I’m 7 sessions into MCing a campaign of the Bakers’ excellent, excellent Under Hollow Hills (or UHH from here on out). In UHH you play as members of a fairy circus as you travel from occasion to perform to occasion. Seasons pass, people and relationships change, and the circus performs. The fairies are mercurial, cruel, dramatic, and (occasionally) kind. And the game makes portraying all this, particularly the logic of faeries, remarkably easy.
UHH is not just a compelling game in its own right, it’s a repudiation of many of the common “truisms” I hear again and again about what PBTA is or is not. And like Apocalypse World, it’s a joy to simply read as a book.
I am increasingly excited about writing up my campaign notes from the various occasions to perform our circus has gone to into a collection of modules. I’m currently Kickstarting another game entirely, and the campaign has a long way to go yet, so it doesn’t seem wise to dive too deep into this project. But yesterday’s session was so much fun I figured why not bust one out and share it around? I want to share my excitement for this game with people!
Preamble out of the way, here’s my opening occasion for Under Hollow Hills. I think they only got better from here, but this one has perhaps the clearest core to it so it’s the one you get. Off we go!
Everyone’s Going to Aglienne’s Baby’s Naming Day
Every fairy living near the Buckeye River knows Aglienne the river spirit. Aglienne would never suffer a neighbor to not know her business. And this week that business is that — surprise! — Aglienne is a brand new mother. Her beautiful baby needs a name, and all of her best friends and neighbors are invited to bring gifts for the occasion. One such friend has brought a great gift indeed, that of a whole circus…
A Map of Sorts
Landmarks in the immediate vicinity include:
The Buckeye River
A vine-wrapped, paint-peeling pavilion
A small hillock
The Zumbro Forest across the river
A large field beneath the hill, perfect for the circus to perform within
Windy plains beyond the hill and stretching to the horizon
The Order of Events
Assuming everything goes according to plan, and Grandmother Staka will certainly endeavor to make that so, this is what is scheduled for this beautiful naming day:
Ingathering — the guests mingle and meet each other
The First Gift — Grandmother Staka gives a gift, makes a speech, and opens the ceremonies
Giving of Gifts — while never stated explicitly, everyone knows it’s a contest
The Last Gift — Aglienne addresses her guests and gives the gift of a name to her child
Congeniality and Farewells — the guests mingle and settle any outstanding romantic yearnings or grudges
Clean-Up and Afterwards — the party is over, the guests leave, and the circus cleans up its act
By default the circus arrives in time for Ingathering, though it may be just as interesting if they arrive late in the midst of the Giving of Gifts.
The circus has been called here by Marigh, an otter, who intends the circus and its performance to be her gift. Thus the circus’s performance is expected to take place during the Giving of Gifts when Marigh is called upon to present her gift.
Dramatis Personae
Aglienne, the River Queen (she/her)
Glistening silver scales. A floppy hat made of a lily-pad. Jet-black eyes.
Aglienne carries herself like the winner of a local beauty pageant, though she would’ve been too cowardly to go to states. Claims to be the Buckeye River incarnate, the liar. This is her day :)) oh and also I guess her kid’s.
Plays:
To drown someone
To whisper in someone’s ear
To weigh a gift critically
Craves from the circus: respect
Has to give: reserved applause, a bounty of fish
Is holding back: the truth about her child
Grandmother Staka (she/her)
Purple gowns, sharp teeth, endless white hair, cataracts.
Grandmother Staka does not suffer fools. She has planned this party on behalf of her daughter Aglienne, and she will be damned if it does not reflect well upon them both.
Plays:
To bide her time
To corner, press, or encircle
To weigh a gift critically
Craves from the circus: ruination and embarrassment
Has to give: the threat of violence if you do not fall in line
Is holding back: her genuine appreciation
Stacka’s Gift: a silver hairpin in the shape of a moth, an heirloom from her own grandmother
Marigh Blushbloom (she/her)
A nervous otter walking on her hind legs. Overalls and wellies. A cute little waddle.
Marigh is, above all else, hopelessly in love with Aglienne. She hopes a gift as beautiful as the circus’s performance will win the affections of her crush. You’re up to that, right?
