Chapter 3: The Blood Tide.
Part Sixteen: Its Okay, It Could Happen To Anyone.
Players:
Magic Level: Adept (20% to Initiate)
Known Spheres: Death
Known Elements: Bone, Blood
Wounds/Effects:
Missing Eye (Less perceptive overall)
Skills/Bonuses:
Bonespeaker: +1 to Bone Magic rolls.
Scavenger : +1 to Graverobbing/looting catacombs.
Self Directed Learner(Elements): +1 to learning elements alone
Possessions:
Old Black Steel Blade.
Magic Level: Apprentice (60% to Adept)
Known Spheres: Death
Known Elements: Blood
Wounds/Effects
Skills/Bonuses:
Trained Fighter: (+2 to all rolls in combat if it gets physical)
Brawler (You fight well when outnumbered.)
Dungeoneer (You should head into that dungeon, you do better in dungeons.)
Possessions:
Hefty Axe
Well Made Spiked Round Shield.
Magic Level: Adept (10% to Initiate)
Known Spheres: Death
Known Elements: Bone
Wounds/Effects:
Skills/Bonuses:
Jack of All Trades (You can slip into most mundane roles with no trouble.)
Studious: +1 Study rolls.
Battle Command (Forces under your command are more effective)
Possessions:
Mail Shirt.
Magic Level: Adept (20% to Initiate)
Known Spheres: Death
Known Elements: Earth
Wounds/Effects:
Skills/Bonuses:
Bookworm (+1 Research rolls)
Earthshaper (+1 Earth Magic Rolls)
Possessions:
2 Loot Tokens
Enchanted Staff(+1 on spell rolls)
Shaper's Gloves (+1 Earth Magic spells)
Absorbing Armor (-1 To enemy spellcasting, if targeting you)
Book of Rituals (Earth Magic, Initiate or Higher)
Magic Level: Apprentice (40% to Adept)
Known Spheres: Death
Known Elements: Void
Skills/Bonuses:
Violent Magic (Your magic always bends towards more violent means, Critical rolls are more dangerous.)
Sneaky (+1 Stealth rolls)
Combat Mage (+1 to magic rolls in a pitched fight)
Possessions:
Plain Short Sword
Carved Gemstone
1 Loot Token
Magic Level: Adept (30% to Initiate)
Known Spheres: Death
Known Elements: Blood
Skills/Bonuses:
Bloodcaller (+1 to Blood Magic rolls.)
Cryptologist (+1 to All Deciphering rolls)
Beast Hunter: You are better at tracking, and killing beasts of all natures.
Wounds/Effects:
Missing Eye (Less perceptive overall)
Possessions:
Enchanted Staff(+1 on spell rolls)
Unknown Blade (Effects unknown)
Carved Gemstone
Magic Level: Apprentice (25% to Adept)
Known Spheres: Death
Known Elements: Earth
Skills/Bonuses:
Earthshaper (+1 Earth Magic Rolls)
Wounds/Effects:
Items:
2x Loot Tokens
Sturdy Wooden Shield
Battered Mace
Magic Level: Apprentice (60% to Adept)
Known Spheres: Death
Known Elements: Blood
Skills/Bonuses
Spirit Conduit. (You may commune with spirits at any point, to gain answers or assistance)
Dominion of Blood (You are less likely to lose control of minions summoned by Blood magic.)
Items:
None.
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Known Locations:
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Suomi has been abandoned. Its people fled in the dead of winter to any nearby town.
Norvak A town with an unknown population. It seems to be primarily focused on cattle. It is defended by a small fort garrisoned by veterans of the King's Army. It is affiliated with Welnshire.
Confirmed as having the Plague. Currently under Quarantine.
Vis Valdi is a looted husk of a town.
The Tower, is ramshackle and old. It possesses few amenities currently. Your best guess is its still an unknown location.
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Note, all resources/items are placed in the Tower Stocks unless declared otherwise.
Rooms: Catacombs, Living Quarters(Damaged), Advanced Storage Vaults(Damaged), Crude Altar.
Crude Stone Map
Exterior:
Crude Slave Pens (12/40 Slaves contained)
Defenses: Wooden Palisade, Wooden Gate.
1 Barrels of Blood
1 Tainted barrel of blood.
29 corpses (human)(Rotting)
2 Loot Tokens
8 Supplies
Undead:
1 Bone Golem (small) (Helfd)
1 Gravehaunt (Helfd)
29 Zombies (Helfd)
14 Skeletal Minions (Human)(Unarmed) (Jerik)
7 Festering Zombies (Jerik)
1 Zombie Salamander (Jerik)
4 Zombies (Roland)
20 Ghouls (Sholan)
10 Festering Zombies (Sholan)
1 Zombie Salamander (Sholan)
2 Stone Golems (Small) (Flint)
1 Stone Golem (Large) (Flint)
1 Stone Warhorse (Flint)
1 Iron Golem (Small, Semi-pure) (Patrizio)
10 Zombies (Patrizio)
10 Zombies (Jim)
13 Ghouls (Mine)(Guarding Mine)
10 Zombies (Tower Exterior, Guarding Slave Pens)
---
Living:
3 Dark Minions (Magical; Spark)(Tower)
12 Enslaved Humans (Tower, Penned)
12 Enslaved Humans (Mine, Laboring)
Level 1 Mine (12/20 laborers)(Provides resources: Ore, Stone, +3 supplies/turn) Stocks: 12 Supplies
The Tower.
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Events:
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Roland As near as you can figure, the last remaining point of interest on that map was far to the northeast, and over the river that cozies up against Vis Valdi. You rally your few zombie guards and head in that direction. You estimate it should take you another turn of travel to reach the general area that was indicated on the map.
