Lorn

Play Report: Lorn Song of the Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 10, The Finale)

by goobernuts

This is a retelling of a game session of Lorn Song of the Bachelor run with Mangayaw.

The Party Crashers

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a hunter without a bow
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang curse whisperer
  • Dumalapdap, a nimble ratfolk musketeer
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice and shapeshifter

Inna Wa Inna

The party split up. Bantok, Dumalapdap, and Tusok led Vartu Si Vartu and his retainers to the Catfish Village. Eumining-gud and Malakas remained to talk to Inna Wa Inna, hoping they would find out how to end the curse.

Inna Wa Inna was sitting by a cottage, with a waterfall backdrop. She is a paragon of poise with deft, expressive fingers. A master weaver with a century of practice. Once she was aware she had guests, she welcomed them. “Come in. Have stew, if you please. It won’t matter, but who are we without manners?”

She told the two about the methods to end the curse.

One method is to get the river spirits to lift the curse. For that, they would need to hear from Vung Si Vung’s own mouth that his thirst for retribution is satisfied. This way is implausible, Inna Wa Inna said. “Vung Si Vung is no longer the man I once loved.”

The other method is to slay the sitting chief of the Gleaming Fins and bury him with Vung Si Vung and Inna Wa Inna’s mummified remains. All three pieces for this method are already in the Ruins, and soon all will be together in one room. This one is more doable.

Inna Wa Inna stood up and summoned two pebble golems. She wanted to come with them. “I have to see this through.” she said.

Towards The Head

Bantok, Dumalapdap, Tusok went to fetch the catfish folk to help with the increasingly climactic battle and also because they needed Grimkin San Mor’s key to open the stupa to Vung Si Vung.

Grimkin San Mor thinks it is time for her to take control of the Bachelor, but the party had no intention of letting her.

The group met with Eumining-gud, Malakas, and Inna Wa Inna at the Bachelor-filled Belly. The party caught each other up. They knew what to do to end the curse. It was time to descend to the Head.

Vung Si Vung

At the end of an impossibly long descent was Vung Si Vung’s Longhouse. Two tooth golems gaurd the dais holding the mummified remains of Vung Si Vung and Inna Wa Inna. Vung Si Vung himself was on his usual perch, on the timber struts above.

Malakas chanted Mentala meant to mend curses. A curse that ran so deep could not be unraveled entirely with a few words. A paltry amount of knots were cut, enough that Vung Si Vung found the words to express himself again.

Malakas used this opportunity to convince Vung Si Vung to stop his terror as the Bachelor. But not even Inna Wa Inna’s presence could convince the Warrior. He was come to love the Bachelor’s butchery and its hot simplicity.

Vartu Si Vartu advanced towards Vung Si Vung and challenged the Warrior to a duel. Vung Si Vung obliged with a great smile on his face.

To End The Curse Of The Bachelor

The fight started. Pebble and rusty ax against teeth, Vartu Si Vartu’s spear against Vung Si Vung’s great machete.

In the midst of the clash, the party had their own objectives. Bantok and Eumining-gud had to slip past the fight to retrieve the mummified cadavers. Dumalapdap and Tusok were on standby, pistol aimed and Mentala pre-chanted.

Bantok managed to give the fighters the slip without even catching a stray blade, with the help of Dumalapdap’s precise shooting. Eumining-gud was not as lucky. She became a victim to spear and machete. Inna Wa Inna sent one of her pebble golems to fetch her from danger.

Vartu Si Vartu proved to be a formidable warrior. His spear thrusts were a challenge to dodge, but without his other hand, his defense was lacking. Vung Si Vung took advantage of this weakness and prevailed. His great machete tasted Vartu Si Vartu’s blood.

The chief of the Gleaming Fins, gash across his chest, admitted defeat. “You truly are a god. And I am your servant.” He ordered his retainers to kill the intruders and declared themselves as the Crocodile Cult.

It was then that Tusok finished chanting his Mentala. His transformation was different this time. His skin produced orange and black fur, his canines grew that they protrude out of his mouth, his hands and feet widened into paws.

In this form, he charged at Vartu Si Vartu. His victim was helpless to his fangs. He dragged the now-former chief’s body away from the fighting, dodging Vung Si Vung and the Crocodile Cult in the process.

With all three bodies, the party decided to flee from the scene. Inna Wa Inna’s pebble golems blocked way that they may escape.

Back in the Bachelor-filled Belly, Grimkin San Mor caught up to the party. Her detachment of catfish folk were routed by a tooth-golem and she has no control of the Bachelor. This operation was a total bust, and she blamed the party.

The jig was up. Bantok and Malakas quickly grabbed her and Dumalapdap shot his pistol at the catfish, the true Grimkin San Mor. The gun smoke cleared and the catfish was no longer attached to the crotch. Grimkin detached and dove the water surrounding the stupa. A loose end.

An Epilogue

They buryied Vartu Si Vartu with the mummified corpses of Inna wa Inna and Vung Si Vung near the Singer’s Stone, per Inna Wa Inna’s request. “Do not feel sad for me.” she said. Ritual agaru smoke filled the air.

The curse is lifted. The Bachelor will never terrorize the river again. The Crocodile Cult fell into irrelevance after the death of both their chief and their god.

Mahivir Sanna Krau knows to appease those who work under him. He took care of the party’s Debt to Oppu Wa Oppu, just as he said. A deal is a deal.

Auntie Sati was glad to know that the Song of Vung Si Vung has finally ended. She went back to work with a smile on her ancient lips. “Now comes the hard part: healing.”

Bavu Si Bavu returned to the village a hero. He was of the party that ended the Bachelor’s reign of brutality. Such an achievement would impress any Gleaming Fin.

Oppu Wa Oppu married the hero. Immediately after the wedding, she proposed they travel. Auntie Sati says its the moon spirit inside her; it was itching to leave and have an adventure.

On Niti Si Niti’s lap fell the role of village chief. But he owed much Debt to the The-Isles-Like-Precious-Ivory Trading Company that his integrity was compromised. There was a power vacuum in the village, and the Company swooped in to fill it.

