1d10 Random Swords of The Ancient & Violent Ones For Your Old School Campaigns

Ahimelech Giving the Sword of Goliath to David By

Aert de Gelder  (1645–1727)

The fire-eyed maid of smoky war
All hot and bleeding will we offer them.
William Shakespeare,Henry IV, Part I (c. 1597)

Act IV, scene 1, line 114.

Swords have a power & legacy beyond the violence that they are often employed. They are a part of the souls of their owners. The blood & violence that coats them sometimes imbues them with far greater energies then were ever intended for their shiny blades. The supernatural or occult  power of the acts of their owners often make them forever! They are passed from hand to hand & person to person on a journey throughout eternity.


Zrínyi's Charge on the Turks from the Fortress of Szigetvár

By Simon Hollósy  (1857–1918) 

Each of these blades is +1 impregnated by the acts of depravity & violence that they have done. There is a 20% chance of a demon or other ancient essence of evil having taken up residence within the blade. Make no mistake these blades have seen & been marked by their course in history. They are not instruments of war & violence to be trifled with.

1d10 Random  Swords of The Ancient & Violent Ones

1. Vetrsra The Ripper of Wombs - This sword carries with it the blood of a thousand victims & the souls of its victims ripple in the blade's length in certain lights. The blade occasionally drips blood or sweats tears of its victims. Every new moon it will balance & point its way to a treasure or minor artifact. 
2. Rtea The Reaper of Men - This blade has a handle of bone & ivory made from the spine of an innocent man. The blade cuts the cords of the soul to the afterlife and it can point to the nearest entrance to the underworld.  
3. Brus the Mirror - This blade has been fashioned from the metals left after a battle field has been stripped of most of the debris of war. The sword marks its owner with quick 1 point wound. The blade hungers for the blood of warriors & will lead its owner to a dungeon scene where it can slay monsters & adventurers alike. It will twist its owner's reflection in certain lights into a monstrous form perhaps his or her future self.
4.  Trisus's Razor - This blade has been hand crafted as the highest example of a sword maker's art and was used in twelve campaigns by one family of minor royals. The blade was turned into a weapon of murder & since then it now hungers for the blood of murderers & mad men. The blade can slice through spells & weird magicks as its power flows from the soul of those it has killed. Once per day this blade can slice through 1d6 spells of power. 
5. 43:5 is named from an unknown verse in the Christian Bible & has as it hilt the pages of twelve Bibles of the town of Trell. The town was plagued by undead horrors & this sword took the heads of the undead & the necromancers who summoned them. But the blade slayed the priest who wielded her. She now sings with the power of his tragic soul. For his truest love lived in the town & he had to put her to eternal rest. The blade has a 20% chance of doing a decapitation on a critical roll.  Each new moon there is a 10% chance she can banish a minor undead horror.
6.  Betty - This blade has been fashioned from Detroit steel & was used to slay a minor demon lord. The blade was lost too history as it was flung into a time warp. The blade drips demonic ichor when a monster of the Outer Hells is nearby. It loves to slay monsters and cultists of the darkest stripe. 
7. Brsru Rue - This sword was made from the remains of a steel mirror that was used as an entrance to the underworld. The necromancer who used it was slain by cracking the mirror in two. His soul is trapped within it but now is used to slay murderers & outlaws. The sword loves to hunt the souls of the wicked & feeds on them for eons. Once per new moon it will give its owner visions of violent & horrid crimes being carried out within a 6 mile radius. The sword will point the way to the guilty. 
8.  The White Blade - Made by the last dying remains of a long lost people this blade  contains their frustration & anger over their unnecessary deaths. The blade is used to deal violence to those that would violate the lives of the lost & dead. Each time the blade is unsheathed it will shine with a white hot light capable of dealing 1d6 points of damage to those within 15 feet of the blade. In addition the owner will speak in the tongues of several lost tribes now extinct. He or she will seek out their works. 
9. Ugg's Folly - This blade once belonged to the family Ugg, a group of traveling jesters & performers. The sword can dance once per day but seeks the murderers of its former owners. A cult of child killers & madmen who use the moonless nights to travel from place to place & world to world murdering wantonly. 
10. Simon's Slayer - This blade once belonged to the sell sword Simon L & it is rumored contains his soul. The sword hungers for adventure & can point the way to any dungeon but the sword must each fort night be blooded by an innocent. This is not a killing blow but a simple drop of blood. The sword also hates all servants of Chaos & the owner may 20% chance fly into a berserk rage gaining +3 against all who serve Chaos. 

