[WFRP] The Bloody Crown IX

[LCP]

Elsa’s bolts of fire screamed like damned souls, leaving streaks of amethyst light in their wake as they cut through the darkness. The wind of Shyish was building in the darkened cellar, drawn to the book like water into a whirlpool. It was growing stronger by the heartbeat.

The axeman gritted his teeth and shrugged off the spells as they slammed into him, singeing hair and skin with their wailing flames. Throwing himself forwards with all his great weight, he raised his axe to strike – but Astoria was quicker. Cutting a bloody gash across the man’s scalp with Rorik’s heavy blade, she reversed the weapon and hacked back while he was still reeling, half cleaving his leg from his hip. Blood gushing from the mortal wound, he staggered and fell back against the empty chest, nearly flattening Ludo as he did.

Ludo hardly noticed. His nimble dive had carried him straight over Hakon’s cooling body, his hands closing around the open covers of the book. A shock of pain washed over him in return, like icicles being driven into his fingers. Before his disbelieving eyes, he saw his hands begin to shrivel and age, the unnatural tide of years creeping up his arms towards his heart...

OOC:

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WP test for Ludo to avoid 1d10 permanent S and T loss as touching the active book ages him beyond his years.

Pulling against the halfling’s grip, the book rose up off the bloody floor, the ancient symbols on its cracked pages beginning to burn with an unnatural amethyst light. The voices were returning now – not whispering but screaming, so loud that even the ungifted could hear. In the doorway, Domenico and the Iron Company men fell back, shouting in terrified Tilean – at the back of the cellar, Arne gave up on restraining Sanne and backed up against the wall, fear written plainly on his face. The Norscan woman wasn’t rising, the chilling aura of the book rooting her to the ground.

Elsa Only

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If the book’s display was intimidating for the others, it was downright terrifying for Elsa. She tried to control her witchsight the way her mentors at the College had taught her, but it was no good – the maelstrom of Dhar and Shyish pouring from the monstrous grimoire was too much.

All around her, phantom figures were oozing from the wooden walls, their empty eyes cadaverous faces crowding out the living until they were all she could see. The templar Bernhard, headless and hacked by orcish axes; his master Evatt, scalded and spitted on the broken spars of his mad landship. Fischwillen, his swollen head lolling atop his rope-scarred neck – and worst of all, Beatrix, her once-fair skin burned to blackened cinders by the fire that had consumed her. They reached for Elsa, whispering dry, rustling words as they closed in...

OOC:

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Two WP tests please: one to avoid gaining an Insanity Point, another to be able to snap out of this vision. The latter can be repeated every round, but until it’s passed Elsa can’t see or interact with what’s going on in the physical cellar.

Adelbert Only

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As the unholy power of the book washed over him, the world around Adelbert seemed to swirl and dissolve. The wood and earth of the cellar crumbled away, replaced by a desert of bone-white sand under an endless black sky. Strange stars shone down upon the pale dunes, illuminating the only structure that could be seen from horizon to horizon – an enormous stone gate, half-buried in sand and leading down into darkness. With one pillar of white marble and one of black onyx, they looked like nothing more than the gates of Morr themselves – but instead of the sign of the raven, Adelbert saw only the strange picture-writing of Meskhenet’s people carved in the ancient stones.

Two other figures were here with him – Hakon and Ulfgeir, whole and blinking in the pitiless starlight. They seemed to see each other, but not Adelbert. When their gaze turned in his direction they looked right through him.

An eddy of wind stirred the sand before the gate, revealing the top of an onyx altar. On it stood a pair of scales, broken and green with verdigris. Hakon stepped closer to the altar, and Adelbert felt the same cold wind caress the back of his neck. Looking up to the top of the highest dune behind him, he saw a coal-black jackal standing stock still in the starlight, watching the two Norscans with a hungry regard…

OOC:

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Adelbert can break out of this vision and return to the waking world with a WP test, repeatable each round. Alternatively if you want to see more you can choose not to test.

At Ludo and Astoria’s feet, the bodies of the dead began to twitch. Witch-fires burning in his lifeless eyes, Hakon raised his head, reaching out a bloody hand to grab at Ludo. On Ludo’s right, the axeman lurched upright again, dragging his axe in a clumsy swing towards Astoria’s head.


OOC:

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Hakon and Ulfgeir are now Wights. For those not currently having a witchsight happy-fun-adventure-party, Fear checks please.

Both of them use a half action to stand and then make a standard attack – Hakon on Ludo, Ulfgeir on Astoria. Hakon is unarmed and so will attempt to Grapple.

(1d100)[45] - missed, Evade - (1d100)[73]
Ludo’s Dodge: (1d100)[9]

Ulfgeir still has his axe, but Astoria already passed her Dodge roll, so I won’t bother rolling.