Chaosium Digest Classics: The Balance and The Girl
by Nikos Moshonas
Originally presented in The Chaosium Digest v30.9 on Saturday, March 18, 2000
This is an introductory adventure for Stormbringer/Elric! to demonstrate some aspects of Law, Balance and Chaos.
Background on Troos
The following information can be given partly as background knowledge to the players and partly as a result of research.
A great mystery covers the forest of Troos and the general area of Org. Even the forest's presence contradicts with the barren land that surrounds it. According to rumors, the forest is old, older than the holy states of Vilmir and Ilmiora, older than The Melnibonean Empire, even older than humanity. The opinions of the relationship between the Melniboneans and the forest are many and contradicting, while they agree on one point, both are spawns of Chaos.
After the emancipation of Northern Continent, Troos was located within the state of Vilmir. The governors and the holy men of the new kingdom showed interest in the area. A group of woodcutters and investigators were sent in order to clear the land and search for the truths that it was believed such an ancient place would hide. None returned. An army was sent immediately afterwards but faced the same fate. After that the forest was blockaded and guard points were set around the border with the purpose of prohibiting travel into or out of the forest. The name Org was given to the area, taken from the cries of some repulsive creatures that were known to live there. The creatures, while appearing humanoid, look more like a blasphemy of humanity.
Research in the library of the Church could reveal references to the forest in Melnibonean manuscripts which are thousands of years old. It seems that the Menliboneans were not responsible for its creation, even though many of the clergy have different opinions.
A caravan route goes through the northern part of Org and is the fastest way of communication between three states of Vilmir, Ilmiora and the Weeping Waste as well as many cities.
Another story
It is a warm summer evening in the year of purity 373. The initiate priest and nephew of the Vilmirian king, Calvan Fornova lays abed in his tower in Jadmar, next to his servant girl Anna. He is already sorry. The worst is yet to come.
Anna was pregnant, but she was no servant girl. The young warrior-priestess of Phum received a prophesy of a birth. It spoke of the birth of a child that would help dearly the cause of the Order and spoke of a holy man with royal blood who was a foreigner to this world. Note that West was another world for the Easterners. The rest was hazy for Anna, but then again, so are most prophesies.
After Calvan had learned of the pregnancy he became miserable. He was the nephew of the king and he could aspire only to the title of duke, already possessed by his father. The clergy offered him another opportunity for further advancement, but after the recent revelations everything he possessed and even his family name is in danger. He could not marry a lesser woman and he could not "remove" the problem since it would have been a mortal sin. So, after seeking the advice of Chancellor Pedron he placed Anna in a convent and relinquishing his status as a priest. The whole thing hadn't gone beyond the circle of him, his father and the Chancellor, so he could forget for some time.
When the birth came, Anna gave the newly born girl to a nun and asked the child be take to Calvan. After that she disappeared from the convent and traveled back to the East. According to the prophecy she would have to leave the child behind for six years. The first part of her quest was over and she would leave the rest to Fate.
With the child back in his hands, Calvan became a ghost of his former self. He wanted to be rid of the spawn of his sin and suddenly the gods gave him the solution. At that time a strange black man (Erekose) had visited the city. He showed no respect to the gods and the authorities put him into prison. Calvan found his salvation in this man. He was an outsider with no interest in money and civilization. He had a strange accent and though he wouldn't say where he was from the only thing he wanted was to leave. That was ideal for Calvan who offered him the baby. Refusing any money he took the infant, went away and no man learned anything of him again.
That was six years ago. It is now 379 YK. A caravan, in which Count Calvan Fornova had financial interest, was attacked by the beast-men of Org three months ago. During the ambush by night, one of the surprised guards was chased into the forest and became lost. After running blindly, he fainted. Wounded as he was, he would have died, save for a miracle. He awakened in a hut in the middle of the forest. Nobody thought that humans, save minions of Chaos dwelled within the forest, but here was his savior.
This was Erekose who had retreated to Troos, away from humans and gods. He had a little girl with him. The girl was maybe even stranger than the silent old man. With black hair around a moon-shaped face, her round black eyes were piercing and oddly knowing. The mercenary guard spent most of his time in the forest in a coma and does not remember much. The black man helped him out of the forest after he recovered.
Calvan heard the story and felt the old demons along with new ones to come back to haunt him. How had the black man survived in that place? Maybe he was a wizard preparing the child as a nemesis for him. Maybe the girl would come back and ask for her righteous heritage, or maybe the gods where testing him? Anyway he had to know and here is where (at last) the players come in. One of them should be the mercenary, in order to guide them. Another can be a priest, particularly a young and romantic one. Due to the humid environment of the forest and the swamps that can be found in it, a barbarian hunter of the Weeping Waste can be of some help. They found someone, a slave along with his mother at the mines of Dolgar that can undertake the task in exchange for his freedom. Finally, some other lowlife can be drawn from the prisons, or from the list of supects (a suspected witch, a thief, or both). These people (the players) will be traced by servants of Calvan and agents of the Chancellor.
On a warm summer day, the PCs will meet each other at the office of the Chancellor of Jadmar. Calvan will be in attendance. Chancellor Pedron will tell them of a secret expedition to Troos that he wants them to undertake. Calvan will tell them that he had made a mistake in the past and now he wants the child back (actually he isn't planning to keep the child but to put her in a convent or something like that). The Chancellor will explain the other side of the journey that he has in mind. The priest must keep a diary and take notes of everything of importance to the Church they find in Troos. Many truths concerning Law and the history of humanity could be waiting to be revealed in the ancient forest (Insight rolls may reveal that Calvin is more upset than interested in the fate of the child, also that the Chancellor is a very intelligent man whose interest in the welfare of the Church and the state is beyond doubt). The Leader of the expedition, which is to be kept a secret, is supposed to be the priest.
The adventurers are to be guided, until they reach the forest, by two servants of Calvan and another priest. It is Summer and the weather is warm. They need about 9 days to reach the guard posts outside Org.
On the road (see Atlas of the Young Kingdoms, vol. 1 for more information)
Not all the details are given here, just basic descriptions I considered important. These can, of course, be altered, or others can be added to at the option of the GM.
Duchy of Rignarion
Marble Highways, windmills and endless fields with weak plants. Hints of drought. The farmers look very poor and underfed.
The city, the granite palace, the golden pyramid-temple. Also, the beggars. The adventures are supposed to know about the statue of the prophet Vil Vilario and the supposed miraculous powers of it. Nevertheless, only known followers of Law can be granted immediate entry into the Gardens. The priest is the obvious candidate for that.