OSR Hargravian Commentary - Happy International Dave Hargrave Day!

So its international Dave Hargrave appreciation day which has very different connotations for me as both a dungeon master & as the son of a Vietnam veteran. Arduin is of course the sometimes controversial cross genre fantasy world of Bloody, Bloody, Arduin.
Bloody, Bloody, Arduin hit me square in the face at about seven years old & was long before Palladium's  Rifts that I discovered that Arduin included everything from  interstellar wars to horror & historical drama as its setting campaign world. Although it was ground in the medieval fantasy tradition of TSR's original  Dungeons & Dragons rpg box. My adopted English uncle in New York from the U.K. a retired RAF pilot along with his kids came back from California with a bunch of original Dungeons & Dragons books & the  three Arduin Grimoire books back in the early Eighties. He also had a smattering of Dragon Tree Press books

You can still get the pdf of the Arduin Trilogy here but I'd wait till it goes on sale.

Things have been a bit well iffy from both Dragon Tree Press  & Emperor's Choice for ordering items. Consider yourselves warned folks.

I received those three books as gifts back in the early Nineties & they were burned up in an apartment fire ages ago. I grabbed the new Emperor's Choice Arduin reprint book the first time I got into the OSR scene.
For the record I took a lot of heat for that purchase over the years from both the old school community & the local branches of the OSR. Screw 'em its been one of the best purchases of my hobby. If you want to know the contents of the Arduin Trilogy Mr.Lizard does a solid break down of the books.
My uncle used the free wheeling style of the world of Arduin to weave together his own worlds & creations where we went toe to toe with all manner of horrors including renegade clans of  Deodanths! Deodanth are a cross breed of  Elves & Vampires here's the concept art from the Arduin Grimore,1977 that hunt their fantasy stock brothers the Elves! If there's one constant about the world of Arduin its that power attracts power!



Deodanth artwork found on twitter!

David Hartlage's blog DM David had a great piece on the Arduin books. And many games were spent battling across the face of Arduin's campaign world setting. Kill Kittens took out two of our number and then a star spider did a total party kill as we quested for the Holy Grail. Out came the Delian Book of the Dead as we'd quest for the souls of our fallen comrades but such was the heady mix of Dave Hargrave's gaming books kids! This was the U.K./California style that I was used to now a days called Gonzo or some such. To us it was pure gaming fun and that's only a part of the Hargravian legacy. Its only now that Dave Hargrave is getting his due.


Today Arduin is one of those old school gaming wells that I frequently find myself returning to whist other dungeon masters & OSR bloggers seem to burn out. The sheer volume of old school weirdness & wonderfulness keeps the experience of gaming fresh for me. If you don't like something then drop it or move on! Dave Hargrave wasn't an easy character to define but he did gaming on his own terms!

To quote Ryk Spoor's blog article; "The Arduin books told GMs and players that they should not believe in limits. That of course magic and technology could play in the same game – Welcome to Skull Tower gave rules for firearms, while The Runes of Doom had rules for advanced energy weapons! – that no species or type of character should be forbidden to enter the realms of adventure. Dave Hargrave painted Arduin as one of the most complex, amazing worlds ever created, with innumerable species coexisting in a world that had a massive history and mysteries hiding around every corner."
For me this is the essence of Dave Hargrave's work & contribution to the old school gaming community. He was taken far too young! Had Dave Hargrave lived he would have been a major force in the OSR as his ideas & philosophy have not only come to pass but become part of the OSR mainstream.

An insectoid Phraint in the big city / an Elf on the windy wharf. Dave Hargrave's imagination knew little bounds & DM's should not find themselves hemmed in by the constraints of imagination or rules.

For me the world of Arduin is alive and well, sitting on my shelf waiting to be used on new & unsuspecting players & their PC's! I hope the Dream weaver & Paul Mosher who recently passed are sitting having a game right now. So shake some dice, come down to the street of Darkness, & watch out for those most dangerous Arduin horrors! Happy international Dave Hargrave day!


