THE APOSTLES (SERTORIUS EXPANSION)

This is just a rough cut of something I was working on a few months ago. We ran some playtest of it and I was on the fence about whether it ought to be released as a PDF or put out as a blog entry. The material here isn't quite finished (the table still needs to have the entries plugged in from the original sects and followers table as it is just a modified version of that). But posting here as other projects have come up and I think Sertorius GMs will find this useful. Most of this was inspired by the Book of Acts, The Epistles and the Gospels. 

One goal this expansion had was introducing a new way to play Sertorius as well as a new threat for Sertori in regular campaigns. I think it succeeded but it needs more development if I am ever going to put it out as a PDF

THE AGE OF THE APOSTLES 

This is is an expansion for the Sertorius RPG, a game where player characters assume the role of semi-divine spell casters. This expansion allows for characters who are humans that gain miracles and blessings by becoming apostles of Galen. It uses the rules found in the Sertorius rulebook, with some minor adjustments. See the character sheets below for making Apostles characters. 

THE SETTING 

Age of Apostles is set in Gamandria during the dawn of a new era using the Sertorius rules system (with modifications provided in the RULES chapter of this book). This period occurs after the Silver Age (1250 to 1450) but before the Times of War (a period in the future where Sertori will plunge civilization into conflict). Campaigns start in the year 1503. For backgrounds details see the Sertorius rulebook. Organizations like the Fellowship of Promestus, who govern Sertori and Sertori magic use in Ronia, are described in full detail there. 

The History of Galen and his Apostles 

In 1480, a prophet appeared in the The Ronian Empire, named Galen of Tarsa. He was initially mistaken for a Sertori but began preaching a message of Aetia’s love for humanity and how they had been corrupted by The Beast. It became clear to the fellowship of Promestus that the Beast was Sertori magic itself, and that his ministry was a rebuke of not only their authority, but the authority of the gods themselves. He rejected the might of Ramos and the Compassion of Sul, claiming the gods were as low in the eyes of Aetia as men and worms. He said true compassion didn’t come from diminutive gods but Aetia, who made all. He was brought before a council called a boule in the Ronian diocese of Magae, who handed him to the Fellowship of Promestus. Then Galen was tried by the fellowship in 1483, under the authority of Luthos Aristanos, the deacon who oversaw the Magaean district. He had Galen publicly burned alive but when the fire died there were no signs of his remains. Galen then appeared in exalted body to his Apostles, purifying them with the spirit of Aetia and giving them the power to go forth and preach in his name. He appeared to other men as well, similarly purifying them and making them into new apostles. As his followers spread their message, The Fellowship of Promestus and Sertori took note, beginning waves of persecution. 

Twenty years after his resurrection, the faith surrounding Galen and Aetia is just starting to be put into writing, through biographies and histories (generally speaking biographies recount the life of Galen, while histories are accounts of the movement after his death). There are also letters and books of prophecy. However these are fragmented, with no uniform purpose. There are also many false documents, counterfeits, and claims from followers that are untrue. There is no canon, as the movement has different communities that rely on differing texts. But the leaders of each community are Apostles called to serve Galen. And Apostles who die for the faith, are often treated as Saints. 

The players assume the role of Apostles spreading the teachings of Galen, forming communities of the faithful, and persecuted by The Fellowship of Promestus.  

EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOKS OF GALEN OF TARSA 

There are examples of some of the more well known texts about Galen, to give the gamemaster a sense of the movements qualities. 

From the Book of Carus, Chapter Eight 

In the first days of his Ministry storm clouds gathered across the empire and prodigious eagles appeared in great number. The Supreme Pontiff and Bishops feared the wrath of the god Ramos. There were rumors that Mount Brogustu swelled and was nearing eruption. 

Galen led his followers from the edge of Midbar to the feet of Mount Brogustu where the ash and clouds were clear for all to see. 

He stood, rebuked the mountain and said “Be still willful child of Aetia! For you are no higher than your followers up on that mountain!” 

The storm clouds died and the eruption ceased. 

The disciples looked to one another and said “Surely he must be truly great if even Ramos obeys him.”

From the Book of Carus, Chapter Six 

Galen went to the house of one of the Archons, to feast with him. For the archon was a holy man, who believed in Galen’s teachings and sought to honor The Lord. An ogress from Ronstanba afflicted with sores and blindness, brought a clay jar of Elean Oil as a gift. Galen placed his hand upon her eyes to heal her, but the Archon warned “Lord, she is an Ogre, cursed by the gods, unworthy of your blessings.”

And Galen said “She has no need of my blessings because the Ogres are already blessed. It is man who is cursed.”

The Ogress stood, her eyes open and cured, her skin unmarked, and the Archon was amazed. For he understood the meaning of the Lord’s lesson. 

From the Book of Macrina, Chapter Ten

And they departed from the boat to the shores of Orae. And a Sertori named Bessarion, who claimed also to be a prophet, brought his followers to admire Galen and hear his teachings. After hearing The Lord’s words, Bessarion asked to unite their men against the Ronians and ruin the towers of Promestus. 

But Galen, knowing his intentions said, “I have not come to bring war on the sorcerers of Ronia, but to cast the beast from all Sertori.”

Bessarion cried out to his followers “The Son of Aetia has come to destroy us! Let his blood fill the sea!”

Galen reprimanded him. “Be silent! The power is not your own. I command you to leave this man!”

The spirit of the Beast fled Bessarion’s body like lightning to the sky. When his followers saw the frailty of the sorcerer, they begged Galen to forgive them.  