If the priest sleeps under the statue, he will be visited by a dream. The dream starts with him in a misty and dark place. He will see the form of an unknown woman and she will call him. He follows and finds himself in a dark room. Light is provided by a glowing object which dominates the center of the room. It is a large golden scale, taller than a man. The woman is nowhere to be seen.
The golden scale doesn't balance perfectly. Instead, it bends a bit towards the left side. Suddenly he will feel something in his right hand that he hadn't noticed before. Ii is a small, oval, black stone, plain but strangely beautiful. The scale seems to be unbalanced and the stone looks like the stones used by the merchants to weigh the products they sell. Whether he puts the stone on the left or on the right side of the scale, destruction is the result. The scale collapses with a deafening sound to the floor. A feeling of ultimate guilt overwhelms him.
The dream is a prophecy of the future dilemma that the adventures will face. The message of it is that they should not try to upset the balance. Of course, they may never understand it.
On the road again the PCs are treated to depressing views of the never ending plains.
One of the stops is a convent. It is a tower-like building with a large yard where gray-dressed nuns work and praise Donblas. Shelter will be given to them due to the presence of the two priests in the party. Anna will be there, pretending to be a young nun. After dinner during the night she will approach one of the adventurers (the one she thinks more likely to support her) and explains that the mother of the child exists and longs for her. She also tells the PC that she would need him/her to support her when the time comes. The approach can happen during the confession of one of the players, somewhere in the convent halls, or in the PCs cell. Anna would do whatever she thinks is necessary to bring the PC to her side excepting violence.
After a few days, on a country road, they will be approached by a hunched-back old woman. She is actually Anna under a Linken Shape spell and will offer to the two priests one of the two breads she carries. Only critical Insight roll will reveal that there is something suspicious about her. Anyway, the other priest will take the bread. It has been laced with a sleeping drug (POT 16). Whoever eats the bread and fails the CON vs. POT roll, will fall asleep in half an hour. Anna does this to get rid of the adventurer's escorts. She approaches the camp in the night wearing a peasant-woman dress and without signs of her Chaos-worshiping nature. She wakes all the adventures up and tells them her story. She tells them that she is the mother and that she was parted from her child because the Count was afraid of the scandal. She says that the Count will never acknowledge the girl as his, that he only wants to avoid the scandal around her and that he will probably have her exiled or killed.
If they ask her how she knows all these things, she will reply that she has conducted an investigation on her own and that she has some friends near the Count. Insight rolls will show her true interest in the child, and that she is a very intelligent and cunning person that can hardly be just a peasant girl.
Sometime during the next day the group will encounter a band of ragged, cloaked people walking in column. The man at the head of the column is bearing a censer and is chanting. A Search roll will reveal that their faces do not look exactly human. A critical Search roll is needed to reveal that they are just lepers. The lepers will not respond to any call, since they are under an oath of silence. The priest may understand the situation with an INTx1 roll. He is supposed to have lived in Jadmar and he has no experience of such sightings.
Nadsokor
The group will have to pass through this land in order to enter Org from the western border. Sightings of beggars might occur. The beggars may be a threat, people just asking for some food, or just observers.
The next and final stop for their guides, is a watch tower at the western border of Org. The soldiers can help them and their animals cross the river. They may choose to cross it from a point further to the north, but Valkark is a wide and deep river. The soldiers will not give them a boat.
Org (see Atlas of the Young Kingdoms, vol. 1 for more information)
The Road to the Forest
According to their information, the hut of the old man is somewhere between two marshes, the Sucking Swamp and Mudmere. The best way in my opinion, to start is to follow the river, which flows along the western side of the forest, north until they reach the Sucking Swamp and enter the forest from there. The description that follows is based on this schedule. It may be left to the players to discover a the less dangerous way.
The trip along the eastern bank of the river to the north lasts about three or four days (with horses). The weather is warm and at the beginning of the journey and met by warm winds. The weak grass and some rocky hills on the west contrast with the rich flora of the eastern bank composed of willows, great poplar trees, bushes and tall grass, and even more with the main bulk of the forest which lies a few miles east. Very few birds live in the trees of the eastern bank.
The trip takes them further to the north. Day by day the vegetation becomes thicker and unrecognizable plants become more frequent. On the third day, a feeling that they are watched will possess the PCs. It will not leave them until after they have left the forest.
At the Swamp
The river leads to the Sucking Swamp, which provides a sight of desperation. It is an endless flat area of black mud, bogs and a few very lonely swamp trees emerging from the gray waters. With an INT check, they can note that there are no birds at this place.
No more than 20 miles separate them from the hut. Considering the thick vegetation of the forest, someone could cover the distance on foot or with a horse in two days if he/she knew the exact place where to find the hut. Daily Navigate rolls from the mercenary will be needed in order to keep moving in the right direction.
In the Green Hell
The vegetation of Troos is weird and of completely unknown species that grow to supernatural proportions. The forest itself is a very dark bulk in the midst of almost desert land and its blasphemous flora looks like a mockery of gods, humanity and even nature. Sometimes it seems like it is one gigantic malevolent being. The GM should create the eerie atmosphere of the forest and give the players the feeling that they are in constant danger. The forest is, of course, dangerous by itself and apart from Orgians does not host any other form of intelligent life, or even fauna. The characters do not know that. It is said that demons and ghosts haunt the forest, and this is all they know. For a more complete description see "Atlas of the Young Kingdoms, vol.1".
They can take the horses with them, or not. Movement is a difficult and tiring process and the horses can only serve as pack animals. The animals are nervous and get easily frightened, throwing off burdens and riders. With or without animals, it will take them 1d6+1 days to find the second swamp and the hut (or the same time for Erekose to find them). Every day the GM should roll the following checks:
a) Check for madness (Atlas of the Young Kingdoms)
b) Check for bogs. The leader should roll under POWx3 in order to avoid falling into a bog.
c) Check for drinking water. A successful Natural World roll is needed. Failing that the water will be harmful (POT 8+1d6) and drinking it may cause stomach problems. Assuming they have fresh water, check every 3 days.
d) Check for burning woods. The one who looks for them should roll under his Natural World/2 skill, or under POWx2, in order to find and cut some harmless burning woods. In a different case roll 1d8:
1): The root lash out and hurt the woodcutter for 1d6+1 points of damage.
2): The juice of the woods cause itching for a whole day (-20% in every roll) and the smoke from the campfire smells awful.
