Jonstown Jottings #98: The Battle of Gavren Bridge

Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and The Companions of Arthur for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon, the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha is a curated platform for user-made content, but for material set in Greg Stafford’s mythic universe of Glorantha. It enables creators to sell their own original content for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, 13th Age Glorantha, and HeroQuest Glorantha (Questworlds). This can include original scenarios, background material, cults, mythology, details of NPCs and monsters, and so on, but none of this content should be considered to be ‘canon’, but rather fall under ‘Your Glorantha Will Vary’. This means that there is still scope for the authors to create interesting and useful content that others can bring to their Glorantha-set campaigns.

—oOo—

What is it?

The Battle of Gavren Bridge is a short, supplementary scenario designed to be run during the first season of The Company of the Dragon.

“A 5 page plot with 2 parts” for use with RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha which presents a short mystery that the Game Master can run as a single session’s worth of play or possibly longer.

It is a fourteen page, full colour 3.16 KB PDF.

The layout is clean and tidy, but the artwork does vary in quality. The cartography is decent. It needs an edit.

The scenario hook is specifically designed for use with The Company of the Dragon, but it can be adapted to any pre-Dragonrise campaign.

It can be played through in a single session, but will probably take two.

Where is it set?

The Battle of Gavren Bridge is set during the events of the Siege of Whitewall, 1619 ST to 1621 ST, as the Player Characters attempt to free Gavreena, Naiad of the Gavren, the river that runs below Whitewall, from the Lunars who are holding her in chains, as well as disrupt the flow of troops to the city from the Lunar Heartlands. By default, the events of this scenario should take place sometime during Sea, Fire, or Earth season of 1621.

Who do you play?
The Battle of Gavren Bridge does not suggest any specific character type, but as written, the Player Characters should be members of the Haraborn, the sundered Clan of the Black Stag.

What do you need?
The Battle of Gavren Bridge requires RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha only. Cults of RuneQuest: The Lunar Way and Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass may also be useful.

What do you get?

The Battle of Gavren Bridge is a strike mission. The Player Characters have to rescue Gavreena, Naiad of the Gavren, from her Lunar captors and in the process will gain a powerful ally. If used wisely, she will greatly aid in any attempt to stop the Lunar counterattack led by Iada of Kostaddi, a itch of Jakaleel. The scenario discusses the possible tactics that both Iada of Kostaddi and her allies, including some vile spirits (trapped and allied), a force of light cavalry and Danfive Xaron Penitent Legion Soldiers, as well as those that the Player Characters might also deploy. The ideal plan for the Player Characters is to ambush Iada of Kostaddi and her allies, preferably at the Gavren Bridge, just below the village of Gavren.

In the main, the scenario is combat focused. There will be some roleplaying involved in dealing with the suffering villagers in Gavren, who have too longer been under the Lunar heel, but ultimately, the scenario is about freeing the river spirit and unleashing its magic and that of the Player Characters upon the Lunars.

The Battle of Gavren Bridge can be run as is intended, a scenario that can be inserted in a The Company of the Dragon campaign, and in doing so, highlights the possibility of further scenarios not being written by Andrew Logan Montgomery, and added to the campaign. Alternatively it could be adjusted to another location or it could even be run as a flashaback.

Is it worth your time?

Yes—The Battle of Gavren Bridge is a straightforward, easy to prepare scenario that slots easily into The Company of the Dragon campaign.

No—The Battle of Gavren Bridge is set before the Dragonwise and a Game Master’s might all be about what happens after.

Maybe—The Battle of Gavren Bridge is serviceable enough and is easy to add to a campaign, perhaps as a flashback or shifted to another river altogether.