Thursday, December 17, 2020

Level 9 Gifts & Unique Strongholds, for Dolmenwood Clerics

Note: I found this in my gdocs with some half-finished versions for other classes, but it felt of worth to post this finished one here, for clerics/friars/religious sorts.

Having survived the rigors and travails of the wold, you are now of wealth and status enough to establish yourself in the region as more than a mere protagonist and roustabout. What follows are a d6 of unique strongholds for which you may gain dominion over by writ of trust or construction, as well as a d8 of gifts from those in your charge. You may use this to better flesh out NPCs of note, to populate hexes with places of power for such professionals, or for its intended use as examples for character classes which have unlocked their stronghold feature.


The hopes of these tables are that the construction of the Stronghold will be an adventure all on its own, and should you play within the setting multiple times; the remnants of previous campaigns will be present in such ways that directly influence the politics of the map. Gifts should be attained first when a Stronghold is announced to be constructed (as such a thing is cause for celebration), and then upon completion. In the event of rolling the same gift twice, just pick the item next on the list.





Cleric (OSE: C&E)

Strongholds

1. The Church would have you build a stronghold within the Table Downs, so as to extend the political influence of the faith towards those ghost-haunted hills and the borderlands beyond. They fear astrological turmoil and the weakness of the firmament in such lands, and were you to build there it would help reaffirm the sometimes meager faith of the populace.


2. The Church requests you build your stronghold on the edge of the Fever Marshes, for there is great perfidy in that swamp and no small amount of pagan sorcery. In constructing on the edge of the marshes, they anticipate your workers will face contagion and illness; it will be up to you to show them that faith in the One True God is of greater means than their earthly vessels.


3. The Church would have you build a proper stronghold in the port town of Dreg, so as to rouse the faithful of St. Wick back to their better natures. The Church expects there to be some degree of opposition from the criminal riff-raff, as well as from Lord Malbleat who may take umbrage to greater influence from an exterior power. The Church encourages your stronghold to tower above the town, so as to shame those who’d go to Shantywood Isle.


4. The Church desires you build your stronghold on the edge of the Hag’s Addle, so as to tame that region and snub the nose of the titular Hag. It is expected that a village shall crop up to fish and work the lands around your stronghold, and there is some vague implications from your superiors that were you to rid the Addle of the Hag, you may find yourself in line to be canonized.


5. The Church sees fit to grant you a small estate of hills within the Tithelands, so that your stronghold may serve as a stopping place for those visiting the Cathedral at Castle Brackenwold. They will expect an ongoing and subservient relationship with the Bishop Sanguine, as well as the Royal Academy of Sorcery in Loom which ordains practitioners of arcane means.


6. The Church kindly requests your stronghold be constructed upon the grounds of the Ruined Abbey of St. Clewd, so as to reclaim the land from faerie folk and things fouler still. Once reclaimed, the Church will assist in the funds of reconstruction and make sure that you are granted the title of “the Reclaimer'' in official church documentation. If the Church is made properly aware of that which dwells within the Ruined Abbey, they will provide Lichwards from the Order of St. Faxis to assist in protective warding rituals.

Gifts

1. A blessed kiss upon the forehead by the Bishop Sanguine, a mark that shines like a shimmering drop of sunlight in the eyes of lesser fiends, forcing them to avert their eyes so long as your actions remain blessed and just.


2. The body of a Crusader of St. Sedge, draped in finery and embellished with a golden death mask is to be interred in an ossuary within your stronghold as a show of good faith. The Crusader was steadfast in his warring, and within the halls of your stronghold no heretic will ever dwell in comfort.


3. A silver estoc of the Order of St. Faxis, to be mounted upon the wall in your quarters. In candlelight it appears almost red-hot in reflection, and when properly waxed in similar conditions it can appear to bleed. It has a way of drawing forth the truth of those of craven nature.


4. A grotesque gargoyle, bound in chains, to be mounted on your stronghold. Wicked beings can hear its long petrified torments and its proclamations that they save themselves lest they too be fated with such misfortune. At least, this is what you are told it does. 


5. A tapestry commissioned by one of your patrons or boon companions, depicting a moment of triumph and glory over the meager forces of darkness which sought to oppose you. It shall be fitting within your great hall, and was stitched with the faithful hands of a dozen nuns.


6. A sculpted edifice depicting the seventeen archangels who aided Saint Benester, meant to be mounted in the quire room of your stronghold. Slightly concave, it does amplify the acoustics and make the voice of those speaking before it sound beatific and booming.


7. Commissioned misericord from the Woodcutter’s Encampment, carved from sweet monkswood, and embellished with the faces of one of each of the 100 Martyrs. Those within your stronghold who kneel shall feel the support of all those selfless men and women who died in ages past.


8. A resplendent brass bell, hundreds of pounds heavy, with silver filigree depicting the angelic host of the One True God upon its waist and crown. The clapper depicts scenes from the wold, etched in the metal. Powerful ropes of bound, reddened cord with gilded tassles have also been included. 


Aesthetic [d6]

1. It is to be constructed in the traditional stonework style of the early days of the Church, with a triple-arch entryway depicting the Host of Heaven, tall narrow windows, in rows of three, a vaunted belltower, and a three-level cellar for the quartering of lay practitioners, the holding of supplies in the event of a calamity, and a catacombs and ossuary for the laying of the blessed departed who deserve such consideration.


2. It is to be a rayonnat gothic church of quarried stone and magnificent rose windows which will allow the sun to shine down scenes of martyrs and blessed gardens upon the faithful. It is to have two stories to its height, with ample pierced gables to tell the tales of beatific deeds. There will be room here for cloistered workers, and ample space for a library office.


3. It is to be a dual-spired gothic church with a finely shingled roof and a large outdoor garden secluded behind high stone walls so as to allow for private cultivation of herbs and vegetables. It is to serve as a pilgrimage church, and will have rooms available for weary travellers and a feasting hall with ample larders to see none shall go hungry here.


