Table: Sigils in Mesomergos

 Pursuant to my interest in heraldry, I sometimes wonder how I could turn Spwacks's marvelous tables to the task of blazonry. This is my current attempt, though it does not do a good job of describing the placement of charges. Additionally, it always includes charges, while it might be appropriate to leave many arms as simple patterns.

This generator uses some heraldry-speak, so it is probably just for my own enjoyment. I imagine these would mostly appear on round shields, and I've kept the divisions of the field relatively simple. I am treating sable as a metal and referring to it as "iron" for setting-related reasons. Similarly, bronze is to be treated as a common metal, and some of the colors are named differently. Sanguine is used to the exclusion of gules. Turqoise is used to the exclusion of azure. Jade and vert are mostly redundant with each other (though when they appear together jade is darker).

Location: Cursed House of Twin Axes

I've been working on this one for a while. It's a haunted palace nestled in a remote mountainous retreat, in the heart of Mesomergos. I based much of the floorplan on the palace in Minos, so it is labyrinthine and full of thick walls and alcoves. Designing the cursed house, I made sure to allow for points from anywhere, since the building is full of windows and unlocked doors. This dungeon can serve as an extended introduction to domain-level play.

The Cursed House of Twin Axes is appropriate for parties of 2-6 first-level adventurers, and has enough content for several sessions. It has a bronze age feel and borrows some elements from Zhou China and early Germanic vibes, and features themes of astronomy and ancient sins. 

Click the image below to see the full Cursed House, its maps, its random tables, and some advice. I've tried to make the color-coded maps functional for those with most forms of colorblindness-- let me know if they aren't working well for you.

Click the painting

Special thanks to those who helped to playtest the Cursed House, including Oblid, Lotus, Awyrlas, Waqait, and Sir_Ahno.

Scenario: The Surrender of Lischon

 This is a scenario for up to ten first-level characters, set at the end of a war in the ancient history of Mesomergos. It is meant to be played with Vain the Sword, but any other dungeon game will do.

Players build their characters as normal, but take on the role of one of ten central figures during the surrender of the city of Lischon by the Duke Shan to invading forces. Over the course of the scenario, PCs will cause problems for each other as they wrestle to decide under what circumstance death is preferable to surrender. Each character starts with some kind of asset, whether it is additional items, magic, or even small dungeons that they can hole up in.

The titular surrender is underway when the scenario begins, and though it is almost impossible to turn the war around, that option is technically available, though sections with titles like "Crushing Resistance" and "Attempts to Flee the City" imply the difficulty in trying. What's more, as the invading forces encounter more resistance and inconvenience, their ire increases.

Click for link

"The Surrender of Lischon" is 13 pages, with one title page listing the cast of potential PCs, two quickly summarizing play for a DM, and ten one-page character prompts, including three dungeon maps by Dyson Logos, used under a commercial license.

Kumi's Anthologies: Cursed House of the Twin Axes

 [I was planning to write the first session report for a new short-run weekly game playtesting a dungeon set in Mesomergos, but one of my players, a true historian, took the liberty of taking the most extensive session notes I've ever seen. I present it here, with slight edits, in the belief that it will provide a better view of the game from the players' view.]

[images by my players]

The Ancient Labyrinth

...Fed by the carcass the people worshipped in the mountains. Pigudix the founder of our land, embodied in the emperor, sat as ruler of the world. His rival Aurochs works, gnawing his way out of the bellies of those who ate him first. The sins of the parents have been passed onto their children. The world and balance between gods, mortals, and spirits strive toward balance and order out of chaos and chaos out of order. May the spirits of song and story aid me in telling this the newest chapter in the history of the Double Axe Palace, the Celestial's Home, Asterion’s Bane, and the Labyrinth of Fear.

The Party: 

Xiaodi (RenegadeTLA on the discord): from the west. Tall and lanky looks like she is not from here but has the name and speaks well. Is a practitioner of the gigre of circumlocution. Super ambitious, wants power and prestige. [Note: incapable of telling the truth about herself]

Sid (Lotus on the discord): orbseeker, about 40 curly but greying hair and some scraggle. Somewhat squirrelly, perhaps high strung and ferociously curious

The Arm of Kang: The financiers of the party. [a band sent by the oathkeeper who funded their expedition]

Zexian (Oblidisiderptch): a practitioner, flagellator. Can do things like transmute items, non-suspicious of everyone. A golem. Weird half cracked mask. [Veteran of a previous game]

Arnulf: an old man from the city we are sent from. Well past prime, a warrior, part of the fighting men. Pushed to  assignment not necessarily by choice, possibly a forced retirement. Late 50s balding with good sideburns. Generally an orderly.  

