Author Archives: the venomous pao

Nogoloth: The Drakemorton Hole

Wherein your humble scribe presents a couple of Mini Six characters (and their attendant flavor) that he whipped up for his nascent Lovecraftian Fantasy setting, Nogoloth. Consider these a test to see just how well Mini Six produces characters appropriate to such a milieu.

On the outer fringes of the city of Oustminnish stands the decayed and crumbling Drakemorton estate. Once a grand and bustling manor built by Captain Dominic Drakemorton more than a century ago, the estate has fallen further and further into disrepair – and disrepute – as the old Captain’s heirs have grown decadent and squandered the fortune Dominic amassed throughout his storied career. Bereft of its army of servants and caretakers, the family’s holdings rest now in the distracted hands of the last surviving Drakemorton scions: the mad Benicia and her unsettling twin brother Felix.

Behind the manor house itself there are several outbuildings including a mausoleum and disused crematorium. Within the weathered marble burial chamber there is a strange, heavy slab – cemented in place for three generations – that has recently been chiseled free and cast aside as through by an inhumanly powerful hand. Exposed beneath where the slab once lay is a large hexagonal hole down which well-secured iron rungs descend at slightly more than comfortable intervals. The hole itself is smooth and regular, as though bored by some impossibly gigantic machine of a sort that has never been seen in Nogoloth.

The Drakemorton Hole cuts deep into the earth, an eerie and stygian blackness closing quickly about any who attempt to plumb its depths. Whether the shaft itself is truly as extensive as it seems or the way down only feels excruciatingly long due to the preternatural gloom and dampness that attend its descent is impossible to say without further detailed, scientific exploration. What the urchins of Oustminnish – who have endeavored to seek the bottom of the cavity at my own request – have reported is that a growing sense of doom began to wash over them after little more than ten minutes’ descent, resulting in a retreat to the relative comfort of the surface.

These same somewhat unreliable sources further claim that dropping a stone down the shaft produces no sound of impact even after several long minutes of waiting. It is most unfortunate that young Jabben Scarth, the boldest of the children, has failed to return from his third excursion to the Drakemorton Hole. As an orphan with none to mourn him, his disappearance has gone largely unreported. For my own part, I feel some small sense of guilt at seeming to have sent the child to an unfortunate fate. But there are none for me to recompense, so I content myself with having lit a candle to the boy at the altar of Ste. Rixende.

Of the Drakemorton clan, little more than rumor an innuendo is readily available to the casual inquirer. It is said, though, that Benicia is quite insane due to her never-ending quest for arcane knowledge and the blasphemies she has surely read in the accursed tomes that line her library walls. Felix, though he is more immediately accessible and outwardly sane, is known to have begun showing the first hints of the Oustminnish Look within the past few years and is no longer seen at the society functions he used to attend with regularity.

Neither Drakemorton heir has ever married and neither has produced issue – a small mercy for which the more sanguine people of Oustminnish thank Ulris, Ursanne and all their sainted sons and daughters.

Benicia Drakemorton
Might 1D+2 Agility 3D
Wit 4D Charm 3D+1
Skills: Crafts 4D, Occult 6D, Language:Star Tongue Of The Elds 5D
Perks: Aristocrat, Sorcerer
Complications: Quite Insane, Really
Gear: Grimoires & Artifacts
Static: Dodge 9, Block 5, Parry 5
Body Points: 26
Armor: none

Felix Drakemorton
Might 4D Agility 2D+1
Wit 2D Charm 3D+2
Skills: Sword 5D, Stamina 5D, Lift 5D, Dodge 3D+1, Stealth 3D+1, Business 4D+2, Society 4D+2
Perks: Aristocrat
Complications: The Outsminnish Look
Gear: Pearl-Handled Sword Cane (+1D)
Static: Dodge 10, Block 12, Parry 15
Body Points: 36
Armor: none

BoL Foes: Cuachicqueh – The Shorn Ones

Wherein your humble scribe presents a set of opponents for his Mesoamerican themed setting for Barbarians of Lemuria.

