Untamed Lands Session #1 - and Divine vs. Occult Magic

 My Untamed Lands campaign  - a bronze age, near-eastern inspired spin on Keep on the Borderlands - is officially underway. Our first proper session was a blast, and my first time running a hexcrawl since I was a kid. It was a lot of prep starting out, but wound up being fun to do. 

This campaign has also offered me an opportunity to put into practice some thoughts I've had for years about how to better differentiate divine and arcane (or as I like to call, it, occult) magic. Our first session happened to put these issues right on the forefront.

Session 1: A Deal With the Dust Witch

10th of Hadad - 12th of Hadad, Year 619 (After the Flood)

After their first, violent introduction to the region in Session 0, the party entered the Olamite outpost - only to find right at the entrance, hanging from a low tree - was the rotting corpse of a naked man with the the symbol of a sorcerer branded onto his forehead. The followers of Ninta do not tolerate dark magic, it seems. Luckily no one in the party practices such magic (yet).

The party spent some time wandering the outpost. Amongst other people, they met Alam, a strangely upbeat traveling cleric of Has, god of Silence and his two strange acolytes - who seems determined to find the caves of Mumtal himself and has offered to join the party in exploring them if they manage to find the place. They also learned of a bounty on the head of every bandit in the region - a large one on the head of their leader. And while drinking some cheap wine at the local inn, they heard rumors of disappearances amongst the local goat-herders.

They set out to speak to one of the goat-herders to learn more. He told them a girl had recently gone out to seek her lost brother, only to find him far to the north, walking in a daze, unresponsive, with strange flowers covering him. When she tried to call to him, he ignored her. The girl later drowned herself.

The path the party took; first north, then east.
Map drawn using Hexmtl

They began to head north, but along the way came across some old engravings in a standing stone that make mention of a temple that will rise "When the God-Grub awakens". Fascinated, they were drawn east by pure curiosity, whereupon they met a strange witch calling herself Majda (known to locals as the Dust Witch); who lives in a home hidden in a copse of gnarled olive trees.

Majda attempted to lure Ram to steal his heart (after he promised her a gift if she lets him pass through her lands), but when his companions joined him, she made a deal with them: if they can recover a spell tablet for her, buried in a swamp to the east, and guarded by strange creatures - and bring it back to her by the end of the calendar year, in just under 3 months - she will consider their debt paid. The party agreed, and set out east. 

They made it all the way to the river, when they were beset upon by some vulture-heads (one of whom they met last session). They killed most - and the rest ran away. Tying one up whom was left alive, they decided to bring him back to Majda, hoping for a better deal. 

The Magic Circle by John William Waterhouse

Magic from the Gods - and Stolen Magic

When prepping this campaign I knew I wanted to make Clerics feel more sharply different from Magic-Users. Here are a few guidelines I made for this:

  1. Magic belongs to the gods. They sometimes bestow it upon chosen holy warriors. The stronger the bond between a priest and their god - the more powerful their magic. Therefore, the spellcasting ability for clerics is Charisma.
  2. Some people steal magic from the gods - this is the secret magic, the occult magic. They do this by communing with demons or spirits, by seeking out forbidden texts, by going to ancient, forgotten places of power. Such magic is frowned upon by many - and feared by all.
  3. Divine magic is prepared through prayer and sacrifice (usually at dawn, but depends on the god)
  4. Occult magic is prepared through reciting spellwords and preparing components. This is done at night - when the gods are asleep.
  5. All magic can be empowered through rituals: these require sacrifices, building a shrine, holy missions (for divine magic); or rare material components, missions on behalf of demons, painting arcane marks in ancient places of power (for occult magic).
  6. Every (magical) divine prayer is associated with one particular god who grants its power. If one displeases said god - they may no longer be able to cast said prayer, or it may backfire.
  7. Occult magic is chaotic at its core. When it backfires - it is dangerous. 
  8. Divine magic can be learned at temples, new prayers taught to devoted followers, or those who fulfill tasks on behalf of the temple.
  9. Occult magic has to be sought out. It is found in hidden and ancient places, or taught directly by other witches and sorcerers; or by demons - whom will only teach their spells for a hefty price.

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