Continuation of Double Axe Palace History

        An ancient imperial decree to retake an ancient palace in the mountains of Mesomergos, convinced Oathkeeper Kang, lord of a prominent city, to finance this party’s expedition. The long-destroyed gallery roads approaching the Double Axe Palace having been reconstructed made the initial trek reasonably easy, and the party set out to make it inhabitable, seeking treasure and title to the land

The ancient star-worshipping people claimed the site was cursed, and constructed the original palace to appease their zodiac sign of Fear. In these days the palace was known as the Celestial’s Home or more commonly the Labyrinth of Fear. In time, the emperor of Mesomergos appointed a noble, Duke Asterion, to suppress star-worship in the mountains. His rule was characterized by cruelty and greed as he set to forging a statue of pure iron in his own likeness; additionally the frescos lining the walls capture the likeness of Asterion and his eventual downfall.This fall came when his servants revolted, killing him and his retainers, and burning the gallery road leading to the site. In recent years, that gallery road has finally been rebuilt and the troupe of adventurers set up camp in preparation for a final summit.

On the Journey

• Xiaodi thought she saw a pale woman with an ornate two-headed axe, walking along the mountain above her.
• Sid found a copper flask, hot in the midday sun. When he poured it out, the water seemed to sizzle and foam.
• The Arm of Kang swear they saw a star in the constellation of Fear pulsing in the night sky.
• Zexian dreamt (?) They saw a pale woman with an ornate two-headed axe, walking along the empty air beside the gallery road.
• Arnulf pointed, and you all saw a star in the constellation of Fear burned black in the light of day.
• When we set down to camp, Kumiho saw a outcrop of conical rocks. When we awoke, they were gone. 

Lotus has suggested a methodical approach so as to make our search thorough. The old man, Arnulf, heaved a grappling hook up and created an entrance for all to pass. Xiaodi encountered some gnomes [having caught on one with the grappling hook] and one fell when Arnulf pulled on the rope. The gnome fell into Zexian’s arms and the two began to bargain for passage into the palace. This reminds me of an old children’s tale involving gnomes

Careful one must be when making deals with gnomes or goblins and similar gremlins. Forget their names, forget your promises, or break the rules, and their tiny spears are sure to fly. Remember the story of Faang who asked a gnome to steal his friend’s book but forgot to stipulate his desire to own it. The gnome took off with the tome leaving Faang without his prize and both lads reeling without their treasured knowledge.  

A brief fight broke out, a gnome was drop kicked, as the rest of the party clambered over the wall, past the weathered stone and shrub. A deal was struck between Zexian and the fallen gnome bringing the fight to an end as quickly as it had begun. Dashing into the palace the party gathered with their brokered ally. Zexian decided to follow the gnome in spite of Xiaodi’s protests, he presented a case and all seemed agreed the party should split to better understand the lay of this land. A loaf of bread split many times feeds many a little while a loaf split in two feeds a few much more. 

[In a hallway of the palace, the party inspected frescos and noted] horoscopes for each of the birth signs for immediate future and for the rest of the year... On examination the frescos revealed a history of the past 200 years in this place. [The palace has been abandoned for at least a century]   

 

At this same time Zexian was attempting to strike more deals with the gnome to further establish our claim over this land and the palace itself. A feast they discussed roast beef, and potatoes with some lovely asparagus.  The meeting planned Zexian allowed the gnome to give a location and it was decided the theatre to the north east would be best. With a warning to not drink the water [!] this gnome trotted off toward his kin as Zexian returned to his own. 

