Free Forgotten Pulp Friday - The Dwellers in the Mirage As Sword and Sorcery Inspiration For Your Old School Campaigns

 Get It From Project Gutenberg Australia.
HERE

I can't begin to say enough about this novel. Seriously its got all of the elements a 'lost land' enthusiast could want.  And its mostly a 'forgotten' classic from A. Merritt and has elements that can easily be translated into a Sword and Sorcery game.  Regarded by many as a classic, the book traces a modern everyman whose sucked into a world right out the weird lost world pulps of the 1930's.
 

The plot goes something like this according to wiki : 

The novel concerns American Leif Langdon who discovers a warm valley in Alaska. Two races inhabit the valley, the Little People and a branch of an ancient Mongolian race and they worship the evil Kraken named Khalk'ru which they summon from another dimension to offer human sacrifice. The inhabitants recognize Langdon as the reincarnation of their long dead hero, Dwayanu. Dwayanu's spirit possesses Langdon and starts a war with the Little People. Langdon eventually fights off the presence of Dwayanu and destroys the Kraken.

According to Wiki : 
Gary Gygax, creator of the game Dungeons and Dragons, listed Merritt in "Appendix N" of the Dungeon Masters Guide and often noted that he was one of his favorite fantasy authors.
You can find out more about Merrit right HERE
 

The Dwellers In The Mirage For Your Old School 
Sword and Sorcery campaigns 
I've used this particular book numerous times for inspiration for quite a few games. 

Khalk'ru is another aspect of the Kraken and basically another aspect of an Outer God akin to Cthlhu and his ilk. Over the years I've kept the two gods separate as to sew confusion and malice among my players. The Tennyson poem really brought home the other worldly menace of the god. 
Below the thunders of the upper deep;
Far far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides; above him swell
Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,
From many a wondrous grot and secret cell
Unnumber'd and enormous polypi
Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.
There hath he lain for ages, and will lie
Battening upon huge seaworms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by man and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

The Kraken is a god of death, destruction, the sea, and other worldly knowledge beyond the ken of men. The Little People in the novel are not the  only group of lost peoples serving this thing. There are numerous others who serve this god and its mutated horrific avatars. These multi tentacled unholy gods from beyond are each slices of the prime alien god. Mutated monsters from beyond the dimensional pale waiting to suck the marrow and souls of men.
 The thing must consume the souls of victims every two months like clock work. It grants spells, communes telepathically with its witches and cleric, and bestows knowledge every fortnight to its chosen people.
 The Kraken was among the chosen pantheon of Altantis, Mu, And Lemuria upon Hyperborea. It is said that secrets to summoning its accursed aspects are still known upon Ancient Terra where its tentacles still tread.
 When creating an avitar of this horror use the stats for a Giant Squid and treasure types J,K, L,and M. Should any last that long against such ageless horror. The Kraken may use spells as a 6th level wizard. 

Sword and Sorcery Movie Inspiration ~ The Sword and The Sorcerer 1982

 Tucked nice and neatly on my dvd shelf right next to Excalibur and Conan is The Sword and the Sorcerer. This is another sword and sorcery title that I've taken a rash of stuff for liking. So let me quickly address those very quickly. This is a movie and its entertainment with lots of extra cheese. I do mean a mountain of it.
Yet I do adore this film. 

The Plot according to Wiki: 

The film opens as King Cromwell (Richard Lynch) and his men land ashore of Tomb Island in search of Xusia of Delos (Richard Moll), a long-dead sorcerer who may be the key to overthrowing his rival King Richard, whose land of Ehdan is the richest in the world. Using one of Xusia's worshipers to awaken him, Cromwell convinces Xusia to join his cause. With the sorcerer's black magic at his command, Cromwell easily lays waste to Richard's formidable army.

Eventually, Cromwell becomes eager to be rid of Xusia. Fearing that the sorcerer could very well turn against him, he attempts to kill Xusia by stabbing him in the chest and chasing him off a cliff. ^[1]

With only one army left to defend the city, King Richard prepares to lead the charge against his rival in a last-ditch effort to save Ehdan. He orders his family to evacuate to the river, and entrusts his youngest son Talon with his magnificent triple-bladed projectile sword, instructing the boy to avenge his death should it occur.