Everyone on the street sees the pickpocket attempt

(Roland Brown, The Arduin Grimoire IV: The Lost Grimoire by Dave Hargrave, Dragon Tree Press, 1984)

The Updated & Expanded Ecology Of Dave Hargrave's Star Spider For Your Old School Campaigns

The following notes & expansions are on the extra dimensional & Outer Darkness menace known as the Star Spider.

The auditorium filled with spectators & senators from across Pan American Empire,Marcus Orearlus  of extraterrestrial studies department  of the college Alchemists and Elementalists looked the crowd over & waited till they were seated.
"Welcome friends,senators,  alumni, & respected laymen tonight we are going to speak about one of the most dangerous & least understood members of the family of Outer Darkness monsters. We are not even sure if the dreaded Star Spider is even alive in the conventional sense as we know life'.  "This is not a new enemy but a very old one that we face! The Space Spider has stalked us through the ages! We must beware its tendrils and its eye that burns with the light that never warms. I myself have heard the howling, sucking, roar of this stalker from between the dark of the stars. Observe the stellar scope for a three vi broad cast of the Ultra probe incident from 20 March 1996 Earth 43* & then the "Tony Cellini incident" from 877 days after the Earth's Moon left orbit.

"I refer you now Ladies and Brothers to World Space Commission Medical Department form regarding the status of one Captain Tony Cellini and the reports that are attached.  May the Gods themselves have mercy on his soul."
"From that incident and my own research I have made  several assessments. The  Space Spider makes its lairs within the wrecks of space craft. It uses the wreckage as both lair and for its own procreation. These space craft become entangled a web of hyper dimensional energy for these monsters act as anchor in the local space time continuum.
These uncaring predators are gluttons feeding on as many victims as they can. They roast all of the life essence and vitality from their victims.
They have the characteristics of both "dimensional shamblers"  and the dread Hounds of Tindalos."

" These beings use combination of psychic lure and assault to force their victims within range of their tentacles. The monsters mouth  orifice is like a blast furnace stripping a man to a burnt shell in seconds and absorbing the soul. The creature is a glutton feeding on as many souls as it can stuff into maul.
The creature is capable of moving across time and space within moments. It departure signaled within the span of moments by a light show of swirling lights and a rushing of wind, light, and psychic insanity.
This wind is accompanied by fog generated but both the creature itself and its body being suspended between our reality and else where. Some have sworn the Outer Darkness and others have said lower dimensional spaces."
" These monsters exist in timeless dimensional limbo where the passage of time means very little and yet they can lay dormant for thousands of years. The beasts move along atesseract of foamy dark lower realities. They often have several lairs along inter dimensional axis routes.
If you refer to page 42 of my report we shall exam the tendril strength of these creatures which is just as capable as a small "space kraken."  The most terrifying power of these beasts is of course the so called Psychic Death Kiss.  These monsters once encountered can track prey that has escaped them years or months later. They act as sort of "paranormal murderers" stalking those who have escaped their grasp. Sometimes upwards of ten years or more eventually the creatures will come for their prey."
"They're presence is denoted by a howling  roar and a soul sucking wind that is generated by the mouth of these monsters. Indeed their inner gullet is like an atomic blast furnace. "
Please pay no attention to the Magus high guard who have entered the meeting around you."
 Marcus Orearlus paused and sipped his water for a moment collecting his thoughts and paid special attention to Gelbrus Cronos the Elemental guild master in the front.
" As I have said I have had personal experience with these monsters. The doomed Argos mission encountered a lair of these beasts in late August three cycles ago when we were exploring the Pyrius sector.  Only myself and my late wife survived the encounter. The guild master himself authorized the expedition but I digress."
 "This is not the only species of the Space Spider that mankind has encountered. The Gods themselves have cursed mankind going back thousands of years and only recently has this species brought to light."