As the group made its way to the theatre through the courtyard a series of strange vegetables overgrow the area, but more concerning flickers passed through the windows... It is more than likely this place has seen much violence and death, and one would be wise to honor the spirits of the fallen. As Zexian took to marking our way an unknown figure shambled their way past. Arnulf called out and we were met with a woman who promptly bounded up to the group. “Right away!” was all she could seem to say. [This haunted creature is one of many such inhabitants of the palace, with animal-like minds but human habits]

At this moment our attempts to communicate with the woman were interrupted by a young man falling from the second story. Some of the party took concern and went to talk to the man but his terror overcame him and he panicked backing up fast screaming “Right Away!” Her eyes like an eclipse with a thin and bright iris. A man identical to he who fell screamed from the second story heights “I told you not to go in there!” as the woman frantically responded "Right Away" to the mention of Lord Asterion’s name. Zexian, intrigued by this woman’s odd nature, is interested in taking the broom, the merits of which were promptly discussed among the party.

Without other recourse some of the party began to take spirits in order to ascertain any divine influence in these creatures ["as soon as he does that, does anyone want to start doing drugs?"].

    As the party prepares to move on, they have failed to adequately heed the signs of the past, with strong fear overhead the push forward toward the theatre in preparation for their meeting [dinner-date] with the gnomes. Xiaodi [dosing her absinthe to get a sense of anything arcane going on] is led away by her companion and commandeers Zexian’s wine for good measure.

[Zexian confers with the stone stairs in their own language, learning] of a few servants traversing  the meaning halls and winding cases and of the soldier who acts as their master. From an alcove at the top of the stairs a pair can be heard mumbling through the dim light. The frescos in these halls depict mercantile scenes and one character is peddling an orb of solid gold and while it continues a ways down the hall is replaced by other stories. In the hall of red light two servants appear from the dim; one better dressed than the other. They discuss all in nonsense, though, on our approach, stand and present as if waiting for someone to speak. Moving on quickly from these servants who seem stricken with the same fear as the others the party came across an intelligent rat. After a less than formal introduction the rat was questioned on its knowledge of the palace happenings and the palace structure. Sid took a lead in questioning the rat after Xaodi decidedly would not put the poor fellow down.  

[After the rat spent some time yelling and sulking, they decided to help it reclaim its previous, allegedly much nicer alcove.] The rat led the party down the hall to a pair of rats [copulating] and Xiaodi quickly dispatched the rats using a nearby rock. [The party claimed 1d4 soiled coins, their first treasure.] Warned again of the signs of fear, the cruelty and greed of Asterion, and the rights of ownership both for the celestials and gnomes the group pressed on plundering and murdering. 

Those with no respect to history will be doomed to see it repeat in their own lives and actions. 

Closer inspection of the mirror in the center of the room revealed 12 defaced symbols around the frame. Zexian and Sid begin to polish what they now know is an arcane mirror and the defaced symbols appear to be the zodiac. 

Recap

            [This ended up a madcap session, with a one-round combat following the accidental kidnapping of a gnome, the interactions with uncomprehending guards, the always-amusing realization that two party members both speak the language of stone, and the indulgence of an annoyed rat's worst impulses.]

            [The party has made first contact with the gnomes who inhabit part of the palace, and have gotten a gnome to promise to help them forge a peace. They have observed strange behavior by these ancient servants, and do not understand why they act in this way, save that they suspect it has to do with the Zodiac Fear. They have not yet found an orb.]

The Trophy City

The Caliphs of Noual know how to maintain a cultural myth. A couple days' travel downriver from a range of ancient mountains is Zheijaali, the Trophy City. Whenever the imperial army wins a war-- as it always does-- it seizes artisans, epics, tapestries, nobilities, and idols and hauls all of them to the city, a monument to the appropriate of wonders and artifacts from people deemed lesser.

A party of PCs may arrive in Zheijaali for a variety of reasons, but they should be foreigners. This scenario features only one magical item, but it's very powerful and has the ability to greatly shift ongoing games.

Potential Hooks:

1. Sent by an oathkeeper of Mesomergos to recover the Tarnhelm, an important cultural artifact lost 20 years ago. (recommended)
2. Enticed by a letter from a mountain partisan offering magical powers in exchange for help
3. The promise of well-paying service in the Zheijaali expeditionary force.
4. Hired to to steal a cultural artifact.

art by Benedick Bana

The Journey

Assuming the party is approaching the trophy city from Mesomergos, they will have to depart east down the river at Lischon. The long journey might be mostly uneventful-- those accustomed to the cursed chaos of Mesomergos will notice Noual is stable. Feel free to throw in as many encounters and diversions as you wish, but try to establish a tone that this empire is more "settled" than Mesomergos.

