GM WhtKnt's The Waxing Dark: Savage Worlds Weird War I

Game Master WhtKnt

Bobby swings again at the nearest...thing :

Fighting & Wild, Improvised Weapon: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 31d6 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

"Hey, Kirkee - how about lighting up a torch for me?"

Perrin hesitates, not sure that his weapon will be effective against the creatures. Then, he swings wildly anyway, hoping for a connection. His wild strike connects with the undead horror!

Fighting: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5 Wild: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2 Ace!: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5 Ace!: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2 Damage: 1d4 + 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + (2) + (4) = 10

Bobby's attack misses, and the mummy manages to parry Aleksei's attack with its arm, but it cannot avoid the well-timed blow from Perrin! The attack leaves the mummy Shaken. Kirkee, in response to Bobby's request, lights another torch and tosses it to Bobby.

The mummy quickly shakes off the effects of the blow and returns the blow at Bobby. Fortunately, the attack misses.

Perrin is up!

INITIATIVE
Perrin (KC)
Mummy (10S)
Mummy (8H)
Aleksei (3C)
Bobby (2D)

Yes, technically Perrin should be an extra, but I figure you guys can use the edge.

Fighting: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3 Wild: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5 Ace!: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (5) - 1 = 4 Damage: 1d4 + 1d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + (5) + (3) = 12

A swing and a hit!!

The mummy takes the butt of the weapon full in the face and crumples to the ground. It's partner swings at Aleksei but misses again.

Aleksei and Bobby are up!

Bobby drops his rifle in order to catch the flaming torch, and attempts to club the other mummy with the firey end :

Torch (Improvised Weapon): 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 01d6 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5
Wild ACE!: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Wild ACE! ACE!: 1d6 ⇒ 5 = 16

I think that hits, and with a raise :

STR+d6 +2 for fire (SWD): 1d4 + 1d6 + 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + (5) + (2) + 2 = 12

Does it catch fire (SWD)?: 1d6 ⇒ 3 Nope. Not even if the mummy is "very flammable".

However, that is more than enough to put it down.

The other mummy drops like a stone under Bobby's onslaught.

Battle over!

Aleksei holds the torch in his hand, searching the room for any other creatures that might come at them.

Notice: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 61d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

"I told you I had bad feeling."

"Maybe we should go back and check those side corridors for any more signs of 'life'?"

"Fascinating," Perrin says, examining the fallen mummies. "Definitely real mummies, but somehow animated to protect the tomb against intruders. I wonder if there are any more?"

Before exploring this cavern of loot any more (are there any other doors besides the one we came in?), Bobby will go back to the side corridors and take a peek in them. "Aleksei, care to help me?"

Aleksei nods. "I will help." He keeps the torch out in front of him as he shadows Bobby.

There are no other doors to this chamber aside from the one you entered by. A search of the other two corridors reveals a small room at the end of each corridor with an empty sarcophagus.

Going back to the treasure room, Bobby asks "So, Kirkee, what now? Do the archaeologists come in to start inventory on the items? Should we search for hidden doors? Or what?"

As he's talking, Bobby is slowly walking around to see if any object looks extra special or out of place.

Aleksei uses his torch to illuminate the room as best he can, also looking for anything else of note.

Kirkee nods. "Yes, we'll bring in the remainder of the team and have them begin cataloging everything. But... hidden doors? Ahem, yes, we should definitely search for hidden or concealed passages. You never know what might be here."

The treasures in the room seem priceless beyond measure; a gold barge filled with coins, piles of gold, urns, statuettes, and a golden sarcophagus with a death mask. It would seem that whoever is buried here was a pharaoh!

Looking for anything special/unusual :
Notice & Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 51d6 ⇒ 5 = 5

Checking for secret doors :
Notice & Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 21d6 ⇒ 6
Wild ACE!: 1d6 ⇒ 4 = 10, a Raise!

Checking the north wall of the tomb, Bobby finds a hieroglyphic that stands out from the rest. It is debossed, etched into the surface of the wall, where the others are painted on. He idly runs his finger over the hieroglyphic and suddenly a hidden door opens in the wall!

"One could set up good life with just this in here." Aleksei muses, rubbing his stubbled chin. "I am wondering..", he is cut off by the hidden door opening. "Well, Bobby, it seems you are cutout for this work. Hidden doors indeed."

Bobby sticks the torch as far inside the new room as he can without entering it himself. He sees...???

Bobby is faced with a surprisingly plain length of corridor that runs north about 20 feet before it turns to the west.

Motioning to Aleksei to follow him, Bobby goes to the end of the hall, looks left and sees a hallway nearby, so he goes to it, sees a room down the short hallway, and goes to the threshold of the room. Seeing a couple of coffins there, he whispers to Aleksei "Maybe we shouldn't go in there, we might wake up whatever's in the coffins. Agreed?"

Aleksei grins. "Good idea, though we did handle the other two pretty well." He twirls the torch in his hand like a weapon.

Bobby backs out the way he came, and continues west down the long corridor. As he approaches the statues, he takes a long hard look at them to make sure they're not more than they seem :

Notice & Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 61d6 ⇒ 6
DOUBLE ACES!: 1d6 ⇒ 21d6 ⇒ 3 = 9, a Raise

He won't go any further until he's sure they're just statues...

