[WFRP] The Bloody Crown X

[LCP]

The world around Ludo vanished in a sudden shock of cold water, the weight of his gear pulling him under. He thrashed wildly with arms and legs, trying to bring his head above the surface - it was at times like this that he really wished he'd learned to swim.

A long, keening wail rose from below, the vibrations resonating through the narrow column of water. Something moved in the darkness, a returning hint of sinuous motion. More glimmers of light, blue and pink, sent streams of sulphurous bubbles rising past the struggling halfling...

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Ludo needs to pass an (untrained) Swim test to get out on his own; if he fails repeatedly he may be in danger of drowning. He can be pulled out with an assistable Strength test by anyone not currently in the drink.

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo broke the surface briefly with a strangled yell, before vanishing below again, limbs flailing as if trying to scramble on the water itself.

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I forget precisely how "untrained" works in WFRP - -20 or half? If the former, these tests are vs 1, if the latter, vs 11.

I assume that I can't choose not to take the tests? Here's three to get started.

(1d100)[65]
(1d100)[96]
(1d100)[80]

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert turned white as Ludo tumbled into the brine. The priest scrambled to the edge and reached out his hand to the waterlogged halfling: 'Ludo grab it!'

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Strength 36 vs (1d100)[80]

[LCP]

Ludo's frantic struggles to stay above the surface made him difficult for Adelbert to catch hold of. Rushing forwards to help, Astoria held Adelbert from falling forwards, letting him reach out as far as possible - as he did, he made the mistake of looking down.

The movement in the depths was resolving itself into a black outline, big as a bull ox and rising fast. Adelbert had been born far from the sea, but he could tell this was no fish - it had far too many limbs for that. It half-swam, half-scuttled up the sides of the channel, spider-like legs and sucker-tipped fingers gripping the smooth rock as easily as the rungs of a ladder.

Another flash of purplish light illuminated the grotesque silhouette. The flare burst from an orifice on its back, a gout of flame that turned immediately to a steaming rush of bubbles. Its brief light revealed only the hunched back of the beast, pale and twisted like scar tissue. Eyes and teeth gleamed in that twisted expanse of flesh, shapeless mouths gaping where no mouth should be...

OOC:

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First swim test from Ludo is used; Adelbert fails to fish him out but may continue to re-test (with Astoria assisting). Terror checks for Adelbert and Ludo please. Sieghard and Elsa can't currently see the Friendly Lifeguard but as soon as they do they will need to test as well.

Terror for Astoria: (1d10)[1]

[LeSwordfish]

"Get me out of here! Get me out of here!" Ludo howled, inadvertently slapping Adelbert's hand away as he clawed at the air.

[RossN]

Adelbert

'I knew it!' Adelbert cried out, the awe of his inner scholar at being proven right overcoming even the shaft of terror that he felt at the sight of the... whatever it was...

Well, he'd just have to dissect it after they caught it. No doubt it would look fascinating inside as well as out.

Of course that rather depended on them surviving. Once again the priest reached out and tried to drag Ludo clear of the water.

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Strength: (1d100)[22] vs 36.

[-Sentinel-]

"Knew what?!" asked Elsa. She could see a purple glow under the water, but all the activity in front of her kept her from getting a clear look.

Nevertheless, she was prepared to blast anything that came out.


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I don't suppose there's anything I need to do right now? I'm assuming that only so many people can help Ludo at a time, and Adelbert seems to be succeeding.

It seems that Sieghard is the only one of us with Swim! And since he's often wearing heavy armor, I don't think it would do him much good. It's a good thing this isn't a sea-based campaign.

[LCP]

Slender tentacles uncoiled out of the murk with deceptive speed, reaching for Ludo’s frantically kicking legs. Tearing his eyes from the beast, Adelbert seized Ludo’s arm in an iron grip, putting all his strength into heaving his friend clear of the water. The two of them fell back together, almost knocking Astoria over in the process.

The thing that exploded out of the water behind them beggared description. Its body was an asymmetrical tangle of insect and vertebrate parts, its hide a mottled patchwork of blue-grey scales and pale, disturbingly human skin. Razor-toothed mouths split its hide at seemingly random spots, opening and closing like gasping fish – but instead of sucking in air, they breathed out flickering twists of pink and blue fire.

Three heads pushed from the twisted tissue at the centre of its trunk. One had a long beak like a bird, ragged clumps of iridescent feathers stippling its wizened flesh. The second was little more than a lamprey’s mouth, a ring of eyes circling a denser ring of teeth. The third was a human face, twisted in an expression of terror and anguish. The features of that half-buried head had melted and flowed like wax, but Elsa thought it looked like a woman’s.

