Chaosium Digest Volume 10, Number 9 Date: Monday, May 29, 1995 Number: 2 of 2 Contents: Prince of Ruins, Part Two (Simon Lee) ELRIC! -------------------- From: simon.lee@digitec.co.za (Simon Lee) Subject: Prince of Ruins, Part One System: Elric! PART 4: WHITE WOLF, BLACK SWORD (CONT.) The lighthouse conflict should be allowed to continue until the followers of Pyaray have been beaten back or the runesword has been stolen (and subsequently lost again, along with a possible hand or two). A brief pause will probably interrupt the skirmish as both sides consider their options. Suddenly the deep, sonorous note of a ramshorn is heard above the noise of battle. The attention of both sides is drawn to the rock promontory, where three figures clad in grey robes stand as if to attention, their swords drawn and facing towards the lighthouse. These are servants of the Church of Donblas the Justice-maker. They have learnt of the Melnibonian captive and, through complex divination, deduced his true identity. They have travelled for days to intercept the prisoner and deliver the only justice they believe is befitting a sorcerer and servant of Chaos: death by beheading. The priestess Eren Altane will call out that she represents Donblas's justice and that the Chaos prince Elric of Melniboni must be delivered to her to receive righteous judgement. This is likely to throw the entire situation into further disarray. The characters, presuming they believe Eren, will have to re-evaluate their attitude to Elric now that his identity is known. If they have already freed him they may begin to regret their "hasty" decision! If asked, Elric will neither deny his identity, nor confirm it. He will simply state that the Priestess of Law is mistaken in her evaluation of Chaos and that justice by execution can hardly be said to be fair justice at all. Ha'kesar's plans are seriously disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Law. He will immediately call on the characters to join him against this new threat. He will claim that the Priests of Law are well-known for their overzealousness and that the characters will as-likely-as-not receive rebuke as their only reward for co-operating with Law. He will also promise to cease all further hostile action against the characters if they assist him. (If the characters believe this, they deserve everything they get!) Ha'kesar will then call half his minions back from the lighthouse assault and send them to attack the followers of Donblas. If the demon is still around it will also be re-directed to attack the Priestess personally. Ha'kesar may take the opportunity afforded by this confusion to enter the lighthouse and search for the runesword. If he is seriously threatened, or if it looks likely that the forces of Law will capture the runesword, he will use his last available option and summon the Avatar of Pyaray (see below). Firian and the warriors of Goldar see the Priestess of Donblas as the saviour of their mission. They will immediately ally themselves with Eren Altane and will accept her orders without much question. Firian is also likely to report any character "indiscretions" to Eren Altane (e.g. freeing Elric). After declaring her intentions, Eren Altane immediately leads her small group in search of Elric. She is not interested in any of the other individuals present, although she will certainly smite Chaos (Ha'kesar in particular) if it crosses her path. As soon as she is close to Elric she will attempt to touch him and cast Field of Law, thereby preventing him from using any spells or magical abilities to defend himself (this will also negate any STR and CON bonuses that Elric may have received from Stormbringer). Stormbringer itself is not susceptible to a Field of Law. Eren Altane's acolytes do their utmost to protect her while she seeks Elric: they attack anyone blocking her path, parry blows aimed at her and will not hesitate to step in the way of a killing attack to keep her alive. Elric has no intention of being captured by the forces of Law. He "calls" to Stormbringer mentally, which results in the sword flying to his position within 1 round regardless of where it may have been beforehand (Elric has been known to summon Stormbringer from different planes of existence, so a few hundred metres won't even raise a sweat). Elric will avoid the Priestess as best he is able, shouting warnings about his inability to control the runesword under circumstances such as these. Characters who have witnessed what Stormbringer can do could also try to dissuade Eren Altane, but their chances of success are minimal. She will only stop to consider another course of action when she is convinced that conventional attacks will not harm someone bearing Stormbringer. Ha'kesar is now in a desperate position. He is faced by a Priestess of Law and a Melnibonian prince who does not take kindly to having his runesword stolen. That they seem to be fighting each other is small comfort: neither is going to leave him alive once they have resolved their