The serpent game...

Okay, so I've had this game in the pipe for quite some time and haven't gotten around to running it yet.  I normally have at least three games on the back burner.  And by that I mean the bulk of each written so it would only take me a couple of days to get up to speed and roll one out if I need to.  But this particular game I'm going to give you the background for is one of my favourites, and I want to take this opportunity to discuss it, primarily because it underpins important concepts in preparation.  And GMing is all about preparation.  Even a good off the cuff ad lib adventure is generally only any good because the GM running it has such a previous body of work to draw upon, they can take a few memorable story lines, a few memorable characters and a few memorable scenes and just string the thing along, resurrecting previously used material, and mixing it up for a new audience.

Anyway, I, as is my want, digress... onto The Serpent Game.

This is a fantasy game set during the 3rd Age of my gameworld, when the sorcerers were rising to the height of their power (having disposed of almost all the nobles and the monarchy at the end of the 2nd Age).

Off the western coast of the principle continent, ten miles out to sea lay a large volcanic (fortunately quite stable, very dormant) chunk of fertile land which people from all sorts of backgrounds had settled on and lived in relative harmony.  The name of the island is Senjaket - which roughly translates from the tongue of its inhabitants as The Isle of Free People.  This name being a legacy from the 2nd Age when travellers first settled there seeking refuge from the draconian laws of the established monarchy present on the mainland.  Senjaket opened its arms to anyone, regardless of race or background, as long as they considered all islanders equal, and agreed to abide by their laws.

Leylines course all over my gameworld, providing sorcerers with natural arcane energy.  For the record, no leylines cross Senjaket.  The nearest node (a minor conjunction of two leylines) occurs at the Mage Tower raised from the sea roughly halfway towards the mainland shore.  It is usual for sorcerers to construct towers from which to work magick at any conjunction (crossing of leylines).

Senjaket is a sort of horseshoe shaped island, with the 'prongs' of the horseshoe pointing east. I'll sketch a little picture of it for you, when I get around to it. In the prong's of the 'horseshoe' is a natural deepwater bay, and the islanders have created a structure of wharfs and jettys to dock the many boats and ships which seek harbour there.  The island itself is predominantly rocky, with cliffs running all around it.  On the western (oceanward) side, the cliffs rise an impressive 1000 feet or more from the crashing waves and the land is quite mountainous.  Heading eastwards these mountains fall away to hills which in turn give way to dense woods as the land slopes gently down toward the bay.  Much of the centre of the island has subsequently been given over to farmsteads and the rich volcanic land is extremely fertile.  A smaller cliff of only 100 feet or so overlooks the bay, and the vast majority of the island's stone structures are built atop this cliff and project back towards the mountains forming a highway down the centre.  The cliffs overlooking the bay are also punctuated by many interconnected caves which have all been taken over and used as shops, inns, storage chambers and in some cases dwellings.  At the base of the cliffs, are myriad wooden structures, inns, brothels, warehouses, shipyards, boatfitters, fishing stores etc.  At the end of each 'prong' is a lighthouse, which serve to mark out the passage for night-time sailings.  The deep bay itself has had some defenses constructed.  Stone bars, risen by mages which almost break the surface of the water at low-tide, make entering the harbour (without prior knowledge of their locations) treacherous.

The island is self-sufficient.  Farmers grow crops and raise livestock, but the bulk of the island's wealth comes from its fishing trade.  The waters around the island are the breeding grounds for an array of different serpent species, and some naturalists come here just to observe and study them.  I based some of the concepts of this island on the Whaling community of Nantucket, after reading In the Heart of the Sea which I heartily recommend.  Its a great sourcebook for RPGs.  Like many historical works, take what works for you, warp it into your setting.  Seem original when in fact you're a terrible thief.  =)

The populace of the island are governed by a council comprised of a few nobles (literally ex-noblemen which fled during the war of the 2nd Age) and some notable members of the community, a couple of farmers, sea captains, a resident mage. The council are on the whole a pretty decent bunch.  They mete out the law via the island's enforcing militia, which are known as constables.

The island has a practise of asking every man and woman sometime between the age of 17 and 19, to spend one year as a constable.  Those that function well in the role are asked to stay on for an additional year as a special constable.  And it is hoped some will remain beyond that.

Each year the island holds a festival.  The festival, held at the beginning of summe,r marks the return of the serpents to their breeding grounds in the waters around the island.  At the end of autumn both young and mature serpents migrate south to warmer waters, returning each summer to breed.  A large contigent of the island is involved in the serpenting trade.  From boat builders to sailors and all the shops and stores that support such an industry.  Serpents are hunted on great 'serpenting' ships, mounted with massive ballistae.  Serpents caught are largely 'processed' on the vessel out at sea.  And the vast majority of each serpent has its uses.  Its flesh is sought after, and its skull contains a light viscous oil which is highly flammable.  Serpents also contain a variety of glands and organs which can be used in various medical and alchemical pursuits.  Some serpents are venomous, and the toxins of such beasts is also harvested.  Sailors may also take the fangs of serpents and turn these massive curved teeth into weapons, swords, knives and arrowheads.  Very little of a serpent is wasted, and even the remnants which are cast back into the water acts as chum, bait attracting more serpents, because like wasps, a dying serpent will release a chemical which attracts others and whips them into a frenzy.  This is particularly true of an egg-carrying female.

In the run-up to the annual Slangwha festival, the town atop the cliffs, overlooking the bay, is painted in bright colours and adorned with flowers and lanterns.  Townsfolk make costumes, the most magnificent of which are the 'slangwhadooks' literally 'paper serpents' - which are the equivalent of those chinese dragons - several people wearing a massive serpent 'puppet come costume' running and leaping through the streets.  The festival is also famous for its drummers, which sit poised, waiting to play, until the first bellow of the first male serpent calling for a mate is heard on the island, and then all the drummers begin, pounding out their rhythms on the animal skins, and there follows singing and dancing; street entertainers and of course the Slangwhadooks charging over the terraced streets and flat rooftops.

The festival attracts many mainlanders, visitors and merchants a like, with boats arriving every day for at least the preceding week.  At festival time the island hosts one of the most magnificent markets as travellers come to sample the freshest serpents around (and bring their fine wares in exchange)  because, of course, when the serpents are heard and the festival begins, serpenting boats also take to the waters.  But in those early days, when the serpents return to their breeding grounds, hunting is strictly controlled.  Only a handful of vessels take to the water and hunt.  Allowing the bulk of serpents to breed and renew their stocks.

And so it is that the game is placed against the colourful backdrop.  All the player-characters are young men and women who have been engaged in their first year as special constables.  Their job is to police the festival and keep everyone safe, as the festival attracts criminals as well as visitors and merchants.  Having provided the players with this backdrop, the game will start just prior to the first serpent bellow, and the drumming.  But it is not long after that a human scream is heard and the players find themselves investigating a gruesome murder, the first of many to come.

...(post unfinished)...