Dragonbane: Alone in Deepfall Breach Session 8- The Heart of the Enemy
With the spider defeated, Aleric begins the final assault on the cultist stronghold.
5. Shadowed Courtyard
5. Shadowed Courtyard
Aleric continues his journey down the heavily trodden
path leading away from the guarded bridge. The day is wearing on him by now,
and he feels the pulsing of the wound from the spider mandibles in his
shoulder. He slows his pace, feeling that he’s far enough away from the
crossing to examine his situation. “I’m going to need to rest before I face
Arioch. I can’t imagine he’ll willingly give up this shard of the Worldbreaker
spear that his little band of cultists has acquired. Before I continue, I’d
best take a moment to rest. The final leg is just ahead. Would be a shame to
fail my mission now.” With that he finds a small alcove where he can tuck away
and tend to his wounds for a bit. Pulling some rations from his pack along
with some bandages to dress his wound, he takes a moment to rest.
GM Note: Aleric will take a stretch rest here. His journey has been rather
unhindered thus far, and so the threat of the magma is just now progressing
forward to 2 out of 6. He’s got the time and will spend it here. For a stretch
rest he will attempt a healing roll to attempt to recover fully from his
wounds. He will also recover a D6 of willpower during his stretch rest.
Roll: Healing (6): 3; A lucky success!
Roll: HP Recovery (2D6): 6; Aleric is fully healed from his short rest
Roll: WP Recovery (1D6): 4; Aleric has 11/16 WP after his short rest
Roll: HP Recovery (2D6): 6; Aleric is fully healed from his short rest
Roll: WP Recovery (1D6): 4; Aleric has 11/16 WP after his short rest
Aleric
washes down his quick meal of bread with a gulp of water. Having donned his
armor after dressing his wound, he is feeling fit and ready to continue. And
so he presses forward, slowly making his way down the path until he comes to
an open gate with the sight of a fortified fortress just beyond the opening.
“Must be the place Stone-Gaze mentioned. From what he saw, this place is
crawling with cultists. I’m no expert infiltrator… Hopefully the guards are
feeling lazy today and I can slip on by into the well he mentioned.”
Oracle: Is the well inside of the courtyard or on the outside of
the premises? 5; Yes. Aleric is in luck, he won’t need to be too sneaky after
all. With Stone-Gaze’s warning he is able to avoid an all out assault on the
cultist’s keep.
GM Note: This obstacle was at first looking like
it was going to be pretty tricky. Aleric is a heavily armored fighter with
poor sneaking. If he was going to need to sneak into the courtyard this could
have ended in a really bad situation. Having a bit of information about the
Ratways (the next obstacle) it made sense that a dried up well might be
outside of the stronghold grounds. And so a quick oracle roll solved my
hesitancy as both player and GM for this situation!
After a quick
survey of the outskirts of the stronghold, Aleric readies himself to quickly
move in and find the well that Stone-Gaze had mentioned would be the better
approach. Just as he is about to charge in, he stops himself. Just at the edge
of the courtyard, outside of its threshold, he spots a small structure. A
circular stone well sits just outside of the courtyard with a rope attached to
a wooden bucket. For a moment he hesitates, looking at the courtyard and back
to the well. “No… It couldn’t possibly be that easy! Could it? Well I
won’t look a gift horse in the mouth!” He crosses through the gate and makes
his way around the edge of the cavern opening, staying as far away from the
stronghold as he can, before moving in towards the well. As he nears the edge
and looking downward, he quickly realizes why it may not have been built
within the walls of the stronghold. “Dry as a bone… Well I suppose thats all
the better for me!” He quickly tests the rope, feeling sure that it will hold
his weight before lowering the bucket down into the well. Then he quickly
swings his legs over the edge and repels down into the dark dry well below.
6. Ratways
After a short climb, Aleric finds himself in a dark
network of underground tunnels where water assumedly used to reside. The damp,
dank darkness is overbearing and he quickly swings his pack off of his back to
fumble for a torch. He stops short from lighting the torch, holding it unlit
in his hand as he thinks back to Stone-gaze’s warning. “Heed no voice calling
you to refuge… Follow the silent darkness into the heart of the cultist’s
stronghold… Damn. Better not risk the light. Stone-Gaze if you lead me wrong
here there will be hell to pay when I get back topside!” With that, he
pulls his sheathed longsword from his belt, using the scabbard of the blade as
a staff to feel his way through the darkness. Hesitating for but a moment,
Aleric begins trudging forward into the darkness.