After travelling eight days on the river, they will come to the city of Fisochwei. This first city is a good place to introduce them to the norms and mores of Noual. The people here speak Tengor, and generally spurn the learning of other languages. Mesomergan currency is not accepted, but you can trade it in at exchanges for a fee. This conversion is one-way. Finally, while the worship of both Noryawes and Fisochol are accepted in Mesomergos, the split between the two is the utmost partisan issue of Noual. Each city has a policy for which is enshrined and which is repressed. 

The next major location on the way to Zheijaali is Soyang the Gate. This is a city on the coast of a great sea, boasting a great lighthouse and fortified seafront. If the party are Mesomergos natives, this will be the first time they will have seen the ocean. The aristocracy of Soyang will take a polite interest in the party if it is known that they have any status in Mesomergos. It is likely a well-off aristocrat will invite them to stay in their villa.

art by Benedick Bana

It is likely this is where the villain of our piece will first learn of the party's presence. This is a person who wears many identities, but for the sake of brevity we shall call him Wu. This is the individual who possess the amazingly powerful Tarnhelm, allowing him to change shape and become invisible. Read more about him in the section Wu the Bandit below. His default plan to take advantage of irregulars heading to the Trophy City is to gain their trust. He will frame them for the murder of their aristocrat host, then come to them as a female barrister named Tharmas. She will then share her suspicion that a rival aristocrat, Lord Zaldo, killed their host and framed them, confidant that if challenged he would succeed in a trial. (Soyang follows the Brynthic principle of justice, using trials by combat, modulated based on various factors).

Tharmas offers the party two forms of help. She can either advocate for them at court to have them merely exiled, or help them file a challenge against Zaldo. In truth, Zaldo is a cruel but innocent man, likely to pose a challenge to even a strong fighter. Tharmas is hoping either to indebt the party to her or to eliminate a rival.

If the party asks after her motives or if they are able to leave Soyang, she will tell them she has a friend outside Zheijan and suggest they find him. Giving the party a small charm in the shape of an owlbear, she says that it is a symbol that will win them the aid of her friend, Wu the Bandit. She will then leave the city, turn into a feathered serpent, and fly to Zheijaali before they arrive.

The last city they encounter before the Trophy City is called Agarabara, at the mouth of the Tan River that leads to Zheijaali. Maybe give the players a bit of a break here? Like the real power behind the throne is the heaps and heaps of cats found throughout the city, or the sultan wants them to listen to his story before they go, or competing restaurants vie for the endorsement of travelers.

art by Benedick Bana

In Zheijaali

The city is built to inspire awe in foreigners, with decadent facades and endless plazas displaying idols of conquered people. All of this orbits one long mall. If one of the city's bureaucracy learns of the PCs, they will send along wine and small gifts in the queen's name.

d6 rumors

1. Wu the bandit hides in a cave that cannot be found, save by those who know where it is.
2. The mountain people have a magic spring whose water can brainwash you-- that's why some disloyal officials want to call off expeditions to pacify the mountains.
3. With all the idols in the city, the sin of bestiality will provoke immediate divine punishment and you'll be turned into an animal yourself.
4. The queen of Zheijaali is a bastard of the last caliph and distrusted by the current caliph.
5. Swear in front of a tourist, and the soldiers will pick you up and take you to the palace.
6. The expeditionary force is having discipline problems they're covering up-- wantonness, havoc, and disorder.

d6 random NPCs who speak Meso

1. Yanoi, a eulogy expat from the wastelands north of Uzay. Bemused by the pageantry of the city.
2. Ahgan, an archaeologist uncomfortable with the city's approach to history.
3. Vilas, leader of a street gang that would be cracked down on if they ever targeted tourists.
4. Atim, a sheltered noble who yearns for adventure.
5. Im, a dreamer with a ferocious dignity and no concept of the world beyond military politics.
6. Faulee, who was trapped in the body of a peacock and is not having it.