From Apion’s First Letter to the Machaeans 

So I say to you do not quarrel with one another, but quarrel with The Beast, whose claws still hold our brethren captive to the darkness. For sin came into the world when man drank from his cup. Indeed, sin existed before the Beast’s blood was spilled, but it was not counted in man till he received it willingly. 

What can I say then? Are we forever bound to darkness with these claws in the flesh? Do you not know that Galen died and arose to shine the light upon his talons? He is the lamp light to guide our hands and feet in the darkness. 

I tell you truly, a day of final anguish will come. The dragons will arise again, and the world will burn to a cinder. Those who allow the The Beast to cling to their flesh will be annihilated by fire. But we who keep the teachings of Galen and follow the light, will awaken to a paradise after the flames and live forever. 

From Apion’s Third Letter to the Machaeans

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you that what Galen preached was salvation and eternal life, freedom from The Beast and wickedness of the world. By belief in him, by accepting his purification and following his teachings, you will be raised from the dead and exalted. When Galen scattered the ashes of Thekla and brought her back from oblivion, he was showing the way. The end will come, and after the Mother has raised dominion everything will be put under him. 

From the Book of Unveiling 

And I saw a figure adorned in gold in my dreams. A creature with a fatal wound upon his neck, but healed. The Beast resembled a great lion in the shape of a man.

….This I also witnessed: the Beast at his weakest but at his most powerful. And his power did spread, his chest fell into the sea but pried open by the earth. And I looked and saw a vast dragon rise from inside. Another dragon came from the sands like water, with a sharp crown of bone and serpents in its jaw. And more dragons ascended, some rising like mountains, others like a storm of fiery sand. 

I saw the world burn as the body of Galen had burned, and as he had been reborn from the flames, the world was renewed and life became everlasting. 

RULES OF PLAY 

BASIC RULES

Age of the Apostles is set in Gamandria and uses the Sertorius system. Use the character sheets below for Apostles. Such characters are treated as Mundane and can be any of the available races (however Ogres are a special case). Instead of Devotion, which is what Mundane characters have in place of Divinity in Sertorius, they have Faith. This allows them to commune with Galen and his saints and to use the spirit of Aetia to perform miracles. Each level of faith, characters are gifted one miracle they can perform. These allow characters to do things like heal, exorcize Sertori Divinity and magic, resurrect the dead, rebuke undead, harm Grims and gods, etc. 

Players can also be Ogres. These function as in the rulebook. They do not get devotion or faith, instead serving as protectors of the faith when they align themselves with Galen and Aetia.

MIRACLES AND LEVELING

Miracles are gifted to characters randomly according to their level. For this there are two methods. The first is the default and based on the amount of players in a party (in setting this is due to the number of apostles working together). 

For METHOD ONE, if there is one player, they gain 1 Miracle per level; if there are two players, they gain a miracle at levels 1, 3 and 5. If there are three players they gain a miracle at level 1 and 4. If there are four players they gain a miracle at level 1 and 5. If there are six players they gain a miracle at level 1 and 6. 

This method might not fit every group’s tastes. So use METHOD TWO if you prefer. With this approach, characters gain Miracles every other level, using the following table: 

METHOD TWO TABLE

FAITH LEVEL                     MIRACLES

1                                         Gain One Miracle

2

3                                         Gain One Miracle

4

5                                                   

6                                         Gain One Miracle 

 

SELECTING MIRACLES

Miracles are chosen randomly or they can be selected as appropriate by the GM (random is default but in some campaigns it may make more sense for the GM to bestow miracles that fit the player’s actions). When selecting randomly, first roll on the RANDOM MIRACLE CHART to determine which table to roll on:

RANDOM MIRACLE CHART

Apostles character sheets

d10        Result

1-5         Roll on TABLE ONE

6-10       Roll on TABLE TWO

TABLE ONE

d10                             Result

1                                 Angelic Guardians

2                                 Armor of the Lord

3                                 Break Spell

4                                 Chosen

5                                 Curse

6                                 Exorcism

7                                 Fire Walk

8                                 Heal

9                                 Inspired Word

10                               Pacify

 

TABLE TWO

d10 Roll                     Result

1                                 Prophesy

2                                 Rebuke

3                                 Resilience

4                                 Sense the Beast

5                                 Sword of the Spirit 

6                                 Taming the Beast 

7                                 Tongues

8                                 Player chooses 

9                                 GM Chooses

10                               New unique miracle specific to the character 

 

MIRACLE DESCRIPTIONS: 

Angelic Guardians

You have been favored by Galen and Aetia, given angelic guardians who you can call upon to help you in times of danger or distress. They can release you from prison, help you avert death, and save you in any circumstance where you find yourself in danger. However there is a limit. At some point, you are fated to die or fail. There is no need to make a skill roll. If you ask Aetia or Galen to save you, they will do so. But once this occurs, the chance that they do not respond rises by ten percent. And this increases by another ten percent each time. You effectively have a 100% chance of success the first time. This is followed by a 90% chance, then an 80% chance and so on.  

Armor of the Lord 

Galen and Aetia protect you from the powers of The Beast. You can protect yourself from any Sertori magic by rolling your Faith against the Sertori skill roll to cast the spell. At FAITH RANK 4, this ability can be used to protect you and any of your followers within sight or hearing distance. At FAITH RANK 6, this ability can be used to rebound the effect on the Sertori by successfully rolling Faith against the caster’s skill roll. 

Break Spell

You can destroy the lingering effects of Sertori magic with a word and destroy objects imbued with Sertori magic. You must roll Your Faith against the Wits of the Sertori who cast the original spell. 

Chosen

You are chosen by Aetia and Galen as an instrument of the way. In times of turmoil or when your community is facing serious threat, you can commune with Galen through the Ritual Skill. Galen often speaks to you in such moments, giving insight and telling you what must be done. 

