Exploring Kal-Arath - Episode 4 - The First Chamber

 Hi Everyone,

                     Here is episode four of  Mal-Shui's wanderings about Kal-Arath, the setting authored by Castle Grief. It does seem rather popular in YouTuber circles, and I can see why. 

Mal-Shui (PC) - Str = 1, Tou = 2, Agi = 1, Int = -1, Pre = 1

Male Human. Age = 24. Brown eyes and hair, 6'1" tall. Hp = 6 out of 7. Xp=0.

Equipment

Longsword, (Att +1, Dam +1), Staff, Dagger.

7 1/2 days' rations in a sack. Tarnak Berries (Sc=3),  Waterskin.

 Rough blue tunic, an animal fur cloak.

 Terradon Tooth necklace with Tribal Totem carving.

 Eggshell cooking bowl. Tinder and flint. 

Silver Coins = 4. Xp=0.

Threads

 1)S or G Village Member, 2)Wizard - Jis-Kel, 3)Treasure seekers,

 4)Khainar Yak Folk, 5)Yamil-Torl.

Yamil-Torl - Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1

Male Human. Age =34. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall

Hp.  = 4 out of 6. Xp=0.

Equipment

Sling, Staff, Club, (Att+0, Damage d6/disadvantage). Rough clothes. Silver Coins =0.

Threads

Previous Tribe members.

Episode 4 - The First Chamber 

 They step around the opening gingerly and look into the open space before them. When nothing charges at them, they move further into the opening space. They look around and see a rusty old machine of some sort and an old waterskin. They move further in so that they can see more of the chamber with their torch. Next, they see an abandoned helmet with dents in it and a burnt-out torch. Mal picks up the stump, and it crumbles in his hand, rotten. 

Mal tries the helmet on; it wobbles loosely, he puts it on Yamil, and it is solid. "It fits, at least we have found something of use in here," chuckles Yamil.

"It's been a while since anybody worked in here, but it may have had other uses," Mal said.

Yamil nodded, "Let's keep going a bit further at least."

"Right, lead on".

They moved onwards into the gloom, stepping over planks and pointed stones. The chamber bent round to the right. They saw a makeshift table with four plates on it. Six-foot-long timber beams and boards were stacked against the wall, ready for use.

A hole appeared in the left wall, but the chamber carried on curving to the right. "We might as well finish searching this part of the cave before we go anywhere else". suggested Yamil.

There were four rough cots in the corner; a leg had given way on one of them, giving it a decided droop. "It would get stuffy in here after a bit", said Yamil.

"Maybe that rusty thing helped somehow."

(Y Perception =5 + 5 =10).

As Yamil got closer to the beds, he saw a tiny gleam in the soil. He bent down and poked about with a twig, and out popped three silver coins. He rubbed off the dirt. 

"I cannot make out who's the Sultan on this, so it may be old. Did this fall out of his pouch, or did he bury it for safekeeping?"

Mal replied, "Well, we will never know if we don't look".

"Well, be careful of snakes and stuff in there".

(M Perception =1 and 1, Critical fail = Triggered a falling rock trap).

He grabbed the makeshift cot branches and dragged them to one side. As he did so, a slab on the wall started to move. He leapt to the side, narrowly missing injury.

(M Agility 5+5+1 = OK)

They propped the rock back up,  then he scraped the dirt with his sword, seeing if he could find any more depressions. 

He stopped when he heard a clink. Another silver coin. He kept searching, two more coins, then three coins, but no more under the bunk.

He held the torch while Yamil searched the next two areas. Nothing in the first, but twelve in the second. Mal had the final hunt around and came up with one gold coin.

"The fates are smiling on us today, Yamil"

 "Yes, we have not been forgotten, I will.."

Just then, it got noticeably dimmer. "The torch, all that waving about has loosened the bindings, grab the next one." 

He turned his back so Yamil could get at his straps, where he had looped them through. He felt the rough bark of the wood as it was taken out.

Yamil thrust it into the weakening flames until it caught alight."A close call, as I was saying, I will dance for the Gods tonight." 

The flames grew strong and steady.

