Part of/Prelude to Disturbance at Spakaya – The Dog Fort of the Riverdans – an Incarna adventure.
TEST: Kelly Berger Music Test
THIS IS ORIGINALLY PART OF THE ANCIENT BLOOD CAMPAIGN CYCLE OF ADVENTURES.
A force of Histrak Frostmonger‘s Orrish have been sent by some entity named Ushtay (attendant of a Black Herald of Everdark) to The Maithen Plateau to secure the passage to Spakaya – The Dog Fort of the Riverdans against potential threats and ensure that the ancient evil standard can be recovered. They got sidetracked from scouting and securing and have been seeking loot in the earthquake-opened Watch Vault on Kunlay; Going through the rubble and finding bodies of defenders and Orrish swept into the back chamber during flood and crushed/drowned. The way was sealed and warded and these left to rot. The Orrish have been going through and stacking up loot for weeks! The metal they bring back will make them celebrated.
These will follow the typical Steel Realms Orrish Fighting Forces and Tactics.
They are led by Ar-etey; Unholy trio Orc/as War Chief and Paladin 5th >
STR 18, CON 17, PER 15 > Health: 35+15 = 50
Champions of Strength and Darkness > w/3 Shadows (can protect from Sun-Bane or deathblow)
Hide Armor (2 Resilience/min 17 STR) and a Maul (2d6; 13/18/28 + 2 resilience)
His friend Osrin: Osrin the cursed cannibal Werewolf guards over Ar-etey directly while he sleeps and the pile of treasure unless the Orrish forces are on alert. He is a Warlock 2 of Sun Stealer (fiend) w/a Token of Chaos – The Butchers Bill (Extraordinary Result on a 18-20 – unhinged jaw)
Cantrips: (2) Booming Blade (snarl) + Lighting Lure
Spells: (3 known – 2 @1st) Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, Cause Fear
Invocations: (2) Otherworldly Leap (jump at will +d6/3 dmg), Devil’s Sight
Current State: A rare bred formorian giant Colossi of Nihilism, Twistings, and Piercing Depths came with them – protected from the sun-bane by its chaos aura. Drawn to the residual anima energy in White Lake (though the Orrish don’t understand that completely), it climbed to the heights and sunk within the sunless depths of the lake – it sends its fog banks and storms out and senses through them. It leaves the rest of the party sent alone, and they leave it alone – not knowing what else to do at this point. Neither will come to the aid of the other. As long as there is nothing upsetting this balance, the Orrish don’t feel a need to alert their superiors of its disaffection.
The formorian is a creature of chaos and corruption. It does not control its focus and interest, the chaos it generates is random weather checks, unless it is attacked itself.
Encounters: It MODIFIES the encounters common to all Places on the Maithean Plateau.
> Read the locale description text.
> Read the locale description text.
Shrieker hidden among the rocks off the north side of the trail where it creates.
China White (0-1:10)
The plateau is desolate and bleak. Winds moan, and puddles and rivulets of water are everywhere – the effects of a constant downfall are obvious. Fog banks drift across its expanse. A sense of ruin, death, and cold uncaring presides over it, and the sky is dotted with grey clouds, coming off the southern heights, dissipating as they are cast over the plateau… as if something is trying to provide shelter from the warmth of the sun. You blink against the harsh vision, and try and block out the voices on the wind. The blasts of wind come in pulses, blowing drafts of cold water on your face. Your pulse reflects its driving force in your own ears.
The Champion will have summoned a pair of Blackhounds (Hell Hounds) that will guard the found “treasure” or patrol during the day and night – they need no sleep. Their baying will alert forces on the plateau. Each 10 rounds, there is a 1-4 on d6 chance they will smell the PCs and rush to attack them from their patrol near the road’s entrance.
In the distance, you hear a baying sound. From another direction comes an answer. The baying is deep, and sounds angry. It is definitely not any normal dog you have heard before. In response, rains starts to drizzle, coming down harder, and banks of fog begin to form, obscuring visions beyond 20-30m in all directions except the road.
