tricky spot without a lot of answers.
involves recreating Orlanth’s slaying of Aroka and is being
presided over by Inthing Right Eye a Dragon Breaker Rune
Priest from Ralios. The candidate for initiation who is A quick thinking player can have their character recite the
playing the role of Orlanth is either one of the Player traditional response, “I hear and stand before you. What
Characters or a Non-Player Character named Devlan The would you have of me?” If the player doesn’t know the
Smile from the Howling Wolves clan and is related to at response then a successful Culture (Orlanthi), or Lore
least one Player Character by ties of blood or friendship. (Orlanth) skill roll ensures that the character remembers.
The hope here is that by accepting the summons they can
A River Runs Up It 2

3. defer the next stage of the myth by going deeper into it. by a mercenary’s crossbow skill) or Shield Parry roll. A
This is dangerous because it intensifies the risks and successful missile weapon attack strikes one of the
rewards of the final stage. mercenaries. If it does enough damage for a Serious Wound
then the mercenary falls off the vehicle and can be
Other options may include attempting to attack the elf. That questioned later. If the Parry or Evade roll fails, the Player
is not a good idea. Before they take even a few steps the Character is hit by one quarrel with the Impale Combat
ground shakes and water to starts to spray up from the river Manoeuvre chosen. If the Evade roll succeeds but does not
as if it is being sucked into the sky. They may try and beat the mercenary’s roll, then the character is hit but no
ignore the summons and hope it goes away in which case CM occurs.
something starts to emerge from the river in order to devour
the elf. Finally they may try and end the quest themselves, If the skirmish is to be run properly then the following
at which point huge tears appear in the sky and they timeline occurs. There are 6 mercenaries on the main deck.
themselves feel their bodies alternately squeezed and The other four God Learners cannot currently be seen.
stretched. All of these wrong responses cost each Player
Character who attempts them 1 Hero Point. Pre-combat. Each Player Character who failed their last
Persistence roll cannot act for their next 1D4+1 Combat
Regardless of their response, just a few seconds later the Actions. That includes reacting to attacks. Note that
HeroQuest is rocked again when the river water bubbles although the Player Characters were armed in the myth, in
and foams. Each Player Character who makes a Persistence reality (where they are now), they are wearing simple
roll has time to cast one spell or ready one missile weapon. clothes. Most though will have weapons within a single
Remember that Common Magic cannot be case while Combat Action of movement.
HeroQuesting.
Combat Round 1. Three of the mercenaries have crossbows
The dragon is surfacing. Eyes glow like twin suns while its loaded and ready to fire. They will aim but not fire unless
brood of demons cling to its back. A monstrous groaning threatened. One of the archers, the mercenary captain,
accompanies its rise from the water and the spray covers demands that all natives surrender. Three mercenaries who
you. As you prepare yourselves to sell your lives dearly have already fired jump from the Marlin onto the river bank
there is a massive wrench in the ground. For a split-second and equip melee weapons to form a perimeter. Out of sight,
it seems like you are in two places at once. You are here Jezry has located the flotation bags.
facing the dragon while at the same time you are struggling
to your feet in the real world as some sort of … machine … Combat Round 2. Jezry retrieves the flotation bags with a
emerges from the river, regarding you balefully. grappling hook. If the Player Characters show signs of fight
then the mercenaries engage. Ishkari and Barrag will watch
Then the Marlin-34A Propitious emerges from the water. activities. Both of them have their abdomen and legs in
The Glow spells on the front shine like two eyes. The squad cover. Barrag has a shield and will parry any missile
attacks. Ishkari will be ready with Neutralise Magic and
of mercenaries strapped in with their spell matrices
covering their mouth and nose look like a troupe of aquatic may Smother anyone who shows signs of being a threat.
demons on the back of a sea monster. They simultaneously
appear in the myth and in the real world, collapsing the two Combat Round 3. Jezry confirms that the bags are what
together. One of the mercenaries impales the Rune Priest they are after. The mercenaries continue to engage in a
with a crossbow quarrel in the chest, causing a major fight if needs be.
wound. The elf dives back below the surface of the river in
terror and each Player Character must make one final Combat Round 4. Ishkari engages in some gloating.
Persistence roll in order to avoid losing their next 1D4+1
Combat Actions due to the backlash from the collapsing Combat Round 5. The Marlin departs, flying over the trees.
myth. If any mercenaries are still on the ground they are left
behind. The elf resurfaces.
The God Learners Strike!
If anyone is being smothered, the spell ends when the
The God Learners have no current interest in the Player Marlin leaves; Ishkari doesn’t want to risk leaving a sorcery
Characters, they are simply following the myth echoes of spell in operation behind her as it’s always possible that it
the elf’s actions. Their goal is to snatch the floatation bags can be used against her and anyway, it’s not as if the locals
which the elf has left behind. The fight can be run in are a threat.
summary form or as a full skirmish.
Summary Form. Each Player Character can make one
missile weapon attack and must make one Evade (opposed
A River Runs Up It 3

4. Wrap-up can deduce what is going on. The elf has interrupted a myth
and the God Learners must have been watching. When the
It is possible though extremely unlikely that the Player sorcerous device surfaced, it merged with the figure of
Characters may manage to defeat the God Learners at this Aroka and, in myth terms has either killed or taken captive
point. In which case the elf is delighted. It is much more the unsuspecting Orlanth while stealing his bag of wind.
likely that the God Learners have escaped with the goods The initiate is now poised between two worlds and if the
and the elf is now making a thin, high-pitched wailing Player Characters cannot find a way to find Aroka and
sound. rescue Heler then the initiate will not be able to find a way
back to the mundane world.
In addition, Inthing is suffering from a major wound to the
chest with an arrow impaled in him. Once the arrow is What was Larry up to? He has been following a This World
removed. First Aid or Common Magic Healing can stabilise HeroQuest for many tides now. He is being guided by the
him for a while. Divine magic or getting him to a healer fragments of a myth of the “Cleansed One” which may hold
will heal him. The elf does know divine magic healing. If the secret of lifting the curse from the Syphon River.
none of the Player Characters can save him and none of Recently however those sorcerers started tracking him. He
them think to ask the elf then someone spending a Hero had narrowly escaped twice before and realised that he
Point can invoke a plot twist to allow him to live. would need help. He was drawn here because he felt the
echo of their HeroQuest in the river’s current.
If one of the Player Characters is the initiate he realises that
he is “feeling strange.” He feels as though he can see both What were the sorcerers after? Larry describes them as
the mortal world and the Hero plane. In truth he is caught bags of wind. They are floatation bags keeping his most
between myth and reality; he experiences everything in a precious possessions safe. He is reluctant to explain their
heightened manner. Although he does not yet know it, his contents unless he thinks it will persuade the Player
initiation myth has become entangled with the elf’s quest. If Characters to help him. One contained scrolls and
the elf doesn’t succeed the Player Character will become papyruses detailing his research. The other contained
lost on the Hero Plane as his body fails. If the initiate is a something he doesn’t know the words for in Trade Talk. It
NPC then his body is nowhere to be found: he is lost on the is a drop of blood containing the myth fragments that have
Hero Plane without a myth to follow. guided him on his quest. It’s a bit like a blood drop that
holds magic. The players do not need to know that this is a
Mythic Insight Crystal (see the appendix) though some will
At this point the Player Characters should try to get some probably recognise it as that from the description. Larry
answers. will explain more at a later date if needs be.