"1 will join you in that dance, my friend", affirmed Mal, "But first, we have another tunnel, with the fates on our side," pointing into the blackness. 

"Then, let us not keep them waiting a moment longer".

The passageway veered 40 degrees to the right and was lower than the previous one, about 4 and a half feet. Occasionally, the rock ceiling would ping off Yamil's helmet when he grazed the roof. It curved to the right, then left.

About 60 paces into the tunnels, they came to a circular crossroads, one veering slightly to the left and two going east and southeast. The southeast one is curving back the way we came, or so we think.

Yamil pondered, "Which way should we go?"

             Entrance                    Mine Map 1.

End of part 4.

Please feel free to give me some feedback in the comments section below.

Notes: I rolled up the coins randomly for each bed. 

Mal-Shui (PC) - Str = 1, Tou = 2, Agi = 1, Int = -1, Pre = 1

Male Human. Age = 24. Brown eyes and hair, 6'1" tall. Hp = 6 out of 7. Xp=0.

Equipment

Longsword, (Att +1, Dam +1), Staff, Dagger.

7 1/2 days' rations in a sack. Tarnak Berries (Sc=3),  Waterskin.

 Rough blue tunic, an animal fur cloak.

 Terradon Tooth necklace with Tribal Totem carving.

 Eggshell cooking bowl. Tinder and flint. 2 Torches unlit, 1 just lit.

In pouch - Gold Coins = 1. Silver Coins = 10.

Threads

 1)Scaleel or Goritan Village Member, 2)Wizard - Jis-Kel, 3)Treasure seekers,

 4)Khainar Yak Folk, 5)Yamil-Torl.

Yamil-Torl - Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1

Male Human. Age =34. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall

Hp.  = 4 out of 6. Xp=0.

Equipment

Sling, Staff, Club, (Att+0, Damage d6/disadvantage). Rough clothes. Bronze helmet.

 Silver Coins in pouch = 15.

Threads

Previous Tribe members.

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2023 Castle Grief. Permission to copy for personal use.

Exploring Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.

Map 1a and Mine Map 1 Artwork (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.

I am using "Wilderness Encounters" from drivethruRPG.com. No copyright visible.

100 Items Found In An Abandoned Mine From (C) Copyright: the GM Mastery list.

Exploring Kal-Arath - Episode 3 - The Red Mountain

Hi Everyone,

                     Here is episode three of  Mal-Shui's wanderings about Kal-Arath, the setting authored by Castle Grief. It does seem rather popular in YouTuber circles, and I can see why. Easy game mechanics and interesting story generation.

Mal-Shui (PC) - Str = 1, Tou = 2, Agi = 1, Int = -1, Pre = 1

Male Human. Age = 24. Brown eyes and hair, 6'1" tall. Hp = 6 out of 7. Xp=0.

Equipment

Longsword, (Att +1, Dam +1), Staff, Dagger.

9 days' rations in a sack. Waterskin. Rough blue tunic, an animal fur

cloak. Terradon Tooth necklace with Tribal Totem carving. Tinder and flint. 

Silver Coins = 4. Xp=0.

Threads

 1)S or G Village Member, 2)Wizard -  , 3)Treasure seekers - 4)Ka Yak Folk.

,5)Yamil-Torl

Yamil-Torl - Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1

Male Human. Age =34. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall

Hp. Max = 6, Current = 4. Xp=0.

Equipment

Sling, Staff, Club, (Att+0, Damage d6/disadvantage). Rough clothes. Silver Coins =0.

Exploring Kal-Arath - Episode 3 - The Red Mountain

 At the sound of Yamil's voice, quiet as it was, the Eukarya's head swivels towards them, honey dribbling from its mouth, as its beak drops slightly to display an array of sharp teeth. It paused for a moment, displaying its dominance over us. Sensing our lack of threat and distance away from it, its head swivelled back to the bees. It had a few more slurps of honey, decided it had enough, gave us one more look and then gracefully moved away from us down the track.

 (? I had rolled friendly for its mood.) We breathed a sigh of relief, but did not move until it was out of sight.