differences. Unless the characters come to Ha'kesar's aid he will be forced to summon the Avatar of Pyaray. As soon as Ha'kesar begins the invocation, the supernatural storm intensifies. Great banks of cloud gather around the lighthouse and huge waves smash into the cliffs below. Characters also become aware that the "thin" section of the stone promontory is shaking violently. Suddenly the rock splits away from the mainland and begins to fall into the sea. The game master should count to 10 softly. Most players should realise what is happening and have their characters run for the lighthouse. Any character still on the promontory after this time is caught by cascading stone debris and dropped into the sea below. Within a few more seconds the entire stone pathway is torn down, leaving the lighthouse on an island of rock some 20 metres high and 200 metres from the shore. The sea around the island begins to churn violently and huge tentacles rise towards the lighthouse: Pyaray has arrived. PART 5: PALE EMPEROR'S DOOM The situation in the lighthouse will be fairly chaotic by now (no pun intended). Characters may be at a loss as to what they should do, faced with two hostile groups of mortals and an Avatar. Fortunately Elric has some experience in these matters. He also has no real liking for the more brutal Chaos gods and the appearance of Pyaray prompts him to action. He realises that unless the Avatar is dispelled it will kill everyone in and around the lighthouse. Being a sorcerer of no mean power himself, Elric is aware that only magic is likely to harm Pyaray's manifestation. He will communicate this information to the characters and urge them to join him in magically attacking the slime-covered tentacles that are already groping up the sides of the newly-formed island. Unfortunately, things are never quite that simple. Both Ha'kesar and Eren Altane have no desire to see Elric ally with the characters or escape their clutches. Ha'kesar will try to prevent attacks on the Avatar, most likely by forcing characters towards the edge of the island where they become targets for Pyaray's tentacles. He will also shout to the characters that only he can dispel the Avatar and that he will look favourably on pleas for mercy if the characters bring him the runesword. Eren will exhort the characters to abandon chaos and join her in an attempt to destroy the Avatar with Lawful magic. The action is likely to get frenetic and this point and the game master should play up the utter confusion reigning on the island, punctuating events now and again by having Pyaray grab and devour another follower (of Pyaray, Goldar or Donblas - the Avatar doesn't discriminate). As soon as the characters seem to have made a decision on allying with one party, the final complication will occur. The Avatar thrashes several of its tentacles against the island, causing the lighthouse and surrounding ground to shake as if an earthquake had struck it. Elric, who was preparing to attack the Avatar's tentacles, is thrown over the edge of the island. As he falls, he manages to grasp a rock outcropping with one hand, but is left hanging precariously over a 50 metre drop to the sea and the mouth of Pyaray below. The first person to reach him should be one of the characters. It is obvious that Elric is unable to pull himself back onto the island and that one of the Avatar's tentacles will drag him down to his death within a matter of minutes. Elric's fate is entirely in the hands (literally and figuratively) of this character. Assuming the character reaches out to him, both Ha'kesar and Eren Altane will try to influence his/her actions. Ha'kesar will scream at the character to make Elric hand over the runesword as payment for his rescue. He add that if the characters do not bring him the sword, they will all perish. Eren calls on the characters to drop both Elric and his runesword into the sea. She argues that Chaos has never served anything but its own ends, and that Elric will surely betray the characters if they save him. She pledges to protect the characters from the Chaos Avatar if they agree to do what she asks. This is the crux of the scenario and the game master should make both Ha'kesar and Eren's arguments seem as convincing as possible. The unfortunate who has to make the choice is also likely to be bombarded by additional advice from fellow characters. During this period Elric himself remains quiet. If the character looks to him now he will say only this: "I am indeed kinslayer and black reaver. The blood of countless is on my hands. I deserve to die, yet I wish to live. Help me." There is no "correct" solution to this problem, although some are certainly better (from the characters' point of view) than others. If Elric is rescued, he plunges Stormbringer into the closest tentacle and holds on grimly as the slimy mass thrashes wildly around. Several more tentacles crawl onto the island, forcing characters (and others) to flee into the lighthouse. The followers of Pyaray are driven insane by the sight