Re: Scales of War: EPIC!
"You're welcome!" =^.^=
Mittens side-glomps Rai, tosses Timo the asked-for plushie, ponders her astral seed, and grins.
"In Mittens' Land, there will be a carnival where you can go and re-live the experiences of the Heroes of the World. We'll be able to re-live those first few days with the luxuries of candied apples and overwhelming power to make those reincarnated baddies regret ever giving us the experience we needed to become what we are today."
But the kidnapping victim who died before the heroes arrived will still be dead. Maybe. Or there'll be a system where you get to build your own custom missions... And thus began the train of thoughts that led to Mittens Prime to create the City of Heroes world.
"But that'll have to wait for another day. Let's see what we can learn about this place..."
Clearly
visible in the distance is another rocky knoll. Atop
that knoll, a huge outcropping of black rock rises
up almost to the low, dark clouds. Between the two
knolls stands the warped, skeletal boughs of the
Forest of Twisted Souls.
If the heroes wish, they can take an extended rest
atop this knoll without fear of wandering monsters.
rituaL fraGMentS
Several ritual fragments borne on the wind swirl
through the area where this encounter takes place.
Wisps of smoke coil about the tree and the stench of
burning hangs thickly in the air.
A swirling cloud of small
sticks, bits of moss, and so on tumbles across the ground.
("use the rules presented in Ritual Fragments
on page 57." *Looks at page 57.* Not there. *Uses ctrl-F*
"...on page 67." Not there.
"...page 57" "58" "12" ...)
Ritual Fragments (Page 53)
The Forest of Twisted Souls is literally brimming
with magical energy created as a byproduct of Irfelujhar’s work on creating Tiamat’s ritual. Fragments of
rituals—appearing as wisps of smoke and sparkling
motes of iridescent light—swirl through the forest
containing miniscule amounts of power, which those
encountering them can utilize.
Most inhabitants of the forest are aware of the
ritual fragments and make use of them in battle if
appropriate. Wild animals, unthinking brutes, and
constructs do not attempt to activate ritual fragments.
Identifying a Fragment: A character with line
of sight to a ritual fragment can spend a free action
to make a DC 24 skill check of the appropriate type.
A character identifying a fragment knows the likely
result of its activation and can attempt to activate it. A
character who knows the ritual from which the fragment derives automatically identifies the fragment.
Ritual fragments are not shown on the tactical
maps for the forest. Anyone who can see at least six
squares in any direction has line of sight to any given
fragment.
Activating a Fragment: A character with line
of sight to an identified ritual fragment can spend a
minor action to attempt a DC 29 skill check of the
appropriate type.
A character who knows the ritual from which the
fragment derives gains a +2 bonus to activate it.
The Forest of
Twisted Souls Lore
A character knows the following information about
the Forest of Twisted Souls with a successful Nature
check. Additionally, any character that draws upon
the primal power source feels a great sense of loneliness and sorrow while in the forest.
DC 24: The Twisted Forest is the warped remnant of a forest that stood about the Mantled Citadel
before Irfelujhar moved his lair to Vaerothim. The
many spirits of nature that should dwell in the forest
have disappeared. It is unclear whether they were
destroyed or are imprisoned elsewhere. In their place,
haunted spirits of sentient creatures inhabit the trees.
The strongest of these spirits bestow strange powers
to the trees they possess.
DC 29: Fragments of rituals—power discarded by
Irfelujhar in his work—swirl through the forest. Characters encountering them can gain access to various
minor effects if a fragment is successfully activated.
SettinG
This adventure takes place in Vaerothim, a demiplane linked to the Shadowfell through a portal deep
within Monadhan, the Domain of Betrayal. When
the PCs first enter Vaerothim, they must traverse the
benighted Forest of Twisted Souls before reaching
the Mantled Citadel.
adventurinG
in the ShadowfeLL
and vaerothiM
The Shadowfell is a reflection of the natural world,
darkly cast and twisted. It is also the initial destination
of souls just loosed from their bodies. The following
are the planar traits for the Shadowfell and Vaerothim,
a demiplane linked to the Shadowfell through Monadhan. More information on the plane can be found in
the Manual of the Planes supplement.
Shadowfell Traits
Type: Parallel plane.
Size and Shape: The shadowfell is a parallel plane
with dimensions and topography similar to the mortal
world.
Gravity: Normal.
Mutability: Normal.
Gloom: The Shadowfell mutes light sources,
reducing the radius of illumination by 50 percent. For
example, a torch illuminates 2 squares instead of 5; a
lantern illuminates 5 squares instead of 10. Magical
light sources are unaffected.
Vaerothim’s Traits
Type: Demiplane.
Size and Shape: Vaerothim is a demiplane linked
to the Shadowfell. It is roughly 20 miles in diameter.
Gravity: Normal.
Mutability: Normal.
Gloom: Heavy, gray cloud and the vast canopy of
skeletal trees in the Forest of Twisted Souls reduce
the light reaching ground level. Additionally, because
it is linked to the Shadowfell, Vaerothim mutes light
sources, reducing the radius illuminated by 50 percent.
The Mantled Citadel Lore
A character knows the following information about
the Mantled Citadel with a successful Arcana check.
DC 24: the Mantled Citadel is Irfelujhar’s lair.
It is hidden within the hollowed-out interior of a
huge spire of black rock. Such was the magnitude of
Irfelujhar’s betrayal of Vecna that its consequences
reverberate through the complex.
DC 29: The consequences of Irfelujhar’s betrayal
of Vecna manifest themselves in several ways. Powers
with the Fear or Psychic keywords are harder to resist
in the citadel while powers with the charm keyword
are easier to resist.
Vaerothim Lore
A character knows the following information about
Vaerothim with a successful Arcana check.
DC 24: Vaerothim is a small demiplane that can
be accessed from Monadhan in the Shadowfell. It
shares many of the Shadowfell’s characteristics but is
much smaller, being barely 20 miles in diameter.
DC 29: Vaerothim is the product of a unique and
extremely powerful ritual created by Irfelujhar.
perSonaGeS of note
The two main opponents in this adventure—Mornujhar
(Tiamat’s Black Exarch) and Irfelujhar (Tiamat’s peerless ritual worker)—are so infamous that the heroes
may know something about them.
Irfelujhar Lore
A character knows the following information about
Irfelujhar with a successful Arcana check.
DC 24: Irfelujhar is an extremely powerful and
ancient lich famed for his ability to craft rituals of
incredible power. He is served by Mornujhar, one of
Tiamat’s most trusted and powerful servants.
DC 29: Irfelujhar originally worshipped Vecna,
but Tiamat seduced him away from the Lord of the
Spider Throne. Shortly afterward, Irfelujhar’s lair
disappeared along with much of the surrounding
woodland.
Mornujhar Lore
A character knows the following information about
Mornujhar with a successful Religion check.
DC 24: Tiamat has five exarchs; one for each of
her heads. Mornujhar is her Black Exarch and emulates many of the abilities of that species.
DC 29: Mornujhar is a bloodthirsty sadist who
delights in capturing enemies so that he can torture
them. He doesn’t especially care whether the unfortunate in question knows anything important.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:40, Thu 30 Mar 2017.