6. Ratways
After a short climb, Aleric finds himself in a dark
network of underground tunnels where water assumedly used to reside. The damp,
dank darkness is overbearing and he quickly swings his pack off of his back to
fumble for a torch. He stops short from lighting the torch, holding it unlit
in his hand as he thinks back to Stone-gaze’s warning. “Heed no voice calling
you to refuge… Follow the silent darkness into the heart of the cultist’s
stronghold… Damn. Better not risk the light. Stone-Gaze if you lead me wrong
here there will be hell to pay when I get back topside!” With that, he
pulls his sheathed longsword from his belt, using the scabbard of the blade as
a staff to feel his way through the darkness. Hesitating for but a moment,
Aleric begins trudging forward into the darkness. His progress was slow as he stumbled through the dark tunnel. Even with his wolfkin heightened sense of smell, the tunnels were filled with the same putrid rotting smell of a deep dark tunnel. Luckily for Aleric, the tunnel did not branch off much at all at the beginning of his journey through them. Small openings in the side of the wall, worn away by the previously present water, surely tricked him from time to time. But the openings were never large enough for him to move through. So he stuck with the sensible approach and continued down the large winding tunnel. Then the voices started calling him. At first it sounded as if just a whisper, easily mistaken for wind moving through the stagnant tunnels. But then after some time, Aleric was able to make out words. Phrases. Calling out to him. “Come traveller, find rest with us… You look tired. Sit for a while and we will make you feel good as new… The tunnels go on for miles and miles. You need your rest. Keep up your strength…” The voices were unsettling. The warnings chilled Aleric to the bone. Yet he heeded Stone-Gaze’s warning. Heed no voice. Follow the silent darkness.
But the voices continued. Their urgency grew greater and greater as Aleric continued to navigate the dark tunnels, only his sheathed sword to guide him down the tunnels toward the silence that assured him safe passage. The fighter had never needed to urge himself forward in such a manner ever before. After a time the voices were ceaseless. A chorus of whispers from the darkness. He passes tunnel after tunnel, the sound of voices calling to him echoing in his head as if they were from his mind alone. The experience was unnerving but he soldiered on, following the absence of sound as best he could.
GM
Note: The psychological pressure of navigating the darkness using only his
scabbard to guide him, following the lack of sound, is wearing on Aleric at
this point. I am going to have him roll a Willpower check. This is to gauge
how well he is able to resist the calls of the voices surrounding him as he
continues. If he fails, I will rule that he will take a D6 of damage to his
willpower. This could be a real hurdle in his final fight against Arioch if
his will begins to break traversing these dark tunnels.
Roll:
Willpower (16): 4; Success
Aleric feels his mind slipping ever so
slightly as he continues to hear the honeyed words calling to him from the
spiderweb of tunnels and passageways as he continues to press forward into the
dark silence. For a moment he feels his will breaking. A rest would do him
well. The challenge ahead will be great. He should make sure he is at his peak
readiness. Just a few minutes wouldn’t hurt… Shaking his head, he snaps out of
the lulling sensation of the voices calling to him. His will breaks through
the urgent calling of the voices from around him. And as he does so he feels
the air begin to shift ever so slightly. “Almost out. Keep moving!” The air is
fresher. He presses forward. The darkness seems to be letting up. Yes! Ahead a
small amount of light resolves into a beam of light shining down from above.
An opening! He’s made it. He quickens his pace, heading straight for the
light. And with an eerie suddenness, the voices all quiet. Aleric pauses for a
moment, hoping that this sudden change doesn’t indicate danger heading for
him. But just the opposite. The tunnels have quieted and he’s Made it through.
He continues forward, his pace as fast as he can go in the cramped tunnels.
Finally he reaches the beam of light. A ladder leans against the tunnel wall,
leading up to the open sky above which must be inside of the stronghold.
