Core Rulebook Credits Contents Author(S) Introduction 2 Lawrence Whitaker & Pete Nash the Young Kingdoms 6 Editor Charlotte Law Young Kingdoms Adventurers 41

Core Rulebook Credits Contents Author(s) introduction 2 Lawrence Whitaker & Pete Nash The Young Kingdoms 6 Editor Charlotte Law Young Kingdoms Adventurers 41

Layout and Graphic Design equipment and economy 58 Will Chapman Law, Chaos and The Multiverse 63 Cover Illustration Carlo Bocchio Samplemagic file and Sorcery 70 Interior Illustrations Ben Ellebracht, Nick Egberts, Nuno Nobre, Michael Syrigos, Cults of the young Kingdoms 110 Ricardo German Ponce, Colin Driver and John Moriarty Creatures and Personalities 147 Proofreading Nick Robinson Games Master’s Chapter 199 Playtesters James Carrington, John White, Chris Donnelly, Chris Alternative Eras 207 Furness, Bruce Mason, Ben Quant, Douglas W. Wacker, Ioan Wigmore Index 216

Special Thanks Pete Nash, John White & Michael Moorcock

Elric of Melnibone ©2010 Mongoose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work by any means without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. All significant characters, names, places, items, art and text herein are copyrighted by Mongoose Publishing subject to its licence from Issaries, Inc. This game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Game License, please go to www.mongoosepublishing.com. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United Kingdom. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organisations, places or events is purely coincidental.

This book concerns one of the most iconic figures in contemporary past, the present and in the near future. Elric is abroad in the fantasy literature: Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné. For world, Theleb K’aarna hatches his schemes against the southern more than 40 years Michael has chronicled the adventures and continent, Myshella and Tanelorn, and the Sea Lords gather to fate of Elric, the last prince and Emperor of the doomed isle of plan the razing of Imrryr. So the default setting for this game is Melniboné. Elric’s adventures have taken him from one edge of during the time of Elric but no precise date or period is given. his world to the other and beyond, into other worlds – all part Games Masters may choose any point in the 10 years of the saga, of the sprawling, infinite, Multiverse that lies at the heart of using the momentous events Elric causes, as either a backdrop to Michael’s written works. Elric, carrier of the soul-drinking sword their campaigns, or to include the Adventurers in them. There Stormbringer, is a prince and a wanderer; a thief, vagabond and is still time for many adventures in the years before Elric wields an emperor; a slayer of men, friends and the women he loves. Stormbringer in the great battle against Chaos. Although the fate In his quest to find peace, he finds only tragedy, slaughter and of the earth is set by the stories not everything is cast in stone. regret. There has never been any fantasy character like Elric Adventurers can still trek across the Weeping Waste, heavy blades and, through him, Michael reshaped the way fantasy literature held in tired hands as they keep alert for signs of bandit ambush; explored heroism, myth and the themes so traditional to good or stalk through the forests of Jharkor, ever-aware that they are fantasy: good versus evil, order versus entropy. Indeed, Moorcock being preyed upon by otherworldly monsters. developed many of these themes into the tropes they have since become, influencing countless other authors and, in the course of his work, influencing the nature of roleplaying games. SampleWho file Is Elric? If you have read any of Michael’s books then the name Elric is This book therefore explores Elric’s world as a place for roleplaying unlikely to be new to you. If, however, this is your first foray into adventure using the latest version of the RuneQuest Core Rules. the Elric saga, a little background is necessary. In these pages you will discover how to create Young Kingdoms (the lands Elric wanders and is most closely associated with) Elric is the last prince and Emperor of the island of Melniboné, Adventurers, be they human, Melnibonéan or one of the other home to an inhuman race that ruled the world for 10,000 years. fascinating races with which Moorcock populates his worlds. You Masters of dragons and dark sorcery, Elric and his kin dominated will learn about the magic of the Young Kingdoms and the way the Young Kingdoms but have fallen into decline. This is now a the forces of Law and Chaos seek to control them, shape them time for humans who, having thrown off the yoke of Melniboné’s empire, are forging for themselves a new, but no less sophisticated, and, ultimately, doom them. destiny. New kingdoms have emerged – the Young Kingdoms to which this book and the saga constantly refer – and these The spotlight in Michael Moorcock’s novels is firmly on Elric: kingdoms are now the masters of their own destiny – or so they that is to be expected from the works based on Elric’s life but there believe. Melniboné is now in a soporific state; decadent, distanced, is still room for Games Masters and individual characters to make dying, slowly, steadily and assuredly. a difference. That is where this book comes in. Elric hastens their demise but not before he has spent time Elric’s saga spans 10 or so years of Young Kingdoms history, from wandering through the new lands that surround the jaded isle the time Elric leaves Imrryr to travel for a year, through his many of Melniboné. In his travels he gains the fabled and dangerous years of wandering the world and other planes, culminating in the runesword, Stormbringer, learns of his own place in the schemes final battle that reshapes the Young Kingdoms into our own world. of Law and Chaos, challenges gods, defeats monsters and sails the This book describes this decade, referring to events in the recent seas that connect the many worlds of the Multiverse together.