Mel started, "So the stories the Yak folk told me around the fire were true then. I thought they were entertaining folk tales, but they were warnings being passed on down the years. I shall take more heed of those tales in the future. They called these the Red Mountains; now we know why."

"Ya, they were real enough to kill skinny folk like us with little trouble and then chop us into bite-sized pieces. It must have eaten a substantial meal recently."

They started a small fire, and deflected the swarm of bees away from the hive nest with the smoke, then helped themselves to some of the remaining honey that the Eukarya had left behind. After warming themselves for a while and drying their furs, they put the fire out and set out again, being more watchful of their surroundings this time.

The birds in the trees kept up a merry chorus, hooting and tweeting, flitting among the branches, but not too close to be worth taking aim at. The honey had boosted their spirits a bit, but the newfound dangers were always lingering at the back of their minds. They always checked for creatures before breaking cover and going into the open. It was slower, but safer.

They were approaching the point where the trees died out due to the altitude, and decided this would be a good place to stop for the night, still having cover, and the woodland was a good source of food. Mal decided he would forage for a bit while Yamil prepared the fire and made a rough lean-to shelter to block the wind and keep the two of them off the wet ground; that way, they would be warmer than just with a fire going. Yamil started gathering dead wood so they would not need to use the bundles they had made earlier.

 (I rolled a 3, so I called it half a ration for the short time of searching.)

Mal comes back to Yamil carrying some scruffy roots and tubers, "We struck lucky tonight".

Looking up, Yamil replied, "I don't think so, those won't go very far between the two of us."

"No, I don't mean these stringy things. I found a cave! " 

(I rolled 4 on the Point of Interest table.)

"What did you say!"

"It's either a cave entrance, an old abandoned mine shaft or something like that. We could be rich!. The entrance is all overgrown, about 8 feet high, with a gradual slope going down and then flat. I suppose there could be better, well-used entrances somewhere else. It was only because some Tarnak berries were growing through the other plants, and I bent down to pick them, that I found it.  It's not far from here, come and have a look. If nothing else, we should be dry tonight."

"Unless it's already got something living in it."

They walk over to the concealed entrance. "We can get in it easy enough, just hack a few plants out of the way"

"It would be best if we let them do their job of hiding the entrance and just squeeze past them without disturbance, if we can. We may want to come back here, and the less visible it is, the better."

"Ya, that's true. But, I want to get in there now".

"We might need rope later, but at least we can make a few crude torches from some branches. At least we would know more about it than we do now. There is a little stream around the rock, too."

"Let's get at it."

They fashioned four torches out of what was available in the area, not wanting to take too much time on the task. They lit the first one and poked it into the entrance, listening for any reaction from inside. Nothing. The entrance was four feet wide and four to five feet high, mainly limestone but with white veins going through it.

"It seems fine", said Mel.

 Yamil nodded, and Mel advanced into the opening. There was a small rodent nest at the entrance wall. Mel put the torch low to the ground, but he could not see any recent tracks or imprints of anything. They kept checking the ceiling for loose rocks or spiders, and movement on the ground for rats and the like.

The tunnel went straight forward into the mountain. They could only see about six feet in front of the torch. Yamil was using his staff as a probe on the floor, where there was room, but it was taking too long. "You go ahead with the staff and torch, if you see anything coming, you can either poke them or burn them, and I will have my sword ready".

"Ya, makes sense".

They swapped positions in a slightly wider spot and continued onwards into the blackness. They were coughing with the smoke, so if there was anything in there, it would know they were coming, the smoke would alert them too. "I should have brought my water bag with us. My throat is getting dry".

Mel looked back, and the entrance was no longer visible. He was not sure whether there was a faint breeze, as the cave's size kept changing.

Yamil pointed to the walls getting wider, "Maybe something up ahead". 

They advanced cautiously towards the opening....

End of part three.

The black dotted line shows the route Mal has taken. The cave is halfway up the mountain.

I have not rolled to see what they are facing myself yet. We will find out in the next episode.

Mal-Shui (PC) - Str = 1, Tou = 2, Agi = 1, Int = -1, Pre = 1

Male Human. Age = 24. Brown eyes and hair, 6'1" tall. Hp = 6 out of 7. Xp=0.

