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Chaosium Digest Volume 23 Number 03
Chaosium Digest Volume 23, Number 3
Date: Sunday, February 15, 1998
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
Adventures in Rignorium (Shannon Appel) ELRIC!
Editor's Note:
Since submissions have been light in recent weeks, I decided to do my
part and write a new article for Elric!, which you'll find below. As
always, I'd love to see articles from the rest of you, for Call of
Cthulhu, Pendragon, Nephilim, Elric!, Mythos, Hawkmoon, Ringworld,
Stomp!, you name it...
See you next issue,
Shannon
RECENT RELEASES:
* Call of Cthulhu - _Dead Reckonings_ (Chaosium, 80 pg., $14.95) by
J. Todd Kingrea, Kevin Ross, and Richard Watts, is a brand new set
of adventures set in Lovecraft Country. Herein the dead walk,
shadowy cults clash, and an abomination awaits rebirth into
something even worse.
RECENT BOOKS OF NOTE:
* Call of Cthulhu - _Selected Letters III_ (Arkham House) has at last
been republished. Now you can fill in that gap in your Lovecraftian
collection of letters! ISBN 0-87054-032-7.
NEW ELECTRONIC RESOURCES:
The Dead God's Book
http://www.seanet.com/~sizemore/book/
'Lo Eternal Champion, an ancient book of wisdom and lore has been
discovered, complete with records of *your* experiences.
Nightscapes #6
http://www.toddalan.com/~berglund/
For the Mythos fan: new stories and other articles in this online
webzine.
--------------------
From: appel@erzo.org (Shannon Appel)
Subject: Adventures in Rignariom
System: Elric!
Way back in V15.6 I published an article called "Adventures in
Bakshaan", which expanded upon an entry from _Atlas of the Young
Kingdoms Vol. I_ and provided for many new role-playing opportunities
in that town. Following is another article in the same vein, expanding
upon the Vilmir city of Rignariom.
** ADVENTURES IN RIGNARIOM ***
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Like all of Vilmir's cities, Rignariom is a place of lawful order. It
was once the capitol of the entire country, and its history is a
honorable one. But, the order of Rignariom is slowly starting to break
down; refuges from the growing wasteland, Dinner-of-Dust, line the
roads leading in to Rignariom, and gradually trickle into the
city. Grey Defenders stand watch more vigilantly than ever. Heretics
preach in the market. Slowly the lawful strictures of four hundred
years are descending into chaos. See _Atlas_ pg. 22-23 for more
complete notes on the Duchy of Rignariom, with the city itself
highlighted on the last page. See _Atlas_ pg. 27-33 for notes on
Vilmirian society in general.
NPCS OF NOTE
This section includes notes on a minor NPC located with Rignariom who
can help provide interesting adventures hooks. Also take note of the
following NPCs detailed in _Atlas_: Prince Hervis (pg. 34) and Estele
Regardus (pg. 35).
Roclin Silverblade
Thirteen generations ago Roclin Silverblade's ancestor fought in Vil
Valario's army, to help drive out the Melnibonean oppressors. After
the rebellion ended he settled in Vil Valario's new capitol,
Rignarioum, and served as an honorable Grey Defender. As did his son,
and his son, and his son. Even when the capitol moved to Jadmar in 106
Y.K. the Silverblades stayed in Rignarioum and each son pledged his
sword to the Grey Defenders when he came of age. So the tradition has
passed down to Roclin Silverblade.
Roclin served well in the Grey Defenders for eight years, rising to
the rank of Tensword. Then came the Night of Black Sands when a score
inhuman creatures entered the city from the direction of
Dinner-of-Dust and wreaked havoc among the populace. Roclin was
gravely hurt fighting one of these creatures, and his wound was
infected with the dark sand that flecked the skin of those
monstrosities. The wound took months to heal, and even after the
physical hurts were gone Roclin began to notice changes in his mind.
At first Roclin could resist the urges that came upon him, but they
grow ever stronger, especially at night. He has found himself drawn to
certain secret ceremonies to the chaos god Slortar the Old. He has
found himself participating in debaucheries, disfiguring innocents,
and even aiding in murder. Roclin is completely aware of his actions
but he fears too much for his life, and for his family's reputation,
to do anything about the doom that has set up him. The recent spate of
suicides among warriors who fought on the Night of Black Sands implies
that others do not have the same qualms.