art by Benedick Bana

The Queen

Queen Zetian Afaf is politically, not personally powerful. For the most part, have her presence felt from on-screen. She is keen to use outsiders for her own ends-- apprehending Wu and oppressing the Mountain People. The leader of her expeditionary force, Captain Buku, is on board with all of this, and secretly suspects she wishes to secede from the empire at some point. Buku is kind of all about this.

art by Benedick Bana

Wu the Bandit

Wu the Bandit, it is said, performed a mystic ritual to make his body impenetrable to all weapons. He is seven feet tall, oiled, and covered spiked armor, since now all he has to fear are dogs. (Remember, he can secretly change shape and turn invisible. Essentially, a huge problem to deal with.) He claims to be the tutor of the queen's stepbrother, a young man named  Boufu, carrying on his banditry to restore justice to the throne. In truth, he is Boufu's mother and wishes to control Zheijaali himself. His bandit crew consists of about 30 mortals including Abjad, the treasurer, and Jafara, their wizard.

His current plan is to convince the mountain people to give him knowledge of the Animating Name, turn all the stolen idols of the city into vengeful golems, then seize power amidst the chaos.

art by Benedick Bana

The Mountain People

A society outside of the Trophy City, no less complicated or advanced, but difficult to integrate into the Imperial Way, and dedicated to its own customs. The local leader is Qedar Sheik, a eulogy respected for his judgement and respect for tradition. He is very old, and has shaking palsy (Parkinson's). He knows the animating name but will not share with untrustworthy people like Wu. His student, Nisba, can translate for the party.

Nisba belongs to a partisan movement among the younger Mountain People, that advocates for a more direct response to the predations of the expeditionary force. They know they cannot overpower Zheijaali, and do not love violence, but believe that freedom for the mountain won't be won on the mountain-- it will be won in the mall of the Trophy City.

art by Benedick Bana

Things Proceed

If Wu is somehow killed, the queen will offer either a hefty reward, officership, or a favor for those responsible. Eventually the mountain people will be pushed back to a final redoubt, then commence a battle that will kill and scar many, effectively wiping out the cultural memory of those people. If PCs are part of the expeditionary force, this battle would be a fitting end to the adventure in the Trophy City, though not a triumphant one.

If Wu can use the Animating Name to create idol golems, they will tear apart the city before scattering to return to their nations of origin. Unless the PCs stop her, the queen will escape to Agarabara and request a relief army from the caliph. In either case, Wu will likely manage to install Boufu as king.

If PCs continue looking for the Tarnhelm or inquire too much into his identity and intentions, Wu will try to dispose of them. He will tip them off to a potential source of information for whatever they're looking for-- the Proscribed Oasis, in the middle of a desert a month's travel away from the Trophy City. He will provision them and send them along with four porters, secretly instructing the porters to steal the provisions and leave them in the desert in the middle of the night.

The desert is old, and occasionally the bleached bones of giants can be seen. The porters will leave the party halfway between the start of the desert and the oasis, which is a silent convent dedicated to raising children to speak the antediluvian language whom all people speak who are never taught a language of earth.

Defeating Wu is very difficult, due to his miraculous abilities. He wears the Tarnhelm at all times, changing its shape when he needs to. If it is removed Wu will return to his original form, resembling that of Tharmad, but with massive sores that will soon kill him.

The Tarnhelm is one of the three dolorous regalia, which when brought together are said to be able to bring peace to Mesomergos. Another one, the Rat-Year Guan, is said to belong to the oathkeeper of Lione. The last, Mimung, was said to be taken to Fianyu, west of Mesomergos. Rumors say it found its way into the hands of a noble interested in magical curiosities, including his immortal wife, the Box of Gavrok, and a book describing expeditions into the "Gardens of Ynn," which he has grown more and more interested in.

Tavern Ballads as Rumors, Examples, Background

I am constantly looking for ways to give players useful information and embed them in the society of the game. To do this, I create expectations. Players quickly learn what the government structure of one city is, and can use that information for the similarly-structured neighboring city. They can likewise learn simple methods to know what is going on in the surrounding area. The classic method is to walk into the local bar and ask for rumors. I am a fan of asking children what the custom of their country is. Someone wrote a great article about job boards found at local shrines.