Equipment

Longsword, (Att +1, Dam +1), Staff, Dagger.

7 1/2 days' rations in a sack. Tarnak Berries (Sc=3),  Waterskin.

 Rough blue tunic, an animal fur

cloak. Terradon Tooth necklace with Tribal Totem carving. Tinder and flint. 

Silver Coins = 4. Xp=0.

Threads

 1)S or G Village Member, 2)Wizard -  , 3)Treasure seekers - 4)Ka Yak Folk.

,5)Yamil-Torl

Yamil-Torl - Str = 1, Tou = 1, Agi = -1, Int = 2, Presence = 1

Male Human. Age =34. Green eyes, Black hair.  5'11" tall

Hp.  = 4 out of 6. Xp=0.

Equipment

Sling, Staff, Club, (Att+0, Damage d6/disadvantage). Rough clothes. Silver Coins =0.

Regards,

Ivor Cogdell

Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2023 Castle Grief.

Permission to copy for personal use.

Map 1a Artwork and Exploring Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.

I am using "Wilderness Encounters" from drivethruRPG.com. No copyright visible.

Exploring Kal-Arath - Episode 2 - The Stranger - Updated

Hi everyone, 

                   Exploring Kal-Arath - Episode 2 - The Stranger

Mal-Shui - Strength = 1, Toughness = 2, Agility = 1, Intelligence = -1, Presence = 1

Male Human. Age =24. Brown eyes, 6'1" tall. Longsword, (Attack +1, Damage +1)

Hp. Max =7, Current =6.

Equipment

Longsword, Staff (Homebrew Item = Easy to find and make.) Dagger.

9 days' rations in a sack. Waterskin. Eggdhell cooking bowl, Rough blue tunic, an animal fur

cloak, Terradon Tooth necklace. Tinder and flint. Silver Coins = 4.

Day two - The weather is going to be stormy, with the wind coming from the south. Mel makes his farewells early after breakfast and is soon on his way. He enters a thick wooded area and loses the track. He has to hack his way through the brush, which is thick in places. Later, he is very pleased to come upon some more open ground that he can move through better and a small rocky stream, which gradually turns to the east and then back north again.

He sees a stout fellow emerge from the tree line, carrying a makeshift staff and a club. The figure comes towards him, limping slightly on his left leg. He stops a few paces to one side, "Can you spare some food ?"

Mal nods, "I am Mal-Shui,", he motioned towards a fallen tree lying among others that would shelter them slightly from the wind, "Let's get comfortable."

The stranger replies," Ya, I am Yamil-Torl, Chi...", he stutters, "Well," he paused, "I was chief of the Remiki clan, over in the hills.", pointing vaguely south-east.

Yamil-Torl - Strength = 1, Toughness = 1, Agility = -1, Intelligence = 2, Presence = 1

Male Human. Age =34. Brown eyes, 5'11" tall. Staff, Club, (Attack, Damage d6)

Hp. Max = 6, Current = 4.

Equipment

Club, sling, Staff (Homebrew Item = Easy to find and make.) 

Rough clothes. Silver Coins =0.

He continued over lunch, "I was challenged by one of the younger warriors of my tribe for leadership. He had some fancy new ideas about raiding other clans and gaining more power. I don't mind going raiding when there is a need for it, but not when the other clan has not done anything to deserve it. That's how your people and their people die for no reason. I am not a glory seeker who rushes headlong into battle just for the sake of it." 

Mal agreed, "You are a wise man, there are always hotheads who are only too willing to lead others into trouble. Let your mind be at peace, for that is not your worry now; you are free of them and their desires for riches and power. Others will see their folly in choosing a bad leader, and then they will depose him, or worse. For now, the Fates have decided to set you on another path, like myself", he drank from his waterskin and offered it to Yamil-Torl, "The saying is two are better than one when you are out on the grasslands, at least until we find another settlement? Agreed?"

"Ya, tis a good omen meeting you this day. Agreed. I will get wood for tonight."

