Chapter I: The Heist at Mephos

Setting

The player characters have arrived in the City of Mephos for a racing festival supported by the cults of Lokarnos and Etyries. The plan: steal the betting coinage from the Etyries gambling hall during the race.

Plan Précis

• Access secured to the building adjacent to the room where coinage will be held.
• Sleep Gas obtained, with antidote (reduce DEX by 1).
• Escape route established via passages leading down from a sewer entrance to the river.
• River trader Wings of SurEnsib awaits for extraction.

The team begins as they burst out of a laneway and escape into the festival crowds of the city, in the middle of the race festivities.

Starting Equipment

• Suit of Padded Armour
• Green Tabard (reversible to Blue) — matches Green Chariot team supporters
• Spear
• Dagger
• d6 Clacks and Thieves' Tools

Cash Recovered from the Job

* Exploding die.

Character Creation

Group Concept

A collection of Thieves and Ne'er-do-wells. Suitable classes: Bards, Barbarians, Fighters, Rangers, Rogues, Warlocks. Possibly Wizards, Sorcerers and Clerics. Character names chosen from the Reservoir Dogs engagement scene.

Races

Prefer Human, but Dwarf is permitted.

Ability Scores

Roll 3d6 and replace the lowest number with a 4. Roll 6 times in order. Characters lacking any score above 13 (before racial bonuses) may elect NOT to become adventurers (re-roll permitted).

INT: Roll 4d6 and generate 2 stats — INT & SIZE from 2d6+6. Add SIZE. Swap WISDOM for POWER.

Skills

Magic

Standard RuneQuest. D3 Spirit Magic spells chosen from:

• Disruption
• Heal
• Bladesharp
• Dispel Magic
• Protection
• Detect Magic
• Detect Silver
• Countermagic

Campaign Start

It is early 1607 SR — Day 40 of 350. Or: 7/36, Sea Season, Movement Week, Fire Day: Crescent Cone (Day 6 of 7).

The players are in the City of Mephos for a major Festival of Lokarnos (God of Wagons). A Chariot Race is underway between the Green, Blue and Yellow Teams throughout the City — 20 laps, changing horses and charioteers, 20–25 minutes per lap, 3–4 hours total duration.

The group plans to raid the Etyries gaming hall — something has gone wrong.

Lokarnos (loh-KAR-noes)

Yelm Pantheon: God of Wagons and Trade. This god began his mortal existence as a simple worker in the Solar Empire. Through perseverance and hard work, he earned a superior and rewarding position in life.

Lokarnos was named god of the wheel, a magical token he created to honor Yelm. Through cleverness he made carts and wagons and loaded them with goods to help his betters. He is the Counting God, responsible for keeping track of his masters' goods. He rose before the Dawn as a pale golden-yellow planet and slowly crosses the sky and the Underworld over a 196-day period.

The Orlanthi associate the same planet with the Mule of Issaries. Lokarnos is pictured as a wagon master in a traditional short tunic, holding a merchant's scale. A gold wagon wheel or an oversized coin are used as temple images.

Chapter II: Mephos

Mephos (small city): In 7/36 (1607), the Red Emperor was killed here by an assassin — a creature which was neither man nor beast, good nor bad, light nor dark. The assassin, who took the form of a white bear, then destroyed half the city before leaving.

Encounters

Green Team Supporters

8 Thugs set themselves upon the players, throwing clay mugs and punches — ignoring spears.

Lady Faustina & Son

Litter, 4 bearers and manservant/bodyguard.

Durulz Assassin Observing Lady Faustina

• Connected to SurEnsib the Heron Goddess of Rinliddi
• 6th Assassin looking for opportunities

Legions in Attendance (Hex 5 Miles / 8 km)

• Marble Phalanx, from the City of Mesavos (96 km away)
• Doblian Dog Eaters, from Seskos (80 km away)
• Glamour (120 km away)
• Steel Sword Legion, from Moon Wall (96 km away)
• Sable Riders from the Hungry Plateau
• Silver Shields

Full Moon Corps Warrior — Chasing the Characters

Felix may have noticed a Silver Tracker Rune (Danfive Xaron Magic) on one of the players.

Other Encounters

• Careening Chariot
• Sor-eel Group: 12 Guards + Bor-eel and Wizard
• Yellow Team Riot
• Sewer Entry: Guarded by 2x Barbarian Warriors
• Silver Shields Recruiting House
• Marble Phalanx Recruiting House
• Sable Riders Recruiting

Encounter Statistics

Dart Competitions

The peace and prosperity which the Goddess had promised when she rose to the sky now lay upon all like a rich, plush cloak. No hostile enemies bothered the borders, no virulent rebellion quelled on the interior, and no foolish demigods interfered with the Emperor's taxes.