Some did not approve of Company rule. They plan to leave the village.

Most did not have the privilege of being able to leave. Their Debts are shackles that tie them to the village.

And so the Gleaming Fins village remains. Changed, but it remains.

GM COMMENTARY

  • Thanks all for suffering through my play reports. I hope you found some value out of it lol
  • My players were all awesome. Many times in this short campaign I was on the edge of my seat because of what they did.
  • This is where I will pivot the game to a sandbox of the A Thousand Thousand Islands localities and other RPGSEA stuff that I have. It’s gonna be a very different dynamic from an adventure with a beginning and end. I might only post a shortened play report once a month for that. I’m very excited!

BONUS CONTENT: Some art my players made for the session

I don’t know who made this, it was just drawn on the vtt. Whoever it was, thank you.

“Live Tusok Reaction” by ThespianMask

Bantok, by Jamie Douglas

Tooth Golem, by Jamie Douglas

Play Report: Lorn Song of the Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 9)

by goobernuts

This is a retelling of a game session of Lorn Song of the Bachelor run with Mangayaw.

The Party Crashers

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a hunter without a bow
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang curse whisperer
  • Dumalapdap, a nimble ratfolk musketeer
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice and shapeshifter

Singer’s Stone

The party wanted to learn more about Vung Si Vung, that they might find out how to end his curse. They were directed by Oppu Wa Oppu to the Singer’s Stone.

The Singer’s Stone is a natural ampitheatre formed by a cliff, about half a day away from the village by boat. New singers learn from and sing for the elder singers to earn their tattooes.

The party approached an elder in the middle of tattooing. They asked if he knew more songs about Vung Si Vung and performed the Song of Vung Si Vung for the elder, a song they only heard from Auntie Sati. They were graded badly by the elder, who also remarked that this is the first time he has heard of the Vung Si Vung and his song.

A young singer approached the party. His name was Rus Si Rus, his skin still a blank canvass. He told them he was about to sing the Song of Vung Si Vung, his favorite song, to earn his tatoos.

The party decided to stay a few more hours to watch. Rus Si Rus sung the Song of Vung Si Vung and was acknowledged by the elder singers. He was then given tattoos of open maws with curling tusks, signifying he is a true singer of the Gleaming Fins.

After his promotion, the party approached Rus Si Rus to congratulate him. The young man was ecstatic. When the topic of Vung Si Vung came up, Rus Si Rus was confused. He could not remember the name, nor the song he just sang for his promotion. “My apologies, my head is in a haze. It must be the adrenaline from performing catching up to me.”

Not even the elders who oversaw Rus Si Rus’ promotion could remember.

Auntie Sati confirmed their suspicions. The Gleaming Fins singers could not retain the memory of Vung Si Vung.

Return to the Old Ruins

An impatient Vartu Si Vartu and his 10 retainers boarded his outrigger boat. The party apologized for the delay. He smirked at the size of the party’s dugout canoes compared to his.

And they set off for the Old Ruins again.

On the way, the party spotted a raggedy girl by the banks of the river. She waves to them. “Hey, I lost my doll. Can you find me a new one?“

Eumining-gud remembered she has a doll made of abaca fibers in her pack. She retrieves it and offers it to the girl. The girl beams a smile at them.

As a jest, Eumining-gud also offers the girl a centipede from her pack. The girl refused. “It’s okay, I have plenty of friends already.” From the water surfaced many kraits and surrounded the girl, but never biting her.

The party left with haste, chills down their spines. They didn’t dare imagine what could have happened if Eumining-gud did not have that doll. The girl waved as they paddled away.

Directions from a Godling

Their first order of business in the ruins, visit Sikkukurut. They asked for Vartu Si Vartu’s patience in this detour.

The trek to the Lungs was short. They were met with a deafening wall of chirps and chatter. Hundreds, thousands of kingfishers roost upside down under the ceiling.

Sikkukurut was easy to spot, being made of orange-ish smog. The party offered her the teeth they plucked from the cave crocodile they defeated and asked her how to get to Inna Wa Inna.

Sikkukurut laughed at the idea of a toothless cave crocodile. “Heehee! Wonder which one you defanged!” Satisfied with the prank, she gave the party the directions they needed.

“Want more information? Steal Inna Wa Inna’s tapestries! Or bring vampire snails! Heehee!”

Following Sikkukurut’s directions, the party found themselves in front of a great brass door. It sports a bas relief of a woman, impervious with corset, weaving shuttle, and knife.

Beyond the door was a waterfall. Around its plunge pool, ferns garland lounge-worthy rocks. It was like a scene plucked from your childhood and planted underground.

There is a lit cottage here, guarded by 4 pebble golems. Inside is a weavery workshop.

A woman sits at a bench, polishing stone with a strip of stingray leather. On her right is a basket full of unfinished, smooth pebbles. She is the paragon of poise.

An impossible sight lay before them. But then again, the Old Ruins has been full of such things.

GM COMMENTARY

  • The end is in sight. I can feel it!
  • I think I did a good job with unraveling the mystery in the Singer’s Stone. I just wanted to pat myself on the back for that.
  • It was a coincidence that Eumining-gud had what the Snake Urchin wanted. The abaca doll was something she got from her mangkukulam background. I didn’t expect it would be used like this!

Play Report: Lorn Song of Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 8)

by goobernuts

This is a retelling of a game session of Lorn Song of the Bachelor run with Mangayaw.

The Party Crashers

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a hunter without a bow
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang curse whisperer
  • Dumalapdap, a nimble ratfolk musketeer
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice and shapeshifter

Courtesy Calls and Treasure Trading

Having returned to the Gleaming Fins village, the party decided it would be best to visit Vartu Si Vartu before all else, as a courtesy.

The Warrior seemed to want Vartu Si Vartu. The party wants to take him to the old ruins with them, as an offering or an extra hand in a fight. They told him about the Warrior and how he could be connected to the Bachelor. They told him about their defeat at the hands of this Warrior.