Aleric takes a breath, grounding himself, before stowing his longsword and
making his way up the ladder into the center of the cultist’s lair.
7. Ritual Chamber
Aleric emerges from a small opening into what
appears to be a cistern, bone dry for quite some time. An archway opens up in
front of him. From his vantage point he sees three cutlists performing a
ritual around a pedestal. He quickly pulls himself free from the well opening,
draws his longsword and charges into the ritual room ready to defeat the
cultists and retrieve the Worldbreaker shard. He rushes forward into the room.
A wide pit occupies the center of the chamber. Steam rises from the pit and
Aleric sees that lava bubbles below, filling the room with a sulfurous stench.
At the center of the cultist’s ritual, resting on the pedestal, is the shard
of the worldbreaker. With the element of surprise on his side he rushes in,
swinging on the first cultist as the trio is slow to react!
7. Ritual Chamber
Aleric emerges from a small opening into what
appears to be a cistern, bone dry for quite some time. An archway opens up in
front of him. From his vantage point he sees three cutlists performing a
ritual around a pedestal. He quickly pulls himself free from the well opening,
draws his longsword and charges into the ritual room ready to defeat the
cultists and retrieve the Worldbreaker shard. He rushes forward into the room.
A wide pit occupies the center of the chamber. Steam rises from the pit and
Aleric sees that lava bubbles below, filling the room with a sulfurous stench.
At the center of the cultist’s ritual, resting on the pedestal, is the shard
of the worldbreaker. With the element of surprise on his side he rushes in,
swinging on the first cultist as the trio is slow to react!GM
Note: Before this fight begins, lets stat out Arioch and his cultists. The 2
cultists are going to be basic NPC cutlists. They will have 12 HP, Evade 14,
Knives 14 +D4 damage. Arioch will be a variant on a Knich Champion. He will
have 24 HP, Leather Armor Rating 1, Swords 15 +D4 damage armed with a
scimitar. This will be a bit of a tougher fight, but Arioch is still just a
cultist. He is not as heavily armored as a knight would be, but is slightly
better with his scimitar than the cutlists are with their knives.
COMBAT
Round 1 (Surprise)
Aleric will have one round to attack before the cultists realize what is happening. He goes for the closest cultist, one of the lower rank cultists performing the ritual with Arioch. He will automatically get the 1 initiative. The rest will be dealt out as normal.
Aleric (HP13/17)(Army of one: Draw 2 Initiatives)-1/6
Arioch (HP 24/24)-9
Cultist 1 (HP 12/12)-4
Cultist 2 (HP 12/12)-3
Aleric charges into the room, hefting his plundered ancient longsword. The blade glints in the candles filling the outskirts of the room. The closest cultist is barely able to stand up before he brings his blade down.
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 1; Critical success! Aleric will take the momentum of his attack and slash out at the other cultist grunt kneeling next to his first target
Damage(2D8+D6): 12 slashing damage to cultist 1
Cultist 1 quickly twists around and tries to evade the attack
Roll: Evade Cultist 1(14): 4; Success
The first cultist quickly dodges out of the way of Aleric’s attack.
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15, vs Cultist 2): 8; success
Damage(2D8+D6): 19 slashing damage to cultist 2
Cultist 2 also tries to avoid Aleric’s attack
Roll: Evade Cultist 2(14):19; Failure. The cultist tries to jump out of the way of the attack but the sudden charge of Aleric has left him off guard. The edge of Aleric’s longsword catches the man at the neck and cuts him down his chest. The man falls to the ground, bleeding out almost instantaneously from the grievous wound.
Having announced himself most violently, Aleric hops back quickly ready to react to Arioch’s response.
Aleric will swap his 6 initiative with Arioch’s 9.
The tough looking cultist draws a wickedly curved scimitar and rushes towards Aleric, defending their ongoing ritual.