Description: A robust looking-man in his mid-twenties. Always
clean-shaven and neat, Roclin appears a pillar of the community.
Roclin's brown hair and eyes would make him indistinguishable in a
crowd if not for the neat uniform of a Tensword that he typically
wears. Several decorations for bravery are sewn on to it.
Chaos 39*, Balance 7, Law 37
* Increases by 1 a week. The further it exceeds Roclin's Law score,
the more deeply he falls into the thrall of Slortar the Old.
STR 14 CON 14 SIZ 13 INT 9 POW 10
DEX 12 APP 10 HP 14
Damage Bonus: +1d4
Weapons:
Silverblade** 90%, Damage 1D8+3+1D4
Small Shield 90%, Damage KB+1D3+1D4, 20 hp
Dagger 75%, Damage 1D4+2+1D4
** A family heirloom. This finely made broadsword normally does 1D8+3+DB
damage. Against demons it does 1D8+3+1D8+DB. The blade of this sword
is extremely reflective.
Armor: Leather & Rings 1D6+1
Spells: none
Skills: Bargain 40%, Dodge 52%, Hide 43%, Insight 59%, Lead Troops
54%, Move Quietly 33%, Oratory 57%, Search 75%, Track 24%, Young
Kingdoms 27%
Story Ideas:
* Roclin becomes obsessive about destroying the handful of other
people who share his affliction but have opted to live. He hires the
adventurers to slay certain "chaos cultists" in the cities. Most of
these are indeed people doing despicable things, but Roclin
wrongfully assumes that everyone wounded on the Night of Black Sands
was infected by this chaotic disease, and thus some of the people he
wishes killed are actually innocent.
* Rightfully believing that Dinner-of-Dust is more than just the
result of mismanaged crops, Roclin hires adventurers to go into the
area. Deep in the wasteland they will find a portal to a chaotic
realm. However even getting to the portal will be difficult, for
chaos monstrosities are moving into the area of Dinner-of-Dust,
among them the infectious Black Sand Men, and the Sand Giants (see
below). And afterward the adventurers will need to determine a way
to collapse the portal.
* Eventually the other infected men will be slain, and Roclin will be
left alone to practice his ever-increasing atrocities. The city
government of Rignorium will hire the adventurers to find the
culprit behind a particular gruesome slaying in the Nobles'
District. What will they do when they find a Grey Defender is the
culprit? Will city officials believe them? Roclin will be so corrupt
by this point that he will not be above using all of his power,
reputation, and prestige to defeat those who are attempting to
unveil him.
PLACES OF NOTE
As is noted in _Atlas_, Rignorium was the capitol of Vilmir until 106
Y.K. Thus it is an place of old and important history. Beyond the
large Ducal Palace and the associated Nobles' District, _Atlas_ also
makes specific note of the Temple of Goldar (p. 23) and Valarion Park
(p. 23). Special note should also be made of the Dinner-of-Dust
(p. 26) a wasteland lying near to the city of Rignorium. Below is
detailed one more place of interest in Rignorium: The Vision Chamber
of Vil Valario.
The Vision Chamber of Vil Valario
Some histories report that Vil Valario was mad, but in truth he was
only touched by the gods, acting out their desires upon the Earth. He
often had visions sent to him by the Lords of Law, but they were
erratic and irregular until Vil Valario constructed his capitol in
Rignariom. Deep below the city Vil Valario made a Vision Chamber, and
it was the perfect place for communing with his gods.
The Vision Chamber lies far beneath the Ducal Palace, which was in
turn built atop parts of Vil Valario's original "palace" (which was
small and cramped, in honesty). Most passages down to the chamber are
unused, even bricked up, but a few paths to the chamber still exist,
taking tortuous and labyrinthine routes. Some of these passages end in
the Ducal Palace, while others emerge into the basements of houses in
the Nobles' District. No living man knows of the Vision Chamber or its
properties.
The actual Vision Chamber is shaped as a perfectly regular pyramid,
with a three-sided base. Each edge is precisely nine meters. There are
three entrances to the pyramid, one in the center of each triangular
wall. The fourth triangle, forming the floor, is unbroken. The walls
and floor of the Chamber are all made of odd, shining metals, not
native to the Young Kingdoms. A metallurgist could determine that each
wall is made from a subtly different substance.