But the peace was not without its changes. Where war and aggression could not be directed outwards against external foes, it was instead directed inward like a fine scalpel, to cut away the evil rot within the empire. Imperial law strictly forbids war between noble houses. As a result, conflicts between noble houses (especially over control of a satrapy) are waged through internal assassination and clandestine warfare called "Dart Competitions". The name comes from the ancient sport which has been popular since the First Wane among the Lunar nobility.

Dart Competitions are struggles waged by assassination, sabotage, disinformation, and economic warfare. The legitimated violence of the Dart Competitions provides a controlled means of venting the volatile pressures of internal intrigue. Rather than resorting to open war — which would ravage regions, interrupt trade, divert tax revenue, and demand an imperial response — they allow grudges to be settled and pecking orders established by more discriminating means.

Key Dart Competition Events

The Imperial Nobility & Satrapal Houses

The Imperial Lunar nobility are those who trace their descent to the Red Goddess, in most cases through the Red Emperor. Only some twenty noble families survived Sheng Seleris's purge. By the late Seventh Wane, there were 50 acknowledged imperial lineages.

The Greatest Families

Satrapal Houses

Masks of the Red Emperor

The Silver Shields

Background

This modern unit of well-drilled hypaspists is capable of fast marching and operating in difficult terrain. The Silver Shields are more manoeuvrable and flexible on the battlefield than the Stonewall Regiments and are usually placed on the flank of the Lunar line. Their shields are gilded with silver.

The regiment was created by the Conquering Daughter for her campaigns against the Blue Deer Princes of Vanch and the Kynnelfing Alliance. Its recruits are drawn from across the southern reaches of the Empire and even the Provinces.

They wear hardened leather breastplates and white tunics and red parade cloaks. In cold weather they also wear brown trews.

Organisation

The regiment is based around files of seven soldiers. Ten files plus a command group of fourteen led by a Centurion make up a company (85 soldiers total). Ten regular companies, a command company, and a support company make up the full regiment.

Key Characters

Regimental Genius

Ipharia Enestratos, who resides in a gold and silver bat atop a silver moon disk on a blackwood staff. In life, he performed a Heroquest which turned the shields of his regiment silver.

In Pavis

Three companies of the regiment were stationed in Pavis until the rebellion in 1625, fighting at the Second Battle of Moonbroth in 1624. The reconstituted regiment, with restored but inferior standards, was assigned to bolster the Native Furthest Corps in 1626 and fought at the Battle of the Queens.

The Marble Phalanx

Background

The Marble Phalanx is one of the ancient "Ten Wall Regiments" of Dara Happa and has been in existence since the Gods War. The unit specialises in fighting and defeating the warriors of the Yellow City. Based at Mesavos in the Oronin satrapy.

Consisting of 550 (paper strength 1000) heavily armoured soldiers fighting in drilled, close order. Each soldier is equipped with bronze cuirasses and greaves, crested helmets covering their entire face, heavy shields, and long stabbing spears.

The regimental genius is Honathum the Shining God, who protects the regiment against cavalry so long as the regimental battle standard is secure.

The Antelope Lancers

Background

The Silver Sable Lancers (better known as the Antelope Lancers) are a famous regiment in the Emperor's service since the Sable Recognition of 1275, when the Twin Stars gave the inspiration of the Red Goddess to the Sable People of the Hungry Plateau. Paper strength: 500 soldiers.

A close-ordered, drilled heavy cavalry regiment riding only sable antelopes. The lancers wear bronze breastplates, bronze helmets with crests of red, yellow, and black, and greaves. They use the lance, scimitars, and flanged maces. They and their mounts dance around the battlefield with awe-inspiring grace.

The regimental genius is Abas the Little Father, who resides in the regimental standard: two silver stars mounted below a silver moondisk.

Pavis: The Lunar Occupation

The original Lunar invasion army mostly has returned home. Only three regiments and some mercenary irregulars remain: the Marble Phalanx (heavy infantry), the Silver Shields (peltast unit), and the Antelope Lancers (heavy sable cavalry).

The army has occupied the city without significant trouble for the last seven years. Their rule is generally benevolent. Pavis also serves as the headquarters for the administration of the region. Sor-eel the Short, a nobleman from the empire, governs the area under the administration of the governor-general of Dragon Pass.

Lunar Army Pay (Annual)

The Seventh Wane — Historical Summary

Wealth & Social Class