Cuachicqueh – whose appellation translates as “The Shorn Ones” – are the ultimate Tlactozotl warriors; feared by king, priest, soldier and peasant. No fiercer breed of man exists within the lost valley. These elite fighters take their name from their custom of shaving their heads completely but for a single braid that extends over their left ear. They are also known to paint their faces and heads, normally half red and half blue, though other color schemes have been seen. Prior to entering battle, each Cuachicqueh swears a blood oath never to retreat even a single step. Violation of this oath results in death.

Rumors persist that Cuachicqueh cannot truly be killed by an opponent in battle and that if slain their bodies arise anew, powered by some strange magic or perhaps by the will of the gods themselves. Regardless of the veracity of these legends, one is strongly advised not to engage with Cuachicqueh who are charged with the protection of a temple, as these warriors are known to continue fighting through injuries that would kill a lesser man.

Essences
Lifeblood 13

Attributes
Strength 3
Agility 1
Mind 0
Appeal 0

Combat Abilities
Brawl 0
Melee 3
Ranged 1
Defense 0

Career
Warrior 2
Soldier 2

Protection: 1d6-1 (quilted cotton armor & shield)
Weapons: Macuahuitl (obsidian-toothed wooden swords) 1d6+4 (-1 to hit)
Atlatl (dart thrower) 1d6+2

BRP Character: Nishikado Tomohiro

Wherein your humble scribe presents an NPC for use with Basic RolePlaying.

Lieutenant Nishikado Tomohiro is a laser tank commander in the Earth Defense Force’s 2nd Armored Division, tasked with protecting the planet from the waves of alien invaders that plague life in the 22nd Century.

Nishi, as his friends and crew-mates call him, is a true soldier who takes his role as a defender of humanity very seriously. He is constantly thinking about how best to approach the challenges of fending off the threat of attack from space. He is also mildly obsessed with the mystery of the strange spacecraft that occasionally pass by to observe the status of the invasion. Nishi is certain that the unknown beings in these ships hold the key to vitory in this endless war. Lt. Tomohiro spends the precious few moments of downtime engaged in a recurring poker game with the men of his platoon.

Nishikado Tomohiro, Laser Tank Commander

STR 10 CON 13 SIZ 11 INT 15 POW 12 DEX 17 APP 14
Hit Points 12 Major Wound 6 Power Points 12

Damage Bonus: none
Weapons: Laser Rifle 55%, 2d8
Laser Pistol 55%, 1d8
Armor: Adaptive Mesh, 1d4+2
Skills: Artillery: Laser Turret 60%, Brawl 50%, Climb 65%, Command 55%, Dodge 60%, Energy Weapon: Laser Pistol 55%,, Energy Weapon: Laser Rifle 55%,First Aid 55%, Gaming 39%, Heavy Machine: Laser Tank 56%, Knowledge: Space Invaders 20%, Repair: Mechanical 30%, Repair: Electronic 30%, Spot 50%, Strategy 55%, Technical Skill: Sensor Systems 45%

d12s On Ice!

In honor of the short-lived snow day here in Austin, I humbly link to Snowdecahedrons! by Dan Sternof Beyer. These were definitely not made in Austin, today or any other day 🙂

Snowdecahedron-Dan-Sternof-Beyer-SouthStation

Snowdecahedron, by Dan Sternof Beyer

And the Frost Giant takes… <rolls> 8 points of damage from my Longsword! Eat that, Frostie!

A Year Of Strange Stones

Through the magic of WordPress and its ability to schedule posts “in the future” I am able to set this particular note to publish at precisely the same time and date as the very first post on Strange Stones. Crazy, no? Actually, it’s not as crazy as the fact that I made it through a full year of this with only minimal annoying gaps in my geekful posting. Yay me!

Anyway, I’ll spare y’all any deep introspection on this momentous occasion (especially since I went into that sort of thing earlier). I’ll just take a moment to say that, amazingly enough, I don’t think I’m going to just give up and walk away from all this fame and fortune to go live on an island somewhere 🙂

Game on, my internet brothers and sisters. Game on!

CoC Character: Sean Patrick McGuinness

Wherein your humble scribe, being in a Lovecraftian frame of mind of late, presents an NPC for use with Call of Cthulhu (Sixth Edition).