DC 20 Occult or Religious phenomenology to know its a Hell Hound.
DC 20 Perception (hearing) to know they (multiple) are 5 rounds away and/or what direction they are coming from. Stealth vs. Perception or the 1st round is with surprise for the hounds.
They
The hellish, tortured baying grows to a crescendo. Suddenly, 2 forms burst through the fog, sailing through the air on powerful legs as they jump more than a dozen feet. The Black, red-eyed forms snarling and slavering lay into you.
They will attack where they can give each other advantage, gain a +d6/3 damage from a massive leap, and gain a chance to knowck prone their target(s). Once among the group, they will use their flame breath to maximum effect the following round.
The anima forces the druids unleashed still ripple in the depths of White Lake. The forces led by the champion of the Unholy Trio witnessed the off-spawn giant crawl into White Lake and have since learned how it communicates via elemental messenger and leave it alone. They have grown confident to leave off their mission to it, and have begun looking to loot the area, having found the recent earthquakes have reopened the entrance to the Wat
Tactics:
Watch Vault of Kayul.
Encounters: It MODIFIES the encounters common to all Places on the Maithean Plateau.
1-2 on d6 per hour > Fecund remains are revitalized Earth in their path erupts like boils. Too late it’s all around, they must navigate the emergent ooze field!
Around you the ground becomes soft, green vapors rise up under your feet and all around you. The smell of rotting bodies fills the air, and the thick green tendrils grasp at your legs, trying to slow you and twine about you.
DC 15 Dexterity (Athletics) to avoid the d4-1 tendrils in an area or 1 malaise Disease on each hit (must heal only with time/natural healing)
If the characters fight back – strike the tendrils (AC 12/Health =1)
class=”know-more”>The tendril is smashed out of the way, leaving your path clear. As it dissipates, you hear the screams of the animals that died on the scouring of the plateau.
DC 12 Sanity > d3: Chance to blind, deaf, or mute for 1 Short Rest Cycle.
The formorian can summon elemental Spiritus Entities if the champion sacrifices to it after the plateau is attacked and as long as 24 hours can pass for the Orrish to perform the rite.
DC 15 religion check > Green Church Conviction to recognize them and the chant to dissipate the fog of memory.
Normal visions chance % +
1d12
deluge = 4d6 force; freezing mist d6 (items cannot be held), ground freeze = d4 + -5′ move, thunder = 3d6 deafness (1 hour/1 day/1 week)
= Chance to understand its all coming from the high lake!
Next to any settlement is a chance to encounter an Earth Wight – from the bones in the earth of dead Riverdanfolk, killed by the druid’s scouring and under loose earth.
Next to any settlement is a chance to encounter an Earth Wight – from the bones in the earth of dead Riverdanfolk, killed by the druid’s scouring and under loose earth.
A high, whistling wind comes at you from the left and races past you. It leaves you light headed as it pulls the air away from you. It stops about 200 feet away and eddies into a whirlwind, lifting the loose topsoil at first, then digging down as if into a grave. Suddenly bones fly about in the whirlwind. They knit together to form three human sized skeletons, and then the earth is pulled onto the bones. Dust and grass float about the three forms and a sharp red light blossoms in their eyes. The wind subsides and the figures walk towards you, fists balled and ready to spring and attack.
They are angry they have to relive their deaths and the living must pay – they see the PCs as the druids. They disintegrate when they die – not truly permanent undead.
1 on d6 = See the broken remains of Hornbreaker, sword of the Riverlands.
In the dirt you see a flash of yellow, perhaps a valuable gem. Looking closer, it is embedded in a metal fitting, which turns out to be the end of a pommel of a blade. It was obviously once a fine long sword, but it was shattered and broken.
It is still sharp, and the dirt seems eager to fall from it as you pick it up. The blade is silvered. Though broken, it is still usable as a dagger.
It cannot be repaired, that would break the magic barely holding on except the light amplification of the gem.
Bounty on the Orrish