Carlo Rambaldi’s incredible Medusa from Perseus Against the Monsters 1963



" Further research indicates that the victim is both alive and aware the during the entire time they are petrified by the monsters. They are locked in a state of torment and the monsters feed upon their very souls as time passes. The beasts have veritable garden of stone statues that they feed off of. Victims within this state can last ten to twenty years of time." "The medusa is a very stealthy hunter and able to sneak up its prey with its attack. A single glance and the very soul of the victim is frozen along with their flesh. And why the eye? Because it is the window to the soul. Upon our colony of Alphas II we encountered such a beast. "



"The medusa had been dormant for more then ten years within its valley. Cyber centurions working on behalf of the colonists disturbed the sleep of this monsters. We lost half a company to the creature. The results of this encounter are well known. Please see report 23 in your briefing""



"Gelbrus Cronos the Elemental guild was also responsible for this outrage and only then did we learn that these creatures and their larger brethren have visited mankind many times in the past.
There was ruined temple upon the colony world and within its halls were indications that millions of years ago during the Atlantian period of these creatures were summoned to Earth with astonishing regularity. Because of the necro dimensional magic of certain Atlantian sects the fabric of space time was weakened allowing these creatures free access to the  Earth's space time. Most of these spells or psychic keys have been lost in the mists of time. However certain indications also point to activity of these monsters during the so called Twilight years after the Atomic Wars.
Also similar symbols were found within the caverns of Mars. Could ancient Barsoomian psychic rites have paved the way for these monsters there as well? Why even my own beloved wife subcombed to the lusts for the human soul that creatures exhibit. Gelbrus Cronos the Elemental guild is sitting upon such a symbol right now. Notice the lights beginning to dim my friend and that roaring that your hearing right now. I was also aboard the Argos. I escaped it you see but one never really escapes it. The dreams come. My wife knew that. Let me comfort you and tell you all about it in our final  moments together.This meeting is now over"
 The strange lights began to swirl and rushing got very loud indeed and the screaming began.

OSR & Campaign Notes 

The star spider is a high level monster from the Arduin game books of Dave Hargrave & The Arduin  Eternal line that has seen action within several of my campaigns. The star spider has been plaguing mankind for thousand if not millions of years. The creatures appeared to have interaction on planet ten and Barsoom.

• There are three variations of the space spider and only to two are still viable at this time. The Barsoomian variation is extinct at this time. 
• The Space Spider is capable of moving itself and its lair 1d100 light years in interdimensional space in order to reach its prey. The creature must have left a  "Psychic Death Kiss" upon its victim. Please note that only certain psychic abilities are able to remove let alone detect the kiss. Certain forms of expensive magic, psychic healing  or super science may remove the kiss from a victim. 
• These creatures are related to Dimensional Shamblers of Lovecraftian Mythos. These beings do not get along at all and compete for the same food source. Mankind is so  much cattle to these beings.
• These creatures are feasters of souls but their metabolic processes are so alien and mysterious that it is very hard to be sure of the processes of life and true death even applying to them. There are indications that they are immune to psychic,magical, and any type of detection or are capable of masking such. There are indications that these beings are related or exist in areas controlled by the Outer God Yog Shaggoth. 
• The Medusa variety of the Space Spider is capable of limited shape shifting of mass and tendrils. And due to its nature capable of effecting its victims molecular structure. Resurrection isn't possible by cloning or even divine interaction due to the corruption of the victim's very soul. 
• Each type is capable of tracking its victims across interstellar distances and seems to stalk as well as send telepathic dreams in order to create fear and insanity with the victim. There is speculation of the monsters simply saucing the meat so to speak 
• There are indications of this beast appearing in Cimmerian and Atlantian periods of Earth's history. Times when the proto dimensional fields were at their weakest. After the Atomic Wars there was a similar weakening taken full advantage of by monsters of this type. 
• Though they can be summoned by divine or psychic "magic" rites. These being are immune to 99.9 percent of all magic or psychic control of any type. Once summoned it is best to run away if possible so as not to end up as supper for one of these beings. 
• The eye beam of the star spider sees into several realities at once. Its attacks are directed from outside of the local space time continuum. 
• Certain stellar or cosmic terrestrial cosmic objects seem to draw members of this species. These are often objects of power or artifacts of lost or ancient origin. 
• The tendrils or tentacles of these beings are often used to bleed off the reality bending energies of the monsters. They are laced with 17,000 sets of neo reality sensing nerves. Capable of instantly running through a gamut of realities and planar constants. This appears to be a matter of instinct and not intelligence. 
• The beasts appear to be capable of storing six hundred and sixty six individual trace patterns in order to trace their prey. 
• The creatures have a hunger that knows no bounds and they will feed on as many beings as they can stuff within their proto glandular stomach. The medusa extends this stomach over the statues of its victims drawing as much of the sou as it can. Each day taking a bit at time. 
•  The petrification beam of the Medusa has a range of 60 feet in length and width of 2-3 feet. 