Encounter 2 – Elf’s quest What’s going to happen to us? Larry doesn’t really know
though he can venture that crashing out of a HeroQuest is
usually painful. As nothing bad has happened yet then
The elf can speak Trade Talk passably and Theyalan presumably they are still on the HeroQuest. Inthing has
poorly. He is very nervous and also distraught about the more ideas. He tells them to look at their reflections in the
loss of his bag. He will, however, answer questions. His river. When they do so they become aware that their
name is Larraviri in Illvolurum (“Larry” for short from here reflections are subtly altered. There is a faint glow of “Hero
on) and he is on a holy quest to cure the Syphon River of its Light” around them and their arms and armour look,
curse. Thing is, he can’t do it by himself. He needs people
somehow, grander. When they turn away they are aware
with legs. He didn’t deliberately choose the Player that their reflections turn back to the Hero Plane. However,
Characters but he was drawn by the power of their magic. if one of the Player Characters is the prospective initiate, he
has no reflection: he is lost on the Hero Plane.
Larry cannot leave the river and has to duck underwater
every few minutes to breathe. If the Player Characters point Are we HeroQuesting or not? That’s the key question. The
out that Inthing is dying, Larry seems profoundly characters have crashed out of their original HeroQuest but
unbothered about the prospect of death. After all we all die. ‘landed’ in Larry’s This World Quest. They can no longer
If pushed he will volunteer to look at the man if they bring follow their own myth but if they follow Larry’s myth then
him to the river edge. If they do so he grabs the body and they ought to encounter fragments from their own myth. If
drags it below the water. After a tense minute he returns they can spot these fragments and complete them properly,
having cast Heal Wound. they may be able to reach the end of their own HeroQuest
by following Larry’s.
If he is asked where the missing initiate is then Larry
claims not to know, however he ventures that the hero What if we just go home? Larry thinks that would be a bad
plane has broken into reality here so, logically, that must idea as they would probably all die painfully. The Player
have something to do with it. If Inthing is able to talk he Characters may realise that was supposed to be a threat
A River Runs Up It 4

5. however Larry isn’t very good at threats. Inthing can give plan. He has a bag full of shiny things that he knows leg-
more details. If they don’t follow Larry’s HeroQuest then wearers like and he’ll share it with the Player Characters if
they will be expelled from all the HeroQuests they are they ask. He retrieves a pouch made of some sort of weed.
tangled up in and will have no way to succeed at the Anyone making Evaluate roll while sorting through the silt
original HeroQuest. The initiate will probably never return and muck in it estimates that it contains gold nuggets to the
from the HeroQuest or (if he is a PC) he will have “lost his value of over 7000 silvers.
hero breath.” In practical terms this means he can never
initiate into any Storm Tribe Cult and will be perceived as At this point the Player Characters are exposed to
krjalki, “unnatural” by Storm Tribe members. Urox temptation. It is clear that Larry has absolutely no idea of
worshippers will treat that as meaning chaotic with all that the value of this bag. They could simply take the bag and
entails. leave. If they do they are 7000 silvers richer between them,
the scenario is over and the outcome should be noted on
So what happens next? Between Larry and Inthing, if he each character sheet. They could try to skim off some of the
survived, the Player Characters should realise that the best excess or they could play it perfectly straight. Do not
way to save the life of the initiate is to help Larry on his suggest any of these options to the players unless they
quest and hope that this helps them fulfil their quest. broach the issue first.
Assuming they ask him, Larry will explain what he plans.
He has discovered that there used to be a temple near the
Encounter 3 – Ready to go
end of the Syphon that was built around a great treasure: a
drop of primal water. This water is pure of all sin and all This encounter starts in Miskos. Larry will provide a boat
taint. After the Syphon was cursed for failing to try to fill and the Player Characters may spend as much or little of
the hole at the centre of the world the memory of the temple the 7000 silvers worth of gold on whatever equipment is
was lost and it was thought to have been destroyed. available.
However, Larry has been reading many scrolls about the
Footprint and discovered intriguing comments about ruins Miskos itself is a busy trading town but unusually for a
discovered at the edge of the Footprint where the river falls town on a river, most of the buildings are a long way from
down it and he thinks they refer to the old temple. If that is the river and face away it. Houses are also elevated despite
the case then maybe the droplet still exists. If it does, Larry the fact that the river is never known to have flooded. One
is convinced that it can be gifted to the river and possibly building may attract the Player Characters’ attention if they
cure the chaos taint. make a successful Culture (Orlanthi) or Lore (Orlanth) roll
when a line from the myth of Orlanth and Aroka comes to
The problem is that he doesn’t exactly know where the mind. It is Ernan’s Bread & Brews. Prominently displayed
temple is but the scrolls make it plain that it is no longer is “Splendorbread” and jugs of “Widebrew.” It will cost 1
connected to the river. This means that Larry needs air silver to have a slap-up meal there. More importantly this
breathers with legs to get to the temple, probably having to counts as undertaking part of the Orlanth and Aroka
climb down some cliffs. What’s worse, the God Learners HeroQuest. The Player Characters will only ever find this
have just stolen all his maps and his crystal. On the other inn once and no locals will recall it existing afterwards.
hand, he does know the rough location of the tomb of a
first age adventurer who apparently raided part of the Excerpt from Orlanth and Aroka
temple and he believes that there is some sort of “key”
buried with him. This information wasn’t in the maps the
sorcerers stole. Even without the crystal, Larry believes he … ate of Ernalda's Splendorbread and drank crazy black
can find an entrance to the temple. Widebrew.
So all they have to do is to boat up a cursed, chaotic river, Once they are equipped, they head on the boat along the
loot a tomb, find a key, climb down some cliffs into one of Syphon River. Larry stays outside the boat, occasionally
the foulest chaos nests in all the world to break into a helping steer the boat if the Player Characters lack any
ruined temple which undoubtedly has defences to recover a obvious boating skill. At this point, aside from the fact that
droplet of primal water and do it all before the sorcerers get it runs uphill away from the sea the river seems perfectly
there. What could possibly go wrong? normal. The current is quite gentle and the river placid.
Larry thinks that it will take about a day to get to the tomb.
Presuming the Player Characters go along with this, Larry
suggests that he will meet them in Miskos on the Syphon The Player Characters may wish to talk with Larry. At this
river in one day. He can provide a boat but they will need to stage he is still shocked by developments, nervous of the
bring everything else needed to go tomb raiding. Larry Player Characters and fretful about what the God Learners
doesn’t really understanding the notion of buying and may be doing so he spends a lot of time in his native
selling but he has watched it in action and come up with a environment: underwater. He will answer questions but any
A River Runs Up It 5

6. type of pressure causes him to panic and duck back down If the Player Characters search in that area then make a
into the water. All in all, he’s not that reliable right now. group Perception test. On a critical they find the entrance
almost immediately. On a normal success it takes 1D6
Playing Larry hours. On a fail it takes until late in the afternoon (1D6+5
hours). On a fumble they will not find it today. If the
players have forgotten, remind them that Hero Points can
Treat everything as a threat and realise that the safest place be used to make re-rolls. If the Player Characters are still
to be is 6 foot under the surface. looking by the afternoon, Larry starts to get very agitated.
