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Chaosium Digest Volume 13 Number 09
Chaosium Digest Volume 13, Number 9
Date: Sunday, March 24, 1996
Number: 2 of 2
Contents:
Mister Forty-Four (Ward Narhi) ELRIC!
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From: "Ward Narhi" <uszvnjs6@ibmmail.com>
Subject: Mister Forty-Four
System: Elric!
This is an adventure where I first introduce my Goldeneyes villain
into my campaign, albeit very obliquely. I ran this adventure and it
went very well. I suggest 1-3 PCs can tackle this one. Any more and
some people would probably get bored. My inspiration for this
adventure was a couple of songs I heard which seemed to grow into this
adventure. This adventure may seem easy for the adventurers but the
final conflict has quite a surprise if they don't think.
The location for the adventure is a ficticious city in Argimiliar, so
that it will more easily fit into existing campaigns, and if the PCs
fail it will not change any of the major cities in the YK world.
Please email me and tell me what you think, or even better, how it
went. Thanks!
MISTER 44
Synopsis
The adventurers are travelling and arrive in Carnavon, a decadent city
in central Argimiliar, and witness a gruesome murder. The players
investigate and become involved in halting a dark ritual from
threatening the city.
Gamemaster Background
Goldeneyes, a tireless servant of Chardros, has arrived in Carnavon
and decided this is an ideal place to wreak some havoc. Long ago,
Goldeneyes acquired a tome of magic and has finally formulated a plot
which uses its power to its fullest extent and Carnavon is an ideal
location. The tome in question is very old and written in an High
Melnibonean in an archaic style so is very hard to decipher. The
casual reader will gain nothing from the tome but the reader who
spends more than six hours is liable to be cursed. A curse lies on the
book which compels, by use of an attacking demonic spirit, the reader
to perform a certain ritual detailed in the book. This ritual requires
the caster to sacrifice 4 people in a very specific way and then die
himself for the ritual to be completed. Exact details of this ritual
are at the end of the adventure.
Player Introduction
The players are travelling to some destination and are nearing the
infamous city of Carnovan. Carnovan is known far and wide as a rather
wild and corrupt city, as it profits from man's weaknesses. Carnovan's
major trades are slave markets, brothels, gambling houses, taverns,
drugs and stolen goods. The city's location at the intersection of two
rivers to form the mighty Grey river has caused it to grow
dramatically through tariffs on the multitudes of goods that pass
through the area. (The Grey is a medium-sized river which runs from
central Argimiliar North to the Ocean.)
As you near the city, you are struck by the sprawl of the city. No
wall protects the city but it lies in the crook of two rivers which
from a Y shape. The two rivers each are bridged and have small wood
forts on them which seem to serve more as a waystation for inspection
than for defense. As you approach the fort, you notice many travellers
are weighed down by huge bundles of goods, practically to the point of
collapsing. The line moves quickly and any adventurer that can read
sees a sign saying in common, "All carried items are tariff-free."
The guards allow each person to pass as long as they carry their own
goods. Anything that falls or is carried by animal or cart is taxed.
(The city makes money by taxing caravans and ships but more
importantly, it makes money by travellers leaving behind much money,
so they encourage visitors to come.)
Another interesting fact about the city is their rather abhorrent but
practical method of burial. From the wooden bridge, a funeral
procession can be seen in the lower part of the river. The body is
thrown off the boat and the bricks around its ankles ensure it rapidly
sinks to the bottom. Luckily, the city derives its water supply from a
spot upstream.
The First Two Murders
Entering the city you are assaulted by the foul odors and masses of
people. Beggars, harlots, merchants and laborers crowd the streets all
seemingly in a hurry. Wandering down the streets you see many inns,
gaming houses, houses of ill repute. A crier is loudly shouting the
joys of, "The Tower of Delights" a brothel for men and women. He is
quickly drowned out by the noise of some sort of disturbance to your
right. Shrill screams can be heard emanating from a small hovel at the
side of the street.