2 In time Elric destroys both Melniboné and his betrothed. Filled Elric is his most famous and enduring creation. The albino began with remorse and regret, he wanders continually until, eventually, life as a reaction to both the brawny heroes of Sword and Sorcery the battle between Law and Chaos drags Elric into the final battle fantasy, such as Conan (one of Michael’s first works was a Conan that will bring about the death of the Young Kingdoms and the pastiche, Sojan the Swordsman) and the detailed epics of JRR world’s rebirth into our own. Tolkien. Michael reversed the traditional clichés of fantasy at that time, questioning the role and nature of the ‘hero’, and delved into the psychology of his most famous character in ways unseen What Are the Young in fantasy literature. Despite killing Elric at the end of only the second book concerning the albino’s exploits (‘Stormbringer’), he Kingdoms continued to revisit the saga over the course of the next 40 years, The Young Kingdoms are the nations of Elric’s world; this is the adding to it, enriching it and delving deeper into philosophical shape the world took before it was reshaped and formed our own. ideas concerning love, betrayal and the meaning of existence. Elric The Young Kingdoms therefore occupied a different cycle of time is, as a result, one of the most detailed and best-drawn fantasy to the contemporary world and was it predecessor. characters ever created. As the Elric stories have progressed, Michael has explored the roles of myth and their interpretation, creating an even deeper body of work that continues to provoke In this game your Adventurers will be residents of the and astound in equal measure. Young Kingdoms or, possibly, travellers to it from elsewhere and elsewhen. You will have the opportunity to explore the Michael has never confined himself to one medium. Elric has kingdoms that have arisen since Melniboné’s decline and help been the subject of music, poetry and graphic novels (Elric: The forge their destiny. Perhaps you will change history and ensure Making of a Sorcerer being the most recent, detailed exploration the Young Kingdoms’ survival; or perhaps your Adventurers of the saga): there are continued rumours of a film. will, like Elric, contribute to its demise. This game, Elric of Melniboné, places you at the heart of the Elric saga and allows Michael is highly respected as a writer, critic, editor, musician, your characters to participate in similar adventures to those of thinker, agent provocateur and chronicler of the fantastic. He Elric and friends. has never shirked from tackling controversial themes in his work and remains as active and as influential as ever. The shelves of For the Young Kingdoms are filled with adventure, peril, magic book stores might groan under the weight of epic fantasy trilogies, and turmoil. These are new lands with an ancient legacy. Magic quartets, sextets and more, each penned by a succession of ‘new is rare but potent; and those who have wielded it in the past have masters of the genre’. But Moorcock was there first: but for his left their marks in ways that the people of the Young Kingdoms efforts, those shelves would contain meagre offerings. must now deal with. RuneQuest II The Young Kingdoms are not like our own world. TheSample continents This file is not a standalone game. To make the best of it you will are different, the countries are unique in character and the world need a copy of the RuneQuest II Core Rulebook and Elric itself is far smaller. At its furthest edges the stuff of Chaos, the of Melniboné makes frequent reference to these core rules. Be raw morass of creation, laps, beckoning the intrepid to carve new advised that as RuneQuest II is the up to date version of the lands from it. Your Adventurers might be amongst those who help RuneQuest rules, it is simply referred to as the RuneQuest Core shape the world; in small ways or grand. Rulebook throughout this book.

Otherwise, this book provides everything you need to adventure About Michael in the Young Kingdoms. A companion volume, Cults of the Young Kingdoms, expands the cults available to Adventurers Moorcock but is by no means essential. Games Masters may also find the There are few living authors as prolific as Michael Moorcock. following RuneQuest books useful but, again, not a requisite for Born in 1939, he published his first novel in 1961. Throughout playing Elric of Melniboné: the 1960s and 70s he was the editor of the hugely influentialNew Worlds magazine, which actively championed ground-breaking • Arms and Equipment fantasy and imaginative fiction. Michael’s Jerry Cornelius novel • Monster Coliseum The Condition of Muzak, won the 1977 Guardian Fiction • Necromantic Arts prize and he has been accorded no less than three ‘Lifetime Achievement’ awards. In 2002 Michael was inducted into the One other thing we recommend: if you have not read any of Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. the Elric stories, we advise you to do so – without delay. Most

3 are still available in collected editions found through most good Equipment booksellers and online retailers. If you have read the saga, then New weapons and armour for the Young Kindoms. A more extensive read it again! There is no substitute for immersing yourself in the list of general equipment is found in the RuneQuest Core Rulebook. saga to gain the right mindset, atmosphere and understanding for making the most of this game and its world. Law, Chaos and the Multiverse An overview and examination of the key themes of the Elric saga: Contents the powers of Law and Chaos and the existence of the Multiverse. This is an extensive setting book and is arranged as follows: Magic and Sorcery The various magic and sorcery systems found in the Elric saga. Note that Map these are different to those found in the RuneQuest Core Rulebook. The following page contains a detailed map of the Young Kingdoms and the Unknown East – the chief realms where adventures will Cults take place. The Multiverse itself is somewhat harder to map and A chapter devoted to the cults, religions and religious approaches we have not made the attempt. of the Young kingdoms.