All the thing’s mouths howled at once, filling the narrow tunnel with the echoes of its moaning cry. Stretching out its many-jointed limbs, it lunged at the intruders who had stolen its prey…

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Terror checks for Elsa and Sieghard now, please.



Since it won initiative, the beastie will kick things off with a Swift Attack. One attack each on Elsa, Ludo and Astoria, and a fourth on a randomly chosen PC – 1 = Elsa, 2 = Ludo, 3 = Astoria. (1d3)[3]

Attacks:
vs_Elsa - (1d100)[29], (1d10+5)[11] - hit, 7 wounds
vs_Astoria - (1d100)[32], Dodge - (1d100)[22], (1d10+5)[6] - hit, dodged
vs_Ludo - (1d100)[12], Dodge - (1d100)[91], (1d10+5)[9] - hit, 6 wounds unless you want to fortune point the dodge
vs_LuckyWinner - (1d100)[72], (1d10+5)[10] - missed

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa's jaw dropped. "What....... is that thing?"

A daemon? A mutant? Perhaps some unholy fusion between an unfortunate Silver Tower wizard—the human face of the abomination—and a daemon she had been trying to summon...

Before she could get a good grip on the Winds, one of the monster's insect-like limbs tried to cut the legs from under her and left a great gash in her left thigh. She was too close. Entirely too close.

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Terror test failed. Disengaging.

[LeSwordfish]

Soaking wet and still terrified, Ludo scrambled backwards away from the creature, pulling his sling from the pockets of his sodden trousers.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard had been ready to shoot at whatever emerged from the water. Had been. The moment he caught sight of the creature, he nearly dropped his crossbow and stumbled back.

"What....... is that thing?"

"That's a good ****ing question!" he snapped at Elsa, horror adding an almost accusatory edge to his voice.

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Half action fumbling with his crossbow and failing to do anything, half action moving back towards the passage we came through

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert had the good fortune not to be within claw range of the beast, though his eyes widened as he saw how swift it was.

The priest pulled back, his eyes locked on the creature, his hand slipping to his hilt. In a surprisingly calm voice he said: 'Keep your heads my friends, I admit it's as ugly as a dwarven courtesan but we've far faced worse.'

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Move directly back, ready weapon.

[LCP]

Astoria fell in behind the others as they fell back, positioning herself as a rearguard between the beast and Elsa. The thing screamed as it heaved itself up into the tunnel, water drizzling from its twisted body.

Turning its bird-like head to follow them, the monster quivered and croaked, its gullet bloating up like a frog's throat. The water on its surface began to boil into steam, fiery light shining through the distended skin. Opening its beak, it vomited a stream of many-coloured fire, filling the narrow tunnel with a furnace heat.

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Templates! You guys like templates, right?



Those completely covered by the template take a Damage 4 hit, ignoring armour. Those partially covered (Astoria, Adelbert) get an Agility test to evade it.

Dodgers:
Adelbert - (1d100)[4], (1d10+4)[13]
Astoria - (1d100)[93], (1d10+4)[11]

Non-Dodgers:
Sieghard - (1d10+4)[12]
Elsa - (1d10+4)[8]
Ludo - (1d10+4)[10]

[RossN]

Adelbert

<'Stercus'>, Adelbert swore in Classical. Though he'd managed to avoid the chaos-things flames - maybe Verena wasn't the only deity looking out for him - it was beyond clear they were faced with disaster.

The priest drew back still further to the doorway leading to the laboratory. 'Lady of Mysteries help my companions keep their heads,' he whispered in prayer, eyes turning to Sieghard. 'Goddess lend power to my words! Sieghard remember yourself!'

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Adelbert Moves to the door, casts Blessing of Courage on Sieghard.

Casting number: 3
Casting roll: (1d10)[10]

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Morr's teeth, that hurt..." Sieghard muttered, through gritted teeth. He was inclined to attribute it to the burst of searing flame rather than Adelbert's shouting, but he was no longer fixated on the disgusting wrongness of the creature. "Don't let it do that again!" he shouted, "Flank it!"

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Quickdraw sword, charge attack, 2 rolls as per the houserule.

(1d100)[97] vs 51 + 10 (Charging) = 61
(1d10+6)[12] Damage

(1d100)[91] vs 51 + 10 (Charging) = 61
(1d10+6)[8] Damage

Well... He at least succeeded in giving Astoria an outnumbering bonus...

[LeSwordfish]

At least the water had stopped anything on him from catching fire, Ludo thought. It was still, perhaps, the most painful thing he had ever experienced, more so than the swords or arrows he'd taken at Arrow Heap. Struggling to keep his composure, he brought his slingshot up, and cracked a stone forwards towards the beast.

