Xanderan the Wizard Slayer

Xanderan: The Wizard Slayer is a thumbnail setup for a Talislanta game in the style of Buffy: The Vampire slayer.

Xanderan: The Wizard Slayer

Formula: Xanderan strives to have a life of his own while being the instrument of vengeance for his ancestors. He gathers a group of friends about him in his travels, who act as his Scooby gang -- doing investigation and face work that he can't do while the Calling is upon him. The basic setup revolves around Xanderan tracking and fighting a Reincarnate, one of the immortal Necromancers that nearly completed genocide against his people, while his friends try to control the destruction that the battles always bring.

Theme: The series theme is that the past isn't behind us, it isn't even past. Ancient grudges, sins of the fathers, and the legacy of the Great Disaster all refuse to stay in the past, but wake to control the present. The theme also deals with what of the past can, and should, be let go and what cannot be let go without doing worse damage. Secondary themes include the unifying and healing of friendship vs. the destruction of mistrust and factionalism, the necessity of building something in the present, and the nature of family.

The first season's specific theme is that of finding one's own identity. What is it that makes us ourselves: our ancestors, our upbringing, our circumstances, our choices? Xanderan and the rest of the scoobies will all have to decide who they are.

Production Quality: Heroic Swords and Sorcery with a combination of gothic and exotic looks. The Wizard Hunter picture is, obviously, the central archetype. Most of the darker art in Talislanta is also good. In addition Conan pulps, old Swords and Sorcery pictures, and Elric works would all be good. The setting is less baroque than Exalted, with less over the top florid description, but is much more alien, with hundreds of intelligent species with their own looks and agendas.

Motifs: Old mentor/guide figures and ruins of ancient buildings will represent the influence of the past. The birdmen, losing their power of flight, show how things change and can be neither better nor worse. Ghosts represent when the past is out of balance with the present. Cemeteries show people coming to grips with leaving the past behind them, and mass graves will represent wrongs of the past. People with amnesia and/or no sense of their past will represent what happens when the past is lost as well as the search for identity. Gangs, tribes, guilds show what people do to build communities and feel like they belong. Children on the edge of coming of age, birthdays, obituaries, and works of art will represent sense of self. The road represents the journey of self-discovery.

Character Types and Drama Points

Drama Points are taken right out of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer RPG and work in much the same way as in that game. The only real difference is that Plot Twists cost a variable amount depending on what you want to do, and work like Dramatic Editing in Adventure!.

Gaining DP in play is also as in Buffy – but with a S&S amoral twist. Heroic action is about "Great things" things beyond normal human accomplishment, rather than "good things" that are nice and sweet. Quotes that get rewarded are less glib and pop-culture and more baroque and pulpy. Getting screwed by the plot still works the same, as does supporting the Wizard Slayer when he gets all catatonic and murder-machiney. Finally, I give DPs when players come up with good ideas for sub-plots, interesting kickers for the start of a game, or toss out a good bang when I’m getting stuck on what the plot should do next. (I can hear Ron Edwards screaming at my mangling his terminology right now….) That dovetails nicely with the Dramatic Editing aspect, as players can sometimes get an essentially "free" Dramatic Edit if what they edit becomes cool enough to generate a subplot of its own.

Character creation is based on type. Heroes are made according to the "Heroic Fantasy" rules on pages 428-429 of the Tal book, Henchmen are done as standard archetypes. Heroes get 5 DPs, Henchme get 10. Heroes buy them with XP at 2 to 1, Henchmen at 1 to 1 (because you get more XP in Tal than Buffy).

Mooks never have DPs. Minor Villians have 1 to 3. Big Bads can have 10+. Big Bads have one extra advantage in that they don’t have to be present to spend a Drama Point, nor does it have to effect only themselves. Anything that is in their domain can be effected, with the DP boosting the trait opposing the character by 10. So sneaking into a castle might normally be easy for the PCs, but when they sneak into the Big Bad’s castle things seem to go wrong, and everything gets more difficult.

