Pavis: Gatew

ay to Adventure

ISS2004

By Greg Stafford and Jeff Richard

You must own HeroQuest Core Rules (2nd edition) and Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes to play this book. HeroQuest and Glorantha are registered trademarks of Issaries, Inc. All rights reserved.

Discover more at: www.moondesignpublications.com.

ISS2004 $59.99 USD

Pavis:Your Gateway to Adventure!

What’s in this book?Pavis: Gateway to Adventure contains 416 pages of pure Gloranthan gold, including:

• Full write-ups for locations including New Pavis, Pavis County, Sun Dome County, Prax, the Ruins of Feroda, and the Pavis Temple.

• 66 detailed random encounters and 20 special encounters for Prax, the River of Cradles, and Pavis - each an adventure in its own right.

• Four full-length scenarios, plus dozens of adventure seeds.• Character creation for Pavis heroes and full write-ups of 6 cults:

Pavis, Flintnail, Lanbril, Yelmalio, Zola Fel, and the Seven Mothers.

What is HeroQuest?HeroQuest is Robin Laws’ innovative, dynamic and flexible roleplaying game rules suitable for play in any genre or setting. It allows Game Masters to make decisions the way authors and screenwriters do when creating novels, TV episodes and movies. With HeroQuest you can play everything from a Victorian consulting detective solving mysteries to a world-shattering hero.

What is Glorantha?Glorantha is the fantasy world of legendary game designer Greg Stafford. A world of exotic myth and fantastic magic, Glorantha is self-contained and unique in its creation. An ancient world, rich in magic, and where myth is reality. Here the gods and heroes live, and act to protect their followers and further their own mysterious goals.

Right: The Celestial Engine is a legendary artifact plundered centuries ago from a Giant Cradle by the Godearners. The Lunars are actively searching for it in the ancient ruins of Feroda, hoping to take full advantage of its epic powers. Will your players travel downriver to the new port city of Corflu and thwart them?

Sam

ple

file

1Pavis:

Gateway to Adventure

HeroQuestHeroQuest

Pavis:

Moon Design Publications3450 Wooddale Ct

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

gWs

,Gateway to Adventure

The Faceless Statue – The Body and Soul of Old PavisAfter winning the epic battle that defeated Waha, the Faceless Statue, its energy spent, collapsed. Its destiny was far from over

though, for Flintnail masons quickly used its voluminous stone to build a city the likes of which the world had never seen.

Sam

ple

file

2Pavis:

Gateway to Adventure

HeroQuestHeroQuest

Written By Greg Stafford and Jeff Richard

with assistance by: Simon Bray, Nick Brooke, Ian Cooper, Martin Hawley, Jeff Kyer, Dan McCluskey, Rick Meints, Peter Metcalfe, Michael O’Brien, Neil

Robinson, David Scott, David Shaw, Lawrence Whitaker, and others.

Based on material by Sandy Petersen, Ken Rolston, Steve Perrin, Lynn Willis, Michael Trout, Anders Swenson, Marc Willner, Charlie Krank, Oliver Dickinson, Nick Brooke, David Dunham, David

Hall, Michael O’Brien, Mike Dawson, Simon Bray, Dan McCluskey and many others.

Design & Layout by Rick MeintsCover by Jan Pospíšil

Illustrations by: Dan Barker, Rick Becker, Bernard Bittler, Simon Bray, Daniel Brereton, Damon Brown, Heather Bruton, Javier Charro, William Church, Dario Corallo, Gene Day, Jed Dougherty, Sarah

Evans, Alberto Foche Duarte, Lisa Free, Stefano Guadiano, Marian Gutowski, Ossi Hiekkala, Makoto Hokura, Ralph Horsley, Merle Insinga, Paul Jaquays, Ilkka Leskila, Rick Lippiet, Manoel Magalhaes, Juha Makkonen, Luise Perenne, Gill Pearce, Jan Pospíšil, Steve Purcell, Kevin Ramos, Valentina Romagnoli,

Markku Silvennoinen, Darran Sims, John Snyder, Steve Swenston, Peter Town, and BA Wayne.

Cartography by: Colin Driver, Simon Bray, Yurek Chodak, William Dunn, Jim Freel, Lisa Kasle, Charlie Krank, Claudia Loroff, Gillian Pearce, Matt Pumphrey, and Lynn Willis.

Art Direction by Simon Bray – Edited by Jeff Richard and David ScottError-Trapping and Proof Reading by Martin Hawley, Rick Meints, Neil Robinson, and David Scott

Playtesters included Nick Brooke, Ian Cooper, Christian Einsporn, Daniel Fahey, Sven Grottke, Kris Alice Hohls, Claudia Loroff, Edward McDonald, Robin Mitra, Pete Nash, Christine Reich, David Scott,

David Shaw, Mikko Tormala, Leticia Wilke, and Marc Wilke.