Introduction Creatures and Personalities Which you are currently reading. RuneQuest statistics for a variety of creatures appearing in the Elric saga and game statistics for some of the most important The Young Kingdoms characters from the stories and novels. An overview of the Young Kingdoms and its society, plus a kingdom-by-kingdom description of the nations of the world. Games Masters Chapter Read this chapter to gain a better understanding of both Elric’s Advice and guidance for new and experienced Elric Games home and its extensive history. Masters alike.

Young Kingdoms Adventurers Alternative Eras Extensive rules for creating Adventurers for Elric of Melniboné. An examination of different time lines and eras for Elric of You will need the RuneQuest Core Rulebook for this chapter. Melniboné campaigns.

Sample file

4 Sample file CHAPTERONE The Young Kingdoms ;

‘There came a time when there was great movement upon scholars. Some claim that the Melnibonéans were Nomads of the the Earth and above it, when the destiny of Men and Gods Time Streams whilst others argue that they were natives of the was hammered out upon the forge of Fate, when monstrous earth and interbred with the Older Ones. Certainly Melniboné’s wars were brewed and mighty deeds were designed. And there first seat of civilisation was not the island of Melniboné but the rose up in this time, which was called the Age of the Young city of R’lin K’ren A’a, now hidden in the jungles beyond the Kingdoms, heroes. Greatest of these heroes was a doom-driven Boiling Sea. When a race known as the Dead Gods sought to adventurer who bore a crooning rune blade that he loathed.’ challenge the Older Ones, the Older Ones responded by forging the twin runeswords Stormbringer and Mournblade to slay their — Stormbringer enemies. The war between the Older Ones and the Dead Gods resulted in the destruction of both races and the Mernii inherited Prehistory and the the world. At this time the Mernii were allied with the Cosmic Balance Birth of Melniboné and they left R’lin K’ren A’a and settled on the series of islands The Young Kingdoms predate our own world. When Elric blows that became Melniboné. But the sinister powers of the Lords the Horn of Fate he signals the end of his time and the beginning of Chaos seduced certain Mernii, showing them how, through of ours; time begins anew. Chaos and sorcery, they could surpass any of the races who Samplehad ruledfile the world before. A vicious civil war erupted with This is not, however, the first such cataclysm. A full cycle of time the Balance-aligned Mernii fleeing the dreadful, Chaos-fuelled has passed already, although little is known of it. What Melniboné’s destruction of their city, H’hui’shan. The Chaos-worshippers scholars do know is that the world was created by the Lords of who remained inherited the title of Melniboné. They learned Chaos and, with it, all life. The first sapient life was a race known to tame the great dragons of their island and built new cities, as The Doomed Folk and they grew to hate their world with such first and foremost dreaming Imrryr. The Dragon Lords, intensity that they brought about their own destruction. bearing Stormbringer and Mournblade, conquered the rest of the world swiftly and mercilessly, revelling in their power and In the new world that arose from the ashes of the Doomed Folk, new-found cruelty. several non-human races established themselves. These included the Older Ones, worshippers of the Lords of Law and now long The Bright Empire was born. forgotten; the winged people of Myyrrhn, the civilised descendents of the ape-like clakars; and, in the Silent Lands, a strange inhuman race that were distant relatives of the Myyrrhn. The Elemental Upstart Nations and Rulers: Grome, Straasha, Lassa and Kakatal, vied for power and inevitably came into violent conflict. Twenty thousand years ago New Oppressors the world was reshaped again, this time into the continents of Melniboné ruled the world for 10,000 years. It did so through a the Young Kingdoms, when Grome and Straasha battled for mixture of fear, sorcery and economic might. Melniboné considers supremacy over land and sea. The imposing geographical features humans as an irrelevance; pathetic and uncultured barbarians of the world, such as The Ragged Pillars and the Roaring Rocks, fit only to be used as slaves or, at best, treated as harmless pets. are the result of this supernatural struggle and not plate tectonics. Melniboné ruled alone although the smaller, more distant, empire of Quarzhasaat – the first truly human civilisation – arose in the Then appeared the race that would come to be Melniboné: the north but was annihilated by Melniboné in a great battle in the Mernii. Their true origins are unclear, even to Melniboné’s own Sighing Desert.