4. It will be an articular church made from the native timbers of the wold, with a tended copse for firewood and game hunting open to the local woodsmen. It will display the Saints and Martyrs in acts of commensality, and it will be daubed to provide a gentle sense of comfort; so as to better make the pagan man feel safe to follow a righteous path.


5. It will be a stave church with great ore-pine posts, engraved to tell the stories of the common man’s triumph over sin through penance and hard work. Your quarters will be one the third floor, beneath the raised roof and the attic for the belltower. The grand hall will be open for the public and prayer, with architectural acumen benefitting the orator and choir addressing the crowds within.


6. It will be a priory house of finely hewn stone and powerful timbers, with a stables for the horses and a pesthouse for the unfortunate and the sickly who need to be tended to. Lay priests will conduct the proselytization while you attend to works upon illuminated manuscripts and astrological divinations in your observatory office. Wine will be produced for the benefit of sacrament and personal appreciation.


Special Servants [d4]

1. 3d6 + 6 fighters of 1st Level who serve you without question, 2d8 fighters of 2nd Level who served in foreign crusades and fight without fear against the undead. 1d3 botanists and 2d4 herbalists, as well as 1d3 sisters-mendicant from the Order of St.Lillibeth. 2d10+12 general laborers who will tend to the lands around your church.


2. 2d6 + 10 hunters of 1st Level, who know well the forest and will see your larder well stocked. 1d8 fighters and 2d4 clerics of 1st Level who shall serve as your guardians, inquisitors, and protectors of the stronghold. 1d4 Armorers and 1d4 Blacksmiths who will see your henchmen well outfitted. 1d4 houndmasters and 3d10+12 hounds of various pedigree, for sake of assisting your hunters and running out vermin and fouler things from the land.


3. 1d12+2 fighters of 2nd Level, many of whom served in foreign crusades and have been assigned to you by the Bishop. 2d6 engineers and 3d10+20 laborers to see that your stronghold will stand the testament of time. 4d6 scribes and illustrators to transcribe your holy books, make copies of important missives, and to work upon a grand illuminated manuscript for your legacy. 2d4 hounds and 1d4 houndmasters to walk the grounds and periphery of your stronghold and see to its upkeep.


4. 2d8 clerics of 1st Level and 3d4 friars of 1st Level, to study at your feet and learn to better connect themselves with the divine before going off into the neighboring wood as witch-finders and pilgrims. 2d4 antiquarians from Loom and Bellthorp, to help write letters and see that any shrine in the nearby wold is proper archived in a votive manuscript. 4d10 laborers to help tend to the daily upkeep of the stronghold and 1d4 chefs from Castle Brackenwold to ensure you are always able to properly eat a warm meal.


Your Legacy [d6]

1. Your sacrifice and devotion to the One True God was not without its failings, but one does not become recognized as a martyr unless they have suffered. Your name is inscribed upon your stronghold in stone, to be remembered as a martyr and a patron of the faithful and the good. Yours is a name remembered on feasting days, and to some you are viewed as a lesser saint of the woods.


2. Towards the end of your life you produced a votive manuscript of divine ensorcellment, such that any who gaze upon it feel the sublime weakness of a child before the strength of the heavenly host. The tome itself, when read aloud, has been ascribed to converting many a pagan host to the only true and proper path.


3. You died as an anchorite, your body host to the demons of the wood which if not for your grit and mettle, would’ve ravaged the common man and made mockery of their forms. You forced them to test you, with razors and claws, and though you lost your life in the process, they died sealed away; broken and impotent. You are known as the Hateful Host, the Knife, the Unbroken, and the Sacrament Sinner; titles which inspire those who know the truth of their origin.


4. You re-established the strength of the Church in the eyes of the Goatlords, manipulating politics so as to see their daughters married to the pious and zealous servant of the One True God. Within generations, the Goatlords will face schisms between their goodly population and their pagan traditions. You die knowing the Church will be stronger for this in time.


5. You died at the hands of the Drune, but not before burning one of their lodges and releasing those they would have offered up to hateful entities under baleful daggers and moonlight. Your death spurred on the fury of the righteous, and the Watchers of the Wood will recede into shadow and flame as the common man desires even less to do with them.


6. You engaged with a beast glantislant, or some other wretched behemoth, which sought to bring the woods to bend the knee and die, consumed by madness. You beat it back, you engaged the One True God to let you die a martyr if it would save the good people of the wood. You are remembered now as a Saint of self-sacrifice and beast-hunting, held in the toasts of hunters and those who face overwhelming odds to defend a greater ideal of community.


Sunday, September 13, 2020

Spoils of the Gorgon Coast: The Cult of Chalices [Randomizers]

Continuing on from yesterday, probably the hardest thing to cut from Spoils of the Gorgon Coast were the randomizers for the Cult of Chalices; the horrible cult which exists to support the Inheritors in their quest for monstrous divinity. The Inheritors in the book ended up getting more focus, as the direct antagonists; but the Cult of Chalices are the intended bad guys to fight and contend with. In all honesty I should've freely published these earlier, I was sort of holding off on it because I put out an offer for anyone who reviewed the book online to receive free further content from me; but that never really took on. C'est la vie.

Having gotten to write a bit of the setting material for Best Left Buried: Deeper, the Cult of Chalices do appear in some mentions, as does the Gorgon Coast; but they are contained to broader Maignish territory ceded in the collapse of the Imperium. I actually enjoyed writing some non-Italian/Spain inspired items away from the monstrous attitudes of the Gorgon Coast; but it is my hope that some folk might run campaigns and use my work to tarnish, invade, and destroy that broader, more beautiful world.

Blasphemous is a good tone to think on this from.
Blasphemous is a good inspiration.


Anyway.

As the state religion of the Coast, the Cult of Chalices influence much of the culture present in these modern days. All but the most outlying hamlet has at least one shrine dedicated to their bloodletting rites, all of storied history and some importance to the greater schemes of the faith. From the vaunted cathedrals of the city-state to the petty road shrine in the southern mountains, the influence of the Chalice is ever present.

[d10] Why is this site sacred to the Cult of Chalices?

