(illus: De Bry,
1588 “The True Picture of a Women Picte”)
Are Ye?
Gruagach might give ye a kick in ye arse, but are ye
fit for what ye’re yearnin’? Are ye wild? Are ye a-seekin’ the sun and cattle?
ARE YE?
Divine
Tests
1-3. Up to ye oxters, are ye? Well
then, ye must haud on, aye, or even faster yet, get in ye skuddy, woad, er
steamin! The sorcerer must do nothing for 2d6 turns, or for only 1d3 turns if
he can go nude, become painted, and/or get drunk.
4-9. Lost ye
micht, have ye? Eh? Well then best ye get from all ye’re haverin’! The
Gruagachan experiences a
reduction in spells available- 50% chance for each one- possibly including his
Turn ability, for the rest of the day. Roll 1d6 for each spell lost to
determine what he needs to do in order to regain it before then:
[1]
Get at least 1d6 others to be nude, woad-painted, and/or drunk for at least the
next 1d3 hours (a base 25% chance that they will agree; 75% chance if they are also
Picts).
[2]
Acquire at least 2d6 cattle or sheep, preferably by raiding
[3]
Hit an ally or other worthy (current) non-enemy with at least 1d3 rocks. Each
one does 1d4 damage and the target is free to throw them back. Tossing logs or
even trying to drink rocks will also do in this case, though they each cause 1d12
damage, also restoring 2 extra spells if lost.
[4]
Make an offering to the fey or other spirits, based on the nature of the spell
lost (per Referee). There’s a base 25% chance of the spirit being encountered
to accept the offering. See Touch of the Fair Folk (Healing Side-Effect results
#5-6) for its disposition.
[5]
Work on a stone carving or pictograph, requiring 1d6 turns and a Wisdom
or Charisma check at its conclusion to see if it‘s good enough.
[6]
Get to a broch (stone roundhouse or fort), or work on building one or another
stone structure for at least 1d3 hours
10-12. Dinna ken who’ll gie ye a skelpit
lug this time, will ye? Gruagach is just one of many Pictish divinities who
also have a great deal of overlap due to their animistic ways. As a result, rather
than experiencing Are Ye? in this case, reroll and consider the test to be for
one of the following similar divinities instead (1d5):
[1]
Brighde (as Brigid)
[2]
Cailleach (as Trivia)
[3]
Cern (as Cernunnos)
[4]
Mhanainn (Manannan)
[5]
Scathach (as Morrighan)
[6]
Arcaibh (as Orcus- but is entirely Pictish in character, rather than orcish,
also incorporating boars and the fey, rather than evil spirits - i.e. ‘the
Orkneys’)
All
are detailed in Volume II. The Referee should feel free to adjust any results
to make them more ‘Pictish’: rustic, wild, and animistic.
13-17. Noo jist ye haud
on! Many stereotypes exist for the Picts, and the sorcerer of Gruagach
now takes on one of them- roll 1d4 each time to see which one:
[1] Battle: from now on, whenever provoked, the
sorcerer must save vs. paralysis or have to fight. The save becomes 2 harder
for each instance of this test.
[2] Babble: the sorcerer gains a +1 bonus to all
saves, but others must also make a save vs. spell to understand anything he
says at all from now on. The bonus increases by 1 and the save becomes 1 harder
every time he experiences this test.
[3] Thrifty: Picts wear and carry little anyway, but
now the sorcerer will often refuse to wear any garments at all or purchase
items, even needing to save vs. paralysis if doing so would protect him from
the elements or the like. The save becomes 2 harder for every time he has this
test.
[4] Swalla: as per Lure of the Vine- see Dionysius
in Volume I- though whisky will always be preferred to other spirits.
18+ Not afraid of ole Nessie, are ye?
A great and terrible Loch Monster arrives within 1d20 rounds to show Gruagach’s
displeasure, its long neck allowing it to even find him in the most unlikely of
places. It will attack for 2d3 rounds, plus 2d3 additional rounds per Are Ye
result over 18. Those who intervene or otherwise aid the sorcerer will become
potential targets too, also increasing the Loch Monster’s fury for 1d3 rounds
longer per ally involved. In any case, the sorcerer (and any allies brave
enough to fight) must keep their heids
and gie it laldly- ach!
Loch Monster
Mve:
30’, swim 120’; AC 4; HD 15; Atk: 1 bite; Dmg: 4d6; SP: cause fear (save vs.
spell negates), aquatic, long neck allows reaching into 5’ wide areas; SV F15;
AL N.
Next week: Sorcerers of Gruagach
(Part IV)!