For Mesomergos, I have decided to go with songs. Ballads are used to convey news and tales across the country, and the songs of children are seen as prophetic. Thus when PCs spend a night drinking at the tavern, they might hear a handful of songs. The songs below are set on a d8/8 table; you roll a d8 for the tens place and another d8 for the ones place. The first sixteen songs are tailored to the present or adjacent hex. The next eight give warnings specific to my traveling encounter table. The next twenty-four hit on themes and setting history. The next eight serve as hooks for existing dungeons. The final eight are simply good examples for an OSR PC to follow.

d8/8 Songs

• 11."The Duel," describing the circumstances that led to a treasure being hidden somewhere in this hex.
• 12. "The Low Lowlands," which warns of the nearest dungeon or monster lair.
• 13. "Whom the Priest Decried," a somewhat mean-spirited jig warning about the most dangerous person in this hex.
• 14. "The Honest Words," which immortalizes the most trustworthy and helpful person in this hex.
• 15. "Hoary Words," listing the purported abilities of the greatest spellcaster in this hex.
• 16. "North of the Pique," naming the wealthiest person in the area.
• 17. "Li's Descent", hinting at a secondary entrance to the local dungeon.
• 18. "A Drink at the Table," praising the best place in this hex to acquire drugs.
• 21. "Perils Encountered," telling of how a treasure came to be hidden in a neighboring hex.
• 22. "A Shepherd Vexed," describing a dungeon in a neighboring hex.
• 23. "Verona," describing someone to watch out for in a neighboring hex.
• 24. "Disaster Averted," which immortalizes the most trustworthy and helpful person in a neighboring hex.
• 25. "Blood from the Walls," fearfully describing the most powerful spell-caster in a neighboring hex.
• 26. "Ducats Enough, describing the wealthiest person in a neighboring hex.
• 27. "Under the Hill," hinting at a secondary dungeon entrance in a neighboring hex.
• 28. "A Feast for Two," praising the best place in a neighboring hex to acquire drugs.
• 31. "For Gold," which describes three wicked men who sold their voices to a demon. Now each can only say one phrase.
• 32. "The Cruel Bride," a cautionary tale where a man is warned not to let his new bride have too much freedom. She turns into a giant fox and eats his liver. Just goes to show.
• 33. "The Rash Stroke," in which an ogre is smote with one blow and revived by the finishing blow.
• 34. "Qilin," a half-nonsense song that described a mythical creature with gem-encrusted skin and a voice like chimes in the wind.
• 35. "Riddles Wisely Fled," describing a cruel game in which a pack of granouses force a man to answer riddles or lose his fingers and toes. In the end, he escapes by posing them an impossible riddle.
• 36. "The Widow's Silver," about a man who is given a gift of money by a stranger and told you use it for charity. Instead he wastes the money, but all that he spends it on disappears.
• 37. "Wen Sworn and the Rogue," about a sworn who is challenged to hit a man as hard as he can with a club, receiving an equivalent blow after. Wen swings to kill, but the man is revealed to be made of rubber, easily absorbing the blow before gloating of how Wen will surely perish when the attack is returned to him.
• 38. "Li the Giant-killer," a tale set in modernized antiquity describing the first emperor outsmarting a giant.
• 41. "The Pitcher," about two men who sit down to dine. After drinking from his companion's wine pitcher, he sees that it is fine and kills its owner to steal it. The victim's ghost tells his sister of this inhospitable deed, and she hunts him with twenty-one slingstones in her pack.
• 42. "The Burnaway Man," about a misogynistic fey who marries women after promising to burn them in ten years.
• 43. "The Lady's Disguise," a surprisingly queer song about a woman wearing a face covering to reach her lover in an area where women are forbidden.
• 44. "Brenton's Bride," about how an Oathkeeper almost killed his fiance for infidelity, only to learn that he was his own cuckold.
• 45. "The Supper," in which two Oathkeepers believe that they cannot leave until the other has done so, so they offer more and more lavish gifts to convince the other to lead the way out of the feast hall.
• 46. "Sons and Garments," a dark tale about a chieftain who wants to kill his son for impregnating his daughter but cannot because he promised him safety before the crime was revealed.
• 47. "A Good Gold Rod," about a concubine trying to bribe a harem guard to let her out for the night to visit her illicit lover.
• 48. "Leery Light," warning about how dangerous fire is.