3): The bark is extremely hard and rolling under STRx5 results in breaking the axe.
4): The blossoms of the tree shoot seeds (a POWx2 is needed to avoid being shot). On the next day, if the roll was unsuccessful, a rash grows on the skin of the woodcutter causing 1d3 points of damage per day and loss of 1 point of Constitution. Erekose can heal this.
5): Acidic juices spray the woodcutter (POWx4 to avoid being sprayed in the face and a loss of 1 APP) damaging for 1d6 points.
6): Who ever carry the pieces of wood gets poisoned (POT 13) and gets blisters.
7): Madness of Troos (no CON check).
8): Encounter with a dead tree that looks like a body, but nothing else happens.
A Night Attack
The feeling that they are being watched and followed is not without reason. The Orgians have spotted the group and there is a small band that watches their moves. Due to their knowledge of the forest and stealth, they will remain undetected by the characters. In a few days the Orgians could gather a bigger war band and kill or capture the characters, but in the mean time these four get greedy and ambush the characters during a night when most of them will be asleep. They are mainly after the horses or some of the characters' belonging, so they probably mount a diversionary attack, while one of them steals what they want. In the dark of the night they would look like devils. If one of them gets killed they try to take him, leaving no bodies behind.
Orgians STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX APP Hp db
#1 18 14 13 5 7 10 2 14 +1d4
#2 17 19 12 6 7 11 2 16 +1d4
#3 22 19 12 5 6 10 2 16 +1d6
#4 17 15 13 7 8 11 2 14 +1d4
Armor: 1d2-1 thick muscle
Weapons: Cleaver 60%: 1d6+1+db
Crude Club 60%: 1d8+ db
Dodge: 35%, Jump: 70%.
Erekose
Erekose may find the PCs at a time of danger or the PCs may find him if they are successful enough in finding the right way to the hut. He will treat their wounds and heal their diseases, if any.
He lives in a hut in the middle of a pond of fresh water, just north of the second swamp (Mudmere). He knows the ways of the forest. It seems, also, that the Orgians are afraid of the big black man and they consider him an evil spirit. A young girl lives with him. He calls her Agnes. The girl is of the right age (about 6) and has black hair and piercing black eyes that resemble Anna's. She is actually Anna's daughter.
Erekose would not like the girl to leave. He was like a father to her and he knows that her father is a man that cannot be trusted. He does not say much, but it is clear that the presence and purpose of the characters upsets him. Agnes will immediately recognize the reason for the characters "visit". Her trust could be gained by a sincere and, preferably, female character. Nevertheless Erekose will not be easily persuaded to give them the child. Intense role-playing and maybe a successful Oratory roll could change his mind. Nevertheless, he will escort them out of the forest, not leaving the girl unprotected.
There are a lot of interesting things in the hut. The man has a great variety of herbs and potions, mainly for healing or protecting purposes (not an ointment of Invulnerability though). Apart from that, a successful Search roll could reveal an old but impressive set of armor, some weapons, a golden comb that belongs to Agnes and a few other things from the world of Erekose. The strange man will set fire to the hut before they leave.
After that he speaks even less, his face becomes even darker and his eyes seem to attend the Fate that is about to strike.
The Way Out
The Orgians know the group's moves at all times. They are be afraid to attack Erekose and they will not hurt the girl since they recognize divine qualities in her. Instead, they will try to capture the girl and kill or capture the characters. Erekose suspects this and will propose to follow a trail through places like Mudmere, The Deep Tree, The Barrow Glen or/and The Old Thing. Erekose can provide the priest with details for his diary. These include a theory of the Orgians being unevolved humans (which means that humans were once like that), hints of the long gone existence of a certain people called The Doomed Folk, and anything the GM would feel appropriate and upsetting enough for the Vilmirian priesthood.
Mudmere could provide them with the bark of the silver trees, which after the proper preparation can enhance stamina for a few days. It should be difficult to attain , needing successful Climb and DEX rolls. With it they will be able to move fast and they will be out of the forest in three days. With Erekose with them, the characters will have no problem finding fire wood, fresh water, or avoiding the bogs. With his knowledge of natural potions, the chance of being affected by the Madness results only on a roll above CONx6.
Since the Orgians are following them, they will have to move fast and carry the girl as well. The girl can feel the Orgians, but the characters would need a critical Search roll to spot them. If one of the PCs fails a CONx5 roll, the Orgians will catch them. If this happens, Erekose will propose a duel between two warriors, one of the Orgians and one of the characters. There are 20 Orgians. Use the statistics of the four above. The leader, though, is tougher.
Warband leader
STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX APP Hp db
24 17 13 6 6 11 2 15 +1d6
Armor: 1d2 thick muscle
Weapons: cleaver 78%, 1d6+1+db
thrown rock 50%, 1d4+2+db/2
Dodge 40%
If the character wins, the Orgians will let them go. If the characters still have any of their horses, offering them to the Orgians would be even more convincing.
Leaving Troos
When they are, at last, out of the forest the group will be tired and hungry. Since they cannot cross the river they will have to head south. The same night Agnes will face the character from the Weeping Waste and will say to him: "Your mother is dead".
This is true, since the old woman could not bear the work in the mines any more. If asked she will say simply that she just knows. Insight rolls will reveal that she means what she says, but there is no other way to verify her words. This twist is added in order to free the character (assuming that he believes her) from his duty to his mother, and force him to make a personal choice.
Erekose's face will be like stone. He says almost nothing and Insight rolls will show that he looks like a man with death in his eyes, that he is ready either to die or kill...
A day after, they will encounter a rider from the guardhouses in the south. He will give them some food and water and order them to follow him across the river without explaining anything else. If pressed he will say that these are his orders from the Count.
They will cross the river by a boat. After that they can leave the soldier and head for the place where Anna had asked them to meet her, just a few miles north, or follow the soldier to where Count Fornova is waiting. No matter what they do, there should be a dramatic closing to the story, with both groups facing each other and the adventurers, while waiting for their decision.
Assuming that the characters follow the soldier (the most conservative choice), they will arrive at a hilly field, somewhere in eastern Nadsokor. Some people are waiting for them. There are ten riders standing silent and a heavy dark coach behind them. As soon as they arrive, the soldier will depart without another word.
