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The Culling of Crimvale
Crimvale Chronicle
It had been done. Yoon could hardly believe it: not only were the dragons of the wood defeated, but the folks who had slain them driven out of the Courtyard. With a wave of his hand, the sensors he had about the Flint and Steel Guild went dormant. The robed man rose to his feet, striding confidently past the red-haired members of the Dukes of Crimvale. Sneers were cast his direction from the muscular warriors of the sect: he could have cared less. It was finally time.
He swept open the beads to the cavern that housed the leader of the Dukes, a cruel-faced matron hunched over a bubbling cauldron. The pregnant shaman turned to face Yoon, grinning with yellow teeth. "News?" She crooned, creeping towards the well-dressed humanoid. "The Guild has been driven out. The Courtyard may be ours."
Her smile grew even wider. Yoon shifted uncomfortably, "Yours. The Courtyard may be yours, Matron Mahrog." She stepped forward with a poisonously sweet voice, "The Courtyard will be the first to fall, and it will belong to it's original owner." Yoon stands unflinching: "...Of course." He bows to her, and she pats him on the head in a condescending manner. He continues, "Will you be calling upon your allies?"
Matron Mahrog snorts: "What allies? The orcs are dead to a man after they failed the first time. Those that fled the battle were hardly worth a meal." He steps forward to tap her shoulder with a roll of parchment. She retrieves it, opening it and looking upon the paper. She snorts once more, tossing it over her shoulder: "Do it then, Yoon."
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A few days later, a small circle of leaders stand within the murky cavern. The massive bulk of the wereshark Harker - recently broken out of jail - stood impatiently for the others to start speaking. Across from him stood a pale-fleshed gentlemen in black armor: the corpses of two exsanguinated drow lay behind him - a vampiric blackguard named Michael. They face a tall, muscular, red-furred gnoll champion - placed in Mahrog's place at the behest of Yoon. A warrior male named Gnargol - intended to ease the sensibilities of both Harker and Michael, fed words from a mindlink with the true leader of the Dukes.
The three argued and vied for leadership of one another until a deal was struck: they would be choosing champions to work in their stead. While the Dukes made their move on the courtyard and surrounding areas, their chosen champions would perform precision strikes against key locations: the Purple Ogre Tavern at Harker's request. The Church of Heironeous at Michael's request... and a small, hidden arena under the location at Gnargol's request.
All they had to do now was select their champions, and the Culling would begin.
-Important NPC's-
- Gnargol (Gnoll Rogue): Dim-witted but cunning, the beast's skill with daggers and intimidating presence make him well-suited to pretending to be the leader of the Dukes of Crimvale.
- Harker (Wereshark Barbarian): A loan shark with a bone to pick with the guild. Even after being broken out of jail, he still needed incentive to join in the Culling: the destruction of the tavern was almost enough for him to offer a discount for his services.
- Michael (Human Vampire Antipaladin): Once, he was a devoted servant of Heironeous: a run-in with a powerful vampire lord within the dungeons of Crimvale inspired him to renounce his faith and turn his back on all gods.
- Yoon (Samsaran Wizard): Yoon has been an adviser to powerful individuals ever since his first incarnation, and a wizard in each one. He has an insatiable curiosity and a keen intellect - yet despite this, he abandons the conniving plots of other wizards. He uses his magic and his mind like a hammer: smashing those who dare cross him.
- Mahrog (Gnoll Witch): The Dukes of Crimvale's shaman and leader since the rape and slaughter of her brother, the previous chieftain. This power-crazed and vile woman has pledged herself to the Lord of Crimvale and will stop at very little to bring him back. She is shrewd, and possesses a keen grasp of military tactics, but lacks the patience for manipulations.
~Character Creation~
These absolute monsters are the champions of evil, and they have a great deal to show for it: individually, they are 'boss monsters' in their own right. Together, they're a force to be reckoned with.
Level: 14
Point Buy: 30.
Starting Gold: 108,000gp.
Alignment: Any nongood.
Villain Points: 1
Campaign Traits: When choosing traits, you may select one of these traits as well. These are more powerful than usual traits, and your patron will ask your character to do special side-missions, which will earn them a Villain Point (to better oppose the Guild's Hero Points), as well as performing actions particularly suited to your chosen alignment or patron.
- Duke of Crimvale (Gnargol's Champions): You possess the dark red hair marking you as one of Crimvale's chosen: a Duke of Crimvale. Let the Triumverate have their little half-breed savior: you possess true might. You have been given a unique weapon, described further down: the Mad General's Head (a morningstar), the Black Blade of Destruction (a greatsword) or Sinister Kiss (a dagger).
- Sunken Treasures (Harker's Champions): You are Harker's most capable and powerful associate, and he has called in a favor so that you may serve as his champion, and given you a mighty sum of money for the service. Your starting gold is increased to 205,000 gold.
- Befouled (Michael's Champions): You lost your life in the dungeons below Crimvale only to rise once more in the service of the vampiric blackguard known as Michael. Your type changes to Undead, giving you all the benefits and penalties of an undead creature. You retain your racial abilities.
- Magical Void (Yoon's Champions): You have worked as Yoon's apprentice, or perhaps were taken as an experiment by the man. Your experience with his type of magic causes it to swirl about you: you are a hole for magic. You gain spell resistance equal to 11 + your character level.
- Monstrous Birth (Mahrog's Champions): Regardless of your race, Mahrog is your mother. Equally strict and doting, she has chosen you to be her champion. You may call upon your mother's patron to bolster your powers for a small amount of time, increasing a single ability score of your choice by 6 for one minute. This is a racial bonus, and can be used once per day.