Vartu Si Vartu is conflicted. He wanted proof that the Bachelor is a god, but the party now says he’s only a man. It is not the information he wanted, but this could also mean he could rebuild his pride by defeating the Warrior.

He decides he wanted to see this Warrior for himself. The party asks for a few days to rest and recover from their wounds.

The party brought up Re Wa Re’s plight with the The-Isles-Like-Precious-Ivory Trading Company. They offered the golden harp as partial payment, and asked if the chief could shoulder the rest of her Debt. Vartu Si Vartu accepts the harp, leaving them a precious golden chain as change, and agrees to take care of Re Wa Re as a new servant.

Searching for Answers and Treatment

The party visited Auntie Sati next. They had questions; about the Warrior, about the catfish.

Auntie Sati confirmed their assumptions that the Warrior was Vung Si Vung from her song. She gave them advice; if Vung Si Vung is too far gone to communicate with, maybe they could talk to his wife, Inna Wa Inna. If the Warrior persists in living, it would not be a stretch of the imagination that the wife he loved enough to die for would be there with him.

Auntie Sati showed the party the unconscious Hummu Si Hummu, with catfish detached from his crotch. Auntie Sati explained that the extraction mutilated both body and mind. She’s worried about the party’s report of a whole village of these catfish-controlled folk. The party assured her they didn’t plan on letting Grimkin control the Bachelor.

After reporting to Oppu Wa Oppu, the injured went back to Auntie Sati for treatment. They paid extra to speed up the process; only three days instead of a whole week, so Vartu Si Vartu would not have to wait for long.

Lorn Song of the Bachelor – Cairn Conversion

by goobernuts

UPDATE: this conversion is now on the Cairn website too!

This is the conversion I’m using for my ongoing Mangayaw game.

The Bachelor

6 HP, 3 Armor, 18 STR, 10 DEX, 15 WIL, teeth (d10) or claws (d6, enchanted), treat as detachment

  • A great white crocodile, as long as five men lying end to end.
  • Easily hides in water. Sees through the eyes of king-fishers.
  • Claws are imbued with the Grasping Demon’s power. It takes more and more and more. First attack deals d6 STR damage, next attack deals d8, then d10, so on.
  • Critical Damage: Snatches you and retreats diving, drowning his meal.
  • If killed, his remains putrefy immediately. Within a day there is only brittle bone. The Bachelor reappears in d6 days.

Vartu Si Vartu

8 HP, 12 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, spear (d8, throwable) or knife (d6)

  • Chief of the Gleaming Fins. A proud, but insecure, warrior.
  • Lost his left arm fighting the Bachelor, but still formidable.

Dire Eel

5 HP, 16 STR, 12 DEX, 10 WIL teeth (d6) or bodyslam (d4)

  • Balletic. Strength like a battering ram.
  • Hit and run tactics. 
  • Easily overpowers in grappling with opponents without specialized gear.
  • Critical Damage: knocks you back.

The Bone Uncle

10 HP, 2 Armor, 18 STR, 10 DEX, 18 WIL, giant fist (d10+d10) or tusks (d10), treat as detachment

  • Invisible giant with an elephant’s head and translucent skin. 
  • Deal with him as you would a god. Immune to divine magic and mental effects.
  • Skeletal undead obey him.
  • Critical Damage (Giant Fist): Knocks opponent back.
  • Critical Damage (Tusks): Gores you (d8 STR damage per round).
  • Can Wake Skeleton at will
  • Any being that slays him takes his place amongst the Thirteen.

Wake Skeleton

Every round, target must save or take d6 WIL damage. Requires concentration. If target dies before spell ends, their skeleton rises under your permanent control.

Sikkukurut

10 HP, 6 STR, 16 DEX, 10 WIL, peck (d6)

  • Bird Godling made of fragrant smoke. Sees through kingfishers’ eyes. Never fights alone.
  • Immune to physical damage and charm effects. Vulnerable to wind effects.
  • Manipulates luck. Every round, roll d4 or d20; substitute this result for any roll made by anybody in the same round, provided an avian-themed excuse is plausible. 

Grasping Demon

9 HP, 14 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, fist (d6)

  • A human shape made of hands. Talks using sign language.
  • Immune to fear effects. Impaired damage from physical attacks.
  • Critical Damage: Splays to hug you. Hands in your clothes, hands down your mouth. Grappled by the grasping demon, take d6 STR damage next round, then d8, then d10, so on.

Inna Wa Inna

4 HP, 2 Armor, 10 STR, 12 DEX, 6 WIL, black-bladed dagger (d8)

  • A master weaver with a century of practice and Vung Si Vung’s estranged wife.
  • Controls the pebble golems. 
  • Spells patterned on rolls of textiles: Dispel Magic, Magic Missile, Feeblemind, Darkness, Darkvision. 
  • Does not try to kill her opponents; she does not want more weight on her soul.

Vung Si Vung

10 HP, 14 STR, 14 DEX, 14 WIL, great weapon (d10)

  • A bestial warrior. Tattooed head to toe with crocodile scales. A grin of filed teeth.
  • Controls the tooth golems, cave crocs, and Skikkukurut. Scales walls and ceilings like a gecko. Ambush tactics.
  • Immune to water, mental, and hold effects. Impaired damage from physical attacks and spells. 
  • May spend a round singing, raising a new tooth golem from the dental material in his chamber.
  • Critical Damage: punches and knocks you back. His fist is imbued with the Grasping Demon’s power. It takes more and more and more. First Critical Damage deals d6 STR damage, next attack deals d8, then d10, so on.

Grimkin San Mor

6 HP, 1 Armor, 10 STR, 10 DEX, 12 WIL, machete (d6) or pistol (d8, ignores 1 Armor)

  • Looks like a pirate queen in regal jacket and naval trim. Is actually the catfish attached to the crotch, controlling the body from there.
  • Never without minions; fights like a captain commanding an army.
  • Pistol may only be fired once per combat.
  • At will or when taking Critical Damage, Grimkin the catfish detaches.