Curse 

You can afflict, transform and condemn those who defy Aetia and Galen’s teachings or cling to the Beast using your Command Skill. You can always place conditions on the curse for it to be lifted such as “You will be silent until you see the truth of my prophecy”. 

At FAITH RANK 1 this allows you to limit people’s senses, such as causing them to go blind or removing their ability to speak. At FAITH RANK THREE you can cause a curse that does physical harm so long as the person maintains their defiance against Aetia’s will (such as maggots spawning in their belly and eating them for 0d10 damage each round). Damage should never exceed 1d10. At FAITH RANK FOUR you can doom someone to a fate of your choosing, which will not automatically arise, but when circumstances allow for the event, your Faith pool is added as +1d10s to any attack, skill roll, etc that would cause it to occur. For example if you said “May Aetia strike your head from your neck”, anytime this possibility literally arises (such as a person trying to cut off the target’s head) or figuratively arises (such as someone trying to undermine the leadership of an institution the target is part of), the person or thing acting against them gains a number of d10 to their roll equal to your Faith. At FAITH RANK FIVE you can transform those who are defiant of Aetia into anything living of your choosing. At FAITH RANK SIX, you can curse someone to take 6d10 damage each round as long as they defy the will of Aetia and Galen.  

Exorcism

You have the power to cast our demons and spirits from those under their possession and to free people from the claws of The Beast using your Ritual Skill roll. At FAITH RANK ONE you can use Ritual against the Wits of a Monstra, Possessing Spirit or Demon to cast it out from a person. At FAITH RANK TWO you can use Ritual to cast the Beast from a Sertori, eliminating 1 rank of their divinity permanently and they lose any spells gained from that rank. At FAITH RANK FOUR you can you use your Ritual Skill to permanently drain a Sertori of 1 rank of Emotion and 1 Spell. When a Sertori is reduced to 0 Divinity and all their spells and emotions drained, they are free from the Beast’s Claws, lose all Sertori abilities and become either Mundane Characters or Apostle Characters. All Ritual Rolls to exorcize Sertori are made against their Wits. 

Fire Walk

You are immune to fire, whether natural or supernatural. 

Heal 

You can heal the sick and wounded. This always takes a few minutes to perform. At FAITH RANK ONE you can increase a person’s healing rate to 1 Wound a day with a touch and prayer. At FAITH RANK TWO you can cure natural disease with a touch and prayer. At FAITH RANK THREE you can Increase a person’s healing rate to 1 Wound per hour with a touch and prayer. At FAITH RANK FOUR you can cure supernatural diseases with a touch and prayer. At FAITH RANK FIVE you can increase a person’s healing rate to 1 Wound per minute with a touch and prayer. At FAITH RANK SIX you can cure deformities, restore lost limbs and organs, and revive function to organs and body with a touch and prayer. Accelerated healing lasts until the person is fully healed. 

Inspired Word

The spirit of Aetia regularly imbues you with deeper understanding of her teachings and an ability to express the teachings with eloquence. This gives you a +1d10 for every 2 ranks of Faith (starting at +1d10 at FAITH RANK 1), when relevant to any Religion/Gods, History, Institutions, Divination, Command or Persuade Skill. 

Pacify 

You can fill an enemy’s heart with peace. Roll Persuade against Wits of any person. On a Success, one who sought to harm you, is free of any anger against you for 1d10 minutes. At FAITH RANK THREE this becomes a permanent effect. At FAITH RANK SIX this works on monsters of any type. 

Prophesy 

You have visions of the future in your dreams and in moments when you do not expect them, but it is like peering through the veil and can only be expressed through metaphor. What you say though, is more likely to come true. To Prophesy you must make a TN 8 Divination Roll. When you succeed you can describe what you see in metaphorical language. Anything that will help the metaphor become a reality has a bonus of +1d10 equal to your Faith. 

Rebuke 

You can use skills like Command against a creature’s Resolve to cow them to the will of Aetia for 1d10 minutes. Rebuked creatures can act however they wish but lose any immunities they possess and suffer a -1d10 to their attacks. AT FAITH ONE you can rebuke Animals and Monsters. At FAITH RANK TWO, you can rebuke Undead and Humanoids. At FAITH RANK THREE you can rebuke Sertori and your rebuke increases duration to 1d10 hours. At FAITH RANK FOUR you can rebuke Grim Beasts and Demons. At FAITH RANK FIVE, you can rebuke Den Dwellers and Grims and your rebuke increases duration to 1d10 days. At FAITH RANK SIX, you can rebuke immanent gods. To understand the different creature categories, see SERTORIUS, 65-66). 

Resilience

You gain take more damage than most mortal men. Instead of the Apostle or Mundane Wound tracker, use the Sertori Wound tracker (which allows you to take up to 5 wounds). At FAITH SIX, you can use the OGRE wound tracker (allowing you to take up to 6 wounds) 

Sense the Beast

You can detect the presence of evil, in the form of Sertori, monsters, Sertori-based magic within sight. Roll Detect against the Wits of any such creatures (or against TN 7 if for an object). On a Success, you can feel the evil is near. On a Total Success, you can see the evil clearly, who or what it is, and you also know its nature. 

Sword of the Spirit

Your intentions fill your weapons with the might of Aetia’s spirit allowing you to do more damage to supernatural beings, spirits, Sertori and demons. At FAITH RANK ONE you do +1 Extra Wound to such creatures. At FAITH RANK THREE you do +2 Extra Wounds against such creatures. At FAITH RANK FIVE you do +3 Extra wounds against such creatures. At FAITH RANK SIX, you also do open damage. 

