Summer Lego RPG Setting Jam: The Drakonomachy

Thousand Lakes is home to sturdy Barbarians who shun arcane magic, trusting the strength of ships and steel. It's also home to Dragons who prey on the magically deficient swamp dwellers, extorting tribute and destroying those who resist.

The coastal Jarl Kaarlo Bogiron refuses to pay the Dragons' tithe of gold and blood. He defies the power of the Drakes from his island fortress in the estuary beyond the river Sprat. The engineer Arto Shornhand, builder of ships and siege weapons, equips the Jarl's forces with weapons capable of challenging the flying beasts. Warriors flock to the Jarl's banner, while Dragon cultists fete the great Worms who oppose him.

THE ESTUARY

An estuary is a place where fresh water from an inland river meets salt water from the ocean. The river Sprat flows east from the mainland and out through three islands. The two northern islands are controlled by the Dragons and their allies, the southern island is controlled by Kaarlo Bogiron and his warriors. Each hex is two miles across. 

 

If an encounter is rolled on land or sea, there's a 25% chance of another encounter, working together with or fighting the first one.

WATER ENCOUNTERS

When a random encounter occurs at sea, roll a D8:

1. One of Kaarlo's Artillery Ships
2. Longship transporting goods, carrying reinforcements, fishing or whaling.
3. The Midgard Sea Dragon in deep water, nothing in shallow water.
4. D2 Wyverns
5. A flying Dragon (D3 for which one)
6. Shipload of Dragon Cultists

The fresh water of the light blue hexes is too shallow for the Sea Dragon, which prefers deeper salt water. Boats in these hexes are immune to underwater attack. Dragons and Wyverns don't attack targets protected by artillery unless they have infantry support or a method of covering their approach.

7016 Viking Boat against the Wyvern Dragon

LAND ENCOUNTERS

On Dragon controlled islands (the north two) use this table:

1. Flying Dragon (roll a D3)
2. 3D10 Dragon Cultists (Brigwid and Fenris Wolf present if a 10 is rolled) patrolling.
3. Dragon and 3D10 Dragon Cultists, ritually sacrificing D6 captives
4. D2 Wyverns hunting for food.
5. D4 Fenris Wolves patrolling.
6. 3D10 of Bogiron's Warriors, stealthily scouting and measuring distances for artillery.

On the southern island use this table.

1. 3D10 Dragon Cultists and D4-2 Fenris Wolves, scouting and looking for victims to kidnap.
2. 3D10 of Bogiron's Warriors, patrolling. Huscarl present if a 10 is rolled.
3. Artillery team, relocating or digging in or test firing their weapon.
4. D2 Wyverns hunting for easy meat.
5. Dragon (roll a D3) looking for prey not protected by artillery emplacements.
6. Dragon, 3D10 Cultists and D4 Fenris Wolves, mounting a combined arms assault.

When raiders are present (Cultists or Warriors on the opponent's island) there's a longboat on shore, dragged up the beach and hidden.

KEY

1, 2: Sparsely wooded mountains with rocky beaches. Fafnir roosts here in rough dolmen of stone along with 2 Wyverns. Hoard 99,70 SP in coin and jewelry, 75% chance that Fafnir and each Wyvern are present.

2, 1: Active volcano, smoke sulfur and red glow. Nidhogg roosts on a steep cliff amid the fumes and heat along with 2 Wyverns, 75% chance he and each Wyvern are present guarding his hoard of 21,983 SP in gold and gems.

2, 2: Fortified camp in mountains looking down over natural harbor. Earthworks and piled rock with minimal wood. Drystone buildings. Former roost of Krukis. 10D10 Cultists, 2D6 Fenris Wolves and 50% chance of Brigwid present.

2, 4: Pillowy basalt mountains slope down to pebbly beach. Sea cave had shrine to Nereids but was destroyed by Dragon raid. A group of 2D6 Warriors transmuted into Blue Dracospawn by eating Krukis' flesh hide there now despite attempts by the Jarl to eradicate them. They fear torture by those assuming they know where Krukis' hoard is hidden.

3, 2: Submerged vale amid craggy granite plutons. Ofnir lairs in half-flooded cave 75% of the time with her hoard of 105,700 SP and scrolls of entangle, detect danger, transmute rock to mud (mud to rock), speak with plants, heat metal, detect magic (c), speak with animals, bless (blight), cure disease (cause disease), neutralize poison, glamour, time flow, hallucinatory terrain, auditory illusion, veil of abandonment, read languages, read magic, wizard lock, esp, read magic. She can't read them but refuses to share with those who can.

