Kathy's A Lean Year

Title: A Lean Year

Game: Tapestry

Date: April 2008

Author: Kathy Ice

Summary of Module: A group of heroes is contacted by a village in the Windbourne hills, and asked to undertake a dangerous winter journey to procure more food for them. The PCs set off for neighboring towns. On the way, they encounter animals also affected by the lack of available food, and looking to supplement their diet with a tasty mule. Once the PCs find folk willing to sell foodstuffs, they have to make some tough decisions about how best to help the village. On their return journey, they are accosted by brigands and a fight ensues. Finally, they return to the village with (hopefully) enough stores to see them through the winter.

Here is the game as run in the Golden Tapestry.

Scene 1: Harvest of Sorrow (1 week)– The village elders contact the heroes in the Giggling Ghost and explain their predicament. It has been a poor growing season. Worse, they are in a region of the Windbourne Hills where the local petty kings are feuding. There were numerous battles over the summer, which trampled the fields and ruined the crops growing there. Soldiers appropriated livestock and supplies to feed themselves. Some paid for what they took, but the village cannot eat gold. Now, winter has come, food stores are already dwindling, and the elders have realized that they must have more food for the village to survive. They do have gold to pay for food, but nobody in the immediate area has food to spare. They are therefore looking for a group of heroes to undertake the arduous winter journey outside the immediate area, in the hope of finding villages who have food to sell. The elders say they cannot afford to pay the PCs for their services, but hope they will find it in their hearts to help those who truly need it.

PCs who respond to the plea come through the tapestry into the village. They can meet some of the folk, and get a clearer picture of the situation. They are given two wagons, with mules to pull them. The elders tell the PCs that the village’s best chance of survival is for them to return with two full wagons before the month is out. If they take longer to return, or return with less than two full loads, they may end up losing people (though, obviously, they’ll lose fewer than they would if they did nothing).

Scene 2: Ripples (2 weeks) – The PCs set out on their journey. Travel is difficult; days are short and there is snow on the ground. As they travel, the PCs see signs how poor the growing season has been. Other villages are also in bad shape, and the animals (wild and domesticated) look lean and hungry.

While on the road, the group is attacked by wolves (or possibly a bear, it depends on what level party we end up with) (4-5 Worgs). The predators are obviously hungry, and attempt to take one of the mules. The PCs must fight them off. If one of the mules is killed, it will slow down the PCs, unless they have animals in the group they can use in its place. None of the villages they pass is willing to sell a mule or horse.

Scene 3: A Decision (2 weeks) – After several weeks of travel, the PCs leave the area where the battles took place. They find villages with more food, but find the villagers tense and wary of strangers. They have already been besieged with calls for help from their immediate neighbors, and they have little time for strangers asking still more of them. The further the PCs go from the conflict, the more likely they are to find people willing to deal with them—but the clock is ticking. When they do find a village willing to sell them goods, they are not willing to spare enough to fill both wagons. The PCs must decide whether to return with what they have, or keep looking in the hopes of finding more (or take some third course of action I haven’t thought of; I love it when PCs show ingenuity).

There isn’t a “right” or “wrong” decision in this scenario; it’s a tough choice designed for role-playing potential.

Scene 4: The Have-Nots (2 weeks) – The PCs begin their return journey. To reach their village, they must of course pass through other villages whose situations are just as bad. Other villages try to buy food, or try to get the PCs to give them some of what they’re carrying. More tough choices.

The PCs are also attacked by a group of brigands. These are either regular bandits, also affected by the lean year, or possibly they are soldier or deserters from the armies that caused so much trouble over the summer; I haven’t quite decided. Either way, there is a leader type, one or two tough “bruisers”, and a random assortment of mooks (exact levels will be determined by what level party we end up with) (Leader 3, Bruiser 3, 5 Mooks ½). The PCs must fight them off.

The brigands’ meager cache is the only treasure the PCs will see for this adventure.

Scene 5: The Return (1 week) – The PCs return to the village. The elders are thankful for their return, and for the food they brought back. Unfortunately, unless the PCs were especially inventive, they return either a little late or a little short on supplies. The villagers are still thankful, but worried about how they’re going to make it through the winter.

End matter:

All PCs receive 500 base XP, plus bonuses for role-playing and consistent posting. Since the PCs agree to work for no money, and in fact receive little monetary reward, each PC receives 1 Hero Point (in addition to any Hero Points earned in game play).

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