Taming the Beast

You can lull The Beast to sleep, using music, poetry or telling a story. You can put any Sertori to sleep for 1d10 minutes on a Successful Talent roll against Wits. At FAITH RANK FOUR, you put them to sleep for 1d10 hours. At FAITH RANK 6 you put them to sleep for 1d10 days. 

Tongues

You can speak and hear any language. At FAITH RANK FOUR, you can cause others to speak in tongues on a Successful Command roll against Wits (lasts 1 hour on a Success and 24 hours on a Total Success; works on anyone who can hear you). 

Wrath

If someone lies to Aetia or Galen, if someone misuses the faith for their own selfish ends, you can call upon them to be struck dead. This is a Religion/Gods roll against the Wits of the target. 

THE POWERS OF AETIA AND GALEN

Aetia is the highest reality and Galen is her messenger, perhaps more. Their connection is a mystery but they are bound together. The apostles continue to debate the nature of their relationship. Aetia is viewed as a compassionate, transcendent deity, and Galen is viewed at least as a prophet, but at most as the same being as Aetia. The majority view him as her spiritual offspring. 

There are Rituals associated with Aetia and only Apostles can perform these. There are also prayers, which anyone purified in the name of Galen can use. Both are performed with the Ritual Skill (TN 7 unless otherwise stated). 

Rituals

Aetia bestows individual powers as gifts to the Apostles. But these are all Rituals any Apostle can perform, using the Ritual Skill. 

Bless
This ritual can provide a person a +1d10 bonus to a specific task until it is completed. 

Consecrate
Objects and spaces can be consecrated, making them holy. No evil creature or Sertori can enter consecrated ground. Consecrated ground must be used as a regular place of worship. 

Prayers

Protection from the Beast 
This prayer bestows a -1d10 to any Sertori seeking to harm you. If said in the morning it lasts till nightfall, if said at night it lasts till dawn. 

Prayer to Saint Lydia of Druna 
Saint Lydia was known for taking the message of Galen to the Tribes of Pendeo, where she was put to death by a tribal chief. Saying this prayer gives any person or group a +1d10 to Survival Skill for the duration of their journey. 

Prayer to Saint Thekla 
Thekla was one of Galen’s followers who gave her wealth to the poor to join his movement. She died from a plague and he restored her to life by scattering her ashes. This prayer provides a +2d10 to any Survival Roll made for food or shelter. 

Prayer to Saint Appa
Appa was the mother of Galen. This prayer is an appeal to her aid against harm and evil. So long as it is recited, it causes any Sertori in the area to suffer 0d10 Damage each round. If a throng of people recite together this can rise to 1d10. 

New Skills

Religions/Gods: Galen

Characters can take The Faith for knowledge of Galen’s teachings. 

RUNNING THE APOSTLES 

COMMUNITIES 

Every Apostle can start one community of followers per rank of Faith, usually centered in a specific area. 

COMMUNITIES OF FAITH

There are several centers of the new faith, but the most notable is in Tarsa, where they are led by the Apostle Theophilus. The Magaean community in The Ronian Empire, is also important and is centered in Orae where they are led by the Apostle Elymas of Polyra. The Oraean’s believe that Galen is a lesser being than Aetia but still her offspring, while the Tarsans believe that Galen and Aetia are two manifestations of the same being. 

THE CHOSEN MIRACLE 

The Chosen miracle in the previous section is a device for the GM to give the player adventures. The GM should be creative, addressing the issue the player presents to Galen, and the GM should also have the roll made secretly (and on a failure assume an evil power speaks to the Apostle instead of Galen). What the player character is directed to do will depend on context but it is often a great challenge or quest, on the other side of which is some benefit to their aim (there may also be downsides). 

HANDLING RACIAL GIFTS

Some races get rituals related to the god who made them. In most instances they must voluntarily not practice these Rituals in order to continue to follow the teachings of Galen. But Hasri are given special exception, as their race would die out if they cannot perform the Fertility of Sarilla. This is the one covenant that Galen says Aetia will honor. 

AETIA AND THE BEAST

Senga must be restored before the world can be purified. The beast referenced by Galen is Senga's spirit that inhabits Sertori. 

THEOLOGY

The Theology of The Faith is being shaped by communities of followers and the Apostles. This means the GM will be called upon to answer theological questions as the setting unfolds. For example, what should an Apostles attitude be towards the relics of immanent deities? This is left for the GM to determine in the course of play so that the development of the Faith feels more mysterious and expansive. But here are some basic principles to keep in mind: 

Galen taught that Aetia is the supreme reality from which all things were made. However he used allegory and poetic language to describe Aetia, usually referring to Aetia as Mother, My Mother and Our Mother. 

Galen taught that The Beast is a great evil in the world, and has an unnatural hold on men, that Sertori live under his curse while Ogres have the blessing of Aetia. 

Galen taught that all should be purified, cleansed of the Beast’s influence, particularly Sertori, so they can enter Aetia’s Kingdom. 

Galen taught that the earthly Gods are no better than men, perhaps even lesser than men. And he rebuked them regularly, claiming the gods denied knowledge of Aetia to man. He also taught that men should not honor any covenants with such gods and held up the orc Cael (WHOG page 210), who defied Lorgo, as an exemplar. The one exception being the fertility covenant the Hasri have with Sarilla (as they could not procreate without it), so Aetia, in her compassion, allows this one Covenant to remain. 

His Apostles taught many things, some of which included belief that Galen would return, that he had been resurrected, and that he would confront the Beast in the near future, in a battle that would purge the world with fire but make way for paradise. 