Obsess about legs. Legs are weird. Legs are strange. If he Assuming they find it, they find a large rock, overgrown
was brave enough, Larry would touch a leg. In the with mosses. A group Brawn test with a combined STR of
meantime he’ll just stare at them. But only when he thinks 40 is enough to move it in short order, otherwise they will
no one is looking. need to spend 1D3 hours digging and using levers. Once
opened, a foul stench rises up from the opening and they
Have no emotion other than fear. Emotion is a distraction can see a tunnel going straight down. It’s time to get the
from clear thought. ten-foot poles out.
Fail to have no emotion. Larry’s quest has taken so long The Troll Tomb
that has lost his sense of logic and detachment.
1. The opening to the complex is covered by a large rock. A
Be fatalistic. You’re all probably going to die soon and it’s shaft about 2m in diameter leads straight down to a wooden
probably going to be painful. That’s just the way it is. floor some 3m below. This is false floor made from thin
wood. 7 SIZ or more collapses it leading to a fall of about
Basically, s/he’s an elf with issues. 4m.
Larry has spent his life on this quest. The other alim have 2 Burial chamber. This grand vault is falling into disrepair.
all but exiled him. He is rootless and none of them will help A sarcophagus with an off-centre lid is placed in one corner
him. All of his life he’s felt that the Syphon is unjustly of the room. If the sarcophagus is explored a large,
cursed and can be saved. He has travelled up and down deformed skeleton can be found. It is gripping a huge two-
every river that ends in Choralinthor Bay. Talked to sprites handed maul and has a lead circlet on its head. Balancing
and demons, seen streams die and even seen the Solthi river on its chest is a mildewed leather bag marked with Air and
burn. He has been to the edge of the footprint and been Darkness runes. A Perception roll clarifies that the statue is
scarred by gorp. And now, when he finally seems to have of a troll and that both legs look broken. The first person to
everything figured out, the sorcerers have turned up and touch the skeleton in any fashion must make a roll of their
stolen his greatest treasures. Persistence versus a skill of 80% or receive a troll curse.
Any Player Character can freely take the Maul but will
receive the troll curse certificate. Mark this on the player
Encounter 4 – Tomb raiding character sheet and give the player the appropriate
certificate. A successful Sleight roll allows a Player
Character to take the bag without touching the skeleton. A
It’s early the next day and Larry thinks the tomb is
successful Lore (Orlanth) roll brings a line from the myth
somewhere on the eastern bank. The Syphon is heading into
of Orlanth and Aroka to mind. “Orlanth was delayed on his
the uplands so the east bank is quite steep and heavily
voyage, first by Krakos, the troll avenger, who was angry
overgrown. Larry claims to recognise the are by the colour
because Orlanth broke his father's legs. Orlanth defeated
of the reeds on the river bank. That is unlikely to help the
him, and took his Darkwind.”
Player Characters but Larry still doesn’t understand surface
measurements. If the Player Characters try to press him for
extra information he ducks down beneath the water again. 3. At the far end of he burial chamber a hole in the floor
After a delay he resurfaces holding a lethal looking piece of about 1m in diameter opens into the ceiling of a large,
bone the length of a shortspear, as thin as a needle and flooded cave. There is a short drop of about 1m to cold
sharp as one too. He will point it in their direction. The water. The water contains two very hungry gorp. At its
Player Characters have time to react. Assuming that they deepest the water is about 1m deep and flowing fast.
don’t hit him with a barrage of spells and missiles and do Anyone wading through the water is reduced to 1 Combat
get out of the way, he starts a sing-song in his native tongue Action per round, gets no Combat Action bonus for dual
then throws the lancet. After a brief pause he indicates that wielding and has their Strike Rank halved (after any
the tomb is somewhere near where the lancet landed. Oh Armour Penalties).
and by the way, he would like his lancet back.
A River Runs Up It 6

7. 4. At the fair end of the cave (some 10m away from the underground river. Realising that the tomb is probably
hole) a large room about 10m square has been hollowed out trapped she assumes that the barbarians will be easily
of natural rock. Faded charcoal drawings on the walls show fooled.
a heroic troll facing off against all sorts of foes and tells a
story of how he tried to overcome the trollkin curse by
hunting for a great secret of clean water. More importantly, Encounter 5 – The river’s song
the room is occupied by the Broo Gorp.
The player characters spend three days boating up river (or
5. A secret door conceals the entrance to a corridor some down river depending on how you look at it). The
15m long. The door is locked with a seized lock. It will take characters will be paddling the boat as Larry occasionally
1D3 minutes to break through it with a successful Brawn helps by pushing and guiding it. As they journey they have
roll and suitable tools. Otherwise it takes 1D3 hours. a chance to speak with Larry and begin to observe the
river’s ascent towards chaos. This is primarily a chance for
6. At the end of the corridor is a small room. In the middle exposition and for a pause before the action starts again.
of the room there is a plinth with a lead rock about the size The player characters can use the chance to heal and ask
of a bowling ball placed on it. This would appear to be the questions.
key that Larry wants. It weighs about 30 kg and is
unnaturally slippery: treat it as 30 ENC if held or 10 ENC if Speaking with Larry
carried in a pack. If it is moved off the plinth there is a
groaning sound. The plinth slowly retreats into the ground Unless the PCs have done something odd, Larry becomes
and the walls start to collapse. The collapse starts at the far more friendly. Although most player characters have no
end of the room then moves out through the tomb at around way of knowing this, he is distinctly unusual for an alim.
2m per combat round but stops at the entrance to the Most of his kind are ascetic, isolationist philosophers with a
flooded cave (4). Simple athletics rolls allows the Player streak of fatalism. Larry though has always been fascinated
Characters to keep ahead of the collapsing walls however by surface dwellers, by the leggies. This is the first time he
the person carrying the lead ball will need to roll under both has ever dared spend long with them and he will be full of
their Athletics and their Brawn. The plinth trap can be naive, inconsequential questions about what it feels like to
overcome by placing something weighing about the same walk or to breathe. What does air taste like? What do they
on the plinth while removing the ball at the same time. That do when they get dried out? Do legs feel like upside down
will require a Difficult (-20%) Sleight roll. arms? Why can’t they grip things with their toes? He will
veer between questions like that into topics such as “are
On the way back “Larry” will appear in the water. He will you really afraid of death? What is the worst way to die? Is
offer to take the “key” so they can get out in a hurry. The it true that you don’t have buds? As for sex, any mention of
Player Characters ought to be suspicious and any amount of that and Larry is likely to pass out at the concept.