Gleaming Fin Warrior

4 HP, 10 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, 1 Armor, knife (d6) or blowpipe (d6)

  • Critical Damage (Blowpipe): you are poisoned by the dart. Every hour untreated: save or take d4 STR damage.

Company Henchman

4 HP, 10 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, 1 Armor, sabre (d8) or pistol (d8, ignored 1 Armor)

  • Pistol may only be fired once per combat.

Tapir

3 HP, 12 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, headbutt (d8)

  • Protective of mates and young.
  • Invisible to normal sight; this stays true even after death or curing.
  • Critical Damage: knocks you back.

Bird Spirit

8 HP, 6 STR, 12 DEX, 6 WIL, peck (d6)

  • A bird sketched in fragrant smoke. 
  • Immune to weapons and charm effects. Vulnerable to wind effects.
  • Flees from combat, but does not forget you.
  • Causes misfortune. Roll d20; substitute this result for any roll made by a foe the same day, provided an avian-themed excuse is plausible.

Flame Centipede

4 HP, 10 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, bite (d6)

  • Critical Damage: wraps around you with its branding iron-hot chitin body (d6 STR damage every round)

The Snake Urchin

4 HP, 10 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, bite (d8)

  • Tends towards petulance and cruelty. Kraits obey here; some are always nearby.
  • Immune to poison and charm effects.
  • Critical Damage: her bite poisons you. Every hour untreated: save or take d6 DEX damage.
  • May spend a round chanting. Her voice awakens all rod- and rope-like objects, turning them into snakes.

Krait Swarm

6 HP, 6 STR, 10 DEX, 6 WIL, bite (d6), treat as detachment

  •  Not particularly aggressive, mainly swarms in the Snake Urchin’s defense.
  • Hard to spot when in deeper water.
  • Critical Damage: their bites poisons you. Every hour untreated: save or take d4 DEX damage.

Skelephant

5 HP, 1 Armor, 15 STR, 8 DEX, tusks (d10), treat as detachment

  • Walking elephant bones. 
  • Undead immunities. Vulnerable to bludgeoning (enhanced damage).
  • Stampedes to safety, but will seek revenge if a herd-member is downed.
  • Critical Damage: its charge knocks you down.

Vine Monkey

6 HP, 6 STR, 15 DEX, 6 WIL, punch (d4) or stones (d4)

  • A monkey made of vegetable matter.
  • Vulnerable to fire (enhanced damage).

Tiger-Spirit Host

6 HP, 12 STR, 12 DEX, 10 WIL, claws (d10)

  • A nude man with amber eyeshine, acting like a feline predator. Possessed by a tiger spirit in oestrus, he only hunts other men.
  • Immune to charm effects.
  • Critical Damage: A male victim develops a fever. Save WIL everyday without magical treatment. After 3 failures, the victim is ripped apart with invisible claws. A new tiger spirit is born into the world.

Tooth Golem

6 HP, 3 Armor, 15 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, chew (d8)

  • Teeth arranged into the silhouette of a person. 
  • Immune to fire and mental effects. Squeezes anywhere a grin might fit.
  • When it gets the highest result on the damage die, the tooth golem extracts your teeth, consuming them and recovering STR equal to the damage inflicted. It smirks at you with your own incisors.
  • Critical Damage: grapples and munches on you (d6 STR damage every round).
  • Serves Vung Si Vung; he knows when a tooth golem is slain, and can create more.

Kingfisher Swarm

10 HP, 6 STR, 12 DEX, 6 WIL, peck (d6), treat as detachment

  • Kingfishers peck anything that witches, squeaks, or glints like small prey- bits of gear, pets, your extremities- before moving on. Defend yourself and they attack in earnest.
  • Serves Sikkukurut, who sees everything they see.

Wet Corpse

3 HP, 10 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, swipe (d6)

  • Partly putrefied victim of the Bachelor.
  • Undead immunities.
  • Body parts remain animate even if dismembered.

Wet-Corpse Host

4 HP, 10 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, axe (d6) or intestine net (d4)

  • A fresher wet corpse, under the control of a catfish attached to its crotch.
  • When taking Critical Damage, the catfish detaches.
  • Critical Damage (Intestine Net): traps you under its net.
  • Serves Grimkin, their captain and queen.

Catfish

3 HP, 6 STR, 10 DEX, 6 WIL, bite (d4)

  • Critical Damage: Bites and hangs on to any exposed flesh. A mammal must save WIL or fall under its control. Victims retains intelligence, but serve Grimkin.
  • Forcibly removing a catfish does d6 STR and WIL damage to its host.

Monkey Statue

0 HP, 2 Armor, 10 STR, 18 DEX, 8 WIL, punch (d6)

  • Asshole trickster. Play along and they get bored. Fights back if you retaliate.
  • Cannot move when observed; lightning quick when unobserved. Deals direct STR damage when they attack.

Brown Pudding

3 HP, 14 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, acidic body (d8)

  • Acidic ambush predator. 
  • Critical Damage: envelops you and dissolves matter and eats metal (d4 STR damage and -1 Armor every round.
  • Non-fire damage causes it to undergo binary fission; remaining STR is split equally between two new puddings.

Pebble Golem

6 HP, 3 Armor, 15 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, stone fist (d8)

  • A jumble of rubble, ever-rolling, walking upright. 
  • Immune to fire and mental effects. Squeezes anywhere a stone might fit.
  • Every round, it may fling part of itself at you- a ranged attack that hits like buckshot (d10) The golem suffers an equal loss in STR.
  • Critical Damage (Stone Fist): grapples and crushes you (d8 STR damage every round)
  • Critical Damage (Stone Buckshot): knocks you back.
  • Serves Inna Wa Inna, who knows when a pebble golem is slain.

