Not long ago, the leader of the Red Mantis—Blood Mistress Jakalyn, who has led the organization since the death of Aroden (inexplicably still youthful despite being a human) —was visited by an unnamed messenger representing a mysterious patron with an outlandish and shocking request— the assassination of none other than Tar-Baphon, the Whispering Tyrant. The messenger claimed that Tar-Baphon was no legitimate ruler, and argued that the Tyrant was a power-hungry fool attempting to become a god, a clear offense to Achaekek and the Red Mantis.
When Jakalyn grew frustrated at the patron’s attempts to remain anonymous, she had the messenger imprisoned and announced the request and incarceration publicly in the hopes of learning more about the agent’s commander.
After months went by with no one stepping forward to admit their association with the imprisoned messenger, Jakalyn left Mediogalti Island on a secret mission, spawning several rumors about what she might have learned from the agent. Is she seeking to slay the one who sent the request? Meeting with them to iron out more details? Or has she begun moves against one of the Inner Sea’s most dangerous villains? So far, no one can say, but for the moment, she has not returned.
Riddleport is a very chaotic city. Pirates and lawlessness is rampant in the City of Cyphers, which make a respectable cover for the Red Mantis Assassins.
Jakalyn’s favored return to their safehouse following meeting with the client for the remainder of payment. They are currently engaged in the mundane task of accounting—how much of the payment goes back to Mediogalti for the organization, how much is divvied up between the assassins themselves, and how much the organization is to reimburse the group for their expenses—as the Red Mantis reimburse their agents for expenses they made as part of the mission (it makes it easier to avoid leaving a paper trail of the Red Mantis’s involvement).
It is at this point that the door of the safehouse opens, as a new figure enters. The group assumes the safehouse’s location has been compromised and put their hands on their sabers in preparation, but find it unnecessary.
The individual entering the safehouse is a slender aiuvarin man with golden brown skin and long white hair. He wears a red hooded cloak over leather armor. His dark red eyes glitters, but he approaches calmly and in a non-threatening manner.
Jakalyn’s favored recognize this man as Vatum ; he is a high-ranking courier who serves the Vernai directly, and is known to be a favored contact of Blood Mistress Jakalyn. The Red Mantis assigns new missions through couriers such as Vatum, though you all have not been assigned a mission from Vatum in particular. As an agent that works directly with the Vernai and Blood Mistress Jakalyn, his presence here is a great honor—and also a sign of a very important mission from high up the chain of command.
Vatum gives a brief applause to the group. ”Congratulations on your mission. As much as I would love to give you some time to rest and recover, a new individual has been selected for a visit from He Who Walks.” This is a very common euphemism in the Red Mantis for “assassination.”
Vatum sits himself down in a nearby chair and crosses his legs. He looks up at the group and smiles.
”Ordulf Bladecaller.”
Vatum remains silent. It is unusual for a courier to only provide a name. Vatum seems aware that the name means nothing to any of the group, and is waiting for the group to take the initiative in getting more information. It seems he is doing so less out of a lack of professionalism, and more that he’s wanting to test the group’s intelligence in knowing what questions to ask first.
The lights in the room flared to twice their brightness, reacting to Yujin's anger, more than surprise, at the messenger's entrance. Once it is clear that the man is not threatening the party, she calms. She releases her hands from her sawtooth sabers and the flames cool back down to their original levels.
Although Yujin is a being of fire, her crystalline veridian eyes are ice cold and serious. She stares Vatum directly in the eyes and puts her hands flat on the table in front of her. The wood smokes where her skin comes in contact with it.
"Where was the target last seen?"
Yujin starts with a single question, offering her allies the opportunity to respond as well.
Carefully placing a leather bookmark into her notebook and closing it on the table, Janna restrains herself from rolling her eyes at Vatum's games. Instead she adopts the affect of an eager student.
"Who is the client? What payment must we collect?"
Should I have heard of Ordulf Bladecaller before? Have I already failed the first test?
She stares at Vatum intently, doing her best to impress with attentiveness, if not in insight.
Suryo's golden eyes narrow at Vatum, peering out from the darkness of his cloak. He does not know the name, but he does know what must be true of the name. The raspy voice within asks.
I trust he is not a rightful ruler?
He exhales and waits for what he thinks is the most important answer.
Suryo is still standing, and although he won't show it his nerves are coursing just a little bit from the abrupt intrusion. There is likely little contentedness or warmth for Vatum to feel in this room right now. He glances at Yujin to see what calm she has achieved.
"Where was the target last seen?"
”The Lands of the Linnorm Kings.”
Vatum unfurls a map of the aforementioned lands and points to an area on the country’s northeast, near the border with Irrisen.
”Ordulf single-handedly slaughtered a clan of adlets who had taken residence in an ancient dwarven fortress in the foothills of the Stormspear Mountains. Now renamed Crownhold, this fortress is his seat of power, and where you are almost certainly going to find him. The closest settlement to Crownhold is a remote trading post called Glacier’s Rest.
The town of Glacier’s Rest is also heavily tied to the church of Gorum, and has the following ability:
[b]Gorum’s Strength The majority of locals revere Gorum. Anyone who wears heavy armor or carries a greatsword gains a +1 circumstance bonus to checks to Coerce, Make an Impression, Request, and Gather Information. Conversely, anyone who is revealed to be an enemy of the faith or who publicly mocks the Gorum-worshipping lifestyle is swiftly seen as a coward, and they instead take a –4 circumstance penalty to all of the above checks.
Finally, you know of the following notable locations in Glacier’s Rest:
Crownhold Warehouse: As merchants come into town, they deposit goods bound for Crownhold here under the care of Kranold Buergon (male dwarf prospector 5). Kranold lost his fortune searching for adamantine in the Stormspear Mountains and now acts as warehouse custodian until he saves enough for another expedition into the unforgiving north. He makes deliveries to Crownhold once a week, after the merchant caravans have gone.
Frosty Stein: The friendliest innkeeper in town, Gundar Icebreaker (male human innkeeper 4) caters to the merchants who arrive about once a week. He earned his surname after a demonstration where he punched through a solid block of ice, a demonstration he still performs on request. Prices for meals and lodging here are standard, although no extravagant suites or fine dining options are available.
Gunilla’s Goods: Locals use this small market for their everyday goods, while merchants give Gunilla Crowfriend (female human witch 5) a huge boost in business to resupply their caravans or purchase tools to fix their wagons. Common magic items (other than weapons or armor) of level 5 or lower can be purchased here.
Hatchet and Barrel: This was once a high-class hunting lodge and tavern called the Golden Barrel built by one Vid the Wise (male human hunter 5). Vid wanted to become a king and planned on hunting linnorms from this lodge, but he never so much as looked one in the eye. Now he is the proprietor of this run-down, shady inn. The rowdiest patrons give this tavern their custom, with brawls breaking out weekly as evidenced by a hatchet thrown clear through the barrel sign hanging outside. Only poor meals can be purchased here, and the only lodging is floor space or one of the many filthy beds along the walls of the common room.
Massive Arms: Tholl the Thrice-Burned (male human smith 5) runs the most successful smithy in town. He provides Crownhold with all of their basic weapons and armor, specializing in heavy armor and two-handed weapons. When he’s not forging another implement of war, he crafts iron sculptures from scrap metal. Common metal armor, metal shields, and weapons of up to level 5 can be purchased here.
Sensible Science: The local apothecary also doubles as an alchemist’s shop run by Einn Snowspeaker (female rimesoul undine alchemist 5). While the locals and visiting Ulfen alike are suspicious she might be a Jadwiga spy, they still go to her when they need healing supplies. Common alchemical elixirs and tools of level 5 or lower can be purchased here.
I trust he is not a rightful ruler?
”The short answer is ‘He is not.’ But the long answer is a bit more complex than that. Bladecaller is the ruler of Glacier’s Rest, but his ‘rulership’ is a bit of a mixed bag given the laws of the land. The right of Linnorm King is given to those who defeat a linnorm in single combat, and there is no such record of Ordulf doing that. Arguably the opposite.
“Recent rumors say that Ordulf is preparing his forces to wage war against Trollheim, the capital of the kingdom of Hagreach in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, rather than following local tradition and killing a linnorm to become a king. Many in Hagreach and kingdoms beyond see this as an affront to tradition, but Ordulf’s reputation is such that none dare oppose him—least of all Linnorm King Freyr Darkwine, who arrogantly considers Ordulf to be a ‘mountain-squatting troll’ and not worth his time to even consider a threat. That said, if you find reasonable evidence of Ordulf having slain a linnorm in single combat, then this assignment is rendered void, but I see such an event as unlikely at best.”
"Who is the client? What payment must we collect?"
”The call for Ordulf’s assassination reached the Red Mantis via many whispers. While none in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings would dare claim responsibility for setting these events in motion, the assassination of General Ordulf Bladecaller, a man who would abuse his position of power to usurp the rightful traditions of rule, is now a matter for you four. You are to slay Ordulf and return to Ilizmagorti for further instructions.”
Vatum leans back once more, waiting expectantly for more questions.
"That said, if you find reasonable evidence of Ordulf having slain a linnorm in single combat, then this assignment is rendered void, but I see such an event as unlikely at best.”
"So we'll be doing some research on this assignment. That's not a problem since I'm such a people person."
Yujin continues her unbroken gaze.
"Since you are being such an open book, tell us. What do you know of his fighting style? What should we prepare against so that the mission goes cleanly?"
FYI That spoiler is not working for me.