and hurl themselves over the nearest cliff face. One tentacle grasps Ha'kesar before he can escape, crushes his chest and flings the body into the sea (such is the love of Chaos). As Stormbringer's radiance grows, the tentacles' struggles slowly become weaker. After a few minutes they seem to fade away completely, and the supernatural storm departs with them. The Avatar has been dispelled. Elric will salute the characters with Stormbringer, before muttering a few words in High Melnibonian. The air around him begins to shimmer as a summoned sylph carries him aloft and back to the mainland. Characters are left to pacify an irate Priestess of Law, and make their way back to the coast as best they are able. If the characters allow Elric to fall - so be it. He vanishes from sight with a single, bird-like cry, the runesword still clutched in his left hand. The game master should assume that Elric escapes the Avatar by sorcerous means and returns to the mainland. His destiny does not allow Chaos to claim him at this juncture. The characters, of coarse, are left with several unresolved problems. Eren Altane will honour her word and protect the characters to the best of her abilities. With repeated casting of Field of Law (2 times minimum) she will be able to dispel the Avatar. Ha'kesar will do his utmost to prevent her and the characters will probably be caught up in a bitter fight to the death with the followers of Pyaray. Eventually they should triumph, but they may well lose a few of their number in the process. After the battle Eren will thank them in a perfunctory way and offer them a free meal at the Church of Donblas (such is the reward of Law). They will still have to swim back to the mainland themselves. If the characters accede to Ha'kesar's demands they are in for a rough time. Elric will hand over Stormbringer to save his life, as he aware that he can summon the sword should he need it. He does not appreciate the characters' obedience to Ha'kesar, however. If Ha'kesar receives the sword he will immediately attack (and probably kill) the Priestess. He will also order his followers to kill the characters and push Elric into the sea. Elric will gather sufficient strength in 3 rounds to call Stormbringer to him, but by then quite a few individuals could be dead (remember the Avatar is still present). In returning to Elric, Stormbringer will casually inflict some grievous injury on Ha'kesar. Maddened by pain and fear of failure, Ha'kesar will hurl himself at Elric. If the characters do not dispatch him at this point (probably the most merciful of options), Stormbringer will impale itself in his chest and drain his soul. Once Elric retrieves his sword he will attack and dispel the Avatar as described above. The characters receive no thanks from him this time, merely a pained glance before he summons the sylph to carry him to the coast. PART 6: AFTERMATH The conclusion of the adventure depends very much on how the characters chose to resolve the conflict between Law, Chaos and human frailty. The characters cannot expect continued aid from any of the three parties, although Elric may answer a few questions in an offhand way before he conjures the sylph to remove himself to the mainland. Characters who are squeamish about swimming in water recently infested by a Chaos monstrosity should be reassured that the sea is calm and clear following the removal of the storm. For those who still feel uncertain, enough wood could probably be salvaged from the lighthouse to construct a small raft. Once the characters reach the mainland, they will have to decide on a final course of action. Reason suggests that they complete their journey to the Fortress of Evening and report everything they have seen. What response they receive, or indeed whether they reach their destination without mishap, is another chapter in the saga of the Young Kingdoms. For now the characters will be happy to have avoided the direct influence of Law or Chaos. They will, perhaps, also have greater pity for the people of Melniboni and their last, doomed Emperor. STATISTICS AND FURTHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION Note: for full statistics on Elric and Stormbringer see pages 116 and 122 of the Elric! Rulebook, respectively. 1. Warriors of the Church of Goldar: The warriors of Goldar are competent swordsmen and good tacticians. It is likely, however, that they will be completely outclassed by the kind of opposition the characters are going to encounter. Nevertheless, Firian Kais will attempt to carry out his orders and deliver the Melnibonian to the Fortress of Evening for fair trial. 