The statues are of a cat-headed being and her gaze seems to follow you as you approach. As you draw nearer, Bobby notices something that glistens in the torchlight, a tripwire, so small as to be near invisible, crosses the corridor ahead.

Bobby puts out a hand to stop Aleksei in his tracks. "Whoa! There's a wire across the hallway just up there - can you see it?" He pulls something at random out of his backpack and places it in the center of the hallway, about an inch away from the wire. "Be VERY careful to step *way* over this area, my friends." I see on the map that everyone's following, so I'm including them in the conversation as well.

Moving forward, Bobby reaches the archway into another large room. Stopping just outside the room, he thrusts his torch as far into the room as he can, pokes his head around the corner, and sees...???

Aleksei freezes as Bobby indicates the tripwire. "I hardly think our coffin dwelling friends set this up. We should be extra careful." He finds himself wishing for his rifle about now.

This chamber is decorated with images showing the life of the occupant. The north wall shows the individual's birth and early childhood. The east wall, where you entered, shows the boy learning to hunt and other tasks associated with entering manhood. The south wall has frescos that show the man leading troops into battle from a chariot, and the west wall shows the man being judged by Osiris, according to Kirkee.

The sarcophagus that lies here is rather plain for such important artwork, being made of hardened clay and decorated with a fresco of the occupant in life. Unlike the previous chamber, there are no opulent treasures here. The room is spartan, having little besides the sarcophagus.

"Given all the weird things that Aleksei and I have seen lately, I would strongly suggest that we *don't* open any sarcophagi or coffins in this tomb, at least right now. Maybe after we get a platoon of armed men down here..."

Bobby scans the room as he talks, looking for anything hidden :

Notice & Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 31d6 ⇒ 2

But finds nothing.

Aleksei nods with a sly grin as he examines the sarcophagus. "Careful Bobby, you are slowly becoming Russian by the minute."

Notice: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 81d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Ace: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Notice 11

Kirkee is nearly drooling with anticipation but resists the temptation to remove the sarcophagus lid, recognizing the wisdom in Bobby's words. Instead, he busies himself looking at the paintings on the walls. "These indicate that the occupant was of some importance," he says, "Probably a minor noble or maybe a priest."

Aleksei finds nothing in his search, also.

"So, what's next, Kirkee? Get a team of archaeologists and soldiers down here?"

Should we arm all the soldiers with torches? :)

Ping?

Sorry. Busy week and was at a con all weekend. Now my A/C is out, it's 97 degrees outside, and it will be AT LEAST tomorrow before it is fixed.

Kirkee nods silently, still entranced by the room around him. "Ah, yes, yes. We'll get a team down here to check things out, but given what we've already seen, I agree that we should have some professionals standing by."

He leads you out of the tomb without incident and looks proudly upon the dig. "What HAVE we seen, lads? Were those actually risen dead that you fought off? Truth be told, I'm not sure what to make of it all." He passes around a canteen full of water and lights a cigarette.

Aleksei sips the offered canteen and passes it on before lighting another cigar. After a long puff he says, "Not the first time either. Makes it real difficult to win a war when the dead don't stay that way. Makes a man think about things differently. "

"Indeed. We've seen living...well, that's not the right word...animated skeletons attack us as well. 'There are more things on heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy'..."

Aleksei nods as he offers a cigar to Bobby. "Something tells me we haven't seen everything yet."

Bobby politely refuses the cigar with a wave of his hand, a shake of his head, and a smile. "Agreed."

Kirkee seems surprised. "Then you've seen something like this before? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, not with the way that you handled yourselves. Could I ask about it?"

"Not much to tell - we were trekking across Europe, when some skeletons wearing bits of armor and armed with swords appeared. A couple of good grenade tosses took care of most of 'em. Anything you can think to add, Aleksei?"

Aleksei shakes his head. "Nothing other than at least they stayed down the second time around."

"Roman Legionnaires," Perrin adds. "Quite fascinating, really. I wish we had had more time to examine the remains."

"Really? Roman legionnaires? Very interesting, I must say. So why are you really here? You clearly aren't archeologists. More likely... soldiers, I would guess, by the way that you handled yourselves in there."

Bobby looks over at Aleksei for a moment, then says "We've seen our fair share of combat, but right now we're here doing what you might call 'recon'. I'm afraid we can't say anything more than that - national security and all that, I'm sure you understand."

Aleksei nods. "That is correct. We have seen a few fights and we have been borrowed to do some things for the government. That is all we can say."

Kirkee shrugs. "Of course, of course. Well, if I can help you in your mission in any way, I'm yours for the asking." He takes another draw from his cigarette and lets it out slowly. "This wouldn't be about the scroll, would it?"

Bobby looks over at Aleksei again, this time waiting for him to take the lead.

Aleksei raises an eyebrow. "That depends on the scroll of which you speak. We have heard of a few in our travels."

"You would know this one," Kirkee replies. "They said that it was extremely valuable and sent it back to England under guard. Something about it changing the course of the war." He draws a long breath on his cigarette. "Of course, I'm just an archaeologist, but I got only a glimpse of it. Looked like gibberish to me. It was like no language that I've ever seen. I would ask how something like that can change the course of a war, but with what I have seen today, I'm no longer skeptical."

Aleksei smirks. "I can't read half the scrolls I have seen, so they are all strange to me. One that could change the war? With what we have seen, anything is possible. Anything. If it is under guard in England, then it is safe from being found here, yes?"