  1. An ancient Chalice-Bearer was exsanguinated where this structure now stands.
  2. An Inheritor, first of their line, was birthed in this spot.
  3. A martyr of the Ordo Mourner-Stigmata died defending the Chalice faithful here.
  4. This was the site of an ancient purge against dissidents and heretics.
  5. A terrible monster was blooded here, bringing safety and prosperity to the land.
  6. The Basilisk was driven back from this site nearly a hundred years ago.
  7. A false Inheritor who denied the Chalice was tortured to death here.
  8. A mighty Chalice-Bearer who rose to the rank of Archon was born here, their afterbirth still stains the ground.
  9. The Ordo Parasitium purged the last of a strain of vile blood at this location.
  10. A wayward pilgrim's chalice was blessed by miraculous blood here, not emptying til all had their fill.

[d10] What else is of importance at this site?

  1. An ancient chalice is enshrined within, stained red with age and use.
  2. Xiphos swords from a more primitive age are held here in reliquary.
  3. A pacified monster, brutalized docile, serves here.
  4. Many ancient scrolls are held at this site, such is their importance.
  5. Hidden catacombs beneath the site hold blood of ancient servants.
  6. An adjacent wine cellar holds blessed sanguine from the days of imperial splendor.
  7. Enshrined within is a gilded scroll that Chalice-bearers make pilgrimage to read.
  8. A ritual room is attached, for rites of passage and fouler acts.
  9. The ceiling of the site is a detailed painting of the night sky, with astrological signs painted in red.
  10. Brass grotesques of agonized bulls and hateful men line the outside of the site.

[d10] Who is in attendance at this site?

  1. A group of silent mendicants ...
  2. A throng of scab-coated flagellants...
  3. A few dozen parishioners in their sanguine finest...
  4. A trio of Chalice Aspirants...
  5. A few candle-lighter boys...
  6. A cadre of peers from the Ordo of the Mourner Stigmata...
  7. A heretic and a legalist, both of the Dissident Choir...
  8. A dozen anemic blood letters...
  9. An exorcist and apprentice of the Ordo Parasitium...
  10. A red deacon and their congregation of the humble poor ...

[d10] What is it they are doing?

  1.  ...holding sallow candles of ox-fat and singing the chant.
  2. ...polishing knives of elegant silver and hornwood.
  3. ...engaged in silent prayer, whispering over empty stone chalices.
  4. ...looking upon the splendorous displays of the faith.
  5. ...engaged in hushed talks of politics and war.
  6. ...contemplating the vintage of a phial of blessed blood.
  7. ...speaking the ills of the world and who is to blame.
  8. ...spilling crimson blood into a grotesque ritual basin.
  9. ...donning the Regalia Gorgoneia in preparation for a ritual.
  10. ...singing the chant of blood and truth, loud and wild.

[d10] Who is the Chalice-Bearer of this locale?

  1. A lesser sibling to the local Inheritor...
  2. A castrated Inheritor searching for purpose...
  3. A zealot who drinks too deeply of vile blood...
  4. A retired exorcist who holds the chalice for fear of demons...
  5. A boisterous chaplain of the Inheritor's army...
  6. An atavistic anchorite, blooded of the Dog-Men...
  7. An eel-throated chanter of the Dissident Choir...
  8. A flame-scarred theologian who fears the eschaton to come...
  9. An emaciated martyr, bedraggled by botflies...
  10. The flayed child of an Inheritor, destined by prophecy for the Blackened Throne...

[d10] What is it that makes them unique?

  1. ...they have fangs like a crocodile and the wild hair of a beast.
  2. ...they seek the offal of a basilisk to perform a sacrament of stone.
  3. ...their body is host to many parasites, slowly turning them to stone.
  4. ...their hands are clawed like a vulture and their voice is like the breaking of bones.
  5. ...a third eye upon their head bleeds with beatific stigmata, a mark of greatness.
  6. ...they wear a stone mask, grotesque; their inner truth made outward.
  7. ...they wear a raiment of crimson, dyed with the blood of a hundred "lesser beings."
  8. ...they clutch tightly an ancient Imperial blackware chalice.
  9. ...they deeply fear loss of influence in the coming war, that they will be usurped.
  10. ...they have begun to pen their grand works in virgin blood, binding a terrible spell to the page.

[d6] The Cult of Chalices perform many profane rituals. What is the catalyst of this one?

  1. Demands the sacrifice of wild bulls...
  2. Commands the drowning of a child in monstrous blood...
  3. Calls for the bedding of a virgin and a vile monster...
  4. Demands the consumption of ancient blood...
  5. Calls for slathering oneself in the ashes of charred royalty...
  6. Commands the consumption of a warrior's heart…

[d6] What will result from this ritual succeeding?

  1. ...it will produce an Inheritor of great value in the coming age.
  2. ...it will provide insight into dweomers that prevent the coming age.
  3. ...it will mantle the ritualist with monstrous mien.
  4. ...it will enkindle the soul with mastery of immolation.
  5. ...it will be the cause of calamity against hated foes.
  6. ...it will bid the Imperator's genus loci to inhabit a new Stone Herald.

[d10] In places of splendor, what treasure does the Cult of Chalices display?

  1. A grand tapestry, dyed in the sanguine blood of martyrs and monsters.
  2. A stained glass window depicting the Chalice casting a red glare on the world..
  3. Blessed candles rendered from the fat of fallen peers of the Ordo Mourner-Stigmata.
  4. An ancient chalice of clay, cracked with age and stained deep blackish red within its basin.
  5. An altar of simple stone with a deep basin so that all may drink from it heartily.
  6. A grotesque teapot of scowling monster faces, large enough to hold a beating heart.
  7. A set of small onyx statues depicting pilgrims carrying chalices.
  8. Resplendent painting of monsters and heretics drowning in a sea of boiling blood.
  9. A carpet, stained red and woven from the hair of the fallen faithful.
  10. A set of red-bound books concerning the nature of contagions and purification rites.

