Brass Jester
Demi-God
Chapter Two: The Silent Courtyard
Northern March, 6th Vaen 12th Year of the Three
They were approaching the treeline of the forbidding Dragon Wood, Raven was following the trail of the Ash Wolves, although it was very faint.
‘Hold!’ said Frostbite. ‘Someone approaches – a lone horseman.’
They moved into cover, soon the horseman came into view. The horse was staggering along and was badly wounded, the horseman was part-collapsed over its neck. As the horse drew level with them it let out a dying groan and collapsed, throwing the rider off. Raven and Frostbite ran forward. The horseman wore leather armour with a metal breastplate, the sigil of the Crusader part-melted into the metal. He tried to struggle up as they approached.
‘Fort… Blackstone… they’re all… wrong… the iron… the chapel… The Priestess help us…’
He coughed up a great gout of blood and fell forwards. The cause of death was obvious – – a single deep wound in his back – like a giant talon had been driven into him
In the saddlebags of the horse were two empty potion bottles, a rolled scroll in a bone case and a sealed letter. Frostbite took the letter; Raven unrolled the scroll. It was bone-white parchment, on it was a demonic sigil that she didn’t recognise. Raven glanced at Frostbite, who was studying the letter; she whispered an entreaty to the Diabolist and her eyes deepened in colour. In response, the sigil flared blood-red and she felt an agonising pain in her left arm. The sigil had transferred itself to her, burning into her flesh and she now knew she bore the mark of the Horned Serpent. (1)
‘Anything on the letter?’ she called to Frostbite. ‘This scroll is blank, must have been for carrying a new message.’
‘The letter is to Captain Erdan at Fort Blackstone. It reads “Next shipment due across the lake next dark of the moon. They want the Sigil-Eaters Gauntlet – you must find it by then.” It is signed by someone called Pater Ten
‘The lake? The only lake I know close to here is Lake Varda, that is where Lantern Town is.’
‘By Anghad’s tits. Let’s check out Blackstone first – It’s closer. What do you think the Sigil-Eaters Gauntlet is?’
‘Obviously something someone wants. So it might be an advantage to us to find it first.’ Raven glanced at the sky. ‘It looks like snow so at least we can shelter at Blackstone. Winter’s Night is not a season to spend outdoors.’
***
Snow was beginning to fall as they headed up the path to Fort Blackstone. The fort stood on a basalt ridge overlooking a road that led west. A faint miasma of smoke hung over it, the banner of the Crusader still hung from the central tower. The wooden outer gates were burnt and part-hanging off their hinges. Carrion birds were circling overheard but didn’t seem to be going down into the fortress. Raven and Frostbite readied their weapons and cautiously moved up to the gates. There were no guards and the air was very still with the snow just drifting down. They readied their weapons then Frostbite called out.
‘Blackstone ahoy! We bear a message for Captain Erdan.’
There was no reply. The moved forward and stepped through the gates. Inside, the courtyard was silent and empty, apart from ash and snow drifting down.
‘No bodies,’ grunted Frostbite and moved to examine a part-melted metal insignia of the Crusader set in the wall of a building. ‘There has been searing heat here.’ He looked through the door – it was the barracks but it looked like something had caved the roof in.
Raven was on the far side of the courtyard, a training circle was laid out, beyond that, against the wall, was a semi-circular well.
‘Frostbite. There are boot prints and drag marks here. Someone was dragged towards the central tower. There is usually a chapel to the Crusader on the ground floor. The scout said something about the chapel.’ She glanced into the well, then moved towards the keep doorway. From out of the doorway stepped two warriors wearing metal armour and the sigil of the Crusader. They were burnt and blackened, their armour part-melted. They carried spears and without a sound advanced to attack.
“I’ve fought with Crusader guards before,” thought Raven and kept an eye out for their twin spear thrust attack. They all traded blows and counter blows for a time, then one scored a telling hit on Frostbite. The barbarian slowed, shook his head, then, with a roar of ‘Thundarr Take You!’, launched into the famed Barbarian Rage. Raven stabbed the one fighting her, the Crusader whispered ‘Help Me!’, then exploded in a burst of black necromantic energy. Raven felt a chill start to spread through her body; it got worse for a time when Frostbite’s opponent did the same. Finally both of the Crusaders were down, Raven watched Frostbite warily but he seemed to calm down from the rage. (2)
‘They both said, “help me.” It sounds like something was controlling them’
‘The Crusader sigil has been defaced. Nothing like this happened during the war.’
A room, somewhere in the Emberfang Citadel. Captain Verras removed his helmet and stood at attention before the wide table.
‘You sent fo me Ma’am’
Drake General Dasce looked up from the papers she was studying, as ever the drake helmet covered her face completely.