When Richard fails to return home afterwards, Talon goes to find him. While searching the corpse-littered battlefield, he comes across Mogullen (Russ Marin), his father's closest adviser. Gravely wounded, the old soldier confirms that the battle is lost. At that very moment, Talon spies his father in the distance, just seconds before his execution.

Enraged, Talon starts off to claim his revenge, but Mogullen holds him fast. Knowing that Cromwell will be heading to the river in search of the queen, he implores the boy to save the rest of his family. Talon desperately races to the river on horseback, but once again, he is too late. Horrified, he watches as his mother is put to death at Cromwell's hands.

With Cromwell's men now in pursuit of him, Talon has no choice but to flee. After narrowly surviving an ambush, the boy manages to evade capture and disappear from the kingdom.

Eleven years later, Prince Talon (Lee Horsley), now a seasoned warrior, leads a small group of mercenaries back into his homeland, seeking to fulfill the promise he made long ago. At the same time, in a cavern far beneath the Earth's surface, the sinister Xusia—still very much alive—vows to repay Cromwell for his treachery.

In the city of Ehdan, a rebellion has begun under Prince Mikah (Simon MacCorkindale), who many believe to be the rightful heir to the throne. After confirming the final plans with Machelli (George Maharis), Cromwell's war chancellor (who is secretly a double agent), Mikah relays the news to his sister Alana (Kathleen Beller), but Cromwell suddenly bursts into their hideout and a battle ensues. Although Mikah is captured, Alana flees through the city streets, but eventually finds herself cornered by Cromwell's men. She is then rescued by Talon, who easily dispatches her assailants.

At a nearby tavern, Alana learns of her brother's imprisonment and asks Talon to rescue him, along with a faction of rebels who have been recently trapped by Cromwell's forces. Unable to bribe the mercenary with gold, Alana reluctantly offers herself to him for one night. Satisfied, Talon departs on his mission, but Cromwell's men arrive shortly thereafter and capture Alana as well.

Successful in freeing the rebels, Talon infiltrates the castle through the sewers and is able to rescue Mikah, but is subsequently detected and captured by Cromwell. After forcing Alana into marriage, Cromwell invites the four neighboring kings to their wedding feast, where he intends to assassinate them with Talon crucified in the dining hall. Before the plot can be carried out, however, Talon amazingly summons the strength to pull himself free of the crucifix, just seconds before the rebels, led by Mikah, storm into the dining hall and overpower Cromwell's soldiers.

Cromwell attempts to flee the castle with Alana in tow, but Talon intercepts them. In the resulting skirmish, Machelli takes custody of Alana and brings her to the catacombs beneath the castle, where he reveals his true identity as Xusia. Although Cromwell tries to intercede, he proves to be no match for the sorcerer, but Talon is somehow able to resist Xusia's power long enough to strike him down with his projectile sword. He then engages Cromwell in combat, finally vanquishing the evil king. Afterwards, Talon saves Alana from a giant constrictor snake, but Xusia suddenly rises again, prompting Talon to finish off the sorcerer with a blade concealed in his gauntlet.

In the end, Talon yields the crown of Ehdan to Mikah, and Alana honors her commitment to spend one night with her brother's savior. As the film closes, Talon and the mercenaries prepare to leave Ehdan for another adventure.

Using The Sword and The Sorcerer For Your Old School Adventures 

Forget trying to identifying anything resembling our world in this film or the paperback that followed it. Seriously your going to do your head in. As near as I can figure Xusia is a degenerate snakeman hybrid ala Howard's Worm's Of The Earth.  As far as I can figure he might well be the most notorius one of his kind but I will bet you that there are others just waiting with tombs to be plundered and artifacts. 