[3] You stumble across the remains of a campsite a little NW of the ruins of Suomi. By your estimation, at least a dozen people camped here not long ago.
---
Patrizio You trudge through the forest, returning to the tower. [6] You cannot shake the feeling you are being watched, but you cant see anything, and arrive at the Tower without incident.
Note, Special Event: Tower Collapse.
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Sholan[5+2] Your spellcraft works. There is an abundance of living creatures in a congregation somewhere nearby. Presumably this is the nest of giant salamanders that inhabits the lower depths of the Catacombs.
You have decided. The forces you have, and you, shall engage the Salamanders, in an effort to cleanse the Catacombs.
---
JerikYou've never raised a ghoul before, but with the number you've seen loping about, it cannot be that difficult. [4] Unfortunately it seems that raising ghouls is quite complicated. Still, you have managed to raise a number of festering zombies, and one zombified Giant Salamander. +7 Festering Corpses, +1 Zombie Salamander.
Note, Special Event: Tower Collapse.
---
Helfd Gathering up the local zombies, your golem and Gravehaunt, and supplies for the journey, you set out to the southeast, towards the ruins Teris wants you to search for that staff. The journey will take time, but it is a pleasant trip. Animals do not bother you, you see no one, but this is sort of an unpopulated backwater, so you are unsurprised.
---
FlintFlint, you call up your magic and shape a Golem from the abundant supplies of stone available to you.[6+1,1,1] However, as you are at the Tower, your magic embraces the nearest source and that is unfortunately a load bearing wall of the Tower. A Large golem steps forth from the wall, heralded by an ominous rumbling...
Note, Special Event: Tower Collapse.
---
Detani, Jim[?] Jim, you pen a brief note asking for help and attach it to an undead raven. You instruct it to seek out another member of your fledgling cabal, and deliver the message. You watch as it wings its way out of the city heading east. You also watch as several arrows try to strike it from the sky, but fortunately it avoids them and makes it past the quarantine forces.
Detani, you spend your time practicing your void magic on hapless buildings and various detritus lining the streets. They dont call you the Magic Janitor for nothing. You feel yourself getting close to a greater insight into Void Magic.
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[Special Unforeseen Consequences Roll: 10, Tower Collapse.]Effected Parties:
Flint, Jerik, Patrizio.
Flint, you hear the creaks of the Tower's weight shifting dangerously, and barely manage to order your golems to protect you in time. The new Large Stone Golem you have created from the very walls of the tower manages to hold up the roof and keep you safe, for now, as other chunks of the Tower collapse around you. You are trapped, and only the actions of your Large Golem have prevented your death.
Jerik, you sensed something was amiss. Feeling the buildup of earth magic you decided, wisely to abandon the tower with your forces. You are in every way safe,and watch impassively from a safe distance as the Tower slumps inward on itself. While you are watching, an undead raven alights on your shoulder. It seems to be carrying a message from Detani and Jim, stating that they need help.
Patrizio, you have barely reentered the Tower when you feel the entire thing start to rumble and shift dangerously. You call up your magic in moments, and use your golems as a buttress to prevent sudden rock related death while you work your magic. Your presence has prevented the damage from being too bad, but should you leave the Tower, the protection you offer will be undone.
Several rooms have been damaged or outright destroyed. The three magical apprentices, made it out of the tower.
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Event: Battle in the Catacombs Forces: Sholan, 26 Ghouls, 30 Festering Zombies, 1 Zombie Salamander
Opposing: Throngs of Giant Salamanders
Orienting on the nest via your magical abilities, you stride forth cautiously making sure that your forces are arrayed in a method that protects you. Before long you have found it, a place where the masonry of the Catacombs gives way to a large sprawling cavern, through which many underground rivers flow. The ground is marshy and fungus is abundant.
In addition, you can see dozens of nests. The Giant Salamanders nesting within view your arrival as an intrusion, and they swarm towards your forces.
[Rolls, vs Other Rolls]
Your ghouls massacre the Salamanders, though for the most part it seems that the belligerent adolescents charged your forces first. The older, warier ones struck out cautiously and managed to cost you several Ghouls.
Raising your staff you lash out magically, striking down several more of the Salamanders and driving them back. Your zombies now enter the fray.
The battlefield is growing larger by the moment as your ghouls wade deep into the mass of salamanders, rending and tearing with their claws and teeth. They are accompanied by the dull thudding impacts of your zombie's fists. The cacophony of shrieks emanating from the Salamanders is growing louder by the moment. Frenzied counterattacks cost you nearly a dozen zombies and a few ghouls, but you're unable to keep an accurate count in the melee.
You are driving them back, many have decided to flee rather than continue defending their nests. Your spellwork continues to scythe through the masses of salamanders, causing them to seize up and die suddenly.
Above you, you hear a rumbling noise, and dust cascades down in the corridor behind you. Curious, you wonder what that was about. The momentary distraction allows a large salamander to catch you unawares, and slash you badly with its claws. You clobber it in return with your staff, and your zombies drag it off you, punching it into a state of death.
The battle barely drags on for 20 minutes. The salamanders were no match for the might you brought against them. And while on a full count, your forces took a bit of a beating, the number of salamanders you crushed to death was far greater.
This should drive the Salamanders back from the Catacombs, at least for awhile.
Total Losses: -20 Zombies, -6 Ghouls.
+5% to Initiate
+Skill: Beast Hunter
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Events in Near Proximity:
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A magical calamity has done
Serious damage to the Tower.
Spring is slowing giving way to summer, and storms can be seen brewing around the distant peaks.
Further Catacomb exploration is Dangerous.
Note, There is now a map in the OP.
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Topic: Dark Magi: TTC, Chapter 4, Update 9 (Read 46703 times)