Assuming the party investigates, they enter the house and see a
woman's corpse on a table with its body mutilated in a very deliberate
manner. Her eyes have been gouged out and her internal organs in the
abdominal cavity have been removed. Strange symbols seem to have been
painted in the victim's blood on the body and the table. This will be
typical for all subsequent murders. A piece of paper lies on top of
the corpse written in Common. (It is suggested these notes be
distributed to the players.)
"You fools! You shall bow down in abject fear as my master is
recalled from his pit. May the cults of chaos purify you before
you are allowed into his unholy presence. He shall reward the
worthy and trample under the scoffers, the unbelievers, the false
ones."
The woman appears to be some sort of priest of law, as evidenced by
her priestly robes and holy symbols about her neck. Soon after some
city guards will come by and exclaim, "Sheesh, not another one! We
just had one of these crazy murders 2 days ago." They will then go
about cleaning up and asking some routine questions. They are not
investigators and really don't care. If they are questioned they will
say a female was found in the same state 2 days ago. If questioned
further, they will reveal a note was found and is being kept at the
guardhouse. They will show it to the PCs if they ask. This note is as
below:
"Women, women come and go
stop talking about me like they know.
Men, bought and sold
and the world keeps turning
people cold, people burning
"Nothing but the knife to live for
Five lives, all I need.
Give me one good reason
to take your life."
The guards are not taking any of this very seriously. Murders are not
uncommon and they are hardly professional investigators.
The Third Murder
Characters can investigate to their heart's content. Feel free to
roleplay out the investigation as much as you like. Unless they are
very good, another murder occurs two days later. This one is of a
priest of law again. His body is found in his house near the river
docks. Again, similar rituals seem to have been performed on it. The
paper on the body is as follows:
"Greetings from the dungeons where the red, red rivers run
Why do you seek salvation through the holy ones?
Is she a virgin or is she a whore?
I don't really give a damn, I'm Mr. 44!
From the bottomless pit with nothing in it
a void filled with unclean spirits.
The hound of Chaos on a long, long leash
can you count the number of this beast?
Mr. 44!
Every time I kill a priest demon's work is done.
Fire and damnation delivered by the unholy one.
Future prisoners of Chaos, knockin at death's door
to each his own fate yields, I'm Mr. 44!
GM: Now the players finally have enough to really investigate. The
note from the first murder has these clues written into it. The women
coming and going and men bought and sold alludes to slaves or
prostitution. The second paragraph alludes to the ritual he is
performing. He needs five murders to complete it. The note from the
second murder is just the rantings of a madman and has no clues. The
most recent note just names the murderer and details that he is
killing priests of law and makes a vague allusion to fate.
The murderer calls himself Mr. 44 for the purposes of his crimes. He
is a prostitute at the Tower of Delights by the name of Dalrin.
Twenty-five days ago Dalrin met a "streetvendor" who sold books.
Dalrin always enjoyed reading and when the strange-eyed gentleman
showed him an ancient tome written in a language few people know, he
couldn't resist buying the book at such a bargain price. Once back at
the tower with his book, he started reading it and the curse on the
book took over. Dalrin is a fairly strong individual and has coerced
the proud spirit to write the notes and has snuck in some clues as to
who he is and what is going on. Dalrin came from an very well educated
Dharijorean family that went bankrupt and Dalrin was forced into a
life of prostitution to get by and does not like it at all. It does
give him a lot of free time though. The Tower of Delights, the largest
brothel in Carnovan is widely known as the best in the city. It is
quite large and has over 100 prostitutes in its employ which are
commonly referred to by the proprieter by number. For example, Dalrin
is referred to as #44.
Investigations
The players start to investigate and as they draw attention to
themselves, Goldeneyes will see they are investigating. The characters
may be in a crowd and if they make a [Listen] roll hear the faint
sound of buzzing and if they make a [Search] roll may catch a glimpse
of a man in his mid-40s or so with gold eyes, staring at them from
through the crowd. He will rapidly disappear in the crowd though.
Goldeneyes has hired a gang of goons to rough the PCs up a bit, and
thus frighten them away from the investigation. A group of men just a
little bit larger than the party attacks the group. They use clubs and
are just looking to rough them up a bit. They are typical bullies in
that once they start losing they flee. If questioned the thugs will
betray that they were hired by a hooded man that gave them the creeps.