3, 4: Cliffside fort bristling with artillery, decorated with scales and bones of Krukis the Blue Dragon. Wooden walls covered with wet hides and sod. 15D10 Warriors present along with another 20D10 siege engineers, laborers and camp followers. Forge fabricating metal components. 50% chance each of Bogiron and Shornhand, 25% chance of each Huscarl. Guarded treasury holds 16,600 SP. Trail down through mountains leads to 3,5.

7019: Viking Fortress against the Fafnir Dragon

3, 5: Fortified camp and natural harbor, sandy beach with hasty rock pilings for ships. 10D10 Warriors and 15D10 engineers, laborers and camp followers. Artillery but not as impressive as 3,4. D4-1 Artillery Ships on beach or floating in bay along with D6-1 Longships and more under construction on shore and 25% chance of each Hucsarl. Food and raw materials brought in here. Trail up through mountains leads to 3,4.

4, 4: Hilly forests logged by Bogiron's men to make boats, forts and artillery. 2D10 Warriors and 5D10 laborers and a single Artillery piece by day. Just the patrol by night.

4, 5: Woods guarded by a skirmishing party of 2D10 Warriors. The pit where they burned Krukis' offal is here, the Barbs keep an eye on it to catch cultists digging for scraps.

5, 2: Small rocky island is surface superstructure of seamount with underwater cave system. Runic stones and sacrificial slab commemorate offerings to Midgard who dwells in flooded tunnels beneath along with his 68,000 SP in assorted treasure (present 50% of the time).

LAKEMEN

The Lakemen number 160 Warriors and 165 supporting characters (family, servants, skilled laborers, slaves), with more trickling in every time a Longship arrives at 3,5. They're building more ships and more catapults, with the eventual goal of forcing a landing on the islands to the north and attacking the Dragons in their lairs. In battle they can deploy 160 Warriors, four Huscarls, eight Artillery pieces, three Artillery Ships, and between three and twelve Longships depending on how many mercenary captains are present.

Jarl Kaarlo Bogiron

Kaarlo Bogiron the Level 8 Barbarian is a swamp chief with an eye for talent. When Arno Shornhand demonstrated his new technique for forging steel springs, the Jarl spent every silver he had on dragonslaying artillery. Slaying the Blue Dragon Krukis raised his profile and opened up new lines of credit with the prospect of draconic treasure as repayment. He's now heavily in debt and needs the Dragon hoards just to break even. But he's not in it for the money. He hates the Dragons and would love to be the man who kills them all.

 

Arto Shornhand

Crippled siege engineer Arto Shornhand supervises construction and deployment of the Jarl's siege engines. Through the teachings of Logic and The Strong Man he tries to replicate the destructive power of spells using only mundane physics. His ability to coax striking power out of timber, stone and metal borders on the supernatural. He depends heavily on his body servant and bodyguard Eucalypta the Level 3 Elf for his basic needs. Her people are slaughtered or fervently worshiped as devils in Lakeland, but Kaarlo had the last two guys who attacked her beheaded and the rest have got the message.

Warriors

Bogiron's warriors are a mix of his own Thanes and a horde of itinerant Lakemen attracted by the prospect of gold and glory. Some are disappointed to learn that "dragonslaying" means moving heavy objects around and other manual labor to keep the artillery functioning. The free beer helps, as does the promise of dragon treasure shares on ultimate victory. Either way they are statted as Barbarians per the Monster Overhaul and can use Feats of Strength. In combat their job is to keep Draconic ground forces away from the Artillery, pelt low flying Dragons with missile weapons (dragons close enough to use breath weapons are within bowshot) and hack apart lizards brought down by the big guns.

Huscarls

Bogiron has four house guards he trusts to lead the rest of the Barbs in battle, and to captain his ships. Level 4 Barbarians who understand the basics of combined arms warfare and managing large groups of inebriated savages.

• Ideria speaks to animals, who hate humans but hate Dragons more and can be bribed with food.
  
• Thrathavur is given to idle talk and lies, but enemies always hesitate when facing him.
  
• Hranweir is dyed bright blue head to toe, and is never surprised.
  
• Omoyala looks slow-witted but can predict the weather. 
  

The Huscarls are paranoid about sabotage of the Artillery by servants of the Dragons. Newcomers to the region are interrogated about their intentions and brought to the fort at 3, 4 for judgement by the Jarl.

Artillery

The Men of Lake have always been good engineers, building trebuchets and ballista and other contraptions for outputting massive structural damage without gunpowder. Arto added a new sighting mechanism that lets siege weapons target flying foes: A simple series of rings and wires that let the user aim at a moving aerial target whose range, speed and direction are known. New gunners use little slates with tables showing the size of dragons at various distances. Experienced crews just eyeball it. 

7020: Army of Vikings with Heavy Artillery Wagon

Arto's siege engines are mounted two to a carriage. He got the idea from an Orc who carried a two-barreled musket. It makes the designs more complicated and requires extra manpower to move and operate, but having a backup shot stops a dragon from immediately attacking if the first shot misses.