Special thanks to Oliver Dickinson (see page 168).

Copyright © 2012 Moon Design LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work by any means without written permission from the publisher, except short excerpts for the purpose of reviews or game play, is expressly

prohibited. Glorantha and HeroQuest are trademarks of Issaries Inc. and are used with permission.

Publication ISS2004 First Edition – Febuary 2012 ISBN# 978-0-9777853-6-0

Would you like to know more about Glorantha? See our extensive website at www.moondesignpublications.com

Credits

Sam

ple

file

3Pavis:

Gateway to Adventure

HeroQuestHeroQuest

Credits 2Introduction 4Making Your Character 7Settling in Pavis 23History of the Region 27Prax 47Civilized Prax 59Corflu 67Lunar Grantlands 71Sun County 75Jaxarte’s Journal 85Pavis County 89Prax Encounters 94New Pavis 145Pavis Politics 155Cults of Pavis 169The City of Thieves 190Living in Pavis 195Neighborhoods of New Pavis 213New Pavis City Encounters 234Special Encounters 261The Big Rubble 272Adventures in Pavis 280

Rough Business 287The Celestial Engine 292Red Moon Rising 317The Purple Troll 343

Cults 361Pavis 361Flintnail 369Lanbril 375Yelmalio 379

Zola Fel 389Seven Mothers 393

Index 413

Maps and TablesLocation of Prax and Pavis 4Prax 6Blank Character Sheet 22Faceless Statue (c. 830) 31Pavis (c. 920) 35Pavis (c. 1200) 38Pavis (c. 1500) 40Pavis Chronology 42, 45Prax 56Census of Prax 60Fortified Stead 61River of Cradles Valley Population 62River of Cradles 63-64Corflu and Surrounding Environs 69Grantlands Domains 71Raus Domain 72Ronegarth 73Rulers of Sun Dome County 76Sun County Temple 78-79Town of Garhound 91Pavis County 92River of Cradles Weather 95Praxian Encounters 96Census of New Pavis 152New Pavis Air Temple 178Gimpy’s 203New Pavis 214-215New Pavis Encounters 234Special Encounters 261Big Rubble 274Rubble Permits and Forms 278-279Ruins of Feroda 307Masks of the Rebel Gods 323-327The Salt Mines 336Sun Dome Temples in Glorantha 385Lunar Empire 411Index of Places in New Pavis 412

Table of Contents

The pen of Lhankor Mhy wrote this book, and his blessing lies upon it and all who use it properly.

Sam

ple

file

4Pavis:

Gateway to Adventure

HeroQuestHeroQuest

Using this BookThis HeroQuest campaign supplement describes the classic Glorantha setting of Pavis and the Big Rubble, as well as the other settled lands in the valley of the Zola Fel River, also known as the River of Cradles. This narrow belt of civilized farmland and frontier settlements lies in the Great Wastes of Prax, among the harshest, least hospitable inhabited regions of Genertela. This challenging environment has created some of the most hardy and great-spirited of Glorantha’s peoples and cultures.

PraxPrax is an uninviting expanse of barren plains, unbearably hot in the summer and unpleasantly cold in the winter, scourged with strong, capricious winds and parched by periodic drought. The climate of the arid high plateau of Vulture Country to the east is even worse, and only the hardiest nomads (driven there by the Lunar invaders) can survive there.

The nomads of Prax belong to several distinct tribes, each of which ride and herd a unique species of beast. The great nations of Prax include the Bison, High Llama, Sable, Impala and the Morokanth (the nonhuman Morokanth herd a bestial variety of humans but do not ride them).

The nomadic cultures of the beast riders are well suited for survival in the harsh wastes of Prax, and nomads share a lofty disdain for the soft, settled agricultural societies clustered along the banks of the River of Cradles.

The River of CradlesThe River of Cradles lies in a great fertile valley that runs from its source in the Desolation Hills south to the Rozgali Sea, dividing Prax from the Vulture Country. The river got its name centuries ago from the epic journey made by great cradles bearing the children of giants that floated to the sea from a mysterious source in the Desolation Hills. The natives call the river Zola Fel after its resident deity.

Unlike the arid plains, the river valley is comparatively fertile, and its grazing lands are much sought after by the nomads. However, the valley is presently dominated by civilized farmers, and the nomads are no longer welcome in their ancient tribal grazing ranges.