Episode Guide

Type -- Premise

• 1. Premier (double long) -- After being beaten by Thrall bullies, Xanderan gets a vision summoning him to Omen
• 2. Continuity -- Xanderan and Echs go to Cymril to find clues about their parent's murderer and to Omen.
• 3. Stand Alone -- In Kasmir, Xanderan is caught up in a plot pitting two brothers against each other.
• 4. Continuity -- In one of the Foreign Legion's outposts, Xanderan finds the man who ordered his parent's murder.
• 5. Change of Pace -- Xanderan and Echs draw the eyes of a Virago who won't take no for an answer and a jealous muse who doesn't want to share.
• 6. Continuity -- Heading into the Wastelands, Xanderan saves Trag's life, Trag joins him as a sworn companion.
• 7. Continuity -- The trio is attacked by assassins, who claim they got their orders from the man Xanderan killed in episode 4.
• 8. Change of Pace -- When Trag and Echs brother get roaring drunk, they end up in jail set to be hung.
• 9. Continuity -- Xanderan comes to Omen, relives the lives of two of his ancestors, and finds his destiny.
• 10. Stand Alone -- Thieves steal Xander's newly acquired Spirit Blade, prompting a man hunt through rat-warrens.
• 11. Change of Pace -- Desperate for food, water, and money, Xanderan and company take on a bounty hunting gig that isn't what is appears at first.
• 12. Continuity -- While fighting Rajan raiders, who know something of Xander's parent's fate, Xanderan is called back to Omen. He then is called to slay a Reincarnator who is currently setting up a kingdom in the Shadowlands.
• 13. Continuity -- Xanderan clashes with the sorcerer minions of the Reincarnator, fights the master but is driven back, and finds out that his real parents (as well as his adopted ones) were killed by the same fiend.
• 14. Finale (2 part) -- In an epic battle, Xanderan, Echs and company destroy the reincarnator that killed both sets of Xanderan's parents once and for all.

Episode Details

Here is a short writeup of the first several sessions, to demonstrate how it was done.

Episode 1: Welcome to Talislanta

Summary: Xanderan, a Xambrian, was adopted by Thrall parents and raised as their own. After a rough coming of age, his is beaten and told to leave. While dealing with the bullies, his parents are murdered, plunging him into a more dangerous quest. After nearly being killed, he had visions of a mountain of skulls, and decides he must leave his home to find his true identity, as well as the murderer of his family.

Thematic Usage: Xanderan's inability to fit into Thrall life is a result of two past actions -- his parents abandoning him, and the way the Thralls were created. Everyone blames parents for Xanderan's inability to fit in. OTOH, Eche's complete loyalty to Xanderan is a sign of the strength of family. The two interact in the murder of Xanderan's adopted parents -- when the past takes over family and crushes it. Or does it? Can Eche's and Xanderan's brotherly love save the family, overcoming the sins of the past?

Teaser: Xanderan is shown growing up, dealing with the difficulties of being a slow growing human in Thrall society. His adopted parents and brother are introduced. On the eve of his coming of age, a bug-hunt is called and Xanderan is asked to go along on this dangerous combat mission. (Motifs: Birthday and coming of age ceremony.)

First Conflict: A group of Thrall bullies gets Xanderan away from the rest of the group. They then beat him and tell him to leave, before he weakens their people. Xanderan must then deal with his brother, and his reaction to the situation. Just as things are heating up, word comes that Xanderan's adopted parents have been murdered. (Motifs: Gangs)

Second Conflict: Suspicion for the murder falls on a rat-like merchant who came into town that day. Xanderan must track the merchant, who has fled, by interrogating his servants, tracking him, and dealing with his brother's rage. (Motifs: Cemetery, ruins where the merchants are)

Twist: The merchant is innocent, but one of his slaves attacks Xanderan with a poisoned knife. He falls to the points, but is saved when a vision that summons him to Omen. Meanwhile Echs must chose between chasing his parents murderer, or trying to help his adopted brother. (Motifs: Ghosts and visions)

Final Scene: The murderer brought to justice, Xanderan and his brother leave together, determined to find out who ordered their parent's murder, and where this "Omen" is. (Motifs: The road)

Episode 2: Never Trust a Wizard

Summary: Looking to have a rare artifact, found on the body of the assassin in episode 1, identified, Eches and Xanderan come to Cymril. There they gain the services of a wizard-scholar by promising to help his student deliver a potent magical artifact from a find site to the capital, where it can be properly studied. On the way air pirates attack, and Xanderan must defend student and artifact alike.