- Devoted to Revenge (Unaffiliated, Mercenary Champions): You are a survivor of Raknaw's orcish army, or perhaps someone that's been wronged by the Guild's operations. Once per day, as an immediate action, you may gain 100 temporary hit points, which last for 1 minute. You can only use this ability if your current hit point total is less than 1/5 your maximum hit points. At the end of the minute, you lose these temporary hit points, possibly dying.
- Sunken Treasures (Harker's Champions): You are Harker's most capable and powerful associate, and he has called in a favor so that you may serve as his champion, and given you a mighty sum of money for the service. Your starting gold is increased to 205,000 gold.
- Befouled (Michael's Champions): You lost your life in the dungeons below Crimvale only to rise once more in the service of the vampiric blackguard known as Michael. Your type changes to Undead, giving you all the benefits and penalties of an undead creature. You retain your racial abilities.
- Magical Void (Yoon's Champions): You have worked as Yoon's apprentice, or perhaps were taken as an experiment by the man. Your experience with his type of magic causes it to swirl about you: you are a hole for magic. You gain spell resistance equal to 11 + your character level.
- Monstrous Birth (Mahrog's Champions): Regardless of your race, Mahrog is your mother. Equally strict and doting, she has chosen you to be her champion. You may call upon your mother's patron to bolster your powers for a small amount of time, increasing a single ability score of your choice by 6 for one minute. This is a racial bonus, and can be used once per day.
- Devoted to Revenge (Unaffiliated, Mercenary Champions): You are a survivor of Raknaw's orcish army, or perhaps someone that's been wronged by the Guild's operations. Once per day, as an immediate action, you may gain 100 temporary hit points, which last for 1 minute. You can only use this ability if your current hit point total is less than 1/5 your maximum hit points. At the end of the minute, you lose these temporary hit points, possibly dying.
Dukes of Crimvale Unique Weaponry:
- Mad General's Head: +2 Unholy, Cruel Morningstar. On a critical hit, the weapon shrieks and gibbers, acting as if an Insanity spell had been cast over a ten-foot radius centered on the wielder, who is immune if evil. The wielder often hears screams and gibbering in their mind, giving them a 50% chance of failing any Perception checks.
This weapon appears to be a demon's head with nails pounded into it and a spike shoved through it as a handle. It has been coated in iron. The result of a botched summoning ritual performed by Yoon in an attempt to bring one of Crimvale's mighty generals into the world. The result was a living severed head, screaming in pain. Intrigued, Yoon performed some experiments on it to determine how it was still alive before smashing it apart with a hammer and having the gore used to temper this weapon after the head reformed.
- The Black Blade of Destruction: +2 Unholy, Negating Adamantine Greatsword. When the weapon deals damage to an opponent, it also removes a single point of AC from the Natural, Armor, or Shield category. Armor or Shields reduced to +0 AC are broken and worthless. The wielder must use the blade to break an object worth at least 2,000 gold or kill a good-aligned creature or suffer withdrawal, becoming exhausted until the correct circumstances are met.
A massive sword with the properties of adamantine, though it appears to be forged out of some manner of shadow. The twisted hilt makes it appear harder to wield than it actually is. An ancient weapon infused with the soul of a mighty paladin that marched against Crimvale long ago, captured and twisted over time to loathe all other things. Unintelligent and mad, it seeks only wanton destruction.
- Sinister Kiss: 'Mortalbane' Dagger of Speed. This weapon counts as if it had the Bane property of whatever non-Outsider creature it is currently dealing damage to. The weapon's owner must inflict themselves with some manner of poison once per night or suffer from morning sickness.
This dagger is crafted out of an odd red metal, and the hilt is wrapped in fine velvet. Sinister Kiss was the favored weapon of a foreign woman with a double-life: she was both a skilled prostitute and a deadly assassin, often mingling pleasure and business. When she became pregnant, the father revealed himself to be a balor. She drank poison in an attempt to rid herself of the child and died. The weapon found it's way to the Dukes of Crimvale, and now to you.
This weapon appears to be a demon's head with nails pounded into it and a spike shoved through it as a handle. It has been coated in iron. The result of a botched summoning ritual performed by Yoon in an attempt to bring one of Crimvale's mighty generals into the world. The result was a living severed head, screaming in pain. Intrigued, Yoon performed some experiments on it to determine how it was still alive before smashing it apart with a hammer and having the gore used to temper this weapon after the head reformed.
- The Black Blade of Destruction: +2 Unholy, Negating Adamantine Greatsword. When the weapon deals damage to an opponent, it also removes a single point of AC from the Natural, Armor, or Shield category. Armor or Shields reduced to +0 AC are broken and worthless. The wielder must use the blade to break an object worth at least 2,000 gold or kill a good-aligned creature or suffer withdrawal, becoming exhausted until the correct circumstances are met.
A massive sword with the properties of adamantine, though it appears to be forged out of some manner of shadow. The twisted hilt makes it appear harder to wield than it actually is. An ancient weapon infused with the soul of a mighty paladin that marched against Crimvale long ago, captured and twisted over time to loathe all other things. Unintelligent and mad, it seeks only wanton destruction.
- Sinister Kiss: 'Mortalbane' Dagger of Speed. This weapon counts as if it had the Bane property of whatever non-Outsider creature it is currently dealing damage to. The weapon's owner must inflict themselves with some manner of poison once per night or suffer from morning sickness.
This dagger is crafted out of an odd red metal, and the hilt is wrapped in fine velvet. Sinister Kiss was the favored weapon of a foreign woman with a double-life: she was both a skilled prostitute and a deadly assassin, often mingling pleasure and business. When she became pregnant, the father revealed himself to be a balor. She drank poison in an attempt to rid herself of the child and died. The weapon found it's way to the Dukes of Crimvale, and now to you.
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