What the PCs know about Glacier’s Rest:
The town of Glacier’s Rest is also heavily tied to the church of Gorum, and has the following ability:
Gorum’s Strength The majority of locals revere Gorum. Anyone who wears heavy armor or carries a greatsword gains a +1 circumstance bonus to checks to Coerce, Make an Impression, Request, and Gather Information. Conversely, anyone who is revealed to be an enemy of the faith or who publicly mocks the Gorum-worshipping lifestyle is swiftly seen as a coward, and they instead take a –4 circumstance penalty to all of the above checks.
Finally, you know of the following notable locations in Glacier’s Rest:
Crownhold Warehouse: As merchants come into town, they deposit goods bound for Crownhold here under the care of Kranold Buergon (male dwarf prospector 5). Kranold lost his fortune searching for adamantine in the Stormspear Mountains and now acts as warehouse custodian until he saves enough for another expedition into the unforgiving north. He makes deliveries to Crownhold once a week, after the merchant caravans have gone.
Frosty Stein: The friendliest innkeeper in town, Gundar Icebreaker (male human innkeeper 4) caters to the merchants who arrive about once a week. He earned his surname after a demonstration where he punched through a solid block of ice, a demonstration he still performs on request. Prices for meals and lodging here are standard, although no extravagant suites or fine dining options are available.
Gunilla’s Goods: Locals use this small market for their everyday goods, while merchants give Gunilla Crowfriend (female human witch 5) a huge boost in business to resupply their caravans or purchase tools to fix their wagons. Common magic items (other than weapons or armor) of level 5 or lower can be purchased here.
Hatchet and Barrel: This was once a high-class hunting lodge and tavern called the Golden Barrel built by one Vid the Wise (male human hunter 5). Vid wanted to become a king and planned on hunting linnorms from this lodge, but he never so much as looked one in the eye. Now he is the proprietor of this run-down, shady inn. The rowdiest patrons give this tavern their custom, with brawls breaking out weekly as evidenced by a hatchet thrown clear through the barrel sign hanging outside. Only poor meals can be purchased here, and the only lodging is floor space or one of the many filthy beds along the walls of the common room.
Massive Arms: Tholl the Thrice-Burned (male human smith 5) runs the most successful smithy in town. He provides Crownhold with all of their basic weapons and armor, specializing in heavy armor and two-handed weapons. When he’s not forging another implement of war, he crafts iron sculptures from scrap metal. Common metal armor, metal shields, and weapons of up to level 5 can be purchased here.
Sensible Science: The local apothecary also doubles as an alchemist’s shop run by Einn Snowspeaker (female rimesoul undine alchemist 5). While the locals and visiting Ulfen alike are suspicious she might be a Jadwiga spy, they still go to her when they need healing supplies. Common alchemical elixirs and tools of level 5 or lower can be purchased here.
"Since you are being such an open book, tell us. What do you know of his fighting style? What should we prepare against so that the mission goes cleanly?"
”General Ordulf Bladecaller is an Ulfen man, born in a now destroyed fishing village along the shores of Glacier Lake in Irrisen. Ordulf escaped from the winter witches of Irrisen as a young man and fled west, eventually seeking shelter in the neighboring Lands of the Linnorm Kings; rumors that he personally wrestled one of the chicken-legged animated huts that guards the borders of Irrisen to the ground swiftly won him acclaim and respect in the eastern regions of the Linnorm Kingdoms. Ordulf earned the byname ‘Bladecaller’ for his intimidating nature: he had a noteworthy tendency to win conflicts through insults alone even before drawing a blade—his words, many say, cut as deep as any sword or axe.
“Today, Ordulf’s standing in the church of Gorum is obscure. Some rumors say that he is one of the god’s favorites and been blessed so that he cannot be killed, while others insist that he’s turned to other sinister powers to ensure his longevity and that his faith in Gorum is a sham. Of note, all those who confronted Ordulf on matters of his faith were swiftly slain by the warlord. Ordulf wields a frost greatsword and a wounding battleaxe capable of fighting on its own at his side in battle.
“Now, if we are correct about his faith, you are to acquire his religious symbol and return it to Ilizmagorti. ‘Honor the gods, for they have honored us all with this world.” Vatum incites one of the Mantis God’s aphorisms. ”Our prerogative is with mortals, not gods. Blood Mistress Jakalyn will use the religious symbol to perform rites to Gorum—or whomever deity Ordulf worships—as a show that we mean no animosity to the gods themselves.”
"Interesting..."
Janna looks excited by the prospects of a difficult mission now, her earlier mask forgotten.
"What of Crownhold itself, do you know anything of its defences? Garrison? Layout?"
”The short answer is ‘He is not.’ But the long answer is a bit more complex than that. Bladecaller is the ruler of Glacier’s Rest, but his ‘rulership’ is a bit of a mixed bag given the laws of the land. The right of Linnorm King is given to those who defeat a linnorm in single combat, and there is no such record of Ordulf doing that. Arguably the opposite.
Suryo nods.
Hmph. It sounds like it is not likely. We can correct this...
"Since you are being such an open book, tell us. What do you know of his fighting style? What should we prepare against so that the mission goes cleanly?"”General Ordulf Bladecaller is an Ulfen man, born in a now destroyed fishing village along the shores of Glacier Lake in Irrisen. Ordulf escaped from the winter witches of Irrisen as a young man and fled west, eventually seeking shelter in the neighboring Lands of the Linnorm Kings; rumors that he personally wrestled one of the chicken-legged animated huts that guards the borders of Irrisen to the ground swiftly won him acclaim and respect in the eastern regions of the Linnorm Kingdoms. ...
Ordulf sounds like a proud man. What of skilled close confidants, or guards? Does he keep some around him? Do you have details on his inner circle?
"Unfortunately, that is the extent of the information I have on Ordulf and Crownhold. You four are to proceed on your own. Glacier's Rest indeed seems to be a good place to start asking around about Ordulf and Crownhold."
Yujin turns to Janna. "Ever been up north? Think you could teleport us somewhere close? Or are we going to need to go by ship?"
Yujin turns back to Janna. "We are honored to be entrusted with this work. We will return to Ilizmagorti with Ordulf Bladecaller's holy symbol upon his death as instructed."
The large, light brown bear has been sitting quietly in the corner since it became clear that the surprise guest would not be an immediate threat. The stool, made to hold the weight of the larger Red Mantis agents, still creaks under the stress of his 700 pounds. At the mention of the land of the Winter Witches, Dragomir snorts. He pulls off his glasses to clean them with the edge of his vest, puts them back on, then stands and takes a surprisingly quiet step towards the center of the room.
"Irrisen! Ha!" He jabs an oddly human-looking finger — albeit covered in fur and at least double the length and thickness of an actual human finger — at his chest. "Is Dragomir's homeland. Was young when left, don't remember language."
The bear shrugs. "Is good mission. We go to town, scare some people, maybe roar at them or flex -" he flexes, big ursine muscles visible under the fur "- and they tell us what we want. Then we go take this Bladecaller to walk with He Who Walks, maybe things get a little messy, but we keep role of Vernai secret, and tale of Ordulf Bladecaller is told through ages as warning for others!"
”Very well, then. And one final thing that I am sure does not need to be said, but I will say it anyways: as always, you must make it so that the death of Ordulf Bladecaller was unmistakably done at the hands of the Red Mantis. Beyond that, the task and the timetable in which to do it is yours to determine.”
With this, Vatum rises to his feet and exits.
The group finish their current tasks and gather around Janna, who casts teleport. There is still a bit of a journey from where they arrive to Glacier’s Rest, but that is to be expected.
*
*
*
An icy wind blows across the open tundra south of the town of Glacier’s Rest, which crouches atop an upthrust escarpment of stone that looms a hundred feet above the surrounding plains. To the north stand the formidable Stormspear Mountains, while a treacherous-looking trail consisting of three switchbacks ascends the ridge to the town from the trade road that winds into the distance to the east and west.
The town itself is bordered by further defenses—palisades of pine that block the frigid winds and deny townsfolk a view of the southern tundra, further accenting the dominance of the mountains to the north. Clusters of log cabins, alehouses, trading posts, and storehouses huddle together around a massive longhouse, ribbons of smoke reaching to the sky through holes on either end of the town’s largest building. A single track winds north from town into the mountains—the only indication that this remote settlement is not the last bastion against the frozen wilderness to the north.
As Jakalyn’s favored arrive, they find the town bustling. Apparently a merchant caravan has arrived to bring wares to Crownhold, which stands 5 miles to the north. The merchants seem to be taking their time, delivering the supplies to Crownhold in small bursts, while the merchants themselves seem to be spending a lot of time relaxing and cavorting with the locals.
The perfect cover for reconnaissance.
Unfortunately, it seems the caravan is planning to leave town to head east to Turvik in 2 days, after which the locals are looking forward to several weeks of calm isolation. If the assassins stay in town after the caravan leaves, then they will certainly raise some suspicions.
The infiltration has two distinct stages: preparations, and an assault on Crownhold.
You can choose to begin the encounter to assassinate Ordulf at any time you begin an official assault on Crownhold, but Infiltration Points (IP) will be used as a measure of Ordulf’s weakening defenses. If you choose to fight him without enough IP, he will certainly overwhelm you. You do not know how much IP is needed, but when you have enough, I will tell you that it will be the perfect time to strike at Ordulf. IP is only earned during during an assault on Crownhold. An example of earning IP is that you gain 1 IP for permanently neutralizing a combat encounter in Crownhold.
Awareness Points (shortened to “Awareness”) is a measure of how aware Ordulf is that something strange is going on. At certain Awareness thresholds, Ordulf takes precautions to save his own skin. To give you a sense of how much leeway you have, the maximum number of Awareness is 32, which is when Ordulf is fully aware of y’all’s presence and actively seeks you out to prevent his own assassination. If you do combat in Crownhold, there is a 50% chance at the end of each combat round that y’all accumulate 1 Awareness. If you continue to make preparations in Glacier’s Rest after the merchant caravan has left, you accumulate 2 Awareness per day.