Properties of the Vision Chamber:
* The chamber has abnormal gravity, abruptly heavier and lighter in
different parts of the pyramid. Any physical exertion will require
Dexterity rolls every round; failure indicates the round was wasted,
and with a failed Luck roll the individual takes 1d3 damage from
striking a wall or floor.
When an individual achieves an unconcious state in this room,
gravity's hold on him weakens then disappears. The individual slowly
floats to the precise middle of the room and becomes the focus of
all of its energies. This usually is the result of meditation (a
skill), but may also result from sleep or excessive damage. If the
individual is awakened too quickly (always the case with sleep;
never the case with meditation) he will fall, taking 1d6 damage.
* An unconscious person becomes the focus of the energies of the
pyramid, and thus the focus of the thoughts of the Lords of Law.
If he successfully rolls Luck he is visited with a vision straight
from the White lords. It is most frequently a quest or a geas, but
may also be a piece of necessary information. This increases the
individual's Law association by 1 point. If the individual chooses
to ignore a quest/geas he is cursed by the Lords of Law; treat his
POW as -3 for all future Luck rolls. If he chooses to attempt it and
succeeds, his law association increases by another 2 points, and the
Lords of Law may decide to reward him further.
* The unearthly metals of the pyramid are drawn from four different
planes of law. Each metal could be used as a necessary component in
a spell to open a gate to its plane of origination; a spell would
need to be found on its own, but once it was located that same spell
could be used on each of the four metals. The metals may have other
Lawful properties as the gamemaster desires. Taking the metal from
the pyramid will destroy its properties of Vision.
Story Ideas:
* A noble in Rignorium is hiring adventurers to explore the strange
hole in his basement. It leads through the labyrinth of old passages
under the palace, and eventually to the Vision Chamber of Vil
Valario. Adventurers might accidently stumble into the Ducal Palace,
and be forced to explain themselves with their blades, could stumble
across old traps left by Vil Valario, or might discover ancient
items, creatures of Law, or Melnibonean relics.
* A noble of Rignorium discovers the Vision Chambers and decides it is
a perfect punishment for criminals, for it forces them to do Good
Works (tm). For whatever reason the adventurers are thrown into the
chambers. Afterward they are faced with a set of quests for law.
Alternatively, they may turn to the Lords of Chaos in order to try
and break their geases.
* A vision in the chamber portrays Vil Valario slain by crony of the
young church of Law in Vilmir and demands he be avenged.
ITEMS OF NOTE
The Regalia of Vil Valario
In the middle of Valarion Park stands a statue of Vil Valario. Only
the Duke and the most trusted nobles know that, buried just a few feet
below that statue, are ancient, historical artifacts, the Regalia of
Vil Valario: his Sword of Smiting, his Whip of Scourging, and his
blood-red Circlet of Rulership. The Circlet was taken from the dead
Valario's own brow, and the Sword from his weapon belt. The triad was
completed when an old sage came to Rignorium bearing the very Whip
which Valario had once used to scourge himself when he was a hermit.
Using great rituals of Law, these three items were buried beneath the
statue, to bring strength, penitence, and righteousness to the city of
Rignorium.
Unknown to any the "sage" was a spy for Melnibone, and the whip he
bore was in actuality an artifact of his masters.
Properties of the Reglaia:
Great rites of Law were conducted when the Regalia were buried, and as
a result each item of the triad exudes an influence over the entire
town. The actual effect of the items on any one person are minor, but
on the population as a whole they have a great impact.
* The Sword of Smiting gives strength to the people of Rignorium. It
increases their bravery, and makes them unafraid to face danger. In
addition, it makes them indomitable, able to bow beneath even the
worst burden without breaking.
* The Circlet of Rulership gives justice to the people of Rignorium.
Nobles decide rightly when peasants approach them for justice;
peasants behave lawfully.
* The Melnibonean Whip of Torture gives cruelty to the people of
Rignorium. While the people of Rignorium are just, due to the
Circlet's influence, they are also uncaring and cruel -- as
proscribed by the law.
A great deal of the power of these items is bound up in the rituals
that interred them, but they still have some power of their own. If
the items were moved elsewhere they would retain their effects, but at
a much reduced level. The wielder of any item and his companions would
definitely be influenced by its aura. If the items were interred
elsewhere, they might affect a city block or so, but not an entire
city unless the rituals of Law were learned and conducted.