checking ensure that it soon becomes obvious that this is a
disguise. It is in fact Ishakri using a Phantom Sight There will be two notable incidents. Late afternoon of the
illusion. If her disguise is rumbled she will let the illusion first day Larry will suddenly thrash and dive below the
lapse and taunt the Player Characters about their surface. After a long time he will try to explain that there is
uselessness before ducking back under water. Smart Player a God Learner in the myth. It’s hard for him to explain in
Characters will have tied a rope to something so that they Trade Talk but what has happened is that Ishkari has
can get back out of the water before the whole of area 4 successfully attuned the crystal. They are now both aware
collapses. of each other. Normally this isn’t possible but the fact that
are many fragments means that they have found different
Assuming they survive they get a chance to look at the lead ways to attune the crystal. Larry will casually explain that
ball. A lengthy inspection shows that it unscrews. Inside is this means he’s probably going to die.
an antique key made out of some sort of shiny metal
(aluminium) with prongs looking like a water rune. There is Later that evening they hear him making a wailing sound in
a hole in the handle where a jewel may once have been set. his own language. If asked what’s going on he’ll escape
beneath the water for about 15 minutes. Then having made
What was Ishkari up to? The maps they stole from Larry a decision he’ll tell them it’s his favourite story, “The
are less useful than she hoped and she has not yet been able Weeping Guardian.” He can’t tell it word for word in Trade
to attune the crystal. Like Larry she believes there is an talk but he can explain it.
abandoned water temple that is central to the myth of the
sinking of the celestial tower. The maps indicate a possible
entrance but she suspects there is more to be found. So her
group are following the Player Characters to see where they
lead. When they start looking for the tomb entrance she
consults the map and finds a way to get into the
A River Runs Up It 7

8. The Myth of the Weeping Guardian generally shunning the player characters. Switched on
(Resonance 70%) players might realise that the interaction of the myths is
warping their characters’ perceptions. In reality the
villagers are surly but not nascent river demons. As the
Back before time, in the dark days when the devil fouled villagers watch the boat pass by they will recognise the
the waters of the world the gods gathered in the celestial hero light enveloping it and sense the doom that follows it.
home to make their last stand against chaos. The greatest of For this reason they attempt to ward off the evil.
those gods was Magasta. Together with his purest son,
Wachaza, they threw back the hordes of chaos over and
over again. But even they couldn’t hold back betrayal and On the second day the river starts to climb into the uplands.
chaos slipped in secretly under the roots of the mountain. Locals call this stretch “The Slows.” If the river were
When the world mountain exploded, the Sea gods leaped normal it would be rushing down over rocky rapids. As it
into the hole to sacrifice themselves before all the waters is, it is labouring up against the pull of the sea down below.
drained away into unlife. The landscape has changed and the characters must boat
through some steep canyons.
Wachaza stood fast, holding off the devil while the gods
poured in. He wept for each one that died and each tear he On the third day the water starts to get very choppy,
wept doubled his strength. Until his lover, a goddess we no Whirlpools appear from nowhere and the current thrashes
longer know readied herself for sacrifice. Wachaza tried to around making the boat hard to handle. Larry looks
fight off the chaos demons while reasoning and pleading exhausted as he attempts to guide the boat. Eventually
with her. He loved her beyond all else but she insisted that someone will think to look over the side and when they do
she must join those gods dying in the attempt to save the they discover that the river is infested with gorp. It is as if
world. At this point some say the devil touched Wachaza there is a war between the river and gorp. The gorp are
and a boiling rage erupted in him. As she rushed past him trying to get to the sea, the river is trying to push them
he tried to stop her yet he slipped and his bloody trident back. Larry has his hands full directing the boat and needs
pierced her through the breast. His rage was such that he the characters to help with paddling. No rolls are needed
killed not just her but all our memories of her. Tears ran but the characters will be exhausted at the end of the day.
down his face like fire down an undersea volcano blinding As they camp on the last night before they get to the
to him to all but anger and despair and freeing the monster Footprint and Foul Blood Forest they realise why they can’t
nature that had long lurked deep within him. see any of these strange animals making the sounds. The
sounds are coming from the river itself. Bits of it hang
glistening on branches or crawl onto the bank in puddles.
His anger boiled away all love and tenderness in him. As it struggles along the ground it howls and shrieks. It’s
Henceforth he would kill and only kill. Every surface likely the player characters will get little sleep this night.
dweller dreads him, every water dweller knows not to
enrage him yet without his boundless, frenzied destruction
of the chaos demons that attempted to tear the world in half GM note. The experience of the river has been intensified
that day none of us would be here now. by the This World Quest. The Player Characters are seeing
the essence of the river and the battle between water and
chaos in a heightened metaphor.
And so we call Wachaza the weeping guardian, the impure
killer, the rage of the deeps who saved us all that day and
who lost all that was good and pure. Encounter 6 – River’s edge
Encounters along the river It’s the final morning and the Player Characters have
reached Larnste’s Falls at the edge of the Foot Print. The
As they travel upriver the vegetation becomes progressively Syphon plunges over cliffs into the valley bellow. Looking
thicker and more verdant and the heat increases. PCs can at over the valley they see giant, stone ziggurats and things
hear strange, unnatural sounds. Describe it to players as with too many wings circling in the air. If the wind is in the
something like howler monkeys, the chatter of parrots, the wrong direction they can hear the trees screaming. There is
whirring sounds of insects. All these things are new to the a petrified forest, the Stone woods weaving through the
Orlanthi but none of them are ever actually seen except as a valley. There is also the Foul Blood Woods where the trees
sudden movement out of the corner of the eye. are glistening with slime. As they watch they’ll see parts of
Foul Blood Woods dissolve and then reform. Occasionally
Towards the end of the first day they reach Backford. This there is a commotion and the sound of something being
is a small, miserable stead where locals work in brine ponds butchered, very noisily.
fed by the river to extract salt. To the player characters the
locals will look malformed, their eyes bulging, a scent of Larry believes the entrance to the temple ought to be half-
rotting fish about them. The locals will be way down the cliff just to the right of where the river
incommunicative, making superstitious gestures and plunges down. He will need to be carried so he can take the
A River Runs Up It 8

9. key. First though he must perform a ritual to allow himself them back down the cliff. Sometimes the gorp slither past
to breathe air for an extended period. Someone will need to and the river moans in agony.
carry him. He is fairly light and could hang onto a
character’s shoulders while resting in a pack for example.