Roll: Arioch Swords (15): 4; Success
Damage (2D6+D4): 11 slashing damage to Aleric
Aleric quickly raises his longsword to block the attack from Arioch
Roll: Aleric- Parry with swords (15): 15; success
Aleric is able to raise his longsword to knock away the attack from Arioch. He squares up, ready for the next attack
Round 2
Aleric (HP13/17)(Army of one: Draw 2 Initiatives)(Veteran -1 WP; 10/15 WP: Retains previous initiative)-1/6
Arioch (HP 24/24)-3
Cultist 1 (HP 12/12)-9
Cultist 2 (HP 0/12)-Dead
Aleric quickly recovers from Arioch’s attack. He pushes Arioch off of him, and then focuses on the remaining cultist grunt. He swings his sword to even the stakes against Arioch
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 2; success
Damage(2D8+D6): 15 Slashing damage to cultist 1
The cultist, now with his knife in hand, attempts to knock the blow away
Roll: Cultist 1- Parry with Knives(14): 17; Failure!
The cultist attempts to block Aleric’s attack, but this time fails to deflect the attack. Aleric knocks the knife from the cultists hand and buries his longsword in the cultist neck. The cultist falls to the ground next to his dead ally.
Arioch yells out in anger, charging forward with his scimitar as Aleric drops the second cultist grunt. He stabs out with a precise and practiced attack towards Aleric.
Roll: Arioch- Swords(15): 10; Success
Damage(2D6+D4): 14 slashing damage to Aleric
Aleric brings his longsword around to intercept the attack
Roll: Aleric- Parry with swords(15): 3; Success!
Aleric brushes off Arioch’s attack. He smirks at the cultist “I’ll be leaving here soon with that piece of the worldbreaker… If you lay down your weapons now, I might consider leaving you with your life!”
Round 3
Aleric (HP13/17)(Army of one: Draw 2 Initiatives)(Veteran -1 WP; 9/15 WP: Retains previous initiative)-1/6
Arioch (HP 24/24)-3
Cultist 1 (HP 12/12)-Dead
Cultist 2 (HP 0/12)-Dead
Aleric feels his blood rushing through his veins as he presses the attack. He brings his longsword around in a hefty swing, ready to end this fight!
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 10; success
Damage(2D8+D6): 14 Slashing damage to Arioch
Arioch tries to intercept the blow by bringing his scimitar up
Roll: Arioch- Parry with swords(15): 13; Success
Arioch blocks Aleric’s attack, but the force of the blow breaks Arioch’s scimitar at the hilt. The blade separates from the hilt and Arioch curses as he throws the hilt of the broken scimitar aside.
Aleric presses the attack, knowing that Arioch is defenseless without his scimitar.
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 4; Success
Damage(2D8_D6): 17 slashing damage reduced to 16 by his armor to the defenseless Arioch.
Aleric’s blade stabs out at Ariouch, catching him right in his shoulder. The longsword pierces deep in the cultist’s shoulder as he lets out a yelp of pain. He stumbles backwards, searching the ground for a weapon.
Round 4
Aleric (HP13/17)(Army of one: Draw 2 Initiatives)(Veteran -1 WP; 8/15 WP: Retains previous initiative)-1/6
Arioch (HP 8/24)-2
Cultist 1 (HP 12/12)-Dead
Cultist 2 (HP 0/12)-Dead
Aleric continues to press the attack on Arioch, not letting up his brutal attack. He swings his sword, hoping to put an end to the cultist once and for all.
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 13; Success
Damage(2D8+D6): 16 slashing damage to Arioch
Aleric swings for a fatal attack. Arioch desperately attempts to dodge out of the way, still unarmed after discarding his broken scimitar
Roll: Arioch- Evade (14): 17; Failure!
Arioch tries to flee from Aleric’s relentless attack, but he stumbles over the fallen bodies of his allies. As Arioch falls to the ground, Aleric stands over his foe and drives the longsword down into the cultist’s chest. Arioch is stunned as he begins coughing up blood. His breath becomes ragged and gasping as he tries to take in shallow gasps. Soon his gasps turn to rasping burbling as blood fills his lungs. Finally Ariouch falls, dead on top of his slain allies.
Aleric wipes his blade before quickly running towards the pedestal. He grabs the shard of the Worldbreaker spear. His objective in hand, he quickly stows the chunk of metal and turns back to retreat back to Stone-Gaze’s chapel.
END COMBAT
Round 1 (Surprise)
Aleric will have one round to attack before the cultists realize what is happening. He goes for the closest cultist, one of the lower rank cultists performing the ritual with Arioch. He will automatically get the 1 initiative. The rest will be dealt out as normal.