Sean Patrick McGuinness is a 28-year-old, second-generation Irish-American from the Vinegar Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. Like his father before him, Sean made his living as a sandhog on subterranean projects throughout New York. But after the Holland Tunnel Incident of October 27, 1924, McGuinness’ career beneath the earth came to an abrupt end.

The official version of that dark day’s events involves a tunnel blowout, the deaths of nineteen men, and the amazing survival of one incredibly lucky sandhog who was actually drawn into the blowout, forced through the mud of the river-bottom and delivered to the surface alive. McGuinness, though, has quite a different story to tell, though he seldom shares it anymore.

Friends and relations chalk up his fanciful talk of Shoggoths and Ubbo-Sathla and other such nonsense to the confusion and hallucinations caused by Bends, which he surely must have suffered as a result of the intense pressure changes he endured. Former coworkers and casual acquaintances have been known to mock McGuinness openly for his bizarre words and strange behavior ever since the event. Meanwhile, odd academics from strange universities occasionally seek him out and listen intently to every word this former teetotaler has to tell though his now permanent whiskey haze.

No matter what truly happened down in the tunnel, two things are certain: first, McGuiness is absolutely terrified of setting foot below ground to the point where he won’t even enter a basement, let alone travel by subway; second, there has not been a night in the past three years when McGuiness has not woken, drenched in sweat, from an intense, thrashing nightmare crying “Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!” at the top of his lungs.

Sean Patrick McGuinness, Lucky Former Sandhog

STR 16 CON 16 SIZ 9 INT 13 POW 17 DEX 13 APP 10 EDU 10
Hit Points 13 Major Wound 7 Power Points 17 SAN 65

Damage Bonus: +1d4
Weapons: Sledgehammer 60%, 2d6+2 + 1d4
Armor: none
Skills: Bargain 20%, Craft: Mining 35%, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Dodge 50%, Electrical Repair 45%, Fast Talk 25%, First Aid 30%, Fist/Punch 60%, Geology 10%, Grapple 45%, Headbutt 20%, Kick 35%, Listen 35%, Locksmith 14%, Mechanical Repair 45%, Occult 9%, Operate Heavy Machine 45%, Own Language: English 50%, Sledgehammer 60%

BoL Character: Derl Gethau

Wherein your humble scribe presents a Barbarians of Lemuria character he put together as an NPC in his slowly-developing Lovecraftian fantasy setting, Nogoloth.

Once considered a leading thinker at Canton-on-Imisk University, Derl Gethau fell out of favor for his “reenvisionings” and “interpretations” of some of the traditional myth cycles of Nogoloth and was drummed out of academia entirely. To this day he remains a suspect figure in certain circles and an outright pariah in others. This episode only served to remind Derl of his disdain for those who hide within the cities of Nogoloth and seldom if ever venture out into the world itself. Now firmly established as a fearless tracker and guide – one who knows enough to get you from here to there safely and even somewhat wiser for the trip – Derl seldom thinks of this old life and its decadent decay. He is still known to dabble in the arcane arts, happily digesting any new wisdom he might acquire in the wilds.

Essences
Lifeblood 11
Arcane Power 10
Hero Points 5

Attributes
Strength 1
Agility 1
Mind 2
Appeal 0

Combat
Brawl 0
Melee 1
Ranged 1
Defense 2

Careers
Scholar 2
Hunter 1
Poet 1
Sorcerer 0

Boons
Learned (Flora & Fauna)
Learned (Legends)

Flaws
Discredited Scholar (roll an extra d6 in dealings with scholars, scribes, academics, etc.)

Languages
Nogolothian, Ancient Khaarmish, Star Tongue Of The Elds, Sorceric, Low Speech

Equipment
Sword, d6+1
Dagger, d3+1
Light Armor & Shield (d6-1)
Bow, d6

LL/RoCC Antagonist: Othoghu, The Knife Of Shub-Niggurath

Wherein your humble scribe presents an antagonist for use with Labyrinth Lord and the brand new Realms of Crawling Chaos. Three appropriately Lovecraftian artifacts are included below. Each is the result of rolling on the Random Artifact Tables contained within RoCC, which I believe is OGC.