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Spoils of the Gorgon Coast: Contacts in Fallen Taurochtalia

While I do eventually intend to compile the whole of my cut content from Spoils of the Gorgon Coast into a proper module featuring the Ashen City and the fallen capital in all its glory, it feels beyond pointless for me to keep materials I had cut from the original draft of the book in some dropbox. For those not in the know, Spoils was nearly double the length we ended up going with; a mixture of cut content and my own purple prose. Those of you who enjoyed it, I suggest you indulge in Best Left Buried: Deeper when it comes to kickstarter within a week or so; as I was given a chance to write much of the geographical/faction/setting details and they're of my brand. 

What follows is a list of contacts in Fallen Taurochtalia, though in theory you could put them anywhere on the Gorgon Coast. There is one for each archetype of the original edition, as well as little randomizers to determine what it is they are up to. 

Blooded Mother Sidania (Believer)

Martyr that she is, Sidania dwells among the parasite lepers of the Plaza Gorgoneia, calling the slowly petrifying masses to the daily chant and sharing sanguine blood with new aspirants to the cult. She is a tall and narrow maiden of advancing age, dressed in crimson robes and iron rings on each finger meant to allow for ease of bleeding. Always worn around her neck is a gilded goblet embellished with patterns of sharks devouring serpents. It is her most precious treasure, a gift from an Inheritor, and when she sips from it she is under the influence of bloodscent towards whatever type of creature’s blood was imbibed. She knows the rites of chivalry and hospitality upon the Gorgon Coast, as well as the layout of many a Chalice Cult site. Sidania will never assist in acts against the Cult unless given ample cause to believe the targets are in truth members of the Dissident Choir. If properly bribed with “donations to the Cult” be it high art or the blood of monsters, she can open many doors in even the most far-flung faithful hamlets of the region.

[d6] What is Blooded Mother Sidania doing?

  1. Writing correspondence to the Ordo Parasitium, offering tips on arson and fire starting.
  2. Whipping a recent convert to the Cult of Chalices and collecting the blood from their back.
  3. Throttling a Chalice Chanter, alleging them to be a Dissident Choir heretic.
  4. Proselytizing to mercenaries and deserters with little success.
  5. Warbling a song of prayer while peeling the skin from her fingers.
  6. Reading coded correspondence, bitterness in her twitching eyes.
The Herald of the White Tower (Cabalist)

The slave of the Wizard, no amount of gilded thread or silvered lace upon his regalia will convince others he is anything more than a thrall. Behind a solemn chorus mask is the traumatized face of a young man, beholden to mind-shattering sorceries and dark rituals which put him the least among his peers in the other Duchies. If not for the wealth he commands by proxy, he’d be treated as the craven lunatic others think him to be. But none would dare openly disrespect the poor boy, for he is the Herald of the White Tower, and to insult him would be to risk the wrath of the Wizard who usurped the godhead. Those who have witnessed the Herald’s magic might think him merely a conduit, for his spells are accompanied by agonized screams. He dwells in the Manor of the Dogaressa, finding comfort in the abandoned libraries where old truths are enshrined. On warm days he visits the Plaza of the Ten to watch philosophers preach their knowledge. He is charged by his master to ensure whoever seizes the Blackened Throne of the Gorgon Coast will bow to the law of the Wizard; but disillusioned by the mercantile aspects of warfare he has found his attention drawn more towards attempting to preserve the arts of Ancient Taurochtalia before they are lost to war. He will pay handsomely for items of antique vintage. 

[d6] What is Herald of the White Tower doing?

  1. Heading to the Tower Collegium as a puppet, eyes crackling with energy, 
  2. Gripping at his brow, as if fearing his head might explode.
  3. Wandering the streets in a frenzy, speaking in tongues, weeping.
  4. Protesting in vanity towards sellswords, against the cruelties of war
  5. Walking about and then immediately crumpling to the ground in seizures, their body rippling with white fettering energies.
  6. Disrobed, pale, tired, contemplating self-harm; masks himself if noticed, fears being seen as anything other than the herald, but desires being seen all the same.
Salamach the Cyclops (Cut-Throat)

Born of the Dog-Men, Salamach is a hulking brute of a man with teeth made for rending bone and hands made for throttling the innocent. He has a bounty on his head from several notable and rival Inheritors, having earned their ire after stealing a broken helmet from the tomb of a fallen Imperator. Crafted from enchanted bronze, the shimmering blue metal obscures half his face; displaying instead an armored mask of coiling snakes around a single gigantic eye. He is unaware of its monstrous power, that should someone try to take his head he will become a slithering mass of serpents (as beetle flesh). None have been bold enough to try. By strength of arms and many enemies, Salamach has postured himself into the position of a crime lord and loan shark in Fallen Taurochtalia. He doesn’t care for the city, and would flee to foreign shores if properly incentivized. He trades in favors, kidnappings and public beat-downs, employing protagonists and sellswords to shakedown non-compliant entities. He is effective, producing brutalized abductees for a modest price. 

[d6] What is Salamach the Cyclops doing?

  1. Throttling a smuggler with one hand, mocking their mother and crushing their windpipe, 
  2. Taking in a fight between protagonists, laughing obnoxiously at the sound of brutalized meat.
  3. Sleeping in a comfortable pile with several beautiful camp followers, their make-up smears staining him and one another.
  4. Strutting through town with bawdy concubines, two on each arm. 
  5. Ordering around smugglers while gnawing on a roast goose he holds in a single hand, 
  6. Brutalizing a deserter for some imagined failure, popping their bones out of place.
Rigamella DiLemel (Dastardess)

The troubadours have sung her deeds for the past three years, the dastardess who collects the jawbones of rakish men, the duellist who humiliated a Jerrodine lord by removing her false beard and revealing his false claims, the brazen knave who rode naked through distant Junkai with the head of an ogre as her banner. The truth of any such deed is notably hard to improve, embellished as they are. She has returned, they say, to the Gorgon Coast so she might usurp an Inheritor and claim her rightful place as a new Dogaressa of a city-state. Of course she doesn’t seem to know anything about the Chalice Cult, so she cannot be from the Coast. Just as well, she’d have to be twice her age to have bested many of the rivals she claims to have done in. What is certain is her cunning and her grace, for she is built like an amazon and quick with a rapier. She will pay well for stories of ancient tombs and derring-do, and in her web of lies there may be truth of use.