The number of thugs should be about 1 more than the number in the
party. They will try and ambush (50%) the party.
THUGS
STR: 12+1d4
All other Stats: 3d6
HP: 14
No armor
Small Clubs: Att 60%, Par 45%, Damage 1d6+1d4
Eventually the players should figure out the clues and find Mr. 44's
abode in the Tower of Delights, but he will not be there. If his room
is searched, a successful [Search] roll will reveal a small chest
hidden in the back of the closet. The book is there in the locked
chest. PCs can either pick the lock or break into the chest as it is
not all that solid. See the end of the adventure for details on the
book. Dalrin is not there as he is out seeking his next victim and
in fact has found him!
The Fourth Murder
If the players are slow in figuring out the clues, another murder
occurs. If they are fast, then another murder occurs soon after they
determine Dalrin is the murderer, as Dalrin has located his next
victim and just finished killing him. Dalrin will not return to the
Tower of Delights until the next day, as he wants to drink in a tavern
on the other side of town. The victim in question is a female priest
of Arkyn and she was murdered in her shrine. Eventually, Dalrin will
make his way back to the Tower. Players may notice that he is quite
serene and unworried.
PCs can wait for Dalrin to return the next morning and he does. They
can attack and kill him quite easily as he has no combat skills to
speak of, and will not put up a fight. If captured, Dalrin will
remember little if anything. If his body is inspected, blood can
easily be found on his clothing. The city guard will desire to bring
him to justice if he is captured alive.
The party can quite easily learn of the final murder, as the body is
discovered soon enough and the final note is as follows:
"You're only looking for what I want
but it's lonely here and I think you know
I'm waiting
Don't make me wait in vain
bide my time while I'm waiting,
for the end."
The Death of Dalrin
If Dalrin is captured alive, he will be imprisoned for a day and then
the city's mayor will sentence him to death by burning to be carried
out the following day. Dalrin will be tranquil and accept his fate.
If the party allows this to occur see the paragraph "If Dalrin is
slain....". PCs may ask for advice from "mystics" in the city if they
suspect that Dalrin is the final victim of the ritual and some support
and some opposition will arise. Characters will need to convince the
mayor and powers of the city that they should wait to kill him (either
roleplay it out or allow a successful [Fast Talk] roll). People will
be clamoring for Dalrin's blood, so this may be difficult.
Some will even think the party is in on it if they try and delay the
execution. This is a perfect opportunity for some intense roleplaying.
A mob will start forming up and unless the party does something to
calm them (either roleplay or a successful [Oratory] roll), they will
try and get Dalrin and hang him immediately. The best solution is for
a sorceror to be summoned from a larger city nearby who can "exorcise"
the demon possessing Dalrin. Even if this occurs, Dalrin will still be
put to death, but the city will not suffer the consequences.
If Dalrin is slain before the spirit possessing his body is exorcised,
dire consequences will occur. Goldeneyes chose this location to
distribute the book because of their unique method of burial. He knows
thousands of corpses, from cadavers to skeletons, are in the river.
If the ritual is completed, the dead will be possesed by minor spirits
that Chardros sends from his home plane, and they will move to wreak
their vengeance upon the city. Adventurers caught within the city can
try as mightily as possible to stave off the invasion but it will fail
and Carnavan will become a town of undead. Escape from the city is not
too difficult. Combat will occur for a bit, but powerful PCs will have
little trouble breaking free if they try to. Many people escape but
many more die in the city. Carnovan will pass into history as a city
infested with undead. (See further adventures)
TYPICAL UNDEAD OF CHARDROS
STR: 3d8
CON: 2d8
SIZ: Variable as per human
INT: Only a rare few have any intelligence. All others act as
automatons killing all living creatures in their domain. The
few with intelligence can control the less powerful minions.
POW: 2d8 but the intelligent ones will be higher.
DEX: 2d8
APP: not applicable
They can attack with their hands at Att 50% and do fist damage.
Some may either start with weapons or find weapons. Their skill
can vary.
