The Satin-Veil killer, the Alligator Man, the Sunset Slayer — all monikers for the serial killer who haunted the Succession…until his disappearance and supposed death five years ago. Now, the heroes are in his lair – a place of evil and sorrow. And yet, this killer penned the infamous volume called the Voynich Manuscript, a mystical manuscript that can supposedly end the war of Neutrality. The information contained in this volume is so explosive, so dangerous, that even Hell has taken notice. Somewhere in his underground catacomb is the secret to its current location.
Once more into the pits!
With the party now gathered in the catacombs, they came upon two 20 foot doors with large demonic faces carved into them with large fangs.
Up next was a 70′ circular room containing tables covered in bodies with jars containing entrails.
Ghostly figures were seen briefly flickering. This was once the lair of the Sunset Slayer aka The Alligator Man, he has travelled across the succession.
Searching the room, the group felt a cold cover the room. Eldora shreiks and colapses as a creature crawls under her skin. A small girl came from hiding and attacked, followed by locusts, but the party subdued both.
Ulysses named the girl Mary and befriended her, but Eldora cautioned that she reeks of necromancy.
The party continued along and noticed that the halls were like a rib cage and a persistant beating of a heart sounded throughout the dungeon.
A woman in a shimmering white gown appeared before the group and began singing a lulaby, the woman’s voice implanted a nightmare directly into Raziel’s brain and deeply affected him. The woman moved on by the party without more incident.
More beetles attacked and the party discovered some looters. A furious battle ensued, and the party emerged victorious.
Posted in Game Notes.
Slip Sliding Away
Episode 3: The party was down to only two, Li Jun Fan and Raziel Lochlan joined by Officer Eldara went to the Sawfish Boys to secure some disguises as undead for 200gp. The party got through the gates due to a combination of diplomacy and guile.
Li found the entrance to the catacombs inside the eye of the swan. There lay runes which said Erriukz, Edrubal, Elomcwe, which were Infernal for Trechery, Sloth and Foolishness, although foolishness was spelled wrong. Li Jun Fan traced “Welcome” in the rune for elecomwe, and the door opened to the stairs which lead 100 feet down.
The stairs of course were booby-trapped, and Li discovered that every 3rd step changed the stairs into a slide. Li stealthily headed down the stairs, but half way down triggered a boulder to come barreling down. Raziel decided to thrust himself down the stairs, and the two ended up caught up in the trap. Li used his agility to avoid certain doom, while Raziel sacrificed his shield to save his own life, putting it between his hurtling body and the blades that would present his certain doom.
As we left the party, they were gathering their wits, and vowing to continue on their quest.
Posted in Game Notes.
The Congress
Episode Two: The party devised a plan to get into the Congress of the 5 Nations. Vander told us about the Sawfish Boys, who would help us with information. There would be a funeral procession of a high ranking officer, and they had need of those uniforms to get into the palace.
The party disrupted the funeral procession and discovered that Officer Eldara, who was killed for uncovering a plot by UndeadBane, but it was all a ruse, and she was not indeed dead.
Officer Eldara agreed to join us, and together we headed off to the palace to infiltrate the congress.
Posted in Game Notes.
Introducing Ulysses Seamus Mahoney
Ulysses Seamus ”U.S.” Mahoney, an orphan left at the church steps, grew up within the church orphanage but also spent much time on the cruel streets learning of the many vices and pleasures the world outside had to offer a resourceful young man. Playing on his natural gift for oratory and his ripe source material of religious text he plied the streets of his youth charming and entertaining travelers and locals alike relieving them of a “small donation” (or more likely conning or cheating them out of a much larger gift) to help do “the lords work.”
The priests of the church took notice of young Ulysses gifts and pushed him towards a life of service to the church, hoping to steer him toward a path of enlightenment and service to the church and its people, and also no doubt as a vital fundraiser. As he matured Ulysses fell more and more into the trap of sin and vice; drinking, gambling and consorting with women. He squanders his priestly gifts with no direction or apparent plan.
Underneath the bluster, there is a caring man mostly concerned with the health and wellbeing of the common man. He is despite his vanity and selfishness a defender of the weak and wretched and most strong advocate of the injured, abandoned or the outcast. In the back of his mind he has made himself out to be a bit of a Robin Hood taking money from the “haves” and using it to service the weak and poor, however the majority of his earnings go directly to servicing his own appetites. There may be some greater destiny in his life but he is likely unaware of it and under prepared for it. The fact that he is still favoured by his Patron “The Lord” seems to be a good sign.