Teaser: Xanderan and Eches talk to a merchant guard about Cymril’s mastery of magic, and how wizards always want to get their hands on magical artifacts. They hear a story about powerful magical engines of the Time Before, and people dream about what they could do with that power. (Motifs: Road, ancient ruins)

First Conflict: After getting a series of dead ends, the brothers are sent to a Wizard who works at the Academy of Magic. They go to find him, but meet his student-assistant instead. While they talk someone tries to steal a mcguffin from the office, and tries to kill the PCs when he’s spotted. After defeating him, the PCs make a deal with the student – he’ll get the Wiz to identify the artifact if they go help him bring an important artifact to a safe location, as she fears it may be stolen. (Motifs: Guilds, both of wizards and assassins)

Second Conflict: After meeting the Wizard, a charming and personable older fellow, the PCs guard the treasure as it is put on an airship. On the short flight to the city they are attacked by two air-pirate ships and a group of bird men. The PCs have to fight an exciting aerial battle. Just as they are starting to win, an explosion rocks the ship and sets it on fire. The PCs save the ship, but the artifact is gone by the time they are done. (Motifs: Ancient ruins, flightless birdmen)

Third Conflict: Finding the student injured by the blast that started the ship on fire, the PCs first think the Wizard was killed, but when they save the student’s life they find out that the Wizard caused the blast then fled. The student begs them to get the artifact back, assuring them if they do she will get someone else to identify the artifact. The PCs must then do leg work to find that the Wizard has a remote cabin in the woods, a place perfect to meet pirates. The PCs rush there and find the Wizard negotiating with the air pirates. If the PCs attack everyone thinks the other side betrayed them, and a three way fight breaks out. If the PCs don’t attack, things go poorly and the air-pirates and the Wizard start a fight that sweeps the PCs up. Either way, the Wizard casts a drowning spell on the house and grounds, leading to the PCs fighting their way through a mansion suddenly on the bottom of a lake. (Motifs: Gangs)

Final Scene: The PCs catch up with the Wizard, and after a magical battle through a midnight wood, take him, the stolen artifact, and their information out of him. The student takes him to the authorities (if he’s alive), and tells the brothers to head through Kasmir to get to the trade route into the desert. (Motifs: The Road)

Episode 3: All In the Family

Summary: The brothers get caught up in a shadow feud between two Kasmirian brothers who are trying to kill each other to take over the family business. Echs is accused of a murder, and is thrown in jail and due to be executed. Desperate to save his brother, Xanderan has to track down the real murder. His search leads him to a mob-like organization of thugs and dons, and leaves him unsure of who to trust. In the end he brings one brother’s duplicity to light, and has to survive the gang war that erupts so that he can clear Echs.

(This Episode was cut because the PCs didn't find it interesting, and so it got skipped over and was refered to in the next session -- so that it could be played as a flashback at some future date when it could be used to highlight the drama in the situation. If anyone else wants to expand this to a full session tag, please do so!)

Episode 4: A Line In the Sand

Summary: In one of the Foreign Legion’s outposts, Xanderan finds the man who ordered his parent’s murder. As he seeks his vengeance, and large group of nomadic warriors attacks, and Xanderan must help the 10 to 1 outnumbered defenders. When the murderer, desperate to save his own life, tries to betray the garrison it leads to a climatic final battle amid the ruins of the siege and a rising sandstorm, where Xanderan fights the murderer to the death.

Teaser: A group of Danelek desert nomads riding two-legged lizards that look like raptors sits watching an approaching sand-storm. The second in command speaks to the leader, asking if he is sure the plan will work. The leader laughs and says “The one we deal with, he does not break his word. He said the garrison will fall, and so it will. He said if we did not attack he would tear us screaming to shreds. What do you think our choices are?”

First Bang: Xanderan and Eches get caught between a sandstorm and a group of Danelek raiders, and have to flee to the safety of the Legion Outpost. It’s a running battle, with harsh conditions, screaming barbarian warriors, rough terrain, and with the Outpost semi-hidden by the storm. When they get to the Outpost they learn that a huge coalition of Danelek is going to attack the Outpost as soon as the stand-storm passes.

Second Bang: While the sandstorm rages, men start turning up dead in parts of the Outpost. They were always alone when they died, and seem to have died of natural causes – save that their eyes are black and lusterless. A panic starts up among the soldiers as word spreads, and suspicious eyes and rumors of plague start up. The culprit is a Mirajan (pg 291) that has been summoned to haunt the Outpost. Anyone with Arcane Lore knows that this should not be possible, unless a powerful sorcerer is involved – from within the Outpost.

Third Bang: As the Danelek horde attacks, Commander Maul asks Xanderan to find the sorcerer while Eches goes to man the walls. Xanderan is left in the middle of a fortress at war, trying to find the traitorous sorcerer inside the walls. At the same time the sorcerer summons a demon to attack Xanderan and then open the gate – the demon caries a blade almost identical to the one the assassin carried. The Enim (337) can be made to wager that it will tell all it knows of its summoner if it is beaten in some way.

Final Scene: Xanderan fights Aathoth as he opens the gates of the fortress. In the middle of a storm Xanderan must fight the man who ordered his parent’s death while trying to stop the rush of Danelek warriors and save the fortress.