Cave Crocodile

5 HP, 12 STR, 10 DEX, 10 WIL, bite (d8) or claws (d6 + d6)

  • Blind, albino crocodile. Clings to walls like a gecko. Prefers to come at you from odd angles.
  • A cave croc talks, but is blase about self-preservation.
  • If killed it putrefies immediately, and is reborn in the lake of the Bachelor-filled Belly a day later.
  • Critical Damage: grapples you and dives into water to drown you.
  • Serves Vung Si Vung.

CONVERSION NOTES

  • Hit Protection is the trickiest to convert. I don’t completely agree with the 3 + HD advice on the Cairn website, but its a good baseline to modify. Tried using HP, Armor, STR, and detachment mechanics so there would be variation, as opposed to just higher and higher HP. Basically trying out what I internalized from this Bastionland blogpost. The monkey statues are an interesting deviation I think.
  • I didn’t pay much mind to immunity to mundane weapons from the original stats. For me, this implied the players would need to have +1 swords to stand a chance against some NPCs. Cairn doesn’t have weaponry with +1 bonuses, so I thought this immunity went against the game. I included immunity to physical blows for some NPCs, though.
  • The Bachelor claw’s and Vung Si Vung fist’s magic weapon status was also tossed out, because I thought it would be more interesting if they had magical effects related to the Grasping Demon instead. Borrowing the dice-size-step-up effect is more of a proof-of-concept, I’m sure there’s a more interesting way to do this, but I couldn’t think of one myself. I’m open to ideas!

Play Report: Lorn Song of Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 7)

by goobernuts

This is a retelling of a game session of Lorn Song of the Bachelor run with Mangayaw

The Binmanwa Party

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a hunter without a bow
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang curse whisperer
  • Dumalapdap, a nimble ratfolk musketeer
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice and shapeshifter

Rescue, Rest, and Escape.

The situation is dire. Tusok is pinned down by the Warrior. Out of the Binmanwa, only Eumining-gud was in any state to rescue him. Bavu Si Bavu, their companion, steeled his heart and followed her.

Eumining-gud began to sing the Song of Vung Si Vung, as she remembered it from Auntie Sati. The Warrior’s interest was piqued. He recalls the characters, the events, from a life ago. As Eumining-gud sang, Bavu Si Bavu dragged Tusok to safety.

Having the Warrior’s full attention was nervewracking. He could only seemingly express in bestial growls and roars. Eumining-gud tried her best to communicate with him, and the Warrior seemed to love the reverence she was showing him.

Eumining-gud grasped at straws. What could she offer the Warrior? The chief of the Gleaming Fins, perhaps? The Warrior seemed to like this suggestion.

With such an ambitious offer, Eumining-gud inched out of the longhouse. The Warrior let her go, eargerly awaiting for her return with his offering.

The party rested in the Catfish Village. Grimkin San Mor is disappointed in the result of their raid, but sees another opportunity to take control of the Warrior when the party returns with the Gleaming Fins chief.

After deliberating what to do next, the party decides they should return to the village to fully recuperate. But how to leave this ruin? The Mouth was closed to them.

There is the whirlpool in the basin. At the bottom is a well of darker water, edged with stones in negative color. They feel a pull towards it. Seeing no other way, they each dove into the water.

They were pulled into the well. They swam and swam and almost drown. Then sunlight! They are outside the Ruins.

Return to the Gleaming Fins Village

The trek back to the village began in the Skeletal Graveyard. The party witnessed skelephants being assembled in mid-air with unseen hands.

Bavu Si Bavu acted as guide. “Don’t travel through the forest. Lose sight of the river and you are lost. Animal trails shift, hill-spirits move stuff around.”

They encountered a bird spirit that led them to an agaru tree, which they cut down with Bantok’s panabas. The bird spirit was not very happy about that.

They came upon a roasted boar, laid out like a feast on the other side of the river. Gore stains mark the area. They thought it was either a trap or a sacrifice. Either way, it was not to be messed with.

They found themselves at the mouth of the Old Ruin again. Their boats and harp was still there. With a better means of travel, and some treasure to bring back, they reached the village.

Play Report: Lorn Song of Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 6)

by goobernuts

This is a retelling of a game session of Lorn Song of the Bachelor run with Mangayaw

The Binmanwa Party

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a hunter
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang (?)
  • Dumalapdap, a ratfolk musketeer
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice

A Deal With The Catfish Captain

Grimkin San Mor looks like a corpse wearing pirate regalia, with a catfish attached to her crotch. In actuality, the catfish is Grimkin herself. “This is my crew. We are family. What skills can you offer? Will you join us? My crew always needs capable hands. Join our family.”

The party asked the captain about her goals. She said wants to control the Bachelor by attaching a catfish on it. She doubts her crew can take the beast on with just themselves, so she is looking for help.

And if she gains control of the Bachelor, “what then?”, the party asks. More power, Grimkin answered. She did not elaborate.

The party felt that Grimkin attaining power would not be the best for the Gleaming Fins, and for anyone else really. They planned to go with her plan, only to betray her at the last minute.

“Would we need to have catfish attached to our crotches as well?” they asked. “Not yet,” Grimkin answered, “consider this a free trial to our family.”

The Warrior

Grimkin had the key to the stupa in the Bachelor-Filled Belly. Opening it revealed a staircase leading somewhere deep down. At the end of it is the interior of a longhouse.

The longhouse has glinting tapestries, silver fixtures, and a carpet of bones and skulls. In the far side, a dais holding mummified remains. It is guarded by two person-shaped piles of teeth. A figure skulks up above, on the timber struts.

Not knowing how to approach this situation, Bantok nonchalantly entered the interior and wipes off wet-corpse slime covering his hands on one of the tapestries. This prompted the tooth golems to approach him, teeth grinding as they move. The mysterious figure started singing, and teeth from the skulls on the ground stirred to form into another golem.

Dumalapdap scampered up to the timber struts using the tapestries with such agility. He caught sight of the figure: crocodile scales tattooed all over its body, teeth filed into points that it evokes a crocodile’s maw, a bestial look on his face. He was very clearly a Warrior.