While he does that, the Player Characters can plan their Encounter 7 – the guardian
climb. Looking down they can see a ledge about 40m
down. The cliff is steep but not vertical and there are While inside the temple the Player Characters are affected
handholds. To climb down to the ledge takes a single by the remnants of a powerful Consecrate spell. All Divine
Athletics Climb test at -20%. Magic Spells that are not from a water god suffer a -50%
casting penalty. Any other kind of magic that is associated
• On a critical or normal success the climb is completed with one of the non-water elements also suffers from a -
without incident. 50% penalty. Examples might be Fireblade, Wrack (Earth)
• Failure. Slip! The Adventurer must immediately make and so on. Finally anyone Rune touched by an element
another Athletics, Brawn (-20%), or Acrobatics other than water loses the benefit of being Rune touched by
(+20%) test. If that is a success the adventurer it.
recovers. They have not yet made much progress so
must make a new Athletics test to climb the rest of the Once they have entered the crack, the Player Characters
way with the same risks. find themselves in a crazily tilted hallway, diving deep
• Fumble. Fall. The Adventurer falls to their death. A down into the cliff. As the god stomped, the ground was
good moment to spend a Hero Point. compressed and the cliff rose up. The middle of the temple
was cut in half. Half was pulverised, the other half was
Spot Rules. An adventurer who has already made it to the twisted upwards by the rising ground. Now the Adventurers
ledge can coach the climber and add their critical score in must climb down a twisted, zig-zagging corridor that dives
Athletics to the climber’s skill. Only one Adventurer can do at around 45 degrees. Providing they are careful this can be
this at a time. Using a rope that has been tied to a rock at done without need for skill rolls.
the surface adds 20% to the climb skill. A tied climber who
falls and is tied to a rock will suffer the equivalent of a 1D6 The corridor is composed of what was once some sort of
metre fall. If not tied to a rock one or more of the grand, blue-veined marble. Huge columns have broken off
Adventurers may be holding the rope. If the climber falls, and careened down the slope. Various rooms and other
these Adventurer’s need to make a group Brawn test. corridors run off it but have been crushed in the
Compare the total STR to the SIZ of the climber. If their catastrophe. Just this one corridor, once the spine of the
STR is within 5 points of the climber’s SIZ it is a routine building remains. If the characters press their ears to the
Brawn test. If STR is lower than this then the Brawn test is walls they can hear water running through it, as if the
at -20% for each 10 (or fraction) points lower. If it is higher marble is somehow stone and water at the same time. And
than this the test is at +20%. A success means that the if they think to look properly, the random veins of blue
falling character simply slips a small distance and then slowly move and shift, forming barely discernible images
recovers. Finally the Adventurers may decide to climb and what could be writing.
down roped together. In this case ascertain the order. If one
person falls, the one above must make a Brawn roll that is Larry is an awe of this. He could spend a life time studying
also under their Athletics skill (with the same STR vs SIZ these patterns if only he had much of one left.
comparison) to hold on. If they fail then they start to fall
too, adding to the total SIZ of falling characters. At the end of the corridor, a guardian awaits. A giant figure,
shining and reflective. In his right hand a trident, in his left
There are of course many other possible ways the PCs a net of hooks. He is standing on the floor, seemingly
attempt to climb down. Including, possibly, flight. unaffected by the steep slope. He speaks in words like the
crashing of the sea but only Larry is likely to understand.
Once on the ledge, after a brief period of searching, a crack Should an adventurer approach into the room he will move
can be seen behind the waterfall. Getting in will be to attack and he will fight to the death. He is an avatar of
awkward and damp but there is no need for further skill Wachaza, the water tribe’s god of war and he will let none
tests. past.
The water really doesn’t want to fall into this valley. As the It is likely that this fight is unwinnable. The avatar is
Adventurers approach they will see that the water is composed of living water that quickly regenerates any
hanging on to the cliff side. It is almost as if is falling in damage and is immune to any sort of magic with the Resist
slow motion. Even worse, the Adventurers see gorp. (Persistence) trait. No fire can be summoned in this holy
Scores, hundreds of them, slowly climbing up the cliff, sanctum. Finally the guardian can dismiss magic of any
trying to migrate out of the valley. Sometimes the water lets magnitude as a Combat Action by spending 1 Magic Point
go of its hold and crashes into a cluster of gorp, smashing per point of magnitude of the spell. The avatar can also use
A River Runs Up It 9

10. this action defensively like a counterspell to prevent a spell being carried in the waters. Their HeroQuest has ended in
from taking effect. failure.
Combat spot rules. Player Characters will need to balance Finally it is possible that the Player Characters are able to
precariously on broken columns and so on if they wish to defeat the Guardian. The nature of the interacting myths is
stay on their feet. This prevents them from using Evade to such that a lot of flux is possible so they are rewarded for
avoid an attack without falling. Any successful Bash or their success rather than punished. If defeated or destroyed
Trip manoeuvres will result in a fall of 1D6 metres. in some manner the Guardian dissolves, unleashing a
Alternately they can hold onto various items but this will raging torrent of pure water that washes them deep into the
reduce their normal CAs by 1 and still prevents the use of mouth of the dragon. As the water takes them they see that
Evade. It will also prevent the use of dual wield combat Larry is untouched. His last words to them are “I must
styles. defend the temple. My quest passes on to you.” The last
thing they see is Larry being transformed, reaching for the
As the avatar fights, tears roll down its cheeks. It weeps for Guardian’s trident. In his final moments as an elf, he has
the death of the world and the gods who have died trying to legs.
save it. It weeps because it must stay behind and fight.
Encounter 8 – Waters Fall
Should Larry see this he gradually realises what he must
do. After 1D3+2 Combat Rounds he makes a decision.
Drawing on the mythic resonance of this place he steps However they get there the PCs arrive in a spectacular
forward. He is able somehow to stand, almost as if location. They have been deposited in a hemispherical
swimming in the air. He takes his lancet and throws it at the room some 100 metres in diameter, the peak of the dome
guardian. The guardian responds instantly, throwing his being 50 metres above them. The doom is constructed of
trident and impaling Larry, killing him instantly. some manner of translucent marble. The floor consists of a
3 metre wide strip of the same sort of marble running
around the outer circumference. The central area is some
As Larry falls he drops the key (someone needs to make a
sort of metal that is almost as slippery as ice and as shiny as
quick-witted Athletics roll) and the myth of the crying
a mirror; attempting to move in a hurry will require a
guardian repeats itself. Water starts to flood down the walls
Difficult (-20%) Athletics test or routine Acrobatics test.
as if the marble itself is reverting to water. The guardian
Around the outside of the room are 8 archways. The Player
turns black, its eyes burning the red of the hells of doomed
Characters have just been washed into the room down one
souls and it howls as if dammed. Larry manages a few
and the water has drained away through the other arches. If
heroic last words “The way is open. And I go back to mud.
they explore the arches they find that they can push their
Save the river for me.”
hands through four of them but not the other four. They
seem to be one-way passages; some are entrances to the
The Player Characters can see a hole opening like a room, some exits.
dragon’s mouth in the room behind the guardian. The
guardian itself is dissolving. Really their only choice now is
Any Player Characters who visited Ernan’s Bread & Brews
whether to try and resist the flow of water or to go
in Encounter will find they have a piece of Splendorbread.
willingly. If they try to resist they fail and take 1D6 damage
Eating it now restores all fatigue lost and restores all hit
to 1D3 random locations due to being tossed around.
points to one injured location.
