In The Dark Times
11 September 2006 11:21![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kmusserSo, this was my first time GMing a weekend long LARP. I can say with confidence that you people that do this all the time are crazy. Still, the weekend went very well. Our players all had a wonderful time. One of our meta-goals was to run a game that would give people from different LARP communities a chance to meet and play with folks from outside their regular group. In that it succeeded admirably, we had great players and the quality of role-playing we saw was amazing.
So the story was about a village of faeries, the monestary next door, and a bunch of vikings - set in 8th century Scotland. The setting was based on the real-life island of Iona, and the book on the Book of Kells, with the thought of "what if the Book of Kells was a fairy treasure?"
Friday night was a celebration of the autumn harvest and was mostly the characters getting a chance to meet each other. Highlights included a tournament which our tinker (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wanderingbastet) won handily, a satyr trying to talk himself out of a knighthood and failing miserably, and the evening storytelling in which characters told their stories.
Early Saturday morning the fae nobles foresee the vikings coming and bugger out through the gateway to Arcadia (the home of the fae), sealing the gate behind them - leaving the commoners on their own to face the vikings, and without their usual source of glamour which is needed to fuel their magic. Later the fae learn that vikings have indeed landing on the island and through the day they face several small scouting parties. A monk reveals that the vikings are led by a mage and that he himself is also a mage and can help the fae if they can give him glamour. Meanwhile there is a magical book that many are seeking, whether to protect it or use it for their own ends. A sea monster has been sighted offshore. Someone has eaten a human child and the mother is demanding justice.
Some of the highlights include the merman (balthazar99) and a fire elemental (kalkail) falling in love. The ent-like elder of the village being himself throughout. The visitor from the winter (unseelie) court's continual mocking commentary. One redcap's look of glee upon seeing baby parts. Shenanigans regarding who has the Book and what to do with it. A baby dragon (i_scribble) trying to find its mother. A monk going on a rampage against the fae that he's convinced are evil and the poor sluagh that had been in love with him (ravenrose).
Probably our favorite scene was the nocker (ambug666) building the trebuchet. Not only was it hilarious to watch as he made it by positioning the other fae to make the shape of a trebuchet - but it got at what Changeling is all about - making the imaginary become real by the power of dreams and believing in them. Also it fired flesh eating squirrels.
In the evening there is a final showdown between the fae and the vikings and the two mages duel. The fae emerge victorious, but they'll still need to find a new home as more vikings are sure to come and their supply of magic continues to dwindle.
Sunday is the epilogue. An immortal that was seeking her end finds in The Book and passes her last breath and it's blessing/curse to the elder that must remain behind because of his oath to protect the land. A few fae choose to accept the invitation to join the winter court that has taken much of England. The rest decide to stick together and take the viking ship and set sail for rumored lands to the west across the ocean.
The highlight sunday was the redcap guilty of eating the baby suffer his punishment, he must have his internal organs eaten and his arm broken off as he had done to the baby. This includes his description of eating the baby, and which parts are best - and the other redcap ripping out and eating his spleen in carrying out the sentence.
I'm sure there's lots of stuff I'm forgetting, (like when some vikings ask for the bodies of their comrades back and the troll gives them a speech about how noble and trustworthy the fae are and then finds the bodies have been mutilated by the redcaps for the nocker's trebuchet).
Thanks to our wonderful cast that includedevcelt and mohnkern as the two mages and prehensile_wit, bigblackmimesis, dance_shiva, ambergypsy42, ninjaslug, and zammis.
Special thanks forwylddelirium who took the idea kolyada and I had for a tabletop game ages ago and ran with it, for doing all the writing and making such interesting characters, and generally for making it happen. Also to zpenguin for keeping the tech side of things running and for being willing to do more role-playing that was originally expected. To Eric, a last minute addition that proved to be a godsend, thanks for all the hard work. To deboranter for keeping us all well fed and happy and bringing us beer. To ninjaslug and zammis for putting up with us for the last few weeks and for the last minute phone calls and bringing us all the stuff we forgot. To wanderingbastet for taking pictures.
So the story was about a village of faeries, the monestary next door, and a bunch of vikings - set in 8th century Scotland. The setting was based on the real-life island of Iona, and the book on the Book of Kells, with the thought of "what if the Book of Kells was a fairy treasure?"