Story Ideas:
* The adventurers learn of a great "treasure" beneath the statue of
Vil Valario in Rignorium. How exactly do they acquire these sacred
relics, hidden in the middle of a busy city? Further, if the items
are recovered what do the adventerers do with them, and what affect
do they have on the adventurers?
* The nobles of Rignorium have learned of the malignant effect of
the whip. It must be utterly destroyed in order to forever remove
its taint from the city. Adventurers will be hired to take it to a
certain oasis deep in the Sighing Desert. It must first be cleansed
in that oasis, and then burned, all while certain lawful chants are
sung over it.
* Having destroyed the Melnibonean Whip of Torture, the nobles now
seek Vil Valario's true Whip of Scourging, for with only two items
of power the magic that once influenced the city is weakened
considerably. Unfortunately, though the Whip still exists, it lies
in a treasure chamber in Melnibone.
CREATURES OF NOTE
Though some blame the wasteland, Dinner-of-Dust, upon bad farming,
drought, overgrazing, or even goats, this is untrue. Through they
would be surprised by the revelation, the clergy of Vilmir speak the
truth when they say Dinner-of-Dust is the result of Chaotic magics. A
hole exists in the middle of the desert, a gaping wound in the fabric
of reality. It leads to another plane, one of chaos ascendant, and
that is the true source of this wasteland. Many creatures seep through
from that other place. The Black Sand Men have already been mentioned,
but much worse lies beyond the portal, waiting to get in.
Dust Giants, Monstrosities from Another Plane
"At first it seemed just an eddy in the growing sandstorm, a patch of
solid black outlined in grey, but then it began to take on distinctive
features, utterly inhuman. It was a great giant, made of sand, and as
it lurched forward a dry thirst fell upon the entire camp..."
-The Chronicle of the Black Sword
The Dust Giant is a powerful entity from a chaos plane of dry, parched
deserts, utterly without water. It is not unique, but the number of
Dust Giants is thankfully small. They seem uncontrollable even to the
Lords of Chaos, and thus the few of these creatures that have stumbled
upon the Young Kingdoms have done so utterly by accident.
At a distance the Dust Giant appears as a dark patch of sand. Since a
sandstorm tends to surround it, it is typically hard to make out. The
form of the Giant is inhuman. Its main body is a barrel-like torso. A
varying number of long limbs emerge from both the bottom and top of
this torso, roughly forming arms and legs. Sensory apparatus is
scattered chaotically across the Giant's torso, orifices and lenses
giving the impression of eyes, noses, and ears, though none appearing
precisely like their human equivalent. They tend to move about the
Giant's changing, sandy exterior. The Giant has no mouth; it draws the
watery life from people with its tentacles.
Though Dust Giants are not mindless they are quite single-minded.
Their prime desire while in the Young Kingdoms seems to be to collect
water: from lakes, rivers, and even the bodies of men.
Dust Giants, Single-Minded Destroyers
Character. Rolls Averages
STR 10D8 45
CON 10D8 45
SIZ 10D8 45
INT 1D8 4-5
POW 5D8 22-23
DEX 2D8 9
MOV lumber-2D8 av. HP 45*
* Adventurers may attack individual tentacles rather than the main
body. Each has 5 HP, but damage done to them does not hurt the main
body (the Sand Giant just regrows them). Still, this may free a
grappled victim.
Av. Damage Bonus: +5D6
Weapons**: Grapple 50%, hold for next round
Suck Water 100%, only if held - drains 1D4 CON, which is restored at 1
point per day if the victim survives
** At any time a Dust Giant will have 2D8 "arms". Each one may attack,
though no more than two may attack any individual foe.
Armor: may only be damaged by magical weapons or weapons of
law. Against them, has 8 points of armor.
Skills: Sense Water 75%, Track 50%
Magical Powers: SANDSTORM. At all times the Sand Giant is surrounded
by a great sandstorm. This cuts visibility almost to zero, reducing
all visual-related skills (including combative ones) by half. In
addition, the sand may get into delicate items and destroy them, at
the gamemaster's whim -- items of law are particular vulnerable due
to their intricacy.
--