Armour doesn’t protect. If they try to go with the water’s
flow then a successful Athletics (or Acrobatics at +20%)
test means they suffer no damage, otherwise they take If the Player Characters look closely at the walls they can
damage as if they resisted. begin to determine patterns of light and dark moving
somewhere through the walls. Should one press their face
to the wall there is a sudden crash as if something huge just
Larry took a major wound to a vital location and failed his
flung itself against the wall from the other side; the player
Resilience roll, killing him instantly. The last words were
character is uncomfortably aware of something with too
simply flavour; if the players are the types who take events
many teeth and too many tentacles that would devour him
literally then Larry has no time to speak at all.
in an instant.
The player characters may be able to resist being drawn
After a short period to explore, the player characters
into the mouth of the dragon; a Brawn test at -40% should
become aware of a sense of movement in the floor. If they
enable that to happen. If all the Player Characters manage
look down they can see lines in the floor snaking towards
to stay out they watch as the hallway seems to collapse into
the centre where a small hole has opened. The floor is
the entrance, filling it. Now the only way is back up. They
beginning to look like an iris. Providing they act promptly
will be able to get back onto the cliff ledge just in time to
and without panic they can make it back to the edge of the
see half the cliff fall into the river and will spot the Marlin
room without alarm. Anyone dithering or wanting to stay in
A River Runs Up It 10

11. the middle of the room will need to run across the room extract from this single drop could power a whole fleet of
(see above) in order to get to the safety of the ledge as the Marlins and with the mythic insight crystal they could
floor opens beneath him. break into deep, submerged myths to summon monsters
capable of swallowing whole countries.
At any point they wish to, the player characters can exit
through one of the four one-way arches that leaves the Encounter events
room. Doing so sends them to the bottom of the cliff
through a twisting tunnel with nothing more than some It takes the Marlin 1 Combat Round to right itself and for
bumps and bruises. They are out of the rest of the scenario the God Learners to emerge properly. The four God
and have left the HeroQuest. Learner NPCs move onto the upper deck of the M34A. One
mercenary is directing the ship and any other mercenaries
The Player Characters can see that there is a drop of some remaining from the first encounter are holding onto the
20m from the ledge down to the surface of intensely black Marlin’s railings. Ishkari’s aim is simple. Get the drop and
water below. The ledge probably feels worryingly slippery leave. She is surprised to see anyone here. Still every villain
and it becomes clear that the ledge slopes slightly down loves an appreciative audience.
towards the water. Should anyone fall then a difficult (-
20%) Athletics roll or routine Acrobatics roll lets them dive If possible, give her a chance to monologue. She has been
without taking damage, a failure is the equivalent of a 3m following this elf for a year now and he has finally lead
fall, a fumble is the equivalent of 10m fall. them right here. The drop will be hers and soon the power
of primal water will be the God Learners to command.
As they ponder this, the water in the middle starts to shine Mwah ha ha! Milk it for as much as you can get away
and emerging from the middle, radiating a soft turquoise with. Some Player Characters will insist on trying to attack
light a single drop of pure water floats into the air on a her while she talks. In this case remind the players that they
column of light. It is the purest essence of water. Light are caught in a myth and the normal laws of physics are
ripples across the room, there is a sound that is something being stretched. Somehow it is as if no time passes while
like a laughing mountain brook or the gentle lap of the she talks. As soon as she starts to act, the myth continues.
water on a river’s bank in summer or maybe the first rains The Player Characters may attempt to attack immediately
after the heat of summer. As Storm Tribe members this is or may wait to see what the God Learners do.
alien to the Player Characters yet its beauty is undeniable.
Several myths are entangled here. They are in the belly of Set up. The Player Characters can be anywhere around the
the dragon as if Orlanth has been swallowed by Aroka; at edge of the room that they like. The Marlin-34A is
the same time they are in some sort of literal underworld hovering roughly 20m above the water making it roughly
like Orlanth summoned on the Lightbringers’ Quest; and as eye-level with the Player Characters.
well there is the myth that Larry took them on, possibly
they are at the very heart of the world while monsters rage
around them. Give the players enough time to try to piece The most likely sequence of events is as follows:
some of this together.
Combat Round 1. The Marlin moves to the Drop. Ishkari
The key bearer can feel the key throb; should he think to positions herself with Barrag in attendance to reach for the
look the hole in the handle would be just the right size for drop.
the water drop. If only he can find a way to the drop.
Combat Round 2. Ishkari takes the drop in both hands and
At this point there is a colder, more ominous glow from the holds it in the air.
water below. Anyone looking down sees two baleful eyes
staring up, sees the water churning and then, surfacing once Combat Round 3. She continues to hold it, transfixed in
again, the Marlin is back. It bursts free from the water; awe.
there is one final blast of sorcery that destroys a tentacle
wrapping around it and then it is airborne. Guided by the Combat Round 4. Things start to go black. She is now
crystal it has found its way through the underwater transfixed in fear.
passageways marked on Larry’s map. Several mercenaries
still wearing their air matrices are clambering out of the Combat Round 5. The guardian forms and combat starts
hatches while the battered, rent machine labours up to the between it and Barrag. The others will act to protect Ishkari
hovering water drop. and the drop though Reckworth’s main priority is the
Marlin. Ishkari is distracted by the beauty of the drop and
The God Learners plan is simple, they want the water in takes no actions.
order to bind it. Their hold on the seas is weakening,
Zistorwal has been sunk and there are rumours of an
impenetrable mist in the west. The energy they could
A River Runs Up It 11

12. Combat Round 6. The first cracks are heard. Barrag is At this point the characters should remember the myth of
likely to be engaging guardian while Ishkari is dragged Orlanth & Aroka and should realise that they can invoke it.
onto Marlin. The tear can be thought of as Heler. They are deep inside
Aroka. By making a Lore (Orlanth) roll or spending 1 Hero
Combat Rounds 7 and 8. Ishkari comes to her senses and Point they can become Orlanth. In practical terms, as soon
all God Learners get back into the hatches. as someone in the party spend s the Hero Point then the
whole party are no longer bound to the ground and can
walk on air as if it were solid earth. They can also perform
Combat Round 9 onwards, the room is starting to flood.
the heroic actions listed below. Each can only be performed
once by the party as a whole.
Once Ishkari gets her hands on the drop it is magnificent.
She holds it in the air. It gleams. It seems as big as the
ocean as pure as diamond. It sparkles and fizzes. The room • Use of Brawn for a superhuman feat of strength: “Then
is bathed in intense light. Then it starts to go horribly Orlanth strode into its mouth and seized the upper jaw
wrong. She’s a villain after all and she has no respect for with his hands, and placed his foot against its lower
the blessed item. As is always the case, the God Learners jaw, and with a shout of victory tore the dragon
know everything but understand nothing. asunder.” This could enable them to tear a hatch off the
Marlin for example.
• Use the bag of winds from the troll tomb (if they have
Everything goes black. The temperature drops to zero
it) to automatically neutralise one spell with no roll
instantly. There is a timeless moment of disorientation and
needed. “Aroka roared out its fatal breath, but Orlanth
then the lights change. Now the room is lit with a
captured it inside the magical Sack of Winds and threw
sulphurous, underwater volcanic glow and the weeping
it away.”
guardian is on the Marlin’s foredeck as if he has been there
• Drink the widebrew (if they entered the tavern in
all along. And, as they say, he’s pissed.