The riders are obviously of the Gray Defenders and they are actually foot soldiers using horses for transport. At the head of them is Brother Rodrigo, knight-monk of the military order of the Cleansing Flame. The coach hides the Count and his friend, Chancellor Pedron, but only Rodrigo will do the talking. He may consult the passengers of the coach, but will not reveal their identity. Rodrigo is distant and offensive, he is the only one to ask questions and he will only tolerate answers coming from the priest character. He will demand the diary and a briefing of what they encountered. This is a critical moment. Depending on what the characters say they may be considered dangerous heretics or receive their payment. If, for example, they speak of missing links in human evolution and of lost races that created Troos, they will be immediately arrested. Even if they are careful with what they say, Rodrigo will demand they leave Vilmir, except for the priest. After that he will ask for the girl.
At that point, a strangely armored rider, obviously a follower of Chaos will come riding down a slope, followed by four other riders. This is Anna with some bandits that she hired at Valkark Gorge. She will shout that she is the mother of the child and call for the help of anyone who values justice.
Erekose will protect the girl, not giving her to anyone. He will do nothing else and will be killed, probably by Rodrigo unless the PCs intervene. After that Rodrigo and most of his men will attack the riders, leaving behind two soldiers to guard the girl. The coach will depart at the first sight of hostility. What will the players do? Will they side with Law and the father of the child, or with Anna risking with the company of Chaos, or they will just try to keep the child protected, as Erekose
did? The fate of the girl and themselves is in their hands
I played this adventure with two different groups of players. They all sided with one or the other of the opposing groups and only one thought of taking the child away without taking any part, but rather late and he did not succeed to keep the balance.
If Ana wins, she will take the girl (who is to be named Sorana) on her horse, pay the characters that helped her and leave. Obviously the characters have to leave Vilmir and not come back for a long time.
If the Law party wins they will take the girl to the Count. The characters that helped them will receive their payment, but are expected to leave Vilmir. The surviving ones who opposed them will be executed if they are captured.
The characters should also receive some Chaos, Law or Balance points, according to their acts.
Appendix-Characters and parties
Anna, Warrior priestess from the East, mother of the girl
Tall, feminine, well built, with black hair and round charming eyes. She is a woman with many secrets who knows how to get what she wants. Her life is dedicated to Lady Eequor. She is wearing a characteristic black jewel around her neck.
Age 27, C81 B16 L20
STR 14 CON 15 SIZ 13 INT 17 POW 20 DEX 16 APP 16 HP 14 DB +1d4
Longsword 105%, 1d10+1+db
Small Shield 60%, 1d3+db+knockback
Akras 59%, 1d3+3+db
Desert Bow 55%, 18+2+db/2
Armor: Demon plate 1d10+2+1d10
Magic: Sphere of Flesh, Rune of Enhancements. Among other effects, she can produce the following: Demon's Eye, Seduction, Horns of Hionhurn, Linken Shape, Speed of Vezhan.
Skills: Dodge:66%, Ride:100%, Potions:70%, Insight: 40%.
Hired bandits from Valkark Gorge
STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX APP HP DB
#1 15 14 11 12 11 13 09 13 +1d4
#2 14 12 14 10 10 15 12 13 +1d4
#3 12 16 13 12 12 13 14 15 +1d4
#4 16 15 13 13 12 14 13 14 +1d4
Sample weapon statistics:
Broadsword 65%, 1d8+1+db
Flail 70%, 1d6+2+db
Spear, Thrown 50%, 1d6+1+db/2 (db of the horse, if charging)
Shield, small 55%, 1d3+db
Hunting bow 60%, 1d6+1+db/2
Armor: Various, mostly leather and rings: 1d6+1
Skills: Hide: 50%, Ride: 70%
They fight on horseback. They are quite loyal to Anna, expecting a handsome payment.
Erekose, Old Hero from another world
A tall, heavy build black man approaching the winter of his life. He is a man of few words and most of the time he seems lost in deep thoughts. It is not known how he came to this world. He might have been serving Fate or trying to get away from her. He lives the life of a hermit by choice, not wanting to get involved in the affairs of men or the gods anymore.
Age 60, C27 B88 L124
STR 17 CON 16 SIZ 17 INT 17 POW 23 DEX 14 APP 13 HP 17 DB +1d6
Weapons (though he would never use them against another man):
Warsword 180%, 1d10+1+db
Staff 120%, 1d6+db
Large shield 90%, 1d4+db+knockback
Skills: Follow Fate 85%, Dodge 79%, Knowledge Troos 85%, Natural World 90%, Physick
80%, Potions(healing) 70%, Protect Agnes 99%.
Calvan Fornova, remorse haunted noble
Of medium height, with nicely cut blond hair and small brown eyes, Calvan would not be someone to remember as special. Thatis, of course, if there had not been his royal blood and his education that makes him a quite capable debater. He also has a good knowledge of Vilmirian Theology.
Age 32, C13 B05 L34
STR 11 CON 11 SIZ 11 INT 12 POW 10 DEX 12 APP 13 HP 11 DB 0
Weapons: Dagger 35%, 1d4+2
Skills: Art(Conversation) 45%, Insight 25%, Vilmirian Geography 60%, Law Theology 55%, Myths and Legends 35%.
Chancellor Pedron
Tall and gaunt with straight brown hair. Deep wrinkles cut across his face, which hosts an ever-expressionless mouth of thin lips and a pair of grim brown eyes. He is the only man that Calvan trusts absolutely. He is cunning and would do anything to preserve order, the high status of the Church and his position in it.
Age 51, C18 B09 L75
STR 11 CON 12 SIZ 13 INT 16 POW 15 DEX 10 APP 12 HP 12 DB +1d4
Weapons: none
Skills: Art(Organ) 35%, Art(Conversation) 48%, Bargain 65%, Fast Talk 30%,Insight 68%, Oratory 70%, Theology 80%, Politics 90%
Rodrigo, Knight of the Church, religious fanatic
Tall with extremely close cut hair.
Age 34, C08 B11 L70
STR 16 CON 16 SIZ 13 INT 13 POW 13 DEX 13 APP 12 HP 15 DB +1d4
Armor: Chain mail 1d10
Weapons: Cavalry lance:80%, 1d8+1+db
Broadsword:115%, 1d8+1+db
Full Shield:75%, 1d4+db+knockback
Skills: Dodge 50%, Give Orders 80%, Obey Orders 95%, Ride 96%.
Gray Defenders
Sample statistics are given for the nine soldiers.
HP 12, DB +1d4
Weapons: Broadsword: 55%, 1d8+1+db
Kite shield: 45%, knockback
Skills: Ride 45%
They fight on foot.
