I’m going to run Symbaroum using Yarn for the rules. I will try to keep this game log current. This will not contain any directly quoted text or images, other than the heading, but I hope to use the published campaign, including the Throne of Thorns arc, so unless the players just really blaze their own trail, this may eventually contain spoilers. Anyone who may want to someday play in a Symbaroum campaign is forewarned.
Symbaroum, from Free League, is a fantasy setting with a focus on exploring the ruins of an ancient kingdom in a vast dark forest. The human kingdom of Ambria is new, consisting of those who left their previous ruined kingdom, and emigrated through the Titans mountain range. On the other side they found barbarian kingdoms and overcame them to gain control of the fertile land between the Titans and the forest, thus founding their new kingdom. Davokar, the huge forest to the north of Ambria, has grown for a thousand years over the ruins of Symbaroum, an ancient civilization that fell for mysterious reasons. Some brave (or foolish) sorts seek valuable treasure and powerful artifacts in the ruins deep in Davokar.
In the world there are ‘civilized’ humans like the Ambrians, and also human barbarians from many tribes, then there are the Elder Folks, consisting of elves, dwarves, goblins, ogres and trolls. Changelings exist, as do the undead. Mystics are those that use magic, from different traditions. Various factions are in play, agendas aren’t always apparent, and the dark shadow of corruption is always a risk. Symbaroum is dark fantasy, and while it may seem D&D adjacent, this really is its own thing.
Conversion to Yarn
This is the conversion document to facilitate Symbaroum-to-Yarn translation of NPCs and monsters.
Notes about starting characters:
To the standard Yarn six attributes, I’m adding finesse and awareness, to approximate some of what Symbaroum does. Two additional attributes means 2 x 15 = 30 extra starting points. Also, dexterity is instead agility (a dexterity roll would use agility and finesse).
Based on feedback from the players, I’m leaning in to a Moorcock vibe, where the player characters are channeling forces and destiny beyond their understanding, not always necessarily for the better, as mistakes will be made. Each character starts at level 3, but has one major boon for no additional points. I’m using the trouble rules from Yarn, which could make the challenges harder, but I’m not going for a lethal approach, more of an interactive tour while introducing some sandbox elements as the game develops.
Characters
Jax (Jessie) is a female human bounty hunter
Rugh (Mike) is a male ogre theurg
W (Wayne) is a male human captain.
D (Dave)
The characters start gathered at the camp from the beginning of ‘The Promised Land’, the introductory adventure in the Core Rules. None of them is from Ambria, but the setting primer from the Core rules is available to players.
In addition to the plot points in the published adventure:
The Church of Prios has an artifact that was recently rescued from Lyastra, an item called the Purification Crystal. Originally it had seven charges. Each removes all corruption from one subject.
The Living Blade was used centuries earlier to defeat an earlier Dark Lord, and found with the Scorched Shield and the Purification Crystal
Jax is a bounty hunter with Velaryn, the “Living Blade”, +4 (d8 enhancement die), and x2 DX against undead. Those killed by the blade cannot be raised from the dead. Talira Mesilenjer is a traitor turned undead that was terrorizing the surviving lands in Alberetor. During the war, Talira tipped off the Dark Lords about Alberetor’s movements, and thus upon her death was cursed. Mal-Talira escaped during the war, but later, Jax, who was just coming into her own, found the Blade in the secret chambers below the same castle ruins where Talira was gathering her power, and apprehended Talira, turning her over to the Queen’s Army. Jax was surprised to get a reward. A year later, Talira escaped and Jax went after her again, this time beheading her very publicly, but her undead ally, Mal-Rogan, escaped . Jax has now tracked him to the pass through the Titans.
Rugh is an ogre magi (theurg), and as such seems to fulfill a prophecy from the Church of Prios, that the laws of the sun god will be brought to the Elder Folks by one of their own. Rugh was taught to read by his minder, a twilight friar named Bensamon. The ogre was left alone in the Church Library of the Temple of Prios for two days, during which he learned all of the basic spells of Theurgy. They found him in a foul cloud of corruption amid the books, and had to use one of the last three charges of the Purification Crystal to remove all corruption. Thus, Rugh knows the spells, and yet starts with no corruption. Many in the Order are doubtful of Rugh’s destiny, but Brother Bensamon, who passed through the mountains a month earlier, trusts Rugh to help the wagons get through before the snows make them impassable.