New Pavis and the Big RubbleThe northern end of the valley is controlled by the city of Pavis, a Sartarite colony founded in 1550 S.T. near the ancient walls of Old Pavis (also known as the Big Rubble), now a ruin haunted by trolls. Pavis fell to the Lunars in 1610 S.T. The Lunar governor, Sor-Eel the Short, rules over New Pavis, the Rubble, Pavis County, and Prax, and by terms of the Armistice is the nominal overlord of Solanthos Ironpike, ruler of Sun County to the south. New Pavis is a small city of approximately 4000 people; not including the sizable Lunar garrison. The Suntown district of New Pavis is populated by Sun Dome cultists who enjoy considerable freedom from interference by the Lunar authorities.

The city of Pavis is the administrative center of Pavis County. Most of the 20,000 people of Pavis County are farmers of Sartarite stock.

Sun CountyThe authoritarian agricultural theocracy of Sun County has endured uninterrupted in the Zola Fel valley for centuries. This dour, puritanical, but vitally

Introduction

Location of Prax, Pavis, and the Zola Fel.

Where in the World?Pavis is located in the Zola Fel valley, a great river draining from the rugged uplands of Dagori Inkarth south through the plains of Prax to its mouth in the Rozgali Sea. The plains of Prax are the western, relatively habitable portion of the Wastelands, the vast arid region lying south of Pent, bordered on the west by Dragon Pass and the Rockwood Mountains, on the east by the Shan Shan mountain barrier, Teshnos, and Kralorela, and to the south by the Rozgali Sea. Sa

mpl

e file

5Pavis:

Gateway to Adventure

HeroQuestHeroQuestcohesive society is founded upon its state worship of Yelmalio and its farmer-soldier citizenry. The cult, its nobility (the Light Sons with their ruling head Count Solanthos Ironpike) and its priesthood control all political, social, and economic aspects of society. Its redoubtable standing army, the famed Sun Dome Templars, and its universally-conscripted, well-trained, and disciplined citizen militia protect Sun County from internal disorders, external nomad and bestial raiders, and from any interference by distrusted outlanders and foreigners.

Outlanders are treated with contempt and distrust by Sun Dome citizens, and foreigners must expect harassment from the minor officials and militia units that act as the county’s police force. Civilized observers find the interlocking strictures of cult and state bewildering, harsh, and often barbaric, and enforcement of these strictures often seems arbitrary and capricious.

The GrantlandsTo the south of Sun County, Lunar settlers are colonizing the previously unsettled southern reaches of the river valley. Under Duke Raus of Rone, a Lunar nobleman exiled from the Heartlands for political reasons, a region known as the Weis Domain has been settled by colonists and a fort and town built on the Zola Fel known variously as Raus Fort or Ronegarth. As directed by the Red Emperor, Governor Sor-Eel is surveying the valley south and north of Weis Domain for division into parcels and placed under the lordship of loyal servants of the empire. Currently the boundaries of six more land grants are under review by the Governor; as the campaign develops new overlords from the Empire may arrive to take control of these grants.

CorfluThis island settlement and seaport on a deep-water channel of the Zola Fel is jointly owned and administered by the Corflu Trade Alliance, a business chartered and supported by the Lunar administration in Pavis, and the Ingilli clan, the kinsmen of the explorer-adventurer who helped found the settlement of Corflu. Employees of the Trade Alliance, their dependents, and the Lunar garrison comprise a civilized population of about 200. Depending on the season, another 300-600 riverfolk live on the island or nearby, along with a small population of newtlings and other aquatic sentients. A modest but growing sea trade funnels through Corflu, where goods must be off-loaded from ocean-going vessels and carried upstream to Pavis and points north and west by shallow draft riverboats.

GlossaryCarl: A free and independent adult member of an

Orlanthi clan.Chief: The leader of an Orlanthi clan. Sometimes

called “lord” (which has the same meaning).File: The basic infantry unit in Sun County and Pavis

County. A file consists of 16 men trained to fight in a shield wall. The files of Sun County are noted for their skill and discipline.

God-talker: A part-time holy person called by the gods to speak for them.

Hazia: A highly addictive and generally illegal psychoactive plant. When smoked it produces visions and a state of euphoria. The smuggling of Hazia is quite lucrative.

Lunar: (1) an initiate of the Lunar religion; (2) a citizen of the Lunar Empire; or (3) a person in the employ of the Lunar Empire.

Orlanthi: The Theyalan-speaking peoples of the Genertelan hill country. They worship Orlanth and Ernalda as their chief gods and their communities center around the clan and tribe.

Sartarite: This Orlanthi kingdom of Dragon Pass settled New Pavis and Pavis County. For over a century, the kingdom was ruled by a wise and powerful dynasty, but was finally conquered by the Lunar Empire in 1602 ST.

Thane: A leader and military or religious specialist forming the elite of the clan or tribe.

