MirrorsOfWyld/Chapter1
Contents
Chapter 1: Tinkers Palace
I gave my characters extra bonus points at start-up, thats your decision, but you may need to tweak some stats if you don't.I also told my characters that if they play a tattooed Lunar character they won't be getting many of the perks this campaign has to offer since many of them have to do with shapechanging.
The Village
The game starts off in some little village in the south west corner of Antang, where the main languages are Low realm and flametoungue(the innkeeper knows High Realm). Why your characters are there you will have to explain in their backstories, or with a quick little pre-game or something. Theres nothing really special about this village except it has no guards, the townspeople know that they have to defend themselves and they do.Its a simple village for travelers to stop off and get supplies before they head over the mountains;so naturally it has a small market and a bar/inn. The market only has basic travel supplies, although you might find a few weapons for sale on a good day. Most of this information can be gathered with a few successes on a perception + awareness roll when they first enter the village.
the spy
If your characters have any visible artifice made of forbidden magical materials (orchalcum,moonsilver) or have with them an arsenal of jade without apparent breeding, with them when they walk into town there is a Wyld Hunt informant working at a stand in the market that will notice your characters and send 1 pigeon immediately and 2 pigeons after when they leave town. Note that daiklaves are huge and kind of stick out even if they are sheathed.
The spy makes a simple perception + investigation roll, at a difficulty set by any modifiers your players may have acquired through opposed rolls or effects to hide his magical gear(probably usually going to be standard difficulty unless you have a paranoid lot) At this point if your players ask to make a perception + awareness(+1 difficulty if it's awareness) or larceny roll towards the market itself they may notice that they are being observed. It is an opposed roll, Wits + larceny for the spy, with the succeses setting the difficulty for the spy not to get caught casing your group, and a perception + awareness(or larceny) roll for your group to notice the spy casing the group, as he leaves his market stall to an assistant, and goes to send the messages.
In the first pigeon, one flies to the spys supervisor who sends a crack scout crew(1 terrestrial, 4 mortals, 1 stealth observer) to track the offending party. The scout crew is 1 week away, and if it becomes obvious that there is definitely anathema in the town it won't be a scout crew and they will be there almost as soon as they get the bird. The scout troupe is dispatched immediately with a years supplies and are informed of new events through sorcery.
In the second group of pigeons both are reports, one to his supervisor, one to an immaculate monk, both saying what he saw and where it went. If they get the informant before the last letters go then they still have a chance to escape the realm if they kill the scout troupe and its observer, otherwise the immaculate monk and his team are on the case.
Note: one of my characters had the realm following him already at the start because of known anathema, so i didn't use the informant although i still used the scout troupe. I intend to have the realm on their tails for a while at the start of the campaign until they deal with it or it deals with them.
Spy stats:
9 Base Iniative(6 unarmed, but he will almost always be using the knife) 3 Lethal pool with knife (before soak, add 1 die for every 2 extra successes) 2 Bashing pool (before soak, add 1 die for every 2 extra successes) 5 die pool on any ability roll(he carries a knife in his sleeve) 7 die pool on Investigation, Larceny, and Stealth rolls All Virtues at 2 4 Willpower 5 health levels (-0, -1, -1, -2, -I) 2 bashing soak 0 lethal soak
"The Treasure Hunters"
Either at the market or in the bar(or both), your players will encounter a group of "treasure hunters". Talking about a tribal village they heard about some 100 miles south of them against the mountain. The tribe guards a big wall that blocks a pass up to the mountain and are friendly to travelers but lethal if you mess with the wall.
My group of "treasure hunters" had a single newly exalted outcaste in it, and he was pretty much the only one with brains. They were far from a crack troupe and intended them mostly to be a way to get your characters to that mountain pass and to be a little bit of a meatshield for the first game(even though two of my pc's were martial arts masters). Whether you want to incorperate them into the game as permanent Npc's, or slaughter them all off like i did in the first temple as an example to my players that they are dealing with life or death situations is up to you but know that my players and i had lots of fun laughing at the poor extras. The terrestrial botched and took a swim...in sand.... with sandswimmers, pity i was gonna keep him around.
At any rate, the group of "treasure hunters" is leaving the next morning, but they get drunk and its easy to get the location of the tribal village out of them, so your group can leave tonight if they wish.
Dont forget the spy on the way out of the village.
Treasure hunter Stats:
6 Base Initiative 5 Lethal pool with sword (before soak, add 1 die for every 2 extra successes) 3 Basing pool (before soak, add 1 die for every 2 extra successes) 5 die pool in everything (armed with shortswords and survival gear) All Virtues at 2(Valour at 3) 5 willpower 5 health levels (-0, -1, -1, -2, -I) 4 bashing soak 4 lethal soak
Outcastes stats:
I tore up his character sheet when he died(ive been cursing myself ever since), he was a starting outcaste character(water aspect) and i used all the rules from the dragonblood book. I dont have that book right now so you guys will have to make up your own or do without a terrestrial leader(try celestial maybe). When i get the book back i will post up another character to fill the need. Sorry...