The Space Spider Medusa
Armor Class : 5 (14)

Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: Petrifying gaze
Special : Immune to magic, most psychic abilities, regenerates as troll 

Move:12

HDE/XP:8/800

 These creatures can be summoned by a summon monster spell but can not be controlled by such. They are very dangerous and have a horde class of XII.

"The Medusa" originally appeared in the sword and sandals flick Perseus vs The Medusa. It was designed by the monster maker maestro Carlos Rambaldi himself. The creature later appeared on television as part of the "Sons of Hercules"series The part of Perseus played by  Richard Harrison

Opening The Gates Of Muspelheim With G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King The Third Part Of A Pulp Adventure Campaign Cycle

"Giants have been raiding the lands of men in large bands, with giants of different sorts in these marauding groups. Death and destruction have been laid heavily upon every place these monsters have visited. A party of the bravest and most powerful adventurers has been assembled and given the charge to punish the miscreant giants."
Once again this isn't the first time that I've talked about using G3 Hall of The Fire Giant King for an old school pulp heroes or Supers OSR game campaign jump point.But I'm about to subvert everything about this module. First of all this whole module is going take place in Iceland or Greenland. I'd probably use Greenland because of its remoteness & incredible Geology plus its volcanic activity. This volcanic activity leads straight into the gates of Muspelheim itself! Make no mistake that Snurre, the Fire Giant King is in fact royalty of  Eldjötnar or Eldthursar, Eldþursar—"fire giants". The realm Muspelheim ruled by Surtr with his consort Sinmara.
Surtr has been waiting eons to draw his bright blade & slay his mortal enemies battle against the Æsir, and the major god Freyr of the Vanir. Afterward, the flames that he brings forth will engulf the Earth.
"According to the Ragnarök prophecies in Snorri Sturluson's Gylfaginning, the first part of his Prose Edda, the sons of Muspell will break the Bifröst bridge, signaling the end of times:

In the midst of this clash and din the heavens are rent in twain, and the sons of Muspell come riding through the opening. Surtr rides first, and before him and after him flames burning fire. He has a very good sword, which shines brighter than the sun. As they ride over Bifrost it breaks to pieces, as has before been stated. The sons of Muspel direct their course to the plain which is called Vigrid.... The sons of Muspel have there effulgent bands alone by themselves.

The etymology of "Muspelheim" is uncertain, but may come from Mund-spilli, "world-destroyers", "wreck of the world""

This means that that G3 Hall of The Fire Giant King is a major Summer pulp or comic book cross over event. The warriors of Eldjötnar are going to out for the boiling blood of PC's to help bring out about the end of the world!

Snurre, the Fire Giant King is in fact royalty of  Eldjötnar & he's got Chaos cults of human dupes worshiping his kind & acting as human asset support. PC's are going to have their hands full with fire witches & the like.
If they lose then your you are going to giant kind making huge comeback as the gods & giants duke it out in one final showdown. Is the human race going to be a major factor in stopping the carnage or spectators for their own demise?

 

Surely there's no Arthurian connection here at all? Well actually there are several items from Arthurian lore that were key parts of Arthur's giant slaying exploits within the Welsh mythological traditions.

The Timeless Myths website has a solid list of artifact resources that could present a group with several key side quests for giant slaying side adventures for artifact recovery.
G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King by Gary Gygax is a killer adventure in a real need of PC pulp heroes.


