Demon Team: Revision Phase T2TURNTURNTURNThe Ancient Rites (uses a Catacomb Token)
As is inscribed on a tablet within the Buried Capital, "nihil sub sōle novum" - there is nothing new under the sun. Even today's various funerary rites and superstitions regarding the dead have the most ancient roots, and we have the capacity to follow these roots as deep as they go.
Utilizing our wealth of bone- and ratmanpower we were able to map out and then excavate a culturally significant tomb related to the priesthood that came before. The walls, perfectly preserved in spite of time, are marked in hieroglyphs detailing the proper rituals for preparing and treating priests who reach the end of their days. Of note is the section of the preparatory ritual in which the vitals of the priest were removed and stored in canopic jars. A second step also took place that the keen, modern magical mind would identify as trapping the bound soul of the priest to their own soul gem. The heart was then removed and replaced by the priest's soul gem. By utilizing a modified reversal of this process we can release and rebind the souls of the Soul Magi to the magi, reanimating these ancient mummies and allowing the Prideful creatures the opportunity to continue perfecting their skills with our backing.
The specific ritual involves cracking open the mummy's torso and filling it with the dusted remains within their canopic jars, making sure the soul gem is surrounded if not covered by the ash. An incantation is spoken while the ash is lit. The fire from the ashes burns a bright green but does not spread and burns out quickly. Once the fire burns out the soul gem glows with an inner fire of its own as the soul within "awakens". The final step requires the removal of the soul gem, breaking the binds keeping the priest's soul trapped and freeing both the soul and the gem for proper use by the Soul Magi.
The Ancient Rites: Very Hard: (3+3)-2=4: Below Average
That is not dead which can eternal lie.
The Cult of the Eternal Soul left its mark. While their Evil ways were forgotten, some of their funerary rites were not. Even today, traces remain in the burial habits of Thpenos and Xyrania. By studying several old tombs, your cultists were able to piece together some of their history, eventually leading them to the location of an even older tomb- ransacked by adventurers, nothing of value remained. But the walls were untouched, the faded illustrations and archaic script revealing secrets that when combined with what you learned of the Soul Magi already allowed you to reconstruct the Ancient Rites of the Eternal Soul.
Dusty canopic jars, that you had passed off as irrelevant, were gathered. The damaged Soul Gems that you had so thoughtfully replaced with new & unblemished stones were retrieved from the trash. Re-examining the damaged gems, a trace of soul energy you had previously overlooked was noticed, and by matching the frequencies you were able to assign the correct gems to each Magi. The vital force within the canopic jars was returned to the desiccated corpses, then consumed in magical flame to draw the key soul-fragment from the damaged soul gems into the husks- a process which caused the damaged gems to crumble into dust themselves, but not before returning a key spark to their former bearers. At first, it seemed like even this had no effect- but gradually, over the course of several days, some of the Magi began to stir. In fairness, they had slept for thousands of years- it takes a bit before mental processes can resume after such an interval. And though well-preserved, their mummified remains are fragile, so each Magi had to carefully draw upon Evil to strengthen their physical forms before arising.
But arise they did- a handful at first, though you expect more to awaken with time. The flash of green flame in their eyes startled the cultists watching over them. One had the wit to run to your august self to inform you of this, an action which also happened to save her life; the remainder found their souls drawn from their living bodies, consumed by the Magi to refuel their regalia. This will be a persistent problem, it seems- according to one of the Magi, the revival process you used was imperfect, and a steady stream of fresh Evil souls will be required for them to remain intact. The more active they are, the more Evil souls they will require. Regular survival only requires one soul every few days (a trivial concern), but they can be expected to drain several cultists per battle (exact number depends on the duration and intensity of the fighting). They can still be expected to cause a
lot more damage to your enemies than your own forces, but it's something to keep in mind.
In addition to consuming Evil souls to survive, the Magi can and will also draw Good and neutral souls into their Soul Gems to empower their magic. Even without soul power, their magic is greatly enhanced compared to Acolytes- they can fling Magic Missiles about four times faster with two times the strength, and throw up Wards that are twice the size and last thrice as long. More importantly, they scoff at such child's magic, being quite capable of casting spells of greater complexity ((all
Uncommon spells unless noted otherwise)). By adding in the power of souls harvested on the battlefield, the Magi can double the strength of Magic Missile and Novice Ward. These simple spells are not designed for such surges of power, so more advanced spells would benefit even more.
(Though their appearance cannot be disguised enough for them to operate in Influence contexts, if they could their use of Dark Seduction and Empathy would also be several times more potent. Dark Empathy especially so, since they have no brains to damage- while they will still suffer side effects from using the spell too long, these will never become permanent)
In terms of physical strength, the Magi are not as fragile as they appear, though as mentioned this is only thanks to their consumption of Evil souls. If cornered, with no nearby cultists to consume, they can easily be overwhelmed by even fairly weak enemies. But so long as they are surrounded by your cultists (or Ratmen, though their souls are less nourishing), their resilience will be significantly greater than human. Or indeed Rememberers, as while your skeletal warriors are somewhat strengthened, their compound souls have no knowledge of necromancy- whereas Soul Magis' undying souls are able to strengthen and (to some extent) repair their undying bodies on the fly.
Soul Magi are potent and remarkably resilient casters, so long as they have friendly cultists/Ratmen to consume. Though not usable outside of combat, their impact on the battlefield should be considerable (especially if given
Uncommon spells to cast). They are
Rare, unit size ~15.