1.1 Firian Kais, Sergeant: STR 16, CON 15, SIZ 15, POW 10, INT 11, Hits: 15 Armour: Leather & rings (1d8) SKILLS: Broadsword 80%, Dagger 75% Climb 42%, Dodge 45%, Fast Talk 65%, Hide 35%, Jump 40%, Listen 50%, Physik 60%, Search 67%, Swim 48%, Throw 50%, Other skills at 35% EQUIPMENT: Leather and ring armour Broadsword 2 daggers Medium shield (50% parry) 1.2 Mercenary warriors (3) STR 12, CON 11, SIZ 12, POW 9, INT 10, Hits: 12 Armour: Sea leather (1d6) SKILLS: Shortbow 45%, Shortsword 50% Climb 40%, Dodge 35%, Hide 35%, Jump 45%, Search 50%, Swim 45%, Other skills at 30% EQUIPMENT: Sea leather Armour Shortsword Small shield (55% parry) 2. Ha'kesar, priest of Pyaray This ruthless madman is also physically imposing, standing fully 7 feet tall in baroque demon plate armour. Ha'kesar has been instructed by his god to recover the runeblade from the captured Melnibonian and will use any means to do so. Ha'kesar is only dimly aware of the dangers inherent in using Stormbringer and is likely to employ the sword if it should fall into his possession. What he does know is that failure in this mission will bring him lingering death at Pyaray's hands and he therefore fears nothing that any mortal can do to him. He will happily bribe, steal, torture or murder to get the runesword; his soul depends on it. CHARACTERISTICS: STR 16, CON 14, SIZ 16, DEX 14, INT 17, POW 18, APP 15, Hitpoints: 15 Armour: Demon Half-Plate [Blocks 3d8 damage. Appears as a layer of shimmering metal scales that continually move and scrape against one another] SKILLS: Dagger 90%, Demon Trident 92% (2d8+1, 18 armour) [Can be thrown up to 80 metres and returns to the wielder in the following round] Bargain 70%, Climb 65%, Dodge 65%, Fast Talk 60%, Hide 88%, Jump 70%, Listen 45%, Move Quietly 80%, Pick Lock 55%, Search 73%, Swim 99%, All other skills 35% SPELLS: Curse of Chaos (4), Horns of Hionhurn (1-3), Pox (1), Demon's Eye (1), Midnight (1), Undo Magic (1-4), Breath of Life (1), Muddle (1), Breath of Death (6) - from The Bronze Grimoire. EQUIPMENT: Demon Half Plate Demon Trident Long blue-green robes 3 daggers Black coral bracelet (contains the bound sea demon Sharaseerch. The demon may be called from the bracelet and then commanded to perform one service per day). If things go badly against Ha'kesar, he can summon an avatar of Pyaray to manifest in the sea beneath the lighthouse. Ha'kesar is very loath to do this, as he has to put out one of his eyes in order to get Pyaray's undivided attention (yes, he is crazy enough to do this). Simply put, the priest gouges out an eyeball with his dagger and, still screaming, flings the bloody sacrifice into the ocean. Very nasty. 3. Followers of Pyaray (6) These individuals are fanatic cultists, willing to sacrifice their lives for dread Pyaray. They obey Ha'kesar completely. If not given any specific instructions they are likely to attack characters in a frenzied, but uncoordinated fashion. The followers of Pyaray wear dirty blue robes over leather armour. Their hair is bound into dreadlocks. CHARACTERISTICS: STR 12, CON 12, SIZ 11, DEX 13, INT 10, POW 10, Hitpoints: 12 Armour: Leather (1d6-1) SKILLS: Dagger 55% (1d4+1), Spear 50% (1d8+1), Thrown Dagger 60% Climb 55%, Dodge 40%, Hide 40%, Jump 35%, Move Quietly 45%, Search 40%, Swim 90%, Other skills at 30% EQUIPMENT (each): Leather armour 1-handed spear, 3 daggers SPELLS (each): Hell's Armour (1-4), Fury (1) 4. Sharaseerch, demon of the deep This creature resembles a giant, sickly gray jellyfish that continually dribbles rancid sea ooze. CHARACTERISTICS: STR 20, CON 18, SIZ 19, DEX 14, INT 10, POW 16, Hits: 19 Armour: None SKILLS: Fly at 14 metres per turn Exsanguinate 85%. Armour only protects for the first turn of blood drain. The touch of the thing feels like clammy cloth. Stinger 80%: the demon is equipped with a flexible, metre-long stinger. A successful hit with the stinger causes 10 points of poison damage if the target fails a CON vs CON roll. Armour does not protect against this damage. The demon can attack with its stinger while enveloping another target. Resistance: the demon can only be damaged by magical weapons or spells. Weapons under magical enchantment (e.g. Hell's Sharp Flame) cause damage equal only to the magical bonus of the spell. Dodge 40%, Hide 85%, Move Quietly 80%, Search 80%, Swim 100% Sharaseerch is bound into the black coral bracelet that Ha'kesar wears. The demon may be summoned from the bracelet at any time, manifesting itself the following turn with a blast of greasy smoke and the stench of rotting seaweed. 5. Eren Altane, Priestess of Donblas At the behest of her church, Eren has pursued the Melnibonian captive with the intent of delivering swift and permanent justice. Eren exemplifies all the characteristics of her sect: she is proud, zealous and completely dedicated to the unyielding path of Donblas's righteousness. She will co-operate with characters only insofar as this will further her own aims. Obviously, she will do everything possible to prevent the either Elric or the followers of Pyaray from obtaining Stormbringer. Under no circumstances will she use the runesword, or allow anyone else to use it (unless the situation is VERY grim). CHARACTERISTICS: STR 17, CON 15, SIZ 12, DEX 18, INT 16, POW 16, APP 14, Hitpoints: 14 Amour: Full plate (1d10+2) SKILLS: Cutlass 120%, Medium Shield 100% Climb 85%, Dodge 80%, Hide 50%, Insight 75%, Jump 75%, Listen 85%, Move Quietly 