Once a devout priest called Simon Aldurn, the man now known as Othoghu, The Knife Of Shub-Niggurath, willingly fell from grace at the urgings of Stelaugha, an uncommonly alluring Young of Shub-Niggurath. Othoghu makes his home in Canton-on-Imisk, where he serves the Black Goat of the Woods as a spy.

Othoghu longs for the day when Shub-Niggurath chooses him as a mate and will stop at nothing to please the Old One. Any who pass through Canton-on-Imisk with ill intentions towards the Black Goat of the Woods or who are in possession of items her cult might desire are certain to be subject to Othoghu’s evil.

Othoghu is currently in possession of three eldritch artifacts that he will employ as needed in his efforts to please and serve Shub-Niggurath. These are detailed below.

Othoghu / Human Cleric/Assassin 4/5 Neutral Evil
STR 14 INT 12 WIS 18 DEX 13 CON 10 CHR 13
HP 36 AC 5 Gold 3,571
+2 Mace, Bracers of Armor (AC 6), Silver Holy Symbol, The Key Of Haathoa, Idol Of Mmnao, The Eye Of Eiculura
Cleric Spells:
1st Level (5) Command, Darkness, Detect Magic, Fear, Sanctuary
2nd Level (4) Hold Person, Silence 15′ Radius, Snake Charm, Spiritual Weapon

The Key Of Haathoa

Carved from a bizarre, ancient stone, in which fossils of creatures never seen by human eyes are occasionally exposed, this key is able to summon a Night Beast to serve the possessor. The Night Beast will faithfully obey every command for 3d12 turns before returning whence it came. The Key of Haathoa can only be used once per day. Additional attempts to use it will result in the appearance of 2d4 hostile, hungry Night Beasts that will seek out the holder of the key.

Idol Of Mmnao

Crafted from a strange green soapstone in the image of a sitting siamese cat, this statue marks its owner as a friend of cats. Any felines who interact with the owner of the Idol of Mmnao are subject to a −2 reaction modifier and will only willingly attack the Idol’s holder in self-defense or to protect their young.

The Eye Of Eiculura

This large gem, which has been heavily etched with tentacle-, or perhaps root-like patterns, can be used to animate 1d3 nearby trees, which will uproot themselves to serve the Eye Of Eiculura’s owner. Treat these animated trees as chaotic treants that do not possess the ability to animate additional trees. Trees found in and near graveyards become particularly fearsome when affected by the magic of this artifact due to their roots having fed on fetid corpses over the ages. Such trees receive a +2 bonus to their Hit Dice. The Eye Of Eiculura can only be used 10 times before it crumbles into dust.

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Fugitives Of Darlsfort

Wherein your humble scribe presents what might be an Adventuring Party for Labyrinth Lord/Advanced Edition Companion. These characters are all 1st level, were granted maximum HP (Advanced Style), and have a bare minimum of equipment. They were all created with 3d6 for stats, more often than not in order. And, as is now commonplace, they all have some snappy headgear.

Fleeing the frontier city of Darlsfort the night before an onslaught of goblinoid forces led by the evil sorceress Xeriaven, this group of young adventurers are ill-prepared for the challenges that await them in the dungeons and wildernesses they must traverse before they can hope to reach a new place to call home. Bickering, bitter recriminations and quite possibly brutal death await them on their journey.

Will Mad Piotr drag them all down with his unpredictable behavior? Will the pompous know-it-all Hagidox alienate himself from the safety of the group with his lectures and constant upbraiding? Will Sylmira grow weary of her childish companions and leave them to their fates if the opportunity presents itself? And what of the self-centered thief Rallen Pangkit? Are any safe when his turn to stand watch comes up? Only Mats Taldinson, dimwitted priest of Balder, has any chance of holding this loosely-knit group together long enough to navigate their way to a new life.