Originally presented in The Chaosium Digest v30.9 on Saturday, March 18, 2000
This is an introductory adventure for Stormbringer/Elric! to demonstrate some aspects of Law, Balance and Chaos.
Background on Troos
The following information can be given partly as background knowledge to the players and partly as a result of research.
A great mystery covers the forest of Troos and the general area of Org. Even the forest's presence contradicts with the barren land that surrounds it. According to rumors, the forest is old, older than the holy states of Vilmir and Ilmiora, older than The Melnibonean Empire, even older than humanity. The opinions of the relationship between the Melniboneans and the forest are many and contradicting, while they agree on one point, both are spawns of Chaos.
After the emancipation of Northern Continent, Troos was located within the state of Vilmir. The governors and the holy men of the new kingdom showed interest in the area. A group of woodcutters and investigators were sent in order to clear the land and search for the truths that it was believed such an ancient place would hide. None returned. An army was sent immediately afterwards but faced the same fate. After that the forest was blockaded and guard points were set around the border with the purpose of prohibiting travel into or out of the forest. The name Org was given to the area, taken from the cries of some repulsive creatures that were known to live there. The creatures, while appearing humanoid, look more like a blasphemy of humanity.
Research in the library of the Church could reveal references to the forest in Melnibonean manuscripts which are thousands of years old. It seems that the Menliboneans were not responsible for its creation, even though many of the clergy have different opinions.
A caravan route goes through the northern part of Org and is the fastest way of communication between three states of Vilmir, Ilmiora and the Weeping Waste as well as many cities.
Another story
It is a warm summer evening in the year of purity 373. The initiate priest and nephew of the Vilmirian king, Calvan Fornova lays abed in his tower in Jadmar, next to his servant girl Anna. He is already sorry. The worst is yet to come.
Anna was pregnant, but she was no servant girl. The young warrior-priestess of Phum received a prophesy of a birth. It spoke of the birth of a child that would help dearly the cause of the Order and spoke of a holy man with royal blood who was a foreigner to this world. Note that West was another world for the Easterners. The rest was hazy for Anna, but then again, so are most prophesies.
After Calvan had learned of the pregnancy he became miserable. He was the nephew of the king and he could aspire only to the title of duke, already possessed by his father. The clergy offered him another opportunity for further advancement, but after the recent revelations everything he possessed and even his family name is in danger. He could not marry a lesser woman and he could not "remove" the problem since it would have been a mortal sin. So, after seeking the advice of Chancellor Pedron he placed Anna in a convent and relinquishing his status as a priest. The whole thing hadn't gone beyond the circle of him, his father and the Chancellor, so he could forget for some time.
When the birth came, Anna gave the newly born girl to a nun and asked the child be take to Calvan. After that she disappeared from the convent and traveled back to the East. According to the prophecy she would have to leave the child behind for six years. The first part of her quest was over and she would leave the rest to Fate.
With the child back in his hands, Calvan became a ghost of his former self. He wanted to be rid of the spawn of his sin and suddenly the gods gave him the solution. At that time a strange black man (Erekose) had visited the city. He showed no respect to the gods and the authorities put him into prison. Calvan found his salvation in this man. He was an outsider with no interest in money and civilization. He had a strange accent and though he wouldn't say where he was from the only thing he wanted was to leave. That was ideal for Calvan who offered him the baby. Refusing any money he took the infant, went away and no man learned anything of him again.
That was six years ago. It is now 379 YK. A caravan, in which Count Calvan Fornova had financial interest, was attacked by the beast-men of Org three months ago. During the ambush by night, one of the surprised guards was chased into the forest and became lost. After running blindly, he fainted. Wounded as he was, he would have died, save for a miracle. He awakened in a hut in the middle of the forest. Nobody thought that humans, save minions of Chaos dwelled within the forest, but here was his savior.
This was Erekose who had retreated to Troos, away from humans and gods. He had a little girl with him. The girl was maybe even stranger than the silent old man. With black hair around a moon-shaped face, her round black eyes were piercing and oddly knowing. The mercenary guard spent most of his time in the forest in a coma and does not remember much. The black man helped him out of the forest after he recovered.
Calvan heard the story and felt the old demons along with new ones to come back to haunt him. How had the black man survived in that place? Maybe he was a wizard preparing the child as a nemesis for him. Maybe the girl would come back and ask for her righteous heritage, or maybe the gods where testing him? Anyway he had to know and here is where (at last) the players come in. One of them should be the mercenary, in order to guide them. Another can be a priest, particularly a young and romantic one. Due to the humid environment of the forest and the swamps that can be found in it, a barbarian hunter of the Weeping Waste can be of some help. They found someone, a slave along with his mother at the mines of Dolgar that can undertake the task in exchange for his freedom. Finally, some other lowlife can be drawn from the prisons, or from the list of supects (a suspected witch, a thief, or both). These people (the players) will be traced by servants of Calvan and agents of the Chancellor.
On a warm summer day, the PCs will meet each other at the office of the Chancellor of Jadmar. Calvan will be in attendance. Chancellor Pedron will tell them of a secret expedition to Troos that he wants them to undertake. Calvan will tell them that he had made a mistake in the past and now he wants the child back (actually he isn't planning to keep the child but to put her in a convent or something like that). The Chancellor will explain the other side of the journey that he has in mind. The priest must keep a diary and take notes of everything of importance to the Church they find in Troos. Many truths concerning Law and the history of humanity could be waiting to be revealed in the ancient forest (Insight rolls may reveal that Calvin is more upset than interested in the fate of the child, also that the Chancellor is a very intelligent man whose interest in the welfare of the Church and the state is beyond doubt). The Leader of the expedition, which is to be kept a secret, is supposed to be the priest.
The adventurers are to be guided, until they reach the forest, by two servants of Calvan and another priest. It is Summer and the weather is warm. They need about 9 days to reach the guard posts outside Org.
On the road (see Atlas of the Young Kingdoms, vol. 1 for more information)
Not all the details are given here, just basic descriptions I considered important. These can, of course, be altered, or others can be added to at the option of the GM.
Duchy of Rignarion
Marble Highways, windmills and endless fields with weak plants. Hints of drought. The farmers look very poor and underfed.
The city, the granite palace, the golden pyramid-temple. Also, the beggars. The adventures are supposed to know about the statue of the prophet Vil Vilario and the supposed miraculous powers of it. Nevertheless, only known followers of Law can be granted immediate entry into the Gardens. The priest is the obvious candidate for that.
