I'm starting a new Tékumel campaign, part of our final push to finish and publish Béthorm.

After a long discussion, the players decided they'd like to be a group enlisted in the espionage arm of the Omnipotent Azure Legion, investigating the strange and unusual - sort of a "Tékumel's Agents of SHIELD" campaign. The campaign will begin in Katalál, and wander all over the area around the Kúrt Hills. Because it's more of a military than social game, I let the PCs come from all walks of life. Here are the PCs so far:

Haráku hiZuróme (Denis Loubet), a freakishly large bumpkin from the Kúrt Hills. Arch of Heaven clan, religion not yet chosen (probably Chegárra?). Armed with a sling, he will serve as the team's local guide.

Ss'kík Ssá (Dave 'Diesel' LaForce), a male Pé Chói fresh from Pán Cháka, largely ignorant of Tsolyáni ways. Follower of the Black Old One. Armed with four swords, a killing machine.

Qumál hiGa'ánish (Dennis Sustare), a grizzled veteran soldier from the Golden Sunburst clan, follower of Karakán. Sword, shield, and lots of helpful little skills learned on the battlefield.

Siónu hiTekkól (Beth Loubet), a Keténgku sorceress of the Grey Wand clan who knows more than one use for a blade.

Chégukal hiGurúma (Talzhemir Mrr), a mysterious fellow with a hidden past. The OAL has told Siónu his secret, and placed him in her care. The others know nothing, though one or two have caught a glint of red deep in Chégukal's eyes...

There are 3 more players who have not yet made characters. First session will probably be on Oct 17.

Yeah - I only wish I'd been keeping a log of where the information I've been compiling came from! Unfortunately I didn't think of that. I've got a word doc full of snippets from the Sourcebook, AoT Part 2 Vol 2, and Deeds of the Ever-Glorious, so far. I'm pretty sure there's also useful stuff in the Mitlanyal books. I'm still tracking down a rumor about a 2-page Ken Fletcher handout about the Temple of Vimuhla in Katalal, which is supposed to contain some more information on its history...

UNIgames is in talks with the Tekumel Foundation to produce a "Kurt Hills Map Set & Gazetteer", following the same format as the Northwest Frontier materials. This would cover a region from the center of hex 4110 to the center of 3516. So yeah, Katalal will be in it. The broad, general information I'm gathering will appear there, along with a lot of new material created by UNIgames and vetted by the Foundation. Not many of the smaller details will appear, though (Khirgar only rated a single paragraph in the Northwest Gazetteer, after all). That detailed stuff is more appropriate for use in individual Bethorm adventures set in the Kurt Hills region, which UNIgames plans to produce in the future. My new campaign is, of course, an opportunity for me to more closely familiarize myself with the area and begin to expand on it.

-Jeff

First episode setup:
There have been garbled reports of creature activities in Katalal. A few nights ago a housewares shop on the Great Square of the Seven Heroes was ransacked, and various copper implements stolen. The next night a city guard from the Legion of Morusai the Chieftain (40th Imperial Medium Infantry) was waylaid by 'creatures', stripped naked and badly clawed but was nothing taken, and two nights ago sewer workers terrorized by ‘strange noises’. Last night there was a break-in at the OAL’s own armory. Several pieces of steel armor were stolen. All of these incidents happened either at night or in darkness, and broken sewer gratings were found nearby indicating that the 'creatures' are coming from below. No description of the ‘creatures’ has been reported; the guard says only that it was too dark to make them out.

The players' orders are to locate and exterminate these creatures, whatever they are, and recover the stolen property.

Session 2 Report:
New character: Vrishtára hiZa'éra (Matt Sheffield). An assassin of the Whispered Fear clan, specializing in stealth and the crossbow. After suffering from a crippling leg injury that curtailed his usefulness as an assassin, he was 'traded' to the OAL in exchange for certain favors.

Haráku (Denis) also joined the group this episode. The troop received their dress uniforms, and Qumál was praised for his 'initiative' by Subaltern Okkúru - who made it clear that this opinion only pertains as long as Qumál produces results.

Qumál expressed his desire to search the tomb of Miru hiKirisaya, the late retired chief scholarly priest of Hru'u. Okkúru provided a letter ordering the Tomb Police to comply. At Katalal's City of the Dead, they entered the tomb accompanied by 2 Tomb Police soldiers. Ssuri examined the body, determining that Miru had been slain by claw wounds matching the ones attributed to the as-yet unidentified creature. Vati examined the Hru'u-themed wall art, and identified one demon with claws matching the wounds. Suspecting the creature they're hunting may be that demon, they searched Miru's books and scrolls - but they stopped for fear of setting off a curse before they learned anything. Ssuri expressed doubt that the demon depicted could have inflicted the injuries, because it looked too tall.