Dumalapdap tried tackling him, with Eumining-gud attempting to distract it with her long neck. But the Warrior would not budge. Dumalapdap is left clinging on to him to avoid falling onto the floor. Realizing her approach is ineffective, Eumining-gud started to chant Maga Kulam, directed at the Warrior.

Below, another tooth golem arose. Malakas and the party’s companions move in to back Bantok up against them, with Tusok shooting blowdarts from behind. The wet-corpses move in against one, with Grimkin barking orders.

There was a clash of blade and teeth. Malakas was bitten by an armful of teeth and was dragged into a hug of a thousand incisors. Bantok hacked at the golem to save him, but it did not budge.

The Warrior jumped from the struts onto the carpet of bones and reached for Dumalapdap, who let go to avoid it. Eumining-gud finished her chant and the Warrior’s neck swelled, limiting his airflow. He pants and coughs, his movement dulled, but he remains a huge threat.

The Warrior drew his great machete from the wooden scabbard strapped to his waist. He swung it at Dumalapdap who failed to dodge it, producing a large gash across the ratfolk’s chest. He swung a punch with his other hand, launching Dumalapdap into the wall.

The group of wet-corpses hacked their tooth golem down, but the rest of the party are still having difficulty dealing with theirs. Bantok is hug-munched by the other golem. Tusok, realizing the grim ending that awaits them should they continue this fight, remembered the Mentala tattoos etched on his arms by the witch he once called master. He knows not what the Mentala would do, but he chanted it anyway.

Tusok’s form changed in a moment. His skin to thick leather, his limbs to stumps, his ears to wide flaps, his nose into a trunk, and his canines into tusks. He had become taller and wider than any other in the room.

Tusok used this form to cause a ruckus, than the others might escape. Once they did, he let go of his bestial form and made for the stairs himself, but the Warrior pounced on him. He failed to escape.

GM Comments

This fight was epic, even if the odds weren’t in the players’ favor. They even had a detachment on their side, but still no luck. I’m glad my players enjoyed the session despite my dropping in and out of the voice chat because internet in the Philippines is broken.

Here’s a funny story about safety tools. At the start of the campaign, I had the player fill out their Lines and Veils. Someone put Dental Horror on the Ask Me First category. Knowing about the Tooth Golems in the adventure, I knew we’re eventually gonna have a conversation about that. That time was this session.

I asked the player what they don’t want to happen in-game, and they proceeded to describe the Tooth Golem’s critical hit effect almost exactly. I was beyond amused. I hope this short story amuses you too..

Play Report: Lorn Song of the Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 5)

by goobernuts

This is a retelling of a game session of Lorn Song of the Bachelor run with Mangayaw.

The Binmanwa Party

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a bow hunter
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang (?)
  • Dumalapdap, a ratfolk musketeer
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice

Lost Treasure Hunters

The party decided to push past the Cloth-Packed Belly to see what is beyond it.

They reached the teak log bridge when they hear an incomprehensible muttering. On the other side of the bridge were silhouettes of two men. By throwing a nostalgia wisp towards them and Eumining-gud extending her neck to get a closer look, they observed that these men were milky-eyed, pale and hairless. They sported Gleaming Fins clothing and tattoos.

The party crossed the bridge partway to try to communicate to the men. The strange men beckoned to them to come closer. “So cold… So hungry…”

Eumining-gud stretching her neck over the bridge

Deciding they’re not going to converse properly with distance between them, Bantok and Dumalapdap decided to cross the bridge. The men lunged at Dumalapdap immediately, but only bit the wood of his shield. The rest of the party came to his rescue. A flurry of blades, sticks, and projectiles and the two strange men fell.

Bavu Si Bavu recognized one of the men; someone he knew from younger days. A few years ago, he talked about going into the Old Ruin to look for treasure. He was never found again, until now.

The party decided to tie the strange men up, in the hopes they’ll find a cure to their sickness. That is, if this was caused by a sickness.

The Bachelor-Filled Belly

The archway to the Belly looked different from before. It’s still ink-black under the light of their nostalgia wisps but instead of cavorting monkeys, the motifs were of yawning crocodiles.

A strange, moist breeze flows from inside the archway. The sound of waves lapping on a shore and a shrill clicking. There’s a wide lake here, with an island right in the middle. On the island, an ornate-looking stupa.

The party’s investigation of the space was interrupted by an albino crocodile, hugging the wall like a gecko. It emits clicking sounds to navigate the dark ruins. It crawls from the wall to the floor, towards the party.

Bantok grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it behind the crocodile to try to distract it. “Oh please, I’m not that stupid.” the crocodile scoffed, almost offended.

The party was taken aback by the talking crocodile, but quickly got over their surprise to try to talk it down. Unfortunately, the white reptile is intent on getting a “taste test.”

Dumalapdap and Malakas quickly jumped into action. Dumalapdap lodged a rattan stick in between the crocodile’s jaw, while Malakas tried to stab it from behind. With the crocodile’s jaws unable to bite, it used it claws against Dumalapdap. But before any serious damage was done, Bantok’s panabas cut down the lizard.

The crocodile continued the conversation while completely helpless, not really minding that it is under the mercy of the party. It answered the party’s questions about the ruin to the best of its abilities. That is to say, it didn’t have much information for them. Then, the party took out its teeth, as part of the deal with Sikkukurut.

Moving on from the crocodile, the party swam across the lake to the island. The stupa has a brass door, sporting a bas relief of a warrior, regal with feathers, spear and shield. It wouldn’t budge, even with their combined strength.

At the other side of the lake was another archway. It glows white in darkness, so the party spotted it easily. They took that path forward.

The Cloaca and the Catfish Village

The tunnel past the archway led to a flooded space. Faded traffic runes on the floor, sound of thunder periodically ring out. Small stormy clouds float at shoulder level, some fitted with saddles.