If the priest sleeps under the statue, he will be visited by a dream. The dream starts with him in a misty and dark place. He will see the form of an unknown woman and she will call him. He follows and finds himself in a dark room. Light is provided by a glowing object which dominates the center of the room. It is a large golden scale, taller than a man. The woman is nowhere to be seen.
The golden scale doesn't balance perfectly. Instead, it bends a bit towards the left side. Suddenly he will feel something in his right hand that he hadn't noticed before. Ii is a small, oval, black stone, plain but strangely beautiful. The scale seems to be unbalanced and the stone looks like the stones used by the merchants to weigh the products they sell. Whether he puts the stone on the left or on the right side of the scale, destruction is the result. The scale collapses with a deafening sound to the floor. A feeling of ultimate guilt overwhelms him.
The dream is a prophecy of the future dilemma that the adventures will face. The message of it is that they should not try to upset the balance. Of course, they may never understand it.
On the road again the PCs are treated to depressing views of the never ending plains.
One of the stops is a convent. It is a tower-like building with a large yard where gray-dressed nuns work and praise Donblas. Shelter will be given to them due to the presence of the two priests in the party. Anna will be there, pretending to be a young nun. After dinner during the night she will approach one of the adventurers (the one she thinks more likely to support her) and explains that the mother of the child exists and longs for her. She also tells the PC that she would need him/her to support her when the time comes. The approach can happen during the confession of one of the players, somewhere in the convent halls, or in the PCs cell. Anna would do whatever she thinks is necessary to bring the PC to her side excepting violence.
After a few days, on a country road, they will be approached by a hunched-back old woman. She is actually Anna under a Linken Shape spell and will offer to the two priests one of the two breads she carries. Only critical Insight roll will reveal that there is something suspicious about her. Anyway, the other priest will take the bread. It has been laced with a sleeping drug (POT 16). Whoever eats the bread and fails the CON vs. POT roll, will fall asleep in half an hour. Anna does this to get rid of the adventurer's escorts. She approaches the camp in the night wearing a peasant-woman dress and without signs of her Chaos-worshiping nature. She wakes all the adventures up and tells them her story. She tells them that she is the mother and that she was parted from her child because the Count was afraid of the scandal. She says that the Count will never acknowledge the girl as his, that he only wants to avoid the scandal around her and that he will probably have her exiled or killed.
If they ask her how she knows all these things, she will reply that she has conducted an investigation on her own and that she has some friends near the Count. Insight rolls will show her true interest in the child, and that she is a very intelligent and cunning person that can hardly be just a peasant girl.
Sometime during the next day the group will encounter a band of ragged, cloaked people walking in column. The man at the head of the column is bearing a censer and is chanting. A Search roll will reveal that their faces do not look exactly human. A critical Search roll is needed to reveal that they are just lepers. The lepers will not respond to any call, since they are under an oath of silence. The priest may understand the situation with an INTx1 roll. He is supposed to have lived in Jadmar and he has no experience of such sightings.
Nadsokor
The group will have to pass through this land in order to enter Org from the western border. Sightings of beggars might occur. The beggars may be a threat, people just asking for some food, or just observers.
The next and final stop for their guides, is a watch tower at the western border of Org. The soldiers can help them and their animals cross the river. They may choose to cross it from a point further to the north, but Valkark is a wide and deep river. The soldiers will not give them a boat.
Org (see Atlas of the Young Kingdoms, vol. 1 for more information)
The Road to the Forest
According to their information, the hut of the old man is somewhere between two marshes, the Sucking Swamp and Mudmere. The best way in my opinion, to start is to follow the river, which flows along the western side of the forest, north until they reach the Sucking Swamp and enter the forest from there. The description that follows is based on this schedule. It may be left to the players to discover a the less dangerous way.
The trip along the eastern bank of the river to the north lasts about three or four days (with horses). The weather is warm and at the beginning of the journey and met by warm winds. The weak grass and some rocky hills on the west contrast with the rich flora of the eastern bank composed of willows, great poplar trees, bushes and tall grass, and even more with the main bulk of the forest which lies a few miles east. Very few birds live in the trees of the eastern bank.
The trip takes them further to the north. Day by day the vegetation becomes thicker and unrecognizable plants become more frequent. On the third day, a feeling that they are watched will possess the PCs. It will not leave them until after they have left the forest.
At the Swamp
The river leads to the Sucking Swamp, which provides a sight of desperation. It is an endless flat area of black mud, bogs and a few very lonely swamp trees emerging from the gray waters. With an INT check, they can note that there are no birds at this place.
No more than 20 miles separate them from the hut. Considering the thick vegetation of the forest, someone could cover the distance on foot or with a horse in two days if he/she knew the exact place where to find the hut. Daily Navigate rolls from the mercenary will be needed in order to keep moving in the right direction.
In the Green Hell
The vegetation of Troos is weird and of completely unknown species that grow to supernatural proportions. The forest itself is a very dark bulk in the midst of almost desert land and its blasphemous flora looks like a mockery of gods, humanity and even nature. Sometimes it seems like it is one gigantic malevolent being. The GM should create the eerie atmosphere of the forest and give the players the feeling that they are in constant danger. The forest is, of course, dangerous by itself and apart from Orgians does not host any other form of intelligent life, or even fauna. The characters do not know that. It is said that demons and ghosts haunt the forest, and this is all they know. For a more complete description see "Atlas of the Young Kingdoms, vol.1".
They can take the horses with them, or not. Movement is a difficult and tiring process and the horses can only serve as pack animals. The animals are nervous and get easily frightened, throwing off burdens and riders. With or without animals, it will take them 1d6+1 days to find the second swamp and the hut (or the same time for Erekose to find them). Every day the GM should roll the following checks:
a) Check for madness (Atlas of the Young Kingdoms)
b) Check for bogs. The leader should roll under POWx3 in order to avoid falling into a bog.
c) Check for drinking water. A successful Natural World roll is needed. Failing that the water will be harmful (POT 8+1d6) and drinking it may cause stomach problems. Assuming they have fresh water, check every 3 days.
d) Check for burning woods. The one who looks for them should roll under his Natural World/2 skill, or under POWx2, in order to find and cut some harmless burning woods. In a different case roll 1d8:
1): The root lash out and hurt the woodcutter for 1d6+1 points of damage.
2): The juice of the woods cause itching for a whole day (-20% in every roll) and the smoke from the campfire smells awful.
3): The bark is extremely hard and rolling under STRx5 results in breaking the axe.
