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Xena: Warrior Princess FT. Bivius RPG (Part 4)

I know it's been a while, but work has been keeping me quite busy. Anyhow, here's part 4 of Xena and Gabrielle's adventures in the world of Bivius!

I hope you enjoy it, and stay tuned for part 5...


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Previously on Xena

Xena and Gabrielle meet Ion, a former jeweler made bandit, who informs them of the plans Callisto and her minions have of conquering these lands. This confirms Xena’s fears of an unforeseen attack on the prosperous farmlands of Stagira and its surroundings. Now, our heroines, accompanied by Ion, have decided to visit the nearby town of Stratoniki to warn their inhabitants, and maybe, find some help.

SANDBOX MODE
Urban sandbox
  • Initial location: Stratoniki
  • (Terrain) Plains
  • (Settlement) Town
  • A <religious government> - B <authoritarian leader> = A
  • A <typical food> - B <at risk of enemy raids> = A
The group arrives at Stratoniki,  a town commonly visited for its temple in honor of Demeter, and for its gastronomic delicacies.
G: Stratoniki! My mother always wished to visit its temple. They say it’s one of the most beautiful in all Greece.

X: Yes, it’s not bad. They renovate it every year, so it looks as if it had been built yesterday.

I: I believe we might even be on time to witness its opening ceremony.

G: Really? I’ve never been to one… well, mostly because back in Potidea we didn’t get to renovate any buildings… except for that one time when the blacksmith got a new house because the previous one had burned down...

I: Ha! Then, in that case, I’m sure you’ll like it. These people put a lot of effort into this event, especially…
Xena suddenly stops walking, and goes into alert mode sensing something is amiss.
X: Wait!

G: What happened, Xena?

X: Oh no… This is bad…

I: Wha… what is bad? I see nothing.

X: That smell… *sniff* do you feel it?

G: *sniff*… It smells like towns usually do… Like hay, and wood… and people...

X: And pickled Barberry!

G: What?

X: I knew there was a reason why I was not fond of Stratoniki!

I: Ha! Not a pickled Barberry enthusiast, I see!
Xena casts a disgusted glance at Ion, who starts laughing.
G: So this is it! This is where Shani asked us to go!

I: Wait, so you were on a culinary trip all along?

G: Not precisely. You see, apparently, the Orange Spring Barberry is no longer found anywhere else but here, and we promised to help an herbalist friend of mine find the reason behind it.

I: Oh, well that’s easy! Rhiannon has been controlling its supply. She’s sending all the Orange Spring Barberry to the troops in the East.

X: To the troops? Why would anyone in their sane mind want to do that?

I: Because of its properties. It works almost as well as the black powder that’s traded in from Chin.

X: Well, I guess that explains many things… In that case, it seems we have solved Shani’s dilemma. However, we may have encountered an even bigger problem now…

G: So, what are we going to do, Xena?
  • A <Go to Stratoniki’s authorities for help>
  • B <Find who’s controlling the local market>
  • B.R.O. = B
X: First, we need to find out who’s controlling the local market. If what Ion says is true, then this is a complex scheme and there must be a local trader behind it.
 (Does Ion know any details about who the person might be? No)

I: Well, I wish I could help any further, but those details were never shared with any of us. What I know, I learned from the rumors others were mentioning around the camp.

X: Perhaps, but you can still be useful. You are going to take us into the trader’s guild. If anything, the building must be guarded by other Black Fist bandits, which I’m sure you probably know.

I: Probably! However, you would need some sort of disguise. I don’t think they will be very welcoming of a warrior and a…

G: Bard. A bard.

I: … and a bard. Right!

X: So, let’s go!
  • A <The group steals some eccentric clothes from a stall in the market hoping to pass as wealthy merchants>
  • B <The group improvises with some worn tunics and veils hoping to pass as foreign traders>
  • B.R.O. = A
Xena leads the group to the market, and using her charms, distracts one of the vendors while Gabrielle and Ion “borrow” some fine, but eccentric looking clothes. It takes our heroines but a couple minutes to go from simple adventurers to what anyone would think were in fact, wealthy merchants. Ion then leads them to the main building of Stratoniki’s trader’s guild.

(Are there any bandits guarding the place? Yes, but they don’t seem to be very bright)
(Do they recognize Ion? Yes, they do)
(Are they hostile towards Ion? Yes, but that’s because they, as Callisto’s men, have always considered the Black Fist bandits to be inferior)

  • A <The bandits recognize Ion first, and unsheathe their swords in an open display of hostility>
  • B <Ion greets the bandits as if they were old friends of his, thus forcing them to drop their guard out of confusion>
  • B.R.O. = A

As Ion, Xena, and Gabrielle approach the entrance to the guild, the two burly bandits that were guarding the door immediately take out their swords in a display of authority.
B1: Well, well, well… if it isn’t the traitorous rat!

I: Oh, hello there, friends! Long-time no see!

B2: Friends? Ha! The boss will be proud when I hand her your head on a stick!

I: Whoa, whoa! No need for that! I come with good news!

B1: Good news, you say?

I: Yes! Excellent news! I’ve found some wealthy merchants who are more than interested in buying some of our goods…

B2: What goods? We have nothing in here. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

I: Oh, I’m sure you do. But please, here, let me introduce you to my friends… they come from… uhh…
Seeing Ion is hesitating, Xena steps forward and greets the two guards with an exaggerated flourish. Gabrielle follows cue. She then proceeds to address the guards with an exotic-sounding accent.


X: Greetings powerful warriors. I am Lena, merchant from the far-away sands, and this is my associate, Diana.

G: Greetings, oh powerful ones...
  • A <The bandits, seemingly impressed by the merchants, put their swords away, and tell the group to wait while one of them goes inside the building to call on the guild master>
  • B <The bandits are somewhat suspicious, and one of them starts questioning our disguised heroines, while the other one goes inside to call on another guard>
  • B.R.O. = A
Thinking they are in front of real merchants from a foreign land, the guards automatically put their swords away. Then, one of them enters the building to call on the guild master, while the other one stays by the door.
B2: You should’ve mentioned you were serious about this, rat. Very well, the guild master will see you shortly.

I: Thank you! I’ll make sure to talk highly of you to our boss.
With this, Ion, Xena, and Gabrielle manage to find a way to speak to Stratoniki’s guild master. Will they be able to find any useful information? Or, will they get into trouble for trying to uncover the secret behind the Orange Spring Barberry trade? Stay tuned for our next episode!

To be continued...
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I've been using for this session two custom-made dice I designed. One of them is an oracle die with symbols for a yes - yes, and - yes, but - no - no, and - no, but; the other one is a special A-B binary die, with 3 faces showing an A, and 3 faces showing a B.


These have made my Bivius games waaaay easier to play, not to mention they're super portable. I'll add a post on how I made these in the future.

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Comments

  1. Unknown4/20/2020

    I really hope you finish this. I’m interested in the bivius system but have never seen a completed session. I really wanna see one finished.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thredith Undómiel9/06/2020

      Oh, hey! I'll try to keep this game going. I may not have updated it in a while, but I haven't discarded it either! Thanks for the encouragement :)

      Delete

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