It is now the Strategy Phase. Decide where to send Nar-Carok and the Vampire Lord. Choose whether to support the Federalists or the Assimilators, and also choose which of the Merchant's items you would like.
Nar-Carok: The diabolical leader of your faction, a being of immense power. There is very little he cannot do. Needless to say, he is Unique
Champions:
The Vampire Lord: An ancient Vampire, unearthed from the Buried City by Nar-Carok and his cultists. Relatively weak during the day, but comes to unlife at night as he rampages through enemy camps, though his stamina is limited. He is also familiar with the general behaviour of nobility, making him a decent director (but not actor) in Influence provinces. Unique
Vampiric Thralls: Retainers of the Vampire Lord, who have been fed a small amount of his blood. Though alive, they inherit most of his strengths and weaknesses (at a lower intensity). They serve as extensions of his will, acting in his stead in Influence provinces and providing backup in combat. They cannot travel separately from their Lord. Unit Size: ~20
Mundane Units:
Cultist Spears: Being equipped with only a rusty dagger, a makeshift spear, and a wooden shield, combined with their lack of training, mean these are not elite warriors- they'd lose a one-on-one fight with a real soldier-, but they're cheap and plentiful. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Unit Size: ~50 Common
Cultist Archers: Cultists who have some experience with a bow are valuable assets in combat, harassing the enemy from a distance. They aren't sharpshooters, and their bows are designed for hunting, not piercing armour, but they're better than nothing. Like regular cultists, their dedication makes them more resilient mentally than civilians. Unit Size: ~25 Common
Acolytes: Cultists who have begun their exploration of the magical arts, studying under their demonic patron. They can cast any Common spells (unless noted otherwise). Their physical strength leaves something to be desired, but their mental fortitude is even greater than regular cultists. Unit Size: ~25 Uncommon
Cultist Missionaries: Cultists with a modicum of charisma and subtlety, sent forth as emissaries of their eldritch master. Unarmed and untrained, they serve no role in combat. Unit Size: ~10 Common
Masters of Rites: Cultists wearing elegant black robes trained in funerary customs of the region. They offer free funeral services, but weave inflammatory messages into the accompanying sermon, driving attendees to seek revenge for the fallen in ways the Masters encourage. They have also been given local cemeteries to manage by the priesthood. Unit Size: ~10 Uncommon
Summoned/Mutated Units:
Those Who Remember: Skeletal warriors, driven to return to the battlefield by relentless hatred of all things Good. They wield two-handed weapons and sometimes wear decaying ancient armour. Suffused with burning hatred and animated by the amalgamation of warrior souls, they are remarkably skilled and agile, as well as being quite strong. They are more vulnerable to magical damage, and are lacking in self-preservation instinct. Unit Size: ~50 Uncommon
Those Who Recall: An even more hateful variant, charging into combat unarmed, intending to leap into the middle of enemy formations where their overflowing hatred will cause them to self-destruct (explosively). May be set off prematurely by ranged damage. Unit Size: ~10 Uncommon
Ratmen: Rats living in the Wastelands, who mutated over time through a process of "Survival of the Skittish" into short, humanoid... Ratmen. They wear home-made bone 'armour' and wield a mixture of scavenged small blades. Unit Size: ~100 Common
Skitterpriests: Zealous followers of Nar-Carok whose screeching sermons drive their brethren into a frenzy that mitigates their inbred cowardice. Command units.
Soul Magi: Ancient spellcasters, revived- undying souls inhabiting a mummified body. Their magic is many times more potent than that of Acolytes, and they can cast Uncommon spells. Their physical forms are quite resilient, but this relies on a steady stream of Evil souls. Other souls can also be drawn into their Soul Gems to boost the power of their magic further. Unit Size: ~15 Rare
Spells/Rituals:
Magic Missile: Known by many names, the simple technique of blasting your opponent with raw Mana/Good/Evil is a tried and true method of making things go away. Efficacy increases with caster's mental might, and decreases with the target's. Common
Novice Ward: A very simple magic barrier that will reduce the impact of attacks both mundane and mystical. Won't last long, but can be useful in a pinch. Common
Dark Seduction: A simple spell that causes the target to have an improved opinion of the caster, ranging from undying devotion to a twinge of approval, depending on the strength of the caster and resistance of the target. Will also slowly taint the target's personality if used repeatedly, and cause brain damage. Common
Dark Empathy: Sort of an inverted version that enhances the caster's emotional receptiveness, and giving them a weaker but aura-based Dark Seduction effect. Also causes brain damage, so use is limited to a few minutes a day. Common
Infiltration Techniques:
Proselytise: Cultists go forth and spread the Evil word, finding those sympathetic to their cause and slowly winning them over. Not the fastest way of gaining converts, but it keeps the cult growing. Common
1 Catacomb Token (can be used in any project involving the undead or deathly energy)
THPENOS (Influence)Bountiful Quarries:
2/5 |
1/5Gridlocked Polis:
1/5 |
1/5Restless Satrapy:
1/5 |
3/5CHEGITHA (Combat)Sheltered Fjords:
8/8 |
0/8Rolling Hills:
0/8 |
8/8Deserted Urbs:
0/8 |
8/8XYRANIA (Influence)Pirate Haven:
2/5 |
0/5Schism'd Capital:
1/5 |
1/5Raiders' Roost:
1/5 |
2/5WESTERN PROTECTORATE (Combat)Windcarved Mesas:
8/8 |
0/8Vast Steppe:
2/8 |
6/8Pestilent Marshes:
0/8 |
8/8
Author
Topic: Demon Team - Chiaroscuro 2 | Design Phase T6 (Read 17451 times)