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa gritted her teeth as the creature's fire raked her clothes and reddened her skin. An irrational outrage rose in her.

"Oh, you think you know something about fire, abomination?" She raised a gloved hand and traced a symbol in the air as her lips intoned the spell. "Let me teach you about fire."

Spoiler: let's do this

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Fireball with Magic Focus (double fireballs)
Using a ball of sulphur (+2 to cast).
Channeling 78: (d100)[81]
Casting (7+/10+): (3d10)[4][6][4](14)
Chaos die: (d10)[6]

Not one but two minor manifestations...

Damage:
(d10+4)[8]
(d10+4)[7]
(d10+4)[11]
(d10+4)[7]
(d10+4)[5]
(d10+4)[9]

...and sh*t damage. At least we're about to learn its Toughness Bonus.

[LCP]

Rearing up to fill the tunnel, the beast howled in surprise as Ludo's sling-stone whipped out of the darkness, stinging it in its lumpen underbelly. Oily ichor dribbled from the wound, igniting into blue flames the moment it met the air. The thing's burning blood charred its skin, making it twitch and howl as Sieghard came rushing in.

With a gurgling wail, it slammed its mismatched forelimbs down before it, blocking Sieghard's swinging blade and bringing him face-to-face with its writhing heads. The stink of sulphur gusted in his face, violet fire glittering in its lamprey maw...

The temperature in the scorched tunnel soared yet higher as a flight of screaming fireballs left Elsa's fingertips, the guttering remnants of the flames the creature had spewed leaping briefly higher in response. The beast convulsed and shrieked as it was struck again and again, its shapeless body wreathed in bursts of honest, yellow fire. Screaming in a disturbingly human voice, it skittered back on misshapen limbs, cringing like a beaten dog. All its countless eyes were on Elsa - or rather, Adelbert got the strong impression, on the space just behind her shoulder. Were there shapes in the shadows there?

With a last mournful wail, it turned and dived back into the water, Astoria having to jump back to avoid the whip of its eel-like tail. The tremendous splash drenched her and Sieghard both, waves sloshing back and forth in the narrow channel as it sped back down into the dark.

Elsa showed no signs of wanting to follow - she was staring blankly into the last of the guttering fires that clung to the stone around her, eyes fixed on something only she could see. Ghostly voices filled the air around her - panicked shouts and screams, punctuated by the sounds of fighting. The sounds of a massacre.

Elsa Only

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Dancing in the gorgeous colours of the dying flames, Elsa saw images she had seen before in her dreams. Sunlight streaming through stained glass, illuminating three figures in robes of splendid blue. A masterwork of pure sorcery taking shape between them, thread after thread of complex enchantment being woven perfectly into place. Dim, grey shapes storming up from below, cutting down the closest of the blue-robed mages with ugly blades of dull iron.

The second figure broke off their chanting, reaching out in panic to snatch something small and physical from the centre of the glowing threads. The spell was already breaking apart, the frantic efforts of the third figure unable to contain its accumulated power. More magic than any one wizard could wield, and it earthed itself through the only available conduit. She felt it as the raw power of the ritual whiplashed back through her, burning out the channels of her body in an instant as her flesh began to bubble and change...

Screwing shut her eyes, she tore herself away from the vision. When she opened them again, the last of the flames had died. Holding up her hands, she saw they were smooth and unblemished - but she could still feel the echoes of that tearing, twisting pain, deep in her bones.

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Considering the size of the beastie, I think Ludo should get a +10 to hit it with his missile attacks - the first shot connects.

Astoria doesn't have Quick Draw so the most she could do is Ready her shield and move up alongside Sieghard. It doesn't matter, though, as the creature Disengages back into the water.

Elsa takes a wound from Tzeentch's Curse.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Repulsive thing," Sieghard said, then spat into the water after it. He had a strange urge to jump in and chase it, but pushed the mad thoughts aside. No doubt the monster was even deadlier in the water.

He approached Ludo and firmly grabbed his shoulder. "Maybe let someone with longer legs give it a try next time," he said. Turning to the others, he asked "What now? Do we keep going?"

[-Sentinel-]

Staring vaguely into nothingness for a moment, Elsa snapped back to reality. "I had... a vision," she blurted out. "The wizards of this place were casting a great spell. They were in their tower, not down here. Then they were attacked from below. Not a monster like this one... smaller things, with blades. The lead wizard took an object from the nexus of the ritual, but it was too late, and the spell lashed back at the wizards."

She paused, thinking hard about what she had just seen. This was not her first vision but it seemed like an important one. "This object. I want to know what it was. I want it."