Re Wa Re recalls a children’s story, of monkeys using clouds as a means of transportation. The party wanted in on this. Malakas, Eunimining-gud, and Bantok each rode atop some of the clouds with saddles. The clouds buckled and kicked violently, causing Bantok to slam into the wall. They stopped trying after that.

The floodwater drains into a lower level in a rushing stream. Seeing no other way forward, the party rode it downstream.

The stream led to a water basin. Huts, made of trash, human leather, and flesh, line the bank. The villagefolk curiously surround the party. They have partly putrefied skin and catfish attached on their crotches; wet-corpse hosts just like the party encountered before. They give way to a corpse-host in regal pirate wear: Grimkin, the leader of the catfish.

GM COMMENTS

  • This session has more combat than the first 3 combined hahaha
  • Minutes after the session were taken to discuss crocodile dicks and how a catfish might attach itself on one. Time well spent, I’d say.

Play Report: Lorn Song of the Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 4)

by goobernuts

This is a retelling of a game session of Lorn Song of the Bachelor run with Mangayaw.

The Binmanwa Party

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a bow hunter
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang (?)
  • Dumalapdap, a ratfolk musketeer
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice

The Paw

The party decided to leave the golden harp by the boats in The Mouth while they search for a new exit.

They took a path they haven’t before. The tunnel was submerged in still water and riddled with side-rooms, with tables, rusted cutlery, bottles with sludge.

A heat blur, a nostalgia wisp, floated around them. It uses happy memories as fuel to burn. Dumalapdap recalled for a moment inheriting an heirloom jar from his mother before leaving home. The wisp lit up like a torch, and the memory was gone for good.

With this floating source of light, the party crossed the water and found themselves in some kind of gym for monkeys. Locked lockers line the walls, leading to a sparring room with mirrored walls.

On the mirrors, their reflections did not show them as they are, but rather as their ideal versions. Malakas saw himself as a respected leader, with gold jewelry in every appendage. Tusok saw himself as heroically strong and buff.

Above the sparring room hung a couple of cages. There was a silhoutte of a man inside one of them. Eumining-gud wrapped the turtle sarong around herself and extended her neck to get a closer look. What she saw was the shape of a man made of hands. Palms for pecs, fists for abs. It splays its arms out in a hugging motion.

The party tried to talk to it, and it communicated back with sign language. None in the party knew sign language, so it mostly resorted to thumbs up and down. They learned that it was held there for a long time and that it didn’t know how to open its locked cage.

The party is not decided on whether they want to free the handy thing or not. Either way, they think they would need a key to open anything here.

Wet Corpses

The party encountred another nostalgia wisp. Bantok’s memory of a feast in his honor for an outstanding hunt fell victim to the wisp.

Dumalapdap wanted to know what would happen if he gave the monkey statue in the Mouth some tokens found in the Clothes-Packed Belly. He did so, and nothing happened.

From the edge of wisplight, something stirs in the water. Three bodies, with melted flesh and clothed in rags, emerge. Squelching and rasping, they march in a single line towards the interior of the ruin.

Obscured by rags, something flops around in the strange animated wet corpses’ groins. The party has seen this phenomenon before.

Dumalapdap wanted to make sure. He flips the rag-clothes of one wet corpse, revealing a catfish attached to its crotch. But in response, the wet corpse swiped its fist at him.

The party drew out their weapons and retaliated. A wet corpse was knocked out, as was Malakas. Eumining-gud chanted her Maga Kulam Mentala, causing a wet corpse’ hand to swell so grotesquely that it will have a hard time lifting it up. In a moment, the rest of the party cut down the two wet corpses still standing. The catfishes detach from their fallen hosts and flop towards the water.

After that, the party thinks they did good in exposing Hummu Si Hummu’s crotch-catfish.

AFTERTHOUGHTS

As I wrote this play report, I realized I made a minor mistake. I rolled wet-corpse hosts on the encounter table, but I referred to the wet corpse bestiary entry when they got into combat with them. No big deal, but its a funny mistake.

My players are loving how weird everything in this ruin is. I’m delighted to see it all unfold before their eyes.

Play Report: Lorn Song of the Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 3)

by goobernuts

The Binmanwa Party

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a bow hunter
  • Eumining-gud, an aswang (?)
  • Dumalapdap, a ratfolk musketeer
  • Alon, a textile weaver
  • Kilala, a ratfolk cook
  • Tusok, a witch’s apprentice

Enter Tusok, New Party Member

Another boat entered the ruin behind the party. It had just one passenger. He waved at the party with his tattooed arms.

He called himself Tusok, the apprentice of a witch connected to the Company. He had a debt to her, so he’s pretty much in the same situation as the rest of the party. He claims his companions have gone ahead of him in the ruin.

The party gave their wary introductions. Some don’t know whether to trust him yet. “Prove your worth,” they said.

Eumining-gud recognized the tattoos, shaped like elephant tusks. They are Mentala that will change his entire form. But to what, she doesn’t know yet.

The Lungs

Exploring the ruin, they came upon a fork in the road with three paths. They took the first one which led them to a dome chamber.

It looks like a ballroom, at least it must have been before. But now its carpet is that of roaches and guano, its ceiling fixtures are that of kingfishers hanging like bats, and its dancing music is that of deafening chirps and chatter.

One kingfisher stood out. It looks like a hologram projected into incense smoke. “Stupid human! Come here! Trapped here? Name’s Sikkukurut!”

The party is wary of the smog bird, but they conversed with it.

“Sikkukurut knows stuff! Help Sikkukurut?”

The bird wants treats; vampire snails are her favorite. The bird wants help with pranks. She tells them to completely detooth a cave crocodile. “Funny shit!”

The party had no idea what a vampire snail or a cave crocodile is like, but said they’ll come back when they have done either. They wonder if the real prank was on them.

The Cloth-Packed Belly

The party doubled back and took the second tunnel. The path is interrupted by an abyss. There is a path across made of teak logs, staked onto the face of the wall. The party hopped onto each teak log to pass through.

They come upon an ink-black archway sporting cavorting monkeys. Beyond it is a shopping-arcade-like space. Each open lot is overflowing with a different kind of human accountrement. A hulking mass of pebbles and stones is sorting through a pile.