There lots of other things that are lurking in the background.
Talon's company is a pretty damn good template for creating a mercenery band especially in a game like AS&SH. Displaced soldiers and adventurers taking up with Talon's scum and moving across the world.
The fact that the kingdom of Adan seems slide into the deep end of fairy tale like scum and villainy almost seems well Ravenloft like.
About ten percent of the action and recruitment  takes place in a brothel. Forget the old tavern bit there have been numerous times I've used the common room of a brothel for gentlemen (or ladies) of adventure to get to know one another over a drink as they wait for the attentions of a lady or man of the evening.
This film isn't for the kids! There is a lot of T&A for a film though brief and its not PC at all. Yet another reason to love it.
Then of course there are the Witches of Tomb Island. We see one at the begining of the film and then others in the background serving Xusia of Delos in a few scenes. What's there story and surly their not going to take the defeat and destruction of thier master lightly!
 For that matter where did Cromwell get his magic items? The sword, bladed staff, and others surly there are adventures there. For that matter will the death of Cromwell create death and destruction for the regions that he controlled? Someitmes an iron hand holds back as much evil as the staff of a saint!
 I've had to burst the bubble of a great many players about the 'Tri Blade'. The blade was once the symbol of the Fallen kingdom of Adan. It was created for the king and its not going to leave Talon's hand ever and most likely will be pasted onto his kin. So your going to have to win your own kingdom or find one if you want one!
 After all there's kingdoms that need saving! 

An Appendix N Style List of Sword and Sorcery Films For Your Old School Campaigns

Here is a pretty extensive list of Sword and Sorcery films from the nineteen 1920's through 2010. The list needs some attention and my God there is a lot of drek here. The list comes from wiki and I can not speak for its accuracy.

1920s[edit]

• Die Nibelungen (1924)

1940s[edit]

• The Iron Crown (1941)
• Macbeth (1948)

1950s[edit]

• Prince Valiant (1954)
• Ilya Muromets (1956)
• Sleeping Beauty (1959) ^(animated)

1960s[edit]

• The Magic Sword (1962)
• The Sword in the Stone (1963) ^(animated)
• Hercules the Avenger (1965)
• Treasure of the Petrified Forest (1965)
• The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots (1969) ^(anime)

1970s[edit]

• Ruslan and Ludmila (1972)

1980s[edit]

• Hawk the Slayer (1980)
• Clash of the Titans (1981)
• Dragonslayer (1981)
• Excalibur (1981)
• Ator l'invincibile (1982) (Ator 1)
• The Beastmaster (1982)
• Conan the Barbarian (1982)
• The Flight of Dragons (1982) ^(animated)
• Sorceress (1982)
• The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)
• Deathstalker (1983)
• Hearts and Armour (1983)
• Hercules (1983)
• Krull (1983)
• Conquest (1983)
• Fire and Ice (1983) ^(Animated)
• Ator l'invincibile 2 (1984) (Ator 2)
• Conan the Destroyer (1984)
• The Devil's Sword (1984)
• Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984)
• The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984)
• The Black Cauldron (1985) ^(Animated)
• Ladyhawke (1985)
• Legend (1985)
• Red Sonja (1985)
• Amazons (1986)
• Highlander (1986)
• The Barbarians (1987)
• Deathstalker II (1987)
• Iron Warrior (1987) (Ator 3)
• Masters of the Universe (1987)
• Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell (1988) (Deathstalker 3)
• Willow (1988)

1990s[edit]

• Quest for the Mighty Sword (1990) (Ator 4)
• Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time (1991)
• Deathstalker IV: Match of Titans (1991)
• Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
• Quest of the Delta Knights (1993)
• Guinevere (1994)
• Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1994)
• Yamato Takeru (1994)
• Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus (1996)
• Dragonheart (1996)
• InuYasha (1996-2008) ^(manga)
• The Amazing Feats of Young Hercules (1997) ^(Animated)
• Kull the Conqueror (1997)
• Prince Valiant (1997)
• Merlin (1998)
• The Secret of Mulan (1998) ^(animated)

2000s[edit]

• Highlander: Endgame (2000)
• Demonicus (2001)
• The Hexer (2001)
• The Monkey King (2001)
• The Scorpion King (2002)
• Barbarian (2003)
• The Red Knight (2003)
• Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King (2004)
• George and the Dragon (2004)
• BloodRayne (2005)
• In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2006)
• Highlander: The Source (2007)
• Wolfhound (2007)
• Deltora Quest (2007-2008) ^(anime)
• The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior(2008)
• Solomon Kane (2009)
• Tales of an Ancient Empire (2010)^[2]
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

2010s[edit]

• Conan the Barbarian (2011)^[3]
• In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds (2011)
• Ronal the Barbarian (2011) ^(animated)
• Sinbad and The Minotaur (2011)^[4]
• The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2012)
• Jack the Giant Killer (2013)

The Public Domain Film "The Magic Sword" From 1962 As Fodder For Your Old School Sword and Sorcery Campaign

The Magic Sword is a public domain 1962 production that I've used for many years as fodder for OD&D & AD&D style adventures. The movie is a kids production from 1962 but many of the elements are at once Arthurian and Sword & Sorcery in nature. 
According to wiki : 

The Magic Sword (also known as St. George and the Dragon, St. George and the Seven Curses (the film's original title),^[1] and The Seven Curses of Lodac) is a 1962 live action fantasy film, mainly aimed at children, based loosely on the medieval legend of Saint George and the Dragon

Here's the whole film but be warned this was created in 1962, aimed at kids, and features some horrid acting in parts. 