Miskos). The character’s attack rolls are increased by
half again (as if Fanatic), they get one additional
What happens next? Combat Action per Combat Round and plus 6 to their
SR until the myth ends.
The guardian will attack Ishkari and she will be defended
by Barrag. If the PCs brandish the key they find they can This should be an epic fight; encourage the players to take
direct the guardian. The key bearer should make the great risks. They are at the heart of three myths and they are
guardian’s rolls for him and can have it act in the most representing Orlanth at his most heroic. The more they act
efficient way to get the drop back. The guardian is, like Orlanth, the more reckless they are, the truer to the
however, weakened by whatever the PCs did to it earlier. myth they are being. Crazy stunts should be rewarded, not
penalised.
The rest of the God Learners try and get Ishkari back to the
34A. The PCs can and should intervene. If they don’t, then As soon as it is obvious the fight is going against them, the
Ishkari gets back to the 34A in 1D3+1 Rounds. 2 Rounds God Learners will try to flee. Reckworth will save the
later it escapes followed by the guardian. Regardless, at the Marlin rather than any of his companions. Jezry will scuttle
end of the round after the guardian intervenes there is a off like a rat. Only Barrag will fight to the death and Ishkari
loud crack and water starts to run down the inside of the can not bear to live the drop behind so she will expend
hemisphere. There are increasingly more cracks each every last effort to keep it or retrieve it if she loses it.
round. The room will collapse in 1D4+4 Combat Rounds
after the first crack.
Eventually though the dome will collapse. The easiest way
to escape from the room as it collapses is to spend a Hero
So the PCs need to stop the God Learners, retrieve the drop Point. Those Player Characters are swept away down one of
and get out of the room before they all drown. Easy. Oh and the exit tunnels and come falling out of waterfall into the
all the action’s happening some 20m up in the air. Print. Each character who chooses not to spend a Hero
Point needs to make an Athletics test and a Resilience test.
If Ishkari takes a serious wound she automatically drops the Failing the Athletics test counts as a fall of 1D4+4 metres.
tear; it is mythically slippery and it is repelled by her. Any Failing the Resilience test causes 2D6 damage to the chest
Player Character holding the key feels an over-powering ignoring all armour from almost drowning. If the Darwkind
urge to rescue the tear and will have to pit their Persistence hasn’t been used the whole party can use it now to escape
against a Resonance of 75% if they try to avoid taking with nothing more than cuts and bruises as it fills the
action. Should the keybearer get the tear they will find that monster’s lair and carries them safely down a tunnel.
it instantly shrinks and flows into the gap in the handle
where it settles.
A River Runs Up It 12

13. Encounter 9 – River’s End REWARDS &
ADVANCEMENT
Amazingly you are still alive. As you pick yourselves up and
look around you discover that you have been washed out to
the bottom of the cliff deep in Foul Blood Forest. You have A standard award of 2 Hero Points and 3 Improvement
no time to worry about that now though because the cliff is Rolls should be given with the following suggested
collapsing and it seems like a whole ocean is flooding out modifications. After modifications no character should
of it, bringing the rocks crashing down to the valley floor. receive more than 4 Hero Points or 5 Improvement Rolls
(not including their Improvement Roll Modifier.)
Scrabbling to higher ground you see the torrent cascading
through the foul lands, washing the filth away. +1 Hero Point: taking a significant risk or spending 1 Hero
Point to rescue another PC, Larry or the tear.
If the Player Characters retrieved the tear it ought to be in
-1 Hero Point to each character if a Player Character died
the key and they can throw it into the river. If they do, they
who could have been saved.
see it arc through the air and suddenly it’s raining. The rain
is like the promise of spring and fertility, the first truly
clean air to fall here since time began. +1 Hero Point per character for returning the tear to the
water.
If the Player Characters didn’t retrieve the tear but
prevented the God Learners from making off with it, they -1 Hero Point for selling the tear.
can feel its presence in the river. There’s a mixed feeling of
relief and resignation as the river rushes again to heal the -1 Hero Point for leaving the HeroQuest early.
wound at the heart of the Forest.
+1 Improvement Roll to be spent on a relevant skill for
If the God Learners gained the tear, the Player Characters piecing together the different myths.
see the Marlin caught in the river, hurtling down stream to
the hole in existence. Whether they will be devoured by it +1 Improvement Roll to be spend on Swimming for the
or will resurface with blasphemous insights and powers, keybearer, if there was one.
only time will tell.
All Player Characters may additionally gain the Advanced
Naturally if they have the Tear they can choose to keep it. skill of Boating if they don’t already have it or gain an
The Lankor Mhy sages will pay well for it. Improvement Roll in it.
Finally any Player Character who carried Larry finds If one of the Player Characters was the initiation candidate
something looking like a bud. They may decide to throw it then he is now an initiate of Orlanth Dragon Breaker.
into the river or wait until they find a suitable lake. Or sell
it to a collector depending on their personal morality. Depending on the events, the Player Characters may be able
to scavenge some of the God Learners’ possessions. The
For now their job here is done. The Syphon is not cleansed most notable possibilities are, Barrag’s mace, Reckworth’s
yet but depending on their actions now it has a chance to repeating crossbow, the abjure air masks, the water key, the
begin to heal. It’is a process that may take centuries but to a bag of wind. Certificates for the first four are provided. The
river that is nothing. water key has no knowable powers but is immensely
valuable. The bag of wind has lost its aura with the end of
If they have prevented the God Learners from gaining the the HeroQuest so is nothing but a leather bag.
Tear, their initiation quest is also done and the initiate is
rescued. If one of the Player Characters was the initiate Blessed by the River: any character who threw the key into
they feel the world come back into proper focus. As he the river gains the River Blessing.
looks around he feels his new, deeper connection to his
god. If the initiate was a NPC, the Player Characters have a Larry’s boon. If someone threw Larry’s bud into the river,
last glimpse of the hero plane and see him striding home, they gain its boon.
spear in hand, ready to fight dragons. The last of the
numinal aura drains away and the Player Characters are
finally fully back in the mundane world. They have aches
and pains, are soaked to the skin and weary and have a long
climb up a cliff to escape from the horde OF SCORPION
MEN THAT ARE CHARGING THEM. Cue end credits….
A River Runs Up It 13

14. BLESSINGS, CURSES AND The River Blessing
PLUNDER While on or near the River Syphon the player can trade in
this blessing to the Games Master instead of spending 1
Enchanted Mace Hero Point.
• Heavy Mace: Size: L, Reach L, Damage (1H: 1D8+1), “Larry’s” Boon
(2H: 1d10+1), AP 6, HP 10.
• Damage Enhancement Matrix: Wizards of Zistor 70%, The Player Character gets +10% on all social skill tests
Duration POWx5 minutes, Magnitude 3, Range touch. when interacting with freshwater aldryami. The player can
• Notes: The matrix takes 1D6 hours to recharge after trade in this blessing to the Games Master instead of
the duration ends. The spell in the matrix can only be spending 1 Hero Point.
cast on the mace. No casting roll or Magic Points are
needed to cast the spell. Casting time is 1 CA.
