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Chaosium Digest Volume 10 Number 09
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
--------------------
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