I am the giant Skrymir by Elmer Boyd Smith
All of this ties into two possible Arthurian connections for the tales of  both Tom Thumb & Jack The Giant Killer! This a great starting point for a familial origin of a PC's possible powers or mysterious family connections to the events of G3!? G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King by Gary Gygax is wicked adventure with a few twists & tricks to it. Including the reveal that the 'Drow' are behind the whole thing. Surely this going to invalidate the whole mythological twist the adventure?! Actually it won't! The realm of the Dwarves & Dark Elves are very close to each other.
"Niðavellir/Svartálfaheimr, the home of the Dwarves, who are also synonymous with the Dark Elves ("Dökkálfar") and Black Elves ("Svartálfar")"

G3 has some very heavy handed mythological connections & possible old school connotations for a party of adventurers! The events of G3 could put a group of heroes in the cross hairs for a war of incredible destiny!  Especially when the manipulation of events is revealed.


I heard the bitching about modern fire arms & equipment being thrown into a classic TSR novel & given the damages I saw in Jason Vey's Adventure! rpg I see little effect really. After giving G3 Halls of the Fire Giant a rereading I feel that many PC's will have their places in Vallhalla assured!

Dark Genius & Dark War Rising - Actual Pulp Era Campaign Event Nine!

The mystery deepens as the PCs must go room by room in the Turck estate mansion on Long Island as more strange lights are closing in on their position!? But deeper forbidden international secrets were revealed in tonight's game! New factions with alien ties have shown their hand in the game!  The action picks up right after last week's game!

For tonight's adventure I drew partially from the OSR and this lovely lot of original Dungeons & Dragons resources. Especially the Blackmoor & Gods, Demi Gods, & Heroes books for the mythological & old school resources!


I'm just getting home now from another successful game of retro pulp Renegade Heroes, Tyrannical Conquerors, & Wasteland Kings which is an OSR mix of Adventurer, Conqueror, King's Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea second edition along with other OSR resources. In tonight's adventure our heroes did a room by room search & destroy of the last of the Little Green Bastards.

Artwork copyrighted & trademarked to Dark Wizard Games
The LGB's ogre slaves were taking crated provisions, mining equipment, and all kinds of weird devices through a dimensional gate. The whole mansion had been transformed into an interdimensional gateway station with hundreds of items being transported to who knows where!? Then the PC's discovered a side office with vault with over ten thousand gold pieces worth of alien artifacts & gold to be used as a war chest. The whole operation was overseen by a German a half-human half-Visitor Nephilim agent named Hans Q. Hans seems to be working for the German Emperor  Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Hohenzollern). German Emperor  Wilhelm II unlike his real world counterpart seems to an incredibly ruthless & deadly individual with deep ties to the Greys & their side relations the Visitors.  What is Germany's ties to these horrid aliens



Hans Q the half-human half-Visitor Nephilim agent will live for now because he's far too valuable of an asset to murder at the moment. Dark Wizard Games Secret Machines of the Star Spawn adventure was key in designing some of the elements in last night's game adventure!

This along with their Monsters of Mayhem #1 has all of the side OSR monsters that I could need or want for the dimensional gate room that was key in tonight's game.
Edison's  Arkcon Electric industrial laboratory in New York State was  key in analyzing the 1898 War of the Worlds war machines. Tonight the PC's discovered stolen plans from the vaults of Arkcon Electric! The truth is that the Edison's  Arkcon Electric industrial laboratory in New York State has been compromised by alien forces beyond our world!
Now the PC's are on the trail of the Grovers Mill New Jersey wasteland hidden facility. What secrets has Desmond Turck hidden away there? Can the PC's sky ship arrive in time?!


Is a strange & dangerous alien robotic guardian await our heroes at the Grovers Mills facility? Why of course it is! But what will happen? Who will live & die in this exciting breath taking adventure? What is the connection of  Dark Wizard Games Secret Machines of the Star Spawn adventure? Already the PC's have run afoul of several of the mysterious super science adventures of the dark genius of the alternative Earth version of ^[1] Nikola Tesla.



Can the PC's survive against the devilry & horror that await them next week in the wastelands of New Jersey? Will there be more dark OSR magick in the wastelands? Can it be long before the legacy of the 1898 Martian Marauder comes to haunt humanity? And what of the looming date of June 22? 

What does it all mean? Tune in next week for more exciting retro OSR  pulp role playing  action!

Terror From Antarctica With G2 Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl by Gary Gygax The Second Part Of A Pulp Adventure Campaign Cycle

Your PC's grab a hold of an ancient  chain & your party is transported a world away to adventure!