The Tome
The title has long ago been rubbed off the cover of this dark brown
book. It is not that thick and the writing is difficult to follow. It
is written in High Melnibonean. The curse of the book is such that a
spirit will attempt to possess the reader. After 6 hours of reading
the mind of the reader will be more receptive and weakened by what the
book talks about and the demon will start subtly attacking him.
Each hour after 6 roll POW vs the demon's power of 26 or be possessed
with 96-00 always being a failure. The reader will not know he is
being attacked. The persistent reader can decipher these things at
these hours:
2 hours: A very evil book. Describes many ways to sacrifice people
properly to Chardros.
6 hours: Much power is promised to the reader of the book. Describes
the many rewards the reader shall gain by mastering the contents of
the book. Also describes the history of the author, as a man who was a
misunderstood genius of his time. He was persecuted but the book does
not reveal what happened to him. Reveals location of his residence as
a city named Seplis, under the cemetary in the city. If libraries are
consulted, or [Young Kingdoms] is rolled, the PC may discover/know
that the southern Filkharan city, Seplis, was razed by barbarians from
Oin and Yu 85 years ago. Possible adventure site may still exist there
for the excavating inclined.
10 hours: The book seems to detail some magical spells as well, but
the spells are not listed in recipe form. Rather, parts of each are
sprinkled throughout the book so only the assiduous reader will learn
them. Spells hinted at are spells to prolong life, revive the dead,
and attain perfection!?!?
12 hours: Some of the spells seem to involve human sacrifice in a very
gruesome way. Interspersed among this are tales of an artifact of
great power called the Hand of Glory, said to hold the power of 15
sorcerors in it. It was last seen being wielded by the honorable mage,
Lithui. Research or a critical on [Young Kingdoms] will reveal that
Lithui was a fearsome Melnibonean mage who attained immortality after
creating a construct, Ras Haluud, to destroy humankind. Later, he
repented his decision and tried to hunt the construct down to defeat
it but failed and has never been seen since. A PC from western Jharkor
or western Dharijor or Myrhynn may recall (35% chance) a haunted and
sacred mountain being called Immortal's Rest. Possible adventures may
ensue.
15 hours: Study of the book has made you fairly proficient in
vivisection. Gain +25% in [Physik].
20 hours: The nature of the book is revealed and the reader learns
about the curse.
And so on. Feel free to add/delete to/from the book as much as you
like, as this is a perfect means to introduce new adventures to the
party. But, remember the dangers inherent in the book. Most of the
spells alluded to in the book are not real spells but failed
experiments. The great ritual of raising the undead is true, however.
It requires four deaths in a ritual manner, and that the slayer then
be killed by the righteous. A grand afterlife is promised for the
slayer.
Further Adventures
If the city falls to the minions of Chardros, the PCs may want to
return to raid the city of riches. While a whole city's riches are
ripe for the taking, the undead flourish and some rather powerful ones
have been attracted to the city. Meanwhile, many adventurers have
already started raiding the city, so some more accessible areas have
already been cleaned out.
Another possible adventure is the party wanting to atone for their
mistake. The city can be either totally expunged of undead by slaying
them all (not going to happen!) or the players can find Dalrin's body
and have it blessed by Priests of Law to purify it, before giving it a
Lawful burial outside of the city. Finding Dalrin's body may be a
problem as it may have moved from the last time the party saw it. To
finish the cleansing of the city, the demon of the book must be
destroyed. Unfortunately, the demon now is in a body and has become
ruler of the city! But, if this is all done, the undead from the
ritual will perish and the city will become a more conventional "ghost
town".
Finally, further adventures can still be defined by the Tome the
adventurers found. It might detail places of worship to the Chardros
or lost hordes of treasure. The possibilities are endless but the risk
of reading the book may dissuade PCs.
So, please email me with your comments. I am especially interested in
hearing how the adventure went with your campaign. I have a couple
more I am interested in typing up. There is a second adventure to this
one which is less linear and has a variety of possible endings.
By Ward Narhi, uszvnjs6@ibmmail.com, with some ideas from songs and
various other sources.
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