[d6] What is Rigamella DiLemel doing?

  1. Bragging proudly from atop a crate as troubadours sing of her deeds.
  2. Engaged in a daring duel with a protagonist, learned eyes can note dulled rapiers wielded with grace.
  3. Engaged in whimsical flights of fancy, generally involving leaping and laughter, 
  4. Making a show of speaking to beggars about mundane things, for she is of the people.
  5. Engaging mercenaries in braggadocios conversation about where she has fought before.
  6. Getting her boots shined while practicing the Chalice Chant, butchering some pronunciations. 
Ferdinand & Isolde (Everymen)

As a middle-aged couple backed by the Bank of Calmyn, Ferdinand and Isolde are a villainous sort. They’ve come to the Gorgon Coast to further their fortune, purchase art and antiquities from plunderers, and potentially carve out a place to retire. They are thus far unimpressed; the parasite lepers and slimegorged creatures of the neighboring shoals have curdled their appreciation for the region. An encounter with blood-drinking flagellants and chalice chanters have only furthered their desire to see the region broken by “a more polite and civilized society.” Ferdinand is a short, thin man with a broom-stick mustache and a charm befitting a financial venturer; the sort of sly voice that can sell you the shirt you’re already wearing. Isolde prefers wearing elaborate dresses of fine lace and brooches of polished sea shells. Neither are prone to combat, but Isolde has shot more than a few debtors who fell late on their payments. To the average cryptdigger, the pair are agreeable, they will fund most ventures in exchange for a notable cut, and will share tactical information they’ve earned to Calmynite expatriates or shareholders of the Bank.

[d6] What are Ferdinand & Isolde doing?

  1. Taking in a heavy, lavish meal and discussing business,
  2. Inquiring the prices for breaking various limbs with a protagonist, 
  3. Holding hands and acting obnoxiously coupled.
  4. Grimacing at the sight of beggars, parasite lepers, and Chalice Chanters.
  5. Engaging in ledger work and mercantile exploits with a quartermaster.
  6. Inciting small disputes between camp followers and mercenaries based on wage discrepancies.
Monzamere (Freeblade)

Though his reputation seldom precedes him, no living beast-hearted fiend may kill Monzamere of Norui. A freeblade who has seen the world and fought across its fields of battle, Monzamere is a nearly ancient man of nigh-Dwarven proportions, his skin a weather beaten ebony, and his expression eternally pensive. Those who do know his reputation know he was exiled from Norui for some blasphemy. They call his blessing a curse, a sign of a coming age of monsters. He has come to the Gorgon Coast to seek another war to pass the time; and he heard rumor that all beings native to the region are “beast-hearted” in some manner. Monzamere does not care about the petty posturing of local lords, and no one can afford his prices for more than a few skirmishes. He dwells in the upper city, occasionally being courted by monster hunters and Inheritors who have heard whisperings of his prowess. Monzamere would easily be won in by legalists, should they be versed in the laws of Norui and able to see him return home.

[d6] What is Monzamere doing?

  1. Commenting each move a protagonist will make in a street brawl right before they make them.
  2. Cringing in annoyance at the sound of the Chalice Chant.
  3. Grumpily eating a slice of fancy cheese on coarse country bread.
  4. Sleeping in a plaza, naked, with a sign next to him reading "I am Monzamere, strike as you dare."
  5. Effortlessly brawling with a gaggle of mercenaries, bashing them with ease.
  6. Speaking with camp followers in search of hard-to-obtain spices no quartermaster would carry.
Hecuba Enande (Outcast)

Had they been born of nobility, Hecuba Enande would be among the Ordo Parasitium; and if rumors are to be true, they’d be vaunted among the Knights Basilisk by now. But Hecuba was born low, a thrall upon the slave ship Enande which toiled for pearls along the Gorgon Coast. Further misfortune saw Hecuba subjected with the afflictions of the parasite lepers, and for this they were cast overboard and into the drink. How Hecuba survived is not known, they speak of being awash in red, in fangs, and awakened in the harbor. Hecuba Enande dwells in the Old Slave Warrens, an outcast even among the parasite lepers. They hear a voice that heralds in a new age, in dreams it beckons them, and in the waking life it thrums through their body; like writhing worms. Hecuba’s grasp on reality is still salient, and vengeance propels them when it can. They want the taskmasters of the Enande brought to them in shackles, and they desire balms so their petrifying flesh does not slough off as painfully. They could be of use to a cryptdigger, strange visions aside, Hecuba knows well the cruelties of this region and their fellow outcasts will serve them in fear if plied. 

[d6] What is Hecuba Enande doing?

  1. Ordering parasite lepers to attend to the Old Slave Warrens for "worship," 
  2. Vomiting up serpentine worms and gazing madly at them. 
  3. Gnawing away semi-petrified flesh off their person.
  4. Consorting with bounty hunters, paying treasures for information on a slave ship.
  5. Dragging a screaming deserter into a darkened alleyway.
  6. Conversing with mercenaries about alleged criminals hiding in the Ashen City.
Bona of the Red Blade (Protagonist)

A degenerate spawn of a neighboring city-state, Bona fled the abuses of her family and took up residence in the ancestral villa of her line in the upper city of Fallen Taurochtalia. Her form is not broken or malevolent, save that in place of her right hand she has a long cutting appendage of fused bone and raw red meat. She is otherwise unremarkable, perhaps a bit tall and jaundiced in eyes, but generally bland. Beyond pawning off family heirlooms and drinking with mercenaries, Bona spends most of her time engaged in brawls or games of chance. She often finds herself awakening from drunken stupors in some sort of criminal entanglement. Those who can assist her in enjoying a life of debauchery and combat will find themselves with a shared pool of enemies; but also with an asset who knows the who’s-who of important figures in a neighboring Inheritor court.

[d6] What is Bona of the Red Blade doing?