His apostles debate Galen’s nature, and his relationship to Aetia. Some also debate how literal his teachings were.  

His apostles take differing views on Galen’s nature. Some see him as divine, some as human but specially chosen by Aetia. Many view him and Aetia as connected, with the majority holding he is a lesser aspect of Aetia or a god who resides between Aetia and the Earthly gods. 

Angels: Some groups believe Aetia’s messengers are simply servants of Aetia or lesser gods or as prophets, like the Angels of Ramos, others see them as incarnations. Some call her messengers, angels, others call them incarnations and call Galen the first incarnation. The concept of an incarnation is still forming, as apostles continue to make sense of Galen’s teaching and death. Most groups believe angels are akin to the earthly gods, but ones that chose to serve Aetia, while the earthly gods chose to serve themselves. 

Aetia’s Spirit: This is the radiance of Aetia meant for all, but the beast seeks to drive man and creature to take it for their own aggrandizement 

APOSTLES AND FOLLOWERS

Galen had many followers and disciples but only selected 7 Apostles in his lifetime. After his death he chose more. Apostles are those he has appointed to go forth and preach his message, who have undergone a spiritual baptism and been given the power to perform miracles in service to Galen and Aetia. 

The original 7 Apostles were: Macrina, Carus, Lydos, Psellus, Agabas of Tarsa, Dorcas, and Poro Cadius. After his death he continued to appear to followers and convert adherents, as well as choose new Apostles. He also empowered his Apostles to select who would succeed them. 

New Apostles of note include Appian, Apollos the Boulean (sometimes called simply “Kabouli”), and Pallus of Machaea 

DIVISIONS WITHIN THE GALEN MOVEMENT 

There are a number of different communities who follow the teachings of Galen. Of note are the communities created by Appian who believe in the full divinity of Galen and the salvation he brings. Appian became an apostle after having visions of Galen following his resurrection. There are also a handful of Apostles still alive who followed Galen before he died. Many of these are in opposition to Appian (who came to Galen after his death). And there are groups who either consider Galen to be a mortal, or a mortal elevated by Aetia. Finally are groups who believe Galen was one of many divine incarnations of Aetia like the Macrinai. 

DID THE PLAYER CHARACTERS KNOW GALEN? 

Each character has a 1 in 10 chance of having known Galen in life as one of his followers (but not originally as an Apostle unless the GM rules they can be one of the still-living Seven). This doesn’t necessarily mean they have greater access to the spiritual truth of Galen, but it should give them distinct insights. 

APOSTLES AND COMMUNITIES 

These are some of the more notable communities who follow Galen’s teachings. All face persecution from The Fellowship of Promestus and other Sertori. Hierarchies and structures are still evolving but most members of the communites are referred to as brothers and sisters. Leaders sometimes are called Father or Mother, but sometimes Holy Brother or Holy Sister. Deacons are often selected to assist the leadership. Some communities prefer the terms Archon for leaders and Luthos for deacons. 

Apollonians: These are followers of Apollos the Boulean, who was the member of the Boule council in Helonos. His followers often just call him Kabouli. Apollos was executed by burning in Helenos in 1499. The Apollonians give priority to prophecy and actively fulfilling it, particularly visions seen in dreams. The Book of the Unveiling comes from this community and many attribute its authorship to Apollos the Boulean. They are close with the Pallusites, viewing them as a sister church. 

The Bessarians: A community formed from the followers of Bessarian, whom they rejected after seeing Galen cast The Beast from him. They believe that Galen is an Incarnation of Aetia, and they call him the First of the Incarnations. He is supreme among them but there are many more, including an army of angels.  

The Gesarenes: Spread throughout Sardona the Gesarenes believe that Gesara of Palus was a prophet who prepared the way for Galen, and most regard her as a kind of sister of Galen. They believe in wiping out Sertori, and use the methods described in Tanqiya Alu-Sephari (SERTORIUS, 232). They are also hostile to many of the other communities. They were founded by the Apostle Bodmel. 

The Saqeen: They believe that Galen spoke in metaphor, that there will be no end time, that what he spoke of was teaching men to understand we are all incarnations of aspects of Aetia, that we will one day rejoin with Aetia and all will be one. 

The Appians: Believe strongly that Galen was Divine and is the only thing that can save men from destruction. Galen is Divine and equal to Aetia (Appian still wrestles with this but seems to either view them as one and the same or co-equal divinities). They believe the earthly gods are evil because they chose to rule the earth selfishly, and that angels are a group of beings who chose to serve Aetia and continue to function as intermediaries between her and humanity. The Appians are very Hostile to the Magaeans and Sertori. Their communities are based around the Apostle Appian. 

The Magaeans: Believe that Galen is the spiritual child of Aetia but not Divine, that he was preparing us for Aetia’s return which is to happen soon. While hostile to Sertori they have faith that the Sertori will be dealt with when Aetia comes to earth. Their leaders are called Archons, and these are assisted by deacons called Luthos. 

Pallusites: A splinter group from Appian’s community by Pallus the Machaean. Pallus believed strongly in prophecy, being influenced by the teachings of Apollos, and came to believe that Aetia wanted them to hurl relics of the old gods into the sea. This created friction and hostility with many local communities and he formed his own church in Loxus, mostly proselytizing to ogres, whom he felt the Apostles had neglected. Pallus is still alive and his followers are in regular communication with the Apollonians.

