[Glorantha] an idea for a secondary campaign hook

[Thompson, Todd L.]

>A gorgeous poetic idea, and I'll have to figure out
>how to make it of more general use.

Thanks!

> As the party is traveling they will to a dead place,
> well except for the painter in the group

>And there's the problem. How many parties have a
>painter in the group? NPC required, and the centre of
>the story from then on.

Well specifically one of the players has painting and spent a fair amount of hero points on it (while spending nothing on weapons and such).  The intent isn't to make this one player the center of the story as the actual victory is shared and the presence of everyone in the painting is meant to convey that.  
 
As narrator it is more of a thing of opportunity, they have the skill so I thought I would give them the opportunity do something exciting with it.  I think it also helps foster unorthodox problem solving and add an air of unexpected and strange magic to the game.
 
If there is another skill that involves the creation of something then perhaps that could be used.  I wanted the end product to something physical like a painting rather then something intangible like a dance.  If an npc is needed then they can be consumed in the process leaving it to the players alone or the npc can be become a rival or nemesis of sorts as they work against the players to realize the ultimate result of this in a way that suites them.

> If the party is victorious then they will see the
> dead place alive once
> again and each person that participated will be
> represented in the painting.

>> Thoughts?

>Linking this in with the idea that what the painter
>paints becomes real would make the whole thing more
>powerful - possibly too powerful?

That the act of the painting did this isn't so much a measure of the players innate magical painting ability as a means for the dying good spirit to try to fend off the evil bad spirit in a way that it (the bad spirit) is less able to defend itself.

>There are, I believe, already instances in GLorantha
>where a painting (or etching, carving, etc) shows
>secrets - there's one in the Puzzle Canal, there's
>some gates in Boldhome, and I forget what else. This
>magic sounds as it it's connected to them in some way.

The painting itself is a secret thing they must protect, but which they must also carefully share to gain the knowledge to do something with it.  It is something they will carry with them for some time before they can bring it to fruition as the evil spirit was merely put to sleep and they aren't powerful enough to destroy it yet.

I also see that achieving the grandest results would require participation of others and with the ultimate choices requiring considerable diversity of races working toward the goal.  It would be a mighty feat to be engineered by the players if they choose to.  On the other hand they could play it small and merely realize a hero band from it and tolerant the morose grumblings of the guardian, "I could have been anything ... and look what they made me."
       
       
               
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