The Plot according to Wiki : 

George (Gary Lockwood) is the foster son of Sybil (Estelle Winwood), an elderly sorceress. She brought him up after his "royal parents died of the plague" in his infancy. He has fallen in love at first sight with Princess Helene (Anne Helm).

She is kidnapped by the wizard Lodac (Basil Rathbone), who brazenly informs her father that he intends to feed her to his pet dragon in seven days, revenge for the death of his sister at the same age as Helene is now: 18. George wants to go on a quest to liberate his lady love, but Sybil believes he is too young (he is 20). She tries to distract the youth by showing him a magic sword, a steed, an invulnerable suit of armour, and six magically frozen knights he will command when he turns 21. The impatient George, however, tricks Sybil and locks her in a cellar, then leaves with the magical implements and revived company of knights.

Sir George and his party appear before the king and insist on journeying to Lodac's castle to rescue Helene, against the opposition of Sir Branton (Liam Sullivan), a knight who had previously volunteered for the perilous quest. The king promises the rescuer his daughter's hand in marriage and half his kingdom.

Seven curses bar the path to Lodac's castle. First, they encounter an ogre, who slays Sir Ulrich of Germany and Sir Pedro of Spain. When George tries to save Sir Anthony of Italy from a swamp, Branton treacherously comes up from behind and kicks him in as well. Anthony is killed, but George survives with the help of his magic sword.

Later, Branton meets secretly with Lodac. It turns out that Branton has Lodac's ring, which the magician lost and wants back desperately. The kidnapping was solely intended to make Branton look good in exchange for the return of the ring. When Sir Dennis of France happens by, Lodac prepares a trap. Mignonette, a beautiful Frenchwoman, distracts her compatriot, then suddenly turns into an ugly hag (Maila Nurmi, best known to TV viewers of the 1950s as Vampira) who attacks him. Fortunately, George saves him with his magic shield.

Lodac finally becomes aware that George is being aided by magic. He contacts Sybil and mocks her abilities. Stung, she tries to cast a spell to help George, but ends up inadvertently stripping away all his magical powers.

Sir Dennis and Sir James of Scotland perish when they reconnoiter ahead. Branton then leads George and Sir Patrick of Ireland into a trap, revealing his partnership with Lodac before sealing them in a cave with deadly green apparitions. Patrick enables George to escape at the cost of his own life.

George sneaks into Lodac's castle and rescues Helene, only to be captured. The magician gives Helene (actually the hag in disguise) to Branton, but once he has the ring, he uses magic to put Branton's head on a plaque on the wall. George is tied up, but escapes with the help of shrunken prisoners. Sybil arrives and finally remembers the spell that restores George's powers, enabling him to slay the two-headed dragon and save Helene. Sybil steals the ring while Lodac is distracted. When the magician threatens the young couple with the seventh curse - himself - Sybil transforms herself into a large animal and kills him. The movie ends as Helene and George get married.

Secrets of The Magic Sword
And Its Use In Your Old School S&W campaign 

The film has a lot going on inside of it and on the out skirts of the plot. Basically this is a duel between wizards using magic items, a kingdom, love, and the fate of the nations of Old Earth. Make no mistake at all here. The dual here is between Lodac And Sybil throughout the centuries and the lands of Fairy are clearly involved.  The movie draws rather heavily from the mythology and folklore of Arthurian legend. According to wiki: 

The film is notable for its many mythological and folkloric motifs and references. Each of Sir George's knights seems to be named after a saint or other figure associated with his homeland:

• Sir Dennis of France, after Saint Dennis, patron saint of France
• Sir Pedro of Spain
• Sir Patrick of Ireland, after Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
• Sir Anthony of Italy
• Sir James of Scotland, James being the name of a number of Scottish kings
• Sir Ulrich of Germany, perhaps in honor of Saint Ulrich of Augsburg

A 1606 book by Richard Johnson, Seven Champions of Christendom, lists the seven as St George of England, St Denis of France, St James of Spain, St Patrick of Ireland, St Andrew of Scotland, St David of Wales and St Anthony of Italy.^[2]

Sybil, the name of George's foster mother, was also the name of a prophetess in Greco-Roman mythology, and furthermore there is thePerseus/St. George motif.
Lodac is possibly a wizard of very high level indeed with the backing of fairy for the right to entertain and amuse them using mortals as pawns. 