‘Captain Verras. I believe I have a lead on our spy. I want you to seek and find one Raven Gallowglass and bring her here for questioning.’
‘Of course Ma’am. Any constraints?’
‘Just keep her able to talk.’ (3)
Inside the ground floor of the keep, a stone stair led up to the next floor, a doorway led to the chapel. A trapdoor in the floor was open. Frostbite glanced down there – it was a food storage area. He lit a torch off the wall and climbed down for a better look. Raven meanwhile explored the chapel. The altar had the sigil of the Crusader and the iron sigil of Tendai, the Black God of distortions and corruption – a twisted asymmetric spiral. Around the edge of the altar was a narrow slot and on the floor was a broken sword. The sigil of the Crusader was part-melted into the surrounding stone. Scratches on the altar looked like someone had been trying to lever it open.
‘Frostbite. Give me a hand here.’
‘Look what I’ve found.’ Frostbite climbed out of the trapdoor carrying a box filled with coins and other bits of loot – the stuff common people would have. ‘It looks like our noble guardians have been extracting a toll for their protection.’ A quick search through yielded forty gold and two healing potions which they split between them.
‘Not much of a tribute?’ (4)
Raven tried to jam the broken sword blade into the gap in the top of the altar, Frostbite stood ready to try and pull the top off. The blade snapped off again at the hilt and Frostbite skinned the tips of his fingers but the lid didn’t move.
Upstairs in the Commander’s office. There was a map of the area with a circle drawn round Lantern Town and ‘x’s’ dotted around the map. There was no indication what these were. Also on the desk was a broken lantern of black glass, the copper rings of the frame were engraved with sigils. On the base was engraved Fennik Whirltallow
‘I think we should head for Lantern Town.’ Frostbite looked out of the window, show was falling heavily. ‘But first we need to rest, eat and sleep. There is food in the cellar that seems safe to eat.’
Mechanics
1. A bit of foreshadowing here (and Mythic Chaos Monkeys.) Raven used a Conflicted Relationship with the Diabolist to recognise the symbol – this caused the sigil to imprint on her. If she hadn’t used the Icon Relationship then it probably wouldn’t have. What this means in the long term I don’t know.
2. Both Barbarians and Rangers have different talents and abilities in 2E. I played out the combats in full but I’m not going to post a boring turn by turn account.
3. I am experimenting with Triggered and Keyed Scenes from Mythic, not sure I’ve got my head round them yet.
4. Yes, that’s what I thought as well
Continue reading...
Northern March, 6th Vaen 12th Year of the Three
They were approaching the treeline of the forbidding Dragon Wood, Raven was following the trail of the Ash Wolves, although it was very faint.
‘Hold!’ said Frostbite. ‘Someone approaches – a lone horseman.’
They moved into cover, soon the horseman came into view. The horse was staggering along and was badly wounded, the horseman was part-collapsed over its neck. As the horse drew level with them it let out a dying groan and collapsed, throwing the rider off. Raven and Frostbite ran forward. The horseman wore leather armour with a metal breastplate, the sigil of the Crusader part-melted into the metal. He tried to struggle up as they approached.
‘Fort… Blackstone… they’re all… wrong… the iron… the chapel… The Priestess help us…’
He coughed up a great gout of blood and fell forwards. The cause of death was obvious – – a single deep wound in his back – like a giant talon had been driven into him
In the saddlebags of the horse were two empty potion bottles, a rolled scroll in a bone case and a sealed letter. Frostbite took the letter; Raven unrolled the scroll. It was bone-white parchment, on it was a demonic sigil that she didn’t recognise. Raven glanced at Frostbite, who was studying the letter; she whispered an entreaty to the Diabolist and her eyes deepened in colour. In response, the sigil flared blood-red and she felt an agonising pain in her left arm. The sigil had transferred itself to her, burning into her flesh and she now knew she bore the mark of the Horned Serpent. (1)
‘Anything on the letter?’ she called to Frostbite. ‘This scroll is blank, must have been for carrying a new message.’
‘The letter is to Captain Erdan at Fort Blackstone. It reads “Next shipment due across the lake next dark of the moon. They want the Sigil-Eaters Gauntlet – you must find it by then.” It is signed by someone called Pater Ten
‘The lake? The only lake I know close to here is Lake Varda, that is where Lantern Town is.’
‘By Anghad’s tits. Let’s check out Blackstone first – It’s closer. What do you think the Sigil-Eaters Gauntlet is?’
‘Obviously something someone wants. So it might be an advantage to us to find it first.’ Raven glanced at the sky. ‘It looks like snow so at least we can shelter at Blackstone. Winter’s Night is not a season to spend outdoors.’