Journey to the Tribal Village
A week or two's travel on foot, and your group will arrive at the tribal village, with the "treasure hunters" half a day behind them if you left before them; Your group will know this depending on whether or not your group has a rear scout/guard. I planned this trip to be uneventful just to save time its up to you.
The village very large and well defended. It is backed up against the mountain and surrounded by a strong wooden wall, with 2 wooden gates re-inforced with metal one guarding the entance to the village and one guarding the entrance to a mountain pass(thats where your players want to be). If your players took any tribal languages, the tribe will be able to speak it, but i made them a bear tribe and a couple of them speak choppy flame toungue. The tribe is used to dealing with travellers and if your group is polite, and is able to imply that you need survival supplies, food or medecine you will be granted access into the village. Failing that you will need to sneak in, or bypass the guards somehow. The tribe will not talk about what lies in the mountain pass (dif 5 on manipulation + socialise roll, or dexterity + craft(torture)) and if you ask too much they will throw you out of the village forcefully. The village has excellent healers and if your characters are hurt when they get here they will get healed free of charge.
The Village Guards: However many you want to put based on your characters, i had about 30 guards in the village . Just depends on how big you wish to describe the tribe and what fashion you believe your players will get past the wall (fighting, stealthy, speaking, sorcery).
9 Base Initiative ( 6 with selfbow or unarmed) 6 Lethal pool with spear (before soak, add 1 die for every 2 extra successes) 5 Lethal pool with broadhead arrows 3 Lethal pool with Target Arrows(but at half the targets soak) 3 Basing pool (before soak, add 1 die for every 2 extra successes) 6 die pool in everything (+1 if using spear) All Virtues at 2(Valour at 3) 5 willpower 5 health levels (-0, -1, -1, -2, -I) Buffjacket 5 bashing soak 3 lethal soak
Getting into the village:
By Invitation:
To get invited into the village you will have to be in need of help or supplies, or you will need to make it look like you are in need of help and supplies. Whichever way your group goes about they will have to make a roll unless someone among your group is visibly dying.
Charisma + Socialise if your players are telling the truth, or Manipulation + Performance or larceny if they are lying. The truth is difficulty 1, lying is difficulty 2. If they succeed they will be invited in for a few days and you should find the bit below about sneaking over walls because its difficulty 5 on charisma + bureacracy roll to make them let you pass with talking.
The hard way:
First elude the guards, its an opposed roll, the guards roll perception + awareness and the successes on that roll is the number of successes your players need to get on a dexterity + Stealth roll not get seen by the guards protecting the wall.
If your characters get seen, They will be fired upon with arrows(broadhead if unarmored, Target if armroed)and your characters will have to fight their way or run and try again a different day.... try not to kill them.
If your players succeed then they are okay until they get to the top of the wall unless they yell for some reason.
getting over the wall
Dexterity + Athletics roll at difficulty 3(add mobility penalties for armor)to climb the walls and gates of this village(or use monkey leap or something).If your players are sneakign they have to walls to get past, if they were invited in its only the back wall they need to get past.
a grappling hook will remove 2 difficulty on the roll to climb but the guards might notice it. Roll Dexterity + thrown(plus an accuracy modifier if you give them one) at difficlty 3 to use the grappling hook. Roll perception + awareness for the guards to notice the grappling hook. If your players mention trying to be discreet about the grappling hook have them roll Intelligence + Larceny for your team to time it correctly to make it more difficult for the guards(each success on the roll increses the difficulty for the guards perception + awareness roll by 1).
If the guards notice the rope they will cut it and start firing arrows;if your players forget the rope an alarm will be sounded when the guards notice it and your players will be found(unless they use essence). If your players forget to mention grabbing the rope on their way to the back gate have them roll wits + larceny, a single success means they remember to grab the rope, otherwise they get caught.
Note:The walls are wooden and therefore flammable, a fiery distraction is an option too intelligence + larceny to coordinate at 3 difficulty and as long as your characters can get up the wall they wont need to make any stealth rolls cause the village will be focused on putting out the fire.
At the top of the wall your players should roll dexterity + stealth against the guards perception awareness. You dont need to roll for all the guards just one. If your characters get noticed this time around its a melee fight and ranged fight and your characters only real chance will be to get over that far wall and into the mountain pass as fast as they can(if they get down off the wall theyll need to climb again. getting down the wall is the same difficulty as going up the wall(dont forget mobility penalties on athletic rolls).
If they succeed, have them roll perception + awareness so you can describe the village, and its defences.They may need to pass more stealth rolls (depends on you), and stealthily kill and hide the bodies of the 2 guards constantly guarding th eback gate Note: One of my players teleported into the mountain pass and the rest arrived with the treasure hunters and talked their way into the village and sneaked past the wall.
back to BuzzChild