Complications are short events that need to be resolved. This could be accidentally running into a guard, needing to hide dead bodies, and so forth. Complications only occur once you begin an assault on Crownhold. The group must attempt skill checks to get around the Complication. On an egregious failure, it usually means Awareness and a combat.
Leverage Points (LP; called Edge Points in the rules linked above) are bits of leverage you can use to get an edge during the infiltration. You earn LP by completing reconnaissance and other preparations prior to an assault on Crownhold. Whenever you fail or critically fail a check made during a Complication, you can spend an LP to describe a flashback scene of you preparing just the right thing for this situation, automatically making the check a success.
You create a single-use tool specially designed for infiltrating the fortress, such as a camouflaged cloak that perfectly matches Crownhold’s stonework, forged invitations to a war council, etchings on armor to match those worn by Crownhold’s guards, or the like. Attempt a DC 32 Crafting check to create this one-use tool.
Success You create an effective, single-use tool that grants 1 Leverage Point for a complication. At any point during a complication, you can spend an LP to describe a flashback scene of you preparing just the right tool for the job. In doing so, you must describe how the tool helps overcome the specific complication. This Leverage Point should be represented as a special token or a specific entry on your sheet, and when you (or another player) uses the tool to help in a complication and spends the Leverage Point this tool granted, the tool is consumed.
Failure You create a middling tool. When you or another PC use this tool, it’s consumed and its Leverage Point is wasted.
Critical Failure As a failure, but a PC who tries to use the Leverage Point to help with a complication gets a critical failure, even if they use the LP after rolling a failure.
You seek out and learn secret information about General Ordulf Bladecaller. Attempt a DC 32 Diplomacy, Intimidation, or Society check. Alternatively, attempt a DC 27 Gorum Lore or Warfare Lore check.
You learn key information about Crownhold through interviews and investigation. Attempt a DC 32 Diplomacy, Intimidation, or Society check. Alternatively, attempt a DC 27 Dwarven Lore check.
Critical Success You learn two of the secrets from the success results below, determined randomly, and the party earns 1 Leverage Point.
Success You learn one of the following secrets, determined randomly, and the party earns 1 Leverage Point.
Critical Failure You learn nothing of note, but your prying draws unwanted attention. Gain 1 Awareness.
You organize an attention-grabbing event that’s primed to occur during your infiltration of the fortress. This might be an explosion, a fire, or other crisis. Attempt a DC 32 Deception, Performance, Religion, or Society check.
Critical Success As success, plus the distraction is so spectacular that it pulls the fortress guards’ attention away from your infiltration and drowns out subtle signs of your presence. Reduce your Awareness total by 1. The party earns 1 Leverage Point.
Success The party gains 1 Leverage Point from the minor distraction.
Failure The distraction fails; the fortress guards hold fast to their duties but don’t notice that you tried to distract them.
Critical Failure The distraction backfires significantly when you use it, reminding the guards of the need to remain vigilant against danger at all times. Gain 1 Awareness.
You attempt to get close enough to Crownhold to observe it for a period of time while remaining unseen. Attempt a DC 32 Stealth or a DC 27 Scouting Lore check. If you have a means of becoming invisible or similar magical aid that lasts for hours, adjust your rolled result up by one degree of success.
Critical Success You sneak up to Crownhold without being detected. If your next exploration activity is to Observe Crownhold, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to that check.
Success You sneak up to Crownhold without being detected.
Failure You sneak up to Crownhold, but leave traces of your passage for others to find. Gain 1 Awareness.
Critical Failure You’ve been spotted! Any PCs who also attempted this activity at the same phase cannot get higher than a Success on their check. You manage to avoid getting caught, but gain 2 Awareness.
Requirements Your last exploration action was to Approach Crownhold and you did not critically fail
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You study Crownhold from several vantage points, examining its layout, likely complications, and defenses. Attempt a DC 32 Perception, Stealth, or Survival check or a DC 27 Architecture Lore, Scouting Lore, or Warfare Lore check.
Critical Success You learn three of the facts listed in the success result that you or your allies haven’t already discovered. The party also gains 1 Leverage Point.
Success You learn one of the following facts that you or your allies have not already discovered. The party also gains 1 Leverage Point.
Critical Failure You fail to gain any information, and unwittingly leave traces behind of your presence that are discovered soon thereafter. Gain 1 Awareness.
Round 1 (1 Arodus Morning)
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Dragomir
Janna
Suryo
Yujin
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”Very well, then. And one final thing that I am sure does not need to be said, but I will say it anyways: as always, you must make it so that the death of Ordulf Bladecaller was unmistakably done at the hands of the Red Mantis. Beyond that, the task and the timetable in which to do it is yours to determine.”
Understanding her task, without her mantis shell armor, Yujin wears non-descript clothes with a heavy winter coat, despite hardly feeling the cold due to her internal heat. While with the group Yujin assesses Glacier’s Rest from a distance. ”I suggest we split up for now. I’ll head to the Frosty Stein once night falls and we can review our reconnaissance efforts. For now, I’m going to see what the locals have to say.” With that, Yujin strides confidently into Glacier’s Rest to begin her work.
Her first stop is Massive Arms. Before she enters, she sneaks out of sight behind the building. She uses gouging claw on herself to scratch her face and abdomen. Then she heals herself enough to staunch the bleeding but stops before the scars fade. She’ll heal the scars later that night. Once prepared she pushes open the door to the smithy. ”Well met. Tholl, is it? The others in the caravan directed me to you. Said you were the place to go to for the best weapons in Glacier’s Rest.” Yujin removes her coat to reveal her muscular arms. ”I find myself in need of a new greatsword. I lost my previous one defending the caravan from a dire bear on route. I shame Gorum for being so careless with my weapon so I’m looking to replace it as soon as possible.” She points to her scarred face and laughs jovially. ”But I put up a hell of a fight!”
Once Tholl hands her a greatsword, she makes a show of appraising it. ”My comrades were right. This work is exceptional. May I?” Yujin swings the sword a few times through the air to show off her strength. She’s not proficient with a greatsword but an imaginary enemy offers no defense. Then she spends a few more minutes wandering the shop. She picks up one of the sculptures on display and rotates it in her hand, marveling at its craftmanship. ”Are these your work as well? They are beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like them. By the way, this is my first time heading up this way. The caravan is headed to Crownhold next. Is there anything I should know about the fortress? Gorum knows I don’t shy from a fight, but the caravan’s safety is my concern for the moment.”
Next, she walks over to Gunilla’s Goods. With her greatsword unsheathed and resting on her shoulder, she enters. She stares at the merchant with her intimidating glare, a passionate fire burns just beneath her eyes’ icy surface, to let witch know she is a dangerous warrior. ”Hail, merchant! I’m hoping you can help me! Excuse me for shouting but I’ve temporarily lost my hearing! A few of my fellow travelers and I have been suffering from the howling mountain winds! Can you provide me with some earplugs to protect ourselves for the rest of the journey?! While I’m shopping, Crownhold is an impressive fortress from what I hear! Are there any dangers I should be aware of before I head there?! If there is anything else I should purchase to best prepare myself, I’m all ears!”
Discover Crownhold’s Secrets, using Intimidation +27. (Up to you if the greatsword adds a +1 to the roll.)
”Very well, then. And one final thing that I am sure does not need to be said, but I will say it anyways: as always, you must make it so that the death of Ordulf Bladecaller was unmistakably done at the hands of the Red Mantis. Beyond that, the task and the timetable in which to do it is yours to determine.”
"As Dragomir said, we make sure everybody knows role of Vernai in so-timely demise of Ordulf Bladecaller."
Dragomir pushes open the door to Sensible Science and looms in the doorway for a moment, straightening his shoulders and puffing out his chest to fill it. He looks around at all of glass bottles, vials, carafes, decanters, pipettes, and other so very breakable containers for valuable liquids and breaks into a toothy grin. He lumbers into the shop, letting the wind slam the door behind him, and makes a show of meandering through the shop, picking up items on display, peering at them through his glasses, and replacing them with apparent carelessness. Within a minute, he has almost knocked over or smashed dozens of potions, elixirs, and remedies, earning him the quick attention of the shopkeeper.
When Einn Snowspeaker (or whoever is manning the store) asks if she can help him, he looks down at her and smiles again, showing his teeth. "That would be good, yes, thank you. This bear is large and sometimes clumsy. Is lovely shop, would be a shame if something were to get broken, yes? This bear is with caravan, for protection of soft, little merchants. This bear needs some supplies, but also is first time going to Crownhold, and this bear would take it as personal favor if friendly potion maker would tell him about master of fortress so this bear can protect people who pay him. That is what this bear does. Protect people who pay. Friendly potion maker will help, yes?"
When preparing the Teleport, Janna sat cross legged and meditated for a time. Though she was quiet, the air thrummed with magic, and strange shimmers and distortions around the cushion on which she sat made the air seem like it was full of heat haze.
After a time, she said "You might want to put your cloaks on", and grasped her hands in front of her, elbows out. Slowly she moved her hands out to her side until her arms were outstretched, one palm up and the other down, and as she did so she floated above the pillow. Abruptly she rotated both arms until her hands were pointed straight up and straight down, and as her hands moved, so did the world. Jakalyn’s favoured were briefly captured in a giant kaleidoscope as everything broke into neatly intersecting polygons, each rotating with Janna's hands. When they stopped, all was white and snow and cold.
Janna seemed relieved to see familiar landmarks, and entered Glacier's Rest by the road, just a weary traveller, after making her arrangements with the others.