The party is intrigued by the pebble golem. They tossed a random stone in its direction, to get its attention. The stone snaps like a magnet and joined the pebble golem’s body. It noticed the party, but doesn’t seem to be very interested.

Some turned their eyes on the overwhelming piles of stuff. Dumalapdap found a handful of tokens inscribed with monkeys. Eumining-gud found a sarong with softneck turtle patterns; wearing it makes her neck longer. Alon found a pedal harp made of solid gold, buried under a pile of sandals. Tusok found the clothes of his former group.

The mystery of what happened to the group that came before them weighed on their minds. They remembered something Sikkukurut said. Trapped here, was it?

Treasure Logistics

The party decided to check if the boat they came in with is still where it was, in the mouth of the ruin. Half of the party wanted to bring the gold harp with them. It could make a dent in their collective Debt, after all.

The harp was heavy, made of solid gold. It required two pairs of hands to carry. It was a manageable problem until they got to the teak log path above the abyss. Can’t really hop while carrying a large golden instrument, can they?

An illustration of the situation, by Tusok

After much deliberation, they had a solution: stick their swords underneath the harp to act as skiis, then pull the harp across with some rope.

The plan seemed to work. The harp was halfway through the teak log bridge when they heard a roar of twittering and fluttering. A swarm of kingfishers were heading their way. Almost everyone are on the other side already, but Dumalapdap was right behind the harp, pushing it. He hugged the log he was on and waited for the swarm to pass him by. And pass him by they did.

After the swarm, getting the harp to the other side was an easy task.

The Closed Mouth

The party reached the mouth of the ruin. Something was different. Gone was the sunlight reflecting on shimmering water, now it’s just completely dark.

Their boat was still there. Alon and Tusok used it to go where the opening used to be, only to be met with solid rock. Sikkukurut was right. They are trapped.

AFTERTHOUGHTS

Ever had moments in a session when you forget details of rooms or encounters? Or when you change a feature of an adventure because you think it would be cool, but in the back of your mind you hope this change doesn’t betray the other elements of the adventure?

This session had a lot of those. Here’s hoping nothing breaks lol.

At least my group said they had fun. 😀

Play Report: Lorn Song of the Bachelor x Mangayaw (Session 2)

by goobernuts

The Binmanwa Party

  • Malakas, a shamanistic healer
  • Bantok, a bow hunter
  • Euminung-gud, an aswang (?)
  • Dumalapdap, a ratfolk musketeer
  • Alon, a textile weaver

Vartu Si Vartu

The party waited outside the Chief’s longhouse for his return, not wanting to insult him a second time. Vartu Si Vartu returns a few hours later.

Conversation with Vartu Si Vartu is sensitive business. He is a proud warrior, thinks every gesture is a challenge to his authority.

He tells the party of how he lost his left arm. The Bachelor claimed it after a great battle, one that Vartu Si Vartu lost.

If he was such a great warrior, how could he have lost to a crocodile? He wants the party to look for proof of the Bachelor’s divinity. If the Bachelor was a god, then there is no shame in his loss.

Bavu Si Bavu

The party heads back to the princess’ lover, to inform him of their mistake and that he is still loved. He bounced back from his heartbreak quickly.

They also informed him of their plan to raise his prestige by questing with them. He is delighted by the opportunity to prove Niti Si Niti wrong.

Hummu Si Hummu

Before the day ended, the party passed by Oppu Wa Oppu’s again. They are hoping see if one of her more annoying suitors was there, so they could earn their keep.

Sure enough, the village’s prestige singer, Hummu Si Hummu, was there.

Hummu Si Hummu shows off his tattoos: open maws and curling tusks. Identifies him as a singer of the village’s songs and histories. He has a tic, blinking uncontrollably. His loincloth has a weird movement to it, like something is flopping about inside it.

Alon chanted the Mentala sewed into his katana’s tassels. The words granted him a sight able to see beneath the loincloth. A ferocity weighed on his heart, but he also saw a catfish stuck to Hummu Si Hummu’s groin. Absurd.

Under the guise of concern, the party tries to uncover Hummu Si Hummu’s secret. He tried to run, but he was unable to. When his secret was uncovered, he was in panic. The catfish seemed to share his emotions.

The party sent him to Auntie Sati, hoping she would know how to remove it. They still have no idea what to make of this. Is it a parasite? A performance enhancer? A controller of the mind? A kink?

Re Wa Re’s Pepper Farm

The next morning, the party went aboard a boat, piloted by Bavu Si Bavu. They set out for the Old Ruin via the river.

They spotted a Skelephant fording the river. They let it pass.

They passed by some pepper farms along the river, spotted a group of men in Company uniform harassing an old farmer. She’s on her knees, begging.

The party decided to help diffuse the tension. As they land the boat, the situation changed. The farmer was shouting and swearing now.

A Company goon forbade the party from getting closer and the farmer bit his hand. The goons pulled out their pistols, but the party stood between the two parties.

The Company goons explained that they’re here to take Re Wa Re’s farm as payment for her gambling debt. She protested with expletives.

The party decided to be on Re Wa Re’s side on this matter. Alon loudly boasted about his swordsmanship, touting his colorfully tasseled katana as proof, both to discourage the goons and to relieve the ferocity in his heart. The goons are outnumbered and are not inclined to call Alon’s bluff.

In the middle of all this, Dumalapdap nicked a pistol from one of the goons, who was none the wiser.

The Company goons decide to leave, but not without threats of their return.

The party hired Re Wa Re to come with them to the Old Ruin. She brought a knife and some peppery jerky.

The Old Ruin

It was almost dusk when the party reached the Old Ruin. The opening to the cave was clearly not natural. It’s adorned with simian statues, posd as if diving in water.

They felt the murmur of waves, from inside. They felt a breeze, like breath.

The party felt a mixture of curiosity and a bit of fear. And with that, they entered the Old Ruin.