So begins the TSR classic G2 Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl by Gary Gygax the second in the Against the Giants line of adventures. 

This is isn't the first time that I've talked about using G2 Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl by Gary Gygax with adventurers & super heroes. But any of the 'G' series of adventures which are a part of the mega adventure Against The Giants is a weird proposition in a pulp or golden age super heroes style campaign . I've adapted them to all kinds of D&D based games & retroclones before.

I'm going to keep the Lovecraft circle route here but bring it into a far further into the veil of our world.The ice giants lead by the Jarl Grugnur and emissaries  have settled into the former ruins of an Antarctic outpost of the Elder Things. The whole adventure is taking place at the extreme edge of the world because of the use of the ancient Elven gateways to Fairyland there. Some of the first creations of the Elder Things might actually have been the Elves of Europe at the very tale end of their existence.

One such Otherworld gateway is/was under the direct control of Gwyn ap Nudd from Welsh folklore.
"Gwyn ap Nudd (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɡwɨn ap ˈnɨːð], sometimes found with the antiquated spelling Gwynn ap Nudd) is a Welsh mythological figure, the king of the Tylwyth Teg or "fair folk" and ruler of the Welsh Otherworld, Annwn, and whose name means “white son of Nudd”. Described later on as a great warrior with a "blackened face", Gwyn is intimately associated with the otherworld in medieval Welsh literature, and is associated with the international tradition of the Wild Hunt"

Gwyn ap Nudd is intimately associated with Lludd Llaw Ereint, "Lludd of the Silver Hand", son of Beli Mawr, all of these family members are of bloodline belonging to the Lovecraftian Chaos deity Nodens & his other masks as " the Roman gods Mars, Neptune and Silvanus, and his name is cognate with that of the Irish mythological figure Nuada and the Welsh Nudd."

All of this ties directly into King Arthurs Welsh adventures with giants of legend but both Arthur and Gwalchmai fab Gwyar have run ins with some nasty pieces of work. 

The fact of the matter is that our world even in the early Twentieth century isn't ideal suited for Jotun anymore. Law is on the up stroke & the era of the gods of legend is over. The time of the Jotunn is done or so it would seem.
"In Norse mythology, the Jotun (jötnar in Old Norse, a cognate with ettin) are often opposed to the gods. While often translated as "giants", most are described as being roughly human sized. Some are portrayed as huge, such as frost giants (hrímþursar), fire giants (eldjötnar), and mountain giants (bergrisar)." The Hrímþursar are alien creatures whose Glacial rift is a completely artificial ecology of Fairyland and its an artificial construct that is another outpost into our world. G2 Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl by Gary Gygax is a scouting mission to access the situation for a full on invasion of our world.  But even with upper level adventurers from Troll Lord Games  Amazing Adventures! rpg line or Adventurer,Conqueror, rpg  The Barbarian Conquerors of Kanahu I highly doubt the PC's will survive?! What?! There are some extremely deadly monsters scattered throughout this classic adventure that are more then capable of slaughtering even upper level adventurers. The giants are deadly opponents of the most extreme variety.

The main forces of the ice giants are ogres who are ideally suited to the extreme conditions that the adventurers find themselves.
G2 Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl by Gary Gygax is a module that might as well take place in the realms of mythology. The PC's are dipping directly into the affairs of the gods here. The whole place is crawling with  yeti, frost giants, ogres, & winter wolves. Not to mention the the prison that  contains an attractive storm giantess. Storm giants are royalty of the Jotun. Holding a Jotun royal for ransom is a very risky proposition. Throughout this blog entry I've been using the Lion & Dragon rpg retroclone as a sort of mythological framework & OSR structure. I haven't talked about this but its there none the less.
If you want to find out why watch this video

Using some of the occult ideas from Dark Albion, Lion & Dragon, & Cults of Chaos its possible to build upon & out some of the old school classic elements presented G2 Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl by Gary Gygax as an actual frame work for a pulp style game even for a modernish setting. The ideas of these products can help to flesh out some of the more esoteric elements presented in the Against the Giant series.