Now in her room and knowing what they face, she sets about constructing items to aid with their reconnaisance, for preparation is the heart of a good assassination.
Suryo knew that he would be particularly cold after the teleport. He prepares by getting his cloak lined with extra layers and inner furs. As is his typical method, he also uses this to hide his ancestry, or at least make it less obvious.
Therefore, he thinks he will be doing the least of the infiltration work that involves extended interaction with locals.
”I suggest we split up for now. I’ll head to the Frosty Stein once night falls and we can review our reconnaissance efforts. For now, I’m going to see what the locals have to say.” With that, Yujin strides confidently into Glacier’s Rest to begin her work.
Suryo nods, his raspy voice returning.
I will join you later. For now I will trek a little further in the cold and get a closer look at Crownhold.
Drawing his hood again, Suryo vanishes! His companions can see his soft footprints in the snow, but only because they know to look. The constant blizzard quickly fills them back in anyway.
As he departs the party of Jakalyn's favored, he stays a safe distance from other travelers and merchants going between Glacier's Rest and Crownhold.
He skulks along until the path narrows and creeps up the slope. Hikes with ascent are not his favorite thing for sure, but invisibility helps him endure in private. He gets just close enough to scout out the perimeter of Crownhold and how well guarded the entrance is.
If you have a means of becoming invisible or similar magical aid that lasts for hours, adjust your rolled result up by one degree of success.
Critical Success You sneak up to Crownhold without being detected. If your next exploration activity is to Observe Crownhold, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to that check.
As Yujin speaks, Gunilla Crowfriend laughs heartily. ”Oh, the closest thing I can think of are the adlets—nasty Erutaki werewolves surrounded by an obscuring blizzard. Apparently they ride polar bears and made modifications to the fortress to accommodate their massive pets. But they have been defeated singlehandedly by the Bladecaller, so they are of minimal concern anymore.”
”Though, I did visit the fortress briefly, and I could feel Our Lord in Iron smiling upon all within. The Bladecaller communed with Gorum Himself in his own bedchamber, and Gorum blessed those halls to enact proper warfare and fair combat!”
Finally, you realize that Gorum is a god of fair combat, and war crimes and underhanded tactics are anathema to him—and attempting a secretive assassination using subtlety and intrigue is about as underhanded of tactics as one can get. So long as you all are engaging in these subtle and underhanded tactics , you are considered anathema to Gorum, and take a -1 status penalty to attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and Perception checks from the consecrate effect surrounding Crownhold.
*
Einn Snowspeaker grows almost somber—no, reverent—for a moment as Ordulf is mentioned. ”I…I have seen it myself. I knew he was a devout member of the church, but…he is so far more than that! I saw him fighting against the adlets and their ten-legged polar bear pets. Ordulf took blow after blow after blow! But…he would not die! I saw Gorum’s hand in that fight; Gorum would not let him die! Ordulf fought like one of the einherjar of Elysium! He truly is the Caller of Blades!”
Gorum feeds you the zeal of his Aesir, allowing you to draw upon your own life force to fight on and on without falling. Whenever you would be reduced to 0 Hit Points, you are instead healed to half your maximum Hit Points and become doomed 1 (or increase your doomed condition by 1).
*
Janna stays inside and works on a tool.
*
Suryo splits away from the rest of the group in an effort to get closer to Crownhold
If you have a means of becoming invisible or similar magical aid that lasts for hours, adjust your rolled result up by one degree of success.
*
The group—minus Suryo for the moment—regroup at the Frosty Stein to converse regarding what they have learned, then disengage once more to learn what they can.
Round 1 (1 Arodus Afternoon)
==============
Dragomir
Janna
Suryo
Yujin
==============
Round 2
Before departing their room, Yujin heals her self-inflicted scars, restoring her alabaster skin. After the group splits back up, Yujin decides to linger in the Frosty Stein and persuade some information out of the innkeeper. She saunters over to Gundar and puts her elbow on the counter. She leans forward letting her loose shirt hang low. ”So Gundar, is it? I hear you got the surname Icebreaker for being able to punch through a solid block of ice.” Yujin puts her hand on Gundar’s biceps. ”I would love to see that. Would you be willing to show me?”
Assuming Gundar does, afterwards Yujin asks, ”That didn’t look so hard? Do you think I could take a shot at it? If I win, you tell me a secret. If I lose, I’ll tell you one of mine.”
Discover Crownhold’s Secrets - Using Intimidation +27
Discover Ordulf’s Secrets – Using Diplomancy +19
Having succeeded so far, Suryo softly pads around the perimeter of Crownhold. It might look different from various vantage points. He should be able to get some level of layout in his mind. There are points that he has to back away to avoid giving himself up to guards at the edge, but ultimately he's able to range along the full breadth of Crownhold as presented on the slope.
Success You learn one of the following facts that you or your allies have not already discovered. The party also gains 1 Leverage Point. There are a total of six facts
Satisfied with what he's gathered, Suryo gently descends from the slopes and returns to the Frosty Stein to meet up with the rest of Jakalyn's favored.
When she learns about the consecration and the planar seal, Janna feels shaken, but does her best not to let it show to the others.
"If it comes to it I may be able to push through the seal, but Gorum hates assassins and we'd do well to take care of this. I'll put the crafting to the side and try to find out where his bedchamber is"
Rather than return to her preparations, Janna heads out into Glacier's Rest. She looks for guards, men-at-arms and other warrior types who might have served with Ordulf, starting outside in the training yards, but trying the warehouse and eventually Hatchett and Barrel if she must.
Although she knows she could kill any of these witless snots before they'd drawn their swords, her height and build mean they'd never take her seriously as a contemporary, so she instead pretends to be looking to hire her own guards. She uses pointed questions about tactics and martial prowess to try to get them to offer details of their own experiences (especially with Ordulf).
Dragomir is pleased with how his tactics seemed to work at Sensible Science, but decides to try something different for the afternoon and evening.
First, taking a cue from Yujin, he stops at Massive Arms to buy a greatsword. It will help Dragomir blend in with Gorum-worshipping simpletons. And never hurts to have extra weapon.
Next, the bear lumbers into the Hatchet and Barrel. Making liberal use of his size to push people out of his way as he approaches the bar, "accidentally" spilling a drink or three as he goes, he is hoping to start one of the bar fights that are so common in the seedy tavern.
If that doesn't work, he will get a beer and start drinking it at the bar, watching the patrons, looking for a table with the rowdiest and most inebriated group of drinkers and making a point of glaring in their direction to provoke them. If that still doesn't kick off a brawl, he slams his beer stein onto the bar top and roars, "BY GORUM'S BALLS, WHY ARE YOU ALL SUCH WEAKLINGS! YOU SHAME OUR LORD IN IRON WITH YOUR CLOWNISH FOPPERY!"
After the fight, he leans back against the bar and finishes his -- or somebody's -- beer. "That was ... adequate. Barely. But one little fight is not battle! If you want to show Gorum - and the weak, mewling merchants who come to trade at our Ordulf's gates - you are true community of warriors, meet in the square tomorrow evening for fight to prove who is real favored of Our Lord in Iron and who IS NOTHING BUT COWARDLY DOG!"
Finally, he stops in at Gunilla's Goods to pick up a few items he forgot to pack , and mentions the upcoming "Celebration for Gorum" while the proprietor gathers his purchases.
Yujin goes into the Frosty Stein and challenges Gundar to a duel of strength and, unsurprisingly, utterly demolishes him!
”Yeah, yeah, okay, a deal’s a deal, but you didn’t hear this from me. I know that General Bladecaller keeps some spare keys to Crownhold somewhere in town; keys always seem to get bent or whatever whenever the church is involved.”
You try to secure one of the spare keys to Crownhold’s doors from the Crownhold Warehouse without anyone noticing. Attempt a DC 34 Thievery check.
Critical Success As a success, but [REDACTED]
Success You acquire a spare key that belongs to one lock inside the fortress. You decide which lock the key works on when you use it on site, after which that key only works for that lock.
Failure You don’t acquire any keys.
Critical Failure Though you escape before getting caught, you raise the suspicion of the warehouse guards. Gain 1 Awareness.
*
Suryo manages to get a good look at the exterior of Crownhold
As he doing so, he also notices that out on the tundra, a pair of massive polar bear-like creatures with too many legs travel in wide arcs in front of the fortress. Two humanoid figures sit atop each bear’s back in a specialized “saddle” that fully straps them to the bear.
Suryo is unsure about the polar bears’ many legs anymore, because…that’s just not a thing! He starts second-guessing what he saw—perhaps it was just the natural camouflage of the snow. He tries to follow vaguely where the polar bears went, but finds significant difficulty in finding ANY tracks left by the bears.
When he returns to the group, it is only Dragomir—an ursine himself—that is able to confirm that many-legged polar bears do indeed exist: they are sapient, elephant-sized polar bears known as kokogiaks. They are ravenous ambush predators that have developed a keen ability to imitate the sounds of a person in distress.
*
Janna begins searching the town for those who have served with Ordulf, but finds that she can find very few—certainly not any who have any insight into where the general’s private bedchambers are.
*
Dragomir sets up an intriguing challenge for any Gorumite, set to take place in two days’ time. [oco]+1 LP.[/ooc]
Round 3 (2 Arodus Morning)
==============
Dragomir
Janna
Suryo
Yujin
==============
Much as he enjoyed the evening at the Hatchet and Barrel, Dragomir forces himself out of bed early the next morning. After whatever breakfast he can get at the Frosty Stein, he makes his way over to the Crownhold Warehouse and bangs loudly on the door to get the attention of the custodian. As soon as the dwarf answers his knock, Dragomir pushes his way inside and closes the door behind him.