• 51. "Good Bu," describing a pilgrim of Xapt who lives in his own soapbox and does good deeds.
• 52. "Xemin," about two lovers who are reunited in the afterlife.
• 53. "Conzhoua Sworn,"about a hero who is betrayed and stabbed with iron, destroying his soul.
• 54. "For Want of a Boat," which warns men away from the distant island of Nuf, said to house an army of warring orcs bringing the wrath of Gnon, unable to threaten us only because they do not know how to sail.
• 55. "Thin and Icy," which speculates about what the Apocalypse shall be like.
• 56. "Twenty-Seven Inscrutibles," a somewhat dry description of the laws of the god Sedyf, whose followers know his will inerringly.
• 57. "Selmat's Banks," describing how the Prophet Elijah is supposed to have drowned the Priests of Iron in the distant land of Holy Selmat.
• 58. "The Color God's Bride," which tells of how the god Kulwosyf created gremlins in mourning for his human wife.
• 61. "Enwarc Thul," a nonsense verse about a foolish man who sought the city of Uzay, but was turned away and perished in a bog.
• 62. "Raindrop or Ember," a romantic tale about a member of the postal brotherhood undergoing many trials to bring news of a lover's death.
• 63. "Seeds to Flower," about an ancient emperor choosing an heir by giving each member of his family a seed and commanding them to cultivate them. In the end, all have beautiful plants except his youngest son, who has grown nothing. The emperor reveals the seeds were all baked and incapable of growing, showing that his son alone was honest and appointing him as heir.
• 64. "The Beast Overturned," describing the thrilling slaying of the great aurochs by a the god Pigudix. This event is said to be the start of Mesomergan history.
• 65. "The Mandate," telling the sorrowful tale of how three imperial artifacts, the Dolorous Regalia, were lost. This is said to be the reason that the land is cursed, that men are fools, and that evil is stronger than honor.
• 66. "The Taming of the Donkey," a ribald song about how barbarians tamed onagers through marriage.
• 67. "The Foreign Spear," about a jolly mercenary gnoll who misunderstands local customs but acts with impunity due to his puissance.
• 68. "Marmud Sworn,"about the three hosts a serset infests to be with his lover. Contains unacknowledged but obvious queer subtext.
• 71. "Goblin Market," warning of a forested moot where gremlins buy and sell all manner of things in western Mesomergos.
• 72. "Sun and Snow," describing the idyllic scene of a palace where the emperor wintered in better days along the southern edge of the Ceyannac mountains.
• 73. "The Three Sisters," describing a terrible tower in the northern Annac mountains where three demons, disguised as beautiful women, torture would-be saviors until a bold sworn banishes them with a sign of Mithras.
• 74. "In Jushun Orchards," describing the rescue of a maiden trapped in a fortress which encircles evil fruit trees outside Otogdam.
• 75. "The Cretin's Tower," alleging an artificer lives in a strange tower nestled atop the Ceyannacs.
• 76. "The Long Road," telling of a towering city of dreams in the far southwest of Mesomergos, where marvels and horrors are performed.
• 77. "Stone by Stone," which reports an ancient bailey north of Lischon, frequently torn apart to harvest its worked stones.
• 78. "On Sendem's Fields," describing a victory by a historical emperor against greater forces on the plains of Sendem, outside of Lischon.
• 81. "Xeuin," telling of a clever adventurer who always knows what items to carry on the road and which to leave home.
• 82. "The Swagman," about an ambler who won a fight with two strong soldiers through trickery.
• 83. "Amur Weir," about a travelling sworn who is mocked for cowardice. She flees a giant by running around a waterfall, and when the giant follows it trips and bashes its head on the rocks.
• 84. "The Stones," about how a man finds his son's killer by carefully inspecting the killer's home and finding a secret space where he is hidden.
• 85. "Young Hu," about a traveling priest who asks the locals about the nature of their lord. They tell him that he burns priests alive. So forewarned, he flees.
• 86. "The Byway Treacherous," about a pair of lovers walking through a mountain pass. A hermit warns that the local bandit wears the face of your greatest love, so they create a password and use it to tell when the bandit impersonates them. For killing the bandit, they are given twenty gold coins.
• 87. "What Saw I," about a band of travelers who each take a watch during the night and thereby fend off disaster.
• 88. "Good Voss's Gold," about a cunning heroine who bribed first a guard, then a robber, then a priest, and thereby secured great wealth for herself.