  1. Running from a gang of mercenaries; laughing madly, carrying a half-naked camp follower over her shoulder. 
  2. Drunk off her gourd and asking everyone she comes across if they want to fight.
  3. Passed out over a roast goose on the street.
  4. Drunkenly trying to get a Chalice Chanter to teach her to dance.
  5. Being too loud and obnoxious for this hour.
  6. Defecating into a public fountain while chugging a bottle of wine.
Adreme Soccio Verte (Scholar)

Adreme Soccio Verte, a noted academic, currently on errantry in Fallen Taurochtalia, constructing a thesis on the influence of philosophers upon teeming masses of the violent and desperate which she has entitled “Transitional Eschatological Ethics.” Mercenaries and freeblades find her silent observations in the plazas of town to be intolerable. She has a habit of staring daggers into folk without seemingly intending to, though she believes those who claim this are overly sensitive for their violent line of work. She seldom speaks at length of her studies in a collegium of the Ten Sages, as she finds it pretentious to rest on the laurels of her alma mater; something she believes most of her peers are guilty of. Adreme has yet to properly see the horrors of war, though she has done ample interviews and studies with those who suffer from petty skirmishes. She has a deep understanding of the human mind if one can break through her ego. Notably, prior to pursuing this latest venture, she was notable in assisting those suffering from afflictions by way of therapy, drugs, and esoteric techniques. She does wish to see a battle up close and personal, but would sooner befriend mercenaries than hire them.

[d6] What is Adreme Soccio Verte doing?

  1. Silently people-watching a group of mercenaries to their discomfort.
  2. Asking too many probing questions to military deserters.
  3. Interrogating the price of various "additional services" from camp followers, gets mad when they ask her if she's interested.
  4. Listening to philosophers in the upper city preach the same tired points of human ethics.
  5. Questioning a Chalice Chanter about rumors of a schism in the church, much to their anger. 
  6. Engaged in polite banter with a quartermaster about being "in the thick of it" until things become uncomfortable.
Iago Herelake (Veteran)

Noted among the Dogaressa’s Guard for having survived a venture into the crypts beneath the Palace of Blackened Horns, Iago Herelake was struck partially maddened from the experience. His hair is a shock white and his flesh has become albinistic from what he encountered beneath, He was placed into a position where he would seldom encounter his peers after an incident where in a somnambulist trance, carved open the throats of his barracks bunk mates and painted a labyrinthine map with their blood. Iago seeks answers to what he saw beneath the Palace and he is haunted by nightmares of what will come if an Inheritor takes the Blackened Throne. Though formerly Chalice faithful, he has begun backing the Dissident Choir; viewing his former faith as complicit in a coming apocalyptic event. To cryptdiggers and freeblades, Iago is knowledgeable on most unpleasant subjects; but so overcome with fear, he is more likely to dissuade others from delving the crypts than fighting the darkness. He also believes the map he produced is that of a mythic underworld where something hateful seeks to escape.

[d6] What is Iago Herelake doing?

  1. Nursing a bottle of wine and looking at the world through a deadman's gaze.
  2. Polishing immaculate armor, not worn in years.
  3. Errantly doodling a labyrinthine pattern in the margins of a book. 
  4. Being pestered by mercenaries who believe he makes treasure maps.
  5. Providing advice to military deserters and claiming they've made a wise choice.
  6. Staring at a water fixture and mumbling to himself about "how deep and twisting it all must go..."

Friday, August 21, 2020

Warhammer Fantasy: The Apothecary (Trappings/Randomizers)

 I got very bored the other night as contracts working for other companies ran dry and felt the desire to write some randomization tables for my own enjoyment before getting back on to my own personal projects. As I'd been enjoying reading the newest edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, I felt a desire to make something for it. Originally, the following tables included far more tables and sub-tables, covering all four stages of the 4th edition version of the Apothecary career's trappings.

But I got tired of writing for this and would rather work on my own things, so I figured it was better to post what I have now rather than allow it to fester in my google docs until the end times come to claim me. 

These tables skew towards a Reiklander rather than a dwarf or an elf; and in theory a halfling could feel adequate for most of these tables. I had actually done some research on Apothecaries as a professional tradition and was going to write some things proper on that, but I'm not being paid for this and I'd rather concentrate my efforts elsewhere.

I hope this is of some value, to someone, somewhere, somehow.



d10 - Leather Jerkin

  1. A rustic brown jerkin, simple and inoffensive; a jerkin for the everyman’s apothecary.

  2. A deep red jerkin of dyed leathers, a bit worn to the touch but soft all the same.

  3. A sea blue leather jerkin, comfortable and with slashed stripes upon the sleeves.

  4. A hearty maroon jerkin, with puffed sleeves and a low-cut collar. 

  5. A softly tanned jerkin, almost velvet to the touch; a comfortable garment for long hours.

  6. A long grey jerkin, nearly a full jacket. Cumbersome but keeps out the cold and wet.

  7. A well-cut black jerkin, a bit sinister to some but it keeps out the stains and wears well.

  8. An ivy green jerkin with a threaded pattern about its hem which contrasts nicely.

  9. A warm yellow jerkin, it stains easily but invokes comparisons to a spring sunrise.

  10. A comfortable tawny jerkin, well-tailored and resilient; with a professional’s longevity.


d10 - Leather Jerkin; Toggles, Buttons.