"You are Kranold Buergon, yes? Is time for you and this bear to talk. People I work for have reports that certain items delivered to warehouse by caravans over past year - maybe longer - never get to Crownhold. Maybe these items fall out of cart when you make deliveries to fortress? Or maybe ..." the bear draws himself up to his full height of seven and a half feet and makes a show of looking around the warehouse, turning in a slow circle before bending down to glare at the dwarf. He pokes Kranold in the chest with a massive claw and growls. "Or maybe you have side business selling these things that fall off cart. Maybe Ordulf don't pay you enough, eh? Maybe you have sick mother who need expensive healing. Maybe you have gambling problem, or girlfriend who like expensive toys. I don't care. People I work for don't care. People I work for want items to not go missing anymore or else maybe you go missing."
Dragomir pauses, then smiles at Kranold. "OK, this bear has talked. Now you talk. You tell me what happens to make items go missing. And while you talk, you give me receiving and delivery records and this bear will check through them while you tell me everything about your operation and what you do for Ordulf Bladecaller."
Dragomir will squeeze Kranold for all the information about Ordulf that the dwarf can provide, whether or not it involves warehouse deliveries. When he's confident that Kranold has given him everything, Dragomir tells him he will be back to check up on him later and lumbers out.
The night, Yujin listens to the information gathered thus far and shares what she learned as well. The looks, entranced at the dancing shadows cast by the candles in the room and wonders where Suryo has gotten off to. He would be the best choice for securing the spare keys.
The next morning, Yujin decides to attempt to scout Crownhold herself and informs the others not to expect her until nightfall. She scrawls a note about the keys and leaves it in the room in case Suryo returns while she is away. She puts it in a place that Suryo would look but a nosy housekeeper wouldn’t. Then she uses invisibility on herself and heads up the path towards the fortress.
Yujin trudges alone up the path. She moves quietly and unobserved by anyone she passes by. She grumbles to herself how the snow and open ground make stealthy travel difficult. However, it is not a challenge that she cannot overcome.
After a disappointing day spent trying to draw blood from the stones of the idiot populace of Glacier's Rest, Janna returns to her room. She meditates on Achaekek's wisdom and power, and looks forward to laying Ordulf low.
Before she reconvenes with the others, she draws out her pecular gnarled staff with the large eye-like orb on one end and concentrates as she casts casts a spell, hoping the magic goes unheard. At the meeting, even though they are in private, and because they are not in a rush, she communicates telepathically where she can. She speaks only to emphasise with words that would sound innocuous if overheard.
Talking has never been my strong-suit. I will prepare some more items tomorrow, given what we've learned. If we can't teleport then we may be force to climb, perhaps something along those lines...
The following day she starts early and works tirelessly, and hopes that the fruit of her efforts will bring swift and painful death.
Suryo decides that it's better to make the most of this time in stealth as he's been undetected thus far (or so he thinks?)
The many-legged bears gave him pause and he wonders what other wondrous creatures are kept in or near Crownhold. Perhaps he should skulk a little further in to see what he can learn about the layout.
You study Crownhold from several vantage points, examining its layout, likely complications, and defenses. Attempt a DC 32 Perception, Stealth, or Survival check or a DC 27 Architecture Lore, Scouting Lore, or Warfare Lore check.
...
Success You learn one of the following facts that you or your allies have not already discovered. The party also gains 1 Leverage Point. There are a total of six facts.
Dragomir confronts Buergon, and the sheer confusion and terror of a talking bear threatening him gets him to spill far more than he should.
”I’m sorry! There…There was a misunderstanding! I was delivering a shipment that included chicken to General Bladecaller, and…I think he thought I was calling him a chicken? He blew up at me! Utterly demolished most of my shipment in a fit of rage! I s-suppose he doesn’t like having any kind of association with the hut of Baba Yaga. A-and he seemed…He seems to powerful, I’m not sure anyone has given him a genuine challenge in some time…”
You spend several seconds issuing insults and taunts to Ordulf, then attempt a DC 38 Deception, Intimidation, or Performance check. If the insults include challenges to Ordulf’s bravery, compare him to a troll or a chicken, insult his skill at fishing, or liken him to a witch or national of Irrisen, this becomes a DC 33 check.
Critical Success You strike a nerve. Not only does Ordulf become sickened 2 with anger, he is also stunned 1 from the shock of your words.
Success Your insults cause Ordulf to become sickened 2 with anger.
Failure Your insult only has a brief effect, causing Ordulf to become sickened 1. He automatically recovers from this sickened condition at the end of his next turn.
Critical Failure Your attempt to insult Ordulf fails so spectacularly that he becomes temporarily immune to Insult Ordulf activities from you for 24 hours.
*
Yujin makes her way toward Crownhold, and comes far-too-close to a patrol of soldiers riding atop a many-legged polar bear!
*
Janna continues to create tools for storming Crownhold.
*
Suryo continues staking out Crownhold, and as he does, he occasionally sees what looks like a MASSIVE white owl fly from the top of the keep. It circles around, swoops down on an elk or yak, then returns to the keep with its prey!
Once Suryo reconvenes with this information, the group determines this to be a frost roc—a cousin to the conventional roc that has since been infused with supernatural energy of its surrounding environs. It seems these creatures are known to violently throw razor-sharp, frozen feathers toward foes, and that they are known to fly straight through lightning storms with relatively minor difficulty.
*
The stragglers of the merchant caravan are starting to pack up and leave. This is the group’s last chance for preparation without inherently rousing suspicion
Round 4 (2 Arodus Afternoon)
==============
Dragomir
Janna
Suryo
Yujin
==============
Once again, you need to be able to maintain the invisibility for hours, so that’s not enough.
When the polar bear patrol comes close to discovering her, Yujin curses herself for getting overconfident. She searches for a crevasse in the in the mountainside for privacy and strikes herself until tears streak her face and the ground turns red. ”I have to do better. I was not given this power to squander it on mistakes.” she tells herself.
Once outside Crownhold, Yujin wastes no time skulking around and scanning for weaknesses.
Satisfied that she discovered something useful, she spirits herself away back to the inn before nightfall.
Satisfied with her cunning contraption, Janna listens to Suryo's report of the frost roc with concern.
The weather here is certainly bracing. I'll see if the alchemist has any remedies for cold this afternoon.
"She knew of Ordulf's consecration, perhaps she knows more of Crownhold too" she thinks at him through this afternoon's Telepathy spell.
She picks up a journal at Gunilla's goods, then copies a few of her most basic formulae into it, but introducing some simple mistakes. Omitting the need to remove the berry skin for the elixir of life, grinding the mountain pepper in a numbing tonic instead of crushing it, and so forth.
She also takes the opportunity to quickly mix up a mutagen for her mind and drink it before setting out for Sensible Science.
By the time she arrives she's adopted the wide-eyed manner of a nervous young alchemist. She looks in awe at the elixirs and equipment, and approaches Einn trepidatiously.
"Are you the alchemist? I was told you might be able to help me. I'm supposed to be helping our caravan with alchemy, but it's so cold here. I don't have anything to help, and even the elixirs I do make are of little use. The flora around here are unfamiliar. In Taldor I used fire berry juice for the base of my antitoxin, but the berries growing here don't seem to work. Would you mind taking a look at my formulae? Or could I buy some recipes from you?"
After hopefully getting Einn to take pity on her (and buying the formula for an Energy Mutagen if available), she steers the conversation to Crownhold.
"I had wondered about giving up on travelling and settling here actually. Do you ever work at Crownhold? I imagine an important Lord like Ordulf needs all sorts of help, even if you've got alchemy covered I have done some bone-setting at home, is there an infirmary do you know?"
In that manner Janna talks Einn's ear off and does her best to deflect from her pointed Crownhold questions with talk of alchemy.
Verily, Suryo returns to reconvene with the rest of Jakalyn's favored at the Frosty Stein. After double-duty observing Crownhold he has many details to report.
As he doing so, he also notices that out on the tundra, a pair of massive polar bear-like creatures with too many legs travel in wide arcs in front of the fortress. Two humanoid figures sit atop each bear’s back in a specialized “saddle” that fully straps them to the bear.
Suryo is unsure about the polar bears’ many legs anymore, because…that’s just not a thing! He starts second-guessing what he saw—perhaps it was just the natural camouflage of the snow. He tries to follow vaguely where the polar bears went, but finds significant difficulty in finding ANY tracks left by the bears.
When he returns to the group, it is only Dragomir—an ursine himself—that is able to confirm that many-legged polar bears do indeed exist: they are sapient, elephant-sized polar bears known as kokogiaks. They are ravenous ambush predators that have developed a keen ability to imitate the sounds of a person in distress.
Suryo continues staking out Crownhold, and as he does, he occasionally sees what looks like a MASSIVE white owl fly from the top of the keep. It circles around, swoops down on an elk or yak, then returns to the keep with its prey!
Once Suryo reconvenes with this information, the group determines this to be a frost roc—a cousin to the conventional roc that has since been infused with supernatural energy of its surrounding environs. It seems these creatures are known to violently throw razor-sharp, frozen feathers toward foes, and that they are known to fly straight through lightning storms with relatively minor difficulty.
It seems a productive outing. I'm glad some of you know something about these creatures that I spotted. Now we have some ideas of what we're up against he softly states in his raspy voice.
The hood of his cloak remains drawn, as-of-yet his ancestry has not been revealed to the locals and he prefers to keep it that way.
The weather here is certainly bracing. I'll see if the alchemist has any remedies for cold this afternoon.
Suryo nods and replies with the curt assessment Prudent.
"She knew of Ordulf's consecration, perhaps she knows more of Crownhold too" she thinks at him through this afternoon's Telepathy spell.
Very good. Do you think you can extract it from her?