78%, Oratory 90%, Physik 85%, Search 90%, Swim 55%, Other skills at 45% SPELLS: Field of Law (4) Eren Altane is allied to the Powers of Law. She may employ her total Law points (85) as extra skill points three times per game session. (See pages 35-36 of the Elric! rulebook for more information on alliegance) 6. Acolytes of the Church of Donblas (2) The acolytes are well-trained, well-motivated and unwavering in their hatred of chaos. They operate efficiently as a team with Eren Altane, using the most appropriate tactics for combat or negotiation. The acolytes wear rough grey robes over their armour and keep their dark hair cropped closely to their skulls. CHARACTERISTICS: STR 15, CON 14, SIZ 14, DEX 13, INT 12, POW 13, APP 11, Hitpoints: 14 Armour: Leather & Ring (1d8) SKILLS: Bow 70%, Broadsword 90%, Small Shield 75% Climb 50%, Dodge 45%, Hide 40%, Jump 45%, Search 55%, Swim 40%, All other skills at 35% EQUIPMENT: Broadsword Medium Shield Hunting Bow and arrows 7. Avatar of Pyaray In this scenario Pyaray manifests as a huge, bloated octopus with flailing tentacles. The avatar rests on the surface of the water directly below the lighthouse, waiting for any unfortunates to fall into its slimy embrace. For added effect, the avatar can "squirm" tentacles up the side of the cliff and snatch mortals from the lighthouse balconies (only use this tactic against NPC "expendables", unless noted otherwise in the text). Any mortal grabbed by the avatar is torn apart and eaten in 1 round (don't bother to roll - Pyaray is a god). The avatar can only be dispelled by a major magical attack: 25 points of cumulative magical damage, two field of law spells or a direct hit from Stormbringer. SKILLS: Grab 90% (kills in 1 round) This attack cannot be parried, although it can be dodged. 8. A User's guide to Stormbringer Insofar as a multi-planar vampiric entity can be bound to a mortal dynasty, Stormbringer is an heirloom of the Melnibonian royal family. As such, it does not take kindly to being wielded by those who are not of Melnibonian royal blood. Anybody who does not meet this requirement can still use the sword, but with potentially devastating consequences. Every round that such a person uses Stormbringer, roll 1d6. On a roll of 1 the sword behaves as it would for Elric. On a roll of 2-3 the sword strikes out at the nearest creature, irrespective of kind. On a roll of 4-5 the sword refuses to attack, or to parry any attacks made against its wielder. On a roll of 6 Stormbringer strikes at its unfortunate wielder and continues to do so until it is dropped or its wielder is dead. 9. The Lighthouse Serving the northern shipping routes of the Purple Towns, this hardy stone building has seen almost continuous use for the past 50 years. The lighthouse is located at the end of a stone promontory that extends The lighthouse is 70 metres high and roughly 20 metres in diametre at its base. There are three interior levels in the lighthouse: Ground Level The first (ground) level consists of large, wooden doors, an entrance hall and two identical rooms to either side of the hall. The rooms contain various provisions (foodstuffs, oil, rope, lanterns, waterproof skins, etc.) A staircase spirals upwards from the hall to the second level. Second Level The staircase from the ground level rises some 30 metres to a wooden landing with small, porthole-like doors on either side. The staircase continues upward to the third level. The doors lead to cramped living quarters, each with bunks, blankets, small chests, old clothing, candle stubs, and so on. There is nothing of any monetary value in either of the rooms. Both rooms shows signs of recent occupation (within the past few days). Third Level The highest level in the lighthouse is only some 5 metres feet in diametre, most of which is taken up by the enormous, oil-fuelled lamp that is the lighthouse's beacon. A small door to the side of this single chamber leads to a narrow, iron-railed balcony a full 70 metres above the ground. The balcony extends completely around the lighthouse. Parts of both the lamp room and the balcony have collapsed, apparently due to a direct lightning strike on the building. Although the lightning damage may make the balcony seem a little precarious, it is still quite solid. As noted previously, the body of a lighthouse keeper lies crushed beneath fallen rubble near the centre of the room. Diligent characters could spend 10 minutes to remove the rubble around the body, in which case they will discover that the lighthouse keeper was a native Purple Towner in his late twenties, dressed in seafarer's clothing and carrying a shortsword. ___________________________ Simon Lee simon.lee@digitec.co.za Johannesburg, South Africa -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial discussion forum for Chaosium's Games. To submit an article, subscribe or unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.berkeley.edu. The old digests are archived on ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP. Omnes famae veridicae sunt.