A Note on MeasurementGlorantha is measured using the American customary units of measure: inches, feet, yards, miles, gallons, and pounds. The American customary system derives from a combination of the local Anglo-Saxon units inherited from German tribes and Roman units brought by in the Normans Conquest. The authors believe a traditional measurement system based on the length of a thumb, foot, an arm, and a thousand paces is more appropriate for the ancient world than the hallmark of Enlightened rationalism.

For those more familiar with the metric system, here are some quick conversions:

Customary Unit Metric Unit

1 inch 2.54 centimeters1 foot 0.304 meters1 yard 0.914 meters1 mile 1.6 kilometers

1 gallon 3.785 liters1 pound 0.454 kilograms

Not a Stand-alone Game!

Pavis: Gateway to Adventure is not a stand-alone game.

It is a supplement for Moon Design’s

Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes, a game set in the high fantasy world of Glorantha. This supplement does

not describe the game’s various core traits, present

its rules for combat or provide a complete setting.

These can be found in the HeroQuest Core

Rules and Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes.

Pavis: Gateway to Adventure just gives

in-depth information and character generation

about the city of Pavis and its environs in a land

to the east of Sartar. You’ll need to consult the

HeroQuest Core Rules and Sartar:

Kingdom of Heroes in order to play.

You may also find other products such as the

Sartar Companion and Heortling

Mythology useful although they are not needed to use Pavis.

Sam

ple

file

6Pavis:

Gateway to Adventure

HeroQuestHeroQuest

Sam

ple

file

7Pavis:

Gateway to Adventure

HeroQuestHeroQuest

CharacterCreating A Character Using The List MethodIf you are using the List Method to generate your character, you should complete the following steps as described in HeroQuest:

1. Choose a character concept. You character concept will usually include a personality trait ability and a background occupation keyword.

2. Choose a cultural keyword. Pavis provides information pertaining to five cultures. Sun Domer and Lunar settler are keywords. The other three are Sartarite, where the keyword is [Your Clan], Old Pavisite where the keyword is [Your Refuge] and Riverfolk, where the keyword is [Your Riverfolk Clan].

3. Choose your three runes as described in Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes. One of these Runes will be assigned an initial rating of 17. Each cultural group is commonly associated with certain elemental runes.

4. Choose up to 3 Charms, Spells, and/or Natural Magic Talents. 5. Pick 9 additional abilities which can include specialized

“breakout” abilities from a keyword or Rune, describing them however you want. One of these should be a Distinguishing Characteristic. A breakout ability starts at +1 from the keyword or Rune.

6. Describe up to 3 flaws. One flaw can be a Distinguishing Characteristic if you choose.

7. Assign one keyword, Rune, or ability a starting rating of 17 (thus potentially allowing you to start with two Runes with a rating of 17). All of your other abilities start with a rating of 13.

8. Spend up to 20 points to boost any of your various ratings. Each point spent increases the rating of any ability (including a keyword or Rune) by 1 point (keep in mind that raising a keyword or Rune later in play costs 2 points). You cannot spend more than 10 points on any single ability.

9. Give your character a name.You can similarly create your character using the Prose Method or the

As-You-Go Method. Abilities gained in steps 2 through 4 do not count against your 100 words in the Prose Method or against your 11 abilities in the As-You-Go Method.

Character creation for Pavis is based on that that in Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes. Most Pavic residents are Sartarites and a recent settler from Sartar can easily be created using those character creation rules. However, Pavis is an urban center with at least five different cultural groups in an uneasy coexistence. Additional information is needed for those players who want to play characters from something other than a Sartarite background.

Cultural KeywordsIn Gloranthan HeroQuest, your cultural keyword allows you to use all the abilities and relationship that would be expected of any adult member of your community, as modified by gender. Your cultural keyword also includes your reputation within your community.

Michael decides that she wants to play a Sundomer character and writes the keyword “Sundomer” on her character sheet. She can use this ability do the things that all Sundomers in Prax know how to do. Her character can use this ability to erect an adobe stead, plow a field, fight in the militia, or be aware of Sundomer customs. Her Narrator can use this ability as a flaw if she tries going against Sundomer values, such as disobeying the Sun Dome priests or lasciviousness.

Sartarite SettlersThe large majority of Pavis County’s population are farmers of Sartarite heritage. The first wave of recent immigrants came with Dorasar, who founded New Pavis; these folks generally occupy the best land. A later wave of Sartarites followed when the Lunar army conquered Sartar in 1602. However, both waves have lived long enough in the valley that their children know no other home.

The farmers of rural Pavis County maintain the traditions of their Sartarite forebears. They speak Pavic, a Sartarite dialect influenced by Old Pavic and Praxian. The Sartarite settlers are culturally and

YourMaking

Sam

ple

file