Posted in About The Game.
Episode One: WAR!!!
The political map of Abomnikus has been broken and redrawn. The lands have been decimated, cities, forests destroyed.
There is hope however as the 5 regions, Skellerus, the Succession, Deadlands, Mechanus, The Empire, have sent envoys to New Eval King, a shell of its once glorious majesty, to discuss peace.
Raziel has come along as part of the entourage of the envoy from Turin. Li Jun Fan is a junior member of a delegation from the Mitose monastary to oversee the summit. Ulysses is already in New Eval King on his own business.
New Eval King is a dead city, no birds, no children. People are dead, but they still have their souls.
The three end up in the Crimson Wanderer Inn. All hell broke loose, and the strangers were forced into action.
A rapespawn was left nearly dead, but the party saved him and was told the following:
“My name is Kareth Delores … I have the key to where the Voynich Manuscript is.” We must meet a man in the citadel of Gash, an ancient temple to Crazius, the ancient god of torture.
We agreed to visit with our superiors and get leave from our duties to go questing.
Ulysses and Li Jun Fan go looking for information and find that there will be an entrance in the grand ballroom under the great chandelier, look for the eye of the Swan.
Raziel’s knight commander takes great interest in our quest, and wishes him to keep the mission quiet.
Posted in Game Notes.
Introducing Li Jun Fan
Li Jun Fan is a monk of the Mitose clan. Their monastary is in the mountains near DunGul. The Mitose clan believes in balance and harmony in all things. Since Jun (Family name is Li, given names are Jun Fan) was a small boy he has trained his body and his mind. Now he is on a journey to restore harmony to Abomnikus. Entropy and the Relentless must be vanquished, and balance restored.
On this journey, Jun is also trying to find the Path to Enlightenment. Once the path is found, then the real journey to enlightenment can begin.
Posted in About The Game.
Introducing Raziel Lochlan
Jonathan Lochlan was not chosen to the priesthood, he was born into it, coming from a long line of priests of Dougal. He learned of the heroic labours of the brave heroes of Abomnikus at his fathers knee, and listened to the ballads of noble deaths at his mother’s breast.
He took to the sword fast, and was considered the most gifted student any in the monastery could recall since before the time of the iron abominations.
When he was five, he single-handedly drove off two relentless who had stumbled across he and a trio of his fellow students who had been sent on their spirit quest. He nearly died from the wounds he suffered in that battle, but now he wears the scars on his chest as a badge of honour and a reminder to always stand vigilant against the machines.
When he turned eight, he began a squire to the Fist of Dougal (his church’s army), and after ten grueling years he has earned the mantle of “Knight in Waiting”.
On the eve of his eighteenth birthday, during the ritual of Naacht Wis Nugaar, “The Night of the Holy Vision” Jonathan dreamed that he was holding a brilliant glowing sphere, warding off a horde of mechanical monstrosities. He saw a beast large enough to blot out the sun, it opened its thousand mouths and began to sing the song that would signal the end of the world. He looked on as the sphere glowed brighter and turned his body into pure energy. A silence washed over the scene as all sound was absorbed by his body, and then a massive explosion of pure energy enveloped the him and the beast. He awoke with a feeling of peace and calm, as he realized that his sacrifice would save Abomnikus and return it to an age of wonder and prosperity not seen since before the great war.
He has taken the name Raziel, after the legendary warrior who carried the secret of the old ones into battle and died a glorious death to end the great war.
Raziel now stands at the ready, prepared for the glory of the coming battle, knowing his will be a glorious death which will make Dougal himself weep with pride when he returns the abominations to the soulless hell from whence they emerged.
Posted in About The Game.
The Relentless Return
War!
The continent of Abomnikus is broken. The very thing that has caused the war, is the only power that is keeping the powers of neutrality from completely washing over the civilized lands. The power of Entropy has altered the landscape and even the races.
Five years have passed since the final confrontation with Dern Verthandi. While his attempts to achieve Godhood ultimately failed, the strife remains. Vast armies of the Relentless, trapped in this world and inexplicably altered, continue to wage battle against civilization.
Abomnikus has broken into five fragments: the Empire (the last vestiges of the City-States of Abomnikus), Skellerus, the Succession, Mechanus (the kingdom of Relentless established here), and the Deadlands (a nation of dead). The four nations battle for supremacy and ultimately survival.
Now, however, a small vial of poison has the potential to change the playing field again — perhaps ending the reign of mankind.
Posted in About the World.