Then of course their is Sybil whose got a great deal going on then simply setting up a power grab with Lodac here. We've got a prophetess/witch of high level and aspect whose spinning the fate of Old Earth nations and risking paladin's lives here. Not to mention she is spinning out the lives of the various royals and their children like something out of Dune. 

Her ties to fairy must be pretty damn strong here and I'd say that much of the traditional witch motifs from games such as AS&SH are in full effect.
 If there was ever a movie to provide excellent inspiration for a full paladin or caviler campaign in the AD&D first edition then this is it. Everyone gets the spotlight for a little while.
 What is up with all of these enchanted kingdoms? Magic gets used here like its going out of style. The answer is pretty simple really most of the kingdoms here border fairy and vale here is so thin that it allows monsters to come through, spells to be cast without fear, and curses to dominate the land with impunity. It also means that all the horrors of fairy are also in full effect. Imagine the horrors just waiting to be unleashed upon such an unsuspecting world. Its really no wonder that this world needs clerics, mages, wizards, paladins, warriors, and cavilers. 
There has always been a line with Sword and Sorcery as well as high fantasy. Could it be that the fate of this world is being decided by these two. Could Sybil and Lodac's game and dance be deciding the fate of this world before its taken by fairy, fates away into the Nothingness, or becomes fodder for another Conan cycle of life and destruction?  Anything is possible for your campaign.
The film also features one of my all time favorite screen dragons! 



This film could be used as a bridge gap to Old Earth in a game of AS&SH where the characters become caught up in another game between Sybil and Lodac with the fate of the knights seen in the Magic Sword once again. Do you let such valiant warriors die or save them from the frozen hell that the witch Sybil has placed them in?
Perhaps this film is the inhuman forces of fairy leaning into Hyperborea and the so called quests are actually tests to see if the warriors and wizards of the plane measure up or are easy pickings to monsters and forces alien to the planes of the North Wind? 

Five 'Essential' Films As Inspiration For The Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg

Here are five of my favorite films that seem to be great inspirations for this sword and sorcery retroclone. These are not my official or essential anything , they're five very underrated films that I always seem to come back to over and over again. 

Krull is pretty essential in my book for AS&SH game. I've taken a lot of heat for Krull over the years but it remains a constant on many OSR forums I've noticed. 

The Lovecraftian Beast, the kingdoms, knights in Italian style armor with swords, The Slayers, did I mention the Slayers, glass giant spiders, weird rites, half forgotten artifacts and more.

Fire and Ice by Ralph Bakshi remains one of my all time favorite Rotoscope fantasies. There is so much that Frazetta and co. packed into this one. This is pretty much what came to mind when I was reading AS&SH.

The action and weirdness abound in this one and its a nasty little gem of a film. Fun for the whole sword and sorcerer crowd. 

 "Let me show you a trick that Mother showed me when you weren't around." or words to that effect has always stuck in my mind in one of the best 'Wizard's Duels' in an animated movie.
Wizards has a lot going for it. Weird mutants, drug, religion, and political references all couched in fantasy tropes. The movie is way ahead of its time and another Bakshi effort. 

The original Beast Master has much of the feel and visual look of Hyperborea in my mind.
The "ziggurat", the proto humanoid races, the weird religions, Rip Torn's cleric from hell, and lots of 80's cheese. 

The original Dragon Slayer pretty much covers how I visualize certain ancient kingdoms of Hyperborea, the wizard's reaction to the changing world, the ignorance and weirdness of the various characters in this movie echo certain ideals I see in the game. 

This is a fan made trailer and by no means reflects this great movie nor is this list solid reference. Its a quick snap shot of my imaginings of my version of Hyperborea. Take this list for what its worth. Your mileage may vary.