Plays:
To admonish (weakly, ever so weakly)
To suffer and endure
To weigh a gift critically
Craves from the circus: to express her truth — that she loves Aglienne
Has to give: her adoration
Is holding back: her jealousy of Zumbro
Marigh’s Gift: the circus and its performances
Zumbro the Forest (he/him)
A face in a tree trunk. Leaves for hair which move with the wind in the forest across the river. Easy, unspeaking quiet. A retinue of forest critters.
Zumbro is a charming fairy-tale forest. If there are threats within him, he apologizes. He is, as he always has been, hopelessly in love with Aglienne.
Plays:
To overwhelm
To stand in effigy
To weigh a gift critically
Craves from the circus: to express his truth — that he loves Aglienne
Has to give: the changing of the season, respect
Is holding back: a boon granted, tears of sorrow
Zumbro’s Gift: a cottage within the heart of his woods, a place that will always be safe and warm
Aven the Lucious (he/they)
Silver feathers. An emerald circlet. A disapproving smirk.
Aven keeps their distance from the riff-raff here at home. Their sister’s silly party has pulled them away from the noble court they now belong to, and it is only fear of their mother that’s brought them here.
Plays:
To fall in love
To impose their will
To weigh a gift critically
Craves from the circus: flattery, the nasty kind of gossip
Has to give: the nasty kind of gossip — he knows the secret of Aglienne’s baby hiding in plain sight
Is holding back: real compliments, an invitation to perform at a fairy court
Aven’s Gift: a nanny goat for the kid to nurse from since Aglienne won’t be able to do so herself. Aven will regret giving a gift this unbearably mean the moment after he offers it.
Annie Bothknees (she/he)
Bees crawling in and out of her ears. An enormous overbite. A worn suit. The MC’s worst silly voice.
A goblin who lives in the forest and a wonderful* cook. Her gift is to cater the event, and her devious scheme is to provide a meal so delicious that no one will notice when she takes the baby and eats it.
Plays:
To nurse a grudge
To turn fair to foul
To weigh a gift critically
Craves from the circus: chaos
Has to give: food & drink (vile), invitations of all sorts, challenges
Is holding back: her loyalty
Annie’s Gift: when called upon to give a gift, Annie will walk the party through a meal of up to seven courses:
Hair stew
Bee-nut butter sandwiches (coarsely-ground acorns and dead bees spread over moldy bread)
Chicken parm (dead rat with grated wax)
Blue cheese & tuna pie
Dust bunny cotton candy
Sponge cake (tiered sponges, used)
Honey (perfect and delicious)
Baby Brook (???)
Chubby. Wide-eyed. Cooing. Quiet until deafening.
The truth of this baby is that this baby is also painfully, obviously human to anyone with a passing familiarity with such things (Grandmother Staka, Aven, and any human circus characters). Aglienne has stolen it because she believes having a child will bring her the attention she deserves. She believes she will name it Brook, a tribute to Aglienne’s own river spirit-dom, but no — the child’s home of Brooklyn calls to it, and not even Aglienne will ever break that spell.
Plays:
To bear cold iron
To wonder
To laugh with delight
Craves from the circus: a lullaby
Has to give: pure delight
Is holding back: the truth of where it comes from
Additional Gifts
If a character needs a gift and their listed gift will not do, or if they’re a character not detailed here, they might have brought…
A two-headed peacock, each head constantly fighting the other for food
A perfectly baked loaf of bread
A terrible poem (riff it off the cuff yourself)
A favor repaid
Too many gems or coins
A troll to fight
Opening Questions
When everyone has a character and is ready to arrive at the occasion, ask these questions:
What is the season? If no one has a strong opinion, it’s high summer.
What was the circus’s last show, and what’s their next show — the one they’re going to after this naming day?
Who here knows the baby’s mother Aglienne? Who brought a gift of their own? Who knows Marigh Blushbloom, the otter spirit who’s hired the circus to perform?
The MC’s First Play
As the circus arrives, choose one of these plays to make or another of your own:
Marigh Blushbloom rushes to greet the circus and anyone she knows within it. She is obviously nervous, even more-so than usual. Paint her as obviously in love with Aglienne.
From up on the top of the hill, Grandmother Staka pauses her conversation with her daughter Aglienne to make sultry eyes at someone in the circus.
Annie Bothknees presents herself to anyone involved with the concessions. She is furious that someone else would dare attempt to cater this event and sets something on fire.
Now. What do you do?
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