The Etemmu Within - Episode 3A: Death on the Purattu

This post continues my examination of how the classic WFRP campaign, The Enemy Within, can be re-skinned to be played in Mythic Babylon. This study was adapted from the first edition of Death on the Reik, published by Games Workshop and written by Phil Gallagher, Jim Bambra, and Graeme Davis, This edition can be found for sale by Cubicle 7 . Mythic Babylon is published by The Design Mechanism.

When we last saw our PCs, they were hightailing it out of Bad-Tibira, having been blamed for a series of fires in the city and possibly having foiled a ritual by Nergal cultists to raise the dead (all of them!) for a day.

During the course of that adventure, they picked up one key lead to future adventure – a letter from a certain Aruru-Harug to Samuh-Tammuz, the cult leader in Bad-Tibira:

To the Captain of the Crucible of Life, thus says Aruru-Harug:

I have received your gift of strong copper crucibles and will put them to good use. But I am unable to supply you with the product that you have requested. For one, it seems our lords have parted paths; who once were twins are now adversaries for the heart of Arali, and the Red Crown has it's own concerns in The Land. It would be unseemly for me to assist you.

Even were I willing, the Well of Damu has been overrun by Suteans and I am unable to approach. I must seek Mutebal allies in Dilbat before I can return. I have also had to turn down your divine sister in E-Sebittu (The House of the Seven.)

In gratitude for your gift, I send a fine wool garment from Dibat, and a box of candied locusts. May we speak again after the nuptials.

This letter is one of the few clues to PCs have to go on for further adventure, but it should point them upriver to the city of Dibat, at the very least. The City of Dilbat is located just south of Babylon on the Purattu (Euphrates) River. The Suteans are a nomad tribe of the western desert, and it may well be inferred that the Well of Damu (Well of Blood) is one of their oases. The Mutebal are their Amorite rivals in the Dilbat area. The name Aruru-Harug (“Aruru May Increase!”) references Aruru, is an obscure birth goddess of fierce and frightening aspect. It is probably an adopted name. The reference to the separation of twins is a reference to the new rivalry between Nergal and Erra, and 'nuptials' to the hoped-for marriage of one of them to Ereshkigal. This could be elaborated on should the PCs seek a prophet or diviner. Mention of Red Crown and the House of Seven will likely provoke some curiosity, and will be dealt with in the next instalment of this series.

MESSING ABOUT ON THE RIVER

Armed with the letter above, the PCs decide to head north to Dilbat to investigate. If they have a boat, they will most likely take the Iturungal Canal northward toward Zabala and Nibbur, or westward to Larsa, and then up the Euphrates to Uruk, Isin, and Marad. The encounters below assume the western route, but GMs should feel free to relocate them as needed to suit whichever route the PCs eventually take.

A Ripple on the Stream

If the PCs left Bad-Tibira by foot, then this is a useful early encounter, as it can provide them with a boat.. If they already have a boat or are still travelling with Gishbare, this encounter can be run anywhere.

While walking on a reed-choked path close to the Iturungal Canal, the PCs hear a commotion from nearby, and some cries for help. A dying boat-hauler stumbles from the reeds, his clothes soaked with blood and his arm mangled. He pleads with the PCs for help for his crew before collapsing in death. Investigating the PCs find a river barge on the shore in the reeds, it's crew being attacked by a pair of Mušhuššu. The PCs chase off the dragons and find there is very little left of the crew.

One dying trader, clutching a gored belly, asks the PCs to take news of his death to his mother in Kutalla, along with the cargo of fish oil, turtle eggs, and other delicacies and medicines from the southern marshes. He then gasps his last breath and the PCs find himself with a boat and a reasonably lucrative cargo. If the PCs do not respect is last wishes, they will likely find themselves haunted by an etemmu! Among his possessions are his cylinder seal (his name is Erah-gamil) and a bill of lading identifying the cargo, taxes paid along the way, and the name of the cargo's owner, his mother Rapi-Hayyatum, in Kutalla.

ENCOUNTERS ON THE RIVER

The Murex Hand

While travelling upstream toward Kutalla, the plot continues to thicken with the Cult of the Murex Hand, who are now back on the scene. You can run the events described on pages 6 to 8 more or less as is.

EV1 Just Passing Through takes place in Larsa.

EV2 Keeping Tabs can be set in Isin or Nibbur as the PCs pass through.

EV3 The direct Approach can take place in Babylon.

EV4 A Lock of Hair in Sippar.

EV5 could take place again in Sippar, after the adventures in Mari (see below). In this episode, any reference to Middenheim should be replaced with 'Assur'. This is an important clue to Episode 4 – The Power Within.

News and Rumours

These kinds of things are a nice way to foreshadow new future adventures and to enliven the setting.

1. The King's expedition to Arrata (as mentioned in Episode 1) has been waylaid in Eshnunna.
2. King Rim-Sin has returned from the dead and was spotted in Larsa
3. A worker's strike in the south is leading to delays in repairing the walls of Uruk
4. Priests are being taxed in Assur, which can't be good for relations with the gods.
5. A caravan belonging to the governor of Kish disappeared on the way to Malgium
6. Crop fires have been reported northeast of Babylon.
7. King Samsu-iluna has cancelled the Abu festival this year because it will interfere with his annual ostrich hunt.
8. A new plague is reportedly spreading in Upper Suhum, causing merchants to attempt the northern route to the west. As a result, prices for imported goods will be going up.
9. Tax collectors in Babylonia are skimming even more than usual off the top.
10. Strange corpses have been see floating in the river near Hit, prompting a wave of donations to the river god.

The Living Dead

To play up the theme of the dead returning to life, or at least refusing to die, the GM should stage a few encounters along the river as they head north. These could include:

• A farming village near the banks is in distress; some of their cows recently died when grazing near the banks, but a day or two later they came back to life. There is something seriously wrong with them, and they feel they've become victims of sorcery. If fact, the cows drank poison that flowed downriver from Mari.
• In a city, human zombies have been reported haunting the brick-making district. Some of the locals claim they recognize the faces of people who disappeared after falling in the river years ago. They blame ghosts, but these are the animated bodies of the dead, infected by the same poison mentioned above. The source of the poison should not be known at this stage, but such encounters should increase as the PCs continue upstream toward Mari. Use the Zombie stats in Mythras for these.
• Some encounters with genuine ghosts, wasteland, and animal spirits can be held in remote places along the river, especially near ruins.
• Bad News Demons will likely be spreading rumours in various communities the PCs pass through along the way.

KUTALLA

Arriving in Kutalla, the PCs will naturally be looking for Rapi-Hayyatum, whom it turns out is a well known Asu (physician) who lives in a prosperous country house. Heading to her country house outside the city, the PCs find that she isn't home. However, they do hear faint calls coming from a well on the property. A little girl is hiding inside, but unable to bring herself up. Her name is Matur (Little Fig), and Rapi-Hayyatum is her mother.

Matur tells of how her mother was kidnapped by Sutean Nomads after she failed to heal one of them of a pox. They came as a posse and claimed they knew she was an escaped slave. Matur hid in the well when she saw them approaching, but was unable to help her mother. She heard them say something about taking her to the Granary of Dumuzi – a local grain depot among the fields - until a ransom if paid.

Speaking to local farmers, the PCs can either pay the ransom (using the loot from the barge) or fight, in which case the Suteans will flee after a number have been injured. They rescue the physician and take her back to her home. Once there, they naturally inform her of the demise of her son, and in gratitute for all they've done, she gifts them the barge.



That's it for this instalment. Stay tuned for EPISODE 3B: THE BLACK OASIS!