You awake with a start. Cold stone surrounds you, unlit by any light. The air was heavy with dust.
It wasn’t the worst place you’ve woken in.
The stone door at the end of the room opened with a loud grind, and a grizzled orc stepped through and bowed. You detected a tremor of fear coming from the creature.
“My lord, you have returned to us! We have waited for so long. . . I am Sardonk, the 23rd Seneschal. We have kept this place safe in wait of your foretold return, and to serve you unto death. “
You speak. Your voice is surprisingly deep.
“How long have I been. . . asleep?”
Sardonk clears his throat. “Nearly a thousand years, my lord.”
“Ahh. . .”
You stand with Sardonk in the highest tower of your fortress, which rises to a inspiring two stories. You peer over the ledge, and watch a stone crumble off and fall, smacking an orc standing guard in the head. You hear a loud curse as the orc looks up, snarling. He sees you and turns white, straightening up immediately and resuming his post. You grumble. If you had a tower of proper height the stone would have killed him.
Sardonk informs you that your fortress is in a quite desolate region of the world, a desert with few resources and few things of interest called the Xeromis Waste. This was your last resort, if your body was ever destroyed, for few would think to look here for a fallen Dark Lord.
Fortress is a bit grand for what lies before you. The keep is made of crumbling stone, a squat building with a small tower, sitting at the top of the hill the fort is centered on. Surrounding the keep are wooden barracks and buildings. A ramshackle wall made of wood encloses the fort.
At your command lies 6 Warbands, each having around a hundred orcs. In the area are about 5 tribes who split from the original orcs who were guarding your shrine and rebirthing place. The weakest has roughly 4 warbands, the strongest can call upon about 15. You should probably do something about these tribes, either through diplomacy or conquest.
But first, you look in the mirror set in your room for the first time, seeing:
A. A tall armored figure that looks like Sauron. You may or may not have a cape, too.
B. A robed person, maybe with pale skin or just bone.
C. A dragon person, with scales, wings, a dragon head with a humanoid body.
D. Just a incredibly average looking person.
E. Something else?What are you good at? Pick 2
A. Fighting. You are really, really good at fighting.
B. Generalship. Organizing and executing battle plans, crushing the enemy before the first swords has swung.
C. Magic. Pick one combo: Matter/death, time/fate, mind/space.
D. Speechcraft. You are incredibly charming, and your speeches could (figurative) mountains.
E. Crafting: You really like making stuff. As a child your hand carved chairs won awards at fairs.
F. Something else?
And last but not least: Your name?New stuff:
Birthing vats: Birthing Vats are incubators in which orcs are grown. They are filled with an organic soup, and then orc flesh is added. A rule of thumb is 1 body for every ten orcs. Orc tenders and shamans test the fluid and check the development of the orcs and add ingredients as necessary.
Orc champions and chiefs are often favored as donors, as it is believed their strength can be passed on to their progeny. Chiefs often give blood to certain vats, particularly if a favored warrior died and is put into the vat to strengthen the next generation.
Other species can be added to the vats as well, resulting in new types of orcs. With the addition of human flesh, orcs are known to be more intelligent and ambitious, but lose strength. Trolls are another known option, resulting in the type known as Ologs. Over time birthing vats can acquire reputations for producing certain types of orcs, and become more proficient.
Magic:
Due to your nature as a Dark Lord, you have vast powers at your command. Or, at least you did. You can use powers that aren’t in your explicit spell list, though it doesn’t come as easily to you. You can also learn different areas of magic, though it won’t come as easily to you as Mind and Space magic.
Author
Topic: Dark Lord: Awakening(SG) (Read 8859 times)