Theklans: They believe that only those resurrected by Galen or his Apostles can understand the full scope of his message and what his life predicted. They also believe that it can only be understood through death, it cannot be taught 

Carusites: This is a community built around the Apostle Carus, who is still alive. He believes that Galen is the son of Aetia, exalted to divinity after death. And that Galen is divine but less powerful than Aetia. Carus does not claim to fully understand Galen’s prophecies, and says the most important thing is to believe in Galen and his teachings 

The Macrinai: This group is associated with the Apostle Macrina, who believe that Galen is one of many incarnations of Aetia, making up a kind of quaternity of: Galen, Thekla, Aetia and The Spirit. Some of the Macrinai believe there are many more incarnations, and some include Macrina herself among them. While most of the members of this community are women, they do have male members. Leaders are simply called Holy Sister or Holy Brother. 

 ORGANIZATION

Communities of Galen are largely independent and operate with varying structures. But the most common is for them to be organized into churches formed by individual Apostles who appoint groups of elders to lead them in the Apostle’s absence. The elders are usually assisted by a deacon. The Apostles primary way to shepherd their communities is to either visit regularly and/or send regular epistles helping them to address challenges and to maintain their beliefs. This becomes very important when using the follower system (The Age of Apostles uses a variant of the system found in Sertorius).

FAITH AND FOLLOWERS (CHURCH COMMUNITIES)
A character’s Faith increases as they create communities and attract followers to Galen. Characters can make follower checks under certain conditions, to see if they gain new followers: 

•      When they perform a miracle publicly
•      When they publicly exorcize a Sertori
•      When they are able to publicly demonstrate in a meaningful and clear way, the truth of Galen’s teachings and their beliefs in him 

Make a Faith Roll (d10 equal to Faith Ranking) against Target Number 7. On a Success you sway about 10% of the people present (so in a crowd of 1,000 you would gain 100 people). 

As you gain more Followers, your Faith Increases in the following manner: 0=Faith 0, 10=Faith 1, 100=Faith 2, 1,000=Faith 3, 10,000=Faith 4, 100,000=Faith 5, 1,000,000=Faith 6. There is also a minimum XP requirement for different levels of Faith. 

Faith Rank One: 10 XP
Faith Rank Two: 20 XP
Faith Rank Three: 30 XP
Faith Rank Four: 40 XP
Faith Rank Five: 50 XP
Faith Rank Six: 60 XP

Followers need not travel with the PC, though it often makes sense for the Apostle to have a community that either travels with them or is their home base.

To better manage and grow their communities, Apostles can take on Deacons. They do not start with Deacons but gain them through XP. It costs 15 XP to acquire a Deacon and the it still must be played out in game (a deacon does not automatically appear simply because the player has spent XP)

Deacons are fully fleshed out NPCs who help the Apostle grow their followers, manage their church communities, and protect them. If a Deacon is present in a Church Community, they are less likely to go astray. When a Deacon is present the GM can roll on the DEACON PRESENT column of the CHURCH COMMUNITY ROLL. 

For stats, the GM should flesh out the Deacon, but the player should have some way of assessing candidates when selecting them. They likely choose from among their followers, so if they asked the most skilled sailor to be their Deacon it is a safe bet the NPC has skills reflecting this.

MANAGING CHURCH COMMUNITIES 

Apostles can start Church Communities, typically centered in a particular city or town, but they need not be. As these communities grow, they can split into different sects or factions. Some simply divide over organizational issues, some on theology. The Apostle can guide his communities through letters, visitations, and sending deacons or giving instructions to elders or other appointed leaders. 

Initially, when an Apostle starts a community of followers, these are each recorded as one entry on the Church Communities sheet. But when they fragment  they can split into new entries.

When characters have 100 adherents or less, they don’t need to take special action to manage them. But when they have a total number of 1,000 followers in their church communities, they must make quarterly Church Community Rolls (The GM can also ask for a roll if developments in the campaign warrant it at any time). 

The Church Community Table has four columns. The GM should roll on the column that best describes the present situation of each community: Whether an Apostle is present, whether a Deacon is present, Whether they are Directed epistles this quarter, and weather they are untended or a hostile presence is there.

CHURCH COMMUNTIES ROLL
2d10	Apostle Present	Deacon Present	Epistles Sent	Untended/Hostile
2
3
4
5
6
7
8	Followers Heed Apostle
9	Followers Heed Apostle
10	Followers Heed Apostle	Followers Heed Apostle
11	Followers Heed Apostle	Followers Heed Apostle	Followers Heed Apostle
12	Followers Heed Apostle	Followers Heed Apostle	Followers Heed Apostle
13	Followers Heed Apostle
14	Followers Heed Apostle
15
16
17
18
19
20

 

Note: this chart was intended to have the other entries in the Followers table in Sertorius plugged in. The most important thing to know though is whether the followers heed the Apostle. 

GLOSSARY

The Beast: This is a term Galen used to describe Senga and Senga’s divine presence in the Sertori.  

Brothers and Sisters: What followers of the Faith call one another 

The Faith: Belief in Galen and his Teachings

The Lord: Galen

 

 

STAR-CROSSED BLADES OF THE GREEN PEONY

This is the first session of our Star-Crossed Blades of the Green Peony campaign for Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate. It is set in Zhang Chang prefecture (which I hope to release a blog entry for). In this campaign, every player rolled randomly to determine who their family are, how many siblings they have and whether individual family members are still alive. The players also gave very rough sketches of their background (no more than a few sentences) and I secretly added a "20-year" backstory to each one. I have implemented a special rule in this campaign that every encounter has a 3 in 10 chance of being connected to their secret backstory in some way. 

Very early and rough map of prefecture 

CHARACTERS

QI YUN: A roaming martial expert who has secretly learned his martial arts from two different masters (and the masters have no knowledge of one another). 