--------------------
Suryo chuckles lightly as Yujin retells of the challenge to Gundar.
He had no idea what he was in for, eh?
He leans in, intent and focused, as she mentions of spare keys.
Interesting... he hisses. I'll pay the warehouse a visit. Very discrete of course.
As he nears the warehouse he makes for the smallest, least-attended entrance he can find. Just when a group of caravan attendees drops by the warehouse for a drop, and claims much of the attention, he slips in...
His feet softly pad along the ground as he snakes his way through high piles of boxes and crates. Finally he arrives at an office in back. Locked. No matter. With a swift finessing of the lock with expert tools (that he handles silently), the door slides open and quickly closes behind him. The key... Swiping it, he listens at the door for several moments before slipping quickly through it again. Making his way back without notice is much easier on this side of the task.
Critical Success As a success, but [REDACTED]
Success You acquire a spare key that belongs to one lock inside the fortress. You decide which lock the key works on when you use it on site, after which that key only works for that lock.
Dragomir learns that Crownhold was built by dwarves thousands of years ago during the height of their ancestral expansion to the surface world. The dwarves abandoned this outpost to consolidate their troops during the Five Kings War, and the outpost has been changing occupants ever since, usually through conquest. Over the years, those who have occupied the fortress have found some, but not all, of the hidden compartments the dwarves built into the structure.
*
As Yujin observes Crownhold, she notices that not only are there regular patrols of soldiers at Crownhold, but that the soldiers are generally divided in groups of three: two are bedecked in heavy plate armor, while the third is wearing only a breastplate. While all three sport greatswords, the breastplate-wearing soldier does not seem as physically strong as the other two. This—combined with the fact that the two more heavily-armored soldiers cover the third’s flank—leads Yujin to discern that the breastplate-wearing soldier is almost certainly some kind of spellcaster.
*
Janna manages to get a formula for an energy mutagen easily, but as she speaks to Einn and others in town, she unfortunately finds very little in the way of helpful information.
*
Suryo easily slips into the warehouse office, and finds a spare key. As he is about to slip out, though, he notices something out of the corner of his eye: a key that seems far sturdier and heftier than the one he just swiped. The key is rested on top of a note that Suryo can easily skim: it says that this particular key is a duplicate of the key to Crownhold’s vault, and that the foreman is apologizing greatly to Ordulf for the delay in sending him the newly-created spare. Seeing the opportunity fall into his lap, Suryo swipes this second key before making his way out.
*
Jakalyn’s favored reconvene as the sun begins its journey over the horizon. The merchant caravan is planning on leaving in the morning. The group then huddles around, discussing their final plan of attack.
For the sake of efficiency, I will be running a lot of the assault on Crownhold myself, because otherwise it will take us ages to get through it if I have to pause for a round of skill checks each time a Complication comes up (which will be a lot). When a Leverage Point is used, I will ask that you do the “flashback flavor” sequence after the post in which I spend it for you so we don’t get bogged down.
You may choose to continue making preparations in Glacier’s Rest as you’ve been doing, but now that the merchant caravan has left, y’all’s asking around will look suspicious. For each additional round of preparation activities y’all take, the party gains 2 Awareness (or 1 Awareness, if y’all are particularly clever about hiding what you’re doing, at GM’s discretion).
Upon the conclusion of these 48 hours (and assuming y’all choose to begin an assault on Crownhold), y’all are allowed to reprepare spells, make any last-minute purchases, and cast long-duration spells. You may choose to make an assault on Crownhold this evening or wait until morning.
Biggest questions to discuss:
1. When is the party wanting to spend a Leverage Point (to turn a failure or crit fail into a success) vs using a Hero Point vs just accepting the failure?
2. What is the party’s priority regarding its plan of attack? Go straight for Ordulf (not recommended until you get enough Infiltration Points)? Take out the various guards within Crownhold? Make a beeline for the vault or wherever you think Ordulf’s bedroom (and thus the altar at the center of the consecrate) is? Something else?
3. How do you wish to enter Crownhold? Through the front door? Climb to one of the higher floors?
4. Determine a Standard Dungeoncrawl Procedure (see Discussion)
Dragomir hunches over the table, one paw wrapped around a mug of cider. "Night attack is better. Guards get sleepy, maybe Ordulf has too much wine with dinner. Also, Dragomir not really morning person. Suryo did good watching fortress, knows what to expect, so we should go tonight, climb up wall in dark, go right inside. Dragomir can climb with rope, tie it to something inside to be secure if anyone does not like climbing."
Yujin sits cross-legged on the floor as the party goes over their final plans. ”I agree with Janna that the ritual warding the fortress is problematic. If I had to guess, Ordulf’s bedroom would likely be on the top floor. I suggest we start there and work our way down. We should take advantage of the distraction Dragomir concocted and head to Crownhold while the town is preoccupied. And thanks to Suryo.” she gives Suryo a sidelong grin. ”We have a key to Crownhold’s vault. It’s not part of the mission, but the opportunity is too good to pass up.”
”It’s said that last year, the Bladecaller was attacked by a deadly assassin wielding a rapier with a golden blade and harnessed the power of lightning. Gorum guided his hand, and he defeated the assassin. The Bladecaller supposedly keeps the weapon as a trophy in a secret vault in the basement of Crownhold. The general has a particular hatred of the weapon, and on numerous occasions has looked into moving its powers of lightning off onto his own blade, or even to simply melt down the weapon—yet each time, the pride of having defeated this assassin has compelled him to relent and keep the rapier as a trophy.”
”We have a key to Crownhold’s vault. It’s not part of the mission, but the opportunity is too good to pass up.”
Indeed, it is there for the taking, so we shall he states from the tightly drawn cloak.
He nods back at Yujin.
Once Ordulf is dead it will create a new distraction and it should become easy to proceed to the vault in the basement.
Janna listens to the others before she speaks.
"You're right about striking now Dragomir, and starting at the top would give us the most surprise. Your ladder spell will do nicely Yujin I think"
She looks over each of the other assassins, weighing them as if they were her students.
"I will prepare each of you an alchemical concoction for the assault. For myself I will take a Breath as usual, if we can finish the target with it it may be sufficient alone to identify us. I could also give you an Energy Mutagen, that fumbling moron of a witch makes only the feeblest of concoctions but I've already come up with something much more potent. Any of my usual concoctions are available too."
Suryo nods at Janna, accepting the energy mutagen.
And with that, the assassins make their way to Crownhold by the cover of night—still not fully dressed in proper Red Mantis attire, as that won’t be necessary until the assassination itself.
*
Jakalyn’s favored must travel through the frigid tundra under cover of night. Here, the group must be careful to not run into the patrol of kokogiak riders, so they must scout ahead to avoid such a fate.
The group manages to completely evade both the external patrols and being sighted from patrols situated at Crownhold itself.
*
Hundreds of feet of open tundra lie to the south of this stocky stone fortress, built into the side of a steep cliff at the base of a towering mountain. A pair of additional floors loom above the ground level, each set back further against the cliffside and featuring crenelated balconies. A two sets of immense wooden double doors reinforced with iron bands provide entrance into the fortress to the left and right, while in the middle, the wall is adorned with arrowslits shuttered closed against the cold from the inside.
It is only upon their approach that the assassins notice that the second floor ramparts of Crownhold feature a pair of siege weapons: some kind of odd mixture between a crossbow and a catapult—Janna recognizes them as springalds. Each springald is manned by three people: two soldiers in full plate and one spellcaster in a breastplate (identical to the usual patrol that Yujin discovered).
Thankfully, the group was stealthy enough that they managed to reach the fortress without attracting the attention of the guards stationed at the springalds.
The group goes around the side of the fortress in preparation for Yujin’s helpful steps, which should be just enough to get to the third floor. Unfortunately, Yujin must still cast her magic in a strong voice, and going to the third floor would mean the staircase would be dangerously close to one part of the stationed guards. And even now, the assassins feel Gorum’s curse against them.
To keep things more subtle, Yujin opts to make the staircase more usable for Medium and smaller creatures, and Dragomir (with his climb Speed) chooses to instead climb his way up to the third floor using the handholds of the mountain in which Crownhold is built.
Those three manage to ascend Yujin’s staircase and have Yujin silently Dismiss it before anyone noticed
Dragomir, meanwhile, attempts to scale the side of the mountain.
An immense perch created from two-foot-thick logs sits in the middle of this open chamber. To the south, the wall opens out onto the fortress’s uppermost balcony, giving an expansive view of the tundra and skies. A prodigious pile of bird droppings lies on the ground below the perch, in which the bones of woolly rhinos, elk, and a few humans protrude. An alarm bell hangs from the wall to the southwest near the opening onto the balcony.
Situated upon this perch is the massive form of the owl-like frost roc that Suryo saw! The nocturnal beast is wide awake, picking at the meat of a captured animal for its meal.
This brings a particularly nasty complication: humanoids can be easily managed and silenced to maintain subtlety, but something this large?! Not only is it basically impossible to properly hide a body that size, but if this thing decided to be loud, its hoots could easily be heard for hundreds of feet to a mile! The entire stronghold would hear it! So that leaves two options: kill it quickly and quietly, or avoid it like the plague.
The assassins choose the latter.
The assassins nervously choose to enter the closest door to their position to get away from the roc and regroup. It was locked, but they’re fortunately have a key!
Jakalyn’s favored notice two things when they first enter this short hallway: the first is the sound of loud snoring coming from the adjacent rooms, while the second is that this hallway is…warm. Not uncomfortably so—quite the opposite, it’s comfortably warm—but it makes the assassins wonder how a stone fortress in the middle of a frozen tundra gets to be this toasty.
Peeking through the doors reveals that Each of these six bedrooms has a double bunk with scant other furniture.