They soon had two bundles of sticks tied with twigs and bushes. Mal topped up his waterskin, and they set off towards the rolling mountains about three miles away. The storm blew itself out, and the afternoon turned sunny, if not exactly warm, and their steady pace thawed them out. They did not make good time because of Yamil's wounded leg, slowing him down, but the staff helped.

Striding in the foothills of a nearby looming mountain, they came across a lone, large, mantis-like creature with yellow stripes on its abdomen and a smooth red skin on the rest of its body. The pair froze in their tracks.

 Yamil whispered, "Be very careful, it's an Eucarya, but I've never seen one that big before or marked like that. It can be deadly".

Photo by oktavianus mulyadi on Unsplash

It was eating some honey from a bee's nest formed in a large tree hollow, and the defending bee workers crawling over it and spraying acid at it did not seem to be bothering it in the least. Its slim, green tongue just kept whipping out and reaching deep into the honeycomb, searching out the syrupy liquid and occasionally changing its attack and caught a few more bees for variety.

      But at the sound of Yamil's voice, quiet as it had been, its large, pointed head swivels towards them, honey dribbling from its gaping mouth, as its beak drops slightly, to display a long double row of menacing, sharp teeth.

Mal-Shui - Str = 1, Tou = 2, Agi = 1, Int = -1, Pre =1.

Male Human. Age =24. Brown eyes, 6'1" tall. Longsword, (Attack +1, Damage +1)

Hp. Max =7, Current =6.

Equipment

Longsword, Staff (Homebrew Item = Easy to find and make.) Dagger.

9 days' rations in a sack. Waterskin. Rough blue tunic, an animal fur

cloak, Terradon Tooth necklace with Tribal Totem carving. Tinder and flint. 

Silver Coins = 4. Xp=0.

Story Threads

 1) Village Member,  2) Wizard - 3) Treasure seekers, 4)Ka Yak Folk. 5)Yamil-Torl.

End of part two.

(Apologies, the map is missing during edit.)

 

The villagers' tents are shown in black. SE from Mal's village is a river, fading into a marsh and further out, a long curving lake. The mountains are to the north-east of Mal's campsite in the hills. He got lost at the boundary and went NW when he thought he was going NE. The stream is curving to the right, between a few trees and then back north towards the plain to the north. He covered about six miles in eight hours, due to the storm's effects on him, before he met Yamil. 

Regards,

Ivor Cogdell

Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2023 Castle Grief.

Permission to copy for personal use.

Mantis Photo by oktavianus mulyadi on Unsplash

Map 1a Artwork and Exploring Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.

I am using "Wilderness Encounters" from drivethruRPG.com. No copyright visible.

 

Exploring Kal-Arath -SOLO RPG Actual Play - Character Creation and Episode 1 - First Blood. Updated.

 Hi Everyone,

                       I have just purchased the Kal-Arath compendium rules #1(Kal-Arath, The Valley of the Black Ziggurat, Lords of the Pit)  from Lulu.com, and this is my first solo mission, setting out into the world. I like it, I will be buying the supplements.

Episode 1 - First Blood.

Meet Mal-Shui, Our hero.

Mal-Shui - Strength = 1, Toughness = 2, Agility = 1, Intelligence = -1, Presence = 1

Male Human. Age =24. Brown eyes, 6'1" tall. Longsword, (Attack +1, Damage +1)

Hp. Max =7, Current =6.

Equipment

Longsword, Staff (Homebrew Item = Easy to find and make.) Dagger.

5 days' rations in a sack. Waterskin. Rough blue tunic, an animal fur

cloak, tinder and flint. Silver Coins = 4.

Game Mechanics

Resolution=2d6+STAT.

8+= Standard success.

If the task is very difficult = roll 2d6 and pick the lowest.

Two 6's= Critical Success. Two 1's= Critical failure.

Initiative = d6+ADI. 4+ They go first.

Range Attack= 2d6+agi>8.

Melee Attack=2d6+str +(Longsword+1)>8

Encumbrance = 9 items.

Episode 1 - First Blood. You are in your home village of Scaleel, a small, depressing village in the middle of the grasslands, which is in decline. It is on high ground at the edge of a marsh. They sell dried Besa fish to traders and travellers who go to and from Gozami, the nearest town to the west. You have heard from travellers that the mighty city of Thraz is somewhere far to the east.