Friday night was a celebration of the autumn harvest and was mostly the characters getting a chance to meet each other. Highlights included a tournament which our tinker (
wanderingbastet) won handily, a satyr trying to talk himself out of a knighthood and failing miserably, and the evening storytelling in which characters told their stories. Early Saturday morning the fae nobles foresee the vikings coming and bugger out through the gateway to Arcadia (the home of the fae), sealing the gate behind them - leaving the commoners on their own to face the vikings, and without their usual source of glamour which is needed to fuel their magic. Later the fae learn that vikings have indeed landing on the island and through the day they face several small scouting parties. A monk reveals that the vikings are led by a mage and that he himself is also a mage and can help the fae if they can give him glamour. Meanwhile there is a magical book that many are seeking, whether to protect it or use it for their own ends. A sea monster has been sighted offshore. Someone has eaten a human child and the mother is demanding justice.
Some of the highlights include the merman (
balthazar99) and a fire elemental (kalkail) falling in love. The ent-like elder of the village being himself throughout. The visitor from the winter (unseelie) court's continual mocking commentary. One redcap's look of glee upon seeing baby parts. Shenanigans regarding who has the Book and what to do with it. A baby dragon (i_scribble) trying to find its mother. A monk going on a rampage against the fae that he's convinced are evil and the poor sluagh that had been in love with him (ravenrose).Probably our favorite scene was the nocker (
ambug666) building the trebuchet. Not only was it hilarious to watch as he made it by positioning the other fae to make the shape of a trebuchet - but it got at what Changeling is all about - making the imaginary become real by the power of dreams and believing in them. Also it fired flesh eating squirrels. In the evening there is a final showdown between the fae and the vikings and the two mages duel. The fae emerge victorious, but they'll still need to find a new home as more vikings are sure to come and their supply of magic continues to dwindle.
Sunday is the epilogue. An immortal that was seeking her end finds in The Book and passes her last breath and it's blessing/curse to the elder that must remain behind because of his oath to protect the land. A few fae choose to accept the invitation to join the winter court that has taken much of England. The rest decide to stick together and take the viking ship and set sail for rumored lands to the west across the ocean.
The highlight sunday was the redcap guilty of eating the baby suffer his punishment, he must have his internal organs eaten and his arm broken off as he had done to the baby. This includes his description of eating the baby, and which parts are best - and the other redcap ripping out and eating his spleen in carrying out the sentence.
I'm sure there's lots of stuff I'm forgetting, (like when some vikings ask for the bodies of their comrades back and the troll gives them a speech about how noble and trustworthy the fae are and then finds the bodies have been mutilated by the redcaps for the nocker's trebuchet).
Thanks to our wonderful cast that included
evcelt and mohnkern as the two mages and prehensile_wit, bigblackmimesis, dance_shiva, ambergypsy42, ninjaslug, and zammis.Special thanks for
wylddelirium who took the idea kolyada and I had for a tabletop game ages ago and ran with it, for doing all the writing and making such interesting characters, and generally for making it happen. Also to zpenguin for keeping the tech side of things running and for being willing to do more role-playing that was originally expected. To Eric, a last minute addition that proved to be a godsend, thanks for all the hard work. To deboranter for keeping us all well fed and happy and bringing us beer. To ninjaslug and zammis for putting up with us for the last few weeks and for the last minute phone calls and bringing us all the stuff we forgot. To wanderingbastet for taking pictures. ![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 11 Sep 2006 15:45 (UTC)Editing pictures now, they'll be up this afternoon!
no subject
Date: 11 Sep 2006 15:58 (UTC)Vikings in the land of the Faeries :)
Date: 11 Sep 2006 16:03 (UTC)My favorite point in the game was going to Hugh and saying -- So in game, do you know where the book is? and us both saying that our characters had no clue....
Oh, and when the villagers returned those poor mutilated Viking bodies....
*cackle*
Date: 11 Sep 2006 22:05 (UTC)So glad I could help ;}
Re: *cackle*
Date: 12 Sep 2006 13:05 (UTC)Correction.
Date: 12 Sep 2006 13:07 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 Sep 2006 16:04 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 Sep 2006 16:51 (UTC)Jesse, i.e. Iosag
no subject
Date: 11 Sep 2006 17:43 (UTC)Yeah, unless you've done it or helped out someone else running a larp it can be hard to imagine just how difficult and exhausting ( mentally, physically, emotionally ) it can be. I have one of my old group that's been bugging me to run another one after our last Larp but I just don't have it in me to be the head whipping boy anymore. I told him if someone else wanted to be the head dude I'd help out anyway he wanted. Oh well. Glad everyone's having a good time with it. The reports have been interesting so far.
lemme know if you kneed any Fianna thereabouts =)
no subject
Date: 11 Sep 2006 19:18 (UTC)That stated thank you again for such a happy LARP, now I'll be sure not to run in the other direction when the acronym comes up. It really was fantastic to see so many of you again after such a dry spell. MUA!