Hi hello, it’s been a while. I’ve had a drought of new stuff to show and talk about.

I started a campaign of my game+setting with friends who I started this hobby with. I was ecstatic. Let me retell the adventures of Adi and Lamaw so far.

Barangay Hagdang Langit

Atop Mountain Mahamog, there is a barangay (community) led by a young datu named Tanaw Ulap. It is a sizable chiefdom, sustained by an array of rice terraces carved onto the face of the mountain by his late father. The barangay is called Hagdang Langit (literally Sky Stairs). 

Tanaw Ulap has black and white fur up to his tail; you could mistake him for a small storm cloud from afar. His barangay is also of other bristlefolk, covered in fur and bristles of different colors.

The barangay and surrounding forests are patrolled by cloud rats. They are Tanaw Ulap’s scouts; they would report to him happenings from around the mountain. Rumor is that in these cloud rats lived the spirits of his ancestors, here to support their living descendant even after death.

Adi and Lamaw

Tanaw Ulap calls on two of his oripun (debt slaves), Adhika and Lamaw. He has a quest for them.

Adhika, or Adi, is of bristlefolk ancestry, but she looked different from the others in the barangay. Her back is covered with scales instead of bristles, like that of a pangolin. She has experience and knowledge in curses, but cannot cast one herself yet. She carries a bow, a common weapon in the mountains.

Lamaw is of hornfolk ancestry, with horns on their head that makes them look like they wear a crescent crown. They are an albino, so their skin and fur is lighter than what’s commonly seen in folk. They are strong, with skills in war and weaponry. They carry a crescent axe and a shield.

Tanaw Ulap sends them to a cave where miners from their barangay work. He has not heard from them in a while, and he is getting worried. Adi and Lamaw are bound by their debt to the datu, so they left to accomplish this mission, but not before enlisting a horohan to carry extra baggage.

The Mine

They reached the cave mine after a day’s travel. Guarding the entrance was not their barangay’s miners, but other people they did not know.

They messily took out some guards, bypassed a pitfall trap, and found the main chamber. The floor was covered in mud and sludge, bodies were strewn around, and a detachment of warriors were boarding up a corridor. 

Not recognizing the warriors, Adi and Lamaw weighed their options: They could go back to the barangay and let the datu know that the mine has been overrun; they could also try and take out the detachment. 

With further exploration, they found a small chamber with a deep pit in the middle. By throwing a torch down, they figured the pit is at least a hundred foot fall. Lamaw started to scheme. They used the grease they have to make the floor near the pit slick and slippery. Then, they attracted the warriors’ attention with a bowshot and the clanging of shields. 

They ran back to the chamber with the enemy detachment in tow. Their foes were not aware of the grease on the cave floor, and so a few fell prey to the trap and fell down the hole. The majority were just taken out of balance, but this was enough for Adi, Lamaw, and their horohan to swing blades and sling arrows at them. The chaos made the majority of their foes run. The few who remained were disarmed and bound by a makeshift rope made of loincloths taken from the fallen.

They prepared to go back to the barangay, satisfied with not trying their luck and exploring any further. The bound warriors and their weaponry were to be a tribute for the datu.

The Aftermath

Adi and Lamaw presented their findings and tribute to Datu Tanaw Ulap. The bound men talked of something that worried the datu; their leader is Kammaranan Lakian, a lore singer exiled from Barangay Hagdang Langit, and he is back for revenge. For what reason, it is not yet revealed to the two oripun. But it is clear that the Barangay is now in a state of war.

Tanaw Ulap rewards Adi and Lamaw for their efforts with gold, but Lamaw is not satisfied with this. He argues their achievements warrants their freedom, that they should be raised from the oripun to timawa caste, where they can serve Tanaw Ulap with more enthusiasm. But the datu disagrees. It’s not out of the table, but it’s too early for that conversation, he says.

Thoughts of rebellion formed in Lamaw’s head, while Adi is happy to go along. To rebel would be to go against slavery, an institution that gives datus their power. They will gain powerful enemies, but there is always a potential for allies. Preparation is much needed.