Piotr Vand / Human Illusionist 1 CN
Head Gear: Four-tasseled Hat
STR 10 INT 16 WIS 4 DEX 17 CON 10 CHR 9
HP 9 AC 7 Gold 104
Dagger, 6 Darts, Spellbook
Illusionist Spells: Hypnotism, Phantasmal Force, Refraction

Hagidox Mystarum / Human Magic-User 1 LN
Head Gear: Beaver-tailed Hat
STR 13 INT 14 WIS 8 DEX 13 CON 11 CHR 10
HP 4 AC 8 Gold 113
Quarterstaff, Dagger, 4 Darts, Spellbook
Magic-User Spells: Identify, Read Languages, Unseen Servant

Sylmira / Elf Magic-User 1 CG
Head Gear: Four-tiered Ziggurat Hat
STR 9 INT 14 WIS 10 DEX 12 CON 14 CHR 11
HP 5 AC 9 Gold 118
Quarterstaff, Spellbook
Magic-User Spells: Detect Magic, Erase, Magic Aura

Rallen Pangkit / Human Thief 1 NE
Head Gear: Short, Hacked Hair
STR 8 INT 12 WIS 10 DEX 18 CON 13 CHR 7
HP 7 AC 5 Gold 24
Shortsword, Dagger, Short Bow & 20 Arrows, Leather Armor, Thieves’ Tools

Mats Taldinson / Human Cleric 1 NG
Head Gear: Knit Skull Cap
STR 13 INT 7 WIS 15 DEX 12 CON 13 CHR 13
HP 9 AC 4 Gold 3
War Hammer, Banded Mail, Silver Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Cure Light Wounds, Light

Of Nogoloth And Its Cities

An unfinished letter found among the personal effects of Sakeurn Tarcer, late of the city of Isyr…

The island-continent, called Troqelac on the ancient sea charts I found amongst my grandfather’s papers, but known to those who dwell there as Nogoloth, rests deep within the Black Ocean, far to the east of Nysperé. Ships from Ulrath and Morryn used visit its shores, but rare is the captain who will risk that damned route any longer.

Whether it is a trick of the atmosphere or the curse of some hateful god none will say, but whatever the reason the truth is that it is perpetually twilight across the full breadth of Nogoloth. The sun never shines fully on that island – I know, for I have longed for its full radiant light to relieve the dread I felt every day of the seven years I lived in that accursed land. I fear that even now I may not have shaken the touch of madness that lingers over those who endure that interminable gloaming.

For surely you will think it madness when I speak at last of the terrible things which live and hunt in the umbral spaces between the cities that have grown up, fungus-like, in that dark place. Yes, we of Nysperé have our fair share of dangers in the wilderness – and even our own shadows to face among our fellow civilized inhabitants – but nothing here on our home soil can compare to the horrors I beheld in the murk and gloom of Nogoloth.

But before I drive you to disregard all I have to report with careless talk of Dagon & Hydra and things worse still, I should truthfully and in a steady voice tell you of the rational facts of Nogoloth. I should remain calm, and speak sensibly of the Great City of Khaarm, where the fountains run with crystal waters to nourish the souls of the great scholars and priests who inhabit the bone-white towers that ring the University. I should tell you of old Cwnuihd on the western shore and the raven-haired beauties who stand on the docks and sing songs no human ever wrote to the ebon-skinned crews of the emerald-sailed ships that brave the reef to take on cargoes of rubies the size of human hearts.

I should, no I must speak to you of the eastern port of Oustminnish and the strange, degenerate look that looms like a shadow over some of those who live in the precincts nearest the shore. Few of that city would speak to me of such things, but those who would whispered of the sea devils who sometimes leave their home beneath the waves to consort with the Istholams, the Phaths, the Chac-Langthuses, and several other families of lesser standing within the community.

I ought, though it behooves me not, to tell you of Pnikigystros where the ancient wizard Orazath resides. I am bound by blood oath and implacable geas to ensure that the knowledge I unearthed within the great library of Canton-on-Imisk does not recede into the darkness it seeks as surely as the waters of the river upon which the town sits seek the oblivion that comes with returning to the sea. Will you listen to me? I have search so long for someone who would bear the burden of this terrible wisdom I possess.

The letter was found, along with a hastily scrawled map to the “island-continent” (completely unknown to any within the scholar’s guild) referenced in the letter, on the man’s body which was discovered in an alleyway in one of the seedier portions of Isyr. The unfortunate victim of the sort of violence that happens amongst those who give in to the darker temptations within that city.