Artillery pieces take at least two crew to operate, but only fire at full speed with ten or more operators. They can hit a flying target at a range of one mile, meaning a piece at the center of a hex can hit anything flying in that hex. They far outrange the breath weapons of dragons.

Longships

The Longships don't belong to the Jarl, they're owned by raiders volunteering their vessels to the cause in order to get a share of the treasure. A Longship carries 15+2D10 Warriors and 20+2D10 assorted sailors. They haul supplies and reinforcements from the mainland, plus food from the sea in the form of whales, seals and fish. They're equipped with bows and hand weapons but no artillery to fend off Dragons. The Jarl supports them with better armed ships whenever possible, but he doesn't have the coverage necessary to protect the whole fleet.

 

Some Longship captains:

• Haapala Berg, coastal reaver dying of an incurable curse, wants to die in battle before that.
• Histobar Joutsen, hates collaborators more than Dragons, sadistic but has a sense of humor.
• Petteri Goldhand, skilled whaler but hates the smell of oil, just in it for the gold.
  

Use the Pirate stat block for these guys.

Artillery Ships

The Frying Lotus, the House of God and the Floating Tomb. These three Longships are the personal property of the Jarl and are all business all the time, captained by a Huscarl and crewed by 20+2D10 Warriors. They each carry a catapult or ballista made by Shornhand. The weapons are mounted with cradles of springs and rotating discs, which keep them stable even in uneven waters. Bogiron uses them to protect the other boats, and to harass the Dragons at home - or bombard the cultists in their fortified camp. They carry barrels of flammable oil to deter attacks by Midgard.

 

Thralls

The Jarl promised to free all his slaves once the Dragons are dead. Many of the Warriors fighting under his banner brought their own thralls and made no such promise to them. It's already a source of tension. The Dragon Cult gives anyone who defects their freedom, unless they're in dire need of sacrifices that day. Some slaves you might encounter:

• Marjii (Margery): Literate, appointment keeper to someone important, always clean.
• Nakki (Neobabel): Super strongman, hates violence. Good with kids.
• Lahti (al-Lat): Twitchy, rebellious. Will join the Dragons if given an opportunity.
• Alko (Arturo): One armed Dwarf. Feared and hated, skilled. Observant, hidden dagger.
  

7018: Viking Ship challenges the Midgard Serpent

WORMS

The Worms are a loose coalition of Dragons and their servants, united to punish the Lakemen and kill the Jarl. Their plan is to overhwelm Bogiron's troops with a combined arms attack that disables the artillery first, allowing the Dragons to run riot with their breath weapons. It hasn't happened yet because the Dragons don't want to risk their own lives on a goal that benefits the collective, and they don't have enough ground forces to remove the threat guaranteed. Their forces number three Dragons and one Sea Dragon, 102 Cultists, three Ships, four Wyverns and sixteen Fenris Wolves.

 

DRAGONS

The Dragons are here because a Dragon was killed by humans, and in Thousand Lakes that's an insult that must be avenged to stop the groundlings from getting ideas. They don't like working together and are bad at planning combined arms operations, although individually each one is clever enough to devise a good scheme.

 

Black Ofnir
Black Dragon Ofnir is surly and violent, jealous of her solitude and not interested in socializing with other Dragons. She's also the most ideologically committed to the eradication of the Jarl and his servitors. She accepts worship from the Cultists at a distance. They leave her treats and then leave before she gets there.

Ofnir's skin shines with natural armor plating, enormous growths on her head, limbs and back. She can't speak any human languages although she can understand them.

 

Fafnir the Greedy Gut

The Green Dragon Fafnir is increasingly dubious about the whole thing. He's risking his life and hoard to avenge the memory of some idiot who should have known better. Yes it's important to teach the humans a lesson, but can't some other idiot do it? He's still here because the other Dragons might leave if he turns and runs.

Fafnir's horns and wing membranes are a lovely fleshy red color. He can speak human languages and cast Continual Light, Detect Invisible, Detect Magic, Floating Disc, Read Languages, Wizard Lock.

7021: Viking Double Catapult vs. the Armored Ofnir Dragon

 

Midgard of the World Stream

Sea Dragon Midgard is the only Dragon native to the Estuary. He used to extort passing ships for treats, now the ships fight back with spears and fire that burns underwater. He obeys the older dragons like a well behaved but slow witted child obeys an older sibling after they're abandoned by their parents. He can escape almost any combat situation by diving underwater, but is easily drawn into traps if there's food or treasure. 

Midgard is green with red eyes. He can't speak any human language but can understand speech.