Next they traveled to the Temple of Thumis. Vati and Qumál sought and received access to the temple library, where they found "Denizens of the Middle Planes, Volume 7" which described a demon matching the one in the mural - naming it a Demon of the Dark, a lesser (but still mighty) demon beloved of Lord Hru'u.

Leaving the Temple of Thumis near sunset, they came across another funeral procession - this one for Heshelu, the 3rd circle Hru'u sorcerer they'd encountered in the sewers. This prompted a visit to the Temple of Hru'u, where the Stability-oriented PCs were asked to remain outside. They agreed, so Ssuri led only Ss'kík and Vrishtára inside. They were through pitch-black corridors to a black-draped room, where they spoke with a priestess of Hru'u who claimed that Heshelu had died suddenly from illness. After countering question after question by insisting that these were inner temple matters beyond the scope of the OAL, Ssuri ordered her companions to apprehend her. The priestess fled the room as two temple guards entered. Ss'kík suffered a serious blow, but followed the priestess into the pitch-black corridor - locating her with his acute hearing and life-sense, and grabbing her! Vrishtára held the two guards at bay with his crossbow as Ss'kik hauled the priestess back. The priestess surrendered (all the while sputtering that this breach of protocol would not stand). They dragged her back to the OAL barracks, where a Hru'u temple representative was already attempting to browbeat Okkúru into letting her go. Okkúru asked for Qumál's assurance that this prisoner was important. After receiving it, Okkúru informed the Hru'u temple representative that the priestess would, indeed, spend some time in an Imperial cell.

Next Episode: Have our heroes created an Imperial Incident, or are they on to something?

Session 3 Report:
The team was joined by Siónu hiTekkól and Chégukal hiGurúma. See the first post on this thread for their backgrounds. They transferred in from an OAL outpost to the north.

Kiréga hiTúruken (the high administrative priest of Hrü'ü) arrived, bent on disrupting the proceedings. Quickly grasping the situation, Siónu managed to divert him and his entourage to the offices of Kási Aruánmu hiSsánkolen, the captain of their Cohort. Unfortunately this soon resulted in the appearance of that captain, with Kiréga in tow, and thus the cell block quickly became crowded with important personages.

Qumál dutifully carried out the interrogation under these difficult circumstances with the help of Váti and Vrishtára. The captive priestess of Hrü'ü revealed little, but some progress was being made. Tensions were rising, but upon his timely arrival the high administrator of Hnálla (Jeríkh hiTánkolu) defused the situation by agreeing with Kiréga that the apparent crime (demon summoning outside the Temple grounds) was a matter for the ecclesiastical courts, and not the Imperium. Our heroes were thus obligated to release the prisoner, and the two High Administrators went off to wrangle over the upcoming proceedings.

Kási Aruánmu then ordered Okkúru to send his troop into the sewers to locate, positively identify, and if possible eradicate the alleged demon. This they proceeded to undertake.

Our heroes entered the sewers of Katalál through a grating centrally located between the reported appearances of the creature. After a short time they encountered three Qól, and there commenced a difficult battle. The narrow confines enabled only one agent (Ss'kík, the Pé Chói) to face the Qól at a time, yet the creatures' spears enabled another one to attack from the second rank. The third Qól was armed with a bow, and thanks to its darkness vision it endangered the rest of the group. Ss'kík found himself outmatched - not to mention poisoned - and had to be rescued by Váti who cast a protective spell. Meanwhile Qumál organized a search for side passages to come at the Qól from the rear. Chégukal began doing just that while Haráku kept the Qól busy with sling pellets. Haráku himself was poisoned by a Qól arrow for his pains. Siónu and Qumál did what they could to magically heal their companions' wounds, but Siónu was unable to stop all of the poisonings. In the darkness, away from his (its?) OAL companions, Chégukal took on the semblance of a Qol in order to approach them. Finally the Qól archer fell, and other two fled - past Chégukal, who attempted (and failed) to communicate with them, and then let them go.

The battle won, more or less, our heroes withdrew from the sewers to regroup. Vrishtára's knowledge of poisons was effective in keeping Ss'kík and Haráku alive until the venom could be neutralized magically. Qumál is teaching the spell of neutralizing poison to Váti and Siónu, so they should fare better against the next such encounter. As soon as they have recovered, our heroes will re-enter the sewers. There's still a demon or something to stop!

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