The itinerant Wheel of Fortune - Tyche is happy
by Pol GinésFrom my campaign last weekend.
The PCs (3rd level Klantyrian fighter, 4 th level Caurenzan young magic-user, 4th level, Belcadiz elf-lady, 5th level Aalbanese thief-lady, 4th level Aalbanese warrior, and a 6th level sprite) are riding fast from Corunglain to Darokin City through the magnificent and secure road, may be the best in the Known World. They have been a week in Corunglain recovering from a hard winter journey through the Broken Lands. Now they are in a hurry to arrive to Darokin.
Far in the road, they see a strange group. A real big cart with 6 wheels, three of them are magical square wheels. Six Ethengarian yaks are pulling the cart. Riding the cart, an old woman dressed in black, hooded and veiled; and besides her a cheerful man in colourful garment. With them, riding warhorses, two impressive warriors in platemail. One side of the cart depicts the symbol of two faces (one sad, one happy); the other side, the symbol of an old woman in black.
And strongly nailed to the heavy and slow cart, a big Wheel of Fortune (in Companion rules it is a fixed object).
Well, this is an itinerant ministry of two clerics of Immortals Tyche (the man with colourful garment) and Skuld (the silent old women is one of her priestesses; every night they politely discuss about theology and human nature and acceptance of fate).
Tyche is an Immortal of Luck. Skuld is an immortal of Fate. This is a joint-venture! The Immortals have provided their clerics with this portable Wheel of Fortune. They are high-level, and so are their paladins, and quite able of protect the Wheel. The man preaches and sings about the changing nature of luck, fortune, fate and the world; about destiny and resignation. He invites heroes to try their luck.
The Klantyrian fighter (INT 8) tried it very willingly. And repeats. And repeats. And repeats. And repeats. And repeats. He lost all his non-magical items, his short bastardsword+2, his potion of haste, 2 permanent points of Strength (from 16 to 14, ouch) and 1 permanent point of Constitution (from 16 to 15, ouch).
The Caurenzan wizard tried just once... because he fell dead at the first try! Fulminating!
The thief-lady was smiled by Tyche and fortune: a 5.000 gp worth brooch magically appeared at her pocket.
The sprite and the elf lady did nothing but meditate about human silliness. (The sprite felt uncomfortable with those Immortal signs).
Of course, the unfortunate warrior wanted to attack the Fortune Preachers, but the party didn't let him. They took the dead wizard with them and rode to Darokin.
Players had GREAT FUN risking with the Wheel... or watching their friend risking!!! Lots of laugh! I recommend it to you. The brooch was spent to buy the "raise dead" for their companion and they lost a big amount of money (about 9.000 gp) in buying another +2 short bastard sword (this is Darokin City, you can buy anything). They are quite penniless now. They will work for food. The 5.000 XP of this adventure (for obtaining the brooch) made two of them rise 1 level so players are not very angry.
[About "raise dead" in my campaign: you can be raised only one-third your Constitution: so, if you have CON 13, you can be raised only 4 times; by "Wish" you can be raised additional 4 times, but wishes are very difficult to obtain. When adventurers feel they have arrived to the limit they retire home with their remaining treasures].
I plan the PCs to meet with the Fortune Wheel and their keepers some other times. Eventually the characters will try to attack them or steal them the Wheel... but the preaching team is high level and they have some hidden tricks.
Tyche is happy: people takes risks, and things happen!