  1. It has brass clasp toggles, shaped like frogs.

  2. It has brass clasp toggles, shaped like flowers.

  3. It has whalebone buttons, smoothly carved.

  4. It has whalebone toggles, roughly etched.

  5. It has wooden buttons, carved like leaves.

  6. It has wooden buttons, rough and uneven.

  7. It has brass buttons, cross-shaped and embellished.

  8. It has silver buttons, shaped like Shallyan doves.

  9. It has pewter buttons, roughly shaped like Morr’s skulls.

  10. It has gilded buttons, shaped like hearts with a small red stone in the center.


d10 - Jerkin Miscellania

  1. Affixed to the side opposite the main hand is a handy, yet small, satchel pouch.

  2. On the inner flap of the jerkin is a flask loop for holding a draught safely.

  3. Affixed to the lapel is a wooden pin depicting a Shallyan dove with a key.

  4. Affixed to the lapel is a wooden pin, depicting the provincial colors of the Guild.

  5. It has skull-shaped cuff-links of black stone at the end of each sleeve.

  6. It has a high collar with tight clasps, in the event one needs to cover their mouth and nose.

  7. Needles and thread are kept pinned through the lapel, for sake of repairs and stitching.

  8. A bone fetish to Taal is affixed to one sleeve, in thanks to the nature he provides.

  9. It has a heavy, oiled hood which can easily keep out the wet.

  10. Its interior is comfortable, lined with resplendent fabric of Tilean make.


d10 - Personal Book (Cover/Design)

  1. A simple calf-bound tome of soft, waxy leather and pulpy paper.

  2. A bradel bound journal of resilient vellum and leather.

  3. A long-stitched rag paper tome, loosely bound and crude.

  4. A crudely strung sheath of papers, folded for book-keeping purposes.

  5. A marble boarded book with wooden cover boards and fine vellum.

  6. An oversewn book with flimsy paper and a sturdy cover of cloth-wrapped wood.

  7. A nonce-volume style book with a fine leather cover and firm copper clasps.

  8. A lavishly leather bound tome with a Shallyan figurehead of polished tin.

  9. A girdle-bound journal with an oiled leather hood to keep out the wet.

  10. A macabre skinbook made from a martyr of the Shallyan order who wished to continue gifting knowledge posthumously. 


d10 - Book Miscellania

  1. Within are a few pressed flowers, their beauty captured and their potential noted.

  2. You inherited this book from your master, and it contains many useful notes--albeit hard to read.

  3. You’ve errantly drawn warring snails and cats in the margin of a few pages.

  4. More than a few pages show stains from failed experiments, which sadly obscure methodologies that worked.

  5. The book is slightly dented and creased, but it has served you as a weapon well in the past.

  6. Within it are a set of lovely ribbons to mark your page; they cost far more than they should’ve.

  7. Stamped across the first page are numerous names of previous students who used this journal for their research.

  8. You’ve scrawled risque notes on a few items of study by using lemon juice. Heat can reveal them.

  9. Your master hastily redacted several important notes and removed a few pages before handing this to you.

  10. Stamped upon the front page in embellished design is your name and notice of your acceptance into the Apothecary’s Guild.


d10 - Healing Draught (Bottle)

  1. A cheap clay growler, cork but durable.

  2. A strong, round druggist’s bottle made of amber glass.

  3. An alabastron of tin, embellished with khazalid designs.

  4. A mass-manufactured glass phial, stamped with an Imperial cross.

  5. A conical flask, stopped with a cork; not meant for carrying draught.

  6. A round bottom flask of Bretonnian origin, resplendent in artifice.

  7. A simple wine bottle, hardly clean but useful in a pinch for such purposes.

  8. A peasant’s jam jar, filled to the brim and tightly sealed to keep in freshness.

  9. A powder horn, cleaned of its substances and sealed with wax.

  10. An elven crystalware phial, a treasure deserving to be filled with much finer alchemy than a mere draught.


d10 - Guild Licence (Origin)

  1. The Carroburg Guild of Apothecaries

  2. The Upper Teufel Guild of Apothecaries & Low Alchemy

  3. The Reikland League of Apothecaries

  4. The Ostermark Chancellor’s Affiliated Guild of Apothecaries

  5. The Sudenland Burgher’s League of Apothecarial Arts

  6. The Guild of the Middenheim Apothecarium 

  7. The Noble Union of Altdorfer Apothecaries

  8. The Kemperbad Apothecarial Guild

  9. The Marienberg Apothecary Society

  10. The Nuln Guild of Unguents and Apothecaries


d10 - Apothecary Manuals

  1. Regarding the Four Humours: A Thesis on Inner Balance.

  2. Through Shallyan Eyes: A Treatise on Addiction.

  3. The Nehekharan Riddle: A Historical Survey of Ancient Unguents.

  4. Flies on the Marrow: An Exploration of Plague Remedies.

  5. The Sylvanian Imbibition: A Treatise on Youthful Remedies.

  6. The Fraudulent Concoction: Regarding Charlatans, Quackery & Hedge Witches.

  7. The Guild Treatise of Sublime Luting and Historic Preservation Techniques.

  8. Gardens of Shallya: Practical Herbalism and Proven Remedies.

  9. Cold Honey & Wormwood: The Kislevite Traditions (Translated.)

  10. Grand Tilean Pharmaceuticals: From the Earliest to Present Times.


d10 - Apprentice (Quality)

  1. An enthusiastic apprentice, who sadly has little skill.

  2. A bucolic apprentice who thinks themself better than this trade.

  3. A nebbish apprentice, hesitant and fearful of breaking things.

  4. A lazy apprentice, barely an asset but adept when work is done.

  5. A morose apprentice, far too interested in how such things might kill.

  6. An apoplectic apprentice, infuriated by any setback or failure.

  7. An arrogant apprentice, who believes to know better than you on all matters.

  8. A humble apprentice, with a curious mind and a trusting condition.

  9. A bold apprentice, willing to take risks and have your back in all things.

  10. A reliable apprentice, able to maintain a workshop and keep a valid ledger.


d10 - Apprentice (Quirk)

  1. They are a halfling with ties to the Mootland markets.

  2. They are Tilean, and own a few small untranslated texts.

  3. They are Estalian, and exceptionally cautious of anything weird.

  4. They are of noble birth, and have a way of making connections.

  5. They do truly believe in the Apothecary’s craft and its rich history.

  6. They are a Physician’s Guild member seeking to expand their horizons.

  7. They are an herbalist, hoping to better their craft and understanding.

  8. They are on loan from the Shallyan Priesthood, who pay for their room and board.

  9. They are Strigany and well-versed in coaxing potential from wasted reagents. 

  10. They are on loan from the Golden Order, humiliated and forced to learn “low alchemy” for a term.


Your Situation

d10 - Personal Troubles (Apothecary).