XING GE: A traveling pipa player and the son of Lu Guiying the Iron Flower. His father died when he was five, and his mother married Gongsun Yuan, the chief of Black Parrot Society. Gongsun Yuan despises Xing Ge. 

TU JIN SHI: A wandering fighter seeking to be the strongest and most upright hero in the region. His father, Tu Haitao sent his mother away when he was young, after being consumed by grief over the passing of Jin Shi's brother, Tian. Shortly after his father died consuming a lethal concoction in a misguided effort to become immortal. 

LU LI: A traveling physician who comes from a family of successful fishermen.  

FIGHT AT THE CRYSTAL TEAHOUSE

The party arrived in Niaojing, a disreputable city in North East Zhang Chang prefecture. They were drawn by rumors of the Crystal Teahouse, a place known for holding fights where heroes can prove their worth and earn some taels. 

Upon entering they saw a large crowd forming a circle around a single fighter, a man singing a traditional song and dressed like a scholar. The proprietor asked if anyone would fight Singing Scholar Gao. As the man beat his chest, Xing Ge decided to step in and take a fight with him. 

Singing Scholar Gao sang lyrics describing Xing Ge as an ungainly monkey, but his words were not well chosen and his melody faltered. Xing Ge played his pipa and recited a poem in which he asserted "Singing Scholar Gao dreams to be a monkey one day". The crowd were enthused by his performance and joined in the insult. 

When the fight commenced, Xing Ge used his Cascading Phoenix technique to flood Singing Scholar Gao with cold energy. This unnerved the scholar who quit the battle in a huff and stormed from the fight circle. 

From the crowd a man said "How about a real fight" and leapt into the circle. 

The man, bare-chested and dressed in silk breeches, introduced himself as Golden Monkey. 

Xing Ge politely declined the match but Tu Jin Shi stepped in. 

Bowing to Golden Monkey he said "I accept"

Golden Monkey bowed in the style of the Singh people and motioned for Tu Jin Shi to make the first strike. 

Tu Jin Shi stepped forward to deliver his burning palm but Golden Monkey intrecepted it with his shin, then kicked Tu Jin Shi in the liver. He was hurt but still standing. However a moment later the pain reverberated inside his body and he collapsed to the ground unable to continue. 

Golden Monkey helped the party carry Tu Jin Shi to a table where they gave him tea until he came to. 

When he was alert again, Tu Jin Shi thanked Golden Monkey for the match and admitted he was the inferior fighter. 

"I would greatly appreciate another lesson in the ring. Would you agree to another match in a month's time?"

Golden Monkey laughed and said "Meet me at the Green Peony in one month." He finished his tea and continued laughing as he left. 

The proprietor of the Crystal Teahouse (someone they later learned was named Long Sleeved Scholar Gao), impressed by Xing Ge's performance on the pipa offered to let him room for free and be paid if he played at the teahouse on a regular basis. Xing Ge declined the offered but was gracious. 

They decided to room at the Green Peony, discovering it was a brothel when they arrived. However they worked out an arrangement with the proprietess, Lady Shen Guo, where Xing Ge would play pipa in the courtyard so he and his group could stay for free. Tu Jin Shi mentioned the village he came from to her. 

They decided to look for local bounties to make money and hone their skills. That evening, they met a merchant who told them he would pay 15,000 spades to anyone who killed Thundering Scorpion and his men. The merchant said he had been terrorizing caravans along the road to Li An, and that he and his men were merciless. 

They were given individual rooms, and Tu Jin Shi awoke in the middle of the night to find a manual on his chest. However it was in Sai script. He could tell from the illustrations it was related to the Golden Monkey's techniques used in the fight. He and Xing Ge decided it was time they both learned to read so went back to the Crystal Teahouse in the morning and spoke again with Long Sleeved Scholar Gao. He offered to teach them, if Xing Ge performed during the fights and did so in a way that excited the crowd to bet more and more money. 

After their first lesson, Tu Jin Shin went back to his room at the Green Peony and sat down to see if he could use any of what he learned, but realized Long Sleeve Scholar Gao had taught them to read Feishu not Sai. As he was looking at the pictures a soft voice said "You don't know how to read do you". When he turned, one of the courtesans of the brothel was looking over his shoulder at the manual*. She snatched the manual and began to recite:

"The principles of Golden Monkey style are built on a firm physical foundation, first with the shins and knees...."

Surprised she could read it, he happily accepted without question when she offered to recite the text further so he could memorize and train. After she had helped him, and promised to continue doing so, he learned her name was Jin Hua. 

That afternoon they went to the morning market to find an information broker hoping to learn more about Thundering Scorpion. Tu Jin Shin still needed to recover so they would need to spend time in town anyways. 

At a stall they saw Singing Scholar Gao painting a portrait, and Xing Ge approached and apologized to him. The next day they returned and asked about Thundering Scorpion, he agreed to give what information he had for 500 spades, and promised to research more for them if they gave him 500 more. 

He informed them that Thundering Scorpion was once a terrible bandit but had reformed his ways and was now actively hunting robbers along the road with his four men. He said he was more powerful than he or Tu Jin Shi but less powerful than Golden Monkey. He also noted that Thundering Scorpion was known to be cruel in his dealings with bandits. One bandit in particular, White Scorpion, was of special interest to him. He was seeking to kill the man for some prior wrong against his family. 

When they returned to the inn, Tu Jin Shi asked Jin Hua about the manual and wanted to know why Golden Monkey gave it to him. She told him that her master, Lady Jade of Clearwater Lake, instructed her to give him the manual. He was grateful and asked if he could become Lady Jade's student. She told him if he went to Clearwater Lake, abiding by all decorum and politeness in his approach, Lady Jade would take him as a pupil. 