The Troll Curse
Value: 1,000 silver pieces.
Troll characters gain +10% to all attacks and hostile spells
targeted at this curse’s victim. If the Games Master
Zistorite Repeating Crossbow consents, the player can trade in this certificate to the
Games Master instead of gaining 2 Hero Points at the
• Repeating Heavy Crossbow (H/-, 1D10, 0*/150m) conclusion of a scenario featuring Trolls.
• This carries a magazine of 6 quarrels that automatically
reload after firing without requiring a CA. Once empty, Krjalki Nature (non-transferrable)
it takes 1D3+1 Combat Rounds to change magazines.
• Notes: This only includes one magazine. It requires
specially constructed crossbow bolts costing 1 SP each. The holder is an outlaw in Orlanthi society and is
It takes 10 minutes and a successful Mechanisms roll considered krjalki. Urox cultists will consider him chaotic.
to re-stock a magazine. He will register as an enemy to Orlanthi magic. If the
• Value 900 silvers. Games Master consents, the player can trade in this curse to
the Games Master instead of gaining 2 Hero Points at the
conclusion of a scenario in which he undertook some act of
Abjure Air Matrix (6 copies) redemption.
• Bronze face mask covering nose and mouth holding HeroQuest Backlash
Abjure Air Sorcery Spell Matrix
• Abjure Air Matrix: Wizards of Zistor 60%, Duration
The holder has suffered a HeroQuest Backlash. Whenever
POWx6 minutes, Magnitude 1, Range touch.
the character attempts to spend a Hero Point he must roll
• Notes: The matrix takes 1D6 hours to recharge after 1D6. On a 1, the Hero Point is spent but has no effect. The
the duration ends. The spell in the matrix can only be character may immediately try to spend another Hero Point
cast on the mask’s wearer. No casting roll or Magic for the same purpose if he wishes but must roll again. If the
Points are needed to cast the spell. Casting time is 1 Games Master consents, the player can trade in this curse to
CA. the Games Master instead of gaining 2 Hero Points at the
• Value: 750 silver pieces. conclusion of a scenario in which he successfully
completed an Orlanthi HeroQuest.
The Water Key
Crystal Memories of the
• An aluminium key with a setting for a drop of
elemental water.
Cleansed One
• This key is worth 150 silver pieces without the drop of
water but around 6,000 silver pieces with the elemental Mythic Insight Crystal: This power crystal consists of
water. several different fragments embedded within a large piece
of coral weighing 5kg. Removing any fragments from the
coral will kill that piece of crystal. The crystal contains
several elements from the Myth of the Cleansed One at a
Resonance of 80%. The crystal can be used to access the
A River Runs Up It 14

15. myth on the hero plane. It contains the following In this scenario the elf’s quest has done just that and
behaviours and lessons. entangled the Player Characters. So they perceive the river
more dramatically than if they were simply travelling along
• Chaos must be cleansed; it. Places such as the inn or the troll’s tomb will not be
• Pilgrimage is holy; findable if they go back and the river itself will seem more
• Inaction in the face of evil is evil; mundane or at least as mundane as a cursed river running
uphill can be. This effect is magnified because of the
• Everyone deserves a second chance.
interaction between the two myths and, naturally, the
presence of the God Learners.
Should any of these behaviours seem mandated the attuned
holder of the crystal must pit their Persistence vs the
There are two main quests entangled. The elf is following
crystal’s Resonance of 80% in order to choose not to act
the fragments of a story known as the Myth of the Cleansed
according to the myth.
One. This requires him to journey to the headwaters of the
river and undergo a ritual of purification. He has been
The Cleansed One quest potentially offers the following involved in this for over 3 years now and has almost failed
rewards: become Rune Touched by water; to be able to several times. Each time he would have failed, however, he
transform into a piscoid (i.e. part fish); to cleanse another of has been able to raise the stakes and journey deeper into the
a chaos taint. myth. It has become a life quest for him and he knows that
succeed or fail that his life ends when the quest ends. As
Value: (1D3+3)x1000 silvers. one of his raisings of the stakes, he recklessly joined two
myths together: the myth of the Cursed One and the myth
It is highly unlikely that the Player Characters will gain the of the Crying Guardian. When he did this he drew the
crystal and become attuned during this adventure but for attention of the God Learners. A team of Otherworld
more information about the Cleansed One HeroQuest see Explorers have been searching water myths since the fall of
http://www.soltakss.com/hquest03.html. the Clanking City. They have almost caught him twice
before and the scenario starts with their third attempt.
APPENDIX Realising that his quest is at risk he raises the stakes one
more time. He has long believed that surface dwellers hold
HeroQuesting the key to his success and is a member of the elf equivalent
of a healer’s cult. In desperation he finds a bunch of
Orlanthi and performs the Lightbringers’ Summons.
HeroQuests take two main forms. In an otherworld quest, Although he was drawn to the spot precisely because it is
the adventurers are bodily transported to the other side. an active entrance to the Hero Plane and is on the edge of a
When the HeroQuest ends they are returned to the real river he didn’t know they were in the middle of following
world exactly where they entered the HeroQuest (see Cults the myth of Orlanth and Aroka. Now three myths are
of Glorantha). In a This World Quest, the quest takes place interacting dangerously, bits of each echoing in the other.
in the real world. Rather than the HeroQuesters journeying
to the other side, the other side is brought to the real world Thus the Player Characters keep encountering elements of
and suffuses the HeroQuester’s actions. In this scenario an the Orlanth and Aroka myth but in unpredictable ways.
Otherworld HeroQuest, the initiation ceremony, has They must somehow string enough elements together to
become entangled with a This World Quest, the elf’s quest. succeed at their quest. The key to this is the God Learners:
by surfacing in the otherworld when Aroka should have, the
A This World Quest is marked by several features. Firstly submersible has taken on Aroka’s role. Defeating it will
the world itself becomes hyper real. Colours are richer, substitute for defeating Aroka. Essentially the Player
emotions are more intense, actions more dramatic, in Characters have just been caught in a raising of the stakes.
general everything is scaled up in some way. Secondly, the Initially they were involved in a ‘safe’ replay of the myth.
world can appear full of omens and metaphors and to the Now they are sent deeper, restarting and with their lives at
participants time itself can seem slippery almost as if they risk.
are in a waking dream. Thirdly, the beings they encounter
are drawn from the real world to partake in the myth That said, this scenario is not a primer in applied
without necessarily knowing this. A quest may require an mythology and the players are unlikely to be able to piece
encounter with a lion shaman who has travelled for 3 years. this together in its entirety. Furthermore the links are not
The power of a HeroQuest is such that the encounter will exact; as the myths bleed into each other, something new
happen in some form even though the HeroQuest may have and unusual is formed. Finally, it should be remembered
only just started. Of course this means that it is more than that although the rulebook presents HeroQuests as simple
possible that Player Characters may get drawn into This progressions of stations in reality every HeroQuest ends up
World HeroQuests initiated by NPCs. differing from the plan somehow or other.
A River Runs Up It 15