Four soldiers—three in the side rooms and one in the large room at the end of the hall—are in a deep sleep. It seems to be two soldiers and two casters, based on the weapons and armor. While these people are not targets, taking them out here would be strategically advantageous—were it not for the fact that even unarmored these Gorumites would still pack a punch (not to mention the consecrate reducing the assassins’ combat capabilities). So instead, the group decides to simply loot the place while the Gorumites sleep, including their weapons and armor. After all, thievery such as this is not an uncommon thing during an assassination mission.
These Gorumites are very heavy sleepers—makes sense, given they likely deal with hearing the sounds of combat all the time—so taking their gear and stuffing it in Suryo’s spacious pouch was rather easy. The difficulty is that the group doesn’t truly have the time to Identify Magic for too long—which is where Suryo’s skills come into play.
As the group searches through the rooms for valuables, one of the sleeping Gorumites seems to get a bit too close to the edge of the bed and is about to fall off the top bunk onto the floor!
But they thankfully don’t have any of the Gorumites wake on them.
The two soldiers each had a +1 striking wounding greatswords and a +1 resilient ready full plate[/url].
The two spellcasters each had a [i]+1 striking greatsword[/url] and a [i]+1 resilient ready breastplate.
The group also finds that the spellcasters each have some kind of key on them. After testing it out on nearby doors, it seems to be a skeleton key for Crownhold. So to make the Gorumites’ lives harder, they lock the bedroom doors of the sleeping soldiers.
Realizing they have to go back out to see the roc, the group opts to cast invisibility on themselves to make their way back through the rookery.
Just like the barracks, this hallway is likewise surprisingly warm. But it just seems to be a stairwell, so, still invisible, the assassins double back and move to go to the other side of the third floor.
These barracks are simple. With three beds, three footlockers, and a single latrine, they’re sparse by most accounts. Fur covers the beds and floor.
In additition, the whole room seems to be in a state of clammy mist—a stark juxtaposition given its current warm temperature. Lounging on two of the beds are blue-skinned humanoids with the facial features of wolves—adlets. Which means this mist is emanating from them. These adlets seem to be wearing aviation goggles, though not on their foreheads rather than their eyes currently. They seem to be conversing very casually in a language that none of Jakalyn’s favored understand.
One of the adlets shrug and gets to their feet as they put the aviation goggles over their eyes. They begin walking toward the door the invisible assassins just came through. They slip by, only to see another stairway downward. Yujin is still convinced that Ordulf’s bedroom is on the third floor, so they slip out onto the third-floor balcony once again.
This time, though, they see the frost roc off of its perch, with the adlet seeming to scratch its neck, which the massive bird likes. The adlet then begins adjusting a harness on the roc that the Red Mantis assassins only just noticed—are these adlets mounting the rocs??
Whatever the case, this exchange combined with the group’s invisibility is enough of a distraction for them to easily slip into the next room.
This bedroom is spacious, with newer and more comfortable furniture than the rest of the fortress. A large bed, an oak writing desk, an armoire, and an armor rack furnish the room. Hanging from the north wall is a fishing pole and net with several lures hooked into the netting, all of which look immaculately clean and well-cared for. The south wall has a mural depicting an impossibly tall warrior covered in plate mail, his red eyes glowing through the slit in his helm. The warrior wields a greatsword and is slashing through armies on a vast blood-soaked beach—Gorum, depicted within his divine realm of Clashing Shore, a shoreline that serves as the border between Elysium and the churning “ocean” of the Maelstrom.
A small stone altar with a softly glowing smear of blood atop it stands in the room’s southeast corner.
As the time to commence the operation approaches, Yujin dons her mantis shell in the inn. She has no need for modesty amongst her comrades; Half of them aren’t even human. However, despite working with her allies for some time now, the sight of Yujin preparing to kill, has not become any less frightening. ◆Majestic Presence.
During the approach towards the fortress. Yujin grins under her mask. Her body learned its lesson after the failure of her first approach and did not repeat the same mistake again.
Up on the third floor roof, Yujin marvels at the gigantic owl-roc. Afraid to even whisper around the beast, assuming its hearing is just as great if not greater than a normal owl’s, she thinks to herself, “What a magnificent creature. I would love to test my mettle against it. It would make an excellent trophy.”
When Suryo’s key comes in handy to unlock the door, Yujin nods approvingly at the wayang. Finding the skeleton key shortly thereafter gives Yujin the confidence that Achaekek is guiding their hands during this assassination. When Dragomir pushes the Gorumite back into the bed, Yujin whispers into the Gorumite’s ear, ”Achaekek has blessed you this night. If you had fallen, I would have silenced you with my saber. Wake at your own risk. Gorum won’t be able to protect you if you do.”
Yujin looks at the adlets with disgust. Just the sight of the mongrel-creatures makes her want to put them out of their misery. She doesn’t rule out that possibility, but not yet.
In Ordulf’s bedroom, Yujin is confident that Dragomir will know what to do with the altar. Instead she looks at the objects on the walls. ”Ordulf must be proud of these things to take such good care of them. If he despairs at their destruction, we will have an advantage.” Yujin collects the netting off the wall and slashes the mural with her sawtooth saber in a pattern resembling Achaekek’s symbol.
”Once we destroy that altar, the Gorumites will feel it. The only way out is back past the roc. However, if destroying the altar removes the planar seal, perhaps Janna can create a tesseract tunnel out the back side of the room? Yet, we can’t avoid fights forever. I think we will need to reduce the number of defenders significantly before the final kill. How would you like to proceed?”
Janna remembers the first time she saw Yujin take on her killer's stance and smiles at the memory. Now the Gorumites will quake to behold her, and the fortress will run red with their blood. She hands out the small alchemical items she's prepared and steps carefully on the approach.
When Jakalyn’s favored arrive at the fortress, Janna can feel the oppressive Gorumite magic pushing against her skin like a humid jungle day. All her life she has been looked down upon and ridiculed for her bookish interests, for preferring disection to sword practice. Now comaraderie, honour and glory tinge the air like a too-well hidden corpse and it makes her want to be sick. She will make them pay.
At the top of the magical stairs, Janna gapes at the owl before catching herself. She longs to slit the throats of the sleeping guards, but knows the risk is too great for the nonce.
She is surprised to see Adlets here, and even tugs on Suryo's belt to call a temporary stop to their invisible train. She wishes she could cast a spell to understand them, but cannot risk that either.
They were slaughtered by Ordulf, perhaps these are traitors? Or slaves?
She doesn't pause long though, and sighs with relief at finding the Altar. She gleefully participates in destroying the things Ordulf appears to hold dear. She nods at the suggestion of a Tesseract Tunnel, unable to avoid a quick moistening of the lips at the thought of freeing herself from this shroud of mediocrity.
"It would be useful to take out these guards to ensure no reinforcements can be called from this direction, but most are without arms and armour and are locked in. The owl-roc is only of use outside. Our best approach would be to disable the force still useful to Ordulf before approaching him. To that end, we must interrogate one of these guards to learn of Ordulf's location, so we may avoid it for now. The one adlet donned their goggles, perhaps if we give it a minute they may leave on a patrol, allowing us to take the other"
While still at the Inn, Suryo braces himself for his friends powerful presence.
He knows it will wear off shortly, and he knows why she does it: so that when used during the mission it will not affect Jakalyn’s favored. Once she does it, he knows that they're immune to it for roughly a day. They can stand tall in it and watch their prey cower.
After the affects wear off, he smiles and nodes at her, confirming the desired preparation. They set out and begin their approach across the snow.
--------------------
Yujin's staircase is a welcome change from the slog of the snowfield, even if it is a steeper ascent. The unexpected patrols are not. Suryo senses that one of these guards hears the party and he quickly tugs on Yujin to slow the ascent along the stairs. They skulk the rest of the way up a little more carefully to remain unnoticed.
Stepping down onto the third floor, he looks out over their approach from Glacier's Rest with appreciatively.
--------------------
It isn't long before the round the corner and come face to face with the frost roc. Seeing it fly overhead was already an awesome sight for him, but encountering its hulking figure here now was no less intimidating. His feet pad softly as he backs away from it, carefully watching its chest rise and fall rhythmically from the breaths of sleep. He quietly taps Dragomir to pause and observe the roc, so he can likewise back away and take a wide arc around this area. They all head through the next door to regroup.
--------------------
In the next room Suryo slings his spacious pouch off of his back, and awaits Dragomir's lifting of the soldiers' arms and armor. The bag becomes visible as it leaves his person, which simplifies the whole procedure greatly. Locking the door after they depart the room is greatly satisfying and Suryo wonders if he can further jam the lock. No, that would make too much noise...
--------------------
Encountering the adlets, Suryo is less disgusted and more fascinated. Has he seen anything like these before?
--------------------
They finally come to the bedroom of their prey, though it seems he's not yet present.
I suspect he would despair enough that we're even present in his room. Most unwelcome and most unexpected. By all means, let us destroy the alter.
He gestures vaguely towards it to Dragomir.
Could you crack it in half?
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As the group searches around the room (and their invisibility ends), they suddenly hear the door open. ”General, I thought you were…uh…”
The adlet that was caring for the roc opens the door and sees the assassins in Ordulf’s room—Yujin with her hands on the fishing gear, Dragomir with the intent of smashing the altar, and so forth.
Suryo and Yujin simply glare at the adlet, which is enough to make the adlet simply shut the door and walk away without another word..
The assassins wait for a bit to ensure the adlet is gone. As they do, though, the fortress rumbles a bit and a single, loud echoes. Suryo cracks the door open and is shocked to find that a second frost roc has perched itself at Crownhold, the bird having apparently been hunting for a meal. The wayang quietly shuts the door and informs the rest of the group. Using that as a bit of cover, Dragomir moves to shatter the altar with his bear bare hands!