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LCP, did the things appear humanoid in shape?

I have an idea what they were, but I'm not sure-sure...

[RossN]

Adelbert

'No one is going anywhere until I see if I can do something for your wounds,' Adelbert insisted. The priest moved over to Elsa first and carefully examined her from several angles.

'Hold still, soothsayer,' he instructed, laying his palm on Elsa's forehead and closing his eyes as he murmured a prayer. 'Lady Verena please grant me the power to heal this woman.'

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Channeling: (1d100)[40] vs 53
Blessing of Healing: (1d10)[7]. Target number 5.

[LeSwordfish]

"I thought I could make it," Ludo said, damp and morose. "At least I didn't sink. You in your armour would have gone straight to the bottom."

Whatever it was that Adelbert was doing was highly restorative though, and Ludo's spirits perked up a little as Elsa told her tale. "So before they were cleared out by the Illuminated Order, the wizards of this place were attacked by something else?" he said. "That explains why it exploded that one time. Did you recognise what it was that attacked?"

[RossN]

Adelbert

Noticing Elsa looking slightly better Adelbert smiles. 'The goddess would seem to favour you Elsa. Now tell us more about this vision and this object. Why do you want it? And where did that creature come from?'

While he awaits the answers he moves on to treat the others, carefully washing and treating their wounds and burns, then wrapping them in cloth. It is clear to the priest that with the possible exception of Ludo they'll all need further treatment - and rest.

[-Sentinel-]

"So before they were cleared out by the Illuminated Order, the wizards of this place were attacked by something else?" he said. "That explains why it exploded that one time. Did you recognise what it was that attacked?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, but it's unlikely they're still around. Then again... the same could've been said of that monster we just drove off."


'The goddess would seem to favour you Elsa. Now tell us more about this vision and this object. Why do you want it? And where did that creature come from?'

Elsa made no comment on Verena; though nominally a believer like any good Empire-born person, she was far from spiritually inclined, and the idea of an omniscient being watching her and judging her every move was not one that she liked to dwell upon too long. To Adelbert's questions, she answered:

"I want it because it was in the center of a ritual spell, and is likely an object of some power. No idea where it is now; perhaps it was taken by the attackers. As for the creature we saw, I'm guessing it's a fusion of a daemon and one of the wizards who were performing the ritual."

She paused. "There were three wizards. I dearly hope there aren't three monsters. I'm pretty sure I saw at least one of the wizards die in my vision."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"If you've no clue where it is, then all we can do is keep looking," Sieghard replied. "Before we set out, you mentioned you had rope. Let me see it."

He tied the end around his waist for safety, took a look into the water to make sure the creature was gone, then stepped back, started running, and jumped the gap. "Wasn't so hard," he said, untying himself and looking for something to secure his end to.

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(1d100)[80] Bad roll, but it still gets him across. When I said Sieghard can't fail earlier, I wasn't accounting for the movement penalty from armor. Failure + 2 DoF here still gives him a 5 yard jump though.

[RossN]

Adelbert

As he waited for Sieghard to finish tying his rope Adelbert looked at Elsa, doubt and concern written across his features. 'Given what we've just seen here are you entirely sure you want to continue messing with the magics these people used?'

[-Sentinel-]

"I don't know what ritual they were casting, and I've no intent to attempt it," answered Elsa.

She approached the edge of the water cautiously (she hated water) and grabbed the rope.

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Strength 30 for jumping. Does the rope provide a bonus? (d100)[78]

Edit: Not a good roll, but with Movement 5 and SB 3, I believe that's a narrow success.

[RossN]

Adelbert

Adelbert did not reply, though the look on his face spoke volumes.

The priest waited for Elsa to cross, whispering a prayer to Verena before taking the rope in turn.

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Channeling: (1d100)[72]
Blessing of Speed (casting number 4): (1d10)[10]

Strength: (1d100)[61] vs. 36

[LCP]

One by one, the five of them made the leap, this time taking extra care not to trip on any rocks. When all of them were across, Elsa gathered up her rope again and they proceeded down the tunnel.

The tunnel widened as they headed further from the water, making Elsa suspect they were tracing another one of the fissures she had seen leading off from the central cavern. Before they had gone far, another crooked side-passage opened to their left. Like the others, it looked natural, disappearing around a sharp dog-leg bend before they could see twenty feet into its shadows. Adelbert wondered how many such passages riddled the rock down here in the roots of the Karst. How long might a man wander if he became lost, following the paths carved by dripping water, without ever seeing the sun?

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Maybe we should start marking the path back to where we came from," Sieghard said. The path they had taken so far was easy enough to recall, but the further they delved, the less true that would become.