***
Snow was beginning to fall as they headed up the path to Fort Blackstone. The fort stood on a basalt ridge overlooking a road that led west. A faint miasma of smoke hung over it, the banner of the Crusader still hung from the central tower. The wooden outer gates were burnt and part-hanging off their hinges. Carrion birds were circling overheard but didn’t seem to be going down into the fortress. Raven and Frostbite readied their weapons and cautiously moved up to the gates. There were no guards and the air was very still with the snow just drifting down. They readied their weapons then Frostbite called out.
‘Blackstone ahoy! We bear a message for Captain Erdan.’
There was no reply. The moved forward and stepped through the gates. Inside, the courtyard was silent and empty, apart from ash and snow drifting down.
‘No bodies,’ grunted Frostbite and moved to examine a part-melted metal insignia of the Crusader set in the wall of a building. ‘There has been searing heat here.’ He looked through the door – it was the barracks but it looked like something had caved the roof in.
Raven was on the far side of the courtyard, a training circle was laid out, beyond that, against the wall, was a semi-circular well.
‘Frostbite. There are boot prints and drag marks here. Someone was dragged towards the central tower. There is usually a chapel to the Crusader on the ground floor. The scout said something about the chapel.’ She glanced into the well, then moved towards the keep doorway. From out of the doorway stepped two warriors wearing metal armour and the sigil of the Crusader. They were burnt and blackened, their armour part-melted. They carried spears and without a sound advanced to attack.
“I’ve fought with Crusader guards before,” thought Raven and kept an eye out for their twin spear thrust attack. They all traded blows and counter blows for a time, then one scored a telling hit on Frostbite. The barbarian slowed, shook his head, then, with a roar of ‘Thundarr Take You!’, launched into the famed Barbarian Rage. Raven stabbed the one fighting her, the Crusader whispered ‘Help Me!’, then exploded in a burst of black necromantic energy. Raven felt a chill start to spread through her body; it got worse for a time when Frostbite’s opponent did the same. Finally both of the Crusaders were down, Raven watched Frostbite warily but he seemed to calm down from the rage. (2)
‘They both said, “help me.” It sounds like something was controlling them’
‘The Crusader sigil has been defaced. Nothing like this happened during the war.’
A room, somewhere in the Emberfang Citadel. Captain Verras removed his helmet and stood at attention before the wide table.
‘You sent fo me Ma’am’
Drake General Dasce looked up from the papers she was studying, as ever the drake helmet covered her face completely.
‘Captain Verras. I believe I have a lead on our spy. I want you to seek and find one Raven Gallowglass and bring her here for questioning.’
‘Of course Ma’am. Any constraints?’
‘Just keep her able to talk.’ (3)
Inside the ground floor of the keep, a stone stair led up to the next floor, a doorway led to the chapel. A trapdoor in the floor was open. Frostbite glanced down there – it was a food storage area. He lit a torch off the wall and climbed down for a better look. Raven meanwhile explored the chapel. The altar had the sigil of the Crusader and the iron sigil of Tendai, the Black God of distortions and corruption – a twisted asymmetric spiral. Around the edge of the altar was a narrow slot and on the floor was a broken sword. The sigil of the Crusader was part-melted into the surrounding stone. Scratches on the altar looked like someone had been trying to lever it open.
‘Frostbite. Give me a hand here.’
‘Look what I’ve found.’ Frostbite climbed out of the trapdoor carrying a box filled with coins and other bits of loot – the stuff common people would have. ‘It looks like our noble guardians have been extracting a toll for their protection.’ A quick search through yielded forty gold and two healing potions which they split between them.
‘Not much of a tribute?’ (4)
Raven tried to jam the broken sword blade into the gap in the top of the altar, Frostbite stood ready to try and pull the top off. The blade snapped off again at the hilt and Frostbite skinned the tips of his fingers but the lid didn’t move.
Upstairs in the Commander’s office. There was a map of the area with a circle drawn round Lantern Town and ‘x’s’ dotted around the map. There was no indication what these were. Also on the desk was a broken lantern of black glass, the copper rings of the frame were engraved with sigils. On the base was engraved Fennik Whirltallow
‘I think we should head for Lantern Town.’ Frostbite looked out of the window, show was falling heavily. ‘But first we need to rest, eat and sleep. There is food in the cellar that seems safe to eat.’
Mechanics
1. A bit of foreshadowing here (and Mythic Chaos Monkeys.) Raven used a Conflicted Relationship with the Diabolist to recognise the symbol – this caused the sigil to imprint on her. If she hadn’t used the Icon Relationship then it probably wouldn’t have. What this means in the long term I don’t know.
2. Both Barbarians and Rangers have different talents and abilities in 2E. I played out the combats in full but I’m not going to post a boring turn by turn account.
3. I am experimenting with Triggered and Keyed Scenes from Mythic, not sure I’ve got my head round them yet.
4. Yes, that’s what I thought as well
Continue reading...