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