 Your goal in life is to join the famed  Black Legion by winning in the fighting Pits in Thraz. You have made up your mind that you are not going to wait around any longer. Today, you are actually going to do it. You say farewell to your friends in the village and set out on your long journey.

Season - Autumn. Weather - Early snow flurries. 

You make time plodding along the track at the side of the local marsh, where you have fished your whole life. An hour into your travel, you see a wizard, Jis-Kel, probably coming from the next village over, Goritan to the east, but he missed the usual path. He is friendly, and I confirm the path back to Scaleel for him. He thanks me and starts on his way. I skirt the main body of water ahead and head NE.

             I meet a party of treasure seekers, who nod to me as they pass by (roll neutral in motives). They do not seem to be in the mood to chat, so I do not enquire what lies ahead. Later, I pass into hillier foothills and stop for a break, where I would normally have a good view of the surrounding area, if the snow-filled clouds would lift a bit. I gather some branches off some dry bushes and break them up into a bundle, just in case there is nothing where I have to make camp.

            I meet some Khainar yak herders coming down from the higher plains, dressed in bright headscarves. I mentioned a few minutes ago that I had seen a terradun nesting on the cliff ledge, which would be too fearsome to attack alone, but together we can take it down. We discuss the problem and decide to shoot it at range from the clifftop, and I will dispatch it, if needed, with my sword.

Terradum =19 HP.  

We sneak up to the cliff edge and the archers loose off a volley of arrows. (A sneak attack.) The archers are very good; 4 shots hit it (attack rolls 9, 9, 4, 8, 10 = 14-4 tough hide damage =10, 9 hp left).

  It cannot fly, and it is mortally wounded. I climb down a rope to finish it off, along with the chicks. I slip partwaydown and get friction burns on my hands. (=1hp  damage). I land on the 15-foot-wide ledge, covered with scattered bones of its previous meals.

(Initiative 6+1=7 - Mal Gains initiative.) 

It lunges down at me with its beak, but I can tell that it is weak through its wounds. It tries to peck me again, I bat the beak away again with my sword, and I slash at its throat.

(13, hit = Damage Exploding 6+6 -1  hide =11 damage, = -2 hp, Roll 9 on death table = automatically stunned, helpless).

The resulting wound sprays an arc of blood, and it gives out a gurgling cry. I stand back and let the blood loss do its work. It is soon dead, and the chicks are covered in their mother's blood. I dispatch them with a quick twist of their necks.

 Then we haul up the carcass, the chicks and the egg in a sack. Then break out the firewood to have a feast. I have now bonded with the Kainar tribesfolk. They give me a Terradon tooth on a necklace with the tribal symbol carved on it. They tell tall tales of giant red and yellow stick beasts which hunt lone travellers who dare go into the Red Mountains. 

They sing the praises of the plains and the joys of the simple life. Mal replied that he wanted to see some of the world before he settled down with a family. They laughed and agreed that is a good idea. I salute their brave warriors. I gain 6 rations from the feast, together with part of an egg shell to use as a cooking bowl. I now have 9 rations in total. We dance long into the night, as it is not often that a Terradum is killed, so to get four in one go is a great achievement. We have no night encounters. 

 The end of day 1.

Map 1a- Day 1.     Scale: 1 hex= 6 miles.

Mal's home village is on the left edge. Mal foraged in the first marsh hex to the east and found nothing apart from the wizard and the treasure seekers. NE is the hills with the Yak folk. Mal has covered about 15 miles and eaten 2 rations on the move.

.

I am using "Wilderness Encounters" from drivethruRPG.com to give me more setting information.

There is more to come in episodes 2 - 5 (with episode 6 in draft).

Regards all,

Ivor Cogdell

Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2023 Castle Grief.

Permission to copy for personal use.

Terradon pictures (C) Copyright? Meta.AI.

"The Warrior" Artwork # 0276 (C) Copyright 19 May 2008 Ivor Cogdell.

Map 1a Artwork and Exploring Kal-Arath (C) Copyright 2026 Ivor Cogdell.