1d10 Random Lost Treasures & Artifacts of the Dames Blanches Table For Your Old School Sword & Sorcery Campaigns

We should profane the service of the dead,
To sing a requiem and such rest to her
As to peace-parted souls.
Act V, scene 1, line 259.
William Shakespeare
Hamlet (1600-02)

In the coldest frozen alien Hell shadows in the Outer Darkness are the marrow eaten remains of the servants of the Old Ones. Gods whose time has passed on. In some wizard's quarters they are known as Juffers or Joffers ("ladies"). These monsters are seldom spoken of for it is considered an ill omen. The Wittewijven are all that remains of the witch servants of dead gods passed on into the Eternal Night of the Outer Darkness. Their reflections can be seen in the abandoned & empty Hells & Underworlds of their god worm eaten masters & mistresses.

Under the influence of the triple moons of the deserts & the winds of the Beyond these horrors have all of the abilities of a Hag. Three times per day it can detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, detect magic, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, & cast sleep as per the spell 9th level. This monster of chaos has all of the standard immunities of undead including immunity to fire, cold, charm, sleep, and fear, plus spell resistance. At will the Wittewijven can use etherealness at will (caster level 16th) abilities as it hunts the souls of the living to feast on. They often use treasures or artifacts of past victims to lure fools & adventurers to their doom.

This monster can summon 1d30 cats, owls, or 1d10 imps to torment her targets but this is a last ditch effort to corner her prey often within the wrecks or remains of space craft. The Wittewijven can appear anywhere that a cult or former temple of the Old Ones meet or stood. These white ladies are often consulted by kings, beggars, & fools alike for prophectic riddles. Once per day a white lady may dip into the death dreams of the Old Ones to make prophecy of fate & destiny. These statements are twisted & mired in allegory & illusions of fate.

1d20 Random Lost Treasures &
Artifacts of the Dames Blanches Table

1.  A goblet of alien design that will detect poison twice a day worth 600 gold pieces to certain esoteric collectors. 
2. Jeweled alien hand made of crystal that can create weird illusions that act as a symbol of insanity once per day. Some think that these artifacts bring enlightenment. Worth 500 gold pieces 
3.   Pipe of the Devil - This strangely carved pipe with the head of devil or demon can create strange smoke covered visions that will act as a charm spell once per day. The pipe is of incredible workmanship & worth 300 gold pieces
4. A golden collar made for a large monster of incredible strength. The gold is Hell's gold and created with steel & gold from the elemental planes. Worth only 200 gold because a signal echoes from the thing to its demonic masters. 
5. A fist sized gem of 'sight beyond other seeing' allows the owner to see through all illusions & weaknesses including true loves. The owner must make a save vs wands or break down into fits of depression for 1d10 days over the true state of humanity and their place in the cosmos. Worth 1000 gold pieces 
6. Power crystal for an alien war machine worth 300 gold pieces but will power a alien battle ship of the correct type. Golden yellow green in color and it smells of rancid pickles. 
7. Golden Devil's Spine - Fossilized spine of a iron devil that allows the owner to cast two levels higher but the spine has alien collector who wants this item. He or she or is it will stop at nothing to get it. Worth 5000 gold pieces if you live to collect it. The golden devil however is also looking for his spine back as well. 
8. Jewelry from the stomach of the god of gluttony- A  mish mash of 400 piece brick of ancient jewelry that has been devoured by a god of gluttony  worth 2000 gold pieces to a wizard. The thing glows with a magical aura but the smell comes through every 30 days engulfing everything in the scent of raw god sewage. 
9. Mini Chest Of La - This chest allows the owner to store a mansion in its tiny confines astrally for 1d20 days. The chest is worth 6000 gold pieces because it contains the lost remains of two kings of the ancient days. But the incantations to release their fortunes are only known to two wizards now among the underworld. 
10.   The golden circlet of Zo - This piece is made from the hair of three goddesses and allows the owner to cross into the triple heavens of Zo. The owner may consult the healers of Zo for matters of medicine & healing for up to two hours or have them cast a cure heavy wounds spell. The healers of Zo are alien & very fickle so they may also experiment on the owner if they are not properly compensated for their time. Worth 4000 gold pieces to the right collector or cult.
    
    
    
    Atlantandria Port City To The Stars is copyrighted & trade marketed to Eric Fabiaschi's  Dark Corner Productions . All artwork used in the blog entries are public domain.  All rights reserved  Monday May 21, 2018.