4): The blossoms of the tree shoot seeds (a POWx2 is needed to avoid being shot). On the next day, if the roll was unsuccessful, a rash grows on the skin of the woodcutter causing 1d3 points of damage per day and loss of 1 point of Constitution. Erekose can heal this.
5): Acidic juices spray the woodcutter (POWx4 to avoid being sprayed in the face and a loss of 1 APP) damaging for 1d6 points.
6): Who ever carry the pieces of wood gets poisoned (POT 13) and gets blisters.
7): Madness of Troos (no CON check).
8): Encounter with a dead tree that looks like a body, but nothing else happens.
A Night Attack
The feeling that they are being watched and followed is not without reason. The Orgians have spotted the group and there is a small band that watches their moves. Due to their knowledge of the forest and stealth, they will remain undetected by the characters. In a few days the Orgians could gather a bigger war band and kill or capture the characters, but in the mean time these four get greedy and ambush the characters during a night when most of them will be asleep. They are mainly after the horses or some of the characters' belonging, so they probably mount a diversionary attack, while one of them steals what they want. In the dark of the night they would look like devils. If one of them gets killed they try to take him, leaving no bodies behind.
Orgians STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX APP Hp db
#1 18 14 13 5 7 10 2 14 +1d4
#2 17 19 12 6 7 11 2 16 +1d4
#3 22 19 12 5 6 10 2 16 +1d6
#4 17 15 13 7 8 11 2 14 +1d4
Armor: 1d2-1 thick muscle
Weapons: Cleaver 60%: 1d6+1+db
Crude Club 60%: 1d8+ db
Dodge: 35%, Jump: 70%.
Erekose
Erekose may find the PCs at a time of danger or the PCs may find him if they are successful enough in finding the right way to the hut. He will treat their wounds and heal their diseases, if any.
He lives in a hut in the middle of a pond of fresh water, just north of the second swamp (Mudmere). He knows the ways of the forest. It seems, also, that the Orgians are afraid of the big black man and they consider him an evil spirit. A young girl lives with him. He calls her Agnes. The girl is of the right age (about 6) and has black hair and piercing black eyes that resemble Anna's. She is actually Anna's daughter.
Erekose would not like the girl to leave. He was like a father to her and he knows that her father is a man that cannot be trusted. He does not say much, but it is clear that the presence and purpose of the characters upsets him. Agnes will immediately recognize the reason for the characters "visit". Her trust could be gained by a sincere and, preferably, female character. Nevertheless Erekose will not be easily persuaded to give them the child. Intense role-playing and maybe a successful Oratory roll could change his mind. Nevertheless, he will escort them out of the forest, not leaving the girl unprotected.
There are a lot of interesting things in the hut. The man has a great variety of herbs and potions, mainly for healing or protecting purposes (not an ointment of Invulnerability though). Apart from that, a successful Search roll could reveal an old but impressive set of armor, some weapons, a golden comb that belongs to Agnes and a few other things from the world of Erekose. The strange man will set fire to the hut before they leave.
After that he speaks even less, his face becomes even darker and his eyes seem to attend the Fate that is about to strike.
The Way Out
The Orgians know the group's moves at all times. They are be afraid to attack Erekose and they will not hurt the girl since they recognize divine qualities in her. Instead, they will try to capture the girl and kill or capture the characters. Erekose suspects this and will propose to follow a trail through places like Mudmere, The Deep Tree, The Barrow Glen or/and The Old Thing. Erekose can provide the priest with details for his diary. These include a theory of the Orgians being unevolved humans (which means that humans were once like that), hints of the long gone existence of a certain people called The Doomed Folk, and anything the GM would feel appropriate and upsetting enough for the Vilmirian priesthood.
Mudmere could provide them with the bark of the silver trees, which after the proper preparation can enhance stamina for a few days. It should be difficult to attain , needing successful Climb and DEX rolls. With it they will be able to move fast and they will be out of the forest in three days. With Erekose with them, the characters will have no problem finding fire wood, fresh water, or avoiding the bogs. With his knowledge of natural potions, the chance of being affected by the Madness results only on a roll above CONx6.
Since the Orgians are following them, they will have to move fast and carry the girl as well. The girl can feel the Orgians, but the characters would need a critical Search roll to spot them. If one of the PCs fails a CONx5 roll, the Orgians will catch them. If this happens, Erekose will propose a duel between two warriors, one of the Orgians and one of the characters. There are 20 Orgians. Use the statistics of the four above. The leader, though, is tougher.
Warband leader
STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX APP Hp db
24 17 13 6 6 11 2 15 +1d6
Armor: 1d2 thick muscle
Weapons: cleaver 78%, 1d6+1+db
thrown rock 50%, 1d4+2+db/2
Dodge 40%
If the character wins, the Orgians will let them go. If the characters still have any of their horses, offering them to the Orgians would be even more convincing.
Leaving Troos
When they are, at last, out of the forest the group will be tired and hungry. Since they cannot cross the river they will have to head south. The same night Agnes will face the character from the Weeping Waste and will say to him: "Your mother is dead".
This is true, since the old woman could not bear the work in the mines any more. If asked she will say simply that she just knows. Insight rolls will reveal that she means what she says, but there is no other way to verify her words. This twist is added in order to free the character (assuming that he believes her) from his duty to his mother, and force him to make a personal choice.
Erekose's face will be like stone. He says almost nothing and Insight rolls will show that he looks like a man with death in his eyes, that he is ready either to die or kill...
A day after, they will encounter a rider from the guardhouses in the south. He will give them some food and water and order them to follow him across the river without explaining anything else. If pressed he will say that these are his orders from the Count.
They will cross the river by a boat. After that they can leave the soldier and head for the place where Anna had asked them to meet her, just a few miles north, or follow the soldier to where Count Fornova is waiting. No matter what they do, there should be a dramatic closing to the story, with both groups facing each other and the adventurers, while waiting for their decision.
Assuming that the characters follow the soldier (the most conservative choice), they will arrive at a hilly field, somewhere in eastern Nadsokor. Some people are waiting for them. There are ten riders standing silent and a heavy dark coach behind them. As soon as they arrive, the soldier will depart without another word.