Aleric (HP13/17)(Army of one: Draw 2 Initiatives)-1/6
Arioch (HP 24/24)-9
Cultist 1 (HP 12/12)-4
Cultist 2 (HP 12/12)-3
Aleric charges into the room, hefting his plundered ancient longsword. The blade glints in the candles filling the outskirts of the room. The closest cultist is barely able to stand up before he brings his blade down.
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 1; Critical success! Aleric will take the momentum of his attack and slash out at the other cultist grunt kneeling next to his first target
Damage(2D8+D6): 12 slashing damage to cultist 1
Cultist 1 quickly twists around and tries to evade the attack
Roll: Evade Cultist 1(14): 4; Success
The first cultist quickly dodges out of the way of Aleric’s attack.
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15, vs Cultist 2): 8; success
Damage(2D8+D6): 19 slashing damage to cultist 2
Cultist 2 also tries to avoid Aleric’s attack
Roll: Evade Cultist 2(14):19; Failure. The cultist tries to jump out of the way of the attack but the sudden charge of Aleric has left him off guard. The edge of Aleric’s longsword catches the man at the neck and cuts him down his chest. The man falls to the ground, bleeding out almost instantaneously from the grievous wound.
Having announced himself most violently, Aleric hops back quickly ready to react to Arioch’s response.
Aleric will swap his 6 initiative with Arioch’s 9.
The tough looking cultist draws a wickedly curved scimitar and rushes towards Aleric, defending their ongoing ritual.
Roll: Arioch Swords (15): 4; Success
Damage (2D6+D4): 11 slashing damage to Aleric
Aleric quickly raises his longsword to block the attack from Arioch
Roll: Aleric- Parry with swords (15): 15; success
Aleric is able to raise his longsword to knock away the attack from Arioch. He squares up, ready for the next attack
Round 2
Aleric (HP13/17)(Army of one: Draw 2 Initiatives)(Veteran -1 WP; 10/15 WP: Retains previous initiative)-1/6
Arioch (HP 24/24)-3
Cultist 1 (HP 12/12)-9
Cultist 2 (HP 0/12)-Dead
Aleric quickly recovers from Arioch’s attack. He pushes Arioch off of him, and then focuses on the remaining cultist grunt. He swings his sword to even the stakes against Arioch
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 2; success
Damage(2D8+D6): 15 Slashing damage to cultist 1
The cultist, now with his knife in hand, attempts to knock the blow away
Roll: Cultist 1- Parry with Knives(14): 17; Failure!
The cultist attempts to block Aleric’s attack, but this time fails to deflect the attack. Aleric knocks the knife from the cultists hand and buries his longsword in the cultist neck. The cultist falls to the ground next to his dead ally.
Arioch yells out in anger, charging forward with his scimitar as Aleric drops the second cultist grunt. He stabs out with a precise and practiced attack towards Aleric.
Roll: Arioch- Swords(15): 10; Success
Damage(2D6+D4): 14 slashing damage to Aleric
Aleric brings his longsword around to intercept the attack
Roll: Aleric- Parry with swords(15): 3; Success!
Aleric brushes off Arioch’s attack. He smirks at the cultist “I’ll be leaving here soon with that piece of the worldbreaker… If you lay down your weapons now, I might consider leaving you with your life!”
Round 3
Aleric (HP13/17)(Army of one: Draw 2 Initiatives)(Veteran -1 WP; 9/15 WP: Retains previous initiative)-1/6
Arioch (HP 24/24)-3
Cultist 1 (HP 12/12)-Dead
Cultist 2 (HP 0/12)-Dead
Aleric feels his blood rushing through his veins as he presses the attack. He brings his longsword around in a hefty swing, ready to end this fight!
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 10; success
Damage(2D8+D6): 14 Slashing damage to Arioch
Arioch tries to intercept the blow by bringing his scimitar up
Roll: Arioch- Parry with swords(15): 13; Success
Arioch blocks Aleric’s attack, but the force of the blow breaks Arioch’s scimitar at the hilt. The blade separates from the hilt and Arioch curses as he throws the hilt of the broken scimitar aside.