They went to Clearwater Lake, but planned to go east after so Qi Yun could connect with one of his masters. When they arrived, Lady Jade wore a mask and trained with a saber over the water. She eventually agreed to take Tu Jin Shi as a disciple if he agreed to three rules: He could have no master but her, if his abilities ever exceeded her own he would agree to only learn kung fu techniques by stealing them from other masters (never taking a new master) and he would kill her biggest enemy, an immortal she was not powerful enough to contend with should his Kung Fu ever reach great heights. 

During their first training session she rebuked him for expressing a preference for open handed style and demanded he conform his approach to her tastes in weaponry. She then began teaching him to use the saber. 

This is where the session ended. 

*The player had failed a secret Detect roll to spot her sneaking into the room. 

SHAW-SHOCK VOLUME 2: THE GHOST LOVERS REVIEW

Last year I reviewed a film called The Enchanting Shadow (1960), a movie that is considered a classic in Hong Kong horror cinema and was the direct inspiration for the 1987 film, A Chinese Ghost Story. The Enchanting Shadow was one of three films included in the Shaw-Shock: Shaw Brothers Horror Collection Volume 2. My review of the second film, The Ghost Lovers (1974), is up at easternKicks and can be read HERE. I should have the third film, The Bride from Hell (1972), reviewed soon as well. 

The Ghost Lovers is a subtle horror film, starring Li Ching, who excels as the departed bride trying to re-unite with her betrothed. It was directed by Shin Sang-Ok, a South Korean director, whose life could be made into a thriller, and was retold in the documentary The Lovers and the Despot (2016).

All of the films in the Shaw Shock boxed set highlight the human qualities of their ghosts, but this is notable for its singular attention to that detail. By focusing on the bride's longing to unit with her husband-to-be and consummate their marriage so she can escape a life doomed to wander as a spirit, it highlights her humanity. 

I am not sure but it seems based on the same source material as the Japanese film The Bride from Hades (1968). Though I think the storyline is handled very differently in each film, the basic plot strokes, with minor variations, are present in both. 

When my Bride From Hell review goes up I will post more here about the Shaw Shock boxed set. I am excited to see these classic ghost movies restored and released on blu-ray. 

CONVERTING THE BRIDE OF LIAO MANOR

Shortly I will have a more thorough update on our latest release, Strange Tales of New England, here on the blog, but in the mean time I want to talk about the work we have been doing on Bride of Liao Manor. For those who are not familiar with it, Bride of Liao Manor is a short adventure for Strange Tales of Songling that I posted to the blog HERE. It was one of the more successful Strange Tales of Songling adventures I posted that season and I recently began converting it to the Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate System with my Thursday game group. My plan is to make a 30 page Bride of Liao Manor PDF module that can be played with both Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate and Strange Tales of Songling. Hopefully if this is successful we can make more short adventure releases. 

In order to convert the material I had to decide whether the book would be primarily intended for Ogre Gate or Strange Tales of Songling. It should work for both, but the text will need to be written towards one setting or the other. I am leading with Ogre Gate, because that is our most popular game. So the module will be re-written to fit the Ogre Gate setting with gray text notes for adjustments to fit it to Strange Tales of Songling (including Strange Tales of Songling stat blocks in gray text). 

Some things in the original adventure convert very easily because many of the Strange Tales of Songling entries began as entries using the Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate system for my Gaming Strange Tales from the Chinese Studio blog series. I converted most of those when I wrote Strange Tales of Songling. However some things do not have pre-existing Ogre Gate material or clear Ogre Gate analogs and there isn't a simply formula one can use to cleanly make a conversion. Converting is quite easy, but it requires making judgement calls based on the logic of the Strange Tales of Songling entry in question. For example there are stats for Corpses and when I checked their Max Wounds, it became obvious to me they were based on the Jiangshi entry in Strange Tales of Songling as a base. So I used the Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate Jiangshi entry as a base for the conversion. But in some other instances things were less 1-1. 

The Bride in the adventure is a unique type of ghost and I had to consider and rework each ability and stat block entry. Where this got most challenging was figuring out how to convert her immunities. In Strange Tales of Songling, she is vulnerable to a Demon Hunter's Magic Techniques. But those don't really exist in Ogre Gate. There are rituals that resemble them and there are Kung Fu techniques that resemble them. So the cleanest way to convert it was to have her be vulnerable to Ritual Magic and any Kung Fu technique that is based on Dragon energy (in Ogre Gate Yin and Yang are Dragon and Phoenix energy). There were other changes to her immunities too but this was the main point of discussion. 

There is also a change in feel that is going to happen simply due to the games being different. Strange Tales of Songling is an extremely lethal system for PCs, but Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is not. The setting has a greater prevalence of powerful characters as well, so some of the local NPCs, like security chief officials have to be beefed up. 

One area things were most challenging was taking the Path abilities and deciding what to do with those in Ogre Gate. In some instances, they make no sense in Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate so they can be ignored. But others might be converted to Kung Fu Techniques or Rituals. Much of what we were doing in last night's session was exploring different ways to make a power like Life Eradicating Sword into a comparable Kung Fu Technique. 

Something I want to do with this book if there is space (and it seems there is) is have it also serve as a kind of minimalist setting supplement for a district. We have covered Prefectures and Empires or Kingdoms, but not focused in on the district scale. If I do this I will also be covering the prefecture itself on a blog entry, so it will provide information on locations in a single district inside that prefecture. Space is limited though. Right now I think it will be 20 pages of adventure material and 10 pages of minimalist setting entries (so brevity will be the key to making it work).

I will keep folks updated as things go forward.