The riders are obviously of the Gray Defenders and they are actually foot soldiers using horses for transport. At the head of them is Brother Rodrigo, knight-monk of the military order of the Cleansing Flame. The coach hides the Count and his friend, Chancellor Pedron, but only Rodrigo will do the talking. He may consult the passengers of the coach, but will not reveal their identity. Rodrigo is distant and offensive, he is the only one to ask questions and he will only tolerate answers coming from the priest character. He will demand the diary and a briefing of what they encountered. This is a critical moment. Depending on what the characters say they may be considered dangerous heretics or receive their payment. If, for example, they speak of missing links in human evolution and of lost races that created Troos, they will be immediately arrested. Even if they are careful with what they say, Rodrigo will demand they leave Vilmir, except for the priest. After that he will ask for the girl.
At that point, a strangely armored rider, obviously a follower of Chaos will come riding down a slope, followed by four other riders. This is Anna with some bandits that she hired at Valkark Gorge. She will shout that she is the mother of the child and call for the help of anyone who values justice.
Erekose will protect the girl, not giving her to anyone. He will do nothing else and will be killed, probably by Rodrigo unless the PCs intervene. After that Rodrigo and most of his men will attack the riders, leaving behind two soldiers to guard the girl. The coach will depart at the first sight of hostility. What will the players do? Will they side with Law and the father of the child, or with Anna risking with the company of Chaos, or they will just try to keep the child protected, as Erekose
did? The fate of the girl and themselves is in their hands
I played this adventure with two different groups of players. They all sided with one or the other of the opposing groups and only one thought of taking the child away without taking any part, but rather late and he did not succeed to keep the balance.
If Ana wins, she will take the girl (who is to be named Sorana) on her horse, pay the characters that helped her and leave. Obviously the characters have to leave Vilmir and not come back for a long time.
If the Law party wins they will take the girl to the Count. The characters that helped them will receive their payment, but are expected to leave Vilmir. The surviving ones who opposed them will be executed if they are captured.
The characters should also receive some Chaos, Law or Balance points, according to their acts.
Appendix-Characters and parties
Anna, Warrior priestess from the East, mother of the girl
Tall, feminine, well built, with black hair and round charming eyes. She is a woman with many secrets who knows how to get what she wants. Her life is dedicated to Lady Eequor. She is wearing a characteristic black jewel around her neck.
Age 27, C81 B16 L20
STR 14 CON 15 SIZ 13 INT 17 POW 20 DEX 16 APP 16 HP 14 DB +1d4
Longsword 105%, 1d10+1+db
Small Shield 60%, 1d3+db+knockback
Akras 59%, 1d3+3+db
Desert Bow 55%, 18+2+db/2
Armor: Demon plate 1d10+2+1d10
Magic: Sphere of Flesh, Rune of Enhancements. Among other effects, she can produce the following: Demon's Eye, Seduction, Horns of Hionhurn, Linken Shape, Speed of Vezhan.
Skills: Dodge:66%, Ride:100%, Potions:70%, Insight: 40%.
Hired bandits from Valkark Gorge
STR CON SIZ INT POW DEX APP HP DB
#1 15 14 11 12 11 13 09 13 +1d4
#2 14 12 14 10 10 15 12 13 +1d4
#3 12 16 13 12 12 13 14 15 +1d4
#4 16 15 13 13 12 14 13 14 +1d4
Sample weapon statistics:
Broadsword 65%, 1d8+1+db
Flail 70%, 1d6+2+db
Spear, Thrown 50%, 1d6+1+db/2 (db of the horse, if charging)
Shield, small 55%, 1d3+db
Hunting bow 60%, 1d6+1+db/2
Armor: Various, mostly leather and rings: 1d6+1
Skills: Hide: 50%, Ride: 70%
They fight on horseback. They are quite loyal to Anna, expecting a handsome payment.
Erekose, Old Hero from another world
A tall, heavy build black man approaching the winter of his life. He is a man of few words and most of the time he seems lost in deep thoughts. It is not known how he came to this world. He might have been serving Fate or trying to get away from her. He lives the life of a hermit by choice, not wanting to get involved in the affairs of men or the gods anymore.
Age 60, C27 B88 L124
STR 17 CON 16 SIZ 17 INT 17 POW 23 DEX 14 APP 13 HP 17 DB +1d6
Weapons (though he would never use them against another man):
Warsword 180%, 1d10+1+db
Staff 120%, 1d6+db
Large shield 90%, 1d4+db+knockback
Skills: Follow Fate 85%, Dodge 79%, Knowledge Troos 85%, Natural World 90%, Physick
80%, Potions(healing) 70%, Protect Agnes 99%.
Calvan Fornova, remorse haunted noble
Of medium height, with nicely cut blond hair and small brown eyes, Calvan would not be someone to remember as special. Thatis, of course, if there had not been his royal blood and his education that makes him a quite capable debater. He also has a good knowledge of Vilmirian Theology.
Age 32, C13 B05 L34
STR 11 CON 11 SIZ 11 INT 12 POW 10 DEX 12 APP 13 HP 11 DB 0
Weapons: Dagger 35%, 1d4+2
Skills: Art(Conversation) 45%, Insight 25%, Vilmirian Geography 60%, Law Theology 55%, Myths and Legends 35%.
Chancellor Pedron
Tall and gaunt with straight brown hair. Deep wrinkles cut across his face, which hosts an ever-expressionless mouth of thin lips and a pair of grim brown eyes. He is the only man that Calvan trusts absolutely. He is cunning and would do anything to preserve order, the high status of the Church and his position in it.
Age 51, C18 B09 L75
STR 11 CON 12 SIZ 13 INT 16 POW 15 DEX 10 APP 12 HP 12 DB +1d4
Weapons: none
Skills: Art(Organ) 35%, Art(Conversation) 48%, Bargain 65%, Fast Talk 30%,Insight 68%, Oratory 70%, Theology 80%, Politics 90%
Rodrigo, Knight of the Church, religious fanatic
Tall with extremely close cut hair.
Age 34, C08 B11 L70
STR 16 CON 16 SIZ 13 INT 13 POW 13 DEX 13 APP 12 HP 15 DB +1d4
Armor: Chain mail 1d10
Weapons: Cavalry lance:80%, 1d8+1+db
Broadsword:115%, 1d8+1+db
Full Shield:75%, 1d4+db+knockback
Skills: Dodge 50%, Give Orders 80%, Obey Orders 95%, Ride 96%.
Gray Defenders
Sample statistics are given for the nine soldiers.
HP 12, DB +1d4
Weapons: Broadsword: 55%, 1d8+1+db
Kite shield: 45%, knockback
Skills: Ride 45%
They fight on foot.
Labels: adventure, Elric, Stormbringer
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