While Dragomir does indeed break the altar, it took a bit more effort than he would have liked, and a portion of the altar shatters loudly!
As the assassins wait a couple minutes for the inevitable combat…it doesn’t come. Eventually there are voices on the other side of the door. Suryo peeks through once more.
”…have done something to lose Gorum’s favor…”
The adlet is speaking with one of the breastplate-wearing spellcasters, who is accompanied by two full-plate-wearing warriors.
”Have you noticed anything else unusual?”
The adlet—the same one that saw the assassins doing their work—shakes his head. ”No, nothing of the sort.”
“Then take flight and do another sweep of the surrounding area. Something must be occurring.”
With a nod, the adlet climbs on the back of one of the two frost rocs, and his aura of mist suddenly expands massively. The adlet then spurs his roc mount and the two take flight, leaving one roc remaining. The spellcaster then motions to the other two and the resume their rounds.
The assassins’ next course of action is descending down to the vault, deciding to take out the soldiers manning the springalds along the way.
And the group moves out of the roc’s sight. They then prepare an ambush of the Gorumites below!
Round 1
==============
Yujin [20’ above ground]
Suryo [20’ above ground]
Gorumite Warpriest <Orange>
Gorumite Warpriest <Blue>
Janna [20’ above ground]
Dragomir [20’ above ground]
Gorumite Veteran <Red>
Gorumite Veteran <Yellow>
Gorumite Veteran <Green>
Gorumite Veteran <Purple>
==============
Yujin spends an LP to turn that into a success. Be sure to flavor the LP expenditure in your next post.
Sneaking past the roc, Yujin accidentally steps in a stray pile of bird excrement. She immediately freezes, knowing that if she extracts her foot, the bones in the pile will rattle and alert the creature. She subtly weaves a figment making a noise behind the roc. When it turns its head, she quickly dives around the wall and out of sight.
Note that it’s a 20’ drop down to the Gorumites, and Suryo is the only one without a climb Speed or Cat Fall.
Yujin leaps off the edge of the fortress with weapons drawn. She thrusts her sabers into the stone wall and they scrape gashes all the way down until she safely reaches the ground.
On the ground, she activates her incendiary aura. An invisible combustible gas emanates from Yujin's body, threatening to ignite at a smallest spark.
She calls out to the enemies with a murderous smile. "Ho! Gorumites! I've come for your lives. Let's see if you can keep me from taking them."
Suryo’s shoes sprout wins!
And floats down towards Yujin.
He quietly taps Dragomir to pause and observe the roc, so he can likewise back away and take a wide arc around this area. They all head through the next door to regroup.
Even as the assassins skulk across the floor through the shadows, when Suryo silently points out the frost owl-roc, Dragomir stops and stares. His eyes narrow, he draws himself up to his full height, and he can feel his fur starting to stand on end, making him look even larger.
Dragomir could take big bird in fight. Take bird down, have big roast bird dinner. Thinking about chomping into a gigantic roasted roc leg, the avenger starts growling unconsciously, and a close look would reveal that he's starting to drool.
The growl cuts off as he finally realizes what he's about to do. The bear sighs to himself and relaxes, returning to the shadows, and continuing on. Like Boss always tell Dragomir, "Mission before personal happy fun times!" So later for you, bird. We have happy fun times later.
--------------------
Dragomir manages to catch the sleeping soldier before he can fall all the way out of his bunk. Psst! Yujin! Dragomir has little sleeping soldier, now what?
--------------------
This bedroom is spacious, with newer and more comfortable furniture than the rest of the fortress. A large bed, an oak writing desk, an armoire, and an armor rack furnish the room. Hanging from the north wall is a fishing pole and net with several lures hooked into the netting, all of which look immaculately clean and well-cared for. The south wall has a mural depicting an impossibly tall warrior covered in plate mail, his red eyes glowing through the slit in his helm. The warrior wields a greatsword and is slashing through armies on a vast blood-soaked beach--Gorum, depicted within his divine realm of Clashing Shore, a shoreline that serves as the border between Elysium and the churning "ocean" of the Maelstrom.
A small stone altar with a softly glowing smear of blood atop it stands in the room's southeast corner.
In Ordulf’s bedroom, Yujin is confident that Dragomir will know what to do with the altar.
He gestures vaguely towards it to Dragomir. Could you crack it in half?
Dragomir takes a moment to study the altar, wondering in particular about the glowing smear of blood. Is this normal for Gorumites, altar of stone with glowing blood? Shouldn't followers of Lord in Iron pray in front of big holy suit of armor?
After thinking about it for a few moments, Dragomir tells the other Vernai what he remembers, then heaves the altar into the air stop grunting grunting isn't cool bear no grunting and, muscles straining, slams it onto the floor with a crash.
The bear looks up at Suryo with a guilty smile. "Heh. Sorry about that." He shrugs.
While Dragomir does indeed break the altar, it took a bit more effort than he would have liked, and a portion of the altar shatters loudly!
That loud shattering, combined with the disappearance of the consecrate increases Awareness by 3 and Infiltration Points by 2.
----------------
And the group moves out of the roc's sight. They then prepare an ambush of the Gorumites below!
Dragomir peers down at the warriors on the battlements below the ledge where he and Janna stand, then whispers, "Dragomir will start with priest if you'd rather melt brains from big dumb soldiers. Showing priests of other gods error of their ways is best part of my job. Don't worry, though, Dragomir will help plenty with soldiers too!" He thinks about it for a moment, then adds, "When Dragomir was still cub, Boss taught Dragomir to share. If you want to fight priest in stupid orange armor first, that's OK too."
Yujin descends and initiates an incendiary aura.
Suryo flies down to Yujin.
Orange and Blue are both utterly shocked by the assassins’ sudden appearance, but nevertheless keep their cool. Green Interacts to draw her greatsword and places the flat of the blade upon her ally and says ”Will you fight?” as divine magic pours from her into Green!
Orange, on the other hand, takes a very different approach, and says ”Gorum, give these intruders a proper arena for their battle!”
Suddenly, a shell of greatswords form around Yujin, Suryo, and the Gorumites closest to those two.
Round 1
==============
Yujin {Incendiary Aura: Round 0 of 10}
Suryo
Gorumite Warpriest <Orange>
Gorumite Warpriest <Blue>
Janna [20’ above ground]
Dragomir [20’ above ground]
Gorumite Veteran <Red>
Gorumite Veteran <Yellow>
Gorumite Veteran <Green> {Heroism +2}
Gorumite Veteran <Purple>
==============
You designate a single creature as your prey and focus your attacks against that creature. You must be able to see or hear the prey, or you must be tracking the prey during exploration.
You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks when you Seek your prey and a +2 circumstance bonus to Survival checks when you Track your prey. You also ignore the penalty for making ranged attacks within your second range increment against the prey you're hunting.
You can have only one creature designated as your prey at a time. If you use Hunt Prey against a creature when you already have a creature designated, the prior creature loses the designation and the new prey gains the designation. Your designation lasts until your next daily preparations.
Your specialized training gives you a unique edge that allows you to more effectively bring the tools of your faith to bear against the monsters that lurk in the night or hide among the faithful.
You gain a +1 status bonus to your spell attack rolls against your hunted prey, and they take a -1 status penalty to their saving throws against divine spells you cast. You gain the vindicator's mark warden spell.
As soon as Orange begins casting Dragomir launches himself over the side and climbs down to the battlement. The vindicator pulls himself up to his full height, draws his primary sawtooth saber, points it at the warpriest and growls,
"Priest of Gorum! This bear has judged you in the name of He Who Walks in Blood. You are found wanting. This is surprise to nobody."
FOCUS UNCOMMON MANIPULATE
Range 60 feet; Target your hunted prey
Defense Fortitude; Duration 1 minute
You pronounce a terrible judgment upon your quarry that causes all of your attacks and divine spells to strike with deadly efficacy. The target takes extra damage from your attacks, depending on the result of its Fortitude save. The spell ends immediately if the target is no longer your hunted prey.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target has weakness 5 (weakness 10 at 7th rank) to the next Strike you make against it or damaging divine spell you cast that includes it as a target before the end of your next turn.
Failure The target has weakness 5 (weakness 10 at 7th rank) to all Strikes you make against it or damaging divine spells you cast that includes it as a target for the duration of the spell.
Critical Failure As failure, but the target is off-guard against the first Strike or divine spell attack you make against it each round for the duration of the spell.
Heightened (7th) The weakness is 10.
Heightened (9th) The weakness is 15.
ROGUE
Trigger A creature within your melee reach is hit by a melee attack from one of your allies.
When your enemy is hit by your ally, you capitalize upon the distraction. Make a Strike against the triggering creature.
FOCUS UNCOMMON CLERIC MANIPULATE
Trigger An attack or effect would deal damage to you.
Your own might mingles with divine power to protect you from harm. You gain resistance equal to 8 plus your Strength modifier against all damage from the triggering attack or effect.
Heightened (+1) The resistance increases by 2.
CURSE
Traditions arcane, divine, occult
Trigger A creature deals piercing, slashing, or persistent bleed damage to you;
Requirements You can bleed.
Range 30 feet; Targets the triggering creature
Defense Will; Duration varies
You curse the target, punishing it for having the audacity to spill your blood. The target takes 2d6 persistent bleed damage and must attempt a Will save.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes half the persistent bleed damage.
Failure The target takes the full persistent bleed damage. Until the bleeding stops, the target has weakness 1 to piercing and slashing damage.
Critical Failure As failure, but the target takes double the persistent bleed damage.
Heightened (+2) The persistent bleed damage increases by 2d6.