Generating a Mesomergos Village

Oblidisideryptch of discord fame has requested tools to generate a common Mesomergos town. When I write generators for my games, I don't just want details. I want something that will be useful for creating story at the table. This was the focus of my writing on inherent conflict in Mesomergos, a setting in which social forces exist in constant conflict, on a scale small enough that the representatives of those social forces can create problems and opportunities for players.

I want generic locations to be interesting.

An average village in Mesomergos should have some of the same inherent conflict from the city it orbits, but it also exists on the periphery. A village is usually led by a chieftain, who has to deal with trouble from the local partisan group. It has obligations and industry facing the city, and some kind of danger encroaching from the wilderness. It has a god that people can petition or be smote by. It probably also has other things, but if they do not create tension or opportunity I don't need to generate them until they come up.

Something, or ideally several somethings, should be going wrong everywhere. The right way to use these tables is to first decided if they are necessary, or if the current situation (or random encounter) suggests other tensions. If they are useful, roll on these and ask "why might this be a problem the PCs come into contact with?"

What does the Chieftain want?

1. to cheat strangers out of their wealth
2. to marry off their offspring to a good match
3. to punish their offspring with a bad marriage
4. to use reputable strangers as an alibi for some wrongdoing
5. to take the neighboring village down a peg
6. to demonstrate hospitality and honor (for once)
7. to destroy the village's connection to the wilderness
8. to make a lasting peace with the village's connection to the wilderness
9. to reform the local partisan group
10. to destroy the local partisan group

What does the partisan group want?

1. to burn scrolls and literate folk
2. to militarize everything
3. to bureaucratize everything
4. to profane the gods and the godly
5. to only do things the Mesomergan way
6. to gather donations to reinstate the emperor
7. whatever the chieftain doesn't want
8. to be clannish and boorish to strangers
9. to win the favor of a god other than the one with the biggest shrine
10. to do like the city folk do

What is the village's tie to civilization?

1. The village mines reefstone, slowing bleaching and dying.
2. The village chops lumber, with tough lumberjacks clogging the river.
3. The village supports a monastery, hermitage, or leper colony.
4. The village is home to a retired figure of renown.
5. The village is home to an uncommon clade of mortal folk or monstrous humanoid.
6. The village is the center of local festivals.
7. The village maintains a memorial to a historical tragedy.
8. The village is a trading post.
9. The village maintains a rare orchard.
10. The village is responsible for an aging dam or lock.

What is the village's connection to the wilderness?

1. The village visits the local goblin market.
2. The village has a tenuous relationship with a local chimera.
3. The village is a favorite hunting ground for a murderous suitor.
4. The village is visited during solstices by strange and fey creatures.
5. Skeletons hatch from all who die here, and carry themselves away.
6. The village performs strange and animal bacchanals.
7. The village does the work of talking animals.
8. The village shares familial ties with talking animals.
9. The village prevents all logistical developments from changing the landscape.
10. The village serves as bait for some monstrous humanoids.

What god has the biggest shrine?

1. The god Noryawes, whose mechanisms, flames, and plows signify vengeance, law, and cunning.
2. The god Rektrine, whose obelisks, orange shades, and terns signify valor, tradition, and magic.
3. The god Sedyf, whose roosters signify tranquility, order, and society.
4. The god Mithras, whose mithraeums, chains, and birds signify virtue, the greater good, and history.
5. The god Fisochol, whose foxes, bands, and gells signify law, mercy, and straightforwardness.
6. The god Iron, whose wavy daggers, falling stars, and dowsing rods signify cruelty, sacrifice, and excess. 
7. The god Pigudix, whose braids, aurochs skulls, and horseflies signify heroes, vainglory, and pestilence.
8. The goddess Tilunel, whose vines, water wheels, and crossed staves signify growth, chaos, and conservation.
9. The goddess Xapt, whose boxes, bells and tea signify utopianism, universalism, and harmony. 
10. The stars themselves, their shrines worn and devoid of power.

Updated Mesomergos Generators

I have updated various things in the face of updates to the VtS rules. The following are offered because I keep breaking or adding to the old generators. Note a couple brand-new generators, made necessary by a certain player's plunging into glorious war.