Aleric presses the attack, knowing that Arioch is defenseless without his scimitar.
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 4; Success
Damage(2D8_D6): 17 slashing damage reduced to 16 by his armor to the defenseless Arioch.
Aleric’s blade stabs out at Ariouch, catching him right in his shoulder. The longsword pierces deep in the cultist’s shoulder as he lets out a yelp of pain. He stumbles backwards, searching the ground for a weapon.
Round 4
Aleric (HP13/17)(Army of one: Draw 2 Initiatives)(Veteran -1 WP; 8/15 WP: Retains previous initiative)-1/6
Arioch (HP 8/24)-2
Cultist 1 (HP 12/12)-Dead
Cultist 2 (HP 0/12)-Dead
Aleric continues to press the attack on Arioch, not letting up his brutal attack. He swings his sword, hoping to put an end to the cultist once and for all.
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15): 13; Success
Damage(2D8+D6): 16 slashing damage to Arioch
Aleric swings for a fatal attack. Arioch desperately attempts to dodge out of the way, still unarmed after discarding his broken scimitar
Roll: Arioch- Evade (14): 17; Failure!
Arioch tries to flee from Aleric’s relentless attack, but he stumbles over the fallen bodies of his allies. As Arioch falls to the ground, Aleric stands over his foe and drives the longsword down into the cultist’s chest. Arioch is stunned as he begins coughing up blood. His breath becomes ragged and gasping as he tries to take in shallow gasps. Soon his gasps turn to rasping burbling as blood fills his lungs. Finally Ariouch falls, dead on top of his slain allies.
Aleric wipes his blade before quickly running towards the pedestal. He grabs the shard of the Worldbreaker spear. His objective in hand, he quickly stows the chunk of metal and turns back to retreat back to Stone-Gaze’s chapel.
END COMBAT
Aleric is able to
retreat back into the well into the darkness of the ratways below. The voices
remain quiet, but the occasional voice guides Aleric out of the dark tunnels.
He extracts himself from the abandoned well and retreats back to Stone-Gaze’s
Chapel with the Worldbreaker Shard safely tucked into his pack. He climbs the
stairs and enters into the basement of the Chapel where Stone-Gaze nervously
paces. With a hearty laugh, Stone-Gaze rushes forward and embraces Aleric,
cheering the success of his second delve into the breach!
Aleric has successfully completed his second delve! After completing his mission, I’ll roll for advancement:
Aleric has successfully completed his second delve! After completing his mission, I’ll roll for advancement:
Advancement:
GM Note: With Alone in Deepfall Breach, there is a separate experience system. Each skill that was used to roll a Dragon (1) or a Demon (20) will have a chance to advance. After each mission Aleric will also have the chance to advance 5 other skills.
Demon/Dragon Rolls: Acrobatics, Swords, Spot Hidden
5 skills for advancement: Awareness, Bushcraft, Crafting, Evade, Healing.
Advancement rolls (roll above skill)
Acrobatics (6): 13; Acrobatics +1
Spot Hidden(6): 10; Spot Hidden +1
Swords (15): 7; No advancement
Awareness (11): 15; Awareness +1
Bushcraft (6): 9; Bushcraft +1
Crafting (14): 20!; Crafting +1
Evade (12): 16; Evade +1
Healing (6): 17; Healing +1
GM Note: With Alone in Deepfall Breach, there is a separate experience system. Each skill that was used to roll a Dragon (1) or a Demon (20) will have a chance to advance. After each mission Aleric will also have the chance to advance 5 other skills.
Demon/Dragon Rolls: Acrobatics, Swords, Spot Hidden
5 skills for advancement: Awareness, Bushcraft, Crafting, Evade, Healing.
Advancement rolls (roll above skill)
Acrobatics (6): 13; Acrobatics +1
Spot Hidden(6): 10; Spot Hidden +1
Swords (15): 7; No advancement
Awareness (11): 15; Awareness +1
Bushcraft (6): 9; Bushcraft +1
Crafting (14): 20!; Crafting +1
Evade (12): 16; Evade +1
Healing (6): 17; Healing +1
With that, Aleric has completed his second delve into the Breach! We'll find out what his next challenge is for his next delve in the next session!
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