 

Nidhogg Sweetembers

Nidhogg Sweetembers the Young Red Dragon is here because it's fun. Cracking the human stronghold is a game, not a job he undertakes out of obligation. He's brave and loves playing with his food, and has almost died a couple times because he pressed an attack he shouldn't have. He likes the other two Dragons and doesn't want the war to end, because everyone will go home to their permanent caves.

Nidhog's wings look like nectarines, yellow and orange and red. He can speak human languages intelligibly and knows the spells ESP, Hold Person, Lightning Bolt, Magic Missile, Protection From Good, Read Magic, Shield, Web, Wizard Lock.

Thundering Krukis 

Krukis the arrogant Blue Dragon is dead, shot by a ballista bolt and then hacked to pieces where he fell. His death is what brought the other Dragons to fight the war. Nobody knows where his hoard was or if it's already been looted.

The Jarl decreed the death penalty for anyone who tasted Krukis' flesh, afraid that his Warriors would be corrupted and become monstrous cultists if they ate the beast in hopes of gaining its power. He took the scales and bones and burned the rest.

7017 Viking Catapult versus the Nidhogg Dragon

DRAGON CULT

The Dragon Cult are human and occasionally demihuman worshipers of Dragons. Some are sincerely religious, others want to be on the winning team. They sacrifice people and treasure to the Worms and fight alongside them in battle. There are 112 Cultists altogether. Their numbers are holding steady, the Jarl's ships are good at interdicting their reinforcements from the mainland.

Brigwid Badthing

Brigwid is the human leader of the cult. A runaway slave, she vastly prefers serving Dragons to humans. She walks with a limp where the tendon in her leg was cut and wears a huge hood shaped like a dragon head, which lets the Dragons pick her out of a crowd and prevents them reflexively eating her. She casts as a fifth level Druid with entangle, locate plant or animal, heat metal, produce flame, protection from poison, cure serious wounds (cause serious wounds) memorized. The Fenris Wolves love her.

Cultists

A mix of escaped slaves, warriors, religious fanatics, and demihumans seeking shelter from the virulent racism of the Lakemen. They paint themselves green, blue, black and red using dye made from local plants. They fight as Barbarians per Monster Overhaul, but instead of Feats of Strength they get Cultist Blights. When led by a Dragon their morale is unbreakable. Led by Brigwid they're not as brave but get a +1 to Hit, Damage and Saves thanks to her leadership. If they outnumber enemies they try to take them alive for sacrifice.

Cult Ships

The three Cultist longships are smaller than their counterparts in Bogiron's fleet, carrying only 20+2D10 Cultists. They have two crude chemical weapons, supplied by their Draconic masters and launched from a pressurized tube at close range via a set of bellows: 

• Napalm made from Nidhogg's fiery drool.
• Chlorine gas dribbled by Fafnir (the crew wear wet rags over their mouths)

In a straight fight with an Artillery ship they either run away or try to close the distance as fast as possible. In a combined arms fight they attack at the same time as their Draconic counterparts, forcing the gunners to divide their fire.

FENRIS WOLVES

Fenris Wolves are Draconic experiments in animal breeding and Dragon blood enhancement. These sixteen beasts recognize anything with Dragon blood as an ally, the drakes anoint the cultists with blood so the Wolves won't eat them. They can swim adequately and jump twice as high as a normal dog, but not climb or open doors. Stats as Wolves but with the multiple attacks of a Bear and 50% resistance to elemental damage.

7015 Viking Warrior Challenges the Fenris Wolf

WYVERNS

Four Wyverns serve the Dragons, out of fear and the promise of food. They're smart enough to understand orders but bad at delaying gratification. Between the Dragons and Wolves they have to fight for every scrap of food they get, which makes them bold and stupid. They don't particularly like their masters and might even betray them if offered a better deal, though they'd just as soon stab their new "allies" in the back.

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

The players are here...

• To enact a cunning plan that will let the Lakemen slay the Dragons.
• To sabotage the Lakemen's Artillery so the Dragons can destroy them.
• To steal the Dragon treasure before the Lakemen get it.
• Just passing through, when they get conscripted by one side or the other.
• Because they're thralls of the Jarl, promised their freedom if their suicide mission succeeds.
• Because they're thralls who just killed their master at sea. They took over his boat and now they can decide which side to support.

THE MAKING OF

I heard about the Summer Lego RPG Setting Jam too late to enter. You can read the finished entries here. The other medieval themes were pretty well explored but I didn't see anyone do the Vikings. I think 7018 was the last Lego set I ever got, back in middle school. I remember using it in a big Brikwars naval battle where it got torpedoed by a cool midget submarine.

The last Why Are You Here premise is based on Wolves Upon the Coast by Like Gearing. I used the Monster Overhaul to populate NPCs.