  1. You owe a terrible debt from a failed attempt entering the Physician’s Guild.

  2. A dwarf swore a grudge against your concoctions, claiming it gave them the trots.

  3. Your treatment of a noble’s venereal disease has lead to unfortunate implications.

  4. After doing the best you can in an unwinnable situation, folks now call you “Morr’s Friend.”

  5. Your master thinks you a ham-handed witless fool and won’t let you do anything which might advance your craft.

  6. Due to an incident with the Apothecary’s Guild entrance exams you are expected to pay rental fees on all equipment.

  7. The Physician’s Guild have gone out of their way to slander you as a charlatan and a poisoner. 

  8. Children gag in the presence of your concoctions, which does not help endear you to anyone.

  9. The criminal element wants to profit off the illicit drug trade and they expect you to assist, willingly or otherwise.

  10. You fear that this field is not the best one for you and must now balance the career while seeking means for a proper education.


d10 - Shameful Deeds

  1. You peddled stimulants to distractible students, all too aware of their addictive nature.

  2. You sold diuretics to nobles who feared for their own attractiveness, to terrible consequence.

  3. You once misused a reagent, accidentally producing a highly toxic poison which caused grave illness to a client.

  4. In a fit of spite, you once dosed your master’s drink with weirdroot. They’ve never been right since.

  5. You realized too late the herbal concoction you’d been using to grant a peaceful release to the dying was in truth, horrifically painful.

  6. You’ve been known to dip too deeply into your own supply of illicit substances, to pass the time.

  7. You’ve been suspected by the law of dealing in illicit drugs, and you allowed another to take the fall.

  8. You are a plagiarist, having cheated on your entrance exams into the Apothecary’s Guild.

  9. You dream too often of the putrefaction process, and you feel ashamed when you walk in Shallya’s halls.

  10. You loathe your station, and had you power and magical potential you know you’d be far grander than any Gold Wizard who looks upon your work as “low” alchemy.


d10 - Short-Term Ambitions

  1. Make rent by selling off your “Specialty” medications.

  2. Gain the respect, however begrudging, of your master.

  3. Grant the reprieve of comfort to the sick or dying.

  4. Save the life of someone who will scorn the Physician’s Guild as a result.

  5. Perform a kindness to Shallya with your services.

  6. Craft a remedy to aid those who cannot afford “proper” care.

  7. Secure a supply of reagents to assist in your research.

  8. Determine the source of a local sickness.

  9. Provide aid in preventing an outbreak of sickness before it can begin.

  10. Impress a noble or high paid academic with your knowledge of remedies.

d10 - Long-Term Ambitions

  1. You wish to acquire a tome of Arabyan alchemical lore. 

  2. You hope to cure a prominent noble of an ailment.

  3. You seek station and clout from your work in service to Shallya.

  4. You hope to ensure a quick recovery from whatever plague strikes next.

  5. You wish to publish a treatise on chemical remedies.

  6. You hope to achieve a ranked position in both the Apothecary & Physician’s Guilds.

  7. You wish to be responsible for survival against the Chaos God of Plagues.

  8. You seek to chart a treatise of rare herbs and cultivate a private collection.

  9. You hope to serve the Emperor as Apothecary-General and receive a noble station.

  10. You hope to set up shop as an Apothecary and see it succeed without scandal.

d10 - Apothecary Contacts

  1. A Shallyan hospice worker who appreciates your efforts.

  2. A hedonistic young rakehell who trusts you are always carrying.

  3. A gullible and misguided old noble who trusts your counsel.

  4. A soldier who owes you more than just a drink.

  5. An engineer who has abused your medications.

  6. A member of the Physician’s Guild, much to their chagrin.

  7. A watchman who needs your stimulants to stay alert.

  8. An herbalist who supplies you as best they can.

  9. A racketeer who has promised to help you corner the market.

  10. A mystic, who claims too loudly, that spirits have a hand in your work.


d10 - Your Specialty

  1. A runny ointment, numbs weary aches and muscle tension.

  2. A fetid balm, prevents infection and soothes inflammation.

  3. A stinky lotion, which makes supply and sensitive the skin.

  4. A bitter pill, which thins the bloods and eases tensions in the mind.

  5. An herbal compound, when smoked it assists in focus and relaxation.

  6. A swill-like elixir, which numbs aching teeth and soothes vomitous guts.

  7. A bubbly tonic, which helps one see clearly when hungover.

  8. A draught for aiding in healing wounds, an Apothecary’s mainstay.

  9. A dangerous inhalant, when huffed it makes one delirious but happy.

  10. An injection of vital balancing humors, causes a slight tickle and pleasant mood.


d10 - Blanchitsu (to make things odd/unique.)

  1. You drag along a snotling in a wheeled cage, the test subject of more risque concoctions. Always rashy and inflamed, a miserable shrieking beast with few teeth left.

  2. You carry a vivisected piglet in a glass reliquary, its organs labelled, its body pinned open. A useful facsimile of human anatomy.

  3. You’ve horrific acid burns down half your body, the results of trying to make an unreasonably large yield of a drug innocuous in smaller doses.

  4. You wear a bandoleer of unlabeled vials, some broken and crudely sealed with wax. You know at least one of them was something expensive to make.

  5. You hide a few small bags of herbs and paltry reagents within your hair, tied crudely but hidden and never out of reach.

  6. The tips of your fingers are stained unpleasant colors due to frequently working without gloves. They’re very sensitive and smell oddly. 

  7. You wear a garland of garlic, onions, and the odd stuffed crow. It pays to keep such warding reagents upon you at all times, as it keeps out other stinks. 

  8. You have a well-worn leather plague mask with a drooping, saggy nose. You inherited it from your master’s master who didn’t do a good job stitching it up.

  9. You have horrid, flaking, often reddened skin due to an allergy to common reagents you work with every day. Such is the price of your craft.

  10. You carry around a keepsake of your work with the poor, a sealed jar of terrible tumors and carved out bits of gout. It is part of some broader research of course.

An Attempted Framework Conversion for: The Hole in the Oak set in Dolmenwood

The Hole in the Oak is a low level adventure about venturing into the Mythic Underworld for Old-School Essentials , and though it features s...